New Festival Announced: Northern Invasion

Northern Invasion--the newest addition to the World’s Loudest Month festival series--is set for Saturday, May 9 at Somerset Amphitheater in Somerset, WI, just outside the Twin Cities.

The new rock and camping festival will feature an unbelievable first-year lineup headlined by global rock juggernauts Slipknot, with a roster of rock heavyweights including Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat, Three Days Grace, Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, In This Moment, Anthrax, Live, Motionless In White, Young Guns, Thousand Foot Crutch, We Are Harlot, Starset and Crobot.

“We’ll be fresh out of the studio just in time to participate in the 1st annual Northern Invasion. It’s a huge festival and it will be amazing to get back on stage with peers in Slipknot, Volbeat,Halestorm and so many other kick ass bands,” says Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch.

Northern Invasion offers a full day of music on Saturday, May 9, along with a Friday Night Bonfire Party for all who purchase a camping or hotel package. See below for details about onsite camping, hotels packages and more. The Northern Invasion festival site map can be viewed at: www.NorthernInvasion.com. 

An early bird pre-sale, featuring a discounted ticket price, is available from Wednesday, December 10 at 10:00 AM CT through Wednesday, December 17 at 9:59 AM CT. Visit theNorthern Invasion Facebook page to receive the code to purchase the specially priced pre-sale tickets. The Northern Invasion pre-sale offers a limited number of tickets for the following discounted prices (plus fees):

General Admission Ticket: $49.50
General Admission Ticket 4-Pack: $149

Concertgoers are encouraged to buy early to save, as ticket prices will increase in the coming months.

The Northern Invasion VIP Pavilion Upgrade will feature shade, seating areas, premium cash bar, premium food experience (for purchase), and private restroom access for those with VIP Pavilion access. Those who select the VIP Upgrade will also have access to VIP Parking and an exclusive festival entrance. The VIP Upgrade does NOT include access to the Friday Night Bonfire Party or the Campgrounds. All ages are welcome in the VIP area, but attendees must be 21 or older to purchase adult beverages.

The Northern Invasion Camping area will be open from Friday, May 8 at 12:00 PM CST through Sunday, May 10 at 12:00 PM CST, camping upgrades and camping / hotel packages will also include access to the Friday Night Bonfire Party. Camping will be available for purchase as either ‘tent camping’ or ‘RV camping.’ Pricing information can be found atwww.NorthernInvasion.com.

All inclusive Camping and a limited quantity of Hotel Packages (Groupie, Roadie, Star) including a merchandise voucher, VIP Pavilion access, festival poster, and a commemorative laminate will be available starting at the pre-sale. More information on packages and military discounts can be found at www.NorthernInvasion.com.

A limited number of discounted tickets are also available for active military through Northern Invasion partner GovX beginning December 10 at 10:00 AM Central Time.

Northern Invasion is supported by Jack Daniel’s and Jägermeister.
Northern Invasion is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, AEG Live and RockHouse Presents. 
Somerset Amphitheater has been a favorite Midwest music venue since the late ‘80s. Located on the Apple River and less than 40 minutes from the Twin Cities, for years it has served as a summer hub for music and camping for those from Minnesota, Wisconsin and beyond.

Richie Kotzen Releases New Songs

December 8, 2014 --  Fans of guitarist/singer/songwriter RICHIE KOTZEN anxious to hear new music before his next solo album (details of which are forthcoming) should head over to iTunes, where he just released two new singles, “You” and “Cannibals.” 

 

“You” was co-written by RICHIE’s daughter, August, who appears in the video posted on RICHIE’s official YouTube page. He explains, “It must have been four years ago and my daughter, who is now 17, was constantly playing this piece of music on the piano.  I finally asked her what it was and she said she just made it up. I set up the microphones and recorded her playing for about seven minutes.  Years later, I found this on my hard drive and decided to write lyrics to it over this past summer.  The end result is what you see and hear in the video. It is one of my favorite things I’ve done and I’m happy to have been able to collaborate on music with my daughter.”

 

“Cannibals” made its debut during his recent three-month solo tour, which started in Europe, taking him through Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, and Chile, and concluding with a month-long trek of the U.S.  “I did something I’ve never done before on this tour,” RICHIE explains, “which is performing an original composition that has yet to be released.  The only place you could hear the song ‘Cannibals’ was at the show, and it went over quite well with the fans.  Rather than wait to release the song as part of the new album next year, I figured it would be cool to share the studio version now while it’s fresh in the people’s minds who attended my shows.  I was able to collect live footage that was shot during the tour and compile a live video to go along with the song.”  

 

RICHIE has been touring in support of THE ESSENTIAL RICHIE KOTZEN, which was released September 2 on Loud & Proud Records.  It’s a two-CD and DVD career retrospective set that encompasses this iconic talent’s entire career of his most essential work:  classic material; acoustic performances; bootleg material; and two brand new songs (“War Paint” and “Walk With Me”).  The DVD features music videos, acoustic performances, and bootleg material. 

 

Stay tuned for new RICHIE KOTZEN album news in the coming weeks.

 

Saigon Kick, Morning Show Stars?

Phil Varone served as guest host on a Las Vegas morning show the other day. Seemed like a natural fit for the rest of Saigon Kick to stop by and perform "Love Is On The Way" for the viewers. Saigon Kick was in Vegas for a show at Vamp'd.

Word.

I saw this on Facebook. Had to share!

The Grammy Awards Announce Metal Nominees

The Grammys just announced nominees for the 57th annual awards show. The nominees for the best metal performance are below. 

ANTHRAX - "Neon Knights" from Ronnie James Dio - This Is Your Life

SLIPKNOT – "The Negative One" from .5: The Gray Chapter

TENACIOUS D – "The Last In Line" from Ronnie James Dio - This Is Your Life

MASTODON – "High Road" from Once More 'Round The Sun

MOTÖRHEAD – "Heartbreaker" from Aftershock

My opinion? I don't understand Tenacious D in this category, nominating cover songs is weak and I think Slipknot should win. Simple as that. What do you think? 

The awards show is set for February 8, 2015. 

Steven Tyler, Nuno Bettencourt Share Stage

Steven Tyler and Nuno Bettencourt were recently in South Africa for a press event. Both guys were there to perform with supergroup Kings of Chaos. Tyler and Bettencourt jammed together on "More Than Words" at the presser and it was epic. You can tell they hadn't rehearsed the song much more than one time - Steven is even reading the words. But they gave it a go and the results are pretty awesome. I mean, think about it: Steven Tyler knows that every performance he gives is recorded and watched around the world immediately. He gave it his all, and I love that! Oh and you can really hear how strong Nuno's voice is here -- also great!

Joe Perry Rocks Baked Beans

My mom emailed me days ago and said she saw Joe Perry on the show Home & Family. He was making baked beans and talking about his new book. I didn't think much of it. After all, I'm at work when talk shows are on... so I was so pleased to see the clip pop up online. Who knew you could put so much crap into baked beans?!