For Today News
For Today is heading out on tour with Emmure, Stick To Your Guns, Evergreen Terrace and Oceano for the Hard Knock Life Tour this fall. For Today will be supporting their new album Portraits, a record that has been called “beautiful, punishing and raw” by Loudside.com. Following the Hard Knock Life Tour, For Today will be jumping over to Australia for a week’s worth of tour dates there.
Tour Dates:
7/30 – Montreal, QC
7/31 – New York, NY
8/01 – Gilford, NH
8/02 – Baltimore, MD
8/5 – Gold Coast, Queensland
8/6 – Brisbane, Queensland
8/7 – Brisband, Queensland
8/8 – Blacktown, New South Wales
8/9 – Wyong, New South Wales
8/13 – Melbourne, Victoria
8/16 – Memphis, TN
8/17 – Herrin, IL
8/19 – Casper, WY
8/20 – Boise, ID
8/21 – Camas, WA
8/22 – Seattle, WA
8/23 – Roseburg, OR
9/02 – Farmington, NM
9/03 – Denver, CO
9/04 – Tulsa, OK
9/05 – Springfield, MO
9/06 – St. Louis, MO
9/08 – Iowa City, IA
9/09 – Indianapolis, IN
9/10 – Grand Rapids, MI
9/22 – Charlotte, NC
9/23 – Charleston, SC
9/24 – Columbia, SC
9/26 – Pensacola, FL
9/28 – Memphis, TN
9/29 – Nashville, TN
For more information on this tour, go here:
myspace.com/fortoday
Seabird News
Recordings break-out artist Seabird wraps its summer tour stint with Jars of Clay to join new Atlantic Records band Meese and Universal Motown group Barcelona on the road through late August. Seabird will also return to the studio this fall for its highly-anticipated sophomore release, in stores December 2009. Kicking off day, July 27, at Nashville’s Exit In, Seabird will open for Denver-based band Meese, who released its full-length debut, Broadcast, this summer and piano pop-rock group Barcelona, whose music was most recently featured on the season finale promos for ABC’s award-winning medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” The tour will visit major markets including Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco. An up-to-date tour itinerary is available at http://www.meesemusic.com/tour/. Also in the works for Seabird is a follow up to its 2008 label debut, ‘Til We See The Shore. The yet-to-be-titled sophomore album features top-notch production by Paul Moak (Mat Kearney, Sixpence None The Richer) and Matt Hales from Aqualung and is slated to release in December. The project’s first single will be serviced to radio this fall, while Seabird will debut music from its forthcoming record on a 30+-city tour with David Crowder Band beginning Oct. 1, 2009 in San Antonio. “I’ve never been as excited to be back in the studio as I am right now, says Seabird frontman Aaron Morgan. “To be honest, I was a little worried that we wouldn’t find songs that were as exciting as our debut album. I now believe with everything in me that this record is a natural progression to a more moving experience than anything we’ve recorded to date.” Consisting of brothers Aaron (vocals/keys) and Ryan (guitar) Morgan as well as Preston Lane (drums), the Cincinnati-based band initially formed in 2004 when entering a local “battle of the bands” competition. Released June 24, 2008,‘Til We See The Shore, a collaborative effort with producers Jacquire King (Modest Mouse, Kings Of Leon, Tom Waits, Switchfoot) and Allen Sal (Mute Math, This Beautiful Republic), is an attempt to meet its fans where they are, to craft an album that “share[s] the emotions, victories, and defeats we all experience as normal, everyday people,” says Aaron. Music from ‘Til We See The Shore has received phenomenal national publicity, featured on episodes of “Numb3rs,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and promos for ABC’s 12-time Emmy-nominated series, “Pushing Daisies.” The band was also recently recognized by its hometown as “Artist of the Year” at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards.
For information on Seabird, visit:
seabirdmusic.com
Lead Singer From Anberlin’s Side Project Debuts
Anchor & Braille gear up to release Felt, out 8/4th on WoodWater Records, Stephen Christian’s own record label which is distributed by Universal Music. Produced, engineered and mixed by Copeland singer Aaron Marsh and recorded over the course of four years, Felt is the first full-length for Anchor & Braille and the first release for WoodWater Records. “The songs are mostly songs of regret and heartache, with hopes that each and every one rings of nostalgia and better times for all who listen,” says Christian. “These are some of the most painful songs I have ever written but with each song I felt a sense of relief and on some level an almost spiritual repentance and cleansing.” Felt is a bona fide depiction of an artist bursting with an endless supply of aptitude and creative energy. The album’s instrumentation and profound lyrics flow beautifully from one song to the next. From finding out we are in a relationship with someone we shouldn’t be, the album’s contagious “Blur,” to contemplations of life in “Rust (the short story of Mary Agnosia),” to the blissful sounds of “Like Steps In A Dance,” Felt, has the auditory and sensory feel Christian was hoping to achieve. Christian describes the sound of Felt as “exploring a museum at night with all the lights off. There are moments of mastery on this record, and the closer you study the lyrics, songs, & ethereal layers the more beauty and enjoyment you will get out of it.” “I named the record Felt at the request of a end because the meaning, much like the songs on the record, has two different levels; a surface and a deeper. The first meaning of the word ‘Felt’ is the past tense of the word ‘feels’ because these songs are all past memories, which I have learned, mourned, and grown from. The second meaning of ‘felt’ is the fabric which connotates a very sensual imagery, hopefully much like the music and melodies themselves. Anchor & Braille started several years back when Christian realized that he had written many songs he knew Anberlin could never use. The songs had a different feel and the lyrics were topics that he felt were a bit more personal, which he was not ready at that time to share on a mass platform.
Track Listing:
1) Rust (the short story of Mary Agnosia)
2) Like steps in a dance
3) Blur
4) Inretrospect
5) Summer Tongues
6) Calm, calm, calm yourself
7) Wedding/Funeral.
8) Sleep. When we die.
9) Forget love, I just want you to make sense to me tonight.
10) Sing out
11) Sheet music/Sheet music
For more information on Anchor & Braille, check out:
anchorandbraille.com
David Crowder Band Releases New Album
DAVID CROWDER*BAND may very well be the biggest band you’ve never heard of. The six-piece have previously released four studio albums, selling over one million copies combined. During their last major tour, in support of 2007’s Remedy, the band sold out nineteen large clubs across the country including notable venues like New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom (see photo above), The Wiltern in Los Angeles and The Fillmore in San Francisco. And now they are set to release their fifth studio album on September 22, the ambient and ethereal CHURCH MUSIC (sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records).
CHURCH MUSIC features seventeen compelling, inimitably progressive electronic rock tracks and runs an impressive 73 minutes long. “It’s our stimulus package,” jokes frontman DAVID CROWDER. “We’re doing our part.” With songs influenced by artists that range from Radiohead to Linkin Park, Portishead to Sigur Rós, CHURCH MUSIC may not be what you expect sonically when you think of one of Christian music’s leading bands. The album even includes a decidedly unique cover of hard rock act Flyleaf’s hit “All Around Me,” and features Flyleaf lead singer Lacey Mosely and the Dupree sisters from Eisley singing background vocals on various tracks. CROWDER says, “If you have encountered our music, you know that there are a lot of cultural and current influences in it, so to put this music with that term [church music] does a number of things: It helps people understand what our intent is and it lets people understand that the idea of CHURCH MUSIC is really broad and diverse and to me, that’s really exciting.” He continues, “The one thing non-Christians get perturbed about is that no one is being straightforward with the conversion and that’s when they feel like they’ve been had and go, ‘I fell in love with this band and now I find out they’re just trying to subvert my thinking with this propaganda.’ This project says what it is. It’s CHURCH MUSIC and if you’re straightforward with it, there’s beauty that’s available to people who may not profess the same beliefs.” Standout offerings on the album include “Eastern Hymn,” “Oh, Happiness” and “God Almighty, None Compares.” For “Eastern Hymn,” CROWDER commissioned the translation of an ancient Chinese prayer book which he’d found last summer on the band’s world tour, and portions of the translated tome appear in the song’s chorus. “Oh, Happiness” sounds like it could have sprung from the minds of the MGMT lads and “has a lot of shine in it,” CROWDER enses. “God Almighty, None Compares,” is a favorite for Crowder because he loves “the guitar hary…the guitary if you will, and shredding is involved which always makes me smile.” The most surprising album track may be the vocoder-heavy title track, which is “as close to Studio 54 as we could get,” the frontman says with a chuckle. “We wanted to put a party from Studio 54 on the record and I know its going to be really fun live. That song is sort of our pronouncement that CHURCH MUSIC helps us realign ourselves to some of the more beautiful things about our existence.” Look for the Waco, TX-based DAVID CROWDER*BAND—CROWDER, guitarists JACK PARKER and MARK WALDORP, bassist MIKE DODSON, drummer JEREMY BUSH and electronic violinist MIKE HOGAN—to return to the road this fall. The extensive tour will see the band take a more intimate route than their 2007 tour, playing mostly churches across the country.
Tour Dates:
7/30 – Salinas, CA
8/6 – Charlotte, NC
8/7 – Birmingham, AL
8/8 – South Bend, IN
8/14 – El Paso, TX
9/11 – Orlando, FL
9/25 – Los Angeles, CA
10/1 – San Antonio, TX
10/2 – Abilene, TX
10/3 – Houston, TX
10/8 – Las Vegas, NV
10/9 – Phoenix, AZ
10/11 – Sacramento, CA
10/12 – Modesto, CA
10/13 – Redding, CA
10/15 – Eugene, OR
10/16 – Portland, OR
10/17 – Seattle, WA
10/18 – Abbotsford, BC
10/19 – Spokane, WA
10/20 – Boise, ID
10/22 – Minneapolis, MN
10/23 – Chicago, IL
10/24 – Grand Rapids, MI
10/25 – Detroit, MI
10/29 – Dallas, TX
10/30 – Tulsa, OK
11/5 – Indianapolis, IN
11/6 – Lexington, KY
11/7 – Cincinnati, OH
11/8 – Lancaster, PA
11/12 – Burlington, NJ
11/13 – New York City, NY
11/14 – Springfield, MA
11/15 – Morgantown, WV
11/17 – Washington, DC
11/18 – Charlotte, NC
11/19 – Columbia, SC
11/20 – Tampa, FL
11/21 – Atlanta, GA
11/22 – Atlanta, GA
Take It Back! Releases New EP
Take It Back! are releasing a new EP on 8/18th and you can pre-order it here. Only 1,000 copies are being made of this limited edition EP and it features 3 brand new songs and 2 covers (No Innocent Victim’s “To Burn Again” and Black Flag’s “Rise Above”). Check out a new song called “New Empires” on their myspace page and make sure to get your pre-order in now as these are sure to go fast!
August Burns Red Releases New Video
Two weeks after the release of their acclaimed new album, Constellations, AUGUST BURNS RED have debuted the video for “Meddler,” the penultimate track on the epic new album, on the band’s MySpace page – which can be viewed here. Constellations, 8/BURNS RED’s third full-length offering, proves that the band is positioned to break out from confines of the underground metal scene; the album debuted at #24 on the Billboard Charts last week, after selling an impressive 20,000+ copies in the first week of its release. The video for “Meddler,” directed by Endeavor Media, provides a beautiful backdrop for the band’s crushing music by taking cues from the visual themes explored in the album’s artwork. “Constellations is about directing our attention towards heaven, trusting that God will direct our steps, regardless of our circumstance,” explains drummer Matt Greiner. “The kites in the artwork represent our own intelligence and innovation. So often we trust our own abilities to guide us through life, but the ‘wind’ of life will send our kites soaring every which way.” The album has received high praise from Alternative Press, AOL/Noisecreep, Decibel, Revolver and HM, which features the Lancaster, PA-based metal adventurers on the cover of its July/8/issue. 8/BURNS RED was also the Artist of the Week at antiMUSIC and the featured artist on MySpace Music, where fans have streamed songs from Constellations multiple millions of times.
Stryper Tour News
Legendary Christian rock band Stryper will kick off their 25th Anniversary Tour in September, touring throughout the U.S. before heading out on an international run in early 2010. In addition to their hits and fan favorites, Stryper will perform songs from their latest studio album Murder by Pride (Big3 Records) which was released today – twenty-five years to the day after the release of their debut EP, The Yellow and Black Attack. The tour will be a two set show. The first set will be new Stryper material and include current bassist Tracy Ferrie, along with original members Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet and Oz Fox. The second set will feature all four original members, including original bassist Tim Gaines, wearing new yellow and black stage outfits from the original designer and performing the band’s hits from the last twenty-five years. The 25th Anniversary Tour will be a family project, with Michael Sweet Jr.’s band Flight Patterns opening all dates. Flight Patterns’ debut album will be released this fall on Fifty Three Five Records. Murder by Pride includes a cover of the BOSTON song “Peace of Mind” (featuring BOSTON founder, guitarist and songwriter Tom Scholz on the recording). Ironically, Stryper had recorded “Peace of Mind” and planned to include it on Murder by Pride long before Michael Sweet was asked to join BOSTON on vocals and guitar for their 54-city headlining tour of North America in summer 2008.
Tour Dates:
9/11 – Boston, MA
9/12 – Clifton Park, NY
9/13 – Hartford, CT
9/16 – Poughkeepsie, NY
9/18 – New York, NY
9/19 – Asbury Park, NJ
9/20 – Allentown, PA
9/23 – Lancaster, PA
9/24 – Cleveland, OH
9/25 – Mt. Clemens, MI
10/1 – Greensburg, PA
10/2 – Knoxville, TN
10/4 – Chicago, IL
10/9 – Cincinnati, OH
10/15 – Falls Church, VA
10/17 – Cary, NC
10/21 – Atlanta, GA
10/22 – Jacksonville, FL
10/24 – St. Petersburg, FL
10/25 – Fort Lauderdale, FL
10/28 – Lake Buena Vista, FL
10/30 – Nashville, TN
11/4 – Dallas, TX
11/5 – Houston, TX
11/6 – San Antonio, TX
11/10 – Denver, CO
11/13 – Las Vegas, NV
11/14 – Los Angeles, CA
11/16 – Anaheim, CA
11/19 – Santa Clara, CA
Dreampilots Take Flight
Hailing from the fjords of Scandinavia, Norwegian rock band Dreampilots will release their North American debut album Comedown on September 29th. The highly-anticipated project will be the first release through Red Hammer Records’ new major distribution partnership with E1 Entertainment Distribution (formerly Koch Entertainment). In April, Dreampilots became the surprise “buzz band” at GMA Music Week in Nashville, where they stole the media’s attention with their striking personal stories and the desperate plea for hope that can be found throughout their debut. Originally started as a ministry project, frontman and former Word Records UK artist Oddi Nessa heeded God’s call and set out across the Norwegian countryside with a guitar on his back, a Bible in his hand and a deep desire to share the hope of Jesus Christ with anyone who would listen. He was soon joined by bass player Gulleiv Wee, a founding member of the platinum selling pop band The September When, and production and keyboard maestro, Inge Engelsvold. The evolution of Dreampilots was complete with the addition of drummer Karl Oluf Wennerberg, who is also the drummer for the multi-platinum super-group a-ha. Dreampilots’ powerful stage presence and captivating lyrical imagery pull back the veil of social and spiritual awareness. The lyrics contained within Comedown are not afraid to back down against a world that is rapidly losing its soul. “We recognize our responsibility as a band to do what we can for humanity while upon a world stage,” says Nessa. “But of equal importance is connecting with the human being who is standing in front of our stage who is jaded and confused, and has lost his ability to know truth. That person has lost their moral compass and ethical boundaries. The desperate part of that situation is that the 14-year-old kid in the audience is the person who will represent our future.”
For more information on Dreampilots, visit:
dreampilots.net
Leeland Releases New Album In August
GRAMMY and Dove-nominated progressive rock act, Leeland will release its third studio album, Love Is On The Move on August 25. For the first time, Leeland teams up with award-winning, veteran producer Ed Cash (Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band) and reunites with co-producer Steve Wilson (Fish, Hawk Nelson) who co-wrote three songs on Leeland’s debut, including the title cut “Sound of Melodies.” As Leeland continues to influence a generation of new worshippers, the album’s title track marks a clear mission statement for Leeland, which poetically unfolded during the writing process. A response to both physical and spiritual poverty, the lyrics of “Love Is On The Move” poignantly discuss a service-filled transformation. “Worship, justice and action are not separate,” explains lead singer and guitarist Leeland Mooring. “They are united. They work together. When you have an amazing encounter with God and you experience His love during worship, the fruit of that should be your life overflowing with action and love – justice – to the world around you.” Leeland adds, “God’s really been opening our vision to hurting people, especially the poor, around the world and making it clear we should help by being a part of spreading His kingdom.” He references 1 John 3:18 as a source of inspiration for the thoughts and ideas represented on the new album, connecting them back to the purpose for their music. “If we’re not loving people, then we’re just making a bunch of noise,” Leeland notes. Keyboardist Jack Mooring is quick to agree. “We don’t want to sing another song if we’re not taking care of the poor. If we’re not being the hands and feet of Jesus, we might as well just stop making records and go home.” Jack states, “We see our calling as a band as two-fold: reaching out to the poor and reaching the ‘up-and-outers.’ America’s a rich nation, but we’re spiritually poor. We want to see God bring a personal revival in the hearts of Americans and transform our nation.” Cash sensed the remarkable vision behind the band’s recent project from the start. “It was so apparent from day one that God was the star and the focus,” he says. “Unlike any record I’ve ever made, we started most every day with about an hour of unplanned prayer and worship, just getting caught up into the presence of God. And I’m certain that is reflected in the music.” The album’s first single “Follow You,” goes for adds Aug. 7 at Christian radio. The hit-bound song, featuring Leeland with friend and GMA’s Male Vocalist of the Year Brandon Heath, reinforces the same action-centric message of meeting the needs of the poor and broken, as Heath sings, “When I was dead You gave me life / How could I not give it away so freely,” and Leeland responds, “I’ll Follow You into the homes of the broken.” The collaboration continues this fall as Leeland reunites with Heath to co-headline the “Follow You Tour,” welcoming special guest Francesca Battistelli. The artists will give audiences the chance to respond to each night’s worship with immediate action as they strongly recommend child sponsorships through Food for the Hungry.
Thousand Foot Krutch News
With a little over a month until fans will get their hands on the fifth studio album “Welcome to the Masquerade” from rockers Thousand Foot Krutch, a new single from the forthcoming project is made available today on iTunes. The single “Fire It Up” is the second single fans have heard from the new CD as the first single, “Bring Me to Life,” was a free download with the Taco Bell “Feed The Beat” program earlier this Spring. Fire It Up” is a high-energy, crunchy riff-filled, rock song that is being featured in a major movie trailer for “G.I. Joe”, two upcoming video games (MX vs. ATV Reflex and upcoming EA Sports NHL 10 (game releases September 15th, soundtrack July 31st)), used on ESPN’s airing of the NASCAR Nationwide series feature on Kyle Busch and on the Versus Network during the Edmonton IndyCar race this past weekend. Terry Lingner, IndyCar on Versus Producer had this to say, “IndyCar Racing is all about power and sound and we are flat to the floor with Thousand Foot Krutch’s material. Talk about a great mix. TFK in your face and the power appeal of land rockets!” Thousand Foot Krutch will release “Welcome To The Masquerade” on Tooth & Nail Records September 8th. The band will also be out on the Creation Festival: The Tour this fall along with FM Static.
For more information on TFK, go here:
myspace.com/thousandfootkrutch
Abel On Tour Now
Dreamt Music’s ABEL will be touring this 8/with Deas Vail. Abel has captured the heart of the indie movement by equipping the honesty in their creativity, and they are careful to let themselves be led by that honesty. Abel will release their 5 song EP The Honest Love September 1 with Dreamt Music.
Tour Dates:
8/8 – Burlington, NC
8/9 – Wilmington, NC
8/10 – Forest, VA
8/11 – Virginia Beach, VA
8/12 – Sicklerville, NJ
8/13 – Dunellen, NJ
8/15 – Purple Door Festival
8/16 – Springfield, OH
8/17 – Carmel, IN
8/18 – Kansas City, KS
8/19 – Emporia, KS
8/21 – Nashville, TN
8/22 – Athens, GA
8/23 – Birmingham, AL
8/25 – Jackson, MS
8/26 – Little Rock, AR
Family Force 5 News
FAMILY FORCE 5 has ruled the road for quite a while now, on the AP and WARPED tours, powering the rise of their DANCE OR DIE album. This fast-rising FORCE in alternative music is set to embark on their very own DANCE RAWR DANCE 3 tour. Starting in mid-September, the band will set out on the road with hot support acts, Breathe Carolina and Cash Cash along with openers, Queens Club and iRival. The package will hit major markets all over the USA, bringing FAMILY FORCE 5’s full, extraordinarily energetic live show to fans everywhere! There will be video diaries shot on the road, as well as Twittering from the bands as they move around the country that you will be able to check it out here.
Tour Dates:
9/18 – Columbus, OH
9/20 – Lancaster, PA
9/22 – Boston, MA
9/23 – New York, NY
9/24 – New Haven, CT
9/30 – Salt Lake City, UT
10/6 – Anaheim, CA
10/8 – Phoenix, AZ
10/10 – Dallas, TX
10/11 – Tulsa, OK
10/13 – Knoxville, TN
10/14 – Washington, DC
10/15 – Raleigh, NC
10/16 – Charlotte, NC
10/17 – Atlanta, GA
About the Author
