Paper + Plastick Records is excited to announce today that it will be releasing the first solo full-length record from Good Riddance/Only Crime frontman Russ Rankin. Rankin’s debut will be titled Farewell Catalonia and it will be released on August 7. Check out the album art and tracklisting below.
You can stream a brand-new song from the album right now via the label’s YouTube account. It’s called “American Amnesia” and it’s the third track on the record.
The album was recorded over the course of February 2012 at Buzzbomb Sound Labs (Orange, CA) with engineer Paul Miner. Most of the tracks feature a blend of acoustic and electric guitar with some keys, strings and minimal percussion added as well.
“Recording a solo album is completely different than recording with a band. I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses both as a songwriter and a guitar player,” Rankin says. “Watching these songs, which had gestated purely from myself with no collaboration, develop and grow has been an incredible experience.”
Farewell Catalonia is a series of fleshed-out, whole-sounding songs, and a debut that retains Rankin’s punk roots while showing a different side of him on a musical plane. It takes after alt-country, with Rankin’s vocals providing the focus point over twangy guitars and a wide range of dynamic new sounds on the record.
Flatfoot 56 has released a surprise, unannounced 3-song EP on iTunes only. The I Believe It EP includes the first single from the band’s upcoming full-length, Toil, along with two B-sides. The cover art and tracklisting for the EP can be seen below.
“Cotton Fields” is a cover song, originally written in the 1940s and famously covered by Creedence Clearwater Revival in the 1960s. The version of “I’ll Fly Away” on this EP is an acoustic version that does not appear on Toil, which will be out July 24 via Paper + Plastick Records.
Please link your readers to the iTunes EP. If you would like to do a quick review of the EP, just email Thomas Nassiff at exit384media@gmail.com and we’ll get you the three songs right away. We will have four-song samplers of Toil available for press outlets this week. Flatfoot 56 is available to arrange features or interviews as well.
Paper + Plastick Records is pleased to announce today the release of Obi Fernandez’s first solo record, Confessions, Waves and the Garden State. Fernandez, who was the vocalist and songwriter for Westbound Train for over a decade, will release his 10-track solo effort on August 21.
Recorded in the Hurley Studios with Eric Novod (also from Westbound Train) and mixed by Brian Dixon (ex-Aggrolites), Confessions, Waves and the Garden State incorporates Fernandez’s love for soulful, smooth reggae and pop music. The laid-back, lighthearted record fits the hot summer weather perfectly, and Fernandez’s undeniable vocal talent makes the album easy to listen to and appealing to fans of any genre.
Hurley.com now has a short video outlining the album’s recording process, including interviews with Fernandez and clips of new songs from the record. Posting the video on your sites with the album name and release date will give readers the full information on what to expect from Confessions.
Written in New Jersey but recorded on the West Coast, Confessions benefits from a variety of styles and influences. While the reggae seeps through in many tracks, pop sensibilities are omnipresent and good, old-fashioned rock-and-roll is accounted for as well.
Flatfoot 56’s new single, “I Believe It,” is now available for free download courtesy of AbsolutePunk.net. Head here to stream the song and download the track for free.
Stream & download now: Flatfoot 56 - I Believe It
The single, lifted from the band’s fourht studio-backed LP, Toil, premiered Tuesday night on Mike Davies’ BBC Radio 1 Punk Rock Show. “I Believe It” is the third track from the Toil, which is set for a July 24 release date through Paper + Plastick Records.
After charting on 9 Billboard Charts with its last LP, Black Thorn, Flatfoot 56 is back and stronger than ever. “I Believe It” is a catchy tune that shows the more folksy, roots-oriented approach that the band discussed during recording, but the group’s signature aggressiveness is still prevalent. It’s a good mix of what to expect from Toil, and more music will be made available leading up to the late July release.
What’s Eating Gilbert has teamed up with AltPress.com to premiere a brand-new song off of its upcoming EP, The Nashville Session. The track is titled “Babe” and the EP will be available June 19 via Paper + Plastick Records. Vinyl preorders will be made available later this week.
Listen now: What’s Eating Gilbert - Babe
“Babe” is a lighthearted, fun listen and a perfect way to kick off the hot summer weather. Featuring influences of ’50s pop music but still infused with Chad Gilbert’s pop-punk styles courtesy of New Found Glory, the track is an easy one to listen to on repeat. “Babe” features catchy female harmonies in the background, rounding out the sound and giving listeners a good glimpse of what The Nashville Session is all about.
No Such Noise! has released its Life Goes On EP, a five-track release that can now be purchased on the group’s Bandcamp page.
Stream and embed now on your website: No Such Noise! - Life Goes On EP
The Sicklerville, NJ natives play a brand of ska-punk that isn’t quite the norm for today’s genre. While the standards for ska might be lowered today, No Such Noise! brings a healthy mix of pure pop-punk based hooks and ska horns. As the band says, imagine if Fall Out Boy’s Take This To Your Grave collided with Less Than Jake’s Losing Streak, and you have what No Such Noise! is striving for.
Life Goes On is the band’s second EP, following 2010’s Worst Birthday Ever release. Since then, the band - vocalist/guitarist Mitch Guedon, bassist Joe Fuscia, tenor saxophonist Alex Dart, trombonist Ben Schroader and drummer Tom Crone - have found a stable lineup and dedicated themselves completely to the band’s future.
The EP, recorded at Bad Lab Studio by Dan Pilla and produced by Pilla and Bright and Early’s John Browne, is a revitalizing, energetic take on the genre and is sure to launch the band’s young career. High-flying opener “Two Years and 25 Cents” features John Browne on guest vocals.
You can now stream Flatfoot 56’s new single, “I Believe It,” on BBC Radio 1’s website. The single premiered last night on Mike Davies’ Punk Rock Show. “I Believe It” is the third track from the band’s Paper + Plastick Records debut full-length, Toil, which will be available July 24. To stream the song, just fast forward to the 40:40 mark and listen away!
Stream now: Flatfoot 56 - “I Believe It” (fast forward to 40:40)
Toil is the highly anticipated fourth studio-backed LP from the Chicago punk-rockers. After charting on 9 Billboard Charts with Black Thorn, Flatfoot 56 is back and stronger than ever. “I Believe It” is a catchy tune that shows the more folksy, roots-oriented approach that the band discussed during recording, but the group’s signature aggressiveness is still prevalent. It’s a good mix of what to expect from Toil.
The first single from Flatfoot 56’s new record, Toil, will be premiered on Mike Davies’ BBC Radio 1 Punk Rock Show on Tuesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. EST / midnight in the UK. The single is called “I Believe It” and will appear on the band’s newest record, out July 24 via Paper + Plastick Records. The single will be available to stream on BBC Radio 1’s website for seven days following the world premiere.
“I Believe It” is a good mix of Flatfoot’s past raucous Celtic-punk sound and the more rootsy style that the band talked about during the recording process of Toil. The catchy plucking of an acoustic guitar anchors the song before hand claps, gang vocals, electric guitar and a pounding dream beat take over in a pulsing rhythm. It’s an ideal first single from Toil, a record that frontman Tobin Bawinkel calls a progression in the band’s career. “We still love whipping the crowd into a frenzy and making everybody dance,” says Bawinkel, “but we wrote some tunes that people can relate to, and that they can sing along to.” That quote applies as much to “I Believe It” as it does to any track on the new album.
A few days after the world premiere on BBC Radio 1, Flatfoot 56 will present the song for free download to its loyal fanbase. The download comes both as a thank-you to those fans who have been following the band throughout its recent recording updates and as a way for new listeners to become introduced to Flatfoot 56’s newest music.
Please make your readers aware of the single’s release tomorrow, and feel free to announce the tracklisting and album art that are below as well.
California-based pop-punk band Second To Last has unveiled preorders for its Vessel EP including options for digital and 7” vinyl versions of the release. Bundles include options for t-shirts and hoodies as well.
http://secondtolastpunx.bandcamp.com/
You can find the preorder bundles as well as a stream of the entire four-song release on the group’s Bandcamp page. You can also embed the Bandcamp stream on your websites for listeners to hear without leaving your site. The official release date of Vessel is June 5 via the band’s own Hella Mad Records.
Second To Last’s latest offering has been garnering positive acclaim from listeners and critics. Easycore.net wrote: “Besides Vessel only being four songs, it is a great release and shows the quick growth of yet another amazing pop-punk band in Second To Last. Go pick this one up when it comes out; I can’t get it out of my head.”
We have digital copies of the EP available immediately for review and the band is available for interviews. We’d appreciate a news post about the preorder. Please email Thomas Nassiff at exit384media@gmail.com with any press requests.
June 5, 2012
Hella Mad Records
1. Feels the Same
2. Turmoil
3. Cheap Sleep
4. Dry Spell
“Besides Vessel only being four songs, it is a great release and shows the quick growth of yet another amazing Pop-Punk band in Second To Last. Go pick this one up when it comes out; I can’t get it out of my head.” - Easycore
But this band is different. This band is going to make some noise. This band has it.
We know – you’ve heard it before.
Second To Last isn’t uncovering a new genre or really even rewriting an existing one, but they are playing an in-your-face, audibly passionate brand of pop-punk that they enjoy as much as everyone who listens to them. Vocalist/guitarist Tyson Evans, guitarist Pat Mays, bassist Jason Holyoke and drummer Kristopher Ruiz might not have the road-worn experience of their older peers, but the 20-ish-year-olds have the determination and do-it-yourself drive to launch a long career.
Currently touring off 2009’s four-song EP Mark Approved on Anchor 84 Records and 2010’s two-song EP Runaway on Pure Noise Records, Second To Last is set to add four more songs to its catalog with the June 5 release of its Vessel EP.
Having toured the West Coast a handful of times with bands like The Story So Far, A Loss for Words, Seahaven, I Call Fives and Rust Belt Lights, Second To Last has already begun making a name for itself near its home base of Lodi, CA. The band was recently billed as support on The Story So Far’s winter headlining tour and also supported The Wonder Years on the west coast dates of the “Man Scout Jamboree” tour. They also have shared the stage with bands such as Set Your Goals, Senses Fail, Man Overboard, Fireworks, The Swellers, The Ghost Inside and Title Fight.
As 2012 rolls on and Second To Last continues the grind of a young, DIY pop-punk band, they will lean on their ability to turn first-time listeners into long-time fans. Things are just getting started.
Flatfoot 56 will be the musical guest at an Elements Chicago event on May 31st that will feature To Write Love On Her Arms founder Jamie Tworkowski as a guest speaker.
Elements Chicago is a faith community that holds events to discuss inherently important ideas without cloaking it in religious dogma or forced religion. “You see, it is our desire that we be a community that lives by faith, is known by love and is a voice of hope, engaging every interaction with grace,” says the event’s Facebook page.
Tworkowski will be speaking about the nature of identity, brokenness and hope, and about how every individual’s story is part of a larger story. Flatfoot 56 will play an acoustic performance at the event.
Flatfoot 56 will be releasing its fourth label-backed full-length, Toil, via Paper + Plastick Records on July 24. Check out all the album info here.
Please email Thomas Nassiff at exit384media@gmail.com for all press requests.
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New tattoo. Albert the Alligator likes the Florida Gators, burritos and beer as much as I do, so naturally he’s on my left foot forever now.
