Blog Posts by Stephanie Cabral

  • The Big 4 Create A Metal Desert Storm

    Finally, the Big 4 made it to U.S. soil!

    Last year European audiences were blessed with a number of Big 4 shows featuring Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax (the first big four thrash bands), but American fans were only able to witness the spectacle via a live global telecast to movie theaters from Sofia, Bulgaria on June 22, 2010. That performance then led to the release of the multiplatinum Live From Sofia Big 4 DVD, and finally, on April 23, 2011--after almost a year of waiting for this festival to come to the bands' native land--more than 50,000 metal fans showed up at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, more than READY.

    As an invited guest, I was a bit spoiled with my access. Arriving at the venue, I went to the backstage area, which was set up like an old-fashioned chuckwagon circle. Each band had a couple of dressing-room trailers and an outside area enclosed with a white picket fence for their guests to hang out. When I arrived around 2pm, it seemed like the

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  • Live From The 2009 NAMM Convention Floor

    The Anaheim Convention Center in sunny Southern California once again played host to the annual NAMM (NationalAssociation of Music Merchants) Show that ran January 15-18th. The NAMMconvention is supposed to be the place where music gear companies show offtheir latest toys to perspective merchants, and yes, I'm sure a lot of wheelin'and dealin' was going on. But really it's more like a giant schmooze-fest.Every guitar company, drum company, software company, amp company, etc. istrying to get the most attention for their booths, and the best way to do thatis to get big-name endorsees to appear for autograph signings. That makes sensebecause let's face it, people get into the "music industry" becausethey're fans of music.

    The other big attention-getters are the showcases afterthe convention itself closes for the day: The nearby Hilton and Marriottmeeting rooms are turned into concert venues so patrons can really hear thegear in action, plus they get to see some amazing artists in tiny

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  • Wham, Bam, Thank You NAMM!

    VIEW MY NAMM 2008 PHOTO GALLERY

    Every year I say, "I'm not going to the NAMM convention this year," and every year I end up going and having a great time. But still, four days of walking thousands of square feet on concrete floors is enough to drive any person into that anti-NAMM mindset.

    So this year, I got to the Anaheim Convention Center on Friday, January 18, and tried to pick up my badge. But unfortunately the printers at the press booth were all jammed. So while I waited, I decided to run for coffee. Of course, when I got back to the press booth, the lady behind the counter informed me, "You just missed Carlos Santana!"

    Thus began my NAMM experience. I had near-misses with Stevie Wonder and Nikki Sixx too, darn it. At NAMM there are always near-misses, as well as elusive "secret" parties and showcases. This year the big buzz was all about the "secret" John Mayer show--although I never spoke to anyone who actually saw it.

    So after about 30 minutes of hanging out at the press

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News for You

  • Actress Bynes accused of bong toss out NYC window

    NEW YORK (AP) — Actress Amanda Bynes appeared disheveled in a long blond wig and sweats Friday in a criminal court where she was charged with reckless endangerment after police said she heaved a marijuana bong out the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment.

  • Latest 'Bachelorette' won't say if she's engaged

    NEW YORK (AP) — ABC's newest "Bachelorette," Desiree Hartsock, says it's not hard to keep the details of her experience on the show a secret from her friends.

  • Jersey shore reopens for 1st post-Sandy summer

    SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey rolled out some of its big guns Friday to proclaim that the shore is back following Superstorm Sandy, using Gov. Chris Christie and the cast of MTV's "Jersey Shore" to tell a national audience the state is ready for summer fun.

  • Takei says Cho good choice for latest 'Star Trek'

    SINGAPORE (AP) — Portraying USS Enterprise helmsman Hikaru Sulu in the latest "Star Trek" movie comes with big shoes to fill, but the man who played the part in the TV series and six films has given his blessing to the actor currently playing the role.

  • Rare Superman comic found in house insulation

    MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — It's considered the Holy Grail of comic books: Action Comics No. 1 from 1938, featuring the debut of Superman. And David Gonzales found one mixed in with old newspapers insulating a house he was renovating in a small town in Minnesota.

  • Actress Bynes arrested in NYC on marijuana charge

    NEW YORK (AP) — Police say actress Amanda Bynes has been arrested in midtown Manhattan after she heaved a marijuana bong out of a window.

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