Thursday, September 22, 2016

3 Doors Down, Pop Evil, & Red Sun Rising - Memphis, TN on 9/21/2016


Written by Jennifer Pinckney on September 22, 2016 for Bloodrock Media

On September 21, 2016 in downtown Memphis, TN, I had the opportunity to see 3 Doors Down, Pop Evil, and Red Sun Rising at the Orpheum Theatre. The venue, classic and beautiful, typically hosting plays and musicals, is ready for a night of good ol’ rock n’ roll with a stellar line up of Red Sun Rising, Pop Evil, and 3 Doors Down.

Red Sun Rising kicked off the night with some serious energy.  Being the newest of the bands playing it took the crowd a few songs to warm up to them, but by their last few songs the crowd was engaged and really enjoying their performance.



Pop Evil never disappoints. In May 2016 they announced their new drummer, Hayley Cramer, and I had yet to hear them live with the new addition. And boy was she impressive!  Their entire set was mind blowing, each song performed with precision and an enormous amount of energy.



The headliner, none other than 3 Doors Down, has been around since the late 90’s, but they still rock the stage with absolute perfection. With line-up changes over the last few years, I thought maybe they wouldn’t bring it, but the new members click extremely well.  The crowd was eating out of their hands by the end of their set, as they should have been, their entire set was flawless. Their positive vibes and overall generosity and love for our service people oozes from them.  It was so refreshing to have their positivity when there is so much negativity in the world.





Overall, I loved the experience.  I was introduced to a new band, Red Sun Rising, and I was able to see two of my favorites perform, Pop Evil and 3 Doors Down.  Check out our other pictures on our website (bloodrockmedia.com), facebook (facebook.com/Bloodrock Media), or Instagram (instragram.com/Bloodrock Media).

Thursday, September 15, 2016

October Metal Insanity


Written by Ken Bowden for Bloodrock Media
Rejoice Metalheads, October comes bearing some extremely head banging hits. The Metal Gods have smiled upon us and the month of October is bringing us many, many gifts. Candiria, Red Fang, Dillinger Escape Plan, Car Bomb, and more are dropping some brand new heavy as fuck full length albums in October and ensuring you’re gonna get plenty of whiplash and horns in the air this Fall. That’s right boys and devil dolls the entire month is gonna be chocked full of new shit your ears will thank you for.  
As if the aforementioned weren’t enough, Korn is also dropping a new album ”The Serenity of Suffering” (10/21), as well as a long awaited debut album from supergroup Serpentine Dominion (10/28). It seems forever ago that Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam D let it be known he was working on a death metal project with Cannibal Corpse vocalist George “Corpse Grinder” Fischer, and ex- Black Dahlia Murder drummer Shannon Lucas, FINALLY we get to see the fruits of their labor on 10/28 with the release of their self titled album “Serpentine Dominion”.
Here’s a quick breakdown of some album dates to keep an eye out for:
  • ALTER BRIDGE ”The Last Hero”- October 7th
  • CANDIRIA “While They Were Sleeping”- October 7th
  • DANCE GAVIN DANCE “Mothership”-October 7th
  • MESHUGGAH “The Violent Sounds of Meshuggah”-October 7th
  • DEE SNIDER “We Are The Ones” October 7th
  • DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN “Dissociation”-October 14th
  • RED FANG “Only Ghosts”-October 14th
  • DARK THRONE ”Arctic Thunder”-October 14th
  • KORN “The Serenity of Suffering”-October 21st
  • PANTERA “The Great Southern Trendkill 20th Anniversary Edition”- October 21st
  • CAR BOMB “Meta”- October 28th
  • SERPENTINE DOMINION “Serpentine Dominion”-October 28th
  • TESTAMENT “The Brotherhood of the Snake”-October 28th
And that’s just the tip of iceberg, so if you’re impatient as hell like us when it comes to new tunes, you can rejoice in the meantime because September has a few heavy hitters dropping as well such as The Agonist-“Five” (9/30), The Sword-“Low Country” (9/23), Neurosis-“Fires Within Fires”(9/23), and Prophets of Rage-“The Party’s Over”(8/19).  Not to mention there’s always the sneak peaks popping up on YouTube like Candiria’s single “Mereya”, D.E.P.’s “Limerent Death”, or Car Bomb’s “From the Dust of this Planet”.
As the release dates get closer keep an eye out for even more Bloodrock Media album reviews and coverage and get ready for a wild Fall in 2016.

Friday, September 2, 2016

Ohana With Eddie Vedder, Lana Del Rey & More Wraps Up Its Inaugural Weekend With Over 22,000 in Attendance Over Two Days in Dana Point, CA; Raises Over $175K for San Onofre Parks Foundation

DOHENY STATE BEACH   |   ORANGE COUNTY, CA
 
OHANA WRAPS UP ITS INAUGURAL WEEKEND WITH OVER 22,000 IN ATTENDANCE
OVER TWO DAYS AT DOHENY STATE BEACH IN DANA POINT, CA
FEATURING EDDIE VEDDER, LANA DEL REY, ELVIS COSTELLO & MORE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 27TH & SUNDAY, AUGUST 28TH
 
OHANA MUSIC FESTIVAL AND LUAU RAISES
OVER $175,000 FOR SAN ONOFRE PARKS FOUNDATION
 
The first ever Ohana music festival brought more than 22,000 fans to Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, CA over the Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28 weekend for music, cultural exhibits and ocean awareness, drinks, artisan food and more. Both days were packed with events and surprises: Saturday night concluded with an all star jam of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World” during Eddie Vedder’s set, featuring Vedder, 11-time World Surfing League champion Kelly SlaterJack IronsLily MeolaBand Of HorsesJohn Doe of X, members of Mudhoney, and various other artists who performed throughout the day. Vedder also joined artists including Elvis CostelloXCat Power, and Jack Irons onstage both Saturday and Sunday for once in a lifetime collaborations. Sunday night wrapped up with a breathtaking performance under the stars by songstress Lana Del Rey.
 
The festival featured over 17 performances on two stages, with headliners Eddie Vedder and Lana Del Rey, plus Elvis CostelloCity And ColourBand Of HorsesXCat PowerMudhoneyCorinne Bailey RaeWhite ReaperRyan Bingham, Jonny Two BagsJack IronsWilderadoLily MeolaThe Palms, and special performances by Polynesian dancers.
 
Live Nation President - Booking, Los Angeles Rich Best says, "We built Ohana around an idea, not a genre of music. To bring together such a wide range of artists – from X to the powerful soul of Corinne Bailey Rae, and of course Eddie Vedder, the great Elvis Costello, and the captivating Lana Del Rey to name just a few – and have it work so seamlessly was exciting to be a part of. I'm already looking forward to next year."
 
"As a 25-year resident of South Orange County, the opportunity to bring such an incredible event to my home community was one of the best experiences of my career,” says Ohana co-producer John Reese of SGE. “We were able to raise a significant amount of money for the San Onofre Parks Foundation which directly supports the California State Parks system, as well as incorporate several non-profit groups that work tirelessly to save our oceans and beaches."
 
In all, a combination of proceeds and fundraising from the Ohana festival and the Ohana Luau raised over $175,000 for the San Onofre Parks Foundation, a California non-profit that cooperatively works with the California State Parks to develop, preserve and enhance the recreation and experience of California's unique and beautiful coastal parks. Vedder addressed festivalgoers on Sunday stating, “We're proud of your participation, because we can raise money to protect our beaches against big developers.”
 
The Ohana Luau -- an intimate kick-off celebration and charity gala the night prior, Friday, August 26 at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel -- served as a night of inspiration and entertainment. Similar to the festival, Eddie Vedder was actively involved at the Luau.  He joined comedian and roastmaster Jeff Ross on stage for a cover of The Who’s “Squeeze Box,” did a duet with comedian and director Judd Apatow that paid tribute to the late comic Garry Shandling by using lines from Shandling’s journals as lyrics, and also joined John Doe to perform X’s “The New World.” Additionally, Vedder played a few of his own songs including tracks off of his first solo album, Into The Wild, and shared his personal tie to the cause, with Doheny State Beach being the first place he attempted to surf many years ago. Vedder explained how thrilled he was to return to the beach for Ohana, and see it in the same condition as when he left. Other highlights included Jeff Ross pulling audience members on stage for personal roasts, performances by Dallas Green of City And Colour and Lily Meola, a heartfelt speech by big wave surfer Greg Long on behalf of the San Onofre Parks Foundation (an organization founded by his father Steve Long), and hundreds of one-of-a-kind items that sold at auction.
 
San Onofre Parks Foundation Founder Steve Long says, “The San Onofre Parks Foundation is overwhelmed by this weekend’s outpouring of love and support for our local State Parks. The Ohana Luau and Music Festival help assure the continuing efforts of the Foundation's mission to provide for education with regard to the protection and preservation of San Onofre State Beach for all future generations. We express our humble gratitude to SGE and Live Nation for bringing the artists and fans together in celebration of San Onofre State Beach, the ‘Coastal Wilderness in the Heart of Southern California.’”
 
State Parks Superintendent Rich Haydon adds, “This weekend's Ohana Fest produced by Live Nation and Synergy Global Entertainment was a great success! The event benefitted California State Parks and the San Onofre Parks Foundation. The record crowd was well behaved and enjoyed a well produced event.”
 
Here’s a sample of what press had to say about Ohana:
 
“Eddie Vedder was all over Day One of the inaugural two-day Ohana Music Festival at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point on Saturday. Sure, he could have just showed up for his headlining turn and thanked the capacity crowd for its support of the San Onofre Parks Foundation and called it a night, but the 51-year-old Pearl Jam frontman made a full day of the event, popping up numerous times throughout.”
                                    --Kelli Skye Fadroski, Orange County Register, August 28, 2016
 
“Eddie Vedder performed at the first ever Ohana Festival at Dana Point, California’s Doheny State Beach yesterday, and he really made the most of it. He joined Elvis Costello during his set to sing on ‘What’s So Funny,’ X during their set to play ‘The New World,’ and former Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam drummer Jack Irons during his set to cover Pink Floyd’s ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond,’ and during his own set, he played ‘Indifference’ with professional surfer Kelly Slater and covered Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’ with Band Of Horses, X, and Kelly Slater to close out the fest.”
                                    --Peter Helman, Stereogum, August 28, 2016
 
“The inaugural Ohana Music Festival in California kicked off Saturday night with a headlining set by Eddie Vedder, but the Pearl Jam singer made his presence felt all over the fest.”
                                    --RollingStone.com, August 28, 2016
 
“In addition to forging an ohana of great musicians and the fans of those musicians, Vedder was proud that he had achieved two things with this festival: 1) that he had provided some groovy tunes for the surfers of Doheny Beach to listen to while they were riding their waves and 2) that he had created a festival where the furthest seats from the stage (the topmost bleachers) were the best seats in the venue…Given his affections for his inspirations, revolutionary music, surfing, and a nurturing world, it is easy to see that Vedder’s beach party was a great success.”
                                    --Scott Feinblatt, OC Weekly, August 29, 2016
 
Ohana was produced by Live Nation and Synergy Global Entertainment (SGE).
 
For the most up-to-date information, please visit:
Snapchat: TheOhanaFest