Yeah, I thought I just pulled it out of the air. Honestly. Well, looks like it's becoming more common.

Hmmm. I tried that 1st video, and I really couldn't separate it from Fall Out Boy (mind you, I haven't heard much of that band either...but the song seems like a desperate try for MTV/radio exposure there...)

The second one...much like Mars Volta without the weirdness. I have tried time and again to enjoy Mars Volta, but they just seem so straight-faced about being weird that they are unapproachable (and you probably know how I am about weird music!)...and the vocals irritate me more than C&H's or Geddy Lee's. Seems like C&H are a safer middle ground between Mars Volta and Rush. Not something I necessarily want to invest a lot of time or money in, but enjoyable for some good listening. If I have a chance to scope out an entire album for its conceptual themes, I'll give it a shot. Thanks guys.

My god I love Stinking Lizaveta! New album is being released very soon. For those not familiar, the closest comparison might be a heavier Earthless.... Being that Irepress has added vocals, this might be the Instru-Metal release of the year for me. Unless Dysrhythmia puts something out, of course.

http://www.myspace.com/stinkinglizaveta

Portnoy
For Immediate Release
February 13th 2009

DREAM THEATER’S “PROGRESSIVE NATION 2009” TO TOUR NORTH AMERICA IN JULY/AUG WITH SPECIAL GUESTS ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA, PAIN OF SALVATION AND BEARDFISH

New York progressive metal veterans DREAM THEATER will take their PROGRESSIVE NATION tour back on the road for its second incarnation with a run through America and Canada in July/Aug 2009.

In addition to a headlining set by DREAM THEATER, this year’s package will feature the outstanding musicianship of ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA as well as two incredibly talented imports from Sweden: PAIN OF SALVATION and BEARDFISH.

PROGRESSIVE NATION was created by DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy and its successful inaugural run in 2008 also featured OPETH, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and THREE.

Portnoy once again hand-picked all of the bands for the 2009 bill based on their diversity and musicality. He comments: “This year’s lineup is so exciting for me. Every band is bringing something very unique to the package to create an incredibly well rounded musical experience. I am just as excited to be watching all the bands from the side of the stage as I am to be performing with mine in the center of it!”

Fresh on the heels of his Grammy win, Dweezil Zappa is pleased to announce his plans to join forces with Dream Theater as part of the Progressive Nation 2009 tour: "It's no secret that I started ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA with the intention to diversify and expand the audience for my father's music. I figured I'd probably have to do it one concert at a time. Playing with DREAM THEATER on the PROGRESSIVE NATION tour is a great way to accomplish that goal. Music fans who are seeking something to challenge their senses should definitely consider attending this great bill."

Portnoy adds, “It is an absolute honor for me to have ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA on board. Frank Zappa is one of my all-time biggest heroes and his music practically invented the term ‘progressive’. Dweezil is doing an amazing job carrying on the tradition of his father’s daring spirit and like his dad, has surrounded himself with a band of jaw-dropping, incredible musicians”

Sweden’s PAIN OF SALVATION will bring their unique brand of cutting-edge progressive metal to PN09. Vocalist/Guitarist Daniel Gildenlow comments: “We are truly very happy to be part of the PN09 tour, and to be back in the States again and bring all the sweat and flesh to our music and our well deserving American fans. We feel honored to have been asked.”

Gildenlow also joked, “Actually, Mike has been on our backs now for two years in what we believe to be a personal campaign, bordering on harassment, to make us come over. So when he asked us about PN09, it was a joy to finally be able to say yes. And if Mike didn't give up on us, then hopefully America hasn't either.”

Vocalist/Keyboardist Rikard Sjöblom of BEARDFISH is equally excited: "When we read on a website that Mike Portnoy had our album "Sleeping in Traffic Part 1" among his favorite releases of 2007, we just couldn't believe it and we were really happy about it! And now we once again gasp for air since we've been asked to join PROGRESSIVE NATION 2009 together with DREAM THEATER (one of the biggest bands in this genre today!), PAIN OF SALVATION (hey, fellow Swedes!!!) and ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA (being a HUGE Zappa fan myself, I think this is really cool!). Since we've only played the US once before we simply can't wait to come over and rock out!"

PROGRESSIVE NATION will be the first North American tour for DREAM THEATER in support of their newest Roadrunner Records release which is slated for a June 2009 release.

For more information, including dates to be announced soon, visit:
www.progressivenation2009.com (coming soon)
www.dreamtheater.net
www.myspace.com/dreamtheater

well the big draw for this Tour is Pain of Salvation to be honest. They've NEVER toured the US, and the 4 festival appearances they did hear were 5+ years ago. Beardfish are somewhat of an unknown, and they've yet to tour the States as well. So people going to this, likely are going for those 2..esp PoS, rather than DT and ZPZ just due to the fact both of them tour regularly here.

You don't seriously think that there are that many Pain of Salvation fans in the US?

Speaking of umbrellas,
here in Nashville we have this band called Umbrella Tree.

http://www.myspace.com/umbrellatree

I like "Souls Are Warm Like Eskimos."

there's a lot..trust me. Someone even called up Eddie Trunk's radio show a few years ago requesting them to tour with DT. I'm not saying people aren't going FOR DT and ZPZ, obviously that's a draw, but PoS have a following in the States and this being their 1st tour here will pull in a lot of people who know them, who have wanted to see them, but never have been able due to that fact. There's also many people who aren't DT fans who are into them..or who used-to-be DT fans who are still PoS fans..trust me, I've encountered dozens and dozens of them.

I'm not saying the majority of the crowd would be going for PoS..but I'm saying the fact a good chunk of people will want to go to this based on the fact they have never seen PoS live.

dredg

their new album is to be called

"The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion" and to be released on 5/19/09.

tour dates currently setup..some dates with Pelican and Tombs..some others I believe with Maps & Atlases and Torche, and Telescreen (maybe only NC)

03.15 Iowa City, Iowa The Picador
03.16 Kansas City, Mo. The Riot Room
03.17 Tulsa, Okla. The Marquee
03.18 San Antonio, Texas Scout Bar
03.20 Austin, Texas Buffalo Billiards
03.21 Austin, Texas Emo's
04.03 Portland, Ore Hawthorne Theatre
04.04 Bellingham, Wash. The Nightlight
04.05 Seattle, Wash. Neumo's
04.07 Salt Lake City, Utah The Avalon Theater
04.08 Denver, Colo. Marquis Theater
04.10 Minneapolis, Minn. Varsity Theater
04.11 Des Moines, Iowa Vaudeville Mews
04.12 Chicago, Ill. Empty Bottle
04.13 Pontiac, Mich. Eagle Theatre
04.15 Cambridge, Mass. Middle East Downstairs
04.16 Philadelphia, Pa. Theatre Of The Living Arts
04.17 Lancaster, Pa. Chameleon
04.18 Baltimore, Md. Sonar
04.19 New York, N.Y. HighLine Ballroom
04.21 Raleigh, N.C. The Brewery

spin.com
http://www.spin.com/articles/exclusive-album-preview-mew

*****Experimental Danish alt-rockers Mew, who broke through two winters ago with the U.S. release of their album And the Glass Handed Kites, have wrapped sessions on their fourth studio album. Recorded primarily in Brooklyn last summer and mixed in New York City, the as yet untitled album is on target for a June 2009 release.

According to singer Jonas Bjerre, the biggest change for Mew this time around was keeping their recording timeline down to a minimum. "We were in agreement when we started writing this record, promising ourselves, 'This is not going to take three years to make. We need to work faster,'" Bjerre tells SPIN.com.

The band also moved away from the continuous manner in which Kites was mixed, where one song basically bled seamlessly into the next. "The last record we did was like one long thing, and I love that about it," Bjerre says. "We didn’t want to do that again, we wanted to have separate songs. I think it’s like a counter reaction to what we did last time."

And while the music might not always reflect it, Bjerre says this new material is a bit more upbeat, content-wise. "Oftentimes, even if the song’s not happy, the lyrics are," he explains. "I think that this record’s probably a bit weirder in some ways, but also there’s some really very clear stuff."

Before heading back across the pond, Bjerre played two freshly mixed songs from the album for SPIN.com.

"Cartoons and Papier Mache" is a challenging, five-minute opus that launches headlong into a throbbing, percussive workout, layered densely with aggressive, metallic guitar strums and bass bursts. But later, the band deconstructs the frenetic arrangement, and the song winds down into a gorgeous, multi-part harmony with vocals from Bjerre and guitarist Bo Madsen swirling about from channel to channel.

While songs containing diverse, almost incongruous elements are nothing new to Mew, "Cartoons" takes that formula to a new level. "It was two different songs and kind of came together into one," Bjerre explains. "It used to start with a little piano thing, but we felt like we've always done that, starting really quiet and then building." So, instead, it's almost as if they've inserted a loud bridge at the song's outset, and closed with the quiet build-up.

Where "Cartoons" is complex and densely arranged, the second track Bjerre played -- tentatively titled "Beach" -- is the polar opposite, a concise, sub-three-minute song that's the most straightforward song Mew has ever recorded, and doing so definitely took the band out of their comfort zone. "One the reasons we make music and what we think is exciting about making music is to do new things and put ourselves into places where we don’t necessarily feel safe," Bjerre says. "['Beach'] is a little bit like that."

While all the usual machinations take place that precede an album's release, Bjerre is back in Denmark working on another essential element of the Mew concept: his hand-animated visuals that accompany the live show, which often contained different animals that lip-synced along to the band's performance. "I think I’m going to keep a lot of the characters and make them look a lot older," Bjerre says of his three-month animation process. "Because our music sometimes is a little bit complex, the visuals help keep the focus, to draw your attention to a few details that you might miss out on."

Bjerre says the band hopes to play some live shows in advance of the album's release, but no firm plans have been announced.*****

Looks like not only will TMV be touring this summer, their next album is also likely to be released. Various sources online indicate that LP5 will be released June 16, 2009.
We expect an official announcement one of these days.

In the meantime, if you want to find out about the likely title and what others think, check out this topic on our forum.

there's 1 interval pattern that reminds me of Crimson on the new Mastodon..Ghosts of Karelia?..the section in the 1st min or 2?..forget...but like Burst, they seem to take from "Three of a Perfect Pair"..that interval pattern is catchy and addictive to me anyway, so I don't blame them.

The Mars Volta - "Octahedron" rel in June in Australia

http://blog.thecomatorium.com/?p=64



the forum post pretty much confirms it. I will listen, but I just wish they could get someone to throw out all the splash and crash cymbals Pridgen uses..or at least find a way to mix them so they don't clip every 5 seconds. And tone-down the mix overall. BEDLAM had some nice songwriting on it, but it became moot for me cuz how unlistenable the production was. We'll see I guess if this is any different.

US TOUR


The band is happy to announce its upcoming Autumn US tour in support of its new album. The following dates have been confirmed:


Tue 15 Sep SEATTLE, WA MOORE THEATER
Wed 16 Sep PORTLAND, OR ROSELAND
Fri 18 Sep SAN FRANCISCO WARFIELD
Sat 19 Sep LOS ANGELES CLUB NOKIA
Mon 21 Sep CLEVELAND, OH HOUSE OF BLUES
Tue 22 Sep CHICAGO, IL VIC THEATER
Thu 24 Sep NY, NY TERMINAL 5
Sat 26 Sep PHILLY ELECTRIC FACTORY
Sun 27 Sep BOSTON, MA HOUSE OF BLUES

Tue 29 Sep MONTREAL METROPOLIS
Wed 30 Sep TORONTO QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE

Supporting PT in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco: That 1 Guy
In Los Angeles: Bigelf
Remaining Dates: King's X


US TICKET INFORMATION


ROABP, the band’s ticketing club, has tickets available for all shows, and are available to ROABP members starting THIS FRIDAY, April 10.

For more information on ROABP presale tickets for both the US and European tour dates, click here.

Onsale dates for the general public are all on April 17, except Boston and Chicago, which are on sale April 18, and San Francisco, on sale April 19.

Durn, no KX in SF...

Thanks for posting all the dredg stuff. Love that second album cover (that's the one posted on their website as well), and hopefully the songs won't be too wimpy for me to enjoy live. Will watch the youtubes and see.

new Mars Volta single "Cotopaxi" ...

The Dear Hunter new album is called Act III: Life and Death 57-58 mins I guess. details
http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1015082

Killer, I love The Dear Hunter. I was just listening to Act II earlier.

the new Mars Volta album leaked a few days ago. It may be their most accessible album yet. Really stripped down..lot of it's acoustic. Maybe their LZ III?