CONVOY TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE IN FEBRUARY ON HYBRID RECORDINGS

FROM: TODD BRODGINSKI/LATHUM NELSON

CONVOY
TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE IN FEBRUARY ON HYBRID RECORDINGS;
SONG ALREADY SPUN OVER 700 TIMES BY SAN DIEGO STATION 91X;
GROUP SET TO KICK OFF TOUR WITH BOB SCHNEIDER

“With its sun-stroked harmonies and lived-in retro feel, Convoy’s new album Black Licorice distills a…California experience far from encroaching strip-mall sensibilities–picture the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys whooping it up at a back-country pig roast circa ’72.” 

That’s how CMJ writer Hobart Rowland described the music of CONVOY, while late-night TV host Craig Kilborn–who invited the group to perform on the show before their record came out–called them “the hottest thing to come out of San Diego since Blink-182.” Although their label (Hybrid Recordings, distributed by Atlantic) officially released the track “Gone So Quick Tomorrow” in advance of the September 2001 release of the BLACK LICORICE album, CONVOY‘s hometown radio station 91X got great response to “Caught Up In You.” Emblematic of the group’s loose-limbed rock and sunshine pop, the song generated massive listener response–it was the station’s most requested and most played song of November and December–and 91X has since spun it over 700 times.Bryan Schock, Program Director for 91X said, “It sounds good in your office, sounds great on the air, sounds better when your listeners start requesting it and sounds best when it tests in the Top 10 like it has for 91X.” “Caught Up In You” will now be the group’s next official single and is being sent to Alternative and AAA radio stations nationwide this month, with an official add date expected in March.

On the live concert front, the group–JASON HILL, guitar/vocals; BRIAN KARSCIG, guitar/vocals, ROBBIE DODDS, guitar; JEFF WINFREY, bass; and MARK MAIGAARD, drums–have been invited to hit the road with Bob Schneider, beginning February 24 in Minneapolis. Last year, CONVOY opened for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Aerosmith, Coldplay, The White Stripes and Better Than Ezra.

The BLACK LICORICE album (the follow-up to 2000’s self-released PINEAPPLE RECORDING SESSIONS) is what FMQB described as “…a combo of their intricate harmonies, eccentric Pop-savvy and unbridled Rock energy,” brimming with rock guitars and vintage keyboards (Mellotron, Moog, Wurlitzer). Written and recorded on a desolate ranch outside of San Diego, the album features songs by JASON HILL and BRIAN KARSCIG about unrequited love and the emotional fallout of relationships. “It was a tough album to make, and we lived through every emotion that you hear on it,” says HILL. “It was hot out there, dusty, with no running water. It was a challenge, but we think it really made for a creative environment.”

Produced by David Bianco (Tom Petty, Mick Jagger, Teenage Fanclub) with JASON HILL of CONVOY, BLACK LICORICE was celebrated at the 2001 San Diego Music Awards where it was named both “Best Rock Album” and “Album Of The Year,” beating out other local favorites Blink-182 and P.O.D., while PINEAPPLE RECORDING SESSIONS won “Best Rock Album” in 2000. Other tracks on BLACK LICORICE include “Here’s Lookin’ At You,” “Any Time She Wants It,” “Eleventeen” and “Alice.”

Tour dates are as follows. Also check out www.convoymusic.com.