YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND ANNOUNCE SUMMER TOUR
April 11, 2008
This summer promises to be an eventful summer for Yonder, with the release of a brand new live album, Mountain Tracks: Volume 5, summer festivals, a co-headline tour with Keller Williams, the band’s return to Red Rocks, and plans to head back into the studio with producer Tom Rothrock.
Yonder will co-headline a summer tour with longtime friends and musical colleague Keller Williams. Williams and YMSB hit the road together in summers past, on such tours as Acoustic Planet and Big Summer Classic. For the 2008 season, look for stops throughout the south, as well as in the Pacific northwest and Rocky Mountain regions. Presale for the Keller Williams/YMSB dates and also Yonder only dates begins on April 12 at www.kellerwilliams.net, and at local ticket outlets on April 19.
After the run of shows with Keller, Yonder Mountain String Band will return to Red Rocks this summer August 2, after a sold-out show there last Labor Day weekend. Last year was the first time the Nederland, CO-based band headlined Red Rocks, located in Morrison, CO just forty miles from where Yonder formed nearly ten years ago. The show went down as one of the most exciting shows in the band’s history and the band can’t wait to get back to their hometown crowd at the beautiful, natural outdoor amphitheatre. Keller Williams will kick off the show this year. The singer-songwriter, and guitar virtuoso will bring his equally quirky, upbeat, and semi-surreal songs (which he frequently weaves into extended, half-improvised medleys) and his warm, friendly tenor singing voice. Pre-Sale tickets go on sale this Saturday, April 12.
As a special treat for local Boulder fans and for those traveling into Colorado for the Red Rocks show, Yonder will perform at the Boulder Theater the night before Red Rocks on August 1st. (Tickets to the Boulder Theater will only be available as a two-day ticket package w/ Red Rocks).
Yonder is currently out on tour now promoting their brand new live album, Mountain Tracks: Volume 5 (April 15). The live double-disc album featuring 24 tracks is the fifth in their lauded live series and truly captures the energy and sound that is Yonder. Known for their high-energy, marathon shows, this new album (self-released by the band on their own Frog Pad Records) features one disc that’s a compilation of the best live recordings hand-picked by the band and a second disc of tunes all from one show in Columbus, OH.
In between their busy touring schedule, Yonder will head back into the studio with producer Tom Rothrock (Elliot Smith, Beck), who also produced the last Yonder studio record, Yonder Mountain String Band. The continuation of the studio collaboration with Rothrock at the helm promises to be an amazing creative process for the band.
www.yondermountain.com
http://www.myspace.com/yondermountainstringband
GAVIN DEGRAW TO RELEASE SELF-TITLED ALBUM MAY 6
April 11, 2008
Debut Single “In Love With A Girl” Breaking at Radio
J Records platinum recording artist Gavin DeGraw will release his highly-anticipated sophomore album Gavin DeGraw on May 6th. The album is the long-awaited follow-up to his platinum debut Chariot, which featured the hit singles “I Don’t Want To Be,” “Chariot” and “Follow Through”. Already a hit at radio, Billboard Magazine dubs his infectious first single from the album “In Love With A Girl,” “A rocking home run in the same ballpark as ‘I Don’t Want to Be.’” The video, directed by acclaimed director Wayne Isham and featuring “Laguna Beach” beauty Kristin Cavallari, premiered on Yahoo! Music, and is currently in large rotation on VH-1. The video debuts on MTV when Gavin makes an appearance on “TRL” on April 23rd.
Gavin DeGraw - In Love With A Girl
Gavin performed his hit “In Love With A Girl” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in March and is scheduled to perform on CBS Early Morning, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Last Call with Carson Daly, the week of release.
Gavin DeGraw was produced by the famed Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson who is known for his work with bands as varied as My Chemical Romance, Daughtry and Motörhead. The album showcases an edgy pop/rock sound evident on the first single, “In Love With A Girl.” The 12 songs on Gavin DeGraw revisit the themes of love and relationships, while taking Gavin’s matured songwriting in an exciting new direction.
Gavin’s debut album, “Chariot”, introduced the world to a vital singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist whose abundant talent and charisma were already well known in the New York club circuit. J Records also re-released the album bundled with a live acoustic disc entitled Chariot “Stripped.”A fan driven project, Chariot “Stripped” offered Gavin the opportunity to re-record his album with the raw passion he had when he first penned these songs, as well as to showcase the growth and energy of these tracks garnered from performing them live over the years.
DeGraw has performed on nearly all major national television shows and his songs have been featured in many television shows and feature films most notably his hit single, “I Don’t Want to Be” as the theme song for the WB hit, “One Tree Hill.” In addition, DeGraw wrote and recorded “We Belong Together” for the 2006 film “Tristan and Isolde” and has made appearances on the season premieres of NBC’s “American Dreams,” Showtime’s “Dead Like Me,” and on the WB’s “What I Like About You..”
Tokyo Police Club play Studio A in Miami
April 11, 2008
Studio A all ages shows are strange. The Miami club insists on cordoning off the bar from the under age crowd. There are big steel partitions that separate the dance floor from the back bar; corralling minors to the approved space within the club creates a unnatural environment in what is otherwise one of Miami’s best live venues. Did something happen involving underage drinking there to warrant management’s paranoia?
SHEEK LOUCH LOOKING FOR GOOD LOVE
April 11, 2008
Sheek Louch “Good Love” Official Music Video from the album Silverback Gorilla out on 3/18/2008!
SPEEDKNOT MOBSTAZ’S, MOBSTABILITY II: NATION BIZNESS OUT 5/27/08
April 11, 2008
The Speedknot Mobstaz’s new album, Mobstability II: Nation Bizness, has a new street date of May 27th, 2008.
Their new single, “Money To Blow,” featuring platinum artist Twista, is climbing up the urban radio charts. The video for the single will be coming soon.
The Speedknot Mobstaz are a two emcee collective consisting of Liffy Stokes and Mayz. Liffy and Mayz met Twista early on in their native Chicago, and when they all found themselves in the same studio while Twista was recording his Atlantic debut, Adrenaline Rush, the Speedknot Mobstaz were born. The Mobstaz were featured on Adrenaline Rush and also began working on their group album, Mobstability, which was released in 1998. Mobstability was well received by fans and painted vivid images of Crook County (Cook County) street life over grimy instrumental canvasses. Mobstability ultimately sold over 700,000 units and was certified gold by the RIAA. The album also produced “In Your World,” which was featured on the Dr. Doolittle soundtrack.
Mobstability II: Nation Bizness features Twista and rap superstar Jim Jones, plus production from Chicago producer Cuzzo and the team from China White Productions. This release is the first under Twista’s new entrepreneurial venture and label Get Money Gang (GMG). Liffy and Mayz are ready to serve their fans with another dose of street knowledge. “The album is the streets just like the first one was,” says Mayz. “We don’t have to create a fake image; we just have to let our soul speak to the people.”
www.myspace.com/4speedknotmobstaz
GET TO KNOW NEW REGGAE ARTIST CK
April 11, 2008
Reggae artist CK is on his way to becoming a staple in the dancehall arena having worked with mainstream and legendary artists such as Shabba Ranks, Sasha, Beenie Man, Red Rat, Mr. Vegas and Frankie Paul. Backed by Kwality Music Entertainment, CK is finishing up his debut album, “Mental Musik” and has been receiving great response on his first single “Sand to the Beach.”
Homegrown and new found talent Kirk “CK” Barton has the eyes and ears of music’s top brass. Decades of reggae tradition have filtered into this new artist’s music through his collaborations with the late Dennis Brown, the crown prince of reggae and one of Bob Marley’s favorite singers; and Shabba Ranks, the most popular Jamaican dancehall artists of his generation as well as one of the first Jamaican deejays to gain worldwide acceptance. As Kwality Entertainment’s premiere artist, CK is preparing his debut album titled “Mental Music” with the lead single “Sand to the Beach.”
Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, CK developed a love for music at a young age. Six year old CK relocated to New York where better opportunities could outweigh his homesick attitude from leaving Jamaica. While growing up in Brooklyn, CK honed his explosive stage presence, crazy acrobatic dance moves and love for performing. Before the age of 15, CK had performed for notable reggae heavyweights such as Shabba Ranks, Sasha, Beenie Man, Red Rat, Mr. Vegas and Frankie Paul, amongst others. The different influences helped him to develop his own craft of dancehall reggae music that he identifies as “Mental Music.”
“Mental music is about stepping beyond traditional boundaries we put on ourselves to create music that everyone can feel,” explains CK.
Supported by Kwality Music Entertainment, CK is looking to create a new wave with the debut of his soon to be released LP. Featuring established artists such as Shabba Ranks, Dennis E. Brown, Cassandra Lucas of the R&B duo Changing Faces and Donnell Jones, his new album is one of a kind music rarely heard from new artists. Kwality Music CEO Colin Johnson attributes the album’s caliber to CK’s star power. “He is going to be big. Not just because he is a Kwality Music artist, but because he has the talent and star quality every manager/CEO looks for in a new artist.”
Currently preparing the video for his lead single CK has enlisted master choreographer and swing dancer, Mark Eckstein, and director Randy Connor, who has worked with Britney Spears, Salt-N-Peppa, Sean “P.Diddy” Combs and Deborah Cox. Mental Music is set for a third quarter release through Kwality Entertainment/May 47 Entertainment.
THE MEDIC DROID KICKS OFF US TOUR
April 11, 2008
Photo By: Amanda Hibbert
Phoenix-based The Medic Droid bring their fierce energy out of Arizona and across the nation as they tour the US with co-headliners, Vagrant recording artists A Cursive Memory this spring. The tour is in support of their new album and Modern Art Records debut What’s Your Medium, due to hit stores June 10, 2008.
Chris Donathon (vocals/synths/guitar), Hector Bagnod and Storm Logan (both masters of programming/synths/guitar/lights), create driving, adrenaline pumping beats and synthy, danceable melodies with hotly penetrating vocals that have been radiating from the iPods and laptop speakers of club kids, rocker chicks and ardent indie fans for the past two years.
As if descendants of Orgy, Depeche Mode, Muse, New Order and Duran Duran, The Medic Droid’s feverishly rhythmic sound fills every void in the room and permeates through the veins with lightning intensity. Without a doubt, this music is meant to be heard at extremely high volumes. Sitting stationary is not an option.
The Medic Droid’s tightly woven mix of techno, power pop and metal is lucid in the fan favorites “Keeping Up With The Joneses” and “FER SURE” which all showcase the band’s genuine ability to create music for the masses.
Though they could easily be mistaken for emerging from the NYC or LA based music scenes, what makes The Medic Droid more unique than just their music is their homebase of Phoenix, AZ. Picture a cityscape with live music pouring out of loft spaces, fire throwers and DJs, galleries filled with the art of visionaries, rabid all-ages shows and streets teeming with 20,000 revelers at any given time. The main purveyor of this flourishing music scene is The Medic Droid’s label, Modern Art Records, newly founded by Chronic Future vocalist/guitarist Ben Collins and his wife Anne-Marie Smart with Chronic Future’s Barry Collins, Brandon Lee and Mike Busse, in partnership with Epic Records.
Modern Art Records shines a spotlight on Phoenix’s music scene while promising a constant stream of new music, collectors’ items and limited releases for insatiable music fans. Although under the Epic Record’s umbrella, Modern Art is a DIY label with an eclectic lineup and a simple albeit grandiose goal – create a musical revolution in their humble Phoenix neighborhood that before long, the world will be unable to ignore.
The Medic Droid’s What’s Your Medium is set for CD and digital release June 10, 2008. Please see tour dates below. For more info, including up-to-date show listings, visit www.myspace.com/themedicdroid.
THE DONNAS CELEBRATE THEIR 15th ANNIVERSARY!
April 11, 2008
Photo by Casey Curry
Festivities Commence with a Special Performance and Celebration May 9 @ Viper Room, LA With Special Guests Vains of Jenna and Mack Winston and the Reflections
Reaching a landmark in rock n’ roll history as well as in their own young lives, America’s hard rock sweethearts will celebrate 15 kick-ass years together as a band this May, proving their status as an established band who are here to remain.
After forming in 1993 as 13-year-old middle school kids, the same quartet have stuck together, through it all never altering their roster, a feat for even the most steadfast of bands.
Following in the footsteps of historic rock forefathers such as The Rolling Stones, The Police and Metallica, The Donnas aim to continue to rock out as long as time will allow; creating music for the masses, touring the world and performing for their fans well into their old age; while skipping the alternative of fading into the sunset.
The hard work and success that has filled the year leading up to this momentous occasion further demonstrates the fact that these women have paid their dues and deserve the status they have risen to. After starting their own label (Purple Feather Records), and releasing album number seven (Bitchin’) to critical acclaim, The Donnas hit the road. Starting in the fall of 2007, they headlined full US and European tours to promote Bitchin’ followed by a US tour with The Hives, while hitting performances during NYC Fashion Week, the Sundance Film Festival and SXSW along the way. This May, they kick off an Australian tour to continue the party with their Aussie fans.
The Quinceañera (meaning “fifteen years”) is a celebration of a young girl’s coming of age (her 15th birthday) which is commemorated in a unique and different way from her other birthdays. It is a Hispanic tradition that dates back to the ancient native cultures of Mexico, Central and South America. Besides referring to the actual festivities, the word is also used to refer to the young woman whose 15th birthday is being celebrated. The closest equivalents to the Quinceañera in the English-speaking world are the sweet sixteen, cotillion, or the debutante ball for those who turn eighteen.
Bitchin’ is in stores and on iTunes NOW! Celebrate The Donnas’ Quinceanera with Brett Anderson (vocals), Maya Ford (bass), Allison Robertson (guitar) and Torry Castellano (drums) May 9 at the Viper Room in Los Angeles.
www.myspace.com/thedonnas
www.thedonnas.com
STATE OF THE ART by PRESTO
April 11, 2008
State of the Art cover design by Drew Fitzgerald
Photo by Buddhabong
STATE OF THE ART, the new album from producer PRESTO dropping 6/17/08 on Concrete Grooves/Fat Beats. Features SADAT X - O.C. - LARGE PROFESSOR - CL SMOOTH - FATLIP - T WEAPONZ - BLU - LOWD - KIM HILL - TREK LIFE
Check out the “Conquer Mentally/On” video featuring SADAT X, LARGE PROFESSOR and LOWD
Download the album at:
http://www.concretegrooves.com
http://www.myspace.com/prestojazz
Gentleman Auction EP Avaialble Here
April 11, 2008
Photo by Rick Gould
Gentleman Auction House to release Book of Matches EP sold exclusively on all tour dates on Emergency Umbrella Records!
Listen to the Book of Matches:
LISTEN HERE!
