Announcing the first AP Music Awards!

Inaugural Alternative Press Music Awards fueled by Monster Energy Drink to be held at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum on July 21. The show will be hosted by Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 and air live on AXS TV.

For almost 30 years, Alternative Press has been the go-to destination as the definitive source for news of the underground music scene. And for one very special night, music’s past, present and future will collide at the inaugural AP Music Awards fueled by Monster Energy Drink on July 21.

The AP Music Awards will be held at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum located on 
the shore of Lake Erie in Cleveland. The show will 
bring together the most talented musicians for one epic night to honor outstanding acts and celebrate the power of music. Fifteen awards in total will be handed out, including Album Of The Year presented by Journeys, Artist Of The Year presented by Monster Energy Drink and Most Dedicated Fans presented by Fearless Records, along with a special Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Victory Records.

Fans can cast their votes in 12 different categories on the APMAS voting page. Voting ends July 15.

Not only will the media company be presenting awards to the most celebrated artists, there will also be exclusive live performances from Fall Out Boy, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, legendary horror-punk mavericks the Misfits, A Day To Remember, All Time Low, Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco, Asking Alexandria, twenty one pilots and many more to be announced, including a few surprise guests.

Alternative Press publisher Mike Shea comments on the launch of this year’s award show: “For nearly 30 years, Alternative Press has been the leading voice in cutting-edge music and lifestyle. Now we can finally have a night of our own. I look forward to celebrating several generations’ worth of artists from the ever-growing AP community, from Joan Jett & The Blackhearts to Fall Out Boy to the current Warped Tour headliners. This is not only going to be an amazing night forAlternative Press, but for the true fans, the musicians, the labels and the industry at large. Be prepared for many surprise, once-in-a-lifetime moments sure to be trending worldwide!”

Six-time AP cover star Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 will serve as host for the AP Music Awards. “I’m very pleased with AP’s poor decision to choose me as host of the 2014 AP Awards,” Hoppus remarks. “I will do my best to make them regret their selection.”

Other confirmed artists making appearances include Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Korn, Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides), Machine Gun Kelly and Frankie Palmeri (Emmure), with more to be announced.

Every year, Alternative Press will be honoring a musical trailblazer who has changed the landscape of modern music. It is with great honor that in our inaugural year, Smashing Pumpkins founder Billy Corgan will receive the Alternative Press Vanguard Award, which acknowledges the singer/guitarist’s considerable influence on the alternative-rock canon, from the Pumpkins’ neo-psychedelic roots to the driven hard rock powered by his chameleonic vocals and wicked guitar tone—characteristics that have continued to resonate with generations of listeners and musicians over the course of 25 years. “I’m honored and thrilled to be AP’s first Vanguard Award recipient,” says Corgan, “as the magazine continues to be a standard bearer for all independent music artists.”

Joan Jett doesn’t need an introduction, which is why AP is honoring her and her band the Blackhearts with the AP Icon Award. In her many roles ranging from her stint in the all-female proto-punk band the Runaways, scene statesman (she produced (GI), the debut from notorious L.A. punks the Germs), successful recording artist and feminist icon, Jett helped build the groundwork for America’s punk-rock scene with her hard-charging guitar prowess, attitudinal vocals and a string of anthems so positively vibrant, they could’ve been recorded yesterday.

AXS TV will broadcast the show live to its more than 42 million U.S. household audience. “Alternative Press is one of the most important and influential publications in the music industry,” says AXS TV founder Mark Cuban. “Their unique and uncompromising vision is a perfect fit with the brand of programming AXS TV is known for, and this is reflected in the all-star lineup that will be performing in the show. This is truly an historic event, and we’re proud to be the official broadcaster of this innovative awards show.”

A limited amount of discounted early bird general admission tickets as well as VIP and Monster ticket packages will go on sale Friday via frontgate tickets, April 25 at 10:00 am EDT. Both VIP and Monster packages will include a ticket to the pre-show boat party on the Goodtime II, located right behind the Rock Hall, sets sail at 1:30 p.m. and will include performances by Issues, Ghost Town and Marmozets, three bands recently featured in AP’s 100 Bands You Need To Know In 2014 special.

In addition to Monster Energy Drink, sponsors of the AP Music Awards include Journeys, Fearless Records, Hopeless Records, Sumerian Records, Roadrunner Records, Fueled By Ramen and Victory Records.

The AP Music Awards are produced by Kevin Lyman (founder & CEO of 4FINI) and Josh Bernstein (Golden Gods creator and producer).  Executive Producers are Mike Shea, Dawn Marshman, and Joe Scarpelli.

AP MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES

Artist Of The Year Presented by Monster Energy Drink
A Day To Remember 
Avenged Sevenfold 
Black Veil Brides
Bring Me The Horizon
Fall Out Boy
Of Mice & Men
Panic! At The Disco
Paramore
Pierce The Veil
Sleeping With Sirens

Album Of The Year presented by Journeys
A Day To Remember • Common Courtesy
Avenged Sevenfold • Hail To The King
Black Veil Brides • Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones
Bring Me The Horizon • Sempiternal
Fall Out Boy • Save Rock And Roll 
Paramore • Paramore 
Sleeping With Sirens • Feel
Touché Amoré • Is Survived By 
twenty one pilots • Vessel
The Wonder Years • The Greatest Generation

Artist Philanthropic Award Presented by Sub City / Take Action
All Time Low — Skate4Cancer
Memphis May Fire— peta2
Modern Baseball — 1BlueString
Pierce The Veil — The Keep A Breast foundation
Rise Against — Shirts For A Cure
The Used — Living The Dream Foundation

Best Live Band
A Day To Remember 
All Time Low 
Asking Alexandria
Fall Out Boy
Pierce The Veil
twenty one pilots

Breakthrough Band
The Color Morale
Crown The Empire
Issues
letlive. 
The Story So Far
twenty one pilots

Song of the Year
All Time Low feat. Vic Fuentes • “A Love Like War”
Bring Me The Horizon • “Shadow Moses”
Fall Out Boy • “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)”
Falling In Reverse • “Alone”
Paramore • “Still Into You”
Sleeping With Sirens feat. Machine Gun Kelly • “Alone”

Best International Band
Asking Alexandria (U.K.)
Bring Me The Horizon (U.K.)
Crossfaith (Japan)
Parkway Drive (Australia)
Silverstein (Canada)
Frank Turner (U.K.)

Most Dedicated Fans Presented by Fearless Records 
All Time Low
Avenged Sevenfold 
Black Veil Brides
Mayday Parade
My Chemical Romance
Pierce The Veil

Best Vocalist
Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides)
Vic Fuentes (Pierce The Veil)
Kellin Quinn (Sleeping With Sirens)
Oli Sykes (Bring Me The Horizon)
Brendon Urie (Panic! At The Disco)
Hayley Williams (Paramore)

Best Guitarist
JB Brubaker (August Burns Red)
Synyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold) 
Phil Manansala (Of Mice & Men)
Jack O’Shea (Bayside)
Chris Rubey (The Devil Wears Prada) 
Jacky Vincent (Falling In Reverse)

Best Bassist
Jeremy Davis (Paramore)
Zack Merrick (All Time Low)
Ryan Neff (Miss May I)
Jaime Preciado (Pierce The Veil)
Devin “Ghost” Sola (Motionless In White)
Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy)

Best Drummer
Jess Bowen (The Summer Set)
Josh Dun (Twenty One Pilots)
Mike Fuentes (Pierce The Veil)
Matt Greiner (August Burns Red)  
Luke Holland (The Word Alive)
Ryan Seaman (Falling In Reverse)

http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/announcing_the_first_ap_music_awards

Coachella 2014

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly known simply as Coachella or the Coachella Festival) is an annual two-weekend, three-day music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, located in the Inland Empire’s Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. It was founded by Paul Tollett in 1999 and is organized by Goldenvoice, a subsidiary of AEG Live. The event features many genres of music, including rock, indie, hip hop, and electronic dance music, as well as art installations and sculptures. Across the grounds, several stages continuously host live music. The main stages are: Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre, Gobi Tent, Mojave Tent, and the Sahara Tent; a smaller Oasis Dome was used in 2006 and 2011, while a new Yuma stage was introduced in 2013.

The 2014 festival featured 184 artists.[1]Muse headlined the Saturday shows, and Arcade Fire closed out Sunday nights. The 2014 festival also featured Lorde, Outkast, Pixies, The Replacements, Beck, Neutral Milk Hotel, Kid Cudi, Queens of the Stone Age, Nas, Calvin Harris, Broken Bells, Motörhead, Haim, Bastille, Neko Case, MGMT, Girl Talk, Foster the People, Ellie Goulding, Lana Del Rey, Pharrell Williams, Lucent Dossier Experience, Young & Sick, Chromeo, CHVRCHES and Mogwai among others.[19] Beyoncé made a surprise appearance during her sister Solange’s performance. Justin Bieber also made a surprise appearance alongside Chance The Rapper. Jay-Z and Puff Daddy made surprise appearances during Nas’ set. Jhene Aikowas joined by both Drake and Childish Gambino. Pharrell Williams had possibly the most guests which included Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, and Diplo. Deborah Harry joined Arcade Fire during their headline set to perform “Heart of Glass“. Arcade Fire also allegedly introduced Daft Punk on stage; however after some speculation, it is rumored that it was just a charade. Although the EDM duo was on stage in their famous Grammy’s costume, they never touched the switchboard and were not the same height and weight as the real members. The truth has not been currently confirmed. [20]

The 2014 festival was held on April 11, 12, and 13 and again on April 18, 19, and 20. General admission tickets sold out in less than 20 minutes, while all other tickets (including VIP tickets in excess of US$5,000) sold out in less than 3 hours.

A LEADING Australian boy band will support One Direction at their North-East stadium gig.

5 Seconds of Summer are on the sold-out UK and European leg of One Direction’s Where We Are world tour, which opens at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on Wednesday, May 28.

5 Seconds of Summer, were chosen by One Direction, first supporting the band on 2013’s world tour.

Their debut UK single, She Looks So Perfect, made number one in the UK iTunes chart and 48 other countries within hours of the pre-order going live.

Following the completion of production plans, a small number of additional tickets have been release for the Stadium of Light show.

 

 

queen and adam lambert?

March 6, 2014 11:00 AM ET

Adam Lambert will join Queen on a 19-date North American tour kicking off June 19th at Chicago’s United Center and wrapping up July 20th at Washington D.C.’s Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Brian May Talks New Queen Recordings, Freddie Mercury Biopic

While Lambert has appeared with current Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor at numerous shows, this will be the singer’s first official tour with the group. The trio first appeared together in 2009 to perform “We Are the Champions” during American Idol before teaming up again in 2011 to perform “The Show Must Go On,” “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” at the MTV European Music Awards. In 2012, Lambert joined the group again for a series of shows throughout Europe.

In a press conference held this morning at Madison Square Garden, May explained the difference between this tour and the band’s collaboration with former Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers. “It was great with Paul, but it came to a natural end,” said May. “This happened organically with Adam. People are going to ask whether it’s Queen without Freddie. I don’t know. We just want to go out there one more time. Adam isn’t an imitator. We’re going into new territory.”

“Adam is the most incredible frontman,” added Taylor. “He’s a great diva, and I mean that in the best possible way. We need that theatrically.”

Lambert admitted filling in for original Queen frontman Freddie Mercury again was “daunting,” but said, “It’s such a treat to get onstage, pay my respects and sing some of the greatest songs ever written.” 

The trio haven’t decided on a set list yet, but said they would look at Queen’s whole catalog. “Our biggest problem is having too many hits,” said May. “We have a very interesting set design. It’s big and daring. We’re gonna do it to the max.” Lambert did admit that he’d love to perform “Dragon Attack” from the band’s 1980 album The Game. “It’s such a cool groove,” said the singer.

The upcoming tour’s genesis began in earnest at last year’s iHeartRadio festival, when the group received critical acclaim for their hit-heavy set. “He does bring his own approach and he has this amazing range, a gymnastic, beautiful tone and he really fits our material so well,” Taylor told Rolling Stone of Lambert at the festival. “He has all the elements – he has the passion, he has the humor, a little bit of camp. And when the shots are down, he has the power. It’s incredible,” May added.

“I’m completely in awe of the Queen phenomenon,” Lambert said in a statement. “The thought of sharing the stage for a full set in North America is so beautifully surreal. I’m honored to be able to pay my respects to Freddie’s memory; he’s a personal hero of mine, and I am deeply grateful for the chance to sing such powerful music for fans of this legendary band. I know this tour will be a huge milestone for me, and with the support of Brian, Roger and the rest of the band, I feel like magic will be on display.”

After guesting on Glee last year, the singer is set to release his third album, the follow-up to 2012’s Trespassing, later this year. His debut album, 2009’s For Your Entertainment, earned Lambert a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Tickets will be available starting Friday, March 14th on Live Nation’s website and the ticketing company’s mobile app. 

Queen + Adam Lambert Tour Dates

6/19 Chicago – United Center
6/21 Winnipeg – MTS Centre
6/23 Saskatoon – Credit Union Centre
6/24 Edmonton – Rexall Place
6/26 Calgary – Scotiabank Saddledome
6/28 Vancouver – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
7/1 San Jose – SAP Center
7/3 Los Angeles – The Forum
7/5 Las Vegas – The Joint
7/6 Las Vegas – The Joint
7/9 Houston – Toyota Center
7/10 Dallas – American Airlines Center
7/12 Detroit – The Palace of Auburn Hills
7/13 Toronto – Air Canada Centre
7/14 Montreal – Bell Centre
7/16 Philadelphia – Wells Fargo Center
7/17 New York – Madison Square Garden
7/19 Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
7/20 Washington, DC – Merriweather Post Pavilion

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/queen-and-adam-lambert-to-reunite-for-summer-tour-20140306#ixzz2vDN2cskv 

the 1975

 has been on a meteoric rise in 2013. The pop-rock quartet’s self-titled debut album landed at No. 1 in the U.K. Earlier this summer, the band opened for The Rolling Stones in Hyde Park, London.

While the band is rooted in the present with its current success, its throwback influence goes beyond its name. Lead singer Matthew Healy says The 1975 was inspired by the 1980s — specifically, ’80s teen movies.

“Those movies, they discuss everything that I discuss: love, fear, sex and a longing for something beyond. A longing for something bigger,” Healy says. “Everybody knows the feeling of a moment being particularly cinematic. I don’t know what the world was like before cinema and music and art existed. All I know is that my brain is based around the things that I’ve seen. And I think the idea of romance, that kind of lustful desire, that’s what I am obsessed with.”

John Hughes, the filmmaker behind cult classics like The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Sixteen Candles, put teen angst front and center in his productions; Healy says those movies have stayed with him and influenced the lyrical imagery of songs like “Heart Out.”

“It’s an obvious fist-in-the-air moment. You can imagine doing an amazing freeze-frame shot to this song,” Healy says. “There’s such a visual element to it when I’m writing. I have quite a clear-cut narrative — a tiny John Hughes movie, if you will — in my head when I’m writing.”

5SOS

n the fast-moving world of boy bands, success can come and go in the blink of an eye.  Based on the average price on the secondary market for 5 Seconds of Summer tickets to their 10-stop North America tour this summer, there may be some new kids on the block.

5 Seconds was formed in 2011 and consists of four Australians named Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin, all of whom went to school together.  Unlike a lot of other boy bands, who are constructed by record or TV executives, 5 Seconds was born organically.  In 2011, the foursome began shooting videos of themselves covering a range of songs, from Chris Brown’s ‘Forever’ to Wheatus ‘Teenage Dirtbag.’  They posted these videos on YouTube and the videos now have millions of views, many of which were generated through the bands’ saavy use of social media.  Through those same grassroots promotional efforts, the bands first original EP titled ‘Unplugged’ went to number three on the iTunes Australia chart, and they haven’t looked back since.

Perhaps the biggest step for the band, however, was when they were tapped to open for One Direction on the 2013 ‘Take Me Home’ Tour. That tour was the biggest concert of 2013 with average prices on the secondary market reaching as high as $1,000 in some cities.  ‘Take Me Home’ was One Direction’s second North American tour and the overall average price for North American leg of the tour was over $500.  That compares to just over $300 for the current tour, which has about double the capacity as it’s playing in 60,000-person stadiums as opposed to 20,000-person arenas.  One Direction’s first tour, in 2012, was titled ‘Up All Night’ and played to much more intimate audiences, in the range of 6,000.  The average price for those 26 North American stops was $326.   The current average price 5 Seconds of Summer’s 10-stop north American tour is $346, or $20 more than One Direction tickets for their first North American tour.  Other big spring and summer tours also can’t compete:  Demi Lovato tickets have an average secondary resale price of under $200.  5 Seconds are playing in venues with an average capacity of 2,500-people, but even with that smaller audience, demand is through the roof.  Face prices for the #5SOS shows ranged from $25-$34, meaning that the secondary market has marked the tickets up more than 10-fold. The 10 shows sold out in minutes and the mania on social media looks a lot like what we’ve seen for One Direction tickets over the past two tours.   While prices for One Direction’s first tour may look like 5 Seconds currently-planned tour, there’s one big difference between 5 Seconds, One Direction and most other boy bands: all of the 5 Seconds members play their own instruments.