If music had another name, it would be Grouplove. While so many musicians vie for attention in an incessant fame-and-money-hungry business, this luminescent five-some takes a more exhilarative approach and continually establishes unity and affection toward one another more so than most bands today while executing utmost passion toward feel-good rock music simultaneously. In fact, they can be a lesson for anyone seeking betterment and happiness. Their story is unique in that nearly all of them started off as complete strangers in a foreign land (Crete, to be exact) and ended up as close as a blood-born family. Guitarist Andrew Wessen’s brother started an overseas art and music collective residency with a friend he met while in Venice that eventually developed into the brainchild of Grouplove.
“Andrew and I were the only ones who knew each other beforehand,” drummer Ryan Rabin explains. “Sean [Gadd, bass]’s friend’s band was invited, and he decided to go with them. Andrew invited me after I was finishing college abroad, and Hannah [Hooper, vocals and keys] and Christian [Zucconi, vocals and guitar] came from San Francisco. She was living in New York, painting fulltime, and Andrew’s brother stumbled upon her art gallery and fell in love with her work.
After Hooper was the first individual officially invited to the residency, she met Zucconi a week later at a show he was playing at and instantly felt so connected to him that she was compelled to include him in the trip to Greece. Many individuals attended the residency, but the five became friends quickly and continued to stay in touch even after going their separate ways, never ignoring the name “GROUP” they gave themselves.
“Originally, [our band name] was just going to be GROUP because when we would all meet up in Crete, we’d be like, ‘Oh yeah, the group’s back together!’” Rabin states. “It’s like the ‘group’ was in the group and after, we’d be emailing each other and sign with ‘group love all around.’
And thus, an identity (not to mention a “unified, but diverse” sound, according to Wessen) was bred, so cherished that the entire band got GROUP tattooed on their right arms, although if you ask Wessen, he’ll tell you differently (and that anyone who gets the GROUP tattoo earns free shows for life).
“We were actually all born with the same birthmark, and we have a lot of love for each other,” he jokes.
This type of jocosity is common behavior and one that the band stands behind at all times.
“Being in a band has taught me not to sweat the small stuff and not complain,” Rabin says. “Those will just get you in a world of trouble when living with five or more people.”
Wessen adds, “Without a sense of humor, you’ll just be miserable; you’re put in the most ridiculous situations every day—traveling and just the chaos of moving around and being with people.  You have to brush things off.”
Even Gadd, who lived in London for the majority of his life, has adapted easily to this choice.
“These guys make me laugh more than anyone ever has in my life,” he claims. “They’re just hilarious, and this experience has helped me grow so much as a person.”
Collectively, Grouplove propels one another to consecutively grow, which ultimately propels their music in a successful and unstoppable direction. Their debut full-length, Never Trust a Happy Song, was released in September 2011, and their song “Tongue Tied” was highlighted on the Apple iPod Touch “Share the Fun” TV commercial. In addition, “Slow” was played on Gossip Girl’s 100th episode, “Colours” was featured on the soundtracks for Madden NFL 12 and FIFA 12 and in HBO’s Winter Image Spot trailer in February, and “”Cruel and Beautiful World” was recently included on an episode of Chuck and The Secret Circle. Grouplove has already appeared on Jimmy Kimmel, been MTV’s PUSH Artist and supported a sold-out tour with Young the Giant this year, too, and they’ll be performing at Coachella, Sasquatch and Bonnaroo in coming months. Was it mentioned that they’re headlining a U.S. tour after that? Well, they’re doing that, too. And along the way, they’ll not only be promoting their album, but also standing by it, as “Never trust a happy song” is also considered their philosophy.
“It was something Sean said a long time ago, and at first we just laughed at it,” Rabin elaborates. “As we were making the album, though, it kept coming up and started sticking a bit more and came to mean something to us individually.  “Colours,” for example—it’s sad and dark at first—but the lyrics behind it are super positive; songs on the album are really upbeat and positive, but then they can start to mean different things.  When we listen to music, it’s common to think, ‘Oh, this is such a great, sunny song,’ but then the next day, you have some deep nostalgia or sadness that takes over you, and that’s the meaning the phrase eventually took.”
Wessen supplements with a laugh, “Or it was just something [Gadd] said when he was s***-faced; There was actually a bottle of whiskey that started talking and said it; I’ve never seen anything like it.  Our actual motto is ‘Never trust a happy dong.’ I mean, if you see one, don’t go near it; it has a pirate smile.”
In all seriousness, though, Grouplove is a well-rounded, humble and indubitably talented bunch of musicians who has devoted themselves to following what fulfills them most and doing whatever it takes to make it happen (which included getting Gadd his Visa so he could play music with everyone else in the States).  The love never dies.
“Before shows, we always have a big group hug,” Gadd admits.
“And then we just throw up all over each other and then we change and go out on stage,” Wessen adds facetiously.
Gadd continues, “Everyone’s in their own zone; Hannah and Christian will be warming up; I’ll be pacing up and down like a maniac…
“…just sweating through three t-shirts,” Wessen finishes. “We make sure our ears work…with batteries in them!”
Rabin finalizes, “There’s also stretching, complimenting and getting into huddles. We always like to enter the stage to a really hard, dirty rap song.”
At the end of the day, though, Grouplove truly lives and breathes the dream, taking each show and experience at a time and never losing sight of why they do what they do.
“I think [music]’s not a career until it is,” Wessen says. “You can’t really plan to have a music career; it just kind of happens if your cards are played right. It’s something you do as a passion and you do to make yourself happy and grow. You just love it and do it because you love it, and if it comes to [a career], it’s an absolute blessing. We’re so lucky we’re doing it!”
For more information and witty remarks, check out http://www.grouplovemusic.com/ or follow http://www.facebook.com/grouplove.

Grouplove
By Jen Emmert

On June 12, Manchester Orchestra frontman Andy Hull will release “The Church of the Good Thief,” the third album in the trilogy of his solo project, Right Away, Great Captain!  This new chapter completes the tale Hull began on 2006′s “The Bitter End” and 2008′s “The Eventually Home” of a sailor who, upon discovering his wife cheating on him with his brother, runs away to sea and gradually descends into a vengeful rage. See below for a track list.

“The Church of the Good Thief” will be released via all major digital retailers, and will also be available, along with “The Bitter End” and “The Eventually Home,” in a four-LP vinyl box set. Additionally, the deluxe pre-order package for the vinyl box set will include “The Lost Sea,” a collection of unreleased songs, demos and outtakes, as well as a handmade lyric book and keychain, and a photo print by Ryan Russell, all hand-numbered and signed by Hull. The album pre-order begins today at http://rightawaygreatcaptain.bandcamp.com/

Hull will support the album with a brief Midwest and East Coast solo tour in July, hitting markets including Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York; see below for a complete list of dates. Tickets are available to fans as of 12:00 PM venue local time today via a Ducat King presale at http://rightawaygreatcaptain.ducatking.com/ and go on sale to the general public on Thursday, May 24 at 12:00 PM local time.

Hull began the Right Away, Great Captain! project in 2006 as a writing exercise. “I had the storyline for the first album in my head,” he explains, “and started to write it in this other characters body. It was really rewarding as a writer to put yourself in someone else’s position and give yourself some walls that you could not break. I had always wanted to embark on something like a trilogy and from the beginning, I felt like three albums could sum up the story. If I didn’t set out for it to be a trilogy, I could have extended this story and it would have gotten stale and I don’t know if I ever would have finished it. What I could not have ever expected was the amount of growth that I went through personally from ages 19 to 25, because you don’t really think about that when you’re 19. As I began to grow, the character grew, and when the character grew, the story grew too.”

“The Eventually Home” ended with our protagonist returning home from three years at sea and standing over his wife and brother asleep in bed, trying to decide whether to murder her. As “The Church of the Good Thief” commences with the song “Blame,” we’re just 30 minutes later in the storyline, as he chooses to kill his brother instead, while his wife watches in terror. His children witness the slaying, neighbors hear the commotion, and the sailor is quickly arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. The remainder of this final album finds him alone in his prison cell, reflecting on his tragic life, communicating with the ghost of his captain and mentor from the first album, and attempting to make peace with his family and his God before his execution.

Hull intentionally created an album to close out this trilogy that sounds and feels as solitary as the conflicted emotions that the character is experiencing. “Both of the previous albums contained a lot of different settings, but my hope on this record was to have it sound like a man in a jail cell with just a guitar and a piano,” he says. “I wanted my voice to be used as a narrative during his isolation.” Hull spent last winter recording during his breaks from touring, and as with the first two Right Away, Great Captain! records (and the entire Manchester Orchestra catalog), teamed up with his longtime producer/collaborator Dan Hannon. The album was recorded in Hannon’s living room studio in Atlanta, and mixed by Hannon, Hull, another longtime studio collaborator, Brad Fisher; and Manchester Orchestra guitarist Robert McDowell at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC.

—

“The Church of the Good Thief” track list:

1. Blame
2. When I Met Death
3. I Am Aware
4. Old Again
5. Fur Stop Caring
6. I Wait For You
7. Barely Bit Me
8. Rotten Black Root
9. We Were Made Of Lightning
10. Memories From The End Pt. 1
11. Memories From The End Pt. 2

—

Right Away, Great Captain! tour dates:

July 11 — Chicago, IL — Subterranean
July 12 — Pontiac, MI — The Pike Room
July 13 — Akron, OH — Musica
July 15 — Pittsburgh, PA — Shadow Lounge
July 17 — Hoboken, NJ — Maxwell’s
July 18 — Hamden, CT — The Space
July 19 — Boston, MA — Brighton Music Hall
July 20 — Philadelphia, PA — North Star Bar
July 21 — Baltimore, MD — Ottobar
July 22 — Brooklyn, NY — Knitting Factory

Enter Shikari have not only been one of the most successful rock acts to emerge from the UK in recent years, they’ve also undoubtedly been among the most influential. Indeed, it’s difficult to imagine what the modern screamo/metalcore landscape would sound like had the quartet never delivered their debut earthshaking hit, “Sorry You’re Not A Winner” – a little gem that would later become just one of many Shikari classics. The band’s innovative blend of hardcore, dance, punk, and other genres has won over the hearts of listeners across the globe, and sustained their unwavering enthusiasm and devotion for years. Now three records deep into their career, Enter Shikari are nearing veteran status in the rapidly evolving music industry. One might even think that the band’s success would be accompanied by a certain amount of arrogance, but such is not the case. In order to recognize the group’s contribution to our music scene and get their insight on a variety of topical subjects, Substream Music Press had an in-depth discussion with drummer Robert Rolfe.

Substream Music Press: You guys recently released your third studio full-length, A Flash Flood of Colour, which has already been a big hit among fans and received a significant amount of critical acclaim. How do you feel this new album compares to your previous work? Is it your favorite recorded effort to date?

RR: Well, I think very much that our later albums have their place. That was exactly where we were, what we were doing, who we were, in that time and place. The first two albums, you can’t really pick a favorite, because we’re different people now, with different creative outlets than we were when we made those first two albums. So in comparison, we’re just as proud with this album as we are with all of our work. I suppose, maybe if anything, we feel that it’s a more rounded, mature sound. We’ve progressed as a band, we’ve matured as a band – and as people – and I really think that that comes out in our latest album. And you can see that progression through our releases.

SMP: A Flash Flood of Colour features some interesting and unusual cover art. Could you explain the significance of the image?

RR: Ah, the upside-down triangle. It depends how deep you want to go. What it represents for us is kind of the hierarchical pyramid scheme of society, where you’ve got the few at the top, and there’s the majority, the working people, at the bottom. And we kind of feel that to get any significant change for the better, within our species and our society, that you really have to just switch that up, and turn it on its head to get any kind of real change in the world. So that’s the deep side of it. Another side of it is that it’s just a good, solid, strong symbol to represent our band and our music at the moment.

SMP: Lyrically, you guys have normally tackled difficult and divisive issues. But it feels like you’ve upped the ante on the new record; the political sentiments seem especially potent and vitriolic. Are there any specific events that inspired you to write like that this time around?

RR: Nah, I think it’s just everything that’s happening around the world right now. To be honest, I’m surprised that there aren’t more people singing and writing music about these types of things, because there’s so much going on in the world right now. Whether it be the economic/monetary system collapsing around us, or the whole 99% movement, the whole environmental issue that we’ve got smacking us in the face right now – that we’re seeing more and more of every day. There [are so many] real things that are happening around us, that we would find it so difficult to be able to sing about anything else, because that’s what’s staring us right in the face at the moment. There’s so much music where the lyrics are just garbage – absolute nonsense that mean fuck all – we couldn’t go out onstage and shout about things as passionately as we do if we really didn’t believe in them. So that’s basically why we talk about what we do.

SMP: It’s obvious that you pay a great deal of attention to political and social issues throughout the world. Are there any great news outlets, organizations, etc. that you would like for readers to check out?

RR: Yeah. There’s Realnews.com, a fantastic group. RT News – I think they’re predominantly a Russian organization, but they actually broadcast in English, and you can get it everywhere online. If you search hard enough, there are lots – predominantly online. Obviously the mainstream media is taken up by the big corporations that have agendas, who want to keep the social zeitgeist the same, because it’s making them money. So, if you really want to find out the truth, there’s a lot of it out there. All you have to do is a few clicks on the internet.

SMP: You already touched on this, so if you don’t want to delve into it too deeply that’s fine. But my next questions was going to be: the majority of young, successful musicians out there don’t seem to feel any need to make their lyrics intellectually stimulating. Why do you think more artists don’t address serious topics in their music?

RR: It fucking pisses me off so much. I know. It does my head in so much when you hear these teen angst people, crying about their ex girlfriends, or talking about how much money they have, or how they’re so much of a gangster, or how they’re so angry at the world. Why don’t they actually do some research and actually fucking have some balls to speak about things that really matter, instead of just being so tied up and up your own fucking ass, so the only thing you can shout and scream about is what’s going on in your life at the moment? Why not look at the rest of the world? Yeah, it kills me.

SMP: In recent years we’ve seen a new wave of metalcore bands who incorporate electronic genres such as euro and dubstep into their music. Enter Shikari paved the way for these bands; you were the first ones to truly find success with that type of sound. What’s it like seeing bands that were clearly influenced by you become successful, and in a few cases actually exceed you in popularity?

RR: (Laughs) That’s a very interesting question. I guess we like the fact that anyone would be influenced by us. But it’s a little bit of a kick in the balls when audiences are suckered into the big “this is what’s hot right now” kind of bands that just splash a little bit of dance or dubstep into their music because that’s what’s cool, or that’s what’s hot at the moment. There are so many bands at the moment that will be, like, a metal band but with synth just slapped onto it really awkwardly, not merging the two together. Or breakdowns with some synthesizer and a big house beat – and then it will just cut and go into a dirty metal song. It kind of sucks the soul out of really good, passionate, innovative music that is actually happening out there. Now, I’m not cussing Warped Tour at all because we had an absolutely fantastic time on it and they do a lot of good for a lot of fantastic young bands – but last year when we did Warped Tour there were a lot of those bands filling the stages. It’s really disheartening, to be honest, just to see all the kids getting suckered into it, and buying into it when they don’t really know where it came from, or what it’s about, or how it’s actually done well.

SMP: Speaking of massive popularity, dubstep as a whole has really blown up recently as well. Skrillex even won three Grammy awards this year. This genre has humble roots in the UK, where you guys are from. So I want to ask, do you think that dubstep’s upward trajectory will continue? Or do you think its popularity is bound to burn itself out?

RR: When it comes to Skrillex, I guess it’s a good thing that he’s brought it to the mainstream population of America. He’s brought dance music and really made it a big thing in the states. Dance music in the states has never really been a big thing; all throughout the massive dance revolution in the UK in the 90’s, and all throughout Europe, America seems to have never really taken a grip of it. And I guess he’s done a good thing for dance music in the states. But then there are so many people out there, that when someone asks them what do they think of dubstep, the only artist they actually know is Skrillex. A friend of mine actually described the music perfectly to me when he said “it’s like getting a really big, bright, colourful lollipop shoved up your ass”. It’s very much sort of black and white, easy, cut-and-paste dubstep. There’s a lot of people that are just, again, getting suckered in, don’t really understand where it came from, its origin…..and so at the moment in the states, especially, that’s all that anyone really knows of dubstep. Whereas there’s actually so much more to dubstep, and dance in general – electronic music – that people need to start delving into. I don’t know, the future of dubstep music…..it had such an explosion, that it’s hard to see how long it’s going to last, because music that does explode like that will die out quicker than music that’s been around for so much longer. I guess I’d like to see it evolve, and I’d like to see it progress. And hopefully it will move onto something more, and something newer, and fresher. There’s one artist that everyone in the states really needs to look out for – three guys from Holland called Noisia, who are really, really, pushing the boundaries of electronic music. And I think they, among many others, are the future of dubstep and dance music.

SMP: Do you think record labels are still as vital to a new band’s career as they once were?

RR: No. I think it’s a hell of a lot easier for bands to make a name for themselves, and be able to be a band, and tour, and make music without a record label, with the aid of the internet. The internet has been a massive revolution in our generation, for the good. There’s so much more variety, and so much more easily available response to people’s music, and certainly for us, growing up in the internet age, it’s really helped us out. Even in the beginning, just sort of booking our own tours, we’d use Myspace a lot to get in touch with other bands and other promoters to get gigs up and down the UK. And everyone’s seeing that the big record labels are losing millions, and millions, and millions of dollars every year. And it can only help the independent industry – independent music – more and more. It’s making music more available, which is a good thing.

SMP: If a biopic about Enter Shikari were to be produced, which actor would you like to see portray yourself, or any other member of the band?

RR: That’s a tough one. Can I choose someone that’s outside of the band, but still very much a part of it?

SMP: Absolutely.

RR: I would choose our manager, Ian, who’d be played by Michael Caine. He’d have to put on a Liverpudlian accent, but other than that it’d be spot on.

SMP: Everyone knows that a British accent can do wonderful things for a person while overseas. Especially if that person happens to play in a rock band. Why do you think that is?

RR: I think it’s because, especially in the United States, people don’t travel enough. People don’t see enough of the world, and all they really know there is what they’ve seen around – other American accents. So when an English guy walks up into town, he’s got a fairly exotic accent compared to whatever they’ve heard in recent years – other than maybe what they’ve heard recently in the movies. And obviously being in a band helps, because you’re already up on a pedestal, and you already have people watching you, and the whole sort of alpha male thing. Everyone’s attention is on you. So I think that’s how it works, pretty much.

SMP: Which version of The Office is the best?

RR:…..Are you kidding?

SMP: I’m not kidding, I’d really like to know! I have an idea of what your answer will be, but I’m curious.

RR: (Laughs) I think you already know what my answer’s going to be. Obviously the UK version. Don’t get me wrong, the US version is very funny and I do enjoy it, but it’s just so much more American comedy. There’s a lot more subtlety in the English version, whereas the American version is a lot more open – this is the joke, this is where to laugh. The UK version has kind of a continuous undertone of ridiculous comedy throughout it.

SMP: You guys are known for touring all over the globe. Have there ever been any really bizarre culture shock experiences while on the road?

RR: Oh, absolutely. The biggest one, other than going around Europe and hearing the different languages, or going to the United States or Canada or Australia, hearing the little differences here and there – when we want to Japan, that was a massive shock to us. It’s a different world. It really is. You can’t really describe it, you just have to go there. Everyone is so polite and so welcoming and so warm, but no one really speaks very much English. So to get around there you have to talk a lot with your hands and your expressions, or point at things – what you want to get. And the first time we ever went there, our first impression of it was a classic image of Tokyo that everyone would recognize: a giant crossing where all four sides cross at once, and there’s about twenty thousand people crossing this one junction at one time. And I was crossing that junction, and I saw this Japanese woman pulling on a bit of string a tiny little tricycle, and on that tricycle was a tiny little dog with a little jacket, with its front paws up on the handlebars, and its back paws on the seat. And that was my first impression of Japan. And it basically sums up the place; it’s absolutely mad.

SMP: You sort of answered this already with the dubstep trio that you mentioned, but I’ll go ahead with it anyway: is there a particular underrated or lesser-known band, artist, or company you would love for readers to familiarize themselves with?

RR: Yeah, well obviously I said Noisia; they’re someone that everyone should check out. We just did a European stretch with this tour with the guys that we first had on, called the James Cleaver Quintet. A really, really fucking good rock band. They’re kind of, jazzy, punk. They’re making small waves in the UK at the moment, and they’re definitely a band to look out for because they’ve really got some good stuff coming.

SMP: Are there any words you’d like to leave with fans who are going to be reading this?

RR: Thank you so much for the continued support, and I hope to see you face to face very soon!

By Francesco Sturino

]]> http://www.substreammusicpress.com/home/2012/05/16/sub-print-continuation-enter-shikari-talk-skrillex-the-office-and-politics/feed/ 0 http://www.substreammusicpress.com/home/2012/05/16/sub-news-lionslions-reveal-tracklisting-for-to-carve-our-names/ http://www.substreammusicpress.com/home/2012/05/16/sub-news-lionslions-reveal-tracklisting-for-to-carve-our-names/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 22:47:05 +0000 Jameson Ketchum http://www.substreammusicpress.com/home/?p=5885

Boston’s LIONS LIONS has revealed the track listing and album artwork from their forthcoming Hollywood Waste debut, To Carve Our Names, due out on June 19, 2012. Produced by Shep Goodman and Aaron Accetta [Bayside, Four Years Strong, Get Scared, Forever The Sickest Kids],  the eleven-track disc showcases the band’s distinct, yet familiar sound reminiscent to the early days of Story Of The Year, Thrice and The Used.  “Boston’s Lions Lions might just be the band to wake up the post-hardcore/screamo genre,” says GetExposedMusic.com.

The artwork, which can be seen below, was done by Glenn Thomas of The Fox And King (www.thefoxandking.com).   “He’s done artwork for Sleeping With Sirens, Emarosa, PMtoday, Decoder, and a ton of other amazing records,” says guitarist Brandon Davis. “It was his work on Tides of Man -’Dreamhouse’ that really captured our imagination and inspired us to work with him. We couldn’t be happier with the end result, it perfectly captures the feel of the album.”

LIONS LIONS recently premiered the single “Milestones” with Alternative Press (which can be heard here) while the track “The Undertow” is currently available via the Hollywood Waste Soundcloud, here.  Preorders for the new album, To Carve Our Names, are now available via the Hollywood Waste store, including exclusive t-shirt bundles.   There is also a special package available for Boston locals: a preorder package with an album / t-shirt / poster, and a ticket to the band’s upcoming CD Release show on June 23, at The Palladium in Boston, MA.  Preorders are available here: http://store.hollywoodwaste.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=lions+lions

As They Sleep (Solid State Records) will be heading out on the      road this June      and July with Damien Deadson (Ex-Demon Hunter) providing direct      support for the      entire run. Rounding out the tour will be The Burial (Facedown      Records) and      Hope For The Dying (Facedown Records) on select dates. The tour      will begin June      16thin Chicago and end July 24th in Indiana. In      promotion of this      tour, Infamous Empire is giving away eight CDs, eight shirts, and      a iPad 3 over      at http://www.facebook.com/infamousempirebattlefield.      The tour dates are as follows

TOTAL      CARNAGE TOUR

JUNE

16th      Chicago,      Illinois

17th      Toledo, Ohio

18th      Cleveland, Ohio

19th      Buffalo /      Rochester, New York

20th      Albany, New York

21st      Manchester, New      Hampshire

22nd      Portland, Maine

23rd      TBA,      Massachusetts

24th      Providence,      Rhode Island

25th      Hartford,      Connecticut

26th      NYC, New York

27th      Allentown,      Pennsylvania

28th      Pittsburgh,      Pennsylvania

29th      Beckley, West      Virginia

30th      Covington,      Kentucky

JULY

1st   Evansville / Bloomington,      Indiana

2nd   St Louis, Missouri

3rd   Springfield, Missouri

4th   Tulsa, Oklahoma

5th   Dallas, Texas

6th   San Antonio, Texas

7th   Odessa / Midland, Texas

8th   El Paso, Texas

9th   Albuquerque, New Mexico

10th      Phoenix, Arizona

11th      Las Vegas,      Nevada

12th      LA, California

13th      Bakersfield,      California

14th      Fresno, California

15th      Redding,      California

16th      Eugene /      Portland, Oregon

17th      Seattle,      Washington

18th      Spokane,      Washington

19th      Boise, Idaho

20th      salt Lake City,      Utah

21st      Denver, Colorado

22nd      TBA, Nebraska /      Kansas

23rd      TBA, Iowa

24th      Steger, Illinois

24th   Ft Wayne / South Bend,      Indiana

Babylon, the highly anticipated debut album from MATT SKIBA AND THE SEKRETS came out last week and has debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart.  In addition, Babylon charted as #17 on the Independent Current Albums Chart, #40 on the Top Current Rock Albums Chart, and #121 on the Top 200 Chart.

The 10-track record produced by Cameron Webb [30 Seconds To Mars, Social Distortion, Pennywise] brings an engaging new musical twist, best described by Alternative Press Magazine as “…a textured record that combines Skiba’s trademark dark-tinged punk sensibilities with an electronic edge inspired by ’80s new wave.”  AMP Magazine says with Babylon, Matt Skiba has taken the time to “channel his inner Bowie,” and UnderTheGunReview.net declares the album “a testament to Skiba’s talents.”

A trooper, a vagabond, a minstrel and an artist – over the course of fifteen years and eight full-length albums as the lead singer/songwriter for Chicago’s Alkaline Trio, Matt Skiba has been all of these things.  Touring the world, his heart on his sleeve, Skiba has consistently penned some of the great dark pop anthems of the past decade. Skiba is an icon of the outsider and has remained a singular voice of a sub-genre he helped to create.

In support of the release, MATT SKIBA AND THE SEKRETS will be headlining their first-ever tour this June.  A list of dates can be seen below.

For more information on MATT SKIBA AND THE SEKRETS, please visit:

www.facebook.com/mattskibaandthesekrets

www.superballmusic.com

Headlining Tour Dates:

06/07/2012 – Chicago, IL @ The Metro

06/08/2012 – Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop

06/09/2012 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts

06/10/2012 – Washington, DC @ The Black Cat

06/12/2012 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East

06/13/2012 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Bell House

06/20/2012 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill

06/22/2012 – West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour

06/23/2012 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues

06/24/2012 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House

Just one week remains until the release of North Carolina powerhouse TO SPEAK OF WOLVES’ ferocious new album, Find Your Worth, Come Home, already praised by heavy music tastemaker Revolver as “sweeping, anthemic metalcore.” Two days after releasing the album’s first epic video, the band is teasing fans with the debut of a fourth track from the anticipated album, “A Simple Thought That Changed Everything.”

Listen to ‘A Simple Thought That Changed Everything’:

http://blpr.co/TSOWASimpleThought

“‘A Simple Thought…’ is a pretty different song for us as it is all singing,” says drummer Phil Chamberlain. “We wanted to try something different and we wanted to share this song to show a different aspect of the record that we haven’t previewed yet.”

“It was very exciting to record,” says vocalist Gage Speas of the new track. “I was really nervous because I had never just sang in a song. So it was something very new to me. In the end I was really stoked about the way it turned out. These are some of my favorite lyrics I’ve ever written!”

The premiere of ‘A Simple Thought…’ comes hot on the heels of the release of the band’s video for standout track ‘Je Suis Fini’ which premiered Monday. The video presents a modern take on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, in which a patient realizes that what she perceives as reality is far from the truth, and that she must escape her surroundings at any and all costs.

Watch the video for ‘Je Suis Fini’ now:
http://blpr.co/TSOWJeSusiFiniVid

The band is currently is currently in the midst of a U.S. headlining tour in support of the album, presented by Evolve Over Hate clothing and Substream Music Press. The tour, which started earlier this month, stretches through June 2 with support from HARP & LYRE. Joining the bands on select dates are  FALLSTAR (May 18-21), LIONS! TIGERS! BEARS! (May 22-26), and SET THE SUN (May 28-Jun 2).

Find Your Worth, Come Home sees the band’s revitalized lineup reaching into darker, heavier and faster territory. The sophomore album is follow-up to TO SPEAK OF WOLVES’ heralded 2010 debut, Myself < Letting Go, which catapulted the band onto the national stage with its road-rash riffage and soaring, arena-worthy choruses. Relentless touring alongside likeminded bands such as UNDER0ATH, AUGUST BURNS RED and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME underscored the fact that the Greensboro, NC quintet were a force to be reckoned with. The band quickly became a beacon within the hard rock and metalcore scene, despite – or perhaps because of – their unwillingness to become yet another facsimile spewing forth endless breakdowns and Auto-Tuned choruses. TO SPEAK OF WOLVES refused to do either, and fans loved them all the more for it. While fans will continue love those same aspects of the band’s musical personality, Find Your Worth is an album of rediscovery, one that freshly stamps what TO SPEAK OF WOLVES is about, from its title on down.
 

Evolve Over Hate & Substream Music Press Present:
Find Your Worth Tour with TO SPEAK OF WOLVES, HARP & LYRE

May 17 Boise, ID @ The Venue

May 18 Centralia, WA @ Quesadilla Factory *

May 20 Camas, WA @ Revolution Room *

May 23 Las Vegas, NV @ The Sanctuary **

May 25 Canoga Park, CA @ Cobalt Cafe **

May 27 Albuquerque, NM @ Amped Performance Center

May 28 Amarillo, TX @ Vintin ***

May 30 Victoria, TX @ Downtown Bar and Grill ***

May 31 Athens, TX @ Church of Nazarene ***

Jun 1 Dallas, TX @ Sons of Herman Hall ***

Jun 2 Oklahoma City, OK @ Frontline Church ***

* With FALLSTAR

** With LIONS! TIGERS! BEARS!

*** With SET THE SUN

Additional Upcoming Dates

Jun 15 Stone Mountain, GA @ ATLANTA FEST

Jun 22 Wilmore, KY @ ICTHUS FESTIVAL

Jun 23 Mineral City, OH @ Alive Festival

Jul 11 Oshkosh, WI @ Lifest

Aug 2 Gilford, NH @ Soulfest

Aug 7 Darien Center, NY @ Kingdombound Festival

Aug 11 Muskegon, MI @ Unity Music Festival

Sep 15 Shippensburg, PA@ Uprise Music Festival

The American rock band, Via Coma, will be releasing their debut album, Figures, on June 12^th. The album was produced by Aaron Lunsford and Cody Bonnette of the band, As Cities Burn/Hawkboy, mixed by Ryan John and mastered by Mike Kalajian (Moving Mountains, Ace Enders and A Million Different People, The Audition) at Telegraph Recording. Drawing resemblance from the likes of Thrice, Muse and The Mars Volta, this is without a doubt a highly anticipated album for Summer 2012.

Teenage rock sensations Cherri Bomb’s debut album, This Is The End Of  Control, is out today and available now oniTunes. The  album is also streaming in full via theOfficial Listening Party. The album features  “Let it Go,”  as well as “Shake the Ground,” which has abrand new  lyrics video and also appears on Avengers Assemble, the official  companion album to the blockbuster film The Avengers.

Managed by ex-Hole drummer Samantha Maloney, Cherri Bomb have won the hearts  of rock enthusiasts of all ages, including Revolver Magazinewho called  the album, “a defiant blast of teenage rebellion that suggests a cross between  Halestorm and the Foo Fighters.” The girls will be hitting the road in support  of the album, including a stop at the Bamboozle Festival in Asbury Park, NJ this  Saturday, May 19th, as well as a string of Warped Tour dates starting in Darien,  NY on July 17th.

For more on Cherri Bomb, including full tour schedule, visit their official site at www.cherribombband.com.