NOVEMBER 1, 2006
FR: ALEXANDRA GREENBERG/SHAZILA MOHAMMED
MSO
GUERILLA UNION ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN DATES OF THE
ROCK THE BELLS WORLD TOUR
RAP MASTERS REDMAN, RAEKWON, KEITH MURRAY, SUPERNATURAL AND SPECIAL GUEST DJ KOOL TO TAKE
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FESTIVAL ACROSS AMERICA
Rap fans everywhere rejoice! GUERILLA UNION, the promoters for the critically acclaimed ROCK THE BELLS annual west coast hip-hop festival, have announced the North American dates of their world tour. For its inaugural full-on cross-country outing, ROCK THE BELLS will take to the road this winter with headliners REDMAN and RAEKWON, fellow ROCK THE BELLS alumni KEITH MURRAY and SUPERNATURAL, with special guest DJ KOOL.
Kicking off November 21 in Washington D.C., the ROCK THE BELLS tour will hit over 20 major markets in the U.S. and Canada for a month-long trek. It will pass through east coast markets including New York, Boston, Providence and Buffalo and then move on to the mid-west with dates in Chicago and Denver before wrapping up with dates along the west coast in Vancouver, Seattle and Portland moving south to Los Angeles, San Diego and Anaheim. The dates encompass 1,000 to 1,500 capacity club venues.
REDMAN will give fans a sneak preview of his upcoming DefJam album Red Gone Wild due out in March 2007; Fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon and Keith Murray, Def Squad member with Redman and Erick Sermon will highlight their performances with their strong rap standards; and Supernatural, who recently broke The Guinness Book of World Records for Longest Freestyle Rap clocking in over 9 hours at the August 5, 2006 ROCK THE BELLS festival, will display his freestyle brilliance. ROCK THE BELLS newcomer DJ KOOL will man the wheels of steel. The diversity of the rap talents keeps in check with the ROCK THE BELLS philosophy of providing the best and diverse aspects of the hip-hop genre.
ROCK THE BELLS was founded by organizer Chang Weisberg of the west-coast based production team Guerilla Union as an ambitious undertaking inspired by a lack of quality hip-hop events and tours in the concert industry today. Weisberg explains: “The tour is a way to establish ROCK THE BELLS in other markets that have not enjoyed the full festival experience. ROCK THE BELLS started out the very same way in LA with multiple club dates and grew into something larger because it had integrity.” He adds: “We hope that by bringing quality hip hop shows to these other markets, eventually it will set the stage for something better. We want to expose new music, a new perspective, awareness, and a fresh mindset. That’s what conscious hip hop is about. That’s what ROCK THE BELLS hopes to provide.”
The first ROCK THE BELLS launched in 2003 and since then has become an annual event in California. Following in the colorful tradition and history of past hip-hop music festivals such as Smoking Grooves and the Cypress Hill Smoke Out, ROCK THE BELLS aims to become the ultimate hip-hop platform and premiere single-day music event in the country by uniting the biggest names involved with urban culture in a spectacular music environment that is exciting, safe and memorable. Other acts that have participated in ROCK THE BELLS events include A Tribe Called Quest, Lauryn Hill, Blackstarr (Talib Kweli and Mos Def), Dave Chappelle, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Cypress Hill, Jurassic 5 and, of course, the unforgettable Wu-Tang Clan headliner show in July 2004 with the last full line-up ever with Old Dirty Bastard.
Tour dates for the North American leg of the ROCK THE BELLS world tour are:
DATE | CITY, STATE | VENUE | |||
Tue | 11/21 | Washington, DC | 9:30 Club | ||
Wed | 11/22 | Myrtle Beach, SC | House of Blues | ||
*Fri | 11/24 | Greensboro, NC | The N Club | ||
Sat | 11/25 | Hartford, CT | Webster | ||
Sun | 11/26 | Allentown, PA | Crocodile Rock Café | ||
Tue | 11/28 | New York, NY | BB Kings | ||
Thu | 11/30 | Boston, MA | Avalon | ||
Fri | 12/1 | Providence, RI | Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel | ||
Sat | 12/2 | Buffalo, NY | Buffalo Ballroom | ||
Sun | 12/3 | Burlington, VT | Higher Ground | ||
*Tue | 12/5 | TBD | TBD | ||
Wed | 12/6 | Chicago, IL | House of Blues | ||
Fri | 12/8 | Park City, UT | Harry O's | ||
Sat | 12/9 | Denver, CO | Ogden Theatre | ||
Sun | 12/10 | TBD | TBD | ||
*Tue | 12/12 | Vancouver, BC | Plush Nightclub | ||
Wed | 12/13 | Seattle, WA | The Showbox | ||
Thu | 12/14 | Portland, OR | Roseland Theater | ||
Fri | 12/15 | Sacramento, CA | Empire | ||
Sat | 12/16 | San Francisco, CA | Mezzanine | ||
*Sun | 12/17 | Oakland, CA | Sweets Ballroom | ||
Wed | 12/20 | Los Angeles, CA | House of Blues | ||
Thu | 12/21 | San Diego, CA | House of Blues | ||
Fri | 12/22 | Anaheim, CA | House of Blues |
*pending
# # #
For press list, interviews with the participating artist or more information on ROCK THE BELLS, contact:
MSO 818-380-0400
National: Alexandra Greenberg, x223, agreenberg@msopr.com
Regional: Shazila Mohammed, x238, shazila@msopr.com
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ROCK THE BELLS TOUR: GUERILLA UNION ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN DATES OF THE ROCK THE BELLS WORLD TOUR. RAP MASTERS REDMAN, RAEKWON, KEITH MURRAY, SUPERNATURAL AND SPECIAL GUEST DJ KOOL TO TAKE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FESTIVAL ACROSS AMERICA.