Stone Axe Storm the Shores of Europe and UK with New Tour and Deluxe CD/DVD Package

Classic rock preservationists Stone Axe have officially announced that they’re hitting the road through the UK, parts of Europe, and wrapping up the tour with a night at the illustrious Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Holland! Starting on April 8^th in Oxford, England and running through April 16^th, this will mark the third time that the band has ventured to foreign soil with the aim of converting new ears to their sonic-brand of classic rock, but this time they’ll be doing it in support of their first CD/DVD package.

Scheduled for release on April 5^th and in time for the tour, Stone Axe has put together a Deluxe Edition of their self-titled debut album. The CD portion of the package features eight bonus live tracks, while the DVD portion features more than 70 minutes of videos, interviews, and live footage! Released through Ripple Music, Stone Axe – Expanded Edition CD/DVD will be available for pre-order beginning February 18^st, 2011 on the label's web site. www.ripple-music.com

Tour Dates:

8th April -The Wheatsheaf, Oxford (with Stubb, Trippy Wicked, Desert Storm)
9th April- The Unicorn, Camden, London, UK (with Stubb, Trippy Wicked, Grifter)
10th April- The Earl, Sheffield, UK (with Stubb, Trippy Wicked, Groan)
11th April- The Captains Rest, Glasgow (with Stubb, Trippy Wicked, Low Sonic Drift)
12th April- Asylum 2, Birmingham (with Stubb, Trippy Wicked, Alunah)
14th April- The Vortex, Siegen, Germany (with Stubb)

15th April- MTC, Cologne, Germany (with Stubb+more)
16th April- Roadburn Festival, Tilburg, Holland

Stone Axe has also contributed a song to the Heavy Ripples double vinyl 7” compilation that will also feature three other acts that have put their own unique spin on the sounds from a by-gone 70’s era, showing that rock n’ roll hasn’t died, but simply has gotten better! The compilation record will include tracks from the UK blues-based bike rockers Grifter, Brooklyn-based stoner-fied punks Mighty High, and New England’s southern-rock-tinged Sun Gods In Exile (on loan from incomparable Small Stone Records). The record will be officially released on April 19^th to a world-wide audience!

www.stoneaxeband.com

www.ripple-music.com

World Premiere of Fen's New Video "Miracle" Debuts on Heavy Planet

 

We’ve been talking about this for a few months and it’s all finally coming true . . . Fen’s first official video is complete and ready to be viewed by the masses! Tuesday, February 8^th, the video for the band's second single from the Trails Out of Gloom album, “Miracle”, will exclusively air on the Heavy Planet web site (hint, hint . . . view the video here .   Heavy Planet) before it’s made available through other viewing avenues. At the same time, “Miracle” is landing on the desks of radio programmers across the nation in a concerted effort to push the track. Produced by Mind of a Snail Co. and featuring a couple of hand-made marionettes, the video tells the visual tale of two young lovers finding out just how miraculous love can be.

“The speaker is pining to regain the initial spark of a relationship,” states singer/guitarist Doug Harrison on the meaning behind the song. “He pleads with whatever mysterious power brought them together, hoping that it will help him fully remember that miraculous union, and through this knowledge, bring them closer together again,” he explains.



In support of Trails Out of Gloom, Vancouver’s progressive alt-gloomsters are preparing for dates across Canada in the Spring, as well as a special tour that will feature live performances in select ghost towns. More information will be made available as soon as the details are worked out on all fronts! 

Video:  Heavy Planet

Here's what the press has to say about Trails Out of Gloom:

"Consistently enchanting from start to finish, Trails Out of Gloom is one of the more rapturous releases you're likely to encounter in quite some time.  It is fantastic in every way.  Highest possible rating, 16/16." -- Progressions Magazine

"It’s one of the better if not the best release in 2010!” – Prognaut

"Doug Harrison is one of the new remarkable talent in the prog scene. Beautifully structured songs that almost drown in the right emotions and are decorated with tasteful arrangements.  Fen resembles Anathema meets Threshold , but with an original, unique angle.” – Lords of Metal

www.fenmusic.ca

www.ripple-music.com

GRAND ATLANTIC COVERS NEW GROUND AUSTRALIAN BAND TOURS US THIS MARCH IN SUPPORT OF NEW ALBUM

 

“Classic guitar pop that leans heavily on Brian Wilson, Ray Davies and The Beatles while asserting a sonic identity rooted heavily in 90s Brisbane rock”– Scene Magazine

 

 

BRISBANE, Australia — Just month's after releasing their debut split 7" single for Ripple Music (b/w Sky Parade,) Brisbane’s Grand Atlantic is venturing into uncharted waters with a new album and US tour. They will bring the psychedelic results of their explorations to the United States this March, playing gigs in Chicago, New York and at SXSW, kicking off in Chicago at Reggie’s Music Joint on March 11^th.

 

The power pop quartet recorded their as yet untitled third record in Seacliff Lunatic Asylum, an abandoned psychiatric hospital near Dunedin, New Zealand, where they delved into darker emotional territory, experimented with new recording techniques and experienced the effects of their haunting (and possibly haunted) surroundings.Grand Atlantic’s constant touring and rehearsing have honed their skills to a razor-sharp edge. They are so sharp, in fact that some of the tracks on their new album were recorded live. “It was great to have the confidence to do some of the album live as well,” says frontman Phil Usher. “It really brings another dimension to the album and some of it is really fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of stuff.”

 

In March 2010, Grand Atlantic barnstormed across the US and Canada after invitations to showcase at SXSW and Canadian Music Week, following extensive touring of the How We Survive in Australia and a growing call from the US powerpop scene. The release of the album in the US prompted radio play on over 50 radio stations, a glut of media attention and placed them on a bunch of SXSW ‘bands to watch’ short lists.

 

Grand Atlantic Tour Dates

3/11 Reggie’s Music Joint, Chicago, IL

3/12 The Living Room, New York, NY

3/13 The Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY

3/15 Dart International Party, Austin, TX

3/17 Paisley Underground Party, Austin, TX

3/20 Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar, Houston, TX

3/22 Comet Tavern, Seattle, WA

3/24 Hotel Utah, San Francisco, CA

3/25 Trip, Santa Monica, CA

 

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Praise for Grand Atlantic

“GA have a sophomore album on their hands that not only manages to better the debut, but also demonstrates admirable artistic progress and world-stage potential.” --Rave Magazine

 

“Grand Atlantic’s second full-length album is a fairly chock-full plate of pop rock, with big sounds, singalong hooks and catchy melodies… How We Survive is a masterfully crafted record.”--Time Off Magazine

 

“…From rocking opener "Coast is Clear" to reserved closer "Don’t Say Goodnight", the whole album has a breezy Californian sound that recalls songs like Hole’s Malibu. Melody reigns throughout, with better tracks like "She’s a Dreamer" and "These Are The Times" sounding like on-form Evan Dando or Dandy Warhols… How We Survive is a lot of fun.” --BEAT Magazine

 

”…the power-pop treat that is How We Survive, (is) bristling with muscular but always melodic tunes…the towering "Coast Is Clear" gives Oasis a run for their money as a big-guitar rock song…Grand Atlantic’s latest album delivers.”--Courier Mail

 

“Here, Usher and Co. has developed a physically burly album, one that is raucous and forceful but also, one that is filled with terrific imagery and important lessons...combining hooks that bite with a tenacious amount of flavor and instruments that are shined, polished and ready to take off.” --Bryan Sanchez, Delusions of Adequacy

 

“We’re falling in love with the South Pacific this year… and I’ve found another gem in Australia’s Grand Atlantic… There’s a little bit of fuzz in their sound, which recalls Teenage Fanclub or the lesser known band,The Comas. But, [Tripwires] reminds me a lot of Dandy Warhols.”--SXSW Watchlist on Austin Town Hall

 

“With the break-up of the brothers Gallagher - I now pass the torch over to Phil Usher and Mat Von Diehm. Viva Grand Atlantic!” --Powerpopaholic

 

“Harkening back to two of our favorite bands, Sub Pop’s Love Battery and Creation’s Swervedriver, Australia’s Grand Atlantic make pure unabashed rock...we suggest you buckle up now and jump on this train before it becomes bandwagonesque.” --Your New Favorite Band on The Dumbing of America

 

“Grand Atlantic has a sound along the lines of Carolina Liar or O.A.R., masterfully blending driving modern rock riffs with smart pop hooks and spot on harmonies…” --Bill’s Music Forum

 

“This is absolutely hypnotic, mind-numbingly good sixties-flavored alt pop of the sort the entire world needs to pay attention to...” --Ripple Music

SXSW Promo #1 (2/10/10)--Waved Rumor

 

“Grand Atlantic gives you a decidedly post-punk influenced garage sound that fits these American ears just fine, thank you!...” --The Love Shack Baby

“No duds here, and most certainly no sophomore jinx...” --Absolute Power Pop

 

“This is the excellent album Oasis should have done after What’s the Story Morning Glory but didn’t…” --Lucid Culture

 

“…most of the songs recall the time when bands likeTeenage Fanclub, the Posies, Redd Kross and Velvet Crush made power pop with enough sonic muscle to rival the grunge bands...” --underneathica

 

“Folks, the bottom line is that Grand Atlantic is a solid rock and roll band. There’s no gimmicks, no pretense of rock stardom to distract from the basic draw of their music.” --Love Shack Baby

 

“If you're looking for the new Oasis then you need look nor further than Aussie foursomeGrand Atlantic." --The Devil Has The Best Tuna