American Idiot

GREEN DAY’S FRONTMAN AND COMPOSER/CO-AUTHOR OF THE HIT MUSICAL BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG TO MAKE HIS BROADWAY DEBUT AS “ST. JIMMY” IN AMERICAN IDIOT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2010

(New York, NY)  The producers of the critically acclaimed AMERICAN IDIOT announced today that Green Day frontman and the musical’s composer/ co-author Billie Joe Armstrong will make his Broadway debut as “St. Jimmy” Tuesday, September 28 through Sunday, October 3, 2010 at the St. James Theatre, 246 West 44 Street.  Immediately following this engagement, Mr. Armstrong will join Green Day in Caracas, Venezuela on October 8, 2010 to kick off their South American Tour.  Original Broadway cast member and current “St. Jimmy,” Tony Vincent, will resume performances on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 following a leave of absence due to a personal family matter.   Vincent’s understudies, Joshua Kobak and Andrew Call, will cover the role from Tuesday, October 5 – Sunday, October 10, 2010.

The smash-hit, Tony Award-winning musical AMERICAN IDIOT tells the story of three lifelong friends, forced to choose between their dreams and the safety of suburbia. Their quest for true meaning in a post 9-11 world leads them on an exhilarating journey.  The result, according to the Toronto Star, is “The first great musical of the 21st century!”

Based on Green Day’s groundbreaking rock opera American Idiot, Billie Joe Armstrong and the band collaborate with one of the theatre's most acclaimed creative teams, led by the Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer, Pulitzer Prize and two-time Tony Award-winning composer and orchestrator Tom Kitt, and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Steven Hoggett, to bring this explosive, iconic album to the stage.

Tony Award winner John Gallagher Jr. (Spring Awakening) currently stars in AMERICAN IDIOT alongside Tony Award Nominee Stark Sands (Journey’s End), Michael Esper (A Man For All Seasons), Rebecca Naomi Jones (Passing Strange), Christina Sajous (The Wild Party), Mary Faber (Avenue Q) and Tony Vincent (Jesus Christ Superstar).  The cast also features Declan Bennett, Andrew Call, Gerard Canonico, Miguel Cervantes, Sydney Harcourt, Van Hughes, Brian Charles Johnson, Joshua Kobak, Lorin Latarro, Omar Lopez-Cepero, Leslie McDonel, Chase Peacock, Corbin Reid, Wallace Smith, Theo Stockman, Ben Thompson, Alysha Umphress, Aspen Vincent and Libby Winters.

The show features Tony Award winning scenic design by Christine Jones (Spring Awakening), costume design by Baryshnikov fellow Andrea Lauer (The Butcher of Baraboo), Tony Award winning lighting design by Kevin Adams (Hair), Sound design by Olivier and Obie Award-winner Brian Ronan (Cabaret), as well as video design by Darrel Maloney.  The Music Director is Carmel Dean and Lorin Latarro is the Associate Choreographer.

Reprise Records released The Original Broadway Cast Recording of AMERICAN IDIOT on April 20, 2010, the same day as the show opened.  The official album features the 24-member cast accompanied by Green Day, marking another incredible collaboration between the band and the musical. 

The playing schedule for AMERICAN IDIOT is Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday 8pm, Thursday at 8pm, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm and Sunday at 3pm and 7:30pm. Tickets range from $127.00 - $49.00 and can be purchased at The St. James Box Office or via telecharge.com (212-239-6200).      www.AmericanIdiotonBroadway.com.

Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Murderdolls, Trick or Treat?

Photo Credit: Miss Shela

Get ready for the Halloween Hootenanny Tour to come crashing through a town near you. Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper; the gruesome twosome will be back together again, doing what they do best this Halloween season. Special guests Murderdolls will be part of the mischief and mayhem. Joey Jordison will be pulling double duty and playing drums for Zombie and then playing guitar for his band Murderdolls. The tour kicks off in Los Angeles at the Gibson Ampitheatre on Thursday, September 30th. This diabolical line-up will be playing a total of 13 dates. That's right lucky number 13... 

In other Zombie news, a devilish interactive experience is soon to be unveiled as Rob Zombie joins forces with Universal Studios Hollywood to create a new 3D maze. “Rob Zombie’s House Of 1000 Corpses: In 3D ZombieVision.” As part of the Halloween Horror Nights event, fans will experience the nightmarish world of carnage and chaos based on cult hit film “House Of 1000 Corpses.” Also this past Friday Hellbilly Deluxe 2 was released which features three brand new songs and a DVD with new live videos and a 2010 tour documentary.

In Alice Cooper's world a new album is in the works. A sequel 30 years in the making that has awoken from the dark depths of Cooper's psyche; Welcome 2 My Nightmare.

Murderdolls have also been up to no good recently, releasing their second album Women and Children Last. After an 8 year break they had plenty of time to come up with a super controversial album title. Setting the title aside, this album rocks and the Murderdolls will be the blood-red icing on this infernal layer cake of music.

The tour will be a carnival for the senses, featuring elaborate multimedia stage shows that cater to the lusty and horrific experience that these artists bring to the stage. Get ready to be rocked into a dark theatrical nightmare as you experience the illusive visions of Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper. Down becomes up and up becomes sideways and you get the feeling that there may be as many tricks as there are treats on the Halloween Hootenanny tour. The closest date to Detroit will be in the Chicago area.

For more info on Rob Zombie visit http://robzombie.com
For more info on Alice Cooper visit http://www.alicecooper.com
For more info on Murderdolls visit http://www.murderdollsband.com

Rob Zombie & Alice Cooper - 10/8, 7pm - 101 S. Madison St. - Bloomington, IL -  309-434-2679 -http://www.uscellularcoliseum.com - $39.50 - For tickets click here

All Tour Dates:

SEPTEMBER
30 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre

OCTOBER
1 San Diego, CA Harrah’s Rincon
2 Tucson, AZ Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater
4 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
6 Kansas City, MO Independence Event Center
7 St. Charles, MO The Family Arena
8 Bloomington, IL U.S. Cellular Coliseum
12 Binghamton, NY Broome County Arena
14 Portland, ME Cumberland County Civic Center
15 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
16 Worcester, MA DCU Center
19 Roanoke, VA Roanoke Performing Arts Theater
20 Nashville, TN Nashville Municipal Auditorium

Alice In Chains, Deftones, and Mastodon Live Review

Photo Credit: Miss Shela

With the perfect trifecta of Alice In Chains, Deftones, and Mastodon the 'BlackDiamondSkye' Tour swept through DTE Energy Music Theatre this past Friday. It was a sublime end to a whirlwind summer of outdoor concerts.

Mastodon opened up the evening as the crowd wandered in from the parking lot. They are a progressive metal band that formed in 99' from Atlanta, Georgia. Over the years they've inflitrated new elements of experimentation into their music. They continue to bring in different layers or rock and psychedelic sound while still keeping in the progressive metal genre. They are ever-evolving and consistently fine-tuning their craft. This is the second time seeing them this year and once again they've come on stage with all hands on deck to get the crowd rockin.' 

Turning up the crescendo on the evening, theDeftones came on stage crackling with energy to the roar of the crowd. With their newest releaseDiamond Eyes they continue to build their ever-growing fanbase. This is a band of five life-long friends who came onto the scene in 1988. To this day they have a sound that defies being categorized as it morphs and bends to the Deftones whims, whether it's soul, punk, rock, or metal, they do it all. They opened up their set with the title-track "Diamond Eyes," off of the new album and played a total of thirteen songs that were a mix of old and new.

The peak of the night were the headliners Alice In Chains. For a lot of bands, finding acceptance for a new lead singer after the loss of one much loved is always a trying task. William DuVall has gracefully and humbly taken the reigns as frontman now since 2006. He has amazing charisma that sparkles with a tangible energy on stage. He's brought alive once again a band with incendiary talent. You can never fully replace someone, but you can honor their memory by recreating what they have done and making it your own at the same time. The evening came alive with lights in tones of swirling reds, blues, greens, and yellows, the music blaring in our ears, and a venue full of fans. The climax of the night came at us with the full force of a musical epiphany. The chemistry on stage of DuVall, Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez, and Sean Kinney just clicks. They opened up with "Them Bones," which is off of Alice In Chains second album Dirt from 1992. They also played the classic hits "No Excuses" and "Rooster," along with performing a number of songs from the new albumBlack Gives Way to Blue and closing with "Would." Yet another amazing night of music spent at DTE.

Full Set Lists:

Mastodon                
For more info on Mastodon visithttp://www.mastodonrocks.com

1. Naked Burn
2. Divinations
3. Crystal Skull
4. Colony
5. Capillarian
6. The Czar
7. Megalodon
8. Blood n Thunder

Deftones                  
For more info on Deftones visithttp://www.deftones.com

1. Diamond Eyes
2. Rocket Skates
3. Around The Fur
4. Drive
5. My Own Summer
6. Prince
7. You've Seen The Butcher
8. Sextape
9. Passenger
10. Change
11. Nosebleed
12. Engine No. 9
13. Swords

Alice In Chains          
For more info on Alice In Chains visithttp://aliceinchains.com

1. Them Bones
2. Dam That River
3. Rain When I Die
4. Again
5. Check My Brain
6. Your Decision
7. No Excuses
8. Grind
9. A Looking In View
10. We Die Young
11. Lesson Learned
12. It Ain't Like That
13. Rooster

*Encore
14. Rotten Apple
15. Man In The Box
16. Would

Oh My God at the Savoy on 9/23

Oh My God is an indie rock band from Chicago. They were formed in 1999 by Billy O' Neill and Ig (who's played on stage with Van Morrison, Buddy Guy, Jeff Healey and Otis Rush). This is a band that has had quite the tumultuous roller coaster ride of life throughout their career. Just weeks after O'Neill met organist Ig and moved all their equipment into the rehearsal space, a few practices later the building burned down. Not only did they lose all of their gear but they were also sued by the building manager who alluded to the fact that their carelessness had caused the fire. After 10 years of intermittent legal action the band was finally exonerated. This was only the beginning of the trail of bad luck, it almost makes you wonder if someone broke a mirror or two or maybe a few too many black cats crossed their path?

In 2004 the band's van was broken into and most of their equipment was stolen. Shortly thereafter a rear-end collision forced them to do their entire tour without the use of the now crushed back doors. In 2007 they were in a devastating automobile accident. An Ohio woman drunk at noon swerved into the wrong lane causing a head on collision at 55 m.p.h. The woman was killed and Oh My God had to be airlifted and then needed six months of recovery time for badly broken legs and hands. During their recuperation O'Neill and Ig focused on their songwriting and found inspiration in the music that they were creating. At the same time Billy and his wife moved steadily toward divorce and Ig’s wife was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Despite all the intense bumps in the road of life that this band has hit, the music that they create has been a driving force to lift them up and give them the determination to carry on. They have released seven albums and an EP with the most recent release being The Night Undoes The Work of the Day.

The current band line up includes Billy O'Neill on lead vocals and bass, Ig on organ and vocals, Zach Verdoon on guitar, bass, and vocals, and Danny Yost on the drums. This band has a shining talent and a fantastic musical aptitude that has garnered them comparisons from Quasi to Queen. They will be playing the Savoy in Ypsilanti this Thursday on 9/23.

For more information on Oh My God visit http://www.ohmygodmusic.com

Oh My God - 9/23, 8pm - The Savoy - 23 N. Washington - Ypsilanti, MI - (734) 485-4444 -http://www.savoyypsi.com/ - $7 

Justin Townes Earle "Harlem River Blues"

Photo Credit: Joshua Black

Justin Townes Earle has that sweet Nashville charm and a southern blues sound that sparkles and pops when you listen to his music.

Listen to Justin Townes Earle's new single "Harlem River Blues": Click here

For more info on Justin Townes Earle visit http://www.justintownesearle.com/

Shinedown Upcoming Acoustic Tour

Press Release:

SHINEDOWN BRING THEIR FANS ANYTHING & EVERYTHING;

PLATINUM ROCK BAND EMBARK ON THEIR FIRST-EVER ACOUSTIC TOUR; STRIPPED DOWN SHOWS WILL INCLUDE BAND COMMENTARY AND QUESTIONS FROM FANS;

TICKETS GO ON SALE THIS WEEK FOR

“ANYTHING & EVERYTHING -  AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH SHINEDOWN”

Atlantic recording group Shinedown has announced details of their upcoming acoustic tour.  “Anything & Everything – An Acoustic Evening with Shinedown” kicks off on November 4^th at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Florida, and continues through a tour finale on December 9^th at the House of Blues in New Orleans, LA.  

 Tickets for “Anything & Everything” go on sale to the public on Saturday, September 18.  Pre-sale tickets along with a variety of VIP packages will be available exclusively to members of the band’s official fan club, Shinedown Nation, on Wednesday, September 15; pre-sale tickets and the VIP packages become available to the general public beginning Thursday, September 16.  VIP packages for the tour include perks ranging from exclusive meet & greets and premium seating to the once-in-a-lifetime experience of sitting on the side of the stage while the band performs.  For further details about ticket on-sale, pre-sale, tour packages and more, please visit www.shinedown.com.

“Anything & Everything” marks the first acoustic tour for Shinedown and promises to be an intimate evening of music as well as insight into the songs themselves.  Beyond performing stripped down versions of their chart topping hits and fan favorites, the band plans on speaking candidly with the audience about the stories behind the songs and where they came from, even fielding some questions from the audience themselves.

Frontman Brent Smith:  “We’ve always tried to exceed our fans’ expectations with our live shows, giving 110% each and every night.  We’ve been asked when we’d do an acoustic tour for awhile so we decided to take it a step further.   We felt these types of shows were the perfect setting to really have a heart-to-heart with them – a place where they could ask us anything and we would tell them everything.  We can’t wait.”

Platinum recording group Shinedown has established themselves as one of the most successful rock bands of the decade with their staggering run of 12 consecutive Top 5 hit singles. The Jacksonville, Florida based band exploded onto the rock music scene with their 2003 Platinum debut, Leave A Whisper, and 2005 Gold follow-up, Us & Them.  Their latest album, The Sound Of Madness, debuted at #8 upon its 2008 release and has since gone platinum, selling well over a million copies in the U.S. alone.  "The Crow & The Butterfly" is the album's fifth single, following an unbelievable streak of #1 rock hits including the cross-over smash "Second Chance.”  The band recently wrapped up the inaugural Carnival Of Madness tour, headlining a stellar lineup of today’s biggest rock acts including Chevelle, Puddle Of Mudd, Sevendust, and 10 Years. 

SHINEDOWN is: Brent Smith (vocals), Barry Kerch (drums), Zach Myers (guitar), and Eric Bass (bass).

For up-to-the-minute news and information, please visit www.shinedown.com .

(TOUR ITINERARY ATTACHED)

SHINEDOWN – ON TOUR 2010

ANYTHING & EVERYTHING

An Acoustic Evening with Shinedown

NOVEMBER

4          Tampa, FL                             David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts

5             Charleston, SC                       Charleston Music Hall

6          Chattanooga, TN                   Tivoli Theatre            

8          Richmond, VA                       The National

9          Charlotte, NC                        The Fillmore Charlotte

10        Washington, DC                    Warner Theatre

12           Hampton Beach, NH            Casino Ballroom

13        Northampton, MA                Calvin Theatre & Performing Arts Center

15        Albany, NY                            The Egg

16        Scranton, PA                          Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Theatre       

18           Westbury, NY                       Theatre at Westbury

19        Montclair, NJ                         Wellmont Theatre

20        Atlantic City, NJ                    Showboat Hotel & Casino - House of Blues

22        Wilmington, DE                    Grand Opera House

23        Youngstown, OH                  Powers Auditorium

24        Saginaw, MI                          Heritage Theatre

26           Davenport, IA                        Adler Theatre

27        Minneapolis MN                  State Theater

29        Indianapolis, IN                     Murat Theatre

30        Milwaukee, WI                      The Riverside Theater

DECEMBER

2          Saint Louis, MO                    The Pageant

4          Springfield, MO                    Gillioz Theatre

6          Tulsa, OK                               Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino

9          New Orleans, LA                   House of Blues

Rapper Snoop Dogg Touches Down on Fourth 7-Eleven®

Rapper Snoop Dogg Touches Down on Fourth 7-Eleven® ‘Coffee Cup With A Cause’ Benefiting Inner-City Football League

 Snoop Youth Football League to Score Proceeds of Next ‘Cup With a Cause’

DETROIT (Sept. 2, 2010) – 7-Eleven, Inc. has scored Snoop Dogg, a global superstar, as the fourth designer in their charitable “Coffee Cup With A Cause” program. Proceeds from Snoop’s cup will benefit the Snoop Youth Football League (SYFL), a Los Angeles-based football club founded by the entertainer himself 6 years ago to help inner-city kids spend their free time in a healthy, safe environment.  

Detroit area Snoop fans who want to support the SYFL can head into any participating

7-Eleven store to purchase his signature cup, on sale from Sept. 1 through Oct. 18 or while supplies last. 7-Eleven guarantees a $250,000 minimum donation to SYFL, but the support could increase depending on the number of cups sold.  Consumers can increase the contribution by purchasing the cup.

To celebrate 7-Eleven’s donation and the launch of his cup, Snoop will make a special announcement at the beginning of his SYFL team’s practice. The kids of the SYFL program – the true beneficiaries of the donation – will learn firsthand about the program and associated donation, as well as get to be one of the first to get their hands on one of the Snoop-designed     7-Eleven cups.

 “We’ve been running this league for 6 years now with more than 3,500 kids participating in that time, but our partnership with 7-Eleven’s ‘Coffee Cup with A Cause’ program is huge for us,” Snoop said. “It means many good things are in store for the players, and the league can reach out to more kids and touch more lives.”

Snoop has recently seen the seeds of his namesake league come to fruition as four of the former players have gone on to play football at NCAA Division1 colleges.

“The Snoop Youth Football League serves an important role in the community by helping kids focus their energy on something positive,” says Rita Bargerhuff, 7-Eleven’s vice president and chief marketing officer. “We believe our customers will want to help make a difference in the lives of these youth by supporting Snoop’s football league through his ‘Cup With A Cause.’”

 “I’m just so proud of my league and my players right now, and designing a ‘Cup With A Cause’ is really an exciting opportunity for us,” Snoop added. The entertainer plans to expand his youth football program to other cities across the country, beginning in Chicago this fall.

During 2010, other entertainment and sports celebrities designed cups sold exclusively at participating 7-Eleven stores in the U.S. Cups can be filled with any 7-Eleven hot beverage and customized with an assortment of creams, syrups and spices at no extra charge. Snoop’s cup follows Nicole Richie and Benji and Joel Madden’s Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation, Jennifer Hudson’s Boys and Girls Clubs of America and John Cena’s Make-A-Wish Foundation limited-edition cups.

The Snoop Dogg themed SYFL custom cups are available while supplies last at 7-Eleven’s franchised and company-operated stores nationwide. For more information about this program, please visit: www.cupwithacause.com, www.facebook.com/7Eleven andwww.twitter.com/7Eleven. 

Uproar Festival Review

Uproar Festival Review 

This summer I've been to so many amazing concerts, but I've found myself traveling great distances because some of the best tours are not coming to Detroit. Two in particular were Ozzfest and Uproar. I don't get it, Detroit loves rock and metal! The Mayhem festival sold out here and that's the same genre as these other ones. Why are we being skipped and why do I have to keep putting so many miles on my car?!

The drive to Columbus, Ohio for the Uproar Tour was worth it based on Avenged Sevenfold alone. The fact that so many other great bands played too was an added bonus. The line-up for the festival included; New Medicine, Hail The Villain, and Airbourne who played the second stage or rather the first venue of the day; the LC Pavilion. This festival ended up being in two separate venues due to ticket sales being higher then expected. The Nationwide Arena was a hop skip and a jump from the LC Pavillion and a where the heck are my tickets that are supposed to be at will call? They were not at the first venue when we arrived, which would of been the logical place for them to be.They were at the Nationwide Arena, after running back and forth in the heat and getting into the venues I was able to enjoy an amazing day of music. In the Nationwide Arena on the Main Stage the bands that played lit the arena on fire. Halestorm, Stone Sour, Avenged Sevenfold (they literally had flames reaching towards the sky with their amazing pyrotechnics), and Disturbed. 

My favorite performances at the first venue were Hail The Villain and Airbourne. Hail The Villain is an up and coming alternative metal band from Canada. You may have heard their song "Take Back The Fear," played on the radio. These boys are full of energy and put on a great live show. Airbourne are those wild Aussie rockers and their singer has a penchant for climbing things. During the show he succumbed to this pastime by climbing a wall next to the stage. He then walked balance beam style on a ledge before finally climbing down and running around some more.

For the Main Stage my favorites were Stone Sour and Avenged Sevenfold, both of these bands absolutely blew me away. Disturbed was great, but you'll have to excuse my disposition due to the fact that Avenged Sevenfold is my favorite band and I think they stole the show. (They did, it's true!) Corey Taylor of Stone Sour had his heart and energy at all systems go and blazed the stage with rock god status. He also let everyone know that their new album Audio Secrecy will be coming out on September 7th.

When it came time for Avenged to come onstage, I got chills. This is my eighth time seeing them and my first without 'The Rev'. There was a sadness in the air and you could catch glimpses of it in their eyes. Their performance and the fact that they are moving forward as a band is done out of love and respect for Jimmy. Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater humbly plays the drums on this tour, he was one of 'The Rev's' all time favorite drummers.

Their stage setup was the biggest I've seen yet. Towering gates and brick pillars were set up as the entrance to a dark and gothic graveyard. The beginning of their set entered with full force dramatics. As we looked up above in the rafters there was a man standing there with a rope... He glances downward. Slowly and methodically he winds the rope around his neck. As the opening chords of "Nightmare" are struck, he jumps. (Don't worry this was all staged). This began our wild dark ride through Avenged Sevenfold's performance. They played a lot of songs off of Nightmare and their self-titled album Avenged Sevenfold. They also played "Beast and the Harlot" from City of Evil. The blood, sweat, tears, and dedication that these boys brought to life was felt by all and crushed the arena. The blazing pyrotechnics got our hearts pounding along with their 'Synyster' brand of metal. After their set I was energized and in awe of how this band has come so far and never fails to put on an amazing show.  

RIP Rev we miss you!

For more info on the Uproar Tour visit http://www.rockstaruproar.com/