NEW YORK, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Atlantic Records) - Atlantic recording group
Funeral For A Friend has unveiled details of their upcoming new album, "TALES DON'T TELL THEMSELVES." Produced by the legendary Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters), the album is the critically acclaimed Welsh rock outfit's third set, following 2003's "CASUALLY DRESSED AND DEEP IN CONVERSATION" and 2005's "HOURS." "TALES DON'T TELL THEMSELVES" arrives in stores nationwide on May 15th.
Funeral For A Friend will herald the album's release with a series of eagerly anticipated North American headline dates. Dubbed "All Hands On Deck," the tour will see the band supported by Alexisonfire, Emanuel, and Fightstar, and will kick off on June 12th at the Knitting Factory in New York City. From there the trek will wind its way west, where it will culminate in a June 26th finale at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood, California (see itinerary below). A special ticket promotion will be offered to members of the FFAF fan community, with those purchasing blocks of four tickets receiving the opportunity to meet and greet the band. For complete details, see the band's official website, www.funeralforafriend.com.
FFAF - which has just wrapped a major European arena tour alongside My Chemical Romance - will remain in North America through mid-summer, traveling as part of Vans Warped Tour '07. The annual roadshow begins on June 29th at Pomona, California's Pomona Fairgrounds, with dates slated through an August 3rd performance at the Tweeter Center in Camden, New Jersey.
The first single from "TALES DON'T TELL THEMSELVES" is the intricate and powerful "Into Oblivion (Reunion)." A video recently debuted on the band's MySpace page (www.myspace.com/funeralforafriend), drawing a staggering 14,000 views in its first twenty-four hours online.
FFAF will be an active online presence in the coming weeks, beginning with its newly re-launched official website, www.funeralforafriend.com. On Monday, May 7th, MySpace will host an exclusive Listening Party, giving fans their first chance to hear "TALES DON'T TELL THEMSELVES" in its entirety. In addition, the band has just opened its own dedicated video channel on YouTube - www.youtube.com/funeraltube - which will feature exclusive video content, including behind-the-scenes clips filmed by the band members themselves. What's more, the "TALES DON'T TELL THEMSELVES" CD will allow fans access to a variety of exclusive material locked within the FFAF website, including never-before-available audio and video content.
With its grand sweeping choruses, epic widescreen ambition, and soaring guitars, "TALES DON'T TELL THEMSELVES" marks the boldest statement from Funeral For A Friend thus far. The album stands as a culmination of everything the band has done to date as well as a breathtaking reinvention.
Tracks like "Out Of Reach" are driven by FFAF's trademark searing guitar riffs, while songs like "On A Wire" and "Walk Away" display a newfound mastery of melody and song structure. With producer Gil Norton behind the board, the band took pains to hone its songwriting in the studio, cutting some of the fat to streamline their trademark sound. Still, the esteemed producer found room for towering walls of strings, French horns and a 26-piece orchestra on several of the tracks to complement the epic nature of the album.
"TALES DON'T TELL THEMSELVES" has already drawn high critical praise in the band's native UK. "'TALES...' is a triumph," hailed Kerrang! in its 5-out-of-5 star rave. "A remarkably assured, wonderfully cohesive work, boldly conceived and superbly executed." "If the tracks on 'TALES DON'T TELL THEMSELVES' were any bigger," declared RockSound, "they'd shift the earth off its axis."
Taking inspiration from a wide range of styles - from hardcore to metal to pop - Funeral For A Friend emerged out of South Wales in 2002 and instantly captured the imagination of rock fans around the planet. The band's 2003 debut, "CASUALLY DRESSED AND DEEP IN CONVERSATION" was a gold-certified sensation in the UK, spawning three top 20 singles and reaping widespread acclaim for its emotional, riff-heavy take on modern hard rock.
2005 saw the release of FFAF's second album, "HOURS." Produced by Terry Date (Soundgarden, Alice In Chains), the album further displayed the band's increasing depth and startling power, going on to achieve gold certification in the UK. In America, "HOURS" earned FFAF a bounty of critical celebration, with Alternative Press declaring it "brilliant," and a four-starred rave in Stuff.
Like any rock outfit worth its salt, Funeral For A Friend has toured hard since day one. Among the many highlights are international headline tours, countless festival appearances around the world (including Vans Warped Tour '05), and shows alongside Iron Maiden, the Deftones, Killswitch Engage, Story of the Year, Thrice, Atreyu, and the Used.
Funeral For A Friend is: Kris Coombs-Roberts - guitar; Gareth Davies - bass; Matt Davies-Kreye - vocals & guitar; Ryan Richards - drums; Darran Smith - guitar.
For additional information, please visit www.funeralforafriend.com, www.myspace.com/funeralforafriend, www.myspace.com/alexisonfire, www.myspace.com/emanuel, www.myspace.com/fightstar
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND - North America 2007
6/12-26 - "All Hands On Deck" Tour w/Alexisonfire, Emanuel, and Fightstar 6/29-8/3 - w/Vans Warped Tour '07
JUNE
12 New York, NY The Knitting Factory
13 Millvale, PA Mr. Smalls Theatre
15 St. Louis, MO Creepy Crawl
16 Lawrence, KS The Bottleneck
19 Boise, ID The Venue
20 Seattle, WA El Corazon
21 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theater
22 Orangevale, CA The Boardwalk
24 San Diego, CA Soma
26 West Hollywood, CA The Troubadour
29 Pomona, CA Pomona Fairgrounds
30 Ventura, CA Seaside Park
JULY
1 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheater
3 Vancouver, BC Thunderbird Stadium at UBC
5 Edmonton, AB Northlands Park
7 Salt Lake City, UT Utah State Fairgrounds
8 Denver, CO Invesco Field @ Mile High Stadium
11 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
12 Las Cruces, NM NMSU Practice Field
13 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
14 Dallas, TX Smirnoff Music Center
15 Houston, TX Reliant Center
18 Atlanta, GA HiFi Buys Amphitheater
19 Green Cove Springs, FL Reynolds Park Yatch Center
20 St. Petersburg, FL Vinoy Park
21 Miami, FL Bicentennial Park
22 Orlando, FL Tinker Field
JULY
23 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
24 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
25 Washington, DC Merriweather Post Pavilion
26 Scranton, PA Montage Mountain PAC
27 Detroit, MI Comercia Park
28 Chicago, IL 1st Midwest Bank Amphitheater
29 Minneapolis, MN Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
31 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheater
AUGUST
1 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
2 Cleveland, OH Time Warner Cable Amphitheater
3 Philadelphia, PA Tweeter Center @ Waterfront
