Norma Jean Enter Studio
Norma Jean is back in the studio this month to record their fifth studio album and debut for new record label, Razor & Tie. The currently untitled album will be released this summer, and is being recorded in Atlanta, GA at Glow in the Dark Studios with producer Jeremy Griffith. A new live music video for the demo of the song “Kill More Presidents” is now available as a free download with sign up for the Norma Jean email list. It is comprised of video shot by fans during the EXPLOSIONS 2009 Tour with HORSE The Band and The Chariot. The band ran a contest for fans to submit live concert footage, which was made into a live music video for the new song. A grand prize winner was chosen at random to receive a large prize pack including the existing Norma Jean catalog and products from such companies as Activision, Alternative Press, Rockett Clothing, Keep A Breast, Monster Energy, Denny’s and Hot Topic. Norma Jean have also launched a new fan club to give fans unprecedented access to the beast they call the NORMACHINE. Head to NORMACHINE.com to become an official member and gain exclusive access to custom merch, select meet & greets, and unique contests. “Kill More Presidents” will appear on the forthcoming release from Norma Jean, out this summer on Razor & Tie. Shortly after the release the band will head out on the road on the Rockstar Mayhem Festival, playing the “Mayhem Festival Stage” with Atreyu, In This Moment and 3 Inches of Blood.
Divide The Sea Release
Blood & Ink Records are extremely excited to say Divide The Sea’s new album Man came out Tuesday, January 26, 2010 and feedback has been great thus far! Blood & Ink staff were able to travel to South Carolina for their CD release show and seeing them in their hometown of Greenville play to a sold out crowd was phenomenal! Oh, let’s not forget HM Magazine gave the album a 4/5 review, asserting “Divide The Sea’s fantastically produced Man… [combines] great musicianship with a powerful frontman.” You can currently hear songs from Man on Divide The Sea’s Myspace
Living Sacrifice Find Success
Just weeks after releasing its bonecrushing new album, The Infinite Order, metal juggernaut LIVING SACRIFICE continues beating down doors at radio, elbowing its way onto scores of stations across the nation, as well as Sirius/XM, Music Choice and DMX. The band currently holds the #23 position on the CMJ Loud Rock charts, the #27 position on the Media Guide Metal Specialty charts and #4 on the FMQB Metal Detector chart, among many others – all a marked rise from the previous week. The Infinite Order – LIVING SACRIFICE’s 7th full-length album overall and its first in 8 years – is the next chapter in the storied career of one of thrash metal’s most enduring and beloved bands. The album debuted in the Billboard 200, a first in LIVING SACRIFICE’s 20-year career, and has been met with acclaim from all corners of the metal world. LIVING SACRIFICE’s current radio success comes in the midst of a U.S. headlining tour with WAR OF AGES and SHAI HULUD that reunited the band with its loyal fans for the first time since the album’s release. Spectators learned what LIVING SACRIFICE fans like AS I LAY DYING, UNDEROATH, and DEMON HUNTER already know: While they’ve carved out an undeniable legacy that no one can deny, this is one band that plays with the same passion and fury of its earliest days.
A Hope For Home News
Facedown Records is pleased to announce the new album from A Hope For Home! Realis will be released on 3/30th but you can get a glimpse of it now by checking out a song called “The Machine Stops” at the band’s myspace. A Hope For Home, known for their richly woven musical textures, deftly combine electronic beats with live drums and metal-influenced guitars with the warmth of synthesizers on their Facedown debut. You can catch A Hope For Home all over the country this spring on the Young & The Wreckless Tour with Hands, Onward to Olympas, and In The Midst Of Lions.
Tour Dates:
3/12 – Carthage, MO
3/13 – Camdenton, MO
3/14 – Pevely, MO
3/15 – Springfield, IL
3/16 – Terre Haute, IN
3/17 – Knoxville, TN
3/18 – Fort Wayne, IN
3/19 – Grand Ledge, MI
3/20 – Pittsburgh, PA
3/21 – Zanesville, OH
3/22 – Montclair, NJ
3/23 – Baltimore, MD
3/25 – East Ridge, TN
3/26 – Cape Girardeau, MO
3/27 – Bartlett, TN
3/28 – Dacula, GA
3/29 – Cleveland, GA
3/30 – Jacksonville, FL
3/31 – Tampa, FL
4/1 – Kissimmee, FL
4/2 – Fayetteville, GA
4/3 – Madison, AL
4/5 – Little Rock, AR
4/6 – Tulsa, OK
4/7 – Wichita, KS
4/8 – Dallas, TX
4/9 – Waco, TX
4/10 – San Antonio, TX
4/11 – Wichita Falls, TX
4/13 – Albuquerque, NM
4/14 – Tempe, AZ
4/15 – Yucca Valley, CA
4/16 – Canoga Park, CA
4/17 – Rancho Cucamonga, CA
4/18 – Palmdale, CA
4/19 – Sebastopol, CA
4/20 – Klamath Falls, OR
4/22 – Twin Falls, ID
The Almost Cover Tom Petty
The Almost have contributed their cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin'” to the upcoming compilation Punk Goes Classic Rock. You can hear the song & see the making of the video here. You’ll be able to get The Almost’s cover of “Free Fallin” and other artist’s classic covers on “Punk Goes Classic Rock” due out April 27th!
Brandon Bee A Hit At re:create
Critically acclaimed recording artist, songwriter, producer and worship leader Brandon Bee recently performed to an enthusiastic crowd at the Re:create 2010 worship conference in Franklin, Tenn. In addition to Bee, other performers at the conference included Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, Big Tent Revival, Leeland and country artist Bryan White. “Brandon Bee brought a refreshing Seattle voice and music to Nashville last week at our annual gathering for global arts leaders and pastors called Re:create,” comments Re:create’s Randy Elrod. “Brandon’s authenticity shone through as he displayed his obvious musical ability. He is a young talent that demands a listen for anyone interested in modern worship and Christian music. I highly recommend Brandon and his band to everyone.” In addition to performing at Re:create, Bee spent the week in Nashville writing for his next project before hurrying back to Seattle for the birth of his fifth child, daughter Ella Grace Lillian Bee. Best known as a producer and a sought-after worship leader at churches and conferences across the country, Brandon Bee is quickly gaining fans for his own unique brand of pop/rock worship music. Bee’s Surrendered EP debuted on iTunes’ “New & Noteworthy” section and landed in the Top 20 on the iTunes Christian Albums chart. He recently unveiled his debut full-length project, This Is The Revolution, on Save the City Records. The CD has been garnering critical acclaim from media outlets such as iTunes, Christian Musician Magazine, CCMMagazine.com and Christianitytoday.com. “One of the more striking debut efforts in recent memory, Bee firmly establishes the artistic reputation that his previous production work only hinted at with This Is The Revolution,” says Christian Musician Magazine. iTunes states, “Best known as a Christian music producer, Brandon Bee steps out as a singer/songwriter on 2009’s thoroughly likable This Is The Revolution…Bee is vivid and convincing.” Bee’s behind-the-scenes credits include development work for many of the music industry’s top companies, including Geffen Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group. He first came to the attention of the production world under the mentorship of producer Lou Carto (Randy Travis, B.B. King) and Dove Award-nominated Christian artist/producer Morgan Cryar. After moving back to the Northwest from Nashville, Bee began producing bands in Seattle’s growing Christian music scene and traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada to produce artists including Amber Pacific, Jaime Jamgochian, Benjiman, Juno Award nominee/Island Award winner Matthew James and Grammy Award nominee/Dove Award winner Stacie Orrico. Brandon Bee’s This Is The Revolution is available on Save the City Records, a division of Rain On Me Productions, LLC, and is distributed through Bema Direct. Bee’s Surrendered EP is available on iTunes, Amazon MP3, Rhapsody and other online retailers.
For more information on Brandon Bee, visit:
brandonbeemusic.com
Superchick Offers Free Download
GRAMMY Award nominated pop-rock group Superchick is offering a free download of its song “Courage” in support of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week which was Feb 21-27. The song was originally inspired by Superchick guitarist/vocalist Melissa Brock’s personal struggle with an eating disorder. Melissa explains, “I know full-well the pressures that society and even friends sometimes place on us to be thin and beautiful. It started for me when I was 15. I know what it’s like to not feel pretty, to feel fat, to feel like no one would ever want to be with you or even be friends with you because you feel so bad about yourself. BUT I also know how it feels to be free from those pressures and feel a love and acceptance that isn’t humanly possible. This week I am sharing my story, the whole story. And I hope that it reaches someone out there who has been or is where I have been. The biggest step is knowing you aren’t alone.”
The Rocket Summer’s New Album Is Out Now
The Rocket Summer’s second major label album on Island Records, Of Men And Angels, has hit stores. The newest release from Bryce Avery has had a brilliant start with an exclusive premiere on MySpace that can still be heard at myspace.com/therocketsummer. In addition, the video for track “Hills and Valleys” premiered on www.Ustream.com with a live chat with Bryce, as lead single “Walls” impacts CHR. The Rocket Summer front man, songwriter and multi-instrumental Texan Bryce Avary looks ahead to the band’s return to the road starting March 13 with a series of shows with Colorado-based One Republic. The Rocket Summer is already confirmed for the 16th annual Vans Warped Tour 2010 this summer, opening in California the last weekend of June, running through August 15.
Tour Dates:
3/13 – Montgomery, AL
3/14 – Tallahassee, FL
3/16 – Mobile, AL
3/17 – Memphis, TN
3/22 – Des Moines, IA
3/23 – Madison, WI
3/24 – Decatur, IL
3/27 – Searcy, AR
3/29 – Russellville, AR
Paramore News
Paramore are also set to kick off their Spring Tour on April 26th including a headline slot at The Bamboozle New Jersey on May 1st. The tour comes hot on the heels of Paramore’s recent European itinerary, a blockbuster trek that saw the Grammy Award-nominated band blowing the roof off of sold-out arenas across the continent, including London’s 12,500-capacity Wembley Arena. Paramore’s acclaimed third album, “brand new eyes,” has just been certified gold by the RIAA for sales now exceeding 500,000. The band recently won “Favorite Rock Band” at the 2010 People’s Choice Awards. In addition, their smash single, “Decode” – featured on Summit Entertainment/Chop Shop/Atlantic’s “TWILIGHT—ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK” – was nominated as “Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television, Or Other Visual Media” at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. Check out their new video for The Only Exception here.
Sixteen Cities Sign To Centricity
Modern rock band, Sixteen Cities, has signed with Centricity Music and is scheduled to release their self-titled debut 4/20, 2010. The project was produced by Jason Ingram (Meredith Andrews, Tenth Avenue North), Rusty Varenkamp (Bebo Norman, Rush of Fools) and Steve Wilson (Hawk Nelson, Leeland). The project will be distributed by EMI Distribution. “At Centricity we not only try to honor the artists’ talent but more importantly we embrace their ministry,” says Chris Hamilton, Manager A&R, Centricity Music. “Sixteen Cities is such a talented group of artists that have been compared to The Fray, Jars Of Clay and The Afters. But what really impacted us at the label, was their ministry with the unchurched in public high schools around the country. It has become a very powerful and effective calling that also translates well with the more traditional music venues.” “In high school, we started out by leading our peers in worship on Wednesday mornings and we fell in love with it,” recalls the band’s lead vocalist and keyboardist, Josiah Warneking. “As soon as we graduated, we all prayed and sought God’s true heart and will. We felt called to full-time music ministry, but knew nothing about the music industry. A week or two later we got a phone call from a guy with a ministry called Common Ground, which is basically a huge production with concerts, games and a Gospel presentation in a public school. So here we were thinking we’d have no chance to continue singing to students after having just graduated, and we wound up in front of hundreds and sometimes thousands of teenagers in gymnasiums singing about Jesus.” Sixteen Cities hails from Portland, Oregon and the group started performing as a band in their early years of high school. The group’s moniker was inspired by the tribe of Issachâr in Joshua 19, which also understood the current needs of its generation. The band’s modern rock sound and heartfelt messages began connecting with fans within the indie Northwest music scene. Sixteen Cities began garnering national recognition when a friend at a Christian bookstore started passing their CD around the industry and Centricity Music invited them to their indie artist retreat, which led to their label deal in 2008. Sixteen Cities remains an active touring band and has toured with such other acts as Kutless, Building 429, Fireflight and Sanctus Real.
Shirock News
SHIROCK is a five-piece pop-rock band from Nashville, TN. SHIROCK makes music that capitalizes on the transformative power of rock and roll and its ability to move and inspire people. Produced by Jay Ruston (The Donnas, Cold War Kids), “Everything Burns” is an album featuring anthem-driven rock songs with passionate lyrics that convey positive messages of hope. SHIROCK’s debut album, “Everything Burns” is available on iTunes and in Hollister Co. stores worldwide, giving the band the distinction of being the only independent band to ever grace the shelves.
Stars Go Dim Signs To Union Entertainment Group
Stars Go Dim is proud to announce that they have signed with Union Entertainment Group for management. They also manage Nickelback, Hinder, Kevin Costner, Richard Marx, and many other fine acts. Stars Go Dim’s “Come Around” is featured on the original motion picture soundtrack for “Letters to God…hope is contagious” hitting stores nationwide 3/30, 2010. Watch the movie “Letters to God” in theaters 4/9th.
©2010 HM Magazine All Rights Reserved
More news from last week:
still fresh (as far as you know)
About the Author
