February 2014 News

by Chad Childers | Photo by Mark Metcalfe / Christopher Polk / Theo Wargo, Getty Images



Two legendary rockers will get their due at the 2014 Revolver Golden Gods Awards as Axl Rose will receive the Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Award and JOAN JETT has been chosen to receive the Golden God Award this year's event. Both musicians will also be part of a solid performance lineup that also includes leading nominee Korn.

The ceremony will take place at Los Angeles' Club Nokia on April 23, with Guns N' Roses, JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, Korn, A Day to Remember, Zakk Wylde and The Pretty Reckless among the initially announced performers for the event.

Alice Cooper, who won the 2011 Golden God Award for embodying the spirit of hard rock and metal, said of JOAN JETT's selection, "No one deserves this award MORE than JOAN JETT. She's never compromised who she is -- she's a rocker through and through. I wish some of the younger bands had the balls that JOAN JETT does!" Cooper will be on hand to present Jett with the Golden God honor.

But the performances and specialty honors are only half of the fun of the Golden Gods Awards, as fans get to vote for the best in hard rock and metal and see their favorite acts rewarded during the ceremony. This year, the Best Guitarist Award has been renamed the Dimebag Darrell Best Guitarist Award in honor of the late Pantera great. Darrell's brother and bandmate Vinnie Paul says, "I am very honored that Revolver is renaming the Best Guitarist Award after Dime! He was and always will be what heavy-metal guitar playing is all about. This award is given to the person with those special skills that sets them apart from others. Dime always went for it and I know he would be proud of the winner of this award. So go for it and may the best shredder win! Getcha pull!!"

Fans can currently vote for their favorites in all the categories at this location through April 4. To see the nominees in each category, check below. And for those wishing to attend the 2014 Revolver Golden Gods Awards, tickets go on sale this Friday at 10AM ET at this location.

HEART & JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS HEADLINE HISTORIC EARTH DAY CONCERT AT EMP MUSEUM TO BENEFIT WILD ORCA RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY

With all the recent controversy surrounding captive orcas, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart decided it was high time to celebrate the wild ones.

Heart and fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS will headline an historic concert at EMP Museum's spectacular "Sky Church" this Earth Day, April 22nd, to benefit wild orca research and advocacy. Joining Heart and JOAN JETT will be Seattle's own Grammy Award-winning recording artist and producer Sir Mix-a-Lot, Country Joe McDonald of "Woodstock" fame, and New York-based musician and activist Andrew Morse. Also on the bill for "Kiss the Sky! The Orca Freedom Concert" is an extraordinary up-and-coming LA-based singer/songwriter and guitar virtuoso Arielle, a protégé of Queen's Brian May. The event will be emceed by legendary Seattle radio personality Norman B.

The Earth Day concert and subsequent hour-long broadcast special are being produced by Seattle-based network journalist (ABC News and others) and wildlife filmmaker Michael Harris, together with EMP Museum Public Programming Producer Andrew McKeag. The sponsors are Guitar Center, and the Pacific Whale Watch Association.

"Ann and Nancy and I worked together several years ago on a syndicated series for young people entitled 'Baby Wild Films Presents,' with Nancy hosting and narrating," remembers Harris. "One of those specials we did was called 'The Killer Whale People,' and so I had the pleasure of taking Nancy out with our wild orcas. I think it was her first time seeing them in the wild, and she was hooked."

So much so, in fact, that the Wilsons teamed up with longtime songwriting partner Sue Ennis and wrote a song about orcas called "Baby Wild," which Nancy performed in a wonderful beach campfire scene that ends the special, and then later recorded in studio with seven-time ASCAP Award-winning Hollywood composer and Baby Wild Films Executive Producer Tim Truman. The show went on to win several Emmy Awards.

by Patrice Wilding



Rockers JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS will headline the 34th annual Rock 107 Birthday Bash on Thursday, April 17, the station announced today.

The concert returns to the Woodlands Inn & Resort in Plains Twp., along with local supporting acts, a giant birthday cake, door prizes and refreshments.

Doors will open at 7 p.m., and the main act takes the stage at 10:30 p.m.

"I honestly think it's going to be our biggest one yet," said Mark Hoover, promotions director for the classic rock station. "We've been trying to get JOAN JETT for a couple years now and the stars finally aligned and we got her this year."

Ms. Jett rose to fame as a member of the all-female rock group The RUNAWAYS before breaking out as a solo star with hits like "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," "Bad Reputation," "Crimson and Clover," and "I Hate Myself For Loving You." Her former bandmate, Lita Ford, headlined the bash last year.

Fans are encouraged to listen to Rock 107 for information about ticket handouts, which will occur at various locations throughout Northeast Pennsylvania leading up to the show.

by Clifford Pugh | Photo by Thomas Concordia



Pictured from left: Ana de la Reguera, Cesar Galindo and JOAN JETT.

NEW YORK -- Cesar Galindo never forgets his roots. For the debut of his Czar by Cesar Galindo fall collection, the Houston-raised fashion designer looked to the Bayou City for some help.

Nine models from the Page Parkes agency headed to the Big Apple from H-Town to appear in Galindo's show, courtesy of Parkes. Also along for the ride was Bambi Lynn, whose company, Blinc by Bambi Lynn, produced the show with Gregory Triana of Blue Cashew Production. Lynn was accompanied by her daughter, Madison Ramsay, to get an up-close view of the fashion week activities.

"I've known Page since I was 14," Galindo explained. "She has always supported me. I thought it would be cool to have some Texas representatives."

Models Anna Robertson, Taylor Hilton, Kasey Costgrove, Marlee Menedez, Emily Matheny, Sarah Tierney, Shelby Bullard, Charlotte Stevens and Taylor May -- along with around 12 New York-based models -- showcased the collection of active sportswear made for the woman on the move in a new space, called The Hub, at the Hudson Hotel.

by Queen Latifah

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JOAN JETT on The Queen Latifah Show
from: Queen Latifah YouTube Channel
by Queen Latifah

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JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS Perform "I Hate Myself for Loving You" on The Queen Latifah Show
from: Queen Latifah YouTube Channel
by Queen Latifah

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Red Dress Show Kicks Off American Heart Association's Heart Month At New York Fashion Week
from: monstersandcritics.com
by April Neale



February is the American Heart Association's Heart Month and during New York Fashion Week, stars wore some of their favorite designer's red dresses to promote women's cardiac health. The Red Dress Show features notables from various fields strutting the runway to bring awareness to heart disease.

Celebrities included Ireland Baldwin, JOAN JETT, Nene Leakes, Lindsey Vonn, Kat Graham, Taryn Manning, Victoria Justice, Sasha Cohen and more.

NYC Cutler/Redken Stylist Jenny Balding led the hair for the show and emailed Monsters and Critics an insider's perspective on the hair for the show:

"At the Red Dress Show, you're working with celebrities with a well established image within the industry so for the hair, we made them feel as beautiful as possible and runway ready. My team and I consulted with each celebrity on their red dress so we could create a hairstyle that complimented both their red dress and individual style. I personally styled Ireland Baldwin and JOAN JETT. For Ireland, I created a look that was sleek, elegant, sexy and off the face â€" this worked perfectly with her Donna Karan gown. JOAN JETT is JOAN JETT so I just enhanced her rocknrollness!"

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JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS - TICKETS - THE ROXY THEATRE - LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 15TH, 2014
from: theroxy.com
by Business Wire



JOAN JETT is an originator, an innovator, and a visionary. As the leader of the hard-rocking BLACKHEARTS, she's had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classics "Bad Reputation," "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," "I Hate Myself For Loving You," and "Crimson and Clover." She sits at the head of her own independent label, BLACKHEART RECORDS. Jett has acted in movies and television, including 1987's Light Of Day, and in a Tony-nominated Broadway musical, The Rocky Horror Show. She has appeared on such acclaimed television shows as Oprah (the last season) and Law and Order. As a producer, she has overseen albums by Bikini Kill, Circus Lupus, as well as the Germs' LA punk masterpiece, GI.

Her music has become a permanent force in mainstream culture. A version of "I Hate Myself for Loving You" has been NBC's Sunday Night Football, performed this past season by Carrie Underwood, and her music is heard in countless films and TV shows including Easy - A, Kick Ass, The RUNAWAYS, Shrek, Baby Mama, and many more.

Since co-founding the RUNAWAYS, the pioneering all-girl punk quintet, at age 15, Jett's determination and drive have kept her in the public eye. Jett was able to see her story told in The RUNAWAYS, the film based on (lead singer of The RUNAWAYS) Cherie Currie's book Neon Angel starring Kristen Stewart as Jett, and her fellow A-lister Dakota Fanning as Currie. Jett was close to the project: She served as an executive producer.

Jett and the BLACKHEARTS continuously tour across the globe to throngs of adoring fans.

JOAN JETT has spent her lifetime breaking barriers and challenging expectations - this is, after all, a woman who is both a spokesperson for PETA and a devoted supporter of the US Military. She's fought hard for all of her historic accomplishments, yet she remains humble and appreciative.

"I've had a blessed career," she says. "I consider myself so lucky to have been able to do things my own way."

Venue Information:
The Roxy Theatre
9009 West Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA, 90069
http://theroxyonsunset.com/

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JOAN JETT Behind-the-Scenes on The Queen Latifah Show
from: Queen Latifah
by Queen Latifah



Catch JOAN JETT chat with Queen Latifah about Unvarnished before performing her hits on The Queen Latifah Show Monday, February 17th. The Queen Latifah Show airs weekdays at 9am EST on WCBS, check your local listings for more information.

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New Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. Angel App to Launch Feb. 26th
from: virtual-strategy.com
by Business Wire



Popular "Angel" Series Reborn in Free App for U.S. & Canada Featuring JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS' "Any Weather"

Following the 3,000,000th download of their first app, Bandai Co., Ltd. and Sync Beatz Entertainment today announced the upcoming release of its FREE new Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. Angel app, which recreates the original Tamagotchi Angel digital handheld game series, for iOS and Android devices in the U.S. and Canada.

Following the 3 millionth download of the Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. app, Bandai Co., Ltd. and Sync Beatz E...

Following the 3 millionth download of the Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. app, Bandai Co., Ltd. and Sync Beatz Entertainment present the upcoming Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. Angel app, an updated recreation of the original Tamagotchi Angel digital handheld game.

Based on one of the most popular Tamagotchi series after the original release of 1996/Japan and 1997/U.S., the iOS version of the Angel app will be launched on Wednesday, February 26th, with the Android version expected to also become available that day.

The Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. Angel app will feature changeable play modes, allowing players to care for their Angels in the classic eggshell TOY mode or full screen in APP mode. The free app offers a multitude of Angel characters and new color environments; updated Life, Happiness, Hunger and Effort meters; a new technical feature which enables the screen to be tapped to scare away flying bats; 22 new in-app wallpapers and eight wallpapers for use on the player's device; 12 shell choices; an image gallery and fun mini-games. Additionally, the Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. Angel app enables users to post photos of the Tamagotchis they're raising on Facebook.

New music is another unique feature of the Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. Angel app. For the first time ever, the legendary JOAN JETT is allowing "Any Weather," the lead single from JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS' long-awaited and highly praised new album, Unvarnished, to be included in a game-based app. The multi-platinum recording artists' single, "Any Weather," co-written and performed with Dave Grohl, has been integrated into the new Angel mini-game for Tamagotchi fans to enjoy. Unlike the original, this 2014 instrumental version introduces music throughout the Angel-raising experience.

The new app follows the successful 2013 launch of the Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. app, an authentic recreation of the classic Tamagotchi game with a contemporary spin, which has generated 3,000,000 downloads. It's the latest entry in the Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. brand, a line of lifestyle products that embodies the spirit and attributes of that original experience and targets its original Tamagotchi user base, who, today, are active young adults.
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The Voice Coaches Take a Joyride & they don't care about their "Bad Reputation"
from: The Voice

Shakira, Usher, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton take a joyride in Sochi before the Season 6 premiere on February 24.

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Celebrities Rock Red Dresses
from: sg.news.yahoo.com

JOAN JETT, Kat Graham and Taryn Manning kick off New York Fashion Week with The Red Dress Collection, where celebrities walk the runway in red dresses to draw awareness to heart disease. (Feb. 7)

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Celebs go red at NY Fashion Week
from: iol.co.za
by CHERYL WISCHHOVER



New York - Celebrities have burst onto New York Fashion Week, donning couture red dresses made by some of America's top designers and strutting the catwalk to raise money for heart disease.

Actresses, TV personalities, sports celebrities and musicians were dressed in custom-made red evening gowns to raise money for what is the number one killer of women in the United States.

The Red Dress Campaign is a charity gala that takes place each year during New York Fashion Week when organisers rely on the pulling power of popular names to rake in the cash.

US singer and rock guitarist JOAN JETT, who lost her mother to congenital heart failure, said Thursday's event was very personal.
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JOAN JETT Thinks Miley’s Antics Are ‘Absolutely Valid’
from: nymag.com
by CHERYL WISCHHOVER



A list of who’s walking in the annual Heart Truth Red Dress runway show sounds like the setup for a corny joke: “NeNe Leakes, JOAN JETT, and Lindsey Vonn walk into a bar …” And being backstage at the show feels like you’re on a reality show involving a time machine. Many worlds collide. Ireland Baldwin and Giada de Laurentiis sit next to each other in the hairstylists’ chairs. Star Jones greets everyone like they are her subjects. People ask, “Who’s that blonde one? They all look the same.” Backstage, I encountered the legendary JOAN JETT, and couldn't resist asking her what she made of Miley Cyrus.

In her recent W interview, Cyrus said:
I like that I’m associated with sexuality and the kind of punk-rock shit where we just don’t care. Like Madonna or Blondie or JOAN JETT â€" Jett’s the one that I still get a little shaky around. She did what I did in such a crazier way. I mean, girls then weren’t supposed to wear leather pants and, like, fucking rock out. And she did.

And Jett supports Miley just being Miley. “I think she’s finding her way and trying to come out of what she started as. And I think it’s absolutely valid â€" you go this way and you go that way and you try to find a center. She’s being bold about it, and I admire that sort of bravery,” Jett said. “It’s tough, especially these days when you’ve got so much social media and everybody ready to take shots at you. It’s even harder to be who you are and stay strong in your beliefs. You know, I admire the fact that she is trudging forward and doing what she feels is right for her.”

In terms of personal style, JOAN JETT’s hasn’t wavered much in the last 35 years. For the show she wore a sleeveless red Catherine Malandrino jumpsuit with a plunging neckline that showed off her sternum tattoo to good effect. Before she changed, she was slouching around in tight black jeans and short motorcycle boots. Does she ever want to put on anything pink and frilly?

Jett laughed and said, “No, this is about as close as I get.” Guess we'll have to wait and see if Miley is still wearing pasties and sticking her tongue out 35 years from now.

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JOAN JETT walks the runway for charity fashion event
from: express.co.uk



Veteran rocker JOAN JETT joined young stars including BELLA THORNE and ANNASOPHIA ROBB to walk the runway in red during a special charity fashion show in New York City on Thursday (06Feb14).

The I Love Rock 'n' Roll hitmaker, 55, took to the catwalk for the New York Fashion Week event wearing a bright red jumpsuit designed by Catherine Malandrino as part of the American Heart Association's annual Red Dress Collection show.

The event at Manhattan's Lincoln Center featured a number of famous faces showing off their modelling moves to raise awareness for the heart disease charity.

Other stars who took part in the 2014 event included actresses Thorne, Robb, Kat Graham and Victoria Justice, as well as Alec Baldwin's model daughter Ireland, pop star Leona Lewis, and singer Colbie Caillat.

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JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS "Unvarnished" (BLACKHEART RECORDS Group)
from: coachellavalleyweekly.com/
by Eleni P. Austin



JOAN JETT has been making music for nearly 40 years, and she remains at the top of her game. Jett was born Joan Marie Larkin in 1958, she grew up in Pennsylvania and Maryland. She learned the rudiments of guitar and by the time her family relocated to Los Angeles, Jett was obsessed with Rock & Roll.

It was the early '70s, Glam and Glitter Rock was a huge inspiration for Jett. She immediately found a home at Rodney's English Disco on the Sunset Strip. As the scene was flourishing, Hollywood provocateur/Svengali, Kim Fowley decided to form an all-girl rock band. Jett was recruited for rhythm guitar, and along with Cherie Curie, Lita Ford, Sandy West and Jackie Fox, they formed The RUNAWAYS.

Between 1975 and 1979, the RUNAWAYS gained local popularity in Los Angeles, but achieved superstardom in Japan. Fowley's dictatorial management style, coupled with the usual growing pains and a relentless touring schedule, guaranteed the band's quick implosion.
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MY 1982 CREEM COVER STORY! WHEN JOAN JETT WAS A VERY NICE GIRL
from: rocknycliveandrecorded.com/
by IMAN LABABEDI



(Rock's Back Pages found this! How I wish my friends at the rock critic archives web had access to the stuff i wrote for the Village Voice back around the time I wrote this cover story for Creem. "I Love Rock And Roll" had just blown up big and after years of work JOAN JETT was a star. I'd written about her a number of times at the east Village Eye and Dave DiMartino assigned me to this, my one and only cover story for Creem... back in 1982! â€" IL)

JOAN JETT'S ambitions have remained constant since the age of 15, when she formed all-girl metal rock band the RUNAWAYS and defiantly informed an indifferent country that she wanted to go where the boys go. Although the passing of time has toned her skills as a white noise guitarist to a fine ear-piercing point, and although she can finally scream through the wall of electricity, what changes there have been are less of intention, more of ability to follow these intentions. The RUNAWAYS were despised in America for several reasons; their manager Kim Fowley hyped them to hell and back as sexual titillation for horny young men (99% of their Yank audience, was male) and this repelled the rock critics who might have built their reputation. This country couldn't handle five hedonistic jailbaits using the r'n'r dream to no greater purpose then having fun fun fun. The band themselves were aggressive amateur musicians, and if in Europe and Japan the noise annoys gangbang throttle riffs of things breaking down were accepted at face value, over here it was pre-punk product perfect time. The RUNAWAYS were never a great group, which is OK because they could be very good. But by the time they were getting good with the '77 Waiting For The Night -- an attempt to legitimitize, through a comprehension of the gender clichés they twistedly propagated, their vision of the rock lifestyle -- it was too late. They couldn't dodge their bad reputation, and in 1979, they gave up.

Three years later and things are a little different for JOAN JETT..."It's like all of a sudden -- nobody would look at the RUNAWAYS, they'd laugh. Everybody really slagged us, everybody: no radio play, all bad press. Then the RUNAWAYS break up and you try this and you leave and you come back and finally. FINALLY..."

Joan's second solo album -- and first with back-up band the BLACKHEARTS -- I Love Rock 'n' Roll has gone platinum, the same-named single has gone gold. I have no idea why, it isn't that much better than Bad Reputation. Nobody else can figure it either, and though Joan says "maybe at this time kids want to get back to basics" she qualifies the comment with "but I don't know why, that I can't answer." One thing is certain, this isn't a Loverboy-REO record company success. This is one from the heart.
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10 Rockin' Chapters from JOAN JETT's Melody Maker Rhythm Guitar Bible
from: www2.gibson.com/
by Ted Drozdowski



Lead six-stringers usually get all the love in rock guitar land, but the truth of the matter is that when it comes to the guts of the music, it's really all about rhythm playing.

That's also a good description of JOAN JETT's musical approach: all about rhythm. When Jett arrived at the crossroads of punk and pop in the late 1970s and early '80s, she almost single-handedly restored the core values of big, chunky, riff-blasting rhythm guitar to the musical mainstream.

Her rhythm sound -- nasty and snarling on mega-hits like "Bad Reputation," "I Love Rock ‘n' Roll," and "Do You Wanna Touch," all blasted out via her heavy down-stroke-based strumming style on the white single-humbucker Gibson Melody Maker that's been her sidekick since she bought it in 1977 -- could easily be used as an audio textbook definition of "rock."

Jett's played other Melody Makers during the course of her career, slamming chords on Gibson double-Ms with two pickups and other mods, but her go-to axe has remained her first -- the guitar that Gibson has now immortalized by issuing the JOAN JETT Blackheart deluxe artist's model.

So here's a rundown of Jett's 10 most rockin' albums, all driven by her signature Melody Maker sound:

The RUNAWAYS (1976): Expect a resurgence of interest in Jett's first band, the teenaged all-girl outfit the RUNAWAYS this year after the group's bio-pic is released. Meanwhile, get an earful of Jett playing the first classic she wrote "Cherry Bomb," with the band. Jett later rerecorded the song for 1984's excellent Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth.
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