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2002 News Archive

11.20.02

So... after yet another entire year of hard labor in the name of the Rock and the Roll, we are finally home again. Only we must now drastically expand our definition of what "home" means. Thanks to you, our home now stretches from Manchester to Minneapolis, from San Diego to South Wales, from London to Los Angeles and all points in between. Everywhere we went, we found a wide variety of supporters who made us feel completely welcome and at ease. We will never forget you. Nor will we forget what this experience has meant to us as a band. Brother Cantrell himself described Comes With The Fall's effort on this most recent touring leg as "Herculean"- two sets a night, often more than two hours of full contact rock every night, for two months. But we were just happy to play for everyone who showed up to the gigs. It was really great meeting and hanging out with you all.

Special thanks must go to all the CWTF reps all over the country who showed up early, hung up posters, handed out flyers, worked the merch table, drove us around on errands, brought care packages, etc. Your presence not only AMAZES us, it SUSTAINS us. What we are building together is a rare and precious thing, highly uncommon, and possibly unique in the annals of rock history. You are treasured and appreciated more than words can express.

Of course, none of this would be possible, or even imaginable, without our one and only dearly beloved Nature Girl. Her tireless work ethic and boundless energy are the glue that holds this entire grassroots effort of ours together. Dianne, we don't know how you do it, but thank god that you do!! Our hats are off. Our heads are bowed.

And now the news... Production on the Comes With The Fall - Live 2002 DVD is coming along nicely, though we obviously missed our originally hoped for Halloween release date. Simply put, making a video documentary is quite a bit more complicated than making an album and we want this thing to be as good as it can possibly be. Last night, the director Steve Reissner showed us his latest version and we all agree it's 99% there. The program is now a rough and ready 45 minutes of pure high octane rock action that pops, sizzles, and gives you just a little bit of insight as to who we are and how we came to be. Plus there are one or two bonus extras we are hoping to include. Altogether, this is a rousing, and hopefully uplifting, snapshot of three rock-n-roll brothers in arms who are having fun and blazing a trail on their own terms. We should have a definitive release date very soon. In the meantime, you may satisfy your craving for the take-no-prisoners CWTF live experience by picking up the new Live 2002 album, which is out now and selling briskly right alongside our acclaimed studio mainstay, The Year Is One. Both are rip roarin', fist-throwing solutions to whatever is keeping you down.

9.27.02

Well, tomorrow the circus leaves town once again and the rolling saga continues. I must say that we are extremely excited to finally journey over to Merry Olde and walk the streets and crawl the pubs where many of our greatest idols made their names. It's downright surreal. I mean just to get to say, "Awright WOLVERHAMPTON!!" one time from the stage. That's worth the entire trip right there!

And naturally, we can hardly wait to rock the good ol' U.S.A. one more time before year's end. A word to the wise for you Fallen on the East Coast: GET THERE EARLY!! There are four bands on the bill and for most of the East Coast dates, except for Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, CWTF will be going on first of four.

Work continues on the Comes With The Fall - Live 2002 DVD. Just met with the director Steve Reissner and the editors last night to watch a rough cut of the entire program. This is shaping up to be one ripping rock-umentary -- interviews, backstage shenanigans and, of course, devastating live performances of songs from "The Year Is One" and the self-titled (out of print) debut. We are shooting for a Halloween release date, meaning this will (hopefully) be on sale at the shows by then.

The soundtrack album Live 2002 has already gone to press and should be available at shows by the start of the American tour in Corpus Christi, TX on Oct. 9. Taken from three consecutive nights in California - San Diego, Orangevale, and Modesto - it's the no nonsense sound of a hardworking band doing what it does best. Those of you who were at these shows know what an amazing time we all had. This album doesn't lie. It's reckless, crushing, and goddamn electric! In other words, whether you were there or not, you won't want to be without this.

Gotta sign off and finish packing now. This will be the last official news item for awhile. To keep up with the daily goings-on, visit our MESSAGE BOARD. The folks there usually know what's going on with us before we do anyway.

Let the rock begin.

9.07.02

Hello all. It's been quite a long time, hasn't it? Four months to be exact... with about a hundred years of living packed into each one! One can't help but think of that immortal line from our great philosopher Jon Bon Jovi. "I've seen a million faces..." But it's hardly over. There is much more rocking of the nation yet to be done. And it looks like England is gonna get some too. Life is beautiful. See the SHOWS page for a CWTF Fall 2002 gig coming your way!

We want to thank all of you for the wonderful birthday wishes (and presents!!) that have been coming our way. We do love you back... madly.

Onto the pressing matters of the day. Our dear friend Nature Girl, queen of all things mail order and den mother to the Fallen throughout the world, has two - count 'em, TWO - very interesting contests going on our MESSAGE BOARD. Here is one. And here is the other. The prizes for both are extremely kick-ass. Go ahead. See for yourself. And then ENTER. It will do you no harm.

5.12.02

Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas and mamas-to-be. We love you all (or at least we try). This will be the last official news item for awhile. The travelling circus begins as soon as I sign off. We will be rocking the nation for quite a few weeks to come. To keep up with the day-to-day happenings, go to the MESSAGE BOARD.

For those of you planning on attending the CWTF shows in San Diego (5/24), Orangevale (5/25), and Modesto (5/26), plans are being finalized to film and record all three of these shows for a possible live album/DVD release sometime in the not-too-distant future. So step up!! Make yourselves seen and heard. Come out and represent for the Fallen all over the world.

Peace be with all of you. Now get ready...

5.07.02

New Cantrell headlining dates with special guest Comes With The Fall in Orangevale and Modesto, CA. See SHOWS page.

All you Fallen in the San Franscisco Bay Area take note! Both these shows are just a short drive away. They will be your ONLY chances to see CWTF play our own music in Northern California on this tour. We will NOT be playing our own set at the Warfield Theater in SF on 5/28.

4.20.02

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Layne Staley, a true original who will no doubt be remembered within the pantheon of rock's all-time greats. We stand in solidarity with our brother Jerry Cantrell in this hour of mourning and send our most heartfelt condolences to all of Layne's family, friends, and fans throughout the world. Today is a tragic day for those of us who know the difference between "My Sacrifice" and "Them Bones," between "How You Remind Me," and "Rain When I Die." Right now many are rightfully wondering about the current state of this rock-n-roll music we all hold so dear. The answers ultimately lie with you, dear reader. It's been said, "If you build it, they will come." This summer and fall Jerry Cantrell and Comes With The Fall will not only be building it, we will be delivering it to your doorsteps all across America. A devastating full contact, rip-roaring rock-n-roll machine. The stakes are higher than ever now. We hope you know how much we appreciate your support. We will not let you down.

4.19.02

New Cantrell headlining date with special guest Comes With The Fall in Vancouver, BC. See SHOWS page.

It looks like Nickelback have chosen a second opener for the summer tour dates. Unfortunately, it's not CWTF. However, fear not! There will be a week of shows in May wherein Cantrell will headline and CWTF will open. Two of those dates are confirmed so far. Keep checking the SHOWS page for the rest. Also, plans are in the works for Cantrell to headline an entire tour of his own in the fall with CWTF pulling double duty as the opener. So we will get to rock you, we just have to wait a little bit longer to do it. We must look at this in tantric terms. The longer the anticipation... We want to thank all of you who signed our petition, though. The response was incredible. And on the bright side, this just gives us more time to hang out with you all between sets.

4.11.02

More dates on the SHOWS page, including a Cantrell headlining date in San Diego. Bet you can't guess who's opening. Did somebody say "double duty"?

4.06.02

Sincerest apologies to all of you who got "Talbenized" this past week. Chalk it up to good old fashioned "Rock Biz" cynicism from a guy who's been in the game for a good long while now. When I wrote him personally to clarify our motivations, he had this to say: "Yes. I am a fan of what you say. Yes, I'm a metal flap of this machine. A very little one. After fifteen years, I know one thing. Balls out is the ONLY thing that works."

Life goes on.

New dates on the SHOWS page. And keep those emails rolling in to us here at CWTF headquarters (contact@comeswiththefall.com) if you want to sign the petition saying, "I want to see Comes With The Fall play their own set as openers on the Nickelback/Jerry Cantrell tour." See the 4/01/02 news item below for details. Thanks to everyone who has written in so far. You all are the best. We love you madly.

4.01.02

Yesterday it was brought to our attention that when the popular rock radio station KUPD in Tempe, AZ played Jerry Cantrell's new single "Anger Rising," the DJ, whose name is Talben, mentioned CWTF saying in effect that we were "too good for the radio." Now, we're sure Talben meant this as a compliment and we take what he said in that spirit, but it did get us thinking: Too good for the radio? What exactly does that mean? And what does that say about the state of rock radio specifically and about popular music (and culture) in general? These are major questions, far beyond the scope of this little news item. The main point here is that we in CWTF want everyone to hear our music. And, while we are under no illusions about the world in which we live or the industry in which we work, we think it would be nice for Talben to know how many of you out there would like to hear Comes With The Fall on a big station like KUPD. Email him at Talben@98kupd.com. You don't have to take a long time with it. Just saying something simple like "I want to hear Comes With The Fall on KUPD" will make a huge difference. And you don't have to live in Tempe, AZ. It doesn't matter where you live. It's about the principle involved here.

And while we have the activist in you all riled up, here's another important thing you can do that will make a significant impact. As many of you already know, Comes With The Fall will be Jerry Cantrell's back-up band on his upcoming nationwide tour opening for Nickelback. What you may not know is that there is a movement behind the scenes (led by Jerry Cantrell and his management) to get CWTF to play a short set of our own music every night just prior to Jerry's set. We want very much to do this. It would be a major victory for real-deal rockers everywhere. We've even offered to play our set for free. Unfortunately, the final decision is not ours, or even Cantrell's, to make. This is Nickelback's tour so it's largely their call. But we know there's a whole lot of you out there that want to see the kind of full-tilt maximum rock-n-roll onslaught that the folks in Austin, TX got bombarded with a couple of weeks ago. We want to hear from you!! All you have to do is email us here at contact@comeswiththefall.com or just click the CONTACT button on this site. Make the subject of the email "Nickelback/Cantrell Tour." In the main text of your email, simply say, "I want to see Comes With The Fall play their own set as openers on the Nickelback/Jerry Cantrell tour." Then sign it with YOUR NAME, YOUR CITY, and YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. We ask for all three of these things to better emphasize that these letters are all coming from different people from around the country (and world). We promise not to use or in any way abuse your email address. All of the information you provide will be handled with the utmost care and discretion by industry professionals. The idea is to compile as gigantic a petition as we can between now and April 10 that we will then, with the help of Jerry's management and booking agency, forward to Nickelback's people. So make yourselves heard!! Stand up and be counted!! ACT NOW!!!

3.22.02

Okay, so it's been awhile since we've had an update here and a lot of you have been asking our opinion on how SXSW went. Two words: GODDAMN ELECTRIC (to quote the mighty Pantera). First of all, the CWTF/Cantrell gigs at SXSW were merely the finale of what was one of the most fun and eventful weeks this band has ever had. After a run of CWTF shows that took us through Portland, Chico, and San Francisco (thank you to all who came out), we undertook the long drive to the deepest heart of Oklahoma farm country where we were welcomed by the entire Cantrell family at their beautiful ranch home to begin rehearsals for the Austin shows. These are truly wonderful people. Everyday the Rooster (Jerry's father, for the precious few of you who don't know) would finish his morning farm work (he even took us on a cattle run) and then spend the whole afternoon preparing a veritable feast for us to eat that evening. We never ate so well.

After the first day's rehearsal, we all piled into the CWTF vehicle and lit down to Dallas for Vinnie Paul of Pantera's birthday celebration that night. Jerry and Shawn (the new rhythm guitarist/utility man in Cantrell's band) have both known the Pantera guys for years and Bevan had once met and hung out with them on a tour stop in Atlanta several years ago. But for the rest of us, this was a completely new experience. Let it be known: Those Pantera boys can drink! After spending some time at a one of their favorite local Dallas haunts, we all adjourned to Vinnie's house for the afterparty. Dimebag Darrell (Pantera guitarist and Vinnie's brother) surprised Vinnie by having a live band already set up and playing by the time we got there. They were acoustic and played a mix of originals and covers. We proceeded to eat and drink even more. Vinnie's place is the quintessential rock-n-roll bachelor pad playground. The word "palace" would not be too much of an exaggeration. Besides the usual recreation and jam rooms, this place comes complete with a swimming pool shaped exactly like a Crown Royal bottle (the jacuzzi is the cap) and a special "secret" room. You get the idea. Eventually, Cantrell and the rest of us were called forward to perform a few songs for the occasion. We played six or seven tunes. It's all kind of a blur now but I do remember "No Excuses," "Angel Eyes," "Down In A Hole," "Brother," and "Rooster" being among the things we did. Anyhow, a good time was had by all and Dimebag captured it all on his ever-present video camera. So if you ever see a Pantera home video with some drunk slobs slurring their way through some Alice In Chains songs and a bunch of year-round Christmas lights hanging everywhere, cut us some slack. And remember, nobody paid to get in.

Eventually we made our way to Austin, always a fun town. What can I say? The shows were ripping beyond words. The stage was outdoors and it was an absolutely gorgeous night. CWTF played one of our best shows ever. At one point, I asked the crowd how many of them had heard of us before and this great roar went up in response. It was kick-ass. At the end of our set, Cantrell joined us onstage and, since his birthday was just a couple of days away, I asked the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday" to him. Then he grabbed one of my guitars and we played "We Come Undone" from CWTF's first album. Seems we only play that song nowadays when he's onstage with us. It's kinda become "our" thing, what with the dual guitar freakout at the end and all. It was certainly a great way to end this gig. Then we went to our merchandise table and met so many amazingly cool people that I can't do justice to how good it made us feel. You guys are awesome! Thank you for taking the time to talk to us. And thank you for buying an album or a shirt and bringing a little bit of CWTF home with you. It literally means the world to us.

So, after spending some much-cherished time with the Austin Fallen, before we knew what was happening, it was time to go right back onstage and rock with Cantrell. I'm sure I speak for all of us in Comes With The Fall when I say that we feel a special responsibitlity to make Jerry's new material as potent on the stage as it is on his new album. This was, by far, THE best Jerry Cantrell solo performance that has ever taken place to date. It rocked with a special kind of vengeance! It had just the perfect mixture of new songs from "Degradation Trip" along with a couple of tunes from "Boggy Depot" and the requisite Alice hits. Plus we had Robert Trujillo jump into the mix late in the set for "What The Hell Have I" and "Spiderbite." He was amazing as always. Then, as the final coup de gras, we had Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell from Pantera step up to rock "Them Bones" with us. Let me just say, having jammed and partied with these guys (as well as seeing their studio where they make all their records) I am now one of the hugest Pantera fans on the face of the earth. And did I mention these guys could drink?! All in all, it was an epic night for any true believer. I don't know about anything else going on that night, but in Austin at Stubb's BBQ, The Rock was properly represented. We in CWTF were honored to be a part of it. Thanks again to all of you who showed your love by being there. We saw a lot of people filming and taking pictures. We know MTV was there, among others. If any of you have any video or still photographs of this show, PLEASE email us through the contact button on this site. We would love to post any documentation you have of this once in a lifetime event. And we look forward to bringing everyone this show on the road this summer!

2.18.02

New shows on the SHOWS page. Also, in addition to CWTF playing their own set at SXSW, William, Bevan, and Adam will be backing up Jerry Cantrell for his headlining set that night. The set will feature songs from Jerry's upcoming "Degradation Trip" release that were not played on last year's North American tour. This show promises to be downright cataclysmic. Austin better get ready for a double shot of some hard science.

2.10.02

Comes With The Fall have just confirmed an appearance at the South By Southwest (SXSW) music conference in Austin, TX. It's a prime slot opening for Jerry Cantrell outdoors at Stubb's BBQ on Saturday March 16. We're extremely excited and looking forward to seeing some of you Fallen in Texas again. It's about time!!

Played Tempe, AZ and Palm Desert, CA this past weekend. Both shows were great fun and it was really awesome to meet so many cool people in both towns. This was our second time in Palm Desert. We want to thank Mario, Ryan, and everyone at The Old Prospector for having us back. And we want to thank the fellas in UNIDA for playing with us in their home town. Great band, great guys. Arthur, thank you again for the 9 volt. You saved our gig. And Scott, thanks for buying our album. You know as well as we do that every dollar counts out there on the road and we really appreciate it. Looking forward to seeing you guys at the Troubador this Friday. And Tempe, you guys ROCK!! Thanks to Donnie and everyone at the Big Fish Pub and all the bands on the bill that night for making our first time in Tempe such a fun and easy hang. Special thanks to all of you that bought records and shirts and had so many wonderful things to say about how our music affects you. It truly means the world to us. You're what keeps us going. We will see you all again very soon.

We are down to the last few dozen copies of the first pressing of "The Year Is One." Future pressings of the album will feature completely different artwork on the compact disc itself, as well as corrections in the album cover text which were missed the first time around. Final proofing on the first pressing took place in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 tragedy. In fact, the last proof copy of the cover artwork is dated 9/11/01. People were somewhat distracted to say the least. Anyway, those of you who want a first press copy of this album, go to the MERCH page of this site and ORDER NOW, because once these are gone, they are gone forever. Again, thanks to all of you throughout the world who have supported us by ordering this album. Without you, we could not exist.

1.30.02

Comes With The Fall are featured on page 65 of the current issue of Rolling Stone magazine. It's issue # 889 dated February 14, 2002 with Jennifer Garner of the TV show "Alias" on the cover. The review, written by noted rock scribe David Fricke, could not be more flattering. Pick it up and spread the word! For those of you in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, for whom Rolling Stone may be different from the U.S. version or unavailable altogether, email our good friend Nature Girl at naturegirl2u@hotmail.com. She has been gracious enough to offer her services in helping our international fans obtain copies of the magazine at U.S. retail cost ($3.95), plus shipping. Get them while supplies last!!

For those of you who read about us in Rolling Stone and have been inquiring about where to purchase "The Year Is One," look no further than right here!! Go to the MERCH page on this site and ORDER DIRECTLY FROM US!! You can order online using a credit card or you can send a check or money order (cashable in U.S.) to the address given on the merch page. It's fast, easy, and reliable. We ship everything First Class Mail usually within 24 hours of receiving your order.

And yes, we are looking to obtain reliable international distribution for our releases. But the key word there is reliable, meaning they actually get records into the stores and actually pay DVL for the records that are sold. For some reason, this is not as easy to come by as it sounds. All you fellow indies know the deal. Can we get a witness?!

CWTF played Palm Desert, CA the week before last (1/19/02). This is the birthplace of "stoner rock." We want to thank Brant Bjork (founding drummer of Kyuss, and formerly of Fu Manchu, now with Queens Of The Stone Age) and Mario from Fatso Jetson for hooking up this gig for us in their home town and being such gracious hosts. We also want to thank the people of Palm Desert for receiving us so warmly. We knew going in that you would understand the real deal when you saw it and you did not disappoint us at all!! We had a kick-ass time and look forward to rocking you again on Feb. 9. Note to all of the LA Fallen: Palm Desert is only about two hours East on I-10, a really fun and easy hang for you to make. We highly recommend the more hardcore among you to come out and represent properly on 2/9. Palm Desert does not "fake the funk!"

1.04.02

Happy New Year everyone. We hope all of you had a safe and joyous holiday. We want to send a special shout out to all our friends in Argentina. Our thoughts are with you.

We just found out that it's none other than Mary Anne Hobbs' Rock Show on BBC Radio One that's been showing Comes With The Fall love over the British airwaves. We could not be more thrilled. For those of you that don't know, the Rock Show is THE rock-n-roll radio show in England. Everyone who is anyone on the international rock scene has appeared there. Find out more about the show, and its illustrious host, at www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/alt/hobbs.shtml

Whatever country you live in, if you care about cool new music and progressive ideas getting a serious forum for mainstream exposure, then email Mary Anne at mary.anne.hobbs@bbc.co.uk and thank her for the work she's doing. She's an important figure on the world stage and has CWTF's utmost respect. You can also post on the Rock Show message board. Mary Anne reads it regularly and often responds directly.

And special thanks to Phil Alexander, editor-in-chief at Kerrang! Magazine, for helping spread the word. You rule, dude.

In other news, we have amended the directions to our next show to make it easier for our people in West Hollywood and Santa Monica to get to ZEN in Silverlake. Check the SHOWS page.

 
Comes With The Fall