American Bang–Rocking, Rolling, and making Verizon look really cool!
As I was recuperating from all the NextBigNashville festivities and rounds of shows, shots, and not much sleep, just maxing and relaxing with the tv, BANG!!! Actually, American Bang blasting out on a Verizon commercial!! It was so cool hearing our very own homegrown Nashville rockers on a national tv spot, it just put a big smile on my face! Lots of big time great stuff is happening for them these days, they’ve recently upgraded their name to American Bang (formerly Bang Bang Bang, but since there are apparently quite a few bands using this moniker out and about–they’ve changed the name to avoid any potential legal wranglings), and have a new EP titled Move to the Music scheduled to drop October 23rd on Maverick/Reprise after being signed by Warner Brothers in 2006. The EP, as well as the full-length album they are currently finishing up, was produced by multi-platinum producer James Michael, who has worked with artists ranging from Motley Crue, the Scorpions, and Saliva to Alanis Morissette, Meat Loaf, the Exies, and Hillary Duff. The title cut is the tune featured on the Verizon ad–displayed oh so nicely on the new Motorola MOTO Q. The EP will be available at Best Buy, Walmart, your favorite local Indie record store (GRIMEY’S here in Nashville), and on iTunes (iTunes currently has Move to the Music listed as an EP for $2.99, with “Good as Gold”, “All Night Long”, and “American Ride”, but “Move to the Music” isn’t showing up yet). The band has been in LA (seems like more and more Nashville bands are in LA these days–instead of the way it was a few years back, when there was a mass exodus from LA to Nashville–remember the “last one to leave LA, turn the lights off” days?) recording a full-length album scheduled to be released in early 2008. They’re currently on tour opening for The Donnas (sweet!), and are also scheduled to play with Lynyrd Skynyrd on the “Simple Man Cruise” in mid-January.
The band consists of Jaren Johnston’s bluesy, ballsy vocals, Ben Brown’s blistering guitar, Kelby Ray’ stompin’, thrompin’ bass, and rounding out with Neil Mason’s pounding percussion. The four are high-school friends who developed a rabid following here in Nashville, recording and releasing their debut album I Shot the King themselves in 2005, and after packing the clubs to SRO crowds with fellow Nashville bands Be Your Own Pet, AutoVaughn, and The Pink Spiders, they went on in 2006 to open for Lynryd Skynyrd, .38 Special, and (you know I love them) the Black Crowes. This year, they played THE summer gig–Bonnaroo, as well as Lollapalooza and Summerfest, and did some dates with road warriors and blues-rock, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers–that little ol’ band from Texas, ZZ Top.
Be sure to either pick up the EP, or download it from iTunes, and for more on the band, and a full listing of their tour dates, check out their websites: myspace.com/bangrock or www.americanbangrock.com.
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