Tag Archives: News

RIP Time Warner Cable Amphitheater (2001-2011)

4 April, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

It’s no shock to hear that the giant parking lot with a huge tent is closing in Cleveland. No longer will I fry on the pavement at Warped Tours or any other concert that starts before sunset.

It was a good time we had, me and that so-called Amphitheater.

I can think back to a certain Warped Tour where my friend and I thought it was a good idea to blow almost $300 on beer alone and then trudge through a sea of sweaty kid yelling “get out of here you jerks, you phonies!”

Rancid memories at Tower City Amphitheater...

I have seen tons of bands there and even had my first real photo pass experience at a Black Sabbath Heaven & Hell show. Earlier in that day I remember that I got to sit in on an interview with Rob Flynn of Machine Head on their tour bus. I was more stoked that the AC was running…

Rib cook-offs, shitty punk bands, amazing punk bands, hip-hop shows…yeah I was there. (I even saw Pink there once…)

It’s amazing that after 10-years the place is finally going to shut down. For the record, it is not shutting down because of anything more than a casino buying the property.

Sadly we will not be seeing any casion action until 2013, but that’s not too far away.

The good news about this is that there is still another outdoor venue in Cleveland that promises to host as many shows as possible. Let’s just hope the bands keep rolling through Cleveland.

Nautica is now going to be called Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica.

I still call it the Jake and I am still going to call the venue Nautica…

Music, Music News, Punk, Rock

Social Distortion Signs w/ Epitaph Records!!!

11 May, 2010 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Pretty sweet news! Epitaph Records announced today their newest member of their family – punk rock legends Social Distortion! If that is not enough, the band is working on all new material! Read below for more info courtesy of Epitaph!

May 11, 2010 – Los Angeles, CA – Epitaph Records is proud to welcome Southern California’s iconic rock ‘n’ roll group Social Distortion to the label with plans to release their first studio album since 2004 in fall 2010. The signing pairs one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most renowned bands with one of the most respected independent labels for what could be the greatest match in decades.

“We feel that Epitaph has a natural understanding of Social Distortion; both the history of the band and the direction we want to go,” says frontman Mike Ness. “Combine that with their successful track record and it felt like a good next step for us. We’ve always been open to new ideas and pushing the envelope, but we have also been very conscientious about the decisions we’ve made. We considered a lot of options, but in the end, Epitaph feels like the right home for us. We’re looking forward to taking this step forward, opening some new doors with this upcoming album and this next chapter of Social Distortion.”

“My relationship with Mike goes way back to the beginnings of our careers in the LA music scene,” adds Epitaph owner and president Brett Gurewitz. “Through the years Social Distortion have been a matchless voice in American rock and roll and I couldn’t be more thrilled to play a part in the next chapter for this great band.”

In March the band entered a Burbank studio to record their yet to be titled seventh studio album, produced by Mike Ness, which is slated for release this fall.

“We went back to tape, old compressors and old microphones,” Ness recently told Spinner.com. “We’re just really trying to fight modern technology as much as possible.”

“The record reminds me very much of Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (the band’s 1992 release), but also I’m bringing elements of early New York ’70s punk,” said Ness.

Social Distortion also recently announced a U.S. summer tour with Dan Sartain and The Action Design. The tour kicks off July 27 in Poughkeepsie, NY and makes seven stops in the Northeast before the band heads to Chicago for an August 7 main stage performance at this year’s Lollapalooza. Dates with Dan Sartain and The Action Design resume in Green Bay, Wisconsin on August 8. A complete list of tour dates follows.

Formed in Fullerton, CA in 1979, Social Distortion have spent the last three decades performing their signature style of roots driven rock ‘n’ roll and hard luck stories for fans worldwide while recording six classic, critically heralded albums including Mommy’s Little Monster, Prison Bound, Social Distortion, Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, White Light, White Heat, White Trash and Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Social Distortion Tour Dates:
July 27 – Poughkeepsie, NY – The Chance
July 28 – Hampton Beach, NH – Casino Ballroom
July 30 – Providence, RI – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
July 31 – Hartford, CT – The Webster
Aug 1 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
Aug 3 – Wantagh, NY – Mulcahy’s
Aug 4 – Lancaster, PA – Chameleon Club
Aug 5 – Rochester, NY – Nola’s BBQ
Aug 7 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
Aug 8 – Green Bay, WI – Oneida Casino
Aug 10 – Council Bluffs, IA – Stir Cove @ Harrah’s
Aug 11 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
Aug 13 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
Aug 14 – Medford, OR – Medford Armory

…and no Cleveland show…yet I hope.

Death

Travis Barker and DJ AM Critically Injured From Plane Crash

20 September, 2008 Brian Mc 2 Comments

Last night around midnight, a plane containing Travis Barker, DJ AM, and 4 others failed to take off at a South Carolina airport and crashed into an embankment outside of the air field.

4 people have been confirmed dead and it was reported that Travis Barker (former drummer of Blink 182) and DJ AM were both injured severely and are listed in critical condition at a local burn unit.

Both pilots of the plane, Travis Barker’s assistant Chris “Little Chris” Baker, and Travis Barker’s bodyguard Charles Still have all been confirmed dead.

Check out articles on Yahoo Music!, MTV News, and WIS News 10 for more information.

A press conference was held earlier this afternoon stating that the plane they were in never left the ground, overran the runway, and caught fire after the plane ran through a fence, antennas, and some lights. The plane burst into flames as it passed over a roadway and crashed into an embankment. Witnesses say that Travis Barker and DJ AM both jumped from the plane right after the crash. Both were stated to have been overcome by flames and were patting each other out.

The cause of the plane crashing is still to be determined.

According to TMZ, Travis Barker sustained severe burns from the waist down. DJ AM suffered facial burns. The two are currently at a burn unit in Augusta, Georgia.

As many of you know, Travis Barker was once the drummer of the now defunct Blink 182. He went on and contributed to Boxcar Racer, +44, and the Transplants. Not keeping to just punk rock bands Travis Barker also has worked with many rap artists such as Bun B, Three 6 Mafia, and The Game.

Adam Michael Goldstein, aka DJ AM, once was in the band Crazy Town and continued his success as a house DJ and providing his scratching skills for bands such as Papa Roach, Madonna, and Will Smith. He also is known for being engaged to Nicole Richie at one time.

Recently the two united to become TRVSDJ-AM, a mash-up project with Travis Barker supplying the beats and DJ AM spinning/scratching records accordingly.

The two had just performed Friday at a free college student aimed festival/block party in the streets of Columbia, South Carolina’s Five Pointsfor thousands of fans and were headed back to California.

Friday’s Five Points block party also featured Gavin DeGraw and Perry Farrell (who were not on the plane that crashed). The event was part of T-Mobile’s “Hello Carolinas” campaign.

I really hope the two are ok. My heart goes out to them and the families of the others on the plane who did not make it.

UPDATE:

According to the doctor attending Travis Barker and DJ AM, they both received second and third degree burns but are both expected to make a full recovery. Travis Barker has some abdominal burns while DJ AM has burns to his hands and a part of his head. Shockingly, they did not sustain any other injuries in the crash.

Through talking to friends and reading other websites. I found out that speculations of the group flying to California to meet up with Chris “Little Chris” Baker’s wife who was pregnant was not true. They were in fact flying to California but not to meet up with Chris “Little Chris” Baker’s wife as she was not pregnant. The plane was chartered by DJ-AM as he had an event to attend in Los Angeles.

Fix Your Face

Funny, Metal, Music, Random

Are You Effin’ Serious Lars Ul-RICH????

6 September, 2008 Brian Mc 3 Comments

So I am sure many of you know the new Metallica album Death Magnetic was leaked on the internet. It is almost impossible these days for a release to not be leaked. Someone somewhere out there gets the glory of having an advance copy of something…and promptly uploads it on the internet for millions of filesharing people to obtain.

Metallica with members of Foo Fighters (Dave Grohl & Taylor Hawkins)

I am sure everyone remembers what Napster used to be. If not, get your head out of the clouds… Napster was one of the first publicly recognized music sharing program sites out there that helped music fans get what tunes they wanted for free all while violating copyright law. In time it was shut down and then bought out and molded into what it is now but I know I remember Lars Ulrich, drummer for Metallica, not being too happy about the situation. After all their demo of a song for the Mission: Impossible II soundtrack called “I Disappear” was found circulating on Napster by Metallica before it was even released.

In fact they along with a few other musicians stood up together around 2000 to try and stop digital music sharing (piracy). They might have had better luck saving rain forests. Lawsuits, bogus charges, and many years later they changed their mind and allowed digital downloads of their albums and then finally in 2006 their catalog appeared on iTunes.

Anyways, I came across a quote from Lars today on www.punknews.org and I almost lost it.

Here is his quote:

If this thing leaks all over the world today or tomorrow, happy days. It’s 2008 and it’s part of how it is these days.

Seriously Lars? Happy days? I am glad you finally have come to terms with it. Me thinks Rick Rubin put some sense into you guys, thankfully.

The CD is good. Not that I have heard it from a recently downloaded copy (cough*cough).