>> The Fold Releases "Every Band In The USA" Parody
Former Tooth & Nail Records rock band The Fold has been making underground waves recently with the release of a Miley Cyrus parody they dubbed "Every Band In The USA." The band also recently shot a silly video for it using their iPhone and have already received over 120,000 views in just a couple days! In a recent blog, frontman Daniel Castady reflects...

"This week has been ca-razy! For those of you who haven't heard, we posted a brand new song (a parody, really) called "Every Band in the U.S.A." on our myspace last Monday. Welp, the response was game-changing, which made us think, "Hey, this thing needs a face!"

So, we shot a modest video on my iPhone & posted it on Thanksgiving to our youtube channel. Next thing we knew, you - our AMAZING fans - turned it into something extra special, with over 100,000 plays in just 3 days! So, we thank you, without your help this wouldn't be happening, we're excited and humbled to be representing the good fight for independent music, where YouTube is the new MTV, and you don't need big marketing money to connect. This was the best $0 we never spent! We must say, it's been truly beautiful to connect with you all on such a one-on-one level through the youtube comments and twitter - even if we did get laughed at in the process. It's why we do this, really - to CONNECT...

This whole thing is just a tongue-in-cheek observation, a commentary if you will, on what we see on tour in America. The truth is, a lot of times we feel a bit old fashioned, a bit left out, and we thought it might be funny to bring our own insecurities out in to the open through this song. It turns out there's been a lot of people who connected to it, and that's just cool. This song was not really meant as a stab to Miley, Glamour Kills, Fall Out Boy, All Time Low or anyone else we called out - and we're glad it hasn't been received as such - in fact, they've all endorsed the video. (except Miley, we may need to send her a fruit basket tomorrow ...)"

>> News On The Latest From Cool Hand Luke
Mark Hicks, lead vocalist and main personality behind Cool Hand Luke, has been hard at work on new musical ventures. Check out his new update below...

Hello all,
First of all, we caved and got a Twitter. Please follow us! http://twitter.com/coolhandmusic

As 2009 comes to a close and we slowly get over the disappointment of realizing that we won’t all be flying around in space ships in 2010 like we had previously thought, I’m thinking about playing shows. Hopefully lots and lots of shows. But here’s the thing: I don’t have a label, a manager, a booking agent, etc.

What I do have is an incredibly devoted wife who helps me tremendously, and I have you. If you would like to see/hear me play/speak in 2010, please contact us at bookcoolhandluke@gmail.com

If you’ve seen me play this year, you know that a lot of what I do is not only play Cool Hand Luke songs, but tell the stories behind the songs and talk about the things that God is teaching me. So, this would work well in your church, your coffee shop, your college, or even your house. I will be booking shows as “Mark Nicks of Cool Hand Luke” and it will consist of me, my piano, and (when you’re lucky) my wife Brandy playing along with me. I would love to come and play for you or even just speak. God is teaching me lots of good things about the intersection of faith and the arts, and I would be keen to talk about that in just about any setting.

In other news, I will be releasing a live album shortly. It was recorded in Nashville just a few weeks ago by Konrad Snyder. It will be mixed and finished very soon and I will be working on getting CD’s pressed and available for purchase. I’ll let you know when I figure out dates and whatnot. I’m also still in the middle of recording new material.

Here are the FAQ’s I’ve been receiving regarding the things I’m working on:
1. Is it just piano or full band?
2. What’s it going to be called?
3. What does it sound like?

Here are my answers:
1. It is full band. I am getting different friends to play on it and I’m playing piano and drums and singing.
2. I’m not sure. I will probably not call the new records Cool Hand Luke, but I’m still figuring that out. I’m also not sure if I will have a band or go it alone when I play the new songs.
3. It’s all over the board. I’m working on a concept record that roughly covers the Passion. It sometimes sounds like the darker moments of Cool Hand Luke with some new elements. Some of the new songs that aren’t for the concept record sound like a continuation of what happened on The Sleeping House and some of them are quite different. I’m trying not to limit myself to what is expected from a Cool Hand Luke song, but then again, I wrote Cool Hand Luke songs so it will still sound like that to some degree. I just started recording a song that makes me nod my head and tap my foot. Sometimes I even shake my hips a bit. (You’ll never see that part, though.) I’m just listening to God and trying to imitate what I hear with the few tools that I have. It’s a slow process because of work and all that, but it’s been rewarding so far. I’ll let you hear something I did soon. For real.

I have just a few more shows this year:
Dec 4: Knoxville with Standing Small
Dec 12: Nashville with Derek Webb and Matthew Mayfield

Please come out if you’re around and you’re free that night. If not, maybe next year??? Thank you for remaining supportive and interested. I love you more than you could understand. I love being able to play music that tells stories about the gospel, and you’re the reason I’m able to do that. I hope to see you soon, and I hope you have a wonderful week.

Soli Deo Gloria,
mark

>> Seventh Day Slumber Releases Acoustic EP
Pop rock band Seventh Day Slumber has released an acoustic EP for their popular worship record, Take Everything. Today, the band announced, "Our NEW Acoustic version of Take Everything is available now for ONLY $4.49 at iTunes AND the original Take Everything is now ONLY $7.99 on iTunes Get in on the deals and keep in mind Christmas is around the corner! You can "gift" the album(s) to your friends!"

>> Out Of The Grey Releases New Voyage
Christine Dente and her duo project with husband Scott as Out Of The Grey are back! Not only has Christine self-released a new record, but the record, titled Voyage: Journey Of Prayer, is billed as "Christine Dente and Out Of The Grey." Check out her website now at ChristineDente.net for more information and sound clips from tracks on the album!

For more info on these artists, visit the JFH Artists Database.