Emotional Tourist, the new Steve Scott career retrospective release from Arena Rock Recording Company, is finally out. It features 15 tracks from various Steve Scott releases, including both rock anthems and poetry readings. You can get this collection as either a limited edition CD or digital download from emotionaltourist.com.

New announcement from everyone’s favorite indie label VBM:

Velvet Blue Music has teamed up w/ two other lables : Spune and Tree Fall Sounds to release a series of 7″s this year. The first one up is from the Austin, TX based Gold Beach. It will be released digitally and as a limited edition 7″ on 2/28. It will be 2 tracks on beautiful white vinyl, and a total of 6 tracks on the download card.

The second 7″ . . . we’ll be making announcements about that one on Mon. !

Initially hailing from the Houston area, the principle songwriters of Gold Beach, Tony Daugherty and Michael Winningham, grew up on the same street. The two relocated to Austin and put the band together, which includes a plethora of regional talent, including: Jeremy Gomez (x-Mineral, the Glass Family), Carlos Orozco (x-Western Keys, Black Drum Set), Nicole Kern (x-Balmorhea), Evan Jacobs (Tacks! the Boy Disaster, Polyphonic Spree), Andy Sharp (Girling), and Henna Chou (x-My Education).

Since then, the band has been on a roll. They self released their first record which the Austin Chronicle called a “carefully crafted debut”, supported national bands such as Memoryhouse, Talkdemonic, Wooden Birds, Balmorhea and recently completed a Daytrotter session and Texas Music Matters/NPR included the band in their “Best of 2011″ list. Needless to say, the band has been hard at work and will be recording new songs w/ producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, the Walkmen, Wye Oak) shortly.

More details and a free trac download can be found here.

To me, March 21, 2012 was so far away when SLIDE announced it as the release date for their debut CD nearly a year ago. But time flew and the new SLIDE album is about to be unleashed on the world. Trust me, this one is worth the wait. Tickets to the release party at Club 33 / Disneyland are sold out. But if you want to see them live, there are other opportunities. See the SLIDE live page for dates (including one at the famous Whiskey a Go Go). And keep a look out for Auto Tune Massacre.

“Lo-Fidelity Records is pleased to announce the upcoming re-release of the classic 77s album, Sticks And Stones… Out of print since shortly after it’s original release, we will be offering the album in CD and digital format, available online and on tour in March 2012. Please stay tuned for further details in the coming weeks on the expanded track list for this classic album. In support of the release, Michael Roe and David Leonhardt are excited to again tour as 77s Unplugged where they will perform songs from Sticks And Stones and the extensive 77s catalog.

Michael and David had this to say about the upcoming tour:

“It’s been nearly 22 years since the release of Sticks And Stones and it will be exciting to have the album available again and celebrate the re-release with the fans who have loved it and supported us for all these years. I am also thrilled to be able to come play these tunes for you with my ‘ol 77s pal David Leonhardt, as we have not appeared together as a duo since the “It’s For You” tour 15 years ago. Dave and I have always had a bit of ESP going whenever we perform and we’ve missed that magical musical experience (along with the ridiculous humor) ever since.” – Michael Roe

“I am really excited to be playing again with Mike. We always have a great time together and our musical influences generate some interesting moments on stage. Sometimes it gets us in trouble, but we’ll try to avoid that. Sticks And Stones being re-released brings back lots of great memories and it will be fun to revisit those songs on the tour. That album had some of the coolest songs from that era, and this tour should be a great musical experience with Sticks And Stones as the background. Can’t wait to see all of you again!” – David Leonhardt

77s Unplugged is also pleased to be scheduled to play Cornerstone 2012. Lo-Fidelity Records will be releasing an expanded version of the classic 77s live album, “Echos O’ Faith” in time for the festival. To celebrate the re-release and 20th anniversary of the original recording, some configuration of the original “Echos O’ Faith” lineup will appear at the festival. 77s Unplugged is currently scheduled to play on the Gallery Stage on Wednesday, July 4th, at 9:35PM. Please stay tuned for updates regarding the Cornerstone performance.

Visit the Live page for an up-to-date list of tour dates.

For information and pricing for booking the 77s Unplugged and/or Michael Roe in your home, church, school, or club, please contact jeffrey k. at: booking@lo-fidelity.com“

“An evening with Derri Daugherty & Steve Hindalong from The Choir – performing Chase The Kangaroo in its entirety plus fan favorites!

Amid the cookie-cutter concerts taking place night after night at cavernous venues across the country, something is happening. Some forward-thinking artists are finding a way to do things differently. The Choir’s Steve Hindalong and Derri Daugherty are heading out this spring for a limited run of intimate concerts, providing a unique opportunity to experience live music in a fresh, new way. Performing at just 16 hand-picked locations, these Grammy nominated and critically-acclaimed musicians will offer an up-close-and-personal experience sure to delight and inspire.

The Choir will celebrate the release of their groundbreaking fan favorite album Chase The Kangaroo from 1987 (Yes, it’s been 25 years!) by performing the record in its entirety at a very limited run of live shows in the U.S. this Spring. Following this special set, Derri and Steve will perform a second set that will feature songs from their brand new album which is set to be released April 10th along with fan favorites from their catalog.

Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to The Choir, this pared down tour will remind you how live music was meant to stir souls.

To partner with The Choir in booking this special show, contact Lisa Michaels lisamichaels@comcast.net“

Velvet Blue Music has released several tracks from various VBM artists for free. Just go to soundcloud.com/velvetblue to check out tracks from current and former releases – listen online or download for free.

Check out The Bloody Strummers – a band consisting of Josh Lory and Matt Biggers. Return of the Halcyon Days is their debut album. If your a fan of classic bands like The Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Kinks, Beatles, or newer bands such as The Black Keys, White Stripes, or Brian Jonestown Massacre, this is right up your alley! Mixed and Co-Produced by Masaki Liu. There is nothing like this in the CCM! Purchase today for only $9 from bandcamp!

“Destroy Nate Allen was recently presented with an opportunity to make our first professional studio album featuring the amazingly fun Gnarboots (Asian Man Records) as our backing band. The album will be recorded in California to 2” tape at The Atomic Garden, run by Jack Shirley who plays in Comadre. We’d like to invite you take part in this epic adventure by choosing one of the rewards to the right, essentially pre-ordering the new album.

Two of the songs from this recording session will be featured on a split 7” vinyl with Blaster The Rocket Man, who play sci-fi, mind-altering, horror punk. They are one of our favorite bands ever!”

Sound like a cool idea? See http://kck.st/rXnhni for details on how you can help fund this project.

Merry Christmas from Down the Line! Sorry that we have been quiet. The next issue is in the works – but it will still be January by the time it comes out. There are some great stories in the works – but we’ll just have to leave you in suspense for now :)

We have also been a bit slow on posting music-related news recently. We’re coming up with a plan for bands, labels, fans, anyone to be able to email us news and have it posted to the site. Everything seems to be going Facebook these days, but it seems like some news tidbits get lot in the rush  viral George Takei jokes and Castlevania requests that fill up Facebook streams. If you are a musician or fan and want your news featured on this site, feel free to email us a notice.

We also have some music reviews in the works, as well as some other projects. There are some great releases being worked on now that we had some part in. Can’t say more until there is some kind of official word, but loo for some cool re-issues in 2012.

With that, I’ll leave you with one of the all-time classic modern Christmas tunes of all time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs5hQ45kLfc

Have you been looking for a quirky, fun way to enjoy Christmas tunes? Sounds Familyre is again releasing a free Christmas compilation, one song at a time, just in time for Christmas.  Songs by Ortolan, Dan Zimmerman, Aaron & Whitni Roche, and The Singing Mechanic are already up, with new ones being added each day until Christmas. Volumes 1-3 are also available for purchase. If Volume 4 follows the trends of past volumes, it will only be free for a limited time – so grab the tracks now.