:: Jesse Lacey of Brand New was really bummed that people watched their set at Lollapalooza and not Explosions In the Sky who were playing at the same time on a different stage.

:: Circa Survive have confirmed their departure from Equal Vision records.

:: MTV is in talks of re-making the cult classic film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Please! No! Leave well enough alone.

:: eMusic has posted a list of the Best Albums Of 2008 So Far.

:: Forward Russia have announced they are disbanding after their last string of tour dates.

Photographer, Lexi Lambros spent two years working on a photojournal of BRAND NEW.

She followed the band on numerous tours and television appearences while on the road promoting their most recent album, The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me.

The point of her pictures was to “Humanize the idolized”.

You can now see the slideshow of those pictures online here.

The last show of the BRAND NEW and THRICE co-headlining tour was cancelled due to venue issues. Rather than packing things up and calling it a day, Jesse Lacey and Dustin Kensrue, along with some of the guys from opening act, MeWithoutYou went out to the street and serenaded some of the fans that were still in line with some Christmas carols.

BRAND NEW will be the headlining act at their formal label Triple Crown Records 10 Year Anniversary show this December. Also on the bill are As Tall As Lions and The Receiving End Of Sirens.

The show will take place at Blender Theatre at Gramercy in New York on Monday, December 17th. It will not only serve as a celebration of 10 years of Triple Crown records but proceeds will also benefit the Fealgood Foundation, a charity founded to help and assist those that were first to respond to the scene of the World Trade Center and spread awareness of those responder’s healthcare issues. You can purchase tickets here.

Earlier the same day the band will be performing at an already sold out benefit show for the grand re-opening ceremonies of Looney Tunes Records. They join the likes of Patent Pending and Thursday who will also be on hand that week to help with the grand re-opening.

While overseas for the Leed’s festival, members of MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA, KEVIN DEVINE, and BRAND NEW all thought it would be a fun idea to get on an “open mic” side-stage and perform a cover song. That song was “My Name Is Jonas” by Weezer.

A posting on punktastic.com by Paul Savage tells the story.

The strangest thing happened Saturday at Leeds Festival. I was walking to get some chips and went past a tent that Nokia had, where anyone could sign up to play a song. Mostly shit bands doing shit covers. I heard “My Name Is Jonas” playing so i couldn’t help to poke my head in and my jaw almost hit the ground. It was Jesse & Vin & Brian from Brand New, with a few of the Manchester Orchestra guys and Kevin Devine. They must have just signed up like everyone and played as a surprise. There were only about 30 people in the tent and nobody seemed to know who they even were. They were playing like it was on the main stage and really going for it. It was sloppy but incredible.. Afterwards the announcer said that their name was Dark Horse or something. I snapped this pic. Someone seemed to be filming video…I am hoping it will turn up somewhere.

Jesse Lacey of BRAND NEW has been hitting the tour circuit doing some acoustic shows with Kevin Devine. During the shows, he’s been letting fans ask questions and he’s given some answers. You can watch footage of his Q&A from the club Maxwell’s right around the corner from The Syndicate offices.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9194660864195101185

BRAND NEW are hitting the road again this fall. This time around they are bringing out the big guns for the road. Both THRICE and MEWITHOUTYOU have been tapped as the band’s opening act. We can only hope that the decision from Thrice to hit the road comes because they have finished up their new album as well as sorted out all the craziness that is their recent decision to party ways with Island Records.

Tour dates after the jump. (more…)

Earlier this week BRAND NEW performed their song “Jesus Christ” live on Late Show with David Letterman. That footage has now surfaced. Pay no attention to Letterman holding the cd backwards the entire time.