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Closure In Moscow kicked off Soundwave Festival, plan free shows

Alternative Press - Tim Karan on 2/19/10 @ 11:31 AM - altpress.com

Australian progressive rock outfit Closure In Moscow have been removed from the lineup of this year's Soundwave Music Festival--which kicks off this weekend and plays in major cities throughout Australia. This year's bill includes AFI, Paramore, Taking Back Sunday, the Get Up Kids, All Time Low, A Day To Remember and more.

The controversy allegedly stemmed from a phone call yesterday between a member of the band and festival organizer A.J. Maddah. In a post on the Soundwave message board titled, "SW2010 Waves A Not-So-Fond Farewell To Closure In Moscow," Maddah says that he only put the band on the bill as a favor to CIM's manager and that they were set to receive "10 times what they are worth" only to be "demanding and rude people."

Soundwave's statement:
"It is amazing how the one band you book on the festival only as a favour to their manager; whom you are paying 10 times what they are worth as a gesture of goodwill; and you bill way above their station, turn out to be the only demanding and rude people amongst a star-studded line up.

Here are some tips for other local bands hoping to keep a spot on a national festival:

1.Having a band member call the festival admin manager 2 days out from the festival with a new list of demands and being aggressive, rude and yelling at her only works if you are holding hostages.

2. Don't demand that festival vehicles and drivers pick band members up from their homes and then drop them off after the festival. Specially if you live on an island off the Gold Coast!

3. Don't demand that the festival should book and pay for your accommodation on top of the $25,000 you're being paid to pay for your own lodgings."


In response, Closure In Moscow--who are signed to Equal Vision--took to their MySpace blog and posted their side of the story. Calling Maddah's claims "outrageous," the band say they did have a phone conversation with the festival organizer, but only to get details on travel arrangements and other aspects of the show that hadn't yet been made clear to them.

A portion of Closure In Moscow's statement reads:
"Judging by the behavior so far, I'm certain we'll be painted as some ungrateful punks. The truth is we were very honored to have been included in the festival. We were blown away when we found out we'd be playing Main Stage. We are well aware that AJ was doing a favor to our manager but nobody asked him to put us on the main stage and nobody asked him to offer us as much as he did which he's now complaining about. He's the one that offered us the money. We expected much less and were again very grateful when we got the offer. We demanded nothing through this process and have been thankful each step of the way. He's the one that offered us these great opportunities and then took them all away. Anyone that knows us will tell you that we aren't the type of band this man has suggested we are."

In an attempt to make up for the canceled performance dates, Closure In Moscow are planning to play several free shows "for those that went to Soundwave hoping to see us play."

Check out the band's entire statement below and let us know: Who do you think is right?

Closure In Moscow's statement:
"We have been absolutely devastated since being told that we couldn't perform at Soundwave this year. We've heard it's because we acted like "a bunch of rude ungrateful cunts" as AJ articulated ever so warmly in an email to us.

We'd like to take a moment and address briefly the outrageous claims by Mr. Maddah. With only days before the beginning of the festival, we still didn't have any information. They were booking our flights as part of our deal and we still hadn't received any flight details or tour details. We were also under the impression that they'd be paying for our hotels the same that they do for all of the other Soundwave artists. Finding out that we were responsible for that ourselves was perfectly fine. Nobody even challenged it. We simply said okay and moved on. They were also providing ground transportation. Seeing as how we live in Australia and are already in Brisbane rehearsing for the tour, it seems a logical question to want to know if we should meet them somewhere central or if they'd be picking us up where we currently were. We were told they could pick us up and that was the end of that conversation. If they had a problem with any of those things they should have spoken up. We didn't demand or even request anything. We simply asked them questions for things that were still unanswered. Nobody raised their voice or even got upset. Minutes after hanging up what we felt was a normal routine conversation, we get a call from AJ. Keep in mind this is the first time that we are speaking to AJ about ANYTHING. After listening to a mouthful of profanity and being belittled, he ended his sentence with "you're off the festival" and then hung up on us without the slightest opportunity for discussion. You can imagine our shock. It's impossible to entertain the thought that we offended someone so deeply by asking logistical touring questions.

Obviously we were and still are confused over what happened. Had we been in the wrong, we would have promptly apologized. But we are not in the wrong in this matter. Mr. Maddah is clearly in the wrong and we won't beg forgiveness for something we didn't do.

Judging by the behavior so far, I'm certain we'll be painted as some ungrateful punks. The truth is we were very honored to have been included in the festival. We were blown away when we found out we'd be playing Main Stage. We are well aware that AJ was doing a favor to our manager but nobody asked him to put us on the main stage and nobody asked him to offer us as much as he did which he's now complaining about. He's the one that offered us the money. We expected much less and were again very grateful when we got the offer. We demanded nothing through this process and have been thankful each step of the way. He's the one that offered us these great opportunities and then took them all away. Anyone that knows us will tell you that we aren't the type of band this man has suggested we are.

All we ever wanted from day one is to play our music for people. It's truly a shame that our fate on this tour has been decided by the whims of one man's lofty imagination. We aren't about to let this dictate our future though. We will be making plans immediately to play a handful of FREE shows for those that went to Soundwave hoping to see us play. While it isn't our choice not to play, it isn't yours either. We will do everything we can to make this right for those that wanted to see us play. We'll also be making plans to do a full headline tour before leaving for Warped Tour this year.

We're grateful to have so many supportive friends and fans that know how absolutely childish and absurd this is. It's sad that this type of behavior exists and is tolerated in an industry designed to promote positivity, creativity and artistic expression through music. Let's not allow one person's negativity keep us from remembering that music is meant to be a catalyst for good; to uplift and encourage. If there's ever a time to remember that, it's now."

Listen to a clip the new Deftones single "Rocket Skates"

Alternative Press - Tim Karan on 2/18/10 @ 2:43 PM - altpress.com

Deftones have revealed details about their upcoming sixth full-length, Diamond Eyes. The album--produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Marilyn Manson)--will be released May 18 and the single will be available for download beginning Feb. 23 here. Deftones were working on a full-length called Eros when bassist Chi Cheng was in a serious accident in 2008 that has left him in a coma. The band decided to scrap that material and start over, but the members have said the decision had nothing to do with Cheng's condition. Frontman Chino Moreno has said about the album, "I've been wanting to record a fantasy album like [2000's] White Pony, where the lyrics are less, 'This is my life and this is what we're going through.' It helps take us away from reality. I don't like listening to people's problems--I like music."

You can hear 28 instrumental seconds of "Rocket Skates" below.

Manchester Orchestra/Thrice co-headlining tour announced

Alternative Press - Scott Heisel on 2/18/10 @ 1:08 PM - altpress.com

Manchester Orchestra and Thrice will team up this April and May for a co-headlining tour across the United States. Opening all shows will be O' Brother.

"We've only gotten to hang out [with Manchester Orchestra] in passing, so we're excited to get out on the road with them," says Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue. "They're a great band and one of the few out there that I feel an affinity with in more ways than one."

Dates are below:

Apr 14 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Apr 15 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Apr 16 - New Orleans, LA @ The Howlin Wolf
Apr 17 - Oxford, MS @ The Lyric Oxford
Apr 18 - Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay Theatre
Apr 20 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
Apr 21 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
Apr 22 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
Apr 23 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
Apr 24 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Apr 25 - Des Moines, IA @ People’s Court
Apr 27 - Vermillion, SD @ Eagle’s Club Room
Apr 29 - Billings, MT @ The Railyard
May 1 - Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theater
May 3 - Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory
May 4 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
May 7 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
May 9 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theatre

Avenged Sevenfold recruit Dream Theater drummer

Alternative Press - Tim Karan on 2/18/10 @ 10:55 AM - altpress.com

Avenged Sevenfold have announced that they will record their upcoming album with Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy. The band were forced to look for a replacement following the unexpected death of James "The Rev" Sullivan in December, and they turned to Sullivan's "all-time favorite drummer."

The band released this statement: "Mike [Portnoy] said it would be an honor and without question that's what Jim would have wanted. It's comforting to us that someone like Mike, who is undoubtedly revered as one of the best drummers in the world, held such respect and adoration for the Rev's abilities."

Portnoy had this to say about filling in: ""Even under normal circumstances, I would've been happy to help the guys out in any way I could as I think Avenged Sevenfold are a great band...but under these incredibly sad and tragic circumstances, I must say I am truly honored to have been asked to play with them and I didn't even have to think twice about saying 'yes.'

These guys are a true family and it is an incredibly emotional experience to be here with them for the first time without their lost brother. But they have welcomed me into the family with open arms and there's a real excitement to make the record they had set out to make.

I am treating my participation on this album with the utmost respect for Jimmy's memory and am remaining as true as possible to the drum parts that he wrote for the songs and the record he wanted to make.

I want their fans to realize that I'm not trying to step into or fill The Rev's shoes...I'm just merely lacing 'em up for him!"

Avenged Sevenfold will be working on the follow-up to 2007's self-titled album. Check out video of Portnoy playing:

Powerspace announce break-up

Alternative Press - Tim Karan on 2/18/10 @ 1:40 AM - altpress.com

Chicago powerpop outfit Powerspace have revealed that they've called it quits. In a MySpace blog, drummer Kevin Kane said, "Powerspace is no more--the name and everything that it signified."

The band spent much of last year working on the follow up to their debut full-length, 2007's The Kicks Of Passion.

Read Kane's statement below:

This explanation's been a long time coming, I know. I started making jokes about Powerspace "falling off the face of the planet" over a year ago! So here:

A lot has changed in the last year, and the unfortunate result is that Powerspace is no longer a band. We've had to make some heartbreaking decisions and like any breakup, it's a complicated and private matter.

I set out to write a tl;dr version for anyone that might care to hear more than the standard band breakup letter--thanks for the memories, thanks for the support, that sorta thing--but I'm realizing that there's not much else I can say. Nothing new and interesting, anyway. It's true that Powerspace is no more--the name and everything that it signified. And yeah, like I'm sure Tom said elsewhere on the internet, we really are thankful for the memories and the support--it's a shame that things like this always come off as trite and insincere, that I can't think of a word that packs more of a punch than "thankful"--but we are, from the bottom of our hearts. The cliches turn out to be true, one by one--that we couldn't have done it without you, that we wouldn't have wanted to anyway if it weren't for you, that most of our memories from the last three years were built on your kindness and generosity and that sorta thing. That you were with us through it all, when we were (it has to be admitted) clumsy, inexperienced chumps. That you bought our tacky t-shirts (and snap bracelets, of course) so we could put enough gas in the van to get to the next city. That you were, in a lot of very subtle ways, wiser than us--again, something that sounds unbearably cheesy, but trust me, I'm thinking about the Kevin that used to have short hair and that tiny gray hoodie and the first of maybe 25 beanies that I lost on tour, and I've changed so much in just three years, and most of those three years were spent around you. Seeing all of the states for the first time (having only previously visited, what, like two states?), going to Canada, going to Japan... in short, taking what amounts to a three-year dream vacation (with less frequent showers, maybe) with your best buds--and all because of you. So thank you, a thousand times.

That being said, this isn't -quite- the teary-eyed goodbye I might've made it out to sound. Throughout all of its iterations, there was a lot of talent in Powerspace--prime stuff, really, which I feel like I'm in a privileged position to say, for some reason (my talents don't really extend past drumming, but one thing I'm -really- good at is respecting and even revering my fellow bandmates--don't tell them I said that). Powerspace as everyone knows it is 100% gone, and speaking about it in the past tense is still a very new thing for me, but for these guys to give up music entirely would be a crime. And they're not, and I'm not, and that's about all I can say. So keep tabs.

But again, and most importantly, thank you. If I kept rambling on, it'd just be a recap of all those cheesy things I said up there, so I'll just say the two words again and hope that, by virtue of repetition, you'll believe me this time: thank you! We wish you all the best and hope that we see you all again, in one way or another.

~ Kevin Kane and Powerspace

Watch Paramore's video for "The Only Exception"

Alternative Press - Tim Karan on 2/18/10 @ 12:58 AM - altpress.com

Paramore have unveiled their video for "The Only Exception," the third video from their latest full-length, brand new eyes. Check out the video below.