Trail of Dead Re-hash the Past with Apple, Ditch Samsung
04/02/2007 -- by merlin
  LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Computer savvy rockers ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead made a surprise visit to Los Angeles this past weekend to play a private show for Apple Inc. and a selection of iTunes employees, casually celebrating the company's 31st anniversary.
Apple's secret corporate show comes immediately on the heels of recent news confirming the unexpected termination of Trail of Dead's lucrative three-year promotional contract with Samsung. The band are taking a sense of closure and optimism from their newly rekindled relationship with Apple. "We never felt comfortable with Samsung [as our choice of media companies]," said frontman Conrad Keely speaking after his set. "Our original deal was setup in part by our management company and label without our knowledge or prior consent. [Samsung] offered us a phenomenal amount of money to use a couple of our newer songs in a few of their television advertisements, so we went along with it, not thinking much at the time. Of course little did we know that we'd sacrifice everything we held dear just for some extra dosh. It's as if we were going back on our principals, you know? Leaving a company that had been so good to us over the years for a company who only wanted our songs. I mean, Apple never knew us personally, but it sure felt like they did."
Other Trail of Dead members echoed Keely's feelings of unintentional betrayal. "I can't tell you how many times I wanted to trade in my crappy Samsung players for an iPod or some liquor," laments drummer Jason Reece. "They [Samsung] threw free equipment at us and we wound-up throwing it back at them. Last week, after we got back from our European tour, I got my MacBook out of hock in Austin thanks to a few people I knew at the Apple store and a couple people [from the show tonight] are taking me out to get a new iPod. It's a great feeling, I tell you. Absolute and utter atonement."
"We're not getting any sort of money from this whole Apple deal, but it sure does feel like we're reclaiming our souls."
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