MUSIC FROM PLANET EARTH: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

“What am I to build, if my hands are broken, if I’m not the chosen one?” sings Steven McKellar of Civil Twilight on “Story of An Immigrant”, over a lush, dynamic beat that evokes the sounds of his native South Africa while steeped in the band’s everevolving present. The foursome (Steven, his brother and guitarist Andrew, drummer Richard Wouters and Kevin Dailey on keys and guitar) are living proof of what happens when you stop worrying about being the chosen one and make music built on both the roots that grew you and the love that keeps you thriving every day. Civil Twilight’s songs embrace every corner of human emotion, balancing delicate, poetic lyrics with sweeping arrangements that touch all the senses: a phrase to make you think; a rolling drumbeat you can feel in your bones; a guitar vamp as illustrative as a picture; a shimmer of keys whose light can nearly be seen and heard. Produced by Ben H. Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Bombay Bicycle Club, Cut Copy), their third record on Wind-Up is built on this vibrancy, on the permanent dust of a Cape Town youth; on the connection that unites them all as brothers beyond blood and on their new home in America where they pull from the innate, thriving musicianship of Nashville, where they live. When you listen to Civil Twilight, from their self-titled debut, to 2012’s widely lauded Holy Weather to now, it’s easy to understand why the band has topped five million YouTube views and reached historic success with film and television syncs – because it’s music you can’t shake, that translates experience into moments and creates melodies that become imbedded deep under the skin. We’re all immigrants, in some way, and Civil Twilight’s singing our national anthem.

Rammstein are one of rock’s most individual and successful names, a multiple award-winning outfit with a vision that continues to evolve. Since forming in 1994, the six East Berliners have headlined the world’s major festivals and stadiums, selling millions of albums, and topping charts worldwide.

For the Rammstein kollektiv, and it’s the same line-up now as at the start, it’s always been a case of marching to their own beat; they sing in German, side-step those visuals typical of the metal world, and present an incendiary live experience that touches all of the senses – an experience underpinned by cultural and artistic weight.

To date, there are seven studio albums under the Rammstein banner, the most recent being 2019’s untitled release – a body of work that headed the charts in 14 countries and went Top 10 in the US, breaking new ground. Produced by the band with Olsen Involtini, this 11-tracker (double platinum in Germany) was preceded by lead single ‘Deutschland’, a domestic No. 1 supported by a nine-minute movie – an epic, unflinching look at German history directed by Specter Berlin.

Not only was this album a decade in the making, it also saw the musicians taking their legendary live show into Stadiums, selling 800,000 tickets immediately and eventually playing to over 1.2 million fans across 17 countries.

The next leg of the European Stadium Tour takes place in spring / summer 2021, with most venues sold out.

The Civil Wars are Joy Williams and John Paul White. The self-titled follow up to their debut album Barton Hollow will be released on August 6, 2013. Pre-order now at http://smarturl.it/thecivilwars

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Successfully ruining silence since 1989. 
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Epitaph Records is an independent music label founded in Los Angeles by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Early releases from a variety of punk heavyweights spawned what became known as the 90s punk explosion. 

Along the way Epitaph proudly launched its sister label ANTI-, representing unique and distinguished acts. From the beginning Epitaph’s mission has been to serve the musicians on its diverse and creative roster - an artist-first model, radical twenty years ago, and much imitated today. 

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