Celebrity Wife Swap episode featuring Dee and Suzette Snider available Online

Didya catch Tuesday’s Celebrity Wife Swap featuring Dee and Suzette Snider (and their family) along with Flavor Flav and his fiancée, Liz, and their kids? We may be biased, but we’re not blind…Dee and his family were fun, welcoming and up for anything (even crocheting with the uber mellow Liz in the back yard, no lie!). Best part: Dee recording the House of Hair around minute 19! Suzette and Flav got along fine in the beginning, but when Flav started leaving the family and wouldn’t play by Suzette’s “rules” (part of the show), things quickly deteriorated.

Check out Suzette and Flav’s final confrontation here. We’ve gotta say, after watching the episode, he deserved everything she dished out (and she dished out a lot).

The show will air again this Saturday, January 14, on ABC; check your local listings for times and set your DVRs!

OR

You can watch the episode online too — right here ABC-TV Celebrity Wife Swap

Queensryche’s Geoff Tate Surprises American Idol’s James Durbin at Wedding

QUEENSRYCHE’S GEOFF TATE SURPRISES
AMERICAN IDOL’S JAMES DURBIN AND WIFE HEIDI
AT THEIR WEDDING RECEPTION ON NEW YEAR’S EVE
WITH PERFORMANCE OF “TAKE HOLD OF THE FLAME”

GEOFF TATE “AND FRIENDS”
TO PERFORM SELECT, ALL-ACOUSTIC DATES
ON THE WEST COAST BEGINNING ON JANUARY 27TH

Shortly after Queensryche’s Geoff Tate heard that American Idol’s James Durbin was going to sing the band’s song, “Take Hold of the Flame” to his new bride, Heidi Lowe, at their wedding reception on New Year’s Eve, he started making arrangements to join the festivities.

A great way to end 2011 and bring in the new year!

Known to representatives, but unbeknownst to James and Heidi, Geoff and his wife, Susan, flew from Seattle to Northern California for the big surprise.

The Durbins walked into the reception where Geoff quickly introduced himself.

A dream come true for James, both he and Geoff hit the stage and sang “Take Hold of the Flame’ together with Heidi just a few feet away.

A truly memorable evening, indeed, for the newlyweds who had publicly stated that the song was one of their favorites.

See the People magazine coverage for more details – http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20557815,00.html / http://www.queensryche.com/2012/01/09/an-idol-rocker-wedding/

This was just the beginning of what promises to be another exciting year for Geoff Tate.

After touring extensively in 2011 with his band, Queensryche, Geoff recently announced that he will be doing a handful of acoustic solo dates billed as “Geoff Tate and Friends” beginning on Friday, January 27 at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California.

What can fans expect on the brief run of dates?

According to Tate, he’ll be “playing acoustic versions of all my favorite Queensryche songs as well as some songs from my solo album.” And that certainly gives him a lot to choose from…

Not one to remain idle, Tate is anxious to hit the road again next year despite an incredibly busy 2011 that found the band performing over 75 dates along their 30th Anniversary tour primarily in support of their 12th studio album, Dedicated to Chaos (Roadrunner Records/Loud & Proud), that was released in the summer.

Towards the end of the tour, Geoff and the band pulled out “all the stops” by performing Rage for Order in its entirety for the first time ever (New York City on Halloween) and Operation: Mindcrime from beginning to end on this year’s ShipRocked Cruise (with In This Moment’s Maria Brink handling vocal chores as “Sister Mary”) for the first time in three years. Both shows were a pure treat for fans!

“Mindcrime” (1988) is universally respected as a classic concept release about rock, revenge and redemption and, ultimately, regarded as one of the most important and essential hard rock records in the genre’s expansive canon. 1990’s follow-up, Empire, yielded a number one single, the Grammy-nominated ballad “Silent Lucidity,” which Queensryche performed at the 1992 Grammy Awards accompanied by a supporting orchestra.

In 2006, the band released Operation: Mindcrime II, a scorching sequel to their original. The band then hit the road performing both albums Operation: Mindcrime and Operation: Mindcrime II back-to-back in their entirety in an incredible theatrical presentation throughout the year. The final performance was recorded at The Moore Theatre in Seattle that October and the Mindcrime at the Moore double CD/DVD release debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Music DVD Chart and eventually reached gold status.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years and more than 20 million albums sold worldwide later…

For 2012, Queensryche has plenty up its sleeve.

For more information, please view the official Queensryche website at www.queensryche.com.

TOUR DATES

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27 – THE CANYON CLUB IN AGOURA HILLS, CALIFORNIA

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 – ANTHOLOGY IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29 – THE COACH HOUSE IN SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIFORNIA

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31 – CENTER FOR THE ARTS IN GRASS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 – EL REY IN CHICO, CALIFORNIA

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 – UPTOWN IN NAPA, CALIFORNIA

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 – FINAGHTY’S IN SNOQUALMIE, WASHINGTON

Van Halen – New Album and New Tour Announced for 2012

One of the worst-kept secrets in rock music was officially revealed last week, as Van Halen, featuring original frontman David Lee Roth, announced they have a new Interscope album ready to go and will hit the road next month for a North American tour. In a rousing show last Thursday at New York’s cozy Café Wha?, the band roared through a number of their well-known hits in advance of the new single “Tattoo,” which comes out tomorrow. Our friend Mike Mullaney, APD/MD of WBMX (Mix 104.1)/Boston, was lucky enough to be in the audience at that once-in-a-lifetime performance, for which we will forever be jealous of him. “As a lifelong Van Halen fanatic, this was the single greatest night of my life!” he tells RAMP. “I was lucky enough to be directly in front of Eddie, and while my hearing will never be the same, it was worth it! The band sounded as good as they did the first time I saw them back in 1981 — Eddie is the best, Alex makes being a monster look easy, Dave was the ringmaster he’s always been, and while we all miss Michael Anthony, Wolfgang [Van Halen] is a great musician,” Mullaney continues excitedly. “The set was all vintage Halen, hit after hit. I cannot wait for the new album — this is the greatest hard rock band this country has ever produced, and they proved it in spades at Café Wha. Best. Night. Ever.”

Mullaney will have to cool his heels until Feb. 7, when Interscope releases A Different Kind of Truth, the band’s first studio album with DLR since the iconic 1984. Only a couple of weeks after putting out this long-awaited new material, Van Halen will kick off their tour, starting in Louisville on Feb. 18 and cruising through the U.S. and Canada before finishing in New Orleans on June 26, withKool & The Gang opening on selected dates. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, Jan. 14, when a crush of rabid Van Halen fans will swarm the Ticketmaster and Live Nation websites.

Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi diagnosed with early stage cancer

This morning, Black Sabbath made the following announcement on the band’s Facebook fanpage.

“With the news that Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi has been diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma, his bandmates would like everyone to send positive vibes to the guitarist at this time. Iommi is currently working with his doctors to establish the best treatment plan–the “IRON MAN” of Rock & Roll remains upbeat and determined to make a full and successful recovery.

This comes as Black Sabbath–Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums)–are writing and recording their first album in 33 years in Los Angeles (still set for release this fall) with producer Rick Rubin. They will now go to the UK to continue to work with Tony. Further information will be released as it becomes available.”

Lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in immune system cells; there are many forms of lymphoma. However, even most of the aggressive lymphomas respond well to treatment and are curable.

The HOH will keep you updated on Tony’s condition. In the meantime the staff of HOH is sending all our positive headbanger vibes out to Tony, and wish him a speedy recovery!

Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler gets engaged to girlfriend Erin Brady

Dream on if you think you had a chance at snaring Aerosmith lead vocalist/American Idol host/author Steven Tyler as your next spouse. Tyler was recently engaged to longtime girlfriend Erin Brady, who at 38 is 25 years his junior. If all goes well, this will be Tyler’s third marriage.

Read all the juicy details over at www.nydailynews.com.

Van Halen announces 2012 tour with David Lee Roth

They’re baaaaack!! Van Halen just announced via their website that they will once again be touring with original vocalist David Lee Roth in 2012. Roth had rejoined the band for a 2007-2008 tour that grossed more than $93 million and played in front of over 1 million fans in North America. Joining Roth are co-founders Eddie and Alex Van Halen, and Wolfgang “Wolfie” Van Halen, the offspring of Eddie and Valerie Bertinelli. Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony are currently in Chickenfoot, and Gary Cherone is nowhere to be found! JOKE! Tickets for the tour go on sale January 10th, although dates have not yet been announced.

Reportedly, Van Halen’s new Interscope release will come out in early 2012. Sammy Hagar has suggested that all the songs will be based on riffs written prior to him joining the band…we shall see! For now, we’re just happy to get Van Halen out touring again, even though it might be hard for the 57-year-old Roth to do some of those split jumps!!

Check out the video, to see Eddie Van Halen, his brother Alex, and Eddie’s son Wolfgang playing while David Lee Roth runs around the stage being David Lee Roth!

Van Halen – Hot For Teacher Trailer from Van Halen on Vimeo.

Black Sabbath Reunites! 11-11-11

BLACK SABBATH REUNITES TO RECORD FIRST NEW STUDIO ALBUM IN 33 YEARS
AND LAUNCH MASSIVE WORLD TOUR IN 2012

OZZY OSBOURNE, TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER AND BILL WARD UNVEIL PLANS ON 11/11/11
AT A LOS ANGELES PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE WHISKY A GO-GO,
WHERE THE BAND PERFORMED THEIR FIRST LOS ANGELES DATE EXACTLY 41 YEARS AGO

After much speculation, the original four members of BLACK SABBATH–OZZY OSBOURNE (vocals), TONY IOMMI (guitar), GEEZER BUTLER (bass) and BILL WARD (drums)–have reunited to record their first new studio album in 33 years with producer Rick Rubin (seven-time Grammy winner, two of those as Producer of the Year) and to embark on a massive world tour in 2012.

OSBOURNE, IOMMI, BUTLER and WARD as well as Rubin all gathered today on 11/11/11 to announce the news at a Los Angeles press conference at the legendary club, the Whisky A Go-Go, the site of the groundbreaking and influential band’s first L.A. concert exactly 41 years ago (Nov 11, 1970). The event was hosted by the revered musical and spoken word artist Henry Rollins who has said that “Any band worth their weight in napalm wishes they had written ‘War Pigs.’”

Selling over 70 million albums together, the Grammy-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees have signed a new record deal worldwide with Vertigo and Vertigo/ Universal Republic in the U.S., the band’s original label. BLACK SABBATH is now in the studio recording the as-yet-untitled new album for release in the fall of 2012 (exact date TBA). It will mark their ninth studio album together and their first since 1978’s Never Say Die!

Next summer, BLACK SABBATH will headline the mammoth multi-day UK Download Festival in the U.K. on June 10. The new album will then be supported with a worldwide headline arena tour (dates TBA).

BLACK SABBATH also announced today the launch of www.blacksabbath.com, the first-ever official BLACK SABBATH website for all authorized BLACK SABBATH news. In addition, the band’s online presence will also be supported by social media via Facebook and Twitter–again, marking the band’s first-ever foray into the social media world.

BLACK SABBATH released their self-titled debut album in 1970. “Black Sabbath is credited with creating heavy metal,” according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “The success of their first two albums–Black Sabbath and Paranoid–marked a paradigm shift in the world of rock. Not until Black Sabbath upended the music scene did the term ‘heavy metal’ enter the popular vocabulary to describe the denser, more thunderous offshoot of rock over which they presided.” The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also noted, “…they remain one of the most misunderstood bands in rock history,” adding: “The band’s musicality was generally overlooked, but they possessed an inventiveness and fluency that, in hindsight, makes them seem as much of a progressive-rock band as a heavy-metal one.”

In 1998, BLACK SABBATH released Reunion from their 1997 concerts in Birmingham, England, a two-CD live set that featured two new studio songs. The band has also sporadically reunited for shows in 1999, 2002 and 2004; in 2005, the four performed concerts together when they toured Europe and then headlined the 10th anniversary of Osbourne’s namesake festival OZZfest. Also in 2005, they were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame by Brian May of Queen. This was followed by their induction in 2006 into the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed on them by Metallica’s James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.

TWISTED SISTER FROM THE BARS TO THE STARS: THREE DECADES LIVE OUT NOW

Twisted Sister will celebrate Christmas early this year with the release of Twisted Sister From The Bars To The Stars: Three Decades Live, a 5-DVD boxed set, on November 8. The lavish package comes complete with curios such as a Twisted Sister Christmas ornament, an official “New York Steel” backstage pass, a classic two and a half-inch Twisted Sister pin and a reproduction of the first-ever SMF Fan Club letter.

Over eight hours long, From The Bars To The Stars has to be considered the ultimate Twisted Sister boxed set. One of the five DVDs, Twisted Xmas: Live In Las Vegas, is a total exclusive, having never before been released in any format. This 2009 concert showcases the band performing such beloved holiday fare as “White Christmas” and “Come All Ye Faithful” next to “Burn In Hell” and “Deck The Halls” as only Twisted Sister can. In fact, Jay Jay French, Dee Snider, Mark Mendoza, A.J. Perro, and Eddie Ojeda, have made this holiday merriment a metal tradition for the past few years.

Live At Reading was filmed in 1982 at England’s biggest rock festival. A bonus 2011 band interview is included.

Double Live juxtaposes an early Long Island, New York show (North Stage ‘82), filmed just prior to the band breaking internationally, and NY Steel ‘01, the New York City 9/11 benefit they headlined.

Live At Wacken documents the band’s 2003 Wacken Open Air Festival reunion appearance in Germany. Complete with behind-the-scenes backstage footage and band interviews about their 1980s rise to world domination, break-up and reunion, it also contains their entire set on the big stage at this most prestigious of European Heavy Metal festivals.

Any SMF would agree – This is one boxed set no Twisted Sister fan can do without.

Bob Dylan, Dee Snider, File $2.6 Million Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

Bob Dylan and Dee Snider have filed a massive $2.5 million copyright infringement lawsuit against a local radio station. The Bob Dylan, Dee Snider lawsuit claims that WOLD-FM committed willful copyright infringement of their songs starting last year. WOLD-FM is a Marion, Virginia radio station otherwise known as “The Renegade”, according to an exclusive report from LALATE News of Los Angeles.

In MPCA King of Spades v. T.E.C. 2 Broadcasting, Inc., Dylan and Snider are suing T.E.C. 2 Broadcasting and Thomas E. Copenhaver for willful copyright infringement . The plaintiffs are also seeking injunctive relief and damages claiming Defendants’ engaged in “repeated, unauthorized public performances of Plaintiffs’ copyrighted musical compositions on Defendants’ owned and operated commercial radio station”.

The twenty-two page, seventeen count, complaint is seeking $150,000, not per alleged willful infringement, but per count. Messrs. Dylan, Snider and other defendants have yet to comment about the lawsuit.

For more information, see the full article here at Lalate.com.

What the Halloween Candy You Give Out Says About You

Poster courtesy of www.ultimatecoupons.com

Dee Snider Cast in Adam Green’s Horror Comedy ‘Holliston’

FEARnet Casts Dee Snider (”Twisted Sister”) As Series Regular For Horror-Comedy “Holliston”

Genre Cable Network Starts Production Next Month On Original Series

FEARnet, cable television’s premier horror, thriller and suspense channel, has added Dee Snider (Twisted Sister, Strangeland, radio/television personality) and Oderus Urungus (Alien lead singer from legendary heavy metal band “GWAR”) to “Holliston,” an outrageous and offbeat multi-camera, half-hour buddy comedy series starring directors Adam Green (”Hatchet 1 & 2,” “Frozen,” “Chillerama”) and Joe Lynch (”Knights of Badassdom,” “Wrong Turn 2,” “Chillerama”). Created by Green, FEARnet recently gave the series a six-episode order and is slated to begin production in September.

“The Big Bang Theory” meets “Evil Dead II” series, set in the town of Holliston, MA, follows the lives of Adam and Joe, two friends chasing the dream of becoming successful horror movie filmmakers while struggling to make ends meet in their post-college jobs at a Boston cable access station where they also host a late night movie program called “The Movie Crypt.”

“Both Dee Snider and Oderus Urungus exude the kind of larger than life personalities and elements that these characters were written for. Both are true performers down to their cores and the entire cast and crew is so excited to have them join our family in these very fun roles that were tailor made for their sensibilities,” says Green.

Snider joins the cast as Green and Lynch’s boss who also happens to be a longtime member of a “Van Halen” tribute band. While he still dreams of being a rock star, he also takes the cable job very seriously and has delusions of grandeur of how he’s part of “Hollywood.” Urungus will play himself and is Green’s “imaginary” friend who happens to live in a closet and gives him advice (extremely misguided and offensive advice).

“This show fits in perfectly with our current series, and Dee and Oderus are excellent additions to the new original,” said Peter Block, president, FEARnet. “Both are beloved by the genre fans and are just the first announcement in a list of thrilling casting to come for ‘Holliston’. FEARnet is the only place you can find this mix of characters.”

Snider and Urungus join Green and Lynch in an ensemble cast that also includes Laura Ortiz (”The Hills Have Eyes,” “Horton Hears A Who”) and Corri English (”Unrest,” “The Bedford Diaries,” lead singer of Brokedown Cadillac).

Created, written, and directed by Green, his production company ArieScope Pictures will handle the production of “Holliston.” Green and Lynch will serve as executive producers along with producer Cory Neal (”Frozen,” “Hatchet”).

“Holliston” is intended to take a slot on FEARnet’s Tuesday night “Twisted Comedy” block, a horror-comedy lineup that consists of a distinctive pair of scripted series: “Todd & The Book of Pure Evil,” a supernatural high-school comedy featuring Jason Mewes (”Mallrats,” “Clerks,” “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”), and “Psychoville,” an award-winning, British black-comedy thriller that centers on a group of characters haunted by a mysterious blackmailer.

Jani Lane remembered by rocker friends at Key Club Tribute

The Los Angeles rock community celebrated the late Jani Lane’s life Monday, August 29th in a memorial tribute at the Key Club. That club used to be Gazzarri’s, the very place where Lane’s band Warrant first rose to prominence on the Sunset Strip before eventually selling millions of records thanks to hit classic hit singles like “Cherry Pie” and “Heaven.”

Performers included Quiet Riot (who lost their own lead singer, Kevin Dubrow, 8 years ago), L.A. Guns, Great White (who Jani just fronted while singer Jack Russell recovered from surgery) and Enuff Z’Nuff. Other musicians jammed at the end of the evening, and Jani’s first wife, Bobbie Brown (of “Cherry Pie” video fame) also was in attendance, along with his brother Eric Oswald.

Check out some videos from the Tribute, below.

Read the full story, with photos, at the LA Daily News.

Sebastian Bach has lost his house due to flooding from Irene

Sebastian Bach’s house has been damaged and condemned due to flooding by Irene. Sebastian Bach has posted on his Facebook page that he is “numb, in shock and devastated to report” that his Red Bank, N.J., home was condemned in the wake of Hurricane Irene after a nearby reservoir overflowed and sent a bridge careening into his garage, knocking the house off its foundation and flooding his basement.

Bach says that his ex-wife and kids are safe, but tons of Skid Row and KISS memorabilia is lost.

“Gone are irreplacable [sic] items, such as my KISS Gargoyles from the 1979 tour,” Bach said. “KISS pinball machine. Skid Row master tapes, video & audio, concerts, master tapes from Oh Say Can You Scream etc. Boxes & boxes of one of a kind Skid Row memorabilia, from the first tour to our last, all stuff I collected on the road that no one else had. I had a library in the basement with every single magazine that had Skid Row on the cover … All of this is lost now.”

Bach posted that he’s relieved that his sons and their friends moved all of his father’s artwork and his comics collection from the basement to the third floor, which remained dry. But, he adds, they’re not allowed to return to the house to retrieve any belongings because the house “could conceivably collapse at any second.”

Monday afternoon he posted, “I will be on the @eddietrunk radio show tonight at 9PM ET to play the new single “Kicking & Screaming” & to discuss the destruction of life as I know it”, along with pictures of his flooded home. “Somewhere under this water is a KISS pinball machine & 2 gargoyles from the Dynasty tour. If you see them floating past your house, they’re mine. Or at least they were . ” he posted earlier.

Read more and post your condolences on Sebastian’s Facebook fan page.

Executive Producer of the HOH, Pam Edwards, speaks about Jani Lane

For several years, I worked with Jani Lane of Warrant when I was a VP at Columbia Records. During the promotion of the “Dog Eat Dog” CD (which I still think features some of Warrant’s best songs), I went on a promo tour with them for about six weeks. The first thing Jani ever said to me was, “I hear you think we suck. Why are you here?” I’d been blindsided by a guy who worked closely with the band and had told Jani that I thought their live shows were terrible. There was nothing I could do but admit what I’d said. Jani asked which shows I’d been to and when I told him he said, “You’re right. Those were terrible shows. We’re cool.” We proceeded to actually have a lot of fun on this promo tour, although it was grueling. While I did all the driving and organizing, Jani and usually Joey (I always had Jani and one other band member with me) got to sleep.

After all the radio interviews every day, we went out every night to clubs, bars and strip joints. Since technically I was responsible for them getting out of bed the next morning, I had to make sure they actually made it home to the hotel at night, so I was the designated driver. I have never ever seen anyone drink more night after night than Jani. He was a drinking machine, and I guess we all know now that that’s not a good thing. At the time though, I was just amazed that he could get up every morning and function.

Through it all, I came to really admire Jani. He was truly smart – well-read and very astute. I think songwriting came very easily to him. He didn’t seem like a tortured soul to me and was actually lighthearted, sweet and very funny. The only negative during the whole promo tour was that metal was dying a fast and painful death. Here they were with a cd that in any other previous year would have been muti-platinum, and we were begging for airplay. “Hole In My Wall”, “Bitter Pill”…they were great songs. I personally think that the downfall of the genre is what started his decline.

Over the years, I ran into Jani several times, the last being at Rocklahoma. He was sober at the time, very fit, and looking good. I just gave him a big hug and told him that I was happy he had conquered his demons. He promised that he was on a good path and taking life day by day. Recently, I’d been in touch with his guitar player Patrick Kennison, and had received nice greetings from Jani. Of course, it seemed like the DUIs kept piling up, but I was hopeful they were minor setbacks.

Jani, you were a hell of a songwriter and a sweet man. I’ll miss you. RIP.

Pam Edwards
Founder and Executive Producer
The House of Hair

Jani Lane, Former lead singer of Warrant, found dead in hotel

“Jani Lane’s is yet another sad story of a boy who attained his dreams of greatness, only to be blindsided by the pressures, temptations and disappointments of those same dreams. We all watched over the years, as he soared, stumbled, fell, then got up again and again. Tragically, he will get up no more. RIP Jani.”
– Dee Snider 8/12/11

Listen to Dee’s Statement, here

<br /> <bgsound src="http://houseofhaironline.com/audio/DeeJaniMessage.mp3"/><br />

Executive Producer of the HOH, Pam Edwards, speaks about Jani Lane

Read it here: HOH’s Pam Edwards, remembers Jani Lane

Warrant’s Video Tribute to Jani Lane

Headbangers Mourn Jani Lane

UPDATE: 8/15/11, 10:45A –

TMZ.com is reporting that Jani Lane had been kicked out and banned from the Hilton Woodland Hills hotel earlier last month for trashing his room.

Read more here

UPDATE: 8/12/11, 9:45P –

EOnline.com is reporting that Jani Lane’s autopsy is inconclusive, and his cause of death is pending toxicology tests that may be weeks away…

Read more here.

UPDATE: 8/12/11, 4:11P CDT -

An anonymous source told the L.A. Times that Authorities on Friday were trying to determine why Jani Lane, former lead singer of the 1980s glam-band Warrant, was at a Woodland Hills motel when he died.

Lane has a home in the South Bay, so it is unclear exactly why he was at the Ventura Boulevard motel, according to law enforcement sources familiar with the case. Alcohol and prescription drugs were found in the motel room, the sources said, but there was no indication he took intentionally took his own life. Lane’s body was found about 5:30 p.m. Thursday in a room at a Comfort Inn in the 20100 block of Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills.

“He was discovered unresponsive,” said Coroner’s Deputy Chief Ed Winter. Lane was pronounced dead by fire department paramedics.

Read more here.

UPDATE: 8/12/11, 3:06P CDT -

Jani Lane to be Honored By Warrant at their show this evening.
TMZ is reporting that Jani Lane ’s former band will pay tribute to the fallen singer at their concert tonight in North Dakota. Guitarist Erik Turner told TMZ, “We will be making a tribute before we play the song ‘Heaven’ (written by Lane in 1989) tonight.” He adds, “We never thought that when the song ‘Heaven’ was written we would be playing it someday in the memory of Jani’s untimely death. This is a very sad day for rock and roll. One of the great things about music is that it lives on forever.”

UPDATE: 8/12/11, 10:06A CDT -

The L.A. Times is reporting the L.A. County Coroner’s office is planning an autopsy on Jani Lane, former lead singer of the 1980s glam-band Warrant, who was found dead Thursday evening in Woodland Hills.
Read the entire story here.

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The HOH is saddened to report that Warrant singer, Jani Lane, is dead.

Jani Lane, the former lead singer of the 1980’s glam metal band Warrant, has been found dead in a hotel. He was 47.

According to TMZ, the body of the singer, whose real name was John Kennedy Oswald, was discovered at the Comfort Inn hotel in Woodland Hills, Calif. yesterday evening.

The cause of death has not yet released. Lane, 47, wrote Warrant’s hits “Heaven,” “Cherry Pie” and “I Saw Red” in the late 1980s. Eventually he left the band to pursue a solo career. In 2005 Lane joined VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club. He rejoined Warrant in 2008 only to leave it again months later, for good. According to TMZ, Lane had a history of alcohol-related issues, and was arrested twice on DUI charges.

We’ll post more updates on this story as soon as we get them.

R.I.P Jani Lane
You will be missed!!!

DORO PESCH ANNOUNCES TWO U.S. DVD RELEASE SHOWS THIS FALL

In 2008, legendary metal queen, DORO PESCH, celebrated her 25th anniversary concert at the ISS Dome in her hometown of Dusseldorf, Germany. With over 8,500 people in attendance, the magical, full-documented performance included guest appearances by Overkill’s Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth, Grave Digger’s Chris Boltendahl, former Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen, Scorpions’ Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker, Liv Kristine (Leaves’ Eyes), Floor Jansen (After Forever), Axel Rudi Pell and many others. The set was recorded in its entirety and resulted in the mammoth 25 Years In Rock 2 DVD/CD set which includes the once-on-a-lifetime concert as well as out-takes from DORO’s 2,500th concert and more. 25 Years In Rock will finally be available to North American fans on September 13, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records.

In conjunction with the Stateside release, DORO will perform two special shows – her previously announced appearance in New York City on September 9th and an additional show in Chicago on September 11. Both nights will include clips from the DVD, limited edition merchandise and an autograph session followed by a performance by the metal queen herself. Tickets are on sale now through all local ticket outlets!

DORO PESCH 25 Years In Rock US Release Shows:
9/09/2011 Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY [BUY]
9/11/2011 Reggie’s Rock Club – Chicago, IL [BUY]

In related news, PESCH recently did a short run of shows in Spain with Dio Disciples filling in for singer Tim “Ripper” Owens. Dio Disciples is the new project featuring former Dio members Rudy Sarzo (bass), Simon Wright (drums), Craig Goldy (guitar) and Scott Warren (keyboards), along with Owens and additional singer Toby Jepson, who pay tribute to legendary vocalist, Ronnie James Dio. Owens was unable to make the Spanish shows to celebrate his daughter’s wedding.

Watch fan-filmed footage of DORO performing “Don’t Talk To Strangers” HERE.

More DORO news, to come. In the meantime, be sure to check out DORO’s new (and official) fan page at: www.facebook.com/DoroOfficial
www.doropesch.com
www.nuclearblastusa.com

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