08.18.06 (RockAndMetal.com) THREE DAYS GRACE are goingg and giving back to the community that saved them by doing a select series of free concerts at a wide variety of rehab centers, shelters, and detention centers this Summer and Fall to spread their message. Through special live performances and in-depth Q&A sessions, vocalist Adam Gontier is taking audiences through his dark internal journey as an addict who has gotten clean, and explaining what he did to turn his life around and find hope. The band's first stop was The Cirque Lodge outside of Salt Lake City, Utah on Thursday, August 10th, where over 400 people from 5 different treatment centers came together to hear what Gontier had to say. "That was one the best shows the band and I have ever had. It is so great to use my music to actually do something for the people that really need it," says Gontier. Gary Fisher, Director of Operations at Cirque Lodge, admits: "One of my biggest hurdles as the director of The Cirque Lodge is to show the residents that their lives can still be fun even though they're no longer using. Here these people were, completely clean and at the best rock and roll concert of their lives. That night was one of the most powerful recovering moments of my career." Three Days Grace scored high on the charts with their singles 'I Hate Everything About You' and 'Just Like You.' June 16th of this year marked the release date of their sophomore release for Jive/Zomba Recordings, "One-X," which debuted at a remarkable #5 on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 chart - selling over 78,000 copies the first week. The first single from "One-X," 'Animal I Have Become' did great at Modern Rock radio and are gearing up to release the a second single in the song 'Pain.' Currently, Three Days Grace are on tour with Staind and playing several off-date shows through the first week of October, which will be capped off by supporting appearances with The Rolling Stones in Canada at Taylor Field in Regina, Saskatoon on October 6th and October 8th.
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08.18.06 (RockAndMetal.com) LACUNA COIL has just completed a successful run on the main stage at this year's Ozzfest, which leads them into a massive headlining European tour this Fall. The trek, which kicks off September 29th and runs through November 8th, will be the group's first headlining run in support of "Karmacode," which debuted at #28 on the Billboard Top 200 charts. Lacuna Coil will close out the year with a U.S. headlining run this November, with more details regarding that tour to be announced soon. Vocalist Cristina Scabbia is also featured on the cover of this week's Kerrang! alongside Alex of Atreyu and M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold for the publication's Ozzfest special. Meanwhile, Lacuna Coil's new single 'Enjoy The Silence' has been added at nearly four dozen commercial radio outlets and is currently breaking onto Active Rock charts everywhere. Currently you can hear 'Enjoy The Silence' nationally on XM Satellite Radio (Squizz), Sirius Satellite (Octane), Music Choice (Rock), AOL Radio (Rock Covers) and more. The single can also be heard on some of the country's biggest Rock outlets including WIIL in Chicago, WRIF in Detroit, WBUZ in Nashville, WCCC in Hartford, Connecticut, WLIR in Long Island, New York and WJJO in Madison, Wisconsin, with more to follow. The video for 'Enjoy The Silence,' completed by the directorial team Fort Awesome (who also shot the group's acclaimed 'Our Truth' clip), can currently be viewed on MTV's Headbangers Ball, AOL Music, Music Choice and Yahoo! Music, or you can view it by simply clicking on the link below. Lacuna Coil made their much-anticipated return to the U.S. on June 29th as part of Ozzfest - the massive summer trek also coinciding with the release of the 'Enjoy The Silence' single, which first impacted commercial radio on July 11th. "Karmacode"'s early success can also be attributed to the strength of 'Our Truth,' the lead-off single, and an impressive live television performance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" back in the Spring.
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08.17.06 (RockAndMetal.com) Universal Music Group has announced the forthcoming release of a DVD collection of the definitive live performances and original videos of FREE. Slated for a simultaneous September 18th release with "Free - Live At The BBC" (CD), "Free - Forever" will be available as a limited edition double-disc DVD set, and as a standard Amaray version 2 x set. Long sought by Free devotees and collectors, this marks the first-ever official release of these rare and legendary performances. Recent interviews with Paul Rodgers, Andy Fraser and Simon Kirke, fused with archive footage captured at the peak of their relatively short lived career, perfectly demonstrates why Free remain one of the finest Blues/Rock bands of their time. Famed for the perennial Rock anthem 'All Right Now,' Free helped lay the foundations for the rise of Rock - stripping the earthy tones of British Blues down to its minimalist core and pioneering an exciting new sound. As bassist Andy Fraser explains: "I have had to relent, and submit to the fact that the memory of Free still burns strong, despite all that has gone in between. I still receive thousands of letters from fans - proving that I am not alone in the love I had for Free." Arguably as influential as their late 60's supergroup stablemates Cream, Free's musical legacy lives on today in bands such as Kings Of Leon, Wolfmother and Jet. "People tell me it (Free) has been the soundtrack to their lives, that they still play it daily, have turned their kids onto it, which is pretty overwhelming," added Fraser. "Free - Forever" offers over 4 1/2 hours of classic TV recordings, videos, interviews and live performances, including three tracks from their seminal appearance at the Isle Of Wight Festival in 1970. Other highlights include an early television performance on Germany's "Beat Club," a five-song set on Granada TV's "Doin' Their Thing," and the ultra-rare original videos for 'All Right Now,' 'The Stealer,' 'My Brother Jake' and 'Wishing Well.'

08.16.06 (RockAndMetal.com) Dayton, Ohio's MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT will head out on the road in support of their upcoming sophomore album, "The Ties That Blind," which is being released on August 22nd via Translation Loss Records. The Esoteric are also slated to be on the bill. In the two years since Mouth Of The Architect released their debut, the brilliant "Time & Withering," the band has been through some tough times due to several lineup changes. "I thought that we were going to break up a number of times," says vocalist/guitarist Gregory Lahm. "The three of us didn't want to. We made this priority in our lives and we got through everything we were going through so we could go out to Seattle and record these songs." "The Ties That Bind" reflects the group's love of Yes, King Crimson and Mahavishnu Orchestra, with single-note progressions and a wider sound continuum. "My favorite song on the record is 'No One Wished To Settle Here,'" says Lahm. "Everything we have in our spectrum is in that song. There are a lot of proggy rock progressions. There are slower, heavier progressions. There are clean, more melodic, spacey parts... [Our songs] are about loss and being where we are and not being able to do anything about the situation that we were in for the past year." Tour Dates: 08/22 Chicago, IL [Knights Of Columbus Hall] • 08/23 Minneapolis, MN [Triple Rock Social Club] • 08/24 Moorhead, ND [All Star Bowl] • 08/26 Rapid City, SD [Venue Eight] • 08/31 Hollywood, CA [Knitting Factory] • 09/01 Bakersfield, CA [Jerry's Pizza] • 09/02 Eureka, CA [Eureka Vet's Hall] • 09/03 El Cajon, CA [The Masonic Lodge] • 09/04 Tempe, AZ [Clubhouse] • 09/05 El Paso, TX [Chic's] • 09/07 San Antonio, TX [The White Rabbit] • 09/08 Houston, TX [Walter's On Washington] • 09/09 Dallas, TX [The TAC Room] • 09/10 Tulsa, OK [The Pink Eye] • 09/12 St. Louis, MO [Hi Pointe] • 09/30 Dayton, OH [The Foundry]
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08.15.06 (RockAndMetal.com) Steamhammer/SPV Recordings have announced the signing of WHITESNAKE, one of the more successful Hard Rock acts of all time. November 3rd (in Germany) and November 6th (in Europe) will see the arrival of the band's new double live album, "Live ... In The Shadow Of The Blues," capturing for posterity the infectious enthusiasm that the band surrounding vocalist David Coverdale has presented all over Europe during this year's festival season. For thirty years, Whitesnake have been among the most influential representatives of their genre, having produced numerous Rock classics such as 'Here I Go Again,' 'Is This Love,' 'In The Still Of The Night,' 'Fool For Your Loving,' 'Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City' and 'Walking In The Shadows Of The Blues'. "Live ... In The Shadow Of The Blues" includes nearly all the hits from Whitesnake's career, as well as two timeless Deep Purple classics in 'Burn' and 'Stormbringer.' Coverdale was the frontman for that legendary British act between 1973 and 1976, making a significant contribution to numerous Purple highlights during that era. "Live ... In The Shadow Of The Blues" also includes four previously unreleased tracks in 'Ready To Rock,' 'If You Want Me (I'll Come Running),' 'All I Want Is You,' and 'Dog,' eagerly awaited by true Whitesnake fans everywhere. The strictly limited version of the double album will be available in a top-quality digipack, featuring a number of surprises, among them the bonus track 'Crying In The Rain,' which includes an extensive drum solo by Tommy Aldridge. Connoisseurs consider the current Whitesnake lineup one of the technically more accomplished in the band's history. Doug Aldrich (ex-Dio) and Reb Beach (Winger, ex-Dokken), continue the long tradition of excellent guitarists that has always distinguished Whitesnake. Aldridge has been with the group for over twenty years now, while bassist Uriah Duffy and keyboardist Timothy Drury complement the current lineup well.
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08.14.06 (RockAndMetal.com) HURT, whose latest single 'Falls Apart' is already #34 in its second week at Active Rock radio, will be the main supporting act for Alice In Chains' Fall North American tour. 'Falls Apart,' which will be featured in the upcoming Touchstone Pictures film "The Invisible," has also been added by numerous Alternative Rock stations across the United States. 'Falls Apart' is exemplary of the richness of Hurt's ambitious debut album, "Vol. 1," veering as the album does between whispering and roaring, melody and brutality, crushing power chords and gentle acoustic moments, majesty and mayhem. The convergence of these extremes -- delivered in irregular time signature with orchestration, no less -- define the band's sound. 'Falls Apart' is the follow-up to Vol. 1's first single, 'Rapture,' which rocketed into the Top 20 of Billboard's Active Rock chart - a remarkable accomplishment for an essentially unknown band. 'Unkind,' another track from "Vol. 1," will feature in Electronic Arts' "NHL Hockey 2007" game, scheduled for release this Fall. At the core of Hurt are two musicians from exceedingly disparate backgrounds. Vocalist/guitarist/violinist J. Loren Wince was raised in rural Virginia in a home where Rock music was verboten - his parents favoring Gospel and Classical music. Although Wince cites Vivaldi as his greatest influence, the course of his life was radically altered when he heard Pearl Jam at a friend's house. Drummer/pianist Evan Johns grew up at the feet of some of Rock's greatest legends since his dad, Andy Johns, engineered or produced Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Van Halen, and countless others. The two found each other through a friend of Andy's dad, and were later joined by two New Jersey-born musicians - guitarist Paul Spatola and bassist Josh Ansley.
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08.14.06 (RockAndMetal.com) FEAR FACTORY will headline the upcoming Machines At War North American tour, which begins October 26th and sees support from the mighty Suffocation, Hypocrisy and Poland's Decapitated. Says Fear Factory drummer Raymond Herrera: "I'm really excited about doing a heavy tour like this. A brutal lineup full of metal pioneers has been a long time coming. I guarantee a lot of our fans will agree. Plus you'll be certain to hear some Fear Factory songs that have not been played live in quite some time." Tour Dates: 10/26 San Francisco, CA [The Pound] • 10/27 San Francisco, CA [The Pound] • 10/28 Santa Ana, CA [Galaxy Theatre] • 10/29 Los Angeles, CA [Key Club] • 10/30 Tempe, AZ [Marquee Theatre] • 11/01 Houston, TX [Warehouse Live] • 11/02 New Orleans, LA [House Of Blues] • 11/03 St, Petersburg, FL [The State Theatre] • 11/04 Ft Lauderdale, FL [Culture Room] • 11/06 Fayetteville, NC [Jeeters Pub] • 11/07 West Springfield, VA [Jaxx] • 11/08 New York, NY [B.B. King's Blues Club] • 11/10 Sayreville, NJ [Starland Ballroom] • 11/11 Atlantic City, NJ [House Of Blues] • 11/12 Hartford, CT [Webster Theatre] • 11/13 Montreal, Que [Medley] • 11/14 Toronto, ONT [The Opera House] • 11/16 Cohoes, NY [Saratoga Winners] • 11/17 Worcester, MA [The Palladium] • 11/18 Poughkeepsie, NY [The Chance] • 11/19 Cleveland, OH [Peabody's] • 11/22 South Bend, IN [Club Fever] • 11/24 Detroit, MI [Harpo's] • 11/25 Chicago, IL [Metro/Smart Bar] • 11/26 Saginaw, MI [Shooters] • 11/27 Sauget, IL [Pop's] • 11/28 Columbia Hts., MN [Star Central] • 11/29 Winnipeg, MB [Ramada Conference Center] • 12/01 Edmonton, AL [Starlite Room] • 12/02 Edmonton, AB [Warehouse] • 12/05 Seattle, WA [Studio Seven] • 12/06 Portland, OR [Roseland Theater] • 12/08 Englewood, CO [Gothic Theater] • 12/09 Albuquerque, MN [Sunshine Theater]
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08.11.06 (RockAndMetal.com) PAUL GILBERT is set to release "Get Out Of My Yard" on August 29th via Shrapnel Records, his first-ever all instrumental album. Known as a reputable guitarist, Gilbert's strong fan base has been asking for an all-instrumental disc for years. "Over the years, I've received tons of e-mails from fans saying 'Dude - Why don't you make a guitar instrumental album?,'" states Gilbert. "But I never wanted to." Gilbert admits he had never aspired to write and record an instrumental as he rarely ever listened to guitar instrumental records. "In 1988, I joined the band Mr. Big. At the same time, a big record company offered me a deal to make a solo guitar instrumental album "just like Joe Satriani," explains Gilbert. "I turned the offer down. When I would try to write instrumental songs, I didn't know what to do with the second verse. In a pop song, it's O.K. to repeat the music and just change the words. But with no words, my second verse ended up being exactly the same as the first." With the resurgent interest in musician-oriented albums, the release of "Get Out Of My Yard" is well timed. "I began to feel a genuine desire to make my first solo guitar instrumental album," Gilbert explains. "I began by choosing my 12 favorite guitars and basses and putting them in a room where I could be surrounded by them. Then I called Jeff Bowders to play drums, and started to work. Three months later, the CD was finished. And I love the thing." Starting his recording career with Shrapnel Records as a teenager in the late 80's, Paul Gilbert remains one of the most active guitarists from the original shred guitar scene, stemming from his multi-faceted talent and long range career including Platinum success, including a number one song with Mister Big, and cult status as founding member of the highly successful Progressive Metal band Racer X.

08.10.06 (RockAndMetal.com) Southern California post-Hardcore band SAOSIN are one of faster-growing headliners in Rock despite having not yet released a full-length album. That all changes on September 26th with the release of their long-awaited (literally) self-titled Capitol Records debut. The band's headlining tour kicks off today in Dallas, Texas and runs through through September 2nd, after which U.S. support slots with AFI have been added. The band will then join Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, Underoath and Anti-Flag on the 2006 Taste Of Chaos international tour, kicking off October 8th in Auckland, New Zealand. In the three years since word of the of the band's debut first surfaced a lot has changed from within the band and the scene from which they originally emerged. "We were waiting until the songs were right," says Cove Reber. Seemingly overnight, stylized bands playing strains of melodic post-Hardcore have since sailed up the Pop charts, but Saosin have all but shunned a genre tag or image, and have instead focused their energies on making an album that will live by its musical merits alone. In the winter of 2005 Saosin signed to Capitol Records, released a self-titled EP, and began pre-production on "Saosin." As the band recorded various versions of new songs -- both at their home studios and on a mobile recording unit set up on their tour bus -- the burden of heavy expectations gave way to genuine excitement. Produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Head Automatica), "Saosin" exceeds even the band's expectations and proves that in a world of fleeting fame at least one band takes the time to write songs built to last. From the buzzing dual-guitar crunch of opener 'It's Far Better to Learn' to the nosebleed anthemic heights of 'Voices,' the livewire maelstrom of 'Follow And Feel' and epic heartstring-puller 'You're Not Alone,' Saosin have created the kind of debut album that announces something indisputably fresh in modern Rock music.
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08.09.06 (RockAndMetal.com) STAIND are back on the road again and slated to play the following dates over the next 8 weeks: 08/11 Grand Island, NE [Heartland Events Center] • 08/12 Sparta, WI [Constitution Park] • 08/13 Council Bluffs, IA [Mid-America Center] • 08/16 Kelseyville, CA [Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa] • 08/17 Lake Tahoe, NV [Montbleu Resort] • 08/19 Billings, MT [MetraPark Arena] • 08/22 Pikeville, KY [Eastern Kentucky Expo Center] • 08/23 Johnson City, TN [Freedom Hall] • 08/25 Memphis, TN [Mud Island Amphitheatre] • 08/26 Antioch, TN [Starwood Amphitheatre] • 08/27 Charleston, SC [Blackbaud Stadium] • 08/29 Monroe, LA [Monroe Civic Center] • 08/30 Birmingham, AL [Boutwell Auditorium] • 09/01 Philadelphia, PA [Penn's Landing] • 09/02 Uncasville, CT [Mohegan Sun Casino] • 09/03 Hampton Beach, NH [Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom] • 09/08 Green Bay, WI [Oneida Casino] • 09/09 Sault Ste. Marie, MI [Dreammakers Theatre] • 09/11 York, PA [York Fair] • 09/12 Youngstown, OH [Chevrolet Centre (Convocation Ctr.)] • 09/15 Mount Pleasant, MI [Soaring Eagle Casino] • 09/16 Huntington, WV [Harris Riverfront Park] • 09/17 Dayton, OH [Montgomery County Fair] • 09/19 Evansville, IN [Roberts Stadium] • 09/20 South Bend, IN [Morris Performing Arts Center] • 09/22 Chattanooga, TN [McKenzie Arena] • 09/23 Biloxi, MS [Mississippi Coast Coliseum] • 09/24 Baton Rouge, LA [Baton Rouge River Center] • 09/26 Orlando, FL [Hard Rock Live] • 09/27 Hollywood, FL [Seminole Hard Rock Live] • 09/29 Virginia Beach, VA [Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amph.] • 09/30 Atlanta, GA [TBA] • 10/01 Raleigh, NC [Alltel Pavilion @ Walnut Creek] • 10/03 Fayetteville, AR [Randal Tyson Track Center] • 10/04 Belton, TX [Bell County Expo Center] • 10/06 Beaumont, TX [Arena @ Ford Park] • 10/08 Corpus Christi, TX [Concrete Street Amphitheatre]
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08.08.06 (RockAndMetal.com) Roadrunner Records has announced the signing of epic rockers PORCUPINE TREE to a recording deal. Unquestionably one of the more difficult to categorize and innovative bands out there, The music is breathtaking, ranging from Psychedelic trippy Rock to Progressive Metal, as well as a compendium of other sounds in between. Evolving from one man's self-indulgent creative outlet back in 1992, Porcupine Tree have grown into a well respected quartet who have released a collection of excellent albums. Their most recent, 2005's "Deadwing," served to further skyrocket the band's renown and they are currently hard at work on a brand new record - set for release on Roadrunner (excluding North America and Japan) in early 2007. The band is fronted by singer/guitarist Steven Wilson, who also is well known for his production work (Opeth, Anja Garbarek) and other musical projects like No-Man, Bass Communion, and Blackfield - the highly acclaimed collaboration with Israeli musician Aviv Geffen. Meanwhile, Porcupine Tree will play the following upcoming live dates: 09/13 Cambridge, UK [The Junction] • 09/15 Paris, France [Elysee Montmartre] • 09/16 Antwerp, Belgium [Hof Ter Lo] • 09/18 Rome, Italy [Teatro Tendastrisce] • 09/19 Milan, Italy [Rolling Stone] • 09/21 Pratteln, Switzerland [Z7] • 09/22 Munchen, Germany [Muffathalle] • 09/23 Saarbrucken, Germany [Garage] • 09/25 Hamburg, Germany [Grosse Freiheit 36] • 09/26 Essen, Germany [Weststadthalle] • 09/27 Amsterdam, The Netherlands [Paradiso] • 09/29 London, UK [Astoria] • 09/30 Manchester, UK [Manchester University] • 10/01 Glasgow, UK [Carling Academy] • 10/05 Boston, MA [Berklee Performance Center] • 10/06 New York, NY [Nokia Theater] • 10/07 Philadelphia, PA [Keswick Theater] • 10/11 Los Angeles, CA [House Of Blues] • 10/13 San Francisco, CA [Fillmore]
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08.07.06 (RockAndMetal.com) PAUL McCARTNEY releases his new full-length work of Classical music, "Ecce Cor Meum," through EMI Classics on September 25th. The album is McCartney's fourth Classical release since "The Liverpool Oratorio," which was issued in 1991. "Ecce Cor Meum" ("Behold My Heart") has been more than eight years in the making, and its origins follow in the historic tradition of composers that have been commissioned to write music for the world-renowned Magdalen College Oxford. His hope was for "a choral piece which could be sung by young people the world over in the same way that Handel's 'Messiah' is." An oratorio in four movements, "Ecce Cor Meum" is scored for choir and orchestra. The text combines both English and to a lesser degree, Latin. "As Latin is known and sung by choirs all over the world, I felt it would be appropriate to use at times during the piece," he says. In November 2001, the first version of "Ecce Cor Meum" was given its first preview performance by the Magdalen College Choir, which was conducted by Bill Ives at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford - a great learning experience for McCartney. "Eventually I made it all come together through correcting a lot of misapprehensions - a lot was learned before the Sheldonian performance, but a lot of it was learned afterwards. An experienced choral composer knows that children can't be given huge sustained passages; they don't have the energy and the stamina. At the Sheldonian, there was some quite hard stuff that I didn't realize because I'd done it on the synthesizer. But during that first performance, the solo treble couldn't come on for the second half - I think I'd used him up in the first half! Those are things that people either learn because they are taught them immediately at the first lesson or you learn through the years, so it was good to go through the piece a lot of times. We took out huge choral sections and gave them to the orchestra. If it had been a Beatles song I would have known how to do it, but this was a completely different ball game."
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08.07.06 (RockAndMetal.com) Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover has posted a new message in the forums section of the band's official website: "It has been a bit since my last post here, but as I am sure most of you are aware, things have been quite busy with us - the latest being our quick trip over to Spain for a few festival shows. For me personally, I quite enjoy playing festivals overseas (or anywhere, for that matter) as it gives me a chance to perhaps reacquaint myself with other band members, meeting new band members and hopefully (if time permits) catching some of these bands during their set. Some of these bands who are quite popular overseas may not play in my neck of the woods as much (at least in recent times). One such band at both festivals was Helloween, which oddly enough, I had never seen in their now 20-year-or-so career. Happily, I did watch them at both Spain festivals and I thought they were just great!! I had a few brief talks with their bass player (Markus Grosskopf), who was very friendly, so cheers to them. Of course, I did manage to see a few other bands as well, which all sounded great to me. Talked for a few with both Eric and Chuck from Testament -- great dudes, great band, crushing set -- end of story. All in all, it was a fun, quick trip for me. So now you know about Gigantour 2006? I am really looking forward to all of this - I hope you are as well. And, of course, the new Megadeth record!!!! I will speak nothing about the content (I'm old-school that way), but I will say that I am very, very proud of this record and to be a part of it." In other Megadeth news, in an article from the L.A. Times, frontman Dave Mustaine bemoans the possible loss of Tower Records after 3 major music companies have stopped shipping CD's to them. Led Zeppelin changed my life, AC/DC changed my guitar playing, and Black Sabbath changed my approach to songwriting - and I found all of them because of Tower Records," Mustaine said. "What could they possibly put in the place of that Sunset store? Another Starbucks?"
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08.04.06 (RockAndMetal.com) The Black Keys make their Nonesuch Records debut September 12th with their new album, "Magic Potion," the band's fourth album and the follow-up to 2004's critically acclaimed "Rubber Factory." The Black Keys -- vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney -- recorded and produced "Magic Potion" this past Winter in Akron, Ohio in Carney's basement studio, The Audio Eagle Nest. Carney says, "Unlike all the other records, where we were just trying to figure out how everything worked, or pretending like we knew what we were doing by experimenting with mic placement, on this one we just figured out what we liked and stuck to it," he explained. "The whole album has a more consistent sound, and it's a little bit heavier than our other records." Childhood friends, Auerbach and Carney wrote and self-released their first album, 2002's "The Big Come Up" while mowing lawns in Akron. After fortuitously getting fired from their day jobs, The Black Keys embarked on their first tour. They received enthusiastic responses from audiences and critics and decidedly devoted all of their time to music. Over the next four years they practiced and toured relentlessly, releasing two more albums in 2003's "Thickfreakness" and the aforementioned "Rubber Factory," which was named after the abandoned tire factory where they recorded the album. They signed to Nonesuch Records earlier this year. The Black Keys' live shows receive as much acclaim as their releases. In a recent review, The Washington Post described "a giant crashing that is louder and fuller and grimmer than a drummer and guitarist alone should be able to produce," and went on to say that "Auerbach is a ferociously talented guitarist whose leads bristle and burn as if the guitar were a molten mass. And Carney wails on his drums as if he were taking part in an anger management therapy exercise. The pair's concert is as much a show of force as it is a musical performance."
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08.04.06 (RockAndMetal.com) MOTORHEAD's 23rd album, "Kiss Of Death," is scheduled for release August 28th via SPV Recordings. Legendary frontman Lemmy comments: "It's better than 'Inferno,' which seems to be the favorite of the later years so far. It's better songs. Better arrangements and a better performance from me vocally, and a better performance from Phil Campbell on the guitar. He plays great on the songs." Featuring 12 tracks recorded at L.A.'s Paramount Studios produced by Cameron Webb, it all starts off with 'Sucker,' a brutal piece of biker Rock, followed by 'One Night Stand,' a slice of British power Rock from the 70s. Lemmy is the classic underdog, the unwanted son of a vicar that abandoned him three months after his birth - a background that fuels his hatred against any form of organized religion and makes for classic Motorhead songs like 'God Was Never On Your Side.' "Fucking ignored is what you want by God," rants Lemmy on that subject. "That's why it's 'God Was Never On Your Side,' you know, just sending out a message to people in case they still believe in God: Wrong! God is not gonna help you, God is not answering your prayers, you can pray all your life and you never get a fucking thing. God is deaf, blind and stupid. I don't like the devil either - they can both get fucked." All in all, the 12 songs on "Kiss Of Death" are typical Motorhead, yet surprisingly vital. And they don't mind fresh input from some guests, either -- whether it be Poison guitarist C.C. Deville or Alice In Chains bassist Mike Inez, both of whom participate on the album and who Lemmy bumped into at The Rainbow in L.A. "I said to Mike: 'Do you wanna play on the album?' And he said: 'Sure.' He was all excited, you know, and he came down the next night and he nailed it in about three takes." Now looking at life from the age of 60, Lemmy is candid about the things he hasn't done: "I haven't fucked Halle Berry yet, you know, for a start. There's always goals that you haven't achieved. I'd like to have a hit in America before we finish up... I'd like to have another hit in the UK, too."
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08.03.06 (RockAndMetal.com) New York City's legendary GORILLA BISCUITS kick off a month-long North American tour beginning tomorrow in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The first full tour by the original lineup of the band since 1991, band member Civ says: "We're all psyched to be playing together again. We never really got the chance to perform songs like 'Start Today' for anybody in the States except for the East Coast. We're excited to go out there and get the vibe off the crowd again." Fellow member Walter says: "Consumed by biscuit power, we, along with the audience, saved CB's last year, a rebirth of hardcore pride, a sleeping greyback gorilla in a champion sweatshirt awakened to celebrate its 20th birthday by rampaging across the USA. We have no choice but to track the beast wherever it may roam." Joining Gorilla Biscuits are Comeback Kid and, on select dates, Murphy's Law. Tour Dates: 08/04 Asbury Park, NJ [Stone Pony] • 08/05 Worcester, MA [The Palladium Downstairs] • 08/06 Philadelphia, PA [Starlite Ballroom] • 08/07 Auburn, NY [Auburn Public Theatre] • 08/08 Montreal, QC [Foufounes Electriques] • 08/09 Toronto, ON [Phoenix Concert Theatre] • 08/10 Cleveland, OH [Peabodys Downunder] • 08/11 Detroit, MI [Majestic Theatre] • 08/12 West Dundee, IL [Clearwater Theatre] • 08/13 Minneapolis, MN [Triple Rock Social Club] • 08/15 Denver, CO [Cervantes] • 08/16 Seattle, WA [El Corazon] • 08/17 San Francisco, CA [Pound SF] • 08/18 San Francisco, CA [Pound SF] • 08/19 Pomona, CA [Glasshouse] • 08/20 Anaheim, CA [Chain Reaction] • 08/22 San Diego, CA [Soma] • 08/23 Tempe, AZ [Clubhouse] • 08/25 Austin, TX [Emo's] • 08/27 Houston, TX [Meridian] • 08/29 Atlanta, GA [Vinyl] • 08/30 Nashville, TN [Rocket Town] • 08/31 Richmond, VA [Alley Katz] • 09/01 Baltimore, MD [Otto Bar] • 09/02 New York, NY [BB King's]
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08.02.06 (RockAndMetal.com) Glasgow, Scotland's fast-rising THE HAZE are scheduled to play several prestigious support slots this month in the UK as special guests to Josh Homme's Eagles Of Death Metal. The four shows, in Birmingham (August 21st at Academy 2), Manchester (August 22nd at Academy 2), London (August 23rd at Camden Electric Ballroom) and their own hometown of Glasgow (August 27th at Garage) follow The Haze's hugely successful British dates throughout the months of May and June. The five-strong band have been together for almost two years now, and have not only played all the essential venues in their home city but also many of Britain's finest. Having previously stormed Scotland's Coca Cola Centrestage West Coast "unsigned" category, the band have developed at such a quick pace as of late that recent shows at Nottingham's Rock City, Camden's notorious Barfly and Brighton's Great Escape festival have all led to return performances, as well as a fantastic show with The Automatic at NME's Club Koko. Led by the distinctive lead vocals of James Cairns, The Haze combine the classic feel of artists such as The Cult and The Doors with a level of tension not seen since the early years of Oasis. Currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on their as-yet-untitled debut album, the quartet will be releasing their debut single, 'Ghostdancer' (featured recently on a Zero Magazine CD), later this year, and can be found online at their de rigeur myspace site for now at www.myspace.com/thehazetheband. Live, the recipe is one part brooding menace and one part soaring guitars. Add a pinch of backline-heavy rhythms and you get a fresh-sounding, sonic edge combining strong melody with heart-driven riffs. Tracks such as 'Ghostdancer,' 'Lord, Preacher' and 'Just To Hear Them Say' are solid proof of that.
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08.01.06 (AP) For all the envelope-pushing ALICE COOPER has done as the original "shock rocker," he also knows the value of boundaries - especially for children. "Kids love boundaries. We used to fight against them. But in all reality, what we really did want was to know where we could go. Of course, you always step over the line just a little bit to see what's going to happen," said the 58-year-old rocker, known for his early makeup and hits such as 1975's 'Welcome To My Nightmare.' Cooper said his Christian, non-profit Solid Rock Foundation has begun fundraising efforts for a 20,000-square-foot teen activity center to be called "The Rock," to be built at Grand Canyon University in West Phoenix. The $3 million center will feature a recording studio, indoor basketball courts, rock-climbing walls, coffeehouse, game room and concert hall. Construction is expected to begin next year. "People don't lay in the sun in southwest Phoenix. There's lots of shootings going, there's lots of meth going on, there's lots of gangs," Cooper said. "In the middle of all that is a bunch of 12-, 13-, and 14-year-old kids that can go one way or the other." Officials for Grand Canyon University, a private college with a Christian focus, came to Cooper with the offer to build the youth center on the campus. Cooper has given scholarships to the school for more than five years. "We're not going to beat them over the head with a Bible," Cooper said. "But we're certainly going to be available to tell them that that's available to them." Cooper, who spends about seven months of the year at home in suburban Paradise Valley, said that when he walks off the stage, "I'm going back to Phoenix, play golf, work on Solid Rock, go shopping and do everything that a father and a husband's supposed to do." "I watched all of my best friends -- Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Keith Moon -- every one of them, die trying to live their image," he said. "The one thing that my generation learned was 'be a rock star when it's time to be a rock star.'"

08.01.06 (RockAndMetal.com) Finland's POISONBLACK will present their upcoming album, "Lust Stained Despair," when they support Lacuna Coil on their upcoming European tour. The album, mixed by Tue Madsen (The Haunted, Sick Of It All, Heaven Shall Burn) at Antfarm Studios, will hit European shops August 28th. Tour Dates: 09/22 Treviso, Italy [New Age] • 09/23 Cesena, Italy [Vidia] • 09/24 Rome, Italy [Palacisalfa] • 09/25 Florence, Italy [Auditorium] • 09/26 Milan, Italy [Alcatraz] • 09/28 Barcelona, Spain [Razzmatazz] • 09/29 Madrid, Spain [Arena] • 09/30 Bergara, Spain [Jam] • 10/01 Bordeux, France [Barbey] • 10/02 Clermont, France [Ferrant Cooperative De Mai] • 10/03 Paris, France [Olympia] • 10/06 Portsmouth, UK [Pyramids] • 10/07 Cardiff, UK [Coal Exchange] • 10/08 Birmingham, UK [Academy] • 10/10 Glasgow, UK [Barrowland] • 10/11 Nottingham, UK [Rock City] • 10/12 Manchester, UK [Academy] • 10/13 London, UK [Astoria] • 10/16 Dublin, UK [Olympia] • 10/17 Sheffield, UK [Corporation] • 10/18 Tilburg, NL [O13] • 10/19 Antwerp, Belgium [Hof Ter Loo] • 10/21 Copenhagen, Denmark [Pumpehuset] • 10/22 Malmo, Sweden [KB] • 10/23 Oslo, Norway [Rockefeller] • 10/25 Helsinki, Finland [Nosturi] • 10/26 Tampere, Finland [Pakkahoune] • 10/28 Stockholm, Sweden [Klubben] • 10/29 Gothenburg, Sweden [Tragarn] • 10/30 Berlin, Germany [Huxley's] • 10/31 Hamburg, Germany [Docks] • 11/02 Muenchen, Germany [Georg Elser Halle] • 11/03 Vienna, Austria [Planet Music] • 11/04 Linz, Austria [Posthof] • 11/06 Koeln, Germany [Live Music Hall] • 11/07 Stuttgart, Germany [Longhorn (LKA)] • 11/08 Zurich, Switzerland [Rohstofflager] • 11/30 Helsinki, Finland [Tavastia]
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[ Rock News: July 2006 ]
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