Fat Mike of NOFX's newly launched project, Codefendants, are the breath of fresh air and the steel-toe-cap kick in the nuts music has needed for too long. Get Dead vocalist Sam King's graffiti crew were giving tattoos and making flash art to raise money to help rapper Ceschi Ramos when he was in prison. Months later they met at the Gilman Street Project in Berkeley, California. They bonded, talking about their love of hip-hop and punk rock, over a bottle of Jameson. They didn't know it yet, but they had just started Codefendants. Impossible to define by traditional standards, Codefendants were forged out of a desire to make an album that sounded like nothing else; a completely genre-fluid album, a cross between hip hop, new-wave, flamenco, and the Beatles. They call the genre 'Crime Wave'.

Pretty Deadly is a Dallas, Oregon-based punk rock trio born from what was supposed to be a one-off studio jam-but turned into something too fun to walk away from. Formed in early 2025, the band features Blaine (guitar/vocals), Travis (bass/vocals), and Zach (drums)-three longtime players with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest punk scene. Between them, they've logged time in bands like Drawback, Ninjas with Syringes, The Disliked, Faithless Saints, Burn the Stage, Lost City, and The Civies.

Pretty Deadly isn't here to reinvent the wheel. They're here to keep it loud, fast, and honest. Drawing from the golden age of '90s and early 2000s punk-from SoCal skate punk to the grittier corners of Northwest alt-rock-their sound blends melody and grit, simplicity and sneer. There are no rules, just whatever hits in the moment. Sometimes that means channeling sad or pissed-off lyrics through a pop melody played at breakneck speed. Sometimes it leans darker and heavier. But it always stays true to the core: no stress, no filler, just three friends making noise they love.

Less is more. No bullshit. That's Pretty Deadly.

Old Cross is a 3 piece melodic punk rock band out of Portland, Oregon. Stream the new EP on Spotify now.

EP:

http://oldcross.bandcamp.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/oldcrosspdx/

Chisme is a hip-hop duo formed in San Antonio, Texas by Progeny and R.E.L., known for crafting emotionally charged "sad bangers" that blend the grit of 90s grunge with the raw spirit of underground hip-hop. After forming in Texas, Progeny relocated to Seattle, with the duo continuing to collaborate and perform across distance.

Chisme has earned critical acclaim and awards throughout Texas while touring extensively across the Southwest, West Coast, and Pacific Northwest, sharing stages with artists such as Rory Ferreira (fka Milo), Ceschi, Factor Chandelier, Serengeti and many more. Their latest EP, Better Late Than Never, was released on December 27, 2024, as part of Fake Four Inc.'s Freecember series, and the duo is currently working on a new full-length album.