The wave of new festivals continues as Seether announces the Rise Above Fest, scheduled for Sept 3rd at the Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion in Gilford, NH. Joining Seether are Buckcherry, Puddle Of Mudd, Black Stone Cherry and Otherwise. This festival is different from others happening this summer in that it’s designed to bring attention and awareness to the problem of teen suicide and ways to prevent it. Seether frontman Shaun Morgan has direct experience with suicide: his brother took his own life five years ago. He explained more of the impetus behind the festival to Billboard, saying, “Our drummer (John Humphrey), his wife works in the local church and in the span of a month or six weeks, three kids between the ages of 12 and 15 killed themselves. That’s insane.” Tix go on sale Friday (Jun 8th). More information and other details will be available via the band’s website. A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to the New Hampshire chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Meanwhile, Five Finger Death Punch is launching a new anti-suicide initiative tied to the release of its upcoming music video for current single “Coming Down.” Guitarist Zoltan Bathory said, “Through support and awareness, suicide can be prevented. Five Finger Death Punch is promoting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to build awareness that there is support out there for those in need through the Lifeline’s service, and others. This is an important initiative we have taken on to place it on the consciousness of the public that you are not alone when in need.” The band doesn’t appear in the new video at all, which will end by displaying the number and website of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Five Finger Death Punch will also donate one dollar for every ticket sold for it upcoming Trespass America tour to the cause.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or go to www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. The band’s Ivan Moody & Jeremy Spencer have cut a video promo. Check it out. (Thanks Pulse of Radio)….This is rather sad. In a bizarre incident, members of the rap-rock act Hollywood Undead allegedly attacked their former singer and co-founder Aron Erlichman, aka Deuce, after he performed at the Angels and Kings nightclub in Los Angeles on May 25th. According to TMZ, the singer’s ex-bandmates were waiting for him when he left the club after his set. Deuce claimed they spotted him, pounced and began “punching, kicking and stomping on him.” Deuce alleged he was badly hurt in the attack and a friend who tried to defend him was injured as well. The singer later reported the incident to the police, fingering former bandmates Dylan “Funny Man” Alvarez and Jorel “J-Dog” Decker as the primary attackers. He also said the pair had someone videotape the attack. Deuce plans to sue and has already hired an attorney. No one from Hollywood Undead has commented yet on the accusations. Deuce was fired from the group in early 2010 and released his debut solo album, Nine Lives, this past April. In the immortal words of Rodney King, “Can’t we just get along?”… The Hollywood Reporter says Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins has been cast as iconic rocker Iggy Pop in CBGB, the upcoming film about the legendary downtown Manhattan club that was home to the birth of punk rock in the mid-Seventies. Director Randall Miller has also cast Harry Potter’s Alan Rickman (I love him) as club owner Hilly Kristal, Malin Akerman as Blondie singer Debbie Harry, Harry Potter star Rupert Grint as Cheetah Chrome and many more. That’s completely insane, but I like the idea. I frequented the dirty, dingy, tiny club (by today’s standards, the place would be called a fire trap and a violator of hundreds of health codes), fell down the stairs to the bathroom on more than one occasion, and got a crazy sense of fashion from that place. Saw countless bands in the 70’s and 80’s and loved every sweaty moment of it. Even in the 90’s and 2000’s when Rage Against the Machine and Korn played there. The place only held 350 people, but you can bet when the Police, Blondie, Talking Heads, the Dictators or the Ramones played, there were WAY more people than that. The iconic awning of the place, which closed in 2006, hangs in Cleveland at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was part of the New Wave scene that exploded in the late 70’s and it was never imitated, always celebrated. I remember when Green Day performed there. Billie Joe thought he was standing by the Gates of Heaven! LOL…..In stores today:Call Me No One, the new band formed by Sevendust guitarist Clint Lowery and drummer Morgan Rose and is now streaming, The Last Parade, in its entirety at AOL Music. “Biggest Fan” is the current single. Check out the album stream at here….I’d like to end today honoring the life of George Marino. You’ve seen his name on countless albums as “Mastering Engineer” but he was far more than that. This piece is from today’s Blabbermouth: Legendary mastering engineer George Marino, who has worked on such multi-platinum projects as METALLICA‘s “Metallica”, AC/DC‘s “Highway To Hell”, GUNS N’ ROSES‘ “Appetite For Destruction” and BON JOVI‘s “Slippery When Wet”, has died after a year-long battle with lung cancer. During his nearly 40-year tenure at Sterling Sound in New York City, he also mastered albums from such hard rock and heavy metal artists as OZZY OSBOURNE, IRON MAIDEN, DEEP PURPLE, DIO, DOKKEN, ANTHRAX, SAXON, SEPULTURA, DANZIG, DEATH ANGEL, OVERKILL, W.A.S.P., EXODUS, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, HELLOWEEN and KROKUS. Monte Conner, Senior VP A&R at Roadrunner Records, stated: “I had the pleasure of working with George Marino on many of Roadrunner‘s all-time classic albums, such as SEPULTURA‘s ‘Chaos A.D.’ and ‘Roots’, TYPE O NEGATIVE‘s ‘Bloody Kisses’ and ‘October Rust’, LIFE OF AGONY‘s ‘River Runs Red’, SOUFLY“s debut and ‘Primitive’, and dozens of others. Not only was he an incredibly talented mastering engineer, but he was the nicest, kindest, most patient man you could ever meet. He put tremendous care into each and every record and is a guy who loved his job and took pride in his work. George was truly one of a kind. An irreplaceable talent and human being.” Sterling Sound has released the following statement about Marino‘s death: “Today Sterling Sound and the music industry as a whole has suffered a tremendous loss. Senior Mastering Engineer George Marino lost his battle with cancer this morning. Words cannot express the sorrow we feel. George was family to us all and we will miss him dearly.” George joined Sterling Sound in the summer of 1973 where he has worked on many of the industry’s most influential albums, including recent Billboard chart toppers like COLDPLAY‘s “Parachutes”, BON JOVI‘s “Lost Highway”, THE OFFSPRING‘s “Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace”, THREE DOORS DOWN‘s eponymous release and ARCTIC MONKEY‘s “Favourite Worst Nightmare” as well as classics, including JOURNEY‘s “Frontiers”, CYNDI LAUPER‘s “She’s So Unusual”, eponymous releases by both KISS and THE CARS, and MÖTLEY CRÜE‘s “Dr. Feelgood”. George started as a musician, playing rock n’ roll guitar in New York City bands. His first job in the industry was as a librarian and assistant at Capitol Studios in 1967. He then apprenticed in the mastering department, helping cut rock, pop, jazz and classical albums. When Capitol shut down its New York studio, and before heading to Sterling Sound, George joined the fledgling Record Plant, eventually becoming a partner in the recording-mastering studio. There he quickly established his reputation with projects such as DON MCLEAN‘s “American Pie” and classic albums by the ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND and STEVIE WONDER. Rest in peace, George. You are up there with many of the musicians you worked so closely with.
