The Meek Shall Inherit What’s Left

KISS KISS
PROPHESIZE THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT WHAT’S LEFT

Kiss Kiss

NEW YORK, NY (May 11, 2009) – Self described as “a pop band with schizophrenic urges for the avant garde” and “dark orchestral rock music for the slightly demented,” New York City based spazzy indie rockers KISS KISS will release their sophomore album, The Meek Shall Inherit What’s Left, on July 7th via Eyeball Records.

Written at a dark period of time in singer/keyboardist/mastermind Josh Benash’s life, which included bouts with depression, a vocal polyp and a vocal node (doctors said he probably wouldn’t be able to sing again), he spent lots of free time at his alma mater of SUNY Purchase, locked away in a practice room writing new songs on the piano. Unable to speak, Benash mimed all his ideas to his band mates and wrote thoughts on a black board for FOUR months before the band even hit the studio. The band spent two months in a guesthouse in the woods of Upstate New York with no heat or running water to record The Meek… with Dan Goodwin (Nora Jones, Murder by Death, Thursday, The Number 12 Looks Like You). Goodwin also recorded band’s critically lauded debut, Reality Vs. The Optimist.

With drums, bass, guitars, basic keyboards, live pianos, a string quartet and brass choir recorded on to two inch tape, and then transferred to Pro Tools at the studio, Benash recorded vocals and tweaked the songs in a rented room in a Saugerties, NY house over a four month period.

“This is the way we do each album,” says Benash. “We record what we can’t do on our own and then really focus on vocals on our own time. I also used a lot of home made instruments I wouldn’t have the pocket to sit around and fiddle with in a $1,000 a day studio, like circuit bent drums, modified guitars and many analog keyboards.”

In the face of crippling health issues, “17 or so line up changes,” and the better part of a year spent on production, Kiss Kiss has recorded a 45-minute album full of beautiful string arrangements (“If They Only Knew”), eastern-European flavored freak-outs (“Innocent I”) and pop songs gone awry (“Plague #11”) that is both intimate and epic.

Kiss Kiss is Benash, Rebecca Schlappich (violin), Michael Pat Abiuso (guitar), Patrick Southern (bass), Jared Karns (drums)

www.myspace.com/kisskiss
www.eyeballrecords.com

BURN HALO Set to Release Debut

January 7th, 2009:
 When one door closes, another one opens.  This couldn’t be more true for former 18 Visions singer/songwriter James Hart.  When the Orange County, CA band broke up in 2007 after almost a decade together, that didn’t dissuade Hart and his pursuit to be a frontman once again.  He’s ready to get back to it with his new band, BURN HALO, who will be releasing their charismatic self-titled debut March 10 on Rawkhead Records (through Warner Music Group’s Independent Label Group).

Burn Halo

The album’s first single, “Dirty Little Girl,” which features a guest appearance by Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates, is already getting spins on radio stations around the country, and is in regular rotation on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s “Octane” station.  A video for the track was recently shot in at the Slide Bar in Orange County, CA with Nate Weaver (Against Me!, Taking Back Sunday) at the director’s helm, and will hit the TV and Internet airwaves within the coming weeks.

Anyone who was watching the Dallas Cowboys/Baltimore Ravens football game on the NFL Network on Saturday, December 20 might have heard another song from the album, “Our House,” during the broadcast.  The track will also be heard during a recap of the college football season for “College Football Now” on the NFL Network, which will air this week and weekend, and will be streamed simultaneously on the station’s website (www.nfl.com/nflnetwork).  Fans should check local listings for details.

Never losing momentum after the break-up, Hart landed a label deal with Island/Def Jam and began working almost immediately with songwriter Zac Maloy on what would eventually become BURN HALO’s debut album.  Between May and October of 2007, Hart made week-long treks to Tulsa, OK to write and demo with Maloy.  “I knew that I wanted a clear-cut rock ‘n’ roll band, which is something I had not had in the past,” Hart says of the music.  “My vision and my brand of rock ‘n’ roll without having to compromise on any of the songs or any of the material.  I wanted to make a very straightforward rock album, something that had commercial appeal, but also something that had a classic, vintage mid-‘80s throwback vibe to it.”

Hart recorded the album from October to November of 2007 with Maloy as producer, laying down the tracks with an army of skilled studio musicians, including Nickelback drummer Daniel Adair, former Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, guitarist Neil Tiemann (who now tours with “American Idol” winner David Cook), and Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates (who appears on the “Dirty Little Girl” and “Anejo”).

In the studio, Maloy was particularly helpful in getting the best possible vocal performance out of Hart.  As he explains, “I really felt like he was able to grasp what I wanted to do and where I wanted to take this.  From a producer standpoint I feel like he really knocked it out of the park.  As a vocalist he was able to bring a lot out of me instead of having me go through the motions and just get the part right, emoting a little more than I have in the past.  He was really able to pull a lot of character out of my voice.”

“I think this is a real statement album for me,” Hart continues. “Anyone who is familiar with me and my past is going to be able to get this record.  They’re going to understand why I made this record and that this is the record I’ve been wanting to make.”

After the album was completed in early 2008, Island/Def Jam elected not to release it, leaving Hart with the tough job of finding a new home for his project. Nothing felt quite right, though, so BURN HALO’s manager Bret Bair formed his own label Rawkhead Rekords and partnered with Warner Music Group to release the record.  Hart spent much of 2008 finalizing the line-up of his touring band–which he hopes will help write and record BURN HALO’s next albums–with Aaron Boheler on bass, Joey Sin on lead guitar, Allen Wheeler on rhythm guitar, and Ryan Folden on drums.

BURN HALO’s new ensemble has already been racking up tour dates with bands such as Avenged Sevenfoldand their next jaunt will be with Escape The Fate and Black Tide starting February 5 in Pomona, CA.  A summer tour is already in the works and should be announced in the coming weeks.

Here are the current BURN HALO dates:
DATE       CITY                VENUE
All with Escape The Fate and Black Tide:
Thu 2/5     Pomona, CA         The Glass House
Fri 2/6     Phoenix, AZ        Marquee
Sat 2/7     Albuquerque, NM    Sunshine Theatre
Sun 2/8     El Paso, TX        Chic’s Billiards
Tue 2/10    Dallas, TX         Granada Theatre
Wed 2/11    San Antonio, TX    The White Rabbit
Thu 2/12    Houston, TX        Meridian
Fri 2/13    Metairie, LA       High Ground
Sun 2/15    Ft. Lauderdale, FL    Culture Room
Mon 2/16    Orlando, FL        Firestone
Tue 2/17    Atlanta, GA        Masquerade
Wed 2/18    Charlotte, NC      Amo’s Southend
Thu 2/19    Towson, MD         Recher Theatre
Fri 2/20    Philadelphia, PA   First Unitarian Church

MySpace: www.myspace.com/burnhalo
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JULIEN-K Proclaims Death To Analog!

With two years of solid promotion and prime slots on tours and soundtracks, Julien-K are ready to unleash their debut full length LP, Death To Analog through Metropolis Records on March 10, 2009. A limited edition version of the album will include a bonus disc titled Death To Digital, featuring remixes of album tracks by such electronic luminaries as Paul Oakenfold, Deadmau5, She Wants Revenge, Photek, among others. The brainchild of two of the founding members of the platinum selling group Orgy – Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck, these rockers fuse elements of dark electronic club music with styles of modern rock and pop. Julien-K fill a void that exists between genres without leaning too heavily in any direction. “Why is there no band that’s really rocking my world,”asks vocalist Shuck. “Where are the revolutionaries? I haven’t seen any bands stirring that up, bringing a new look, a new everything, kids buying guitars because they want to sound like that band. With Julien-K that’s what I’m going for. I want to start a movement “a new religion.”

JULIEN-K

Joined by drummer Elias Andra and studio collaborator and cohort Brandon Belsky on keyboards and vocals, Julien-K push the boundaries of what traditional electronic music is supposed to be. Their debut album Death to Analog introduces listeners to a world where technology is fused with artistic expression in a way that has not been attempted before. Creating quite a thunderous stir on tours with Evanescence, Mindless Self Indulgence, as well as a mainstage slot on Projekt Revolution alongside Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Placebo, Taking Back Sunday and HIM, the band had been planning and plotting their international rock overthrow for quite a few years now. The band also appeared on the soundtrack to the hit film Transformers (incidentally, the band are currently scoring and composing the music for Transformers 2 videogame, due out in Summer 2009).

Breaking into the mainstream through their previous band Orgy whose #1 crossover smash, a cover of New Order’s “Blue Monday” that was both ubiquitous and credible, Julien-K have taken the aggrotech of their previous band and immersed it even deeper into synths and electronics. “We are this sort of hybrid of an electronic band and a rock band, which Orgy was as well, but we’re actually skewed more electronic,” Amir says. “I think deep down inside we really felt that we had always wanted the band to go in the direction of what we’re doing now,” says Derakh. “That was the initial thought behind Orgy – to become an electronic band that could play on the same stage with the likes of Linkin Park, Korn, My Chem – real rock bands – and hold our own,” Shuck adds.
Executive produced by Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) and mixed by Tim Palmer (The Cure, HIM, U2), Death To Analog provides a sweeping landscape of musical influences and themes that pull the listener into their world on first listen. From expansive epicness of “Forever” that harkens mid-era Depeche Mode coupled with a futuristic center, to the deconstructed quasi-cover of Romeo Void’s “Nvr Say Nvr”, to the swirling synthpop of the first single and video “Kick the Bass”, this debut sounds both eternally familiar but completely new and refreshing.

“We are trying to say something, we are trying to change things, we are trying to take performance to another level, we are trying to integrate technology in a way that no one ever has, we are trying to continue to write great songs, we are trying to write hooks and have great choruses, we are trying to talk about real life, our lives, situations, things that people can actually identify with, real life, love, relationships, all the things that I used to love in music,” Shuck says. “We are trying to keep passion in music.”

www.julien-k.com
www.myspace.com/julien-k
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RED Announces Initial 2009 Tour Dates

Grammy-nominated modern rock band RED has already garnered airplay across the country–weeks before its official release to radio–for their single “Death Of Me” from their INNOCENCE & INSTINCT album, due out February 10 via Essential Records/Red Distribution.

Red photo by: Jeremy McKnight

The song–which combines a soulful urgency with crunchy guitars, gorgeous strings and a powerhouse chorus–debuts on the R&R Active Rock chart at #39 and has received early adds at stations including: KILO/Colorado Springs, WILL/Chicago, KHTQ/Spokane, WRUF/Gainesville, WXQR/Greenville, KBRE/Merced, KEYJ/Abilene, KFMX/Lubbock, KRQR/Chico, WPRX/Cape Cod, KUPD/Phoenix, WJJO/Madison, KXFX/Santa Rosa, WXRX/Rockford and KZZQ/Salt Lake City. 

“The song is really a regretful introspective moment, where you realize that your own actions have led you down a path you never wanted to take,” says guitarist Anthony Armstrong. “You’re the one who keeps tearing yourself down in some kind of vicious cycle that never seems to end.”

After a brief break at home for the holidays, RED–known for their relentless touring and riveting live shows–return to the road for a January 23 show in Beaumont, TX, followed by a string of dates in February.  Catch RED–JASEN RAUCH (guitars), MICHAEL BARNES (vocals), ANTHONY ARMSTRONG (guitar) and RANDY ARMSTRONG (bass)–on tour in the following cities and go to www.myspace.com/dropofred for current band updates.  Look for additional tour dates to be announced soon. 

About RED

Nashville-based RED made an immediate impact with its 2006 debut, End of Silence, which sold more than a quarter-million copies and earned several awards and nominations. The Grammy-nominated disc–featuring the radio hits “Breathe Into Me” (Top 10, Active Rock), “Let Go” (Top 15, Active Rock) and “Already Over” (Top 15, Active Rock)–introduced the sonic layering, rich orchestration and visceral dynamics that became RED’s signature sound. The album steadily built momentum, cracking the Billboard Top 200 a year after its release. Not surprisingly, the album became a hit with other bands as well, leading to tours and shows with Papa Roach, Sevendust, Three Days Grace, Flyleaf, Buckcherry, Puddle Of Mudd, Staind and Seether, among others.

Date                            City                                          Venue
Hot Hearts event w/ Clayton King, Aaron Ivey, Living Illusions, and Superchick:
Fri        1/23                 Beaumont, TX                         Ford Park
Headlining Tour:
Tue      2/10                 Nashville, TN                      Exit/In
Thu      2/12                 Chicago, IL                           Subterranean
Fri        2/13                 Maplewood, MN                The Rock
Sat       2/14                 Sioux Falls, SD                     Nutty’s North
Sun      2/15                 Omaha, NE                           The Waiting Room
Tue      2/17                 Eau Claire, WI                      The Stones Throw
Wed    2/18                 Madison, WI                            Orpheum Theatre
Fri        2/20               Caronport, Saskatchewan            Briercrest College
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The Maine: “…And A Happy New Year” Out Now!

The Maine: "...And A Happy New Year"

The Maine celebrate the holiday season with the release of their new EP “…And A Happy New Year.”  This EP features four holiday songs meant to inspire everyone to have a rocking holiday season.  It is available today through iTunes and other MP3 stores, Smartpunk, Interpunk, and Merch Now.

“…And A Happy New Year” will consist of original holiday tunes as well as a cover of “Last Christmas” originally performed by Wham! “Last Christmas” is a great song that we thought had a fun 80’s vibe,” said Kennedy Brock.

The Maine have been bringing their infectious pop rock to thousands of fans for a while now, and as they continue touring both the US and UK with bands such as Boys like Girls, Metro Station, Good Charlotte, The Academy Is, We The Kings, All Time Low and Mayday Parade.  

To listen to  “…And A Happy New Year!!”  visit www.PureVolume.com
 
Check out www.myspace.com/themaine for more information and to hear the exclusive tracks.

So Have a Merry Christmas/Hanukkah/ Kwanza….

“…And A Happy New Year!!”

1.) Ho Ho Hopefully (with guest vocals by Eisley)
2.) Santa Stole My Girlfriend
3.) Mr. Winter
4.) Last Christmas (originally performed by Wham!)

For more information please visit
www.myspace.com/themaine

Punk Goes Pop 2 Coming Soon!

Punk Goes Pop 2:
Coming February 17th, 2009!

Punk Goes Pop 2

Fearless Records (Plain White T’s, Mayday Parade, The Maine) will release Punk Goes Pop 2 on February 17, 2009. This latest addition to the Punk Goes series will be the label’s first release of the new year. The compilation will feature popular
rock, pop, screamo, and punk artists covering an assortment of favorite pop hits.

Punk Goes Pop 2 is the eighth album in the Punk Goes Series, following Punk Goes Crunk, Punk Goes Acoustic 2, Punk Goes Metal, Punk Goes Pop, Punk Goes 80’s, Punk Goes 90’s, and Punk Goes Acoustic.

Previous “Punk Goes” albums have featured many bands like The All American Rejects, Rise Against, Gym Class Heroes, Plain White T’s, Jack’s Mannquin, Relient K, Thrice, Mayday Parade, All Time Low.

Copeland US Headline Tour

 Lakeland, FL- September 4, 2008- Florida indie rockers Copeland have announced a US headlining tour to kick off in Carrboro, NC on October 21^st, 2008 spanning the country from the east to west coast. Lovedrug, Lydia and Lights will support. The tour coincides with the band’s latest release You Are My Sunshine which hits stores on October 14^th via Tooth and Nail Records.

Copeland is already generating a huge buzz online with the upcoming release of You Are My Sunshine and their elaborate viral campaign to announce the album. Beginning with a confused thread on Absolute Punk and a breakthrough story on MTV.com, news about Copeland has spread like wildfire to sites such as VH1, Absolute Punk, Buzznet, Buzzgrinder and the blogging community.

You Are My Sunshine is a rich playground of sound unfolding into layers of angelic tenor, driving guitars, experimental backdrops and rousing lyrics (some of which can be found in an elaborate maze the band has recently confused web goers with). The production team of Aaron Sprinkle (Eisley, Anberlin, Pedro the Lion), Copeland vocalist Aaron Marsh, and mixer Michael Brauer (Coldplay, John Mayer, My Morning Jacket) joined forces with Tooth and Nail and the result is a brilliant 11-song collection.

With songs like the guitar-driven “What Do I Know” and the ethereal tinges of “Good Morning Fire Eater,” You Are My Sunshine bursts with that bright hook Copeland has been longing for since they set out to make music eight years ago. The gossamer epic beauty of “Not So Tough Found Out,” one of the many standouts featuring the dramatic vocal delivery of Wisconsin-bred songstress Rae Cassidy Klagstad, nicely culminates Copeland’s desire in keeping the message of the album an individual matter.

Originally formed in 2000, Copeland released their label debut Beneath Medicine Tree via The Militia Group in 2003, and In Motion in 2005. In 2006, the band signed with Columbia Records to release Eat, Sleep, Repeat and followed up with Dressed Up & In Line, a 2007 album of B-sides and rarities. You Are My Sunshine will be released on October 14^th, 2008 via Tooth and Nail.

Stay tuned for more news from Copeland. For more information, please visit www.thecopelandsite.com or www.myspace.com/copeland.

Check out Copeland in a city near you:
10/21/08 Cat’s Cradle Carrboro, NC
10/22/08 Canal Club Richmond, VA
10/23/08 Recher Theatre Towson, MD
10/24/08 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
10/25/08 Heirloom Arts Theatre Danbury, CT
10/26/08 Middle East Cambridge, MA
10/27/08 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
10/29/08 Blind Pig Ann Arbor, MI
10/30/08 The Bottom Lounge Chicago, IL
10/31/08 Station 4 St. Paul, MN
11/01/08 Slowdown Omaha, NE
11/02/08 Marquis Theatre Denver, CO
11/03/08 Avalon Theater Salt Lake City, UT
11/05/08 The Venue Boise, ID
11/06/08 El Corazon Seattle, WA
11/07/08 Satyricon Portland, OR
11/08/08 The Boardwalk Orangevale, CA
11/10/08 Slim’s San Francisco, CA
11/11/08 El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, CA
11/12/08 The Clubhouse Music Venue Tempe, AZ
11/14/08 White Rabbit San Antonio, TX
11/15/08 The Door Dallas, TX
11/16/08 Meacham Auditorium Norman, OK
11/18/08 Rocketown Nashville, TN
11/19/08 New Brookland Tavern Columbia, SC
11/20/08 The Masquerade Atlanta, GA
11/21/08 State Theatre St. Petersburg, FL
11/22/08 The Social Orlando, FL
11/23/08 The Social Orlando, FL

Jake One’s Debut Album

JAKE ONE‘S DEBUT ALBUM OUT OCTOBER 7th ON RHYMESAYERS

 

FEATURING APPEARANCES FROM FREEWAY, BROTHER ALI, MF DOOM, YOUNG BUCK, SLUG of ATMOSPHERE, M.O.P., BUSTA RHYMES, LITTLE BROTHER, PRODIGY, ALCHEMIST, CASUAL, KEAK DA SNEAK & MORE!

Jake One

Over the past 13 years, Rhymesayers Entertainment has brought critically acclaimed artists such as Atmosphere, Brother Ali, MF DOOM, Soul Position, P.O.S., Psalm One, Eyedea & Abilities, Grayskul & more to the the attention of the world and in 2008, Rhymesayers gives you the debut album, White Van Music, from Seattle hip hop producer, Jake One.

 

To many, Jake One is known as part of the G-Unit production team that has been a part of their top 10 Billboard charting and platinum success.  But Jake One has an equally important voice in the underground hip-hop scene and for many, will serve as the bridge between the mainstream and indie worlds. Taking a cue from Vitamin D in 1992, Jake One put down his first beat on a Casio Voice Sampler and got his official start at Conception Records in the late 90s, citing DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, Pete Rock & DJ Quik as his early influences. Jake One made his name doing production work with artists like the Gift of Gab, Boom Bap Project & John Cena (yes, the pro-wrestler!) and went on to solidify his presence in mainstream hip-hop, appearing on albums by De La Soul, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Young Buck, E-40, G-Unit & Lil Scrappy, among others.

 

White Van Music (Out October 7th, 2008) marks Jake One’s first foray into producing a complete album in his well reputed style.  The self-proclaimed ‘perfect beat writer’ and master record collector has put some of the most recognizable voices in hip- hop against a glitchy & soulful musical backdrop.  Reading like a who’s who of hip-hop, White Van Music features appearances from Freeway, M.O.P., Slug, MF DOOM, Brother Ali, Busta Rhymes, Young Buck, Prodigy, Alchemist, Casual, Keak Da Sneak, Little Brother, Evidence, eLZhi, Royce Da 5’9″, Posdnuos, Black Milk, Nottz, Bishop Lamont, Ish (aka Butterfly of Digable Planets) and more.

 

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