Kent, OH

Andy Hendricks – Drums / Vocals
Ben Hendricks – Vocals / Guitar / Keys
Scotty Moses – Thunder Bass
Corey Willis – Guitar / Keys

Providence, RI

Jeff Byers - Guitar / Vocals
Paul Dechichio - Drums
Jon Pagano - Bass
Neil King - Guitar / Vocals

No matter where punk veers off course thank god there will always be bands like Providence, RI's Best Practices that can firmly right the ship. Featuring current/former members of Light The Fuse And Run, Wow, Owls!, Weak Teeth and Jesuscentric, Best Practices is a return to the fundamentals of punk rock. On the band's Tiny Engines debut, The EP LP, the quartet lets loose a whirlwind of (garage power pop) punk fury. Recorded with Will Killingsworth (Orchid, Ampere) at Dead Air Studios, Best Practices pummel their way through 9 songs in 12 glorious minutes. The band comes close to careening off the edge at points but never seem to overtake themselves. Chock full of razor sharp hooks Best Practices lays down a furious gauntlet that is as catchy as it is exhausting. All your left with as The EP LP fires towards the finish line is the feeling that you just want to do it all over again.

Formed in 2010, Best Practices is a return to the fundamentals of punk rock. When vocalist/guitarist Jeff Byers (Light The Fuse And Run and Wow, Owls!) moved to Providence in 2009 he had a batch of songs written before meeting up with drummer Paul Dechichio (Jesuscentric) in 2010. The duo worked over those original songs and added a few others to the mix. Eventually, the pair wrangled a second guitarist and bassist, Neil King and Jon Pagano of Weak Teeth, to fill out Best Practices and the band started to play shows in April 2011. Once that happened more songs organically came together as a 4-piece and King contributed a few songs of his own as well. And the end product is an amazing batch of songs that while not necessarily written as a cohesive whole, work flawlessly as an album.

Bands like Best Practices remind us why we came to know punk in the first place. It wasn't about fashion or style or trends. It was simply about letting go. Punk rock was supposed to be uninhibited. Check your bullshit at the door. But, inevitably, somewhere along the way, it got too complicated. The message seemed to get lost in translation. In 12 minutes Best Practices tear it down and bring it back to its vital core. And for that we should all be grateful.

Oneonta, NY

Sam Judd – Vocals
Gulab Singh – Guitar
Darin Gregory – Bass
Matt Payton – Drums

Chicago, IL

Will McEvilly – Guitar
Ron Petzke – Bass / Vocals
Josh Snader – Drums
Nick Wakim – Guitar / Vocals

Listen to an exclusive song from the band's upcoming debut full-length, Broad Shoulders, on Alt Press - http://bit.ly/tfa08E

Gainesville, FL

Ryan Willems - Guitar
Kenny Jewett - Bass
David Bell - Drums
Steven Gray - Guitar / Vocals

Philadelphia, PA

Brendan Graham – Drums
Tommy Manson – Guitar
Brendan McHugh – Vocals / Guitar
Matt Scottoline – Bass

Tallahassee, FL

Matt Agrella – Vocals / Guitar
Joshua Mikel – Drums
Dave Pinkham – Rhodes, Vocals
Ryan Slate – Guitar / Vocals
Ryan Smith – Bass

Washington, DC

Dan Doggett – Bass / Vocals
Brandon Korch – Drums
Anton Kropp – Guitar
Gabe Marquez – Guitar / Vocals

Durham, NC

Jason Kutchma - Vocals / Guitar
Michael Jackson - Guitar / Vocals
Beth Kutchma - Bass / Vocals
Jonathan Truesdale - Drums

Three years in the making, Red Collar's Welcome Home fulfills the promise of the band's acclaimed debut full-length, 2009's Pilgrim. Welcome Home continues the tradition of heart pounding indie punk & roll from the Durham, NC quartet but expands the palette with dynamic results. Red Collar combine the jagged rhythms of DC punk along with the soulful, working class spirit and lyrical bend of bands like The Hold Steady and The Gaslight Anthem. Never shying away from their influences, the band proudly displays the earnestness of Springsteen, the boldness of The Replacements and the swagger of The Clash firmly on their sleeves. All that you know and love about Red Collar remains but Welcome Home opens up into hauntingly beautiful songwriting territory that touches on the timelessness of Americana roots. Red Collar is back and they are better than ever! Welcome home!

Philadelphia, PA

Carlin Brown - Drums / Percussion
Dave Klyman - Guitar / Backing Vocals
Jon Loudon - Guitar / Vocals
Ben Pierce - Keys / Guitar / Backing Vocals
Dan Zimmerman - Bass / Backing Vocals

Cleveland, OH

Max Stern – Guitar / Vocals
Steve Gibson – Drums / Vocals
Loren Shumaker – Bass / Vocals
Jeff Russell – Guitar

Santa Rosa, CA

Jonny Andrew: Guitar / Vocals
Chip Kelley: Bass / Vocals
Michael Weldon: Guitar / Vocals
Jared Wallace: Drums

Written over the span of close to a year, Desolate Peaks, is the debut full-length from Santa Rosa, CA's State Faults. The band delivers on the album title imagery with an intense emotional landscape rarely traveled. Drawing upon elements of 90's emo and post-hardcore, State Faults is explosive but never to the extent where it overpowers the nuances of the band's songwriting. These songs are always able to breathe to their full potential. The band is adventurous and always pushing forward but never choose to wallow in grandiosity. State Faults expertly find a perfect balance between craft and composition.

State Faults consists of four soulmates with a DIY ethic trying to make honest and explosive music. Formed in early 2010, the group immediately began writing and recording music within the cramped confines of a 2nd floor apartment. Huddled together in the California heat, the band created a tightly knit sound which gave birth to an impressive self-released debut EP, Head In The Clouds. Released in late 2010, the EP quickly spread through word of mouth and the band began to cultivate a devoted following. In what can only be described as an advancement of the sound created on Head In The Clouds, the band's Tiny Engines debut, Desolate Peaks, takes State Faults to new uncharted levels.

Desolate Peaks aims true with darker, more aggressive tones. There is a raw, rough edge to the album that signifies the intense writing/recording process of the band. No doubt State Faults are heavy and frenzied in nature but there is an almost light, angelic quality that echoes throughout Desolate Peaks. It is in that dichotomy where State Faults thrive. The harshness of the vocals against the intoxicating instrumental backdrop of the band gives State Faults an epic, otherworldly effect. There is a desperation and frantic urgency that pervades the band's ambitious songwriting. It's all a natural progression as Desolate Peaks continues progressive journey that began when the band first formed in 2010.

Continuity is a prevailing theme across not only Desolate Peaks, but harkening back to Head In The Clouds as well. State Faults tackle similar emotions through different narratives on Desolate Peaks. Lyrically, Desolate Peaks deals with the human experience and themes such as love and mortality. It is not only about finding the true meaning of self but also in how that self relates to the universe as well. Desolate Peaks is a musical journey through the highs and lows that come with the natural rise and fall of life.

Long Island, NY

Jonathan Dimitri - Vocals / Guitar
Tom Werring - Guitar / Vocals
Johnny Wims - Bass
Teddy Sahr - Drums

Some bands seem to take years to find their sound. These bands navigate frustratingly from album to album searching for some kind of true identity. After releasing records that hop from pop simplicity to experimental complexity (or vice versa), the band lands on a sound that, for them, is sophisticated and perfect—songs they wish they could have written from the start. This process, though sometimes exciting, often leaves listeners unsatisfied with the eventual outcome, which can lack the sulfuric spark that drew them to the band in the first place.

Perhaps this is what makes Long Island, NY’s State Lines so remarkably refreshing and exciting. State Lines began in October 2010 when lead singer/songwriter Jonathan (JD) Dimitri recorded a six-song demo on an 8-track recorder in his basement. Soon accompanied by Tom Werring (guitar, vocals) and Johnny Wims (bass) the band recorded what would become their official debut in May of 2011. Shortly after, Teddy Sahr (drums) completed the quartet and Hoffman Manor was released.

Creating a steady word-of-mouth Hoffman Manor garnered some impressive praise for the young band and it is easy to see why. With State Lines you have got a dynamic vocalist and lyricist in Dimitri and a band that seems comfortable at any tempo truly letting the songs flow on a natural course. Blurring the line between melancholy and optimism, Hoffman Manor mirrored the confusion of youth and frustration of growing up. In some ways, the band fits seamlessly into this archetype; Hoffman Manor is youthful and raw, full of murmuring, muscular chords accented by both glimmering guitars and the crisp snap of a snare drum. Johnathan Dimitri's voice cracks as he veers from note to note, his lyrics ranging from heart-wrenching (“Cancer”) to inspiring (“My Friends”). Despite the deceivingly lo-fi recording, State Lines' debut should be shelved alongside other head-turning and urgent debuts by East Coast pop-punk bands, like Saves The Day's Can't Slow Down or Brand New's Your New Favorite Weapon.

On Hoffman Manor you knew State Lines was close. With the band's new Self-Titled EP, released by Tiny Engines in April of 2012, the band has arrived. Recorded this winter with Sainthood Reps' Bradley Cordaro, these four songs brim with confidence and overflow with punk energy while playfully pulling at those pop heartstrings we all possess. But while State Lines have plenty of youthful spirit left over they bite deeper with lyrical depth. On songs like “Win Free”, Dimitri's voice is coarser, but more assured, and balanced by Tom Werring's aching harmonies. The way in which Dimitri and Werring's guitars effortlessly intertwine on this song demonstrates something more than a musical maturity. Likewise, the solidarity between Teddy Sahr's tense, tight drumming and Johnny Wims' rumbling bass on the potent opener “5's On The Elephant” reveals something more than mere musicality: It seems that State Lines has truly found its sound.

Though their pop-punk forefathers are irrefutably influential, they have inspired a generation of bands that seem to steal the wrong cues and follow them towards the same predictable ends. State Lines isn't one of these bands; they've identified the spark and spirit that made their predecessors feel so initially fresh and have bottled it, choosing to express this explosive essence without following their winding, wandering path. While it is doubtful that State Lines has finished growing yet, it is refreshing they seem to know exactly where they are going.

Scranton, PA

Pat Brier – Drums
Brianna Collins – Keyboard / Vocals
Adam McIlwee – Guitar / Vocals
Dennis Mishko – Bass
Ben Walsh – Guitar / Vocals

Gainesville, FL

Ryan Willems – Bass
Lee Kraft – Drums
Steven Gray – Vocals / Guitar
Scott Carr – Guitar
Luke Moses – Guitar