Win a Copy of 'This Is Gonna Hurt' by Nikki Sixx

This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx, the new book by Nikki Sixx, is out today. 

From the publisher:

"This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx is part photo, part journal—but all Nikki Sixx. It is a collection of compelling photography and stories that capture the rage, love, optimism, darkness, and determination that shape his work. Combining the raw authenticity that defined his New York Times bestseller The Heroin Diaries with a photographic journey, This Is Gonna Hurt chronicles Sixx's experiences—from his early years filled with toxic waste, to his success with Motley Crue, to his death from an OD and his eventual rebirth through music, photography, and love."

Want the book but don't have the cash? Bring Back Glam! is giving away a copy of This Is Gonna Hurt. Want to win? Just send an email to allyson@bringbackglam.com with the subject 'This Is Gonna Hurt.' Include your legal name and address in the body of the email. Any entries that do not meet all these requirements will be discarded. You have until Friday, April 15 at 11:59 p.m. EST to enter. Good luck. 

Lion and the 'Transformers' Theme

Holy Glam, the Transformers theme is epic! I'd forgotten all about the song until I was reminded of it over the weekend thanks to a random message board posting.

Do you remember Lion? The British band featured Doug Aldrich among its members. Lion didn't even record a full-length debut until after they'd contributed to the Transformers soundtrack. That debut record is called Dangerous Attraction.

Lion did release one more record, but didn't stay together much longer. Their crowning achievement will always be the Transformers theme - robots in disguise! I should now admit I've never seen the Transformers movie (either the original or the remake) so I have no idea if the song fits the content. All I know is that I think it rocks. What say you?

Awesome: Sade Covers Thin Lizzy

Sade will release The Ultimate Collection next month. On the  two-disc set, she covers the Thin Lizzy tune "Still In Love With You." It rocks. That is all.

Will You Get 'Mirrorball' - The Def Leppard Live Album?

Def Leppard will release their first-ever live album this summer. The album, called Mirrorball, was recorded during The Sparkle Lounge Tour.

Here are the tracks:

DISC 1:

1. Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)
2. Rocket
3. Animal
4. C'Mon C'Mon
5. Make Love Like A Man
6. Too Late For Love
7. Foolin'
8. Nine Lives
9. Love Bites
10. Rock On

DISC 2:

1. Two Steps Behind
2. Bringin' On The Heartbreak
3. Switch 625
4. Hysteria
5. Armageddon It
6. Photograph
7. Pour Some Sugar On Me
8. Rock Of Ages
9. Let's Get Rocked
10. Action
11. Bad Actress
12. Undefeated (new studio track)
13. Kings Of The World (new studio track)
14. It's All About Believin' (new studio track)

I have to admit, I'm pretty excited for this album. While I don't plan on seeing Def Leppard (and Heart) this summer because the price of concert tickets is just too high, I will get this live record and be happy as a clam. Def Leppard is one of "my" bands and I've seen them live many times. My favorite "Animal" made the cut and that's good as gold for me. Plus, there are three new studio tracks which is also good news. 

Mirrorball will be released through Bludgeon Riffola/Mailboat Records.

So, what do you think? Will you buy Mirrorball?

Rockers to Hold Benefit for Japan

Members of AC/DC, Dio, Foreigner, Ratt, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Black Label Society, Dokken and more will take part in a very special benefit for Japan earthquake and tsunami relief. The musicians will gather at Harper's in Reseda, CA for a special concert and streaming webcast on April 16. All proceeds from the show will go toward the rebuilding efforts in Japan. For those watching on the webcast, there will be a Red Cross donate button on the screen.

The live stream webcast will by done by Front Row Entertainment (Frontrowent.tv). The concert broadcast is free. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. local time.

Terry Ilous is organizing the event. Ilous and Jeff Paris have also collaborated on a special song that will be performed at the benefit. It will be available on iTunes. Proceeds from the event and sales of the track and video will be donated to the American Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief efforts.

If you are in the area, you should definitely head to the show and have some fun. Harper's is located at 5545 Reseda Blvd. in Reseda, CA. I'll be watching the webcast online.

Grammys Slash Categories, Rock and Metal Get Screwed

Officials behind the Grammy awards are cutting more than 30 award categories. This means there will now be 78 little gold statues awarded to musicians instead of 109.

I must either be 1) really jaded or 2) really smart because I knew as soon as I started reading about the Grammy cuts, I knew rock, metal and hard rock was screwed. I was right.

From MTV:

"In the rock field, the Best Rock Instrumental Performance and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals will go away, while the Best Hard Rock and Best Metal Performance awards will be consolidated into one trophy."

So, shock of shocks, right?

So now, everyone from Incubus and Aerosmith to Green Day and Exhorder will be head to head. Same situation with Sting against someone like...I dunno... Nickelback or Mayhem. Yeah, that makes sense. Might as well shove death metal up against more mainstream rock acts. Or legacy acts. That seems fair. 

I can't disagree that there were way too many Grammy categories. I think the idea to streamline the pop categories as gender neutral (no separate award for male/female) is good. I don't think it's great to just start smashing a bunch of stuff together that deserves awards. I feel like rock is important enough to deserve a stand alone Grammy. Same for metal. I don't like gospel music but I think that genre is important enough to deserve its own award too...and this new slice n' dice plan changes that genre as well.

Back to MTV:

"Similar changes were made in the country, jazz, gospel, Latin, American roots, world and classical genres, while Best Native American, Zydeco or Cajun and Hawaiian will compete in a larger field under Best Regional Roots Music Album."

These changes will go into effect during next year's Grammy awards telecast.

So, what do you think of these changes? Do you agree with me that rock and metal are getting the shaft?

'INXS: Mystify' - DVD Review

INXS released concert DVD Mystify in November. The DVD is of the band's performance at the Loreley Festival in 1997 and it was taped for the German show Rockpalast.

The tracks:

1) Elegantly Wasted
2) New Sensation
3) Taste It
4) Just A Man
5) Heaven Sent
6) Searching
7) Disappear
8) Never Tear Us Apart
9) Everything
10) Need You Tonight
11) Bitter Tears
12) Girl On Fire
13) Kick
14) Devil Inside
15) What You Need
16) Don t Lose Your Head
17) Mystify
18) Suicide Blonde

Bonus Tracks:

Six tracks from the first INXS performance on Rockpalast
at the Markethalle, Hamburg on May 8th 1984:
1) Just Keep Walking
2) The One Thing
3) I Send A Message
4) Original Sin
5) Don t Change
6) Stay Young

So, is this DVD worth your hard-earned cash? Yes! The concert is fun, fun, fun and it sent me right back to high school. Remember, dear kids, I graduated high school in 1998 - so INXS was definitely on my radar. Mystify features the band with singer Michael Hutchence in all their glory. The fact that Hutchence died just a few months later makes this concert even more special. The great production is a major plus.

So what is my favorite part of the DVD? Well, "Devil Inside." I love that song and I like the performance treatment. The thing to remember here is that INXS just had some really amazing songs - and the band didn't need giant pyro pots, naked women or huge video screens to put on a fun show. It's just the band - awesome musicians - and some lights. Hutchence's voice just fills the entire open air venue - not an easy feat. Plus, he smiles at the camera a lot and the entire performance is just very natural.

What about the bonus clips? Well, those are a hoot and a half. They are from 1984...and they look like it for sure! The band isn't necessarily tight...certainly not nearly as commercial or polished and the crowd is hilarious. These clips are also from the Rockpalast vaults. Definitely a treat to see. If you are a fan, you'll love going back in time. If you're not a fan, well, you'll still love seeing Michael Hutchence jump around on stage during "Stay Young."