Hello everyone. I have a great deal to post. First of all, I would like to wish everyone a belated "Happy Holidays". The band and I made it back from the European leg of the tour just in time to be "home for Christmas." I hope that you all had as enjoyable holiday as we did. Although we only have 2 weeks between shows, we really needed the break. The 2006 European leg of the tour was one of the most difficult in recent memory. Aside from the tightly scheduled shows and constant traveling, I got seasick on a boat crossing the North Sea, we got trapped in snow on a mountainside in the dead of night in Norway, we found ourselves headlining a HEAVY METAL FESTIVAL?!?, one of our crew lost his passport, and the wheel came off our bus along the autobahn. Yes it was certainly good to be back home, even if it was only for a few days.
Now onto business... DreamCypher comes out in two weeks! I am nervous, excited, relieved, & really interested to know what people will think. I guess there is a lot of pressure after the success of Sophia. There are high expectations after Ethernaut. Hopefully everyone that supported the single will be excited about the album. And speaking of Sophia, I am happy to tell you it is currently #18 on the Billboard Dance Charts- still hanging in there, still in the top 20 after spending 12 weeks on the charts!
Anyway, it is nice to have a few days before beginning the 2007 portion of the DreamCypher Tour. But there is a lot to tell everyone regarding that. First, we are very excited to have Canadian Industrial-pop standouts Ayria as the main support for us on this tour. They will play with us throughout our entire US Tour... they produce very catchy, very energetic music that I am sure most CXS fans will enjoy. Driven by their charismatic frontwoman Jennifer Parkin, Ayria delivers an exciting and unique stage presence that is part of the reason they are one of the scenes most talked about up and coming bands. Not to be missed!
www.ayria.com. Secondly, we are also happy to inform you that at some shows we will have an added special guest!!!!! WHO? Well...
1.On the Westcoast & for some Midwest shows we will add our old friends Ego Likeness to the bill. Very cool music, and perhaps the nicest people in the music business- they are a talented and deserving goth/rock/electro hybrid that I personally adore.
www.egolikeness.com.
and
2. On the Eastcoast and in the Northeast some of our shows will add Australian Industrial band Angelspit to the bill... Edgy and hip, danceable and sexy, I think Angelspit will appeal to fans of TKK and Combichrist. We are looking forward to it, and I know so are many of you!
www.angelspit.net.
The tour-dates are still being finalized, but this looks to be one of the most exciting CXS tours ever. Keep checking for updates, because they are pouring in daily now...
www.cruxshadows.com/tour.htmFor all of you who can't wait to hear DreamCypher, I have uploaded a preview of the new album as a podcast. It can be downloaded for free in the iTunes Store, or you can go to it directly by following this link.
CXS Podcast. The new album is something special, and we are really excited about it. You can pre-order it from Isotank or from Amazon.com. But don't take our word for it, check out the podcast- people without iPods can listen to it in Quicktime or Windows Media Player. So click the link and give it a listen!!! The excerpts are somewhat short, but it gives you a good idea of what the new album will sound like...
And now for something i have been avoiding for a while. Rachel McDonnell, my good friend and longtime violin player, has decided that after the 2007 tour for DreamCypher is over, she will no longer be touring. She got engaged in 2006, and she feels like the kind of extended touring that Cruxshadows does would place a serious burden on her relationship. I have known about her decision for a while now, we had a long talk about it... She wanted to see the release of DreamCypher through and support it wholeheartedly, but after that would like to pass on her violin duties to someone else. I love Rachel like a sister and although I cannot imagine being on stage without her, I am very happy for her. She seems happier than I can ever remember seeing her. I think that is something she deserves. Here is a statement rachel made that she asked me to pass on to the fans through our blog:
"Over the last decade I have enjoyed my experience with the Cruxshadows. I couldn't think of a better or more interesting way to have spent that period of my life. My love for the band, for the fans, and for my band-mates runs deep, but I have decided that given the difficulty and strenuous nature of touring, that the 2007 tour will be my last. I believe that DreamCypher is the the strongest Cruxshadows album so far, and I am happy to be part of the tour that supports it. I am getting married, and it is my fondest hope that I can begin this new chapter of my life without the pressures and stress that a life on the road entails. This will be my last season performing live on stage with the Cruxshadows, but I am looking forward to seeing many of you, my fans and friends, during that time. With much love, Rachel McDonnell."The good news is that fans in Europe and the USA will have ample opportunity to see her perform one last time. We will be making a trip back to Europe, and of course we are getting ready to start the USA tour. I hope that everyone will make it to a show to see Rachel play, and to wish her well. And if anyone knows someone who might be interested in filling some big shoes, well... we will be looking for someone to do just that.
Here is the most recent itinerary of the tour. Obviously we will be adding in quite a few more dates... but here's what we know right now.
THE CRUXSHADOWS 2007 TOUR
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS AYRIA
January 11th HAVOK AT CLUB NUMBERS HOUSTON, TX
January 12th ELYSIUM AUSTIN TX
January 13th THE SANCTUARY SAN ANTONIO TX
January 15th LUCKY DEVILS EL PASO TX
January 16th REAL BAR TEMPE, AZ
*January 17th KNITTING FACTORY LOS ANGELES, CA
*January 21st CLUB DNA SAN FRANCISCO, CA
*January 23rd THE FEZ BALLROOM PORTLAND, OREGON
*January 25th SEATTLE, WA (TBA)
*January 27th CLUB VEGAS SALT LAKE CITY, UT
*January 28th CERVANTES' MASTERPIECE BALLROOM DENVER, CO
January 30th LIQUIDZ TULSA, OK
February 2nd OUTLAND NIGHT CLUB COLUMBUS, OH
February 10th THE METRO CHICAGO, IL
February 13th HAVEN (AT DIVA'S) NORTHAMPTON, MA
**February 14th SHAMPOO NIGHTCLUB PHILADELPHIA, PA
**February 15th THE HAUNT ITHACA, NY
**February 16th NEW YORK CITY (TBA)
**February 18th CLUB LIME WASHINGTON DC
February 21st PITTSBURGH, PA (TBA)
*with added special guests EGO LIKENESS
** with added special guests ANGELSPIT
I think that will do it for now. Until we see you on the upcoming tour;-)
Live Love Be Believe-
Rogue