Death Hoax

Whilst researching on the internet for celebrity deaths due to substance abuse (I may add for a future blog, not just being morbid), I came across some other news articles that took hold of my attention....CELEBRITY DEATH HOAX'S.

Apparently CELEBRITY DEATH HOAX'S have become  popular amongst the TWEETING world, I don't just mean people reading to take an interest, which less be honest we all would, I mean people amongst the TWEETING world actually TWEETING fake celebrity deaths.

Bieber Sued ??

Are you being fucking serious ?? Justin Bieber is being sued by Stacey Wilson Betts after she claims he gave her ear damage after accompanying her daughter to one of his concerts. Now don't get me wrong, I am no way in any shape or form a Justin Bieber fan!

But the fact Bieber, his manager, the concert promoter and the venue are being sued for $9 million dollars by this woman is fucking stupid in my opinion. Apparently a "sound blast" from a heart shaped metal gondola that lifted Bieber over the crowd and created a "wave like effect of screaming" by pointing into various sections of the arena, left her with Tinnitus and damaged hearing. Apparently Bieber then made this situation worse by waving his arms up and down quickly and exciting up the crowd in to a frenzy.

MJ 3 years on and still on top

Whilst browsing some music news sites this morning, I come across an article of the top grossing artist's for North American and World Tours and who happens to be at number one and three of those list's ? none other than the King Of Pop himself MICHAEL JACKSON.

SO three years after MJ's death, he's still at the top, over some of today's so called biggest artist in sales of tours thanks to the Cirque Du Soliel Immortal Tour, which has grossed $78.5 million in North America, he's  above Roger Waters by $16.6  million.

DOWN10AD Festival 2012: The Review, part 1

So after a month since DOWN10AD 2012 took place, I finally get to write my review, I would have like to write it earlier but we have had a lot going on.
Before I fully get in to my review, let me just set the scene a little, days before we left for Donnington I was regularly checking the weather reports on the Down10ad home page so fare ...not looking good-constant rain! So Wednesday arrives, the day we leave, we get to Norwich station and instantly we are greeted by crowds of people we instantly know are DOWN10AD bound, tents, sleeping bags, and enough alcohol to comatose you lol.

R.I.P.

R.I.P.

I want to talk about a subject most people will probably not be happy talking about, that of the case of Sophie Lancaster, her boyfriend Robert Maltby, Melody McDermott and Brian Deneke. Also 90 Iraq students stoned to death for having an "EMO" style hair cut and wearing jeans.

All these poor innocent people were killed simply for how they dressed, and expressed them self 's. 

In 2007 both Sophie (20) and her boyfriend Robert (21) were set upon by a group of drunk teenage boys whilst walking through Stubbylee Park Bacup, Rossendale, Lancashire. Sophie and Robert were both attacked purely and simply just  for being GOTH'S.

In 1997 Brian Deneke was involved in a hit and run attack in Amarillo, Texas, simply for being a PUNK, in may 2012 Melody McDermott and Stephen Stafford were attacked on board a tram at the Metrolink platform in Prestwich, again just for being dressed in GOTH style cloths.

Thriller Picture Vinyl

I've always loved collecting music memorabilia, anything special edition or limited edition, books, magazines, CD'S , Record's  ETC.

A few weeks back whilst I was at work I though I would check on our track system we use to see what was available , I started checking first for MICHAEL JACKSON CD'S or Record's, and to my surprise I come across a SPECIAL EDITION PICTURE VINYL of the THRILLER ALBUM.

Back Soon

For those of you still following my blog (thank you), i apologise that i haven't written anything for a while, unfortunately other factors have stopped me getting on.

I can assure you there will be some new blogs coming very soon!

Including, DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2012 REVIEW, Vintage Records, Special edition MJ THRILLER LP.

ENIGMA.

Top Bands To see @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

Be sure to catch these LEGENDARY Bands @ this years DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL

METALLICA

BLACK SABBATH

MACHINE HEAD

LAMB OF GOD

MEGADETH

SLASH

ANTHRAX

DEVILDRIVER

COREY TAYLOR

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE

As I said no introduction needed for these bands.....Be sure to to catch these bands! I honestly believe this is the best line up to date @ DOWNLOAD , and a line up I'm sure wont happen again in our life time.

I wish all you Festival goer's the best time at this year's Festival, be happy and enjoy! 

Have an awesome weekend!!

ENIGMA.

Top Bands To See At DOWN10AD Festival 2012

Over the last couple of weeks I have been writing band reviews, for those bands in my option I feel are worth watching @ this year's DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, they may not be everybody's idea of bands to see, but i just wanted to give a little back ground on them.

I've had a scare lately that I was not going to be able to make it to this year's Festival, even to the point were our tickets had actually sold on eBay! I won't bore you with the details of why this was, but thankfully (and i honestly can't begin to explain how happy I now am) but thank's to Laura's Mum helping us out we were able to keep hold of our tickets and still go.

My last blog to follow will simply be a list of the last top bands to be @ DOWNLOAD this year, which I recommend you all try and see!

They need no introduction, no back ground information they are all Legendary band's in their own right! All with legendary status, legendary careers and Legends with in the music industry!......

ENIGMA

New Music

Just a quick little story about...well us all really, working in  a music shop I tend to see this quite a lot, and I tend to find my self doing it as well, which always makes me laugh to myself and I always find myself questioning myself, and other people why we all do it ??.

And what it is ladies and gentlemen... why is it that when ever a new CD is released, be it by a new band/artist or an established artist/band , that we find our self's turning the CD over to look at the song titles ??

Top Bands To See @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

TRIVIUM

TRIVIUM, Trivium are a four piece heavy metal band from Orlando Florida forming in 1999, Trivium came together after vocalist Matt Heafy was spotted at a high school talent show by then vocalist Brad Lewter, who witnessed Matt covering the OFFSPRING'S "SELF ESTEEM", and invited Matt to try out for his band, the pair went to Drummer Travis Smiths house for a try out, where they played METALLICA'S "FOR WHOM THE BELLS TOLL". Impressed with Matt's performance they invited his to join their band TRIVIUM, after several small shows Lewter quit the band and Matt became the permanent vocalist.

Vocalist Matt Heafy,

Guitarist Corey Beauieu,

Bass Guitarist Paolo Gregoletto and 

Drummer Nick Augusto.

Top Bands To See @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES 

Kids In Glass Houses are a five piece rock band from Cardiff Wales, forming in 2003, the band is made up of,

Vocalist Ales Rees,

Lead Guitarist Joel Fisher,

Rhythm Guitarist Iain Mahanty,

Bass Guitarist Andrew Shay, and

Drums and Percussions Philip Jenkins.

Kids In Glass Houses released their full length debut EP on 9Th October  2006 entitled E-Pocalypse, which featured the single "Me Me Me".

Top Bands To See @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

#21 SOIL, Soil are a four piece Rock Band from Chicago Illinois America forming  in 1997, the Band member's include,

Ryan McCombs Lead Vocals,

Adam Zadel Guitarist,

Tim King Bassist and 

Jon Wysocki on Drums.

Soil first released two independent  EP'S, the first being SOIL in 1997 and then EL CHUPACABRA in 1998, in which most of the songs from EL CHUPACABRA would end up on SOIL'S full length debut album THROTTLE JUNKIES.

New Music

Whilst at work the other day, within the new release CD'S I noticed a copy of SOIL'S reLIVEing The Scars In London CD/DVD, this was filmed Live in London as part of the 10Th anniversary of the 2001 Album Scars, also PUDDLE OF MUD was in support of this tour celebrating their 10Th anniversary of their album COME CLEAN also released in 2011.

360 Degrees In Music: Slash on MJ

I've just watched this video footage of the Legend SLASH being interview'd, talking about working with MICHAEL JACKSON, and the links that he has with Joni Mitchell and David Bowie.

The reason for me writing this quick blog about it is because SLASH is a genuine Legend of music, I've read his autobiography and it is so insightful and amazing, SLASH is a self taught musician, eventually becoming the WORLD FAMOUS Guitarist in the Legendary hard rock band GUNS N ROSES (also known as the "Most Dangerous Band In The World" at the hight of their fame in the 1980s), also forming the Hard-Rock Super group VELVET REVOLVER featuring ex-members of GUNS N ROSES, WASTED YOUTH and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, and going on to a very successful solo career.

Top Bands To See @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

 THE DEFILED, The Defiled are a five piece Industrial Metal Band forming in 2008 from London England, the band consists of,

Stitch D lead vocals

The AvD programming, keyboards, backing vocals, synthesizer

Guitarist KK Cures,

Bassist Vincent Hyde and

Drummer Needles

The Defiled first release was in the form of their EP 1988 on October 26 2009, which featured the single THE RESURRECTIONISTS. 

This was followed up in 2011 by their debut album GRAVE TIMES released on February 14, all though the FULL album was given away free in the January edition of METALHAMMER MAGAZINE. The single THE RESURRECTIONISTS was re-released on this album, other singles to be released of GRAVE TIMES are CALL TO ARMS and BLACK DEATH. 

Top Bands To See @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

STELLAR REVIVAL, Stellar Revival are a five piece Alternative Souther Rock Band, hailing from the Dirty South, Florida, the band is made up off,

Lead Vocalist Rino Cerbone 

Guitarist Steve Morgan

Guitarist Ryan Spears

Bassist Daniel Uricoli and

Drummer Andrew Koussevitzky.

As yet the band are currently unsigned and have no album out in the UK, so why have I picked this band ? I came across this band by accident on YOUTUBE, seeing the Video for the single THE CRAZY ONES and it just blew me away! I feel their sound and image just has something different about them.

Stellar Revival are currently out on tour with THEORY OF A DEAMMAN in support of their new album THE TRUTH IS...Stellar Revival will be opening the Main Stage on Sunday (Jim Marshall Stage). Be sure to catch these guys and check out their single on YOUTUBE, I honestly believe if they deliver a good set that this band will be one for the future. http://www.myspace.com/stellarrevival

ENIGMA.

Money In The Bank Part 2: SEX SELLS

SEX SELLS is a phrase we're all no doubt familiar with, I feel personally this phrase can be linked with almost everything in this day and age, be it through TV adverts, we've all seen them, the ones advertising the newest cars on the block featuring the so-called sexy male or female actor or the so-called cute animals that feature in them (come on are we all naive enough to believe that this is relay going to be us ?), example GUCCI

Or the ones advertising the hottest and sexiest new men's and woman's fragrances out (again I've never seen the point in these fragrances adverts-its not like we can smell the bloody things through our TV!).
SEX SELLS can be linked to anything from CLOTHES, TV PROGRAMS, TAKE AWAY MEALS, SPORTS and just about anything else that appears on our TV'S in those annoying five minutes between what ever program or film it is we're  may be watching, the thing I don't get or understand is that these are all products that have been around for the ages, all products we already have or know about surely ?!?.

Top Bands To See @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

 TENACIOUS D, Tenacious D  is a Rock Band  from Los Angeles, California formed in 1994 after Jack Black and Kyle Glass met in Edinburgh, Scotland during the Edinburgh Fringe of 1989, both members of the Los Angeles-based theatre troupe, The Actors Gang.

Vocalist Jack Black,

Lead Guitarist Kyle Glass- are the two primary members of the band which is completed by session musicians including Guitarist JOHN KONESKY, 

Bassist JOHN SPIKER and 

Drummer BROOKS WACKEMAN (Bad Religion).

Top Bands To See @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

 BILLY TALENT, Billy Talent are a four piece Punk Rock Band who formed in 1993, they hail from StreetsVille, Ontario Canada, the band consists of,

Vocalist Ben Kowalewicz,

Guitarist Ian D'Sa,

Bassist Jon Gallant,

and Drummer Aaron Solowoniuk.

All four members met in Our Lady of Mount Carmel secondary school, and formed the band PEZZ remaining in the underground scene until 2001, after which the band broke out but had to change their name due to legal reasons with a band of the same name, so be come known as BILLY TALENT.
Their debut offering was WATOOSH! in 1998 then still under the name PEZZ, the album was re-released in 2005 under their new name BILLY TALENT.

360 Degrees In Music

HOLOGRAM MUSIC ARTIST'S RESURRECTED, just lately I've been seeing these stories all over the news in relation to the recent 2PAC HOLOGRAM which was recently used to perform on stage alongside  SNOOP DOGG at the COACHELLA FESTIVAL.
Now it seems a lot of fans and critics alike are loving this new concept and technology, I can see where they're coming from, you're at a gig or concert for your favourite artist or band and then up pops a blast from the past for a surprise duet!

New Music

In this section I'l be talking  about new music coming our way, in the form of  UP AND COMING ARTIST'S or ALBUMS coming out., and anything else i come across or which people would like me to talk about.

I'm going to start by talking about a very good friend of mine and a VERY talented young RAP ARTIST

DAVID PRESTON A.K.A DAVEY P,  at just 19 years old, this guy sounds like he has already spent a few years in the charts and could be mixing it up with the best of them.

Top Bands To See @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

 NIGHTWISH, Nightwish are a Finish Symphonic Metal Band originating from Kitee in Final formed in 1996 by,

Key song writer and Keyboardist Tuomes Holopainen, 

Guitarist Emppu Vuorien, 

former Bassist Sami Vanska and

Former Vocalist Tarjia Turunem before being sacked in 2005 and being replace by 

Former Alyson Avenue Vocalist Anette Olzon and 

New Bassist Marco Hietala.

Nightwish rose to fame in their homeland in  1997 from their fist single THE CARPENTER from their debut album ANGELS FALL FIRST.

Money In The Bank

Working in a music shop gives me a good insight in to the current music in the charts, new music to be released and new bands coming out, and to tell the truth watching this unfold every week makes me feel SICK. 
The charts are just full off overnight sensations, one hit wonders, reality TV bands and singers and so on. Whats happened to all the good music ?? it is there you just have to look 100 times harder for it amongst all the shit out there! for instance iv noticed any new pop record to be released gets "100" copy's of an album in compared to like "10" copy's of a new established artist.

Festival Delights

For those of you who are following  my DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL BAND REVIEW blog, you'l be aware that i will be attending this years 10th anniversary of the festival along with my fiancée who i'l add has never been to a music festival before. Now iv got to state that me and my fiancée music taste's are worlds apart, were as I'm into Heavy Metal, Rock, Vintage Rock, Jazz, Easy, Rap and many more genre's, my fiancée for a better word is more of a pop lady, including Westlife, Michael Buble, Christina Aguilera and so forth...., how do we function i hear you ask ?? lol. i don't no but we do and we do very well.
I have to be honest and say when it comes to listening to music at home i tend to get more of my way with the music that we listen to than she does, now i know this is unfair on her and i don't mean it to be, but hopefully she understands why, and i absolutely love and adore her for it, i truly do, with out music i just couldn't function properly and i think she is beginning to know this, and to her credit she doesn't moan about it, well not to me any ways.

360 Degrees In Music Part 1

 For as long as i can remember music has always been  present in my life, this is down to my family, my parents and grandparents have always been interested in music, my dad was always a big rock and roll fan including such artist's as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Everly Brothers and T.Rex.
My mum was a big motown and pop fan including artist's like Diana Ross, Temptations, Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie, my grandparents were the country fans, including Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Hank Williams.

Top Bands to see @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

 GALLOWS, Gallows are a 5 piece hardcore punk band formed in 2005 in Watford, Hemel Hampstead, originally the band consisted of Lead Singer Frank Carter and Guitarist Paul Laventure but Frank Carter ended up leaving the band on the 8th July 2011 due to musical difference within the band.

Top Bands to see @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

 RISE TO REMAIN, Rise To Remain are a 5 piece metal-core band from London formed in 2006 by, Lead  Singer Austin Dickinson, 

Lead Guitar Ben Tovey, 

Rhythm Guitar Will Homer, 

Bassist Josh Hammond and 

Drummer Adam Lewin. 

They have gained much praise from both KERRANG winning Best British Newcomer @ the 2010 KERRANG awards and also METALHAMMER winning Best New Band @ the METALHAMMER awards in 2010. They released their debut album CITY OF VULTURES on 5 September 2011 with lead single The Serpent gaining much airplay, also look out for TALKING IN WHISPERS, POWER THROUGH FEAR and BRIDGES WILL BURN. Rise To Remain have supported main established metal bands along the way including FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, TRIVIUM, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE , SHADOWS FALL, KORN and FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND, Rise To Remain will definitely be a band for the future.http://www.risetoremain.com/home/

Top Bands To See @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

WHILE SHE SLEEP'S, While She Sleep's are a metal/hardcore band from Sheffield formed in 2006, consisting of,

Vocalist Lawrence Taylor, 

Guitar and backing vocals Matt Welsh, 

Guitar/pianist Sean Long, 

Bassist Aaron McKenzie and 

Drums/percussion's Adam Savage. 

They released their debut album THE NORTH STANDS FOR NOTHING on November 22 2010, with lead single CROWS gaining much airplay on both KERRANG and SCUZZ. Highlight's to look out for are MY CONSCIENCE, YOUR FREEDOM, THE NORTH STANDS FOR NOTHING and PROUD OF THE DEMON IN ME. With high energy and passion WHILE SHE SLEEPS'S will be a band to watch out for. http://wssofficial.com/.

Top Bands To See @ DOWN10AD Festival 2012

 AXEWOUND, Axewound is the new side project from,

 BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE lead singer Mattt Tuck, 

CANCER BATS lead singer Liam Cormier, 

Jason Bowld, 

Mike Kingswood and 

Joe Copcutt. 

All taking time out of there respected bands to create this-as they describe it - their fun band, a throw back to the old school thrash metal sound. With the lead single POST APOCALYPTIC PARTY from the up and coming album VULTUERS  all is sounding good in the AXEWOUND camp. Be sure to check these guys out on the pepsi max stage on friday. http://axewounduk.tumblr.com/

DOWNLOAD Festival

In just over a month's time the annual DOWNLOAD festival will be taking place @ castle donnington in derby, and for the 5th time i will be going along with my fiance (which is her first time, the things you do for love lol). I shall be doing a 30 day blog of which bands i think shall be worth watching, as well as a review of the festival once it has finished.http://www.downloadfestival.co.uk/