8.23.2007

The band had a great summer.  After playing at Roguefest in Atlanta, we had the chance to visit with friends at NEARFest, ProgDay, and Prog in the Park.  Recording on the new album, tentatively titled Your Finest Hour, is coming along nicely.  The new CD will likely be released in early 2006.  In July, the band introduced a new section on the webpage called "Legal Bootlegs."  This page will offer free downloads of live performances, as well as full-length mp3s of selected tracks from the first two studio albums.  Legal Bootlegs also contains tracks from Regaining the Feel in the "Weed" music-file format.  We hope you will share these files widely--spread the music!!

OK, it's been a while since we posted news, but that's not because nothing's been going on!  Swiss Navy Productions came onboard to handle management duties--welcome Kenny and Janie!  The promo pacs are now flying off in all directions.  In addition, work on the new CD continues (stay tuned for more on that), as we also get ready for the RogueFest show in Atlanta on June 18.  It was great seeing so many folks at the recent ROSFest weekend and we look forward to the big prog weekend in "Hotlanta" next month.

Our run of the "festival circuit" is now complete, and we thank everyone who saw us at Prog in the Park, the ProgDay preshow and the NEARFest preshow... all three events were an absolute blast and we couldn't have asked for better hospitality from the organizers...

It's now back to the club circuit for a few dates, including next Friday at The Marrz Theatre in Wilmington, NC (a beautiful venue!), and a FREE outdoor event next Sunday (the 26th) in Carrboro, NC... we'll be playing just outside Tyler's Pub in the parking lot off Main Street at 7 PM, so please stop on by and let us entertain ya!

Thanks to everyone who came out to support us during our East Coast swing with The Erik Norlander Trio - we made many new friends during our trek, and have many stories to share from the experience... After a brief respite, it's back to work on writing more material for the next album - yes, we know we just released "RTF", but when the idea machine is running, there's no reason to slow it down!

We'll be back onstage in September with two gigs (September 3rd in Carrboro, NC... September 11th in Rochester, NY) and more show dates in the works!

"Regaining the Feel" was officially released on July 9th, and we thank ALL of you that have already picked up their copy - either in person over NEARFest weekend or online through our website.

If you haven't already picked up your copy, head on over to the merch page, where we have the new CD along with BRAND NEW T-Shirts and stickers for sale.

For those of you starving to hear what the new LoC album sounds like, we have placed a full-length high-quality MP3 of Regaining the Feel, the title track of the new album, up on the website.

In other news, no rest for the weary, as we gear up to hit the road on July 30th for our summer Northeast tour with The Erik Norlander Trio - we hope to see you when we come through your town.

Finally, two more bits of news, as Land of Chocolate will be playing on ProgDay Friday night (Sept. 3rd) at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, NC with Freehand and then heading up to Rochester, NY on September 11th to take part in "Prog in the Park", which also happens to feature our good buddies from Izz and Frogg Cafe... an event NOT to miss! More news soon, so stay tuned!

"Regaining the Feel" has been mastered and has been sent off to the presses... the new album will be available on July 9th at our Friday night pre-NEARFest show!!

Stay tuned for soundclips from the new album!

"Regaining the Feel" is currently in the mixdown and mastering process, as we prepare to release this 10-track album upon you this summer... Clocking in at over 52 minutes, RtF is a definitive statement of the new sound and scope of Land of Chocolate...

In support of the release of this album, Land of Chocolate is hitting the road, starting with their July 9th post-Musical Box gig in Allentown, PA (see events page for all the details) and continuing with their summer tour with The Erik Norlander Trio - featuring Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio) and Kelly Keeling - from July 30th through August 7th... dates scheduled so far will take the groups through New Jersey, Washington DC, Raleigh NC, and Lowell MA, with more dates to be announced in the upcoming weeks... please check the events page for all the details!

Thanks to everyone who came out to support us at The Berkeley Cafe this past Tuesday night... we had a blast getting back on stage and working out some of the rustiness after spending the last few months cooped up in the studio - in fact, so much so that we've decided to add some more live dates to the calendar...

On Wednesday, May 12th, LoC will be headlining the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, NC, and from there will be heading north to visit Ardmore, PA (Friday, May 14th), and Metuchen, NJ (Saturday, May 15th) before making our way back home to good ol' Chapel Hill, NC... We're very excited about the chance to finally catch up with many friendly faces, considering that we haven't been up in the Philly area since relocating to North Carolina over a YEAR ago!

Please check out all the show info for yourself, including a special intimate performance at the NJ Proghouse on May 15th with Frogg Cafe and Ray Weston (of Echolyn fame)

Hope to see you as we pass through your town!:

Recording sessions are coming along very nicely, as LoC is now in the midst of recording final guitar parts and vocals - be prepared for a wonderful new vocal sound, as Gerald and John's voices add a whole different timbre to the LoC harmonies! We can't wait to give you all a taste of the final product! Patience, grasshoppers... we'll have this album upon you soon...

In the meantime, Land of Chocolate will be venturing out live again in March as a break from the recording, and we're all very excited about "Buzby night", as Jonn's older brother Brian will be taking the stage at the Local 506 on March 11th with Saunter, his very impressive North Carolina-based outfit, just before LoC plays... local funk/groove/progressive outfit Lactose Quervo is also on the bill along with special guest Matt Kinney - a hell of a night for just $5, so we hope you can swing on by...

Additionally, LoC is happy to announce that they will be joining forces with old friends Tub Ring, as they swing into Raleigh on April 27th... head on over to the events page for more details!

That's all for now... more recording updates soon!:

Thanks to those who made the Templeball and Yeats shows a huge success! Two more shows in the next week, including tonight in Raleigh at the Berkeley Cafe, then back to the "laborious" studio work... mwahahaha!

Plenty of news to share as we embark on what should be an exceptional 2004! First of all, recording for "Regaining the Feel" is going wonderfully, as drum tracks and bass parts are pretty much complete, with keyboards halfway done as well... final key parts as well as guitar parts will be recorded ove the next two weeks, with vocal recording taking place shortly thereafter...

On the gig front, we have been very busy lining up shows for 2004 - check the events page for all the latest updates, including a special event this weekend at Templeball in Carrboro, NC entitled "PROG:SPACE" and featuring LoC and other artists such as Japan Air, Smokin' Granny, Subscape Annex, Sexual Harris, and Groove Stream Attractor... this is a must-see event for anyone looking for intelligent and twisted music... we will also be hitting the road during late April and early May, so keep on the lookout for LoC shows near you!

New MP3 from Assorted Nonpareils now online!!

We now have a new Land of Chocolate EP available called Assorted Nonpareils. Over the past several weeks we've been recording demo versions of the tracks that will appear on the second album (this is a great way to prepare for the studio). This new EP contains four of these new tracks--these are not the same songs that have appeared on the webpage over the past months but completely new songs. The EP runs about 22 minutes.

Each EP is signed by all four members of the band, and each is individually numbered. We burned only 250 and many were already sold at ProgDay this past weekend. We won't print more, so get 'em while they're here.

Each CD is $6, shipping included in the US and Canada (which is about a buck a song, plus the cost of the envelope and postage--how can you beat that?!). If you're ordering from Europe, add $2; if you're anyplace else, you'd better contact us directly.

Please send your cash or check (made out to John Covach) to:

Land Of Chocolate
c/o Ivory Tower Music
PO Box 207
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Please pass this info on to anyone you think might be interested.

And remember, Christmas is just around the corner--these make fine stocking stuffers!

New shows added on events page!

I. LAST MINUTE GIG NOTICE - TOMORROW NIGHT IN RALEIGH!

Land of Chocolate has been asked to headline at The Brewery in Raleigh, NC TOMORROW (FRIDAY) night, June 13th... being the kind generous souls we are, we "reluctantly" accepted this slot... information is below:

Date: Friday, June 13th
Venue: The Brewery
Location: 3009 Hillsborough St. - Raleigh, NC
Bands: Between The Gears, Solaris, Land of Chocolate
Time: Between the Gears @ 10 pm, Solaris @ 11 pm, LOC @ midnight!

We hope that those of you in the Raleigh area can come out and show your support!

II. SATURDAY EVENING SHOW IN CHAPEL HILL!

In addition to our last-minute gig in Raleigh on Friday night, LOC will be playing the prestiged outdoor patio at Ham's on Franklin Street (Chapel Hill, NC) this Saturday from 6-10 pm... come at 6, or come at 8, or come for both and enjoy a night of great food, beer, and music!

III. LOC on the radio

Land of Chocolate is slowly filtering their way onto local radio stations in the Chapel Hill and Raleigh regions, so please head on over to the requests page to hear our music over the airwaves and push us within the local area... keep checking back as we add more stations in the upcoming weeks and months...

That's all for now, chocola-dytes... stay tuned for the next exciting installment of LOC news... in the meantime, here's hoping to see some familiar faces this weekend!

Thanks to everyone who came out to support us at The Cave last week - it was a terrific turnout for a Thursday evening early show, and we thank all of you for taking the time to stop by and say hi!

Our next show is once again on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, and actually, we are doing two shows that evening... one starting at 6 pm, and the second starting around 8:15 pm - both are taking place on the outdoor patio of Ham's Restaurant, so it should be easy to find us... just follow the strange noises emanating on the street! Come out early or late, or just come out and see us play twice, if you're the adventurous type!

LOC has also booked two additional shows in July - on the 8th, we'll be making our debut at The Pour House in Raleigh, NC... and on Saturday, July 19th, we are hitting Greensboro, NC and recording the show professionally for a possible DVD release... we hope you'll join us! More info on all of our shows is available on the Events page...

Land of Chocolate has been confirmed for the RogueFest Pre-Show in Atlanta, GA on Friday, July 11th... Land of Chocolate and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum will be joining forces on this show, and we are very excited, as SGM is one of the truly creative acts out there right now... more details about this night forthcoming!

We are also working on several more shows between now and our August tour with Bubblemath, so stay tuned on that front, as we will have plenty of news in the weeks to come...

Finally, we have added a guestbook to the site, so you can now send your regards (regards... hate mail... whatever) to us directly through our website... make www.landofchocolate.com YOUR home away from home, why dontcha?

Land of Chocolate (Mach 6) Lineup Now Complete!

We are happy to announce the new Land of Chocolate lineup:

Jonn Buzby - Keyboards, Lead Vocals
John Covach - Guitars, Backing Vocals
Wes Hare - Drums, Backing Vocals
Gerald Wilson - Bass, Backing Vocals

It's been a fun journey trying out musicians left and right for these spots, but Gerald, Wes, and John all have proven to have MORE than what it takes for the job, and I am pleased to have found such incredible musicians right in my midst... to learn more about each member, please head on over to the Land of Chocolate website, and click on their bios for more info (John's will be posted shortly)... pictures will be posted shortly as well, including the essential "band in front of a wall" shot that will surely prove our level of coolness as an awe-inspiring musical entity...

We have been working hard not only on getting up to speed on the two albums' worth of older LOC material, but have been on a bit of a writing binge as well, with three new tunes in the bag, and several more floating around as in-progress works... we expect to unveil at least two of these tunes at our debut show at The Cave in Chapel Hill, and we hope that you will be there to join us and welcome the newest Chocoholics...

The show at The Cave is NO COVER, and we will be hitting the stage at 7:30 PM to bring you two hours worth of material to make your mouth water... looking forward to seeing you there!

In the meantime, to help tide you over, please check out May's MP3 of the Month, a demo version of "The Pursuit of Happiness", which will appear on our forthcoming second CD!

Until next we meet... We Love You Lots.

Jonn Buzby