Philadelphia, PA - For a band of upstarts with a keen ear for melody and the right amount of punk attitude without being snotty, The A.K.A.s (Are Everywhere!) have more in common with their true punk brethren like The Clash, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four than their current peers. But that's not to say they're revivalists... Not. At. All. With both feet firmly planted in 2008 and an audio rearview mirror whose objects are indeed closer than they appear, The A.K.A.s take the punk spirit of three chord machine gun rhythms and infuse them with organ, shout-along choruses and more adrenaline than all those steriod-laden American Gladiators combined.
Their freshly-minted album Everybody Make Some Noise! on their new label, Metropolis Records (release date: March 18, 2008), is a 12-track tour de force of fist-pumping anthems that would make the Dead Kennedys proud. And in fact, head DK Jello Biafra felt the band so honor-worthy that he bestowed a spoken word, carny-styled intro to "Everything Is a Commercial". Other guests include JT Woodruff from Hawthorne Heights and Chris #2 from Anti-Flag. "We have a really bizarre set of guest appearances on our record," says vocalist Mike Ski. "Having three people that would never be in the same room together appear on our album and each bring something incredible to the songs is a proud moment. From the breathtaking melody of JT, the angry snarl of Chris #2, to the unsettling narrative by Jello, it's enough to make everyone from a 15 year old pop girl to a 30 year old punk rocker smile."
The A.K.A.s (Are Everywhere!) On Tour
Jan 30 Masquerade Atlanta, GA
Feb 01 Java Jazz Houston, TX
Feb 02 White Rabbit San Antonio, TX
Feb 03 Smoking Aces Mission, TX
Feb 07 Cell Block Phoenix, AZ
Feb 08 Showcase Theatre Corona, CA
Feb 09 The Dome Bakersfield, CA
Feb 11 Karma Victorville, CA
Feb 12 The Exit Fresno, CA
Feb 13 The Whisky Los Angeles, CA
Feb 14 The Boardwalk Sacramento, CA
Feb 16 Satyricon Portland, OR
Feb 17 Studio Seven Seattle, WA
Feb 18 The Venue Boise, ID
Feb 20 Black Sheep Colorado Springs, CO
Feb 21 Marquis Theatre Denver, CO
Feb 29 I-Rock Nightclub Detroit, MI
Mar 05 Gramercy Theatre New York, NY
From the stomp-punk of the anthemic opening track "This Is The Way We Move" with its "let's go, let's go" call to arms, to the spit-twirl of "Let Your Momma Know", to the guitar-organ attack of "Tools of the Tirade", Everybody Make Some Noise! isn't an album to be listened to while trying to maintain some semblence of decorum. Incendiary and heart-pounding, The A.K.A.s know how to incite and excite, and have done so ever-so-craftily with their second album. The first single "Dead Flowers Forever," a pissed off song about love gone bad, is a perfect example of that. "This song was almost not on the record because it was a challenge for me and a turning it around was a true test of my belief in the song and the album,"explains Mike. "We had to fight to make it what we wanted and it came full circle into something amazing. Before re-recording vocals for this track, I forced myself think 'I'm going to f**king kill you' in my head when I sang it. I think that comes through in the recording."
Produced by Alex Newport (At the Drive In, The Mars Volta) in a new studio that The A.K.A.s literally helped put together ("We gutted, scraped, painted, hammered, and hauled enough to satisfy the most merciless of cynics. Doesn't everybody love to see a band dehumanized?!"), Everybody Make Some Noise is a true testament of a band finding their voice through adversity, poverty and the excruciating toll that band life extolls. "This album is special in that it represents a true adventure and journey," he continues. "While other bands are busy writing music just to get laid, paid, or played on the radio, we challenged ourselves and everyone else to be fearless, fierce, and have fun... finding your voice and using it to live out loud."
The A.K.A.s (Are Everywhere!)'s new album Everybody Make Some Noise will be released by Metropolis Records on March 18, 2008.
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