This issue features interviews with ZEGOTA (from North Carolina and now Sweden), ACTS OF SEDITION (from the bay area), THANK GOD (from Columbia, South Carolina), SUNPOWER (from Belgium), DELAY (from Columbus, Ohio), and  SON SKULL (from Olympia, Washington). Plus columns by Travis Magoo, Hope, Katy Otto, and Julia Booze as well as the rotating Teacher’s column and advice from The Down There Health Collective (in this issue they attempt to demystify the G spot and prostate). There’s also a ton of reviews and pictures and a DIY page on “How to Keep Your Music Gear in Check.” Once again we’re super excited to bring you a new issue and we can’t wait to get them out there as we’re already fast at work on the next one. 

Issues #2 and #3 are both almost out of print, so they are no longer available for distribution and are “mailorder only.” 

As usual this zine is distributed by punks like you, so if you are interested in helping, please check out the Distribution page. Domestically we’re not going to do the $10 boxes anymore, but if you feel like the 40+ zines in the $5 box are not enough, you can e-mail us and we can work it out, but for most people the $5 box should be perfect. Internationally, we are going to have a couple flat-rate options as well.  

xoxo,

fil   

Issue #4 is almost done and it’s packed with interviews with a bunch of punk bands like: ZEGOTA, ACTS OF SEDITION, SUNPOWER, DELAY, and SON SKULL. We’re still accepting last minute Ads, but you would have to get in touch with us… like now!   

Otherwise we are always accepting contributions and submissions for the next issue and we already have some exciting non-band stuff lined up for that one. We’re always looking for more punk teachers to contribute to our rotating Teacher’s Column and anyone who might have ideas for the DIY page. And photos! We’re always looking for more photos of recent shows that you were excited about.   

I just finished opening up our mail and we already have about 100 things that have come in for review in the next issue. Thanks to everyone who have been sending in stuff and everyone who have been contributing to and/or supporting this zine. We really appreciate it!   

Also, issue #2 is almost completely sold out, so from now on it will only be available for mailorder rather than in bulk for distribution. 

As you might have noticed by the cover, this issue features interviews with MARGARET THRASHER, ULTRA DOLPHINS, SEASICK, NO AGE, and a collective interview with five punk sound engineers. There are also some great columns from Hope Amico, Keith Rosson, Katy Otto, Julia Booze, Travis Magoo and the rotating Teacher’s column which, in this issue, was written by Sabrina Gallagher. Also, The Down There Health Collective discuss the HPV vaccine and we have two great guest columns about how to legally play DIY shows in Canada and an argument for why punks and MySpace shouldn’t mix. And there’s a DIY page on “keeping your van alive.”

It’s another 56 page issue with tons of record, book and zine reviews and a bunch of pictures that were taken recently of sweet bands.

If you can’t find a copy at a show or record store near you, you can order single copies directly from us for $1.50 in the US, $2 in Canada or Mexico, or $4 anywhere else in the world. I highly prefer that you send orders to the PO Box, because I just think it’s a much more personal process—you send us a little letter and I send you a zine—but internationally, if it’s too much of a pain to get US currency, I understand why you might rather use Paypal. I just like the penpal aspect of real mail and I generally don’t deal with the Paypal stuff myself, so I feel a little disconnected to it.

Anyway, as usual, this zine is mostly distributed by punks like yourself, so if you would like to help with the distribution in your area check out the Distribution page. We will send you bulk copies of the zine for the cost of shipping and you can sell them for 50¢ (or more internationally) to get that money back.

Right now I’m sending out all the copies to subscribers, contributors, and advertisers, so if you are in that boat just keep an eye on your mailbox and let me know if it doesn’t show up in a week.

Oh yeah, and someone just told me they heard a rumor this issue, #3, was going to be our last issue. WTF? That didn’t come from us. We’re all still excited about this project and as far as we’re concerned we’re just getting started. It feels like we’re starting to pick up some momentum and we’re getting more help from some amazing people and we’re learning how to accept help from more people. We’re still figuring it all out, but it’s fun. And seeing this issue in print makes it all worthwhile.

Also, this issue marks the first issue that has paid for itself. The idea is that if the advertisements can cover the cost of printing, then the zine can be more accessible, because you, the reader, will only have to pay for the shipping. We went out of pocket for the first two and were prepared to float a couple more, but hopefully this is the beginning of the zine becoming financially sustainable. So thank you to all the advertisers who have contributed and who believed in us when we were struggling and just starting out. That kind of support is crucial in keeping this zine alive and accessible.

Thinking about the future, we’ve learned from this past year that it might’ve been too soon to try to jump right into getting on a quaterly schedule, so this year our goal is to just focus on putting out another three issues, four months apart. Our goals so far have been pretty simple. First we wanted to see if we could actually make the zine at all. Then we wanted it to grow into it’s own personality. Then hopefully sustain itself. And now we want it to come out regularly and dependably and still do all those things. Then we will work on doing all that just a little bit faster. We’ve been learning a shit load from each issue, so I think that will just happen naturally.

We’re always looking for contributions and submissions or ideas for interviews or articles, so you can reach me at givemebackzine at hotmail dot com, or even better, you can send a letter or postcard to:

Give Me Back
PO Box 73691
Washington, DC 20056

Send us your new records, books and zines to review. (Remember, we focus on DIY, so we don’t review stuff that has a preprinted barcode on the cover and we don’t review “promo-only” copies.) Oh, and unlike MRR, you only need to send us one copy, but do what you want.

The cut off for review submissions for the next issue is MARCH 1st, and that issue should be out by April 31st.

If you’re interested in advertising in the next issue, please get in touch and check out the Advertising page. We would like to get the ads in by MARCH 15th.

We’ve already started working on issue #4 and one or two interviews have already been done, including a conversation that Katy and I had with Zegota a couple weeks ago.

So yeah, I guess that’s about it.

I’ll try to update this thing a little more often and maybe that will help squash the vague rumors that float around. But for now I’m just excited to turn this thing off and get some fresh air. I’d like to encourage you to do the same, but you have to live your own life.

xoxo,
fil

Excited about:
NAKED RAYGUN • Basement Screams
VIVIAN GIRLS and ULTRA DOLPHINS • live
having some time to work on other projects that i’ve been ignoring
finding a free place in the city to play ping pong.
THE SHIRKS • live
BAADER BRAINS • LP (even though I haven’t actually gotten it yet)
ACTION PATROL and SLEEPYTIME TRIO • live
DANIEL HIGGS • live (the very next night)
all the stuff I mentioned last time

The contributions and reviews deadlines have passed, but we’re still accepting last minute ads for the new issue which should be in your neighborhood in early December. And it’s never too early to send in your contributions, submissions and/or items to be reviewed in the fourth issue.

In other news there have been a bunch of great shows around here lately keeping me psyched on punk. ¡APESHIT!, SICK FIX, THE NOJONS, NO AGE, PIZZA, MIKA MIKO, PARTYLINE, THE SHIRKS… the list goes on. I’m excited that tonight, Katy’s band, PROBLEMS, are playing on the backstage of the BlackCat while stand-up comedians perform on the mainstage!

Other things that are keeping my blood pumping while doing “shitwork”:

Three Records #1 by Chrissy Piper
MRR Radio and Sonic Overload
CRISCO THUNDER AND THE DISSECTION SOCIETY • demo
FUTURE VIRGINS • 7″s
THE NOJONS • “California 1983″
CROSSED OUT • discography LP (it’s been a while)
Tales of Blarg #9 by Janelle
Slug & Lettuce anniversary issue
HEY GIRL! • 12″
Another Country by James Baldwin

Also, I’ve taken a bunch of pictures of bands since the last issue, but we’re always on the lookout for other punk photographers, especially documenting scenes in other parts of the world. You can send a few of your recent favorite pictures to the PO Box or you can e-mail me at: givemebackzine at hotmail dot com.

xoxo,
fil

The new issue features interviews with DES_ARK, the New York punk cabaret band WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY, the all-girl bay-area punk band HEY GIRL!, French hardcore band DAITRO, and Bob from DEEP SIX RECORDS/LACK OF INTEREST. It also features some great columns from Hope Amico, Keith Rosson, Katy Otto, The Down There Health Collective, Kent McClard, Julia Booze, Travis Magoo, and a new comic column by Erin Tobey! There’s also a rotating teacher’s column (this month featuring Leigh Schlatter) and a guest column about veggie fuel. And then there are a shit ton of long-ass reviews and a bunch of live pictures by Joshua Peach and Fil.

Copies of the first issue are still available as well and feature interviews with SEEIN RED, PHILLY’S PISSED and PHILLY STANDS UP, TINY HAWKS, ENVY, Jeb Brannon, and Donna Manion.

xoxo,

fil