On September 30th, 2014, earMusic and Eagle Rock Entertainment will proudly release Jon Lord, Deep Purple & Friends – Celebrating Jon Lord on CD, 2CD, and via digital formats in North America.

It was in 2006 when, once a year, a group of stellar musicians and stars of rock started meeting up in London for a night of live music. The main intent was to raise money for a charity called The Sunflower Jam.

At first the rumors about these sessions with Deep Purple, Robert Plant, Brian May and Alice Cooper were too good to be true, to the point that a few thought that they were nothing less than an urban legend.

“The Jam,” as it soon started to be called, quickly became a cult night. A real must — first for the artists themselves, free and happy to leave their commercial thoughts outside the venue and be able to enjoy playing music together with colleagues, friends and maybe even secret rivals, and for the audience, who often could simply not believe their eyes.

The Sunflower Jam started as an idea from Jacky Paice, who very often could count on the drumming of her husband Ian. Who would turn down playing with him?

The first editions were mainly open to guests and music business professionals that would contribute to the charity. Later “The Jam” became too good not to be available to the public.

It is in one of the earlier Sunflower Jams that Jon Lord played for the last time with his friends in Deep Purple, dueting on a peaceful “war of hammonds” with Don Airey, who had replaced Lord in Deep Purple when he decided he had enough of a life spent on the road, and after a lifetime dedicated to rock and roll, Lord left to concentrate on his first love: classical music and the combination of rock elements in it.

2014: “The Sunflower Jam” is a now a regular sold out event, with this fourth one taking place at the Royal Albert Hall.

Jon Lord sadly passed away in 2012, a few weeks prior to the release of the just finished remake of what is universally known as the first ever meeting of classical music and rock: the Concerto For Group and Orchestra. The same composition that Purple played live in 1969 at the Royal Albert Hall.

Considering the amount of respect, friendship and love expressed by anybody who had worked, played or simply met Jon Lord, it is not a surprise that the 2014 Jam would be completely dedicated to his music. The night turned out to be a historical moment in rock music: A full orchestra, led by director Paul Mann, gave wonderful arrangements to this repertoire going back and forth through fifty years of music, performed by many old friends. It was truly an unforgettable night.

The Albert Hall sold out to the last seat…

For four hours Jon’s music was shining. Commotion, jokes, laughs and a lot of music came together by magic.

All the wonderful musicians who played at the “Celebrating Jon Lord” Sunflower Jam have left an indelible mark. The set culminated in a 45-minute finale by Deep Purple (the Purple Mk III songs played by Paice with old friend Glenn Hughes), who are eventually joined by Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, Rick Wakeman of Yes fame, Steve Balsamo (who sang in the Jon Lord band and on his last studio album Concerto), members of The Temperance Movement, ex-members of Whitesnake Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody, and the “modfather” Paul Weller.

The concert was divided into two acts: Jon Lord – The Composer, which focused on his classical music, and Jon Lord – The Rock Legend, which focused on his remarkable and revolutionary rock sound. Jon Lord – The Composer is featured on the single disc version of Celebrating Jon Lord, while the Jon Lord – The Rock Legend segment is featured on the 2CD.

Ian Paice remembers the Celebrating Jon Lord night with vivid memory. Considering the time all the artists had to rehearse the music for the concert, (in Deep Purple’s case two hours the day before the show!), the resulting performance were nothing less than miraculous. A testament to the quality of the players and love for Jon and his works.

“It was like no concert I have ever played. Everyone in the Hall was there for a common purpose, to honor a wonderful man and a great musician. The Royal Albert Hall is a fairly large venue and can be intimidating, but that evening, it was more like a gathering of friends at their local, (if slightly oversized) pub than a regular show.

I believe all the artists, the people in the audience and even the crew helping to make the show work, felt the difference that night.”

Everybody attending the show left the venue with an expression that clearly said “one day I will be able to say I was there”…

Now everybody will be able to see why. Watch a trailer below.

Track listing and performance credits:

Jon Lord – The Composer:

Orion Orchestra
(Leader: Darragh Morgan)
Conductor: Paul Mann
Band Musical Director: Wix Wickens
Compére: Bob Harris

1. Fantasia from Sarabande
2. Durham Awakes from Durham Concerto
3. All Those Years Ago (with Steve Balsamo and Micky Moody)
4. Pictured Within (with Miller Anderson) from the album Picture Within
5. Sarabande from Sarabande (with Rick Wakeman)
6. One From The Meadow (with Margo Buchanan)
7. Bourrée from Sarabande
8. Afterwards (with Jeremy Irons and Paul Mann)

Jon Lord – The Rock Legend:

1. Things Get Better featuring Paul Weller / originally by Jon Lord’s Artwoods
2. I Take What I Want feat Paul Weller and Micky Moody / originally by Jon Lord’s Artwoods
3. Silas and Jerome (featuring Phil Campbell from The Temperance Movement, Ian Paice, Bernie Marsden. Originally by Paice Ashton Lord)
4.: I’m Gonna Stop Drinking (featuring Phil Campbell from The Temperance Movement, Ian Paice, Bernie Marsden. Originally by Paice Ashton Lord)
5. Soldier of Fortune (with Steve Balsamo, Sandi Thom and Micky Moody) originally by Deep Purple
6. You Keep On Moving (with Glenn Hughes, Bruce Dickinson, Ian Paice, Don Airey and Micky Moody) originally by Deep Purple
7. Burn (with Glenn Hughes, Bruce Dickison, Ian Paice, Don Airey and Rick Wakeman) / originally by Deep Purple
8. Deep Purple, Mk. III: This Time Around (with Glenn Hughes) originally by Deep Purple

CD2 by Deep Purple: Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey, Steve Morse

1. Uncommon Man
2. Above And Beyond
3. Lazy featuring Stephen Bentley-Klein, Violine
4. When A Blind Man Cries
5. Perfect Strangers
6. Black Night
7. Hush feat. Bruce Dickinson, Rick Wakeman, Phil Campbell, Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody

About The Sunflower Jam:

The Sunflower Jam is the brainchild of Jacky Paice, wife of Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice. Founded in 2006, Jacky was inspired to help those fighting cancer and other diseases after meeting a 16-year-old boy named Kevin.

Kevin had Leukemia and a friend of Jacky’s who headed the complimentary therapy care team at the University College London called her and asked for a favor. Kevin needed a boost to pull him through and, as a Deep Purple fan, he asked Jacky if she would get Ian to sign something and send it to him. Not only did she organize that, but Jacky also called her brother-in-law Jon Lord and asked them both to deliver the signed merchandise.

“When we opened the door to his room, there were Deep Purple posters on the walls and amongst the medical equipment Kevin was laid next to his guitar in bed. The first impression we all got from this boy was how pale he was and I’ll never forget how his cheeks flushed and his eyes lit up with joy when he saw Jon and Ian,” says Jacky.

Unfortunately, Kevin passed away two weeks after Jacky, Ian and Jon visited him in hospital but Jacky’s memory of that boy and the positive effect that their visit had on him never left her. After seeing all the good work that the complimentary care team were doing on the oncology ward and how they were working alongside NHS doctors to provide a complete treatment program for patients, Jacky knew she wanted to raise money to help support the amazing work they were already doing. She has never been able to delete Kevin’s number from her phone.

Since then, Jacky has organized high-profile, classic rock events which, after outgrowing their original venue, have now moved to the Royal Albert Hall and other iconic London venues. The Sunflower Jam also organizes other fundraising activities throughout the country and actively remains committed to engaging and educating people in the discussion surrounding complimentary and integrated treatments.

The Sunflower Jam will donate all royalties out of the CD, DVD and Blu-Ray to The Jon Lord fellowship.

About The Jon Lord Fellowship:

Since 2012, The Sunflower Jam have been working closely with the College of Medicine to support the amazing research that they are doing into non-toxic treatments for cancer. Following the sad death of Jon Lord from pancreatic cancer in July 2012, the College of Medicine have set up the Pancreatic Cancer Project sponsored by The Sunflower Jam which includes the development of The Jon Lord Fellowship. The Jon Lord Fellowship will be awarded each year to fund projects that display exciting and innovative approaches to fighting pancreatic cancer. The money will also fund smaller research projects that will make a difference in this field.

The Led Zeppelin reissue campaign got off to a remarkable start in June as deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, and Led Zeppelin III debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The albums achieved similar international success with debuts near the top of the charts in more than a dozen territories, including Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

The band has now prepared the reissues of Led Zeppelin IV (the third best-selling album in U.S. history) and Houses Of The Holy. As with the previous deluxe editions, both albums have been newly remastered by guitarist and producer Jimmy Page and are accompanied by a second disc of companion audio comprised entirely of unreleased music related to that album.

Led Zeppelin IV and Houses Of The Holy will each be available October 28th from Atlantic/Swan Song in the following formats:

Single CD – Remastered album packaged in a gatefold card wallet.
Deluxe Edition (2CD) – Remastered album, plus a second disc of unreleased companion audio.
Single LP – Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl, packaged in a sleeve that replicates the LP’s first pressing in exacting detail.
Deluxe Edition Vinyl (2LP) – Remastered album and unreleased companion audio on 180-gram vinyl.
Digital Download – Remastered album and companion audio will both be available.
Super Deluxe Boxed Set – This collection includes:
Remastered album on CD in vinyl replica sleeve.
Companion audio on CD in card wallet featuring new alternate cover art.
Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl in a sleeve replicating first pressing.
Companion audio on 180-gram vinyl in a sleeve with new alternate cover art.
High-def audio download card of all content at 96kHz/24 bit.
Hard bound, 80 page book filled with rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia.
High-quality print of the original album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered.

The second round of reissues begins with one of the most artistically influential and commercially successful albums in the history of music, Led Zeppelin IV . Released in November 1971, the album-which is officially untitled-defined the sound of rock music for a generation with ubiquitous anthems such as Stairway To Heaven, Rock And Roll, Black Dog, and When The Levee Breaks. The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, has been certified 23x platinum by the RIAA.

The Led Zeppelin IV deluxe edition includes unreleased versions of every song heard on the original album including alternate mixes of Misty Mountain Hop and Four Sticks, mixes of The Battle Of Evermore and Going To California heavy with guitar and mandolin, and the fabled, alternate version Stairway To Heaven, mixed at the Sunset Sound Studio in Los Angeles which lets fans hear one of the most revered songs of all time as they have never heard it before.

Led Zeppelin topped the charts again in 1973 with Houses Of The Holy , which features legendary tracks such as The Song Remains The Same and No Quarter while also showcasing the continuing evolution of the band’s signature sound with the reggae-tinged D’yer Mak’er and the funk jam The Crunge. The album has been certified diamond by the RIAA for sales of over 11 million copies.

The seven unreleased tracks on the companion audio disc include rough and working mixes for The Ocean and Dancing Days that reveal a deeper look inside the recording sessions of these classic songs. Other standout recordings include the guitar mix backing track for Over The Hills And Far Away and a version of The Rain Song without piano.

In 1968, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant formed Led Zeppelin, one of the most influential, innovative and successful groups in modern music, having sold more than 300 million albums worldwide. The band rose from the ashes of The Yardbirds, when Page brought in Plant, Bonham and Jones to tour as The New Yardbirds. In 1969, Led Zeppelin released its self-titled debut. It marked the beginning of a 12-year reign, during which the group was widely considered to be the biggest and most innovative rock band in the world.

Led Zeppelin continues to be honored for its pivotal role in music history. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and a year later was awarded with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm. Founding members Jones, Page and Plant – along with Jason Bonham, the son of John Bonham – took the stage at London’s O2 Arena in 2007 to headline a tribute concert for Ahmet Ertegun, a dear friend and Atlantic Records’ founder. The band was honored for its lifetime contribution to American culture at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012. In January of 2014, the band won their first ever Grammy award as Celebration Day, which captured their live performance at the Ertegun tribute concert, was named Best Rock Album.

Led Zeppelin IV Track Listing:

1. Black Dog
2. Rock And Roll
3. The Battle of Evermore
4. Stairway To Heaven
5. Misty Mountain Hop
6. Four Sticks
7. Going To California
8. When The Levee Breaks

Companion Audio Disc:

1. Black Dog – Basic Track With Guitar Overdubs
2. Rock And Roll – Alternate Mix
3. The Battle Of Evermore – Mandolin/Guitar Mix From Headley Grange
4. Stairway To Heaven – Sunset Sound Mix
5. Misty Mountain Hop – Alternate Mix
6. Four Sticks – Alternate Mix
7. Going To California – Mandolin/Guitar Mix

Houses of the Holy Track Listing:

1. The Song Remains The Same
2. The Rain Song
3. Over The Hills And Far Away
4. The Crunge
5. Dancing Days
6. D’yer Mak’er
7. No Quarter
8. The Ocean

Companion Audio Disc:

1. The Song Remains The Same – Guitar Overdub Reference Mix
2. The Rain Song- Mix Minus Piano
3. Over The Hills And Far Away – Guitar Mix Backing Track
4. The Crunge – Rough Mix – Keys Up
5. Dancing Days – Rough Mix With Vocal
6. No Quarter – Rough Mix With JPJ Keyboard Overdubs – No Vocal
7. The Ocean – Working Mix
8. When The Levee Breaks – Alternate UK Mix

Joe Strupp of Media Matters reports:

Ted Nugent’s recent spate of offensive and racist comments that have sparked protests and canceled shows are damaging his image and could well cripple his income if he continues, according to veteran concert promoters and industry journalists.

In a week when two casinos operated by different Native American tribes canceled three separate Nugent shows set for next month and dozens protested a concert in New Jersey, concert touring experts say the National Rifle Association board member and conservative commentator is doing real damage to his money-earning potential.

“If you’re going to say something political, you’re going to have some backlash, it doesn’t matter who you are or what you say,” said Larry Magid, a Philadelphia-based promoter who has handled Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac, and Bette Midler. “Nugent seems to have taken it to extremes. I don’t know that you can blame anyone for not wanting to play him for all of the baggage that he brings.”

Magid, who also organized the famed 1985 Live Aid benefit show in Philadelphia, said Nugent was never a huge concert draw, but his declaration earlier this year that President Barack Obama is a “subhuman mongrel” may mark a turning point.

“I don’t know if that is frustration at not being a viable act, but it is stupid,” Magid said of Nugent. “If you are a musician, you are trying to bring your music, your art to a broad group of people. It is one thing to take a stance, it is another thing when you are talking about the president of the United States.

“For all of the people enamored with him, there are 20 or 30 or 40 times that who are not enamored with him. To me, it’s not bright. If I’m a promoter I have to think two or three or four times before I take a shot with this performer.”

“No one should be surprised by any of this,” said Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of Pollstar USA, which tracks concert touring receipts. “It’s a free country and Nugent has always had a big mouth. But if he keeps making incendiary statements his future tours may be limited to NRA conventions and Fox News events.”

Bongiovanni said the public reaction is not unusual: “Why be surprised if you can’t sell tickets to them after you insult people who are gay, animal rights, or gun control advocates, or just in the majority of people who voted for Obama?”

Although Nugent has long been a hardline conservative and pro-gun advocate, his “subhuman mongrel” comments triggered a massive media firestorm and led prominent Republicans to disassociate themselves from the rocker earlier this year. Nugent’s offensive and racist comments have more recently caused a backlash against his concerts.

Among the results:

* Three Nugent concerts scheduled in early August at Native American tribe-owned casinos in Washington and Idaho were canceled this week due to the performer’s commentary. Puyallup Tribe Tribal Chairman Bill Sterud has said Nugent is a “jackass” and will never be booked again.
* Earlier this summer controversy surrounded a concert scheduled for an Oshkosh, WI, music festival after a letter to the editor decrying Nugent’s concert received heightened attention. Nugent subsequently described his critics as “unclean vermin.”
* “Picket signs lined the street” outside a July 22nd concert in New Jersey as Nugent was greeted by “at least 75 protestors.”
* While Nugent will perform at The Toledo Blade’s Northwest Ohio Rib-Off festival next month, the paper’s sales director told Media Matters he had received numerous complaints and strongly suggested Nugent would never be booked again.
* The City of Longview, TX in March canceled Nugent’s concert at a Fourth of July festival and paid him $16,000 (reportedly half his fee) not to show up.

John Scher of Metropolitan Entertainment Consultants, a longtime New Jersey promoter who has booked Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and Billy Joel, said he’s never seen such a public backlash in his 40 years promoting concerts.

“I can’t really, really recall this kind of reaction because of political beliefs,” Scher said, later adding, “All in all, I don’t think it can be a plus. Where’s the tipping point? I think he’ll find it will probably shrink to the places where his views are not so contrary to the views of the general population. You might see him doing most of his touring in the south or certain states in the west that are gun-toting conservatives. In the Northeast and in California he is probably not getting booked as much … I don’t see from an overall point of view how he is helping himself.”

Michael Maietta, a promoter at Creative Entertainment Group in New York, which has handled the Neville Brothers, John Popper, and George Thorogood, said the financial impact is obvious when a musician offends so many people.

“Of course it will have an effect on how much money Ted will make going forward if he is not getting booked,” Maietta said via email. “Soft ticket events, such as fairs and township gigs will get pressure not to book him with public dollars.”

Steve Knopper, a Rolling Stone contributing editor who covers the rock concert business, said this is clearly a trend.

“It does seem like, whether it is a movement or people deciding to be offended by this en masse, it seems like it’s having an impact and that can’t be good,” Knopper said. “I don’t know if Ted Nugent’s main source of income is from concerts, but the way right now to make money in the music business is to tour.”

Knopper added, “I’m guessing that he needs to tour to make money and if his comments are preventing him from doing that he may well have to rethink how he handles his public image. He has said some incredibly offensive stuff in the past few years, now maybe it is hitting home.”

Nugent’s latest release album, SHUTUP&JAM! was released on July 8th on Frontiers Records.

source: mediamatters.org

Kory Grow of Rolling Stone spoke with Metallica band members Lars Ulrich (drums) and Kirk Hammett (guitar) and production assistant Flemming Rasmussen about the band’s second album, Ride the Lightning, which is three decades old. Portions of the interview appear below.

RS: Where did the title Ride the Lightning come from?

Kirk Hammett: I was reading The Stand by Stephen King, and there was this one passage where this guy was on death row said he was waiting to “ride the lightning.” I remember thinking, “Wow, what a great song title.” I told James, and it ended up being a song and the album title.

RS: How complete were the songs when you began recording?

Jirk Hammett: Three or four months prior to recording Ride the Lightning, we would do these small, theater shows where we would play were Creeping Death, Ride the Lightning, Fight Fire With Fire and The Call of Ktulu. Those songs were about 90 percent complete, in terms of arrangement and the guitar solos were already written.

Lars Ulrich: We were hovering in New York in December and January of ’83 and ’84, and we wrote quite a bit of Fade to Black in New Jersey in the basement of our friend Metal Joe [Chimienti].

RS: Songs like Fade to Black, For Whom the Bell Tolls and Escape were more melodic and slower than the songs on Kill ‘Em All. Were you trying to do something different, musically?

Lars Ulrich: It was the first time that the four of us wrote together and we got a chance to broaden our horizons. I don’t think it was a conscious effort to break away from anything musically. Obviously, listening to songs like Fight Fire and Trapped Under Ice, we were obviously still into the thrash type of stuff. But we were realizing you had to be careful that it didn’t become too limiting or one-dimensional.

All four of us were so into so many different things. And Kill ‘Em All was primarily written with James and I and Mustaine; so Kirk and Cliff didn’t really contribute to any of the songs on Kill ‘Em All. Ride the Lightning was the first time that both Cliff and Kirk got a chance to add what they were doing. They just came from a different school, especially Cliff, who came from a much more melodic approach.

RS: What was Cliff [Burton] like in the studio?

Flemming Rasmussen: He was a one of a kind. It was the Eighties, and everyone was doing the punk thing with tight pants, but he was still wearing bellbottoms. He didn’t give a shit what people thought about him. He was a good musician, really nice on a personal level and a good poker player. As a bassist, he was more like a soloist than a regular bass player. The first time I recorded him, I tried all sorts of shit to make him feel comfortable, because he was used to the live environment. Eventually, I put his amp in another room, and he’d play in the main room like he was onstage, with the sound blasting from these speakers. It was pretty wild. I liked him a lot. It was a sad day when he died [in a bus accident while on tour in 1986].

RS: Thirty years later, how does the album hold up in your opinion?

Lars Ulrich: Obviously it holds up very well. There’s kind of a youthful energy that runs through the record [laughs]. A good portion of these songs are still staples of our live set. And between For Whom the Bell Tolls, Creeping Death, Fade to Black, and Ride the Lightning, that’s not a bad batting average.

Kirk Hammett: I thought playing it in full at Orion was great. That album holds up really well. I love the sound of that album. It’s very analog. I think it’s our warmest-sounding album. By the time we recorded Master of Puppets, the days of just bashing it out were much fewer than in the Ride the Lightning days. Just bashing it out always led to a more natural sounding performance to me.

Read more at Rolling Stone.

source: rollingstone.com

Sweet Lynch, the supergroup featuring Stryper vocalist Michael Sweet, iconic guitarist George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob, KXM), bassist James Lomenzo (White Lion, Megadeth) and drummer Brian Tichy (Whitesnake, S.U.N.) has released an audio snippet of the song Time Will Tel. It is being streamed exclusively at Blabbermouth.net and can be heard by clicking here.

Sweet told Guitar International, “I co-wrote the songs with George. I called Brian Tichy and James Lomenzo to put the band together. You’ll start to hear about it in September with the first single and video. It’s an incredible combination of classic 70s and 80s. You will hear some flavors of Journey, Bad Company, Dokken, Van Halen, and Stryper. James and Brian are amazing musicians. They tore it up. The drums and bass are just as impressive as the guitars. Everybody really delivered. I love this CD. I’m super excited for people to hear this CD. I’m so proud of it.”

Hollywood Monsters, a new project, featuring Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus – on bass), Don Airey (Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Michael Schenker on keyboards), and Vinnie Appice (Dio, Black Sabbath – on drums) has released a new album called Big Trouble.

Hollywood Monsters are the brainchild of vocalist, guitarist, composer, Stephane Honde, a French expatriate, who after living in Los Angeles since 2012, recently moved to Sacramento, California) Honde first became noticed when fronting Mamooth, subsequently garnering a well-deserved reputation as a guitar virtuoso when playing in Cafe Bertrand, a French rock group he joined in 2004. The band toured, playing stadiums such as the Stade de France, with an audience capacity in excess of 80.000 – performing with classic rock giants such as AC/DC and Deep Purple, the latter for whom they opened on thirty-six dates across Europe in November 2006, and another 12 in March of 2007.

Honde recorded two albums with Cafe Bertrand – both critically acclaimed and commercially successful – Les Airs Empruntes (2005) and L’Art Delicat du Rock’N’Roll (2008), before leaving the band in 2011. Honde then embarked on a length tour with Paul Di’Anno, original vocalist with Iron Maiden before absconding to California. Once in Los Angeles Stephane Honde befriended Tim Bogert, coaxed him out of retirement and convinced Bogert to play on his debut album…and voila, the Hollywood Monsters were born.

Stephane Honde recently signed an agreement with Mausoleum Records for the release of the debut album entitled Big Trouble by his new band: Hollywood Monsters. The talented Hollywood Monsters line-up on besides Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus – on bass, additionally welcomes the performances of some more of Stephane’s talented pals, including: Don Airey (Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Michael Schenker and dozens more – on keyboards), and Vinnie Appice (Dio, Black Sabbath – on drums), the latter for whom Stephane had written the song Village Of The Damned as an hommage…before ever meeting Vinnie!

To order Hollywood Monsters Big Trouble, please click here.

Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare has announced a second engagement for 2014. The ultimate Halloween horror event will invade the Chicago metropolitan area select nights from September 26th-November 1st at Odeum Expo in Villa Park, IL.

Opening night will also feature a special one-night-only concert with groundbreaking musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie.

“I am thrilled to be able to expand the Great American Nightmare to TWO new cities this year,” said Zombie. My only goal is to make it twice as sick as last year.”

The Great American Nightmare’s second city will feature three attractions based on Zombie’s own horror films: The Lords Of Salem In Total Black Out, The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto 3D, and Haunt Of 1,000 Corpses. These attractions were first seen at the 2013 Great American Nightmare debut in Pomona, California and have been improved and enhanced based on visitor feedback.

The fully immersive haunted house experience at Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare will include the Bloody Boulevard with freak shows, musical entertainment, roaming characters, themed food and beverages, games and vendors each night.

”After the tremendous success last year we all felt we wanted to bring Great American Nightmare to as many people as possible,” says Great American Nightmare producer Steve Kopelman. “Chicago is a haunted house hotbed with the Odeum Expo center being the go-to haunted house venue for the past two decades. We really feel the Midwest will welcome this event with open arms and this will be the ultimate Chicagoland Halloween event.”

As previously announced, Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare will also make its debut at West World Of Scottsdale in Arizona for select nights from September 19th-November 1th. This engagement will feature the following three attractions–two that have never been seen before–based on Rob Zombie’s horror films: The Lords Of Salem In Total Black Out, Captain Spaulding’s Clown School In 3D, and The Devil’s Rejects.

At Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare, patrons will sequentially enter three different attractions, each completely different in look, theme and effects:

The Lords Of Salem In Total Black Out: This harrowing attraction–based on Zombie’s 2012 The Lords Of Salem independent horror film–is designed to twist the mind. It will accentuate some senses while limiting others. Fear of the dark, claustrophobia, and fear of the unknown will be preyed on as the visitor attempts to traverse this sixty-degree maze.

The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto 3D: Utilizing Chromadepth glasses, this innovative attraction will take the patron right into the middle of the irreverent world of Rob Zombie’s El Superbeasto 2009 animated exploitation musical horror comedy film based on the comic book series of the same name. The attraction’s unique surprise entrance, brilliant colors, sudden chills and startling thrills, and salacious humor will make patrons scream with fright and laughter.

Haunt Of 1,000 Corpses: This terrifying attraction pays homage to the exploitation horror film House Of 1,000 Corpses, directed by Rob Zombie. The extreme, traditional haunted house will take visitors on a walking journey through a recreation of the film’s Museum of Monsters & Madmen along with an expanded Murder Ride, confronting notorious serial killers along the way. This high impact, highly detailed attraction will use state of the art animatronics, video effects, costuming, sound, scents and lights.

Tickets for Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare go on sale Wednesday, July 30 at 10:00 AM CT at www.GreatAmericanNightmare.com, with prices starting at only $25 for September 27th-November 1st. Each ticket includes access to all haunted house attractions and the Bloody Boulevard activities.

Tickets for opening night (September 26th) include the Rob Zombie concert and will be available starting at only $45. A limited number of VIP packages will also be available for purchase at www.GreatAmericanNightmare.com.

Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare will celebrate the Halloween season on the following dates between September 2th6 and November 1st:

September: 26th, 27th
October: 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 30th, 31st
November: 1st

Hours for Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare will be 7:00 PM until midnight (Fridays and Saturdays) and 7:00 PM until 10:00 PM (Thursdays and Sundays).

Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare is a creative collaboration between master of the macabre Rob Zombie and preeminent haunted house producer Steve Kopelman. The event is produced by Rob Zombie, Steve Kopelman and Andy Gould.

Odeum Expo is located at 1033 North Villa Avenue in Villa Park, IL, just outside Chicago. It’s easily accessible from downtown Chicago by major highways, and from the Tri-State area by tollways.

Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer has released a lyric video for the song It’s Not Enough. The song appears on Keifer’s solo album, The Way Life Goes which was released on April 30th. Watch it below.

The Way Life Goes ranges from intimate, organic, acoustic tracks to driving hard rock. It embraces the blues, rock and country roots that have always been present in his unique sound that has generated the sale of over 15 million records worldwide for Cinderella.

Related posts:

Official Video For Tom Keifer’s “The Flower Song” Posted Online

Tom Keifer Posts Video For “Solid Ground” Online

The rock band, Mr. Big, announced today that its drummer, Pat Torpey, has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and unfortunately will be unable to perform all of his normal drumming duties on the band’s upcoming World Tour in support of the band’s new album, …The Stories We Could Tell.

“I’ve been dealing with Parkinson’s symptoms for the past couple of years and only recently received a confirmed diagnosis as symptoms worsened. I intend to fight the disease with same intensity and tenacity that I drum and live my life by and will continue recording and performing, as always, to the best of my ability,” stated Torpey.

Mr. Big intends to announce a drummer in the near future whom will handle most of the drumming duties on the Fall 2014 tour and expects Torpey to jump on the drums on suitable live songs as well as participating in the groups acoustic set.

Stryper is back with their latest release, a live CD/DVD combination called Live At The Whisky. The live recording will be available on September 23rd through Frontiers Records and is a must have for any fan. The concert was recorded at a sold-out show last November at the famous Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Blvd. The 16-track collection documents the band’s first show in support of their latest critically acclaimed release, No More Hell To Pay.

From the show opener Legacy to the final notes of show finale Soldiers Under Command, Live At The Whisky documents Stryper’s rich musical legacy that spans over 30 years. The original lineup comprised of Michael Sweet (vocals/guitars), Robert Sweet (drums), Oz Fox (guitars) and Tim Gaines (bass) showcase the musicianship and songs that garnered the band a huge fan base in the mainstream world and the Christian market. Live At The Whisky was produced by Michael Sweet and is available for pre-order at a href=” http://geni.us/StryperWhiskyAMZ” target=”_blank”>Amazon.

“We’ve always wanted to record a live album that captures the rawness of the band and this is it! We couldn’t be more thrilled then to have captured this at the infamous Whisky, where it all began for us. After 30 years, we’re still proud to do what we do and hopefully it shows. This is an intimate performance, the way it should be.”

The DVD of Live At The Whisky also contains the music videos for No More Hell To Pay and Sympathy from their latest album No More Hell To Pay. It also features an interview segment the band recorded for Nashville All Access. A trailer for the DVD can be seen below. The concert will also be broadcast on AXS.TV on September 28th. Check local listings and providers for more information on the television debut of Live At The Whisky this Fall.

The track listing for Live At The Whisky is:

1) Legacy
2) Marching Into Battle
3) You Know What To Do
4) Loud And Clear
5) Reach Out
6) Calling On You
7) Free
8) More Than A Man
9) The Rock That Makes Me Roll
10) No More Hell To Pay
11) Jesus Is Just Alright
12) Always There For You
13) All For One
14) The Way
15) To Hell With The Devil
16) Soldiers Under Command

For more information about Stryper, please visit stryper.com.