The Chariot To Headline The Tours And Rumors Of Tours
he Chariot has announced a headlining tour for early 2010 titled “The Tours And Rumors Of Tours” Tour. Speaking on it vocalist Josh Scogin said “We have not done a proper headliner in ages, so I am really stoked for this to happen.” Joining them will be Inhale Exhale (Solid State Records), Greeley Estates (Tragic Hero Records), Memphis May Fire (Trustkill) and The Color Morale (Rise Records). Speaking on the line up Scogin added “All of these bands are in the heavy genre and yet they all have diversity from one another…I think the shows will be very fresh and entertaining from band to band.” The Chariot are on tour supporting their newest release Wars And Rumors Of Wars (2009) of which Alternative Press said “The only rumor that should be spread about this album is that it’s the Chariot’s best yet” (4 out of 5 Stars). The album debuted at #112 on the Billboard Top 200 and received feature coverage in Outburn, Decibel, AMP and Metal Sucks.net among other places. The Chariot were among the headliners of the Scream The Prayer Tour along with Haste The Day, Oh, Sleeper and Project 86. Most recently the band was featured on the Explosions 2009 with Norma Jean and Horse The Band which ended on Dec 19th. Of the live set for this tour Scogin revealed “Our attempt is to try and play as many songs from Wars as we can, while trying to play all the songs we love from the other records as well. We will be doing a lot more medley’s, sort of combining big chunks of our songs together.” Greeley Estates last album Go West Young Man, Let The Evil Go East debuted on Billboard Heatseekers Chart it’s first week. The band recently toured with From First To Last and are preparing their next album No Rain, No Rainbow for release on January 26th, 2010. Vocalist Ryan Zimmerman said “Greeley took most of 2009 off to focus on writing our new record No Rain, No Rainbow. It’s tough taking that much time off of the road and performing but we feel like it was worth it. We’re confident that this is our best record and lineup yet.” I cant wait to get on the road with The Chariot. Josh Scogin has definitely influenced me over the years since his days with Norma Jean.” The Chariot will stream live video of their performances on select dates of the tour, via Stickam.com (Cities to be announced soon). The band will also give live video updates from the road.
Tour Dates:
1/27 – W Palm Beach, FL
1/28 – Orlando, FL
1/29 – Jacksonville, FL
1/30 – Tallahassee, FL
2/1 – Columbia, SC
2/2 – East Ridge, TN
2/3 – Columbus, MS
2/4 – Whitehouse, TX
2/5 – Dallas, TX
2/6 – Houston, TX
2/7 – Austin, TX
2/8 – McAllen, TX
2/9 – San Antonio, TX
2/11 – Albuquerque, NM
2/12 – Flagstaff, AZ
2/13 – Tempe, AZ
2/16 – Victorville, CA
2/17 – Anaheim, CA
2/18 – Palmdale, CA
2/19 – Goleta, CA
2/20 – Orangevale, CA
2/22 – Portland, OR
2/23 – Seattle, WA
2/24 – Boise, ID
2/25 – Salt Lake City, UT
2/26 – Casper, WY
2/27 – Denver, CO
2/28 – Colorado Springs, CO
3/2 – Minneapolis, MN
3/3 – Chicago, IL
3/4 – Indianapolis, IN
3/5 – Detroit, MI
3/6 – Charleroi, PA
3/7 – Syracuse, NY
3/8 – Vineland, NJ
3/9 – Crofton, MD
3/10 – Richmond, VA
3/11 – Raleigh, NC
3/12 – Atlanta, GA
3/13 – Macon, GA
Juliana Theory To Reunite
Broken up since February of 2006, Pittsburgh PA’s indie-emo-pop trailblazers The Juliana Theory have remained quite silent. Aside from the formation of Vesta (featuring 3 members of TJT), all has remained rather still in the Juliana camp. But with the recent announcement of an upcoming J’ Theory B-Sides Album, future vinyl re-releases, and a few cryptic posts on lead singer Brett Detar’s twitter, rumors have been abuzz on the web. August 2010 marks the ten-year anniversary of the release of The Juliana Theory’s defining and influential sophomore album “Emotion is Dead.” With this coming anniversary the band will put speculation to rest and reunite for two shows only to play the entire album from start to finish. Having not made music together since disbanding shortly after the final show of a European tour in January of 2006, this will be their first time to share a stage again as well as the first time playing the record in its entirety. “There’s a few songs off of Emotion is Dead that we’ve never even played live before so I think it’s going to be pretty great to play the whole album in sequence. I’m really looking forward to it,” said frontman Brett Detar. “I’m super excited for these shows, not only for us, but its finally the chance for all of our fans to get that last show. And my 2 year old daughter will get to be there this time around too,” added guitarist Joshua Fiedler. “We haven’t played in the US since 2005 so I think it’s going to be pretty great to get back up there together,” remarked bassist Chad Alan. As for the impetus behind this reunion, Detar elaborated, “When we broke up it was for real and it still is. We’re not into pulling a KISS move – getting back together all the time. The thing is, we never played a farewell show. We posted a goodbye blog and that was it. I think it was pretty unfair to our loyal fans and to us too. Now the five of us get to do what we always should have done and say goodbye properly – to do right by everyone. It’ll be great to share the stage with my brothers again and with the anniversary that just makes the whole thing even better.” In addition to playing the record from front to back each night, the band will also be performing a second set of songs comprised of fan favorites culled from all of their other releases. Dates and venues are currently being determined but fans who want the best chance of grabbing tickets should sign up for thejulianatheory.com/email_list.html where exclusive tickets will be made available first. Detar explained, “The reunion dates will be announced very soon but the shows won’t be until late summer of 2010. We did this to give our die-hard fans, far and wide, plenty of time to make travel arrangements after they get their tickets. We also did it to give us plenty of time to knock the cobwebs off and make sure these shows are top-notch. We’ll be working hard to put on the best shows possible and, in this information age, to give our fans updates and insight into the process of knocking those cobwebs off as well as input on the set-lists. I’ll be taking requests, answering questions, and posting unfiltered updates on my facebook and twitter and you can be certain we’re going to make sure these are some of the most memorable and fan-friendly shows of our career. We’re anxious to make it happen.”
BEC Signs The Museum
As the year rapidly comes to an end, BEC Recordings looks ahead to 2010 with new artist signing to their freshman class, The Museum. Involved heavily with their local church, Briarlake Church in Decatur, GA, as well as leading at North Point Community Church partner churches, this pop/rock foursome is ready to share their music with the new and loyal fans they’ve made during 175 tour dates in their first year together. “We’re excited to be working with BEC Recordings and the great team established there,” shares the band upon joining the BEC family. “We’re pumped to produce a great sounding record and get on the road as much as we can. It’s the new faces we’ll meet along the way that make traveling great.” The Museum has just finalized their debut radio single with producer Jason Ingram in Nashville, TN. The band is anxiously working out the details of their freshman album, which will release in 2010, date to be determined. Not only concerned with recording their label debut, the band is striving to make a difference by teaming with Overlooked, a non-profit organization created to expose people to the problems in the world and offer a simple way to make a difference. Through the support of people at shows and events throughout the US, the band has raised thousands of dollars of support to provide meals to starving children worldwide. The Museum is comprised of Ben Richter (Lead Vocals / Electric & Acoustic Guitar), Chris Brink (Bass / Background Vocals), Josh Kirk (Drums / Programming), and Geoffrey Ashcraft (Electric Guitar).
For more information The Museum, go here:
myspace.com/museumband
Inhale Exhale Release New Video
Cleveland’s metal alchemists INHALE EXHALE are debuting their new video for “Did You Ever Have A Touch To Lose?” this week on AOL Noisecreep. The video is the first from the band’s bombastic, career-defining third album, Bury Me Alive, out now on SolidState Records. The video can be viewed here. We wanted to go with more of a live, performance-based video this time around,” guitarist John LaRussa told Noisecreep of the dark and gritty track, which AOL called “nothing if not creepy.” The video – which also features an eerie host of hooded men and women lurking around a dilapidated warehouse where INHALE EXHALE are performing – was shot and produced by Iron Curtain Media from North Carolina. “The characters in the video represent the masks people hide behind, and this is also why the band disappears at the end of the set,” LaRussa says. “We were able to find out who we really are.” The video for “Did You Ever Have A Touch To Lose?” paints in bold strokes the message that INHALE EXHALE are sending with their new album, Bury Me Alive, which was released on October 6, 2009 – this is a band that knows exactly who they are and where they’re headed. The album was met with instant acclaim for its artful inventiveness and bone-shaking heaviness. The video comes at the tail end of INHALE EXHALE’s successful U.S. tour with buzzband IWRESTLEDABEARONCE. The band will continue its onslaught in 2010 with another extensive tour, to be announced shortly.
For more information on Inhale Exhale, visit:
myspace.com/inhaleexhale
Haste The Day News
Closing 2009, Solid State Records’ Haste the Day is finishing strong on December 21st on the Napalm & Noise Tour. After such an action-packed touring year, band is eager to announce the road plans for 2010 which include international travel once again as well as a major summer festival announced today. Haste the Day will also begin 2010 in the studio (February) with Andreas Magnusson to record their fifth studio project. Internationally, Haste the Day has already been confirmed to appear at “Give it a Name Festival” in Munich, Germany as well as at Groezrock in Merrhout, Belgium. In addition the band plans an UK tour in April, more information coming soon. Today, Haste the Day was included in the much anticipated announcement of the 2010 Vans Warped Tour band line-up. This is the longest touring road festival celebrating its 16th year in twenty-ten. This is the band’s second appearance on the Warped Tour.
For more information on Haste The Day, go here:
myspace.com/hastetheday
TobyMac Set To Release New Album
With three back-to-back RIAA Gold-certified records under his belt, five GRAMMY® Awards, and now his fourth solo GRAMMY® nomination as well, GMA’s 2008 Artist of the Year, TobyMac, will release his fourth studio project, “TONIGHT” on February 9th. “TONIGHT” is getting a great head start this fall with TobyMac’s hit single, “City On Our Knees,” the fastest charting and selling track in his career. The single has already sold over 133,000 copies and has hit No. 1 on the top 100 Hot Digital Tracks chart as well as on the Billboard Top Singles chart. In addition, it held the No. 1 spot on both the National Christian Audience chart for 9 weeks as well as SoundScan’s Christian Digital Track chart for eleven weeks. “City On Our Knees” was fervently embraced at radio with 96 stations adding it to their playlist in the first three weeks, and sped to No.1 on AC Monitored and at CHR, while currently No.3 at AC Indicator. Produced by TobyMac along with Chris Stevens (Portable Sounds), Jamie Moore (Ayiesha Smith, Stephanie Woods) and Dave Wyatt (a.k.a. “D-dub) also his musical director, TobyMac has spent the last two and a half years creating “TONIGHT,” in a recording process that he doesn’t take lightly: “The recording process means a lot to me, and I don’t approach what I do haphazardly” he says. “I have a lot of passion when it comes to my records. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but there’s this range of emotions that come with making a record. Music is something that can actually open people’s minds to who God is. Music will never change the world, but God can choose to use music, and that’s what I count on. I want my songs to be said in a way that anyone can relate to them. I want them to move people’s lives forward; move people toward God, and if I’m accomplishing that, whether or not anyone loves this record, as long as I feel like that is what I’m doing, then I feel like my job is done.” As with previous TobyMac projects, “TONIGHT” also features special guest collaborations and a diversity of musical styles. The title track brings in John Cooper of Skillet, while “Wonderin’” features Matthew Thiessen of Relient K, and Nirva Ready belts her vocals on “Changed Forever.” A true highlight, and one of the most anticipated moments is with TruDog, TobyMac’s 10 year old son Truett’s, full song debut with the track “LoudNClear.” In an effort to offer only the best variety to TobyMac’s audience, “TONIGHT” will be available as a physical CD and in digital form, both of which will feature bonus remixes and behind the scenes video. TobyMac is currently on the road on his annual Winter Wonder Slam tour and will announce exciting 2010 tour plans soon.
For information on TobyMac, go here:
tobymac.com
Tonex Gets Grammy Nomination
The Grammy nod is the latest accolade for TONEX’s “Unspoken” album. The New York Times called it “… a vibrant admixture of secular and spiritual. … Sometimes he’s channeling Babyface’s sensualism (”Glorex”), sometimes he’s a funk eccentric in the Prince mold (”When I Call”), but always faith is near. …” It’s also been named “Top Gospel CD of 2009? by amazon.com. “Bring It,” another single from “Unspoken,” was featured during CBS March Madness 2009 and on “MLB Tonight”. TONEX is a visionary artist who has built his career by pushing the envelope of what’s regarded as “Gospel Music.” His music couches raw, honest lyrics in cutting-edge mainstream-music production techniques — then delivers it all via a four-octave vocal range that’s the envy of singers of all genres. L. Michael Gipson of Soul Tracks calls TONEX “… arguably the most multi-talented composer, arranger, producer and male singer gospel music has birthed in the last quarter century.” TONEX shares his Grammy nomination with The Foreign Exchange, Robert Glasper & Bilal, India Arie & Dobet Gnahore, Eric Roberson, and Ben O’Neill & Michelle Thompson. The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Abominable Snow Tour To Feature War of Ages, LS
War of Ages and Living Sacrifice are scheduled to co-headline a 20+ date winter tour called The Abominable Snow Tour. They will be supported by Shai Hulud, Lionheart, and Strike First’s own Great Commission.
Tour Dates:
2/5 – Nashville, TN
2/6 – Little Rock, AR
2/7 – Dallas, TX
2/8 – San Antonio, TX
2/9 – Houston, TX
2/10 – Tulsa, OK
2/11 – Bentonville, AR
2/12 – Kansas City, MO
2/13 – Jefferson, SD
2/14 – Buffalo, MN
2/15 – Chicago, IL
2/17 – Indianapolis, IN
2/19 – Grand Ledge, MI
2/20 – Erie, PA
2/21 – Lancaster, PA
2/22 – Clinton, NJ
2/23 – Baltimore, MD
2/24 – Virginia Beach, VA
2/25 – Raleigh, NC
2/27 – Douglasville, GA
2/28 – Jacksonville, FL
Switchfoot To Play BCS Tailgate Party
SWITCHFOOT will kick off 2010 with a performance on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” on Monday, January 4th. Later that week, the band will be one of two groups playing the ESPN National Championship Tailgate, which will take place at the Rose Bowl Stadium just before the Alabama Crimson Tide face the Texas Longhorns in the Citi BCS National Championship Game on January 7th. The band has been playing sold-out shows since November, coinciding with the release of its latest album, Hello Hurricane, which debuted in the Top 15 of The Billboard 200. The North American tour, which has been extended through January, features SWITCHFOOT playing Hello Hurricane in its entirety, followed by an assortment of fan favorites from its previous albums. SWITCHFOOT will continue to collect donations for local food banks along the way, so fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable items to the shows. (See below for the itinerary and a list of food banks that will receive donations.) “Mess Of Me,” the lead single from Hello Hurricane, is used in the trailer and television commercials for Samuel Goldwyn’s Films’ “To Save A Life,” which will be released on January 22nd. The track has also been tapped for use by NHL Music Nights on Fox Sports Net and by ESPN for college football bumpers. Numerous other tracks from Hello Hurricane have been licensed – “The Sound (John M. Perkins’ Blues)” was used in the recent Verizon Wireless ad campaign for the BlackBerry® Storm™ 2 while “Bullet Soul” was selected for WWE’s “TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs” pay-per-view. “Yet” was heard in The CW’s new hit show, “The Vampire Diaries,” while the network’s “One Tree Hill” used six minutes of the epic “Your Love Is A Song” to close a recent episode. Recorded with producer/bassist Mike Elizondo (Dr. Dre, Rilo Kiley, Eminem, and Pink), Hello Hurricane is SWITCHFOOT’s seventh full-length and its first on Atlantic Records. The band was featured in a Rolling Stone “In The Studio” piece and on the cover of Relevant Magazine while the new album was a critic’s pick in USA Today’s Fall Music feature. “On ‘Needle and Haystack Life,’ singer Jon Foreman works his breathy croon over surging pop-punk guitars; ‘This Is the Sound’ has a brutish, heavy-metal vibe; ‘Enough’ rides a percolating art-folk groove; and ‘Bullet Soul’ could be something by Swedish garage rock band the Hives,” said Billboard while Alternative Press hailed the title track as “an uplifting, hope-giving affirmation of resurgence.” Band members Jon Foreman (vocals/guitar), Tim Foreman (bass), Chad Butler (drums), Jerome Fontamillas (keys/guitar) and Drew Shirley (guitar) are continually seeking new ways to convey that message of hope. In that spirit, that they are launching a new website, which will spotlight goodness, beauty, and truth in everyday life. Fans are invited to contribute stories about people they know who are making this world a better place. With the holidays quickly approaching, Jon Foreman addressed the timely topic of “Compassion vs. Consumption” in the second of two articles he penned for The Huffington Post.
Flyleaf Tour Announcement
Flyleaf has just announced information on their new tour. From Lacey of Flyleaf: “Hey this is Lacey, and we wanted to let everyone know what’s happening with Flyleaf. We have accepted an invitation to tour with Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace! The tour starts January 15 and will go all over the US for almost 7 weeks! Check our website for when we are comin near you. We’d love to see you and we thank you so very much for all the love and support you’ve shown us. Happy Holidays! We love you guys!” BACK ON THE ROAD IN THE NEW YEAR! After the big 89X show this weekend, the band breaks for the holiday. But check out the dates below for all three legs of the 2010 Tour. First with Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin, then Chevelle joins in place of BB, and next a headline tour in the UK through March that is still being finalized.
Tour Dates:
Jan 15 – Peoria, IL
Jan 16 – Detroit, MI
Jan 18 – Madison, WI
Jan 20 – Duluth, MN
Jan 21 – LaCrosse, WI
Jan 23 – Mankato, MN
Jan 24 – Rockford, IL
Jan 26 – Grand Island, NE
Jan 27 – Cedar Rapids, IA
Jan 29 – Evansville, IN
Jan 30 – Fort Wayne, IN
2/1 – Lexington, KY
2/2 – Huntington, WV
2/4 – Erie, PA
2/5 – Albany, NY
2/6 – Wilkes-Barre, PA
New Rock GrooveMaker App Released
IK Multimedia is proud to announce the release of the first artist created GrooveMaker® app for iPhone/iPod Touch: GrooveMaker Rock Ace by Skunk Anansie’s guitarist Ace. This is the latest addition to the hugely successful GrooveMaker range of 9 currently available titles. GrooveMaker Rock Ace is designed for non-stop, in your face, rocking – Grab a tasty guitar riff, throw in some massive rock beats, then add a bone crushing bass line! Anyone can now create and share non-stop metal and rock tracks for DJing, remixing, multimedia and movie soundtrack compositions on the go, in real-time, just like a professional DJ or rock producer. Skunk Anansie are back and this is your chance to groove like a rock star! Guitarist Ace is a founding member of Skunk Anansie, a multi-platinum world selling rock band that have racked up 5 million sales and played many sellout world tours. Some of the highlights include headlining Glastonbury festival in the UK and playing gigs for Nelson Mandela’s Gift to the Nation shows, as well as performing for the Dalai Lama with Luciano Pavarotti. The band are currently on a sell-out tour across Europe and their new album, Smashes & Trashes is now storming the charts in every country. With over 450,000 downloads since its August release, GrooveMaker has quickly become the top loop remixing application for the iPhone and iPod Touch, allowing any user to create professional, full-length songs in minutes, with its unique combination of advanced remixing software and high-quality included loops’ sound content. GrooveMaker allows for instantaneous control over 8 stereo loop tracks, making it possible to remix the included massive loop library of guitar, bass, drums, bass drums, lines, pads, percussion and effects. Its unique and patented randomization feature allows musicians to generate a vast number of remixes on the fly, with one touch, to produce millions of possible groove combinations. Loops made in GrooveMaker can be manipulated in real-time (pan, volume, mute, solo, group and tempo) and grooves can be arranged easily by dragging and dropping to create full-length tracks. These tracks can then be saved, previewed and recalled on the iPhone/iPod Touch devices or exported as hi-quality .WAV files to any computer using a Wi-Fi network.
For more information, video and audio demos, please visit:
groovemaker.com/rockace
Gungor News
Gungor, alongside Brash Music, will release Beautiful Things, a collection of songs birthed out of an honest journey of faith on February 16, 2010. “This album is an expression of hope that God will make beautiful things out of the dust in our lives,” explains band front man Michael Gungor. “That God will somehow use us, use our obedience and love, our feeble human effort, and build Himself a kingdom.” Formerly known as The Michael Gungor Band, the socially active, Denver-based foursome is comprised of Michael Gungor, his wife Lisa, as well as friends Brad Waller (guitar) and Josh Harvey (bass). Gungor hits the scene with a different perspective than most bands as the lead singer is perhaps best known for co-writing distinguished songs like “Friend of God” and “Say So” made famous by Israel Houghton. The music is not the only impressive thing about Gungor, as likewise the band is also incredibly involved in missions both in their hometown and abroad. Michael and his wife moved to Denver and eventually founded a community of believers called Bloom. The connection between worship and social justice became concrete in Denver with regular involvement with the homeless & needy of that area, and the outcome is evident on Beautiful Things. The group of four also headed to Africa in late September to further their involvement with the Mocha Club, an online community of people funding relief and development projects in Africa including clean water, education, women at risk, orphan care, children, HIV/AIDS and healthcare. Ironically, most of the music is not directly about caring for the poor and ministering to widows and orphans. Instead, much of the album addresses the spiritual journey and the understanding of God that happens when we do these acts. The self-produced album’s credits, which reflect a loose and varying lineup, include Gungor’s wife Lisa on glockenspiel along with bandmates on horns, strings, banjos, a melodica, “foot-stomping mayhem” and Gungor’s now-signature toy piano. Filled with unique instrumentation, the album features original songs such as “The Earth is Yours,” “Dry Bones” and “Call Me Out.” Israel Houghton even guests on a bass-driven romp called “Heaven.” The band’s 2008 debut on Brash Music, Ancient Skies, garnered critical acclaim. Beautiful Things will be the band’s sophomore release, and the third CD release for Michael Gungor.
For more information on Gungor, visit:
myspace.com/michaelgungor
©2009 HM Magazine All Rights Reserved
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