Flyleaf 'Memento Mori' album

Memento Mori, the new album from A&M/Octone recording group FLYLEAF, debuts at No. 8 on The Billboard 200, selling 56, 400 copies in its first week of release according to Nielsen SoundScan. Recorded with Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, The All-American Rejects), who also produced the band's self-titled Platinum debut, Memento Mori is a compelling blend of bold guitars and soaring melodies, anchored by the honest lyrics and transcendent vocals of lead singer, Lacey.

The album's first single, "Again," was Amazon.com's "Free Song of the Day" on Saturday and is already number 15 (with bullet) at Active Rock radio and number 20 (with bullet) at Modern Rock. The accompanying video can be seen on MTV2 and FUSE. "Again" was one of the songs FLYLEAF performed on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in late October, on the eve of the launch of an intimate club tour of the U.S.

A compelling blend of powerful guitars and soaring melodies, MEMENTO MORI is highlighted by the stirring, melodic "Arise," the thunderous, riff-fueled "Beautiful Bride," the high-flying "Missing," and the dynamic, urgent "Set Apart this Dream." Though song contributions come from every member of the band, MEMENTO MORI features a lyrical theme that started out as a kind of urgent and hopeful personal message from Flyleaf vocalist Lacey to her teenaged sister. "I feel like the new songs began as a kind of open letter to my little sister, saying, 'Please don't make the mistakes that I have made,'" explains the thoughtful and reflective Lacey. "When I'm on stage and look out into the crowd, I see my sister in so many faces. With the title MEMENTO MORI we took that feeling a step further so that it now encompasses meaning for the rest of the band as well; essentially to make the most of the time we've all been given. MEMENTO MORI is universal.

The album's title comes from the well-known Latin phrase that, through the ages, has been uttered as a reminder of the mortality we all share. According to ancient texts, memento mori was historically acted out as a kind of ritual tableau in ancient Rome when a victorious general was welcomed back to the city with a parade: "Standing behind the victorious general was a servant, and he had the task of reminding the general that, though he was up on the peak today, tomorrow was another day. The servant did this by telling the general that he should remember that he was mortal, i.e. 'Memento mori."

Flyleaf recently returned home from their first tour for U.S. troops overseas. The band's diverse itinerary took them from Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan - where they performed before nearly 1,000 hard rocking soldiers - to the distant Forward Operating Base Baylough in southern Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border. Because they were unable to fly to Baylough with their requisite gear, the band entertained their closely assembled audience with a rare acoustic/a cappella set. "It was one of the most humbling and powerful experiences, as far as helping me appreciate life and appreciate what those men and women do for us all," says Lacey.

Flyleaf - Lacey, guitarists Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Hartmann, bassist Pat Seals, and drummer James Culpepper - have been touring the world nearly non-stop since the September, 2005 release of their self-titled debut album. On the strength on three top-charted Rock singles - "I'm So Sick," "Fully Alive," and the RIAA gold smash "All Around Me" - Flyleaf soared to RIAA platinum heights while steadily drawing new legions of passionate fans. The album spent 133 weeks on the Billboard 200 while staking claims in the top 5 of the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart and the top 15 of the Billboard Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts. Last year saw the band contribute their rendition of "What's This?" to the star-filled compilation NIGHTMARE REVISITED, a rock homage to the music of director Tim Burton's now classic 1993 film, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The five Texans came together as Flyleaf in 2002 when long-time friends Bhattacharya and Hartmann merged their considerable talents with Lacey, Culpepper, and later Seals. "We got together and it was magical," remembers Lacey. "We knew right from the first practice that we had something."

Flyleaf tour dates
November
20 Baltimore, MD Sonar
21 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
23 Atlanta, GA The Loft at Center Stage

December
3 Dallas, TX Nokia Theatre (KDGE Christmas)
4 Estero, FL Germain Arena (99X Xmas Ball)
18 Detroit, MI The Fillmore (89X Christmas)

Flyleaf biography
Everyone in Flyleaf has their own story of redemption, salvation and witnessing miracles. This common ground is what unites vocalist Lacey Mosley, guitarists Jared Hartmann and Sameer Bhattacharya, bassist Pat Seals, and drummer James Culpepper. The differences in their personalities, musical tastes, and interests makes the power behind the Flyleaf experience unique, in that it attracts all kinds of individuals.

The message that comes out of the lyrics and the sound itself crosses the boundries that separate many people. Suddenly, you are aware that we are all struggling and have all suffered, and its a miracle that we are all still alive. When you walk away from a show, it feels like something beyond music or entertainment has romanced you. The hope that comes from the stories of the lives of each person and humanity as a whole is one of the driving forces behind Flyleaf's music. The songs often tell these stories, sometimes from first hand experience and sometimes from a beautiful letter or meeting with a fan. It isn't that the band feels like they are doing what they want to do, but what they have to do. "We will continue with Flyleaf until the doors close, and when they do, we will look back on everything and thank God for it all. Hopefully, we will have done what we were meant to do."

Some of the most memorable times for Flyleaf have been getting to know some of their favorite bands personally while on tour. P.O.D, Staind, and Breaking Benjamin, have been a few acts that Flyleaf had the pleasure of sharing long periods with while random festival dates have allowed acquaintances with the likes of Metallica and Velvet Revolver. During the Family Values Tour in 2006, Flyleaf was honored and wowed by the opportunity to share the stage with Korn, Deftones and Stone Sour...

The extended periods that Flyleaf have spent on the road over the past few years have been an unimaginable, bittersweet treat for the small town residents of Temple/Belton, Texas, enabling the band to go around the world 3 times with engagements in Japan, Austrailia, Europe and the UK .

Despite the success of the 3 singles and the sales of their debut album, the band still feels like the heart of Flyleaf is best reflected by their live show. "I don't think people can know who we really are and what we really want to communicate without seeing us live.

The album is the closest we have ever gotten to capturing it on a recording, but still the part missing from the record is something we wish we didn't have to leave out. If we had it our way, everyone would know us first by our show, not just our cd or the song they heard on the radio."

The band is also no stranger to television, having appeared on MTV2, MTV, Fuse, Jimmy Kimmel, Carson Daily and more. With their third video, 'All Around Me', breaking into the mainstream, people are getting an impression of the Flyleaf show first, just the way the band would prefer.

The upside to such widespread exposure is obvious, but the downside is more of a private struggle. "We've done things as a band supposedly for business sake that we never wanted to do: things we hate and are ashamed of that will always be around to humble us when we need to look back on it. Even though it can be difficult, it's good to learn first hand that life is too short to not say yes or no when you mean to, or to give in and do what someone else wants you to just because you don't know how to stand up for yourself and do what you know you should. We have made embarrasing mistakes by not saying no, and in turn we have been misrepresented at times, but we are learning and becoming better at not doing that kind of thing."

The opportunities are still flooding in for Flyleaf with no soon end in sight. With Family Values 2007 coming up, they are excited to be back out with their friends in Korn, to meet their childhood heroes in the band Hell Yeah, and to play with the multi-platinum selling Evanesence. Prospects for post Family Values projects are still in the works, with talk of more dates overseas.

The members of Flyleaf are currently writing while on the road and trying out their favorite new songs on the Justice and Mercy Tour, their current Spring/Summer headlining run. This tour was refreshing and very special for Flyleaf because it has always been their heart to help out bands they played with in their hometown if they ever "made it". It was a special treat to get to bring two amazing Texas acts, Resident Hero and Fair To Midland. "We have been given so much and it's our responsiblity to not forget where we come from give back when we can."

This seems to be the purpose behind the soft whisper paralleling the dark urgency of the deafening thunder that pours out of the band on stage... they seem to be saying this over and over: "We have been given so much... here, you have some too.." The doors are still open and they are still walking through with this unique, mysterious, and unifying gift of Flyleaf music.

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