International pop superstar Lady Gaga today added another notch to her belt of #1 hits as “Bad Romance” climbs to the top of Billboard’s Top 40 Airplay Chart. She becomes the first artist in the chart’s history to send their first five singles to the #1 spot, and remarkably she has done so in less than a year. “Bad Romance” is Gaga’s first hit from her second album, The Fame Monster (Streamline / Konlive / Cherrytree / Interscope Records). Her debut album, The Fame, has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide, and her singles have sold an astounding 35 million digital copies as well. The album is the home to her previous #1 hits (“Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” “LoveGame” and “Paparazzi”). Read the rest of this entry »

 As the N.E. Patriots show real heart with Tom Brady in the game in the 4th quarter they are seen as true champions. There’s an excellent story on the web by Doug Farrar about how football fans want games at the end of the year to mean something. When the Colts “protected” themselves instead of going for it they lost some momentum. And they looked like lightweights. The N.E. Patriots have lots of momentum as we head into the 2010 playoff picture, hopefully Wes Welker will be there with them…but as film critic here at TMR Zoo it is time to talk about my current favorite subject…Avatar!

Is it a perfect film? No…but I’ve yet to see a perfect film…even some of my very favorites – Boris Karloff in The Bride of Frankenstein, Mick Jagger in Performance, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Matrix Trilogy, all of them have areas that could have been enhanced. Maybe the original Star Wars comes closest to the bar in my mind, that mark many critics believe was set by Citizen Kane and Gone With The Wind – but let’s talk about what is right with Avatar…the mystical world James Cameron creates is lovely and the 3D enhances the escapism. Sam Worthington’s understated performance and Sigourney Weaver’s presence all add to the many layered story. Though there’s no Heath Ledger Joker performance (that’s left to the special effects, the main focus of and in this major event) Avatar is a very special film. What will be very exciting is if the film studios spend the 30 million on the 3D technology for the original 1933 King Kong (unlikely), for the Matrix series, Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, Terminator films…now that will make things very interesting…

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The argument arises every once in a while that there are no new effects made for guitarists. Most argue that the new effects are reissues or slight modifications to the 5 or 6 staples we may have on the floor beneath us already.

Eventide has changed all of this by taking a step back and a leap forward in the arena of on floor guitar processing. The PitchFactor’s huge spectrum of sonic finishes for your guitar varies from subtle thickening of your tone to out of this world synthesizer effects.

The factory presets sound like a who’s who of Eventide users over the years. You can dial up some Jimmy Page or Frank Zappa instantly out of the box. Steve Vai’s sought after Eventide H3000 tones are not so subtly called “Wyld Stallions Solo” a little nod to Bill & Ted and VaiBallerina. The “Heavy Lead” presets also have a Vaiesque sound to them with the addition of a Boss DS-1 and some yanking on my tremelo bar. Read the rest of this entry »

Avenged Sevenfold drummer James Owen Sullivan, also known by his stage name ” The Reverend Tholomew Plague” or simply “The Rev” was found dead in his Huntington Beach home yesterday on December 28 at approximately 1 p.m.

The talented drummer was 28 years old. Sullivan was a huge Pantera fan, another band with a tragic early death. Jimmy also played many different instruments other than the drums, such as the piano and guitar. Read the rest of this entry »

For many, the World’s Greatest Rock Band, The Who, will be seen by one of the largest television audiences in history when the group headlines the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show on CBS Sports at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida on Sunday, February 7.

The Bridgestone Super Bowl halftime show is one of the most anticipated musical events of the year. More than 151 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year’s show. The Super Bowl and halftime show will be broadcast worldwide in more than 230 countries and territories. Read the rest of this entry »

This DVD blindsided me; I was expecting a disk full of  laid back classic rock. Marty Balin comes out the gates swinging with the song “3/5th of a Mile in 10 Seconds”. This is a great opener and a solid rocker. Jefferson Starship alum Mark “Slick” Aguilar delivers blazing guitar throughout the song including an incredible classic rock solo. I settle in for what I think will be a standard smash and bash rock show and Marty mixes it up.

The next tune “Runaway” is a jazz influenced rock tune with beautiful harmonies and awesome guitar work once again by Aguilar. This tune is dovetailed into the country flavored classic “Count On Me”. Read the rest of this entry »

A new media study among 800 American Idol viewers revealed that nearly half of the viewers (47%) reported that they would watch American Idol less if Simon leaves.

The study was conducted by HCD Research using its MediaCurves.com® website on December 21-22, to obtain viewers’ perceptions of news clip discussing the possibility of Simon Cowell leaving American Idol after this season. To view interest curves and detailed results go to: www.mediacurves.com. Read the rest of this entry »

TMRZoo once again prepares to bring you unprecedented weekly coverage of America’s number one television show, American Idol, as it makes its return on Tuesday, January 12th, on Fox. From then, for the next several weeks, we’ll watch as Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and guest judges Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Kristin Chenoweth, Neil Patrick Harris, Joe Jonas, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and Shania Twain select the final 24 contestants out of thousands.

Then, beginning Tuesday, February 23rd, Ellen Degeneres joins the judges table as a regular 4th judge for the remainder of the show, replacing long time judge Paula Abdul. Read the rest of this entry »

To celebrate the November 17th release of The Katt Box, a 3-disc Katt Williams CD box set, The Zoo is giving away ONE copy of the set, courtesy of Warner Bros., to ONE lucky winner.

Synopsis:
On Nov 17th Katt Williams’ best material is available in the Katt Box, a 3-CD box set collection of Katt’s top three selling albums; American Hustle, It’s Pimpin’ Pimpin’, and The Pimp Chronicles. Read the rest of this entry »

24 Seven Artist Development proudly announces the GRAMMY nomination of Urbanus from Stefon Harris & Blackout for Best Contemporary Jazz Album

“The Year’s Best New Jazz” — NPR All Songs Considered

“On the brilliant “Urbanus,” Mr. Harris and Blackout interpret the Gershwins (via Miles Davis),
Buster Williams and Jackie McLean.” —Wall Street Journal Read the rest of this entry »

To celebrate the December 29th DVD release of Glee: Season One, Volume One – Road to Sectionals, The Zoo is giving away TWO copies of the Four-Disc DVD set, courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, to TWO lucky winners.

Synopsis:
Filled with beloved characters and sensational musical numbers, “Glee” Season 1: Road To Sectionals is an electrifying, pitch-perfect winner. William McKinley High School once had a champion glee club, but now they are floundering. That is when an idealistic Spanish teacher (Matthew Morrison, Music & Lyrics) takes up their cause, vowing to transform the rag-tag group of singers and dancers into champions. Read the rest of this entry »

American rock band Alice in Chains, known for its Billboard 200 albums, top-10 hits, and multiple Grammy Award nominations, is set to perform classic hits and new favorites at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods on March 6 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30, $45, and $55 and are on sale on December 5 at 9 a.m.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.mgmatfoxwoods.com , by calling the MGM Grand Box Office at 1-866-646-0609, by calling Ticketmaster, or in person at the MGM Grand Box Office.

Since its formation in Seattle in 1987, Alice in Chains has sold more than 17 million albums, including Billboard 200 chart-toppers “Jar of Flies” and “Alice in Chains,” and was one of the most successful musical acts of the 1990s. The band has received six Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy nominations for songs including “Man in the Box,” “I Stay Away,” “Grind,” and “Get Born Again.” Read the rest of this entry »

For more than 35 years, AC/DC has represented the archetypal “big rock” guitar sound, setting the standards for countless bands to follow. In particular, Angus Young’s incendiary lead tone and mammoth rhythm crunch have inspired wave after wave of rock guitar heroes, and he has done it all on a Gibson SG Standard. The SG replaced the underappreciated Les Paul Standard in 1961, and while the Les Paul would surface later in the decade as a rock and blues classic, the new SG (originally named Les Paul/SG) was an instant hit in its own right. Its simple yet inspired ingredients of thin, all-mahogany body and neck and two Gibson humbucking pickups gave it a snappy attack with a muscular punch, and its slim, fast neck yielded unprecedented playability. Read the rest of this entry »

To celebrate the release of the Ear Force P21 Gaming Headset for the PS3, The Zoo is giving away TWO headsets, courtesy of Turtle Beach, to TWO lucky winners.

Prize Description:
The Ear Force P21 gaming headset pushes your Playstation 3 (PS3) gaming experience to a new level with superior stereo sound and crystal-clear communication on the PlayStation Network (PSN) through a USB connection. The P21 gives you a competitive advantage by bringing out sound cues in the game that are difficult to hear with speakers—such as the footsteps of an enemy Read the rest of this entry »

There are reports out of L.A. and Boston today that after 40 years Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has left the band. This would not be the first time in the history of Areosmith a founding member has left. Joe Perry and Brad Perry both left in the 80’s to peruse solo careers. Joe Perry did some of his best playing and writing after the break up with The Joe Perry Project. JPP released “Let The Music Do The Talking” and “I’ve Got The Rock & Rolls Again; both albums had limited success.

Aerosmith continued on with the release of “Rock In A Hard Place” with stand in guitarists Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay. “Rock In A Hard Place” saw a glimmer of Mtv airplay with the single “When The Lightning Strikes” but never burnt up the charts. Read the rest of this entry »

Renowned vocalist Jeannie Gagné will be performing a free concert at the Friend Recital Hall at Berklee College of Music on Wednesday, November 10. She’ll be singing jazz and original songs, accompanied by a jazz trio of Berklee’s finest. Accompanying Jeannie will be Barry Silverman on piano, Shaye Jones on bass and Giancarlo di Frizio on drums. Read the rest of this entry »