Driven Far Off

The latest on the indie, alternative, and rock music scene including news, music, contest, interviews, and more. Best described as your favorite place to find new bands.

Motion City Soundtrack To Release Video Documentary

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Motion City Soundtrack is set to release the video documentary I Am The Movie: The Movie on May 13th through Epitaph Records. Motion City Soundtrack culled hours of video footage and photographs from the early ’00s when the band recorded and released their debut album, I Am The Movie first in 2002 on their own, and then in 2003 on Epitaph. The documentary was edited by Melissa Kraemer. I Am the Movie: The Movie will be available on limited edition DVD in the original floppy disk packaging that the album was released on, as well as through digital outlets like iTunes and Amazon.

Watch the trailer below.

To celebrate the release of the documentary, Motion City Soundtrack will perform the album I Am The Movie acoustic, for the first time ever, in it’s entirety, start to finish at the 240-cap seated McNally-Smith Auditorium on the campus of McNally-Smith College of Music in St. Paul, MN on Tuesday, May 13th at 7PM. Tickets are $25.00 and will be on-sale to the public on Friday April 18th at 10 a.m here.

Emery to Launch Crowdfunding Campaign for New Album

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Emery will launch a crowdfunding campaign next Tuesday, April 1, on BadChristian.com to help support the band’s upcoming full-length, You Were Never Alone. The album will be released this summer on BadChristian Music, the record label founded by Emery members Matt Carter and Toby Morrell and former Emery bassist Joey Svendsen. You Were Never Alone sees the return of Emery founding member/vocalist, Devin Shelton, and the band plans to tour in support of its upcoming sixth full-length effort.

In anticipation of the crowdfunding launch, Emery has posted a rough mix of a song from the new album, “I Got Taken for a Bath,” for free download at: www.badchristian.com/emerysignup.

“It’s been almost 11 years since we released ‘The Weak’s End.’ That’s a little hard to believe for us! In that time, we have seen more success than we could have possibly dreamed. We toured the world, created five more albums, and had the privilege of meeting and getting to know a ton of you along the way. You have never left us. As we came up with what we wanted to say here, it almost brought us to tears. We really were never alone. You are Emery. And you are the reason that we are still here, and why our new record is going to be our most important.”

I Am The Avalanche Stream New Album “Wolverines”

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I Am The Avalanche are streaming their new album, Wolverines, over on billboard.com. The album is due out this Tuesday March 18th and is also available for pre-order on iTunes for just $7.99.

I Am The Avalanche will be making the following U.S. appearances starting next week. Tour dates below.

Wolverines Tour 2014

MARCH
17 – Long Island, NY – Looney Tunes (in-store)
18 – Rochester, NY – Bug Jar *
19 – Syracuse, NY – Lost Horizon *
20 – Pittsburgh, PA – Smiling Moose *
21 – Detroit, MI – Shelter *
22 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean *
23 – Cleveland, OH – Now That’s Class *
25 – Poughkeepsie, NY – The Loft *
26 – Boston, MA – Great Scott *
27 – Philadelphia, PA – Barbary *
28 – New York, NY – Marlin Room at Webster Hall (w/ The Swellers, Turnover, Bellwether)
29 – Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes (w/ The Swellers)

APRIL
08 – Seattle, WA – Vera Project #
09 – Portland, OR – Star Theater #
11 – San Francisco, CA – Thee Parkside #
12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy #
13 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction #
15 – San Diego, CA – Che Café #

* = w/ The Swellers and Turnover
# = w/ Diamond Youth and Turnover

The Weeks @ The Ryman Auditorium

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A few weeks back I went to the Ryman in Nashville to see Jake Bugg, upcoming singer-songwriter from England, along with The Skins and The Weeks. I expected a great show from Bugg, but I hadn’t taken the time to listen to The Weeks prior to the show.

As soon as they hit the stage they had the audience in the palm of their hands. Their energy was strong and for a few seconds I forgot that they were the opening act. They sang the fan favorites such as “Buttons” and “Slave to the South,” but they also played songs from their old EP and previous album.

Lead singer, Cyle Barnes, has a unique tone to his voice, and when he performs you can sense he is comfortable in his art. The interaction between the band members also adds to the performance; they dance around, feed off each other’s solos, and simply have a good time.

The crowd was on their feet throughout the entire set and they were easily one of the best bands I’ve seen perform live. At the end of the night they got their gear together and filed out of the Ryman’s side door into the alley with back packs and guitar cases. No entourage, no quick escape- simply taking in the night and enjoying the company of friends and new listeners.

At the beginning of February they wrapped up their tour with Jake Bugg and embarked on a solo tour through select US cities. Click here for dates.

The Weeks standing in the Ryman's side alley

The Weeks standing in the Ryman’s side alley

New Empire Signs To Tooth & Nail Records

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Tooth & Nail Records has signed Australian foursome New Empire. Hailing from Cronulla Beach in Sydney, Australia, New Empire is excited to take their music around the world.  Celebrating their label signing, Tooth & Nail Records is giving away the band’s song “Relight The Fire.” Click here to get the single and watch the music video below.

“We love to create music and sounds that listeners can get lost in and explore,” shares frontman Jeremy Fowler. “We aim to create songs that encourage, inspire and can be a part of a persons journey through life. We know that partnering up with Tooth & Nail Records will be a great experience to help grow our fan base and share our music with new fans.”

New Empire is Jeremy Fowler (Lead Vocals, Guitars, Piano), Nathan Cairns (Bass, Vocals), Kyle Lane (Lead Guitar) and Kale Kneale (Drums, Vocals). Before New Empire was born, Jeremy and Kale played together in High School as well as a hard rock band. They grew up with musical influences such as the Beach Boys, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Toto The Beatles, as well as newer artists like Coldplay, Phoenix, Bon iver and Jonsi.  New Empire aims to create songs and tell stories that are honest and add a sense of encouragement and hope to listeners. They want their music to become a soundtrack to people that makes a difference in their everyday journey.

The band will release their Tooth & Nail debut later this spring – release date TBA.  Connect with New Empire and their journey by following them on Twitter ( @NewEmpireBand) and on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/newempireband).

Paramore Break Records In Their New Video For “Ain’t It Fun”

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Paramore‘s music video for “Ain’t It Fun” from the self-titled album can be seen below. The band sets 10 world records during the video. The individual videos of each official world record can be seen here.

Paramore will be out on tour with Fall Out Boy this summer along with New Politics. Tickets are available now here.

Taking Back Sunday Stream “Flicker, Fade” Video; Tour With The Used

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Taking Back Sunday are streaming their new video for “Flicker, Fade” off their upcoming album, Happiness Is, due out March, 18th. Special pre-order packages are available over on Hopeless Records.

The band will be hitting the road with The Used this spring. Check out the dates below.

FRI 3/14/2014 QUIKTRIP PARK – SOUTH BY SO WHAT?! DALLAS TX
SAT 3/15/2014 BACKSTAGE LIVE SAN ANTONIO TX
SUN 3/16/2014 BAYOU MUSIC CENTRE – HWHAP FEST HOUSTON TX
TUE 3/18/2014 MARQUEE THEATRE PHOENIX AZ
WED 3/19/2014 PALLADIUM – JUST ADDED LOS ANGELES CA
FRI 3/21/2014 IN THE VENUE SALT LAKE CITY UT
SAT 3/22/2014 IN THE VENUE SALT LAKE CITY UT
SUN 3/23/2014 KNITTING FACTORY BOISE ID
TUE 3/25/2014 WARFIELD SAN FRANCISCO CA
THU 3/27/2014 PALLADIUM LOS ANGELES CA
FRI 3/28/2014 HOUSE OF BLUES SAN DIEGO CA
SAT 3/29/2014 EXTREME THING LAS VEGAS NV
TUE 4/1/2014 OGDEN THEATRE DENVER CO
WED 4/2/2014 SOKOL OMAHA NE
FRI 4/4/2014 EAGLES BALLROOM MILWAUKEE WI
SAT 4/5/2014 CONCORD MUSIC HALL CHICAGO IL
SUN 4/6/2014 FILLMORE DETROIT MI
TUE 4/8/2014 KOOL HAUS TORONTO ON
WED 4/9/2014 THE ARMORY ROCHESTER NY
FRI 4/11/2014 WEBSTER THEATRE HARTFORD CT
SAT 4/12/2014 HOUSE OF BLUES BOSTON MA
SUN 4/13/2014 TOWER THEATRE PHILADELPHIA PA
TUE 4/15/2014 BEST BUY THEATRE NEW YORK NY
TUE 4/16/2014 BEST BUY THEATRE NEW YORK NY
SAT 4/19/2014 SANDS BETHLEHEM PA
MON 4/21/2014 BEST BUY THEATER NEW YORK NY
TUE 4/22/2014 FILLMORE SILVER SPRING MD
THU 4/24/2014 THE TABERNACLE ATLANTA GA
SAT 4/26/2014 REVOLUTION FT LAUDERDALE FL
SUN 4/27/2014 HOUSE OF BLUES ORLANDO FL

Echosmith Stream “Cool Kids” Live Video, Announce College Tour

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Echosmith have released a live video for “Cool Kids” from their debut album, Talking Dreams, out now. Check out the video below

The band will be performing at House of Blues in West Hollywood this Thursday, January 23rd as part of a special “Artist To Watch” Kickoff Show, then they take off on The Trendsetter Tour, hitting college and university campuses in the US. For a full list of upcoming shows, see below.

Upcoming Echosmith Tour Dates:
01/23     House of Blues – West Hollywood, CA
01/25     Hetzel Union Bldg at Penn State University – State College, PA*
01/28     Okum Theatre at SUNY Delhi – Delhi, NY*
01/29     VECCO Theatre at Anna Maria College – Paxton, MA*
01/30    MPR at Rutgers University – Camden, NJ*
01/31     Rock Café at Western New England University – Springfield, MA*
02/01     Quinnipiac University – Hamden, CT*
02/03     Std Union Café at Florida Atlantic University – Boca Raton, FL*
02/06     MPR at Rutgers University – New Brunswick, NJ*
02/07     MPR at Lebanon Valley College – Annville, PA*
02/08     Davis & Elkins – Elkins, WV*
02/10     Hendrix Theatre at East Carolina University – Greenville, NC*
02/12     Student Center Ballroom at Georgia Tech – Atlanta, GA*
02/15     Student Center Pit at Rowan University – Glassboro, NJ*
02/18     Franklin Hall at Ferrum College – Ferrum, VA*
* Students Only

Anberlin Announce Final Album; Re-Sign to Tooth & Nail Records

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Anberlin has announced that they have re-signed to Tooth & Nail Records and will be releasing their final album this summer. The band will head out on a final worldwide tour including the 2014 Vans Warped Tour. Read the full press release and watch (mostly listen) to a video message from the band below.

SEATTLE, WA –January 17, 2014 – Tooth & Nail Records announces the welcomed return of Anberlin with the band’s re-signing and release of their new and final studio album due out this summer. In support of their final studio album that is currently being recorded, Anberlin will set out on a final worldwide tour to say thank you to all of their loyal fans. Yet to be announced shows will include USA, Canada, Brazil, UK, Netherlands, Australia, Singapore and Philippines with more countries to be announced. The band will also be a part of the massive 2014 Vans Warped Tour celebrating the tour’s 20 years as one of the largest summer festivals.

“We are honored to welcome Anberlin back to the Tooth & Nail family, and we’re humbled that they’ve chosen to work with us for the final chapter in their storied career,” shares Brandon Ebel, Tooth & Nail Records’ President. “Anberlin is among a few select bands that come to mind when thinking about the legacy of Tooth & Nail Records. We look forward to making Anberlin’s final year memorable for everyone!”

Anberlin has had a highly successful career for more than a decade that has included six studio albums (Blueprints for the Black Market -2003, Never Take Friendship Personal -2005, Cities – 2007, New Surrender -2008, Dark is the Way, Light is a Place -2010, Vital -2012) and an extended edition release Devotion – 2013 and has sold more than 1,000,000 albums to date. Anberlin originally signed and released their debut album in addition to their second and third studio projects on Tooth & Nail Records. The band is excited to return to the label to release their final project. Click on the video below to watch a personal announcement from the band.