Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Warren G Announces National US Tour, Album Release Party

After 10 million albums sold worldwide, Warren G’s seventh studio album, THE G FILES, will be released on September 29th. Self-produced and packed with all-star talents including Snoop Dogg, Travis Barker, Ray J and many more, the current single, “100 Miles and Runnin” featuring Raekwon and Nate Dogg is quickly making its way on to radio stations across the country.

In support of THE G FILES, Warren G will be headlining a 21-city national tour that kicks off with his record release party on October 1st at the Roxy in Los Angeles. The tour will have its final stop in San Francisco on November 24th. All tour dates are below. Los Angeles fans last caught Warren performing at the Roxy this past July as a special guest at the Travis Barker/DJ AM show. They performed Warren’s mega-hit “Regulate” to a packed audience and the overwhelming response is a testament to his crossover talent. The performance can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7s9nW6CDCc

Warren G is in New York this week filming the VH1 Hip Hop Honors Awards where he will be performing as part of the celebration for Def Jam’s 25th Anniversary. When most West Coast artists such as Dr. Dre, Snoop and Tupac were signing with LA’s Death Row Records, Warren walked a different path and signed with East Coast label Def Jam in 1994. Def Jam founder and the God Father of Hip Hop, Russell Simmons, later cited Warren G's signing as “a turning point" for Def Jam Records and its subsequent mega-success. "After that, Def Jam never looked back," Simmons wrote in his book Life and Def.

Warren is looking forward to getting back on the road. He has toured the world, most notably, Warren was a part of one of the most successful Hip Hop tours ever- the Up In Smoke Tour with his brother Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Ice Cube and more.

10/1 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy Theatre
10/27 Austin, TX Emo’s
10/29 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
10/30 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
10/31 Nashville, TN Haunted Valley
11/3 Charleston, SC Music Farm
11/4 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
11/5 Charlotte, NC Amos’ Southland
11/6 Brooklyn, NY The Music Hall of Williamsburg
11/7 Allston, MA Harper’s Ferry
11/10 New York, NY The Bowery Ballroom
11/12 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
11/13 Chicago, IL The Metro
11/14 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
11/16 Council Bluffs, IA Whiskey Road House
11/18 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
11/19 Ft. Collins, CO Aggie Theatre
11/20 Aspen, CO Belly Up
11/22 Seattle, WA Neumo’s
11/23 Portland, OR The Roseland Theatre
11/24 San Francisco, CA The Independent

Oakland dub-punks Tempo No Tempo tour the US in October ; "Waking Heat" out next month



"Unassuming, wiry shredders with kineticism in droves."
RCRD LBL

"Borrowing equally from dissonant, late-'90s DC punk and more contemporary takes on sprawling indie rock...tense rhythms and the pitter-patter of relaxed backbeats before resting permanently in tapestries of delayed guitar and crashing cymbals."
XLR8R

"It's refreshing to hear a young band playing vigorous songs without too much hullabaloo about why and how they're doing it."
Pitchfork Media

"In the past, they rode the line between hooky dance-rock and artier sounds, but the group writes that they've "grown out of their old indie rock shell, and shifted to something weirder, funkier, and much harder to pinpoint." True enough."
The Bay Bridged

10.1 : Amnesia w/ French Miami (San Francisco, CA)
10.3 : UC Irvine w/ Railcars (Irvine, CA)
10.4 : Que Sera (Long Beach, CA)
10.8 : UC Davis (Davis, CA)
10.16 : Chestnut Hill (Boston, MA)
10.17 : J.R.'s Bar (Philadelphia, PA)
10.19 : Goodbye Blue Monday w/ Jon Shina (Brooklyn, NY)
10.20 : Velvet Lounge w/ BLDGS (Washington, DC)
10.21 : Terrorbird Day Party @ Cake Shop (New York, NY)
10.22 : CMJ Showcase TBA (NY, NY)
11.5 : Rickshaw Stop w/ Maus Haus (San Francisco, CA)

stay tuned for tour updates check their myspace

Armed with a love of worldly grooves and a lean, gritty take on post-punk, the Bay Area's Tempo No Tempo are set to release their debut LP "Waking Heat" this fall. Recently scaling down to three members, the band re-invented their sound and approach stripping away the more predictable pop elements of their past EPs, which received considerable praise by the likes of Pitchfork and IHEARTCOMIX. Combining tightly wound guitars, dubby melodic basslines, and crazy polyrhythms, Tempo No Tempo have been described as Reggaeton-punk or tribal New Wave. Regardless of genre, the band has grown into a sound that's harder to pinpoint, but undeniably immediate and restless.

Tyler McCauley remains on guitar, while taking the reins as the band's lead vocalist, supported by chants, yelps and harmonies from drummer Alex Kaiser and bassist/keyboardist Jason Wexler. The instrumentals pulse with the energy of James Brown breakbeats, but with the fierce dynamic shifts of early Fugazi. Beyond the dance-punk of their previous efforts, the band's sonic vocabulary has evolved to tropical punk jams ("Kilometer"), wild fuzz freakouts ("Kindercare," "Pole Position") and barely-there ballads ("Half Asleep"). The band's ambition is paced by their restraint and rhythmic prowess, as ideas are fleshed out over terse beats and angular melodies.

Recording "Waking Heat" at Tiny Telephone studios with Jay Pellicci (Deerhoof, Erase Errata), the album captures their new sonic maturity in a studio for the first time, showcasing their love of studio detail but also their raw live prowess. After touring the West Coast frequently behind their previous EPs, they're ready to bring their new material on the road this fall for their first national tour.

Tempo No Tempo are ready to re-introduce themselves with a new line-up, a new record, and a new sound.

Tempo No Tempo
"Waking Heat"
out 10.20.2009
(self-release)

Native Instruments Introduces DISCOVERY SERIES: BALINESE GAMELAN

Berlin, September 24th, 2009 - Native Instruments today introduced BALINESE GAMELAN, a new KONTAKT-Powered instrument that marks the second entry in the "Discovery Series". Created in collaboration with the renowned sound-design house Soniccouture, BALINESE GAMELAN offers a versatile assortment of ethnic instruments that represent the rich sonic heritage of classic Indonesian music, for use in film scoring, electronic music production and traditional compositions.

BALINESE GAMELAN faithfully recreates the charismatic sounds of the traditional Balinese orchestra with its diverse combinations of instruments. Three essential elements of the larger Gamelan ensemble are included; the melodic core instruments which comprise the Jegog, the Calung, and the Penyacah; the "Gangsa" which consists of the Ugal, Pemadé, and Kantilan metallophones; and the kettle gongs which include the Trompong and the Reyong. All instruments have been carefully recorded from the London Symphonic Orchestra's own "Semara Dana Gamelan Ensemble" in full detail, resulting in 2 GByte of studio-quality samples that are brought to life through the unrivaled power of the KONTAKT sampling engine.

BALINESE GAMELAN can be used both with the free KONTAKT PLAYER and with the full-featured KONTAKT sampler, and makes extensive use of the advanced sound shaping and articulation features of the platform. Users can switch between original gamelan tuning as well as a western-oriented "concert" tuning, and an optional "Synth" version allows to creatively tweak the sound of individual instruments beyond their natural tonality. A "Jammer" function creates rhythmic patterns, while the typical detuned doubling of the Gangsa and other gamelan instruments can be conveniently controlled via dedicated parameters of the software.

BALINESE GAMELAN is available for download purchase in the NI Online Shop for $79 / 69 EUR.

More information on BALINESE GAMELAN including audio demos can be found at
http://www.native-instruments.com/balinesegamelan.info

Apathy Preps Sophomore LP, "Wanna Snuggle," for October 6th, 2009 Release

Even after signing a major label deal with Atlantic Records, to being named one of Urb Magazine’s “Hot 100” artists, being featured in XXL, Vibe, XLR8R, Remix, CMJ, Pound and numerous other publications and joining frequent partner in rhyme (Celph Titled) in forming Demigodz Records, Apathy has spent the better part of his journey as an artist searching for “absolute truth” within his music and within himself.

Though the name implies lethargy, Apathy’s work-ethic has been anything but. Many know him as a founding member of The Demigodz crew (which also includes Styles Of Beyond, Celph Titled and 7L & Esoteric) where he joined the rest of his crew in releasing 2002’s critically acclaimed EP, The Godz Must Be Crazy, (the same EP that led to a major-label bidding war for his services that eventually resulted in Apathy signing with Atlantic Records). Furthermore, Apathy has has also made guest appearances on LP’s from Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda (Fort Minor LP), Sage Francis, Styles Of Beyond, Jedi Mind Tricks, Outerspace and Army of Pharaohs among others. In addition to having his music appear on the hit TV series CSI: Miami, you can also hear his voice on the video game Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition (which featured his track “Drive It Like I Stole It”), Ap has also released a series of highly circulated mixtapes; including 2003’ It’s The Bootleg Muthafuckas! Vol.1, 2004’s ironically entitled Where’s Your Album; which was highlighted by his reworking of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” and The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” (“It Takes A Seven Nation Army To Hold Us Back”) and 2007’s Baptism By Fire

Apathy’s debut, Eastern Philosophy, was released in 2006 by Babygrande Records and received rave reviews from Vibe Magazine and a slew of prominent publications and he was highlighted as one of the top upcoming emcees by XXL Magazine with a “Show And Prove” selection.

Though its been three years since Apathy’s debut, he has remained busy flexing his production muscle, working with artists like Cypress Hill, EDO. G, Styles Of Beyond and 7L & Esoteric. Yet, Apathy plans to re-stake his claim by taking Hip-Hop by storm again with his long-awaited sophomore LP, Wanna Snuggle, which completely smashes any notion of a sophomore jinx and delivers another timeless rap LP.

Some of the highlights from Wanna Snuggle include the buzz singles that have driven the Internet wild, the uptempo Mike Shinoda produced "Shoot First", featuring the legendary B-Real (of Cypress Hill) and Celph Titled and the Phonte assisted "True Love." Also contributing a major influence on Wanna Snuggle is singer Holly Brook, best known for Fort Minor's chart topping single "Where'd You Go.”

Tracklisting and credits for Apathy’s Wanna Snuggle:

1.) Hell's Angel
2.) Money Orientated f/Emilio Lopez
3.) Gov't Cheese
4.) On and Off The Mic f/Blacastan
5.) Back In L.A. f/Ryu and Veze Skante
6.) Shoot First f/B-Real of Cypress Hill and Celph Titled
7.) I'm A Demigod
8.) True Love f/Phonte of Little Brother
9.) Mind Ya Business f/Chip-Fu)
10.) Thinkin'
11.) This Is The Formula f/J-Live
12.) Guys & Girls f/Blue Raspberry
13.) Anyday f/King Magnetic
14.) Candy f/Dose
15.) Run, Run Away
16.) No Sad Tomorrow f/Holly Brook and Mike Mass
17.) Rhode Island f/Emilio Lopez
18.) What Goes Up
19.) Hard Times On Planet Earth
20.) Slave f/Motive
21.) Victim f/Holly Brook

http://www.myspace.com/apathy
http://twitter.com/ApathyDGZ

WINTER GLOVES TOUR WITH THUNDERHEIST BEHIND NEW DIGITAL RELEASE, RELEASE VIDEO FOR 'PARTY PEOPLE



CHECK OUT WINTER GLOVES' 'PARTY PEOPLE' VIDEO HERE

Montreal's Winter Gloves are set to release A Way To Celebrate, a new digital-only complement to their debut album, about a girl, which will be available from iTunes on October 6th at a special low price. A Way To Celebrate is a reworking of the band's debut LP, about a girl, which included the song, "Invisible," ranked #17 as one of Esquire's "Top 50 Songs Every Man Should Be Listening To," and caused SPIN.com to call them a "hot Montreal band...wistful keyboard kitsch should please fans of Ra Ra Riot's tightly woven pop songs or Wolf Parade's more ambitious rambles." The digital release is a collection of remixes, live versions, experiments with arrangements and everything that made sense in between, including a recording in a local train station in the band's hometown. Winter Gloves are also releasing their video for 'Party People', directed by Marie-Eve Lapointe and assisted by Vincent Chalifour, in support of their forthcoming tour.

Winter Gloves has spent the past year taking about a girl on the road across Canada and the US, touring alongside the likes of You Say Party! We Say Die! and Thunderheist, with a solid sprinkling of summer festivals thrown in for good measure. The shape-shifting that happens when you bring a song on the road is an evolution that the band wanted to document; A Way To Celebrate is an archive of this time on the road as much as it is a thanks to the band's new fans who have supported the original debut album.

Catch Winter Gloves live as they head out on tour throughout Canada and the US with Thunderheist for the chance to buy a copy of a limited physical pressing that will only be made available at the band's shows!

WINTER GLOVES ON TOUR:
November 13 - Los Angeles, CA at The Echo w/ Thunderheist
November 14 - San Francisco, CA at 330 Ritch w/ Thunderheist
November 17 - Portland, OR at Rotture w/ Thunderheist
November 18 - Bellingham, WA at The Wild Buffalo w/ Thunderheist
November 19 - Seattle, WA at Chop Suey w/ Thunderheist
November 20 - Vancouver, BC at Biltmore w/ Thunderheist
November 21 - Victoria, BC at Sugar w/ Thunderheist
November 24 - Edmonton, AB at The ARTery
November 25 - Calgary, AB at Broken City
November 27 - Winnipeg, MB at Lo Pub

http://www.myspace.com/wintergloves

Dan Deacon launches tour next week, announces tour poster contest



ID all the cartoon characters in the tour poster and win a glorious prize package, including a portrait of yourself painted by Dan Deacon!

Dan Deacon is heading back out on tour next week with his pals Nuclear Power Pants - they're traveling once again in his veggie oil bus (they'll need veggie oil this time too, same offer stands from the last tour if you're able to help provide them with veggie oil along the way). Complete, final and updated tour dates are listed below. To celebrate this tour, Post Typography designed an amazing new poster - your job is to ID all of the 243 cartoon characters portrayed within the poster - be the first one to get 'em all right and an amazing prize package awaits you!!!!!

THE PRIZE:

1. $500 cash
2. A Portrait of you painted by Dan Deacon
3. One of the last copies of Wham City Box set #1
4. A Copy of each of Dan Deacon's first 8 impossible-to-find releases (silly hat vs egale hat, meetle
mice, goose on the loose, a green cobra is awesome vs the sun, porky
pig, twacky cats, live 2003, acorn master)

Send your submissions to: postercontest@whamcity.com

DAN DEACON

10-01 Chapel Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle *
10-02 Atlanta, GA - Eyedrum *
10-03 Athens, GA - 40 Watt *
10-04 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree *
10-05 Nashville, TN - The End *
10-06 Memphis, TN - Hi Tone Café *
10-07 New Orleans, LA - Big Top *
10-09 Austin, TX - Emo's Alternative Lounge Outside *
10-10 Marfa, TX - The Shade Structure*
10-14 Irvine, CA - Pacific Ballrom (UC Irvine) *
10-15 Los Angeles, CA - Echo *
10-16 Los Angeles, CA - Eagle Rock Center for the Arts *
10-17 San Francisco, CA - Treasure Island Festival
10-19 Sacramento, CA - Fungarden *
10-21 Eugene, OR - Agate Hall (University of Oregon) *
10-22 Portland, OR - Worksound *
10-23 Portland, OR - Holocene *
10-24 Seattle, WA - Vera Project *
10-27 Denver, CO - Rhinoceropolis *
10-29 Northfield, MN The Cave (Carleton College) *
10-30 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium *
11-01 Gambier, OH - The Horn Gallery *
11-03 Toronto, Ontario - Sneaky Dees *
11-04 Toronto, Ontario - Great Hall *
11-05 Montreal, Quebec - Il Motore *
11-06 Montreal, Quebec - Eastern Bloc *
11-07 Middlebury, VT - Middlebury College *
11-08 Boston, MA - Pozen Center (Mass. College of Art) *
11-09 Pawtucket, RI - Machines *
11-10 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street Nightclub *
11-13 Troy, NY - Experimental Media & Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute *
11-14 Worcester, MA - The Grind (Clark University) *
11-15 Ithaca, NY - Emerson Suites (Ithaca College) *

* with Nuclear Power Pants

MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/dandeacon
Twitter - http://twitter.com/ebaynetflix

THE BRAVERY ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF NEW ALBUM, HEADLINING US TOUR

THE BRAVERY ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF THIRD STUDIO ALBUM
STIR THE BLOOD ON NOVEMBER 10TH ON ISLAND RECORDS

FIRST SINGLE "SLOW POISON"
AVAILABLE NOW FOR DOWNLOAD ON ITUNES

BAND WILL HEADLINE US TOUR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1

New York City's The Bravery announces that they will release their highly-anticipated third album, entitled Stir The Blood, on November 10th. The album was produced by John Hill, whose credits include Santigold and M.I.A. The first single, "Slow Poison," is now available for download on iTunes.

In support of this new release, the band will headline an ambitious US tour, which kicks off October 1st at The Ogden Theatre in Denver, CO. They will play shows in more than 30 cities across the country throughout the fall.

In addition to perfecting the latest record and playing shows with The Bravery, lead singer Sam Endicott has recently proven himself in the pop music arena as well. He penned the title track off Shakira's new album- the disco-infused single "She Wolf." The song debuted to international acclaim; it peaked at number one in Turkey, number two in Spain and Germany, number three in Italy and Switzerland and number five in Canada and the UK. In the US it currently resides in the top ten at Hot Digital Tracks.

This new release follows 2007's The Sun And The Moon, which featured the wildly successful smash hit "Believe." The track soared to the top of Most Played Song of the Year lists at radio stations in Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle and San Francisco, and received major international airplay in the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan. It was the #8 Most Played Song of 2008 overall at Alternative Radio.

Prior to that, The Bravery saw impressive success with their self-titled debut on Island Records. The album featured standout singles "An Honest Mistake" and "Unconditional." The band has appeared on major late night television shows The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as well as Later with Jools Holland in the UK. The Bravery has sold over one million albums worldwide, and has toured with such renowned musical powerhouses as U2, Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins and New Order.

Below are tour dates for The Bravery:

Thu Oct 1 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Sat Oct 3 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
Sun Oct 4 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
Mon Oct 5 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews
Tue Oct 6 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
Thu Oct 8 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
Fri Oct 9 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
Sat Oct 10 - Philadelphia, PA - TLA
Sun Oct 11 - Washington, CD - 9:30 Club
Tue Oct 13 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
Wed Oct 14 - Charlotte, FL - Amos' Southend
Fri Oct 16 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - The Culture Room
Sat Oct 17 - Saint Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
Sun Oct 18 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues
Tue Oct 20 - Atlanta, GA - CW Center Stage
Wed Oct 21 - Baton Rouge, LA - Varsity Theatre
Fri Oct 23 - Austin, AZ - Emo's
Sat Oct 24 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
Sun Oct 25 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
Tue Oct 27 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up
Wed Oct 28 - Salt Lake City, UT - Murray Theatre
Fri Oct 30 - San Bernadino, CA - Stingers
Sun Nov 1 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
Mon Nov 2 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
Tue Nov 3 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
Thu Nov 5 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
Fri Nov 6 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
Sun Nov 8 - Portland, OR - Roseland Ballroom
Mon Nov 9 - Seattle, WA - Showbox @ Market
Wed Nov 11 - Vancouver, BC - Venue

http://thebravery.com

Holopaw preps third album, Oh, Glory. Oh, Wilderness

I don't believe that many people actually sing these days. Generally "singing" usually sounds like some sort of talking or yelling in tune. Bjork sings, Chan Marshall of Cat Power sings, that Thom Yorke fellow from Radiohead sings, and yes, you saw it coming. John Orth from Holopaw also sings. That's what really grabbed me: the singing and the lyrics. With a quivering, liquid voice and lyrics that make you feel like you're standing there and smelling the air of all four seasons; the sky is the perfect color that it only becomes for a few minutes, every once in a while. You're heartbroken, you're in love, the world's not complicated.

-Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse, Ugly Casanova)

'Oh' is an invective, the poet's alchemy. Most commonly used to express either an emotion (as surprise or desire) in response to physical stimuli, or to acknowledge understanding of a statement or situation. In lesser songs it's a trite shorthand. With Holopaw the word becomes benediction, praise and gateway."

-Travis Fristoe (Obscurist Press)

"The Art Teacher and the Little Stallion" is the first track on Oh, Glory. Oh, Wilderness. the third offering from Holopaw. The song introduces the character the Little Stallion who inhabits most of the songs to come. "Toy piano tinklings punctuate his every step" as we follow his coming of age. His journey is marked by lost sailors, boys on motorbikes, lazy matadors, hobbyists and foxes lurking in fake gas lamp light. The Little Stallion welcomes these characters, seduces them with "polished pearls" or is, in turn, seduced by their "horseplay, towel whips and bathing suits rolled down off sunless hips". He falls in love with them and, more often than not, betrays them causing him to lament, "So many sailors lost to this drunken sea, so many sailors lost to me." There is sweetness and grit, longing and potential violence.
Holopaw musically plays with similar tensions: lulling strings are undercut by anxious guitars, lilting "la's" turn sinister and demanding. In "Little Stallion with a Glass Jaw" horn blasts announce a charge that is quickly clipped to a hush. The bounce of "P-a-l-o-m-i-n-e" stumbles towards chaos at the bridge only to be righted by a whimsical Bay City Rollers-esque chant. The last song on the record, "The Hobbyist and the Conductor (Avalanche)" begins with bright, carillon chimes that stand in stark contrast to the thunderous din that ends the song like a slack jawed finale to a fireworks display. Triumphant "la's" punch through the smoke and ash to have the final say.
The band articulating these musical tensions is Holopaw's strongest yet. The core songwriting team of John Orth and Jeff Hays has remained constant. The lineup has contracted and expanded in the swampy heat of Gainesville, Florida to now include Patrick Quinney, Matt Radick, Jeff McMullen, Christa Molinaro and Jody Bilinski. Throughout the record Pink Razor's Erin Tobey lends sublime backing vocals and harmonies to buoy these otherwise troubled tales.
The album was recorded over a year and several trips to New York by Jeremy Scott (Woods, Vivian Girls, These Are Powers) at The Civil Defense studios in Brooklyn, USA. Holopaw is joined by members of Taigaa!, the Good Good, and Mahogany who add violin, clarinet, and trombone. Their additions further embellish arrangements that include trumpet, pedal steel, organ, accordion, piano, cello, clavinet, pianet and rhodes. After two records on the Sub Pop label (Holopaw, s/t and Quit +/or Fight), the band considered both self-release and working with Glacial Pace Recordings (owned and operated by John's friend and collaborator on the Ugly Casanova record, Isaac Brock) before deciding to join the Bakery Outlet family.
The last line of Oh, Glory. Oh, Wilderness. calls out, "The trains that you sent screaming into tunnels (boot black) will spill into the light. La, La, La, La, La!" Oh, Glory. Indeed.

10/21 New York, NY Pianos (CMJ)

Full East Coast Tour TBA

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/holopaw

Band site: http://holopawmusic.com/

deVries releases "Death to God" on November 10th, 2009 via Noise on Noise!



deVries is the new band of Travis DeVries, of legendary Seattle band The Turn-ons. In August 2009, Spin magazine listed The Turn-ons in its “100 Greatest Bands You’ve (Probably) Never Heard” story. Peter Buck of R.E.M. described them as “…simply my favorite new Seattle band. If I said that their sound was a combination of the Velvets, T. Rex and Spiritualized with a dash of Yo La Tengo, it wouldn’t do them justice [Q Magazine].” Travis DeVries and The Turn-ons played sold out shows with widely known indie bands such as The Strokes, BRMC, and Interpol. They played their last show with The Jesus & Mary Chain in the spring of 2008.

deVries’ Death to God was recorded in Seattle in the fall of 2007 with the help of friends and members of The Turn-ons. Travis moved to NYC in the summer of 2008 after the mixing of Death to God was completed. His sound hearkens to the reining days of Britpop/Madchester bands such as The Stone Roses and Suede. Travis’ lyrics touch on a wide range of range of topics from trans-gendered children (“Boys are Bores”), to global warming (“Slowing Down”), and economic upheaval (“Black Thursday Repeat”). His gift of weaving lush orchestration and intensely personal lyrics is a reminder of the days when music saved your life.

Travis quickly found musicians in New York to practice and play shows with, among the players is Dan Olivo on guitar/keys, Sean Gibbons on lead guitar, Lisa Aguilar on bass/backing vocals, and Marco Echanove on drums. Together they have been writing new music and playing out around Brooklyn to growing enthusiasm.

Death to God will be releasing November 10, 2009 via Noise on Noise.

10.03.09 - New York, NY - National Underground, M.E.A.N.Y. Fest

Mid-Ohio-Con 2009


Now in its twenty-ninth year, Mid-Ohio-Con is one of America’s longest-running and most successful comic book and pop-culture conventions, carrying on a fun and family-oriented tradition of bringing fans of all ages together with leading comic book writers and artists, film and television stars and creators, and publishers and retailers from across the nation.

Mid-Ohio-Con 2009 will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 3–4, in Exhibit Hall E of the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215. The show is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

One-Day Passes are $15 per person, per day.
Weekend Passes are $25.

For more info visit www.MidOhioCon.com

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Kayo Dot Complete Fourth Full-Length Album, "Coyote," Out February 2010 on Hydra Head * Announce European Tourdates and More!



Led by Toby Driver and Mia Matsumiya, the NYC sextet just released their third album Blue Lambency Downward on Isis man Aaron Turner's Hydra Head records. The opening, title track is a mysterious 10-minute meandering of bells like crickets, bursts of patient guitar, jazzy drum fills (kept to a toppling spaciousness), electronic pulses, and chiming vocal melodies. It kinda feels like a psychedelic boat trip piloted by Ghost, albeit it with bigger "pop" tendencies. - Stereogum

The last time we spoke on Kayo Dot the band had just arrived in Seattle to begin recording their second full-length for Hydra Head Industries. Now, the record is entirely finished, titled Coyote, and scheduled to be released in February 2010! Kayo Dot will be performing tracks from Coyote throughout their advancing European tour (dates listed below).

These new compositions again reveal Kayo Dot's uncanny ability to expand on previously released material while dramatically steering their musical motivations in entirely unique directions... I'm familiar with the comparisons to bands like Ulver and Sunn 0))), but ultimately there is no comparing Coyote. This thing stands out, and on its own! Draw a ven-diagram why don't you, I guarantee very few descriptive words/facts will land in that little space where the circles overlap... The rather impossible thing here is that the band recorded a full-length late in 2008 (Blue Lambency Downward), Coyote hits early 2010 and the band is already in the process of writing another full-length! For a band as remarkable as Kayo Dot, that takes an immeasurable amount of initiative and inventiveness... Last, but not least, the record was recorded by Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Earth, Six Organs Of Admittance Kayo Dot, Mamiffer, Wolves in the Throne Room).

European Tourdates
Sep 29 @ Le Kab, Geneva CH
Sep 30 - Tbc, ITALY
Oct 2 @ Frühauf, Leipzig DE
Oct 3 @ Sklad Butelek, Warszawa PL
Oct 4 @ klub Pod Minoga, Poznan PL
Oct 5 @ Klub 007, Praha CZ
Oct 6 @ Kult41, Bonn DE
Oct 7 @ ACU, Utrecht NL
Oct 9 @ Drom, New York, NY w/ Extra Life

www.kayodot.net

Atlanta's own Winston Audio takes to road- dates with Color Revolt, Meat Puppets and more, The Red Rhythm out now!



Southern boys Winston Audio continue their never ending US tour!
Out in support of their current self released LP The Red Rhythm,
Winston Audio have warmed stages in front of Manchester Orchestra, FUN and the Audrey Sessions.

Garnering tons of love from press including the cover of Performer Magazine,
Winston Audio spent time off the road in the studio with producer Dan Hannon
working on a special 7” that will feature The Red Rhythm’s “Hey Ann” and new track.
Release date to be announced soon!

Winston Audio’s latest single “Hey Ann” recently joined the ranks of songs by heralded artists like
Elvis Costello, Iron and Wine and Passion Pit as one of the featured tracks of June’s Paste Magazine sampler.

Winston Audio will be featured in the October issue of Alternative Press magazine in the AP Recommends. Other bands that have been featured include: Tokyo Police Club, Audrey Sessions, Good Ol War, and Russian Circles.

On Tour This Fall- More Dates Coming Soon!
October 2nd- Princess Theater - Columbus, MS
October 3rd- Hayride Soundstage - Shreveport, LA
October 4th- Haileys w/ Colour Revolt - Denton, TX
October 5th- The Parish w/ Colour Revolt and UME - Austin, TX
October 6th- Mangos w/ Colour Revolt and UME - Houston, TX
October 9th- The Drunken Unicorn w/ Young Orchids - Atlanta, GA
October 10th- Mellow Mushroom Bar w/ UME and The Classic Flame - Tuscaloosa, AL
November 9th- Adrian College- Tobias Room w/ The Injured List - Adrian, MI
November 10th- Mac’s Bar - Lansing, MI
November 13th- Schuba’s Tavern with Meat Puppets - Chicago, IL

Denver's Something Like Sound likened the band's live performance to that of hard-hitting fan favorites like Alkaline Trio and Taking Back Sunday, though pointing out that "the Winston Audio guys definitely had a slightly more upbeat approach than those groups.”

This was the first time we had seen or even heard of Winston Audio, but man we were missing out. The guys from Georgia give off a southern indie-rock vibe that you truly experience in their live performance.
Cleveland's Pushing Triggers

It was “Hey Ann” that had people rushing over to the merch table to buy their new album The Red Rhythm.
Kansas City's Popwreckoning

You get the loud, wailing guitar infrastructures and huge choruses and verses, but you also get the confidence of major alternative rock groups that made music to make music and, which has nearly all been forgotten, make a statement.
Absolute Punk

The only thing chunkier than the riffs are the heavy lyrics, and when you can put that kind of combination together, you know you have a winner. The Red Rhythm is definitely that.
Stereo Subversion

It may not be what hipsters want right now, but it is certainly what people need.
Flagpole Magazine

Producer Dan Hannon’s skill and the poetry of the band successfully introduce an album of clever, life-inspired lyrics with the essence of classic ‘90s rock.
Ticket Alternative Live

“How a plant blossoms and dies and comes back again. Seasons reflect the same thing. It's all rhythmical. Just like your heart pumps blood at a constant pace. So as people we try to find where we fit in with that. Specifically, where death fits in.” This is The Red Rhythm as Daniel Dewitt, singer and bassist, of Winston Audio describes it.

The Red Rhythm is the first full length from Georgia’s Winston Audio, but by no means is Winston Audio some new band. Winston Audio formed in 2002 sporting a younger sound that lacked the romantic fury they have now. As the days have faded into the past members have changed, as they do in bands, but when the current line-up of Daniel Dewitt, Dan Gleason, Zach Brown, Michael Adkins, and Shane Lenzen O'Conell began to play and write together the sound expanded, more textures found homes, and waves rushed in for melodies to harmonize over drenched drunk guitars.

Touches of Seattle darkness, Southern heartfelt indie-rock, these phrases get glued to Winston Audio to describe their sound, their sonic output, but neither of these really describes them. As the name of the album suggests Winston Audio are slaves to a rhythm, a rhythm that takes the listener to a place they have been to before, a place familiar enough for them to let lose and feel the great release only a band can bring, no where do you see this more than when Winston Audio takes to the stage, their true home. Live they have become known for communicating a subtlety in loudness that truly puts them in a class all of their own. Stages have been shared with Silversun Pickups, Manchester Orchestra, FUN, Colour Revolt, Straylight Run, Anathallo, and mewithoutyou.

This is just the beginning for Winston Audio. The rhythms and hums of the music have not even begun to travel their distances.

http://www.myspace.com/winstonaudio

LUDO SIDE PROJECT THE NEW HEATHERS ANNOUNCE EP AND TOUR DATES

There's been quite a bit of news out of the Ludo camp lately. The St. Louis band, whose 2008 major-label debut, You're Awful, I Love You, sold over 100 thousand copies thanks to non-stop touring, was rather quiet the first half of 2009 but have emerged with all sorts of announcements. The band is re-releasing their first two albums on their own label September 29, they are playing nine shows this fall where they'll be performing their 2005 rock opera Broken Bride in its entirety, and they've begun work on their next album for Island Records with producer Matt Wallace. But that's not all Ludo has been working on in the first half of the year.

They've announced the formation of a side-project, The New Heathers. "It all just kind of worked out," says Ludo guitarist and Heathers' front man Tim Ferrell. "I was writing a lot of songs that didn't really fit for Ludo. We finally had some time off and our singer, Andrew, wanted to spend some time at home before we put out the next Ludo album. Fortunately for me, the other guys were anxious to record and play some shows as well." And so 3/4 of Ludo - singer/ guitarist Ferrell, keyboardist Tim Convy, and drummer Matt Palermo entered the studio and became The New Heathers.

Why "The New Heathers?" When the trio was still unnamed, Convy came across an article about Winona Ryder declaring that there was a sequel in the works to her 80's teen dark comedy Heathers. "I'm a big fan of that movie, so I kept looking for details," said Convy. "As it turns out, every few years Wynona declares they're making a sequel, but no one else involved with the film knows what she's talking about, and no one's actually planning to make the sequel...ever!" Convy brought the name to his band mates and within days Ferrell came across "The New Heathers" in the book he was reading at the time, Jack Keourac's Dharma Bums. They took it as a sign.

So armed with a name, they set out to find a sound. "It'll sound something like Ludo, 'cause it's us playing, but Tim's songs and voice are pretty different from Andrew's," says Palermo. Ludo fans have heard Ferrell's work before; he's penned several Ludo songs including "Topeka", a fan-favorite from You're Awful, I Love You. But the six songs on the EP entitled The Fuel, The Fire, The Spark are different not only from Ludo tracks but from each other. "Agatha" starts the release off with guitar noises and slides into a throwback soul song about hopeless love, complete with a dueling guitar fade-out ending. "Mr. Green Blades" is prog-y and invokes Queen and Rush while the title track could be a lost Johnny Cash tune. "Start" is a socially-conscious Ramones-style anthem, "Hammer & Chisel" borrows from The Decemberists and "Santa Rosa" is equal parts Wilco and Simon and Garfunkel.

But all of the influences are united by two things: Ferrell's simple, sincere vocals and the production of Jason McEntire. "We wanted it to be simple, stripped down, and to feel very live. We did it all in seven days," says McEntire who was also at the boards for Ludo's Broken Bride as well as albums for Ha Ha Tonka and Son Volt. The Fuel, The Fire, The Spark is available at digital retailers now and the physical release hits stores October 13th. The New Heathers will headline their first shows across the U.S. this fall in between Ludo dates starting October 18 is Allston, MA.

www.myspace.com/thenewheathers

Tour Dates

October 18 - Allston, MA - Harper's Ferry
October 20 - Columbus, OH - The Basement
October 21 - Lansing, MI - Mac's Bar
October 25 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground
October 26 - Lawrence, KS - The Granada
October 27 - Iowa City, IA - The Picador
October 28 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
November 1 - Colorado Springs, CO - The Black Sheep
November 4 - Salt Lake City, UT - V2
November 9 - Scottsdale, AZ - Martini Ranch
November 10 - Tuscon, AZ - Club Congress
November 12 - Austin, TX - Emo's

We All Have Hooks For Hannds Announce Fall Tour - New Album November 17th

Sioux Falls mega group We All Have Hooks For Hands are eagerly anticipating the release of their new album The Shape Of Energy, out on Afternoon Records this coming November 17th. A pre-order is available now at the Afternoon Records website, and this October during the lead up to their album release the band is hitting the road and plan to tour throughout the fall/winter.

The Shape of Energy is the follow up to their ambitious DIY debut The Pretender (recorded in a self-built recording studio with self-taught production skills), which won recognition for its curiously (on account of the bands size) stripped down sound, resembling a full-throttle more gleeful incarnation of Neutral Milk Hotel. Of The Pretender, The Tripwire noted that "the sheer energy and uniqueness makes this quite a treat." The Shape of Energy picks up where the band left off, and sees them expanding and growing as a collective of musicians. On the album, distinctive vocals and layered sing-a-long choruses are accompanied by a loose yet enveloping quilt of bright guitar riffs, floating horns, keyboards, violin, and dueling drummers.

Originally starting in a downtown Sioux Falls apartment as a simple project to create happy pop songs, We All Have Hooks For Hands grew into a full band with a radiant sound and care-free vibe perfect for road trips, parties, and sunny afternoon hang outs.

http://hooksforhands.wordpress.com/
http://www.myspace.com/weallhavehooksforhands

OCTOBER 2009
09 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
10 - Madison, WI - University of Wisconsin
15 - Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub
16 - Newton, KS - Pages
18 - St. Louis, MO - The Firebird
19 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room
20 - Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
21 - Colorado Springs, CO - The Loft
23 - Live Online at Argusleader.com
23 - Sioux Falls, SD - Black Sheep Coffee
23 - Sioux Falls, SD - Club David
25 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews

NOVEMBER 2009
17 - Brooklyn, NY - Trash Bar
18 - New York, NY - Lit Lounge
19 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fire

More Dates TBA

OK Go to release new album January 12, 2010

(New York, NY) The mind-bending band that gave us what is largely considered the decade's most viewed music video (even the Simpsons parodied it), the treadmill-manned "Here It Goes Again" is back. Never content to rest on their laurels, OK Go is preparing to tread anything but familiar territory with their upcoming new album, Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky releasing on January 12, 2010 on Capitol Records.

The 13-track opus is the long-awaited follow-up to their acclaimed Oh No, which spawned the 2007 Grammy-award-winning video hit "Here It Goes Again" (setting numerous viewing records as it helped transform the then-fledgling YouTube into a household name)." Of the Blue Colour of the Sky is currently primed to kick off 2010 as one of the new year's most buzzed-about releases. According to lead singer, Damian Kulash, the new album springs from a different departure point than previous OK Go releases. "It's not so much that we headed in a new direction. I think we've just expended the guitar-rock ideas from our teens and we're starting to get at more root-level influences. There's a lot of Purple Rain on this record - an album I haven't stopped listening to since I got it when I was eleven."

Kulash added that record's title comes from an 1876 book promoting the erroneous theory that blue light cures all ills. As fits a record influenced by Prince and crackpot 19th century arm-chair scientists, the record is both danceable and contemplative; it's introspective, with a vein of surrealism running through it. There's a song that considers the earth before it was round, one sung by a man who's traded places with his reflection, and plenty of heartbreak and (attempts at) hope, mostly hung on a groovier backbone than we've heard from OK Go before. "We started these songs with a groove," Damian says. "They started as base feelings, not chord progressions or lyrical ideas, and then we layered." After 2005's Oh No, recorded nearly live with minimal overdubs, and their swaggering 2008 EP You're not Alone, backed by the trombone band Bonerama (a benefit for musicians displaced by hurricane Katrina), this new sound comes as something of a departure.

Funk-edged songs such as "Skyscrapers," "All Is Lost," "White Knuckles," and the Prince-inspired, odd-time-signature hip shaker "WTF?" embody the album's heady flow of adventurous undercurrents. "This album is the most layered production we've ever done," says Damian. Produced by ex-Mercury Rev member David Fridmann (Flaming Lips, MGMT), Damian acknowledges that Fridmann's singular production style and secluded studio environment in Fredonia, NY ('you have to drive fifteen minutes for a cup of coffee' he notes) added to the CDs emotive heft. "We were there to work, and for weeks on end it snowed and we just lived in the bubble with our songs." Amazingly, the band's original pool of song ideas numbered more than a hundred, with the group eventually narrowing the choices down to manageable double digits.

Kulash has also kept himself busy with an assortment of activist endeavors - he testified in support of internet neutrality before a Congressional Special Task Force. He and bandmate, Andy Ross, met with leaders on Capitol Hill in the spring of 2008 to advocate for the same. The band also met with then-candidate, Barack Obama, about the specter of access-limiting online practices, and other issues, with the group eventually appearing in ads in support of Obama. OK Go also took time from their non-stop touring regimen (31 consecutive months over five continents) to raise money in support of New Orleans' music culture in the wake of Katrina. The band's efforts with Bonerama raised more than half of the money for soul legend Al "Carnival Time" Johnson's new home in New Orleans.

Damian and the rest of the band look forward to full-fan reaction to Of the Blue Colour of the Sky come January. "I think it sounds more like us than anything else we've done," he says. "Its more like the music that's in the back of my head, just out of reach, that I've been trying to get to for so long. And it embodies contradiction in a way I feel connected to. It's both the saddest and the most hopeful music we've made, and both the danciest and most thoughtful."

www.okgo.net
www.myspace.com/okgo
www.facebook.com/okgo
www.youtube.com/okgo
www.twitter.com/okgo

YOUTH GROUP RETURNS TO THE U.S. FOR HEADLINE TOUR AND SUPPORT RUN WITH THE GET UP KIDS



Australian romanticists Youth Group are currently touring the U.S. as main support for the reunited Get Up Kids, as they warm up for their own headline tour next month. The band's second return to the States in support of their latest LP, The Night Is Ours, will kick off October 4 in Urbana, Ill. and snake its way through the Midwest and East Coast.

The Syndey-based band's fourth full-length album, The Night Is Ours, is the newest chapter in the band's impressive catalogue of shimmering, melody-driven rock. Produced by Tim Kevin, Anthony The and Youth Group, the album was recorded in a near-derelict 1920s mess hall on Sydney's harbor. Like their previous work, the 10-song collection is replete with chiming guitars, pensive lyrics and strong hooks, all buoyed by frontman Toby Martin's wafting croon. Hailed by critics for its aural beauty, Alternative Press declared, "The Night Is Ours' sonic splendor shines like a beacon" while Harpers Bazaar described it as "a dark and powerful execution from an accomplished group."

Songs like "Two Sides" demonstrate the foursome's infectious grooves and bouncy basslines while "One For Another" manages to make a rehab romance sound triumphant as it ends with a victorious horn blast. The self-described "mini epic" "In My Dreams" encapsulates the wistful aura of the album, as Martin uses the song to express his grief over a lost loved one. The song was mixed by Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie who has been a longtime fan since the band's 2005 debut, Skeleton Jar. Of that album he said: "Skeleton Jar is sweet and dear and genuine in a world stolen by cynics. Put simply, Youth Group gets it. If you don't love them your heart is dead."

YOUTH GROUP ON TOUR WITH THE GET UP KIDS

September 30 - Dallas, Texas @ Granada Theatre
October 1 - Oklahoma City, Okla. @ Diamond Ballroom
October 2 - Omaha, Neb. @ Slowdown
October 3 - Iowa City, Iowa @ The Picador

YOUTH GROUP HEADLINE TOUR

October 4 - Urbana, Ill. @ The Canopy
October 6 - Chicago, Ill. @ Schubas
October 7 - Columbus, Ohio @ The Basement
October 8 - Akron, Ohio @ Musica
October 9 - Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Smiling Moose Upstairs
October 10 - New York, N.Y. @ Pianos
October 13 - Hoboken, N.J. @ Maxwell's
October 14 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Silk City Lounge
October 15 - Hamden, Conn. @ The Space
October 16 - Cambridge, Mass. @ TT the Bears
October 19 - Baltimore, Md. @ The Ottobar

YOUTH GROUP

Tegan And Sara To Release New Album Sainthood



ON, IN, AT: A TRIO OF BOOKS CHRONICLES THE LIVES OF TEGAN AND SARA
PRE-SALE NOW AVAILABLE

One of the most celebrated and Beloved forces in modern music, Canadian pop-rock icons Tegan and Sara
will release their eagerly awaited sixth studio album, entitled SAINTHOOD, on October 27th on Sire/Vapor Records.
SAINTHOOD was produced by Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla (who also produced 2007’s critically applauded THE CON)
and Howard Redekopp (who produced 2004’s groundbreaking effort SO JEALOUS) and mixed by Grammy Award winner
Dave Sardy (Oasis, Primal Scream, Marilyn Manson).

The follow-up to 2007’s THE CON, SAINTHOOD addresses secular themes of devotion, delusion, and exemplary behavior
in the pursuit of love and relationships. The songs, Tegan and Sara say, were “inspired by emotional longing and the quiet actions
we hope may be noticed by the objects of our affection. SAINTHOOD is about obsession with romantic ideals. In the service of
relationships we practice being perfect. We practice our sainthood in the hope that we will be rewarded with adora tion. As we
are driven to become anything for someone else, we sometimes become martyrs for our cause.

Love, like faith, can never be held in an individual’s hands. But the story of a great love affair – especially one that is
unrequited or has ended too soon – can be woven like scripture or a bedtime story. And so the themes of SAINTHOOD are tied
together by this simple title, borrowed, with great respect, from the lyrics of the Leonard Cohen song ‘Came So Far For Beauty’:
‘I practiced all my sainthood / I gave to one and all / But the rumors of my virtue / They moved her not at all.’”
Tegan and Sara began recording SAINTHOOD in May at the legendary Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, CA, where
Tom Petty, Nirvana, and Fleetwood Mac have all recorded. They finished laying down tracks at Seattle’s Two Sticks Audio,
owned by Death Cab drummer Jason McGerr.

Tegan and Sara have also recently completed their first ever set of books, titled ON, IN, AT. The three-book set chronicles
different time periods in writing and photographs from the past year of Tegan and Sara's lives: their 2008 US national tour,
their 2009 Australian tour, and a joint writing session in New Orleans for the new album. The books are being released
in conjunction with the SAINTHOOD pre-sale.

To celebrate the release of SAINTHOOD, Tegan and Sara will perform four very special shows: October 25th and 26th at
Los Angeles’ Orpheum Theater, and October 30th and 31st at New York City’s Town Hall. Tickets for all shows are on-sale now.
Also confirmed: Tegan and Sara will perform live on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien on Nov 2.
Check local listings for details. Plans for a full U.S. tour in February 2010 in support of SAINTHOOD will be
announced soon. Canadian tour dates have just been announced.

For info, tour dates, merch, personal blogs and much more,
visit: www.teganandsara.com

Monday, September 28, 2009

UK's Metronomy announce new EP + West Coast dates



Metronomy - MySpace

After their recent reincarnation as a fully realised four piece, UK's electro-pop superstars Metronomy are ready to offer up a spread of new music!

The brand new seven song EP, out October 5th, features the equally outstanding "Not Made For Love" and "Do The Right Thing". This is backed by "What Do I Do Now? " and an array of resplendent remixes courtesy of Leo Zero, Wild Geese, Joakim and more.

After a summer of running on the festival front, Joseph Mount and company whipped up a dance storm in tents all over the world, including Summersonic in Japan, Reading, Leeds and Bestival in the UK, Switzerland, France and forthcoming North American tour in October. See full live dates below.

The Not Made For Love EP release coincides with an exclusive West Coast tour starting October 8th.

METRONOMY 2009 WEST COAST TOUR

10/08 San Diego, CA - The Loft, La Jolla *
10/09 Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy Theater *
10/10 San Francisco, CA - Bottom Of The Hill *
10/11 Portland, OR - Holocene *
10/12 Seattle, WA - Nectar Lounge *
10/13 Vancouver, BC - The Red Room *

* with Fool's Gold

"The best dance album of 2008, ludicrously brilliant - 9/10"
- NME

"An instant party soundtrack, one of the UKs most promising new producers - 5/5"
- Observer Music Monthly

"A Modern Classic"
- The Independent on Sunday

"This superbly confident exercise in future pop deserves your immediate attention"
- Sunday Times Culture

"Hooray for Metronomy, brilliant"
- The London Paper

SWOLLEN MEMBER’S RETURN TO RELEASE NEW LP ARMED TO THE TEETH

After Enduring Drug Addiction, The Collapse Of Their Former Record Label And Legal Issues, Swollen Members Return Triumphantly With New LP, Armed To The Teeth, Which Will Be Released On 10-27-09 And It Includes Guest Appearances From Talib Kweli, Everlast, Glasses Malone and Slaine

Vancouver based Swollen Members and Battle Axe Records have formed a partnership with California based Suburban Noize Records for the release of the group’s upcoming new projects. The first release under the partnership will be Swollen Members heavily anticipated new studio album “Armed To The Teeth”, which is slated for release October 27th, 2009 through Suburban Noize. The group also plans to release a greatest hits disc and the debut album from Battle Axe Warriors, a new project featuring Swollen Members along with newcomer Tre Nyce, later this year.

"We're very excited to announce we've signed with Suburban Noize Records for the release of our new album and upcoming projects," said Mad Child from Swollen Members in a statement. "When we decided to make calls to interested labels and shop our new material, Suburban Noize was the first and last call I had to make. After talking with them, I knew right away they were the best home for us because they were already fans of our music. We respect what the label has done for artists like La Coka Nostra and Kottonmouth Kings and we know that they will do everything that they can to push Swollen Members on a global level."

Swollen Members have been clawing their way to the top of the hip-hop totem pole since their inception. Founded by two of the game’s best MCs, Mad Child and Prevail, along with the help of DJ Rob The Viking, the group has released an impressive back catalog of classic albums and collaborated with some of hip-hop’s biggest names, including Chali 2na (Jurassic 5), Dilated Peoples and Everlast. Meanwhile the group has rocked stages from Los Angeles to Japan performing hundreds of shows a year in front of massive audiences with underground legends like Tech N9ne to mainstream chart toppers like Nelly Furtado, Ghostface and Black Eyed Peas.

With the release of their new studio effort "Armed To The Teeth" and the upcoming Battle Axe Warriors album, Swollen Members are ready to let the industry and fans know they are no longer the world’s best kept secret, but some of the most lethal MCs in the game. “Armed To The Teeth” is a snapshot of the trials and tribulations the group endured during the past two years, including Mad Child’s battle with drug addiction, the collapse of their former record label and the legal troubles that plagued the group throughout the recording process.

www.MySpace.com/SwollenMembers

Lotus Announce NYE Run in Philly, Set to Begin Fall Tour

Lotus announce a New Year's eve run in Pennsylvania that will culminate with an epic New Year's Eve Show with MSTRKRFT at Philadelphia's Electric Factory. Leading up to the big night, the band will stop at Mr. Smalls Theatre (Pittsburgh, PA) on 12/29 and The Note (West Chester, PA) on 12/30, both with support act Tigersapien.

The New Year's Eve announcement comes as Lotus prepare to hit the road for a full season of touring. Along their Fall Tour, Lotus will break ground in a way that no other rock band has done prior - they are plotting a tour this fall that truly allows their legion of fans to pay-what-they-want for tickets. The Pay-What-You-Want-Tour featuring Lotus is an eight night run of shows in western U.S. states, sponsored by Ticketweb, that lets the fans decide how much their show ticket will cost. At the $15.00 Pay-What-You-Want level or higher, fans receive free digital downloads of the band's two new EPs Feather on Wood and Oil on Glass, both to be released on October 6, 2009.

The Pay-What-You-Want dates are part of Lotus' larger Fall Tour, running from early-October through the end of the year. Big stops include performances at Denver's Fillmore, NYC's Terminal 5 (w/ support acts RJD2 and Junior Boys DJ set), Baltimore's Sonar, Chicago's Vic Theatre, the Electric Factory in Philly for New Year's Eve and others. Lotus brings out several must-see opening acts for many of these shows, including Break Science feat Adam Dietch, The Egg (from London, UK), Big in Japan, Big Gigantic, RJD2, Junior Boys, and more. Don't miss a few special small shows: here's the scoop - the Denver Fillmore show is being bundled with the Quixote's show (to get into Quixotes, you must buy the Fillmore ticket), and also, for New Years, Lotus presents another "bundled" show at The Note in West Chester, PA (to purchase a ticket for The Note, you must purchase a bundled Electric Factory ticket).

Downloads of both new EPs will be bundled with advance ticket purchases for select Fall Tour dates including the two Denver shows, both Boston shows and the New Year's run . The material on both Feather on Wood and Oil on Glass can be directly traced back to Lotus' 2008 full-length release, Hammerstrike. A number of songs were recorded that didn't find their way onto Hammerstrike (either they hadn't been finished by deadlines or they weren't coalescing with the sound of that project), but after finishing the album, Lotus decided to revisit these tracks, and the results are extraordinary. Feather on Wood is sunnier with a laid-back vibe, yet not afraid of big rock beauty, while Oil on Glass is darker in character, with more head-nodding tempos.

Listing of forthcoming Lotus tour dates (and who will be opening each show):
October 2 Aces Lounge Austin, TX
October 3 Aces Lounge Austin, TX

PAY-WHAT-YOU-WANT Dates (Oct 6-Oct 14)
October 6 The Roxy Hollywood, CA w/ Break Science ft Adam Deitch
October 7 The Independent San Francisco, CA w/ Break Science ft Adam Deitch
October 8 McDonald Theatre Eugene, OR w/ Break Science ft Adam Deitch
October 9 The Showbox Seattle, WA w/ Break Science ft Adam Deitch
October 10 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR w/ Break Science ft Adam Deitch
October 11 The Nightlight Bellingham, WA w/ Break Science ft Adam Deitch
October 13 Knitting Factory Boise, ID w/ Break Science ft Adam Deitch
October 14 Murray Theater Salt Lake City, UT w/ Break Science ft Adam Deitch
October 15 Belly Up Aspen, CO
October 16 Quixotes Denver, CO
October 17 The Fillmore Denver, CO
October 20 Granada Theatre Lawrence, KS
October 21 The Old Rock House St. Louis, MO w/ The Egg
October 22 Slowdown Omaha, NE w/ The Egg
October 23 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN w/ The Egg
October 24 Turner Hall Ballroom Milwaukee, WI w/ The Egg
October 26 Copper Dragon Carbondale, IL w/ The Egg
October 27 Bluebird Nightclub Bloomington, IN w/ The Egg
October 28 Bogart's Cincinnati, OH w/ The Egg
October 29 House of Blues Cleveland, OH w/ The Egg
October 30 The Town Ballroom Buffalo, NY w/ Tigersapien.
October 31 Sonar Baltimore, MD w/ Big In Japan & The Egg
November 1 The State Theatre State College, PA
November 4 Higher Ground Burlington, VT w/ The Egg
November 5 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA w/ The Egg
November 6 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA w/ The Egg
November 7 Revolution Hall Troy, NY w/ Tigersapien.
November 10 Is Venue Charlottesville, VA w/ Big Gigantic
November 11 Cat's Cradle Carrboro, NC w/ Big Gigantic
November 12 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA w/ Big Gigantic
November 13 Bear Creek Music & Arts Live Oak, FL
November 14 Orange Peel Asheville, NC w/ Big Gigantic
November 27 Vic Theatre Chicago, IL
November 28 Terminal 5 New York, NY w/ RJD2 and Junior Boys (DJ Set)
December 29 Mr. Smalls Theatre Pittsburgh, PA w/ Tigersapien. & aFugate
December 30 The Note West Chester, PA w/ Tigersapien.
December 31 Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA w/ MSTRKRFT and special guests DJs Pex vs. Playloop

What critics have been saying about Lotus:

"... simultaneously making waves on the jam, indie and electronica scenes thanks to a series of well-crafted albums." - Relix

"Lotus continue to expand upon its post-everything rock/electronic/jazz/free-form pastiche."
- Big Shot Magazine

"...intent on creating a new genre (few try that these days)...it is rock, and smart disco, funk and soul, piano pop, world music, and modern alienation stuff and jazz fusion you can dance to all wrapped up in cellophane." -Big Takeover

For more information and updates visit www.lotusvibes.com.

METRIC ANNOUNCES NEW NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES IN SUPPORT OF FANTASIES

Riding the wave of success of their latest album Fantasies, METRIC announces that they will hit the road for a fresh round of North American tour dates this fall, beginning on November 16th at Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY.

METRIC stands out amongst a new breed of music acts that opts for a hands-on approach, as opposed to turning to established labels and large management companies to chart their destiny and develop fan relationships.

That success is punctuated by the fact that METRIC's debut single, "Help I'm Alive," has officially cracked the Top 20 Alternative charts on US commercial radio (Mediabase.) The single got something of an organic start as it was accidentally leaked online, picked up by The Hype Machine blog and then put on air by Seattle's KNDD last February.

METRIC is in solid, groundbreaking company with their self-released approach, joining Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam and a host of others who are going to market without the support of a traditional retail label. However, Metric sets itself apart by being the only one so far to actually "break" and begin to cross over in to the mainstream entirely on the basis of a self-released album. All of the other artists currently taking a similar path were previously well established, generally having had the backing of a major label in the initial stages of their career, which helped them sell millions of albums and establish a global fan base which has been instrumental in allowing them to do what they are doing today. METRIC, on the other hand, sold more albums within 8 weeks of releasing Fantasies than they did in the previous four years with their prior release, Live It Out... making this album their first major breakthrough success.

METRIC accomplished this feat with the help of a small but global operation coordinated by their two managers, operating out of their home in Montreal, Canada. The operation included direct-to-fan efforts, extensive online, radio, retail, video, tour, and synch licensing initiatives.

The first leg of METRIC's North American tour can be found below. More dates to be announced soon.

You can listen to Fantasies in its entirety and download the hit single "Help I'm Alive" at http://ilovemetric.com.

November 16, 2009 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom
November 17, 2009 Portland, ME Portland City Music Hall
November 18, 2009 Hartford, CT Webster
November 19, 2009 Providence, RI Lupo's
November 20, 2009 Boston, MA House of Blues
November 21, 2009 Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights
November 23, 2009 Baltimore, MD Ram's Head Live!
November 24, 2009 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small's
November 25, 2009 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
November 27, 2009 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre
November 28, 2009 Atlanta, GA Center Stage
November 30, 2009 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
December 1, 2009 Austin, TX La Zona Rosa
December 2, 2009 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom

STRUNG OUT NEWS BRIEF

On the cusp of kicking off a headlining US tour on October 1st in San Antonio, TX, Strung Out are excited to bring Agents Of The Underground to fans across the country, as well as to fans in Costa Rica and Japan (see all tour dates below). “We are really pumped up about the release of this album and I think all our fans, old and new, will be impressed,” says Strung Out drummer Jordan Burns. “We're looking forward to playing these songs live and getting back into tour mode. It will be our second time playing Costa Rica and of course Japan is going to be amazing as well. Can't wait!”

Agents Of The Underground was produced by Cameron Webb (Motorhead, Social Distortion, Ignite) and is “the culmination of everything we’ve done,” says vocalist Jason Cruz. Filled with the band’s signature sound which blends the technicality and musicianship of metal with punk’s fury, SPIN says “Agents of the Underground has all the double-time drums and big choruses and devil’s-horns-worthy guitar leads you could ask for from a bunch of fellas who’ve been at this longer than some of their contemporaries have been alive,” while ALTERNATIVE PRESS comments “blazing, guitar harmony-driven tracks like 'Heart Attack' sound like Bad Religion covering Iron Maiden, while breakdown-dominated tracks like 'Dead Spaces' finally see the band writing music that's heavy without being heavy-handed.”

Strung Out live dates:

Oct 1 – San Antonio, TX @ Rock Bottom
Oct 2 – Austin, TX @ Red Seven
Oct 3 – Dallas, TX @Granada Theatre
Oct 4 – Houston, TX @ Meridian/Red Room
Oct 5 – New Orleans, LA @ Howlin Wolf
Oct 6 – Panama City Beach, FL @ Crazy Marlins
Oct 7 – Tallahasse, FL @ The Engine Room
Oct 8 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
Oct 9 – St. Petersburg, FL @ The State Theatre
Oct 10 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
Oct 11 – Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird Cafe
Oct 12 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
Oct 14 – Fayetteville, NC @ Jesters
Oct 15 – Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11 Tavern
Oct 16 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Peabody's
Oct 17 – Jermyn, PA @ Eleanor Rigby's
Oct 18 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
Oct 19 – Toledo, OH @ Frankies
Oct 20 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
Oct 22 – Sauget, IL @ Pops
Oct 23 – Tulsa, OK @ The Marquee
Oct 24 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
Oct 25 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
Oct 27 – Fort Collins, CO @ The Aggie Theatre
Oct 28 – Casper, WI @ Downtown Grill
Oct 30 – Salt Lake City, UT @ V2
Oct 31 – Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
Nov 1 – Victorville, CA @ Karma
Nov 15 – San Jose, Costa Rica @ Club Vertigo
Nov 27 – Tokyo, Japan @ Shimokitazawa
Nov 29 – Yokohama, Japan @ F.A.D. Yokohama
Nov 30 – Tokyo, Japan @Daikanyama UNIT
Dec 1 – Nagoya, Japan @ Club Quattro
Dec 2 – Osaka, Japan @ Club Quattro

www.myspace.com/strungout
www.strungout.com

WHY? meet their legendary creative partner and have trouble with their shoe endorsement.



To coincide with the release of WHY?'s much-anticipated "Eskimo Snow", the band embarks on a lengthy US tour through November and reveals another brilliant "webisode" documenting their journey to take WHY? to the next level. Episodes 4 and 5 finds the gang running into problems with their shoe endorsement thanks to their new, hippy-dippy manager, Blake Maxwell and we meet WHY?'s legendary new creative partner.

Check out the webisodes and listen to a bit of the album HERE

ON TOUR NOW
10.1 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
10.2 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
10.3 Pittburgh, PA @ Assembly Room
10.4 Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
10.5 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
10.6 Madison, WI @ UW Madison Terrace
10.7 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
10.9 Denver, CO @ Bluebird
10.10 Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
10.13 Anacortes, WA @ Department Of Safety
10.14 Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
10.15 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
10.17 San Francisco @ Great American Music Hall
10.20 Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
10.23 Phoenix, AZ @ Modified
10.24 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
10.26 Denton, TX @ Hailey's
10.28 Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
10.29 Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
10.30 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
10.31 Atlanta, GA @ Lenny's
11.2 Orlando, FL @ The Social
11.3 Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds
11.4 Tallahassee, FL @ Club Down
11.6 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
11.7 Houston, TX @ Walter's
11.8 Austin, TX @ FunFunFun Fest
11.10 Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall
11.11 St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
11.13 Bloomington, IN @ Rhino's Youth Center

Boyce Avenue Announces Release Date For Debut Album

Florida’s Boyce Avenue has announced the release of a new album of original music, entitled All We Have Left. The 13-track collection was self-produced by the band and will be released digitally through InGrooves / Fontana on November 10, 2009 and available in stores in February 2010.

After almost three years of building a worldwide fan base online, Boyce Avenue kicks off its first European headline tour tonight in Hamburg, Germany. The 11-date, 12-show, tour wraps in Dublin on October 4th with a SOLD-OUT concert at the Academy 2. The band’s performance in Cologne tomorrow night has also SOLD-OUT in advance.

Comprised of three brothers from Sarasota, FL, Alejandro, Fabian and Daniel Manzano, Boyce Avenue is gaining worldwide recognition, through a vast and growing online fan base, for its pop-sensible blend of acoustic rock. The band has logged more than 125 million views on YouTube and has over 200,000 subscribers to its YouTube channel, making it one of the top ranked bands on the site and the most-viewed unsigned artist in the world.

Lead singer and guitarist Alejandro Manzano comments on the band’s first international tour by noting, "We are very grateful to be in a position as an independent band to be in Europe right now, thousands of miles from home, playing for fans from around the world.” He adds, “Reaching out to our fans globally has always been a huge priority for us, which is why the Internet has always been a logical means of expressing ourselves and sharing our music.”

In discussing the new album, bassist and backup vocalist Daniel Manzano comments, “Thanks to the outpouring of support we’ve received from our fans online (on YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter) over the last couple years, it’s been possible recently for us to finish our album of original music and to start touring in the United States and abroad. With the completion and release of our album around the corner, we are excited to post even more videos and to tour even more for the fans.” Fabian Manzano, guitarist and backup vocalist, adds “For us, that’s what it’s all about—maintaining a personal connection with the people whose support has made it possible for us to keep doing what we love to do.”

The band of brothers recently capped off its first US headline tour in July with sellout and near capacity turnouts in such major markets as New York, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles, among others.

Boyce Avenue will return from Europe and take a short break, before returning to the road for more live appearances.

2009 European Headline Acoustic Tour

Tue 29 Sep 2009 U.K. Glasgow King Tuts
Wed 30 Sep 2009 U.K. Birmingham Academy 2
Thu 01 Oct 2009 U.K. Manchester Club Academy
Sat 03 Oct 2009 U.K. Belfast Auntie Annies
Sun 04 Oct 2009 EIRE Dublin Academy 2 (matinee show) – 2nd show added
Sun 04 Oct 2009 EIRE Dublin Academy 2 (evening show) – SOLD-OUT


YouTube.com/BoyceAvenue
Facebook.com/BoyceAvenue
MySpace.com/BoyceAvenue
Twitter.com/BoyceAvenue
BoyceAvenue.com

Bear Hands Announce Fall US Tour Dates With Manic Street Preachers



US Tour Dates With Manic Street Preachers

9/25 - Cake Shop - New York, NY
9/26 - Bruar Falls - Brooklyn, NY
10/1 - Metro - Chicago, IL*
10/2 - The Majestic - Detroit, MI*
10/3 - Pop Montreal Festival - Montreal, QB
10/4 - The Phoenix - Toronto, ON*
10/6 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA*
10/7 - Webster Hall - New York, NY*
10/8 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA*
10/21 - CMJ - New York, NY
10/22 - CMJ - New York, NY
10/23 - CMJ - New York, NY

* With Manic Street Preachers


the group you wish you were in.” – NME


"Riveting, devil-may-care rock" –Spin


“Bear Hands make aptly grizzly indie-rock growls, resembling a hungover, vicious Cold War Kids” - The Fly


“Best new band” - Artrocker


“Spectacular.” - Billboard

In August 2006, Dylan Rau (vocals/guitar) brought together Ted Feldman (guitar), Val Loper (bass) and TJ Orscher (drums) in a small NYC practice space. The original plan was to flesh out some demos Rau had been working on but each quickly saw and heard the potential for a band; a band that would be unique sounding yet widely accessible.

Focusing on the rhythm and percussion that Orscher and Loper bring, they strive to bring the driving beat to the foreground and to marry it with the contemplative lyrics of Rau and inventive guitar lines of Feldman. This musical creativity combines and combats ideas set forth by pioneers of the rock genre.

Bear Hands have been fortunate enough to share the stage with MGMT, Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit, Hockey, Ra Ra Riot, Ambulance Ltd and have toured the UK four times in their short career. They have also played prestigious UK & US festivals such as Reading Festival, Leeds Festival, Siren Festival, and Rockness.

Press has been off the hook in the US and the UK for their debut 4 song EP "Golden", their limited edition What A Drag 7", the "Too Pure Singles Club", and for their live shows.

What A Drag will release here in the US in October on Cantora Records who released the first MGMT EP. Bear Hands are currently recording their debut album with Chuck Brody here in New York

www.myspace.com/bearhandsband

Gainesville, FL's Morningbell to release Sincerely, Severely on December 1st, 2009!



Gainesville, FL’s Morningbell is back with their fourth full-length, Sincerely, Severely.

Brothers Eric and Travis Atria have been playing music together their whole lives. Stacie, Eric’s wife, has been playing music with the band for years and drummer Chris Hillman rounds out the family affair that is Morningbell. Throughout the 2000s, Morningbell developed its own brand of melodic, psychedelic rock, rooting itself as a well-established tradition in the Florida music scene. After four successful national tours supporting 2007’s Through the Belly of the Sea, the band holed up in its home studio to record the group’s most ambitious effort to date.

Rhythm is king on Sincerely, Severely. The guitar, one of the most prominent instruments on the band’s previous releases, takes a back seat to bass and drums for an album that evokes everything from Curtis Mayfield to Tom Waits to African drumming and Brazilian folk music.

“We wanted to make an album that reflects everything we are interested in,” says singer Travis Atria.

The result is the band’s best, most mature work yet. The breadth of influences, lyrically and musically, is vast. From Haitian proverbs (“Dancing in the Jaws of a Lion”) to the Book of Revelation (“Soul Ma’am”) to abstract art (“Hello, Dali”) to American spirituals (“Stay in the Garden”) . . . and from Mayfield and Waits to Paul Simon, Al Green, Isaac Hayes and more – Morningbell covers more ground in one album than many bands do in a career.

“Our albums tend to be cerebral,” Atria says. “This one isn’t. It’s direct. It’s sexual.”

The band recorded, produced, engineered and mixed the album, experimenting exhaustively with recording techniques and sounds. Sincerely, Severely reflects that adventurous spirit as well. Listen closely and you’ll hear a toothbrush used as percussion, horns, strings, kazoos, a dog’s bark and much more.

“We worked like motherfuckers on this one,” Atria says, “And it shows.”

Morningbell's music stands up best behind its captivating live performances. Armed with an arsenal of low budget lighting effects, Morningbell not only causes the stage to erupt with sound, but with it's trademarked ‘100-dollar light show’ too. The band has toured the Eastern U.S., including a set at Bonnaroo 2008 where it shared the stage with Bela Fleck, Broken Social Scene, and Solomon Burke.

http://www.myspace.com/morningbell

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Heather Greene's Whisky Song Live in NY, NJ & PA!



"Sweet Otherwise mixes sounds from different eras and genres including toe-tapping rhythms and electronic melodies, but it is her smooth, understated voice that stands out the most."
- Zink Magazine

"... is one of the few female Scotch whisky experts in the world."
- Wall Street Journal

As one of the world’s only female Scotch whisky experts, Heather Greene has quite a life. After selling out venues throughout the U.S. and Europe and receiving exposure on major radio stations worldwide, Heather moved to Scotland to explore her heritage and work on her music. It was there that Heather discovered a zeal for whisky. Arriving in Scotland, she threw herself into the world of Scotch, and her voyage of discovery led her to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Edinburgh, where, as the first American woman to be invited to serve on the tasting panel and eventually joining the company as a U.S. Glenfiddich Ambassador.

It was also in Scotland where her second album, Sweet Otherwise, was conceived. Recorded when she returned to New York in 2008, Sweet Otherwise evokes lush, pastoral landscapes as potently as it captures the urban pulse of a vibrant city, weaving a kaleidoscopic array of musical elements – from classic 1960s-era folk to twangy country to textural electronica to upbeat, hooky 80s pop – into one of year’s most poignant records.

Tour Dates
10/06: Philadephia, PA @ World Café Live
10/08: Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall “Whisky Song”
10/24: Hoboken, NJ @ Rock for Charity

Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School of Medicine Announce Debut Album



"The Audacity of Hype," out October 20th on Alternative Tentacles!

As frontman of the Dead Kennedys, America's most politically astute and savagely ironic punk rock band, Jello Biafra became a hero of the 1980s underground. Even if his musical projects since have been shorter-lived (his 1990s group Lard delivered his traditional polemic with an industrial rock backing) Biafra has not been idle. As record company boss, or spoken-word performer, he has continued to espouse leftist causes, even if music has not been a priority. Evidently, things have now changed, if not much. New band GSM contains familiar elements: Biafra's penetrating, highly strung vocals, some particularly heavy guitar playing, and of course, a unique take on modern life. New songs like Strength Through Shopping, meanwhile, demonstrate that this is a man still on a mission. - The Guardian UK

Though many of Jello Biafra's “collaborations” (Lard, No WTO Combo, Tumor Circus, & records with Melvins, DOA, Nomeansno, & Mojo Nixon) would have been called solo albums by other artists, this is his first full-time working band since Dead Kennedys, and it shows. Also on board are Ralph Spight (Victims Family, Freak Accident, Hellworms) Jon Weiss (Sharkbait, Horsey), Billy Gould (Faith No More), & Kimo Ball (Freak Accident, Carneyball Johnson, Mol Triffid, Griddle).

In the twenty or so years since his brainchild Dead Kennedys officially disbanded, Jello Biafra has made a career of spoken word gigs interspersed with musical collaborations with some of the most compelling figures in underground music. Recording projects and touring with the likes of Melvins, No Means No, DOA, Mojo Nixon and Lard (with Ministry's Al Jorgensen) among others have kept his "hardcore as political weapon" message sharp, but the lack of his own band made these collaborations usually short-lived and left Biafra with a ton of songs that had never seen the light of day.

Inspired by The Stooges gig on Iggy Pop's 60th birthday gig in San Francisco, Biafra laid plans for his own 50th birthday party and finally decided it was time to start a band of his own. After cramming rehearsal for a month the four piece band called themselves Jello Biafra and the Axis Of Merry Evildoers! The band, which featured Jello, Billy Gould, Ralph Spight, & Jon Weiss, took the stage in a sold-out 2-night stand at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. Flush from that exhilarating triumph, the band did 9 months of rehearsal & writing, and added ace guitarist Kimo Ball. This led to the recording of "The Audacity of Hype."

Now christened Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School of Medicine, the band's record was produced by Biafra and engineered by Hip Hop producer and long time Jello co-conspirator Matt Kelley (Hieroglyphics, The Coup, Digital Underground, Victims Family, Tumor Circus) at Prairie Sun Recording in Cotati, CA and San Francisco's Hyde Street Studios.

The band's twin guitar attack retains some of the space-punk overtones and spy-music-on-meth chaos of Dead Kennedys while adding a healthy dose of Detroit style proto-punk, flavored with Weiss' industrial excursions into metal percussion.

Topically, the album explores how our forced Iraqnophobia and Homeland Insecurity continues to feed lawlessness at the top ("The Terror Of Tiny Town") vs. a runaway police state and class war towards the bottom ("Three Strikes," "Electronic Plantation" (originally done by the No WTO Combo, Jello's one-off collaboration with Krist Novelselic (Nirvana) & Kim Thayil (Soundgarden). "Clean As A Thistle" becomes more timely every day as "Family Values" blowhards from Sanford to Berlusconi get caught in sinful trysts, while album closer "I Won't Give Up" offers an age of Obama anthem on how change comes from agitation from below, not from glamour and sound bites from the top.

Thirty years on, Jello Biafra has made an album that solidifies and expands his uncompromising vision and updates it for the new century, with a powerhouse band that promises to be a terrifying live machine, currently in Europe Jon's brother Andrew Weiss (Rollins Band, Ween, Butthole Surfers) filling the live bass position recently left vacant by Billy Gould's return to Faith No More.

* All of the art is by with assistance from AT collaborator & graphic artist John Yates. The in-your-face art is a parody of the famous Obama “HOPE” poster by Shepard Fairey himself. Watch a clip of Jello talking about the band's debut album here, and check out a slew of rough versions of the songs below on the Guantanamo Myspace page!

--

Sat. October 31st Voodoo Experience New Orleans, LA

US Tourdates Coming Soon!

www.myspace.com/jellobiafraandthegsm
www.alternativetentacles.com

Maylene and The Sons Of Disaster Kickoff US Tour w/ All That Remains and Lacuna Coil!

A bluesy, boozy brutal mix that's part swagger, part scream — modern swamp rock — that earned the band supports slots with Clutch, P.O.D., Throwdown, Zao and Taylor's former mates Underoath. Despite the old school leanings of their sound, MATSOD still bring the intensity of their past hardier, heavier gigs to the stage. - Rolling Stone

MAYLENE AND THE SONS OF DISASTER will be kicking off their US tour tomorrow w/ All That Remains and Lacuna Coil. Singer Dallas Taylor is unfortunately not available to accompany the band on the tour, however Maylene friend and He Is Legend frontman Schulyar Dane will be filling in as lead singer.

From Dallas Taylor:

Hey everybody this is Dallas. I just wanted to let everyone know I unfortunately will not be on the upcoming All That Remains tour. I am very excited to get back out on the road soon, however now is not the right time. We are very excited to announce our good friend Schulyar Dane, from the great band He Is Legend will be filling in on vocals. Please come out and support the guys, it's going to be a great tour, and I hope to see you all on the road soon. Thanks for all the support.

* Maylene and The Sons Of Disaster have also recently been added to the upcoming Taste of Chaos European tour w/ special guests In Flames, Killswitch Engage, and Every Time I Die. Full tourdates below!

Maylene and The Sons of Disaster Live!

Hard Drive Tour w/ All That Remains and Lacuna Coil!
Sep 22 2009 Northern Lights Albany, New York
Sep 23 2009 Irving Plaza New York, New York
Sep 25 2009 The Trocadero Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sep 26 2009 The Lost Horizon Syracuse, New York
Sep 27 2009 Club Zoo Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sep 29 2009 House of Blues Cleveland, Ohio
Sep 30 2009 The Orbit Room Grand Rapids, Michigan
Oct 1 2009 Piere's Ft Wayne, Indiana
Oct 2 2009 Clutch Cargo's Pontiac, Michigan
Oct 3 2009 The Barrymore Madison, Wisconsin
Oct 5 2009 Pop's Sauget, Illinois
Oct 6 2009 Newport Music Hall Columbus, Ohio
Oct 7 2009 House of Blues Chicago, Illinois
Oct 9 2009 House of Blues Houston, Texas
Oct 10 2009 The Palladium Ballroom Dallas, Texas
Oct 12 2009 Sunshine Theatre Albuquerque, New Mexico
Oct 14 2009 House of Blues / Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, Nevada
Oct 15 2009 Marquee Theatre Phoenix, Arizona
Oct 16 2009 House of Blues Los Angeles, California
Oct 17 2009 The Crest Fresno, California
Oct 18 2009 Grand Ballroom San Francisco, California
Oct 20 2009 The Knitting Factory Spokane, Washington
Oct 22 2009 Murray Theater Salt Lake City, Utah
Oct 23 2009 The Fillmore Denver, Colorado
Oct 24 2009 Waiting Room Omaha, Nebraska w/ Lacuna Coil * no All That Remains
Oct 25 2009 The Venue @ Playmakers Fargo, North Dakota
Oct 27 2009 MacEwan Hall Calgary, Alberta
Oct 28 2009 Edmonton Events Centre Edmonton, Alberta
Oct 30 2009 Garrick Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba
Oct 31 2009 Epic Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nov 2 2009 The Village Little Rock, Arkansas
Nov 3 2009 Valarium Knoxville, Tennessee
Nov 5 2009 Culture Room Ft Lauderdale, Florida
Nov 6 2009 The Venue Gainesville, Florida
Nov 7 2009 The Masquerade Atlanta, Georgia
Nov 8 2009 House of Blues Orlando, Florida
Nov 9 2009 Music Farm Charleston, South Carolina
Nov 11 2009 Rams Heads Baltimore, Maryland
Nov 12 2009 Chameleon Club Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Nov 13 2009 Starland Ballroom Sayreville, New Jersey
Nov 14 2009 Webster Theater Hartford, Connecticut
Nov 16 2009 Le Medley Montreal, Quebec
Nov 17 2009 Sound Academy Toronto, Ontario

Rockstar Energy Drink TASTE OF CHAOS European Tour!
w/ Killswitch Engage, In Flames, and Every Time I Die
Nov 27th (UK) GLASGOW – O2 Academy
Nov 28th (UK) BRISTOL – O2 Academy
Nov 30th (UK) NEWCASTLE – Academy
Dec 1st (UK) BIRMINGHAM – Academy
Dec 2nd (UK) MANCHESTER – Academy
Dec 3rd (UK) LONDON – Hammersmith Apollo
Dec 4th (B) BORGERHOUT – Trix Hall
Dec 6th (D) BERLIN – Columbia Halle
Dec 7th (D) WIESBADEN – Rhein Main Halle
Dec 8th (D) MUNICH – Zenith
Dec 9th (D) OBERHAUSEN – Turbin Halle
Dec 11th (S) STOCKHOLM – Hovet
Dec 12th (S) GOTHENBURG – Scandanavium
Dec 13th (N) OSLO – Spektrum
Dec 14th (S) MALMO – Arena
Dec 16th (FIN) HELSINKI – Ice Hall

More dates coming soon!

www.myspace.com/mayleneandthesonsofdisaster

Left Lane Cruiser takes Raw Blues on the road in support of "All You Can Eat"



"This is the blues in their purest form, rough and ragged, rubbed raw by too much hard living and too many tough breaks." - Jo-Anne Greene, ALL MUSIC GUIDE

Fort Wayne, Indiana's Left Lane Cruiser will hit the road in October in support of their latest release All You Can Eat on Alive Records. The two-man band features Freddie J Evans IV (aka Joe) on slide guitar and vocals, and Brenn Beck (aka Sausage Paw) on big-ass bass drum, harmonica and a toolbox full of percussive gear. Evans provides the firey fingerpicking and husky vocals. For Beck, everything is an instrument: trash cans, washboards, paint trays, hubcaps, ladders, you name it.

Learning their craft by playing at house parties, at the corner streets of their home town, and rehearsing in a heatless garage, they have developed their personal take on the North Mississippi Hill Country sound. They have toured relentlessly, sharing the stage with artists such as Black Diamond Heavies, T-Model Ford, and Bob Log III. They have also appeared at the infamous Deep Blues festival in River Falls Wisconsin in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

All You Can Eat is the latest release from the super blues duo. It showcases the band's high-voltage punk blues style they're known for and it is everything fans of their Alive debut expects and a lot more. A follow up to their acclaimed 2008 release Bring 'Yo Ass To the Table, this new album was recorded in Detroit at the infamous Ghetto Recorders, and produced by legendary Jim Diamond.

"Left Lane Cruiser plays North Mississippi style blues like a lot of blues bands do these days, they just play it louder and harsher than anyone else, and that includes the North Mississippi AllStars - their sound comes across big enough to fill a stadium." - Blogcritics

"R.L Burnside, Seasick Steve, trash cans, hub caps, meth smoking two dollar pawn shop mics and all sounding as cool as that all sounds." - Organ

"Left Lane Cruiser's high-voltage blues sound is downright nasty. Blistering electric slide guitar and leering vocals distill old-school Mississippi blues down to its rowdiest essence."
- Casual Listening

US Tour Dates
Oct 5 @ The Northside Tavern - Cincinnati, OH
Oct 6 @ The Green Lantern - Lexington, KY
Oct 7 @ Hal and Al's - Columbus, OH
Oct 8 @ The V Club - Huntington, WV
Oct 9 @ The Garage - Winston Salem, NC
Oct 10 @ The Bohemian - Greenville, SC w/ Black Diamond Heavies
Oct 12 @ The End - Nashville, TN
Oct 13 @ JJ's Bohemia - Chattanooga, TN
Oct 14 @ The Hideaway - Johnson City, TN
Oct 15 @ Visulite Theater - Charlotte, NC
Oct 16 @ The Star Bar - Atlanta, GA
Oct 17 @ Knoxville, TN

European Tour Dates
Oct 30 @ La Boule Noire - Paris, France
Oct 31 @ La Peniche - Chalon s/Saone, France
Nov 1 @ Le Galion - Lorient, France
Nov 4 @ Peniche Sonic - Lyon, France
Nov 5 @ Queen Kong Club - Neuhatel, Switzerland
Nov 6 @ Caves Du Manoir - Martigny, Switzerland
Nov 7 @ Le Transformateur - Fribourg, Switzerland
Nov 8 @ El Lokal - Zurich, Switzerland
Nov 9 @ My Way - Freibourg, Germany
Nov 11 @ Cortinan Bob - Berlin, Germany
Nov 12 @ The Paradison - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Nov 13 TBA - Stockholm, Sweden
Nov 15 @ Popdium - Sneek, The Netherlands
Nov 16 @ Little Devil - Tilburg, The Netherlands
Nov 18 @ Club Keller - Frankfurt, Germany
Nov 19 @ DB's - Utrecht, The Netherlands
Nov 20 @ Grand Wazoo - Amiens, France
Nov 21 @ L'Appel D'air - St Brieuc, France
Nov 22 @ Le Chalan - Binik, France
Nov 24 @ St Eupery - Bordeaux, France
Nov 25 @ Sant Des Seins - Toulouse, France
Nov 26 @ Cafe De Paris - Perpignan, France
Nov 27 @ Barakason - Nants, France w/ Black Diamond Heavies
Nov 28 @ Festival Blues Hauts De Seine - Mantes La Jolie, France w/ Black Diamond Heavies