Fozzy Merchandise Alert!!

Anyone who loves Fozzy will know that Fozzy band merchandise isn't all that easy to come by if you can't get to a gig. There are websites that sell Fozzy t-shirts and hoodies, but the only hoodies I've been able to find are super old, and don't have the current band line-up on them. :( However, new merchandise is now available from a superb company called Fable Label. 

Right now, they have three Fozzy t-shirt designs: The brand new "Spider" t-shirt, the Sin & Bones 2013 Europe tour t-shirt, and the Gaga Must Be Destroyed t-shirt. I picked up a Spider t-shirt on the tour, and I can more than vouch for the quality of the material and the design. They are fantastic, so if you've always wanted a Fozzy t-shirt, you have no more excuses to delay - especially since they are offering a 15% discount with the code: FOZZYROCKS

Another awesome thing: when I discovered Fable Label, I asked about the possibility of them making girl t-shirts, since I am not keen on wearing massive over-sized man shirts, and I know a lot of other female Fozzy fans have said the same thing. The fabulous people at Fable Label said, yes! So, keep your eyes peeled, ladies!

Chris Jericho in 'Jon Davis Gets a Sex Robot'

Hard to know where to start with this one LOL!

So, Chris Jericho, man of many talents, is involved with a brand new project from The YOMYOMF Network! The project? A YouTube mini series called "Jon Davis Gets A Sex Robot".

The title is self-explanatory.

I gotta say, this bizarre little show appeals to the twisted side of my personality, and after watching the first two episodes (webisodes?), I'm hooked!

The most recent episode featured Mr Jericho as Rob, Jon Davis' sex obsessed buddy. The guy has a mouth that would make a sailor blush - and possibly enough... erm... enthusiasm... to require the sex robot to need re-programming! (Seriously, watch it!)

Jericho throws out some exceptional lines during Episode 2. I feel "Jizz It Up, Bro," is about to become one of those classic lines amongst those in the know, and will adorn t-shirts across the world! You really do need to check this out if you like twisted, and aren't easily offended. DO NOT WATCH if you're sensitive because your ears will bleed. :p

As great as the guys are in this show, I wanna also give a HUGE shoutout to Riki Lindhome because the dry humour she brings as Layla is perfect.

Bring on Episode 3!

Fozzy Reading + Guest Post Gig Review!

Oh yeah, I'm back with more Fozzyage for you,and a gig review by a special guest!

I took a little impromptu trip to Reading on Sunday to see Fozzy on the last date of their UK summer tour, and man, it was crazy!

Every time I write a review, I focus on the gig, and how amazing the VIP experience is, but I actually wanted to focus on something a little different this time, because I don't think it's possible to further emphasise how downright kickass these guys are. 

Not gonna lie, I love hanging with the guys, and I love rocking out with them, but there is one other aspect of the Fozzy VIP experience that often gets lost amongst all the other excitement, and that is the forming of amazing friendships. People find new friends all the time, but let me tell ya, there is nothing more bonding than the love of a great band. Fozzy fans are without a doubt the most dedicated, most passionate, and most incredible fans in the world. One of the many reasons for this is Fozzy give so much back to the fans. SO. Much. Not a day goes by when they don't tweet someone - often many people - with answers to questions, appreciation for fan art/specially made outfits/tattoos/photos, and just general chat. It's these interactions that keep Fozzy enthusiasts...well... enthusiastic.

I've met some incredible friends - not just casual acquaintances you say "hi" to when you see them at the next gig, but ACTUAL friends I would never have met if it wasn't for Fozzy. I know I'm not the only person to experience friendships made through the band. I recall reading about a couple who met at a Fozzy VIP and ended up getting married - how cool is that?!

 While we can't boast any weddings within our group - we can definitely say we've formed some lifelong friendships.

As a final note, I want to extend some thanks to a few people who made Reading super special:

Obviously, the guys themselves for making us feel so welcome, and for not only remembering those of us who had been before, but remembering where we came from and what we do!

Penny, our rep, for letting me have ear plugs so my eardrums didn't shatter during sound check (lol) and for being a whole lot of fun!

Robert, kickass photographer, for hanging with us and joining in with our craziness!

Talena for helping me get my nerves under control (SO much needed!)

And finally, my own little Fozzy family: Natalie, Harriet, Jay, Amy and Emma (and my original Fozzy besties, Annalisa and Jess, who couldn't be with us!) for making each VIP experience unique and packed with laughs, banter and inside jokes!

I now hand you over to the ever awesome Miss Natalie Vanstone (otherwise known as Gallifrey_Child!) for a full gig review in better words than I ever could have written!

There is a famous saying: "You should never meet your heroes". Well, I am about to pee all over that saying. I am a self confessed geek. I have met many famous people, I've even worked with a few. My passions include science fiction, wrestling and rock music. So imagine my surprise and delight a few years ago when I discovered that one of my favourite wrestlers was in a rock band. Fozzy. I know, I know, people famous for one genre often try and establish themselves in another, hoping their fans will follow them blindly. It doesn't always work.

I hunted them down and listened. I listened A LOT. Good god DAMN they could play. I found the band on Twitter and discovered they had a new album due out in October of 2012. I pre-ordered 'Sin & Bones' and waited for release day. The album dropped into my iTunes and within a couple of hours I'd pretty much learned the whole album. Epic does not even begin to cover it. 

Which brings me to last Sunday. I'd bought my VIP ticket for Reading. I 'thought' I knew what to expect.

We met our VIP Rep Penny at 3.30 outside the venue. When all the VIPs arrived, she had a surprise for us. She had us all line up and asked who we thought among us represented Fozzy the best that day. Several of my friends pointed at me. So did Penny. My prize? An 'Access All Areas' pass to the show!!

She took us all into the building and gave us a quick tour, showing us the dressing rooms, where we would be hanging out with the band, then upstairs into the gig venue. We watched the soundcheck and heard all the banter between the band and their tech guys. Penny told us Chris wouldn't be soundchecking as he was working on his third book, but lo and behold! He ended up rocking the soundcheck anyway!

                                                                     Rich Ward, soundhecking
 
Soundcheck done, we all headed back downstairs for the meet & greet part of the day. The band filed in and started to circulate amongst us. Chris greeted me like an old friend, hugging me and kissing me on the cheek, saying "There you are, we wondered if we'd see you on this tour!" To be greeted in such a lovely way by my hero is INSANE! He loved the photos I had for him to sign and asked me for copies! *Proud*

Rich Ward was also as amazing and accommodating as always. He signed multiple pictures and my Stuck Mojo CD, as well as one of my Fozzy albums. Billy and Frank rounded out the lineup, as bassist Pauly was away touring with Nena in Germany (We missed you, Pauly!). It's always cool to talk to those guys and I know a certain writer friend of mine who definitely has a soft spot for Frank! *looks around shiftily...* :p

Dinner was delivered, and nine VIP's, four band members and the VIP rep tore through the Nando's takeout. The conversation was flowing easily between us and the band, with multiple subjects covered, from bemoaning the UK's lack of Taco Bell restaurants (we only have three), to merchandise Chris had never seen before (someone took along a Y2J bowling ball at a previous VIP), Chris had also spotted several of us were wearing Why Too J necklaces from Heels in Pink and complimented us on them, having the owner and creator of Heels in Pink with us on the VIP was doubly cool.

Dinner finished too quickly and some of us, plus Penny, and Robert the photographer for Fozzy, decamped to the nearest pub for an hour.

7pm came pretty quickly and we had all found our way back to the venue a few minutes earlier, to discover that our VIP package included a free piece of merchandise! How to choose from the multitude of loveliness on display?! In the end I went for a new shirt, and also bought a gorgeous leather wristband embossed with the band logo.

                                                                          Fozzy swag!


Merchandise selected it came time to pitch our tents at our chosen places at the barrier. Front row secured we waited for the hordes of Fozzy, Breed 77 and Voodoo Vegas fans to file in.

At 7.30 the first band hit the stage. I'd never heard Voodoo Vegas before and I was definitely impressed. Lawrence, the lead singer has a great sound, and the band remind me of early Guns N' Roses mixed with a generous application of old school Mötley Crüe. That for me, is a winning combination and they had the rowdy Reading crowd baying for more. After a short intermission Breed 77, a British Gibraltar-based quintet, were ready to rock the house. Having seen Breed on a previous Fozzy tour I knew what I was getting with these guys, loud heavy metal with a splash of Spanish flamenco guitar. The crowd lapped them up and by the end of the set the masses were definitely ready for the headliners.

Fozzy never disappoint.

                                                                     Fozzy set list
Exploding onto the stage with 'Spider in my Mouth', the lead off track on 'Sin & Bones' they wasted no time in whipping us all into a controlled frenzy. Rich Ward mugged for everyone's cameras and Jericho lapped up the attention of the crowd. Every song in the set list sizzled, and every lyric was screamed back by the fans. This is a band who revel in crowd participation and the Reading faithful were definitely participating!

Fozzy tore through their thirteen song set like a well oiled machine, and in between each song they took a few minutes to appreciate the love from the assembled throng. It was over all too soon and before we knew it, it was time to leave the boys behind. We decided we just had to go back in to say a proper goodbye and I caught up with a couple of the Breed boys who remembered me from the last time, and the drummer seemed to enjoy hugging me! I headed backstage to get my sweaty man hug from Frank, but the little minx had already showered! Mean! (LOL, he smelled good, though!)

Finally, we accepted it was time to go. A sad goodbye outside the venue with good friends before we headed to our cars and the journeys home. The night wasn't *quite* over though. Four of us ended up at my house, chilling out until 4am watching the wrestling!

So yeah... Never meet your heroes? Hell no. Seek them out. Pay your money for a chance to say hello. Support them and their projects. Who knows, you might just end up with the kind of amazing experience myself and my friends just had.



W00t! Thanks, Nat, for that amazing rundown of such a brilliant day, and cheers for providing some of the photos!

I will leave you with this video from Sunday night! From my view at the back, this isn't a perfect video, but it DOES perfectly capture the epic atmosphere at Sub 89!




 

Listen up, Lawson fans, Andy Brown wants to get Nekkid!

No, really!

I mentioned in my last post that I saw Lawson with Olly Murs at Powderham Castle on Sunday, but there is more Lawson news to report!

The band's new single, Brokenhearted, is out now and in the battle to be this week's number one. According to Digital Spy, Lawson's frontman, Andy Brown, has promised to run naked through the streets of London if Brokenhearted hits the top spot!

If that's not enough incentive to buy the song, what is?!

Check out the video, then go buy it on iTunes!

Olly Murs Rocks Powderham Castle!

Yesterday had to have been one of the most scorching hot days EVER. Did I spend it eating ice lollies in my garden? Writing under the shade of a tree? Hell NO! I was in a field with 20,000 people, watching Olly Murs!

Every year, Powderham Castle in Exeter hosts a couple of huge gigs, headlined by some of the UK's top acts. 2013 was the turn of Olly Murs and guests, and boy did they make it worth braving the heat!

Appearing on stage alongside Olly, were Joyride, Charlie Brown, Diana Vickers, and the incredible Lawson! All of the support acts were great, and got the crowd wired for what was to come, but it was Lawson who whipped the masses into the biggest frenzy (aside from Olly, of course!). Those boys are HOT, and as someone who didn't know too much about them before, they made a fan out of me! Go now, check them out on iTunes!

Now, onto the man himself!

Boy. If you've ever enjoyed watching Olly perform on TV, multiply that feeling by, say, a million, and that is what you get when you see him live. From the moment he stepped onto the stage, he gave so much energy and he didn't stop until the very last note of the very last song.

Any naysayers out there? Bite me. Olly Murs can SING, and he is a true showman in every sense of the word. He's recently been on tour with Robbie Williams - but it would be unfair to put Olly's skills down to what he might have learned from Robbie. Olly always knew how to work a crowd! He doesn't just perform his songs, he has banter with the audience, he's funny, and he can ham up the acting until he has everyone right in the palm of his hand. It is literally impossible to take your eyes off him.

With some of his best loved tracks, including Troublemaker, Army of Two, and new single, Dear Darlin', his set was perfect, but the moment everyone fell in love with him was when he sang I Need You Now. There wasn't a girl at Powderham who didn't want to cuddle him - even though he was dripping with sweat!

Speaking of which, the chants from the crowd for him to get his shirt off were hilarious! Eventually, Olly caved and switched his t-shirt for a waistcoat - even though he confessed he felt like a plonker! :p On behalf of entire audience - you looked amazing!

In a 20,000 strong crowd, there were people of all ages. From toddlers to grandparents - it wasn't just a crowd full of girls. I was amazed how many boys were there, singing along and having fun. THAT is what proves Olly isn't just part of the X Factor machine. He HAS the X Factor, and sad to say, not many people from that show possess the quality Simon Cowell was looking for.
 
It was a spectacular day, and I would absolutely go and see Olly Murs live again! Next time, I'm asking for an interview! ;)

@KLennonWrites - Twitter

When Awesome Music Artists Remain Undiscovered: Merry Ellen Kirk

When I review an album, I usually give myself at least a week of blasting it so I am familiar enough with it that I can write with at least a little authority.

This morning, I downloaded Merry Ellen Kirk's FREE EP, Feathers & a Leaf. I feel bad, because Alberto Albis recommended her to me a long time ago, and continued to remind me until I finally got round to downloading - now I REALLY understand his persistence.

I've listened to each track once, and already I am desperate to talk about it. I can't call this a real review yet, but what I can tell you is that Merry Ellen Kirk's voice is like liquid gold. I feel like I've been transported into another world, of magic and beauty, and ...argh. I can't even explain. Her music is almost ethereal... I've not heard anything really like it before, and yet it's... familiar.

Merry Ellen reminds me in a strange way of fairly old singers, the song "Maybe Someday" in particular reminded me a bit of Ruby Murray in the sense that it has very pretty, very gentle lyrics and a soft melody. It's a very classic sound BUT that's just one song. There's so much variety,  yet it all fits together. If you listen closely, there are occasional hints of Kate Bush (if you're not a fan of Kate Bush, don't let that put you off. They really are only tiny hints - Kate Bush makes me want to rip my ears off, Merry Ellen makes me want to turn the volume up and drift away on her lyrics.)

If you want something mellow and beautiful to listen to, I'd suggest following the link above, and downloading. I realise this isn't the kind of music I usually talk about on this blog, but I'm willing to go out on a limb and praise the hell out of this EP because it's THAT good. And when I have listened to it a little bit more, I will try to gather my thoughts and write a proper review! 

Review: Hashtag Alice - Evolved

Now and again, Twitter has its uses. Namely, stumbling across great bands by mistake. I happened to be scrolling through my news feed one day, when I saw someone I follow tweeting a band named HashTagAlice. That name was too cool for me to ignore, so I took a chance and looked them up on Reverbnation. I was instantly intrigued, so when they put the call out for people to review their upcoming album, Evolved, I leapt at the chance!

HashTag Alice is made up of Amalia May, Ben Linus (no, not the guy from Lost, he is WAY nicer!), Tom Worth, and Richard Mason-Jones. They come from Oxford, UK, and after just two years on the scene, they are already starting to get noticed - especially in the U.S where they will be heading out on tour next month (Check the dates in the Reverbnation link above).

So... is Evolved worth listening to?

Well, it's quite unusual for me to love an album on the first listen, but that's what happened here. My first impression was that this is music you can listen to anytime, anywhere. You wanna take it on a roadtrip? Hell yes. You want motivation to do something? This will get you moving. You want something you can play in the background while you chill out? It works for that, too.

HashTag Alice rock hard, but not so hard you'll have the neighbours begging you to turn it down. More likely, you'll have them shouting over the fence, "Hey, who's that band you're playing?" 

What makes these guys so interesting is their sound. I wouldn't say it's absolutely unique, but they have reached a stage where you could easily identify their songs if they played on the radio - due in part to Amalia May's vocal (more about that shortly.) Think Avril Lavigne, but with more punch. That punch - I have it on good authority - comes from the varied range of ages within the band. The younger members bring current music styles, while the influence of the more mature adds a touch of classic rock. Who doesn't love a bit of classic rock?

My personal favourite tracks on Evolved are, "Piece of This,"(VERY Avril Lavigne, and maybe almost a bit of Pink thrown into the mix for good measure.), "Danger," "A Little More Time," (I really relate to it, and it's a definite earworm), "Wolves In Central Park," "Never Never," and my absolute favourite, "Ignorance Is Bliss."

Amalia May is an enormous talent. Her voice is perfect, soft but still edgy enough to work a rock vocal, and she really shines on "Ignorance Is Bliss." Amalia is exciting because I'm not sure we've even got the best of her yet. She's amazing now, and I can't wait to hear what a few more years brings out of her.

Evolved is a great introduction to what HashTagAlice can do, and this is only the beginning. Mark my words, people, these guys are going to be huge.

To pre-order Evolved, click here.