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And The Award Goes To…

Congrats to the winners of the 2007 GMA Dove Awards that took place last night in Nashville. Winners included Jars Of Clay, Stellar Kart, KJ-52, Ryan Clark, Red and DecembeRadio. For a full list of recipients go here.




Rick Cua Won't Fade Away!
Dove Award nominee and Gold-selling recording artist Rick Cua recently inked a distribution deal with TAG Artist Group, the fourth-largest Christian distributor of exclusive product. After a stellar career in both the mainstream and Christian music arenas that includes two Gold records with the legendary group, The Outlaws, 11 solo albums and a half-dozen #1 hit songs on Christian radio, Cua is gearing up for the release of his first TAG Artist Group album, Won't Fade Away. the new record celebrates Cua's silver anniversary in music ministry. This 12-song collection of rock worship anthems pairs Cua with a stellar lineup of songwriting partners including Gary Sadler, Tom Lane, Joe Beck, Leonard Ahlstrom, Carl Cartee, Cactus Moser, Steven Furtick, Bob Halligan, Jr. and Tony Hooper and showcases Cua's ability to craft songs of genuine emotional depth and spiritual relevance. "A lot of the songs I write have a worship slant; it's what I've done for years. It's a natural thing. They will be congregational, but will also be energetic and pretty vibey," says Cua. "Musically, the recordings will rock with appropriate aggression and an uplifting message. If there is one thing I want to be remembered for as an artist and friend, it is as an encourager, a man who always stands on the foundation of God's word and encourages through the love, support and promises of Christ," says Cua. "I'm not a hellfire and brimstone guy; it's just about 'You can do it, God's given you the power, and His grace is the power for you to do what you are called to do. Know who you are in Christ, get out there and do it.'"


Leeland Rocks Japan
Progressive rock band Leeland’s debut album, Sound of Melodies, hit stores across Japan last month, and during the same week, the band’s current single on Japan Radio jumped from No. 17 to No. 6. During its recent promotional trip to Japan, the band interviewed with MTV Japan, In Rock Magazine and played a sold-out concert at Harajuku Astro Hall in Tokyo, personally bringing the Leeland live experience to an audience that could only understand the music they heard, and the passion they saw. “We are very excited about what is happening with our music in Japan, and can’t wait to get back over there”, shares Leeland front man, Leeland Mooring. “During our live performance, we were touched by seeing the reaction of the crowd and how moved they were. People told us after the concert how they loved our ‘melodies’ and that there was a sort of ‘healing’ in the music. The experience of having to communicate with our new friends via translators was a special thing. It’s an awesome reminder of how big this world truly is; that there’s more to it than the street we live on, and the circle of people that we interact with everyday. After our experience in Japan, the heart we as a band have for our generation is only bigger. We are truly thankful for our time there, and can’t wait to return someday, hopefully soon.”


Spiritually-Minded DAMAH Film Festival
On May 4-6, 2007 the 6th Annual Damah Film Festival will return to Culver City, showcasing some of the best in faith-based and spiritually inspired short films. This year the festival will be hosted on the grounds of Culver Studios. Filmmakers from across the globe will be showing their projects to audiences in hopes that they will not only be appreciated for their technical talents but also for their ability to inspire and enlighten viewers. "Damah", a Hebrew word meaning "a metaphor that transforms" or "the merging of the known, the unknown and the transcendent," showcases the best in spiritual filmmaking in categories that range from 1-30 minutes. This year's celebrity jurors include Return of the Jedi producer Howard Kazanjian, X-Men helmer Ralph Winter, Director Scott Derrickson, 20th Century Fox executive Simon Swart, singer/songwriter David Wilcox and others. To view a list of screenings, filmmakers, panel members and events, please visit www.damah.com.


Flicker Gets Wavorly
Flicker Records is thrilled to announce the signing of Wavorly. This modern rock/alternative/indie band is set to release their label debut, Conquering the Fear of Flight, on June 12. “Working with Wavorly and their producer Rob Graves on this release has been pure joy,” shares Troy Vest, Flicker Records’ VP Marketing and Artist Development. “It’s been a while since I’ve been so impressed by a CD from the beginning to the very last note. I’m in this business because I love to tell people about new music that I’ve heard, and I can’t wait to get the word out about Wavorly.” Wavorly’s uniqueness settles across the listener with the first strains of their debut. Intricately arranged and immediately accessible strings and classical piano establish a darkly elegant waltz as the introduction to the album, before devolving into a pounding wall of guitars and drums. Dave Stovall’s powerful vocals ride across the top of the churning, but consistently tuneful brew as he delivers lyrical images heavily colored by author and teacher C.S. Lewis. In fact, Lewis’ classic novel The Great Divorce, served as an influence on several of the disc’s songs, while his sense of imagination and heart deeply shaped the melodic and stylistic inspiration behind the band in general. Wavorly, assembled in college in Tupelo, Mississippi, includes vocalist Dave Stovall, bassist Matt Lott, guitarist Seth Farmer, drummer Jaime Hayes, and Ryan Coon on keys.



If But For One Storm
Sancrosanct Records recently announced the inclusion of it's newest band to their family of artists. Washington State's
If But For One is a studio project of David Rummelhart and Mark Christensen, both veterans of underground metal for a number of years. With studio sessions from Chuck Smith on lead guitars, and additional vocals and mixing by Brad Kennaugh, the band was able to create a powerful, inspirational, and outright brutal collection of music. The band's debut CD has been mastered by Dharok of Sympathy and Fear Dark Records, with CD artwork by Rexorcist Designs. Through the Storm will release on July 10, 2007.


Vinyl Is Victorious
Victory Records is proud to announce the release of some of its most popular titles on limited edition, colored vinyl. Beginning May 1, five titles will be made available to the public including hardcore heroes Comeback Kid's latest release Broadcasting. This will just be the first wave of vinyl re-issues; Victory will unleash other classic recordings on vinyl later this year as well as upcoming new releases.


Emmy nomination for Frisbee
Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher was recently nominated by the National Television Academy of Arts and Sciences for an Emmy award in the documentary category. The film is up against four other documentaries for the award that will be handed out on May 12th. The folks at Frisbee central say: "We're excited just to be nominated... but the little statue would be nice too." Watch for the soundtrack to the film to be released shortly. Frisbee is soon going to roll out on the Xtreme tour. They're actually going to wrap a bus to garner some attention and go around the country with them. Should be interesting.


Plead The Blood Trasitional State Tour
Plead the Blood will kick-off it's Transitional State Tour at this year's Ham and Yam Festival in Smithfield, North Carolina. The Ham and Yam Festival happens May 5 & 6 and the concert will take place on Third Street in Downtown Smithfield on The Light of Christ International Outreach Center stage. The Concert will begin at 10:00 A.M. There will be other local acts appearing, including the acoustic sounds of Rick Harris. This concert event is free and open to the public.



...And Little 7 Year Old Girls Everywhere Just Let Out A Big Sigh
One of Christian music's most successful pop groups, Jump5, will disband at the end of 2007. But not before embarking on a farewell tour that will take them across the country to say goodbye to fans with an all new live show packed with the group's biggest hits, including early material that hasn't been performed on recent tours. "The past eight years with Jump5 has been the most amazing experience, but there comes a time when experiences have to end," says group member Brittany Hargest. "We've had a long run, but we have decided that it's time to move on to other things. All of us have started entering our twenties now, and there are many things that each of us want to do. We're all very excited to see what God has in store for us for the next few years individually and as a group." (We do give them points for contributing music to the Kim Possible series.)


New TobyMac Video Contest
Capacity crowds in Kansas City, Rockford, Toledo and the largest group of the tour so far in Lynchburg, VA, have been getting a live taste of the latest release from TobyMac as the Portable Sounds tour kicked off March 15th featuring the hot line-up of Thousand Foot Krutch, Building 429, and Family Force 5. With all three acts releasing new music in 2007, the Portable Sounds tour is bringing a fresh new sound to cities across the U.S.. To keep the momentum going strong, Forefront Records is orchestrating a TobyMac fan video contest in which fans will create a video for a song from Portable Sounds. The winning video will be premiered on the JumboTron before Toby’s set at Creation Festival Northwest on July 28. The winner will receive a trip for two to Creation NW to meet Toby and see the video premiere and other prizes. Three honorable mentions will receive a 30GB iPod and an autographed copy of Portable Sounds.
Sponsored by Forefront, Creation Festival, MonsterPod and Hearitfirst.com, contestants can enter starting April 25th through June 6th at Hearitfirst.com and can use one of three TobyMac Portable Sounds songs: “I’m for You,” “Boomin’” or “Ignition.” The top 10 finalists will have their videos put up at Hearitfirst.com where fans will be able to vote to choose a final winner, which will be announced in late July when the video premieres before Toby’s set at Creation Northwest as well as on HearItFirst.com.



The Stars Shine Brightly
Turn Off The Stars had an amazing opportunity to be a part of Canadian Music Week recently, where famed performance coach Tom Jackson broke down their song “Falling Into You” and turned it upside down. By the end of the session, the crowd made up of about 200 industry people admitted to having chills from what the song had become both visually and audibly. Lucky for all of us, Turn Off the Stars is getting ready to spend a lot of time on the road to show off their new fancy rock and roll show.
4/27 – Marquette, MI
5/11 – Orlando, FL
5/12 – Baltimore, MD
5/13 – Bradenton, FL
5/14 – Lakeland, FL
5/15 – Tampa Bay, FL
5/16 – Auburndale, FL
5/17 – Jacksonville, FL
5/26 – Wilmington, OH


Sanctus Real Faces Love
Sanctus Real brings its brand of Rock to venues across the Southeast and Midwest on its 14-city spring The Face of Love Tour. Launching April 23 in Nashville during Gospel Music Week, the tour features special guests, Needtobreathe and This Beautiful Republic. “We are thrilled to be headlining a tour this Spring with our friends. We've known both bands for a long time, even share hometowns with TBR, and are anxious to finally share the stage with these guys. We are excited to bring our fans a great show...we're going to give them our best,” says Sanctus Real front man, Matt Hammitt. “On top of that, we’re really passionate about sharing information on a ministry we’ve been arm-in-arm with for a while now, The Mocha Club” adds Hammitt regarding the African Leadership initiative. “This organization is making a difference on a forgotten continent and is meeting the physical needs of Africans as its leadership network offers life-sustaining hope to those that God calls ‘the least’ of His children. We’re asking our fans to become educated about this and consider how they can walk beside us. We really see our efforts together making a world of difference in a real battle against HIV/AIDS, poverty and hopelessness, and giving orphans or a street child a second chance at life.” When Sanctus Real plays the song, “The Face of Love,” on this tour, concertgoers will be able to see video running with images of the work being done through African Leadership in Darfur, Sudan. Since Sanctus Real broke on the national scene, the band has looked for opportunities to partner with charitable organizations and began working with African Leadership after realizing the incredible need in Africa. Sanctus Real's endorsement of the Mocha Club this spring will provide essentials such as mosquito nets to prevent malaria, food, clean water, and desperately needed medication to the refugees of Darfur, Sudan. The Face of Love Tour itinerary includes:
4/26/2007 Bloomington, IN Rhino’s
4/27/2007 Elida, OH Elida Field House
4/28/2007 Greenville, IL Agape Festival
4/29/2007 Converse, IN Converse Church of Christ
5/1/2007 Chambersburg, PA World Harvest Outreach
5/2/2007 Richmond, VA Bon Air United Methodist Church
5/3/2007 Greensboro, NC Café Jam
5/5/2007 Athens, AL Athens State University
5/6/2007 Duluth, GA Duluth Amphitheater
5/8/2007 Conway, AR Woodland Heights Baptist Church
5/9/2007 Houston, TX Lakewood Church
5/10/2007 Muskogee, OK First Baptist Church
5/11/2007 Dallas, TX Ellum: ONSTAGE



People Love The Drugs
Lovedrug has snagged the sole support slot on the Sparta/Straylight Run national tour, kicking off May 28. This comes immediately after a handful of headlining dates following their extensive tour with the Plain White T's, supporting their acclaimed LP, Everything Starts Where It Ends. Lovedrug's cinematic rock is meticulously layered with prog chord progressions, muted electronics and front man Michael Shepard's otherworldly falsetto. The single, “Pushing the Shine" will go to radio in early May, just in time for tour. A video for the track will be shot May 4 between tours.
LOVEDRUG WITH SPARTA/STRAYLIGHT RUN
May 20 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Exit/In*
May 22 - Jacksonville, Fla. @ Jack Rabbits*
May 23 - Orlando, Fla. @ The Social*
May 25 - Dallas, Texas @ The Door*
May 26 - Tulsa, Okla. @ Crush Lounge*
May 28 - Tempe, Ariz. @ The Clubhouse
May 30 - San Diego, Calif. @ Soma
May 31 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ House of Blues
June 1 - San Luis Obispo, Calif. @ Downtown Brew
June 2 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Slim's
June 3 - Sparks, Nev. @ The New Oasis
June 5 - Portland, Ore. @ Hawthorne Theatre
June 6 - Seattle, Wash. @ Neumos
June 8 - South Ogden, Utah @ Country Club Theater
June 9 - Denver, Colo. @ Marquis Theatre
June 10 - Lawrence, Kan. @ Granada Theater
June 12 - St. Paul, Minn. @ Station 4
June 13 - Madison, Wisc. @ Barrymore Theatre
June 14 - TBA @ TBA
June 15 - TBA @ TBA
June 17 - TBA @ TBA
June 18 - Louisville, Ky. @ Headliner's Music Hall
June 19 - Toledo, Ohio @ Headliner's
June 21 - Providence, R.I. @ Living Room
June 22 - New York, N.Y. @ Irving Plaza
June 23 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Theatre of Living Arts
June 24 - Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat
June 25 - Norfolk, V.A. @ NorVa
July 6 - Covington, Ky. @ The Madhatter*
July 7 - Columbus, Ohio @ Little Brothers*
July 8 - Cleveland Heights, Ohio @ The Grog Shop*
* headlining show w/out Sparta + Straylight Run


Fools Rush Towards The Peak
The rapidly climbing debut single, “Undo,” from the new Midas Records band Rush Of Fools recently went “live” on iTunes, following the song’s eighth week atop Christian radio charts and a consistently increasing position on R&R’s AC Indicator Chart, this week reaching #6. In its first week on iTunes, the song ranked in the Top 10 songs on the Christian iTunes list. “Undo,” which speaks of personal spiritual forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration, has created heartfelt listener comments from iTunes and MySpace users alike. “Undo is the theme song of our lives,” says Rush of Fools’ band member and co-founder, Kevin Huguley. “We are all, at times in our lives, hypocrites and prodigals. Countless times, we have spoken one way and walked another. Christ is truly the ONLY one that can turn us around, pick us up and put us back on our feet again.”
In support of their self-titled May 8 release, Rush Of Fools will join bands By The Tree and The Turning on the multi-city World On Fire tour. These are the remaining dates:
April 29 – Harvest Christian Fellowship – Riverside, CA
May 6 – Cicero Wesleyan Church – Cicero, IN
May 17 – Brookwood Baptist Church – Shreveport, LA
May 18 – Hineston Tabernacle Church – Hineston, LA
May 19 – First Baptist Church – Nashville, AR
May 25 – Village Baptist Church – Destin, FL
May 30 – Harpeth Heights Baptist Church – Nashville, TN
May 31 – Cox Capital Theatre – Macon, GA
June 20 – The Alive Festival – Canal Fulton, OH
July 1 – First Assembly of God – Crestview, FL
July 28 – Midland Chippewa Park - Midland, MI
July 29 – CrossRoads Church – Scottville, MI


Evanescence And Flyleaf Support Family Values
The much anticipated return of The Family Values Tour, co-headlined by Korn and Evanescence, will commence on July 20th in St. Louis and close out the summer on September 2nd in sunny California. With a line-up including Flyleaf, the tour is poised to be the biggest and best Family Values Tour in history. Evanescence just released their third single, "Sweet Sacrifice," just in time for this summer's festival. Currently on tour in South America, where they performed in front of more than 75,000 in Buenos Aires, Amy Lee said, "We can't wait to play our new show for our fans back home with all these other great bands!"
July 20 Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater St. Louis
July 21 Somerset, WI - Float-Rite Amphitheatre
July 22 Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
July 24 Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
July 27 Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
July 28 Bristow, VA - Nissan Pavilion
July 29 Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Center
July 31 Toronto, ON - Molson Amphitheatre
Aug 1 Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug 3 Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Aug 4 Burgettstown, PA - Post-Gazette Pavilion
Aug 5 Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Aug 7 Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Aug 8 Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug 10 Noblesville, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center
Aug 11 Atlanta, GA - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
Aug 12 Orlando, FL - Amway Arena
Aug 14 West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheater
Aug 15 Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
Aug 17 Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Music Centre
Aug 18 Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug 19 Selma, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug 22 Bonner Springs, KS - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Kansas City
Aug 24 Englewood, CO - Coors Amphitheatre
Aug 25 Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
Aug 26 Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion
Aug 28 Bakersfield, CA - Rabobank Arena
Aug 31 Marysville, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Sep 1 Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion
Sep 2 Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater



Nate Allen Update
Greeting From Nate Allen Currently Sitting In Alabama
Dear friends.
Sorry for the lack of updates, things have been crazy. I'm currently sitting in Mobile, Alabama at a coffee shop, which has become my new home on the road. I've been on tour for about a month and half and I'm holding up well, I've been sick since the start but I don't feel like I've been on the road long at all. Response has been absolutely amazing...There have been several town that have made tour worth while...off the top of my head I can think of Roseburg, Merlin & Eugene in Oregon, Paradise in California, Phoenix in AZ, Las Cruces in NM, all of Texas (especially Midland and Austin), that all deserve special attention next time around. I've now reached a new cross roads, I run out of shows to play in about 2 weeks, I'm spending every waking moment booking shows and working to fill my time off, days off that I once viewed as a failure have turned into a blessing to use for booking. I've attempted to collect some various memories from tour so far and link them up this email, which I think will give you the best impression of what has been happening so far.
Here's what some recent supporters had to say: "I was listening to your CD at the shop a couple mornings ago and a very nice gentleman that comes in regularly said that he had a headache, but sat down, asked us who was playing, asked us to turn it up and compared you to Bob Dylan who, I'm told, was a prophet." "Your song "Ambulance" makes my soul do somersaults. I listen to it at least once a day. It's like a vitamin. (But one of those good-tasting Flintstones vitamins or the ones that taste like orange juice and vanilla). Thought you should know." If you wish to check out some new songs they can be viewed via video here and here. If you have time to say a little prayer for me it would be most appreciated, I run out of shows in 2 weeks and I'm working frantically to fill dates, I also will need money to repress my cd soon which will run around 1,000 dollars. If you know anyone anywhere please pass on this letter, I'm looking for a few good houses to sing in. My current and needed tour dates are below. Much love,Nate Allen
Apr 27 Hunter Gatherer Brewery Columbia, South Carolina
Apr 28 The Revolution Elberton, Georgia
Apr 30 HELP! Chattanooga, Tennessee
May 1 HELP! Birmingham / Huntsville / Decator, Alabama
May 2 HELP! Memphis, Tennessee
May 3 HELP! Nashville, Tennessee
May 3 HELP! Boston, Massachusetts
May 4 HELP! Anywhere, Massachusetts
May 4 HELP! Nashville, Tennessee
May 5 The Living Room Mt. Vernon, Illinois
May 6 HELP! Evansville, Indiana
May 7 HELP! St. Louis, Missouri
May 8 HELP! Peoria, Illinois
May 9 HELP! Bloomington, Indiana
May 10 HELP! Indianapolis, Indiana
May 11 HELP! Chicago, Illinois
May 12 HELP! Chicago Area, Illinois
May 13 HELP! Chicago Area, Illinois
May 14 HELP! Fort Wayne, Indiana
May 15 HELP! Toledo, Ohio
May 16 HELP! w/J.Guitarstring Anywhere, Michigan
May 17 HELP! w/J.Guitarstring Anywhere, Michigan
May 18 HELP! w/J.Guitarstring Anywhere, Michigan
May 19 Old Jamestowne Hall Saginaw, Michigan
May 20 HELP! w/J.Guitarstring Anywhere, Michigan
May 21 HELP! w/Red Balloons Cleveland, Ohio
May 22 HELP! Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
May 23 HELP! Philly, Pennsylvania
May 24 HELP! Baltimore, Maryland
May 25 HELP! Anywhere, Maryland
May 26 HELP! District of Columbia, Washington
May 27 HELP! Anywhere, New Jersey
May 28 HELP! NYC, New York
May 29 HELP! NYC, New York
May 30 HELP! New Haven, Connecticut
May 31 HELP! Hartford, Connecticut
Jun 1 HELP! Providence, Rhode Island
Jun 2 HELP! Boston, Massachusetts
Jun 3 HELP! Boston, Massachusetts
Jun 4 HELP! Anywhere, Massachusetts
Jun 5 HELP! Anywhere, Maine
Jun 6 HELP! Burlington, Vermont




©2007 HM Magazine - All Rights Reserved




...AND MORE NEWS FROM LAST WEEK:







Volz Update!!
Today marks a monumental step in our fight to Free Eric Volz. The court in Rivas, Nicaragua has forwarded Eric's case file to the Appellate court. In accordance with Nicaraguan law, the Appellate Court may take up to 6 days to hold the formal hearing; the verdict follows within 5 days of the Hearing. Now is our time as a community of supporters to take action. We are going to start a 6 day campaign as we await the decision of the Court – a campaign we are calling the FREE ERIC V. Avalanche. We must have as many people as possible with their eyes turned toward this case as we go through the appeal process. As a community of supporters, we must demand justice and will not stop until we bring him home.
Day 1 of the Avalanche is today. The first step? Alerting everyone about the appeal. Contact your friends and fellow supporters of Eric; tell them it has begun! Please check the MySpace page for bulletins every morning this week. Thank you again for your continued support.


HM Heads To GMA Week
HM magazine's illustrious leader and head bottle washer Doug Van Pelt will be "the man around town" next week, as he plans to invade GMA Music Week. Founded in 1964, the Gospel Music Association(GMA) serves as the face and voice for the Christian/Gospel music community and is dedicated to exposing, promoting and celebrating the gospel through music of all styles including pop, rock, praise & worship, black gospel, R&B, hip hop, southern gospel, country, and more. The GMA community consists of 4,000 members including agents, artists, church leaders, managers, promoters, radio personnel, record company executives, retailers, songwriters and other industry visionaries. The GMA produces the GMA Dove Awards, GMA Music Week, GMA Music in the Rockies, and the GMA Academy. Some of the bands featured at this year’s event include: Tooth & Nail Showcases with Emery, Demon Hunter, P86, Falling Up, Spoken, Thousand Foot Krutch, Run Kid Run, Jeremy Camp, Adie, Seventh Day Slumber, Ruth, the Send and the Glorious Unseen. Other artists include: Family Force 5, Bloodgood, Whitecross, Kevin Max, downhere, Nate Huss, Moya Brennan, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Our Hearts Hero, Kids In The Way, Red, Slingshot 57, Needtobreathe, Pillar, Sanctus Real, Future Of Forestry, This Beautiful Republic and Jon Foreman of Switchfoot.(What?...no Lust Control?)



The Family Brings It To Nashville
On the heels of their Dove Award nomination for “Rock Album of the Year”, Family Force 5 will perform on this year’s 38th Annual Dove Award show bringing their “crunk-rock” musical style to the GMA’s ceremonies. 2007 is already proving to be a year of high visibility for Family Force 5 as they zig-zag the country on various tours including the recently announced run on this summer’s Vans Warped Tour, of which they’ll play 27 dates on the Volcom Stage. Currently the five-some is out on the road with TobyMac, and will also hit the major summer music festivals including Creation East, Cornerstone Festival, Creation West, Ichthus, and Spirit West Coast.


Super Rock Show 2007 Hits GMA Week
Food for the Hungry and Fused Management are proud to present Super Rock Show 2007, a special TAG Distribution concert showcase during GMA Week which unites mainstays of Christian music with up-and-coming artists. Running on two stages at Rocketown (401 6th Ave. South, Nashville, TN), the showcase will take place Sunday, April 22nd from 1:00-6:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information on this showcase event, please call Rocketown at 615-843-4000.
The stage of Super Rock Show 2007 will feature a host of dynamic artists such as Christian hard rock legends Bloodgood and White Cross; Dove Award winner Ashley Cleveland; John Schlitt and Bob Hartman of Petra; Dove Award winners Bryan Duncan (with the NehoSoul Band), Cheri Keaggy and Cherie Adams (formerly of Avalon); Dove Award nominee Crossway; and independent artists JJ Heller, Tammy Trent, FuseBox, Tara Leigh Cobble, London Calling with Jamie Rowe of Guardian, Mary-Kathryn, Casting Pearls, Kim Dexter, Darrell Mansfield, Heather Powers, Sean Smith, Tom Howard, Amy Courts, Breaking the Silence, Cam, Jayson Simonson, Lindsey Kane, Lisa Weyerhaeuser, Rev. Jimmy Bratcher and Shane Dunlap. To whet the audience's appetite for Super Rock Show 2007, TAG Distribution will host an additional GMA Week 2007 showcase at Rocketown on Saturday, April 21st from 7:00-11:00 p.m. This event will run on two stages and feature independent artists including The Switch, Willet, Through a Glass and Bloodgood.



Little Man Nate
When Nate Huss debuts his self-revealing new album Here With Me (Slanted Records) on May 1st it will sound the opening bell on a personal journey towards bringing his music to the potential wide world of listeners he hopes to reach. Here With Me was crafted in studio by producer Jamie Moore (TobyMac, Ayiesha Woods, Nicole C. Mullen, Falling Up) and the album offers creative pop-rock overlays with nine of the eleven tracks emerging directly as self-written slices from the unique life experiences and prospective of Nate Huss. At 21, the Phoenix native is a 2005 alumni winner of GMA’s Music In The Rockies who opted to forfeit thoughts of a career in sports while at North Arizona University for the allure of his love of creating and performing his music. The title of the album itself comes from a glimpse of wisdom collected in studio. Nate notes: “We were talking as the album was coming together about life and the subject turned to heartaches that we all experience — how you get tired of people telling you ‘everything will be OK.’ The conversation emerged that God doesn’t just push us through hard times and say, ‘See you on the other side!’ He is always there with us — even when we turn and run from Him — he’s still there. He is always ‘here with me’ — it became the core message of the song we wrote and the real baseline heart of the album’s message.”


Seventh Day Slumber’s Joseph Rojas Handles The Revolution
ZJAM Youth Ministries has been renamed Revolution Generation with Seventh Day Slumber front man and youth advocate Joseph Rojas appointed at the helm as the CEO and President. True to ZJAM’s 11 year history, Revolution Generation moves forward in 2007 with a renewed commitment to global youth ministry via the media, discipleship, missions, prayer and God’s Word. “We are so excited about the future of Revolution Generation. We know that God brought us together with Joseph and Seventh Day Slumber,” says John Young, Executive Director of the ministry organization. “Joseph has the heart, experience and vision to lead this ministry to the next level in the battle for teens. Now is the time and I know we are a part of a greater movement to raise up a new generation of the church.” Joseph Rojas, has dedicated the last ten years of his life testifying for Christ and the life-changing impact of his own salvation from self-destructive drug and alcohol addictions, and near prison sentence and death. Prior to starting Seventh Day Slumber in 1996 Joseph earned a degree in psychology that helped him to become owner, counselor, and director of a chemical dependency center in Texas. He has also gone to Bible School and is an ordained minister.


The Golden Sounds Internet Show #3
The Golden Sounds are back with another guerilla type show in a storage room in an old building in downtown Nashville. Again, no frills...just an acoustic guitar and sitting on a dirty concrete floor next to a water heater. This show is only for the brave.


Between the Trees Head To Bamboozle
With their infectious melodies and inspiring lyrics, pop tinged indie rock act Between the Trees has developed a dedicated following of sing-along fans that continues to spread like wildfire across the internet and into packed venues. The young, Orlando based quintet has created quite a buzz with their debut album The Story and The Song via indie label Bonded Records. Watch for the band at Bamboozle on May 5th.



Go Gavin...Go Gavin!
“I can just say the only significance of the band name is that it’s contradictory to band names like summer hearts is bleeding on a Monday of a godless winter’s death or something like that.” So speaks vocalist Jon Mess of Dance Gavin Dance, the six man outfit from Sacramento, CA releasing their first full-length Downtown Battle Mountain on Rise Records (Drop Dead Gorgeous, The Devil Wears Prada). As insignificant as the reason for their name, they do live up to their moniker delivering punchy, technical hardcore weighted with hair tingling soaring rock and emotive melodies. Citing influences as diverse as R&B, indie, hardcore and jazz; the band entered the recording studio with Kris Crummett (Fear Before The March Of Flames, Drop Dead Gorgeous) right before their second anniversary as a band delivering a multi-layered and fully fleshed album. Armed with a two vocalist approach, Jon delivers the screams while Jonny Craig is the singer. The band is rounded out by Sean O’Sullivan (guitar), Will Swan (guitar), Eric Lodge (bass) and Matt Mingus (drums). The band released their debut EP last year which only gave a hint of the explosion that this full-length would possess. Speaking on it Jon says “When we wrote that we were still trying to figure out everyone’s place in the band, not to mention our line-up wasn’t really solidified. Coordinating the two vocalists was especially difficult, I definitely think there is a lot more confidence and understanding of what could be done as individuals and together, we pulled out all the stops.” However as unified as their delivery is, their lyrical approach is still their own. “There was quite a creative battle and struggle in writing the album. There are story/anecdotes that carry throughout different tracks. Many times the singing and screaming lyrics do not relate directly, we wanted the lyrics to not be one song is about this then one song is about that, but more of a cut and paste thing. There’s a murder mystery, a fantasy quest and personal experiences within there.” The band has two new songs up on their myspace page and are about to embark on the Rise Tour this June with Drop Dead Gorgeous, The Devil Wears Prada and At The Throne Of Judgment.
6/7 Wichita, KS - Eagles Lodge
6/8 Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground
6/9 Iowa City, IA - The Picador
6/10 Joplin, MO - The Foundry
6/12 DeKalb, IL - The House Café
6/13 Grand Rapids, MI - Skeletones
6/14 Toledo, OH - Headliners
6/15 Edinboro, PA - The Hangout
6/16 Rochester, NY - Water St. Music Hall
6/17 Poughkeepsie, NY - The Loft
6/18 Kingston, PA - Backstage Enterprises
6/20 Louisville, KY - Uncle Pleasant’s
6/21 Nashville, TN - Rocketown
6/22 Cordova, TN - Skatepark of Memphis
6/23 Little Rock, AR - Vino’s
6/24 Metarie, LA - High Ground
6/26 Douglasville, GA - 7 Venue


Rock Your Religion
re-li-gion (ri-lij-uhn) noun: A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature and purpose of the universe
rock (rok) verb: To wear with conviction
Rock Your Religion is a high-end accessories company that takes its inspiration from ancient religious symbols and transforms them into rock-inspired metal pendants and leather cuffs. Rock Your Religion creates a way for people of all faiths to wear traditional religious symbols in a modern, rock inspired way. It’s time for you to indulge your inner rocker chick or long-haired, head-banging idol and treat yourself to a piece of Rock Your Religion. 1% of all yearly Rock Your Religion purchases will be donated to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. Since VH1 Save The Music was created in 1997, more than $30 million worth of new musical instruments has been donated to 1,200 public schools in 80 cities, improving the lives of more than 700,000 children.
Rock Your Religion Launch Party
Saturday, April 28, 2007 7:00 – 10:00 PM
Kevin Heaphy Fitness 30 Vandam Street New York, NY 10013


Collide Fest Rocks Ohio
Collide Festival is coming to NE Ohio August 24 and 25th. Just north of Warren Ohio at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds. Four stages featuring over 40 bands and speakers including Norma Jean, Showbread, Project 86, Fighting Instinct, KJ 52, Manafest, Jars of Clay, Tree 63, Monday Morning, Storyside B and lots more. Special speakers include Ron Luce, Ryan Dobson and Bob Lenz. Tickets on sale now for just $38 for the entire weekend. Includes 3 nights primitive camping and two days and nights of music. Go to www.collidefest.com for all the details!


Head Out On The Trail
The Oregon Trail Tour Kicks Off April 19th. It's the tour you all have been waiting for! Rock artists Falling Up and Run Kid Run team up with New Ground Breaking artists The Send, Ruth, A Dream Too Late, And Ever Stays Red. The Oregon Trail Tour kicks off April 19th in Minneapolis, MN and ends in May 20th in Chino, CA. Mark your calendar!
4/19 - Minneapolis, MN
4/20 - Oconomowoc, WI
4/21 - Wauwatosa, WI
4/28 - Phoenix, AZ
4/29 - Flagstaff, AZ
4/30 - Wickenberg, AZ
5/1 - Las Vegas, NV
5/3 - Payette, ID
5/4 - Missoula, MT
5/5 - Walla Walla, WA
5/6 - Seaside, OR
5/7 - Albany, OR
5/8 - Bend, OR
5/11 - Sparks, NV
5/12 - Santa Clara, CA
5/14 - VIsalia, CA
5/15 - Bakersfield, CA
5/18 - Rialto, CA
5/19 - Vacaville, CA
5/20 - Chino, CA



Listen Closely...Be A Listener
This is a tour message from Listener:
We are embarking out again into the western half of our great land. Westerners feel neglected no more! We have just about all the dates locked down, but we sure could use some help on other nights...house shows or venues alike (see below about those dates). If you can help email us here: (dan@listenerproject.com). For the dates we have the info up it would be awesome if you made it a point to come out and bring/tell friends. We're coming all the way to your town for you to play some new tunes. The TBA next to your city is not a sweet new venue - it just means the promoter/host is still negotiating with the venue...but we will be playing somewhere in your city on that night. If there is a TBA and you feel you could help out contact us here.
Apr 19 - lawrence, KS - The Gaslight Tavern
Apr 20 - kansas city, MO - The Record Bar
Apr 21 - pueblo, CO - Zack's House
Apr 22 - colo. springs/denver area, CO - NEED HELP
Apr 23 - denver/boulder area, CO - NEED HELP
Apr 24 - fort collins, CO - Boys & Girls Club
Apr 25 - salt lake city, UT - Solid Ground Cafe
Apr 26 - boise, ID - TBA
Apr 27 - Spokane, WA - the Blue Spark
Apr 28 - bellingham, WA - TBA
Apr 29 - seattle, WA - TBA
Apr 30 - nw washington/british columbia - NEED HELP
May 01 - mount vernon, WA - Common Grounds
May 02 - seattle, WA - TBA
May 03 - portland, OR - The Artistery
May 04 - reno, NV - TBA
May 05 - santa cruz, CA - TBA
May 06 - san francisco, CA - NEED HELP
May 07 - san fran area/san lois obispo, CA - NEED HELP
May 08 - santa barbara, CA - The Alpine
May 09 - los angeles, CA - TBA
May 10 - las vegas, NV - TBA
May 11 - san diego, CA - TBA
May 12 - yuma, AZ - CJ's House
May 13 - phoenix, AZ area - NEED HELP
May 14 - phoenix, AZ - TBA
May 15 - flagstaff, AZ/albuquerque, NM - NEED HELP
May 16 - santa fe, NM - NEED HELP
May 17 - amarillo, TX - TBA
May 18 - tulsa, OK - TBA
May 19 - springfield, MO - TBA
May 20 - joplin, MO - TBA


Despite The Changes
In case you haven't heard yet, Despite the Loss has faced some recent line-up changes replacing their old guitarist Dylan with the new Devin as well as adding Phillip on keyboards and vocals. Along with these changes came a huge turn in style, going heavy. Check out the new demo here.


Get Your Submissions In
CPR Vol. 3 is now open for submissions. CPR stands for Christian Progressive Rock. The first two collections were very received by the Progressive Rock Community and have encouraged positive and strong results for this genre of music. CPR has featured such artists as Kerry Livgren (Kansas, Proto Kaw), Neal Morse, Rick Wakeman (Yes) with Ajalon, Dave Bainbridge (Iona), Glass Hammer, Salem Hill and many more. For more information about CPR go here. Here you will find reviews of the first two releases, a list of bands and links, band and artist interviews and current news. CPR will accept submissions until they have a finished line up for the disc. If there are enough artists they may consider a two disc set.
Please send your song(s) on CDR to:
CPR 3
PO Box 1558
Arvada, CO 80001-1558
Email cpr3@audiodigital.com for all the details.



It Says To Just Fold Here...
The Fold are currently hitting the road on the Boys Club Tour with Punchline, Permanent Me and The Graduate.
Here are the remaining dates:
04/19 Cambridge, MA
04/20 Portland, ME
04/21 Providence, RI
04/22 Hartford, CT
04/23 Allentown, PA
04/24 Philadelphia, PA
04/27 Cleveland Heights, OH
04/28 Pittsburgh, PA


The Fold has also just posted a new song on their myspace! It's called "Medicine". In other tour news, the Fold is also taking part in this years Tooth & Nail Tour with MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, and Sullivan, with Project 86 and Run Kid Run appearing on select shows! Here are the dates.
5/01 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
5/02 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
5/03 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim's ^
5/04 - Los Angeles, CA @ Avalon
5/05 - San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues
5/07 - Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues
5/08 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
5/09 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
5/10 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theatre
5/11 - Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom
5/13 - Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom
5/14 - Houston, TX @ Meridian
5/17 - St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Landing
5/18 - Jacksonville, FL @ Murray Hill Theatre ^
5/19 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade ^
5/21 - Towson, MD @ The Recher Theatre ^
5/22 - Boston, MA @ Axis
5/23 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
5/25 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza #
5/26 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre #
5/27 - Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues #
5/28 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall #
5/29 - Louisville, KY @ Headliner's Music Hall #
5/30 - Nashville, TN @ Rocketown
5/31 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Irving Theater
6/01 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
6/02 - Cincinnati, OH @ The Underground #
6/03 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant #
6/05 - Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues *
6/06 - Des Moines, IA @ Peoples *
6/07 - Minneapolis, MN @ Club 3 Degrees *
6/08 - Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium *
6/09 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater *
6/10 - Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre *
6/11 - Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue *
All shows include MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, Sullivan and The Fold unless otherwise noted below.
# = Lineup for this show is MxPx, TCC, The Fold, Sullivan, RKR
* = Lineup for this show is MxPx, Project 86, TCC, The Fold, Sullivan
^ = Lineup for this show is MxPx, TCC, The Fold, Sullivan, TBA




©2007 HM Magazine - All Rights Reserved




...AND MORE NEWS FROM LAST WEEK:






Celts Go Japanese
Bringing the rollicking barrage of Celtic-Punk to the table with their second Flicker Records’ release, Chicago natives Flatfoot 56 is packing up to head to Japan for a tour run with Celtic-Punk powerhouse Flogging Molly. Flatfoot 56 will be joining their genre peers in Osaka, Japan on April 12 performing in three major cities. This international run will be supporting the upcoming May 15th release Jungle of the Midwest Sea, with the title track mirroring Upton Sinclair’s infamous turn-of-the-century novel The Jungle. Most of the Flatfoot live show is improvised, and it’s all contingent on the band making swift transitions between guitar, mandolin, bagpipes and whatever other eclectic instruments they bring to the party. “We've got it down to a science; we don’t really make set lists. We kind of go with hand signals because we like to play certain songs to get certain crowds involved. Because of that, Josh has become really quick at flipping instruments. He’ll have a guy stand on the side for bigger shows to throw him the instrument he needs. It helps to tailor our set to each crowd as opposed to playing the same songs every night.”
Japan Tour Dates: (Subject to Change)
April 12.2007 - Big Cat, Osaka with Flogging Molly
April 13.2007 - Club Quattro, Nagoya with Flogging Molly
April 16.2007 - AX, Tokyo with Flogging Molly


Camp Sells Out
Jeremy Camp kicked off 2007 in a big way by hitting the road on the Winter Jam tour and selling out House of Blues (HOB) venues across the U.S. on his own run of dates. Following up his Chicago HOB sell out in January; Camp hit southern California recently selling out HOB locations in Anaheim, San Diego and Hollywood. Camp will perform at the New Orleans location in August. This summer Camp will continue to pound the pavement, headlining summer festivals and is in the beginning stages of planning an acoustic tour for the fall.


Day Of Daughtry
Rock band Day of Fire has begun a new chapter in their professional career. After selling nearly 150,000 units of their first two releases, this Grammy Award nominated and Dove Award winning band has recently begun touring with multi-Platinum American Idol, Chris Daughtry. Says Josh Brown, lead singer of Day Of Fire, "We love playing shows with Chris Daughtry. He is an extremely talented singer/songwriter & performer. We look forward to rocking the stage with him again in the near future." The band's Cut & Move tour continues through May following which the band will appear at numerous festivals this summer including Icthus, Creation East and West, Lifefest and Sonshine.



Congrats To The Songwriter
Scott Leger of Wideawake recently won the $50,000 Grand Prize in the 2006 International Songwriting Competition. The ISC, the world's leading global songwriting event, is pleased to award this year's Grand Prize to Scott Leger of Austin, TX, USA for his song "Maybe Tonight, Maybe Tomorrow." This is the highest honor bestowed by ISC each year. Almost 15,000 songs by amateur and professional songwriters from 88 countries were submitted to the competition. In addition to the lyrical content of "Maybe Tonight, Maybe Tomorrow", the song's memorable chorus and strong pop sensibility resonated with the ISC judges, culminating in it being awarded this year's prestigious Grand Prize. In response to winning ISC, Leger says, "It's a huge honor to be recognized by the ISC and their renowned group of judges among so many talented artists and great songs. I'm truly blown away by the overwhelming response and all the support that this song has gotten." Upon learning of a friend's cancer diagnosis, Leger wrote the song both as a personal coping mechanism and as a tribute to honor survivors across the world. Since its release, the song has understandably become an anthem of hope and courage. 100% of the proceeds from the song's iTunes downloads are donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation and its cancer initiatives.


Greyskull Phone Tag
Dallas-based punk rock band, Greyskull is being featured across Asia as part of Nokia Nseries’ You Make It Reel campaign to introduce the new Nokia N93i video phone. The band is the “face” of the phone marketing campaign and their image (and music) is plastered on television, print, online and mobile phone ads in Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Five songs off their new CD Pretty in Ink are featured in the campaign contest, as well as the television spots. “This is a great way to get people all over the world to hear and see what we‘re about,” said Chris Smyers, vocalist and bass player for the band. “This project is rad because it supports independent artists." "Being an unsigned band, we aren’t used to this type of exposure, but having people from places like Australia, Thailand and Malaysia email and blog about your band is insane,” said Brad Bevill, Greyskull guitarist. “It’s been an amazing experience and we’re honored to be part of it. The support from Nokia and our fans in Asia has been overwhelming.” Greyskull have been pounding the regional scene since 2002. Rooted in melodic punk rock and old renegade country, they're influenced by the great artists before them like Social Distortion, Bad Religion, Chris LeDoux, the Ramones and Jerry Jeff Walker.


Rock For Life
Pro-Life's Rock For Life are having a benefit show in May. Here are the details:
Date: May 19th
Venue: Emmaus in Gettysburg Pa.
Address: 19 York St, Gettysburg Pa.
7 bands:
Becoming the Archetype
Neocracy
Lucy
At Dawn I Die
Risen
Kennathan
Cease the White Horse
Starts at 5:30 and is $10 at the door.
The proceeds go to Stand True and Rock For Life



The Long Awaited Birth
Scotoma Promotions would like to welcome The Birth. The Birth is a new electronic band featuring Eric Flores and Scott Dunbar from widows&orphans. Eric is the notoriously bearded wonder of a drummer for w&o and Scott provides the high and very recognizable signature background vocals and frantic guitar work. Together they have written and constructed four of the catchiest heavy-hitting electronic tracks out right now. They've recently recorded with Corey Kilduf, whom many know from his long resume of musical endeavors which include being the singer for Ferret Music's band The Rise.


Your Chance To Rock Out
Word Label Group has partnered with the Christian Festival Association (CFA) and Artist Ovation to launch a nationwide talent search competition. The winner of the Artist Ovation competition will receive an artist development agreement with a Word Label Group imprint. Independent artists are required to enter the contest online at www.artistovation.com. Following submissions online, artists will perform before a panel of music professionals at one of 16 participating CFA summer festivals located throughout the country (full list provided below). At the conclusion of regional events, competition finalists will be chosen to perform at a national event to be held in Nashville where the winning band will be honored with an artist development agreement and a Word Label Group prize package, and named the 2007 Artist Ovation competition winner. “The sole purpose of this exciting new venture is to identify and elevate a new voice to help bring God’s timeless message to the next generation,” says CFA President, Bob Thompson. “The Christian Festival Association is delighted to partner with Word Label Group and Artist Ovation to provide a unique platform for aspiring Christian artists.”
CFA festivals participating in the 2007 Artist Ovation talent search competition include:
Agape Festival Greenville, IL April 27 & 28
Rock The Coast Muskegon, MI May 19 & 20
Spirit West Coast Del Mar, CA May 25-27
Collide Festival Sherman, TX June 7-9
Atlanta Fest Atlanta, GA June 14-16
Alive Festival Canal Fulton, OH June 20-23
King's Fest Doswell, VA July 5-7
Spirit Song Festival Cincinnati, OH July 5-7
Lifest Oshkosh, WI July 11-15
Sonshine Festival Willmar, MN July 12-14
SoulFest Gilford, NH Aug 1-4
Spirit West Coast Monterey, CA Aug 2-4
Kingdom Bound Buffalo, NY Aug 5-8
Unity Festival Muskegon, MI Aug 9-11
Rock The Light Kansas City, MO Aug 31 & Sep 1
LifeLight Festival Sioux Falls, SD Aug 31-Sep 2



Paging Mr. Smith
Hailing from the jazz and blues-influenced culture of southern Louisiana, New Orleans native Jake Smith recently signed an exclusive recording contract with Rocketown Records. His debut CD, Real is scheduled for a July 31 release. Musically, Real offers a fusion of soulful, groove-based pop that blends seamlessly together to create a sound reflective of the richness and eclecticism of New Orleans. Influenced by everything from the classic sounds of Ray Charles to current artists like John Mayer and Ray LaMontagne, Smith possesses the musical chops to perform convincingly as a solo singer-songwriter, as the leader of a funky acoustic trio or in his favorite light, the front man to a dynamic band of energetic Louisiana allies. But the strongest stimulus for Smith's songs comes from life itself, the adversities he's experienced and the faith that has brought him hope in the midst of significant turmoil. "My family is the most important thing in my life," Smith noted, "and the last two years have been pretty crazy for us. Obviously, Hurricane Katrina really messed up our way of life. After Katrina I was driving to my apartment and I was praying, 'God whatever you have for me, I'll do. I'm confused about what's happening, but I am yours.' Before I could finish the last word, a drunk driver hit me, totaling my car. A few months after the wreck, my father was diagnosed with cancer. A week later we were all shocked to find that my mother was also diagnosed with cancer, a recurrence from a bout earlier in her life. Why? I was so shaken by all of it that I didn't want to go to church; I didn't want to write music. I just wanted to sit and wait for the next bad thing to happen. Since then God has slowly brought me back to Him. He truly gave me things to write about. He showed me that He is the only sure thing in this life." Quick-witted and laid back, Smith seeks to entertain as his songs inspire. "I can only write about what I know or have been through, and I think people will see that. I don't have a voice like Creed, and I can't swing my guitar around my neck, but I hope that I can make people move."


Solo Is The New Black
Mijaces Records has released the new debut solo CD by Mike Botello entitled A Timeless State. This acoustically charged CD is compelling and will strike a deep personal reflection from within. Mike Botello, known for fronting the group Awake out of Texas, has put together a unique and soothing assortment of music. You can get more info here.


The Boot Is On The Other Foot
During each stop on their current North American tour, Switchfoot is selling “bootleg” copies of live songs from the concert that night. Copies of each city’s version will only be available for sale at the concert in the city it was recorded in. A new website, www.switchfootbootlegs.com, has been created to share the “bootleg” copies with fans in other cities. Visit the site to download live recordings from their current tour.
Remaining tour dates:
04.13.07 - Buies Creek, NC - Campbell University
04.14.07 - Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre
04.16.07 - Springfield, MO - The Shrine Mosque
04.17.07 - Saint Joseph, MO - St. Joseph Civic Arena



Victorious Fiends
Hailing from Camilla Georgia, Chasing Victory has just created a monster release titled Fiends.Watch for it May 8th on Mono vs Stereo. “We all have fiends living inside ourselves. Some are dormant and hibernating. Others are alive and vicious. But when we bring our inner enemies to light, they are disarmed and powerless,” states front man Adam Harrell. It is in this spirit that Chasing Victory has overcome their inner demons to bring forth their sophomore effort, smashing sonic barriers and destroying scene obstacles. Originally labeled a screamo outfit with their heralded debut I Call this Abandonment , this new record is neither core nor just a futile exercise in fashion. This is an album that forges its own path, a path of classic rock influence and rock n’ roll pioneering. Heavy and bombastic without being pretentious, it is a dynamic balance of brutality and melody. "Fiends is very diverse and each song has something that sets it apart from the rest. We used a lot of cleaner guitar tracks and let the bass and drums drive the songs to keep from masking everything with thick distortion, which has become very popular these days. The vocals on the record sound completely different also. There is a lot more singing and I owe it all to Jeff Buckley and our producer Nathan Dantzler. Nathan really help me capture a vocal sound that I felt comfortable with and steered me away from screaming as much.” At the core of the record is a spiritual foundation; the message is that by exposing one’s vices they are disarmed. “Most of the characters are battling with some kind of addiction, such as sex, drugs, alcohol, or even arrogance. Although these are serious topics, the songs have a sarcastic over-the-top quality about them. Like the way old horror movies were scary in their time, but are funny to us now. We just wanted to make a balls-to-the-wall rock record. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. These days in music, it’s so easy to sing the same two-note chorus, play the same chuggy riffs, throw it into Pro Tools, and slap it up on your Myspace page before Beethoven has time to roll over in his grave. We approached everything in the exact opposite way as that last sentence.”
4/12 – San Antonio, TX – White Rabbit
4/13 – El Paso, TX – Chic’s Bar & Billiards
4/14 – Phoenix, AZ – That One Place
4/15 – San Diego, CA – Epicenter
4/17 – Corona, CA – Showcase Theatre
4/18 – Calabasas, CA – Agoura Hills Center
4/19 – Orangevale, CA – Club Retro
4/20 – Modesto, CA – The Underground
4/21 – Portland, OR – Satyricon
4/22 – Seattle, WA – Studio Seven
4/24 – Boise, ID – The Venue
4/25 – Ogden, UT – Country Club Theatre
4/26 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theatre
4/27 – Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck
4/28 – Papillion, NE – The Rock
4/29 – Burbank, IL – Champs Rock Room
4/30 – Grand Rapids, MI – Skelletones
5/01 – Columbus, OH - Little Brothers
5/02 – Akron, OH – Lime Spider
5/03 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Icon
5/04 – Allston, MA – ICC Church
5/05 – Lancaster, PA – Chameleon Club
5/08 – Columbus, GA – The Core
6/16 – Wilmore, KY – Ichthus Festival @ Deep End Stage
7/12 – Wilmar, MN – Sonshine Festival @ HM Stage
8/18 – Lewisbury, PA – Purple Door Festival


The Showdown Joins Ozzfest...For Free!
2007 will forever mark the year Ozzfest spiked the concert industry's punch and gave every head-banging American kid a reason to strap on an air guitar with the historic announcement that tickets to the summer’s premiere touring concert festival won't cost fans a dime. That’s right, this year's 12th annual hard rock spectacular, a 25-date extravaganza launching July 7 in Los Angeles is pulling the plug on ticket prices and giving the power back to the fans calling this summer’s Ozzfest "FreeFest." "For the last few years," says Sharon Osbourne, "ticket prices have steadily climbed as artists demand more and more money for summer tours. We certainly want everybody to make money; however, we also want the kids to be able to afford to come out and have an incredible experience. If we continued with the traditional touring festival model, we would have no choice but to raise ticket prices again this year." Instead, to gain entry into this years event, fans will go to www.ozzfest.com or www.livenation.com to find links that will direct them to special sponsor sites where tickets can be secured. "This will change everybody’s impression of the way touring in the summer in America should be." says Sharon.
Catch The Showdown joining in the fun:
07/12 - White River Amphitheatre, Seattle, WA
07/14 - The Gorge, George, WA
07/17 - Sleep Train Amphitheatre, Sacramento, CA
07/19 - Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
07/21 - Hyundai Pavilion, Devore, CA
07/24 - Cricket Pavilion, Phoenix, AZ
07/26 - Journal Pavilion, Albuquerque, NM
07/28 - Coors Amphitheatre, Denver, CO
07/30 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Kansas City, MO
08/02 - Smirnoff Music Center, Dallas, TX
08/04 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, San Antonio, TX
08/06 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, St. Louis, MO
08/08 - Germain Amphitheatre, Columbus, OH
08/10 - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL
08/12 - Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
08/14 - Verizon Wireless Music Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
08/16 - PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
08/18 - New England Dodge Music Theatre, Hartford, CT
08/20 - Tweeter Center, Boston, MA
08/22 - Tweeter Center, Philadelphia, PA
08/24 - Post Gazette Pavilion, Pittsburgh, PA
08/26 - DTE Energy Music Theatre, Detroit, MI
08/28 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Charlotte, NC
08/30 - Sound Advice Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL




©2007 HM Magazine - All Rights Reserved

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