THE COLOR FRED: SOLO DEBUT ALBUM FROM FRED MASCHERINO–LEAD GUITARIST AND SONGWRITER FROM TAKING BACK SUNDAY OUT OCTOBER 30

EXTENSIVE FALL TOUR IN THE WORKS

For BEND TO BREAK, Mascherino wrote all the songs and played all of the guitars and bass. “I also had a little help with some backup vocals by P.J. Bond, who will be playing bass on the road,” Mascherino says. The album’s recording sessions were rounded out by drummer Steve Curtiss, who will also be in tow when THE COLOR FRED embarks on extensive roadwork to support the disc.

The album was recorded over a four-week span at Millbrook Studio in Upstate New York–in close proximity to Alfred Hitchcock’s estate.  Mascherino says, “We were in the middle of nowhere, which was fun, but also ideal because Lou and I were uninterrupted. We were brothers in arms and we totally trusted each other.”

BEND TO BREAK is an accomplished and conscience-invading song-cycle, launching with the urgent, three-minute firecracker “Get Out” and following with the title-breeding, consequence-fixated “If I Surrender.” “Hate To See You Go” is a brilliantly infectious rocker built from an acoustic foundation and the piano-fostered “It Isn’t Me” features former Breaking Pangaea bandmate Clint Stelfox on piano. Other standout tracks include: the explosive and contagious admission “Complaintor,” which is sure to draw the interest of fans; the rare, memorable anthem “I Didn’t See,” built from an alluring drum hook; the stark, earnest “Empty House”; and the six-minute, lighter-ready opus “Don’t Pretend.”

The video for the album’s first single “If I Surrender” was recently shot in Philadelphia. Helmed by director Andrew Bowser (Gym Class Heroes), the video is an homage to a few of Mascherino’s favorite movies–it has him living a Groundhog’s Day meets The Royal Tennenbaums day over and over again.

THE COLOR FRED had been in Mascherino’s plans since before he joined Taking Back Sunday four-plus years ago, but his solo project was put on the backburner with that band’s meteoric rise. In the wake of two gold records while in the band–2004’s Where You Want To Be (Victory) and 2006’s Louder Now (Warner Bros.)–and their subsequent touring commitments, it wasn’t until the Spring of 2007 that BEND TO BREAK truly took shape. The unique but unified material that embodies BEND TO BREAK is no accident. “I wanted to make something that I thought Taking Back Sunday fans would dig,” Mascherino says. “At the same time there were other places that I really wanted to go with my music.”

The final version of BEND TO BREAK will include a CD case made of 80% recycled plastic and booklet made of 100% recycled material, with an inlay tray made of biodegradable cornstarch. “I like to keep everything I do as close to carbon footprint zero as possible,” he says. “The guys at Equal Vision had to search far and wide to make my packaging goal a reality. But it’s well worth it. It’s really important to me and if everyone else did it, it would make a big difference.” In addition to the green-friendly packaging, Mascherino bought carbon offsets for the recording of the album and plans to offset the band’s upcoming tour.

Look for THE COLOR FRED on tour starting this fall and going into early 2008. See current tour dates below.

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