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Rock fans, brace yourselves for the ultimate summer plan. The Original Misfits are coming to set the stage on fire with not just one but three epic shows. The band will be joined by other legendary bands such as Megadeth, AFI, The Gaslight Anthem, and Fear.
June 24th will see the band kickstart the tour with a bang at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida. Supported by Megadeth and Fear, this is going to be one wild night of music that you cannot afford to miss.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, will host the band along with The Gaslight Anthem and Fear on July 8th. If you are in the area, you definitely don’t want to miss this one.
Last but certainly not least, Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix, Arizona, will be the final destination for The Original Misfits tour. The band is set to make their final appearance alongside AFI and Fear on July 15th, ending the summer tour with a bang.
The Original Misfits have had a long-standing legacy since their formation in 1977. After a long hiatus, the reunion of the original members, Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only, has been a long-awaited event for fans. Their chemistry on stage is unparalleled, and the mix of old favorites and new tracks is sure to satisfy the cravings of long-time devotees as well as new fans.
With an incredible line-up featuring some of the biggest names in the rock music industry, this is not a tour to miss. From the classic punk rock feel of The Original Misfits to the heavy metal hits of Megadeth, the pop-punk melody of The Gaslight Anthem, to the dark and gothic sound of AFI, this is going to be a musical extravaganza unlike any other. So, get your tickets, grab your friends, and get ready to chant along to the iconic lyrics of The Original Misfits. This is going to be a summer to remember.
Band pre-sale: March 22nd- 10 a.m. local. Code FIEND on Ticketmaster
Tacoma, WA — A surreal air swept over the night that a once dormant My Chemical Romance erupted on the stage of Tacoma Dome, following a warm-up by “emo” post-hardcore cohorts Taking Back Sunday and anti-folk singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson from Olympia, WA.
The show arrived nearly 3 years after the Halloween 2019 announcement of the reunion, and 9.5 years following the March 2013 break-up of this band with a gargantuan legacy. To top it off, it had been 11 years since Washington state had last seen My Chemical Romance (MCR/My Chem) perform on September 1st of 2011, at White River Amphitheatre on the 10th Annual Honda Civic Tour, co-headlining with blink-182. Yet, somehow, as MCR released each note into the atmosphere on the evening of October 3rd, the achingly forlorn feelings that persisted throughout the years of their absence finally melted away.
On March 9th of this year, Dawson announced she would be opening for My Chemical Romance at Tacoma Dome. As an acoustic guitar wielding solo artist with a folksy sound, some fans of the rock opera stylings of MCR initially found the choice of opener perplexing.
I’m so excited to announce that I’m opening for My Chemical Romance at The Tacoma Dome!!! WOOOOOOOO!!! So psyched (and nervous)!!! 🖤🐇🖤
Monday, October 03, 2022Tacoma, WATacoma Domehttps://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0F0058379DC3A7C9 https://t.co/MMXXQ5pdKD
She is best known as part of a duo named Moldy Peaches, whose song “Anyone Else But You” was at the end of the film Juno (2007), performed by Elliot Page and Michael Cera. Independent of Moldy Peaches, she contributed a whopping 12 songs to Juno – on its soundtrack, within the film but excluded from the OST, and a few “almost adopted songs” that were released on a b-sides soundtrack.
Kimya Dawson performing at Tacoma Dome 10-3-2022. Fan phone pic.
Dawson and her daughter Panda (who is also an artist), performed together in matching Ernie sweaters, à la Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street. For the duration of Dawson’s performance, the big screens on each side of the stage stayed illuminated with her name and an illustration versus live video, preventing a visual of the artist and her daughter for the majority of the audience, and leading to some bewilderment when she said they were “just a couple of Ernies hanging out.” The set included “You Are My Baby” – a song Dawson wrote for now 16-year-old Panda when she was a “little teeny tiny newborn”. Kimya expressed, “I can’t even believe it… being able to share the stage with my child is the best.” MCR frontman Gerard Way later dedicated “Teenagers” to Panda.
“‘[Moldy Peaches] are not sort of amateur, lo-fi indie,’ said Geoff Travis, the founder and president of Rough Trade, an English independent label that once signed the Smiths and the Violent Femmes, and has recently signed both the Strokes and the Moldy Peaches. ‘If Lou Reed was writing these songs at this age, he would be absolutely jealous. This is really serious, world-class songwriting … and the performance is so unusual, and it is so naked emotionally. It is very, very brave.’” - Deborah Netburn, Observer - "Sesame Street Meets Avenue A in Goofy Tunes of Moldy Peaches”
Listening to the sound of Dawson’s songs coupled with her witty lyrics brought Amanda Palmer to mind, especially during “The Beer” with black humor reminiscent of Palmer’s notorious “Oasis”. As it turns out, “The Beer” was released in 2003 and “Oasis” was released in 2008. What’s more, Palmer actually covered Dawson’s song “All I Could Do” with her father Jack Palmer in 2015, and Dawson nodded to Palmer in a Tweet sharing an MTV article from November 2016 about whether oppression from Trump’s presidency would lead to better music.
During “I Like Giants”, Dawson tweaked the lyrics after, “She said, ‘I like giants, especially girl giants’” to add, “and trans and non-binary giants!” Before following “The Beer” with “Loose Lips”, she said, “I don’t know why I put this one back-to-back but we’ll see what I can do,” presumably because both songs are rather fast-paced.
Excerpt from “Loose Lips”:And we'll pray, all damn day, every day
That all this shit our President has got us in will go away
While we strive to figure out a way we can survive
These trying times without losing our minds
(...full lyrics)
Mid-song, Dawson shout-sang, “Fuck fascism!” and proceeded to give an impactful monologue:
“On this day in 1967 Woody Guthrie died, and he was very outspoken against fascism, and I just wanted to acknowledge him, uh… he is the OG!” She went on to say, “…so, the original, like, lyric was, ‘Fuck Bush’, but that was like 20 years ago, and then I was saying ‘Fuck Trump’ but I don’t even want to think about that guy. And I could be like, ‘Fuck Marjorie Taylor Greene!’, you know, ‘fuck Matt Gaetz, fuck Ben Shapiro, fuck Mitch McConnel… DeSantis,’ you know, ‘Bezos… Proud Boys, TERFs… the list is endless… but not clowns. I love clowns.” (Video)
kimya dawson saying fuck terfs mid-set made me feel so safe tonight 💛 i adore my grandpa
Dawson’s modest 6-song set was finalized as a trio with Panda and a surprise guest – MCR’s rhythm guitarist Frank Iero – performing “Anyone Else But You”.
“Last night i got to play one of my favorite songs with one of my favorite artists, before getting back up on that same stage a little later and playing more of my favorite songs with my best friends… all while my daughter watched and filmed. Life is pretty darn ok sometimes.
Thank you Kimya and Panda for being the absolute raddest and for sharing your stage with me, it was a dream come true. thank you Tacoma. Thank you rock and roll. music is magick. KTF 🖤 xofrnk”
Taking Back Sunday from the back of Tacoma Dome 10-3-2022. Fan phone pic.
“We’re here to warm you up for My Chemical Romance… Mikey Fuckin’ Way is not coming out to a cold audience!” frontman Adam Lazzara declared amidst their set, referring to MCR’s bassist.
Indeed, fellow “Taste of Chaos” tour veterans Taking Back Sunday (TBS) served as an integral segue between Kimya Dawson and My Chemical Romance.
Taking Back Sunday’s 8-song set started with “What’s it Feel Like to Be a Ghost?” from their 2006 LP Louder Now. The mix of Lazzara’s dirty vocals and the band’s instrumentals seemed to be off for the first few songs, and his stage banter felt a bit obligatory and forced. However, what may have seemed to constitute standard intros to band members between songs was actually rather significant to any fan aware of the band’s dramatic history. Guitarist John Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper left TBS in 2003, but returned in 2010.
Before starting the second song of their set, “A Decade Under the Influence”, Lazzara gave big-ups to drummer Mark “Thunderbolt” O’connell, who lives true to his nickname “when his foot hits the kick drum”. Following the song “Tidal Wave”, he shouted, “…this is my pal, and yours… John Nolan on guitar!”
Taking Back Sunday at Tacoma Dome 10-3-2022. Fan phone pic.
Their energy spiked and sound solidified with “Error Operator” and sustained through the 4 remaining songs, transforming them into that promised pre-heater. Unfortunately the screens continued to merely display a still image – Taking Back Sunday’s panther logo – until My Chemical Romance performed. However, the energy of this rock band along with the spectacle of colorful stage lights brought satisfactory stimulation to the crowd.
Taking Back Sunday at Tacoma Dome 10-3-2022. Fan phone pic.
It was surprising how much space was available in the general admission between the crowd and front row of seats, even after it later filled out a little more for the headliner. One of the most entertaining parts of TBS’s performance was when someone dove beneath the barricade (separating row A of seats from the pit) as if they were on a stealth mission, and strolled up to the crowd.
Taking Back Sunday at Tacoma Dome 10-3-2022. Fan phone pic.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have but a-two songs left for you this evening,” said Lazarra, which elicited a shocked and disappointed, “WHAT?!” from some fans. He continued, “Now, make no mistake, we are very well aware (as we feel it too), of how long you’ve been waiting for this show tonight… Us, too! So, with that said, I would like to thank each and every one of you for being so kind and showin’ us a good time… Now, my pal John over here… he’s gonna blow your minds. They don’t call him ‘tomcat’ for nothing.” (Video)
The last 2 songs of Taking Back Sunday’s performance, “Cute without the ‘E’ (Cut from the Team)” and “MakeDamnSure”, are guaranteed crowd-pleasers. Their most recent studio album Tidal Wave was released 6 years ago. Eddie Reyes, who originally founded TBS with former member Jesse Lacey of Brand New, departed the band in 2018 citing alcoholism as the culprit. In 2019, they released Twenty, a 20th anniversary compilation, and of course COVID-19 took over the world in 2020. All things considered, if they are resting on their laurels (mind you, touring and performing are no small tasks), perhaps they can be forgiven for doing so while the nostalgia of individuals formed on their music is still running high.
As part of a culmination of the emo revival that has been steadily expanding over the last several years (which has conflated emo and pop punk), Taking Back Sunday will continue to perform in the shadow of My Chem up through the last day of the seemingly-impossible “When We Were Young” festival, which is spread out over 3 dates on 2 weekends at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds.
“When We Were Young” festival line-up
Despite the fact that multiple massive festivals have taken place and continue to be planned since the pandemic eased up (such as Coachella, Lollapalooza, Innings, Bonnaroo, Firefly, Aftershock, Austin City Limits, Zona, and more), this particular festival stood out as “too good to be true” and has received heavy speculation and criticism over logistics and feasibility – especially initially, when only one 1 day was announced. It was called “the next Fyre festival” by the faithless and snarky, and sensationalized by the uninformed as being put on by the company behind Astroworld: Live Nation – the company that puts on nearly all major concerts in the United States. Perhaps it is simply difficult for the “misunderstood” demographic to which this festival caters to believe that it is possible to get what they want.
An updated site map for an expanded general admission (GA) area was posted on October 6th, much to the ire of the VIP section. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
“Ladies and gentleman, we are a band called Taking Back Sunday… and we hope all your dreams come true!” said Lazzara as their performance finished.
Taking Back Sunday at Tacoma Dome 10-3-2022. Fan phone pic.
Despite the grueling wait for the return of My Chemical Romance, who are now nearing the end of their reunion tour, the show at Tacoma Dome felt like it went through a time warp.
Sure, the band may have been stripped of costumes, make-up, and theatrics – given permission to be more of a normal rock band – but the magnitude of their performance spoke the prevailing truth that all of that is just fluff – the real power lies in the showmanship and musical expertise of the group. Gerard Way (lead vocalist), Mikey Way (bassist), and Ray Toro (lead guitarist, backup vocalist) especially radiate in their stage presence.
The stage setup included a backdrop and props of a decaying city. On this tour, MCR’s setlists have varied wildly in comparison to most tours, which tend to stick to the same songs or change up just a couple of songs on most stops. However, the introductory song has remained the same throughout their reunion tour, and that works well – because one of the most exciting things a fan can experience after all of this time, on top of the ecstasy of seeing them live, is to kick it off with a fresh, explosive sound. If “The Foundations of Decay” is any indicator of what can be expected of a future studio album, there is no end to the anticipation.
Including the encore, My Chemical Romance performed 19 songs at Tacoma Dome. For anyone who discovered them when “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” was released as a single, it was the perfect song to follow the first, flipping from the present to the start. This track of course comes from their second studio album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, however many fans were not turned on to the Bullets album (fun fact: it was produced by Thursday vocalist Geoff Rickly) until after being introduced to this album.
Still more were blind to the magic of My Chem until after “Welcome to the Black Parade” was released. The music video for this track was awarded the title of MTV’s “Greatest Music Video of the Century” in 2017. This achievement was deeply gratifying to a fanbase aware of how criminally underrated MCR once was, and every heap of praise this band has received since the announcement of their return continues to be sweetly satisfying.
“They offered up spiritual solutions to real problems, and they did it with huge riffs and big theatrical stage shows, with rarely a hint of irony or detachment… it’s unlikely there will ever be a band quite like them again.”
The encore began with Gerard reading an excerpt from Interview with the Vampire with heavy distortion over his voice, and it consisted of the banger “Vampire Money”, the classic “Vampires Will Never Hurt You”, and closed with the solemn “Cancer”.
Before starting the delightful “Ballroom Blitz”-esque intro of “Vampire Money”, Gerard professed his and his wife’s love for The Batman: “…Lyn-Z and I watched the new Batman. We had like a little weekend getaway, it was really fucking rad, and… we really fucking liked it. We LOVED it. We watched it two times in a row it was so fucking good! …It was that good…. THAT. FUCKING. GOOD! …and Robert is really, incredibly fuckin’ handsome.” (Video)
This is worth noting because Gerard Way is the creator and writer of The Umbrella Academy, a comic book series which was adapted into a Netflix series that broke numerous records in viewership. So if you have wavered at all on whether another adaptation of the Batman story is worth your time, this endorsement may tip the scales for you.
In an NME article, “My Chemical Romance defend ‘Cancer’ track”, Gerard is quoted as saying, “It’s not a poetic track… It’s very direct, very brutal, but that’s the way disease is. Obviously cancer is being used as a metaphor… But I also wanted the song to be directly about the disease, because it’s something that the patient has gone through and it’s a very powerful thing. For me it was almost like an attempt to write the darkest song ever, and I think we achieved that.”
With regard to the closing song, on the walk toward the exit of the dome, a fan could be overheard saying, “…why did you end on this? Now I’m going to cry myself to sleep!”
Sprinkling in upbeat songs from Danger Days throughout the set list certainly contributed to a continuous buzz throughout the show. The only songs from the same album that were performed consecutively were “Famous Last Words” and “Welcome to the Black Parade” from The Black Parade – obviously fan favorites, as it seemed that every person in the 23,000-seat venue was singing along.
Mixing songs from their 4 studio albums created an excellent ebb and flow, and the inclusion of the “I’m Not Okay” b-side “Bury Me in Black” was also a treat. Unfortunately, Washington was not treated to a live experience of any of the songs from the Conventional Weapons compilation album of unreleased tracks. However, surrounding shows in Portland, OR (Oct. 2) and Oakland, CA (Oct. 5) included “Boy Division” and “The World is Ugly”.
This weekend, My Chemical Romance is appearing in the truly incredible line-up of “Monster Energy Aftershock 2022” festival alongside the likes of Muse, Evanescence, Slipknot, Kiss, Bring Me The Horizon, Stone Temple Pilots, Rob Zombie, The Pretty Reckless, Halestorm, Ice Nine Kills, Judas Priest, The Struts, Motionless in White, and many more.
The last date of the “When We Were Young” festival, October 29th, will be the last show of the North American leg of MCR’s reunion tour. Afterward, Mexico City will see them in mid-November. Finally, after touring since mid-May of this year, they will get a break until March 2023 when they are scheduled to perform 1 show in New Zealand and 6 more in Australia.
My Chem made the Cascadian crowd sweat that night, and you can bet money that the MCRmy (their dedicated fanbase) is insatiably hungry for more – they won’t let go. May this not be considered the famous last tour of My Chemical Romance, but rather just the beginning of a new era with great longevity.
“It’s pretty much accepted canon at this point that My Chemical Romance are one of the most significant rock bands this side of the millennium. And as yesterday’s teenagers become today’s arbiters of acceptable nostalgia, that sentiment isn’t going anywhere soon.”
Australia’s Victoria K returns in 2022 for the release of the sophomore album Korethis coming October via Rockshots Records to follow the 2020 debut album Essentia.
Offering up progressive symphonic sound, Kore was specifically written to provide a full orchestral experience that drives people through a sonic journey of growth and grandeur.
A concept record, “Kore” explores modern-day issues through the Homeric Hymn to Demeter (the story of Persephone). Victoria K conceptualized the idea for the album with her producer Lee Bradshaw and then spent many months researching and analyzing the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, even meeting with experts of the Homeric Hymns from Greece. The story was then broken up into its different parts where Victoria Knight wrote the lyrics and developed the melodies for each section of the tale, exploring the myth from a modern perspective.
Victoria K
The tracks were written specifically to encapsulate the various sections of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and tell the story chronologically through each song and the music grows in intensity throughout the record capturing the emotional state of Persephone and other characters as the story progresses.
The various instruments were then written by Victoria around the lyrics and further enhanced and developed through the production process. Lee Bradshaw then finalized the songs by writing orchestral scores for each song, which were recorded live in Europe, before the final mixing and mastering.
Recommended for fans of Lacuna Coil, Rammstein, Within Temptation, Spirit Box, and Delain, Victoria K‘s forthcoming “Kore” will be released on October 14, 2022.
Italian metal legends Lacuna Coil presented their new single “Swamped XX” on September 15, 2022. This song follows the previously launched track, “Tight Rope XX“, which is also taken off the upcoming re-issue, Comalies XX, set to be released on October 14th through Century Media Records. Watch “Swamped XX” here (directed, filmed and edited by Trilathera
True to the maxim “never change a winning team”, Lacuna Coil decided to release the opener of the album – like its original predecessor “Swamped” (2002)– as a single again. Same energy and drama as 20 years ago, but dressed for 2022 and ready to win over old fans, as well as new fans, alike.
Available as a Ltd. Deluxe 2-CD Artbook, 2-CD Jewelcase, Ltd. Gatefold 2-LP+2-CD & LP-Booklet and digital album, Comalies XX is an entirely deconstructed and remade re-recording of Lacuna Coil‘s third full-length album, Comalies (2002). Featuring the original songs from the classic record, plus new versions of the 13 tracks, Comalies XX will be released October 14th via Century Media Records. Same energy and drama as 20 years ago, but dressed for 2022 and ready to win over old fans, as well as new fans, alike.
In celebration of this release, Lacuna Coil have been touring the USA, with Butcher Babies, Uncured, and Lions At The Gate. The tour wraps September 23, 2022 in Joliet, Illinois at The Forge.
Lacuna Coil | Photography: CUNENE
Lacuna Coil members:
Cristina Scabbia – Vocals
Andrea Ferro – Vocals
Marco Coti Zelati – Bass guitar, Guitars, Keys & Synths
Today, TERMINA hasreturned with a new slab of modern metal, in the form of standalone single,“Translucent” – featuring guitarist Nik Nocturnal (who also handled other instrumentals), vocalist Andy Cizek(Monuments, Makari, WVNDER), and drummer Chris Turner (Oceans Ate Alaska). Mixed and mastered byZakk Cervini (Bring Me The Horizon, Motionless In White, Coheed And Cambria, etc), “Translucent” is streaming now on Spotify, with the mind-bending, AI-generated video available for viewing here:
Nocturnal comments: “‘Translucent’ is the start of a brand new era for TERMINA. We took everything that we and our fans loved about our first album, ‘Dysphoria‘, and used that as the foundation for this new song – but, we cranked it up to an 11 for this release: we decided to enlist a real drummer, Chris Turner (Oceans Ate Alaska), and get a professional mix/master from Zakk Cervini. The resulting single is pure insanity, plus catchier and heavier than ever before. There’s no question we’ve built the ultimate Modern Metal team for this one.”
Regarding the song’s theme, Cizekadds: “‘Translucent’ is about being at war with yourself, feeling stuck in time, paralyzed by your own mind.”
TERMINA are re-defining modern metal. In the (very) recent past, the catchall genre has managed to catch the dregs of all of metal’s worst stereotypes for a homogenous sound less modern and more meh. In the hands of Nocturnal, Cizek and Turner, the tenets of metal’s newest subgenres become redefined. Metalcore, djent and deathcore are the true triumvirate of modernity, and combining them in fresh ways with a solid pop sensibility keeps it fresh, invigorating and truly progressive.
Stay tuned for more news about TERMINA coming soon!
PHOENIX – Every once in a blue moon an amazing soul comes along who is a true connector in a community. Jonah Foree (Ikonoklast, Goth Brooks, HARDWIRE) was not only a multi-talented artist but also had the kind of heart that brought people together.
Foree approached Natasha “Tash” Cox from AL1CE and Mankind is Obsolete with lyrics that he imagined her voice on in the year AL1CE was formed, 2011.
Foree was admitted to the hospital on November 5, 2021, and sent home at the end of January 2022 when another surge of COVID-19 hit the hospitals. On February 17, he passed away surrounded by loved ones.
In honor of Foree, AL1CE put together the music and a lyric video that feature pictures taken by talented AZ photographers who capture special moments that exemplify Foree’s beautiful spirit.
The proceeds for the digital sales of the song will be donated to the Foree family to help them with their loss: Buy the Song Here
Jonahcoplyse – Memorial Show in Mesa, AZ
“Drown” will be performed at the Jonahcolypse show at the celebration of the life of Jonah Foree and benefit for his family at Nile Theater tomorrow, March 26th.
There will be a raffle that will go towards helping out Jonah’s family as well through this terrible time.
Tickets are only $10 & you can grab one now or at the door.
Here is a message from Tash that goes into detail about how this song came about:
“When I found out about Jonah’s passing, I went through every message we had exchanged, remembering this amazing person I was so lucky to call a friend and someone I admired and respected deeply. One of the things we bonded over was our shared love of words as lyricists. Jonah was a true poet through and through with a beautiful heart to match. In the year that AL1CE formed, he sent me lyrics that he heard my voice on.
I think one of the mysteries of art is that sometimes an artist can tap into a message that transcends time. Somehow his words feel like he was speaking directly to us now. In the weeks that have followed since Jonah passed, I am reminded of the gift that music is and how healing it can be.
Jonah left us a gift to help us process his passing, and while it was really emotionally hard to sing it for the recording, I’m also so grateful to have had this song to create. AL1CE made the music around Jonah’s beautiful words in honor of our dear friend that we’ll be performing at his memorial show this Saturday. The proceeds of the song will go to his family with all our love.”
The Orgy tour is partially postponed. The band regrets to inform fans that, due to circumstances beyond their control with their bus, they must postpone some of their upcoming Revival Tour.
Remaining ORGY Revival Tour dates are:
3.19 – Las Vegas, NV – The Usual Place with Death Valley High and Cosmic Killjoy – Tickets
3.20 – Scottsdale, AZ – Pub Rock with Death Valley High and Cosmic Killjoy – Tickets
4.03 – Parsippany, NJ – Dark Side of the Con Tickets
4.21 – Reno, NV – Peavine Taphouse Eats & Beats with Oh! The Horror, Death Valley High and Cosmic KilljoyTickets
4.22 – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post with Oh! The Horror, Death Valley High and Cosmic Killjoy Tickets
4.23 – Berkeley, CA – Cornerstone Berkeley with Oh! The Horror, Death Valley High and Cosmic KilljoyTickets
4.24 – West Hollywood, CA – The Rainbow – 50th Anniversary w/ Steel Panther, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Orgy and more – Free Show!
Read the original tour announcement & more about ORGY here.
Los Angeles – Billy Howerdel, the critically-acclaimed songwriter and multi-instrumentalist behind A Perfect Circle, makes his highly-anticipated solo debut with a Feb. 23 performance at #Happens Las Vegas.
The outing gives fans their first taste of the Howerdel’s forthcoming, as-of-yet unannounced album, with the collection’s first single, “Poison Flowers” (pre-save here), slated for a March 4 release via Alchemy Recordings/BMG.
A teaser for “Poison Flowers” can be viewed above and here
“This new album was birthed while on tour with A Perfect Circle. A weird blend of confidence, vulnerability and mortality urgently compelled me to write a letter of sorts in the form of an album,” explains Howerdel. Joining Howerdel for the live outing are Josh Freese (Just Google Him), Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails), Kaela Sinclair (M83), and Kevin Maher (Fake Shark).
#Happens is an organically driven, rock and alternative new music experience that brings together artists, radio programmers, label executives, and streaming experts over a three day conference that encourages thought-provoking conversations and dynamic performances against the colorful backdrop of downtown Las Vegas. Howerdel’s performance is part of the opening night party, which is open to the public, with tickets available here.
Photo courtesy of Billy Howerdel
Billy Howerdel has perhaps one of rock music’s most well-rounded and interesting resumes. Growing up in West Milford, New Jersey, he spent hours listening to WLIR emanating out of Long Island, New York. Lying in bed, he would scribble down playlists and then scout out the records he loved in stores, among them The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen, Dead Kennedys, and Elvis Costello. However, it was the experience of seeing Pink Floyd at Giants Stadium that triggered his lust for finding a way to work in the music industry.
Howerdel initially racked up experience in stage lighting, working for almost any band or theater production that would ask, while at the same time devoting the rest of his free time to practicing guitar. A few years of work led to a chance meeting with Fishbone, a move west and quickly becoming a sought-after road and studio tech, working with David Bowie, Guns N’ Roses, Nine Inch Nails, and oh yeah, being roommates with Tool’s Maynard James Keenan. It was that friendship that birthed the multi-platinum alternative rock supergroup, A Perfect Circle.
ORGY announces Revival Tour, starting March 19 in Las Vegas. Founding member, vocalist Jay Gordon affirms “So excited to hit stages all over America at last! ORGY will be playing with some really cool artists. We are excited to come and show people how fucking happy we are that the world is experiencing live music again!! ORGY will be playing some new material that we are so excited to bring to the masses. We put a lot of heart and soul into these tracks and people will see that in our performances as well.”
With new members joining and combining their respective talents building a new and improved band, this transformation reestablishes ORGY in the hard rock and metal scene.
Jay Gordon further states, “This Covid shit is crazy too so we are taking extra care of our minds and bodies so that the energy level is at the highest and that will show when you see our performances. We ask that everyone coming to the shows is responsible enough to mask up and test before seeing any live entertainment globally and to respect the health of others as well as the artist’s that you are coming to see. Everyone needs to take precautions to help fight this awful Corona virus every step of the way. Test frequently for everyone’s sake! See u soon!!“
About ORGY:
ORGY spawned from the late 1990’s Goth music scene with their incredible remake of New Order’s “Blue Monday.” Upon release the track sold over one million copies and has sold more than20 million copies to date. In late 2005, after the release of Punk Statik Paranoiavia D1 Music and Associates, their independent DVD TRANS GLOBAL SPECTACLE via D1 Music /DLC Records, and a promotional tour, the band went on a hiatus to work on their side projects.
In 2011, after seven years of demand from fans for new music and a tour, founding member Jay Gordon (vocals) decided it was time to kick things back up and begin recording and touring again in support of ORGY’s fans. Jay found himself with the task of finding new members. First, Jay selected North Carolina native and guitarist Carlton Bost to join the ranks of ORGY. Carlton is known for his previous synth guitar work in art-rock band Deadsy, as well as for being the current guitar player for classic synth band Berlin. Other bands Carlton has been a member of, or played for, include The Dreaming, Lunarclick, 16 Volt, Tim Skold, and his own solo project Shades of Scar. Additionally, he works as a producer, writer, and re-mixer for various other artists.
ORGY Bassist, studio musician and live session performer Nic Speck came to Los Angeles via upstate New York and Miami, FL. Multi-talented Guitarist / Bass player Creighton Emrick, formerly with Vegas in Space and a host of rock bands in LA and Ohio joined the band. Creighton adds another layer of unique synth guitar sounds and melodies to ORGY‘s music.
Newest member, Hungarian born drummer Marton Veress, joined in 2019, just in time for the Pretty in Kink Tour. Formerly of Hungary’s leading metal band Pokolgép, Marton received a merit scholarship to the world famous Drummers Collective in New York City and formed Armageddon. A few years later, Marton took his backpack without knowing anyone, he moved to LA. He soon met Jake Pitts from Black Veil Brides and his wife Inna and joined their band, Aelonia.
After several years of releasing earworm singles to the masses, ORGY has proven their long-lasting potency with a refreshed line-up and sound. The modern incarnation of ORGY has been transformed and sees the band poised to re-establish themselves in the EDM, industrial and hard rock scenes. Make no mistake about it, the ORGY brand is not going away anytime soon. As long as the fans demand new music and tours, the band is ready, willing and able to fill their request.
In 2020, ORGY released a video for “Spells,” a track mixed by Eric Racy and mastered by Howie Weinberg. This newer sound for ORGY has great lyrics, melodies, and guitars.
