Thursday, April 30, 2009

30 SECONDS TO MARS SIGN NEW WORLDWIDE DEAL

WITH EMI MUSIC'S VIRGIN RECORDS. HIGHLY ANTICIPATED THIRD ALBUM, PRODUCED BY FLOOD, DUE THIS FALL. NEW ALBUM IS THE FOLLOW-UP TO MULTI-PLATINUM SMASH A BEAUTIFUL LIE

Hollywood, CA - EMI Music's Virgin Records is pleased to announce that it has signed a new worldwide deal with Los Angeles rock band 30 Seconds to Mars.

30 Seconds to Mars, fronted by vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Jared Leto, is currently in the studio in Los Angeles recording their third album with acclaimed producer Flood, known for his work with U2, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, and Smashing Pumpkins. Due this fall, the as-yet-untitled album is the follow-up to 2005's platinum-selling A Beautiful Life, which sold more than three million albums and singles worldwide and spawned two Top 10 Modern Rock singles, "From Yesterday" and "The Kill." The latter set a radio record for the longest-running hit in the history of Modern Rock radio play when it remained on the national airplay chart for more than 50 weeks following its No. 3 peak in 2006. "From Yesterday" was the band's first No. 1 at the format. Its epic video was the first American music video ever shot in the People's Republic of China.

30 Seconds to Mars' new album is a collection of the thoughts and ideas that the band (which also includes drummer Shannon Leto and guitarist Tomo Mili?evi?) have experienced after spending several years on the road. The songs reflect a willingness to take chances and create a pivotal, game-changing album. As Flood recently told Billboard.com: "These guys wanted to move into a different place and that's always a big challenge. They had established themselves very firmly in one arena when Jared first talked to me. It was about trying to make a 'classic album,' and that's by pushing themselves and me to a place that you may not have expected to go, so it requires truth, honesty, and a lot of hard work. Those sorts of things I find very rewarding."

"It's great to finally move forward and focus on what's most important to us all- the music," says Jared Leto. "We are excited about starting over with the many talented people at Virgin/EMI, and to sharing our new music with the fans in the very near future. We will never forget the unrelenting support from all our friends, family, and fans around the world."

"We are thrilled to have set aside our differences and signed a new agreement with 30 Seconds to Mars," says Nick Gatfield, EMI Music's President of A&R Labels - North America & the UK. "Our relationship has been extremely rewarding and successful, and we're eager to move forward and put our global team to work on the brilliant new album they are recording with Flood."

"I am excited to be a part of 30 Seconds to Mars' next chapter," says Rob Stevenson, President of Virgin A&R Labels. "Not only are they one of the most important bands in rock music today, but I admire their commitment to the online world. It has made them digital pioneers in terms of reaching fans where they live and breathe music."

Formed by Jared and Shannon Leto in 1998, 30 Seconds to Mars have won numerous awards and accolades, including an MTV Video Music Award, three MTV EMA, an MTV Latin and Asia Award, a Fuse Award, and three Kerrang! awards. They have nearly 500 live performances under their belts since the release of A Beautiful Life, which has earned them a growing, loyal, global fan base. The band is also known as one of the world's most progressive online. Their fans - dubbed The Echelon - participate in both band and charity-driven activities. Thirty Seconds to Mars now boast more than 28 million plays on MySpace, more than one million fans on iLike/Facebook and have received more than 100 million views on YouTube.

stellastarr*

announce Summer US Tour, tickets on sale tomorrow at 12pm EST

In conjunction with their brand new album ‘Civilized' hitting streets on July 7th, we are pleased to announce that stellastarr* will be heading on their first cross-country tour in over 3 years. Tickets for all dates (except for Boston's WFNX show) will be available tomorrow, Friday, May 1st, at 12pm EST.

US Tour Dates:
July 8th || WFNX/Boston || tune in to WFNX for tix announcement
July 15th || Philadelphia, PA || Johnny Brenda's
July 16th || NYC || Highline Ballroom || Official Record Release Show
July 17th || Washington, DC || Rock ‘N' Roll Hotel
July 18th || Baltimore, MD || Ottobar
July 20th || Cincinnati, OH || 20th Century Theatre
July 21st || Columbus, OH || The Basement
July 23rd || Chicago, IL || Double Door
July 27th || Austin, TX || The Parish
July 30th || San Diego, CA || Casbah
July 31st || Los Angeles, CA || Troubadour
August 1st || San Francisco, CA || Slim's
August 3rd || Portland, OR || Doug Fir
August 4th || Seattle, WA || Chop Suey

Stay tuned for more tour dates to be announced shortly…

For more info, check their MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/stellastarr

Monday, April 6, 2009

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE (SCI-ARC) TO PREMIERE CLASS ARCHITECTURE PROJECT DESIGNED EXCLUSIVELY FOR COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS

Who said rock 'n' roll doesn't belong in the classroom?

The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) certainly sees the value of music on the lesson plan. In groundbreaking fashion, the school began a course entitled “Rock and Roll Fantasy: SCI-Arc at Coachella” on January 19, 2009. “Rock and Roll Fantasy” required participants to study large-scale art installation, devise one such structure as a class and then build the temporary installation for the tenth annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, which will debut at this year’s festival, set for Friday, April 17, Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

Creative minds immediately flocked to join the course, and they started their quest by researching legendary rock 'n' roll gatherings including Woodstock, Glastonbury Festival and past COACHELLA installments. Students also spent time delving into other structural artwork constructed exclusively for avant-garde cultural phenomena such as Burning Man and Venice Biennale.

As the session evolved, the class began to concoct various designs in separate teams. Festival promoter Goldenvoice chose one of these designs which will receive prominent placement at Coachella with the possibility of remaining in place through the following weekend's Stagecoach: CALIFORNIA’S COUNTRY MUSIC Festival.

The full design, construction and materials cost for the class was paid for by Goldenvoice, and imaginations were encouraged to run wild. There's no doubt that the final architecture from SCI-Arc will be just as eclectic as the annual COACHELLA music line-up.

The class was taught by Benjamin Ball, Gaston Nogues and Andrew Lyon of Ball-Nogues Studio with special direction from Coachella’s art curator, Philip Blaine.

MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN & CHESTER BENNINGTON CAUGHT DOING 'CRANK' ON CAMERA

Iconic rock superstars Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle) and Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) appear in on-camera roles in the upcoming release CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE opening in theaters nationwide on Friday April 17, 2009.

Chester Bennington first appeared in the series as a nasal spray-inhaling hospital patient in the debut installment. Now the singer returns to the action comedy appearing in a bizarre high friction encounter with Chev (Jason Statham) at a horse racing track.

Maynard James Keenan makes his major feature film debut as a dog walker who has an electrifying experience with Chev in a public park.

Crank directors Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine also enlisted former Nine Inch Nails guitarist Danny Lohner as Keenan's "partner" and superstar country musician/actor Dwight Yoakam has reprised his role as Doc Miles.

Legendary musician Mike Patton (Faith No More/Mr. Bungle) was recruited to deliver the film's highly unique and original soundtrack.

"Crank is a straight punk rock experience," say directors Neveldine and Taylor.

In CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE, the high-octane sequel, Chelios launches himself on an electrifying chase through Los Angeles in pursuit of the Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working. Reprising their roles from the 2006 original are Amy Smart as Eve, Dwight Yoakam as Doc Miles, and Efren Ramirez as Venus. Rounding out the cast are Clifton Collins Jr. and Bai Ling. CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE is written and directed by Neveldine/Taylor, the duo behind the 2006 hit film Crank, and the upcoming Citizen Game starring Gerard Butler (300).

Lakeshore Entertainment and Lionsgate present CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE released in select theaters on April 17, 2009. CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE original soundtrack on Lakeshore Records will be available via iTunes, Amazon Digital, and in stores on April 7, 2009.