Soul Rebels Brass Band: Soul Rebels Brass Band formed when Lumar LeBlanc and Derrick Moss, originally members of New Orleans' iconic Dejean's Young Olympia Brass Band, decided they wanted to play the new, exciting music they were hearing on the radio while respecting the tradition they loved. Both New Orleans natives, the pair was steeped in the fundamentals of New Orleans jazz, but inevitably, contemporary styles of music began to seep into their psyches. While LeBlanc attended the famed St. Augustine High School, Moss went to Lil' Wayne's alma mater McMain High School, and paraded alongside soon-to-be Cash Money Records CEO Ronald "Slim" Williams in the school's marching band. All around were new sounds they found as exciting as the horn-combo style featured in jazz funerals since the turn of the Twentieth Century.

"We wanted to make our own sound without disrespecting the brass tradition," LeBlanc recalls, "so we knew we had to break away." They found a stylistic middle ground when they spun off and formed a band of young, like-minded local players from all over New Orleans. All graduates of university music programs throughout the South, they picked up influences from outside the city as well as late-breaking local styles and began mapping them onto the marching band format they had learned in school.

Soul Rebels honed their skills where most New Orleans brass bands do—in the street. But by the time they were a functioning unit, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band had already broken out as an international touring act. That band's success showed Soul Rebels a New Orleans brass band could not only have a contemporary sound, but it could also have a place on stage. Although the Dirty Dozen had updated the brass band tradition with elements of R&B and funk, Soul Rebels took it a step further, incorporating hip-hop, especially through half-sung, half-rapped lyrics. "Most of our originals have vocals," says LeBlanc. "You wouldn't have done that in a traditional brass band."

Soon, Soul Rebels' contagious originals and updated takes on standards won them a loyal local audience. They began rocking some of New Orleans' most beloved live music venues. A chance gig opening for the Neville Brothers got them a real start—and an official name. It was youngest brother Cyril Neville who first called them "Soul Rebels," a band that strived to incite positive change in its treasured musical heritage.

Since those days, the band has settled on a seven-piece lineup, building a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in the party-like atmosphere of a dance club. Their weekly show at Uptown New Orleans spot Le Bon Temps Roulé has been known to descend into a sweaty shout-along as the band mixes up songs from its five studio albums with hits by Jay-Z and OutKast.

Averaging around 250 shows per year, the Soul Rebels have brought the party to stages as far away as South Africa and Europe, playing some of the world's best-known music events, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Jazz Ascona, Antibes Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Fest, Bonnaroo Music Festival and, of course, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. While touring the U.S., Soul Rebels have shared the stage with notable artists from many corners of the pop and jazz worlds, including A Tribe Called Quest, Green Day, The Roots, Counting Crows, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Digital Underground, Allen Toussaint, Lionel Hampton, Terence Blanchard and Branford Marsalis.

When Hurricane Katrina struck their hometown in 2005, the band scattered across the region. Though a few members relocated to cities in Texas, the band frequently reconvened for gigs in New Orleans, this time with a renewed purpose. "Music has been the number one vehicle for Katrina recovery," says LeBlanc. "That catastrophe has brought so much world wide attention to our music."

Indeed, since the storm, the band has been more successful than ever serving as an international ambassador of the New Orleans sound. Now a hardcore touring band with a solid-as-ever lineup, the band has recently represented its hometown on television, appearing in the season finale of the HBO series Treme and the Discovery Channel hit After the Catch. But the title of its 2009 live album, No Place Like Home, reveals exactly how the band feels about its city's rich cultural heritage and the opportunity to spread it around the world.

A Place To Bury Strangers: From Wikipedia: A Place to Bury Strangers is a power trio comprised of Oliver Ackermann (guitar/vocals), Jono MOFO (bass) and Jay Space (drums). The band plays a heavy, atmospheric wall of sound-influenced blend of psychedelic rock, shoegaze and space rock. The band is commonly known by the initialism APTBS.

The Black Dahlia Murder: The often imitated yet never duplicated Detroit deathsters The Black Dahlia Murder have returned to the public eye to reclaim their rightful throne as leaders of all things extreme with their third blackened opus of thrashing melodic death metal, Nocturnal. "I don't think the pretenders will be able to match this one," proclaims vocalist Trevor Strnad of their scorching new offering, "It's fucking over the top. Brian (Eschbach; guitarist/songwriter) has really outdone himself this time. The kid eats lightning and shits chains."

Lead by founding members Eschbach and Strnad, the group offers their most complex, memorable, and utterly unholy album yet. Chock full of flesh searing riffage, mind-bending guitar solos by fret-freak John Kempainen, and the disgustingly poetic gore soaked lyricism that legions of the band's manically adoring fans have been hungering for. Reenergized by the precision finger work of bass master Ryan "Bart" Williams and the skin-bashings of newest addition Shannon Lucas (ex- All That Remains), Nocturnal finds the band at their most violent while never compromising the staple melodic style that they have become synonymous with. "The album Nocturnal is a rebirth for the band," states vocalist Strnad. "We've never had such a sick rhythm section. Bart and Shannon have really stepped up and added an extra punch to this beast of a record," the singer proudly chimes. The end result is a more vehement and venomous Black Dahlia in 2007. However, no album of such a magnitude is without its tribulation.

Titus Andronicus: Titus Andronicus is a rock and roll band from Glen Rock. In the beginning, there were only three people in the band. At one point, there were eleven people in the band. Today, there are five people in the band. Titus Andronicus take their name from a minor Shakespearean tragedy, not, as many people believe, from some sort of killer robot from the future. Titus Andronicus formed in the spring of 2005. Titus Andronicus' debut long player, "The Airing of Grievances" was released in April of 2008 by Troubleman Unlimited. Titus Andronicus have shared stages with such noted, world-famous luminaries as Matt and Kim, Holy Fuck, Foals, Dr. Dog, Cloud Cult, and Call Me Lightning. Titus Andronicus practice at Ian's house. Titus Andronicus sometimes disagree on what is the right thing to do. Titus Andronicus like to scream and carry on at excessive volume. Titus Andronicus like songs which are fast more than songs which are slow. Titus Andronicus think slow songs are okay sometimes. Titus Andronicus never sing about love, only hate. Titus Andronicus have no hope for the future. Titus Andronicus believe only in nothingness. Everyone in Titus Andronicus was born to die. Titus Andronicus crave your approval but will settle for your utter disdain. Titus Andronicus can be reached at: TitusAndronicusTheBand@Gmail.com.

"These New Jersey guys make music that makes me happy. And before too long, all the world shall know their joy. There are all sorts of things going on in a Titus Andronicus song besides indie rock riffs; horns, harmonicas, vocal distortion, a cappella refrains, and joyful shoe stomps to name but a few. And the end result is just so damn delightful, it's enough to soften even the shells of die-hard "Spiderland" fans." -OhMyRockness.com

"They hit every mark, nailing noise and debris against shake-and-sing anthems. That's Titus Andronicus' ploy-- aggressing and endearing audiences as a completely ramshackle crew of Jersey drunks, while somehow triumphing through perfectly clangorous pop songs. If this band can convince itself not to fall apart at the well-lubed, beer-soaked seams, watch out. " - Pitchforkmedia.com

THY WILL BE DONE: THY WILL BE DONE just finished recording with Zeuss (Shadows Fall, Hatebreed) whom Produced, Engineered and Mixed their upcoming debut "Was And Is To Come" with Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed as Executive Producer. The album displays a strong and distinct mix of their influences. Tentative release date remains sometime in early 2007.

Their name, THY WILL BE DONE, is a perfect fit for this unique group from Providence, RI. It compliments both their explosive musical drive and the message they bring as a reaction to the "second-rate" commercial bands that use their stature and gimmicks to sell their senseless negativity and hopeless, nihilistic world views.

THY WILL BE DONE were recently featured in a 2-page spread in Hails&Horns Magazine (March/April 07), their debut has already started to receive stellar reviews from Metal Edge Magazine, AMP Magazine, and RUIN Magazine, the band was featured on the Stillborn Fest with Hatebreed, Sick Of It All, Suffocation, Full Blown Chaos, and Subzero among others.

Over the past few years, many have witnessed them play with the likes of Shadow's Fall, Killswitch Engage, Converge and Diecast, to Skinless, Beyond The Embrace, Crowbar and many others, and have gained the interest of many fans from the different branches of extreme music.

Their songs and arrangements echo the voice of the oppressed and those whom sought much needed change in these turbulant times. THY WILL BE DONE coalesce the unorthodox balance of some of the most bludgeoning music with thought provoking lyrics that are both spiritually and emotionally uplifting. The result is a refreshing stance in opposition to the dissonance of the human condition. Not often enough is there a band who's drive is to inspire millions instead of making millions.

For THY WILL BE DONE, their convictions are set but their sincerity and open-minded attitudes are conveyed like never before. The perpetual abominations of the "rat-race", and those associated with it, will continue to fuel their desire...No water can put out this fire.

The Black Angels: Not since David Bowie has a musician (or in this case, a group of musicians) been so influenced by the work of the Velvet Underground than Austin psych band, The Black Angels. While the band's name and logo are direct homages to the pioneering experimental rock band, The Black Angels are blazing their own musical trail with incredible tour dates and driving albums like their latest, Phosphene Dream. The album's success has led to 2011 tour dates at some of the world's biggest music festivals; a far cry from the Texas bars they used to play in.

The Black Angels was born in the diverse musical scene of Austin, Texas circa 2004. Bonded by a mutual love of Nico and the Velvet Underground, The Black Angels began posting music on their MySpace page and contributed to the compilation album, Psychedelica Vol. 1. Tour dates at SXSW and Austin City Limits followed the successful release of their debut album, Passover, as did supporting performances for influences The Black Keys and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The Black Angels' follow-up, Directions to See a Ghost, became acclaimed from critics at Rolling Stone, Blender, The Times, and other reputable periodicals.

The Black Angels' latest album, Phosphene Dream, features a more streamlined sound that has also been well received by critics and audiences. The album has allowed for numerous tour dates in 2011, including performances at Fuji Rock, Festival Woodstower, the Electric Picnic Festival, and the Saint Nolff Festival, just to name a few. The Black Angels' final performance for the year is on September 13, so be sure to buy your tickets for their 2011 tour dates soon.

Avenged Sevenfold: Avenged Sevenfold played a pivotal role in waking metal from its slumber at the beginning of the new millennium. The band was also one of the few groups that was largely influential in shaping the sound of nu metal, and is also one of the only bands to go from metalcore to a more classic metal sound, instead of the other way around. Despite the death of drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, his legacy will live on in the songs he wrote for his final album, Nightmare. After playing 2011 tour dates on the Welcome to the Family tour, Avenged Sevenfold is taking their concert dates overseas to Europe and Australia.

Avenged Sevenfold was formed in 1999 by high school friends Matthew Sanders (M. Shadows), Zachary Baker (Zacky Vengeance), The Rev (Jimmy Sullivan), and Matt Wendt. The group recorded two demos in 1999 and 2000 before releasing their debut album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, in early 2001. Lead guitarist Brian Haner, Jr. (Synyster Gates) joined shortly after the album's release and John Seward (Johnny Christ) replaced Matt Wendt in 2003. The band soon released their second album, Waking the Fallen, in the same year. Higher production values better showcased Avenged Sevenfold's musical talents and gained attention on Warped Tour dates, as well as the reincarnation of Headbanger's Ball.

The group's major label debut, City of Evil, in 2005, marked a shift from metalcore to a more contemporary metal sound. Avenged Sevenfold spent sixteen continuous months playing concert dates in promotion of the album, eventually canceling tour dates in 2006 so that they could head back into the studio. After a year of tireless recording, the band's self-titled album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 in late 2007. "Dear God" has country music undertones, while "A Little Piece of Heaven" is essentially a metal show tune; these experimental songs received mixed reviews from critics, but fans ate them up.

After numerous tour dates in promotion of the album, Avenged Sevenfold again became eager to get back into the studio. The songs were written and recording set to commence in late December, just days before James "The Rev" Sullivan was found dead in his Huntington Beach home at the age of 28. While drum tracks on the album, Nightmare, were recorded by The Rev's favorite drummer, Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, he did record vocals for a few tracks as well as turning in the music for the track "Fiction" just three days before his death. The Rev must have been smiling down on the band because the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and become a huge success with fans and critics.

Fresh off 2011 tour dates for their Welcome to the Family tour, Avenged Sevenfold has more concert dates lined up in Europe and Australia. Avenged Sevenfold will spend June playing tour dates in Western Europe, including stops at Rock Im Park and Rock am Ring in Germany, the PinkPop festival in the Netherlands, and Graspop in Belgium. July 15 and 16 will see Avenged Sevenfold playing concert dates in Wisconsin before heading out on 2011 tour dates in Australia beginning July 28. Australian tour dates will end in Perth on August 6, so European and Australian fans should check Eventful for tickets soon.

Metallica: Metallica is arguably the pioneer of heavy metal in the United States. While every one of their albums has defined the genre, their most popular albums, Master of Puppets and the Black Album have sold millions of copies and initially brought heavy metal into the public eye. Metallica's tour dates have sold-out the world over and brought fans back again and again for twenty years. Currently, Metallica is blowing the minds of metal fans with their 2011 concert dates as a part of the "Big 4": Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer.

In 1981, drummer Lars Ulrich persuaded Brian Slagel to let him record a song for the producer's upcoming Metal Massacre compilation. With no band to record the song with, Ulrich placed an ad in a Los Angeles newspaper, to which guitarists James Hetfield and Dave Mustaine's responded. With Hetfield on bass and vocals, the trio recorded "Hit the Lights" for the compilation. The song gained the group a small amount of popularity and they soon hired bassist Cliff Burton. Shortly before recording began on Metallica's debut album, Dave Mustaine was ejected by the other band members for excessive drug and alcohol use and violence and replaced by Kirk Hammett. Kill 'Em All was released in 1983 and, along with explosive tour dates, earned Metallica an underground following in the world of metal.

The success of the album paled in comparison to what Metallica experienced with the release of Master of Puppets in 1986. The album personified heavy metal at the time and is considered to be one of Metallica's crowning achievements. The international success of the album and its promotional tour dates was marred by tragedy when Cliff Burton was killed after Metallica's tour bus lost control and flipped over several times. With the consent of Burton's family, Metallica chose to continue and hired Jason Newsted to play bass. As if Metallica hadn't become popular enough, the release of Metallica (commonly known as The Black Album because of its cover) cemented their place as metal gods. The album marked a clear dividing line between "new" and "old" Metallica, as their newer albums showed a wider range of accessibility. Shortly after world wide tour dates, but before heading to the studio to record a new album, bassist Jason Newsted left the band and the Metallica hired former Suicidal Tendencies bassist Robert Trujillo to replace him. Metallica then released St. Anger in 2003, which won a 2004 Grammy for Best Metal Performance, making it the band's ninth Grammy win. After promotional tour dates for the album, Metallica has significantly reduced their concert dates in recent years.

Metallica is currently setting Europe ablaze with 2011 concert dates as a part of the "Big Four". The Big Four has five more tour dates in early July, including stops in Germany, Sweden, Italy, the UK, and France. Metallica will then go on to play a few more tour dates, including the Festival d'ete de Quebec on June 16, Rock in Rio on September 25, and F1 Rocks in Delhi on October 28. Metallica will also make a special tour date appearance at Yankee Stadium in New York on September 14, and a concert date at Bangalore Palace in India on October 30.

Best Coast: The hit lo-fi, indie sound of Los Angeles-based band Best Coast harkens back to heydays of surf and garage rock. Their musical style perfectly compliments their image as laid back, sometimes humors, West Coast youths as displayed on tour dates and in music videos. They first came into the public eye in 2009 with the release of their 7", Make You Mine, and have created quite a buzz in the mainstream music world with their debut album, Crazy for You. As Best Coast's career continues to escalate, they can be found on the tail end of 2011 tour dates across the US, UK, and Europe.

The story of Best Coast revolves around frontman Bethany Cosentino, a former child actress turned pop musician who actually turned down record deals as a teenager. After going to school in New York, Consentino moved back to Los Angeles and co-formed the band Pocahaunted, where she met Bobb Bruno, and built a reputation on local tour dates. The duo began working on a side project based on a love of '60s surf rock, and thus Best Coast was born. Best Coast soon released a number of 7"s and the EP Where the Boys Are, the latter of which caught the attention of a few critics and music magazines. The publicity was enough to get Best Coast a record contract, and the duo soon brought in former Vivian Girls drummer Ali Koehler as a full time member.

Best Coast's debut album, Crazy For You, was incredibly well received and has audiences wondering what the group has in store for their next record, which is currently in progress. In the meantime, audiences can catch Best Coast on their 2011 tour dates, which will be in the US until August 19. After that, they'll head to Europe until August 26, when they'll play a number of UK music festivals, including Reading and Leeds.

Sepultura: Sepultura are a phenomenon. For over twenty years, the band from Brazil has been delivering a brutal mix of metal, hardcore, thrash, punk and tribal that could hardly be more intense or more passionate. What had begun in Belo Horizonte in 1984 soon turned into a metal hurricane of threatening proportions and has taken on undreamt-of dimensions since the enlistment of American vocalist Derrick Green in 1998. You have to experience this band live on stage to understand the fascination that this South-American act holds. And Sepulturas current songs always indicate the future of heavy metal.

Eric Church: Eric Church is the latest country outlaw to hit it big in Nashville. He was named the Academy of Country Music's Top New Vocalist at the awards ceremony held on April 3, 2011 where he also performed his hit, "Smoke a Little Smoke." Now you can catch this rising rebel at a venue near you. The Eric Church concert schedule has been announced and he is slated to perform with country bad boys, Jason Aldean and Toby Keith, at various dates throughout North America this spring and summer 2011.

This North Carolina native heard the calling to country music early on and by high school he was playing gigs at local honky-tonks. He continued playing at local bars near his alma mater, Appalachian State University, where he graduated with a marketing degree. Church put his dreams aside for a second, deciding to get engaged and start a corporate job. The call to country proved too strong, and Church put Corporate America and his fiancee aside, opting instead to move to Nashville. His career quickly took off, first in the world of music publishing when he was signed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing. He penned a major hit with "The World Needs a Drink," which Terri Clark recorded and charted in 2004. Not long after, Church signed with Capitol Nashville and released his debut disc "Sinners Like Me" in 2006.

His first single, "How 'Bout You," was a rough and tough country anthem that hit #14 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs in 2006. Church wrote or co-wrote every track on the album and even persuaded country legend, Merle Haggard, to do a track with him. The album yielded two more top twenty country singles and peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200, garnering him attention in the crowded Nashville scene. In support of the album, the Eric Church concert schedule included opening stints for the Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts national tours.

He was quick to produce a sophomore set, releasing "Carolina" in 2008. The lead-off single "Love Your Love the Most," peaked at #10 on the Hot Country Songs chart and was certified gold. Church blended outlaw back into country with songs like "Smoke a Little Smoke," and "Young and Wild," and has established himself as one of country's edgiest and most aggressive singer-songwriters. His success has not just been commercial, he was lauded with the ACM award for Top New Vocalist and narrowly lost out to the Band Perry for the ACM Top New Artist award at the April, 2011 ceremony. The prolific artist is already back in the studio crafting his untitled third release, whose lead single "Homeboy," is racing up the charts.

Church's performance at the 2011 ACM awards ensured fans that he knows how to rock the rodeo. Make sure you catch this cowboy rocker when he visits your area. Eric Church tour dates are booked across the country and his concert schedule includes opening stints for Jason Aldean and Toby Keith. Use Eventful as your source for Eric Church tour dates and concert schedule news.