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OAKLAND, CA. (www.tremolomusic.net) - Oakland, CA-based Tremolo is set to release its debut full-length album on August 9th. Entitled 'Love Is The Greatest Revenge,' it will be released on FLAGSHIP Recordings with national distribution via Fontana.
The disc is actually a re-working of an album that was available previously via online outlets (CDBaby, Amazon, iTunes) and will feature remixes of four of the tracks as well as two brand new songs and a re-recording of the track "Promise Ring" (produced by John Painter [Ben Folds]).
Tremolo is the brain child of songwriter Justin Dillon, and the album also features contributions from a number of players: Steve Bowman (Counting Crows) on drums; Max Butler (Chuck Prophet), Julian Coryell (Aimee Mann) and Dino Meneghin (Liz Phair) on guitars; Kris Pooley (Jane's Addiction) and Ben Patterson on keyboards; and Tim Hogan (Anna Nalick) on bass.
The album was mixed by Joe Zook (Sheryl Crow, Mick Jagger, Jewel).
The touring version of the band has a rotating line-up which is always fronted by Dillon. From the catchy grit of 'Evil Twin' to the gorgeous lilt of 'Promise Ring,' Dillon & Co. meld the bluesy, dirty guitars of The Stones and T-Rex with the lift-you-even-higher, anthemic bombast of U2, and tie it up in a hugely attractive package known as Tremolo.
The concept of praxis (what happens when people extend themselves to do good and how their capacity to do good increases because of it) prompted Dillon to do something radical with Tremolo's first full-length album release. Fifty percent of all of the record royalties due to Tremolo will be funneled into a benevolence trust fund. It will be called the Love>Revenge Fund. Says Dillon, 'The people who buy the record will control this fund. They will, in fact, be the Board of Trustees. They will decide where the money goes based on how they would like to see the world change for the better.' Through online voting and forums, fans will be able to decide where the trust fund money they contributed via record purchase will go – be it cancer research, tsunami relief, AIDS hospice, anti-slavery operations, or the charity of their choice.
Fans will also be able to gain exposure for the causes that matter most to them on the site. 'Music has a way of welling up something inside of us to be better than we are,' says Dillon. 'And then what do you do with that? To me, it's like I've written these songs as a way to connect with humanity and hopefully uplift it, and I feel like it's the responsibility of the record to act upon that and to follow through on it. We are asking the fans, 'What would you do to change the world?' We want to fund that idea.' At the end of each fiscal quarter, a check will be cut to the winning organization(s). This will not cost the record company, publishing company, or any organization connected to the project anything; the funds will come solely out of monies due to Tremolo. When Tremolo tours, Dillon plans to apply the same concept to the live shows.
'If you have the resources to buy this record, you're doing pretty well compared to the rest of the world,' Dillon comments about the Love>Revenge Fund. 'This is not benevolence as a marketing tool. Given the way the music industry is shifting these days, it is time for new ideas and new ways of doing things. In the chaos of how music is purchased today, there is opportunity for good. In this case, we wanted to connect with others in a way that hasn't been done before. I want to release not just a record, but an idea.'
Prior to signing with FLAGSHIP, Tremolo had already seen a healthy dose of success from the EP, 'You Were Born For This,' from which New Line Cinema borrowed the demo version of 'Promise Ring' for their film 'How To Deal' (and Capitol Records included the song on their soundtrack along with tracks by The Flaming Lips, Beth Orton, and John Mayer). MTV used the song 'Evil Twin' as the theme song for their reality-based dating show 'Dismissed,' while they also incorporated a number of Tremolo songs into several shows across the network ('Pimp My Ride,' 'Bands Reunited,' 'Newlyweds').
San Francisco radio stations KLLC and KFOG chose Tremolo as their 'new emerging artist' and 'up and comers,' respectively, and KFOG spun 'Evil Twin' in rotation for a couple of months in late 2004. 'Waiting Room' recently spent six months in rotation on cable music service, Music Choice. Tremolo has also graced network TV with play on 'The Mountain' and 'North Shore.' Tour dates will be planned beginning later this summer.