Page updated on May 31, 2018
All news is attributed to the source from which it was received so that readers may judge the validity of the statements for themselves.
Have Joan Jett news to report? Email us at jettfc@aol.com, and please include the source of the information so it can be validated. JOAN JETT - "Fresh Start" Irvine, CA 05-30-2018 from: YouTube.com By Chris Edge
In control of her reputation: BIFF to screen 'Bad Reputation' at Pittsfield opening night from: berkshireeagle.com By Benjamin Cassidy, The Berkshire Eagle
PITTSFIELD â€" JOAN JETT's parents gave the legendary rocker her first guitar when she was 13. They supported her musical aspirations, but Jett quickly learned that many wouldn't.
"Girls don't play rock 'n' roll," Jett recalled a music instructor saying at her first lesson.
This anecdote comes at the beginning of "Bad Reputation," a documentary directed by Kevin Kerslake that takes its title from Jett's 1980 hit song and debut album. The film traces Jett's career from her days in The RUNAWAYS up to her 2015 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, highlighting her perseverance in a patriarchal industry. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival this winter before Magnolia Pictures acquired its North American rights, and it will open the Pittsfield portion of the Berkshire International Film Festival at Beacon Cinema on Friday night. (It can also be viewed on Sunday night at Great Barrington's Triplex Cinema.)
"I always knew that Joan was a bad---, but I didn't know the depths of [how much she had to overcome]," BIFF Artist Director/Founder Kelley Vickery said, noting that she grew up listening to Jett's songs.
Jett formed The RUNAWAYS, an all-female group, in 1975 with drummer Sandy West. The band released its first record in 1976 and quickly developed a major following overseas, though audiences in Los Angeles and the rest of the U.S. weren't as keen. [more] Road renegades: Styx kicks off tour with JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS and Tesla tonight from: wjbdradio.com Courtesy of Live Nation
Styx won't have too much time on their hands for the next few months because the veteran rockers will be touring North America with JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS and Tesla. The package trek kicks off tonight in Irvine, California, and is scheduled through a July 15 concert in Holmdel, New Jersey.
Founding Styx guitarist James "JY" Young recently told ABC Radio that he and his band mates were looking forward to meeting Jett for the first time, while also noting that his group was thinking about trying to organize some onstage collaborations with the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.
Young also says he loves playing shows during the summer. "There's something really magical about starting out in daylight and having it slowly turn to night there," JY notes. "Mother Nature plays her whole magic into this thing."
After the trek wraps up, Styx has a few headlining concerts scheduled in August, September and October, as well as a show with just Jett & the BLACKHEARTS on August 3 as part of the Musikfest 2018 series in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. [more] 30 YEARS AGO: JOAN JETT REBOUNDS WITH 'UP YOUR ALLEY' from: ultimateclassicrock.com By Victoria Shaffer
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS' sixth studio album, Up Your Alley, was responsible for once again solidifying the determination of one of rock's most resilient bands.
Jett's rise out of the RUNAWAYS' ashes and celebrated come-up, despite doubts by major record labels, showcased her intent to persevere and thrive. Similarly, after the critical and commercial appeal of 1981's Bad Reputation and I Love Rock 'n' Roll, and 1983's Album, Jett and the BLACKHEARTS' hits suddenly stopped. This departure from the upper reaches of the charts would become an additional hurdle within the band's adamant stride toward success.
From 1984 to 1987, Jett and the BLACKHEARTS released two albums, Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth and Good Music, neither of which resonated much. Jett also spent some of this time costarring with Michael J. Fox in the movie Light of Day, which was met with a varied range of reviews. Due for a musical comeback, Jett released Up Your Alley on May 23, 1988.
In typical BLACKHEARTS fashion, Up Your Alley featured an array of Jett originals, as well as a couple of choice covers: Chuck Berry's "Tulane" and the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog."
The album's hit single, "I Hate Myself for Loving You," featured guitarist Mick Taylor and was co-written by Desmond Child, the songwriter who helped bring hard rock into the Top 40 in the late '80s, thanks to radio staples from Bon Jovi and Aerosmith.
Reaching No. 8, "I Hate Myself for Loving You" became Jett's first hit single since her cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover" made it to the Top 10 in 1982. The song is also notable for being Jett's only Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal.
The song was later included in the Guitar Hero video game, in the Rock of Ages Broadway musical and then reworked for the opening theme for NBC's Football Night in America. It's also showed up in several movies over the years, including an appearance 30 years later in 2018's Ready Player One. Rock Docs, Teen Comedies and Dallas Directors Will Headline the Oak Cliff Film Festival from: dallasobserver.com Danny Gallagher
The lineup for the Oak Cliff Film Festival will rock, literally.
Festival officials announced the lineup of feature-length movies, documentaries and short films for the 2018 Oak Cliff Film Festival at the Texas Theatre that runs June 14-17. The list consists of 25 feature-length films, including 10 that will make a Dallas-Fort Worth or statewide premiere at the Texas Theatre, and 40 short films.
Some of the new and classic films on the lineup include an eclectic mix of rock films, such as a documentary about rocker JOAN JETT and a cult classic comedy from rock-umentarian director Penelope Spheeris, and an acclaimed Sundance Film Festival comedy from local director Augustine Frizzell, both of whom will be on hand for post-screening Q&As during the Oak Cliff Film Festival.
“The seventh year of the Oak Cliff Film Festival seeks to continue our tradition of showcasing the best of new independent film on the festival circuit," says Barak Epstein, the festival's co-founder and director who also founded and operates the Texas Theatre. "This year, we noticed a trend where more and more new voices were telling stories and more and more women filmmakers were getting their films made; this made the films the programmers were able to choose from perhaps more diverse than in previous years." [more] JOAN JETT - Judy Is A Punk (Ramones Cover) from: YouTube.com By uPlaySoft
Australia premieres music docos at Sydney Film Festival from: themusicnetwork.com By Helen Macklin
The Sydney Film Festival’s Sounds on Screen program has a series of Australian premieres of music documentaries on JOAN JETT, Whitney Houston, MIA, Nico, and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
* Bad Reputation: music video director Kevin Kerslake (Nirvana, Green Day, Red Hot Chilli Peppers) turns his eye on JOAN JETT as her career is fuelled by her obsession with proving the detractors wrong.
Interviews include Jett, Debbie Harry, Iggy Pop, Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) and Miley Cyrus. JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS - Cherry Bomb @ Express Live 05-07-18 from: YouTube.com By KW KELLY
JOAN JETT coming to Cedar Rapids from: kcrg.com By Ellyn Felton, KCRG-TV9
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) -- JOAN JETT is coming to the McGrath Amphitheatre on August 8.
The leader of the BLACKHEARTS is known for her songs "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," "Bad Reputation," and "Crimson and Clover."
Jett created her own record label, BLACKHEART RECORDS after she was rejected by over 20 labels.
Jett has acted in movies and television.
Opening for Jett will be Dorothy, a band that was named one of the 50 Best New Artists of 2014 by Rolling Stone.
Dorothy has released two full-length albums. Their most recent album, 28 Days in the Valley, was released on March 9 by Jay-Z's Roc Nation label.
Tickets for the concert range in price from $35 - $79.50.
Tickets for the concert go on sale May 11 at 10 a.m. They can be bought at https://jadepresents.com/, ticketmaster.com, via phone at 1-800-745-3000, or at the U.S. Cellular Center Box Office. JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS to perform at UPAC in Kingston in August from: dailyfreeman.com By Freeman staff
KINGSTON, N.Y.
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS will perform at the Ulster Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4.
It will be Jett's first performance in Kingston.
A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with the BLACKHEARTS, Jett has had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles. Her hits include "Bad Reputation," "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," "I Hate Myself For Loving You" and "Crimson and Clover."
Tickets are $99, $85, $79 and $59; Bardavon/UPAC members get $5 off and preferred seating.
Tickets go on sale to Bardavon/UPAC members at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 10, and to the general public at 11 a.m. Friday, May 11.
Tickets can be purchased through UPAC, 601 Broadway, Kingston, (845) 339-6088; the Bardavon, 35 Market St., Poughkeepsie, (845) 473-2072; or Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com or (800) 745-3000.
Bardavon/UPAC member benefits and are not available through Ticketmaster. Stadium Media Picks Up Digital and VOD Rights to JOAN JETT Pic 'Undateable John' from: mediaplaynews.com By STEPHANIE PRANGE
Stadium Media has picked up the worldwide digital and VOD rights to distribute Blackheart Films' comedy Undateable John.
Undateable John follows a slacker surf instructor who is on and off the wagon. He seemingly gets his life together when he falls for a beautiful but troubled young woman he meets in an AA meeting. The film stars rock icon JOAN JETT, Daryl Hannah, Shannen Doherty, Estella Warren, Tom Arnold, Margaret Cho and Meredith Baxter.
"Stadium is extremely excited about the addition of Undateable John," said Stadium Media founder and CEO Mitch Mallon in a statement. "It has an all-star cast that will do extremely well in the digital marketplace and on VOD."
"We are pleased that Undateable John has found a home with Stadium Media," said Blackheart's Carianne Brinkman, in a statement. "We look forward to working with Mitch and his team for a release later this year." JOAN JETT: Five Acts of Legend from: guitarplayer.com By GP Staff
She was a founding member of the RUNAWAYS in 1975. Svengali Kim Fowley marketed them as jailbait puppets, but the aggro girl power-and creativity-couldn't be constrained.
Sex Pistols Paul Cook and Steve Jones joined her in 1979 to record a version of the Arrows' "I Love Rock and Roll." In 1982, Jett's reworking with the BLACKHEARTS sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks.
Not content with just being a rock star, she is a champion for animal rights and vegan living.
She became Gibson's first female artist honored with a signature guitarâ€"the JOAN JETT Melody Makerâ€"in 2008.
The scrappy and gritty guitarist made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) -- JOAN JETT is coming to the McGrath Amphitheatre on August 8.
KINGSTON, N.Y.
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS will perform at the Ulster Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4.
Stadium Media has picked up the worldwide digital and VOD rights to distribute Blackheart Films' comedy Undateable John.
She was a founding member of the RUNAWAYS in 1975. Svengali Kim Fowley marketed them as jailbait puppets, but the aggro girl power-and creativity-couldn't be constrained.