News Update Week Ending 09-28

The 77s Tell All

We posted an awesome interview with Mike Roe of the 77s. Basically, the truth is that everyone must read. You MUST! I'm serious! This artist has made some of the best music in the history of alternative Christian rock. And he goes over each album in their discography in this lengthy chat. Check it out. I promise you'll love it so much that you'll want to buy some of their music.

Vote Now

If you haven't voted in our Readers' Poll yet, what are you waiting for? Some mid-fall album to come out? If that's the case, just guess and predict if it'll be your favorite or not...just vote. Imagine Jack Bauer being tied up by terrorists and your delay in voting might cost him his life. You don't really know, but if you delay another second, they might cut his throat or shock him with 1.8 jigawatts of battery-powered electricity. For goodness' sake, VOTE!!!

Zao Recording New Album With Tim Lambesis
Legendarily influential heavy music act ZAO is in the studio working on a brand new album, the follow-up to their 2006 record, The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here. As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis and Daniel Castleman are heading up the proceedings, together with Zao's Scott Mellinger, for what is shaping up to be another monumental ZAO album. "We simply can not wait for everyone to hear these new songs," says longtime guitarist Mellinger. "We have not been on the road since the Demon Hunter and Throwdown tours in 2006, which has given us plenty of time to get our wits about us and to really concentrate on creating the best batch of material we possibly can." Zao's Where Blood & Fire Bring Rest was recently hailed as "one of the most the most influential albums of 1998" by Alternative Press magazine. That album, which introduced frontman Dan Weyandt to the heavy music scene, and follow-up Liberate te ex Inferis, which introduced guitarist and songwriter Mellinger, continue to be cornerstone albums to a new generation of bands drawing influence from Zao's dark, passionate and creative music. "Zao is a band that has influenced all types of bands in the heavy music genre, from the Deftones and to my band," offers Lambesis. "I'm very excited be a part of bringing them the production their band has always deserved. This record will be the Zao sound that fans and musicians like myself have been waiting to hear for a long time." The lineup for this ZAO album is the same as The Fear...: Longtime co-conspirators Weyandt and Mellinger alongside bass player Martin Lunn and drummer Jeff Gretz (From Autumn to Ashes). "Recording Jeff Gretz's drums was the most relaxing and professional studio experience I've ever been a part of," boasts Lambesis. "That guy is a true pro and the standard by which I will judge every other drummer I record at Lambesis Studios in the future." Zao's two Ferret Music albums, The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here (2006) and The Funeral Of God (2004), are among the biggest selling and most important in the band's impressive catalog. Funeral was produced by Erik Rachel (Every Time I Die) and The Fear... was recorded by Steve Albini (Nirvana). The band has toured with In Flames, Trivium, Shadows Fall and in the past took bands like Underoath and Unearth on tour as their opening acts. Zao's new album will be released in 2009.
For more info, check out:
zaoonline.com

The Classic Crime To Headline Atticus Clothing Tour
After a heady Summer garnering plaudits for their second studio album The Silver Cord and a marquee spot on this Summer's Vans Warped Tour, Tooth & Nail recording artists THE CLASSIC CRIME are getting ready to hit the road this Fall, headlining Atticus Clothing's "Walk The Plank Tour," presented by Alternative Press. Launching at Anaheim's Chain Reaction and circling the country, The Classic Crime will be supported by A Change of Pace, with special guests Jet Lag Gemini, Artist vs. Poet, Lower Definition and Tyler Read performing on various legs of the tour. "After a great summer at all the festivals, meeting tons of new people, and seeing amazing bands, we decided to pull some of our favorites together and hit the road in the United States late this year," says Mark Bubb, U.S. Director of Atticus Clothing. "The Classic Crime will be headlining the tour and have an amazing new album out called The Silver Cord! We highly suggest you go check it out!" Recorded in February and March 2008, The Silver Cord is an album ripe with heavy, dense chords held buoyant with incredibly tight musicianship and infectious melodies. From the opening staccato guitars of "Just a Man" that break into intricate fretwork intertwining with Matt's seasoned vocals, it becomes readily apparent how much they've grown. "Elvis [producer] noted that we were a different band, and the vibe was totally different," recalls Matt. "We went about things completely different, recording the album like a 90's Alt record rather than a 2008 rock record. We didn't use click tracks or borrowed samples, we didn't quantize anything either... we can actually say that we played what you hear." The first single, "Abracadavers" is just one of many testaments to their strength as a band on this album, and proof to those who might have thought they have gone soft because of their acoustic EP. "We wanted to show that we enjoy and are capable of different styles of music," explains Matt. "You can't hear any folk on Albatross, but it's all over the Seattle Sessions EP. It may have been risky, but we'd rather have integrity musically than worry what people might think." With the support from Alternative Press, Brian Ewing, SJC Custom Drums, and Epiphone Guitars, the Walk The Plank Tour will offer fans the chance to win some truly incredible prizes, tickets, and exclusive clothing. Grounded in the culture of music, Atticus was founded by musicians with their morals and inspirations in mind.
For more for info, check out:
Atticusclothing.com
Altpress.com

Thieves And Liars Win Hard Rock Band Award
Thieves & Liars won the award for Best Hard Rock Band at the 18th Annual San Diego Music Awards held on September 13th in San Diego, CA. Previous winners in this category include Cattle Decapitation and P.O.D. Thieves & Liars, who were up against 7 nominees for the honor, came out on top and walked away with the award. You can hear songs from their album When Dreams Become Reality here:
myspace.com/weareallthievesandliars

Trenches Featured On MySpace Metal
Solid State Recording artists Trenches are currently the front page feature for Myspace Metal and Pure Volume. The group which features Jimmy Ryan (former vocalist for Haste The Day) just released their debut full-length The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole. Formed in Indianapolis at the tail end of 2007, Trenches is Ryan and Joel Lauver (Anapparatus, Kentucky Waterfall, etc). The album is available now at I-Tunes at special pricing of $7.99
For more info on Trenches, visit:
myspace.com/trenchesofficial

Disciple Releases New Album On October 21st
Following the best selling record of their 15-year career, Scars Remain, celebrated rock act Disciple offers some of their most relevant material yet with Southern Hospitality releasing Oct. 21. With 12 total tracks, lead singer Kevin Young admits that this was the “most incredible record-making experience” to date for the band. “I think we’ve written more current songs than ever before.” The band teams up with producer Travis Wyrick (P.O.D., Pillar, Superchick) once again for the new record. Another step for the new project is the heavy guitar solos also embraced by the band. Whether it is the poetic imagery behind “Romance Me” or the genuine plea in ”Savior,” Southern Hospitality was written and created with more attention paid to the craft and less to the clock. A few months before Disciple began working on Southern Hospitality, the original guitarist Brad Noah stepped down from full-time touring with Disciple as the result of long-term health issues. He decided, however, to continue writing and recording with the band. Adding to their recognizable rock sound are three new members, guitarist Andrew Welch (formerly of Capital Lights), guitarist Micah Sannan (formerly of Falling Up) and Israel Beachy (formerly of Staple). While Young still says that Noah is the best guitar player he knows, he can’t help but heap compliments on his new band mates. “I’ve been in Disciple since day one, and we’re in the best place we’ve ever been,” says Young. “We’re writing the best songs we’ve ever written, and we’re putting on the best shows we’ve ever put on. I just can’t wait to share this with people. I can’t wait to see how these songs affect people’s lives. It’s fully God. We can’t take any credit for that.” Disciple’s longevity and philosophy among their peers in Christian rock music is something the band is incredibly grateful for says Young. “Just like any band, we’ve been through ups and downs. All of us are in constant process, but since day one, our goal has been to stand onstage and tell people about Christ, and then provide an opportunity for people to receive Him. Our music is about providing the backdrop for that moment to occur. The fact that that is happening more effectively than at any time in our 15 year career is humbling to say the least.” “3,2,1” is the first rock single from Southern Hospitality. The song went for adds on Sept. 12 to Christian rock and was the format’s No. 1 most added single this week according to R&R. In support of Southern Hospitality, Disciple will appear on the upcoming cover of the Nov./Dec. issue of HM Magazine. HM is a bi-monthly publication for hard music audiences. This will mark Disciple’s first appearance on the cover.
For more info on upcoming album, go here:
disciplerocks.com
myspace.com/disciplerocks

Superchick Headlines Rock What You Got Tour
Superchick is out on its fall 2008 “Rock What You Got” headlining tour, visiting nearly 30 cities through mid-November. Accompanying the group will be Stellar Kart, Article One and Starlit Platoon. The “Rock What You Got” tour is named after Superchick’s fifth and highly anticipated studio release, which spurred the band’s best-selling debut week to date. The group will play music from its history-making album nationwide with stops in major markets including Dallas, Minneapolis, and Atlanta. A complete tour itinerary follows this release. “We have received such a positive response from fans who love the new record, and we can’t wait to perform for them live,” says Tricia Brock of Superchick. “Given the dynamic of our new set list in addition to a talented, high-energy artist line-up, the ‘Rock What You Got’ tour is going to be among the most talked about tickets this fall.” Superchick’s Matt Dally adds, “It will be the biggest tour the world has ever seen. Like Tony the Tiger said, it’s going to be grrrreat!” Chicago-based Superchick comprises sisters Tricia Brock (vocals) and Melissa Brock (vocals, guitar), Matt Dally (bass, vocals), Dave Ghazarian (lead guitar, vocals), Brandon Estelle (drums, vocals), and Max Hsu (keyboards/DJ). With five projects to date, Superchick has sold upwards of 700,000 albums, and the group’s music has been heard in more than 70 different films and television shows. With literally hundreds of live performances on its resume, Superchick has developed a well-deserved reputation as an incandescent and charismatic pop/rock phenomenon. On June 24, 2008, Superchick released its first album in three years, Rock What You Got. The project, produced by the band’s own Max Hsu (tobyMac, newsboys), finds the band honing a “rock-o-tronic” sound, an electro-punk mash-up of slashing guitars, pulsing keyboards and grit-pop vocals. While Superchick’s last album, Beauty From Pain, sought to empathize with listeners’ pain, band members have since walked their own dark, lonely roads with relationship splits and cancer touching four of their families. Rather than expound upon these personal hardships, Superchick turned Rock What You Got, into a battle cry to charge onward. The disc resulted in Superchick’s highest ever first week sales numbers, and its current single “Hold” is climbing up the CHR charts at No. 5 this week, according to Radio & Records.
TOUR DATES:
9/18 Amarillo,TX
9/19 Dallas, TX
9/20 Angelo,TX
9/21 New Braunfels,TX
9/25 Olathe, KS
9/26 South Bend, IN
9/27 Elnora, IN
9/28 Dayton, OH
10/2 Davenport, IA
10/3 Baxter, MN
10/4 Bemidji, MN
10/5 Mayville, ND
10/11 Oswego, NY
10/13 Brookville, NY
10/16 Lancaster, PA
10/18 Johnson City, TN
10/19 Arlington, VA
10/25 Jonesboro, AR
10/30 Ellettsville, IN
10/31 Forest Park, OH
11/1 Kankakee, IL
11/3 Ypsilanti, MI
11/7 Minneapolis, MN
11/8 Peoria, IL
11/9 Elgin, IL
11/12 Dalton, GA
11/13 Snellville, GA
11/14 Brunswick, GA
11/15 West Palm Beach, FL
For more info:
superchickonline.com

Norma Jean Debuts Behind-The-Scenes Clip
As NORMA JEAN prepare for their headlining fall U.S. tour, the group has debuted a behind-the-scenes teaser from the video shoot for their first single “Robots 3, Humans 0.” The making-of-the-video clip features interviews with NORMA JEAN and video director Daniel Chestnut (Hurley Entertainment) as well as appearances from such artists as Saosin, Beat Union and Confide. NORMA JEAN’s explosive fourth album THE ANTI MOTHER (Solid State)--hailed by Alternative Press magazine as “…the best record of their career” (September 2008)--debuted at #29 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart, with over 16,000 copies sold in the first week alone. This fall, catch NORMA JEAN--CORY BRANDAN (lead vocals, guitars), SCOTTIE HENRY (guitars), JAKE SCHULTZ (bass), CHRIS DAY (guitars) and CHRIS RAINES (drums)--as they headline “The Anti Mother Tour” presented by Solid State records (dates below). The six-week nationwide U.S. tour--with additional sponsorship from Hot Topic and Monster Energy Drink--kicks off Friday, October 3 in Knoxville, TN and wraps Saturday, November 15 in the post-hardcore group’s hometown of Atlanta, GA. View the behind-the-scenes video here
Tour Dates:
10/3 Knoxville, TN
10/4 Nashville, TN
10/5 Sauget, IL
10/7 Oklahoma City, OK
10/8 Dallas, TX
10/9 Houston, TX
10/10 San Antonio, TX
10/11 Odessa, TX
10/12 Albuquerque, NM
10/14 Tucson, AZ
10/15 San Diego, CA
10/16 Pomona, CA
10/17 Ventura, CA
10/18 Santa Cruz, CA
10/19 Reno, NV
10/21 Portland, OR
10/22 Seattle, WA
10/23 Spokane, WA
10/24 Boise, ID
10/25 Salt Lake City, UT
10/26 Engelwood, CO
10/28 Des Moines, IA
10/29 St. Paul, MN
10/30 Chicago, IL
10/31 Louisville, KY
11/1 Pontiac, MI
11/2 Cleveland, OH
11/4 Buffalo, NY
11/5 Pittsburgh, PA
11/6 Lancaster, PA
11/7 Syracuse, NY
11/8 Sayreville, NJ
11/9 Hartford, CT
11/11 Baltimore, MD
11/12 Norfolk, VA
11/13 Charlotte, NC
11/14 Charleston, SC
11/15 Atlanta, GA

House Of Heroes New Album Releases Digitally Today
The End Is Not The End, the new album from House of Heroes releases digitally today - Tuesday, September 23rd! Download all 15 tracks for the low, low price of $9.99! Check out their myspace for more details on The End Is Not The End, the new video for "In The Valley of the Dying Sun," and info on the upcoming Uncle Fest Tour with Relient K, Ludo and This Providence in October and November.

Brian "Head" Welch's New Album Debuts At #13
Brian “Head” Welch‘s debut solo album, SAVE ME FROM MYSELF, had blistering sales its first week, making its debut on Billboard‘s “Top Hard Rock Albums” chart at #13, #7 on Billboard’s “Top Independent Albums” chart and #21 on SoundScan’s “Top Current Rock Albums” chart. Overall, against all genres, including new releases and catalogue, Head’s album debuted on Billboard’s “Top 200 Albums” chart at # 63. "I am very excited with the first week numbers,” says Head. “It's a great start to getting back out there and re-connecting with all of my fans. I’m just getting started!!!" As he makes plans to launch a full-scale performance tour (to be announced later this year), the former Korn guitarist continues his in-progress promo tour to celebrate the album’s release. At each stop, Head is signing copies of the album, as well as his autobiographies, Save Me From Myself, which landed on the New York Times “Best Seller” list (non-fiction) and has sold over 70,000 copies since its release, and Washed By Blood. The latter is an edited paperback version of Save Me From Myself aimed at a younger audience and doesn’t contain the profanity and gory details of the original version. A paperback of the original Save Me From Myself is also available now.
Go here for more info:
brianheadwelch.net

Settle The Sky Releases Album On iTunes
Toledo, OH's SETTLE THE SKY will have their EP 'Now That We're Waiting' released on October 28th exclusively on iTunes through Standby Records. Three tracks from the EP, ("The Relentless", "Cheyenne", and "Amour Propre"), can be listened to on the band's MySpace. Additionally, the band has the following shows lined up in support of the release, with more in the works:
9/26 Port Clinton, OH
10/4 Mansfield, OH
11/8 Fremont, OH
12/29 Louisville, KY
12/30 Middlesboro, KY
12/31 Evansville, IN
1/01 Terre Haute, IN
1/02 Steven's Point, WI
1/03 Aurua, IL
1/04 Detroit, MI
To listen to tracks from their EP, go here:
myspace.com/settlethesky

Creation Festival Announces Special Partnerships & Unique Promotions For Tour
Creation Festival: The Tour is pleased to announce several strategic partnerships with companies who have chosen to come alongside this one-of-a-kind event as tour sponsors. Through these relationships many unique promotions and perks will be made available for ticket holders, youth leaders and music fans.
The Tour has teamed with Apple's iTunes to provide each attendee with free music. Each person attending a concert date will receive an exclusive tour branded iTunes card, good for 20 songs of featured Creation artists when they arrive the day of the concert. Additionally, Tooth&Nail Records will provide attendees with 20 free songs for every ticket purchase. Each ticket holder will receive a 20 song pre-tour sampler via a download code received at time of ticket purchase. These are exclusive deals only made available to Creation Festival: The Tour and provide ticket holders with an unprecedented opportunity to receive free music in addition to a tremendous tour for one low ticket price. Youth ministry advocates, Interl’inc and Youth Specialties are joining forces to provide special Youth Leader Talk Back sessions in each city. Youth leaders and their staff will have the opportunity to participate in exclusive meet and greet times and break out sessions with various artists from the tour as well as receive special resources to take back to their youth ministry. Online Christian music audio and video providers, HearItFirst.com and VideoRocket.com will be following along with the tour and providing those at home with an insider’s look into Creation Festival: The Tour. Both sites will showcase exclusive behind the scenes footage, video blogs and special content from the artists on the tour. “We are very pleased with the caliber of companies who have chosen to come along side and partner with us to make Creation Festival: The Tour possible,” explains Nick Kulb, Tour producer. “It definitely takes a small army of people to pull an event like this off and these companies share the vision of what we want to accomplish. I’m excited to get out on the road and see our partnerships and hard work come to life.” Additional tour sponsors include child advocacy organization Compassion International, Integrity Music, Provident Label Group, PRS Guitars and Global Expeditions. Patterned after the Creation Festivals, the nation’s largest Christian music festival and the premier name in Christian music events, this “mini Creation on wheels” kicks off October 9th and will make stops in 30-plus cities. The line up features nine bands, including headliners Kutless, and special guests, Thousand Foot Krutch and Pillar and is rounded out by Fireflight, Run Kid Run and Worth Dying For. A special “pre-show” will kick off the event, featuring performances by Esterlyn and Capital Lights and world-renowned speaker, Bob Lenz, will share the gospel each night.
For up to the minute information about Creation Festival: The Tour and a complete list of cities, please visit:
creationfesttour.com

Underoath Enters Billboard Charts At # 8
UNDERØATH--whose last three albums count combined sales in excess of one million copies--have entered the Billboard Top 200 Album chart at #8 with over 56,000 copies sold of their much-anticipated LOST IN THE SOUND OF SEPARATION album, available in regular and special editions. Marking the top rock debut for this week, LOST IN THE SOUND OF SEPARATION also reached #1 on Billboard’s Top Christian albums chart and #5 on the Top Digital albums chart with over 9,476 digital downloads its first week. The special edition version of LOST IN THE SOUND OF SEPARATION includes: 10-page booklet, 40-minute making-of DVD with never before seen footage as well as interviews with the band, producers Adam Dutkiewicz, Matt Goldman and mixer David Bendeth. Epic and intimate, brutal and beautiful, catapulting them far beyond their previous works the new album marks their fourth disc to be released on Seattle indie Tooth & Nail/Solid State Records. By the end of September, LOST IN THE SOUND OF SEPARATION will also be released in at least 16 additional countries around the world including: Canada, U.K., Ireland, Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. The Billboard chart debut comes on the heels of UNDERØATH’s 2006 gold-certified Define The Great Line. “We spent over two years working on this record,” lead singer SPENCER CHAMBERLAIN explains. “We’re really excited about how it turned out and can’t wait to share it with everyone.” By trusting their instincts, pushing their songcraft to the limit and meticulously perfecting it with Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage) and Matt Goldman (Copeland, The Chariot), alongside the skilled mixing of veteran David Bendeth, LOST IN THE SOUND OF SEPARATION is an epic achievement. MTV2 premiered UNDERØATH’s striking new video--with animation and stop-motion photography--for their first single “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures” on “You Rock The Deuce” and “Headbanger’s Ball.” UNDERØATH is currently in midst of the world tour with sold-out shows in the U.S., Mexico City, Canada, U.K., Germany, Italy, South Africa and Australia. Catch UNDERØATH this fall when they return to the U.S. for their major headlining nationwide tour which launches October 15 in Lake Buena Vista, FL. High profile U.S. stops include New York City’s Terminal 5 (3,000 capacity) on Sunday, October 26 as well as Irvine, CA’s Bren Events Center (5,000 capacity) on Saturday, November 15. Saosin, Devil Wears Prada, P.O.S., Person L and Famine will support the run
For more info and tour dates, visit:
underoath777.com

©2008 HM Magazine - All Rights Reserved

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