Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 12:02AM
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 12:01AM Finally, we have the official trailer for Rock of Ages starring Tom Cruise and a boatload of other famous folks. I gotta admit, I don't like musicals. I get why Rock of Ages has been successful. I mean, it's based on the 80s and Glam! Still... it's all a little too cheesy for me. The trailer is also a little cringe-worthy. But what can I say? I'm sure I'll end up seeing this movie. Will you?
Oh and props to Perez Hilton for creating a trailer that can actually be shared!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 12:01AM Step aside L.A. Guns... now there's two versions of Great White. And go ahead and file this one under the "I didn't see this coming."
So yesterday Jack Russell wrote a little letter, announcing his own version of Great White:
"To all my friends:
Just wanted to announce that I will be coming back with my band, GREAT WHITE, and a BRAND NEW lineup.
"My new bandmates are some of the most incredible musicians I have ever had the privilege to play with: Matthew Johnson, former guitarist for GREAT WHITE; Derrick Pontier, former drummer for GREAT WHITE; Dario Seixas, former bassist for FIREHOUSE and the Stephen Pearcy band; and Robby Lochner, former guitarist for Rob Halford's band and Cherie Currie.
"I am very excited about this new beginning.
"I am feeling better than ever, despite any rumors you may hear to the contrary.
"Unfortunately, and as confusing as it will be, my former bandmates and their manager have decided to continue to tour next year under the name I created, GREAT WHITE. I will be touring under the name GREAT WHITE FEATURING JACK RUSSELL to try avoid any confusion.
"So now the true fans will know the difference."
I just don't even know what to do with this information. I guess we'll be getting one of these versions at M3 this year... I mean, how can we not? I didn't think there was any friction between Great White and Jack... I even thought things were cordial between replacement singer Terry Ilous and Jack... but I guess not. Clearly something has gone down. Whatever the case, I wish all parties good luck. I just hope Jack is well enough to go back on the road. He's been recovering from surgery for months - and you don't mess with your health. Thoughts?
Monday, December 12, 2011 at 12:01AM 
Want some new, up and coming Glam? Then you need to check out Beggarz Fixx. The band is new, new, new and unsigned but the guys already have a demo EP. The self-titled EP features four songs from the UK rockers.
The lead singer Charlie dropped me an email, requesting that I check out the band. He sent me a link to the song "Outta Control" which I really like! The song - all the EP songs - are rough, but that's to be expected. It's a demo after all! Judging by the song quality for being together just a handful of months, I think Beggarz Fixx have a bright future ahead of them. Check it out.
Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 12:01AM The Tracii Guns + Dilana partnership lasted just over two months. It's amazing to me, but it seems Dilana is out as singer of LA Guns. She posted on her Facebook that the rest of the LA Guns tour was canceled... then Tracii started posting about saving the dates and then later he mentioned having Tony West of Blacklist Union singing for the band.
It sort of sounds all financial - maybe times were too rough and it just didn't make financial sense for Dilana to stay on the road with the band. Then again, Dilana also posted on her Facebook that the tour was pretty messed up (she used harsher words) and she has notes about it all.
Whatever the case, Tracii is adamant about going on with his version of the band and continuing the current tour. I guess we'll have to wait and watch for details.
Thoughts?
Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 12:01AM It's finally time! I know you've been waiting with bated breath to read all about my ShipRocked 2011 experiences. I can't believe the cruise was two weeks ago... seems more like months, but alas, here we are in early December. The last couple of weeks have been insane, thus the review tardiness.
First things first, I was a staff member on the boat. That means I got to wear a "staff" shirt (many thanks to the Captain). ShipRocked sailed on the MSC Poesia out of Ft. Lauderdale. We left on Monday, November 14 and returned on Saturday, November 19, so there was plenty of time for rock chaos.
On the first day, the Glam husband and I -- along with several other staffers - helped get the bands on the boat. This was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. I got to hand out laminates! As you can imagine, this wasn't necessarily a seamless process, but in the end, it all seemed to go smoothly enough. After all, we didn't leave anyone behind or anything. That first day I got up at 5, was at the pier by 6:30... and stood for hours. When I finally took my shoes off that first night my feet were swollen from standing with an "artist check-in" sign for hours.
Hinder did the sail-a-way show on the deck and yes I watched them for awhile... until I needed to eat and sit down (see the previous comment about my feet). We had really good weather for much of the trip... but it did rain during Hinder, cutting their set short. This rain also made things rough for the guys running sound. The equipment has to be covered because it isn't cheap.
All of my favorite shows of the week took place on the deck stage. That is, open air. I loved when Lynam, Sevendust, In This Moment and Candlebox all performed their deck shows. Candlebox was amazing because that was the first time I'd seen them and they were huge to me when I was in high school. The day they performed on the deck also happened to be a port day. The glam husband and I just happened to share a cab with one of the guys from Candlebox and his girl. Now if the 16 year old me knew that the 32 year old me would get to have a private conversation with a member of Candlebox and not even think twice about it... well, let's just say the 16 year old me would have freaked out.
Lynam has a new bass player now. His name is Cody Elliott and he can really sing. I was blown away by his AC/DC cover. The band sort of looks like Black Veil Brides now. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be ironic... I think. I hope.
It was cool seeing In This Moment perform "The Gun Show" live. And I swear, one of the band members (I won't say who) looks like a person who has been reading this website from basically the beginning. It kept freaking the Glam husband out a little.
As for the theater shows, Buckcherry was my favorite. The set list seemed different from the last time I saw them live which was maybe a year or so ago. While I saw nearly every other artist wander the ship constantly (and they would nod and wink because I was wearing a staff shirt), I barely saw any of the Buckcherry guys. I did observe Josh Todd sitting alone on the VIP deck watching Sevendust. I was away from the crowd myself. I hope he was having a good time. I will say he is very quiet when he isn't on stage. I've interviewed him (in person) before and he's kind of shy. It seemed that people were respecting his need for privacy.
ShipRocked passengers got to meet and get a photo with every band. As you can imagine, those lines were long. I was the person (along with a big security guy) that stood outside along those lines for each meet and greet. The Glam husband took photos. I wish there was some chaos to report here - there was none. I guess that's a good thing.
My absolute favorite part of the trip was getting to know the Cancer Sucks! folks better. It's a great charity and its founder, Rick, is a great guy. Click the link and check it out - they do many festivals and bike shows. If you've ever been to Rocklahoma, chances are you've seen their booth.
The other big highlight was making some completely new friends and sharing crazy stories at dinner. Some of the people I met were just awesome and I remain stunned at all their famous music industry connections.
To be honest, I didn't watch every show (it wasn't possible) and I'm okay with that. There was other fun highlights that weren't show related, like bingo which involved the members of Lynam making very bad jokes and a couple of artist Q&A sessions that revealed just how messed up the music industry truly is these days. It also dawned on me while writing this that I only got in the hot tub once while on the boat. I did ride a jet ski in Costa Maya, Mexico (remember the shared Candlebox cab?) but the surf was rough and it sort of sucked. I was most grateful for the heat. Ohio is cold in November but it was hot in Mexico! So that's that. The next rock n' roll trip is to Cleveland in April to see Guns n' Roses get inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. Then it's off to M3 and Rock on the Range both in May... then, who knows?
If you want to attend ShipRocked 2012, pre-booking starts Monday. Go the website for more information.
I was going to post photos here, but you can more easily look at the entire gallery online.
Friday, December 9, 2011 at 12:01AM Tomorrow I will post my full 2011 ShipRocked review complete with photos! Today, news about ShipRocked 2012. Here's the details:
ShipRocked 2012 will set sail out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL onboard the luxurious MSC Poesia, from November 27th thru December 1st! Additional details about the cruise, including our destination, cabin pricing and arist lineup, will be announced in early 2012.
You can begin pre-booking on Monday, December 12th at 9:00 am PST.
Here are some benefits of pre-booking:
Why Should I Pre-Book?
Pre-booking will guarantee your spot in line so that when it's time to book your actual cabin early next year, you'll get priority treatment based on where you are in line, and whether you're a ShipRocked veteran, or a first time guest.
Another reason to pre-book, if you pre-book between December 12th and January 9th and you will be entered to win* an iPad 2, fully loaded with ShipRocked 2011 photos and video from our official photographers and video team!
How Much Does It Cost?
Pre-booking requires just a single deposit of $199 per cabin, which will be applied towards the final cost of your cabin. Only one pre-book deposit will be applied per cabin. The final total cost of your cabin will vary depending on cabin size, location, number of occupants, etc.
What If I Decide To Cancel?
You will have 30-days from the initial ShipRocked 2012 artist lineup announcement to cancel your pre-book and receive a refund (minus a $50 administrative fee). 30-days after the initial announcement, the ShipRocked 2012 cancellation policy applies according to our terms and conditions.
If you have any questions about our presale, you can contact us via email at info@getshiprocked.com, or by phone at 888-438-9509. We hope to see you and all your friends onboard the cruise in November!
