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The ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL Announces Official 2015 Artist Line-Up

Apr 13, 2015

The world’s biggest heavy music touring festival, the ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL enters its eighth year with another fantastic heavy metal and hard rock line-up, featuring 13 bands performing on the ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAIN STAGE and the VICTORY RECORDS STAGE.

The ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAIN STAGE will feature some of the most ground-breaking heavy bands of all time, spanning the originating years of heavy metal to today! The main stage will feature five-time-nominated, two-time Grammy winning legends Slayer as headliner, as well as additional performances from King Diamond, HELLYEAH, and The Devil Wears Prada. The VICTORY RECORDS STAGE will feature headliner Whitechapel as well as Thy Art Is Murder, Jungle Rot, Sister Sin, Sworn In, Shattered Sun, Feed Her To The Sharks, Code Orange and Kissing Candice.

Kerry King, guitarist of ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAIN STAGE headliners Slayer states, “I don’t know if third time will be a charm, but it will definitely be hellish! Slayer and King Diamond on stage for the first time together in the States- NEVER has Mayhem been more evil. DON’T FUCKIN’ MISS IT.”

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAIN STAGE performer and heavy metal hellion King Diamond states, “This is going to be one hot and hellish summer! Slayer and King Diamond on the same stage – it does not get more devilish than this! We will be putting on a one hour set with the full King Diamond stage production. As for a set list, I’m not gonna reveal that here, but it will be built around “Dreams of Horror”. The Puppet Master will be there with Grandma, and we will even go as far back in time as to 1777 (hint). You’re all in for one hell of a show if you come to this Sabbath!”

“It has been eight years and it feels like it started just yesterday. We are so excited about this year’s lineup and having the mighty Slayer back in support of a new album. In addition, the first time for King Diamond and HELLYEAH will be awesome, as well as The Devil Wears Prada’s first time on the Main Stage. The Victory Stage has amazing bands and will play throughout the day. Heavy music is thriving in America and we are excited to be a part of it,” state John Reese and Kevin Lyman, ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL producers.

Read the RollingStone.com Exclusive Line-Up Announcement with a Special Video from Headliners Slayer Here

Tickets for the ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL go on sale beginning April 17^th at 10:00am local time. Please note – Houston, TX tickets go on sale on April 24th at 10:00am local time. General Admission Festival and Lawn Tickets are only $19.99 including all fees for the first 72 hours of onsale (while supplies last).

The festival will kick off on June 26th at Sleep Train Amphitheater in San Diego, CA and ends at Gexa Energy Amphitheater in Dallas, TX on August 2nd. See below for all confirmed tour dates.

2015 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL:

6/26 – San Diego, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater
6/27 – San Bernardino, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheater
6/28 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
6/30 – Auburn, WA (Seattle) @ White River Amphitheater
7/1 – Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheater
7/3 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Amphitheater
7/4 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
7/5 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks
7/7 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Harrah’s Council Bluffs
7/8 – Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
7/10 – Noblesville, IN (Indianapolis) @ Kilpsch Amphitheater
7/11 – Clarkston, MI (Detroit) @ DTE Energy Amphitheate
7/12 – Tinley Park, IL (Chicago) @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
7/15 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
7/17 – Camden, NJ (Philadelphia) @ Susquehanna Bank Arts Center
7/18 – Burgettstown, PA (Pittsburgh) @ First Niagara Pavilion
7/19 – Hartford, CT @ Xfinity Theatre
7/21 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
7/22 – Gilford, NH @ Meadowbrook (Bank of NH Pavilion)
7/24 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
7/25 – Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center
7/26 – Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach
7/29 – Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood
7/31 – San Antonio, TX @ Whitewater Amphitheater
8/1 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
8/2 – Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Amphitheater

* Lineups in each city may vary. Go to www.rockstarmayhemfest.com for full lineup details.

Canadian progressive metal band AURAS has signed a deal with Entertainment One Music / Good Fight Music

Apr 13, 2015

Canadian progressive metal band AURAS has signed a deal with Entertainment One Music / Good Fight Music with plans to release Crestfallen, an all new EP on May 5th, 2015. “We are proud to announce that we have signed with Good Fight/eOne Music! We are super excited and look forward to working with such amazing teams!,” says guitarist Josh Ligaya.

The new EP will be the band’s followup to Panacea, which was released in 2013 and is available for streaming on their official Bandcamp. A standalone single title “Adverse Condition” released just a few months later is also available.

The band recently announced a new batch of tour dates supporting CHON and new label-mate headliners THE CONTORTIONIST. View all tour dates here.

Hailing from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, AURAS is comprised of four friends bound by groove, and centered by a constant pulse. Specializing in adrenaline-clenching polymetric melodies and breakdowns heavier than your average cement truck.

Stephen Hawking Sings Monty Python’s Galaxy Song for Record Store Day

Apr 13, 2015

Here is the video for Monty Python’s new single, “Stephen Hawking Sings Monty Python… Galaxy Song” which is available as a digital download from April 1, and on limited edition 7” vinyl on Record Store Day 2015.

The song, which is the title track to “Monty Python – The Meaning of Live”, was originally written for the 1983 film, “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life”. It has been re-recorded with the lyrics sung by Professor Stephen Hawking.

Written by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, the song is an intricate and informative lecture on the enormity of the Universe fashioned into a bewitching and, above all, highly amusing pop song.

“Galaxy Song” was previously included on the 1989 album “Monty Python Sings”, and included in the 2014 reissue of the album, “Monty Python Sings (again)”, in its original form – sung by Eric Idle – to coincide with Monty Python’s record breaking “Monty Python Live (mostly) – One Down Five to Go” run of 10 live shows at The O2, London. On film during the live shows, Professor Brian Cox berated the scientific inaccuracy of the “Galaxy Song » lyrics before Professor Stephen Hawking knocked him to the ground. Hawking then began reciting the “Galaxy Song” lyrics as he lifted off to journey through outer space. It is this unique rendition of “Galaxy Song” which is now available as a single.

Boy George reality docu-series in development. ‘Why now? Why not? Why me? Who else?’

Apr 13, 2015

Boy George and Bunim/Murray Productions (BMP), producers of longstanding reality franchises Real World, Project Runway and Keeping Up with the Kardashians, are partnering with Boy George’s Manager Paul Kemsley and award-winning producer Cindy Cowan to develop a reality docu-series chronicling the icon’s move from London to Los Angeles.

‘If Marge Simpson met Dolly Parton and went dancing with Ziggy Stardust, it wouldn’t come close to what you’ll see. Why now? Why not? Why me? Who else?’ said Boy George.

Universally recognized as one of the music scenes most iconic artists, Boy George has maintained a worldwide presence for the past 30 years, having sold over 100 million singles and more than 50 million albums as a performer and songwriter with 80’s super group Culture Club and as a solo artist in his own right. He is one of the world’s most successful and in-demand international DJs touring extensively across the globe. The docu-series will capture his new life in America, including dating, house hunting, embarking on Culture Club’s North American tour, managing Brando, his pop group, launching a vegan food line and juggling visiting family members. The intent is to begin shooting this summer when Boy George arrives in LA.

‘Boy George is a musical and cultural icon, and it’s about time someone captured his story,’ said Gil Goldschein, Chairman and CEO of BMP. ‘We are experts in producing celeb-reality docu-series, and we couldn’t be more excited with the opportunity to tell this story with the right broadcast partner.’

‘This series will give viewers unprecedented access to his life as he launches his first tour in years and lets the cameras capture this next chapter of his life and career,’ added Jeff Jenkins, EVP of Development and Programming at BMP, who will oversee production of the series.

‘I’m excited for George to partner with Bunim/Murray. They are the best at what they do and he’s the best at what he does. A cultural icon embracing the world we live in and opening the doors to his life as he moves to the States will capture the nation’s heart,’ said Paul Kemsley.

‘I could not be more excited to partner with a great group like Bunim/Murray and to let the world get a glimpse inside the man behind the icon. Get ready, you are in for a ride!’ said Cindy Cowan.

Boy George’s Manager Paul Kemsley, and Cindy Cowan, producer of such films as Very Bad Things, Savior and Red Lights, brought the project to Bunim/Murray Productions. Boy George, Paul Kemsley, Cindy Cowan and Bunim/Murray’s Gil Goldschein and Jeff Jenkins will serve as Executive Producers.

“I Am What I Play” Doc On Radio DJs Gets A Canadian Music Week Premiere

Apr 13, 2015

From the 1960s to the 1980s, the rock radio DJ played an unprecedented creative role in the rock music world. I Am What I Play profiles four DJs in major markets during this period: their programming, their politics, and their deep connections with musicians and fans in the heyday of rock radio. Where are they now — and how did they reinvent themselves as the medium changed?

I Am What I Play combines material shot on location in the 4 cities (Seattle, Boston, New York and Toronto) with rarely seen archival footage of the disc jockeys, the radio stations and well-known rock performers, all complemented by a soundtrack that features many great rock songs of the era.

For more on the film, follow their blog here, and you can get tickets for May 8th screening during Canadian Music Week here.

The Stars

Meg Griffin is a rock radio legend, having spent almost 40 years on New York airwaves. Her early stint at WRNW lead to a lifelong friendship with colleague Howard Stern. Later, at the incomparable WNEW, she played a major role in championing the punk and new wave scene of the late 70s and early 80s, introducing listeners to the music of Patti Smith, The Ramones, Talking Heads and many others. Griffin has been honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and continues her groundbreaking free-form radio work on three different Sirius XM satellite radio channels.

David Marsden first ruled the Toronto airwaves as David Mickie, a motor-mouthed DJ who hosted two television shows and was featured in Marshall McLuhan’s book “Understanding Media”. Later he would carve out his own identity on powerhouse CHUM-FM in the early 1970s and then as program director of one of North America’s first alternative rock stations, CFNY, known as “The Spirit of Radio.” He is the subject of an exhibit at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and was recently given a lifetime achievement award by the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame.

Charles Laquidara was the morning man for pioneering free form station WBCN in Boston for over 25 years and was among the highest paid radio personalities in the U.S. He was one of the first morning show hosts to have a staff of writers and a cast of comic characters but was also known for using his show “The Big Mattress” to take on major issues like the Vietnam War and Apartheid in South Africa. Laquidara was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2009.

Pat O’Day was a DJ and Program Director at legendary Seattle station KJR for the better part of 15 years. His dance and concert promotion business eventually became Concerts West which at its peak represented big names such as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles and Elvis Presley. O’Day is credited with putting the Seattle music scene on the map and is a part of a permanent exhibit at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

Porcupine Tree’s Gavin Harrison Launches Video Via Yahoo Music

Apr 12, 2015

Porcupine Tree drummer, Gavin Harrison, widely acknowledged as one of the finest drummers on the planet, has teamed up with Yahoo! Music to launch a music video for “Hatesong/Halo,” taken from his upcoming solo album, Cheating the Polygraph. Stream the new music video exclusively here.

Harrison told Yahoo! Music: “Music is about listening and opening your mind. Feel the world around you. Don’t get distracted by letting your eyes focus on unrelated things. Let the music create the images in your mind.”

Cheating the Polygraph, an ambitious project which sees the restlessly creative Harrison reimagine eight Porcupine Tree songs in a set of vivid and vibrant new arrangements that give full, free rein to his inquiring musical mind, will release on April 13 via Kscope (April 14 in the USA/Canada, April 17 in Germany, April 22 in Japan).

The tracks which comprise the album were recorded over a five-year period, with Harrison working in conjunction with a crew of some of the finest contemporary musicians, including the gifted saxophonist Nigel Hitchcock along with bassist Laurence Cottle. It’s a set that will no doubt excite much controversy; Harrison’s use of the ‘Big Band’ musical sound stage isn’t some ersatz attempt to make a ‘Swing’ album; it’s closer in execution and arrangement to the innovative works of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention – a layered, richly-textured selection that is both beautifully-recorded and incisively delivered.

“I think every album needs a focus – a master plan – and whilst I thought about writing new tunes for a big band project, I made a version of Porcupine Tree’s ‘Futile’ (with Laurence Cottle) and it came out really well,” commented Harrison. “It felt like a good plan to follow on with some of my personal favorite PT songs and see if we could make them work. I had a vision that the arrangements would never lean towards a clichéd classic big band sound, but always follow a modern contemporary angle. So even if you didn’t know the original tune, you could still enjoy it as a modern composition that would work with this instrumentation. I couldn’t be happier with the results. Laurence Cottle’s immense talent as a musician and arranger was mind blowing.”

No respecter of arbitrary musical pigeonholing, Harrison doesn’t so much ignore genre confines as smash right through them – Harrison states in his thoughtful liner notes: “It’s very important to me to push the boundaries of music whilst respecting what came before. In the arrangements of these pieces we really get ‘out there’ with some of the harmonies and rhythms, and we vastly extended the edges of the original compositions.”

Gavin Harrison – Cheating the Polygraph (Q&A with Gavin and Laurence Cottle) from Kscope on Vimeo.

A collection of cool advertisements of Pepsi Cola in the 1950s

Apr 12, 2015

Kiss Your Favorite Beatle – 16 Magazine from 1965

Apr 12, 2015

Retro Cassette Ads

Apr 12, 2015

Vinyl might be back in a big way, but let’s stop there, ok? No revival of cassettes needed, asked for, or required.

The Beatles’ Vintage Ads

Apr 12, 2015

Even the smallest of The Beatles’ fan can see the sublime progress from the barren ads of the group’s early beginnings, to the downright psychedelic themes as seen in this sequence.