In July of 2009, I started Christian Rock Rocks as an outlet to review good Christian music, if that term even holds any true value anymore. It's been thrown around so much since its initial inception, and over the past few years, myself, along with many others, have begun to not use it so loosely anymore (I don't think I need to explain the on-going debates). That being said, Christian Rock Rocks will now become Exiled Music Press. This is not a departure, only a new chapter in our journey. The past three years have been amazing, starting out as a small blog and eventually getting to cover some of our favorite musical adventures, such as two years of New Hampshire's SoulFest, two years of the Vans Warped Tour, Haste The Day's farewell tour and the opportunity to create tangible relationships with many amazing bands, such as our great friends in The Ember Days and Phinehas to name a few. These are memories we will never forget, and we look forward to the ones to come.

With the name change comes some new territory for us. We will no longer exclusively cover Christian music. The usual material that we cover will still indeed be present, along with much more indie, punk, hardcore and everything in between. Concert photography, editorials on the music industry, and many more interviews will be available on the new site, and much more content overall will be posted (unlike our dormant state as of late).

Thanks to our readers for sticking with us, and for all the bands, labels, publicists and anyone else that has helped us out over the years. Most importantly, thanks to God for giving us chances I never would have dreamed of when starting this. Soli deo gloria!

- Brooks Ginnan, editor and founder.

P.S. You can now check out Exiled Music Press on Twitter at @EMPmag! Our Facebook page should be live shortly, and of course the new site will be launching in late October at exiledmusicpress.com!

Ever-changing and always unpredictable, Showbread has spent more than a decade rowing against the current of music industry standards and expectations at a time when other acts are just trying to stay afloat. After ten years of international touring and four genre-hopping releases with indie giant Tooth & Nail records, Showbread made a tremendous shift (even for them) by partnering with the non-profit organization Come&Live! to release their ultimate musical departure Who Can Know It? in 2010, free of charge. So how does an often overlooked and hopelessly controversial act like Showbread follow up their own antics? The answer seems obvious: With an elaborately detailed, science fiction, glam-punk concept record.

Cancer, Showbread's latest studio outing, like Ziggy Stardust or The Wall before it, follows the story of a downtrodden and rebellious rock icon of a protagonist as he attempts to use a punk rock band to lead a revolt against inter-dimensional fascists called "The Principalities" in a not-so-distant American future. In the grand tradition of rock opera, Cancer skillfully runs the gamut of angst, aggression, irony and tragedy. Listeners will follow cryptic liner notes, expansive artwork and provocative lyrics across the detailed terrain of the album's fictional universe—which will ultimately crescendo with the release of a feature film in 2013.

Relentlessly ambitious, Showbread seem to have found in Cancer the perfect storm to accommodate their unusual tendencies. Musically, the record seamlessly blends every style previously explored in Showbread's lengthy discography, building narrative tension with raucous punk rock energy. Cancer resonates long after listening with hooks and catchy sing-along anthems and will have you dusting off the ol' library card to dig deeper into the philosophical, political and theological themes explored in each track.

Equal parts Sex Pistols, Pink Floyd and George Orwell, Cancer will prove to be a creative high-mark difficult for Showbread to top in terms of scale, zeal and sheer listenability. As the album rolls out, you'll find your fist in the air, and a chorus on your lips. Fight the cancer!

Showbread's Cancer is now available as a gift from Come&Live! and can be downloaded here.

(PORTLAND, Oregon) -- Humble Beast Records is proud to announce today's release of "Excellent," the new album from Propaganda. Distributed by Syntax, "Excellent" is available at all major digital retailers including iTunes and Amazon.

Highly anticipated by fans of Christian, Gospel and Hip-Hop alike, “Excellent” immediately jumped into the Top 5 on iTunes's Hip-Hop chart and Amazon's Christian & Gospel and Rap & Hip-Hop charts. HumbleBeast.com reported over 7,000 album downloads within the first 12 hours of release on their website alone.

“Excellent” features multiple collaborations, including appearances by label mates Beautiful Eulogy and Hi Society (and former Reach Records) artist Sho Baraka on the album’s first single, “I Ain’t Got An Answer.” Three music videos are planned to follow up the hit video “G.O.S.P.E.L.,” which has received over 1 million views on YouTube.

"This is the first time where I feel like everything clicked from the content, the concept, the sound and the design,” says Propaganda. “This album is the result of effective teamwork and I'm very thankful for everyone who played a role in making it happen. My hope is that the Lord is glorified and that the success of this record acts as a spotlight on the movement of creative artists who are using their talents to engage the culture and make much of Jesus."

With an uncompromising message intertwined with a relevant sound, the Los Angeles-based artist reaches across the spectrum of youth and pop culture. Bringing with him years of classroom teaching and community service experience, he is eloquently bold in the message of each song and never shies away from a strong poetic element in his music.

No stranger to the stage, Propaganda will hit the road again this fall, hosting and performing on the highly anticipated Unashamed Tour (www.unashamedtour.com) alongside KB, Tedashii, Lecrae, Trip Lee, Pro, Andy Mineo and Thi'sl. He'll follow that with a tour of historic black colleges with Lecrae in early 2013. Propaganda has performed worldwide including tours in South Africa, Canada, United Kingdom and the USA, sharing the stage with such artists as Flyleaf, Skillet, POD, Newsboys, Third Day, Kirk Franklin, KJ-52, Rev Run and many more. Ever in demand, he has also been featured at high profile events such as the Catalyst Conference, DCLA, Legacy Conference and more.

# # #

www.HumbleBeast.com
www.facebook.com/Propaganda
www.twitter.com/Prophiphop

TOOTH & NAIL RECORDS ANNOUNCES THE SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM FROM NEW DUO MATT & TOBY

SPECIAL LIVING ROOM SESSIONS ANNOUNCED

SEATTLE, Wash. –September 21, 2012 –Tooth & Nail Records announces the new group Matt & Toby and their self-titled debut releasing on November 20th. This is a musically adventurous band that is the vision of Matt Carter and Toby Morrell of heavy rock mainstay Emery. Fans do not despair, as they are not leaving Emery. Matt & Toby will be another avenue for the duo to make music. Music from Matt & Toby will range from the lighter side of Emery to elaborate and quirky full production acoustic and electronic music.

Paper Route have released the new music video for their single "You and I," which comes off the upcoming album The Peace of Wild Things, which can be seen below. The Peace of Wild Things will be available on September 11th, but can currently be pre-ordered right here.

After a nearly three year wait since the band's debut release, one of our indie favorites, From Indian Lakes, will be releasing their new full length album, Able Bodies, on November 13th. The band have released a new EP, which features two new songs ("We Are Sick" and "Breaking My Bones") at BandCamp, with a "name your price" deal of any amount which will go towards the funding of the new album. Another way to support the band is at their online store, which has a merch sale currently taking place, right here. The band's upcoming west coast fall tour dates with PK can be viewed below as well.


10/19/2012   Kuppajoe                      Fresno, CA
10/20/2012   Guitar Merchant            Canoga Park, CA
10/21/2012   Chain Reaction              Anaheim, CA
10/24/2012   The Nile Underground   Mesa, AZ
10/25/2012   The Wire                       Upland, CA
10/26/2012   The Box Office              Las Vegas, NV
10/27/2012   SLO Brew                      San Luis Obispo, CA

The Classic Crime's "PHOENIX" Charts on Billboard and iTunes

SEATTLE, WA - What a difference a few months make. Not long ago the future seemed, at best, uncertain for The Classic Crime. Propelled forward by the success of their Kickstarter campaign, (incidentally the 9th most funded music project in Kickstarter history), The Classic Crime is presently in the latter portion of a successful West Coast tour, and have also managed to chart their self-produced and self-released album, "Phoenix," on both iTunes and Billboard. On iTunes the Classic Crime peaked at #3 on the Rock album chart and #24 on the overall album chart. On Billboard The Classic Crime charted as follows for the sales week ending August 19, 2012:

Top 200 (#130)
Independent Albums (#22)
Current Alternative Albums (#29)
Current Contemporary Christian (#4)
Top Hard Music (#15)

Unsigned heavy favorite Harp & Lyre would like to announce their new record title and cover art. The much anticipated record, Tribes, will be coming this fall. In the meantime, the band would like to give fans a preview of what's to come.

Vocalist Tyler Carder had this to say about the new track from their forthcoming record Tribes.

“’Believe, Divide, and Find Yourself Alone’ is and intimate view of the Christian Church through the eyes of a believer looking to see a change in the false ideas and personal agendas of the body of Christ. It's not meant to elude the point to make a good song, but clearly states a problem and makes a point, and that point is relative to everyone by means of misrepresentation of what the body of Christ should ensue. It is a more real look at the institution that many of us attend on a regular basis and a call to move, to fight, to not settle in to a simple routine but to live out the belief you and I claim.”

Watch the video of "Believe, Divide, and Find Yourself Alone" below:

Rock outfit The Wedding have signed with Tooth & Nail Records and will release their label debut No Direction on September 25th.

The Wedding first formed in 2003 and despite a few lineup changes, quickly created a stir with their soaring rock anthems.  The band finally hit its stride with the addition of front man Matt Shelton (formerly of Island Records’ Letter Kills.)

On the album’s title, Shelton explains, "No Direction" means cutting ties with the idea that you can prepare your life in such a way to keep you from danger.  As C.S. Lewis said, it's an illusion of safety. We are meant to live life unabashed and free, and this can only happen in the face of danger; which to most is the idea of not knowing where you are going. It is when we have No Direction at all and still we press on, trusting that the great unknown will be our rescue and not the demise we are so fearful of. We went into making this record with complete reckless abandon. We tried to write the record that we wanted and needed to hear.”

"We are stoked to join the family at Tooth & Nail. It's exciting to get to make the records we want to make with so many good friends," says Shelton.

Consisting of 12 tracks, No Direction was produced by Jasen Rauch (Breaking Benjamin) at Harker House Studios in Springfield, TN, and features guest vocals by Dan Marsala of The Story Of The Year on the track “The Lesser Worth.”


No Direction Track Listing:

1. No Direction
2. The End
3.  The Lesser Worth (feat. guest vocals by Dan Marsala of The Story of The Year)
4.  The Raconteur
5. Hang on Love
6.  The Wildest Ocean
7.  Mors Tua Nos Vita
8. Kill Any Excuse
9. Heartbreak In Melody
10. Don’t Let Me Down
11. Young and Dangerous
12. Distance and Resolution

www.theweddingrockandroll.com
www.facebook.com/thewedding479
www.toothandnail.com

The Chariot have just debuted "in," the first song off of their upcoming album One Wing, over at AltPress. One Wing will be out on August 28th through Good Fight Music/eOne and can be pre-ordered right here or at iTunes.

HUNDREDTH's music video for "Weathered Town" has been premiered excusively on Alternative Press' web site and can be found here http://www.altpress.com/aptv/video/video_premiere_hundredth_weathered_town. The video was directed by Micheal Dean and features footage from the band's tour of Europe alongside Vanna. The song comes from the band's abum 'Let Go', which is availble in stores and online now from Mediaskare Records.

The band will be heading back out on the road alongside Defeater, Rotting Out, and Silver Snakes beginning August 27th; followed by another tour of Europe with Walls of Jericho, Death Before Dishonor, and Betrayal. Here are the band's upcoming tour dates:

w/ Defeater, Rotting Out, Silver Snakes
8/24 Houston, TX - Walters on Washington
8/25 Austin, TX - Red 7
8/26 Dallas, TX - Club Dada
8/27 Midland, TX - Pinebox
8/28 Albuquerque, NM - Gasworks
8/29 Mesa, AZ - The Underground
8/30 San Diego, CA - Che Cafe
8/31 Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction (w/ Blacklisted)
9/1 Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction (w/ Blacklisted)
9/4 Canoga Park, CA - Cobalt Cafe
9/5 Camarillo, CA - Rock City
9/6 Fresno, CA - CYC
9/7 Berkley, CA - 924 Gilman

w/ Walls of Jericho, Death Before Dishonor, Betrayal
9/10 Hannover, Germany - Musikzentrum
9/11 Leipzig, Germany - Conne Island
9/12 Solothurn, Switzerland - Kofmehl
9/13 Esslingen Am Neckar, Germany - Komma
9/14 Muchen, Germany - Backstage
9/15 Usmate Velate, Italy - Un Tranquillo Weekend Di Paura Festival
9/16 Saarbruken, Germany - Garage
9/17 Paris, France - Glalzart
9/18 Antwerp, Belgium - Muziekcentrum Trix
9/19 Berlin, Germany - SO 36
9/20 Cham, Germany - LA
9/22 Koln, Germany - Essigfabrik
9/23 Den Bosch, Netherlands - W2

Inspired by the many books and literature of C.S. Lewis, the eclectic singer-songwriter Heath McNease has just released his new album, The Weight of Glory. The album can be steamed below, and can be downloaded for free or purchased with a variety of options, which include a hard copy, t-shirt or even the chance to bring Heath to your town!

Following up 2010's fantastic instrumental release Feedback and the controversial and thought provoking Stockholm Syndrome, Derek Webb has just released his new album, Ctrl, at his website a month before the retail release (on September 4th at iTunes, Amazon, etc.). A three song sampler of the album is also available via Noisetrade, and can be downloaded through the widget below.

Our good friends from New Zealand, The Ember Days, have just launched a Kickstarter to raise $35,000 to record their new album this September with Paul Moak (House of Heroes, Third Day, Seabird) and Ed Cash (Chris Tomlin, David Crowder). More information is available at the widget below or right here. The band is on tour this summer, and will be playing the final Cornerstone Festival this week, as well as SoulFest in August, and all the dates can be seen at the band's website. The Ember Days' latest full length album Emergency is also currently available as a free gift through Come&Live!, along with the rest of their discography.

Letter to the Exiles has posted a new lyric video for "Conversations with Fallen Saints", a song from their new album Make Amends featuring guest vocals from War of Ages' Leroy Hamp.
You can hear "Conversations" here:



Pre-order the new album Make Amends now: http://facedown.merchnow.com/catalogs/letter-to-the-exiles

Make Amends is out August 14.

You can catch LTTE on the More Than Sound Tour with War of Ages, Onward to Olympas and Leaders now:

Jul 3 - Barrington, IL @ Rock Room
Jul 7 - Douglasville, GA @ The 7 Venue
Jul 8 - Metairie, LA @ Cypress
Jul 9 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
Jul 10 - San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
Jul 11 - Fort Worth, TX @ Tom Cats West
Jul 12 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory
Jul 13 - Cedar Rapids, IA @ The 167
Jul 14 - Wilmar, MN @ Sonshine Fest
Jul 16 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
Jul 17 - Ogden, UT @ Mojos Ogden
Jul 19 - Twin Falls, ID @ The River
Jul 20 - Roseville, CA @ Club Retro
Jul 21 - Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
Jul 22 - Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theatre

NEW YORK ROCK BAND ABEL DEBUT NEW SONG FROM FORTHCOMING ALBUM “MAKE IT RIGHT”

June 26, 2012 – Los Angeles, CA – Poughkeepsie rock group Abel have premiered the first new track, “Fire Walk With Me,” from their forthcoming album, Make It Right, which is scheduled for release on September 18.  The track is streaming now, exclusively at Altpress.com: http://bit.ly/MPHQL4

Formed by four close friends with a passion for creating honest art, Abel released their first full-length, Lesser Men, in late 2010 to over 14,000 downloads and an aggressive touring schedule.  “The band was really thriving,” vocalist Kevin Kneifel explains, “but I watched a lot of close relationships break down that year—it was a difficult time for all of us and our loved ones.”

Recorded with producer Matt Malpass (Manchester Orchestra, Lydia, Copeland), Make It Right showcases a darker and more pragmatic Abel than their previous effort with brooding riffs and honest lyrics that cut to the core.  From the aggressive bite of the opening track, “I’ll Be Waiting”, to the faith-stretching questions in the closing measures, Make It Right is an indie-rock diary, achieving moments of real musical honesty.

“It’s about coming to terms with failures and unfulfilled expectations,” Kneifel continues, “I think that’s a really universal feeling, and I hope that people who hear these songs will be reminded that they’re not alone—and that those times can challenge us to become better people.”

Make It Right will be available on September 18 through iTunes, Amazon, and all digital retailers. To track the band’s progress, map out tour dates, or just say hello, visit abeltheband.com or facebook.com/abeltheband.

###

Abel Tour Dates:
Aug 1 - Gilford, NH - Soulfest

For More Information:
http://www.abeltheband.com
https://www.facebook.com/Abeltheband
http://www.myspace.com/abeltheband
http://www.twitter.com/abeltheband
http://www.youtube.com/abeltheband
http://abeltheband.bigcartel.com

Altars has released the first video from their current album Conclusions. The video is for the single "Lower" and can be seen below:



Pick up the new album Conclusions (along with the Facedown varsity jacket featured in the video) at the Facedown Records online store now. http://facedown.merchnow.com/

Wolves At The Gate have just released their new music video for the song "Dead Man," which comes off of the band's upcoming full length debut, Captors, which will be available in stores and online on July 3rd through Solid State Records, which can also be preordered right here:  http://merchdirect.com/wolvesatthegate

After a much anticipated wait, Paper Route have revealed that their sophomore release, The Peace of Wild Things, will be releasing on September 11th, 2012. In addition to that, the band have also released a new song as well, "You and I," which can be streamed here: http://soundcloud.com/paperrouteonline/you-and-i/s-ICAU1

The band are currently on tour with HalfNoise, and the tour dates can be found at Paper Route's website.

PROJECT 86 TO RELEASE EPIC NEW ALBUM WAIT FOR THE SIREN AUGUST 21 

June 18, 2012 – Los Angeles, CA – Orange County rock band Project 86 has announced plans to release their long awaited, new album, Wait For the Siren, on August 21.  After a catalogue of successful releases on both major and independent labels, P86 decided to go an entirely new route with this new release: partnering directly with their fans.  After a successful Kickstarter campaign which raised tens of thousand dollars, they have emerged with a reinvented sound which demonstrates why they are one of the most formidable rock bands around.  To celebrate their loyal fan base, the band is offering a free MP3 download of their first single from the album, Fall, Goliath, Fall, available on the bands website for a limited time at www.project86.com.