Houston, TX’s O Pioneers! have played another round of musical musical chairs, this time welcoming Toronto’s Junior Battles as vocalist/guitarist Eric Solomon’s backing band. To celebrate their matrimony, Kiss of Death Records has announced the release of a split 7” between the two bands, recorded during a marathon practice session in Toronto last month. Both bands have offered up a new song, with O Pioneers! contributing “That’s My Blood” to coincide with Junior Battles’ “Passing Out.”

You can head over to O Pioneers!’ MySpace page to check out “That’s My Blood” and to Junior Battles’ MySpace page to hear “Passing Out.”

This pairing marks the eighth line-up change for O Pioneers! in half as many years, as half a dozen rhythm sections have done time alongside band mainstay Eric Solomon. Solomon elaborated:

“In December, we did our big month-long tour. Everything was awesome; all the shows were great, we weren’t struggling on the road, and then we got into a sweet van accident that totaled our van. So after dealing with all of that, getting everyone and everything home safely, I was stuck with myself in Houston and band mates in Indiana, with no economical way to get back and forth between the two. So at this point, I was looking to call it quits on this band. The dudes in Indiana didn’t really want to come down anymore, so I just said, “Fuck it. We’ll do Harvest of Hope, and that’ll be the last show. We’ll be surrounded by friends and family, and we’ll go out on a high note.”

When I started to break the news to said friends and family, people got bummed. Which kinda took me by surprise, because if you know me, I don’t think anyone likes my shitty band. I started talking with Sam from Junior Battles and Bryon from Kiss Of Death, and they basically persuaded me to not stop doing this band, with the promise of hugs and kisses. So I agreed, and kinda became the guy who has a back up band. Pioneers! played a couple of shows around Harvest of Hope with New Bruises filling in, and shit was epic. It was so fun, it made me excited to play music again. A week later, I flew up to Toronto to write and record the O Pioneers!/Junior Battles split 7″, and although I was only in town for 5 days and we only had 10 hours to practice, we wrote three of the best songs this band (with any members) has ever produced. Also, setting up a tour with these fine gentlemen to and from Rad Fest was a no-brainer. So although Pioneers! is really, really different now, I’m really excited for what the future has to offer for once.”

O Pioneers! and Junior Battles will be touring together in May on their way to Wilmington, NC’s Rad Fest. Dates are listed just below the “more” button.
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Gainesville’s Young Livers left this morning for a European tour with buddies and labelmates Bridge & Tunnel. To celebrate, UK’s Rocksound Magazine is running an exclusive stream their new album, “Of Misery and Toil.”

Click here to listen to the band’s sophomore album, “Of Misery and Toil,” which will be released April 27th on LP/CD courtesy of No Idea Records.

Young Livers recorded the album this past June at Satellite Recordings in Ventura, CA with Armand John Anthony, also responsible for the auditory violence committed on 2008’s Glass And Ashes “S/T” album. Drums were re-tracked in December ’09 with Ryan Williams in Gainesville, FL. Williams then re-mixed the record and passed it along to New Alliance Mastering for a finished product.

“Of Misery and Toil” follows the band’s critically acclaimed debut album, “The New Drop Era,” released in 2007 by No Idea Records and Kiss of Death Records.

You can click “more” below for the dates!
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Any day now, Kiss of Death Records will be releasing a new one-sided 12″ EP from No Friends, entitled “Traditional Failures.” The band features Tony Foresta (singer of Municipal Waste) on vocal duties and 3/4ths of the recently defunct New Mexican Disaster Squad. Their sound has been described as “80’s style hardcore in the vein of Dag Nasty, Descendents, and Gorilla Biscuits.”

In anticipation of their upcoming tour (dates below), Kiss of Death is giving away the entire EP for free download. You can dowload the album here.

“Traditional Failures” Tracklisting:

1. A Look Ahead
2. Letter of Apology
3. Permanent Black Eye
4. Armed to the Teeth
5. Control Freaks
6. Traditional Failures

NO FRIENDS TOUR DATES
4/02/10 Raleigh, NC @ The Pourhouse w/ Deep Sleep, Double Negative, Pollution
4/03/10 Harrisonburg, VA @ Macrock w/ Deep Sleep, Double Negative, Wasted Time, Valkaryie
4/04/10 Washington DC @ TBA
4/05/10 York, PA @ The Skid Row Garage w/ Deep Sleep, Common Enemy, and Olde Tiger
4/06/10 New Brunswick, NJ @ Bosnia w/ Deep Sleep, Nightbirds
4/07/10 Boston, MA @ Church of Boston w/ Deep Sleep, Ramming Speed, Hellbent Hookers, Livver
4/08/10 Brooklyn, NY @ Bruar Falls w/ Deep Sleep, The Bombettes, Nightbirds
4/09/10 Philadelphia, PA @ The Terrordome w/ Deep Sleep, Affirmative Action Jackson, John Wilkes Youth
4/10/10 Richmond, VA @ The Bikelot w/ Deep Sleep, Cloak/Dagger, Dry Spell, Freeman

NO FRIENDS previously released their S/T album July 28th on No Idea Records.
You can find the album streaming on the band’s Punknews.org profile page.

The Measure [SA] are putting the finishing touches on their next full length. Simply entitled “Notes,” the album spans 14 new songs recorded with Chris Pierce at Technical Ecstasy in Milltown, NJ in the Fall of 2009. The band is currently mixing the album and expects to have it out by early summer 2010 on their new home, No Idea Records.

Singer/guitarist Lauren Denitzio had this to say about the direction writing has come on the new album:

“2009 was a hard year, let’s put it that way. I think it shows loud and clear on this record. These songs, for me, are definitely about a place and a time and were my way of working through the whole spectrum of things from being in love, to not knowing how to handle that, to life threatening illness, abusive relationships, to hating New York and my place in it. The record is louder and faster than our previous ones, and we know that we definitely became a more aggressive band. There are some of the most upbeat and optimistic songs we’ve ever written along with the most pessimistic. I love this record, and I think it’s the equivalent of a lightbulb going off over our head, musically. This is what we were always supposed to sound like.”

The Measure [SA] will also be doing a short run on their way to and from their performance at Harvest of Hope Fest in St. Augustine, FL. Along the way, they’ll share stages with Shellshag, Small Brown Bike, O Pioneers!, Cheap Girls, Defiance, Ohio, and The Menzingers. You can click “more” below for the dates!
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Young Livers have unveiled the cover art and track listing for their long-awaited sophomore album for No Idea Records, entitled “Of Misery and Toil.”

The band has also just posted another track from the album. You can check “In Rapid Succession” as well as the previously leaked “A Sad State In Affairs” on the band’s MySpace page.

Young Livers recorded the album this past June at Satellite Recordings in Ventura, CA with Armand John Anthony, also responsible for the auditory violence committed on 2008’s Glass And Ashes “S/T” album released by No Idea Records. Drums were re-tracked in December ’09 with Ryan Williams in Gainesville, FL. Williams then re-mixed the record and passed it along to New Alliance Mastering for a finished product.

“Of Misery and Toil” will be released on LP/CD April 27th via No Idea Records, and follows on the heels of the band’s critically acclaimed debut album, “The New Drop Era,” released in 2007 by No Idea Records and Kiss of Death Records.

“Of Misery and Toil” Track List:
1. Born in Vein
2. All the Wretched
3. Finger to the Pulse
4. Suffering From
5. A Sad State in Affairs
6. Of Misery and Toil
7. In Rapid Succession
8. The Just and the Submission
9. A Shortness of Breath
10. The Other Side of the Pendulum
11. Nothing But Teeth

Young Livers will be headed to Europe this April with label-mates Bridge & Tunnel. You can click “more” below for the dates!

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Orlando’s VIRGINS will be entering the studio on February 11th to start work on their second LP, the follow-up to 2008’s “Miscarriage,” released by Kiss of Death Records. The sophomore album is tentatively titled “Animals” and will find the band once again headed to Louisville, KY to record at Headbanging Kill Your Mama Music with Lords’ Chris Owens. Virgins have already sealed a blood pact with Tampa’s Kiss of Death Records to release the album, as well as a teaser 7” in the months prior to the album’s release. Afterwards, they’re also planning a split 7” with NY’s Stolen Parts on No Idea Records.

Virgins will make appearances at Harvest of Hope Fest 2010, from March 12-14th, and at Rad Fest in Wilmington, NC, May 14th-15th. Plans are currently in the works for runs up the East and West Coast, as well as a European tour, later in 2010.

O Pioneers! are heading out for a month on the road, where they’ll tackle the entire United States, spend a couple days in Canada, and share the stage with bands like Against Me!, Lemuria, and Roll The Tanks. You can click on over to the tour page to check out the dates.

Young Livers have leaked the first song from their long awaited sophomore album. You can check out “A Sad State In Affairs” on the band’s MySpace page.

Young Livers recorded the album this past June/July at Satellite Recordings in Ventura, CA in the sinister company of Armand John Anthony, also responsible for the auditory violence committed on last year’s Glass And Ashes “S/T” album released by No Idea Records.

The band had this to say about recording:

“We have a new record almost ready! We spent two weeks in sunny Ventura, CA with Armand and the residents of the 86 House. We recorded 13 songs from which we selected 11 to be on the record. The new material is different, as we have a different lineup than the first record, with Mike Carter playing bass and contributing some brutal vocals. We spent a lot of time in our practice space working on the material. Mike slept in Dave’s garage for a few months while we were writing, while the rest of us spent little to no time outside of practice or work. We locked our selves in the studio for two weeks and I think we produced something we are all proud of. Once we get this record out, we are going to get out for some serious touring and reuniting with friends! Also, we’re going to be using some leftover tracks for a split or two. We’ve already begun writing again and are throwing around the idea of recording again soon for something not quite an LP.”

You can also check out a studio montage video the band produced to get a sneak peak at some other songs from the album. The video can be viewed here.

This album is the follow up to the band’s critically acclaimed debut album, “The New Drop Era,” released in 2007 by No Idea Records and Kiss of Death Records. You can still stream “The New Drop Era” in its entirety on the band’s Punknews.org profile page.

Last year, the band released a split 7” with Long Island’s Bridge & Tunnel care of No Idea Records, a split 7” with UK natives Attack! Vipers! on Germany’s Yo-Yo Records, and a live split 7” with Gainesville’s Army of Ponch courtesy of Sound Study Recordings.

Young Livers are also doing a string of dates with their good friends from the United Kingdom, OK Pilot, leading up to their performances at THE FEST 8 in Gainesville, FL this Halloween weekend. You can click “more” below for the dates!

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