Plea For Peace Tour --Taken from www.epitaph.com

Hot Water Music will is taking-on the Plea For Peace tour this summer and we wanted to fill you in with some details. Mike Park from Asian Man records hooked us up with this press release: Van Nuys, CA -- Sub City and Asian Man Records announced today that they have joined forces in presenting this year’s Plea For Peace-Take Action Tour. The goal is to raise much needed funds and awareness on youth crisis issues. The tour will reach 40,000 young people across the country in person, and an additional 500,000+ people not in attendance via printed and electronic media. Venue capacities are between 1,000-2,000. Through intensive street marketing, high-profile print and internet advertising campaigns, radio, TV and retail promotions, the visibility of this years tour is sure to catch the attention of the masses. The tour will feature co-headliners Hot Water Music [Epitaph Records] and Alkaline Trio [Vagrant Records] as well as Cave In [RCA], Thrice [Sub City Records], Selby Tigers [Hopeless Records], The Eyeliners [Panic Button Records], Mike Park [Asian Man Records], Zero Zero and Strike Anywhere [both on Jade Tree Records]. Hot Water Music formed in the swamps of Gainesville, Florida in 1994 and quickly began making an inexorable impact on the post-punk world. With six full-length releases and countless US tours they have earned a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in punk rock. Alkaline Trio have released three albums to date and have toured relentlessly. Their brand of catchy pop-punk rocketed their current release, From Here to Infirmary, up the Billboard Chart in it’s first week out. Alkaline Trio will tour as a band for the first 2 weeks. Thereafter lead vocalist, Matt Skiba, will make his debut appearance as a solo, acoustic artist on an additional 15 dates of the tour. Since their formation in April 1995, Cave In has set their course for progress. What originally started as four high school boys exploring their love of metal has come around to being four guys who are considered to be independent music’s most solid bet for a brighter, heavier future. Thrice, who formed in Southern California in 1998, blend the emotion and dynamics of hardcore with the melody and harmony of pop-punk. Since the release of their debut album, Identity Crisis, the band has quickly gained notoriety among fellow bands, radio, press and music lovers alike. Selby Tigers hail from St. Paul, MN and feature interwoven male and female voices. Their sound has been likened to early 70's punk, 80's new wave rock and roll, and 90's two guitar pop. The Eyeliners have been putting out quality punk-rock-n-roll, flavored with 50's hooks, since 1995. Mike Park has been putting out records and touring since 1989. He has sold over 200,000 albums and continues to put out quality independent music. For the last few years, he has been touring with an acoustic guitar, playing his own brand of folk music. Zero Zero began in 1999 and soon signed to Jade Tree Records to release their current CD AM Gold “an encyclopedic, pop-damaged freak-out. A propulsive record that deconstructs and siphons plastic MOR jangle, the deliberate innocence of Japanese pop, the sang-froid sexiness of French mod-sounds and the high energy of early Stiff Records new wave.” Richmond, Virginia's Strike Anywhere formed in the fall of 1999. Their new album, Change Is A Sound, was recorded at Salad Studios in DC, a city that plays home to a long lineage of punk-integrity and politically-charged music. The band's music represents the fight to remain inspired and to raise the watermark on the ideas and energy behind the noise and the dance-floor passion of punk life. Hopeline Network counselors are trained to handle all youth crisis issues including abuse, neglect, drug dependency and depression. In addition to running the Hopeline Network, the Kristin Brooks Hope Center’s mission is to increase awareness surrounding suicide as a national health problem. They also work towards reducing the stigma that surrounds mental illness and depression, which prevents teens from seeking help, by offering confidential services. In 1996 Mike Park started Asian Man Records out of his parent’s garage. Since the late 80's Park has been involved in non-profit work and tours such as the Ska Against Racism and Plea For Peace and has raised over $35,000 for charity. The label has been immensely successful, 83 releases to date, despite defying all conventions. The operation manifesto is simple--put out quality music at affordable prices and spread the ideas of Peace and Unity. The Plea For Peace-Take Action Tour 2001 will go a long way in raising awareness and money for a number of youth-oriented issues this year. Amazing bands like Hot Water Music and Alkaline Trio will rock audiences and motivate them to become proactive on issues that affect them directly. The Kristin Brooks Hope Center and its National Hopeline Network, 1-800-SUICIDE and various regional organizations will benefit both from funds and from the publicity they will receive being connected to the tour. The four previous tours organized by Sub City/Hopeless and Asian Man have collectively raised over $50,000 for charitable organizations and this year’s tour is sure to top all previous figures. Visit the tour online to find out more and to link to the various organizations involved at www.takeactiontour.com. You can get all of the dates on our TourDates page.