It's all about the music! We were at NAMM and here is all the great stuff we got in our four days of mayhem at the world's largest music trade show. That isn't all for this month though! Look for our interviews with DJ Ashba, Dean Zelinsky, Meshuggah, Jeff Diamant, Carbon 9 and more! Don't forget Valentine's Day is in February so show your love for the music and of course the artists behind it!
Ryan: So, I know quite a bit about Dean Zelinsky through Dean Guitars, but I would like to know more about Diamond Amps and how this whole partnership came to be.
Jeff: Ok, here’s the story: About fifteen years ago I became friends with Bob Bradshaw. Really, one of the biggest names in guitar rigs and interfacing systems. And through my relationship with Bob, I became friends with Martin Golub who was really the amp guy at Custom Audio. So for about a decade and a half, Martin and I had been working on different things that we liked. So, one day I decided we really had some great stuff and we needed to put it out there. I called up Martin and asked him what he thought and he said, “Yeah!” So, Martin and I took our stuff and went into business on our own. I was already doing mods for people and Martin was doing this for a living.
Ryan: So this was more of a garage operation?
Jeff: I did independent rig consulting in Texas for a long time and Martin was doing this full time. He was doing rigs and building amp mods.
Ryan: Oh, ok.
Jeff: So, Martin and I set out to do Diamond and put some of our stuff into full scale production, which we did. Now, as the story goes, Dean went into Make’n Music in Chicago with some Dean Guitars and was talking to Teddy Gordon who owns that. Teddy personally plays my amps, so whenever he’s testing anything or doing anything, he plugs it into my amp. So, the story gets back to me that, "Dean Zelinsky sent Trivium to talk to you because they were looking for an amp company."
Ryan: Ok, so there is a Trivium connection here.
Jeff: Well, sort of. What happened was Dean was listening to the amp. He wasn’t paying attention who it was made by, but he said that is the best sounding amp he’d ever heard.
So, he remembers this and a couple of weeks later the Trivium guys call Dean and say “Hey, we are trying to find a decent amp company. Do you have any recommendations?” He said, “Yeah, hang on.”
So, he calls back to Teddy and says, “What the fuck was that you were playing, that’s the best sounding amp I’ve ever heard.” He said, “I want to send the Trivium guys”.
Then he said, “Oh, that’s a Diamond.”
Dean goes, “Oh really, so that’s Jeff's?” and Teddy said, “Yeah!”
Dean said, “Oh my God, that’s freaking amazing.” He tells the Trivium guys that they should call me. That conversation got back to me from a couple of different sources, all of whom are mutual friends of mine and Dean. Of that whole circle of people I was just talking about, Dean and I were the only ones who had never met or weren't talking on a regular basis. We knew who each other were but, we hadn’t had a chance to hook up. That was in part because I was trying to do some work with Dean Guitars and was frustrated because it just wasn’t happening. So I thought I would get around to Dean later.
I thought, "I really should call Dean and thank him for the compliment". I was told that Dean and I would get along great because we were really like minded. So, I called Dean out of the blue and said, “hey this is Jeff, I heard about the nice compliment and I wanted to say thanks” -And out of that we became pretty fast friends. We saw the music industry eye to eye. I hinted around about it a little bit that I had heard it through the grapevine that Dean wasn’t really happy where he was and that he and I should build guitars together.
Dean was like, “yeah, yeah, yeah...” I said, “anytime you are ready, we’ll talk.”
So, the separation occurred at Dean Guitars. He called me up and said, “Hey, you remember that conversation we had?”
I said, “Yeah.”
He said, “How serious were you?”
I said. “Completely…why?”
And he said, “Well, I’m not with Dean Guitars anymore.”
And I said, “Since when?”
and he said, “ahhh since forty-five minutes to an hour ago. So, do you want to talk?”
and I said. “Yes.” So, my partner, Terry Martin and I flew up to Chicago. We all sat down and talked about what he saw and what we saw and next thing you know we are in business together.
Ryan: Well that is fantastic! So tell me how many major models of Diamond Amps you have out now.
Jeff: Six: Spitfires. ( a one channel and two channel). Outside of that, Phantom, Nitrox, Decada, and Spec Op.
Ryan: So, no proprietary info. But, can you tell us what makes your amps different from other companies?
Jeff: There is nothing proprietary about tube amps.
Ryan: You know that is kind of the general consensus.
Jeff: Everybody building tube amps is basically ripping off Fender or Marshall. People get into that all the time. So, take a look at this circuit design, that circuit design, and my circuit design and its like, "Fuck you"…it's all Fender’s and Marshall’s.
Ryan: Yeah, open up a schematic of any tube based circuit design….
Jeff: People say stuff like, “oh, I’m going to do a different design” and they’re getting into all of this technical stuff…. “Oh, you mean the B+ design that Marshall has been doing for forty years is wrong, and doesn’t work right?” That is confusing to me because I thought forty years of testing was adequate… but, obviously, you guys know better, right? (Laughs)
Ryan: So at that point you are just designing things that basically make your life easier and make the amplifiers more flexible?
Jeff: Yeah, so here is the real deal with our stuff; We design our amps with top quality all the way through. The way we voice our amps has been much more pleasing to professional players. I probably got the highest compliment I am ever going to get in my career just within the last couple of weeks. 311's Tim Mahoney, who is an endorsed artist, has been in the studio recording and Tim called me saying that the producer was freaking out over his amp...The spitfire, he is freaking out over it.
Ryan: So what did he say?
Jeff: He said; “I want to thank you, this is one of the best amps I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Ryan: This guy has heard amps. Tons of them...
Jeff: The producer is Bob Rock! And I’m saying if Bob Rock is saying; “This is one of the best amps I’ve ever heard.” I’ve got to give it up to that because I hear that Bob is one of the best guitar tone producers. I mean: Motley Crue’s Dr. Feelgood, Metallica’s Black Album and the list goes on for days and days and days… If I could have my choice of producers if I ever had a band, unquestionably it would be Bob Rock. So, you talk about a guy who has had access to every amp ever made, it's him. Bogners, Engls, any of them…. he has heard them. To get that compliment from him is probably the highest I’ll ever have. And he pointed out some of the same things to me. He said obviously they are built like a tank. Beyond that, the clarity and the precision of the amp is beyond anything I have ever seen.
Ryan: Is that point to point wiring in your stuff or do you use printed circuits?
Jeff: It is all hand assembled. It is all hand soldered. We do use a pre-printed circuit board and I do it for this reason and this reason only; It is an unnecessary cost to do point to point and it is far less reliable then a printed circuit. As long as your board is designed right it is a substantially more reliable product. Because you are not relying on human beings' ability to do six hundred solder points accurately and not mess any of them up. I can’t name six hundred of anything in my life that I have done right every time.
Ryan: You get one cold solder joint in there or something and…
Jeff: Not even having ice tea! I spill some. Nothing! I can do six hundred times without incident. That part goes away with a reliable product. It’s really the voicing of the amp that does it for me. We like our amps to feel upfront, to breathe, we like the guitar player to literally feel it.
Ryan: Yeah, you like to move some air with it.
Jeff: I’m not one one of those guys that do what a lot of guys do with their amps. They design their amps to make it easier for the player…. a lot of distortion, a lot of saturation. They take out a lot of things that create clarity. They create an amp that no matter how bad I play, I still sound ok.
Ryan: That’s the kind of amp I have to have. (Laughs)
Jeff: I don’t want to do that. I want the amp to be true to the player. Because if you are playing anything correctly, it sounds substantially better.
Ryan: Sure, absolutely.
Jeff: With an amp set up like that, there is a limit as to how bad you can sound, but there is also a limit as how good you can sound. I’ll never have an amp with a limit as to how good someone can sound, because the better their fingers are, the better I want them to sound. I don’t want them to be limited by my product. And that is where people tend to gravitate towards what they hear. It’s big and it’s full and I can feel it and hear everything… and that is really what sets us apart. That and I spend the time to give the guitar players what they want. Controls that work, a real tube-driven effects loop, dual volume gain design that I do on my crunch channels that give you more or less gain rhythm or rhythm in a lead. Those are the little touches that make the guitar player go “thank you, I don’t know why it’s so hard to get an amp that does this.” For me, that’s what it comes down to. Outside of that you just build them as good as you can, using high quality parts.
Ryan: As far as speakers in your cabinets, are they your design or Celestions, or what?
Jeff: It’s theirs (Celestion’s). I love them.
Ryan: Are those twelve inchers in there?
Jeff: Yes, twelves in all of our cabinets. I had a conversation with Jim at Celestion about this, and he understands and does agree with me that at a good shop, some significant portion of the cabinet sound is the speakers, but, there’s an equally significant portion in the construction of the cabinet. It makes a difference as to how it sounds. I’ve talked to people that say, “No, no, I don’t need another cabinet, mine is as good as yours.” I say, “Alright, I’ll tell you what, A/B (switch) it…” and you know what? Hands down, they pick mine.
Ryan: Do you have a specific type of wood that you use in them?
Jeff: Baltic Birch
Ryan: Well, let’s go take some pictures of you with those amps!
Jeff: Let's go!
Visit Diamond Amps on the web at: http://www.diamondamplification.com or on myspace at: www.myspace.com/diamondamplification
When I turn on the radio, I expect to hear the likes of Nickleback, Seether, Theory of a Deadman, and Saving Abel. And while I like these bands, there's times that I want to step away from today's mainstream sound and hear something that is original, with a message and with a purpose. I achieved this upon the discovery of the band Carbon 9.
When you listen to their music, you're not going to hear anything about a Bad Girlfriend or too hot to handle sex. What you will hear and experience is a road to personal discovery wrapped in brilliant lyrics and songwriting. Music that steps out of the mainstream, music that takes it to a higher level.
But in order to appreciate the music, you have to understand the driving force behind it. You have to understand where the musicians are coming from on many different levels. I was able to correspond with Carbon 9 lead singer Stacey Quinealty through email for an interview that takes a deeper look at not just the music of Carbon 9, but of the band and this amazing vocalist/songwriter as well.
Lis: How did the band members meet and come together as a collective group to form Carbon 9?
Stacey: Carbon 9 met and was created while the members were working as performers at Universal Studios, Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA.
Lis: How did the band come to be called Carbon 9 and what is the meaning behind the name?
Stacey: Carbon 9 stands for the following: Carbon is the basis of all organic life on planet Earth, the # 9 is the highest single digit known to man, Carbon 9 = “Living your life at the highest possible level”.
Lis: What 1 word would you use to describe C9?
Stacey: Good question! The answer would be “INTERNAL”, referencing the inside of the self.
Lis: Describe the songwriting process for C9.
Stacey: I usually create a basic programmed sequence that establishes the foundation of energy that I am going for within each song. Darwin will then create the guitar parts from this point and we will add bass and drums in an effort to stay true to each member. When we are happy with the basic elements, I will then arrange the song to flow in a way that will allow me to get my point across from an emotional position. The final step is to write the lyrics and melodies. Ass backwards I know. It ends up being a very complex process, but works best for us. Every now and then we are lucky and it will work in reverse.
Lis: Although each track feels to be a story within itself, when I listened to The Bull in it's entirety, it felt as each song were a chapter, making up a greater story, somewhat like what
Queensryche did with Operation Mindcrime. Was that the intent with this CD? For the listener to take a journey from the first track to the last?
Stacey: Excellent insight you have! Each song is a day in the journey of the album. This was intentional and occurs on each of our records. I believe that life is a journey and everything we do should follow this simple template, this simple concept. The idea is to always move forward, and the only way to accomplish this is to follow your path in the accepted direction.
Lis: How did you come about choosing to cover Danzig's Mother?
Stacey: Danzig’s Mother was chosen because it was the only song we came across that we could completely convert into the style of Carbon 9, yet at the same time stay true to the original.
Lis: When I listened to Mary Mannequin, the first thing that I thought of was fans of different artists who tend to live on those artists myspace pages, leaving comments and sending messages to them with the hopes of being noticed. (myspace stalkers..hehe)
Where did the idea and inspiration for this song come from?
Stacey: Mary Mannequin is about a guy that falls in love with a mannequin in a shop window. This is actually a metaphor referencing your statement perfectly. It is about people living in a fantasy world and completely ignoring the reality. It is about convincing yourself of the importance of the insignificant, for to only give value to your own thoughts.
Lis: I noticed that you use the imagery of butterflies in a few of your songs. Does the butterfly have a special significance for the band, or for you individually?
Stacey: The butterfly appears in all my work. It is not intentional, but is channeled from my mind to paper as the ultimate representative of accessible hope of a living creature being able to transform into perfection. An achievement that all forms of life can obtain if we decide to approach a simplistic method of thought.
Lis: I know that all of the artwork and imagery on The Bull was designed by the band. Do the symbols on the band's logo have specific meaning in relation to the band?
Stacey: Wow, you really do notice the details. The icons do have significant importance within the Carbon 9 mainframe. They represent the senses of the being in relation to the value of connection within the human spirit. I could elaborate on this, but it would equate to a book in length.
Lis: How has your personal life and life influences evolved your music over COTM and The Bull?
Stacey: First of all, I love your questions and appreciate the fact that you respect and acknowledge that C9 is more than just the music. I would like to think that my personal life and life influences have evolved my music from COTM to THE BULL, but the truth is it was the opposite. My lyrical writings are my diary, and the evolution of each album significantly influences my life. As I write things down and convert them into songs, I am able to move past these occurrences and therefore continue to grow in a forward state of being. Of course my emotional position at each given moment tailors each song and completes each album, but it is the act of expression that enables me to accept myself for who I am and move to the next level, or as I like to say, “Allows me to open the next door in my hallway of life”.
Lis: Do you have plans for another acoustic show with the possibility of releasing and "unplugged cd or video"?
Stacey: We are always discussing the next acoustic show, but as mechanical as our live show is with the use of advanced technology, it is the unplugged show where our fans truly see the depths of Carbon 9. We can’t wait to release an acoustic version of our systemaddict live show.
Lis: I saw mention of upcoming tour announcements. Will this be a nationwide tour?
Stacey: We are in the process of negotiating a worldwide tour, so that all of humanity can experience and grow with Carbon 9.
Lis: Besides music, do you have any other hobbies or deep interests?
Stacey: Unfortunately, outside of music, my other hobby is music. I am always in the studio writing, producing, and recording. I say “unfortunately”, because I often wish I had other interests, but I just don’t. A good game of Call of Duty does however, help to clear my mind.
Lis: What is something that you want our readers to know about C9?
Stacey: I would love for people to know that this higher level in which we speak of is obtainable. It is a mental state of being that can only be accessed on an individual basis. Freedom exists first from within, and is then achieved by applying these
thoughts to your actions.
Lis: What is your view on games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band? Do you think that they are tools to inspire people to pick up an instrument, or do you think it becomes an easy substitute for the real thing, causing people to just become addicted to a game and
not the pursuit of music?
Stacey: I actually think it is one in the same. I refuse to believe that a video game will allow me to be a musician or deter me from doing so. If music, art, dance, etc… is in your soul, nothing should prevent you from pursuing that avenue. However, I do feel that the games may create an access point that will allow the individual to experience music in ways that he/she may not have the opportunity to do so otherwise. Therefore the game will be an inspiration. I do believe that the styles of music heard in these games will determine the future trends to follow. Given this, these games will and do shape society as a whole, but probably not so much on an individual basis as we may like to think.
The original release date for C9's The Bull was targeted for February 24th, but has been pushed back to March 10th, but you don't have to wait to experience the diversity that is Carbon 9. You can check out their music on myspace and facebook or stimulate you sense of vision as well as that of hearing by checking out their videos for My Friend and Mother. Be sure to visit C9's official website for other interviews and news releases as well as great photos and images.
I'd like to extend a a huge thank you to Stacey for taking the time to answer my questions, giving us greater insight to this scintillating band that is Carbon 9.
Ryan: What I was most impressed with was how fast you got this off the ground. So what was the process like doing that?
Dean Z: A lot of work!
Ryan: I bet it was! I bet it was crazy!
Dean Z: The company was formed the end of July, early August 2008. Once the company was formed, we had to design the whole line, which was a little difficult, but not too difficult, because I had a lot of ideas.
Ryan: I was curious about that; Whether you came up with an entire line, or if you started with one guitar at a time, or how that went.
Dean Z: Well, I haven’t done everything that has been in my mind the last thirty years. It was time to dig deeper. When somebody writes a book, it doesn’t mean it is every book he has ever thought about but, it’s just what he wrote then...
Ryan: Good point.
Dean Z: I’ll show you one guitar called the Imperial which I had in my brain probably nineteen years. The original Dean guitars never did it, back at the other place... Anyway, back to the original question; We developed the line and figured out what it was going to be. Then we started doing all the mechanical drawings, both renderings and CAD drawings. Then we started machining and tooling. We had to get set up at our Chicago area plant and our Chinese operation and our Japanese operation. We are able to share a lot of files. Stuff that was generated here we were able to share and stuff that was done over there they were able to share with us.
Ryan: So technology is a huge help?
Dean Z: Yes, so when developing the line, we always render the guitar first to make sure we like it, it’s sexy and that it has all the features that we want. It’s easier to go from there to the computer CAD drawings and then after that, go to the CNC router. A lot of these guitars are built on a bit router. Every USA guitar, there are thirty-two USA guitars at the booth, every neck is hand-set... Made literally with a pin-routed tongue and a hammer and chisel.
Ryan: No kidding?
Dean Z: Like I did with the first Dean guitars in 1977.
Ryan: That is fantastic! The other question I had for you is the partnership with Jeff (Diamant) with Diamond Amps and how that came about. Have you known Jeff for a long time?
Dean Z: No, I’ve only known Jeff for a short while. I was really impressed with the amps and we talked about doing something together and the opportunity presented itself.
Ryan: So, that is great and it makes sense; guitars and amps going together.
Dean Z: Amps are a big part of it. Never really had an association with an amp company and now I’m owner of an amp company.
Ryan: That is wonderful! So the uniqueness of the DBZ Guitars- are these things you wanted to do? I am assuming you felt your hands were tied previously. So this is a good opportunity for you to express yourself- to show some different things out there. So what are you doing differently than maybe you were doing before, on these guitars?
Dean Z: I think right now I have a lot more time to focus. The other operation was…
Ryan: Craziness? *laughs*
Dean Z: A little more 'corporate' and money driven and I got in this business not because I could make a gazillion dollars. I got into it because I loved guitars. I’m a guitar builder. Now I can focus more on the guitars rather then the money part. The thing at DBZ is the guitar first. I’m able to spend the time and develop the guitars both sonically and aesthetically. We have a lot of bodies with wood carving. We never really owned any machinery at Dean Guitars until the last six months I was there. The first thing I did here was buy a CNC router and all the machinery, and now I’ve got my own tools.
Ryan: So show me the things you are particularly proud of.
Dean Z: The thing I am most proud of at the show is the Imperial. This is based on the ML guitar actually.
Ryan: Really?
Dean Z: Notice the thinness. When I started I was a young kid. You have to remember I started almost before Dimarzio’s came into play. Nobody even knew what good pick ups were and things like that. What happens is you kind of grew up thinking, "oh, you just change the pick ups and that is how you change the sound of the guitar". Nobody thought about the wood. Very early on dealing with rock stars, they were gravitating towards the ML. Rock stars buy guitars with their ears more then anything else. Like Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top when he did the Eliminator Record. He said “Man I just kept going to that one guitar with that sound.” So that let me know that the ML sounded better the the V and the Dean Z, which is like an Explorer. So, over the years I realized what gave the ML its tones and the liveliness was a thick plank of wood that was relatively thin and when you hit it, it had more of a resonance to it. Like a plank of wood rather then a log. That’s what made the guitar so alive. I was always thinking not everybody wants to play a pointy, wild guitar. So, thirty years ago I thought about the Imperial and just never got around to building it. So, as soon as I got my own thing going here at DBZ again this is the first guitar I put into production.
Ryan: I know you mentioned on your website you are using more exotic woods... So, what is this one made of?
Dean Z: This is Burled Redwood.
Ryan: It has sort of a retro hollow body look to it. It is fantastic.
Dean Z: Another thing that we are doing at DBZ is textured finishes. We are also tooling our own hardware.
Ryan: You have some really elaborate hardware.
Dean Z: Yes, Graphtech saddles and a lot of attention to detail. Something we are pretty excited about. The 3-D overlay... The cut in the Barchetta... Which is all done in the CNC process.
Ryan: Now are you using EMG’s (pickups) on all of your stuff?
Dean Z: No. We mostly use our own pick-ups and only use EMG’s on a few models.
Ryan: (picks up a Sepulchre model) This has a visual reference to an ML so did this stem from the ML?
Dean Z: I think it is sort of obvious; it’s in my blood or something. *laughs*
Ryan: So, are the graphics and finishes done in your shop or are you sourcing them out?
Dean Z: Pretty much. Some are, some aren’t. We are doing all the graphics in house. Ryan: Thanks for your time! These are amazing. Visit DBZ Guitars at: www.DBZGuitars.com or www.myspace.com/dbzguitars
DJ Ashba is one of the music world's hardest working stars. He owns his own graphic design studio, Ashba Media, with quite a list of outstanding clientele. He also owns Ashbaland Studios. DJ is also in one of the hottest new bands, Sixx AM, whose song, "Life is Beautiful" was named " Rock Song of the Year" for 2008 by Mediabase, and he just came out with his own line of Ovation guitars. We were lucky enough to talk to DJ while he was at NAMM:
Ryan: We came by to check out your new line of Ovation guitars because they just look amazing.
DJ: Thank you.
Ryan: So, there are several different models with different graphics. Is there a specific inspiration for the whole line or did they just come to you?
DJ: No. Each one just kind of came to me. You know, I was real free about the whole thing. You know I designed these guitars from head to toe. The hardware, the woods, the necks. Some I have been working on for many years, I’m really proud of it you know. Instead of just putting out a typical signature model, I wanted to do a collection because I thought “this hasn’t been done before.” You know, I own a graphic design agency and it was my opportunity to sit down and design something I thought my fans would really enjoy.
Ryan: Excellent! So, did you more or less start with a blank sheet on this or did you work with Ovation on it or how did that happen?
DJ: Well, I have a company with about fifteen employees and they are the most talented people ever. We just sat around and started sketching on paper and everybody sort of gets involved. My photographer Bjorn Opsahl, Darcy J. Watt who is a really amazing illustrator, to Rita who runs the make-up department. So, we went and found a location, well, I found the location. We took the pictures and took everything out of the pictures except me and the shadows.
Ryan: I love it!
DJ: And we basically started to photoshop in the sky and the floor and everything around me.
Becca: When are we going to get to see the guitars?
Ryan: Yeah, we were bummed they didn’t have any here!
DJ: Yeah, right now they are getting made. We are thinking and hoping by March they are going to come out and from left to right on the poster is the order they will be released. We are going to stagger them throughout the year. One of the guitars and this collection as well, is going to be carried at all the Guitar Centers.
Ryan: Wow!
DJ: You know, I’m really excited about it, and if these do really well, next year I am hoping to do four more of another collection like the Vampire Collection or whatever I create.
Ryan: well, vampires are a big thing right now! *laughs*
DJ: Hopefully, it will be an ongoing thing. Out of the four I teamed up with, an artist that I have a lot of respect for is Michael Godard. He is the olive guitar artist. His paintings go for like fifty thousand a painting. We sat down and created the last guitar which is the olive. He never painted a guitar before so it really is a special painting. If you look inside the tree, he painted my name. It is a really valuable piece to add to the collection. It is all about art. I’m all about ideas hitting me and being an artist, I like to do things out of the ordinary.
Ryan: What I like is the stuff that you do out of the ordinary but is also done with class and immaculate execution. I have never seen anything come out of you either musically or artistically that has been half-assed.
DJ: Thank you. It is my name. It’s all I have. So anything I stamp my name on has to be quality. I really am hands-on in everything I do. I oversee everything... I’m involved in everything... I’m the creator behind everything. And it's good you know? When I am working on an idea I go to one of my guys and they give me so much imput and it is important to me not to stomp on their artistic ability. They are really good at that too, so everybody complements each other.
Ryan: I think that is part of the thing also, to have that chemistry that even if you are not artistically inclined to draw but you can walk up to someone and tell them what you are thinking and they can put it down…that is priceless.
DJ: It means a lot to me because it is all about quality. Because I don’t want to put crap out there. Guitars, merchandise, albums or whatever you are selling... I mean it is hard to make a dollar these days so if people are going to spend money on anything with my name on it, I want to make sure they are happy with what they are getting.
Ryan: You are totally right! With the guitar line, do you see the demographics for that being more the artistically inclined, or guitar players, or your fans that aren’t necessarily guitar players?
DJ: I think they are kind of for everybody. Because the way I designed them, I wanted a guitar that when people walked into a store like Best Buy their mom and dad wouldn’t be offended by it, but their kid would think it was bad-ass! So, there is a really fine line to walk when you are trying to reach the kids...
Ryan: We totally understand! *laughs*
DJ: Like the Heroin Diaries' Guitar. When it came out, Guitar Center wouldn’t carry it because moms and dads wouldn’t buy it for their kids, and that is understandable. This is totally separate from that. I didn’t design the Heroin Diaries Guitar. This is my own collection of products.
Becca: So, tell us what else you are doing with Ashba Media.
DJ: Well, we do all the Virgin Mega Stores world wide marketing and branding. We do ads for Ovation. We do Royal Underground too.
Becca: You also have your new clothing line. So are you going to do more with fashion?
DJ: Well, I think for now I just want to put out super high quality graphics, like t-shirts. To me there is not a lot of kick-ass artwork for rock kids to wear. So, we are doing twelve color printing on these shirts. Totally over the top. The highest quality we could get our hands on.
Becca: So you are juggling a lot! You are in the studio as well.
DJ: Yes. I just co-produced Motley out of it, the new Motley album there. And now the song Saints of LA that I co-wrote is up for a grammy. ( Note: Motley Crue's song, Saints Of Los Angeles is up for a Grammy in the Best Hard Rock Performance Catagory. The CD was produced by James Michael and co-produced by DJ Ashba and Nikki Sixx. It was also engineered by James and DJ at Ashbaland Studios.)
Becca: That is awesome!
DJ: Yeah, yeah, so it is good.
Becca: Congratulations.
DJ: Thank you.
We would like to thank DJ for taking the time out to talk with us. If you want to learn more about DJ or pick up some of his new swag, then visit the sites below. Don't forget to check out Sixx A.M. if you haven't already!
www.ovationguitars.com
www.djashba.com
www.ashbaland.com
www.ashbamedia.com
www.swagrox.com
http://www.myspace.com/djashba
1. I could eat Italian food every day
2. I love double entendres
3. I am right handed, but skateboard goofy foot (left handed)
4. I did the artwork for a children’s book published by the Colorado Rockies baseball team. My Father-in-law and I were also characters in the book.
5. I prefer to eat with a small fork (the salad fork).
6. I love James Bond movies
7. I often wonder if Jack Bauer slacks off the rest of the year – “Dammit Tony!, I said no glazed donuts. Chloe, get me a list of tomorrow’s Amazon goldbox deals.”
8. I am pretty good with a yo-yo
9. I know that guitarists really do go through g strings faster.
10. I like tacos with meat only, no lettuce cheese or tomato. Just the shell and the meat.
11. I acted in a commercial when I was 19. My line was ‘Does this come in purple?’.
12. I didn’t get along with my wife for the first month I knew her. I thought she was hot though.
13. I love frozen margaritas with salt on the rim.
14. I am a certified scuba diver
15. My favorite place to play with my band is Athens Greece.
16. My dream location is Bonaire
17. I am very interested in genealogy (Hello, fellow Briodys!)
18. I fake like I can play the banjo, but I really can’t
19. I love guitar picks. All kinds of guitar picks.
20. My best days of my life were getting married and when the kids were born
21. I am a diehard fan of the Minnesota Vikings.
22. I’m not that good of a driver. I can’t parallel park
23. I think that ‘Pushing Daisies’ may be the most well written TV show ever.
24. I love Worcestershire sauce
25. I think Red Bull is the best tasting drink ever, but I’m trying to avoid drinking it
Visit: www.Jagpanzer.com or www.myspace.com/jagpanzer
Parker Guitars, a leader in technological innovation and originality within the music world, announced today the availability of the Fly Mojo MIDI Guitar to their stellar line of electric guitars. Designed for the professional player, the Fly Mojo MIDI combines cutting edge MIDI technology with the innovative breakthroughs pioneered by Parker Guitars.
The Fly Mojo MIDI Guitar features a Roland GK-KIT-GT3 Divided Pickup Kit, which allows for full integration with the Roland V-Guitar System, GR-20 Guitar Synthesizer or any BOSS GK- Effect Series Pedals. Utilizing plug and play connectivity, the Fly Mojo MIDI Guitar allows players to create a world of unique tones with the simplicity and quality that musicians have come to expect from Parker.
Along with the MIDI capability, the guitar features Seymour Duncan Jazz (N) and JB (B) pickups, Sperzel Trim-lok tuners and an exclusive Fishman Piezo electronics system. The Fly Mojo MIDI is constructed from a carbon glass epoxy fretboard fused to a single solid piece of Mahogany.
"The addition of the Fly Mojo MIDI Guitar to our Fly Series further strengthens our position as a leader in innovation within the guitar industry," said Jody Dankberg, Director of Marketing and Artist Relations at Parker Guitars "The Fly Mojo MIDI Guitar combines the MIDI innovations pioneered by Roland with the signature style and technology unique to our Fly line of guitars. Once again, Parker Guitars have set the industry-wide bar for simplicity and innovation."
The Parker Fly Mojo MIDI Guitar Features:
- MIDI Support utilizing the Roland GK-KT-GT3 Divided Pickup Kit
- Seymour Duncan Jazz (N) and JB (B) pickups, Exclusive Fishman Electronics System
- Solid one piece Mahogany body with a carbon glass epoxy fretboard
- Sperzel Trim-lok tuners
- Plug and Play integration with Roland V-Guitar System, GR-20 Guitar Synthesizer, or any BOSS GK- Effect Series Pedals
Availability
The Fly Mojo MIDI is currently available at Parker retailers. To locate a Parker retailer, please visit http://parkerguitars.com/code/dealer/dealer.asp
About Parker Guitars
Parker Guitars is owned by US Music Corp., located just north of Chicago. US Music Corp. is a uniquely positioned, fully integrated musical instrument company that manufactures and markets instruments, accessories and audio equipment for professionals, aspiring professionals, collectors, hobbyists and beginner musicians. Also owned by US Music Corp. are Washburn Guitars, Randall Amplifiers, Eden Electronics, Oscar Schmidt and Vinci Strings.
Maybe it is just me but, somewhere along the line I think a lot of bands forgot what metal is supposed to sound like. Please don't get your torches and pitchforks out yet. Because with too much experimentation comes a loss of the core of what truly makes metal unique. Saxon has never lost that gift. Those elements come together and shine in the perfect classic heavy metal album: "Into the Labyrinth."
Whether you are a long time fan of Saxon since the 80's or just love heavy metal, you will enjoy this kick ass album. The CD starts off with "Battalions Of Steel" and it is a monster of a song with exultant choruses and stunning vocals by Biff Byford. The guitar work is amazing on "Come Rock Of Ages" and "Demon Sweeney Todd." The rest of the CD is pure heavy metal excellence and will not disappoint even the most die hard of metal heads.
When you grow up with a band whose songs hold a timeless meaning to you sometimes it is hard to want to grow past those songs of your youth. I mean who doesn't want to re-visit those care free days and those songs that bring you back there? However, Saxon's songs and albums are consistently rock hard. While we can listen to Saxon with a sense of nostalgia we also count on them to always produce a great modern metal album. "Into The Labyrinth" can be added to that list!
Visit Saxon at: http://www.saxon747.com/en/itl/ or www.myspace.com/planetsaxon
EL CAJON, Calif. - February 10, 2009 - In response to requests from guitar players around the world, Taylor Guitars is poised to bring its award-winning Taylor Guitars Road Show to dealerships across the U.S. and abroad in 2009.
Now in its third year, the Taylor Guitars Road Show is a guitar lover's dream: a fun, lively in-store gathering that brings enthusiasts together with Taylor clinicians and experts straight from the company's factory in El Cajon, California. At each Road Show, the Taylor Road Show team shares insights on the company's guitar making process, including an informative demonstration on how body shapes and woods affect tone. After the demonstration, players are invited to take part in the show's most popular feature, the "Petting Zoo": an opportunity to pick up and play a variety of different models, as well as rare and custom Build to Order models. Admission to each Road Show is free.
At select locations, a special Electric Road Show will highlight Taylor's award-winning electric lineup, including the new and much-raved-about T3 and T3/B, the ever-popular Taylor SolidBody, as well as the versatile, number-one-selling electric/acoustic hollowbody, the T5. Attendees will also have the chance to explore Taylor's line of acoustic guitars.
The 2009 Road Show tour will kick off in March with multiple dates in California and Oklahoma, as well as an East Coast swing with special stops in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Attendees will have the chance to enter to win the grand prize, an opportunity to build their own custom guitar through Taylor's Build To Order program.
In 2008, Taylor brought the Road Show to over 146 locations throughout the U.S., Germany and England. The Taylor Guitars Road Show was awarded the 2008 Supplier Excellence Award from Music Inc. magazine in the category of Events for putting "the excitement of the company's factory tours into retail dealers across the country."
For more information on Road Shows dates and locations, please visit the official Taylor Guitars Road Show calendar at www.taylorguitars.com/roadshows
I was skeptical about paying $40 for a general admission show but after picking up a copy of Theory of a Deadman’s latest release, Scars and Souvenirs, I knew I had to go! And it was worth every penny!
Rev Theory started off the night at the Edmonton Event Center. Before the show the only thing I knew about this group was their hit single Hell Yeah but by the end of the first song I was hooked! I loved every minute of their hard rock sounds & Rich Luzzi amazing vocals. Rev Theory rocked the crowd but also showed their softer side with the haunting ballad Broken Bones about the loss of a loved one. They closed their set with Hell Yeah and had everyone jumping and ready for Theory of a Deadman. But before that, the band walked through the crowd selling their CD Light It Up. I instantly grabbed a copy and have listened to it almost non-stop!
Theory of a Deadman took the stage and played for over an hour. The Canadian rockers played a good mixture of their older hits, including Better Off and No Surprise, as well as material off their new release. They had the sellout crowd all rocking out to Hate My Life and then raising cell phones & lighters for their current single Not Meant To Be. Tyler Connolly’s vocals were dead on all night and Dean Beck on bass & David Brenner on guitars sounded great. The band closed out the night with an encore of Santa Monica and Bad Girlfriend.
Overall this was an amazing rock show to kick off the year with and will be hard to top!
January 20th, 2006.
The day that shook the Swedish music scene. All the tabloids read "Rock star found dead", and people were pretty much shaken. Dave Lepard, Crashdiet's singer, had killed himself.
Not everybody is a Crashdiet fan. Actually, Sweden is filled with rockers who just detest them. I'm not a major fan myself. Sure, I do like them, but there are bands I like a whole lot more. Although, I will always have some sort of gratitude towards Crashdiet. They were the first sleaze band to be signed to a major label in a LONG time, and if it hadn't been for them, I don't think many of these new bands would have made it far. Some would, yes, but maybe not now. Maybe not for another 10 years.
Photo by Mette Jensen, www.mettejensen.se
January 24th this year. The third annual Rest In Sleaze festival, held in memory of Dave Lepard.
I could probably go on and on about the bands I saw, the rock stars roaming the room, the bar and the shows, displaying all my pics and tell the stories, but here's the thing...
I keep thinking about Baby Jane. How the singer looked up to the sky, and said "This is for you Dave", and then kept looking up at times, with an almost angry look on his face. It might have been just for the show, but it could also have been the fact that he misses Dave and can't understand why he had to go. I don't know, but I know this... I miss Dave too.
Rest In Sleaze, Dave.
One Less Tear & the Navasky Foundation for Life Team with Tunes4thetroops. org to Send Over 100,000 CDs to Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
Release Date;Tuesday January 27th, 2009
PHILIPSBURG, PA United States troops in Afghanistan and Iraq have a little inspiration coming their way.
This week, the Navasky Foundation for Life and the cancer-fundraising band known as One Less Tear, packaged up 100,000 of the One Less Tear music project CDs, loaded them onto a truck for shipment to troops fighting overseas as part of a joint effort with the Tunes4thetroops Program.
Tunes4Troops was founded by 16-year-old High School Student Kaylee Radzyminski of Cleveland, TN.
“I saw her story on a national news program one evening, and it sounded like a really great project,” said Chuck Navasky founder of the One Less Tear project and two-time throat cancer survivor.
“I looked tunes4thetroops up on the web to check it out. I was amazed to see how Kaylee was doing this straight from the heart and it really touched me, I had my wife take a look at it, and within an hour I was on the phone seeing how we could help.”
And help is exactly what Chuck Navasky and his One Less Tear Team are doing.
The AMA said this is the largest single music donation project by one group in music history; Over 100,000 CDs to our troops and over 100,000 CDs to Cancer Patients.
And One Less Tear is hoping to find a National Forum that will allow them to give away another 50,000 CDs to Cancer Patients Across the Country in 2009. Anyone able to assist OLT in this, is asked to contact Mr. Navasky through the OLT Website.
“We’re just thankful that we could do this. The ‘One Less Tear’ CD will give our troops a little boost of inspiration and hope while they sit there in their fox hole or during off time,” said Navasky.
The CD is full of inspirational music, sure to lift the spirits of anyone who listens. They don’t have to be a cancer patient to be moved by this compilation.
The Navasky Foundation for Life is quite a story in itself. They’ve already given over 110,000 CD’s to cancer patients across the United States, and Mr. Navasky says that it’s only the beginning.
“Anyone who knows us will tell you that we just like to help people out,” said Mr. Navasky. “I’ve fought cancer twice, and kicked its butt both times! But when you’re in the middle of that battle, you contemplate a lot of things. You think about your wife, kids, family, and friends… it makes you look at life from a whole new perspective. And that’s why we started the One Less Tear project.”
The One Less Tear Cancer CD has been given as a gift to cancer patients and their families throughout the world. The Foundation was able to find different avenues of getting the CD into the hands of those who need it most by the great help of the One Less Tear Band, Donnie Van Zant and .38 Special, Kevin Sharp, Mark Slaughter, Paul Rodgers, Jim Peterik, Ebay, ACS Cancer Relays, hospital visits and special cancer events across the nation.
Even former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, has slung a guitar strap over his shoulder and performed as part of the One Less Tear Project!
Celebrities involved in the project include rockers Mark Slaughter, Vince Neil, Donny and Johnnie Van Zant, baseball legends like Ken Griffey, football hall of famers like Tony Dorsett and L.C. Greenwood, Aaron’s Racing Team driver Tim Bainey Jr, a list of entertainers including Olivia Newton-John, Tony Curtis, olympic champion Kurt Angle, and many other top celebrities in sports, entertainment and the music industry.
The Navasky Foundation for Life is a registered 501C3 Non-Profit Organization founded by Chuck Navasky and his wife, Jaye. Based in Philipsburg, PA, the mission is to make the world a better place for our children and grandchildren in all aspects of life.
For many years, they have been working together to help make a difference for the millions of people who have been afflicted by this other form of terrorism called cancer. Through concerts, CD sales, speaking engagements, and fund raising events, they have been able to generate substantial funding for cancer research centers here in Pennsylvania.
The foundation now allows them to expand their efforts to the whole United States. With Chucks large network of connections in the mens clothing business, sports world, and entertainment industry, he can now sponsor events nationwide enabling him to raise even more needed dollars for cancer research.
The foundation supports two very worthy causes. Fifty percent of all funds raised will benefit cancer patients and research. The other fifty percent is earmarked to promote youth oriented programs such as drug and alcohol education, big brother and sister programs and other activities that are instrumental in keeping our children and grandchildren headed on the right path. The foundation believes that the course of a person’s life is greatly defined by his or her childhood experiences.
The foundation is governed by a twelve person board of directors, and this board makes the decisions on how the funds are disbursed. The foundations 501(c)3 nonprofit status gives its financial supporters the benefit of using their kind and generous donations as tax deductions.
The Navasky Foundation for Life is not only dedicated to creating one less tear for those battling cancer, but also wants to nurture and educate Americas children to help make their road to adulthood a little less bumpy.
If you would like to contact One Less Tear to make a donation or help by distributing One Less Tear CDs to Cancer Patients in your Area, free of charge, please check us out online at www. onelesstear. com or contact One Less Tear/The Navasky Foundation for Life, P.O. Box 356, Philipsburg, PA 16866, or call 1-800-628-2759, extension 329.
To be a part of the Tunes4thetroops Program visit them online at www. tunes4thetroops. org
The Boss is back with a brand new album, "Working on a Dream," that hit stores January 27th. Bruce Springsteen has always been the all American rocker. His songs tell stories and paint pictures of an America that is easily recognizable when you drive down any main street in any small town of our great nation. His songs have always been heartfelt and genuine, coming from deep within his soul.
Now on his newest release: Working on a Dream, we find Bruce has an optimistic outlook for the future and is full of love and hope for himself and for the country he is so fond of painting a songbook about.
The CD opens up with "Outlaw Pete" which is reminiscent of an older boss, say from the 1970's. The song is interesting, to say the least about the predestination of evil and if it has a chance at redemption. Bruce comes out in full force on the second track, "My Lucky Day." This title is what the CD embraces: HOPE. Our country is yearning for it and the boss delivers it. "My Lucky Day" has upbeat guitars and keyboards and an outstanding solo from Clarence Clemons. "This Life," "Working On A Dream," "Life Itself," and "The Wrestler" (which is on the movie of the same name) are some of my other favorites.
I have never felt you could go wrong with a Bruce Springsteen record. "Working on a Dream" is no exception. As we all try to continue to work on our own dreams and pull our country up out of this recession I think listening to this CD from the boss is nothing but inspirational.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have announced a forthcoming world tour.
DATE CITY VENUE ON-SALE DATE
Feb 1 Tampa, FL Super Bowl XLIII
Apr 1 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion at San Jose Feb 2
Apr 3 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena Feb 2
Apr 5 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center Feb 7
Apr 7 Tulsa, OK BOK Center Feb 7
Apr 8 Houston, TX Toyota Center Feb 7
Apr 10 Denver, CO Pepsi Center Feb 2
Apr 15 Los Angeles, CA LA Memorial Sports Arena Feb 2
Apr 21 Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden Feb 2
Apr 22 Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden Feb 2
Apr 24 Hartford, CT XL Center Feb 2
Apr 26 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena Feb 2
Apr 28 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Spectrum Feb 2
Apr 29 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Spectrum Feb 2
May 2 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Feb 6
May 4 Hempstead, NY Nassau Veterans Mem. Col. Feb 2
May 5 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena Feb 2
May 7 Toronto, ONT Air Canada Centre Feb 6
May 8 University Park, PA Bryce Jordan Center Feb 2
May 11 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center Feb 2
May 12 Chicago, IL United Center Feb 2
May 14 Albany, NY Times Union Center Feb 2
May 15 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium Feb 2
May 18 Washington, DC Verizon Center Feb 2
May 19 Pittsburgh, PA Mellon Arena Feb 2
May 21 E. Rutherford, NJ Izod Center Feb 2
May 23 E. Rutherford, NJ Izod Center Feb 2
May 30 Landgraaf, Holland Pink Pop Festival March 7
June 2 Tampere, Finland Ratinan Stadion ON SALE
June 4 Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm Stadium SOLD OUT
June 5 Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm Stadium SOLD OUT
June 7 Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm Stadium SOLD OUT
June 9 Bergen, Norway Koengen SOLD OUT
June 10 Bergen, Norway Koengen SOLD OUT
July 2 Munich, Germany Olympiastadion ON SALE NOW
July 3 Frankfurt, Germany Commerzbank Arena ON SALE NOW
July 5 Vienna, Austria Ernst Happel Stadion ON SALE NOW
July 8 Herning, Denmark Herning MCH ON SALE NOW
July 11 Dublin, Ireland RDS Jan 30
July 16 Carhaix, France Festival des Vielles Charrues Jan 30
July 19 Rome, Italy Stadio Olimpico ON SALE SOON
July 21 Turino, Italy Olimpico di Torino ON SALE SOON
July 23 Udine, Italy Stadio Friuli ON SALE SOON
July 26 Bilbao, Spain San Mames Stadium ON SALE SOON
July 28 Benidorm, Spain Estadio Municipal de Foietes ON SALE SOON
July 30 Sevilla, Spain La Cartuja Olympic Stadium ON SALE SOON
Aug 1 Valladolid, Spain Estadio Jose Zorrilla ON SALE SOON
Aug 2 Santiago, Spain Monte Del Gozo ON SALE SOON
It all started when our editor came up with the idea of a column titled "Whatever Happened To?" I instantly jumped on the idea. I thought to myself, "This shouldn't be too hard". So one by one, I came up with a list of bands. My focus was to find metal bands of past times that were no longer together and had gone their separate ways. I had originally thought the only obstacle I faced was finding out what happened to a member after their band had split. Well I soon discovered I was very wrong. It either seemed like every band I researched had released an album in the last year or was in the studio. That gave me the idea for this story;
So are Metal and the Hard Rock we used to know making a comeback? I know what you are thinking, "Comeback? When did it ever leave?" What I am talking about was think back to the 80's (if you are old enough!). Metal and Hard Rock as a genre dominated Music. MTV actually played more Hard Rock and Metal than Rap or R&B. We had "Hair Bands" some of which used more make-up and hairspray than I did! However, many of the bands faded away with time as did the airplay they all got. This brings me back to the present, at least almost! 2008 seemed to be a big year for Metal.
Some of the biggest Veterans of Hard Rock & Metal released CDs last year including: Motorhead, White Snake, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, Extreme, Metallica, Yngwie Malmsteen, AC/DC, and Guns N' Roses.
Some of these bands are making comebacks and some have never left us. 2009 brings us even more metal to bang our heads to. Doro's new CD goes public Jan. 30, 2009. Lita Ford and Krokus have plans set for early 2009. Megadeth is also in the studio and will release their album sometime in 2009. You can rest assured that there will be many more bands making comebacks in 2009. I am sure this list is far from complete!
In Conclusion, 2009 looks to be a year where all of us metal heads can turn it up loud, throw our fists in the air and stand Proud. Rock on!
So, look for my new column that inspired this article titled, "Whatever Happened To..." coming to Road Crew Magazine soon! You will get to find out what all those bands you used to listen to are up to now!
You may know him as the new guitarist in Tesla. But, Dave Rude has been around much longer then that with his own band: The Dave Rude Band. If you don't believe the power of MySpace yet or that dreams do come true then listen to Dave's story.
When Tesla was in need of a new rhythm guitarist they put Frank Hannon, their lead guitarist, in charge of finding one. He found Dave...on MySpace. Frank contacted Dave. They met, talked, jammed and the rest as they say...is history. Now Dave is out with his own band's first EP!
When you first pop this cd in, you get that great classic sound that brings you back to the days of big collars and peace pipes. But when you hear the driving force of Dave's guitar riff and haunting vocals on Burnin Bright you begin to change your mind. Add to that the amazing bass line on Eighteen Eyes by bassist Marco Guzman and drummer Josh Schmidt showing his stuff on Hail To The Cheif, you come to only one conclusion...this is a great rock n roll band!
This six song EP rounds out with Heavy As A Raindrop (C'mon C'mon), Circle The Sun, and Crooked Bullseye. Once you hear it, you'll be wanting more!
The EP is availabe on their MySpace page. Check them out at www.myspace.com/daverudeband.
In response to requests from hardcore and progressive drummers for larger, more powerful cymbals, the TRX Cymbal Company has announced that it is expanding its popular BRT Series to include a 24˝ ride, 21˝ and 22˝ crashes and 15˝ hi-hats.
“In the past, the biggest crash cymbals were 20˝ and only the most aggressive players were using them,” comments TRX spokesperson David Levine. “We recently began noticing that more and more drummers were playing the bigger sizes and some were even using 21˝ and 22˝ ride cymbals as crashes. But ride cymbals aren’t designed to be crash cymbals. It’s just not the right sound. So, we developed these larger crashes and matched them with a bigger ride and hi-hats to meet the needs of today’s hard rock players.”
TRX’s BRT Series cymbals are custom-crafted by master Turkish cymbalsmiths and feature heavier weights with extensive hand-hammering and a highly-polished surface. Available in a wide range of crash, splash, ride, hi-hat and china models, the line is noted for its clarity, projection and durability in high-volume playing situations.
“We don’t want anybody getting hurt by the massive sound and extreme power of these Big BRTs, though,” Levine adds. “We’re warning players to use them carefully. With great power comes great responsibility.”
TRX Cymbals are distributed in the U.S. and Canada by Direct Music Supply, 1-800-828-1601, sales@directmusicsupply.com. For more information contact the TRX Cymbal Co. at 818-753-1310 or visit www.trxcymbals.com.
Released by: TRX Cymbal Co.
Some things just get cooler with age. It’s especially true of electric guitars and basses—they develop an unmistakable mojo over time that makes them look cooler and feel even more comfortable than when they were brand new.
Fender Road Worn Series guitars and basses come with a head start on history and bring the player the best of both worlds—a killer aged design aesthetic that conjures up the ghosts of past music lives, paired perfectly with the modern functionality, playability and high-quality that players know to expect from Fender.
Based on classic Fender instruments of the 1950s and ’60s, and production methods invented at the world-renowned Fender Custom Shop, Road Worn instruments reflect the mystic quality of life on the road. The series consists of a ’50s Tele®, ’50s Strat®, ’60s Strat, ’50s Precision Bass® and ’60s Jazz Bass® guitars.
All models feature notably distressed nitrocellulose lacquer-finished bodies and necks, as well as worn chrome hardware (nickel/chrome for basses), to create an aged appearance. Additionally, while the guitars have been designed with period-correct specifications, several modern upgrades have been built into each model, including Tex Mex™ single-coil pickups, larger 6105 frets, and five-way pickup switches (Strat models).
The ’50s Tele features an ash body, maple neck, vintage-style tuning machines and three-saddle strings-thru-body bridge, one-ply white pickguard, and is available in Two-Color Sunburst and Blonde. The ’50s Strat has an alder body, maple neck, vintage-style tuning machines and synchronized tremolo, one-ply pickguard, and is available in Two-Color Sunburst and Black. The ’60s Strat features an alder body, maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard, vintage-style tuning machines and synchronized tremolo, three-ply mint green pickguard, and is available in Three-Color Sunburst and Olympic White.
The ’50s Precision Bass has an alder body, maple neck, vintage-style reverse tuning machines and American Vintage bridge, gold anodized aluminum pickguard, and is available in Two-Color Sunburst and Fiesta Red. The ’60s Jazz Bass features an alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, vintage-style reverse tuning machines and American Vintage bridge, four-ply brown shell pickguard, and is available in Three-Color Sunburst and Fiesta Red.
“There’s something magical about a broken-in or worn instrument,” said Justin Norvell, director of marketing, Fender electric guitars. “Many of the musical icons we’ve looked up to for inspiration play road-hardened workhorse guitars, and there’s something very powerful and aspirational in that aesthetic. The new Fender Road Worn series guitars and basses allow players to experience not only the look, vibe and tone of those instruments, but—perhaps most importantly—they have smooth worn-in necks providing the same comfortable feel as vintage instruments.”
Released By Fender at NAMM 2009
For more information visit www.Fender.com
If you have read my articles or blogs before you have come to know me as the "tree hugger" around here. So, when I came across some Green vendors at NAMM I was eager to get back and tell the world about them!
Wheatware is a company that makes guitar picks and drum sticks out of wheat. This is important to our enviornment because or the depletion of the world's forests for wood products and the home the forests provide for the animals. Also deforestation contributes to global warming.
Wheatware products are also biodegradable. They will decompose within 45-90 days. They are heat resistant, non-toxic, and recyclable.
But, do they work as well as 'regular' picks? Well, they were kind enough to give us samples of the guitar picks and here is Ryan's take on them:
Ryan: So there I was, suffering from your typical 'sensory overload' inherent of walking the floor of the NAMM show, when we happened upon a booth touting guitar picks, drumsticks, and other products made out of wheat... What?! Now, this I HAD to see! I was greeted by a most engaging woman whose first words out of her mouth were like music to my soul; "We love the press!!" We were off on the right foot..
Katherine Patton, co-founder and president of the company, briefly explained the product line and offered up several products... Two of which I was very interested in. Guitar picks, and drumsticks. With an acoustic guitar at the booth, I took several different gauges of picks, and tortured my host with what could only be described as, 'four thumbs, unplugged'. I was impressed. I was unable to test the drumsticks, as (luckily) there was nothing around to beat on, but the only initial difference from typical wooden drumsticks I noticed was their flexibility when 'air drumming'. You couldn't really feel it in a static position, but it was interesting to watch, nonetheless.
Katherine offered me a sample bag of picks to test at my convenience, so upon my return to the studio in Colorado, I decided to give them a go. The first thing I noticed about the picks was that in the bag containing several different gauges of the product (ranging from wedged-light .5mm to Ultra-heavy 2.0mm) the weight designation seemed to run on the high side from what I am used to. I normally use 'Heavy' picks that are 1.0mm in thickness; The Wheatware picks' Heavy was 1.5mm... something I have NO business messing with (much less the 2.0's!!). No problem though, I simply reached for a 'Medium' at 1.0mm, and commenced to abusing them.
First thing I LOVE about these picks; The company name molded into the top of the pick on both sides. This makes gripping the pick a lot easier for me, and the need for constant adjustment between my thumb (all four of them) and forefinger minimal. Upon the first few strums, the flexibility/feel of the pick seemed to fall between my celluloid and nylon ones of the same thickness. As time went on, and I tried different gauges on different guitars with various strings, I concluded that the Wheatware picks exhibited a slightly warmer sound than my celluloid ones and were quite close to the tonal qualities of the nylon.
Grabbing my go-to shred guitar, a Dean Razorback with .010-.046 gauge strings on it, I commenced with the all-out abuse of these picks. Now I don't know if I expected them to crumble like cornflakes, or turn into flour as I pounded them up and down the strings, but they never faltered. The pick attack is clean, string skipping is accurately executed, and I found myself only making a slight adjustment when pulling off artificial harmonics, possibly due to the better grip I get on the pick.
Now for the ultimate test; pick slides and scrapes: Putting the picks on edge, I proceeded to run them up and down the neck, on the strings with varying degrees of pressure. Within a few passes, my celluloid picks had noticeable grooves in the edge that you could definitely feel, but the Wheatware picks were hardly phased at all! You could see some very slight feathering or shredding of the pick on edge, but other than that, it was still totally playable and there was no difference in feel at all!
In conclusion: I love these picks!! I see no reason whatsoever why these won't be immediate hits with guitar players everywhere. I can only imagine that they might be put-off by the natural look of the Wheatware items. Many pro axe wielders like to have their names printed on their picks, which also serve as souveniers when it comes time to 'feed the fish' from the stage. Perhaps other alternatives exist for the personalization of the items such as molding in the artists name/logo or adding a natural pigment to them. At any rate, give them a try, and of course... Tell them that we sent you. -Ryan
Becky: I would also like to point out that the music industry is a powerful medium in our culture. Musicians influence our society and their music can shape people's ideals. There is a wonderful campaign going on right now in conjunction with Greenpeace called "The Music Wood Campaign." They believe that good music needs good wood. Therefore, the Greenpeace Music Wood Campaign is partnering with the music industry to protect threatened forest habitats and safeguard the future of the trees critical to making musical instruments. So, I wanted to point out the companies who are participating in this campaign and give them credit where credit is due. Support those who are helping our planet: Gibson, Martin, Taylor, Fender, Guild, Yamaha,Walden, Luthiers Mercantile International, Pacific Rim Tonewoods, North American Wood Products, and Allied Lutherie.
Peavey and Joe Satriani have collaborated to create the all-new Peavey JSX® 50 guitar amplifier head, the latest project in the Peavey JSX Series of signature amplifiers and enclosures designed with the guitar legend.
Like the three-channel Peavey JSX Head and JSX Mini Colossal™ before it, the new JSX 50 aims to give guitar players a wide new tonal palette that allows them to express an abundance of sounds and styles. But that’s where the similarities end. With the JSX 50, Satriani and Peavey have redefined the classic 50-watt guitar-amp format with extensive tone-coloring tools to aid modern guitarists.
“Traditionally, 50-watt amps always seemed to have the perfect amount of volume and sag to create a true rock & roll moment,” said Satriani. “But the golden era of the 50-watt didn’t see a version that had a variety of sounds or that were actually useful tools for the gigging musician. Peavey and I were finally able to bring this idea of a really rockin’ 50-watt into the modern era where real guitar players can use it. We wound up with a really bold, in-your-face sound.”
The JSX 50 accomplishes this through a design that pairs five 12AX7 preamp tubes with two 6550 power amp tubes and two independent channels with three-band EQ. Both the Clean and Crunch channels feature master volume and preamp gain controls, so guitarists can adjust the interplay between the preamp and power amp on each channel for an array of gain possibilities. The Crunch channel also includes a boost switch and a six-way attack selector that adjusts the bass response.
On the rear panel, a built-in Peavey MSDI™ microphone-simulated XLR direct interface eliminates the need for miking by allowing users to route the amp’s signal directly to a recording device or mixing console. Additional controls include a line out with level control; active effects loop with send/return level control; impedance selector; and a tube bias adjustment jack. The Peavey JSX 50 amplifier will be available from authorized Peavey retailers in Q2 2009. Features
To find out more, visit: www.peavey.com
Good Friday the 27th to you all. I hope your week has been a great one as we wrap up the final edition of This Day In Rock for the month of February. And I hope that your weekend is awesome as we get ready to lunch into March. I do want to publicly wish my oldest son a happy 16th birthday as we will be celebrating his tomorrow. I keep telling myself, I'm NOT old enough to have a 16 year old. So, Matthias, I hope that your birthday is all you are hoping it will be. I know that it will without a doubt be rockin as he's getting a new iPod.
And now, on to February 27th.....enjoy!
Today's birthday boy is from the awesome, one of a kind, Iron Maiden. Guitarist Adrian Smith celebrates his 52nd birthday today.
Looking at 1970, Jefferson Airplane played Oklahoma City. And was then fined $1,000 for onstage profanity.......umm, ok...yep, sounds like a stupid Oklahoma law to me....(and I can get away from with saying this because I live here....)
In 1977, Stones guitarist Keith Richards was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police while staying at Toronto's Harbour Castle Hotel on the charges of heroin and cocaine possession. His bail was set at $25,000.
Our last 3 facts all stem from the year 2008. So, allow me to pick them at random and fill you in on the busy February 27th, for '08.
iTunes sold their 4 BILLIONTH song, becoming the 2nd largest music dealer behind Wal-Mart.
Scheduled to make an appearance at the Rocklahoma press conference to be held on March 4th at the Whiskey A Go-Go, were Bret Michaels and Warrant, who had reunited with singer Jani Lane.
And finally, Korn lead singer Jonathan Davis, while on tour in Lisbon, Portugal, took a break to log on to XBox Live to play Halo 3 and game with members and fans.
Well, there it is. Thank you for spending your February with me on our daily trek through music history. I look forward to diving into the month of March. Have a rockin weekend!
There are moments in rock history, and then there are momentous occasions. In looking at what today brings us, without a doubt, there are some momentous occasions that happened on February 26th, this day in rock.
Today we're going to start the day off with a couple of birthdays. In 1932, one of the most influential singers off all time took his first breath. During his career he racked up 12 US Top 40 singles. One of them, entitled A Boy Named Sue went to #4 on 1969. I'm speaking of none other than the legendary Johnny Cash.
Our other birthday belongs to bass player, Tim Commerford, who played with Rage Against The Machine and now, Audioslave. He was born today in 1968 and is 41 today.
While no one likes to think about death, it is an inevitable part of life. I hope that the days that we bring into remembrance the passing of an artist, I hope that we honor the memory of those artist who have gone on before us. On this day in 1997, US songwriter Ben Raleigh, co-writer of the TV theme song Scooby Doo Where Are You, died in a kitchen fire in his Los Angles home. He was 86.
Technology keeps spinning faster and faster and with each day that passes, the way things are as we know them, and are comfortable with them become obsolete. When you look back just a few decades, the way that music fans heard their music was on vinyl records. Soon to follow were the 8 Track and cassette tapes and then the CD. Now, all you have to do is click a button on your computer for an instant download. Each of these forms was a milestone in music. On this day in 1955, Billboard reported that 78rpm singles were being outsold by the 45rpm single for the first time.
In 1983, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, ruled the MTV music scene and made music history when his album Thriller went to #1 on the US album chart and stayed there for 37 weeks. It would become the second most successful album of all times, selling over 40 million copies. The only album to out sell it, was The Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-1975.
In taking another look at another set of albums, Capitol Records released the first 4 Beatles albums on CD on this day in 1987. The Beatles, also known as "The White Album" was the first to be released to CD and would be the best-selling CD, going platinum 19 times and is the 10th best selling album of all time in the US.
Each day is an opportunity to turn your moments into momentous occasions. Don't let yours pass you by.
Motley Crue announced the dates for Crue Fest 2 today. Last summers Crue Fest was one of the most successful tours of the summer. It included some of the hottest bands in the industry today including Papa Roach, Buckcherry, and Sixx AM. So, who will be on this years ticket with Crue? This has yet to be announced but stay tuned! For now here are the dates and if you would like exclusive pre-sale offers which start today you can become a Motley.com member at www.Motley.com
Jul 19, 2009 Camden NJ US Susquehanna Bank Center
Jul 21, 2009 Cuyahoga Falls OH US Blossom Music Center
Jul 22, 2009 Tinley Park IL US First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
Jul 27, 2009 Auburn WA US White River Amphitheater
Jul 28, 2009 Portland OR US Clark County Amphitheater
Jul 30, 2009 Mountain View CA US Shoreline Amphitheater
Jul 31, 2009 San Bernardino CA US San Manuel Amphitheater
Aug 03,2009 Salt Lake City UT US USANA Amphitheatre
Aug 04, 2009 Englewood CO US Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater
Aug 05, 2009 Albuquerque NM US Journal Pavilion
Aug 07, 2009 Spring (Houston) TX US Cynthia W. Mitchell Pavilion
Aug 08, 2009 Dallas TX US Superpages.com Center
Aug 09, 2009 Kansas City MO US Sprint Center
Aug 11, 2009 Maryland Heights MO US Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug 12, 2009 Indianapolis IN US Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug 14, 2009 Cincinnati OH US Riverbend Music Center
Aug 15, 2009 Clarkston (Detroit) MI US DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug 16, 2009 Pittsburgh PA US Post Gazette Pavilion
Aug 19, 2009 Mansfield MA US Comcast Center
Aug 21, 2009 Virginia Beach VA US Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug 22, 2009 Bristow VA US Nissan Pavilion
Aug 23, 2009 Raleigh NC US TWC Music Pavilion
Aug 29, 2009 Atlanta GA US Lakewood Amphitheatre
Aug 30, 2009 Charlotte NC US Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Sep 01, 2009 Saratoga Springs NY US Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Sep 04, 2009 Scranton PA US Toyota Pavilion
Sep 05, 2009 Darien Lake NY US Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Happy February 25th to you all. I'm going to try to get this written without losing any toes, as my cat, Bast has decided that he wants my attention, and I have decided he isn't going to get it. Of course his response to this is to bite my toes, jump on my desk and lie down on my laptop, or to just stare at me and cry until I finally give in. He, like a lot of the artists in today's article is a very strong personality.
Our first personality is none other than late Beatle George Harrison. The guitarist of the Fab Four was born this day in 1943, and would have celebrated his 66th birthday today.
1984 provided one of Rock's strongest personalities in that of Van Halen and their flamboyant front man David Lee Roth. In '84 their hit single Jump was in the #1 spot on the US singles chart and would spend five weeks on top, and went to #7 in the UK.
Elton John was known for his crazy outfits in the 70's. I remember seeing a concert aired on TV in which he was wearing a duck costume. In 1987, he found himself in the London publication The Sun, as they began a series of articles questioning his personal life. Lawyers would soon be involved and the paper would end up paying the singer/songwriter $1.9 Million and printed an apology which simply read, "Sorry, Elton".
Eric Clapton is one of Rock's greatest guitarists. In 1992, he won a total of 6 Grammys, including Best Record and Best song for Tears In Heaven, as well as Best Album for Unplugged.
Cher has been one of Rock's strongest female personalities, achieving success not only in music, but in movies as well. In 2003, while on her Living Proof tour, while in Richmond Va, a wig that is said to have cost $10,000 was stolen from the singer's dressing room. Two weeks later, the wig would be returned.
I have never been a fan of the band The Darkness, and had a very hard time figuring out what the appeal was. To this day I've never figured it out. But a strong personality they are. In 2004, former lead singer for the band, Justin Hawkins said he had been receiving death threats and was quoted saying, "It's quite flattering that somebody wants to kill me, but at the same time it's very scary."
Without a doubt, one of music's strongest personalities was legendary punk band, The Sex Pistols. In 2006, singer John Lydon posted a statement on his web site stating the band would NOT attend their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, writing, "We're not coming. You're not paying attention."
Well, my feet and ankles are starting to feel the wrath of Bast, so on that final note, I bid you all a happy February 25th.
Welcome to a day of even numbers on this day in rock. Not only is our day, February 24th an even number, every year surrounding this date is an even number as well. Today is also an important day for me on a personal level. Road Crew's very own Jenipher is celebrating a birthday today! So, be sure to wish her a happy birthday today!
The other big event that happens today, is Carbon 9's digital release of The Bull is today, so if you can't wait for it to hit stores on March 10th, you can check it out today!
In 1982, Pat Benatar was one of the music scenes hottest female vocalists. And that year won a Grammy for best rock performance of 1981 for her hit Fire and Ice.
Alice Cooper was one of the kings of shock rock and theatrical performances. On this day in 1988, Alice announced that he would be running for the governor of Arizona. Governor Alice Cooper has a nice ring to it, but the rocker would go on to lose the race.
In 1992, the US Postal Service unveiled two different versions of an Elvis stamp to be voted on by fans. The image of the younger Elvis was the winner and was issued on January 8, 1993.
Another 1992 event shows us that grunge rocker Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love were married in Waikiki, Hawaii on this day in rock, and the press would go on to report that the couple were expecting parents with a baby due on Sept 10th of the same year.
1998 brings Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee back into the spotlight as on this day he was arrested and charged with assault for hitting his wife Pamela Anderson Lee.
Jumping ahead to 2002, the Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah had a memorable closing ceremony with performances by N Sync, Moby, Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera and rock gods KISS.
Growing up in a family that loves music, I have cut my teeth on artists from several generations. One of my grandmother's favorite artist was Lena Horne. In 2004, in her disapproval over Janet Jackson's Super Bowl half time show fiasco, Jackson was force to pull out of a planned TV biopic on Lena Horne's life after her spokesperson said, "Janet is no longer part of the (project) because Lena didn’t want her in it.”
Well, this brings us to the close of today's this day in rock. Be sure to check out the latest interviews and articles here on Road Crew Magazine! Have a good one.
I hope that your weekend has been a great one. It feels like forever since I sat to write up an article for our daily get together, but Monday is upon us and we find ourselves together once again. Today's look at February 23rd is a short trip down memory lane, but one that I think will be memorable for you.
In 1970, making his first but not last solo TV appearance, Ringo Starr guest starred on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In.
He would go on to star in the hit children's TV show Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends as Mr. Conductor.
1978 heralded the 20th annual Grammy awards. Winning Record of the Year was The Eagles for Hotel California. They also won for Best Arrangement for the vocals for New Kid in Town. Fleetwood Mac's Rumors took Album of the Year, and Love Theme from A Star is Born by Paul Williams and Barbra Streisand and You Light Up My Life by Joe Brooks tied for Song of the Year.
Taking a colossal leap into 2004 finds that Wes Scantlin of Puddle of Mudd was arrested in Toledo, Ohio for disorderly conduct. After four songs into their show, he said he was canceling it and claimed that he was too messed up to perform. Afterward he remained on stage for about 30 minutes yelling profanity at the crowd.
In 2006, at a Rolling Stones concert in Buenos Aries, police had to use rubber bullets and tear gas to control a crowd of ticketless fans who tried to gatecrash the concert. 20 people were injured during the incident.
Well, there it is for today. I hope that your February 23rd is a memorable one! Until tomorrow.....
In reading today's title, I'm sure that you assumed that today's column would be a Motley Crue fest, and while there are two facts that focus on the Crue, a lot of today's morsels deal more with the fact that motley means: 1. of many colors 2. of many different or clashing elements. And today's facts are without a doubt of many colors or different clashing elements rounding out a very motley day in rock indeed.
To kick today off, let's start with a couple of birthdays. Black Sabbath guitarist Toni Iommi turns 61 today. And just to throw a little icing on the cake fact for Toni, Black Sabbath's self-titled album was voted as the best British rock album every by Kerrang! in 2005. Kerrang! is a British weekly music magazine.
Our other birthday belongs to Daniel Adair, 3 Doors Down Drummer, who joined Nickelback in 2005. He turns 34 today.
Rock and Roll also suffered a loss in the year 1980. AC/DC front man Bon Scott died at the age of 33, the official cause of his death being listed as "acute alcohol poisoning" and "death by misadventure."
In 1974, KISS made their television debut on the TV show, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, a music variety show that ran during the 70's and 80's, created and produced by Don Kirshner.
Ozzy Osbourne has never been one to be called normal. He's always been one to get a great shock response out of the parents of teenagers. 1982 was no exception when Ozzy, urinated on the Alamo. At the time of his arrest in San Antonio, Texas, Ozzy was wearing a dress. Maybe he was just trying to get in touch with his feminine side.....or maybe not.
Now, we come to the true MOTLEY portion of today's This Day in Rock. That's right, a couple of remember whens from none other than Motley Crue. In a Cancun beach ceremony, in which the bride wore a white bikini, Crue drummer Tommy Lee and Baywatch's Pamela Anderson joined in Motley matrimony in 1995.
Our other Motley moment takes us to the year 1997 in which the boys found themselves in a legal squabble when a fan sued the band for $7 Million for hearing loss after attending one of the Crue's concerts. February 19th would see victory for the band however, as the judge ruled in their favor, clearing them of responsibility as the fan knew the show would be loud when he bought the ticket.
And finally, 1999 brings us to another day in court, but with Marilyn Manson, in which the singer filed a defamation counter lawsuit against former Spin executive editor Craig Marks. In the month prior, Marks had filed a multimillion dollar suit against Manson, label Nothing/Interscope, and Manson’s bodyguard agency.
The last thing that I'd like to share with you, are some of the different synonyms for the word MOTLEY as well as it's counterpart opposites, it's antonyms, from Thesaurus.com.
Main Entry: motley
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: mixed, varied
Synonyms: assorted, conglomerate, dappled, discrepant, disparate, dissimilar, diversified, heterogeneous, indiscriminate, kaleidoscopic, mingled, miscellaneous, mixed, mottled, multicolor, multicolored, multiform, multihued, polychromatic, prismatic, rainbow, unlike, varicolored, variegated, various, versicolor
Antonyms: homogenous, like, same, similar, uniform, unmixed, unvaried
While each day of this column is an opportunity to look back on days of music past, today is indeed a day to look back on, and remember as one of the most tragic events in music took place on this day in 2003. But before we take a look at that event and give it the honor and respect that it deserves, let's take a look at the other things that happened on February 20th.
Like most days, we have two birthdays to look at today. Born on this day in 1946 and turning 63, is J Geils of The J Geils Band. Our other birthday, or would have been birthday if not for his untimely death, would be that of Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. Today, he would have turned 42.
In 1974, Yes sold our Madison Square Garden in New York. Now, you may be asking yourself, what is so special about that. I'm so glad you asked. The band did not advertise this show at all. The news spread by word of mouth and the tickets sold in two days.
What would this day in rock be without KISS? A KISSoff article! Ok, I know that puns are the lowest form of humor, but I couldn't help myself. I guess they couldn't either, when in 1976 the band had their footprints implanted in the sidewalk outside of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California.
This brings us back around to the event that I really want to be the highlight of today's This Day in Rock. Not because of the tragedy, but so that we will remember. On this day in 2003, 100 people died in The Station fire when the nightclub was destroyed due to a pyrotechnic accident during Great White's performance. Guitarist Ty Longley was one of the victims. The owners of the club, two brothers were charged, along with the band's former tour manager with involuntary manslaughter. In July of that year, Great White began a tour to raise money for the survivors and families of the victims.
It's not Peaches and Cream it's hard rock and metal baby! Ninety's monsters Limp Bizkit who have not been on the scene since 2001 are rekindling their fire for a new album and a tour according to their record label; Interscope Records. All I can say is "HELL YEAH!" Welcome back Fred Durst, Wes Borland, Sam Rivers, John Otto and DJ Lethal! I've missed that Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored water.....
While not to be forgotten the incredible Perry Farrell is once again with all his original peeps in Jane's Addiction and they will be hitting the road with the incredible Nine Inch Nails. Now that is a show not to miss!
Check them all out:
Welcome back to another fun filled edition of this day in rock. Like most days, we have birthdays, a chart topper and breakups in our line up, as well as a couple of other choice tidbits for you to feast upon.
Our two birthday boys this morning have had different impacts on the music world. One is 100% musician, while the other is an actor with musical personality. Therefore, today we wish a happy birthday to Styx's Dennis DeYoung, vocalist and keyboardist who was born in 1954. And just a little extra Styx fact thrown in, the Pittsburgh Steelers use their song Renegade during their football games. Our other birthday today is none other than living legend John Travolta, who was born this day in 1954. He and Olivia Newton John would hold the number 1 single in both the UK and the US in 1978 with You're The One That I Want from the movie Grease.
When musicians come together to form a band, they join into what is similar to a marriage. And as musicians are just people, they experience emotions, frustrations, joys and pet peeves. And there are times no matter how successful they become, how great the music, how much they love and appreciate their fans, it's not enough to keep the marriage together. And while at times there are reconciliations, most of the time the departing member(s) move on to join a different band or embark on a solo career.
In 1980, Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones made the announcement that he would be leaving the band. The rest of the Stones came together to convince their bassist to stay. Wyman stayed with the band another 12 years, leaving in 1992.
Another case of band divorce took place in 2004, when Billy Corgan, on his official web site blamed the breakup of the Smashing Pumpkins on guitarist James Iha. “James Iha broke up the Smashing Pumpkins, not me,” he writes. “I would have gone on forever, the Smashing Pumpkins were essentially my entire life.”
I can honestly say that I blame my kids band director and Guitar Hero World Tour for my attitude towards this next fact. I am SO burned out on Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer as since the high school band played it for marching season, my oldest son played it just about every day since school started back in August. I have hear just about every version of the song imaginable, including Alvin and the Chipmunks version on their CD Undeniable. On this day in 1987, the song was the #1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit.
I have never watched an episode of South Park. Have never had any desire to. But ironically, earlier this month while at my brothers, he was telling me of the very episode that is featured in this next fact. In 1998, the show depicted Barbra Streisand as the epitome of Musical Evil and was battled by Robert Smith of The Cure.
Robert Smith in South Park
With proceeds going to benefit tsunami relief, Jay-Z, No Doubt, Jurassic 5, Story of the Year, and Camp Freddy with Dave Navarro play Linkin Park’s Music for Relief: Rebuilding South Asia concert at Anaheim, California in 2005.
Well, there it is, all wrapped up with a pretty bow on top. Hope your February 18th is memorable!
Well, we're just at the half way mark for this month. And it's hard to believe that time is slipping away so fast. It's easy to look at some of the facts that are presented on this day and rock and say, "you know, I remember when that happened." I can look at the years and have a recollection of where I was in my life. And it's almost scary to think how much time has slipped away since then. In reading over today's facts, take a moment of personal reflection and think about where you were in your life at the time these events took place, and where you are now.
Let's start out in 1960. If you're like me, you were not born yet, but that doesn't mean I didn't know who Elvis Presley, or Enos Parsley as my cousin used to call him, was by the time I was about 3. This marks the day, that the King won his first Gold record for his self titled album Elvis.
1972, again I was not around, but later that year, my husband would be born. On this day of that year, Pink Floyd, coming off a 14 date tour in the UK started a three night run of shows at London's Rainbow Theater. Tickets prices were around $1.70.
In 1979, I was in the first grade and I thought I had the most evil teacher ever. No, this wasn't a childlike perception, because I wasn't the only one to think this. That was also the year, that on this day Blondie hit #1 in the UK with their album Parallel Lines. The album featured the songs, Heart of Glass, Hanging On The Telephone and Sunday Girl.
In 1988, I was a freshman in high school, my brother was a senior and he and his friends ruined band for the rest of us after all the stunts they pulled during that class. My last three years, we couldn't even breathe wrong without the director coming down on us. This was also the day and year that while trying to imitate the fire stunt in Motley Crue's Live Wire video, a 12 year old fan set his legs on fire, suffering burns over ten percent of his body.
1990, I was a Jr in high school and had my drivers license...yep, I was all that. This was the night that Aerosmith made their appearance on SNL. They played themselves in the Wayne's World skit and performed the theme.
In 1996, I had been married for 4 years. Had lived in Washington state and had moved back to Oklahoma the prior year. The military will move you around like that. This was also the year that I gave birth to my twins. But in rock news, after giving an expired credit card to a waiter by mistake, Bruce Springsteen let the waiter keep it as a souvenir. On this day in 96' the Platinum American Express was sold at a New York memorabilia sale for $4,500.
Jumping forward in time to 2004, found me celebrating 12 years of marriage and the pleasure of being a mother to my 4 boys. Britain had their own new pleasure as well in the band The Darkness and at the Brit Awards took home three major trophies including, Best British group, British rock act and British album for Permission to Land. The band however did not win the British Breakthrough Award, which went to the band Busted.
Our last fact takes place in 2005, which is the year that all of my kids were in school for the full day. I promise you the first day the silence was deafening, but I got used to it. Especially since I got a job as the Children/Teen Librarian at our local library. As I love to read, it is a job that I miss to this day. But in the world of music, Scottish band Franz Ferdinad took their place in music history when the won two top honors at the NME Awards. Winning best album and best single made them the only band to ever to win the Mercury Music Prize, Brit Awards and NME awards in the same year.
It is always good to look back and reflect where your life has been and where you want it to go. When I was in high school, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined myself writing for an rock magazine, let alone an online rock mag. Of course, I never thought I would be wearing reading glasses either. I hope your trip down your own personal memory lane was a good one. Make the most of your moments, don't let time slip through your fingers.
A belated Happy Valentines Day to everyone, as the 14th fell on Saturday. I hope that love abounded and heartache was minimal. But, now that we have spent the weekend spreading the love...or not, whichever the case may be, it's time to get town to business and see what happened today on this day in rock.
As we have 3 birthdays to look at today, let's tackle them first and see who we need to break out the pinata for today. Spanning across different genres of music, our group of birthday boys is an interesting group for sure. Born in 1935, with a #1 single in 1965 with I Got You Babe, the late Mr. Sonny Bono, who would have been 74. Born in 1961, the charismatic guitarist for Duran Duran, Mr. Andy Taylor turns 48 today. And ready to melt your face off, Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, born in 1965 turns 44.
Now that we've attended the birthday party, busted open the pinata, and had cake and presents, let's move on to a different celebration. A celebration of number ones. In 1991, we have two different number 1's, but both on the UK charts. One on the album and one on the singles. Queen's Innuendo landed them their 7th UK #1 album and topping out at the singles chart, was the very unforgettable Simpsons with Do the Bartman. And finishing up our #1 party is 3 Doors Down, who in 2005 had the #1 album with Seventeen Days.
With every party, someone always gets out of control, the cops are called and someone spends the night in the tank after taking the oh so attractive mug shots. Well, today's party is no exception as we have two cases of arrests.
In 1974, The band members of Emerson, Lake and Palmer were arrested during their US tour, when they were caught skinny dipping in their hotel pool in Salt Lake City. They were each fined $75.
And in 2005, Kid Rock found himself in the legal spotlight when he allegedly punched a DJ at a Nashville strip club. Police were called to the scene, but Kid was already gone. He found himself pulled over a short time later, and although the officer smelled alcohol, he did not administer a breathalyzer, but did get an autograph. That officer has since been fired. Kid would be arrested a short time later however, attended Night Court and was released on $3,000 bail.
Sometimes, the party is over before it ever gets started as Mick Jagger found out in 1992. Upon trying to enter Japan, he was refused entry due to not having proper papers to enter into the country. The Stones singer spent the night in a Tokyo airport hotel, but was eventually issued a visa by Japanese Immigrations officials.
Well, it's time to turn off the lights, because the party's over. Let the cleanup crew do their job, and get everything all shiny for tomorrow. Have a great one and come back tomorrow...hopefully without a hangover!!
Paraskavedekatriaphobia is a word that in the Greek breaks down to, Paraskeví, meaning Friday and dekatreís, meaning thirteen. This is a form of a fear of the number 13. Old superstition states that 13 is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day. The earliest known written reference in English for Friday the 13th appeared in Gioachino Rossini's 1869 biography.
[Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; and if it be true that, like so many other Italians, he regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday, the 13th of November, he died.1
Welcome to a Friday the 13th edition of This Day In Rock. Of course, throughout time, the 13th hasn't always fallen on a Friday. And in looking it over, only one of today's facts actually took place on a Friday the 13th. On Friday the 13th, 1914, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, also known as the ASCAP was founded in New York City.
I love the Monkees. When I was a kid, I used to love watching their TV show but unlike all the girls who LOVED Davey, my favorite monkee was Peter Tork. I loved the goofiness of his personality in the show. And today, is Mr. Peter Tork's birthday and I hope that it is a very happy and lucky birthday for him as he turns 67.
I HATE discrimination, but sadly it is very prominent in today's world. I get tired of hearing rockers referred to as freaks because they have long hair, tattoos or piercings. And although it is illegal to discriminate against someone due to things like this when it comes to getting a job, I can guarantee you that they will find some other technicality to get you on so they don't have to hire you and not come out and say that your appearance is why. I don't say this because I have two tats of my own, I say this because it is the sad truth. I think Bob Seger summed it up in his song Turn The Page with the lyrics,
Well you walk into a restaurant,
strung out from the road
And you feel the eyes upon you
as you're shakin' off the cold
You pretend it doesn't bother you
but you just want to explode
Most times you can't hear 'em talk,
other times you can
All the same old cliches,
"Is that a woman or a man?"
And you always seem outnumbered,
you don't dare make a stand
Of course today there is a lot more tolerance that there was in the 70's. In 1972, the members of Led Zeppelin were not even allowed off of the plane when they landed in Singapore due to their long hair and were forced to cancel their show.
Another thing that I don't understand, and I probably never will, is why people feel they have to vandalize the graves of musicians who have passed on before us. In 1982, the stone that marked the grave of Lynard Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant was stolen from an Orange Park, Florida cemetery. The 300 pound stone would be found two weeks later in a dry river bed.
After reading this next fact, I tried to find some information concerning the history of the award that is mentioned, but have fallen short in my search. The one thing that I did discover, is that it is considered the Oscar for the guitar industry. That award is the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2001, this illustrious award was presented to Mr. Peter Frampton.
As a lover of music, I can honestly say that I enjoy music from just about every genre there is, with the exception of music like gangster rap. For the most part, I am pretty well rounded. I can without a doubt thank my mother for that. She exposed me to just about ever format of music there is. She was who instilled in me to have music playing throughout the day and not the TV, something I practice to this day. So, even though it will make most hard rockers cringe to hear it, I have an appreciation for some country music as well as rock. One of the albums that she played was The Outlaws: Wanted! with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessie Colter and Tompall Glaser. It is because this next fact stirred such an nostalgic remembrance within me that I decided to include it. Of course, you'll probably recognize him from singing the theme to the hit TV show, The Dukes of Hazzard. At the age 64, in his Arizona home, Waylon Jennings lost his battle with diabetes related health problems and passed away.
In 1969, album art and reel to reel tapes that appeared to be from The Beatles White Album and Abbey Road sessions were stolen from the band's London recording studio, but resurfaced this day in 2003 during an Australian police raid.
Whether your are superstitious or not, I hope that your Friday the 13th brings you nothing but greatness! Be sure to come back next week and see what happened on This Day In Rock.
1 Henry Sutherland Edwards, The Life of Rossini, 1869, p. 340.
As you might know, I am planning to go to Sweden Rock festival in June (and of course tell you all about it).
They keep releasing new bands, and so far, I haven't really been impressed since the first artists, but yesterdays release pretty much made my day.
TWISTED SISTER!
The list so far is:
Twisted Sister
Heaven & Hell (UK/US)
In Flames (S)
ZZ Top (US)
Twisted Sister (US)
Dream Theater (US)
Europe (S)
Foreigner (US)
Hammerfall (S)
Motörhead (UK/S)
Uriah Heep (UK)
Johnny Winter Band (US)
Lita Ford (USA)
Volbeat (DK)
Marillion (UK)
Flogging Molly (IRL/US)
Amon Amarth (S)
Riot (USA)
Blackfoot (USA)
Jon Oliva's Pain (US)
Soilwork (S)
Kamelot (US)
Forbidden (US)
The Outlaws (USA)
Demon (UK)
The Tubes (USA)
Voivod (CAN)
Eric Sardinas (USA)
Impellitteri (US)
Grand Magus (S)
Thor (CAN)
H.E.A.T (S)
Bullet (S)
Seventh Wonder (S)
Stormzone (Irl)
Torch (S)
Enforcer (S)
The Chair(S)
Tracenine (CAN)
Black Tooth (TUR)
Lujuria (ESP)
Chains (S)
Amberian Dawn (FIN)
Axident Avenue (N)
Powderhog (DK)
And more to come. Bring beer and meet me there!
Sweden Rock festival takes place in Sölvesborg, south Sweden, June 3-6.
Today's this day in rock takes many twists and turns, covering genres from Heavy Metal to Classic Rock, even to Football Rock. If you're a football fan, you may have an idea of what I'm referring to with that.
In 1963, During a ten hour session at Abbey Road Studios, The Beatles recorded tracks for their first album, while John Lennon was fighting a severe cold. He did belt out Twist and Shout, which would reach #2 in the US.
One of the many artists that was played as I was growing up was Bob Seger. I remember the first time that I heard Turn The Page. It was because of this song that I chose to play the saxophone in band. On this day in 1983, Bob was awarded his seventh consecutive platinum US album The Distance by the Recording Industry Association of America.
In 1986 the Chicago Bears were on their way to the Super Bowl and their single Superbowl Shuffle by the Chicago Bears Shufflin Crew was certified gold. (Hence...Football Rock)
1992 shows us two different facts. The world said hello to Justis David, the son of Megadeth guitarist Dave Mustaine and his wife Pam. And the world would have to adjust to the divorce of Vince Neil and the rest of the Crue. I use the term divorce, because depending on who you talk to one side says quit, one side says fired. Of course we all know this was only temporary as the band renewed their vows and is back, rocking harder than ever and is soon to kick off their Saints of Los Angeles tour.
In 2001, Metallica won a battle in the courts against the music site Napster as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the site could not trade copyrighted music without the owners permission. In a statement, Metallica pleased with the outcome said, “The court’s decision … confirms that Napster was wrong in exploiting music by artists who do not want to be a part of the Napster system.”
Well, my cat has decided that I have to pay attention to him now, so have a wonderful February 11th and as it falls on Wednesday today...Happy Hump Day!!! Ciao!
Success us a driving force in all of us. We want to be on the top of our game, be it music, writing, sports or academics. And when we are honored with a tangible award, trophy, or title we feel that we have achieved success. Of course, there are the times that in the midst of working towards success, we fall, we mess up, or we flat out fail. And if we measure success in the terms of an award that is handed out then we really fall short indeed. I can not count the amount of times that I felt an artist got the short end of the deal with awards such as the Grammys, but I don't think that an artist should measure their success on if they do or do receive a Grammy, end up in the Hall of Fame, or receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I feel that if through whatever it is that you do, if you have reached and touched even one person with your music or writing then you are a success indeed. But then, that's just me. Today's This Day In Rock looks at what can be looked at as success through awards or chart placement and TV appearances, personal failures, and putting yourself aside on behalf of your fans.
In the 60's The Ed Sullivan Show was a huge deal. Anyone who was ANYONE played that show, and it was a definite way of showing that you had made it in music. In 1966, The Rolling Stones taped a performance for the show that was to be aired the following night. But in the midst of the all of the Stones success, they hit many a stumbling block. In 1967, they hit one of those blocks when Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Marianne Faithful were busted by London police and brought up on drug charges.
Many artists, no matter what field of art they portray achieve more success after they have died than while they are alive. And while this is most assuredly true with Jimi Hendrix, he found plenty of success while he was alive. In 1968, he received the key to the city of Seattle. He also played a free concert at Garfield High School, the same school he was thrown out of at the age of 16. In the midst of the celebration, the school gave him an honorary diploma.
One of my favorite novelty shows of all time was Rowan and Martin's Laugh In. It is one that I would love to have in it's entirety on DVD. Often on the show was ukulele playing, tulip tiptoeing singer Tiny Tim. While he had success with his career, he decided to try and find success in the realm of politics in 1989 when he announce he would be running for the position of New York City's mayor. His goal never reached fruition as he was defeated.
At the 1992 BRIT awards held in London, U2 won the award for Best International Artist for the 4th time within 5 years. But the night belonged to rock sensation Queen, as their single These Are The Days Of Our Lives was named as the Best British Single. The late, great Freddy Mercury was honored as well for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
In taking a look at who was on the charts in 1994, Alice In Chains hit with Jar of Flies at #1 on the US Albums Chart. This is a band that I knew would be a success from the first time I heard Man In The Box and I remember driving my parents insane playing that CD over and over.
Earlier in the week, I typed out a fact about David Bowie and mentioned that Ziggy Stardust was my favorite Bowie song. Well, I have another Bowie fact for you today, hailing from the year 1997. It was on this day that he was honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and recieved his star.
Ozzy Osbourne is a musician who has seen success on various levels in various venues. I think my favorite current Ozzyism has to be the cell phone commercial that he's in, where no one can understand what he's saying, so he texts everyone. But in looking back at 2004, he was labeled a "godlike genius" at the NME Awards in London. Awards that were handed out that night included: Best Album going to Radiohead for Hail to the Thief, and Best New Band and Best International Band went to Kings of Leon.
There are too many instances to count of bands who put out amazing music that can't stand to even be in the same room together for more than five minutes. This of course leads to the inevitable destruction of the band. And while the members may go their separate ways and embark on solo careers, the magic of the collective group has dissipated. As each member brings their own sound to the table when the band is working together, those elements are missing and just at times leave the sound lacking when they break up, having the same effect as when a key element is left out of a recipe, leaving the flavor bland instead of savory.
In 2007, much to fans delight, Sting held a press conference at Hollywood's Whiskey A Go-Go announcing that The Police would be reuniting and would be kicking off a world tour.
The road to success is paved with small victories. It is overcoming the challenges that are placed before you and never giving up. No matter what you are involved in, never give up, never surrender. Keep pushing towards your goals. And may you be successful in every area of your life.
Ok, I know it's been a while since I've had anything to say, well not exactly anything to say, but really the time to say it. So lets get started shall we.
Recently in Oklahoma there was a couple of stories about murder and music. Now the basic premise of the stories was did the music that the suspects were listening to help to influence the murders. I would have to say that in some way, yes it did. Now before you get all riled up, I'm not saying that the music made the individual do the deed, but I am saying that the could have helped influenced their emotions. It is very true that we as people are easily influenced by all of our surrounding's and senses, taste, site, sound, smell,....whatever. We cannot use the old "devil made me do it" excuse. We as individuals have to take responsibility for our actions.
Now I'm not going to accuse anyone of being a cultist, freak, or psycho but there are some, shall we say, weaker individuals in the world who are more easily influenced. Now these people are not in any way a lesser person but those of us who fall in this category must be careful.
I am attaching a link to the story for everyone's viewing pleasure....and like I said, I do not think that music or anything else for that matter can make you do anything, but be careful of your what's around you because you must always be on guard and be mindful of everything around you.
http://www.okcfox.com/players/news/top_stories/kokh_vid_2045.shtml
Hello my little rockers and welcome to another exciting edition of This Day In Rock. I would ask that on this journey that you would keep all arms and legs inside the transport and extinguish all cigarettes until the vehicle comes to a complete stop. There are many things to see of this rock safari as you are soon to discover, so let's start our trip for this February 10th.
To your left, in the year 1959, we will find an American Bandstand performance by Link Wray with his instrumental hit Rumble. Although many radio stations refused to play this song with what was considered a controversial title, the song still sold over a million copies and even went to #16 on the Billboard Pop Chart.
If you were with us for yesterday's column then you will remember the fact about The Beatles playing the Ed Sullivan Show. If you will take a look to our right, you will see February 10th, 1964 American newspapers reporting, "millions of teenage boys are spending extra time in front of the mirror trying to make their hair look like Paul McCartney's", after having seen the show the prior night.
As we round the corner and make our way to 1972, you will see two events on either side of our vehicle. To the left, glam rockers T-Rex headed to the US to headline a tour in support of their song, Bang A Gong. And if you will look to the right, you will see that David Bowie opened his Ziggy Stardust tour at the Tolworth Toby Jug in London. Just a brief personal note about today's tour conductor, yours truly, Ziggy Stardust is my favorite Bowie tune.
As we come upon 1984, you will see a song that held the #1 spot starting this day in rock on the UK singles chart for the 3rd week.. Frankie Goes To Hollywood with their single Relax.
As we advance on 1998, we find that Axl Rose got into it with a baggage handler at Arizona Airport and was arrested for disorderly conduct. As he was released on bail, you will find the cage empty. We apologize for the inconvenience.
And finally we arrive at 2004 where Linkin Park had to cancel a show at Inglewood, California due to lead singer Chester Bennington coming down with bronchitis and acute laryngitis. If you are singer then you know this is a big deal...even if you aren't a singer, if you have ever suffered from either then you know it is a big deal. Megga painful....
And this brings us to the end of our Rock Safari boys and girls. I hope that you enjoyed our trip, and again, please keep all arms and legs in the vehicle until it comes to a complete stop, and exit in an orderly fashion. As our tour changes daily, please be sure to come back tomorrow for another exciting Rock Safari on This Day In Rock.
What would the rock world be without shocking moments? Be it deliberate acts for shock value, or events that take the music world, artist and fans alike by surprise. Today before looking at a few number one hits, band hookups and a rock birthday, we're gonna take a peek at some of the shocking moments from February 6th.
One of the most memorable songs from when I was growing up was by Austrian singer Falco with his huge hit from the 80's, Rock Me Amadeus. As I had been exposed to all genres of music, this song was a particular favorite of mine as Mozart has always been one of my favorite composers. The movie Amadeus has always held a fascination for me as well. While in the Dominican Republic, Falco, whose birth name was Johann Holzel, was involved in an accident when his vehicle collided with a bus. After suffering severe head trauma, he passed away at the age of 40.
You will probably think that I'm anti-American for what I am about to say. I HATE motorcycles. I have never liked them, I hate to ride on them, just have no use for them, period. Now, that doesn't mean that I don't think they're pretty or that some aren't amazing looking, because there are some incredible looking bikes out there. But that doesn't change the fact that I think they are dangerous. In 1990, after failing to stop at a stop sign, singer Billy Idol sustained serious injuries, crashing his Harley-Davidson into a car.
I don't think that you can mention the name Marilyn Manson with out thinking Shock Rock. Love him or hate him, the will demand your attention. And in 2001, he was arrested in Bologna, Italy on an indecent exposure charge that spanned back to 1999 when his tour took him through town.
Well, in all honesty, that last one didn't shock me so very much at all. But having looked at those, let's turn our attention to some artists who were on the charts for this day in rock.
In 1965, the number one song in the US was You've Lost That Lovin Feeling by the Righteous Brothers. The song has been played on American radio over 8 million times making it the most played record ever. Of course, my thoughts always turn to Top Gun....how can it not???
Looking at 1982, we'll find that the J Giles Band had the #1 spot with their hit Centerfold, which they would hold for 6 weeks. Their album Freeze Frame hit the US Album Chart the same day with a four week run at #1.
On the same day in the same year (1982) Joan Jett would hit the US Hot 100 Chart with her mega hit I Love Rock and Roll at #63.
And finally, a very happy birthday to Guns N Roses front man Axl Rose, who was born today in 1962.
Have a great weekend....... go find a concert and get your rock fix and maybe you'll discover some shocking moments for yourself.
I had the idea to change this day in rock up just a tad, and rather than start in the past and bring you into the future, that I would start at the end of the list and work backwards. Sometimes you just feel in a rut and need to break out into something new. I'm there, feeling the need to just do things differently and add that little twist of breaking out of the norm.
As we just wrapped up the Super Bowl this last weekend, let's take a look at a couple of past musical performances that have their place in sports and music history. In 2007 for Super Bowl XLI the night kicked off with Bill Joel singing the national anthem and the half time show performance was done by the artist who became known again, who was formerly known as, that is using the name and no longer a symbol...Prince. In 2004, who will ever forget what happened at THAT half time show when Janet Jackson bared it all....well, maybe not all, but enough for her to be dropped from the line-up of the Grammy Awards that year.
While on the subject of sports, let's change venues from the NFL to the NBA. If you have ever been to any type of sporting event, you have no doubt disagreed with at least one call made by a referee. I'm sure that you've yelled at them from your living room, or even from the stands if having attended a live game. Jimmy Buffett took disagreeing with a ref to a whole new level in 2001 when he was thrown out of New York Knicks/ Miami Heat game for verbally abusing an official.
Now that you've had your dose of the sports and music special, let's move on to music and movies for the second course.
This day in 1978 would see the Bee Gees on the charts with two songs from this 70's classic hit with Night Fever and with the single that was #1 in America, Stayin' Alive.
And finally, in 1977, Fleetwood Mac released one of the all time best selling albums, Rumors. The album yielded top 10 hits with: Go Your Own Way, Dreams, Don't Stop, and You Make Loving Fun. The album has sold over 18 million copies.
Well, I'd have to say working back in time was kind of fun. We may have to time warp again in the future. Have a great day!
In looking over the facts that I found for today's This Day In Rock, there were different instances in which almost each day could be coined "the day the music died". Of course, only one truly holds the possible reason as to why that song was even written, however any time there is death in the music world, on some level the music dies, even if it is just a little.
February 3rd, 1959 is the day that coined the phrase "the day the music died" as Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash. Leaving from Clear Lake, Iowa at just a little after 1 a.m. and due to a snow storm that reduces visibility to a minimum, pilot Roger Peterson lost his bearings and flew the plane into the ground.
1967 Brings us to the story of Joe Meek who was a British producer of Rock and Pop music. Remembered for his instrumental hit Telstar, written for the Tornadoes, Meek killed his landlady before turning the gun on himself committing suicide.
2003 found producer Phil Spector arrested during the murder investigation of actress Lana Clarkson, who was found dead at the entrance to Spector's home. He was freed after posting $1 million bond.
For this last track, we'll backtrack just a few years, BUT if finds out of the realm of death and brings us into birth. Every time that an artist releases a CD, they are giving birth out of their creativity, giving life to music. On this day in 1998, Pearl Jam released their 5th album entitled Yield and would reach #2 on the Billboard 200.
Life and death are part of this continuous circle that we are all a part of. I mourn over music's losses and rejoice over the new things that continue to be brought forth from so many talented musicians and songwriters. But I never fail to appreciate what they give to us, out of their talents, out of the well of their creativity, out of themselves.
Yesterday a new Super Bowl champion was crowned, and I would like to offer a big congrats to this year's winner. The only team to have 6.....my team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. There was so much screaming going on in my house throughout the entire game. And when you watch your team go from having the toughest schedule in the league to winning the whole thing, it makes you proud to part of the Steeler Nation and proud of that group of men, that Band of Brothers. If you did not see the game, I would have to say that you missed THE game of the year. Not only that, Bruce Springsteen did a great job with the half time show, and for me to say that is a big thing since I'm always left disappointed.
Today on this day in rock we see a variety of interesting facts spanning over the years. Starting with a fact that spans back to 1949. That year on this day in rock, the world was introduced to the very first 45 RPM record.
10 years later in 1959 the single Charlie Brown by the Coasters was released. Hahaha you started singing it, didn't you??
Hailing from Pasadena, California Van Halen exploded on to the music scene and in 1978 was signed by Warner Brothers Records.
Sid Vicious, who's given name was John Ritchie was the nasty and violent bass guitarist for the punk band The Sex Pistols. Vicious was a drug addict with a flair for self-mutilation who through his spastic onstage dancing birthed what came to be known as "slam dancing". After moving to New York upon the demise of the band, in a heroin induced frenzy with his girlfriend Nancy Spungeon, he awoke to find her dead. Although he was arrested, he did manage to escape and made an attempt on his life by slitting his wrists. He was sent to a psychiatric ward but freed on bail, only to overdose and die on this day in rock at the age of 21 in 1979.
On this day in rock in 2001, after the mayor of Detroit found out some of Ted Nugent's more controversial views from the city elders, refused to give the guitarist the key to the city. Nugent however did not hold a grudge and said, "I have no negative feelings whatsoever. He's got to do what he's got to do, and I've got to do what I've got to do."
Not only are musicians known for their talents and theatrical styles, but they are often also known by their charitable works. On this day in 2005, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington showed just this when he visited southern Thailand after the 2004 tsunami, assessing damages, visiting two elementary schools and even helping repaint a house during the course of his visit.
And finally, there is a song that says that breaking up is hard to do. And after 11 years of marriage on this day in rock Richie Sambora, guitarist for Bon Jovi and Heather Locklear announced they were splitting up.
Hope your February 2nd is beautiful in spite of the groundhog's prediction that winter will continue. Live today as a champion.
