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The Grip Weeds ‘Secret Bunker’ Stash

The most successful independent film of recent memory is Morten Tyldum's The Imitation Game, an account of British cryptanalyst Alan Turing who decrypted German intelligence codes during World War II. The idea of unraveling hidden messages and secret codes during a time of conflict runs parallel to latest album by JEM Records recording artists The Grip Weeds.

The Grip Weeds are fans of The Imitation Game, but it was a 1967 cult film co-starring John Lennon of The Beatles from which the band derived their name and ultimately the title of their newest album, How I Won The War.

There are coded messages strategically placed in the various editions of How I Won The War and in the band’s websites. If you can find and decipher the message, you will have access to The Grip Weeds’ Secret Bunker– a stockpile of in-depth content, audio, video and other inside information.

How I Won The War is a ‘concept album’ with the unifying theme of conflict at its center. "We went through a few skirmishes during the making of this album," said Kristin Pinell, Grip Weeds lead guitarist and vocalist. "It took some work to decipher what we were actually fighting about, so it seemed like a natural progression to plant some seeds of intrigue that will hopefully draw people deeper into the new songs."

"The film adaptation of How I Won The War will never be mistaken for a cinematic masterpiece," said Pinell. "But because we were going through our own personal struggles within the band, the title itself became very appropriate. We started to visualize our own ‘film’ while following the arc of writing and recording the album."

John Borack of Goldmine Magazine referred to How I Won The War as "17 swirling, slightly trippy sonic land mines that are simultaneously catchy as hell and slightly dangerous...". Bands such as The Who, The Byrds and The Beatles have been regularly name-checked as How I Won The War" has made its rounds in the press, and The Grip Weeds' ability to churn out pummeling rock with soaring harmonies sets them apart from most if not all of their contemporaries.

Nimble-minded fans with a desire to dig deeper into the inspiration, trepidation and celebration of How I Won The War will be rewarded with a stockpile of unreleased material. Those who purchase the deluxe edition of the album receive a Message Decoder Key to instantly unlock a plethora of bonus content hidden in the Secret Bunker.

"Even fans who buy one of the standard editions of How I Won The War will have a shot at cracking the codes," said Marty Scott of Jem Records. "More messages will be continually added, so it would behoove all of the would-be rock and roll sleuths to check the website daily for updates."

If you've yet to purchase the album, there are coded messages hidden on the band's Facebook/Twitter pages which can be redeemed at http://www.gripweeds.com/cypher/cypher.php. In the window at the bottom of the page, type in your decoded message. If your message is correct, a window containing the top secret content will open.

By the way, if you crack the code please keep it to yourself– loose lips sink ships. You wouldn't want Musketeer Grip Weed to show up at your house with a bayonet and a bit of what for, now would you?

Some (but not all) of what you'll find in the Grip Weeds' Secret Bunker:

• In-depth song-by-song liner notes written by the band– how and why the songs were written, who played what, instruments used, etc.

• The Story Behind The Cover Art– a look into the development of the How I Won The War imagery

• Exclusive Audio and Video Content

• Plus much more!

The new Grip Weeds album How I Won The War is available in vinyl, CD and digital formats. Visit www.gripweeds.com for more information.