Steve Vai Announces Where The Wild Things Are

"When I put a band and a show together I try to create an entertainment experience that I would like to have if I was sitting in the audience," explains Vai. "I like to witness great musicianship but nothing too cerebral or overindulgent, I like to be stimulated by a large dynamic range of emotional intensities and melodic richness, I enjoy when people love their instrument and it shows by their oneness with it, I like to feel as though I'm part of a family with the audience and the band, and I like to walk away feeling uplifted and not beat up by somebody's ego or the things they hate about themselves and the world. And of course I want a cool t-shirt." - more on this story

Guster Anniversary Tour

PR reports: Boston-bred band Guster have just announced their nine-date headline tour, Lost & Gone Forever Ten Year Anniversary Tour, which will kick off 10/28 in Charlotte, NC and wrap on 11/27 at the Beacon Theater in New York. This anniversary tour will be Guster's only headline dates of this year.

Ten years have passed since the band's critically acclaimed release of Lost and Gone Forever which in their words "helped us graduate from our van to a bus". These nine very special evenings with Guster will include two sets, one of which will be the album in its entirety and no opening act.

Guster has specially chosen each venue as they have historical significance to the group. Higher Ground in Vermont (now in new location) was where they launched the original "Lost & Gone Forever" tour. Ten years ago at the Orpheum, in Boston, Guster put on an epic Halloween show wearing tuxes and pretending it was New Year's Eve, Y2K. The Beacon in New York harkens back to a time when they played Thanksgiving Weekend in NYC five years in a row. - more on this story

Rob Thomas Taps OneRepublic For Tour Support

PR reports: In 2007, after seven years together as a band, OneRepublic took the world by storm with their debut Mosley Music Group/Interscope Records release Dreaming Out Loud. The album included the smash first single "Apologize" which shattered digital sales and airplay records worldwide, and along with second single "Stop And Stare" propelled the album to platinum plus sales. Now the boys from Denver are gearing up to join Rob Thomas on tour beginning September 23rd at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, FL (see below for complete itinerary) as they put the finishing touches on their new album which will be released this fall.

OneRepublic has been recording in their home town of Denver, CO. Tedder, an accomplished producer in his own right, and one of the most sought after songwriters of today, has penned and produced hit singles for the likes of Leona Lewis, Beyonce, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Lopez and Natasha Bedingfield and is currently working with Carrie Underwood, Rhianna, Adam Lambert and Rascal Flatts. Naturally he was up for producing duties on his band's new album.

OneRepublic is Ryan Tedder (songwriter/vocals/keyboard) Zach Filkins (guitar), Drew Brown (guitar), Brent Kutzle (bass, cello), and Eddie Fisher (drums). In addition to their success here in the states, OneRepublic also has tremendous international success achieving gold record status in 12 countries. They have shared the stage with acts such as Lenny Kravitz, The Verve, and Muse at various music festivals around the world. - more on this story

AM Returns with Future Sons & Daughters

PR reports: Los Angeles-based indie songwriter AM is gearing up for the release of his sophomore album, Future Sons & Daughters, due August 11th, 2009 on Filter US Recordings.

Recorded in L.A. and produced by Charles Newman (Magnetic Fields), this release follows his debut, which was declared one of the "Best Albums of the Year," by iTunes and earned him the title of "Best Singer Songwriter of The Year" by the LA Weekly.

For his new album, AM found inspiration in his own extensive 1960s record collection ranging from obscure Brazilian music to Italian soundtracks. Fusing simple, intelligent lyrics, undeniable pop sensibilities and sparse, psychedelic grooves, Future Sons & Daughters strikes a balance between the classic and the modern. - more on this story

Brakesbrakesbrakes Plot U.S. Return

PR reports: Brakesbrakesbrakes have been tremendously busy this year, trekking across Europe and their homeland England, and don't plan to slow down anytime soon.

The UK foursome will return to the U.S. for the first time in more than two years to give American audiences a live dose of their acclaimed new album, Touchdown (FatCat Records).

The blokes will team up with Scottish lads and labelmates The Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks for a stateside blast that will kick off October 1 in Chapel Hill, N.C., and stop in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. before ending in Chicago. - more on this story

The 69 Eyes For Playboy

PR reports: The Helsinki Vampires of The 69 Eyes are planning their first step in world domination by staging the worldwide premiere of their new video for their single "Dead Girls Are Easy" on Playboy.com.

Directed by MTV's gross-out auteur Bam Margera, the video is a vampiric road trip rife with lustful ladies and unwitting male victims. "Dead Girls Are Easy" is taken from their ninth album 'Back In Blood' which was produced by Matt Hyde (Slayer, Monster Magnet) and will be released by The End Records on September 15, 2009.

Aimed at those sleazy online chicks with the looks that kill, "Dead Girls Are Easy" is a tongue-in-cheek power anthem that just begged for a video to complement it. The video follows a coven of tight black leather-clad vampire vixens luring and converting the men with whom they come into contact. "It's almost like vampires are taking over the world," muses singer Jyrki 69. - more on this story

Winds Of Plague Set Album Release

Century Media reports: On August 11th 2009, Winds Of Plague return with their much anticipated new full-length release, The Great Stone War, which is going to quickly propel the band to the forefront of the American metal scene.

The group has crafted their most angst ridden and unrelenting offering of their already stellar career and this effort is going to serve as a much needed wake up call to the masses.

Johnny (vocals) further states: "Anyone that knows me is well aware of my unhealthy obsession with the holiday and the events that surround Halloween. When it came for a cover song selection it was immediately decided that we would go with the song 'Halloween' by the Misfits. Not only is it a timeless classic, but it was a way for us to pay tribute to our friend Glenn Danzig who has been so good to us. Since there are no keyboards in the song we put our keyboardist's (Kristen Randall) voice to use combined with our own WINDS OF PLAGUE twist on the song. We hope you enjoy it and look forward to seeing you all on tour this summer." - more on this story

RX Bandits An Online Hit

PR reports: In the midst of a massive US tour that's seeing most shows sell out weeks in advance, Southern California's multifaceted prog-psych-punk quartet RX Bandits have reached another milestone: #1 Top Selling MP3 Album on Amazon.com.

The long-running band's highly anticipated fifth disc, Mandala won't hit shelves until July 21, 2009. But, thanks to Amazon's special pre-sale the week prior to its official release, RX Bandits fans quickly launched the album to the top of the chart -- out-selling huge artists like the Dead Weather, Daughtry and some guy named Michael Jackson.

Meanwhile, RX Bandits shows continue to sell out on their current U.S. tour, including NYC's Bowery Ballroom two weeks in advance (Irving Plaza is nearly sold out too), House of Blues in Anaheim, et al. Upcoming dates across the east coast are expected to sell out soon. RX Bandits joins co-headliners Dredg for the national tour, with alternating openers Good Old War, Zechs Marquise and As Tall As Lions.
- more on this story

Anchor & Braille Set Release

PR reports: Anchor & Braille gear up to release Felt, out August 4th on WoodWater Records, Stephen Christian's own record label which is distributed by Universal Music. Produced, engineered and mixed by Copeland singer Aaron Marsh and recorded over the course of four years, Felt is the first full-length for Anchor & Braille and the first release for WoodWater Records.

"The songs are mostly songs of regret and heartache, with hopes that each and every one rings of nostalgia and better times for all who listen," says Christian. "These are some of the most painful songs I have ever written but with each song I felt a sense of relief and on some level an almost spiritual repentance and cleansing."

Felt is a bona fide depiction of an artist bursting with an endless supply of aptitude and creative energy. The album's instrumentation and profound lyrics flow beautifully from one song to the next. From finding out we are in a relationship with someone we shouldn't be, the album's contagious "Blur," to contemplations of life in "Rust (the short story of Mary Agnosia)," to the blissful sounds of "Like Steps In A Dance," Felt, has the auditory and sensory feel Christian was hoping to achieve. Christian describes the sound of Felt as "exploring a museum at night with all the lights off. There are moments of mastery on this record, and the closer you study the lyrics, songs, & ethereal layers the more beauty and enjoyment you will get out of it." - more on this story

. Water & Bodies

Here we have the debut EP from Portlands Water & Bodies, a quartet of light piano/guitar indie rockers. All six of these tracks could have been written by any post-Keane/Coldplay/adult-contemporary-light rock band out there right now. (2.5 stars) - Read the full Water & Bodies review

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