Ben Lee Goes To Venus On New CD

A portion of proceeds from albums sold will be donated to FINCA's Village Banking program. FINCA offers financial services, not charity, to the world's lowest-income women entrepreneurs. This creates jobs, builds assets and generally improves the standard of living in these destitute communities.

The album's cover re-creates Botticelli's Birth of Venus, but with a rock and roll twist. Ben is featured in the clamshell with fiancé Ione Skye and band mates as angels above him. Other musicians who appear on the album include Missy Higgins, Cary Brothers, Patience Hodgson of The Grates, Nic Johns, John Alagia (producer of Ripe) and longtime collaborators and musicians Lara Meyerratken and Nic Johns. - more on this story

Thriving Ivory Announce Headlining Tour

PR reports: One of the great developing artist stories of late 2008 continues to build as Wind-up recording artist Thriving Ivory kicks off their headlining tour on January 23rd in Bakersfield, CA before traveling to LA to headline the legendary Troubadour and beyond.

The San Francisco quintet has been very busy over the last year promoting their self-titled debut album and single "Angels on the Moon" and, next week, they will hold the #1 spot on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart

Singer Clayton Stroope noted, "It's exciting to return to cities that we've previously been to and experience this groundswell that has been building over the past year. There is nothing like the feeling of standing on stage as a packed room sings along with you. As a band, we are in the midst of the connection that every artist hopes for. This has been so special, and we can't wait to get back out there and experience this feeling nightly. To all those folks who have bought our disc, thank you. If you tell your friends, I can finally upgrade the tires on my '84 Taurus, and instead of being number one Heatseekers, we can simply be number one overall." - more on this story

Oh No Not Stereo To Get All American Rejected In The UK

PR reports: Los Angeles pop-rock duo Oh No Not Stereo are taking their live show back to the United Kingdom, where they will be opening for The All-American Rejects this time around.

The group recently returned from the UK in December, when they were part of the Bayside/Hit The Lights tour.

Oh No Not Stereo are releasing their second full-length record, "003," digitally on January 13th, and physically on March 10th. - more on this story

Thieves Invade Daryl's House

PR reports: Live From Daryl's House begins the new year much as it ended the old one, with Daryl Hall playing live alongside some of the industry's top up-and-coming bands. For the groundbreaking web destination's 15th edition, Hall joins Wind-up Records recording artists Company of Thieves, a highly touted Chicago-based band whose label debut, Ordinary Riches, was released digitally Jan. 6 and will be in-stores Feb. 24. After two days on-sale digitally, the debut is #19 on the iTunes Top Albums chart, and #7 at Alternative.

The band's lead vocalist Genevieve Schatz and guitarist Marc Walloch will perform a seven-song set with Daryl, which can be seen exclusively on www.livefromdarylshouse.com, including four tracks from the band's Ordinary Riches album ("Pressure," "Around the Block," "Past the Sleep" and "Even in the Dark"), the Hall and Oates song, "Starting All Over" (from the duo's 1990 album Change of Seasons) as well as the Daryl-penned smash, "Everytime You Go Away," a hit single for Paul Young. Hall, Schatz and Walloch also tackle a pair of classic rock covers in the Zombies' "Time of the Season" and "Piece of my Heart," made famous by Janis Joplin.

"I am really impressed with what I've heard from Company of Thieves," says Daryl. "They are truly one of the best new, young groups out there. I was really excited to play with them. The sky's the limit in terms of their future." - more on this story

Repo! Road Tour 3 To Feature All Star (and one Celebutard) Guests

PR reports: Stars of REPO! The Genetic Opera will be in attendance at select dates along the Repo! Road Tour 3. With hundreds of tickets sold in pre-sale, theatres are about to sell out on the FINAL REPO! Road Tour, set to kick off January 13 in Salt Lake City.

Making this run bigger then ever, in addition to director Darren Bousman, co-writer/actor Terrance Zdunich, and co-writer/musical director Darren Smith, fans will also be treated to special appearances from Alexa Vega (Spy Kids) and Bill Moseley (House of 1000 Corpses , Devils Rejects) . A killer star-studded finale in LA brings Paris Hilton, Ogre (Ohgr, Skinny Puppy), and Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas) into the mix. - more on this story

Ted Nugent Getting Reissued

Kayos reports: No one does it like The Nuge. Though he's developed a reputation as an avid outdoorsman and outspoken political activist, Ted Nugent is first and foremost a pillar in Rock 'N' Roll history. The master who's taught legions of heavy hitters and bred countless emulators throughout his five-decade career will showcase his one of a kind guitar prowess in a six set retrospective.

These albums (Nugent, Penetrator, Little Miss Dangerous, If You Can't Lick 'Em…Lick 'Em, Spirit of the Wild, and Full Bluntal Nugity) will be reissued by Eagle Rock Entertainment on February.

Pummeling eardrums, tearing up stages with his off-the-wall, no-holds-barred antics, combined with the nastiest guitar licks Detroit ever produced, this catalogue should satiate anyone whose palette is wet for some good American rock. - more on this story

From Monument to Masses Set March Release

PR reports: If you're a fan bands like Slint, Tortoise, and Godspeed You Black Emperor, then be sure to check out From Monument to Masses.

The trio is releasing their new album "On Little Known Frequencies" on March 10th through Steve Aoki's Dim Mak Records.

Taking classic post-rock elements and brining them into the future, the group proudly wears its influences on its sleeve. - more on this story

With Another Underworld Movie Comes The Inevitable Soundtrack Album

PR reports: Lakeshore Records will release the soundtrack for Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans available digitally (iTunes and Amazon Digital) and in stores on January 13, 2009. The film is the prequel to the 2003 film Underworld and its 2006 sequel Underworld: Evolution.

Like the other two films in the series, the soundtrack for Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans boasts a top-notch lineup of rock, goth, and industrial acts remixed by the album's producer, Danny Lohner. Lohner is a former member of Nine Inch Nails and has performed with many of the artists who appear on the soundtrack including Puscifer and Black Light Burns. As a remixer Lohner uses the moniker of Renholder (re d.lohner backwards).

Another familiar artist returns to the Underworld series. Puscifer -- the alias of Tool and A Perfect Circle's Maynard James Keenan, contributing the tune "Lighten Up Francis". He also appears with Milla Jovovitch on the Renholder remix of The Cure's "Underneath The Stars". - more on this story

A Skylit Drive Ink With Fearless

PR reports: A Skylit Drive, a six piece hardcore band from Lodi, CA, joins the Fearless family today and quickly enters the studio. [We can't confirm the genre designation. It's what their label is calling them and this label has been known to call pop bands punk. Maybe they got it right this time? You'll have to hear for yourself and decide.]

With excitement the band heads into the studio this February with producer Casey Bates (Chiodos, Peirce the Veil) to record their sophomore album. Expected for release early this summer, this highly anticipated album will be a follow up to Wires (And The Concept of Breathing) which solidified their place at the forefront of the Indie scene.

"We are very excited to sign to Fearless Records and to have the opportunity to record with Casey Bates. We are ready to work hard in 2009 and are ready to record a new album and get back on the road," says vocalist Michael Jagmin. - more on this story

. Rush - Snakes and Arrows Live DVD

Rush concert DVD redemption is at hand. Coming back from the not-so-great 2003 concert footage, Rush In Rio, where a lackluster audio mixing stained a spectacular performance, the 2008 Snakes and Arrows nears perfection (5 stars) - Read the full Rush - Snakes and Arrows Live DVD review

. Bruce Springsteen Month: Darkness on the Edge of Town

The Bruce Springsteen who wrote and recorded Born To Run was a ghost by the time his fourth album, 'Darkness on the Edge of Town,' was recorded and released in 1978. (4 stars) - Read the full Bruce Springsteen Month: Darkness on the Edge of Town review

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