First Crystal Harris Opened Her Legs, Now She’s Opening Her Mouth.

Can Crystal Harris please go away?

The Playboy Playmate who left Hef at the altar verbally bashed him on the Howard Stern Show. “Hef doesn't really take off his clothes. I have never seen him naked…I just like, walked away. I am not turned on by Hef. Sorry.” However, the biggest insult was that Harris said Hef only lasted two seconds in bed.

Hef lashed out against Harris via Twitter. Soon after, Harris apologized stating that Stern pressured her into saying these things. Hef, instead of hitting below the belt, (after all, he already hit it below the belt – wink, wink), stated that Harris should not have booked the interview.

Harris has used 14 minutes and 59 seconds of her 15 minutes of fame. Why anyone cares what this woman has to say is beyond me? Harris should just ride off into the sunset of mediocrity like a lot of playmates.

I’m thinking the next time we’ll see Harris is on a crappy reality show or getting knocked up by a rock star that was relevant 30 years ago.


BYLINE:

Jason Tanamor is the Editor of Zoiks! Online. He is also the author of the novels, "Hello Lesbian!" and "Anonymous." Email Jason at jason@zoiksonline.com.

READ MORE - First Crystal Harris Opened Her Legs, Now She’s Opening Her Mouth.

Zombie Shaker Box Mixes Alice In Chains and Guns n’ Roses And Shakes Them All About. – Interview

Fans of grunge and guitars are in for a treat with this exciting new band from Las Vegas, Zombie Shaker Box. Along with a kick ass name, the band’s sound is 100% kick ass. Kirk, the brain child of this dynamic group, stopped by to talk about the band, their influences and their music.

Q – Thank you, Kirk, for talking to me.

A - No problem, It's My pleasure.

Q – I love the name Zombie Shaker Box. Is there a cool story behind the name? How did it come about?

A - Actually, Yeah I had a friend who had this box made out of fine wood and embossed with some cool artwork and silver. I asked him what it was and he said it was called a Zombie Shaker Box. I loved the name. We put the Zombie slant on it coming out of the box on the EP and then for the CD. He is now actually crawling out of the box, screaming through a mike. The next? I have no Idea. Something with a kilt maybe, lol.

Q – I’ve listened to the new CD, “Encrypted,” a couple times now. There seems to be a heavy Alice in Chains meets Guns n’ Roses “Use Your Illusions” type sound. How would you describe the band’s sound?

A - Yeah. I think you pretty much hit it on the mark. I used to do all the (Black) Sabbath, Deep Purple and (Led) Zeppelin. To this day they’re my favorite bands. So much raw soul in their music. The 80's? I like that you bring up Guns n' Roses. They just kind of put it out there. It was cool. Although In the 80's I felt like there were some great players. I felt and I'm just generalizing this (not everyone, of course) but I think the whole hair, Glam, groupie thing got a little out of control. I think I actually put on a pair of spandex once and was like, "Oh, Hell No." I sang with Marten Andersson from Lizzy Borden and formed a band called Legacy; kind of a European meets American metal sound and it was cool. We were offered a deal, the deal fell through and I went back to Virginia where I am from. I was blessed with a daughter and a whole lot of new music called Grunge that I fell in Love with. The sound was back. The depth was back.

I love those bands. So ZSB is kind of a combination of our influences which I hope come out and yet also stands on its own. I wrote based on my experiences through my own life. Made many mistakes and wanted to write about it. "Get it off my chest" so to speak.

Q – This album actually came out February 2010. Is there new material coming or is this album primarily what gets played on tour? If so, when is the new album coming?

A - Yes, definitely. We are finishing up the writing for the new album now. You know with a first album, there are so many things that need to be taken care of. Not just the writing but the trademarks, copyrights, embedded codes, I mean, I could just go on and on. So when we met Dave from Head First I was able to breathe a little easier and now focus on recording the next album. I think the album should be ready in six months. Still need to support this one, so it's a lot of work right now.

Q – Which songs do you like playing live the most and why?

A - I love playing them all. If I had to pick a few favorites, I love playing "Blow N’ Smoke." It can really take me back to southeast DC. Gangs, drugs. Row houses, just an overall darkness inside and outside of me that I can always seem to feel when we play that song. Not that I want to go back there to those days but I will never forget being chased by gangs and strung out. My phone call to my daughter one night brought some fight back into me. Bless her heart. “Tigerlilly” is about her; I love doing that song. Our relationship has been quite an adventure and to come out of it as close as we are has been special.

Q – Your guitar player, Chris Blakley, adds a lot of Zakk Wylde type late 80s and early 90s riffs. I grew up in that era but I haven’t heard a lot of Blakley. How did he come on board and what does he bring to Zombie Shaker Box?

A - I love Zack Wylde. Can anyone really make their guitar squeal like him? WOW. When I started writing the CD and I think the essence or the really nice thing about "Encrypted" is that, I was pretty much just wanting to do a CD about my life experiences. Wasn't trying to really to do anything more than that. I think the lack of pressure helped me to just write how I was feeling.

I actually wrote a lot of the bass lines and formed a skeleton of the songs. Then I went back east to my old friend and great guitarist Chris Poindexter. We had been writing songs since we were 17. He knew over the phone what I wanted and did an amazing job. Chris Blakley along with two others were guitar players we had through our competitions and always wanted to give it a go. It just never worked out. I really wanted to be able to write with someone who I could sit down with, whether it was electric or acoustic, and feel that vibe or those goose bumps you get when you come up with an idea. We have found someone now, Charl Urso, who loves to write and makes time for it. Of course I have also had the honor to play with Tomo Sugiyama on drums and Cory Kay on bass for awhile now and that has been the glue that has held us together while finding that missing link. Charlie has definitely stepped up to the plate on guitar.

Q – I appreciate that you started this band a long time ago as a solo artist and have slowly surrounded yourself with the right pieces. Is this incarnation of Zombie Shaker Box the one that will take the band to the next level?

A - I think so. I am excited about the new material. To me the person listening has to feel it. I purposely go to my friends who are not musicians and ask them what they think. They don't read too much into it. They just feel the song or not.

Q – I know you guys are doing some shows regionally around Las Vegas. Will there be a national tour soon? (We are around Chicago/Peoria/Moline)

A - We are getting things together to start touring very soon. We will most likely hit Arizona, LA and Colorado first. Then back east along the coast and work our way back home through your neck of the woods. I have been to Chicago and loved it.

Q – Thanks again for chatting. Is there anything you wanted to add?

A - You can order the CD through Best Buy or CD Baby. You can get ringtones through Verizon for "Blow N' Smoke" and "Hideaway" and the full album will be up on iTunes, Amazon, more than 40 sites worldwide on August 2. Meanwhile, you can go to Zombieshakerbox.com, Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zombie-Shaker-Box/351391867759), Reverbnation (http://www.reverbnation.com/zombieshakerbox) and MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/zombieshakerbox) to check out the band. Thanks for having me. Thanks to all our fans and people like you who really give independent music a true chance at making an impact. It is truly about the music. Peace always. Kirk ZSB.


BYLINE:

Jason Tanamor is the Editor of Zoiks! Online. He is also the author of the novels, "Hello Lesbian!" and "Anonymous." Email Jason at jason@zoiksonline.com.

READ MORE - Zombie Shaker Box Mixes Alice In Chains and Guns n’ Roses And Shakes Them All About. – Interview

‘American Idol’s’ Pia Toscano on ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’

Pia Toscano will be performing this Thursday, August 4th on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance. The show will air at 8 pm EST.

Pia is also getting close to releasing her music video for single "This Time," so stay tuned for that!




Visit her at: www.piatoscanoofficial.com.


BYLINE:

Jason Tanamor is the Editor of Zoiks! Online. He is also the author of the novels, "Hello Lesbian!" and "Anonymous." Email Jason at jason@zoiksonline.com.

READ MORE - ‘American Idol’s’ Pia Toscano on ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’

Evolett’s Haden Brightwell Brings you Crooked Cars.

Haden Brightwell used to front the band Evolett. Now, the dynamic singer is involved with her new project, Crooked Cars, with Russ Daly. Check out the live performance here:





Although the new EP is still in the works, fans can keep up to date with what Crooked Cars is up to. Visit the band on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/CrookedCars) and be sure to “Like” them too.


BYLINE:

Jason Tanamor is the Editor of Zoiks! Online. He is also the author of the novels, "Hello Lesbian!" and "Anonymous." Email Jason at jason@zoiksonline.com.

READ MORE - Evolett’s Haden Brightwell Brings you Crooked Cars.

Richard Jeni: The Beach Crowd DVD Released August 2nd, 2011.

Richard Jeni remains one of the most admired comedians of all time by his peers – duly renowned for his prolific material and performance expertise. During his amazing, yet unfortunately too brief career, Jeni starred in five one hour stand-up specials for HBO & Showtime. Now his fans will once again be able to enjoy his genius stand-up talent with the brand new DVD release Richard Jeni: The Beach Crowd. Suggested retail price is $18.99 and available exclusive from www.richardjeni.com.

Richard Jeni: The Beach Crowd (produced and distributed by the Estate of Richard Jeni), was compiled from raw footage captured during two weekend performances in 2002 and 2006 at Southern California’s famed Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach. This DVD presents a rare opportunity to watch the performer build and perfect his material. Due to the sheer volume of great material, Jeni often left ‘A’ material on the cutting room floor simply because it did not fit into the time constraints or context of his stand-up specials.

Through a variety of personas and impersonations in an intimate comedy club setting, Jeni shares his thoughts on women, whales, drugs, and anything else that momentarily flashes through his imaginative and lightening fast mind. In this rare, personal look at Jeni, we see him here for the first time in impromptu interaction with his audience, demonstrating an extraordinary skill for sharp and seamless improv.

The result is a tour de force performance featuring 75 minutes of almost all never before seen material, exemplifying how Jeni earned the title “The comedian’s comedian.” DVD preview is available at the following link -- http://www.richardjeni.com/dvdPreview.html.


BYLINE:

Jason Tanamor is the Editor of Zoiks! Online. He is also the author of the novels, "Hello Lesbian!" and "Anonymous." Email Jason at jason@zoiksonline.com.

READ MORE - Richard Jeni: The Beach Crowd DVD Released August 2nd, 2011.

Dallas Austin Celebrates Beat Thang Release With LA and ATL Parties.

The world's first fully portable music production studio, the Beat Thang, is now available exclusively at Best Buy stores across the country.  Grammy-winning producer-songwriter-"keyboard fanatic" and owner of the Atlanta-based Rowdy Electronics, Dallas Austin, is introducing the groundbreaking product through a joint venture with Nashville's BKE (Beat Kangz Electronics).  To celebrate the release, Austin and BKE recently threw launch parties in Los Angeles and Atlanta so that producers, DJs and musicians could experience the Beat Thang first hand.  Check out videos from LA and Atlanta to see the Beat Thang in action and to hear commentary from guests including Jazzie Pha, DJ Toomp, JC Chasez, Drumma Boy and more.

"I think it's laid out very well for a producer," explains Tricky Stewart who has produced countless chart-toppers including Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Beyonce's "Single Ladies."  "It seems to be one of the best workstations that I've seen as far as an all-encompassing machine of creativity."

After nearly 5 years of development, the Beat Thang levels the playing field - simplifying professional music production down to its core and redesigning the production experience in a way that lets any music enthusiast, beginner or pro, create music the way it's meant to be made...in the moment.  The Beat Thang is fully portable and comes pre-loaded with over 3,000 original and professionally mastered sounds, a built in mixer, effects rack, sampler, and performance keyboard.

The Beat Thang is now available for purchase online and at Best Buy stores with a Musical Instruments department.  For more information visit Beatthang.com and for the chance to win a machine enter the Win A Beat Thang contest on Facebook.

READ MORE - Dallas Austin Celebrates Beat Thang Release With LA and ATL Parties.

Cowboys & Aliens Should be the Biggest Pop Culture Event Ever

Why isn't Cowboys and Aliens the biggest event in popular culture ever? With the elements that the film has in place there is simply no excuse for this film to not be the biggest moment in pop culture, at least in this short century. Consider that we are talking about the combination of two of the most popular genres ever, western and science fiction. And that the film stars both James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), not to mention Han Solo and Jack Ryan.



How about the fact that Cowboys and Aliens was produced by a Hollywood dream team that includes Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Steven Speilberg. To top it all off, this geek god of a movie was directed by the director of Iron Man 1 & 2--himself a cult figure for his role in Swingers--Jon Favreau. I ask again: Why isn't Cowboys and Aliens the biggest pop culture event ever?

Somewhere in the old west a man who doesn't yet know that his name is Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) awakens in the desert. His memory is gone, he's wounded and he has some sort of device strapped to his wrist. Eventually, Jake makes his way to the town of Absolution where everyone is under the boot of Col. Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford).

Unknown to Jake, he and Dolarhyde have a history; Jake robbed a stagecoach full of Dolarhyde's gold before his memory loss and subsequent desert awakening. Before Dolarhyde and Jake can have it out however, an alien spaceship attacks and begins kidnapping townsfolk. Suddenly, Jake's new jewelry comes to life and he's able to destroy one of the alien ships.

Full review at Associated Content

Sean Patrick Kernan is a film critic. Check him out at: http://www.myspace.com/number1ramjamfan Email Sean at sean@zoiksonline.com.

READ MORE - Cowboys & Aliens Should be the Biggest Pop Culture Event Ever

Metallica Announces Series Of San Francisco Shows for Met Club Members In Celebratio​n Of 30th Anniversar​y.

Thirty years of Metallica... can you believe it? We think it's cause for a major celebration! You've been asking for a while now "just what the hell are you going to do to mark 30 years as a band?" closely followed by "why don't we have more exclusive shows for Fan Club members?" We've heard you loud and clear and are beyond psyched to announce that the week of December 5, 2011 will be a full on Metallica week in the Bay Area, more specifically we will be playing four shows for Met Club members only at the historic Fillmore in San Francisco on December 5, 7, 9, and 10 to celebrate our 30th anniversary. These unique shows will include special guests and events, rare songs, varied set lists, odds and ends, and all the nutty stuff you expect from Metallica... fun for the entire family! Come to the Bay Area and spend the week with us to not only close out 2011 out with a bang, but to celebrate over three decades worth of craziness.

 

Participate in the entire week of festivities with special four pack tickets (one ticket for each of the four shows) and automatic entry into the contests for various other special events, available for the clever price of $19.81 (get it??). If you can't join us for the full week, we'll have individual show tickets too and as you can see we're going back to early '80's ticket pricing (but not the hair!)... single show tickets will be just $6.00 each. Both four packs and individual show tickets will be available for Fan Club members only through a reservation system and we do have to add facility fees, blah, blah. Clubbers can log in for all the details... we're taking reservations through August 8.

 

Hope to see you for a week of madness in December!

READ MORE - Metallica Announces Series Of San Francisco Shows for Met Club Members In Celebratio​n Of 30th Anniversar​y.

Apathy To Release Honkey Kong Lp On August 23rd.

After signing a major-label deal with Atlantic Records and eventually being granted his release, Apathy released his debut album, Eastern Philosophy in March 2006 and it received rave reviews from Vibe Magazine and a slew of prominent publications and he was highlighted as one of the top upcoming emcees by XXL Magazine with a "Show And Prove" selection and as one of Urb Magazine's Hot 100" artists.  Apathy released his sophomore LP, Wanna Snuggle, in October of 2009 and as with all of his work, it was again met with critical praise; the project included collaborations with Cypress Hill, Mike Shinoda, Skyler Gray and Phonte (of Little Brother).  

 

Though Apathy is a solo-artist at heart, he is an artist who wears many different hats; he is a founding member of the Demigodz crew, he's also a member of Army of The Pharaohs and the bi-coastal conglomerate The Get Busy Committee (which also includes Scoop Deville and Ryu; they released their debut collaborative effort Uzi Does It 11-10-2009) and joining frequent partner in rhyme Celph Titled to form their Dirty Version Records label. Also, in addition to producing a great deal of his own material, Ap recently contributed production to Cypress Hill's Rise Up LP and has produced tracks for Mike Shinoda, Skyler Grey, Phonte, Styles Of Beyond, 7l & Esoteric and Get Busy Committee. 

 

On August 23rd, 2011 Apathy will take his career to another level with the release of his third-solo LP Honkey Kong.  With Honkey Kong, Ap has undeniably crafted his best project to date and the Evidence produced "Check To Check" has already impacted the blogosphere and only heightened expectations for it.  The DJ Premier produced lead-single "Stop What Ya Doin" f/Celph Titled will be released in early August.  Honkey Kong includes production from Apathy, DJ Premier, DJ Muggs, Statik Selektah, Evidence, Da Beatminerz and Teddy Roxpin (Mac Miller) among others.  Guest appearances on Honkey Kong include Xzibit, Slaine, Vinnie Paz, Esoteric, Ill Bill, Celph Titled, Action Bronson, General Steele (Smif N Wessun) and Mad Lion and the guests that appear on the LP appear for a very specific reason, as Ap verifies; "When I started to make Honkey Kong, I knew I wanted to make a hardcore, classic hip-hop album. I grew up listening to Gang Starr, Wu-Tang, EPMD... and so on. So when this album started coming together, and I started working with dudes who I grew up studying and idolizing, like Preem, Muggs, Beatminerz, Steele, Mad Lion, that made all the bullshit of the industry, worth it to me. Working with DJ Premier, is personally the most important point in my career. That's my favorite producer of all time, hands down. Everyone who contributed to this album killed it, and definitely brought their "A" game."  

 

Tracklisting & Credits for Apathy's Honkey Kong LP:

 

1. Honkey Kong featuring Vinnie Paz (produced by Vanderslice)

2. Holy Ghost featuring Slaine (produced by Apathy)

3. The Villain featuring Ill Bill (produced by Apathy)

4. Check to Check (produced by Evidence)

5. Stop What Ya Doin featuring Celph Titled (produced by DJ Premier)

6. The Recipe featuring Xzibit (produced by Stu Bangas)

7. Fear Itself (produced by DJ Muggs)

8. Who Got Da Juice starring Blacastan (skit)

9. It's Only Hip-Hop featuring Brevi (produced by Statik Selektah)

10. I Dedicate This To You featuring Tosha Makia (produced by Smoke The World)

11. All I Think About featuring Action Bronson (produced by Vanderslice)

12. Never Say Never featuring General Steele & Mad Lion (produced by Teddy Roxpin)

13. Albino Gorillas featuring Esoteric (produced by DJ Wayne Ski)

14. Peace Connecticut cuts by Evil Dee (produced by Da Beatminerz)

15. Army Of The Godz featuring Esoteric, Blacastan, Reef The Lost Cauze, Planetary, Crypt The Warchild, Motive, Celph Titled & Vinnie Paz (produced by Teddy Roxpin)

16. 1:52 AM (produced by Apathy)

READ MORE - Apathy To Release Honkey Kong Lp On August 23rd.

Chad Ochocinco Brings Nothing to New England Patriots.

Randy Moss going to New England proved that he was on the downhill slope to obscurity. Why else would Moss go to a team that has a chance to win a Super Bowl every year? Moss went, the team went undefeated in the season and then lost the big one to the Giants.

Now, another washed up athlete best known for his “look at me” attitude will take Moss’ place – Chad Ochocinco. I would ask why this is a good move but the Patriots have a way of taming egos. They did it with Moss and will do it with Ochocinco.

What’s interesting to note is that the Patriots already have a number 85 on the team - Aaron Hernandez. I think the bigger obstacle will be the fight between Ochocinco and Hernandez over the number 85.

As for the Patriots, they’re getting a solid receiver but let’s face it, Ochocinco is nothing special and will bring nothing special to the team. All he needs to do is show up, shut up and occasionally put up some big catches.

Don’t be surprised if the Patriots go to another Super Bowl. However, if they don’t, Ochocinco will be searching for another team to play for. How do you say unemployed in Spanish?



BYLINE:

Jason Tanamor is the Editor of Zoiks! Online. He is also the author of the novels, "Hello Lesbian!" and "Anonymous." Email Jason at jason@zoiksonline.com.

READ MORE - Chad Ochocinco Brings Nothing to New England Patriots.

Video Premiere of Rise Above 1 by Reeve Carney with Bono and The Edge.

Check out the just released video for "Rise Above 1" by Reeve Carney, featuring U2's Bono and The Edge, from the Broadway production Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark. The video, directed by Aaron Platt and Joseph Toma, was shot in New York City and gives fans a peek into the making of the Broadway musical.

"Rise Above 1" was produced by Alex Da Kid and is available on the album, Music from Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, available on Amazon and iTunes now!

READ MORE - Video Premiere of Rise Above 1 by Reeve Carney with Bono and The Edge.

Neon Hitch Covers Wiz Khalifa's ‘On My Level.’

Check out this video (directed by Trevor Cox) of Neon Hitch covering Wiz Khalifa's "On My Level," set amongst a gritty black and white NYC backdrop.



If you haven't already, also take a listen to her first single "Bad Dog," a taste of what you can expect from her forthcoming album “Beg, Borrow and Steal.”


BYLINE:

Jason Tanamor is the Editor of Zoiks! Online. He is also the author of the novels, "Hello Lesbian!" and "Anonymous." Email Jason at jason@zoiksonline.com.

READ MORE - Neon Hitch Covers Wiz Khalifa's ‘On My Level.’

Verizon and MTV Want to Send You to the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. - Contest

Verizon and MTV want to send one lucky winner and a friend to the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California on August 28th! This year, MTV is bringing the star-studded awards show back to the West Coast! Since last year’s VMAs packed a powerful punch with shocking performances and unforgettable moments from headliners like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Rihanna, and Linkin Park. This is an award show that you won't want to miss!!

This is your chance to experience the annual awards show mayhem up close and personal. Grand prize includes a two night hotel accommodation, round-trip airfare and two tickets to the MTV Video Music Awards. Entry is simple, just head over to: http://verizonsweeps6.com, register with a valid email address and you could be on your way. Don't delay; entry period ends August 8th!


BYLINE:

Jason Tanamor is the Editor of Zoiks! Online. He is also the author of the novels, "Hello Lesbian!" and "Anonymous." Email Jason at jason@zoiksonline.com.

READ MORE - Verizon and MTV Want to Send You to the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. - Contest

Grammy-Nominated MUTEMATH Announces ‘Odd Soul Introduction Tour’ to Kick Off in September.

New Orleans' rock innovators MUTEMATH have announced that they will launch the Odd Soul Introduction Tour this fall. The tour finds the band, which is Paul Meany (vocals/keyboards), Roy Mitchell-Cardenas (bass/guitar), and Darren King (drums), unveiling songs from their upcoming new album, Odd Soul, which will be released on October 4th by Teleprompt/Warner Bros. Records. MUTEMATH will perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on the night of release.

 

The Odd Soul Introduction Tour kicks off on September 7th and concludes with a homecoming show in New Orleans on October 21st. The tour revisits intimate venues to provide fans with a unique opportunity to see MUTEMATH up close in many of the clubs they first performed at when starting out nearly seven years ago. A pre-sale for a VIP Package (which includes tickets, a physical and digital copy of Odd Soul, and a digital download of the track "Blood Pressure") has already begun. Regular tickets go on sale to the public on August 5th. Prior to September 7th, MUTEMATH will perform a few select special dates in August. Visit www.mutemath.com for more details. 

 

In other MUTEMATH news, the track "Odd Soul" is currently available to fans in a unique video mixer platform. The mixer, which premiered on digital and social media technology site Mashable.com, features a different video for each part of the song: drums, guitars, bass, vocals, synth, and background vocals. Listeners can solo, mute, and mix "Odd Soul" in real-time creating their own audio and visual mix. Due to varying connection speeds and hardware there are two versions available, a 4-track version meant for users on slower connections and a 6-track version for fans using up-to-date browsers on faster broadband connections. Versions can be chosen by visiting www.mutemath.com/oddsoul.

 

Odd Soul, which was produced by the band, is the follow-up to 2009's Armistice, which debuted at No. 3 on Billboard's Digital Albums and Alternative Albums chart, No. 4 on the Rock chart, and No. 18 on the Top 200 album chart, and was called a "must-have album" by the New York Post. For info, videos and photos of MUTEMATH, please visit www.mutemath.com.

READ MORE - Grammy-Nominated MUTEMATH Announces ‘Odd Soul Introduction Tour’ to Kick Off in September.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK UPROAR FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES CHARITY VIP TICKET AUCTIONS THAT PUT FANS ONSTAGE WITH AVENGED SEVENFOLD, THREE DAYS GRACE, & MORE

PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT CHILD FIND OF AMERICA AND ROAD 2 RECOVERY

The 2^nd Annual Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival, featuring headliners Avenged Sevenfold, Three Days Grace, Seether, Bullet for my Valentine, Escape the Fate, Sevendust, and others, announces Charity VIP Ticket Auctions that will put fans onstage with their favorite bands and personalized commemorative Platinum Record Plaques on their walls. Proceeds will benefit Child Find of America and Road 2 Recovery.

Beginning Thursday, July 28, 2011 and running for ten-days, fans can bid on eBay for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to receive two (2) VIP passes to the Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival. In addition, the top bidder and their guest will watch their favorite band perform from the best seats in the house: ONSTAGE! They will also receive: Level 1 premium reserved seats OR General Admission ‘Pit’ tickets, a backstage guided tour to see the "inner workings" of a large scale concert festival (who knows who you’ll meet?), an autographed Evans custom UPROAR artwork drum head autographed by your favorite band, two UPROAR t-shirts, and front-of-the-line access to all band signings.

Fans who have purchased Charity VIP Tickets in the past state, “Worth every penny,” “Our expectations were exceeded,” “Everything as promised,” “Unbelievable experience at the festival,” “Hands down, the best item I have ever bought on eBay,” and “The concert was awesome!”

Also available is the Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival Commemorative Platinum Record Plaque, produced by Ill Eagle Enterprises, the world’s largest manufacturer of distinctive and unique Record Industry commemorative awards, measuring 16 x 24-inches, and personalized in the name of the purchaser. The Plaques can be ordered either at the Child Find of America and Road 2 Recovery information booth on each tour date and on eBay, also beginning on July 28, 2011.

The all-day outdoor Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival, drawing as many as 10,000 to 15,000+ fans per event, will make stops in 32 US and Canadian cities, coast-to-coast, beginning on August 26, 2011 in Camden, New Jersey and concluding October 14, 2011 in Mountain View, California. Each festival date features 9 of the biggest names in hard rock and heavy metal, performing on two stages, as well as other attractions, including a concourse midway filled with vendors and activities. Projected to be one of the most successful, audacious and not-to-be-missed concert events of 2011, The Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival will feature multi-platinum headliners, Avenged Sevenfold and Three Days Grace, on the mainstage along with Seether, Bullet for my Valentine, and Escape the Fate. Sevendust, Black Tide, Art of Dying, and Hell Or Highwater will appear on the Festival stage. http://www.rockstaruproar.com/

32 Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival eBay Charity VIP ticket and plaque auctions will begin on Thursday, July 28, 2011, at 8:00 p.m. PST, CST and EST and will run for ten days only. Those individuals interested in bidding on these very special auctions can access them at this direct link: http://x.co/uproarebay or by searching for “UPROAR VIP Tickets” on eBay.com

ABOUT THE CHARITIES:

Child Find of America offers families various services including free investigation and location services, kidnapping prevention programs, referral and support services and mediation services for parental abduction cases. The efforts of Child Find of America positively impact the lives of thousands of children and families and directly brings more than 400 children to a safe and legal environment every year.

www.childfindofamerica.org

Road 2 Recovery is dedicated to helping professional AMA licensed professional motocross/supercross members with financial assistance if they sustain career-ending injuries, as well as providing motivational, emotional, and spiritual support to these individuals and their families. The goal of Road 2 Recovery is to become large enough to completely provide for a rider for the duration of their life if they are unable to ever generate revenue again.

http://www.road2recovery.com/

READ MORE - ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK UPROAR FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES CHARITY VIP TICKET AUCTIONS THAT PUT FANS ONSTAGE WITH AVENGED SEVENFOLD, THREE DAYS GRACE, & MORE

SAM LLANAS EXPLORES “THE HOUR OF TRUTH” ON “4 A.M.”

Sam Llanas (pronounced yanas), lead singer-guitarist for the acclaimed Milwaukee band the BoDeans, takes listeners deep into the night on his new release, 4 A.M., arriving Oct. 25 on Inner Knot Records. The intimate, mostly acoustic collection, produced by longtime collaborator Gary Tanin, features 10 new Llanas originals and a dazzling cover of Cyndi Lauper’s hit “All Through the Night.”

Llanas says of his latest work, “I do a lot of work late at night. It’s a night record, a nocturnal record, thematically about things that happen in the night. That covers a lot of ground. It could be the simple things — being in love, being with somebody — or about the loneliness that the night can bring.”

The album, an understated complement to the BoDeans’ just-released 10th studio album Indigo Dreams, is markedly different from Llanas’ 1998 solo bow A Good Day to Die, which was a powerful eulogy for Llanas’s brother recorded under the group rubric Absinthe.

“The Absinthe record was kind of bombastic and very intense,” Llanas says. “I wanted to do something that was lighter, as light as I can get. I wanted it to be completely different. That’s why 4 A.M. is pretty much an acoustic record.”

Work on 4 A.M. began nearly four years ago, when Llanas’ band the BoDeans, which he has led since 1983, was between projects.

He recalls, “I had time on my hands, and I had some songs I wanted to record. I started working with Terry Vittone — I just said, ‘Hey, let’s make some recordings.’ There was no real thought that it was going to be an album or anything like that. It just sort of escalated from there.”

Sessions for the embryonic project commenced at guitarist Vittone’s house. “I would record the songs in the afternoon,” Llanas says, “and get them to a point where I liked them. Then the next day I’d go back, and Terry would say, ‘Sam, I want you to hear some ideas I threw down on the track.’ And Terry was willing to take really strong direction from me, because I didn’t want a guitar player who was playing all over the song. Terry was really good at putting in the nuances that were needed. He played very little, and that seemed to work very well.”

With the majority of the material in the can, a protracted layoff from recording ensued. After almost two years, Llanas began completing 4 A.M. at Daystorm Music in Milwaukee with producer-musician Tanin, who had also worked on A Good Day To Die and supplied the strings on the new recording.

Llanas decided to preserve the original recording’s spare quality, and added a couple of new tracks that were left untouched. “I wanted to keep it simple. ‘The Way Home’ and ‘Janey’ seemed to work really well just the way they were.”

However, he adds, “I thought the other songs needed a bit more dressing up. Some I thought would work better if we put a little bit more on them.” Thus, BoDeans keyboardist Bukka Allen was called in to play accordion, while Milwaukee musicians Matt Turner and Ryan Schiedermayer contributed bass and percussion, respectively.

Some of the compositions on 4 A.M. began life as prospective material for the BoDeans, Llanas says: “‘Nobody Luvs Me’ was actually recorded with the BoDeans, but it’s quite a different version — you wouldn’t really know it’s the same song. ‘Shyne’ was on our album Mr. Sad Clown. I thought that would work really well there, so I brought it into that project. The first song on 4 A.M., ‘Oh, Celia,’ was demoed with the BoDeans years and years ago. That’s quite an old song.”

Nestling seamlessly with Llanas’ own cycle of before-dawn melodies is his hushed cover of Lauper’s 1983 perennial “All Through the Night,” penned by Jules Shear. “It’s a beautiful song,” Llanas says, “but when they recorded it, in the early ’80s, the sound that they got on it was so harsh . The keyboards always ruined the song for me. I really wanted a version of that song that was just beautiful. That’s what I tried to do — honor that song, and give it what it deserved.”

Llanas’ new solo opus offers a new dimension to his music — one that actually dates back to the sunrise of his professional career.

“Before I ever had the BoDeans, I was a solo performer in Waukesha,” he remembers. “I would go and play at these open mic shows, and I learned my craft and honed my stage skills that way. I think this record really reflects that part of my career, that part of my personality. It goes back to before I ever performed with the BoDeans. It was just me — one man and one guitar.”

Esteemed rock critic and author Dave Marsh calls 4 A.M. “A great record. Really the best thing that has come out of their music in a long, long time — closer to classic BoDeans. Sammy’s voice is so much what I love about BoDeans and it has never been showcased any better.”

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