The Daily Rock n Roll

Journey- The Return in Manila 2013

2013-02-19T04:42:00.003-08:00

Get ready Manila because one of the most anticipated concert for 2013 is now coming this March. The band who popularized songs such as "separate ways", "open arms", and "faithfully" Journey is back.

Formed in 1973, the band has earned 19 Top 40 singles and 25 Gold and Platinum albums

They released their self titled album in 1975, Look Into the Future (1976) and Next (1977). In 1978, they released their fourth album Infinity which immediately went Platinum and remained on the charts for more than two years. Infinity has sold more than three million copies to date and was produced by Roy Thomas Baker (Rolling Stones, Queen, The Cars). Their 1979 album Evolution became their second million-selling album. Then in 1981, Journey's album Escape became their first #1 album which produced hits such as "Don't Stop Believin'," "Who's Crying Now," and "Open Arms."

In 2007, Journey has been rejuvenated when Filipino singer Arnel Pineda joined the group. Since then, the band has regain its status as one of the most popular American bands of all time

Members are:

Arnel Pineda
Neal Schon
Jonathan Cain
Ross Valory
Deen Castronovo

Venue:

SM Mall of Asia Arena

Date and Time:

Thursday, March 21, 2013 @ 8:00PM

For tickets call SM Tickets at 470-2222 or visit www.smtickets.com.

Rockers vs. Rappers: Who's Fashion is Better

2013-02-18T10:18:00.000-08:00

After months of absence I am finally back to my home topic which is music. Today lets compare two of the most popular fashion in the pop culture, the rockers and the rappers.

Fashion also describes what music we like, whether its Bon Jovi or Soulja Boy, we already know which one is the rapper or the rocker.

Now let the war begins, Rockers or Rappers: Who's fashion is better

The 80's

Lets go back to the 80's where wearing weird clothes makes you cool (for me its actually cool). The time where spraynet was IN and hair gel wasn't even available in the grocery. A decade where rappers looked like dancing waiters thanks to Vanilla Ice.

ROCKERS


[image: favim.com]

Check out Guns n Roses, this is a sample of the rockers of the 80's. The hair, its always the hair! the leopard skin jacket, the cool tattoos and skinny tight jeans. This is the era where lead guitar licks are like an orgasm to women, and makes them wanna take their undies off and throw it at them.

Popular rocker gears during that time are:

Spiked bracelets
Spraynet for the hair, to make them grow like birds nest!
Torn skinny jeans
Aviator sunglasses
Marlboro cigarettes
Chains, belts with a bad ass buckle
Harley Davidson bikes (I wish I have one of those)
Sando shirts
Tattoos
Rocker boots
Chuck Taylors
Bandanna
Mohawk
Make up
Leather Jacket

RAPPERS

[image: dualshow.com]

Nope, this is not a fan boys of any major sporting league, these guys are the NWA. I can't remember some of them but I think on the left side is Ice Cube and next to him is Dr. Dre.

Fashion of the 80's are like Mr. T. wearing a sports shirt. In fact this is so much better than Vanilla Ice's dancing waiter outfit.

Hip hop gear of the 80's are:

You should wear chains like Mr. T
Baseball cap
Jogging pants
Adidas classic shoes
Cargo pants
A hair cut just like Bart Simpson
A boom box for the B bois
A Gun for Gangsters
Catholic Cross bling bling (I wonder if they really do go to church)

The 90's

ROCKERS

[image: fanpop]

The 90's is about tucked in! Check out Nirvana, that's what you look when you are a punk kid on the 90's. This is the era where rockers fashion is usually mixed depending on the genre. Bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Creed usually has the same fashion, while heavier sounds like Metallica, Sepultura and Slayer are still wearing their metal outfit with lesser spiked stuff.

Cool outfits for the rockers of the 90's are:

Long sleeves
Nick Carter hair style
Eye liners
Nudity (ex. Flea, Blink 182)
Gothic outfits
Bonnet
Polka dot pants
Leather Jacket
Checkered Jackets and long sleeves

RAPPERS

[image: tune-spoon]

I don't know who these guys are, but I kinda like their outfit. This is the rappers of the 90's, they look more like thrashers except they bring a boom box instead of skateboards. And check out those hair, it looks like from the guy from Street Fighter.

Cool Hip Hop gear of the 90's:

Bigger boom box!
Reebok shoes
Bling bling. Its a symbol of rappers
Daffy Duck and Mickey Mouse T-shirts?
Plastic shades

The year 2000's

ROCKERS

[image: all emo princess]

There are a lot of fashion influences on the year 2000 onward but I will site one fashion that took the rock fashion by storm, the "emo" or emotional. They are not actually rockers, some say they are homo's but this is the fashion of bands like MCR, the Used, Chicosci, Alesana and other punk emo bands used, 'till they've grown up and stop being emo all of the sudden.

It was trending especially for young girls and boys because you look like shit yet you still looked cute. Die hard emo fans usually slits their wrist for the purpose of "I do not know" maybe because its "cool" to have a bleeding wrist or whatever.

Besides emo's, the rise of metal bands with scary costumes also was a hit. Slipknot, Mushroom head, and Mudvayne are just some of the popular bands with costumes during the early 2000.

Fashion outfit for rockers on the year 2000 are:

Emo. I think it is dead today, but early and on the mid 2000 it was trending like gangnam style. Every kid wants to be emo for the sake of being the cool kind on school.
Black T shirts with rock bands printed.
Long curly hairs are out long and straight are in.
Chucks are back.
Elephant jeans
Adidas classic shoes
Baggy pants showing boxer shorts

RAPPERS

[image: twitter]

wamee loooh! crank that soulja wamee looh! oh yeah! the year 2000 was a experimental year for hip hop fashion. Artists like Eminem has started the sando shirt get up while gangsters like G-unit has redefined the wearing of bling bling by using huge spinning buckles as their accessories.

Skinny hip hops wear huge pants and shirts while the masculine one wears a sando or fitting clothes. Chicks during those times are expressing the saying "skin is in" and "less is more" that is why you see a lot of half-dressed women on hip hop videos, shaking their thing.

In the 80's up to the late 90's fat rappers are in, some are Big P, Notorious B.I.G. and Twistah. But now, most rappers like showing their six packs, its like the fat days are over, hehe.

Cool get up for rappers on the year 2000- 2010:

Bloodz attire. If you haven't seen what they looks like. They are those gangster wearing red pants with red handkerchief.
Crips attire. The opposite of bloodz, they wear blue instead. Also they wear leggings or some kind of stockings and sometimes matched with fitted pants.
Long shorts. A shorts so long you would think its a pants.
Huge bling blings
Besides jewelry, their accessories are sometimes women.

FINAL SAY

I don't know which one you think is much cooler, I am not a fashionista. But there is one thing I am sure of, the old school are coming back. The boombox, the polka dots, the chucks all the elements from the 70's or 80's will be the next fashion for the next decade.

What do you think, did I miss something?

Are you a rocker or a hip hopper?

The Smashing Pumpkins Oceania Global Tour in Manila

2012-07-11T20:53:00.001-07:00

Billy Corgan and the rest of the Smashing Pumpkins are here in Manila at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on August 7, 2012

One of the biggest alternative rock bands of the 90s and Grammy winner THE SMASHING PUMPKINS is coming to Manila. The band has been creating music since 1987 and is known for seminal albums like Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

The band are famous for songs like "Adore", "bullet on butterfly wings" and "cherub rock".

Ticket Prices:

VIP (Front section, limited standing) Contact 09178334223 or 09228334223
Patron (Standing) – P4,785
Lowe Box (Reserved Seating) – P3,735
Upper Box A (Free Seating) – P1,845
Upper Box B (Free Seating) – P1,045
General Ad – P585

for more visit ticketnet.com.ph

Franco disbanded

2012-07-07T01:56:00.003-07:00

After only 3 years in the Philippine music scene and 1 album, superband Franco has disbanded. It was confirmed by Urbandub's Singer/ Guitarist Gabby Alipe and Drummer JanJan Mendoza during a performance in Baybeats Festival in Singapore.

Reports say Franco will be going solo and will work with session musicians instead, so from now on, Franco is no longer a band.

Franco is a Filipino rock supergroup with members from different Filipino bands. The lineup consists of Franco Reyes (of InYo) on vocals, Gabby Alipe (of Urbandub) on guitar, Paolo "8" Toleran (of Queso) on guitar, Buwi Meneses (of Parokya ni Edgar) on bass guitar, and JanJan Mendoza (of Urbandub) on drums.

Franco started by playing songs from Frank and Inyo. In 2009, they released their self-titled full-length album under MCA Music. Music videos for “Cast Away” and their latest single “This Gathering” were aired on Filipino music channel MYX. Franco also dominated the 2010 NU Rock Awards by winning four awards—Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for “This Gathering”, Album of the Year for their self-titled album, and the Listeners' Choice Award.

Though most of its songs were originally written by Reyes with Frank, Julia Cartago and Inyo, Franco's music is stengah to the ears and considerably heavier than the reggae-leaning sound of Frank and the alternative rock sound of Inyo. Interestingly, two songs—“Touch the Sky” and “Song for the Suspect”—have Rastafarian messages such as the spiritual use of marijuana and the belief in Jah, the almighty god of the Rastafarian faith.

Megadeth in Manila 2012

2012-07-06T08:06:00.002-07:00

Legendary thrash metal band Megadeth will perform live in Manila on Sunday, July 29, 2012 at the World Trade Center Hall D, Pasay City

One of the pioneers of the American thrash metal music back in the 80′s is coming to Manila. Being active in the music industry for almost 30 years and with 10 Grammy nominations under their belt, they’re ready to perform and rock the stage on July 29, 2012.

Megadeth is known for songs like "Holy Wars", "tornado of souls", "symphony of destruction" and " hangar 18".

For real rock fans out there this is a chance of a lifetime to see this legendary band in Manila.

Ticket Prices:

P4,710 Mega”Platinum” deth
P2,930 Mega “golden”deth

Tickets are now available at ALL SM TICKETS OUT

LET NATIONWIDE

Call SM Tickets at 470 2222 or visit SM Tickets

Guitar Lesson- Understanding Guitar Tablature

2012-07-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

I have here some tutorials that will help on how to read guitar tab. For first timers it seems very complex, but it is actually simple, if you put a little time and effort reading.

Aside from notes, tablature is also very helpful in learning guitar, especially on complex songs. Through tablature you can get the exact sound just like on the recording.

Most people who plays a guitar are self taught or learned the basics from friends and most of them haven't teach you the basics of reading a tablature.

Even you are already an expert or a beginner, you should learn the basic of reading music, because the basics will make you more skilful.

If you want to get serious about a career in the music industry, learning to read music really is essential. For the casual guitarist, however, there is a guitar-centric method of music notation called guitar tablature, which while flawed, provides a simple and easy to read way of sharing music with other guitarists. Read on to learn more about how to decipher guitar tablature.

Understanding Guitar Tablature

A tab looks like the one above, it has six horizontal lines, each one representing a string of the guitar. On top is the high "E" while the bottom is the lower "E", based from a standard "E" tuning from the bottom it reads lower "E, A, D, G, B and high E".

Notice that there are numbers located smack dab in the middle of the lines (aka strings). The numbers simply represent the fret the tab is telling you to play. For example, in the illustration above, the tab is telling you to play the third string (third line) seventh fret.

When the number is "0" it indicated an open string and should be played

Reading chords within guitar tab is a relatively simple process. When a tab displays a series of numbers, stacked vertically, it is indicating to play all these notes at the same time. The above tablature indicates that you should hold down the notes in an E major chord (second fret on fifth string, second fret on fourth string, first fret on third string) and strum all six strings at once. Often, tablature will additionally include the chord name (in this case E major) above the tablature staff, to help guitarists recognize the chord more quickly.

10 Ways to be a rockstar

2012-07-06T03:04:00.004-07:00

While young we always love watching celebrities and then we saw them on MTV and dreamed to become one of them. The life they have is like royalty, they have the best job in the world but still getting paid big for doing it, they have money, fame, fortune, women/men, cars, mansions and everything that makes life luxurious. Then we have that dream, a dream that one day will be one of those who rocked the stage and make women scream and call my name, sign signatures and collect undies, but you didn't know how. So, here is my tips on how to become a Rockstar.

1. Learn an Instrument. All Rockstars should play an Instrument, whether it is a guitar, a piano or drums, you gotta look cool and don't lip sync, today most music artists are using that, but beware, once people know you have a fake voice they will not worship you anymore.

2. Create a band. Whether you wan't to go solo or form a band, you still need someone to play your songs.

3. Dream, or make it an obsession. To become an icon you will not only need to dream you have to be obsessed with what you are doing. You must eat and breath music, be inspired with it and do it very passionately.

4. Practice, a lot! Practice makes perfect, just do your thing repeatedly and do it a lot, always do the basic and never forget to learn.

5. Write your own music. If you can sing, you should write your own material, and start recording it, or you can post it to youtube, just make sure it looks cool.

6. Play at gigs. Sometimes they're hard to get but you need for the live entertainment experience. This is the most crucial part. The idea is to get as many gigs as possible. Visiting or phoning hundreds of pubs for two weeks straight to get as many gigs packed in as possible is very important. Also playing day after day in front of a large audience will have your performing talents sky rocket.

7. Promote. There are a lot of ways to promote your music, you can ask for friends or give free CD's of your songs.

8. Use money wisely. Just remember starting to be a rockstar is a hard journey, and you should not quit your day job or forget about your obligations. Do your thing but don't forget your dream, just keep on going.

9. Love what you are doing. Just love doing it and you will never get bored.

10. Never ever quit! quitters are for looser and rock stars ain't one of them.

More tips.

Spend most of your practice time songwriting as being a good songwriter will get you further than being a good player

.It's much harder to make it big in a band than it is to try and become a one-man show; you want to be self sufficient as a front man without needing a band.
Remember this won't happen overnight; you need to practice a lot and get your exposure off the charts.

Become familiar with the pubs and bars around your area and beyond and if you can see yourself playing there. When you desire to play at a place, make it a goal. Not that you hope they book you, but you will being playing there because you're a professional musician.

Don't take no for an answer. The only time you quit perusing a venue is when they tell you to stop approaching them. If they haven't said that, they are just saying you haven't convinced them YET, and they're giving you another opportunity.

They will have a bag full of excuses. Eliminate those excuses, by giving them every reason why you should play there.Never play gigs for free. If you want to be recognized as professional and make a living, it's crucial you express that. The industry standard is different all over, but in general, a front man should be making $150 for a four hour set starting off at any pub.

Any and each extra band mate should be receiving $100 on top of that. If it's too much, discuss a price the venue would be comfortable with, but don't wiggle too much, as that is how low you should go ever. Don't be a scab. Not even the artist at Woodstock played for free ever.

It's important to be entertaining and exciting. And the idea is to have the venue owner having more money in the tills at the end of the night because of you being there. Express these ideas when you're trying to book shows.

If you do all this, your dream is can be possible, but remember you could be just as good as some famous musician but get nowhere. It's all about meeting the right people at the right time.
Make a simple website for your band and advertise it on there. Add some videos of your band.
Never EVER give up.

Many famous people who are famous today started out like you and with determination, they got to where they are today.
Being a rockstar isn't just having leather jeans and going out late at night. It is about making music for what you believe in.

A good way to get gigs is to meet bands and support your local scene. A little helpfulness can go a long way. Or if you were allowed to perform in the end of year concerts that way people will be more aware of you and your band.

It will be very hard, painful, and discouraging before it starts to pay off. Make sure you love the music, the creative process, and the direction you are going, and eventually your material will start to reflect your passion and you will be taken seriously by a wider audience.

Make sure you enjoy the work early on. It takes a lot of work to make it huge, but once you're a rock star all of your problems will get larger, and you will be working ten times as hard.

This won't be a problem if you love what you're doing and you believe in yourself.

Every rock star has failed many, many times. The only difference is that they didn't give up.
Be patient!! These things take time.

-->

Katy Perry is too Hot to handle

2012-07-05T19:41:00.001-07:00

Omg did I see her undies

You look like a nice present for my birthday

hmmm lovely Melons :-)

That Pendant is very lucky

Use your imagination

Add caption

She is very stunning, indeed!

Damn!

Tommy Lee posts rant about fans wanting a picture

2012-07-05T01:37:00.004-07:00

Tommy Lee recently went on the Motley Crue Facebook page to complain about what must be one of his biggest pet peeves, fans asking him for a picture.

Now, before you start to go with the "how self absorbed" comments, consider Mr. Lee's side of things. There is a time and a place for everything and, many times, fans don't consider when an artist is trying to spend personal time with loved ones or take care of a personal matter.
Of course, Tommy says it in a bit more direct manner.

Dear Fans,

I fucking LOVE my fans! And you know this!!!... If you asked anyone that knows me really well they would tell ya the same thing...Tommy loves his fans. He lives for this shit...he eats,breaths,shits music 24/7. They'll also probably tell ya that he's a down to earth grateful life lovin dude and a nice guy too. What I have a problem with is... Taking pictures! I hate it! Irritates the fuck out of me when people say...you owe it to your fans, they put you where you are, etc etc! I certainly dont owe anybody anything! When I bought all my Led Zeppelin records and concert tickets I didn't say 'one day these fuckers are gonna owe me a picture' It's the least they can do for me!...wtf people? You dont admire something so that it can give back... You just cherish it! And to those who say..you should be grateful that people wanna take your picture maybe one day they wont want it!.... That day cant come soon enough! BTW..I'm not here to take pictures with you, I'm here to entertain you! Nobody put me where I am but ME! They may have helped inspire me with their love for what I do...but I put myself right here where I want to be with a lot of hard work, practice, talent, luck, etc. What I do owe myself and others is being THE BEST I can be! And that's making great music, being a good man, father, lover and human being! We all owe that kinda stuff to ourselves and each other. People do we really need a silly picture?... For what bragging rights? Really?.. Who fucking cares! Someones not gonna believe you if ya dont have the proof pic?...then fuck em! I'd never go up to someone that I admired and bug them for a picture!! Why!.... I might say a quick hello...maybe a handshake?.. I dunno..it depends on the 'situation'... Most people never consider the 'situation'. Thats really important... Ya wouldn't wanna handshake standing at the pisser in the mens bathroom next to me would ya?... And Yes thats happened to me too... Or when your eating a nice quite meal with your family some rude jackass comes up and asks for a picture! You cant even imagine what kinda crazy has happened to me. I understand the excitement and all but just take a second and think... Is this cool right now? Its called Consciousness; it's the quality or state of being aware of an external object or something within oneself. Be Conscious. So like I said.. The fastest way to get me to leave is whip out a camera! Maybe just say hello and I'll probably take ya home with me! Well I'd have to ask my girlfriend first! Hah!

Sincerely yours,
The Picture Taker Hater!
Tommy Lee

How to Look like Marilyn Manson

2012-07-05T00:05:00.000-07:00

Marilyn Manson has one of the most distinctive (and sometimes disturbing) looks in the music industry. From a white-faced foundation to seemingly misshapen eyes and gruesome-elegant clothes, Marilyn Manson has a style that's difficult, but surprisingly subtle.

1. Keep your skin in very good condition with a regiment of anti-bacterial scrubs to make it, as Marilyn Manson said, "a place where germs are afraid to live." Then, apply a white foundation to your face and neck to make you look pale and even corpse-like. Manson has a preference for Mac makeup, which he also uses to create eerie visual effects on his face, such as coloring one eye socket dark. Also, a dash of dark red or purple lipstick is called for.

2. Wear a single white or pale-blue colored contact lens in one eye to create the bizarre, signature Marilyn Manson look. You can find a good pair of Marilyn Manson-styled contact lenses at Costume for Your Eyes, where the contacts are reasonably priced and of good quality.

3. Dye your hair black and consider putting in one or two strands of white to get the right goth style that Manson loves. Also, get yourself an excellent straightener and use it daily--or more than daily--according to Marilyn Manson's ex-wife Dita Von Teese, who complained that her straighteners were constantly going missing in the Manson household.

4. Go for an array of dark and demonic tattoos, such as the four tattoos visible on Marilyn Manson's arms. The devils, smiling Satans and toothy skull were done by accomplished tattoo artists of Tattoos By Lou's in Miami's South Beach. Marilyn Manson took his time (more than four years) acquiring the tattoo set, so do the same to get inked up in Marilyn style.

Iggy Pop wearing a dress and Dior hand bag

2012-07-04T18:48:00.001-07:00

Bon Jovi performing at Hard Rock live

2012-07-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Jon Bon Jovi and The Kings of Suburbia will perform at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on July 26, 2012 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 15 at noon. An exciting solo debut for Jon Bon Jovi at Hard Rock Live, fans can expect to hear favorite Bon Jovi hits, as well as classic rock and roll songs.

Musically, Jon Bon Jovi has set the bar for nearly three decades as one of the world's most successful musicians. Globally, Jon's Grammy winning band Bon Jovi has sold over 130 million albums, consistently delivered #1 albums and Top Ten hits and performed more than 2,600 concerts in over 50 countries for upwards of 34 million fans.

Tickets go on sale June 15 at Noon ET. Tickets are $104, $154, $204 and $304 (*Additional fees may apply); all seats are reserved and available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time.
About Hard Rock Live

Hard Rock Live, a spectacular state-of-the-art facility, further expands the ultimate entertainment experience at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. This 5,500-seat indoor arena has attracted more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 2005, and has regularly hosted South Florida’s greatest variety of musical acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Marc Anthony, Billy Joel, Andrea Bocelli, Tim McGraw and Carlos Santana; top comedians including Chris Rock, Robin Williams, Kathy Griffin and George Lopez; as well as major sporting events and events of major sports stars, from UFC matches to charity galas for Jason Taylor, Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade and more. For additional information, please visit www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com or www.myhrl.com .
About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino invites you to PLAYHARD! Play, stay, dine, and shop at South Florida’s ultimate entertainment destination. Over 90 tables offer Blackjack, Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold ‘em Bonus Poker, Casino War and Let it Ride on a nearly three-acre casino floor. Additionally, 2,500 slots include the Native-American Casino linked Multi-Area Progressive Jackpots and Mega Jackpots. Separate high-limit rooms for table games and slots, in addition to a non-smoking room, are available for guests to enjoy. Loyal Player’s Club members also have access to the exclusive VIP Plum Lounge and VIP Chef’s Table show kitchen. The Poker Room at Seminole Paradise hosts various games and tournaments of Limit and No Limit Texas Hold ‘em, 7-Card Stud and two dollar and four dollar limit Omaha Hi Lo games. Located inside the casino is Hard Rock Cafe -Hollywood, part of Hard Rock’s 136 globally recognized rock ‘n’ roll restaurants. The Green Lodging Certified by the State of Florida, AAA Four Diamond-rated resort showcases 500 luxurious guest rooms, 18 restaurants and lounges, 40,000 square feet of meeting room space, the Body Rock Spa, 23 boutique shops, 13 nightclubs, the 400-seat Paradise Live theater and the 5,500–seat Hard Rock Live concert arena. Located on State Road 7 (U.S. 441) in Hollywood, Florida. Take I-95, exit Stirling Rd. and travel west to 1 Seminole Way. For more information, call (954) 327- ROCK, 1 800-937-0010 or visit us online at www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com or www.facebook.com/ seminolehardrockhollywood.

Metallica on the Orion Music Festival

2012-07-04T17:16:00.002-07:00

THE ORION MUSIC + MORE FESTIVAL, BADER FIELD, ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – JUNE 23/24TH 2012
...HOPE YOU DIDN’T MISS IT BECAUSE REALLY, YOU SHOULDA BEEN THERE...

You really shouldn’t live your life with past regrets, and I’m not one to push that agenda...but I hope you didn’t miss ORION, because if you did, well you’ll not just regret it, you’ll goddamn motherfucking regret it! Because the truth is, well, you missed it. And really, you shoulda been there...

“How much were tickets?” a van driver, Sean, asked me the night before the "private" Metallica weekend for 30,000+ people commenced.
“$150 bucks for two days, all taxes and fees included!” I replied.
“Wow...two days huh? So that’s $150 bucks for two days and you get to meet the band...”
I watched Sean digest the information and smile.
He was, of course, right.
Because ORION was a music festival, a music festival including the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Eric Church, Ghost and Sepultura, ORION was a music festival that had Metallica perform The Black Album in its entirety one night and Ride The Lightning the other, and ORION was about so much more. Which you’ll know if you were present, and I guess if you weren’t then, well... you shoulda been there.

ORION was about what you could do, not what you couldn’t do. ORION was about being able to go places you couldn’t rather than not being able to go anywhere at all. ORION was about having almost too much to see as opposed to not enough. ORION was about pushing the boundaries of choice as opposed to having dictated to you what was going to happen...you wanna hear some music? Well hello! Here’s four stages! You wanna hear and partake of some conversation with members of the ‘Tallica family? Come and join us. And you wanna get a next-level grip on exactly who the fuck these guys in Metallica are? Consider yourself invited...unless, of course, you missed it. In which case, well...you shoulda been there.

Advertising entails telling you about the attractions and the cool stuff, selling them, maybe trying to make sure they’re as shiny and mesmerizing in print as possible, perhaps even occasionally over-selling the article involved. And listen, I’m a writer, I know about an adjective or 25 and I think I know how to capture a moment with honesty. But the adverts for ORION, and my forthcoming description of how it was, both fail spectacularly to convey the true scope of the “lifestyle” areas Lars, Kirk, James and Rob had. These were not just tents with a few nicely lit bits’n’bobs thrown in to occupy five minutes of your time before you went out to get another beer (which, incidentally, was priced at the sort of affordability gigs in the ‘80s had! Yes, ‘80s prices, grab that concept and hug it...unless, of course, you were buying over-priced beer at some other event...)

No, these were slices of their lives cut fresh from their hearts and shared with love and revelation. Lars didn’t just show some of his favorite films, he wanted to sit and chat with you about them. He brought his father, Torben, along for some chatting too. He brought directors along for a chinwag. He even handed me a mic so as we could have a bit of a babble. But most importantly, he handed you a mike (if you were there and didn’t miss it!) so as you could chat. Lars loves to watch movies and chat when he’s at home with a free moment on his hands (that’s the tough bit, the free moment) so when I tell you this was a chance for him to do what he doesn’t get to do at home as much as he’d like to, believe it. For those of you who were in the cinema, you were in his living room at his gaff...and for those of you that weren’t, well...you shoulda been there.

James decided it might be fun to share his passion for vintage vehicles, kustomization and all things grease and wrench and crafted car related. It wasn’t a couple of matte painted bangers and some buddies from the garage, no, it was tens of dozens of vehicles to make you weep (I had my eye on a late ‘60s/early ‘70s Mustang GT and a ’66 GTO convertible, oooooo man I wanted them, I craved them, oh and the ‘64/’65? Falcom too). Het was there at 1:00 pm first day to check ‘em out for himself (he had a couple of goldens of his own you might have seen in magazines before, including the Voodoo Priest) and much like he does in his home “shop” sometimes, he partook of a car chopping session, ostensibly to show you all how it’s done but I suspect more so as he could enjoy doing some car kustomization while on the road. By the way, he thanks you for giving him the chance to have home fun on the road, and I’m sure it was a two-way deal because you got to hang with Het and his heartfelt passion...unless you weren’t around Bader Field at all. In which case, well, shoulda been there.

The top Trujo, Mr. Roberto Skateboardio-Surfelini-Trujillo, loves his boards. He loves his surfboard, he loves his skateboard and so hey . . . ramps, skaters throwing moves that you only see in movies, AND some surfing to be seen out at the water’s edge in Atlantic City (he’d have brought bigger waves if he could’ve I know) and all with VANS and Billabong supporting the daredevils. I didn’t get half the chances I wanted to see Rob’s world at ORION (file under – ‘A Fucking Incredible Amount of Cool Shit To Do and Not Enough Hours in The Day’) so guess what? Well, I missed some of it, but hopefully you saw all of it unless you weren’t anywhere near Atlantic City at all in which case, well, you really shoulda been there.

And then there was Kirk’s Crypt. Which was really “Kirk’s chance to have a big old fucking space with as many of his favorite things as inhumanly possible" sitting amidst spreads from his forthcoming Too Much Horror Business book, his own classic car resplendent with Kirk Von Hammett behind the wheel, a half dozen or so zombies, a make-up artist to turn you INTO a zombie, and a few horror flicks amidst the movie posters. Plus, the biggest horror nerd at Bader Field, aka Mr. Kirk Hammett, was in for a bit of horror chat too (when he wasn’t surfing with Rob) which of course those of you who were there know and reveled in and those of you who weren’t will know, once again, that...well...shoulda been there! Because you know what? All the members of Metallica were, repeatedly, from noon ‘til 11 both days, partaking, engaging and enjoying a vibe and concept that felt even better than I think even they expected...

AND the music...yes, there were over 30 bands that I wanted to see but couldn’t get to, over 30 bands of a range and diversity that beforehand (frankly) seemed to terrify the shit out of prospective observers and participants with regards to fit and form and style and genre and ‘will they be booed off?’ and ‘what if it doesn’t work?’ and ‘you can’t really do that if you’re a metal band ‘cos the kids won’t diggit!’

Well guess what? The kids dug it. They dug going from Landmine Marathon to The Arctic Monkeys. They dug going from Ghost to Eric Church. And they dug going from The Soul Rebels Brass Band to Sepultura, because there was absolutely nothing forced about any of it. Catch a sound that’s interesting? Go to it. See a band that looks cool? Go watch ‘em. Don’t actually give a shit and wanna do something else? Well, on you go and have at it then! No pressure but every opportunity to experience a broad musical palette if you wanted. It was very similar to festivals like Glastonbury, where bands like Queens of The Stone Age shared bills with Air, or Reading where bands like, err, Metallica shared the event with groups such as Pulp. Yeah, that sort of vibe, the one when it was about what you could listen to not what you couldn’t...of course, you’d know that if you were present. And if you weren’t? Well, you shoulda been there...

See, I just wrote all that yet I know that regardless of all the fine words, I haven’t captured the fucking vibe nearly as well as it actually was!!! Because you DID have to be there.

I haven’t even mentioned the Met Club tent, the coolest clubbers hang-out you could imagine, the comedy tent, bristling with that Master of Comedic Ceremonies Jim Breuer offering some heavy light relief, or the Orion marketplace who’s name I forget because I didn’t get to spend nearly as much time there as I wanted, where you could do what we ALL love to do at festivals and buy trinketry, t-shirts and souvenirs from the old days.

And did I mention things like water being $3 bucks for a bottle but then free via refilling stations? Did I mention the concept of not over-filling the area so as every inch was covered with heaving sweaty humanity (when ‘Tallica was on that normal service was resumed)? And did I mention the concept of a security team designed NOT to hassle people every 20 yards, to move them on, to bark at them about what they couldn’t do, to bum their trip out repeatedly minute after minute, hour after hour. You, err, really shoulda been there, because I have never quite experienced any festival weekend that felt so inclusive, comfortable and cool.

Lars just said “DON’T MAKE IT SOUND LIKE AN ADVERT!”
Well, oi! Listen! In that case, next time you decide to do your own festival, don’t fucking well do so much cool shit, don’t show up at your lifestyle areas so much and don’t make it such a great weekend hang. Then maybe we can write the story about a “normal festival,” you know, one where the toilets are overflowing with piss, the crowd is absolutely hammered because there’s nothing much to do between bands other than drink too much and where the closest you get to gauging the band’s spirit is seeing if they’ve broken a sweat during the fucking encore! The truth is Lars, how the fuck can it NOT sound like one? Because I was there. And this one’s for all the people that weren’t because they-don’t-know-what-they-missed and-they-shoulda-been-there!

And truth be told? I hope I have the chance to embarrass you a little more next year, just as I hope the kids who DID miss it get a chance to “ORION” a weekend next year...given what a massive, open and enjoyable goddamn party it was, I’m going to wager that the chances are decent...

Steffan Chirazi
Monday June 25, 2012, on a plane home, tired but wired.

Lamb of God Going to Mayhem Festival

2012-07-04T17:12:00.003-07:00

Are you ready for LOG to cause some "mayhem"?
The maiden voyage of the most crushing cruise on Earth sets sail on Friday, December 7, 2012 from the Port of Miami, FL and travels to the Bahamas, returning to the mainland on Monday, December 10th aboard the Carnival Imagination. Tickets are on sale NOW at MayhemCruise.com.