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Last week Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment officially announced last week that their Joker origin movie had gotten the green light. Now, the studio has confirmed that the upcoming film starring Joaquin Phoenix will debut in theaters on October 4, 2019 and will simply be titled Joker. On that release date the film will go up against Paramount’s Gemini Man from director Ang Lee and Fox’s thriller The Woman in the Window starring Amy Adams.

 
Under the direction of Todd Phillips (The Hangover franchise), the new film centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of a man disregarded by society is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.

Phillips will direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with writer Scott Silver (The Fighter). The film will be produced by Emma Tillinger Koskoff and executive produced by Richard Baratta and begins production later this year. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Warner Bros. is also reportedly in development on a separate Joker feature film which would star Jared Leto as the villain, reprising his role from Suicide Squad.

The full lineup for DANZIG’s 30th-anniversary “Halloween Hell-Bash” at FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, California on Saturday, November 3 has been announced. This will be the only California DANZIG live date for 2018. Joining DANZIG on the bill are special guests THE DAMNED, VENOM INC., THE METEORS, POWER TRIP and MUTOID MAN. Tickets will go on sale Friday July 27.

DANZIG Halloween 2018 tour dates:

Oct. 24 – Portland, OR – Roseland
Oct. 25 – Seattle, WA – Sodo
Oct. 27 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
Oct. 28 – [to be announced on July 25]
Oct. 31 – Denver, CO – Fillmore
Nov. 01 – Albuquerqe, NM – El Rey Theatre
Nov. 03 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre

These will be the last DANZIG live dates for awhile as Glenn Danzig will be concentrating on other projects which will be announced at a later date.

As previously reported, Glenn Danzig and his band will perform DANZIG’s 1992 album, “Danzig III: How The Gods Kill”, live in its entirety exclusively at this year’s Psycho Las Vegas festival, set to take place August 17-19 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will mark the only time “Danzig III” will be played in full in the U.S. this year.

Glenn previously played “How The Gods Kill” live at Riot Fest and his own Blackest Of The Black festival last year.

Glenn will also celebrate DANZIG’s 30th anniversary this year by playing a limited number of special shows in Europe in August.

The run begins August 2 at Wacken Open Air, where DANZIG will headline one of the main stages, and includes stops in the U.K., Germany, Luxembourg and Czech Republic. DANZIG will complete the tour with a headlining performance at Brutal Assault festival on August 11 in Jaromer, Czech Republic.

SOURCE: www.side-line.com

Out now is a brand new PIG video for the track “The Revelation”. The video follows a recent promo clip for “The Chosen Few” and is once again directed by E Gabriel Edvy at Blackswitch Labs.

Both songs are included on “Risen”, the new album by PIG. The new album is available here and counts 14 tracks including 5 remixes. More info on the new album can be found here.

There are great guitarists, great vocalists and great songwriters, but Monte Pittman is one of the elite few who can truly lay claim to all three titles — and on August 31, he once again raises the stakes with two new solo albums: “Better Or Worse” and “Between The Space”. Monte comments: “The album ‘Between The Space’ is a heavy album that gets straight to the point as soon as it starts. The theme is about connection, alignment, and what divides those things.

“As always when I write, my goal is coming up with the material that fits in my live show. I did everything on these albums. I wrote it all, I played every instrument, I recorded it, and I mixed it. The only thing I didn’t do was the artwork (by Aaron Lea) and mastering (by Alan Douches). It was a challenge having so many tasks. It was a luxury being able to take the time and get everything just how I wanted it. It was a learning experience, and it was a lot of fun making it.

“The album ‘Better Or Worse’ is an acoustic album but it feels like a heavy album. The theme is about being attached to something or being unattached. It could be an idea or a thought process. The softest part of the album has the heaviest lyrics. It builds instrumentally as the album progresses. I wanted the tone of each track to be a little different from each other.

“‘Better Or Worse’ and ‘Between The Space’ both mirror each other and they are polar opposites. The idea is to have something there for the people who like my heavy music, something for the people who like my acoustic music, and something for the people who like the variety of both.”

The new singles “Depth Perception” (from “Better Or Worse”) and “Evidence” (from “Between The Space”) can be streamed above.

“‘Evidence’ is the opening track off ‘Between The Space’,” Monte adds. “This is a great introduction to the album. It has a little bit of everything I’ve done up until now and taken it a few steps further. ‘Depth Perception’ is also the opening track off ‘Better Or Worse’. I wanted this album, and especially this song in particular, to be acoustic but feel like a heavy album.”

“Between The Space” track listing:

01. Evidence
02. Ominous / Hope
03. Changing Of The Guard
04. Between the Space

05. Once Upon A Time
06. Equal Temperament
07. Reverse Magnetism
08. Beguiling

“Better Or Worse” track listing

01. Depth Perception
02. Have Faith
03. Turning Retrograde
04. Better or Worse
05. The Right Words
06. Whose Side Are You On?
07. Torchbearer
08. Witch Trials

In support of “Between The Space” and “Better Or Worse”, Monte will join Sebastian Bach on the road this fall across the USA.

This Fall will see the first North American tour by from storied English rock band Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel in 10 years. Last Fall, the band released Dance Underwater, their first studio album of new material in 14 years. I’m hoping you might consider advancing their show via feature, album review or advance blurb. Please let me know if you need the music.

For a band to stay relevant across decades is unusual – but to do so with much of the same line-up for most of that time is exceptional. Such is the case with Gene Loves Jezebel, which indicates that these musicians come together not only out of an appreciation for the memorable music they create, but also because they truly like and respect each other. Jay Aston (vocals), James Stevenson (guitars), Pete Rizzo (bass) and Chris Bell (drums) – with Peter Walsh producing – have created extraordinary GLJ songs for 30 years now. With their new album, they honour that legacy by expanding it.

When the group announced a crowdfunding drive for their first album of new material in 14 years, fan response was swift and overwhelming, with donations far exceeding the initial goal. It is impressive, given the length of time since the last GLJ release from these gentlemen, that this outfit still generates this much interest. The band rewarded fans’ loyalty and trust with an intimate look inside the writing and recording process, with members posting frequent social media updates from the studio. Fans loved hearing about the joy and intensity that generate GLJ songs, and in turn, their outpouring of enthusiasm seemed to spur the group to greater levels of creativity. This give-and-take revealed the depth of mutual respect and gratitude between the band and its fans.

It is unsurprising that this edition of GLJ has proven as relevant and creatively vibrant as ever. These are the same members that helped the band achieve many of its biggest successes. This is not to say that any previous incarnations were unsuccessful but with this particular line-up, the GLJ sound crystallized into its most recognizable and enduring form.

GLJ members have always been far more interested in moving forward artistically, rather than dwelling on past achievements, but this reunion seems an appropriate occasion to acknowledge how each has made an integral imprint on the signature GLJ sound. Without any of them, GLJ might not have evolved into a such special entity with passionate fans worldwide.

Jay Aston founded GLJ in London in 1981 and quickly gained a fervent following. Promise, the band’s trailblazing debut, appeared in 1983. Though he shared vocals with his brother Michael, Jay was the primary songwriter. Jay’s songs, spotlighting his uninhibited and highly distinctive singing style, made GLJ instantly memorable and identifiable. Immigrant followed in 1985, marking Pete Rizzo’s first recordings with the band; his inventive and complex bass lines instantly became an essential part of the GLJ sound. The band matured even further on Discover (1986), when James Stevenson joined and demonstrated his talent for delivering guitar work that is both melodic and powerful. (Discover was also the first GLJ album that Peter Walsh was involved in, starting a symbiotic relationship that continues with their new album.) Then, on The House of Dolls (1987), Chris Bell joined the band full-time, his drumming providing a flawless foundation. Michael was largely absent from recording that album, resulting in the four-piece incarnation of Jay, Pete, James and Chris that is still going strong to this day.

It is noteworthy that while GLJ grew increasingly successful with each release, The House of Dolls led to a big jump in their U.K. and U.S. popular chart success, as well as substantial MTV exposure, a trend that continued when this same lineup released Kiss of Life (1990) and the single “Jealous” reached the top spot on the U.S. alternative rock chart. The band had clearly hit its stride, and the artistic achievements continued unabated with the following studio albums: Heavenly Bodies in 1992 (which the band itself considers its finest studio recording – until this new album, that is!), VII in 1999, and The Thornfield Sessions in 2003.

There is a particular ineffable magic in these musicians reuniting as GLJ. Their experience and knowledge add a layer of depth to the music they create together. They refuse to relegate their band to some nostalgia/novelty circuit; you will never find them merely creating a House of Dolls 2.0. Instead, their new release is intense and energetic, reflecting the euphoria found in rekindling a fulfilling long-time dynamic partnership.

Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel had embarked on its next decade of musical excellence. The new album is truly a gift to all their fans who in turn gave a great gift to the band by making its production possible!

Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel U.S. Tour

Sept 4 – Austin TX @ Elysium
Sept 6 – Atlanta GA @ The Masquerade
Sept 7 – Winston Salem NC @ Ramkat
Sept 8 – Philadelphia PA @ KungFu Necktie
Sept 9 – New York NY @ The Cutting Room
Sept 10 – Providence RI @ Fete Lounge
Sept 12 – Pittsburgh PA @ Crafthouse
Sept 13 – Chicago IL @ Bottom Lounge
Sept 14 – Kansas City MO @ Riot Room
Sept 15 – Denver CO @ The Venue
Sept 16 – Salt Lake City UT @ The Rye
Sept 18 – Vancouver BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
Sept 19 – Seattle WA @ El Corazon
Sept 21 – Portland OR @ Star Theater
Sept 22 – San Francisco CA @ DNA Lounge
Sept 23 – Los Angeles CA @ The Echo
Sept 26 – Santa Ana CA @ The Observatory
Sept 28 – San Diego CA @ The Casbah
Sept 29 – Mesa AZ @ Club Red

http://www.jaston.com