FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE...

(Local Music News)

by Tom Lounges


“FREEDOM FEST I” RALLYS ROCKERS...

     This issue hits the streets just about the time we are presenting
“FREEDOM FEST: America Bands Together,” to help raise funds for the disaster
rescue effort.  Juggling deadline work on this issue while assembling such a
large event in less than two week’s time has my head spinning.
     That said, I need to give my musical brother Joe Rega (of Joey Rega
Tours) a BIG thank you and major props for losing a lot of sleep and carrying
a lot of the load connected to putting on this benefit concert.  
    Also many thanks to Joe Doerr of JJ Pyro, Fairgrounds Superintendent Jeff
Popka and the Lake County Board of Commissioners, Julie Lounges, Joe McBride
and all the wonderful local businesses who contributed food for the crew and
prizes for the charity raffle.

“FREEDOM FEST II” IN THE WORKS...      

     Although Freedom Fest has still not taken place as I write these words,
there is already a Freedom Fest II in the works.   Yes...call me a glutton
for punishment, but I want to do all I can to help the rescue/recovery
workers in New York and in Washington as they diligently go about the grisly
and laborious tasks of cleaning up the rubble left in the wake of terrorist
attacks. 
     Whereas our first event featured mostly rock and pop music – “Freedom
Fest II: America Bands Together” – will lean more heavily towards country
and blues artists.  But of course, that is not “in stone” as this event has
just now hit the drawing board.  
     All I can tell you for sure at this time, is that it will take place on
Sunday, November 18 at the Star Plaza Theatre. Midwest BEAT Magazine is
working in association with The Star Plaza to jointly present and produce
this multi-band concert.   This is a collaborative effort between myself and
Charles Blum, the president and talent buyer of the theatre. 
     Obviously, we want artists who will put butts in the seats, so we can
raise a good deal of money to help heal our nation’s wounds.   Any bands who
are interested in being considered for a performance slot on this project
should contact me directly at (219) 972-9131.  I will need a full press kit
(color photo, CD/Tape, band biography and song list) from anyone wanting to
be considered for this second Star Plaza show.  Deadline for consideration is
October 13.  All the profits from this concert will be targeted to one of the
disaster relief charities (to be announced).
       Again, the wheels have just begun to spin on this second benefit
concert, so watch for full details and the talent line-up to be announced in
our next (Nov. 2001) issue.

REGION RUMBLE 2001 & SUPER COSTUME CONTEST!

   Given the gravity of the situation that our country has fallen into and
the efforts to raise funds via the “Freedom Fest” concerts, some of the time
I would have normally put towards promoting our upcoming regional music
showcase at the Star Plaza on October 28 has been lost. 
    So here is the updated information:   Mindy our sexy BEAT Babe (who has
been MIA for the last couple months) has confirmed that she will be there in
the flesh to help me co-host the event.  We also are lining up a special
guest or two to join me on stage during the course of the day in giving away
free stuff and helping to introduce some of the bands. For more information,
I refer you to page 13 of this issue.
    And yes...because of the many questions and comments, we have decided to
make this Oct. 28 event an Official Halloween BEAT Bash!   So please come in
costume!!!   The “Best Overall Costume” will win an overnight Radisson/Star
Plaza Theatre package good for any show presented at the venue during the
regular 2001/2002 season.   Four runners-up will win a pair of concert
tickets to any show of their choice during the regular 2001/2002 season.  How
cool is that!

BAND BITS...

     Now that I’ve gotten all the “commercials” out of the way, here at long
last here is some of the local band news that you turn to this column to read
about...

•    Gravelbone is the featured guest this month on the local AT&T cable
program “Regional Music Underground” hosted by Jeff Richmond.  After
stopping by the show’s studios to watch the Bone tape their segment, yours
truly was tapped to do a impromptu “local news round up” on camera. 
Producer Bill Hayden thought it was cool and has invited me to do this short
bit for each monthly show. So watch local N.W. Indiana access Channel 16. 

•    A trio of well known N.W. Indiana players – bassist Lou Samaniego
(ex-Loudflower and ex-Orphans), his drummer brother Shane Samaniego
(ex-Strider) and guitarist Mike Ferri (ex-Bravo Johnny) – have teamed up in a
new band project, The Bedheads.  Their debut CD – Rise And Shine – was
released last month.  Catch them live at our Midwest BEAT Thanksgiving Jam on
Nov. 23 at The Backdoor Lounge in Griffith.

•    Oasis 160 (160 Joe Orr Rd.) in Chicago Heights, IL will be the site of a
special concert – “Music For A Miracle” – on Sunday, Oct. 21.  The show
will raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. 
    The 11 band event will be hosted by Q101’s Robert Chase, who is a board
member on the Foundation and a parent of a child afflicted by this terrible
disease.  For more info, contact Frank at Oasis 160 (weekdays from 9 a.m. to
1 p.m.) at: (708) 756-0600 or email to: Frank@OasisOneSixty.com
    Congrats to Nick, Nick, Frank, Adam and the rest of the Oasis 160
management and staff on their first anniversary in business. 

•    A new 13-track Aerosmith tribute album – “Sweet Emotion: Songs of
Aerosmith” –  gives bluesy treatments to Aerosmith songs ranging from such
early hits as “Sweet Emotion,” to latter day hits like “Pink.”  
     Several Chicagoland artists appear on the CD.  Among them is N.W.
Indiana native Crystal Taliefero. A multi-instrumentalist once in John
Mellencamp’s band, Talifero teams up with local blues woman Joanna Connor for
a raucous take on “Dude (Looks Like A Lady).”  Also representing “da
region” is Donald Kinsey (Kinsey Report), giving a powerful take on “Sweet
Emotion.”
    Other locals featured are – Ronnie Baker Brooks teams up with Pinetop
Perkins and Rusty Zinn on “Walk This Way.”  Ronnie’s little brother, Wayne
Baker Brooks, pairs up with Cathy Richardson on “Last Child.”  And local
harmonica blower Sugar Blue teams up with Foreigner’s Lou Gramm and Marshall
Crenshaw on “Back In The Saddle Again” and “Big Ten Inch Records,”
respectively.

•   Chicago rockers, TROY, have completed work on their debut CD – So The
Past Shall Pass – and will celebrate with a party in the city at Subterranean
(2011 W. North Ave.) on Oct. 19.  www.troypettymusic.com

•  The Chicago Street Theatre (154 W. Chicago St.) in Valparaiso has been
supplementing it’s live community theatre productions with occasional concert
events called the “One Night Jams.”  One of my fave regional artists of all
time – Michael McDermott – will perform such a “Jam” on Sunday, Oct. 14 at
7 p.m.  For more info, call, (219) 464-1636 or log on at: www.ctgonline.org.
     McDermott, who is also one of horror author Stephen King’s favorite
singer/songwriters (he wrote liner notes and even played a little guitar on
one of McDermott’s three nationally released albums), is out promoting his
latest Koch Int’l Records release, Last Chance Lounge, which features the
WXRT radio hit, “Junkie Girl.”

•   N.W. Indiana’s Eric Lambert, the hardest working Deadhead I know, has
just joined the ranks of the newly reunited Heartsfield.  The band was once
signed to Mercury Records in the late ‘70s and helped to pioneer the national
country rock sound. Lambert will continue to do his solo project.

•  Bassist Tom Collins (formerly of Hoosier metal band Blind Rage) will hit
the region with his Arizona-based band, MOTIVE, who are touring the U.S. with
Flotsam & Jetsam. They hit J.J. Kelley’s in Lansing on Oct. 16.
     That’s all the room I have this month!