News Update Week Ending 2/22
Philmont Releases New Album In April
New EMI/Forefront Records rock act Philmont will release Oh Snap in retail stores on April 21. In support of its release, the band will debut new music from Oh Snap on tour with labelmates Abandon and This Beautiful Republic this week. Produced by Rob Hawkins (Fireflight, Jackson Waters), Oh Snap will include the five songs featured on Philmont’s digital EP, released last August, plus bonus acoustic track, “The Ascension.” The disc has huge sound, thanks to the excitable opener, “I Can’t Stand to Fall,” rapidly pulsating “My Hippocratic Oath” and fist-pumping “Photosynthetic.” The CD also features the worshipful “Another Name,” co-written with Justin York and new artist Chris Taylor, and pop anthem “The Difference,” a co-write with Ben Glover. The band and its EP have already caught the ear of music critics. Jesusfreakhideout.com remarks, “…Philmont is definitely a young act to keep your eye on in the coming years,” while indievisionmusic.com comments, “Their music is full of soaring vocal harmonies combined with charging guitars…The result is something that takes the strong energy of bands like Ivoryline or Anberlin and mixes it with the catchy, accessible melodies of bands like Third Eye Blind or Fall Out Boy.” “The Difference” will went for adds at Christian CHR and Rock radio on Feb. 13. The music video for the “The Difference” is currently No. 1 on Steelroots.com’s “Top 10 Countdown” and No. 2 on the GospelMusicChannel.com Rock chart. Earlier this month Philmont wrapped the “Out of Control” tour with Capital Lights and A Rotterdam November. From Feb. 16-19, the band will join labelmates Abandon and This Beautiful Republics for a Forefront Records new artists tour to key radio markets in Chicago, Grand Rapids, Toledo and Columbus. The band will perform additional shows in these markets; more information is available at visit myspace.com/philmontrock. Afterward, Philmont will then join the “Keep Breathing” tour with Wavorly, A Rotterdam November and Ilia on Feb. 20, which runs through March 15.
Mute Math Releases New EP
New Orleans-based eclectic rock quartet MUTEMATH have released their first brand-new studio recordings since their critically lauded, self-titled debut album on Teleprompt/Warner Bros. Records in September 2006. The "Spotlight EP" contains four new tracks, including the title song "Spotlight," which is also available on the chart-topping Twilight original movie soundtrack. MUTEMATH performed the song live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on January 15th. The EP's track-listing is as follows: "Spotlight," "Clockwork," "Earlylight," and a "Son Lux Remix" of the title track. The "Spotlight EP" is currently available digitally via the band's new web destination, mutemath.com/store, as well as through iTunes and all other participating digital retailers. A limited-edition vinyl 12" pressing will become available for sale on March 24th through the new MUTEMATH online store. To coincide with the release of the "Spotlight EP," fans will notice the revamped website, which is the ultimate MUTEMATH cyber-destination for up-to-date news, tour dates, merchandise, and the band's personal blog, which features their exclusive in-the-studio vlog.
For more information on Mute Math, go here:
mutemath.com
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Debuts at No. 14
Although platinum-plus Florida modern rock quartet THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS chose the title of their second Virgin Records album, LONELY ROAD, with family and friends at home in mind, the band has gathered a loyal worldwide group of fellow travelers in the last two years. Those fans' enthusiasm in the album's week of release has resulted in a No. 14 debut in national Billboard Top 200 album sales and a No. 1 Alternative digital album, making this their highest sales chart position ever. Prior to the February 3rd release of LONELY ROAD, the lead-off single "You Better Pray" had proven itself a national hit in both the Alternative and Active Rock radio formats, with wide video exposure through FUSE, Music Choice, MTVu and MTV2, which premiered their video all day long on "Unleashed." They appeared on ABC's late-night Jimmy Kimmel Live on Feb. 11th, performing a new single, "Pen & Paper," which was originally given away as an MP3 at Christmas to fans on the bands MySpace page. The singles overwhelming demand turned into a sales phenomenon and has since added to their over 41 million plays on Myspace (Face Down over 20 million & Your Guardian Angel reaching over 18 million). Historically, RJA's known for their dedicated and fanatical followers, which resulted in selling more than 2.1 million singles from their debut album DON'T YOU FAKE IT. The new album, produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Daughtry, Less Than Jake, Hoobastank, P.O.D., All-American Rejects, Seether) has already been praised for its "million-dollar hooks," "flat-out perfection," and "bold, fearless vocals" (Alternative Press). And, true to RJA's enduring hits "Face Down" and "Your Guardian Angel," the hallmark of LONELY ROAD's lyrics are the band's incisive and truthful observations about true-to-life encounters and relationships in settings of family ("Lonely Road"), the battleground and its aftermath ("Godspeed," "Pleads and Postcards"), and the hometowns everyone will recognize. "We want to blow people away with these new songs," lead singer Ronnie Winter said recently. "It's a bit of a risk, a little departure, but it's still Red Jumpsuit." RJA's Virgin Records debut, DON'T YOU FAKE IT, debuted in August 2006 at No. 25 on the Billboard Top 200, and ended its 62-week album chart run in October 2007.
Makeshift3 Wants Your Opinion!
Makeshift3 has posted their newest songs from their 4th album on their web site at makeshift3.com and they are trying to figure out which song they should push as their first radio single. Please submit your feedback by emailing the band at emattson5@aol.com or send them a message through their myspace page at myspace.com/makeshift3 Thank you for your help and be sure to go visit them at our booths at this years festivals including Cornerstone, Spirit West Coast, etc.
Corpus Christi News
On The Darker Shades of White, Corpus Christi shares their real life stories of conviction, temptation, their personal struggles with faith and the joy they felt once they found it. It’s a tale anyone who has had a torn heart can relate to as they will understand the turmoil one can encounter on the path to righteousness. We hope this album serves its purpose as a relatable outlet for anyone searching for what is right. A lyrical excerpt from the album: “When you speak, its truth I hear. When the music fades and the romance decays and the buildings have fallen down, you’ll find me...” “There’s no price too high, this is my sacrifice. Live and die for you, no hesitation. Live and die for you, no reservation. Were it mine to give, I’d give you the world.” Corpus Christi’s message is conveyed through fierce and melodic hardrock, a style symbolic of the passion they feel for their faith. Even their name is rooted in their religion; Corpus Christi is Latin for Body of Christ.
Further information about this band can be found at:
myspace.com/corpuschristiad
Impending Doom's New Album Out March 31
Facedown Records.com has launched a pre-order for Impending Doom’s upcoming full-length The Serpent Servant. The First 750 orders received will get an autographed poster and all pre-orders are entered to win a brand new Schecter Guitar. Multiple packages are available including a CD / T-shirt and CD / T-shirt / LP bundle. Stream “More Than Conquerors” from The Serpent Servant right here. Impending Doom recently wrapped up a tour with Unearth and are about to start a national tour tomorrow with Bleeding Through, As Blood Runs Black and The Acacia Strain.
Tour Dates:
2/18 San Antonio, TX
2/19 Houston, TX
2/20 Ft Worth, TX
2/21 Tulsa, OK
2/22 Sauget, IL
2/23 Belton, MO
2/24 Louisville, KY
2/25 Atlanta, GA
2/26 Orlando, FL
2/27 Ft Lauderdale, FL
2/28 Jacksonville, FL
3/1 Charleston, SC
3/2 Asheville, NC
3/3 Wilmington, NC
3/4 Richmond, VA
3/5 Baltimore, MD
3/6 Philadelphia, PA
3/7 New York, NY
3/8 Clifton Park, NY
3/9 Portland, ME
3/11 Montreal, QUE
3/12 Toronto, ONT
3/13 Buffalo, NY
3/14 Pittsburgh, PA
3/15 Cleveland, OH
3/16 Grand Rapids, MI
3/17 Detroit, MI
3/18 Chicago, IL
3/19 Milwaukee, WI
3/20 St Paul, MN
3/21 Iowa City, IA
3/22 Denver, CO
3/24 Boise, ID
3/25 Seattle WA
3/26 Portland, OR
3/27 San Francisco, CA
3/28 W. Hollywood, CA
Abandon Kansas Video Contest
Let the games begin! Abandon Kansas want to see what you've got when it comes to making a music video so they have launched the "I Wonder If It's Me" home made music video contest.
Prizes include: GRAND PRIZE – Two free tickets to the next AK show in your city, dinner with the band before or after the show, a new AK hoodie, a new AK shirt, an autographed cd, and a spot in history as the Abandon Kansas “I Wonder If It’s Me” home made video contest champion! 3 Runners up – A new AK shirt and a free autographed cd! All entries – Free autographed cd! The videos will be judged on creativity, originality, humor, and overall effort. The band members will be judging and picking the final four videos. The four finalists will then compete in head to head match ups with the other finalists. To win each round you will need the most youtube video views and/or the most votes on the contest blog. Once you’ve made a video, put it on your page and get your friends to vote on the blog once the voting begins.
All videos must use the song “I Wonder If It’s Me”. All videos must be uploaded to YouTube and the links should be mailed to abandonkansas@hotmail.com by the end of the day March 8th. Download "I Wonder If It's Me" on iTunes Do a group lip sync, film yourself playing instruments, make up a storyline, or just do something hilarious with the song in the background.
For full details:
myspace.com/abandonkansas
Tonex Releases His First Album In 5 Years
Battery Records, a newly formed imprint under the Sony Music Entertainment's RCA/ JIVE Label Group umbrella, is pleased announce the release of singer/songwriter TONEX. His forthcoming album Unspoken, dropping March 17th, will bring his unique talents to the forefront of music. Though TONEX's name might be new to some, his impactful work has long been a mainstay in the Gospel world. TONEX, indeed a prolific artist; having released three albums on Verity Records over the years, while producing for both gospel, secular and mainstream artists alike, he has also amassed several awards including eight Stellar Awards and two GMA Awards. He also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Soul Gospel Album for his 2004 critically acclaimed album, Out The Box. TONEX is excited for the shift from the Verity to Battery. On Battery Records he'll be given the freedom to showcase his true talent as a music-maker. His brand new LP Unspoken features hard-hitting R&B, dance and even a smattering of alternative with its lead single "Blend". The timely song addresses the need to stay true to oneself. "I knew that ?Blend? was going to be the lead single from the start,"TONEX stresses. "It represents who I've been all along by bringing that artist to the masses for the first time." For TONEX, Unspoken is a transitional album that heads in a more mainstream direction yet still targets his longstanding gospel segment. Says TONEX, "I didn't want to alienate the fan base generated from the Out the Box phenomenon. Even though I appreciate that album's success, I felt that there were so many people from different demographics I still had yet to reach. I made the transition from Verity Records to Battery Records to facilitate that career evolution." Unspoken conveys TONEX's variety, musical prowess and adaptability. A dreamer, TONEX's dream of showcasing his rare spectrum of talents to an R&B audience is coming true. The project will be marketed to not only gospel music lovers but also mainstream R&B music lovers. Battery Records stands wholly behind TONEX and his ambitious project. Neil Levine adds "It is important that TONEX keeps his credibility within the gospel community while Battery helps him expand to a more mainstream audience." Battery Records was formed to develop young urban talent, in an age where such development is sorely lacking. Neil Levine, Battery Records' Senior Vice President and General Manager, aims to uncover and cultivate young talent and thereby create an indispensable niche in the marketplace.
After Edmund Made Grammy Debut
Slanted Records' band After Edmund attended the 51st Annual GRAMMY® Awards and its surrounding events this past weekend. The band, nominated for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album for its debut, HELLO, enjoyed their first attendance to this annual celebration of multiple and diverse musical genres. While there, After Edmund was interviewed by outlets including MTV, VH1, Fox and Verizon, among others; and they met such legendary artists as Brenda Lee, Metallica and the Blind Boys of Alabama. "It was truly a career and even lifetime highlight for us," stated band member Yates. "The show, the nominee party and the entire experience in Los Angeles were like a dream. We appreciate those who voted for us. It's inspiring to be around that level of talent and to meet artists who have influenced our lives and musical paths, and it makes us want to strive harder to make great music for the world to enjoy." After Edmund was "shadowed" for 48 hours during their GRAMMY® adventure by journalist/photographer Andy Argyrakis, who will be doing an exclusive feature, which will go online soon at gospelmusicchannel.com, giving a complete photo gallery and moment-by-moment documentary of After Edmund's experiences. HELLO was named a standout release for 2008 by the staff and senior music editors of the Gospel Music Channel website; and it was also selected by an editor from Christianity Today as one of his favorite albums of the year. HELLO was also selected in the Top 10 Critics Picks for 2008 according to CCM Magazine's editors who selected their top choices for the best faith-based albums of the year.
Check out After Edmund here:
myspace.com/afteredmund
Get ready for an hour of despair with the uncanny doom metallers! Metal Mind Production presents a CD audio version of the latest Solitude Aeturnus DVD entitled “Hour Of Despair”. Robert Lowe's haunting vocals, unbelievably heavy and slow riffs, strange melodies and sublime compositions - all this complemented by the band's desperate, insane personal appeal. The tracklist comprised of songs recorded during their live show in Poland. It includes songs from their latest album "Alone" as well as from some of their previous releases (from the classic debut "Into the Depths of Sorrow", from "Through the Darkest Hour", "Downfall", and the cult album "Adagio"). “Hour Of Despair” CD will be released on 2nd March in Europe and 10th March in USA (via MVD). Digipak edition is limited to 1000 copies!
DecembeRadio On Tour With Newsboys
GRAMMY® Award nominees DecembeRadio are excited to join the Newsboys for the 35-city Join the Tribe tour which launches this Friday, February 20th, in Fredrick, MD. The tour, which will run through mid-April and also features bands VOTA and Bread of Stone, will support Global Tribe (globaltribe.com), an organization fighting physical and spiritual poverty. “The Join the Tribe tour is going to be a blast!,” stated Josh Reedy, lead singer and bass player for DecembeRadio. “It's really cool for us to be a part of a tour with a band that we grew up watching. I know it will be a night of great music, energy and ministry.” DecembeRadio will be performing songs from their current release, Satisfied, which was named among the “Best of the Best in 2008” by the staff and senior music editors from the Gospel Music Channel website. “It's rare that a Christian rock record really rocks to the degree of deafening proportions, but DecembeRadio gets props for not only reaching that amplification level, but doing so with sophistication and satisfaction,” stated the editorial staff online. “[DecembeRadio] returns with even more muscle than the first round, all the while holding firm to their faith. Anyone who's seen the group in concert can also attest to their intensity, making DecembeRadio's future all the more alluring.” The Gospel Music Channel's editorial team named the song “Gasoline” as their iTunes pick for the Satisfied release. This song is also available digitally as a ringtone. Satisfied was also selected in the “Top 10 Critics Picks” for 2008 according to CCM Magazine's editors, two of which named DecembeRadio in their annual top choices for the best faith-based albums of the year. The band's new single, “Look for Me,” an epic ballad with early buzz and early adds at various stations, hit the airwaves at AC radio last Friday. “DecembeRadio's new ‘Look for Me' single caught me off guard,” stated Bart Wagner, PD for WAYR in Brunswick, GA. “I listened to it Friday afternoon and it stuck with me all weekend. The first lyric on the second verse just keeps running through my head – ‘There's a grace dying to erase all that you have said and done.' What an amazing way to capture God's forgiveness that is so available!”
Raging Storms Records Signs Under Command
Raging Storm Records is proud to introduce the
newest member of their growing family of artists: Washington, DC based Under Command. Combining modern hard rock arrangements with an almost retroactive vocal style all their own, Under Command has enjoyed a good deal of independent success through extensive US touring and on progressive rock radio play. Lead singer and guitarist Wayne Johnson was also recently featured in a Guitar Player Magazine reader's poll as on of 2008's top rising guitar players. Talks with Raging Storm Records prompted the band to re-enter the studio and begin work on the new all original project BACK IN THE THICK, the band's heaviest and most aggressive project to date. The album will be released nationally on March 21 and is currently available for pre-order at ragingstormrecords.com. Under Command will be appearing at the 2009 Cornerstone Festival, as well as supporting their label debut with live performances throughout the country.
©2009 HM Magazine All Rights Reserved
More news from last week:
still fresh (as far as you know)
Return to Internet Exclusives
Comments
wow that new Impending doom stuff is pretty decent but it sounds alot different than their last cd
