Party Before M3 Rock Festival!

The unofficial M3 pre-party is a go! This year, Wildstreet will once again headline the party and Sin 4 Sin and Streetlight Circus will also perform.

The party will take place at Sonoma's in Columbia, Maryland on May 10th -- the night before M3 rock festival. Tickets are just ten bucks and will be available in early March. Also, a disclaimer from the show promoter: this pre-party is not affiliated with M3 rock festival.

If you know you want to attend the party, send an email to dtoxinproduction@aol.com to make a reservation. That way you'll be guaranteed a ticket.

Rocklahoma 2012 Bands Announced

 Rocklahoma has announced the 2012 lineup for the three-day camp & rock festival that features the top current active rock artists and classic bands. America’s biggest Memorial Day Weekend party--May 25-27 at “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds in Pryor, OK--is proud to be presented by Budweiser.

The initial Rocklahoma lineup includes: Rob Zombie, Chickenfoot featuringJoe Satriani, Kenny Aronoff (sitting in for Chad Smith), Michael Anthony & Sammy Hagar, Creed, Megadeth, Slash, Queensrÿche, Chevelle, Theory of a Deadman, Jackyl, Puddle Of Mudd, Hellyeah, P.O.D., Volbeat, 10 Years, Cavo, Adelitas Way, Black Stone Cherry, Pop Evil, Red, The Darkness, Art of Dying, Trivium, Aranda, Redlight King, James Durbin, Janus, New Medicine, Rival Sons, Anti Mortem, Gypsy Pistoleros, Wildstreet, Firstryke, Black Tora, Sunset Riot, The Glitter Boys, Fist of Rage, Switchblade Scarlett, Krank and more. Bands will perform on the Main Stage, Second Stage and the Retrospect Records Stage.

“Rocklahoma has quickly become the rock n’ roll party of Memorial Day Weekend, and 2012 is going to take the party to a whole new level,” commented Joe Litvag, co-executive producer of the festival for AEG Live.  “We’ve got a great balance of talent this year with some amazing classic artists covering the last three decades along with plenty of today’s rock.  But the most unique part of this festival is definitely the campground experience…Three days and nights of craziness and chaos that only Rocklahoma can deliver!”   

General Admission and VIP packages for Rocklahoma go on sale Friday, February 24 at 10am CST at all Ticketmaster outlets and www.rocklahoma.com. To get access to the Rocklahoma internet pre-sale, which will be held from Wednesday, February 22 at 10am CST through Thursday, February 23 at 10pm CST, go to www.rocklahoma.com and sign up to receive the Rocklahoma newsletter. Fans can save by buying early, as ticket prices will increase in the coming weeks.

Camping tickets may be purchased by calling the Rocklahoma Camping Office at (866) 310-2288 or emailing info@feverfest.com. Campgrounds open on Sunday, May 20 and will remain open though Tuesday, May 29.

The Axis Entertainment Campground Stage returns in 2012 to enhance the Rocklahoma camping experience. Anyone holding festival and camping tickets will be able to check out some of the finest new rock bands performing on this stage, located next to the General Store in the main campgrounds.

Rocklahoma’s VIP packages have expanded due to popular demand. Some of this year’s weekend VIP packages include:

Groupie Package (One Person)

- VIP Reserved Ticket

- Access to VIP Catering Tent

- Private Backstage Lounge Tent Access *

- Weekend Pit Access

- Package Inclusive of all taxes and fees

* This year, the Groupies will have their own Backstage Lounge, which is conveniently located between the Main and Second Stages.

Roadie Package (One Person)

- VIP Reserved Ticket

- Access to VIP Catering Tent

- Private Backstage Lounge Tent Access **

- Private Restroom Access

- Weekend Pit Access

- One Event Poster, T-Shirt and Festival Mug

- One Commemorative Laminate

- VIP Deck Access

- Package Inclusive of all taxes and fees

**Exclusive for Roadies and Rockstars is the Backstage Lounge, which is conveniently located between VIP Catering and the Main Stage.

Rockstar Package (Two Person)

- Roadie Package for Two

- Three Night stay at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa (room & tax only)

- Shuttle Service

- Best Seats in the House

- Package Inclusive of all taxes and fees

**Exclusive for Roadies and Rockstars is the Backstage Lounge, which is conveniently located between VIP Catering and the Main Stage.

For a detailed list of 2012 Rocklahoma VIP ticket options, packages and amenities, please visit www.rocklahoma.com.

Rocklahomais located just 45 minutes northeast of Tulsa, in Pryor, OK.  The “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds is a premier destination for a multi-day festival and includes on-site camping with access to restrooms and shower house, a general store for campers, VIP reserved seating, hospitality areas and much more.

Established in 2007 as a classic rock destination festival with the motto “life, liberty and the pursuit of rock,” Rocklahoma was revamped in 2010 as organizers teamed with AEG Live to create an event encompassing a much broader mix of classic, current and up-and-coming rock artists. In 2011, a record-breaking crowd of over 35,000 fans turned out for the festival, which raised over $10,000 for the American Red Cross as part of their tornado relief efforts in nearby Joplin, MO.  The festival celebrates its 6^th year in 2012.

www.rocklahoma.com

Journey Release New Video; Neal Schon Faces Lawsuit

Journey just released a new video for the song "Resonate" from the album Eclipse. The clip was filmed during the last concert of the 2011 Eclipse tour.

Pay close attention: did you catch the footage of Neal Schon and his girlfriend Michaele Salahi acting all lovey dovey?

Remember Michaele Salahi and how she and her estranged husband Tareq crashed a presidential state dinner, got on T.V. and then caused a security nightmare for the White House and Secret Service? Well, old Tareq is back and he's suing Neal Schon for 50 million bucks.

The issue at hand, it seems, is Schon's penis. Yep.

Here's the exact paragraph from TMZ:

"Tareq just filed the lawsuit in Virginia ... claiming he and estranged wife Michaele Salahi were on track to make a fortune together from multiple TV shows including 'Dancing with the Stars' ... before Schon's penis screwed everything up."

And that's not all. TMZ's report continues, saying that Schon emailed lewd penis photos to Tareq along with taunts about his sexual relationship with Michaele.

You can't make this stuff up.

Anyway, here's the new video:

'Titans of Rock' Project Announced

Happy Valentine's Day!

Guitarist Steve Stevens confirmed via Facebook that he, along with many other famous rockers, will team up for what is being dubbed the Titans of Rock tour in South America.

Gene Simmons owns the trademark to the phrase 'Titans of Rock' so I'm assuming the project is his baby.

In addition to Steve and Gene other musicians that are part of the "titans" including Duff McKagan, Joe Elliott, Gilby Clarke, Ed Roland, Glenn Hughes, Matt Sorum, Jason Newsted, Sebastian Bach and Vince Neil.

It seems that no one has any information about Titans of Rock so I guess we'll have to wait for more details. I mean, I wonder if this act will tour North America or Europe?

Here are the South American dates:

April 19 - Lima, Peru
April 21 - Sao Luis, Brazil
April 22 - Sao Paulo, Brazil
April 24 - Paraguay
April 26 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
April 28 – Santiago, Chile
April 30 - Guatemala City, Guatemala
May 02 - San Jose, Costa Rica

Gigant-Snore Review

Back on January 27th, I attended the Gigantour show at the Mohegan Sun area in Uncasville, Connecticut. On the bill this time around was (headliner) Megadeth, Motorhead, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I am not a huge Megadeth fan, but there was nothing else coming around so I decided to attend. In fact, I think Megadeth is the band that I care least about that I somehow manage to see the most.

The evening started off with a 35 minute set from Lacuna Coil. I had never heard them (or Volbeat) before this show, and I was almost completely unimpressed by this band. The female singer Cristina Scabbia has an amazing voice and is not too bad to look at either. However the rest of the band, to me, seemed average. But the worst was the male singer, Andrea Ferro, who I can best describe as the Flava Flav of Nu Metal. He can't sing very well, interjects himself where he isn't needed, and continually annoys with instructions to jump up and down, clap your hands, etc. I was glad their set was only 35 minutes.

Volbeat was next, and while I was unfamiliar with their music, they put on a high energy set and were just a solid band. For me, they were the highlight of the night. They were tight and knew how to put on a show. Plus, the singer was generally appreciative of all reactions from the crowd (which was starting to fill in at this point), which I just like. The downside of this band is all of their songs start to sound very similar about half way through their set.

Next up was Motorhead, who were the real reason I attended. Believe or not, I had never seen them live before. They were exactly what you would expect them to be, so I was neither blown away or let down by Motorhead. Plus, I personally dig Lemmy's disposition, and find him to be hysterical.

Finally, it was time for the headliners, Megadeth, to take the stage. My God, what a lackluster performance this show was. My biggest gripe with Dave Mustaine is that he never seems to put any energy into his shows and is just going through the motions, and this was the worst example of this that I have ever seen. The set, which opened with "Trust," was stale and boring, and basically the same set that I have seen them play many times before. The vocals were low in the mix, but when you could hear Dave, he sounded like he was just whining into the microphone. Honestly, I could not wait for the show to end. The rest of the band are impressive, but when the frontman is a dud, there isn't much you can do to save the show.

If I had to grade this show, it would be a D+ or C- at best. I've been to many shows, and this one just simply lacked a spark that made it interesting or fun. That being said, I do think I am in the minority with my opinion, because the show had to be close to a sellout and the crowd was loving Megadeth. Maybe they see something that I don't...

Did you catch the Gigantour this year?

Whitney Houston Dead, Glam Musicians Remember

Diva extraordinaire, Whiney Houston, died yesterday in Los Angeles, Calif. She was 48. Her body was found in a fourth floor room of the Beverly Hilton Hotel and the cause of death is still under investigation. Houston was at the hotel gearing up for a pre-Grammy party. Tonight's Grammy Awards show will obviously be filled with tributes to Houston.

Houston's voice was unmatched and she defined pop music in the 80s. Quite simply, no one could hit notes like Houston. I'll never forget watching the video for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" with my mom when I was a kid. My mom shook her head and said "Some people just have it all." She was of course referring to that amazing voice and the cover model good looks.

Because Whitney Houston's voice and talent was transcendent, it isn't surprising that many rock musicians have tweeted tributes in her honor.

Bret Michaels released this statement:

"My deepest condolences to Whitney Houston's family and friends. I first met Whitney when we were in Rome on tour. I couldn't sleep so I went down to the lobby. There she was sitting on the couch reading a book. Apparently she couldn't sleep either. We sat and hung out chatting for quite a while. She was awesome. Over the years, we ran into each other at several other events, the most memorable being when we were performing in Rio for the Hollywood Rocks festival. I happened to walk up to my room from the pool where a bunch of us had been sitting and saw the news about the Northridge earthquake. I remember telling her, the guys from Aerosmith and others about the news... Again... what a great person with a great voice and amazing talent. She will be missed."

Sebastian Bach released this statement:

"This is hitting me hard. I used to sing all of Whitney Houston's songs all the time. I absolutely loved her voice. I practiced along to her songs countless times and her music affects me deeply. I cannot believe how temporary life is. How fragile music is. Everything you know, everything you hold dear can be ripped away at a moment's notice and you won't even see it coming. I always figured Whitney would record another record that would blow us all away. So sad that was not meant to be. 48 years old? Ugh. It makes me sick. Such a loss. RIP, Whitney Houston. My condolences to my friend Bobby Brown and his children."

Skid Row tweeted "R.I.P. Whitney Houston" as did James Michael. Kip Winger tweeted "Sad to lose such a one of a kind talent, RIP Whitney Houston." Nickelback tweeted "Rest in Peace Whitney Houston. Thank you for the gift you gave us all." Aerosmith's Joey Kramer chimed in with "Stunned & Sad #Ripwhitneyhouston." Finally, Slash weighed in and tweeted "Shattering news about Whitney. RIP."

Rival Sons Enter Studio

I have great news! Rival Sons, one of my favorite new bands, is entering the studio! The band will release a new album later this year - and I'll be seeing them at Rock on the Range in May!

Here's some new album details:

No young band made a bigger impact on rock and roll this past year than Los Angeles’ RIVAL SONS! The band signed to Earache Records in June and quickly churned out the incredible ‘Pressure & Time’, which created buzz throughout the globe as being the best new rock band to come around in ages, including being labeled as iTunes’ “Breakout Rock Artist of The Year”. The band also reached other highlights such as playing the SuperBowl ‘Salute to the Troops’ Kick-Off Party and performing across the world with acts such as Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, AC/DC and Evanescence, amongst others. RIVAL SONS also had the great pleasure of performing alongside Jeff Beck at the Classic Rock Awards (broadcast on Sky TV), where the band was also nominated for two awards.

Now, RIVAL SONS is back in the studio throughout February to record the follow-up to ‘Pressure & Time’, which is expected to surface later this year on Earache Records. The band is locked inside Honey Pye Studios in Nashville with GRAMMY-nominated producer Dave Cobb (Chris Cornell, Waylan Jennings, Jamey Johnson) who has produced all three previous releases from RIVAL SONS and GRAMMY-winning engineer Vance Powell (Jack White, Kings of Leon, Jimmy Buffett).

RIVAL SONS has quickly become one of the most lauded rock bands in the world and 2012 will see them further their hold as Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Saviors. More details to come soon regarding their new album and tour plans.

RIVAL SONS will perform at this year’s annual Rock On The Range in Columbus, OH from May 18 – 20 alongside Incubus, Rob Zombie, Shinedown, Marilyn Manson, Slash and more. The band has also been tapped to perform at this year’s Rocklahoma (May 25-27) and will soon be returning to the UK with Black Stone Cherry. This summer will see RIVAL SONS hit the major European festivals.