January 2019

“Shameless” Alumni Work Together On A Upcoming Independent Short !

Hollywood ,California- The friends you make on the job can be lifelong and can lead to other jobs as well . Case in point, Laura Slade Wiggins known to the mass audiences as Karen Jackson on “Shameless “will be appearing with Rakefet Abergel who by chance also had a stint on the award winning television show .

Rakefet Abergel is an award-winning American/Israeli actress, writer/producer/director, and outspoken stand up comedian. One month after taking a stand up class, Rakefet won Best Comic and Best Overall Talent on the Tyra Banks Show. She appeared in the movie Superbad with Jonah Hill, and as Adam Sandler’s sister in Just Go with It . She can also be seen in the films My Best Friend’s Girl opposite Dane Cook, with Halle Berry in The Call, and alongside Eddie Murphy & Kerry Washington in the film, A Thousand Words. Rakefet regularly guest stars on TV shows including Showtime’s Shameless, New Girl, My Name is Earl, Bella and the Bulldogs, and iCarly.

Recently, Rakefet wrote and starred in a horror/thriller short film called Jax in Love, which she co-produced with executive producer & casting director Jory Weitz (Napoleon Dynamite). The film, directed by Oscar-nominated director Colin Campbell had an extremely successful film festival run and garnered Abergel nine Best Actress awards from a variety of festivals including Nightmares Film Festival, Hollywood Horrorfest, GenreBlast Film Festival and Oregon Scream Week. The film also won Best Horror Short at Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, Best Featurette, and Best Original Screenplay. Her new short screenplay, “BOO”, is a finalist at Women in Horror Film Festival in Georgia and Nightmares Film Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

“BOO” is the reason why I am covering this upcoming project . How would you like to be part of it . Rakefet Abergel is now starting the crowd funding process and it would be great for you to be part of it .Go check out https://www.seedandspark.com/fund/booshortfilm#story The details are right there and she is available to answer any questions you may have . Tell her we sent you and I cant wait to see this project !!!

INKCARCERATION Music and Tattoo Festival Announces Massive 3-Day Line Up

INKCARCERATION Music and Tattoo Festival Announces Massive 3-Day Line Up

Featuring Shinedown, Godsmack, Five Finger Death Punch, +Live+, Taking Back Sunday, Seether, Skillet and Many More

The Second Annual INKCARCERATION: Taking Place July 12-14, 2019 at the Historic Ohio State Reformatory | GET TICKETS HERE!

INKCARCERATION 2019 to Also Feature:

70+ Tattoo Artists

Food Trucks & Beverages

Tent & RV Camping

“Escape from Blood Prison” Haunted House Attraction

+ More!

Watch a New INKCARCERATION Teaser Here

The wait is over! The INKCARCERATION Music and Tattoo Festival has announced the massive line-up scheduled to perform at its second annual event, set to feature colossal rock headliners Shinedown, Godsmack and Five Finger Death Punch! Quickly becoming one of the nation’s premier rock festivals, INKCARCERATION – taking place this year on July 12, 13 and 14 at the historic Ohio State Reformatory, a.k.a. Shawshank Prison, in Mansfield, OH – will feature over 30 bands on two outdoor stages, 70 tattoo artists, reformatory tours, gourmet food trucks, the best drinks and for the first time, the haunted house attraction, Escape from Blood Prison!

This year’s electrifying line-up also includes +Live+, Taking Back Sunday, Seether, Skillet, I Prevail, Starset, Red Sun Rising, Motionless in White, Fozzy, Buckcherry, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Andrew W.K., P.O.D., Stabbing Westward, Light the Torch, From Ashes to New, Smile Empty Soul, Eyes Set To Kill, Awake at Last, The Funeral Portait, Kerbera, Raven Black, Beyond Unbroken, Rivals, Impending Lies and The Everyday Losers, plus special performances by The Monster Dolls.

Field, Camping and VIP tickets are on sale NOW via https://inkcarceration.frontgatetickets.com/!

Once again, INKCARCERATION Music and Tattoo Festival will take place at one of the most unique festival settings in the country – the Ohio State Reformatory. Considered one of the most haunted buildings in the country and the setting of the 1994 cinematic classic/IMDB’s highest rated movie of all time, The Shawshank Redemption (celebrating its 25^th anniversary his year), the Reformatory is centrally located about an hour away from Cleveland, Columbus, and Canton/Akron, Ohio and within a three-hour driving distance of Toledo, Dayton, Cincinnati, Youngstown, Pittsburgh, northern West Virginia, Michigan and southern Ontario. This is the perfect destination festival! Additionally, INKCARCERATION features tent and RV camping for a true outdoor festival experience! See below for more details.

The Neal Morse Band To Perform in Cleveland Feb 23rd !

THE NEAL MORSE BAND—singer/guitarist/keyboardist Neal Morse, drummer Mike Portnoy, bassist Randy George, keyboardist Bill Hubauer and guitarist Eric Gillette—who will release their latest double-disc concept album, THE GREAT ADVENTURE, January 25 on Radiant Records via Metal Blade Worldwide. It will be available in three formats: a two CD package, two CD/DVD Special Edition featuring behind-the-scenes video clips of the making of the album, and three vinyl LPs. The follow-up to 2016’s critically acclaimed THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM, which critics hailed as “a masterpiece,” will be the ninth studio album with Morse, Portnoy and George, and the third as a true collaboration with this current lineup. Together, Morse and Portnoy have launched four bands, but the one that has endured the longest and thus with the most musical output has been THE NEAL MORSE BAND.

They’re performing in Cleveland, OH on Saturday, February 23 at the Beachland Ballroom.

“Let the great adventure now begin…” The closing line of THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM, has proved to be strangely prophetic. The new album is exactly that: a perfect companion piece to TSOAD’s partial retelling of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. It has everything that fans would expect from an album by THE NEAL MORSE BAND, and more: rock, metal, classical and jazz elements appear throughout, as well as some killer melodies, all played faultlessly by some of the greatest rock musicians on the planet.

As Neal Morse explains, “This band continues to amaze me! I have to say it was a little daunting to follow up THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM as it was such a special album and it delivered every night at our concerts, but I believe that THE GREAT ADVENTURE will have a tremendous impact as well. This new double album is everything that I hoped it would be! I listened through last night and I was in tears at the end!“

Mike Portnoy emphatically agrees. He says, “How do you follow an epic double concept album??? Well, create another epic double concept album!! Hahaha. I always knew topping THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM was going to be difficult, if not impossible, as I held it in such high regard, but alas, I am absolutely blown away with what we achieved here! We’ve created what is the ultimate companion to TSOAD.”

“Sometimes there are things that you just can’t mess with,” Randy George continues. “On THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM we tapped into something special. I was sure that the follow up should be something quite different, but you have to follow your heart and follow the music where it wants to go. THE GREAT ADVENTURE is nothing short of a miracle. It’s similar to SIMILITUDE in concept and form, but yet it’s tougher and deeper in its tone! This is a powerful work and I look forward to playing it live!”

True to the album’s title, the creative process was indeed a “great adventure.” Unlike many previous Morse albums, which have often been written and arranged within weeks, this time around these prolific and world-class musicians spent almost a year working on the end result, producing an abundance of top quality material. This meant some ruthless decision-making: some already completed songs and characters had to go, and-–with studio time running out–new links and ideas were being composed and recorded up to the eleventh hour. “A lot of work and re-work has gone into this,” says Morse, “but I know that some of the most successful and far-reaching albums I’ve been involved with have been just like that. SOLA SCRIPTURA and Spock’s Beard’s SNOW album come to mind.”

Another key question that had to be addressed in the studio was how to pull all the ideas together into a coherent whole. In the end, what unlocked this “adventure” for Morse was the realization that THE GREAT ADVENTURE needed a new voice and perspective. This time, it is that of the Pilgrim’s abandoned son, a younger, perhaps angrier, voice than was heard on THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM.

This promises to be a night of musical wonder , make sure your put it on your concert list !

Live Review- Jack Russell’s Great White Acoustic Show

Live Music At Its Best !

Akron , Ohio- In what was described as the storm of the year and in all honestly a show that should have been cancelled due to extreme weather Akron was the place to be this weekend if you were brave. The Empire Concert Club and Bar ( not to be confused with the original Cleveland Empire Club from 1990-1991 ) hosted what could only be described as a legend ,Mr Jack Russell ! I have to give props to the Empire as it felt like a rock club , with easy parking and access to the highway and it treated patrons with respect, bravo Empire.

I have been a long time fan of Great White especially the Jack Russell version of it as I have seen them a few times , however this is my first acoustic/ stripped down version of it . Expectations were high to say the least .

Jack and his trusty guitar slinger Robby Lochner hit the stage about 10 pm and didn’t stop for about two hours .The evening was filled with music that everyone loved , almost like a giant sing along with friends and that is how it felt to the audience . The expected Great White songs were played and sung by the master vocalist himself such as “Once Bitten ,Twice Shy ” and ” Save Your Love ” but they also played some of the guys favorite songs by other artists . The rendition of ” Folsom Prison Blues ” by Johnny Cash and ” Going To California ” by Led Zeppelin are some of the best I have ever heard . I have to put this out there right now . Robby Lochner is one of the best and most underrated guitarists I have ever seen .He honestly should be a household name like Slash or Joe Satriani . His ability and graceful playing is a awe inspiring to watch , he makes it look easy .

It is no secret Jack Russell was a party man in his youth and his health has payed the price . He could have just sit at home and soaked up the California sun but the fact that he gets out there and tours and put smiles on faces across the world pays testament to the man he has become. I want to personally thank him for the great songs and to the many moments I sat there and enjoyed his music .If you want to see a music legend and to see the songs performed how they were meant to be done make sure you check out Jack Russell’s Great White when ever they are in a city by you . Please see the official website for a date near you http://www.jackrussellsgreatwhiteband.com/

Retro Vinyl Review – The Alan Parsons Project – Eye In The Sky 1982

In honor of Alan Parson receiving his 13th Grammy Award nomination for Best Immersive Audio Album ” Eye In The Sky-35th Anniversary Edition ” We decided to review the original as our retro review.

To be honest I was not an original fan of the Alan Parsons Project .I am in fact a late player to the game ( I was more into hair bands in the 80’s ) but with that being said I consider my self a fan so I have been immersing myself in as much vinyl that I and my bank account can hold .

Eye In The Sky came out in 1982 and was nominated for a Grammy Award in that same year . The cover is that of a Wedjat or Eye Of Horus which is the Egyptian symbol of protection, royal power and good health on a sea foam green background. The back cover is variations of the eye in numerous settings .

The opening tract and one of my favorite song combos is ” Sirius “, followed by the title track of “Eye In The Sky” which of course is followed by ” Children of the Moon, Gemini and Silence ” I had the opportunity to see this whole album performed lived this last fall with the Alan Parsons Live Project and to say it was spectacular is an understatement .

Side two continues with ” Your Gonna’ Get Your Fingers Burned ” , one of my favorite songs ” Pyschobabble and Mammagamma “. The final two songs are ” Step By Step and Old and Wise .”

This was a masterpiece when is first came out and should have gotten the Grammy win and I sincerely hope the academy does the right thing with the reissue and gives him the Grammy Award .

The award show airs February 10th on CBS so be sure to watch and to get your own copy check out the official website at http://alanparsons.com/

Live Comedy Review -Aries Spears at Cleveland Improv

One of the funniest comics on the planet !

Cleveland, Ohio – The iconic Cleveland Improv hosted one of the best and brightest in the comedy industry last weekend .Aries Spears , the Chicago native brought his brand of midwest and urban comedy to the rock n’ roll city. The sold out crowd was in for a treat .

Upon hitting the stage with some country twang intro music we knew this was not just some other show . His timing , set and delivery is some of the best in the business . His voice talents and mimic of others is a skill few others posses and his animation and facial expressions take make back to the glory days of Redd Foxx ( in fact a few times I thought he might be channeling Redd ).

The hecklers were in full force that evening but he handled them with ease and humor and now the phrase ” Shit Emoji ” is now part of my lexicon but I unlike him must be cautious how I use it . The show was a breath of fresh air as the current state of being political correct is now forced upon the masses , at a comedy show you can just relax and enjoy being able to laugh .To be honest I was not familiar with Aries even with his thirty plus years in the entertainment industry but he made a fan of me.

I can’t go into his routine as it would take away from the magic of the show but if you want a night of fun and laughs , check out Aries Spears and if you cant wait he does a podcast as well . Show him some love and tell him we sent you !

The podcast can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaQ-LL0ZwAnFW36aGHDuXcg

Restaurant Review -Nicko McBrain’s Rock N’ Roll Ribs

Do you have a heavy metal appetite ? This is your new home .

Coral Springs , FL-I was recently covering some assignments in South Florida and when the opportunity to go have lunch at Rock N’ Roll Ribs I jumped at the chance . I have been an Iron Maiden fan since I first saw the film ” Live After Death ” in the movie theater as a teenager. They have been firmly implanted in my psyche ever since . One of my proudest moments is when I saw that the designer of their mascot Eddie ( Derek Riggs ) did the logo on one of the artists albums I did the cover photo( Ethan Brosh ) .To say I was a fan is an understatement of the facts .

In 2009 Nicko opened Rock N’ Ribs in Coral Springs, Florida .The motto and tagline is ” Where BBQ Meets Metal ” and that is pretty true . The whole restaurant is covered is Iron Maiden memorabilia, from platinum and gold records to autographed drum heads and pictures and autographed photos from many of Nicko’s rockstar friends .

The staff was friendly and courteous and the food was America comfort food for the most part . Planet friendly serving paper straws and to be honest giving back to the community . A resident of Boca Rotan he could have sat on his laurels but he is owner of a business , which mean employees and supporting their families and paying taxes to support his community .This man is a rock star and not just in the musical sense .

If you are ever in South Florida make sure you put this on your bucket list , you never know who you might see . The official website http://www.rocknrollribs.com