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“It almost feels like youʼre reborn again and youʼre taking your first steps, and whoʼs going to hold your hand to help you learn how to walk again?” ponders “It almost feels like youʼre reborn again and youʼre taking your first steps, and whoʼs going to hold your hand to help you learn how to walk again?” ponders Dave Benedict, bassist for Default.  That may have been the feeling hanging over the band as they prepare for their fourth album Comes and Goes, hitting the stores on October 23. The album had an original release date of Spring 2008, only to be shelved when the label putting it out went out of business as yet another casualty of the shrinking music industry. But with a new record label associated with Nickelback and a slew of exciting tour dates in Spring 2010--including playing for Canadian and international troops in Afghanistan--Default seems re-energized to the point where they can put their foot forward: “Weʼd been stagnate we really wanted something cool and different to happen for us. We just really got into being a band again,” reflects vocalist Dallas Smith.

Founded in 1999 in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Default found a champion in Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger shortly after they began. Their debut The Fallout boasted many hit songs totalling 600,000 spins on the radio as well as the coveted Juno Award for Best New Group in 2002. By 2003, The Fallout was certified Platinum with 1 million copies sold in the United States and Default was in prime position to conquer the world. Through the ups of more accolades and the downs of an ailing music industry, Default pushed through the years writing songs, releasing records, and playing to countless people around the world. 

Their latest album Comes and Goes is another stepping stone toward further recognition of their dedication and talent, with the entire band agreeing that it is by far their best accomplishment in the studio. “Right off the bat we knew this was a special album and that it came together exactly the way we wanted it to,” says Dallas. While there are standard breakup songs, Comes and Goes features more positive energy than ever with love songs and then there is “Caught in the Moment,” a song dedicated to Dallas’s young son, which Dallas hopes will help him understand his dad better when he is older. Default supplied JamLegend with another song "Turn It On" from the new album so check it out below!

Comes and Goes is be available in stores and online now! For more info on Default, check out their official site or MySpace page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A chance meeting outside of the Troubadour in Los Angeles was Drive A’s inception: the siren lure of live music with its booming bass, white hot lights, and rapt crowds used to be a night out for vocalist/guitarist Bruno Mascolo and rhythm guitarist Jason Nott, but now it’s their bread and butter as professional musicians. The random conversation they had outside the club turned into a bond of working relationship as they developed on ideas for songs and wrote music together. With killer riffs, punk rock hooks, and a raw, Rock 'N' Roll gutter-snarl, Drive A had a winning formula that quickly caught on. The band logged miles playing 100 shows in just over a year, supporting bands like Rise Against, Papa Roach, Anti-Flag, and Pennywise.

In 2009, Drive A released their debut Loss of Desire, a collection of anthems for a new generation. Personal and from the heart yet relatable, the songs appeal to our everyday frustrations. “I think what sets us apart from a lot of bands out there right now is the fact that we are experiencing the exact same things as our fans and that’s what our songs are about,” says guitarist Jason Nott. Bruno agrees, “The songs on this album are about being frustrated with a lot of things, most of the lyrics I write are personal, but I think anyone listening can relate to them in their own way. I leave it up to them to interpret what they are hearing.”

Drive A continue to hit the road in the US and abroad, inciting audiences to let go and be swept away by the rock-n-roll spectacle. “Touring is the life’s blood of this band,” says Bruno. “Recording and everything else is cool, but we are a live band and that is the best way to experience Drive A.”       You can get a taste for Drive A’s infectious punk-infused rock by playing their single “Take a Side” on JamLegend. To find out more about Drive A, please visit their MySpace and Facebook pages.    

While JamLgend is a great platform for emerging bands to showcase their songs, sometimes we have the privilege of working with Gold- and Platinum-certified artists who are eager to engage their fans by adding a new, interactive dimension to their music. To celebrate the September 28 release of Invented, the first new Jimmy Eat World album in over three years, the band added a sample of the first single from the album “My Best Theory” to JamLegend.

Jimmy Eat World formed in Mesa, Arizona in 1993 as a four-piece punk band, right as the genre was pushing into the mainstream with bands like Green Day. After a string of self-released demos, EP, and album, the band signed to Capitol Records. Meanwhile, their musical style evolved from crunchy punk to a more emo sound like their contemporaries like the Promise Ring or Sunny Day Real Estate. With their song “Lucky Denver Mint” featured in the Drew Barrymore movie Never Been Kissed, Jimmy Eat World’s popularity exploded. In 2001, they released their seminal release Bleed American which sold over 1 million copies and was certified Platinum. The follow-up Futures from 2004 was certified Gold.

Since the end of 2008, Jimmy Eat World have been working on songs that would become Invented. They teamed up again with producer Mark Trombino for a dozen songs that were finally finished in early summer 2010. Invented will be available on September 28, but you can get a free sneak preview with a sample of the first single “My Best Theory” on JamLegend! For more info on Jimmy Eat World, you can visit their official site (where you can preorder Invented), Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter.

 

Things have happened remarkably fast for PAZ. Like 100k downloads of his debut mixtape in the 24 hours. Or the mish-mash celebrity admirers including country star Tim McGraw, Black Eyed Peas, and Kanye West. Those things don’t happen overnight for most musicians, but for PAZ, the stars aligned perfectly and things couldn’t go any more swimmingly.

Not long ago, PAZ was a regular college student, albeit in a prestigious Ivy League school, playing rugby by day and performing at rowdy frat parties at night. Like awkward silences bursting the conversation bubble, the pauses between songs ruined the flow of the show and sapped the party’s energy. "I used to stop and start between songs, but that meant the crowd would stop too. At some point I just started blending my music, like a DJ,” explains PAZ. His musical style of mashing up hip hop, rock, and dance beats evolved out of this need to keep the party in motion. And in a way, the motion hasn’t stopped for PAZ ever since.

August 2010 saw the release of the first official PAZ mixtape Young Broke & Fameless, which was downloaded 100,000 times within the first 24 hours. PAZ may be young, he may be broke, but maybe not so much fameless--his work has caught the fancy of mainstream artists and legendary party promoters, opening many more doors than if PAZ stayed on the straight and narrow of a rugby playing college student.

You can find out more about PAZ and download Young Broke & Fameless  for free via the PAZ Facebook page.  Play PAZ's featured song "Sold My Soul (But Bought it Back)" on JamLegend below!

 

Sometimes, bands come out of nowhere and start going somewhere right away.  Abused Romance is one talented band who was signed to a record label to launch it as a business with their debut release.  It seems unheard of for a new label to launch with a brand new band, but not if the record label is Freeway Records, founded by Russ Regan who was the president of Motown Records (yes, the Motown Records) and partner Kent Jacobs who worked with huge names like Prince, the Police, REM and KISS. 

Regan and Jacobs discovered Abused Romance in July 2009 and immediately signed them: “Russ and I felt that this band had the skills to launch the label. What I love about Abused Romance is their strong musicianship and the fact that they all have the killer instinct. Amit Ofir and Meir Yaniv have great producing skills and their writing abilities are superstar quality!” Guitarist Amit Ofir shows that despite the swift turn of fortune, they're down to earth about their impending success: “We are a tight group of close friends, and are very passionate about our music. Whether we are on or offstage, writing songs or rehearsing, we give our all to this band and its purpose.”  Abused Romance recorded their debut album Shine in Los Angeles, with producer Justin Gray, who has sold more than 20 million records worldwide, working with artists such as Joss Stone, INXS, etc. and mixed by legendary engineer Randy Staub who worked with U2, Metallica, Nickelback, Bon Jovi, etc.  It's unimaginable to have people of that caliber working on your debut album, and Abused Romance must be pinching themselves to make sure it's all happening.

Shine will be released soon in summer 2010, but you can preview the song "Hit and Run" on JamLegend right now!  To find out more about Abused Romance, please visit their official site, MySpace, or Facebook page.

 

Slightly Stoopid is nothing but--they're a savvy bunch who know how to write great, catchy songs and keep things DYI and close to home.  What started out as a fun music project for high school kids back in 1995 became a career in music when the late Bill Nowell, frontman for Sublime, decided to sign Slightly Stoopid to his Skunk imprint.  The band released a self-titled album which included the song "Prophet" featuring Nowell, which was eventually covered by Sublime.  It seems that Nowell's ear was right on the mark: Slightly Stoopid's mix of bratty punk and laid-back reggae was a perfect formula that was eaten up by the public hungry for more bands like Sublime.

Eventually, Slightly Stoopid formed their own record label Stoopid Records to release their own albums.  They also expanded their lineup from a duo of founding members Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald to include drummer Ryan Moran, Oguer Ocon on percussion as well as C Money and Dela on brass to bolster their live sound.  Bouncing from continent to continent, Slightly Stoopid cultivated fans all over the world, from Europe to Asia to Australia to anywhere in between, because their live shows have a positive, infectious energy that gets the audience going.  “They make it worth our while--when we go out and people are having that good of a time, the energy goes back and forth. Just a good time--we rely on each other’s energy," says Kyle.  Adds Miles, "The most important part is being out there 200 days a year. You’re going back to towns twice a year, so people get to come out, and that gave us a real loyal following. Wherever we go, you have these Stoopidheads going crazy. For us, it’s pretty much the greatest job in the world.”

Despite the constant touring, Slightly Stoopid found time to write new songs and release albums consistently, including live albums and DVDs that channel the best aspect of their shows.  JamLegend is pleased to present a great selection of Slightly Stoopid songs including an awesome UB40 cover "I Would Do for You" from their anthology Slightly Not Stoned Enough To Eat Breakfast Yet Stoopid as well as the original song "2 AM" from their studio album Chronchitis, available to play below.

For more info on Slightly Stoopid, check out their official site, MySpace, or Facebook.  Their albums are available via iTunes and Amazon as well as many other sites and record stores.  Slightly Stoopid will be on the road this month, of course, so check them out if they're coming to your town!

June 5, 2010 Saturday      Ozark      AR      Wakarusa
June 12, 2010 Saturday     Santa Rosa     CA     Harmony Festival
June 13, 2010 Sunday     Santa Rosa     CA     Harmony Festival
June 18, 2010 Friday     Jacksonville     OR     Britt Pavilion
June 19, 2010 Saturday     Redmond     WA     Marymoor Amphitheatre
June 20, 2010 Sunday     Spokane     WA     Riverfront Park Amphitheatre
June 22, 2010 Tuesday     Missoula     MT     Ryan Creek Meadows
June 23, 2010 Wednesday     Boise     ID     Idaho Center Amphitheatre
June 24, 2010 Thursday     Salt Lake City     UT     The Depot
June 25, 2010 Friday     Las Vegas     NV     The Pool at the Hard Rock
June 26, 2010 Saturday     Phoenix     AZ     Celebrity Theatre

 

JamLegend is usually a venue for emerging talent to find a worldwide audience, but sometimes, we have the privilege to bring true legends to a young and unsuspecting audience.  One such band is Death, who began their influential career in Orlando, Florida in 1983.  Death is without a doubt one of the pillars of metal, pioneering the genre of death metal (why do you think it's called "death metal"?) by pushing the horizon of what's considered "metal."  Go to any metal show, and we bet you good money you will see someone wearing a Death shirt with the band's iconic logo featuring a scythe.  The band continued to be active for a very long time, but when founder and central member Chuck Schuldiner passed away from brain cancer in 2001, Death was put to rest with him.

Death originally began as Mantas in 1983 when Schuldiner was only 16 years old with founding members Rick Rozz and Kam Lee.  The band shed the Mantas name and became Death in 1984, starting a long and steady journey to becoming metal legend.  Keep in mind the Internet didn't exist for most people in the 1980s: Death's music and reputation spread slowly as metal fans traded cassette tape recordings and read about them in fanzines.  Everyone was intrigued by this new band simply called Death with their intense, ultra-fast drum patterns, gutteral vocals, tempo/key-changes, and lightning-speed guitar solos; the music was fast, but instead of punk or hardcore's kinetic spark, it possessed a smoldering energy and gravity.  It was something people had seen glimpses of in other bands, but really crystallized in Death to become a springboard for a brand new genre.  After a few years of Schuldiner moving from city to city and subsequent member shuffles, Death finally released their debut album, the landmark Scream Bloody Gore.

Chuck Schuldiner continued writing songs and performing with Death with a rotating cast of supporting musicians, many of them in their own famous bands such as Gene Hoglan, Steve DiGiorgio, Terry Butler, etc.  He even expanded into prog metal with a second band called Control Denied.  So it was quite shocking and tragic that in 1999, Schuldiner was diagnosed with brain cancer and passed away in 2001 at a too-young age of 34 after a long, brave battle with the disease.  While Chuck Schuldiner hismself was modest and rejected the idea that he was instrumental in creating the death metal genre, the list of musicians who attended his funeral shows the breadth and depth of Schuldiner's musical influence.

As huge fans of Death, we really hope that finding Death's music on JamLegend made your day, and maybe even added something new to your perspective on the metal bands you already like.  Bands like Death come only once in a long, long while, and we're in happy disbelief that we're in the position to introduce this amazing band to a new generation of fans.  Relapse Records has released the Death discography digitally available via iTunes, and will also release works by Control Denied as well as Mantas.  For more information on Death, please visit the band's excellent official website, their MySpace page, or their Facebook page.  Enjoy "Lack of Comprehension" from the Human album below!

 

When you first hear the Dirty Heads, you may have a deja vu moment thinking you may have heard them before.  It's very possible that you have--their music has been featured in Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, commercials for brands like Hurley and Skullcandy, and the Matthew McConaughey himself selected their music to be in his film Surfer, Dude.  Rolling Stone magazine declared Dirty Heads one of the best new bands in 2010, but the core relationship between founding members Jared Watson and Dustin Bushnell reaches back to 1996 when the two met in highschool and bonded over mutual interests in music, surfing, skating, and the endless party of the laid-back Southern California life.

With a four-track machine and a earful of music by Bob Marley, Sublime, 311, and the Beastie Boys, Jared and Dustin concocted what became the signature Dirty Heads sound that blends acoustic rock, hip hop, and reggae.  The Dirty Heads' music reflects the sunny disposition and the chilled-out attitude of their Huntington Beach roots.  It's fun, carefree, and doesn't take itself too seriously--just what you need to hear when you had a bad day.

Eventually, the duo bolstered their lineup by adding percussionist Jon Olazabal, drummer Matt Ochoa and bassist David Foral.  With a full line-up, their ambition grew; they booked local gigs consistently and traveled up and down the West Coast infecting new fans with their unique sound.  They recorded an album with an absolutely stellar supporting cast:  über-famous executive producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Kid Rock, Paramore), producers Steve Fox and Stan Frazier (Sugar Ray), and engineer Mario Caldato Jr., best known for his work with the Beastie Boys.  Working with these industry heavyweights helped Dirty Heads hone their sound further, and the result became their album Any Port in a Storm.  The now expanded album features 22 tracks, a video oozing the sunny, delightful Southern Cal vibe, and “Lay Me Down” featuring Rome, of Sublime with Rome.

The Dirty Heads song "Stand Tall" has already received over 230,000 plays on JamLegend.  Try it out below!  To find out more about the Dirty Heads, please visit their official website or MySpace. Any Port in a Storm is available in most music outlets such as Amazon, iTunes, and your local record store.  Check it out!

The great thing about JamLegend is our platform evens the playing field for unsigned bands to showcase their music and find new fans.  Take Say Okay from Hamburg, Germay:  they formed in 2009 and are yet unsigned (hopefully not for long!), but their upbeat pop-punk single "Girl" already has over 50,000 plays.  Brimming with positive energy, it's not that difficult to fall in love with this band.  In their short lifespan, Say Okay have gained a following in Germany with their infectious songwriting and intense live performances that make the audience and the ceiling sweat.  Now, they're out to conquer the hearts of fans around the world via JamLegend.

We talked to Say Okay vocalist Anselm about how the band came to add their music to the game.  A night of Guitar Hero and beer led to a passing mention of JamLegend by one of the band's friends.  Anselm went to work next day and decided to check out the site: "I wanted to take a look.  I was at work and got really into it..until I got busted. The consequences: I was in trouble and had to do some bad extra work AND we loaded up two songs at JamLegend right at that evening."  Soon, the entire Say Okay lineup was hooked on the game--it turns out, the best player in the band ended up being the drummer, Andre.

One thing led to another and Say Okay decided to run a contest with their fans.  The best JamLegend player out of the fans will play against Andre, the best player in the band.  If Mike, the fan player, won then he will play guitar with Say Okay on stage whey they perform their JamLegend hit "Girl."  If Andre won, Mike will have to dance naked on stage while the band played "Girl."  It's a high stakes gamble with serious consequences.  How did it turn out?  Better than you can imagine:  Mike beat Andre, so he showed up on stage to play guitar on "Girl" at a Say Okay show....only wearing socks and his guitar!!

We love how Say Okay used JamLegend to promote their music and interact with their fans, and we wish them all the best in taking their music to a wider audience. Perhaps soon, they'll have more fun stories of things that happened as they toured around the world?  As for the little matter of Anselm getting busted by his boss at work, worry not.  He told us, "By now I told my boss, what exactly I was doing, when he busted me. Today he has a higher score on our song 'Girl' than I do."  All's well that ends well?  We think so!

For more info on Say Okay, check out their MySpace or Facebook page.  If you haven't checked out "Girl" you can play the song below!

 

Sometimes, you need a fresh start even after attaining success--a reboot to make everything runs the way it should.  If you thought Revocation sounds too tight and polished to be a new kid on the block who started their journey in 2006, you're correct.  For a few years, the Boston, Massachusetts band was active as Cryptic Warning, which evolved from guitarist David Davidson and drummer Phil Dubois-Coyne jamming to Guns n Roses and Metallica songs when they were still in middle school.  After a few demos, a studio album, and a growing underground following, Cryptic Warning metamorphosed into Revocation.  In an interview with Jackson Guitars, his guitar sponsor, Davidson explains the name change: "Ultimately, we dug the name and thought it had a cool weight to it.  I’ve always been a fan of one-word names and there’s not too many out there left because there are so many metal bands gobbling up everything that sounds evil or brutal."

Revocation's music can be described as an alloy of thrash metal and technical death metal.  There is an aspect of the band that's a stickler for technique--an intricate intertwining of guitar and bass parts, the galloping double-kick drumming, and the dexterous guitar solos.  But the songs aren't just cold, hard show of musical technique:  Revocation has a sense of flair and showmanship, as if the boys who played along to Guns n Roses never quite grew out of them.  Armed with a new name, the band felt a creative surge to record Empire of the Obscene, a self-released album in 2008.  Their fortunes soared when they caught the attention of Relapse Records, one of the top metal labels in the business. 

In the fall of 2009, Revocation released Existence is Futile through Relapse to rave reviews, including a Decibel review that called it "absolutely godlike."  While many metal bands often invoke fantastical themes to go with the crushing brutality of the music, Revocation's songs are surprisingly grounded in real life--from frustrations with politics and the collapsing economy to personal rage, there's much that resonates with the audience emotionally once they're done being awed by the musicianship.  With a solid album behind them, Revocation swiftly rose from the underground to terrorize the mainstream when Spin magazine named them one of the Ten Artists to Watch in 2010.

You can play along with Revocation's "Dismantle the Dictator" from their latest album Existence is Futile below.  For more info about the band, visit their MySpace or Relapse page.  Existence is Futile is available directly from Relapse, as well as via iTunes, Amazon, etc.  Revocation is on tour right now in the US--check them out live if you can!

05/06/10      The Tip Top       Indianapolis, IN 
05/08/10     Triple Rock     Minneapolis, MN 
05/09/10     The Warehouse     LaCrosse, WI 
05/10/10     Brass Rail     Peoria, IL 
05/11/10     Outland Ballroom     Springfield, IL 
05/12/10     The Marquee     Tulsa, OK 
05/13/10     The War Legion Underground     Amarillo, TX 
05/14/10     The Downtown Greenhouse     Flagstaff, AZ 
05/15/10     The Glass House     Pomona, CA 
05/16/10     The Boardwalk     Orangevale, CA 
05/17/10     Hawthorne Theatre     Portland, OR 
05/18/10     El Corazon     Seattle, WA 
05/19/10     ICON     Pocatello, ID 
05/20/10     In The Venue     Salt Lake City, UT 
05/21/10     Black Sheep     Colorado Springs, CO 
05/22/10     Bottleneck     Lawrence, KS 
05/23/10     The Hanger     Wichita Falls, TX 
05/24/10     Emo's     Austin, TX 
05/25/10     Dos Amigos     Odessa, TX 
05/26/10     Launch Pad     Albuquerque, NM 
05/27/10     The Clubhouse     Tempe, AZ 
05/28/10     Cheyanne Saloon     Las Vegas, NV 
05/29/10     Mesa Underground     Mesa, AZ 
05/30/10     Slopshot Billiards     Gallup, NM 
05/31/10     Launch Pad     Albuquerque, NM 
06/01/10     Tequila Jungle     Lubbock, TX 
06/02/10     Emo's     Austin, TX 
06/03/10     Ridglea Theater     Fort Worth, TX 
06/04/10     Cool Party     Laredo, TX 
06/05/10     Warsaw Ballroom     Houston, TX 
06/06/10     Rustic Cowboy     Shreveport, LA 
06/07/10     Big Daddy's     Tallahassee, FL 
06/08/10     Brass Mug     Tampa, FL 
06/09/10     The Oasis     Charleston, SC 
06/10/10     The Milestone     Charlotte, NC 
06/11/10     Otto Bar     Baltimore, MD 
06/12/10     Buddha's Place     Newport News, VA 
06/13/10     New Brookland Tavern     Columbia, SC 
06/15/10     Mojo 13     Wilmington, DE 
06/16/10     Championship Bar and Grille     Trenton, NJ