Coming Up This Week...

I've been in holiday mode and that means I haven't been online much - and I'm darn tired, too. I'll spend the weekend doing holiday-related chores and also getting caught up with Bring Back Glam! work.

Here's what is coming this week:

Review of SIXX: AM Live is Beautiful EP
DJ Ashba interview
Tonight You Rock Interview
Two big announcements from Rock Gone Wild
Review of The Answer Rise EP

As you can see I've got a busy week planned for us - and a lot of work for me as a result. Enjoy your weekend and I'm going to try and desperately get caught up - I hope I succeed.

Merry Christmas from... Megadeth?!

Megadeth are running a pretty cool promotion right now. If you are artistically inclined, you can win a personal phone call from Dave Mustaine on Christmas morning, a guitar lesson from Chris Broderick and some signed merch, too.

Megadeth wants fans to design a Christmas card. The winning card goes to all fanclub members, which is pretty cool in itself and makes me wish I had some drawing ability.

You don't need to be a fanclub member to enter. Just visit the band's official website for more information. The contest runs through December 3, 2008.

I think it is really nice that Megadeth sends their fanclub members a holiday card. I never even received my T-shirt from the Motley Crue fan club, nor did I get anything from AC/DC or George Michael.

Thinking about Megadeth's card campaign sort of puts me in the holiday spirit. Today is all about shopping in America: I love Black Friday. I'm pretty cheap so I love a good bargain. Nothing says "happy overrated holidays" like waking up at 3 a.m. to grab something dirt cheap. And yeah, I am actually waking up at 3 a.m.

Glam Thanks

Today is Thanksgiving in America. I have many reasons to be thankful. I have a good husband and family and close friends. Of course, I've got Glam thanks too.

Here is the list of my top ten Glam reasons to be thankful.

10. Crue Fest 2 is just around the corner
09. Rock Gone Wild is giving me the chance of a professional lifetime
08. Chinese Democracy is finally here
07. 80s Metal is making a comeback
06. I look really good in hot pink
05. Black eye liner is always sexy
04. Promotional CDs from labels keep me in new music and helps my budget
03. My iPod keeps my alive at work
02. Concerts and festivals have brought me many friendship
01. You continue to read this website everyday and give me a reason to write and for that I am eternally grateful

Do you have any Glam thanks?

Tesla Join ShipRocked Cruise

Remember when I first told you about the ShipRocked cruise? I said there were more big bands coming. Today, Tesla was added to that lineup. The word comes to me straight from the man organizing the big event. Sure enough, if you visit www.getshiprocked.com you'll see Tesla's name among the performing acts.

Also on board is Queensryche, Lynam, Endeverafter, Skid Row and StoneRider.

This cruise is going to kick ass and I want to go, damnit!

As five day cruises go, ShipRocked is cheap. Just $599 bucks. The cruise departs next November from Fort Lauderdale and ports in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Grand Cayman. The cruise happens aboard the MSC Poesia and runs November 15-20. Cabins are already on sale.

Attend Rock Gone Wild 2009 FREE - Special Black Friday Promotion

ALGONA, IOWA (November 25, 2008) - If you're looking for the perfect holiday gift for that special rock fan in your life - skip the long lines at the mall and give the gift of Rock Gone Wild 2009! For a limited time on Black Friday, purchase three (3) four-day general admission tickets and receive two (2) additional tickets FREE! Simply visit www.rockgonewild.com to order tickets and to submit your band suggestions. Rock Gone Wild, the most diverse hard rock festival in America, is slated for August 20-23, 2009 in Algona, Iowa.

In America, the day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday. Traditionally one of the biggest shopping days of the year, consumers grab great bargains. On Friday, November 28, 2008 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST fans can purchase three (3) four-day general admission tickets - and receive two additional tickets FREE! That means five friends can attend Rock Gone Wild for the price of only three tickets. This is a one-time Black Friday offer only valid on general admission tickets during the four hour window of 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST. Tickets are guaranteed in time for Christmas! Visit http://www.rockgonewild.com/ to purchase tickets and for more information.

More than 50 bands will play Rock Gone Wild over four days on two stages. Bands already announced include Puddle of Mudd, Skid Row, Kix, Great White, Hardcore Superstar, Lizzy Borden, Dangerous Toys, Helix, Saigon Kick, Rhino Bucket and Junkyard.

Visit www.rockgonewild.com and http://anatomyofafestival.wordpress.com/ each Tuesday for a new band announcement.

Rock Gone Wild will take place at the Freedom Park festival grounds, located at 2507- 160th Avenue in Algona, Iowa.

If you build it, they will rock.

***

So Far, I Hate the Sweden Rock 2009 Lineup

The other day, the promoters of the Sweden Rock announced 21 bands that will pay the Festival. Here are those bands:

AMON AMARTH

BLACKFOOT

BULLET

DREAM THEATER

ENFORCER

EUROPE

FORBIDDEN

FOREIGNER

HAMMERFALL

HEAVEN AND HELL

IN FLAMES

LITA FORD

MARILLION

MOTÖRHEAD

RIOT

SEVENTH WONDER

SOILWORK

STORMZONE

THE OUTLAWS

THE TUBES

TORCH

URIAH HEEP

Am I crazy? Where is the Swedish sleaze?! I don't get it. I mean, Heaven and Hell are a good add, but come on. There's nothing on this list - so far - that makes me want to drop several thousand dollars on a trip halfway across the world.

Now, don't get me wrong: I'm optimistic. I'm holding out hope that the rest of the bands are perfectly Glam. If the lineup stays on this course, there's no chance I'll be at Sweden Rock 2009 (and this is painful to write!) The economy is terrible and spending a lot of money on a vacation is risky - but less so if the event is truly one of a lifetime. Crazy me, I actually want to see Swedish bands...while in Sweden.

Thoughts?

Chinese Democracy - The Bring Back Glam! Review

A decade and a half in the making, Chinese Democracy is here for all the world (well, except China, but that's another story) to enjoy. The Guns n' Roses opus took nearly 15 years to produce and became the endless butt of music jokes over the years.

Today, Axl Rose is the one laughing...all the way to the bank.

A long wait usually creates controversy, and that's exactly the case with Chinese Democracy. I'll be honest: I wanted to hate the album, but I can't. I love it. I think it's basically phenomenal with amazing lyrics, great guitar work and over-the-top sonic production that just blows other modern rock releases out of the water.

Here's the track listing:

Chinese Democracy
Shackler's Revenge
Better
Street of Dreams
If the World
There Was a Time
Catcher in the Rye
Scraped
Riad n' the Bedouins
Sorry
I.R.S.
Madagascar
This I Love
Prostitute

What are my favorite tracks on Chinese Democracy?

"If the World" is easily my favorite song on the album, but I also dig the album's title track, "There Was a Time" and "This I Love." The thing about Chinese Democracy is that it is about as far from Appetite from Destruction that you can get - and I think that's a good thing. We already know and love "Sweet Child O' Mine" so maybe it's time we all grow up and learn to dig something with a modern flair. Chinese Democracy isn't an in-your-face record, either. This is the sort of album that takes several listens to really "get." There are a lot of layers here - each listen brings out a new complexity.

Now, I get the prejudice against Chinese Democracy. Quite frankly, no album should take upwards of 15 years to produce. The time wasted is one thing, the money another. Still, I think the final product is pretty damn amazing. Was it worth the wait? I'm not exactly sure. Am I glad the album is finally out and I can listen on my iPod while at work? Hell yes.

Seriously, though, Chinese Democracy is an album you need to hear for yourself. All the reviews in the world can't do it justice one way or another. This is a love it or hate it sort of situation. I love it, I already know some of you hate it - for better or worse, Guns n' Roses are back.