Originally from Auburn, AL, Hot Rod Circuit comprised Andy Jackson (vocal, rhythm guitar), Casey Prestwood (lead guitar, vocals), Jay Russel (bass, vocals), and Wes Cross (drums), and could be compared to other post-grunge emo rock bands such as Jawbox and the Get Up Kids . In their earlier days, Hot Rod Circuit was known as Antidote, under which name they released the album Mr. Glenbowski. The album earned the group a 1998 Best Unsigned Band Award from Musician magazine. Shortly after the award, they named themselves Hot Rod Circuit, and with the change in name came a change in scenery, as the band relocated to Connecticut. There they released their debut album, 1999’s If I Knew Now What I Knew Then, through New York-based Triple Crown under their new moniker. To promote the album the group toured with the Get Up Kids , Jazz June , and At the Drive-In before following up with If It’s Cool with You It’s Cool with Me in fall 2000. In spring 2002, Hot Rod Circuit released Sorry About Tomorrow, their first for Vagrant, while that fall Triple Crown issued Been There, Smoked That, a compilation of sorts that contained an out of print self-titled EP from 1999 along with other previously unreleased early material. Tours with acts like Dashboard Confessional and Saves the Day supported their records on the road, as the guys began writing new material inspired by the college rock they grew up on, like the Pixies , Dinosaur Jr. , and the Lemonheads . Their resulting more matured Vagrant follow-up, Reality’s Coming Through, was produced by Tim O’Heir and surfaced in August 2004. Tour dates with Straylight Run , Piebald , and the Snake the Cross the Crown followed, along with a spot on 2005’s Bamboozle Festival. Russel exited the band that June, forcing the guys to drop off the Get Up Kids ‘ farewell tour. By fall 2006, Hot Rod Circuit had found a new label home at Immortal Records and released The Underground Is a Dying Breed in March 2007. By then, the quartet comprised Jackson and Prestwood alongside bassist Joe Balaro and drummer Dan Duggins.

Punchline is an American rock band from Pittsburgh, PA. They have gone from practicing in a sleepy suburban garage to having toured the United States (and literally the world) with bands like Gin Blossoms, Fall Out Boy, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, and so many more.

With a huge catalog of honest and meaningful songs, Punchline continues to break new ground and forge ahead in the evolution of their songwriting.

They have experienced many musical triumphs in their career, including a #1 Rock album on iTunes, taking Paramore to Japan on their first tour outside of the USA, and overcoming the biggest challenge of all: keeping it together for 25+ years.

In 2024, Punchline will celebrate 20 years since the release of the “Action” LP, release new music, and unveil more episodes of the “A Band Called Punchline” podcast.

With guitar music arguably in its most creatively rich period in at least two decades, bands are at long last reclaiming the sense of identity that made rock such a potent force in the first place. Fittingly, Brooklyn, NY quartet Sharkswimmer has identity in abundance, and their unique brand of introspective, melodic post-hardcore informed alt-rock is a worthy entry into the emerging canon.

On their debut LP and first release for Really Rad Records, Serenity, Sharkswimmer calls forth the aggressive melodicism of 90s post-hardcore greats like Planes Mistaken For Stars, the hook-heavy punch of 2010s alt-rock acts such as Basement, and the gritty emotional vulnerability of contemporaries like Fiddlehead for a stunning full-length effort that is dripping with personality. Written over several months and recorded with producer/engineer Jon Markson (Drug Church, Koyo, Soul Blind), Serenity is, at its core, a remarkably well-crafted alt-rock record with bursts of aggression that befit the band’s DIY roots. Disarmingly earnest lyricism that evokes the most heart-wrenching ballads of 90s emo serves as a perfect counterbalance to the record’s sonic aggression, anchoring it to the humanity that makes up the record’s spiritual center. Largely a vehicle for vocalist/guitarist and principle songwriter Justin Buschardt to exercise the emotional trauma of divorce, Serenity explores the universality of heartbreak against a backdrop of anthemic, guitar-driven tracks that would be as at home on the Jade Tree catalogue of the 90s as they are next to contemporary acts such as Drug Church or Militarie Gun.