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For Immediate Release |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…by Tom Lounges / Editor
MIDWEST BEAT REGIONAL MUSIC AWARDS HAPPEN MARCH 18th
Come one, come all to the annual gala that is the Midwest BEAT Regional Music Awards night! Join us is saluting the best of the area’s local music artists from all genres on March 18th at 2nd Dimension Night Club in Schererville, Indiana.
Midwest BEAT columnist Freak and I will co-emcee and celebrate the region’s music community, while dishing out award plaques to dozens of area artists, night clubs, and local radio folks.
This is the combined night for both the Midwest BEAT Reader’s Poll Awards and the Midwest BEAT Publisher’s Awards.
Check out the Reader’s Poll results elsewhere in this issue to see who YOU helped put in the winner’s circle when you slapped on a postage stamp and mailed off your ballot over the holidays.
The Publisher’s Awards are a little more secretive, but I will tell you that some of those getting a nod from the magazine itself are – John Bowles, Ripley Street, Lying Delilah, Electric X and Nicole Jamrose.
JAMMIN’ JAMROSE REPRESENTS…
The Calumet Region country and rock songbird is the namesake of her group Jamrose along with being the front woman for The Nick Danger Band.
Jamrose has managed to survive multiple auditions and screenings over the last few months to make the cut as a finalist for the program, being hosted this season by Wynonna Judd and Cowboy Troy.
I tried to interview Nicole last month for a color feature in this issue, but at that time, she was under orders to not discuss anything with the media. Perhaps I’ll soon be able to write about her having won the contest.
With a song in her heart, a guitar in her hand and the best wishes of everyone in the local music community behind her, Jamrose will make her television debut on Tuesday, March 14th.
DISTURBED GO PLATINUM…AGAIN!!!
After debuting at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart in September, Disturbed’s latest release Ten Thousand Fists (Reprise) was certified Platinum last month by the RIAA.
This marks the third consecutive album by the South Side lads –– David Draiman (vocals), Dan Donegan (guitar) and Mike Wengren (drums) –– to reach the coveted platinum milestone; following their 2000 triple-platinum debut The Sickness and 2002’s “Believe”, which also debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart.
“Stricken”, the first single off Ten Thousand Fists, hit #1 on the Active Rock radio chart, making it the band’s seventh consecutive single to reach #1 on this chart.
Disturbed’s latest single, “Just Stop” is making it’s way up the charts and is currently sitting in the Top 10 on the Active Rock chart and in the Top 20 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Disturbed also do a kick ass cover treatment on the Phil Collin’s classic, “Land Of Confusion”, that makes the song all their own. It rocks hard and is something I spin fairly often on my “Night Rock Radio” show on X-ROCK 103.9. Call up and request it some Sunday night.
Disturbed serve as a shining example to other area music artists that international success truly is within their grasp, if they are ready and willing to invest blood, sweat, tears and lots of time in the pursuit of their musical dreams.
Disturbed grabbed the brass ring and have proven to be rock alchemists by turning it to platinum several times over. Kudos boys!
ALICE COOPER:THE REGION’S NIGHT TIME NIGHTMARE…
Alice Cooper is the new nightmare in the Region!
The god of Shock Rock becomes the new evening air jock on March 6 at – WXRD X-ROCK 103.9 – the station that is also home to Yours Truly and my Sunday evening “Night Rock” program. Coop is on weeknights 7pm to midnight.
Alice has been hosting a radio program for just over two years now that he said – “originates from a toxic waste dump” in Arizona and is beamed via satellite to classic rock stations.”
When I last chatted with Alice, he told me – “I’d done just about every type of entertainment possible during some point in my career, except radio. I agreed to do this show as long as they let me create radio theatre with a cast of characters like ‘Inga’ the 90-year-old stripper and ‘Fletcher’ the rat catcher. I get to play whatever I want. I play the usual Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Van Halen stuff, but I also play The Stooges, Frank Zappa and things that radio audiences today don’t normally get to hear.”
Unless of course they are listening on Sundays from 6-9pm on “Night Rock” – where I give Alice a run for the money when it comes to unearthing many long dead classic songs and resurrecting them for the listening pleasure of serious Seventies rock fans.
Welcome to the “X” and to the Region’s radio air waves Alice!
REDWALLS FIND AN “OASIS”…
Acclaimed Chicago-based rock ‘’n’ roll foursome – The Redwalls – will team up with Brit-Pop giants Oasis for a series of late March concerts, including ones in the Midwest cities of Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Cincinnati.
Now signed to Capitol Records and enjoying some national fame, The Redwalls first connected with Oasis last year, while struggling for attention. They found it from Oasis frontman, Noel Gallagher, who personally chose The Redwalls to support his group on a number of their summer stadium shows in the UK.
Gallagher’s admiration for the group grew during that tour, prompting him to invite The Redwalls to join Oasis on these shores for selected dates.
BAND BITS…
• Hard rockin’ South Sider, Andrew Walker, recently featured on an international Bon Jovi tribute CD, has a new full length out from his studio project, Drama Queen Die. Unlike the first, self-titled CD from this project, Walker wrote and performed all of the music himself for, She’s The Kill. The 11-song disc retains a lot of the “Eighties” hard rock groove heard on 2004’s self-titled Drama Queen Die CD, only a tad darker and heavier.
• Fueled By Hate the new group fronted by former Terminal Fix vocalist Chris “Q-Ball” Roark is officially out on the scene and hitting clubs. The group which also includes drummer Shawn McLaughlin, bassist Mike “Zoeie” Shambart and guitarist Dale Spiewak – made their stage debut last month at Joe’s On Weed Street in Chicago opening for Overkill and Prong. Roark reported the show was a huge success.
• Sopro Recording artist Bobby Dunne has a pair of new original music CDs now available via the independent South Side record label headed up by region music veterans Buddy Monaco and Red Rose. Dunne’s new studio CD, Chicago Style, is chock full of original songs. Also released this month from Dunne and Sopro is the brand new Live at Cheeseburger CD, recorded on location at Chicagoland “Cheeseburger In Paradise” restaurants, where Dunne performs Saturdays (in Downers Grove) and Sunday (in Des Plaines) from Noon to 3pm. Both new titles and the entire Dunne catalog are available online at – www.SoproMusic.com – and at all of Dunne’s live performances.
• Northwest Indiana’s teenage band – A Broken Sequence – have released and impressive new four-song original CD titled, The Modernizing Minds. The new disc is the result of winning first place at Purdue University’s band battle last fall, sponsored by John Carpenter, owner of Thunderclap Studio of Hammond. “We took advantage of the studio time to experiment a little bit with our sound,” said guitarist Ryan Strode, of their new songs – “Take Your Own Advice”, “Wasting Away”, “Hope Chord” and “Faith, Friends and Over-Confidence”.
• Drive-Thru Records’ artist, ALLISTER wrap up a 29-date tour with Mest and Scary Kids Scaring Kids, here in their hometown of Chicago on March 8. The band is promoting their third CD, Before The Blackout, released in October.
• On Friday, March 24, singer/songwriter Josh Holmes will debut his second national release – 2nd Generation Loss – with a special CD Release Party at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville, IN. It will be an all ages event inside the Metropolitan Ballroom/Back Six, beginning at 7:30pm. A $15 ticket includes a copy of the new CD, and the live performance by Holmes and his full band. Tickets online at: www. joshholmes.net
• Drummer Randy Peterson and bassist Billy Ozelle have departed the ranks of retro cover band, Force Five, after years of keeping the groove going for the veteran group. Together for 22 years, the rhythm duo started in The Change during 1984, and rocked through a series of groups like Digital Hair, The David Carl Band, Blind For A Day, and recently Force Five. They have reportedly already formed a new band with ex-Ransom vocalist Shelly Kooi. Watch for an update soon...
• Guitar virtuoso Kevin M. Buck has recently been guesting with Metallica tribute band, Battery, in addition to shredding a la Randy Rhoades for Sabbath tribute, Blizzard of Ozz. The recording of Buck’s as-yet-untitled second solo CD is well under way and will be a more vocal-oriented, hard rock collection than his first effort.
• A lot of eyebrows raised after I reported here last month of late ‘70s club act, Radio London reuniting. Folks can satiate their curiosity by catching the band’s official stage debut on March 25th at Jolly Rogers (11217 Whitcomb) in Crown Point, Indiana.
• Now to start a new buzz... Northwest Indiana’s Unusual Suspects will reunite for a series of gigs this spring, according to guitarist Don Nedberg. Another surprising and very welcome reunion is that of Southern Rock stalwarts, Eat A Peach, who split up a few years ago. No band does Southern blues ‘n’ boogie like the Peach.
MUSICAL WARZ TO BE WAGED…
On April 7, Prairie State College will host “Musical Warz 6”, an all day band battle featuring 16 groups of different genres. It runs from 3pm to midnight with each band getting a 30-minute set. Top prize is $1000 and second place is $250.
Those interested in competing must bring in a demo and complete a registration form, available at Prairie State College in the Student Leadership Center (Rm. 1260).
Cost per group is $60 for an early slot (3-4:30pm), $80 for a middle slot (5-7:30pm), and $90 for the prime late spot (8-10:30pm). Tickets are $5 advance/ $7 at door. Proceeds from the event are donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Prairie State College is located on the corner of Halsted and Vollmer in Chicago Heights, Illinois. Call or email event promoter Lenny Kozlowski @ (708) 709-3921 or leokozy@yahoo.com
A “POLLSTAR” SALUTE…
Each year, Pollstar Magazine – the concert industry’s top publication – invites a cross section of international music business professionals to slate the nominations for the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. Recipients of the prestigious awards are then determined by votes from the international readership of Pollstar.
Two great Chicagoland venues that I personally work very closely with recently got prestigious salutes from Pollstar.
House of Blues Chicago and its talent buyer, Michael Yerke, were recognized as “Nightclub of the Year” and “Nightclub Talent Buyer of the Year” at the 17th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards event held in Las Vegas.
On the other side of the state line, Merrillville, Indiana’s Star Plaza Theatre was ranked as one of the “Top 100 Theatre Venues” in the world in Pollstar’s January 16 year end issue. With an impressive ranking of 25 out of 100 worldwide, in theatre venue ticket sales for 2005, the 3,400-seat Star Plaza Theatre ranked number one in Chicagoland.
Congratulations to the hard working and dedicated staff at BOTH of these great region concert halls.
“GO TO GUY” GETS HIS PROPS…
Joe is truly a “jack of all trades” when it comes to the Star Plaza. He floats from department to department – the parking lot to the ticket booth, the catering department to setting up merchandise tables for the national artists and also for the local bands at our annual “Region Rumble”.
It’s no wonder Joe is referred to by everyone who knows him as “the go to guy” and is a past “Presidential Award” recipient.
Congratulations Joe on your most recent award and thank you for your many efforts that make our visits to Star Plaza all the more enjoyable!
JACKSON LEAVES A LEGACY…
• As this issue was being put to bed, news came in that on March 1st, drummer, Johnny Jackson, the original drummer for the Jackson Five band had been stabbed to death in a Gary, Indiana apartment by a woman he knew. Further details were not known as we went to press.
Jackson left Northwest Indiana with the famous Jackson brothers and relocated to Los Angeles for a number of years, before returning to the region.
His next gig was on the throne for a newly formed R&B/Reggae group called, White Dove, with whom he was still playing from time to time. Jackson also kept the beat for a while with region club band, Triple Dose, alongside his younger, bass-slapping cousin, Keith Jackson.
Johnny Jackson had a unique drumming style and powerful beats. Catch a glimpse of Jackson in action with White Dove at www.whitedoveonline.com during a performance at Chicago’s Navy Pier.
Though I did not know Johnny Jackson well, our paths did cross at gigs. Condolences to the many family members and musical brothers he leaves behind. Jackson cast a large shadow over the local music community and will be missed.
FAREWELL MR. FOLLETT…
Those who able to read these words, owe at least a nod of thanks to Mr. Charles N. “Laddie” Follett, who passed away at 94 on January 21st.
Look on the spine of most any text book in America and you will likely find the Follett name.
As president of Follett Educational Services (1952-1986), Laddie oversaw the day to day operations of the nation’s leading text book provider to elementary and high schools throughout North America, making it possible for all of us to learn.
Mr. Follett, who resided in River Forest, Illinois, was also the father of my very dear friend and Midwest BEAT co-publisher, Kent Follett, who with his lovely wife, Julie, makes up the rock photography team known as Fotos By Folletts.
The Folletts’ wonderful concert shots grace our pages often and Kent is a remarkable man, showing that the apple does not fall far from the tree.
Condolences are extended to Kent, Jules and the entire Follett family from everyone at Midwest BEAT and the Lounges’ household. God bless!
Until next month...get out and support live music! |
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Speaking
of Nicole Jamrose...that talented gal is representing Northwest Indiana
and Chicagoland this month down in Nashville and across the nation via
television on the USA Network series – “Nashville Star”.
While
on the subject of the Star Plaza’s great staff, I would be remiss to not
extend a hearty pat on the back to Joe Askew, recently declared
the venue’s Associate of The Quarter.