From Pop to Punk, Rock to Rage, Screamo to Soul… By Joseph Franklin

 

ALL TIME LOW

Hopeless Records is proud to announce that All Time Low has just confirmed a string of dates on the Main Stage of this summer’s Vans Warped Tour. The band will be touring in support of their highly anticipated forthcoming release, Nothing Personal, in stores July 7th.

The first single off Nothing Personal is “Weightless,” an immediately catchy pop rock hit that received over 50,000 streams in less than 24 hours when it initially premiered.

You can catch All Time Low on July 21 when the Warped Tour hits the Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts in Boston.

Myspace.com/alltimelow

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SAVING ABEL TEAM WITH PAPA ROACH, HINDER AND NICKELBACK

Virgin Records’ rock quintet Saving Abel’s winning streak continues as they gear up for one of this summer’s hottest rock tours.  The band are set to hit the road with Papa Roach, Hinder and Nickelback beginning July 10 and hitting  the  Comcast Center for the Performing Arts in Mansfield, MA on July 24.

Saving Abel’s 18 Days Tour Ep, which features an acoustic version of “18 Days” and two b-sides, is available now exclusively at iTunes.

Myspace.com/savingabel or savingabel.com.

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BLONDIE AND PAT BENATAR

For the first time ever, two pioneering rock legends, Blondie and Pat Benatar, will share the stage on the Call Me Invincible tour. They will be joined by special guests The Donnas. Between Blondie and Benatar, the tour will feature songs from a combined ten Platinum albums, eight #1 hits and countless other favorites including “Heart of Glass,” “Heartbreaker,” “Call Me,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Rapture,” “Invincible,” “One Way or Another” and “Love is a Battlefield.”

Says Blondie frontwoman Deborah Harry, “Pat Benatar is not only a friend, but a fearless female rocker who has entertained me and her wealth of fans for so many years. This will be a reunion for us both and being able to bring our two shows to fans across the country is very exciting!”

Pat Benatar adds, “Deborah and I have been friends forever.  I’m thrilled that we’re finally getting an opportunity to tour together, it should be a blast.”

You can catch the Call Me Invincible Tour on August 8 at the Bank of America Pavilion.

For more on Blondie, visit Blondie.netand myspace.com/blondie. For more on Pat Benatar, visit benatarfanclub.com and myspace.com/officialpatbenatar.

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BOYS LIKE GIRLS and GYM CLASS HEROES

mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, is heating up the stage this summer with the first-ever “mtvU Sunblock Music Festival,” a four-city Festival featuring the most buzzed about performers.  Co-headliners Boys Like Girls and Gym Class Heroes, w/ special guests The Academy Is, The Veronicas, and NeverShoutNever!, are partnering with mtvU and MTV to bring this killer musical event to MTV’s summer-themed Sunblock programming on mtvU, MTV, MTV2, MTV Tr3s, and online on MTV.com and mtvU.com.

The “mtvU Sunblock Music Festival” will hit Suffolk Downs in Boston in July, so check www.tours.mtvu.com often for the exact show date.

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KATAKLYSM

Kataklysm  recently checked in from the road while on tour with Napalm Death, Toxic Halocaust, Coliseum, and Trap Them and frontman  Maurizio Iacono  offered the following update:

“We’re well into the tour with our old friends in Napalm Death. The shows have been good and everything is under control. We look forward to all the dates and completing the touring cycle for Prevail in 2009.

So after these tours are done our focus will immediately change to our new band Ex Deo, which was released by Nuclear Blast Records on June 30. The hype behind Romulus is gaining massive momentum and this is such a big project!

That means if you want to watch Kataklysm in the states one last time before the next album drops (not before 2011), this would be the tour to come visit us and party like we usually do. A big thank you to the fans for making ‘Prevail’ a very successful album worldwide. Now I must gather my legions and take back the throne of metal! The scene needs a kick in the ass back to rebellion and Rome is coming!”

Visit myspace.com/kataklysm and myspace.com/exdeo for a complete list of tour dates.

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VADER

Polish death metallers Vader have announced the track listing for their new album Necropolis (named after the first Vader song ever), tentatively due out on Nuclear Blast Records in late summer.

The upcoming release will mark the recording debut of the band’s new line up:  Piotr “Peter” Wiwczarek on guitar, vocals, Reyash on bass, Waclaw “Vogg” Kieltyka (Decapitated )on guitar, Pawel Jaroszewicz (Soul Snatcher) on drums.

States guitarist/vocalist Piotr “Peter” Wiwczarek: “Necropolis has its shape now. Today we finish recordings of main guitars and after a week break we coming back to the studio to make all leads, bass and vocal parts.  We will show you the life in a studio, the process of creation and recording the new album. Gates To Necropolis, Part 2 is gonna be available in a week.  STAY VADERIZED!!!”

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COLDPLAY

Coldplay will be giving away an exclusive live CD, titled LeftRightLeftRightLeft, to all fans attending the Viva La Vida summer tour that began May 15th and at every remaining live show in 2009.  The CD will also be available as a free download during the same time period through their website http://www.coldplay.com.

“Playing live is what we love,” says Coldplay. “This album is a thank you to our fans ~ the people who give us a reason to do it and the people who make it happen.”

Supporting seven-time GRAMMY® winner Coldplay for their August 3rd show at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA is the band Elbow.

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ELECTRONICA PIONEER SCOTT HARDKISS

Electronica pioneer Scott Hardkiss delivers his long awaited debut artist album Technicolor Dreamer, out July 28th on his new label God Within Recordings.  Scott’s signature super-funky beats and up-lifting, atmospheric vibe are all featured on the album, but the music has evolved into tightly crafted songs with vocals, verses, choruses, and hooks. Scott sings, raps, plays synths, drums, bass and guitar on nearly every song on the record, blending together live vocals and instruments to add human soul to the next-school electronic beats. He wrote, produced, arranged, engineered and self-recorded the music in his home studio, Room Zero.

Scotthardkiss.com and myspace.com/scotthardkiss.

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MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK

After a busy 2008 touring the globe, the release of an acoustic EP, and the hit TV series Gossip Girl featuring the track “Fell In Love Without You” off the EP, Motion City Sountrack has been hard at work writing the follow-up to 2007’s critically-acclaimed Even If It Kills Me.

Rejoining MCS in the studio to produce their Columbia Records debut will be Mark Hoppus of Blink-182.

“We were excited to work with Mark again because we had such great fun and great results last time. And he begged. It was a little pathetic,” says Tony Thaxton/MCS drummer.

The band has also launched a new website that will have new webisodes up every two weeks. Check it out now at motioncitysoundtrack.com.

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DEATH ANGEL

Death Angel have released the following statement in regards to the departure of longtime drummer Andy Galeon:

“As some of you may have already heard, Death Angel’s long time drummer and original member Andrew Galeon has decided that it is time for him to move on from the band.  While we are sad to see him go, we wish him nothing but success.  Not only has he been an integral part of Death Angel from day one, but he’s also family and a friend and we will miss him.  All the best to you, Brother.

As for the future of Death Angel, the show goes on!  Old friend and long time fixture of the Bay Area metal scene Will Carroll (Scarecrow, Old Grandad, Vicious Rumors, etc.) will be handling the drum duties. Will’s been jamming with us for over a month now and is tearing it up!  We look forward to hitting the stage with him very soon.  We’ll be performing songs from Frolic… and Act III that we haven’t played live since back in the day so prepare for a dose of some serious old school thrash!

Thank you all for your continued support over the years.  See you on the road this summer!”

Death Angel have just issued a DVD with two full-length concerts filmed in Germany. Entitled “Sonic German Beatdown,” the package, to be released in North America on 7/28, includes footage from the ‘07 edition of the Rock Hard Festival and a 2008 performance in Adelsheim. As an added bonus, the set includes a live CD.

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TANTRIC

Hugo Ferreira (lead vocals, keyboards), Joe Pessia (guitars), Erik Leonhardt (bass and vocals), Marcus Ratzenboeck (violin), and Richie Monica (drums) will be releasing their fourth album, Mind Control, July 21 on the Silent Majority Group label (through Warner Music Group’s Independent Label Group).  It was produced by Brett Hestla (Creed, Framing Hanley, Dark New Day) and is the follow-up to 2008’s The End Begins, which produced the top five hit “Down and Out.”

Mind Control is sure to follow in the footsteps of The End Begins, which Billboard described as “…remarkable…a well-realized blend of post-grunge rock, crafty melodies and pop finesse, sans overt commercial pandering.”

Look for the band to launch a full-scale summer tour in July ~ check back often at myspace.com/tantric, YouTube.com/tantric, silentmajoritygroup.com

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AFTER MIDNIGHT PROJECT

After Midnight Project is the latest band to be signed to the Universal Motown family. Coined as a “modern/alternative” pop-rock band, AMP is: Jason ~ vocals, Spencer ~ guitar, Christian - guitar, TJ ~ bass and Danny ~ drums. Their debut album, Let’s Build Something To Break, is set to release July 14th, 2009; After Midnight Project promises to be a refreshing addition to the much anticipated touring season.

Visit myspace.com/aftermidnightproject to listen to tracks from Let’s Build Something to Break ~ and check out After Midnight Project live at youtube.com/watch?v=oDrmwhG0zEo.

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DANCE GAVIN DANCE

With a successful headlining tour behind them, Dance Gavin Dance’s 4th album for Rise Records, Happiness, released last month, is a triumphant musical progression for them. They are able to play with just about any band out there and are often referred to as a “band’s band.” Blending a myriad of genres into their songs, Dance Gavin Dance is always pushing the envelope while somehow maintaining a sense of melody and urgency. Featuring artwork from famous Swedish artist Mattias Adolfsson, Happiness is their proudest moment and it clearly shows.

Fans can catch Dance Gavin Dance on the SmartPunk stage on the Vans Warped Tour on 7/ 21 in Boston.  ‘Til then, check out at myspace.com/dancegavindance.

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THE DEAR HUNTER

The Dear Hunter released the third chapter of their rock opera on 6/23 via Triple Crown Records.  Act III:  Life and Death chronicles the latest endeavors of “The Boy,” now a man, looking (and finding) love, loss and reinvention.

Act III:  Life and Death was produced by singer/pianist/guitarist/lyricist/multi-instrumentalist Casey Crescenzo and guitarist Andy Wildrick. It was recorded at the band’s studio in Providence, Rhode Island, and features a number of guest musicians playing everything from strings and horns to harps and woodwinds.  The music for this epic project is once again a joint venture amongst all the band members ~ Casey Crescenzo, Andy Wildrick, Erick Serna (guitars), Nick Crescenzo (drums) and Nate Patterson (bass).

“Leaving pride out of the equation,” declares Casey Crescenzo, “we strongly suggest you set aside an hour of your day, remove yourself from the woes of reality and enjoy Act III:  Life and Death.”

Check out The Dear Hunter at myspace.com/thedearhunterand catch them with Mewithoutyou on 7/11 at The Middle East.

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SUFFOCATION

Legendary New York death pioneers Suffocation will release their new album, Blood Oath, in Europe on July 3rd and in North America on July 14th via Nuclear Blast Records. Blood Oath will be available to the North American territory in three exclusive formats:  in addition to the standard retail version, there will be a mail-order addition available exclusively through the Nuclear Blast US web store (https://store.nuclearblastusa.com), and a digital version through iTunes.

The follow-up to 2006’s self-titled record was mixed by Zack Ohren (All Shall Perish, Decrepit Birth) and cover artwork was once again brought to life by Jon Zig (Deeds of Flesh, Disgorge, Gorgasm).  suffocation.us, myspace.com/suffocation

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SICK PUPPIES

Four years have passed since Australia’s Sick Puppies relocated to Los Angeles and took the world by storm with their song “All The Same,” used for a video shot in a Sydney shopping mall with their friend Juan Mann, who held up a hand-written placard offering “Free Hugs.”

Now, primed by almost three straight years of touring, playing before thousands at festivals and generally living in rock and roll’s fast lane, Sick Puppies are back with their eagerly awaited follow-up Tri-Polar, the band’s third album overall, scheduled for release July 14.

Catch the Puppies on their co -headlining tour with Hurt at The Paradise in Boston on Aug. 6.

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DARKEST HOUR

Darkest Hour, the Washington D.C. powerhouse metal quintet, released their sixth full-length record, The Eternal Return, on June 23 on Victory Records.  The band tapped producer Brian McTernan (Senses Fail, Thrice, From Autumn to Ashes) and recorded at his Baltimore, MD-based Salad Days Studio. Guitarist Mike Schleibaum comments, “To put it simply, this is a metal record made by dudes who have dedicated half of our lives to aggressive, unrelenting music.”

The band kicked off the Summer Slaughter tour with Suffocation and Necrophagist on June 5 in Baltimore, MD and will be hitting The Palladium in Worcester on 7/18. Visit myspace.com/darkesthour for more about the tour as well as info on the band’s ‘The Eternal Giveaway’ contest.

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REEL BIG FISH

Reel Big Fish will be releasing a new full length DVD on July 21 on Rock Ridge Music titled, appropriately enough, Reel Big Fish Live! In Concert!

The live concert DVD was filmed before a sold-out, hometown crowd at the Grove of Anaheim this past January and features 20 classic Reel Big Fish songs, as well as all of the hilarious in-between-song-banter-and-shenanigans that fans have come to expect.

Reel Big Fish has also lined up another killer summer tour for ‘09. The veteran ska-rock outfit will be hitting cities across America with 2-Tone legends The English Beat and Orlando, FL-based reggae/ska punks The Supervillains.

Reel Big Fish front man Aaron Barrett says, “We are so excited to be playing with one of our favorite bands of all time and one of the biggest influences on our music!!  We LOVE the English Beat. This tour is a dream come true for us!”

The English Beat front man Dave Wakeling responds, “I was thrilled many years ago to be invited to play at Reel Big Fish’s first album release party, and we are thrilled again to be touring with them now that they are bona fide Skadfathers!”

Catch Reel Big Fish (with The English Beat and The Supervillains) July 7 at House of Blues in Boston, MA.

myspace.com/reelbigfish

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SWASHBUCKLE

“Cruise Ship Terror,” the new video from New Jersey’s thrashing pirates Swashbuckle, can be viewed here http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=57555876. The track comes off the band’s Nuclear Blast debut Back To The Noose, scheduled for release on August 11th in North America.

Commented the band, “Arrg, legendary metal music video director David Brodsky (Kataklysm, Arsis, The Black Dahlia Murder) by chance caught us pirates in the act of looting and pillaging a fine vessel along the seas of the Atlantic. With nary a chance of escape, David bartered passage to dry land in exchange for rendering a motion picture tale of our nautical pilferings.”

Swashbuckle was one of three winners of last year’s Nuclear Blast MySpace Bands Contest and is currently taking part in the Paganfest USA Part II tour along with labelmates Korpiklaani and Blackguard, among others.

Surf to www.myspace.com/swashbuckle and check out the brand new songs “Scurvy Black” and “Cruise Ship Terror” ~ both are off of Back To The Noose.

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MY FAVORITE HIGHWAY

Virgin Records buzz band My Favorite Highway are about to hit the road in support of their Virgin Records debut album How To Call A Bluff.

MFH have already been compared to none other than the Jonas Brothers! The Aquarian Weekly described their sound as “…piano melodies that are sweet but full of enough hooks to keep you bopping to the music for a long time.” Alternative Press hailed them as “A band to watch in 2009” and iTunes boasted My Favorite Highway are “The Next Big Thing.”  Their songs are catchy, infectious, relatable and girls everywhere will soon be falling in love with the young men that make up My Favorite Highway, Bobby Morgenthaler and Pat Jenkins and cousins David and Will Cook.

Get a feel for what the MFH boys are all about at myspace.com/myfavoritehighway and then catch their show at Showcase Live at Foxboro on 7/16 and at Harpers Ferry in Allston on 7/19.