Rock Icons Pop Evil Plan a Great 2016
Pop Evil is going to have an exciting 2016. Today the band announced additional tour plans, continuing their “blitzkrieg” of North America, in support of their latest CD, “Up.” The band will be back on the road beginning mid-March with a fistful of headlining dates, along with Devour the Day. The kick off is in Lincoln Nebraska at the Bourbon Theater, and will culminate on March 24th in Fresno, CA at the Fulton 55.
The band will then head north to Canada, for a week of shows along with Red Sun Rising and Smashing Satellites. Beginning in Kamloops, BC, the week culminates in Thunder Bay, ON. Then it’s back to the States for several major rock festivals, including Welcome to Rockville and Fort Rock, in Fort Myers, FL.
Afterwards, the rock powerhouse will take off for a month-long odyssey with Rob Zombie and Disturbed. They will also continue to play major rock festivals, including Rock on the Range, Carolina Rebellion, and Rock Fest.
Further proof that 2016 will indeed be their year, Pop Evil was nominated for an iHeartRadio award for Rock Song of the Year, for their hit, “Footsteps.” The third annual iHeartRadio Awards will air on Sunday on Turner Entertainment’s TBS, TNT, and truTV networks. The band previously took home the award for the peer-voted “Best Independent Artist” at the Radio Contraband Awards. The award is a major accomplishment for Pop Evil, a band proud of its work on and indie label.
Recently, the band released its second single from UP, “Ways to Get High” which is currently heading for number one at Rock Radio. “This song is a chance to free your mind and express yourself in whatever mood you may be in,” says frontman Leigh Kakaty. “Find your Shine!” The video for the song was directed by long-time collaborator Johan Carlén, the force behind the band’s last handful of “visually stunning” music videos, including “Trenches,” “Deal With the Devil,” “Torn to Pieces” and most recently their #1 single, “Footsteps.”
The band reached number 1 this year on the Mainstream Rock chart for the fourth time in their career with the smash, “Footsteps.” The song stayed at #1 for an incredible 4 weeks last year. The single was not only the fastest charting single the band has to date but was also the fastest independent record label single to go #1 at rock radio last year.
Pop Evil released “Up” on August 21, 2015, and saw the release land at #1 on the Billboard Indie Chart in the first week of its release. The CD pulled in at #25 Billboard Top 200, #16 overall, and #3 on Top Hard Rock Music Albums.
“Up” was released with some serious critical accolades. Blabbermouth called it “an album that will rock the socks (and other clothes, no doubt) off their fans.” Huffington Post said the new LP “finds the Michigan band is in fine form.” National daily newspaper USA Today even recognized that Pop Evil have “become a familiar presence on rock radio” in a recent feature piece with vocalist Leigh Kakaty. Pop Evil released a flurry of tracks off their LP before its release. “Footsteps” led the charge with “In Disarray,” “Dead In The Water” and “Ghost Of Muskegon” right behind it. Here’s what critics are saying:
“The strongest Pop Evil album to date.” – REVOLVER MAGAZINE
“UP is Pop Evil’s most ambitious album so far. It has that mainstream appeal while allowing them to push their musical boundaries a bit. It’s a satisfying album which sports a title that reflects the band’s current career trajectory.” LOUDWIRE
“There is no shortage of boisterous anthems.” TEAM ROCK
Pop Evil is: Leigh Kakaty (Lead Vocals), Nick Fuelling (Lead Guitar), Dave Grahs (Rhythm Guitar), Matt DiRito (Bass), Chachi Riot (Drums).
You can purchase the CD at iTunes (currently priced at 5.99), Amazon.com, view videos on YouTube, and stream on Spotify. You can follow the band on Facebook, Twitter, and popevil.com. Ironically, “Up” is the CD currently sitting on my writing desk, music blasting through my computer as I type.