07.08.05 (RockAndMetal.com) Following up last year's successful anthology album, "I Could Have Been A Contender," comes the first commercial release from JAH WOBBLE since 1994's "Take Me To God" album. "Mu," scheduled to be released on September 12th via Trojan Records, is a 10-track album described by the artist as "Zen Dub." JAH WOBBLE, one of contemporary music's more unique bassists and producers, has found a new sensibility on "Mu," drawing on a plethora of inspirations, sounds and techniques that make up the genre-busting set. For instance, 'Samsara' is a tough Urban track with a deep and spiritual message, while 'Viking Funeral' is a real London-flavored Reggae number and 'Buddha Of Compassion' is a lush, dreamy and cinematic slice of World Dance. Behind the concept of the album, Wobble explains how "the original idea behind 'Mu' was to make a dub-style Surround Sound 5.1 recording." However, owing to technical difficulties at a fairly early stage, he aborted the 5.1 sessions and reverted to Stereo. Despite the switch back, Wobble "retained a '5.1 sensibility' with most of the tracks, i.e. lots of frequencies moving around, stereo image as wide as can be, the sound layered in sonic tiers." "Mu" also presented itself as a perfect opportunity to showcase the prodigious talents of sound engineer Mark Lusardi (The Orb, David Bowie, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Dennis Bovell, Duran Duran, etc.). Wobble first worked with Lusardi back in 1978, and have since collaborated together on various projects including "Deep Space" (1999) and "Molam Dub" (2000). "He (Lusardi) is the most under-appreciated and unacknowledged 'back room boy' in the game that I know of," Wobble comments. "Mu" continues JAH WOBBLE's ability to mesmerize, surprise and challenge his audience, his musical direction having always been genuine, from the heart and pure. According to Wobble, The title "Mu" refers to an old Zen Koan. "It came into being when a famous Chinese Zen master called Joshu (A.D. 778-897) was paid a visit by an aspirant monk. As a dog walked by the Monk asked Joshu: 'Has that dog got Buddha nature or not?" Joshu immediately answered 'Mu!' 'Mu,' like the original..." [full story]

07.08.05 (RockAndMetal.com) Swedish Thrash Metallers DARKANE have posted the following message on their official website regarding the cancellation of an upcoming appearance by the band at the {S}Hammer Metal Festival in September: "Good news and bad news.... Unfortunately, DARKANE will not be able to perform at the {S}Hammer Metal Festival in Castel Volturna, Italy on September 3rd as previously advertised on that festival's website. After careful consideration, the band have decided not to perform at the festival, but with very good reason. DARKANE wish to extend their deepest apologies to all of the fans who have shown their excitement and support for this performance and also to the organizers, however, brace yourself for the reason why... The DARKANE family is growing, and at rapid speed! At the end of August, Peter [Wildoer, drums] is expecting his first child! Peter and the band felt that it was too risky to attempt missing the birth of his baby, as the date of the festival and the date of the birth are far too close together. Everyone in the DARKANE camp wish Peter nothing less than all of the luck in the world and hope that everyone understands the reason for pulling out of the {S}Hammer Metal Fest. But that's not all... I said the DARKANE family was growing at rapid speed... On December 30th, our own Christofer Malmstrom will also become a father! I suppose the recording of the far-beyond-phenomenal 'Layers Of Lies' truly inspired our boys in more ways than one! Again, we all wish to extend to Christofer all of our support and happiness for what he and Peter are about to embark on. In other news, tour plans are in the works so please be on the look out for that, as well as some one off shows here and there to get these guys out and on stage again. It's about time, wouldn't you agree? In the meantime, there's no excuse why everyone in Europe shouldn't own 'Layers of Lies' by now. As for our friends on the other side of the pond, I'm sure you're already camping out anticipating its North American release on July 12th."
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07.07.05 (RockAndMetal.com) Drive-Thru Records recording artists HELLOGOODBYE will hit the road with label-mates HOUSTON CALLS (Rushmore Records) on a two week tour of the West Coast. Both bands will join up with THE ROCKET SUMMER and JAMISON PARKER on a bill that kicks off in San Diego next Wednesday. Fans of HELLOGOODBYE can expect a full-length follow-up to their 2004 self-titled EP to be release in early 2006 via Drive-Thru Records. Currently, the band can be seen on MTV's "The Real World - Austin," on which they are featured in episodes centered around the city's famed South By Southwest Music Conference. In the meantime, Drive-Thru Records plans to release a HELLOGOODBYE DVD in October, featuring videos for each of the songs on their EP along with bonus performance footage, interviews and other hi-jinx. HOUSTON CALLS will also release their first full-length album at the beginning of next month, entitled "A Collection Of Short Stories." Produced by Ed Rose (The Get Up Kids, Motion City Soundtrack, Spitalfield) the album is an infectious Pop/Rock frenzy that shimmies and shines with electrified keys and punched-up drumming. Tour Dates: July 13th San Diego, CA [Soma] • July 14th Anaheim, CA [House Of Blues] • July 15th Hollywood, CA [Knitting Factory] • July 17th Orangevale, CA [The Boardwalk] • July 19th Seattle, WA [El Corazon] • July 20th Wenatchee, WA [Beacon Hill Garage] • July 21st Spokane, WA [Fat Tuesday's] • July 22nd Boise, ID [The Venue] • July 23rd Salt Lake City, UT [Lo-Fi Cafe] • July 26th Phoenix, AZ [Modified] • July 27th Tucson, AZ [Hotel Congress]
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07.07.05 (RockAndMetal.com) CANDLELIGHT RECORDS has introduced a group of upcoming North American Metal releases for the Fall. "Intra," the new album from RAM-ZET, will see a U.S. release on September 6th. Produced by Daniel Bergstrand (In Flames, Meshuggah, Soilwork), "Intra" captures this Norwegian band's highly unique sound. Dark yet melodic, the album still manages to maintain the band's signature aggression that fans have come to adore. "No Hay Banda," the debut from Norway's AUDREY HORNE, will also see a September 6th release. Mixed by Joe Baressi (Queens Of The Stone Age, Snake River Conspiracy), "No Hay Banda" runs the musical gamut bridging commercial rockers and dark/gothic sonnets. Already showing success on their initial European release, AUDREY HORNE will appeal to fans of FAITH NO MORE, MONSTER MAGNET, AUDIOSLAVE, VELVET REVOLVER and more. MASTERPLAN's "Aeronautics is the first release through CANDLELIGHT RECORDS' newly penned distribution deal with Germany's AFM Records. Set for release September 20th, "Aeronautics" will appeal to fans of traditional Heavy Metal. The Roy Z-produced "Holy Hell" from Florida-based veteran Metal vocalist ROB ROCK will also see release on September 20th. Already well received on its initial European release, "Holy Hell" features artwork by Derek Gores (Edguy, Kamelot). LORD BELIAL's latest offering, " The Seal Of Belial," is a web of intricately layered and devastating riffage that is also due September 20th. October 4th will see the release of "Hellfire, the third album from Norwegian Black Metallers 1349. The band, featuring Frost from SATYRICON, are currently finishing up tracking and album design. Other releases slated for an October 4th release are "Gospels For The Sick," the debut album from all-star Metallers SCUM (featuring Casey Chaos [Amen], Samoth [Zyklon/Emperor], Faust [Emperor], Cosmocrator [Mindgrinder] and Happy Tom [Turbonegro]), and "Return To Yggdrasil - Live In Bergen," a new live DVD from ENSLAVED.

07.06.05 (RockAndMetal.com) Up and coming Glam Rockers CHERRY MONROE will release their Universal/Republic Records debut album "The Good, The Bad, And The Beautiful" on August 16th, off of which comes with the unmistakably catchy single, 'Satellites.' CHERRY MONROE is made up of Frankie Bennett and Ryan Harris on guitars, Jason Levis on drums, Dave Saltzman on bass, and Matt Toka on lead guitar and vocals. For such a mature sounding debut, it will come as a surprise to most that CHERRY MONROE have only been together since the spring of 2004. Singer Matt Toka had been writing songs and recording demos for two years with local producer Brian Campbell, but had been doing it all alone. One night when they were relaxing after a long recording session, Campbell introduced Toka to the guys in an area band called OUTBOUND, which included bassist Saltzman, guitarist Harris and drummer Levis. "At first we weren't even thinking about doing anything together," Levis admits. "We had our thing going, but then a few months went by and our singer wasn't writing any songs, so we got sick of that and contacted Matt. He came over a few days later and we just started clicking." The final piece to the puzzle was guitarist Frankie Bennett, who they all knew by reputation for his work in a number of area bands over the years. Though each of the band members came to the table with their own musical tastes, they all share a love of Classic Rock, huge stage theatrics, and the over-the-top production of Butch Walker and the live-fast-before-dying attitude and unforgettable hooks of hard-edged glam bands like GUNS N' ROSES and HANOI ROCKS. They knew they had to have a sexy moniker to match their attitude, so they melded Cherry -- an homage to good girl Cherry Valence from "The Outsiders" -- to the name of the sexiest pop culture icon of all time and Cherry Monroe was born. The newly-minted fivesome were writing songs instantaneously and walked out of their first practice together with the punchy rocker 'Satellites' finished, the song that would become their... [full story]
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07.06.05 (RockAndMetal.com) GOD FORBID have announced the completion of the recording process for their upcoming new album, "IV:Constitution Of Treason," set for a September 20th release via Century Media. The group tracked the new offering with Jason Suecof (Trivium) at Audiohammer Studios in Florida, and with Eric Rachel (Atreyu, Dillinger Escape Plan), who also handled mixing duties, at Trax East in New Jersey. GOD FORBID guitarist Doc Coyle checks in with the following studio report: "The recording process for the new God Forbid album, 'IV:Constitution Of Treason,' is finally complete. This record sounds massive, and is definitely our most dynamic, complex and diverse effort to date. It clocks in around 50 minutes, which would make it our longest album and will hopefully make up for some of the people who thought 'Gone Forever' was too short. I don't want to hype it up by telling everyone how great it is, I'd rather wait until some clips are released through the internet or CD samplers and let the music speak for itself. I can say, however, that the band is very satisfied with the work we've done, and we feel like another plateau has been reached for us as musicians. Lyrically, the album is very deep and dark. In fact, 'IV:Constitution Of Treason' has become a full-on conceptual album with a story included about a post-apocalyptic society. This story and it's themes intertwine heavily with the illustrations handled wonderfully again by Travis Smith (Nevermore, Opeth) who also developed the art for 'Gone Forever' and the 'Better Days' EP. With the exception of some weekend tour dates in July, we will be taking the rest of the summer off, for our first real break in a year and a half. Our next U.S. tour should be expected near the album's release date of September 20th, with a European tour to follow. We've also taken some steps in the next frontier... That's right, we're playing some shows on M-A-R-S. That's Mars, bitches. See y'all at the beach."
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07.05.05 (RockAndMetal.com) Never one to rest on his laurels, three-time Grammy-winner and multi-platinum-selling singer/guitarist JOHN MAYER has announced the formation of the JOHN MAYER TRIO. Joining Mayer in the new undertaking are bassist Pino Palladino (The Who, Jeff Beck) and drummer Steve Jordan (Bruce Springsteen, Rolling Stones). "Steve and I had been doing sessions together, and we were scheduled to do the Tsunami Aid benefit," JOHN MAYER recalls. "So Steve said, 'I know who we can get -- Pino Palladino.' I said, 'I'd love to play with Pino.' Pino came and we rehearsed Jimi Hendrix's 'Bold As Love' for the benefit. And something happened that I had hoped my entire life would happen, which is that thing about how a band got together for the first time, and everyone in the room just knew there was something special. When it became me, Steve and Pino, it became this whole different thing. That set me off on a writing streak. The challenge was, 'Here's this great band - now what are you gonna do with it?' So I went and wrote from a whole new place. So it became a band." The trio -- who subsequently appeared at the 2005 Grammy Awards ceremony performing a captivating rendition of Mayer's 'Daughters' -- will unveil their electrified sound on a Fall tour of North America, including three dates with the Rolling Stones, all of which is slated to kick off September 6th. Ray LaMontagne and Joss Stone have been confirmed as special guests on selected shows, while other support acts are still yet to be announced. "This trio tour isn't just an excuse to blow on the guitar," says JOHN MAYER. "It's an opportunity to present my fans with something live, in the sense of living now -- that classic palate. I want people to show up at the gig and see the amp lights glowing and hear that idling buzz. I just want to bring people that power." The new venture is a testament to the respect JOHN MAYER has for his fans, as he continues to provide them with new musical permutations in the knowledge that they'll willingly go wherever he chooses to take them. "I have a whole new appetite for something different," Mayer enthuses. "I want people to feel, and share, this excitement that I have."
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07.05.05 (RockAndMetal.com) A DEICIDE concert in Chile appears to be in jeopardy after the Chilean church has asked the authorities to prevent the group from playing in country out of respect for an Italian Catholic priest who was murdered by a DEICIDE fan almost a year ago. Rodrigo Orias, 26, slit Father Faustino Gazziero's throat, smeared his face with the victim's blood and then stabbed himself several times in the chest and neck with the same knife (photo of similar knife/dagger) at the conclusion of a Mass at Santiago's Metropolitan Cathedral on July 24, 2004 while hundreds of churchgoers watched in horror, according to published reports. Orias, who had a pentagram branded on the left side of his chest (covering his heart) and several other symbols of the occult tattooed on his body, reportedly asked DARK FUNERAL singer Emperor Magus Caligula during the Swedish Black Metal band's visit to Santiago in 2003 to burn an inverted cross on Rodrigo's arm with a cigar -- a "mark" which Orias later planned to make into a tattoo. Last September, a Santiago court ruled that Orias was mentally ill when he committed the crime, and ordered him to undergo psychiatric treatment instead of imprisonment. Judge Veronica Sabaj of the Third Criminal Court of Santiago had determined that Orias was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, which is characterized by paranoid delusions and hallucinations, and decided against charging him with the murder of Father Faustino. Orias was said to be a huge fan of DEICIDE, who are scheduled to perform at the Gymnasium Nataniel on July 15. Aware of the killer's fanatical devotion to the long-running Florida-based Death Metal band's music and lyrical message, the Chilean dean of the Cathedral, Damian Mints, has asked the Chilean authorities to cancel the concert. Mints was said to be particularly disturbed by DEICIDE's anti-Christian stance and lyrics, including such lines as "You'll pay for the lies of your prophecy, Satan wants you dead, Kill the Christian," from the group's 1995 album, "Once Upon The Cross."
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[Music News: 06.27.05 - 07.03.05]
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