More songs from Letters Burning:

Critics Last Stand
Passion is Tearing
Ready Set Go
Sand Castles
Too Many Days
Touchdown Story

Biography

Letters Burning Quick Facts:

* Fan favorite on Van's Warped Tour 2008
* Number one unsigned band on Purevolume.com for months
* Multiple plays of single "Critic's Last Stand" on world famous
KROQ 106.7 FM
* Strong fan draw at top Los Angeles area music venues
* Featured in Fox 11 Los Angeles news report on "scene" music
* Live interview broadcast on Indie 103.1 FM

"What this band does best is present emotions musically. This approach
makes Letters Burning one of the tightest bands you're likely to see."
-Music Connection Magazine

While it might be easier to mask emotions behind generalities, it
takes courage to unveil remarkably vulnerable lyrics that set up story
lines everyone on earth can relate to. Enter California-based rockers
Letters Burning, whose sophomore EP Simple Thoughts and Tragedy comes
across with such sheer emotion and honesty that listeners can't help
but thrust themselves in the middle of each song's scenario, sing
along at the top of their lungs and escape reality as long as they're
in the band's captivating presence.

"Simple Thoughts and Tragedy represents how there is no way to escape
all the intense drama in our lives," offers front man Tal Mir.
"Because as hard as we try to think things through using our
experiences or what we have been taught, we always end up making
decisions based on our inner emotions."

Since forming in 2005, the band has yielded many impressive moments
spread between concerts and resume building activities, tangibly
enhancing the band's super-charged sounds that were first introduced
on the debut EP Almost Midnight (recorded at Infrasonic Sound Studios,
known for recent projects by The Mars Volta and Saosin). Between then
and now, Letters Burning has played literally everywhere in the famed
regional scene, including legendary Hollywood venues like The Whiskey,
The Knitting Factory, The Key Club, and Anaheim's Chain Reaction, not
to mention Indie 103.1 FM's Universal Citywalk Summer Concert Series
(including a live radio interview with the band), also Music
Connection Magazine's "Best Kept Secrets of L.A. Showcase" (which
received overwhelming praise in the same publication) and a prominent
appearance in a Fox 11 Los Angeles news special on "scene" music.

Additional attention came at a rapid pace, including multiple plays on
the world famous rock radio station KROQ (a strong encourager of the
band), airplay on over 100 podcasts and internet radio stations across
the globe, being selected as a finalist on the Diskmakers IMWS contest
(the band's single "California Song" was chosen for their compilation
CD amongst thousands of entries) and work with charities such as
Invisible Children and Stand Up For Kids (which presented the band an
award for their involvement). The band was also selected as a fan
favorite in the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands competition, which
resulted in a slot on the 2008 Van's Warped Tour. Even Taco Bell has
supported Letters Burning, providing hundreds of dollars of free food
through their program which recognizes bands quickly on the rise; Red
Bull has similarly provided free goods to the band and fans. Thanks to
all the aforementioned, excitement continues to build around Simple
Thoughts and Tragedy, which has thus far amassed over 80,000 MySpace
plays and cemented the number one unsigned band spot on Purevolume
just from word of mouth by their growing fan base, featuring
production by Gold record/Platinum download certified producer Sean
O'Keefe (Fall Out Boy, Hawthorne Heights, Plain White T's: "Hey There
Delilah" and Less Than Jake).

"My favorite band growing up was Nirvana, especially Nevermind and its
producer Butch Vig," Tal reports, tracing the chain of events that led
to the collaboration with Sean O'Keefe. "When we were thinking of our
dream producers, Butch's name came up and we eventually got a hold of
him. We weren't expecting to actually hear back, but he responded and
offered us some really great words of encouragement. Though his
schedule was ridiculously busy and he wasn't able to take on our
project, he told us about Sean, who also happened to produce a lot of
records we really like. We shot him our first EP, gave him a call and
he liked what he heard so much that he officially came on board."

"We decided to raise the bar for ourselves with this latest EP," adds
bass keyboard player J. Mark Stanley. "We have a very specific musical
vision, and we knew Sean would be a great choice to help make that
vision a reality. Most independent recordings we hear from other bands
don't sound totally professional. We couldn't let our recording turn
out that way. We put in lots of money, time and effort and came out
with something that makes us all very proud."

The down-time in the studio was casually wrapped around the
pleasantries of pranks and a generally low key demeanor, but when it
came time for business, O'Keefe was extremely professional and
methodical. Each vocal and instrumental track was carefully crafted to
the utmost quality, while the percussion sounds in particular were
chiseled with the ultimate precision.

"Sean fit in with us right away, he felt like another member of the
band," states Mark as Tal adds: "He didn't try to change our sound,
but pushed us to the absolute limit and we created something really
special together. The day after the last session, he told us that our
EP sounded amazing and that he wanted a final copy when it was
released which was a real compliment, because he doesn't own any of
his other recordings."

Several cases of musical merit are apparent, such as the foundation
rattling "Critic's Last Stand," which took root when a reviewer of
Letters Burning's previous project wrote he wouldn't be surprised if
the guys got signed because of their accessible and catchy sound,
calling the band "cookie cutter" in nature. Not only do the grinding
guitar cries and unflinching words blow that unjustified theory right
out of the water, but show which party really scored the final word.
The tempo-shifting "Goodbye Love" switches gears completely to cover
relationships, though the heartbreak of its dissolve is eventually
ironed out by a healing analogy of cleaning out the attic of yesterday
and moving forward. Additional perseverance can be traced throughout
"Sheets of Red" (a potent concert closer) that addresses fame through
the scenario of a band stepping onto a mammoth stage for the very
first time (complete with all the ensuing emotions and physical
intensity). "This song represents what every band feels like when they
step out onto that stage and have their first glimmering thought of
'We've made it, we've finally arrived'," explains guitarist Gabe
Kubanda.

The band also stretches their musical prowess on "I'm Here and You're
There (We're Getting Cut Again)", as the track opens with a calm,
beautiful acoustic guitar and mellotron piano melody followed by a
fierce wall of sound featuring heavy and dissonant distorted guitars,
slamming drums, an ominous walk-up bass line adding to the building,
epic scenario, (all layered with a beautifully crafted string section
courtesy of a top New York cellist). The epic introduction transitions
smoothly into a tight drum-and-bass groove, alongside syncopated
guitar riffs that allow the vocals to cut through with confidence
(continuously developed throughout exploding choruses and a climatic,
string-soaked bridge). The lyrics warrant even further urgency,
tracing a man who lost absolutely everything (including the love of
his life) and feels like dying, but uses the anthemic words as a
battle cry to press on in the face of distress.

"We don't go down in defeat or drown in our problems; we get them out
in the open, deal with them and use what we've gone through to make
the future that much better," Tal contends. "It's gotten us really
close with our fans, who we seriously consider friends, and we
definitely value each and every one of them because they're the ones
who keep us going in the first place."

The band consistently breaks down barriers on and offstage, including
personal responses to every fan's email, a continuous string of
contests, including private shows to keep listeners constantly
involved and anxiously counting down the days until the next show. The
group also promotes at every pertinent local gig and regularly takes
pictures with fans (who can find them posted on their professionally
designed MySpace page).

"We also take pride in everything attached to our band, from the
illustrious CD artwork and conceptual photos (which impressed
Diskmakers enough to want to use it as a sample in their
advertisements) to the high quality merch, to utilizing stage props to
enhance our shows," offers Mark. "Pretty much every band believes
they're gonna be huge, every band's got big dreams, but very few bands
follow through and do all the hard work to make it happen. We have a
great time making music, but we're also disciplined and focused.
Practically every hour we're building our fan base, writing new
material, doing whatever it takes. We never back down, because we know
we have something truly special, and our dedicated fans reflect that."