Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 12:01AM SIXX: A.M. just released the lyric video for "Stars" from their upcoming album Modern Vintage due October 7. In a recent interview, singer James Michael promised a big tour to support the new record. I certainly hope the band comes to a venue near me. I saw SIXX: A.M. once on the first Crue Fest (front row!) - it was pretty cool.
Friday, September 19, 2014 at 12:01AM New York, NY – September 17, 2014 – The iHeartRadio Music Festival, the history making weekend-long concert event hosted by Ryan Seacrest on September 19 and 20 in Las Vegas, will broadcast live on more than 150 iHeartMedia radio station across the country and will video stream live exclusively on Yahoo Live www.yahoo.com/iheartradio for fans nationwide that cannot attend. The legendary concert event will also air as an exclusive two-night special on The CW, September 29 and 30 from 8 -10 p.m. ET/PT.
Back for year four, the iHeartRadio Music Festival brings to life the music of the iHeartRadio app and celebrates the success of the industry leading digital music service. The extraordinary lineup which features artists across all genres includes Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Usher, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Mötley Crüe, Zac Brown Band, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Paramore, Iggy Azalea, Train, Eric Church, Lorde, Calvin Harris, Bastille, Steve Aoki, 50 Cent and Weezer, this year's Macy's iHeartRadio Rising Star winner, Before You Exit, and other special surprise collaborations.
The iHeartRadio Music Festival also welcomes celebrity presenters and guests from across the entertainment industry including Fergie, Hilary Duff, Nick Jonas, actor Jamie Foxx, actor Chris Pratt, actor Craig Robinson, Johnny Galecki of "Big Bang Theory," actress Sophia Bush, "Orange is the New Black," stars Taryn Manning, Laverne Cox, Pablo Schreiber and Dascha Polanco, Cecily Strong of "Saturday Night Live," actor Adam Devine, actress Janel Parrish, actor Randy Couture and Karina Smirnoff and Val Chmerkovskiy of "Dancing with the Stars." Guest presenters from The CW series include Gina Rodriguez of "Jane The Virgin," Colton Haynes of "Arrow," Phoebe Tonkin of "The Originals" and Adelaide Kane of "Reign." Clear Channel's own Elvis Duran, Ellen K, Nikki Sixx, Bobby Bones, Amy Brown, The Breakfast Club, Kane, Romeo, Nessa, Cody Alan, Johnjay and Rich, Mario Lopez, Jenn Marino and more to also make special guest appearances.
Fans nationwide can visit www.yahoo.com/iheartradio on September 19 & 20 at 7 p.m. PT to watch the live webcast of the iHeartRadio Music Festival as all the action and amazing musical performances play out onstage. Listeners can also tune-in to their favorite iHeartMedia radio station to hear the live audio stream. Tune-in on September 29 and 30 from 8 -10 p.m. ET/PT for the two-night special on The CW, featuring live performances and exclusive not yet seen Festival moments straight from Las Vegas. Line up is subject to change or cancellation without notice.
The iHeartRadio Music Festival Village returns Saturday afternoon with live performances by Iggy Azalea, Neon Trees, Kacey Musgraves, Childish Gambino, Magic!, The Pretty Reckless, Nico & Vinz, Lil Jon, 5 Seconds of Summer, Jake Miller and just announced Meghan Trainor at The Lot across from Luxor Hotel & Casino. Tickets available throughticketmaster.com.
Through a national text-to-win contest more than 370 lucky winners from across the country have been awarded exclusive VIP trips to the two-day concert event. The Grand Prize winner, Kelli Pankratz from Wichita, Kansas and three friends will receive a weekend-long fantasy all-access experience at the iHeartRadio Music Festival and Village. They will be flown to Las Vegas on a private jet and upgraded to a Sky Loft suite at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. Pankratz will then be given the celebrity treatment, with her picture on a digital billboard in Las Vegas and by introducing an act onstage at the Festival with Ryan Seacrest, which will also be included in the CW television special. The Grand Prize also includes dinner at Yellowtail; a private car and driver; a personal stylist and wardrobe; hair and makeup at an MGM Spa; a private dressing room at the Festival; and access to the official iHeartRadio Music Festival parties. In addition Pankratz will meet her favorite performers and receive a behind-the-scenes tour.
Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 12:01AM Charm City Devils will release Battles on Sept. 23. Now you can listen to the entire album - legally - via a legit stream on YouTube. Here's the album track list:
"Battles" track listing
01. Tear It Apart
02. Crucify
03. Shots
04. Everyday
05. Want
06. God's Gonna Cut You Down
07. Lying To Yourself
08. Rich N Famous
09. Destiny
10. Karma
11. Let It Go
Wednesday, September 17, 2014 at 12:01AM Check it: my boys Nickelback just released a video for their new song "Edge of a Revolution." The video is good: very glossy, you can tell it cost some cash. No big deal since the guys in Nickelback are loaded. Plus they are a hit machine. Anyway, I was reading Blabbermouth comments about the video (I know, I know) and people kept calling them "bro rock"and "diet rock" I have never heard the phrase diet rock... ever. What does that even mean? Someone please enlighten me.
Nickelback will release their new album, No Fixed Address, on November 18. They plan to tour in 2015 -- and I'll totally be in the crowd at one of their shows.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014 at 12:01AM Today's review comes from regular poster HIM. Photos provided by HIMII (yes, different folks I swear!)
REVIEW: Monster Aftershock Festival (Day One), Discovery Park, Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014.
My first thought on seeing this year’s lineup for the annual two-day festival was: which day should I attend (scheduling prohibits me from going to both days)? My second thought was also a question: will this turn into some sort of Battle of the Bro Rockers vs. the Emo Hipsters vs. the Punks?
As a returning festival attendee, I chose the first day as much for the breadth of bands/styles represented as I did to avoid redundancy regarding bands I had recently seen or was going to see soon. Last year, I also attended the first day, more to see bands like Testament and Megadeth and less to see headliners Korn or Shinedown. This year, I was attending mainly to see bands like Bad Religion and The Offspring. But I was curious about other bands, even ones I will never claim to enjoy on a regular basis. Basically, I see concerts like this as a buffet. If it doesn’t strike your fancy (Butcher Babies . . . a shockingly horrid example of style/sex over substance/listenability), move on to another band. If none of it is to your liking, you made a mistake and that is on you.
Which relates to a change to this year’s festival. Instead of two main stages (North and South, placed next to each other in a geographically confusing but time-conscious way), there were now three (the West stage, directionally questionable but far enough away from North and South to avoid noise-bleed), and still a remaining (the Coors Light) stage to which smaller and/or less popular bands (see Butcher Babies above) are relegated near a freeway overpass. This set-up fits more bands into a similar time frame. But it does force choices.
What hasn’t changed is, from top to bottom, a well-run festival. Ample parking on site and off, and within cabbing distance of major hotels. The layout shows similar consideration. The GA and VIP sections are well thought out. Security and staff are polite and professional. There are a variety of vendors, food and drink are reasonably priced, and the mix of shaded and sunny areas (important on 90-plus days in Sacramento) allows for the reasoned flow of audience members between and during sets. If there is one thing I would suggest for next year: the ADA seating, while placed in appropriate viewing areas with seemingly easy access, could use some sort of shading feature. It isn’t until late in the day that either of them (one for the North/South, another for the West) are in even partial shade.
My friend and I (let’s call him HimII) arrived a bit late. As a result we missed a slew of bands that kicked things off at 11:30 (gates opened at 11:00). If you like any of them—Dig the Kid, Anti-Mortem, Islander, The Last Internationale, Viza, Memphis May Fire, and Sleepwave—I have failed you as a reviewer. For that I am sorry. But normal festival protocol for HimII and I (we are long time festival and concert pals, and pals for far longer than that), require that we enjoy the pre-festival evening with light banter, scones, and Earl Grey tea . . . or something like that. As such, we sleep in and wake refreshed. So what follows is a general survey of what came after, one that hopefully points to why a festival like Aftershock should thrive.
I had no idea about the first band we saw, Dead Sara. But I was instantly captivated by the female-fronted hard rock band from Los Angeles. Singer Emily Armstrong occasionally exceeds her vocal range. But when she is on, she is on, with a voice that sounds somewhat similar to Melissa Etheridge. A particular standout (and a song that has received some notice), was the single “Weatherman” off of their 2012 self-titled debut album. I feel lucky to have seen this band live, as a quick check of the internet shows that others with far great discretion than me are already aware of Dead Sara and what they offer.
Dead Sara’s guitarist and co-founder, guitarist Siouxsie Medley, and drummer Sean Friday.
In the first choice of the day, it was a question of Fuel or Hell Yeah? The answer was both, sorta’. Hell Yeah brought out a large and growing crowd of Bro Rock fans, seemingly winning the fan favorite race. Vinnie Paul sounded like, well, the drummer from Pantera (and much better than some online claim). Occasionally an errant riff from Tom Maxwell made that comparison even (if unintentionally) clearer. Chad Gray? No offense, but he is a 42 year old man with a 19 year old’s haircut and he sings screams in a style that has never won me over. Still, not a bad showing. Fuel, who we started and ended this section of the festival with, were equally energetic and lively. Their music is occasionally catchy and occasionally similar. By the time we returned to see them closing, we were treated to a wonderful version of “Hemorrhage (In My Hands),” from the 2000 album Something Like Human. It still holds up.
Singer Brett Scallions and bass player Brad Stewart (formerly of Shinedown and replacement of founder Jeff Abercrombie).
In the next choice of the day, it was a three-parter: Pepper, Emmure, or lunch? Pepper won out initially and then lunch took us through the rest of this time period. Pepper, a reggae and ska-inflected three piece from Hawaii, do one thing well: they perform a tight set of up-beat, often fun (“P**** Licking” won’t win any awards for subtlety) music. They do another thing extremely well: they draw woman to the front of the stage like flies. As HimII remarked: “They are better than Sublime and draw a similar crowd.” Handsome lads to the one, they know their shtick and their demographic. Bass player Brett Bolinger and guitarist Kaleo Wassman, vocalists both, enjoy what they do . . . with or without their shirts on. It also doesn’t hurt if you enjoy the smell of a certain sweet leaf wafting through the air. With enough dope beats (pun intended), and an increasing need for snacks, we retreated to find food. Emmure would just have to soldier on without us.
The next choice wasn’t: Black Label Society or Nothing More? Bring on Zakk. Sure it is an affected act, arguably akin to a 40-something with a colored mohawk (oh wait, I covered that already). Sure, it is hard not to think back in time and see a young boy, tight spandex, and a feathered mane of cleaned and conditioned hair waving in the video breeze. I just think that some of his fans take the act too seriously and avoid the tongue in his cheek. I also think people get way too caught up in his pinch harmonic histrionics. If that is your baseline (or if you still have the picture of a certain Red Dragon Cancel Cartel guitarist in your Trapper Keeper), you are going to have to dismiss a lot of other guitarists. It is an act, and a good one. A sober one too, these days. In fact, I will admit something as a fan: it was very hard to tell one song from the next. Wylde’s voice operates in a register that makes it more accompaniment than instrument. But he is a sight to watch, if watching and listening to him is your thing. Nothing More? Respectfully, nothing to begin with.
Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society being, well, Zakk Wylde.
Bad Religion were and are a fantastic live band. A bit more paunch, a bit more talk about age and the future. Perhaps even a few more jaundiced eyes in the audience wondering how well their history matches their lyrics. That said, they offer a thing or two for other punk bands that have come and gone (Rancid, anyone? No? Moving on.) to think about. Dedication to one’s craft involves compromises and complications. But Bad Religion, learned and literate and full of some contradictions, still delivers a great performance rounded out with comedic banter (often between vocalist Greg Graffin and bassist Jay Bentley). They played deeper cuts and also their big commercial hit, “21st Century (Digital Boy),” off of 1994’s Stranger Than Fiction.
Bad Religion’s lead singer and steady/constant member Greg Graffin, flanked by guitarist Brian Baker and drummer Brooks Wackerman.
Prior to the show there was online chatter that it was a shame that Tech N9ne and Chevelle were playing against each other. Some fans on the interwebs were downright nonplussed. I made the decision easier for myself: I ate dinner and relaxed in a shaded spot with a cold beer in my hand. I chatted with other attendees, kind to the last one (even though nothing but a festival would likely have ever led us to do so). That is the thing about well-run festivals, diverse or thematically consistent; they bring people together. My friend HimII joined me for this respite, even though we did do a brief spin around the grounds to catch a song by Chevelle (he enjoys them) and Tech N9ne (seemingly well received, but not my cup of contextually appropriate “N-word” dropping tea), as well as survey the merch booths. As this portion of the concert bled into the next, Awolnation came on. This seemed like a band that fans of Weezer would like. They were competent, they had people jumping. They wore board shorts and looked very young. I can’t recall a single song I heard. Like flypaper purchased at the Grocery Outlet, nothing stuck. That isn’t their fault. It is mine. So I again retired to the shade (such as it was) of the VIP section to get ready for the three main acts: Limp Bizkit (West), The Offspring (South), and Weezer (North).
HimII hates Limp Bizkit. He calls them Frat (read: Bro) Rock. Many of my other friends dislike them too. Some of those friends, however, liked them (quite a bit) when they came out. Me? Never owned an album of theirs and never followed the ebbs and flows of their career. Here’s the thing though: they are aggressively white trash (irony of ironies considering their blending of raps stylings), over-the-top, and filled with angry/often emotionally stunted/offensive rage . . . and they are catchy. Not White Lion catchy. But catchy in that way that dares you to forget a song like “Nookie” (which it seems they did this evening). They did a reasonable cover of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name.” Lead Bizkit Fred Durst implored the crowd to do many things that involved the F-Bomb. Guitarist Wes Borland was dressed like some Satanic version of the X-Men’s Mystique, replete with kilt and bondage mask(!??!). The crowd, a very large crowd at this point in the evening, responded in kind. As a lesson in crowd psychology (or the nature of this particular audience), it was amazing to behold. I still can’t get their last song, “Break Stuff,” out of my head. I want it out of my head.
The final acts of the night were a study in contrasts. Weezer are younger; The Offspring are older (singer Dexter Holland is not the lithe, corn-rowed belter of old). Their styles of music are nowhere near the same. The former’s audience responded with a measure of appreciation, mixed with outright enthusiasm, that was impressive. The latter’s audience ate up every single song from their breakthrough album, 1994’s Smash, along with a smattering of other hits thereafter. The former’s audience reacted with knowing excitement when Weezer played “Back to the Shack” off their forthcoming album Everything Will Be Alright In The End. Here is the thing: this is a festival. Both audiences, by and large, were the same. I personally enjoyed hearing Weezer play “My Name is Jonas” off of the 1994 debut Weezer (The Blue Album). But I really enjoyed the crowd response to “Self-Esteem.” It is no knock on Weezer to note that, when the last strains of “Buddy Holly” were signaling the end of the concert, a good portion of the lower and upper parking lots were empty. More than I would have expected. And I won’t call a winner or a tie on an evening when no one was competing.
Weezer’s Patrick Wilson, Brian Bell, Rivers Cuomo, and Scott Shriner.
As contrasts go, Weezer and the Offspring offered comparable arguments for why, again, a good festival is worth attending. Music, at its best, brings people—across interests, genres, and ages—together. The battle I feared never occurred. While I spied no hirsute hipster fumbling around with a nose-pierced punk atop a copy of Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (ugh), I also witnessed no major breaches of decorum or disorder amidst the large sun-and-alcohol-and-otherwise addled crowd. What I saw were a lot of sweaty people, differences aside, having a great time.
I regret not attending day two. But I am looking forward to next year’s Aftershock.
Photos courtesy of HimII
Monday, September 15, 2014 at 12:01AM The other day, Aerosmith played Detroit and Steven Tyler played a little of "Home Tonight" before the "Dream On" finale. I hope the folks in the crowd recognized the song - it wasn't really clear by the crowd reaction.
"Home Tonight" is one of my favorite Aerosmith tracks - criminally underrated and rarely played live (although I think the band did this same song combo at Download Fest as well).
Sunday, September 14, 2014 at 12:01AM