Ms. A's Blog

[Photo by: Stephanie Cabral Photography; Flyer by Ms. A]

Via Blabbermouth:

Former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis has been added to the 24-date, coast-to-coast U.S. tour with PROTEST THE HERO, PERIPHERY, THE SAFETY FIRE and TODAY I CAUGHT THE PLAGUE.

Jeff has revealed the quality players he’s enlisted to accompany him on the stage:

* Joe Nurre (SHADED ENMITY) – Guitar
* Gregory Macklin (SYSTEM DIVIDE, ORDINANCE) – Bass
* Anup Sastry (INTERVALS, SKYHARBOR) – Drums

Says Loomis: “My good friend, Joe Nurre from up here in Seattle, will be playing guitar with me out on this run with PROTEST THE HERO and PERIPHERY. Some of you might have seen him play with NEVERMORE on the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise last year.

“I was lucky enough to find this killer drummer online. His name is Anup Sastry, I’ve seen him do these perfect drum covers on his YouTube page. I reached out and learned he plays in a few great bands as well. You should check out all the stuff he’s done.

“Anup is based out in the D.C. area and brought in a friend of his, Greg Macklin, to do bass. Those guys are going to be getting together out there to start practicing the set. Joe and I will do the same over here and then a couple weeks before the tour, Joe and I will fly over Maryland and we’ll all rehearse until we get things perfect.

“I can’t wait to get out there and start playing live again. See you soon.”

The dates are as follows:

Mar. 25 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
Mar. 26 – Lawrence, KS – Granada
Mar. 27 – Dallas, TX – Trees
Mar. 28 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
Mar. 30 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine
Mar. 31 – Phoenix, AZ – Club Red
Apr. 01 – West Hollywood, CA – Key Club
Apr. 02 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
Apr. 03 – Portland, OR – The Branx
Apr. 04 – Seattle, WA – Studio Seven
Apr. 06 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue
Apr. 07 – Denver, CO – Summit
Apr. 09 – St. Louis, MO – Pops
Apr. 10 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave II
Apr. 11 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
Apr. 12 – Columbus, OH – The Outland Ballroom
Apr. 13 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
Apr. 14 – Baltimore, MD – Sonar
Apr. 16 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
Apr. 17 – Orlando, FL – The Social
Apr. 18 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theater
Apr. 20 – New York, NY – Gramercy
Apr. 22 – Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero

Jeff Loomis has set “Plains Of Oblivion” as the title of his sophomore solo album, to be released on April 10 in North America (one day earlier in Europe) via Century Media Records. The CD was produced by Aaron Smith (7 HORNS 7 EYES) and features cover artwork by Colin Marks of Rain Song Design, who has previously worked with ALL SHALL PERISH, THE END and XERATH.

“Plains Of Oblivion” track listing:

01. Mercurial (feat. Marty Friedman)
02. The Ultimatum (feat. Tony MacAlpine)
03. Escape Velocity
04. Tragedy And Harmony (feat. Christine Rhoades)
05. Requiem For The Living (feat. Attila Voros)
06. Continuum Drift (feat. Chris Poland)
07. Surrender (feat. Ihsahn)
08. Chosen Time (feat. Christine Rhoades)
09. Rapture
10. Sibylline Origin

After Jeff’s departure from NEVERMORE and the release of his solo debut — 2008′s “Zero Order Phase” — fans have been craving a new album. With a number of influential musicians appearing on the upcoming release, Loomis is more than ready to deliver.

Jeff was the lead guitar player and main songwriter of NEVERMORE, a band that has certainly made its mark on modern music by forging a unique sound that fuses different forms of metal that has given birth to an authentic and very influential style. His solo CD, “Zero Order Phase”, took the #4 spot in a April 2009 Guitar World magazine’s readers’ poll in the “Best Shred Album Of The Year” category — a notable accomplishment when you consider the top three vote-getters, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. Jeff has become one of his generation’s most recognizable guitarists and the source of many of the last decade’s best riffs.

Jeff’s complex shredding has been a central part of the progressive power guitar scene since 1992 and is responsible for some of the most awe-inspiring riffs modern metal has ever heard. Nearly every aspiring musician who has been listening to metal for the past 10 years or so has undoubtedly had the pleasure of hearing Jeff Loomis’ progressive and technically superior playing.

Loomis’ first solo album, “Zero Order Phase”, was released in September 2008 through Century Media Records.