The Calling

Velvet Revolver Blast Usher Off #1 Perch

16 Jun 2004 02:43:00 EDT

Contraband sells more than 256,000 copies its first week out.
By Joe D'Angelo

Velvet Revolver (file)
Photo: Dan Winters

Usher has been rocked at retail.

Selling more than 256,000 copies of Contraband in its first week out, Velvet Revolver will take Mr. Entertainment down a peg on next week's Billboard albums chart. The hit single "Slither," a ready-made fanbase and a boatload of press combined to give the band — which includes former members of Guns N' Roses and ex-Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland — a #1 placement for its debut album.

Proof that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, Contraband beat the combined first-week sales of the latest releases by both GN'R and STP (both were greatest-hits collections) by more than 41,000 copies.

Usher's Confessions shouldn't take the hit to heart. The more than 170,000 copies it sold last week has bumped the album's total sales beyond the 4 million mark. Usher may not be far from the hot seat for too long, since a re-release of the album, with at least three new songs, is on the horizon, according to producer Jermaine Dupri (see "Usher, Alicia Keys Record Duet").

Avril Lavigne's Under My Skin is showing some staying power after three weeks on the chart. Without a U.S. tour, only a smattering of radio festivals and emphasis given to just one, three-month-old single ("Don't Tell Me"), the album will slip one spot to #3, having sold more than 121,000 copies.

Another steadfast woman, country singer Gretchen Wilson, is showing similar staying power with Here for the Party, which will step back one place to #4, with more than 91,000 copies sold in its fifth week on shelves.

The #7 spot has been seeing a bit of 311 recently. Less than a year after their latest studio album, Evolver, debuted there, the reggae-inspired quintet's decade retrospective, Greatest Hits '93-'03, will follow suit, albeit with 23,000 fewer copies sold.

Perhaps fans gearing up for this year's Warped Tour, kicking off June 25, did so with the 2004 Warped Tour album. Featuring a sampling from this year's lineup — New Found Glory, NOFX, Thursday, Yellowcard and others — the 52-track LP sold more than 60,000 copies to take the #8 spot.

The remainder of next week's top 10 finds Prince's Musicology continuing its strong showing, though receding one spot to #5 (with more than 72,000 copies sold); Hoobastank's The Reason holding on to the #6 spot for the third straight week and selling more than 66,000 copies; D12's D12 World falling two spots to #9 (59,000); and Slipknot's Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) dropping five places to #10 (58,000).

Los Lonely Boys and the Black Eyed Peas continue to benefit from recent exposure. Trailed by a spate of great reviews while on their current tour, the Texas trio's self-titled debut has been on a hot streak in the last three weeks, moving from #31 to #23 to #13; while the Black Eyed Peas' "Let's Get It Started," the theme to this year's NBA Finals, helped Elephunk advance seven spots to #14 with 43,000 copies sold adding to its 1.3 million total.

Even a marriage to J. Lo couldn't spark sales for Marc Anthony. The Latin singer's latest, Amar Sin Mentiras, released just days after he wed Jennifer Lopez, will place at #26, 23 spots higher than his last Spanish-language LP, 2001's Libre, though with 17,000 fewer copies.

Modest Mouse and Franz Ferdinand are still tolling the bell for the aggro nü-metal that once dominated radio airwaves. After more than two months in stores, both bands' albums, Good News for People Who Love Bad News at #21 and Franz Ferdinand at #43, have shown steady improvement in the last three weeks.

Other notable chart debuts include country trio SheDaisy's Sweet Right Here at #16; punk chanteuse PJ Harvey's Uh Huh Her at #29; SoCal punk vets and Warped Tour headliners Bad Religion's The Empire Strikes First at #40; the Calling's second album, Two, at #54; Punk-O-Rama Vol. 9, featuring Pennywise, Rancid and the Bouncing Souls, at #67; Sonic Youth's Sonic Nurse at #70; A--hole, the new solo album from Kiss' Gene Simmons, at #86; Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, the major-label debut by New Jersey emocore group My Chemical Romance, at #103; and turntablists the X-ecutioners' Revolutions at #118.

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The Calling Returning With New LP, New Hired Hands

1 Apr 2004 09:17:00 EST

Up-tempo second album, Two, due June 8.
By Corey Moss

The Calling (file)
Photo: RCA Records

The Calling have a motto for 2004: Out with the old, in with the new.

"It definitely feels good to have new material, because we got really burnt out on the last record after like four years of doing it," singer Alex Band explained recently.

The Calling's 2001 debut, Camino Palmero, broke through in one country at a time, which kept the band on the road for what seemed like an eternity. Now, after spending a year writing and recording with legendary producer and music-industry executive Clive Davis, the Calling are set to release the follow-up on June 8.

Titled Two — a reference to being the second album and the band having two principals, Band and guitarist Aaron Kamin (see "The Calling Call Former Bandmates' Suit 'Dirty,' Prepare New Single") — the album will showcase a more mature sound from a band that was signed as teenagers.

"We got much better production and everything's a little more up-tempo, a little more rock," Band added.

The first single, "Our Lives," will arrive in late-April.

"It's a big rock anthem-type song," Band said. "It's about making the best out of your life and all the things you can achieve and stuff like that."

The Calling recently shot a video for the track with director Liz Friedlander (Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan) that interprets the lyrics straightforwardly and is a statement on the dangers of getting caught up in the rat race. Band and Kamin wrote the concept themselves.

Two will mark the Calling's first album without bassist Billy Mohler and drummer Nate Wood, who left last year and are suing for additional royalties (see "The Calling Sued By Former Bandmates; Finish Second Album"). Band, who insists Mohler and Wood were hired hands, has since found new musicians, who have been rehearsing with him and Kamin for summer and fall tours.

"We're gonna hit the rest of the world first and then come back to America," Band said. "I'd rather play smaller clubs with all of our fans, but we might end up going out with a lot of artists that we love, so that'd be great too."

The Calling are touring Europe now; U.S. dates will be announced soon.

Two track list, according to RCA Records:

"Anything"
"Believing"
"Things Will Go My Way"
"Our Lives"
"Chasing the Sun"
"One by One"
"Somebody Out There"
"Surrender"
"If Only"
"Dreaming in Red"
"Your Hope"
"For You"

The Calling Call Former Bandmates' Suit 'Dirty,' Prepare New Single.

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The Calling

The Calling Call Former Bandmates' Suit 'Dirty,' Prepare New Single

27 Jan 2004 09:58:00 EST

Two better than four for grunge-lite band; 'Our Lives' addresses
By Jon Wiederhorn

The Calling (file)
Photo: RCA

Youthful grunge-lite band the Calling call their new album Two for two reasons. First, it's the group's second record. More important, singer Alex Band and guitarist Aaron Kamin want fans to know the Calling are now, and always have been, a two-man band.
That point was questioned in November, when former bassist Billy Mohler and drummer Nate Wood sued the group and its manager for fraud and mismanagement. The pair claimed they were owed significant song royalties and a merchandise percentage, and that they were only paid $26,000 each for two years' touring, even though they'd been promised much more (see "The Calling Sued By Former Bandmates; Finish Second Album"). The Calling contend that Mohler and Wood were hired guns and therefore not entitled to royalties.
"The whole thing was dirty, and there was no reason for [the suit]," Band said. "Those guys were always well taken care of in every way. They were our side guys and we paid them well, even before Aaron and I made a dollar. It's a little sad. They were our friends and we spent a lot of time together."
A longtime friend of Kamin, Justin Meyers, has replaced Wood. The band is still looking for a bassist. A variety of studio musicians helped record Two.
When the full touring lineup is in place, the Calling will emphasize their duo status more carefully than before. "[Mohler and Wood] were in press photos and videos for the last record, mostly because that's what our label wanted," Band explained. "This time around we're not going to do that in order to avoid any confusion."
"Our Lives," the first single from Two, will address the dangers of dissatisfaction. "A lot of people go through every step of life wanting the next thing and never stop to appreciate the things they take for granted each day," Band said.
He speaks from experience, which is one reason the Calling have been absent from the U.S. music scene for the past 18 months. "After the first record we said, 'You know what? No matter what happens from now on, we're so blessed,' " Band said. "We achieved all this stuff and it has been an amazing experience every step along the way."
The Calling Returning With New LP, New Hired Hands.

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The Calling

The Calling Sued By Former Bandmates; Finish Second Album

4 Nov 2003 11:21:00 EST

No word yet on who will replace Billy Mohler, Nate Wood.
By Gil Kaufman

The Calling's Aaron Kamin
Photo: RCA

As the Calling's lead singer Alex Band and guitarist Aaron Kamin finish work on their as-yet-untitled second album, the two have been hit with a lawsuit by former members Billy Mohler (bass) and Nate Wood (drums).
The pair filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday against Band, Kamin and their management company, citing fraud and mismanagement and asking for an accounting of funds during the time they spent in the group. Mohler and Wood played on three tracks on the Calling's 2001 debut, Camino Palmero ("Nothing's Changed," "Things Don't Always Turn Out That Way" and "Final Answer"), and toured with the group in 2001 and 2002 in the U.S. and overseas.
In the suit, Mohler and Wood allege they were promised a share of the band's royalties as well as money from merchandising and touring, according to one of the lawyers who prepared the suit, Pamela Koslyn. However, they were allegedly told that after two years as hired members of the group they would only receive $700 on top of the $26,000 they had been paid for their two-year stint, Koslyn said.
Band and Kamin are the founders of the group and hired Mohler and Wood to be their rhythm section in 2001, but Koslyn said her clients believed they were members of the band, not hired hands.
"They were not told they were being brought on as session musicians," Koslyn said. "They were also repeatedly told that there were no final accounting numbers and when the tour was over, they were told they would get paid what was owed them, which was $700 each." Koslyn said she believes the band grossed more than $1 million on tour during the time her clients performed more than 175 dates with them and that the group continues to make money on merchandising of T-shirts that feature her clients' images.
A spokesperson for the Calling's label, RCA Records, had no comment on the suit.
Meanwhile, Band and Kamin are in the studio mixing their second album, due in early 2004, according to the RCA spokesperson. A video for the as-yet-unannounced first single will be shot in December, followed by a tour of Europe. Band and Kamin will be back in the U.S. in January and February for a string of dates and promotional appearances. Replacements for Mohler and Wood have not been announced.

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The Calling

The Calling To Shoot 'Touching' Video For Third Single

6 Aug 2002 04:19:00 EDT

Meiert Avis helming clip for 'Could It Be Any Harder.'
By Corey Moss

The Calling
Photo: Tsuni/Image Direct

The Calling are taking a break from a summer tour this week to shoot the video for their third single, "Could It Be Any Harder."
Meiert Avis, who has filmed U2, Bruce Springsteen and other legendary rockers, is directing the clip, the follow-up to "Adrienne" and "Wherever You Will Go."
"It's a ballad, and the video revolves around the lifeline of this girl and her growing up and all the stuff she has to go through," singer Alex Band said at Sunday's Teen Choice Awards (see "Nelly Outsurfs 'NSYNC, Ja Rule, Usher At Teen Choice Awards"). "It's more of a touching video. It's going to be a little more artsy. It should make you feel something." (Click for photos from the Teen Choice Awards.)
After the video shoot, the Calling will hit the road for eight more U.S. dates and a string of shows in the U.K. The Los Angeles rockers then plan to return to the States and tour through the end of the year.
In January, Band and his band will begin work on their follow-up to Camino Palmero.
"It's hard to write on the road, but we're always putting things together," Band said. "It'll be nice to actually sit down and write. And we're going to take our sweet time with it."
The new album will be the group's first with guitarist Dino, recently named as the replacement for Sean Woolstenhulme, who left to join his brother Rick Woolstenhulme in Lifehouse.
Aaron Kamin, the Calling's other guitarist and principal songwriter, has fully recovered after suffering a severe electric shock during a sound check in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 4 (see "Calling Guitarist Suffers Shock Onstage In Bangkok").
The Calling tour dates, according to RCA Records:

8/9 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre
8/10 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Sioux Empire Fair
8/11 - Grand Island, NE @ Hall County Fair
8/12 - Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
8/14 - Adrian, MI @ Lenawee County Fair
8/16 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Metropol
8/17 - Louisville, KY @ Cardinal Stadium
8/19 - Seattle, WA @ Seahawks Stadium

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For The Record: Quick News On Stone Cold Steve Austin, Foxy Brown, The Calling, Cam'ron & More

17 Jun 2002 04:28:00 EDT

Stone Cold Steve Austin
Photo: WWF

Wrestling star and one-time co-host of "Celebrity Deathmatch" Stone Cold Steve Austin (real name Steve Williams) is currently being investigated by police in San Antonio, Texas, after he allegedly attacked his wife, Debra, on Saturday. According to police reports, Debra — who performs alongside her husband as part of World Wrestling Entertainment — suffered a swollen cheek and eye and bruises to her back and shoulder. Austin was suspended by WWE last week after he failed to appear at one of the company's live television broadcasts. ... Sean Woolstenhulme, guitarist for the Calling, is leaving the band to join his brother Rick Woolstenhulme in Lifehouse. The Calling will continue their tour, which kicks off July 14 in Lansing, Michigan, as planned. ...

Foxy Brown celebrated her expansion from rapper to CEO on Saturday with a launch party for Ill Na Na Records. With Funkmaster Flex spinning records, rap cats Cam'ron, Guru, Craig Mack and Loon helped Fox Boogie pop a few bottles at New York hotspot Ohm. ... Blame it on the rain — Wyclef Jean's free concert, initially scheduled to take place in Coney Island, New York, then off the shores of Manhattan on the Intrepid war ship, was cancelled due to rain on Friday. The persistent performer plans to give it another go at Manhattan's South Street Seaport on Thursday, June 20. ... Echobrain, the band featuring ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, have been hit with a trademark infringement lawsuit by Dallas punk-art ensemble Echo Drain, whose slogan is "God Awful Music for God Awful People." Echo Drain, who have been touring since early 2000, allege that Newsted's band liked their name and intentionally stole their identity. ...

Another star will be added to Hollywood's RockWalk with the induction of LA punk band X. The ceremony will take place Tuesday, June 25 at noon, and original members John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom and D.J. Bonebrake will be in attendance to add their handprints and signatures. ... ABC is in the process of creating a biopic chronicling the rise of the Go-Go's which is expected to air in February, according to Variety. No word yet on whether actors will be hired for the shoot, though the Go-Go's are anticipated to participate in the picture. ... MuchMusic Video Awards were handed out on Sunday night to Nickelback (Best Video), Shakira (Best International Video - Artist), and Nelly Furtado (MuchMoreMusic Award), among many others. ...

06.14.02

Eminem issued a statement denying reports that he received threats from the al-Queda terror network in response to his parody of Osama bin Laden in the "Without Me" video. The rapper called for immediate retractions from the British tabloids that originated the report. ... It looks like Pam Anderson will now have more time to spend with her fiancé, Kid Rock. According to Reuters, Columbia TriStar has canceled Anderson's TV series, "V.I.P.," citing the financial troubles of its production partner, German media giant Kirch. ...

June's wave of RIAA sales certifications brought Pink a triple platinum album for Missundaztood, while double platinum honors went to Jay-Z for The Blueprint, Ludacris for Back for the First Time and Ashanti for her self-titled debut. Platinum albums went to Fat Joe for J.O.S.E. and to Josh Groban for his self-titled debut. ... Gold honors went to the soundtracks for "Spider-Man," "Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones" and "The Scorpion King." ...

Ghostface Killah, RZA and Method Man will appear on Savior's Day, the new album from Wu-Tang Clan offspring Sunz of Man. The record is set to hit stores on September 3. ... Coldplay's new single, "In My Place," will premiere Monday via AOL's First Listen program on www.aol.com. The British band's A Rush of Blood to the Head is due August 27. ... Morcheeba's fourth album, Charango, is set for release on July 16. ... A Ruff Guide to Tricky, a compilation of trip-hop pioneer Tricky's work released between 1995 and 1999, will arrive on Tuesday. ...

Maxwell will hit the road for a string of 11 dates beginning July 24 in Philadelphia and ending August 10 in Richmond, Virginia. The tour will promote the soul singer's third studio album, Now, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 last fall. .... The love shack is back — well, for the summer anyway. The B-52s will launch a thirty-date 25th anniversary tour on June 21 in Robinsonville, Missouri, with the likes of Blondie and Nancy Sinatra opening. ...

Chuck D has composed a hip-hop jingle for the theme music to ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball." Meanwhile, Public Enemy's new album, Revolverlution, is due July 23 and will feature fan remixes of four tracks, including "Public Enemy No. 1" and "By the Time I Get to Arizona." ... Soft Cell, the synth-pop duo behind the 1981 hit "Tainted Love," have reunited and recorded their first album in 18 years. Cruelty Without Beauty is due September 10 on Cooking Vinyl/ spinART.

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For The Record: Quick News On Alicia Keys, The Calling, Funkmaster Flex, Blink-182, Mos Def, Violent Femmes & More

10 Apr 2002 04:23:00 EDT

Calling guitarist Aaron Kamin
Photo: RCA

Alicia Keys is thinking about her next album. The five-time Grammy winner will start writing the LP in July, she said at Urban Aid 2 in New York on Tuesday. ... Guitarist Aaron Kamin returned to duty with the Calling Tuesday in Melbourne, Australia, after suffering a severe electric shock during sound check in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 4 that forced the group to cancel that evening's show. In a post on the band's Web site, singer Alex Band said Kamin was "pale as a ghost" after receiving the jolt and "had gotten the strings of the guitar melted in the palm of his hand and fingers." ...
"The Kingpin" of New York radio, Funkmaster Flex, is readying his new album, 60 Minutes of Funk, Volume 5: The Mixtape for release sometime this year. "I always go for the big dogs: DMX, Jay-Z, Ja Rule, Fat Joe. Those are the people I wanna have, and those are the people I'm going to continue to have," he said on Tuesday. ... Blink-182 fans will get an even closer look at the band on May 7 when the group releases the home video "Urethra Chronicles II: Harder Faster Faster Harder," the sequel to 1999's "Urethra Chronicles." The package will include interviews, tour highlights and videos for "The Rock Show," "First Date" and the original version of "Stay Together for the Kids," featuring footage of a wrecking ball slamming into a house which was removed by the group's label after the events of September 11. ...
Counting Crows' Adam Duritz appears on "Songs About You" from former Dogs Eye View singer Peter Stuart's first solo album, Propeller, which is available at his official Web site, www.peterstuart.com. ... Goo Goo Dolls have announced a handful of dates for their upcoming tour in support of their latest release, Gutterflower. The outing thus far kicks off in Long Beach, California, on Saturday and finishes up in Chicago on May 29. ...
"Top Dog/Underdog," a play by Suzan-Lori Parks which features Mos Def in a starring role, was awarded the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for drama. ... Rufus Wainwright has a cameo role in the April 30 episode of NBC's "Frasier." Those hoping to catch a glimpse of the romantic crooner will be disappointed, however — only Wainwright's voice takes the spotlight, as he plays a teenage boy named Jeremy who phones in to Dr. Crane's radio show. ...
Ill Niño frontman Cristian Machado is featured as a guest vocalist on "One," a track from Soulfly's next album, III, due June 25. ... The Violent Femmes are reissuing their 1983 self-titled debut, which featured time-tested classics such as "Blister in the Sun" and "Kiss Off," as a double-CD set, according to the Los Angeles Times. The second disc will feature 26 tracks, 23 of which have never been released. ...
04.09.02
Getting sent to the principal's office may not be such a bad thing after all if Eve or Ricky Martin rule the school. Along with more than 1000 civic leaders and celebrities, the First Lady of Ruff Ryders and the hip-swiveling pop star will serve as principals for a day as part of an education initiative in New York City taking place April 19. ...
Outkast, Nickelback, P.O.D., Godsmack, Alien Ant Farm, Sevendust, Default and Injected will take the stage for the third annual Rolling Rock Town Fair, taking place July 27 at the namesake beer's birthplace of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Last year's concert featured Stone Temple Pilots, Staind and Incubus, among others. ...
Sheryl Crow, the Goo Goo Dolls, Jewel, Five for Fighting, Ryan Adams and John Mayer will perform at the second annual Fan Nation concert April 27 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California. Each of the acts will participate in autograph sessions at a special interactive tent. ... No Stranger to Shame, the second album from Kid Rock DJ Uncle Kracker, will hit shelves in mid-summer. Among the tracks slated for the follow-up to 2000's Double Wide is a version of Kracker's concert staple, Dobie Gray's 1973 hit "Drift Away," featuring Gray himself on backing vocals. ...
Sarah McLachlan and her drummer husband Ashwin Sood welcomed their first child Saturday, a baby girl named India. McLachlan and the baby are doing well. ... SoCal punks Lit are going back to school — Paloma Valley High School in Menifee, California, that is, to host a fund-raising concert on April 10, called the Punk Rock Prom. Proceeds from the advance sale of 1,500 tickets have helped the school — located in Riverside County, adjacent to Lit's home turf of Orange County — meet its financial goal of building a new athletic complex. ... Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn will hit the road for a few weeks to promote his 2001 solo album, H-Wing. The tour begins May 5 in Montreal and ends May 18 in Ferndale, Michigan. ... Goldfinger will release their fourth full-length album, Open Your Eyes, on May 21. The band recently filmed a "Twilight Zone"-like video for the title track first single. ...
Trance wizard Paul Van Dyk has remixed "Be Angled," the latest single from fellow German electronic artists Jam & Spoon. ... Charleston, South Carolina's Jump, Little Children recently filmed a hometown show to be the centerpiece of a DVD titled "J,LC Return to the Farm," due this summer. Meanwhile, the band, whose 2001 album, Vertigo, is a favorite at college radio, will sing the national anthem at a Boston Red Sox game May 1. ... Ohio roots rockers O.A.R. will release the double-disc live album Any Time Now on May 7.

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Calling Guitarist Suffers Shock Onstage In Bangkok

4 Apr 2002 06:31:00 EST

Aaron Kamin injured during soundcheck Thursday (April 4).
By Joe D'Angelo

The Calling's Aaron Kamin
Photo: RCA

Thai fans of the Calling were surprised to discover the pop group canceled Thursday's show, though they couldn't have been more shocked than lead guitarist Aaron Kamin.
Kamin was almost electrocuted during soundcheck at Bangkok's Brew Pavilion Thursday night (April 4), according to an RCA spokesperson. He was treated at a local hospital and released and is now nursing burns to his hands.
The band plans to reschedule the show in the Thai capital.
The Calling's international tour continues April 9 in Melbourne, Australia, and winds down April 30 in Copenhagen, Denmark. It wasn't known at press time whether Kamin will have healed enough to participate.

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The Calling Nervously Kick Off Their Tour In Santa Ana, CA

15 Feb 2002 11:44:00 EST

Group brings its easygoing pop rock sensibility to nearly packed club.
By Ryan J. Downey

The Calling
Photo: RCA

SANTA ANA, California — The Calling took the stage Wednesday night with all the visible caution of any band just enjoying mainstream success and beginning the opening night of a five-week headlining tour. Young vocalist Alex Band came out looking not unlike even younger singer Aaron Carter, sporting Johnny Rzeznik's haircut and doing a bit of a Steven Tyler impression, what with his mic stand adorned with flowing brown scarves. Guitarist and group co-founder Aaron Kamin looked over his shoulder at a tech for several minutes while bassist Billy Mohler — his cabinet dressed in an American flag — and guitarist Sean Woolstenhulme stared momentarily at drummer Nate Wood as if searching for cues.
When Band — the son of Charles Band, producer of such horror B-movies as "Re-Animator" and "Castle Freak" — formed the Calling with Kamin, he probably didn't guess that an RCA exec would soon move in next door to his house, nor that five years later, "Wherever You Will Go" would be catapulting up the charts. The Calling, together with Nickelback and Lifehouse, are part of a resurgence of rock radio busting through hip-hop, rap-metal and boy band formatting. And that's not the only thread uniting the Calling with Lifehouse; Sean is the brother of Lifehouse drummer Rick Woolstenhulme.
The Galaxy, the club that played host to the beginning of the Calling's first headlining tour since breaking through, was nearly packed, and two songs ("Final Answer," "Nothing's Changed") into the Calling's set, it became clear that the group was beginning to feel looser, and more at home on the stage. Most of their songs came across like the ballad tracks from a Staind or Creed album, all sweeping emotion, melodic guitars and thick melodrama. Other tunes kicked it up a notch while sticking to easygoing pop rock sensibilities, something that distinguishes the Calling from the more aggro-metal-oriented pack.
Alex Band graciously thanked the crowd for coming, declaring, "I couldn't have dreamed up a better first show for a tour.
"I think the last time we played this place, there were about five people over there," he later said, motioning to the left and right of the stage, "and our family over there."
"Unstoppable," culled, like most of the set, from the Calling's RCA debut, Camino Palmero, was third on the list, followed up by "Things Don't Always Turn Out That Way." Band's leather trench coat came off eventually, with the singer donning an acoustic guitar mid-set for one song and an electric guitar later on. At some point he held out a video camera to capture the crowd for his own archives, jokingly imploring them to "pretend you like us." One fan handed him a couple of flowers — just a few hours early for Valentine's Day — which he snatched up and placed upon the drum riser as he sang.
Band's vocals were consistent throughout the night, rising up into Coldplay-like falsettos at times but sticking mainly to a Stapp/Vedder-like croon. "Thank You" preceded the Calling's current hit, "Wherever You Will Go," which was a well-appreciated pay off for the crowd, judging by the crescendo roar in the club. The group left the stage briefly, returning for a handful of songs, including a new track previously unheard by the public that stays the course of the melodic pop songwriting found all over Camino Palmero.
Next up, the band moves on to Colorado for dates in Denver and Boulder.
Read about all of the shows we've recently covered in Tour Reports.

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Fans Heed The Calling As Band Sets Tour

7 Jan 2002 09:54:00 EST

Debut single, 'Wherever You Will Go,' goes top 10 after slow rise.
By Joe D'Angelo, with additional reporting by Jeff Cornell

The Calling
Photo: RCA

It's one thing for people to find your song catchy, but it means so much more when they embrace it because it resonates with them emotionally. A greater compliment couldn't be bestowed upon the Calling's Alex Band, who bases his musical preferences on the same criteria.
"Especially in light of everything that's happened in New York in September, people are really listening to the words of ['Wherever You Will Go'] and thinking [about them]," Band said. "A lot of people are saying how much they're moved by it, which is really important to me, because that's what music is about. That's why I'm not really into heavy rock music, you know, screaming stuff. I like emotional music."
"Wherever You Will Go," about the loss of a loved one, is the first single off the Calling's debut album, Camino Palmero, which was released in July. The track recently took off — helped, no doubt, by its prominence in commercials for the film "Kate & Leopold" — and is a now top 10 single, while the album will move up 33 spots to #66 on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart with more than 269,000 copies sold to date, according to SoundScan.
Band, 19, and guitarist Aaron Kamin, 24, met when Kamin was dating Band's sister, and the pair formed the Calling's core about five years ago. The two played around the local Los Angeles scene with a band called Generation Gap that lived up to its name by featuring a 58-year-old drummer and 40-year-old bassist the guys found through the classifieds. The Gap was quick to dissolve, but Kamin and Band persevered on their musical mission.
The group's big break came when Ron Fair, then senior vice president of A&R at RCA Records, moved next door to the Bands, and the plan to get signed was hatched.
"We knew that was our in," Band said. "We drove that guy completely insane, and he finally signed us."
The two friends inked a deal nearly five years ago, based solely on a bunch of demos. They tracked Camino Palmero, named for the lucky road where the Bands resided, in the summer of 2000 with the help of locals Billy Mohler (bass), Nate Wood (drums) and Sean Woolstenhulme (guitar), brother of Lifehouse drummer Rick. Even though the group's debut LP wasn't yet available, the Calling was featured in the 2000 movie "Coyote Ugly" performing, you guessed it, "Wherever You Will Go."
The charmed nature of the Calling's path to success hasn't been lost on them. "That's the reason the band is called the Calling," Band said. "We knew this was our calling to be doing this, and things have fallen in such weird ways. It's been the most untypical evolution of a band, yet we're still here. We've made it."
After touring with Lifehouse and Michelle Branch and playing a slew of radio festivals toward the end of last year, the Calling will hit the road again, beginning with two radio shows in January and a full tour that is scheduled to start in mid-February.
The Calling tour dates, according to RCA Records (additional dates are expected):

1/10 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy (Star Radio Show)
1/25 - Las Vegas, NV @ KIIS Radio Show
2/14 - Phoenix, AZ @ Bash on Ash
2/17 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre
2/18 - Boulder, CO @ Tulagi
2/20 - Minneapolis, MN @ Ascot Room @ Quest Club
2/21 - Chicago, IL @ Park West
2/22 - Indianapolis, IN @ Emerson Theatre
2/23 - St. Louis, MO @ The Galaxy
2/24 - Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
2/26 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
2/27 - Houston, TX @ Engine Room
3/1 - New Orleans, LA @ Parish @ House of Blues
3/2 - Birmingham, AL @ Five Points Music Hall
3/3 - Atlanta, GA @ Cotton Club

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14 Dec 2001 03:16:36 EST

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