More Bands Added to ShipRocked Cruise

Two new bands were just added to the ShipRocked lineup. They are Andy Wood & The Amalgam and Write This Down. ShipRocked sails November 27 – December 1 and features many bands, including Godsmack, Five Finger Death Punch, In This Moment and more. Click the artists tab on the official website for a full roster of acts or go ahead and book now.    

Don't Dare Ask Tommy Lee For A Photo

Tommy Lee apparently felt the need to take a public stance on the issue of having to take pictures with his fans. Below is what he posted on his official Facebook page on June 28, 2012 (the profanity edits are mine, the poor spelling and grammar are from the original):

 

Dear Fans,

I f---ing 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 f...uck 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

 

So that is fine, Mr. Lee, if you do not want to take pictures with your fans... but then riddle me this? Why are you willing to take such pictures when those same fans pay $1,500 per ticket for the Motley Crue VIP Experience? To me, that is glaring evidence of your hypocrisy. If it is about the music, then why are you able to set your personal feelings about the act of taking picture with your fans aside when you are making some easy money? Perhaps you need to re-examine your position on this issue, and either (1) live by the words you typed above and stop cashing those VIP Experience checks, or (2) acknowledge all fans equally, and do not begrudge every fan that asks you for a quick picture. I understands some situations don't warrant you agreeing to a picture, but remember, these are your fans that probably have followed your career (missteps and all) for decades, and it is probably an exciting moment that they want to memorialize. I'm sorry we don't all have the exciting life that you lead Tommy, but to take a stance like this is pointless and is only going to serve to further alienate Motley Crue from their fans.  Well played, Tommy... well played.

Poll: When Will Aerosmith’s New Album Hit Stores?

Some news outlets are reporting that the release date for Aerosmith’s upcoming album, Music From Another Dimension, is now pushed back to November. The album was supposed to come out at the end of August. If I am remembering correctly, the new album has already been pushed back once. I’m now skeptical we’ll see the new Aerosmith record before the end of the year. Are you skeptical too? Take the poll below and vote on a release date.

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Switchblade Scarlett, 'Little Hearts' -- New Video

Switchblade Scarlett just wrapped up some tour dates, which included Rocklahoma. Now the band is celebrating the release of the video for the song "Little Hearts." The band is back on tour toward the end of the summer. Check out the clip!

Sebastian Bach Wants More Cowbell

After the awesome show at Sweden Rock Festival, I’ve had some huge cravings for more Sebastian Bach. And yes, I have been a bit skeptic toward the album Kicking And Screaming, but I decided it was time to give it a chance. Just like Allyson, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the title song when I first heard it. But it has grown on me and I thought it was time to let the whole album do that as well, so I bought it.

As you all know, the album artwork is a bit odd, but inside the cover I found something that made me laugh even more – Sebastian Bach on cowbell.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there’s a lot of effort behind the cowbell on this record. But giving yourself credit for playing it on your solo album? Is it really necessary? Who else would get the credit if he didn’t write it? And is there even a thing called ”getting credit for playing the cowbell?"

That surely made me laugh for quite a while. And then I even felt a bit sad. Standing next to guitarist Nick Sterling, who plays almost every instrument and also wrote most of the songs, it just looks desperate. At least to me. What do you think? And what do you think of the album?

And also, this past weekend we celebrated ”Midsummer” in Sweden, which of course included ”Små grodorna” (”Small frogs”) – a song that apparently even Sebastian Bach knows. Here’s a clip of him performing with Dee Snider at Sweden Rock Festival, and also surprising the crowd with the midsummer anthem.

Guns n' Roses, Sebastian Bach Together at Gods of Metal Fest

Whenever you attend a show and something out of the ordinary happens, say, a special guest pops on stage and does a duet, it's magic. Imagine how cool it would have been to be in the audience at Italy's Gods of Metal festival when Guns n' Roses performed... and Sebastian Bach hopped up on stage for a rendition of "My Michelle." Going to a metal festival in Milan would be amazing. See the bands on the Gods of Metal bill would be over-the-top.

Some of the other Gods of Metal bands included Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, The Darkness, Ugly Kid Joe, Within Temptation, Black Stone Cherry, Hardcore Superstar and many more!

This Is Metal, Ya'll

Iron Maiden is on our tour and it doesn't get much more metal than that, right? I've been enjoying the live clips as they pop up on YouTube. Like most of the bigger tours this summer, Iron Maiden is bypassing my area. Are you going to see this tour?

Here's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son"

"The Number of the Beast"