16 Second Stare: Tampa Based Powerhouse Gets Ready to Rock the South by Southwest Tour, Which Includes a Coveted Spot Playing at the SXSW Music Stimulus Party in Austin March 20.

16SS, Which Recently Hit the Radio & Records' Top 40 Indicator Chart with the Title Track from Red Carpet Material, is Also Slated for Dates In NYC, L.A., San Diego, Miami, Tucson and El Paso

LOS ANGELES -- Tampa Bay based rock powerhouse 16 Second Stare (www.16secondstare.com) wrapped 2008 looking up at some major superstar names as the band made its debut on Radio and Records' (R&R) Top 40 Indicator Chart with "Red Carpet Material," the title track from their blistering, critically acclaimed indie debut.

With 2009 rolling along full steam, 16SS is already in gear, preparing to take their red carpet ride on the road. (www.16secondstare.com/?content=tour) In March, they're joining their first-ever South By Southwest (SXSW) Tour, hitting various cities across the U.S., including West Hollywood, San Diego, Mesa and Tucson, AZ and El Paso.

This high-profile stint wraps the afternoon of Friday, March 20, with a highly anticipated appearance at the SXSW Music Stimulus Party at The Parish, located in the midst of Austin's hip and very happening 6th Street.

President Obama won't be on hand--it's not that kind of stimulus--but hundreds of music industry movers, shakers and tastemakers will get to see 16SS strut their incendiary stuff and energize the crowd, just as they've done these past few years in Tampa. The event includes five hours of an open bar and free food.

Leading into the SXSW Tour, 16SS is hitting a batch of key East Coast cities the last week of January: Brooklyn, NYC (Otto's Shrunken Head, The Bitter End), Marshall Creek PA and Miami.

Thanks to Tim Shanks, aka "Angry Tim," one of the two lead singers and lead guitarist in the band, our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan spent the fall rocking! Shanks partnered with Universal/Fontana Distribution & Mighty Loud Records to send overseas 10,000 copies of Red Carpet Material. These were distributed free of charge to military personnel serving their country as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Camp Victory) and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan).

The recent buzz on 16SS includes a live television interview and performance on Tampa's 10 News (http://www.studio10.tv/day/friday/segment.aspx/98225/16_Second_Stare) and an upcoming breaking artist article in NYC's based Broken Records Magazine.