'Growing Up Twisted' Premieres This Week!

A&E just sent me some cool information about Dee Snider's new show and I wanted to pass along - Allyson

Growing Up Twisted,starring Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider and his family  starts this week on A&E. The seven episode series premieres with two back-to-back half hour episodes on Tuesday, July 27 at 10 PM and 10:30 PM ET/PT.

Here’s the synopsis:

An undeniable presence in the 1980s, Dee Snider is instantly recognizable as the front man of heavy metal band Twisted Sister. But really, he’s just one of six – a regular guy navigating life in the suburbs of New York with his powerhouse wife, Suzette, and their four kids. They are an off-beat but tight-knit family with children who are fiercely independent and strong-willed: Jesse is an aspiring rock musician, husband and new father; Shane is the resident comic; Cody’s a budding filmmaker; and Cheyenne is daddy’s little girl, making the tough transition to teenager. They’re a rock-solid family of unique individuals not afraid to speak their minds. Despite their father’s rock star status, they are just like every other family… only not at all.

“Growing Up Twisted” is produced by Evolution Media (“Real Housewives of Orange County”) for A&E. Dee Snider is executive producer and Ron Starrantino is producer. Executive producers for Evolution are Douglas Ross, Greg Stewart, Kathleen French, Alex Baskin and Kevin Lee. Robert Sharenow and Elaine Frontain Bryant are executive producers for A&E.

Here’s some info on the upcoming shows:

Upcoming episodes -

“Carpet And Drapes” - Tuesday, July 27 at 10 PM ET/PT
Dee decides to get his “Suzette Forever” tattoo redone as a surprise on their 34th anniversary, but is floored to find out that Suzette started the process of removing her “Dee Forever” tattoo. After this ruins their anniversary dinner, Suzette is on a mission to fix things with Dee and designs a new tattoo that she later seductively reveals. Throughout the anniversary plans, the kids realize they’ve gotten to learn a little “too much information” about their parent’s sex life, especially when they find a packet of pink hair dye not intended for their mom’s locks.

“Baptism By Snider” - Tuesday, July 27 at 10:30 PM ET/PT
Twisted Sister lead singer, Dee Snider, is the lone voice of reason when his family packs a whirlwind of activity into one week. Their eldest son, Jesse, wants to have a christening for his daughter, but a touching tribute song he writes for the event opens up old wounds between father and son. Then the family heads to the city for son Shane’s stand-up act, but his brother Cody nearly gets into a fight with a comic that disrespects the Snider clan. Finally, the family needs to pull it all together in time to stage a very touching… and very twisted christening.

Rock n' America Day 1 Review

"If you missed the 80s, you missed out!" Great White frontman Jack Russell bellowed from the Rock n' America stage. Rock n' America officially opened Friday with a theme of all 80s metal and old fashioned heat.

Who played the first official day of Rock n' America? Lizzy Borden, The Sweet, Trixter, Great White and Twisted Sister. On the side stage, bands like Toxin, Axe, Bulletboys and Faster Pussycat rocked out.

The Zoo Amphitheater in Oklahoma City is old so the venue isn't necessarily modern but it is nice. The walk from the parking area to the gates is super long which is unfortunate, but it is what it is I guess. The Zoo Amp has good gradation - I think it's hard to find a bad seat in the house. You can see from pretty much everywhere! The side stage is just to the right of the main stage which is okay...except for the fact that the sound is being run through one PA so when the main stage is being swapped and instruments tuned, you can hear it a little.

The standout bands of the day? The Sweet, Faster Pussycat and Twisted Sister. Jack Russell and Great White sounded much better than previous reports and YouTube videos would indicate. Jack continues to mend from two back surgeries so the set is a little more subdued. He was standing on his own just fine but there's no wild jumping around - and that's to be expected. By the time Great White was finishing their set with "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" the crowd was more energized. The sun had finally let up and it wasn't oppressive anymore. People seemed to be dancing and generally the crowd was happy. The main mix for Great White wasn't great - a problem that plagued the entire set.

The Sweet seemed to really surprise people. Yes, there was a red cape and some hits. A lot of people kept walking by saying "I didn't know they played that song!" For many - like me - it was a first time seeing the band live. I was entertained.


Twisted Sister always rocks but the set was a little more subdued than the last time I saw them. I'm not sure why - it just was. But I liked the opening with the cries of "Twisted Sister, come out and play!" over and over. Yes, Twisted changed the order of their set which I like. I just wish they'd drop "The Price" and keep the entire set straight metal - people were into it. Dee Snider also mentioned his upcoming series on A&E that debuts next week and Jay Jay French went on his usual rant about how American Idol sucks. The band's encore included a very nice tribute to Ronnie James Dio.

The thing that is weird about Rock n' America is that there is a “no cursing from the stage” rule...but it's a rock show. So saying there's no cursing is insane. It just happens and must be some crazy rule from Oklahoma City or something. But apparently the bands are getting fined or something every time they drop an F-bomb. Just odd.

What else? Oh yeah, Faster Pussycat ("Goth Cat") was great -- even with Taime Downe's crazy potty mouth. He swore, bless him! "Bathroom Wall" rocks and I swear it had the biggest sing a long chorus of the day. The Bulletboys didn't play "Smooth Up in Ya" which is inexcusable in my book. I'm not sure if they were cut off or what, but the 20 minute long music jam at the beginning should have been shortened to accommodate the band's biggest hit.

I'm guessing attendance on Friday to be somewhere between 3,000 – 5,000.

I've got photos but I haven't had time to edit them - so check back.

Behind the Scenes of 'November Rain'

Have you ever watched the "Making of 'November Rain?'" The clips are awesome to a music geek like me. I really like to know how stuff works - especially when we're talking about television or video production. I worked in television and I'm still amazed at how directors can manipulate technology and staging to create scenes that are out of this world.

As we all know, "November Rain" is an epic song - and so the video had to be just as awesome. The budget was huge - and, in my opinion, totally worth every penny. Not sure if you've ever watched the official 1993 release "The Making of 'November Rain'" but here it is. Well worth your time.

Part 1 & 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Rock n' America Today - Follow Me on Twitter

I'll be on site at Rock n' America today, catching bands like The Sweet, Great White and Twisted Sister. If you want immediate updates, follow me on Twitter @bringbackglam. I'll be tweeting fun facts and crazy happenings all weekend long.  As always, I'll post reviews and photos of the show, too. Post times will be erratic - so check back frequently.

A Hot Night with Dream Theater

On July 10, 2010, the Dream Theater tour came to the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts with Charred Walls of the Damned and Don Jamieson opening.  Now, I am not a big Dream Theater fan, but since I was home in Connecticut and my wife and kids were visiting family in California, I decided to join my friends and go to the show.  Now, please do not misunderstand my statement regarding Dream Theater...I certainly appreciate their ability as musicians, and considering I am a drummer, watching the phenom known as Mike Portnoy was intriguing, but I just would not call myself a "fan." I had seen Dream Theater in Hartford years ago, but walked out half way through their set, as the sound was terrible at the club and it destroyed the ability to fully appreciate what they were doing as musicians.  I was hoping for better this time.

 

My review here on BBG! is more a review of the venue than the show, as that is what stood out to me most at the end of the night. The Palladium is a large, general admission venue (probably about 2500 total capacity), with a tiered main floor and a balcony above. By the time I made my way in (we had a few beers across the street beforehand and hung out with Don Jamieson for a while at the bar), the place was packed. Make no mistake about it...the "music nerds" come out of the woodwork for Dream Theater.  I would estimate that the show was close to a sell out (as there was plenty of room on the balcony). So, in a word, here is my review...HOT!  Upon entering the venue, I went down to the floor where it was overcrowded and about 20 degrees hotter than it was in the lobby. It was so crowded and uncomfortable, that I decided to check out the balcony, but since heat rises, it was just as hot up there. I stayed up there for Don Jamieson's act and the first couple of CWOTD songs, but then could not stand the heat any longer, so I went back to the floor.  I suffered through the rest of the CWOTD set on the floor, and then waited for Dream Theatre to take the stage. Here is where the story gets sad. I could only stand the heat through about four songs and then made the decision to duck out the show and go back to the bar across the street to wait for my friends. Honestly, at this stage in my life, I am not inclined to be completely uncomfortable and miserable just because I paid for a ticket.

 

I left completely baffled, as I do not understand why the Palladium would not keep their venue at a tolerable temperature. It was perhaps the worst concert experience of my life, and I am not inclined to ever return to that venue (unless it is a show I NEED to see and would willingly suffer through the heat).  Bottom line, I have now walked out on two Dream Theater shows.  I do not think I will ever witness a full set, which is a shame, because they were putting on a great show.

 

So my brief show "review" is as follows:  Don Jamieson was funny and is a great guy; CWOTD was not very memorable and their songs were average (and I am a huge Stern fan, so I was looking forward to watching Christy drum); and Dream Theater were technically amazing and were putting on a great show.

 

The silver lining of leaving the show early was that I went back across to the street to the bar I was at earlier that day, and stumbled upon a cover band playing. While the majority of the band was good, there was one player who was exceptional.  The band is called "Under the Coverz" and their guitar-player (Darlene) was phenomenal. I spent the rest of my night in Worcester amazed by her ability to both shred on the guitar and to nail the songs on which she was singing lead. 

 

So am I just being too much of a wuss, leaving a show because it was too hot? Have you done the same thing?

Guns n' Roses Will Play the Rock n' Rev Festival (Hint: It's in America!)

The inaugural Rock N' Rev festival, scheduled for Aug. 9-13 to coincide with the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, just made a major announcement: Guns n' Roses will play the festival.

Holy Glam!

The festival will officially be held at Monkey Rock USA in Sturgis.

The Monkey Rock site is on 25 acres. In addition to Guns n' Roses, a whole slew of other bands will play including Daughtry, Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Godsmack, Skillet, 3 Doors Down, Hinder, Three Days Grace, Wolfmother, Eagles Of Death Metal, Hellyeah, Creed, Pop Evil and more.

Now, here's the amazing thing: tickets start at $45 and a 5 day pass is $150 bucks. Since I've never seen Guns n' Roses, I'd consider them worth the price of admission alone. From what I understand, there are some VIP packages too. I'm no biker, but someday I want to experience Sturgis. It's one of those "do before you die" sort of things. If I wasn't already committed to Rock n' America and Lollapalooza, I'd be at this fest for sure.

So, how late will Axl and the rest of Guns n' Roses take the stage at this event? I'm saying four hours late minimum.

Lynch Mob Embarks On A Summer Tour

HOLLYWOOD, CA (July 19, 2010) – Lynch Mob is getting ready to embark on a summer tour in support of their current release “Smoke and Mirrors” on Frontiers Records. The band line-up for this tour consists of George Lynch (shred master), Oni Logan (vox), Michael Devin (bassologist) and Brian Tichy (time-keeper).

After seventeen long years singer Oni Logan and guitar wizard George Lynch found their way back together and again show their amazing abilities in some killer new Hard Rock songs.” I would say this new record "Smoke and Mirrors", is the record we should have put out as a follow up to "Wicked Sensation"...better late than never I guess...”, says Lynch presenting the new record.

July 20              HOB – GL Clinic Show            Houston, TX                 
July 22              Dos Amigos                           Odessa, TX
July 23              Trees                                     Dallas, TX
July 24              Scout Bar                               San Antonio, TX
July 25              Zoo Amphitheater                 Oklahoma, OK
July 28              The Altar Bar                          Pittsburgh, PA
July 29              The Starland Ballroom           Sayerville, NJ
July 30              Jaxx                                       Springfield, VA
July 31              The Filmore                            New York, NY
Aug 01             Crazy Donkey                         Framingdale, NY
Aug 02             Eleanor Rigby’s                       Jermyn, PA
Aug 03             House of Blues                       Cleveland, OH
Aug 04             Scatz NightClub                      Middleton, WI
Aug 06             Club Vegas                             Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 07             The New Oasis                       Sparks, NV
Aug 08             Tower Theater                        Fresno, CA
Aug 11             Studio Seven                          Seattle, WA
Aug 12             Dante’s                                   Portland, OR
Aug 13             Last Day Saloon                     Santa Rosa, CA
Aug 14             Sky City Amphitheater            Pueblo of Acoma, NM

Get back to real rock with Lynch Mob’s new album “Smoke and Mirrors.”