Friday, August 24, 2012

The Burning of Rome to Release Debut LP With Us on September 18 via Surfdog Records; Band Voted Best Alternative Act at Last Week's San Diego Music Awards; View Music Video For First Single, "Ballad of an Onion Sprout"



“A post-apocalyptic mash-up of meticulous orchestration, electronic manipulation and eccentric experimentation” – 944 Magazine

“Gypsy punk rife with keys and rasping vocals” - Paste Magazine

“If you like your music to grin at you with a wide-eyed look of barely contained insanity, then The Burning Of Rome was custom-built for you” – KPBS

Blending gypsy punk, dance, and rock into mind-bending stew, San Diego based ensemble The Burning of Rome will release their debut LP With Us on September 18 via Surfdog Records (Brian Setzer, Glen Campbell, Dave Stewart.) The LP was recorded in LA at EastWest studios and was produced by lead singer Adam Traub and Tom Biller, mixed by Dave Darling (Tom Waits, Jack Johnson, Brian Setzer) with additional remixes by Paul Leary (Butthole Surfers, Sublime, U2, Meat Puppets, Pepper). 

The band was recently voted “Best Alternative Act” at the 2012 San Diego Music Awards. 

Check out The Burning of Rome’slatest music for the first single, Ballad of an Onion Sprout here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pEz6GziaBU.

Deriving influence from such artists as Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle), Danny Elfman (Oingo Boingo), Pink Floyd, and Phil Spector, the San Diego based ensemble defies genres.  “The sound is very eclectic,” says drummer Lee Williams. “I just like people to hear it and then say what they think it sounds like. And you usually get some weird answer that you've never heard before

The Burning of Rome began as a creative outlet for mastermind and front man, Traub.  The small studio project quickly outgrew the four-track tape recorder on which it was born and Traub began collaborating with local musicians who were eager to help bring his vision to life.  After several rotating members, The Burning of Rome has settled in its current and longest-running inception of the band: Traub (keyboards /lead vocals), Joe Aguilar (guitar / vocals), Aimee Jacobs (glockenspiel / synthesizer / vocals), and Lee Williams (drums / percussion).  Together they’ve unleashed Traub’s creation upon the world.  Each song, though disguised alarmingly well by infectious hooks and provocative allusions to historical references, elicits intensely moving accounts of Traub’s interpretation of the human experience. 

“   “As a songwriter music is a therapeutic way for me to cope with the world around me.  Ever since I was a child I felt like an alien visiting Earth and had (and still have) difficulty understanding what makes people normal.  I opted to rebel against the norm through music; it was the only thing that made sense to me,“ explains Traub. “The ultimate goal of The Burning of Rome is to reach as many people as possible with our sound and offer musical asylum to those needing it.  Bands used to carry the banner for their followers in a way that seems fleeting.  There aren’t any Joe Strummers of this generation acting as a voice for those that can’t be heard.  I want The Burning of Rome to carry a banner for its followers and give them refuge from monotony.  I want to rally the masses and call out the corrupt.  I want a revolution to spark from this band.”

The band’s live show successfully personifies a brazen style of rock that fuses the brashness of punk with the captivating drama of a theatrical production, exemplified by the bold, beautiful insanity of front man Traub stomping carelessly on a crooked timeline somewhere between David Bowie and GG Allin.   Each live show is its own rock opera: the band dresses in costumes (everything from hazmat suits to burkas), dances among the audience, and even adds the occasional pig head on a stake just to keep things even more interesting.   Traub commands the attention of the audience over the megaphone: a gothic beat poet who weaves seamlessly among the eerie keyboards and irresistible melody of the band.   It is a profoundly entertaining experience that leaves each onlooker with an intensely personal interpretation of the music. 

Whether The Burning of Rome leaves you mesmerized, bloodied, confused, ecstatic, or bewildered, or whether you can’t figure out if you were at a punk show, dance party, or performance art piece, one thing is certain: you won’t be able to get the songs out of your head.

Cover art:

 

THE BURNING OF ROME is:

Adam Traub: Vocals, Keyboards
Joe Aguilar: Guitar, Vocals
Aimee Jacobs: Keyboards, Vocals
Lee Williams: Drums

Upcoming shows:

Aug 25    Soda Bar   San Diego, CA
Sep 01        SoCal Music Festival    San Diego, CA
Sep 15     Bar Eleven            San Diego, CA

Some random facts about The Burning of Rome:

Music creator Adam Traub grew up in San Diego, CA and at age 15 he was already playing guitar in the punk band Nobody’s Hero, signed to Arista Records.

It all came to a halt when he was diagnosed with a rare muscular disorder in both legs.   He was thrown into a world of medical chaos, 7 surgeries and 6 titanium bolts later, Traub was faced with a long grueling recovery.  During that time he would play an old upright piano and would hobble over to figure out Beatles songs.  Beatles eventually turned to Chopin.  Chopin eventually turned into Thelonious Monk.  And Thelonious eventually turned into The Burning of Rome.

The Burning of Rome follows no suit or trend.  They attempt to do the opposite, challenging conventionalism.  Prepare for something manic and theatrical when you see them live.

The band has been lucky enough to open for acts they admire such as The Black Keys, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Devo, MGMT, Skrillex, Suicidal Tendencies and Jimmy Eat World.


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