AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: JULIANA HATFIELD/SINGS THE POLICE!

Juliana Hatfield has remained an unpredictable artist during her 30+ year career. Since the formation of Blake Babies in the late ‘80s, straight through her most recent solo work, she has surprised critics and fans with her many musical projects. Since Blake Babies’ original demise in 1991, she’s formed her own band Juliana Hatfield Three as well as getting involved in many other projects including Minor Alps (with Matthew Caws of Nada Surf), The I Don’t Cares (with Paul Westerberg), The Lemonheads, and more. Along the way, she’s been involved in a few Blake Babies reunions while continually movie forward as an artist. […]

By | November 15th, 2019|News, Uncategorized|Comments Off on AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: JULIANA HATFIELD/SINGS THE POLICE!

AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS/GHOSTEEN

Australian singer/songwriter Nick Cave is a music industry veteran and Rock icon. He’s been releasing albums for 40 years and shows no sign of slowing down, creatively. And after years of success, failure, tragedy, and triumph, Nick Cave remains a survivor. From his early days fronting The Boys Next Door through their transformation into The Birthday Party, Nick Cave became one of the most infamous Post-Punk musicians of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.  When The Birthday Party split, he formed Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, gravitating towards a sound that was more atmospheric and less abrasive. For 35 years, Cave has become of the most respected songwriters and performers of his generation. In fact, his songwriting is now compared to greats like Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Neil Young. And looking back over his catalog, those comparisons are well-deserved. […]

By | November 8th, 2019|Uncategorized|Comments Off on AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS/GHOSTEEN

AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: COLD WAR KIDS/NEW AGE NORMS 1

In a time when most bands prefer to stick to a proven formula, Cold War Kids continue to break new ground while forging their own musical path. Although they don’t make drastic changes, they push the boundaries by experimenting with new musical ideas and adding new layers to their sound. From Post-Punk to Soul, Cold War Kids are not afraid to take chances.  Integrity intact, they’ve been critical darlings and achieved commercial success as they’ve navigated their way through an ever-changing musical landscape. […]

By | November 1st, 2019|Uncategorized|Comments Off on AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: COLD WAR KIDS/NEW AGE NORMS 1

AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: BAD WOLVES/N.A.T.I.O.N.

Bad Wolves is a supergroup of sorts. Vocalist Tommy Vext spent time in bands like Divine Heresy, Snot, and Westfield Massacre before the formation of Bad Wolves. Drummer John Boecklin was previously a member of DevilDriver, lead guitarist Doc Coyle once rocked with God Forbid, rhythm guitarist Chris Cain treaded the boards with both Bury Your Dead and For the Fallen Dreams, and bassist Kyle Konkiel has laid down the bottom end for In This Moment, Scar the Martyr, and Vimic. If you count their manager as an auxiliary band member, then it must be said that Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory – Bad Wolves’ manager – kicks the ‘supergroup’ claim up another notch. […]

By | October 28th, 2019|News, Uncategorized|Comments Off on AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: BAD WOLVES/N.A.T.I.O.N.

Epitaph & Anti- Partner With AMPED for US Physical Distribution

‘AMPED, the indie distribution division of wholesale giant Alliance Entertainment, has entered an agreement to serve as the U.S. physical distributor for veteran punk rock label Epitaph and its sister imprint, Anti-. […]

By | October 23rd, 2019|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Epitaph & Anti- Partner With AMPED for US Physical Distribution

AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: HALLOWEEN OST (Expanded Edition)

John Carpenter is a renaissance man. Best known as a director, Carpenter is an equally talented screenwriter and composer. He’s had a hand in many projects over the years. From TV movies, theatrical motion pictures, and comic books, John Carpenter is a man who has a passion for the arts. He is also a man who has a unique vision and it comes through in every project he is involved with. Operating outside any industry formulas, Carpenter has written his own rules along the way. Unsurprisingly, there have been many imitators along the way but none of them have matched the master himself. […]

By | October 21st, 2019|Uncategorized|Comments Off on AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: HALLOWEEN OST (Expanded Edition)

AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: WATERPARKS/FANDOM

Celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year, California-based label Hopeless Records has been at the forefront of the modern Punk movement since their inception in 1994. With a host of Pop Punk, Hardcore, and Post-Punk acts on their roster, the label has been one of the most influential on the scene. With releases by All Time Low, Sum 41, Neck Deep, Avenged Sevenfold, Thrice, Yellowcard, Anarbor, Taking Back Sunday, Silverstein, We Are The In Crowd, Bayside, The Used, The Wonder Years, The Human Abstract and Enter Shikari, Hopeless has always embraced the energy of modern Punk and releasing albums that have helped shape the genre. Through it all, the label has earned the respect of the Punk Pop/Emo kids and that is what is most important. […]

By | October 11th, 2019|News, Uncategorized|Comments Off on AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: WATERPARKS/FANDOM

AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: THE MENZINGERS/HELLO EXILE

Regardless of what the Billboard charts might insinuate, Pop Punk – AKA Punk Pop – was not born in the mid- ‘90s. The roots of the genre first came to prominence in the late ‘70s thanks to bands like Ramones, Buzzcocks, The Dickies, and The Undertones. The blending of the raw power of Punk Rock and soaring, sing-a-long melodies reignited the Indie scene and made Punk more -for lack of a better term – consumer-friendly. The term ‘Pop Punk’ wasn’t widely used until bands like The Offspring, Green Day, Rancid, and Blink-182 brought the genre to the mainstream, selling millions of albums in the process. MTV and radio embraced this new movement that was as hook-filled as it was loud and aggressive. It is hard to tell whether Pop Punk was a reaction against the slick Pop and smooth R&B that filled the charts at the time or a full-on musical revolution but whatever happened, happened. […]

By | October 4th, 2019|Uncategorized|Comments Off on AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: THE MENZINGERS/HELLO EXILE

AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: BRUCE COCKBURN/CROWING IGNITES

Artists and their art evolve. The youngster that strummed their first chord into a four-track recorder decades ago has matured in so many ways since then – physically, emotionally, and artistically. However, without realizing it, their audience refuses to let the artist grow – they want them to stay the same as when they first connected with them. While we all know better now, there was a time when teens all over the world were dismayed when The Beatles grew facial hair and served up “Strawberry Fields Forever” to the masses in 1967. The kids wanted the same band that Ed Sullivan introduced them to three years earlier. Thankfully, audiences quickly adapted to the Fabs’ growth as a band. The same can’t be said for so many other artists over the years. Audiences can be so fickle sometimes… […]

By | September 20th, 2019|News, Uncategorized|Comments Off on AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: BRUCE COCKBURN/CROWING IGNITES

AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: BON IVER/I,I

Sometimes, an artist’s career trajectory is carefully planned. From label contracts and recording budgets to marketing strategies and touring schedules, the build up to a debut album is often less about music and more about business. However, there are always exceptions to every rule and singer/songwriter Justin Vernon is one of those exceptions. The origins of his band, Bon Iver, and their 2007 debut album started almost by accident and the subsequent commercial success of the band has always been about the music and nothing else. Sure, critical success and two Grammy Awards are always good for ‘business’ but for Vernon, it has always been about the music. And to think that it all started in a cabin in Wisconsin… […]

By | August 30th, 2019|News, Uncategorized|Comments Off on AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: BON IVER/I,I