This announcement coincides with the end of early bird ticket pricing. Bands added include Dead To Me, Fleshies, Toys That Kill, Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Ash Williams, Canadian Rifle, Clown Sounds, Cruz Radical, Decent Criminal, DFMK, Justus Proffit, Playboy Manbaby, Rad, Reunions, Robot (Re)pair, Shellshag, Snuggle!, Squishers, and The Trashies. More bands will be announced in coming weeks.

Awesome Fest is of intentionally limited scale and is aimed at showcasing the diversity, intensity, and beauty of DIY punk music. The organizers’ goal is to provide a safe, intimate venue to watch awesome bands, discover new music, and to hang out with friends from all over the US and the world. Awesomefest is not for profit and run by an all-volunteer staff.

For more information, the current band line-up, and tickets, go to Awesome Fest 11’s website.

Dalrymple’s return to the band has definitely had a strong effect on the music. There’s much more of a garage pop feel to the songs, closer in feel to another band he’s in, toyGuitar, than it is to earlier Dead To Me releases. The sunny melodies are a strong feature and Annicharico and Dalrymple’s trading of vocals back and forth offers effective contrasts in sonic texture. Annicharico’s got a gritty insistent voice while Dalrymple is more of a crooner. It’s similar to the contrast between Dalrymple’s bright jangly guitar and Ken Yamazaki’s grittier tone. Choices like these come from sound production decisions, and it’s no surprise that Chicken acts as producer on this EP. After spending time producing other bands’ records and kicking up their sound several notches, this is the first time he’s acted in that role for his own band.

The tracks are lined up on sort of a musical continuum. Opening the EP is the title track and it’s the most raucous of the trio of songs. The track opens with guitars growling and drums pounding. Annicharico soon joins in, growling even harder. Dalrymple takes over, his crooning bordering on a plaintive, pleading cry. This darkest song of the EP also has the brightest melody and the bounciest feel. ‘Tune It Out’ is just a bit calmer and quieter, with a gliding melody over Ian Anderson’s rat-tat-tat drums, and the guitar and bass holding a solid beat. The closer, ‘Comforting the Disturbed and Disturbing the Comfortable,’ is the saddest sounding of the record, with an arrangement that’s alternately thin and full. The contrasting textures are most prominently on display on this track, making it arguably the most interesting, sonically, of the EP.

When the band first announced Dalrymple’s return and the start of work on a new LP back in October 2014, the excitement quickly faded into disappointment when Annicharico was hospitalized and began the long, hard work toward a more stable and sober life. We finally now have the first fruits of the reinvigorated and renewed Dead To Me, and like the first course of a gourmet meal, it whets the appetite for more. If this is the band’s new direction, bring on that full-length as fast as you can!

PAUL SILVER

The three track record will be available on the 21st October via Fat Wreck Chords.

This track faces over the trials and tribulations of addiction in blunt punk rock fashion. The EP itself is available to pre-order at the Fat Wreck Chords website, with a release due on the 21st October.