The Return Of The Carnival Of Sins: Mötley Crüe

Hailing from Los Angeles, CA, the quartet—Vince Neil (vocals), Mick Mars (guitars), Nikki Sixx (bass) and Tommy Lee (drums)—has commandeered the rock pantheon for over 30 years. In that time, they have accumulated worldwide album sales exceeding 80 million, seven platinum or multi-platinum albums, 22 Top 40 mainstream rock hits, six Top 20 pop singles, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, three Grammy nominations, four New York Times bestsellers (including the band’s biography, THE DIRT) and countless sold out tours across the globe, playing to millions of fans. Mötley Crüe was the first rock band in history to have completed an epic sold-out Las Vegas residency at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The band continues to remain on the forefront of entertainment, reinventing themselves via not only their music but also their mind-blowing live shows, featuring never seen before elements such as Tommy Lee’s drum roller coaster. Mötley Crüe was featured in KIA MOTORS’ award winning 2012 Super Bowl commercial.

TESLA is a multi-platinum-selling rock band from Northern California known for their melodic songs and down to earth appeal. Thanks to their die-hard, loyal fan base and their younger generation offspring, TESLA continues to tour to sold-out crowds around the world. TESLA’s 2009 FOREVER MORE tour in support of the new album of the same name, gives their audience a 25-year musical journey that keeps the loyal fans coming back and has newcomers realizing, “WOW, I didn’t know they did that song! ”TESLA’s album, Forever More contains the first single “I Wanna Live,” along with “Breakin’ Free” and the self-titled track that opens the show nightly. TESLA’s first HAC (Hot AC) track off Forever More, “Fallin’ Apart” is accompanied by a concept video available for viewing online. The ballad is sure to touch the hearts of music fans, similar to the way their hit single and crowd favorite, “Love Song” did in years past. TESLA’s line-up consists of four of its original members: vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Frank Hannon, bassist Brian Wheat, and drummer Troy Luccketta and new guitarist Dave Rude who has brought a new energy and creativity to the band. TESLA were formed in Sacramento, CA, in 1985, out of an earlier, locally popular group called City Kidd, which dated back to 1982. The band wrote original music and knew their name didn’t fit the sound. At management's suggestion, the band named itself after the eccentric inventor Nikola TESLA, who pioneered the radio but was given only belated credit for doing so. After playing several showcases in Los Angeles, TESLA quickly scored a deal with Geffen and released their debut album, Mechanical Resonance, in 1986; it produced the hard rock hits and crowd favorite, "Modern Day Cowboy" and "Little Suzi." Mechanical Resonance reached the Top 40 on the album charts, and eventually went platinum. It was the follow-up, 1989's, which truly broke the band. The first single, "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)," was a hit with hard rock audiences, setting the stage for the second single, a comforting ballad called "Love Song" which substituted a dash of hippie utopianism for the usual power ballad histrionics. "Love Song" hit the pop Top Ten and made the band stars, pushing The Great Radio Controversy into the Top 20 and double-platinum sales figures; the follow-up single, "The Way It Is," was also a hit. In keeping with their unpretentious, blue-collar roots, TESLA responded to stardom not by the glam theatrics of their tour mates and peers of the era, but by stripping things down. The idea behind 1990's, Five Man Acoustical Jam was virtually unheard of -- a pop-metal band playing loose, informal acoustic versions of their best-known songs in concert, plus a few favorite covers. TESLA's music was sturdy enough to hold up when its roots were exposed, and one of the covers, "Signs," became another Top Ten hit, as well as the band's highest-charting single. Not only did Five Man Acoustical Jam reach the Top 20 and go Platinum, it helped directly inspire MTV's "Unplugged" series, both with its relaxed vibe and its reminder that acoustic music could sound vital and energetic. This album is credited for starting the whole “Unplugged” craze of the ‘90s which included artist like Eric Clapton, Nirvana, and many others following suit with acoustic live albums. The studio follow-up to The Great Radio Controversy, Psychotic Supper, was released in 1991 and quickly became another platinum hit and spun off the greatest number of singles of any TESLA album: "Edison's Medicine," "Call It What You Want," "Song and Emotion," and the classic hit, “What You Give,” which was another one of TESLA’s ballad singles that reached Top 20 radio airplay. Their 1994 follow-up, Bust a Nut, sold over 800,000 copies, and battling the "Seattle Invasion" in 1994, was a testament to the loyal fan base TESLA had managed to cultivate over the years. The single, “Mama’s Fool” was well received, however at this point the band was suffering internal problems and decided to dis-band for the next five years. Returning with their first studio album of all original music, TESLA wrote and recorded the album Into the Now, and for the first time, self produced the album along with audio engineer Michael Rosen (Testament, AFI, Santana). Released in March, 2004, Into The Now was an autobiographical testament of a band from a previous decade plunging forward into a new era of music, and producing a sound that could compete with modern music of the day. The album successfully showed that the band could evolve sonically with aggressive songs like “Heaven 911” and the title track “Into the Now,” and “Caught in a Dream” which received massive radio airplay as well. During this time, management and label changes were made, bringing us to the independent era of today’s TESLA. In 2008, the band released its seventh studio album, Forever More, an all-new collection of songs including, "I Wanna Live," “Breakin’ Free,” "Fallin' Apart" and the title track “Forever More.” The release reunited the band with producer Terry Thomas, who helmed 1994's, Bust a Nut. TESLA is more creative now than ever, simultaneously creating and producing their own videos and albums. The release of the self-produced Comin Atcha Live 2008! marks their first ever HD release of a full electric concert DVD. With this new-found creativity and the album Forever More, the band has taken control of their career, releasing the album on CD (and a limited-edition vinyl package) around the world through their band-owned and operated label, TESLA Electric Company Recordings.

Welcome to Extreme's Official Facebook Page. Extreme’s first album in thirteen years doesn’t just mark the band’s hotly anticipated return to the studio and stage. Saudades de Rock (pronounced “sow-dodge”) is a groundbreaking record that reaffirms the beloved, Boston-bred foursome’s stature as innovators in the world of rock & roll. Fostered by the same unwavering songcraft and diverse musical approaches that first earned the band – vocalist Gary Cherone, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, bassist Pat Badger and new drummer Kevin Figueiredo – multi-platinum albums with chart topping hits and sold-out tours the globe over, Extreme’s fifth studio offering just may be its finest hour yet. “A record is what makes a band vital,” says Bettencourt, who recorded Extreme’s comeback disc at NRG Studios in Los Angeles and served as the project’s producer and mixer. “For the fans, it’s like, ‘Show me if you still got it.’ And we’ve done that. I really think this is the best record we’ve ever done.” Boasting badass, groove-laden, swaggering numbers (“King”), raw funk metal (“Learn To Love”), expressive ballads (“Interface”) and soulful, piano steered winners (“Ghost”), the raw, organic Saudades de Rock is the next logical step in a catalog that’s as ambitious and expressive as it is thought provoking. Anchored by the amazingly memorable “Star” where Cherone’s vocals launch the forceful song before giving way to a brilliant hook and a topical observation of starlets falling from grace. Elsewhere, the anthemic rocker “King” is similarly lighthearted, as its mojo works a chorus that just won’t quit. “It’s one of those songs made for driving around with the top down,” Bettencourt asserts. If the arc of Extreme seems surprisingly in synch, considering the large decade-plus gap between records, it’s because Bettencourt and Cherone kept in touch during the years when the band was dormant. Then, in 2004, a series of hometown reunion gigs planted the seed for what has ultimately become the outfit’s official regrouping. When the pair came together to pen the tunes that would comprise Saudades de Rock in late 2007, the creative floodgates were open. Says Nuno, “The chemistry was there from day one, as we suspected it would be.” To which Cherone marvels, “I’ve spent my whole life trying to keep up with Nuno. There was actually too much material! We were doing a song or two a day, and we wound up with 23 or 24 songs in a two week writing session.” “We knew within an hour of Gary and I getting back together to write, that we still had something relevant to offer,” Bettencourt continues. “And while there are great bands out there, from Muse to the Raconteurs, we felt like there was a void as far as straight up rock and roll goes.” Consider that hole filled by the blistering, Zeppelin-minded riffs and powerful rhythms that that elevate “Slide” into a raw rock opus. Less bombastic, but equally scorching is the passionate, blues-y “Last Hour,” which Nuno describes musically as “something you’d hear in the 1960s. It reminds me of “House of the Rising Sun, but heavier.” Bettencourt also calls the latter “Gary’s shining moment,” insisting, “he’s reached the mountain vocally.” Meanwhile, the two piano-steered numbers, the important, Lennon-minded “Peace” and the aforementioned atmospheric “Ghost,” exhibit Extreme’s broad stylistic abilities. “We’ve always had a track or two where I sat at the piano with Gary,” Nuno says of “Ghost”. “But we wanted to make that one more upbeat.” Equally hypnotic and undeniably great, “Take Us Alive” incorporates a thumping country blues approach with Gary’s exceptional vocal performance and Nuno’s breathtaking guitar picking.” “We’ve always had these ‘Right-turn-at-Albuquerque tracks’,” Nuno says, reminding us that Sirs Page & Plant utilized similar approaches long ago. Speaking of the ZOSO purveyors, he is quick to acknowledge that Extreme has always nodded proudly to its heroes. “We’ve never had a problem wearing our influences on our sleeve,” the guitarist says. “I don’t care if it’s Zeppelin, the Beatles, Nirvana or Prince. You’d have to literally rise from the dead, get a guitar strapped on and write and record your record to not be touched by the music all around you. Going back to when we started, we always thought that Zeppelin and the Beatles were the greatest bands ever, and if we could fall somewhere in between them, we’d be doing something right.” Based on the enthusiasm of the rock aficionados and diehard fans that have followed the band since its self-titled debut, Extreme’s 2008 ‘Take Us Alive’ world tour (with support from Kings X plus Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp on select dates) is destined for success. Showcasing material from the majestic new album and classics from discs like 1990’s multi-platinum, Pornograffitti, not to mention 1992’s critically acclaimed III Sides to Every Story, the members of Extreme are thrilled to be heading out on the road. “As much as we enjoy recording, for me, I’ve always loved playing live for the fans,” Cherone says. “We can’t wait to get out there and play this music live.” Staying clear of a common practice in recording studios, Bettencourt shunned computer trickery and vocal tweaks associated with Auto-Tune software. “We’re having none of that,” Nuno explains. “Things can get really complicated in the studio if you let them. That’s why we wanted to do so much of this album live – these songs will translate easily to the stage. We’re really looking forward to getting out on tour, putting on a show. That’s really where the band shines.” And for those still pining for the approach of Extreme’s chart smashes, “More Than Words” and “Hole Hearted,” where Cherone and Bettencourt harmonized with such effortless grace, look no further than “Interface,” which celebrates that proven formula while arguably trumping it. Saudades de Rock finds the men of Extreme excited to be back together and playing to their collective strengths. And clearly, the accomplishment is not lost on them. “It didn’t take long for us to be reminded of what we were capable of,” Cherone enthuses. “We always knew Extreme was special. We always knew it was a matter of time.” It’s a sentiment that carries over to the title of Extreme’s phenomenal new disc. “’Saudades’ was always a beautiful word to me,” Nuno explains. “It expresses a longing; an underlying sadness for something or someone that’s been missing in your life, and never quite sure if it will ever return. In this case, for us, it’s Rock and Roll. Saudades de Rock.” Or as Gary concludes, “I like how it expresses that longing we’ve been feeling to play for our fans and be together again.” Amen. To date, the Grammy-nominated EXTREME have released four albums, plus a greatest hits set—selling over 10 million records worldwide. On the strength of multiple world tours, they also achieved a #1 hit single, “More Than Words”—from their 1990 multi-platinum album Extreme II: Pornograffitti—on the Billboard Hot 100, which they followed with the Top Five “Hole Hearted.” Although these two acoustic hits brought the band great mainstream success, it overshadowed the band’s trademark sound: a mix of hard rock funk in the spirit and style of their predecessors Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Queen and Van Halen—fueled by BETTENCOURT’s signature guitar flights and CHERONE’s resonant vocals—and matched with a social consciousness in their lyrics. A career highlight came for EXTREME when Queen’s Brian May asked them to perform at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert in 1992, which gave the band considerable credibility beyond the hard rock fraternity.