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Rock n Flicks - by Sue Gabel

 
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Rob Zombie & Alice Cooper Tour TOGETHER

February 23rd 2010 18:41
Yes you're reading the Title CORRECT! Tour info was released yesterday on both Rob's and Alice's web sites. Got my tickets this morning and I'm so stoked to see them play together for the first time! Fans have been wanting to see this match-up for YEARS!



It's called The Gruesome Twosome tour and how fitting that name is for this bill! It's an exclusive limited run of North American tour dates beginning April 26 at the MTS Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.


Dates and locations include the following:

Apr. 26 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
Apr. 27 - Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union
Apr. 28 - Edmonton, AB- Rexall Place
Apr. 29 - Calgary, AB - Corral
May 01 - Vancouver, BC - Pacific Coliseum
May 02 - Kennewick, WA - Toyota Center
May 04 - Casper, WY - Casper Events Center

Presale tickets went on sale this morning across the US. Login to Ticketmaster to get yours or go directly to Alice Cooper's web site to buy:

GRUESOME TWOSOME CONCERT PACKAGES
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Evanescence releases new song for Haiti relief

February 11th 2010 03:25


Internationally renowned rock band Evanescence recently released a new single called “Together Again” to try and help the people of Haiti in the aftermath of their devastating earthquake. Upon its release, the groups lead singer Amy Lynn Lee-Hartzler announced any proceeds as a result of this new song would be donated to the United Nations Foundation in an effort to assist in the recovery of the Haitian people.



Anyone who wishes to download the song can do so by going to www.unfoundation.org and making a charitable contribution in support of CERF – Central Emergency Response Fund. The song “Together Again” is one Amy wrote during ‘The Open Door’ era. The actual recording of the song was done during 2005-2006 when the rest of the ‘The Open Door’ album was being recorded and completed.

Lee-Hartzler has stated it was at her husband’s (Josh Hartzler whom she married May 6, 2007) urging that this particular song should be dedicated to the people of Haiti. And Amy wholeheartedly agreed with him. She has said she feels now the reason the song never belonged anywhere else is because it was meant to be used here and now for the Haitian people. Amy and Evanescence are doing this in hopes it will inspire the people of Haiti as well as others around the world to help contribute to their nation’s recovery.

Amy also reports on her official Twitter page that she’s been diligently working on a new album. No release date has been revealed yet, but she gives updates frequently on her page about her song writing and recording progress.

If you want to communicate with her about her relief efforts or her music, there are only a couple of places online a person can connect with her. One of course is her Twitter page. You can follow her there and communicate by tweeting to her page @AmyLeeEv http://twitter.com/AmyLeeEv. There are also a couple of forums where she posts things once in awhile: her official fan club Really Long Link a fan page called Amy Lee Net http://www.amy-l.net/, or The Evanescence Reference Really Long Link Evanescence’s MySpace page and official site are operated by their label Wind-Up Records. Amy made a public statement recently on her Twitter page she does not have a personal Facebook or MySpace page. She’s aware there are hundreds of people out there claiming to be her on both sites and her only comment was “those are all false”.

To learn more about Amy Lynn Lee Hartzler, follow her on Twitter, visit her Wikipedia page Really Long Link or the The Evanescence Reference web site which has a great biography on her life and career as well.



picture courtesy of evanescence.com

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My take on the 2010 Grammy Awards

February 11th 2010 03:09


Alice in Chains - Picture courtesy of www.grammy.com

The Grammy Awards this year came off as a bit of a surprise to me personally. It of course had its high and low points like it does every year, but one thing I guess I’ll never understand is why so much of the actual awards show is cut out for us at home TV viewers? There were several artists no one even knew received awards until reading about it on the Grammy’s web site.


In the Rock Music category, I’d first and foremost like to give well deserved congratulations to Australian Rockers AC/DC who finally won their first Grammy award ever for the ‘Best Hard Rock Performance’ with their song “War Machine”. They beat out a few competitors, two of which have won Grammy’s in the past – Metallica and Linkin Park, as well as Alice in Chains and Nickelback.

Other winners in the Rock music genre were as follows:
· Record of the year, Best Rock Performance by a Duo/Group and Best Rock Song – “Use Somebody”, Kings of Leon
· Best Rock Album – ‘21st Century Breakdown’, Green Day
· Best Rock Instrumental Performance – “A Day in the Life”, Jeff Beck
· Best Metal Performance – “Dissident Aggressor”, Judas Priest
· Best Rock Solo Performance – Bruce Springsteen

This years show was a definite spectacle. Between Beyonce’s solo performance, and Pink’s amazing show of circus-like acrobatics and singing, the performers seemed to want to give the show of a lifetime. And then there was Lady Gaga and Elton John’s collaboration which made my jaw drop, but not because of what you might think. I am not a fan of Ms. Gaga but I have to say she genuinely earned my respect on her vocal ability alone for the first time.

The Black Eyed Peas also performed and did their ‘thang’ which is always fun to watch and listen to. The most moving performance of the night though, was not by one artist, but five. This was the Michael Jackson tribute in which Celine Dion, Usher, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson all sang strong and proud in Michael’s honor.

Even though there was a dynamic of showmanship this year, I have to confess I’m still not a fan of the Grammy’s and my age old complaint remains – why does no music awards special showcase more Rock artists? The Grammy’s attempt to do their share I guess, and yes we have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but during each event this year, I counted about 3-4 “rock” bands who actually performed. Green Day and Bon Jovi were the only two “Rock” performances on the Grammy’s.

No rock artist or group was undoubtedly ‘honored’ at either event. For as long as Rock music has been around which is going on 60 years, where is the real Rock Music awards show where only rock artists are honored and awarded? Country music has the CMT awards; Rap/R&B/Soul has the BET awards and also NAACP Image awards. And Rock Music has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that honors a pop group like ABBA instead of an obvious rock band like KISS. And it’s those types of ridiculous decisions which don’t give me any faith in those awards shows any longer.

Rock Music is one of the leading genres in our industry, yet no one does near enough to honor it or the artists who’ve blessed us all with their exceptional talent. In closing, I would hope in the future music awards shows honor and showcase more Rock music artists. There are quite possibly hundreds who have given us decades of some of the best music ever, yet we fail time and time again to show them just how much we appreciate all they’ve done and given to us as both their peers and fans.



AC/DC - picture courtesy of www.acdc.com


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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – 25th anniversary concert review

December 17th 2009 21:10


On Sunday December 6th, 2009, HBO aired the 25th anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert to the public. The show featured performances by Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, the Jeff Beck Band, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Aretha Franklin, Metallica, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, U2 and Stevie Wonder.

Some of the most memorable highlights from the show had to be Annie Lennox of Eurythmics fame singing “Chain of Fools” with ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin. Both ladies are legends in their own right and so very talented in their singing craft. Other stellar performances came from U2, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith singing “Because the Night” as well as Bono, Fergie and Mick Jagger belting out “Gimme Shelter”. U2 and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band always seem to put on a fantastic show and for this particular occasion, it was certainly no different.

All true Rock fans were of course ecstatic to watch their iconic metal band Metallica performing on this anniversary show in addition to the Jeff Beck Band and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Also in a rare reunion it was amazing to see Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel collaborating once again after all this time. And of course Stevie Wonder brought something to the show that many have attempted to duplicate over the years, but cannot seem to measure up to – his truly soulful sound.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was initially established in 1983 and one would hope it’s an important honorary institution that’s here to stay. We may not always agree with the artists or groups nominated or actually inducted each year into this Hall of Fame; and this is evident from the 2010 inductee’s list. There has been an uproar in the Rock and Roll music community over the December 15th inductee announcements, but as much as fans complain about Pop, R&B, or Rap artists being nominated or even inducted, ultimately it isn’t up to any of us, but to the selected voters who receive the ballots each year. We can only hope the complaints, suggestions and overall – the voices of fans as well as other artists in the entertainment industry – will somehow be heard and eventually acted upon for future nominees and Hall of Famer’s who have yet to receive this prestigious honor but are so truly deserving of it.

For a complete list of the 2009 inductees or the 2010 list of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, please visit their web site: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees announced

December 17th 2009 03:22



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Green Day receives Grammy nod

December 17th 2009 03:13
For the 2010 Grammy Awards it’s been announced American rock band Green Day is nominated for three awards. Their smash single “21 Guns” is up for ‘Best Rock Song’ and ‘Best Rock Performance by a Duo/Group’. Their last album 21st Century Breakdown is also nominated for ‘Best Rock Album’.

Earlier in the year, the band received recognition at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards show for “21 Guns” as well. They took home three awards winning in all three categories they were nominated for: ‘Best Rock Video’, ‘Best Cinematography’ and ‘Best Direction’. The American Music Awards were good to them as well awarding them for ‘Favorite Alternative Rock Music Artist’. Last but not least, at the 2010 People’s Choice Awards, Green Day will also be competing for the prestigious spot of ‘Best Rock Band’ of the year


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Puddle of Mudd releasing new album

December 8th 2009 01:00
Multi-Platinum recording artist Puddle of Mudd will be releasing their new album Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate on Tuesday, December 8th. The first single from the new album titled “Spaceship” became available to fans on October 27th, 2009. Producer Brian Howe of Bad Company fame was re-enlisted to work on this album in addition to producing the band’s previous albums including 2007’s Famous and 2001’s Come Clean. Puddle of Mudd is hoping for the same benchmark success they’ve achieved working with Howe in the past. READ MORE HERE
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Rob Zombie's CD release pushed back

December 3rd 2009 23:15
2009 has been quite a year for metal legend Rob Zombie. And from his various interviews and press releases, it sounds as though there are even better things to come in 2010. Zombie started off 2009 by filming Halloween II. He then spent majority of the year shooting and prepping for its release to theaters in August. Although it earned a wide mix of reviews, Zombie was proud of the film as were his devoted fans. READ MORE HERE Enjoy this article? You can receive email alerts when a new article is posted. Just click the 'Subscribe' button at the side of the page.
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THE HISTORY OF KISS

December 3rd 2009 23:02
KISS is an iconic Rock and Roll band started in the early 1970’s by co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Simmons and Stanley actually came to meet a few years earlier when they first formed another New York City based band together called Wicked Lester. Under this band name, they never achieved much success and only recorded one album which ended up being shelved by their label. With that being said, Simmons and Stanley knew they needed to go down a different musical avenue….hence the new idea of KISS was born.

KISS is possibly the most recognizable band of all time. With their painted faces, five to seven inch heeled boots and unique outfits, they created quite a following early on. They also incorporated various other perks in their live performances that fans would never forget. Between the pyrotechnics, smoking guitars and Simmons breathing fire and spitting blood, they gave their fans exactly what they came for at every single show – the hottest band around – KISS


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Avril Lavigne Joins Guest Judging Panel for American Idol

December 3rd 2009 22:55
It seems the rotating panel of celebrity judges continues to grow for American Idol this season. The latest addition is none other than our punk princess Avril Lavigne. She will share duties with another fourth-seater Katy Perry and will sit separately to offer their suggestions to those trying to get a Golden Ticket to the show’s Hollywood round.

Lavigne joins a list of confirmed judges who will also be offering hopeful’s advice which includes Shania Twain, Mary J. Blige, Victoria Beckham, Joe Jonas, Neil Patrick Harris, and Kristin Chenoweth. Since Paula Abdul departed the fourth judging seat of the panel, show Producers haven’t announced when they will permanently fill this spot once again. With the interesting mix of celebrities already in play, it should make for an eventful and surprising season


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