From the Pacific Northwest, Everyone Loves a Villain delivers a whopping punch of modern metal. They may be from a small city in the middle of nowhere, but the sound is big enough to fill an arena. They’ve submitted not one, but two killer tracks that draw influence from BMTH, Breaking Benjamin, and more. Take a listen and find more on Spotify!
Based in and around Portland, Maine, The American Classic delivers a mix of pop, rock, and pop punk in their song “Losing Years”. The song is off of their new EP, Blossom, which you can pick up on iTunes and stream on Spotify!
Berlin-based punk trio Kicker Dibs recently released a video for “OMA”, a song about a badass, high heel-wearing, football playing Grandma. Check it out and follow the band on Facebook.
Tuckered Out are a rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They have a new album called Weekend In Fishton and this is “Ever Be”. The song is full of wonderful vocal melodies and a strong belief of home is something you should hold onto and appreciate.
Ieper Hardcore Fest has become a legendary name in the underground DIY festival circuit. With visitors from all over the globe coming over for the weekend to a small historical town in Flanders Belgium, Ieper Hardcore Fest grew into a three day happening of worldwide hardcore. Following the DIY ethic the festival is held for the 26th time in 2018 and all thanks to the hard work and dedication of the originators and their legion of helping hands. What started as a small festival in a local youth club grew into this yearly collaboration of two DIY collectives hailing from the Ypres region bringing together an impressive roster of bands to perform over the weekend.
And once again 2018 holds some true gems in it’s lineup. Whether you like your hardcore old school or you’re more into the more heavier sounds, Ieper Hardcore Fest will cater your needs.
Kicking off on Friday 10th of August a diverse selection of bands grace the different stages with their performances. Local Flemish rippers such as Crowsview and Maudlin are present to rip you a new one amidst legends such as Discharge, Doom, Oi Polloi and of course headliner Shelter that are playing one of three shows planned for Europe this year. A chance you can’t miss.
Saturday 11th of August the feast continues and Ypres will tremble once again under the thundering sounds of Belgian mincecore godfathers Agathocles. If they haven’t destroyed all then local H8000 bands as Crossface, Turbowarriors Of Steel and Headshot will gladly gather their hordes of followers to finish the job. If anything left Wisdoms In Chains is waiting on you to present their new album or what about Jasta to end of your Saturday at Ieper Hardcore Fest.
On Sunday 12th the gathering reaches it’s final day with another series of killer acts, a few personal favorites to see are Vonnis, Merauder, Comeback Kid, Coffins, Darkside NYC and festival headliner Converge.
Quite an impressive lineup but that’s not all, Ieper Hardcore Fest is More Than Music, there’s also the delicious vegan food provided by the Ieper food team, homegrown and made with tons of love and of course the fourth stage, The More Than Music tent where several ngo’s and others man the stands to inform the public about different topics. Ranging from veganism to more political, the MTM tent is open to all to discuss their thoughts or to find knowledge on many topics be it by pamphlets, speakers or just supporting a cause by signing a petition. Ieper Hardcore Fest has it all and is inviting you to join in, the music may be loud but the crowd isn’t.
For the complete lineup and more info visit www.ieperfest.com
Exit are a rock band from New England and this is “See You Around” off of their new album Too Little, Too Late. If you enjoy fast, catchy rock bands then this is a band for you! If you’d like to listen to more, you can check out their Facebook page for info on how to purchase their album.
Based in Provo, Utah, alt. rock band The Fangs released their single “Glory Days” last Friday. The song is a poppy kicker with a driving beat. If you’re a fan of their neighbors Neon Trees, definitely give The Fangs a listen!
Hello, welcome to Jera On Air. How has it been?
We had a blast at Jera! So cool to see people still into these songs we did 20 years ago.
Today you played the full Headcleaner album on stage. The bands breakthrough release in 1998 on Epitaph Records. Why did you pick this particular album?
Headcleaner was released twenty years ago. It was the first record we ever made, produced by our heroes of The Descendents, and released by our favourite label ever. We did a show earlier this year where we played the entire album. The good people of Jera asked us to do the same thing at the festival and we happily obliged.
You’ve just mentioned that you did a similar full Headcleaner set earlier this year in a venue in your hometown of Dordrecht. I couldn’t make it but how was this rare occasion?
It was fun to revisit those old songs, especially since we’ve been working on a new album for the last six months or so. The crowd was a mix of old friends and new ones, and we had two amazing bands playing with us that night: Note To Amy and Cooper. We’ve been playing shows with Cooper for twenty years, we go way back with those guys. They actually played with us when we did the album release party for Headcleaner 20 years ago.
For Headcleaner you got the opportunity to record at the legendary The Blasting Room studios with the even more legendary Bill Stevenson (Descendents, Black Flag). Guess that was a pleasant call from Brett Guerewitz (Bad Religion, Epitaph records) when he announced the news?
Actually, it was the other way around. Epitaph gave us absolute freedom, we could pick who ever we wanted to work with. And since we really loved the records that were made at The Blasting Room around that time, it really was a no-brainer: The Blasting Room! To this day we’re still very grateful for that opportunity. Not many people can say they made an album with their heroes. On one of the last days in the studio, Bill took us out into the mountains. I still remember him saying that above anything else, making a record should be fun. Bill and Stephen made sure it was just that.
Picking up on some of the songs on Headcleaner, it was 20 years ago. People change, but how do you feel on certain lyrics today such as those of Maybe Tomorrow that are sometimes dark.
It’s funny to hear you say Maybe Tomorrow is dark, ‘cause to us, there’s a sense of hope in those lyrics. But I see your point, generally speaking our lyrics were darker than those of other melodic punk bands. We always felt that part of what made us stand out from so many other bands was the content of our lyrics. Not all of our lyrics have aged that well, but I still like the words of Maybe Tomorrow.
On the other hand you also recorded a song like Ordinary Fight that appears to be timeless as it’s content is still very vibrant with the way the world is going. Is this still your view on the state of the world?
Taken at face value, Ordinary Fight is about fighting fascism. It is the first song we’ve ever written, and we felt we had to get that of chest. Looking at the world today, it’s safe to say there is still plenty to fight for.
It appears I Against I is more than a reunion tour like we’ve seen from many bands the last years. You’ve released a new song, Walk Away, it was featured on the White Russian Records label sampler earlier this year. And a new album is coming soon?
When we got back together last year, we had only one mission: to make a new record. We just finished it last month, and we’re very, very happy with how it turned out. People who liked Headcleaner will love this one. It’s very energetic and hyper melodic.
The new album is called ‘Small Waves’, it will be released on october 6th by White Russian Records.
What’s next for I Against I?
The good thing is that we don’t really know what’s next. We just want to meet new people and play with as many great bands as possible. As long as we’re having fun playing again, we will continue. And right now, we’re having more fun than ever.
Dog Eat Dog has been an institute for cross over music since the early 90’s. With their unique blend of rock, punk, hip hop, funk and so much more they conquered the world and inspired thousands of musicians to pick up an instrument and make their own blend of music. 28 years later Dog Eat Dog is still going strong and playing shows, time for RMP Magazine to talk to vocalist John Connor about the past, present and future of Dog Eat Dog.
Hello, welcome to Jera On Air. are we having Good Times?
What an amazing festival great atmosphere great lineup!
Today’s show is part of the European tour, Year Of The Dog. Is this way of several short tours the best way for Dog Eat Dog?
Yes, so Dog Eat Dog has been a part-time band for many years now so it’s important for us to balance touring with our home life and for some of us that means working day jobs.
Last Thursday you played a special festival in Belgium, Rock For Specials. Could you let us in who the audience was and if they liked it?
It was really amazing to play Rock for specials I had no idea what it was going to be like because we didn’t have so much information going into it. The crowd was amazing it was so nice to see the light in so many people’s eyes and smiles on their faces. But honestly the thing that I like the most was taking a walk around the festival site and seeing so many people who have special needs just being normal in the presence of their peers. It’s also a great day out for the people who give so much time and effort to care for those with special needs truly a magnificent event and something will never forget
You did learn the ropes of music touring from some of the best. Bad Brains, Biohazard,;.. Over the 28 years playing in Dog Eat Dog what would be your favorite tour experience?
Well of course for us having our first tour overseas supporting Bad Brains was incredible. Those guys were so generous with their time and it made a huge impact on us as a young band. Biohazard/Dog Eat Dog/ Downset tour had to go down as one of the best tours of the 90s… people are still talking about it for obvious reasons it was a special time before big changes happened in the music industry and I can only say that we are very happy to have been a part of it. It’s really impossible to pin down one tour or one moment as being a favorite, It sounds cliche but it’s really the journey not the destination that makes all of this worthwhile.
Last year Dog Eat Dog released a new 4 song album titled Brand New Breed. It’s self released and only sold at your shows. How has the feedback been so far?
The feedback from the EP has been really great it was so nice to be able to create and release new music after more than 10 years. The feedback has been great we weren’t looking to take over the world with this release it was more of a love letter to our fans who have stuck with us for a long time with no new music. One of the nicest things anyone has said about it is that it sounds like Dog Eat Dog, after all this time we still have a unique sound
It’s a diverse release, like one of the songs, Lumpy Dog, has more of a chill reggae vibe but ends with some heavy beats. One for the tokers and smokers?
With the new music we had no one to please other than ourselves so we had lots of freedom to do whatever we wanted. Lumpy is a playful song about my now deceased dog Curtis. we have always been into reggae music, our last two releases have had reggae influenced songs so it should be no surprise to anyone to hear another song with reggae influence.
The band has always been in it for nothing but the fun of it. Could you tell us some more on the Dog Eat Dog Gots Talent competition that you do with bass players at your show?
On the song Rocky Dave Neabore takes the lead vocal so anytime we have a bass player friend around we usually invite them up so Dave can run free with the microphone. The night you were referring to our last show in Uden Netherlands we had 3 capable bass players in the house ready to play so it was Dave’s idea to do something funny for the fans but it’s not something we have a chance to do every night.
The Netherlands and Dog Eat Dog have always been a good combination it appears. One of Dog Eat Dog’s most memorable shows was at Dynamo Open Air festival in 1995. I think every European 90’s kid knows that image of you surfing the crowd at Dynamo. How crazy was that?
Yes, we have had some amazing gigs in the Netherlands I can even remember going back to the Mucky Pup days in that late 80s how much fun the Dutch crowds are. Obviously Dynamo Open Air and the reaction was something that no one could predict. A few weeks before the festival our record company told me that it was going to be a very special day and did I have anything that could make the show special. I told them to please get me a surfboard and I would take it on to the crowd. On the day of the festival I almost cancelled the plan because I was upset with them for spray painting the board with Dog Eat Dog and the crown logo on it. I thought it look corny and stupid but in the end I decided to go through it. When I finally went into the crowd on the board the people in the crowd were packed in so tight that they were falling over like 20 or even 50 at a time and it became really scary not for me but I didn’t want anyone to get hurt so I stood up and got the fuck off that surfboard as quick as possible. I truly had no idea it was going to be a career-defining moment but I’m proud so many remember that move.
Don’t Be A Dick! This slogan on stickers and more has been flying round since last year and has an origin that also has ties to Dog Eat Dog. Could you tell us some more about Don’t Be A Dick?
Well we can’t take credit for the Don’t Be A Dick slogan that is 100% Ludo right there and a great bunch of friends who love and miss him and are using the sticker, t-shirts and guitar picks as a way of preserving his memory and we are happy to help perpetuate the memory of our friend Ludo de Schrijver and his awesome way of looking at the world.
There also was a special toast at Sound Of Revolution festival in Eindhoven last year with Dog Eat Dog and some of his closest friends that involved a huge bottle of beer. A touching gesture.
Ludo was such a generous guy and so many of his friends and bands he appreciated we’re at the festival that day so it seemed like a perfect time for us all to honor him and I am very proud that we were able to do so in such a big way. Ludo had a way of bringing people together and that should be celebrated since we are living in a time when so many people are being divided.
Summer has just begun but what’s next for Dog Eat Dog?
We are going to continue to do festivals and Club shows through the summer and early autumn. We plan on writing and releasing more new material in the next 2 years. that should lead us up to our 30th anniversary and hopefully a new album. We are very close to signing a record deal and it will be nice to have a partner to help us get new music out and help let people know we are still around.