Anberlin’s Dark Is The Way, Light is a Place, which received a three-star review from USA Today, enters at No. 9 on The Billboard 200, marking the Universal Republic rockers’ highest charting album to date. Within hours of its release, Dark Is The Way, Light is a Place debuted at No. 1 on both Amazon.com and the iTunes Alternative Album Chart, and at No. 2 on iTunes’ overall album chart. It was also No. 1 at CIMS (Coalition Independent Music Stores).
Lead single “Impossible” is already a Top 5 hit at Alternative radio and is on every major alternative station in the country, including KROQ-Los Angeles, Q101-Chicago, 89X-Detroit, The Edge-Dallas, KNDD-Seattle, 91X-San Diego and KRBZ-Kansas City. It goes to the Hot AC format later this month. USA Today recently named “Impossible” the “pick of the week,” calling it “insistent, insinuating…hard to resist.” “From the first note that ripples through ‘Impossible,’ Anberlin hooks the listener,” said Billboard. The single is available now on iTunes and Amazon. “Take Me (As You Found Me),” another track from Dark Is The Way, Light is a Place, is also charting on the iTunes Alternative Singles chart.
MTV2 recently premiered the video for “Impossible,” which has also been added at Fuse, mtvU and Much More. The clip was directed by Endeavor Media, who worked with the band on its “Feel Good Drag” video.
Anberlin will launch a North American headlining tour at New Orleans’ House of Blues on September 28th. Crash Kings and Civil Twilight will open on the outing. Anberlin will also play a show with 30 Seconds to Mars on September 30th in Oklahoma City. (See below for full tour itinerary.)
While on tour, Anberlin will partner with Live Nation for a unique contest: they’ll use social media to let their fans pick Christian McAlhaney and Joey Milligan ‘s next tattoos – designed by their loyal fans and tattooed by none other than “LA Ink’s” Ruthless. All the madness will be filmed at Anberlin‘s show at the world famous Irving Plaza on October 30th, 2010 in New York City. Joey, guitar player for Anberlin, has this to say about the contest; “This is seriously the most unique opportunity we have had to really let our fans leave their mark on us! We are huge fans of Ruthless’ work and can’t wait for this!” Fan submissions will begin on September 24th. Go to www.facebook.com/livenationfor all the details.
Dark Is The Way, Light is a Place, the band’s fifth studio album, has been hailed as “moody modern rock” by Alternative Press, which awarded it four stars, adding: “the band allow Stephen Christian’s strong lyricism and impassioned vocals to take center stage to deliver some of his finest performances yet. There’s an emotional weight in his work, and that often speaks louder than any wall of distortion could.” In a three-star review, USA Today praised its “poetry and friction,” noting: “Lyrically and musically, these tunes bristle with relational tension that doesn’t easily resolve. Producer Brendan O’Brien makes the anthems arena-ready without taking off their edge.”
“Feel Good Drag,” the No. 1 single from Anberlin‘s 2008 breakthrough album,New Surrender, has been tapped for Activision’s new Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. The track ranks asthe longest-charting single in Modern Rock history and was named 2009’s “Rock Song of the Year” by FMQB.
Formed in Winter Haven, FL in 2002, Anberlin has sold over 700,000 albums in its career and toured the world, sharing stages with American Rejects, My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Paramore and many others.
The band has been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts and lead vocalist Stephen Christian is a co-founder of Faceless International, an organization that defends exploited people worldwide.
Anberlin is:
Stephen Christian: Vocals, guitar
Joseph Milligan: Lead guitar
Devon Rexroat: Bass
Christian McAlhaney: Rhythm guitar
Nathan Young: Drums
Anberlin – North American Tour Dates
9/18 Englewood, CO Comfort Dental Amphitheatre-KTCL Big Gig
9/25 Kansas City, MO Capital Federal Park at Sandstone
9/28 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
9/29 Dallas, TX House of Blues
9/30 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom
(opening for 30 Seconds to Mars)
10/1 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater
10/2 Phoenix, AZ Marquee Theater
10/3 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
10/5 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
10/6 Reno, NV Knitting Factory
10/8 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues
10/9 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
10/10 San Francisco, CA The Regency @ The Grand
10/12 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
10/13 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
10/14 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
10/15 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
10/16 Vancouver, BC The Vogue Theater
10/18 Calgary, AB MacEwan Hall
10/19 Edmonton, AB Edmonton Event Center
10/20 Saskatoon, SK Odeon
10/21 Winnipeg, MB Garrick Center
10/22 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
10/23 Chicago, IL House of Blues
10/25 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
10/26 Toronto, ON Sound Academy
10/28 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
10/29 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
10/30 New York, NY The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
10/31 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
11/1 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
11/3 Nashville, TN Rocketown
11/4 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
11/5 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Landing
11/6 Orlando, FL House of Blues
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