NOT QUITE SWEET 16
16 is a fucking brutal band on Relapse that doesn’t get nearly enough coverage here, largely due to the band’s apparent refusal to embark on a lengthy tour to promote its latest collection of furious violent outbursts Bridges To Burn, which our own Satan Rosenbloom reviewed back in January. I actually dig this album way more than my colleague, and it ranks among my favorite records released this year thus far. In order to express my love for this band, in the hopes that you’ll check 16 out and become a fan of its de-motivational music, here’s an update on the group’s current goings-on.
New personnel: 16 recently announced that drummer Jason Corley has left the band. Fortunately, his replacement is Mateo Pinkerton, touring drummer for Buzzoven and member of Crom (!!!). Pinkerton will join the band for its upcoming August 7 show at The Viper Room in Hollywood with Mondo Generator (Nick Oliveri’s post Queens Of The Stone Age project) and It’s Casual.
Forthcoming reissues: A good bit of 16’s discography is out-of-print, though fortunately that’s about to change. On August 17, Relapse will reissue Drop Out and Curves That Kick in CD and vinyl formats. (The label will also release Blaze Of Incompetence and The Early Years at a later date.) Additionally, indie At A Loss Recordings will also put out an expanded edition of 2003’s Zoloft Smile, which will feature three additional tracks.
New tunes: 16 has recorded two cover songs that will be issued on two different Relapse releases. One is the band’s take on Unsane’s “Scrape”, which some of you old timers might recall got a decent bit of MTV play back in the day thanks to its footage of hilarious and painful skateboarding accidents. Appropriately, the track will be featured on a forthcoming DVD being made for Creature Skateboards. The other cover is of Agoraphobic Nosebleed’s “Glass Tornado”, which will be included on one side of a limited split vinyl release with that band, who in turn has covered 16’s “Asian Heat”.
-GS
[Gary Suarez will throw in the towel and wait for the sequel. He also writes for Brainwashed and usually manages the consistently off-topic No Yoko No. Say, why don’t you follow him on Twitter?]
