In Case You Wanted to See Motley's 'Official' Announcement...

Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx got together along with David Johansen of the New York Dolls to announce their summer trek. Notice no member of Poison was present. Hmmm. At any rate, toward the end of the clip, Nikki mentions a contest on SixxSense.com where you can win a trip to the Sunset Strip Music Festival. I won't lie: I'm going to enter.

The tour dates, in case you didn't click the link in yesterday's post update:

May  29, 2011 Pryor, OK Rocklahoma
June 07, 2011 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion
June 09, 2011 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
June 10, 2011 Houston, TX Toyota Center
June 12, 2011 Albuquerque, NM Hard Rock Pavilion
June 14, 2011 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
June 15, 2011 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
June 17, 2011 Phoenix, AZ Desert Sky Pavilion
June 18, 2011 Las Vegas, NV Venue TBD
June 19, 2011 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
June 21, 2011 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
June 22, 2011 Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
June 24, 2011 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
June 25, 2011 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
June 26, 2011 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
June 28, 2011 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheatre
June 29, 2011 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 01, 2011 Tinley Park, IL FMB Amphitheatre
July 02, 2011 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center
July 03, 2011 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
July 05, 2011 Hollywood, FL Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena
July 06, 2011 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
July 08, 2011 Biloxi, MS Mississippi Coast Coliseum
July 09, 2011 * Pelham, AL Verizon Wireless Music Center
July 10, 2011 Atlanta, GA Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
July 12, 2011 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 13, 2011 Hershey, PA Star Pavilion at Hersheypark
July 15, 2011 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
July 16, 2011 Camden, NJ Susquehannna Bank Center
July 19, 2011 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
July 20, 2011 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
July 22, 2011 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
July 23, 2011 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
July 24, 2011 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
July 27, 2011 ** Cheyenne, WY Frontier Days
July 29, 2011 Youngstown, OH Covelli Centre
July 30, 2011 Frederick, MD Outlaw Jam 2011
July 31, 2011 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
August 5, 2011 Tomah, WI Fort McCoy

* July 9 - Motley Crue and New York Dolls only
** July 27 - Motley Crue only

James Durbin Rocks Judas Priest on 'American Idol'

Holy Glam! James Durbin, a contestant on the current season of American Idol, threw down the gauntlet and rocked Judas Priest. Durbin sang "You've Got Another Thing Comin." His performance marked the first time a Judas Priest song has ever been performed on the show. Awesome.

Watch fast before Fox disputes this clip!

Glam-A-Gedon 25

Glam-A-Gedon. The name pretty much says it all. Poison, Motley Crue and the New York Dolls will tour together and they've named the tour...Glam-A-Gedon.

Maybe the single worst name for a tour in the history of, well, tours. But I digress.

Bret Michaels broke the news of the tour during a taping of the CNN show Piers Morgan Tonight. Bret taped the interview yesterday but the show will actually air tomorrow night (but this may change because the show schedule shifted after the surprise Charlie Sheen interview last night, so check your listings). So anyway, Bret officially spilled the beans and announced the tour. It will basically start at the end of May. In fact, Poison and Motley Crue will both play Rocklahoma. Tickets for the tour go on sale March 18. Tour dates will be announced tonight on SixxSense.com.

Now that the housekeeping is out of the way, here are my thoughts: I am not surprised and I even find myself a little apathetic to the entire situation. I don't think I'm alone. Our friend and reader Kenny Ozz even said to me "I don't like it [the tour] simply because that means Poison will play the same goddamn 10 songs they do every show."

I can't disagree.

While seeing Poison and Motley together is probably as Glam as it gets, I can't help but wonder if both shows will be diluted. Sets will be shortened and we all know that Kenny is right. Poison won't be adding any different songs to their set. If anyone is listening from the Poison camp, I strongly urge the band to play Open Up and Say...Ah!! from start to finish. That would help the set fatigue issue and would pay tribute to the album and give fans what they want. As for Motley? Well, I don't know. I'd tell them to drop "Kickstart My Heart" from the set for starters. 

I don't think this tour will be a very long one. I'm thinking one month - max. Backstage would be awesome though...and can you imagine the egos?

I've never seen the New York Dolls. Seeing them would be way cool - without them there would be no Motley.

Live Nation better get with the program on ticket prices. Gas is going up, up, up in America and it will probably be high all summer. Charge too much for tickets and fans will blanche.  I don't plan on traveling for this tour but if it comes to my area of Ohio (or the tri-state area), I'll go. Poison shows are always a tried and true sign of summer. Motley is always fun - even if Vince skips every other word when he sings. It's either the realist - or the cynical - in me that wonders how much Nikki Sixx and Motley are getting paid for this tour. I mean, money talks right? And Nikki said over and over he would never tour with Poison. And now he is. Never say never I guess.

So, what are your thoughts on this tour?

Update on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at 04:53PM by Allyson B. Crawford

The Motley Crue/Poison/New York Dolls tour dates are available now! Start saving your pennies.

What Does It Mean to Be An Average Bar Band?

Yesterday, I was in the car with my husband when Faster Pussycat, "Poison Ivy" came on Hair Nation. The husband gave me one of those sideways glances that meant "ridiculous."

"They would never make it today," said the husband. "To me, Faster has always seemed like your average bar band."

After I explained the whole time/place/luck/connections scenario that got Faster to a major label in the 80s, I stopped and thought for a moment about what the husband had said.

It dawned on me that I have no idea what an "average bar band" even sounds like. Does that mean a cover band? There are some pretty decent ones where I live. At least, anytime I've been in a bar for a show, the bands haven't been too terrible. Because that is what we're talking about, right? Terrible...or just slightly above average?

I feel like if you get to the point as a musician where you are good enough to play live and earn money for your show, you must not suck too bad. All the cover bands around Dayton I've seen get paid. Sure, said cover bands don't sound like Van Halen...then again, they don't really claim to - or at least most of them don't. 

I suspect the husband forgets that just about every band that has ever made it came up through the bar/cover circuit. So while I might not be hearing the next Aerosmith on a random Wednesday at the corner bar, that doesn't mean you're not in your city, right?

That said, I'm still plagued by the question..."what is an average bar band?" I think it has to do with more than music. Surely no one thought David Lee Roth was necessarily average when Van Halen was getting started. He might not be the best singer in the world, but he is a show man. Even some of the finalists on American Idol over the years haven't been the best singers ever but they've survived elimination rounds because of stage presence. It's a whole package after all.

So while I disagree with the husband on where Faster Pussycat is concerned, I suppose he does have a valid point in arguing that, if FP was a new band today, they probably wouldn't be huge. That's just a sign of the times and the current music industry. Talent seems secondary anymore. That said, I hope all the up and coming "average" bar bands keep playing...otherwise we won't ever have any new music to enjoy...and some act has to become the next AC/DC, right?

SongVest To Auction Rights To Stryper Song 'Together As One'

You may recall I've written about SongVest in the past. I think the concept of artists auctioning song royalties in exchange for up front capital is brilliant. This time, SongVest has a new auction surrounding Stryper. Here is the information:

Raleigh, NC – Feb 26, 2011 – SongVest, the company that reinvented the music memorabilia business by offering the ultimate fan collectible -- the songs themselves -- has announced their next major online auction will take place Mar 26 – Apr 2 at songvest.com and will include “Together As One,” a classic ballad that has sold over 1 Million copies from Christian hard rock icons Stryper.

After recently partnering to sell 50% of “GOD,” Stryper singer and songwriter Michael Sweet has again joined with SongVest to offer fans, collectors, and investors two unique packages to bid on:

Platinum Edition (2 Lots):
•    5% of Michael Sweet’s Writer’s Share of the song’s royalties
•    Exclusive dinner with Michael and his wife Lisa in Boston (Travel and accommodations paid for by purchaser)
•    Personalized, one-of-kind RIAA Certified Gold album award with handwritten lyrics and signed CD
Gold Edition (10 Lots):
•    1% of Michael Sweet’s Writer’s Share of the song’s royalties
•    Gold CD single award signed by Michael and hand writer lyrics

“Because the Mastering Session for “GOD” was such a unique experience for the fans that participated, we decided to continue that type of experience by offering fans the opportunity to come have dinner with Lisa and Michael in Boston,” said SongVest President Sean Peace.  Fans have some flexibility around the dinner and could even make it more special by renewing their vows or something similar.

The auction will end at 3PM EST on Saturday, April 2. Fans can register now and go behind the scenes with Michael to learn how and why the song was written.

Since 2007, SongVest has offered music fans, collectors, and investors the unique opportunity to share the royalties with the writers of their favorite music. Past auctions have included the rights to songs recorded by Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Carrie Underwood, Ringo Starr, Ozzy Osbourne, and The Monkees.



Hurtsmile Debut Video for 'Just War Theory'

The other day I spoke with Gary Cherone about his new project Hurtsmile. I knew I had to write the video premiere for Noisecreep earlier this week and I wanted to post here as well. I really like the song and the video is cool.

Gary told me how the band ended up choosing "Just War Theory" as their first single, saying "Usually there are two or three songs that rise above the other ones, and 'Just War Theory' is one of them. A first video ... you wouldn't pick something slow or mid-tempo so you rule those out. It's as good as two or three other tracks. It represents the band. [It is] pretty aggressive, very rock 'n' roll and has a good lead in it. We just wanna make a splash with this first video."

If you are attending M3 Rock Fest in Maryland this May then you probably know Hurtsmile is on the bill. I asked Gary what time his band would play the side stage and he wasn't sure. He told me they were told they didn't need lights, so they will definitely be during the day. I'm really looking forward to their set.

The Makers of Gain Detergent Think Warrant is Gooder

Ah, remember the classic Warrant years when Jani Lane was still fronting the band, they sounded awesome and their songs soared up the Billboard chart? The modern Warrant isn't quite as fortunate and, as you know, Jani isn't in the band anymore. While the current version of Warrant features the very awesome Robert Mason on vocals, there's just no denying the classic hits.

"Heaven" is probably Warrant's biggest and most recognizable song next to "Cherry Pie." Now, we've been having a lot of discussions recently about our bands and modern commercials. Madison Avenue sure must have a lot of Glam fans because those marketers do know what songs to pick to evoke emotion. And, I have to admit, I think it's cool when I hear a Glam song on TV - that means one of our faves is getting a payday! Thus, I think it is both cool and funny that Gain detergent is using Warrant's "Heaven" in a new ad campaign. Check it out and happy Friday.