SCALE THE SUMMIT to Embark on North American Tour with GLASS CLOUD, ERRA, REFLECTIONS, and MONUMENTS, Burnsville Stop July 26

Heavy instrumentalists Scale The Summit hit the road in July and August for an extensive tour that takes them to most corners of the U.S. and Canada. The rest of the bill is heavy on metalcore, and includes Glass Cloud, Erra, the Twin Cities’ own Reflections, and Monuments.

Reflections is still out in support of their late 2013 eOne/Good Fight release Exi(s)t which hit #1 on the iTunes Metal Album chart.

Included on the itinerary is a stop in Burnsville at The Garage on Saturday, July 26. This is an all ages show, and tickets are on sale now through AXS. The complete list of dates is below.

July 15 – Springfield, VA, Empire

July 16 – Philadelphia, PA, The Barbary

July 17 – Hartford, CT, Webster Underground

July 18 – Amityville, NY, Amityville Music Hall

July 19 – New York, NY, Gramercy Theater

July 20 – Worcester, MA, The Palladium

July 21 – Albany, NY, Bogies

July 22 – Montreal, QC, La Sala Rosa

July 23 – Toronto, ON, Hard Luck

July 24 – Grand Rapids, MI, The Stache

July 25 – Chicago, IL, Reggie’s Rock Club

July 26 – Burnsville, MN, The Garage

July 27 – Winnipeg, MB, West End Cultural Centre

July 28 – Regina, SK, The Exchange

July 29 – Calgary, AB, The Den

July 31 – Vancouver, BC, Rio Theatre

August 1 – Seattle, WA, Chop Suey

August 2 – Portland, OR, Hawthorne Theatre

August 3 – Oakland, CA, Oakland Metro

August 4 – Los Angeles, CA, The Lyric

August 5 – Las Vegas, NV, Southern Nevada Sports Centre

August 6 – Mesa, AZ, The Underground

August 7 – Albuquerque, NM, Launchpad

August 8 – Denver, CO, Bluebird Theater

August 9 – Lawrence, KS, Jackpot

August 10 – St. Louis, MO, Fubar

August 11 – Columbus, OH, Park St. Saloon

August 12 – Knoxville, TN, Concourse

August 13 – Greensboro, NC, Blind Tiger

August 14 – Jacksonville, FL, 1904 Music Hall

August 15 – Pembroke Pines, FL, Talent Farm

August 16 – Orlando, FL, Backbooth

August 17 – Atlanta, GA, The Vinyl at Center Stage

August 19 – Fort Worth, TX, Tomcats

August 20 – Austin, TX, Red 7

August 21 – Houston, TX, Fitzgeralds

REFLECTIONS Announces Tour Supporting CHIMAIRA

The touring for the Twin Cities' Reflections in support of their Exi(s)t album grinds on, and the band recently announced a month-long tour supporting Chimaira with Iwrestledabearonce, Oceano, and Fit For An Autopsy. Reflections is first on the bill, so get to the venue early when this tour hits your town! Although this tour misses the Twin Cities, Reflections has two area dates bookending the trek.

Prior to the tour, Reflections plays Bubba's in Sauk Rapids, Minneapolis on Friday, January 24 with Sweep The Leg Johnny, Do As The Romans Do, and In The Line Of Duty. Upon returning home, Reflections plays the Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis on Sunday, March 9 alongside Animals As Leaders, After The Burial, Veil Of Maya, Erra, Navene-K, and Chon. Advance tickets for both shows are available through Ticketfly.

Current Reflections tour dates (all are with Chimaira, Iwrestedabearonce, Oceano, and Fit For An Autopsy unless otherwise indicated):

January 24 - Sauk Rapids, MN, Bubba's (w/Sweep The Leg Johnny, Do As The Romans Do, In The Line Of Duty)
January 30 - Worcester, MA, The Palladium
January 31 - Wilmington, DE, Mojo 13
February 1 - Poughkeepsie, NY, The Chance
February 3 - Springfield, VA, Empire
February 4 - Amityville, NY, Revolution Bar & Music Hall
February 5 - Pittsburgh, PA, The Altar Bar
February 6 - Reading, PA, Reverb
February 7 - Jacksonville, FL, Hooligan's
February 8 - Fayetteville, NC, The Drunk Horse Pub
February 9 - Charlotte, NC, The Casbah
February 10 - Norfolk, VA, The NorVA
February 11 - Knoxville, TN, NV Nightclub
February 12 - Atlanta, GA, The Masquerade
February 13 - Orlando, FL, Backbooth
February 14 - St. Petersburg, FL, The State Theatre
February 15 - Pensacola, FL, Vinyl Music Hall
February 17 - Broussard, LA, The Station
February 18 - Shreveport, LA, Riverside Warehouse
February 19 - Tulsa, OK, The Vanguard
February 21 - Kokomo, IN, Center Stage
February 22 - Louisville, KY, Diamond Pub & Billiards
February 23 - Newport, KY, Thompson House
March 9 - Minneapolis, MN, Skyway Theatre (w/Animals As Leaders, After The Burial, Veil Of Maya, Erra, Navene-K, Chon)
March 16 - Grand Prairie, TX, South By So What Fest (w/The Devil Wears Prada)

AFTER THE BURIAL to Tour with ANIMALS AS LEADERS, Play Minneapolis March 9

While on the topic of After The Burial, the band recently announced a slew of North American tour dates as direct support to Animals As Leaders with Navene-K and Chon, including hometown show at the Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis on Sunday, March 9. The initial batch of dates are listed below, and expect more to be added soon. Already fresh off a massive U.S. tour with Trivium and Devildriver in November and December, After The Burial heads to Australia in January before their next North American run.

The Minneapolis show is going to be huge since Veil Of Maya, Reflections, and Erra are also on the bill! Tickets for this show go on sale Friday, December 27 at 12:00 noon through Ticketfly.

Current tour dates for Animals As Leaders, After The Burial, Navene-K, and Chon:

February 24 - Tampa, FL, The Orpheum
February 25 - Atlanta, GA, Masquerade
February 26 - Greensboro, NC, Greene Street Club
February 27 - Baltimore, MD, Rams Head Live
February 28 - Philadelphia, PA, Trocadero Theatre
March 2 - New York, NY, Irving Plaza
March 4 - Montreal, QC, La Tulipe (no Chon)
March 5 - Toronto, ON, Opera House (no Chon)
March 6 - Detroit, MI, St. Andrews
March 7 - Joliet, IL, Mojoes
March 8 - Milwaukee, WI, The Rave
March 9 - Minneapolis, MN, Skyway Theatre w/Veil Of Maya, Reflections, Erra
March 11 - St. Louis, MO, Pop's
March 13 - Houston, TX, Fitzgerald's

In Concert This Week

UPDATE: Reflections will not be playing with After The Burial on Sunday, December 22. The promoter has removed them from the lineup listed on his website.

This is naturally a slow time of year for live music, but there's still some (primarily local) shows to be had this week.

Poison frontman Bret Michaels plays a rescheduled show tonight, Friday, December 20 at Myth in St. Paul. The opening band has not been announced, but this all ages show starts at 7:00 and tickets are $25.

Tonight you can also catch a big local show at the Cabooze in Minneapolis with Blue Felix, Nuisance, Emergent, Pinwheel, Scream At The Sun, and A Sound Theory. This is an 18+ show, and it's only $5 at the door.

Tomorrow's After The Burial at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis with Your Memorial and I Am Vengeance is SOLD OUT, but a second show with support from Your Memorial, Reflections, and Thira has been added on Sunday, December 22. Both shows are early, all ages shows. These shows are the official album release events for Wolves Within, the new album from After The Burial that came out this week through Sumerian Records. You can buy tickets ($15) for the Sunday show through Ticketfly.

Lastly, Grant Hart, former drummer of hardcore punk legends Hüsker Dü, plays a solo show at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on Thursday, December 26 with Catbath and Frankie Teardrop. This is an 18+ show that starts around 8:00; tickets are $10 in advance through Ticketfly.

Twin Cities' REFLECTIONS Hit #1 on iTunes Metal Chart

It's no big secret that Twin Cities technical metalcore band Reflections is poised to have a big impact during the coming year (see my previous post here), and that prediction is already being borne out with the release this past Tuesday, October 22 of their debut eOne/Good Fight album Exi(s)t. Today, Exi(s)t held the #1 spot on the iTunes Metal Album Sales Chart (screenshots are below). Here's how the album was ranked today on other iTunes Charts:

iTunes Metal Album Chart: #1
iTunes Rock Album Chart: #15
iTunes Album Chart (all genres): #122

Reflections has tour dates lined up throughout the Eastern half of the U.S. into December supporting the likes of Born Of Osiris and Within The Ruins following their recently commenced co-headlining tour with Erra (the full list of dates is here).

Click to enlarge.

Tonight - REFLECTIONS Album Release Show and Tour Kick-Off in Burnsville, NIK TURNER'S HAWKWIND in St. Paul

I recently had a post with updates on the activities of Reflections, the Twin Cities-based technical metalcore band that is set to explore with the release of their new album Exi(s)t, which is being released through eOne/Good Fight this Tuesday, October 22. The start of their co-headling tour with Erra happens right here in Burnsville tonight, October 19 at The Garage with local support from Don't Worry I'm A Doctor. This is the official album release show, so copies of Exi(s)t should be available tonight for purchase. It's an early (5:00 doors) all ages show, and tickets are $12 at the door.

Also tonight, Nik Turner of Hawkwind and Space Ritual fame, will be playing at the Turf Club in St. Paul. There's a strong argument to be made that Nik is one of the most influential pioneers of psychedelic space rock. Now over 70 years old, Nik is out promoting a new solo album called Space Gypsy. I've seen this show billed as Nik Turner's Hawkwind and Nik Turner's Space Ritual, but regardless of what it's called, I'm sure you can expect to hear a mix of material from those two bands alongside other selections from Nik's vast recorded catalog. This is a 21+ show that starts at 9:00 with support from Thunderbolt Pagoda and Hedersleben; tickets are $12 at the door. Interesting trivia: cult doom/stoner band Sleep supported Nik Turner's Hawkwind way back on the Holy Mountain tour!

Lastly, Soul Asylum plays First Avenue in Minneapolis tonight with Fountains Of Wayne and Evan Dando. This is an 18+ show that starts at 8:00; tickets are $30 at the door. Yeah, Soul Asylum is a far cry from metal, but they were instrumental in the early 80s hardcore scene in the Twin Cities and deserve respect for that.

REFLECTIONS Update: New Tour Dates (Including Burnsville), New Album Released October 22

Reflections performing April 9, 2013 at Station 4 in St. Paul. A review of this show is here, and you can download the audio from the entire show here, where they played another new song, "Delirium".

It's been a while since my last update on the Twin Cities' own progressive metalcore giants-to-be Reflections, so here's a summary of their current activities. Their second album, and debut for eOne/Good Fight, Exi(s)t, was finished August 1 and will be released October 22. Exi(s)t is available for pre-order now through various digital and physical media outlets. The first single, "My Cancer", is available now through iTunes and it has already reached the #5 position on the iTunes Metal Chart; the official lyric video for "My Cancer" can be viewed below (it has gotten over 300,000 views in 1 month!). You can also listen to a second song from from Exi(s)t, "Bridges", through Soundcloud and watch guitarists Patrick Comoulay and Charles Caswell do a play-through in the video posted at GuitarWorld (both below).

Eyal Levi, producer of Exi(s)t and partner of Audio Hammer Studios, participated in an AMA on reddit last month and had the following to say about recording the album; he had special praise for Reflections drummer Cam Murray:

Reflections drummer Cam Murray (originally posted on the band's Facebook page)

"..the whole 'holy sh*t' feeling started when we were tracking drums because their drummer Cam is a human computer. That holds the record for being my fastest drum session ever for a real album. And not because we were cutting corners. It's because he was playing great!"

"...he was 17 when we tracked. He actually had to leave the studio to go finish high school."

"...he is the fastest drummer I've ever worked with in terms of speed of tracking. I don't mean bpm. He's pretty quick there too though. I'm very curious to see where he takes it in the next five years. If he sticks to it I think he could be one of the top drummers in not only brutal metal, but in any style that requires intense and dynamic drumming."

Lastly, Reflections has added a third mini-tour of the U.S. with co-headliner Erra to coincide with the release of Exi(s)t. Following this, they have three shows supporting Born Of Osiris before heading out with Within The Ruins, Sworn In, and Legion. One of the newly added shows is the kickoff of the tour with Erra which happens right here in Burnsville at The Garage on Saturday, October 19 (all ages). Locals Don't Worry I'm A Doctor open the Burnsville show; advance tickets are $10, and you can also order a ticket combo package for only $16 that will also get you a copy of Exi(s)t at the show three days before it's released! The current list of complete Reflections tour dates are below.

With Erra:

October 19 – Burnsville, MN, The Garage, w/Don’t Worry I’m A Doctor

October 20 – Lawrence, KS, The Bottleneck

October 22 – Austin, TX, Dirty Dog Bar, w/The Browning

October 23 – Tyler, TX, Crossroads

October 24 – Tupelo, MS, Goodtime Charlies

October 25 – Birmingham, AL, The Forge

October 26 – Douglasville, GA, BBQ Fest, w/We Came As Romans, Silverstein, others

October 27 – Cleveland, TX, The Warehouse

October 29 – Indianapolis, IN, Emerson Theatre

October 30 – Columbus, OH, Kobo Live

With Born Of Osiris, Sylar:

November 11 – Detroit, MI, The Shelter

November 13 – Buffalo, NY, The Waiting Room

November 15 – Albany, NY, Bogies

With Within The Ruins, Sworn In, Legion:

November 30 – Albany, NY, Bogies

December 1 – Nashua, NH, Bernies

December 3 – Providence, RI, Simon’s 677

December 4 – Trenton, NJ, Championship

December 5 – Amityville, NY, Revolution

December 6 – Newark, DE, Mojo Main

December 7 – Hartford, CT, Webster Underground

REFLECTIONS—Studio Update and New Tour Dates with OCEANO, WITHIN THE RUINS, and TEXAS IN JULY Released

Prior to the start of the Heavy MTL South Of The Border Tour, Minneapolis’ progressive metalcore upstarts Reflections have lined up a number of shows with Texas In July, Oceano, and Within The Ruins in July. Recording of Reflections’ second album at Audiohammer Studios in Orlando, Florida, and first for eOne/Good Fight, is nearly complete, and is on track for release this summer. Production and mixing duties are being handled by Eyal Levi. The band recently posted a second studio update which you can view below.

July 5 – Richmond, VA, Kingdom, w/Texas In July

July 6 – Westchester, PA, The Note, w/Texas In July

July 7 – New York, NY, Tammany Hall, w/Texas In July

July 9 – Providence, RI, Fete, w/Texas In July

July 10 – Clifton Park, NY, Upstate Concert Hall, w/Texas In July

July 11 – Amityville, NY, Revoluation, w/Texas In July

July 26 – Oklahoma City, OK, The Conservatory, w/Oceano

July 27 – Lubbock, TX, Jake’s, w/Oceano

July 28 – Albuquerque, NM, Launchpad, w/Oceano, Within The Ruins

July 29 – El Paso, TX, The War Room, w/Oceano