SUNSET STRIP MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL ARTISTS FOR 2013 INCLUDING AWOLNATION, WALE, BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB, LOGIC, SLICK RICK/DOUG E. FRESH, ASHER ROTH, FINCH AND STREET DRUM CORPS

The lineup for this year's SUNSET STRIP MUSIC FESTIVAL (SSMF) street fest taking place in West Hollywood on August 3, has taken shape with today's announcement of AWOLNATION, WALE, BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB, LOGIC, SLICK RICK/DOUG E. FRESH, ASHER ROTH, FINCH and STREET DRUM CORPS confirmed to perform outdoors at the annual street festival.

Joining the previously announced Saturday main stage headliners LINKIN PARK, the eclectic variety of artists cover the spectrum of rock, pop, rap and punk.

"Each year SSMF celebrates the Los Angeles music scene with one-of-a-kind performances on The Sunset Strip. From Fergie performing with Slash in 2010 to Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger taking the stage with Marilyn Manson in 2012, SSMF creates unique moments you won't find anywhere else," noted SSMF co-producer and Roxy owner Nic Adler. "This year's street festival features bands Linkin Park, Awolnation, Asher Roth and Street Drum Corps, whose careers began performing in Sunset Strip venues. We look forward to welcoming these artists back as they perform in front of thousands of fans on the music boulevard's largest stage."

In addition to the two outdoor stages on The Sunset Strip, venues inside the street festival closure – including The Roxy, Whisky A Go-Go and a special outdoor Viper Room stage -- will feature full lineups throughout the day and into the night, including performances by WARREN G and BIZARRE RIDE featuring FATLIP & SLIMKID3 at The Roxy and ORGY at the Whisky. Artists performing in the venues include:

Warren G
Bizarre Ride featuring Fatlip & SlimKid3
Orgy
Egyptian Lover
Hunter Valentine
Julien-K
Andy Clockwise
Smile Empty Soul
Terraplane Sun
Stolen Babies
UpRooted
The Active Set
Sabrosa Purr
The Dreaming
Sad Robot
The Last Internationale
Battle Tapes
The Diamond Light
7Lions

(More to be announced.)

The sixth annual festival, which takes place in The Sunset Strip's music venues August 1-3, culminates on Saturday, August 3 with a 3-11 PM street festival. As in years past for the Saturday event, Sunset Boulevard will be closed to traffic between Doheny Drive and San Vicente Boulevard and transformed into a premier concert destination with two outdoor stages, beer gardens, an artist autograph tent, an outdoor VIP rooftop lounge, silent disco, VIP Lounge at On The Rox, food trucks and interactive experiences.

Saturday's show will be headlined by LINKIN PARK, and it will be their only North American performance for the remainder of 2013. This also marks the band's first performance in Los Angeles since May 2012, when they performed an intimate benefit show at the House of Blues Sunset Strip. The Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum California rock band and SSMF are partnering to create a unique festival experience that will let attendees "rock for a cause" with a significant portion of ticket sales to benefit Music For Relief, the nonprofit organization LINKIN PARK founded to support disaster relief, provide aid to survivors of natural disasters and support the prevention of such disasters via environmental programs.

Tickets for the SSMF 2013 street festival are on sale now via the official ticketing provider, Eventbrite, at http://sunsetstrip.eventbrite.com. Ticket options include general admission August 3 street festival ticket for $79 and a VIP option for $145, which includes access to the rooftop VIP area with views of the West stage, VIP areas in the beer garden and venues, access to VIP lounge On The Rox, a separate entrance and additional perks. As previously announced, a significant portion of this year's ticket sales will benefit Music For Relief, a nonprofit organization to support disaster relief, provide aid to survivors of natural disasters and support the prevention of such disasters via environmental programs.

Previous SSMF performers have included Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Offspring, Marilyn Manson, Steve Aoki, Slash featuring Fergie, Public Enemy, Bad Religion, Common, Bush, LMFAO, Kid Cudi, Neon Trees, Matt & Kim, Cobra Starship, Shiny Toy Guns, The Head Cat, Andy Grammer, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors, She Wants Revenge and Imagine Dragons, among others. Highlights from the past five years, including the SSMF 2012 street festival--which drew 15,000 music fans from Southern California and beyond--can be seen here: http://bit.ly/SSMFvideo13.

SSMF thanks its supporters including Jack Daniel's, Gibson Guitar, Hornburg Land Rover/Jaguar, Bud Light. Monster Energy, 98.7 fm, KTLA, Eventbrite, City of West Hollywood, Visit West Hollywood, Guitar World magazine and Revolver magazine.

For the latest SUNSET STRIP MUSIC FESTIVAL news, visit www.sunsetstripmusicfestival.com, likewww.facebook.com/sunsetstripmusicfestival and follow Twitter.com/SSMF.

www.sunsetstripmusicfestival.com
www.facebook.com/sunsetstripmusicfestival
www.twitter.com/SSMF

Bob Zerull

Managing Editor/Contributor for Zoiks! Online

Owner of ZPNetwork - A Podcasting Network

www.twitter.com/bzerull

www.zoiksonline.com

www.zpnetwork.com

www.onwhatgroundspodcast.com

 

READ MORE - SUNSET STRIP MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL ARTISTS FOR 2013 INCLUDING AWOLNATION, WALE, BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB, LOGIC, SLICK RICK/DOUG E. FRESH, ASHER ROTH, FINCH AND STREET DRUM CORPS

TEDO STONE TO RELEASE DEBUT STUDIO ALBUM GOOD GO BAD JULY 9TH

"Stone's swaggering self-assurance shines through as he guides his band through one blissfully exuberant melody after another, throwing off hints of T. Rex and the Strokes in the process." - LATEST DISGRACE

"Georgia's Tedo Stone and band traffic in a brand of '70s-esque, swaggering, peach fuzzy guitar rock, drawing influence from T. Rex most notably. A sound bound to interest Strokes Fans, as well as anyone who appreciates melodic rock." - POPMATTERS

"Hearkens back to the Stones circa Out of Our Heads. A variation of the skinny white-boy insouciance popularized by Mick Jagger... Stone laces the retro sounds with contemporary touches that keep things lively and surprising." - Bud Scoppa / GEORGIA MUSIC MAGAZINE

"Stone's haunting voice leads the way as his band creates a spacey musical bubble that envelops listeners until the last amp stops buzzing." - EXAMINER

"This guy is blessed with a powerful, soulful voice with a strange, sharp timbre to it, lending a mystical texture to songs that tend to draw from the darker edges of blues, country and '70s rock." - STOMP & STAMMER

TEDO STONE 2013 U.S. TOUR

6/20 - TIAM Ath Fest Kickoff @ 40 Watt w/ Dana Swimmer / David Barbe and the Quick Hooks
(Athens, GA)
6/21 - Green Room - Ath Fest (Athens, GA)
6/26 - 12th and Porter (Nashville, TN)
6/27 - JJ's (Chattanooga, TN)
6/28 - Firehouse Pizza (Normal, IL)
6/29 - Chicago house party
7/1 - Daytrotter session (Rock Island, IL)
7/9 - American Roots Series @ Fountain Square (Cincinnati, OH)

7/10 - Rumba Cafe (Columbus, OH)
7/12 - Firehouse Pizza (Normal, IL)
7/13 - UW Madison Terrace (Madison, WI)
7/23 - PK's (Carbondale, IL)
7/25 - Cosmic Charlie's (Lexington, KY)
[more dates to be announced soon]

___________________________________________________________

The first time Tedo Stone ever set foot in a recording studio, he walked through the doors of Atlanta's Glow-In-The-Dark Studios with a loose assemblage of backing musicians in tow. The location was well beyond their means, but they were working in the middle of the night in Studio B with an intern engineer at the boards. As mics were set up, they ran through the tune they were about to cut, one of Tedo's newest, an anthemic '70s-glam march called "War." Just then, Grammy-winning, multi-platinum record producer Matt Goldman was wrapping a session in Studio A. Something unexpected caught his ear, and he followed the sounds straight down the hall to Stone and his buddies. "He thought we sounded like T. Rex," Stone says.

Before the players realized what was happening, Goldman had sidelined the drummer, jumped behind the kit and taken over production of the session. "We'd never even considered working with Matt," Stone says. "You couldn't touch him—he's part of this other world I had no idea about where he's like God."

By 9 the next morning, they'd recorded and mixed a powerful track that would ultimately end up on Stone's forthcoming debut LP, Good Go Bad - and they forged a lasting bond in the process.

This all went down in July 2011. Not long before, though, Stone was in a bit of a limbo. He'd just finished college at Ole Miss, and wasn't sure what he was gonna do next. To get his head together—and because it sounded like a good time—he booked a flight to Hawaii, and ended up crashing on a buddy's couch in Maui for a couple months. After some serious pondering, he decided to put all of his effort into music. Of course, touring tiki bars playing Jimmy Buffet covers wasn't exactly what he had in mind, so he packed his bags and headed back to the mainland.

"Being in that environment, on island time—it helps paint a clearer picture when you're trying to evaluate something," Stone says. "There's nothing clouding what you're trying to do. As soon as I got home to Atlanta, I went straight into the studio at Glow-In-The Dark."

After co-producing "War," Goldman had plans to record a whole album with Stone, but when scheduling became a problem, the project was temporarily shelved. Not wanting to lose momentum, in November 2011, Stone took a more fleshed-out, gig-tested lineup with him to Athens, GA, to record with legendary producer/engineer John Keane. "Being in that room where so many classic albums were recorded—Uncle Tupelo, R.E.M.—it was an incredible experience," Stone says. "The place had this presence. We were a little taken aback by the whole thing."

The hyper-efficient Keane shot the band out of a cannon, and after four intense days of live tracking, they'd finished their debut EP, Happy (released on Southern indie label This Is American Music). "John moves so fast, it creates an honest sound," Stone says. "He never got in the way of a creative moment by us having to wait for him, and he pushed us the whole time—we were trying to keep up with him."

To support himself and help pay for all this studio time, Stone took a day job as a technician for his older brother's durable medical equipment company. When people are discharged from the hospital, Tedo sets up their oxygen or delivers a wheelchair to their house. "It's rewarding," he says, "but I'm always surrounded by people who are dying."

His experiences on the job helped create a mindset that inspired many of the songs on Good Go Bad. "It's really where the concept for the new album came from," he says. "Life and death, in a broad sense—trying to avoid death and getting old. And it's not just a physical thing; it's mental thing. People can be old at a young age, or young in their later years."

After a while, Stone was much closer to seeing things from the perspective of all the elderly folks he'd been assisting. "I can't help but think about where they are, and where I am," he says. "At that point in your life, there's not a lot of doing left, not a lot to look ahead to, so you start reflecting on time spent. Realizing that while you're still in your 20s makes you more proactive about what you really want. It motivates you to start creating something you'll be proud of when you look back."

You can hear this carpe-diem passion in Stone's new record, which he recorded with Goldman and longtime bassist Billy Lyons. It's in everything from the anthemic rockers to the little whispered ukulele ballad Tedo recorded on his cellphone back in Hawaii and ended up using as-is. It ripples through the pensive, psych-tinged bedroom pop numbers, awash in shimmering modern synths, tied in a bow with precise little mathematical guitar & keyboard hooks. The production on Good Go Bad recalls post-R&B Brian Jones-era Stones in that every track has at least one completely unique sound to set it apart. And throughout, Tedo drops cryptic little couplets—lines that boil T.S. Elliott down to the simple essence. Any English major worth their salt should see the parallel between the former's "You gotta be awake to get the covers off / You gotta be awake to make a miracle" and the latter's "Do I dare disturb the universe? ... Do I dare to eat a peach?"

Most of all, though, the passion is in Stone's expressive, instantly recognizable voice. Not many indie rockers can pull off his soul-inspired approach, repeating lines over and over, varying the melody and phrasing slightly each time, so as to juice every last ounce of meaning from them before moving on.

"I think this album has a lot more personality and depth than anything I've done before," Stone says of Good Go Bad. "For me, recording has a lot to do with documenting my time here on Earth. I don't keep a diary or anything like that. But building a catalog and being able to look back and see where I've been in life and as a songwriter, that's important to me."

Tedo Stone's Good Go Bad will be released on CD and digital formats on July 9th through This Is American Music.

Good Go Bad Tracklisting:

1. Big As The Ocean

2. Good Go Bad

3. Taste

4. Who

5. Back Again

6. Circles

7. High

8. Time

9. War

10. Downtown

Bob Zerull

Managing Editor/Contributor for Zoiks! Online

Owner of ZPNetwork - A Podcasting Network

www.twitter.com/bzerull

www.zoiksonline.com

www.zpnetwork.com

www.onwhatgroundspodcast.com

 

READ MORE - TEDO STONE TO RELEASE DEBUT STUDIO ALBUM GOOD GO BAD JULY 9TH

REDLIGHT KING TO CO-HEADLINE LIVE NATION ‘ONES TO WATCH’ TOUR

Alt/rockers Redlight King have been tagged to co-headline Live Nation's "Ones to Watch" tour as the band readies their sophomore album release, Irons In The Fire, the follow up to their successful debut Something For The Pain. The Ones to Watch Tour showcases some of today's best up and coming bands. The tour will kick off August 1, 2013 and will also feature Icon For Hire and Big B.

Redlight King made their debut with the release of Something For The Pain back in 2011. The album landed at #3 on Billboard's Heatseeker chart, #10 on iTunes Rock album chart while their song "Old Man" was the 13^th most played song at Alternative Radio for 2011. Performances on Conan and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno followed and In 2012, Redlight King released the scorching rock anthem, "Bullet In My Hand," which immediately shot up to the top of the rock radio charts, while their song "Comeback" was featured on Avengers Assemble the musical companion to the mega-hit film THE AVENGERS.

Performing at last year's high-profile rock festivals including Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range, Rocklahoma!, Summerfest and Uproar, Redlight King wowed fans and critics alike with their incendiary live performance and anthemic songs. The band wrapped up 2012 by joining the Shinedown tour in Europe. "I'm excited to get out and play again for our fans," said Kaz, "especially the new songs. It will be great to connect with the people who have supported us along the way and continue to do so!"

At the core of Redlight King, frontman/songwriter Mark Kazprzyk (aka 'Kaz') has a knack for writing songs that hit a nerve and resonate with the band's hardcore fan base. On Irons In The Fire the sound is grittier, the guitars crunchier and the songs razor-sharp, full of angst and rebellion but always with a hint of redemption. The first single, "Born To Rise" will be available on iTunes on July 9 and Kaz had this to say about the song, "Born To Rise is about coming together, it's an anthem for those who overcome adversity, despite the circumstances we face, especially when the odds are against us." Irons In The Fire is set to release September 10.

REDLIGHT KING

ONES TO WATCH TOUR 2013

With co-headliners Icon For Hire

Special guest Big B

DATE	DAY	CITY	STATE	VENUE
8/1	Thu	San Diego	CA	House of Blues
8/2	Fri	Anaheim	CA	House of Blues
8/3	Sat	Phoenix	AZ	Martini Ranch
8/6	Tue	Dallas	TX	House of Blues
8/7	Wed	Houston	TX	Parish at House of Blues
8/9	Fri	Shreveport	LA	Strange Brew
8/10	Sat	New Orleans	LA	Parish at House of Blues
8/11	Sun	Nashville	TN	Exit/In
8/13	Tue	Indianapolis	IN	Deluxe @ Old National Centre
8/14	Wed	Knoxville	TN	N.V. Nightclub
8/16	Fri	Philadelphia	PA	Theatre of Living Arts
8/17	Sat	Boston	MA	Paradise
8/20	Tue	New York	NY	Gramercy Theatre
8/21	Wed	Baltimore	MD	Baltimore Sound Stage
8/23	Fri	Detroit	MI	Shelter
8/24	Sat	Chicago	IL	The Bottom Lounge
8/25	Sun	Minneapolis	MN	Studio B @ Skyway
8/27	Tue	Denver	CO	Marquis Theatre

www.redightkingmusic.com

facebook.com/redlightking  

Bob Zerull

Managing Editor/Contributor for Zoiks! Online

Owner of ZPNetwork - A Podcasting Network

www.twitter.com/bzerull

www.zoiksonline.com

www.zpnetwork.com

www.onwhatgroundspodcast.com

 

READ MORE - REDLIGHT KING TO CO-HEADLINE LIVE NATION ‘ONES TO WATCH’ TOUR

GOO GOO DOLLS NEW ALBUM MAGNETIC DEBUTS AT #8 ON THE BILLBOARD TOP 200 CHART.

Goo Goo Dolls new album Magnetic has debuted at #8 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, with almost 29k sold first week. The 10th studio album for the multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated band features debut single "Rebel Beat," which is currently climbing the charts at Hot AC radio. Goo Goo Dolls celebrated the June 11th release of Magnetic with a performance of "Rebel Beat" on Good Morning America, followed by an appearance on Kelly & Michael June 12th. "Rebel Beat" can also be heard for the next month in the promos for HGTV's new show Brother vs. Brother and in the latest installment of HGTV's #lovehome branding campaign. They will be performing the song on Rachael Ray July 3rd.

To support Magnetic, Goo Goo Dolls are hitting the road with Matchbox 20 next week. The nationwide co-headlining run will kick off June 25th at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH and run through August. Enter to win a trip to see Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox 20 here: http://connect.googoodolls.com. UK fans will also get a chance to see the band: they begin a headline run there on October 15th.

Goo Goo Dolls have sold over 10 million albums worldwide, with 14 Top 10 Radio hits, more than any other artist in the history of the Hot AC format. They are the only artist to have three songs on Billboard's "Top 100 Songs from 1992-2012" including the Number One slot, for "Iris." John Rzeznik has been honored with the Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award and they were recently inducted into Guitar Center's Historic Hollywood Rock Walk.

READ MORE - GOO GOO DOLLS NEW ALBUM MAGNETIC DEBUTS AT #8 ON THE BILLBOARD TOP 200 CHART.