John Reis unveils the Night Marchers

The new John Reis band that we’re been waiting on has been unveiled. The act has been named the Night Marchers. As previously reported the group will feature Reis (of Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, Rocket From the Crypt of course) along with guitarist Gar Wood (Hot Snakes, Beehive and the Barracudas), drummer Jason Kourkounis (Hot Snakes, Mule, Delta 72), and bassist Tommy Kitsos (CPC Gangbangs). The band will play their first show on February 8th at Reis’ bar Pink Elephant in San Diego.

The Night Marchers will release their debut full length, titled See You In Magic, on March 26th. It will arrive via Swami and Vagrant Records. .
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Valve Acquires Turtle Rock Studios

Leading Content and Technology Company Adds California Studio

Fresh off the success of The Orange Box, the 2007 game of the year award-winning collection of new games heralded as “the best value in gaming history,” Valve Corporation announces the acquisition of Turtle Rock Studios, the Orange County-based development house behind one of 2008’s most anticipated games, Left 4 Dead.

Valve was founded in 1996 and has grown to become one of the game industry’s leading technology and content creators, with a portfolio of over 20 million games sold worldwide. The merger of the two companies extends Valve’s development team and provides the company with a new studio in southern California.

Turtle Rock Studios’ Left 4 Dead joins a growing list of Valve’s game properties which includes the Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Team Fortress and Day of Defeat series of games as well as Portal, introduced as part of The Orange Box.

“We have been seeing very strong growth with Steam and Source, our content distribution and development platforms, up over 150% over the last 12 months. Given our expectations for Left 4 Dead and our long-standing relationships with members of the Turtle Rock team, this was an easy decision. It also gives us a base from which to expand our development activities in the Los Angeles area,” said Gabe Newell, president of Valve.

“Left 4 Dead fills a long-standing demand gamers have had for a co-op first-person action experience, and it will also help Valve’s expansion into the console market,” added Doug Lombardi, Valve’s VP of marketing.

“Valve has had great success bringing in projects and teams such as Team Fortress and Portal. As I spent time working and talking with the creators of those products over the past several years, it became clear that this was the right next step for myself, my colleagues at Turtle Rock, our customers, and our products,” said Michael Booth, founder and CEO of Turtle Rock Studios. “We are excited to be a part of such a visionary and forward-thinking company.”

Founded in 2002 by Michael Booth, Turtle Rock Studios is the creator of Left 4 Dead, named one 2008’s most wanted titles by many of today’s leading game-enthusiast publications and Web sites.

About Valve
Valve is an entertainment software and technology company founded in 1996 and based in Bellevue, Washington with offices in Irvine, CA. The company’s portfolio of entertainment properties includes Half-Life®, Counter-Strike®, Day of Defeat®, Team Fortress®, PortalTM and Left 4 DeadTM. Valve’s catalog of products accounts for over 20 million retail units sold worldwide, and over 80% of PC online action gameplay. In addition, Valve is a developer of leading-edge technologies, such as the SourceTM game engine and Steam®, a broadband platform for the delivery and management of digital content. For more information, please visit www.valvesoftware.com.
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Panic! At the Disco to headline Honda Civic Tour

Panic! At the Disco look to be following Fall Out Boy by taking on headlining duties for the 2008 edition of the Honda Civic Tour. The tour will hit 45 cities in North America and will provide support for the band’s upcoming sophomore album, Pretty. Odd which is due out March 25, 2008.

As in years past, a one-of-a-kind Honda Civic Hybrid, designed by members of Panic!, will be showcased at each tour stop. The tour will also feature “eco spots,” where attendees can educate themselves about environmental-friendly issues including solar backpacks and re-usable water bottles.

You can find some more details in the billboard article.
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Wardogs, Vincent Valentine!, Teenage Rehab

Wardogs have surfaced in San Francisco. The band features members of Lucky Stiffs, San Diego’s Misled Citizens and Run Barbara Run and “some guy that played in the Queers for 2 months.” Four tracks are available at their MySpace page and will be making their debut appearance at Thee Parkside alongside Nothington and Dead To Me on February 1st.

Ocala/Gainesville, FL natives Vincent Valentine! have posted the first of the demos for their new record Light Your Guts On Fire. The album is expected in the first quarter of ’08 on a label yet to be announced. They will be posting more tracks throughout the week and you can hear it at their MySpace page.

Teenage Rehab are heading out on tour in support of their new EP Goodbye Sanity. A full list of dates can be found at their MySpace page. You can hear the track “Sanity” at their MySpace page as well.
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Briefs members playing in Suspect Parts, Modern Action, the Cute Lepers

The BriefsThe Briefs have posted updates on their various side projects. Steve E. Nix and the Cute Lepers, which features Nix, bassist Steve Kicks and Josh from The Spits, are planning to tour in February. Dates are to be announced. Chris Brief and Justin from the Clorox Girls have playing in Suspect Parts. Guitarist Daniel J. Travanti and members of the Bodies are playing in Modern Action.

Despite all the side bands the Briefs are reiterating that they haven’t broken up. Future touring has been promised, but nothing specific has been announced yet.
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