1888 MEDIA MATRIX

GARRISON STARR's Amateur; A Steely Train That's Bound For Glory

2012-01-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

Releasing May 1 on her Radtown Music imprint, singer-songwriter-troubadour GARRISON STARR returns with AMATEUR, her seventh studio album.

Representing her first full-length since 2007’s The Girl That Killed September, AMATEUR is co-produced with musician Justin Glasco (Christina Perri, Dan Wilson, Cary Brothers, Matt Nathanson, Kate Voegele, Jeremy Camp) and features contributions from singers Glen Phillips, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Adrianne Gonzalez, Gary Jules, Joey Ryan, Jake Newton and Natalia Zukerman, guitarists Kevin Devine, Meghan Toohey and Josh Dunahoo, drummer Aaron Redfield, and violinist Helena Lamb.

From the brimming glisten of “To Garrison on Her 29th Birthday” to the mid-70s era Eagles’ vibe of “Slow Crawl” (featuring guitar work by Kevin Devine) to the esoteric yearning of “The Needle and The Vein” to the powerful self-examination of closer “Other People’s Eyes,” Amateur is a glorious affair of the heart.

It’s a loving affair shared with a deep foundation of musical kinship. Country music superstar Mary Chapin Carpenter provides a bed of rustic backing vocals on the sublime comfort of “I May Let Go” while Glen Phillips (of Toad The Wet Sprocket) joins in on the resplendent hope of “When You’re Really Trying” and Gary Jules subtlety adds guitar and a melodic vocal counterpoint on the towering elegance of “Empire State Building”.

Garrison really connected with the album’s title/cover art concept, “I was intrigued by the idea of an amateur fighter, hence the little boxer on the cover. An amateur is somebody who pursues something for the love of it, not for money. That's where I started before I got into the music business and that's where I find myself again. I've never forgotten the fighter in me and I'm starting over again”.

She elaborates, “For the first time in almost 20 years of making records, I can hear me. I hear the person I want to be and am actually becoming, and that feels awesome. I don’t mean that in an egotistical way – I’ve been working my way out of some pretty serious darkness over the last several years, and to hear that progress and that metamorphosis happening is encouraging and validating for me.”

A centerpiece of the new opus comes roaring across the plains to the countrified strains of “The Train That’s Bound For Glory,” a gospel-infused anthem that’s poignant, both as a destination on the horizon and a mile marker in the rear view. With its refrain of “I never learned to trust nobody, I was too afraid to be let down,” it resonates wholeheartedly on the first listen and nestles close after miles and miles of repeated treks on its steely tracks.

What a long strange trek it’s been. During contractual stints with Geffen, Virgin and Vanguard Records, Starr released a wealth of critically acclaimed material that intimately connected with listeners. Now nearing her 20th Anniversary as a recording artist, and free from the confines of the agendas and politics of record labels, Garrison is confidently hitting her stride, both a seasoned songwriter and an accomplished entertainer.

Long gone are the “brand” names, but the passion remains the same.

Firmly embracing the new paradigm of the burgeoning era of DIY that allows for user-generated navigation, Garrison has self-released music via Direct-To-Consumer platforms such as Bandcamp and Topspin (her most recent fan-only “living room” EP entitled Not For Nothing contains a magnificent acoustic version of The Killers “When You Were Young”).

She also partnered up with publisher Brite Revolution to release a live EP called Relive that was recorded in front of a select group of fifty friends and fans in Nashville. Starr most recently utilized Pledge Music, (an online “pledge drive” similar to Kickstarter), to fund the Amateur recording.

Watch some hilarious outtakes from a companion piece Garrison created for her Pledge Music community:

Garrison delves into the DIY ethos, “Ani DiFranco made a really significant mark and I have always used her career as a reference when it comes to independent musicians. I have lots of friends who make a living for themselves in music. They make good money and they play by their own rules. I can't imagine any other way of operating now. I'm so much more proactive because I know what I have and what is possible. I've been in the snake pit, and I know what it takes to charm the snake. I'm gonna charm that hell out of that sucker, believe it.”

Joining a band called The Living Hand (with Neilson Hubbard and Clay Jones) in 1993, Garrison’s career jumped on the fast track, which allowed her, over the course of two decades, to collaborate with some of the most revered songwriters of a generation.

She’s toured with Melissa Etheridge, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Sarah McLachlan on Lilith Fair, worked with Steve Earle (whom produced two tracks on her Songs From Take-Off to Landing), co-produced music for Margaret Cho’s Cho Dependent album and dove head-first into side projects as a member of Among the Oak & Ash with Josh Joplin and Plover with Glen Phillips.

The collaborative spirit is something Starr takes pride in, and truly embraces, as the camaraderie it affords has become the loving embrace of a close-knit family.

In 2005, she co-founded the songwriters troupe, North La Brea All Star Conquistadors with Jay Nash, Gabriel Mann and Adrianne Gonzalez (the latter two went on to form The Rescues) and regularly sits in on a critically acclaimed “songwriters in the round” series at Room 5 in Hollywood with Adrianne, Dawn Thomas and Grammy-Award winning songwriter Maia Sharp.

Drawing from a wealth of collective experience amidst many layers of reinvention, Julia Garrison Starr’s desire to creatively engage the minds, hearts and souls of others continues to burn bright. She, in fact, is the polar opposite of an amateur.

Starr is a consummate professional firmly entrenched in the Conductor’s seat on a train that’s bound for glory.

GARRISON STARR
AMATEUR
1. Keep Your Head Down
2. To Garrison, On Her 29th Birthday
3. Slow Crawl (ft. Kevin Devine)
4. The Train That's Bound For Glory
5. The Needle and The Vein
6. The Day The Rains Came To Schoharie
7. I May Not Let Go (ft. Mary Chapin Carpenter)
8. Empire State Building (ft. Gary Jules)
9. When You're Really Trying (ft. Glen Phillips)
10. Between The Devil's Rain and A Dying Language
11. Rednecks and Sailors
12. When Nobody Was Looking
13. Other People's Eyes

GARRISON STARR
TOUR DATES
01/27/12 - Bisbee, AZ @ Cafe Roka (w/ Natalia Zukerman)
02/11/12 - San Francisco, CA @ KC Turner House Concert
04/04/12 - Utrecht, Netherlands @ Emile’s (w/ Jay Nash)
04/05/12 - Roepaen, Netherlands @ Roepaen (w/ Jay Nash)
04/06/12 - Waspik, Netherlands @ LRC (w/ Jay Nash)
04/08/12 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso (w/ Jay Nash)
04/09/12 - Etten-Leur, Netherlands @ LRC (w/ Jay Nash)
04/12/12 - Hamburg, Germany @ TBD (w/ Jay Nash)
04/13/12 - Berlin, Germany @ TBD (w/ Jay Nash)
04/14/12 - Cologne, Germany @ Klub der 40 at Christuskirche (w/ Jay Nash)
04/16/12 - Liverpool, UK @ The Shipping Forecast (w/ Jay Nash)
04/17/12 - Leeds, UK @ Royal Park Cellars (w/ Jay Nash)
04/19/12 - Kelvedon, UK @ The Institute (w/ Jay Nash)
04/20/12 - London, UK @ The Silver Bullet (w/ Jay Nash)
05/18/12 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Café (8PM)

GARRISON STARR.COM

SANKOFA Strut Is A Lovin' Spoonful Of Carolina Chocolate Drops

2012-01-21T18:06:00.000-08:00

In February 2006, Sankofa Strings, a progressive collective comprised of percussionist Sule Greg Wilson along with multi-instrumentalist Dom Flemons and singer Rhiannon Giddens, from the Grammy-Award Winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, were taped in concert for inclusion in the award-winning jug band documentary CHASIN' GUS' GHOST, a film which chronicles a worldwide quest to assemble a comprehensive lineage to Gus Cannon, a seminal figure in the history of American music.

In the 1920s, Gus helmed Cannon's Jug Stompers, one of America's premiere jug bands, whom regularly delighted rambunctious sold-out crowds from Alabama to New York with a showstopper called "Minglewood Blues".

Four decades later, the era-defining tune was re-christened as "New, New Minglewood Blues," appearing on the 1967 debut album by a Bay-area jug band called the Grateful Dead.

One of the groups that preceded the Dead was Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions. Recording a show at The Tangent in Palo Alto, CA in July 1964, this jug band featuring Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan soon morphed into The Warlocks and then the Grateful Dead.

Duly impressed by Sankofa Strings and their refreshing melting pot of century-old traditional string band music, jazz, folk and blues coated in the context of modern arrangement, Chasin’ Gus’ Ghost Producer/director Todd Kwait offered the band an opportunity to record an album at Nevessa Production in Woodstock, NY, a studio that specializes in recording acoustic orchestras. Three years later, the group took Kwait up on his offer.

Sankofa The Uptown Strut

Along with original Sankofa Strings members Flemons and Wilson (Giddens had just given birth to her first child and could not make the sessions), The Uptown Strut took shape in the summer of 2009 with the esteemed vocal ambiance of Canadian singers, Ndidi Onukwulu and Allison Russell, whom gracefully take turns up front while also augmenting one another. Dom and Sule Greg are also interspersed throughout as lead vocal captivators.

(Dom Flemons)

Joining the groundbreaking ensemble for their historical exploration was John Sebastian, founder of the Lovin’ Spoonful, a Rock ‘N Roll Hall Fame Inductee immensely popular in the late ‘60s that drew inspiration from and paid tribute to jug band music, and pianist Professor Louie, a recent Blues Hall of Fame Inductee, whom fondly remembers the spirited sessions, "While working together in the studio, I realized that all the members of Sankofa have a very deep understanding of music and heritage. As the sessions went on, I felt we all had the same love and understanding of this music”.

From Pandeiro and Bodhran drums to accordion and maracas to kazoo and tambourine to jugs, bones and washboard, The Uptown Strut deftly glides the gamut of instrumentation with Sebastian adding banjo to the Jimmy Cliff classic “Sitting In Limbo” and Baritone guitar and harmonica on the exquisite “If Wishes Were Gold” with a sultry lead vocal by Allison Russell.

(Allison Russell)

Mining further precious metals, The Strut saddles up at a sonic hookah as Sebastian and Professor Louie hydroponically blend with Wilson and Flemons on “Weed Smoker’s Dream,” a sophisticated traipse of the Harlem Hamfats tune from 1936 that clocks out at exactly four minutes and 20 seconds after an extended exhale of Cab Calloway’s “Minnie The Moocher”.

Further 420-friendly cuts include a Gospel-infused re-working of Ray Charles’ number one hit “Let’s Go Get Stoned,” with a soul-baring lead vocal by Ndidi Onukwulu, “What’s The Use of Getting Sober,” Louie Jordan’s first number one hit in 1942, and the 1930s-era Dixieland roll of “Don’t You Make Me High” set to sail by a sublime melody on clarinet.

(Ndidi Onukwulu)

Other storied sign posts in downtown Uptown are “The Old Folks Started It,” a take on the 1929 Minnie Wallace tune which also references Shelton Brooks’ 1917 hit “Darktown Strutter’s Ball,” “Sing Sing Prison Blues,” a nod to Bessie Smith’s 1924 recording and a, literally, bare-boned rendition of “Jump Jim Crow,” an early American treasure originally “collected” by blackface minstrel Thomas “Daddy” Rice in 1828.

(Sule Greg Wilson)

Gearing up for a March 27th release on Kwait’s Kingswood Records, the group dropped “Strings” from its moniker to put focus on the aesthetic beauty and prescient meaning of "Sankofa," a word in the Akan language of Ghana that translates in English to "go back and get it" (san - to return; ko - to go; fa - to look, to seek and take). It is often associated with the proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi," which translates "It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten".

Visually represented by an Adinkra symbol of a bird with its head turned backwards taking an egg off its back, Sankofa symbolizes one taking from the past what is good and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress through the benevolent use of knowledge.

Emboldened by a confident uptown strut, the majestic bird of Sankofa faces forward toward the enlightened to boldly fly high into the musical future.

SANKOFA  
THE UPTOWN STRUT
1. The Old Folks Started It (ft. Dom Flemons & John Sebastian)  
2. Ha-Ha Blues (ft. Ndidi Onukwulu)  
3. Weed Smoker's Dream (ft. Sule Greg Wilson & John Sebastian)
4. If Wishes Were Gold (ft. Allison Russell & John Sebastian)  
5. It's A Good Thing (ft. Dom Flemons & John Sebastian)  
6. Can't Stain My Brain (ft. Ndidi Onukwulu)  
7. I Can Tell The World About This (ft. Allison Russell)
8. Brown Skin Girl (ft. Sule Greg Wilson)
9. What's The Use of Getting Sober? (ft. Sule Greg Wilson)  
10. Jump Jim Crow (ft. Sule Greg Wilson)  
11. Sing Sing Prison Blues (ft. Allison Russell)  
12. Sitting In Limbo (ft. Sule Wilson, Ndidi Onukwulu & John Sebastian)  
13. Don't You Make Me High (ft. Allison Russell)  
14. You Got Me Rollin' (ft. Dom Flemons & John Sebastian)  
15. Let's Go Get Stoned (ft. Ndidi Onukwulu)

Catch Dom Flemons with the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS
TOUR DATES
01/26 - Music Hall, Portsmouth, NH
01/27 - Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, VT
01/28 - Calvin Theater, Northampton, NH
01/29 - The Egg, Albany, NY
01/31 - Jefferson Theater, Charlottesville, VA
02/02 - Georgia Theatre, Athens, GA
02/03 - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
02/07 - Butcher Auditorium, Madisonville, TN
02/09 - Henderson Fine Arts Center, Henderson, KY
02/17 - Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ
02/18 - Library of Congress, Washington, DC
02/19 - Ruby Diamond Auditorium, Tallahassee, FL
02/20 - Ruby Diamond Auditorium, Tallahassee, FL
02/23 - Clifton Center, Louisville, KY
02/24 - Buskirk-Chumley Theater, Bloomington, IN
02/25 - Earlham College, Richmond, IN
02/26 - Stuart’s Opera House, Nelsonville, OH
02/28 - Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center, York, PA
03/02 - Schimmel Center for the Arts, New York, NY
03/03 - Berklee Performance Center, Boston, MA
03/04 - Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, MA
03/07 - Infinity Hall, Norfolk, CT
03/08 - Strand Theatre, Rockland, ME
03/09 - Stone Mountain Arts Center, Brownfield, ME
03/10 - Stone Mountain Arts Center, Brownfield, ME
04/03 - Vagabond Blues, Palmer, AK
04/04 - Wendy Williamson Auditorium, Anchorage, AK
04/06 - UCLA Live, Los Angeles, CA
04/11 - Simms Auditorium, Albuquerque, NM
04/15 - McDowell Mountain Music, Phoenix, AZ
04/28 - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest, New Orleans, LA
06/17 - Palisade Bluegrass & Roots, Palisade, CO

THE NEARLY DEADS Nurturing New Found Glory (Zombie Music Review)

2012-01-17T02:12:00.000-08:00

Dear NEARLY DEAD in NashVegas,

You had me at "ZOMBIE MUSIC VIDEO"

I got a mouth full of words but nothing to say...

I don't usually answer personal ads but your overt attention-grabbing use of succulent meta sauce really peaked my perception.

While my personal preference of living dead are vampires roaming the shadows of a New Years Day, I really appreciate your understanding of marketing in the new paradigm.

With the current craze of zombies festering in mainstream culture as they gingerly stumble slowly through TV shows like AMC's The Walking Dead & MTV's Death Valley and in movies like Zombieland and Dawn of the Dead, there's never been a better time than now to tag the title of your song with Zombie Music Video...especially since Google owns You Tube which populates the first page of every search result.

Besides that, having a bunch of your friends dress up like zombies is a hella good time and you should be shouting it out loud like Gene Simmons in a Dr. Pepper Cherry Cola commercial.

I really like your taut manicured sound. Your self-titled THE NEARLY DEADS Ep is thick as a brick lifehouse.

On songs like "Reasons," "Special" and "Thanks For Nothing," Steve Tobi (guitar), Cory Walen (drums), Brandon Barnes (Guitar), Kevin Koelsch (Bass) deftly construct the melodic tension that's sprung to eternal life by the powerful vocal embrace of Theresa Jeane.

TJ, she's a keeper. Her rhinoceros thesaurus must be filled to the brim with a piping hot cornucopia of onomatopoeia.

If it's me you're after, well, how about a STRAIGHT ANSWER

Ok, ok. I admit it. The zombies seduced me like cotton candy in sugarland but it was a descending piano melody saturated with reverb that sealed the deal...that and the random use of grease in your "Fact & Friction" video:

And now I finally have the perfect cure for my longing for more early era Paramore.

Intended or not, the epic opening drum/guitar build-up of "The Perfect Cure" reminds me of the opening of Paramore "Born For This" off of The Final Riot! (Live).

"Chi-CA-GO!!!"

The densely packed urgency of TPC would nuzzle up nicely with "Emergency" and "Let This Go" off of Paramore All We Know Is Falling.

Here's my prediction. I believe what's in front of me...

Which is a monster mutha sukka success story waiting for its next chapter to be swiftly written. How big? Monster massive? Rockstar Large?

THE MOOSE IS LOOSE. IT'S A GARGANTUAN GODZILLA GORILLA!

In fact, so immensely disproportionately HUGE that a camera frame can't even capture its absolute LARGENESS, it's infinite GROWTH.

To put it into search terms amidst a paragraph of carefully chosen meta tags, I would say that The Nearly Deads sound like Taylor Swift fronting Paramore (it would be Taylor & Taylor y'all!) or Avril Lavigne as the mutha fu*kin princess of We Are The In Crowd or Gwen Stefani riding shotgun (No Doubt!) in the Smashing Pumpkins or Jennifer Nettles commandeering The Cab or Hayley Williams singing for Foo Fighters...a great way to get Dave Grohl back on drums...which would be total Nirvana!

We don't have all day and we don't have all year so I wanted to cut to the Sprint cup chase and let you know that the random explicit use of preemptive searchable strikes would continue to propagate. And that we have some curious george common ground.

I like The Nearly Deads. You like The Nearly Deads.

I want to go to Warped tour this summer.

You want to play Warped tour this summer.

Kevin Lyman, O Brother Where Art Thou?

You have a desire to be Fueled By Ramen and since I'm not even able to afford sleeves, I often find myself fueled by ramen.

Being sleeveless is strangely contagious, isn't it?

You like drinking beer. Ditto.

I like your sense of humor. You like your sense of humor.

You like the Material Girl. I like a material girl. She's my Madonna...my Lucky Star. Her name is Britney Spears. She's a real Femme Fatale. (gratuitous inclusion for maximum new found glory on search results)

I, too, am getting better at being faster...especially at getting to the point.

Which is to never look back and don't tempt tomorrow.

Just throw it all away and cut the ties to allow for Nothing But A Good Time.

In the meantime, hope you'll be mine until you make it to the big time.

Yours truly,

Sleeveless in Seattle

PS, call me any time, my number is 555-DIME

THE NEARLY DEADS
TOUR DATES
01/20/12 - Nashville, TN @ Revolver
01/27/12 - Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Casino
03/08/12 - Nashville, TN @ The Rutledge
03/18/12 - Indianapolis, IN @ Melody Inn Tavern
03/22/12 - Toronto, CAN @ Canadian Music Fest

There's no place like home. There's no place like home.

THE NEARLY DEADS.COM

VAN HALEN Tattoo You And Your Blues With A Different Kind Of Truth

2012-01-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

You better call up the ambulance I'm, deep in shock.
Overloaded baby, I can hardly walk...

VAN HALEN, Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductees and one of the most important and influential rock bands of all time, announced their return to the live stage during a once-in-a-lifetime performance on January 5 at the intimate 250-person capacity Café Wha? in New York City.

Picking up where they left off in 2008, the 3/4 Van Halen, one-part Roth ripped through a 13-song set.

Here's a multi-camera montage of the first three songs, "You Really Got Me," "Runnin' With The Devil," and "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" (Roth ad libs for five minutes before Doctor including some thoughts about Lady Gaga):

VAN HALEN
CAFE WHA?
JANUARY 5, 2012
SET LIST:
01. You Really Got Me
02. Runnin' With The Devil
03. Somebody Get Me A Doctor
04. Everybody Wants Some
05. She's The Woman
06. Dance The Night Away
07. Panama
08. Hot For Teacher
09. Ice Cream Man
10. Ain't Talkin Bout Love
11. Jump
12. Beautiful Girls
13. Unchained

The Wha? show previewed "She's The Woman," a 35-year old song that's been updated for inclusion on the band's new album A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRUTH.

The original "She's The Woman" appeared on the infamous Gene Simmons produced Van Halen Zero demo in 1976:

A Different Kind Of Truth, which will be released in the U.S. by Interscope Records on February 7, is Van Halen’s first original studio album with singer David Lee Roth since the band’s classic multi-platinum album 1984.

VAN HALEN
A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRUTH
1) Tattoo
2) She’s The Woman
3) You and Your Blues
4) China Town
5) Blood and Fire
6) Bullethead
7) As Is
8) Honeybabysweetiedoll
9) The Trouble With Never
10) Outta Space
11) Stay Frosty
12) Big River
13) Beats Workin’

"The Downtown Sessions" DVD Track Listing:
1) Panama (Acoustic)
2) You and Your Blues (Intro, Acoustic)
3) You and Your Blues (Acoustic)
4) Beautiful Girls (Acoustic)

The first single from ADKOT is “TATTOO” with its "Dance The Night Away" vibe eschewing its "sexy dragon magic":

On the Tour of TRUTH, fans can expect Van Halen to perform selections from their arsenal of epic hits that include: “Eruption,” “Running with the Devil,” “Jamie’s Cryin’,” “You Really Got Me,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” “Everybody Wants Some,” “Unchained,” “And The Cradle Will Rock,” “Beautiful Girls,” “Mean Street,” “Somebody Get Me A Doctor,” “Jump,” “Panama,” “Hot For Teacher” and more from classic albums Van Halen, Van Halen II, Women and Children First, Fair Warning, Diver Down and 1984.

Van Halen – who the Los Angeles Times recently called “a force of nature” and “one of the flat-out greatest rock bands on the planet” – were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in March of 2007.

Formed in Los Angeles in 1974, Van Halen changed the rock and roll landscape forever with the release of their self-titled, 1978 debut album displaying unparalleled stage presence, revolutionary musicianship, and extraordinary songwriting abilities.

Amen. Looking forward to Runnin' with a different kind of Devil...

Somebody, please get me a Doctor.
Somebody give me a SHOT!

VAN HALEN
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:
2/18/12 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
2/20/12 Detroit, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills
2/22/12 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse
2/24/12 Chicago, IL United Center
2/28/12 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
3/01/12 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
3/03/12 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
3/05/12 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
3/09/12 Buffalo, NY First Niagara Center
3/11/12 Boston, MA TD Garden
3/15/12 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
3/17/12 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
3/21/12 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
3/24/12 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall
3/28/12 Washington, DC Verizon Center
3/30/12 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
4/01/12 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
4/10/12 Fort Lauderdale, FL BankAtlantic Center
4/12/12 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
4/14/12 Orlando, FL Amway Arena
4/16/12 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Arena
4/19/12 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
4/21/12 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
4/25/12 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
4/27/12 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
5/01/12 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
5/05/12 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
5/07/12 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
5/09/12 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
5/11/12 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
5/17/12 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
5/19/12 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
5/22/12 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
5/24/12 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
5/27/12 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
6/1/12 Los Angeles, CA STAPLES Center
6/3/12 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
6/5/12 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
6/12/12 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
6/14/12 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena
6/16/12 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center
6/20/12 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
6/22/12 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
6/24/12 Houston, TX Toyota Center
6/26/12 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena

VAN HALEN.COM

EVOLOVE & BLAMESHIFT Awake The Western States As Tour Mates

2012-01-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

LA pop-core alt rockers EVOLOVE, led by the powerful vocals of singer Lucy Levinsohn, are gearing up for another run of dates throughout the western states.

The band, whom recently locked in drummer Andrew Carroll as a permanent replacement (he most recently hit the skins for Stitched Up Heart), will continue to support its latest Breaking Heartstrings release.

EVOLOVE are currently recording an acoustic album with engineer Ryan Gelber. Entitled ACOUSTIC SESSIONS VOL. 1 the 12-song release will contain four brand new songs ("3 Cheers" "Pieces" "Just A Dream" "Spare Me") along with stripped-down versions of "Let Me In" "2012" and "Toyshop Girl" from their debut Ep and all of the tracks from Heartstrings.

ASV1 will be released on March 13 and is available for pre-sale.

In the meantime, since the year of the Mayan is upon us, check out the ominous foreshadowing bequeathed in the video for 2012.

It is the Countdown to THE END:

Awakening the states along I-5 with Evolove will be the Eco-love of rock outfit BLAMESHIFT, whom power their tour bus with the simplicity of honest-to-goodness vegetable oil.

Formidably led by singer Jenny Mann, the Long Island, NY quartet have previously crisscrossed the country over the past six years to the tune of 150,000 miles and were selected/featured last fall by retailer HOT TOPIC as one of the Best Unsigned Bands in the land (coincidentally, Evolove were similarly anointed the following month).

While on the road, the band will perform songs from their two full-length recordings and two subsequent EPs, the latest of which includes the hit single "Ghost":

At the conclusion of the tour, Blameshift will begin recording the follow-up to The Black Rose with producer ERIK RON (Panic! at the Disco, VersaEmerge, D.R.U.G.S., Four Years Strong, Hit The Lights, Foxy Shazam, The Academy Is).

The final show of the three-week jaunt will culminate at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood for the second installment of ROCKSTARS & PINUPS, a unique multi-media event specifically created by Ms Levinsohn to cast a light on the best and brightest music, entertainment, fashion and performance art bubbling up in Los Angeles. The inaugural event saw performances by Evolove, Matt Toka, Valora and Melotia.

Rounding out the second chapter of ready-made Pinups and resplendent Rockstars are NEO GEO, led by singer Rainy Terrell, MODELSAINT, fronted by Skyla Talon, and synthpop rock group iNK.

Rockstars & Pin Ups II - Feb 13th at The Roxy - Hollywood

The sorted soirée will be capped by a special performance by Miss Dakota and the Burlesque ALL Stars.

EVOLOVE & BLAMESHIFT
TOUR DATES
1/25 – West Hollywood, CA – Whiskey A Go-Go
1/26 – Long Beach, CA – DiPiazza's
1/27 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Blue Lagoon
1/28 - Winnemucca, NV – Player's Bar
1/31 – Yakima, WA – Bill's Place Tavern
2/01 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
2/02 – Kennewick, WA – The Rock Reactor
2/03 – Spokane, WA – The A Club
2/04 – Portland, OR – Backspace
2/07 – Stockton, CA – Plea For Peace
2/08 – Visalia, CA – 210 Café
2/09 – San Diego, CA – Brick by Brick
2/10 – Las Vegas, NV – Vamp'd
2/12 – Anaheim, CA – The Doll Hut
2/13 – West Hollywood, CA – Roxy Theatre

BEAUTIFUL FREAKS: Hot Chelle Rae, Cady Groves, Electric Touch, Action Item

2012-01-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

American Music Awards Best New Artist winners HOT CHELLE RAE {Ryan Follesé (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Nash Overstreet (lead guitar, backing vocals), Ian Keaggy (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Jamie Follesé (drums)} are getting ready to circumnavigate the U.S. on their BEAUTIFUL FREAKS headlining tour.

Openers for the first peg leg of dates, beginning February 14, are Oklahoman sassypants CADY GROVES and Austin, TX rockers ELECTRIC TOUCH whom also open some shows for EVANESCENCE (Jan 13-21).

On March 2, HCR will head Down Under for a perch in Perth on a string of arena shows with Nashville gal pal TAYLOR SWIFT whom brought the band on stage during her Staples Center LA show last summer to sing their hit single Tonight Tonight.

Second limb of the two-legged Beautiful Freak will see ACTION ITEM replace Ms Groves whom will embark on promo for her debut album on RCA.

HOT CHELLE RAE
BEAUTIFUL FREAKS TOUR
02/10/2012 - Metarie, LA Festival Plaza, Jefferson Parish
02/11/2012 - Galveston, TX Mardi Gras
02/12/2012 - San Antonio, TX AT&T Center, Stock Show & Rodeo

HOT CHELLE RAE
BEAUTIFUL FREAKS TOUR
w/ CADY GROVES & ELECTRIC TOUCH
02/14/2012 - Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
02/15/2012 - Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
02/17/2012 - Vancouver, BC Venue
02/18/2012 - Seattle, WA Showbox Sodo
02/20/2012 - San Francisco, CA Slim's
02/22/2012 - Anaheim, CA House of Blues
02/23/2012 - San Diego, CA House of Blues
02/24/2012 - Indio, CA Riverside County Fair
02/25/2012 - Los Angeles The Roxy Theatre

HOT CHELLE RAE (opening for TAYLOR SWIFT)
03/02/2012 - Perth, Australia Burswood Dome (with Taylor Swift)
03/04/2012 - Adelaide, Australia Entertainment Centre (with Taylor Swift)
03/06/2012 - Brisbane, Australia Entertainment Centre (with Taylor Swift)
03/07/2012 - Brisbane, Australia Entertainment Centre (with Taylor Swift)
03/09/2012 - Sydney, Australia Acer Arena (with Taylor Swift)
03/10/2012 - Sydney, Australia Acer Arena (with Taylor Swift)
03/12/2012 - Melbourne, Australia Rod Laver Arena (with Taylor Swift)
03/13/2012 - Melbourne, Australia Rod Laver Arena (with Taylor Swift)
03/14/2012 - Melbourne, Australia Rod Laver Arena (with Taylor Swift)
03/16/2012 - Auckland, New Zealand Vector Arena (with Taylor Swift)
03/17/2012 - Auckland, New Zealand Vector Arena (with Taylor Swift)
03/18/2012 - Auckland, New Zealand Vector Arena (with Taylor Swift)

HOT CHELLE RAE
BEAUTIFUL FREAKS TOUR
w/ CADY GROVES & ELECTRIC TOUCH
03/24/2012 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
03/25/2012 - Tampa, FL State Theatre
03/26/2012 - Jacksonville, FL Freebird
03/28/2012 - Dallas, TX House of Blues
03/29/2012 - Austin, TX La Zona Rosa

HOT CHELLE RAE
BEAUTIFUL FREAKS TOUR
w/ ACTION ITEM & ELECTRIC TOUCH
04/10/2012 - Charlotte, NC Amos' Southend
04/11/2012 - Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club
04/12/2012 - New York, NY Irving Plaza
04/13/2012 - Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
04/14/2012 - Philadelphia, PA TLA (Theatre of Living Arts)
04/16/2012 - Toronto, ON The Opera House
04/18/2012 - Cleveland, OH House of Blues
04/21/2012 - Chicago, IL House of Blues
04/22/2012 - Milwaukee, WI The Rave II
04/23/2012 - Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
04/25/2012 - Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection
04/26/2012 - Detroit, MI The Crofoot
04/28/2012 - Elkins, WV Davis & Elkins College (Deja Vu Fest)
04/29/2012 - Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
05/01/2012 - Kansas City, MO The Midland by AMC
05/02/2012 - Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom
05/03/2012 - St. Louis, MO Plush
05/04/2012 - Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
05/05/2012 - Atlanta, GA Center Stage

CASSADEE POPE Solo Acoustic Tour (w/ Darling Parade) Jan 27 - Feb 24

2012-01-03T00:28:00.000-08:00

With the recent announcement that Hey Monday are pulling a No Doubt and are going on "hiatus," singer CASSADEE POPE is gearing up to go solo as she begins the new year with a series of acoustic "Storytellers" type shows.

Along the tour, Ms Pope will most assuredly perform Hey Monday fan favorites "Homecoming" and "Candles," as well as some brand new songs and perhaps a cover such as Jason Derulo "In My Head".

Check out some acoustic vids for a taste of what's in store:

Cassadee will be joined on tour by 22-year old singer/guitarist KRISTIN KEARNS whom fronts Nashville power pop outfit DARLING PARADE

The band just released a 5-song EP entitled UNTIL WE SAY IT'S OVER that features a duet with Stephen Christian of alt rockers Anberlin.

TOUR DATES
Cassadee Pope w/ Darling Parade
Jan 27 Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA
Jan 28 Martini Ranch - Scottsdale, AZ
Jan 31 Key Club - West Hollywood, CA
Feb 01 Rock City - Camarillo, CA
Feb 02 Jerry's - Bakersfield, CA
Feb 11 Beat Kitchen - Chicago, IL
Feb 12 Altar Bar - Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 14 First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA
Feb 15 Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA
Feb 16 Mexicali Live - Teaneck, NJ
Feb 17 HighLine Ballroom - New York, NY
Feb 18 Planet Trog - Whitehall, PA
Feb 19 Sound Stage - Baltimore, MD
Feb 22 The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
Feb 23 1982 Bar - Gainesville, FL
Feb 24 Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL

KRISTIN KEARNS

Lady Cady & Her Slim Shady Crazy (The Best Of 2011)

2011-12-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

Much like with spirituality, everyone has their own version of what they believe to be true.

It's what makes the human condition unique by allowing shades of perception to colour what is seen, heard, tasted or ingested in a myriad of ways. And don't get me started on the many delicious shades of smelt.

So, when I emphatically endorse Cady Groves and her slingshot brand of cray cray as the 'Best of 2011,' it's only my recollection of the events which may or may not have been affected by direct trade Nicaraguan java, abnormal levels of mercury from high-grade sashimi and trace amounts of resveratrol originating from Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Objects in the rear view mirror may appear to reign, dear

I first heard her at the beginning of the year as a guest vocalist on the Secondhand Serenade track "You & I" and soon downloaded her two EPs from 2009 and 2010. Both became ingrained like a marinara stain.

As much as I like her sangin' talents, it's her completely inappropriate, yet highly entertaining, sense of humor that takes the cake and devours it.

From ceremoniously contemplating living the life of a pirate to her one-eyed "wink and a nubby nudge" social media seduction of fellow Oklahoman Blake Shelton (he soon appeared in her video for "This Little Girl") to her rendition of Miranda Lambert's "Famous In A Small Town" while literally brushing her "teefs" to releasing demos recorded in hotel bathrooms to salaciously answering physical fan mail via You Tube clips to randomly adding suffixes like "Groovestein Jr the III" to her name to making strange videos with her older brother Kelly, Ms Cadence reminds me of a young Dolly Parton.

With a pristine voice that effortlessly delivers achingly honest introspection and a knack for telling it like she sees it and meaning it like she says it, Cady has a larger-than-life personality laced with a sweet-as-peach-pie girl-next-door countenance that's solicitously sauteed with a steep heap of slim shady crazy.

It's the perfect formula to sew a technicolor coterie of grandiose proportions.

Can I get a MEEEEEELER ova here!!!

FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2011
18. Cady Groves The Life Of A Pirate/A Month Of Sundays/This Little Girl
88. MeTalkPretty We Are Strangers
18. Britney Spears Femme Fatale
88. The Pretty Reckless Light Me Up
18. He Is We My Forever
88. Kaskade Fire & Ice
18. Skrillex My Name Is Skrillex
88. Ke$ha (I Am The Dance Commander + I Command You To Dance)
18. Christina Perri lovestrong.
88. Evanescence Evanescence
18. New Years Day The Mechanical Heart
88. Picture Me Broken Wide Awake

FAVORITE TRACKS OF 2011
18. Ke$ha "Blow" [Circuit Remix] (I Am The Dance Commander)
88. Cady Groves "The Life of A Pirate" (The Life of A Pirate)
18. Kaskade "Turn It Down" [Ice Mix] (Fire & Ice)
88. MeTalkPretty "Strangers" (We Are Strangers)
18. Picture Me Broken "Echoes Of An Empire" (Wide Awake)
88. Kaskade & Skrillex "Lick It" (Fire & Ice)
18. The Pretty Reckless "Make Me Wanna Die" (Light Me Up)
88. Britney Spears "I Wanna Go" [Deluka BS Remix] (Femme Fatale)
18. Skrillex "My Name is Skrillex" (My Name Is Skrillex)
88. Skylar Grey "Invisible" (Dirty South Remix)
18. Valora "I Like What You're Doing" (I Waited For You)
88. Plug In Stereo "Oh, Darling" (feat. Cady Groves)

From seeing Skylar Grey's first-ever LA show to the US debut of the "Big 4" metal titans to shouting the outro to "Killing In The Name" with 50,000 homies at the historic Coliseum to being front row for RATM, LIGHTS, Evanescence, Ke$ha (twice) and The Pretty Reckless (on three occasions) to dancing till the world ends with a frenzied fan base of femme fatales to sweating in a small glass house rafted through by an inflatable canoe to singing with Versa Vultures during a midday heatwave to hanging with Hayley Williams at the Alt Press booth before their triumphant set at Warped Tour Cleveland, it was an upper hemisphere kind of year but the show that spearheaded my list didn't actually exist.

For as supremely cool as it is to get media credentials to the most-coveted sold-out shows and festivals, getting an invite to a private rehearsal, soundcheck or showcase often trumps the ante. Especially when it's a world-renowned superstar.

I got a call late one night inviting me to a "Family & Friends" show the following afternoon at the Wiltern Theatre in LA. Amongst an intimate gathering of about 50 people, we politely sat in rows of folded chairs and watched a fully staged dress rehearsal for an impending world tour launching the following week in Southeast Asia.

Afterwards, as people chatted with the green-streaked "Black Star" of the show, I found myself flanked by Brody Jenner AND Deryck Whibley. Rather than Screaming Bloody Murder, I found my thoughts engulfed by the syncopated strains of "Bizarre Love Triangle".

Living a life that I can't leave behind...

FAVORITE CONCERTS OF 2011
18. Avril Lavigne - Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, CA (4/19/11)
88. Britney Spears - Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA (6/20/11)
18. Deadmau5 - Palladium, Hollywood, CA (8/25/11 & 8/28/11)
88. Metallica/Slayer/Megadeth/Anthrax - Polo Grounds, Indio, CA (4/23/11)
18. L.A. Rising (Rage Against The Machine/Muse) - Coliseum, LA (7/30/11)
88. Paramore (Warped Tour) - Blossom Music, Cuyahoga Falls, OH (7/20/11)
18. VersaEmerge (SXSW) - Emo's, Austin, TX (3/19/11)
88. Skylar Grey - Roxy Theatre, Hollywood, CA (11/1/11)
18. Evanescence/The Pretty Reckless - Palladium, Hollywood, CA (10/11/11)
88. MeTalkPretty/New Years Day - Key Club, Hollywood, CA (12/6/11)
18. Ke$ha - Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, CA (9/17/11)
88. Skrillex/Porter Robinson - Glass House, Pomona, CA (6/24/11)

FAVORITE TV OF 2011
18. Breaking Bad
88. Homeland
18. The League
88. The Killing
18. Boardwalk Empire
88. True Blood
18. Southland
88. Dexter
18. Californication
88. Louie
18. Secret Circle
88. Awkward.

ELECTRIC ORNAMENTS For The Dance Of The Sugar Plum Venison

2011-12-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

Who can afford to give coal to those that have been naughty this year...

Best bet is to fill their aural coffers with a digital sack of shiny saccharine-free Electric Ornaments carefully constructed by the mischievous elves of Idol Records. These ornamental treasures inter-connect seamlessly with ten newly minted train tracks to piece together a 28-song Christmas stack to make sure your chimney is back in black.

Brace your britches for a high voltage reindeer Ride of the Valkyries. On Dasher & Dancer, Prancer & Vixen and all the plump Sugar Plum Venison.

All of your old school childish favorites have been brazenly re-gifted, from a rip-roaring "Snow Miser' to a feedback-drenched funkadelic version of "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch" to a drum n bass bake of "Little Drummer Boy" to the Ambien-induced snuggle of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" to the punch-drunk fisticuffs of The Kinks "Father Christmas". And tying a twisted bow on top is an indie surf filet of the Sugar Plum Fairies by The Mag Seven.

And if the tolling Holiday bells anchoring the pop-punk chords of Here Holy Spain's "God Damn This Christmas" doesn't seduce your festive mood, then "Fa la la YULE".

ELECTRIC ORNAMENTS
1. The Mag Seven "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy"
2. Centro-matic "Fuselage (It's Starting To Look Like Christmas Once Again)"
3. The Deathray Davies "I Got Coal"
4. Vibrolux "I'll Be Home For Christmas"
5. Chomsky "Christmas Time Is Here"
6. Valve "Lincoln Shore"
7. Clumsy "Roamin' Holiday"
8. Viva Maxitone "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch"
9. Adventures Of Jet "Waiting On Christmas"
10. Chao "Just Fine"
11. [DARYL] "Wonderful Christmas Time"
12. Pinkston "Father Christmas"
13. Slowride "The Christmas Song"
14. Pleasant Grove "Five Minutes Of Snow"
15. Crash Vinyl "Snow Miser"
16. The Falcon Project "Little Drum n' Bass Boy"
17. Jasper Stone "Saddlin' Up Christmas Morning"
18. Darlington "Xmas"

(Anywhere But) Home For The Holidays by Calhoun

IDOL CHRISTMAS
1. El Cento "Too Much Snow"
2. Little Black Dress "Holidays"
3. Trey Johnson "Christmas Wishes"
4. Calhoun "(Anywhere But) Home For The Holidays" (Free mp3)
5. Shibboleth "Timothy Dingle
6. Mon Julien "Abandoned House"
7. Chris Holt "What I Always Wanted"
8. Glen Reynolds "All The Beautiful Things"
9. Darstar "Rough Diamonds"
10. Here Holy Spain "God-Damn This Christmas"

IDOL RECORDS.COM

Sarah McLachlan Sings Sinbad Shills & Autism Speaks At Blue Tie Ball

2011-12-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

On Thursday December 1, esteemed photographer Rob Shanahan debuted the inaugural BLUE TIE BLUE JEAN BALL to raise money/awareness for AUTISM SPEAKS.

Held at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, celebrities including actors/actresses Ed Asner, JK Simmons, Anthony John Denison, Cooper Harris, Mark Paul Gosselaar, Sarah Ramos, Mae Whitman, Matt Dallas, Max Burkholder, Melissa "MoJo" Hunter, Sinbad and Holly Robinson Peete arrived early to walk the "Blue" carpet.

Musicians/singers Gary Wright, Eric Burdon of the Animals, Jack Matranga & Brooke White (aka Jack and White), Tamar Kaprelian, Lucy Schwartz, Diane Burch and Sarah McLachlan also got their shoes blue.

(Jack Matranga & Brooke White)

(Sarah Ramos & Mae Whitman)

(Rodney Peete & Holly Robinson Peete)

Attendees were treated with roving platters of delectables and a full open bar to lubricate their minds before performances by Jack and White, Tamar Kaprelian, Lucy Schwartz, Diane Burch and Sarah McLachlan, all of whom were backed by an incredible house band directed by bassist Nathan East.

Throughout the evening, Sinbad kept the belly rolls rollin' (including an ongoing riff about having bought 500 dogs after seeing McLachlan's TV commercial for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and did a credible job of shilling for charitable donations as the fast-talking MC presiding over a live auction for items such as a custom Eddie Van Halen guitar, VIP tickets to Lollapalooza 2012, an autographed Sheryl Crow guitar, a collection of autographed Carrie Underwood items, a Rob Shanahan photo shoot and a deluxe Las Vegas Elton John Red Piano getaway.

For many, the highlight of the evening was the opportunity to see the inimitable Sarah McLachlan (pictured above; photo by Rob Shanahan) in an intimate setting.

Singer Toni Braxton welcomed the Vancouver native to the stage and Sarah delighted the crowd to five of her biggest hits including "Angel," the aforementioned SPCA theme. She was then getting ready to bid adieu when someone from the audience said he would donate $1000 to Autism Speaks if she would sing Cyndi Lauper's classic Time After Time (McLachlan contributed backing vocals to a stripped down acoustic version Lauper released in 2005).

Sarah obliged and soon requests (with sizable donations to match) came fast and furious with the crowd being treated to the Toy Story 2 gem "When She Loved Me' (co-penned Randy Newman) and the Holiday favorite "Wintersong'. The band then took the evening out with a rousing rendition of Earth Wind & Fire's "September".

Hearing September in December capped a fantastic evening for a tremendous cause and I'm happy to report that no animals (including Eric Burdon) were harmed or treated unethically during the evening's festivities.

SARAH MCLACHLAN
HOUSE OF BLUES SUNSET
12/1/11 SET LIST:
1. Building A Mystery
2. Loving You Is Easy
3. Adia
4. Forgiveness
5. Angel
6. Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper cover)
7. When She Loved Me
8. Wintersong
Encore
9. September (Earth Wind & Fire cover)

The event also doubled as a "book release" party for legendary rock photographer Rob Shanahan. A well-lit gallery was staged upstairs in the VIP section to showcase some of his most revered shots including images of Brooke White and Sarah McLachlan.

ROB SHANAHAN - VOLUME 1
With a foreword by Ringo Starr, VOLUME 1 is a 224-page hardcover book of never-before-seen photographs that take you on stage, backstage, in-the-studio and behind-the-scenes with some of the world's biggest music icons; Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Eddie Van Halen, Elton John, Jeff Lynne, Dave Grohl, Dave Matthews, Dave Stewart, Sting, Stewart Copeland, Joe Walsh, Quincy Jones, Terry Bozzio, Josh Groban, Sheila E, Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, Mötley Crüe, Iron Maiden, Godsmack, George Lynch, Lee Sklar, Dave Navarro, Sarah McLachlan, Avril Lavigne & Christina Aguilera.

All images in VOLUME 1 are available as 11x14, 16x20 or 20x24 gallery prints (matted & framed). Check out his gallery at RobShanahan.com

AUTISM SPEAKS
Autism Speaks is the world’s largest autism science and advocacy organization. The organization is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

(Special thanks: Rob Shanahan, Nikki Pesusich @Coterie Media, James Zahn @Kik Axe Music & photog Andrew Phares)

VALORA Shall Be Victorious Via A Vessel Of Vaunted Valiance

2011-12-06T14:26:00.000-08:00

Behold the mighty mighty sonic sword of VALORA

Inspired by a fictional female pirate, that was the captain of a wayfaring vessel christened The Sea Witch and a predilection for eschewing a brave determination in the battle of the music business, this bold blustery six-piece rock band from Whittier, CA (just a few miles SE of LA) is bound and determined to courageously fight for your honor and esteemed loyalty.

Steering the vaunted vessel of VALORA is 22-year old singer SYD DURAN whom was recently anointed one of the Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock by Revolver Magazine.

Syd's shipmates include her sister Taelor whom plays keyboards and provides backing vocals as well as lead guitarist Ryan Villa, drummer Jared Baez, bassist Kasim Somers and rhythm guitarist Kenny Benson.

VALORA also has a special ship steward, that being an infamous 83-year old "Mouse" whom coincidentally first got his start via a vessel named Steamboat Willie.

Signed to Walt Disney subsidiary Hollywood Records by Buena Vista Music Group Chairman Bob Cavallo, the mouse's multi-media empire has provided high-profile promotional avenues for the band with prime slots on soundtracks to The Last Song and Almost Alice, the companion piece to the Tim Burton Alice In Wonderland fantasy traipse.

It also provided an opportunity for Syd to add her vocals/presence to labelmates' Breaking Benjamin on their hit song "Blow Me Away":

All of these sign posts are marking the map for the grand voyage of their debut album I WAITED FOR YOU on April 3, 2012. A musical journey three years in making, it's one that's well worth the wait and will firmly cement their arrival as one of the Best New Artists, regardless of genre.

I WAITED FOR YOU was produced and recorded by Grammy-nominated producer Johnny K (Disturbed, Staind, 3 Doors Down, Plain White T's, Straight Line Stitch) and mixed by Neil Avron (Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park).

The expansive 11-track opus also contains songwriting contributions by American Idol alum Kara DioGuardi (P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Cobra Starship, Katharine McPhee, Carrie Underwood, Natalie Imbruglia), the "Rock Mafia" songwriting team of Antonina Armato and Tim James (Vanessa Hudgens, 78violet, Selena Gomez, Jesse McCartney, Miley Cyrus, David Archuleta, Brenda K. Starr) and Lauren Christy of The Matrix (Christina Aguilera, Hilary Duff, Avril Lavigne, Jason Mraz, Ashley Tisdale, Britney Spears).

Make no mistake. While, it's always beneficial to have acclaimed hitmakers spinning the knobs and starmakers doing their jobs, Syd Duran is the real deal, a bonafide superstar-in-the-making whose ship has arrived.

While having her own unique vocal resonance amidst a supremely powerful delivery, I hear textures of Lzzy Hale, Kelly Clarkson, Amy Lee, Ann Wilson and Chrissie Hynde with a pinch of Cher, a dash of Doro Pesch and a dollop of Sandi Saraya.

While the songs "I Waited For You," "Extreme" and "Live" have already been released as scores for an animated graphic novel based on the heroic female character "Valora," as envisioned by Syd, and brought to life by Ahmet Zappa's Monsterfoot Productions, IWFY is loaded with big bold catchy rock anthems.

"I Like What You're Doing" begins with an atmospheric bass line that slithers through your mind before exploding into a full-fledged heavyweight punch fueled by taut layers of rhythmic soothsayers.

Heart-racheting palpitators like "Forgotten," "Irreversible" and "Better When You Don't Know Better" remind one of the urgent passion of a fierce Kelly Clarkson in full form while the octave-enhanced sublime chorus of "You Make It OK" sounds like it could snuggle nicely on any of the multi-platinum Bon Jovi records.

Lighters, cell phones, glow sticks, amulets, basically anything that can be held, lit up and waved in unison will accompany YMIO one day at a sold-out arena show.

Via repeated listens to the full album, embedded nuances of the Iron Chef production team reveal themselves but what is rudimentary upon first listen to taut sonic sharpeners like "Life Hungover" and "No Matter What" is that Valora = Strength.

And that Strength is best measured by numbers, as in those that go up to 10 or in this case, that go to 11. Therefore, forevermore...

VALORA + VOLUME = VICTORY

And then when you add the syncopation of siblings as artillery in the arsenal, the volume knob might very well melt off the Richter scale.

(Duran Duran; sisters Taelor & Syd)

Musically, Duran & Duran are akin to Wilson & Wilson of Heart than say the sister set of Alexia and Anissa Rodriguez from Eyes Set To Kill, though their audience, initially, will be made up of younger exuberant fans whom champion the systematic rock onslaught of ESTK.

As powerful as VALORA is on record, the band flexes even greater might while sailing on the open sea at night. They completed their first national tour last fall opening for 10 Years and will surely land some key slots on tours in 2012 and beyond.

Better get your passport stamped and get ready for the valor of titanic rock.

Here's hoping that in addition to Warped TwentyTwelve that VALORA snag a spot opening for Evanescence.

Let thee dark pirates unite in a valiant global flight.

For all ye rowing the wayfaring Sea Witch, we shall be Victorious!

VALORA
I WAITED FOR YOU
1. I Waited For you
2. Extreme
3. Live
4. Forgotten
5. You Make It OK
6. I Like What You're Doing
7. Better When You Don't Know better
8. Irreversible
9. Life Hungover
10. No Matter What (free mp3)
11. Summer Stay

VALORA OFFICIAL

POPE O Holy Vs SIERRA Santa Baby (Christmas Cage Match)

2011-11-30T14:08:00.000-08:00

To bear it, we have to endure it, so why not embrace it...Holiday music during the Holidaze.

While there's always room for another go round of 'Chestnuts Roasting on the Open Fire,' Nat King Cole-style, we're happy to hear some new and interesting takes on Christmas classics.

So in the Spirit of a South Park Christmas (aka Jesus vs. Frosty), welcome to the non-inaugural Christmas Cage match between Floridian rock goddesses CASSADEE POPE of Hey Monday and SIERRA KUSTERBECK of VersaEmerge.

In this corner from West Palm Beach, FL, Ms Pope weighs in with a scintillating version of "Oh, Holy Night":

"Oh, Holy Night" will be on a 4-song HEY MONDAY CHRISTMAS EP releasing December 6, which will also contain an original Holiday song called "Without You," another called "Mixtape for Christmas" and a b-side from Beneath It All entitled "Shafted".

And in this corner, from St. Petersburg, FL (which, by the way, once soaked up a Guinness-certified 768 straight days of sunshine), Ms Kusterbeck seduces St Nick with a sinisterly sultry SANTA BABY:

SANTA BABY will be released as a digital single on December 20th.

Hopefully, VE will soon release an official version of their gnarly version of "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch":

Tough call on the Christmas cage match but looks as if the highly impartial judges have declared a technical sunshine state knockout on behalf of both versions rendering a split decision.

Guess a coin coated in bronzer will get flipped to decide the winner whom will go on to battle the victor of the fight night undercard of Jesus versus St. Nicholas:

Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics
Get More: SOUTH
PARK more...

Here's some bite-sized bark to nibble on while immersing oneself in the glory of Christmas forevermore:

Saint Nicholas, also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker.

He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas.

Mmmm..."Sierra Sinterklaas" evokes a sumptuous syncopation of versa. Imagining it emanating from the thorax of the Lorax, its supple symbiotic syntax makes the mind's eye relax.

Ms Sinterklaas shares her resolutions and deranged DREAMZ for 2012...

SCOTT WEILAND Wanders Through A Wondrous Winter Wonderland

2011-11-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

Two-time Grammy® winner SCOTT WEILAND finds inspiration from the iconic songs and singers of Christmases past, putting his signature baritone on some of his favorite holiday classics for THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR (Rhino Entertainment). The album also includes the singer’s own original holiday song, “Happy Christmas And Many More.”

The inception of THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR began two years ago when Weiland first performed “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” which is included on this album, on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.”

The singer says Frank Sinatra’s legendary 1957 recording of the song, which featured an orchestra conducted by Gordon Jenkins, inspired his take on this sentimental favorite.

Similarly, the album is filled with lush orchestrations punctuated by horns and sweetened with strings, which were arranged by Michael Birnbryer and Jessica Catron respectively.

Weiland leads the musicians through timeless holiday standards made famous by the likes of Nat King Cole (“The Christmas Song”), Bing Crosby (“White Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”), Perry Como (“Winter Wonderland”) and Andy Williams (“The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year.”) The album was produced by Weiland and his longtime collaborator Doug Grean.

There are surprises as well, including a reggae version of “O Holy Night” complete with steel drums, a spritely “Silent Night” propelled by a bossa nova beat and a jazzy “What Child Is This?” where Weiland channels his inner Van Morrison.

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR is very much a passion project for Weiland. In his note accompanying the album, he writes: “I hope this music, a labor of love from all of ‘us,’ finds you and touches your heart and soul. For that was the purpose of it. Not just these fabulous musicians but moreover, it was the absolute intent of the original writers, players, and legendary icons from days long gone."

"I have to pause and wonder...whether it be Frank, Bing, or Nat King Cole himself. Are these times really so different? A lot of these tunes were written during times of strife within our country and, in fact, around the world. Whether it be the depression or wartime, when these Christmas messages were sent out to men & women of our armed services in a fox hole or hospital, just as today those brave souls who dare to give it all.”

SCOTT WEILAND
THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR
1. The Christmas Song
2. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
3. White Christmas
4. Silent Night
5. It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
6. What Child Is This?
7. Winter Wonderland
8. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
9. Happy Christmas And Many More
10. O Holy Night

SCOTT WEILAND
TOUR DATES
Dec 07 - El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Dec 08 - Galaxy Theatre, Santa Ana, CA
Dec 13 - The Paramount, Huntington, NY
Dec 17 - City Winery, New York, NY
Dec 19 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
Dec 23 - Brixton, Redondo Beach, CA

PARAMORE Mourning A Hello Cold World Renegade Monster

2011-11-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

Paramore.net has launched a PARAMORE SINGLES CLUB that is initially offering fans access to a trio of brand new tracks from the Franklin trio of PARAMORE forevermore (singer Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis & guitarist Taylor York).

Hayley elaborates, "This club is our way of getting these songs directly to the Paramore family. We really wanted to do something special for all of you around the holidays to thank you for making 2011 so amazing and sticking with us as we go into 2012 and start working on the new album."

The group launched the Singles series on October 10 with "Renegade," a Rob Cavallo-produced track that emerged from the Transformers: Dark of the Moon soundtrack sessions that birthed "Monster":

"Renegade" was unveiled live at Fueled By Ramen's 15th Anniversary Concert in NYC on September 7th:

"Hello Cold World" was introduced to the cold, cold world on November 7th with the final club track to be released in the mourning of December 5th.

"In The Mourning" was also performed during the same FBR15 concert. It features the Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac classic "Landslide" in the breakdown:

The trio of tracks being offered in the PARAMORE SINGLES CLUB are available EXCLUSIVELY at PARAMORE.NET rather than digital retailers such as iTunes or Amazon.

This new material may possibly also appear on the band's forthcoming follow-up to 2009's Brand New Eyes which is slated for release in early 2012.

DIGITAL SONGS + 7" BOX SET + T-SHIRT - $54.99
-Renegade MP3
-Hello Cold World MP3
-In The Mourning MP3
-limited-edition 7" box set
-'bars' t-shirt
-access to Singles Club-only merchandise

DIGITAL SONGS + 7" BOX SET - $39.99
-Renegade MP3
-Hello Cold World MP3
-In The Mourning MP3
-limited-edition 7" box set
-access to Singles Club-only merchandise

DIGITAL SONGS + T-SHIRT - $18.99
-Renegade MP3
-Hello Cold World MP3
-In The Mourning MP3
-'bars' t-shirt
-access to Singles Club-only merchandise

DIGITAL SONGS ONLY - $2.99
-Renegade MP3
-Hello Cold World MP3
-In The Mourning MP3
-access to Singles Club-only merchandise

PARAMORE
HELLO COLD WORLD
I feel happy, I feel sad
I feel like runnin' through the walls
I'm overjoyed, I'm undecided
I don't know who I am
Well, maybe I'm not perfect
At least I'm working on it
Twenty-two was like, the worst idea that I have ever had
It's too much pain, it's too much freedom
What should I do with this

It's not the way you plan it
It's how you make it happen
Yeah, it's how you make it happen

It's such a cold, cold, world (hello cold world)
And I can't get out
So I'll just make the best of everything I'll never have
It's such a cold, cold, world (hello cold world)
And it's got me down
But I'll get right back up as long as it spins around
Hello cold world

Girls and boys keep lining up
To see if they can measure up
But they look good and they feel wild
But it will never be enough
You say you're really hurting, at least you're feeling something
We can hope and we can pray that everything will work out fine
But you can't just stay down on your knees
The revolution is outside

You wanna make a difference
Get out and go to get it
Whoa, get out and go to get it

It's such a cold, cold, world (hello cold world)
And I can't get out
So I'll just make the best of everything I'll never have
It's such a cold, cold, world (hello cold world)
And it's got me down
But I'll get right back up as long as it spins around
Hello cold world

Don't need my eyes open, wide
I just wanna feel something

Such a cold, cold, world (hello cold world)
And I can't get out
So I'll just make the best of everything I'll never have
It's such a cold, cold, world (hello cold world)
And it's got me down
But I'll get right back up as long as it spins around
Spins around
Hello cold world

The Pretty LIGHTS Amidst The Pretty Lights Lights Up The El Rey

2011-11-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

Rock 'N Roll has always been illuminated by illusion that sometimes paints a pretty smiley face on delusion. Whether real or lubricated by grandeur, there now exists an inter-planetary cushion that has softened the distinction. Say hello to my little friend, the precipice of allusion.

Whereas there was, is and will always be one illusionary being forever known as Pink Floyd, there now exists a wave of identity opaqueness. Yes, Pink Floyd did signify the dawn of allusion and perhaps a prism to refract the current wave of sensory stimulation represented by the milieu of music meets mindful manipulation meets malleable minds.

But rather than steadfast illusions, artists are defining themselves by shades of color embodied by the use of phrases augmented by adjectives ameliorated by acronyms. And through it all, strings of words and strings of letters meant to signify strings of words are hanging by a heavy rope on the God forsaken precipice of one big hot mess.

So, when I say "Pretty Lights," am I referring to Derek Vincent Smith, the ground-breaking electronic music artist that goes by the moniker Pretty Lights and has a record label called Pretty Lights Music or am I referring to the attractive 24-year old Valerie Anne Poxleitner, a ground-breaking electronic music artist whom goes by Lights and has a record label called Lights Music?!?!

Let's not even contemplate what kind of nomenclature might be devised if these two sets of brightly lit Lights were to get married, whether literally or figuratively. Cue Deborah ("Debby") Anne Boone "You Light Up My Life" (Vincent & Valerie's Late Nite Ice Mix).

A litany of Back-rubs and Re-rubs could ensue
But which one's Pink?

At the El Rey Theatre in LA on Monday night, the pretty Lights sang, the pretty lights flashed, the pretty Lights sashayed and the pretty people swayed.

It was pretty passionate. It was pretty panache. It was pretty reckless.

But don't get me started on how The Pretty Reckless might fit into this Pretty Lights, pretty Lights ménage à trois. Valerie meet Taylor...

The Pretty Pretty Lights Lights.
Double your pleasure, triple your fun.
Sounds pretty reckless.

But which one's Pretty In Pink?

I've seen Lights a few times over the last few years and the ebullient joy that emanates from both the stage and given back by the exuberant crowds is more akin to a Sunday morning gospel revue...though one with a self-professed Doodle Jump video game nerd as the congregation's tattooed Saviour.

And quite impressive is this particular alpha Siberian savior's ability to sing, shimmy, sidestep, dubstep and play the synth all in one fluid motion amidst a swirling cavalcade of pulsting beats under the glow of a cascade of pretty lights.

Flowery prose aside, you can tell Valerie takes her art and the meticulous visualization of her craft very seriously.

She also takes her well-coifed hairdo very seriously as she continually (and effortlessly) flipped her hair to picture perfect placement over and over again.

And while I appreciate the attention to every single detail presented in every single glorified moment, when she truly let her inhibitions go during the "I'm off on my rope here. I'm off on my own here" outro chorus of "Where The Fence Is Low," I was impressed the most.

She courageously went for "it" and the fanatical crowd responded in kind.

Towards the end of her 75-minute set, a shower of chanting adulation, from an audience wielding pretty light sabers, went from "Encore, encore, encore" to "We want Lights, WE WANT LIGHTS".

Thankfully, the front-of-house engineer did not actually heed their cattle call and and give us actual "lights" thereby inducing a sweaty herd of tetrissed tigers and tigresses. These hungry Siberian saber cats were propulsive in pushing for more of the pretty lights imbuing the equally pretty Lights.

She responded with a roaring version of "Lions!" a song from her debut album The Listening which, musically, reminds me of the classic atmospheric soundscapes generated on U2's The Joshua Tree, and then a solo acoustic reading of fan-favorite "Cactus In The Valley".

Stripped bare of the beats and the pretty lights, it was pure.
It was pretty.
It was LIGHTS.

LIGHTS
EL REY THEATRE
LOS ANGELES, CA
NOV 7, 2011
1. Banner
2. Second Go
3. Ice
4. My Boots
5. River
6. Flux and Flow
7. Everybody Breaks A Glass
8. Heavy Rope (Acoustic)
9. Face Up
10. Siberia
11. The Last Thing On Your Mind
12. Suspension
13. Where The Fence Is Low
14. Saviour
15. Toes
ENCORE:
16. Lions!
17. Cactus In The Valley (Acoustic)

LIGHTS
Tour Dates
10/18/11 Cambridge, MA - Middle East
10/19/11 New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
10/21/11 Philadelphia, PA - TLA
10/22/11 Baltimore, MD - Sonar
10/24/11 Pontiac, MI - The Eagle Theater
10/25/11 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
10/26/11 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
10/28/11 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
10/29/11 St. Louis, MO - Cicero’s
10/30/11 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Music Hall
11/01/11 Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre
11/02/11 Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
11/04/11 San Diego, CA - Soma
11/05/11 Mesa, AZ - Nile Theatre
11/07/11 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
11/08/11 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
11/09/11 Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
11/10/11 Seattle, WA - El Corazon
11/12/11 Victoria, British Columbia - 9 One 9
11/13/11 Kelowna, British Columbia - Kelowna Community Theatre
11/15/11 Vancouver, British Columbia - Vogue Theatre
11/17/11 Edmonton, Alberta - Edmonton Event Centre
11/18/11 Calgary, Alberta - MacEwan Hall
11/19/11 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Odeon Events Centre
11/20/11 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Burton Cumings Theatre
11/23/11 Ottawa, Ontario - Bronson Centre
11/24/11 Montreal, Quebec - Corona Theatre
11/25/11 Toronto, Ontario - Sound Academy
01/17/12 Quebec City, Quebec - Le Cercle
01/19/12 Fredericton, New Brunswick - The Market
01/20/12 Halifax, Nova Scotia - Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
01/21/12 Moncton, New Brunswick - The Capitol Theatre

(Thank you: Ashley @ Jian Ghomeshi Productions, Joan @ William Morris Endeavor, photographer Melissa Libertelli & James Zahn @ Kik Axe Music)

ROCKSTARS & PIN-UPS; Buzz Bands Burlesque & Fashion Invade ROXY

2011-11-07T15:37:00.000-08:00

Hollywood, CA: Debuting Monday November 14, 2011 at the world-famous Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip, is ROCKSTARS & PIN-UPS, a unique multi-media event specifically created to cast a light on the best and brightest music, entertainment, fashion and performance art bubbling up in Los Angeles.

Co-produced by Pin-Up America Magazine, Hollywood Music Magazine and HeartChord Entertainment, this inaugural event will include a rising tide of Rockstars & Pin-ups at the helm and embodied within the bands of Evolove, Matt Toka, Valora and Melotia.

Spicing up the non-stop rock will be charismatic retorts by Master of Ceremony Jimmy Roc from You Ain’t Rock / Hollywood Music TV and a tantalizing performance by world-renown Miss Dakota’s Burlesque ALL Stars.

Lucy Levinsohn, singer for Evolove and President of HeartChord (pictured above), came up with the concept of Rockstars & Pin Ups while on tour this summer, "There is a whole Rock ‘N Roll Pin Up scene that has been bubbling for years and it seemed like a good time to expose our fans to it. I am so excited to have such great bands, dancers, and reputable sponsors behind the event."

This special engagement is presented by Pin Up America Magazine and Hollywood Music Magazine and will broadcast live by Radio Buzzed via their Ustream channel.

ROCKSTARS & PIN UPS is an All Ages event (free cover for 21+; $3 for under 21). Doors are at 8 PM.

The Roxy Theatre is located at 9009 West Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA. INFO / RSVP

BANDS:

EVOLOVE

MATT TOKA

VALORA

MELOTIA

SPECIAL GUESTS:

MISS DAKOTA'S BURLESQUE ALL STARS

JIMMY ROC (HOST)

SPONSORS:
Pin Up America
Hollywood Music
RadioBuzzD
1888 Media
Stop Staring!
You Ain’t Rock
Cris Jan Lim (Sadisticeye)
Rock Me Makeup
3Thirteen Entertainment Group

ABOUT:
1888 MEDIA
Boutique Artist Development/Public Relations company guided by Industry veteran Rob Evanoff whom also publishes original content for the 1888 Media Matrix and is a Contributing Editor for Kik Axe Music (providing concert/event reviews).

3THIRTEEN ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
An Entertainment Talent Agency based in Detroit, MI (the 313) dedicated to “Keep Live Music Alive!”. Provides booking representation for Evolove, Alien Ant Farm, 12 Stones, Edisun, Flight Case For Sushi, Machina, Quarterfly, The Black Rabbits & Vains of Jenna.

BURLESQUE ALL STARS
Led by Creative Director Miss Dakota aka Dakota Ferreiro, this talented troupe of talented features singers Aurore Joly, Claude Racine and Lanie Hoxie and dancers Jasmin Figueria, Alyssa Marquez, Alexa Anderson, Crystal Chin, Erica Keihl, Rachel Walker and Morgan Larson whom are accompanied by vocalist Francesca Vannucci. Musical Director for the ALL Stars is bassist Steve Pandis whom is joined by drummers Michael Duffy and Adam Gusta with accompaniment by saxophonists Walter Davis and Zane Musa.

EVOLOVE
This tightly-knit alt-rock quintet fronted by the charismatic Lucy Levinsohn continue to build on the national buzz garnered from being a finalist in last year’s Free Credit Score.com band search. With rave reviews of their new Breaking Heartstrings Ep matched by months of cross-country touring, it’s easy to see why Hot Topic designated Evolove as their “Unsigned Band of the Month” for Sept/Oct 2011.

HOLLYWOOD MUSIC
A multi-media enclave that’s home to HOLLYWOOD MUSIC TV, the world’s longest running online music TV network, and HOLLYWOOD MUSIC MAGAZINE, a monthly online magazine focused on the very best emerging talent worldwide.

JIMMY ROC
Publisher of You Ain’t Rock.com and Host of YAR TV. For the past five years, Jimmy has provided media coverage for Mayhemfest, Family Values & Ozzfest while interviewing everyone from Meshuggah to Ice-T with Body Count. Roc was recently the subject of a July 2011 Hollywood Music Magazine cover story and has also done live remote coverage for Revolver TV, Hollywoodmusic.tv and Thestream.tv.

MATT TOKA
Hailing from Youngstown, OH, Matt is currently working on Straight To Hell, his debut for Reprise Records, produced by Warner Bros Chairman Rob Cavallo whom has garnered International acclaim producing records for Green Day, Kid Rock, Paramore, Jawbreaker and My Chemical Romance. Matt’s new hard-hitting pop-punk single “Say10” is available now on iTunes.

MELISSA LIBERTELLI
Refracting the grit of New York City, the swagger of South Beach and the translucence of Hollywood through a visually trained eye, Ms. Libertelli is a young rising star permeating the City of Angels. At ease jostling for position in a stage front photo pit as titans like Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Muse or Rage Against The Machine rev up an arena or battling the congestion of sweaty crowd-surfing bodies during an Alkaline Trio, Glassjaw or Black Veil Brides concert, she liberates poetry in motion.

MELOTIA
Powered by Sydney Australia, singer/guitarist Ryan David, bassist John Maryanski and drummer Clark Skelton, this melodic hard rock trio is currently working on their third studio release In Valor And Virtue, a concept album inspired by the lives and experiences of two real-life U.S. servicemen from World War II. The full-length LP is being released in three 4-song blocks. Part I which includes the anthemic single/video “We Are The Chosen” is available now for free download at invalorandvirtue.com

MISS DAKOTA (FERREIRO)
Having garnered International acclaim over a 20-year Entertainment Industry career marked by high-profile appearances on Carson Daly, Showtime & Bret Michaels’ Rock of Love 2, Miss Dakota (Ferreiro) is an accomplished and renowned Burlesque Dancer/ Choreographer. Ms. Ferreiro currently serves as the Creative Director for the Burlesque ALL Stars, is the creator of the Burlesque Body Work Out and owns and operates DMA Productions, a full-service Talent Agency / Production company representing dancers, singers, aerialists, specialty acts, musicians, bands, DJs, Burlesque performers, Instructors, nail technicians & photographers.

PIN UP AMERICA
Home to both Pin Up America Magazine, a bi-monthly, full-color publication available at fine book retailers worldwide, and The Pin Up America Show, an online video show co-hosted by Burlesque Vixen, Contessa and Pinup Kitten, Judy Pop (broadcasted live every Thursday from 8-9PM EST), Pin Up America is dedicated to being the global leader in Pinup, Rockabilly & Burlesque!

RADIO BUZZD
Fully Licensed ASCAP, BMI & SESAC Online Radio Station and Ustream Broadcast partner delivering the Best in Rock & Metal Live From Los Angeles.

ROCK ME MAKEUP
Boutique line of Custom Cosmetics, Hand Blended Minerals, Custom Blended Foundation, Pro Artist Tools, Professional Applications, Unique Gifts. Boutique studio located in Camarillo, CA.

ROXY THEATRE
One of the country’s most legendary and influential music venues and a cornerstone of the world-famous Sunset Strip, The Roxy was opened on September 23, 1973 by Elmer Valentine and Lou Adler, along with original partners David Geffen, Elliot Roberts and Peter Asher. From the Roxy’s 1973 opening evening featuring Neil Young, to Bruce Springsteen’s now-classic 1975 performances, to being a regular hangout for John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Alice Cooper, Keith Moon & John Belushi, the history of The Roxy Theatre is paved with icons, whether it was Guns N’ Roses’ pre-stardom shows, Miles Davis, Jane’s Addiction, Pearl Jam, or Paul Reubens, whom introduced his Pee-wee Herman character on the Roxy stage in 1981.

SADISTICEYE (LUSHES LIM)
Schooled in the Arts of Graphic Design and Photography, Cris Jan Lim unleashed his considerable visionary talents during the creation and design of the official Rockstars & Pin Ups poster/flyer. As a sought-after freelance artist, he has previously designed custom artwork for the band Evolove.

STOP STARING!
Established in 1997, Stop Staring! is the leader of original retro chic dresses and separates that flatter the figure and cater to a woman's independent spirit with timeless and classic styles at consistently affordable prices. Guided by Alicia Estrada, head designer and founder of the Stop Staring! Collection, the company’s original vintage inspired dresses and RTW outfits are sold in 1000s of boutiques all over the world and have been worn by celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Amy Winehouse, Eva Mendes, Kelly Osbourne, Trisha Yearwood, Kat Von D, Zooey Deschanel, Meg White (White Stripes), Christina Aguilera, Rebecca De Mornay, Chloe Sevigney & Nicole Kidman.

VALORA
Valora is a six-piece hard rock band from Whittier, CA featuring electrifying front-woman Syd Duran whose powerful vocals and stage presence have catapulted the band from obscurity to national attention. Fueled by Syd’s breakout guest vocal performance on Breaking Benjamin's Top 10 Active Rock single "Blow Me Away," all tides are rising high as Alt Press named Valora one of the “100 bands you need to know for 2011” while Revolver Magazine recently christened Ms. Duran as one of the “Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock”:

SKYLAR GREY Over The BROOK And Thru Her INVISIBLE Woods DARKLY

2011-11-01T00:50:00.000-07:00

SKYLAR GREY was at war with herself...And now she's Coming Home.

Left needing A Doctor is the meek, long, brown-haired singer/songwriter Holly Brook whom was on the losing end of an epic struggle dramatically visualized for posterity:

In short, Skylar domineeringly confronts Holly telling her

I Want To Dance Without You

Ms. Brook violently shakes and convulses and tries to retain control of herself, but she is rendered helpless by an invincible cult of personality as SKYLAR GREY triumphantly emerges in all her newfound dark princess glory.

She was Born This Way.

Millions already know her or at least her voice.

I, like Producer extraordinaire Kaskade as he surmised in a recent promo video for his brilliant new double album Fire & Ice, first heard the voice of an angel in the sullen piano-powered intro of Diddy-Dirty Money's "Coming Home".

It sounded as if she was singing right into my ear. Her timbre resonated deeply.

And then, once you discover that she has either co-written (most likely the song's hook) or contributed vocals to a growing list of massive hits including "Love The Way You Lie" (Eminem/Rihanna), "I Need A Doctor" (Dr. Dre/Eminem) "Words I Never Said" (Lupe Fisco), “Castle Walls” (T.I. & Christina Aguilera), "Where'd You Go" (Fort Minor) and a killer new collaboration with the aforementioned Kaskade on "Room For Happiness," your consciousness is assaulted with the comet-like trajectory of a shooting star through the trees.

She's also recently penned a reverential Zombie-soaked track with Marilyn Manson called "Can't Haunt Me". It's set to appear on her forthcoming debut album INVINSIBLE of which the title track was just remixed AND video-remixed by Dirty South:

Needless to say, soon enough the re-born Ms. Brook will no longer be invisible as THOSE millions that have heard THAT voice will put a pretty face to it.

I've been fortunate to have seen her perform live a few times this year including at The Grammy Awards during the Eminem/Dr Dre/Rihanna medley (Skylar comes in at 4:09)

And I was on hand a month ago for a special Grammy/NARAS member-only event at their Producers & Engineers Wing in Santa Monica. Skylar was joined by Alex Da Kid whom is producing INVINSIBLE (it's being released on his KIDinaKORNER imprint through Interscope Records) and whom exploded onto the scene as the magic mechanic behind "Airplanes" by B.o.B and Hayley Williams.

Kid N Grey (not to be confused with Kid N Play) engaged in a spirited Q&A session with DJ Skee before she took to the piano to do a solo rendition of her smash-hit resume. Here's a similar performance taped at a radio station:

And tonight, I'm looking forward to her sold-out show at The Roxy in Hollywood. Between it being her debut LA performance as Skylar Grey and the sheer number of expected VIPs on hand, it should be one for the ages.

Here's some clips from her first ever show as doppelganger Ms. Grey at Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco on July 28, 2011:

She played songs from INVINSIBLE including "Building A Monster" "Beautiful Nightmare" "Dance Without You" "Tower" Creep" "Weirdo" "Final Warning" before finishing with a 13-minute medley that seams together "Can't Haunt Me", "Zombie" (Cranberries), "Coming Home" (Diddy-Dirty Money), "Words I Never Said" (Lupe Fisco), "I Need A Doctor" (Dr Dre) & "Love The Way You Lie" (Eminem/Rihanna):

Where there was once a babbling brook of words never said, now a deep dark reservoir of conciliatory water is set to boil over.

So while Holly Brook contemplates an invisible bad romance with label mate Stefani Germanotta, the rest of the world best be ready for the baby blue skies of pop culture to turn Grey.

SKYLAR GREY MUSIC.COM

NEW YEARS DAY: The Dawn Of A Real Live American Horror Story

2011-10-27T01:45:00.000-07:00

Creeps Gather Together To Celebrate A Bad Romance Enjoining
The Mechanical Hearts of Living Dead Boys and Living Dead Girls

This is not a random headline but perhaps the epithet on a headstone.

The initiated understand.

The rest have yet to be baptized for they are not Dead yet.

It's the dawn of a new Day and it sounds like a day away from the Real World. It's a real live American Horror Story organically taking its toll.

It's the Dawn of the Dead on a New Years Day.

Almost exactly a year ago, I witnessed Orange County creep-rockers New Years Day deliver a raucous Roxy Music Horror Show. It was my first sip from the chalice. I've since drunk their divine wine several times including during the hot hot hot heat of this summer's Warped Tour.

Today, I'm hovering at 37,000 feet over this beloved country of ours en route Eastward and curiously wondering if I'm the first person to review a New Years Day concert at nearly the speed of sound, inhibited by a sense of weight and weightlessness. The gravity of it all.

I'm normally an idle aisle person but this morning I find myself staring out a window at the glorious beam of rising light as the sun begins to shine brightly upon the expanse of the Grand Canyon.

It seems as if the whole world is visible in front of me.

The sight of a new dawn is so enriching. It reminds me of the first ray of light on a New Years morning. But which morning of exactly which day am I referring to?

Toss out the Gregorian (January 1), Julian (March 25) and Chinese/Lunar calendars as this burgeoning New Years Day synchs up seamlessly with All Hallows Eve, Samhain, Day of the Dead and All Souls' Day.

At the throne of the crowning New Years Day is Countess Ash Costello, a heiress so intertwined with her allegiance to Haunting and Halloween and Knott's Scary Farm that it was a forgone conclusion that Revolver Magazine would anoint her "Miss October" for their annual spread of the Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock.

The anointment was just one more feather adorned upon her mystical top hat. Since signing with Hollywood Waste Records earlier this year, Ash and her label operatives have worked tirelessly to devise creative marketing initiatives like the "Missing" campaign that served as a teaser for the stunning sensory decimation of "Two In The Chest, One In the Head (a new video for "Murder" shall soon foster mindcrimes):

But most importantly for the development of the band at this juncture is to put them on the road again, again and then some more.

Living Dead Girl Ash and her band of Living Dead Boys need to break bread and drink blood with as many of their "Creeps" as unhumanly possible.

Not since Hayley Williams of Paramore, has a female singer/poet/fashion icon been so beloved by devoted fans. It's a mutual love fest. Since day one, Ashley continually verbally expresses how blessed she is and how much her fans mean to her. She spends a part of every day making sure she answers and recognizes as many fans as she can via social media. She also takes as much time as necessary to meet, chat and take pictures with fans (even those in the media).

This attitude is a sure recipe for the foundation of success but there is something deeper brewing.

Paramore is a great American rock band with a charismatic superstar leading the charge. New Years Day can easily boast that as well though the energy, enthusiasm and vocal allegiance of their faithful portend to something deeper. It's as if a binding spell was cast from a consecrated secret circle...

Perhaps it's a confluence of the after-math of the great Recession that fostered a great deal of disillusionment and pent-up angst colliding head-on with the current wave of mainstream popularity of the supernatural but there's no denying that a new movement ignited by rock 'n roll is gathering steam and fervent followers.

Forget the political operatives that are staging "Occupy" rallies across America in a pre-Election year. This impending revolution of the underground will seep above ground to occupy Main street, Wall street, back alleys and rustic roads on a New Years Day.

That day is nigh...

Wine is fine but Whiskey’s quicker…
Getting Dead with a vicar capitular

Kicking off the second show of the All The Rage tour with Blood on the Dance Floor and Angelspit, a reformulated New Years Day jettisoned the night with new guitarist Nikki Misery, whom formerly wielded his wily axe for Hollywood hard rockers Stitched Up Heart.

In fact, it had only been three weeks prior at The Roxy, that Ash was on hand to witness Nikki's final Stitched Up detonation. During the band's last song, Nikki made his way on to the venue floor where Ms. Costello proceeded to try and playfully tackle him to the ground. She was unsuccessful in wrastling him vertical but nonetheless, a spot on Team Ashula was on the horizon.

Tix to Stitched Up Heart at The Roxy (Free; It was a Metal Monday)
Red Bull Energy drink ($)
Grey Goose Vodka ($$)
Seeing Ash Costello attempt to tackle Nikki Misery (Priceless)

It's off-the-cuff moments like these that are etched in time though watching the band grow over the past year and really come into their own is equally enticing. It's rare to get to see a band with cavernous reservoirs of potential organically build a buzz right before your eyes.

And it's so rewarding to see a band as focused and determined as New Years Day were as they gunned down the crowd at The Whiskey with Two In The Chest and One In The Head. A blow-torch of unmitigated passion and precision. Incendiary.

The ferocity of the show was to be expected, especially with the talented Mr. Misery locked and loaded but a moment that has stuck with me is one that actually happened before the razor-sharp onslaught.

During the changeover, NYD band members were busy setting the stage (unfortunately not behind a Wizard of Oz curtain) and as Eddie Murphy's innocuous but infectious 80's anthem 'Party All The Time' blasted overhead, I looked up to the balcony to see Ashley sitting cross-legged on the floor just behind the railing bopping to the music and singing along.

Other fans noticed her as well and soon she stood up and smiled, acknowledging them enthusiastically. Mind you, this was mere minutes before she would shred the audience like Jack The Ripper.

It's just a subtext from chapter one of a real live American Horror Story.

What you see is what you get. It's in black and white. It's a genuine moment from a person alive in every moment, every time.

I wish Ash and Nikki and New Years Day all the oxidized AB Positive in the world. It's only a matter of time (and a million more tweets) until an army of mechanical hearts fulfills the valves of their every dreams.

I look forward to forthcoming futuristic erect-a-sets and elaborate theatrical interplay and will one day look back fondly upon the Go-Go show on the All The Rage tour and reminisce...I sipped the blood red Whine, I drank the Whiskey and I Got Dead quicker than with liquor on Haunted Mansioncore.

NEW YEARS DAY
Whiskey A Go-Go
Hollywood, CA
October 16, 2011
1. Two In The Chest, One In The Head
2. My Dear
3. Let's Get Dead
4. I. Machine
5. Murder
6. Haunted Mansioncore
7. It's Alive
8. I Was Right

All The Rage Tour w/ Blood On The Dance Floor, Angelspit, New Years Day
10/14/2011 - San Diego, CA @ Epicenter
10/15/2011 - Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
10/16/2011 - Hollywood, CA @ Whisky A Go Go
10/18/2011 - Oakland, CA @ Oakland Metro Operahouse
10/19/2011 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
10/21/2011 - Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
10/22/2011 - Spokane, WA @ A Club
10/24/2011 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
10/25/2011 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
10/27/2011 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
10/28/2011 - St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
10/30/2011 - Madison, WI @ The Loft
10/31/2011 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave Bar
11/01/2011 - Chicago, IL @ Reggies Rock Club
11/02/2011 - Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
11/03/2011 - Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room
11/04/2011 - Columbus, OH @ The Basement
11/05/2011 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's Downunder
11/08/2011 - Hartford, CT @ The Webster
11/09/2011 - Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock Café
11/10/2011 - Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
11/11/2011 - Manchester, NH @ Rocko's
11/12/2011 - Teaneck, NJ @ Mexicali Live
11/13/2011 - Wilmington, DE @ Harmony Grange
11/14/2011 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Shaka's
11/15/2011 - Evansville, IN @ Boney Junes
11/18/2011 - Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's
11/19/2011 - Dallas, TX @ The Door Dallas
11/20/2011 - San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
11/23/2011 - Tucson, AZ @ The Rock

"The Wake Up!" Tour with
Me Talk Pretty, Madina Lake, Hell Or Highwater, New Years Day
11/26/2011 - Baltimore, MD @ Sound Stage
11/27/2011 - Reading, PA @ Reverb
11/29/2011 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
12/01/2011 - Des Moines, IA @ House of Bricks
12/03/2011 - Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
12/05/2011 - Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
12/06/2011 - West Hollywood, CA @ Key Club
12/07/2011 - Santa Clara, CA @ The Avalon
12/09/2011 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
12/10/2011 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
12/11/2011 - Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory Concert House
12/12/2011 - Idaho Falls, ID @ Shilo Convention Center
12/14/2011 - Tulsa, OK @ The Marquee
12/15/2011 - Wichita, KS @ The Scenery
12/16/2011 - Joliet, IL @ Mojoes
12/17/2011 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small's
12/18/2011 - New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
12/22/2011 - Rochester, NY @ The Club @ Water Street

Me Talk Pretty Madina Lake Hawthorne Heights Get Scared New Years Day
01/22/2012 - Orlando, FL @ Plaza 'LIVE'
01/29/2012 - Austin, TX @ Antone's

NEW YEARS DAY - FACEBOOK | TWITTER
ASH COSTELLO - FACEBOOK | TWITTER

(Arigato: Ash Costello, Nikki Misery, photographer Michelle Xstar & James Zahn @ Kik Axe Music)

KIM WATERS Returns With His 17th CD; Covers Jay-Z Alicia Keys R Kelly

2011-10-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

Kim Waters has been heralded as “simply one of the planet’s best saxophonists” by Jazz Times Magazine and touted as a “romantic pied piper” by The Washington Post. Waters has built an impressive and enviable career giving his fans what they want, along the way garnering praise from critics and fans alike and becoming one of the top five best-selling instrumentalists in jazz.

His winning combination of sensitivity and brawn, intellect and emotion, coupled with his technique and soulfulness have helped him to score over thirteen #1 hits and over 20 Top 10 hits.

Everyone from Al Green and Isaac Hayes to Phyllis Hyman, Kenny Lattimore and Teddy Riley and Guy have tapped his creative genius. In the Summer of 2011, Waters also had a song featured in the movie Larry Crowne starring Oscar winning actors Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks.

Never one to rest on his laurels, the prolific saxophonist is constantly creating. “When I am in the studio there’s got to be a perfect mixture of romance, groove, melody and catchy hooks that are both memorable and singable. If the music is right it can appeal to both a two year old and a 90 year old!” confesses Waters. For the debonair, laid back and talented multi-instrumentalist, music is simply a way of life. “It is always my hope that my music will be a vehicle to touch and inspire people in some kind of way.”

A trendsetter, Kim Waters was one of the first instrumentalists to break on the Quiet Storm radio scene garnering airplay around the country. He has long been admired for his unparalleled ability to combine the finer elements of Jazz, R&B and Hip Hop. “The industry has changed drastically since I came on the scene in the 80's. There were no ‘Smooth Jazz’ radio stations when I first started out and so my music was embraced on Urban and Urban AC stations,” explains Kim. “For me the fusion of jazz with R&B is natural because I have listened to, loved and studied both all of my life.”

On October 25, 2011, Kim Waters will release his 17th album as a leader and tenth for Shanachie Entertainment, This Heart Of Mine, which artfully showcases why he has long held the throne as the King of Smooth Urban Jazz. This Heart Of Mine finds the saxophonist doing what he does best -- creating dreamy melodies, sultry ballads, reinventing timeless R&B hits and playing funky dance-inspired and hot stepper originals. Waters brings to life a tapestry of love songs that explores the full range of emotions that love sparks.

Kim Waters - This Heart Of Mine

Like Prince, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, Kim Waters is a wizard in the studio and musically blessed with the ability to play multiple instruments. Kim is a one man band and plays virtually every instrument heard on This Heart Of Mine, from the saxophones to keyboards, guitar, drums, bass and vocals. The CD opens with the soulful and inviting “Heart Seeker,” which shines light on Waters’ undeniable knack for crafting unforgettable melodies and songs that take you on a journey.

The album’s first single “Free Fall,” reunites Waters with celebrated producer Davy D. The dynamic duo joined forces for the #1 hit song “Water Fall” from Kim’s 2002 recording Someone to Love You. “Working with Davy D comes very easy because he has this amazing ability to create incredible tracks,” says Kim. “Once he creates the beats I then add my own jazz vibe and the result always turns into something amazing! Davy D is great at everything he does.”

A highlight on This Heart Of Mine is the sublime Kim Waters ballad “Am I A Fool,” featuring several-time Grammy nominated Soul Prince, Calvin Richardson. The duo also has a stunning new video that takes the song to new heights. “‘Am I a Fool’ is a song that I wrote about a man who is so in love with his woman that he lets her run all over him and take advantage of his kindness,” explains Kim. “I have witnessed this with several friends and was inspired to write this song.” “Am I A Fool” has all the ingredients for a hit at urban radio.

Kim Waters 'Am I A Fool' (feat. Calvin Richardson)

In recent years Waters has garnered a new fan base recording such diverse projects as The Sax Pack (with fellow saxophonists Jeff Kashiwa and Steve Cole) and his own Streetwize and Tha’ Hot Club CDs that are known for their clever re-workings of the hottest hip hop, R&B and reggae hits on the radio.

On This Heart Of Mine, Waters does a hot buttery soul rendition of the R. Kelly ballad “Love Letter” as well as takes on the Alicia Keys and Jay-Z smash hit “Empire State of Mind.” The latter features Kim Waters’ wife and vocalist Dana Pope, who is also featured on the Streetwize recordings. “I decided to record ‘Love Letter’ and ‘Empire State of Mind’ because I am a fan of both R. Kelly and Alicia Keys. Both of these songs have true messages. ‘Love Letter’ is an open expression of love that I can relate to while ‘Empire State of Mind’ offers an inspirational message of hope and the fulfillment of dreams.”

No Kim Waters CD would be complete without his trademark - get your groove on - dance floor anthems. Songs like the uplifting and in-the-pocket “The Groove’s Alright,” “Running To Love” and Waters’ ode to dedicated Steppers around the country, “Step to This,” demonstrate the saxophonist’s delicate balance of jazzy grooves with R&B flavor. Waters once again hits the mark with his seductive ballads “I Love My Girl” and “Stay With Me Tonight.”

He penned “Double Two Love” for his musically gifted twin daughters, Kimberly and Kayla. “Being a Dad is the most important job and my family is my main inspiration,” confides Kim. “Kimberly and Kayla are the key to my heart and they inspire me to continue to create my music and keep it fresh. They are truly angels. Even though they are 21 years old this year, they will always be my little girls. ‘Double Two Love’ is my way to express my love for them through music and gives them something to share with their friends and family forever!”

Through the years Kim Waters has proven that he knows a thing or two about love. Just take a look at the titles of his hit Shanachie albums over the last decade and you can see love is a recurring theme: Love’s Melody (1998), One Special Moment (1999), From The Heart (2001), Someone to Love You (2002), In the Name of Love (2004), All For Love (2005), You Are My Lady (2007), I Want You: Love in the Spirit of Marvin (2008) and Love Stories (2010).

Inspired by such jazz luminaries as Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock, George Duke, George Benson, Cannonball and Grover Washington, saxophonist Kim Waters was born into a musical family. The Maryland native picked up his first instrument, the violin, at the age of eight. "That didn't go over well with the fellas," says Waters, who later found his calling on the alto and soprano saxophones at 13. Shortly afterwards he began playing in a band with his brothers, James (who he still performs with) and Eric, and his old friend, pianist Cyrus Chestnut.

Over the years, Kim Waters has been called on to perform with or open shows for the best including Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Phyllis Hyman, Teddy Riley and Guy, and Gerald Albright to name a few. Waters recently relocated to Sacramento, California from his longtime home in Aberdeen, Maryland.

This Heart Of Mine is sure to further endear old Kim Waters fans and bring new ones to the forefront. It is confirmation that Kim Waters has rightfully been crowned the King of Smooth Urban Jazz and that he is here to stay! Waters concludes, “I enjoy helping others and it is my hope that my music in some way brings positivity to the world. I believe that the world cannot live without new music. I know I can’t!”

KIM WATERS
THIS HEART OF MINE
1. Heart Seeker
2. Free Fall (MP3)
3. Am I A Fool (ft. Calvin Richardson)
4. Empire State Of Mind (Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys cover)
5. The Groove’s Alright
6. Step To This
7. I Love My Girl
8. Love Letter (R. Kelly cover)
9. Stay With Me Tonight
10. Running To Love
11. Double Two Love

MUSICIANS:
Kim Waters – All instruments, saxophones and background vocals
Dana Pope – All female lead and background vocals
Allen Hinds – Guitars
Tim Maia – Background vocals on Love Letter
Calvin Richardson – Lead vocals on Am I A Fool

PRESS QUOTES:
“He is the pied piper of smooth jazz.” Upscale Magazine

"Waters is simply one of the planet’s best saxophonists." Jazz Times

“The man can play….he continues to add a sense of sensibility to the smooth-jazz airwaves.” Jazziz

“Kim Waters has a flair for composing seductive melodies. He is like a romantic pied piper out on a long evening stroll.” The Washington Post

KIM WATERS.NET | FACEBOOK

Amy Lee & Taylor Momsen; Pastoral Pin-Ups Pucker Pent-Up Palladium

2011-10-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

What happens when two of the Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock pair up to tour?

What happens when a band that has sold 25 million albums finally resurfaces after a 4-year sabbatical to claim their throne again?

What is the outcome when the momentous build up coincides with the second show of the tour AND with the highly-anticipated street date of a new self-titled magnum opus.

You get a line that wraps around a city block two hours before a single octave is raised.

You get amped up anticipation. You get heightened inebriation.

You get a Palladium primed with perky Pheromones.

You get carried away with alliteration and onomatopoeia.

You get a burger, medium rare, on an english muffin with thick crispy bacon and grilled mushrooms at a pub called The Bowery (ok, maybe only a handful of us partook in this gastro delicacy and perhaps only one person got stuck in pastoral allita-poeia purgatory).

Such was the case in good ole Hollywood on Tuesday October 11th, as singer Amy Lee and the gothic majesty of Evanescence welcomed their newborn into the world that day. Simply named Evanescence, it's an immaculately coiffed prodigal child that's intent on putting mommy dearest and her toy boys back upon the upper echelon of rock.

In tow for the North American and U.K. dates is 18-year old former Gossip Girl Taylor Momsen and her gut-check razor rock outfit The Pretty Reckless.

The Pretty Reckless burst onto the scene a year ago and even though their opening set was nearly identical to the one from their club tour earlier in the year, there's no denying that Taylor Momsen's rockstar presence takes center stage the exact second she ambles onto it.

There were many people in the audience that were predisposed to pretty and preoccupied with getting reckless but by the end of the band's 45-minute set, Momsen and her men had unified the pretty and the reckless as the whole crowd chanted along to fist-raising anthems "My Medicine," "Make Me Wanna Die" and "Goin' Down".

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Room was abuzz. Five years since their last Flight of the Bumblebee in Los Angeles, the Palladium was purposely filled with pent-up preconceptions.

Would Evanescence transcend the stage like they once did?
Would Amy's voice soar like never before?
Would they play my favorite songs?

Si, Oui and kind of.

The new reformulated Evanescence with Terry Balsamo on lead guitar (2003–present), Troy McLawhorn on rhythm guitar (2007, 2011–present), Tim McCord on bass (2006–present) and Will Hunt on drums (2007, 2010–present) is a well-oiled solidified force to be reckoned with and an adequate anchor for the resolutely powerful Ms Lee.

Amy, as expected, was the focal point of the show, both from a visual and auditory vantage point. Her voice sounds better than ever and for those admirers of her emotionally gut-wreching ballads, she spent plenty of time at her black Baldwin grand piano including a three-song mini set where she induced a gaggle of wet eyes as she belted out "Lost In Paradise," "My Heart Is Broken" and "Lithium".

Regarding the set list, which is the same throughout the entire tour (even the Rock In Rio date the band recently played), final tally is 4 songs from Fallen, 4 songs from The Open Door (very democratic, showing equal bias to both siblings) and 9 songs from the new eponymous LP.

Obviously, they're on tour to promote the new songs, but with the album just being released that day, and with the band playing 75% of it, a lot of fans were appreciative of the monstrous new cataclysms but eagerly awaiting their timeless favorites.

Overall, it was a fairly standard mix of older songs, which I understand, but I would have loved to hear "My Last Breath," "Haunted," "Whisper" and/or "Tourniquet". Guess, I'll have to wait another dozen years when the band tours Fallen in its entirety for its 20th Anniversary.

80 minutes of bombastic aural xtasy later, spent a cool hondo at the merch booth that bequeathed me with a cool glow-in-the-dark Evanescence symbol tee and a matching hoodie (minus the ultraviolet pigments).

Sauntering in a glorious musical daze back by The Bowery on my way to the car, I did a double take as none other than Mr Cee-Lo Green was hanging at a table out on the patio of a nearby restaurant.

Wide smile on his face, Bolo hat on his head, he was looking pretty reckless in a state of pure Effervescence. He looked how I felt.

The essence of Evanescence was in evidence.

EVANESCENCE
Hollywood, CA
Palladium
10/11/11
1. What You Want
2. Going Under
3. The Other Side
4. Weight of the World
5. The Change
6. Made of Stone
7. Lost In Paradise
8. My Heart Is Broken
9. Lithium
10. Sick
11. Oceans
12. Call Me When You're Sober
13. Imaginary
14. Bring Me to Life
Encore:
15. Never Go Back
16. Your Star
17. My Immortal

THE PRETTY RECKLESS
Palladium | Hollywood, CA | 10/11/11
1. Since You're Gone
2. Zombie
3. Miss Nothing
4. Just Tonight
5. Goin' Down
6. My Medicine
7. Like a Stone (Audioslave cover)
8. Make Me Wanna Die
9. Factory Girl

Two days after the Palladium show, Amy donned a gorgeous black dress for an Evanescence two-fer on Jimmy Kimmel Live that saw the band perform "What You Want" and "Going Under" (coincidentally also the first two songs of their current tour set list).

Btw, if there's any doubt how much Fallen still means to fans...watch You Tube clips of any of the songs from the debut album that are performed on the current tour and hear the whole crowd singing along to the whole song.

EVANESCENCE
TOUR DATES
Oct 10: Oakland, CA, Fox Theatre (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 11: Los Angeles, CA, Palladium (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 14: Phoenix, AZ, Comerica Theatre (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 19: Dallas, TX, Palladium (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 21: Milwaukee, WI, The Eagles Ballroom (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 22: Chicago, IL, Congress Theatre (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 24: Detroit, MI, Royal Oak Music Theatre (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 25: Toronto, ON, The Sound Academy (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 27: Montreal, ON, Metropolis (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 28: Boston, MA, Palladium (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 30: Atlantic City, NJ, House of Blues Showboat (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 01: New York, NY, Terminal 5 (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 04: London, ENG, HMV Hammersmith Apollo (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 05: London, ENG, HMV Hammersmith Apollo (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 07: Manchester, ENG, Apollo (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 08: Glasgow, SCO, O2 Academy (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 10: Plymouth, ENG Pavilions (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 12: Leeds, ENG, O2 Academy (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 13: Birmingham, ENG, O2 Academy (w/ The Pretty Reckless)

(Special thanks: Catie Monck, Greg Cortez & Sean Lamm @ 42 West, Cori @ Live Nation, James Zahn @ Kik Axe Music & photog Andrew Phares)

Stitched Up Heart Are Bloody Haute!

2011-10-15T01:38:00.000-07:00

Something wicked this way comes...

For the past twelve months, Hollywood's STITCHED UP HEART have terrorized the music scene with an explosive mix of crunchy glitter rock and bloody punk-pop.

The band's taut mix of loud guitars, candy-coated vocal melodies and squealing metal leads beget an infectious wall-of-sound set to detonate the very foundation of Hard Rock.

Hallowed Be Thy Name!

So whose centrifugal pump excretes the flow that commandeers the stitched up cirque du soleil?

It's none other than the ubiquitously striped one, Ms Mixi:

Recently chosen as one of the few, the proud and the hottest; Mixi finds herself among Amy Lee, Taylor Momsen, Lzzy Hale, Heidi Shepherd, Carla Harvey, Emma Anzai, Syd Duran, Simone Simons, Alissa White-Gluz, Alexia & Anissa Rodriguez, Maria Brink, Brooklyn Allman, and Ashley Costello as one of Revolver Magazine's Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock.

But don't let the HCIHR halo fool you, for if looks really do kill, then she fulfills the role nefariously in the murderous mischievousness bequeathed in the video for "Is This The Way To Get To Hell":

The surest way to get to hell is on Highway 66 which is what the quintet did this summer as they stitched up hearts from coast to coast on a 7-week Reinforcement stint with Hollywood sin-kin Gemini Syndrome and Evolove.

As a token of gratitude to the growing army of "stitches," the band exclusively offered a new 6-song Ep entitled ESCAPE THE NIGHTMARE at their shows.

Escape compiles four new songs ("These Scars Will Let Me Breathe" "Dead Walkin'" "Change" "It Comes Back Around") with the previous ready-made arena-rock anthem "We're Alive" and the bloody-drippin' finger-lickin' roaring riff-raff of Is This The Way.

By the way. It is the way...

So, get stitched. Get hitched. And get on board.

Power-packed and Warped tour tested, Escape The Nightmare kicks off with the incessantly catchy "These Scars Will Let Me Breathe" which showcases an intriguing vocal duality in which Mixi easily assimilates the psychological personification of the pouty repentant waif versus the infinitely empowered heroine.

It reminds me of the vocal subtlety that Axl Rose displayed on Appetite For Destruction and how his varied charismas envelope you from contextual psychological vantage points.

Once one begins to Breathe, it's time to put one foot in front of the other to do some emotional sleepwalking, also known as Dead Walkn'.

"You're like the Dead Walkin'. And it creeps under my skin. In your dreams you feel connected. That's why you are infected. Like the Dead Walkin'. How I see your soul within. Grab my hand, I'll take you. Grab my hand."

Yes, even if it's a hand immersed in the slim-fit confines of a skeleton glove...

It's safe and hermetically sound

We're walking. You & I. We're waking.

We're screaming for this moment.

We're alive.

So, now that we've walked a mile in each other's moccasins and blood is adequately flowing to the Stitched Up Heart once again, it's time to take a respite and intimately reflect via a lush languorous ballad entitled "Change".

With it's layered strings and elegantly polished hook, "Change" sounds like it came straight outta Studio A of the Hollywood Hit Factory, the same wizardly outpost that cranks out power chord structures for Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Cady Groves and all the other artists aligned with the Recording Company of America.

Taylor Swift would commiserate with its distinctly delicate fragility. Ditto for Hayley Williams. I suspect Jon Bon Jovi would appreciate it's sweeping grandiosity.

Nightmare closes with "It Comes Back Around" which comes back around to another hot sticky mess to melt your pop-punk inhibitions. Turn it up. Ingest. The good times are here again.

One other subtle suture that sets Stitched up Heart apart from their contemporaries is meticulously supersonic Paul Gilbert/Randy Rhoads-esque solos by guitarist Mikey Alfero.

For instance, he completely decimates the end of These Scars with a blindingly fast barrage of noodle notes that paint a shit-eatin' grin on my mug every time.

It's this confluence of bold virtuosity and melodious mellifluousness that stand up and shout like a holy diver decreeing the hallowed halls of rock can indeed be bloody haute!

And that a well-appointed Stitched Up Heart...

with a heavy dose of Sugar and Spice and everything thrice,

can indeed help someone to Escape The Nightmare.

STITCHED UP HEART - Escape The Nightmare
1. These Scars Will Let Me Breathe
2. Walkin' Dead
3. We're Alive
4. Change
5. Is This The Way To Get To Hell
6. It Comes Back Around

STITCHED UP HEART
Mixi - Lead Vox
Andrew Carroll - Drums
Charlee Conley - Bass
Mikey Alfero - Guitar

FACEBOOK.COM/STITCHEDUPHEARTROCK

Evanescence Effectuate Operatic Phantasma Fantastique

2011-10-06T00:50:00.000-07:00

Hello, Hello. Remember Me.

Hello, I am your mind giving you someone to talk to

A singular piece of music or, in some cases, an album of music has the ability to take each of us to a certain sacred place.

When Evanescence Fallen debuted in 2003, I, like many others, initially heard the songs "Going Under," "Bring Me To Life" and "Everybody's Fool" and admired the fact that there was a fresh distinct voice in rock.

However, a few years after its release, turbulent times paved my yellow brick road red and parts of my life had fallen. The entire Fallen album was, at times, a pseudo lifeline for the better part of a year. I didn't really want to listen to much else.

It wasn't just the lyrics but the confluence of dramatic Gothic majesty enveloping Classical phrasing underscoring fragile emotion. It connected with my psyche in a way that few pieces of music have and, consequently, bounces up and down within my Top 3 albums of all time.

It's been five years since the open door of my Fallen time and The Open Door of the recorded kind. This new opus marks only the third studio album in 8 years though at 24 million records sold-to-date, continuing demand seems to border on omnipotence.

By self-titling, it seems like a conscious nod to position "Evanescence" as a "band" which has continued to experience changes since the parting of co-founder Ben Moody, whom I personally found to be a good musical counterpoint to singer Amy Lee.

For all practical purposes, regardless of name, it will now always be Amy's artistic vehicle much like Paramore, without two of its founding members, will forever be an all-terrain vehicle for Ms. Hayley Williams.

2 B or not 2 B. You better you bet.

Even though Fallen is deeply ingrained in my subconscious, I wanted to absorb the new material on its own merits and give it the requisite chance it deserves so I have listened to it dozens of times over the past two weeks...though I did get sidetracked for a full day with the discovery for the first time of the band's 2000 album ORIGIN.

Looming especially tall was the song "Lies" which made me realize that I would be stoked to hear Amy Lee do an album of all Gothic Gregorian Chants.

EVANESCENCE is a punctilious orchestration of a preordinate vestibule. It is NOT a one listen record for its layers only slowly slither away from the sum.

The record in its totality on a sonic, artistic, emotional and psychological level pantomimes the word "Evanescence". Words hardly do justice to the essence of Evanescence so the unstated concept of this musical chapter becomes part of the descriptor.

Perhaps The Open Door was really just that. A open gateway to Evanescence forevermore.

Or, perhaps, a Secret Door to Evanescence forevermore...

Perhaps this new collection of meticulous opulence is the open door to future theatrical transference with Amy "Lloyd Weber" Lee perpetuating phantom control as Evanescence effectuate le phantom de l' operatic fantastique!

Without further ado marred by residual residue...

WHAT YOU WANT - Debut single/video is stacked with big beat confidence, plenty of reverb and is exactly what you want. A welcome home.

MADE OF STONE - Mid-tempo modern rock with the obligatory dissonant single note piano plunking. Taut and tense, it's "Now or Never" and when Ms Lee launches her voice into the stratosphere in the breakdown, the pleasure is all now and how.

THE CHANGE - Big bold chorus with its anthemic "I've been screaming on the inside, and I know you feel the pain. Can you hear me? Can you hear me?" is sure to become a live show favorite.

MY HEART IS BROKEN - Just the title alone alludes to the fact that this epic sweeping track is ALL money ALL the time though as much as I admire the grand production, for my money I'd like to hear a stripped down solo piano version to match the emotion of a broken heart.

In its current form, MHIB opens with a Yanni-infused piano melody that repeats amidst heavy layers of distortion which makes me daydream about seeing Amy Lee Live at the Acropolis; A Requiem for Solo Piano accompanied by Gothic Gregorian Chants...FTW!

THE OTHER SIDE - Staccato muted chords frame this Stomp and Circumstance about reuniting on the other side, be it love or life itself. Nice mono vocal in the breakdown whereby it sounds like Amy is getting emo right in your ear. If, at first, it sounds like she is doing so into your left ear, turn around and hear her on the other side.

Evanescence - Erase This

ERASE THIS - The Jack-The-Ripper lead guitar riff reminds me of Queensrÿche Operation Mindcrime. It's urgent and makes me feel like I'm on the run from the eyes of a stranger. "Is it so hard for you?" is this song's rallying cry. Really lovely string arrangements set against an ascending piano melody. Do not erase this. Play this. And then play it again.

LOST IN PARADISE - I was running so hard and so fast and for so long that now I'm lost in paradise...the paradise of a magnificent new Evanescence record. Yes, LIP is gut-check ballad numero dos.

It's gargantuan refrain of "I have nothing left. And all I feel is this cruel wanting. We've been falling for all this time. And now I'm lost in paradise" sounds like Grammy numero tres is ready for Lee's mantle.

If this were an LP, this would be a good place to end side one, so let's take a visual break...because I know it's WHAT YOU WANT:

SICK - One of the strongest cuts. It's sick bi-laterally chorus of "Sick of it all, Sick of it all. They don’t understand how, Sick we are, Sick we are" has a unique effervescent alliteration to it.

The flowing enunciated roll of "Sick we are" makes me think of the word "Sequitur" (Latin for "it does follow") which makes me think the phrasing is a brilliant yet deliberate use of Onomonopia. Ms. Lee did win the 2004 Grammy for 'Best New Artist' for a reason. I keep a pictionary handy for non sequitur reasoning.

END OF THE DREAM - Another mid-tempo straight-forward rocker with a heavy bottom end sway that gives this track a bump and grind kind of like a wild safari ride.

OCEANS - Not sure of the genesis of "Oceans" but it sounds like it could be a holdover from the early days as its classical structure and haunting choral backdrop make it sound like distant kin to Fallen-era tracks. It's vast and deep and dark and tasty...kind of like salt-water taffy. This track of tasty taffy is mighty delectable.

NEVER GO BACK - Another blast of fast and furious riffage kickstarts this track but it quickly fades into the wall of sound that Evanescence is seemingly known for. Conscious construct or not, this fact brings to life one of the things that I feel is missing from Evanescence. Melodic guitar solos (there is one in "Made of Stone"). While a small part of an overall record, the guitar solos in seminal songs like "Going Under" & "Haunted" are significant and memorable.

Also once again, the theme of being "lost" re-surfaces. In this case, one is "lost" and can never go back home again...and perhaps, never go back to fallen again.

SWIMMING HOME - A floating and airy excusrion that reminds me of the magnificent pairing of Julee Cruise (whom ironically is most well known for a song called "Falling") and Angelo Badalamenti for the music to David Lynch's Twin Peaks.

Amy sounds like Sarah McLachlan at times and makes me want to hear her go solo in hopes of creating Fallen Towards Ecstasy part deux.

How can you see into my eyes like open doors?

NEW WAY TO BLEED - This evidentiary slice of selfless-discovery begins with a swirl of soaring vocals before settling into a cascading march of thrones bound by temperance. A glorious new way to bleed.

SAY YOU WILL - 21 Air Guitar salute empties all barrels. The fuselage of the opening riff sounds like Metallica's version of Budgie's "Breadfan". This nitrous riffage is counter-balanced by a dissonant piano melody leading up to a vocal tour-du-force chorus that finds Lee emulating more of a standard power rock voice. Take that Karaokers.

DISAPPEAR - Fat meaty chunks of power chords burst forth. Originally titled "Release the Kraken" (which refer to legendary sea monsters of giant proportions said to have dwelt off the coasts of Norway and Iceland), "Disappear" does anything but as it packs a wallop in the chorus as Amy belts out "Don't you want to feel? Don't you want to live your life?"

Yes, I do. Please show me the secret door...

SECRET DOOR - A lush exquisite lullaby that sounds like a mystical enchantress imagined the score of a future Tim Burton Mid-Winter's Tale; layered in the delicate breath of a guardian Angel and gingerly paved the yellow brick Lacrymosa in our minds.

It portends the eternal essence of Evanescence...

After one has Fallen, shall one pass thru The Open Door or The Secret Door...

I know the truth now, I know who you are

I will remember how to fly

EVANESCENCE
EVANESCENCE
1. What You Want
2. Made of Stone
3. The Change
4. My Heart Is Broken
5. The Other Side
6. Erase This
7. Lost In Paradise
8. Sick
9. End of the Dream
10. Oceans
11. Never Go Back
12. Swimming Home
13. New Way To Bleed
14. Say You Will
15. Disappear
16. Secret Door

EVANESCENCE
TOUR DATES
Oct 06: San Juan, PR, Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot
Oct 10: Oakland, CA, Fox Theatre(w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 11: Los Angeles, CA, Palladium (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 14: Phoenix, AZ, Comerica Theatre (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 19: Dallas, TX, Palladium (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 21: Milwaukee, WI, The Eagles Ballroom (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 22: Chicago, IL, Congress Theatre (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 24: Detroit, MI, Royal Oak Music Theatre (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 25: Toronto, ON, The Sound Academy (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 27: Montreal, ON, Metropolis (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 28: Boston, MA, Palladium (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Oct 30: Atlantic City, NJ, House of Blues Showboat (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 01: New York, NY, Terminal 5 (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 04: London, ENG, HMV Hammersmith Apollo (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 05: London, ENG, HMV Hammersmith Apollo (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 07: Manchester, ENG, Apollo (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 08: Glasgow, SCO, O2 Academy (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 10: Plymouth, ENG Pavilions (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 12: Leeds, ENG, O2 Academy (w/ The Pretty Reckless)
Nov 13: Birmingham, ENG, O2 Academy (w/ The Pretty Reckless)

EVANESCENCE.COM

SCOTTY ALAN Wreck And The Mess

2011-10-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

Scotty Alan used to be a punk rocker. This underlying edge and adeptness at delivering emotional immediacy in as few as 84 seconds resides at the core of his remarkable new album Wreck and the Mess.

It’s not necessarily that Alan has mellowed; his music and lyrics, with raspy and expressive vocals, are still bright with energy, still darkly funny at times. But with a fresh rootsy, countrified sound comes a heightened awareness, and an emotional outlook tested and tempered by experience.

The album’s 15 songs, clocking in at 45 minutes, were produced by Bernie Larsen (Lucinda Williams, Melissa Etheridge, Rickie Lee Jones, Jackson Browne, El Rayo-X) and arranged in narrative sequence, reflecting on a relationship gone bad.

From wistful nostalgia (“Remember how when I was Your Hero?”) to downright despair (“…you rot from the inside. You’re a Long Ways From Laughing”).

Scotty Alan Wreck And The Mess

From bemused self-deprecation (“Ain’t Much, but I’m all you got”) to narcissistic cynicism (“the next time I fall in love, I’m gonna Do It Alone”), the album progresses thoughtfully, catching glimpses of life beyond Alan’s own perplexity and loss and congeals it in the dark consoling tenderness of “Barn Dance” (“Life’s a long row you best call the fiddler. As you work the dirt in the valleys and hollows, where all you may leave your loving wife is a widow”).

From questioning his small town contentment in “Dusty Hollow” (“Ain’t there something worth leaving for?”) to his own pensive lament (“Like roots that seek deep dirt, it’s Sinkin’ In”), Alan ultimately punctuates his present journey with the beginnings of romantic rejuvenation that are laced with a snarly trace of his former musical self (“Said I’m looking for ‘Someone To Fight’…the world with”).

It’s two minutes on the nose and brings the Mess to a close.

The Wreck recording sessions took place at Larsen’s Spinout studio in Los Angeles with Bernie wrangling together an all-star supporting cast that includes:

- Guitarist David Lindley (Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Warren Zevon)
- Guitarist Randy Mitchell (Warren Zevon, Billy Bob Thornton)
- Drummer Butch Norton (The Eels, Tracy Chapman, Lucinda Williams)
- Mandolinist Phil Parlapiano (John Prine, Rod Stewart, Josh Freese)
- Musician Jorge Calderón (Warren Zevon, Ry Cooder, Jackson Browne)
- Organist Ian McLagan (Faces/Small Faces, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan)
- Bassist David Sutton (Lucinda Williams)
- Singer Kristin Mooney (Peter Himmelman, Martin Zellar).

(Scotty Alan & Bernie Larsen)

Once the star-studded tracks were put to bed, Larsen teamed up with legendary engineer Niko Bolas (Neil Young, Don Henley, Jeff Beck, Circle Jerks) to co-mix the album at L.A.’s Surf Shack before handing off the mixes to Nashville mastering guru Richard Dodd whom is best known for his work with George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and The Traveling Wilburys.

Scotty Alan lives outside the small town of Marquette in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near the southern shore of Lake Superior. It feels like the middle of nowhere.

Living in the Northwoods on ten acres (christened Old Kiln Road Homestead) in a modest off-grid log cabin he’s been slowly augmenting for 19 years (for example, he went through two Number 2 spades to dig out the basement for three solitary months).

He takes care of many of his needs himself: hunts deer, fishes, gardens, gathers berries and heats with wood cut from his land.

Buttressed in winter by ten-foot walls of snow, Scotty often finds himself holed up in his homestead, honing his craft and singing in the sauna. He likes solitude but isn’t solitary. Living just two and a half miles from the house he grew up in, he’s part of an extended family, in the area for generations, that has a lot of Finnish blood flowing through it.

Alan says he doesn’t listen to music much, but has been making it since he was 14. Starting out in 1987 in a three-man original punk band called The Muldoons, the group released five albums over the course of a decade. Disbanded and downsized to a self-proclaimed “two-man trio,” the duo forged ahead playing drums with their feet while playing guitars from 2000 to 2005.

For the next five years, Alan continued writing and self-releasing material on his own, playing shows throughout the Midwest and even did a string of performances in clubs and coffeehouses in Amsterdam.

In January of this year, Scotty re-connected with Larsen, whom has issued several of The Muldoons releases via his Spinout/RCI Records imprint, and embarked on a trip to L.A., a strange, snowless place, to lay down the tracks for what would become the new album.

Wreck and the Mess is a congruous batch of meticulously crafted songs that provide an unflinching but always humane look at the difficulty of a love lost.

Scotty Alan
Wreck and the Mess
1. Good-Bye
2. Your Hero?
3. Long Ways From Laughin’
4. Ain’t Much (MP3)
5. Dam
6. Says Lately
7. Barn Dance
8. Not Ready To Be
9. Down Before I Fall
10. Do It Alone
11. Was It Ever?
12. So Loud
13. Dusty Hollow
14. Sinkin’ In
15. Someone to Fight

Produced by Bernie Larsen
Mixed by Bernie Larsen and Niko Bolas
Mastered by Richard Dodd

Musicians:
Scotty Alan – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Bernie Larsen – Acoustic/Electric Guitars, Lap Slide, Wurlitzer, Organ, Keyboards, Percussion, Spoons, Back-up Vocals
Butch Norton - Drums
David Sutton - Bass
Randy Mitchell – Electric Guitar
David Lindley – Acoustic Lap Slide, Fiddle
Kristin Mooney – Back-up Vocals
Phil Parlapiano – Mandolin, Accordion, Organ
Jorge Calderón – Back-up Vocals
Ian McLagan – Piano, Hammond B3
Carey Bohjanen – Back-up Vocals

SCOTTY ALAN.COM
FACEBOOK
TWITTER

D GENERATION Generate No Way Out For The Gobstopper Generation

2011-09-25T23:07:00.000-07:00

I'm South Central. He's high wire...

i got nothing. i got nothing. i got something. i got nothing

We all got something for nothing...especially when it was spewed forth during the 77 face-ripping seconds of "Scorch" by NYC's D GENERATION.

Coinciding with a 20-year milestone since their inception as a band, original members Jesse Malin (vocals), Howie Pyro (bass), Richard "The Atomic Elf" Bacchus (guitar, vocals), Danny Sage (guitar, vocals) and drummer Michael Wildwood have re-instigated their glam punk ways and means for a special spate of shows in London, New York, L.A, San Diego and Oakland with festival appearances in Spain, Seattle and Austin.

Malin descibes his bandmates as "family," so much like the picture-perfect pagans of the CW's Chance Harbor, there is no way out.

Sooner or later, the secret circle was bound to re-bind itself. In this case, a vanishing spell of about 4300 days had rescinded.

Fifteen years ago, I was one of the relative few that saw the band during their initial heyday upon the release of their 2nd album No Lunch which was produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars.

While they would later hit the road with heavies such as Green Day, Social Distortion, Ramones, The Offspring, The Living End and even KISS, I caught their sweaty-packed-to-the-gills show at Lounge Ax in Chicago in 1996.

A few things have stuck with me from that show. The crowd was amped up beyond belief. The band was amped up beyond belief. The ceiling at Lounge Ax was so low that when they were jumped up and down with their spiked up, glammed out hair, it literally looked like they were going to bust through the roof of the place.

And finally, their blistering set was only about 45 minutes long...yeah, they still played a shit-ton of 1-2 minute songs but, deliberately, or perhaps arrogantly, left the crowd horny for more.

Meshing the ferocity of their live show and their guilt-inducing pleasure of constructing hook-laden songs, D Gen is like a punk rock doppelganger of the cheapest trick in the book.

Being proximate to Rockford, IL at the time, it crossed my mind, that D Gen was possibly degenerated in an alternate universe whereby Iggy Pop beat the crap out of Robin Zander in an alley with a can of Alberto VO5 hairspray before a Cheap Trick show in 1974 and assumed the controls of the Nielsen Bun E hop spawning a generation of punk-pop offspring that assumed the mainstream controls forevermore leaving no way out. But I digress.

Arriving to the Troubadour at 10:45PM, I stood in line behind one Ms. Lucinda Williams, whom I had coincidentally seen twice the week before at both Paul Kelly A-Z shows at Hotel Café.

She, of course, was there to see Jesse, whom is highly regarded within the songwriter community for his critically acclaimed solo albums (they shared a hug and a chat after the show).

Within minutes, the band sauntered on stage and "Degenerated" blasted through the speakers and for the next hour, I was reminded not of how the band still packed a wallop but how good the songs are and how well they've aged.

And I was also reminded that when "attitude" ages, it often becomes less blunt and more subversive. Towards the later part of the set, the band opened up bags and bags and bags of shredded up L.A. Weeklys and tossed the paper carnage around the room to uproarious bemusement.

While it wasn't quite as mind-BLOWing as a cannon full of "BoneR" dollars festooned with GlitteR in the gutter (yes, a blatant cross-pollination of my articles and "their" ideologies), it was still a non-linear statement about corporate media and capitalism.

A capital offender.

When it was all said and done and the "news" was being swept away in neat little rows, I was once again left wanting more.

With a new D Generation album on the horizon and future adrenaline expunging shows to satiate the femoral glands of the new gobstopper generation, Vampire Nation is clandestinely waiting for the next big scorching parade to show us the way out.

D GENERATION
Troubadour
W. Hollywood, CA
9-24-11 | Set list

1. Degenerated
2. She Stands There
3. Feel Like A Suicide
4. Guitar Mafia
5. Capital Offender
6. Cornered
7. Major
8. Working On The Avenue
9. Helpless
10. Scorch
11. Stealing Time
12. Vampire Nation
13. Frankie
ENCORE
14. Waiting For The Next Big Parade
15. Wasted Years
16. No Way Out

(Special thanks: James Zahn @ Kik Axe Music™, Jerry Graham @ The Syndicate and photographer Jeff Fasano)

CADY GROVES This Little Girl Video (With Blake Shelton)

2011-09-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

CADY GROVES has released THIS LITTLE GIRL, the first video from her forthcoming RCA Records debut.

TLG stars fellow Oklahoman BLAKE SHELTON (whom Groves recently befriended during a series of hilarious exchanges on Twitter) as a paternal tow-truck driver and features tantalizing use of pink feathered ticklers amidst cocoons of strategically affixed duct tape.

Mixing Cady's pistols-drawn pirate panache with her countrified sass and a slick cheerleader claptrack during the breakdown (ala Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" and "What The Hell'), This Little Girl is first degree melodious murder. In fact, this little okie girl may be a bona fide serial repeat offender at contemporary hit radio.

WATCH 'THIS LITTLE GIRL' BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO

CADY GROVES - THIS LITTLE GIRL
You got your keys, but where you going?
The third degree just isn't working
Because you walked out without asking me come
And if I followed you home, would you be alone?

I checked your phone, 'coz it was beeping
Are you alone?
I know you're creepin'
But if I followed you home, I hope you're alone

Bridge:
I'm three steps from the edge
Oh-woah
Don't push me over it
Don't you know, don't you know

Chorus:
Every girl is capable of murder if you hurt her
Watch out you, don't push me any further, any further
You're not the only one walkin' 'round with a loaded gun
This little girl is capable of murder 'coz you hurt her

My hands are clean, not yet a killer
Ain't I your queen
And did you tell her?
'Coz you broke down all my shoulda known betters
And then I followed you home, throwing sticks and stones

Bridge:
I'm two steps from the edge
Oh-woah
Don't push me over it
Don't you know, don't you know

Chorus:
Every girl is capable of murder if you hurt her
Watch out you, don't push me any further, any further
You're not the only one walkin' 'round with a loaded gun
This little girl is capable of murder 'coz you hurt her

Don't you know you should never treat a girl like that?
Got a good alibi, and my bag's all packed
Don't you know you should never treat a girl like that?
'Coz the next one's gonna have the hammer pulled back

Chorus:
Every girl is capable of murder if you hurt her
Watch out you, don't push me any further, any further

Every girl is capable of murder if you hurt her
Watch out you, don't push me any further, any further
You're not the only one walkin' 'round with a loaded gun
This little girl is capable of murder 'coz you hurt her!

DOWNLOAD THIS LITTLE GIRL FOR FREE

BUY THIS LITTLE GIRL @ ITUNES

KE$HA Get Sleazy Show; A Faustian Bargain For Boner Dollar Babies

2011-09-20T00:55:00.000-07:00

Kesha - Blow

Back door cracked. This review about to BLOW...

It's not entirely my fault. I, actually, have Hayley Williams (of Paramore), Van's Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, Dave Gahan (of Depeche Mode) and Perry Farrell & Dave Navarro (of Jane's Addiction) to blame. But mostly Hayley and her boys. Ok, sort of, but not really...but maybe.

Being a big Paramore fan, I bought tickets (earlier this year) to attend the annual MusiCares MAP Benefit at Club Nokia in downtown L.A. It was the first time Ms. Williams and the remaining boys were going to perform live since the departure of the Farro Brothers at the end of last year. Hayley (aka Paramore) was showing support to Mr. Lyman whom was instrumental in helping to break the band with slots on multiple Warped tours.

What's this have to do with getting $leazy?!?

Well, on that very same night (May 6), Ke$ha was playing a sold-out show at the Palladium in Hollywood. In fact, during his speech to the MusiCares audience, Lyman mentioned that if it wasn't for Hayley being present, his teenage daughter would have much rather been at the Ke$ha show across town. My point exactly!

The Palladium show was (at the time) the 2nd to last show of her Sleazy tour with a final sold-out BLOW-out the next night at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. Being highly susceptible to impulsive behavior, I woke up the next morning and decided...I'm going to drive to Vegas today and hope to scavenge a ticket for the sold-out show at the Pearl Theater.

I had been driving in excess of triple digits for a few consecutive hours...I hope one of my tires doesn't Blow...

4 hours and 5 minutes later, I find myself in a bathroom stall at the Palms Casino where I'm more than likely not doing Blow...

But I am in need of a ticket. Yes, it's still sold out. I go up to the box office and, for grins, I ask if they will be releasing any tickets. "No" is the answer but the girl said she would sell me her comp ticket since she would be stuck working the box office all night...she also said she'd throw in a bracelet to go into the VIP section on the floor. All for face value.

That's a deal that does not totally Blow...

But this review still does.

The energy from the stage that night reached another level but, as is often the case with transient travelers and often partied-out vacationers, the energy from the crowd was average. When Ke$ha finished up with a raucous rendition of Beastie Boys "Fight For Your Right" with her entire road crew dressed in drag and outlandish costumes, it was one of the greatest encores I had ever seen.

Having to be back in LA, I immediately turned around and drove back. I had been in Vegas a total of 180 minutes.

9 hours and 600 miles for a 75-minute show punctuated by a styrofoam plate of lukewarm orange chicken from Panda Express.

I have to say it...

My impulsive behavior can Blow me!

So, of course, the wily managers and promoters that play on our collective worry with advance promotion that an artist is not going to tour again for awhile so "you better get your tickets now" were busy all along maneuvering the next cog in the pinwheel.

It wasn't a month later and here comes more chances to get Sleazy, this time with LMFAO and Spank Rock in tow. I was reticent. Whateva. Already been there and done that.

Impulses.

Three days (purposeful Jane's Addiction nod) before the Ke$ha Gibson Amphitheatre show and my curiosity kicks in. I think I'll check Ticketmaster. And I do a double take. A front row ticket for, ostensibly, a sold-out show?!?! Here I go again (a begrudging Whitesnake nod).

Ticketmaster, some times, does not Blow...ditto por blanca serpiente.

So, it's Saturday night in Los Angeles, much like it was Saturday night in Las Vegas the first go round. Ascending the long walkway to get to Gibson, the mood was festive with girls decked out as if they were going to a nightclub in Vegas; Glitter in their hair, Glitter everywhere.

Upon entering the venue, it was electric like I've never encountered before. Was it Carnaval? Mardi Gras? Prom night?

Bob Sinclar "Rock This Party" was blasting and the entire middle walkway that stretches the length of the theatre was packed with revelers that had their hands in the air and their bootys on a tear.

Lady Sovereign's "Love Me Or Hate Me" closed out the party rock interlude and now it was time to Get $leazy.

This was the crowd I had wanted in Vegas...they were here on this September eve.

YOUR LOVE (for Kesha) IS MY DRUG
It makes my heart beat like an 808 drum

Go insane, Go insane
Throw some glitter, make it rain on 'em
Let me see them hands, let me, let me see them hands

This place about to BLOW...

While keeping to a fairly regimented set list to allow for a full-BLOWn production, the thing I like about Ke$ha and the reason I recommend to naysayers to go see her show, is it's a really loose script with having nothin' but a good time (look what the cat dragged in) at it's core...much like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, go with the FLOW.

At any moment, you feel like the calculated train wreck could veer off the track into the sleazy abyss and you're secretly hoping it does...if only to punctuate the "moment" with an unencumbered exclamation point...like the one I experienced at the end of "Cannibal".

During the song, a guy is strapped to a giant "X" before a simulation ensues whereby Ke$ha rips his heart out and drinks its blood as it runs down her chin.

After slurping the last drops from the ventricle vestibule, Ke$ha threw the "heart" towards the side of the stage though it hit one of the PA monitors and fell at my feet. Surreal. Before I could pick it up to behold its faux wonder and snap a picture, a young girl came racing over and heisted it. A stage hand soon retrieved the prop to stow within its proper owner.

It was a moment etched in time...and, curiously, one that made me instantly consider that Ash Costello and her merry band of boyz that inhabit the rock band New Years Day should augment their Warped Tour appearances with an opening slot on the next Ke$ha tour.

Having written a song called "Grow A Pear" about one of her previous man toys that wanted to talk rather than enter her "Bone Zone," a willing 19-year old named Edward was pulled up on stage, wrapped in plastic and serenaded by Ke$ha to grow a "pair".

Enter stage right, a guy dressed as a giant penis with big floppy testicles who proceeds to start hitting Team Edward in the face with 'em.

Might have looked a little out of place on the U2 360 tour or at the Taylor Swift arena shows but it was a perfect condiment to the evening's sassy solicitation. As the opening act acronym would suggest, I was LMFAO!

And how might one top a public flogging by a six-foot dick...well...with Ms. Ke$ha proclaiming she needs more "glitter on her titties" which was then copiously applied to the strains of her band riffing AC/DC's "TNT" before a AC/DC style set of cannons jizzed a giant load of BONER dollars.

Tick, tick, tiK, ToK, this place is gonna Blow...

And with that, hundreds of IN KE$HA WE TRUST dollars got BLOWn all over the first ten rows. There was a mad scramble for mad money (hey Jim Cramer) and even one of the security guards picked one up before realizing he had been played. Sucka.

It's Bona Dolla bill y'all!

After the roof-raisin' encore of "We Are Who We R," I was hoping for an appearance by Alice Cooper during the final song of the night, another detonation of the Beastie Boys classic Party track.

Alice had played a rare club show at The Whisley a few nights prior with Ms. Cannibal making a special appearance whereby she poured Jack Daniels upon the thirsty close to the stage before donning an "Alice Cooper" mask and joining Mr. "Billion Dollar Baby" for a rousing version of their duet "What Baby Wants" from his new Welcome 2 My Nightmares album.

But not only was there no rendition of Boner Dollar Babies or Alice impersonating Ad-Rock but the cover was ditched all together (it is shown on the set list pic below).

However, Ke$ha did say that the show was one of the best of her nearly 400 shows over the past two years and concluded the thrill ride with the credo, "It's Saturday night. go get Laid". A fitting salute that embodied the evening's full frontal fun!

And unlike this review, looking a-head to yet another future night of getting $leazy does not BLOW!

KESHA
GET SLEAZY
Los Angeles, CA
Sept 17, 2011
Set List

1. Sleazy
2. Take iT Off
3. Fuck Him He's A DJ
4. Blow
5. Blah Blah Blah
6. Party At A Rich Dude's House
7. Backstabber
8. Cannibal
9. The Harold Song
10. Animal
11. Your Love Is My Drug
12. D.I.N.O.S.A.U.R.
13. Grow A Pear
14. TiK ToK
15. We R Who We R

I need some rehab, Or maybe just need some sleep...

JASON CORCORAN Shines A Gaston Light On American Rock 'N Roll

2011-09-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

“Your French tongue in our Southern town.
Your scarlet lips and eyes of brown.
I saw your silhouette in my gold headlights…”

And so the layers of colour begin to reveal themselves on Peel, the remarkable debut album by Gaston Light, the musical alias for 22-year old Dallas-based songsmith JASON CORCORAN.

Like the varying landscapes of Western America, Peel explores the trek of trials, tribulations and revelations bestowed upon this native Texan while navigating the peaks and valleys of three years spent in Los Angeles from 2008-2010.

Rooted in the blood, sweat and tears of heartland Americana, the ten-song opus conjures a warm feeling of familiarity while forging an evolutionary path. Jason surmises, “Peel is intended to portray the melting pot that comprises the heart and soul of American Rock & Roll.”

Gaston Light Peel

From the very first listen, songs such as “In A Casket,” “Radio King” and “Xanax Blues” evoke a feeling of a freewheeling road trip along Highway 66 to the classic FM strains of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Dire Straits, Tom Waits, David Gilmour, Warren Zevon and The Eagles while repeated listens reveal flourishes of folk, blues, soul, gospel, rockabilly, honky-tonk and Western.

Much akin to the sojourner of the 60’s, Jason vulnerably explores his personal journey, for better or worse. Plagued with economic hurdles and addiction, songs such as “Half Awake” and “Kiss the Hive” explore the darker side of his excursion while “Close Your Good Eye” and “Crown” offer moral glimpses into the harsh, unalterable reality that “coming of age” presents when facing the varying tones of life.

Written and recorded on a limited budget in a mere two weeks in a converted garage in Venice, CA, the nature of the situation added a punk rock ethos to the aural proceedings and, ultimately, required several “first takes” to be used on the Master recording.

This underlying sense of urgency recalls the lightning-in-a-bottle nature of The John Peel Sessions, whereby four tracks were recorded and mixed in a single day for later broadcast on the iconic BBC Radio show. As such, both Peel and The Peel Sessions share a common lineage, that of a rough and ready, demo-like feel, somewhere between an impassioned live performance and a finished recording.

In April of last year, the realization that one’s roots often represent a foundation that no assemblage of isolated experiences can replace led Corcoran back to the doorstep of Dallas, TX where he played his first shows at clubs in Deep Ellum as a wide-eyed 13-year old musical progeny.

The moniker Gaston Light bore itself out of Corcoran’s tumultuous and, ultimately, redemptive journey. It’s a nod to Gaston Avenue in east Dallas, which, coincidentally, is home to his label Idol Records and serves as a written commandment for his enlightened spiritual passage.

Jason recalls, “When I returned from Los Angeles, after a brief stint in Idaho, I was living with a couple of buddies because I was really struggling with my addiction."

"Gaston became this house/street where the fog started to lift and I felt hopeful for the first time in years. It became the place where I was able to redefine myself. It may not last or continue forever, but it was, and still remains, a powerful time in my life. I found a new home in my hometown.”

With a reconstituted appreciation for his Texas roots, Jason will continue to peel back the ever-morphing layers of life as a Gaston Light illuminates the next chapter of his discovery.

GASTON LIGHT
PEEL
1. Athens, TX
2. Radio King
3. Morning Fog
4. Kiss The Hive (MP3)
5. In A Casket
6. Half Awake
7. Close Your Good Eye
8. Xanax Blues
9. Crown
10. I’ll Wait For You (Please Wait For Me)

All songs Written & Arranged by Jason Corcoran
Produced by Nathan Blumenfeld-James
Recorded at Baby Bird Studios in Venice, CA

Jason Corcoran - Guitar and Vocal
Daryle Goldfarb – Guitar
David Jones – Bass
Nick Adams – Drums
Mark Nilan Jr. - Keys
Bob “Boo” Bernstein – Pedal Steel
Nathan Blumenfeld-James – Backing Vocal
Elliott Deutsch – Trumpet
Aniela Marie – Cello
Monica Olive – Backing Vocal

PEEL Quotes
“A melodic traipse through folk and Americana with undertones of sadness and hope.” LIT Monthly

‎“Jason’s got the hard-lived, gruff delivery of Jay Farrar, combined with the occasionally off-the-rails screaminess of Conor Oberst." D Magazine

“The breadth of Jason Corcoran’s creative muse on Peel is nothing less than transfixing. You won’t soon forget his voice, or his songs.” Dallas Morning News

"Gaston Light goes from that traditional sonic point and speeds towards a garage-rock rowdiness that never detracts from his sharp writing and keen sense for what just sounds good." Twangville

Tour Dates:
Sep 21 - Dallas, TX - Good Records In-store
Sep 22 - Dallas, TX - Sons of Hermann Hall (CD Release Party)
Sep 23 - College Station, TX - Schotzi's
Sep 24 - College Station, TX - Zapatos Cantina
Oct 07 - Dallas, TX - Lakewood Bar and Grill
Oct 08 - Norman, OK - Michelangelo's
Oct 09 - Tulsa, OK - Soundpony Lounge
Oct 10 - Norman, OK - House Concert
Oct 11 - Tulsa, OK - The Hunt
Oct 12 - Wichita, KS - Kirby's Beer Store
Oct 13 - Lawrence, KS - Eighth Street Tavern
Oct 14 - Kansas City, MO - Davey's Uptown Rambler Club
Oct 15 - Hays, KS - Coffee Rules
Oct 16 - Omaha, NE - Barley Street Tavern
Oct 17 - Omaha, NE - Louis Bar
Oct 18 - Minneapolis, MN - Lee's Liquor Lounge
Oct 19 - St. Paul, MN - Auld Tymes
Oct 21 - Minneapolis, MN - Acadia Cafe
Oct 23 - Milwaukee, WI - Bremen Cafe
Oct 27 - Chicago, IL - The Horseshoe
Nov 03 - Kearney, NE - Cunningham’s Journal
Nov 04 - Dallas, TX - The Stoneleigh (Housing Crisis Fundraiser)

FACEBOOK.COM/GASTONLIGHTMUSIC

Wynton Marsalis And Eric Clapton Play The Blues (Full Album Stream)

2011-09-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

New York City’s premier jazz venue got the blues last April when Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton performed together in Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center for two sold-out shows dedicated to vintage blues.

The extraordinary collaboration, billed as WYNTON MARSALIS & ERIC CLAPTON PLAY THE BLUES, paired these musical virtuosos with members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as they brought to life a repertoire of songs selected by Clapton and arranged by Marsalis.

To help them achieve that level of devotion, Marsalis and Clapton were joined on stage by Dan Nimmer (piano), Carlos Henriquez (bass), Ali Jackson (drums), Marcus Printup (trumpet), Victor Goines (clarinet), Chris Crenshaw (trombone, vocals), Don Vappie (banjo) and Clapton’s longtime keyboardist/sideman Chris Stainton.

Marsalis says the group combined the sound of an early blues jump-band with the sound of New Orleans jazz to accommodate the integration of guitar/trumpet lead, a combination that gave the musicians the latitude to play different grooves, from the Delta to the Caribbean and beyond.

The band nimbly navigated a diverse set list that touched on different styles, from the four-on-the-floor swing of Louis Armstrong’s “Ice Cream” and the southern slow-drag of W.C. Handy’s “Joe Turner’s Blues” to the traveling blues of “Joliet Bound” and the boogie-woogie jump of “Kidman Blues.”

After opening the shows with his solo set, Taj Mahal returned to join the band on “Corrine, Corrina” and the New Orleans funeral standard “Just A Closer Walk With Thee.”

Listen to a stream of the entire album (click the link below):

WYNTON MARSALIS & ERIC CLAPTON PLAY THE BLUES
LIVE FROM JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER
1. “Ice Cream” (Louis Armstrong)
2. “Forty-Four” (Howlin’ Wolf)
3. “Joe Turner’s Blues” (W.C. Handy)
4. “The Last Time” (Louis Armstrong)
5. “Careless Love” (Bessie Smith)
6. “Kidman Blues” (“Big Maceo” Merriweather)
7. “Layla” (Eric Clapton)
8. “Joliet Bound” (“Kansas Joe” McCoy/”Memphis Minnie” McCoy)
9. “Just A Closer Walk With Thee” (ft. Taj Mahal) [Traditional]
10. “Corrine, Corrina” (ft. Taj Mahal) [Bo Chatmon/Mitchell Parish]

Bonus Track on DVD-only: "Stagger Lee" by Taj Mahal

Musicians:
Wynton Marsalis - Trumpet
Eric Clapton - Guitar, Vocals
Dan Nimmer - Piano
Carlos Henriquez - Bass
Ali Jackson - Drums
Marcus Printup - Trumpet
Victor Goines - Clarinet
Chris Crenshaw - Trombone, Vocals
Don Vappie - Banjo
Chris Stainton – Keyboards

Produced by Eric Clapton, Wynton Marsalis and Ashley Schiff Ramos

AMAZON
ITUNES

MAUREEN TOTH Lets It Shine (RIYL Beth Orton, Dido, Beth Gibbons)

2011-09-08T00:17:00.000-07:00

Illuminating from the inside is Shine, the breezy sophomore album by Los Angeles singer-songwriter MAUREEN TOTH.

Produced by guitarist Bernie Larsen (Lucinda Williams, Melissa Etheridge, Rickie Lee Jones, Jackson Browne, El Rayo-X), Shine is a ten-track excursion down the highway of love, loss and edification in which Maureen’s ruminations enlighten subtle signposts of the universal human condition.

Painting a delicate mood with a perpetually swaying ambiance brushing your face on a magnificent autumn day, Toth’s timbre echoes the soothing vocalizations of artists such as Beth Orton, Dido, Suzanne Vega and Beth Gibbons of Portishead.

Maureen Toth Shine

Set against the cozy waft of lazy-day Americana wandering amidst lilting down tempo soundscapes, tracks such as “Boy & Girl,” “Jane’s Song” and “Love Me Still” unfold with a slow elegant amble that comforts one’s consciousness. It’s a leisurely gait that deftly permeates throughout to the final Caribbean-infused riddims of “Lonely Shoes”.

“Let It Shine,” is the album’s first single/video and the defacto title track. It’s a joyous celebration that Maureen originally anointed as “Song To The Children” as it is “a gentle guide to embracing the beauty in each of us”. Its chorus of “Who you are, Is divine, Who you are, Let It Shine” bustles with a foot stompin’ Hammond B3-driven undertow reminiscent of a Sunday morning Gospel revue.

Shine is dedicated to Patricia Toth, Maureen’s dearly beloved mother who passed away in 2008. She lovingly pays tribute to her “beautiful angel” in the mystically genteel “Mom’s Song” as her remembrance glistens and glows “Forever”.

Born and raised in Huntington Long Island, Toth attended Boston University where she studied voice and began to develop her range. After getting her degree, she relocated to the Bay Area, where she continued to pursue her musical interests for a few years, before transplanting to Los Angeles in 2000.

Once in L.A., she ingratiated herself into the city’s vibrant singer-songwriter scene and met Larsen, whom in addition to being a renowned touring guitarist and accomplished producer, is also a record label owner.

The two began collaborating and in 2004, Larsen’s Spinout Records released Maureen’s debut album Deven Kay, an introspective journey with vocal accompaniment and songwriting contributions by fellow musician, Lora Kay Ball (the album’s title is a union of their two middle names and a respectful acknowledgement of their longtime friendship).

The collaboration continues to Shine as Larsen plays all of the instruments on the new album while adding background vocals. Additionally, they continually perform together at select venues and house concerts around the country with Maureen also contributing background vocals for Larsen’s reggae outfit Cry On Cue.

Aside from her songwriters endeavors, Toth runs Eastern Talent, a successful talent agency in downtown L.A. that reps Editors, Directors of Photography, 1st Assistant Directors, Production Designers, Costume Designers and Composers whom have worked on full-length feature films including The Hangover Part II, Win Win, The Descendants, Final Destination 5 and Alice In Wonderland as well as TV shows such as Breaking Bad, CSI, Mad Men, Dexter and MTV’s Teen Wolf.

MAUREEN TOTH
SHINE
1. Boy & Girl
2. Let It Shine
3. Jane's Song
4. Just Like You
5. Mom's Song
6. Dog
7. Light of the Morning
8. Love Me Still
9. Lonely Shoes

MAUREEN TOTH.COM

EASTERN TALENT.COM

FACEBOOK

Jim McGorman: From Rock Star To Black Star; He's A Rising Star

2011-09-04T23:50:00.000-07:00

As a multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter/music producer/recording artist JIM MCGORMAN has performed or recorded with some of the most successful artists in the world; Shakira, Cher, Aaron Neville, The Corrs, Poison, Bret Michaels, Dave Navarro, Michelle Branch (musical director), Paul Stanley (musical director), Weezer (musical director), New Radicals (band member), Tal Bachman, Marc Broussard and Goo Goo Dolls.

Jim is also the musical director for Avril Lavigne and has been globetrotting throughout 2011 on her Black Star tour.

In addition to touring with pop music icons and rock 'n roll gods, Jim has played on numerous recordings and appeared on hundreds of television shows including Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, The Today Show, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, American Music Awards, Much Music Awards, Regis and Kelly, The View, MTV's TRL, BBC's Top of The Pops, Britain's Got Talent, America's Got Talent, Schlag den Raab, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and the Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

McGorman has definitely been a man on the move for the past seven years. This current chapter in his illustrious career started in 2005 when he was chosen to be a guitarist for the celebrated House Band on the CBS hit TV show Rock Star:INXS. He reprised his role for Rock Star:Supernova which featured co-hosts Brooke Burke and Dave Navarro.

McGorman also performed with Michelle Branch on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (episode: Tabula Rasa) and with Dilana Robichaux (the runner-up from Rock Star:Supernova) on Ellen DeGeneres.

When not jetsetting voraciously through a myriad of time zones, Jim calls Los Angeles his home where he's making his mark as an in-demand producer for artists such as Ryan Lutz, Kropp Circle, Bek Phillips and Laura Michelle. He also co-wrote the song "It's Only Life" for Kate Voegele's Don't Look Away album.

Jim also finds time to compose his own original material like the song HERE which is featured in the movie White Irish Drinkers starring Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Animal House) and his new single GIRLS (which is influenced by a healthy dose of the soulful sensibility of Michael Jackson):

"As this country and world collectively dodged an ecological disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, Jim McGorman is the musical enema that so many artists need now." C.C. DeVille (Poison)

“It was great having Jimmy in my band. He's solid guitarist, great on keyboards and a really terrific singer. A real triple threat and triple pleasure." Paul Stanley (KISS)

“Jim’s been with me for years. He’s a really talented musician and singer.
I love working with him.“ Avril Lavigne

Jim McGorman - The Black Star Tour With Avril Lavigne
09.04.11 Moscow, Russia - Arena Moscow
09.05.11 St. Petersburg, Russia - Yubileiny Concert Palace
09.08.11 Turin, Italy - PalaOlimpico (Isozaki)
09.10.11 Rome, Italy - Palalottomatic
09.11.11 Milan, Italy - Mideolanum Forum
09.13.11 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Heineken Music Hall
09.14.11 Brussels, Belgium - Forest National
09.16.11 Paris, France - Le Zénith
09.17.11 Paris, France - Le Zénith
09.19.11 Cologne, Germany - Palladium
09.21.11 London, UK - Hammersmith Apollo
09.22.11 London, UK - Hammersmith Apollo
09.23.11 Manchester, UK - O2 Apollo Manchester
10.01.11 Victoria, BC - Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
10.03.11 Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
10.05.11 Prince George, BC - CN Centre
10.06.11 Kamloops, BC - Interior Savings Centre
10.08.11 Kelowna, BC - Prospera Place
10.10.11 Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
10.11.11 Calgary, AB - ScotiaBank Saddledome
10.13.11 Regina, SK - Brandt Centre
10.14.11 Winnipeg, MD - MTS Centre
10.16.11 Sudbury, ON - Sudbury Arena
10.17.11 Ottawa, ON - ScotiaBank Place
10.19.11 Moncton, NB - Moncton Coliseum
10.20.11 Halifax, NS - Metro Centre
10.22.11 London, ON - John Labatt Centre
10.24.11 Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
10.25.11 Montreal, QC - Centre Bell
02.04.12 Saitama, Japan - Saitama Sūpā Arīna
02.05.12 Saitama, Japan - Saitama Sūpā Arīna
02.06.12 Nagoya, Japan - Ri-Ben-Gaisihoru

JIM MCGORMAN.COM

Knoxville's DISC EXCHANGE Offers Exclusive Pre-Sale For THE V-ROYS

2011-08-31T00:20:00.000-07:00

The DISC EXCHANGE, Knoxville’s leading independent record store, in conjunction with F.A.Y. Recordings and AC Entertainment, is offering an exclusive promotion to celebrate the highly anticipated CD release and New Year's Eve concert by hometown favorites, THE V-ROYS.

As a special in-store only advance pre-sale on Thursday September 8 at 10am local time, the first thirty customers that purchase a ticket to the band’s reunion show at The Bijou Theatre on New Year’s Eve will also have the opportunity to buy an autographed copy of The V-Roys forthcoming Sooner or Later CD (due 9/27). Additionally, there will also be a number of tickets and non-autographed CDs available for purchase.

“We wanted to do something special for The V-Roys’ fans in Knoxville,” states F.A.Y Recordings GM, Bev Paul. “The love affair between the city and the band is legendary and The Disc Exchange is one of the best independent record stores in the country, so it was easy to say ‘Yes,’ when Disc Exchange CEO, John Bevis approached us with the idea.”

The V-Roys played their last show on New Year’s Eve 1999 at the historic Tennessee Theatre in downtown Knoxville so it is only fitting that they are playing one last time for their loyal fans in Knoxville; this time at The Bijou.

For this special show-of-a-lifetime, the band will treat fans to a lengthy all-encompassing set of their recorded catalog and favorite covers. Keeping it all in the family, the evening will open with a set from former V-Roy, Mic Harrison accompanied by The High Score.

Sooner or Later is an 18-track collection of remastered material releasing on Miller’s F.A.Y. Recordings pairs thirteen previously released album tracks including fan favorites “Guess I Know I’m Right,” “Fade Away” and “Cold Beer Hello” with five unreleased studio recordings.

The V-Roys Sooner Or Later

Added to the mix are unreleased covers of Tom T. Hall’s “That’s How I Got To Memphis,” Neil Young’s “Burned,” and Leiber and Stoller’s “Smokey Joe’s Café” (from the Add Ice era) with the unearthed originals, “Hotel Room” and “Someone To Push Around” from the About Town sessions. The two newly restored tracks, both penned by Harrison, represent the only unreleased original songs stashed in archives.

For more info about The V-Roys, visit Facebook.com/thevroys

Tickets for The V-Roys New Year’s Eve show are priced at $35.00 (general on-sale date is Friday September 9). The Disc Exchange is located near Fort Dickerson Park at 2615 Chapman Highway.

For more info, call  865-573-5710 or visit DiscExchange.com.