Sister Hazel, the Gainesville, Florida, rock five-piece, will be releasing their new studio album, “Release,” on August 18, 2009 on Rock Ridge Music. The album, which is their seventh disc of original material, boasts twelve tracks and came together through a unique process for a studio album of original material by the band – one that worked for them in the past: each band member wrote and brought several songs into the mix and then saw the songs all the way through – from writing to recording to producing. Each member ended up with at least two of his own tunes among the disc’s twelve tracks, with Drew Copeland (guitars, vocals) and Ryan Newell (guitars) both nabbing three cuts. “Everyone had written their songs and said, ‘These are the ones I believe in,’” says bassist Jett Beres. “Those were the songs we recorded and put on the album.” “Because of the way we completed this album,” adds lead singer Ken Block, “we were able to tap into a lot of different things sonically, vibe-wise, and thematically.” Copeland concurs: “Ken has always been our main songwriter. It was nice this go-around to take this off of his back, because all five of us have grown as writers, and we were able to really contribute on the songwriting front. It really makes a diverse record.” The first single, “Take A Bow,” which goes for adds at radio (Triple A, Hot AC, AC formats) in July, is a track that was brought to the table by guitarist Ryan Newell. The song, which was co-written by Pat McGee (Pat McGee Band) and Michael Daly (Whiskeytown) at a songwriting retreat in 2008, was written about Newell’s divorce. “This has been a crazy year for the band,” says Newell. “We’ve gone through my divorce, Drew lost his father, Mark had a baby. You really find out who your true friends and family are when you go through life changes like that. You really find out who is special to you. We’re tighter as a band than ever before, and I think we’re not taking each other for granted.” Beginning in late June, the band will be hosting online video chats every Friday night at www.stickam.com. The band members will rotate and will broadcast from wherever they are that day (even from venues on tour), with fans having the opportunity to ask questions in real-time. The band, who has logged over 3,500 live shows throughout the course of their career, will be touring in advance of the album this summer. Tour dates will be released soon.