The fine folks at Stereogum premiered the humorous new video from Shark? Watch “California Grrls” now if you want a cheap laugh and come see them play with Mean Creek and Radical Dads tonight at Death By Audio in Brooklyn if you want a cheap rocking.

From Stereogum:
“NYC garage quartet Shark? seem to inhabit a world where primarily everyone dons a poor quality Ronalde Reagan (I assume this is Reagan. Just a janky, janky Reagan) mask in their normal lives. They wear a Reagan mask when they’re at band practice, making out, and stealing people’s purses. It’s the right display of Shark?’s sense of humor, whose anti-ode to the women of the west coast “California Grrls” may be vitriol-laden but seems to have a tongue-in-cheek sensibility to it. The band has just released the song with Old Flame Records, who will also drop their full-length Savior later this year. Watch the video below.”

Shark? – “California Grrls” Video from stereogum on Vimeo.

If you could stare into the eyes of death, The Cure and Interpol may or may not be waiting behind those blank pupils for you. But you can bet they’re there for Twin Tigers, where the blackest depths come with a slight tinge of goth-pop. These Georgia peaches build bittersweet melodies from a put-on despair, drawn from the band’s natural dark side.

Soon to release their Death Wish LP on Old Flame Records, Twin Tigers’ frontman Matthew Rain gave us a look inside his funeral genie’s lamp, singing the tune of ye olde rock-and- roll lifestyle and offering up a first listen to the new LP.

Stream the LP and read the interview now at Impose.

Our pals Brooklyn Vegan premiered the new video from Twin Tigers.

Athens, GA’s Twin Tigers will release their second album, Death Wish, next week (4/9) via Old Flame Records. You can get a taste of the gothy psych therein via first single “Racecar,” which we’ve got the premiere of the video in this post. The stark black-and-white clip features, pills, speeding, blunt objects, rope and possibly illegal organ transplants.

The band’s Matthew Rain explains:
The realer than life feel of the missing eye came from Logan (drummer) being a cancer survivor. He got cancer in his left eye at age 4 and had to have it removed. The abuse for logan was pretty extreme as he got tackled to the ground about ten times and had an asthma attack from being left in the tub of ice between shots. When I (matthew) wrote the story for the video I didn’t know how bad that would be for him. When Logan showed it to his mom she was so uncomfortable she couldn’t finish it.

You can watch that video below. Twin Tigers are also gearing up for a tour which hits NYC for two stops: April 25 at Glasslands (tickets) with Honduras and The Teen Age; and April 26 at Pianos (tickets) with Nude Pop. All tour dates are listed below.

Twin Tigers – 2013 Tour Dates
Apr. 06 Athens, GA – Caledonia Lounge
Apr. 12 Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn
Apr. 16 Charleston, SC – Tin Roof
Apr. 17 Asheville, NC – The Odditorium
Apr. 19 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
Apr. 21 Washington, DC – Black Cat
Apr. 23 Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie
Apr. 24 Cambridge, MA – Middle East Upstairs
Apr. 25 Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands
Apr. 26 New York, NY – Pianos
Apr. 27 Hamden, CT – The Space
Apr. 30 Pittsburgh, PA – Brillobox
May 01 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern
May 02 Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
May 03 Chicago, IL – Abbey Pub
May 05 St Louis, MO – The Demo
May 06 Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
May 07 Chattanooga, TN – JJ Bohemia’s
May 08 Birmingham, AL – The Nick
May 09 Pensacola, FL – The Handlebar
May 10 Tampa, FL – New World Brewery
May 11 Orlando, FL – Peacock Room

Formed as a bedroom recording project by singer/guitarist John Robinson in 2008, Turf War became a full band in mid-2009 and began to grow a local following in their hometown of Augusta, GA before moving to Atlanta. Their style is gritty, Southern-tinged indie punk rock, with major influences from The Replacements, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bruce Springsteen, and 60 years of rock and roll. Following two years of touring, Turf War’s debut album “Years Of Living Dangerously” was released on Old Flame Records in October 2011 with production by Ian St Pé of The Black Lips. The album’s single “Cheers To The Years” made its way to Sirius XMU rotation shortly after release and was featured in Showtime’s Shameless last week. 2012 held for a major influx of live shows for Turf War, touring the southeast, midwest, and east coast, with festival stops at Fun Fun Fun Fest, Savannah Stopover, Governors Ball Music Festival, and Firefly Festival. They released the first single “Born To Run Free” off their new EP, The Great Escape, on April 2nd via Converse and will hit the road next week. Catch Turf War on their headline tour this April across the southeast with more spring & summer tour announcements coming soon.

Watch a video of the Band in the Converse Rubber Tracks Studio:

Tour Dates:
04.10 – Stone Fox – Nashville, TN
04.11 – Groundswell – Knoxville, TN
04.12 – Tin Roof – Columbia, SC
04.13 – Jinx – Savannah, GA with Twin Tigers
04.14 – Royal American – Charleston, SC
04.15 – Soul Bar – Augusta, GA
04.16 – Green Room – Athens, GA
04.17 – JJ’s Bohemia – Chattanooga, TN
04.18 – The Bottletree – Birmingham, AL
04.19 – 529 – Atlanta, GA

Twin Tigers just wrapped work on their second full-length, Death Wish (out April 9) , at a studio “on loan from Interpol,” according to the Athens, Georgia band’s website. But recording space isn’t the only thing this foursome shares with those former kings of downtown New York — “Racecar,” our first peek at Twin Tigers’ upcoming LP, draws much of its energy from the same post-punk source material Interpol used to turn on the bright lights 11 years ago. Frontman Matthew Rain’s Bauhaus-indebted monotoning manages to sound simultaneously claustrophobic and expansive against his band’s sharply swerving guitar lines, while cymbal swirls bleed color into the track’s otherwise black-and-white landscape.

Listen to the track now on Spin.

David Dye and the fine folks over at NPR’s World Cafe have named Seattle’s The Pharmacy as ‘Next,’ their new artist on the rise this week.

Listen to David Dye spin some tunes off of Stoned and Alone over at NPR.

NYLON said that “The first track off of Millionyoung‘s upcoming album makes us smile.”

It’s not just us who enjoy listening to it; Diaz lists it among one of his favorites to work on while putting together his new album, Variable, which comes out in February. “It was a lot of fun, sort of a different approach than I usually do. I was really digging into soul music while working on this record, and it’s probably most present in this song,” says Diaz.

Read the full interview at NYLON and Listen to Lovin here:

MTV Hive premiered the latest cut off the brand new Mean Creek LP, comparing it to a cross between The Replacements, Dinosaur Jr, and Yuck. Check out ‘Come On Before It’s Gone’ over at MTV Hive now!

Check them out along the west coast as they continue their tour with Counting Crows. As Adam Duritz said, ”Come out early, those bands we have opening are really great. Mean Creek in particular, they remind me of the Pixies, they are incredible.”

• November 14th Albuquerque, NM at Kiva Auditorium
• November 16th Tucson, AZ at AVA Amphiteatre
• November 17th Temecula, CA at Pechanga Casino
• November 20th San Francisco, CA at Nob Hill Masonic Center
• November 24th Los Angeles, CA at The Wiltern
• November 25th Anaheim, CA at The Grove

Old Flame has many great new bands playing this year at CMJ.

For those of you who will be in town we are throwing 2 parties. We’d love to see you at either or both!

First on Thursday October 18th. Old Flame and A Heart Is A Spade Present and Official CMJ Showcase at Pianos (Upstairs).

7:00pm Fantasy Rainbow
7:45pm Your Youth
8:30pm Lost Boy ?
9:15pm You Won’t
10:00pm Turf War
10:45pm Mean Creek
11:30pm Twin Tigers

We are also throwing a fun day party with Heist or Hit Records (UK) that will have loads of FREE Brooklyn Brewery beer at Delinquency in Bushwick!

12:15pm Gross Relations
1:00pm Your Youth
1:45pm Caged Animals
2:30pm Twin Tigers
3:15pm Shark?
4:00pm Fantasy Rainbow
4:45pm Lost Boy ?
5:30pm Tiny Victories

See below for a full list of upcoming CMJ shows for all our participating artists:

Lost Boy ?
10/16 11pm @ Bell House (149 7th Street)
10/17 5:30pm @ Legion (790 Metropolitan Avenue)
10/18 8:30pm Old Flame Showcase @ Pianos Upstairs (158 Ludlow St)
10/19 4:45pm Old Flame//Heist or Hit Day Party @ Delinquency (1031 Grand St BKLYN)
10/19 11:30pm Spincloud Party @ Fontanas (105 Eldridge Street)
10/20 9:15pm Louisiana Purchase Party @ Legion (790 Metropolitan Avenue)

Mean Creek
10/16 10:45pm Allston Pudding Show @ Union Hall (702 Union Street)
10/17 2pm Pirate Pirate Party @ Fontanas (105 Eldridge Street)
10/17 7pm Official CMJ Show @ Alphabet Lounge (104 Avenue C)
10/18 Old Flame Showcase @ Pianos Upstairs (158 Ludlow St)
10/19 Outlaw Roadshow @ Bowery Electric (327 Bowery)

Shark?
10/19 Old Flame//Heist or Hit Day Party @ Delinquency (1031 Grand St BKLYN)
10/20 9:40pm Get Bent!/Dirty Laundry TV Party @ Pianos (158 Ludlow St)

Turf War
10/16 10pm @ Bell House (149 7th Street)
10/17 11:30pm Surprise Attack! Party @ Webster Hall Marlin Room (125 East 11th Street)
10/18 10pm Old Flame Showcase @ Pianos Upstairs (158 Ludlow St)

Twin Tigers
Wednesday 10/17/12 9pm Team Clermont Showcase @ Union Pool (484 Union Ave)
Wednesday 10/17/12 12am Let’s Get Messy Party @ (249 4th Avenue)
Thursday 10/18/12 11:30pm Old Flame Showcase @ Pianos Upstairs (158 Ludlow St)
Friday 10/19/12 2:30pm Old Flame//Heist or Hit Day Party @ Delinquency (1031 Grand St BKLYN)

You Won’t
10/16 3:15pm I Rock I Roll Party @ Pianos (158 Ludlow St)
10/16 10pm BANNERS Showcase @ Pianos (158 Ludlow St)
10/17 9pm Songs from a Room NYC (private show)
10/18 4:30pm Floating Fest @ Pianos (158 Ludlow St)
10/18 9:15pm Old Flame Showcase @ Pianos Upstairs (158 Ludlow St)
10/19 12:30pm Outlaw Roadshow @ Bowery Electric Map Room Stage (327 Bowery)
10/19 7:45pm Danger Village Party @ Delinquency (1031 Grand St BKLYN)
10/20 4pm BuzzChips / My Free Concert Party @ Living Room (154 Ludlow St)

Your Youth
10/18 7:45pm Old Flame Showcase @ Pianos Upstairs (158 Ludlow St)
10/19 1pm Old Flame//Heist or Hit Day Party @ Delinquency (1031 Grand St BKLYN)

Tonight at the Brighton Music Hall in Boston, Mean Creek celebrate the release of Youth Companion. Fellow Old Flame band You Won’t joins them on the bill. It shall be amazing.

Mean Creek CMJ Dates
10/16 10:45pm Allston Pudding Show @ Union Hall (702 Union Street)
10/17 2pm Pirate Pirate Party @ Fontanas (105 Eldridge Street)
10/17 7pm Official CMJ Show @ Alphabet Lounge (104 Avenue C)
10/18 Old Flame Showcase @ Pianos Upstairs (158 Ludlow St)
10/19 Outlaw Roadshow @ Bowery Electric (327 Bowery)

Then Mean Creek starts their tour with Counting Crows: