A New Showbread Album Looms
Showbread harbors some strange tendencies when it comes to music and art. Hardcore punk, pop, alternative and industrial are only a few of the genres that make up the bizarre amalgamation that is Showbread’s self described “Raw Rock” sound. Stranger still is the way one genre devours another on each new Showbread record, jarring and dividing their fan base every time. On the band’s sixth album Who Can Know It?—which will be released as a free download through Comeandlive.com on November 16th, 2010—Showbread showcases their most grandiose stylistic shift like a badge, and rightfully so, it’s the best the band has ever sounded. Earlier this year Showbread announced not only their departure from longtime home Tooth And Nail records (one of the largest independent record labels in the world) but also their intentions to partner with non-profit organization Come&Live! and offer their subsequent album and its supporting tour both as gifts; completely free of charge. Who would fund the album? The fans… and quickly; within one week of Showbread’s 90 day fundraiser the band had raised the entire album budget by offering special pre-order gifts to donors. Before the 90 days ended they had raised several times as much. With absolutely no mainstream popularity and no record label Showbread raised more money than most independent record labels can offer a band of their size to record an album. Times have certainly changed. Singer Josh Dies acknowledges the crumbling state of the music industry but insists the Showbread’s new model wasn’t in the same spirit as, say, Radiohead or Trent Reznor. “Even considering the sorry state the industry is in, the move wasn’t about reinventing the wheel, it was about believing in a message of hope so sincerely that you’d much rather hand it out as a gift than charge someone for it.” The message in question comes to full flower both sonically and lyrically on Who Can Know It?: the band’s most sincere and developed sounding effort to date. Teaming once again with long-time production collaborators Sylvia Massy (Prince, Tool, Johnny Cash) and Rich Veltrop (Phantom Planet, Slayer) familiar listeners have come to expect the unexpected, but will they expect a record this unexpected? Those expecting traces of Showbread’s blistering Refused and Nine Inch Nails influences might be more than a little surprised to find the latest change finds the band sounding like a Raw Rock version of The Eagles and R.E.M. If those same listeners can recover from the initial shock they’ll go on to find the most expanded, earnest, heartbreaking and original music of Showbread’s career; piano driven ballads, haunting vocal melodies, simultaneously dark and uplifting lyrics, dense layers of instrumentation and a notable lack of power chords or screaming vocals. It seems that Raw Rock has developed to a completely unexpected full maturity; Raw Rock is all grown up. Who Can Know It? will be released as a free download on Comeandlive.com and to traditional online media outlets on November 16th, 2010. Showbread will begin their first completely free tour in early 2011. The chameleon we’ve come to know and love as Showbread has unveiled an album teaser for their upcoming Come and Live release Who Can Know It? The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9
Dustin Kensrue Releases Christmas Album
Dustin Kensrue’s Christmas music album, This Good Night Is Still Everywhere, is available now for the first time on limited edition vinyl. The solo, mostly–acoustic collection was originally issued as a digital-only release in 2008. This new vinyl edition features two bonus tracks, including a cover of mewithoutYou’s “A Stick, A Carrot & String.” For fans that previously purchased the digital album, the two additional songs will be available for individual download at all digital retailers. “I was really excited to be able to put this out on vinyl,” said Kensrue, “especially since we didn’t even have time to release it on CD before.” Only 1,000 hand-numbered pieces of vinyl will be pressed and will be split in two colorways – 500 red and 500 green. The package is $15 (plus shipping) and features brand new artwork, liner notes with track descriptions written by Dustin himself, includes a digital download card and can be purchased here. Kensrue, who is also vocalist and guitarist for Southern California’s Thrice, wrote, recorded, and produced This Good Night Is Still Everywhere, while mixing duties were handled by Thrice guitarist Teppei Teranishi. In December Kensrue will once again be joining Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids, The New Amsterdams), Chris Conley (Saves The Day, Two Tongues) and Anthony Raneri (Bayside) for another Where’s The Band? tour on the east coast.
Tour Dates:
12/8 – Cambridge, MA
12/9 – Baltimore, MD
12/10 – Philadelphia, PA
12/11 – Brooklyn, NY
12/12 – New York, NY
Chapter 14 Is A New Band Featuring Chad Ackerman
Though Chapter 14 features two members of recently departed metal-core unit Destroy The Runner, 14 was in the works long before their tenure in Runner. Vocalist Chad Ackerman (who has also spent time as a guitarist in As I Lay Dying and vocalist in Austrian Death Machine) says “Me and Tanner [Sparks] were doing Chapter 14 full time before we were asked to join Destroy The Runner in 2006.” The original Chapter 14 also included future members of Confide, Chiodos and In Fear And Faith. Ackerman reveals “We did two full U.S. tours on our own, which I actually booked through MySpace and opened up for As I Lay Dying a number of times. The band had a following but we never got a chance to record so towards the end of Runner we were into recording these songs and touching them up with some of our newer influences.” The result is the forthcoming EP Like Trees In November which has Sparks taking on the role of guitarist, bassist and drummer recorded in his own Sparks Studios. Ackerman who is known for his soaring melodic vocals has delivered his best work here with a confident and powerful range. The music is technical with a post-hardcore attack and at times metallic drums pushing it forward but make no mistake this is vulnerable and emotional rock. Ackerman reveals “Chapter 14 is actually the most poignant chapter in my favorite book, Watership Down.” Watership Down is a popular novel written by English author Richard Adams about a group of rabbits who encounter death and destruction from all around them while searching for a safe home. “Chapter 14 [of Watership Down] is actually titled “Like Trees In November” and it’s in this chapter that the main rabbits go to persuade their friends to leave the rabbit farm where they live and warn them that the farmer who runs it will destroy them. However none of the rabbits on the farm believe the main characters and think that they are lying. The main characters have to leave their friends behind knowing it is their doom. While the songs on the EP aren’t entirely about Watership Down, relationships including the types that the rabbit shared are a central topic.” Producer Brian Grider recorded vocals and handled mixing and mastering on the EP at his own SCM Recordings. Long time friend Matt Geise of Lower Definition adds guest vocals to the song “Moth And Rust.”
Listen To New Affiance Song
Bullet Tooth will release the debut album “No Secret Revealed” from Cleveland’s own Affiance on November 30, 2010. “Affiance”, meaning to betroth in trust and confidence, is a name that can be taken to heart as these guys have banded together and endured every trial a new band faces. Affiance kicked down doors, shattering expectations, and broke the mold of how metal “should” sound, and are confident that they present a new breed of metal that is intense, with vocals that soar, and live performances that leave the harshest critics in awe. “We are very excited and we believe, with the help of Bullet Tooth, we will be able to work harder, push further, and accomplish more than we ever have before,” says Brett Wondrak (Guitar). The album is 10 songs of intricately written metal fused with harmonies and vocals that will leave the listener humming along after the first listen. Lyrically Affiance touch on political and religious themes, and lyricist and vocalist Dennis Tvrdik commented, “We are a band that strongly believes in the pursuit of truth and happiness. In order to achieve these ideals we must delve into concepts and that we often don’t want to think about. We hope that through our music we can inspire people to think for themselves and be pro-active in society”. The band wrapped up a recent full US tour with their friends in Across The Sun (Metal Blade) and No Bragging Rights (Blk Heart Group) and gained tons of new fans in the process. Most importantly, scoring a record deal. When Bullet Tooth Pres. Josh Grabelle saw the band on this tour, he said, “These guys were one of the best live bands I had ever seen. I truly needed to see them play live to make sure Dennis’ vocals weren’t studio magic, and they certainly weren’t! I was blown away. The whole band was incredible, and the songs on this album are gonna knock people’s socks off.” It should also be noted that the night Affiance played in NJ there was a hurricane with 60+ MPH winds and rain… proving nothing will stop Bullet Tooth from seeking out the best new music! Brett commented on the album, “Releasing No Secret Revealed is an incredible milestone for us. This album is basically the result of us locking ourselves in a room and not coming out until we had songs we all loved. It was pretty intense. Half the time we were productive and the other half we were ready to throw each other out the window. We really pushed ourselves, both musically and lyrically, and what we walked away with was better than any of us had anticipated. It was through the hardship and stress that we established our identity. This album is a testimony of how far perseverance and hard work can take you.” You can listen to two new songs from the forthcoming album “No Secret Revealed” on their Myspace page. Check out “Dissent!” (Featuring James Baney from The Devil Wears Prada) and “Call To The Warrior”.
The track listing for Affiance “No Secret Revealed” (November 30, 2010) is:
[Click on TRACK #4 to listen to it]:
1. Revelation
2. Call To The Warrior
3. Nostra Culpa
4. For Power
5. A Monster Fed
6. The Hive
7. A Reading From The Book Of
8. Der Fuhrer
9. Dissent!
10. Calculate And Control
Tour Dates:
Dec 2 – Toledo, OH
Dec 3 – Cleveland, OH
Dec 4 – Jamestown, NY
Dec 5 – Buffalo, NY
Dec 7 – Rochester, NY
Dec 8 – Bronx, NY
Dec 9 – Albany, NY
Dec 10 – Mt Airy, MD
Dec 11 – Linthicum, MD
Dec 12 – Raleigh, NC
Dec 13 – Johnson City, TN
Dec 14 – Cookeville, TN
Dec 15 – Nashville, TN
Dec 17 – Memphis, TN
Dec 18 – Plano, TX
Dec 19 – Fort Worth, TX
Dec 20 – Joplin, MO
Dec 21 – St Louis, MO
Dec 22 – Indianapolis, IN
In Due Time To Play Reunion Show
Hardcore greats kick out the jams again! Joe Friday said, “Just the facts, ma’am,” so here they are:
-It’s December 11th at Murray Hill Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida.
-Doors open at 7 PM and the show starts at 7:30 PM.
-Tickets are on sale now through the Murray Hill Theatre Web site and/or box office for $12 and tickets are $15 on the day of the show.
-The other bands are Our Finest Hour, The Red Baron and With Blood Comes Cleansing.
-It’s called Carly Fest, in honor of Carly Driscoll, who was diagnosed in February 2009 with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, and passed away in September 2010.
-Proceeds from the show are being donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
-Carly was a big fan of the band Copeland, who once played a set in her backyard.
-Carly studied creative writing in high school.
-In Due Time was formed in 2001 in Jacksonville, Florida.
-Strike First Records signed the band in 2003.
-In Due Time released two records on Strike First Records: 2004’s Back to Basics and 2005’s Final Showdown.
-In Due Time played their last show in May 2006.
House of Heroes Get All Christmasy
House of Heroes is gearing up for the holidays by lending tracks to two new Christmas compilation releases. ‘Tis The Season To Be Gotee, out now and the Warner Bros. release Gift Wrapped II: Snowed In, available November 23. 4. House of Heroes’ version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” is featured on Warner Bros. Records’ holiday album Gift Wrapped II: Snowed In, which features 11 brand-new recordings and five highly coveted and previously unavailable tracks, will be released digitally during Thanksgiving week. For more information on the project, visit the official press release at http://bit.ly/ctbkln. Gotee Records rings in the holiday with Tis The Season To Be Gotee Christmas compilation, available now digitally, and features 3 tracks from House of Heroes including a cover of the Mariah Carey hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Picked as an ‘AP Recommends’ in the December issue of Alternative Press magazine, House of Heroes’ latest release SUBURBA, produced by Mark Lee Townsend (Relient K, Deas Vail) and mixed by J.R. McNeely (Versa Emerge, He Is We) is out now and has been selected as one of AmazonMP3.com’s 100 $5 Albums for November.
Visible School News
This note from the President, Ken Steorts, shares some cool news regarding their funding for moving into their new building: I have an amazing, special announcement: An anonymous donor has announced a challenge match for this week only. Until next Monday morning, any gift we receive will be matched dollar for dollar before our matching foundation match. That’s right, every dollar is matched and then that doubled amount is doubled again – 4x, this week only! That’s leverage of giving if you want to support what we are working on here in Memphis with young musicians! Penny jars and rock stars jumping on this cool and generous offer – Memphis never ceases to amaze me in generosity.
For more information on Visible School, go here:
visible.edu/intothecity
On The Orianthi Video Shoot With Lacey From Flyleaf
Take a look at the making of “Courage,” the new video from Orianthi and Flyleaf’s Lacey Mosley. “The idea for the music video was to really bring the lyrics to life by interspersing my and Lacey’s performance with images that we think project courage,” said Orianthi. The singer also let fans in on a secret – she’s not a very good driver. “We had lots of different scenes; the first one was set in an RV, driving around… thank god [Lacey] was driving, otherwise we’d probably end up in the closest tree!” Luckily for Orianthi she has her guitar to fall back on – “I love her playing guitar – I’ve never seen a girl play like her, she’s really strong and powerful,” Lacey shared.
To Write Love On Her Arms Promote Gifts
TWLOHA’s message has since grown enormously along with their recognition. To date, founder Jamie Tworkowski has been a guest on CBS Sunday Morning, MSNBC, CNN.com, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and MTV. TWLOHA had a 6-page feature in Rolling Stone Magazine along with articles in Paste, Seventeen, Teen Vogue, Alternative Press and more. TWLOHA won the mtvU Woodie Award in the “Good Woodie” category against artists such as Alicia Keys and Wyclef Jean and won a full-page ad in USA TODAY for their America Wants twitter campaign. Since their start in 2006, TWLOHA has donated over $700,000 to people dealing with depression and have answered over 150,000 emails and heard from over 140 countries of people seeking help worldwide.
Mr. Talkbox Signs To Save The City Records
Artist and performer extraordinaire, Byron “Mr. Talkbox” Chambers has signed with Seattle-based Save the City Records. The deal includes a number of future projects in addition to the label release of Chambers’ popular My Time CD today through Save The City Records/Provident-Integrity Distribution. “Byron brings energy and joy wherever he goes,” declares Derek Hoiem, president of Save the City Records. “His enthusiasm for life and his excellence shines whether he’s onstage with tobyMac or performing as a solo artist. Byron has brought his multi-faceted musical talents to many Grammy-winning and Dove-award winning platforms, and now we have a chance to showcase his career as a solo artist. He is a perfect fit in our artist family and he shares our passion for excellence in music and in ministry.” “I am very excited to partner with Save The City Records!” comments Chambers. “Derek Hoiem’s vision is exactly what I’ve been praying for to happen in this music industry — someone who’s cutting edge and excited about bringing new talent that can not only reach the church, but the world at large! So, let’s go!” The Orlando-born performer is no stranger to the stage or the recording studio. Chambers grew up in a musical household where he was exposed to everything from Gospel to Jazz, but the one particular sound that captured his heart and imagination was the Talkbox. He heard it used by R&B Funk Master Roger Troutman and knew immediately that he had to make it his own.His excellence as a writer, arranger, musician and performer opened doors for him, and Chambers soon found himself performing alongside such Gospel greats as Jonathan Butler, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Fred Hammond, CeCe Winans, Kurt Carr and Bishop T.D. Jakes, to name just a few. Chambers’ career exploded with he was offered a shot at playing keys with mega-pop band *NSYNC, and he has since toured and performed with pop superstars like the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, O-Town, Gloria Estefan and Jordan Knight. But as heady as the bright lights of fame and fortune can be, it can also take a toll. Chambers took a good hard look at where his life was headed, and he didn’t like what he saw. He decided to step away from *NSYNC in order to focus more time on his wife and family. “God told me at the height of my blossoming career to leave the road and dedicate my life to him, and he would bless my music to minister to the world,” Chambers says simply. And God has been faithful to His Word. Chambers connected with hiphop superstar tobyMac and was featured on the Grammy-nominated, Dove Award winning projects Welcome to Diverse City and Portable Sounds. He won his own Dove Award for Hip Hop Song of the Year for co-writing the Group 1 Crew song “Movin.” He did guests spots for such influential artists as Martha Munizzi, O-Town and American Idol finalist Danny Gokey. “Byron ‘Mr. Talkbox’ Chambers has the unique ability to make brilliant music that not only motivates and inspires the heart and soul, but makes you wanna get up and dance!” says Gokey.
Chambers’ debut independent solo CD, My Testimony, impacted sales in more than 17 countries and went on to become one of CDBaby.com’s top sellers. Mr. Talkbox’s latest project, My Time, is set to impact an even broader audience, due to his new relationship with Save the City Records and Provident-Integrity Distribution. My Time has already made quite an impact with its first radio single, “Ground Zero,” cracking the Top 10 on the Rhythmic Charts. Jesus Freak Hideout declared, “Chambers expertly lays down the beats…leading to a very catchy and infectious record.” “Mr. Talkbox is bringin’ new flavor to our industry,” says tobyMac. “He has been on the road with me for over a year now and his heart is as big as his hooks. The Mac household has his CD in regular rotation. For real!”
As They Sleep Reveal New Track
Motor City metal act, As They Sleep, has updated their official MySpace and Facebook pages with a brand new song, taken from the band’s forthcoming full-length record, Dynasty, entitled, “The Darkest Ages”. “The Darkest Ages” joins three other recently revealed tracks from As They Sleep’s Solid State Records debut, which are currently streaming at their MySpace and their Facebook. Dynasty will hit stores later this month on November 22nd, and delivers a package of brutally heavy and savagely technical death metal, tied together with the help of powerhouse audio wizard, Jason Suecof (All That Remains, Chimaira, Demon Hunter). As They Sleep will support their sophomore effort on the road this December on the “Solid State Records: A Very Metal Christmas Tour”, alongside label-mates Living Sacrifice, The Showdown, Becoming the Archetype, and To Speak of Wolves.
Mike Farris Debuts High
Americana/Gospel artist Mike Farris’ new Entertainment One release, The Night The Cumberland Came Alive, debuts at #10 on the Billboard Blues Chart. The 6-song EP, released on October 26th, commemorates and celebrates the rebirth of Nashville, a city and its surrounding communities devastated by a “1,000 year” flood on May 1, 2010. Although short in length, it is not short on spirit, offering up “Farris’ trademark evangelical rock n’ roll,” as Steven Gaydos wrote recently in Variety. The project was recorded just weeks after the flood, as the people of middle Tennessee regained their civic pride and rallied to help their neighbors and rebuild. The Night The Cumberland Came Alive features an all-star cast of musicians including: Sam Bush, Kenny Vaughan (Marty Stuart), Ketch Secor and Gill Landry from Old Crow Medicine Show, Byron House (Robert Plant), as well as Ann, Regina and Alfreda McCrary (The McCrary Sisters), Derrek Phillips and Eric Holt from Farris’ own Roseland Rhythm Revue. The Night The Cumberland Came Alive, which Dustin Ogdin of No Depression called “some of the finest roots-rollicking soul and gospel you’re likely to ever hear,” rolls out a decidedly pre-war Americana sound while delivering a hopeful message of restoration. “Stylistically, pre-war American music has long been a passion of mine,” Farris says of the project. “Before the flood, we’d been searching for songs that would evoke the struggle and the victory of the working class, a sound rising up out of flesh and bone, of spit and spirit. But then, as a city, we were hit square in the gut by this unbelievable flood. And that sound meshed with the spirit of resurrection we saw rise up all over this area. When we gathered in that historic church to lay it all down, what happened was beyond our imaginations.” The title track’s lyrics deal directly with the flood, and Farris penned “Dear Lazarus” along with Ketch Secor just days before the recording. According to Mike, “Playing these songs—sight unseen, without so much as a lead sheet—and with such a dream team of musicians was the thrill of a lifetime. You can hear the passion. You can feel the love in the room. And I’m thrilled to release it to help this community get back on its feet.” This release comes hot off the heels of Farris’ recent GMA Dove Award for Best Traditional Gospel album of the year for 2009’s SHOUT! Live, a sweat-drenched document of his Sunday Night Shout residency dates at the legendary Station Inn in Nashville. The EP is also a continuation of the musical and spiritual journey that Farris began with his 2007 release, Salvation In Lights, which contributed to him receiving the 2008 Americana Music Association’s New & Emerging Artist of the Year award. The music is steeped in traditions explored on that record and widens the lens of the American treasure that it represents – roots, gospel and blues. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the EP will be used to benefit the Downtown Presbyterian Church’s ministry to the homeless in Nashville, which seems fitting as the record was recorded in less than a day at that historic building. Mike Farris is performing select dates to showcase the material on the EP in addition to performing monthly with The Roseland Rhythm Revue as part of his Sunday Night Shout residency at the Station Inn this fall. He is currently working on the full-length studio follow-up to Salvation In Lights, which is scheduled to release sometime in 2011.
For more information, visit:
mikefarrismusic.net
©2010 HM Magazine All Rights Reserved
More news from last week:
still fresh (as far as you know)
About the Author
