GOLDEN STATE

While we revel in our memories of an awesome 2010, we can’t contain our excitement for 2011. These 10 bands are the ones to watch in the year to come.

10. The Temper Trap -The Temper Trap is an indie rock band which formed in 2005 in Melbourne, Australia. The band consists of Dougy Mandagi (vocals, guitar), Lorenzo Sillitto (guitar, keyboards), Jonathon Aherne (bass) and Toby Dundas (drums). The Temper Trap, led by frontman Dougy, have been writing and touring Australia, catching the ears of many. With a series of epic new tracks set for release on their much anticipated debut album, the band has conquered adventurous new territory, building on their rich foundations in a natural progression. Legendary Arctic Monkey’s and Kasabian producer Jim Abiss flew over to Melbourne to be at the helm. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.

http://www.thetempertrap.com

9. The Boxer Rebellion – London-based quartet the Boxer Rebellion formed in the fall of 2000 when frontman Nathan Nicholson moved to England from Tennessee. Joined by a love of Radiohead and influences ranging from Britpop to American garage rock, the band wrote and recorded together for several years, honing their epic, melodic sound. The Boxer Rebellion are set to release their third studio album ‘The Cold Still’ Created in conjunction with legendary producer Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon, Ryan Adams, Ray LaMontagne) the album was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in the UK and is set to drop on February 8, 2011.

http://theboxerrebellion.com

8. The Maine – Formed in Phoenix, AZ, in 2007 while most of the bandmembers were still in high school, the Maine turned their ’90s radio rock band influences into a generic but still infectious pop-punk sound. Featuring singer John O’Callaghan, guitarists Kennedy Brock and Jared Monaco, bassist Garrett Nickelsen, and drummer Pat Kirch, the Maine signed to Fearless Records and released a five-song concept EP, The Way We Talk, in 2007. After performing on the 2008 Vans Warped Tour, the band released their debut album Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, which was produced by Matt Squire. The Maine currently has a free EP out as a way of giving back to the fans. It can be found on daytrotter.com and is called Daytrotter Session-EP. Keep your eye out for more from them in the new year

http://www.wearethemaine.net

7. British Sea Power – A quartet from Brighton, England, British Sea Power are a rather conceptual indie band — compared more than once to Joy Division — featuring members named Hamilton, Noble, Yan, and Wood. With a penchant for grandiose anthems with arena-style choruses and crescendos…British Sea Power’s sound includes atmospheric and post-punk numbers along with the soaring epics. Catch their new album ‘Valhalla Dancehall’ and tour this coming year.

http://www.britishseapower.co.uk/

6. White Lies – A dark-edged trio hailing from London, White Lies take sonic cues from the likes of Joy Division, the Teardrop Explodes, and Echo the Bunnymen. Indeed, the three musicians are so committed to the U.K.’s post-punk scene that they signed with Fiction Records, a Polydor imprint best known for its ’80s releases by the Cure and the Associates. White Lies’ debut album ‘To Lose My Life’… was released in January 2009, debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart. Second album ‘Ritual’ was recorded in 2010, and is set for worldwide release in January 2011.

http://www.whitelies.com

5. PieL – PieL’s Alternative sound is ready to crack the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart. ‘Studio 54(Contagious)’ is their breakthrough hit. Lewis’s sultry vocals against Burkes’s hypnotic bass will lure the most skeptical wallflower onto the dance floor. While moody tracks such as ‘Babble On’ and ‘Come On” will mesmerize you with their soul. Lead Singer Tiki Lewis says that she’s been ‘singing since [she] was walking.” Her lyrics capture the wild, raw facts of urban life. So it’s natural that the South Side Chicago native was attracted to downtown Los Angeles to pursue a career. Bassist Jawnee Burkes is a Los Angeles native. His passion for the bass comes across in his powerful, hypnotic rhythms. He loves to perform live. More to come… Once you experience PieL, you’ll be grooving, dancing, and even catch yourself singing along right into 2011.

4. Theft – Having now done the hard work of finding his voice, Matt McCartie is taking pleasure in using it. Theft is currently playing out with a full lineup that includes Austen Hooks on drums, Daley Hake on bass and Eric Lemiere on guitar. In August 2010, the band released their song, “Never Be The Same” to coincide with the song being used as the theme for MTV’s new show, ‘If You Really Knew Me’. The band also just returned from a 6 week US tour opening for Creed. Looking forward, Theft will release a music video and another EP as well as getting back out on the road.

http://www.theftband.com

3. The Script – It’s been a rags to riches glory ride, an emotional rollercoaster, an all action, all-star blockbuster. Three young Dubliners took on the world, with music fashioned from the emotional detritus of their own hard lives raised up by a love of pop, rock, hip hop and soul. They played stadium shows with music heroes U2, Take That and Paul McCartney. Their song ‘Breakeven’ has sold over 1.7 million downloads in the US alone. But that was just the first draft. Now it’s time to write a whole new Script.Get ready for the return of The Script. There are going to be more twists in this tale before it is done.

http://www.thescriptmusic.com

2. The Daylights – The Daylights are a commanding three-piece from Los Angeles making a huge impact on the alternative rock scene nationwide as well as on the L.A. scene with their passionate lyrics, giant melodies and cinematic sound. After recently touring with Katy Perry and OneRepublic. The Daylights released their debut album in September of 2010. The boys closed the year with a bang, after their viral video ‘I Hope This Gets to You’ exploded with almost 620,000 views in less than a week. Not a bad way to end the year and begin the new.
http:// www.thedaylights.com

1. Golden State – Rivetingly charismatic, menacing, and possessed of an almost divine intensity, Golden State embraces and articulates an anthemic fervor of rock music with a power and eloquence unparalleled by any of their contemporaries.

Hailing from Los Angeles, Golden State’s fusion of U2's classic songwriting and Radiohead’s controversial arrangements is crafted by lead vocalist/guitarist James Grundler, bassist Alex Parnell, lead guitarist Marc Boggio, and drummer Fernando Sanchez.

Rising from the ashes of the music industry, Golden State languished in relative obscurity while waiting for the rest of the music world to play catch-up, creating one of the most complex and rewarding bodies of work in modern rock roll long before most listeners even learned of the group’s existence.

So, it’s no surprise things are heating up this year for Golden State, as they’ve been called, “U2 reborn”; garnering the respect of Bono himself, Elton John, and Stone Temple Pilot’s rocker Scott Weiland (who covered Grundler’s ‘Some Things Must Go This Way’ on his latest solo album).

The band’s frontman James Grundler has also found success strangely enough in Irish boyband Westlife. Grundler co-wrote their latest hit record ‘Safe’, alongside Grammy Producer of the Year John Shanks.

With a knack for big, melodic hooks, Golden State turns catchy numbers into sweeping, sprawling epic rockers, making them The One to watch as they plan for a full album release and tour early 2011.

Download a free MP3 of their epic rocker ‘Clocks of the World’ from their ‘Standing on the Edge of it All’ EP here: http://goldenstateband.com/ - Punk Record Stores

Selling Points:
- Scott Weiland of the Stone Temple Pilots covers James Grundler of Golden State's ‘Some Things Must Go This Way’ on his latest solo record.

- James Grundler of Golden State and Grammy Producer of the Year John Shanks joined forces to write Westlife’s latest single Safe; a release that is proving to be their biggest hit to date.

- This past July, Golden State’s ‘All Roads Lead Home’ aired on the Emmy Nominated episode of ‘Deadliest Catch’ generating 4,000 digital sales of the song in just four weeks. - Press

The sad truth is while I’ve seen many musicians pump their fist in the air during a live performance, I’ve only known four to do it without looking, well.....dumb: Bruce Springstein (with the nickname The Boss, c’mon), Bono (up for debate), Wayne Coyne (who spends half his time in a bubble) and Win Butler (he might have been stretching). With those exceptions that prove the rule, I’ve always considered putting a closed fist above your head to be a silly Rock n Roll move. Learn how to do a cool kick or spin, I guess. Saturday August 14th at The Hotel Cafe, I saw James Grundler of Golden State do said fist pump, and actually didn’t cringe. It looked....fine, good even. - Best New Bands

Golden State's 'All Roads Lead Home' as featured on Deadliest Catch's Emmy nominated episode.

Season 6/Episode 15 'Valhalla' - Discovery Channel

This week on Live Wire! we catch up with James from the band GOLDEN STATE and play you some of their tracks, including an EXCLUSIVE acoustic recording done just for us here on Live Wire! of their No:1 hit "All roads lead home". Hear the interveiw and rock out to their tracks right now, right here on Live Wire! Podcast Radio. - Live Wire! Podcast

Hailing from Los Angeles they have been known as ‘pop music’s best kept secret’ and Love Music; Love Life were lucky to be invited for an inside view, by talking to lead singer James Grundler.

Golden State have worked with Grammy Winning producers Rick Rubin and John Shanks, as well as having their song “Some Things Must Go This Way” covered by Scott Weiland on his latest solo album.

The band can be best described as offering an American alternative to bands like U2 and Radiohead. - Love Music Love Life

Being Irish and having listened to U2 for the last 20 years or so I had to keep reminding myself that I wasnt listening to Bono and the lads when playing through the track list in the Golden State music player.

From the opening chords of “We Must Start Again” to songs ” to “All Roads Lead Home”..it’s an uncanny resemblance. - Music Notes

Golden State's "Let It Touch You" iPad Commericial Test - Apple

Since the “Castle” first aired in March 2009 with the pilot episode “Flowers For Your Grave” viewers have made a lot of noise about the music used throughout the series. “Castle” received an Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Music Composition For A Series” in 2009 and is expected to be nominated again in 2010. Each week following a new episode fans can be see scouring the internet for details about songs used in the series.

This week, following the airing of “A Rose for Everafter” the internet exploded with viewers eager to find details about the song used in the final wedding scene. CastleTV.net credited the song as “Love Song” by Golden State as did the ABC in their Castle Music Lounge however confused fans suggested that the information must have been incorrect, particularly considering lead vocalist in the song is female and Golden State is a male band.

James Grundler, composer of “Love Song” and primary songwriter for Golden State has responded exclusively to CastleTV.net to provide a little background on the song.

This is James from Golden State and yes, you guessed it, that’s not me singing Love Song. I had this song idea and it just didn’t feel right with my voice so we decided to experiment with a female voice – her name is Holly Conlan. It finally feels ‘right’ and I am really glad you like it – it fit so well in the wedding scene.

You can stream the track on the Golden State website. The song will be available for purchase soon, to be notified when it becomes available join Golden State’s Facebook page. - Castle TV