Who Can Know It? Free Raw Rock For Your Support
Who Can Know It?
Showbread harbors some strange tendencies when it comes to music and art. Hardcore punk, pop, alternative and industrial are only a few of the genres that make up the bizarre amalgamation that is Showbread’s self described “Raw Rock” sound. Stranger still is the way one genre devours another on each new Showbread record, jarring and dividing their fan base every time. On the band’s sixth album Who Can Know It?—which was released as a free download through Comeandlive.com on November 16th, 2010—Showbread showcases their most grandiose stylistic shift like a badge, and rightfully so, it’s the best the band has ever sounded.
Last year, Showbread announced not only their departure from longtime home Tooth And Nail records (one of the largest independent record labels in the world) but also their intentions to partner with non-profit organization Come&Live! and offer their subsequent album and its supporting tour both as gifts; completely free of charge. Who would fund the album? The fans… and quickly; within one week of Showbread’s 90 day fundraiser the band had raised the entire album budget by offering special pre-order gifts to donors. Before the 90 days ended they had raised several times as much. With absolutely no mainstream popularity and no record label Showbread raised more money than most independent record labels can offer a band of their size to record an album. Times have certainly changed. Singer Josh Dies acknowledges the crumbling state of the music industry but insists the Showbread’s new model wasn’t in the same spirit as, say, Radiohead or Trent Reznor.
“Even considering the sorry state the industry is in, the move wasn’t about reinventing the wheel, it was about believing in a message of hope so sincerely that you’d much rather hand it out as a gift than charge someone for it.”
The message in question comes to full flower both sonically and lyrically on Who Can Know It?: the band’s most sincere and developed sounding effort to date. Teaming once again with long-time production collaborators Sylvia Massy (Prince, Tool, Johnny Cash) and Rich Veltrop (Phantom Planet, Slayer) familiar listeners have come to expect the unexpected, but will they expect a record this unexpected?
Those expecting traces of Showbread’s blistering Refused and Nine Inch Nails influences might be more than a little surprised to find the latest change finds the band sounding like a Raw Rock version of The Eagles and R.E.M. If those same listeners can recover from the initial shock they’ll go on to find the most expanded, earnest, heartbreaking and original music of Showbread’s career; piano driven ballads, haunting vocal melodies, simultaneously dark and uplifting lyrics, dense layers of instrumentation and a notable lack of power chords or screaming vocals. It seems that Raw Rock has developed to a completely unexpected full maturity; Raw Rock is all grown up.
Who Can Know It? was released as a free download on Comeandlive.com and to traditional online media outlets on November 16th, 2010. Showbread has begun their first completely free tour in early 2011.
The shows on this tour are created as a modern day rock opera. There are no support bands to begin the show. These concerts begin with video and take you on a journey similar to Rush. Bring your friends to the most interesting musical spectacle ever produced by Showbread. Do not be late!
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Mar 4
Vineyard Christian Church
Vineyard Christian Church Canon City, CO – 7:00 PM
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Mar 5
C.C.V.N.
C.C.V.N. Phoenix, AZ – 6:30 PM
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Mar 6
95.3 fm The Edge Studios
95.3 fm The Edge Studios El Centro, CA – 7:00 PM
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Mar 8
The Stronghold
The Stronghold Chino, Ca – 6:30 PM
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Mar 9
Burning Bush Two Zero Nine
Burning Bush Two Zero Nine Stockton, CA – 7:00 PM
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Mar 11
Harvest Christian Center
Harvest Christian Center Milwaukie, OR – 7:00 PM
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Mar 12
Rockhaus
Rockhaus Mountlake Terrace, washington – 7:00 PM
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Mar 14
The Connection / Midtown Church
The Connection / Midtown Church Missoula, MT – 7:00 PM
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Mar 15
The Genesis Project
The Genesis Project Ogden, Utah – 7:00 PM
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Mar 18
Fellowship Baptist Church
Fellowship Baptist Church Oskaloosa, IA – 7:00 PM
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Mar 19
Crossroads Church
Crossroads Church Madison, WI – 7:00 PM
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Mar 20
Wake the Dead
Wake the Dead Decatur, Illinois – 7:00 PM
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Mar 21
The Gear
The Gear Franklin, Indiana, US – 7:00 PM
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Mar 22
HeBrews Fort Wayne
HeBrews Fort Wayne Leo, IN – 6:00 PM
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Mar 23
MXTP (Mixtape venue)
MXTP (Mixtape venue) Grand Rapids, MI – 7:00 PM
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Mar 25
East Vineyard Church
East Vineyard Church Columbus, Ohio – 7:00 PM
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Mar 27
The 7 Venue
The 7 Venue Douglasville, Georgia – 7:00 PM
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Mar 28
The Cafe at Calvary Chapel
The Cafe at Calvary Chapel Lexington, SC – 7:00 PM
- Mar 31
Doral Vineyard Miami, FL-7:00 PM
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Apr 1
North Kissimmee Baptist Church
North Kissimmee Baptist Church Kissimmee, FL – 7:00 PM
For more information on Showbread and their upcoming activities, visit:
April 20, 2013 at 2:52 pm
That was both of those fascinating also as insightful!
Thanks for sharing your views with us.