LISTEN TO BREAK UP THE CONCRETE IN ITS ENTIRETY HERE
PRETENDERS TO RELEASE iTUNES ORIGINALS SET ON DECEMBER 23;
BAND ALSO RELEASES DIGITAL HOLIDAY EP
The Pretenders announced today they will be the latest artist to be part of the iTunes Originals series. The Pretenders edition will be available exclusively at the iTunes Store starting December 23. On top of this release the band has released a digital holiday EP which features a new recording of the bands classic 2000 Miles as well as holiday classics I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas and Blue Christmas. The version of Blue Christmas will also be featured in the video game Rock Band.
The Pretenders Original release contains new recordings of songs that trace the bands entire career and were recorded with the bands current lineup of Chrissie Hynde, Martin Chambers, James Walbourne, Mark Spencer, and Nick Wilkinson. The band will tour the US for six weeks starting January 29 in Albany (Eric Heywood, the pedal steel player from the last album will be rejoining the band for the tour replacing Mark Spencer). The Pretenders Original also includes interviews with Chrissie Hynde exploring the origins of songs, and the LP Version of Loves A Mystery from the bands critically lauded Break Up The Concrete.
Song list for iTunes Originals:
Almost Perfect
Dont Cut Your Hair
Loves A Mystery (LP Version)
My City Was Gone
One Thing Never Changed
Rosalee
Talk Of The Town
Tequila
Thumbelina
PRETENDERS ANNOUNCE FIRST NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINING TOUR SINCE 2003; TOUR IN SUPPORT OF WIDELY ACCLAIMED ALBUM BREAKUP THE CONCRETE
The Pretenders announced a tour through North American starting January 29 at the Palace Theatre in Albany, NY with the final show taking place on March 14 in Reno, Nevada.
The tour is the band's first extensive headlining tour since 2003.
The Pretenders touring line up of Chrissie Hynde, Martin Chambers, James Walbourne, Eric Heywood, and Nick Wilkinson is touring in support of the band's ninth album,
Break Up The Concrete which was released through Shangri-La Music in October of 2008. The album, which Rolling Stone lauded as, "The best
Pretenders album in years," was recorded in 12 days in Los Angeles and offers an especially gritty and immediate and recalls the band's earlier days. The album has spawned the single "Boots Of Chinese
Plastic" which reached #1 on the AAA radio chart.
Below is the Pretenders 2009 North American tour dates more dates to follow:
January 29
Albany, NY
The Palace Theatre
January 30
New York, NY
Roseland Ballroom
January 31
Atlantic City, NJ
Borgata-Music Box
February 2
Washington, DC
9:30 Club
February 4
Boston, MA
Orpheum Theatre
February 5
Jim Thorpe, PA
Penn's Peak
February 6
Philadelphia, PA
Electric Factory
February 7
Ledyard, CT
Fox Theatre
February 9
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan Theater
February 10
Cleveland, OH
House Of Blues
February 11
Indianapolis, IN
Murat Theatre
February 13
Cincinnati, OH
Taft Theatre
February 14
Akron, OH
Akron Civic Ctr Theatre
February 15
Chicago, IL
Riviera Theater
February 17
Milwaukee, WI
Northern Lights Theatre
February 18
Milwaukee, WI
Northern Lights Theatre
February 20
Minneapolis, MN
First Avenue
February 21
Kansas City, MO
Ameristar Casino
February 22
Tulsa, OK
Brady Theater
February 24
Denver, CO
Paramount Theatre
February 25
Aspen, CO
Belly Up Aspen
February 27
Dallas, TX
House Of Blues
February 28
Houston, TX
House Of Blues
March 1
Austin, TX
Stubbs
March 4
Phoenix, AZ
The Dodge Theater
March 5
San Diego, CA
House Of Blues
March 6
Pala, CA
Pala Casino-Cabaret Room
March 7
Las Vegas, NV
House Of Blues
March 8
Anaheim, CA
The Grove
March 10
Los Angeles, CA
The Wiltern
March 13
Reno, NV
Silver Legacy Casino
March 14
San Francisco, CA
The Fillmore
PRETENDERS BREAK UP THE CONCRETE FIRST EDITION TO BE RELEASED ON HANDMADE SEED PAPER LETTING FANS PLANT A FLOWER WHILE LISTENING TO AN ALBUM
The Pretenders ninth studio album, Break Up The Concrete, will have a limited run of ecologically-friendly packaging with handmade seed paper starting on the album's release date of October 7. This paper can be planted and, with care, may sprout in 1 to 4 weeks. The paper used on this plantable run, and the paper for subsequent non-plantable runs of the CD and vinyl configuration, has all been certified by the FSC, an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world's forests. The vinyl version of the album, to be released on September 23, is two 10" discs with a gatefold, die-cut to shape and debossed with concrete texture with a full Album CD in Mini Jacket
The ecological packaging should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the career of the Pretenders front woman Chrissie Hynde, who has always been on the forefront of ecological issues and humane treatment of animals.
Break Up The Concrete's 11 songs were recorded in 12 days making for an album both gritty and immediate which recalls the band's earliest days. Hynde, along with the other Pretenders: guitarist James Walbourne, bassist Nick Wilkinson and long time drummer Martin Chambers will be introducing new songs from the album on Late Show With David Letterman on October 6 and then the Today Show the following morning October 7.
The media's response has been overwhelmingly positive with Spin naming the band, "Artist of the Day;" and exclaiming in their print edition, "Along with four new Pretenders, [Hynde has] crafted a statement that's stripped bare and dangerous, just like Hynde herself." The single, the restless "Boots Of Chinese Plastic" has already cracked the Top 10 of the Rock radio charts; is breaking boundaries on Alternative radio; and has become an immediate staple on the Classic Rock, Americana, Adult Alternative formats.
Shangri-la Music took the unprecedented step of giving a new MP3 download per week leading up to the release of the vinyl album. 11 different partners made a different song available each week with AOL/Spinner, Apple Quicktime, Clear Channel, CMT, iLike, iMeem, MP3.com/Download.com, MSN Windows Media, Vh1 Classic, Yahoo, and CBS Radio Online all offering downloads, creating a buzz of anticipation that no Pretenders album has had in over a decade.
Shangri-La Music is proud to announce the newest album by one of rock’s seminal bands with the release of The Pretenders’ Break Up The Concrete out October 7th. The album, the ninth in the band's illustrious career and its first in 6 years, has band leader Chrissie Hynde collaborating with a new group of musicians. Recorded in 10 days the result is a stripped down roots album, pure and raw, which highlights Hynde's timeless vocal sound.
While the music for Break Up The Concrete may have its origins in rock’s beginnings, the marketing of the album has Shangri-La Music boldly embracing the present and future. Starting today, the label is launching a massive MP3 Countdown campaign where each week a new song will be available for free download through a different media partner. This week’s song, “Boots of Chinese Plastic,” will be available through AOL's Spinner.com. In subsequent weeks downloads will be available through Apple QuickTime's site, ClearChannel.com, CMT.com, iLike, iMeem, MP3.com/Download.com, MSN Windows Media, Vh1 Classic, Yahoo and CBS Radio Online. Fans will be able to find where the next free MP3 will be available by going to www.thepretenders.com. Says Shangri-La’s Jeff Ayeroff, “The oldest and most basic form of exposing music is through word of mouth and the newest way is through the internet. This campaign combines both word of mouth and the muscle of 11 major online media partners and will allow people to hear how truly great this album is. Anyone who hears any of the tracks on Break Up The Concrete is going to tell everybody about it.”
Backing up Hynde on the album is a band that has no problems conjuring the true spirit of rock’s earliest days. Classic leads by guitarist James Walbourne, the twang of pedal steel from Eric Heywood, and backed by a concrete foundation laid by the rhythm section of bassist Nick Wilkinson and legendary drummer Jim Keltner, this band allows Hynde to show off her best vocal work and songwriting since the early days of The Pretenders. |
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Congratulations go out to Britton Franey in Los Angeles, Christina Pinckney and Kevin Dwyr in San Francisco, Christian Brahm in Portland, Pamela Taylor and Janet Gilliam in Seattle.
Best-selling author Stephen King calls Break Up The Concrete his #1 album of the year! Read all about it here
Win a copy of Break Up The Concrete on beautiful vinyl from our friends at Insound.com
Check out the new video, "Boots of Chinese Plastic" here
Watch the Pretenders perform on Yahoo! Music's Nissan Live Sets
Now available on iTunes
Break Up The Concrete iTunes now available with 2 bonus tracks
Order at Target: Get the Physical CD release of Break Up The Concrete now
Also available now: London Festival '08 EP as well as singles for "Boots of Chinese Plastic", "Break Up The Concrete", "Love's A Mystery".
Listen to Chrissie on The Adam Carolla show on KLSX
August 13th 2008 - Part I / Part II
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