Gene Simmons will mentor and jam with campers along with fellow rock star friends at Rock And Roll Fantasy Camp, offering an opportunity of a lifetime at its Las Vegas studios. The camp will also feature Tommy Thayer (KISS), Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW), Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL), David Ellefson (MEGADETH).
Together alongside Simmons, they will help musicians of all levels form bands, learn or perfect their knowledge of an instrument, write and record a song. The four-day camp will culminate with a live performance at House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas March 27-30, 2014. This March marks Simmons’ return to Rock And Roll Fantasy Camp for the first time since October 2012.
“Mentoring adult and young rockers at the Fantasy Camp has always been an amazingly rewarding experience for me,” said Simmons. “I enjoy teaching and handing over lessons I’ve learned from the business to musicians and upcoming talent.”
Space for Rock And Roll Fantasy Camp is extremely limited.
To sign up or for more information, call (888) Roc-Band.
INAUGURAL RELEASE THIS JANUARY FROM CANADIAN TRIO SIERRA
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Dec. 11, 2013, Savannah, GA – Kylesa (Phillip Cope, Laura Pleasants and Carl McGinley II) launch Retro Futurist Records in January with the Jan. 28th release of Canadian prog trio Sierra’s album Pslip.
“The idea behind Retro Futurist Records is to provide an artist-friendly home to bands we like and bands we feel are relevant in aesthetic, sound, concept and/or ethics,” explained Pleasants.Dec. 11, 2013, Savannah, GA – Kylesa (Phillip Cope, Laura Pleasants and Carl McGinley II) launch Retro Futurist Records in January, with the Jan. 28th release of Canadian prog trio Sierra’s album Pslip.
The first release to come from the Savannah-based label is a vinyl release of Sierra’s debut album Pslip. The Kitchener prog trio will join Kylesa for a leg of the band’s European tour (Jan. 19 to Feb. 2). Pslip was produced by Cope and recently described by Caught in the Carousel as “so wrought with high-octane power, crunching riffs, catchy melodies, and good old-fashioned rock and roll that you’ll want to hear it over and over again.”
Retro Futurist is offering music lovers a six-month vinyl subscription series, which includes Sierra’s aforementioned release as well as original albums from Jagged Vision, Darkentries,Wet Socks as well as subscriber only collectibles including a Kylesa 7” (hand-printed and numbered), a Retro Futurist t-shirt by Santos as well as a mystery 7”. More information is available here:
On July 2nd, 2013, Herman Rarebell & Friends – Acoustic Fever was released via MFP Music Production. This legendary and (ex) Scorpions drummer, Herman Rarebell, will always be placed high atop a tier of excellence, for me! It’s a nifty lineup of legendary Heavy Rock vocalists that join Herman Rarebell on this fantastic album too! With Gary Barden (MSG), Tony Martin (Black Sabbath), Don Dokken, Paul Shortino (King Kobra, Rough Cutt), Doogie White (Rainbow) and more joining Herman Rarebell for some acoustic ear candy.
One legendary vocalist I’m happy to see make an appearance on this album is Jack Russell. The legendary founding member and (former) frontman of Great White excels vocally on this acoustic track: Don’t Make No Promises. With his Jack Russell’s Great White steadfastly marching on, Jack Russell has proven he’s never left the building!
Take a listen below for yourself… and know that… Don’t Take No Promises with Jack Russell, Robby Lochner and Herman Rarebell is:
Stone’s METAL Pick Of The Day!
Metal be thy name.
* You can order the MP3 album of Herman Rarebell & Friends by clicking the link below! Whoa!
December 10, 2013 – Hey, did you hear that Louis St. August, the longtime front-man for rockers MASS, was invited into Tom Scholz of BOSTON studio to sing on the new single “Heaven on Earth” that hit #3 on the Classic Rock Charts last week!
St. August, a longtime front-man for the band MASS said, “I was thrilled to be asked to sing a song on BOSTON’s first studio album in 11 years, “Life Love & Hope” (Available now!) St. August contributes his signature polished metal voice on back-up harmonies on the Scholz penned and produced single.
Louis St. August
WBCN radio personality Mark Parenteau, who conducted the very first on-the-air radio interview with St August, listened to “Heaven on Earth” last night and commented exclusively to the Boston Globe Names column: “Wow instantly comfortable! Like a new visit from an old friend. Indeed the song lives up to its name!!”
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While the band MASS is gearing up for the recording studio and live shows in 2014, St. August is once again raising funds for Toys For Tots as he has annually since 2011. His heartfelt rendition of the David Foster classic, “Grown Up Christmas List” that appears on MASS “A Very Merry X-MASS” 2 song EP is available exclusively on iTunes. All proceeds go to the “Toys For Tots” organization. “No child should go without a gift on Christmas Morning,” said St. August.
Photo credit: Danielle de Picciotto and Elizabeth Gregory
Left to right: Alexander Hacke, Duane Denison, Brian Kotzur
MEMBERS OF TOMAHAWK, EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBATEN AND THE SILVER JEWS CREATE INSTRUMENTAL TRIO
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Dec. 9, 2013, San Francisco – The Unsemble, a new trio from members of Tomahawk, Einstürzende Neubaten and the Silver Jews, issue their self-titled debut album on March 3 via Ipecac Recordings.
“We wanted to work on something that was typically not what we do,” Denison, explained in a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone. “Something that’s not so rock and riff-based and overdriven in that way.”
The Unsemble, a 15-song collection recorded in Denison’s adopted hometown of Nashville, meets the legendary Jesus Lizard guitar player’s hopes of a more organic feel with the band effortlessly volleying between careful compositions and improvisation. The result is an album that is experimental, clever and inclusive of numerous subgenres and cultures.
We’re excited to have the creative genius of Paul Stanley behind these key elements. You’re going to love the flame designs incorporated into our jersey this season! We’ll share this as soon as it’s finalized or we may unveil these on a special date in January, more to come! For our helmet, we’re speaking with a variety of companies to incorporate a chroming process into a design that will pull our overall look together with some flair, a lot of flair. It’s KISS after all.
RED DRAGON CARTEL TO RELEASE THEIR SELF-TITLED DEBUT VIA FRONTIERS RECORDS
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RED DRAGON CARTEL – The ultra legendary guitarist Jake E. Lee is back!! His new band is Red Dragon Cartel and The Metal Gods have answered the cries of countless Heavy Metal and Hard Rock fans across the globe! I couldn’t be more excited for a new album release in 2014 than with this self-titled debut album from Red Dragon Cartel! Below, please find the official press release for Red Dragon Cartel’s debut album; plus the official lyric video for Feeder, which features the legendary Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) on vocals! Metal be thy name! – Stone
Red Dragon Cartel And The Feeder Lyric Video = Stone’s METAL Pick Of The Day!
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Red Dragon Cartel – Official Press Release:
The newest band ready to take aim at the creative void in the hard rock world, Red Dragon Cartel, are set to release their debut album via Frontiers Records. The self-titled debut by the band, made up of guitar legend Jake E. Lee, bassist Ronnie Mancuso, singer D.J. Smith and drummer Jonas Fairley is set for release on January 28th. Jake E. Lee is best known for his work in Badlands and as guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne on Bark at the Moon and The Ultimate Sin albums.
Red Dragon Cartel also features various guest appearances from some of music’s most notable faces, including legendary Cheap Trick vocalist Robin Zander, original Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno, Kill Devil Hill/Pantera bassist Rex Brown, Slash’s Conspirators Todd Kearns and Brent Fitz and In This Moment front woman MariaBrink. The album was produced by Ronnie Mancuso and Jake E. Lee and was executive produced, mixed and mastered by Kevin Churko (In This Moment, Ozzy Osbourne, Five Finger Death Punch).
From the opening riff of “Deceived” to final sustained piano chord of “Exquisite Tenderness,” it is clear Red Dragon Cartel has created an album that stands amongst some of the greatest hard rock albums of all time. Infectious songs such as “Shout It Out,” “Wasted” and “Slave” showcase the band’s ability to write memorable hooks and vocal melodies. Robin Zander of Cheap Trick lends his voice to the track “Feeder.” Maria Brink of In This Moment lends her unique vocals to the track “Big Mouth.” Paul Di’Anno and Sass Jordan also lend their talents to the band’s debut. Jake E. Lee’s trademark playing style instantly shines through and picks up right where he left off.
Now this will be some Heavy Rockin’ party… Metal be thy name!
On March 28th, 2014, KIX and FIREHOUSE will be Rocking out for the MORC Pre-Cruise Party at Magic City Casino, in Miami, Florida!
The KIX OFF PARTY!!
FULL DETAILS COMING!
In celebration of the release The Chairman Special Edition EP from Swedish fuzz rock contingent, TRUCKFIGHTERS, today the gatekeepers at Blow the Scene offer up a stream of “Monte Gargano” alongside a killer photo set of the band demolishing Philadelphia last August, courtesy of Useless Rebel Imaging.
To hear TRUCKFIGHTERS is to hear the sounds of the desert; it’s in their wide open expanses, grand open grooves and dust-caked metal riffs. Falling somewhere between Fu Manchu and Queens Of The Stone Age, TRUCKFIGHTERS are a band bred on the California badlands, on sprawling vistas and parched wilderness. The dynamic trio however hails from Örebro. Unafraid to plough their own furrow, TRUCKFIGHTERS have forged ahead and spend months on the road touring the world.
Closing in on four-hundred gigs across four continents (Europe, Australia, South America and North America), being in front of crowds, sweat-sodden and crazed is where they are happiest. Commended by Terrorizer for, “putting more rock energy into a single performance than a good proportion of bands do into a career’s worth of shows…,” a TRUCKFIGHTERS performance is a wild, free-form, charged affair.
With that in mind, Last Hurrah Records brings fans The Chairman Special Edition EP. Delivering over thirty minutes of pure power fuzz, the EP features the title track (“The Chairman,” to be featured on the band’s forthcoming 2014 full-length) plus three live tunes – “Desert Cruiser,” “Monte Gangano,” and “Traffic” – all recorded while on tour in Australia. Presented at 45 RPM for best sound quality on a multi-colored vinyl 12-inch, The Chairman Special Edition EP comes in a full-color sleeve and jacket limited to 500 copies worldwide and only available from Last Hurrah Records. The jacket cover artwork has spot UV gloss, spot PMS, and silver metallic ink designed by artist Lindsey Kuhn and comes in two different vinyl colors: Desert Sunset and Desert Sunrise, each a mix of opaque and translucent colors (250 of each color).
Order your copy of The Chairman Special EP courtesy of Last Hurrah Records at THIS LOCATION!
Critical Praise:
“TRUCKFIGHTERS blast your ears with their unique take on modern rock.” – Metal Hammer
“…The power and charm to make society grind to a halt…” – Kerrang!!!
SLEDD – Guitarist Kevin Michael entered DHL Studios in California this week with Producer/Engineer Don Lithgow to track guitars for the upcoming SLEDD release ‘Get Rich Quick Scheme’. Checkout what Kevin has to say…
‘Get Rich Quick Scheme’ is due out 1st Qtr of 2014 on HighVolMusic. As previously reported, SLEDD recently signed a mulit-album deal with the Baltimore based record label HighVolMusic. More information or to listen to new streaming tracks from SLEDD, checkout www.highvolmusic.com.
The two-hour sketch comedy show-meets-concert film builds upon and punctuates the multimedia format of the band’s live performances with skits from the stable of Puscifer characters such as Billy D, Hildy and Major Douche woven into the performance footage of the Maynard James Keenan led quintet. A trailer for the film is available here: http://youtu.be/8CxcvzKQbrI.
“Being surrounded by so many talented and creative people is an endless source of inspiration. This film only scratches the surface of how deep our proverbial rabbit hole goes. What Is… Puscifer is meant to conjure as many questions as it answers,” explained Maynard James Keenan. An accompanying soundtrack is available for pre-order via iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/what-is…-live/id734031233.
Puscifer’s concerts have been praised for their out-of-the-box take on what a live performance can be, with the Orange County Register saying “the production… matters as much as the music” and describing the event as “a thought-provoking, senses-jabbing statement on a variety of topics.” The Dallas Morning News called the evening “an idiosyncratic experience” while the Austin Chronicle referred to the concert as a “multimedia prop dramedy.”
Also coming from Puscifer this fall is a limited edition Black Friday (Nov. 29) release titled: Puscifer’s 8-Ball Bail Bonds – The Berger Barns Live In Phoenix. The nine-song live album will be available on red vinyl at independent record stores nationwide.
Here are the latest KISS action figures from the Figures Toy Company. These Dressed to Kill figures will be released in about three weeks.
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Stone Says: Metal be thy name!! I just don’t have enough loot to keep up with my KISS Kollectibles collection! These KISSDressed To Kill action figures are very cool too. I do own a few of the KISS McFarlane (Toys) action figures from years back; as well I have the KISS (Super Stars) mini action figures, which were released in the last few years. I wish I owned the first line of KISS (Mego) action figures from the 70’s! Whoa.
As reported on the STRYPER Facebook page, November 15th:
We’d like to point out some amazing numbers that just blow our minds, to you this morning. This page just hit 155,000 likes! In it’s first week of release, No More Hell To Pay was #2 on the Contemporary Christian Albums, #3 on the Current Hard Music Albums, #3 on the Top Hard Music Albums, #3 on the Billboard Top Christian/Gospel Albums, #6 on the Top Current Rock Albums, #33 on the Billboard Top 200 Current Albums and #35 on the Billboard Top 200!
The Live CD/DVD Recording at the Legendary Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles on November 16th is SOLD OUT! The video for NMHTP has over 199,000 views in less than a month. The video for Sympathy has over 71,000 views in less than 2 weeks. Plus, we just announced the special 77 hours sale for those who haven’t gotten the new album on our website. You can get the CD, or order multiple copies to give to others for just $7.77 each. We just want to say that STRYPER Fans ROCK! We are overwhelmed and blessed by all of you! Be watching for more announcements in the next few days and weeks. By His Strypes We Are Healed!
If you’re a band or musician and would like your music reviewed or be interviewed by Stone, please click the link under the “ALBUM REVIEWS ARCHIVES” section below!
Metal Odyssey's Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Hall of Fame! These Are The Rock And METAL Legends Wrongfully Ignored By "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame"
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
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