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So... after yet another entire year of hard labor in the name of the Rock and
the Roll, we are finally home again. Only we must now drastically expand our
definition of what "home" means. Thanks to you, our home now stretches from
Manchester to Minneapolis, from San Diego to South Wales, from London to Los
Angeles and all points in between. Everywhere we went, we found a wide variety
of supporters who made us feel completely welcome and at ease. We will never
forget you. Nor will we forget what this experience has meant to us as a band.
Brother Cantrell himself described Comes With The Fall's effort on this most
recent touring leg as "Herculean"- two sets a night, often more than two hours
of full contact rock every night, for two months. But we were just happy to
play for everyone who showed up to the gigs. It was really great meeting and
hanging out with you all.
Special thanks must go to all the CWTF reps all over the country who showed up
early, hung up posters, handed out flyers, worked the merch table, drove us
around on errands, brought care packages, etc. Your presence not only AMAZES
us, it SUSTAINS us. What we are building together is a rare and precious thing,
highly uncommon, and possibly unique in the annals of rock history. You are
treasured and appreciated more than words can express.
Of course, none of this would be possible, or even imaginable, without our one
and only dearly beloved Nature Girl. Her tireless work ethic and boundless
energy are the glue that holds this entire grassroots effort of ours together.
Dianne, we don't know how you do it, but thank god that you do!! Our hats are
off. Our heads are bowed.
And now the news... Production on the Comes With The Fall - Live 2002 DVD is
coming along nicely, though we obviously missed our originally hoped for
Halloween release date. Simply put, making a video documentary is quite a bit
more complicated than making an album and we want this thing to be as good as
it can possibly be. Last night, the director Steve Reissner showed us his
latest version and we all agree it's 99% there. The program is now a rough and
ready 45 minutes of pure high octane rock action that pops, sizzles, and gives
you just a little bit of insight as to who we are and how we came to be. Plus
there are one or two bonus extras we are hoping to include. Altogether, this is
a rousing, and hopefully uplifting, snapshot of three rock-n-roll brothers in
arms who are having fun and blazing a trail on their own terms. We should have
a definitive release date very soon. In the meantime, you may satisfy your
craving for the take-no-prisoners CWTF live experience by picking up the new
Live 2002 album, which is out now and selling briskly right alongside our
acclaimed studio mainstay, The Year Is One. Both are rip roarin', fist-throwing
solutions to whatever is keeping you down.
Well, tomorrow the circus leaves town once again and the rolling saga
continues. I must say that we are extremely excited to finally journey over to
Merry Olde and walk the streets and crawl the pubs where many of our greatest
idols made their names. It's downright surreal. I mean just to get to say,
"Awright WOLVERHAMPTON!!" one time from the stage. That's worth the entire trip
right there!
And naturally, we can hardly wait to rock the good ol' U.S.A. one more time
before year's end. A word to the wise for you Fallen on the East Coast: GET
THERE EARLY!! There are four bands on the bill and for most of the East Coast
dates, except for Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, CWTF will be going on first of
four.
Work continues on the Comes With The Fall - Live 2002 DVD. Just met with the
director Steve Reissner and the editors last night to watch a rough cut of the
entire program. This is shaping up to be one ripping rock-umentary --
interviews, backstage shenanigans and, of course, devastating live performances
of songs from "The Year Is One" and the self-titled (out of print) debut. We
are shooting for a Halloween release date, meaning this will (hopefully) be on
sale at the shows by then.
The soundtrack album Live 2002 has already gone to press and should be
available at shows by the start of the American tour in Corpus Christi, TX on
Oct. 9. Taken from three consecutive nights in California - San Diego,
Orangevale, and Modesto - it's the no nonsense sound of a hardworking band
doing what it does best. Those of you who were at these shows know what an
amazing time we all had. This album doesn't lie. It's reckless, crushing, and
goddamn electric! In other words, whether you were there or not, you won't want
to be without this.
Gotta sign off and finish packing now. This will be the last official news item
for awhile. To keep up with the daily goings-on, visit our MESSAGE BOARD. The
folks there usually know what's going on with us before we do anyway.
Let the rock begin.
Hello all. It's been quite a long time, hasn't it? Four months to be exact...
with about a hundred years of living packed into each one! One can't help but
think of that immortal line from our great philosopher Jon Bon Jovi. "I've seen
a million faces..." But it's hardly over. There is much more rocking of the
nation yet to be done. And it looks like England is gonna get some too. Life is
beautiful. See the SHOWS page for a CWTF Fall 2002 gig coming your way!
We want to thank all of you for the wonderful birthday wishes (and presents!!)
that have been coming our way. We do love you back... madly.
Onto the pressing matters of the day. Our dear friend Nature Girl, queen of all
things mail order and den mother to the Fallen throughout the world, has two -
count 'em, TWO - very interesting contests going on our MESSAGE BOARD. Here is
one. And here is the other. The prizes for both are extremely kick-ass. Go
ahead. See for yourself. And then ENTER. It will do you no harm.
Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas and mamas-to-be. We love you all (or at
least we try). This will be the last official news item for awhile. The
travelling circus begins as soon as I sign off. We will be rocking the nation
for quite a few weeks to come. To keep up with the day-to-day happenings, go to
the MESSAGE BOARD.
For those of you planning on attending the CWTF shows in San Diego (5/24),
Orangevale (5/25), and Modesto (5/26), plans are being finalized to film and
record all three of these shows for a possible live album/DVD release sometime
in the not-too-distant future. So step up!! Make yourselves seen and heard.
Come out and represent for the Fallen all over the world.
Peace be with all of you. Now get ready...
New Cantrell headlining dates with special guest Comes With The Fall in
Orangevale and Modesto, CA. See SHOWS page.
All you Fallen in the San Franscisco Bay Area take note! Both these shows are
just a short drive away. They will be your ONLY chances to see CWTF play our
own music in Northern California on this tour. We will NOT be playing our own
set at the Warfield Theater in SF on 5/28.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Layne Staley, a true original who will
no doubt be remembered within the pantheon of rock's all-time greats. We stand
in solidarity with our brother Jerry Cantrell in this hour of mourning and send
our most heartfelt condolences to all of Layne's family, friends, and fans
throughout the world. Today is a tragic day for those of us who know the
difference between "My Sacrifice" and "Them Bones," between "How You Remind
Me," and "Rain When I Die." Right now many are rightfully wondering about the
current state of this rock-n-roll music we all hold so dear. The answers
ultimately lie with you, dear reader. It's been said, "If you build it, they
will come." This summer and fall Jerry Cantrell and Comes With The Fall will
not only be building it, we will be delivering it to your doorsteps all across
America. A devastating full contact, rip-roaring rock-n-roll machine. The
stakes are higher than ever now. We hope you know how much we appreciate your
support. We will not let you down.
New Cantrell headlining date with special guest Comes With The Fall in
Vancouver, BC. See SHOWS page.
It looks like Nickelback have chosen a second opener for the summer tour dates.
Unfortunately, it's not CWTF. However, fear not! There will be a week of shows
in May wherein Cantrell will headline and CWTF will open. Two of those dates
are confirmed so far. Keep checking the SHOWS page for the rest. Also, plans
are in the works for Cantrell to headline an entire tour of his own in the fall
with CWTF pulling double duty as the opener. So we will get to rock you, we
just have to wait a little bit longer to do it. We must look at this in tantric
terms. The longer the anticipation... We want to thank all of you who signed
our petition, though. The response was incredible. And on the bright side, this
just gives us more time to hang out with you all between sets.
More dates on the SHOWS page, including a Cantrell headlining date in San
Diego. Bet you can't guess who's opening. Did somebody say "double duty"?
Sincerest apologies to all of you who got "Talbenized" this past week. Chalk it
up to good old fashioned "Rock Biz" cynicism from a guy who's been in the game
for a good long while now. When I wrote him personally to clarify our
motivations, he had this to say: "Yes. I am a fan of what you say. Yes, I'm a
metal flap of this machine. A very little one. After fifteen years, I know one
thing. Balls out is the ONLY thing that works."
Life goes on.
New dates on the SHOWS page. And keep those emails rolling in to us here at
CWTF headquarters (contact@comeswiththefall.com) if you want to sign the
petition saying, "I want to see Comes With The Fall play their own set as
openers on the Nickelback/Jerry Cantrell tour." See the 4/01/02 news item below
for details. Thanks to everyone who has written in so far. You all are the
best. We love you madly.
Yesterday it was brought to our attention that when the popular rock radio
station KUPD in Tempe, AZ played Jerry Cantrell's new single "Anger Rising,"
the DJ, whose name is Talben, mentioned CWTF saying in effect that we were "too
good for the radio." Now, we're sure Talben meant this as a compliment and we
take what he said in that spirit, but it did get us thinking: Too good for the
radio? What exactly does that mean? And what does that say about the state of
rock radio specifically and about popular music (and culture) in general? These
are major questions, far beyond the scope of this little news item. The main
point here is that we in CWTF want everyone to hear our music. And, while we
are under no illusions about the world in which we live or the industry in
which we work, we think it would be nice for Talben to know how many of you out
there would like to hear Comes With The Fall on a big station like KUPD. Email
him at Talben@98kupd.com. You don't have to take a long time with it. Just
saying something simple like "I want to hear Comes With The Fall on KUPD" will
make a huge difference. And you don't have to live in Tempe, AZ. It doesn't
matter where you live. It's about the principle involved here.
And while we have the activist in you all riled up, here's another important
thing you can do that will make a significant impact. As many of you already
know, Comes With The Fall will be Jerry Cantrell's back-up band on his upcoming
nationwide tour opening for Nickelback. What you may not know is that there is
a movement behind the scenes (led by Jerry Cantrell and his management) to get
CWTF to play a short set of our own music every night just prior to Jerry's
set. We want very much to do this. It would be a major victory for real-deal
rockers everywhere. We've even offered to play our set for free. Unfortunately,
the final decision is not ours, or even Cantrell's, to make. This is
Nickelback's tour so it's largely their call. But we know there's a whole lot
of you out there that want to see the kind of full-tilt maximum rock-n-roll
onslaught that the folks in Austin, TX got bombarded with a couple of weeks
ago. We want to hear from you!! All you have to do is email us here at
contact@comeswiththefall.com or just click the CONTACT button on this site.
Make the subject of the email "Nickelback/Cantrell Tour." In the main text of
your email, simply say, "I want to see Comes With The Fall play their own set
as openers on the Nickelback/Jerry Cantrell tour." Then sign it with YOUR NAME,
YOUR CITY, and YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. We ask for all three of these things to
better emphasize that these letters are all coming from different people from
around the country (and world). We promise not to use or in any way abuse your
email address. All of the information you provide will be handled with the
utmost care and discretion by industry professionals. The idea is to compile as
gigantic a petition as we can between now and April 10 that we will then, with
the help of Jerry's management and booking agency, forward to Nickelback's
people. So make yourselves heard!! Stand up and be counted!! ACT NOW!!!
Okay, so it's been awhile since we've had an update here and a lot of you have
been asking our opinion on how SXSW went. Two words: GODDAMN ELECTRIC (to quote
the mighty Pantera). First of all, the CWTF/Cantrell gigs at SXSW were merely
the finale of what was one of the most fun and eventful weeks this band has
ever had. After a run of CWTF shows that took us through Portland, Chico, and
San Francisco (thank you to all who came out), we undertook the long drive to
the deepest heart of Oklahoma farm country where we were welcomed by the entire
Cantrell family at their beautiful ranch home to begin rehearsals for the
Austin shows. These are truly wonderful people. Everyday the Rooster (Jerry's
father, for the precious few of you who don't know) would finish his morning
farm work (he even took us on a cattle run) and then spend the whole afternoon
preparing a veritable feast for us to eat that evening. We never ate so well.
After the first day's rehearsal, we all piled into the CWTF vehicle and lit
down to Dallas for Vinnie Paul of Pantera's birthday celebration that night.
Jerry and Shawn (the new rhythm guitarist/utility man in Cantrell's band) have
both known the Pantera guys for years and Bevan had once met and hung out with
them on a tour stop in Atlanta several years ago. But for the rest of us, this
was a completely new experience. Let it be known: Those Pantera boys can drink!
After spending some time at a one of their favorite local Dallas haunts, we all
adjourned to Vinnie's house for the afterparty. Dimebag Darrell (Pantera
guitarist and Vinnie's brother) surprised Vinnie by having a live band already
set up and playing by the time we got there. They were acoustic and played a
mix of originals and covers. We proceeded to eat and drink even more. Vinnie's
place is the quintessential rock-n-roll bachelor pad playground. The word
"palace" would not be too much of an exaggeration. Besides the usual recreation
and jam rooms, this place comes complete with a swimming pool shaped exactly
like a Crown Royal bottle (the jacuzzi is the cap) and a special "secret" room.
You get the idea. Eventually, Cantrell and the rest of us were called forward
to perform a few songs for the occasion. We played six or seven tunes. It's all
kind of a blur now but I do remember "No Excuses," "Angel Eyes," "Down In A
Hole," "Brother," and "Rooster" being among the things we did. Anyhow, a good
time was had by all and Dimebag captured it all on his ever-present video
camera. So if you ever see a Pantera home video with some drunk slobs slurring
their way through some Alice In Chains songs and a bunch of year-round
Christmas lights hanging everywhere, cut us some slack. And remember, nobody
paid to get in.
Eventually we made our way to Austin, always a fun town. What can I say? The
shows were ripping beyond words. The stage was outdoors and it was an
absolutely gorgeous night. CWTF played one of our best shows ever. At one
point, I asked the crowd how many of them had heard of us before and this great
roar went up in response. It was kick-ass. At the end of our set, Cantrell
joined us onstage and, since his birthday was just a couple of days away, I
asked the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday" to him. Then he grabbed one of my
guitars and we played "We Come Undone" from CWTF's first album. Seems we only
play that song nowadays when he's onstage with us. It's kinda become "our"
thing, what with the dual guitar freakout at the end and all. It was certainly
a great way to end this gig. Then we went to our merchandise table and met so
many amazingly cool people that I can't do justice to how good it made us feel.
You guys are awesome! Thank you for taking the time to talk to us. And thank
you for buying an album or a shirt and bringing a little bit of CWTF home with
you. It literally means the world to us.
So, after spending some much-cherished time with the Austin Fallen, before we
knew what was happening, it was time to go right back onstage and rock with
Cantrell. I'm sure I speak for all of us in Comes With The Fall when I say that
we feel a special responsibitlity to make Jerry's new material as potent on the
stage as it is on his new album. This was, by far, THE best Jerry Cantrell solo
performance that has ever taken place to date. It rocked with a special kind of
vengeance! It had just the perfect mixture of new songs from "Degradation Trip"
along with a couple of tunes from "Boggy Depot" and the requisite Alice hits.
Plus we had Robert Trujillo jump into the mix late in the set for "What The
Hell Have I" and "Spiderbite." He was amazing as always. Then, as the final
coup de gras, we had Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell from Pantera step up to
rock "Them Bones" with us. Let me just say, having jammed and partied with
these guys (as well as seeing their studio where they make all their records) I
am now one of the hugest Pantera fans on the face of the earth. And did I
mention these guys could drink?! All in all, it was an epic night for any true
believer. I don't know about anything else going on that night, but in Austin
at Stubb's BBQ, The Rock was properly represented. We in CWTF were honored to
be a part of it. Thanks again to all of you who showed your love by being
there. We saw a lot of people filming and taking pictures. We know MTV was
there, among others. If any of you have any video or still photographs of this
show, PLEASE email us through the contact button on this site. We would love to
post any documentation you have of this once in a lifetime event. And we look
forward to bringing everyone this show on the road this summer!
New shows on the SHOWS page. Also, in addition to CWTF playing their own set at
SXSW, William, Bevan, and Adam will be backing up Jerry Cantrell for his
headlining set that night. The set will feature songs from Jerry's upcoming
"Degradation Trip" release that were not played on last year's North American
tour. This show promises to be downright cataclysmic. Austin better get ready
for a double shot of some hard science.
Comes With The Fall have just confirmed an appearance at the South By Southwest
(SXSW) music conference in Austin, TX. It's a prime slot opening for Jerry
Cantrell outdoors at Stubb's BBQ on Saturday March 16. We're extremely excited
and looking forward to seeing some of you Fallen in Texas again. It's about
time!!
Played Tempe, AZ and Palm Desert, CA this past weekend. Both shows were great
fun and it was really awesome to meet so many cool people in both towns. This
was our second time in Palm Desert. We want to thank Mario, Ryan, and everyone
at The Old Prospector for having us back. And we want to thank the fellas in
UNIDA for playing with us in their home town. Great band, great guys. Arthur,
thank you again for the 9 volt. You saved our gig. And Scott, thanks for buying
our album. You know as well as we do that every dollar counts out there on the
road and we really appreciate it. Looking forward to seeing you guys at the
Troubador this Friday. And Tempe, you guys ROCK!! Thanks to Donnie and everyone
at the Big Fish Pub and all the bands on the bill that night for making our
first time in Tempe such a fun and easy hang. Special thanks to all of you that
bought records and shirts and had so many wonderful things to say about how our
music affects you. It truly means the world to us. You're what keeps us going.
We will see you all again very soon.
We are down to the last few dozen copies of the first pressing of "The Year Is
One." Future pressings of the album will feature completely different artwork
on the compact disc itself, as well as corrections in the album cover text
which were missed the first time around. Final proofing on the first pressing
took place in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 tragedy. In fact, the
last proof copy of the cover artwork is dated 9/11/01. People were somewhat
distracted to say the least. Anyway, those of you who want a first press copy
of this album, go to the MERCH page of this site and ORDER NOW, because once
these are gone, they are gone forever. Again, thanks to all of you throughout
the world who have supported us by ordering this album. Without you, we could
not exist.
Comes With The Fall are featured on page 65 of the current issue of Rolling
Stone magazine. It's issue # 889 dated February 14, 2002 with Jennifer Garner
of the TV show "Alias" on the cover. The review, written by noted rock scribe
David Fricke, could not be more flattering. Pick it up and spread the word! For
those of you in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, for whom Rolling Stone may be
different from the U.S. version or unavailable altogether, email our good
friend Nature Girl at naturegirl2u@hotmail.com. She has been gracious enough to
offer her services in helping our international fans obtain copies of the
magazine at U.S. retail cost ($3.95), plus shipping. Get them while supplies
last!!
For those of you who read about us in Rolling Stone and have been inquiring
about where to purchase "The Year Is One," look no further than right here!! Go
to the MERCH page on this site and ORDER DIRECTLY FROM US!! You can order
online using a credit card or you can send a check or money order (cashable in
U.S.) to the address given on the merch page. It's fast, easy, and reliable. We
ship everything First Class Mail usually within 24 hours of receiving your
order.
And yes, we are looking to obtain reliable international distribution for our
releases. But the key word there is reliable, meaning they actually get records
into the stores and actually pay DVL for the records that are sold. For some
reason, this is not as easy to come by as it sounds. All you fellow indies know
the deal. Can we get a witness?!
CWTF played Palm Desert, CA the week before last (1/19/02). This is the
birthplace of "stoner rock." We want to thank Brant Bjork (founding drummer of
Kyuss, and formerly of Fu Manchu, now with Queens Of The Stone Age) and Mario
from Fatso Jetson for hooking up this gig for us in their home town and being
such gracious hosts. We also want to thank the people of Palm Desert for
receiving us so warmly. We knew going in that you would understand the real
deal when you saw it and you did not disappoint us at all!! We had a kick-ass
time and look forward to rocking you again on Feb. 9. Note to all of the LA
Fallen: Palm Desert is only about two hours East on I-10, a really fun and easy
hang for you to make. We highly recommend the more hardcore among you to come
out and represent properly on 2/9. Palm Desert does not "fake the funk!"
Happy New Year everyone. We hope all of you had a safe and joyous holiday. We
want to send a special shout out to all our friends in Argentina. Our thoughts
are with you.
We just found out that it's none other than Mary Anne Hobbs' Rock Show on BBC
Radio One that's been showing Comes With The Fall love over the British
airwaves. We could not be more thrilled. For those of you that don't know, the
Rock Show is THE rock-n-roll radio show in England. Everyone who is anyone on
the international rock scene has appeared there. Find out more about the show,
and its illustrious host, at www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/alt/hobbs.shtml
Whatever country you live in, if you care about cool new music and progressive
ideas getting a serious forum for mainstream exposure, then email Mary Anne at
mary.anne.hobbs@bbc.co.uk and thank her for the work she's doing. She's an
important figure on the world stage and has CWTF's utmost respect. You can also
post on the Rock Show message board. Mary Anne reads it regularly and often
responds directly.
And special thanks to Phil Alexander, editor-in-chief at Kerrang! Magazine, for
helping spread the word. You rule, dude.
In other news, we have amended the directions to our next show to make it
easier for our people in West Hollywood and Santa Monica to get to ZEN in
Silverlake. Check the SHOWS page.
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