It's A James Durbin "Smackdown"

James Durbin: Blondes Have More Fun!
Photo: Heidi Durbin

 Are all you Durbinators ready for a Smackdown?! Of course you are...!!!

James Durbin has released his new single & video for “Smackdown”.  Check it, don't wreck it here: http://loudwire.com/james-durbin-smackdown-exclusive-video-premiere/

 Have a “Smackdown” here:  www.cdbaby.com/CD/jamesdurbin2     

“Smackdown” is the first new music from James in over 2 years and will be the lead single off of his forthcoming as-yet-untitled 3^rd  full length album release slated for this summer.   “Smackdown” showcases James’ signature hard rock sound in a grand way with crunching guitar riffs and a truly epic drum beat.  

From the opening bass riff to the closing scream & all the debauchery in between, James Durbin is back & better than ever before

James has also been invited to perform on American Idol’s finale show Thursday, April 7.  Other performers slated to return for the finale show include Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, David Cook and many other former IDOLS.  

"I'm really looking forward to being a part of the Idol series Finale. It's really beginning to hit me that this whole thing is gonna be over. I am excited but sad too. I'm honored & grateful to share the end of this show with all my amazingly talented Idol family & lay it to rest together" said James.

Follow James on social media here:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/durbinrock

Facebook: http://facebook.com/durbinrock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/durbinrock/

Rock You Like A Hurricane!

They're going to rock you like a hurricane - forever and a day...

That's Hot!

The new fully authorized Scorpions documentary Forever and a Day is wrapping up its theatrical run and will come to DVD, Blu-ray, and digital platforms on November 27th (in German with English subtitles). The movie takes a look at the German hard-rock legends' long career, while focusing on the band's Final Sting trek, which initially was intended to be a farewell tour.

As the film shows, during the 2011-2012 tour, the band members were so energized by the response from fans that they decided to scrap their retirement plans. Founding Scorpions guitarist Rudolf Schenker says that if you watch Forever and a Day, you can see the veteran rockers come to the realization that they weren't ready to call it quits.

Schenker explains, "Seeing all these old fans, the new fans coming, everything was sold out, and getting told by the fans what the music means for them, then we more and more" understood that the time wasn't right for the band to retire.

Among the interesting career highlights covered in the movie is The Scorpions' historic 1991 visit to the Kremlin in Moscow to meet Mikhail Gorbachev. The band presented the then-Soviet president with a gold record for its hit ballad "Wind of Change," which celebrated the end of the Cold War.

                                                  Rock You Like A Hurricane !
                                        
Describing "Wind of Change" as "the soundtrack of the most peaceful revolution on Earth," Schenker says The Scorpions' visit with Gorbachev was "something very special" since they were the first, and possibly the only, Western band ever invited to the Kremlin. He adds that The Scorpions are still friendly with Gorbachev, who makes an appearance in Forever and a Day commenting about the group and the impact of "Wind of Change."

The Scorpions recently wrapped up the 2015 U.S. leg of its 50th anniversary tour, which also is in support of their latest studio album, Return to Forever. With regard to the band's future, longtime Scorpions guitarist Matthias Jabs says, "It doesn't look like the end is near. You know, we keep ourselves open now. We tried the farewell tour, and we [called] it afterwards the 'went well' tour."

The Scorpions will finish the year with a series of European dates in November and December, with more to come in February and March of 2016, including a run of shows in their homeland. Jabs says the band also plans to play more U.S. shows in May, and may visit South America and China as well. Check The-Scorpions.com for the group's confirmed itinerary.

Pre-Order:  http://bit.ly/1QxzzKB

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1k7P3L3

North America, Get Ready To Be "Knifed"

DATES ADDED TO SHONEN KNIFE’S “OVERDRIVE” NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2014

Yo! Gwen Stefani - these ain't no Harajuku Girls...! Osaka’s legendary women of rock, Shonen Knife announce a return to North America for more dates to support their latest Good Charamel Records release “Overdrive”, a tip of the hat to 70s hard rock delivered in true Shonen Knife spirit. The band will be performing dates throughout the months of September and October including stops at The Music is Art Festival in Buffalo, NY and an appearance at the Anime Weekend Atlanta convention. Check out Shonen Knife’s instant classic, “Overdrive” and more amazing rock music direct from the shores of Japan at www.GoodCharamel.com. Shonen Knife “Overdrive” North American Tour 2014 9/11 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts: Black Box 9/12 Brooklyn, NY The Wick 9/13 Buffalo, NY Music is Art Festival (Delaware Park) 9/14 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom 9/16 St. Paul, MN The Turf Club 9/17 Iowa City, IA The Mill 9/18 Chicago, IL The Bottom Lounge 9/19 Detroit, MI The Magic Stick 9/20 Toronto, ON The Silver Dollar 9/22 Cambridge, MA The Middle East 9/24 Baltimore, MD The Ottobar 9/25 Durham, NC The Pinhook 9/27 Atlanta, GA 529 9/28 Atlanta, GA Anime Weekend Atlanta 9/30 Baton Rouge, LA Mud and Water 10/01 Houston, TX Fitzgerald’s 10/02 Dallas, TX Club DADA 10/03 Austin, TX Red 7 10/06 Tucson, AZ The Flycatcher 10/07 San Diego, CA The Casbah 10/08 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater 10/10 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill 10/11 Portland, OR Dante’s 10/12 Seattle, WA The Tractor Tavern 10/14 Boise, ID Neutrolux 10/15 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge 10/16 Denver, CO Oriental Theater 10/17 Kansas City, KS Record Bar 10/18 St.Louis, MO The Firebird 10/20 Pittsburgh, PA 3st Street Pub 10/21 Asbury Park, NJ The Saint

It Cuts Like A "Shonen Knife"

Shonen Knife Is Awesome! Legendary Japanese rockers SHONEN KNIFE go into “OVERDRIVE” with new album Out 4/15; US Tour Dates Announced Ever since I heard their cover of The Carpenters "Top of the World" on The Carpenter cover CD: "If I Were A Carpenter" - the punk pop trio of women known as Shonen Knife has been one of my favorite groups...the legends have a new CD dropping and are hitting the road in the United States, it's time, get knifed!

Shonen Knife, Osaka Japan’s legendary queens of indie sunshine, are back with a brand new album for 2014. Their 19th studio release, “Overdrive”, is a tip of the hat to 70’s Hard Rock, and a continuation of Shonen Knife’s journey into the musings of food, fantasy and daily life in the Far Eastern metropolis of Osaka. “Overdrive” features 10 new songs penned by founding member and principal songwriter Naoko who continues to grow the 30 plus year legacy of Japan’s most recognizable name in indie rock. The band is rounded out with 2 songs sung by bassist Ritsuko and drummer Emi, a lineup consistently rocking since 2010. Channeling the musical traditions of 70’s Metal Icons like Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, Bad Company, Kiss and Black Sabbath, Naoko’s passion for the hard rock genre is translated through her constant pop culture filter known as Shonen Knife. “Overdrive” will be available in N. America on Good Charamel Records on April 15th 2014 and is now available for Pre-Sale in the Good Charamel Online Store.Shonen Knife will play Japan and Europe this spring and summer. The initial dates on their fall North American tour have just been announced (see below). "Overdrive" Track Listing 1) Bad Luck Song 2) Black Crow 3) Dance to the Rock 4) Ramen Rock 5) Shopping 6) Fortune Cookie 7) Like a Cat 8) Green Tea 9) Robots from Hell 10) Jet Shot Tour Dates: Fri 09-12 Brooklyn NY @ The Wick Sat 09-13 Buffalo, NY @ The Music is Art Festival Tue. 09-16 St. Paul, MN- Turf Club Thur. 09-18 Chicago, IL- Bottom Lounge Tues 10-07 San Diego - The Casbah Wed 10-08 Los Angeles, CA – The Church on York Fri. 10-10 San Francisco, CA- Bottom of the Hill Sat. 10-11 Portland, OR- Dante's Sun 10-12 Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern Tue. 10-14 Boise, ID- Neurolux Wed. 10-15 Salt Lake City, UT- Urban Lounge Thurs 10-16 Denver, CO- Oriental Theater Sat 10-18 St Louis, MO- Firebird (More US dates to be announced soon ....) The album is now available for pre-order in the Good Charamel webstore. www.GoodCharamel.com www.ShonenKnife.net

I Have An "Alien Ant Farm" In Africa

Ei ei ooooooooooooo.....

Multi-Platinum Alt-Rockers ALIEN ANT FARM

Post Sneak Preview of New Song

Multi platinum rockers Alien Ant Farm have shared a sneak peak of one of their new songs "Let Em Know"....

About Alien Ant Farm:

Since the formation of Alien Ant Farm in 1995, the quartet has enjoyed worldwide success. Over the course of their four studio albums, cumulative sales surpass five million units a Grammy nomination and 4 top 10 singles. The band built a massive following on the road early in their career via high profile 2001 runs with Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Warped, and as the headliner on an MTV presented Fall Tour. In 2002, fame spread across the world, bringing Alien Ant Farm to the major European festivals, Australia's Big Day Out and a headline run in Japan. The following year they returned to Europe with Metallica, and to this day the band has steadily delivered audiences in territories across the globe. 

From the beginning, the clever humor of vocalist Dryden Mitchell and guitarist Terry Corso has delivered visual imagery that made the band vanguards in the realm of music video. All of the singles released received heavy rotation on MTV and MTV2, with "Smooth Criminal" was voted the #2 video of 2001 on MTV's countdown. They appeared on the channel's programs Celebrity Dismissed, MTV Cribs, and hosted House of Style. Alongside the massive support from cable, Alien Ant Farm were darlings of broadcast television with multiple appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and support from Carson Daly, Extra, CNN, Access Hollywood and Mad-TV amongst many more. With all the notoriety also came a 2001 Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2001.

The early history of the band began when the name came from a daydream Terry Corso had while employed at a day job. The concept revolves around the human species being cultivated by alien intelligence, and the colony forming much like it does in a traditional children's toy. In 1999, Alien Ant Farm self-released their debut titled Greatest Hits, which went on to win Best Independent Album at the L.A. Music Awards. In 2000, they signed to DreamWorks SKG, and went on to release Anthology. The following year, a cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" became a massive hit overseas, rising to #1 in Australia and New Zealand, and on the U.S. Modern Rock charts. It also rose to #3 in the U.K. To set the record straight on the inspiration behind choosing this song amongst the millions of copyrights, Corso shares, "When we were a young local band in SoCal, we'd play a different cover song by a different artist every show we would do. Wild unexpected stuff and sometimes not even songs we were that into. Just whatever was going on around us on the radio or whatever fit in with our inside jokes at that minute, from Ileah to Gary Glitter to The Police, we had a lot of fun with it. One week we had been throwing the idea of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" around the jam room, I believe someone had just watched Moonwalker again. The very next sow we played, we hadn't learned the whole song yet but decided to klunk the main riff out for fun, the crowd loved it and went a little crazy. After that we learned the entire song and super charged it. The rest is pretty much history." To this day, the cover is a crowd pleaser. This past October 8th, the band was asked to appear alongside Cee Lo Green, Smokey Robinson and The Jackson Family at the Michael Jackson Forever Tribute Concert in Cardiff, Wales.

In 2003, the Alien Ant Farm entered the studio with Stone Temple Pilots' Robert and Dean DeLeo and cut Truant. Unfortunately, they ran in to unforeseen adversity with the closure of their record label, offering an insurmountable obstacle to continue building on the band's successes. Still under contract to Universal, Geffen green-lit the opportunity for Alien Ant Farm to return to the studio. In 2005, they recorded with Jim Wirt, but that album was not released as scheduled. Alien Ant Farm chose to share it with with fans via a bootlegged version, which has affectionately been re-named 3rd Draft by the public. Looking back on the adversity the band went through, alongside the massive fame Mitchell reflects, "This Alien Ant Farm 'Wave' is a bigger, longer wave than I could have hoped for. All these years later, we are still intact. From friends to foes to friends again, this band is something special, and nothing short of tight and explosive." 

The next year in 2006 Up In The Attic was issued, and for the next several years the members went their separate ways reconvening in 2009 for performances in Kansas City, the Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth, UK and at the WARPED Tour in memory of Michael Jackson. They were back, and come 2010 began to rebuild a legacy that grows with each passing month. The band staged a very successful tour over the Summer and Fall, where they road tested new material in front of the live audience. In the New Year, they'll release the new recordings. Mitchell shares, "The First batch of these new songs are pretty to the point and pissed. Angry, but not negative. That is possible in this non tangible, musical and lyrical world. Unfortunately not possible in the real world, and that's why I love music. I can get this all out without hurting anyone."

Come 2013 Alien Ant Farm will return, and the path for the future will unfold one day at a time. The band is hard at work on their new record "Always And Forever" (AAF) which will be release in the summer of 2013, guitarist Corso shares, "We are pretty excited for the year to come. We just came off of a three-month tour in the U.S. that made us realize that with the original line-up back together, we have fire and hunger again. With a fresh new collection, we hope to get our core fans excited, as well as turn some brand new listeners on to the ALIEN ANT FARM sound and show the world we have a lot more to offer than the average rock band.” Having the original members back in the line-up will give the fans what they have been waiting for." In summation, bassist Zamora offers, "Although we spent a couple of years apart and wrote our last record with only three original members, there is no denying the chemistry of the original four piece. The band, the show, and the songs are just better with all of the original members doing what they were born to do, being Alien Ant Farm." Drummer Cosgrove echoes, "It's good to have the original core back together." With strong repertoire, great attitudes, and a fan base that has been there every step of the way, the future is lining up nicely for Alien Ant Farm.

Go Meryl Streep and have an "Alien Ant Farm" in Africa - Ei ei oooooooooooo:

http://www.alienantfarm.com/