New Kids on the (Communist) Bloc: Debut albums from Ramona + Billy Liar in June!
04/08/2019
· News
Ya know how Red Scare is famous for scouring the underground and gobbling up the nicest, coolest people in the punk scene? Well, we have a couple new acts coming your way this Summer. Punknews has posted details about new records from these hungry youngsters: Philly’s Ramona and Billy Liar from Edinburgh, Scotland. It’s like the musical equivalent of a kilted Comrade Gritty riding the Loch Ness Monster and munching on Deep-Fried Mars Bars. (That’s an actual thing Scottish people eat, BTW.) You can reserve a physical copy or pre-order either of these gems on Bandcamp now.
First up, is Ramona’s Deals, Deals, Deals! out June 7th. These three kids have won over a lot of folks in a short amount of time and this, their first full-length, is going to prove why. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wanna get off your ass and punch a fascist THEN go hug your mom. Powerful stuff, right? They’ve already got a tour booked in June with Teenage Bottlerocket, and we expect a lot more fun shows to come: basements, festivals, backyards, arenas, rock clubs, Ibiza… Ramona is game for anything.
Next! On June 21st we’ll bring you the latest addition to the Red Scare roster: Billy Liar and his debut LP, Some Legacy. Billy is a well-traveled punk rocker that has been making friends all over the world with his words and his guitar. He’s like… a Crusty Johnny Cash (wears all black) but without the God. No Gods, No Masters, and NO SENSIBLE HAIRCUTS for our Billy. His 11-song album was produced by the homie Joe McMahon (of Smoke or Fire), and they conscripted some European ringers to fill out the backing band for this fully plugged-in rock record. A note to our friends in the UK/EU: you should definitely pre-order this stuff from Billy’s webstore because they raised postal rates AGAIN (I know!) and it costs us $24 just to ship it to you from Chicago. And when he’s done delivering orders, Billy will have a wee dram and hit the road to deliver these tunes live. Tour dates comin’!
New Broadway Calls? YES, PLEASE!
03/28/2019
· News
Ya know how that cornball Joel Osteen always tells a “joke” before his creepy TV sermons? Sorta like an icebreaker before they ask for money in the name of Jayzuss? We always feel an obligation so say something funny too, so here’s a joke for ya: fuck Joel Osteen.
The tl;dr version is this: Broadway Calls is working on a new album to be released on Red Scare in 2020. Better yet, we’re re-issuing their amazing 2007 self-titled album on all digital outlets and Bandcamp.
But since this is such joyous news, we better get into some details, right? They sent us demos and it was a couple songs of like 80’s-era “rock-punk” like Wipers and Replacements and SST stuff. The band was clearly evolving with a new tasteful angle, and THEN we heard four more demos and they were all super melodic punky fun-times jams. Absolute BANGERS. So it’ll probably be a cool combination of those two tasty flavors, and they’ll record it this year and we should have it out by early 2020. Got it? We good? Cool. They’re playing occasional shows too, so look out for that and stay tuned for more good news.
It’s Red October: new stuff from Tightwire, Brendan Kelly, and Ramona!
10/21/2018
· News
Let’s take it from the top, Comrades. One of our newest bands is Tightwire from Minneapolis. Their debut album, Six Feet Deep, just came out and they already have shows booked with Dillinger Four and Teenage Bottlerocket. You’ve heard that song “MmmBop”? Well, this is DOOM POP. We really loved this shit from the very first listen and there’s a good story on how they ended up on Red Scare and another funny write-up from RiotFest.org about their first video. Their songs are like 55 seconds long, so it’s not gonna cut into your Farmville time or anything. Go listen to them now, goddammit.
Up next is new music from a Red Scare icon. The bell cow and the belle of the ball. The glistening lodestar that guides the flagship. You know him, you love him… it’s Brendan Kelly and the Wandering Birds! We know y’all enjoyed his last pervy record, and now we have 10 new tunes on this latest LP, Keep Walkin’ Pal. The music mavens at Vice/Noisey premiered the first song and you can consume it via all digital outlets on October 26th. The “street date” for the CDs and LPs will be BLACK FRIDAY, because that shit’s funny. Last but not least, Beex will be playing a buncha solo shows all over the land in support of this new full length, so check the tour dates and bring some bail money just in case.
We have one more bit of good news to share and one more new project for ya: We’re real happy to welcome Ramona to the Red Scare family! The trio is kinda from Seattle and are now based in Philly? It’s complicated, but hey, have you looked at rent prices in Seattle? NO THANKS. What we know for sure is that Abby, Diego, and Shannon are all funny as shit and their wild punk songs have got them on shows with Dead To Me, The Lawrence Arms, and The Menzingers. Champions of inclusion and unapologetic allies, they’re one of those bands that can be engaging, provocative, and smart and still have a good time while they do it. ‘Cuz we can’t let the Trumpers and Pigs ruin our good time, ya dig?! The plan is for them to go into the studio with Jay Maas (State Champs, Seaway, Title Fight) in January and then put out a record so they can tour and visit every barcade in the world. They’re playing The Fest and lotsa other shows, so get ready to laugh and sing and make some new friends.