There's been quite a buzz surrounding the new Budweiser True Dedication ads on UK TV.

The ads feature the "Budweiser Band" - a band of musicians who play custom instruments made up of all that is Bud - using bottles, kegs and cans.

The ads are short, a little spooky for some reason, and feature the very catchy, easy to whistle along to "Popcorn" song - which continues to go around my head long after the ads end.

They also play their version of Salt 'n Pepa's "Push It", which you can watch even more from the new Bud ad, here on Band Weblogs:

Watch the "Budweiser Band" video - "Push It"

Salt 'n Pepa, the 80s all female rap group, recorded "Push It" in 1987 for the album 'Hot, Cool and Vicious'. The track has become Salt 'n Pepa's signature single - but receives a new edge from the "Bud Band".

Even though band members are listed on the Budweiser website as Lucas Leigh, John Sharp, Rob Cureton, Brian Kotzur, Sami Elamri and William Tyler along with short bios, they still seem shrouded in mystery.

The "last genuine lost genius", veteran Nashville musician Dave Cloud, encourages and inspires the band, as you can see in the ads and videos - and I'm just as uncertain about him as I am the band!

To watch more videos and for more information about the band go to:

Budweiser - True Dedication

By: Jenny May - BandWeblogs.com

"Push The Ghosts" is, essentially, the start of The Twang. The first song written by the band after guitarist Stu Hartland joined, the first song on which Phil gave up the bass guitar (to John) and concentrated purely on singing. The first song to be written by the five lads we now know as The Twang. It was the first song the band demoed with producer Gavin Monaghan, who went on to man the desk for the gold certified debut, 'Love It When I Feel Like This'. For the band, "Push The Ghosts" was the moment when The Twang really seemed like a possibility, the point at which being in the band could replace the workaday lives they were stuck with at the time.

Watch The Twang - "Push The Ghosts" video:

The album version, which features as part of this bundle, is that moment on record. Written by John and Saunders whilst Phil was on holiday with impetus from (now) band photographer Lee, the tune started with Lee playing a bassline on a keyboard in the studio. As with some songs, the verses and choruses flowed and, on Phil's return, not only did he find he no longer played bass in The Twang, he also found a basic new song that all agreed would be their first real moment. The five then worked this into the song you hear in very quick time, John recalling the whole thing came together in under an hour, Phil remarking that Stu's guitar line was nailed within 20 minutes of that. As with all band's signature moments, it all came together so easily it felt like it was writing itself. The Salt 'n' Pepa moment is courtesy of John. There's no big story here, like the rest of the history of the song, he had a moment, tried it and all agreed it worked perfectly.

The acoustic version, in a rare Twang moment, came after the album version. Most Twang tunes are written on acoustic and then fleshed out and re-interpreted by the band. "Push The Ghosts" worked the other way, Stu doing his thing in double quick time, as ever basing the version on an acoustic guitar line that is inaudible in the original.

For the single, the band elected to change the song slightly to re-interpret it more as a dance floor tune. Taking the sample as a reference, the single version loses none of the swagger and majesty of the original but marries it with a more rhythmically strict beat and sparing use of the Salt 'n' Pepa "Push It" sample to create a new version of this most important of Twang tunes.

Also part of the package is the video for "Push The Ghosts", which sees the urban fox of the album cover on the rampage with a friend, the remix of the track by TCS (including one of the world famous Miss Moneypenny's DJs), and an audio commentary from the band on the importance and history of "Push The Ghosts" for The Twang.

"Push the Ghosts" digital EP is released on November 26th, 2007.

Pre-order Here

"Push the Ghosts" is also available on CD, 7" and 7" picture disc.

"Push The Ghosts" video link

The Twang Official Website
The Twang on Myspace

If 2006 was all about promise for The Twang, 2007 has been all about delivery. Tipped by seemingly everyone at the start of the year, the five lads from Birmingham set about living up to such extravagant praise from the off whilst keeping their feet firmly on the ground.

First stop was the recording of debut album, the gold certified 'Love It When I Feel Like This' in Wolverhampton with long term associate Gavin Monaghan eschewing the big studios to keep it real. Next stop was a hectic touring schedule that saw the band's fanbase explode and further saw the lads go to the people across the UK, a decision that has seen The Twang retain some of the most loyal and committed fans of the moment.

Then the promise was fulfilled, "Wide Awake" and "Either Way" becoming mainstays on radio, NME covers but, more importantly to the band, a Top 3 album position and increasingly big shows remain the high points of the year for The Twang. The summer saw them slay T In The Park, Phil unsure as to whether the huge crowd were all watching his band until the hands went in the air from front to back on "Either Way", a packed John Peel Tent at Glastonbury despite the lake in the middle of the audience, two packed NME / Radio One tents at Reading and Leeds respectively and continued sales for the debut album that the band had thought about since the day they formed.

As The Twang journey around the UK on their biggest tour yet and another sell out to add to the list the boys have re-imagined one of the stand out tracks from the live set and the album for a single release on November 26th, 2007. Built around a cheeky sample of the bassline for Salt n Pepa's "Push It" by Jon, "Push The Ghosts" has been twisted a little to emphasise the dance floor nature of groove and come out as a sparkling floor filler for the winter months ahead.

It seems even more appropriate - given that this is a song about their ambitions for the band - that it arrives to cap what has been for all five the best year of their lives. The single comes as a Double A with the band's praised re-interpretation of Bran Van 3000's "Drinking In LA" for Radio One's 40th birthday celebrations, given a Midlands twist and a delicious lop sided groove. The formats also feature an unreleased acoustic version of "Push The Ghosts" and new tracks "First Sight" and "Put Your Faith".

The Twang band members are: Phil Etheridge - vocals; Saunders - vocals; Stuart Hartland - guitars; Jon Watkin - bass; Matt Clinton - drums.

The Twang October/November 2007 UK tour dates:

Dates could change! Go to The Twang's Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

18.10.07 - Loughborough Uni
20.10.07 - Leeds Uni
21.10.07 - Keele Uni
22.10.07 - Norwich UEA
24.10.07 - Nottingham Rock City
25.10.07 - Birmingham Academy
26.10.07 - Brixton Academy
28.10.07 - Cardiff University
30.10.07 - Brighton Dome
31.10.07 - Exeter University
01.11.07 - Bristol Anson Rooms
02.11.07 - Oxford Academy
03.11.07 - Southampton Guildhall

The Twang Official Website
The Twang on Myspace