Mega Music Talent

Posts Tagged ‘rock’

Little Tikes Pop Tunes Big Rocker Guitar allows kids to play existing songs or freestyle. The guitar also plays five child-friendly versions of famous songs, and has flashing lights that pulse to the beat. Kids can create their own band with the other instruments that are available, including a drum set and keyboard. The Little Tikes Pop Tunes Big Rocker Guitar is a great way to develop musical appreciation.

Box Contains

1 x Little Tikes Pop Tunes Big Rocker Gui (more…)

The CD Rock Mini is a reproduction table top jukebox with real wood veneer cabinet, incorporating a front loading verticle single CD player and MW/FM radio and a USB port for MP3 playback.

Standing only 36cm high the CD Rock Mini is ideal as a decorative but functional piece of nostalgia. It has 7-colour changing illuminated tubing which can be switched on and off as required, 3-colour changing LED lighting in half moon display area and blue LED lighting in the CD door.

The C (more…)

No description for this product could be found, but have a look over at Amazon for reviews and other information.

No description for this product could be found, but have a look over at Amazon for reviews and other information.

Dave Grohl and his legendary band the Foo Fighters have seen widespread success in every aspect of their music, and now the post-grunge rockers will continue expanding their repertoire with food. Top Chef, to be specific. The popular rockers have agreed to participate as guest stars in an episode on Bravo’s cooking competition television show Top Chef, acting as judges for the show’s Thanksgiving special. The episode of Top Chef is tentatively titled “Foo Fighters’ Thanksgiving,” and will air on November 26 at a Rochester, New York restaurant Grant Achatz.

Top Chef has just embarked upon its fifth season, and the Bravo program has entertained fans with a wide variation of guest appearances in its four year stretch so far. Among the other 48+ guests to appear on episodes of Top Chef over the years are chefs Anthony Bourdain, Rocco DiSpirito, Eric Ripert, Hubert Keller and Michelle Bernstein. The musical wonders the Foo Fighters might seem a bit out of place in this food-inspired lineup, but the post-grunge rock stars will nevertheless add just the right amount of seasoning for the monumental Thanksgiving episode of the reality show.

Before the Foo Fighters were cooking up a storm on the mainstream music scene, the Seattle-formed rock band was emerging in the wake of the Seattle grunge scene, taking over in the 1990s in the waning dominance of bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. If the Foo Fighters’ signature sound is strikingly similar to that of Nirvana, it is because the band was formed by Dave Grohl, the drummer for Nirvana before the band’s disbandment following lead singer Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994. Cobain’s suicide split apart the ultimate grunge band, and Grohl drifted into the studio with longtime friend Barrett Jones, tossing around a 15-track demo that turned into the Foo Fighters’ debut album. Grohl and Jones teamed up with Sunny Day Real Estate bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith, and former Germs/Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear rounded out the Foo Fighters’ lineup in 1995.

From this point on, the Foo Fighters (named after a World War II secret force that allegedly researched UFOs) were a staple in the mainstream rock realm. Early singles “This Is a Call” and “Big Me” got the ball rolling for the now-famous rock band, and the Foo Fighters started gaining the attention of fans and various Billboard chart toppers, starting with 1999′s “Learn to Fly.” “All My Life” was also a Billboard number one in 2002, and “Best of You” landed at the number one slot in 2005, quickly followed by the chart-topping “DOA” the same year, while “Long Road to Ruin” and “Let it Die” also chalked up two more number ones in 2007. Garnering six Grammy Awards since 2000, the Foo Fighters are still one of the most dominant figures on the rock scene today. The extremely talented post-grunge heroes have recently embarked on a string of live performances, and if you don’t have Foo Fighters tickets to see their often sold-out shows yet, get a pair from http://www.stubhub.com/foo-fighters-tickets/.

Author Bio: This article is sponsored by StubHub.com and was written by Jenna Jay. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling Foo Fighters tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Third eye review of a live performance in Calgary, Alberta, from a local 60′s, 70′s and 80′s rock band. This three person group is called ShadowBeat. If going to Calgary and you appreciate older music, you might just enjoy this combo. Do so if you get a chance.

“Get your motor running” That’s what this band will do to you. I managed to catch this three person combo by accident Friday night in Calgary. They were shaking the walls in some lost eastside pub called Chelsea’s, and though the crowd was not huge, we were on fire with this performance. And so was ShadowBeat.

As the night went on I found myself losing time but not wasting it. It was an experience worth living. The little place was a-happenin’, as they might say and we all enjoyed many familiar oldies (think John Paul George and Mick) and a few NotHeardThatinAge’s.

And then they hit us with a sharp left hook. A few great wing-ding’s from the 1990′s country line dancing and hat head era. Personally, I don’t two-step, but plenty were stompin’ their runners to this classic string of hits that included an Alan Jackson favorite of mine and that old Grundy County Auction song. I could tell by the wall posters that country bands frequented this establishment. But this was a rock outfit with a bit of creative dabble.

The first set I saw opened with Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf and by the third or fourth selection we were convinced this group knew their stuff. They weren’t much to look at, not having a drummer on stage with them or the heavy-metal concert trappings seen in bar bands of years gone by. It was just the three of them. Dying to have a voice. They were just there. Authentic. In your face. They were good.

I like it when a cover band tries to make the well-known piece their own and have fun with it. Granted, ShadowBeat did not do this with every composition on the setlist but when they did, it shone through, and the effort became worthwhile. You might want to check out the original versions of these songs. I did some Googling and found out that they have their own mini internet broadcast station easily found by entering “Shadowbeat radio”. That’s where you can hear those originals. Handy. It’s at http://www.live365.com/stations/radiosonde1?play

Who would have thought a stage keyboard could be played like that? Not me, that’s for sure. Somebody sprinkled this guy with magic dust, or maybe a few extra recorded tracks. It’s hard to tell. Wait for “Time of the Season” by the Zombies. It’s worth it.

In general, the band takes full advantage of the highs and lows (tempo, dynamics etc.) in the material. When they were tight, it was as good as it gets and the loose rambling between songs kept the feeling quite casual. Nobody was intimidated. With the old stuff I heard that night, you’ll go back to your younger days in an instant.

Author Bio: More about – this band if you like this kind of rock.

And more – check it out – you’ll be glad you did.

Leave it up to two music critics to create a band that knows how to rock and be smart about it, too. Over several decades, Blue Oyster Cult has earned its fans by challenging them. Their cryptic lyrics have kept listeners guessing as to what their true meaning is, all the while entrancing them with the quality of the writing.

The band formed in 1967 in Long Island, where several students with a common interest in prog-rock and heavy metal decided to start jamming together. The band would go through numerous incarnations over the years, with a constantly rotating lineup and several name changes. Sandy Pearlman and Richard Meltzer were the two founding members, however, and they were also a constant presence in the band. Pearlman managed the band while Meltzer wrote lyrics; both would go on to be well-known and respected music critics.

They changed the band’s name several times before finally settling on Blue Oyster Cult (previous names included Soft White Underbelly and Oaxaca, and their first single was issued as the Stalk-Forrest Group. The band’s first two records didn’t attract much attention, but once they signed to Elektra as BOC, they began to attract some notice among more high-minded rock listeners. Their lyrics were captivating, and fit the trippy images on their album covers perfectly.

“With Satan’s hog no pig at all, and the weather getting dry/We’ll head south from Altamont in a cold-blooded travelled trance/So clear the road my bully boys and let some thunder pass/We’re pain, we’re steel, a plot of knives/We’re Transmaniacon MC,” go the lyrics to the opening song on their self-titled debut.

Though only a few people noticed their first two records, it was their third, 1974′s Secret Treaties, that established a wide-reaching fan base. It would eventually turn gold, and set the stage for their successful live album the following year. 1976′s Agents of Fortune was their breakthrough, with the classic song “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” receiving an enormous amount of airplay.

“Romeo and Juliet/Are together in eternity (Romeo and Juliet)/40,000 men and women everyday (Like Romeo and Juliet)/40,000 men and women everyday (Redefine happiness)/Another 40,000 coming everyday (We can be like they are)/Come on baby (Don’t fear the reaper),” the song goes. Its haunting lyrics still entrance listeners today. It would help that album turn platinum in time, and make BOC one of the biggest arena-rock acts of the late-’70s.

The band would continue to earn major hits as they released some of their most successful record, including 1977′s Spectres and 1978′s Enchanted Evening. Past that point, record sales started to dive, though their tours continued to sell out. As the ’80s wore on, punk and New Wave replaced arena rock completely, and BOC was found out of step with the public taste. The band’s output slowed to a trickle.

But these days, there’s plenty of fans dying to get their hands on Blue Oyster Cult tickets from http://www.stubhub.com/blue-oyster-cult-tickets/. If you’re one of them, you’re in luck-they group is still on tour.

Author Bio: This article was written by Andrew Good and sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells Blue Oyster Cult tickets as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the world.

Bringing a bubbly exuberance and mainstream pop sensibility to the country scene made the Dixie Chicks one of the hottest country acts of the ’90s-and certainly one of the biggest in mainstream country history. Over the ensuing decades they’ve risen as the quintessential pop band for cowpokes of all brands, despite working through controversy stemming from their outspoken political beliefs.

The band’s history traces all the way back to 1989, when they were in fact a quartet. They were formed from fiddler Martie Seidel, banjoist Emily Erwin, bassist Laura Lynch and guitarist Robin Lynn Macy. The foursome started out the old fashioned way-busking on street corners. They named themselves after the Little Feat song “Dixie Chickens,” and dressed themselves to match their old-school country sound. They scored a record deal and released their debut, Thank Heaven for Dale Evans, in 1990. It didn’t attract much notice, but it was a start.

In 1992, they released a follow-up, Little Ol’ Cowgirl, and creative differences led to Macy leaving the band. They soldiered on as a trio, releasing 1993′s Shouldn’t A Told You That, which still saw them making little traction on the charts or in the minds of reviewers. Lynch left not long after that, and interviews with her suggest that, in her view, her band mates were looking to maintain a “younger” look in the band. The fact that she was replaced by 21-year-old Natalie Maines gives some credence to this theory.

There was a long break for the young trio, but in 1998 they returned in a big way, releasing their smash success Wide Open Spaces. No one-not even the band-expected the album to be the achievement it was. Several of its singles became number ones, and in less than a year the record went platinum four times. It wasn’t just a commercial success, either. Country critics loved the friendly pop sound, and the record won a Grammy for Best Country Album.

A year later, they put out Fly, which simply served to cement their status as country pop superstars. They earned some critical marks for songs such as “Goodbye Earl,” a dark tale about a young woman who marries young only to find her husband abuses her regularly. The conclusion is grim, with the woman poisoning him and disposing his body in a lake. This was not the typical face of country, and it shocked some listeners, while others were greatly impressed with the range of material the Dixie Chicks were capable of.

Several successful live tours followed, but controversy was waiting in the wings. In 2003, the band began to openly criticize the war in Iraq and President George Bush-and received plenty of criticism in return. It led to much consternation amongst fans when they finally released 2006′s Taking the Long Way, which still sold well despite fans still being irked about their anti-Bush views.

Though they’ve surely lost some fans during their career, there are many who find their music too good to keep away. Those are the people you still see waiting in line with Dixie Chicks tickets in hand from http://www.stubhub.com/dixie-chicks-tickets/.

Author Bio: This article was written by Andrew Good and sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells Dixie Chicks tickets as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the world.

Pat Benatar is still rocking the battlefield of music even after all these years, and it is all the more evident that she still holds enormous weight within the music industry, as she was just inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. The event took place last month, and Benatar was included among a list of other musical greats like LL Cool J, Marvin Hamlisch, Blue Oyster Cult, The Ramones and The Tokens. Benatar reportedly said in her acceptance letter that evening that she will “never forget that a small town girl from Lindenhurst LI actually got the chance to live her dreams. Long Island girls ROCK!” Indeed they do, and Pat Benatar is living proof.

Benatar is often considered one of the leading female rock vocalists of the 1980s, and it is amazing that she still has the gift of singing. She is most recognized for several of her favorite songs that include “Love is a Battlefield” and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” Benatar also has several Grammy Awards under her belt and has sold millions of records worldwide. Keep tabs on where Benatar and her husband will be playing so that you can be sure to get a pair of Pat Benatar tickets and enjoy the show.

Benatar was born in Brooklyn, New York, and she initially studied voice and opera in school, following in the footsteps of her mother. It was only later that she really began taking singing seriously, and she started performing at many different clubs and bars throughout New York City. Her first single, “Heartbreaker,” was released in late 1979, and immediately it was a hit, reaching the number 23 mark on the U.S. charts. Following that success, her debut LP, In the Heat of the Night, generated even more attention from both the critics and the fans. In 1981, she was awarded the Grammy for “Best Female Rock Vocal Performance,” and people really started catching on to her wild and crazy tunes that were quickly becoming favorites around the world. Of course this was just start of her well-known career. Benatar went on to record many other successful and well-received albums including Crimes of Passion, Precious Time, Get Nervous and Live From Earth. She’s hardly ever received bad reviews, and she continues to record music even well into the 2000s. Many people today are intent on purchasing plenty of Pat Benatar tickets so that they can see her many shows.

She has been considered the most successful female rock vocalist of all time and has won many awards throughout her lifetime for her amazing music. And of course it’s a sure bet that all of us at one point ended up in a karaoke bar pretending to sing “Love is a Battlefield” in a night that probably ended in embarrassment. She will sing every song and will most likely give it “her best shot.” Gather up your friends and make plans to sing along to some of Benatar’s most popular hits.

Author Bio: This article was written by Alexa Evans and is sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells Pat Benatar tickets, as well as many other kinds of sports tickets, concert tickets, special events tickets and theater tickets.

Since rising to fame in the ’70s, Springsteen’s music has taken on the mantle of being quintessentially American, a fusion of rock and storytelling that brought scenes of life from across the country to his listeners. His music has always celebrated the underdog and the downtrodden-and it’s easy to see why, considering Springsteen’s own background. Enjoy the talent of the underdog when he performs showcasing his legendary stage presence.

Born in Freehold, NJ in 1949, Springsteen grew up in a lower-income home, the son of a bus driver father and a legal secretary mother. He would move to New York in the ’60s, hoping to make it as one of the many folk/protest performers who were part of the thriving music culture of the time. But the genre didn’t really fit Springsteen’s musical inclinations. His debut record, Greetings from Asbury Park, set the mold for what he would become known for: Heartland rock that told stories of people struggling to get by, fall in love and die peacefully. His songs were more like short stories, featuring characters that were amalgamations (and sometimes stand-ins) of real people Springsteen knew. Asbury Park was largely overlooked when it was first issued; a follow-up record, The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle, also was passed over by the public. Critics hailed both, however, and over the years they’ve earned the cachet of being masterpieces. Both have also finally found commercial success, having gone platinum.

It wasn’t until Born to Run was released in 1975 that Springsteen began to develop a significant cult following, which resulted in larger album sales and rapidly growing word-of-mouth promotion. The title song would become one of Springsteen’s best known, and would be his first to break into the Top 10.

With the breakthrough completed, he faced an uphill climb. Legal troubles with a manager tied up any future albums, and by the time Springsteen did issue anything new, it was 1977 and punk had captured the public consciousness. The roots rock that Springsteen had developed was lost in the shuffle.

In 1980, he bounced back. Enough time had passed that there was breathing room in the market for traditional rock. The River would become a hit, laying the groundwork for his growing popularity. But two years later his popularity would explode with Nebraska, largely thought to be one of his best albums ever. Born in the U.S.A., which followed two years after that, would become his best known record ever, a testament to his songwriting ability and a boon to political campaigns in future decades.

It seemed like Springsteen’s career itself went platinum after Born in the U.S.A., and there’s no denying his influence can still be felt in the music of pop and rock artists today. His writing especially, and his deep respect for real American life, has made Bruce Springsteen tickets precious items for fans. Today, Springsteen is considered a legendary figure in the world of rock ‘n’ roll, and his reputation appears to only grow more mythic with each year.

This article was written by Andrew Good and sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/. StubHub sells http://www.stubhub.com/bruce-springsteen-tickets/ as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the world.