I decided to do a poll for naming our compilation. Please think over your thoughts carefully then help us come up with a name. I’ve enabled the box for you to enter your own answers, so write those in if you dont like the ones I listed. The winning vote will be chosen (so long as it isn’t crazy) in one week.

I will also enlist your help once the name is chosen because we’ll need some web banners, album cover, and ads made up for the project. The designer who submits the best designs will get $50 and any 2 cds of their choice from the webstore.

Let’s do this!

Click here to watch When Angels & Serpents Dance Animated from P.O.D. (bandsonfire.com)

You may want to check this site out:

christiandigitalstore.com

Tooth and Nail is releasing their “Ultimate Collection” 2 disc set on March 11th. For a tracklisting, click here. I am disappointed in the lineup but oh well. They have quite a few better songs from their past discography they could have chosen plus, only making two discs is a let down. It should have been a box set.

Christian Hardcore News has posted up an interview with Travis Boyd of Sleeping Giant that you can read here.  (bandsonfire.com)

Click here to watch Aaron Gillespie do an acoustic cover of Wonderwall by Oasis. (absolutepunk.net)

Here’s a vid of him at it looks like the same show playing some of the stuff from The Almost.

These are from the benefit show he did in Lexington SC awhile ago.

You can download a free b-side from Sherwood on the Starry Nights And Salty Seas Tour profile on the AP.net website here.  The track is called Up In My Eyes.

I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with the music of a singer named Eowyn. She’s already come out with one album and has seen it have some success. But take a listen to her new stuff. She’s having help on this from a bunch of people including Rob (who sings on the title track), Noah and Lester (of Pillar) and having it worked on by Travis Wyrick. She has worked hard for everything she’s gotten and I think this album is a great step towards getting rewarded for her hard work. Anyways, enough of my blathering, check out Eowyn’s new music.  According to one of her latest blogs, tomorrow (Feb 1st) she’ll be releasing her new website, and you’ll be able to preorder her new release Silent Screams.  The album hits stores this coming April.

CCM Magazine was started in July of 1978.  This April, Salem Publishing’s CCM Magazine will print its last issue and be no more.  This issue of the magazine will coincide with this year’s GMA’s.  It might not seem too relevant these days but this magazine helped the Christian music industry be what it is today.  Sad to see it go but I guess its another result of so much being done online these days.

I posted new songs to our myspace player and posted up a new blog as well. You guys already know all that’s in it but I thought I’d write it out anyway for those that don’t.

Here is our myspace page.

My review for Torn from Red’s sophomore release, The Heart Beat EP, can be found here.

Artist: Torn from Red
Album: The Heart Beat EP
Label: None (released independently)
Release Date: June 23, 2007
Review by: Eric Pettersson

Tracklist:
1. We All Die Young
2. Not Tonight
3. Heart Beat
4. Forever
5. This Love

With heavily charged guitars and loud and fast drumming, this four piece from York, PA, showcase a sound that lies somewhere between MxPx, Story of the Year, and The Early November. And be warned, it’s a grower, for sure. My first few spins found nothing spectacular, just another energetic punk-infused rock group with moderately loud vocals but a reasonably accessible sound. But as I gave it one last close listen to write this review, I somehow tapped into the deeper potential of this EP. Maybe it was the great gang vocals and lead guitar in “Not Tonight,” or maybe it was the slightly slower and passionate sing-along “Heart Beat.” Then again, it could have been the epic crescendo at the end of “Forever” or the fantastic southern rock flavored guitar licks in “This Love.” Either way, it’s not a big deal what it was. What matters is only that it was. And oh, how it was! For those of you who wish that Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance hadn’t sold out, maybe you can find a combined replacement in Torn from Red.

7/10

MySpace
PureVolume

Another band that will be featured on our upcoming currently untitled compilation will be the band ROOTDOWN. They’re sort of a reggae rock explosion from Eugene, Oregon.

You need to listen to this band:

Blue Cadet and the Brave December, track: “Brass Knuckles Won’t Do You Any Good in Soul to Soul Combat”

This track is going to be offered for free on our upcoming currently untitled compilation.

The Afters have launched a new website with clips of songs from their upcoming release Never Going Back To OK which hits stores Feb 26th. Click here to visit the site. (decoymusic.com)

I’m not sure if this was already mentioned but they have a myspace contest on where you can win a 160gig iPod.  Click here for details.

They also have another contest on where you can win a Wii or a free acoustic show by going here and ordering a fan package for $19.95.

February 20th the aforementioned bands are playing at Room 180 in Lynchburg, Virginia with Ready the Way and Our Last Night. Be sure to check out most of these bands on other stops of the Chill Out Tour ‘08.

Erich Barto, formerly of AloveForEnemies has a new band he is in - Letter to the Exiles

Check out SevenLastWordsofChrist from Havre, Montana - MT Death Metal

One of my faves of lately - HANDS - from Fargo, ND

Orion Walsh the former vocalist and guitarist of the short lived indie rock band, Slow Coming Day, has new songs on his myspace page. Check them out.

The album trailer for There Came A Lion from Ivoryline can be seen here at the T&N youtube page.

Click here to read an interview that Christianity Today did with Demon Hunter. (bandsonfire.com)

Far-Less has announced that they will be going out on tour with Mae, The Honourary Title and Between The Trees! For tour dates you can check their myspace site here.

Oh my gosh, you have to be kidding me!

GodTube

I am nearing completion of the online free compilation we will be giving away shortly. I still need some bands so if anyone has connections or you are in a band reading this, please send me an email and a mp3 to: brandon@indievisionmusic.com Thanks everyone, this one should be fun. I have decided not to make this a zip file just because it would be too massive of a file to download. I am going to have 20 bands give or take a few. Oh and I am looking for a name for it. Please list your ideas for a name below this post in comments. The best name will be chosen and the winner will get any two cds in our webstore for free.

In the wake of the new album, The North Pole Project, I was able to catch up with Jeff from Number One Gun to do a nice little interview which can be read here. Thanks again to everyone involved.

Eric Pettersson, IVM: You can start with your name and duties in the band.
Jeff Schneeweis, Number One Gun: My name is Jeff Schneeweis and I sing and play guitar for the band.

E: For those who haven’t been along for the ride, could you give a brief history of Number One Gun?
J: Well we have been around for about 5 years. We are from Chico, CA, and still live there today. We have put out 3 full length records including the newest one on Tooth and Nail called The North Pole Project.

E: Apparently things were a little crazy around the recording of the new record, and you ended up doing each part yourself, almost like a solo album. Was it really weird doing things that way compared to past CDs? How do you feel about the final outcome, knowing it was the first Number One Gun release done as a one-man band?
J: Yes it was kinda weird at first just thinking about it. But really, I have always written mostly everything in the band in the past, but this time it was a little different because I had to record all of the parts myself. But it was seriously the best time of my life.

E: What should fans expect in The North Pole Project?
J: I think our fans can expect a very diverse, mature rock album that has a wide variety of songs. It still has the NOG sound, but you can definitely expect some new sounds from the band.

E: How was it working with the differences in producing this album?
J: As some of you might know, I have been producing a lot of records in the last 2 years. So it really wasn’t too hard for me to produce and write this record. The only thing is that I usually take about a month or two when I record a full length record. But this one took about 3 months to record, and sometimes I got kinda lost in the whole process of it, ha.

E: What was the actual writing process for you? Where did you find lyrical and musical inspiration, and how did a typical song come together?
J: With this record I actually wrote and recorded each song at a time. And for some reason, thank God, I never ran out of ideas for the song writing process… cause sometimes that happens, ha.

E: That name, The North Pole Project, was originally going to be your solo project. In fact, the myspace for such still exists with two demos from the new record. How did it come about that you stayed on with the full Number One Gun and used the name for this?
J: Well I was originally going to start a side band called The North Pole Project. But after talking to Tooth and Nail about it, it made more sense to keep the name Number One Gun because I wrote everything anyways. But The North Pole Project fit perfect for the album name. Mainly because it really well represented me being alone on this record, and kind of off in the distance.

E: Has it been easy to transition these songs back to the full band and onto the live stage?
J: Yes it was actually really easy because of the amazing musicians that are playing with me now. They are all my good friends, and some of them I have played with before.

E: Speaking of playing live, how is the release tour going? Any fun experiences with the other bands yet?
J: Oh my, you have no idea how fun this tour is. All of the shows are going extremely well, and more importantly, every band on this tour is so much fun. It’s kinda funny cause I have actually gotten a chance to either produce or in someway be involved in each one of these bands records. Ha. Which is kinda why I chose all of these bands for the tour. Also they are all so good live and great people. It’s pretty much the most fun and stress free tour I have ever done.

E: Who have been some of your favorite bands to tour with in the past and why?
J: I would say either Emery or Relient K just because we really hit it off right away. But it’s hard to say, cause we usually get along with everybody.

E: What would be your dream tour to play on?
J: I would have to say Jimmy Eat World. We have played with them a couple of times but never got to tour with them.

E: Looking through Number One Gun’s discography, what are your top three favorite songs?
J: I would say “All You Have” (from Promises for the Imperfect), and “Bad Habits” and “The Best of You and Me” (both off The North Pole Project).

E: Being on Tooth & Nail Records, your band has an automatic association with the Christian music industry. But for Number One Gun, personally, what role does faith play in your band?
J: I definitely feel that Number One Gun is an outlet for me as a Christian. My faith is a huge part of my life and I love writing about the experiences that I have had.

E: How do you feel about the current music scene, and where do you see it going in the next five to ten years?
J: Well, the way I feel about it is that I am very scared for the music industry. Record sales are down everywhere and there is so much competition with all of the bands out there. It just seems to be getting worse and worse. And I really hope that maybe eventually it will be so bad that it has to kinda just start over from square one. I mean the internet has completely taken over, which is totally cool in a way, but it’s really hard for bands to sell records cause you can’t beat free, ha.

Thanks to Jeff for taking time out of your schedule to answer some questions for us, and to Lori at Biscuit PR for helping hook it up.

Official Site
MySpace
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New Line is working closely with producers Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form to relaunch the horror franchise, Nightmare on Elm Street. They are also at work on relaunching the Friday the 13th franchise. Do you think this is a good idea or bad?

Check out a brand new Advent track here called “The Cost”. Their Solid State debut hits stores nationwide on February 12th. So what do you think?

I hope this isn’t a repost. Kingston Falls have posted their new song online at Myspace. Check it out then leave a comment or two.

Click here to check out Oh, Sleeper’s video for “Vices like Vipers.”

The new House of Heroes record “The End is Not The End” will release on Gotee Records. [absolutepunk.net]

Texas, the new album from PlayRadioPlay!, will be in stores a week earlier now on March 18th. (absolutepunk.net)

If you order Hawk Nelson Is My Friend, Hawk Nelson’s new album, through Family Christian Stores you will get a free bobblehead with your purchase.  Has it come to this?  Seriously, I can’t believe its come to bobbleheads of Christian music groups.  You can see a pic of them below.

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Click here to watch Number One Gun’s video for Wake Me Up.  What do you all think of the video of the one man band?

If you guys want to watch the Wavorly interview without having to leave our site, well just click below:

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I have reduced the price of Hearts Bleed Passion Vol. 3 to $2.00ea. I have also reduced the Ashcroft ep to $4.99 if you still want it. Other items on sale include the featured Moorland ep for just $5.99!! Get them while supplies last. I am talking with a few new bands on carrying their cds in the store so stay tuned for that. It’s about time we get some new stuff.

Click here for the Indie Vision Music Store