After conquering radio and the pop charts, Ryan Cabrera is now moving onward and upward in pursuit of what has always mattered most to him -making the music that's in his soul, and now with a greater musical and lyrical maturity as well as the confidence that comes with his success in music. And he is doing so by breaking with the major label system and taking the reins of his career to independently produce and market his third album which is due in-stores April 2008.
"It feels right," says the 25-year-old native Texan of the music he's been creating with the transplanted Australian production team of Daniel James and Leah Haywood. "I really wanted to take my time and not have a huge company telling me what I should be making."
Cabrera may well be the youngest best-selling musical artist to assert his business and artistic independence and take advantage of the emerging new modalities for marketing and selling music by releasing his next album on his own label. And in doing so, he comes back around to his original goals from when, at age 14, inspired by Dave Matthews, he took up the acoustic guitar and soon started writing songs. Now, with his mastery of the music industry and the resources from the radio and chart as well as television and film success of his songs, he melds his aim to create music of substance and soulfulness with his innate knack for fashioning compelling pop hooks.
"The sound of the new record I think will open a lot of eyes and ears, and definitely be a surprise to fans and anybody who hasn't heard my music," Cabrera explains. "I wanted to take my time with this record and really make a diverse entire album, as opposed to just a single or two; no I want a ride, a journey, I want the record to be able to be played all the way through. So many things have changed in my life, and the music is heading along with it."
Cabrera first caught the public ear in 2001 at the age of 19 with his independent album Elm St. after honing his talents on the Dallas live music scene. His 2004 major label debut on Atlantic Records, Take It All Away, hit the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and was certified gold, powered by Top 20 gold singles "On The Way Down" and "True," both of which have become radio standards. His 2005 follow-up album, You Stand Watching, went Top 25 and yielded the Top 40 pop hit "Shine On."
His 2006 single "I Will Remember You" became a multimedia sensation when it was featured in the final episode of the TV show "Will & Grace" and its promos and was also adopted as the farewell song on Fox TV's "So You Think You Can Dance." (A revamped version is included on Cabrera's new album.) He has also had songs on the soundtracks of the films "Son of the Mask" and "The Fantastic Four."
And now, even as Cabrera's music grows more expansive and eclectic, his artistic signature remains distinctively his own, but with a greater boldness, depth and breadth. "I'm 25 years old now and have been through a lot more stuff. My music continues to evolve," explains Cabrera. "I'm writing all the songs so they're still going to have my vibe to them, but I also listen to a lot of different stuff. I read different things now. I didn't want to make the same record again and again just because the others did well."
"When the Beatles got deeper into their art, at the end of the day they still made great pop songs. I'm not in any way comparing myself to them, but it shows you can make great, catchy music while still incorporating your artistic viewpoint," concludes Cabrera. "You can still grow."
The Rockstar Taste of Chaos/MusicToday ticket pre-sale kicked off January 3 and ends this Friday, January 11 at 5pm est. The national on sale will start on Saturday, January 12. Fans who purchase their tickets during the pre sale will get early access to the venue without waiting in line and will automatically be entered to win a flyaway trip to any RTOC show. One first prize winner in each market will also win all-access passes. In addition, those who add an Alternative Press subscription to their order for only $10 will get a cut pass to the AP Booth at RTOC. An exclusive RTOC t shirt is also available only with pre sale purchase. Head over to http://www.musictoday.com/redirect/bounce.asp?cid=26297 to purchase your tickets now!
After over 200 worldwide dates in the past three years, playing in over 20 countries including the United States , Canada , Great Britain , Germany , Australia , Japan , France , Mexico , New Zealand and Italy among others, Rockstar Taste of Chaos, the only worldwide lifestyle festival tour, is back with another onslaught of winter arena shows in North America .
The tour is scheduled to hit 43 cities in the U.S. and Canada between late February and late April 2008. Canadian dates will be released in January 2008. The multi-artist package in the U.S.A. and Canada will feature AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ATREYU, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, BLESS THE FALL and this year we are proud to bring audiences the best Japanese Rock bands to the United States (a burgeoning movement also known as JROCK). The JROCK explosion will include MUCC, D'ESPAIRSRAY and THE UNDERNEATH. Bellingham, Washington group IDIOT PILOT will play two special sets every night in each venue concourse.
Million-selling artist AVENGED SEVENFOLD will head up closing the night with their uniquebrand of rock. It's the band's maverick spirit and rabid fan base that has helped A7X do what few bands before have accomplished - to become the only band to headline Warped Tour and Ozzfest and be No. 1 on MTV's TRL at the same time. Avenged Sevenfold knows that it's a combination of the power of their music along with the dedication of their fans that has propelled them to where they are today. Says frontman M. Shadows, "We have the best fans in the world."
ATREYU is touring in support of their blistering new album LEAD SAILS PAPER ANCHOR, which entered Billboard's Top 200 at No. 8 and Billboard's Rock and Hard Rock Album charts at No. 1. The powerhouse album has garnered rave reviews from the likes of Revolver, Blender, Metal Hammer and Kerrang!.
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, who will release their new album in early 2008, hails from England and has become one of the most popular hard music bands around the globe.
BLESSTHEFALL was clearly the most popular new band on the 2007 Van's Warped Tour and were hand picked by the tour founders to bring their fiery live show to the RTOC stage.
"As a tour it is so amazing for us to see how far AVENGED SEVENFOLD have come and the fact that they have done the hard work necessary to go from clubs to arenas. They have built their career through hard work and great songs." states tour producers Kevin Lyman and John Reese.
"ATREYU performed on the 2006 RTOC in the USA and have performed numerous times on the Van's Warped Tour and have proven themselves as a huge headlining draw in hard rock venues all over the World." states Kevin Lyman
In announcing the JROCK Revolution coming to America, Kevin Lyman states "After having a chance to be involved with introducing DIR EN GREY to American audiences and working on the successful JROCK Revolution Festival with Yoshiki from X Japan and founder of the JRock Revolution, last May in Los Angeles, I felt that the fans across the U.S. would really appreciate a chance to have these bands come to their cities. When I have worked these shows the energy of the bands and the fan involvement is amazing and is rarely captured at shows in America these days and this is going to be an amazing opportunity for all in attendance." ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK will continue to be the title sponsor of the 2008 tour and will be sampling their products, as well as coming up with some great surprises for attendees. Other sponsors include Hurley, PETA 2, Hard Rock Café, Hot Topic, Vans, Tokyo Pop, Skull Candy, Shirts for a Cure, Sugar Hooker, Music Saves Lives, The Dingstore.com, Declare Yourself and Ernie Ball (who will provide musical instruments for fans to play and will pick the opening act through their massively successful Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands). FUSE Television, JROCKRevolution.com, MySpace and Alternative Press (who will produce the Official Tour Program) have signed on as official Rockstar Taste of Chaos media partners. The Canadian Leg sponsors include West 49, D-Tox and Vexy.
Having already spawned multiple soundtrack CDs and a Live DVD, the Rockstar Taste of Chaos, like its summer sibling the Van's Warped Tour, is only getting bigger and better, offering fans the opportunity to see their favorite bands and take part in a number of concourse activities including playing the newest video games, acoustic performances, attending autograph signing sessions and a slew of interactive fan activities that will add to the experience.
Tour co-founders Kevin Lyman, Darryl Eaton and John Reese state, "We are very excited about the great bands and concourse activities planned for the 2008 North American Tour, as in years past we want to bring Music Fans a BIG show at a very reasonable price. The RTOC has become an important event on music fans' calendars in the long, cold winter in the U.S. and Canada ."
Rockstar Energy Drink Marketing guru Mike Kelso states," We are very proud to be the title sponsor again for the 2008 Rockstar Taste of Chaos. Rockstar Energy Drink is committed to supporting live music and to bringing rock fans a great show at a reasonable price. The Rockstar Taste of Chaos has been our marquee music presentation for the past three years and we look forward to a great year in 2008." Hurley Sr. VP Paul Gomez states, "Hurley looks forward to RTOC every year. The RTOC team always brings the best and most relevant music. The tour is about giving the kids what they want and Hurley is all about being the microphone of the youth. I'm sure this year's tour will be the loudest. Let the kids make some noise."
DATES
2/29 Denver , CO Fillmore Auditorium 3/1 Kansas City , MO Memorial Hall 3/2 Milwaukee , WI The Eagles Ballroom 3/4 Minneapolis , MN Roy Wilkins Auditorium 3/5 St. Louis , MO Family Arena 3/7 Dayton , OH Hara Arena 3/8 Detroit , MI Cobo Arena 3/10 Rochester , NY The Armory 3/11 Chicago , IL Aragon Ballroom 3/14 Philadelphia , PA Tweeter Center 3/15 Asbury Park , NJ Convention Center 3/17 Washington , DC Patriot Center 3/18 Portland , ME Cumberland County Civic Center 3/20 Nassau , NY Nassau Coliseum 3/21 Boston , MA Tsongas Arena 3/22 Albany , NY The Armory 3/24 Atlanta , GA Gwinnett Center 3/25 Tampa , FL USF Sundome 3/26 Miami , FL Bayfront Park 3/28 Orlando , FL UCF Arena 3/29 Biloxi , MS Mississippi Coast Coliseum 3/30 TBA 4/1 Dallas , TX Nokia Theatre 4/3 Oklahoma City , OK Fairgrounds Arena 4/4 Corpus Christi , TX Concrete Street Amphitheatre 4/5 San Antonio , TX Freeman Coliseum 4/6 El Paso , TX County Coliseum 4/8 TBA 4/9 Phoenix , AZ Jobing.com Arena 4/10 Long Beach , CA Long Beach Arena 4/12 San Jose , CA Event Center 4/13 Sacramento , CA ARCO Arena 4/15 Seattle , WA WaMu Center
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
Avenged Sevenfold is poised to be "the next great American rock band" (Guitar World). With the larger than life, awe-inspiring excitement of their live performances and "musicianship that is unimpeachable" (Entertainment Weekly), A7X continually strives to raise the bar. By self-producing their highly acclaimed self-titled October 2007 release, the Huntington Beach , CA hard rock band rose to the challenge and masterfully crafted an album that Revolver Magazine calls a "magnum opus." Indeed the band's follow-up to the 2005 million-selling City of Evil , topped the Billboard Alternative, Hard, and Rock Charts, and debuted at Number Four on the Billboard Top 200. In seeing Avenged Sevenfold live, you'll experience what the Los Angeles Times witnessed as a "capacity crowd.come in devotion."
ATREYU
Since muscling their way into the Orange County metal/punk scene in 1998, Atreyu (Alex Varkatzas, vocals; Dan Jacobs, guitar; Travis Miguel, guitar; Marc McKnight, bass; Brandon Saller, drums) have sold over a million albums by constantly challenging themselves and their audience with charged music and acrobatic performances that push the boundaries of catharsis and emotional exorcism. The band's recently released album, Lead Sails Paper Anchor, fueled by the hit single "Becoming The Bull," rocketed onto Billboard's Top 200 debuting at #8 and Billboard's Rock and Hard Rock Album Charts at #1, making it the highest-charting album of the band's career and landing them on the cover of Revolver Magazine, who called the disc "a coffin-tight collection of singles...the potential for hugeness is all over these 11 tunes...," while Metal Hammer declared it "a truly landmark album."
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
The four-piece metal core band from Bridgend, South Wales, UK - Matthew "Matt" Tuck/vocals, Michael "Padge" Paget/Guitar, Michael "Moose" Thomas/drums, and Jason "Jay" James/Bass - are, according to the UK's Kerrang!, well on their way to "phase two of world domination" with their sophomore release, "Scream Aim Fire," due out January 29, 2008 (Jive/ SonyBMG). The CD's title track has been the Most Added Track at hard rock radio formats since mid-December. For their 2006 debut album, "The Poison," Bullet For My Valentine graced the covers - at least once - of Kerrang!, Rock Sound, and Metal Hammer. In addition, they won Metal Hammer's 2006 "Golden God Award" for Best British Band, and the 2006 Kerrang! Award for "Best UK Single" for their track "Tears Don't Fall." Here in America , the band was named "British Import of the Year" in Revolver, and "The Poison" generated the hit singles "Tears Don't Fall" and "All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)," with the video for "All These Things I Hate" going to the #1 spot on MTV2.
BLESSTHEFALL
One of the breakout acts from the Van's Warped Tour, Arizona 's Blessthefall won over audiences on a daily basis thanks to their incendiary live show which included their jaw-dropping "wall of death" mosh pit. As the band's profile sky rocketed, resulting in over 6 million plays on Myspace, fans voted them into the top spot in the Energizer "Demand It" contest in Phoenix , Virginia Beach and Montreal , earning Blessthefall longer sets in each city on Warped Tour. Stalwarts of the Smartpunk Stage, the band saw its debut video for "Guys Like You Make Us Look Bad" enjoy a solid two-month run on MTV's "Headbangers Ball" and Fuse's "Uranium." A well oiled touring machine that takes no prisoners, Blessthefall has toured the U.S. , Canada and Europe extensively with numerous established acts and held their own on the first year of the Radio Rebellion Tour. Be forewarned, Blessthefall will be a hard act to follow for any band on this year's Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour.
MUCC
In August 2006, the members of MUCC (pronounced "mukku" ) were featured as musical guests at Otakon, the largest Japanese culture convention on the East Coast, playing to two full houses at Rams Head Live in Baltimore . That was their ninth year. Now at a decade together, MUCC has proven itself to be not only prolific, having produced more than ten unique releases to date, but long-lasting--and with throngs of Stateside fans to boot.
D'ESPAIRSRAY
This rock band, D'espairsRay, first crossed international borders in 2004 when Japanese bands were still unknown to foreign land. They started out activities abroad in Europe and debut stateside in 2005 for their very first American headline tour, hitting San Jose , San Francisco , and Dallas . In fall of the same year they played Europe once more and returned to West Coast America , opening for Genitorturers, playing in 8 states. In 2006, they released their first album in Europe and received tremendous response from local fans. They were also among the last few bands to play at the legendry rock club CBGB in New York . In summer, they were invited to participate in the Wacken Open Air metal festival in Germany again garnering vast attention from press and music lovers. In winter of 2006, they headlined a European tour, appearing at 14 venues in 8 countries, with their popularity only growing forth. In July 2007, they are also slated to appear at rock festivals in Finland .
Having crossed over the pond from the UK to Los Angeles , Beat Union, a new wave-influenced four-piece made up of childhood friends, has just wrapped its debut release Disconnected with John Feldmann of Goldfinger fame producing.
Beat Union has toured with Taking Back Sunday, Goldfinger, Hit the Lights, and Alexisonfire. Touted by UK rock mags Metal Hammer and Kerrang!, the band will hit the road with Bedouin Soundclash this month, beginning January 25 in Allston , Massachusetts .
Beat Union will be shooting a video for "Pressure Zone" (another track off the band's upcoming full-length) in Los Angeles later this month. Stay tuned for more info about the exclusive online premiere of the clip sometime in the weeks ahead.
Look out for Beat Union's Disconnected to hit stores April 22 on Science Records. For more info on Beat Union see www.myspace.com/beatunion.
Beat Union Tour Dates with Bedouin Soundclash & Westbound Train:
January 25 Allston , MA @ Harper's Ferry January 26 Asbury Park , NJ @ Stone Pony January 27 Washington , DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel January 29 Ft. Lauderdale , FL @ Culture Room January 30 Orlando , FL @ The Social February 1 Austin , TX @ Emo's Jr February 2 Dallas , TX @ Cambridge Room-House of Blues February 6 Hollywood , CA @ The Knitting Factory February 7 Solana Beach , CA @ Belly Up Tavern February 8 San Luis Obispo , CA @ Downtown Brewing Company February 10 San Francisco , CA @ The Rickshaw Stop February 12 Portland , OR @ Hawthorne Theatre February 13 Seattle , WA @ Crocodile Café February 16 Fort Collins , CO @ Aggie Theatre February 17 Denver , CO @ Bluebird Theatre February 19 Minneapolis , MN @ Varsity Theater February 20 Chicago , IL @ Subterranean February 22 Cleveland Heights , OH @ Grog Shop February 23 Buffalo , NY @ Mohawk Place
The 10th annual Facedown Fest will take place on March 28th and 29th in Pomona, CA at the Glasshouse. Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, January 9th and will be $15 for single day tickets or $25 for two-day passes. The event will feature performances from War Of Ages, Impending Doom, Seventh Star (final show), Sleeping Giant, xDeathstarx, Inked In Blood, xLooking Forwardx, Means, A Plea For Purging, Kingston Falls, Remove The Veil, Wrench In The Works in addition to several TBA acts.
Velvet Revolver and Guns n' Roses legend Slash joined none other than the one time richest man in the world Bill Gates onstage in Las Vegas January 6.
Gates was delivering his final keynote speech at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, before he steps down from the top Microsoft job next year.
Midway through, while illustrating the next generation of the game Guitar Hero with his spoof guitar, Gates introduced his ringer in the video game before Slash stepped out onstage sporting his trademark black hat.