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.

Tonight On DJ Rossstar 4-4-07

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Both Street To Nowhere and The Secret Handshake will be studio guests on DJ Rossstar’s Punk Rock Show tonight, Thursday, April 5th 2007 from 7-8pm PST (10-11pm EST). The show is live and you can hear it at www.idobiradio.com. Once there, click on the top right where it says iTunes/Winamp. You can send questions to us during the show by IMing the screen name: Staridobi

The Receiving End of Sirens Video Interview – April 4th, 2007

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We just put up an exclusive video interview with The Receiving End of Sirens who are currently in the studio recording their sophomore album, The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi, which is due out this summer. Check out the YouTube video below and if you would like this on your iPod subscribe to our Podcast in iTunes here.

Brighten- King vs. Queen

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Brighten King vs Queen

Artist:Brighten
Album: King vs. Queen
Label: Carbon Copy Media
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: March 20th, 2007

Overall: 8.7
Music: 8.8
Lyrics: 9.0
Production: 8.0

To be quite honest, it is amazing to me that such a wonderful CD has to be held down due to legal issues. Carbon Copy Media, the record label of Brighten, is in a very well documented legal battle with its father label, Victory Records. The strange thing about King vs. Queen getting released is that the band themselves did not even know that it was going to happen.

Legal issues aside, Brighten did a wonderful job with this CD. The first two songs off King vs. Queen really set the tempo well for the rest of the CD. Weird thing about it is those two songs combined are four minutes and thirteen seconds, the average length of a normal song. However, the up tempo starting song “More Vacations”, even though short in length, tells a story of the struggle the band has faced with their label and much trouble getting this CD released. It should be clearly noted that the line “Donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t trust anyone anymore.” appears in the song eleven times. I think they get their point across.

Song three “Ready When You Are” is one of the two songs (along with song ten, “Television”) that come directly off their E.P. Ready When You Are, and both of the re-released versions are cleaned up and come off very nicely making them standout tracks just as they were on the E.P.

If you are a listener searching for something a little less up tempo, be sure to give the Jimmy Eat World Clarity-esque song “Darling Nicotine” a try. My personal favorite off King vs. Queen, its starts with a mellowed out two minute and fourty second hook followed by heavy hitting drums and a wonderful outburst of emotion and pure rock. Right after the trip that “Darling Nicotine” and the pop-rock candy-coated myspace-rocker “The Better Way” will take you on, “Single Millionaires” will take you on a different trip, a trip that will be sure to tug the heart-stings. A song that seemed to just come naturally and unplugged, a first listen will leave the listener wanting more. Take one look at the lyrics and give me a call if you are not moved, even in the smallest way.

With a few possible fillers along the way, King vs. Queen ends with another very relaxed song entitled “Why Oh Why” that any fan of Copeland will enjoy. Some people will argue that ending a CD on a soft song is not the way to go, but I disagree. A record ended on a soft note works for some bands, and for this band, it worked beautifully.

While Brighten’s King vs. Queen might be very hard to find in stores for a while unless you were very lucky to pick it up the day it came out, be sure to shop around on ebay and other sites to get yourself a copy. Trust me, in a few months, a year, however long it takes for this band to blow up, you’ll want to be one of those people to say you knew about them a while ago.

Tracklisting
1. More Vacations
2. Heart Like That
3. Ready When You Are
4. Treasure Island
5. Mr. Mister
6. Darling Nicotine
7. Better Way
8. Single Millionaires
9. We Chose The King
10. Television
11. Cops and Robbers
12. Why Oh Why

Victory Pulls Catalog From eMusic

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Victory Records has pulled their catalog from digital distributor eMusic. The move comes after eMusic announced a new sales program offering customers a deal for buying music in bulk.Ԛ  Label owner Tony Brummel had this to say “I Just don’t believe in what they’re doing. I don’t see much point in doing business with those guys.”

Via: Digital Music News

Tooth & Nail Tour 2007

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The Tooth & Nail Tour for 2007 has announced its lineup and tour dates. Headlining the tour will be MxPx with support from Hawk Nelson, Project 86, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan and Run Kid Run all on selected dates. Tour dates can be found below.

05/08/2007 06:00 PM – Marquee Theater
730 North Mill Avenue, Tempe, Arizona 85281 – $18-20
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/09/2007 05:45 PM – Rialto Theater
318 East Congress, Tucson, Arizona 85701 – $15-17
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/10/2007 06:30 PM – Sunshine Theater
120 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102 – $15-18
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/11/2007 06:30 PM – Cain’s Ballroom
423 N. Main St., Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103 – $18-20
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/13/2007 06:45 PM – Palladium Ballroom
1135 South Lamar, Dallas, Texas 75215 – $19
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/14/2007 07:00 PM – Meridian
1503 Chartres, Houston, Texas 77003 – $18-20
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/17/2007 05:45 PM – Jannus Landing
16 2nd St. North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 – $17-20
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/18/2007 06:00 PM – Murray Hill Theater
932 Edgewood Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida 32205 – $20-23
MxPx, TBA, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/19/2007 07:00 PM – The Masquerade
695 North Ave. N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30308 – $18-20
MxPx, TBA, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/21/2007 05:45 PM – The Recher Theater
512 York Road, Towson, Maryland 21204 – $15-18
MxPx, TBA, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/22/2007 05:45 PM – Axis
13 Landsdowne Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 – $17.50
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/23/2007 05:45 PM – Trocadero
1003 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107 – $17-19
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/25/2007 06:15 PM – Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place, New York, New York 10003 – $19.50
MxPx, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan, Run Kid Run

05/26/2007 06:15 PM – Mr. Small’s Theater
400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale, Pennsylvania 15209 – $15
MxPx, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan, Run Kid Run

05/27/2007 05:45 PM – House of Blues
308 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44114 – $14-17
MxPx, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan, Run Kid Run

05/28/2007 05:45 PM – Newport Music Hall
308 Euclid Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43201 – $14-17
MxPx, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan, Run Kid Run

05/29/2007 05:45 PM – Headliner’s Music Hall
1386 Lexington Rd., Louisville, Kentucky 40206 – $15
MxPx, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan, Run Kid Run

05/30/2007 06:45 PM – Rocketown
401 6th Ave. South, Nashville, Tennessee 37203 – $18-20
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

05/31/2007 06:45 PM – The Irving Theater
5505 E. Washington St., Indianapolis, Indiana 46219 – $15-18
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

06/01/2007 05:30 PM – St. Andrew’s Hall
431 E. Congress, Detroit, Michigan 48226 – $18
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

06/02/2007 06:00 PM – The Underground
1140 Smiley Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45240 – $15-18
MxPx, TBA, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

06/03/2007 05:45 PM – The Pageant
6161 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis, Missouri 63112 – $17-19
MxPx, TBA, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

06/05/2007 05:45 PM – House of Blues
329 N. Dearborn, Chicago, Illinois 60610 – $16-18
MxPx, Project 86, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

06/06/2007 05:00 PM – People’s
216 Court Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50309 – $16-18
MxPx, Project 86, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

06/07/2007 05:30 PM – Club 3 Degrees
113 Fifth Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403 – $15-18
MxPx, Project 86, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

06/08/2007 06:00 PM – Sokol Auditorium
2234 S. 13th St., Omaha, Nebraska 68108 – $20
MxPx, Project 86, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

06/09/2007 06:00 PM – Granada
1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence, Kansas 66044 – $17-18
MxPx, Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

06/10/2007 05:30 PM – Gothic Theater
3263 S. Broadway, Englewood, Colorado 80113 – $13.75
MxPx, Project 86, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

06/11/2007 05:00 PM – In the Venue
579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 – $17-20
MxPx, Project 86, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan

Ivory Leaves Showbread

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Ivory “Tae” Mobley, Showbread vocalist, has decided to leave the band. You can read his message below.

We were in Miami Florida, facing the conclusion to a six-week tour with Pillar and Tyler Read when Ivory told me he was leaving. About an hour before we would go on that night, I was sitting in the van by myself, what I was doing I can’t recall, and it all ended much like the way it began.

A little while after ivory told me he would be going, he explained that there have only been two other times when God had spoken to him so clearly. When he was younger, he told me, he had clearly heard Jesus tell him “Come and know me”, and he did so obediently. As a junior in high school, he knew that Jesus was telling him “Go and serve me with Showbread.” And he was obedient once again. And now, ten years later, the voice of his beloved God called to him again. This time the words were bittersweet as Jesus told him “Your work with Showbread is finished”.

When we were in elementary school, ivory and I spent most of our time with our friend Paul Carrington, playing “American Gladiator” and laughing at farts. I remember vividly when he was sitting next to me in our ninth grade P.E. class asking me if he could be a part of Showbread. Then, all this time later, it was just he and I again when he told me his time was up.

We don’t yet know the reason why God has called Ivory away from the band. He tells me that one morning during that tour he was up early, spending time with the God he has loved so much as to follow his voice, and to his dismay, that very voice called him to give up what is most dear to him.
When that tour started, I was reading a book by Andrew Murray called Absolute Surrender. One morning in North Carolina I led a bible study in which I asked my band mates if they were prepared to give up anything and everything for the God we serve. I asked myself if I would brave enough to give up what is most dear to me if God asked this of me, not knowing if I could.

Weeks later, God asked this very thing of Ivory.

With tears in his eyes he told me that he did not understand why his time was ending, but he had to follow where his good Sheppard led him, and my heart broke. I had always believed that in the end, I would take the final bow with Showbread with my brothers who were there when it all began.
So the seven of us sat in the van that night eventually, wondering what we would do and what our life as Showbread would be like without someone who had been so important to it since the very beginning. But more so, we were all inspired beyond words at Ivory’s example of loving obedience to his God, whom he willingly follows away from the only life he has known for a decade.

And so, after every incarnation, lineup and change Showbread has ever known, every wonderful day and horrible trial, all the friends we’ve made and places we’ve been, every second of laughter and joy and every incredible aspect of this adventure we have made our lives, Ivory Mobley will perform for the last time with Showbread in May at this year’s Cornerstone Florida. Though he moves on into the unfamiliar and terrifying territory known as “The Real World”, he remains just as much a part of the heart and soul of Showbread as he did when it all began in 1997. And with pain and joy, we press on with a missing member, but with a fire in our hearts to serve our Jesus.

Tae, you are an inspiration to us and we love you with all our hearts.

Josh Dies and Showbread
April 2nd, 2007