POISON DRUMMER RIKKI ROCKETT CANCER-FREE FOLLOWING IMMUNOTHERAPY AT UC SAN DIEGO HEALTH

Rikki Rockett, drummer for the band Poison, got the best news of his life last week: his cancer is gone.

Rockett was diagnosed with oral cancer more than a year ago. Several months ago, he came to Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, where he underwent experimental cancer immunotherapy, which has now eradicated the tumor.

Rockett says he joined the clinical trial not only out of concern about himself, but also about being around for his three-year-old daughter, Lucy, and his seven-year-old son, Jude.

Immunotherapy is a relatively new form of treatment that boosts the body’s immune system, better enabling it to attack cancer cells. Under the care of Ezra Cohen, MD, professor of medicine and associate director for Translational Science at Moores Cancer Center, Rockett participated in a clinical trial that is testing a combination of two immunotherapy drugs that remove defenses cancers use against the immune system. This type of treatment is only available at a few specific medical centers around the country.

“We are delighted that Rikki responded so well to immunotherapy. He had already been through a lot with chemotherapy and radiation treatment before he came to us, but his cancer recurred,” said Cohen, who also leads the Solid Tumor Therapeutics Program at Moores Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. “That’s the advantage of immunotherapy over traditional therapy — there are fewer side effects, we can specifically eradicate cancer cells almost anywhere in the body, and it’s effective against tumors that are resistant to chemotherapy and radiation.”

Rockett broke the good news last week via his Instagram account, where he posted a photo of himself with Cohen. The drummer wrote in the accompanying caption, “Because of this man, I am cancer free!!!”

Already feeling better for the past few weeks, Rockett is slowly getting back into Brazilian jiu-jitsu, riding his motorcycle and taking care of his kids.

Rockett also wants to get the word out about immunotherapy — to those who have already exhausted other treatments like he did, but also to people newly diagnosed with cancer who might be able to avoid chemo and radiation.

“My hope going forward is that by talking to other cancer patients, I might be able to lessen their pain and suffering,” Rockett said. “I know from experience that chemotherapy and radiation are not fun. If I can help anyone else, it would help give reason to what I went through.”

About Rockett’s treatment:

One of Rockett’s immunotherapy drugs is pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an antibody that inhibits the abnormal interaction between the molecule PD-1 on immune cells and the molecule PD-L1 on cancer cells, effectively releasing the “brake” and allowing the immune cells to recognize and attack tumors. Pembrolizumab is FDA-approved for some cancers, such as melanoma, but not Rocket’s oral cancer. The other experimental immunotherapy drug he receives in the trial is epacadostat, which inhibits the IDO pathway. This cellular system suppresses immune cell function and allows tumors to evade the immune system. The trial is sponsored by the company Incyte. Rockett will continue therapy in the trial until its completion.

About Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health:

Moores Cancer Center is one of only 45 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country. It is also the first and only San Diego-based member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the world’s leading cancer centers, and is certified by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPL), the leading quality program of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

For adults newly diagnosed with cancer, treatment at an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center means superior survival and recovery rates due to the fullness of care, diverse medical, surgical, and radiation oncology sub-specialties, access to breakthrough clinical trials, advanced supportive care and utilization of exacting quality metrics.

Patients have access to therapies, surgeries and clinical trials not offered in community settings. Moores Cancer Center currently operates more than 170 open treatment trials. These investigational therapies include advanced, highly personalized stem cell-based approaches and immunotherapies that leverage the inherent healing powers of the human body.

In late-2016, UC San Diego Health will open Jacobs Medical Center, a 245-bed, 10-story facility where patients with cancer will have access to the Pauline and Stanley Foster Pavilion for Cancer Care, a space dedicated to specialized oncology, and to the A. Vassiliadis Family Pavilion for Advanced Surgery where surgical options include minimally invasive approaches, robotics, transplantation and other combinations of 3D technologies and lifesaving techniques that are only found at UC San Diego Health.

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GUITARIST RITCHIE BLACKMORE SAYS HIS RAINBOW LINE-UP COULD PLAY ADDITIONAL SHOWS

Ritchie Blackmore says his Rainbow line-up, comprised of vocalist Ronnie Romero, bassist Bob Nouveau, keyboardist Jens Johansson and drummer David Keith, could play further live shows.

He reactivated Rainbow for two appearances at Germany’s Monsters Of Rock and a show at Birmingham’s Genting Arena last month.

He tells Radio Veronica, “We might do a few more shows again. I enjoyed it, especially the last one in England. The first two were a little bit intense because we hadn’t played together – we hadn’t done a lot of rehearsing, so the first two were a bit hectic and chaotic.

But the last one in Birmingham seemed to work to me. It was so weird, I think it was 20,000 people – it sold out in 15 minutes and I kind of wondered who they thought was playing. When I got to the auditorium, it was so vast that I thought, ‘Maybe someone else is playing this show tonight.’”

The guitar icon incorporated Deep Purple tracks Smoke On The Water, Highway Star and Black Night into the live sets – but it turned out to be a move that left some fans questioning the decision.

Blackmore continues, “I noticed when they clapped, they weren’t clapping so hard for Deep Purple. So the next time, if we go out, I would do probably 95% Rainbow songs – that’s what they seem to want to hear. I just naturally assumed they’d want to hear everything.”

Earlier this month, singer Romero said he hoped to return to the stage with the band in 2017.

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SINGER VINCE NEIL BEING SUED FOR 75K BY WOMAN WHO CLAIMS HE ASSAULTED HER IN LAS VEGAS

A California woman is suing Motely Crue frontman Vince Neil over an unprovoked attack that put her in the hospital and left her emotionally distressed.

Kelly Guerrero was viciously grabbed from behind by Neil and knocked to the pavement in April before actor Nicholas Cage intervened to hold back his pal.

The lawsuit obtained by Broadly claims that the attack resulted in substantial medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and emotional distress for Guerrero causing her to seek $75,000 from the rocker.

The suit states that Neil was “severely intoxicated or under the influence of powerful drugs” at the time of the incident, according to Broadly.

Guerrero, a registered nurse, said the situation all stemmed from her son spotting a trio of celebrities — Neil, Cage and the comedian Carrot Top — outside of the Aria Hotel when they were leaving.

The single mother shouted to Cage that her son was a huge fan of his films Ghost Rider and City of Angels when things turned ugly, according to the lawsuit.

The alleged unprovoked attack left Guerrero with a back sprain, neck sprain and sacral contusion due to physical assault, according to doctors at the Desert Springs Hospital Emergency Room.

She also went to a personal physician when she returned home who stated she suffered from a fractured tailbone and severe left hip injury, according to the lawsuit.

In a video obtained by TMZ outside of the hotel, Cage is seen putting Neil in a headlock yelling, “I f–king love you, stop this s–t now!”

The singer was charged with misdemeanor battery earlier this month, but has previously denied touching Guerrero. Cage was not accused of a crime.

Neil is scheduled to appear in court on July 27th.

additional source: nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip

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DRUMMER MICK BROWN ON THE DOKKEN REUNION, “IF YOU THROW ENOUGH MONEY ON A WOUND, IT WILL HEAL”

Drummer Mick Brown recently spoke with Rockin’ Metal Revival about Dokken’s reunion shows in Japan. Excerpts from the interview appear below (as transcribed by blabbermouth.net).

On bassist Jeff Pilson recently revealing that he and guitarist George Lynch have written a new Dokken song:

“I really haven’t heard that, but it wouldn’t surprise me. And Jeff’s got a recording studio, so it makes it easy to do, and George lives close to Jeff… Jeff loves to record; I mean, that’s his passion, you know. And nothing suits him better than being home for a few days and recording some music. So I’m sure something might happen there.”

Discussing how the classic lineup reunion has affected the current members of Dokken:

“[Guitarist] Jon [Leven] wasn’t too keen on it, and I can understand that. But we said, ‘Listen, the money…’ I mean, he understands… I hate to talk about money, but there’s a lot of money involved here. And you can’t be a fool in life and pass up these opportunities. And Don and I both told him, ‘Listen, it’s only these six shows, from what we know.’ And Jeff’s gotta go back to work with Foreigner. We’ve been sort of talking about this for a few years, and Jeff just said, ‘Listen, Foreigner’s just not gonna give me the time off. We play all the time — four days a week.’ So he has about a ten-or twelve-day window to do this Dokken thing. And we’re doing it. And I think he flies from Tokyo right back into a Foreigner show, wherever that’s gonna be, and I think it’ll be business as usual.

Listen, if there’s success with this, and it all works right, and we do it without strangling each other — which, by the way, in the past, we’ve been known to do that [laughs — so if we can make it through [those shows], you might see some of it [in other parts of the world]. But I don’t know… Jeff’s pretty locked into the Foreigner thing. And so we told Jon, ‘Listen, we’re doing it in Japan. It’s not in America.’ But we told Jon, as soon as the shows are over, we’re back to business as usual. I’m sure he’s a little angry. But we’ll see what happens.”

Speaking about how he never thought the classic line-up of Dokken would ever reunite:

“I guess if you throw enough money on a wound, it will heal,” he said. “And I hate to say that, but, I mean, listen, it would take that to get some things together.”

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BUCKCHERRY CELEBRATES TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF “15” WITH HEADLINING NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

Veteran L.A. rock band Buckcherry are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their smash, hit record 15 and have announced a headlining North American tour where they’ll be performing the record in its entirety with support from Candlebox and Sons of Texas on select dates.

In addition to the tour announcement, Buckcherry will be celebrating the anniversary by releasing a Deluxe CD Edition of 15 and, for the first time ever, a vinyl release of 15 this fall. The band has launched a PledgeMusic campaign this summer for the celebration, which will feature exciting, exclusive content, pre-orders for the Deluxe Edition, Vinyl and much more.

Buckcherry’s seminal record 15 was released in April 2006 and included breakout radio anthems Crazy Bitch and Sorry. The album was a turning point for the band following a breakup after the release of their second album Time Bomb, and featured a reinvigorated lineup with three new members. The single Crazy Bitch exploded onto charts and radio stations becoming the rock anthem of the summer, and was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. It was followed with the successful single Sorry, which peaked at #2 on Hot AC radio charts and #8 at Top 40 radio charts. To date, 15 has sold over 1 million copies, becoming the band’s first platinum record.

Guitarist Keith Nelson says, “15…. We named it that because we recorded it in 15 days. I’m proud of every record we’ve done, but 15 is special. We had nothing to lose and the world to gain. We bet on ourselves and won. It was a ‘thank you’ and a ‘f–k you’ at the same time. And it still is. I can’t wait to perform this record in its entirety for its 10th Anniversary.”

Adds singer Josh Todd, “15 was a very special moment in time for this band. A lot of people told us what we ‘couldn’t do’ and all we collectively thought about is what we ‘could do’ and how big it would be. Success is the best revenge and that is why we are bringing this entire record to the stage to celebrate the ten year anniversary of 15, one of the coolest rock n’ roll comeback stories of all time.”

In celebration of the anniversary of 15, Spotify has added Crazy Bitch to popular playlists like Rock the 2000’s and Headbanger’s Workout, while Sorry was added to Rock Ballads.

Buckcherry is also touring in support of their most recent record Rock ‘N’ Roll, which was released in late 2015. Fans can purchase the record now by clicking here.

Follow the band at facebook.com/buckcherry for additional news and updates.

Newly Announced Buckcherry Tour Dates:
*More dates to be announced soon!

Sept 2 Royal Oak, MI – Main Stage at the Royal Oaks Arts
Sept 3 Mt. Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino (w/ Shinedown, Pop Evil)
Sept 4 West Hollywood, CA – Rainbow Bar & Grill Block Party
Sept 9 Las Vegas, NV – Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club (15 Anniversary Show, Buckcherry only)
Sept 14 St. Charles, IL – The Arcada Theatre (15 Anniversary Show w/ Candlebox, Sons of Texas)
Sept 17 Chester, PA – Rock Allegiance Festival
Sept 18 Lawrence, MA – Claddagh Music Hall (15 Anniversary Show w/ Candlebox, Sons of Texas)
Sept 20 New York, NY – Playstation Theater (15 Anniversary Show w/ Candlebox, Sons of Texas)
Sept 21 Huntington, NY – The Paramount (15 Anniversary Show w/ Candlebox, Sons of Texas)
Sept 24 Houston, TX – Houston Open Air Festival
Sept 30 Cabazon, CA – Key Club @ Morongo (15 Anniversary Show, Buckcherry only)
Oct 4 Anaheim, CA – The Grove (15 Anniversary Show w/ Candlebox, Sons of Texas)

Tour Dates On-sale now:

July 15 Oklahoma, OK – Diamond Ballroom (w/ Nonpoint, Failure Anthem)
July 16 Mansfield, TX – Fat Daddy’s (w/ Nonpoint, Failure Anthem)
July 17 Monroe, LA – Live Oaks Bar & Ballroom (w/ Nonpoint, Failure Anthem)
July 19 Greensboro, NC – The Cone Denim Ent Center (w/ Nonpoint, Failure Anthem)
July 20 North Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues (w/ Nonpoint, Failure Anthem)
July 22 Dewey Beach, DE – The Bottle & Cork (w/ Nonpoint, Failure Anthem)
July 23 Sharon, PA – Quaker Steak & Lube (w/ Nonpoint, Failure Anthem)
July 24 Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live! (w/ Nonpoint, Failure Anthem)
July 26 Jacksonville, NC – Hooligans (w/ Nonpoint, Failure Anthem)
July 28 Lynchburg, VA – Phase 2 (w/ Nonpoint, Failure Anthem)
July 29 Morgantown, WV – Mountainfest Motorcycle Rally
July 30 Royalton, MN – Halfway Jam Festival Grounds
Aug 12 Sturgis, SD – Buffalo Chip Campground
Aug 13 Bozeman, MT – Rockin The Rivers Fest
Aug 14 Mandan, ND – Rock Point
Aug 19 Barrie, ON – The Ranch Concert Hall
Aug 25 Fairbanks, AK – Carlson Center
Aug 26 Anchorage, AK – Alaska Airlines Center
Aug 27 Soldotna, AK – Sport Center in Soldotna
Oct 12 Belfast, UK – Limelight
Oct 13 Dublin, IRE – Whelans
Oct 15 London, UK – Wembley Arena (w/ Steel Panther, Bowling For Soup)
Oct 16 Cardiff, UK – Cardiff Motorpoint Arena (w/ Steel Panther, Bowling For Soup)
Oct 18 Manchester, UK – Manchester Arena (w/ Steel Panther, Bowling For Soup)
Oct 19 Birmingham, UK – Barclaycard Arena(w/ Steel Panther, Bowling For Soup)

Buckcherry on the web:

buckcherry.com
facebook.com/buckcherry
twitter.com/Buckcherry

buckcherry15cover500

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SINGER STEVEN TYLER SAYS HE IS “REALLY CONCERNED” ABOUT BANDMATE JOE PERRY’S HEALTH

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is very concerned about his bandmate, guitarist Joe Perry, who who collapsed onstage and was hospitalized on Sunday during a show with the all-star Hollywood Vampires in Brooklyn.

Tyler tells Billboard, “It’s starting to scare me a little bit.”

Tyler states that he is “really concerned. I know they’re putting out nothing, but he’s recovering, he’s really good, he fainted, exhaustion. But I know my brother. He’s just about the only other guy that’s as passionate about his art as I am. He’s always asking me to do three, four [Aerosmith] shows in a row, and I can’t. I’ll blow my voice out. I know how to maintain my career, my health, and Joe’s passionate. I don’t think he knows how to. I think he’s out there and someone’s overbooking him. They’re doing like eight or nine shows in a row, or five in a row. I think they’re all a little burnt. I think they may need to look at that. Not young anymore, y’know?” 


Initial reports that Perry suffered a cardiac arrest have not been confirmed or denied, and it has generated speculation about the guitarist’s ability to not only rejoin the Hollywood Vampires but also to tour South America with Aerosmith starting September 29th. “I don’t give a s–t about the band. I want Joe to live,” Tyler says. “I’m really concerned and worried right now that I’m not getting any news. I’m a little bummed out, and that scares me. I don’t know whether it’s heat prostration or whether he’s been working himself too hard or getting off on wrong things passionately. I don’t know what it is, but I know that nobody’s talking to me. I can only tell you that Joe’s my brother and I love him so much.”


source: billboard.com

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