Fred Durst, President of Flawless Entertainment, Senior Vice President of A&R at Interscope Geffen A&M, frontman for Limp Bizkit, music video director, producer and provoker announces the impending release of the first new artist on his Flawless Entertainment label, Puddle of Mudd.
And over the last three weeks, Puddle of Mudd garnished the most adds at all three radio formats – Active, Alternative and Mainstream Rock – even though the band’s single, “Control,” wasn’t scheduled to be added to station’s playlists until next week. The album, “Come Clean,” is due in stores August 28th.
Putting his titles into action, Durst remains committed to discovering, developing and nurturing bands. Puddle of Mudd is the first new artist to debut on Flawless Entertainment, and Durst was involved with the record from start to finish, enabling them to develop material and secure touring, as well as directing their video debut. “Basically artists signed to Flawless can expect my heart and soul,” says Durst. Currently Puddle of Mudd kicks off a two-month national tour with Godsmack and the Deftones on July 12th in Spokane, WA.
In the first 21 days since Flawless sent the group’s first single, “Control,” to radio, more than 200 Rock and Modern Rock stations have added the record to their playlists, which basically cleans out the entire alternative panel. “We couldn’t wait to play this track so we put it on the air as soon as we got it… it’s such a great song,” says Dave Richards from Q101 Radio in Chicago.
Kevin Weatherly, Program Director of World Famous KROQ in Los Angeles, the countries most influential Modern Rock station, comments: “Fred has done it again! Over the last few years Limp Bizkit has arguably been the biggest artist at KROQ. Then he brought us Staind, the band responsible for the two biggest hits at the Modern Rock format this year,” says Weatherly. “With Puddle, from the first listen we felt this had the potential to be massive. The CD is one of the deepest we’ve heard in a while.”
Obviously, Durst’s achievements with Limp Bizkit are well documented, having sold more than 23 million records worldwide. But his enthusiasm for the music cannot be contained to his own band and Durst recently renewed and extended his deal as Senior Vice President with Interscope Geffen A&M, to which he brings his Flawless imprint.
“Most people know Fred Durst the rock star, producer, and video director, but this has truly been the year he has established himself as an important visionary in music,” says President of Geffen Records Jordan Schur. “Fred’s showcasing his ability to hear and sign the top new artists – as Staind, Cold and Puddle of Mudd prove.”
Since his initial involvement with Flip Records, Durst has discovered and signed Staind to Flip/Elektra and has directed four videos for them, including “It’s Been A While.” Currently the band’s release “Break The Cycle” entered the Billboard Top 200 Charts at number one, surprising some by selling 716,003 copies and making it the second highest debut on the charts this year. In just six weeks the record has sold two million copies in the U.S. Durst also signed fellow Jacksonville natives Cold to Flip/Geffen. The band’s sophomore release “13 Ways to Bleed Onstage” has kept the band in the Billboard Top 200 for 15 weeks and running, consistently selling more than 10,000 CDs each week. And let’s not leave out Limp Bizkit, whose latest release “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water” is platinum five times over and has spent more than 30 weeks in the Top 20 in the Billboard Top 200 Album Charts – topping 10 million units worldwide in just eight months since it’s release.
Behind all these achievements is Durst’s great love not only for music but also for his fans. Time and again they are thanked, appreciated and thanked again – the band even did a free national tour for them. And, of course, the man works like crazy, though truly it is a labor of love.
“I’m not interested in creating hype to sell records; I’m interested in promoting the type of artists that have a serious commitment to great writing and great performances,” says Durst. “People who care about their fans as much as developing a legacy for their music. Puddle of Mudd is the real deal.”
Puddle Of Mudd Summer/Fall 2001 Tour Dates:
- July 13 – Seattle, WA The Gorge
- July 14 – Portland, OR Portland Meadows
- July 15 – Sacramento, CA Sacramento Valley Amph.
- July 17 – San Jose, CA Shoreline Amph.
- July 18 – Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amph.
- July 19 – Denver, CO CIMS Convention Center
- July 20 – San Diego, CA San Diego Sports Arena
- July 21 – Phoenix, AZ Desert Sky Pavilion
- July 22 – Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion
- July 25 – Denver, CO Red Rocks
- July 27 – Dallas, TX Smirnoff Center
- July 28 – Selma, TX Verizon Wireless Amph.
- July 29 – Houston, TX Compaq Center
- July 31 – New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
- August 1 – Birmingham, AL Oak Mountain Amph.
- August 3 – West Palm Beach, FL Mars Music Amph.
- August 4 – Jacksonville, FL Memorial Coliseum
- August 7 – Atlanta, GA Phillips Arena
- August 9 – Nashville, TN AmSouth Amph.
- August 10 – St. Louis, MO Riverport Amph.
- August 11 – Kansas City, MO Sandstone Amph.
- August 13 – Minneapolis, MN Target Center
- August 15 – Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Amph.
- August 16 – Columbus, OH Polaris Amph.
- August 17 – Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Amph.
- August 18 – East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Theatre
- August 20 – Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
- August 21 – Pittsburgh, PA Post Gazette Pavilion
- August 23 – Hartford, CT The Meadows
- August 24 – Boston, MA Tweeter Center
- August 28 – Philadelphia, PA Tweeter Center
- August 29 – Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
- August 31 – Saratoga Springs, NY SPAC
- September 1 – Wantagh, NY Jones Beach
- September 3 – Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
- September 6 – Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amph.
- September 7 – Raleigh, NC Alltel Pavilion
- September 8 – Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amph.