Hey all!

Happy warm weather to you all. It’s been a bit since our last update, so here’s a quick note on what everyone is up to.

We’re extremely excited to announce that Black Box will be releasing Shad’s record, “The Old Prince” in the United States on June 30th! We recently inked a distribution deal with Caroline, and we’re honoured to have Shad as our first Black Box release in the US. The record will be out just in time for Warped Tour. Make sure you check out Shad’s brand new MySpace profile at myspace.com/shad, and stay tuned for clips from his forthcoming video for the song, “Compromise”!

Ten Second Epic’s video for “Welcome To Wherever You Are” continues to climb the MuchMusic Countdown, and has found itself atop the MOD Daily 10 on a number of occasions this month. Thanks for the ongoing support. The band is shooting their next video for the song “Every Day” on June 2nd, so stay tuned! Also, heads up to Southern Ontario - London, Guelph, Hamilton, Toronto - TSE is coming your way this week!

Living With Lions continue their assault on the US, having just announced a run of dates in June with our friends in The Swellers from Detroit, MI. They’ll also be announcing some select Western Canadian dates in the coming days. If you haven’t checked it out already, Adeline has released the Dude Manor EP on 10″ Vinyl - click HERE to order.

The Wooden Sky sold out The Music Gallery in Toronto last Friday in what can only be described as a breathtaking and inspiring performance. Joined by Evening Hymns and The Silver Line, this was a very special night for us. The band is finishing the mix of their new record, which we can now tell you will hit shelves on August 25th! More tour news and new music coming in the next couple of weeks!

Valery Gore has been confirmed on handful of summer festivals, including Ottawa Bluesfest, The Atlantic Jazz Festival, and the Evolve Music Festival. She’s also confirmed a performance at NXNE on June 19th as part of the Now Magazine showcase, and a slot opening for Sea & Cake at Supermarket on June 27th! Also, the winner and runners up have been announced in the Valery Gore Remix Competition. The winner is Kidstreet from Toronto - you can download their mix of “Shoes Of Glass”, along with the mixes of the 3 runners up HERE. Make sure you check them out and pass them along to your friends.

Classified is off for a couple of days before finishing the final 3 dates of his national tour. Hopefully you caught one of the shows, as it has been epic from coast to coast. The sold out show at the Phoenix in Toronto was a strong indicator that the new record is really connecting with people. We should have some exciting news regarding the MMVA’s to announce in the coming weeks as well, so stay tuned!

Crash Parallel is finishing up mixing their new record in LA with Matt Wallace. Keep an eye out for some select summer tour dates, and an album release date announcement coming soon!

Thats all for now from camp Black Box. Don’t forget to visit us online at the links below!
Website: weareblackbox.com”
Facebook: Fan Page
MySpace: myspace.com/blackboxmusic
Twitter: twitter.com/weareblackbox

NEWS UPDATE

Hey friends,

A couple of real quick things you should take note of…

1) The Ten Second Epic “Welcome To Your Hometown” tour kicks off in Vancouver today! This starts 6 weeks across Canada, so make sure you check out all the dates here (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=63054376796).

The band will be posting daily blogs on their myspace (http://myspace.com/tensecondepic). The first one chronicles Craig’s first haircut in almost 2 years, as he donated his luscious locks to the Canadian Cancer Society. What a guy. There is still also time to get in on the TSE/Atticus, for your chance to win tickets and prizes - enter here (http://exclaim.ca/contests/ContestEntry.aspx?fid2=461)

The band has also announced that they’ll be PERFORMING on MuchOnDemand on May 4th! For those of you in the GTA (or those willing to make the drive), click the following link to find out how to attend. (http://www.muchmusic.com/tv/mod20/)

2) Shad will be launching a brand new myspace in the next day or so. Make sure to check out http://myspace.com/shad for the re-vamped look, and information on both his summer touring plans and the US release of his record, “The Old Prince”.

Also, for those of you that are feeling extra street-teamy, Shad’s got a fun little program hooked up through his Facebook fan page…check it out here (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Shad/8879242845).

3) Classified’s national tour hits the road this week in Vancouver as well. For all the dates and details, visit his new website at http://classifiedofficial.com”.

4) To all of our GTA friends, don’t forget that the newest Black Box family member, Valery Gore, is playing a show at the Drake next Wednesday, April 29th with Evening Hymns. It should be a lot of fun. E-mail info@weareblackbox.com for more info. We’ll also add the first 5 people (+ a guest each) that send us an e-mail to the guestlist! Fun!

Thats about all for now - hang tight for updates next week from The Wooden Sky (Overthetop Show being announced), studio update from Crash Parallel, and more from on the road with Ten Second Epic and Classified.

xo
Ian

Hey guys,

We have teamed up with Atticus and Exclaim for the upcoming Ten Second Epic tour! Click on the link below for info on how to win tickets, Atticus swag, and an exclusive Atticus/Ten Second Epic t-shirt!

Remember to check out all the tourdates HERE, and the event invitation on FACEBOOK!

Ever wonder what it’s like to spend a scandalous weekend with the Black Box family in Texas? Well you don’t have to wonder anymore. Head over to weareblackbox.blogspot.com and check out the photo-blog I made to chronicle our trip to SXSW. I’m by no means a pro photographer, but its a fun look at a busy weekend. Here’s a quick taste of what you can expect:

Thursday night parties…

The aftermath…

The festival…

The bros…

The feasts…

and the debauchery…

Oh yeah, and all the bands and stuff. Let us know what you think!

Also, if you haven’t already, make sure you hit up the “Welcome To Your Hometown” tour event on FACEBOOK! We’re posting all the show and ticket information there, so it’ll be your one stop shop for the tour.

If you’re in Irvine, CA this weekend for Bamboozle Left, make sure you check out Ten Second Epic and Living With Lions on Sunday!

And Classified’s new record “Self Explanatory” hits shelves next week…GET IT!

That’s about all for now. Stay tuned, and make sure to check out the PHOTO BLOG!

Hey guys,

Real quick update. SXSW was awesome - keep an eye out for a bit of a photo journal which I hope to finish up this weekend. Thanks to everyone that came out to our artists’ showcases and made Texas so fun for yet another year.

BIG TSE NEWS — TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED AND NEW VIDEO!

Ten Second Epic has announced the “Welcome To Your Hometown” Tour with special guests The New Cities and The Februarys. The tour is 29 dates starting in Vancouver. For all the details, hit up the tour facebook event here.

To support the tour, the band has also released a NEW video for the song “Welcome To Wherever You Are” which was shot in Vancouver at the end of January. To view it, head over to the band’s
myspace.

We can use all your support voting for it on the MuchOnDemand Top 10, by hitting the following link to
muchmusic.com.

In other news, I F#%KED up on our last post-CMW update, completely forgetting to mention that Crash Parallel won a Canadian Radio Music Award for CHR Single of the Year, for the song “World We Know”! Congrats to our boys. They head into studio with Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, Faith No More…) in April to record their new album. My sincere apologies to the band for allowing that exciting news to slip my mind on the last update.

Finally, Classified’s record “Self Explanatory” hits shelves in 2 weeks. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the single, “Anybody Listening”, do it up. It’s cracked top 10 in Canada! You can also check out the Half Life Crew’s most recent video blog from SXSW here

Keep an eye out for more tour blogs from their European dates with D-12 and Royce Da 5′9 coming soon.

That’s about it for now. Best of luck to all our friends who are nominated for Juno’s this weekend - Lights, Cancer Bats, Protest The Hero, Saint Alvia Cartel, Moneen, City & Colour and everyone else. Wish we could be in Vancouver to celebrate with you!

xxxIan

Hey guys,

It’s been a bit since our last update, so check out the hotness!

Classified has announced a national tour starting in Vancouver, BC on April 23rd. The tour is in support of the new record, “Self Explanatory”, which drops April 7th. Classified will be appearing with his HalfLife crew, including Mic Boyd, Chad Hatcher, J Bru and DJ IV. Check the tours section for all the dirty details and stay tuned for contests and other fun junk associated with the upcoming dates.

Ten Second Epic plan to announce national dates for May as well in the next week or so, in conjunction with the launch of their new video for “Welcome To Wherever You Are”. MuchMusic is planning some excusive behind-the-scenes coverage, so keep an eye out for that up on MuchAXS.

It’s CMW this week, and we’re stoked to have Crash Parallel, Ten Second Epic and Valery Gore all playing showcases. Check the tours section for all the details. Shad is also up for Urban Artist of the Year at this year’s Indie Awards. The award will be presented as part of the CMW festivities.

Also, keep an eye out for Valery on CBC’s “Here and Now” with Matt Galloway this Friday. Check valerygore.com for all the info. Shad is also appearing on AUX.tv’s Alt. Sessions program on March 23rd. The program runs from 9-11pm, and can be seen on the Bite TV digital channel - available for free during the month of March (Rogers 322, Bell 530, Cogeco 123).

Other than that, The Wooden Sky is mixing their record this week, Crash Parallel is preparing to go into studio and Living With Lions are on tour in the US. SXSW is coming up, so we’re jazzed about that. Come visit us at the Indie Village if you’re around.

On another note, if you’re not cheering for Canada in the World Baseball Classic…shame on you. GO CANADA GO!

What’s up everyone,

Just a quick update on a number of things going on over here. First off, I’m starting to do these updates in video-blog form, so if you like watching instead of reading, here you go:

It’s a little longer than anticipated - future blogs will be shorter, I promise. On with the update!

1) We’re extremely proud to welcome a new member to the Black Box family on the management side. Her name is Valery Gore, and she’s from right here in Toronto. Her new record, “Avalanche To Wandering Bear” was released in November on Do Right Music and has been getting some very positive feedback. Exclaim calls it “One of the best written and produced records of the year that should establish Valery Gore among the strongest female voices currently writing music.” Make sure you check her out at:
valerygore.com
myspace.com/valerygore
facebook fan page

2) Living With Lions have a couple of sweet announcements. Firstly, their video for “A Bottle Of Charades” is being played on MuchMusic now. To encourage their fans to get requesting, the band has set up a contest to be entered into a draw for some great prizes including tickets to a show, and LWL vinyl courtesy of our friends at Adeline Records. To check that out, hit up their blog!

The band has also been confirmed on this year’s Bamboozle Left happening April 4th and 5th in California. They’re playing on the Sunday, along headliners like Taking Back Sunday, Deftones, Thrice and 50 Cent…yes, actually 50 Cent. More info at:
thebamboozle.com

3) Ten Second Epic’s record “Hometown” is in stores now! Released on January 27th, the album debuted at #16 on the Canadian charts, the 4th highest debut of the week. We’re going to have some behind the scenes footage from their new video for ‘Welcome To Wherever You Are” up in the next week or so, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

4) It’s conference season, and we’re lucky to have almost all of our artists representing! Canadian Music Week is in Toronto from March 11th-14th. Two of our artists have showcases, so if you have a CMW wristband, come check them out:
Ten Second Epic - March 13th @ The Kathedral
Valery Gore - March 14th @ The Supermarket

South By Southwest happens the following week, and we have no less than FOUR artists performing this year!
The Wooden Sky - March 20th @ Volume
Classified - March 20th @ Music Gym Patio
Living With Lions - March 20th @ Buffalo Billiards
Shad - Date/Venue TBA, but he will be there!

If you’re at either CMW or SXSW, come say whats up!

5) Random notes:
Shad - Hitting up some Western Canadian dates this week. Check them out if you can! shadk.com for more info.

The Wooden Sky - Are finishing up vocals on their new record before heading to SXSW. We’re REALLY excited for the album, hopefully you are too. They’re also playing some shows in Quebec and Ontario in the next couple of weeks. thewoodensky.com for more info!

Crash Parallel - Just finished up some East Coast dates, and will finish off this album touring cycle this Saturday, February 14th @ The Mod Club. They’re heading to LA to record with Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, Deftones, REM) this Spring, so stay tuned for more updates there.

Classified - “Self Explanatory” is out April 7th across Canada. The single, “Anybody Listening” is in the top 40 on radio in Canada, and the video should be hitting the airwaves before March. Following SXSW, he’s headed to Europe with D-12, then back to do a tour across Canada following the album release. For more info, visit his myspace!

That’s about all for now. I feel like I’m out of breathe. Remember to visit us online:
Ian

Just a quick note to remind you that Ten Second Epic’s new record, “Hometown” is in stores across Canada today! The record is available at HMV, Future Shop, Best Buy, Walmart, Sunrise, CD Plus and Play just to name a few. If for some reason they’re already sold out when you get there, please make sure you ask someone to order some more copies for you and your friends.

You can also grab the record off iTunes at the following link:
HOMETOWN ON iTUNES!

Thanks for the support everyone. It’s been a long road to get to the release, but it feels great and we’re stoked for everyone to finally hear it.

Ian/Black Box.

Hey everyone!

As you know, Ten Second Epic’s new record “Hometown” hits shelves next Tuesday, but you don’t have to wait until then to preview the whole record. The band has posted a full-album stream at myspace.com/tensecondepic - go check it out and leave them some love.

Our friends at MTV have also posted a handful of songs in their MTV Drops feature, which can be found at mtv.ca!

If you like what you hear, you have only a couple more days to get your pre-order in at maplemusic.com.

And don’t forget to check them out on their remaining shows with Theory Of A Deadman - they will be selling copies of “Hometown” at these shows, as well as their old record “Count Yourself In” for only $5!

Thanks for the support, remember - “HOMETOWN” hits stores Tuesday!!

Ian

What’s up everyone -

I feel like we’ve been dropping a lot of bulletins lately, but there’s a lot going on! So please bare with us…

Lots going on with Living With Lions! They have launched their video for the song “A Bottle Of Charades” and it is being featured on MySpace! The video has also been added to rotation on MuchMusic, so keep an eye out there. The Lions have also been nominated for two FU Awards (fuawards.com), which are awards handed out by 102.1 The Edge’s Punkorama radio show in Toronto. The band is nominated for Song of the Year for “A Bottle Of Charades”, and Best Live Performance.

To check out the video, learn how you can vote for Lions at the FU Awards, and to take a peek at their most recent (and ridiculous) video blog, hit up their MYSPACE.

Ten Second Epic are about halfway through their national tour with Theory Of A Deadman, and so far so good! For those of you that are heading out to the shows, they are selling their new disc, “HOMETOWN”, which hits shelves next Tuesday. If you can’t make it out to a show, you can always pre-order the record at www.maplemusic.com. Not sold yet? You can preview the whole record on their MYSPACE from January 23rd-26th. The video for “Life Times” is up to #15 on the MuchMusic Countdown, so thanks for your support! Hometown - OUT JANUARY 27TH!

Finally, we’ve got some cool news on the Shad front. His song, “Brother (Watching)” was included alongside 48 other artists in CBC Radio 2’s ‘Obamas Playlist’ - a list of songs that voters deemed to define Canadian music. For the complete list, check out the following link:
Obama’s Playlist
CBC Radio3 has also posted some in-studio live recordings Shad and his band did back in November. This includes some new stuff and some older stuff - all of it is worth checking out. Here’s the link:
Shad’s Radio3 Sessions

Upcoming Shad Dates:
Jan 29 - Guelph, ON @ Vinyl
Jan 30 - Peterborough, ON @ Gordon Best Theatre
Jan 31 - Toronto, ON @ Nathan Phillips Square
Feb 12 - Kelowna, BC @ The Habitat
Feb 13 - Golden, BC @ The Roadhouse Tavern
Feb 14 - Calgary, AB @ Hi-Fi Club
Feb 19 - Victoria, BC @ Lucky Bar
Feb 21 - Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore

The Wooden Sky should have a new video blog up from their recording session in Montreal soon. So keep checking back on that front. Thats all for now, go check out the new Lions video, and cast some votes for the FU Awards!

Ian

PS - Black Box just emerged into the world of Twitter! If you use Twitter, please feel free to add Black Box, me or Ten Second Epic. The internet is ridiculous.
twitter.com/weareblackbox
twitter.com/ianblackbox
twitter.com/tensecondepic