I guess things are all better in the Aerosmith camp. The band - with Steven Tyler - will headline Download 2010, alongside Rage Against the Machine and AC/DC. Does this mean Aerosmith will tour again soon? Or was the money even too good for millionaires to pass up? I've got a lot of questions surrounding this announcement. Sadly, there wasn't much info provided. If you're lucky enough to attend Download, then you already know the festival is set for June 11-13 at Donnington Park in the UK.
Just added late today: Thirty Seconds to Mars, Stone Sour, Billy Idol, Lamb of God and Five Finger Death Punch.
Thunder Mountain RockFest has added some more bands to their bill for July. Check out the official release below. I also posted the Cavo video for "Champagne." I gotta admit, I like Cavo.
Thunder Mountain RockFest is coming to the Rock Dakota Ranch in Sawyer, North Dakota. Thunder Mountain RockFest is a three day outdoor rock festival that will feature different eras of music on each day. The festival is slated for July 8 -10th, with a pre-party to be held on July 7th at 7pm. You can buy tickets on-line or at one of our outlets listed on our website http:/rockdakota.com. Camping is also available. Patrons planning to camp this year will need both a camping pass and an admission ticket for each attendee. You can also join us on Facebook, MySpace and twitter to get the latest updates. The bands that have been announced to date are (more bands TBA):
Thursday ASIA feat. JOHN PAYNE: John Payne fronted ASIA for 14 years. In 2006, John formed “ASIA Featuring John Payne.” The current lineup is John Payne- Vocalist/Bassist, Erik Norlander – Keyboards, Jay Schellen – Drums, Mitch Perry – Guitar. They are currently performing songs from the entire history of Asia, including "Heat of the Moment."
FOGHAT: A British rock band who had their peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. The band has achieved five gold records. Their song "Slow Ride" was featured in the 1993 American movie Dazed and Confused.
THE SWEET: British glam rock band Sweet became popular during the 1970s with hit songs such as "Ballroom Blitz," "Wig Wam Bam" and "Fox On the Run."
BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS W/CHUCK NEGRON OF 3 DOG NIGHT: Throughout the years, BS&T sold over 35 million albums and won several Grammy Awards. Since late 2005, the band often does shows backing up former Three Dog Night singer Chuck Negron, where the group will play its own set and then another set that includes Chuck's Three Dog Night hits.
THE GUESS WHO: The world famous Canadian band that broke into the charts with songs such as “Shakin' All Over”, “These Eyes” and “American Woman.”
Friday NELSON: Glam metal band founded by Matthew and Gunnar Nelson. They had a No. 1 hit in the United States with "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection."
JANI LANE OF WARRANT: American recording artist who was the lead vocalist and songwriter for the glam metal band Warrant. "Cherry Pie," which is arguably Warrant's most well-known song was written by Lane in about fifteen minutes. GREAT WHITE: Gained popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s. The band released several albums in the late 1980s and gained airplay on MTV with music videos for songs like "Once Bitten, Twice Shy."
KIX: Their self-titled debut album featured live favorites like "Atomic Bombs” and "The Kid." Their 1983 follow-up, “Cool Kids,” showcased a slightly more commercial side of the band. Spearheaded by the single "Body Talk," They also released “Midnite Dynamite” -- their "self-proclaimed favorite record ever." The album featured a great single, "Cold Shower," and some other notable cuts like "Sex" and "Bang Bang.”
SURVIVOR: The band is best known for its Double Platinum-certified 1982 mega-hit "Eye of the Tiger," the theme song for the motion picture Rocky III. Singles like "Burning Heart," "The Search Is Over," "High on You“ and "I Can't Hold Back.”
NIGHT RANGER: One of the most successful touring and recording bands of the 1980s. Their popularity was fueled by an impressive string of instantly recognizable hit singles including "Sister Christian," "(You Can Still) Rock In America," "When You Close Your Eyes," "Sentimental Street," "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" and "Restless Kind," to name but a few.
Saturday THE VEER UNION: Released their debut album, “Against the Grain,” on April 21, 2009. “Against the Grain” has reached number 32 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers. Their first single, “Seasons”, has reached number 10 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "Seasons" was also the official theme song for WWE Backlash 2009. The band has toured with Hinder, Theory of a Deadman, Seether , Black Stone Cherry, Sick Puppies and Hurt.
EGYPT CENTRAL: Rising from the streets of Memphis, Tennessee. Their self-titled CD debuted at #1 for independent releases in Memphis – going on to sell nearly 7,000 copies within a few months. “Taking You Down” was selected to be on the soundtrack for the movie The Cave. In the summer of 2007, Egypt Central played several dates with Ozzfest. They also played several dates with the Family Values Tour, were they opened the main stage.
CAVO: An American post-grunge/hard rock band from St. Louis, Missouri. Their single "Champagne" has reached #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. The band has toured with Crue Fest 2, Daughtry, LifeHouse, Puddle of Mudd, Sick Puppies just to name a few.
FRAMING HANLEY: A five-piece outfit from Nashville. They are best known for their songs "Hear Me Now" and "Lollipop." According to their Twitter, once they reach 10,000 followers, they will release the name of the next album. On January 25th 2010, they got 10,000 followers and it was announced that the next album will be titled "A Promise To Burn" and will be released on 5/4/2010.
DEFAULT: A Canadian post-grunge/alternative rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia. Since forming in 1999 they have released four albums, and have sold more than a million records. They gained popularity in the United States for their hit singles "Wasting My Time" and "Deny."
HINDER: Released “Extreme Behavior” in 2005. The album generated five singles, including several that crossed over onto the pop charts. “Lips of an Angel” was the biggest smash. Their follow-up album,” Take It to the Limit,” on November 4, 2008. The lead single, “Use Me,” quickly climbed up the mainstream rock charts.
Happy Valentine's Day, glam fans. Over the past three-plus years, we've talked a lot about great love tunes and awesome power ballads. But how about a list of songs that are not so lovey-dovey. You know, a sort of anti-Valentine's Day list. Here's a few of my picks, in no real order:
Bon Jovi - You Give Love a Bad Name
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - I Hate Myself for Loving You
Def Leppard - Love Bites
J. Geils Band - Love Stinks
Nazareth - Love Hurts
What do you think of my list? Got anything to add? There are tons of angry love/I-hate-life songs out there and the five above were the first to come to my mind. And you know what? I literally love - seriously love - each song on my list. I guess it's easy to love a song about hate (or at least angst)!
Did you watch the opening ceremony to the Olympics last night? The massive production cost just over 30 million bucks I believe and was a tribute to Canada's heritage and aboriginal people. The ceremony was ok - some cool special effects but really I think it's all a giant waste of money. Wouldn't it be better to parade all the participating nations in, have a giant concert sort of like the Super Bowl, light the torch and be on with it?
If I was planning an Olympics opening ceremony, that's the route I would go. I don't think the host country needs to go into mass hock to do a good show. I'm just not sure which bands I'd choose for my opening concert. I know one thing, though: there would be no lip synching! All the performers during the opening ceremonies faked the lyrics, making me crazy!
So who would be good for an Olympics concert? The bands would need to appeal to everyone and diverse age groups and no - they couldn't be all metal. I'm thinking a fair mix of all sorts of music: metal, world, pop, you name it. I guess I'd throw some indie band in too just to make the hipsters happy. Probably the easiest way to choose is to pick the most successful recording artists from the host country and go from there. In that case, I'd start with Rush...who would you add to the bill?
Just received this press release in my inbox. Now I really wish I had money. Sigh.
One of the biggest rock bands of all time, Guns N' Roses, will bring their "Chinese Democracy World Tour" to Sölvesborg and Sweden Rock Festival in June.
The worldwide tour promotes the band's latest album, Chinese Democracy, which debuted at #1 on the charts in thirteen countries including Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Finland, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, as well as the European Top 100 Albums survey.
Chinese Democracy was released on Black Frog/Geffen Records in November 2008 and reached 3 times Platinum in Canada, Platinum in Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, UK, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa. The album is Gold in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Holland, Sweden, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Brazil and Colombia. In the U.S., the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 3, 2009.
Produced by Axl Rose and Caram Costanzo, Chinese Democracy includes 14 tracks.
On this tour, singer/main man Axl Rose is accompanied by long-time keyboardist Dizzy Reed, the latter's fellow ivories tickler Chris Pitman, bassist Tommy Stinson, drummer Frank Ferrer and guitarists Richard Fortus, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and DJ Ashba - a musical dream-team and one of the most prestigious SRF-debuts this festival has ever had the pleasure of introducing!
Guns N' Roses last played in Sweden in June 2006, when they sold out the Globe arena in Stockholm.
Sweden Rock Festival is arranged in Sölvesborg in the south of Sweden June 9-12. Tickets are available on the festival's website, www.swedenrock.com.
Later this month, on February 27, Wildside will reunite at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip. Even better, Wildside is playing the show with TUFF and Vains of Jenna. But seriously -- Wildside reunited! (In case you don't recall, Wildside released Under the Influence in 1992).
Lead singer Drew Hanna, guitarist Brent Woods, bassist Marc Simon and drummer Jimmy D are in for the reunion. That's four of the five original guys and I think this is very cool. If I was a betting woman, I'd say Wildside will play this year's Rocklahoma. Of course, the fest is adding modern bands, so it's hard to say who will show up.
I generally like living in Ohio - because basically it rules - but the winters suck and this year has already been supremely bad. This means I would literally do anything to be in California at the end of the month to see this show. Just me, the boys in Wildside and swaying palm trees.
I never got to see Wildside live. I've actually never seen TUFF either and they rule, too. I imagine this is going to be one very fun show. Raise your hand if you'll be at the big reunion!
MTV has a new logo. Basically, the powers-that-be dropped the "music television" tag line. It's about time. Hell, if the network isn't going to play videos, then why be "music television?" At this point they might as well be the "cheap, youth driven reality show" network. But whatever.
MTV execs didn't exactly shout the logo change from the rooftops. They sort of buried the news. I mean, why wouldn't they? Changing of the logo and dropping "music television" just affirms what everyone has said for years and years now. The good news is that with the Internet, there's no reason for bands to spend a ton of cash on videos and then ship them to a network where they'll never get aired. At least with YouTube, bands can scratch together a few thousand bucks, do a video and shove it online and force their own buzz. The days of MTV making or breaking a band are long gone.
I suppose MTV officially changing course really is the end of an era. After all, I'm a member of the MTV generation. The bands we all love and discuss here daily were a huge part of the music network. Video really did kill the radio star. Then again, Internet killed (or birthed, depending on your opinion) the modern rock star.
The question remains: do we even need MTV anymore? I say no. What's the point? I've got a zillion channels thanks to my satellite. I rarely - if ever - watch MTV. It's just not necessary for a music lover anymore. In fact, MTV is about as current as Myspace. Truth.
Monday, February 15, 2010 at 02:45PM 
