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.

Dirtbag spook-rock band “13 Nails” will embark on a mini-tour next week, playing five different shows in five different states. The Colorado band just re-released their signature whiskey collab with local distillery, “Feisty Spirits”, and is set to release a lyric video for their new track, “Voodoo M***erF***er” on Halloween night.

Check out the dates and Facebook events below, to catch a wild show:

October 17, 2018: Colorado Springs, CO- The Gold Room October 18, 2018: Albuquerque, NM- Red Velvet Underground October 19, 2018: Abernathy, TX- Outlaw Hideout October 20, 2018: Wichita, KS- Rock Island Live

13 NAILS is the "prime time rock band extravaganza" of Fort Collins, Colorado, who sprinkle a b-movie vibe over their heavy metal, hardcore horror punk sound. Having headlined tours, and opened for worldwide acts like John 5 & The Creatures, Mushroomhead, Dope, THC, Pop Evil and many many others, the band brings a big show to every stage. 13 Nails recently partnered with a local Fort Collins distillery to create their own blend and brand of whiskey. 13 Nails' frontman Johnny Lambert gave us the low down: From the original idea to the final product, explain how your band created their own whiskey… At first it was just a T-shirt design we had that was selling really well, and then as we grew as a band, I started to email sponsors. I happened across Feisty Spirits as a local company, and we sat and discussed the idea of a Halloween/Fall flavor release. That was 3 years ago, and now here we are with it growing! Why whiskey, and not gin, rum, or beer? We are all fans of whiskey, lol. We would like to venture out some day with a line of spirits.... What band wouldn't? What is the significance behind the name, “Grave Digger”? Grave Digger came from one of the first songs we wrote as a band. We have also used it slightly for a bit of a mascot theme. Can you describe the flavor, and some of the ingredients? It has a standard whiskey base with spices added in, with fresh apples to create the flavor. How can we get our hands on a bottle? Right now, select Fort Collins and Loveland, CO stores carry it along with the distillery/tasting room itself. Feisty Spirits and 13 Nails would love to see it go national! With it being a local distillery, we are using a portion of each bottle to help fund the Easter Seals of Loveland, CO music department. It would be nice to one day have it grow to the point where we can help Easter Seals all over the country. If it goes well, do you foresee making other spirits in the future? If this one keeps going the way it does, it would be nice to have a full line of 13 Nails collab spirits. If you are in the Fort Collins/Loveland, Colorado area this Halloween season- try to get your hands on this rare regional select spirit! Also, CLICK HERE to hear the music that inspired it! Check out 13 NAILS on the web Check out Feisty Spirits

SEE PHOTOS BELOW!