INTO IT. OVER IT. - Hits Week 40 In Year-Long Recording Project
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* New Song, …And I Bite My Nails, up now (free mp3)
* 40 down…12 To Go!

INTO IT. OVER IT., the latest vehicle for Philadelphia native Evan Weiss, has posted its most recent offering titled …And I Bite My Nails. You can grab a free mp3 here.

While you’re at it, download the previous 39 songs as well…and feel free to re-post and share with your friends!

…And I Bite My Nails is the 40th track in an ongoing series which finds Weiss tackling the creation of one new song every week for the span of a year. That’s 52 songs in 52 weeks: an impressive feat, especially considering that nothing has been composed in advance - not to mention the time constraints involved in writing a song in the span of seven days (52 times in a row). I mean, I wrote 34 jams yesterday afternoon, but whatevs.

Weiss, who is also a member of The Progress and has played with Up Up Down Down and It’s A King Thing, conceived Into It. Over It. as a way to break free from a musical rut and as an autobiographical means to document that quickly passing thing we call “life.” The first song was posted on his 23rd birthday (09/27/07) and the last will go up on October 2nd, 2008. Most of the instruments are played by Weiss and the majority of songs are recorded at Gradwell House by Steve Poponi.

Again, everything from the past 40 weeks is available for free downloading and sharing. The easiest way to get all the songs - plus the next 12 as they’re released - is via iTunes podcast. Simply go to the podcast section of your iTunes store and search for “Into It Over It.” Subscribe and you’ll have everything that has been posted thus far. Plus, you’ll get each new track as they’re released on Thursday. As previously mentioned, you can visit the website, browse each song page and download them individually. Of course there’s myspace as well, where you can stream a random sampling of tracks.

If you’d like to learn a little more about Into It. Over It. or speak to Evan directly, check out this FAQ page or contact chuck@beartrappr.com. There’s also a couple interviews at Altsounds and the newly-redesigned Sound As Language.

BRAINDEAD - North American Tour in Support of New Full-Length
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* NO CONSEQUENCES out June 24
* Both CD + Vinyl available from Burn Bridges
* Touring U.S. & Canada with Ruiner, All Teeth (June 22 - July 20)
* Full album stream up now at Pastepunk

Philadelphia’s Braindead is gearing up for a tour of North America in support of their debut full-length No Consequences. The record is available now in both CD and LP format as a co-release between the band and Burn Bridges.

Ten tracks of up-tempo, incendiary hardcore anthems that pay tribute to progenitors such as Turning Point, Count Me Out and In My Eyes while still injecting more modern elements like melody and lush textures…you can pick up a copy here or from the band on tour.

Of course, if you’re a follower of the “try before you buy” mantra, our friends at Pastepunk will be streaming the album in its entirety for the next two weeks. Click here and you’ll find the “Cut And Paste” media player on the right.

Or if you just like free shit, grab this mp3 for the song An Exercise In Bad Taste.

As previously mentioned, Braindead will be touring across North America for the next month, beginning with ten days throughout Canada and the Northwest with Ruiner before joining All Teeth for nearly two weeks in California. Finally, the band will then reunite with Ruiner for the last week of tour. And for all you kids in the Philly area, the record release show is tonight as well.

TOUR
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JUN 18 - Bensalem, PA / Record Release Show @ The Four Seasons w/ Killing the Dream, The Carrier, Grave Digger, Slave
JUN 22 - Burlington, VT @ 242 Main w/ Ruiner
JUN 23 - Ottawa, ON @ End Hits w/ Ruiner
JUN 24 - Rouyn-Noranda, QC @ Petit Theatre Du Vieux - Noranda w/ Ruiner
JUN 25 - Thunder Bay, ON @ Disgraceland w/ Ruiner
JUN 26 - Winnipeg, MB @ Winnipeg Christian Center w/ Ruiner
JUN 27 - Regina, SK @ Oddfellows Hall w/ Ruiner
JUN 29 - Vancouver, BC @ La Casa Del Artista w/ Ruiner
JUN 30 - Portland, OR @ House Show w/ Ruiner
JUL 01 - Reno, NV @ Headquarters w/ Ruiner
JUL 02 - Sacramento, CA @ Orangevale VFW w/ Ruiner
JUL 03 - Redding, CA @ TBA w/ All Teeth
JUL 04 - Santa Rosa, CA @ Mike B’s (231 Decker St.) w/ All Teeth
JUL 05 - Berkeley, CA @ TBA w/ All Teeth
JUL 06 - Santa Cruz, CA @ 418 Project w/ All Teeth
JUL 07 - Fresno, CA @ The Knights Hall w/ All Teeth
JUL 08 - Bakersfield, CA @ TBA w/ All Teeth
JUL 09 - Oceanside, CA @ The Stripline w/ All Teeth
JUL 10 - So Cal, CA @ TBA w/ All Teeth
JUL 11 - Reno, NE @ Headquarters w/ All Teeth
JUL 12 - Corona, CA @ House Show (3582 Candlewood St) w/ All Teeth
JUL 13 - Palmdale, CA @ Palmdale Veterans Hall w/ All Teeth
JUL 14 - Las Angeles, CA @ TBA w/ All Teeth
JUL 15 - Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction w/ Ruiner, Final Fight
JUL 16 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Chamber w/ Ruiner
JUL 18 - Oklahoma City, OK @ The Factory w/ Ruiner
JUL 19 - Columbia, MI @ Eastside Tavern w/ Ruiner
JUL 20 - Charleston, WV @ Yesterday’s Draught w/ Ruiner

We gladly welcome Kent, Ohio’s ANNABEL to the Beartrap roster! The band self-released their fantastic debut EP, NOW THAT WE’RE ALIVE, earlier this year.

Annabel play an infectious blend of indie pop with post punk dynamics. Echoes of The Get Up Kids, Superchunk and The Anniversary are present on Now That We’re Alive. Yet, Annabel take the best from a number of different genres and forge their own unique path instead. Now That We’re Alive was recorded, mixed and mastered by Aaron Rogers. The EP comes in beautiful, handmade, DIY packaging.

Annabel is fresh off a Pink Couch Session courtesy of If You Make It. You can check the band’s acoustic performance of “Parade Rest” out here.

Reviews for Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate)’s Year Of The Rabbit seven-inch are streaming in.

“For a 7″, I couldn’t think of a more perfect package. Empire! Empire! is likely to reel in quite the audience once the masses become more aware of their truly beautifully poignant voice in independent rock. Year of the Rabbit is a must-have for anyone who supports the revival that’s underway in the Midwest: a revival that refuses to allow the overlooked magnificence of the region’s predecessors die.” - Absolutepunk.net (Thanks Scott!)

“The band takes the best parts of indie, pop, and a touch of folk to make their own unique sound. I’m pretty sure Empire! Empire! are a name you’ll be seeing later.” - Late Night Wallflower (Thanks Costa!)

“Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) might employ an over the top use of punctuation in their egregiously long band name, but once their beautiful instrumentation hits your ears, it might not matter…a band worth keeping an ear on in the coming times.” - Punknews.org (Thanks Brian!)

“From the first riff, I knew this quartet shared my love for mid-’90s emo. Few have rekindled this style with such grace and accuracy while still maintaining a fresh, unique approach.” - Sparkplugg (Thanks Sean!)

THEY AND THE CHILDREN - New Full-Length Available For Pre-order
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* Order HOME now - Ships May 30th
* Both CD and Vinyl available
* Official release date - July 01, 2008 on Kill Normal Records

HOME, the upcoming full-length from the DIY hardcore juggernaut that is Middletown, Connecticut’s THEY AND THE CHILDREN is now available for pre-order from Kill Normal Records. Go here for more info.

The official release date for Home is July 1st, but pre-orders will ship on May 30th. The eight-song full-length is available in both CD and LP format, with the vinyl version limited to 515 pressed (105 black, 205 translucent orange and 205 clear).

Home is They And The Children’s first full-length and the follow-up to the 2005 EP, Thoughts On Becoming A Ghost (Tor Johnson Records). The band has also released 7-inch splits with Daniel Striped Tiger and Towers.

Expanding on TATC’s brand of crushing, epic hardcore, Home is even more bombastic and vibrantly dynamic, alternating between thrash-inspired riffage, slowly-churning, ominous grooves and soaring, melodic interludes. The album is a testament to the band’s commitment to the DIY community, as well as a call for solidarity between those of us who realize that society is becoming so commercialized that it can barely be considered a “culture” any more. To stream two songs from the record, go here.

BRASS - 3 New Songs for Free Download
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* A SMALL BREATH EP now available digitally
* Also download songs from debut SET & DRIFT

Philadelphia’s BRASS have officially released their new three-song EP, A SMALL BREATH, for free digital download. For more information, go here. For instant gratification, voila!

The band will also be pressing a very limited run of 100 CDs, which will be available at shows and on their website in a couple of weeks.

A Small Breath was recorded by students at Drexel University in January and February as part of an engineering course. Bravo, higher education! These three songs sound amazing, continuing the tradition of beautifully-clashing aesthetics established on Brass’ recent eight-song debut, Set & Drift. Both releases masterfully establish a common ground between soaring melodies, heart-stopping crescendos and math-y, post-punk rhythms. A must-listen for fans of The Dismemberment Plan, Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbox or Circa Survive.

And while we’re in a giving mood, you can also download three MP3s from Set & Drift here. Happy listening!

Heartfelt melodies and epic songwriting…this is quality music. - Mutiny Zine
Brass can boast that they just overtook the indie scene with an artful swipe at the gold of debuts. - Smother
Set & Drift is the sound of a band truly finding their own unique voice, and it’s intoxicating. - Sound As Language
Unpredictable song structures, fluid guitars and vocal crescendos, Brass take a perpendicular approach to melody without being abrasively post-punk or emo. - Read Junk

INTO IT. OVER IT. - 52 Songs In 52 Weeks!
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* New band from Evan Weiss ( The Progress / Up Up Down Down ) tackles year-long recording project
* 30 Down…22 More To Go
* Week 30 song, New Careers, up now (free mp3)

INTO IT. OVER IT., the latest vehicle for Philadelphia native Evan Weiss, has posted its most recent offering, New Careers.

The track is the 30th in an ongoing series which finds Weiss undertaking the ambitious task of writing and recording one new song every week for the span of a year.

52 weeks = 52 songs: a stat even more impressive considering that nothing was composed in advance. With occasional variances, music is written over the weekend, lyrics are penned on Monday or Tuesday and the songs are recorded Wednesday. The finished project is posted on the Into It. Over It. website on Thursday…and the cycle begins again.

Weiss, who is a member of The Progress and has played with Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start, conceived Over It. Into It. as a way to break free from a musical rut, not to mention as an autobiographical means to document that quickly passing thing we call “life.”

The first song was posted on his 23rd birthday (09/27/07) and the last will go up on October 2nd, 2008. Most of the instruments are played by Weiss and the majority of songs are recorded at Gradwell House by Steve Poponi (Up Up Down Down).

The greatest part of the Into It. Over It. project - aside from the fact that there are some really great indie rock songs on full display, ranging from tender to tough - is that they’re all available free to download and share. The easiest way to get all 30 (plus the next 22 as they’re released) is via iTunes podcast. Simply go to the podcast section of your iTune store and search for “Into It Over It.” Subscribe and you’ll have everything that has been posted thus far, and you’ll get each new track from now on as they’re posted every Thursday.

You can also visit the website, browse each song page and download them individually. Sure, that might take a little longer, but it will also give you the opportunity to read the lyrics and check out other bonuses, such as the artwork of Brian Mietz of the band It’s A King Thing. Of course, there’s a myspace page where you can stream a random sampling of tracks as well.

If you’d like to learn a little more about INTO IT. OVER IT. or speak to Evan directly, contact chuck@beartrappr.com. There’s also a great FAQ page on the band’s website, and you can check out this interview on Sound As Language.

BROADWAY CALLS - UK Tour (May 10 - 27)
With All Time Low, Cobra Starship
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* In support of Self-Titled release on Adeline Records
* New Videos Posted

Fresh off the Adeline Records release of their Self-Titled debut - not to mention a crap load of shows across the U.S. and a recent appearance at Bamboozle Left - Broadway Calls is stoked to announce they will be joining All Time Low and Cobra Starship for an 18-day tour of the UK in May. The excursion also includes two shows at the Give It A Name Fest in London and Sheffield.

As previously announced, Broadway Calls have been confirmed for Warped Tour 2008 (Jun 20 - Aug 17) and will be returning to the UK for the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August as well. If that weren’t enough, the boys are about to record a couple songs for a split 7-inch with Teenage Bottlerocket, which will be released this summer on Adeline.

In other news, Broadway Calls recently premiered a video on Buzznet for the song Call It Off. You can check it out here.

And keeping with the video theme, the band just played the Warped Tour Pre-Party show in Hollywood. NotMTV.tv was kind enough to interview Josh and Ty and record a few songs from their set as well. You can watch it all here.

TOUR
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MAY 10 – London, UK @ London Earls Court / Give It A Name Fest w/ All Time Low, Anti-Flag, more
MAY 11 – Sheffield, UK @ Sheffield Arena / Give It A Name Fest w/ All Time Low, Anti-Flag, more
MAY 13 - Leeds, UK @ The Cockpit w/ All Time Low, Cobra Starship
MAY 14 - Glasgow, UK @ The Garage w/ All Time Low, Cobra Starship
MAY 16 - Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy 3 w/ All Time Low, Cobra Starship
MAY 17 - Birmingham, UK @ Birmingham Academy 2 w/ All Time Low, Cobra Starship
MAY 18 - London, UK @ London Astoria 2 w/ All Time Low, Cobra Starship
MAY 20 - Newport, UK @ TJs w/ All Time Low, Cobra Starship
MAY 21 - Yeovil, UK @ The Orange Box w/ All Time Low, Cobra Starship
MAY 22 – Oxford, UK @ Zodiac w/ All Time Low, Cobra Starship
MAY 23 - Stoke-on-Trent, UK @ Stoke Sugarmill w/ All Time Low, Cobra Starship
MAY 24 – Portsmouth, UK @ The Wedgewood Rooms w/ All Time Low, Cobra Starship
MAY 26 - Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 w/ All Time Low, Cobra Starship
MAY 27 – Cambridge, UK @ The Junction w/ All Time Low, Cobra Starship

Charging guitars give way to a buoyant chorus and suddenly you’re 15 again, singing your heart out in some kid’s basement, smiling and dancing like an idiot with 50 of your closest friends. - Spin.com
This Oregon band kicks pop punk ass! Sure to make my annual top ten. - MaximumRockNRoll
Easily one of the best punk albums of 2007 and not to be missed. - Can You See The Sunset?
I’ve yet to hear a better 90’s-style pop punk record this year and I doubt you will either. - Mammoth Press
Front to back, bop your head, dance around and scream along, crank up your headphones worthy. - Ink19
Pop punk anthems one after the other. It’s enough to knock you on your ass. – Sound As Language
Broadway Calls love melody and spill it forth anywhere they can. - Punknews.org

CALL IT ARSON - New 7-inch
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* Moth Wash now Streaming at Absolutepunk.net
* Pre-order 7-inch from Kill Normal Records

Moth Wash, the latest release from New Haven, Connecticut’s Call It Arson is currently streaming at Absolutepunk.net. You can listen to both songs from the upcoming 7-inch here.

Additionally, Kill Normal Records is now offering the vinyl for pre-order. Go here to get yours.

Limited to 500 and pressed on black and yellow / white vinyl, the label will be shipping the 7-inches at the end of April. The album’s official release date is May 20th. Also, all orders will include free high-quality mp3’s.

Undoubtedly two of the best songs that the band has committed to tape, Call It Arson evokes contemporaries such as Chamberlain, Karate and Waxwing. Their sound ranges from a deep, slow burn to sustained explosions of energy and aggression. Any way you slice it, the Connecticut four piece always manages to come across as unquestionably earnest, heartfelt and compelling.

Moth Wash was recorded at God City Studios with Kurt Ballou (Converge). And for all you audiophiles, both songs were analog recorded, mixed and mastered, and then pressed directly to vinyl.

One Small Step For Landmines - On Tour Now
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* In support of Self-titled debut
* Recording five-song EP with Jim Ward (Sparta / Sleepercar)
* New Video

One Small Step For Landmines (Tallahassee, F.L.) is currently touring the U.S. Actually, it’s just vocalist / guitarist Kevin Allen, as the rhythm section couldn’t make it this time around. Nevertheless, He’ll be cranking out tunes from the band’s Self-titled album, and assures me that there will be plenty of loops and jazzy beats - courtesy of a couple pedal boards - to complete the total Landmines experience.

One Small Step For Landmines’ debut was released in September of 2007 by Civil Defense League, the Doghouse imprint created by Sparta / Sleepercar front man Jim Ward. And speaking of Jim Ward, the band will be recording a five-song EP at his studio in El Paso, T.X. this week. More details soon, but while on tour, Kevin will definitely be playing songs from the new EP.

Finally, One Small Step For Landmines just finished a video for the song “Good Men Die Young, And I’m Not Feeling Well.” Conceived and directed by the multi-talented Jerrod Landon Porter (and featuring a bunch of yahoos from Tallahassee) you can watch it here.

As always, if you’d like to attend one of these shows, drop me a line!

TOUR
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APR 07 - Dallas, TX @ Red Blood Club
APR 08 - El Paso, TX @ Zeppelin’s
APR 12 - Phoenix, AZ @ Modified Arts
APR 13 - Hollywood, CA @ Knitting Factory
APR 14 - Fresno, CA @ Audies Olympic
APR 15 - Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
APR 16 - Bakersfield, CA @ The Dome
APR 18 - Hoquiam, WA @ The Building
APR 21 - Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
APR 23 - Billings, MT @ Yellowstone Valley Brewing
APR 24 - Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
APR 25 - St. Paul, MN @ Big V’s
APR 27 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Live
May 01 – New York, NY @ Knitting Factory
May 02 - Albany, NY @ House Show
May 03 - Smithtown, NY @ 3MB Studios
May 04 - Harrison, NJ @ Post 282

One Small Step For Landmines has a nifty habit of cranking out angular-yet-driving guitars lines and unforgettable melodies, building massively catchy songs around rapid-fire drums and a propulsive bass line. This Florida three piece is dynamically compelling as they are unpredictable and explosive.

Listen to free mp3s for Take Me, Seriously and Good Men Die Young.

- One Small Step For Landmines have done something very, very right with their debut. - For The Sound
- A prime example of how to promote joy and quality in pop music, two essential qualities all too often forgotten. - New-Noise
- Landmines churns out fun, straight ahead rock, but there is a deeper significance to their work that makes this so compelling. - Jersey Beat
- An astonishingly energetic and fresh piece of work that makes the overwrought whining of the haircut bands look irrelevant and tired. - Subba-Cultcha