Their Mercury Records debut, Habits, produced by friend, singer/guitarist Tim Pagnotta, is a refreshing blast of timeless rock energy and spirit that wouldn’t sound out of place at any point from ‘60s garage-rock to 2010 dance rock, with the first single, “Animal,” taking off from a round of weaving, angular guitars into a song equally at home in the arena as on the dance floor, a paean to sexual longing in which singer/front man Tyler Glenn wails, “Take a bite of my heart tonight.,” and you have no reason to doubt his sincerity.

Take hook-happy new wave, add to it the classic-rock story-telling humanity and leaven with other-worldly charisma, and you begin to understand the palette Neon Trees are working from.

“I have this weird, obsessive nature of wanting to be a superhero,” admits Glenn, who cites his two favorite performers as the Boss and the King of Pop. “I just want to help my friends and the people I love by saving them, only to realize they’re really saving me by listening to the music. The songs are all about forgiveness, love and passion, which basically sums up the whole vibe of what we’re about as a band, professionally and spiritually.”

In the opening “Sins of my Youth,” Tyler reminisces about a childhood of trial, error and eventual self-discovery. “I’ve got these habits I cannot break… Call me crazy/I was born to make a mess.” “Your Surrender” takes Roy Orbison’s romantic plaint and sets it up against Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, while “Girls and Boys in School” speaks for itself, with a playground chant over a dark yet sing-along synth-pop chorus. Chris Allen has a quirky, edgy Johnny Marrr-meets-The Edge guitar playing while drummer Elaine Bradley drums with the intensity of John Bonham adding a heartbeat to the sensuality of the songs.

“We’re all about songs which relate the human experience,” says Las Vegas native, bassist Branden Campbell. “The emotion is very important to us. Our logo is a human heart with wings. We try to keep it real, but we’re not afraid to dream, either, work hard and admit we want success.”

“We approach the songs from a classic perspective,” adds guitarist Chris Allen, who formed the initial group in Southern California with neighbor Tyler, who lived around the corner. “Even from the start, it was all about the music for us. We didn’t even talk, just practice.”

“I’ve always tried to keep my feet on the ground with my songwriting,” adds Tyler, a self-taught musician who began composing when he was six. “I try to focus on getting out what I’m thinking and feeling. It’s a tool to help me cope with all the weird things that come into my mind. I’m just happy to have found that outlet.”

When Allen moved to Provo, UT, to attend school, Glenn followed him, knowing he wanted to play music with Allen.

“That was a real awkward trip,” laughs Chris. “We drove all the way out there and hardly said a word to each other. All we knew was we wanted to play music together.”

Once there, they were soon joined by Campbell on bass and drummer Bradley, a Midwestern Led Zeppelin/Depeche Mode fan, a combination that clicked despite the fact the individual members eventually discovered they were all very different people.

“We are all so fascinatingly different,” explains Bradley, who has been playing in bands since she was 14, first as a guitarist then as a drummer. “Tyler’s the quirky serious type who is really a goofball. Branden’s the musical history encyclopedia. Chris is the manual labor. Being in this band is like an arranged marriage where divorce is not an option, and I’m ok with that.”

Being signed to a major label hasn’t changed Neon Trees one bit.

“Our goal and how we play are still the same,” insists Tyler. “We’ve always tried to evoke a larger-than-life feel, even if we’re playing to 10 people in a garage. We’re just trying to keep our feet on the ground and remember why we started doing this in the first place.”

“Music is a sacred act of communion for me, offering hope and love,” says Tyler. “That’s the heart of this band. Just like in life, though, you need to have fun, too, you have to laugh and dance and sing. The songs that last and get people to feel something are the ones they can sing along to and really identify with.”

“There’s so much breath to what we do,” adds Elaine. “Every song represents a different aspect of our sound. We don’t stick to a single formula. And we have the goods to back it up live.”

“Our favorite thing is playing live shows, traveling, seeing new places, meeting new people,” adds Chris. “We just want to share that feeling we got from the bands that inspired us, and then We want to pass the torch.”

With their major label debut, Habits, Neon Trees light the fire.

A highly original and melodic modern rock band, Marcy Playground exploded onto the scene back in 1997 with the insanely irresistible hit single “Sex And Candy,” a song that notched [a then-record] fifteen consecutive weeks at number one on Billboard’s U.S. Modern Rock tracks chart… and a self-titled debut album that went on to sell 1.7 million copies. Subsequent albums Shapeshifter (1999) and Marcy Playground 3 (”MP3”) (2004), while commercially obscure by comparison, showcased two periods of tremendous creative evolution for the group, and have gone on to enjoy something of “cult classic” status among the band’s many loyal fans.

Over the last 10 years, Wozniak has spent a lot of time in the recording studio, on the other side of the microphones, honing his production skills. As owner and operator of famed Vancouver recording studio ‘Mushroom’ from 1999 to 2006, Wozniak recorded and produced Marcy’s third album “MP3”, as well as albums by the likes of Canadian rock bands Stabilo, (including the hit “Everybody”), and The Weekend’s “Beatbox My Heartbeat.” During those years Mushroom also witnessed the birth of hit records from the likes of Mudhoney, Matthew Good, Tegan and Sara, Sam Roberts, Hot Hot Heat, as well as Daniel Powter’s multi-platinum self-titled debut album on Warner Bros., produced by Mitchell Froom and Vancouver producer Jeff Dawson. It was Jeff Dawson’s work at Mushroom, on Powter’s pre-production sessions, which initially attracted Wozniak’s ear, and eventually led to a collaboration on Leaving Wonderland… in a fit of rage. Powter himself contributes a fluent piano track to one of Leaving Wonderland‘s stand-out songs, “Gin And Money”, while such notable Vancouver studio players as Darren Paris, Niko Friesen, Simon Kendall, Mark Wilde and Dave Pickell are also featured.

“I think Jeff is largely responsible for why all these songs work together the way they do” says Wozniak. “Having him in the studio allowed me to focus on the creative elements of the songs, the nuances and the performances, and leave most of the production details up to him. We had a difference of opinion here and there, but it resulted in us putting our heads together to come up with something even better than either of us would have come up with alone. It really helped to have that extra brain and set of ears in the studio.”

Dawson’s technical prowess and the work of mastering maestro Bob Ludwig ensure Leaving Wonderland… maintains a polished sonic consistency while demonstrating a huge dynamic sweep in the style of its material. Eclecticism has always been a Marcy Playground signature, to the point that Wozniak admits that “I honestly don’t know how to describe my music. We don’t have a specific genre, so I just call it all rock n roll.”

The diversity of the Marcy Playground style can perhaps be partially attributed to the nomadic life of its founder. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, John Wozniak attended Marcy Open School (the inspiration for his band’s name). At age 9, his family moved to Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania where, years later, he would record his first solo album, Zog Bogbean-From The Marcy Playground in his bedroom, before spending his college years in the early 90’s in Olympia, Washington. By 1996, record label interest in his work lured him to New York City where he formed Marcy Playground with bass player Dylan Keefe. Stints in Pennsylvania, Vancouver and Toronto have followed, so this is clearly a man who knows something about “leaving wonderland,” or, in his own words, “the myth of new beginnings.”

The sense of a spiritual quest, a personal emotional journey, is evocatively explored on Leaving Wonderland. The haunting and sparse “Irene” and “Memphis” possess an intimate and rootsy feel light years away from the aggressive sound of tunes like “Gin And Money,” “I Burned The Bed,” and “Emperor,” numbers Wozniak laughingly calls “our big rock songs.” His open-hearted and unaffected vocal style shines on the gently affecting ballads “Good Times,” “Thank You” (“you are the reason I’m the man you see today”), and “Blackbird,” a tender homage to his wife, while the catchy and light-hearted feel of “Star Baby” screams out for radio play.

The fact that Marcy Playground have always operated outside the musical fashion of the day has helped give their songs a timeless feel. Their material has been featured on such soundtracks as Cruel Intentions, Simply Irresistible, Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back (the 2004 MP single “Deadly Handsome Man”) and, most recently, Zack And Miri Make A Porno. For the latter film, the now classic “Sex And Candy” proved a perfect choice.

With the release of Leaving Wonderland. Marcy Playground are itching to get back on the road to both reconnect with their loyal audience and attract new fans. Joining Wozniak and bassist Dylan Keefe is new drummer, Shlomi Lavie. Wozniak is also compiling a collection of Marcy Playground B-sides and rarities for release later this year, so 2009 promises to be a banner year for the band.

Kenny’s influences include Radiohead, Drive Like Jehu, For Stars, Bob Dylan, Jaga Jazzist, Jim O’Rourke, Battles, Kill Sadie, Owen, Broken Social Scene, Cursive, Sunny Day Real Estate, At the Drive-In, Wheat, Cornelius, The Minor Times, Doves, Fugazi, James Brown, My Morning Jacket, From Monument to Masses, Glassjaw, The Beatles, Van Morrison to name but a few. Person L -

Formed in a Hell’s Kitchen NYC recording studio in early 2008, Shinobi Ninja is the offspring of singers Dave Aaron and Baby Girl, guitarist Maniac Mike, bassist Jonny on the Rocks, drummer Terminator Dave, and DJ Axis. Combin-ing the forces of songwriters, producers, engineers, dancers, battle djs, music pros and a chef, the six members of Shinobi Ninja have assembled a “Voltron-esque” rock group. Bound by a raucous lifestyle and a love of music, the band creates an original sound backed by an explosive and entertaining live show.

Prior to forming Shinobi Ninja, all of its members had solo careers in the music industry. Dave Aaron and Jonny produced and engineered at Progressive Studios. Baby Girl was a celebrity dancer and singer for many major label artists. Maniac Mike and Terminator Dave (who are twin brothers) ran a recording studio, where they produced several indie NYC artists. DJ Axis has earned respect all over the East Coast in clubs and battles, including the Win-ter Music Conference Battle, Roc Raida’s Gong Battle, and the DMC.

Quickly buzzing in NYC for their mega high-energy live performances, Shinobi Ninja headbangs, stagedives, mosh-es, and jump kicks their way through every set and show. Since the release of their EP “Brooklyn to Babylon” in August of 2008, the band has packed venues in NYC, toured through the midwest and east coast, and shared the stage with bands like Tom Morello’s Street Sweeper Social Club, Schoolly D, and Trust Company. Since returning from their summer tour, Shinobi Ninja has been hard at work writing and recording their first full-length album and shooting a music video for their single “Brooklyn to Babylon”.

In addition to their stellar live show and party rocking tracks, the band is pushing the boundaries of the digital music experience. “Brooklyn to Babylon: Shinobi Ninja At-tacks!”, is an iPhone application that is equal parts oldschool Nintendo video game and interactive listening experience. Fans will be able to purchase this cutting edge product through the App Store as well as on ShinobiNinja.com. The game features the members of the band as playable char-acters fighting their way through enemies on the streets of Brooklyn, the L train, and at the mythical Club Babylon. Each level features the band’s music and provides the player a chance to unlock hidden assets like songs, music videos, free concert tickets and merchandise.

From here, Shinobi Ninja’s plan is to take over the world, one sweaty rock circus at a time!

The four original members grew up in Basking Ridge, NJ and played in smaller bands during high school. Although they decided to forgo college, they also made the decision to move to a college town. New Brunswick, NJ, which is the home of Rutgers University, had a reputation for supporting underground music, and over the years had seen not only musical acts but actors enjoy professional success. The Bouncing Souls not only became a staple in the New Brunswick music scene, but also helped other bands gain an audience by opening up for them in the clubs around town, as well as parties and shows they put on themselves. The band’s name is a reference to Doc Martens shoes, which were a staple of punk dress. To this day, Doc Martens uses the advertising slogan “with Bouncing Soles” for their air-cushioned soles.

Their first full-length album, The Good, The Bad & The Argyle was released in 1994 on Chunksaah Records, their own label. The album was a compilation of several EPs the band had released previously. Two tracks of this record, “Candy” (popularized by The Strangeloves and covered by many other groups) and “What Boys Like” (originally by the Waitresses) served as homage to 1980s new wave while simultaneously striking a humorous jab at homophobia. Their next album, Maniacal Laughter was released in 1996. Half the album was written in a week. It led to a high profile tour with Youth Brigade that got the attention of Epitaph Records.

The Bouncing Souls signed with Epitaph in 1997 and released The Bouncing Souls later that year. While it contains some Bouncing Souls classics like “Cracked”, “Kate is Great”, and “East Coast Fuck You!”, certain tracks on the record are anticlimactic in comparison to their low-fi earlier recordings. Greg himself stated on Do You Remember? 15 Years of the Bouncing Souls that “It’s a CD of unfinished songs.” Hopeless Romantic followed in 1999. Hopeless Romantic has been heralded for admixing poignant lyrics with their melodic rapidly-paced punk style. Soon after the album’s release, personal problems arose between the band and long-time drummer Shal Khichi which resulted in his departure from the band. He was replaced by former Skinnerbox, Mephiskapheles, and Murphy’s Law drummer, Michael McDermott.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation was the first album released with the new line-up. By now, the band had become viewed as seminal to the modern punk sound, with a new generation of fans discovering their earlier releases as they toured with newer bands as well as larger punk acts such as Hot Water Music. 2002 brought a b-sides album, The Bad the Worse and the Out of Print and an acclaimed split with Anti-Flag as part of the BYO Split Series. In 2003, the band released their 6th album Anchors Aweigh, as well as their first DVD, Do You Remember? 15 Years of the Bouncing Souls. In 2004, their cover of “Better Things” by The Kinks was used in the film The Manchurian Candidate. In 2005, they had two live releases, a double CD album, simply titled Live, as well as a DVD, titled Live at the Glasshouse, which was the 19th entry in Kung Fu Films’ The Show Must Go Off! series. The band released their 7th album, titled The Gold Record on June 6th, 2006, or 6/6/06 which the band has called ‘The number of the release,’ in reference to 666, which is known as ‘The number of the beast.’ Also, due to their first full-length record being a collection of previous releases, many fans also consider this to in fact be their 6th studio album, and thus 666 is also partly in reference to this. They then headed out on the 2006 Warped Tour in support of the record, and again three years later, in 2009.

In 2009, the band is releasing 20th Anniversary Series in the form of 12 digital tracks (released at the beginning of each month) and 4 7″ vinyl singles (released once every three months).

Drawing from romantic and modern composers like Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, and Glass; and then fusing a modern rock sound like Arcade Fire, Bright Eyes, Daft Punk and Sufjan Stevens; Emanuel & the Fear display a true understanding of sound all-the-while capturing audiences with their climactic electro/orchestral arrangements and quivering, poetic lyrics.

Based out of Brooklyn, Emanuel & the Fear are currently recording their full-length album with Producer Jamin Gilbert at Ishlab Music Studios (Jet, Kudu, and Dead Prez) and are comprised of members who have played/toured with Sufjan Stevens, The National, Akron/Family, and Bryan Scary & the Shredding Tears.

Simon Neil is the main singer, though all three band members contribute to vocal duties. The band are known for using complex and interwoven guitar riffs, unusual time signatures and chord sequences and melodies that often change throughout songs, and for their energetic live performances.

The original lineup included Mike Herrera on bass, vocals Andy Husted on guitar (later to be replaced by Tom Wisniewski), and Yuri Ruley on drums.

In September 2006, MxPx and the City of Bremerton started a marketing effort revolving around the band’s song “Move to Bremerton”. Bremerton’s Community Renewal Agency secured rights for the song to be played in a promotional website for the city, and MxPx played a concert at the downtown Admiral Theatre on September 16, 2006 with local bands The Divorce and Ruxton Towers. The band was also given keys to the city by Mayor Cary Bozeman in recognition of their contributions to Bremerton. [10][9]

MxPx spent the majority of 2005 and 2006 touring in support of their 7th album Panic. On November 21, 2006, Tooth & Nail Records re-released “Let It Happen Deluxe Edition” with a bonus DVD featuring 12 music videos, new artwork, photographs and some other goodies.

Let’s Rock, MxPx’s second rarities album, was released on Side One Dummy Records on October 24, 2006. The album consists of many previously unreleased songs, re-recorded b-sides and acoustic demos. A new full-length album from their side project Arthur is slated for a 2007 release.

MxPx spent early 2007 on an international tour through parts of Australia and Europe. In March 2007, MxPx played at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival in Austin, Texas, and from May through June, they headlined the Tooth and Nail Tour, also featuring Hawk Nelson, The Classic Crime, The Fold, Sullivan, Project 86, and Run Kid Run.

The band recently returned from a tour in Brazil with Suicide city, where they co-headlined the 2008 Maquinaria Rock Fest with Sepultura, the Misfits, Biohazard and Suicidal Tendencies.

Also in 2007, MxPx was featured on the labels of 120 limited edition Jones Soda Bottles to promote their July 2007 release, Secret Weapon. They also returned to Tooth and Nail Records. In an interview with Christianitytoday.com Herrera said the band was now free to get back into more of the Christian Market. [11]

Currently, MxPx is touring to promote their latest album, Secret Weapon. Chris Wilson is covering for Yuri as drummer in some shows, as Yuri is looking after his baby daughter.

MxPx toured the United Kingdom with Punchline and The Get Go on the fourth installment of the Good To Go Tour in February 2008. The last show of the 2008 Good To Go Tour which took place at Glasgow’s King Tuts Wah Wah Hut. At this time, during August and September 2008, MxPx joined Lagwagon to play a handful of shows in Canada and the US.

MxPx has released a follow-up to the cover EP On The Cover, which was released on March 24th, 2009. The name of the album is “On The Cover II”, featuring songs covered from fellow punk bands including The Clash and the Descendents.

Drummer Yuri Ruley told ThePunkSite.com that MxPx planned to start writing and recording a ninth album in January 2009,[12] but Mike Herrera more recently stated that there were no immediate plans to do so.

and you follow the moon.

“We can’t sit on the beach with an acoustic guitar forever!” proclaims Cisco Adler. “This is not a one-trick pony.”
His other half, Aaron Smith (a.k.a. Shwayze), closes his eyes and nods and offers, “We’ve already got that beach-time summer vibe, chilling during the day. Now we want some stuff for the clubs that bangs your ears out and you can dance to it. This is definitely an evolution from the first one.”
That first one, the self-titled Shwayze, ushered the unlikely duo to unlikely heights. A string of multiple hits (“Buzzin’,” “Corona and Lime”

) fueled by millions of Internet plays carried them to top ten album sales, landed them a coveted slot on the Vans Warped Tour, and turned them into reality television stars on MTV. In a wound-up world, Shwayze was a life-lesson in laid back lassitude, a coast-to-coast call to make every day a lazy day. And if success always breeds a bit of contempt, Let It Beat comes out swinging.

“It’s like, ‘All right, here it is!’” Shwayze says, laughing as he describes the challenge posed on the opening track, “Livin’ It Up.” “You guys said we couldn’t make another one. You thought we were gonna make the same thing. You didn’t think we were deep enough! Well here it is. And don’t be mad when your girl leaves with us.”
Featuring contributions from New Orleans hip-hop duo The Knux, Shwayze’s lifelong hero Snoop Dogg, Ric Ocasek from the Cars, and Darryl Jenifer, bassist for legendary D.C. punk band Bad Brains, Let It Beat is a fearless experiment held together by the controlled yet casual guidance of Adler’

s production.

“I made a conscious effort to beef the drums up and make it thump,” he says. “The last record had one pace, I wanted this one to have more dynamics and go up and down like a rollercoaster ride. It’s about letting your heart beat and letting the blood pump through your body. It’

s about not stopping the flow. Let it all flow and it will all turn out right.

The first single, “Get U Home,” is an unapologetic ode to lust satisfaction… before you leave the club: “Take me in the bathroom/Take my clothes off/Make love to me up against the dirty wall/’Cause I can’t wait to get you home.” Let It Beat is never shy, never afraid to extol its own brand of virtue, it never apologizes, and, of course, you’

re always welcome to join.

“I’m definitely endorsing that behavior!” announces Adler, referring to the whole “dirty wall” scenario in “Get U Home.” “None of it is fantasy. We just live it and tell the story.”
“Our music is our lifestyle,” Shwayze says. “We’re not faking it.”
Shwayze was a juggernaut, an unexpected triumph from two beachcombing purveyors of pleasure and sunlight. It tapped into the hidden hedonist in us all, freeing indulgence from guilt for at least the length of a record. Let It Beat extends that day into night. It’s nothing less than a celebration of life. For every sarcastic wink, there’s that genuine gleaming grin at the thought of the next thrill. Let It Beat is not a fantasy; it’

s an invitation to a better reality.

“I’ve been a musician before I was anything else,” Adler says. “I was screaming for people to just listen to the music. But then at some point, I had to look inside and tell myself to just keep doing it and it eventually it’s gonna show people itself. That’s when it started working, amazingly enough. When you just let everything flow, it’s gonna flow in the right direction. When you start trying to control the flow, that’s when you dam it up.”
“It’s all a dream come true,” adds Shwayze. “We just want to keep on living the dream and keep on living it up.”

Lewis has appeared in over forty films and made-for-TV movies. She has also appeared in a GAP commercial which she was dancing with Daft Punk to the tune of the song “Digital Love”. In 1992, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Cape Fear. She received an Emmy nomination for her performance in My Louisiana Sky in 2001.

Lewis has also launched a career as a solo singer and musician, leading a group called Juliette and the Licks which has released a number of recordings. She has worked with rock songwriter Linda Perry, among others, and has also appeared on three tracks by rock-techno group The Prodigy’s 2004 CD “Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned” (Spitfire, Get Up Get Off and Hot Ride). She is in the H.I.M. video for “Buried Alive By Love”.