PENTIMENTO
What were the high point(s) of your 2013?
2013 was full of things for us to be excited about. All the tours we had a chance to do were so much fun and helped us push our band forward in a lot of ways. I know having the chance to tour with Less Than Jake was something that all made our heads explode a little bit. This most recent tour with Real Friends, Mixtapes, and Forever Came Calling is going to stick out for us a lot too. I feel like no matter what we do in the future, we're always gonna compare those tours to that one. We made so many great friends and had such a blast the entire time that the "grind" part of tour was barely there. Also getting the chance to do another release with Paper + Plastick. Putting the Inside The Sea EP out was such a cool experience. From the studio stuff to the artwork, and in turn the response...It's been an amazing year. OH GOD WAIT. I ALMOST FORGOT FEST. FEST. WAS. TOO. RAD.
Were there any low points, and if so what were they?
What the fuck would we possibly have to complain about, ya know? We've been touring for two years now, and in that two years we've had some of the best times of our lives, been given so many opportunities, played some incredible shows, and settled with the fact that while we might not be the "cool" band, we're still doing something we love to do and we're still lucky enough to be experiencing some growth along the way. This is something we want to turn into a career one day, so I don't think a "low point" will exist until we all start shooting paint thinner into our dicks back stage or have our pyro effects set 5,000 people on fire at a charity event for burn victims.
Best gig in 2013 and why?
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan. That's such a tough call. Pretty much every show on the Real Friends tour was a party. I can't really pick one over the other. So many of these shows had us feeling like we were an actual band. It was strange. If I had to pick a "best" show, I'll go with a show we played at The Space in CT on the March Radness tour last Spring while we were out with Allison Weiss & Candy Hearts. There was MAYBE (that's a big maybe) 10 kids there, but we had an experience with some of the people who came out that night we'll never forget. It's not my place to go into detail on the circumstances, but the day before, the day of, and the day after the show were very very emotional for the 4 of us and it was something that put us beside ourselves as a band and showed us how important it is for us to continue trying to push forward and reach the things we dream about. There's something to be said for the electricity in the room when you're playing a sold out show and it feels like every kid is singing along...but there's something else entirely to be said for when you're in a room with a handful of people and you're literally watching the way your music effects people. Like some serious gut-wrenching, chest grabbing, ugly-cry type shit. The terms surrounding this whole thing is just something that's far out of my scope, but I feel very fortunate to have been in that room that day. And if we never play another show ever again, I'll still go to sleep at night feeling like we really fucking DID SOMETHING, you know?
What have you been listening to in 2013?
Some of these bands put out new records. Some of these bands are just great. Heartwell. Gates. I Can See Mountains. Football Etc. Half Hearted Hero. Have Mercy. Red City Radio. Into It Over It. Saves The Day. Seplophile. Dr. Dre.
What's exciting you about 2014?
We're excited to hit the road with Reggie and The Full Effect and Dads, and looking forward to doing stuff overseas. Looking forward to putting together a new record in the future, but I think the focus for 2014 is going to be touring which is pretty exciting. hope to see you out there!
LOOK ALIVE
What were the high point(s) of your 2013?
2013 was a huge year for Look Alive. We got signed to Autumn + Colour, we released our first EP Mistakes & Milestones, and we toured for the first time in support of the EP.
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Were there any low points, and if so what were they?
Our original drummer, Mike Long, quit the band in 2013 and we searched for a few months trying to find a replacement. At times we thought we found a new drummer only to have something not work out. We even thought we'd have to call it quits, but thankfully we met Patrick Cash through a mutual friend and we haven't looked back.
Best gig in 2013 and why?
We had a few memorable shows in 2013. Our CD release show was incredible as we didn't realize that many people actually liked us. We also got to open the Texas Is The Reason reunion show with Into It. Over It, and play the Van's Warped Tour date in Atlanta. Both of those shows were an unforgettable experience, plus we made a ton of friends along the way.
What have you been listening to in 2013?
Banquets, The Wonder Years, Red City Radio, Citizen, Turnover, Tegan & Sara, Moving Mountains, Lord Huron, and we cannot forget Steel Panther.
What's exciting you about 2014?
After a bit of a winter break (our guitarist Cody got married, plus Thanksgiving and Christmas) we started writing again. We're really looking forward to picking up the pace and writing a lot more material in 2014. We're also going to try our best to get back into the studio and then hopefully on the road!
OLD AGAIN
What were the high point(s) of your 2013?
First and foremost we would say touring was our favourite part of the year. We love hitting the road and playing new places, meeting new people, eating new food, especially Cook Out. We also had three releases this year and it was awesome seeing so much positive feedback from all around. This was our first full year as a band and there were a ton of really cool things that happened, we can only hope that next year is just as good to us.
Were there any low points, and if so what were they?
There were definitely some low points this year, mainly just having to deal with some member changes and drama as far as that goes. Other than that the only bad things were getting our hopes up for some things that never came through, but we've learned that's just part of being a band. Lots of people will make promises that never come through, but in all honesty the good times this year definitely outweigh the bad times.
Best gig in 2013 and why?
It would be really hard to pick just one, we played so many awesome shows this year, but there are three that stick out in no particular order for different reasons. We played a really cool show on our first tour in NYC at Webster Hall with Mixtapes, Light Years, You Blew It!, and Modern Baseball. That show was really cool for us because it was by far the most legit venue we've ever played and there were ton of people there, plus all of those bands are awesome. Another cool one was Neck Deep's first show in America, that was cool because it was the craziest show and everyone was so excited to be a part of it. Then the last one that comes to mind was our show with Real Friends, Stickup Kid, Modern Baseball, and Candy Hearts. That show was just nuts, it was a sold out show and people were stage diving left and right, definitely one of the coolest nights of our lives thus far.
What have you been listening to in 2013?
We have been listening to a ton of awesome stuff so I'll try and make a quick list of our favourite albums from this year: The Greatest Generation -The Wonder Years, Youth - Citizen, The Things We Think We're Missing - Balance And Composure, The Death Card - Sworn In, About That Life - Atilla, The Finer Things - State Champs, Hoser - Seaway, The Difference Between Hell And Home - Counterparts, Unimagined - Hands Like Houses, Letters Home - Defeater, and many more awesome albums.
What's exciting you about 2014?
As of right now we are looking forward to our full US tour that starts on the first of the year, and other tours that are in the works for spring and summer. We're also planning on writing and releasing another EP in 2014, so we'll see where it goes. Other than that we're just looking forward to meeting new peoople and eating lots of good food!
GOLDEN TANKS
What were the high point(s) of your 2013?
Biggest high point of the year was being played on the Radio 1 Punk Show. We're from Reading and have all been going to the festival for years, checking out bands in the Lock-Up tent and listening to Mike's show. The press we got for our last EP was also great.
Were there any low points, and if so what were they?
Low points were losing a couple members early in the year. It's worked out better now because we all get on more and have been writing and playing better, but it held us back from touring as much as we wanted to.
Best gig in 2013 and why?
For me the best gig was probably our show at the Black Heart in Camden at the beginning of the month. Everything went well and we were all proper up for it. There's been a few others that have been good but that one's stood out.
What have you been listening to in 2013?
Sharks last album is incredible. Real shame they broke up soon after they released it. The new Giants 7" is really good too.
What's exciting you about 2014?
We're demoing a new album next month. If all goes to plan that should be exciting. Got a few good tours lined up as well.
THE DEPARTED
What were the high point(s) of your 2013?
The high points of 2013 for us were finally being able to release Steal The Crown, which we feel is definitely our best work yet and defines our new sound; touring Europe for 17 days with our Austrian pals in Almost Failed, and getting to tour the UK with the legendary Biohazard!
Were there any low points, and if so what were they?
Low points of 2013: we didn't really get to tour as much as we'd have liked, and we had quite a few tour plans fall through, for reasons beyond our control.
Best gig in 2013 and why?
Best show of 2013 for us so far was easily the last UK Biohazard date at Camden Underworld. Absolute insanity!
What have you been listening to in 2013?
We've been listening to a lot of Sempiternal by Bring Me The Horizon, as well as Down To Nothing - Life on the James, The Story So Far - What You Don't See, as well as the new A Day To Remember, and Stick To Your Guns - Diamond (even though that's from 2012, but it's just SUCH a great record!)
What's exciting you about 2014?
2014 is shaping up pretty well for us so far, we've got quite a few tour plans in the works, and will definitely be hitting up the mainland again. We will also begin work on a new EP, and write some exclusive tracks for some split 7" that we have plans for!
ASPIGA
What were the high point(s) of your 2013?
We released a new split 7" with Among Giants on Say-10 Records, we made our first official appearance at The Fest, touring throughout the Midwest, beginning the writing process for our new record. Oh and my favourite band, The Impossibles, released new music for the first time in years.
Were there any low points, and if so what were they?
We had to drop from Pouzza Fest just a few days before we were supposed to play. That was a bummer.
Best gig in 2013 and why?
We played a house show in Springfield, VA in May. Our friends Heartwell and Kill Lincoln played too. This was one of the best house shows that we have ever played. On top of the set being great, not even ten minutes after we finished, the house was raided by local police. It was pretty wild.
What have you been listening to in 2013?
As far as new music goes, I've been listening to a lot of our friends. They put out some great releases this year. I recommend the following: The Young Leaves, Placeholder, Broadcaster, Old Flings, Great Apes, The Exquisites, Plow United, Podacter, Astpai, Kill Lincoln, Banquets, and Lemuria. Going back to the first question, be sure to listen to the new Impossibles 7". They are the best band.
What's exciting you about 2014?
We should be in the studio in early 2014 to record a follow up LP to Every Last Piece. It should have twelve tracks on it. In January, we have a split 7" coming out. We share our wax with Broadcaster and it's part of a crazy vinyl series called Wax Packs. Look it up! We are doing our best to get a bunch of travelling in to support all of our releases. It looks like we will be hitting the West Coast for the first time, making a few festival appearances, and possibly dipping into Canada for some shows.
PAGE 44
Well our 2013 started straight away as we were in the studio early January for two weeks to finish the album ready for release. The following months were spent on preparing for the release and a warm up show for tour supporting the awesome Red Jump Suit Apparatus. We then went on our longest headline tour which started the day of release on the 1st April and finished at one of our best ever hometown shows at the Institute in Birmingham on 13th April. We didn't have too much on after that until we played Download Festival for the third consecutive time. It was probably our favourite Download performance too. We had a full tent and a great crowd some of whom were singing along!! We also got to play at Warped Tour UK in November to a really responsive crowd and finish the year on 22nd December playing Festive-all down in London which looks like it will be a sell out. In between all of that we had a few smaller shows and some great corporate shows for people we are endorsed by, including a great one for Luke 1977 clothing playing for football legends, international rugby union players and movie stars!
TREE HOUSE FIRE
What were the high point(s) of your 2013?
It was an amazing year! Highlights have to be Boomtown Fair, that was a ridiculous weekend! Getting some Radio 1 airplay, heading across to Europe twice, playing a heckload of shows and supporting some incredible bands: it's been a really positive one!
Were there any low points, and if so what were they?
Low points will always be [band members] living so far apart from each other! There are times when jams and smokes would be so beneficial but we do our best with the technology we have to get our music together.
Best gig in 2013 and why?
The obvious one is Boomtown! Playing to that many people, who got what we were about and up for singing it right back at us, that was something special! It's been crazy though, we've had some headline shows that really surprised us and we've been lucky enough to support The Skints a few times this year, the last one at the Lounge Bar in Alton was absolutely nuts!
What have you been listening to in 2013?
2013 has been Alborosie's year! Across the board, his newest album Sound The System has been so hard to take out of the car stereo! Chronixx has been blaring after we stumbled across him at SummerJam. We have a lot of love for Prince Fatty, Soom T has been a sweet find as well... There's just heaps of good music everywhere, especially nowadays with complete back catalogues and so many unsigned artists and bands from across the world, at our fingertips thanks to the internet! Oh yeah, Rosher has been blaring Dillinger Escape Plan like usual!
What's exciting you about 2014?
We've just booked ourselves into the genius little creation cottage in west wales! It's in the middle of nowhere, with no phone signal (except one spot 100m down a little dirt track) and the ability to play music 24 hours a day with some sweet countryside views! We've been demoing the new album over the last half of this year, so we're setting off there to get everything written and sorted for a release on Jamtown Recordings in the summer! We've also just booked another European tour for February, as well as booking up the rest of the year too. It's going to be a banger!
VILLAINS
It’s crazy to think that we’ve reached the end of 2013
already but 12 busy months later and here we are reviewing our
year!
2013 has been an important year for us behind the scenes,
paving the way for the release of our debut album in February 2014. We
finished 2012 off with some shows supporting Soil and Fozzy which was a great
experience, taking in some new towns and some incredible venues. This was
swiftly followed by us starting the tracking of our album into 2013.
We recorded the album with Mike Curtis at CDS studios (www.facebook.com/cdsstudiosessex).
Mike used to be the guitarist in Fei Comodo and is one of our best mates so it
was a no-brainer when working out where to go to record. Recording took about 6
weeks or so with us and Mike working on a very flexible recording schedule. Real
life might try and in the way every so often but we weren’t going to let that
affect the quality of the recording so we took as long as we needed to get
everything right.
We couldn’t be happier with the album as a whole. We’re very
proud of all of the songs and hope that people are as excited by it as we are
when they get to hear it in February.
Show wise, we really started playing again in the summer,
notably in our hometown of Chelmsford for the Bay Days Festival. This show is a
big deal in and around our hometown so it was great to be asked back as one of
the co-headliners alongside our good friends in Hey Vanity and The Younger.
This might be one my favourite shows I’ve ever played. The place was absolutely
rammed and despite the fact that we’d only released one song by this point,
everyone seemed to know the words and also seemed to dig the other tunes we
played that night. There’s something about hometown shows and this definitely
reminded me, as if there was ever any doubt, of why I love being in a band.
It felt like that show launched us back into playing live
and the Autumn saw us play a couple of headline shows before going out on tour
in October and then again in November. The November run included another
sell-out hometown headline show of our own, something we were all very proud
of. We’re proud of where we’re from and to have the support we have here is
very humbling. It also blows our minds to head out to other parts of the UK and
see people singing along to our songs, so thank you to anyone that came out to
a show at any point this year, and we hope to see you at further shows next
year.
We’ve also spent a lot of time over the last few weeks
working out the best way to get our music out to everyone and (think) we’ve now
decided! More details will be revealed in the coming weeks, but be sure that
you won’t be disappointed. We’ve recently shot a video for our next single and
this should be out soon. Until then, head over to www.musicglue.com/villains and
download a free track from the album called ‘Come Out and Play’.
Our album will be released on 24th February 2014
and we intend on playing as many shows as possible next year so if we’re round
your way, come say hi!
We’d like to wish everyone involved with The Punk Archive,
and all their readers, a happy Christmas
and we’ll see you in the new year.
THE MOMS
What were the high point(s) of your 2013?
The best parts of this past year were spent driving over 26,000 miles with my buddies around the country playing rock n' roll. After our most recent tour, we can all say that we've been to 46 of the 48 contiguous states and have had the pleasure to experience nearly every landscape this country has to offer.
Were there any low points, and if so what were they?
Two particular events come to mind, neither of which I have any recollection due to an over-consumption of alcohol. I got arrested on the 4th of July for mouthing off to the police. My jaw was broken in early September in New Brunswick, NJ for mouthing off to the wrong group of thugs.
Best gig in 2013 and why?
In my opinion, The Moms' best gig in 2013 occurred at Fest 13. It was my first time attending the Fest, but I've been drooling over it for years and I felt honoured to be invited to play. We had a great time slot, played for one of the larger crowds of our careers, and shared the stage with some great, great bands.
What have you been listening to in 2013?
In 2013 I found myself listening to a lot of female-fronted punk rock (RVIVR, The Muffs, The Measure, among others) in an effort to make up for the lack of women in my life.
What's exciting you about 2014?
I am very excited for 2014. The Moms are going to release our very first full length album, Keep Buying American. Just recently, we received the final mixes from the studio, and we are all incredibly proud of the result. A lot of people have been anticipating this release, but nobody is anticipating it as much as we three Moms. Also, I am hoping 2014 brings a year of better decision making and a lot less belligerence.
LIGHT YEARS
What were the high point(s) of your 2013?
The high point of 2013 for us was finally releasing our first full length record I Won't Hold This Against You. There was so much hard work and time put into to making that record from many different people and finally holding it in my hands was such a great feeling.
Were there any low points, and if so what were they?
There were many low points in 2013, usually all when were on tour. Fights, horrible shows, the usual, but we were able to overcome them for the most part without us killing one another or ourselves.
Best gig in 2013 and why?
One of my favourite shows we played this year was in Belgium when we were on our European Tour. The venue was packed and everyone was singing along and stage diving having a great time. We were across the world but it felt like we were back home playing a show. Made a lot of good friends over there.
What have you been listening to in 2013?
In 2013 I sort of stopped worrying about "punk cred" and what I was supposed to be listening to and just listened to whatever I wanted. I am not ashamed to admit I have a soft spot for some top 40 radio. I also found myself going back and revisiting older records from bands I loved growing up like The Descendents, Blink 182 (of course), and NoFX to name a few. It takes a lot for a new band to win me over, but there were some cool records from our friends in Citizen, Daylight, Turnover, and I thought the newest Wonder Years record was incredible.
What's exciting you about 2014?
Lots of touring and already working on some new music.
JOEL TANNENBAUM (Ex Friends, Plow United)
What were the high points of your 2014?
The Headies' Meta-Pop LP came out on vinyl. It's an amazing record but it wasn't just that. Watching a bunch of very small labels pitch in to make this happen was really inspiring. Also I got a PhD. That was pretty okay. And Plow United played on the West Coast for the first time since 1996.
Were there any low points, and if so what were they?
I was hospitalized twice for pneumonia. That sucked.
Best Gig in 2013 and why?
Ex Friends opened for the Dead Milkmen in West Chester, PA and that was like, whoa. They brought Audrey onstage to sing with them and that was also like whoa.
What have you been listening to in 2013?
I listened to the Big Awesome EP Birdfeeder until I practically wore it out. And Lipstick Homicide, whoa.
What's exciting you about 2014?
I'm excited for the Ex Friends album Rules For Making Up Words to come out on vinyl. I'm excited to go back in the studio and record another Ex Friends record. I'm stupid excited for my partner Heidi Saman to shoot her first feature film Namour. I'm excited that a lot of people I care about are going to have health insurance for the first time. I'm feeling pretty good about 2014 all around.
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