It's time for another "Entertain Me" favorite, singer/songwriter Aiden Leslie to let loose and answer this writer's "stupid questions" - OK Aiden, here we are now, "Entertain" us.
MS: Anything you are “Trying To Leave Now”?
AL: Not at the moment. That was last year...
MS: Do you aspire to perform with an Elvis hologram?
AL: I didn’t know what a hologram was until recently…they kind of scare me☺
MS: What's it like being a Devo, spill?
AL: There is nothing to spill…LOL. I feel like a nerd most of the time.
MS: Isn’t Erasure that thing on the end of a pencil?
AL: YES☺ AND also, a great band that inspired me in a huge way!
MS: Glee or Smash?
AL: This is probably the wrong answer…but neither.
MS: What’s a Farrah Burns and should we all have one?
AL: Hard to define, but (she’s) got it goin’ on!
MS: So, where would you like to visit that’s “Worlds Away”?
AL: Anywhere where I haven’t been before…and that list is long!
MS: Falsetto or Auto Tone?
AL: No question. Falsetto!
MS: Bitter or Sweet?
AL: It’s always bittersweet.
MS: If your life was a pop song, what pop song would it be?
AL:“My Way.” Frank Sinatra.
Do it Aiden's way at www.aidenleslie.com
Monday, April 30, 2012
10 Stupid Questions: Aiden Leslie
Friday, April 27, 2012
For Immediate Release: Japan's TsuShiMaMiRe Is "Shocking"
Japan’s
TsuShiMaMiRe release their new concept album “Shocking” as well as an extended
version of 2011’s “Giving Blood” album entitled “Giving More Blood” on May 1
2012 via Good Charamel Records
Humans are the
only living thing which can love FOOD and love
ROCK ‘N’
ROLL.
“Kufuku and Kuhaku”(“Hungry and Empty”), people feel empty in the world that is filled with only objects and information. The 3 main ingredients departed the planet “SHOCKING” on the UFO called “SARA” (It also means plate in Japanese); these ingredients names were; Cabbage Wild, Marice and Mizevi. They landed on the planet earth, and started becoming people’s messiah, “Meshiya”...
As you can see, Japanese Female
Alt Rockers, TsuShiMaMiRe have found another
way to express themselves.
The
“Shocking” album
follows a theme throughout the album with a storyline, Shocking is “Concept Album”. You
know, like “Ziggy
Stardust” by David Bowie,
“Berlin
“Shocking” consists
of 12 stories of Space themes. We are not going to mention the theme and stories
here as we don’t want these notions to get in the way of your own imagination.
TsuShiMaMiRe
started their own label “Mojor
Records” in Japan North
America !
After numerous
tours around the world with acts such as The Suicide Girls and Peelander Z,
TsuShiMaMiRe continues to push out their boundaries and create new, stimulating
sounds that set this unique group of women apart from the
rest.
Good
Charamel will be releasing this amazing
album in North
America in 2012 as well as
simultaneously releasing an extended / remastered version of TsuShiMaMiRe’s
2011
release “Giving More Blood”
with bonus material and remixed tracks.
Please press “Play”… and that will
launch the rocket. Please Enjoy “Shocking” the new
album by one of Japan
Watch the video
for “Hungry and Empty” from “Shocking” at the link
below
Sample
tracks from Shocking
here:
TsuShiMaMiRe
also contributes 2 songs to the just released I Love J-Rock 2
compilation.
View the
I Love J-Rock 2 album trailer and
sample all 8 songs from the record at: http://www.goodcharamel.com.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
10 Seconds With: Naama Kates
“My life was nothing but examined,” shares Kates. “I had just moved to Los Angeles and everything that I was feeling got written into a song; my personal therapy. What I write tells me what I’m thinking, reflects what I’m going through.”
What started with a small keyboard that Kates purchased at Guitar Center led to an impressive catalogue of original songs about universal themes, such as loneliness and unrequited love. Written with a soft touch and a slight edge, Kates’ take on subject matter that could be dreary is light and hopeful, which is further elevated by her superb arrangements. Count backward from one-to-eight before you lose it…
MS: BTW I love your single “Before You Lose It”.
NK: Awwwwwwwwwwwwww, Thank You.
MS: One of the things I really like, that I typed in the intro, is the line - “Count Backward from one - to - eight” before you lose it…that was interesting I think most people take about twenty. (laughs)
NK: Well, it’s based on, ya know, you are supposed to count to ten before you say anything. I made it eight because music is in four/four time.
MS: That makes perfect sense. Do you write all of your stuff, or do you collaborate?
NK: I write all my stuff. I do the piano, lyrics and the chords, the song is fully written, and I work with a producer, he then puts it together with drums, guitars, bass, he plays the bass so he does that part. I don’t do the arrangements, obviously my producer does that. (laughs)
MS: You based the title of your upcoming album “The Unexamined Life” on a quote from Socrates “An Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living”. You also say your life is nothing but examined, expand on that.
NK: Oh well, that has to do with a little less than one year after moving to Los Angeles, CA - I started writing and bought a keyboard. At that point I was not going out at all, not leaving the house, I was an agoraphobic…and I didn’t like driving very much. I was taking two LACC classes because I decided to stop acting, working a bar two nights a week. That’s all I did for a year, it was a lot of introspection. (laughs) I figured out what mattered, and what didn’t.
Examine your life with Naama at: http://twitter.com/#!/naamakates
Friday, April 20, 2012
Reel Life: Celebrity Sex Tape
"You guys are just jealous that I dabbled the dipstick in some Hollywood Creamy Sashimi" - Sex Ed "Celebrity Sex Tape"
CST is the number one movie on Netflix at the moment, and I can see why, this movie really takes me back to the teen sex comedies of my youth, the 80's to be exact, when my sister and myself, under 17 at the time, bought tickets to see the raunchiest teen sex comedy of all time (at least then) "Porky's" (Yes, the ticket seller was slacking and not asking or caring about under age teens catching the extremely "R" rated flick).
Well CST has out raunched "Porky's" and updated the naughty 80's for today's seen it, heard it and done it all audience.
Yes, Celebrity sex tapes are all the rage now, and a great way to get yourself some...fame and fortune that is. From the pioneer of the game, Paris Hilton to the copycat, Kim Kardashian, to the, yawn what a surprise, Kendra Wilkinson.
CST is about: Some 'BigBangTheory'-like guys are just having fun in college and stumble onto a party with a famous gal who does'nt realize she is being too friendly with strangers with a camera and a libido....
The famous gal's manager then blackmails the "Big Bang Theory" like guys for $500,000 million dollars for ruining his clients reputation after said video hits the Internet. The only way they can think to earn it? Bang other has been actresses online and make a bundle doing a load of "Celebrity Sex Tape"s...
Got it?! Good CST stars "Entertain Me" favorite up and coming actor, Jonathan "JB" Brett as "Sex Ed" and another favorite here, the film company, The Asylum.
Despite all it's risque content, CST is also a movie with heart that extols the virtue of true friendship, and what that means. That being stated, if you want some good old fashioned 80's raunch that will take it even further than the teen sex comedy "golden era", check out this Netflix number one from The Asylum - tell them a "Porky's" fan sent ya ; )
http://www.theasylum.cc/
Thursday, April 19, 2012
For Immediate Release: Shonen Knife Is Back !
SHONEN KNIFE Announces New Studio Album “Pop Tune” (Out June 6)
And Upcoming North American Tour
Check Out the Tour Video at
“Pop Tune” was recorded in Osaka in early 2012 after the bands wildly successful “Osaka
“Pop Tune” will be released World Wide on June 6th (on Good Charamel Records in North America) and their 2012 North American tour will begin in Philadelphia this July (dates listed below).
Check out the tour video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBL7VdmAmpY.
7-19 Philadelphia
7-20 Asbury Park , NJ
7-21 Brooklyn, NY- The Bell
7-22 Hoboken
7-24 Providence , RI- Providence
7-25 Portland , ME
7-26 Allston , MA-
7-27 Rochester , NY
7-28 Long Lake , NY – Mt. Sabattis
7-29 Bethlehem
7-30 Detroit
7-31 Great Rapids, MI-
8-2 Chicago , IL-
8-3 TBA
8-4 Minneapolis , MN
8-5 Fargo, ND- The Aquarium
8-8 Seattle , WA-
8-9 Portland
8-10 San Francisco
8-11 San Jose , CA-
8-12 So Cal.
8-13 So Cal
8-14 Tucson
8-16 Austin, TX- Red 7 -
8-17 Dallas, TX- Club Dada
8-18 Little Rock
8-19 Nashville
8-20 Cincinnati
8-21 Cleveland , OH-
8-22 Toronto , ON-
* w/ opening band White Mystery
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
R.I.P. Dick Clark -
"After six tours in the 60's with Dick Clark - I can truthfully say he was the finest gentleman I have ever worked with in the business" - Teen Idol, Mike Clifford
Host and TV producer Dick Clark has died. He was 82. TMZ first reported the news Wednesday afternoon. A rep told the site that Clark underwent surgery Tuesday night and suffered a heart attack following the procedure.
Clark started his career as a radio announcer at WRUN in Utica, N.Y., when he was 17.
His long-running show, "American Bandstand," was on the air from 1957-1989. "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" began in 1972 and continues to this day with Ryan Seacrest.
Clark launched the American Music Awards in 1973. He became a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 1993.
Clark suffered a stroke in December 2004. He continued performing even after the stroke, even though it had affected his ability to speak and walk.
Hey Dick, Keep On Rockin' !
Monday, April 16, 2012
Manic Monday: Midnight Red
It's Monday time for some fun - check out boy band, Midnight Red covering: "Sexy & I Know It" by LMFAO
These Boys have been on "Entertain Me" before because of their string of performances at the Hollywood & Highland Hard Rock Cafe, which I went to with my buddy and their publicist, Ken Phillips - "The Boys" are currently filming the video for their single "Hell Yeah" Enjoy your Monday..!
www.midnightred.com
These Boys have been on "Entertain Me" before because of their string of performances at the Hollywood & Highland Hard Rock Cafe, which I went to with my buddy and their publicist, Ken Phillips - "The Boys" are currently filming the video for their single "Hell Yeah" Enjoy your Monday..!
www.midnightred.com
Friday, April 13, 2012
Rock On: James Durbin Plays The Viper Room
His first stop however was performing "Higher Than Heaven" from his hit album "Memories of a Beautiful Disaster" on "American Idol" - As expected James tore it up on the "Idol" stage, hey do you doubt my words check out the performance courtesy of the magic we call YouTube....
Awaiting his arrival with my friend Ken in tow at The Viper Room I was treated to a few rockin' openers too...Jared James Nichols & Vayden. I text Ken he says they are en route from "Idol" on the way there James and his wife Heidi stop off to get matching tattoos - love is great!
I spy Ken, James takes the stage and he is in top form, in short James rocks! He never disappoints and never gives a bad performance. Of course he kicked "Higher Than Heaven" for The VR audience as well.
He also looked down at me a few times, "yes" I have seen him often enough he now knows who I am...!
Can't wait to see you perform again JD - you F#$king Rule!
James is currently on tour, check out when and where at:
www.durbinrock.com
Thursday, April 12, 2012
My Trashy Evening: For The Love Of "Garbage"
 |
| Photo: Buffy Thon |
And I can't stop when it comes to you” - “Vow” Garbage
It’s Tuesday, April 10, 2012. The Mission: Getting to one of two sold out shows for the triumphant return of Garbage at the El Rey in Los Angeles.
Shirley Manson, Shirley Manson, Shirley Manson…
My friend Buffy is in town from Florida scored the tickets and she is ready to rock and see LA.
First stop on our trashy evening is one of my favorite restaurants Palermo, a tasty Italian place in Los Feliz.
We are hungry and ready, our journey from the Beverly Garland in North Hollywood to our dining destination is flawless, we even got a parking spot right off.
Something isn’t right, Palermo is in lock down….Hmmmmmmmm…armed with her I Phone Buffy pulls up the data on Palermo. It’s closed on Tuesdays, WTF?! How random, who would have thought, most establishments are closed on Monday, if at all.
“C'mon push it, you can do it
C'mon prove it, nothing to it”… “Push It” Garbage
Armed with a craving for pasta we target a new destination: Osteria La Buca ….we will have our Italian pasta and eat it too! We get to OLB and are served some of the best effen pasta ever, a dish called Poppy Seed Tagliatelle w/oysters, mushroom, basil-butter, ricotta salata…can you say Yummy?!
While dining Buffy realizes the most important part of our evening’s mission, she forgot the tickets to get us into the El Rey to see Garbage back at her Hotel room…Ugh!
Shirley Manson, Shirley Manson, Shirley Manson…
Back to North Hollywood to The Beverly Garland, our objective? To get the tickets from the bowels of Buffy’s hotel room and still make in time to see Garbage.
“I think I'm paranoid And complicated
I think I'm paranoid Manipulate it” …”I Think I’m Paranoid” Garbage
Mission completed, directive? Over the hill to The El Rey to claim our reward.
We arrive find free parking (no one wants to pay $20 effen dollars for that sh!t)!
Saunter upstairs to the V.I.P. bar and grab an energy drink, Jack Daniels and Diet Coke please. We have arrived a mere ½ hour before Garbage takes the stage.
And take it they did! The show was amazing, Shirley Manson was magnetic the whole time and is one of the best female vocalists (according to me) ever!
Hey Garbage, you rule!
“I would die for you I would die for you
I've been dying just to feel you by my side, to know that you're mine” “I Would Die For You” - Garbage
www.garbage.com
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
For Immediate Release: Matt Zarley Says "Trust Me"
Interview subject http://www.chorusandverse.com/content.php?id=20110425A and "Entertain Me" staple Matt Zarely wants your trust. With his latest song and video "Trust Me" the story goes something like this...
"When video footage of fictional GOP presidential candidate Matt Zarley surfaces showing him at a 70s style party making out with a sexy younger man (scenes complete with 70s facial hair, furry chested men and hot tubs), the "candidate" decides to come out from behind his false marriage and be who he truly is. At the end of the music video America embraces and elects it's first openly gay president."
In Matt We Trust.
www.mattzarley.com
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Checking In With: Yvette Lopez
With songs such as “Bloodrush” “Freakshow” and “Tell Me It’s A Lie” …
She wants you to dance!
So get off your butt and do it, and do it now…!
MS: Loving all your songs including the current one “Bloodrush” - your recurring theme in all of them seems to be about being lost in music.
YL: Music is my life, it’s all about music. My Father was a musician, he did his first 45 when he was 7, so all my upbringing was about music. Now that I am doing it, it seems to be all about music again.
MS: Of course you may intertwine that more with sex than he did. (laughs)
YL: (laughs) Yeah, mines a lot different than his stuff.
MS: But it all relates to music, I noticed that.
YL: I co-wrote 4 of the songs with Jens Gad of Enigma. I also co-wrote with a lot of other people, it was a lot of fun, I have never written before, I didn’t know I could. It came out very easily, and now I am excited to get back in the studio and do some more stuff.
MS: Writing is my natural gift, I don’t believe in writers block, if it doesn’t work, go back and change it.
YL: Exactly! That’s what a producer told me one time.
MS: Well your producer is right!
YL: Yeah, just go back and write it down.
MS: So, let’s talk about “Bloodrush” it’s about music, but it’s about sex & drugs as well….It’s crazy, it’s so open for interpretation on 3 different levels.
YL: (laughs) Yeah, my producer picked the subject and said: “What is a Bloodrush to you”? Of course it’s sex, what is better than that? So we went with that and when we were shooting the video I was so lucky that my friend, Mikey Post was there.
MS: I thought that was Mikey
YL: Yeah, it was Mikey! I asked him to do the video and he said: “Hell Yeah” and there he was choking me and pulling my hair.
MS: So what’s up with it Darlin’ ?
YL: Well I have the Playboy name behind me which is great, some people think, because of that: “Oh she’s a girl who just takes her clothes off” but if you listen to the music, it’s pretty damned good! Right now, we are figuring how to get it out to the radio stations and different venues. Did you ever hear my first single, “Tell Me It’s A Lie” ?
MS: Yes, Romi (Simmons) played it for me in her car after I saw you at EG Daily’s show at the club on Vine in Hollywood, CA. So what happened with that?
YL: We have it iTunes, it does pretty decent on there. After a while Romi and I got pretty busy and stopped promoting it, which was pretty silly, and now we are promoting it again because of all the stuff that is happening.
MS: She told me what the song was about, before I heard it, it is about a woman whose man cheats on her with a guy, well OK, the lyrics are open for interpretation which is great!
YL: Oh yeah, that would be fine with me. It could about a guy or a girl….I date both sexes. I prefer a man to a woman, but…
MS: You flow.
YL: Yep, at least in life.
MS: “Freakshow” is another song of yours I loved.
YL: I love that one too I recorded it here in Los Angeles, with Peter Rafelson, he’s worked with Lady Gaga, he wrote a number one hit song for Madonna, he’s pretty well known. I really want to put a show together with that song, me tied up in a cage, with a lot of stuff going on around me. With me and a bunch of little people and everyone doing all these crazy sex things. That is a turn on song for me.
MS: I especially like the line “Put the leash on, you know my kitty wants to play” OMG, what does that mean?! (laughs) You got your music career going on.
YL: I hope so, the music industry is all about doing it yourself these days.
“This is something that’s bigger than life”….”Bloodrush” - Yvette Lopez
Join Yvette’s “Freakshow” at: www.yvette-lopez.com
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Rock On: Metal Masters 3
SAMSON, HARTKE, ZOOM AND BEST BUY JOIN FORCES FOR METAL MASTERS 3
The Successful Clinic Series Lands At The Key Club
In Los Angeles On April 12
Three of the leading gear/technology companies for both musicians and consumers alike partners with one the top retailers in the United States for another memorable music event. Samson, Hartke and Zoom have teamed up with Best Buy again for the third installment of Samson’s successful “Metal Masters” series. Metal Masters 3 will take place on April 12 at the famed Key Club on the legendary Sunset Strip in Hollywood, CA. Doors for Metal Masters 3 will open at 7:00PM with the clinic starting at 8:00PM. Metal Masters 3 is comprised of David Ellefson (Megadeth), Kerry King (Slayer), Charlie Benante (Anthrax), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Mike Portnoy (Adrenaline Mob/Flying Colors) and newly added master Dave Lombardo (Slayer).
If the buzz that is still circulating from Metal Masters 2 is any indicator, Metal Masters 3 will not disappoint anyone who is lucky enough to see it. Metal Masters 2, which took place at the Best Buy Theater in New York City, featured the Metal Masters demonstrating their personal techniques and styles they use to create the music that millions bang their heads to every day. Metal Masters 2 featured surprise performances of Phil Anselmo (Pantera/Down) and Scott Ian (Anthrax) joining the Masters for some memorable performances including the still talked about Pantera classics “A New Level” and “Hostile.” If that wasn’t enough, Metal Masters 2 was capped off by a full performance by New York metal icons Anthrax days before their performance at the historical Big 4 show at Yankee Stadium. Metal Masters 3 will outdo the legendary Metal Masters 2 and this time return to the west coast where some of the most famous metal bands started.
“We’re extremely excited to be bringing the Metal Masters series back to the West Coast where it originated.” says Mark Menghi, Samson’s Director of Marketing. “And with the artists we have participating and the surprises we have planned, Metal Masters 3 is going to be the best one yet.”
Sunday, April 1, 2012
10 Seconds With: The Strange Familiar
 |
| Photo: Chris Owyoung |
When Jaded Era splintered, Kira and Jeff headed to the Leyden family basement, where they set up a studio and started writing songs that would become the foundation of The Strange Familiar. After months of performing around town and experimenting with new sounds, The Strange Familiar decided to make the move to Los Angeles.
Here to make you more “familiar” with the “strange” is Kira Leyden…!
MS: You have an album coming out “Chasing Shadows”.
KL: I’m so excited, “Chasing Shadows” is coming out on April 10th.
MS: Cool, tell me what you hope to accomplish with it?
KL: “Chasing Shadows” is the first time I feel we have been able to get into a studio as a band and do something really cohesive. The band played on all the tracks and it feels like the first time something wasn’t done in pieces. It feels like the most honest we have ever been musically. I think that it is really honest and uplifting, and it will inspire people and help them through tough times.
MS: Very cool.
KL: You know, I really can’t write anything that’s frivolous, “Being Me” is about as frivolous as it gets. (laughs) But we are still trying to send a message - “be happy with who you are”.
MS: It’s more whimsical, than frivolous.
KL: There you go! I’m going to use that from now on. Last year we did a mini school tour. We played a lot of High Schools & Grade Schools. We want to put out a positive message and ended up doing a full show….I looked at those kids and thought: “Wow! That was me a few years ago, trying to fit in”. Our overall message is be yourself, and I’m proud of that.
www.thestrangefamiliar.com
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