Remembering...Mike Starr with Steel Panther

Former Alice in Chains bass player Mike Starr was found dead yesterday. We all know he fought his demons - he even went public with them on Celebrity Rehab. Some call Alice in Chains grunge. I maintain they are a metal band - and always were.

Whatever the case, Starr went the way of so many musicians before him - such a waste. Let's remember him Glam style...on stage with Steel Panther!

See what fellow musicians had to say about Starr's death.

Triangles Everywhere

The other day, my friend Sean came to visit and brought me a little present: the Gary Moore record Corridors of Power. And when I say record, I mean it: vinyl. So I'm looking over the record and I say "What was with all the triangles in the 80s?"

Boom.

Sean and my husband both looked at me with wide eyes. They knew I'd found an awesome topic for this blog.

Seriously, what is with all the damn triangles? Half of the 80s logos were made out of triangles - or at least looked like them. A few of Gary's covers featured triangles. Def Leppard most certainly used triangles (think of the D's in their name for starters)...not to mention the blatant triangle on Hysteria. Then there is Stryper. The classic Stryper discs mostly use triangles...but even the more recent Murder By Pride features a man sitting in a way to resemble a triangle. Iron Maiden uses a triangle shape to form the "O" in Iron...ditto for the “A” and “D” in Maiden. The cover of Motley's Shout at the Devil is a pentagram: a lot of triangles surrounded by a circle.

Van Halen's Best of Both Worlds uses Eddie Van Halen's famed red, white and black stripes to form triangles.  Heck the Van Halen logo itself looks like a long triangle. If you want to get modern, the cover of the Chickenfoot debut is a squared-in peace sign which forms...you guessed it...triangles.

For Stryper, the triangles make sense. Upright triangles are said to represent divinity. Others have said the way a triangle points even represents gender: an upright triangle is male while the inverse is female. A Star of David is both upright and inverse triangles put together...and on and on.

Maybe the most iconic use of a triangle on an album cover is Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. So simple, yet it says so much. Maybe the bands we love meant nothing by their triangles although I suspect this is not the case. Triangles are a strong shape, literally indicating three sides to every story. Why do you think so many bands - especially rock bands - gravitated toward triangles?

Rock USA Festival Announced, KISS to Headline

I think I misjudged the upcoming summer concert and festival season. Up until about three weeks ago, I was fairly convinced it was going to be a mediocre tour summer at best. Then, all sorts of tour announcements started happening like Motley/Poison, Def Leppard/Heart, Alison Krauss and Union Station (don't hate)...and the fests keep popping up everywhere! Now, there's another fest to tell you about...and one of the headliners is KISS! Holy Glam! Buckcherry and Journey are on the bill as well! There are also still a lot of TBA slots meaning more good bands to come. The new fest is called Rock USA in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The event is slated for July 14, 15, 16 meaning it will be hot. Thing is, the promoters are apparently nuts because this three day event is cheap. Like, you can get a three-day pass for under $60. It costs more to see KISS solo. See below for full festival information and ticket prices.

I'm buying a lottery ticket this week. I need more money to fund my music and festival obsession!

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KISS, JOURNEY & DAUGHTRY TO HEADLINE ROCK USA!

TAKING IT TO THE EDGE. Starshow Presents has just announced KISS, JOURNEY and DAUGHTRY are booked to headline a $2.5 million dollar talent lineup at Rock USA, July 14-16 at Oshkosh, City Of Events.

Rock USA will brand itself as 'Solid Rock. No Limits.' and will present an incredibly broad mix of world-class rockstars in an effort to kick up the festival experience. We intend to break a few rules and we intend to get downright aggressive about it. Count on it… we will take it to the edge. If it's kickass festival stuff… it belongs at Rock USA!

MEGASTAR TALENT LINEUP. Rock USA will present Kiss, Journey, Daughtry, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Buckcherry, Cheap Trick, Hollywood Undead, Puddle Of Mudd, Korn and more to be announced.

BIG EVENT. DISCOUNT TICKETS. The biggest news yet is Rock USA's aggressive ticket marketing concept. We are going to give you three outrageous days of world-class rock at discount prices. We know the money doesn't come easy and it's tough out there. You shouldn't have to pay through the nose for tickets! Our goal is to present major league rock at the lowest festival prices on the street. At Rock USA you are going to get more and pay less!

ROCK USA ON-SALE. At 9:00 am on Saturday, March 26, Rock USA will go on sale with a $59 festival ticket… all three days for $59. That's $70 off the gate price! The Rock USA Supersale lasts for one week only! Limited Up-Front VIP, Reserved and Campsites while they last.

TICKETS: CHARGE-BY-PHONE:

Local 920 882-4949 or Toll Free 1-800-326-SHOW (7469)

BOX OFFICE: STARSHOW TICKET CENTER: 2065 American Drive, Neenah

THE ROCK EVENT. On July 14 - 16, 2011, Rock USA at Oshkosh will open its gates to one of the nation's biggest annual rock festivals ever. This is your event… the big one… the one you cannot miss!

For All My Musician Readers - Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands

Is everyone glad it is the weekend? I know I am...not that it really means rest. I have a ton of work to do, including writing some articles for both this site and Noisecreep. Plus, I'd love to tackle organizing my CDs - a huge task.

I know I have a lot of really great, loyal readers who are musicians trying to get a break. Well, maybe a contest would help. There's a very big battle of the bands coming up, sponsored by Ernie Ball. There's a website below where you may upload all your information, so submitting your work looks to be fairly easy. If you win, you get a lot of money and a slot on the Vans Warped Tour. Sure, that's not exactly a Glam package...but imagine the exposure! Read the info below and good luck. If you enter, send me an email so I can track your progress!

Coachella, CA – March 2nd, 2011 – Ernie Ball Inc., the world’s premier string and accessory manufacturer, today announced the launch of its 15th annual Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands. In the largest and longest-running unsigned artist competition of its kind, Ernie Ball will give talented, undiscovered artists worldwide a platform to play live on the 2011 Vans Warped Tour and win a 3-song EP with multi-platinum producer Matt Squire, in addition to an incredible prize package which includes a $15,000 Guitar Center shopping spree.

Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands is entering its 15th year of providing a platform for thousands of undiscovered bands to get mainstream exposure. The competition continues to transform Ernie Ball Music Man’s legacy of encouraging growth, quality and opportunity in music by supporting unsung talent.
To enter the competition, bands can sign up at www.BattleoftheBands.com and upload music and create their artist profiles, beginning today. The deadline to submit music is June 1st, at which time a panel of judges will select the bands that show the most promise, focusing on musicianship and song writing, and will offer them an opportunity to perform live on Vans Warped Tour 2011. There are four slots at each stop on the tour. In 2010, 186 bands were chosen to perform on the tour, selected from almost 16,000 entries, and 2011 promises to be even bigger.

Ernie Ball’s panel of expert judges will also review each show on the tour, selecting the top four from across the country to compete in Hollywood at the Vans Warped Tour official after party taking place at the end of 2011. After playing for celebrity judges and a who’s who of music industry legends, America’s best undiscovered band will take home an exclusive prize package and the title of “2011 Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands Champion”.

The Grand Prize Package Includes:

• $15,000 Shopping Spree at Guitar Center
• 3-Song EP with producer Matt Squire
• 2-Week Slot on Vans Warped Tour 2012
• One year of paid TuneCore service
• Custom Atticus Apparel Package & Custom Vans Shoes
• Select Music Man instruments
• Ernie Ball Guitar and Bass Strings

For more information on Battle of the Bands, including stories behind recent competitions, visit www.BattleoftheBands.com.

Steven Tyler Launches 'AppSoLewdly' App

Ok, so check it: Steven Tyler is awesome on American Idol. I was one of the skeptics, then warmed up to the idea, thinking he just might rock the gig. And he is. So now that he's got all this "new" fame among "the kids" Steven is striking while the iron is hot. So, what does he do? He launches a mobile app. I mean, that's what any rock superstar would do, right? The 'AppSoLewdly' App apparently gives fans access to photos, sounds, videos and more...all created by Steven. The app is $2.99. I don't have many apps on my smartphone - the ones I do have were free - so 'AppSoLewdly' must be pretty awesome to command three bucks a pop.

Cut to the chase: the press release for 'AppSoLewdly' is very direct in the way that it markets Steven away from Aerosmith. In fact, the word "Aerosmith" isn't mentioned until the fourth paragraph. While Steven can and should be recognized as a performer and his own man, let's not get crazy here: he's famous for Aerosmith. Whatever the case, his American Idol gig is making him big money and helping the band's catalog sales. More people owning Aerosmith songs is never a bad thing in my book.

Here are the details on the 'AppSoLewdly' app:

Los Angeles, CA (March 3, 2011) – The iconic rocker and American Idol judge, Steven Tyler has launched his new mobile App, “Steven Tyler’s AppSoLewdly” today, available exclusively at the iTunes app store. For $2.99, fans can have access to exclusive, unpredictable, and uncensored content including self made videos, never before seen photos and other noises from his head like a digital sound box filled with his most outrageous and funny "Tylerisms."

Straight from his mind, Tyler’s self-created App is an intimate journey in the daily and deeply personal adventures of the Demon of Screamin’ himself! Chronicling everything from his new life in California, to the set of American Idol and into the depths of working in the recording studio this is the one and only place to see the full and un-edited man himself.

Just like Steven, you can never predict what videos or photos will be available, so fans should be sure to check the App often.

Steven Tyler is the iconic songwriter, lyricist, author, composer and voice of Aerosmith - America’s Greatest Rock and Roll band - and is considered one of rock’s most recognizable and dynamic frontmen. Rolling Stone Magazine has cited him one of the greatest singers of all time. He is currently a judge on American Idol, a role for which The New York Times referred to him as "genius" in. His long anticipated autobiography, Does The Noise In My Head Bother You? is set for release in May 2011. A new Aerosmith record is expected later this year and a tour has been confirmed with dates to be announced.

Meanwhile, Back at the US Festival...

I was born in 1979, so I surely wasn't at the US Festival on "Metal Day" back on Memorial Day weekend in 1983. We've talked about that mythical show from time to time. In fact, I've often said if science ever invents a time machine - I'm totally going back in time to stand backstage at the US Fest!

These bands performed on Metal Day:

Van Halen
Quiet Riot
Motley Crue
Ozzy Osbourne
Judas Priest
Triumph
Scorpions

Awesome, right? Well, until some brilliant scientist creates my time machine, I'll rely on YouTube to take me back. Last night, I found a couple awesome clips from Ozzy's performance at the US Festival. Ozzy looked so young - and the crowd is huge! Pretty much, I watched these clips and was captivated. Enjoy.

Ok, So It's Not Glam-A-Geddon (Or However You Spell It)

I never understood the Glam-A-Geddon 25 references...since Motley Crue has been around for 30 years but whatever. Bret's jump-the-gun press release from Monday got everyone - including your Glam mistress - confused. Since I not only aim to please but also strive for accuracy, here's Motley's latest release, clarifying the tour name (or lack thereof, actually).

Mötley Crüe TO HEADLINE SUMMER TOUR WITH SUPPORT FROM POISON AND SPECIAL GUESTS NEW YORK DOLLS

SUMMER’S BIGGEST ROCK TOUR KICKS OFF JUNE 7TH IN DALLAS; TICKETS ON SALE STARTING MARCH 11TH

Los Angeles, CA (March 1, 2011) – Mötley Crüe, one of the world’s most iconic rock bands, have announced initial details today for their summer headlining tour with support from Poison and special guests New York Dolls (not to be confused with Poison’s solo tour, “Glam-A-Geddon 25”). The official announcement by Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee and New York Dolls’ David Johansen was made on the syndicated radio show, Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx Tuesday March 1st at 7:00pm local time (check www.sixxsense.com for a list of stations). Additionally, the announcement can be heard on SixxSense.com, iheartradio and on the new Sixx Sense XM 161 Channel. The trek will kick off June 7th in Dallas, TX and hit approximately 40 cities before coming to a close in early August. Tickets will be available to fan club members beginning March 11th and a national on sale starts the weekend of March 18th. All tour information can be found at www.motley.com.