So I’m just making like a bun bun right now and chomping on some carrot sticks, and I figured I’d take a minute to let everyone know all of the cool stuff that’s happening in Runner Up world at the moment (of which there is a lot).

First of all, SPRAYNARD has handed off their stupidly long tour schedule to me last night. It proves definitively that they are a band of masochists. But hey, aren’t all punk bands to some degree? Anyway, head over to the tour section and look at that beast. I am pretty sure some, if not most of the dates are getting worked on or are already booked. Still, shoot them an e-mail if you want to handle one of the dates. YOU NEVER KNOW.

And being winter time, everyone has started talking about their summer plans. Among them are HOLD TIGHT!, who are looking to embark on a length US tour of their own. I think this is the first time they are doing that. Maybe? Either way it is exciting. E-mail them to help out with the dates – they are going to a lot of places and you can read the list of those places here. NICE.

People from Delaware – did you know that the coolest thing ever happens in your state every other Wednesday? Crazy, right? Believe it! THE HEADIES homies do this thing called Wastoid Wednesday twice a month and it’s AWESOME. Know when you go out to dinner with your parents and bum out that some poser jazz quartet is killing the vibe? It’s like that, except your parents are your friends and that jazz quartet is a punk band, and instead of sucking it RULES. Go forth and get the vegan sloppy joe. It’s every second and fourth Wednesday at Homegrown Cafe in Newark.

On a totally serious note, our friend Kayla from Connecticut has set up a pretty rediculously cool show to benefit her brother, who was recently diagnosed with Lukemia, as well as a non-profit foundation that supports childhood cancer treatment. Needless to say, this is a heavy and important issue worthy of whatever donation you can make. The lineup includes Runner Up alums SELF DEFENSE FAMILY, who alone would still make this show worth going to. For the full lineup and other resources on the cause, click here. I would suggest heading over to Kayla’s blog if you’re interested in contributing but can’t make the show.

I’ll be dropping some news about upcoming 2012 plans in the coming weeks, but that’s pretty much it for now. Go forth and reflect on how sick it is to be healthy.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Wow. So for the past two days, West Chester has been ground zero for the coolest punk rock holiday extravaganza ever, or at least relative to my humble life experiences. I’ve been running around like crazy with cohort Ed McNulty to get everything in place for the holiday party and the holiday show that followed the day after – all while building and tweaking the brand new half pipe in our back yard. To sweeten the deal, Boston’s PARASOL and New York’s TIMESHARES came down to rage for the whole thing. Timeshares is in fact still asleep downstairs, totally partied out from the wintery rager. I really wish EVERYONE could have been here to join us in the 2nd Annual My Parents’ Holiday Bash, but I hope that the warm and merry vibes that we enjoyed can radiate outwards to all that were stuck inside doing homework or some shit.

There are some near-future announcements to be made – the first being that END OF A YEAR SELF DEFENSE FAMILY is going to be freezing in Europe any day now. I know I say this all the time and sound like a broken record at this point, but check out this band if you haven’t already. It’s a deep rabbit hole with a seemingly endless discography and internet Q and As, but traveling down it is a rewarding experience. If you’re in Europe, get out to the show.

Wilmington, DE’s THE HEADIES just sent me some tracks off their upcoming full length “Meta-Pop”, and they are amazing. I really don’t even know what else to say with regards to this release right now, just because this is one of the few bands whose music pretty much speaks for itself. Brain-splitting pop-punk madness in the vein of THE TEEN IDOLS, PLOW UNITED, THE RIVERDALES, and THE RAMONES? Yes, please.

SPRAYNARD just wrapped up recording their new EP, “Exton Square” at Noisy Little Critter studio (LIGHTEN UP!, EVERYONE EVERYWHERE, PLOW UNITED) in West Chester, PA. I couldn’t go because of the whole party planning thing totally sucked up any free time, but they played a new song last night and it was sick! This is coming out on Asian Man Records and Square of Opposition records in the coming weeks. This band is also going to Europe starting on 4/20. If there is a god, then the first date will be in Amsterdam.

SHOOK ONES had a practice. Relative to their recent level of activity, this is indeed newsworthy. Hopefully a sign of things to come?

That’s a lot of the bigger news for now. I should also mention that I’m almost caught up on mailorder. Please don’t kill me for how long it might have taken to get your record! Now that I am back from doing my volunteer thing in California, it should be a lot easier for me to stay on top of everything. BE MERRY AND JOYOUS THIS KRAMPUS SEASON. My dog just ripped the gnarliest fart I’ve ever heard.