Tri-State Rock - Latest Updates

Rock Vegas powered by Rockstar Energy Drink is Sin City's Loudest Two-Day Rock Music Festival.   The Sin City Festival is set for two sin-filled days, Friday, September 28 and Saturday, September 29 at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. The two-day rockextravaganza will feature performances from Rob Zombie, Shinedown, Marilyn Manson, and Godsmack, plus Staind, Stone Sour, Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Adelitas Way, All That Remains, P.O.D., Art Of Dying, Redlight King, New Medicine, Deuce, Otherwise and more. Tickets are affordably priced as low as $39 each, plus fees. Two-day and single-day tickets go on sale Saturday, July 28 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. VIP packages will also be available.

Godsmack's Shannon Larkin says, "The lineup is incredible for any rock fan, and the stage and sound system will be massive! Add to that the location, Las Vegas... What more could you ask for! This is gonna be HUGE! Get your party boots on and come to the biggest spectacle in the country! You won't regret it. Vegas, baby!!!"

For many fans, hearing that one of your favorite band is having a contest, is like being a kid again.  You get the rare chance to earn a special reward for your dedication and recognition as a loyal and supportive fan.  It gives the fans something to look forward to and creates yet another way for fans to connect with each other and the band that they mutually respect.

Stone Sour has created a very unique and super fun contest for fans to participate in at the Rockstar Enegry Drink Mayhem Festival.  The contest has been organized like a scavenger hunt, with fans searching for special envelopes with clues at the most recent stops of the Mayhem Festival.  The envelopes contain drumsticks, guitar pick sets and a page of lyrics from their upcoming album, handwritten by Corey Taylor.  One of the clue envelopes is pictured below:

The U.K.’s Terrorizer Magazine conducted an interview with Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison for the July 2012 issue recently.  He candidly discussed the difficulty in finding a replacement for Paul Grey, founding member and bassist of Slipknot that passed away of a drug overdose in Urbandale, Iowa in May 2010.  Jordison also discusses writing the new Slipknot album, which he says, “will be our deepest and most celebrated record.” 

On replacing Paul Grey:

While rock fans around North America nearly dirty up their pants with anxious anticipation of the band’s headlining set on this year’s Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, the Slipknot camp seems happy to add fuel to the fire. 

Rockstar Energy Drink has officially announced the 3rd annual Uproar Festival lineup. I’ve had the privilege of attending the first two and truly had a blast. Year one included acts such as AVENGED SEVENFOLD, STONE SOUR, DISTURBED, and HALESTORM on the main stage. The Jagermeister stage included the likes of HELLYEAH, HAIL THE VILLAIN, NEW MEDICINE, and more. Last year’s show which was headlined by A7X, also included THREE DAYS GRACE, BULLET FOR MY VALLENTINE, and SEETHER. The Jagermeister stage held acts like SEVENDUST, BLACK TIDE, and more.

There are multiple stages during this festival with cool side events that you and your mates can participate in. Tents are pitched up with all sorts of activities for you to partake which range from video games and Schecter guitar samplings, to all types of energy drink tastings and autograph opportunities from your favorite bands. There even was a pull up competition with a free t-shirt prize last year! Sure, the beer is expensive, but both times I’ve gone, we’ve been able to tailgate a bit and meet fans from all over the tri-state. It has been my personal favorite festival of the past two summers. So get out and enjoy good music, people, and activities. 

Stone Sour has officially entered the studio to ‘construct’ their latest album.  The band has previously disclosed that their latest effort will be a two-disc concept album, which is leaving fans both excitedly intrigued and apprehensive.  Vocalist Corey Taylor unabashedly stated.  “It’s gonna be a motherfucking MONSTER.” 

Got nothing to do this Saturday night?  Might I suggest to you a healthy serving of METAL? VH1 Classic’s “THAT METAL SHOW” airs a new episode Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 11p.m. Already in their 10th season, “THAT METAL SHOW” has had a veteran line up of guest hosts since 2008. Some of the guests over the years have included: RUSH, DREAM THEATER, Vinnie Paul (PANTERA), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Chris Jericho (WWE SUPERSTAR/FOZZY), and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR). Check out a clip of ("THAT METAL SHOW" below)

If you were able to catch the promo video for this summer’s Mayhem Festival, you are no doubt excited about seeing Slipknot - especially due to Clown’s performance in that video.  If you haven't, check it out here. Unfortunately, Slipknot percussionist M. Shawn Crahan, better known as Clown, will undergo knee surgery on March 29.  He writes on his official Facebook page,

Construction of the new STONE SOUR album is now underway according to  a recent tweet from front-man Corey Taylor. The follow-up to 2010’s “Audio Secrecy” will be produced by David Bottrill (MUSE, TOOL, Peter Gabriel, etc.). 

Taylor sat down recently with Artisan News to talk a little bit about the direction the album is taking: