NEW YORK (www.newleftmusic.com) - Having toured the globe with Matchbox Twenty, guitarist KYLE COOK is going back to his roots this fall when he and his longtime band THE NEW LEFT release their debut EP LET GO and hit the road October 29. The dates kick off October 29 in St. Louis at a benefit for the "Gateway to a Cure" organization. The St. Louis-based Gateway to a Cure is a registered 501 (c) 3 nonprofit <\Org501.stm> dedicated to raising public awareness and financial support for spinal cord injury (SCI) research. Gateway to a Cure advocates accessibility and opportunity for people with spinal cord injury, and provides support and education for SCI families.
"Each of us in matchbox twenty wanted to put some emphasis on new musical directions for awhile," KYLE says. "And after three multi-platinum records, and eight years of international touring, the timing felt right for us to explore our other projects during this break."
THE NEW LEFT began as DOWNPOUR - a mostly covers band - back when KYLE was in high school and long before he joined the multi-platinum matchbox twenty.
"The 'pocket' was instant and I knew that we had found something special in each other," Cook says of his collaboration with drummer Brett Borges and bassist John Kibler, who adds, "From the first note, it seemed like we were brothers." Despite the band's best intentions, time and miles would separate them for a few years. Despite that, Borges adds, "The feeling that came from us playing together truly convinced me that music should be my life."
The trio worked on material for years, in between Cook's rigorous touring schedule, and cut several demos with legendary engineer-producer Eddie Kramer, but the band couldn't help feeling like there was still something missing. That missing something was guitarist and singer, songwriter Eamon Ryland, a friend of Brett's.
The New Left, with the addition of Eamon's guitar playing, vocals, and songwriting, now felt complete, and the band began work on a new batch of material at Cook's personal studio in Orlando.
Three years in the making, the band has finally completed their first EP, Let go, containing six songs from these sessions. The EP is scheduled to be released October 29th and will be available on newleftmusic.com and at all scheduled New Left tour dates this fall.