I was gonna leak this a long time ago but I forgot. Anyways Copeland is now officially the second most emo band on Tooth & Nail right behind Surrogate:

Lakeland, FL- August 21, 2008- Two years after the release of the intricate sonic landscape known as Eat, Sleep, Repeat, Copeland is back following that road further on their most distinguished effort yet You Are My Sunshine. You’re going to want headphones for this one: You Are My Sunshine is a rich playground of sound unfolding into layers of angelic tenor, driving guitars, experimental backdrops and rousing lyrics (some of which can be found in an elaborate maze the band has recently confused web goers with). The production team of Aaron Sprinkle (Eisley, Anberlin, Pedro the Lion), Copeland vocalist Aaron Marsh, and mixer Michael Brauer (Coldplay, John Mayer, My Morning Jacket) teamed up with Tooth and Nail and the result is a brilliant 11-song collection.

With songs like the guitar-driven “What Do I Know” and the ethereal tinges of “Good Morning Fire Eater,” You Are My Sunshine bursts with that bright hook Copeland has been longing for since they set out to make music eight years ago. The gossamer epic beauty of “No So Tough Found Out,” one of the many standouts featuring the dramatic vocal delivery of Wisconsin-bred songstress Rae Cassidy Klagstad, nicely culminates Copeland’s desire in keeping the message of the album an individual matter.

The decision to collaborate with Tooth and Nail certainly allowed for Copeland’s creativity and passion to emanate from this album. “Tooth and Nail have been fans of our music from the very beginning, even before our first full length album,” says Bryan Laurenson. “Throughout the years, we have made many friends who work at the label. We talked with several labels after becoming free agents, and in the end Tooth and Nail was the obvious choice for us. They are passionate about our band, and they are some of the hardest working people in the industry.”
Originally formed in 2000, Copeland released their label debut Beneath Medicine Tree via The Militia Group in 2003, and In Motion in 2005. In 2006, the band signed with Columbia Records to release Eat, Sleep, Repeat and followed up with the independent release Dressed Up & In Line, a 2007 album of B-sides and rarities. You Are My Sunshine will be released on October 14th, 2008 via Tooth and Nail.

Had the chance to get a sneak preview of the new EP the boys in Emery have been working on in between their last couple of tours and, as can be expected, its pretty fucking badass. From what I got a chance to hear in between games of count the dice and slices of Little Caesar’s pizza, the EP seems to be a combination of the eclectic, raw melodicism of their latest full-length, I’m Only a Man, and the more polished sound of their first two records. Dave Powell’s drums sound huge, but not in a Pro-Tooled snapped-to-grid kind of way, with Matt Carter’s guitars leaving plenty of space for the band’s fondness for catchy synth-lines and even catchier vocal melodies. And of course there’s plenty of hootin’ and hollerin’ going on to make sure dudes in the pit can still get their donkey kick on. The band worked one of the new jams into their set last night and if the crowd’s response was any indication, Emery are just getting warmed up. Of course, the geniuses who run the club where the show was held last night, Orangevale’s Club Retro, forgot to turn the A/C on so maybe we were all just suffering from heat stroke.

NOTICE TO TOURING BANDS: If you play Orangevale and don’t play the Boardwalk, you’re seriously blowing it. Nothing against Club Retro but seriously, California in the summer with no A/C is like Minnesota in the winter with no heater. Get a clue. Plus, the Boardwalk has an adult play area where old dudes like me can hide out and sip on booze and not feel like a lecherous pedo. Just sayin…

UPDATE: The EP is going to be titled Broken Hearts Prevail and is set for release September 30th on Tooth and Nail Records. Fuck with it!

Norma Jean has always been pretty bad A, and even though the Deftones inspired a lot of really shitty music they are legit. So while Norma Jean was working on their new album “The Antimother” they invited Cheno Moreno to come down and collaborate on a song with them. It seems like a strange pairing at first, but I have to say I’m interested in what the results will sound like.

Here is youtube footage of the sesh. Enjoy.

If you live in So-Cal, you may be lucky enough to catch some nostalgic pop-punk from late 90’s rockers Slick Shoes. According to their blog, the original members have reunited and will be playing sporadic shows:

Hey Everyone,
Good news. Slick Shoes is back together with original members Ryan Kepke, Jackson Mould, Joe Nixon, and Jeremiah Brown. We also added guitarist Jordan Mould . Although we will not be touring extensively we will be playing shows and hope to record a new record in the near future.

Upcoming Shows

Apr 3 2008       7:00P     Glasshouse          Pomona, California
Apr 10 2008     7:00P     The Key Club     Hollywood, California

Since Brittany already stole the band I was gonna write about today (the ultra radtacular Nothing Ever Stays ) I had to think fast. Luckily, Trevor’s post earlier today reminded me that tomorrow is the first day of the continent-crossing Emery tour, which also features, As Cities Burn, Mayday Parade, Pierce the Veil and, today’s Synthesis Band You’ve Never Heard Of….OF THE DAY!!!111: Cry of the The Afflicted.

Cry of the Afflicted first came to my attention when they were here in Chico recording their debut full length with local music / RC Plane / Halo legend Jeff Schneeweis (who also, coincidentally, recorded Nothing Ever Stay’s new EP as well…dude is on the GRIND). Hailing from British Colombia, the land of world-class trout fishing and beautiful white women, COTA rock some melodic alt-medal ala Saosin, Stutterfly, etc. Their aforementioned full-length, The Unveiling, came out this past August on Tooth and Nail subsidiary Solid State records, and features the requisite creepy ambiguous artwork.

Check them out on Myspace, or better yet, check them out in person on the following dates:

If you make it out to a show, keep an eye out for our correspondent, Mr. Trevor Sellers, and tell him you want him to BLOG MOAR:

Check out this video of Surrogate at Chico State’s BMU Auditorium playing “Fix Another” a track of their debut record Love is for the Rich out NOW on Tooth and Nail Records. In the interest of full disclosure I must admit that they stupid talking guy with the bass at the beginning is me, thus making all the the third person references in my first sentence totally false. But I’m way too lazy to go back and change it now so deal with it, KTHX!!