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Gavin Castleton new EP

* The track 1, Hope is a Drug was featured for Today's Top Tune by KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic on 10/23
Gavin is on tour and playing at the Venue with Taking Back Sunday on 10/31

Video: Nothing Compares 2 U
90 East

Press Release:

While his latest album, the shocking zombie-themed “popera” Home, is enjoying continued critical acclaim, prolific Portland-based songwriter/producer Gavin Castleton is already recording new material. On October 13, LA-based indie label Five One Inc. released Castleton’s Random Anthems: a three song EP that is available through iTunes.

1) Hope is a Drug
Gavin’s newest recording, Hope is a Drug is a dance anthem in the vein of Billie Jean and Sade’s Hang On to Your Love, produced by Overclock Inc.

2) Scared Scared Scared
This is an intimate acoustic version of a popular song from Gavin’s live set, never before released in the U.S.

3) Shell 2: Nephew of Shell
A collaboration with NY-based composer/producer Zach Lipkins, Shell 2 is the sequel to Shell, b-side to the single “Coffeelocks.” It expounds on one of the subplots of Home.

Gavin released the epic production Home in April of this year. The lead single "Coffeelocks" received regular airplay on the influential NPR station KCRW, and Gavin was invited to perform live on the station’s morning show “Morning Becomes Eclectic” during his CD release tour. In addition, the song was featured on the Hollister In-Store Compilation, enjoying over 500,000 plays in their stores around the country. The album was also featured on the iTunes Indie Spotlight, the Purevolume front page, as well as features on Napster and Rhapsody.

Home details the story of his six-year love affair and its eventual destruction sequenced in two halves: the first depicts Castleton and his young lover falling deeply in love, and the second, in which said lovers are stalked incessantly by a growing population of flesh-eating zombies, is the story of falling out of love. With the sultry vocals of Lauren Coleman (of Pebaluna) and the dense orchestration of a 22-piece band, the album is a soundscape of paramount proportions.

To aid in the digestion of this unconventional record, Castleton has recorded a Director’s Commentary detailing and explaining some of the plot twists and compositional elements of the album. The feature will be available at his website, designed by award-winning artist Tyler Finck, where the entire album is available for free streaming.

Shortly after a solo set at this year’s Machigonne Music Festival in Portland, ME opening for Ray Lamontagne, Gavin hit the road with a new trio on the E.I.Y. Fall 2009 Tour. He teamed up with a revolutionary not-for-profit website that supports the independent music community by allowing musicians to trade shows, book tours, network with other musicians, promoters, venues and fans. The tour will span 65+ dates booked mainly through the website. In addition, Gavin has been invited to play with Taking Back Sunday in late October along with their touring mates, Anberlin and Fun. The tour dates are listed below until November 22 east coast.

Press:
"Home is a bizarrely intriguing prog-pop album that only works because of Castleton's spectacular voice. If you want to be challenged while still enjoying pop songs, this disc's the way to go." - Alternative Press

"Coffeelocks is a uber cute exchange that will more than likely be shared over dozens of cups of coffee throughout the years." - Filter Magazine

“Home is a lush, musically diverse endeavor, recorded on a shoestring but so rich in its production it's hard to believe it's not coming from major-label resources.” - Mother Jones

"Castleton has a tremendous gift for fashioning grand cinematic songs that swell with ambitious prose" - Portland Mercury