40 Watt Hype :: Press

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

40 Watt Hype to RELEASE NEW ALBUM

FRESNO, Calif. (April 4)- 40 Watt Hype will be releasing a new album Tuesday April 18th. The album is titled “Strong Feet on the Concrete” and details the bands life and struggle as independent hustling artists defining their own sound. The title track “Strong Feet on the Concrete” opens the album with a stripped down, hard-hitting beat with lyrics “Just let go/loose control/when we rock the party make the crowd say ho!” From there the album includes two bilingual songs “Muevete” and “La Sombra” exhibiting the range in style. Also included on the album are surprise tracks “On and On” an R&B, Beatlesesque arrangement and “S.O.S.” a hard hitting take on the state of social affairs, reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine. Vocalist Awall attributes the unique sound to the diverse make-up of the band, “We all bring such a wide range of musical experience, which allows us to create together because of the different flavors the sound is produced naturally and honestly.” Vagabond agrees that the band’s sound is focused yet derives itself from many different places. “People always want to categorize the music, if so, we would call it hip-hop. But we’re doing more than that, we write songs incorporating elements of all the music we love.” The album is produced by, Grammy Award winner Art Hodge. Hodge has worked with the Dust Brothers, the film Fight Club and Santana, among others. The band will be touring to support the new release, for more information on dates visit www.40watthype.com.

The album will be available for purchase at the Fresno, Ca Tower Records as well as online at www.cdbaby.com and www.40watthype.com.

40 WATT HYPE TO OPEN FOR THE ROOTS
ON APRIL 3 IN SANTA CLARA

FRESNO, Calif. (March 30)-40 Watt Hype, whose mix of Hip-Hop, Latin and Funk has made them one of the most successful bands to come out of the Central Valley, will perform Sunday April 3 with hip-hop legends The Roots.

40 Watt Hype will open for The Roots at the Leavey Center in Santa Clara California before a sold out crowd of 4,000.

“This is our finest moment in the life of this band. To be able to open up for a legendary group that has personally influenced us and our sound is incredible,” Awall said. “The Ludacris show at Sundance this year was unbelievable, and now to be able to top that is great.”

The group performed with multi-platinum selling artist Ludacris at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT.

The Roots, who were nominated for two Grammies this year, are on tour promoting their album “The Tipping Point” which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard charts. In a readers’ poll conducted by Rolling Stone, The Roots were voted one of the “20 greatest live acts in the world.” The group was also won the most Outstanding Duo or Group Award at the NAACP Image Award.

40 Watt Hype just completed its own tour throughout the Southwest in support of their live CD/DVD “Live&Direct/Sight&Sound.” Their current CD, “Grand Unification Theory” is available at Tower Records, www.40watthype.com, and other locations. The group is currently working with Grammy Award winner Art Hodge on a new album due out this fall.

About 40 Watt Hype
40 Watt Hype is a neo hip-hop band that combines elements of Latin, Soul and R&B creating a new, fresh and commanding sound with tremendous crossover success. For more information, visit www.40watthype.com.

40 WATT HYPE TO OPEN FOR LUDACRIS
ON JAN. 23 AT THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

FRESNO, Calif. (Jan. 15) -- 40 Watt Hype, whose mix of Latin, Soul and R&B has made it one of the busiest bands to come out of Fresno, will perform at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 23 in Park City, Utah.

The Fresno hip hop group is scheduled to open for Ludacris, whose latest album Red Light District is listed on The Billboard 200 charts at No. 5. This is the first show 40 Watt Hype will perform out of the state.

The band is being flown into Utah from Fresno on Sunday morning and will perform its neo-hip hop sound before an audience of film and music enthusiasts and record label execs.

Awall, who rocked the microphone with Vagabond in more than 80 shows across California in 2004, said he plans to fully represent the Central Valley at Sundance.

“We’re ecstatic to play at the kind of event that supports the independent working entertainment community,” Awall said. “This being the first show of the year, it’s also a cool start for the band. We expect to make the most of 2005 and playing at an international event like Sundance is a great way to kick open the gates.”

40 Watt Hype is also putting together a DVD/CD bundle called “Live & Direct: Sight & Sound” that will be available in early February. The live CD will feature 15 live 40 Watt Hype performances and will be available separate from the DVD as well.

The band also is currently recording a full-length album that should be released this spring, Awall said. Their current album, produced by Grammy award winner Art Hodge, is called “Grand Unification Theory” and is available at Tower Records and iTunes among other places.

Multi platinum-selling rap artist Ludacris is the headliner at Sundance. As the self-proclaimed “Dirty South Ambassador,” Ludacris has recorded three albums with Def Jam Records – Back for the First Time, Word of Mouf and Chicken N Beer – which have sold more than 10 million copies to date.

About the Sundance Film Festival
One of the premiere film festivals in the world, the Sundance Film Festival is a showcase for the best and latest work of independent American and international filmmakers. A diverse group of over 36,000 patrons attend the Festival each January in Park City, Utah, including directors, actors, film industry executives, and film lovers. The Festival is a program of the Sundance Institute. For more information, visit www.sundance.org.

CONTACT: Aaron Wall, (559) 421-6333 (voice mail).

October 2004
40 Watt Hype performs on 'Great Day'
Fans were treated to a live show with 40 Watt Hype on KMPH's Great Day morning show on Oct. 6! 40 Watt Hype was celebrating the one-year anniversary of the morning show.

###

40 Watt Hype gets the nod from BLENDER MAGAZINE!!

FRESNO, Calif. (Aug. 24, 2004) -- 40 Watt Hype's musical reach continues to grow as Blender Magazine, a spin off of Maxim Magazine, has chosen to include a song from 40 Watt Hype's latest album, Grand Unification Theory, in its compilation CD of the "8 Hottest Unsigned Bands in the Country."

The bilingual 40 Watt Hype song"La Sombra" was selected to be on the Blender compilation album, which is attached to the front cover of the September issue of BLENDER, featuring Usher.

"Its great to represent Fresno and the music community here on a national level," said Awall, who rocks the stage with Vagabond on a consistent basis. "We can only gain from great exposure."

Awall said the whole band is stoked to get the recognition.

"We're all excited about the new Blender issue. It feels great to be recognized for your music and hard work," Awall said. "To be named one of the '8 hottest unsigned bands in the country' is an honor."

40 Watt Hype's latest album, Grand Unification Theory, is available online through www.audiolunchbox.com, www.cdbaby.com and digital music files are available through iTunes and MusicMatch, among many others.

People also can check out 40 Watt Hype at one of their next shows:

- Saturday Aug. 28 @ Zen Sushi. Music starts at 9 p.m., 18 and over (Los Angeles)

- Friday Sept. 10 @ Arte Americas in Fresno, 7 to 9 p.m. General Admission - $5; Students, Members - $3

- Saturday Sept. 25 @ Starline in Fresno. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Music starts at 9:30 p.m. ALL AGES!

40 Watt Hype is a neo hip-hop band that combines elements of Latin, Soul and R&B creating a new, fresh and commanding sound with tremendous crossover success. For more information, visit www.40watthype.com.

# # #

April 2004

Esquire Magazine mentions 40 Watt Hype in its April 2004 article, "Cities That Rock -- A guide to 10 best cities for seeing and hearing music."

# # #