PENDULUM READY TO SWING TOWARDS NORTH AMERICA

Ear Storm/Atlantic Records has announced the upcoming release of “IN SILICO,” the North American debut album from Pendulum.  Already a sensation in the UK and the band’s native Australia, the album – highlighted by the single, “Propane Nightmares” – arrives on these shores on May 13th.

The Perth-based outfit has been hailed for its hard-edged amalgamation of drum ‘n’ bass beats, massive guitars, and powerhouse hooks.  American audiences will get their first sample of Pendulum’s brave new rock ‘n’ roll when the band makes its U.S. live debut at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday, April 25th.  Additional North American concert dates will be announced shortly.

Pendulum’s new single, “Propane Nightmares,” will be available at all digital retailers beginning on April 14th.  The track’s companion video clip has been named a MySpace Featured Video Exclusive, and can be viewed at the band’s own www.myspace.com/officialpendulum page.  The clip is already featured as “Spanking New” across all MTV Networks in the UK.

A major UK tour is slated for May, with most dates already sold out.  Pendulum will then spend the summer rocking festivals all over the world, including DJ sets at a variety of dance-oriented gatherings and full-band extravaganzas at such internationally known festies as the UK’s annual Reading & Leeds 2008, Download, Bestival and more (check www.pendulum.com for complete tour information).

Since its formation in 2002, Pendulum has caused quite the stir in both the hard rock and dance music communities around the world.  The band’s 2005 debut, “HOLD YOUR COLOUR,” was an international breakout success, with UK sales alone in excess of 225,000.  Pendulum’s innovative sonic approach has earned the band comparisons to such visionary artists as Led Zeppelin, Queens of the Stone Age, and Tool.

“Granite,” a featured track on “IN SILICO,” proved a true sensation upon its release as a single last November.  Fueled by major BBC Radio airplay, the track topped the UK’s Dance chart while also reaching the top 30 on the overall Singles tally.

Pendulum also earned a barrage of critical approbation.  “Pendulum are only expressing what lies at the heart of many a fan of harder dance music – a secret love, past or present, of heavy rock,” noted DJ Magazine, while the Sun praised the band as “the Prodigy for the Noughties.”  Q Magazine agreed, declaring, “There’s a strong whiff of vintage Prodigy about this bullish Aussie dance crew with a serious guitar fetish.”  No less an authority than the venerable Kerrang! summed it up:  “Pendulum have that intriguing cross-over appeal that will make them superstars.”

Pendulum is:  Rob Swire – vocals, synth, producer * Gareth McGrillen – bass guitar, producer, DJ * Perry ap Gwynedd – guitar * Paul ‘El Hornet’ Harding – DJ * Kodish – drums.

www.pendulum.com
www.myspace.com/officialpendulum

LOW VS. DIAMOND CHOSEN BY ITUNES AS “THE NEXT BIG THING”

SELF-TITLED MAJOR LABEL DEBUT AVAILABLE DIGITALLY VIA ITUNES ON APRIL 1st 

Epic Records and Los Angeles based band, Low Vs. Diamond, are proud to announce that iTunes has chosen the quintet as one of their favorite up-and-coming bands of 2008. As part of their “Next Big Thing” program, iTunes will offer fans an opportunity to purchase the band’s upcoming self-titled album months before its release this summer. An uncompromising powerful record full of cinematic tracks, LOW VS. DIAMOND will be available via iTunes beginning April 1st. A band The Sun, NME, The Los Angeles Times, Paste Magazine and Time Out London all praised as a band to watch in 2008, will spend most of the year on the road including a stop at the first annual Pemberton Festival in Vancouver, Canada this July.
 
Low Vs. Diamond has created an album full of romantic songs that build to stadium worthy choruses and soar with nostalgic sounding chords that grab you instantly. With its undeniable melodies and chugging backbeats, The Los Angeles Times applauded the band for “standing precipitously between overwrought melancholy and chimey hopefulness, avoiding both excesses… the band’s music plays to an optimism that stops short of outright glee.”
 
LOW VS. DIAMOND follows up the bands critically acclaimed four-song EP, LIFE AFTER LOVE, which was released through British label Marrakesh Records (formerly Lizard King).
 
http://www.myspace.com/lowvsdiamond
www.lowvsdiamond.com
 

SOUTH AUSTIN JUG BAND’S CHART-RIDING STRANGE INVITATION AVAILABLE 4/1

Progressive-Acoustic Rockers Mark April 1 Release in Austin,  Then Set Off on Album Release Tour Across Region to California

South Austin Jug Band, the no-jug string band with the fiery instrumentals, releases today its third album, the “exhilarating” STRANGE INVITATION, featuring what one writer calls “the consistent acoustical prowess of all three [core] members.”

The quintet — lead vocalist-guitarist-lyricist James Hyland, championship-winner Dennis Ludiker (mandolin and fiddle) and multi-instrumentalist Brian Beken (Suzuki-trained fiddler, guitar) backed by Matt Mefford (bass) and Rob Kidd (drums) — marks the occasion of the release with two performances in Austin and an extensive album release tour to back it up.

South Austin Jug Band performs during an in-store appearance this afternoon at Waterloo Records & Video, Sixth Street and Lamar, and then plays a STRANGE INVITATION Release Show on Friday, April 4, at Threadgill’s World Headquarters in South Austin.

The new recording, holding steady on the Americana radio chart, captures the nimble-fingered fiddle and mandolin playing that amazes audiences, the clear vocals and the evocative original songs that make for the band’s progressive-acoustic Americana rock. New inspiration found in the band’s travels, new themes and a new collaborative songwriting philosophy are tangible.

The “flickering flame” of “Come to Me” …”gently opens STRANGE INVITATION, but airtight instrumentals quickly spill gasoline. Buckle up,” says the Austin American-Statesman, citing “dreamy splashes of frenetic Jackson Pollock imagery across a wheat-field backdrop” that “peel out like teenage brothers jacking a ‘69 Camaro. Meanwhile, ‘Reprise’ rolls and thunders and explodes like their parents rediscovering honeymoon thirst, its gentle coda a blood-orange sunset. Exhilarating.”

Two weeks ago, the band’s Official SXSW Showcase at landmark Jovita’s elicited praise from longtime Austin Chronicle writer Jim Caligiuri. He wrote, “Nearly gone is the happy bluegrass, replaced by an introspective feel that was always there, just not in the quantity presented on third release STRANGE INVITATION. … There’s no sluggishness, just superb musicianship [and] enticing songsmithing …”

Armed with its STRANGE INVITATION, recorded all-analog at Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio outside Austin, South Austin Jug Band plays across the Southwest and reaches California in May.

Upcoming South Austin Jug Band shows include:
April 1, Waterloo Records & Video, Austin (In-store performance)
April 3, Cheatham Street Warehouse, San Marcos, Texas
April 4, Threadgill’s World Headquarters, Austin (Album Release Show)
April 5, Chelsea’s Café, Baton Rouge, La.
April 6, Four States Fairground, Texarkana
April 10, Brewster Street Ice House, Corpus Christi
April 11, Schotzi’s, College Station, Texas
April 12, Dan’s Silver Leaf, Denton, Texas
April 18, All Good Café, Dallas
April 19, McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, Houston
April 25, Larry Joe Taylor’s Texas Music Festival, Stephenville, Texas
May 1, Shady Grove, Austin
May 9, Momo’s, Austin
May 10, Taste of Addison, Addison, Texas
May 15, Santa Fe Brewing Co., Santa Fe, N.M.
May 16, Overlook Park, Los Alamos, N.M.
May 17, Flagstaff Brewing Company, Flagstaff, Ariz.
May 20, Huntington Beach, Calif.
May 21, The Mint, Los Angeles
May 22, Bluegrass Buffet @ Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, Calif.
May 23, McNear’s Mystic Theater, Petaluma, Calif.
May 24, Strawberry Music Festival, Camp Mather, Yosemite, Calif.
May 31, Dulcinea’s, Denver
June 5, Wakarusa Music Festival, Lawrence, Kan.
June 6, Norman, Okla.
June 7, Kerrville Folk Festival, Kerrville, Texas
June 8, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth (Concerts in the Garden series)
June 13, Warren Sports Complex, Frisco, Texas (Frisco Grooves)
July 26, Fredericksburg, Texas (2008 Roots Music Series)
July 27, San Marcos River Pub, San Marcos Texas

www.southaustinjugband.com
www.myspace.com/southaustinjugband

Paddy Casey Releases “Addicted To Company” Today – April 1st

US release of Irish star’s new full length LP & he announces spring tour dates with Jason Collett and KT Tunstall

From an early age Casey spent a great deal of his time busking on the streets of Dublin and Galway, crossing paths with musical comrades Damien Rice, Shane McGowan and Sinead O’Connor, as well as a ragtag array of traditional Irish musicians. Paddy learned his craft the hard way, teaching himself guitar from songs books for The Smiths and Prince.

A Sony A&R scout first heard Paddy sing on Dublin’s Grafton street, but after returning the next day, couldn’t find Casey as he moved around the city so much.  After tracking him down, Paddy signed a deal with Muff Winwood’s of S2 Records UK, and soon thereafter inked a management contract with Paul McGuinness and Principle Management Dublin & New York who also manage the careers of U2, PJ Harvey and The Rapture.

After the massive Irish success of Paddy Casey’s previous album, Living, eleven times platinum in Ireland, Casey felt he wanted to break fresh ground with his next release and came up with the blueprint that would include blues licks, funky wah-wah guitars and Stax-style trumpets. Paddy traveled to LA and met up with George Drakoulias, producer of records by Rhett Miller, Tom Petty, Tift Merritt and The Jayhawks amongst others. After hearing Paddy’s new material, Drakoulias rounded up a stellar circle of musicians, people who had played with everyone from Beck to Eric Clapton.

Casey crafted a powerful and moving canvas of sound, style and spirit. A moving 14-track song cycle resplendent in soulful melodies and heartfelt lyricism, the music found on Addicted To Company is a self-described marriage of the dirty funk grooves of Sly Stone and pastoral folk of Simon & Garfunkel. Casey sites a wide range of musical influences, everyone from Sufjan Stevens and The Strokes to Parliament and Jimi Hendrix, and while those touchstones are a part of the record’s stylistic thread, what’s most impressive is the manner in which he weaves those influences to make them his own.
 
“Sun comes up and life goes on its way…but inside these walls, they are taking you away” sings Casey on the bittersweet ballad “Leaving.” One of the album’s highlights, it’s a stark and emotionally moving tale of mortality. “It’s about an artistic person that I connected with who was part of the hunger strikes in Ireland back in the 70’s and he knew he was gonna die,” relates Casey. “Lyrically, I didn’t want the song to be too literal; I wanted to leave it a bit open to the imagination.”
 
On “Fear,” the first single from the album, Paddy relays a very raw and honest examination of the fear he feels of the ills in the world that his daughter will inherit. “I pray my child lives happy and long,” he sings. “I hope she never sings this song.”

On a brighter note, title track, “Addicted To Company”, is a breeze of a song with a Philly Soul undercurrent. Paddy sings “Don’t want to sell tragedy and confusion, Don’t want to add to these tales of illusion” and he immediately establishes the lyrical pattern of the album - the most narrative-driven, people-centered songs Casey has ever written.
A spin or two of Paddy Casey’s new CD and soon you too will find yourself addicted to his musical company.

PADDY CASEY WITH JASON COLLETT
April 10th 2008   The Mercury Lounge, New York, New York
April 11th 2008   IOTA, Arlington, Virginia
April 12th 2008   Carrboro Arts Center, Carrboro, North Carolina
April 15th 2008   World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 16th 2008   Luna Lounge, Brooklyn, New York
April 17th 2008   Great Scott, Allston, Massachusetts
April 18th 2008   Le Petit Campus, Montreal, Quebec
April 19th 2008   Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ottawa, Ontario

PADDY CASEY WITH KT TUNSTALL
May 3rd, 2008     Spreckels Theater, San Diego, CA
May 4th, 2008     Marjorie Luke Theatre, Santa Barbara, CA
May 5h,  2008     The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
May 7th, 2008     Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA
May 9th, 2008     Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
May 10th, 2008    The Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA
May 11th, 2008    The Commodore, Vancouver, BC
May 14th, 2008    Historic State Theatre, Minneapolis, MN
May 15th, 2008    Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI
May 16th, 2008    The Vic, Chicago, IL
May 17th, 2008    Power Center, Ann Arbor, MI 
May 19th, 2008    W. L. Lyons Brown Theatre, Louisville, KY
May 20th, 2008    Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
May 21st, 2008    Egyptian Room, Indianapolis, IN –
May 23rd, 2008    Carnegie Library Music Hall of Homestead, Pittsburgh, PA
May 24th, 2008     Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ON

May 25th, 2008   Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ON
May 27th, 2008   Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA
May 28th, 2008   The Town Hall, New York, NY

www.paddycasey.com

APRIL SHAPING UP AS ‘BREAKOUT’ MONTH FOR YOUR VEGAS

Photo by Frank Ockenfels III

Touring With Frequent Roadmates The Bravery Through April 25 & U.S. Debut Album A Town and Two Cities Hits iTunes/In-Stores on April 29

New Universal Republic band Your Vegas has loaded up their cart with spring Goodies, including a much touted opening spot on this spring’s hottest road workout, Duran Duran’s Red Carpet Massacre North American Tour, which runs through the end of May on a 22 city jaunt, kicking off in Vancouver Canada on April 29. The blistering boys from Leeds - ‘grand and epic in their song structure.’

Blogs online alt-tastemaker Ultragrrrl - have also been named one of April’s ‘Next Big Thing’ artists on the music world’s #1 online destination - iTunes. The digital music leader will be whetting appetites for Your Vegas’ upcoming album, A Town and Two Cities, which officially hits stores on April 29th, highlighting the band’s burgeoning rise as one of ‘the Top Ten Bands to watch for 2008,’ according to Playboy Magazine. AOL Music is also featuring Your Vegas in their “About to Pop” section which showcases artists that AOL feel are going to break big.

The group has also lined up several prestigious Festival gigs, including ALL POINTS WEST in Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ. Joining headliners Radiohead, among others, Your Vegas will perform on Saturday, August 9th, day two of the three day fest. Frequent road-buddies of pounding electroclash outfit The Bravery (the two bands just wrapped up an acclaimed trek with Switches), the spirited fivesome is heading back out on a run through mid-April with The Bravery, appearing April 5, in Ventura, CA, and then rolling through a two week-jaunt beginning on April 9 with The Bravery and Fiction Plane, stepping off after their April 25 show in Detroit to hook up with superstars Duran Duran at the end of the month.

The group recently added to their buzz-building breakout rep by racking up a string of showstopping performances at South by Southwest. Buoyed by their 3-track EP, including the first single “In My Head,” and the evocative “The Way the War Was Won,” Your Vegas has wowed critics from almost every corner - ‘balancing theatricality and bombast with an emotionally engaging message,’ - according to Billboard Magazine, with a few critics, including New York’s savvy opinion-makers Time Out Magazine, comparing frontman Coyle Girelli’s presence to none other than U2’s Bono.

A Town and Two Cities, produced by David Bendeth (Paramore), is in stores April 29th and available on iTunes now.

“The Way The War Was Won” Video:
DOWNLOAD HERE!

“In My Head” Mp3:
DOWNLOAD HERE!

http://www.myspace.com/yourvegas
http://www.yourvegasmusic.com

AL GREEN READY TO LAY IT DOWN MAY 27

Photo: Al Green and Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson
Photo credit: Ginny Suss

The title of Al Green’s Lay It Down truly tells it like it is. Conceived as a collaboration between the soul legend and a handful of gifted young admirers from the worlds of contemporary R&B and hip hop, the album is drawn from a series of inspired sessions that yielded the most high-spirited, funky and often lushly romantic songs of Green’s latter-day career. The album is a refreshingly old school jam, with everyone laying down the music together, face to face, heart to heart, soul to soul.

Al admits, “That’s the only way I know how to work, that’s what I’ve done all my life. You just write it from here.” He taps his heart. “That’s what we do every Sunday. We never write a sermon now. If you can’t preach out of here”–tapping his chest again–”you have nothing to say anyway. It’s all from the heart, this whole album, from start to finish.”

The project features the sophisticated R&B voices of singer-songwriters John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae, and it was co-produced with Green by two of hip-hop’s most innovative players, drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson from the Roots and keyboardist James Poyser, the go-to guy for high-profile artists ranging from Erykah Badu to Common. Add in Brooklyn’s celebrated Dap-King Horns (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse), guitarist Chalmers “Spanky” Alford (Mighty Clouds of Joy, Joss Stone) and bassist Adam Blackstone (Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff), among others, and you’ve got a modern soul-music dream team, fronted by the most expressive voice in the business.

Link to footage from the making of Lay It Down (WINDOWS):
DOWNLOAD HERE!

Akon’s New Artist Colby O’Donis

Colby O’Donis – a young, handsome singer, songwriter, musician, producer, dancer and all-around entertainer – perhaps a child prodigy who didn’t get his break into the big league until now.

At the age of 19 and signed to Akon’s KonLive label, Colby is generating a great deal of excitement with club DJs, on the radio and internet with his first single, “What You Got” featuring Akon, taken from his debut titled, Colby O. He is already a hit on the road—performing to packed club venues in Southern California, the Bay Area, Bakersfield, Las Vegas, Detroit, and San Jose, Calif. (where he recently performed to a for- women-only audience); while the single has already broken at stations such as the venerable KPWR-FM [Power 106] in Los Angeles.

Born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, Colby spent a great deal of time during his childhood living in Orlando, Florida—arguably the country’s haven for breaking teen artists. By the age of 9, he was already working with Platinum producers Full Force [Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Backstreet Boys, N’Sync] who shopped his demos to a circuit of record labels, and produced his song, “Mouse in the House,” featured on the Stuart Little soundtrack.

The initial persistence didn’t quite evolve into the expected success, but that didn’t stop Colby from continuing down his desired path. Both he and his family were committed to making this dream happen. “I remember how hungry I was back then, and I’m even hungrier today,” states Colby. “I’m so thankful to have such supportive parents as well as a sister who helped to pay for my guitar lessons, which is a big part of what I do.”

Colby’s formal music training with the guitar under the tutelage of Johan Oiested, a player in Carlos Santana’s rhythm section, has transformed him into a virtual musical threat. He’s also learned to play the piano, and is a true showman who has strengthened his dancing and stage presentation, and had one-time even considered signing a recording deal with singer-songwriter Babyface—until a career-altering meeting with Akon occurred. Akon was immediately impressed with the young prodigy, and the rest as they say is history in the making.

Colby has been producing music since the age of 12, further allowing his collaborations with Akon to stand out more. His debut album has pretty much been a self-contained effort, with the lion’s share of writing and production done primarily between him and Akon.  “We’ve recorded so many songs for this project—maybe forty or so—it was hard to get it down to a manageable number,” says Colby. “The writing process has been so much fun, and it has been great working with Akon. On the real, he is a very humble guy.”

Together the pair has created a collection of songs that Akon says are “beyond definition…we are doing whatever is hot,” says Akon. “Colby is my secret weapon.” Listeners will find those words to ring true after checking out such guaranteed smashes like “Sophisticated Bad Girl,” and “Don’t Turn Back.” Colby would say, though, that the music has elements of R&B, Pop, Hip-Hop, even Latin guitar flavors. “My shows will include all of these styles,” says Colby. “Performing and entertaining is what I live for. I want to be able to show the fans that I’m a ‘real’ musician as well as a singer and dancer. ”

Colby will get that chance sooner than later—with artists such as Michael Jackson, Usher and Justin Timberlake cited as some of his idols, audiences are hungry for a fresh talent who can take up the mantle of those aforementioned superstars. Colby O’Donis is primed and ready to answer the call!

www.myspace.com/colbyo