BURBANK, CA (May 7, 2008)
- Everlast's "Letters from the Garden of
Stone," the controversial first single
from his upcoming album, Love, War and the Ghost
of Whitey Ford, is being added to the playlists
of major radio stations around the country.
As of May 6th, both the single and video are
available on iTunes and other music sites.
The song is told from the point-of-view
of a soldier on the Iraqi battlefield questioning
the war: "Do you think I should be fighting?/Are
you proud or are you ashamed?/I'm trying to
do the right thing/Hope the government can say
the same."
Pittsburgh station WXDX (105.9
The X) jumped the gun by downloading the song
from Everlast's MySpace page and adding it to
the rotation after the single was voted on by
listeners as its "Pick of the Litter."
WBCN in Boston is scoring Top 5 phones, while
the single is getting big phones at WJBX in
Ft. Myers.
Everlast is not only a hip-hop
legend, but a Grammy-winning singer/songwriter
and multi-platinum artist. Love, War and the
Ghost of Whitey Ford will be released September
23rd on his own Martyr Inc. label, in a partnership
with Hickory Records, an imprint of SONY/ATV
Music Publishing, through TRP Records/FONTANA
Distribution.
"The sound is totally different
than anything I've ever done," says Everlast,
who recorded his first solo album in 1988 with
Ice-T before busting out a platinum album with
the group House of Pain and its iconic 1992
hit, "Jump Around." "I've been
making albums long enough to know nothing is
guaranteed. But I've got a feeling in my bones
that I don't get very often and I like it."
Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey
Ford was co-produced by Everlast with his longtime
partner Keefus Ciancia, whose credits include
T-Bone Burnett. It's the logical sequel to his
1998 solo breakthrough, Whitey Ford Sings the
Blues, an eclectic mix of rock, blues, country,
pop and hip-hop, which cracked the Billboard
Top 10 and sold more than 2 million on the strength
of its crossover Top 40 hit, "What It's
Like."
The following year, Everlast's
collaboration with rock legend Carlos Santana,
"Put Your Lights On," earned him a
Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or
Group with Vocal. His last two albums were the
critically acclaimed Eat at Whitey's (2000)
and White Trash Beautiful (2004).
More recently, Everlast was recruited
by Nancy Miller, creator and executive producer
for the TNT series Saving Grace, starring Holly
Hunter, to create the theme song for the show.
With the album complete, Everlast
is ready to hit the road, with tour dates to
be announced. He has already undertaken some
"mash-up" performances with Ciancia
and Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs.
"I just want to go out and
play to as many people as I can," he says.
"I don't care if I sell a million records,
but if I can get a million people to come out
and see me, that's even better."
