Blink-182 return to their punk roots with ‘Generational Divide’

And just like that, the music gods have blessed Blink-182 fans with a brand new, albeit short, song.

On Friday (June 21), the California-founded pop-punkers unleashed the long-awaited follow-up to “Blame it on My Youth.” Dubbed, “Generational Divide,” the 50-second song finds the band returning to their punk roots with the aggressive and fast-paced track.

Watch the music video for “Generational Divide” above.

On Wednesday, the group took to social media to announce the release of the new song. They kept it simple with a mock poster of a punk rock show (alla CBGB) with a skeleton decked out in a spikey leather jacket and mohawk, a cigarette in its mouth, and its middle finger prominently featured on the flyer.

“Generational Divide” is the follow-up to their lukewarmly received track “Blame it on My Youth.” The track was released in May and signaled the beginning of their new “more aggressive” sound, though the song wasn’t exactly aggressive.

While fans have not been given a title or official release time frame for the forthcoming record, fans have begun to speculate that it may be sometime this summer.

The yet-to-be-confirmed record will be the follow-up to 2016’s California.

“Generational Divide” comes a week before the trio is due to hit the North American touring circuit with Lil’ Wayne and Neck Deep. The summertime excursion begins next Thursday, June 27, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

Earlier this month, the three-piece revealed that they would be paying homage to their third studio album, Enema of the State, by performing it in full during the upcoming run.

“To celebrate 20 years, we’re playing Enema of the State in its entirety all summer long!” the band tweeted.

Enema of the State was released in June 1999 through MCA. The record produced several of the group’s biggest hits including “All the Small Things,” “Adam’s Song,” and “What’s My Age Again?”

Simple Creatures return with ‘Special’ ahead of Download Festival gig

Simple Creatures wanted to give fans something “special” and that they did. On Thursday (June 13), the Mark Hoppus and Alex Gaskarth-led act released their first new single since the release of their debut EP this past spring. Titled “Special,” the new song finds the band sticking to their self-proclaimed trash-pop sounds.

Listen to the three-minute track above.

The new track’s release comes sometime after the co-singers began teasing fans on social media. They first posted an image of themselves as the grumpy old men from the Muppets (You know the ones based on Sikel and Ebert?). They captioned the post with “Who’s about ready for some new Creatures then? 👍👎 Coming soon.”

Then, they cleared their Instagram account of everything and posted a cryptic photo with the caption June 13 and what looks to be lyrics to the new jam.

“Special” is Simple Creatures’ first new song since their debut EP’s release. The record includes “Adrenaline,” “Drug,” and the album’s title track “Strange Love.” No confirmation has been given on whether “Special” will be featured on Simple Creatures’ upcoming EP, but it may be safe to assume so.

Earlier this year, while promoting Strange Love, the duo revealed that they already had plans to release its follow-up. The band allegedly unveiled the upcoming EP’s title during a show, but there was no proof to corroborate these claims. Shortly after, the group confirmed that their second EP would be titled Everything Opposite and is due out later this summer.

Simple Creatures will make their Download Festival debut this weekend. Hoppus, Gaskarth, and company will perform on the Avalanche stage on Saturday, June 15.

Blink-182 to perform ‘Enema of the State’ in its entirety during their upcoming summer tour

Enema of the State may not be old enough to legally drink in the United States yet, but it’s reached a huge anniversary milestone which will be celebrated later this year. On Wednesday (June 5), blink-182 confirmed that they will perform their breakout record in its entirety during their upcoming summer tour.

“To celebrate 20 years, we’re playing Enema of the State in its entirety all summer long!” the band tweeted.

As if performing the 1999 album in full during the upcoming tour wasn’t enough, blink also revealed that they will play the album in its entirety during their Riot Fest set in September.

As per Riot Fest tradition, blink joins a lengthy list of other bands previously confirmed for this honor.

The Flaming Lips (Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots), WEEN (The Mollusk), Bloc Party (Silent Alarm), Taking Back Sunday (Tell All Your Friends and Louder Now), Dashboard Confessional (The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most), Against Me! (Reinventing Axl Rose and Transgender Dysphoria Blues), Glassjaw (Worship & Tribute), Senses Fail (Let it Enfold You and From the Depths of Dreams), and the newly-reunited AVAIL (Over the James) were all confirmed last month.

Enema of the State was released in June 1999 through MCA. The record, blink’s third studio effort, produced several of the group’s biggest hits including “All the Small Things,” “Adam’s Song,” and “What’s My Age Again?” Finding a home on a slew of “Greatest Albums” and “Best of” lists, the record peaked at the number nine spot on the Billboard 200 chart. To date, it has been certified five times platinum.

In May, blink-182 announced a colossal summer outing with Lil Wayne and Neck Deep. Some fans were left scratching their heads over the rapper’s addition to the pop-punk-centric roster.

The upcoming trek will find the acts performing at venues across the continent throughout June, July, August, and September. The 39-stop outing includes stops in major North American cities including Indianapolis, Toronto, Columbia, Charlotte, Tampa, Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, Detroit, St. Louis, and more.

The co-headlining excursion begins on June 27 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus and concludes two and a half months later on Sept. 10 in Camden, New Jersey at the BB&T Pavilion. The full list of tour dates can be found here.

Slayer, Blink-182, and Bikini Kill to headline Riot Fest’s massive 15th-anniversary show

Hold onto your mohawks guys, because Riot Fest’s 15th-anniversary show is going to be one for the books. On Wednesday (May 29), festival organizers unveiled the massive lineup for this year’s weekend-long event. Blink-182, the newly reunited Bikini Kill, The Raconteurs, Rise Against, The Flaming Lips, Jawbreaker, and Bloc Party are just some of the bands headlining the show.

Also getting a spot on the large print portion of the festival poster is Slayer. Their appearance at Riot Fest will be the iconic metal band’s final performance in Chicago (and Milwaukee).

Joining the already stacked lineup are Taking Back Sunday, Rancid, Descendents, Manchester Orchestra, Dashboard Confessionals, the B-52s, the Starting Line, Streetlight Manifesto, The Get Up Kids, Senses Fail, Less than Jake, Anti-Flag, Cursive, Save Ferris, Frank Iero and the Future Violents, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, and a slew more.

As per Riot Fest tradition, many of the bands on the roster will perform some of their albums in full. Those acts include the Flaming Lips (Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots), WEEN (The Mollusk), Bloc Party (Silent Alarm), Taking Back Sunday (Tell All Your Friends and Louder Now), Dashboard Confessional (The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most), Against Me! (Reinventing Axl Rose and Transgender Dysphoria Blues), Glassjaw (Worship & Tribute), Senses Fail (Let it Enfold You and From the Depths of Dreams), and AVAIL will reunite to perform Over the James.

Tickets for Riot Fest 2019 are currently available for purchase on the festival’s website. Considering the colossal lineup, it may be wise to get your tickets as soon as possible instead of risking the event selling out.

Riot Fest returns to its home of Douglas Park in Chicago during the weekend of Sept. 13- 15. For more information about the lineup, tickets, or general inquiries, head on over to Riot Fest’s website.

blink-182 look back at their youth in ‘Blame it on My Youth’

Remember when blink-182 promised us a brand new song by week’s end?  Well, it looks like the group has kept their promise and treated us to the new jam. On Wednesday (May 8), the California-founded band unleashed their first new song in several years, “Blame it on My Youth.”

If you were expecting some old-school blink-182, then you might be slightly disappointed. The funny, immature dick jokes are gone as the lyrics take a more adult turn with Mark Hoppus and Matt Skiba reminiscing about their youth and what they had to overcome to get where they are because “no one is going to block their shine.”

Listen to “Blame it on My Youth” above.

“Blame it on My Youth” comes a day after the band revealed the track’s name on social media. The trio posted an image of graffiti on a wall with “blame it on my youth,” the band’s logo, and the band’s name printed on the bricks.

“Blame it on My Youth” is reportedly the first single off blink-182’s upcoming new studio record. Though it does not have a title or official release date, speculations have begun that it will see a summertime release date.

The yet-to-be-confirmed album is the follow-up to 2016’s California.

Earlier this week, blink-182 announced a massive summer tour with Lil Wayne and Neck Deep. The co-headlining excursion begins on June 27 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus and concludes two and a half months later on Sept. 10 in Camden, New Jersey at the BB&T Pavilion.

Pre-sale tickets are currently available while general ticket sales begin this Friday, May 10, at 10 a.m. local time. Check out the full list of tour dates here.

Blink-182 and Lil Wayne team up for a massive summertime tour

“Two pop-punk bands and a rapper walk into a concert venue…”

No, this isn’t the beginning of some cheesy joke. This is actually the beginning of one of this summer’s biggest tours. On Monday (May 6), blink-182 confirmed plans to embark on a colossal summer outing alongside Lil Wayne and Neck Deep.

The upcoming trek will find the acts performing at venues across the continent throughout June, July, August, and September. The 39-stop outing includes stops in major North American cities including Indianapolis, Toronto, Columbia, Charlotte, Tampa, Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, Detroit, St. Louis, and more.

The co-headlining excursion begins on June 27 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus and concludes two and a half months later on Sept. 10 in Camden, New Jersey at the BB&T Pavilion.

Lil Wayne will not perform at a handful of dates including Toronto (July 7), Holmdel (July 9), El Paso (Aug. 4), Wichita (Sept. 6), and Council Bluffs (Sept. 7) as well as blink-182’s previously announced music festival appearances.

Pre-sale tickets for the shows go on sale this Tuesday, May 7, at 10 a.m. local time. General ticket sales begin this Friday, May 10, at 10 a.m. local time.

In addition to the tour dates and venues, the acts unveiled their “What’s My Age Again?”/ “A Milli” mash-up. Watch the video of the unlikely collaboration above.

The co-headlining tour news comes a week or so after drummer Travis Barker posted the cover of Complex magazine circa December 2006 which featured him and Lil Wayne. The post simply read “This throwback” with a set of side eyes and Lil Wayne and Complex’s social media handles.

Barker and Lil Wayne working together is not at all surprising. Lil Wayne previously worked with Barker on the drummer’s 2011 solo album Give the Drummer Some.

In March, frontman Mark Hoppus told NME that the band was currently in the studio recording the “darker and aggressive” follow-up to 2016’s California.

“It’s very different to California. It’s a lot more aggressive. It’s darker in theme and tone,” Hoppus told the publication.

“If you like California to Enema of the State, then this album is more like the untitled record where we are trying to experiment more: trying to experiment more, trying different sounds, and trying to expand upon what people think blink-182 is.”

Speculations have begun that blink-182 will release their long-awaited follow-up to California sometime in the summer.

For now, the full list of tour dates can be found below.

BLINK-182 / LIL WAYNE / NECK DEEP SUMMER 2019 TOUR DATES:

June 27 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
June 29 – Hartford, CT @ XFINITY Theatre
June 30 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Vans Warped Tour^
July 1 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
July 3 – Indianapolis, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
July 5 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
July 6 – Burgettstown, PA @ KeyBank Pavillion
July 7 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage *
July 9 – Holmdel, NJ @ P.N.C. Bank Arts Center *
July 10 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
July 11 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
July 13 – Bangor, ME @ Darling’s Waterfront Pavillion
July 14 – Festival d’été de Québec ^
July 16 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
July 17 – Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Ampitheatre
July 19 – New York, NY @ Good Morning America
July 20 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Ampitheatre
July 21 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavillion
July 23 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavillion
July 25 – West Palm Beach @ Coral Sky Ampitheatre
July 26 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Ampitheatre
July 27 – Atlanta, GA @ Cellaris Ampitheatre at Lakewood
July 29 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place
July 31 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug. 1 – Austin, TX @ Austin360 Ampitheater
Aug. 2 – Dallas, TX @ The Dos Equis Pavilion
Aug. 4 – El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center *
Aug. 5 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
Aug. 7 – San Diego, CA @ North Island Credit Union Ampitheatre
Aug. 8 – Los Angles, CA @ The Forum
Aug. 9 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands ^
Aug. 27 – Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Ampitheatre
Aug. 30 – Portland, OR @ Sunlight Supply Ampitheater
Aug. 31 – Seattle, WA @ White River Ampitheatre
Sept. 2 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Ampitheatre
Sept. 4 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
Sept. 6 – Wichita, KS @ Hartman Arena *
Sept. 7 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Stir Cove *
Sept. 8 – Kansas City, MO @ Providence Medical Center Ampitheater
Sept. 10 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
Sept. 14 – St. Loius, MO @ Hollywood Casino Ampitheatre
Sept. 16 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
Sept. 18 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion

* without Lil Wayne
^ blink-182 festival date

Tool, Slipknot, blink-182 lead Aftershock 2019 lineup

Tool, Slipknot, and blink-182 are just some of the bands heading to California’s capital in October for the 2019 incarnation of the Aftershock music festival. On Tuesday (April 23), festival organizers announced the rocking lineup for the eighth annual event.

Joining Tool, Slipknot, and blink-182 on this year’s line up are Korn, Rob Zombie, Bring Me the Horizon, Marilyn Manson, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Chevelle, Dropkick Murphys, BABYMETAL, Bad Religion, Stone Temple Pilots, and many more.

“Aftershock Festival is always a unique experience for Korn compared to other festivals,” Korn’s Brian “Head” Welch says.

“One of the main reasons is we have many friends and family that live near Sacto, so it’s always like a family reunion when we play Aftershock. We’ve been gone a while and we’re coming back this year with a new album, new stage look, and a new excitement that is very contagious! We feel like we are on fire right now and our fans are gonna be fuel for the flames!”

Knowing that fans can’t get enough of the music festival, event organizers also unveiled that the festival has expanded from two days to three.

Dubbed “California’s biggest rock festival,” the event will return to its longtime home of Discovery Park in Sacramento during the weekend of Oct. 11-13.

Tickets, VIP packages, and hotel options go on sale this Friday, April 26, at noon PT. Tickets for Aftershock have sold out four years straight, so festival organizers are encouraging fans to get their tickets as soon as possible.

The official announcement comes a day after the lineup was leaked online. According to a Reddit post, the lineup was accidentally uploaded onto the festival’s website a day before it was set to go live. At the time, there was some speculation whether the lineup was real, but it turned out to be true.

For more details about the lineup, tickets, or general inquiries, head on over to Aftershock’s website.

The daily lineup for Aftershock can be found below.

AFTERSHOCK 2019 DAILY LINEUP:

Friday, October 11

Slipknot, Staind, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Dropkick Murphys, Sum 41, Clutch, I Prevail, Beartooth, Motionless in White, Andrew W.K., Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals, Knocked Loose, Angel Du$t, While She Sleeps, Ded, The Pink Slips, Santa Cruz

Saturday, October 12

blink-182, Rob Zombie, Bring Me the Horizon, Marilyn Manson, Stone Temple Pilots, Bad Religion, Highly Suspect, Ghostemane, Fidlar, The Interrupters, Fishbone, Badflower, Ho99o9, Health, Parlor Mob, Sick Puppies, Spirit Adrift, Broken Hands, Dead Posey

Sunday, October 13

Tool, Korn, A Day to Remember, Chevelle, BABYMETAL, Gojira, Architects, Falling in Reverse, Deadland Ritual, Fu Manchu, The Crystal Method, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, The Hu, Fire from the Gods, Joyous Wolf, Evan Konrad, Brkn Love, Blue Midnight

Back to the Beach 2019 announces daily performance times

Travis Barker and John Feldmann’s Back to the Beach music festival is a few short days away from invading Southern California. Now, fans have finally gotten what they’ve been patiently waiting for; the performance times. On Tuesday (April 23), festival organizers unveiled the performance times for the second annual event.

The first day of the festivities will include performances by Streetlight Manifesto, The Aquabats, Save Ferris, the English Beat, and the Drowns while blink-182, Goldfinger, and Reel Big Fish are set to close out the night.

Day two of the show will include performances by The Wonder Years, Less Than Jake, Story of the Year, Teenage Wrist, and Lowlives while The Used, The Story So Far, and Anthony Green of Circa Survive will close out the final night of the event.

In addition to the rocking daily lineup, Back to the Beach also announced the Lil’ Punk KidZone. The kid-centric area will include a set each day from kid band The Twits and 13-year-old DJ De Crazy Cat, a scavenger hunt with prizes, mermaid photo sessions, hula hoop, face painting, a cartoonist, a palm reader, hair braiding, and a giant cornhole game.

All kids age ten and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Back to the Beach will return to its home of Huntington State Beach in Huntington Beach, California. This year’s event will take place during the weekend of April 27-28.

A limited number of Sunday general admission and VIP passes are still available for purchase.

For more details about the lineup, tickets, or general inquiries, head on over to Back to the Beach’s website.

The daily performance times can be found below.

SATURDAY, APRIL 27:

7:35 p.m. – blink-182
6:15 p.m. – Goldfinger
5:10 p.m. – Reel Big Fish
4:10 p.m. – Streetlight Manifesto
3:15 p.m. – The Aquabats
2:20 p.m. – Save Ferris
1: 30 p.m. – The English Beat
12: 45 p.m. – The Drowns

SUNDAY, APRIL 29:

7:40 p.m. – The Used
6:20 p.m. – The Story So Far
5:15 p.m. – Anthony Green
4:20 p.m. – The Wonder Years
3:25 p.m. – Less Than Jake
2:30 p.m. – Story of the Year
1:40 p.m. – Teenage Wrist
1:00 p.m. – Lowlives

Childish Gambino, blink-182, Kacey Musgraves to headline Outside Lands 2019

Childish Gambino, blink-182, Kacey Musgraves, and Twenty One Pilots are just some of the acts who will make their way to California in early August for the 2019 incarnation of the Outside Lands music festival. On Tuesday (March 26), festival organizers Another Planet Entertainment, Superfly, and Starr Hill Presents announced the complete lineup for the weekend-long event.

Joining the previously mentioned acts on this year’s roster are The Lumineers, Kygo, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Lil Wayne, Flying Lotus, Flume, Better Oblivion Community Center, Mavis Staples, Ella Mai, Santigold, Yaeji, Tierra Whack, DJ Koze, Weyes Blood, and more.

Also joining the bill as one of the main headliners is Paul Simon. His appearance at Outside Lands marks the musician’s first show since his farewell tour concluded last year.

In addition to the festival’s genre-diverse lineup, it will also include “world-class art, food, wine and more” as well as “groundbreaking experiences dedicated to cannabis and mind-expanding talks” while also promising “a festival that’s totally original and 100% San Francisco.”

Outside Lands returns to its home at the iconic Golden Gate Park in San Francisco during the weekend of Aug. 9-11. Tickets for the upcoming event go on sale this Thursday, March 28, at 10 a.m. local time here.

For more information about the festival, tickets, or the lineup, head on over to Outside Lands’ website.

For now, the complete lineup for Outside Lands 2019 can be found below.

Simple Creatures share their new single ‘Adrenaline’

Simple Creatures have returned with another new song from their fast-approaching EP. On Monday (March 25), the Mark Hoppus and Alex Gaskarth-led act shared their third single off Strange Love, “Adrenaline.” Sounding like it could find a home on a recent All Time Low album, the new track made its worldwide premiere on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 radio show as the host’s world record of the day.

Listen to “Adrenaline” above.

The new song comes a few days before the band’s debut EP is set to be released. Titled Strange Love, the five-song album is due out this Friday, March 29. Pre-orders for the EP are still available for purchase.

In support of its release, the act will embark on a five-stop mini tour beginning this Thursday, March 28. The full list of stops can be found here.

In other news, Gaskarth recently disclosed that All Time Low’s short break may be coming to an end sooner than fans initially anticipated. In a new interview, the musician revealed that he and drummer Rian Dawson recently returned to the studio together to jot down some ideas.

“I just spent a few weeks in Nashville at Rian’s [Dawson, drummer] studio, starting to form ideas. It’s nice, we have an amazing head start on the whole thing, and there’s already pictures forming which is a nice way to approach it.”

Last month, blink-182 informed fans that they were working on the follow-up to 2016’s California. According to a recent interview with Hoppus, the new record will take more of an “aggressive and experimental path” than their previous work.

“It’s very different to California. It’s a lot more aggressive. It’s darker in theme and tone. If you like California to Enema Of The State, then this album is more like the untitled record where we are trying to experiment more: trying to experiment more, trying different sounds, and trying to expand upon what people think blink-182 is.”