Away Team

This month’s JAMMIT featured tracks come from guitar virtuoso, Steve Vai and legendary progressive masterminds, RUSH with their epic 2112 masterpiece in its entirety.

Jammit is the first music software solution that eliminates the annoying “stop, play, rewind” method of learning your favorite songs. Jammit® is more than just a cool app that separates the instruments that you want to hear from within the mix of your favorite songs, it’s also the source of the most accurate transcriptions in the world. Jammit® unlocks the secrets that are hidden in the mix so you can learn to play exactly what was recorded with unique offerings for guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and vocals.

Jammit’s patented variable timing technology provides easy, snap-to-grid looping for repeating and perfecting difficult sections. Meticulous note-for-note transcriptions in standard notation and tablature are derived from the isolated tracks providing a level of accuracy previously unavailable anywhere. The amazing variable speed feature allows users to slow down any part of a song without affecting the pitch, making the most complex musical performances easier to master.

Jammit® offers a diverse selection of the greatest artists including Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, Three Days Grace, Slayer, Rob Zombie, Nickelback, AFI, Yes, Mötley Crüe, Pantera, and many more. Visit http://jammit.com/ for a complete listing of current and upcoming artists. JAMMIT® is a must-have for every level of musician and singer from beginner to the accomplished professional.

Jammit® releases new tracks daily on Twitter and Facebook , follow us and find out what’s coming out tomorrow!

Jammit® is currently available for the iphone, ipod touch and ipad with Android and desktop versions coming soon.

MACHINE HEAD

UNTO THE LOCUST

Roadrunner Records

10 out of 10

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the album of the year. Your search is over. Just give in to the monstrosity that is Unto The Locust, declare the search for 2011’s #1 album over, crank it to eleven, and behold the majesty that is Machine Head. You’ll thank me later.

Ok, now that the dick sucking is out of the way, let’s get to the real meat of this album. It. Fucking. Shreds.

Machine Head have outdone themselves and have achieved a feat I didn’t think they could do, and that is follow up their best album ever, The Blackening, with what is arguably without a doubt their best album ever.

Welcome to Unto The Locust. The opening 3 part song I Am Hell sets the tone and raises the bar for Machine Head once again. Less than halfway through the eight and a half minute opus your hair is blown back, your dick has been knocked into the dirt and the massive riffs and monster drum sound pummels you into submitting to the notion that there is nothing out there that can possibly compete with Machine Head today. Their finest showing so far in a storied career and we’re only three minutes into the damned album.

The harmonies in the chorus of Be Still And Know will raise the hairs on your arms and the back of your neck, as the solo kicks in and knocks your teeth down your throat. You are now deep in the embrace and holy shit, hello twin guitar solo. There are so many styles of guitar bursting all over this album it is hard to keep up. You’ve read the interviews, and you’ve heard that Robb even took guitar lesson recently to be able to play parts of this album he had already written but couldn’t play properly, or as well as he wanted. In one song alone, you have the modern thrash high toned, thin guitar sound prevalent through most of the verses, then the break down goes into dual guitar wielding solo of the classic NWOBHM style of Maiden and Priest, there’s even some good old chugga-chugga-chugga of Prog Metal thrown in to temper the whole thing. Again, we’re talking all of this in one song. And we’re not talking St. Anger kitchen sink riffs here, we’re talking a madly cohesive sound tinged with a schizophrenic touch of multiple guitar styles to flavor the song, not to saturate and lose focus within (ala St. Anger).

Machine Head may well be the one band that can take Modern Thrash, Blast Beats, NWOBHM twin guitar solos, acoustic, melodic, Prog, and weave them in and out of each of their songs without losing the plot or seeming to be truly skitzo and jumbled. Their first single Locust starts out a bit … eh… But when it gets to the acoustic breakdown and Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel trading off on the guitar solo it pushes itself into contention for the strongest track off the album.

I am trying not to go song by song here but as each new song starts, I can’t help but … The acoustic intro to This Is The End going into the hyper guitar riff sends chills down my spine. The hyper-frenetic tempo will snap necks live.

Darkness Within… Three Days Grace? Emo Metal? It works, but pushing that Emo Metal thing a little close. They close the album out with Darkness Within in acoustic form, so I wonder how that will come out. I will say this: Machine Head has never had better guitar solos. Ever. Halfway through the album and every solo is epic! And Darkness Within goes from Emo Metal to Death, to Thrash, and back to Emo. Incredible really. Again, this isn’t hodgepodged, this isn’t piecemeal, this is great song craftsmanship.

And welcome to the traditional Bay Area Thrash epicness that is the opening of Pearls Before The Swine. Harkening back to Testament and Exodus, Pearls runs right through the heart of the Traditional Bay Area Thrash sound.

The children’s choir at the beginning of Who We Are is disconcerting at best. The Beast of Machine Head behind them, it must strike fear into the hearts of soccer moms and t-ball dads all over. And this slightly anthemic ditty closes out the regular version of Unto The Locust. Again, I have to bring up the solos, from a classical Prog sounding chugga chugga to twin guitar thrash, Phil and Robb have outdone themselves. If Unto The Locust is recognized for anything, it must be for the outstanding guitar solos that run consistently through the album. Every song is given an unforgettable solo that is completely unique to itself.

The expanded version (which includes a DVD) has three extra songs on it. The Sentinel, Witch Hunt and the acoustic version of Darkness Within.

The Sentinel is a cover of the classic Judas Priest song. And the beginning is spot on. A great cover. The band keeps it close to the original, the vocals are awesome. Flynn has a great voice but no one can properly cover Halford (save Tim Owens). They do deviate from the original on the guitar solos, but they manage to come up with some great stuff that fits the song just fine. This is where Machine Head add their own touch to the song.

Witch Hunt sees Machine Head taking on the stylings of none other than Rush. Not being a Rush fan, I can’t tell you how it stacks up to the original, and I’m not about to go find out. (Hello cowbell!!!!!) It is an odd choice at first listen. I mean you can totally see in your mind’s eye Machine Head rocking out the Judas Priest, and maybe a certain Rush song here or there, but Witch Hunt musically doesn’t quite fit them, or vice versa maybe. Not that they are not musically capable of covering Rush, Machine Head is quite adept musicianship wise to do so, but the song itself doesn’t sound like a Machine Head song. And this may be why they chose it. It doesn’t fit the feel of the rest of the album however. Again, even The Sentinel stands up to the rest of the original Machine Head works on Unto The Locust, but Witch Hunt just seems a bit out of place here.

Which leaves us with Darkness Within the acoustic version. And I can happily say that the acoustic version removes the Emo Metal feel of the first part of the song. And it works well acoustically so far.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Machine Head’s Unto The Locust. My current (and most likely final) pick for Best Album of 2011. You cannot go wrong by running out and grabbing this immediately. You must not miss out on this masterpiece of metal.

Go HERE and purchase it right now. Go on, you know you want to. You NEED this album. You do. Trust, you do.









For more Machine Head click here.

The inaugural 48 Hours Festival Powered by Rockstar Energy Drink, the ultimate rock and roll music event scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15 and Sunday, Oct. 16, is offering fans the opportunity to win an exclusive weekend concert experience with the “Debauchery VIP Package.” To enter to win, visit http://48hoursfestival.com/48hrs-festival-flyaway/. The winner and a guest will be flown to Las Vegas and receive:

• Two-day Debauchery VIP ticket to 48 Hours Festival with exclusive VIP entrance
• Access to Debauchery VIP Party Tent with discounted beer and drink specials
• 48 Hours Festival Limited Edition T-Shirt and collectible souvenir ticket
• Official Debauchery VIP Laminate

Located on the Luxor Festival Fairgrounds across the street from Luxor Hotel and Casino, 48 Hours Festival will feature two stages of pure rock with a royal flush of festivities at various Las Vegas locations spanning the entire weekend. Along with scheduled performances by Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Godsmack, Five Finger Death Punch, Three Days Grace and many more, the festival also will feature multiple big air freestyle motocross jump shows by the Rockstar Metal Militia daily. In addition, the 48 Hours Festival is holding various contests to win “Survival Kits” from bands performing at the festival through its Facebook page.

The countdown to 48 Hours Festival begins Friday, Oct. 14 with a kick-off party at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino featuring Steel Panther. On Saturday, Oct. 15 and Sunday, Oct. 16, concertgoers can continue raging at the official after-party at the House of Blues. In addition, Korn’s Jonathan Davis will DJ a Sunday morning Hangover Brunch at Mandalay Bay.

Two-day weekend ticket packages start at $99 and can be purchased at www.48HoursFestival.com/tickets/. In addition, a limited number of once-in-a-lifetime exclusive VIP packages are available including the “All Excess – Cabanas” package featuring a full-service cabana with premium elevated sight lines. For additional information and discount hotel packages at Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur, visit www.48HoursFestival.com.

Bands confirmed for 48 HOURS FESTIVAL:
Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Godsmack, Five Finger Death Punch, Three Days Grace, Seether, Bullet For My Valentine, Hollywood Undead, Sick Puppies, Escape The Fate, Sevendust, Hatebreed, Adelitas Way, Rev Theory, 10 Years, Black Tide, Art of Dying, Eyes Set to Kill, Butcher Babies, Valora, Hell or Highwater, Orange Blossom Special

The annual Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival returns August 26 through October 15 to conquer North America with a massive active rock lineup. Leading the charge is multi-platinum headliner Avenged Sevenfold, making their triumphant return after co-headlining the 2010 debut Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival.

Three Days Grace, Seether and Bullet For My Valentine, along with Escape The Fate will also be featured on this year’s main stage. The touring music and lifestyle festival–which Revolver called “one of the most electric tours of the year” in 2010–also includes the Best Buy Music Gear Stage headliners Sevendust, as well as Black Tide, Art Of Dying and The Black Cloud Collective.

“When we started hearing from our fans they wanted to see us back on UPROAR this year, we thought, last year was a blast so let’s do it again. The fans are crazy and the bands kick ass,” says Avenged Sevenfold‘s frontman M. Shadows. “We’re spending the first half of summer playing some big European festivals so we’re going to be ready to get back home and play America’s top rock festival.”

“We’re thrilled to have Avenged Sevenfold back as headliners,” adds tour producers John Reese and John Oakes. “Their epic stage show helped elevate UPROAR 2010 far beyond the standard outdoor festival. The fans wanted more, and we listened.”

For more Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival click here.

Band performance times have been announced for the first annual Carolina Rebellion at Metrolina Expo in Charlotte, NC on Saturday, May 7. 30,000 fans will converge at Carolina Rebellion for a full day of non-stop rock, featuring performances from hard hitting rock artists Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack, Three Days Grace, Stone Sour, Seether, Bullet For My Valentine, Theory of a Deadman, Alter Bridge, Hinder, Skillet, Saving Abel, Halestorm, Black Stone Cherry, My Darkest Days, Cavo, Rev Theory, Pop Evil, Art Of Dying and Drop D. The box office opens at 9:30 AM and doors open at 11:00 AM. Music begins at 11:30 AM and wraps at 11:50 PM.

Band performance times are as follows (set times subject to change):

Monster Energy Carolina Stage
12:20 PM Cavo
1:50 PM Halestorm
3:30 PM Skillet
5:20 PM Bullet For My Valentine
7:10 PM Seether
8:45 PM Three Days Grace
10:45 PM Avenged Sevenfold

Monster Energy Rebellion Stage
11:50 AM My Darkest Days
1:20 PM Saving Abel
2:50 PM Hinder
4:40 PM Alter Bridge
6:30 PM Theory of a Deadman
7:50 PM Stone Sour
9:40 PM Godsmack

JägermeisterStage
11:30 AM Drop D
12:50 PM Art Of Dying
2:20 PM Pop Evil
4:10 PM Black Stone Cherry
6:00 PM Rev Theory

Metrolina Expo is centrally located off of Interstate 77, between Interstates 85 and 485, just north of downtown Charlotte. For directions to the site, please visit www.carolinarebellion.com.

Carolina Rebellion is proud to be sponsored by Monster Energy, Jägermeister and f.y.e. – for your entertainment, and is produced by Right Arm Entertainment and AEG Live, the same team that produces the highly successful Rock On The Range in Columbus, OH.

For more CAROLINA REBELLION click here.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD

Photos by Marcy Royce

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MY DARKEST DAYS
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Rams Head Live – Baltimore, MD

Photos by Marcy Royce.

Ever since their red-hot, feel good, systematic single, “Porn Star Dancing” was released last fall, MY DARKEST DAYS has intrigued me. I’ve been going back and forth on the cd with regards to lyrics, music and arrangement. Listening and analyzing. Then when their second single “Move Your Body” was released earlier this year, radio airplay made me take a better look at these Canadian rockers. I headed right to Best Buy and purchased my copy of their debut cd.

A favorite venue of mine that is always on my radar to watch for upcoming shows is Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore, MD. When I saw the announcement that MY DARKEST DAYS had been scheduled, I immediately felt the need to see these guys live for the first time. I needed to see if they were more than what I first imagined they would be. Read on to see just how I now feel.

The crowd was immense when I cruised  in to Ram’s Head. Already the main area was jam packed, revved up, and ready to rock out. And as I looked up and around to the second and third floors, they were also filled to the gills. Fans pressed their bodies up to the railings to be as close as they could to see rockers MY DARKEST DAYS and THREE DAYS GRACE. And for this girl, nothing gets me even more excited than knowing I’m going to receive some of that energy from the crowd as it passes to the stage and back to the crowd. A thrill, a rush, much like that first jolt from an energy drink.  I had begun to tingle with anticipation.

And off we went! MY DARKEST DAYS streamed onto the stage one by one to the almost deafening screams of the crowd. As I raised my camera to my eye, there he was filling every inch of my viewfinder, Matt Walst, lead vocals and rhythm guitarist. Holy shit, the set launched like a rocket with the first song of the night, “Save Me”. Those first chords of the bass set me up for what was to be a shocker. On the cd this song is melodic, rhythmic and a very good listen. However, live it is a totally different story. With the emotion of each member added to the lyrics and music, it just made this song skyrocket to a different level. I love this song live.

Next up was “Stutter” and “Every Lie”. Now “Every Lie” is a pop-riddled song peppered with rock riffs and licks. Not one of the best songs on the cd. However they pulled it off much better live than I expected. Bassist Brendan McMillian was in constant motion making it hard for me to capture his energy in a still photo. HA HA! Sal Costa is one of those lead guitarists that just makes you watch and not be able to look away. I was positioned in front of him for the latter half of “Every Lie”. I love his voice, his range and his presentation. He’s one of those guys I would love to interview some day. He just oozes with a feeling that makes me want to learn more about him and MY DARKEST DAYS.

The remainder of the setlist was: Jam, Move Your Body, Come Undone (Duran Duran cover), Fucked Up Situation and to the delight of all the fans, Porn Star Dancing.

“Move Your Body” is a lyrically weak song made for a sex set-up, but it is musically strong. Very foot-tapping, body-moving and a feeling good kinda mood song. I found myself bouncing around.  “Come Undone” was covered surprisingly well live. And many rockers in attendance who lived through the 80’s hair band days were singing along and enjoying the song. And of course, the only song they could close the set with would be “Porn Star Dancing”. Holy shit. The crowd went wild! And from where I was standing the crowd sing-a-long level was about equal to the stage level. Awesome! Gave me tingles.

As you can see the theme of the night for MY DARKEST DAYS was SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE. I wasn’t planning to be blown away, but they delivered the goods and made me take notice. They are most assuredly a band to see live before you discount them as unworthy. They are not the best of their genre, but I’m sure they will be rising through the ranks as time goes by and they release a few more cds. Their debut has its merits but it’s not earth shattering. I believe they have more in them that needs to come out. I think they played it safe on this release. I yearn to see more from them. Especially with having the likes of Chad Kroeger involved.

I will anxiously await the next cd, whenever that may be. In the meantime, go check out their site www.mydarkestdays.com for tour information, videos, photos and extras.

Special thanks and a shout out to Bonnie McGrew with Chief Music Management for making this opportunity happen for me and the Away-Team.

Although the first annual Carolina Rebellion is still over a month away, tickets have already sold out.

30,000 fans will converge at Carolina Rebellion at Metrolina Expo in Charlotte, NC on Saturday, May 7 for a full day of non-stop rock, featuring performances from hard hitting rock artists Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack, Three Days Grace, Stone Sour, Seether, Bullet For My Valentine, Theory of a Deadman, Alter Bridge, Hinder, Skillet, Saving Abel, Halestorm, Black Stone Cherry, My Darkest Days, Cavo, Rev Theory, Pop Evil, Art Of Dying and D2. The festival will feature some of today’s biggest rock acts on three stages, with the main stage presented by Monster Energy.

Metrolina Expo is centrally located off of Interstate 77, between Interstates 85 and 485, just north of downtown Charlotte. For directions to the site, please visit www.carolinarebellion.com.

Carolina Rebellion is proud to be sponsored by Monster Energy, Jägermeister and f.y.e. – for your entertainment, and is produced by Right Arm Entertainment and AEG Live, the same team that produces the highly successful Rock On The Range in Columbus, OH.

Carolina Rebellion would like to thank its media partners, sponsors and “Rebels” for already making the inaugural event a success.

For more CAROLINA REBELLION click here.

Welsh rock band Bullet For My Valentine will return to the U.S. in May. The foursome will hit the road with Avenged Sevenfold and label mates Three Days Grace on a 18-date trek that kicks off on May 3 in Springfield, MA at the Mass Mutual Center. Halestorm will also be supporting on a few select dates at the end of the tour.

Recently Bullet For My Valentine delivered a deluxe CD/DVD edition of their third full-length album Fever titled Fever Tour Edition, which was released February 15 on Jive Records.

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE TOUR DATES:
May 3 Springfield, MA Mass Mutual Center
May 4 Rochester, NY Water Street Music Hall
May 6 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
May 7 Charlotte, NC Metrolina Trade Show Expo
May 9 Orlando, FL UCF Arena
May 10 Pensacola, FL Pensacola Civic Center
May 11 Lafayette, LA Cajundome
May 13 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre
May 14 Wichita, KS Intrust Bank Arena
May 15 Indianola, IA National Balloon Classic Field
May 17 Lubbock, TX LoneStar Amphitheatre
May 18 San Antonio, TX Alamodome
May 19 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre @ Grand Prairie
May 21 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE (Indoor Stage)*
May 22 Columbus, OH Columbus Crew Stadium* (Rock on the Range)
May 24 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club *#
May 25 Providence, RI Lupo’s *#
May 26 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom *#

* Avenged Sevenfold and Three Days Grace not playing
# Halestorm supporting









For more BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE click here.

From Pollstar.com:

The CAROLINA REBELLION has been announced for May 7th at the Charlotte North Carolina Metrolina Expo, Carolina Rebellion will feature performances by Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack, Three Days Grace, Stone Sour, Seether, Bullet For My Valentine, Theory Of A Deadman, Alter Bridge, Hinder, Skillet, Saving Abel, Halestorm, Black Stone Cherry, My Darkest Days, Cavo, Rev Theory, Pop Evil and Art Of Dying with more acts to be announced.

All those bands will rock Charlotte from two main stages sponsored by Monster Energy, while the festival itself is sponsored by Jägermeister and the F.Y.E. chain of entertainment stores and is co-produced by Right Arm Entertainment and AEG Live.
Fans will have the chance to snatch up tickets for just under $50 dollars once the onsale begins. But that price will be available for only a limited time, so you need to move fast.

Tickets for the general admission festival go on sale Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. EST and start at $49.50 for a limited time. VIP packages, which include hotel rooms, are also available in three exciting flavors, Silver, Gold and Platinum. For more information, visit CarolinaRebellion.com.

Buckcherry have released a new live video — From The Bus To The Stage…Oh My Lord/Dead Fan Video on Buckcherry.com. The video features footage of the band filmed over a 4-day period set to the songs “Oh My Lord” and “Dead.”

Produced specially with their fans in mind, this is the first time in Buckcherry‘s career that the band has allowed cameras to follow them so intimately, sharing with their fans everything that happens on the road. During the live footage of “Dead,” the production crew shot extremely close to the band so viewers could have the experience of what it’s like to be on stage with Buckcherry.

Backstage footage was shot between the locations of Baltimore, Cherokee, NC, and Indianapolis, giving fans an exclusive behind the scenes opportunity to experience the band up close and personal. Live footage was shot mostly at Power Plant Live in Baltimore, MD and is one of the few times the band has allowed cameras to shoot them prior to going onstage and backstage.

Both “Dead” and “Oh My Lord” are featured on Buckcherry’s latest album, All Night Long, available at iTunes and Amazon.

Watch From The Bus To The Stage…Oh My Lord/Dead Fan Video at Buckcherry.com and then experience the band in the flesh along their tour dates with Nickelback and Three Days Grace:
Sept 21 – HSBC Arena – Buffalo, NY
Sept 22 – Times Union Center – Albany, NY
Sept 24 – Comcast Center for the Performing Arts – Mansfield, MA
Sept 25 – Hersheypark Stadium – Hershey, PA
Sept 28 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
Sept 29 – Izod Center – East Rutherford, NJ
Oct 01 – Nationwide Arena – Columbus, OH
Oct 02 – Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, OH
Oct 08 – Rupp Arena – Lexington, KY
Oct 10 – Verizon Arena – Little Rock, AR
Oct 12 – New Orleans Arena – New Orleans, LA
Oct 15 – Cynthia W. Mitchell Pavilion – Spring, TX
Oct 16 – Ford Center – Oklahoma City, OK
Oct 18 – Pepsi Center – Denver, CO
Oct 20 – Energy Solution Arena – Salt Lake City, UT
Oct 22 – Honda Center – Anaheim, CA
Oct 23 – Arco Arena – Sacramento, CA
Oct 26 – Sleep Train Pavilion – Concord, CA
Oct 27 – Save Mart Center – Fresno, CA
Oct 29 – Cricket Wireless Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ
Oct 30 – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Las Vegas, NV

For more BUCKCHERRY click here.

Buckcherry hit the road with Nickelback and Three Days Grace on September 14 in Nashville and will conclude the fall tour on October 30 in Las Vegas. Tickets available at www.LiveNation.com.

TOUR DATES Buckcherry Nickelback and Three Days Grace
Sept 14 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
Sept 15 – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum – Ft. Wayne, IN
Sept 17 – Consol Energy Center – Pittsburgh, PA
Sept 18 – Joe Louis Arena – Detroit, MI
Sept 21 – HSBC Arena – Buffalo, NY
Sept 22 – Times Union Center – Albany, NY
Sept 24 – Comcast Center for the Performing Arts – Mansfield, MA
Sept 25 – Hersheypark Stadium – Hershey, PA
Sept 28 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
Sept 29 – Izod Center – East Rutherford, NJ
Oct 01 – Nationwide Arena – Columbus, OH
Oct 02 – Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, OH
Oct 08 – Rupp Arena – Lexington, KY
Oct 10 – Verizon Arena – Little Rock, AR
Oct 12 – New Orleans Arena – New Orleans, LA
Oct 15 – Cynthia W. Mitchell Pavilion – Spring, TX
Oct 16 – Ford Center – Oklahoma City, OK
Oct 18 – Pepsi Center – Denver, CO
Oct 20 – Energy Solution Arena – Salt Lake City, UT
Oct 22 – Honda Center – Anaheim, CA
Oct 23 – Arco Arena – Sacramento, CA
Oct 26 – Sleep Train Pavilion – Concord, CA
Oct 27 – Save Mart Center – Fresno, CA
Oct 29 – Cricket Wireless Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ
Oct 30 – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Las Vegas, NV

Coming off of their Top 10 album debut, All Night Long, and Top 10 Mainstream Rock track of the same name, Buckcherry are gearing up for the release of their second single “Dead.” As a thank you, the band would like to offer their fans a free widget of the new single “Dead.” here.

For more BUCKCHERRY click here.

FOF/EMI

Rating:  8.5 out of 10

Ice Hockey, Molson, Rush, Evans Blue???  That’s right, the next great import from Canada is here.  EVANS BLUE first impacted our eardrums in 2006 with their smash hit “Cold (But I’m Still Here)” from their debut album The Melody and The Energetic Nature of Volume.  After a mediocre follow-up effort, the boys from Toronto parted ways with singer Kevin Matisyn and headed south of the border for his replacement Dan Chandler.  And in his first album with the band, Dan proves that he was worth the price of the passport.

 The album kicks off with the hard rocking “Buried Alive”, merely using it as a warm-up for the aural assault that is the radio hit “Sick of It”.  EVANS BLUE continue the onslaught with such tracks as “The Future in the End” and “A Step Back”, before hitting us with…a guest appearance from Three Days Grace???  Not quite, but “Say It” could easily have been a track that would be comfortably at home on their fellow Ontarians’ “Life Starts Now”. 

Soon after the influence heads south of the border again…way south.  I honestly almost checked the liner notes for a guest appearance from Carlos Santana when I heard the guitar in first minute of “Who We Are”.  And then… possibly the best track on the album, radio hit number two, “Bulletproof” shows us why Dan Chandler is destined to take this band to the next level.  Keeping with the head bobbing atmosphere, we delve into “I Blame You”, in which guitarist Parker Lauzon takes out his frustrations for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ futility on his strings.

Things are taken down a notch on the mid-tempo “Can’t Go On”, but keep in mind, I said “a notch”.  As we saw in the beginning EVANS BLUE like to hit us with a little teaser before kicking our asses with the finale that is “Erase My Scars”.  There is no doubt that this album will “erase my scars” from listening to the band’s prior effort, The Pursuit…, and make me listen until my ears turn a shade of blue…EVANS BLUE.  This album comes very highly recommended.

EVANS BLUE‘s self titled third album hits stores in the U.S. tomorrow, July 27th.  For more info on EVANS BLUE, including tour dates, and to purchase the album, visit http://www.evansblue.com/

Making its first U.S. concert appearance in four years — and playing its only U.S. show in 2010 — GUNS N’ ROSES has been officially recruited with DAUGHTRY to join the inaugural Rock ‘N Rev Festival and cement its assault on the legendary Sturgis Rally‘s 70th-anniversary celebration in Sturgis, South Dakota, at the newly constructed Rock N’ Rev Amphitheater at Monkey Rock USA.

GUNS N’ ROSES will headline the fifth and final night of the festival, as it moves to the Brand New Rock ‘N Rev Amphitheater at Monkey Rock USA in Sturgis, adjacent to its original location. L.A.’s notorious rock ‘n’ roll bad boys have combined forces with HDlogix and DC3 Global for this rare and very special appearance on home soil to bring the “full-out rock ‘n’ roll spectacle” (Spin) of their 2010 “Chinese Democracy World Tour” to Sturgis and finish off the hijacking of the world’s biggest, baddest biker event, Monday, August 9 through Friday, August 13, 2010.

GUNS N’ ROSES‘ final night performance, immediately following previously announced August 13 headliner ALICE IN CHAINS, is the ultimate climax to five full nights of undeniable rock ‘n’ roll bedlam, and now gives the Rock ‘N Rev Festival six of the most explosive, multi-platinum American Active Rock Bands of 2010. DAUGHTRY, supporting its second consecutive #1 album, will join 3 DOORS DOWN, HINDER and others on Aug. 12, the fourth night of the Rock N’ Rev Festival.

“We are truly blessed to be able to announce the addition of GUNS N’ ROSES at this historic moment in the band’s history, along with DAUGHTRY, just as we relocate the Rock ‘N Rev Festival to our own amphitheater at Monkey Rock USA,” said DC3‘s co-founder, Daniel E. Catullo III. “Monkey Rock’s vision to create a nationally recognized brand among the world’s top motorcycle rallies is a perfect fit for us, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome them as our partners.”

Tickets for the Rock ‘N Rev Festival are $45 per day, general admission ($150 for a five-day pass), and on sale now through Ticketmaster.com and rocknrevfestival.com and at all Ticketmaster locations, or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available in person beginning August 5, 2010 on location at the festival’s on-site box office.

For more information on exclusive VIP packages ($150 for a single day, $300 for all five days or $1,000 five-day platinum packages), including backstage access to a VIP area to special, air-conditioned tents with private bars, motorcycle parking, luxury bathroom facilities and more, go to rocknrevfestival.com.

Rock ‘N Rev Festival lineup:
Monday, August 9
GODSMACK
THREE DAYS GRACE
HELLYEAH
POP EVIL
DARLING STILLETOS
Hosted By Jim Rose and Performances by Jim Rose and The Jim Rose Circus

Tuesday, August 10
CREED
SKILLET
THEFT
SHAMAN’S HARVEST

Wednesday, August 11
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
WOLFMOTHER
EAGLES OF DEATH METAL
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
SWAYBACK
Hosted By Jim Rose and Performances by Jim Rose and The Jim Rose Circus

Thursday, August 12
3 DOORS DOWN
DAUGHTRY
HINDER
BAD CITY
SWEET CYANIDE
Hosted By Jim Rose and Performances by Jim Rose and The Jim Rose Circus

Friday, August 13
GUNS N’ ROSES
ALICE IN CHAINS
CHARM CITY DEVILS
REV THEORY
Hosted By Jim Rose and Performances by Jim Rose and The Jim Rose Circus

For more info go here.

California rockers BUCKCHERRY will support NICKELBACK on the next U.S. leg of the “Dark Horse World Tour” in September/October. Also scheduled to appear on the bill is THREE DAYS GRACE. The trek, produced by Live Nation, will begin on September 14 in Nashville and will run through October 30 in Las Vegas. Tickets go on sale to the general public on July 17.

The dates are as follows:
Sep. 14 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
Sep. 15 – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum – Ft. Wayne, IN
Sep. 17 – Consol Energy Center – Pittsburgh, PA
Sep. 18 – Joe Louis Arena – Detroit, MI
Sep. 21 – HSBC Arena – Buffalo, NY
Sep. 22 – Times Union Center – Albany, NY
Sep. 24 – Comcast Center for the Performing Arts – Mansfield, MA
Sep. 25 – Hersheypark Stadium – Hershey, PA
Sep. 28 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
Sep. 29 – Prudential Center – Newark, NJ
Oct. 01 – Nationwide Arena – Columbus, OH
Oct. 02 – Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, OH
Oct. 08 – Rupp Arena – Lexington, KY
Oct. 10 – Verizon Arena – Little Rock, AR
Oct. 12 – New Orleans Arena – New Orleans, LA
Oct. 15 – Cynthia W. Mitchell Pavilion – Spring, TX
Oct. 16 – Ford Center – Oklahoma City, OK
Oct. 18 – Pepsi Center – Denver, CO
Oct. 20 – Energy Solution Arena – Salt Lake City, UT
Oct. 22 – Honda Center – Anaheim, CA
Oct. 23 – Arco Arena – Sacramento, CA
Oct. 26 – Sleep Train Pavilion – Concord, CA
Oct. 27 – Save Mart Center – Fresno, CA
Oct. 29 – Cricket Wireless Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ
Oct. 30 – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Las Vegas, NV

For more BUCKCHERRY information click here.
For more NICKELBACK information click here.
For more THREE DAYS GRACE information click here.