 The Hollywood Stars, a group originally assembled by rock impresario Kim Fowley in 1973, have announced the first-time issue of a “lost album” recorded in 1976. Sound City arrives on CD and digital download via Burger Records on August 23, 2019. A month prior to the album release, the newly-reformed Hollywood Stars will headline the world famous Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood, a venue at which the band was previously a top draw. Pre-order Sound City album: https://burgerrecords Buy tickets for The Hollywood Stars’ July 18 performance with special guest Hammered Satin at the Whisky a Go Go: https://bit.ly/2LAZiui  During the 1970s, The Hollywood Stars toured with The Kinks (for Sleepwalker, 1977) and played support gigs to such legends as The New York Dolls, Bo Diddley, The Ramones, Iggy Pop, and disco star Sylvester. In turn, a cavalcade of newcomers opened shows for the Stars, including Van Halen, Journey, The Runaways, The Knack, and Quiet Riot, among many others.
There have previously been three lineups of The Hollywood Stars. The newly-reformed 2019 version features Scott Phares (vocals), Ruben De Fuentes (guitar) and Terry Rae (drums) from the original group, alongside Michael Rummans (bass) from the second roster. Chezz Monroe on rhythm guitar is a 21st century recruit to the ranks. The original group (1973-1974) was managed by Fowley. He secured a deal for the band with Columbia Records and the Stars recorded their debut album at the height of the glam rock era. Due to management shuffles at Columbia, the album was shelved at the time but later surfaced in 2013 as Shine Like a Radio: The Great Lost 1974 Album (Last Summer/Light in the Attic). Upon its release, Record Collector Magazine bestowed the album five stars and called it “one of the most vital reissues of the year.” Shine Like a Radio stands as an evocative encapsulation of the Hollywood glitter rock scene, crackling with the power pop drive of The Sweet and The Move, and the glam swagger of Cockney Rebel and Hunky Dory-era David Bowie. After the first lineup’s split in 1974, two of The Hollywood Stars’ compositions found major success with other artists of the era — “Escape” surfaced on Alice Cooper’s platinum-certified Welcome to My Nightmare (1975) while “King of the Night Time World” appeared on a pair of multiplatinum-selling albums by Kiss, Destroyer (1976) and Kiss Alive II (1977). After a year-long hiatus, the Stars surfaced in their second version in 1976. Mark Anthony — the songwriter alongside Fowley of “Escape” and “King of the Night Time World” — rose in the ranks to become the group’s lead vocalist, as well as continue in his prior roles of rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter. Fowley introduced the band to Canadian musician/producer Neil Merryweather and time was booked at the famed Sound City Recording Studios in Van Nuys, CA to cut new material. The resulting sessions yielded ten tracks, including the power pop anthem “All the Kids on the Street” and the AOR-targeted “Sunrise on Sunset.” These ten tracks comprise the soon-to-be-issued Sound City album. “Houdini of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “Shotgun,” and the Merryweather version of “Escape” make their first-ever appearance on Sound City. “Too Hot to Handle” and “Habits” have only previously appeared as a limited edition 7” vinyl single issued by Australia’s Blank Records in 2017. The five remaining tracks are also appearing for the first time in their Merryweather versions, although they did appear in re-recorded form on the self-titled The Hollywood Stars album issued by Arista Records in 1977. The band have always preferred the Merryweather mixes to what eventually appeared on the Arista LP and are keen to see them finally released. “Neil was a lot more into where we were coming from,” says Rae. “He was there mixing our live sound at The Starwood. Sound City is almost like a live set — all those songs were cut at the same time. In comparison, the production of the Arista album went on for a long time, and our power pop roots lost out to the type of syrupy string arrangements that were prevalent on major label albums at the time.” The long-dormant Hollywood Stars reconvened for a one-night-only benefit concert on November 11, 2018, at The Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles. The audience was enraptured at the sight of this legendary band springing back to full-blown rock ‘n’ roll glory. The band themselves enjoyed the experience and have pledged to keep it going. “We all have a sense of unfinished business,” says Phares. “We’re looking forward to telling our story and playing to our fans — old and new. The band is currently deep into the process of writing a new record, which will feature brand-new Stars compositions as well as songs by Mark Anthony.” Anthony died of an undiagnosed congenital heart issue in the early 2000s. The remaining Stars are ascendant again. Sound City tracklist: 1. Sunrise on Sunset (Mark Anthony, Kim Fowley, Skip Battin) * 2. I Can’t Help It * 3. Escape (Mark Anthony, Kim Fowley, Alice Cooper) * 4. So Blue * 5. Too Hot to Handle 6. All the Kids on the Street (Mark Anthony, Kim Fowley) * 7. Habits 8. Make It to the Party (Ruben De Fuentes, Mark Anthony) * 9. Shotgun # 10. Houdini of Rock ‘n’ Roll # * Denotes previously unreleased version # Denotes first-ever appearance All songs by Mark Anthony unless otherwise noted Produced & engineered by Neil Merryweather Recorded at Sound City Recording Studios, Van Nuys, CA, 1976 The Hollywood Stars album discography: 1. The Hollywood Stars (Arista Records; recorded in 1976, released in 1977) 2. Shine Like a Radio: The Great Lost 1974 Album (Last Summer/Light in the Attic; recorded in 1974, released in 2013) 3. Sound City (Burger Records; recorded in 1976, released in 2019)
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Portland-based metal band Red Fang has unveiled their latest single, “Antidote,” through an app written and directed by Wieden+Kennedy creative Ansel Wallenfang. It is the world's first music video game you have to headbang to play!
The mid ’90s–style app, titled Red Fang: Headbang, is available globally for both Android and iOS using either a smartphone or tablet. A tutorial at the beginning teaches users how to appropriately headbang (hint, move your head with your hand/phone). If the user stops headbanging, Red Fang dies. The app features three alternate endings. The idea came to Wallenfang one night when he noticed how he was moving with his phone while watching a music video. Wallenfang worked with W+K Studios, Wieden+Kennedy’s development and production arm that oversees IP and original entertainment properties, to bring the idea to life. Download Red Fang: Headbang HERE: https://www.redfangheadbang.com/ GOOGLE PLAY STORE | APP STORE “Red Fang: Headbang is a culmination of everything I’ve wasted my life on—metal, arcades, and a warped sense of humor. It’s really a love letter to my childhood and all the things that make me, me,” says Wallenfang. The ’90s arcade aesthetic allowed Wallenfang to marry his love for directing and animation. In keeping with the era it emulates, he filmed the actors against green screens, then processed them into pixels, which were augmented by an artist to add hand-drawn touches. The process, with its DIY charm, fit perfectly for a band like Red Fang. “When it comes to metal, headbanging is the thing. It wasn’t just interactive for interactive’s sake, so it was an idea I couldn’t let go of. I’m beyond lucky to work at a place that is so supportive. They really helped make my weird vision into what I knew it could be,” said Wallenfang. RedFang was equally excited about the opportunity, with Bryan Giles saying, “when Ansel Wallenfang first approached us with his video concept we all thought he was crazy! A year or so later we still think he’s crazy, but the video turned out amazing! We’re over the moon about it!” The development featured a variety of contributors, including Grammy-winning metal musician Matt Pike and comedian Brian Posehn. The game’s intro and outro were written by renowned composer Disasterpeace. Putting a unique spin on music videos is not new for Wieden+Kennedy, and its track record in the music space—which includes producing three music videos for Grammy Award–winning band Portugal. The Man—meant producing Wallenfang’s Red Fang project was a no-brainer. Red Fang: Headbang users can keep track of who reigns supreme in headbanging with a leaderboard and learn score-boosting strategies, which will be released in the coming weeks.  Today Reykjavik-based post-punk and goth trio KÆLAN MIKLA is releasing a video for the title track from their latest album, Nótt eftir nótt. The video is receiving the deluxe treatment; a double-premiere, with taste-making music site Post-Punk premiering it in Europe, and everything-horror destination Rue Morgue handling the premiere in the Americas. The video features the band, including producer Barði Jóhannsson, in a Blair Witch-inspired woods setting.
Watch the video on Post-Punk HERE. Watch the video on Rue Morgue HERE. KÆLAN MIKLA is an Icelandic dark-wave trio based in Reykjavik who was personally invited by Robert Smith of The Cure to perform at his curated Meltdown Festival in 2018. They recently completed a 30-date tour in Europe, in support of their Artoffact Records release Nótt eftir nótt. Nótt eftir nótt was a press favourite upon its release, making Revolver Magazine's best of 2018 list, and also garnering accolades from Cvlt Nation, Decibel Magazine, and The Wire, as well as a cover feature in Distorted Sound. The band was nominated for album of the year at the Iceland Music Awards. ABOUT NÓTT EFTIR NÓTT - quotes by the artists “You lie in bed, stuck between nightmares and reality. You drown in the shadows around you that start to grow bigger and move closer to you. That is Nótt eftir nótt. The title song of our album, co-written with our friend Barði from BangGang. The video itself was recorded in one of the few woods we have here around Reykjavík and is inspired by The Blair Witch Project. But the main theme of this album is the night, secrets that lurk in the shadows, the witching hour and that strange place between dreams and reality. This song is the peak of the album, where everything comes together and we hear the night whispering to us: "nótt eftir nótt eftir nótt, þú sefur ekki..." (translation: "night after night after night, you cannot sleep...")” - Kælan Mikla “It was such a pleasure to work with the talented Kælan Mikla. As a vampire I also come from a similar universe. We come from 20 hours of darkness and hide when there is light. My goth roots are embraced to the fullest when working with those pure talents.” - Barði Jóhannsson KÆLAN MIKLA LIVE 2019:
Toronto-based Artoffact Records released Nótt eftir nótt on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. Order here. MORE INFO: KÆLAN MIKLA: Bandcamp / Facebook / Spotify ARTOFFACT: Bandcamp / Facebook |