Scott Sturgeon, also known as Stza of the Star Fucking Hipsters, Leftover Crack and Choking Victim, has posted a lengthy statement regarding his arrest this past weekend.

Scott also sent this note to Punknews.org:

I may have acted 'juvenile' at the protest/rally/musical event on friday, but my behavior is completely beside the point in contrast to the events that have transpired in the past 13 months leading up to the so called 'Donut Social'. If any body is interested in the full story they should read the latest blog posted on our myspace page.

The real story aka: the bigger picture, includes every humans civil liberties in this country & the NYPD harassment of myself, my bands and the unconstitutional sound level restraints unlawfully imposed on politically dissenting amplified events since our free park shows last year.

If I had to do it again, I would huck another dozen donuts at the police & I would probably of hit one of 'em this time. If you think it's 'punk' to defend the police, just consider the fact that they 'huck' bullets at innocent people every day..

The blog he mentions can be found here.

The Number Twelve Looks Like You (who may benefit from a name shortening) have posted an update on the recording progress towards their next full length:

Just giving you a little update on the record's progress. We have entered into one of the final stages of this project's production; vocals! I went in today and took care of some of the jams. Tomorrow I will be finishing up and Jase will go in. The record is sounding huge, and we are very proud of all of our efforts and we hope you feel the same!

The album will be the follow up to 2007's Mongrel.

Dillinger Escape Plan will be reissuing their 1998 album, Under the Running Board this fall. Due out October 14, 2008, the reissue will include the entirety of the original Steve Evetts-produced album as well as 10 as-yet-unnamed bonus tracks. The album featured vocalist Dimitri Minakakis who left after the band's 1999 breakthrough, Calculating Infinity.

As an aside, the date happens to be the same as for another notable release, so don't just go grabbing random CDs with "Dillinger" in them on October 14th. That, or prepare to be surprised.

A video has been posted from the new exhibition No Future produced by Christoph Büchel, at the Sydney Biennale 2008:

The exhibit transforms the gallery into a rehearsal space for a punk band of volunteers who are over the age of 80 years. In the space they rehearse the 1977 Sex Pistol's hit, "God Save the Queen" which was originally banned from the BBC but topped charts anyway.

The band gathers for practice and performs in public whenever they please during the gallery's opening hours, during which their sessions are video-taped and recorded and will be released on DVD and CD at the end of the Biennale.

Craig Finn, of Brooklyn NY's The Hold Steady, will be stopping by The Show on ESPN to do a live chat on Wednesday, September 10th. Finn, long time resident of Minnesota, happens to be a Minnesota Twins fan and even used his band to record a version of "Take Me Out To the Ballgame" for the seventh-inning stretch at the Metrodome. You can listen to that version here.

More details about the ESPN live chat are available here. The band released Stay Positive earlier this year.

Portugal. The Man have launched a full album stream of their new full length. The record is titled Censored Colors and is due out September 16, 2008. It is the follow-up to Devil Say I, I Say Air which was released in 2006.

You can find it on their myspace page.

Fear Before The March Of Flames have changed their name to Fear Before and announced their next full length. Guitarist Adam Fisher explains:

It gets so tiring repeating 'Fear Before The March Of Flames' over and over again to old lady gas station attendants in Nebraska. Mostly because in so many ways, we're a new band. The long version of the name was good for us in the beginning because it was interesting and stood out. It paralleled our mentality of playing the music we were writing because we told ourselves, 'If we can pull off having this name, we had better be able to pull off the music we were writing.' The new album is 10 strong songs, no fillers or tag-ons... and we want the band name to replicate that.

The record is titled Fear Before and is due out October 28, 2008. The album will feature guest vocals from members of The Fall Of Troy, Heavy Heavy Low Low and Portugal. The Man.

New York, NY's Sonic Youth have announced that they have signed to long-standing indie label Matador Records. The band's contract with Geffen and Universal Music Group recently ended. No word on whether or not the Thurston Moore imprint Ecstatic Peace will retain it's relationship with the Universal Music Group. The label had this to say:

For Matador, the opportunity to work in partnership with a group who've made such an profound impact on our roster/hometown/collective consciousness was one to jump at. Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley will commence recording the new Sonic Youth LP/CD this autumn and we look forward to sharing further details in the very near future.

The band last released Rather Ripped in 2006, completing their contract that had the band signed to Geffen for two decades. Sonic Youth is due to release their new record through their new label in 2009.

In a very academic sounding blog entry for Headbanger's Ball, Thursday/United Nations vocalist Geoff Rickley lays out his criticism for the modern "hipster" and underground cultures and their acknowledged apathy towards politics and rebellion:

Various groups, including The Nation of Ulysses and Refused made a study of the aesthetic of revolution, and so did many underground artists such as Sheperd Fairey and Banksy. These artists explored the links between advertising, propagandizing, evangelism and philosophy. As a subtle and complex exploration of art, commerce and humanity these artists were very successful. Unfortunately, this may have been an important turning point in our culture - the point at which the image replaced the message.

Over the course of the article, Geoff talks about everyone from Fugazi to Megadeth to Marshall McLuhan and how this all fits into the " self-obsessed aesthetic vacuum" of the modern underground. You can check out the thoughtful article here.

Jesu, the prolific project from former Godflesh mastermind Justin Broadrick, has posted a stream of their new EP. The record is titled Why Are We Not Perfect? and is due out September 09, 2008. The five track EP includes the two tracks that were originally released on a split with Eluvium as well as three new tracks. The album promises less "pounding guitars" and more "texture and melody" than past releases.

You can check it out here.