2008 Jesusfreakhideout.com News Briefs
February 12
At the end of 2007, Relient K announced the departure of longtime drummer David Douglas, who played his last show with the band in December. After many auditions, the group has enlisted the support of former O.C. Supertones guitarist Ethan Luck as their new full-time drummer. Metal fans may know Luck for is more recent work as a guitarist for Demon Hunter, but Luck assures fans this doesn’t mean he’s leaving that band entirely. RK fans will most likely recognize Luck from recent tours helping the band out on stage. Here’s Relient K’s announcement followed by Luck’s own report on the news!
Some of you may have noticed a few new shows have been posted. We’re going to do a little run of shows in March to help break Ethan Luck in on the drums. We held a few auditions last week, and all of us feel like Ethan will be perfect for the gig. Come to a show and judge for yourself. Ha. We’ll be playing a few other crazy places before Warped, so keep a look out for more dates, yo. RK
And today Ethan posted this on his personal website, EthanLuck.com…
What I am about to share has been on the horizon for a few months now. After hours and hours of practice and an audition in front of some of my best friends…ready for it?…I am now the new drummer in Relient K!. I can’t tell you how excited I am for this new chapter in my life! To play in a full time band again with some great friends is really another dream come true. I am stoked to be back behind a drum kit it again. I play drums alot at home, around town and for studio work, but I have not been a full time drummer since my days with the Dingees. With all this to say, I can’t wait to start playing shows and getting to know the fans more than just..”there’s the guy who sets everything up…have you seen Matt Thiessen?” Go easy on me, I’m not as good looking as Dave. Please check out my “shows” section. I will be posting all the Relient K dates there. I will also be putting up all the dates I will be appearing with Demon Hunter. Thanks everyone, see ya on the road… If anyone is wondering what will become of my time with Demon Hunter…this is what I sent out to all our DH fans… Hunters!!!
10/02 Madison, WI Barrymore Theatre 10/03 Des Moines, IA Val Air Ballroom 10/04 St. Paul, MN Myth 10/05 Milwaukee, WI The Eagles Ballroom 10/07 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room @ Murat Center 10/09 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s 10/10 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room 10/11 Pontiac, MI Clutch Cargo’s 10/12 Pittsburgh, PA Club Zoo 10/13 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock 10/15 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory 10/16 Worcester, MA The Palladium 10/17 Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights 10/18 Hartford, CT Webster Theatre 10/21 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 10/22 Towson, MD Recher Theatre 10/23 Norfolk, VA Norva Theatre 10/24 Charlotte, NC Amos’ Southend 10/25 North Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues Myrtle Beach 10/27 Orlando, FL House of Blues Orlando 10/29 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Theatre 10/30 St. Louis, MO The Pageant 10/31 Cleveland, OH House of Blues Cleveland 11/01 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall 11/02 Chicago, IL House of Blues And speaking of the tour, I wanted to let you know some important information and I wanted you to hear it from me first. I have accepted an offer to play drums for the band Relient K! THIS DOES NOT MEAN I AM LEAVING DEMON HUNTER! Far from it! Demon Hunter will always be important to me and I’m still in the band.What it does mean, however, is that due to conflicting touring schedules, I may not be on-stage at all of the Demon Hunter shows this summer. As many of you know, I have been the guitar tech for Relient K for a while and they are all really good friends. I am looking forward to getting back on tour with an instrument I haven’t toured on in a while. Everyone in Demon Hunter has a full-time job apart from the band. This is now mine!
Demon Hunter’s good friend and guitar tech Patrick Judge will be filling in for me at any and all of the shows that I am unable to perform at this summer. He is a great guitar player and I know he will do a great job filling in. He is beyond excited about the opportunity. Please be nice to him!
It will not be easy for me to miss any part of the Demon Hunter tour. I will miss the guys and seeing all you hunters every night! I will miss the massive pits I get to see from above! I have a bunch of shows with Relient K this spring before the DH tour, and once I leave the DH tour, I will be headed out on Warped Tour with Relient K for the rest of the summer. There’s alot of bands on that tour I can’t wait to see and hang with. I hope some of you will come out to a RK show and say hello.
I want you all to know that this decision, by no means, puts me out of Demon Hunter. I am still in the band, still will record on albums, be in photos shoots, videos…etc. It just means I might have to miss some shows here and there when we do tour.
Keep me in your prayers, I will be on the road a lot this year with Relient K (and DH!) and hope to see some of you along the way! You’ll be able to get updates on where to see me at my website, ethanluck.com!
Thanks!
March 10
Hey JfH’ers! Josh Taylor here. Relient K came through Nashville last night and played a show (For five bucks! Can’t beat it!). It turns out it was Ethan Luck’s first show as RK’s new drummer. He did a great job, and they sound better than ever. But the reason I’m writing this is to let you all know that Matt Thiessen announced a B-sides record they hope to put out soon. Details were vague, but let’s just say it’ll be a lot of bang for your buck. We even got to hear one of the songs from the record. So keep your fingers crossed that this one will be available soon! More to come…
April 23
In an attempt to keep the fans in the loop, Relient K front man Matt Thiessen announced the band’s two latest projects in a recent blog. Thiessen writes…
“Dear Everyone That Pays Attention To Our Band, Hello. Hope everyone is doing well.
We’re doing well. Amongst other things.
One of which is recording.
We are not recording the next full length Relient K record, however we have tracked thirteen new original songs that will be going on an EP. We’re calling it The Nashville Tennis EP. We know its a lot of songs for an EP. Whatever.As well as the EP, we’re going to put out a B sides record. I’m not totally sure of how many tracks we’re going to put on there, but we’re aiming for 20+ for sure. As of right now, we’re calling this The Bird And The Bee Sides.
The two albums together are going form a new release also called The Bird And The Bee Sides. We’re hoping to release it on the earlier side of the summer.
In addition to this, we’ve got a bunch of other tricks up our sleeves. We just gotta run it all past the suits first. God bless ‘em.
Hopefully this gives all of you a little idea of what we’re up to. I wish we had a little more confirmation on the details, but we’ll clue you in when that happens.
- Relient K
Details…..
The Nashville Tennis EP
I’m really excited to release this EP. We’re recording it with Mark Lee Townsend (MMHMM/Deathbed) and JR McNeely (Underoath/Anberlin) is going to do the mixes.
We’re calling it The Nashville Tennis EP because there’s a bit of a alt country flare to some of the tunes, and because a lot of the songs have ties to the city of Nashville, TN.
One of the cool things about the EP is that its going to have the feel of two separate EPs. Seven of the songs are rock and roll tunes complete with some fun curveballs. The other six lean more towards our acoustic side. I can’t wait to finish it. Matt Hoopes, Jon Schneck, John Warne, and Ethan Luck have all written songs and are singing lead on them. I’m really happy with the results. You will be too.
The Bird And The Bee Sides
This album is pretty predictable. We’re compiling a lot of remixed/remastered songs that did not appear on our five full length releases. Anything from the acoustic version of Up And Up to the demo of Sadie Hawkins Dance (my voice cracks really bad on it… pretty funny/stupid). It will contain a bunch of songs from The Vinyl Countdown, The Employee Of The Month EP, The Creepy EP, and a ton of other stuff that you can’t even find on the internet. At least not yet.
We’ll post track listings and all the other good stuff when they’re done. Just thought it’d be nice to give everyone a heads up.”
May 30
MusiChristian.com has the first we’ve seen of details on the new Relient K b-sides project, The Bird And The Bee Sides. Along with an album cover, the online store lists a whopping 26 tracks for the record and a release date for July 1st. According to band vocalist and chief songwriter Matt Thiessen, the recording includes The Nashville Tennis EP as the CD’s first thirteen tracks. Apparently the band has decided to merge the two onto one disc (perhaps to release them from their deal with Gotee? This marks the last release in their contract).
We did notice that among the almost-thirty track listing are quite a few of the b-sides that were on EP releases over the years. This looks to be a nice collector for those who found those coveted EP’s to have eluded them. You can preorder the album now by clicking here.
- The Nashville Tennis EP
- Where Do I Go From Here
- The Scene And Herd
- At Least We Made It This Far
- The Last, The Lost, The Least
- The Lining Is Silver
- There Was No Thief
- No Reaction
- Curl Up And Die
- You’ll Always Be My Best Friend
- There Was Another Time In My Life
- Beaming
- I Just Want You To Know
- Bee Your Man
The Bird And The Bee Sides
- Up And Up (Acoustic)
- Wits All Been Done Before
- The Vinyl Countdown
- For The Band
- Nothing Without You
- A Penny Loafer Saved Is A Penny Loafer Earned
- Five Iron Frenzy Is Either Dead Or Dying
- Five Iron Frenzy Is Either Dead Or Dying (Ska Version)
- Here I Go (Demo)
- The Stenographer (Demo)
- Jefferson Aeroplane (Demo)
- Hope For Every Fallen Man (Acoustic)
June 6
Relient K’s The Bird and the Bee Sides – scheduled for July 1st release by Gotee Records – is by far the most ambitious EP of the band’s career. In fact, with 26 songs (including 13 brand new ones) and a running time of 70 minutes, it may be one of the most ambitious EPs ever released, period. And, as improbable as it sounds, there’s still more: Prior to street date, Relient K will launch an online scavenger hunt that will give fans a chance to download numerous b-sides that will not be included on the disc. The hunt begins June 16th at the band’s MySpace site and will continue through June 30th. For additional information and clues, visit: http://www.myspace.com/relientk
The band typically releases an EP between studio albums. So following Five Score And Seven Years Ago – which debuted at #6 on The Billboard 200 in 2007, becoming Relient K’s highest charting album to date – the guys decided to make their latest EP something of an alternate career retrospective, comprised of b-sides, demos and other rarities from its 10 year history.
“We were just trying to think of what our fans would want from a b-sides record,” explains lead singer/guitarist/pianist Matt Thiessen. “We’re like, they probably just want everything – so let’s try to give it to them.” Along the way, the band decided to include some new tracks, a concept that quickly morphed into “hey, why doesn’t everybody in the band write a song?”
Thus the EP begins with a baker’s dozen of original new tunes collected under the moniker of The Nashville Tennis EP. With all five members writing and taking turns on lead vocals, it’s perhaps Relient K’s most diverse effort to date, including Thiessen’s alt-country “At Least We Made It This Far,” bassist John Warne’s “The Last, The Lost, The Least,” which is explosive both sonically and in its social commentary, and new drummer Ethan Luck’s punk rock reggae “No Reaction,” to name but a few highlights.
Working in a Spring Hill, TN studio with producer Mark Lee Townsend and mix engineer J.R. McNeely, the team behind the boards for 2004’s mmhmm, Relient K laid down the new tracks and raided its archives, remixing and re-mastering the 13 songs that comprise the second half of the EP, The Bird and the Bee Sides. There are tunes from The Vinyl Countdown, The Employee Of The Month EP, The Creepy EP, and, as Thiessen puts it, “a ton of other stuff that you can’t even find on the internet – at least not yet.” Rarities include several demos (”Here I Go,” “The Stenographer” and “Jefferson Aeroplane”), “Hope For Every Fallen Man,” a b-side from the Five Score and Seven Years Ago sessions, and an acoustic version of the Top 20 hit single “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been.”
Tapped as a co-headliner for the Vans Warped Tour ‘08, Relient K is eager to get back on the road. “This is the first time we’ve been out for the entire endeavor – it’s going to be a blast,” says Thiessen, who relishes the Warped tour’s “hot, dirty summercamp awesomeness.” They’ll be bringing along a representative from Blood:Water Mission http://www.bloodwatermission.com/, a non-profit organization working to promote clean blood and clean water efforts in Africa, tangibly reducing the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic while addressing the underlying issues of poverty, injustice and oppression.
June 18
Are the 26 Relient K songs on the upcoming B-Sides project not enough for you? No problem. Gotee Records and Relient K have launched a web-wide scavenger hunt for fans to seek out and find RK downloads for FREE. The band has announced the first set of clues for the first hunt. Details below…
June 26
The second Relient K Scavenger Hunt clue is in! Check out the Magic Eye image below to find the clue that leads to where you can download more free Relient K music! Click on the image for it in full size…
September 8
Relient K has announced a Fall tour run, humorously dubbed The Uncle Fest Tour, featuring Ludo, This Providence, and House Of Heroes. The guys announced… “The Uncle Fest Tour! Maybe one our worst tour names, but this show should be more fun than staying home to watch an Addam’s Family marathon. Ludo, This Providence, and our old friends House Of Heroes will be joining us for 25 blissful autumn dates. We’re playing a lot of our favorite clubs and theaters, and we’re hoping you’ll come out and be a part of it.
Lurching into these cities…
September 11
Fresh off their latest co-headlining slot on the Vans Warped tour, Relient K announces the 25-date “Uncle Fest Tour,” which will launch October 2nd in Madison, WI and conclude November 2nd in Chicago, IL. Relient K will headline with Ludo, This Providence and House of Heroes opening.
In between tours, the band is recording three new tracks – “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Silver Bells” and “Oh Holy Night” – for the October 7th reissue of its 2007 Christmas collection, Let It Snow Baby…Let It Reindeer. (CDs will come with a card enabling fans to download the additional songs for free.)
“We took a quick breather after Warped Tour, and now we’re headed back to Nashville to track a couple of Christmas songs and rehearse for the upcoming Uncle Fest Tour,” says Matt Thiessen, Relient K’s lead singer-guitarist-pianist, who was featured on the cover of Alternative Press’ August issue. “We’re excited to hit the road and get back to some of our favorite clubs and theaters.”
After five full-length albums (including 2007’s Five Score and Seven Years Ago, which debuted at No. 6 on The Billboard 200), five EPs and 10 years as a band, Relient K took a look back and a look ahead with The Bird and the Bee Sides. Released in July 2008 and entering The Billboard 200 at No. 25, the 26-song collection included an assortment of b-sides, demos and rarities culled from the Relient K archives plus 13 brand new tracks.
October 27
Relient K and House of Heroes bring their musical festive tidings to this year’s Christmas season on November 18th via digital music stores with three brand new holiday songs and an animated music video from Relient K, as well as label mates House of Heroes offering up their rendition of the classic “Silent Night.”
The three songs from Relient K will include “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “O Holy Night,” and “Silver Bells,” with an animated music video for the song “Sleigh Ride” coming as well. The Christmas anthems will be added to the platinum-selling band’s 2007 album, Let It Snow, Baby…Let It Reindeer, and upon purchasing online the customer will given a unique code and directions to download the additional three tunes. Fans can also anticipate extra gifts from Relient K upon purchase, including exclusive photos, downloadable wrapping paper, and a few other bonuses.
House of Heroes brings their powerhouse pop sound to “Silent Night” which is also available at all online music outlets on November 18th. The band, whose most recent album The End Is Not The End was delivered via digital stores, has seen an incredible response with the release making it to the #6 spot on the iTunes rock chart and #42 on the overall chart, with a #1 radio hit single and over 1 million plays on their MySpace page.
Relient K, who has toured with the likes of Switchfoot and Good Charlotte, has a GRAMMY nod, and three RIAA-certified Gold albums to their credit. The pop-punk band has performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” with their video for “Must Have Done Something Right” receiving airplay on mtvU, MTV Hits, FUSE’s “Steven’s Untitled Rock Show,” Nickelodeon’s The N, IMF and Music Choice. Relient K is comprised of lead singer/guitarist/pianist Matt Thiessen, lead guitarist Matt Hoopes, drummer Ethan Luck, bassist John Warne and guitarist Jon Schneck.
House of Heroes’ discography includes a 2005 self-titled debut and the re-release Say No More in 2006. Prior to signing a record deal with Mono Vs Stereo/Gotee, the band released an indie project What You Want Is Now (2002) to much critical acclaim and a large grassroots following. On the tour front, House of Heroes has opened up for the likes of Filter, Silverchair, Relient K, and MxPx, as well as full-blown tours with acts including Spoken, The Evan Anthem, Last Tuesday, Dropping Daylight, Love Arcade, and Kids In The Way. The band is Columbus-Ohio natives Tim Skipper (guitar/lead vocals), A.J Babcock (bass/vocals), Colin Rigsby (drums/vocals), and Jared Rigsby (guitar/vocals).
For more information on Relient K or House of Heroes, check out www.gotee.com or the official artist websites at www.myspace.com/relientk or www.myspace.com/houseofheroes.
October 31
Relient K will hit the road with tobyMac on November 13th for the “Winter Wonder-Slam” tour. As befitting the season, the band will play several Christmas songs as well as a variety of hits and fan favorites from its 10-year history. U.S. Marines will be on hand to collect toys for The Marines Toys for Tots Foundation, so fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped gift to the concert.
Let It Snow Baby…Let It Reindeer, Relient K’s 2007 Christmas collection, is being re-issued for the holidays with a card enabling fans to download three newly recorded songs. And, Funnypages Productions (www.funnypages.com) – helmed by Tom Bancroft and Rob Corley – just put the finishing touches on an animated video to accompany Relient K’s version of “Sleigh Ride.” In the clip, our intrepid hero hijacks Santa’s sleigh to impress a girl only to see her kidnapped by a disgruntled Santa and his buddy, the Abominable Snowman. Will he get his girl back? You will find out soon…
The band recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with the release of The Bird and the Bee Sides. The collection, which included 13 b-sides/rarities plus 13 brand new songs, debuted at No. 25 on The Billboard 200 in July. Relient K was a co-headliner on the 2008 Vans Warped tour.
Dates for the “Winter Wonder-Slam” tour are as follows:
11/13 Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center
11/14 Jacksonville, FL Veterans Memorial Arena
11/15 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre
11/16 Ft. Meyers, FL Germain Arena
11/20 Lincoln, NE Pershing Auditorium
11/21 Denver, CO Denver Coliseum
11/22 Kansas City, MO Municipal Auditorium
11/23 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center
11/29 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
11/30 Knoxville, TN Knoxville Coliseum
12/5 Nashville, TN Sommet Center
12/6 Huntsville, AL VBC
12/7 Mobile, AL Mobile Civic Center
12/11 Bosier City, LA Century Tel
12/12 Houston, TX Toyota Center
12/13 Tulsa, OK Mabee Center
12/14 Dallas, TX Nokia Theater