files/pictures/picture-35.jpgHarmonix, MTV Games and Rhino Ent. announced a deal that will bring the legendary band Grateful Dead to the highly anticipated music videogame ROCK BAND. The iconic group is making 18 master recordings from its diverse catalog available as digitally distributed game levels following ROCK BAND's release this holiday season. Among the songs available will be the classic Dead tracks "Truckin'," "Uncle John's Band," "Touch of Grey," "Sugar Magnolia" and "Casey Jones."
"Grateful Dead's unique fusion of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, and jazz challenged traditional musical boundaries and pushed the limits of creativity to produce a signature sound that is undeniably their own," stated Paul DeGooyer, MTV's SVP of Audio, Home Video and Electronic Games. "With an enormous legion of fans all over the world, Rock Band will give players a chance to interact with the music of these beloved rock pioneers and experience what Grateful Dead did best -- jam from the depths of their souls."
Distributed by Electronic Arts, ROCK BAND challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune -- all while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. Built on an unprecedented partnership with artists, record labels and music publishers, the music featured in ROCK BAND will span the full range of rock music and include original master recordings from the greatest songs and artists of all time.
"Grateful Dead, with their 30-year career and their timeless music, are the perfect addition to ROCK BAND," said Mark Pinkus, Rhino's SVP of Strategic Marketing, Custom Product & Sync Licensing. "It's going to be a blast playing along to songs ranging from the Dead's earliest hit 'Truckin'' to their final hit 'Touch of Grey.' I'm confident that ROCK BAND will be instrumental in introducing kids to the magical music of Grateful Dead."
ROCK BAND is slated for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this Holiday 2007 in North America. For more information, visit
www.rockband.com and
www.harmonixmusic.com . Gamer can get a sneak peek of the game on the U.S. ROCK BAND tour. For cities and dates, visit
www.rockband.com/tour .
