Sacramento, California-based eclectic doom rock band GIANT SQUID, who are embarking on an upcoming tour of the US and Canada this March, have gone through some recent lineup changes.

Giant Squid's singer/guitarist/frontman Aaron Gregory provides an update on the band:

“Giant Squid will be entering a busy year of touring in 2007 as a once again, slightly different beast from before. Filling the large void made by Aurielle Gregory’s recent departure from the band, will be Jackie Perez Gratz, the ten year veteran cello player of the highly renowned ambient, classical, post-rock group AMBER ASYLUM. Gratz is also known for her vocal and cello skills in San Francisco based metal band GRAYCEON, as well as her contribution to the recordings and live performances of bands such as NEUROSIS, ASUNDER, LUDICRA and TODAY IS THE DAY. Giant Squid has been spending its weekends rehearsing with Jackie in San Francisco, finding that her cello skills and hauntingly beautiful voice fit perfectly in Giant Squid’s songs.

Gratz will be accompanying Giant Squid through their first national tour of 2007, along with the female fronted bay area black metal band Ludicra (Alternative Tentacles) and Portland’s noisy riff wielders BLACK ELK (Crucial Blast). The tour starts March 9th in Sacramento, CA, and will take them down the West Coast, across the Southern states to Austin, TX, where Giant Squid will join other The End Records alumni for the label’s official SXSW showcase. At this point, Ludicra and Black Elk will be leaving the tour, and Gratz’s incredibly unique metal project, Grayceon, will be joining the tour for the remainder as it continues to follow through the southern states and up the East Coast, finishing in Canada. Dates are confirming daily and can be seen at myspace.com/giantsquid or giantsquidmusic.com.

Jackie’s masterful cello playing is as heavy handed as it is delicately dynamic, and brings a whole new sadness and beauty to Giant Squid’s already forlorn tales of lost love, lost friends, and immense loneliness. While the band believes its best interests obviously lie in preserving the familiar feel of their classic material off of Metridium Fields, their recent debut release on The End Records which has garnered immense critical acclaim, Giant Squid is ecstatic about the distinctive beauty that Gratz is bringing to their songs. Having been massive fans for years of Gratz’s work in Amber Asylum, and now in Grayceon and Asunder, the band is thrilled to be playing along side her.

In other Giant Squid news, drummer Scott Sutton has become an official endorser of Denver, Colorado based, boutique drum company, Po Boy Drums, as well as guitarist/vocalist Aaron Gregory acquiring an endorsement with the legendary guitar manufacturer, Gibson. They’ll be playing with all their new toys on the road this March.”

Giant Squid tour dates (more to be confirmed):

March

10 at Bottom Of The Hill - San Francisco, CA (with Ludicra, Black Elk, Grayceon)

11 at The Knitting Factory - Hollywood, CA (with Ludicra, Black Elk)