NEW YORK (By Nick Stern/ Atlantic Records) - Atlantic recording group
Billy Talent has announced plans for a major U.S. fall tour. The Toronto-based punk rock outfit - whose second album, "BILLY TALENT II," has just been released to widespread acclaim - will take part in a multi-band itinerary that also features Rise Against, Thursday, and Circa Survive.
Guaranteed to be the most high-energy tour of the upcoming season, the month-long trek will kick off on October 23rd at the House of Blues in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, with dates continuing through a November 22nd show at Atlantic City's House of Blues (see attached itinerary).
Having just wrapped up an explosive three-week run on the annual Vans Warped Tour, Billy Talent will gear up for the U.S. tour with a series of eagerly awaited European headline dates. Among the stops on the month-long itinerary will be Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
"BILLY TALENT II" has already proven to be a massive international success, debuting at #1 on the album charts in Germany - where it's been a top 10 sensation ever since - and the band's home country of Canada. In addition, the album went on to top the Canadian chart for three weeks running and has continued to reside in the top 3 since its release.
In other news, the band recently wrapped production for their next single/video, the hardcore rave-up, "Red Flag." The clip is directed by the renowned photographer/visual artist Floria Sigismondi, known for her work with such superstars as Björk, the White Stripes, Muse, Interpol, Marilyn Manson, and the Cure.
With a searing sound that forged influences such as the Clash, Jane's Addiction, and Rage Against the Machine into something uniquely their own, Billy Talent first made waves in 2003 with the release of their smash self-titled debut. Fuelled by singles such as the boisterous "Try Honesty," "BILLY TALENT" led to the band's widespread success in Canada (where it went 3x Platinum) and Europe, while also kick-starting the birth of an intensely loyal fan following in the U.S.
Over the course of the next two years, Billy Talent traveled the globe repeatedly, sharing stages with heroes like The Buzzcocks and Jane's Addiction, touring with Lollapalooza and the Vans Warped Tour, and playing a gaggle of European showcase stops including the U.K.'s infamous Reading & Leeds festivals. In addition, the band received a variety of honors, including three MuchMusic Video Awards, three Juno Awards, and three CASBY Awards.
"BILLY TALENT II" sees the band taking punk to new heights, amplifying the explosive energy and earnest lyricism that made their debut an international sensation. Powerful new songs like "Devil In A Midnight Mass," "Surrender" and "Red Flag" are alive with the band's personal blend of angular angst and irresistible popcraft, all given distinctive focus via singer Ben Kowalewicz's inventive, issues-oriented songwriting.
Recorded last winter at Bryan Adams' Warehouse Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, "BILLY TALENT II" was produced by Gavin Brown, who previously helmed the band's eponymous debut, with co-production from guitarist Ian D'Sa. The album was mixed earlier this year by the legendary Chris Lord-Alge.
"BILLY TALENT II" has already drawn critical hosannas from such major national publications as Spin.com, who recently extolled the band as "Canada's answer to Fall Out Boy." "Resistance is futile," declared Alternative Press, whose 4-out-of-5-rated review acknowledged Billy Talent as "one of the most underrated punk bands in operation today." The review further praised the album's first single, "Devil In A Midnight Madness," as "a perfect storm...buoyed by the band's call-and-response yelping."
In addition, the magazine's recent full-length profile of the band noted how "the new disc finds Billy Talent expanding their musical palette," further raving that "Tracks pinball from turf-war punk ('Red Flag') to metal-scorched alt-pop ('Where Is The Line?') to Zeppelin-heavy radio rock ('The Navy Song'). The ultimate strength of the album is that Billy Talent are obviously old enough to remember the great acts of the '90s - Jane's Addiction, My Bloody Valentine, Nirvana - yet young enough that they have no problem boiling those influences down into something that the Warped hordes can relate to."
For more information, visit www.billytalent.com.
BILLY TALENT FALL TOUR 2006
All Dates w/Rise Against, Thursday, and Circa Survive
OCTOBER
23 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues
24 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution
26 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater
27 Austin, TX Stubb's BBQ
28 Ft. Worth, TX Ridgelea Theatre
30 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
31 San Diego, CA Soma
NOVEMBER
4 Irvine, CA Bren Events Center
5 San Francisco, CA The Warfield
6 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
7 Seattle, WA Fenix
9 Magna, UT The Great Salt Air
10 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
11 Kansas City, MO The Beaumont Club
12 Minneapolis, MN The Quest
14 Chicago, IL Congress Theatre
15 Detroit, MI State Theatre
16 Columbus, OH The LC Pavilion
17 Niagara Falls, NY The Dome Theatre
18 Worcester, MA The Palladium
20 Philadelphia, PA The Electric Factory
21 New York, NY Roseland Ballroom
22 Atlantic City, NJ House of Blues
