At the urging of the two cats who brought the band to Roadrunner, Dave Bason and Mike Gitter, we present to you the demos that “sealed the deal for the band and label.” Just posted are the three demos that were the product of the band’s session with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette. One track in MP3 format (“Angelina”), and the other two coupled as a RealAudio stream (“Reach Out” and “Into A Silence”). The demos can be found in our MUSIC section. Miami’s Twice the Sun inks with Roadrunner. Having built a fervent Florida following, Twice The Sun is Roadrunner’s newest act. A former Pimp Rock Palace “band of the month”, Twice The Sun has distinguished themselves with a keyboard and guitar-driven sound that flirts between passionate and progressive with soaring, evocative vocals, jarring guitars and huge melodies. And heaviness aplenty. Twice The Sun came to Roadrunner as a joint signing between R2 Publishing head Dave Bason (aka, the man who brought the Strokes to RCA) and Roadrunner A&R guy Mike Gitter (Ill Nino, Killswitch Engage, Glassjaw). A demo session with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette (Incubus/STP) sealed the deal for the band and label. What does A&R Mike have to say about the deal? “I’m beyond excited about finally inking Twice The Sun. They’re the best new band I’ve seen in ages, straddling the line between the heavy, the passionate, the melodic and the progressive. Their songs pull you in toss shitloads of music at you and they probbaly have the best young singer I’ve EVER come across. The way it all happened was back in October, R2 publishing guy, Dave Bason got an MP3 from one of our scout/internet trolls. I happened to be going down to Florida the next day to see another band well, it just so happened that Twice The Sun was on the show. So, I was naturally pretty excited about seeing them. Well, I’m at the club in Fort Lauderdale and up scampers the band’s 19 year old guitarist Peter Santa Maria who just started rapping with me. We ended up talking about everything from music to comic books and instantly clicked. I asked him for a demo which he promptly gave me. I had to move my rental car so I popped the demo in and was pretty blown away. Well, so I got back to the show where the band was going on and I was pretty knocked out. First off, they have a very unique keyboard driven sound that was very much its own but definitely drew comparisons to Perfect Circle, Cave In, Staind and some heavier proggressive bits. Secondly, the singer, James Partridge, was a star (dressed as the devil at the time as it was a Halloween show) and really had the most deeply affecting voice I’ve heard in ages. And, quite honestly, from the John Bonham-like drummer, Tommy Garret to the bassist Tony Senita to Peter, the guitarist and Damien, the keyboardist, they were really fantastic musicians. Suffice to say, I was pretty blown away. Got back to New York and in one of our A&R meetings shortly thereafter Bason (who was also blown away) and I secured some demo money for the band. We hired a guy named Michael “Elvis” Baskette to do the demos. Elvis is a 26 year old GOD engineer, having already worked with the likes of Incubus and STP. A few weeks later, Elvis was in Miami working with the band. What he came back with sealed the deal for us. Just so fucking great. Twice The Sun really do live up to their name.” Says Baskette: “They’re an incredibly talented young band with an amazing singer that has the potential to write anything. They will explode!” Adds Twice The Sun keyboardist Damien Biltres: “We’re ecstatic to be with Roadrunner and can’t wait to get into the studio!” Tentative plans are for Twice the Sun to hit the studio with Baskette in early Autumn. For gigs and updates, check the band’s official site at www.twicethesun.com.

DOWN UNDER EXCLUSIVE – This is a story which for the most part goes out to all you collectors, those whom must have everything in your collection. To commemorate Fear Factory’s tour of Australia, a piece called Linchpin – Special Australian Tour EP 2001 has been released down under. An EP which clocks in around 23 minutes in total time. The 7 songs which make up this release are as follows: 1 – “Frequency” 2 – “Linchpin” 3 – “Machine Debaser” 4 – “Demolition Racer” 5 – “Invisible Wounds” (The Suture Mix) 6 – “Replica” (live – from an Ozzfest 1996 performance) 7 – “Edgecrusher” (live – recorded at The Palace in St. Kilda, Australia on 2/26/1999) The tracks “Frequency”, “Machine Debaser”, and “Demolition Racer” are all previously unreleased. All three were originally recorded for use in video games – the first one for the upcoming mix game Frequency, and the latter two for the game Demolition Racer. All three tracks will also appear on the upcoming release of the Digital Connectivity DVD. What else to expect? This EP will also contain the “Linchpin” video along with the 4 part “The Making Of Digimortal” video series (both of which can be seen here on the Roadrunner site).

Got any cool stories or comments on the FF tour? You can check out some more of our photos in the gallery. LONDON & LONDON – not content with only 1 show in town, the band played 2 consecutive nights at the Astoria. For those attending both shows, the band mixed up the set a little, playing Resurrection the first night, and swopping it for Martyr and Invisible Wounds the second night. Support came from Janus Stark and Godflesh, but that didn’t stop Sugacoma getting onstage to join our boys for Edgecrusher! Talk about crazy moshpits and crowd-surfers… wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a few broken bones and bruises out there, but everyone leaving we saw had a big ol’ smile plastered across their face. A highlight of the shows? Hard to say… on Friday the crowd were going for it big style for the whole set… NEWCASTLE & NOTTINGHAM – another 2 blinding shows notched up! We hear although Godflesh weren’t playing Newcastle they snuck in anyway… and even took over the stage for one song in the middle of FF’s set! Now here’s a truly cool tale… Fear Factory fan and Roadrunner street teamer Paul Clarkin went to the Nottingham show: “Mutha fucker! Was that one hell of a good gig. I met Mindee then Dino at around 6.30pm. We went to their dressing room with two Canadian girls who were mates of his. We chatted for a bit and he said he remembered me from Northampton and he remembered coming out and flyering with me and Leo (another RR teamer). He said he’d do it again, but then he had to go do a Polish radio phone call, so he gave us Access All Areas passes and left us to wander”. All Areas passes? You think that was cool!? Read on.. Paul sez, “They fucking rocked. The best bit… during Edgecrusher, Dino noticed me singing my lungs out, as you do. He grabbed my arm and dragged me up the side steps. He shouted “sing the chorus”. I was like “no fucking way”. Next thing I know I’m in front of the mic singing with Burton “break of the Edgecrusher”!! IT WAS FUCKING COOL!!!” Anyone get a photo of this?! If so, send it in and we’ll return it with a pile of rare goodies for your trouble! MANCHESTER & GLASGOW – The weekend just gone, Fear Factory (still in excellent form I might add) tore up Manchester and Glasgow. Again, the queue to get in stretched down the road. About 20 Roadrunner teamers were hanging out with Dino before the show in Manchester round the back of the Academy, getting their shit signed and just shooting the breeze. Word musta got out though, coz before we knew it, there was a steady trickle of fans finding their way over presenting all manner of things to sign – even a car mat! One gal was so desperate for a ticket to see the show that night she not only offered to strip in the street, she puckered up for a surprised (and happy!) bloke. Moral is: hang onto your spare, you never know what you might get offered. The night wouldn’t have been complete without a few aftershow beers though… and where better to hang out than with our good friends at the Rock Kitchen (K2 Bar, Met SU). If you are ever in Manchester you will have a good time here! Run by Jason & Kevin, it was certainly a night to remember, though RR staff and FF may well have had some trouble with the remembering bit the morning after. BELFAST & DUBLIN – The UK tour kicked off on Halloween in Belfast… having spoken to Gaz Brooks & James McCullough, attending street teamers, since the word is the whole gig went off! The Limelight was crammed to the doors and kids were queueing down the street as far as the eye could see to get in! In the words of Gaz, “it was a classic set, and the songs off Digimortal sound 10 times better live, the crowd was really up for it, and everyone had a great time!” Gaz & James got to meet the band before the show and have been raving about how nice and happy the band were to sign anything they could put under their noses. So what are you gonna get to hear on the remaining dates? We hear these songs were part of the storming setlist… What Will Become, Edgecrusher, Linchpin, Self Bias Resistor, Replica, Digimortal, No-one, Resurrection, and Scapegoat. Gaz reports his highlight of the night was hearing the mighty Edgecrusher! Did you see the band at Reading and Leeds festival this summer? Check out our Roadrunner photo special from Reading in the gallery. Check out the Digimortal e-card!! The video for ‘Linchpin’ can be seen in the VIDEO section.

Fear Factory’s Digimortal Album Both CD (퉌£11.99) & Digipack (퉌£12.99) are out now and available from the following: HMV, Virgin, V.Shop/Our Price, MVC, Andys, and all good Indies! Full tracklisting for the band’s new album is as follows: (comments from Raymond) What Will Become Damaged Digimortal – This song is very much like Shock with groovy verses, a lot of triplets on the kick drums, and a very melodic chorus. No One Linchpin – This song is all about groove. Extremely catchy chorus, this will be the sing-along song for sure. Think of this as Replica meets Martyr. Invisible Wounds (Dark Bodies) – This song is a lot like Descent, but even catchier. will also be a big sing-along song for sure. But then the middle turns into this extremely heavy Fear Factory mechanical type middle section. Very epic song like Resurrection. Acres Of Skin – OK, plain and simple If you remember the first song on the Pantera record Far Beyond Driven, than that is what this song is like. Back The Fuck Up features vocal guest Cypress Hill frontman B-Real Byte Block – This is probably the most industrial song we’ve got. It starts out with this killer guitar pattern into a kick drum pattern. Starts kind of like Zero Signal, but it is an alternating kick drum pattern, then breaks into parts of that pattern for the verses, into a straight heavy chorus like New Breed. Hurt Conveyor – This song is a rock song all the way. The chorus has a Deftones touch to it.” (Memory Imprints) Never End Bonus tracks on the digipack are: Dead Man Walking Strain vs. Resistance Repentance Full Metal Contact You can check out live shots of the guys from their March 2001 show in Northampton in the gallery. ON THE WEB… Did you miss the live webchat Burton & Christian did at Radio 1’s website? You can read the transcript on their website. Digimortal mini-series! ‘Digimortal’ is a product of 10 years labour by FF. This 4-part series takes you into the mind of FF and it’s members and gives you a glimpse into what it took to create Digimortal. You can see the whole lot in the video section! Roadrunner have reissued their seminal 1992 Industrial Death Metal debut ‘Soul Of A New Machine’ at mid-price. You can check out a whole bunch of photos from the studio session for Digimortal in the gallery! Dino, guitarist, says: “We’ve avoided typical studios like Indigo Ranch. We don’t want to be working and the all of a sudden have Limp Bizkit walk in- that could be distracting!” The new album is produced by Rhys Fulber. Time on your hands? Also check out Raymond’s side-project, Gamer’s Haven – www.gamershaven.com. It’s a website for fellow computer game freaks!

We’re pleased to announce that US band Ether Seeds have inked a deal with Roadrunner A&R guy Paul Conroy. The band consists of vocalist Dustin Lowery (the younger brother of Sevendust guitarist Clint Lowery and Stereomud bassist Corey Lowery), former Liquid Gang bassist Eric Nagy, guitarist Stephen Seals, and drummer Billy Deputato formerly of Chlorophyll. Paul tells, “Ether Seeds has a ‘classic feeling’ hard rock sound with beautifully melodic vocals”. The band will begin recording their debut release in early August with producers Bill Appleberry and Tobi Miller (Adema, Wallflowers) at the helm. Did you know? Ether Seeds used to play under the name Single Bullet Theory but due to legal issues over the use of the name, Ether Seeds was born! Web site, touring, and record release information to follow shortly. Guys, welcome to Roadrunner.

Didn’t we previously mention that DKL was checking out bands coming through town? Well, now we expand on that…a few words from bassist Dave Kowatch on the songs, sights and sounds, seen and heard: 1) The Drowning Pool, Coal Chamber, Ill Nino, 40 below Summer tour at the W.W.F. center was the shit. I got down there early after having 2 Guinness beers on the ride down. Saw the boys in 40 and I.N. The show was loaded and killer. I saw some DKL shirts down there. Met These dudes, Frank and Ryan, at the bar that had a DKL shirt on and I had a few drinks with them, okay a lot of drinks. Thanx for hanging. I also saw Triple H, and the local street teamers, the Pit Dogs are still in effect. By the end of the night I was drunk, but met a few members from the band Dope. 2)Then Friday DKL went up to the webster Theater to see Skinlab. That is on hell of a drive there and back. Phil was tired, but did not fall asleep on the long ride home. We all were hanging out on their R.V. and it brought back memories of touring. The next day, the boys in Skinlab drove to my house and we all went to the city for the parade and the sites. In all the hanging and partying we left there tech in the bathroom, and lost him for 30 min. It was long day that ended up at St. Marks pl. and C.B.G.B.’s. So on the ride home, on the subway, we were still drinking and someone accidently stepped on a passenger’s shoe. This guy would not let it go. He and his friend wanted to take on all 9 of us, and we do not look normal at midnight, drunk and tired. So this dude pulls out a gun on us, yeah no shit, the whole subway cleared out in no time, like in a cartoon. Steev, being a large pissed off guy, just took over the situation and told the guy to leave. So even if you have a gun, you still can be a piece of shit, and so he left. Later that night we all went out to some local bars, and another huge fight almost broke out when S.L.’s drummer took a picture of a girl. She flipped and wanted the film. So basically we said fuck no and kept on hanging in the midst of her pissed off friends. *******DAMN SKINLAB IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH, I LOVE THOSE GUYS****** AND THEN REAL EARLY IN THE MORNING THEY WOKE ME UP TO JUMP START THEIR R.V. 3) Then all of us hit the Jagermeister tour in conn. It is great to see Coal Chamber live again. They were an early inspiration for all of us. They were sick as ever. It was a trip to see Cliff and Phil hanging out and doing shots. We hung with all the boys from Jagermeister and did shots right out the bottle. Thanx for the great time to the Jager crew, especially Rick Z. and Rich Hardesty, who has a cool cd. Currently, the band is “doing laid-back rehearsals,” as bassist Dave Kowatch tells. “we are in the studio finishing up a song, finishing the mixes actually.” Did You Know? The current place where DKL is recording these demos, it is the same place that Anthrax is recording at. It’s true. Dry Kill Logic leave with one last line today, about Fear Factory – “we were long time fans. They were the first band we toured with and they taught us a lot. We will miss them.” We mentioned yesterday that the band will be hitting a studio in upstate New York on Wednesday to do rough recordings of nine new tracks. Well, we now have a few song titles of these new tracks for you – “This You Never Want”, “Still Bleeding”, “Death Of The Day”, and “Neither Here Nor Mist”. Hey, and did you check out the www.espguitars.com homepage yet? Do it now… For the past month, Dry Kill Logic has been rehearsing 7 days a week…though bassist Dave Kowatch admits “might have missed 2 days somewhere along the line”. So, what do they have to show for the past month of rehearsals? Well, this upcoming Wednesday (Feb 6) the band heads into some studio in some town in upstate New York to do rough recordings of nine new tracks…to give others an idea of what they have been working on… Come Friday (Feb 8), Dry Kill Logic will be heading to the Machine Head concert at Irving Plaza in NYC to hang out, and see old friends and fans. All except possibly Cliff, who might have to stay back should he still need to throw vocals down on the new tracks from Wednesday’s recording session. Amongst your travels on this great wide web, be sure to check out Scary Guy’s Dry Kill Logic page – you’ll find buddy icons, wallpapers, lyrics & more whilst being sent in the right direction for everything DKL. Check it out at www.dkl1.cjb.net. Just a line to point you all in the right direction – RazorArt.com, some of our favourite folk on the web (big shout out to Thredz), is currently running a featured bands special on Dry Kill Logic. Check it out, and check out their most recent interview with DKL bassist Dave Kowatch. Excellent work… A very reliable source in the Roadrunner US office, that being the famed Marketing Matt, informs us that a new video from Dry Kill Logic was delivered late last week. New video? Yes. It was written previously that the band recorded a cover of the U.S. baseball anthem “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” for the upcoming PlayStation 2 game MLB Slugfest 2003 (due out in the US in March 2002) – a hardcore, full contact baseball game. Well, apparently the recording wasn’t a spot on cover, but more of a rendition of the tune. And the title of what came of this rendition is “Riot At The Bat Rack”. And, a video was made for the track. Marketing Matt tells the video features shots of the band playing in front of some green screen, live footage, as well as baseball plays. The song is signature Dry Kill Logic, very heavy. When are where this video will pop up has yet to be determined, but rest assured you will be afforded the chance to see it here in the future. Check out our cool Dry Kill Logic e-card. DRY KILL LOGIC is a beast of its own one that claws at you and gets under your skin and into your head the way that few bands do. Prepare for The Darker Side of Nonsense to do some permanent damage to your cerebral cortex – it’s out now! Full tracklisting is as follows: Nightmare Feel The Break Pain Nothing Assfault Weight A Better Man Than Me Rot Track 13 Give Up, Give In, Lie Down The Strength I Call My Own Goodnight ‘The Darker Side Of Nonsense’ is available now from: HMV, Virgin (퉌£2 off with Kerrang! voucher 20/6), VShop/Our Price, MVC, Andys, and good indies. Download Free Prong Cover – On September 23rd, Dry Kill Logic spent a day at the legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The purpose of the trip? They recorded a cover of Prong’s “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck”, whose use was intended to be a “b-side” on the band’s upcoming US metal radio EP titled “Rot”. Well, all has come true.Today being the first time many of us here at Roadrunner heard this “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck” cover, it shall be the same for you. Outside of recording the American Baseball anthem “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” in mid October for the upcoming Midway MLB SlugFest extreme baseball game, this is the latest recording from the talents of DKL. Hot off the E-mail… We asked Cliff what he and the guys thought of their trip over here and they had such a great time, they wrote you all a short note! “Hey everyone! Cliff from Dry Kill Logic here. I just wanted to take a second and write to you all and say thanks for an amazing time in September when we cam through with Spineshank. We had a blast, and we hope you did as well. You all kick a lot of ass, and we’re hoping to be back over really soon. I’d also like to say thank you to all the kids that took the time to write to us and express their condolences for the Trade Center bombings. The band and their families are fine, and we can’t begin to tell you how humbled we were by the kind words. You guys are definitely the shit, and we can’t wait to come back over there and play for you guys. Take care, be safe, and until next time… stay M.E.T.A.L. -Cliff & Dry Kill Logic” Did you see Dry Kill Logic live in the UK with Spineshank in September 2001? Check out our photos of the tour in the gallery. Currently www.ESPguitars.com is running a couple interviews online – one with Dry Kill Logic bassist Dave Kowatch, and the other with Machine Head guitarist Ahrue Luster. Check em out… DKL had a few seconds to rest before they got back on the road. They managed to crank out an awesome interivew with www.brakeout.net and let us know whats up with them at the moment. Check out their most recent interivew. Check out their official site at www.drykilllogic.com

What’s the word? Yes, you know – downthesun is indeed confirmed to play on the US H82K2 Tour – Slayer, Soulfly, In Flames. Now, a bit more detail, as taken from the official press release as given by our most fine US press department. As follows: downthesun Set to Wreak Havoc on Slayer’s H82K2 Tour New York, NY Extreme sextet, downthesun, are planning their first assault on the U.S. The band is confirmed to perform dates on Slayer’s upcoming high-profile H82K2 Tour, featuring labelmates Soulfly as well as In Flames. downthesun will jump on the tour beginning on August 3rd in San Jose, CA and continue through September. downthesun’s self-titled debut is the sound of anger, frustration, and boredom channeled into one enraged sonic outburst. The band’s twisted roots trail back to mid-1999 when bassist Kuk and sample operator Church’s former band opened for Slipknot. The Kansas City, MO natives garnered the interest of Slipknot’s Shawn “Clown” Crahan, who then steered them in the direction of other Des Moines musicians, including drummer Dan Spain and vocalist/former “Clown Tech” Satone. Completing “The Six,” as they like to call it, are co-vocalist Aaron Peltz and guitarist Bruce Swink. Together, downthesun are a radically belligerent and hostile lot, slapping the world in the face with their confrontational lyrics and pummeling rhythms. Crahan comments, “downthesun is based on a simple foundation, opposites compliment each other. Friend or foe. Truth or lies. On or off.”

downthesun ‘downthesun’ OUT NOW. And yes, this is also part of the Download 2002 campaign so you’ll be able to save 퉌£2 off and also get a free sampler CD. Tracklisting is: Medicated We All Die Enslaved Lucas Toole Zero Pure American Filth Pitiful Scapegoat Listen Eye Confide Jars Revelations Heavy/Brutal/Intense The check list for the upcoming self titled downthesun release: 1) Release date confirmed? Yes, it is. September 30th has been nailed down as the release date for downthesun’s self titled debut. Check. 2) Album cover approved? Yes, it is. See it for yourself, right here on this page. Check. Did You Know? Slipknot’s Clown did all the artwork for release…which obviously includes design of the cover which you just saw. True. 3) Tour lined up? Yes, it is. downthesun is confirmed to open all dates on the upcoming US H82K2 tour which starts August 3rd, featuring Slayer, Soulfly, and In Flames. Well, maybe not all the dates…due to curfew restrictions at some venues, there will be a few dates on this tour which downthesun will not be performing. It’s 11:00, do you know where your children are? Check. Exact dates forthcoming. Let’s get this train a rollin’… 2 Last Notes: Title Of This Story – The title of this story, “HEAVY/BRUTAL/INTENSE”, comes from our US Director Of Touring. In a message telling of downthesun’s confirmation to the Slayer tour, the line “these guys are HEAVY/BRUTAL/ and very INTENSE,” was used. Executive Producer – In addition to creating all the artwork for this release, Slipknot’s Clown also happens to carry the ‘executive producer’ credit for this album. Did You Know? The last album Clown was executive producer for was Mudvayne’s L.D. 50. True. Roadrunner Records is pleased to announce the signing of yet another new act, Kansas City’s downthesun. downthesun (note: all lower case letters) is a face-forward plunge to the underbelly of everything. Their self-titled Roadrunner debut brings together shredding guitars, a sludgy roar, and unexpected bursts of melody and electronics that Kerrang! Magazine has already hailed as one of “The Faces of 2002” (yes, they come equipped with a complete recording). “Roadrunner has always signed the greatest bands,” comments bassist Lance “Kuk” Collier. “Stuff that we grew up on, to some of the more recent bands.” It was Slipknot percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan that first caught wind of downthesun, and he didn’t have to look far – downthesun vocalist Sa-Tone used to be Clown’s drum tech. Alongside co-vocalist Aaron Peltz, bassist Kuk, drummer Dan Spain, sample & electronics man Church, and guitarist Bruce Swink, “The Six” – as downthesun call themselves – complete their lineup. Crahan offhandedly refers to the band as “The Truth”. “We’re ugly, we’re fat and we go against everything that rock stardom is supposed to stand for: we are THE TRUTH,” states Kuk. Besides overseeing all the artwork on downthesun’s forthcoming album, Crahan also served as executive producer, alongside well-known producer GGGarth Richardson (Mudvayne, Rage Against The Machine, Spineshank). It was this recording that caught the ear of Roadrunner Records’ head of A&R Monte Conner and director of A&R Mike Gitter. “The bottom line is that downthesun are absolutely 100% REAL – and it ain’t pretty,” adds Gitter “Powerful, but not pretty in the least bit.” That’s putting it mildly. Beyond the sickness? Listen for yourself – the track “Medicated” off their upcoming debut has been posted in our downloads section. downthesun, welcome aboard. Many a first-time happening this weekend in Des Moines, IOWA. Where to start…ah, yes – Stone Sour (featuring Corey Taylor and Jim Root of Slipknot) and downthesun will be playing their first ever show together (see end of update for show details)…in fact, it is the first show for either band while on Roadrunner Records. …this will be Stone Sour’s first time playing live under the name Stone Sour in this here the new millennium (first show played under the name Stone Sour since 1997, to be exact)…the band has been practicing for this weekend’s show in the basement of Corey’s home – back when Stone Sour first formed in 1992, they first used to practice in the basement of Corey’s grandmother’s house, back when Corey used to work at the Adult Emporium on 14th Street (Corey’s first job? Don’t know)…Rock… …for downthesun, this will be the first time a live show of their’s will be videotaped (Slipknot’s Clown is directing the effort)…that videotape will most likely serve as the first time YOU get to see live footage of the band, as this footage could very well be used as an early video for one of their songs…this will be the first and last time you will ever get the opportunity to buy a certain downthesun t-shirt (the band printed up 84 shirts of a design for this show, one time only, never to be printed again)…Roll… show details: Sunday, June 23rd Toad Hollar 1820 East Army Post Rd. Des Moines IA, 50320 doors at 6:00pm 1st Band at 8:00pm (Index Case and On A Pale Horse also appear) another first: this will be the first time for either band hitting the stage at Toad Hollar – neither has ever played there before. famous parting words: “If you’re not there, I feel very, very, sorry for you” – Corey Taylor, 06.21.2002

… doubleDrive, familiarize yourself with that name, folks. As most of this year has been spent recording their Roadrunner debut and getting everything in order, we are almost ready to go… So, here’s a quick update: Outside of a 30 minute set in July and a New Year’s Eve show back in the A.M. hours of January, doubleDrive played their first show this past weekend at The Bay in Chattanooga, Tennessee in teh good ol’ US of A. And the verdict after all this time off? “It was like the middle of a tour,” told frontman Donnie earlier this afternoon. Much of the reason was the sound, as a man by the name of Big Red was behind the sound board (you may know Big Red from seeing/hearing the likes of Soulfly, Danzig, or Sevendust live). Big Red should be making the trip with the doubleDrive clan come this weekend – a five date tour run with Days Of The New. Catch them whilst they are on this roll… Right now, there’s no escaping doubleDrive. We present the facts, courtesy of our US office, as follows: 1) email rec’d from frontman Donnie two days ago, containing a new pic of the band. 2) a call from Donnie himself yesterday whilst he was driving somewhere down south. He reports that the night prior the band had their first ‘full throttle’ practice since returning from mixing their Roadrunner debut in NYC. Here on out, more ‘all outta breath’ practices, a 4-5 nights/week schedule. 3) if you were in the US office, all you’d have to do it open your ears – you can hear the man behind The Production Gospel According To Dave cranking out a couple of the band’s tracks from their mix sessions, putting his expert ear on them. Speaking of which, just one day left on the mixing front – 1 new song and a couple re-calls. The Michael Barbiero (Guns N Roses Appetite For Destruction) will be heading the session, as he has done for the prior mix sessions. and… Earlier this week (Wednesday, to be exact) Double Drive arrived in NYC. Purpose? The mixing of their Roadrunner debut. In fact, location of the mix is literally right around the corner from the Roadrunner office. In spite of being so close, it took two days for Donnie (vocals) and Troy (guitar) – the members from the band in NYC for the mix – to stop by the office…their first time ever stepping foot up in there. Donnie and Troy are working with producer Michael Barbiero mixing the album at the same quick pace in which they recorded. “First day of mixing put one in the can halfway through the day,” tells Donnie, referring to finishing up their first track. “It’s very minisquous,” Donnie details. Huh? What he is saying is that they are busting it out, not looking for fine little problems. Troy swears, and perhaps rightfully so, that Donnie am making up words. So, how has the day gone for the boys from Double Drive thus far? They awoke at 12:30pm. “That’s what time Donnie got up,” Troy chimes in. Apparently Troy was awoken by Donnie waving socks around, or something like that…you get the idea. Come 2:00, they were at the studio – mixes, edits, re-edits, re-mixes of song “Imprint.” Also, started doing some “comping” previously not done (you figure out what that studio jargon means). The boys tell of a ‘latin jazz’ thing happening in studio A beside them…next week the recording of some strings for one of the songs, a first for the band. Roadrunner: Five words on (producer) Michael Barbiero? Donnie: He’s Rock and Roll royalty. Michael, the man who headed the Double Drive recording and currently heading the mix sessions, also happens to be the man who mixed Guns N Roses Appetite For Destruction. Words of wisdom Donnie. The rest of the night for the band holds another late night at studio, working hard into Saturday morning before shut down. After that? “Partying,” answers Donnie. “Hard,” Troy quickly adds. They laugh. Donnie and Troy will be in town mixing until the 9th, so keep checking back for more updates. Title of the album they are working on? Kung Fu Johnson, we are informed. They laugh again… more to come… Been a while since we made mention of this Atlanta based act. Well, they are hitting the studio come July 8th to record their Roadrunner debut. Where? Atlanta. Here’s a name you haven’t heard much on the Roadrunner site as of late, Double Drive. But you know the saying, when it rains, it pours…tis currently just the calm before the storm. That being said, let’s work on getting acquainted once again with Double Drive. And what better way to do such than through a live show??? There is none. Double Drive has booked a couple local US club dates for later this summer. They are as follows: July 26 – ON THE BRICKS – ATLANTA, GA August 3 – G STREET LIVE – WASHINGTON, DC So if you are out that way, be sure to check em out! Roadrunner Records is proud to announce the signing of the Atlanta based quartet Double Drive. Brought to you by the same A&R cat who brought Nickelback into the Roadrunner family, Double Drive is as follows – Donnie Hamby (vocals/guitar), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), Josh Sattler (bass), and Mike Froedge (drums). Band sound familiar? Quite possibly, as in 1999 they released an album titled 1000 Yard Stare for MCA Records. Since then, most of their time has been spent touring. They are now back home in Atlanta, where they are getting new material together for what will be their Roadrunner debut. No dates have been etched in stone as of yet for this project. More details to follow… Double Drive, welcome to Roadrunner. Fans of Roadrunner, welcome Double Drive.

From the desk of Jeremiah Pilbeam (drummer extraordinaire for the outfit known as Dirty Americans): “The Dirty Americans and Paul Ebersold are like Gibson and Marshall, they rock together!!! We really found a kindred spirit in Paul. His approach and understanding of what we want to be and accomplish as a band was so right on. Paul’s crew, Skidd (engineer) and Curry, were solid… Pressed for time we cranked out three tunes, one brand new song, ‘Lookin To Find’, that we wrote with Paul while down there in Memphis. One other tune, ‘Explode’, we re-wrote and changed for the better, and one, ‘Strange Generation’, that we just rocked out! Working in Memphis at Ardent Studios was a big plus. The vibe at Ardent, and in Memphis is strong and very heavy…What a better place for the Dirty Americans to get down than the ‘Dirty South’?”