In a Buzznet exclusive interview, Geoff Rickly (of Thursday) talked about the status of the band United Nations (a long awaited side project band featuring your beloved Daryl Palumbo) here. Here are the key parts in the interview.

Rickly: United Nations has 10 songs recorded. Three of them are still missing bass tracks, and one of the members who has a billion other bands has recorded about half the stuff. So we’re pretty close. I think that band will release the record this summer. I hope, at least. It’s going really well. We’re already … the first record I going to be a full-length on Eyeball [which released Thursday’s 1999 debut, Waiting], and then we’re already doing a 7-inch on Deathwish.

Buzznet: Are you going to try to tour behind it?

Rickly: I don’t think that band will ever tour, just because all the bandmembers have so much going on.

Buzznet: Any one-offs, possibly?

Rickly: I’m hoping there’s a show. That’d be super-fun. We’re trying to figure it out. We actually have some weird stuff in the works. I was actually thinking too, like, that there’s … there’s all these weird themes on the first record, and I was thinking [about making] a United Nations record called United Nations Plays Pretty for a Bunch of F—ing Babies, and do all-children’s versions of the songs, like lullabies, like sing-alongs, like the Kidz Bop version. And this is the thing – everybody keeps saying [United Nations are] grind. It’s not really grind, it’s power-violence. But I think a kids’ power-violence record would be so rad.”

Sounds good!

After The Blood Brothers broke up two new bands appeared from ashes, Past Lives and Jaguar Love. Fortunately they’re both decent but I’m leaning on Jag’s side.

Anywho, Jaguar Love is starting to tour and has recently picked up Craig Bonich (of Head Automatica) to tour with them.

Check em out if you get the chance.

If you didn’t know, Glassjaw’s guitarist Justin Beck owns the large merchandise company, MerchDirect. Newsday.com has printed an article about MerchDirect.

Click here to read or read it below here…

Selling T-shirts of rock bands on the Internet didn’t sound promising to music industry veterans, who dismissed Lee Tepper and Justin Beck’s idea in the late 1990s. Yet, the two high school and college buddies knew very quickly after launching their enterprise that they were on to something.

“It was the end of 1999, and this thing called the Internet was starting,” recalled Tepper, who with Beck graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore and attended Hofstra University. “We said, ‘You know what? We’ll sell T-shirts online, and … we’ll sell directly to the fans.’ The first night we set up the store, we sold 30 T-shirts.”

The momentum hasn’t waned. Since then, MerchDirect, Tepper and Beck’s company, has gone from a single storefront on Merrick Road in Bellmore to a 40,000-square-foot building in Bay Shore housing a screen printing and embroidery factory as well as the design and distribution operations for all its merchandise.

MerchDirect can produce 2,000 T- shirts an hour, and on any given night those shirts and other accessories are being sold at 12 to 15 concerts. The company is the official merchandiser of artists as diverse as Joss Stone, Blue Oyster Cult, Sean Kingston, Taking Back Sunday and now ODB - the rapper and founding member of Wu-Tang Clan, who died in 2004.

Tepper, who once aspired to be a rock star, said he and Beck, who plays in the veteran Long Island band Glassjaw, were able to establish themselves at a time when most bands were focused on the record company, and merchandising was an afterthought. But, he noted, the record industry imploded with the growth of music downloading.

“So there’s been a major shift in band thinking and mentality, and now they’re all saying we need to concentrate on merchandising and live shows to make money,” Tepper said.

Unlike the rest of the apparel industry, MerchDirect designs, manufactures and handles the distribution of all its products in-house. The company doesn’t outsource its work overseas, largely because the window to turn around merchandise requests is small. Bands are notorious for requesting merchandise at the last minute, Tepper said, so the company often has to produce items in four to six days instead of four to six months. Additionally, the products, particularly concert items, command a premium, which means they bring in a profit without outsourcing any part of production overseas, Tepper said.

Keeping everything local also allows the company to have complete control of the quality of the products and services, he said.

Last month, the company signed an agreement with Icelene Jones, ODB’s widow and administrator of his estate, securing the rights to produce clothing, posters and other accessories using ODB’s image. MerchDirect will begin releasing this product line in January and February, timed to coincide with the expected release of ODB’s last record.

“We feel that ODB appeals to Taking Back Sunday’s fans but also appeals to a Joss Stone fan or the white suburban kids who totally love it and get it, and it’s authentic hip-hop that real hip-hop guys are going to go for,” Tepper said. “He [ODB] is definitely an artist that crosses boundaries of genres, and he not only appeals to all genres, but he’s respected, and everyone can relate to his wackiness in a way.”

Never get in a jam without the toner that you need! You can get cheap printer ink using the web. It’s dependable and you can get your epson ink cartridges right away instead of waiting for hp ink to come. Definitely find out all about it soon!

Glassjaw.com has returned.

Okay, DiMB is going off track for a second, tehe. Here is an exclusive bootleg of Brand New - Live @ The Tsongas Arena, December 9th, 2007 only here… on Danceinmyblood.

Here’s the setlist with downloadable links (please right click the links and save them to your hard drive).

1. Welcome to Bangkok ( 3:21)
2. Millstone ( 4:45)
3. Archers ( 4:03)
4. Jesus Christ ( 5:28)
5. Me vs Madonna vs Elvis ( 5:22)
6. Shower Scene ( 2:36)
7. Tautou ( 3:09)
8. Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t ( 6:02)
9. Luca ( 5:15)
10. Handcuffs ( 4:02)
11. Not The Sun ( 4:01)
12. Limousine ( 8:12)
13. Sowing Season (Yeah) ( 5:02)
14. You Won’t Know ( 5:29)
15. Degausser ( 5:59)
16. Wait For It ( 1:50)
17. Untitled (encore) (11:10)

Enjoy.

Men Women & Children, which features former Glassjaw guitarist Todd Weinstock, have parted ways with Warner Bros. The band explained:

Our forthcoming album will NOT be affiliated with WBR nor will it suffer from the poor distribution our debut endured. We are very lucky for this freedom to explore the “right” options for us since most contractually obligated bands can end up crippled by a lack of both passion and resources. We have been hoping for this for quite some time now and for it to finally be the reality of our situation is both liberating and motivating. As soon as we find a new home for MWC, surrounded by forward thinking and passionate people, you will all be of the first to know.

The band released Men, Women & Children last year. Their song, “Dance In My Blood” also appeared on Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

We Are The Fury’s, affiliate of Cardboard City and friends of Daryl Palumbo, debut full length album “Venus” is out today, May 22nd 2007 after having the release pushed back twice (September 23rd 2006 and January 23rd, 2007).

The tracks below feature Daryl Palumbo on vocals:

3. So Physical
6. Still Don’t Know Your Name

The tracks below feature are co-produced by Daryl Palumbo:

2. Now You Know
3. So Physical
6. Still Don’t Know Your Name
8. Saturday Night

Be sure to check out Daryl’s tracks.

A couple of months ago, we reported of Larry Gorman’s (Ex-Glassjaw/Ex-Head Automatica) new band, The Black Tie Party, after being kicked out of Head Automatica . As a reminder, The Black Tie Party first show is this Saturday at Bar Matchless in Brooklyn, New York. Be sure to check them out if you get the chance.

Here is the flyer below.

DJ Krazy Glue of Cardboard City has just teamed up with Head Automatica’s trip across the pond to Europe this Summer. Here’s what his Myspace bulletin said:

The bad news: I will not be able to DJ the entire El-P tour with Yak Ballz, as originally planned. I will only be on the tour from May 1 - May 9. The shows I am playing are listed in my calendar.

The good news: I will be DJing with Head Automatica on their European Tour from May 17 - June 20. We will be hitting the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Amsterdam and more. All confirmed dates will be announced ASAP, so keep an eye on my calendar.

:)

i love you.

glue

Also, the first pressings of the first Cardboard City shirt are sold out completely. Fortunately, there is a second pressing with new colors for you to pick up. Read below for more info.

PRESSING # 2 LTD NOW AVAILABLE

If you missed out on the limited edition pressing #1….

Pressing #2 is now available!! Same design, brand new color scheme. Once again, limited edition. Chocolate/dark brown Gildan Ultra Cotton T-shirt with the Cardboard City sign language design, baby blue outline. Photo coming soon…

PLEASE NOTE: All orders for pressing #2 will be shipped in late June, after the Head Automatica tour.

1. Due to the limited amount, please email to request your size:
ccmerch@gmail.com

2. You will receive an email ASAP regarding your inquiry.

3. If your size is still available, you will be sent PayPal or money order instructions via email.

4. Shipping within the USA: Shirts are $25 USD (that includes shipping and PayPal fees). Only $20 USD if you pay by money order!

5. Shipping outside the USA: Shirts are $27 USD (that includes shipping and PayPal fees). Only $22 USD if you pay by money order!

Thanks so much once again for your support!
CCWM.07

Here is an exclusive bootleg of Brand New - Live @ The Avalon in Boston Massachusetts, April 24th, 2007.

Here’s the setlist with downloadable links (please right click and save to your hard drive). Also, The track “He Know’s he’s Sexy” is pretty funny.

01 Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Dont
02 Jaws Theme Swimming
03 The Shower Scene
04 The No Seatbelt Song
05 Sic Transit Gloria …Glory Fades
06 The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot
07 Good To Know That If I Ever Need Attention All I Have To Do Is Die
08 Play Crack The Sky
09 Sowing Season (Yeah)
10 Millstone
11 Archers
12 Luca
13 Handcuffs
14 He Knows He’s Sexy
15 Limousine
16 Jesus Christ
17 Degausser
18 You Won’t Know
19 Welcome To Bangok

Enjoy.