Monthly Archives: September 2009

What can be said about Michael Jackson that hasn’t already been said? The biggest artist in the music world came to Division with his new Best Of… album King Of Pop which saw the first interactive vote in a tracklisting for the UK version of the album.

The album was partnered with a dance game which hit the social networking sites and allowed people to control the great man himself as he danced to some of his biggest tunes including Billie Jean. It was the first time that all 3 social networking sites [MySpace, Facebook and Bebo] were pitted against each other.

During this campaign, Michael celebrated his 50th birthday and Division procured homepage features on Metro, Virgin Media, ITN, Tiscali, Yahoo, MSN, Virgin Media, Gigwise, The Sun, The Guardian, OK Magazine, Sugar, The London Paper, and The Daily Mail.

We are very proud to have been part of The King Of Pop’s career, a legacy which will carry on far into the future. R.I.P.

Post hardcore rockers I Am Ghost will be kicking up a storm on UK shores soon and we here at Division have been taken on to fuel their online campaign for both the album release and tour. ‘Those We Leave Behind’ is released 6th October and the band will be touring in December. Recorded with producer Paul Leavitt (Senses Fail, The Bled, Circa Survive) in Baltimore, MD, ‘Those We Leave Behind’ contains fourteen turbulent tracks of brooding passion-fuelled rock infused with monstrously accessible hooks.

After a line-up change in late 2007, Steve Juliano (vocals) along with Timoteo Rosales III (guitars), Ron Ficarro (bass) and Justin McCarthy (drums) have re-focused the band’s direction, returning to the powerful raw rock that inspired them to make music in the first place. The resulting album, “Those We Leave Behind“, seamlessly melds elements of metal, melodic-hardcore and screamo with sweeping sing-along choruses to startling effect.

Blending fantasy and reality in his twisted tales of death and tragedy, Juliano seems to revel in showing the world’s beauty in decay on songs like the massive anthem “Don’t Wake Up,” the ode to the fallen “Those We Leave Behind” and the heart wrenching tale of “The Saddest Story Never Told.”  “Those We Leave Behind” is a sonic stake in the heart of safe, conformist music, defiantly confirming I Am Ghost’s place among the scenes most elite bands.

At Division we’re very excited to be representing Shinedown for online PR in the UK ahead of live dates and forthcoming album ‘The Sound Of Madness’, which is set to be released early 2009. Produced by multiple Grammy Award-winner Rob Cavallo, the record debuted at Number 8 on the Billboard 200 in the US this year.

The Jacksonville, Florida-based fivesome exploded onto the US rock scene in 2003 with their RIAA platinum-certified breakthrough debut, ‘Leave A Whisper’. 2005 saw the release of second album ‘Us and Them’. This RIAA gold-certified collection was highlighted by blockbuster, ‘Save Me’ which dominated Active Rock radio in the US holding the number one spot for a stunning twelve consecutive weeks. This was followed by two further Top 5 hits – ‘Heroes’ and ‘I Dare You’.

From the outset, Shinedown have proven to be true road warriors, touring non-stop to bring their hard-edged rock ‘n’ roll to fans across the US. The band has performed countless headline dates and shared stages with the likes of Seether, Van Halen, 3 Doors Down, Rob Zombie, and Godsmack. Now they’re set to bring their electric live show to the UK supporting Disturbed.

As musicians, the members of Avenged Sevenfold are definite virtuosos in a time when being accomplished artists seemingly means so little. They are inquisitive and never fully satisfied with their own work. They seek to grow and improve every day, regardless of the obstacles or costs involved.

They are a rock band. They are rock stars. They are Avenged Sevenfold.

Avenged Sevenfold had been an integral part of the independent, underground rock scene years before breaking through on commercial radio. In fact, the Orange County, California-based act launched its career when the members were barely out of high school with the release of their debut in July 2001 of ‘Sounding The Seventh Trumpet’.

Miles of van touring ensued, performing in tightly packed clubs, and sweating shoulder-to-shoulder on both national and international levels. Despite the truly D.I.Y. affair (which still found the fledgling act putting on an eye-opening, elaborate stage show), Avenged Sevenfold never offered anything less than a full-throttle set. Hit singles ensued with their signing to Warner Bros. Records and they subsequently became the only band to headline Warped Tour and Ozzfest while simultaneously hitting Number One on MTV’s TRL.

The Chemists were fuelled by a diet of Queens Of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Pixies and The Police, but underpinned by vocalist Johnny Benn’s unique way with words and turbo-charged vocals and lead guitarist Sam James heart-on-sleeve love of a heroic melody, they rehearsed in an old aircraft hangar and emerged with a startlingly magnificent debut album packed with enormous tunes, manly guitar riffs and sharply incisive lyrics.

Album ‘The Theories of Dr. Lovelock’ opens with an introduction by the much revered British actor Richard E Grant, whose signature vocals lead into the opening track ‘This City’, which details what happens when drugs and drink meet jet lag and hookers in Hong Kong, as experienced by vocalist Johnny Benn firsthand. The album title refers to the bands admiration for the independent  scientist James Lovelock who is known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, in which he postulates that the Earth functions as a kind of super -organism. He first formulated the theory in the 1960’s as a result of work for NASA concerned with detecting life on Mars, the Gaia hypothesis proposes that living and non-living parts of the earth form a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism. Originally this concept was much discredited but now with climate change on the agenda, the scientific community has revalued his proposal.  He also was the inventor of the electron capture detector (which made possible the detection of CFCs and other atmospheric nano-pollutants) and of the microwave oven!

The Chemists have toured with Feeder, Boxer Rebellion and The Music, amongst others.

The sextet from Florida have been powering their way across the world for the past few years and came to Division for the online campaign of the new album Lost In The Sound Of Separation and their UK headline tour [including a sold out Astoria show].

After having notched up sales of over a million records in total with their previous records, the band have thrown all their power and energy into the new album, though with Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear they show their versatility with the fan-favourite ballad.

Seattle-born producer Jake One made his name producing for mainstream heavyweight 50 Cent before inking a deal with Rhymesayers Entertainment to release a solo record in 2008.

The album features the likes of MF Doom, Slug from Atmosphere, Freeway, Brother Ali, De La Soul, Blueprint, M.O.P., Black Milk and more, showcasing the talents of a beatmaker who knows exactly how to make a tune fit an MC.

Released to critical acclaim and gathering strong presence online, we were delighted with the results for White Van Music. Expect a Jake One/Freeway album coming in 2010.

Liverpool’s Sound Of Guns came to Division in mid-2009 looking to start their assault on the music world with their debut single Architects and we were only too happy to oblige. Featuring members who had filled in for the likes of Echo and the Bunnymen’s touring parties, the set up for being a great live act was already there and they continued to build this reputation around their home town.

With an album and extensive touring plans in the works, the opening single was just the beginning for a band that is set to do big things in the UK in the coming years. We’re delighted to have been involved from the very start and we’re excited at what is to come.

Scandinavia has a habit of producing amazing singers and Ane Brun is the latest in a long line of them. She joined Division before the release of her album Changing Of The Seasons. With singles such as The Puzzle and The Treehouse Song, as well her track being used on a TV advert, it was an easy decision to work with Ane.

Not only did her songs blow people away and garner brilliant reviews across the board from sites spanning the musical spectrum, she performed a breathtaking show at the Union Chapel in the UK which confirmed what a special talent she is.

Described as a mix between Joni Mitchell and Bjork, she has certainly made a place for herself amongst her peers and looks set to continue that in years to come.