Pale Blue Dot Release Debut EP TELESCOPES Today

Just two years ago, modern rock quartet Pale Blue Dot was a galaxy away from its creator, Tony LaRocco. Back then, LaRocco wasn't playing music. He had walked away from a promising artist career and sold all his equipment. A serendipitous chain of events led him back home to music. Now, he returns with Pale Blue Dot, a band of musicians with deep bonds of friendship, and the Charlottesville, VA quartet celebrate Earth Day today, April 22, with the release of their debut studio EP, "Telescopes".

Pale Blue Dot (LaRocco, vocals, rhythm guitar; John Robert, lead and slide guitar; Jason Heuer, bass; and Zack Simpson, drums) pens contemporary rock with imaginative arrangements. The title "Telescopes" aptly reflects the EP's soul-searching modern pop-rock and the band use its songs as something of a tool to evaluate things outside its sphere. Within the EP's five tracks, produced by Daughtry rhythm guitarist Brian Craddock at his studio, The Cat Room, the quartet turns its lens toward our current culture of violence and disharmony, relationships, and social issues. The group also covers unique territory like the legacy of astronomer Annie Jump Cannon.

From urgently melodic pop-rock, to burly rock, to meditative balladry, Pale Blue Dot covers a full emotional range on "Telescopes". "Jersey Beat"'s Leslie Snyder raved, "This wonderful pop rock quartet sings sense tingling songs about outer space, Mother Nature, and how the world has become a chaotic place to live while sounding similar to Pink Floyd with their eerie, but soulful vocals and haunting pop rock melodies that will make listeners want to see if Martians are watching us."

On the first single, "Bird", the group balance light/dark dynamics through complimenting ethereal chiming guitars with muscular and cathartic rhythms.

Listen to "Bird" below!

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Formed in 2013, Pale Blue Dot founder, LaRocco, grew up playing in bands as a self-taught musician. "I hit a wall with music years ago. I felt like so much was riding on me as a songwriter," he confides. "I needed time away from it all for self-discovery. But, when my wife got pregnant, I started playing for our unborn child. That reawakened my passion. Now, I'm firing on all cylinders."

Upon returning to music, he went back to school to formally study his craft. His vision for the group crystalized upon hearing stellar guitar playing wafting out from a house nearby. The neighborhood virtuoso was lead guitarist/production music composer John Robert. The musicians teamed up and began as a creative core, workshoping LaRocco's songs while homing in on a fingerprint aesthetic. After nearly a year of dedicated exploration, the pair welcomed seasoned vet bassist Jason Heuer. After recording "Telescopes" with a studio drummer, the three finally found the ideal drummer-someone with chops and dynamic intuition-in Zack Simpson.

Ultimately, LaRocco's long term passion for making music has paid off. Looking back on his journey to Pale Blue Dot, he says: "Those years away from music I was so depressed. I remember thinking back on that time when I got the master tapes for 'Telescopes'. I listened to the music and said to myself I'm finally settled."

For more about Pale Blue Dot, visit www.palebluedotband.com or follow them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/palebluedotbandva, Instagram: @PBDBand , and Twitter: @Palebluedotband.

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