Cool news, congrats to Billy and the boys.

Straight.com is reporting that Vancouver punk act THE BLACK HALOS have signed on with Liquor and Poker Music, a division of the growing Century Media empire.

"It's pretty exciting for us, because they put out the new HANOI ROCKS album, which is the comeback of the century, in my books," singer Billy Hopeless told Straight.com. "I think that album is one of the most amazing albums that's come out in ages. Plus they signed our buddies THE HELLACOPTERS, which was a really great thing."

Other Liquor and Poker artists include NEBULA, CRASH KELLY, and THE BONES.

THE BLACK HALOS will head into the studio early in 2005 to record a new album, which will be the group's first since the 2001 Sub Pop release "The Violent Years". "We go in in January and get that done, get the new album out, and start touring our asses off and hopefully be touring with HANOI," Hopeless said. "The goal is to have us on tour with HANOI ROCKS, which to me is amazing."