One of my favorite bands has finally released the info on their soon to be released “best of” retrospective. It will be release on CD, double LP, and digital download July 19th, 2011 on Fat Wreck Chords. Usually I find “best of” compilations to be on the cheap side due to the fact that all the songs are previously released and it’s nothing new. That’s not the case with “Top Contenders”. The album has 23 hand picked tracks from the band and they all will be remastered from the original tapes from acclaimed producer, “Ryan Greene” who also produced Strung Out’s fan favorite EP, “Element of Sonic Defiance”. That’s not it though, the album will also contain 3 brand new songs never heard by the fans. Another little bonus the band decided to include was a giant photo collage put together by the fan submitted tattoo pictures. Read below what guitarist Jake Kiley has to say about the album:

“We are super stoked on how our best of album has turned out! We chose the songs that we thought would best define our sound and it wasn’t easy making the final selection. Ryan Greene did an amazing job on remixing these songs, which has given a new life to them all! We can’t wait for you, the fans, to check them out! The bonus is the 3 brand new, unreleased songs that are included which turned out great as well! If you were to only buy one Strung Out album, this would for sure be it!”

Track Listing:

* Previously unreleased

1. Firecracker
2. Velvet Alley
3. Mind of My Own
4. Everyday
5. City Lights*
6. Too Close To See
7. Vanity
8. Mission Statement
9. Cemetery
10. Bring Out Your Dead
11. Analog
12. Black Crosses
13. Ashes
14. Monster
15. Letter Home
16. Blueprint of the Fall
17. Population Control
18. Swan Dive
19. Calling
20. Saturday Night*
21. Exhumation of Virginia Madison
22. In Harms Way
23. Scarecrow
24. Cult of the Subterranean
25. Here We Are*
26. Matchbook

“Tactical” is the debut album from upcoming melodic death metal band, “World Under Blood”. The album is set to release on record label “Nuclear Blast” on July 26th for North America and July 29th for Europe. You may have heard of lead singer and guitarist Deron Miller from his current band Cky. The rest of the band consist of Tim Yeung (drums), Luke Jaeger (guitar), and bassist Risha Eryavac.

The Sheds are a punk/ska/hardcore band from Agoura Hills, CA and they’re looking to self release a new Ep later this year. But like everything in this world, it’s not free. They’re looking for donations from anyone that can help, and anything really does help. So if you’re able to help then not only will you be supporting a good band release some new songs, they also have a list of rewards you’ll earn. So please take a moment to check it out and donate what you can.

Donate Here + More Info: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thesheds/the-sheds-self-release-new-ep

Their Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/thesheds

The Frustrartors have now announced a few dates for their upcoming shows in Feburary. They are as follows:

Bay Area shows (Northern California)

1. Friday, Feb 18th @ 924 Gilman St. – Berkeley
2. Saturday, Feb 19th @ Phoenix Theatre – Petaluma
3. Sunday, Feb 20th @ Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco
4. Wednesday, Feb 23rd @ Command Center (Secret Location) Oakland - (For location, call (510)BAD-SMUT on the day of the show)

Los Angeles shows:

1. Friday, Feb 25th @ Velvet Jones – Santa Barbara
2. Sunday, Feb 27th @ Troubadour – Hollywood

They’re all ages so no excuses!

Social Distortion has finally released their long awaited follow up album to “Sex, Love, & Rock n’ Roll” titled “Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes”. Seven years has passed since their last release and according to lead singer Mike Ness, that much time was never intended to pass in between albums, but due to touring time slipped by. Despite the long wait Ness mentions that he’s glad to have the album release at this time. It’s allowed him to write some new songs for the album that didn’t exist before. Ness also took the opportunity to self produce the new record which he said was a great experience and was very satisfied with the overall results.

The opening track “Road Zombie” starts the album off on the right foot. It’s an instrumental track with a very cool gritty rock vibe to it that I think all Social Distortion fans would be proud of. The second track titled “California (Hustle and Flow)” shows off some new elements for the band in the form of back up singers.  I welcome the change as it’s always nice to see some new elements in a new record. Who wants to hear the same record over and over?  “Machine Gun Blues”, the fifth track on the album will have Social Distortion fans feeling right at home. It’s the first single off the album and I believe will soon make its way into another Social Distortion classic.

Overall I feel the album is well worth the wait we all had to endure. The album is well produced, especially given that it was Mikes first shot. The guitars specifically stand out as they have a vibrant and gritty sound to them and I was glad to hear some piano in the mix. The entire album has a very solid feeling and emotion to it that stays consistent throughout and it’s good to hear some new elements in the album; I’m also happy to say they don’t stray too far from what you would expect from the band. Another thing that sticks out is the arrangements in the album. Songs like “Writing on The Wall” show this well and I believe pays great attention to the feel of the songs mood.  My favorite tracks off the album would be, “Bakersfield”, “Alone and Forsaken” (Originally done by Hank Williams), “Writing on The Wall” and “Still Alive”. I encourage all fans of Rock n’ Roll and even Punk to check the album out. Social Distortion has come a ways from making an album like “White Light, White Heat, White Trash” or “Mommys Little Monster” but the spirit still exist.

Buy Album Here: http://kingsroadmerch.com/social-distortion/region/

Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes: Track Listing

1. Road Zombie
2. California (Hustle and Flow)
3. Gimmie the Sweet and Lowdown
4. Diamond in the Rough
5. Machine Gun Blues
6. Bakersfield
7. Far Side of Nowhere
8. Alone and Forsaken
9. Writing on the Wall
10. Can’t Take It With You
11. Still Alive

Most fans of a little band called Green Day would have already heard of the Frustrators, as bassist Mike Dirnt plays bass for both bands. Although I’m often surprised about the number of people I know that haven’t heard anything from the Frustrators. They’ve only released one Ep and one record (2003) titled “Achtung Jackass” since they started. So maybe that has something to do with it. I’ve always been left with the question, when would their next release be? Well, my question has finally found an answer. The Frustrators have just recently announced they are about to release a new 4 song Ep. That’s all the info we have now, but more is to come. They aslo mention plans for some SoCal show dates sometime this year. So be on the lookout and pick up their album to hold you over for the wait.

Their Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheFrustrators

NOTE: The pre order price is guaranteed. So if the price decreases between the time you pre order it and the release date (1/18), you will receive the lowest price dependent on the amount of plays. The offer ends 1/19.

Also look back here for an album review posted this week.

Album Stream: http://www.voxbloc.com/share/social-distortion-album-stream

Read The Interview Here: http://theindiespiritualist.com/2010/12/18/mike-vallely-judge-and-be-prepared-to-be-judged-harshly-an-interview/

Buy The Song Here: http://chaser.bandcamp.com/track/a-very-recessive-christmas

Over at Dyingscene.com they just posted up an all acoustic performance by an upcoming punk band from Southern California called Chaser. The performance includes 4 songs total and include a couple songs off their latest release “The Big Picture”. So make sure to check it out and spread the word!

Also make sure to look back on this site to find my review for “The Big Picture” and an interview with guitarist Cameron Denning.

Dying Scene, Chaser Unplugged: http://dyingscene.com/news/the-dying-scene-sessions-chaser-unplugged/

Chaser Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chaserband