Away Team

Maryland rockers CLUTCH will team up with HELLYEAH for a North American co-headlining tour this spring. Both bands will play full headlining sets. The trek kicks off April 13 in Providence, Rhode Island and runs through May 11 in Joliet, Illinois. Throughout the tour, there will also be dates that feature CLUTCH only and HELLYEAH only as well as radio festivals and shows.

The dates are as follows:
Apr. 10 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva (CLUTCH only)
Apr. 11 – Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club (CLUTCH only)
Apr. 12 – Albany, NY @ Northern Lights Ground (CLUTCH only)
Apr. 13 – Providence, RI @ Lupos
Apr. 14 – Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues
Apr. 15 – Long Island, NY @ Paramount Theater
Apr. 17 – Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theater
Apr. 18 – Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall
Apr. 20 – Traverse City, MI @ Ground Zero
Apr. 21 – Ft. Wayne, IN @ Pierre’s
Apr. 22 – Toledo, OH @ Headliner’s
Apr. 23 – Dayton, OH @ McGuffy’s House of Rock (CLUTCH only)
Apr. 24 – Madison, WI @ Orpheum Theater
Apr. 25 – Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom
Apr. 28 – Lincoln, NE @ Box Awesome’s Bourbon Lounge
Apr. 29 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
May 01 – Springfield, MO @ Gillioz Theater
May 02 – Wichita, KS @ Cotillion
May 03 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom (CLUTCH only)
May 04 – Sauget, IL @ Pops
May 05 – Chattanooga, TN @ Track 29
May 06 – Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theater (CLUTCH only)
May 06 – Atlanta, GA @ WLKS Project Cinco Party (HELLYEAH only)
May 08 – Libertyville, IL @ Austins
May 10 – Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewery (CLUTCH only)
May 11 – Joilet, IL @ Mojoes
May 12 – Detroit, MI @ St Andrews Hall (CLUTCH only)
May 13 – Flint, MI @ Machine Shop (CLUTCH only)
May 19 – Hartford, CT @ WCCC Big Gig (HELLYEAH only)
May 27 – Pryor, OK @ Rocklahoma (HELLYEAH only)

HELLYEAH — featuring Vinnie Paul Abbott (PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN), Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett (MUDVAYNE), Tom Maxwell (NOTHINGFACE) and Bob “Zilla” Kakaha (DAMAGEPLAN) — will release its third album, “Band Of Brothers“, on June 5 via the group’s new label home, Eleven Seven Music. The CD was recorded in Dallas, Texas at Vinnie Paul‘s home studio, VP’s Upstairs Studio, and was produced by the band and Jeremy Parker (GODSMACK, EVANESCENCE), who also served as engineer.

Weathermaker Music has set a February 28 release date for the CLUTCH double vinyl edition of “Blast Tyrant“. This 180-gram expanded vinyl contains 16 songs and includes six mini-posters taken straight from “Blast Tyrant“‘s “Atlas Of The Invisible World“. Each illustrated poster is sized 8.5″ x 11″ and depicts one of the various characters featured within the “Blast Tyrant” storyline. Prior to February 28, the double vinyl edition of “Blast Tyrant” is exclusively available via www.clutchmerch.com.














For more CLUTCH click here.
For more HELLYEAH click here.

Saturday, January 14, 2012 – Baltimore Soundstage, Baltimore, MD
Photos by Marcy J Royce

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Sunday, June 19, 2011
Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD

Photos by Marcy Royce

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Not too many bands take the path that Crossfade has taken and still manage to find success.  The South Carolina natives exploded onto the scene back in 2004, with their hit single “Cold”.  They then further established themselves on the rock radar with the follow up singles “So Far Away” and “Colors”, propelling their self-titled debut to Platinum status.  Two years later the band’s sophomore effort “Falling Away” was released to mixed reviews and mediocre sales.  From there, Crossfade virtually disappeared, it was rumored that the band had been dropped by their label Columbia Records in a disappointing end to a promising career.  Here we are five years later and Ed Sloan and Co. are back with a new label, a new album, and a new lease on life.  I recently had a chance to catch up with Ed to get the skinny on the aptly named forthcoming album, so sit back and join me as a rejuvenated rockstar reminds us that “We All Bleed”.

AWAY-TEAM: I’d like to first congratulate you on the new album “We All Bleed”, which is being released on June 21st.  The album is a little bit of a departure from your signature sound, and the Crossfade that we’re used to.  I noticed that Les had alot more songwriting duties this time around, do you feel like that contributed to your new sound?  What ultimately led you in the direction that you took on this album?

ED SLOAN: Well, I think you definitely hit the nail on the head right there with Les.  Ya know, he really writes alot of dark music, orchestral music, and that definitely added to the darkness of the record.  Plus I think the lyrics are a little bit darker than our typical albums, coming out of a three year touring haze I think made the lyrics come out a bit darker.  But definitely alot of Les in there makes the album much darker than usual.

AWAY-TEAM: It’s been quite a while since you’ve toured full-scale, I actually had the pleasure of seeing you play a free show outside the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa back on April 1st.  I remember thinking to myself, ‘Is this an April Fool’s joke?’  I mean, there was about two dozen people in attendance, and about a dozen full sets of teeth… (laughs)

ED SLOAN:  (laughs) Yeah, you’re right.

AWAY-TEAM:  …it was definitely a rough crowd!  Anyways, aside from that debacle, which to your credit you guys rocked the shit out of as if it were 30,000 people, then of course you just played Rock on the Range, how has the reception been after being gone for so long?

ED SLOAN: Actually it surprised us all, I mean we’ve seen fans from four years ago when we were last on the road.  I’ve seen hundreds of fans that I remember from back then, and a large amount of new fans.  It’s been great, all the shows have been great, and everybody’s just super pumped to hear the old stuff, but also with the new stuff it’s almost like they’ve stolen the record already or something. (laughs)  It’s been received very well from what we’ve seen so far.  After every show we do a signing of course, and there’s been a line out the door for that.  It’s almost like we never left!

AWAY-TEAM: That’s gotta make you feel pretty good.

ED SLOAN: Yeah, no doubt it does.

AWAY-TEAM: Your debut album went platinum, your sophomore effort only sold about 200,000 copies, and then not long after that you were dropped from Columbia Records.  When you first got the news that you were being dropped, what was your initial reaction?  Was it kind of a sense of defeat? Or was it more like ‘Ya know what? Fuck You.  I’m gonna take my shit and go kick ass somewhere else’?

ED SLOAN: It was actually our decision to leave Columbia.  Everybody thinks we got dropped, but they just gave us some stipulations that we wouldn’t deal with.  So we said ‘Screw you!’ and we got out of our contract.  It was definitely a ‘Fuck You’ to them because they were just, at that time the industry was going to shit, and their whole staff was going to shit, and we didn’t want to have to deal with it anymore so we were just elated to get out of our contract with them.  They wouldn’t do shit for us, all they were doing was working to pimp like Beyonce or whatever the big act was they were working with at the time.  That was all they could focus on, they didn’t have the money anymore, or the manpower, so we were glad to get the fuck out of there.

AWAY-TEAM: You were quoted as saying “Music has always been my escape, a friend, but then music became my enemy.” Elaborate on that for me.

ED SLOAN: Well that was after three years of touring, on two records, and being on that record label, and then us leaving them, or them dropping us, however it’s looked at.  Coming home it was kind of a shocker, after three years you gotta piece your life back together.  You gotta find a new place to live, and you realize it’s gonna be another two or three years to write another album, and find a new label to put it out…knowing that I didn’t wanna stop.  It just seemed kinda daunting knowing that what lied ahead of me was two years of writing another record, and finding another label, and all that kind of stuff.  So music just kinda became… for a while there music became something that I didn’t enjoy.  I couldn’t get to my happy spot when I write music, but that only lasted a year or so and then I snapped out of it.  That’s kinda why the album took a little while to get out, but we all got through it together.

AWAY-TEAM: Addiction and personal demons kinda seem to be a common theme on the album, obviously spearheaded by “Dear Cocaine”.  I may be a little bold in my assumption, but we all know “art imitates life”, so what was your “rock bottom” moment?  What prompted you to break from the doldrums of depression and drugs, and whatever else was bothering you at the time?

ED SLOAN: I think it was, I was just not focusing on music at all.  I was just laying around depressed, and not doing much meaningful.  You know, I really don’t know how to answer that because “rock bottom” comes the same for everybody, once you hit it it’s, ya know… well I guess it’s not the same for everybody but for me it turned out to be that I just wouldn’t do shit, just laid around and did anything to keep music off my mind, or my future off of my mind, so…

AWAY-TEAM:  When did you realize it was time to get up and get back to work?

ED SLOAN:  I think as soon as the other guys got in gear.  Ya know, they were all taking time off for other reasons; family, getting their lives back together.  I think as soon as… I lived at our studio where we recorded all of these albums, and I think it was Les started coming in every day and working his ass of ’til like 6:00, putting in like 18 hour days.  Slowly I started hearing some of the stuff he was writing, and it just started to infuse into my soul, and started to wake me up.  Finally I said “This is enough. I’m enjoying what I’m hearing.” so I joined in and started writing songs.  So I think it was just my bandmates kinda kicking me in the ass, ya know.

AWAY-TEAM: Well we’re glad they did it!  So now you’re on Eleven Seven Music, a label which Nikki Sixx presides over.  How long did it take you to land a deal with them? And how did it happen? Was it through an A & R guy? Or was it Nikki, being ever the opportunist, realizing there was a band of your caliber out there without a label?

ED SLOAN: Well, actually it was Allen Kovac, who is the CEO and Founder of that label.  Literally within like two weeks of everybody knowing that we weren’t with Columbia anymore, he called our manager at the time and said “Hey, I’m interested in signing the boys…” At that time, we were like “We’re not even gonna have a record ready for like a year.” ,which wound up being three years.  But Allen Kovac called at least like 6 times a year to find out how the progress was going, and he was very persistent.  Then when it was finally done, obviously he heard the whole record and still wanted to sign us, so it was definitely his persistence that made us realize that they were gonna fight for us and it was gonna be a good home for us.  So his persistence paid off, for them and for us.

AWAY-TEAM:  I know you’ve always produced your own albums, on this album you had a GRAMMY-winning super producer in Ben Grosse doing the mixing duties.  Did you guys pick his brain at all, from a kind of student-mentor standpoint?

ED SLOAN: Oh yeah! (laughs)  Yeah, he’s a great guy.  We were only supposed to be there for like two weeks, and he actually gave us two months.  We’d slowly start to ask him… we recorded the album ourselves, so anytime you get to see a master doing his work, we kinda try to suck the brains dry!  He was very forthcoming with alot of his tricks and gadgetry that makes his records what they are. So we definitely learned alot from him technically as far as recording.

AWAY-TEAM:  Will Hunt was brought on in 2009, many thought he’d end up being your permanent drummer, what happened there?  Was he supposed to just be a session drummer? Or was the intention for him to become a permanent fixture?  What’s the story behind that?

ED SLOAN: I think in the beginning, all throughout the writing of the album, you know we wrote the album with digital drums, and then we were like “Okay, at some point we’re gonna go into the studio, and at some point we’re gonna go on tour.  We have to get a full time drummer.” And that drummer was gonna be in the band, and Will was down with it, but he’d always have side projects.  Ya know between Evanescence, Black Label Society, Dark New Day, just all these different bands he plays with so the timing wasn’t right.  So he was able to come in and record the album, but because it was shelved for 6-8 months I think Will had to make a decision.  Ya know, “I’ve gotta go out and make money. I gotta do what’s right for my family, so we’ll see what happens when the record comes out.” During that time, we started auditioning new drummers knowing that Will probably wasn’t gonna be able to do it, and we found Mark Castillo from Boston who’s in the band now and plays live with us.  But it was completely amicable, it was just because the record was taking so long to come out that he had to go do his thing, ya know.

AWAY-TEAM: Right.  Mark was brought into the fold last year, and I understand there’s a bit of a funny story as to how he was welcomed into the band.  Tell me about that.

ED SLOAN: (laughs)  Well he drove 18 hours down from Boston, or 12 hours, whatever it is, and we hung out with him for a couple of days, and played 3 or 4 songs with him, jammed with him as far as auditioning him.  And we had him film himself coming down here, and we were like “Look man, if this works out we’d like to have some footage of the trip down.” And when he left, he filmed himself the whole way back.  So when we’re in the editing room making the webisode, we’ve got Mark coming down and him playing, then we’ve got Mark driving 18 hours back up to Boston, and then he pulls into his driveway saying “Thank God, I’m finally home!” and then at the end it shows “Welcome to Crossfade Mark Castillo.  If you ever try to leave us, we will kill you!” And I believe we said “Hey man, there’s a new webisode out.  You may wanna go to your computer and check it out.” Right when he got home he found out he was a member of the band that way, and I think he got kind of a shocker out of that instead of us just calling him to tell him he was in the band.  (Scroll down to see the webisode)

AWAY-TEAM: (Laughs)  That’s great, I love it!  You in particular have listed James Hetfield and Metallica as one of your greatest influences.  So based on content, compare your albums with their closest related Metallica album.

ED SLOAN: Our first record, to me anyway, I think is alot like The Black Album, because the messages were real dark, and it’s also got alot of heartfelt songs and lyrics on it.  And I think this new album is a little bit more like Master of Puppets, it’s darker and heavier, and still the same type messages that Metallica and Hetfield have always had.  But you know how Master of Puppets was a little more layered, a little tighter, a little more musicianship going on.  I think this one is comparable to that.  I mean I would never compare our stuff to Metallica’s integrity wise, I mean I would but… (laughs)

AWAY-TEAM: Well don’t take offense to this, hear me out on this one.  I think this one is closer to a St. Anger, and it’s not just, ya know, I think it’s a shitty album.  I think that you can draw some parallels to James just overcoming some of his personal demons, and the change in the signature sound, it just seems to have that parallel.

ED SLOAN: I got ya.  I can feel you on that.  You know that was definitely a 180 for them, ya know.  I don’t think we’ve quite done a 180 on this one, but I do feel you on the similarities of that change.  I guess, sonically their change was so crazy, such a 180, that’s the only thing I would differ with on that statement.

AWAY-TEAM: On that same tangent, I think you may have answered this already, but do you worry about rejection from your die hard fans?

ED SLOAN: Not at all actually.  Because I don’t think that it’s changed dramatically, I think it’s just been elevated.  It’s still Crossfade, it’s still the things that I think attracted people in the first place, I think are on this album.  It just may be a little heavier, although we do think that the messages, and the feeling, and the soulfulness and the darkness is still what people associate with Crossfade, at least that’s what I think.  Songs that are backdrops to their lives, songs that you can ride around in the car and be pissed the fuck off, and I think that’s the same with this album.  Ya know every album you lose fans, you gain fans, but I think we’re gonna have a winner here, so.

AWAY-TEAM: You landed your first deal through an online A&R firm called TAXI, you had actually gotten to the point where you were actually submitted country music on there in the hopes of getting signed.  Were those some of the songs that we now know as Crossfade? Or do you have some hidden gems, and a future as a country songwriter?

ED SLOAN: (laughs)  Yeah, actually I’ve got 40 or 50 songs that I’ve written that would never be qualified as Crossfade songs. (laughs) I’ve written almost an entire country album, I wouldn’t call it country, it’s more some of it’s pop… well ya know, it’s pop, it’s country, I mean I’ve written everything.  During those years I was actually sort of a musical slut, I’d write anything I could just to get the attention of somebody, anybody.  So I’ve definitely got a catalog of all kinds of strange music, including country. (laughs)

AWAY-TEAM: Well there’s another case where the persistence paid off huh?

ED SLOAN: Absolutely.

AWAY-TEAM: Well Ed, it’s been an extreme pleasure.  Thank you so much for giving me your time.  Best of luck with the album.  It’s great to see you guys back out there doing what you do best.  I look forward to seeing you next time you make your way back through my neck of the woods.

ED SLOAN: Thank You!  I appreciate you including us in your thang!

AWAY-TEAM: Well thanks again.  Hope to see you soon.  Take care.

ED SLOAN: Sounds good.  Bye.

Crossfade will be part of the Rock Allegiance Tour with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, P.O.D., Puddle of Mudd, Red, and Drive A which kicks off this August.  For all things Crossfade including tour dates and to purchase music click here.

Special thanks to Ed Sloan for so graciously giving me his time, and to Tim Tatulli at ‘Stache Media for making it all happen.

CROSSFADE

We All Bleed

Eleven Seven Music

2 out of 10








Crossfade came on the radar of most of our consciences in 2005 when their first single ‘Cold’ took over every Active Rock station on the FM dial (and Sirius/XM too). Cold was a catchy Modern Rock tune that earned the South Carolina boys some well deserved attention.

Their second album Falling Away failed to capitalize on the buzz they had created and they were dropped by their major label in 2006.

Five years later Crossfade returns with We All Bleed on Eleven Seven Music.

The story of the last five years of their singer Ed Sloan would make for a great album if it were put into good songs. Way too many noises and processes in the music is a cheap attempt at hiding simply poor songwriting. If you are a live rock band, I want to know how you are going to play all these noises and effects on stage and make it appear you aren’t playing to tape?

Crossfade is not a progressive rock band. And they do not have the chops or songwriting ability to try and pretend to be. If you want the music to be druggy and edgy like you hear in your head as you are battling your personal demons and now trying to capitalize on them on record, let me help you.

Write a good song first. Add the trippy effects AFTER the song is GOOD. Don’t try to make a crap sandwich a shiny crap sandwich. Because it will taste like shit no matter how much you try to polish it. And a turd album will still leave shit in your ears no matter how much you try and put ‘cool’ noises in it.

More power to Ed Sloan for returning from his own personal brink and being able to turn himself around and attempt to continue his dream in music. But while this album may be his most personal and honest one, that sadly does not automatically make it good.

For more CROSSFADE click here.

Valleyheart, the third album by alternative rock outfit She Wants Revenge, was released, May 23rd on Five Seven Records, a division of Eleven Seven Music. Valleyheart is a musical love letter to the band’s West Coast upbringing, and is a refreshed and inspired body of work that serves as their defining musical statement. The album is currently streaming in full on She Wants Revenge‘s Facebook page, in addition to AOL Music and MSN Music. An exclusive look at the making of Valleyheart premiered today on ArtistDirect.com.

For She Wants Revenge‘s core duo of Justin Warfield (vocals/guitars/programming) )and Adam Bravin (bass/keyboards/sounds/tones), years of living on the road caused them to look homeward to the neighborhood they both grew up in, Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley. Now, She Wants Revenge has emerged with an album that shakes off their influences, establishing them as a creative force to be reckoned with while also proving that, in fact, you can go home again.

In support of Valleyheart, the band has hit the road for a headlining tour with support from Nico Vega. The tour kicked off May 13th in Kansas City, MO at The Midland and wraps up on June 19th with a show at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA.

She Wants Revenge:
Justin Warfield – Vocals/guitars/programming
Adam Bravin – Bass/keyboards/sounds/tones
Scott Ellis – Drums
Thomas Froggatt – Guitars

She Wants Revenge tour dates:
5/23 The Roxy (Los Angeles, CA)
5/27 St. Andrews Hall (Detroit, MI)
5/28 Verizon Wireless Music Center (Indianapolis, IN)
5/29 Double Door (Chicago, IL)
5/31 Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA)
6/2 Music Hall (Brooklyn, NY)
6/3 Maxwell’s (Hoboken, NJ)
6/4 WRFF show (Philadelphia, PA)
6/6 The Basement & Outland Live (Columbus, OH)
6/7 Firebird (St. Louis, MO)
6/8 George’s Majestic Lounge (Fayetteville, AR)
6/9 Emo’s (Austin, TX)
6/10 White Rabbit (San Antonio, TX)
6/11 Warehouse Live (Houston, TX)
6/13 The Loft (Dallas, TX)
6/15 Club 101 (El Paso, TX)
6/16 The Clubhouse (Phoenix, AZ)
6/17 House of Blues (Anaheim, CA)
6/19 The Canyon Club (Agoura Hills, CA)









For more SHE WANTS REVENGE click here.

Columbia, SC rockers Crossfade have signed with Eleven Seven Music. Home to some of today’s most influential rock groups such as Motley Crue, Papa Roach, Drowning Pool, Buckcherry and more, Crossfade are scheduled to release their latest effort, We All Bleed in June 2011.

We All Bleed, the band’s third album, delves into familiar lyrical themes of betrayal and isolation, but there’s also more than a hint of renewal and resolution. “A lot has changed over the past three years,” says lead vocalist and co-songwriter Ed Sloan. “Being down and out is something I’ve had to confront like never before. There’s been pain, but I’ve also learned to dwell less on the negative, so there’s a feeling of rebirth, too.”

The album’s 10 tracks, produced by the band, maintain the sonic thunderclap of Crossfade‘s previous efforts, while propelling its guitar-grinding signature with a tapestry of orchestration and programming, and a flourish of keyboards, thanks to the addition of Les Hall and drummer Mark Castillo to the permanent line-up, alongside Sloan, bassist Mitch James.

Highlights on We All Bleed include “Dear Cocaine,” a slow burner that addresses letting go of addiction; “I Think You Should Know,” offering a deceptively temperate arrangement behind a lyric about escaping reality by retreating in sleep; and “Killing Me Inside,” a straightforward assailing classic Crossfade rock ‘n’ roll anthem, albeit with a touch of crafty orchestration.

“Killing Me Inside,” the first single off We All Bleed is available to purchase on iTunes. Get it here.

CROSSFADE TOUR DATES:
4/12 – Clarksville, TN @ The Warehouse
4/13 – Memphis, TN @ Newby’s
4/15 – Mobile, AL @ Soul Kitchen
4/16 – Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco
4/17 – Charleston, SC Music Farm
5/21 – Columbus, Oh @ Rock On The Range
5/24 – Flint, MI @ The Machine Shop
5/26 – Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
5/28 – Lancaster, PA Chameleon Club









For more CROSSFADE click here.

Multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated Papa Roach will be releasing their new album, Time For Annihilation…On the Road and On the Record on August 31st through Top Independent Rock label, Eleven Seven Music. Papa Roach continue to push their musical limits and are currently perfecting a unique hybrid listening experience, which will consist of a mix of new studio and live tracks. With their feet firmly planted in over 10 years of multi-format success, the albums first single “Kick in the Teeth” is sure to ignite rockers globally. The band enlisted Veteran, hit-maker David Bendeth (Paramore, Breaking Benjamin, Drowning Pool) to produce the new tracks.

David Bendeth adds, “Working with a band like Papa Roach is every producers dream. It is not often that you can work with a band that has played so many shows, and also knows their way around the studio, and the recording environment. Everyone came to the House Of Loud to work hard and we really accomplished what we all consider to be a great record. I hope this is the first of many more for all of us!”

“We’ve always wanted to capture the energy of our live shows but didn’t want to do the same old thing that most bands do, so we decided to put five brand new studio tracks on the record along with some of our favorites from the road and we are really proud of the final result. As a band, we always push ourselves to evolve musically and pride ourselves on putting on an entertaining and explosive live show. Time For Annihilation captures both these elements and delivers the true essence of Papa Roach,” says frontman Jacoby Shaddix. When asked about the move to Eleven Seven Music, Jacoby adds: “We wanted to work with a team who’s focused on rock music rather than pop and urban. Moving to a successful indie Like Eleven Seven Music gives us that without sacrificing the manpower of a major. We are excited about the future of Papa Roach.”

You can watch PAPA ROACH‘s new video for ‘Kick In The Teeth‘ right here.

For more on PAPA ROACH click here.