Showbread Debut New Video
Come and Live!’s Showbread has released their new music video for “You’re Like A Taxi”. Head over to comeandlive.com to download their new record Who Can Know It? for a price you choose, even free! Check out the video here. 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.
Hope For The Dying Signs To Facedown
With models ranging from Iron Maiden and Queensryche to Unearth and All That Remains, the members boast the “bringing together of influences as vast as the seven seas, ranging from the metal of years past to the modern kings of metal that reign today.” By combining their superior individual abilities and unique musicianship to produce the 80s influenced progressive metal fans have come to expect, Hope for the Dying prove the sincerity behind their determination to push forward into previously uncharted territory. Hope for the Dying will be releasing their Facedown debut in April 2011. The new album was engineered by Brian Hood (A Plea For Purging, MyChildren MyBride) and is the follow up album to their self titled 2009 Strike First release.
Auburn Set To Release New Album
The wait is almost over! Auburn just finished recording 12 brand new songs with Chris Curran (Four Year Strong, Vanna, Therefore I Am) and the cd is currently being mastered by Matt Goldman (The Chariot, Underoath) Pre-orders and new Auburn merch will be up in 2011, so start preparing your ears for “brutal mode” now.
Anberlin Launch Co-headlining Tour With Circa Survive
Anberlin will launch a co-headlining tour with Circa Survive on January 14, 2011 with a show at The National in Richmond, VA. The outing will also feature special guest Foxy Shazam. Anberlin, which will play a series of radio shows this month, will tour Australia and the Philippines after its U.S. dates with Circa Survive and Foxy Shazam. The band just wrapped up a headlining tour in support of its new album, Dark Is The Way, Light is a Place, which debuted at No. 9 on The Billboard 200. “In the center of it all is [Stephen] Christian, bounding across the stage with a commanding presence that’s impossible to ignore,” said Alternative Press, which headed to New Orleans for the tour’s launch and profiled Anberlin in a nine-page cover story for its December issue. “Onstage, he’s a veritable ball of energy, a true showman.” “Anberlin put on a great live performance!” raved Examiner.com while AlterThePress.com called the band’s performance “a joy to behold.” Dark Is The Way, Light is a Place is the Universal Republic rockers’ highest charting album to date. Lead single “Impossible,” a Top 5 hit at the Alternative format, is now crossing over to Top 40 and Hot AC radio. USA Today 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 accompanying video – directed by Endeavor Media, who worked with Anberlin on the clip for “Feel Good Drag” – premiered on MTV2 and in rotation at Fuse, mtvU and Much More. “Closer,” the band’s next single, will go to Alternative radio in early January.
Tour Dates:
1/14 – Richmond, VA
1/15 – Charlotte, NC
1/16 – Asheville, NC
1/18 – Sauget, IL
1/19 – Omaha, NE
1/20 – Des Moines, IA
1/21 – Grand Rapids, MI
1/22 – Columbus, OH
1/24 – Cincinnati, OH
1/25 – Millvale, PA
1/26 – Baltimore, MD
1/28 – Rochester, NY
1/29 – Clifton Park, NY
1/30 – Allentown, PA
I Am Empire To Release Debut 1/25
Tooth & Nail Records’ newest addition, I Am Empire, is readying for their label debut, “Kings,” set for January 25, 2011. Recorded in Nashville, TN with producer Rob Hawkins (Disciple, Fireflight), the dozen tracks features a range of alternative rock songs and styles including the rock single “Brain Damage” that is already charting in the Top 20. This San Jose-bred fivesome had no trouble igniting the local scene since forming in 2008, including dates alongside Flyleaf, Sublime, Deftones, Silversun Pickups, Thursday, Four Year Strong and The Wedding, a pair of charting singles (“You’re A Fake” and “The Elevator”), plus additional acclaim from Alternative Press, AOL’s Spinner and San Francisco’s LIVE105 radio station. Amongst this success, it was the personal story from front man Austin Lyon’s fractured upbringing that lays the thematic foundation for “Kings.” “The whole record is about abandonment, particularly the fact that my father is the one who abandoned me,” says the singer/songwriter for I Am Empire (whose moniker is basically a battle cry to be yourself and never feel pressured towards conformity). “We decided to name the record Kings because it signifies the head of a household, and if you’ve been abandoned, you want to look past that person and try to be better when you grow up. The goal is to take up the crown that person left behind and be better than the person who left, which can really apply to any type of relationship.” The results of Lyon’s writing finds the guitar-charged record split between tracks of justified venting to seasons of spiritual renewal. Cuts like the lead single “Brain Damage,” “Saints & Sinners,” “Heart Attack,” “To the Moon” and “Foxhole” are aggressive examples of anger relief that encourage listeners to never bottle up their emotions, while “Hammers & Anvils,” “Love & Despair” and “Take Me Away” speak of healing, reconciliation and forgiveness. Between the band’s artistic ambitions, unceasing work ethic, tireless time on tour and thematic reliability, I Am Empire is a perfect match with Tooth & Nail.
Memphis May Fire News
The most exciting band to come from Texas in years, MEMPHIS MAY FIRE, kicked off their first ever headline tour on December 2, in Toledo, OH. Special guest bands rounding out the bill are Destruction Of A Rose, Amarna Reign and Affiance. The tour is dubbed the “Christmas SweaTOUR” and the band has some interesting things in store for all their fans. Singer and lyricist Matty Mullins checked in about the tour and said, “Come out and see us as we kick off our headlining tour in full winter style on the ”Christmas Sweatour”! We’re super stoked to go out and brave the cold with Destruction of a Rose, Armana Reign, and Affiance! Come out to the show in your ugliest Christmas sweaters and if it’s bad enough, you might be the lucky one to get a free cd or shirt!” Hot off the heels of their successful debut album, “Sleepwalking” (Trustkill 2009), Dallas, TX’s own MEMPHIS MAY FIRE are back with their most powerful and compelling music of their career. After touring the last year with Alesana, Asking Alexandria, The Chariot, Dance Gavin Dance, and more, the band went in to the studio and created 5 stunning tracks to showcase their new material.
Track Listing:
1. Be Careful What You Wish For
2. Action/Adventure
3. Vaulted Ceilings
4. Deuces Las Cruces
5. Gingervitus
Tour Dates:
12/7 – Rochester, NY
12/8 – Bronx, NY
12/9 – Albany, NY
12/10 – Middletown, NY
12/11 – Linthicum, MD
12/12 – Raleigh, NC
12/13 – Johnson City, TN
12/14 – Cookeville, TN
12/15 – Nashville, TN
12/17 – Memphis, TN
12/18 – Plano, TX
12/19 – Fort Worth, TX
12/20 – Joplin, MO
12/21 – St Louis, MO
12/22 – Indianapolis, IN
MyChildren MyBride Tour News
To say Madison, Alabama’s MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE are a driving force in today’s hardcore and metal scene would be the understatement of the year. With over thirty thousand copies of their Solid State Records debut “Unbreakable” sold in the US, countless tours under their belt and a brand new record in its final stages, MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE (Matthew Hasting – Vocals, Robert Bloomfield – Guitar, Dan Alvarado – Guitar, and Joe Lengson – Bass) are ready to keep the ball rolling.
Tour Dates:
12/7 – Columbia, SC
3/17 – Glasgow, Scotlant, UK
3/18 – Manchester, UK
3/19 – Nottingham, UK
3/20 – Manchester, UK
3/21 – Camden Town, UK
3/22 – Paris, FR
3/23 – Antwerp, BE
3/24 – Eindhoven, NL
3/25 – Hamburg, DE
3/26 – Stuttgart, DE
3/27 – Munster, DE
3/28 – Munich, DE
3/30 – Zurich, DE
3/31 – Cologne, DE
Close Your Eyes Tour Dates
This past year has shaken and stirred the world of CLOSE YOUR EYES and they wouldn’t have had it any other way. Since the February release of their Victory Records debut album We Will Overcome, the band has been on countless tours, leaving a long-lasting impression on everyone nearby. Ending 2010 with an opening slot on the sold out headlining A Day To Remember tour, Close Your Eyes will be stationed in their Texas homes writing and relaxing only to jump back out on a slew of dates with I See Stars starting January 14th in Toledo. “We are excited to go out with these bands because we will be hitting an entirely new group of kids and we’ll definitely be itching to get back out on the road after being home for over a month.” says guitarist Brett Callaway.
Tour Dates:
1/14 – Toledo, OH
1/15 – London, ON
1/16 – Syracuse, NY
1/19 – Providence, RI
1/20 – Lancaster, PA
1/21 – Vineland, NJ
1/22 – Wilmington, DE
1/23 – West Springfield, VA
1/25 – Evansville, IN
1/26 – Fort Wayne, IN
1/27 – DeKalb, IL
1/28 – Madison, WI
1/29 – Grand Rapids, MI
As They Sleep Teams Up With TheLiveLine
Motor City technical death metal act, As They Sleep, and TheLiveLine.com have teamed up for a special CD/t-shirt giveaway, to celebrate the release of As They Sleep’s Solid State Records debut, Dynasty, which hit stores last week. The site has provided As They Sleep with its own toll free number: (702) 967-9034, for fans to call in and leave a voice message explaining to the band why they deserve to win the prize pack. The most creative, sincere, and more importantly, METAL, message will be selected by the band as the winner. Go here to hear a special voice message from As They Sleep vocalist, Aaron Bridgewater, for all the details.
Times of Grace video On AltPress.com
Times of Grace’s brand new video for “Strength in Numbers” is on AltPress.com now! This is the first video from the band’s forthcoming debut The Hymn of a Broken Man, which lands in stores on January 18. For those not keeping score at home, ToG is the brand new project of KsE guitarist/producer extraordinaire, Adam D. Adam penned all the music for ToG in his head while he was recovering from back surgery, which had sidelined him from doing a KsE tour. He shared the music with his good friend (and original KsE singer) Jesse Leach and Times of Grace were born. Adam and Jesse made their mark on modern American metal with 2002’s Alive or Just Breathing, which IMO, is a definitive release of the ‘00s. AOJB was one of the first releases I worked when I started my career at RR (I know, I have been here forevs!) and that record remains one of my favorites of all time and of my tenure here, and I’m proud to say that I’ve worked some pretty fabulous, definitive, now-classic records in my time! Back then, I knew something special was unfolding, and Adam and Jesse were key pieces of that feeling. Now, it’s a new decade and a new project, and a new yet familiar sound. The duo aren’t attempting to replicate the past; rather, they are capitalizing on their explosive chemistry and forging something new.
Sleeping Giant Frontman Pens Book
Tommy Green, best known as the passionate flailing preaching front man of Sleeping Giant, has announced that he has written a book that will be available just before Christmas. The book, entitled Religio-Cide is for “anyone who wants to learn more about friendship with Jesus”, explains the new author. “Anyone who is a part of the bride who feels like their spirituality in Christ isn’t connected somehow or is empty or is over playing Sunday school and has real problems especially those who feel like they don’t know how to listen to the Holy Spirit in their prayer lives or the business of daily life. The people who know and the people who don’t.” As a charismatic and contagious front man, Green has never shyed away from sharing his heart from the stage. His words touch many and his performance is the purest form of worship for any hardcore kid who has seen what the world has to offer and has chosen to go the other way. The book will be available December 6th through Green’s church website.
Scaterd Few Returns In Digital
Recognized for being the first punk rock band in the CBA market, Scaterd Few pushed (annihilated would be the proper description) any and all boundaries established by the conservative and religious right. Twenty-eight years and five releases later they’ve found a new home in digital distribution. On Jan. 11, 2011 the complete catalog will be available for digital download from iTunes, Amazon MP3, eMusic and Rhapsody among others. “This is just the beginning of what we hope to do in making Scaterd Few available to its fans, the ones that made it all possible in the first place,” stated Allan Aguirre, fka Ramald Domkus, singer and founder of the band, “People have waited patiently for authorized digital content, and we appreciate that”. Scaterd Few was birthed in the early spring of 1983 out of a grassroots street ministry to Hollywood’s homeless punk rock youth. “I saw the need to just reach out in friendship to these homeless kids my own age,” says Aguirre, “So I did this by being their friend, bringing them food and blankets… simple things that won their trust and confidence.” Aguirre continues, “In 1983 the only punk rock band with a positive spiritual message was a Rastafarian band from DC called the Bad Brains. There was an obvious need for a band to bring the correct spiritual message from scripture to the scene, and so I started that band”.
©2010 HM Magazine All Rights Reserved
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