BURN
HALO,
FRONTED BY FORMER 18 VISIONS SINGER,
SET TO RELEASE SELF-TITLED DEBUT
MARCH 10 ON RAWKHEAD RECORDS;
TOUR WITH ESCAPE THE FATE AND BLACK
TIDE
LAUNCHES FEBRUARY 5 IN POMONA, CA
January
7, 2009 -- When one door closes, another one opens. This couldn’t
be more true for former 18 Visions singer/songwriter James Hart.
When the Orange County, CA band broke up in 2007 after almost
a decade together, that didn’t dissuade Hart and his pursuit
to be a frontman once again. He’s ready to get back to it
with his new band, BURN HALO, who will be releasing their charismatic
self-titled debut March 10 on Rawkhead Records (through Warner
Music Group’s Independent Label Group).
The album’s
first single, “Dirty Little Girl,” which features
a guest appearance by Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates,
is already getting spins on radio stations around the country,
and is in regular rotation on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s
“Octane” station. A video for the track was recently
shot in at the Slide Bar in Orange County, CA with Nate Weaver
(Against Me!, Taking Back Sunday) at the director’s helm,
and will hit the TV and Internet airwaves within the coming weeks.
Anyone
who was watching the Dallas Cowboys/Baltimore Ravens football
game on the NFL Network on Saturday, December 20 might have heard
another song from the album, “Our House,” during the
broadcast. The track will also be heard during a recap of the
college football season for “College Football Now”
on the NFL Network, which will air this week and weekend, and
will be streamed simultaneously on the station’s website
(www.nfl.com/nflnetwork). Fans should check local listings for
details.
Never
losing momentum after the break-up, Hart landed a label deal with
Island/Def Jam and began working almost immediately with songwriter
Zac Maloy on what would eventually become BURN HALO’s debut
album. Between May and October of 2007, Hart made week-long treks
to Tulsa, OK to write and demo with Maloy. “I knew that
I wanted a clear-cut rock ‘n’ roll band, which is
something I had not had in the past,” Hart says of the music.
“My vision and my brand of rock ‘n’ roll without
having to compromise on any of the songs or any of the material.
I wanted to make a very straightforward rock album, something
that had commercial appeal, but also something that had a classic,
vintage mid-‘80s throwback vibe to it.”
Hart
recorded the album from October to November of 2007 with Maloy
as producer, laying down the tracks with an army of skilled studio
musicians, including Nickelback drummer Daniel Adair, former Jane’s
Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, guitarist Neil Tiemann (who now
tours with “American Idol” winner David Cook), and
Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates (who appears on the “Dirty
Little Girl” and “Anejo”).
In the
studio, Maloy was particularly helpful in getting the best possible
vocal performance out of Hart. As he explains, “I really
felt like he was able to grasp what I wanted to do and where I
wanted to take this. From a producer standpoint I feel like he
really knocked it out of the park. As a vocalist he was able to
bring a lot out of me instead of having me go through the motions
and just get the part right, emoting a little more than I have
in the past. He was really able to pull a lot of character out
of my voice.”
“I
think this is a real statement album for me,” Hart continues.
“Anyone who is familiar with me and my past is going to
be able to get this record. They’re going to understand
why I made this record and that this is the record I’ve
been wanting to make.”
After
the album was completed in early 2008, Island/Def Jam elected
not to release it, leaving Hart with the tough job of finding
a new home for his project. Nothing felt quite right, though,
so BURN HALO’s manager Bret Bair formed his own label Rawkhead
Rekords and partnered with Warner Music Group to release the record.
Hart spent much of 2008 finalizing the line-up of his touring
band--which he hopes will help write and record BURN HALO’s
next albums--with Aaron Boheler on bass, Joey Sin on lead guitar,
Allen Wheeler on rhythm guitar, and Ryan Folden on drums.
BURN
HALO’s new ensemble has already been racking up tour dates
with bands such as Avenged Sevenfold (others?), and their next
jaunt will be with Escape The Fate and Black Tide starting February
5 in Pomona, CA. A summer tour is already in the works and should
be announced in the coming weeks.
Here
are the current BURN HALO dates:
DATE |
CITY |
VENUE |
All
with Escape The Fate and Black Tide: |
Thu
2/5 |
Pomona,
CA |
The
Glass House |
Fri
2/6 |
Phoenix,
AZ |
Marquee |
Sat
2/7 |
Albuquerque,
NM |
Sunshine
Theatre |
Sun
2/8 |
El
Paso, TX |
Chic's
Billiards |
Tue
2/10 |
Dallas,
TX |
Granada
Theatre |
Wed
2/11 |
San
Antonio, TX |
The
White Rabbit |
Thu
2/12 |
Houston,
TX |
Meridian |
Fri
2/13 |
Metairie,
LA |
High
Ground |
Sun
2/15 |
Ft.
Lauderdale, FL |
Culture
Room |
Mon
2/16 |
Orlando,
FL |
Firestone |
Tue
2/17 |
Atlanta,
GA |
Masquerade |
Wefd
2/18 |
Charlotte,
NC |
Amo's
Southend |
Thu
2/19 |
Towson,
MD |
Recher
Theatre |
Fri
2/20 |
Philadelphia,
PA |
First
Unitarian Church |
www.myspace.com/burnhalo
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