New York, NY. (Top40 Charts/ DreamMakers Music) - Mark October 9 in your calendars. That's the day you'll be up all night with Nightmares, courtesy of Leo. The album-a sonic diary, a confessional journey through a host of emotional moments in dysfunctional relationships-will be released on DreamMakers Music. "Chemical Cell" is the first track to be serviced to radio, with a video in the works.
To get the buzz going, the band-Ian Eddy (lead vocals, guitar), Michael Roberts (guitar, vocals), Rek Mohr (bass), Mark Grabowski (drums) - will head out on tour with Sick Puppies starting August 8 in Clifton Park, NY at Northern Lights. Additional tour dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Combining disillusionment, frustration, anger and hope, Leo's songs range from mild and melancholy to bold and thunderous, encompassing a broad spectrum of influence that includes Led Zeppelin, Helmet, Jeff Buckley, Ours and Muse.
For many artists, writing music is a form of therapy, for others, it's a social outlet or a way to attract members of the other sex. Music means much more to Eddy. It's a special language that speaks to his soul--a salve in periods of desperation, a salvation in times of despair. And, he's ever respectful of its power, so much so he named his band after his relationship with his muse.
"I'm an Aries, and Leo is supposed to be my perfectly matched partner," he explains, "but to me, my music has always been the most important thing, so I named the band Leo because music is like my perfect partner."
In 2001, Eddy formed Leo in Cleveland and went through a few different band members over the years, including former lead guitarist Brandon Lozano, who co-wrote a couple of songs which appear on Nightmares, and drummer Chad Szaliga, who is now in Breaking Benjamin and appears on three tracks on the album: "Chemical Cell," Na Na" and the title track.
"He was recording drum tracks for me before he left to join Breaking Benjamin," Eddy says. "When I moved to St. Louis, he didn't want to move with me so he stayed behind, but we loved his playing and we got his permission to keep his tracks. He's one of the most amazing drummers I've ever heard."
Upon relocating to St. Louis, Eddy met and recruited local bassist Rek Mohr, which meant Leo needed just a new guitarist and drummer. He then called up guitarist Michael Roberts and drummer Mark Grabowski from the Ohio band Ivet, and convinced them to move to the Gateway City.
Eddy loves the songs he's written over the past six years, but for him, being an artist means never staying in the same place, always evolving and creating the unexpected.
As Eddy says, "Two months ago I was serving food in a restaurant. Now I'm living the dream."
Here are the confirmed dates with Sick Puppies:
Wed 8/8 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights
Thu 8/9 - Portland, ME - The Station
Fri 8/10 - S. Burlington, VT - Higher Ground- Ballroom
Sun 8/12 - Richmond, VA - The Canal Club
Mon 8/13 - Charlotte, NC - The Casbah at Tremont Music Hall
Tue 8/14 - Atlanta, GA - Roxy Theatre
Wed 8/15 - Columbia, SC - Headliner's
Thu 8/16 - Knoxville, TN - Blue Cats
