This will be Abandoned Pools’ third full length LP following the critically acclaimed albums, Humanistic (Extasy / Warner), and Armed to the Teeth (Universal).

Sublime Currency was recorded over the past year and all of the instruments, with the exception of percussion, were performed by Tommy Walter himself.

The album expands on the extreme diversity of Walter’s music and serves as an extension of his two previous albums.

Tooth and Nail, as well as Visionary, will be announcing the 2012 album release date, along with many other details, soon.

For more information visit:

http://www.visionarymgmt.net
http://www.toothandnail.com
http://www.facebook.com/abandonedpools
http://www.abandonedpools.com

Source- Visionary Artist Management

(New York, NY) – Van’s Warped Tour today unveiled metalcore band Vanna as one of the latest acts confirmed for next year’s touring festival. Vanna will perform the entire nationwide run, from June 16th through August 20th . Other bands announced for the tour include Artery Recordings labelmates Chelsea Grin, Bayside, Sleeping With Sirens, Memphis May Fire, and Mayday Parade. Tickets are available at, WarpedTour/calendar for the Van’s Warped Tour.

Vanna will head out on tour with Hundredth and The Greenery this February for a month trek around Europe, hitting venues from the UK to Italy. Immediately following, they will join Chelsea Grin’s headlining “Sick Tour” throughout March and April. Attila, For The Fallen Dreams and Chunk! No Captain Chunk will provide additional support, with The Crimson Armada and Volumes on select dates (full tour dates below).

The band’s latest full length album, And They Came Baring Bones debuted at #8 on the Billboard New Artist Chart and #22 on the Billboard Hard Music Chart. AltPress.com exclusively premiered the first video off the album, “Scarlet Shroud”- Here.

And They Came Baring Bones, Vanna’s first full length Artery Recordings album, was produced by Matt Goldman (Underoath, The Chariot). Alternative Press says, “Vanna could well be on their way to the pinnacle of hardcore success” while AbsolutePunk.net says of the album “And They Came Baring Bones is without a doubt Vanna’s best effort to date.” The Boston based band is Davey Muise (vocals), Nick Lambert (guitars), Evan Pharmakis (guitars, clean vocals), Shawn Marquis (bass), Chris Campbell (drums).

VANNA DATES:

HEADLINING EUROPEAN TOUR
Feb 3 – Stuffgart, Germany – Juha West
Feb 4 – Koln, Germany – MTC
Feb 5 – Wiesbaden, Germany – Schlachthof
Feb 6 – Dessau, Germany – Beat Club
Feb 7 – Krakow, Poland – TBA
Feb 8 – Wien, Austria – Arena
Feb 9 – Graz, Austria – Explosiv
Feb 10 – Rome, Italy – Traffic Club
Feb 11 – Cesena, Italy – Vidia Club
Feb 12 – Zurich, Switzerland – Planet 5
Feb 13 – Munchen, Germany – Feirwerk
Feb 14 – Berlin, Germany – Comet
Feb 15 – Hamburg, Germany – Hafenklang
Feb 16 – Prague, Czech Republic – 007
Feb 17 – Braunschweig, Germany – B 58
Feb 18 – Hasselt, Belgium – Muziek-o-drome
Feb 19 – London, UK – Underworld
Feb 20 – Leeds, UK – The Well
Feb 21 – Glasgow, UK – Ivory Blacks
Feb 22 – Manchester, UK – Moho Live
Feb 23 – Reading, UK – Face Bar
Feb 24 – Dordrecht, Netherlands – Popcentrale
Feb 25 – Trier, Germany – Ex–Haus
*Vanna with Hundredth and The Greenery

THE SICK TOUR
March 3 – Ogden, UT – The Basement
March 4 – Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock Cafe
March 6 – Tempe, AZ – Underground
March 7 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction
March 8 – San Diego, CA – Soma
March 9 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
March 10 – Simi Valley, CA – 118 West
March 11 – Tucson, AZ – Skrappy’s
March 12 – El Paso, TX – Tricky Falls
March 14 – Mission, TX – Never Say Never Fest
March 15 – Austin, TX – SXSW
March 16 – Austin, TX – SXSW
March 17 – Dallas, TX – South By So What Fest
March 19 – Memphis, TN – Newby’s
March 20 – St Louis, MO – Fubar
March 21 – Joliet, IL – Mojoes
March 22 – St Paul, MN – Station 4
March 24 – Indianapolis, IN – Emerson Theatre
March 25 – Cleveland, OH – Peabody’s
March 26 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Hideout
March 27 – Toronto, ON – Annex Wreckroom
March 28 – Montreal, QC – La Tulipe
March 29 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
March 30 – Richmond, VA – Kingdom
March 31 – Allentown, PA – Crocodile Rock
April 1 – Springfield, VA – Empire
April 3 – Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern
April 4 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
April 7 – Ft Lauderdale. FL – The Speakeasy
April 8 – St Petersburg, FL – The State Theatre
*with Chelsea Grin, Attila, For The Fallen Dreams, Chunk! No Captain Chunk, The Crimson Armada (select dates), Volumes (select dates)

VANNA LINKS

http://www.facebook.com/vannamusic
http://www.arteryrecordings.com

Source- Razor & Tie Publicity

By C.W. Ross

The number 14 is a good one for musician Peder Eide, ‘Rescue’ is his 14th studio recording and he’s been associated with the group Compassion International for 14 years.

Eide will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of ‘Rescue’ to the Highly Vulnerable Children’s Fund via Compassion International. The fund helps children who have been orphaned, have a severely ill parent or are at high risk to be exploited or abused.

The whole concept of the songs that make up, ‘Rescue,’ is to be more pro-active with your faith. Eide puts it this way,”We need less spectators to point out the fire and more firemen to run into the buildings,” he continues on saying, “We’ve got to stop talking about how we can change the world and just do it. God took a risk by loving us. We need to do the same.”

Stylistically you’ll find everything from modern praise & worship, pop and rock to country influenced songs on ‘Rescue.’

There wasn’t a bad track on the release but songs that really caught my attention include the opening track, “Your Love is Better Than Life,” an upbeat modern p&w track that reminded me of groups like, Delirious? and Hillsong United. If this track doesn’t get you up on your feet with your hands raised in praise I don’t know what will.

Track-2, “That’s What Family Does,” has a rhythm that reminded me of the Tom Cochrane song, “Life Is a Highway.” The song deals with how important the family of Christ is in those tough times when it seems like everything is going wrong and you don’t know where to turn in your life.

“Come to the Rescue,” is a heart wrenching track about an orphaned 8 year old boy and the need for us to not only hear the cries of the hurting and vulnerable, especially the children, but to also do something about it.

The last track, “Take What I Have,” is a worshipful piano ballad with simple, yet powerful lyrics, about letting go of what you have, turning it all over to Jesus, letting Him have total control over your life.

Website- http://www.pedereide.com

Review Takeaway: With listening to hundreds of releases in a year my next track finger often gets a good workout but with Peder Eide’s ‘Rescue,’ it got a well needed rest because every track found on this release hits the mark and are filled with morsels of faith related wisdom.

Band To Kick Off U.S. Tour On The Eve Of SXSW 2012

Tour Will Include Stops At This Year’s Coachella

January 2012 – Band of Skulls will now release their highly anticipated second album Sweet Sour exclusively on iTunes on February 7th via their own label, Electric Blues Recordings under exclusive license in the U.S. to Vagrant Records. The iTunes special release of Sweet Sour will include the bonus track “Such A Fool.”

The following week, the standard version of Sweet Sour will be available everywhere on February 14th. Sweet Sour is the follow-up to their debut album Baby Darling Doll Face Honey which was universally embraced by the U.S. media with early supporters at Entertainment Weekly naming them “Your Next Favorite Band.”

Sweet Sour most recently landed on Spin’s 25 Winter Albums You Gotta Hear! where they went on to note, “Sweet Sour is the rare modern-rock album that can span cliques or generations, uniting hippies and hipsters…” SPIN

Following the success of Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, the band retreated to a studio in Norfolk UK to begin writing Sweet Sour. They returned to their home studio in Southampton to start the recording which they completed in Wales at Rockfield Studios. Sweet Sour was produced by Ian Davenport (Supergrass, Badly Drawn Boy) and mixed by Nick Launay (Grinderman, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire). Please see below for the complete Sweet Sour track listing.

On March 13th the band returns to Austin, TX on the eve of the SXSW Music Festival with a show at Antone’s to kick off their first U.S. tour in support of Sweet Sour. The band’s live show has been a constant highlight at previous festivals by the likes of Rolling Stone (Best of SXSW) and SPIN (Best of Coachella). The band will return to both must-see events this Spring and will surely not disappoint. Please see below for complete tour itinerary.

BAND OF SKULLS 2012 TOUR DATES:

13-Mar TUE Austin, TX Antone’s
16-Mar FRI Houston, TX Fitzgerald’s
17-Mar SAT Dallas, TX Granada Theater
19-Mar MON Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
20-Mar TUE Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
22-Mar THU New York, NY Webster Hall
23-Mar FRI Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
24-Mar SAT Washington, DC 9:30 Club
26-Mar MON Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
27-Mar TUE Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
28-Mar WED Providence, RI The Met
30-Mar FRI Toronto, ONT Phoenix Concert Theatre
31-Mar SAT Montreal, QC Corona Theatre
2-Apr MON Detroit, MI St. Andrew’s Hall
3-Apr TUE Chicago, IL House of Blues
4-Apr WED Minneapolis, MN Fine Line
6-Apr FRI Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
7-Apr SAT Salt Lake City, UT The Complex (Grand Room)
9-Apr MON Seattle, WA Neptune
10-Apr TUE Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
11-Apr WED Portland, OR Dante’s
12-Apr THU San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
15-Apr SUN Coachella
22-Apr SUN Coachella

* We Are Augustines Support All Dates except Coachella

Sweet Sour Track listing

1. Sweet Sour
2. Bruises
3. Wanderluster
4. Devil Takes Care Of His Own
5. Lay My Head Down
6. You Aren’t Pretty But You Got It Going On
7. Navigate
8. Hometowns
9. Lies
10. Close To Nowhere

*The special iTunes release will include the bonus track “Such A Fool”

http://www.bandofskulls.com

Source- Permanent Press

You can now read my review for Nashville-Based Singer & Songwriter Audrey Assad upcoming sophomore release, ‘Heart’ on their web site

Read Audrey Assad’s ‘Heart’ Review

They’re backed up by Ryan McClintock(lead guitar), Robert Finnell(bass), and Kenny Schneider(drums).

NEELY is poised to hit the national radar screen with their latest single, “You and Me.”

You can learn more about NEELY and hear their music at:

http://www.neelymusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/NEELYmusic
https://twitter.com/neelymusic
http://www.youtube.com/neelymusic

After a night of rain and wine, with the help of a built-in MacBook microphone, they discovered their sound was something special with ‘Sorry For Being Brief’. The better part of instruments are found in household items and oddities lying around, giving their sound a raw and powerful feel. The following weeks saw plenty of writing and studio time then the release of their debut single – ‘Charlie’. And people are loving it! Losing their radio play virginity with The Sunday Washup with Dave and Kieren last week, they’ve been overwhelmed with the reponse and are frantically gathering more material and setting up what is sure to be a live show like none other.

Toby Meadows is a familiar name around Brisbane being the head honcho for local creative collective – Contortionist Studios. Having an incredible ear for music, he has set up his own studio within the Contortionist Warehouse where he has been recording the likes of Sunshine Ensemble, Mosman Alder and Arial Haze.

Taija Marie Davis is on the other end of that spectrum however. Better known for her work with Rare Finds as the Online Media Publicist and freelance artist manager, her realisation of musical ability came a little later. After she was given a 1972 Yamaha electric organ, she played her first key 6 months ago and discovered utter peace in playing. Never having had a singing lesson in her life, it was a shock to all when those notes came out.

Needless to say, this pair are sure to be a prescence to keep an ear out for as they prepare for the stage!

Stream/Download Smith & Frank-”Charlie”

http://www.facebook.com/smithandfrank

Source- Smith & Frank

Photo by: Lee Steffen

Heads Out on Spring Tour in Support of New Album

(Nashville, Tenn.) Jan. 2012 — GRAMMY Award nominated, female-fronted rock act Fireflight will release its fourth studio project, NOW, on March 6. The album is preceded by lead single,

“Stay Close,” which topped the Billboard Christian Rock radio chart this week, while Fireflight gears up to support its new release with a “Stay Close” spring tour.

Asserting a new direction from the band’s previous record For Those Who Wait (2010), NOW calls listeners to move beyond their circumstances and take action. As guitarist Glenn Drennen explains, “We are not bound by our current condition because life is difficult or we have been hurt in the past. NOW points to God as our refuge who not only provides a place of safety and comfort, but who also challenges us to get outside our comfort zone…to join with something greater than ourselves.”

Produced by Jasen Rauch, NOW displays a new sonic focus for the band as well, built on lush electronic textures, futuristic moods and a more finely honed grasp of tender-to-titanic dynamics. Together the project’s hard-hitting message and sound make for an anthemic album. For example, the fist-pumping title track encourages listeners to quit making excuses, hiding in the shadows of previous pain, and to choose the path to freedom. In the same vein, melodic ballad “Rise Above” urges us to stop the cycle of victimization, overcome those things that have entangled us, and work toward a new tomorrow.

The record’s lead single “Stay Close,” which combines a techno beat backdrop with lyrics that address calling on God when our hearts and minds are stuck in dark times, is already finding success at radio. This week, the song climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Rock chart. Fireflight will follow the radio single with a “Stay Close” tour, additionally featuring BEC Recordings artist Rapture Ruckus and Delvin Williams. The 20-city spring leg will run through late March. For a complete list of tour dates, visit http://www.fireflightrock.com.

About Fireflight:

Florida native Fireflight comprises Dawn Michele (lead vocals), Justin Cox (guitar, keys, vocals), Wendy Drennen (bass, vocals), Glenn Drennen (guitar), and Adam McMillion (drums).

Fireflight released its national debut, The Healing of Harms, in 2006, followed by breakout sophomore album Unbreakable (2008) and For Those Who Wait (2010).

The GRAMMY-nominated, modern rock outfit has received six career Dove Award nominations, including Artist of the Year in 2009, and lead singer Dawn Michele’s 2010 Female Vocalist of the Year nomination. Additionally, the group won Taco Bell’s inaugural fan-voted “Best of the Beat” contest in 2009, and performed at ESPN’s “Winter X Games 13.”

The band’s music has been featured on E! Entertainment’s “Style Network” and in music-video reels at both American Eagle and Journey’s stores across the country. For nearly a decade, the band has remained tireless road warriors on the concert circuit averaging 140 shows a year.

http://www.fireflightrock.com

Source- Provident Press

The band member’s share a love of classic American rock n roll and bands like the Kings of Leon, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Velvet Underground and The Strokes that helps to set the foundation for their sound.

The band has already performed at the FIB Benicassim, SXSW, Exit, & Reeperbahn festivals along with sharing shows with bands like, Meat Puppets, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Band Of Skulls, Sixteen Deluxe, The Horrors, & Children Collide.

The Dandies are currently working on their debut album with Grammy-nominated producer Chris “Frenchie” Smith (JET, Meat Puppets, Lost Bayou Ramblers).

I got to hear the bands new single, “Battle Cry.” The track opens up with several drumstick snaps that are quickly joined by rocking guitar and thick rocking drum beats that propel the song. The track really showcases the band’s talent and I look forward to hearing the entire album when it’s released.

Websites:

http://thedandiesmusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/thedandies

Nashville, TN – (January 2012) – Breakout Urban sensation and Dove Award winning Group 1 Crew re-launches their third album, Outta Space Love: Bigger Love Edition on January 24. The album features more music along with the original 12 tracks. Outta Space Love: Bigger Love Edition will include eight additional tracks with remixes of their hit singles “Walking On The Stars” and “Live It Up” as well as four brand new songs. One of the new tracks on the album is “He Said,” which features multi-award winning artist, Chris August.

Group 1 Crew is currently featured on the 2012 Winter Jam Tour alongside headlining acts: Building 429, Peter Furler, Kari Jobe, Newsong, Sanctus Real and Skillet. For more information on tour dates, visit their website: http://www.Group1Crew.com.

Outta Space Love is Group 1 Crew’s third Fervent Records release and originally debuted at No.1 on the Soundscan Christian Digital Chart and No. 4 on the overall Christian Album Chart.

This album delivered the Top 5 hit “Walking On The Stars” and “Please Don’t Let Me Go” as well as fan-favorite songs “Breakdown” and “Live It Up.”

Group 1 Crew has become one of the leading Hip-Hop focused acts in the Christian music scene, broadening the parameters of faith-based music with songs that percolate with energy and resonate with the truth of God’s grace. To date, the talented group has had three hit singles break into the Top 5 on Billboard’s Christian CHR Charts, including “Keys To The Kingdom” and “Movin’.” They have earned five Dove Awards; three for the Rap/Hip-Hop Album Of The Year category and two for the Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song with “Movin’ ” and “Walking on the Stars.” Group 1 Crew made their national TV performance debut on The Mo’Nique Show and their music has been featured in a variety of popular television shows, including NBC’s America’s Got Talent, FOX’s The Simple Life, Style Network’s Kimora Lee Simmons: Life in the Fab Lane, MTV’s Run’s House, and The CW’s One Tree Hill.

Outta Space Love: Bigger Love Edition Track Listing:

1. Live It Up
2. Need Your Love
3. Walking On The Stars
4. Let’s Go (Feat. TobyMac)
5. Lean On Me
6. Beautiful
7. Transcend
8. Outta Space Love
9. Please Don’t Let Me Go
10. Wait
11. Breakdown
12. Manipulation
13. Control
14. Digirock
15. Take It There
16. He Said
17. Walking On The Stars (Garcia Glam Mix)
18. Live It Up (Dance Floor Mix)

For more information on Group 1 Crew, please visit:

Website:http://www.Group1Crew.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group1crew
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/group1crew

Source- Warner Music Nashville