BTBAM Debuts Coma Ecliptic’s First Song

Courtesy: Metal Blade Records

Between The Buried And Me has released the first song from its upcoming album Coma Ecliptic.

The band debuted ‘Memory Place’ today online. It can be heard online now at http://www.metalblade.com/btbam. The near-ten minute song builds on the music crafted for the band’s most recent album The Parallax II: Future Sequence (2012). Coma Ecliptic will be available in stores and online on Tuesday, July 7th. The band’s seventh full length studio release, it can be pre-ordered online now at http://www.metalblade.com/btbam.

Between The Buried and Me will launch an early spring tour this Sunday in support of Coma Ecliptic with support from The Atlas Moth. the tour kicks off at The Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina and then moves to Charleston, South Carolina next Monday April 6th. From there, the bands will make their way south to Florida before heading to Louisiana and then Texas for a pair of dates on April 10th and 11th. Both of its shows in Texas are festival shows. The second half of the band’s 12-date tour takes them up through the midwest and into the northeast, rounding out on April 19th in Lancaster, PA. The full schedule for BTBAM’s tour with The Atlas Moth is listed below:

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME

Tour w/ The Atlas Moth

04/05 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel

04/06 Charleston, SC Music Farm

04/08 Pensacola, FL Vinyl Music Hall

04/09 New Orleans, LA The Howlin Wolf

04/10 Austin, TX Empire Garage Texas Independence Fest

04/11 Dallas, TX The Bomb Factory Atomic Music Festival

04/13 Lawrence, KS The Granada

04/14 St Louis, MO The Ready Room

04/15 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe @ Old National Centre

04/17 Worcester, MA The Palladium New England Metal and Hardcore Fest

04/18 Portland, ME Port City Music Hall

04/19 Lancaster, PA Chameleon Club

After taking some much-needed down time to recharge, BTBAM will head to Manchester, Tennessee for this year’s annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival from June 11th – 14th. The band will take some more time off after Bonnaroo to recharge once more before heading back out on the road on July 7th alongside Animals as Leaders and The Contortionist for a 32-date tour that will take the bands well into September. That tour includes a pair of dates in its home state of North Carolina as it winds down. The first of those dates sees the bands performing at Ziggy’s By The Sea in Wilmington, NC on September 9th and at Ziggy’s in Winston-Salem, NC on September 14th. The full schedule for BTBAM’s tour with Animals as Leaders and The Contortionist is listed below.

Tour w/ Animals As Leaders, The Contortionist

07/07 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre

07/08 Tallahassee, FL Sidebar Theater

07/09 Orlando, FL Venue 578

07/10 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution

07/11 Jacksonville, FL Freebird Live

07/13 Houston, TX Warehouse Live

07/14 Little Rock, AR Juanita’s

07/15 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom

07/17 Grand Junction, CO Mesa Theater and Club

07/18 Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl

07/19 Tucson, AZ Club X’s

07/21 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory

07/22 San Diego, CA Observatory North Park

07/23 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst

07/24 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spaces

07/25 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House

07/27 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex

07/29 Des Moines, IA Wooly’s

07/30 Joliet, IL Mojoes

07/31 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall

08/01 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection

08/02 Bloomington, IL The Castle Theatre

08/04 London, ON London Music Hall

08/06 Buffalo, NY The Town Ballroom

08/07 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE

08/08 Norfolk, VA The NorVa

08/09 Wilmington, NC Ziggys by the Sea

08/11 Clifton Park, NY Upstate Concert Hall

08/12 Providence, RI Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel

08/13 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom

08/14 Winston-Salem, NC Ziggys

08/15 Nashville, TN Marathon Music Works

All of the latest updates on BTBAM’s upcoming album and tour dates is available online now along with the latest news from the band at:

Website: http://www.betweentheburiedandme.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BTBAMofficial

Twitter: http://twitter.com/btbamofficial

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

BTBAM Announces New Album Release, Tour Dates

Courtesy: Metal Blade Records

There’s big news from prog-metal band Between The Buried and Me this week.

Metal Blade Records and the members of Between The Buried and Me announced this week the release date for the band’s upcoming album and its supporting tour. The band–Dan Briggs (bass), Blake Richardson (drums), Tommy Rogers (vocals, keyboards), Paul Waggoner (guitar), and Dustie Waring (guitar)–announced this week that it will release its next full length studio effort Coma Ecliptic this summer. The album, the band’s seventh, is currently scheduled to be released Tuesday, July 7th via Metal Blade Records. The album’s lead single has not yet been announced. However, it has been announced that it will be released Tuesday, April 3rd. Pre-orders for Coma Ecliptic open the same day.

Along with the announcement of the information for the album and its lead single, it was also announced that the band will launch a tour in support of Coma Ecliptic on the same day of the record’s release. The Contortionist will join Animals as Leaders as support acts for BTBAM’s upcoming tour. The thirty-plus date tour runs through August 15th and includes two dates in its home state of North Carolina. The first of those dates will see the band performing live at Ziggy’s By The Sea in Wilmington, NC on August 9th. The second brings the band to Ziggy’s in Winston-Salem on August 14th.  Before that tour kicks off, BTBAM will hit the road alongside The Atlas Moth beginning April 5th for a twelve-date tour to build excitement around Coma Ecliptic.  The tour’s opening date is at The Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina.  BTBAM’s current tour schedule is available online now along with all of the latest updates on Coma Ecliptic at:

Website: http://www.betweentheburiedandme.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BTBAMofficial

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Grammer’s Sophomore Album Is One Of The Best New Pop Albums Of 2014

Courtesy: S-Curve Records

Andy Grammer’s second full length album Magazines or Novels is one of this year’s best new pop albums.  Grammer shows on his new album that the past two years on the road haven’t left him any worse for wear.  He has picked up on Magazines or Novels right where he left off with his 2011 self-titled debut record as is evidenced by the album’s lead single ‘Back Home.’  The celebratory tune shows that Grammer has actually stepped things up with this album.  And the album’s opener ‘Honey, I’m Good’ is sure to impress Grammer’s female fans out there.  It takes a road far less traveled in the world of pop music.  And the equally poppy love song ‘Holding Out’ is a piece that both Grammer’s male and female fans will appreciate.  While it is a song of love found, it’s not the sappy song that so many songs of its ilk prove to be in the long run.  These three songs are just a few of the pieces that make Magazines or Novels another hit for Andy Grammer.  The album’s remaining six songs each present their own enjoyment, too.  Audiences will agree that whether it be for the songs noted here, or the remaining unnoted pieces, there is plenty of reason to call Magazines or Novels one of the best new pop albums of 2014.

Andy Grammer surprised a lot of people in 2011 when he released his self-titled debut record on S-Curve Records.  Now three years later, Grammer has shown that he isn’t just another flash-in-the-pan act on his sophomore album.  He has proven that right off the bat with the album’s celebratory single ‘Back Home.’  The infectious chorus of “It don’t matter where we go/We always find our way back home” will instantly get stuck in listeners’ heads.  And the equally positive vibe of the song’s verses set against its musical backing makes it even clearer why Grammer has a bright future.  He sings in the song’s opening verse, “I’m gonna need you to raise your glass/I don’t care what you put in it/Here’s to nights that you can’t take back/We live hard/But we love to laugh/We all thought that we’d get rich fast…See we won’t forget where we came from/This city won’t change us/We beat to the same drum/No we won’t forget where we came from/This city can’t change us/We beat to the same drum.”  From here, the song kicks into that celebratory chorus before going on to paying tribute to all the little things that make life so great in the song’s second and third verse.  The song’s upbeat musical backing throughout is certain to put a smile on any listener’s face as they sing happily along. From start to finish.  All of the elements combined here show why this song was chosen as the first representative work from Grammer’s new album.  For that matter, they combine to show why just as the album in whole is one of the year’s best, so is this single by itself one of the year’s best new songs.  The video for the song can be viewed online now at Grammer’s official website here.

‘Back Home’ is a wonderful first impression from Andy Grammer on his second full length studio effort.  It’s only one song on this record that makes the work in whole such a joy for listeners.  Another example of what makes Magazines or Novels such a joy is the album’s opener, ‘Honey, I’m Good.’  In an age when so many pop and R&B songs are centered on breakups and unfaithful significant others, Grammer has proven that it is actually possible to make a song that is about a faithful individual overcoming the temptation of cheating.  He sings in this song, “Naw, naw honey I’m good/I could have another/But I probably shouldn’t/I got somebody at home/It’s been a long night here/And a long night there/And these long, long legs have been damn near everywhere/Hold up now/You look good/I will not lie/But if you ask where I’m stayin’ tonight/I gotta be like/Awww, baby/Naw, baby/You got me all wrong, baby/My baby’s already got all of my love/So naw, naw honey, I’m good/I could probably have another/But I probably shouldn’t/I got somebody at home/And if I stay/I might not leave alone/Naw honey, I’m good/I could probably have another/But I probably shouldn’t/I gotta bid you adieu to another/I will stay true.”  It’s not the first time that Grammer has paid tribute to women, either.   He paid tribute to the memory or his mother and to women in general more than once on his self-titled debut.  So that he would pay tribute to women everywhere again is sure to impress quite a few listeners to say the least.  Audiences can check out this song on Grammer’s official website along with the video for ‘Back Home’ now here.

It’s a great thing to hear on the opener to Andy Grammer’s new LP that he takes the road far less traveled in the world of pop music.  The equally upbeat lead single ‘Back Home’ only adds to the enjoyment that is this album.  They obviously aren’t the only songs on this record that make it a standout collection of songs.  There is neither enough time nor space to point out every single song that makes Magazines or Novels work as well as it does.  There is time and space though, for at least one more example of what makes this album such a joy.  That song is the poppy love song ‘Holding Out.’  Grammer sings here about the revelation that past relationships not working out was a good thing.  In his words, it was a good thing because he realized that he was just “holding out” for a certain woman.  He sings in the song’s opening verse, “When I met you love/I hadn’t done the dirty yet/You called me a unicorn/You said that I didn’t exist/Truth is my heart was torn/The V had a couple of rips/But I was still holding on/To the edges with my fingertips.”  He goes on to sing in the song’s chorus that that all changed when his subject met the woman in question, though.  He sings of the change, “With a little bit of prayer/With a little bit of porn star (sorry)/Couple long nights of sleeping on my own/Waiting or the right one to come along/Waiting for the right one and now I know that I was holding out for you.”  Just as Grammer takes the road less traveled in the album’s opener, so does he take that same road with this piece, too.  Rather than take the standard, sappy, overly emotional R&B-style route, he opts for a more upbeat musical backing that still manages to reflect the cautious optimism felt in the blooming romance portrayed in the song’s lyrical side.  It’s a wonderful mix of musical and lyrical sensibility that is just as certain to have audiences singing along happily.  This is especially the case for Grammer’s female audiences.  And heck, even the guys out there could use it with the women they are dating to help put into words how they feel.  It’s one more way that this piece makes Magazines or Novels in whole an album that is just as welcome among audiences whether or not they are hearing his music for the first time.

Magazines or Novels is available now in stores and online.  It can be downloaded via iTunes and Amazon direct via Grammer’s official website here.  Audiences can also pick up his new album at any of the shows on his upcoming tour which kicks off Tuesday, September 9^th.  The tour includes a performance at The Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina on Thursday, September 11^th alongside O.A.R.  As with the album, tickets for this and all of Andy Grammer’s shows can be purchased direct via Grammer’s website.  Along with the latest tour updates, audiences can get the latest news on Andy Grammer online at http://www.facebook.com/andygrammer.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Langhorne Slim Announces Special Record Store Day Release, Upcoming Tour

Courtesy: Ramseur Records

Langhorne Slim and The Law will release a special two-song 7” vinyl in celebration of Record Store Day.

“Animal” will be released this Saturday, April 19^th as part of the nation’s annual Record Store Day. The vinyl will be limited to only 1000 copies and will only be available for the day. It will retail for SRP of $6.98. Audiences that pick up the special vinyl will also receive with it, a download card with a link to a site where the song can be downloaded digitally and a link to a music video for the song. The video for ‘Animal’ was filmed while the band was on tour. The link to both the video and song download are available exclusively with purchase of the vinyl.

‘Animal’ was originally written for use in a 30-second Converse X Foot Locker advertising spot called “Made To Make A Scene.” The vinyl’s B-side is a new, previously unreleased song called ‘Space Girl.’ The band describes the song, written by Slim, as “”an improvised, psychedelic excursion recorded in a backyard in Texas.”

Slim explained in an interview that it was an indie record store in his home state of New Jersey and others across America today that helped shape his love of music today. And because they continue to be so influential today, the band wanted to give back to those shops by including its own piece to Record Store Day. “Thank goodness for independent record stores,” Slim said. “It was Princeton Record Exchange in NJ that saved me from the music shops in the mall when I was a kid.  And countless others around the country and world that have fed and nurtured my love and passion for music as a fan and provided me the ability to get my own stuff out there as an artist.  A thousand thank yous to all the indie record shops and may you live on forever!!”

Those not lucky enough to get their hands on a copy of Slim’s special new Record Store Day release can still catch the band live on tour. Langhorne Slim and The Law is set to hit the road next month along with The Avett Brothers, Jason Isbell, and Deer Tick. The band’s tour schedule also includes some headlining dates. The band’s current tour schedule is available below. It includes a pair of dates in North Carolina, the first being at the famed Filmore in Charlotte and the second being at The Orange Peel in Asheville.

MAY

9   Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, AL  (with Jason Isbell)

10   Fillmore, Charlotte, NC  (with Deer Tick)

11   Shaky Knees Music Festival, Atlanta, GA

13   The Social, Orlando, Fl  (with Deer Tick)

14   Crowbar, Ybor City, FL  (with Deer Tick)

16   The Pour House, Charleston, SC  (with Deer Tick)

17   The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC  (with Deer Tick)

18   Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw, NC  (with Deer Tick)

20, 21  The Black Cat, Washington, D.C.  (with Deer Tick)

JUNE

14   White Snake River State Park, Indianapolis, IN (with The Avett Brothers)

15   District Square, Kalamazoo, MI  (headline)

17   Space, Evanston, IL  (headline)

19   The Ready Room, St. Louis, MO  (headline)

20   Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, Bonner Springs, KS  (with The Avett Brothers)

21   Cox Business Center, Tulsa, OK  (with The Avett Brothers)

JULY

5, 6   Ottawa Blues Festival, Ottawa, ON, CANADA

9-13    Winnipeg Folk Festival, Winnipeg, MB  CANADA

31   Gathering of the Vibes, Bridgeport, CT

AUGUST

1-3   Gathering of the Vibes

29-31  Campfire Outdoor Adventure & Music Festival, Lakewood, PA

 

More information on Langhorne Slim and The Law is available online at http://www.langhorneslim.com, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Langhorne-Slim/220789179696, and http://twitter.com/langehorneslim. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Between The Buried And Me Announce Details For Upcoming Fall Tour

Courtesy: Metal Blade Records

Courtesy: Metal Blade Records/Entertainment One

North Carolina’s own and recent Metal Blade signees, Between the Buried and Me, will hit the road this Fall.  The band will be touring in support of its most recent release, The Parallax II and will perform the whole of both Part I and II at each stop on its upcoming tour.  It won’t be touring alone once it hits the road beginning Friday, September 13^th.  Also coming along for the tour will be The Contortionist, which will be touring in support of its most recent album, Intrinsic.  Also along for the ride this Fall will be The Faceless and The Safety Fire.

Fans of BTBAM in North Carolina will get two chances to see the band on its upcoming tour.  The very first date on the tour will be at Ziggy’s in Winston-Salem.  The band’s only other North Carolina tour date will be the penultimate performance of the tour on October 24^th.  The band is scheduled to perform at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC.

Tickets for the tour are available for purchase now online at http://www.SHOWstubs.com.  General admission tickets will go on sale at local outlets beginning Friday, July 12^th.  VIP packages are being offered to the shows via http://www.SHOWstubs.com.  The VIP packages include the choice of a general admission ticket or deluxe bundle featuring an exclusive t-shirt, necklace, button pack, poster, loaded flash drive, or a flexi-disc with the live version of ‘Astral Body.’  The video for ‘Astral Body’ is available for viewing online now at http://www.betweentheburiedandme.com.

A full list of the bands’ upcoming tour is available below.

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME
Tour w/ The Faceless, The Contortionist, The Safety Fire
09/13 Winston-Salem, NC Ziggy’s
09/14 Knoxville, TN NV
09/15 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
09/16 Jacksonville, FL Brewster’s Roc Bar
09/17 Orlando, FL The Plaza Live
09/19 Houston, TX House of Blues
09/20 Austin, TX The Mohawk
09/21 Dallas, TX House of Blues
09/23 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
09/24 Salt Lake City, UT Murray Theater
09/26 Mesa, AZ The Nile
09/27 W. Hollywood, CA House of Blues
09/28 San Diego, CA House of Blues
09/29 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
09/30 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom
10/01 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
10/03 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
10/04 Seattle, WA El Corazon
10/05 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
10/07 Calgary, AB The Republik
10/08 Edmonton, AB Starlite Room
10/09 Winnipeg, MB Garrick Centre
10/11 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
10/12 Chicago, IL Metro
10/13 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre
10/14 Louisville, KY Headliner’s Music Hall
10/16 New York City, NY Best Buy Theatre
10/17 Worcester, MA The Palladium
10/18 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
10/19 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
10/20 Cleveland, OH Peabody’s Downunder
10/21 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Small’s Theatre
10/23 Baltimore, MD Sound Stage
10/24 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
10/25 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom

All the latest tour news and more on BTBAM is available online at http://www.betweentheburiedandme.com, http://www.metalblade.com/btbam, http://www.facebook.com/BTBAMofficial, http://www.youtube.com/btbamofficial, and http://twitter.com/btbamofficial.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.