The latest news from Alesanahttp://www.alesanaofficial.com/news<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/04/05/medium.k32326q49ni4.jpg" /><br /><p> <div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/1.5em 'Lucida Grande', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 8px;"> <p>Alesana is on Bamboozle!</p> </div> </p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:40:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/57631<p>Hey everyone, VIP Check-in Information has been posted for the first week of the tour. To find the check-in times and locations, simply click on your specific event and you will see the information. The view the entire list of concert dates, head on over to the <a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/events" target="_self">events section</a> of the website. If your VIP check-in information has not been posted yet, please be sure to keep checking back as more information will be posted in the coming days.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:20:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/49031<p>We at ground(ctrl) are proud to announce the release of our first app for the iPhone. The new app allows you to access all of your favorite ground(ctrl) sites - including Alesanaoffical.com - all from the palm of your hand!<br /> <br /> Plus:<br /> Access latest news, media and tour schedules<br /> View order history and tracking information<br /> Purchase tickets for upcoming events<br /> Manage messages and friend requests.<br /> <br /> Download the free app now! http://bit.ly/lQg6UM</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:10:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/40881<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/13/11/medium.41316jlroq61.jpg" /><br /><p>January 25, 2011 Los Angeles, CA Southern Californias renowned independent rock label, Epitaph Records, announces today the signing of Raleigh, North Carolina based rock sextet Alesana. In a deal inked in late 2010, Alesana plans to release their fourth studio album in late 2011. The group is currently on a US tour with former Epitaph band Escape The Fate. <br /><br />We are very proud to officially announce that we have signed with Epitaph Records, says guitarist Shawn Milke. This is a giant step for our career and we could not be any happier than to land with a powerhouse like Epitaph who, like us, and determined to bring Alesana to the next level. We are currently on the road as direct support to Escape The Fate after which we are headed back into the studio with our friend and producer Kris Crummett to record our fourth full length and first release on Epitaph. We hope you are as excited for 2011 as we are!<br /><br />Formed in 2004, Alesana exploded on to the scene with the release of their debut full-length On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax in 2007. Now comprised of Shawn Milke (vocals/guitars), Dennis Lee (vocals), Patrick Thompson (guitar), Alex Torres (guitar), Shane Crump (bass) and Jeremy Bryan (drums), Alesana has become a staple band in the post-hardcore genre over the past several years, building their sound and career around a tightknit style of swift attacking guitar riffs and bottom dropping breakdowns intricately blended with the bands duel melodic/snarling vocals all assembled with skillful songwriting. <br /><br />The band has released two additional full-lengths, 2008s Where Myth Fades to Legend and 2009s The Emptiness, performed at 2007 and 2010s Vans Warped Tour and 2009s Australian Soundwave Festival and toured with the likes of Chiodos, Silverstein, The Devil Wears Prada, A Day To Remember, Bayside, Mayday Parade and Drop Dead Gorgeous among others, amassing a worldwide army of fans along the way. And the blood, sweat and hard work has paid off in full as Alesana begin their next chapter with the notorious Epitaph Records.<br /><br />They've got an amazing discography, have helped countless Epitaph bands by taking them on the road and with their latest release being their strongest are a band at the top of their game, adds Epitaph Founder and President Brett Gurewitz. m stoked to welcome Alesana to the Epitaph family.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:30:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/22251<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/06/09/medium.4bmhb22k0331.jpg" /><br /><p>Alesana announces tour with Escape The Fate!!!</p> <p>Shawn Milke:</p> <p>"We are very excited to announce that we will be touring with Escape The Fate as direct support to open up the new year! And then it is back into the studio to record our new and latest story! We hope to see all of you this winter on The Dead Masquerade Tour!"</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:20:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/16641<p>Please head over to the <a href="../../../events">EVENTS</a> page and check out your show's VIP meet up times as some of them have changed!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:20:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/16491<p>Just a reminder... VIP packages for the Two Frail Weeks Tour do NOT include tickets to the show! You must purchase them separately!!!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:30:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/15001<h3>VIP packages are now available for the Two Frail Weeks of Vanity and Wax Tour. The Beautiful in Blue VIP Soundcheck Package includes:</h3> <p>-Soundcheck</p> <p>-An exclusive live performance of 'Beautiful in Blue'</p> <p>-Meet and Greet with Alesana</p> <p>-Group photo*</p> <p>-Exclusive 'Two Frail Weeks Of Vanity And Wax' tour laminate</p> <p><em>* Please bring your own camera</em></p> <p></p> <p>Limited quantities available per show, so pick up yours now!</p> <p>Head on over to the Events section and click on the VIP button for your show to purchase. VIP packages do NOT include a ticket to the show.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:20:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12608<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/03/07/medium.qchke3734xyo.jpg" /><br /><p>Nows your chance to be the first to purchase a ticket for the 'Two Frail Weeks Of Vanity And Wax Tour'. Head over to the <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/events" target="_self">events </a>section for dates and pre-sale tickets! A special exclusive VIP package will be announced later today!!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:50:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12593<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/01/07/medium.s9g7vdfj36l7.png" /><br /><p><strong>Tour Announcement: Two Frail Weeks of Vanity and Wax</strong></p> <p>Hey guys!</p> <p>We are getting back to our roots and giving back to those who have been with us from the start. We will be playing On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax in FULL on a limited East Coast tour. We hope you'll join us from near and far and share your stories about On Frail Wings... and what it has meant to you. Some songs will be retired after this tour, so be sure you make it out to these shows!</p> <p>We will also have limited edition merch available on this tour! We hope to see all of your faces!</p> <p>Love, Alesana</p> <p></p> <p>Check out the tour dates <a href="../../../events">HERE!</a></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:00:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12541<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/07/15/medium.22sineca8w5x.gif" /><br /><p>Be sure to check back next week as we will be posting a big announcement!!!</p> <p>Can anybody guess what it is?!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 15 Sep 2010 10:20:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12463<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/06/00/medium.9155c73a5p26.png" /><br /><p>The Emptiness Tour goes to South America with A Skylit Drive! Check out the tour dates <a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/events" title="here." target="_blank">here.</a></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:10:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12433<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/14/05/medium.0f6yq5u342jb.png" /><br /><p>Make sure to pick up a copy!!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:50:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12390<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/13/08/medium.kt893viyk703.jpg" /><br /><p> <p><strong>Today is:</strong>Wednesday, August 25, 2010<br /><strong>Where I am:</strong>Somewhere in the U.S.A., cross-country drive home<br /><strong>Where I am actually:</strong>keeping my brother Chris (who also is our driver) company in the front of the bus.<br /><strong>Time of day:</strong>11:32 a.m.<br /><strong>What I am listening to:</strong>The Ocean by Mae</p> <p>The summer is drawing near its end. The days are getting slightly shorter, though it is hard to even notice. The nights are getting a little cooler, at least where I live on the East Coast. If you go to school in the fall, your mind is no doubt drifting back to what the heck you want to do with your life once you escape the shackles of seven periods a day with a short, crappy lunch sandwiched in the middle.If you spent the summer away from home you are either happy or sad or both, that your summer lovin is about to discover its untimely conclusion. If your summer found you doing something you love with people that you love then you are no doubt going to close your eyes and relive the memory over and over again. I closed my eyes a lot on the long drive home, not to sleep, but to remember. What a summer. What a tour. What a good time I have had sharing my experiences and my thoughts with each one of you throughout the whole process. To pay my thanks for the joy you all have brought me by joining me here at revolvermag.com, I made sure I had my camera with me the whole way home. Dont get me wrong, I could go on and on for pages about the amazing summer that I had and the travels I experienced to get home; but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Allow me to close my eyes...</p> <p></p> <p><a href="http://www.revolvermag.com/features/post/alesanas-shawn-milke-signs-off-with-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-word/" target="_blank">Check out all the photos HERE!</a></p> <br /> <p></p> </p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:20:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12366<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/12/06/medium.3hvajq0i3e53.jpg" /><br /><p> <p><strong>Today is:</strong>Monday, August 2, 2010<br /><strong>Where I am:</strong>Bonner Springs, KansasDay 37 of the Vans Warped Tour<br /><strong>Where I am actually:</strong>Laying in my bunk where it is cold because it is hot outside. Very, very hot.<br /><strong>Time of day:</strong>5:44 p.m.<br /><strong>What I am listening to:</strong>Sweet Tangerine by The Hush Sound (such a cute song!)</p> <p>Allow me to begin by saying that I was blown away by your responses last week. I honestly read each and every one of them and I still cannot believe how many of you took the time to share your thoughts. Thank you. Oh, and just a heads up. I am in a very hyper mood today, which is causing my thoughts to race about a million miles a second. Needless to say, keeping this weeks blog to only one idea or concept is pretty much an impossibility. If you are lucky, I might label each section. Maybe not. Probably not.</p> <p>I am going to be a super-fan for a moment, if I may? I recently met Ace Enders (formerly of the Early November, currently of I Can Make a Mess Like Nobodys Business). He is playing the Warped Tour this year on the same stage as we are, which still does not feel real to say, even as I write it down. He watched us play one day, and, no joke, his exact words were: Wow. I feel tougher just having watched that set. How cool is that? I have looked up to Ace for years. I used to put The Rooms Too Cold into the stereo in my car and blast Ever So Sweet as loud as I could and sing my heart out. I remember thinking how cool it must be to have written a song that was so good and so powerful that it led people to make fools out of themselves in their cars (me = that very same fool). Even more important, he is a great person and a kind soul. He is the definition of humility, which is something I strive to become as a musician and an entertainer. In my mind there is no better quality that an artist can possess. </p> <p>Student Rick meets Slick Shoes meets Name Taken. If I had to define my first real band, that is the comparison I would have to make. I loved all three of those bands, and still do. Sadly, Student Rick only made one record. Name Taken made more than one, but only the last one ever received any recognition in the public eye. Slick Shoes made a bunch. Wow, I am rambling.</p> <p>I am not a very religious person, but I definitely believe that there is something that exists beyond our understanding. It is my belief that the term God is something we lend to the possibility of something so powerful that it is beyond the comprehension of the human mind. I do not believe he is a guy sitting on a cloud in a white robe smiting the wicked and embracing the blessed. However, I most certainly believe that we were created by someone or something. I am not so vain as to believe that the beginning and the end rests in the hands on mankind alone. </p> <p>Is it OK to laugh if you watch someone trip on their own shoelace? I am not saying it would be funny if they actually fell and hurt themselves. But I think I would laugh if they just stumbled a little bit. Tell you what, if you ever see me trip on my own shoelace, feel free to laugh.</p> <p>I am going to jump back to religion quickly, but this time in a more lighthearted fashion. When God created Earth, do you think he hid practical jokes everywhere? For example, when it rains, it is our instinct as human beings to run for cover. I am sure God thought of this, so he gave us big, tall trees to hide beneath. But the most readily available thing for lightning to strike would be this very same big, tall tree. I would like to think that God has a sense of humor. I mean come on, a hammerhead shark? Really, God?</p> <p>This is what living like this does. This is what living like this does. This is what living like this does. Damn, the first Taking Back Sunday record is so good.</p> <p>If you are a writer and are ever experiencing writers block, I feel your pain. Sometimes the words are just not there. Sometimes every idea, every sentence just feels hackneyed and mundane. One trick that I have used in the past and have found pretty good success with, is to write with a pen and paper instead of on a computer. I know it is 2010 and the thought of doing anything by hand sounds archaic, but trust me it works. Using the pen and paper technique causes you to write slower and consequently gives your mind more time to relax and adjust. Instead of stressing about having nothing to say, you will concentrate more on the physical act of writing and before you know it you will have written a couple of pages. Even if it is total crap, at least you got something down and gave your mind a chance to breathe. Also, when using the pen, never cross anything out. Writing on a computer literally goes hand in hand with the delete key (a function we all use far too much) causing us to sometimes suffocate potential ideas. Once in a while, go back and read through what you wrote down on paper. You may be surprised how much an idea can seem like a plethora of garbage one day and a pirates treasure the next.</p> <p>Most poorly used word in the English language? Literally. Thank you, David Cross.</p> </p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:30:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12270<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/07/14/medium.08n0l63o0mxo.jpg" /><br /><p> <p><strong>Today is:</strong>Friday, July 16th, 2010<br /><strong>Where I am:</strong>Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Day 20 of the Vans Warped Tour<br /><strong>Where I am actually:</strong>Bouncing back and forth between the hot trailer and the cold bus<br /><strong>Time of day:</strong>3:23 p.m.<br /><strong>What I am listening to:</strong>t Tell Me Nothing by Kanye West</p> <p>Dearest (love) reader, I hope this (message) blog finds you well (Last Three Letters, anyone?). Your responses to last weeks question were so candid, open, and honest. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for not only reading, but for sharing your experiences.</p> <p>I have been writing since I was a kid. I would write scripts in my little notebook that had a picture of the Ultimate Warrior (by far my favorite wrestler) on the front. They were not much, obviously. Just a few scribbles of characters names, a small description of a setting, and, if I was feeling motivated, maybe a small plot of some sort. To be honest, I sometimes read back through them only to find that they were essentially just knockoffs of films that already existed, albeit with a few minor changes here and there. Come on, cut me some slackI was 11 years old. After the script was finished, I would film the story with my sister and childhood best friend, as the three acted out the plot, with each of us playing multiple characters. My camera was one of those very old, very large VHS video cameras. The quality of the image was terrible, the acting awful, and the script completely ignored. I would spend hours following the award-winning performance, the movie by attaching two VCRs together, playing the movie with one and recording the changes with the other. I was even able to add a soundtrack afterwards by recording the TV screen with a new tape in the camera and playing music with my stereo in the background. I would then cook popcorn and force my family to watch the movie. They were so good at pretending to love every second, and it always made me smile. Their support kept me motivated. It is amazing how much parents can influence the direction and success of their children.</p> <p>As I grew older, my writing carried over into my schoolwork. I took several advanced-placement writing courses and by my senior year achieved the highest score in my class during college-placement exams for writing. In college, I majored in Business Management while minoring in Creative Writing. It is strange because, despite my success and talent, I never really put my entire self into writing. Growing up and all through high school, all I wanted to do was play baseball. I was good at it, the girls seemed to dig it, and therefore that is where my priorities were held. After graduating, I had the option to play ball in college but, after days and days of pondering, I made the decision to pursue life outside of sports. High-level athletics are the definition of devotion, with three-a-day practices and the challenge of maintaining studies, and while I still love baseball with all of my heart, the desire to see what else life had to offer took a hold of me. A big reason for my decision stems back to the writing I did as a kid and something that my Aunt Cheryl said to me when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old: Never quit writing. No matter where you go in life, always write. You have a God-given gift, and it would be wrong to give that up and not share it with others. I promised myself to never forget her advice, which, of course, became hard during my teenage years. But doesnt everything seem to be hard when you are a teenager?</p> <p>As I grew into adulthood, barely escaping the years of puberty, hormones, acne, SATs and the catch-and-release of my first love, her advice came storming back to me. Write. Always write. So I did. Only not quite the way we maybe had in mind all of those years ago. I had learned how to play guitar, piano, and drums. I wrote songs, and a lot of them. Over the course of about three years I wrote and recorded five albums worth of material for three different bands that I put together. Then, as many of you may already know, I formed Alesana in 2004 and since that day have written one EP and three full-length records. I am currently writing material for the fourth Alesana LP and also for two other projects called Wake Me Up, Juliet and Tempting Paris. The crazy thing is, even after writing over 100 songs, the itch to write stories still existed within me. Songwriting is a beautiful and amazing experience, but I still felt like that was not what my Aunt Cheryl was talking about. Never quit writing. She was not talking about songs, even though she is proud of my success as a songwriter. What she was truly talking about was prose. Stories. Experiences. Characters. Plot. I finally understood. Hence, The Emptiness: My first printed, creative piece of story writing. I was nervous as hell to write that story. But her words gave me the strength see it through to the end. And now I am half way through my first novel. Thank you, Aunt Cheryl.</p> <p>My most definitive flaw as a writer, though I would not necessarily consider it to be a flaw, is procrastinating. I take everything down to the wire, so to speak. As painful as procrastinating can be, I just cannot seem to hate it. So many things that I have accomplished, written, and created have been due to putting it off until the last minute. Maybe it is the pressure. Or maybe that is just my excuse. Either way, it is a system that works for me. Does my publicist (the one and only Jenny Reader) get stressed out hunting me down for my work? I am going to hazard a guess and sayyes. And for this I most certainly do apologize. But the one thing I can guarantee is that I will never hand in something that is not 100-percent honest, from the heart, and completely a part of me. I take my writing very seriously and I would never want to let anyone down just to say that I handed it in on time. Is that maybe a teeny bit irresponsible? Oh, yeah. But I also never iron my clothes, I sometimes forget to brush my teeth before bed, I stay in the shower even if I know I am late for something, I wear the same underwear for what some would consider far too long, and I tend to leave the coffeepot on all day. I am not here to tell lies. Lies are a waste of everyones time. I handed this blog in late. I am sorry, honestly I am. But I would have been more sorry to hand in a story that I would not have been proud to share with all of you.</p> <p>That leads me to this weeks question! What is one irresponsible thing that you did this week?<em>And</em>what did you do to remedy your mistake? I think I will send my publicist some flowers. She deserves it for putting up with my tardiness.</p> <p><strong>Song Quote of the Week:</strong></p> <p>And even though Id always dreamed of going to the stars, in space all I think about is you and me In Space by Ludo</p> <p>You know whats funny? There was something I really wanted to say when I first sat down to begin writing this blog. But now I cant seem to remember what it was. Oh well, Ill get to it later. Maybe.</p> </p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:40:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12209<p> <p><strong>Today is:</strong>Sunday July 13th, 2010<br /><strong>Where I am:</strong>Mansfield, Massachusetts - Day Seventeen of the Vans Warped Tour<br /><strong>Where I am actually:</strong>the couch in the front lounge of my bus next to a sleeping Alex<br /><strong>Time of day:</strong>2:39 p.m.<br /><strong>What I am listening to:</strong>EP by Mae</p> <p>Hello, all. Is it Wednesday already? My, oh my, how time does fly. Thank you for the incredible amount of responses to the question at the conclusion of last weeks blog. It is a pretty awesome feeling to see how many of you take the time to read my writing and actually take steps to become actively involved. So again, thank you.</p> <p>This was definitely a week of ups and downs. Then again, I guess the same can be said about life in general; a collection of ups and downs, highs and lows. The key, for me at least, is not allowing the lows to get me too far down and never letting the highs to escape unnoticed. Sometimes it is the memory of the high that keeps the low in check. There is a film I love called<em>The Story of Us</em>, starring Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer. Ostensibly, the film is about a couple and their journey from friendship and courtship to marriage and parenthood. However, if you dig deeper you will find that the story is actually much more about the push and pull, the give and take of everyday life. There is one particular scene in the movie that hooked me during my first watch. The family is sitting around the dinner table when the father, played by Willis, asks everyone for their of the day. They then takes turns sharing their high moment and low moment of the day. Clearly, the scene is generated to showcase the health of communication and the tight bond that the family shares with one another. But I walked away from the film with a new outlook on life. This touching, little romantic comedy from Rob Reiner (the director of<em>Spinal Tap</em>, by the way. Um? Awesome?) managed to genuinely change me. To this day, I write down my high and my low each night before bed. OK. I lied. Maybe notsingle night. But I do it quite frequently. The point I am making is that this exercise has helped me to more greatly appreciate the good things in life while simultaneously helping me to realize that there is no need to be scared of the lows. They will happen. That is life. It is how we react to the lows, and whether or not we allow them to dictate our decisions and our adventures, that truly defines us as individuals. The low is the challenge; the high is the reward.</p> <p>If I may, I would like to share with you several experiences I had this week. They may be highs, they may be lows, but in the end it does not matter. All I know for sure is they were experiences, which means another small piece of me has been molded.</p> <p><strong>1. Crackhead</strong></p> <p>I cracked a rib in Saint Louis. Ouch. And when I say ouch, I truly mean it. It is awful. It hurts to laugh, cough, sneeze, walk, sleep, breathe. You name it, and it hurts to do it. So I am sure you can imagine how badly it hurts to perform thirty minutes on stage. In Montreal I actually had to play with a rib-wrap, which essentially is just medical gauze wrapped around my rib cage. It felt very awkward and in the end I am not quite sure if it made matters better or worse. Either way, the show must go on. After performing, I walked around the festival and ran into a fan of ours. He was wearing an Alesana shirt from a tour that traveled several years ago, which always makes me smile. I love seeing old shirts and meeting fans who have been around for the long haul with us. After 10 minutes of conversation he elected to tell me the story of how he ended up in a wheelchair. It is not my place to reveal the details of his pain, that would be for him to decide. What I can say is that standing there listening to him bravely share personal details of his life made me realize how silly I had been for complaining during the days following my rib injury. This mans life had been completely flipped upside down in the blink of an eye and still he held onto his strength and courage to face life head on. I decided to ask him his high/low for the day. After explaining to him what I meant he proceeded to tell me that his high was definitely seeing all of his favorite bands play at Warped Tour. His low? I dont have a low today, man, he said. How could I ever feel low on a great day like this? And I was moping over a broken rib. I guess we sometimes lose track of the sun when there are clouds in the sky.</p> <p><strong>2. Please Secure All Loose Articles</strong></p> <p>Yesterday, I rode roller coasters! We were selected to take part in an event at Six Flags in New England. We did a signing for fans, had our song and music video played throughout the park, and in return we were given free entry into the park and this little contraption that allowed us to skip all of the lines. Wait a minute. Did I just say in return? We were rewarded for doing something that I already consider awesome. People lined up in the blazing sun just to meet us because they like our music. If anyone in a band ever considers meeting their fans at an amusement park work then they are pretentious and completely out of their minds. I drank a beer in my bathing suit and laughed at Dennis as they turned down his ID because he was out of state and under 25, which, by the way, is one of the most ridiculous rules I have ever encountered. It did not stop me from teasing him the rest of the day, though. I rode the lazy river, swam in a wave pool, and tumbled down water slides. I rode the Six Flagsproclaimed s Greatest Steel Roller Coaster in the World called Bizarro. Insane. The second time around I was the odd man out in our group and was stuck riding alone, until a fan who happened to be waiting in line offered to ride with me. She claimed to be more excited than me, but then again I dont think she realized how scared I was to ride alone. Well, not scared. I just did not want to ride alone. Or maybe Im just telling myself that. You and I may never know. The guys then suggested we ride Blizzard River and, of course, I was the only one who got soaked head to toe. Dont worry, I had just changed into my jeans. I spent the rest of the evening in a medium t-shirt, and for those of you who have never met me in person, use your imagination of what a guy who fits into a girls large t-shirt would look like wearing a medium. After the park closed, we returned to the bus and watched low-budget horror films, headlined by Slaughter High. Yesterday was a good day. A very good day. I fell asleep laughing at the image of myself in that giant t-shirt and wet jeans because if you do not laugh at yourself then you are missing out on some of lifes best jokes.</p> <p><strong>3. This Time Is the Last Time</strong></p> <p>Of all of the highs and lows of my week there is one that definitely stands out the most. Mae announced that they will be doing a farewell tour this fall: the Goodbye, Goodnight tour. A band that has shaped my mind and my life in too many ways to count will soon be no more. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried a little when I read the email from their official site. My puppy is named Mae. I have lyrics from the song that they named the farewell tour after on the back of my left arm. The Alesana song Goodbye, Goodnight, for Good was named to pay homage to their inspiration in my music. I feel like a little piece of me has died. But, as I woke up the morning after hearing the news, I realized that I could not stay upset. Mae has given so much and asked for absolutely nothing in return. They created music that has altered my life in unimaginable ways and, whats more, is they never seemed to stray off the path that they paved for themselves. Mae believed in every song they wrote, in every album they constructed. They even spent an entire year releasing music solely to raise money to help people in need. Mae truly are angels among men and thank you simply does not do justice for what I want to say to them. You will be missed by many. I wish you well in everything you do from this point on in life. Goodbye, Goodnight.</p> <p>Oh, I almost forgot. I am going to start a song quote of the week. This week it feels fitting to use the Mae lyric that I have tattooed on my arm. As I said earlier, it comes from the song Goodbye, Goodnight.</p> <p>This force is driving me to test the speed of light. Mae</p> <p>This weeks question?</p> <p>What was your high/low for the week?</p> <p>Until next time loyal readers, and to those new to the family: Stay safe, stay healthy, and always remember to tell your parents that you love them.</p> <p></p> <p>-RevolverMag.com</p> </p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:30:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12200<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/05/14/medium.17157xxvv41o.jpeg" /><br /><p>Alesana invites all their fans attending their Warped Tour <br />performance this Saturday July 17, 2010 in New York to stop by the <br />Skullcandy tent where acclaimed feature film and music video <br />director Thomas Mignone (Mudvayne, Slipknot, Danzig) and his company <br />DOOM Incorporated (www.doominc.com) will film them talking screaming <br />raging acting out expressing themselves in any other creative ways <br />they wish to share their thoughts about Alesana and their music. <br />This is your chance to share your thoughts with others and maybe <br />even have your ideas seen on an upcoming video. The film crew will <br />be there throughout the day so definitely stop by and get creative!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:00:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12184<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/10/13/medium.154rbyl381l3.jpeg" /><br /><p>Alesana invites all their fans attending their Warped Tour <br>performance this Saturday July 17, 2010 in New York to stop by the <br>Skullcandy tent where acclaimed feature film and music video <br>director Thomas Mignone (Mudvayne, Slipknot, Danzig) and his company <br>DOOM Incorporated (www.doominc.com) will film them talking screaming <br>raging acting out expressing themselves in any other creative ways <br>they wish to share their thoughts about Alesana and their music. <br>This is your chance to share your thoughts with others and maybe <br>even have your ideas seen on an upcoming video. The film crew will <br>be there throughout the day so definitely stop by and get creative!<br mce_bogus="1"></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:00:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12185<p>Enter for your chance to win a signed copy of "The Emptiness," an Origaudio portable speaker system and autographed foldable recycled speakers PLUS a signed CD from every Fearless Records artist on this years Warped Tour (6 CD's in all).<br />There will be 6 winners picked (1 per week).<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.origaudio.com/fearless" target="_blank"><strong>HERE</strong></a>to enter!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:10:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12178<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/07/11/medium.jd2s8ie4f942.jpg" /><br /><p>Today Is: Thursday, July 1, 2010<br />Where I Am: San Antonio, Texas - Day Six of the Vans Warped Tour<br />Where I Am Actually: The kitchen table on my bus<br />Time: 2:30 p.m.<br />Listening to: Cartoons and Macram Wounds by Mew<br /><br />The kind folks at Revolvermag.com have asked me once again to write a weekly blog on their website for the duration of the Vans Warped Tour. I would like to thank them as well as you, the readers, for welcoming me back.<br /><br />Since my last blog, I spent six weeks touring Europe, which was amazing. The languages are confusing, the food generally subpar, the time zone six hours off, the weather cloudy with a chance of rain nearly every day, and the money... well lets just say I had to exchange six different currencies when I returned to the good old You Ess of Ay. In spite of it all, I loved every second of it. I saw things that even my wildest dreams could not conjure or create. I ate spaghetti carbonara one block away from the Roman Coliseum, dipped my feet in the bluest river in France, took a walking tour through the historic sites of Madrid, wandered the streets of Prague by myself under a full moon, took a picture in front of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Barcelona, and, most importantly, was blessed with the opportunity to play for our international fans at sold-out rock shows.<br /><br />Taking a step back to see just how far Alesana has come can sometimes be difficult. The everyday hustle and grind of touring can really make time fly by, which, in turn, makes it increasingly important to slow myself down once in a while. Think of it like a picture that you take with your mind. I remember standing on a bridge in Prague around midnight, staring off into the beautiful night sky; and please believe when I say that it was one of the most breathtaking things I have ever witnessed in my life. I had my camera with me, but I chose not to take a picture. Instead, I just stood there and thought back to our very first show as Alesana.<br /><br />It was at a place called Martin Street Music Hall. There were five bands on the bill, and, without including friends and girlfriends, about 10 people there to see the show. As I stood on that ancient bridge reminiscing, the question that started to burn in the back of my mind was, How did I get here? If I could somehow talk to the Shawn playing that show nearly six years ago, would he believe me when I spoke of the adventures he had waiting ahead of him? That he would one day be standing above the city lights and sounds of Prague thinking back to the very moment that he was now experiencing? Even as I sit here writing this, I can still picture that bridge so perfectly; the water below, the stars above, the statues and monuments surrounding me. No one else but me will ever know exactly what that night looked like at the exact moment as I stood seemingly above the world. The only picture to document the view is stored deep inside my memory for no one but me to see.<br /><br />Let us move on to the Warped Tour. Ahh, the Warped Tour. Sticky, sweaty, hot, amazing Warped Tour. Two months of the most grueling, exhausting, fast-paced touring there is: and as a touring musician, there is nowhere else I would rather be spending my summer. Picture it as a giant family reunion; bands we have toured with in the past, crew members we have worked with, friends we rarely see. It is the place to be for two months out of the year. But let us go back to how Alesana arrived at this years tour in the first place. We rented what is called a bandwagon. Essentially, it is a mini-bus. It has big, comfy bunks, a full working shower, two couches, satellite television, and a kitchen. Not too shabby.<br /><br />New vehicle in place, we decided that we wanted to keep the experience new and fresh, which can be hard to do after touring the U.S. for five years straight. The decision was made to do a cross-country drive. North Carolina to California. Five days. wo thousand, five hundred, and sixty miles. To most, the task would seem daunting; but we were strangely excited. We had been on break for six weeks which meant the trip would give us a good chance to spend some time together and bond without having to play shows. And it gave us the chance to get our new guitarist, Alex Torres, acclimated to the ways of Alesana. I wonder if he knows what he has gotten himself into.<br /><br />Anyway, it was five of the best days of my life. It was just me, my boys, and the open road. It was the kind of road trip they write movies about. Upon arriving to Carson, California, for rehearsal day, I excitedly removed cross-country road trip with friends off of my list of dreams to make come true. And again, no pictures. I can instantly be there again whenever I close my eyes and return to the memory.<br /><br />Settling into Warped can sometimes take a few days, especially after a break from touring. Set times are entirely random creating the challenge of getting your body ready to play at any time from 11:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. The heat is another obvious obstacle to overcome. Club venues can get extremely hot, dont get me wrong, but nothing can match the heat of the summer sun. On average, it generally takes us about four or five shows to get comfortably back into the habit and routine of Warped. This year, on the same day we found our stride, we were invited to join the Warped Tour documentary crew for some behind-the-scenes footage. It was exciting enough just to be a part of the film, but little did we know what we headed for.<br /><br />The crew took us to White Sands National Monument, which, for anyone who does not know, is a gorgeous desert in the middle of nowhere outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico. They filmed us hanging out in their van on the drive there, throwing a Frisbee around the awe-inspiring sand dunes, jumping down the hills, and they conducted an interview: Hands down the most awesome location for an interview. Ever. Just before we boarded the van to return to Warped, we suggested to the photographer that he take some press photos of us in the desert with the setting sun behind us. No words can describe how mesmeric these photos turned out. Even after nearly six years of being in Alesana, and over five years of touring, I still see and experience new things that take my breath away. Life is short, and, as they say, you have to soak up it up while you still can. I woke up that morning expecting to play a show, meet some fans, watch the Phillies, eat some dinner, maybe play some NFL Blitz, and then call it a night. Instead, I fell asleep with visions of the beauty I had been introduced to earlier that evening, the views etched in my memory forever. It got me thinking. While no photo can be as powerful as a treasured memory in your mind, some things in life are just too beautiful to not share with people. Having said that, I would like to show you a photo taken with my iPhone by my tour manager, Dougie, while we were doing our press photos in the desert.</p> <p>For my blogs this time around I am going to close with a question each week about something that has truly changed my (your) life. I am not talking about the simple things like a really hot shower after a long day at work, or finding twenty bucks on the sidewalk, or getting exactly what I (you) asked for at Christmas, although these things are pretty awesome. What I am asking is for you to share something that has affected your life in a positive way and has stuck with you ever since. Something that has helped mold you into the person that you are today. As always, I will do the same.<br /><br />This weeks question?<br /><br />What one record changed your life?<br /><br />My answer: Destination Beautiful by Mae. I could explain but I am already working on one novel as it is. Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and go pick up one piece of recyclable trash off of the ground. A little bit goes a long way. PMA.</p> <p>- REVOLVER Mag</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:10:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/12145<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/12/11/medium.9xu5i00yr39u.jpg" /><br /><p>You can do it!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:20:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/11919<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/05/05/medium.y0j928c47dhz.jpg" /><br /><p>A little sneak peak for everyone....</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 07 Jun 2010 10:00:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/11912<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/14/03/medium.aly4m1414794.jpg" /><br /><p>Warped Tour tickets on sale now!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:50:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/11521<p> <object width="400" height="265"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10739851&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=ff0179&fullscreen=1" /><embed width="400" height="265" src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10739851&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=ff0179&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> </object> </p> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10739851">Video Interview: ALESANA discussing int'l travel</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1101818">www.INDIESTAR.tv</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:30:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/10821<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/10/06/medium.r686w9384f9q.jpg" /><br /><p>Sitting in: Baltimore Coffee in Annapolis, MD, with my sister, Melissa<br />Listening to: Shut Me Up by Mindless Self Indulgence<br />Time of day: 5:26 p.m. EST<br />Day of break: Three<br />Up next: 12 days until The Emptiness European Tour<br /><br />I am home. Tour is over. As always, it is bittersweet.<br /><br />The Emptiness Tour was a complete and utter success. The shows were amazing, I met tons of great people, and we made it home safely. With the end of the tour comes the end of my blogs here at Revolver magazine. I would like to thank Revolver for allowing me the chance to share my experiences through such a highly respected and popular website. More importantly, I would like to thank you, the reader, for giving me the chance to write and share my world with you. I promise that this will not be the last you hear from me. Follow Alesana on Twitter to see where I just might pop up again.<br /><br />Summer time is just around the corner. For my last Revolver guest blog I thought it would be fun to do one final countdown. I give to you my Top 5 Things I Am Looking Forward To About the Summer of 2010! Please feel free to leave me comments right here on revolvermag.com with the things you are looking forward to!<br /><br />Top 5 Things I Am Looking Forward To About the Summer of 2010<br /><br />5. Playing Wiffle Ball with my sister! (Cmon we have matching wiffle-ball tattoos.)<br />4. Vacationing to New Jersey and Pennsylvania to see my parents!<br />3. Going to the beach with Naima and Mae Mae!<br />2. Warped Tour on the Glamour Kills stage!<br />1. Philadelphia Phillies baseball! Lets go for back-back-back NL Championships baby!<br /><br />Until we meet again loyal readers, this is Shawn Milke saying, Get busy living or get busy dying.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:00:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/10741<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/00/04/medium.51121an3tz1w.jpg" /><br /><p>I had been looking forward to this tour since the day we finished the record. I had dreams of what it would be like to walk out onto the stage to the sound of Fear Before the March of Flames singer Adam Fishers voice declaring, I am here to tell you a story. The anticipation moved through my body like a bolt of lightning, and there were days when I could not think of anything but playing this record live. As I sit here on this awkwardly large and uncomfortable couch in my dressing room, the realization hits me that I have now performed The Emptiness onstage 33 times (two shows in Japan, one hometown show in Raleigh, and 30 shows on this current tour). The crazy part is that I am still anticipating tonights show with the same level of enthusiasm as the first. There is something about this record, about this music, that fires me up. I love our old material with all of my heartt get me wrongbut The Emptiness is my baby. It is my brain-child. The Emptiness is something I have long dreamed of creating and every night when I perform the songs live I am able to relive that dream over and over. To be able to combine my love for writing, music, and theatre into one project is pure fantasy brought to life.<br /><br />The monotony of tour can sometimes be overwhelming. Allow me to say that this is in no way, shape, or form a complaint. I play music and travel for a living. I consider myself to be both blessed and extremely fortunate. However, like most things in life, the strain of repetition catches up with us every now and again. Restaurants, truck stops, bars, Walmarts, malls, soundchecks; these are things that happen almost every day. The beautiful part of tour are the moments that catch you off guard, whether good or bad. They keep the pulse moving, the heart beating, the mind suspecting. They make you realize that no matter how comfortable or tedious life can sometimes seem, its best to keep your eyes open. In addition to the amazing shows and the experience of performing our very own rock opera every night for two months straight, the following four events, be them good or bad, are what will make me remember The Emptiness tour forever.<br /><br />1. The Very Nice Elderly Lady at the Truck Stop<br />About two weeks ago, I woke up in the van to find that we were parked at a Pilot (a common truck stop that provides restrooms, showers, gasoline, gas station treats, and usually a fast-food chain restaurant of some sort). I stumbled out into the morning sunlight still half asleep, donned in an old, stretched out Mindless Self Indulgence T-shirt with faded Fear Before the March of Flames sweatpants. The outfit does not match. Not even close. I made my way towards the entrance, all the while trying to decide if I should buy a Gatorade, a coffee, or both. These decisions can make or break your morning, let me tell you. I reached the door at the same time as an elderly lady, and we exchanged polite smiles. As I was raised to do, I opened the door and said, After you. She walked through the door and I followed behind her. Once inside, she grabbed me by the arm and said, I dont remember the last time a young man held a door open for me. Thank you for making an old ladys day a little brighter. Looking back at that moment now I wish I had been wearing a fedora and a dapper three piece suit, complete with a confident smile and a witty idiom like, Not to worry! A young lady such as yourself should never have to paddle her own canoe, no siree! Her words were extremely kind but they made me sad. To think that this woman had gone long enough without a door being held open for her by a gentleman to actually mention the fact, hurts my heart. To all you men out there, wake up. Chivalry should be a part of life, not the exception to the rule.<br /><br />2. The Band Who Thinks They Are Too Big for Their Britches<br />I am never one to bad-mouth anything or anyone. I wish success and happiness for those who actively pursue their dreams. I try my best not to have an ego, and humility is what I believe to be the most attractive quality any person can have. Unfortunately, there are bands out there who think they are the first group of people to write and perform music and, in consequence, think their existence is far more important than others. Such a joke. I will not use their actual names because that would be wrong and would just be me adding fuel to the fire. We will call them: Homicide Noise. (Hey, I said I wouldnt throw fuel, but I never said I wouldnt toss a log or two.) We were playing a festival in Texas as second main support and we had our set cut off after four songs because Homicide Noise felt it was more important for them to play for an hour than for us to be allowed to finish our 30-minute set. The show was running behind because several of the acts before us took too long getting off of the stage and the crew running the show were having a hard time staying on time. Homicide Noise paid no mind to these facts and, despite not having the authority to pull the plug on anyone, went up to our sound guy and verbally forced him from the sound board. We drove 14 hours round trip to play this festival and, thanks to the enlarged heads and inflamed egos of our festival-mates, our fans were forced to leave the show disappointed and confused as to why we only played for 12 minutes. Always remember one thing, Homicide Noise. The Beatles are responsible for modern rock and roll. Not you. Get bent.</p> <p>Read the rest on Revolver Magazine's site <a href="http://www.revolvermag.com/features/post/alesanas-shawn-milke-on-the-best-things-to-happen-to-him-all-tour-plus/" target="_blank">HERE</a></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:00:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/10421<p>Alesana are heading to the UK soon to take part in their Rock Sound sponsored tour with A Skylit Drive, Emarosa and Bury Tomorrow. :</p> <p>Dates are as follows<br /><br />APRIL<br />13 - LEEDS Cockpit<br />14 - NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms<br />16 - LONDON Islington Academy<br />17 - BIRMINGHAM Academy 2<br />18 - MANCHESTER Academy<br />19 - GLASGOW King Tuts<br />20 - LIVERPOOL The Masque<br />21 - COLCHESTER Arts Centre</p> <p>Working on VIP's now! Not sure if we can do this but were trying for all you over seas fans!</p> <p></p> <p>Cheerz!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:50:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/10011<p> <object width="640" height="385"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8DOFsV0lxtQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed width="425" height="385" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8DOFsV0lxtQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> </object> </p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:00:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/9981<p>Please remember that there is NOT a ticket included with your VIP package. You have to purchase a separate ticket for the show!!!</p> <p>Sorry if this was confusing for anyone! For any questions please contact support@groundctrl.com!!</p> <p></p> <p>Thank you!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:30:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/9931<p> <object width="400" height="225"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10096050&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed width="400" height="225" src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10096050&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> </object> </p> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10096050">Alesana - "The Thespian"</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3265898">Revolver Magazine</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:20:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/9801<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/13/11/medium.8eh8tcm3y7ow.jpg" /><br /><p>Sitting In: A bar called the Library in Tempe, AZ with Shane and Dennis<br />Listening To: I Like It Rough by Lady Gaga<br />Time of Day: 6:00 p.m. MST<br />Day of Tour: 25<br />Time Left Until I Play: 3 hours and 40 minutes<br /><br />Recently, I blogged about the Top Five most embarrassing moments that I have ever experienced onstage and I started thinking. Well, more accurately it made me realize something: I love countdowns.<br /><br />When I was growing up I was obsessed with music (big surprise, I know). Every January I would create a list of the Top 50 Songs of the Year, Top 10 Albums of the Year, and Top 5 Artists of the Year, according to mejust for fun. Have you ever watched VH1 or the Entertainment Network and had the pleasure of viewing those addicting shows where they countdown the best videos of all time, the worst-dressed celebrities, most surprising cameos of all time, best hair, worst shoes? The list goes on and on. No matter where I am or what I am doing, or the subject matter of the countdown for that matter, I simply cannot change the channel when those things are on the screen. To make matters worse, I do not think I have ever been happy with the revelation of the No. 1 *insert topic here* of all time. It makes me wonder why I subject myself to these countdowns if in the end I am only going to be disappointed. Is it the anticipation? Is it the clever way all of the shots are edited? Is it the cheesy attempts at humor that nearly every narrator pours like syrup on pancakes? I guess it could be any, or all, of these things. Or maybe I am just addicted to countdowns. Regardless of the reason, I love it.<br /><br />That being said, I am now going to reveal to you my Top 10 In Case You Give A Crap Countdown of Things That I Truly Give a Crap About. To make it more fun, I have also included my Top 5 in each of the 10 categories. I am a nerd. Enjoy.<br /><br />number ten - Gas Station Treats<br /><br />5. Slim Jims<br />4. Doritos (original)<br />3. Arizona Red Apple Iced Tea<br />2. Andy Capp Hot and/or Cheddar Fries<br />1. Powdered Mini Donuts<br /><br />number nine - Things I Ask for on Our Rider Each Show<br /><br />5. Odwalla Bars (especially strawberry pomegranate)<br />4. Lunch Meat with Wheat Bread and Mayonnaise<br />3. Naked Juice (especially green machine)<br />2. Emergen-Cs <br />1. Gatorade<br /><br />number eight - Venues in America<br /><br />5. State Theatre, St. Petersburg, FL<br />4. The Rave, Milwaukee, WI<br />3. El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA<br />2. The Metro, Chicago, IL<br />1. Soma, San Diego, CA<br /><br />number seven - Coolest Cities in the World<br /><br />5. Saint Croix<br />4. Sydney<br />3. Tokyo<br />2. Chicago<br />1. Philadelphia<br /><br />number six - Favorite Foods<br /><br />5. Macaroni and Cheese<br />4. Hot Dogs<br />3. Sushi<br />2. Homemade Grilled Cheese w/ Tomato Basil Soup<br />1. Indian<br /><br />number five - TV Shows (non-animated / animated)<br /><br />5. Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia / Looney Tunes<br />4. How I Met Your Mother / Home Movies<br />3. Curb Your Enthusiasm / Aqua Teen Hunger Force<br />2. Entourage / Family Guy<br />1. Arrested Development / The Simpsons<br /><br />number four - Actors and Actresses<br /><br />5. Robert De Niro<br />4. Johnny Depp<br />3. Kate Winslet<br />2. Josh Hartnett<br />1. Leonardo DiCaprio<br /><br />number three - Albums of All Time<br /><br />5. Save the World, Lose the Girl, Midtown<br />4. The Always Open Mouth, Fear Before the March of Flames<br />3. Colors, Between the Buried and Me<br />2. Something To Write Home About, the Get-Up Kids <br />1. The Everglow, Mae<br /><br />number two - Bands of All Time<br /><br />5. Thrice<br />4. Spitalfield<br />3. Oasis<br />2. Mae<br />1. The Beatles<br /><br />number one - Movies<br /><br />5. Lucky Number Slevin<br />4. Wicker Park<br />3. The Count Of Monte Cristo<br />2. The Shawshank Redemption<br />1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind<br /><br />So there you have it. Hopefully this Countdown of Countdowns provided you with a small window into the things that make me tick. After all, it is the little things in life that make each day special. It is actually a bit surprising how therapeutic an exercise like this can be. So much of our lives are spent going to work, sitting in class, doing chores, walking the dog, sleeping. We tend to not focus on the little things that make us smile without even realizing it. Here is what I want you to do, people. Select one of the categories in my Top 10 countdowns and send me your Top 5 in that category. Leave your response in the form of a comment right here on Revolvermag.com. Do not be shy, there are no wrong answers here. Just have fun with it and let your imagination run wild. Oh yeah, and help me pick a Top 5 for next week. Ill pick the one that sounds like the most fun and reveal my choices in next weeks blog. Until then, loyal readers...snap into a Slim Jimoh, yeah!</p> <p>- Revolver Mag!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:00:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/9061<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/01/12/medium.7lt4q17g1358.jpg" /><br /><p>Check out the new <a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/chat" target="_self">CHAT</a> feature! PLAY NICE PLEASE!</p> <p>Cheerz!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:30:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/9031<p> <object width="400" height="225"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10096050&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed width="400" height="225" src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10096050&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> </object> </p> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10096050">Alesana - "The Thespian"</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3265898">Revolver Magazine</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:20:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/7941<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/01/06/medium.48wse8009kn2.jpg" /><br /><p>Some weird dudes broke into our warehouse and started shipping some packages. Check out the <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/media/photos/1496" target="_self">'Behind the Scenes' photo gallery</a> to see if you can help identify any of these guys.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:00:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/7921<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/11/06/medium.vlb449916zxa.jpg" /><br /><p>Sitting in: A small cafe attached to the venue on a really soft couch<br />Listening to: The Decade of Statues by Between the Buried and Me<br />Time of day: 6:00 p.m. PST<br />Day of tour: 19<br />Hours left until I play: 4 hour and 40 minutes<br /><br />Writing can sometimes be torturous. Dont get me wrong, it is a very rewarding and highly relieving form of art. But there are those days when I open my computer and simply stare at a blank screen for what seems like hours. I have written as many as 50 pages worth of material only to slam my computer shut, scream at the wall, and the next day erase every word.<br /><br />My writing background is primarily cemented in creative writing. I have written several short stories, co-written some small graphic-novel prose in college, and am currently working on my first novel. I have also done a fairly good bit of freelance pieces in the form of band biographies, movie and album reviews, and press releases. However, none of these have proved to be as challenging as simply writing about myself. I have definitely acquired a new found appreciation for those who write autobiographies.<br /><br />It seems it would be simple to write about myself. After all, I am the one living my life and it should be an easy task to regurgitate the happenings I have experienced. The problem that presents itself is determining the things that are worth talking about. Why should people care to read about me? When I am writing a story, the options are endless. I can take my characters on whatever adventure I please. When I am writing a press release or a review I merely state the facts, albeit with a little sugar and spice. This is an issue that has been weighing on my mind all week in preparation for this piece.<br /><br />After hours of brainstorming I came up with a fun solution for this weeks blog. I will tell a story about a man named Paul Minske, and he will be portrayed by the stunning and talented Josh Hartnett. Cmon, you cannot honestly tell me that you have never seen Lucky Number Sleven? Epic. I also figured that if I was going to replace myself with a completely fictitious character, then why not replace other places and things in the story with completely random, non-sensical places and things? This is creative writing, people. Lets have some fun!<br /><br />To make the story easier to understand I have created a glossary of six important terms to help you along the way. Enjoy.<br /><br />1. Paul Minske: noun. Me (played by Josh Hartnett)<br />2. Machete: noun. Guitar<br />3. The jungle: noun. The stage<br />4. The Oneders: noun. Alesana<br />5. Jupiter: noun. Michigan<br />6. Potato chips: noun. Crowd of people<br /><br />Chapter One: The Only Chapter<br /><br />My head still aches from last night. No, it is not what you think, I am not hungover. I guess the room is still spinning because of the blow I took to the head last night, courtesy of my own hands. I know, Im an idiot, there is no need to remind me. I keep replaying it over and over again in my mind and I still cannot determine why in the world I did what I did. Machete swings are not difficult for me, at least not anymore. In the beginning they were a nightmare. I probably hit myself in the head at least a dozen times before actually completing one successfully. However, none of them stung like last night. I guess I should have thought twice before attempting such a ridiculous stunt in Jupiter, notorious for crazy potato chips and dangerous jungles.<br /><br />The show must go on, as they say. Lucky for me, I found some superglue. If only the machete had hit me at the end of the set, then I could have just walked out of the jungle, pushed through all of the potato chips, and out into the crisp Jupiter air to search for proper medical care. But lets be honest, how rock and roll would that be? Smart, yes. Safe, absolutely Rock and roll? Not at all. (Disclaimer: If you ever injure yourself badly, ignore this stupid story and get help right away. It is not cool to wound yourself and not seek help. Please and thank you.) Unfortunately for me, my blunder took place about midway through our performance. Similar to the times in the jungle when I had strep throat, a dislocated kneecap, and laryngitis, I simply had no choice but to press on: I do not like disappointing our potato chips. Much to my chagrin on this particular evening, we departed the jungle and every potato chip still standing in the sweaty and foggy room in Jupiter erupted with chants of The Oneders, the Oneders, the Oneders! On any other night in any other city, I would be elated. But my machete wound was becoming increasingly more painful by the second, and it was a wonder that I was even still standing. I took a deep breath and asked myself three questions. Did Matthew in Wicker Park (also portrayed by Josh Hartnett...I told you, hes a stud) give up without a fight in his search for Lisa? Did the Beatles throw in the towel when Pete Best was replaced? Did people not watch Back to the Future II simply because Claudia Wells was now Elizabeth Shue? The answer to all of these questions is clearly and unequivocally Paul Minske does not back down from a challenge. Carpe noctum, seize the night.<br /><br />OK, I know, this story is ridiculous, but Im trying to make a point. Life is full of challenges, both big and small; waking up in the morning after getting no sleep, running a marathon with a stomach cramp, getting the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube, driving in the snow, changing the channel when American Idol is on, finishing the calzone at Pagliacci Pizza in Seattle. The world of art, whether it be music or writing, drawing or filmmaking, is no different. Writers block is awful. But does that mean it has to win every time? The trick is finding another way into the building, so to speak. If the front door is locked, try the back door. If the back door is bolted shut, find a window. The only time we lose is when we give up.<br /><br />This silly story was my way into the building. Is it true? Every word. I did a guitar swing in Michigan while running across the stage and clocked myself right below my left eye. I bled profusely all over the stage, my guitar, and myself. Did I finish the set? You bet I did. Did I clean off the wound with baby wipes and squeeze it shut with superglue? Yes. Was that a good idea? Absolutely not. But, Im still in one piece. I guess Paul Minske is a pretty lucky guy.<br /><br />Stay tuned next week for Chapter 2: I Lied, There Is More Than One Chapter</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:20:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/7851<p>The Point Store Is Now Open!! We will be adding new products every month. Also enter to win an exclusive Alesana Memorabilia Pack on the contset page!</p> <p>Check out the Point store <a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/store" target="_self">HERE</a></p> <p>Check out the new Contest <a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/contests" target="_self">HERE</a></p> <p>Cheers!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:10:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/7701<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/15/06/medium.64896a1dk095.jpg" /><br /><p>itting in: A stool in an empty bar at Station 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota<br />Listening to: The Sun and The Moon by Mae<br />Time of day: 3:16 p.m. central<br />Day of tour: 10<br />Hours left until I play: 5.5 <br /><br />Rock and roll, baby. Nothing in the world gets my adrenaline going more than those final seconds I spend waiting to walk out onto the stage; the smell of sweat, the sticky humidity of a packed venue, the murmur of anxious fans, the feel of my guitar resting in my hands. I shut my eyes and once again the pleasure strangles me. I hit the stage, the lights turn on, and I become a different person. Good day, bad day, none of that matters for the next 60 minutes.<br /><br />During our set I am not Shawn Milke, but rather one piece of the greatest thing I have ever been a part of: Alesana. I feel like Leonardo DiCaprio (sexiest dude alive, by the way) in Titanic. I am the king of the world for one hour a night. Life feels perfect... Ahhh, if only every night played out like a beautiful fairytale. Oh, come on, 300 shows a year? Something is bound to go wrong once in a while, right? On that note, I give to you my list of the Top Five most embarrassing moments onstage in Alesana history. The clumsiness will haunt you...<br /><br />5. Two Songs: One Band Virginia is for lovers. It also happens to be the site of Alesana embarrassing moment number five. This blunder takes us back all the way to 2005, when we were still a five-piece. In fact, the only current Alesana members in the band at the time were Patrick [Thompson, leed guitar], Dennis [Lee, vocals], and myself. I guess you could say this was before Alesana was truly Alesana. Nonetheless, this moment in time needs to be documented. We were playing a floor show somewhere in Virginia (my many attempts to erase this day from my memory have lead me to forget exactly which city we were in). The promoter of the show, as it turns out, did not like our band very much which probably explains why he made us start our set while our bass player was still using the restroom. So there we were, four guys instead of five, playing our first song. The problem was there were no monitors and our drummer was playing a completely different song than the rest of us were. We did not realize our mistake until our bass player finally made it out of the bathroom and told us to stop playing. Can you believe that not a single person bought an Alesana shirt that night? Shocking...<br /><br />4. That Part Was Sick...Lets Play It Again Austin, Texas, plays host to one of the coolest festivals in the country, South by Southwest. We were invited to play in 2009 at 2:00 in the afternoon and, at least by our standards, we thought the show went very well. We definitely had a reason to celebrate, and why not? Our work for the day was done, right? Wrong. Unbeknownst to us, we had been selected to play a second set later that evening; at midnight. Well, bad news was we did not find this information out until roughly 9:30 p.m. Allow me to be the first to tell you that all day and then having to play a show is not a good idea. I think we made our point when, during the first song, we managed to play the bridge not once, but twice. We somehow turned a four minute song into a five and a half minute medley. The good thing is I think most of the people in the crowd had been all day, too.<br /><br />3. Umm...What? Tokyo, Japan, just might be the coolest place on earth. Its big, its bright, its flat out awesome. The only thing that may be cooler than being in Tokyo is playing back-to-back sold-out shows in Tokyo. What better setting could there be for Alesana embarrassing moment number three? I had heard all about the potential nightmares of playing with backing tracks. Essentially, you are relying on an iPod or Pro Tools session to not have anything go wrong at any point during your set. Yeah, right. Something is bound to go wrong at some point during the course of the year. I guess the hard part to swallow was the fact that it happened to us for the first time during the first show that we had ever employed the tracks. Sigh, at least we got it out of the way early. My favorite part was how we all became so confused that we just stopped playing. What? Why on earth did we do that? We stared at each other like people do when someone asks if they remembered to let the dog back inside the house. I think it took us a solid 30 seconds to even realize that we had about 1,000 Japanese kids staring at us as we fumbled around the stage trying to fix the issue. It was like amateur hour at the karaoke bar.<br /><br />2. I Am Here To Tell You A Story...I Am Here To Tell You A Story It was a sold-out show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The room was electric, the kids were ready. The lights went down, the fog filled the room, and our intro featuring members of the string quartet Portland City Ensemble, Effesenden, poured out of the speakers. The roar of the crowd was deafening in anticipation of seeing Alesana walk through the curtain and out onto the stage. I bet it was amazing. I bet it was intense. Ahh, if only I had been there to see it; or any other member of the band, for that matter. Our staff had forgotten to get us from the dressing room before the intro started. Oh, it gets better. We decide the best plan is to just walk out on stage and restart the intro. The kids will surely get fired up once more. They sure did. Finally, some rock and roll. Nope. In the midst of trying to salvage the chaos that our set had become, someone kicked the cable out of our drummers in-ear monitors: He never heard the click to begin the set. We had successfully managed to have our two-minute intro play twice without ever starting the set. If only we had the two singing piano guys from Family Guy, then we could have just performed a little hat and cane dance and exited stage left.<br /><br />1. Sweet Kick Flip, Brah Louisville, Kentucky, is home to the single most embarrassing moment of my life on a stage. It was 2006 and Alesana had landed on our first big tour ever. The kind gentlemen of From Autumn to Ashes (amazing band, go listen to them right now) had very kindly offered to take us out on there full U.S. headlining tour. Roughly two weeks into the tour, everything had been perfect. Kids were really digging our music and our performance was becoming more energetic with each passing show. We were the opening band on the tour so it was our job to get kids moving early to prep them for the bigger bands. One thing that I liked to do was as we entered the stage (keep in my mind we were the first band everyone saw each night) is run up to the monitor on my side of the stage, jump on top of it, and hoist my guitar into the air. Most nights my ploy was extremely successful because it caught kids off guard and they immediately became excited for the show. This is because most nights I didnt completely miss the top of the monitor, slip, kick my feet into the air, and land straight on my rear end. Dont worry though, my guitar landed straight on my face. We all have bad-hair days, morning breath, and, at least at some point in life, slept with a teddy bear. We all have tripped walking down the sidewalk with 50 people surrounding the scene, stood in front of a crowded classroom to give a presentation about something we do not even care about, and had the person we have a crush on catch us staring.<br /><br />The moral of the story is that no matter how cool bands try to pretend they are, they are still human. Things go wrong. Sometimes they go very wrong. However, as long as you can look back at these horrible moments and laugh then you are headed down the right path in life and will ultimately come out stronger in the end. And by the way, I sleep with a stuffed bunny rabbit...every night.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:30:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/7491<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/11/00/medium.f913nlf19661.jpg" /><br /><p>Tuesday 2/23 - Alesana, ASD and The Word Alive's Milwaukee show at The Rave will be streaming live from 6:30pm CDT (7:30ET/4:30PT/12:30amGMT). The concert will be rebroadcast for the European audience on Friday, February 25th at 12Noon CDT, which is 6pm Greenwich Mean Time. The stream is FREE for fans around the world to view - visit http://webcast.therave.com to register in advance for this exclusive event, or register on the day of the show.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:20:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/7441<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/01/03/medium.zd298w6641h0.jpg" /><br /><p>Hey guys i know some of you have been waiting patiently for you membership package. We have received the 2010 shirts and will be shipping all of them first thing next week! We will be selling the remaining 2009 FC shirts for a discount as well next week.</p> <p>Thanks for everyones patience and we apologize for the delay!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:00:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/7361<p>Please be at the <a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/events" target="_self">venue</a> THREE Hours before the doors open.( Please check with your venue for door times!) . Please also make sure you have your photo ID or E-mail conformation.</p> <p>If you have questions please contact ground(ctrl) support or e-mail us at support@groundctrl.com</p> <p>Cheers!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:30:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/7211<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/13/04/medium.47iqrd076v4i.jpg" /><br /><p>"<em>The Emptiness</em> is an idea that my co-vocalist and co-creator Dennis Lee and I have had since the days of recording our first EP, <em>Try This With Your Eyes Closed</em>. We've spent our career thus far basing our songs and lyrics on the works of some of our favorite authors and literature of the past (i.e. stories in Greek mythology, fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm) and some chosen contemporary screenwriting (i.e. <em>Heroes</em>, <em>The Princess Bride</em>). However, even back when we first started writing together, he and I always talked about writing our own story that we could bring to life through one of our records. <em>The Emptiness</em> is that dream come true.<br /> <br /> Writing a story has to begin somewhere, it has to have its roots planted in some sort of inspiration. For Dennis and myself, that inspiration rested within the stories and poems of Edgar Allen Poe. In hindsight, this was a match made in heaven. Poe was a master of weaving words that could be so horrific and yet eerily beautiful all at once, and his final resting place is in Baltimore--the birthplace of Alesana and where we relocated to write this story.<br /> <br /> The Poe piece that stood out to us the most was actually the final composition ever published in his career--a poem by called 'Annabel Lee.' Some believe that his wife, Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe, inspired it but that has never been verified. The key point that we found interesting in 'Annabel Lee' was its theme. It explores the death of a beautiful woman and follows the thoughts of a narrator who retains his love for her even after her death. We decided that this theme would be the basis for <em>The Emptiness</em>. We were going to tell <em>our own</em> horrific love story. We showed our love, respect and thanks to Poe by naming our female lead character Annabel, and the ninth song in the story 'In Her Tomb By The Sounding Sea,' was the final line published in the famed career of Poe."<br /> <br /> <br /> <strong>The Emptiness: A Story Told Through The Eyes Of A Sketch Artist<br /> <strong>Curse Of The Virgin Canvas</strong> (based on the prologue: I Handed You A Knife And My Heart, and Chapter One: Empty Eyes Accuse A Face So Evil)</strong><br /> "The dawn is approaching the small town of Slough in England during the year 1898. A local sketch artist, known to us simply as "the Artist," lies in a bed next to the woman of his dreams, "Annabel." As the first rays of sunlight pour through the window, he rolls over to wake his lover with a kiss. Her cold lips reveal a lifeless body once so beautiful. His one and only love has been murdered and nothing is what it seems. When it is revealed to him whose hands may be responsible, he begs for the whole thing to be a horrible nightmare."<br /> <br /> <strong>The Artist<br />(based on Chapter Two: Sweaty Hands Will Fail To Lock The Door)</strong><br /> "The Artist, overwhelmed with panic and paranoia, is convinced that he is being watched and that someone somewhere knows what he's done. Just the sight of Annabel's body begins to blur the lines of fantasy and reality. He controls the urge to run and leans down to kiss her one final time, closing her eyes with the gentle touch of his blood-soaked fingertips. His tortured goodbye plagues his mind and allows the madness to come pouring back with a vengeance. The Artist accepts his fate, hides the body and sets out into the night."<br /> <br /> <strong>A Lunatic's Lament<br /> (based on Chapter Three: It Was Your Poison Kiss That Turned Me Into This)</strong><br /> "In an abashed state of mind, the Artist begins to blame Annabel for what he has obviously done to her: his depression and paranoia have turned to rage. He moves as quickly as his feet will carry him toward the center of town. Not only is he running from the grisly murder scene, but he's running from the ringing of Annabel's voice in his head. It's as if her spirit is chasing him, torturing what little sanity he has left. He cannot look her in the eyes, he knows it will weaken his anger and he simply cannot allow that to happen. Not now. The Artist begs and pleads with her to leave him be as he sprints toward the town, his intentions still unknown even in his own mind. There's one crippling thought that the Artist cannot seem to escape even in madness: Annabel is the only girl he has ever loved."<br /> <br /> <strong>The Murderer<br /> (based on Chapter Four: My Thirst For Blood Turns Me On)</strong><br /> "The Artist finally makes it into town and, at least for the time being, sheds the haunting voice of Annabel. He wanders past a tavern to the sounds of laughter and drunken piano playing and becomes uncontrollably enraged. If he is not allowed to be happy, then no one shall be. The Artist enters the tavern and bolts the door shut behind him, unbeknownst to the patrons inside. His thoughts are racing, his adrenaline is pumping, and he takes a drink to steady his nerves. He glances up from his glass only to find a blood-covered, screaming Annabel in the reflection of the mirror behind the bar. He finishes his drink, stands up, approaches the poor soul closest to him and utters five macabre words: 'Are you ready to die?'"<br /> <br /> <strong>Hymn For The Shameless<br /> (based on Chapter Five: I Immerse Myself In Sick Reflection)</strong><br /> "Following the massacre and armed with a complete lack of guilt, the Artist finds a sick pleasure in the deception of his ways. He begins to feel invincible. Relishing his victory and overcome by his own satisfaction, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath as he ponders his own insanity. The Artist fantasizes about Annabel's voice and questions whether her love could save him from what he's become. He snaps and curses all who thinks he will even consider stopping now."<br /> <br /> <strong>The Thespian<br /> (based on Chapter Six: Her Somber Silhouette Dances For Me)</strong><br /> "As the sun sets, the Artist cannot seem to escape his own imagination. Completely lost in self-indulgence, he begins to see Annabel's face everywhere. The visions of her usher his wandering, delusional thoughts back to the day when he first fell in love with her. He soon becomes obsessed with the fantasy that she could possibly still be alive. The Artist scrambles home in a hastened fury only to be stopped dead in his tracks at his front porch by a man who introduces himself as the Thespian--the man who killed Annabel."<br /> <br /> <strong>Heavy Hangs The Albatross<br /> (based on Chapter Seven: My Feet Are Slipping)</strong><br /> "Finding it nearly impossible to come to grips with the emergence and confession of the Thespian, the Artist gives up on his fleeting fantasy that Annabel could still be alive. Without his vengeance, his anger, his insanity and without the chance of Annabel coming back from the dead, he attempts to decipher a way to join her in death. With thoughts of suicide on his mind, the Artist contemplates storming the town with a rage unmatched by anyone. He must draw out the Thespian to die heroically as he avenges the death of his lover. Wandering the town as the feeling of defeat weakens his every step, the Artist falls to his knees in an abandoned alley. Mere seconds before his plan comes to fruition, she appears."<br /> <br /> <strong>The Lover<br /> (based on Chapter Eight: Dead Girls Don't Just Appear Out Of Thin Air)</strong><br /> "As badly as the Artist wants to believe that the girl who seemingly appeared out of thin air is Annabel, he knows in his heart that she is not. Despite this crushing realization, he is taken by her beauty and her sudden emergence in the alley where he was slowly dying. The mystery woman takes him in and cares for him, nursing him back to health. After several days of silence, she whispers to him, "I'll be your anchor, I'll be your lover." It is at this very second that he knows that she is indeed his Annabel after all. He leans in to kiss her soft lips, which sends him face first into the cobblestone of the alley in which he knelt. Awakened from his dream, the Artist is once again pained with the realization that his lover is gone."<br /> <br /> <strong>In Her Tomb By The Sounding Sea<br /> (based on Chapter Nine: It's Happening Again, It's Happening Again)</strong><br /> "The Artist finds his feet and trudges back out into the sunlit town. He rounds the corner and once again sees Annabel in the reflection of a window. However, this time she does not look angry or sad. She doesn't appear to him as the tortured and pained image he saw in the bar, but rather as the woman he had fallen so in love with during the past seven years. Suddenly, the Thespian appears in the reflection, standing behind Annabel with a knife to her throat. Fear engulfs her entire body as the Thespian slits her throat from ear to ear. The horrific image alerts the Artist of two things equally disturbing and harsh: the memory of Annabel is slowly disappearing from his mind and he must find and kill the man who has taken her from him."<br /> <br /> <strong>To Be Scared By An Owl<br /> (based on Chapter 10: You Have No Clue What She Is Capable Of)</strong><br /> "The Artist spends the day planning his attack and the evening hunting for the Thespian. A flash of light from the blade of the Thespian stings his eyes and the two engage in a fight to the death. Armed with only his hands and the fleeting memories of his Annabel, the Artist vows revenge."<br /> <br /> <strong>Annabel<br /> (based on the epilogue: And Now The Dream Is Over)</strong><br /> "The final piece reveals the climax to our story of revenge, love, lust, murder and insanity, but you must read the story to discover the conclusion. The emptiness will haunt you." <strong><em>alt</em></strong></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:20:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6775<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/09/02/medium.4h92m889tq14.jpg" /><br /><p><!--- blog subject --->Hello ladies and gentlemen,</p> <!--- blog body ---> <p>Todayis the day that we've all been waiting for. Our new story, The<br /><br />Emptiness, is FINALLY here! You've seen the videos, you've heard the<br /><br />songs, now you need to go out and get the final piece of the puzzle.<br /><br />Once you get the album with the lyrics, story and sketches the entire<br /><br />story will come to life for you and all make sense.<br /><br />We're so<br /><br />proud of this new album and we look forward to hearing what you all<br /><br />think of it. For those waiting to be the first inthe stores on release<br /><br />day, pick up your copy today at Target and get it for only $7.99 until<br /><br />January 30th. You can also get it on iTunes and still get the two<br /><br />booklets with the story and lyrics.<br /><br />We also wanted to thank<br /><br />everyone that participated in our contest and our chat last night. The<br /><br />support that you guys have given us has been amazing and it really<br /><br />means a lot to us.<br /><br />We'll be heading to Japan for a couple of<br /><br />days next week, but as soon as we get back we'll be kicking off The<br /><br />Emptiness Tour! There are set dates all over the country, so we hope to<br /><br />see each and every one of you very soon.<br /><br />Thank you all for the support<br />-Alesana</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:30:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6697<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/03/14/medium.3l2byi623q3s.jpg" /><br /><p>Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST, we're getting ready for the release of The Emptiness on Stickam! Shawn and Pat will be hosting the chat talking about the album, the story, and answering questions. Find us on our <a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vYml0Lmx5Lzh0bEZKag=="><strong>stickam page</strong></a> and make sure to be there when it starts!<br /> <br /> Hope we see you there and thanks again for all the love and support<br /> <br /> -Alesana</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:40:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6683<p>ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, today is a VERY exciting day for Alesana! we have released a streaming version of The Emptiness in its entirety today on <a href="http://www.myspace.com/alesana" target="_blank">myspace</a>! this is your first chance to hear our story from start to finish!</p> <p>after you have had a taste i know you are going to want to have the whole thing all to yourself. there is still time to <a href="http://www.fearlessrecords.com/alesana/alesanapreorder.htm" target="_blank">pre-order</a> The Emptiness which allows you not only to enjoy the music and the story but it also gives you a chance to lock up some pretty cool stuff as well!</p> <p>thank you for the continued love and support, we could not have made it this far without you! and please don't forget, january 26th, 2010...the emptiness will haunt you...</p> <p>xoxo shawn</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:40:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6650<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/06/01/medium.a68383o685mp.png" /><br /><p>The Emptiness is coming!</p> <p><a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/campaigns/20">Head on over to the Campaign section of the site to help us spread the word!</a></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:50:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6628<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/09/12/medium.fm08879za275.jpg" /><br /><p>We're going to be giving away a copy of The Emptiness EVERYDAY until the January 26th release day! We'll also throw in a poster and a signed copy of "Where Myth Fades To Legend." To enter, all you have to do is follow the simple instructions in our MYSPACE <a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vYmxvZ3MubXlzcGFjZS5jb20vaW5kZXguY2ZtP2Z1c2VhY3Rpb249YmxvZy52aWV3JmZyaWVuZElkPTUxODcxOTQmYmxvZ0lkPTUyNTUyOTA1MQ==" target="_blank"><strong>BLOG</strong></a>, and the new album could be yours!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:20:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6568<p>This is your chance to meet the guys and checkout there sound check!</p> <p>For more information and to purchase your VIP<a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/events" target="_self"> CLICK HERE!</a></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:20:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6554<p><a href="http://vanswarpedtour.com/" title="Vans Warped Tour" target="_blank"><img src="http://vwt.s3.amazonaws.com/images/banners/imgoing/banner_300x250.gif" alt="Vans Warped Tour" width="300" height="250" /></a></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:10:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6448<p>Schecter Guitar Research Presents:<br /><br />The Artery Foundation SXSW Showdown 2010<br />Thursday, March 18 @ RED 7 (indoor and outdoor stages)<br />7 Red River St. - Austin, TX - 78701<br />All Ages / Free Admission 12PM-6PM<br /><br />Attack Attack! - Rise Records<br />Alesana - Fearless Records<br />Breathe Carolina - Fearless Records<br />A Skylit Drive - Fearless Records<br />Evergreen Terrace - Metal Blade Records<br />I See Stars - Sumerian Records<br />Asking Alexandria - Sumerian Records<br />Of Mice & Men - Rise Records<br />We Came As Romans - Equal Vision Records<br />The Word Aive - Fearless Records<br />Bury Tomorrow - Artery Recordings<br />A Bullet For Pretty Boy - Artery Recordings<br />Scarlett Ohara - Rise Records</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:30:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6403<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/05/14/medium.186d9428s33m.jpg" /><br /><p>Begins at 10AM PST thursday the 17th.</p> <p>"The Emptiness Tour" with A Skylit Drive, Of Mice&Men, The Word Alive and We Came As Romans.</p> <p><a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/events" target="_self">Purchase Tickets here! </a></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:00:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6395<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/09/11/medium.2k6xm84c5232.jpg" /><br /><p>Hey what's up guys,</p> <!--- blog body ---> <p>We're out here in Colorado Springs, Colorado getting ready for our show tonight at The Black Sheep. The "You'd Be Cuter In A Coffin" Tour has been crazy so far, we're bummed that there are only a few dates left. The good news is that we're announcing our next U.S. headlining tour today along with our UK tour! Starting February 13, we're going on a nationwide tour with A Skylit Drive, Of Mice & Men, The Word Alive and We Came As Romans. The tour is titled, "The Emptiness" Tour in celebration of our upcoming album, so if you didn't get to see us this past tour, be sure to check the dates below to see when we're playing a show near you.<br /><br />Then, about a month after we finish our U.S. tour, we jump on a plane to the U.K. to play about 25 shows with A Skylit Drive, Emarosa and Bury Tomorrow. We can't wait to get back to the UK to see all our international fans, and we hope you can all make it out to one of the shows.<br /><br />Thanks for all the support.<br />We hope to see you all soon.<br />-alesana</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/events" target="_self">Check out dates on the Tour page!</a></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:10:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6381<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/01/12/medium.j7k629x7nso7.jpg" /><br /><p>Alesana's new single, "The Thespian," will be released December 7th. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YSN7BU?ie=UTF8&tag=cdrevcomdisco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002YSN7BU" target="_blank">A clip can be heard here.</a></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:20:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6206<p>Check out part one of Alesana recording The Emptiness: Features pre-production and a song clip of one of the new Songs.</p> <p><a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/media/videos/1458/1241" target="_self">Click Here</a> to watch the video!</p> <p>Check back every week for a new video!</p> <p></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:40:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6214<p>Alesana Recording " On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax" released in 2007!</p> <p><embed width="530" height="400" flashvars="file=http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/08/11/bzx3p90yvu1k.flv&skin=/engine/swf/video_player_skin.swf&fullscreen=true&autostart=false&image=http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/14/00/large.qz5dgxp6jraf.png" allownetworking="all" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" quality="high" bgcolor="#000000" name="movie" id="movie" style="" src="/engine/swf/video_player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"/><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:10:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6200<p>Hello everyone!<br /> Our headlining tour kicked off this weekend! We're really excited to be back out on the road and we can't wait to see you all. Check out our <a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/events" target="_self"><strong>tour dates</strong></a> to see when you can make it out to one of the shows next month!<br /><br />In other news, today is 'Cyber Monday,' which is one of the BIGGEST online shopping days of the year and the Fearless Records merch store is joining in on the shopping madness. You can pick up our CDs, t-shirts and bundle packs for a discounted price during the holiday sale. Check out a few of our deals below:<br /><br /> "Skull Trucker" Boys or Girls t-shirt + "Where Myth Fades To Legend" for $20<br /> Both of our CD's our now only $8 each<br /> "Where Myth Fades To Legend" + "On Frail Wings Of Vanity And Wax" for $15<br /><br /><br />Also, don't forget that our new song, <em>To Be Scared By An Owl</em>, is up on our <a href="http://www.myspace.com/alesana" target="_blank"><strong>Myspace</strong></a> and now available on <a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vaXR1bmVzLmFwcGxlLmNvbS91cy9hbGJ1bS90by1iZS1zY2FyZWQtYnktb3dsLXNpbmdsZS9pZDMzOTY3NzYxMQ==" target="_blank"><strong>iTunes</strong></a>.<br /> We hope you're all ready for <em>The Emptiness</em> coming January 26th!<br /> See you out on the road<br /> -Alesana</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6197<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/09/08/medium.4731t84s937n.png" /><br /><p>Check out Some behind the scenes <a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/media/videos/1443" target="_self">videos</a> and <a href="http://alesanaofficial.com/media/photos/1442" target="_self">photos</a> that just went up!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:10:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6168<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/14/04/medium.19v7u0kf7pfe.jpg" /><br /><p>Alesana's new single, "To Be Scared by an Owl," will be released November 23rd. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002X4DCII?ie=UTF8&tag=cdrevcomdisco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002X4DCII" target="_blank">A clip can be heard here</a>.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:20:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6103<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/02/00/medium.rc35bsik472i.jpg" /><br /><p>Track Listing:<br />1. Curse Of The Virgin Canvas<br />2. The Artist<br />3. A Lunatics Lament<br />4. The Murderer<br />5. Hymn For The Shameless<br />6. The Thespian<br />7. Heavy Hangs The Albatross<br />8. The Lover<br />9. In Her Tomb By The Sounding Sea<br />10. To Be Scared By An Owl<br />11. Annabel</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:20:00 -0800http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/6027<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/00/12/medium.uksdjqf9mkvd.jpeg" /><br /><p>AlesanaOfficial.com is excited to announce an Alesana Community Members-only presale for the recently announced 'You'd Be Way Cuter In A Coffin' concerts featuring Alesana, From First To Last, Asking Alexandria, and more.</p><p>The presale will begin on this site Wednesday, October 14th at 10am PDT.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:40:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/5759<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/15/08/medium.g4b11o9m50a4.jpeg" /><br /><p>Hello everyone, we hope you are all doing well</p> <p>We have a new tour announcement for you! Starting November 27th, we're headlining the "You'd Be Way Cuter in a Coffin Tour!" Coming out on the tour with us will be From First to Last, Asking Alexandria, The Word Alive and Memphis May Fire. If you didn't get a chance to see us when we were on the Vs. Tour, make sure you don't miss us this time around. We've posted all of the dates below for you to check out.</p> <p>We'll also be posting more info about our upcoming album, THE EMPTINESS, so keep an eye out for that!</p> <p>As always, thank you for the love and support! We hope to see you all soon.<br /> xoxo alesana</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:00:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/5761<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/10/13/medium.67lk0fouiacy.jpeg" /><br /><p><br />We are officially done with our headlining tour! We just wanted to say thank you so much to all the fans who bought tickets and merch! You guys are all awesome. As of right now we dont have any shows lined up besides our show in Mexico City on the 10th, but we will let you all know when we will be on tour again.</p><p>Also, be sure to keep an eye out for our new album that we will be releasing early 2010. We are really excited about the release and we cant wait for everyone to hear it and rock out to our new music.</p><p>Thanks again.<br /><br />Alesana</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:40:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/5632<p>Have a question for Alesana? The band wants to give everyone in the fan club the chance to Ask them whatever questions you might have!Alesana is going to pick 6 questions to answer on a video exclusive to this site. Leave a comment on this news post with TWO questions for Alesana. Please be sure to include your first name and where you are from!</p><p>END DATE: September 30th</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:30:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/5489<br /><img src="http://alesana.s3.amazonaws.com/media/09/05/medium.hvk280bye419.jpeg" /><br /><p>Tonight at the Rocketown in Nashville Tenn Alesana kicked off there tour with a bang! VIP's got a special treat! At the sound check Alesana played 2 BRAND NEW SONGS from there new album set to release early next year.</p><p>Tonight proves that you never know whats going to happen!! Also be on the lookout for new video from Nashville and Pictures from the show will be posted shorty!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:00:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/5356<p>so the results are in! it was a very, very close race but in the end it was four songs that received the most votes</p><p>in slot three, even after adding Beautiful In Blue into the mix, it was still RED AND DYING EVENING that received the most votes</p> <p>in slot two, despite a strong push for Daggers Speak Louder Than Words, it was one of our favorites ALCHEMY SOUNDED GOOD AT THE TIME that won</p> <p>*i will say that those of you who voted for Nero's Decay were the most convincing as far as how excited you were (which excited me because its my favorite alesana song of all time) but there just weren't enough votes :(</p> <p>and in slot one, by far the closest race of the three slots, we ended up having to choose two songs because it was simply too close to call: PATHETIC, ORDINARY AND THE LAST THREE LETTERS</p> <p>so there you have it! the songs YOU have chosen are:</p> <p>PATHETIC, ORDINARY<br /> THE LAST THREE LETTERS<br /> ALCHEMY SOUNDED GOOD AT THE TIME<br /> RED AND DYING EVENING</p> <p>you can expect to hear these four songs and 2 BRAND NEW SONGS this september and december when we come to your city!! (and before you even ask, yes OF COURSE we are playing more than six songs :-p )</p> <p>thanks everyone!</p> <p>xoxo shawn</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:30:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/1495<p>hello everyone, hope you are all doing well!</p> <p>so we have decided that we want to play some songs that we have not played in a very long time on this next tour but we want YOU to help us pick what to play!</p> <p>there are three different slots in the set where we will play what you pick. you will have three songs to choose from in each slot so be sure to pick one song from each group in your response!!</p> <p>slot one:</p> <p>A SIREN'S SOLILOQUY<br /> PATHETIC, ORDINARY<br /> THE LAST THREE LETTERS</p> <p>slot two:</p> <p>ALCHEMY SOUNDED GOOD AT THE TIME<br /> NERO'S DECAY<br /> DAGGERS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS</p> <p>and even though we have played these songs more recently, we still want you to choose from these three as well!</p> <p>GOODBYE, GOODNIGHT, FOR GOOD<br /> ENDINGS WITHOUT STORIES<br /> RED AND DYING EVENING</p> <p>thank you everyone! we look very forward to seeing what you want to hear!!</p> <p>xoxo shawn and alesana</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:20:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/1494<p>hello everyone, i hope you are all doing well...</p> <p>well it is that time to begin talking about our new record! we just finished up in the studio with producer Kris Crummett and we are BEYOND excited. however excited we have been in the past about any of our records, simply multiply that by 100,000,000 and that is how excited we are!!! there are so many surprises on this record and we could not be more proud of the results!</p> <p>everyone has waited so patiently to learn of the name of our new work and we are proud to inform you that the new alesana story is called:</p> <p>THE EMPTINESS</p> <p>this collection of songs is way more than just a record... it is an experience. it is the story dennis and myself have been wanting to write since day one and our dream has finally come to be. as each day, week, month passes little pieces of our adventure will start to come clear until the day the story is released in january. we know you will be just as thrilled as we are once you close your eyes and join us in our adventure...the emptiness will haunt you...</p> <p>we are hitting the road this september with our friends The Bled, Enter Shikari, Asking Alexandria, and Broadway and YES we will be playing some new material. please come out and rock the stage with us! for those of you on the west coast, we will be seeing you in december when we will also be playing some new songs!!</p> <p>finally, it has been quite awhile since we put a different song on our myspace page so today we decided to do it!</p> <p>"Obsession Is Such An Ugly Word" was our favorite track off of the last record, "Where Myth Fades To Legend" so we figured why not put it here on myspace! pimp it out and add it to your profile players everyone!!</p> <p>as always, thank you for the love and support! we could not continue doing this is it was not for our amazing fans!!</p> <p>xoxo shawn and alesana</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:40:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/1490<p>Check out the new pictures of the guys recording there new album in Portand! Check back soon for a new video!!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:00:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/1452<p>Of course you do!</p><p><a href="../../../contests/33">Check out the new contest for your chance to win!</a></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times, fantasy;">Pre-Show Upgrade Includes:<br style="padding-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px;" />Early admittance to watch Alesana soundcheck<br style="padding-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px;" />A photo with the band<br style="padding-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px;" />Limited edition tour laminate<br style="padding-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px;" />Signed poster<br style="padding-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px;" /><strong style="padding-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px;">General admission ticket NOT INCLUDED</strong></span></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:00:00 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/1375<p>The Virgin Mobile FreeFest in Columbia, MD is next month and they are looking for an opening band for the festival. We are now in the running, along with 4 other bands, to be chosen as the opening act. If we won we would be sharing the stage with some huge bands like Blink-182, Weezer, The Bravery and many others.<br /><br />This festival would be a huge opportunity for us and it would mean a lot if you all helped us out and gave us your vote. The voting is easy, just click on the banner below and vote as many times as you want before the August 14th deadline.<br /><br />If you wanna be a HUGE help,<a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnZpcmdpbm1vYmlsZWZlc3RpdmFsLmNvbS9ib29rdGhlYmFuZC9wcm9tb3RlLw==" target="_blank"><strong>click here</strong></a>to find some other banners that you can post up on your own pages.<br /><br />Thanks for your help!<br />-Alesana</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.virginmobilefestival.com/#/booktheband/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.fearlessrecords.com/alesana/alesana_virginmobilefest.gif" alt="" /></a></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:12:03 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/1185<p>The new profile is fully loaded and online! A HUGE thank you to Justin Reich at The Antimatter Studio for all of his hard work; both with the myspace and the photography. Justin is great, and if you want to check out more of his stuff go to www.justinreich.com to take a look. Moving on, you may or may not know that we are currently in Portland, OR recording our new album with Kris Crummett. Being that it is a full concept album, we worked a lot of things that hint toward the theme of the record in our new myspace profile. We hope that everyone enjoys the new layout and make sure that you keep checking in for more info on the new album!</p> <p>-Alesana</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:21:24 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/1123<p>Hey guys-<br /> It's been a while since our last update, so today we have some big news for you guys! We're headlining the VS. tour along with The Bled, Enter Shikari, Asking Alexandria, and Broadway. Medina Lake will be joining us too on the last week. Pre-sale for the tour starts Monday, July 6th, and we'll be giving you more information on that next week. We're stoked to be back in the U.S. touring and we can't wait to see you all.</p><p><a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/events">Click here to check out all of the dates!</a></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:00:56 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/883<p>Hey Everyone!</p> <p>We're in the middle of a neck and neck, vote to win, battle for "The Freshmen" on mtvU. If you have any free time please head to freshmen.mtvu.com and vote as many times as you can. If we win, it'll guarantee rotation for "Seduction" on mtvU for the next few weeks. Voting ends Friday afternoon and since it's so close, every vote is that much more important.</p> <p>See you soon!<br /> Alesana</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 13 May 2009 16:39:47 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/861<p>If you live in Michigan, we'll be having an in-store signing in Utica for Record Store Day.</p> <p>It will be at Rockabilly's at 3pm on Saturday, April 18th, so be sure to come down.</p> <p>8411 Hall Rd.<br /> Utica, MI 48317</p> <p>We hope to see you guys there!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:42:37 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/862<p>We're stoked to let you guys know if you own an iPhone, you can play through "Seduction" on the new iPhone app Tap Tap Revenge 2. The download is free so definitely check it out.</p> <p>It's awesome to be included on the new application and if you don't have an iPhone, you can still come rock to "Seduction" along our tour with Drop Dead Gorgeous.</p> <p>Thanks for all the support everyone and enjoy the free app!</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:44:51 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/863<p>Check out our most recent video interview with <a href="http://www.indiestar.tv/" target="_blank">Mainstream Killed the Indie Star</a> to hear a little bit about us, about our previous tours and about the recording of our NEW record. Also be sure to check us out on tour now with Drop Dead Gorgeous, Fear Before, I Set My Friends On Fire and Fall From Grace!</p> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/3741443" target="_self">Check out the video here.</a></p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:53:57 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/922<p>"On APRIL 25th in 100 cities across the globe people will be gathering for an event called The RESCUE that is going to raise attention to both media and governments in different countries worldwide. The momentum from the events will be used to motivate and encourage these governments to support the rescuing of the child soldiers by arresting the rebel leader Joseph Kony.</p> <p>This cannot be done without all of you! Please watch this film to learn more about why we need to get these kids home and how YOU can help."<br /> www.therescue.invisiblechildren.com</p> <p>We Support, You Should Too.<br /> -Alesana</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:57:45 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/923<p>Punk Goes Pop 2 hits stores today, featuring our cover of Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around..."!</p> <p>The album also includes our "Making of 'What Goes Around...'" video when you pick up a copy from Merchnow or in stores.</p><p>From <a href="http://www.alesanaofficial.com/">www.alesanaofficial.com</a></p>Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:14:01 -0700http://www.alesanaofficial.com/news/926