Westboro Baptists Are Not Fans Of Dillinger Escape Plan

It’s been a minute since we had some fun Westboro Baptist Church news. The Dillinger Escape Plan handled it well.

Angels & Airwaves Recording New Music

Tom DeLonge has begun recording the new Angels & Airwaves album, which was at least half written a month or so ago. The band’s last LP came out several years ago, but it’s not clear when the new AVA will be out. 

Mansions’ Third Album Is Complete

Mansions will start again. 

The Dangerous Summer Late-Summer Headlining Tour

Dates for The Dangerous Summer’s July-September album release tour have begun to make their way online. 

The Cinema To Begin Wrapping Up Album This Week

Leighton Antelman is heading back to Georgia to put the final touches on the second Cinema record that will hopefully be out this fall.

Arturo Vega, Creator Of Ramones Logo, Passes Away

You know that Ramones logo that’s pretty famous? This guy created it.

Mansions’ third album is fully mixed and mastered. Check out a tweet from the band below after the jump.

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Mansions will be opening for Fall Out Boy in Vancouver, Canada in June. Check out a tweet from the band below after the jump.

Related Stories:
Fall Out Boy Announce Different Opener Each Show For Spring Tour 

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We launched March Sadness on Monday and it’s been incredible to see how well the POZ alternative to March Madness has been going so far. Voting for the vote-in round will end on Sunday night before the Sad 16 begins, which is why we thought it’d be a great idea to release a “stat sheet” on all 20 bands selected with information on their careers and why they were picked for March Sadness. Vote here until Sunday night and make sure to check out stats on each band while reblogging with your comments below!

Braid
Lifespan: 1993-1999, 2004, 2011-present
Members: Bob Nanna, Todd Bell, Chris Broach, Damon Atkinson 
Albums: Frankie Welfare Boy Age Five, The Age Of Octeen, Frame And Canvas, Movie Music, Vol. 1 + 2, Lucky To Be Alive
Labels: Divot Records, Mud Records Polyvinyl Records, Glue Factory Records
Why They’re In March Sadness:
Braid may have not reached levels of success like The Get Up Kids or Jimmy Eat World, but the band left its mark on emo and indie-rock with its early releases, and most certainly Frame And Canvas. (ZZ)

See: Killing A Camera off Frame And Canvas

The Get Up Kids
Lifespan: 1995-2005, 2008-present
Members: Matt Pryor, Jim Suptic, Rob Pope, Ryan Pope, James Dewees 
Albums: Four Minute Miles, Something To Write Home About, On A Wire, Guilt Show, There Are Rules
Labels: Doghouse Records, Vagrant Records, Quality Hill Records
Why They’re In March Sadness:
Major players in the mid-1990s emo-takeover, these blue collar Kansas City natives took the punk approach to their association with the genre. Not only did they publically denounce the idea, they also detested it. Hell, Jim Suptic even went on the record to apologize for an contribution the band might have had in influencing the bands that would follow in their foot steps. However, there is no denying the thumbprint that the band left on the emo world. They helped put Vagrant Record on the map and fueled a sound that spread the nation like wildfire. They may not have intended to light the torch, but they certainly threw gasoline on the flame. (JH)  

See: Holiday from Something to Write Home About

Jimmy Eat World
Lifespan: 1993-present
Members: Jim Adkins, Tom Linton, Zach Lind (guitars), Rick Burch
Albums: Static Prevails, Clarity, Bleed American, Futures, Chase This Light, Invented 
Labels: Capitol Records, Dreamworks, Interscope Records
Why They’re In March Sadness:
With a sound embedded in raw and vunerable lyrics and hook as infectious as they come, Jimmy Eat World strikes hard as the most approachable and embraced band on this list. With Bleed American (i.e. self-titled) snagging airplay in ever major market (and many smaller markets) the band took over the world and broken the hearts of everyone in their way. With well over 2 million album sales, they without question took emo to the bigger stage and larger scale. (JH)

See: Hear You Me from Bleed American

The Promise Ring
Lifespan: 1995-2002, 2005, 2011-2012
Members: Davey von Bohlen, Jason Gnewikow , cott Beschta, Dan Didler
Albums: 30˚ Everywhere, Nothing Feels Good, Very Emergency, wood/water
Labels: Jade Tree Records, ANTI- Records
Why They’re In March Sadness:
Nothing Feels Good proved to be one of those records that helped define many of the bands around The Promise Ring, and helped put Jade Tree Records on the map for the label itself and the emo and hardcore bands that filled its roster. (ZZ)

See: Is This Thing On? from Nothing Feels Good

Sunny Day Real Estate
Lifespan: 1992-1995, 1997-2001, 2009
Members: Jeremy Enigk, Nate Mendel, William Goldsmith, Dan Hoerner
Albums: Diary, Sunny Day Real Estate, How It Feels To Be Something On, The Rising Tide
Labels: Sub Pop Records
Why They’re In March Sadness:
Diary to many is as important as Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity. Though there are so many emo bands not featured on March Sadness, Sunny Day Real Estate is one that could not be skipped over.  (ZZ)

See: Seven from Diary

Brand New
Lifespan: 2000-present
Members: Jesse Lacey, Vinnie Accardi, Garret Tierney, Brian Lane
Albums: Your Favorite Weapon, Deja Entendu, The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me, Daisy
Labels: Triple Crown Records, Razor & Tie Records, Interscope Records
Why They’re In March Sadness:
Deja Entendu translates as “already heard,” which is a little ironic (don’tcha think?) since most of us got totally floored by the maturity and originality behind the powerhouse record. Sure, Your Favorite Weapon, John-Nolan beef song and all, might be more snotty and angst-driven, but Deja Entendu quantum leaped Brand New up the emo scale. Poised, poetic, and brilliantly subtle, Deja Entendu set the gold standard for emo-injected alternative rock for much of the 2000s, at least until Brand New topped themselves in sadness and quality on The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. (EV)

See: Me vs. Maradona. vs. Elvis from Deja Entendu 

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We’ve talked about doing a fun POZ response to March Madness for well over a year now, and today is the day that we are launching March Sadness - an emo-lover’s substitute for NCAA bracket season (it’s cool if you dig the basketball too, this is just sadder).  

March Sadness consists of a vote-in round (that’s today!) followed by 16-bracket spots broken down into 90’s, Early 2000’s, MId 2000’s, and Modern Day Emo. We are limiting ourselves to 20 bands that will be voted down to 16 by Monday’s Sad 16 launch.

We realize “emo” is both a subjective word and genre, but March Sadness is all about us having fun and interacting as a community. So please click “Read More” below and join us in voting for four out of five of your favorite bands in each emo category through Sunday evening, and the Sad 16 will launch on Monday! 

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Paramore Announce 2013 North American Headlining Tour

The routing is sparse, but the “important” markets are there. I can’t help but wonder if this first run of dates for the band is to test the waters with whatever they choose to be their first single. If the song blows up they could move to bigger stages. If the song doesn’t, they’ll keep playing venues in the 3,000 cap range. Or you know, they could just be working on something bigger for the summer. Time will tell.

Fall Out Boy ‘From Under The Cork Tree’ Reissued On Vinyl

Well, that’s interesting timing!

Bamboozle, Skate And Surf Founder Promises To Reveal The Story Behind Bamboozle’s Downfall

There’s been a lot of noise since over what went wrong since Bamboozle announced there wouldn’t be a 2013 festival. John D has never been one to stay quiet, and it looks like he won’t start now. Heads up, POZ will be the first or second spot with a big interview straight from the horse’s mouth.

Mansions Finish New Record

Mansions’ Dig Up The Dead was one of the best released in 2011, and their follow-up has been greatly anticipated by their core fan base. Hopefully we’ll see an April or May release, depending on labels and all that good stuff. 

Morrissey Diagnosed With Bleeding Ulcer; Cancels Dates Through Early-February

Morrissey was so horrified by another ex-member of The Smiths stating there could be a reunion that his ulcer blew up. Okay, not really. Make sure to check out the link above to see if one of your dates got cancelled. 

John Nolan Posts Solo Tour Dates

The dates are here and they are unfortunately more sparse than Paramore’s spring tour routing. There seems to be great interest though from fans for Nolan to do more dates, so hopefully they’ll keep coming in the future.

Lydia ‘Devil’ Album Artwork, Release Date

March 19th it is. The artwork for the release seems to have some fans upset, however. There’s no drawing/painting, just two figures in two masks… It’s an interesting cover.

Mansions have completed work on their third album. Check out a video of a mini-celebration from the band here!

2013 is finally here, and we figured it was finally a good time to bring Discussions back to PropertyOfZack. For this week’s Friday Discussion, I thought it would be great to list my ten Most Anticipated Albums For The First Half Of 2013. 2012 ended up being another great year for music, and it looks like the first half of 2013 can push us even further. Feel free to reblog this with your most anticipated releases for the first half of 2013 and check out my list below! 

Paramore - Paramore (April 9th, Fueled By Ramen Records)
There seems to be a nervous kind of excitement about Paramore’s fourth and self-titled record. It’s been over three years since the release of brand new eyes and the band has gone through a major shift in their identity in terms of both those included in their songwriting process and their new level of success. Spending an abnormally long time recording an album usually tends to make for a really great or a really not so great release, but I trust Paramore - and I think most of you do as well. The band has put out three great, diverse records that have stood the test of time, so who’s to say they can’t make a few more? I think my favorite element of brand new eyes was that the band did not have to shed it’s “pop-punk/emo” guitar riffs or drums to hit massive success, and I’m truly looking forward to a mix of the past and future on this new self-titled record as well.

Mansions - TBA
Dig Up The Dead is probably my favorite record that’s been released within the past five or so years. There’s an energy and heart behind the album that makes it impossible to not be attached to it if it hits you in the right light at the right time. Mansions has been playing one or two new songs live over the past year, and they’ve once again excited me. All I hope for the band in 2013 is a larger push in terms of a label and tour support - because their music speaks for itself. It just needs to be heard. Mansions seems to be chopping away slowly at the recording process for the record, so hopefully more news starts trickling out over the next few months. 

The Story So Far - TBA (Pure Noise Records)
The Story So Far’s sophomore record has the potential to be this year’s biggest release in our community. Those who heard Under Soil And Dirt right at its release knew that it was going to be big, but it took around six or so months for the rest of the world to catch on. Within the year and a half since its release, TSSF are in a small class of young pop-punk bands that is seeing an ever-increasing fan base, but it’s only just beginning. There’s no doubt that the band will keep picking up steam through the year between the Suppy Nation Tour and Warped, but if their record meets even minimal expectations, the sky is the limit. 2013 is The Story So Far’s year. 

Man Overboard - TBA (Rise Records)
Real Talk was a breath of fresh air and self-titled solidified their stance. Man Overboard’s next record needs to stand out from the pack that they created in order to leap frog ahead. Fans will hope for deeper lyrics and more diverse music, and time will tell if the band can follow through. 

The Wonder Years - TBA (Hopeless Records)
There’s probably less pressure on the band to follow-up on Suburbia than there was to The Upsides. Fans trust The Wonder Years to release material that matters to them by now, but trust is a tricky thing - the band can’t truly let their fans down. Like the two bands mentioned above, The Wonder Years have a chance to take a major step in their sound and fan base with their next release. I personally preferred Suburbia over The Upsides, and I don’t have a doubt that the band can give us all a new favorite again.

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PropertyOfZack Contributor Blogger and photographer Dave Summers has been launching limited edition photo prints in his webstore each month, and he even wrote an article about it on POZ earlier this week to shed some light on the process. We’ve teamed up with Dave celebrate the new limited launch, which includes prints of Circa Survive, Every Time I Die, Converge, Listener, Moving Mountains, Seahaven, Sainthood Reps, Loma Prieta, Citizen, and Mansions, to give away prints to three lucky winners. Check out all the prints here, and find out how to enter the contest by December 31st below!

You must do each of the following things to win a photo print of your choosing:

• Follow PropertyOfZack on Tumblr.
• Follow Dave Summers on Tumblr.
• Reblog this post on Tumblr. 

It’s the weekend again, so PropertyOfZack is back with a brand new Team Recommendation Playlist! Each weekend, different members of our team will be recommending both old and new songs for our viewers to listen to and enjoy. Check out the Team Playlist and listen to the songs on Spotify while reading everyone’s thoughts! 

Lily Allen - Not Fair
Lily Allen has never been one to mince words. So it is no surprise that when a boyfriend of hers lacked skills in bed, the British songstress called him out. Not only does “Not Fair” highlight Allen’s patented wordplay, but the incorporation of a banjo over electronic elements gives “Not Fair” a unique alt-country feel. Plus, the song is so. damn. catchy. - Michael Meeze (@mikemeeze)

Bruno Mars – Locked Out Of Heaven
It’s probably because I’m abroad in Chile right now that I’m just hearing about this song. I saw him play it on SNL a few weeks ago, and I’ve got to give props both to Bruno Mars, and to SNL who’s live performances as of late have really stepped it up. This song is super catchy and just get’s me in a good mood. And I’m sorry if it’s one of those songs that’s overplayed and annoying (“Call Me Maybe”?) in the states right now, but I’m digging it. Also thought I’d pick a pop song which I never do on here. Not saying I’m a huge Bruno Mars fan, but I’m really digging this song right now! - Mike Sheffey (@SheffeyzTweetz)

Jeff Buckley - The Sky Is A Landfill
Jeff Buckley is an artist that I have slept on for a long time, but this year I have finally dived deep into Buckley’s short library and I am ecstatic that I did. “The Sky Is A Landfill” is a great example of a well put together mid-tempo rock song. Buckley’s signature wispy vocals and guitar skills are ever present which will always and forever be a treat to anyone willing to listen. - Dylan Powell (@DylanPowell5493)

Stick To Your Guns - Against Them All *Song is not on Spotify
This song is fast, nasty, and aggressive, but it’s got a huge, soaring chorus. You won’t see a lot of that in hardcore, but this band does it really well. This song delivers that sort of slap in the face you need to get yourself going in the morning. Trust me, I just woke up a whole five minutes before writing this. - Brandon Allin (@brandon_allin)

Weezer - Buddy Holly
Everyone liked Weezer at some point in their lives (but some of us never stopped). I feel like this song in particular is making a comeback this year because I swear I’ve been hearing it everywhere. It’s got so much angst even though it’s the kind of song you’d want tucked into your locker in the form of a note from your secret forbidden crush on Valentine’s Day. Ooooh eeeeee oooooh. - Sydney Gore (@sydegee)

Bayside - Sick, Sick, Sick
“Sick, Sick, Sick,” is a scathing track with a driving tempo. The repetition of the title, haunting harmonies and lines like “Your sexcapades deliver checks/But can’t afford you self respect” make it catchy and fun to scream along to. It is also a fantastic reflection on a relationship gone horribly wrong. Bayside has been one of my favorite bands for awhile now but I was blown away the first time I heard this song. - Becky Kovach (@beckystrz) 

Mansions - Dig Up The Dead
This is one of my favorite Mansions songs, and it comes off of one of my favorite records ever at this point. There’s an energy and builds and collapses and builds and explodes. “I’ll start again // I’ll start again.” I love that line, and I love that line as an opening lyric on this record. - Zack Zarrillo (@zzarrillo)

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The Monthly Summary
Week I

Albums Out This Month
Week I

The Weekly Tour Round-Up
Fall-Winter

Interviews
I Hate Our Freedom

Reviews
Ben Gibbard - Former Lives
The Little Indians - An Album From The Little Indians
Mansions, John Nolan - Split 
Basement - Colourmeinkindness 
Parkway Drive - Atlas 

Playlists
The Swellers, Pentimento 
HRVRD, Junior Astronomers, Sugar Glyder 

Road Blogs
The Downtown Fiction
Silver Snakes
Real Friends  
Bonaventure
MxPx All Stars
The World Is A Beautiful Place, Slingshot Dakota 
Stickup Kid

Streams
William Beckett - “Slip Away” 
Sovereign Soldiers (ex-Amely) - Born Again 
Casting Curses - “Your Hearts Will Burn (Ft. Keith Holuk Of Ligeia)” 
Move Out West - “Without A Parachute” 

Video Premieres
Coming Clean - “Remember To Breathe (Dashboard Cover)”

Behind The Booths
City Lights

Contests
Never Shout Never - Ticket Giveaway [Ends on November 15th] 
Motion City Soundtrack - Irving Plaza [Ended on November 4th]
Macbeth + Wake Up Lucid - Bundle [Ends on November 7th]
Glamour Kills - Winter Line [Ends on November 10th] 

Podcasts
100 Words Or Less Podcast: Jono Diener

Showcase
Colour Color 
Take One Car

Gallery
Mayday Parade, The Maine

It seems natural enough. In fact, it could be considered coming full circle. A sad young buck finds himself working alongside a weathered emo rock innovator. It’s a dream come true, right? 

But the stars aren’t perfectly aligned; it seems that while Mansions’ Christopher Browder was plucking gloomy inspiration from Taking Back Sunday and Straylight Run, John Nolan was tiring of his old endeavors and moving in a new direction. 

“C’est le du Monde,” the Nolan song from his split with Mansions, is a spacey, turbulent journey through vague ideology. Crunchy, slapback-reverb guitars add serious sass to the verses alongside Nolan’s excessively sultry vocals. The mood takes a left turn at the chorus when the overdriven guitar is replaced by an ambient piano and Nolan’s voice gains the support of a graceful falsetto harmony. Whether you’re a fan of this throwback style or not, you have to appreciate the broad influences that Nolan drew upon for this composition. 

Nolan paints a blurry image of various points in history where citizens of the world were informed of their imminent doom, then frames it with an indifferent conclusion: “100 years from now/They’ll still be counting down/I know they’ll still say/ The end is coming any day.” No theoretical analysis, no moral lesson at the end of the episode, just unconcern. Poetically, the end of the song feels chopped off, incomplete. Musically, however, the vague, dark lyrics serve to accent the similarly moody arrangement.

“You got these old black boots I’ve wanted all my life.” Christopher Browder, the brain behind Mansions, sings to open “Heavy Dungeon Echo” with a highly relatable brand of dissatisfaction that bleeds into his work more often than not. With vulnerable vocals and a perfectly distraught guitar riff, he manages to project an image of hopeless teenage frustration with the same effortless touch that Brian Fallon might use to conjure the inescapable grasp of an Americana-ridden Saturday night. 

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What a Playlist we have in store for you today. Taking Back Sunday and Bayside are taking out Man Overboard, Transit, Mansions, and Gabriel The Marine throughout different points on their Tell All Your Friends ten year anniversary tour, and we couldn’t help putting all six of the bands together for a new PropertyOfZack Playlist feature. Check out the Playlists below while listening to the songs on Spotify and reading everyone’s thoughts! 

Songs by each of the bands on #TAYF10 Tour!

There are a lot of older bands that have really cool, kick ass new records out. Some of my favorite bands ever like Nofx, Bouncing souls and Hot Water music. On the other hand, lots of great newer bands have some great releases out, bands like Candy Hearts, Sainthood Reps and Pure Love. Here are a few songs I picked out for you all to check out!  - Nick Ghanbarian

I think I would write the same thing for all of these songs so I will write this… this is my favorite kind of music… epic punk songs that pull at your heart strings and make you want to sing along. The Bouncing Souls are the best at writing songs like this but there are some other completely worthy bands on this list… some friends, some not - kudos to them all for writing songs that I love and that make me want to play music. - Justin Collier

Music has given me more in life then just about anything. Here are a songs by bands I have discovered recently and a few that I’ve been into for the past few years. I hope you enjoy this playlist as much as I do and Thanks goes out to anyone who has supported our band Transit over the years, we are all very grateful to have you all along on this ride with us. - Joe Boynton

2 Chainz - Birthday Song
I love the current trend of weird—pop-rap. This kind of music scares me in the best way, where I totally have no idea what is coming next, lyrically, musically, or visually.
Person L - OK
I never thought the Weatherbox/Person L split would ever actually come out. It seemed like the Chinese Democracy of whatever. But it was worth the wait, cause both bands’ songs are killer.
Margot & The Nuclear So and Sos - Disease Tobacco Free
Can’t get enough of this band, and they don’t get enough recognition. They are consistently making some of the best and more interesting rock records around.
Todd Rundgren - Hello It’s Me
I could listen to this song all day. Totally weird dude singing a totally sweet song.
G.O.O.D Music – Mercy *Song is not on Spotify
Another one of these, I can’t get enough. The video rules too.
Gary Numan - Cars
We randomly listened to this super loud in the car the other day and it was unbelievable. I wish I wrote songs like this.
St. Vincent - Cheerleader
I was completely 100% late to the St. Vincent train, and this song makes me regret it.
10cc - I’m Not In Love
Another weird pop song, I guess that’s the theme of this playlist. They took something pretty and sappy and put enough bizarre layers on it that it rules. - Chris Browder

Ten songs for our Playlist for Taking Back Sunday’s Tell All Your Friends Tour!

It’s no secret that PropertyOfZack loves Mansions and John Nolan, so it’s truly an honor to be streaming their brand new split, which comes out tomorrow via Burning House Records and Collective Confusion. Mansions’ “Heavy Dungeon Echo” was produced by Matt Taylor of Motion City Soundtrack and Nolan’s “Cest Le Du Monde (End Of The World)” was produced by Mike Sapone (Brand New, Straylight Run). Make sure to pre-order the split on vinyl here and stream the split below by clicking “Read More!”

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• LMFAO called it quits.
• Angels & Airwaves began writing a new album.
• Transit announced full album shows.
• Members of The Get Up Kids and fun started a new band.
• Silverstein will be releasing a new album in 2013.
• The Swellers started their own label and will be self-releasing their new EP.
• Alexisonfire added dates to their farewell tour.
• VersaEmerge’s new album is not coming out until 2013.
• Moving Mountains finished tracking their new album.
• Jack’s Mannequin added a second final show.
• Christofer Drew began recording his solo record.
• Tegan And Sara and The Killers announced a North American tour.
• My Chemical Romance announced the their b-sides album.
• Never Shout Never revealed their album details.
• Bayside announced a covers EP.
• Citizen, State Champs, and Candy Hearts announced a tour.
• Taking Back Sunday are reissuing Tell All Your Friends.
• The Promise Ring covered Adele.
• Man Overboard and Never Shout Never announced a tour together.
• Pentimento signed to Paper + Plastick Records.
• All Time Low announced a triptacular tour. 
• New Found Glory are playing Sticks & Stones on their UK tour.
• Ke$ha’s first single was written with Nate Ruess. 
• The Wonder Years’ A Year As A Ghost is still coming out in October.
• Green Day added Best Coast to their North American tour.
• Chad Gilbert started a record label.
• Mansions and John Nolan announced a split.