Chicago's Riot Fest has always been a dream of mine, but it appears that the organizers have quite literally dove head first into my dreams and the dreams of punk fans the world over. The insanity that is the 2012 Riot Fest will occur at Chicago's Humboldt Park as well as the Congress Theater over September 14-16. The massive first wave of artists can be seen below. The $90 3-day pass is the best deal I've seen in ages, and you'll agree. All the pertinent details are at www.riotfest.org:

Rise Against
Iggy & The Stooges
The Offspring
Elvis...

Live Review: Clutch
RIBCO, Rock Island, IL, 5.10.12

There’s always going to be odd groupings or subgenres that never really break into the popular consciousness despite having fervent followings. Lucero will never quite fit in with the alt-country scene or the punk scene, Motorhead will never be as obscenely popular as they...

Indie freak powerhouse Animal Collective have announced that they are set to release their highly anticipated follow-up to 2009's critically acclaimed Merriweather Post Pavilion this September on Domino. The record will be titled Centipede Hz. The group teased us with a listen of new tracks "Honeycomb" and "Gotham" last week, but the tracklisting for the upcoming full-length does not feature either song. That said, the more Animal Collective to go around, the merrier! Check out a teaser video and the tracklisting below.

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New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem are preparing their fourth studio record Handwritten for release on July 24th and they have lined up plenty of tour dates around the world in support. Festival stops include Asbury Park's Bamboozle, Cincinnati's Bunbury, Chicago's Lollapalooza, Pensacola Beach's DeLuna, and the UK's Leeds and Reading. Check out the full list of dates below along with a stream of new single "45" and Handwritten's tracklisting.

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Steel belt punkers The Menzingers may have had a rough go as of late after being robbed of $10,000 dollars worth of possessions, but the generosity of fans and their label as well as some new North American tour dates must have the band in good spirits. This summer, the band will hone their craft on the road with punk godfathers The Bouncing Souls as well as Luther, bringing the wonderful On the Impossible Past to the masses. These guys put on a hell of a show, so go check them out already, would you?

Tour Dates:

5/16/12 - The Chance - Poughkeepsie,...

I was very surprised by Reptar's Oblangle Fizz, Y'all, so much so that an EP made my favorite albums of the year for the first time in memory. The Georgian electro-psych-pop outfit looks to be poised to amplify that buzz with the recent release of their delightful debut LP, Body Faucet. The band's out on tour with Grouplove as of RIGHT NOW, and you can stream the entirety of Body Faucet below. These guys seem ready to take the reins of groups like MGMT and Vampire Weekend, so check them out now:

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In one of the more surprising pieces of news I've come across in my time with TMC, Tom Gabel of Against Me! has revealed that he is transgendered. In the upcoming June issue of Rolling Stone, an in-depth article with Gabel will be released, showing that the singer has gender dysphoria and will be undergoing the processes necessary to become a woman. Eventually, the person we've known as Tom Gabel will be known as Laura Jane Grace. In the article, she reveals she will stay with her wife Heather and 2-year-old daughter.

I know...

Our dear friends over at 80/35 have just released the second batch of artists for this year's 80/35 Festival. In addition to the headlining Death Cab for Cutie, Avett Brothers, Dinosaur Jr, Fucked Up, Freddie Gibbs and more, Minneapolis's own Atmosphere will be playing the main stage as well as Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit. Also joining the festivities will be our boy Christopher the Conquered as well as scads of local groups or band with ties to the area. The full lineup as of now is seen below, and you can catch the show on July 6th & 7th in Gateway Park in Des Moines, IA. Tickets can be found at ...

Canadian post-rock powerhouses Godspeed You! Black Emperor are back on the road this Summer and fall following their recent reunion. They will hit up Chicago's Pitchfork Music Festival on July 14th and ATP's I'll Be Your Mirror on September 23rd on their route. Check out all of the dates so far below.

Tour Dates
07-14-2012 / Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
09-23-2012 / Asbury Park, NJ @ ATP's I'll Be Your Mirror
10-01-2012 / Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
10-02-2012 / Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
10-03-2012 / Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
10-04-2012 /...

Electropop TMC favorites Passion Pit return with the follow-up to their absurdly infectious 2009 debut Manners with their sophomore record entitled Gossamer due out on July 24th via Columbia. They have also unveiled a stream of their new single "Take A Walk" and plenty of tour dates around the world this Summer including stops at New York's Governors Ball, San Francisco's Outside Lands, Chicago's Lollpalooza, and Montreal's Osheaga. Check out the new song, album tracklisting, and all of the tour dates below.

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Live Review: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Iowa Memorial Union, 4.26.12, Iowa City, IA

Every year, the University of Iowa puts on their 10,000 Hours show. The show originated back when I was still an undergraduate as a way to encourage the community to engage in volunteering. The titular 10,000 Hours come from a presumed one thousand people each volunteering a required ten hours. In exchange for one’s good deeds, a concert pass is granted. ...