CANDLEBOX

Steve Hall Productions Presents

CANDLEBOX - Wolves 2021 Tour

w/special guest THE DEAD DEADS

at The Plant in downtown Dothan, Alabama

Sunday, October 10th, 2021 | Doors 6:30p | Show 7:30p

RSVP to the Facebook event page and invite your friends!:

https://www.facebook.com/events/977522156399726

On sale at 10:00am CDT this Friday, June 25th.

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Kevin Martin – vocals

Robin Diaz – drums

Brian Quinn – lead/rhythm guitar

Adam Kury – bass

Island Styles – guitar

Throw out any preconceived notions about who Candlebox is. Wolves, the band’s seventh album, is rife with brutal lyrical honesty and songs that run the gamut from dirty rock stompers to timeless, radio-ready pop-rock tunes. Wolves captures the live energy of a band embracing all its influences and coalescing them down into the most potent form. “These are songs that I love that the band loved. We didn't stop ourselves from recording anything if we dug it; we allowed each song to dictate to us what it needed musically, instrumentally,” explains singer Kevin Martin. Wolves is a modern rock album that also contains “that really sparkly acoustic, Radiohead kind of dreamy guitar and ethereal stuff; we pulled from everything that inspired us, from Neil Young to brand-new bands.”

Candlebox teased the upcoming LP in August 2020, releasing Wolves’ energized “Let Me Down Easy.” an aggro, blues-based rocker with a booming bass and edgy guitar riffing. The cut was co-written with old Seattle pal Peter Cornell, Chris Cornell’s older brother. As for the vibe: Martin knew he “wanted that song to feel and sound like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.”

In 2021 came "My Weakness.” The pop-tastic gem is “kind of guttural and like ‘The Summer of ‘69’ and Bruce Springsteen tunes; it’s one of those love songs where you can feel the band just wants to take off with you the whole time.” Reminiscent of chart-topping ‘80s pop-rock that has stood the test of time, Martin knows that "My Weakness” may be perceived as a departure for Candlebox. But that’s the point.

Working with producer Dean Dichoso in Los Angeles’ legendary Henson Studios for Wolves, Martin’s goals included creating a “different record for Candlebox. I don't want to fall into bad habits like overthinking in the studio. Dean and I had long conversations about music and songs, about what inspired me on albums like Neil Young’s Rust Never Sleeps, those really loose rock and roll albums where artists didn't follow a program, where there was no real formula.”

The first official single from Wolves is “All Down Hill From Here,” co-written with Christopher Thorne of Blind Melon, another old friend of Martin’s. In the frank autobiographical tune, Martin sings, “Spent half of my life in a rock and roll band … They say ‘the harder they come, the harder they fall’ / Well I hit it pretty hard babe, still reelin’ from it all /And I made it to the peak babe, but it’s all downhill from here now.”

Wolves is not the record of a band on its downslide, but rather a strong aural statement from musicians who are exploring, reinventing, and creating music to make themselves happy. There’s zero resting on the considerable laurels of Candlebox’s hit singles and albums. And the band is inviting fans, old and new, along for the ride.

It’s a journey that began in 1991 in Seattle, where Candlebox formed, and soon thereafter incited a record label bidding war in Los Angeles. The lineup went quadruple-platinum with their 1993 self-titled debut on Madonna’s Maverick Records and released two more acclaimed albums (1995’s Lucy and 1998’s Happy Pills). The singles “Far Behind,” “You” and “Cover Me,” became ubiquitous fan and radio favorites. But after nearly a decade of hard road work, the band went on hiatus in 2000. Candlebox then regrouped with a 2006 tour, putting out Into the Sun in 2008, followed by 2012’s Love Stories & Other Musings.

Candlebox’s sixth studio album, 2016’s Disappearing In Airports, had a fresh modernity, a vibe that is amplified and broadened on Wolves, so named for a myriad of reasons. “It comes from where we are as humans right now, and what we’ve become,” Martin says. “Yes, there's beauty in these wolves, but there's the pack mentality, and that lone wolf mentality on the other side.”

Wolves isn’t a political statement, it’s more a musing on humanity. “I think that as a society we’re headed in a really dark direction. We've become so ‘about ourselves,’ forgetting that we’re all in this together,” Martin says. “We've lost that whole concept of being kind and looking out for one another; now it’s just dog eat dog.”

Music, however, brings people together both physically – in the pre- and post-pandemic times, that is – and emotionally. And Wolves, with songs that tap into a more raucous vibe while being equally powerful on personal love songs, sets off many emotional triggers. For instance, the irresistible “Lost Angeline” relates a story about the early days of Martin’s relationship with his wife. Working that emotion into the recording required a “live looseness in the studio. It was one vocal take for the verses,” says the frontman. “Lost Angeline” would be at home on a roots-rock playlist. “We didn't stray away from anything; if the song sounded Americana, we went there; if a song sounded progressive, we went progressive- we didn't try to stay in our lane, if you will.”

The timeline of Wolves began well before the shitshow of 2020, kicking off in mid-2018, with approximately three months to write and record. Alongside drummer Dave Krusen (who joined Candlebox in 1997); lead and rhythm guitarist Brian Quinn and bassist Adam Kury, Wolves marks guitarist Island Styles’ studio recording debut with the band. (Robin Diaz, who has toured with Candlebox in the past, will take over drumming duties from Krusen when the pandemic status allows for the band to hit the road in support of the record.)

The chemistry Candlebox conjured playing live in the studio is undeniable and electric. And Martin couldn’t be happier with the outcome. “It can be challenging to be an artist who has enjoyed great success, and then down the line, still has great fans, but never really achieves that great success again,” Martin observes, echoing the lyrical story of “All Down Hill From Here.” “A lot of our friends in bands are in that position now. It’s a story I think a lot of people can relate to, not only musicians. “But,” he concludes, referencing the Wolves’ tune “Don’t Count Me Out,” “like the boxer who's on his last legs, he still has an opportunity. You really can’t count anyone out.”

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The Dead Deads are comprised of a pair of siblings and three childhood best friends who came together for a girls' jam night that turned into much more. Audiences may be curious as they see five girls with X's painted over their eyes appear on stage, but once the wall of sound washes over them, they are transfixed and spirited away into the dark and magical world of The Dead Deads.

Heads bang as metal and grunge riffs are beaten into submission by relentless, often bombastic rhythms. Sister harmonies, brutal growls and finely crafted wordplay force unexpected stops and odd time signatures into undeniable hooks creating a new brand of drum-driven rock--brutal, silly and sublime. The Dead Deads explore sounds from 90's bands like The Pixies and Sonic Youth, to modern metal bands like Mastodon and Baroness, all while keeping their grunge/punk rock roots. The girls name Nirvana, Failure, Glassjaw, NOFX, Neurosis, Weezer, Helmet, Beck and The Melvins in amongst their hugely diverse list of influences.

In December 2014 they wrapped their first national tour with Halestorm, dramatically growing their fanbase through their wild live show and warmth with their "dead corps" at meet and greets. Their debut full-length record "Rainbeau" produced by Brian Carter at Paradox and mixed by Matt Mahaffey/sElf was recorded live to tape in three days and released in November to rave reviews calling the album, "the weirdest wonderland of accessible punk and rock you've heard in awhile," and "one of the better albums of the year." "Rainbeau" went on to win a Best Rock Album in the Nashville Music Awards.

Named by The Nashville Scene as a band to watch in 2015, the band continued to grow: They christened the new Nashville venue, Basement East, played a live on-air gig for WRLT at legendary listening room 3rd & Lindsley, broke crowd number records at Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, played a sold-out hometown show with Evanescence on their triumphant return, and partied down on Motorhead's Motorboat cruise with the likes of Motorhead, Slayer, Anthrax, Suicidal Tendencies, Huntress, and Crobot.

In 2016, the band continued their winning streak, playing the ShipRocked cruise with 5-Finger Death Punch, Seether, Halestorm, and Helmet where they quickly became fan favorites. The Dead Deads also participated in the all-star band The Stowaways with members of All That Remains, Halestorm, Halo Method, P.O.D., Nonpoint, Guns 'n' Roses, Megadeth, Art of Dying and many more.

It's not just fun and games anymore. The Dead Deads are on a righteous rock 'n' roll mission. Get to know them and get hip to the agenda.

Host or Publisher Steve Hall Productions