This is the first in a series of features entitled "Old Music Friday." Why? Because most new music stinks!

Over 20 years ago, a virtually unknown singer / songwriter named Johnny Polonsky released his debut album "Hi My Name Is Johnny" on American Recordings. This masterpiece included 10 tracks, each of which could easily stand alone as a single. The album showcased Polonsky's ability to craft the perfect Pop Rock song.

Immediately after the record's release, Polonsky and his band toured as the main support act for Frank Black on his "Teenager Of the Year" tour. He was also featured on the 1996 Lollapalooza summer tour on the 2nd stage.

According to his bio, Polonsky was born in Chicago and raised in suburban Wilmette, Illinois. He began writing, recording and self-releasing homemade cassettes as a teenager, under the name The Amazing Jonny Polonsky. Using the 411 public phone records, Polonsky was able to reach and befriend musical heroes of his such as guitarists Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), Zander Schloss (Joe Strummer, Circle Jerks), Reeves Gabrels (David Bowie, Tin Machine), and Pixies singer Frank Black/Black Francis. 

Polosky would go on to release 7 albums with his fifth full length record, Fresh Flesh released in January 2018. It was recorded with his live band in two days at Rick Rubin's studio, Shangri La Studios, in Malibu CA. It features guest performances by vocalist Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age), and drummer Kevin Haskins of Bauhaus (band), Love and Rockets (band), and Tones on Tail.

Front Line Assembly has leaked a new track from the WarMech album, this time with electronic music go-to site Resident Advisor. You can stream the track here.
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Front Line Assembly founder Bill Leeb is joined on WarMech by Jared Slingerland, Sasha Keevil, Craig Johnsen, and the late-great Jeremy Inkel on a tour de force 12-track full-length album that is as much electronic masterpiece as it is a game soundtrack gold join head of arsenal Bill Leeb. WarMech ranges from industrial to ambient to techno, and will blow the minds of fans of the earlier AirMech soundtrack, as well as long-time fans of Front Line Assembly.
 
The album will be released on June 22 via Toronto-based Artoffact Records. A double vinyl, including black and greasy-mess versions follows in August, just in time for the band's European tour. The vinyl comes in a gatefold sleeve designed exclusively by Dave McKean, and you also get a collectable, branded download card. CD digipak version also available.
 
AirMech Wastelands expands the AirMech universe through experiencing the journey from a scavenger to a commander in the war against the machines. After global conflict erased countries and borders, automated armies continued their mission by restoring production of WarMechs to finish their directive.
 
Front Line Assembly will be on the road this August and September in Europe with Die Krupps. As they return to North America, the band will be performing at all three Cold Waves Festival in NYC, Chicago and LA!

TOUR DATES:

• August 18 - Amougies, BE @ W-2 Festival
• August 19 - London, UK @ o2 Academy 
• August 20 - Paris, FR @ La Machine
• August 21 - Utrecht, NL @ De Helling
• August 22 - Krefeld, DE @ KuFa Krefeld
• August 24 - Gothenburg, SE @ Truck Stop
• August 25 - Stockholm, SE @ Klubben
• August 29 - Wroclaw, PL @ Stary Klasztor
• August 30 - Prague, CZ @ Lucerna Music Bar
• August 31 - Budapest, HU @ A38
• September 01 - Bratislava, SK @ Majestic Music Club
• September 02 - Vienna, AU @ Viper Room
• September 04 - Munich, DE @ Backstage Halle
• September 08 - Nu-Ulm, DE @ Volle Kraft Voraus Festival 
• September 15 - New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater
• September 23 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
• September 29 - Los Angeles, CA @ 1720 

 
FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY: Bandcamp / Facebook
 
ARTOFFACT: Bandcamp / Facebook

Round Eye, the experimental, sax wielding, freak punk outfit have accrued a loud and controversial name for themselves since forming in 2012. The Shanghai based group have as of late been a crucial force in bridging a wide gap between the eastern and western hemispheres of DIY punk rock. Along with blazing a trail all over the globe they've played host to visiting western punks and some legends as well sharing stages with acts such as The Fleshtones, MDC, Mike Watt + The Missingmen, D.O.A., The FUs, The Boys (UK), Paul Collins Beat, M.O.T.O., Ceremony, Iceage, and eastern notables such as P.K.14, SMZB, SUBS, Hang on the Box, and during a mainland tour of China with UK punk legends The Boys, they were forced to literally move the tour underground after being banned by the Ministry of Culture for lewd artwork on a tour poster. VICE Magazine documented one of their 'bunker' gigs in Beijing in glorious baijiu filled detail.

​The band has drawn comparisons to the Stooges, Captain Beefheart, Dr. Feelgood and The Fall but have more often fallen into a category all their own. Last summer Round Eye performed at Taiwan's biggest music festival Spring Scream and toured Europe and the UK (a 60+ date tour) supporting Monstervision. Now they've set their sights on the US...

US TOUR DATES:

• 7/3 - San Francisco, CA @ The Knockout
• 7/4 - Sacramento, CA @ The Colony
• 7/5 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Smell
• 7/6 - Long Beach, CA @ 4th St. Vine
• 7/7 - San Diego, CA @ Tower Bar
• 7/8 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Dive Bar
• 7/9 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rips Bar
• 7/10 - Tucson, AZ @ Spark Project Collective
• 7/11 - Albeuquerque, NM ***house gig
• 7/12 - El Paso, TX @ Neon Rose
• 7/13 - San Antonio, TX @ Limelight
• 7/14 - Austin, TX @ Kickbutt Coffee & Booze
• 7/15 - Houston, TX @ Spruce Goose
• 7/17 - Wichita, KS @ Kirby's Beer Store
• 7/18 - Minneapolis, MN @ Eagles 34
• 7/19 - Milwaukee, WI @ High Dive
• 7/20 - Chicago, IL @ Coles 
• 7/21 - Bloomington, IL @ Nightshop
• 7/22 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Melody Inn
• 7/23 - Louisville, KY @ The Cure Lounge
• 7/24 - Cincinatti, OH @ Wilter on the 8s
• 7/25 - Canton, OH @ Buzzbin
• 7/26 - York, PA @ Skid Row Garage
• 7/27 - Philly, PA @ The Fire
• 7/28 - Brooklyn, NY @ Hank's Saloon
• 7/29 - Providence RI @ Scurvy

NOTHING return with their third installment, Dance On The Blacktop. The next chapter of NOTHING's story pulls from all corners of life in its contents. Stories of self loathing, self destruction, and a general disdain for humanity and its, "insignificant" role in Domenic Palermo's vision of the universe are met with his poised amusement and tranquil hysteria being one himself. All of this told through the eyes of a recently diagnosed Palermo suggesting he is dealing with the early stages of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), a neurodegenerative disease found in people with serious head injuries. And as they packed themselves in a coffin-sized NYC apartment for 23 days to demo songs it became clear that the ripple effect left upon his psyche from dealing with these newfound symptoms would leave its mark on the material.

NOTHING sought out celebrated producer John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr, Breeders, Sonic Youth, Kurt Vile) to help accentuate the band's love for all sounds 90s, from rock to shoegaze to pop realms and on both sides of the pond. The next month was spent tracking at the historical Dreamland Studios in Woodstock, NY with newly appointed bassist Aaron Heard. As days moved by, Palermo spewed songs of heightened confusion, anxiety, paranoia, depression, and chronic battles with physical pain- a result of his unstable past and more recent illness. These themes, spoken in a lush angelic language are juxtaposed against the band's now signature apocalyptic, reverberating wall of shimmering sound, all captured beautifully by Agnello and the open room.
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"Zero Day", the album's lead single, debuted today via Stereogum who caught up with the band to discuss the making of the album, its themes, concepts and more for their most recent Cover Story. Palermo further explains "Zero Day refers to the amount of difficulty a person faces when attempting to close the door on all sense, meaning, or value when thinking on our existence is hard to put in words, but to me it has always been the latter. I've laid awake countless nights contemplating human life, its hostile uselessness, and why I'm one of the few who choose to see it that way yet manage to move onward. So I suppose in that sense Zero Day is a song of paradoxical enlightenment". Read all about it here.

​NOTHING
Dance On The Blacktop
Relapse Records
August 24, 2018
Pre-order Here

Tracklisting:
1 - Zero Day
2 - Blue Line Baby
3 - You Wind Me Up
4 - Plastic Migraine
5 - Us/We/Are
6 - Hail On Palace Pier
7 - I Hate The Flowers
8 - The Carpenters Son
9 - (HOPE) Is Just Another Word With A Hole In It

NOTHING Live Dates: 
9/07: Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel $
9/08: Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop $
9/09: Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups $
9/11: Detroit, MI - The Shelter $
9/12: Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall $
9/13: Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry #
9/14: Lawrence, KS - Record Bar #
9/15: Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater #
9/18: San Jose, CA - The Ritz #
9/19: San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall #
9/20: Los Angeles, CA - The Regent Theater #
9/22: San Diego, CA - Soda Bar #
9/23: Phoenix, AZ - The Rebel Lounge #
9/25: Dallas, TX - Club Dada ^
9/26: Austin, TX - Mohawk ^
9/27: Houston, TX - Secret Group ^
9/29: Atlanta, GA - Masquerade ^
9/30: Durham, NC - Motorco Music Hall ^
10/05: Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw ^
10/06: Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer ^
10/07: Boston, MA - The Sinclair ^

$ w/ Culture Abuse, Smut
# w/ Culture Abuse, Big Bite, Smut
^ w/ The Swirlies, Big Bite, Smut
 
NOTHING. Online. Instagram. Twitter. Facebook.

For more info please contact:  
baileys@grandstandhq.com