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

Posted in News with tags Aaron Rodgers, Benvenue, Roxy Theatre, The Rock Tribune 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 Incubus, Benvenue 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

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

Posted in News with tags Aaron Lewis, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Rock Tribune, Town Line, Vicious Circles on March 2, 2011 by Randy

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ROCK BAND EVANS BLUE ENLISTS THEIR FANS TO BE A THE STARS OF THEIR NEW VIDEO FOR “SAY IT”

Posted in News with tags Evans Blue, The Rock Tribune on March 2, 2011 by Randy

Toronto, CA-St Louis, MO-Houston, TX (1 March 2011) – What does an independent band without a big budget do to create a video for their new single? Toronto-St Louis-Houston-based rock band EVANS BLUE sent a shout out to their fans via their Facebook and Twitter pages to be the stars of the band’s new video for “Say It,” the second single from their third album evans|blue (in stores now).

The video for “Say It,” a compilation of the fan submissions, debuts today on Evans Blue’s YouTube page (aka “Evans|Blue Tube”), and the “Say It” single goes to radio later this month. The band will hit the road again in late April, with some big shows in store for the Spring, including their first Rock On The Range performance on May 22^nd. The “Say It” single (radio edit) and album version are available on iTunes now.

Here is a direct link to the video, please help us spread the word: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUkoxPNAtr4

HISTORY: Evans Blue debuted in 2006 with The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and spawned a Top 5 rock single in the US with “Cold (But I’m Still Here).” The band was nominated for a JUNO Award in 2006 for “Best New Group.” Their second album, THE PURSUIT BEGINS WHEN THIS portrayal OF LIFE ENDS, was released in July 2007 and debuted at #44* on the Billboard Top 200 and #9* on the iTunes Rock Albums chart in the US. “Erase My Scars,” the first single from band’s new album evans|blue, was a Top 25 single at rock radio in 2010 and #8 on the SiriusXM Octane “Ultimate Ten” year-end countdown. Evans Blue has toured North America extensively for the past five years with such artists as Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, Staind, Seether, Shinedown, Trapt and Taproot. Evans Blue’s three albums have collectively sold over 800,000 units worldwide.

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PREMIER ELECTRONIC MUSIC LABEL ULTRA MUSIC TO HOST SXSW SHOWCASE ON THURSDAY, MARCH 17 AT THE PHOENIX IN AUSTIN FEATURING BENNY BENASSI, WOLFGANG GARTNER, UNICORN KID, DESIGNER DRUGS AND ADRIAN LUX

Posted in News with tags SXSW, The Rock Tribune, Ultra Music on March 1, 2011 by Randy

ULTRA MUSIC will heat up SXSW with their debut showcase featuring some of the label’s best and brightest talent on Thursday, March 17, 2011. The showcase is scheduled from 8:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. at The Phoenix and will highlight sets from ULTRA MUSIC artists BENNY BENASSI, WOLFGANG GARTNER, UNICORN KID, DESIGNER DRUGS and ADRIAN LUX.

ULTRA MUSIC will make SXSW shake to the sounds of these electronic music luminaries. Legendary, Grammy Award-winning producer and DJ BENNY BENASSI headlines the event with what promises to be a set of sexy, electro anthems from his forthcoming album, ELECTROMAN (releasing June 7) and his illustrious catalog. Grammy-nominated producer and DJ WOLFGANG GARTNER precedes BENASSI, and GARTNER is locked and loaded with his own sonic arsenal which will include “Illmerica,” “Space Junk,” “Forever” featuring will.i.am and many other cuts from his upcoming debut album (title TBA). From across the pond, UNICORN KID draws from chip music styles, giving the showcase another flavor and flair.

Two of ULTRA’s more recent signings ADRIAN LUX and the duo DESIGNER DRUGS are primed to kick off the evening’s festivities with their own unique and undeniable sounds. DESIGNER DRUGS will be performing banging tunes from their recently released album HARDCORE/SOFTCORE, while LUX is hot off the success of his singles “Strawberry”, “Teenage Crime” and

“Can’t Sleep.”

New York City-based ULTRA MUSIC continues to pave the way for electronic music’s future. As one of the most prolific and eminent independent labels, ULTRA continues to set trends and push boundaries within the music industry. Last year, three ULTRA MUSIC albums debuted in the iTunes Top 10 Overall Chart—ULTRA DANCE 11, Kaskade’s DYNASTY and deadmau5’s 4×4=12, with the latter two debuting Top 5 iTunes Overall. Billboard documented the label’s success further as #1 Dance Airplay Imprint and #1 Dance Airplay Label, as well as Top 10 Dance/Electronic Album Imprint and Top 5 Dance/Electronic Album Label. The label’s online presence remains unparalleled, with 265K YouTube subscribers and over 850 million views. It’s the 46th most subscribed to channel of all time and the seventh most viewed.