Archive for March 2, 2011

Lamb of God’s Chris Adler and Mapex Drums Draw an Impressive 730 Fans to Tour Kickoff in Salt Lake City, Utah

Posted in News with tags , , , on March 2, 2011 by Randy

LAMB OF GOD’s CHRIS ADLER and MAPEX Drums were thrilled to see a whopping 730 fans arrive at the “A Throne with a View” tour’s impressive Salt Lake City, UT kick-off show at BackBeats Drum Shop on Monday the 28th. A typical drum clinic will draw about 50-70 attendees. This impressive turnout is only a taste of what is yet to come on the “A Throne with a View” tour, and ADLER hopes to see many more fans out at his upcoming appearances. The tour will take ADLER through the country until March 16th when the tour lands in Hollywood, FL at Resurrection Drums. The tour is sponsored by MAPEX DRUMS, AQUARIAN, PRO MARK, GIBRALTAR, MEINL, and ZOOM (SAMSON).

“Never would I have expected such a massive and warm response,” states ADLER. “I had a blast jamming tunes and talking shop and SLC really brought it. Honestly, I was shocked and a bit of a nervous wreck without my bandmates, but in the end I loved every minute of it. I’m lucky to have the opportunity and I hope to share that, and if all goes well, inspire everyone that stops by.”

“The performance CHRIS ADLER brings to his drum clinic is at the same level as his performance with the band live and in the studio,” states Joe Hibbs of MAPEX Drums. “Because he is truly a musical and drumming artist, fans know it is important to see him in these truly special clinic appearances.”

“The “A Throne with a View” tour with CHRIS ADLER was a huge success,” adds Sean Chase of BackBeats Drum Shop in Salt Lake City, UT. “A sell-out crowd of over 700 attendees witnessed an inspiring performance and insight from one the world’s greatest drummers. Chris’ humility, honesty, and passion for our craft gives us all something to aspire to.”

“GIBRALTAR is proud to support CHRIS ADLER,” affirms GIBRALTAR Hardware Artist Relations manager Kim Graham. “He has been an artist of ours for eight years and is an amazing person and drummer to have on our team.  It’s no surprise that this clinic tour is such a success!”

On this tour, ADLER is playing on MAPEX’s newly released Black Panther “Blaster” drum set. MAPEX introduced the Black Panther Drum Collection in January at the NAMM show in Anaheim, CA and this will be the first opportunity for many fans to see and hear it. The Blaster kit features a unique maple and walnut shell design and is the first in a series of new drum sets based on MAPEX’s popular series of Black Panther Snare Drums.

ADLER appeared at the prestigious Modern Drummer Festival in 2005 and performed a “Battle” clinic tour with his brother Willie Adler across Europe in 2008. “A Throne with a View” is his first and only U.S. clinic tour in 2011. See below for all current clinic tour dates, and watch an example of one of ADLER’s aforementioned drum clinics here.

REMAINING “A THRONE WITH A VIEW” CLINIC TOUR DATES

3/2 Bellevue, WA @ Donn Bennett Drum Studio

3/3 Fresno, CA @ Bentley’s Drum Shop

3/6 San Antonio, TX @ Jeff Ryder Drum Shop

3/7 Nashville, TN @ Forks Drum Closet

3/8 Kansas City, MO @ Explorers Percussion

3/9 Memphis, TN @ Memphis Drum Shop

3/10 Kenner, LA @ Ray Fransen Drum Shop

3/14 Plainview, NY @ Original Long Island Drum Center

3/15 Portland, ME @ Drum Shop

3/16 Hollywood, FL @ Resurrection Drums

CHRIS ADLER recently announced the release of a comprehensive behind the scenes narrative book, detailing the early days of the band through the writing and recording of the LAMB OF GOD album, New American Gospel. This is the first and only book chronicling the history of the making of this classic album. Known for not pulling any punches, ADLER tells the real story, warts and all. The book includes drum tablature transcribed and verified by master technician Travis Orbin (travisorbin.com) and ADLER himself, and are designed to provide accurate insight into the drumming on the album as well as a convenient learning and teaching tool to teachers and drummers alike. The book is a must-have for any fans of LAMB OF GOD or ADLER’s drumming, as well as fans looking for ‘fly-on-the-wall’ access to how and why critical choices and decisions were made in the process of creating New American Gospel. Throughout the narrative, ADLER speaks frankly of his drumming, the successes, the failures, and obstacles that ultimately led to him contemplating leaving the band years ago. To purchase the book, head to this link, or www.chris-adler.com.

Fans should be sure to head to CHRIS ADLER’s brand new website, www.chris-adler.com, to catch up on first-hand information, endorsements, and appearances. The site also includes a small store of exclusive items used by ADLER and special giveaways throughout the year.

For more information on the tour, the book, and more, head to www.chris-adler.com and www.mapexdrums.com.

 

MELODIC HARD ROCKERS BENVENUE TAKE OVER A PACKED ROXY THEATRE; SUPER BOWL MVP AARON RODGERS IN THE CROWD

Posted in News with tags , , , on March 2, 2011 by Randy

Berkeley, CA rockers BENVENUE stormed onto The Sunset Strip, pounding out a short but fierce, energetic set Friday night (2/25) at The Roxy Theatre. Seamlessly blending rock, metal, and alternative with crunching guitars and soaring vocals, fans–including Green Bay Packers quarterback and Super Bowl 2011 MVP Aaron Rodgers–crowded in to hear tracks off the band’s 2010 self-released, critically-praised EP, Jean Elizabeth.

OCReloaded.com’s Paul Lyons was there to take in the scene: “NoCal alternative hard rock band Benvenue played a blistering short and sweet six-song set…[the band] came out guns-a-blazing with a high-powered performancefeaturing songs from their 2010 debut album Jean Elizabeth. With a sound reminiscent of Living Color, mixed with theaggressiveness of Alice In Chains, and the melodic edge of IncubusBenvenue hit the stage with everything they got…Benvenue is a really exciting live band.  I actually felt the stage shaking when Moon pounded those drums, Sid Slater leaped off the ground with his guitar, and Francis Blay prowled the boards with his commanding presence.  Six songs were not enough for me.” (2/26/11)

Additionally, Ed Hannigan of LifeAbove11.com wrote, “Tight, bluesy with a bit of jazzy alternative metal, a driving bass, and even then a bit heavier riffs then you thought, Benvenue brought their unique sound to the Sunset Strip Friday night…The deeply layered sound that Benvenue seems to have adopted has so much more life in it, so much more depth that most bands that dare go as heavy as Benvenue does…One could pick up some Rage Against The Machine in their sound, a bit of Red Hot Chilli Peppers and some very early Pearl Jam thrown in there…[they] have not forgotten that guitars matter, that a clean slick bass line is never a bad thing, and that when you can rock the Roxy, your doing something right. Well done, boys, well done.” (2/28/11)

FRANCIS BLAY (vocals), SID SLATER (guitar, vocals), TOMMY ALDO SONIN (bass) and MOON (drums) will return to Los Angeles on Friday, April 8 for another high-energy show at The Viper Room. Check out a video of a recent performance at The Mint in Los Angeles here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FuFiLFbaHs.

Jean Elizabeth–released October 5, 2010–includes the first single “She Did”–and two newer songs, “No Way” and “Be Your Own.” “No Way,” is a vortex of emotions, deep, dark and angry.  Written during a break-up, the rollercoaster of emotions SLATER felt was shifted into song. The weighty intro captures you immediately and glides you into the melodic guitar, combined into a semi-mysterious, ethereal way of painting feelings as a scene. With “Be Your Own,” BENVENUEbrings out their heavy metal side with hard-hitting, high-energy throughout.  This has quickly become a fan favorite at shows and one of BENVENUE’s favorite tracks to perform live.

“Benvenue slide a little jazz and funk into propulsive hard rock on their debut EP, Jean Elizabeth, noted Rick Florino ofArtistDirect.com. “It’s a one-two punch of guitars, drums, bass, and vocals that’s pummeling and potent. It’s also stylistically the NorCal quartet’s alone. While heavy music trends endlessly ebb and flow, Benvenue wave the flag for when metal was just a little more daring and experimental. You’ll remember the name Jean Elizabeth after one listen toBenvenue…”

http://www.benvenueband.com
http://www.myspace.com/benvenue
http://twitter.com/benvenueband
http://www.facebook.com/BenvenueMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/BenvenueTV

Aaron Lewis Performs “Vicious Circles” on Jimmy Kimmel Live, off of his solo album “Town Line”

Posted in News with tags , , , , on March 2, 2011 by Randy

While She Sleeps Announces Exclusive ‘The North Stands for Nothing’ Album Giveaway on BandCamp.com

Posted in Releases with tags , , , on March 2, 2011 by Randy

Sheffield, England’s WHILE SHE SLEEPS is thrilled to share their recent digi-release The North Stands for Nothing for free at their official BandCamp page, starting today. Make sure to head to the band’s official BandCamp page and download your free copy of The North Stands for Nothing now, as the promotion ends on Monday, March 7th at 4:00pm ET.

WHILE SHE SLEEPS recently announced a new single, entitled ‘Be(lie)ve’, set for worldwide digital release by GOOD FIGHT MUSIC. The track is being released for purchase in the UK and mainland Europe on Monday, March 14th and in the U.S. on Tuesday, March 15th. The track will be available then on iTunes and other digital stores. ‘Be(lie)ve’ was self-recorded and mixed by guitarist Mat Welsh in January 2011 in order to keep in tune with the band’s DIY ethics and style. A video has been recorded for the track and should also hit the internet in the beginning of March. ‘Be(lie)ve’ is a track that sets to bridge the gap between the band’s last album, The North Stands for Nothing, and a new, currently untitled album that the band is presently writing.

For more information on WHILE SHE SLEEPS, please visit these sites:

http://www.facebook.com/whileshesleeps

http://www.twitter.com/whileshesleeps

http://www.myspace.com/whileshesleeps