LIONIZE, ROCK, SOUL AND BLUES BAND SET TO PERFORM ON THE ENTIRE VANS WARPED TOUR 2014 TOUR KICKS OFF ON FRIDAY, JUNE 13 IN HOUSTON, TX

DT:      JUNE 12, 2014

FR:      LIBBY COFFEY//ANDREA FAULK//MSO PR

LIONIZE
—ROCK, SOUL AND BLUES BAND—
SET TO PERFORM ON THE ENTIRE VANS WARPED TOUR 2014
TOUR KICKS OFF ON FRIDAY, JUNE 13 IN HOUSTON, TX 

NEW ALBUM
‘JETPACK SOUNDTRACK’
 OUT NOW ON WEATHERMAKER MUSIC

LIONIZE photo: http://msopr.com/files/shuttle_nose66.jpg

Rock, soul and blues band LIONIZE have just come off a successful European tour with label mates Clutch and are prepared to head back out on the road this Friday, June 13 to perform on the entire VANS WARPED TOUR along with Of Mice and Men, Yellowcard, Echosmith and many more. The group–NATE BERGMAN (vocals/guitar), HENRY UPTON (bass/vocal) and CHRIS BROOKS (keyboards & vocals) and CHASE LAPP (drums)–will be performing all summer long during the tour’s 20^th Anniversary trek for all 42 dates.

“It’s an honor to come back to the Vans Warped Tour as alumni for its 20th anniversary summer,” says vocalist/guitarist NATE BERGMAN. “As the longest running American tour, it’s brought some of the most diverse and popular bands from the fringe of music to the mainstream for an affordable ticket price year after year. We’re excited to be the torchbearers of rock music all summer at a festival whose foundations are in punk. See you out there!”

Hailing from Silver Spring, MD–near the Washington, D.C. stomping ground of their hardcore idols—LIONIZE recently released their new album JETPACK SOUNDTRACK on Weathermaker Music, the label owned and operated by Maryland rock group Clutch. Co-produced by Jean-Paul Gaster, drummer of Clutch and Machine (Fall Out Boy, Lamb of God, King Crimson) at the Machine Shop in Belleville, New Jersey, the album finds the group creating an 11-song journey through their multi-faceted musical influences–spanning heavy rock, soul and blues–such as Deep Purple, O. V. Wright, Led Zeppelin and Solomon Burke. The album’s first single “Reality Check” showcases LIONIZE’s precise musicianship; they smoothly shift gears and smack you with a gargantuan hook at an exhilarating pace.  Listen to “Reality Check” here: http://lionizemusic.com.

Check out some critical reaction for LIONIZE:

“With a sound that owes a debt and immediately brings to mind the classic keyboard rock of the legends that are Deep Purple (which can’t be a bad way to start), Maryland based Lionize’s fourth album, Jetpack Soundtrack, gathers together a range of influences from hard rock to blues, soul and even a bit of funk. It’s the organ sound, though, which gives the music that classic feel, yet Nate Bergman’s guitar gives it more variation than a simple hard and heavy rock; the organ and guitar wah wah of opening track ‘Breather’ give a flavor of what to expect from the rest of the album, leaning towards the hard and heavy but with a twist. ‘Electric Reckoning’ contains a catchy chorus amidst some touches that verge on soul and there’s some excellent slide work from Bergman on ‘Replaced By Machines.’ With some no nonsense, no frills hard rock, Lionize show they can deliver on the single, ‘Reality Check,’ and ‘Lazarus Style’.”

–Mike Ainscoe, CLASSIC ROCK U.K., April  2014

“…great things have arrived in the form of a tightly sequenced, beautifully produced collection that deepens the band’s ability to bring weathered hard rock tropes screaming into the present tenses, via an infusion of soul and blues.”

–Jeff Miers, BUFFALO NEWS, March 15, 2014

“Lionize infuses a soulful Southern gospel element into their sound with the inclusion of a stabbing Hammond organ. The keyboards are more than superfluous texture, acting like a second axe. Lyrically, Lionize delves into a world of robotic sci-fi and fantasy. On paper, the symbolism of stiff, heavy cyborgs doesn’t mesh with the fluid basslines, rich vocal harmonies, and snappy drum fills, but Lionize pulls it off on songs such as ‘Replaced with Machines’ and ‘Skynet.’ Album ender ‘Sea of Tranquility’ even bathes in reggae worship.”

–Joshua Bottomley, OUTBURN, (9-out-of 10 stars, April, 2014)

“Mixing ’70s-influenced hard rock with funky grinding dub into a rather intoxicating brew, DC outfit Lionize offers a surprisingly strong departure… guitar textures trade between fuzzy distorted riffs, wet drops of wah wah notes and piercing fret-jumping solos, thick bass and heavy organ create a robust bed of dub-laced grooves, and the tuneful sandpaper-chafed vocals of Nate Bergman wheels over top of it all. Lionize has earned much street cred in their eight-year tenure, serving as touring band for Lee “Scratch” Perry, warming up the stage on tour with such diverse and respected acts as Bad Brains and Galactic, playing both Bonnaroo and the Vans Warped Tour and issuing albums all throughout.”

—CREATIVE LOAFING (1/20/14)

“Lionize is a tenacious hard-working band with moxy and talent. Framing themselves within an imaginative palette of groove-heavy drumming, rippling rock riffs, and smatterings of eyebrow raising dub reggae, these elements congeal to form a refreshing addition to the rock lexicon.”

–Oscar Jordan, VINTAGE GUITAR (March 2014)

“Maryland seems to be a hotbed of musical volcanic activity over the last few years. But for the last 10 years or so, Lionize have been blazing a path of their own with their hard rock and reggae style first shown to me by Bad Brains some 30-plus years ago. I’d say they have become the next ambassadors of those elements I just mentioned.”

–Steve Truglio, AQUARIAN WEEKLY (3/5/14)

“…the Maryland natives deliver a fun set focusing heavily on latest album Jetpack Soundtrack that goes down well in front of a new crowd that quickly packs the venue.  It’s nice to see a rock band featuring hammond organs for something a little different to the norm and in singer/guitarist Nate Bergman they’ve got a frontman with an impressively powerful voice.  It may have taken them 10 years to get over to Europe but hopefully we’ll see them back here again soon.”

–Stuart Patterson, SUBBA-CULTCHA.COM (U.K.), (5/19/2014) 

“They may be new to the U.K. scene but five albums into their career and it was no surprise the organ-inspired quartet delivered their debut British show with confidence and aplomb. New album Jetpack Soundtrack is a triumph of 70s-inspired retro goodness with a taste of Cream, shades of Purple and some of the blackest Sabbath underpinning a wildly addictive set. Frontman Nate Bergman knows how to entertain and knows how to belt out a mean riff, but it was ethereal keys man Chris Brooks who stole the support slot show. An old head on young shoulders, his personal quest to bring back the golden age of heavy rock affirmed Lionize’s brazen appeal.”

–Simon Rushworth, RUSH ON ROCK, (U.K.), (4/23/2014)

Catch LIONIZE on the VANS WARPED TOUR this summer:

www.lionizemusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/LIONIZEMUSIC
https://twitter.com/LionizeMusic
http://weathermakermusic.com

http://www.msopr.com/n/client-roster/lionize

Cover artwork: http://msopr.com/files/jetpack_soundtrack_cover_art_low_res.jpeg.

Read the Q&A with LIONIZE frontman NATE BERGMAN on ArtistDirect here: http://tinyurl.com/matol3v.

The complete schedule for the 2014 Tour can be found at http://vanswarpedtour.com/dates, and for the full list of confirmed acts visit www.vanswarpedtour.com/bands.

About LIONIZE:
The Maryland-based band LIONIZE formed in 2004, learning to play music by jamming and listening to each other. Now, ten years later, the band has matured into a much more powerful, unit. Whether touring extensively in the past on a limited budget, or playing to 10,000 people at the majestic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, LIONIZE always seems to look for a challenge. Space Pope And The Glass Machine (2008) revealed their affinity for reggae. Destruction Manual (2011) and their last album Superczar And The Vulture (2011) broadened into a more multifaceted musical direction by incorporating rock, soul and blues influences–such as Deep Purple, O. V. Wright, Led Zeppelin and Solomon Burke–that became the proverbial keys for taking the Weathermaker Music machine out for a late night joyride. LIONIZE first supported Clutch in 2006 and they found a shared regard of music as a sacred cultural and intellectual art form, particularly jazz and rock and roll. That bond endeared the younger band to their seasoned patrons. Weathermaker Music–the label established by Clutch–eventually signed the band and the forthcoming JETPACK SOUNDTRACK is their first release of a new artist on the label.

About the VANS WARPED TOUR:
The VANS WARPED TOUR® is well established as America’s premiere music and lifestyle festival of the summer, breaking up-and-coming indie talent as well as both creating and showcasing major established artists since 1995. The nationally-renowned festival is the most eclectic traveling tour and features a diverse array of artists–with hotly tipped acts in every genre from punk, metal and indie to rock, hip-hop, rap, electronic, reggae and pop; as well as a variety of lifestyle attractions for its traditionally low ticket price. The tour has cemented its place in history by bringing punk rock/skate/action sports culture from the underground to the forefront of global youth culture, while at the same time helping those in need and being the first tour to consistently use groundbreaking environmental concepts every year on the road. The Warped Eco Initiatives (WEI) focus on making the tour more environmentally friendly whether it is through eco conscious catering for the artists and crew courtesy of Tada Catering or a solar-powered sound system on the Kevin Says Stage. Further, www.vanswarpedtour.com even showcases public transportation options for every tour date and carpool social media apps as well as exotic eco travel contests. For more information on the tour that Alternative Press readers voted the “Best Tour/Festival” of 2009/2010 and Rolling Stone called “America’s most successful festival” (2005) go to: www.vanswarpedtour.com. Now in its 20th year, the 42-date tour will commence June 13 in Houston, TX and end on August 3 in Denver, CO.

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