Def Leppard, Tesla, Cinderella and More at Rock Fest

Def Leppard and Avenged Sevenfold are among the bands inked to play the 18th annual Rock Fest in Cadott, Wis. The four-day fest kicks off July 14 and runs through July 17.

Other bands scheduled to perform include:

Rob Zombie

Kid Rock

Slaughter

Cinderella

Three Days Grace

Rock Sugar

Saliva

Skillet

Hinder

My Darkest Days

Sick Puppies

Chevelle

Seether

Jackyl

Tesla

Heart

More bands will be added as well!

General admission, VIP and camping packages are available.

Rare Motley Crue Interview Surfaces

Glamtastic! There's some cool Motley Crue memorabilia on eBay courtesy of a seller called EliteWorks, which I browsed out of curiosity but I don't have any money to buy anything. To promote the Glam auction, the owner of the memorabilia released a never-before seen Motley interview on YouTube.

The interview was filmed before the Leathür Records release of Too Fast For Love. Remember how new MTV was in 1981...the interview is tracked just like a regular news package and the voice over sign-off "MTV, Music Television" is a hoot. And check out Nikki's hair! The performance footage was recorded at The Roxy on the Sunset Strip.

Want to buy some stuff? The auction has some cool Glam items.

Nonpoint Covers 'Billie Jean'

Check it: Nonpoint isn't Glam, but sometimes I like to break format and talk about other genres of metal and music in general. How wild is it that Nonpoint finally released an "official" version of their cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean?"

Why did Nonpoint cover "Billie Jean?" Well, the band performs the cover from time to time but it was never recorded in proper form. So, to celebrate 100,000 likes on their Facebook fan page, the band recorded an official version and you can download it legally for free. I went ahead and downloaded and added it to my iPod. The arrangement is interesting - I dig it. I thought you might too, so I wanted to share.

I don't recall ever really hearing Michael Jackson with such an arrangement. Sure, nothing can surpass the original - but Nonpoint did something pretty cool here.

Iron Maiden Wins Grammy Award, Lady Gaga Arrives In An Egg, I Am Old

Iron Maiden won big at the Grammy awards last night. They won in the category of "best metal performance" for their song "El Dorado."  They beat Korn, Lamb of God, Megadeth and Slayer. In my opinion, this category wasn't even a contest. While "El Dorado" isn't the best Maiden song ever, they still always run circles around the other contenders.

The other rock winners include Muse (best rock album for The Resistance), Them Crooked Vultures (hard rock performance for "New Fang"), Jeff Beck (rock instrumental performance for "Hammerhead"), Neil Young (song writing for "Angry World") and Jeff Beck (pop instrumental performance for "Nessum Dorma").

I think I got all the rock categories...basically, the Grammys shove anything not rap/pop/commercial country to the pre-show telecast. Meaning: not televised but you can watch online. So whatever. Awards don't mean anything - we all like what we like. But just once in a awhile it would be cool to see a rock band get to walk the red carpet, get interviewed on E! and have a category announced on television.

Oh well. Did you see Lady Gaga arrive at the show in a giant egg? Insanity. I love her and her new song "Born This Way." All pop isn't bad and Gaga is a metal loving musical genius!

Ok, so I hope you listened to the new Gaga. Now I want to say I must be about 100 years old because I had no idea who about 50% of the musicians were on the Grammy telecast last night. The names were odd, the music sounded bad...and it was all just foreign. I mean, I always give myself a pass on the country categories because I generally don't listen to much out of that musical genre but by at large, country artists are real musicians. The rest...I dunno. I was finding myself using Google and Wikipedia just about every time an artist was announced. Clearly that's a sign of old age. Oh well I guess. At least I would recognize any member of Iron Maiden if they walked by me on the street. 

So, with all this randomness I can say without a shadow of a doubt that modern, commercial music sucks.

M3 Party Alert: Wildstreet to Play!

Remember when BBG! reader Rock-It mentioned he was planning an M3 pre-party? Well, he delivered! Check out this ad mat he sent me last night. When more details become available I'll pass along. I wish I was getting into town on the 12th, but I can't leave until very early on the 13th. I do have some friends heading in to town on the 12th and I bet they can give us a full report on this show. Check it out: Wildstreet!

*I want to be clear that this is not an official M3-produced event.*

Another Festival: Bike n' Roll

We're in the thick of festival announcements now...last night I stumbled on another one: Bike n' Roll. This fest is located at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Michigan. This is the second year for the event. It will take place June 9, 10 and 11. The festival actually repeats June 16, 17 and 18 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Scheduled to perform at Bike n' Roll is Great White, Slaughter, KEEL, Stephen Pearcy, Jani Lane,Nelson, Dizzy Reed, In The Red, Sevin, One (Metallica Tribute Band), Union Guns, Sargent Avenue, SHRAM and The Rents. Apparently more bands will be added as well. (I don't think the cover bands are playing the Madison version of the event).

I think if you like to ride, this would be a fun weekend. Extra points if you are in the midwest and don't have the time or money to travel all the way to M3 or another Glam fest. It seems the best part of Bike n' Roll is the cost: advance general admission one-day tickets are just $24. You can get a two-day pass for $39. There are VIP packages too that include food and drinks and those are also really cheap.

There are some other things planned at Bike n' Roll beyond music including a burn out pit, custom and vintage school bike show, vendor alley and more. Get on your bikes and ride!

Rocklahoma 2011 Bands Announced

Here is the Rocklahoma 2011 band list:

Motley Crue, Staind, Whitesnake, Seether, Papa Roach, Saving Abel, Skillet, Sick Puppies, Sebastian Bach, Black Label Society, Drowning Pool, My Darkest Days, Rev Theory, All That Remains, Escape the Fate, Cavo, The Gracious Few, Hail the Villian, Pop Evil, Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights, Taddy Porter, Crooked X, Texas Hippie Coalition, New Medicine, Art of Dying, Electric Touch, One Less Reason, Gypsy Pistoleros, Alias, Wildstreet, The Glitter Boys, Gunner Sixx, Black Tora, Mad Max, Aura Surreal, Firstryke, Aska, Pretty Little Suicide, Area, Blue Tiger, Bad Things, Cutlass, Mock Star…and more.

Tickets go on sale February 18 at 10 a.m. CST.  Here's the official press release:

ROCKLAHOMA returns May 27-29 to kick off summer with the nation’s biggest Memorial Day Weekend party at “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds in Pryor, OK! 2011 marks the 5^th Anniversary of the three-day camp & rock festival that will feature a mix of the best classic bands and today’s top active rock artists.  ROCKLAHOMA is proud to be presented by Bud Light.   The initial ROCKLAHOMA lineup includes: Mötley Crüe, Staind, Whitesnake, Seether, Papa Roach, Saving Abel, Skillet, Sick Puppies, Sebastian Bach, Black Label Society, Drowning Pool, My Darkest Days, Rev Theory, All That Remains, Escape The Fate, Cavo, The Gracious Few (featuring members of Live and Candlebox), Hail the Villain, Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights, Taddy Porter, Pop Evil, Crooked X, Texas Hippie Coalition, New Medicine, Art of Dying, Electric Touch, One Less Reason, Gypsy Pistoleros, Alias, Wildstreet, The Glitter Boys, Gunner Sixx, Black Tora, Mad Max, Aura Surreal, Firstryke, Aska, Pretty Little Suicide, Arena, Blue Tiger, Bad Things, Cutlass, Mock Star and more special guests to be announced.  

“2011 promises to deliver the biggest ROCKLAHOMA punch to date!” says Joe Litvag, Senior Vice President of AEG Live and Co-Executive Producer of ROCKLAHOMA. “Not only have we stepped up our game with the top active rock artists on the charts this year like Seether, Papa Roach and Sick Puppies, but we’ve also taken the classic artists to a new level of insanity with the likes of Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake, and a few surprises yet to come! The ROCKLAHOMA loyalists asked for it, and we heard them loud and clear…This is the perfect balance of talent that will give something to every rock fan in the region!”   General Admission and VIP packages for ROCKLAHOMA go on sale Friday, February 18 at 10am CST at all Ticketmaster outlets and www.rocklahoma.com. General Admission 3-day ticket prices start as low as $99.50. Fans can save by buying early as ticket prices will increase in the coming weeks. Camping tickets may be purchased by calling the ROCKLAHOMA Camping Office at (866) 310-2288, where fans can choose their exact campsite.  

The VIP tickets and packages for the 2011 festival are sure to please the most rabid rock fans.  This year’s VIP packages include:  

 Groupie Package(1 Person) - VIP Reserved Ticket - Access to air-conditioned VIP Catering Tent - Private Backstage Lounge Access - Weekend Pit Access  

Roadie Package(1 Person) - VIP Reserved Ticket - Access to air-conditioned VIP Catering Tent - Private Backstage Lounge Access - Private Restroom Access - Weekend Pit Access - VIP Deck Access - Event Poster, T-Shirt and Festival Mug - Commemorative Laminate  

Rockstar Package (2 Person) - All amenities from Roadie Package - Three Night Stay at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa - Shuttle Service to and from festival - Best Seats in the House   For a detailed list of amenities included in the 2011 ROCKLAHOMA VIP ticket packages, please visit www.rocklahoma.com.  

“We’ve always tried to offer the greatest experience to our ROCKLAHOMA VIPs,” comments Mark Nuessle, President of Catch the Fever Festival Grounds and Co-Executive Producer of the festival.  “This year we’ve brought back the air-conditioning to our VIP catering tent and backstage lounge, by popular demand, and we’ve expanded our packages to include Pit access, Best Seats in the House, and even hotel accommodations and transportation this year!  For those who want to be pampered, ROCKLAHOMA will take good care of you!”  

ROCKLAHOMA is located just 45 minutes northeast of Tulsa, in Pryor, OK.  The “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds is a premier destination for a multi-day festival and includes on-site camping with access to restrooms and shower house, a general store for campers, VIP reserved seating, hospitality areas and much more.  Established in 2007 as a classic rock destination festival with the motto “life, liberty and the pursuit of rock,”

ROCKLAHOMA was revamped for 2010 as organizers teamed with AEG Live to create an event encompassing a much broader mix of classic, current and up-and-coming rock artists.    For additional information, please visit www.rocklahoma.com.