THE ASYLUM Playlist for 12-23-09

Thanks to all who visited THE ASYLUM yesterday, here's the playlist:

1. Kidnap The Sandy Claws by Korn
2. Snow Blind by Ace Frehley
3. Swiss Colony Beef Log by Eric Cartman
4. It Snows In Hell by Lordi
5. Dream Warriors by Dokken
6. Yellin' At The Xmas Tree by Billy Idol
7. A World So Cold by Mudvayne
8. Psycho Holiday by Pantera
9. Naughty Naughty Christmas by Danger Danger
10. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me by U2
11. To Whom It May Concern by Creed
12. Mary's Boy Child by Tony Orlando & Dawn
    
13. Keep The Faith by Bon Jovi
14. A Soul In Exile by DesDemon
15. Happy X-Mas (War Is Over) by Shinedown
16. Home Again by Queensryche
17. For Whom The Bell Tolls [Live} by Metallica
18. Jingle Bombs by Achmed the Dead Terrorist feat. Jeff Dunham and Guitar Guy
19. Little Willy by The Sweet
20. Martyr No More by Fozzy
21. Christmas / Sarajevo 12/24 by Trans Siberian Orchestra
22. Shut Up And Dance by Aerosmith
23. Sweet Leaf [Live] by Black Sabbath
24. Sexy Santa by Steel Panther
25. Still Of The Night by Static-X
26. Helpless by Diamond Head
27. Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer by Elmo & Patsy
28. Dragula by Rob Zombie
29. Sugar by System Of A Down
30. Dominick The Donkey by Lou Monte
31. Heavy Metal Christmas (The Twelve Days Of Christmas) by Twisted Sister

Remember to visit THE ASYLUM every Wednesday from 2-5PM EST on THORradio.com and send your requests to Turbo@thorradio.com.

DesDemon Has Awakened

In a community of music where everything is about labels it’s becoming harder to stand out.  I believe that it’s either rock or metal, but there are dozens upon dozens of sub-categories in both.  One such sub-category, power metal, usually gets overlooked because some feel that bands like Iron Maiden have perfected it.  In my years of being a fan of rock and metal I have come across bands that add their own unique touch in power metal and I continue to find more.  The latest being DesDemon, who take power metal and add melody into it along with hints of black metal.

Their current album “The Awakening” is without a doubt the beginning of a long career in the rock and metal world.  The powerful melodies and amazing guitar work puts them in a group with the likes of Kamelot and Nightwish but the addition of keyboards makes them stand out from the pack just a bit.  Normally seeing a keyboard in the list of instruments in a rock or metal band hints at a power ballad, but not in this case.  Nickolas Henroksen fits right in like a perfectly cut piece to a puzzle.  His work adds an extra bit of magic that helps to create a certain “haunting factor” into each track without placing the band into the realm of electronica.

To single out one track on this album to show the true ability that DesDemon has is simple, just hit the second track on the album and just wait to be blown away.  A Soul In Exile has everything from acoustic to pure power.  The way in which Mistress Tina’s vocals and Lord Metadox’s guitar work sync up together makes you think that this band has been around for years.  It’s obvious how well they know each other from just sound.  And mixing acoustic with power is something most bands shy away from yet this track is done so well it makes you wonder why others haven’t done so.

I also have to give them credit for their over 11-minute epic In The Absence Of Light that closes out the album.  In a time where the industry is about a quick hit along with how new they are the idea of an epic is something worth applauding.  It has a steady driving rhythm to it that keeps your attention throughout and the guitar solos are well placed to keep the song moving.  Not once during the track are you distracted by a unexpected or drastic change of pace or tempo.

For a first album DesDemon has surely proven that “The Awakening” is worth listening to from beginning to end.  They have talent and drive that can take them far.  If they keep going at this pace I’m sure it won’t be long before we see them side by side with some of the great melodic power metal bands.

Rock N Roll Hall Of Shame Strikes Again

For those of you who missed THE ASYLUM this past week or haven't heard through the grapevine, the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame has truly earned the name Hall Of SHAME with their latest choice for induction.  It came out late Tuesday that KISS, who has been eligible for 10 years, was denied induction in favor of ABBA.  This has got everyone from the die-hard rock and metal fans to the casual music fan scratching their heads and wondering what the hell is going on.

The big problem here is a bunch of people with a "we know better" attitude are cashing in on the name Rock N Roll.  They are using that name as a general melting pot for EVERYTHING in the music industry and that's where they earn the use of SHAME instead of Fame because the whole thing is a big joke.  The fact that The Beatles are in a building alongside Madonna under the name of Rock N Roll has had me beyond words for some time because we all know the closest Madonna has gotten to Rock N Roll was having sex in the backseat of a moving vehicle.

Now if they building was called the American Museum of Music then many of us would have no problem whatsoever with a mash up of all genres under one roof.  A general name would make it easier to hear that Run-DMC or LL Cool J were going to be honored over a well established legendary rock band.  But there's no marketing in a generalized name so they continue to make a mockery of the name Rock N Roll by adding ABBA; a disco group from the 70s.  HELLO INDUCTION COMITTEE but there were fights in the streets during the 70s between fans of rock and fans of disco and inducting a DISCO group into a building the says ROCK N ROLL over it's front doors is not only a slap in the face to the genre and all the bands in the rock and metal world but it's a kick in the face to their fans as well.  Especially when disco DIED as soon as the 80s started.

I was recently reading through some thoughts Eddie Trunk had regarding this situation and the big thing that he's hearing is that most people figured ABBA got chosen for induction because a lot of the great rock and metal bands are already inducted.  THIS IS NOT THE CASE.  Here is a little list of rock and metal bands who are eligible but NOT in:

• KISS
• Bon Jovi
• Judas Priest
• Thin Lizzy
• Iron Maiden
• RUSH
• YES
• Alice Cooper
• DIO
• Def Leppard

That's just a few of the MAJOR rock and metal bands that are NOT in the H.O.F. and not even nominated for induction, except for KISS whose nomination this year was as successful to getting them inducted as not being on the ballot at all.

The H.O.F. made a big stink over opening an Annex here in the NY Area earlier this year only to announce earlier this month that said Annex wasn't working out financial and was being closed.  And this was a surprise?  Despite how much NY radio and MTV try to get the world to think that NY is a rap and hip-hop city the truth is NY is a rock and metal city to its core.  Whenever a rock or metal band play a venue here it SELLS OUT and does so quickly.  When Metallica announced earlier this year they'd play Madison Square Garden it sold out so fast they added a second date.  Iron Maiden consistently sells out Madison Square Garden everytime it's on their tour schedule so it was no surprise to me that the H.O.F. Annex was ignored by the NY people as we know how much of a sham it is.

WE AS FANS need to let these idiots ruining to name of Rock N Roll know that, as Twisted Sister sang; "We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore!"  I urge all fans of rock and metal to boycott EVERYTHING about the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame and to start bothering them to no end.  We should all call and e-mail them and tell them how disgusted we are and that they need to either change the name to something general or start putting in the rock and metal bands and artists that belong in there and kicking out the pop and rap and hip-hop so that it can be known as the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame instead of its current Rock N Roll Hall Of SHAME.

THE ASYLUM Playlist for 12-16-09

Thanks to everyone who visited THE ASYLUM yesterday, but for those of you who missed it here is the playlist:

1. Step Up by Drowning Pool
2. Surrender [LIVE] by Cheap Trick
3. Up Through The Ashes by Kamelot
4. Sister Christian by Night Ranger
5. The Lonely Jew On Christmas by Kyle Broslofski
6. Moment Of Truth by Damageplan
7. Don't Close Your Eyes by Kix
8. Lady So Divine by Shinedown
9. 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day
10. Notorious by ODD ZERO
11. Bad for Good by Meat Loaf
12. Daddy's Falling Angel by In This Moment
13. Danger Us by KISS
14. Party All Day by Steel Panther
15. Hump De Bump by Red Hot Chili Peppers
16. My Kinda Girl by Chickenfoot
17. Sahara by Nightwish
18. The Lost Vikings by Dethklok
19. Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison
20. Blackened by Metallica
21. Back In The USSR by The Beatles
22. Blackened The U.S.S.R. by Beatallica
23. Burn It To The Ground by Nickleback
24. No Remorse by Motorhead
25. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise by Judas Priest
26. Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult
27. Stranger In A Strange Land by Iron Maiden

Remember to visit THE ASYLUM every Wednesday from 2-5PM EST on THORradio.com and send your questons, comments, and requests to Turbo@THORradio.com

THE ASYLUM Is On Myspace

We move quickly at THE ASYLUM, maybe it's the meds we're on.

So if your on MySpace go to www.myspace.com/theasylumofficial and add it to your friends list to become one of the lunatics and stayed updated on everything going on in THE ASYLUM.

THOR Web Radio Giving Away A VIP Membership

YES, you are reading correct. THORradio.com is saying thank you to our early listeners by giving away a 6-Month VIP Membership to LIVE365. And it's simple as hell to enter. All you gotta do is send an e-mail to contest@thorradio.com and please one entry per e-mail address. THAT'S IT! Oh, and of course listen to THORradio.com.

THE ASYLUM Playlist for 12-09-09

THE ASYLUM had a very successful opening day, for you lunatics who missed it here is the playlists for the show:

1. Bringing Back The Balls To Rock by Lordi
2. Awakening by Arkaea
3. Dark Nemesis by Zandelle
4. Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy
5. Madagascar by Guns N' Roses
6. Alien Nation by Scorpions
7. Secret Rulers (Of The World To Be) by Dame Fortune
8. Seek & Destroy by Metallica
9. Stealing My Heart by The Rolling Stones
10. Fray by Staind
11. While My Guitar Gently Weeps by The Beatles
12. The Art Of Shredding by Pantera
13. The Last Goodbye by Black Label Society
14. Kick Out The Jams by MC5
15. Stitches by Orgy
16. Beds Are Burning by Midnight Oil
17. Everything That Could Have Been by Kittie
18. One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer by George Thorogood & The Destroyers
19. A Light In The Darkened World by Killswitch Engage
20. Just A Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody by David Lee Roth

Thanks to everyone who tuned in to listen to the premiere of THE ASYLUM on THORradio.com and remember to visit THE ASYLUM every Wednesday from 2-5PM EST.  And send your requests, comments, and questions to Turbo@thorradio.com.

Testing Was Successful; THE ASYLUM Opens TOMORROW

Everything has been cleared and the inmates are ready as THE ASYLUM opens it's gates for the first time TOMORROW from 2-5PM EST on THOR Radio.  And we managed to sneak in a test run yesterday and by request here is the playlist from yesterdays test run.

1. You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll by Twisted Sister
2. Pinball Wizard by The Who
3. Aerials by System Of A Down
4. Tribute by Tenacious D
5. I Dare You by Shinedown
6. Ozone by Ace Frehley
7. Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles
8. Loosing My Grip by Hoobastank
9. Polyamorous by Breaking Benjamin
10. Cyberworld by Halford
11. A Call For Blood [Live] by Hatebreed
12. Back In The Saddle by Aerosmith
13. The Days Are Just Packed by Dame Fortune
14. Turn Up The Radio by Autograph
15. Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam
16. The Lumberjack by Jackyl
17. Love You To Death by Kamelot
18. The Final Cut by The Autumn Offering
19. When I Come Around by Green Day
20. Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse by Dimmu Borgir
21. The Day That Never Comes by Metallica

There you go, the playlist from my test run.  And remember to listen as THE ASYLUM opens it's doors tomorrow from 2-5PM EST on THOR Radio.  And send your requests, comments, suggestions or anything else to me at Turbo@thorradio.com

Two Chances To Catch DesDemon LIVE

You have TWO chances coming up to see DesDemon LIVE!!

First:
Saturday Dec 12
@ Barney McNabbs
600 Tuckahoe Rd, Yonkers, New York 10701
Featuring:
DownTerrra
No Remission
DesDemon
R230 Age Limit: 21+

The second is part of LiveNation:

Thursday Jan. 14th 2010
with TYR and KORPIKLAANI
@ The Gramercy Theater
127 East 23rd Street, New York, New York 10010
Cost: 18.00
For tickets without and extra surcharge fees go to:
www.desdemon.com/fr_store.cfm

My Return to the Airwaves

As most of you know I earned my rookie status as a DJ when I filled in for my brother Jay Scorpion on his show The Scorpion's Lair. And I enjoyed it, but with The Scorpion's Lair on hiatus I have an itch that needed scratching. Luckily that itch is getting scratched.

My friend The Sisco Kid, the best karaoke guy in NY, is starting up an internet radio station and yours truly will be a DJ. THOR web radio will be making it's official debut in January and will be broadcasting test runs all month starting next week.

And the crazy rolling rebel that I am will bring you to THE ASYLUM. Playing everything rock and metal and I mean EVERYTHING. From The Doors to Dimmu Borgir, Black Sabbath to Slayer, The Beatles to Beatallica and from indie bands as well. Keep your eyes open to all my sites for when I have a time slot worked out.

So get ready cause once your in THE ASYLUM there's no getting out.

KISS Hits With Sonic Boom

It's been a little over a month now since KISS released their latest studio album "Sonic Boom" and it has been received very well in spite of the problems that came from their exclusive deal with Wal-Mart. I've waited this long to write my thoughts of "Sonic Boom" because as a huge KISS fan I wanted to digest every aspect of it's release before sharing my thoughts. And the release is truly the best place to start considering how poorly it was handled.

Every KISS fan, and some non-fans, know that Gene Simmons is as much of a business man as he is a musician. So it was no surprise to anyone that he took a cue from Guns N Roses and AC/DC and struck a deal with a major chain for distribution. And seeing as how well AC/DC did through Wal-Mart with their release "Black Ice" it seemed that a KISS/Wal-Mart deal would work wonders; especially with the idea of the KISS Korner where you could get the new album plus other KISS merchandise. Unfortunately Wal-Mart dropped the ball and left many KISS fans upset as they got to their local Wal-Mart to find no KISS Korner at all in some stores and even having to go to more than one Wal-Mart to just find a copy of the new album let alone other KISS merchandise. Even Sebastian Bach, formerly of Skid Row, had said on his Twitter feed that he had gone to his Wal-Mart ready to buy every new piece of KISS merchandise only to leave with more money than merchandise. And the online store was no better. I pre-ordered the album a month before it's release expecting the receive it the day of release only to have to wait because Wal-Mart didn't ship until the release date. Lucky for KISS that the album wasn't disappointing or they would have had a lot of issues to deal with.

Considering the last new KISS album was 11-years ago, there was a lot of speculation as to whether or not this album would be anything worth listening to. And the truth is that it is a typical KISS album from start to finish. There was no redeveloping or experimenting with "Sonic Boom" so if you know KISS' music then you know what you are getting. And the packaging was setup to give to old fans and recuit new ones by adding a greatest hits CD and DVD of some live performances without costing an arm or a leg.

The opening track, Modern Day Delilah, was also the single for the album. This made perfect sense because it is very reminiscent of the early days of KISS. Almost like a newer version of the KISS Klassic Strutter. Though the vocals on it can get to you as Paul Stanley attempts to hit notes that are obviously out of his vocal range at his age. It's the only time you have that on the album, every track has it's connections to a different era of KISStory.

Danger Us reminds me so much of the mid to late 1980s KISS line-up that it makes me wonder if it was a newly written track or was it something that was passed on in the writing sessions back then. A strongly guitar driven track that has a very simple yet catchy chorus that gets stuck in your head. I've even found myself humming it at random and then searching it out on my iPhone to listen to it again. And then the album shifts to the early 1990s KISS with I'm An Animal, a slower and darker pace compared to the other songs. Much like the album "Carnival of Souls" does to the entire KISS library, it's closer to metal than the classic rock sound that everyone knows and loves KISS for.

My only gripe is that Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, who are replacing Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in this version of KISS, don't really stand out to me on the album. If it wasn't for the trademark 4-part harmonies and Eric's vocals on the song All For The Glory or Tommy's on the song When Lightning Strikes you would never know that they were on the album at all without reading the liner notes. I truthfully feel that Tommy stood out more on the "Alive IV: Symphony" more than this album. While the guitar solos are strong they sound more like a session guy trying to copy Ace Frehley's style than Tommy contributing his own talent.

When it's all said and done KISS didn't really disappoint this member of the KISS Army with "Sonic Boom". True that it took 11-years to get new material and it isn't the original line-up, it is still the same sound that we come to expect from KISS and that makes it a hit in my books. Let's just hope it fuels the flames of creativity and we don't have to wait another 11-years for another one.

Metal Lives in The Garden

You might think that I go to a lot of shows but the truth is when your funds are limited you gotta choose your shows wisely. I usually base my decision on the price of the ticket and the venue. And my latest was a very smart decision as I was one of thousands who packed Madison Square Garden to see Metallica play there for the first time in 10-years.

Most people buy a ticket and get to the venue for the headline act, but not yours truly. I believe in getting to a show for the ticket start time and catching the openers, whether they are good or bad. Originally I thought the show was just Lamb of God and Metallica but there was an opener for them. That bands name is Volbeat. And they were better than some opening acts I've seen in the past. Though they need to learn to speak clearly because no one in the building knew who they were until Metallica thanked them. To describe Volbeat as a type of metal that I would label them as, if you had to, is Hillbilly Metal or even Rockabilly Metal. There is a lot of the old southern rock like Elvis and Johnny Cash in there sound. And for a newer band out of Denmark that's a nice sign that younger bands are finding the older influences in the medium.

Following Volbeat was Lamb of God, the first of the newer metal bands to play at Madison Square Garden to my knowledge. And the put on a great set as well. They played 4-songs of their latest album "Wrath"
using the first 3 songs from the album, in order, to start their set. "Set to Fail" is one of my two favorite tracks on the new album and was awesome live. I wish they had played my other favorite "Fake Messiah" but hey you can't have them all. The songs that seemed to get the biggest response from the crowd were "Now You've Got Something To Die For" and "Redneck". Although no one attempted any kind of mosh pit until the last song in the set, "Black Label". And that had me thinking that Lamb of God, though they slammed the building, is a band best left for a smaller venue like Roseland because they can connect better with the fans. Lamb of God brings such passion and intensity with their music that an arena just doesn't seem like a natural fit.

Before I get to my thoughts on Metallica I want to give a lot of credit to all three bands for performing in the round. As if it isn't tough enough to do a regular stage setup to move left to right to play to both sides but to play where you have to move to play to all around you in a 360 degree setup is amazing. And the other great part about the round setup is it allows for more tickets to be sold which usually results in a lower ticket price. So it's a win for everyone involved.

The anticipation in the building grew as the roadies began setting everything up for Netallica to take the stage. Several times my friends and I jumped thinking it was time, but once "The Ecstasy of Gold" began we knew it was time for Metallica. And since this is the World Magnetic Tour I doubt anyone was surprised with "That Was Just Your Life" and "The End of the Line" being the first songs they hit us with. But knowing that the majority of the building were long time fans they immediately went to some old school Metallica. I had always felt that the song "For Whom the Bell Tolls' was one of their most intense song and man was I right. Now I had heard it live 10-years ago when Metallica played The Garden for the only US date of "S&M" it was just more intense because it was just the raw power of Metallica bringing it to you. And of course "Holier Than Thou" is always great to hear live.

Now some may disagree but I was thrilled and surprised that they played "One". Yes you may say it's a trademark song for Metallica but I could easily see it swapped out for "Wherever I May Roam" or even "The Unforgiven". But with that said the added pyro to the opening effects made it amazing, you gotta love feeling the heat of pyro at a metal show. Another nice surprise for me was their cover of Bob Seger's "Turn the Page" from the "Garage Inc.". It has always been a favorite of mine because everyone knows the feelings being expressed by it whether your in a band or just a fan.

As soon as "Master of Puppets" hit it was like someone turned on the moshing light as random pits broke out around the stage. I couldn't help but laugh in between singing along because the security stood there like deer in headlights not sure whether or not they should stop it. Truthfully I think the only reason they didn't make an attempt to stop it was because they were afraid of getting their asses kicked upside-down and sideways. After that things calmed down as they went to "Nothing Else Matters" followed by the song everyone and their mother knows "Enter Sandman", after all the non-lifers would complain if that wasn't played. Though the encore paid tribute to the hardcore fans with their cover of Diamond Head's "Helpless". Which was followed up with "Whplash" and "Seek and Destroy" to end it all, both perfect choices to end a show as they force you to use any remaining energy you have left leaving you with barely enough energy to get home.

It had been 10-years since Metallica headlined Madison Square Garden for the "S&M" show. Some say waiting makes you appreciate things more, and while that may be true I hope, as do many others, that it isn't another 10-years before Metallica returns to Madison Square Garden to rock the roof off the place once again.

Looney Tunes Are Back

I got up this morning and after an awesome night at Lamb of God and Metallica (thoughts coming soon), I was still amped and ready to watch some kind of sports. Unfortunately the Giants have a bye week and the Rangers were off. I began searching the digital cable guide and was beyond shocked to see a Looney Tunes marathon on the Cartoon Network.

After the Warner Brothers stores closed down Cartoon Network washed their hands of the Looney Tunes characters for original programming that had less stereotypes in them. Although Cartoon Network has had some great cartoons created for them over the years I found it odd how they were just able to toss them off like an old coat because a bunch of uptight soccer moms and minority groups complained about the stereotypes in Looney Tunes. And let's not forget those who complained they were to violent. And the evening news is any better? Murder here, rape there. That kids are allowed to watch but heaven forbid they enjoy Bugs Bunny getting the better of Elmer Fudd by causing his rifle to backfire.

I had actually begun to worry about the Cartoon Newtork as they have begun airing cartoons and "reality" shows aimed at tweens. Add into that the airing of live action movies with no direct link to cartoons in anyway had me thinking that Cartoon Network was turning into the next MTV. The stations name wasn't going to match what it airs.

The return of Looney Tunes will surely help their ratings because they are timeless. Just because Bugs Bunny ocassionally dresses in drag to outsmart people doesn't mean your kid will do the same by watching it. Looney Tunes were and will always be funny to kids of all ages, so untie the hairs on your ass society and start realizing that kids should be allowed to watch things that are fun, too much educational programming will result in a mindless generation that won't know what laughter is.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Monk talks music and business on the Selling Circus

Fort Payne, AL - Barre, MA - Munich, Germany
November 8, 2009:
Renagade's Relics is pleased to announce that one of it's Independent Musicians, Monk, will be a guest on the Selling Circus podcast, hosted by Walt Kolenda, aka 'AuctionWally.' Special co-host is Susan Leak aka 'Renagade' of renagadesrelics.com. This live broadcast is on Monday, November 9, 2009 on the talkshoe.com platform.


Monk, from Munich, Germany will discuss the making of his debut CD, 'Damaged Music for Damaged People'. This album was a three year solo project, with Monk writing, performing, mixing and producing. The show will also cover the way Monk has successfully implemented the Internet to market his music and establish his brand of 'Monk.' Monk and Susan have built a working partnership for marketing Monk's album and have done so strictly via the Internet. This show will be the first time they have had the opportunity to speak directly to each other.


The Selling Circus podcast is hosted by Walt Kolenda of Barre, MA on Talkshoe. The focus is on eCommerce selling and the issues the sellers face in todays ever changing marketplace.
To have a Musician come in an address how the music world faces the same problems of marketing, promoting, and branding, offers a fresh new angle many will be able to learn from.


“ I look forward to being able to share my experiences with The Selling Circus listeners” says Monk. “I have tuned into the show myself. I have found all the guests to be knowledgeable and the platform of Talkshoe a good one. The fact people can ask their questions with ease of just typing in the chatroom or calling in on the phone is great.”


The live broadcast is at 8:00pm EST on Monday, November 9, 2009.
You can tune in by going to:
http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=53449&cmd=tc

The show will also be available for download on the site, or at http://www.renagadesrelics.com  later in the week.

Lazarus at Don Hill's 11/21

Heather Williams Is A Jill of All Trades

Very few people manage to do all the things they wish to do in this life. Many of us leave aspirations behind us as childhood dreams, stop due to physical differences in ourselves, or just need to let things go so that we can find a spot to survive in this crazy world. But there are a rare few who somehow manage to do it all and Heather Williams is one of those people. I recently spent some time with her to get some insight into this Jill of all trades.

-What inspired you to become a musician?
Heather: I started on piano when I was 10 and took lessons for a little while then moved to snare drum in the middle school band then high school sports took over.

I always wanted to play guitar and so a couple of years ago went to the local music store and told the manager that I love AC/DC and Van Halen and wanted a guitar with a whammy bar.

-Who are your biggest influences in music and why?
Heather: My biggest would be Van Halen and Lita Ford. My older brother played 80's metal all the time so I got a heavy dose as a kid.

-Being that your music career in still young, what are you aiming for as a musician?
Heather: Yes, I'm definitely green so that means I have to work five times as hard to catch up to todays competition. I'm aiming to be a step above the competition. For me there's no point in setting high goals if they will place me within the norm.

-Anyone who visits your website (www.heather-williams.com) will see a ton things to check out, what are some of the things you do when your not rockin’ out?
Heather: Besides sports and being a real estate agent I love during my down times getting on my myspace page http://www.myspace.com/rockatlanta , my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/trajet and my twitter http:www.twitter.com/willheat.

-I was looking through your bio and noticed that athletics was a big part of your teen years, what made you decide to go for a career as a musician instead of an athlete?
Heather: Actually I like to do both at the same time.

-What should people expect from you in the upcoming year?
Heather: This year I'm racing motocross,
which I just picked up a sponsorship with Pirelli tires, and just landed a roll in the new reality show XTREME TEAM where I'm the only female with a group of Elite Protection Specialists. www.extremeteamtv.com. Plus I've been running some 5k road races and skateboarding with my nephew.

She's a rocker, an athlete, and soon to be a reality star. I think it is safe to say that it won't be too much longer before Heather Williams bursts into our homes with everything that she throws herself into.

Technology Can Still Amaze

So far 2009 has partly been a year of technological improvements. First was my purchase of an iPhone which is still managing to surprise me with it's capabilities to more I use it and find things on it. Now I have upgraded my entertainment with the purchase of an HDTV.

Prior to yesterday I had been using a 19-inch tube TV. A format that our parents grew up on and watch evolve from black and white to color in their lifes and a format the my generation has known since birth. And while HD was originally too expensive for the regular everyday person, it is now becoming the standard in television. And now that my old tube TV has gone the way of technology like Walkmans and 8-Track, I am amazed by what an HDTV does.

The obvious improvement is the wider screen which allows for more to be seen than the tube TV that I grew up on. It also allows for easy reading of on-screen text. For example, as I write this I am watching Ninja Warrior on G4TV and the commentation is in Japanese resulting in subtitles. Because the screen is wider it's easier to read when my old 19-inch it was a strain to read it.

Now the screen size i purchased is a 26-inch, but it's what I would say equals what you would be used to viewing on a 19-inch. My original plan was to purchase a 22-inch but when I saw it in store it gave the illusion of watching a 13-inch tube TV. So I recommend if your buying an HDTV you go at least two sizes larger then the tube TV you are replacing in order to have the same visual feel that you are used to.

As for the overall visuals I am truly amazed. The colors are so much clearer and brighter than ANY tube TV I had watched growing up. Watching TV is just amazing and I don't even had my HD cable box yet. I can only imagine how things will look once that is set.

And as a gamer I truly feel that ALL gamers have been deprived over the years by playing in tube sets. I own a Nintendo WIi and although it's design didn't take HD into account it still shines brighter than expected. Colors and details in games, even the older 16-bit games, look so much better. It's like experiencing something brand new even though it's from my junior high school days.

I'm still trying to figure out setting the HDTV and everything to my new stereo receiver but it's best to wait to get my HD cable set first. Though once I get the sound set I know that it'll be like my own personal movie theater, only without the fancy seating.

It makes be wonder what is still to come in technology. With touch screen computers just hitting the market how much longer can it be before we are using TV's and computers with just eye movements. Or even brainwaves?? Only time will tell.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Saints of Pain Are Coming

Green Day and Bono should have watched what they were asking for cause Saints of Pain are coming. They got a few live shows coming up:

Friday, October 30th
Ottos Shrunken Head
538 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B
with the always awesome band Hate in the Box
they are serving free hard cider all night

AND

Friday, November 13th
Ace of Clubs
9 Great Jones Ave
NYC
with hung, devil to pay, and IKILLYA

They also just finish recording their upcoming single "I Feel Fine" with Joey Z. of Life of Agony fame, which will be released as a single with a video. So keep your eyes and ears open for it. Check out their site at TheSaintsofPain.com and find them on MySpace at www.myspace.com/thesaintsofpainband.

Ashes Within LIVE on 11/02

Ashes Within has a live performance coming up, and if your in the NY/NJ Area I urge you to check it out

Monday 11/02/2009
Ashes Within
w/ Eyes Like Cyanide &
A Great Day To Die

Lit Lounge
8:00PM
93 Second Ave. btwn 5th and 6th st
New York, New York 10003
Cost:$6

And check out their site at AshesWithin.com and their MySpace at www.myspace.com/asheswithinofficial

A Note from Zandelle

Here's a quick note from Brooklyn's own Zandelle:

Dear Friends,

As some of you may already know, ZANDELLE is all set to hit Europe in November for a two week tour which will cover 12 cities in 5 countries. But before we head overseas to play for our fans there, we will be doing a very special "send-off" show in NYC and we want you to be there...

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6th

ZANDELLE

will perform live at...

ACE OF CLUBS
9 Great Jones Street, NYC 10012

Doors open at 9PM
Zandelle will hit the stage at 11:30PM

$10 at the door
21 and over.

Hope to see you there!

If you are in the NY/NJ Area then go check them out before they head out for their tour. And you can get their latest album Flames of Rage on iTunes.

Thar Be Metal on the High Seas

Most people hear about Pirates nowadays and the first thing people think of is Disney's epic movie series "Pirates of the Caribbean" and the slowly building legendary status that it's main character Captain Jack Sparrow has. And then you get visions of old battle beaten ships and men with long swords, beards, and smelling of rum and the sea. But dare I say that there is more metal to pirates than the gold they are constantly searching for? Oh yes, I dare say that there is such a thing as "Pirate Metal".

The idea of pirate metal isn't as far fetched as it might sound. When you watch the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies part of what makes the movies intense is the music. I myself have contemplated several times about purchasing the soundtracks to the movies because the intensity of just the opening sequence in the first movie hinted at a taste of rock and/or metal. And how much difficulty could it be to add some lyrics and electric guitars to the simple flutes and strings that we familiarize with pirate music? Not that difficult for four guys out of Scotland didn't think it was all that hard cause they have done just that.

I was on Twitter the other night and the name Alestorm came across my screen from someone and with pirate metal connected to it I was intrigued. With curiosity peaked I set sail to surf the web to find where these lads be found. And luckily they were an easy find thanks to Myspace and I truly couldn't believe at first that it was legit, and then I checked out the songs they have setup on their profile and was impressed to the point of wanting my share of these mates. I thusly set sail towards iTunes and found them on there as well.

With limited funds I had to choose cautiously and so I went right for the mighty beast itself and purchased their Leviathan EP and waited for it to download before giving it a listen. And once done I pressed play and began to be amazed at how the simplicity of what I knew as pirate music was loaded into cannons with guitars, keyboards and fitting vocals and then blasted at me full force.

The title tracks opening instrumentals just hits you with visuals of the high seas except instead of just your regular pirate ship of wood and cloth sails you need to add a few towers of amps to crank out tunes. You get visuals of the most intense sea battles that would make Disney curl up into the fetal position wondering what you did to their laughable pirates. Though in those battles you'd be using guitar solos as your weapon and in Alestorm's case your swordsman being Dani Evans who surely shreds with the best of them. His guitar work fits so perfectly that you'd think he's from a long line of pirate musicians. His shredding is evenly matched by the keyboard, yes keyboard, solos of Christopher Bowes. He reminds you strongly that they keyboard is not just a trend of the 80's but also belongs in the world of metal.

The lyrics tell a story for each song, and the simplest proof of this is on the last track on the Leviathan EP "Heavy Metal Pirates". It simply tells you how they are pirates of the heavy metal variety. You can't ask for much more then that from a song with that title. Each song telling it's own story right up front. No hidden meaning, no symbolizing, just flat out lyrics about what the title says.

I will surely be joining the mighty crew of Alestorm and adding pirate metal to my vocabulary. And after all, aren't all fans of music like pirates? Looking for through the world for new treasures of music and wearing shirts of those we like as uniforms, defending it to the death.

Rock Against Dystrophy hits Coney Island this Sunday

Don't forget that this Sunday Rock Against Dystrophy will be doing a benefit concert at Cha Cha's in Coney Island.

The event starts at 1pm and will go into the night. It's $15 at the door for a whole day worth of music and it's to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.



-- Posted from my iPhone

The Scorpion's Lair Cancelled Today

Sorry for the short notice again but The Scorpion's Lair will not be on the air again this week. Our guy Bobby is sicker then a dog and there is no one else available to help us run the equipment.

Next week we won't be on either BUT you can join us at Cha Cha's in Coney Island from 1-9pm for a Rock Against Dystrophy benefit. Just check out the Rock Against Dystrophy site for more details.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Busy Weekend for Yours Truly

Yes this is going to be a very active weekend for me. The 2009-2010 NHL season has begun and I couldn't be happier. Been watching some of the other teams around the league but tonight my Rangers begin the season against the Penguins in Pittsburgh. I'm not one to wish ill on other players but could Brashear please drill Sidney Crosby into the boards. I HATE Crosby with a passion, especially when there are better players in the league who deserve the attention.

Tomorrow I will be at Madison Square Garden, my home away from home, with Mom for the NY Rangers home opener. We will be sitting ice level at the Zamboni gate so if your watching the game keep a lookout for me. And if your at the game feel free to make your way down to the Zamboni gate and say hi.

On Sunday I will once again be sitting in as guest host of The Scorpion's Lair from 3-5pm EST on Brooklyn College Radio. Jay Scorpion has put together another great playlist of music from bands you know and bands you should know. We know Sunday is football but the commentators suck so mute your TV and listen to The Scorpion's Lair, you won't regret it.

The Scorpion's Lair will not be on Tomorrow

Due to a last minute family situation tomorrow's show has been cancelled.

But please check out The Scorpion's Lair Myspace to check out all the great bands in the friends list.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Remember to Listen to The Scorpion's Lair

Don't forget to tune in on Sunday from 3-5pm EST on Brooklyn College Radio as I once again guest host The Scorpion's Lair. We'll be bringing you the best in rock and metal from bands you know and bands you should know.

And hey, we know that Sunday is football day but the commentators suck. Put your TV on mute, log on to Brooklyn College Radio from 3-5pm EST and listen to some awesome rock and metal with your football.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Rock Against Dystrophy at Cha Cha's on October 11th

The next big Rock Against Dystrophy event is happening Columbus Day Weekend. Come down to Cha Cha's in Coney Island on Sunday, October 11th from 1-9pm for a full day of music for a great cause. We will be rocking out to some great music to raise money to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Scheduled to perform:
- ODD ZERO
- Mystical Children
- Lost Legacy
- GAS
- Good and Plenty Band
- Killer Joe
- Big Pussy and the Bada Bing Band featuring Vincent Pastore

This is an ALL AGES SHOW, so come on down and help us rock out to knock out Muscular Dystrophy. $15 admission

Frehley's "Anomaly" Hits the Outer Limits

Normally when people hear about a solo album they tend to brush it off. There's a certain lack of respect for anything that doesn't sound like a solid band in name. But every so often there is an artist who solidifies their spot in the music world and if Ace Frehley hadn't already done so from his years in KISS then his latest solo release "Anomaly" will surely do it.

I personally was first introduced to the amazing talent of the Space Ace when I first became a proud member of the KISS Army back in 1996. At that point I was 16 years old and KISS had been around for about 20 years and I had to dive head first into KISStory to catch up on the years of music I had missed. As I began listening to the early KISS albums I found myself being amazed at how Ace's guitar work on those albums is what had inspired the bands I was listening to at 16. His solo's fit into each song as if they were meant to be there, not just tossed in to sell albums. And as my search through KISStory continued I came across the four solo albums the band released in 1978. And without doubt, and no disrespect to the others, Ace's was the best of the four and just proved how talented Ace is. And you KISS nay-sayers can throw out at me the old "of course it was the best, it had 2 radio singles", but take a moment and actually listen to the album in full. The solo that opens "Speeding Back to My Baby" grabs you and slaps you around making you realize that Ace did some amazing things with a guitar.

Fast forward to the present and Ace hit's us all with his latest album "Anomaly", 31 years after his first solo album and twenty some-odd years removed from his band Frehley's Comet which is probably best known for the song "Rock Soldiers". And after one listen to his latest work I can't help but wonder why we had to wait so long for this album. It has so many elements of the Ace we know and love plus more.

The big single from the album is "Outer Space" and for Ace this couldn't be more perfect as the song to get on the airwaves. It's got a very catchy chorus and highlights his full abilities as a guitarist, but leaves you wanting to hear more just like "New York Groove" did with his 1978 solo album. There is even a great throwback to the 70's with his cover of "Fox On the Run" by Sweet. Ace's version of this 70's classic is true to the original but just gives it a little more edge.

And the truth be told my favorite tracks on the album are both instrumentals. While the track "Genghis Khan" has a simple chorus that is sung, it is essentially an instrumental track. What's great about the track is that when it start's it sounds like they recorded a jam session. But as the song plays out it just turns right from jam session into a song seamlessly. As for my other favorite, it's a perfect track to close an album with.(NOTE: The iTunes version of the album has a bonus track) "Fractured Quantum" makes you realize how far we've come in music as blends acoustic with full electric. You can get the sense of how rock and metal has progressed from its simple start years ago with bands like The Beatles to the more technical and extreme's of today with bands like Slipknot. And I haven't felt so much emotion in a song since I heard Edward and Alex Van Halen's "Respect the Wind".

I saw on Twitter today that "Anomaly" landed 27th on the top selling albums for the week of it's release, which proves that rock is far from dead. It's thriving under the radar awaiting it's time to take back the reigns. "Anomaly" is a true rock album and is great if your a long time rocker like myself or just finding yourself entering the world of rock and metal.

The Scorpion's Lair Returns on Sunday

After a scheduling issue last week, The Scorpion's Lair is returning to the airwaves THIS SUNDAY from 3-5pm EST on Brooklyn College Radio.

Make sure you listen in as yours truly joins the TSL crew as guest host to bring you great rock and metal music from bands you know and bands you should know.

-- Posted from my iPhone

Go Away West, PLEASE!!!

Many of you know that I usually ignore pop culture unless it is directly related to rock and/or metal, but the big news today of Kanye West's actions at the 2009 MTV VMA's has pushed my buttons.

Now I gave up on MTV years ago when they stopped playing music and stop referring to the rock and metal community, which ironically enough was when the "M" in MTV changed to meaning money instead of music. So I have not watched them in ages and almost forgot about the 2009 VMA's, keyword being almost. As I logged into Twitter after the TrueBlood season finale to see what others though of it, I was instead bombarded by tweets calling Kanye West every name in the book. In my natural curiosity and desire to see no talent hacks fail I turned on the VMA's to see what the big deal was but I had missed it. Although I did catch Green Day's performance with I am declaring to only good part of the VMA's.

I then turned on the news and found out that Kanye West had pretty much destroyed Taylor Swift's moment by storming on stage to say that Beyonce was more deserving of the award than Taylor. I then proceeded to worry about both our youth who think Kanye West actually has talent and buy his albums and to worry about the music industry as they continue to back individuals like him while other true talent is going ignore and unsupported.

What we need to do as a society is ignore his actions because the more we discuss it the bigger his ego will get and the more likely it'll be that he'll do something like this again. Kanye West is an ego-maniacal bigot who should be banned for life from music industry events.

I want to commend Taylor Swift for being calm and chilled out as her spotlight was so rudely interupted. She showed maturity beyond her years by being a bigger person and for that she deserves all the support in the world from her fans.

And lastly, I know its unlikely that Kanye will ever read this, I ask that you please put yourself back in the closet Kanye and lock it shut behind you.

Scheduling Delayed The Scorpion's Lair Return

Yesterday was supposed to be the return of The Scorpion's Lair on Brooklyn College Radio from 1-4PM EST. Unfortunately we did not air due to a scheduling mix up.

We are working on getting that mix up corrected and will hopefully be on soon, just hang tight and as soon as we have everything worked out it will be announced.

Dame Fortune NEWS and Upcoming Show

We're about to go back underground so we can prepare to celebrate our 10 year anniversary all year long in 2010 that will include but is not limited to: new songs, new shirts, our first ever DVD release with both multi-camera live footage and a documentary and videos, our first ever national tour, and a bunch of other surprises we can't even tell you about.

But before we do that, we wanted to say goodbye for a while to all of our friends and fans who have been so supportive this year. And what better place to do that, than our favorite friendly down to earth rock and roll biker club in the valley, Paladino's. Those that have been coming to see us over the years have said that their favorite Dame Fortune shows have been a Paladino's, and yet it's been 3 years since we've played there. So come rock with us on Saturday September 19th at 8:30pm
at Paladino's where the heart of rock and roll still beats strong. Call us at 213-840-3333 for 10 buck tickets and we'll make it a night to remember!

Here's what the rest of the line up looks like for the night:

7:30 Forceps: a cover band that does Rage Against the Machine, NIN and The Deftones etc.
8:30 Dame Fortune: yours truly
9:30 Clandestine: Evanescence meets Rush with a hot female Asian singer
10:30 The Fold: a groove oriented thrash metal band along the lines of Pantera
11:30 The Saloonatics: fresh from playing for the troops in Iraq with covers of Van Halen, Areosmith, Metallica and Journey




P.S. Lots going on in our world. Happy to announce that our music for "The Days Are Just Packed" was recently used in New York for the
Jerry Lewis telethon as the musical accompaniment to a video cut together by our buddy Turbo. John Merritt was recently featured in an
article in the Tri-County Times talking about the hometown connection to his song "Holly Fenton," There's an article about us in the new issue
of the British Rock mag Fireworks #37, and we had our first religious protest against us. Look for more details about all that & more in a major site
update coming soon!

My Return to Radio

As many of you know my brother Jay Scorpion, host of The Scorpion's Lair became very sick at the beginning of the summer. At that time we all had figured it wasn't going to be long but unfortunately things progressed for the worse and The Scorpion's Lair took a hiatus for the summer.

Well Jay Scorpion is home and is on the road to recovery but is unable to host. So with his permission and an OK from Brooklyn College Radio that yours truly, Turbo, will be filling in as host of The Scorpion's Lair alongside the rest of the TSL Crew until Jay Scorpion is healthy enough to return.

So starting this Sunday, September 13th from 1-4PM EST you better listen to The Scorpion's Lair online at BrooklynCollegeRadio.org as the TSL Crew and I continue to bring rock and metal music to the masses.

The 2009 MDA Telethon was A Success

I want to take this time to thank everyone who donated their time and effort to make this years Telethon run so smoothly and an extra special thank you to all of you that made a donation. The National final tote was $60,481,231 and the final tote here in the NY/NJ Area was $5,628,134. Even in tough economic times you all still pulled through for us.

Please remember that you can follow MDA all year long at MDA.org and you can find MDA on all the major social networking sites well.

And remember you can donate anytime of year by going to MDA.org whenever you feel like making a donation.

My MDA Telethon Times

As always I am scheduled to appear on this years Telethon. Below are my times:

Sunday September 6th
- 11:50pm

Monday September 7th
- 12:50pm
- 3:10pm
- 5;30pm

And if your not in NY/NJ area you can donate at at www.mda.org


-- Posted from my iPhone

The 2009 MDA Telethon is THIS weekend

Yes it is that time again, the 2009 MDA Telethon has arrived. And for yours truly this will be my 25th Telethon. Over the years I have had the pleasure to work with so many great people; Frankie Avalon, John Tesh, Maureen McGovern and the late-great Sammy Davis Jr.

And this year is no different as I once again get to work with Russ Saulsberg and Giovanna Drpic from NY/NJ's MY9 News and the incomparable Tony Orlando. My very first Telethon was with Tony so it's only right that my 25th be with him as well.

This year will be the same as recent years past as I work behind the scenes with the production crew and present another patient profile that I produced with my friends Brendan and Adam at Plywood Pictures. This years video is on Corey and Eric Ryan, twins from Central Islip, NY who share my idea that we are individuals that happen to have Muscular Dystrophy and that it does not prevent us from living our lives. It will also feature the song "The Days Are Just Packed" by Dame Fortune and look for their album The Secret Art on iTunes.

I'll be hitting the studio tomorrow and will get details as to when I will be appearing on air here in the NY/ NJ area where the 2009 MDA Telethon came be seen on MY9. Once I have my on air schedule I'll post it here.

I'll also be doing updates whenver possible over Twitter and ask that all of you on Twitter help make the Telethon a top trend topic by tweeting #MDATelethon as much as possible this weekend.

For everyone outside the NY/NJ area check you local listings and to make a donation go to www.mda.org.


-- Posted from my iPhone

2009 MDA Telethon Radio Interview

I was up early this morning to do an interview with Chris DeBello about this years MDA Telethon, here’s when and how you can hear it:

This Sunday, September 6th at 7AM

Radio Stations:
WSUS-FM 102.3
WNNJ-FM 103.7
WHCY-FM 106.3
WTOC-AM 1360

It can also be Streamed online and Podcast at www.chrisdebello.com

Make sure you check it out

Zandelle, Ross the Boss and Raven LIVE in NYC

Date:
Friday, August 28, 2009
Time:
8:00pm - 11:55pm
Location:
CLUB EUROPA
Street:
98-104 Meresole, Avenue
City/Town:
Brooklyn, NY

The ultimate summer Metal concert featuring Zandelle, Ross the Boss, and Raven.

All Age Show!!

$20 at the door

Doors open at 8PM
Zandelle hits the stage at 8:30PM

R.A.D. and THOR Karaoke Wheel of Death was a success

Thanks to everyone who came out to the event and those who volunteered. It was a great success and we raised $1,157.

Please keep your eyes and calendars free as we have begun to schedule our next event.

Rock Against Dystrophy

Join me TOMORROW for RAD and THOR'S Karaoke Wheel of Death benefit

Rock Against Dystrophy has teamed up with THOR radio to present the Karaoke Wheel of Death (tm).

Come out to spin and sing for a great cause!

$10 cover; all proceeds benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association

We will have door prizes:
t-shirts, CDs, etc

FREE FOOD

and raffle:

an autographed guitar, signed by ALL members of:
Odd Zero
Borgo Pass
Black Water Rising
Misery
Martyrd
and
God's Green Earth

So come down, take a chance, spin the Wheel, and sing for a great cause!!

Ozzy To Let Loose his Wylde Side??

The big frenzy in the past few weeks has been how rumors are flying that Ozzy Osbourne is looking for a new guitarist to replace Zakk Wylde. The reason this might even be happening is that Ozzy feels that his “stuff is starting to sound like Black Label Society.” And what is making this whole situation worse is that Ozzy is scheduled to play at Blizzcon with Zakk, WTF???

First thing first, Ozzy’s latest albums sound nothing like Black Label Society and vice-versa. Zakk has been Ozzy’s guitarist off and on since the unfortunate death of Randy Rhodes in the 80s and if any band was going to sound like the other you would’ve expected BLS to sound like Ozzy’s stuff when BLS first formed; which they didn’t. As a fan of both Ozzy and BLS I can say that they both have their distinct sounds but with some similarities which are expected. Just like how Bruce Dickenson’s solo albums have similarities to Iron Maiden, when you work with a band for a long time your bound to have some connection in sound but not a direct copy.

Secondly, the fact that Zakk hasn’t even been told this directly from Ozzy is disgusting. Zakk heard about this through to internet. AND has to play a show with Ozzy as if nothing has happened, oh to be a fly on the wall when they see each other. I can only imagine the tension being so thick that you’d need a chainsaw to cut through it.

Personally I see nothing wrong with Ozzy wanting to try out a new guitarist but for the sake of all that’s unholy tell your current guy that he might be replaced instead letting him get blindsided by news on the net. Zakk has every right, in my opinion, to tell Ozzy he quits and let Ozzy go nuts looking for a last minute replacement for Blizzcon. But Zakk won’t do that cause he respects Ozzy much more than Ozzy respects him. Hopefully this all works out for the best on both sides, though I think deep down that Sharon was behind this whole fiasco.

With Blizzcon just around the corner I feel that we’ll have the answer of what Zakk’s future with Ozzy will be.

Rock Against Dystrophy Karaoke Benefit is NEXT SATURDAY 8/15

Rock Against Dystrophy has teamed up with THOR radio to present the Karaoke Wheel of Death (tm).

Come out to spin and sing for a great cause!

$10 cover; all proceeds benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association

We will have door prizes:
t-shirts, CDs, etc

FREE FOOD

and raffle:

an autographed guitar, signed by ALL members of:
Odd Zero
Borgo Pass
Black Water Rising
Misery
Martyrd
and
God's Green Earth

So come down, take a chance, spin the Wheel, and sing for a great cause!!

A Quick Update

Just wanted to put up a quick note to say that things are a bit crazy for me right now but in a good way. My brother, Jay Scorpion, finally came home this week from the hospital. Let the recovery begin in pure metal fashion. Also I have begun my work for this years MDA Labor Day Telethon. My shoot is scheduled for next Thursday and pretty much all is set for that thus far. After that is the Rock Against Dystrophy Karaoke Wheel of Death(tm) on the 15th, I better see the bar full. Your only excuse for not being there is if your not in driving range from NY. After that comes the preparation for the 2009 MDA Labor Day Telethon and then the Telethon itself. As soon as I have information on the studio that the NY segment is at I'll put it up so you can come be part of our live audience. And I will hopefully be getting back to the reviews and promoting the hell out of all the great bands I have on my friendslist. Check them out cause they all rock. And bands remember to keep me updated on anything going on so I can spread the word and keep rock and metal rolling full steam. Keep rockin' people.

Dame Fortune with Steel Panther LIVE

Monday August 24th at 9:30 PM @ The Key Club we'll be playing with the mighty Steel Panther, who for those of you who don't know,are one of the most entertaining live bands you'll ever see. In addition to being great musicians and excellent performers, they are all also hilarious comedians, and their affectionate parody of 80's metal, ensures that the Key Club is packed every Monday night with a crowdmost places would kill for on a Saturday! We have 50 free spots on the guest list, so the first 50 people to e-mail us or call our hotline @213-840-3333 and give us their names will get in FREE. After that, we'll have a limited number of discount tickets for 10 bucks each,and admission is 20.00 at the door. This show is 18 and over. We'll be playing a brand new song at the show. and a song from the new album that only those at the warmup show have ever heard us do live. It's a show so big we had to make 2 flyers for it! See ya there!

Just Say No to Xbox’s Natal

I’ve been a gamer for many years. I got my earliest sore wrists and blistered fingers courtesy of the games on the Commodore 64/128, which is like caveman gaming compared to today’s systems. And I usually welcome and look forward to what comes next for the gaming world; until now. Xbox has hit a nerve with the announcement and introduction of Natal at E3.

For those of you not in the gaming world I’ll give a brief description of what Natal is. Natal is essential a device that will recognize the Xbox user through a camera and will in-turn make the user the control for the system for everything. And while techno-geeks are drooling worldwide at this idea, I am fuming like a volcano.

You see Natal was demonstrated at E3 and designed to be operated by a healthy individual who has no physical limitations. And I am a disabled gamer with limited mobility, like dozens of other disabled gamers, sense yet another part of society forgetting that we are here and part of society. And how many disabled individuals use video games as a means to take part in activities that the disability does not allow them to do in real life. For example; I was always fascinated an intrigued by skateboarding as a kid but because I need a wheelchair meant I could forget about skateboarding. That was until the Tony Hawk series of games was released and, albeit a simulation through, I was able to take part in something I had always wanted to do.

Now I know; but the Wii is motion sensing and isn’t Sony doing their own motion sensing device why are you attacking them? Simple answer is that those are motion sensor gaming through a remote device that in some cases re-act with the slightest flick of the wrist or a simple point and click. Xbox is essential saying with Natal that they could care less about individuals with disabilities or physical limitations. And the last time I checked such an act is against a little piece of legislature known as the American with Disabilities Act which calls for fair and equal treatment of individuals with disabilities. And based on demonstrations of Natal seen at E3 and leaked by gaming companies it’s safe to say that Natal does not treat the disabled gamer fairly and equally by design.

I ask that everyone help spread the word about this in order to get Xbox to rethink and redesign Natal to take all games, healthy and disabled, into consideration. And in the coming weeks and months I will be trying to contact Xbox in the hopes of getting this issue handled. I’ll have updates on this as they happen.

Mongrel LIVE August 1st

Saturday (August 1st) Mongrel is playing a benefit show for the Children's Tumor Foundation at Uncle Eddies right on Salisbury Beach (4 Ocean Front North) in Salisbury, MA. show is ALL AGES, free for 18 and under, suggested donation is $10. there's also food, a bike wash, a motorcycle run, and lots of other bands so please support this great cause and come out to the show.

due to some circumstances beyond our control and shows getting postponed/cancelled this is our last confirmed show until September 5th (New Wave Cafe in Bedford MA) so don't miss out !! yes, this does mean that the RI show this friday, Beverly MA on the 8th and the Jim Rose Show on the 15th have been postponed and we will let you know as soon as we have more info. as always, the most up to date schedule can be found at www.myspace.com/Mongrel

Jamie of AREA 44 sings with KILLCODE

You know it! The uber-talented, rockin' boyz of :::KILLCODE::: have asked me to sing back-up vocals with them at their unplugged gig at Corio, this TUESDAY, 7/28! How fckn cool is THAT??? And it's FREE!!! We hit the stage at midnight, but definitely come early to hang with me, the fellas, and catch some of the other bands that are playing the last Undone @ Corio gig.

It's gonna be a super fun night, and it's my debut singing with :::KILLCODE:::, so I want to see y'all there. But if you can't make it, please log onto www.nycliverock.com to watch live online.

In the iPhone We iTrust

So yours truly has been using the new Apple iPhone 3G S for 3 weeks now and I feel absolutely stupid for hating on the iPhone for so long. Now I had my reason and it was so logical even AT&T sales people agreed. For those of you not in the know, the previous version had a maximum hard drive of 16GB and cost $300 which financial was a joke when you could buy a 30GB iPod for $250 and get a decent phone from any carrier for at least $50 with research. But as with evolution of any kind, advances come in time.

The latest version has a maximum 32GB memory for $300 with a 2-year contract of course, and for those of you who know my love of music you know that I bought this model. But it wasn’t just the financial sense of the newest iPhone that sold me on it at first.

I had all intentions of upgrading to the Blackberry Bold even after I heard the specs on the iPhone 3G S. However it all comes down to me being able to physically use the phone with ease. When I got to the AT&T store I first went to the Blackberry Bold but after a quick look and attempt to use it came down to the buttons being too small. At which point I decided to check out the iPhone. And from the simple fact that even the lightest touch accessed the phone or whatever application you want, sold me on the iPhone. Of course my dumb luck the store was out of the 32GB version and I had to go to the Apple store that was upstairs in the mall to get it, after waiting online for an hour.

And from that moment I became what my brother’s fiancé calls an iWhore. Why am I an iWhore you ask? The answer is simple; it’s that easy to check things in seconds. I immediately downloaded the Facebook, MySpace and Twitter apps and check them all as soon as I get up in the morning. Plus I have access to ALL my e-mails in a touch of a screen. And truth be told unless I want to write a blog or do some other things online, I just run everything through my iPhone. Oh but give me time before I have those things setup on my iPhone if possible.

Now I may be an iWhore but I do have a few issues with the iPhone. First is the fact that you can’t really run multiple applications on it. Yes you can listen to music while doing things like check your mail, play games, or check your social network AND if you use the headset for the phone you can check your mail, and etc. but that’s it. Checking Twitter and you get a text; choose between hitting reply and close Twitter or whatever application your in or ignore the text and go to it when your done. Now you can Jailbreak your iPhone to be able to multi-task but it’s not worth voiding your warranty or worse wrecking for phone to do it.

My other issue is battery life. Yes it has the capability of 30 hours of music play and 10 hours of Wi-Fi internet use but people are utilizing ALL this device has to offer and the battery can drain quicker than you know it. So until they get a longer battery on the iPhone I suggest getting a car charger kit and possibly carrying the USB wire with you so you can charge at any computer if your going to use the iPhone constantly.

Otherwise yours truly is loving his iPhone and will gladly let you call me an iWhore. And for those of you still wondering I say this, my mother had a Motorola Razor for years and swore she’d only upgrade when it was necessary. Well she now has an iPhone, enough said.

Dame Fortune Live August 24th

Help Core Effect win $10,000!

We need your help to win the 89X $10,000 Battle!!! This is the "FINAL" for all the marbles!



Come out to TNT’s this coming Thursday, July 23rd where the 89X "I'm with the band" $10,000 Battle will be decided by a Live Performance where 6 bands will perform for the Grand Prize! Votes at the door and audience participation are most important for us to pull off the win!!! So wear your Core Effect apparel and come prepared to rock out with us!



Online voting starts TODAY at noon!!! If you can't make it to the show then be sure to place an online vote for Core Effect by visiting http://www.myspace.com/89ximwiththeband

You can vote once every Day (every 24 hours from your previous vote per ip address) until Noon on Thursday July 23rd



Thanks so much!





--Show information--

TNT's (89X I'm with the band FINAL)

35101 Harper Avenue, just north of 15 Mile

Clinton Township

Ages 18+

Show starts @ 9:00pm

Vote for RUSTMINE

From RUSTMINE:

We really appreciate this because it will enable Rustmine to get some National exposure on MTV2. (We are broke, so we need every little bit of exposure we can get! HAHA!) If not, I will have to take my shirt off and get on the show "Cops!" and nobody wants that..
You can also go to www.RUSTMINE.com and vote in our "News" section.
Thanks for your time!


Copy and paste this link below to your browser and go to it to vote:


http://www.ourstage.com/play/track/FRZJXHWBSWDS-rustmine-self-destruct

Dame Fortune Live August 24th

Monday August 24th at 9:30 PM @ The Key Club we'll be playing with the mighty Steel Panther, who for those of you who don't know,
are one of the most entertaining live bands you'll ever see. In addition to being great musicians and excellent performers, they are all also
hilarious comedians, and their affectionate parody of 80's metal, ensures that the Key Club is packed every Monday night with a crowd
most places would kill for on a Saturday! We have 50 free spots on the guest list, so the first 50 people to respond to this e-mail or call our
hotline @213-840-3333 and give us their names will get in FREE. After that, we'll have a limited number of discount tickets for 10 bucks each,
and admission is 20.00 at the door. This show is 18 and over.

Maria Kizirian launches More Than A Man website

Hey ladies – do you have a really great guy? If yes, and I HOPE you answered yes, Maria Kizirian has just started a new web site where we women can go brag about our guys.

Go check out http://www.hesmorethanaman.com

Write your story, and also link it to your Facebook or MySpace.

The SOLE purpose of this site is to start a groundswell of appreciation for the great guys that exist all over, but seldom are recognized for what they do.

For the women out there who think that there are no good men left – seeing a site of great guys being touted will give them hope that they don’t have to settle with their idiot BFs.

Pictures of couples whose stories are on the site will be used in the upcoming music video for the theme song, “More Than a Man.”

Since you are lucky enough to have a “more than a man,” go visit this site, and brag about him, and bring all your girlfriends!

Gene Simmons' Message on NEW KISS ALBUM

BEST KISS ALBUM IN 30 YEARS!

Our new album (title of which you'll just have to wait a bit longer for) is just a few steps from being completely done. We're planning on re-visiting one of the eleven songs, to make sure it's gotten everything it deserves. Maybe re-arranging it one last time. Then, time to mix.

The entire writing and recording process of the album harkened back to an earlier, more innocent time. A time that produced albums such as ROCK AND ROLL OVER and LOVE GUN. And, the new songs have that feeling, I have to say.

It all started with a point of view Paul had. The view had to do with ignoring the times, ignoring the critics, not over thinking who and what we are...and that we had nothing to prove to anyone....nothing. We have been releasing albums and touring for 35 years and why wouldn't we want to do an "honest" record. Just do it!!! And, he wanted to produce the album himself!!!

While it's true in the past we had produced KISS records together. And we had both produced other acts outside of KISS. But here was Paul saying he wanted to shoulder the responsibility and burden of steering the good ship KISS on his own.

He was serious. And, I saw it was real. I saw the commitment he was going to make to the album and the band... and I agreed. We all trusted each other and saw the same vision of the band...and perhaps democracy is overrated...and sooner or later, someone had to decide.

And I will tell you here and now, he's done a great job.

The process of writing songs involved both writing separately, but often, in hotel rooms and rehearsal halls, literally starting from scratch and throwing riffs and chords at each other. Then working on melody and lyric...starting alone, then bringing it into the rehearsal halls and even during recording, we would often critique the lyrics all the way down to the last minute.

Tommy really stepped up in the songwriting area....co-wrote some songs with us and actually sings his first song on a KISS album.

Eric, likewise was always encouraging and of course, provided his always dependable bombastic drumming style. But unlike other drummers, Eric is also a great singer. Wait until you hear him tear it up on his lead vocal.

What else, you ask?

Well, Paul and I trade vocals on a few tunes and had a lot to say about each other's songs...

Result? Maybe the best record we've done in 30 years.

Bold statement? You bet.

Wait till you hear it.

GENE



I'm glad to see KISS, my all-time favorite band, getting back to basics for their upcoming studio album. While deep down I wish that it had Ace and Peter on it I am confident in both Tommy and Eric being true to what KISS is all about. Hopefully we don't have to wait too much longer for this album's release and trust that yours truly will have his copy the day of or within days of its release.

A Message from Twisted Sister

Friday, July 3

On the evening of July 2nd, we learned the entire inventory of Disc 1 of Twisted Sister's Stay Hungry 25th Anniversary set has an audio problem. We had originally been told it was limited to a few thousand and had posted a message to our fans immediately as to how to exchange for a replacement CD.

Rhino Records will replace Disc One from the set you purchased. BEGINNING MONDAY MORNING, JULY 6, 10am Pacific Time, please email Dr. Rhino (Dr...Rhino@rhino.com) with TWISTED SISTER as the subject line. You will receive an email back with this message:

Dear Twisted Sister Fan,

Thank you for your email and we apologize for the poor sound on disc one of the Stay Hungry reissue. We currently have corrected replacement discs available. Please reply to this message with your name, shipping address and a digital photo of your disc and/or packaging. If available, please include your receipt in the photo.

Upon receipt of your email, we will send you a replacement disc as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any
questions, please let me know.

Dr. Rhino

PLEASE NOTE: because each email will be each answered individually, UNTIL THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND IS OVER, you will get a message that says this: Dr. Rhino is currently out of the office and will return on Monday, July 6th. Happy 4th of July!

We have also been told that iTunes purchasers may also experience audio difficulties, again, on Disc 1 only. Please email Dr. Rhino for further instructions for credit exchange by putting Twisted Sister iTunes in the subject line.

If you are limited in your technology and cannot send through a scan/snapshot from your phone, camera, etc. of your CD cover and/or receipt, please be prepared to mail a xerox copy of your receipt to Rhino. Again, as each exchange will be handled personally by a Rhino employee, each request will be dealt with personally. Your replacement disc, in a plain slip sleeve will be mailed to you ASAP.

A personal message from Jay Jay:
Twisted Sister fans are among the most dedicated fans in the world. Everything we have ever done has been focused on giving to you, our fans, the highest levels of concert experiences and recorded product. We go to great lengths to produce CDs and DVDs with the sole intent of making our fans happy and proud to say that they are part of the Twisted Sister family.

We spent a full year (and 24 previous years) working towards our ‘Stay Hungry’ reissue. Our goal was to create a truly special event with fan ownership of this package.

To say that the band is upset and disappointed would be the understatement of the year. Please know that we are working through the weekend with Rhino to address this problem.

Ending on a positive Twisted note, please enjoy your holiday weekend. For you overseas fans, simply enjoy your weekend.

Before you leave your computer today, we hope that you’ll click and enjoy our new video for the song, “30,” as much as we enjoyed making it. http:../../..new...music...yahoo...com/..videos/..--217250355

Our dedication to you and your continued support of Twisted Sister continue to be our only focus.
Jay Jay French

Twisted Sister on iLike - Add iLike to your MySpace