NEWS FROM JAPAN

Misfits Records would like to update fiends everywhere regarding the safety and welfare of the members of Balzac, and their families, in the wake of the terrible events unfolding in Japan.

We’re happy to report that thankfully, the entire band, Hirosuke, Atsushi, Akio, and Takayuki, as well as their families and friends, are safe and unharmed. Balzac extends great thanks to everyone who is thinking of them.

A message from Hirosuke:

“This time, in the East, especially in the Tohoku area, it has become a massive disaster. Tokyo has also become quite chaotic. When something like this affects Tokyo, it has great effect on all of Japan. At the moment, the Fukushima Nuclear Reactor has become a very large worry.

Even though we are living in the West of the country, many of us are also affected by the disaster. It will take time to overcome everything that has happened, but all Japanese citizens are working hard and cooperating to reconstruct Japan.”

JUICEHEAD ON TOUR IN MARCH WITH THE ADICTS

Look for JuiceheaD on the road this March with The Adicts starting in Chicago, IL March 10th through St. Patrick’s Day in NYC! JuiceheaD does not disappoint, live or in the studio, delivering a strong dose of contemporary punk-rock with an old school edge, and the Adicts; the original Clockwork Orange injected punk band bred on the streets of London in 1975, consistently offer a rich catalog of classic punk tunes within one of the most fun and elaborate stage shows you’ll find. Don’t miss it!

EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TIME OFFER FROM INTERPUNK

FREE BALZAC TRACK "HURT" (FROM THE BIRTH OF HATRED) ON RUE MORGUE'S FREE DOWNLOADABLE COMPILATION ALBUM, HYMNS FROM THE HOUSE OF HORROR!

AVAILABLE ONLINE MAY 1st

In honor of Rue Morgue’s 100th issue, the magazine is releasing a free, downloadable compilation album titled Rue Morgue Radio Presents…Hymns from the House of Horror! Thousands of bands have graced the pages of Rue Morgue magazine and airwaves of Rue Morgue Radio over the course of thirteen years, more than 300 radio shows and 100 magazines. Some of the many artists that encapsulate the world of Rue Morgue are included on this FREE morbid mixtape, hosted by Rue Morgue Radio’s Tomb Dragomir.

A four-page feature article about the compilation will be included in the expanded 100th issue of Rue Morgue on newsstands in May. The article spotlights each artist and the song they contributed, exploring the origins of each track's conception. "Hurt" from "The Birth of Hatred" is included and Balzac front-man Hirosuke told Rue Morgue:

"The song 'Hurt' takes heavy influence from Hitchcock’s Psycho. Fusing the creepy atmosphere of the film with our horror rock sound, the end result is an energetic, dark pop number." - Hirosuke Nishiyama

Listeners can check out the bands, link to their websites and download Hymns from the House of Horror, complete with printable album artwork designed by RM’s Justin Erickson.

ALL-NEW STUDIO SINGLE FROM JUICEHEAD AVAILABLE NOW!

LTD ED. VINYL FOR RECORD STORE DAY OUT NOW

Two all-new songs from Juicehead’s forthcoming, full-length breakthrough studio album “How to Sail a Sinking Ship” chum the waters on this Ltd Ed. vinyl 7-inch single with FREE Digital Download card. The power-punk trio hailing from Chicago combine a diverse range of musical styles & influences into their own blistering blend of punk rock.

Every 7-inch includes a free, collectible Juicehead digital download card redeemable anywhere in the world for MP3s of both new songs: “Rotting from the Inside” (Side A) and “Death of Democracy” (Side B).

The new single (and the upcoming full-length) is produced by longtime Misfits & Ramones collaborator John Cafiero. Producer/Osaka Popstar frontman Cafiero also appears on guest backing vocals for the A-side title track. The fierce and iconic 7-inch sleeve was illustrated by artist Joe King whose credits include designs for Crooks N Castles, Billabong & Obey Giant (among others) and was recommended for the project to John Cafiero by Obey’s Shepard Fairey personally.

You can also pick up the new Juicehead T-shirt, featuring the 7-inch sleeve art in an alternate colorway designed specifically for the Tee, available now at the Misfits Records Online Store.

Music fans, be sure to support your local indie record shop and look for this ultra-limited, exclusive 7-inch in stores on Record Store Day, Saturday April 17th. A limited amount of copies are also available at the Misfits Records Online Store NOW while supplies last.

For those of you in the Chicago area, Juicehead, (Rob, Tom & Mike) will appear for an instore signing and FREE LIVE IN-STORE PERFORMANCE at Record Breakers 2109 South State Street, Chicago, IL on Saturday April 17th, to celebrate Record Store Day and the release of the new single! Stay tuned for full details on that coming soon...

Both new songs are also available for individual digital download at only 99 cents per track WORLDWIDE NOW at iTunes, Amazon and wherever digital music is sold.

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD OUT WORLDWIDE NOW AT iTUNES AND AMAZON

LTD ED. RECORD STORE DAY 7-INCH VINYL OUT NOW

Both tracks will appear on Juicehead’s forthcoming, full-length studio album “How to Sail a Sinking Ship” coming later this year from Misfits Records.

3-DISC SET FROM BALZAC “THE BIRTH OF HATRED” AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE NOW!

Limited Edition three-disc set from Balzac features their latest, full-length album of all-new material “Hatred” (Disc 1) + exclusive bonus tracks never before released outside of Japan!

Disc 2, (“The Birth of Evil”) is a comprehensive collection of their rarest & earliest demo songs; re-recorded with the band’s current precision and ferocity, paired with even more audio rarities.

The double album includes 42 tracks, over two-hours of music plus a bonus DVD with 15 music videos from “Hatred” & more.

3 full-length discs (for the price of one!) packaged in a glossy, collectible, 6-panel digipak with 8-page booklet. A must have for Balzac’s legion of fiendish fans and a perfect introduction for any new recruit to the cult of Atom Age Vampires.

Available exclusively from Misfits Records, arriving in stores and online on April 27th! Pre-order your copy now at the Misfits Records Online Store.

Digital download version, including all 42 audio tracks (minus the bonus DVD video content), available at iTunes and Amazon.

Tune into FACTION (Channel 28 on Sirius and Channel 52 on XM) Sat. Oct. 31st as Jerry Only takes over the airwaves! Listeners can expect the Misfits founding fiend on-air cutting in once or more an hour to spin creepy cuts, share brief anecdotes and hand out Halloween ear candy for Sirius-XM Satellite radio listeners ALL-DAY (morning, noon and night), this Halloween. Remember to tune into Sirius-XM Satellite Radio's FACTION channel Sat. Oct. 31st where you'll hear both new Misfits tracks in their entirety plus lots more...

MISFITS COFFIN BOX SET GOES GOLD:

The Misfits coffin box set is the first gold release in the band’s legendary career. The comprehensive collection of vintage material including nearly every recording from the Misfits first single, (1977’s “Cough Cool”), through 1983’s groundbreaking “Earth AD” album, is something no Fiend should be without, and it shows… Having sold over half a million discs in the US alone, the Misfits box set from Caroline Records is now officially certified gold by the RIAA marking the first gold release from the legendary Misfits! Congratulations go out to all involved and a special thanks to you, the fiends, for making it happen.

To commemorate the historic event, Jerry Only has personally designed and overseen construction of a unique coffin shaped RIAA certified gold plaque for the box set, standing 2 & ½ feet tall! Making it even more special, he’s designed this plaque exclusively for Official Fiend Club members. “I wouldn’t have it any other way…” stated Only.

As a token of appreciation for the undying loyalty and support of the fiends, Jerry intends to extend this option to Official Fiend Club members exclusively. If you’re looking for the ultimate high-end Misfits collectible for your crypt, look no further. This is it, made for you and you alone, (literally).

At the moment only three hand made prototypes exist. Each unique to the other, made direct from the founding fiend’s blueprints and specs, with production overseen by Jerry Only personally. Not only will Official Fiend Club members have the exclusive opportunity to get one, but Fiend Club members even have the final say on which of the three prototypes will make it through to production!

If you’re a Fiend Club member, head over to the Official Misfits Fiend Club website to check out the three prototypes in detail, along with blueprints penned by Jerry himself. Only Fiend Club members can vote and when the vote is in, only Fiend Club members will have the ability to order. These special plaques will be custom made to order, in a limited edition, individually approved and signed by Jerry Only, and each personally engraved in your own name. Pricing is still to be determined but as these are individually hand made, it’s anticipated the final plaques will be priced in approximate proportion with the average electric guitar manufactured in the US. Don't miss this very rare and very limited opportunity to add an official RIAA certified gold Misfits box set coffin shaped plaque to your collection!

You can purchase an autographed copy of the Osaka Popstar CD/DVD (complete with 20 page booklet and limited edition Wacky Packages bonus sticker inside) at Tower.com while supplies last!

OSAKA POPSTAR FRONTMAN JOHN CAFIERO GUESTS ON IRWINO CHUSID'S SHOW ON WFMU MAY 31st
6.7.06

LISTEN TO THE FULL SHOW ARCHIVED ONLINE IN
STREAMING AUDIO – CLICK HERE NOW

"Thirty years of punk rock history layered with Japanese anime frosted with the mainstreaming of outsider music = the headbanging genius of Osaka Popstar. No one else should follow this formula because it can't be done better, or louder, or with more panache."
- Irwin Chusid (WFMU DJ; author, Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music)

WFMU’s Irwin Chusid presents “genre-surfing tokenism” from 12 - 2 pm…what’s that you ask? Probably one of the coolest, most unusual experiences in radio where there are no boundaries, outsiders are insiders and insiders are…well…confused!

On May 31st John mixed it up live in the studio with Irwin from 1 – 2pm EST. In an interesting twist, Irwin’s gave John free reign for the hour to pick a special blend of punk and outsider tunes he’d like to share with WFMU’s listeners. In between that, Irwin and John discussed Osaka Popstar in detail and played cuts off the new album. The show aired live on Wednesday, May 31st on 91.1 FM (NJ and NYC metro area) and 90.1 FM (Hudson Valley region).

You can hear the entire show (exactly as it aired live) online at WFMU.org. Click here for the full playlist and the entire show archived in your choice of streaming MP3 or RealAudio. Check the playlist and note that John begins midway into the show (at the 1pm hour).

John is a longtime WFMU listener and admits to being musically schooled by WFMU's free-form offerings. In addition to being a WFMU Radio personality, Irwin Chusid is a respected Author, Producer, Music Historian and journalist having written for The New York Times, Mojo, New York Press, and many other publications.

The unsuspecting DJ (who’s book “Songs in the Key of Z” includes profiles of outsider artists Daniel Johnston & The Kids of Widney High) received an advance copy the new Osaka Popstar CD a week before the release with no explanation whatsoever.

Irwin informs: “Had no idea why the OP CD was sent to me. I get a lot of crap dropped into the mailbox, and when I first saw the sleeve, assumed it was a mistake. I gave it a listen at home while fixing dinner, and without realizing the first song was Daniel's, found myself mesmerized by the recording. Song after song, it just got better. I was a fan by the time "Man of Constant Sorrow" ended.”

Later that week, Irwin debuted 4 tracks from the Osaka Popstar CD on his radio show: “I rarely play an artist more than once in a program, but sometimes I make exceptions... in exceptional cases.”

Click Here to listen to the archive of Irwin’s May 17th show which includes the original Kids of Widney High version of the song “Insects” back to back with the Osaka Popstar’s cover version plus 3 more OP tracks, Irwin’s comments on the new OP CD he’d just discovered and many rare gems you’d likely never hear anywhere else. You can learn more about Irwin Chusid and his projects via his webpage at WFMU and his Outsider Music website KeyofZ.com.

Click here for the online archive of Irwin’s May 31st show with live in studio guest; John Cafiero appearing for an interview and programming the music midway into the show.