January 2005 News

Dimebag Death
Ex-Pantera, current Damageplan guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was among four people shot and killed on stage during Damageplan's performance. The 25-year-old shooter was also shot and killed by a police officer.

Undercover the New Communism
French rockers Undercover Slut have just released their album, COMMUNISM IS FASCISM, on Apokalypse Records. Their sound is self described as "A violent cross between 21st century technology, '77 punk rock nostalgia, creepy 'n' spooky industrial sounds, and dirty fuckin' glamour image."

Building the Ezekiel Team
Ezekiel skate team recently added some new members, including Mike York, Louie Barletta, and Casey Rigney. They also have a new Web site for you all to check out at www.ezekielusa.com.

Psychic Animals
Death toll from the massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean continues to rise to over 135,000 people. However, there are a surprisingly small number of animal deaths in the areas, which has lead to speculation that animals can sense the coming of natural disasters.

Red Death Spreads Their Plague
The Red Death of upstate New York has just been signed to Metal Blade Records, which also hosts bands such as Vehemence, Unearth, and As I Lay Dying. Metal Blade will be releasing The Red Death's second album and first full length, from which you can listen to some tracks at the Pure Volume site.

Our Beloved has Parted
Beloved has toured with the likes of Underoath, Avenged Sevenfold, and Atreyu, and has gained popularity with their two releases. Now, the five years of Beloved music-making has come to an end. They played their final show on January 14 with Underoath in North Carolina.

Plain White CDs
Plain White T's released their newest, ALL THAT WE NEEDED, to stores early January. They will be on a three-week Unplugged In-Store Tour to support the release, and then, hop on the Take Action Tour with Sugarcult, Hawthorne Heights, Head Automatica and Anberlin.

Mini Pros
The first pro-mini-ramp contest to take place in the U.S. in over a decade happened January 7-9 at the 2005 Surf Expo in Orlando, Florida. It was sponsored by Volcom, and handed out $10,000 in prizes.

A New CD in Plain View
Drive-Thru Records band, Hidden in Plain View, will be releasing their LIFE IN DREAMING CD February 22. They also just recorded a music video to the song, "Bleed for You," in Los Angeles.

Santa's Naughty List
Alek Komarnitsky admitted the falsity of his 2-year-old Website, which offered visitors opportunity to turn his Christmas lights on and off at his home in Colorado. Komarnitsky fooled people and the media with the fake Web cam producing pictures of his home, which were actually still pictures. Even his neighbor was in on the hoax with a fake camera in her tree, facing his house.

A Mammoth Memorial
Mammoth Lakes, California has its first skatepark being built by Grindline and sponsored by Volcom. It will be called The Volcom Brothers Skatepark, and will be a memorial to Volcom team rider Jeff Anderson.

Re-Do Four Hundred Years
Hardcore band Four Hundred Years will be re-mastering and re-releasing their sophomore album, TRANSMIT FAILURE through Lovitt Records shortly. Live footage and enhanced video will come with the release.

Building Freese's Resume
Josh Freese will be adding another band to his resume, as he will be drumming for Sting on the next tour. Yes, THE Sting. Just another job for Freese's amazing list of drumming experiences.

Painting Paradise Black
Paint it Black's full-length CD, PARADISE, will be hitting shelves March 8. It is an album that visits the pains of divorce and of war, and how the two can be viewed as intertwined.

Darrell Goes to DC
Pro- skateboarder Darrell Stanton signed onto the DC Shoes team. This is big news for DC Shoes, as they haven't signed a professional skateboarder to their team in six years, although many on their team have made it pro after signing.

You'll Love This EP
The Loved Ones' debut EP will be out February 22, but is already available for preorder. These ex-members of Kid Dynamite, Trial By Fire, and the Curse put out an album that is full of anthems and powerful riffs.

Illegal Farts
Fart bomb toys in Hong Kong are banned from shelves and being recalled due to the chemicals that cause their odor, which cause nausea, headaches, and eye irritation.

A Cexy Tour
Cex will be touring throughout this month and into the next in the Midwest and South. So if you're living near there and want to check out this original and somewhat strange artist, go to www.jadetree.com.

And They Say the French are Rude
Napalm Records' bands, Atrocity and Leaves Eyes, experienced what seems to be unnecessary violence and arrests by the French Police. After finishing their show at La Locomotive in France, the French police attacked the musicians and arrested Alex Krull, their bus driver, tour guide, and journalist.

Adding Burn to Explosion
Let it Burn guitarist Chris Gonzales will be filling in for The Explosion, as their guitarist Sam Cave has called it quits (noted this is his second time doing so). The Explosion will be touring throughout January, taking stages with Strung Out, Rise Against, Death By Stereo, Most Precious Blood, Evergreen Terrace, and more.

Krux Krew
The Krux skate team recently acquired four new members: Roger "Cairo" Foster, Tommy Sandoval, Silas Baxter Neal, and Tony Montgomery.

Two More Fats
Fat Wreck Chords has added two new members to their family. The Soviettes and Smoke Or Fire have signed the dotted line and will be releasing new albums through Fat sometime this year.

The Wrong Leg
In a Mexican hospital, a doctor mistakenly amputated the right leg of a patient with an infection in his left foot. The patient still has the original infection and, now, a missing leg.

Killing the Competition
Kill Your Idols will be releasing their new album, FROM COMPANIONSHIP TO COMPETITION, on January 25. Want a sneak pre-listen, visit www.hxc.com.

Reebok Goes Skateboarding
Reebok has announced the addition of pro-skateboarder Stevie Williams to its team, and plans to release a line of skate shoes and clothing. The line will be called DGK (Dirty Ghetto Kids), which is an extension of Williams's decks.

Don't Go Swimming
The Cuyahoga River running between Akron and Cleveland, Ohio, was found to have the hepatitis A virus living in its water, along with other bacteria, viruses and parasites that have potential to trigger disease.

Trustkill's Newest
New Jersey post-hardcore rockers, Bedlight for Blueeyes, have signed to Trustkill Records, ready to make their first release in the spring.

Chicks, Skateboards, and Videos
Villa Villa Cola has created their third video, which was released through Element Skateboards at the beginning of this month. The video, GETTING NOWHERE FASTER, features live skateboarding footage of top women skateboarders and a scripted story of a female skate crew who confront unusual circumstances.

Join the Club
The Abandoned Hearts Club is searching for a new drummer. Their Abacus Records debut release will be coming out this year and the Canada-based band will be touring extensively in support. If you want to join their club, e-mail the band.

Tomato Tomoto
The Florida Tomato Committee has found that Florida's UglyRipe tomatoes cannot be sold out of state. Despite the good taste of the tomatoes, their ugly appearance has caused this ruling.

Finding a New Voice
End of All's vocalist, Will Jackson, has left the band, and they are on the lookout for a new singer. E-mail the band if you want to audition.

Not Forgotten and Not Lost
Love Lost But Not Forgotten has reformed and played their first show together since 2003 on January 15. They will be staying together to rework their debut release and record a follow-up to it.

Re-Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage re-released their Ferret Records debut album January 11. It has been re-mixed, re-mastered, and re-laid-out.

No Make-up, You're Fired
The federal appeals court ruled that the decision of Harrah's casino bar in Reno, Nevada to fire a female employee for not wearing make-up did not constitute sexual discrimination and was in the boundaries of law.

Auction for the Association
Founder James O'Mahoney is rumored to be auctioning skate collectibles from his Santa Barbara Surf Museum in order to help fund the U.S. Skateboard Association.

Glassjaw Shattered
It seems that Glassjaw has decided to end their run, as they struggled with member changes and their singer's side project, Head Automatica, continues to grow. Their Website pays tribute to some of the music world's assassinated icons, and "oh yeah" announces the cancellation of their shows.

Taking a Break, Not a Break-Up
Audio Karate has announced they're taking a "long break" from touring to work on some new material. The roads will be empty of AK throughout this year, but they promise this does not mean a break-up.

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