A good band name always gives the potential listener some idea what sort of music to expect. (Bad band names are ones that mess with those expectations: a certain artsy-jangly guitar pop band of the early ’90s would have been much more successful had they not been called , which sounds like the name of a scabrous hardcore act.) Chicago-based pop-punk band the Methadones is an excellent case in point: methadone — not to be confused with methamphetamine, aka crystal meth — being the drug prescribed to recovering heroin addicts who are attempting to get clean through a rehab-type regimen, the listener immediately expects world-weary, sadder but wiser punk rock, perhaps with a rootsy edge, not unlike the best of  or . The Methadones deliver in full on that promise, but also add a bubblegummy power pop side to their music that makes them equally attractive to fans of the post- cadres of mall punk bands.

Musician/Songwriter. Lead singer of Smoking Popes. Worship Leader at Village Church of Barrington IL.

The Hideout Sessions stands as a powerful and highly listenable document of Smoking Popes frontman Josh Caterer stretching out with a new band of accomplished players for a one-night-only, live-to-tape recording. The album is being released by Pravda Records on 12” vinyl LP in gatefold sleeve, CD, as digital download and via streaming platforms on March 26.

On October 28th, 2020, Caterer joined forces with John San Juan (Hushdrops) and John Perrin (NRBQ) to rock out 21st century versions of songs your grandparents used to dance to “back in the day.” They covered a few Popes songs, too. It was an inspired evening of music.

The recording took place on stage at the Hideout, one of Chicago’s most beloved intimate music venues. Due to the pandemic, the Hideout’s doors had been closed to the public for several months, and the room had to be empty for this performance, save for the skeleton crew of sound engineers who captured the event. As Josh and his band recorded the album, the entire thing was live-streamed as a ticketed virtual concert.

The result was a high-quality rock show – raw, sweet, honest and cathartic. Harnessing the unique blend of punk energy and Sinatra-style sophistication that has made Caterer’s work with the Smoking Popes so enduring, The Hideout Sessions throws a surprising mix of musical ingredients into the power-pop blender, and what comes out is a truly satisfying and savory sonic experience.

Dan Vapid & the Cheats is an exciting new Chicago punk rock quartet, formed several months after The Methadones’ breakup and fronted by the legendary Dan Vapid of Screeching Weasel, Riverdales, Methadones, Sludgeworth, Noise By Numbers, Mopes and Queers fame. The lineup features Dan Vapid (vocals/guitar), Mike Byrne (ex-Methadones/guitar), Simon Lamb (ex-Screeching Weasel/bass) and Mike Soucy (The Bomb/ex-Methadones/drums). After friends and fans from all over the world urged Vapid, he took to the stage May 27th at Chicago’s Cobra Lounge, performing a variety of songs he wrote in the last 20 years. The crowd had an overwhelmingly positive reaction and Dan Vapid & the Cheats had a ton of fun playing the songs. and have since been planning more shows. Dan Vapid & the Cheats will be recording a full length record in October. The Cheats’ debut album is too fresh for a title, but will be available to the world in 2012. Stay tuned to Dan Vapid & the Cheats’ Facebook page for up-to-date info and while you’re there, become a fan if you haven’t already. You will not want to miss hearing the arsenal of defining anthems we all know and dearly love that only Dan Vapid can deliver, as well as what they have in store.

Chicago-based punk band, Capgun Heroes play fast, hooky pop-punk in the vein of the Ramones, Screeching Weasel, andRiverdales.

Capgun Heroes are Joe Capgun (vocals), Matt Cappy (guitar), Andy Hero (guitar), Nick Hero (guitar), Jimmy C. (bass), and Scotty (drums). They have opened up for Smoking Popes, The Lillingtons, Nerf Herder, The Copyrights, The Queers, Dan Vapid and The Cheats, and more.

One part chaos, one part sunny surf, all “poolside glitter punk,” San Luis Obispo, California’s Hayley and the Crushers offer up a tsunami of bold, bad girl fun. Fizzy, frothy, and still a little dangerous, be careful just how far you paddle out. There’s blood in the water and the mermaids in this part of the Crusherverse are known to nibble. The band is working on their fourth full length album to follow up Vintage Millennial (2020) and COOL/LAME (2018). Signed to Josie Cotton’s Kitten Robot Records in 2021, the Crushers are what the 80s New Wave queen calls “the naked embodiment of power pop punk!”