If It's Too Loud...

Photo via Facebook Punk supergroup Beach Rats was founded by Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, Government Issue, Bad Religion) and includes Ari Katz (Lifetime), Bryan Keinlen and Pete Steinkopf (Bouncing Souls), and Danny Windas (Let it Burn). The Asbury Park based band's latest single, "Heavy Conversation," is just pure classic fast and heavy punk rock. Beach Rats aren't breaking new ground with this song, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you're a fan of any of the members' previous or other current bands, "Heavy Conversation" is for you. This is making me long for the Warped Tours of my youth, back when they just put up a bunch of stages in a field somewhere. You can listen to "Heavy Conversation" below. Rat Beat is due out July 29 on Epitaph Records, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Beach Rats, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram .

Photo by Matthew Gere We throw the term "supergroup" around here a lot, but Beach Rats are a bona fide supergroup... in the right circles. Brian Baker was a founding member of Minor Threat, founded Dag Nasty, has played with The Meatmen and Government Issue, and has been a member of Bad Religion since 1994. He's basically a supergroup on his own. While living in Asbury Park, NJ a few years ago, he founded Beach Rats with Lifetime frontman Ari Katz, Bryan Keinlen and Pete Steinkopf of Bouncing Souls, and Let It Burn's Danny Windas. The band's new single, "Rat Beat," is a minute and a half punk explosion. Is loud and fast and leans strongly into the emotional hardcore range you'd expect from a group consisting of members of these bands. Beach Rats aren't breaking new ground with this one, but if you think a supergroup made up of members of these bands is going to be great, you're correct, and you're going to love this one. You can watch the...

It's been a few months since we last brought you new music from Space Cadet. The band (which features Matt Hock and Dave Walsh of The Explosion) has a new single out. "Start Running Away" is more of the jangly, reverb heavy rock that we loved in their last single, but this new one shows off a little more of the punk edge of the duo's other band. It could just be the gang (of two) vocals on the chorus, or the appearance of Brian Baker (Bad Religion, Minor Threat) on guitar, but "Start Running Away" is more of a rock song. It almost has a Mission of Burma goes New Wave and straight up rock vibe. You can watch the video for "Start Running Away" below. Lion on a Leash  is due out March 26 on Wiretap Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Space Cadet, check out the band's Facebook .

Photo via Facebook As much as I love Bad Religion, I can't really say I'm a huge fan of their more recent output. It's not horrible, but it just doesn't have the same impact that their earlier work does. Maybe it's success or just getting older, but it happens to most bands. Considering that, I was cautious at best when I decided to listen to "Making Time," the latest solo song from Greg Graffin. The Bad Religion frontman is releasing Millport , what appears to be an acoustic, folk album. Trust me, I know exactly what you are thinking. And I agree. When I first started listening to "Making Time," I was debating if I should even tell all of you about it since I was just going to trash it. But then something odd happened: I might like this. Graffin's voice is somehow oddly well suited to laid back acoustic folk songs, and I never thought I'd hear Bad Religion mixed with a banjo. My only complaint is that musically it's a bit too gen...

I prefer Halloween over Christmas. Christmas music is pretty much unavoidable, and most of it is pretty awful. It's either the same songs over and over every year or just top 40 pop crap you'll hopefully forget next year. That's why we bring you the If It's Too Loud... 2016 Holiday playlist. This is the second we've done (for some reason we skipped last year), and we've tried hard to not repeat from the last one. We tried to include a wide mix of everything we cover from classic country (Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn), 90s favorites (Jennifer Trynin, Letters to Cleo), classic punk (The Ramones, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Bad Religion), classic rockers (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Chuck Berry), soul (James Brown, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings), current favorites (Courtney Barnett, Matt Pond PA, Sallie Ford), and, of course, "Christmas in Hollis" from Run DMC. No Christmas playlist is complete without it.

Photo via Facebook While none of these musicians (or bands, for that matter) are exactly household names, Vanishing Life are a supergroup made up of absolute rock royalty for the right people. Vanishing Life are: Vocals/Guitars: Walter Schreifels (Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand, Rival Schools, CIV) Guitars: Zach Blair (Rise Against) Bass: Autry Fulbright (... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead) Drums: Jamie Miller (... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead, Bad Religion) Basically, if you've been into any kind of hard rock or punk in the last 25 years, chances are you're obsessed with at least one of these guys' other bands. Somehow we missed when they released a single back in 2014, but they'll be releasing their debut album next month. The first song from that album, "The Realist," is just pure heavy thrashing punk. This is the kind of aggression and energy bands of kids in their teens would kill for. A lot of times supergroups by ...

Bad Religion are one of my favorite live bands. Once I realized I haven't seen them since the 2002 Warped Tour, I realized I had to see them. Mainly because they've been hinting for the last few years that they could retire at any moment, but also because the Paradise is a fraction of the size of the venues they normally play when they come around. Also, this was part of their "Battle of the Centuries" where they play two nights in a city: The first is all music from the 20th century, the second is all from the 21st century. The first night is definitely the more popular of the pair, selling out far in advance while tickets for tonight are currently still available. No Trigger opened the show, and once they announced they were from Worcester, MA I assumed they were just some newfangled local opener. Turns out they have 21,000 Facebook followers as opposed to Plague Vendor's 7000 followers. Never having heard of them made me feel old. Then again, they are part ...