Todd from City In The Sea talks about being on Sumerian Records, playing on off nights with Born Of Osiris and Emmure, doing the van and trailer while traveling, what the City In The Sea sound is, fan reaction, dreaming about Mayhem Festival, playing with Rob Zombie and Five Finger Death Punch, and asking veteran musicians for advice…
The 6th Annual ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL, featuring headliners Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Mastodon and Amon Amarth, is proud to announce the 2013 VIP Charity Ticket Auction that will put fans onstage with one their favorite bands. Proceeds will benefit Metal of Honor and Unite The United Foundation.
Beginning Thursday, May 16, 2013 and running for ten-days, fans can bid on eBay for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to receive two (2) VIP passes to THE ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL. In addition, the top bidder and their guest will watch their favorite band perform from the best seats in the house: ONSTAGE! They will also receive: Level 1 premium reserved seats ORGeneral Admission ‘Pit’ tickets, a backstage guided tour to see the “inner workings” of a large scale concert festival (who knows who you’ll meet?), a one-of-a-kind ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL custom artwork drum head autographed by all members of one (1) of their favorite bands on the tour, a Metal of Honor commemorative laminate pass and front-of-the-line access to all band signings.
The all-day outdoor ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL, drawing as many as 11,000 to 17,000+ fans per event, will make stops in 26 North American cities, coast-to-coast, beginning on June 29, 2013 in San Bernardino, California and concluding August 4, 2013 in Dallas, Texas. Each festival date features 16 of the biggest names in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, performing on four stages, as well as other attractions, including a concourse midway filled with vendors and activities, and the not-to-be-missed Metal Mulisha Motorcycle Freestyle Jump Show (www.metalmulisha.com), performing on select dates.
Projected to be one of the most successful, audacious and not-to-be-missed concert events of 2013, The ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL will feature multi-platinum headliners Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Mastodon andAmon Amarth on the Mainstage. The Jägermeister Stage will feature headliner Machine Head supported by Job for a Cowboy, Butcher Babies, Battlecross and Huntress. The Musicians Institute Stage will feature headliner Children of Bodom, supported by Behemoth, Emmure, Born of Osiris, Motionless in White and Thrown into Exile. The Sumerian Records stage will feature headliner City in the Sea, with more bands to be announced. Daily lineups vary by date, so be sure to check the DATES page for show lineups: www.rockstarmayhemfest.com/dates
Fans who have purchased Charity VIP Tickets in the past state, “Best. Concert. Experience. Ever. Thank you for a dream come true event!,” “Even better than last year. Thanks a ton for a killer day!,” and “Awesome Experience! Would do this again!”
The ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL eBay ticket auctions began on Thursday, May 16, 2013, at 8:00 p.m. PST, CST and EST, when 26 pairs of tickets with accompanying VIP credentials for all 26 MAYHEM dates will be posted to eBay as TEN-Day Auctions. Fans interested in bidding on these very special MAYHEM Festival VIP tickets and credentials can access the eBay ticket auctions from the Metal of Honor Charity Auction Button on the ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL website home page: www.rockstarmayhemfest.com or by searching for “MAYHEM Charity” on www.eBay.com
About The Charities:
Metal of Honor is a charity program started in 2011 that raises financial support and awareness for military non-profits while showing gratitude to our military men and women during the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour.
The Unite The United Foundation is a public 501 (c) (3) non-profit, fundraising organization founded by the producers of the Vans Warped Tour, and ROCKSTAR ENERGY MAYHEM FESTIVAL. It’s mission is to encourage fans, artists and industry leaders from the music, touring and action sports worlds to work toward positive change, by supporting local charities and participating in community volunteerism events across the United States. Unite The United Foundation is committed to raising funds to be donated directly to grass roots organizations that are making a difference in every national community. (http://www.unitetheunited.com)
For more info:
ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL official website: www.rockstarmayhemfest.com/
ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL 2013 TOUR DATES:
06/29 San Bernardino, CA – San Manuel Amphitheater
06/30 Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
07/02 Nampa, ID – Idaho Center Amphitheatre
07/03 Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
07/05 Phoenix, AZ – Desert Sky Pavilion
07/06 Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheatre
07/07 Englewood, CO – Fiddler’s Green Ampitheatre
07/10 Toronto, ON – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
07/12 Burgettstown, PA – First Niagara Pavilion
07/13 Scranton, PA – Toyota Pavilion
07/14 Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
07/16 Mansfield, MA – Comcast Center
07/17 Bangor, ME – Bangor Waterfront
07/19 Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center
07/20 Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
07/21 Hartford, CT – The Comcast Theatre
07/23 Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
07/24 Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
07/26 Noblesville, IN – Klipsch Music Center
07/27 Tinley Park, IL – First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre
07/28 Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
07/30 Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre
07/31 Tampa, FL – 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre
08/02 Austin, TX – Tower Amphitheatre
08/03 The Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
08/04 Dallas, TX – Gexa Energy Pavilion
The trailblazing band, whose creative energy and unwavering artistic commitment has reverberated through underground subculture and in tastemaker circles alike since the late 1990s, return with renewed passion and unrivaled skill with their fifth full-length album.
One of Us is the Killer is set to be released through the band’s own Party Smasher Inc., in partnership with Sumerian Records (Animals As Leaders, The Faceless, Periphery) in North America. Party Smasher’s partnership with BMG covers the rest of the world, including licensing deals with Grind House (Helmet, Cancer Bats, Funeral For A Friend) for Japan and Remote Control (Radiohead, Vampire Weekend, MIA) in Australia.
The new Dillinger Escape Plan album was recorded in Southern California with longtime producer Steve Evetts (Glassjaw, The Cure, Suicide Silence), with additional production at guitarist/co-founder Ben Weinman’s studio. Mastering will be handled by Tom Baker (Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Beastie Boys).
The album represents a new holistic pinnacle of the band’s constantly evolving and engaging dynamics. The band will launch worldwide tours in 2013, beginning with a handful of headlining dates that have just been released.
Dillinger’s mind-bending meld of metal, rock, experimental ambience and melody first reared its head with a 6 track EP on hardcore indie Now Or Never Records, quickly followed by Under the Running Board on Relapse. The band earned a reputation as a fearless act on the live stage, committing their minds, bodies and spirits to the exhibition and visceral release of performance and often brutalizing stages, gear and themselves along the way. Calculating Infinity became the gold standard for the emerging “math-core”/”math-metal” movement, earning a place in author Martin Popoff’s “Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time.” Kerrang! included the album in the “100 Best Rock Albums of All Time” and presented the band with their Spirit of Independence Award.
Mike Patton invited the band out on tour with Mr. Bungle, which eventually resulted in the collaborative EP on Epitaph Records, Irony is a Dead Scene. Miss Machine blew the doors open further, cementing the band’s legacy around the world with jaw-dropping performances at festivals and all over the road. It also began the creative partnership between Weinman (one of Spin Magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, AP’s 10 Best Guitar Slingers and Guitar World’s Top 25 Cult Guitarists) and vocalist Greg Puciato, whose uncompromising stage presence and versatile vocal ability knows no boundaries. Revolver Magazine included him on their list of the Greatest Metal Frontmen Of All Time.
Ire Works saw the band making their national television debut on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, as well as multiple international tours, which included a stop at the Soundwave Festival where Nine Inch Nails invited them on-stage to perform “Wish.” The band’s collaborative nature persists, with members of Dillinger collaborating both on-stage and off with members of System Of A Down, Mastodon, Jane’s Addiction, Deftones, Kimbra, Wyclef Jean, Puscifer, Mars Volta and Devin Townsend, among others, in addition to Weinman’s work scoring films and more.
Option Paralysis was the first official release through Party Smasher Inc., with distribution through Season Of Mist. Revolver Magazine awarded them a Golden Gods award as “Best Underground Band,” even as VH1’s Metal Evolution declared them “the world’s most dangerous band.”
One of Us is the Killer finds Weinman, Puciato, longtime bassist Liam Wilson and drummer Billy Rymer in top form, emphasizing Dillinger Escape Plan’s fierce independence, staunch individualism and loyalty to their unique vision which has long followed them on-stage and off.
This new era in The Dillinger Escape Plan begins now. In the coming weeks, look for more information surrounding the album and tours. Party Smasher Inc. will be home to innovative releases from Dillinger, associated projects and other band curated work in the coming years.
Upcoming The Dillinger Escape Plan Live Appearances:
April 20 Worcester, MA @ Palladium – New England Metal & Hardcore Festival w/ Opeth, etc.
April 26 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
April 27 Brooklyn, NY @ TBA
May 2 Los Angeles, CA @ Nokia Live – Golden Gods Awards w/ Metallica, Anthrax, etc.
May 8 Chicago @ Reggies
May 19 San Francisco @ DNA Lounge
May 20 Anaheim @ Chain Reaction
July 5 Roskilde (Denmark) w/ Sigor Ros, Animal Collective, etc.
July 6 Metaltown (Sweden) w/ Slipknot, Motorhead, Clutch, etc.
All this right before the Pittsburgh show at Stage AE on Saturday…
Late last Friday, singer Ronnie Radke of Falling in Reverse issued a statement stating that that he had I See Stars removed from the ‘The Thug in Me Is You’ tour. Radke stated that he had worked hard to maintain his sobriety and after learning of the group’s drug bust this summer shortly after the tour was announced, he attempted to get them removed from the bill.
The singer stated that he was persuaded to give the band a second chance by their management, but that things were not working out on the tour with the band being late and unprofessional.
Here is Radke’s full Facebook posting to explain his reasoning for the band’s exit from the tour:
I wanted to let everyone know I See Stars is no longer on the tour. We had offered them the tour several months back and then not long after we sent the offer, the entire band was arrested for drug possession. If you have been following my story, you know I am very serious about my sobriety and have been sober for 4+ years now. I decided to remove them from the tour at that time as I did not want drug users in my environment.
After we informed them they would no longer be on the tour for that reason, their label approached us and asked us to give them a 2nd chance, they assured us the band would not use drugs and they would be professional on my tour. We came to an agreement and I gave them their 2nd chance.
Throughout this entire tour, they have been unprofessional. They have rarely showed up on time and have caused undue difficulty on my crew plus employees of the various venues. It’s been next to impossible to keep the show running on time. I feel at this point we have no choice but to continue on without them. We’re simply trying to deliver the best possible show to all you guys and we don’t feel like we can do that with I See Stars. We’re stoked to continue on with Enter Shikari, Letlive and Matt Toka (on select dates). I’ll see you at the shows.
Love and respect, Ronnie.
Then, I See Stars issued their own statement:
We have been kicked off the Falling In Reverse Tour by Ronnie Radke. It has nothing to do with “drugs” or “being late” His statement is entirely false. An official statement from Sumerian Records showing the truth of why we were removed is coming. All emails and contracts have been documented and will be shown publicly in the response to Ronnie’s post. You will find out exactly what happened and you will be disgusted to say the least.
We promise you us getting ejected today has absolutely nothing to do with his lies about drug use on the tour or being late. It has everything to do with Ronnie’s antagonistic violent behavior towards us, his ego, his malicious intent, his financial greed and his demands of no one being allowed to know the truth behind the scenes of this tour.
I See Stars then released more of an official statement:
Here is the truth:
Months ago before “The Thug In Me Is You” tour started, a cop found marijuana in our van. We were arrested. As a result, Ronnie said we were kicked off the upcoming tour.
All the shows on the tour were already on sale with our name being advertised, so we didn’t think it was fair to the fans or to ourselves to not be able to go play where people were expecting us. We offered Ronnie to play the shows for free so he could keep our pay every night of the entire tour as long as we could still keep our commitment to the fans, i.e. the people who are the reason any of this is even possible. Ronnie said OK and allowed us back on the tour but said that we would have to sign paperwork saying we would not tell anyone that we weren’t getting paid to be on the tour.
The venues and the fans were both not allowed to know the truth, because Ronnie knew it would make him look really bad to the world. The fact that money changed Ronnie‘s mind about kicking us off the tour just goes to show his lack of integrity. If he was really that concerned or fundamentally against that we got caught with a little weed, then the extra cash in his pocket wouldn’t have changed his decision.
Because Sumerian Records was willing to give us a serious amount of financial tour support, we were still able to hit the road without getting paid. However we would quickly find out that us agreeing to Ronnie‘s ridiculous terms of silence and playing for free were simply not good enough for him. He resulted to threatening violence against Zach in Grand Rapids because “he didn’t like his stupid f’n face” and then the next night in our hometown of Detroit kicked us off the tour.
His 47-year old tour manager then physically assaulted our tour manager and the FIR camp once again resorted to violent behavior. Ronnie would later that night throw fans out who paid to get in to the show because they are chanting another band’s name and make fun of their physical attributes in front of everyone. That is the act of a true coward.
We have been lucky enough to to tour with a lot of great bands like Parkway Drive, Suicide Silence, Asking Alexandria, Trivium, Motionless In White, A Day To Remember, Stick To Your Guns, Memphis May Fire, The Word Alive and others … and never had a problem. We want to thank Enter Shikari, LetLive, Matt Toka and all the other members of Falling In Reverse besides Ronnie for being great people and a true pleasure to tour with. We are sorry to all the fans out there who were expecting to see us. We’ll be back as soon as we can.
– I See Stars
Sumerian Records then followed up with their official statement:
There is nothing cool, rock & roll, punk rock, or admirable about treating your peers or fans like they are pieces of garbage. Ronnie Radke is not a good human being. It’s one thing to love someone’s music, but do not love someone as an individual for who they are not. We do not think it is a coincidence this is the same guy who was arrested for the horrible, violent things you can read about in the links below.
He cares about no one but himself and he has reminded us all of this. His latest tweet “people at our shows come to see us everything else is irrelevant. Nuff said,” is his way of telling all the other bands he tours with that they don’t matter. Why any artist would throw that type of negativity and disrespect out is something we will never understand. This scene is supposed to be about compassion and understanding. Ronnie is rotten.
Out of respect for the industry professionals involved in this debacle, we will not be publicly disclosing any legal documents on the Internet. We can confirm that Ronnie kicked the band off the tour but allowed them back on after they forfeited their pay. We can confirm that they were being forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement regarding this in order to stay on the tour.
We can confirm that I See Stars were not kicked off yesterday in Detroit because of anything to do with drugs. It was because a grown man was throwing a temper tantrum who claims to be “rock & roll” but is actually worse than a neurotic pop-star diva with a God complex. Just because you no longer do drugs doesn’t mean you are no longer a horrible human being. Ronnie now abuses people instead of substances.”
– Sumerian Records
The links mentioned were to Radke’s past problems with battery and domestic abuse, a racist joke he told on Twitter, and the much publicized recent arrest for throwing microphone stands into the audience that injured fans at a show…
So, Radke comes back with this statement:
Ladies and gentlemen, lend me your ears, why do we immediately assume that what we read on the Internet is the whole truth? Does it not make us guilty in ourselves to assume and accuse another for what you read? Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe some people make things up to get attention drawn to them for a moment of spotlight or fame? Maybe the person you are accusing and bashing hateful things towards and putting so much time and effort into something that you have no idea about much less should even care about is false? Would it be wrong of you to tell that person how terrible they are? For what? A moment of recognition by the one you “hate” so much? Before I ever assume something about someone I make sure I meet that person before I hate them. We all should be ashamed of ourselves. we are filthy creatures.
After talking to a few bands that we know that have played with Falling In Reverse and know Radke, not much good was said about him and his treatment of fans. Also, most bands who have seen them on the tour previous to I See Stars being kicked off said that I See Stars was kicking FIR’s ass and that may be the real reason they were kicked off.
We at PMM are not sure what to think so we open it up to your comments and thoughts on the situation. Hit us up!
PITTSBURGH MUSIC MAGAZINE 