Tom Conrad (ex-The Academy Is...) has updated his blog about his recent departure from the band. You can find the message below.

Message

I apologize. I would have said something sooner but it was not the right time nor was this the right place to do it and honestly, it still isn't. There's not much to say with what happened besides I dont want people thinking I quit the band. Thank you to everyone that has reached out to me and shared such kind words. You mean the world to me. Big thank you to everyone at Crush, FBR, APA, the Crew and definitely TMx2. But what now for Thomas Conrad you ask? Not quite sure but I will keep taking photographs and this will be the place to view / read of what...

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our brand new staff member, Tom Good, to the team. Tom will be writing album reviews for the website, and he will focus his efforts primarily upon hardcore, metal, and various other releases. Welcome, Tom!

Last night, Angels And Airwaves took home the 2006 MTVU Woodie Of The Year award.

The Academy Is... have left an update on their website regarding Tom Conrad leaving the band to pursue other interests.

Message

After two years on the road together, Tom and the Academy Is... have gone in seperate directions. Tom and his photographs can be found at forevernever.net. William, Mike, Adam, and The Butcher can be found in an abandoned warehouse, somewhere on the southside of Chicago writing their second album. While we are not too excited about the potential internet drama this news might invite, we felt our fans should know. We hope you understand and can continue to support both The Academy Is..., and Tom.

Submitted by grace we bestow

If, by chance, you were unable to tune in and watch Reel Big Fish perform live on Freestyle Friday on the Tom Green show, you can watch all of the action in the replies to this post.

Submitted by Dan Pietrusinski

Tom Waits has released the first MP3 off of his rarities box set, Orphans, which will be out sometime in November.

Tracklist

BRAWLERS
01. Lie To Me
02. LowDown
03. 2:19
04. Fish In The Jailhouse
05. Bottom Of The World
06. Lucinda
07. Ain't Goin' Down To The Well
08. Lord I've Been Changed
09. Puttin' On The Dog
10. Road To Peace
11. All The Time
12. The Return Of Jackie and Judy
13. Walk Away
14. Sea Of Love
15. Buzz Fledderjohn
16. Rains On Me

BAWLERS
01. Bend Down The Branches
02. You Can Never Hold Back Spring
03. Long Way Home
04. Widow's Grove
05. Little Drop Of Poison
06. Shiny Things
07. World Keeps Turning
08. Tell It To Me
09. Never Let Go
10....

This Friday, September 29th, Reel Big Fish will be appearing live on-air on Tom Green's Freestyle Friday. The show, which streams worldwide live from Tom's house, is set to air at 9pm PST. Throughout the show, Tom and Reel Big Fish will answer live phone calls from around the globe, giving viewers the chance to ask the band questions directly. You can tune in by visiting ManiaTV.com or Tom Green.com.

Travis Barker (Plus 44) still has a lot to say about Tom Delonge and the breakup of Blink 182.

Everyone here at Absolutepunk.net would like to congratulate Tom Delonge on his new born son Jonas Rocket who was born yesterday. You can read an article about it right here.

Tom Waits has announced new August tour dates.

Dates

8/1 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
8/2 - Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
8/4 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum Theatre
8/5 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
8/7 - Louisville, KY - Palace Theatre
8/9 - Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre
8/11 - Detroit, MI - Opera House
8/13 - Akron, OH - Akron Civic

The Strokes will be opening for Tom Petty this September. Check out the dates by clicking here.

Though our plans to interview Tom Delonge fell through last time due to conflicting schedules, we're not giving up, as I'll be interviewing Tom in the near future. Now that you've had a chance to hear We Don't Need to Whisper and possibly see Angels & Airwaves live, let me know if there are any questions you'd like for me to ask him.

Tom Delonge (Angels And Airwaves / ex-Blink 182) admits that, at one point, he considered pursuing a political career. Check out Billboard.com or scroll below for the article.

Tom Delonge And Politics

Watch out Hillary! Former Blink-182 goofball turned prolific Angels & Airwaves frontman Tom DeLonge recently told us that he has considered throwing his hat into the political ring.

“There was awhile when I actually thought I was going to be doing stuff in politics,” he said. “I spent a great part of the election year traveling with John Kerry and really being involved in the campaign. If Kerry would have won -- I was pitching all these different initiatives to his administration, y’know?...

Yesterday on 91x, Tom Delonge of Angels & Airwaves fame spoke up about 9/11. He believes that the Bush Administration orchestrated the attacks of September 11th as a psychological attack on the American public to rally support behind an endless Middle East war and a decrease in American Civil Liberties. You can read the full story here. A former member of the Bush administration also spoke out about 9/11 being an inside job, which you can read here.

In a recent Angels and Airwaves interview, Tom Delonge said that there are 95 tracks of instrumentation on most of the songs. The album, We Don't Need To Whisper, will hit stores on May 23rd. (Remind Me)

Isaac Hayes has quit South Park.

Isaac

There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins

Submitted by: Nano

Tom Delonge will be appearing on Fuse's Stevens Untitled Rock Show on the following dates:

Tom On Fuse

Monday 2/20 with My Chemical Romance
Tuesday 2/21 with Taking Back Sunday

Below is an update from Tom Delonge of Angels And Airwaves.

More Angels And Airwaves Movies; Site Launch; Fuse

hey whats up everyone, i know you all are "patiently" awaiting some music. the website and more web movies will be launched in the coming weeks so stay tuned. just wanted to send you all a message letting you all know what is going on in angels & airwaves' world. our rehersal space is built and we are beginning to reherse. we'll have some photos for you shortly. right now im off to New York and the other guys are at home relaxing before angels & airwaves takes over their lives, as if it hasnt already. while im in new york, ill be hosting a few episodes of steven's untiled rock...

Below is Tom Delonge's latest journal entry from MacbethFootwear.com:

Tom Delonge Journal Entry

so here is some news for you.....First of all, anybody claiming they heard demos are full of shit. They are hearing old shitty recordings of blink, the music does not sound like blink or box car, so the speculation should end there. Second, the song to be released on December 13 is finished, but the label is too excited to release just a song, so at the last minute it got changed. Let's see, third, it isn't some depressing emo project, it is music that is best described as.....well, the best stuff I have ever done.....too vague?.....well, I promise my fans will like this the most out of...

Click here to check out a video interview with Tom Delonge regarding Angels & Airwaves.

Submitted by: PunkDrums182

Be sure to check out MacbethFootwear.com at 10 A.M. PST on Thanksgiving to get an exclusive sneak peak of Tom's first ever, in-person interview talking about the new Angels and Airwaves album.