(PR) Naked Raygun announce east coast dates and a 7" vinyl series this fall. They recently made their first trip into a recording studio in over a decade (this is the first new material since 1992 and first recording since 1997), tracking at Transient Sound in Chicago. The songs will be released as a series of 7" records, the first of which is available for presale at RiotFest.org – fans will receive exclusive free stuff and mp3 download card with early purchase. The band plans East Coast dates in September; will headline Riot Fest Chicago in October before getting down to work on their new album, due in 2010.
The tour hits cities Naked Raygun hasn't played in almost twenty years; joining them on the tour are Philadelphia hardcore stars Paint It Black and Chicago's own Shot Baker.
Easily the most influential band bursting forth from the initial Chicago punk rock explosion, Naked Raygun also holds the distinction of being the longest running. When many of their peers were either breaking up or going metal in the mid-to-late 1980s, Naked Raygun soldiered on with their trademark sound, combining infectious vocal melodies with muscular guitar and a precision rhythm section. Echoes of the golden era of Raygun sound can be heard in punk rock circles worldwide.
The band broke up in 1992 and save for a one-off reunion in 1997 to celebrate the release of the Last of the Demohicans collection, stayed inactive while band members tended to family business and occasionally other musical projects such as The Bomb and Pegboy.
In the fall of 2006 drummer Eric Spicer began to get the itch to play the old songs again and gathered the guys together again to reunite for Riot Fest in Chicago. The overwhelming response from the sold out crowd of four thousand prompted Naked Raygun to re-form permanently with their final lineup of Spicer, Bill Stephens on guitar, Pierre Kezdy on bass and Jeff Pezzati on vocals.
Naked Raygun returned to action by playing shows across the Midwest and embarking on their first West Coast tour in over a decade with Bay Area legends the Swingin' Utters. The band also released their first DVD via Riot Fest Records, entitled "What Poor Gods We Do Make." The CD/DVD package combined a documentary covering the lifespan of the band with performances from their sold out performance at Riot Fest 2006.
During a recent two night stand at the House of Blues in Chicago, Naked Raygun debuted their first new songs in seventeen years. Met with a reaction of surprise and elation from the slam dancing crowd, both songs embody the classic "Chicago Sound" that Naked Raygun first defined more than twenty years ago.
Naked Raygun East Coast Tour
September 9, 2009
The Mideast (Cambridge, MA)
with Paint it Black, Shot Baker
18+ - tickets $15.00 – Showtime TBA
http://www.mideastclub.com/
September 10, 2009
First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA)
with Paint It Black, Shot Baker
7:30pm - $12.00 – all ages
http://www.r5productions.com/
September 11, 2009
Ottobar (Baltimore, MD)
with Paint It Black, Shot Baker
Doors 7pm Show 8pm - $15.00adv $17.00 doors – all ages
www.ottobar.com
September 12, 2009
The Music Hall of Williamsburg (Brooklyn, NY)
with Paint It Black, Shot Baker
Show 8pm, $15.00 – 16 and over
http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com/search
September 13, 2009
Maxwell's (Hoboken, NJ)
with Paint It Black, Shot Baker
Show 8pm Tickets $15.00 adv $17.00 doors
http://www.maxwellsnj.com/