Editor In Chief
Meri@blastmagazine.net
Managing EditorJen@blastmagazine.net
photography dept.
LINKS:
Metallville:
www.metallville.com
Disclaimer:
Attention all bands/artists, management/record companies, promoters, venues, and other business contact:
With regard to unapproved media requests and requests made by individuals not or no longer associated with Blast Magazine in an attempt to gain access to bands or concerts, please be aware that the only media requests from Blast Magazine that are legitimate are those presented by one of the editors Darrell Finley (editor-in-chief/DPFinley@blastmagazine.net) or Meredith Ballou (mng. editor/meri@blastmagazine.net). We will not accept responsibility for the publishing of any work that has not been requested or authorized by one of us. In the event you do receive requests from anyone claiming to be a photographer, writer/journalist, etc, from Blast please do not hesitate to let us know so we can deal with this situation immediately. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and we apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused.
Concert Photography
8/17/2010:
7/22/2010:
BLAST UPDATES:
Blast updates includes: CD reviews of, Y&T - ‘Facemelter’, Vince Neil – ‘Tattoos & Tequila’, Jorn – ‘Dio’, Tony Harnell & Mercury Train – ‘Round Table’. Plus; DVD reviews of , John Lennon – ‘Rare & Unseen’ and Primal Fear – ’16.6 All Over The World’.
5/28/2010:
A Song For Ronnie:
The new JORN videoclip Taken from “Dio”
The offering to Ronnie James Dio musical 'legacy':
5/13/2010:
AN INFESTATION SPEADS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES:
New York, NY: Iconic ‘80s hard rockers RATT plan to Ratt ‘n’ Roll all summer long in support of their brand new album, Infestation. The record is their first studio effort in 11 years and has been met with universally positive praise and continues to gain momentum since its April 20 release, where it sold nearly 15,000 copies. The band will be on the road as part of their “World Infestation” tour, with dates planned from now through September. The band will continue headlining and well as touring with The Scorpions in July.
Infestation debuted at #30 on the US Billboard Top 200 chart and #4 on the Top Hard Music chart. It is being hailed by many as one of the best albums of the band’s storied career. Check out the video for the single, “Best of Me,” which literally offers a sneak peek into the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.
Ratt held an off-the-wall album release party on April 20, as the band descended upon their former stomping grounds at the Key Club on Sunset in their native LA. The sold-out show was packed to the rafters and made for a night of pure musical mayhem and good times that brought out diehard Ratt fans, porn stars and even musicians like Tom Morello and Atreyu. ARTISTdirect best summed up the evening, saying, “They could have played all night and we’d never have gotten bored.”
Here is what the rest of the press had to say about Ratt and Infestation:
“Cavazo and DeMartini riff and shred their way through Infestation with killer tones and great technique.” – Guitar Player
“…plugs directly into the sound and spirit of their glory days...Warren DeMartini demonstrates why he was one of the top guns of the ‘80s…” –Revolver
“Dr. Rockso still loves Ratt, baby. Just like real rats, you can’t get rid of them.” – Dr. Rockso via Decibel
“Ratt have just released their first album in a decade, and it’s a killer.” – MSN
“The Ratts are once again out of the cellar, invading your privacy, and infecting your ears.” –Metalholic
“You won’t find a better soundtrack to your summer than this.” – Pop Matters
“Infestation is a rock solid record that features some tasty licks, plenty of attitude and evokes their early days.” – The Aquarian Weekly
“Carlos Cavazo fits in perfectly and has the musical chops to keep up with original axeman Warren DeMartini….Infestation hearkens back to the band’s glory days, with songs that match up with the best of their ‘80s canon.” – About.com
“New cuts, like the stadium-ready “Best of Me” and the sleazed up “Last Call,” prove that Ratt’s songwriting is as focused and infectious as it was in the days they headlined arenas.” – Noisecreep
“This new album keeps the true spirit of metal alive.” – Metal Assault
Ratt kicked off their current tour last week at Rams Head Live in Baltimore, MD. After touring Europe throughout June, they return to rock the States. All American dates are below.
May 13 - Cubby Bear Lounge - Chicago, IL
May 14 - Medina Entertainment Center - Medina, MN
May 15 - 7 Flags Events Center - Clive, IA
May 16 - The Cotillion - Wichita, KS
May 18 – Depot- Salt Lake City, UT
May 19 - Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO
May 20 - Idaho Falls Civic Auditorium - Idaho Falls, ID
May 23 - Pima County Fairgrounds - Tucson, AZ
June 5 - Wendover Road Ride - Wendover, NV
July 10 - Bridgestone Arena - Nashville, TN
July 11- Mud Island Amphitheater - Memphis, TN
July 15 - 37 Main - Buford, GA
July 16 – Bayfront Park - Miami, FL
July 17 – Ford Amphitheatre - Tampa, FL
July19 – Mahalia Jackson Theater - New Orleans, LA
July 21 – Nokia Live - Grand Prairie, TX
July 23 – AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX
July 25 – Zoo Amphitheatre - Oklahoma City, OK
Aug 1 – Pacific Amphitheatre / FAIR - Costa Mesa, CA
Aug 4 – Raley Field - Sacramento, CA
Aug 13 – Scriba Town Inn Summer Concert - Oswego, NY
Aug 14 – Atlantic City Hilton Resort Grand Theatre - Atlantic City, NJ
Aug 20 – Northwoods Rock Rally - Glen Fora, WI
Sept 4 – Speaking Rock Event Center – El Paso, TX
4/24/2010:
BRET MICHAEL’S SUFFERS BRAIN HEMORRAGE:
Bret Michaels confessed to fans that he was not feeling "100%" the day before he suffered a massive brain hemorrhage.
"I'm feeling right about in the middle right now on a scale of 1 to 10," Michaels, who had undergone an emergency appendectomy on April 12, wrote on his Fancast blog. "I'm not 100% yet ... I have to get my blood sugar back in order, because it's been all over the place because every day I've been real active and you're not supposed to move around yet."
The rocker and current Celebrity Apprentice contestant, 47, also addressed fan questions about his diabetes and alcohol.
"I know people have been asking about drinking and being diabetic, and it's a very honest question," he blogged. "Here is the honest answer, and this is the truth: when I say 'party' and 'let's have fun,' I'm one of those guys that just likes to have a great time. I'm not a belligerent drunk. I don't need to drink. ... For a diabetic ... it's a double whammy because here's what happens with alcohol: when you're hung-over then you don't eat right, you don't take your insulin right. So it's best to stay away. But, I pick and choose my times when I'm going to have fun."
Still, in the wake of his appendectomy, Michaels acknowledged the need to slow down. "This was a wake-up call to be a little bit more diligent on keeping control of my health," he told fans. "I want to still have a great time, but ... I need to find something healthier to do on my day off then going out and finding a club to go hang out at. It's part of finding balance in my life."
Update on His Condition
While Michaels remains hospitalized under "intense observation" and further testing following his brain hemorrhage, his rep said Saturday: "There are several incorrect reports on Bret's condition. Bret remains in critical condition at an undisclosed location. Further tests are being ran and information will be updated in the coming days."
His Apprentice boss, Donald Trump, also issued a statement that he was "deeply saddened" to hear of Michaels' s condition.
4/18/2010:
Lillian Axe Guitarist Launches New Label:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
LAUNCH OF NEW LABEL, LOVE & WAR RECORDS, TO FOCUS ON BOTH UP-AND-COMING AND ESTABLISHED METAL TALENT:
It’s not very often that three long-time friends get a chance to launch a record label together, but that’s exactly what Phil Sadler, Charlie Bagarozza, and Steve Blaze have done, with the creation of Love & War Records. And with such a strong link to metal veteran act Lillian Axe (Blaze is the lead guitarist/founding member of the band, while Sadler promoted the group’s shows in the Midwest area), it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the label’s first-ever release will be the group’s tenth album overall, ‘Deep Red Shadows.’ The album - produced by Blaze and mastered by Ty Tabor of King’s X - promises to be another kick ass entry into the group’s catalog, and will be released on July 20, 2010.
Love & War Records will accept solicited and unsolicited materials from artists. Submissions should contain at least a 3 song demo CD, optional DVD of the band performing live, current band photo, current band bio and any info on live shows you have played. All submissions will become the property of Love & War Records.
The official titles for the three label founders will be “Owner and CEO” for Sadler, “President/Head of A&R/Talent Relations” for Bagarozza, and “Producer/A&R” for Blaze. "After having 6 label deals, including major and indie labels, it was time to become a part of a family that could learn from the errors and strengths of our past situations,” says Blaze. “We want to surround ourselves with a great team to guide our artists and great artists who care about the wonderful art of hard rock and metal music."
For more information, visit:
The first release from the new label will be Lillian Axe's latest release titled, 'Deep Red Shadows'. The scheduled release date is july 20, 2010.
4/14/2010:
THE WORLD LOST NOT ONE BUT TWO ROCK ICONS ON THE 14TH:
Peter Steele from the band Type O Negative has passed away
Multiple sources are reporting that Type O Negative lead singer/bassist Peter Steele has passed away at the age of 48 from heart failure.
Steele’s death was faked in 2005, but it appears to be true this time around.
Type O Negative was one of the most famous goth bands, and Steele was known for being a giant man with a deep voice.
He also gained some notoriety for having appeared in Playgirl back in the mid 90’s.
Steele struggled mightily with depression and substance abuse. But, in recent interviews it seemed that he had turned his life around.
Vinnie Chas – Original Bassist of Pretty Boy Floyd Passes:
“Dear friends,
I am extremely sad to confirm here that original Pretty Boy Floyd bassist Vinnie Chas has passed away. There have been posts and rumors on the net, so I called the company Vinnie worked for to confirm it for myself. I do not have the all specific details and the family wished to keep it private, so all I know at this time is that it was a sudden onset of illness and he passed away over Easter weekend. He called into work ill on Friday and when no one could reach him on Monday, they sensed something was wrong and went to his home, where he was found dead. Vinnie was going to be working with me on some new recordings for KERY DOLL, but unfortunately we ran out of time. I rarely get the time to log on to Facebook, so forgive me if I cannot respond to messages for some time. Plus, as you can imagine, this is devastating news and I need some time to grieve.”
Aeriel Stiles
Pretty Maids release video clip:
PRETTY MAIDS have just finished the shooting of the videoclip for the single “Little Drops of Heaven” under the direction of Thomas Tjader (Saint Deamon), taken from the forthcoming album “Pandemonium” to be released on Frontiers Records on May 14th in Europe and June 8th in the USA. The video can now be seen on Youtube clicking on the image below:
4/8/2010:
Y&T Are Going To Melt Your Face!:
Y&T are proud to announce their forthcoming album "Facemelter" is due out May 21st on Frontiers Records (on Meanstreak Music Co in the US). Japanese release to follow. Visit the discussion forum at www.meniketti.com/vforum/ to get a sneak peak of the cover art created by John Taylor Dismukes (Black Tiger, Meanstreak, In Rock We Trust) and track list. The US version can be pre-ordered from our web store.
'Prelude'
'On With The Show'
'One Life'
'Shine On'
'Wild Child'
'I Want Your Money'
'I’m Coming Home, If You Want Me'
'Hot Shot'
'How Long'
'Gonna Go Blind'
'Don’t Bring Me Down'
'Blind Patriot'
'Losing My Mind' *
* Bonus track included on the first pressing in digipak
Fans in the Midwest can see Y&T when they headline Saturday night at this year's MelodicRock Fest on May 1. This will be the band's first show out of the studio. Also on the festival are Winger, Danger Danger, Trixter, and many more acts throughout the weekend. Visit the tour dates page for links. www.meniketti.com/tourdates.html
Y&T NEW ALBUM DEBUT SHOW
Y&T will celebrate the release of Facemelter--the band's first studio album in 13 years--at the Fillmore in San Francisco on Saturday, May 22. Don Dokken opens this "all ages" show. Y&T's annual Fillmore show always sells out so be sure to get your tickets early.
Y&T SHOWS
Details for each of the shows below are on the TOUR DATES page of the web site.
http://www.meniketti.com/tourdates.html
2010
Stay tuned...more 2010 shows to come!
US
May 1 ~ Chicago (Elgin), IL - MelodicRock Fest
May 13 ~ Agoura Hills, CA - Canyon Club (all ages show--under 18 must be with a paying adult)
May 14 ~ San Juan Capistrano, CA - Coach House (all ages show)
May 15 ~ Redondo Beach, CA - Brixton
May 22 ~ San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore (all ages show) + special guest Don Dokken
July 16 ~ Portland, OR - Peter's Room @ Roseland Theater
July 17 ~ Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
July 21 ~ Dacono, CO - The Roadhouse
July 24 ~ Wichita, KS - Midwest Rock Fest (all ages)
August 4 ~ Pittsburgh, PA - Hard Rock Cafe
August 5 ~ Allentown, PA - Sterling Rock Room (all ages show)
August 6 ~ Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance Theatre (16 & over)
August 7 ~ New York, NY - BB King Blues Club (all ages show)
August 8 ~ Springfield, VA - Jaxx
August 14 ~ San Antonio, TX - Backstage Live
August 15 ~ El Paso, TX - Zen-Meister Bar
August 20 ~ Reno, NV - New Oasis (all ages show)
August 21 ~ Sacramento, CA - The Crest Theater (all ages show)
August 26 ~ Hollywood, CA - Key Club
August 27 ~ Tempe, AZ - Club Red
August 28 ~ Las Vegas, NV – Feelgoods
Europe
June 10 ~ Solvesborg, Sweden - Sweden Rock Festival
June 12 ~ Donington, UK - Download Festival
June 13 ~ Taino (VA), Italy - Festa della Birra (free show)
June 15 ~ Koln, Germany - Underground Cologne
June 16 ~ Zwolle, Netherlands - Hedon Podium
June 17 ~ Dordrecht, Netherlands - Bibelot
June 19 ~ Clisson, France – Hellfest
*Schedule subject to change. Be sure to verify with each venue.*
Check the web site TOUR DATES page for the most up-to-date concert information.
Thanks for your support!
4/5/2010:
Blast Updates:
Updates include CD reviews of The Bonesmen – ‘Duece’, Saint – ‘Hellblade’, Saint – ‘Crime Scene Earth 2.0’, Gaurdian – ‘First Watch’, Liberty N Justice – ‘Light It Up’, Giant – Promised Land’, Aura’s – ‘New Generation’, Crazy Lixx – ‘New Religion’, The Scorpions – ‘Sting In The Tail’, and Brian Howe – ‘Circus Bar’.
2/6/2010:
The Scorpions Release Tracklisting For Final CD:
SCORPIONS will release their final studio album, ‘Sting In The Tail’, in North America on March 23 via Universal Music Enterprises. The CD was recorded at a studio in Hannover, Germany with Swedish producers Mikael "Nord" Andersson and Martin Hansen (the team behind THE RASMUS' Dead Letters CD).
‘Sting In The Tail’ tracklist (with times) is as follows:
1.) “Raised On Rock” 3:57
2.) “Sting In The Tail” 3:12
3.) “Slave Me” 2:44
4.) “The Good Die Young” 5:14
5.) “No Limit” 3:24
6.) “Rock Zone” 3:17
7.) “Lorelei” 4:31
8.) “Turn You On” 4:25
9.) “Let's Rock” 3:21
10.) “SLY” 5:15
11.) “Spirit Of Rock” 3:43
12.) “The Best Is Yet To Come” 4:34
Blast Updates:
♫ Blast updates includes the reviews of both CD & DVD versions of Jeff Scott Soto’s – ‘Live In Madrid’, The Murder of My Sweet – ‘Divanity’, Wig Wam – ‘Non Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll’, Keel – ‘Streets Of Rock & Roll’ and Black Tora – ‘The Rise Of The Tora’ .
Prepare For A Ratt ‘Infestation’:
New York, NY: It’s no secret that RATT are back and raring to go. The band is proud to announce April 20, 2010 as the release date for their Loud & Proud/Roadrunner debut, Infestation, an 11-song opus that is their first studio record in 11 years. The first single, “Best of Me,” is scheduled to impact rock radio on February 21. The song is available at all digital stores.
There’s been a flurry of activity in the Ratt camp in the past few years. Vocalist Stephen Pearcy has returned to the fold and the band has since signed to Loud & Proud/Roadrunner. The legendary Los Angeles rock squad, also featuring guitarist Warren DeMartini, drummer Bobby Blotzer, bassist Robbie Crane and new guitarist Carlos Cavazo, engineered Hollywood’s much-heralded Sunset Strip sound in the 1980s.
“We wanted this to be like something that we would have written right after [1984’s] Out of the Cellar,” Pearcy said. “We definitely went back to basics with the mindset of a band with a lot of excitement and some great songs to get out.” Infestation was produced by Elvis Baskette (Chevelle, Alter Bridge.) in the helmer’s Virginia studio, marking the first time the band has recorded outside of Los Angeles. The album is full of attitude and of reflection, cycling through a range of emotions. There are party anthems that Ratt are known for alongside more contemplative, thoughtful tunes.
The track listing for the album is as follows:
1.) “Eat Me Up Alive”
2.) “Best of Me”
3.) “A Little Too Much”
4.) “Look Out Below”
5.) “Last Call”
6.) “Lost Weekend”
7.) “As Good as it Gets”
8.) “Garden of Eden”
9.) “Take a Big Bite”
10.) “Take Me Home”
11.) “Don’t Let Go”
1/23/2010:
BREAKING NEWS!!!!
It is with a mixed emotion that Blast Magazine has to post this email.
Dear , Darrell:
It was always our pleasure, our purpose in life, our passion and we were fortunate enough to make music for you - whether it was live on stage or in the studio, creating new songs.
While we were working on our album these past few months, we could literally feel how powerful and creative our work was - and how much fun we were still having, in the process. But there was also something else: We want to end the Scorpion's extraordinary career on a high note. We are extremely grateful for the fact that we still have the same passion for music we've always had since the beginning. This is why, especially now, we agree we have reached the end of the road. We finish our career with an album we consider to be one of the best we have ever recorded and with a tour that will start in our home country Germany and take us to five different continents over the next few years.
We want you, our fans, to be the first to know about this. Thank you for your never-ending support throughout the years!
We uploaded the very first snippets from our new album on our website www.the-scorpions.com for you.
And now. let's get the party started and get ready for a "Sting in the Tail"!
See you on the world tour,
Yours Scorpions
AXIS ENTERTAINMENT:
The staff of Blast Magazine is proud to announce the opening of a sister company Axis Entertainment, a multi-service agency, offering booking, media promotion, PR and more. Created and operated by our ever-growing Blast family, we welcome our associate and contributing photojournalist, Kimberlee Miyahira to the Axis team. We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank our readers and friends for their ongoing support and welcome you to Axis Entertainment! Visit us there at www.axisentertainment.net and on myspace at www.myspace.com/axisentertainment2010.
Darrell, Meri, Jenn, and Kim