Modern Metal Favorites JINJER Return with New Album, Macro, out October 25, 2019!
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Music Industry Legend Jon Zazula, a.k.a. Jonny Z, to Release Tell-All Book, “Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula”
Lived and Told by Megaforce Records Co-Founder Jon Zazula
Brought to Life by Harold Claros-Maldonado
Foreword by Testament Vocalist Chuck Billy
Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula Available for Pre-Order in Hardcover and Paperback Here
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Jonathan Zazula, known the world over as Jonny Z, has lived an intense life. Born in 1952, he began his extraordinary journey as a renegade youth who went from living on the streets of the Bronx in New York City, to later working on Wall Street, and eventually (and unexpectedly) transitioning into the music business and discovering Metallica and others. Today, Jonny Z remains one of the most respected names in heavy metal and the music industry as a whole.
Jonny Z tells all about his incredible life in a brand new book that he describes as, “not a typical rock n’ roll book, but rather, a blue collar success story” – entitled Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula, scheduled for release on Tuesday, October 29, 2019. Heavy Tales is the detailed, never before told story of how Jonny Z founded legendary New Jersey-based label Megaforce Records with his wife, Marsha, and built a dynasty unmatched by others – forever changing the scope of heavy metal.
Pre-orders for standard and signed hardcover and paperback copies of Heavy Tales are now available via www.jonzazula.com, as well as digital retailers such as Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble and Ingram Content Group.
The ebook version of Heavy Tales will be available for pre-order soon, and will be released on Black Friday, November 29, 2019.
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Jonny Z and Marsha Zazula in the Golden Era of Megaforce
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Jonny Z says about deciding to release a book about his life, “I wanted to tell the story of my life before someone else did. This is a story that has a motto behind it – “nothing to it but to do it”. There were a lot of odds factoring in for Marsha and myself, and we did it. No matter what anyone says to Marsha and I, we did it, and I just wanted to get that story down – that it took two people. I wanted our love story in there. I was also never very forward and transparent about my manic depression and bi-polar condition, and I just wanted to tell the story of how a man can get through that, poverty, incarceration and humiliation and rise to succeed with everything against him.”
After experiencing the horrors of Wall Street, in order to put food on the table for his children, Jonny Z began selling records at a flea market store he dubbed Rock N’ Roll Heaven in 1981, which blossomed into a major record store in the United States and influenced the heavy metal movement as we know it today. Seminal Megaforce Records publicist and Adrenaline PR CEO Maria Ferrero was his first customer before the store was even open.
Zazula adds, “I sold metal records because metal is foreground music, not background music. It inspires you to listen and pay attention to it. The fans of heavy metal music all came into the store with their painted jackets and denim vests and patches, which was very reminiscent to me of the late 60s and early 70s music scene that I was such a part of.”
In the winter of 1982, Jonny Z received an unexpected demo tape from underground, unsigned band Metallica. Eager and determined to have the music heard by the entire world, Jonny and Marsha, founded Megaforce Records in 1983, and soon after, released Metallica‘s debut album, Kill ‘Em All. Through this release, Megaforce cemented its position as the de-facto music label in America for heavy metal – but that’s just the start. The bands they would go on to work with released some of the most prolific and important albums in heavy metal history, giving it its Golden Era.
Heavy Tales details the stories of how Jonny Z worked miracles by managing and releasing albums by Metallica, Anthrax, Testament, Mercyful Fate, Overkill, Exciter, Stormtroopers of Death, Method of Destruction, Ace Frehley, King’s X, Ministry, Mindfunk, Nudeswirl, Warren Haynes, Disco Biscuits and others, and how one night in 1984, he jokingly created rap metal before anyone else conceived the idea.
With a foreword written by Testament vocalist Chuck Billy, plus over 100 rare photographs unearthed from the MegaVault and photographer friends worldwide, Heavy Tales is the definitive American story of a family man with a dream, determined to prove to the world that heavy metal belonged on the stage, in your car, on the radio, inand in your living room.
Chuck Billy mentions in the foreword, “After reading this book and learning about Jonny Z and how he helped to shape the future of heavy metal, I think you will agree that being a bat shit crazy genius is what it took to create the biggest independent record label in the world.”
Together, Jonny and Marsha built a musical dynasty out of modest beginnings unmatched by any other underground heavy metal label, a partnership that has stood the test of time, deaths, egos, and grunge.
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Outside Rock N’ Roll Heaven record store in Clark, NJ
Photo: Brian Keith Nyers
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Jonny Z and Scott Ian of Anthrax
Photo: Mark Weiss
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The stories told in Heavy Tales were captured and compiled by Harold Claros-Maldonado, a lifelong fan of heavy metal who originally contacted the Zazulas to write a report on early Metallica. After several discussions, Zazula felt Claros-Maldonado would be the ideal partner to help him tell his story in a book.
Harold Claros-Maldonado says, “Jon Zazula is without question the Godfather of thrash metal. Having the opportunity to work together, I learned about the miracles he worked in order to release some of the most potent heavy metal albums of all time. With this book, I know many fans of Megaforce Records releases will have a greater sense of how a working-class man built an empire out of nothing to give us all the soundtrack to our lives.”
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L to R: James Hetfield, Scott Ian, Jonny Z, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Cliff Burton
Photo: Metal Mike Rijswijk
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Jonny says, “At one point we were one of the biggest indie record labels in America. With all of the mistakes and all of the successes, we managed to thrive. Readers may learn what to do and what not to do as fledgling industry hopefuls getting started in the business. The book is a hard, brutal unraveling of the truth, and tells it all. I’m putting this book out around Halloween, because there’s nothing scarier than the truth.”
Release parties are currently being planned for the fall – stay tuned for more details!
For more information on Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula, please visit www.jonzazula.com, www.facebook.com/heavytales and www.instagram.com/thejonzazula, and stay tuned for more information coming soon.
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Photo: Gary Schwartz
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DEVILDRIVER and STATIC-X Announce Second Leg of Co-Headline North American Wisconsin Death Trip 20th Anniversary Tour
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Progressive Metal Prodigies Sifting Announce New Album The Infinite Loop Out September 27
Album produced by Steve Evetts (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Suicide Silence, Poison the Well) and mixed by Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me, The Contortionist)
Watch the new music video, ‘A Critical Affair’ via YouTube, stream the single at Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer
Pre-orders for The Infinite Loop now available at this location
Progressive metal prodigies SIFTING will release their upcoming third full-length album entitled The Infinite Loop on September 27, 2019 via Eclipse Records. The album was produced by Steve Evetts (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Suicide Silence, Poison the Well), mixed & mastered by Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me, The Contortionist), and the album’s artwork was designed by Jimmy León. See below for the full track listing.
The Infinite Loop is a masterpiece of progressive metal featuring 70 minutes of mind-blowing jedi-like musicianship, perhaps only rivaled by the likes of Rush, Megadeth, Dream Theater or Metallica. That’s a big statement to make, but if one takes the time to listen, the songs on this album back it up. The first single, “A Critical Affair,” simply shreds the listener’s ears with fast-paced, finger-twisting riffs and unbelievable drumbeats that one would think could only be performed by a human-octopus hybrid. The second single, entitled “Stop Calling Me Liberty,” could very well be considered a modern-day masterpiece with its pummeling verse-chorus-verse structure, insanely epic guitar solos and acoustic reprieve in the middle of the song. More importantly, however, are the lyrics in which the Statue of Liberty comes to life and tells the world how the concept of liberty has been adulterated towards the agenda of the first-world elites. The third single, “Enough,” takes things down a notch and tackles the scandal of college admissions and parents providing material necessities to their children instead of what they really need – quality company, love, affection and acceptance. Other highlights on the album include “Ghost of A Lie,” which features Derek Sherinian (Sons of Apollo, Dream Theater) on keyboards, and of course the title track, “The Infinite Loop.” One could go on and on about each song on this album, as there’s just so damn much to say about it, but in the end… you just NEED to listen to it for yourself. Open your mind to something new and discover the magic of SIFTING.
The band have also revealed the first music video from the album for the single A Critical Affair, which was directed by Alejandro Fumero Gil.Watch it right now at this location.
“A Critical Affair is a song about the world we live in today, a place that beats you down, scares you and tests your limits,” says frontman Eduardo Gil. “The only path to enlightenment is to stand up for yourself and raise your voice against the injustice. The voice of protest is the weapon of the people! Regardless of your origins, or what you have done, make your voice heard and take action to preserve the future for our children!”
Pre-order the album on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, or CD and stream the singles via Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more here.
For more information on SIFTING, please visit them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Eclipse Records, and follow them on Spotify, Apple Music or Deezer.
The Infinite Loop track listing:
01. Agony
- A Critical Affair
- Enough
- Stop Calling Me Liberty
- The Fifth Element
- What If (Dichotomy)
- To Who I Am
- Ghost Of A Lie (feat. Derek Sherinian)
- Emotionless Shells
- The Infinite Loop
SIFTING tour dates
August 6 – Hollywood, CA @ The Viper Room w/ 3rd Ear Experience
SIFTING discography:
Not From Here (LP) – 2017
All the Hated (LP) – 2013
SIFTING is:
Eduardo Osuna Gil – guitar & vocals
Joey Aguirre – drums
Wins Jarquin – bass
Xavi Leon – guitars
SIFTING online:
www.siftingofficial.com
www.facebook.com/pg/SiftingOfficial
www.twitter.com/siftingofficial
GWAR Announces Unveiling of Memorial Marker for Dave Brockie
At 2:00 PM on Friday, August 30th, 2019, GWAR will unveil a monument to the band’s co-founder and longtime leader Dave Brockie, which will be set in Richmond, Virginia’s famed Hollywood Cemetery (412 S Cherry St, Richmond, VA). All are invited to the unveiling, and to a free party the next day, August 31st, at the GWARbar (217 W Clay St, Richmond, VA).
The party will feature a performance by RAWG, the greatest GWAR tribute band of all time. Friday, August 30th marks what would have been Dave Brockie’s 56th birthday. The erection of this monument has been a long time coming, and we are grateful and happy we can finally do this for Dave.
We thank the many people who donated time and money to make this a reality. We hope the marker will provide a long-needed place for Brockie’s friends, family, and fans to pay their respects to this wonderful and deeply talented human being, and of course, to Dave’s famous creation; Oderus Urungus, who will always be remembered as one of the greatest frontmen in rock and roll history.
GWAR Announces Killer “Use Your Collusion” Fall Tour!
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A Pale Horse Named Death Announce Summer US Tour Dates
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Alternative Metal band XIX announce their debut single “Give Me Pain”
Alternative Metal band, XIX, proudly announced the release of their debut face-melting single “Give Me Pain” on the 26th of April.
The band is profoundly excited to showcase their debut single from the upcoming debut album as a sample of what is yet to come. The long-awaited, Alternative Metal banger marks a new milestone for the band and sets new pavement for Modern Metal genre. With this release, the band sets out with clean sails in hopes to garner fans and newfound grounds.
“Give Me Pain” is available on all streaming services like Spotify and iTunes
Through this release, XIX hope to channel their energy and set off their beginning in the alt-metal scene.
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
About the band:
XIX is a five-member metal act hailing from London. The whole concept of creating a heavy metal band was conceived in 2019 by Vocalist Hercules Zotos, Guitarists Lj Strat, and C Dyne, Bass Guitarists & Vocalist Takis Foitos and Drummer Tony Michaels. With influences from Hard Rock and Alternative Metal music acts, the band sets forth to express their artistic drive via music.
Their name comes from a Stephen King Novel:
As Stephen King wrote in his book The Dark Tower, “This whole deal has gone nineteen.”
“This was where we found inspiration to name our band — to express the diverse potentials synonymous with the number. As we move forward, we plan to create Alternative Metal music that stretches all age groups and genres and help the world find its pillar. We want to discover ourselves through the music we make, and we hope that our fans do the same. ”
Some of our influences include Avenged Sevenfold, Guns N’ Roses, Disturbed, Three Days Grace and many others from within our music genre. You can find us on Facebook, Spotify and Twitter.
Fifth Annual RIDE FOR RONNIE Motorcycle Ride & Concert Raises $46,000 for Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund
Surprise Performance by Foo Fighters Icon Dave Grohl Adds to Exciting Afternoon of Music
Just enough cloud cover on Sunday, May 5 made for a gorgeous Southern California day for the 5th Annual RIDE FOR RONNIE Motorcycle Ride and Concert, benefiting the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org). Some 300 motorcycle riders joined the Ride at Harley-Davidson of Glendale, culminating with a concert at Los Encinos Park in Encino where a surprise performance by the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl added to an exciting afternoon of rock music.
This year’s RIDE FOR RONNIE brought in $46,000 for the Fund’s mission of cancer prevention, research and education for a cure for this dreaded disease that has touched all of us in some fashion.
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Wendy Dio (third from left) prepares to lead the procession of motorcycles at the 5th Annual RIDE FOR RONNIE benefiting the Dio Cancer Fund (photo by Gene Kirkland)
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Wendy Dio (on left in pink) leads the 5th Annual RIDE FOR RONNIE
(photo Craig Newman)
(photo Craig Newman)
Wendy Dio, Ronnie’s widow and founder/president of the charity, led the procession of bikes around the northern edge of the San Fernando Valley with celebrity participants including Glendale Harley’s Oliver Shokouh, actors Robert Patrick (Terminator, Scorpion, Mayans M.C.), Star Fields (Sons of Anarchy, Mayans M.C), Al Coronel (The Last Ship, Bosch), Frankie Loyale (Mayans M.C.), Cathy Zukimoto, Chris Bruno (The Dead Zone) and Kristy Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Seal Team) along with her husband champion ice skater Lloyd Eisler, Faster Pussycat’s Taime Downe and actor/musician Sean McNabb, who also performed during the concert portion.
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from left: Star Fields, Frankie Loyale, Christiana Leucas, Al Coronel, Sean McNabb, Scott Sentinella, Tally Wegner, Chuck Moss, Wendy Dio and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor arrive at Los Encinos Park
(photo by Gene Kirkland)
The afternoon concert was hosted by radio and television personality Eddie Trunk, and it featured Sadie & The Tribe, fronted by renowned fitness and yoga instructor Sadie Nardini (https://www.instagram.com/SadieAndTheTribe/), the mainly female Dio cover band DIA (https://www.facebook.com/pg/DIAtribute/about/?ref=page_internal), and LA rock bands Budderside (http://budderside.com),
DC4, featuring Jeff, Matt and Shawn Duncan and former DIO band guitarist Rowan Robertson (http://artistecard.com/DC4), Bullet Boys (http://www.bulletboysofficial.com/) and Petty Cash, playing a mashup of the music of Tom Petty and Johnny Cash, featuring Todd Morse (The Offspring), Jason Womack (Fuel), Phil Buckman (Fuel) and Kemble Walters and Dylan Howard of ÆGES (https://www.facebook.com/PettyCashParty).
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Sadie Nardini leads Sadie & The Tribe (photo by Craig Newman)
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DIA (photo by Victoria Smith)
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Singer Patrick Stone fronts Budderside (photo by Victoria Smith)
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Guitarist Rowan Robertson of DC4
(photo by Victoria Smith)
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Bullet Boys (photo by Victoria Smith)
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Petty Cash (photo by Gene Kirkland)
Several stellar rock musicians under the banner of Eddie Trunk’s All Star Band closed out the afternoon of live music with a set of rock classics. Foo Fighters’ drummer Dave Grohl surprised the crowd by joining Black Star Riders’ Ricky Warwick and Robbie Crane and Keith Nelson (Buckcherry) on performances of Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak” and Motörhead’s “Bomber.”
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from left: Dave Grohl, Ricky Warwick, Keith Nelson and Robbie Crane take on Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak” (photo by Gene Kirkland)
Said Grohl, who was accompanied by his daughters at the event: “I am here on this beautiful day in Encino because everybody loves Ronnie James Dio. He was my neighbor actually; we lived down the street from each other. I encourage everybody to come out and support the cause because it’s a beautiful day with a bunch of beautiful people, and we hope to see you next year.”
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Dave Grohl (photo by PG Brunelli)
Among the other participants in Eddie Trunk’s All Star Band were Dewey Bragg (Kill Devil Hill, Day of Errors); Jimmy Burkard (West Bound, Billy Idol); Mike Dupke (Dee Snider, WASP); Dicki Fliszar (Jack Russell’s Great White); Abby Gennet (Slunt, The Riot Brides); Ace Von Johnson (Faster Pussycat, LA Guns); Sam Bam Koltun (Budderside, Knee High Fox); Johnny Martin (LA Guns, Adler’s Appetite); actor/musician Sean McNabb (Lynch Mob, Dokken); Jerry Montano (Hellyeah, Danzig), Michael Oliveri (Leatherwolf); Joey Scott (Lizzy Borden); Neil Turbin (Bleed the Hunger, Anthrax); Chris Turbis (Boys of Summer, Mr. Crowley); Scott Warren (Dio); Chas West (West Bound, Bonham, Lynch Mob); Simon Wright (Dio, AC/DC, UFO), and Randy Rhoads’ brother singer Kelle Rhoads who performed with his band members Nikki Lane Taylor and Gregory Alan Coates.
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Kelle Rhoads performs as part of Eddie Trunk’s All Star Band
(photo by Gene Kirkland)
Dr. David Wong from the UCLA School of Dentistry reported to the crowd that his team’s simple, non-invasive saliva test for the early detection of cancer, known as EFIRM (electric field-induced release and measurement) technology, has just received regulatory approval, in part due to financial support from the Dio Cancer Fund. Staff from Kapoor Medical along with members Dr. Wong’s team were on hand to field questions about the latest innovations in cancer prevention and screening and distributed complimentary sunscreen.
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from left: Dr. David Wong of UCLA addresses the crowd as Dr. Sandy Kapoor, Wendy Dio, Eddie Trunk and Glendale Harley’s Oliver Shokouh look on (photo by Gene Kirkland)
Attendees were treated to music, a raffle, silent auction and retail vendors. Live auctions for one-of-a-kind rock collectibles were held from the stage between artist performances. Food was available from G’s Taco Spot (http://www.gstacospotgft.com/), Slammin’ Sliders (http://www.slamminsliders.com/), and The Grilled Cheese Truck (http://www.thegrilledcheesetruck.com).
Sponsors supporting this year’s RIDE FOR RONNIE include Harley-Davidson of Glendale www.glendaleharley.com ), Law Tigers (www.lawtigers.com), MacLeod Ale (www.macleodale.com/), Burn Cottage Vineyard (www.burncottage.com/), Mountain Valley Spring Water(https://www.mountainvalleywaterla.com), Tarzana Wine & Spirits (https://www.tarzanawineandspirits.com/), Robin Shaw & Upstaging (http://www.upstaging.com/), Fountain of Well Being (http://www.fwblosangeles.com/), Monster Energy Drink (www.monsterenergy.com/), Rok Drinks (www.rokdrinks.com/), Archie’s Ice Cream (www.archiesicecream.com) and LA’s premier rock radio station, 95.5 KLOS (www.955klos.com/).
Additional support for the RIDE FOR RONNIE was provided by All Access (stages), Clair Global (sound), ES CAT (generators), Road Radios (walkies), Mates (backline), Event Care Professionals (EMT services), Universal Waste Systems (trash bins), Ace Party Rentals (tents, tables, chairs), United Site Services (fencing/toilets), CISS Security, Southern CA Barricades, Western Bagel, Krispy Kreme Donuts and Starbucks. DW Drums (www.dwdrums.com) has graciously donated a full drum kit for the charity’s use at all of its functions.
Participating craft, apparel and jewelry vendors were Al Bane for Leather (https://albane4leather.com/), Burbank Boulevard Bazaar (https://www.facebook.com/bbbazr/), Jessikay Henna (http://www.hennainthehighlandsbyjessikay.com/), Nathalie B Designs (https://www.instagram.com/nathaliebdesigns/), Thunderwear by Dai and Rockwood Saloon (http://www.rockwoodsaloon.com/).
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5th Annual RIDE FOR RONNIE (photo by Victoria Smith)
Additionally, the Dio Cancer Fund wants to extend its appreciation to the 2019 RIDE staff and volunteers: Kia Andersson, Deme Bermudez, Uriah Bloom, Magda Boccaccini, Jeff Brausam, Anna Brunner, Neco & Adam Cameron, Natalie Camillo, Bob Carillo, Jessica Chase, Michele & Michael Coombe, Ron Crune, Derek DeVette, Diana DeVille, Peter Diario, Dennis DuBois, Alex East, Kevin Estwick, Maria Ferrero, Sal Flamenco, Elizabeth & Juan Flores, Jen Freeman, Dwayne Gillespie, Omar Gimenez, Rhian Gittens, Garret Gunther, Jeff Hanley, Richard Heinz, Robert Hughbanks, Nick Jackson, Steve Jackson, Sandy Kapoor & family, Scot Kaufman, Ann Kirkland, Russ Kolodenker, Mary Kusnier & family, Naomi Lark, Samantha Lazarus-Jaureguy, Chris Lebednik, Sheila Lindsey, Marissa Teitelman, Marina Mann, Adrian Marjolejo, Sofia Marquez, Roy McCraney, Michele Mecca, Dylan Melody, Michael Melody, Sheila Melody, Sabrina Ment, Jeremy Moon, Joanna Mosseau, Tim & Jody Murch, Angel Nava, Paul & Paula Newman, Tyler Newman, Gary Nuell, Scott Osgood, Adam Parsons, Paige & Tyler Phillips, Paul Phillips, Carl & Regina Rainey, Glen Ramsey, Rita Rendon, Jon Ripley, Rita Rodriguez, Martha Rosado, Charlene Ross, Becky Rossiter-Moon, Denise Santoro, Theresa & Zander Schachtel, Michael Schreibman, Lisa & Miranda Schwartz, Debbie Sellnow, Vincenza Sorisi, Rosa Carmelina Sotelo, Ryan Spitz, Carrie Steenken, Anthony & Laura Turner, Rick Valusek, Richard Wagner, Ann Webb, Donna & Dylan Weiser, Sharon Weisz, Rob Whitney, Terri-Lynn Willis, Danny Zelisko… and anyone else we may have accidentally forgotten to name.
#RIDEFORRONNIE
#DioCancerFund
See RollingStone.com’s coverage of Dave Grohl performing with the Eddie Trunk’s All Star Band at the 2019 RIDE FOR RONNIE here:
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The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org) was formed in memory of the legendary rock singer Ronnie James Dio, who lost his life to gastric cancer in 2010. A privately funded 501(c)(3) public charity, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund has already raised over $2 million since its inception. Monies raised have been committed to the cancer research work of the T. J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research, the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life, and other cancer research projects. Over the past four years, the Dio Cancer Fund has committed funds to support the research of Dr. David Wong and his team at the UCLA School of Dentistry in developing a simple, non-invasive saliva test for the early detection of cancer. This technology has been in research and testing phases over the last three years and recently received regulatory approval. This cutting-edge research, which is in keeping with the organization’s mission of cancer prevention, research and education, will enable thousands of people to get screened for previously hard to detect cancers. Early detection saves lives!
JINJER Announce North American Headline Tour
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