DAY SHEET BLOG — Metallica

Last week, we had the honor and pleasure of attending the 2022 MEDIABASE #HAPPENS Radio Convention in Las Vegas, NV.

#HAPPENS is a rock and alternative curated new music experience. The event once again will bring together the best radio programmers, label and streaming executives, culture-tastemakers, artists and brands, inspiring new ideas in the ever-evolving music community. 

This was our eighth year in attendance, and one of their best events yet.. We spent the week networking and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the biggest names in radio, label reps, promoters, rockstars, master distillers, and several other DIRTBAGS. Rock n' roll was had by all.

Opening night brought us all together again for a welcome party at the Backstage Bar & Billiards / Fremont Country Club. It was so good to see all of those familiar faces in the same room again, after 2 years of no rock n' roll. We picked up right where we left off in #HAPPENS 2020.. our last hoorah before COVID, and our first hoorah after it. The showcase was opened by Giovannie & the Hired Guns, and went on to feature Spirit of the Bear, Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle), and Our Lady Peace. Then some folks went straight to bed, and others overdid it on the first night like we always do :)... 

Breakfast was served at 10AM sharp, and the crowd sluggishly filled the seats of the convention hall. We got a sneak peak at new music videos from MESSER and Capital Theatre, and then listened to an engaging panel from Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) and Elliott Wood (94.5 The Buzz) about NFTs and their emergence in the music industry. The next panel, headed by Alissa Pollack (iHeartMedia) discussed DATA, and the ever-changing, ever-confusing metrics that go along with radio and streaming. We then boarded the tour bus and rolled over to Rockstar Bar for a Metallica whiskey tasting party. The band couldn't make it, but we got to meet and chat with master distiller, Rob Dietrich, while drinking unlimited amounts of his delicious whiskey. We were then blessed in our earholes with live showcase performances by Kaleidoscope Kid, Almost Monday, Whole Damn Mess, and Dorothy. We boarded up the tour bus again and headed over to House of Blues at Mandalay Bay for a VIP lounge party, with performances by The Warning, Mammoth (Wolfgang Van Halen), and Dirty Honey. Again-- bed for some, and bad decisions for others.

The next day, 10AM came way too quickly for most. Breakfast saved our lives again, while we enjoyed video previews and premieres from Deepfall, The Black Moods, Concord Music Group (Korn, Ghost, The Offspring, The Pretty Reckless), Fame on Fire, Epitaph Records (Falling in Reverse, Parkway Drive, The Interrupters), Yelawolf, Sumerian Records (Black Veil Brides, Nita Strauss), and Shinedown. Then The Black Moods played us a few acoustic jams while we all woke/sobered up. Jason Flom (Wrongful Conviction Podcast) led a panel on justice for wrongfully convicted people, and Danny Wimmer (Danny Wimmer Presents) led a panel on live performances, radio and revenue, and getting back face-to-face again for concerts and festivals. To close out the week, the tour bus brought us over to The Barbershop Cocktails and Cuts for a special event sponsored by Edgeout Records with performances by ASHBA, Bluphoria, and STRATEJACKET.

As usual, it was a hell of a week in Las Vegas, and we can't wait to go back. The best parts about this #HAPPENS event are seeing new bands break, chatting with all of the faces, and seeing the intersection of art and business clash in the most beautiful of ways. Vegas, we love you.

ROAD TO WOODSTOCK - Dirtbag Endorsed Artist FRANK PALANGI- Upstate NY rock recording artist has recently landed the opportunity to travel to Kansas to perform as a main act on Aug 16th 2019 at the upcoming iconic 50th Woodstock Music Festival -- sharing the stage with worldwide acts including Jefferson Starship, Dave Evans from AC/DC and more! Frank has been continuously pursuing his dream of making music for a living for several years now. "No Plan B" as he states. You may have caught him playing opening for national artists such as 3 Doors Down and Aaron Lewis or festivals including RockNDerby and Uproar or in a local bar or at a community outdoor event. Palangi wanted to become a career musician and singer-songwriter since he was a teenager, and began on this path by releasing his debut self-titled EP in 2011. Influenced by bands from the 80's (Metallica, Ozzy, Def Leppard, Megadeth), 90's (Creed, Godsmack, 3 Doors Down), 2000's (Daughtry, Three Days Grace, Shinedown), he fuses rock n' roll with a post-grunge sound to sculpt his positive, clean musical motifs. Grounded from a solid support system from his upbringing while his motivations are centralized around positivity and not the temptations of a stereotypical rockstar lifestyle. From an early childhood he learned to adapt to his chronic medical illness that impacted his decisions in his everyday life, turning it all around as a force to bring his dreams into reality saying "I have no Plan B backing down on my dreams." Frank is the recipient of an LA Music Award nomination, three Akademia Music Awards, an Unsigned Only Semi-Finalist Award, WIGWAM Online Radio Best Male Artist Award as well as a local Best Acoustic Solo Artist in the region with the Post Star/Chronicle and Metroland Magazine. - Booking now for opening slots, acoustic gigs, events, fundraisers, recording work, voice overs:

PURCHASE EVENT TICKETS HERE:

FRANK PALANGI on iTunes

FRANK PALANGI on Amazon

FRANK PALANGI on Spotify

I'm gonna keep this short and sweet. If you are a Dirtbag and you listen to rock, metal, or heavy music this applies to you especially. This is a big year for the Grammy's. 60 years they've been throwing and organizing this party. I know, I know. Awards for art is a silly concept. Is it? Is rewarding the hard work of group's of people helping to produce the best music to the most people so far fetched? Don't you like discovering new music as well as nostalgically reliving old records that have been repurchased multiple times or have physically started to decay because you listened so much? It's not. We just have to change our approach. We need to be able to recognize a promotional opportunity, and who and what it supports. Posting about your favorite band or recording is one way. Sharing tour schedules, going to shows, buying merchandise and music are certainly others. What about promoting bigger accomplishments? Like Mastodon being nominated for multiple Grammy's once again! or how about Nothing More's 3 Grammy nominations during their first at bat. If those dudes, don't win at least one Grammy. I will never watch the Grammy's again. I really feel like the Grammy Voting Members got it right this time. Hell, Nothing More is currently on a European tour after just finishing a US tour. Back to back. What pop star or country artist is able to do that at Nothing More's level? We should be celebrating these guys and "our industry's" accomplishments. These great bands in our home genre have done their part and delivered to us timeless amazing music to help fuel our lives. We MUST return the favor. Even if you have never heard of them, seen a show, don't like the nominations or even like award shows. Supporting these artists and the others like Meshuggah sets a huge precedence in our part of music. If we want heavy music to grow, we must add new listeners. To add new listeners, we must tell them about these bands that are being lifted upon the thrown of the Grammy's. What better way than show them the best for 2017? The best of our music and the best of what we like. Show your friends these artists whom they normally wouldn't listen to. Convert them all. Now is the time. Share the post. Spread the word. Celebrate our victory. Congratulations to all the Rock and Metal nominees. Dirtbags support you.