Camp Freddy Live at the Roxy and Gearing Up for the West of Memphis Soundtrack

Dave Navarro interviewing author Damien Echols

Apparently his week-long run performing as the titular character in the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Roxy in November was not enough for Donovan Leitch.  This Thursday, the 20^th, Donovan returns to the famous Hollywood club as Camp Freddy begin their sixth annual holiday residency.  As expected the three consecutive nights sold out as fans eagerly await not only the band, but also the unexpected guests who join them.  Given that Camp Freddy’s members are the aforementioned actor / singer Donovan Leitch, Billy Morrison (The Cult, Billy Idol band), Matt Sorum (Guns N Roses, Velvet Revolver, The Cult, Neurotic Outsiders), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) and Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney, it is not a surprise that there are many friends of the band that join them to perform.  Considering that guests have included Billy Idol, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols (who was also Sorum’s band mate in Neurotic Outsiders), Slash, Kid Rock, Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Macy Grey, there is no telling who will show up to join the band on stage.

For those of us who were unable to get tickets for the show, we can get through the season knowing that we can purchase the soundtrack for West of Memphis which will include Camp Freddy’s cover of David Bowie’s “The Jean Genie.”  The documentary film, directed by Amy J. Berg (the Academy Award nominated Deliver Us from Evil), follows the case of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr., collectively known as the “West Memphis Three.”  Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley, Jr. were arrested and convicted as teenagers for the murders of three children in West Memphis, AR in the mid-nineties.  Although DNA evidence collected ultimately exonerated the trio, they spent 18 years in jail, with Echols serving a death sentence, while Baldwin and Misskelley received life imprisonment sentences. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the soundtrack will be used to raise funds for the exoneration of Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley, Jr.

Damien Echols, one of the producers of West of Memphis, released his critically acclaimed autobiography, Life After Death, earlier this year.

West of Memphis will be in selected theaters on Tuesday, December 25^th.  The soundtrack will be released through Sony Legacy on January 15, 2013.

Here’s a look back at some previous Camp Freddy shows to get you pumped up for this weekend’s Christmas residency at the Roxy. If you make it to the shows, we’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below. Or post a link to your photos and videos of the Camp Freddy shows!

Enter To Win A Pair Of Passes To Experience Grinchmas At Universal Studios Hollywood

Merry Grinchmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The world-famous KROQ is hosting a contest to win a pair of passes to experience Grinchmas at Universal Studios Hollywood. Click the following link to enter. Enter To Win A Pair Of Passes To Experience Grinchmas At Universal Studios Hollywood. The contest closes on December 23, 2012. Winners will be notified via phone by the KROQ promotions department. What a great way to keep the kids or out-of-town visitors busy over the Christmas Holidays!

Grinchmas is open daily December 15-31, 2012. Enjoy the opportunity to play in real snow as you watch Whoville come to life as the Who’s sing Christmas songs. Enjoy celebrity readings of Dr. Seuss’  How the Grinch Stole Christmas and get a family photo with the Grinch and his dog Max.

The Jonas Brothers Announce South American Tour Dates

I feel remiss in the fact that I never completed my review of the Jonas Brothers concerts that took place at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre just after Thanksgiving. However, anytime seems like a good time to discuss the former Disney darlings doesn’t it? Before I pontificate on the merits and possibly demerits of the Jonas Brothers, let me disclose that one of the many, many hats I wear in life is that of a parent to a nearly twelve-year-old daughter who adores the Jonas Brothers.  So while I have covered their events in the past as a member of the media, I am pretty much always looking at them from a dual perspective – photographing and/or reviewing their live performances or latest CD while simultaneously watching the experience through the eyes of my daughter.

Let’s get down to business then, the Jonas Brothers are back! It’s been more than three years since their last studio album, 2009’s Lines, Vines and Trying Times. The Brothers have been hard at work in the studio on their as yet untitled fifth studio album scheduled for release in early 2013. Individually the brothers have been busy during the past 3 years with Nick releasing his solo effort, Who I Am as Nick Jonas and the Administration, testing out the waters in the theater world with performances in Les Misérables, Hairspray and Broadway’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Joe Jonas  released his solo effort, Fastlife. Both brothers did some touring with their solo releases while older brother Kevin got married to longtime girlfriend Danielle Deleasa and enjoyed life with his new bride. Eventually they brought their newlywed adventures to a TV screen near you in E!’s reality show Married to Jonas which has just been picked up for a 2nd season.

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The boys that ruled the Disney airwaves grew into young men, and parted ways with Disney during their hiatus from being a band while Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and One Direction took over the world of teen angst in their place.  2012 saw the Jonas Brothers return to the touring world, offering fans just a smattering of tour dates around the globe including places like Moscow, Russia, New York City, the Philippines and finally a stretch of sold out shows at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, CA along with an appearance at KIIS FM‘s annual Jingle Ball.

The question that comes to mind – do the Jonas Brothers still have what it takes? Fickle teen hearts moved on to worship Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber and One Direction. Would they return to the fold to see what Kevin, Joe and Nick have to offer now? Will they still dance to those “old” songs? Will they embrace the news songs debuted at these live shows – “Wedding Bells”, an ode to ex-flame Miley Cyrus penned by the younger Jonas, Nick. A track called “First Time” which Joe joked was about “the first time, you, uh, eat food” at the Pantages show. The answer so far is yes, for the most part, the fans have flocked back to the trio of brothers and the shrieks still threaten to break the sound barrier as the screen goes up to start their show.

The thought that has bounced around in my head though is the age-old game teenagers play with their peers. Why is it that teenagers must “hate” on each others musical tastes? Does it stem from the lack of confidence, struggle to fit in, the need to be popular or some sort of jealousy? I have friends who grew up in the 1960’s and described to me how it was either the Beatles or the Stones, you were an oddball if you liked both. I experienced it as a teenager in the 1980’s when the kids at school teased you for loving Duran Duran or Depeche Mode because those bands sucked in their opinion. How long does it take for one to mature enough to simply respect their friend’s choice in music? Personally, I’m happy that so far my daughter doesn’t change her mind on which bands she likes to listen to with the day of the week. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this teenage phenomenon in the comments below.

In conclusion, for those that do enjoy seeing the Jonas Brothers live in concert (which we certainly do), they have just announced the first of their 2013 tour dates – a trek through Latin America that kicks off in February. Fan club tickets and VIP packages are available now via the Jonas Brothers website with public on sales to follow through Ticketmaster. Here are the dates:

February 24, 2013: Simon Bolivar University USB, Caracas, VE
February 26, 2013: Vina Del Mar Festival, Vina Del Mar, CL
February 28, 2013: Movistar Arena, Santiago, CL
March 2, 2013: Carlos Paz Summer Event, Cordoba, AR (free concert!)
March 3, 2013: Estadio Ferrocarri Oeste/Atlanta, Buenos Aires, AR
March 5, 2013: Estadio Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, BO
March 10, 2013: Credicard Hall, Sao Paulo, BR
March 12, 2013: Citibank Hall, Rio De Janeiro, BR
March 14, 2013: Pepsi on Stage, Porto Alegre, BR
March 17, 2013: Yacht Club Del Paraguay, Asuncion, PY
March 19, 2013: Velodrome, Montevideo, UY
March 21, 2013: Paseo Cayala, Guatemala City, GT

High Dollar Challenge Butter Coupon!

Here is a short but sweet post to help you save money this Holiday season. If you use Challenge butter in your household now is the time to stock up. Go to the Challenge butter page on Facebook by following this link , make sure you “like” the page and choose the “click now to save $2.00” picture (like the one on the left). If you are on a PC once the coupon starts printing, remember to hit the back button and you should be able to print it twice. Now watch your local grocery store for a great sale on Challenge butter! Wal-Mart and Target generally carry this item at a great everyday low price too. Remember, prices vary by region. Let us know if you score a super deal on butter.

After you have printed your high dollar $2.00 off Challenge butter coupon, click the drop down arrow toward the top of the page where it says “save $2” and there are links for a variety of other butter coupons for various regions and stores in the United States.  Even more ways to save money!

The Incredible Edible Egg on Facebook has reset their .55/2 dozen Eggs coupon , and of course you have to “like” their page to gain access to the coupon .  It’s pretty rare for them to release a coupon again after already doing so recently but tis the season of giving so print it twice while you can. Perfect for baking those Christmas cookies and Holiday treats!

Speaking of Target, I scored a great deal on household items, pet food and groceries today with a variety of coupons that resulted in a $43.00 savings off my bill and I received the $10.00 gift card after spending $50.00 so I already have a credit towards my next trip to Target! Today was the last day to use the $10.00 gift card after spending $50.00 coupon and I had two of them with me so I gave my extra one to the lady standing in line behind me and she was thrilled! Don’t forget to check Target.com for their great coupons that you can stack with your manufacturer coupons.

 

Four Kings & An Ace at the London West Hollywood

Mending Kids International hosted their annual Fall fundraiser, Four Kings & An Ace Celebrity Poker Tournament, on Saturday night at Gordon Ramsay‘s restaurant inside the London West Hollywood. The evening’s proceeds benefit children in over 51 countries around the world in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Southeast Asia to give children access to critical surgeries that they would otherwise not be able to receive due to lack of medical or financial resources.

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Longtime Mending Kids International supporter Mel Gibson hosted the evening along with celebrity friends like Gene Simmons, Robert Downey, Jr., Sean Penn and Jodie Foster. Among other celebrity guests were World Series Of Poker Winner Jamie Gold, Madeleine Stowe, Emily VanCamp and most of the cast of “Revenge,” Danny Trejo and Chuck Zito from “Sons of Anarchy“, actor Quinton Aaron from “the Blind Side”, Olympic diver Greg Louganis, comedian and “Iron Man 2” actor Garry Shandling, Patricia Arquette,  and World Poker Tour players Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten.

These celebrities were able to raise enough funds for eight missions to provide almost 200 children around the world with life-saving surgeries. Mending Kids International (www.mendingkids.org) is a California-based non-profit that provides surgeries to children otherwise unavailable to them in developing countries, and surgical training to medical staff to build long-term sustainable surgical programs.  92% of every dollar received goes directly towards helping children.

Will Hartman walked away with the night’s poker trophy. Those who didn’t play poker enjoyed casino games and entertainment provided by The Commodores Band, American Idol Winner Lee Dewyze, and Dominic Scott Kay.

MKI is a tremendous charitable organization that ran an amazingly well-organized fundraiser. Life on the Scene is always on board to help out this charity in the future!

The only real snag in the evening was the fact that while KISS frontman Gene Simmons gave very generously of his time to the event, his personality was sorely lacking as he wouldn’t give the time of day to most of the attendees that paid a top dollar donation to attend this wonderful event.

Sponsors for the event include ICON Films, The London West Hollywood, The Sher Group, Morgan’s Jewelers,Variety, Marich Premium Chocolates, Polanti Watches, BERYLL, Smile Sciences, El Cartel Tequila, Akvinta Vodka, Atlantico Rum, Paul Smith, Floral Crush, and GrapeVine Productions.  MKI is already planning the 2^ndAnnual event for Fall 2013 and sponsorship opportunities and player slots are available. Please visit them at (www.mendingkids.org) to donate or sign up to sponsor an event.

Bon Jovi Return to the Stage as Part of GRAMMY Artists Revealed

“Performance occurs rain or shine” stated the Terms & Conditions for those who were lucky enough to obtain a ticket to gain entry to see Bon Jovi at the MasterCard Priceless Los Angeles presentation of GRAMMY Artists Revealed.  As evidenced by those who watched the live stream of the performance at the Paramount Studios Backlot in Los Angeles on December 1, 2012, it definitely occurred in the rain.

This fact only bothered fans while waiting for the exclusive performance.  Once Bon Jovi hit the stage, the umbrellas were put away and all worries were forgotten.  It was their first performance since the last date of the “Bon Jovi” tour in 2011, a fact that was noted by Jon Bon Jovi between songs such as their first number one hit single from Slippery When Wet (a pun referenced by a few fans in the crowd) “You Give Love a Bad Name,” to “It’s My Life” from Crush, and Have a Nice Day’s “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.”  Always a fan favorite, Jon shared lead vocals on “Wanted Dead or Alive” with lead guitarist Richie Sambora and let the audience take over on vocals during the opening verse of “Livin’ On A Prayer.”

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Even though Jon mentioned being “one wet motherf****r,” the weather did nothing to slow him down, even with puddles forming on the front of the stage as the night progressed.  In fact, while some began to leave after the band blazed through “Bad Medicine” (which included a chorus from The Isley Brothers’ “Shout”), the band came back to perform an encore consisting of a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Run Run Rudolph.”  The night ultimately ended with fans singing along loudly on their own to “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.”

If you have a chance, you definitely should catch them on their upcoming “Because We Can” tour in 2013. Tickets are on sale now for most shows via the Bon Jovi fan club and Ticketmaster. The tour kicks off February 9, 2013 in Uncasville, CT at Mohegan Sun.

It should also be noted that the band, with origins in Sayreville New Jersey, has one more performance scheduled as part of the 12-12-12 Concert for Hurricane Sandy Relief.  Even if you are unable to obtain a ticket to the show, you can still donate to the Robin Hood Foundation, the beneficiary of the charity concert which will also feature performances by Sir Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, The Who, Billy Joel, Foo Fighters and Alicia Keys.

Robert Downey Jr. Lights Up the Holidays in Venice

Local Venice, California resident and business owner, Golden Globe winning actor, Robert Downey Jr. came out in support of the inaugural lighting of the Venice sign on Friday night. He was joined by the Venice Chamber of Commerce , City of Los Angeles Mike Bonin, and Councilmember Bill Rosendahl.

The historic Venice Sign has been refurbished and is a landmark in the beach community. The traditional white lights were swapped out for holiday red & green. Councilmember Bill Rosendahl and Robert Downey Jr. flipped the switch together as the crowd counted down amidst a sea of cheers to kick off the Holiday Season.

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Activities included: Complimentary egg nog, coffee and hot chocolate, Mr and Mrs Santa Claus, Arts & Crafts booths from Control Printing, Venice Art Crawl artists, the Venice Sign coloring station for kids,free candy canes and complimentary holiday doggie treats by Venice Pups and Hungry Dawgz of Dogtown. Live music was provided by the band Venice who performed a variety of Christmas classics along with original holiday tunes prior to the lighting of the Venice Sign. It was a family (and pooch) friendly evening that is sure to grow into a wonderful holiday tradition in the years to come.