THE EASTPAK ANTIDOTE TOUR IS BACK!

It’s a fast growing fall tradition; the EASTPAK Antidote Tour is gearing up to rock Europe "built-to-resist" style in October and November of this year. With a line up of four of today’s top ranking punk rock bands, EASTPAK, one of the world’s most popular street fashion brands, famed for their tough backpacks and luggage, announces the latest edition of its innovative music tour.

Featuring : Anti-Flag, Alexisonfire, The Ghost Of A Thousand, Four Year Strong.

This year’s tour will be exceptionally loud, spearheaded by Pittsburgh’s punk rock band Anti-Flag and Ontario’s rocking Alexisonfire. The 2009 line up will also feature two great new bands: Four Year Strong and The Ghost of A Thousand.

All four bands recently released new albums, the EASTPAK Antidote tour is the occasion to see the summit of hard core punk rock at work, live and loud, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Anti-Flag released their seventh full-length album, and first on Side One Dummy, "The People or The Gun" on June 8th of this year. As the album starts off fast and furious with "Sodom, Gomorrah, Washington D.C. (Sheep in Shepherds Clothing)" in which Chris#2 takes aim at those who use the bible to control the masses, spitting out the lyrics with an urgency that makes his voice crack the tone is set for their most explosive political broadsides from the punk-rock trenches yet.

In the words of Justin Sane (Guitar & Vocals): "we find ourselves as survivors of eight year of George W. Bush’s reign with a celebrity hype vs. hope complex, and an immense amount of work to do. These songs are just the beginning. It’s not a song, a record, a t-shirt or a band that changes and shapes the world. It’s community and union". The band takes this real world inspiration and engagement seriously, not only in their music but also on the road, community is one of the band’s main priorities. Anti-Flag will involve local Emmaus shelters at each show.

The Juno-award winning Alexisonfire (pronounced Alexis-On-Fire) released their fourth full length disc "Old Crows / Young Cardinals" on June 22nd. This is the St. Catharines, Ontario based quintet’s follow up to the platinum selling album "Crisis" which debuted at #1 on the Top 200 Canadian Soundscan chart. Since their start in 2001, powered by extensive worldwide touring, the band has come a long way. Lead singer George Pettit: "Old Crows / Young Cardinals" was built on the foundation of "Crisis". Musically it moves at a feverish pace. The lyrics span a wide range of topics, from metaphysical rebellion, to living as a nomad. It is the culmination of the history of our band. Personally I feel it’s our best record yet, but you get to be the judge of that." Their music is characterized by turbulent and explosive dynamics with intricate guitar melodies.

Four Year Strong has had an incredible rollercoaster career since the release of their 2007 debut album. With their perfected formula of unrelenting spirit, gut-wrenchingly good music and no flashy gimmicks. Their unique blend of brutal breakdowns and soaring choruses incites a riot like nothing seen before, leaving live crowds and CD listeners alike simultaneously blown away and fired up. Their new album "Explains It All" is a collection of the influential 90’s cover songs that shaped their careers. With this and new music on the horizon things are only getting bigger for Four Year Strong.

British hardcore / punk band The Ghost of a Thousand released their new album "New Hopes, New Demonstrations" in early June. The band from Brighton confirms their status, which they earned with their debut "This Is Where The Fight Begins" as the future of British hardcore. The album, recorded in Stockholm with experienced producer Pelle Gunnerfeldt (Refused, The Hives), who adds a palatable sense of aggression to the album, is truthful to their raucous live shows, powerful and high paced.