PIT ROMNEY: UNITED BLOOD GIVES, A389 STRIKES A POSE

Newt may seemingly have Mitt on the ropes right now, but that’s no reason to hold up your Pit Romney coverage! Here’s the latest update on the hardcore festival season…

After a 2011 announcement that didn’t exactly thrill me, United Blood seems to have rebounded for 2012, if this initial lineup is any indication. Big names like Agnostic Front and Ringworm stand out, as do pleasant surprises like New Lows and Power Trip. I count five bands that were part of the 2011 initial lineup announcement: Backtrack, Bitter End, Fire and Ice, Naysayer, and Stick Together. The rest of the list is rather robust as well: Beware, Break Away, Dead End Path, Free Spirit, Harms Way, Lockdown,Outcrowd, Soul Search, Suburban Scum, Take Offense, Tough Luck, United Youth, Wisdom in Chains, and Xibalba. Weekend passes are on sale here and here, and with March 30-31 as the dates, you probably want to snag those tickets sooner rather than later.

The A389 Recordings Bash happened this past weekend in Baltimore, with sets from Integrity, Eyehategod, and Low Places, as well as a final performance from Pulling Teeth, who will be sorely missed. Check out some great photos from the event over at BrooklynVegan. The workhorse known as Hate5Six also has video, including sets from Full Of Hell, Weekend Nachos, and Young And In The Way.

-GS