NEW YORK, NY (Atlantic Records) - Decaydance/ Fueled By Ramen recording group
Gym Class Heroes has unveiled plans for a major North American headlining tour. Dubbed "The Darryl Hall For President Tour '07," tickets for the seven-week trek (see itinerary below) go on sale this Friday, December 22nd.
The Geneva, NY-based group - whose sophomore effort, "AS CRUEL AS SCHOOL CHILDREN," has been hailed as one of 2006's best - will top an electrifying and eclectic bill including progressive ska-punkers Rx Bandits, and two of today's most acclaimed alternative hip-hop artists, P.O.S. and k-os. The tour kicks off at Boston's Avalon Ballroom on February 17th, with dates continuing through an April 6th finale at New Orleans' House of Blues.
Gym Class Heroes will herald "The Darryl Hall For President Tour '07" with a visit to NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," slated for Friday, January 12th. The appearance follows the band's previous TV performances on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," DirecTV's "CD USA," and the syndicated "Fearless Music TV."
"Cupid's Chokehold," the new single from "AS CRUEL AS SCHOOL CHILDREN," is currently impacting at rock radio outlets nationwide.
Named MTV2's "Artists To Watch 2007," Gym Class Heroes are proving to be popular favorites at the network, where "Cupid's Chokehold" is already among the top 10 most played videos. The clip - which features the band's good friend, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy - recently debuted across the MTV spectrum, including MTV's "TRL," mtvU, and MTV2, where it was an "Unleashed" premiere, receiving hourly airings throughout its first day on the air. In addition, Gym Class Heroes have just taped an appearance for MTV2's "T Minus Rock," slated to air in early January.
"Cupid's Chokehold" is additionally the week's No 3 most streamed video on MTV.com, and in "Summa Cum Laude" rotation at mtvU, where, this past fall, the band's breakthrough single/video, "The Queen and I," earned a "Woodie of the Year" nomination from the annual mtvU Woodie Awards. Gym Class Heroes later stole the show at the star-studded ceremonies, delivering a thrilling performance before the crowd at New York's Roseland Ballroom.
What's more, "Cupid's Chokehold" has also begun blowing up at Fuse, coming in this week as the No 4 most played video, with "The Queen and I" also continuing to be among the network's biggest hits.
A remarkably dedicated live act, Gym Class Heroes has just wrapped up its final itinerary of the year, a schedule which saw the band playing a number of major radio-sponsored holiday shows, plus a pair of major dates with Fall Out Boy. The group spent much of 2006 on the road, including a stint on Vans Warped Tour which had them playing two shows a day to packed audiences. That was followed by their own "Jerry's Kids Short Bus Tour 06" (with support from Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen's own Cobra Starship), as well as a series of dates alongside the All-American Rejects. As if all that weren't enough, the band hit the United Kingdom for a handful of SRO headline dates in early September.
Produced by S*A*M, aka Sam Hollander (Method Man, the Sounds, and Earth, Wind & Fire), and Sluggo, the alter-ego of renowned session bassist Dave Katz (Roger Daltrey), "AS CRUEL AS SCHOOL CHILDREN" also features co-production from Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump. The album drew rapturous praise in a number of national publications, including Alternative Press, which awarded the collection its top five-starred rating. Rolling Stone followed up with a "New Artist To Watch" feature on the band.
Gym Class Heroes first garnered critical acclaim for their unique sound and approach with their Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen debut, 2005's "THE PAPERCUT CHRONICLES." It was the band's alternative hip-hop style and use of live instruments in favor of looped samples and canned beats that caught the attention of Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, who immediately signed the group to his Decaydance imprint. With constant touring and a huge online presence, the band has built a large and dedicated fan base.
Gym Class Heroes are: Travis McCoy (lead vocalist), Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo (guitarist), Eric Roberts (bassist), and Matt McGinley (drummer).
For more information, visit the band's website at www.gymclassheroes.com, or check out their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/gymclassheroes.
GYM CLASS HEROES "The Darryl Hall For President Tour '07"
All Dates w/Rx Bandits, P.O.S., and k-os
FEBRUARY
17 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom
18 Troy, NY Revolution Hall
20 Indiana, PA Ohio Room - IU
21 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
22 New York, NY Webster Hall
23 Rochester, NY Douglas Hall
24 Pittsburgh, PA Duquesne University - Union Ballroom
25 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
26 Norfolk, VA Norva Theater
27 Jacksonville, FL Freebird Live
28 Fort Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
MARCH
1 Orlando, FL The Club at Firestone
2 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
3 Nashville, TN Rocketown
4 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
6 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
7 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection
8 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
9 Toronto, ON Opera House
10 Montreal, QC Le National
11 Ottawa, ON Babylon
13 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
14 Indianapolis, IN The Irving Theater
15 Chicago, IL House of Blues
16 Sauget, IL Pop's
17 Lawrence, KS Granada
18 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
20 Englewood, CO Gothic Theater
21 Salt Lake City, UT Avalon Theater
23 Seattle, WA El Corazon
24 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theater
25 Orangevale, CA The Boardwalk
26 West Hollywood, CA House of Blues Hollywood
27 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
28 San Diego, CA Soma
29 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
30 Phoenix, AZ Marquee Theatre
31 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
APRIL
1 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater
3 Dallas, TX Gypsy Ballroom
4 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit
5 Houston, TX Meridian
6 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
