KING’S X

It’s “The Return of American Rock Royalty.” World Management is happy to announce that rock legends Kings X are going back on the road this summer in support of their latest CD, “XV.” The band is also playing as special guest on some shows this September with “Porcupine Tree.” You can catch King’s X, recently returned from a sold-out European tour, at the ADC in Southbridge on August 15 and on September 27 at House of Blues in Boston.

kingsxrocks.com

ROBERT GLASPER

Pianist Robert Glasper presents both sides of his musical persona with Double-Booked, his third album for Blue Note Records, which will be released on August 25. The album bridges Glasper’s parallel careers as the leader of an acclaimed jazz trio and a first-call sideman with hip-hop artists such as Mos Def, Q Tip and The Roots. Moving nimbly from the acoustic Robert Glasper Trio to the hip-hop fusion Robert Glasper Experiment, the young keyboardist puts his versatility front and center. Special guests on the album include vocalist Bilal and a cameo appearance from rapper Mos Def.

Glasper will also be touring this summer as a member of R&B singer Maxwell’s band. Maxwell kicked off his 2009 North American tour on June 17. More information about tour dates can be found at www.myspace.com/maxwell.

Charred Walls of the Damned

Metal Blade Records is proud to announce the signing of Richard Christy’s new project, Charred Walls of the Damned! This newly formed outfit features some of the most talented musicians in metal. Their collective experience is colossal and their musical pedigrees speak (loudly!) for themselves.

Founder Richard Christy comments: “To be a part of the Metal Blade family is such an honor. I’ve been a fan of the label since I was an eleven year old kid ordering Metal Massacre cassettes through the mail. It’s so amazing to be label mates with some of my all time favorite metal bands like Amon Amarth, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Cannibal Corpse, and Lizzy Borden, just to name a few! Brian Slagel is a true metal legend and I’m honored to be a part of his label. I’m beyond excited to get back into the studio and make some crushing Heavy Metal with my friends!”

Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel adds: “We are very happy to welcome Richard Christy and his band Charred Walls of the Damned to the Metal Blade Family. In addition to his duties on the Howard Stern show, Richard has had a great career in metal. He has put together a really great new band with some of metal’s most talented artists and we can’t wait to have everyone hear it.”

In the Spring of 2009, Richard Christy, former drummer for Death and Iced Earth, finished writing the music for a new project. The music for album began to take shape roughly two years ago, after several years of Richard being on a musical hiatus. And though Richard is mostly known for his drumming prowess, he has also actively played guitar since 1992. The project would come to be named Charred Walls of the Damned.

Upon completing the music for the album in 2009, Richard began to put together his dream band of musicians whom he considers to be some of the best in the world. Included in this musical collective is famed producer Jason Suecof, who has produced and/or mixed some of the most prominent albums from metal’s leading bands, including Trivium, All That Remains, Bury Your Dead, August Burns Red, The Black Dahlia Murder, Daath, Chimaira, DevilDriver, God Forbid and many, many more. Richard and Jason have been friends for over ten years and wrote music together for years while Richard resided in Florida. On vocals for Charred Walls of the Damned will be none other than legendary metal vocalist, Tim “Ripper” Owens. Richard and Tim played together in Iced Earth from 2003 to 2004. Tim “Ripper” Owens’ first and most well known gig was with metal legends, Judas Priest. He currently performs with Beyond Fear and Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force. On bass guitar for Charred Walls of the Damned will be one of metal’s most heralded bassists, Steve Digiorgio. Richard and Steve played together in the bands Control Denied and Iced Earth. DiGiorgio has also performed with Death, Autopsy, Control Denied, Testament, Vintersorg, Iced Earth, and is a founding member of technical thrash pioneers, Sadus. He is widely renowned for his technical skills, and is one of the very few bass players in the metal scene who plays fretless bass.

Look for a full length album (along with a Myspace page) by Charred Walls of the Damned this fall.

www.RichardChristy.com www.myspace.com/richardchristy69

DIRGE WITHIN

Chicago-based metal band Dirge Within has signed a worldwide, multi album deal with E1 Music, joining label mates High on Fire, Hatebreed, In Flames, Satyricon, Burning Human and others. The band has also entered into a worldwide co-publishing deal and exclusive administration deal.

Dirge Within features Jerms (vocals), Shaun Glass (guitar), Jimmy Knight (drums), Brian Paz (bass) and Matt Szlachta (guitar). The band’s debut album will be released on September 1, 2009 and they are currently touring nationally with Static X.

Shaun Glass of Dirge Within says, “We are ecstatic to be part of the new E1 family, joining a roster of wicked bands and having a metal brother like the one and only Scott Givens as our artist relations guy is amazing. We are mega excited to be working with such amazing people at our new home.”

VP of Metal Scott Givens adds, “Dirge Within are in my opinion one of the true leaders of a new wave of American Metal and I couldn’t be happier to add them to E1 MUSIC’s constantly growing metal roster.” Dirge Within has so far played shows alongside acts such as God Forbid, Nile, Death Angel and Prong. They were proud to be part of the last year’s Jagermeister Music Tour with Hatebreed, Type O Negative, 3 Inches of Blood, Dope and Kittie.

Check out the video teaser for the album at www.vision4films.com/AE/preview.html

For more information, please visit www.myspace.com/dirgewithin where you can also see DirgeTV video blog updates as they’re posted!

THE LOVELY FEATHERS

In 2006, The Lovely Feathers released their debut album Hind Hind Legs and quickly climbed the ranks of the indie-pop realm. The band found themselves right at home next to Unicorns alums Islands on the Equator Records roster and their manic, synth fused sing-alongs brought a parade of raves from scribes at Pitchfork, SPIN, and Rolling Stone among others. The title of Next Big Canadian Band began popping up more frequently than not and soon enough Metric tapped the band to join them on a world tour. Then somehow the road that they were walking down changed direction – someone fell in love, someone went abroad, someone went back to school – and they took on the status of “indefinite hiatus.”

With reinvigorated energy and refocused minds, the band comfortably eased into a creative groove together with each new step along their songwriting process. They experimented with low cost tape recordings, transformed dining rooms into recording studios, and wrote music at anytime, anywhere and have emerged wiser and armed with a dynamic and expressive album.

Fantasy of the Lot is out August 18^th on Sparks Music/Tommy Boy. Head over to www.thelovelyfeathers.com or www.myspace.com/thelovelyfeathers for the most up to date info and new tour announcements.

Attitudinal, artistic, freakish, creative, obnoxious, ingenious, roguish ~ these are but a few of the printable adjectives for NY-based rabble-rousers Sweet Cyanide. The quartet create singular hard rock that’s not retro homage, but great, timeless pop-based songs with a heavy, dark modern twist… that’s often twisted.

As singer/guitarist Sal Scoca states, “I want Sweet Cyanide to sound like we just got dropped here from space. As a kid, I really believed KISS was KISS and Bowie was his persona. I want people to feel that strongly about the uniqueness and power of Sweet Cyanide.” Scoca, a Bronx-bred music obsessive, worships theatrical, before-his-time rock like ELO, early Alice Cooper, and T. Rex, and is joined by kindred spirits on both the musical and decadence level: if New York had a Sunset Strip rock scene, Sweet Cyanide would be its Guns N’ Roses, circa 1987.

Sweet Cyanide was spawned in late 2008 in an explosive collision of two respected NYC bands ~ Crashbox (featuring Scoca and bassist Angelo Fariello) and Moment Theory, with drummer Mike Bambace and guitarist Joe Salvatore. Musical savant Scoca has absorbed everything from Marilyn Manson, Billy Joel to Saigon Kick and the Kinks, creating exceptional, timeless songs with an approach that’s at once cohesive and dramatic. There’s room for everything from soulful female vocals to kazoo solos to boozy, valium-influenced lyrical introspection. In fact, Sweet Cyanide’s self-titled 10-song debut kicks off with the self-referential “Crash Theory,” honoring the band’s creation with dynamic, propulsive heavy rock, scorching solos, and even a Middle Eastern moment.

For more on Sweet Cyanide, to join their “Sinners Club,” and to hear “Crash Theory,” hit www.sweetcyanide.com.

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THREAT SIGNAL

Canadian metallers Threat Signal will release their sophomore album, “Vigilance,” on September 8^th via Nuclear Blast Records. The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Afterlife

02. Through My Eyes

03. The Beginning Of The End

04. United We Stand

05. Beyond Recognition

06. Another Source Of Light

07. Hate Machine

08. Severed

09. Lost

10. Revision

11. In Repair

12. Escape From Reality

13. To Remember

Two songs from the album ~ “Beyond Recognition” and “The Beginning Of The End” ~ are available for streaming on the band’s MySpace page (www.myspace.com/threatsignal).

Threat Signal has just kicked off a headlining tour with The Agonist, Flatline and Thy Will Be Done. Dubbed the Road to Revision, the run will be followed by another headlining trek this July with The Autumn Offering, The Agonist, and Sybreed. During this tour, Threat Signal will be debuting material from Vigilance.

Commented vocalist Jon Howard, “This tour is really special to us because we will be debuting five songs from our new album within an hour-long performance. I’m really excited to see how the fans react to the new material. It’s a very solid tour package with The Agonist, Flatline and Thy Will Be Done, so the show is strong from beginning to end. This will be a heavy, brutal tour with lots of drinks and good times! We’ll have our camera rolling for a DVD so put on your metal face and come rock out.”

In a recent interview with Spine Language blog, Jon Howard stated about Threat Signal’s decision to play new, as-yet-unreleased material as part of the band’s current live performance, “We feel that we’ve been playing the same show for too long. We’ve been playing songs from Under Reprisal for almost five years! The reactions have been amazing so far. Sometimes it feels as if they know the songs already! So with that said we have totally broken the rule. We are playing five songs from the new album, Vigilance, and six from Under Reprisal. So you get a good blend of new and old. I think people are craving new shit, so even if they do stand and nod their head, I don’t care, I know they are just taking it all in!!”

A dangerous new machine has come to life. Combine one of metal’s hungriest young singers, Jon Howard from Threat Signal with gold-selling Fear Factory architects guitarist/bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and drummer Raymond Herrera, and you get Arkaea, a new band that’s volatile, violent and vicious. On cuts like the bludgeoning “My Redemption” and “Awakening,” mechanized thrash riffs and pummeling percussion forge a musical foundation for all-out metallic brutality. Wolbers’ guitars snake through a haze of feedback, while Herrera engages in drum warfare. The grooves hit hard with a piercing precision, and the vocals remain infectious, as each song proves a battle-cry for these musicians. “Gone Too Far” builds with a polyrhythmic, math metal strike, while “Blackened Sky” is a thrashy icepick of a track. Ultimately, this is more than a new machine; it’s a metal revolution.

Howard describes Arkaea’s familiar yet innovative sound: “Chris and Ray have been writing together for many years, so the music does have a lot of Fear Factory elements. However, we’ve been open to trying different things. It basically fuses what I have been doing vocally in Threat Signal with driving Fear Factory rhythms, along with some of our own experimentation. The idea behind the project is to be heavy, but maintain melody at the same time. We have crazy riffs, but some grooving choruses as well. It’s a great mix.” Tracks like “Break the Silence” will no doubt captivate metal fans everywhere, with hard-hitting guitars and huge arena-ready choruses.

The band’s experimentation also proves extremely refreshing. “Gone Tomorrow” is a slow, brooding song that shows Arkaea’s range and diversity by combining ethereal melodies and hypnotic vocals. Wolbers continues, “These songs were designed like the Fear Factory songs that Raymond and I always wrote. However, we’ve been able to push the boundaries and go out of that context, while remaining heavy.”

Howard has been a part of the Fear Factory family ever since Wolbers served as producer for Threat Signal’s debut, Under Reprisal. Given that connection, the chemistry was there the instant the band started jamming. Howard has managed to push himself as a singer with the help of the veteran musicians. “I always try to do new things and experiment with my voice, and this project has been challenging,” says Howard. “It always takes a little time to get comfortable working with new people and a new style of music, but I got over that really fast with Christian and Raymond, and I feel very comfortable where we’re going right now.” That chemistry is instantly undeniable upon first listen, and it is only going to evolve and improve.

In the end, what matters for these musicians is creating metal that will last. Wolbers concludes, “You have to write a lot of songs in life to stumble on those couple that are like ‘Walk.’ Every day, music pours out of us, and we aim to capture it.” Howard concurs: “My goal is to create an album I’m completely proud of, that will last for years and years without getting old: something like a Pantera record, or and early Metallica record.” Let Arkaea’s new machine roll toward the top.

www.myspace.com/arkaeamusic

Acclaimed singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Maia Sharp returns with Echo, her fourth full-length solo album, set for release on August 11^th. The poignant lead single, “John Q. Lonely,” went to radio in mid-June, and it’s one of two album songs that fans can download for free now at legendary producer Don Was’ page on the innovative website www.mydamnchannel.com, Be sure to also check out exclusive video footage of Sharp recording “John Q Lonely” and “Polite Society:”

Sharp initially met Was when Bonnie Raitt asked her to do harmonies on a track for a movie. Maia, who wrote three songs for Raitt’s 2005 album, Souls Alike, and toured with her, joined Was and Raitt in the studio and immediately hit it off with the GRAMMY® award-winning producer, who invited Sharp to take part in a www.mydamnchannel session. Intrigued by the concept ~ an artist records two songs in one day, ending at the stroke of midnight, and the results, no matter how rough, are posted to the site ~ she agreed. The sessions were so successful that Was signed on to produce her new album.

“Maia Sharp is one of America’s great singer-songwriters,” says Was. “Her storytelling runs profound and deep while honoring a pop tradition that urges you to sing along and feel good. Maia sings with an angelic voice that’s shrouded in stark realism and a healthy dose of cynicism…..it’s an exotic cocktail!” – Don Was

Working both alone and with co-writers, Sharp penned Echo’s dozen songs over a period of three years, but recorded them in 12 days at Henson Studios in Hollywood, CA. The brisk collaborative rhythm between Was and Sharp allowed them to capture the moment, leaving room for spontaneity to run its course. Raitt contributes background vocals to “Death By Perfection” and drummer Jim Keltner (who’s played on albums by artists ranging from George Harrison, John Lennon and Joni Mitchell to Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright and Fiona Apple) joins Sharp on all 12 tracks.

From “Polite Society,” a raunchy anthem that might have sprung from some communion between Carole King and Neil Young, to the wry ironies woven through the wordplay of “Whole Flat World” and the stark candor of “The Girl on Her Way,” Echo celebrates humanity without brushing its flaws under the rug. “There’s a common thread of flaw and imperfection, recognition and then celebration,” says Sharp. “Perfection is highly overrated, and, I’m betting, pretty boring. It took me a while to get here but I’m okay that I’m not perfect.”

Raised in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, Sharp studied piano, guitar and saxophone and began performing original material in local clubs at a young age. She won significant critical notice and radio airplay with her first album, Hardly Glamour (Ark 21), in 1997, which was followed by her 2002 self-titled album (Concord) and 2005’s Fine Upstanding Citizen (KOCH).

No Depression observed: “Sharp’s free-wheeling approach recalls the spirit of Dylan’s pre-motorcycle crash songs” while Performing Songwriter called her “one of the smartest songwriters out there.” “Sharp wields her crisp, alluring choruses like a temptress,” said Billboard. “Her tear-soaked lyrics and high-cresting melody conspire for a finely crafted lesson on invincible pop.”

Her compositions have been recorded by the Dixie Chicks, Bonnie Raitt, Cher, Mindy Smith, Kim Richey, Edwin McCain, Lisa Loeb, Trisha Yearwood and many others, and in 2005 she also collaborated with Art Garfunkel and Buddy Mondlock on the exquisite Everything Waits to Be Noticed (EMI/Manhattan).

Sharp, who opened for and sat in with Raitt on a pair of dates last week, will continue to debut songs from Echo on her upcoming summer tour.

www.maiasharp.com, www.myspace.com/maiasharp

SETH GLIER

MPress Records has just inked a three album deal with 20-year-old pianist/singer-songwriter Seth Glier.

Glier, who hails from Western MA and was recently featured in The Boston Globe for his 100% Fan Funded Tour, is a multi-instrumentalist who has released several DIY projects since his early teens. His combination of raw talent and surprising maturity caught the attention of MPress founder Rachael Sage, who was immediately struck by his prodigious musicianship and sophisticated lyricism.

“Seth’s songwriting is classic, and hearkens back to great piano-based songwriters who broke in the ’70s like Billy Joel and Elton John…but he has an impressive range that grabs new audiences immediately, and his sense of melody is incredibly strong.” After what Sage describes as a “very organic process” ~ including a featured performance slot at the label’s 2009 SXSW showcase ~ she and MPress Label Manager JoJo Gentry decided Seth would be a perfect artist for the MPress roster.

As Gentry observes, “Seth’s songwriting ability is exceptional, and he’s also just a really compassionate, down to earth guy. He leaves his ego at the door, and is all about making a genuine connection with his audience, and taking risks.” MPress will nationally release his self-produced effort, The Trouble with People, this fall.

A seasoned touring artist who has already shared stages with John Mayer, Martin Sexton and Erin McKeown, he’ll tour the East Coast throughout the summer, and will launch his official Release Tour for The Trouble with People in October.

www.sethglier.com

Multi-platinum rockers Collective Soul have revealed the title and track listing to their upcoming Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records debut album Collective Soul (Rabbit). The album, which is scheduled for an August 25^th release date, was recorded at frontman Ed Roland’s Lake House studio and is self-produced.

Collective Soul (Rabbit) track listing is as follows:

Welcome All Again

Fuzzy

Dig

You

My Days

Understanding

Staring Down

She Does

Lighten Up

Love

Hymn For My Father

Globally known for mega-hits such as “Shine,” “December” and “The World I Know,” Collective Soul hails from Atlanta, GA and has produced 7 #1 singles and sold over 10 million records. The band broke into mainstream popularity with their 1993 debut album Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid. Their self-titled second album arrived the following year and logged a 76-week run on the Billboard Top 200. 1999’s critically acclaimed Dosage saw Collective Soul further its run as rock radio superstars. The first single “Heavy” set a new high mark for 15-weeks at #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. “Tremble For My Beloved” also appears on the gold-certified soundtrack for the hit film Twilight.

www.collectivesoul.com

WILD LIGHTS

Wild Light’s highly successful 2009 kept going strong this summer as the band announced that they were tapped to play select dates with Jakob Dylan’s band The Wallflowers this July and August in addition to their coast to coast 13-date tour with Brooklyn based outfit stellastarr*. The announcement comes on the heels of a highly successful tour as main support for Doves, which found the band performing at many large and packed-to-capacity venues including The Wiltern in LA, The Vic Theater in Chicago and Terminal 5 in New York City, among others.

The band ~ Jordan Alexander, Timothy Kyle, Seth Pitman, and Seth Kasper ~ kicked off the year with a bang in January when they embarked on a three month tour with Tapes N Tapes in anticipation of the release of their debut album Adult Nights (StarTime International/Columbia) in March. The album wowed critics and fans alike and earned raves from numerous publications including LA Times, Rolling Stone, SPIN and Paste Magazine, among others. Immediately after the release, the band descended upon the annual SXSW Music Festival in Austin TX to play a string of extremely well received performances and then headed out on the road in the highly coveted main supporting slot for The Killers in April and May.

If you have yet to see Wild Light live don’t miss out this time around when they perform in support of The Wallflowers on August 14^th at the Lowell Summer Music Series. And be sure to check out www.myspace.com/wildlight for more on the band and the tour.

ONE EskimO

Shangri-La Music recording group One eskimO has announced the upcoming release of its self-titled debut: the collection arrives on September 22 and the London-based band was hand picked by Tori Amos to open for her on this upcoming North American tour that hits the Bank of America Pavilion on August 17. The brainchild of singer/songwriter Kristian Leontiou, One eskimO arrives with an impressive breadth of imagination that instantly marks them as something extraordinary. Produced by Rollo Armstrong (Faithless, Dido), the music is an ambitious and affecting collection of widescreen modern pop, alive with iridescent textures and intricately crafted songcraft. Songs like “Hometime” and “Kandi” (featuring an indelible chorus sampled from Candi Staton’s classic “He Called Me Baby”) are moving and expressive, touching upon such universal themes as love and heartbreak, success and failure. The band’s “Givin Up” has already been featured on Los Angeles’ KCRW and was a “Song of the Day” pick at kcrw.com/music/programs/tu/tu090512one_eskimo_given_up.

What’s more, the release comes in tandem with a full-length animated film (Passion Pictures) in which the band members are represented by a delightfully drawn line-up of anthropomorphized animals, with Leontiou himself presented as the lonely Eskimo of the group’s moniker. One eskimO‘s unorthodox self-visualization adds idiosyncratic color and character to a captivating musical work already abounding with invention and emotion. The animation that accompanies the song “Hometime” has proven an international sensation, receiving numerous honors at film festivals around the world, not to mention a 2008 British Animation Award. In addition, the song – written while Leontiou recuperated from a snowboarding mishap in the Alps – was featured in Toyota’s environmentally aware “Why Not?” campaign. One eskimO has also drawn bountiful critical acclaim for both its recorded work and its inspired live show. Uncut declared the self-titled CD to be “naively charming,” going on to praise its “beguiling melodies and quaint atmospherics.” “The vibe was warm and cozy, and the vocals beautifully clear and soulful. The sound was so perfect that at times I wondered if we were listening to a recording, but then the scratch of a drum or the intake of a breath provided a reality check. It didn’t take long to be immersed in the One eskimO world,” wrote The Independent of a recent live performance. The article went on to laud One EskimO as “truly refreshing and utterly talented. Well worth investigating.”

www.myspace.com/oneeskimo, www.oneeskimo.net

CALLAHAN

Callahan has just released a brand new song entitled “The Dive” from its upcoming Summer Sampler EP on its Myspace page at www.myspace.com/callahanlovesyou. The band’s upcoming release went on sale August 24.

Hailing from Springfield, Ohio, Callahan is an energetic band who strives to separate itself from the standard formula of pop-punk and has quickly caught the attention of the music industry.

The band’s last release, Face the Day, was produced by Joey Sturgis (The Devil Wears Prada, Attack Attack!, Let Get It) received critical praise from such places such as The Daily Chorus, Absolute Punk, Purevolume, Alternative Press Magazine, Substream Magazine, and Fearless Radio. In addition, the band managed on several occasions to be the #1 unsigned band in the country according to the Purevolume charts. The album is still a top seller at Smartpunk.com and the band has managed to get their CD and merchandise into Hot Topic stores.

Founded by childhood friends, drummer Wes Comer, guitarist Brad Comer, and bassist Jake Sims, the addition of vocalist Ryan Clay proved a perfect match as the band immediately meshed together a unique blend of genres. Callahan’s highly anticipated follow up to Face The Day will be released on August 24. Summer Sampler showcases the band’s growth as musicians, yet still keeps that vibrant the sound that their fans have come to know and love intact.

www.myspace.com/callahanlovesyou