NASHVILLE |DATE: MAY 12, 2008
FROM: KRISTINE ASHTON-MAGNUSON/LIBBY HENRY
PENNYWISE
LAUNCH HEADLINING U.S. TOUR AFTER
SOLD-OUT GIGS IN JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA;
400,000 FREE DOWNLOADS LOGGED FOR GROUNDBREAKING FREE GIVEAWAY
OF NEW ALBUM ‘REASON TO BELIEVE,’ EXCLUSIVELY ON MYSPACE;
“THE WESTERN WORLD” VIDEO TO WORLD PREMIERE ON MYSPACE WEDNESDAY, MAY 21;
BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO SHOOT CLIP DEBUTED ON MYSPACE FRIDAY, MAY 9;
SINGLE CONTINUES TO CLIMB AT RADIO,
CURRENTLY TOP 20 IN OVERALL AUDIENCE AT ALTERNATIVE RADIO
After logging nearly 400,000 free downloads of their new and ninth studio album REASON TO BELIEVE (MySpace Records) during a groundbreaking campaign on MySpace and selling out shows in Japan and Australia, PENNYWISE has launched a U.S. tour of headlining gigs and radio festivals which runs through June 7 in Mountain View, CA. Later this summer, PENNYWISE–JIM LINDBERG (vocals), FLETCHER DRAGGE (guitars), BYRON MCMACKIN (drums) and RANDY BRADBURY (bass)–will join the Vans Warped Tour to perform on the main stage at shows in the East and Midwest from July 15 through August 3.
REASON TO BELIEVE’s first single “The Western World” is steadily climbing at radio. It’s currently Top 20 in overall audience at Alternative Rock radio and is top 10 at stations including: Sirius Satellite’s Faction (#1 most played), KROQ (Los Angeles), KJEE (Santa Barbara), WBCN (Boston), KNDD (Seattle), 91X (San Diego), KEDJ (Phoenix), X96 (Salt Lake City), WEQX (Albany) and KCXX (Riverside). PENNYWISE has also been confirmed for some of the country’s top radio festivals: KROQ’s Weenie Roast, WBCN’s River Rave, Live 105’s BFD, 91X’s X Fest, KNDD’s Summercamp 2 and KJEE’s Summer Roundup.
PENNYWISE and up-and-coming director Elliott Dillman (Strung Out, Death By Stereo) recently shot a poignant video for the song which attacks our celebrity obsessed culture. The clip depicts shots of chaos intercut with images of stereotypical young blond women being created from a mold by scientists, along with PENNYWISE performance footage. A behind-the-scenes clip from the video shoot debuted on MySpace Friday, May 9 and the full video for "The Western World" will world premiere on MySpace Wednesday, May 21.
PENNYWISE continue to garner accolades from the media for REASON TO BELIEVE as well as their live show. Here’s a sample of the critical acclaim:
–Jonah Bayer, Revolver, May 2008
“California punkers Pennywise are back and once again prove that when it comes to breakneck, fist-in-the-air-anthems, they shit on the competition!”
–Kerrang! (UK), April 5, 2008
–Rick Florino, ArtistDirect.com, March 17, 2008
“Chock-a-block with blistering rhythms, lethal hooks, and anthemic choruses, the band sound at the very top of their game…”
–Jo-Ann Greene, AllMusic.com, March 28, 2008
“Byron McMackin is some sort of relentless cyborg. His beats on Reason to Believe are tricky, fast, and in your face…The outstanding thing about Pennywise is the relentless attitude. The beats never falter, the conviction rings true; the base and guitar threaten to sweep you away.”
— Drum!, May 2008
“Tightly packed with grinding buzz-saw guitars and contagious group harmonies, lead single ‘The Western World’ is a hard hitting ‘90s punk-rock throwback…the lyrics launch a delicious attack on internet-obsessed culture: ‘We are the dregs of the western world/The steroid boys and the video girls/We are the viral Internet songs/And the anchorman can’t stop lying.”
–Sven Philipp, Billboard Magazine, April 26, 2008
“The crowd's energy could barely be contained, and the floor erupted into a massive pit right when the curtain opened. Nothing could be more punk rock. Few bands can elicit that rabid response from crowds…Fletcher remains one of punk's most technically talented shredders, busting out catchy leads intermittently after ripping through classic Pennywise riffs…Randy Bradbury held a strong low end that kept everyone grooving…as Byron McMackin bashed out those classic, speedy fills on his kit…Jim Lindberg belted out the chorus of "Fuck Authority" with more fire than any of his younger counterparts. He commanded the stage like some kind of punk rock warrior poet, rallying the crowd into battle.”
–Rick Florino, ArtistDirect.com, March 28, 2008 (live review)
Catch PENNYWISE on tour in the following cities:
| Date | City | Venue | ||
| Headlining Shows and Radio Festivals: | ||||
| Tue | 13-May | Albuquerque, NM | Sunshine Theatre | |
| Fri | 16-May | San Diego, CA | 91X X-Fest (Concerts On The Greenat Qualcomm) | |
| Sat | 17-May | Irvine, CA | KROQ Weenie Roast (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre) | |
| Sun | 18-May | Santa Barbara, CA | KJEE Summer RoundUp (Santa Barbara County Bowl) | |
| Thu | 22-May | Atlanta, GA | The Masquerade | |
| Fri | 23-May | Saint Petersburg, FL | Jannus Landing | |
| Sat | 24-May | Orlando, FL | House of Blues | |
| Sun | 25-May | Port Saint Lucie, FL | Mojo Room | |
| Mon | 26-May | Jacksonville, FL | Plush | |
| Wed | 28-May | N. Myrtle Beach, SC | House of Blues | |
| Thu | 29-May | Richmond, VA | The National | |
| Fri | 30-May | Philadelphia, PA | Fillmore @ TLA | |
| Sat | 31-May | New York, NY | Fillmore @ Irving Plaza | |
| Sun | 1-Jun | Mansfield, MA | WBCN River Rave (Tweeter Center) | |
| Fri | 6-Jun | Davis, CA | Pavilion @ The A.R.C. | |
| Sat | 7-Jun | Mountain View, CA | Live 105 BFD (Shoreline Amp.) | |
| Sat | 14-Jun | Seattle, WA | KNDD The End’s Summer Camp (Marymoor Park) | |
| Vans Warped Tour: | ||||
| Tue | 15-Jul | Virginia Beach, VA | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre | |
| Thu | 17-Jul | Cleveland, OH | Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre | |
| Fri | 18-Jul | Detroit, MI | Comerica Park | |
| Sat | 19-Jul | Toronto, Ontario | Downsview Park Allen Road | |
| Sun | 20-Jul | Montreal, Quebec | Parc Jean Drapeau | |
| Thu | 24-Jul | Buffalo, NY | Darien Lake Performing Arts Center | |
| Sun | 27-Jul | Scranton, PA | Toyota Pavilion | |
| Tue | 29-Jul | Pittsburgh, PA | Post Gazette Pavilion | |
| Wed | 30-Jul | Cincinnati, OH | Riverbend Music Center | |
| Thu | 31-Jul | Indianapolis, IN | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre | |
| Fri | 1-Aug | Milwaukee, WI | Marcus Amphitheatre | |
| Sat | 2-Aug | Chicago, IL | First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre | |
| Sun | 3-Aug | Minneapolis, MN | Canterbury Park | |
For PENNYWISE publicity, contact MSO: (818) 380-0400
Kristine Ashton-Magnuson (ext. 233) kashton@msopr.com
Libby Henry (ext. 224) lhenry@msopr.com
Chelsi Schriver (ext. 231) cschriver@msopr.com (tour press)
www.myspace.com/textango
www.myspace.com/pennywise
http://
PENNYWISE LAUNCH HEADLINING U.S. TOUR AFTER SOLD-OUT GIGS IN JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA; 400,000 FREE DOWNLOADS LOGGED FOR GROUNDBREAKING FREE GIVEAWAY OF NEW ALBUM ‘REASON TO BELIEVE,’ EXCLUSIVELY ON MYSPACE; “THE WESTERN WORLD” VIDEO TO WORLD PREMIERE ON MYSPACE WEDNESDAY, MAY 21; BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO SHOOT CLIP DEBUTED ON MYSPACE FRIDAY, MAY 9; SINGLE CONTINUES TO CLIMB AT RADIO, CURRENTLY TOP 20 IN OVERALL AUDIENCE AT ALTERNATIVE RADIO
