New Ticket Alternative Outlet in Georgia!

Deactur CD

356 West Ponce de Leon Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30030
www.decaturcd.com

As of this week, Atlanta customers will be able to buy Ticket Alternative tickets at Decatur CD!

For those of you who prefer to buy tickets in person, you will be pleased to know that the service charge on tickets sold at Deactur CD will be just $1.50. In most cases that is cheaper than purchasing online or over the phone.

The Ticket Alternative staff is working diligently to add events to Decatur CD's inventory. By the end of the week, if not sooner, tickets to all events in Georgia will be available for purchase at Decatur CD!

Store info:
Hours
Monday to Saturday
11:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday
12:00pm - 6:00pm

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San Francisco Fashion Week!

New events have just been added to San Francisco Fashion week! For those of you who dream of working behind the scenes at fashion events, there a number of informative and entertaining seminars taking place at The W Hotel from August 25-26th.

• Luxury Branding and Marketing : Find Tickets
• Model Boot Camp : Find Tickets
• Catwalk Choreography: Find Tickets
• Photo Shoot Makeover: Find Tickets
• Fashion Buying: Find Tickets
• Visual Merchandising and Display Design:Find Tickets
• Art of the Fashion Photo Shoot: Find Tickets
• Do's and Don't for Fashion Designers: Find Tickets
• Couture Drawing: Find Tickets
• Careers in Fashion: Find Tickets
• Runway Ready Hair: Find Tickets
• Trends in Eco Fashion: Find Tickets
• Becoming a Fashion Entrepreneur: Find Tickets
• Celebrity Styling: Find Tickets

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Gareth Asher- The Real Deal

Gareth Asher
August 23, 2007 9PM
Vinyl
Find Tickets!


At the age five, in the foothills of West Georgia, Gareth Asher started honing his rock n roll sound by singing along with records of artists like Don Henley, Jackson Browne and Bob Seager. Not long after that he picked up a guitar for the first time, and the rest is history. Passionate about singing, Gareth wrote his first song at 15 and was jamming w/ local performers as soon as they would let him in the clubs to play. Asher quickly developed a loyal audience, opening for artists such as Angie Aparo in various venues around metro Atlanta. He released “No Reality” in late 2004 and has been selected to play the Atlantis Music Conference 3 times.

In August of 2004, Asher’s second project, as the lead singer of the alternative band ILLBREAK was signed to a record deal. He turned his focus to the band as they recorded and toured with artists such as Staind, Crossfade and 30 Seconds to Mars. After pursuing his dream as the lead singer of ILLBREAK, Gareth decided to turn his attention back to his prime passion- writing and performing songs that are “real”.

Gareth Asher is now a staple performer on the Atlanta music scene and this past June marked the release of Gareth’s second studio album, “I’m The Earth”. If you ask fans what they like most about Gareth, a likely response would be “the passion in his voice” and “lyrics I can connect with”. Watch out Atlanta, Asher is a young man intent on chasing his dream and he wants you to come along for the ride! Be sure to check him out at The Loft in Atlanta on August 23rd.

www.myspace.com/garethasher http://www.garethasher.com/

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Back From the 'Backwater'

The Meat Puppets
September 12, 2007 9:30pm
The Earl
Atlanta
Find Tickets!



The Meat Puppets, originally formed back in early 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona, had a number of independent releases throughout the 80’s and early 90’s. The band applied punk’s loud, fast energy and free spirit to a mix of blues-laced hard rock, country and psychedelic rock to form their own unique sound. Meat Puppets had a massive influence on more that one generation of indie rockers, including Nirvana. Remember them? Nirvana invited The Meat Puppets along as opening act on their In Utero tour, and even invited them to share the stage to perform 3 Meat Puppet songs on their historic 1994 MTV Unplugged special.

The band signed with London Records in the early 90's and made unexpected inroads into the rock mainstream, and had a huge chart topping hit with 1994’s single “Backwater”. The band went on hiatus in the mid 1990’s and each of the guys had their own side projects- forming other bands, solo projects and jail time.

This months release of Rise to Your Knees is the first album to bear the Meat Puppets name since 2000, and the first in a dozen years to reunite guitarist/singer/main songwriter Curt with his brother, bassist/co-founder Cris Kirkwood, who recently rejoined the band after a lengthy struggle with substance abuse. “I think it’s the most dynamic version of the band ever, and so far the love coming from the audience has been really, really great,” says Curt.

Check out The Meat Puppets on tour now!
www.myspace.com/themeatpuppets, www.themeatpuppets.com

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TALive wins approval of Horrors fans

Not that we are prone to googling oursevles (cough cough), but we were pleased to see two pages of accolades for our interview with Horrors frontman Faris Badwan.

Check out what they had to say in The Horum

Glad you enjoyed it! Next time just link to talive.com instead of copying and pasting in the Horum :) For the rest of you, if you want to browse our other interviews just click "interviews" on the right side of the page under "Browse This Site."

Hey, we are a new blog so we appreciate the exposure!

Tooting our own horn,

talive

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RSS Feed - Yep! Be the first to know when we add new events!

Ticket Alternative now has an RSS feed for you to subscribe to! The feed is updated twice a day. If you want to stay on top of the latest events added to Ticket Alternative, just subscribe to the feed.

http://www.ticketalternative.com/content/ticketalternative-atom.xml

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Whiskey Soaked Rock 'n Roll

Lucero
August 29, 2007 9PM
The Earl
Atlanta, GA
Find Tickets

Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, Lucero combines its punk rock roots with a bit of a country twang for a unique southern rock sound. Lucero played its first show as a band in 1998, and now plays at least 200 shows a year throughout the United States and Canada. Lucero has released six full length albums with plenty of songs about love, life, music, drinking… and drinking. Their songs tell colorful stories of life and small town American culture. Singer Ben Nichols’ signature “whiskey soaked” vocals compliment twangy riffs on their most recent album, “Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers”.

Lucero has been called Memphis, Tennessee’s answer to Bruce Springsteen. The band's life and Southern heritage is apparent on every song, and the band wouldn’t have it any other way. “Being from the south is important, I think. It gives the songs a place,” says Nichols. “The Pogues could never have been from anywhere other than Ireland. Bruce Springsteen could only be from Jersey. I'd like to think where we’re from come through in the songs.”

Lucero is a band with more than just fans - they have a legion of diehards who do not miss a show and scream the words to every song; all while not spilling their PBR or Jack and coke. Now that is what I call impressive!


http://www.luceromusic.com/ www.myspace.com/lucero

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"We are Elekibass...Come From Japan!"

Elekibass
Mon August 13, 2007
The EARL
Atlanta, GA
Find Tickets!

TALive was charmed by this Japanese pop group when they opened for Of Montreal last year. With matching suits, assorted hats, and lots of smiles, Elekibass are dripping with charisma. Their upbeat, fanciful tunes are sung in both Japanese and English, but you don't have to understand the lyrics to dance along. These lads display a strong affinity for British Invasion legends and Athens' Elephant Six melodies.

Five members strong, Elekibass dominate any stage with a variety of instruments; literally pulling surprises out of their hats at times! Elekibass offer an interactive show, often parading into the audience and holding up signs with endearing Engrish chants. Speaking of which, the name is their take on the spelling of "a lucky bass," so pronounce it as so!

Listen! Almanack - Elekibass

http://www.waikikirecord.com/elekipage

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Girl Talk on tour: Drunken Debauchry Likely

Girl Talk w/ Dan Deacon
Sat. September 22, 2007
MJQ Concourse
Atlanta, GA
Find Tickets

The mash-up king Gregg Gillis (aka Girl Talk) blends hip-hop beats, indie rock melodies, and just about everything else into a dizzying array of dance party magic. His latest release, "Night Ripper" contains an estimated 300 samples!

Girl Talk is equally notorious for his live performances which drive audiences into a dancing frenzy. Don't be surprised if the man himself is left in the nude by the end of the set-- he is in the habit of stripping down as the sets get hotter.

His fans tends to get even crazier, as the recent Widespread Panic story reveals. So if you do make it out to MJQ, prepare your liver for an eventful night! You may need a serious detox the morning after.

A number of popular indie artists have enlisted the help of Girl Talk to remix their hit tracks including: Tokyo Police Club, Beck, Peter Bjorn and John, Of Montreal, and Grizzly Bear. A lot of these can be found on the web, so stop by his Myspace or do some searching on www.elbo.ws !

We'll make the first one easy for you. Here's the internet exclusive Grizzly Bear remix!

Listen: Girl Talk - "Knife"

www.girl-talk.net

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Jon Spencer goes "Way Out" with Heavy Trash!

Heavy Trash
Wed September 19, 2007
Rock and Roll Hotel
Washington, D.C.
Find Tickets!

As Blues Explosion fans eagerly await the new release due out this Fall, Jon Spencer has been busy rockin' and boppin' along with his rockabilly side project Heavy Trash.

Formed with friend and guitarist Matt Verta-Ray, Heavy Trash offers everything you'd expect from two blues-obsessed musicians with slicked back pompadours, hollow-bodied guitars, and a stand-up bass.

Once again Spencer proves his skill at taking classic Americana and giving it a swift kick in the pants with punk energy and garage edge. While every jangly guitar riff echoes with warm tube amp tones, his snarling vocals and bursts of distortion take us on a more soulful journey than any Stray Cat Strut.
So if you like your rock ‘n’ roll served up like a greasy diner platter, pick up “Way Out,” the Heavy Trash record out now on Yep Rock Records. If you need more convincing, check out the kitsch-tastic “promos” they have streaming on their official myspace page!

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Saliva On Sale at Kmart?

Saliva
Defiance Kmart Parking Lot
Defiance, OH
Sun August 19, 2007
Find Tickets!


So this is the part where you say, "ohh, THAT kind of Saliva." That's right, the hard rock band from Memphis is back in action. They will be touring in support of their latest release, "Blood Staind Love Story" which went gold back in January.

Maybe "nu-metal" isn't so new any more, but hard rock bands are still drawing thousands on the road. In addition to this headlining date, Saliva also have shows lined up with contemporaries Puddle of Mudd and Papa Roach. I'm guessing Saliva decided to stop by Ohio just to say they are "Rocking in Defiance" because that sounds rather deviant and exciting. At least, that's why I would play there.

I know playing a Kmart parking lot doesn't SOUND very badass, but it's one of the few spaces in town that can hold all 7,000 projected fans. Yeah, that's right. I don't see 7,000 people lining up to see your band, so don't hate.

Tickets are going to be nearly twice as expensive at the door, so it's worth grabbing yours online or over the phone!

My only question is... where are people going to park?

Listen: Saliva - Ladies and Gentlemen

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"Bands, babes, and b-movies!"

The Starlight Six Drive-In Theatre Presents:
Drive-Invasion '07!
Starlight Six Drive In
Atlanta, GA
Sept 1 - Sept 2, 2007
Find tickets!

Enjoy a kitsch-filled weekend full of music, film, and novel entertainment!

Here's the lineup of music and movies this year:

Saturday – Science Gone Awry Night!
Movies: Re-Animator, Empire of the Ants, Thing With 2 Heads, Tower of Evil, She Freak
Music: Unknown Hinson, Tiger! Tiger!, Jimmy & The Teasers, The Burmese Crush, The Belmont Playboys, The Blue Jays, The Intoxicators, The Hot Rods

Sunday: Teen Rebellion Night!
Movies: Tommy, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Teen Lust, Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride, Frankenstein Island
Music: The Blasters, The Swingin’ Neckbreakers, The Woggles, Gargantua, Laramie Dean, Rock City Dropouts, Lust, The Tremors

PLUS! A weekend pass includes FREE overnight camping so you can party it up and then sleep under the stars.

There are lots of other fun things to enjoy including: Dixie Fried Traditional, Rod & Custom car show both days! Muscle Cars included Sunday! Burlesque by Torchy Taboo both days! Special large new vendor area for the coolest in merch!

The event will be hosted by Drive-Invasion emcee JET POWERS!

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Noisettes Tickets On Sale!

Noisettes
Sept 11, 2007
Rock and Roll Hotel
Washington, D.C.
Find Tickets

We saw this band open for TV on the Radio a few months back it was a great show! Their description on Myspace really says it all:

"Noisettes are fronted by the supremely talented and beautiful Shingai Shoniwa, a vocalist and instrumentalist who sings like Billie Holiday on PCP while patrolling the stage like an Amazonian Warrior with an eye for fashion. Shingai howls and soothes, gives you goose bumps and shoots soul into your main arteries. "

Listen: Noistettes - Scratch Your Name

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CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY TICKETS!

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
Nov 17-18, 2007
Rock and Roll Hotel
Washington, D.C.
Find Tickets!

ON SALE NOW. Seriously, right this second.

I know we say this a lot, but tickets are seriously going fast. This band's popularity is getting so out of control they are playing multiple dates in almost every city on the tour this Fall-- including three nights in LA, two in Seattle, two in Minneapolis, and of course two nights in our favorite D.C venue: Rock and Roll Hotel!

"Why don't they just play a bigger venue?" Because, cynical reader, they are too cool and indie for that. Plus, wouldn't you much rather be able to get up close and personal? We would!

For those of you who haven't had Internet access for the past two years, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! is famed for rising to stardom based solely on exposure through MP3 blogs and social network sites. The result is international acclaim, claiming the likes of David Bowie and David Bryne as fans. Man, Bowie is so hip. Remember how he discovered Arcade Fire, too? Anyways...

If you are fan of bands like Violent Femmes and enjoy irreverant lyrics and danceable beats, check out CYHSY!

wwww.clapyourhandssayyeah.com

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Calla Interview

Calla
Aug 05, 2007
The EARL
Atlanta, GA
Find Tickets!

http://www.callamusic.com/

When we called Calla front man Aurelio Valle, he was driving over to the label to pick up merchandise for the band’s upcoming tour. They better stock up, as they will be on the road for the next four weeks. The first dates on this tour Calla will be opening for fellow New Yorkers Interpol; followed by a headlining jaunt down the East coast. If you aren’t familiar with Calla, think dark, whispered melodies and, um, “greasy” guitars. If we have to name drop, I’d say Calla combines the lush soundcapes of My Bloody Valentine with the seductive melancholy of Echo and the Bunnymen in a modern framework. In other words: a whole lot of awesome.

TALive: How did you get set up with Interpol? Are they friends of yours from New York or was it set up through the label?
Aurelio Valle: We’ve known those guys for a really long time. We were getting started around the same time they were. We’ve just always been supportive of each other’s bands like most bands…The Walkmen, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. We all just kind of know each other, so that support is always there.

TALive: Well sound-wise that seems like a good fit: you and Interpol.
AV: We’ve definitely done tours with them before and it definitely works.

TALive: Do you prepare differently for a supporting slot than when you headline? For example, do you consider what Interpol fans might respond to best or do you still present yourselves in the same way?
AV:I think for the most part we try to present ourselves in the same way, but because our time is more limited than headlining our show, we do anywhere from 35 to 40 minute sets. So, we have to choose from five records what songs are going to represent us the best. A lot of times we have fans that prefer that we play our earlier stuff, but we always lean toward playing stuff off of "Televise," "Scavengers," "Collisions," and "Strength in Numbers."

TALive: I've read about your interest and experience scoring films, and your music certainly lends itself to that. I thought it was interesting that Carlos D from Interpol had also announced his interest in scoring films. Have you heard anything about that?
AV:I know Jen Lancer from Beggars Banquet was representing him doing that for a while. Yeah, we were aware of that. It’s cool…I think a lot of times it’s the obvious step for certain musicians to go that route. If it’s something they’re interested that is, a lot of people do it… I mean, look at Danny Elfman. Although he broke up Oingo Boingo to do, it’s not unusual at all.

For us, when we did our first record, the intention was to sound cinematic. Our influences were coming from David Lynch, bands like Goblin…just a lot of people doing music that would lend itself to film. We immediately started getting a lot of requests to contribute music to films, and we’ve done it individually and collectively as Calla.

TALive: What kind of films can we hear Calla’s music in?
AV: We scored an indie film called “Satellite.” That was around the time we were doing the record “Collisions.” Let’s see, there’s a German film called “Ego Shooter” that I scored some music for and Calla contributed some music to. “Cinderdrift” is another idie film we did some musicfor…. there’s some music in the "Manchurian Candidate"...

TALive: You've been pretty busy then!
AV: Oh yeah…It’s always just these random indie films that always approach us about using our music. And a lot of time they use three or four songs. There was an Israeli director who used a lot of songs off "Scavengers" ‘cause he said that that record influenced his film. So, it’s interesting to have that come into play. When a director says you inspired his film that’s a huge compliment and very exciting.

TALive: Wow, and that seems different that how it usually happen. Usually when you are asked to score something you watch the film first and then write music inspired by the film.
AV: Every director has a different approach for sure. The stuff that is scored for “Ego Shooter” the director didn't send me the original film footage; he sent me footage from other films that inspired the making of his film.

TALive: Speaking of where inspiration comes from…I know "Collisions" was a reference to the relationships and conflicts you faced during the making of that record. Where did your inspiration come for the latest album, "Strength in Numbers?”
AV: Well, with this one there weren’t as many conflicts going on so we were able to concentrate more on what we actually wanted the record to sound like. Every record for us has been a progression and with this record we wanted to combine everything we’ve ever done. With every record we would make, we had fans saying it was too much of a departure or they were missing some of the more ambient stuff that we used to do. It was one of those things when we are like, 'well let’s just sum everything up.' In the end, the interesting result was that a lot of reviews were describing the record as so. So, we definitely felt very accomplished.

TALive: So they were able to distinguish sounds from all of your records.
AV: Yeah they could hear elements from all of our records there, which was really our goal.

Read the rest of our interview with Calla here!



TALive: Was "Collisions" the first opportunity you had to tour Europe?
AV: No, we had been out there before. We first started touring Europe on our first record, actually. We were on Sub Rosa and the record wasn’t released here so they basically brought us over to Europe first.

TAlive: Oh right, because it was a European label?
AV: Yeah, out of Belgium. So we went over there and basically played France and Italy. For "Scavengers" we kept touring Europe. We definitely concentrated on Europe a lot more. We didn’t really start touring the US until “Televise” which is our third record.

TALive: That’s pretty remarkable for an American band to go abroad first and come back three albums later.
AV: You know, a lot of it had to do with our label and the music we were playing. We had promoters and people a lot more interested in what we were doing over there. We do well in major cities in the US, but when we go to Europe it’s strange because we’re definitely embraced in a much broader sense. You can show up in small towns in Italy and you’re playing packed houses.

TALive: And of course the last two records were out on Beggars Banquet. What changes have you felt working with a larger label? Do you feel like you have more opportunities now or do you feel like you have less freedom because the label has more control?
AV: You know, I think all those things factor in regardless of what label you’re on. If you’re on an indie label you’re still dealing with people you’re still dealing with the industry. For Beggars I would imagine it’s probably a lot easier than being on a major label. I mean, we wouldn’t know that, but honestly if we were on a major we’d have other people dealing with the label instead of dealing with them directly, which is what we would prefer [dealing with them directly, that is].

TALive: I was reading review of the last record to gauge reactions, and one phrase that kept popping up was describing your guitar work as "greasy" or "oily." I have never heard that before! Do you have sense of what that could be a reference too?
AV:(laughing) I'm thinking about it. Greasy and oily? Really, wow. You know, I really don’t know. My inspiration comes from very twangy and ambient atmospheric guitarists. If oily and greasy fit into any of those elements then it makes sense. If you can find a description for Duane Eddy, Bo Diddly, Johnny Marr, and Jimmy Page... I guess if you had describe those guys you could say "greasy and oily. "

TALive: Well, now that we’ve touch on who’s influenced you I have to ask the standard "what are you listening to now? " question.
AV: As far as new stuff, I was recently turned on to Bat For Lashes and I really dig what she’s doing. It really reminds me of like Cat Power meets old school Portisehead. That is right up our alley. I like The Knife. I dig what they are doing, also. I like Justice, the new Boggs record, and I’ve been listening to Interpol’s new record.

TALive: Have you seen any bands that have followed you, Or seen any bands that have cited Calla as an influence?
AV: You know that’s interesting. Whenever we go to Europe there’s always kids emailing us and sending us messages saying we’re a huge influence on them. And we see them and it’s funny to see they definitely have elements of Calla in there. I don’t know. We never intended anything like that. It’s not like it’s going to be some movement or anything at all. It’s interesting to see these kids that dig your music. And whenever there’s a band that says “oh we wrote a slow song the other day and it totally sounds like calla.” Well, basically if you write slow depressing music and you know who we are you are probably going to say we’re an influence.

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Tokyo Police Club Interview

Tokyo Police Club
ON TOUR NOW!
Find Tickets for D.C. and Atlanta
http://www.tokyopoliceclub.com
MP3: "Citizens of Tomorrow"

Tokyo Police Club has proven that you can get more than 15 minutes of fame with just 16 minutes of music. These young Canadian rockers have taken their EP “A Lesson in Crime” all around the world. They’ve played Coachella, Letterman, Glastonbury, and Lollapalooza is lined up next. After a few stints around the country with Cold War Kids and Art Brut, TPC is finally ready for its first headlining tour in the US. We had a chat with guitarist Josh Hook as the band prepares to invade America.

TALive: Hey Josh! How are you? What are you up to now?
Josh Hook: Hey, not too bad. Right now we just pulled up…. We are doing a Sirius satellite radio session in I think it's called Pendleton, Indiana. And right now the band Dappled Cities is doing one before us so we are just waiting outside. Some of us are reading, unloading equipment.

TALive: Oh, very cool that’s actually how I first heard your music. We have Sirius in the office and your music pops up quite a bit.
JH: Oh, sweet. That's good to know!

TALive: So you’ve got a pretty insane tour coming up. Is this your first headlining tour?
JH: This is our first headlining tour of the States, yeah. So we’re really looking forward to it. We’ve done a couple tours like, a few days with Art Brut, a big tour with Cold War Kids. Although it's great sometimes to support bands, nothing is like headlining your show. You get to (it sounds boring but) connect to YOUR fans instead of being swept off the stage right after you play.

TALive: How do you prepare for a headlining tour differently than an opening slot?
JH: We don’t have that many songs. Normally it would be a question of length, but our opening set is normally, your given half an hour 40 minutes, and our headlining set is somewhere in the range of 45, maybe 50 if we talk a lot.

TALive: I’ve spent a lot of time in Toronto actually, and something that really struck me was that Canada has a government-enforced policy to ensure that a certain percentage of programming on radio and TV is Canadian in origin.
JH: Right, CANCON.

TALive: How do you feel about that policy as a Canadian artist? Do you feel like it helps you gain exposure? Do even notice the regulation in effect?
JH: Yeah, you can definitely notice it. There’s a radio station here called The EDGE, and on their Thursday 30 countdown, if you see it on their Web site, you can see all the Canadian flags. Most of the time, it’s about 30 per cent that you’re supposed to play, and most of the time it’s almost exactly 10 artists on there. Luckily we are one of those most of the time. As a Canadian artist, it’s always great, getting a little extra help. I can totally understand, too, “oh they don’t work as hard” or whatever because they have these Canadian content laws. I don’t know. I think it’s a matter of, and not sounding arrogant, but just making good music. If you make good music it will find its fans regardless of how much the government says to play on the radio.

TALive: Right, well you don’t get played on the radio just because you are Canadian. There are still certain standards you have to achieve.
JH: Yeah, there’s a lot of terrible Canadian music, and just because we have to play 30 per cent we don’t play that!

Click to read the rest of our interview!

TALive: Back to the tour you have lined up, it looks like a lot of hours on the road. You are still young guys, I am sure you get bored easily. What do you do to entertain yourselves when you’re stuck in a van for hours?
JH: When we’re stuck in a van, normally one of us always has to drive. In the States two of us are able to drive. So, one of us is always doing that which can be a little entertaining. The rest of us we all have laptops so you’ll normally see three of us shut off in the back watching TV shows or something. It’s pretty anti-social when we’re in the van. But when we get out at a rest stop or whatever to fill up on gas, we like to try to keep ourselves in tip-top shape. So we have a hackeysack that we normally kick around and that’s about it.

TALive: I saw on your blog that you were planning on bringing some hockey sticks along on this tour. JH: Yeah, I think that blog was premature. We’re still very rusty, and challenging other people to come play us isn’t a great idea at this point.

TALive: Oh, I don’t know about that. In the States anyway you might still have an edge.
JH: Yeah, that’s true. We’ll just intimidate them with our…um…nothing. I don’t know where that was going.

TALive: Ha, your Canadian heritage.
JH: Yeah! Haha, we have hockey on our five-dollar bill that should be good enough.

TALive: You guys have already accomplished so much in terms of festivals, and Letterman…all those landmark events that bands work toward. What do you still hope to accomplish?
JH: I think we just hope to keep up with the pace we’ve set for ourselves. I don’t think anybody is planning to be huge or the biggest band in the world or anything. This is just sort of a step-by-step thing and we’ll take thing things as they are given to us and we’ll work really hard. And whatever comes of our hard work we’ll do. Personally, I hope we get to play Conan because I’ve been a huge fan for so long. That would make my career. I could quit then and be happy.

TALive: As a band coming out of the Myspace generation, how have you utilized those online networks to help promote your music and get it out there?
JH: Well actually, a lot of us were kind of oblivious to the whole Myspace thing when it first started. We just heard the words thrown around at school. Eventually we decided to get one, not really as a joke, but a “let’s just see what this is. Maybe it’ll be fun.” Then it just really took off on its own. I guess we really underestimated at the beginning how powerful that tool could be. It has definitely become our most…and I think for any band that has a Myspace, even though it’s just a user community it’s still a huge market and a huge promotional tool. We get infinitely more hits on our Myspace, and more questions coming through our Myspace than we do through our Web site.

TALive: Are there certain dates you are especially looking forward to this summer?
JH: This summer I’m really looking forward to playing lollapalooza. That should be fun.

TALive: Very cool, any other bands playing Lollapalooza you want to check out?
JH: Um, actually this is kind of weird one, but I was watching TV and I saw this girl, I think she’s called Kid Sister. It’s really cool kind of rap-ish stuff. Anyway, I’m going to go check her out I don’t know how many people are going to come with me. Besides that, I think we are playing before Silverchair. We all grew up with “Frogstomp,” so that might be cool to see.

TALive: Well, you mention growing up with Silverchair and your bio talks about how you grew up, like so many kids, dreaming of one day being in a band. When you were young playing air guitar or whatever, what were you listening to? What inspired you start playing?
JH: We all lived in Newmarket, so whenever there’s a concert it always goes to Toronto. So we’d always have giant fieldtrips together. And our first concert with Radiohead… and that was a really dumb move because every concert was nowhere near as good. But that was really a turning point: August 3, 2001. We just kind of left that we didn’t even talk on the hour drive home. Nobody talked. And the next day we’re just like “alright, let’s do this,” and we formed a band before anybody knew how to play instruments just based on that.

TALive: There was a lot of talk in your early interviews about parents being frustrated that you had to quit school to do the band thing. Now that you are touring the world and playing Letterman, has the disapproval diminished?
JH: Yeah, it was different for everybody’s parents. My parents were always really supportive. I guess the most opposed were Greg’s parents just because he was two years older and he was half-way through University, so he had a little bit more to drop out of. I had just come out of high school. I’m the young one. But it’s interesting, when we played Letterman his parents actually made the drive down one day to see it. So that was a reassurance that they know it’s not a complete waste of time…. that their son is actually doing something.

TALive: Maybe you were finally playing a medium that they were familiar with.
Yeah! We can say things like “we’re playing Coachella” and nothing. But then when you say “Letterman” it’s like “oh yeah, funny man on TV.”

TALive: Well good luck on the tour and we are looking forward to having you back this summer!
JH: Yeah we are looking forward to coming back! We were there with ENON two times before and it was much fun so we are looking forward to it.>

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Jandek makes rare live appearance!

Jandek
Rose Marine Theater
Fort Worth, TX
July 21, 2007
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Mysterious and reclusive, little is known about unconvental folk artist Jandek. Although he has released over 50 records over the past three decades, he has only granted two known interviews and fiercely protects his anonymity. His first live show was in 2004 in Scotland, and since then he has played live only a handful of times.

Ticket Alternative is proud to announce this very special Jandek show in Fort Worth. The show is nearly sold out, so make sure to reserve your tickets now-- who knows if/when we'll hear from Jandek again!
www.myspace.com/jandekinfortworth

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So So Def Summerfest Events

So So Def Summerfest 2007 kicks off on July 20th. For a complete list of events visit the official site http://www.sosodefsummerfest.com/ or click below to purchase tickets to the various events we're selling tickets to. The event kicks off on Friday July 20th with a party at Opera

Welcome To Atlanta Party with Kanye West and Jermaine Dupri at Opera - Find Tickets

So So Sexy White Affair with Nelly & Larenz Tate at Compound - Find Tickets

So So Def Pool Party with Jermaine Dupri at W Hotel - Find Tickets

Celebrity Basketball Game at GA State Sports Arena - Find Tickets

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VHS or BETA interview!

This is a big year for Louisville’s VHS or BETA. After nearly a year and a half off the stage, they are returning on tour with a brand new album under their belts. “Bring on the Comets,” due out on Astralwerks this August, offers a massive, lush soundscape of swirling guitars and soaring melodies. The sound is a slight departure from their dance roots, with acoustic drums outweighing electronic for first perhaps the first time in their 12-year career.

This release, and the tour dates to come, also mark the band’s first without former guitarist Zeke. It’s always nerve-wracking to present a new lineup and a new record to old fans, but bassist Mark Palgy sounded upbeat and optimistic when we talked with him on the road. It’s clear how proud the band is of “Bring on the Comets” and they are both anxious and eager to get the record out!

TALive: Hey Mark, how are you? I know you are on the road now, where to next?
Mark Palgy: Nashville, we are almost there.

TALive: Great, how’s it been going so far? Have you been touring much yet, I know you have quite a few dates scheduled for this fall.
MP: Well, we actually just did our first show last night—first show in about a year and a half.
TALive: Wow!
MP: Yeah, in Murfreesboro. It was a lot of fun.

TALive: Have you played already with the revised lineup, since Zeke’s left?
MP: No! Last night was the first night of our new formation.

TALive: Was there a lot that needed to be changed in order to perform some of the older tracks?
MP: You know, we had to rehearse a whole bunch. There was a lot of singing that he had to learn and guitar stuff. It just took a lot of rehearsing, as I guess any band has to do. Judging by the crowd’s response I think they really dug it. I was really pleased with out how it went last night.

TALive: Well, I got an advance copy of “Bring on the Comets” this week which I am really excited about. It sounds huge; really love it. What is it like for you as a band to have this record, be excited about it, but you have this lag time before everybody gets the record in their hands.
MP: Yeah, it kind of sucks! I mean, it just takes so long for a record to get out and we have to sort of wait it out. We’re really anxious for everyone to hear the new material! We’re out on the road just sort of practicing it every night. Yeah, we’re playing a lot of stuff people haven’t heard yet and they are responding to it pretty nicely.

TALive: Is there still some anxiety there about what the reaction will be? I know you’ve gone in a new direction as a band…
MP: Yeah, you know there’s always a little bit of anxiety about that, but we are just so pleased with how everything came out. I think once people actually have the record in their possession for a while and then come see us it will really be a lot better.

TALive: The initial reactions I’ve seen suggest that it’s more rock than dance than the older material. Was that a conscientious effort? I mean, it seems like you guys have always been a little ahead of your time and now the market is saturated with bands that sound like you did two records ago. Was there a conscious effort to move away from that sound now, or was it more of a natural progression?
MP: Um, it wasn’t really conscious. We just felt like Le Funk came out a little too early and Night On Fire came out a little too late. And this time around it was just “let’s just make good song,” that’s the bottom line. People can sing along with them, still have a good time, it still sounds like us even if it’s more rock.

TALive: What was your connection with My Morning Jacket? I know they helped out a good bit with this record.
MP: They’re just really good buddies of ours. They’re from Louisville and we’re from Louisville so I mean… we’ve been seeing those guys out and about for years and years and years. And over the years, we’ve become a lot closer to them just as buddies, you know? Having a band that we can sort of relate to as far as being gone for long stretches of time, playing shows, and all that stuff…they just know what’s going on. And in all honesty, we don’t really even talk about music that much with them they’re just more buddies than anything. When we were in North Carolina, we wanted to get Bo [Koster] in to do some piano work, because he is just so, so, so, so great. And Jim [James] happened to be in the area so we got both of them!

TALive: And Jim lends vocals to the record, right?
MP: Yeah, he did some backing, some oohs and ahhs.

TALive: Did you meet producer Brandon Mason through them, is that right?
MP: No! We did a tour with the Secret Machine, and we got their album “Ten Silver Drops” and we’re like “Wow! This record sounds really good, who did it?” and Brandon Mason did it. So, we got in touch with him and Brandon expressed so much interest and passion in wanting to work with us, and we were just flattered by him. He’s a spectacular person. We had a really, really, really great time with him!

TALive: Do you think that his input made this album more distinctive?
MP: Umm, to an extent. I mean, he just knows what he’s doing. He’s a wizard in the studio. He wants to talk about a sound you want to make. Ultimately he leaves it up to the band to say how we want to sound, and he achieves it. He puts the ball in the band’s court, you know? He’s not trying to put his stamp on anything, really. He’s a really hard worker, and he’s really gifted at what he does.

TALive: How long have you been with Astralwerks? I was excited when I heard about that—seems like such a perfect match, they’ve got Radio 4..
MP: Yeah! I think we signed with them in ’03, so it’s been a few years.

TALive: And they’ve helped you quite a bit. I’ve seen some amazing tour slots from Reading Festival to opening for Duran Duran. What have been some of the highlights for you on tour?
MP: One time we played Bogotá, Columbia and it was spectacular. It was a three day festival they have in the park, and the government puts it on so its free. There was a curtain on stage, and it opens up and we are playing in front of like 80,000 people in Columbia. It was really awesome, we felt like Queen or something.

TALive: Wow, who were the headlining acts for that festival?
MP: A bunch of people you haven’t heard of. A bunch of South American acts. I hadn’t really heard of a many groups that were playing, but they were huge down there.

TALive: And they responded well to your music?
MP: Yeah! It was really overwhelming. We still get e-mails from Columbian fans like, “when are you coming back?!”

TALive: I have noticed that South American fans tend to be extremely enthusiastic about any band they are fans of.
MP: Yeah. I mean it’s getting better for them, but I think in the States we have bands coming in and out of every city every night of the week. There, I don’t think it’s as common. So when they get to see a band come in from London, or New York, or…Kentucky.. they get pretty excited about it!

TALive: Do you know who is going to be joining you on tour this fall?
MP: Yeah, we are taking a band called Walter Meego. I think they’re from Chicago, I’m not exactly sure. It’s kind of a poppy electronic thing, they’re cool.

TALive: I also read about a 12inch you are going to be releasing with a few remixes from the record? I guess later this year?
MP: Yeah, we’re gonna do a teaser, like a white label 12 inch of “Burn It All Down” with some remixes by some folks. And that is going to be like a teaser single, and shortly after we are going to release “Can’t Believe a Word” as a proper single…like, the main single.

TALive: Do you know who is going to be on board to do those remixes or is that a surprise?
MP: Yeah, for “Burn it All Down “ we got this Surkin from France. And we got the Midnight Juggernauts from Australia who are really cool. And we got a guy named Fred Faulk whose French also.

TALive: Very nice, is that harking back to your earlier days of French house music?
MP: Yeah, definitely. We still love that stuff. I think “Burn it all Down” is a single that fans who enjoyed “Night on Fire” can still dig it. Even if the record is going in a little bit of a different direction, they can still know we aren’t totally abandoning anybody.

TALive: Great, well we are definitely looking forward to having you back in Atlanta.
MP: Yeah! We can’t wait! We love The EARL, it’s going to be fun!

Featured shows:

Rock and Roll Hotel

Washington, D.C.
Sat September 1, 2007
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The EARL
Atlanta, GA
Mon September 24, 2007
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MP3: VHS or Beta - "Heaven"

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Junior Brown on sale July 27th

Junior Brown

The Loft
Atlanta, GA
Fri October 5, 2007
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Armed with his unique Guit-steel—an otherworldly double-necked machine that marries the six-stringed guitar with its steel counterpart—Junior Brown blasts through twelve tracks that mix the best of country, blues, Tex-Mex, Western swing, rock and roll and countless other shades of electrified American music. The result is a high-octane rollercoaster ride that careens from one emotional touchstone to another—from the rollicking to the poignant to the humorous and beyond.

http://www.juniorbrown.com/

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Hometown heroes Deerhunter announce show at The EARL

Deerhunter
w/ The Spooks & Chopper
The EARL

Atlanta, GA
Sat. August 11, 2007
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Alert Pitchfork: their favorite band is on the road! After a quick jaunt up to Canada, Deerhunter will scoot back down the East coast with a hometown show schedule for August 11th.

If you haven't checked out Deerhunter yet, this is really the time to do it. After signing with Kranky Records and scoring opening slots for bands like The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Smashing Pumpkins (!!), Deerhunter surely won't be playing intimate clubs like The EARL for long!

By the way, Deerhunter have recently gained some press for their crazy blog shenanigans. You can read that here...that is, if you are not offended by a lot of poop talk.

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Quick! Get your Spoon tickets! Today!

Spoon w/ John Vanderslice
Little Radio
Los Angeles, CA
July 16, 2007

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Spoon sure love surprise shows. They'll be rocking Los Angeles with John Vanderslice (see blog below) on Monday July 16th! That's next Monday, people! Tickets go on sale TODAY at 10:00am PST, so stopping reading blogs and go to Ticket Alternative!

Oh wait, there is one important thing: Beacause the show coming up fast, this will be WILL CALL ONLY. That means the tickets will be held under the name on the credit card used to purchase them... and you have to present a valid photo ID on Monday to pick them up. OK, go get 'em!

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John Vanderslice announces fall tour!

John Vanderslice
The EARL
Atlanta, GA
Thurs September 20, 2007
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Rock and Roll Hotel
Washington, D.C.
Sat September 22, 2007
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Solo artist John Vanderslice brings his raw, melodic sound on the road in September. Starting his career with the band mk Ultra he didn't gain national acclaim until, as a solo artist, he released his 2000 single "Bill Gates Must Die". Subscribing to the school of "all analog, all the time" John has painstakingly recorded directly from analog masters tapes, with analog instruments even going as far as founding his own recording studio "Tiny Telephone", one of the few remaining studios of its kind. Promoting his new album Emerald City John is bringing his raw and politically savvy music writing all over the US.

Listen! John Vanderslice - White Dove

http://www.johnvanderslice.com/

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Not a show to bring the kids to...

Gravy Train!!!!
The Drunken Unicorn

Atlanta, GA
July 23, 2007
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Before you judge us as being overly enthusiastic, all four exclamation marks are part of this outrageous outfit's official name. But even if they weren't, you'd probably associate that kind of boistrous excitement with Gravy Train!!!! anyway.

Gravy Train!!! is one of those rare bands that can seamlessly turns every concert into one giant dance party. Without much effort, Gravy Train!!!!’s music gets everybody movin’, groovin’ and occasionally undressing on the floor. Audience members aren't the only ones sweating and swaying, either. The band's Junx, Hunx, Funx, and Chunx do obscene aerobics to keep the crowd pumped. The lyrics also weigh in somwhere between the absurd and the obscene, with song titles such as "Titties Bounce" and "You Made Me Gay." This is certainly not for the faint of heart! Their new album “All the Sweet stuff” debuts July 10th.

http://www.gimmegravytrain.com/

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How do you say "Saosin?"

Saosin
Vinos
Little Rock, AR
Mon August 06, 2007
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Apparently either "say-oh-shin" or "say-oh-sin" are acceptable, with the latter most commonly used by the band members themselves. We figure they probably know what they're talking about.

This is one of those Myspace bands that are able to allure thousands of fans without the help of the like, oh you know, a record. That's right, Saosin are famed for scoring a slot on Warped Tour, selling out clubs, and opening for bands like AFI, Avenged Sevenfold, My Chemical Romance and Taking Back Sunday all before their first full-length record was released! But who needs records to get your music out there when theyir songs have been downloaded on Myspace over five million times!?

Find out what the kids are so crazy about and check out Saosin when they are on tour this summer.

Official site: www.saosin.com

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Lucero coming to Atlanta

Lucero will play The Earl in Atlanta, GA on Wednesday August 29th. Tickets are $10.00 in advance and available online and from Criminal Records.

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Official Site: http://www.luceromusic.com/

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will their show be more BORIS, Boris, or boris?

Boris
The EARL

Atlanta, GA
Mon October 22, 2007
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Japanese experimental band Boris is famed for their awesome versatility. Combining dark, heavy metal riffs ranging from drone to punk. Their influences are just as varied, with Nick Cave, Sleep, and The Melvis being most commonly cited.

The band has never fit within the confines of most genres, and have certainly branched out from the Japanse crust-punk scene where they started. Although still relatively obscure in Japan, Boris has received a great deal of praise over here in the States. Their success abroad is due in large part to a series of reissues on US label Southern Lord Records.

Their first breakthrough was the reissue of their 2005 release entitled "Pink." Both Blender and SPIN magazine named it one of 2006's best CDs. The album also topped the metal section of Canadian magazine Exclaim's 2006 Reader's Poll, and was in the top 10 of Pitchfork's Top 50 Records of 2006.

As to the title of the blog posting, there word on the street is that fans can determine the sound of Boris record by looking at how their name is written on the cover. The louder, metal-influenced records will have "BORIS" all in caps while the more experimental, noisey records are labeled as "Boris" or "boris." Their live records are also record using analog technology, with the band preferring live recording in as few takes as possible.

No matter how you spell it, Boris is an awesomely innovative band and sure to bring an impressive live show. Their shows sell fast, so if they are coming to a town near you, grab your tickets now! That's why we are giving you early notice about their FALL TOUR!

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"Have Mercy" on Mooney Suzuki!: Interview with Sam

"Have Mercy!" The title of Mooney Suzuki's new record comes as an expression of exasperation. The band struggled for two years to get this record out-- through label changes and lineup changes as well. Somehow front man Sammy James Jr kept it together and pushed on through! Before the band heads back on the road, TALive had a word with Sam about getting this record out, keeping spirits high, and ditching those old sunglasses.

TALive: How does it feel to have the release date just a couple weeks away after a couple years trying to get it together?
Sam: It’s pretty exciting. I mean, we literally finished recording this time last year, and we were working on writing it earlier than that. I know in the music industry, in the scheme of things, that’s not so bad. But still, it’s not so good either…

TALive: But there's been a lot of drama between now and then. Not all of it was in your control
Sam: Yeah, it certainly has. Not purely our drama, just the music industry in general and the way people have a relationship with media and entertainment. Everything is changing so much. That makes it exciting, but that was our third record label in like two years! Just, to have a release date at one point and send the record out to press…and then that release date doesn’t happen. It’s just…

TALive: Frustrating, I’m sure! When did you get in touch with Elixia Records?
Sam: I guess Jesse came to see us maybe at like CMJ? So September or so.

TALive: So he picked up the new record pretty quick.
Sam:Yeah, he was really on top of it and ready to go. There were other options and stuff, but nobody else was saying “we gotta get this out as soon as possible.” Everyone else was saying “well, we’ve got this going we’ve got that going…maybe we can get you going.” Jesse was just so on the ball and psyched that … he seemed like our dude. Plus, he had a Frank Zappa tattoo so that sealed the deal.

TALive: There's also been some linup changes, right? [lead guitarist] Graham is no longer in the band?
Sam: Well, you know... I don’t know if a few years hasn’t gone by that he hasn’t decided to quit music for good. So, he’s quitting music for good again. We’ll see what happens. If he decides that it is better for him then God bless him; he’s one of my oldest friends. There’s certainly no bad blood or anything. But we’re all having a great time so we’re going to keep moving.

TALive: Did Graham play on the latest record?
Sam: Yeah! Definitely, he’s on it. He worked on the songs...The album’s actually dedicated to his father who passed away in 2005. A lot of the songs are kind of about that and that period of time. Because his dad was almost like a fifth member of the band. We definitely inherited his record collection and played most of his guitars on a lot of our records.

TALive: This new record has sort of a smoother, bluesier sound; not quite as abrasive as the earlier records. Does that change have to do with the emotions you were feeling at the time or did it have to do with label tensions? Where was that energy coming from?
Sam: Well, it had to do with a lot of things which is why it just felt right. At the time, when I was writing that stuff, was kind of when the band was at its most fractured, and there really wasn’t a band. There wasn’t a rhythm section and there wasn’t.. that was a time when Tyler was not wanting to do music. So, I was just sitting in my apartment with an acoustic guitar. When you’re jamming with the boys all the time then you’re writing riffs, and you’re jumping around, and you’re having a good time, and you’re kicking it out.. and that’s where that kind of energy comes from. But when you’re alone in your apartment you’re like, ‘what’s happening with my life!’ (laughs). You’re going to come up with something else. Plus… I used to write songs for the band. Being like, when I get this song in the rehearsal space the guys are going to kick the shit out of it. I'd think about the band playing it when I'd write a riff. But now, when I wrote these songs, it was like, 'well I might be doing these on my own so it better sound good on an acoustic guitar with just me or otherwise…''Cause I didn’t feel like I had a band.
click "read more!" below for the rest of our interview!

TALive: I read that that was your approach to the songwriting. So, I was impressed with how rounded out the final record was. It doesn't sound sparse in anyway. It isn't as aggressive, but it still sounds full. It’s still upbeat despite the lyrical changes or changes in attitude.
Sam: Aww, thank you. It is what it is… Plus you know…when you first start making records it’s like “man, this has got to be the ultimate statement of my life," you know, “it’s gotta be this one certain way.” And once you get that record, or those couple records, out of your system then you feel, “well I could do it differently.” My first records are done. They’re out there, they’re made, and I’m happy about them. I’m proud of a lot of it. Some of it I listen to and I’m like "what was I thinking?” but it’s there, you know? I got it, it’s done. So now I feel like…it’s liberating. Plus, after doing the major label record and working with The Matrix and everything... After doing that, I can do anything ‘cause everybody is already pissed off at us that is going to be pissed off so...

TALive: Nobody left to impress, but yourself…
Sam: Yeah, and I mean.. Come on! Every classic rock band has gotta do their more bluesy, acoustic excursion, you know?
TALive: How do you think the new material and a new line up will affect the upcoming live shows? Or have you already toured with the current line up?
Sam: We’ve played a bunch of this stuff live and pared it down to the two or three songs that we noticed had an impact on people right off the bat. But now that we’re getting out there and people are going to have the new record, we’re going to have a lot more of the new songs in there. Some of them we actually did change to make them a little more… active, I guess. But some of them is still like, going for a groovier vibe instead of like a jumping up and down live. And just like anything else, you gotta work it into the flow.

TALive: I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Mooney Suzuki live a couple times and it’s always ridiculously exciting and energetic. So, I can’t imagine a show without at least some of that energy; especially if you play any of the older material.
Sam: Yeah, well, we’re playing all the older stuff, too. And that’s part of the fun now when you’re putting a set together. It’s almost like making your own personal greatest hits record. It’s like, wow, there’s no filler because we are just taking the two or three best songs from each record.

TALive: How long were you actually in studio for last record?
Sam: Not so long. Longer than our earlier records, but nothing compared to the three months we spent in LA doing the major label, Hollywood, clusterfuck festival of a record. We did about two weeks at Water Music in Hoboken, New Jersey. Then we did some overdubs at one of our producer’s project studio up in Woodstock. Oh, and then we mixed it in Malibu, which was incredible! I’d never been to Malibu before. It was a sun-drenched paradise!

TALive: Speaking of sun drenched. Most important question—where are the sunglasses? I haven’t seen them in the most recent press photos!
Sam: Yeah…Well you know, I still wear sunglasses.

TALive: Yeah, but THE sunglasses. They’re like a trademark!
Sam: Well the wrap-arounds-- I don’t know how much they go with the longer hair, you know? Well, actually, no, that’s not true… I guess it does have a lot to do with…the idea of the band originally was to not be a “singer” in a band. I didn’t want to be “the singer” or “the songwriter” or whatever. I just wanted it to be a band. Everyone would wear sunglasses and we’d be like a hive of ants. We’d just show up and get the fucking job done and that’s it. Especially with this record it didn’t feel like a band. It was just me. Maybe I just feel like…I’m not so against being a songwriter the way I used to be.

Featured show:
The EARL
Atlanta, GA
August 3, 2007
Find Tickets!
-Interview by Michelle Gilzenrat

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You know, like The Cure but...metal?

The Vanished
Juanitas
Little Rock, AR
Fri July 27, 2007
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Self described as "Motley Crue meets The Cure," The Vanished creates it's own unique sound combining rich melodies and lyrics with rock and roll flare. Theses Texas natives came together when Kirkwood (vocals) and Dallas Perry (lead guitarist) reunited with long-time childhood friends Justin Young (bass) and Phil Helms (drums). In 2006, guitarist Chance Ivey joined The Vanished contributing to a broader landscape.

The Vanished have implemented their fascination of dark, Tim Burton like themes into their music style. "Burton has the ability to combine two very different types of emotions in his films. He has a unique way of melding a storybook ending and gothic twist," explains lead singer, Kirkwood. The band takes this concept and transforms it into their lyrics and music.

The band also takes pride on their live performances. The Vanished want each show to be an experience, rather than just a concert for their fans. "We view the shows like a three-act-play. Just playing the songs live, isn't enough for us. Be it through certain types of lighting, staging and song arrangements, we want the shows to be an experience." The Vanished make sure they take their live shows to the next level. "Our drummer is the only member who has been able to avoid bodily injury during a show. We are all waiting for him to spontaneously combust,” adds Kirkwood (www.myspace.com/thevanished)

You can currently catch The Vanished on the road touring the US and on select dates of the Family Values Tour. (www.thevanished.com)

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