Away Team

Frontiers Records is excited to announce the release of HURTSMILE self-titled debut album on January 21, 2011 in Europe and February 8, 2011 in the US.

HURTSMILE is a new band featuring singer Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen) who has teamed up with his brother Mark to write his most succinct record to date. The self-titled, HURTSMILE is a raw sonic sucker punch in the face! From the opening buzz saw riff of “Just War Theory” to the epic finale of ”Slave” and “Beyond The Garden/Kicking Against the Goads”, Gary continues to push and poke you in the ear with his lyrically provocative themes.

“Hurtsmile was a long time coming… I always wanted to write a record with my brother,” says Gary. “I’m a big fan of Mark’s song writing and his snarling guitar riffs.” The timing was right as Extreme was in-between their touring and record cycle, leaving Gary the freedom. They recruited Joe Pessia (bass) an alumnus of Nuno Bettencourt’s Dramagods as well as the guitar player for Tantric. Joe also engineered, and co-produced the record with Gary. To round off the lineup they enlisted heavy hitter Dana Spellman on drums “It’s an east coast-Boston thing,” states Gary. “Mark, my brother, was in a band with Nuno’s brother… Joe was in Nuno’s band and Dana was a friend, and student of Mike Mangini (former Extreme drummer) … we like to keep it in the family.”

The lineup is not the only thing familiar with the band. In true Cherone fashion, the record is chock full of swaggering guitar, soaring vocals and the trademark Cherone eclecticism on tracks such as “Jesus Would You Meet Me”, the reggae-tinged “Just War Reprise” and the Dylanesq “The Murder of Daniel Faulkner (4699)”. “Hurtsmile was about returning to my roots, writing a record in my basement, a straight up rock ‘n’ roll record… but it turned out to be more diverse and ambitious than I expected.”

Gary is no stranger to taking on intense topics, and Hurtsmile is no exception. The first half of the record is a group of more loosely knit songs such as the cynically inquisitive “Just War Theory“, the limit’s of free speech “Tolerance Song (edit)” and the disturbingly mesmerizing “Kaffur (Infidel)”, inspired by the beheading of Daniel Pearl.

The 2nd half of the record is more conceptually cohesive; an introspective look at the nature of man and the condition of the human heart. “Stillborn” introduced earlier, and “Set Me Free” both touch on mans inclination toward darkness, culminating with an epic journey from sin to salvation… “Slave” to “Beyond the Garden/Kicking Against the Goads“.

For the most part both themes are represented as 2 sides of a record. A concept familiar to Extreme fans but make no mistake, whether reading between the lines or just moved by the visceral power of the music, this is a completely different type of record. Gary adds, “All the boys in the band have brought something new to the table, and you’ll never know what hit you!”

The songs “Just War Theory” and “Love Thy Neighbor” can exclusively be listened in full in streaming on the Frontiers Web radio.

For more HURTSMILE click here.

Frontiers Records

Rating:  8.5 out of 10

It’s not often I come across a Live DVD that my wife doesn’t bitch at me to turn down the volume on the receiver, let alone one that we both had the pleasure of watching my 3 year old daughter rock out to.  Enter “Take Us Alive” the latest offering from a newly reunited Extreme.  After hearing the first song, “Decadence Dance”, and seeing the cohesiveness of the newly reunited Extreme, I was already on my way to giving one of my favorite bands of the early 90′s two thumbs up.  Meanwhile, the wife was giving me one brow down, you know… “the look”.  It only took two more songs, when the band performed their classic “Rest in Peace”, before her one brow down turned to two thumbs up.

By the time Track 7 came around, a medley which begins with the oft-forgotten hit “Kid Ego”, I was ready to throw the horns up.  But somebody already did it for me…my three year old daughter.  Not only was she “both horns up”, but she was headbanging like she was at a  Metallica show!  At this point, with the whole family digging it, I almost felt like I had to excorcise them from the room and wash the gay off of me.  But the hits kept rolling and the music took over, not to mention the fact that bassist Pat Badger was rocking a New England Patriots logo on his axe.  The boys hit us with classics like “Play With Me” and “More Than Words”, among others.  All along the way singer Gary Cherone‘s often underrated vocal skills shine, and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt continues his amazing string shredding ways at 43 years young.

After ripping through a solid performance which culminated with the staple “Get the Funk Out”, the boys from Boston weren’t done.  There was a little more in store for the home crowd, providing an encore consisting of “Am I Ever Gonna Change”, and one of my all time favorite ballads “Hole Hearted”. 

After several on again, off again reunions, it appears that Extreme is back, and this time they mean business.  Rarely will you see a band with this type of instrumental and vocal skill, that appeals to the masses…but this is it.  This DVD comes very highly recommended.

For more info on Extreme, including tour dates, and to purchase the DVD, visit their websitehere.