Archive for May, 2008

Ummm…huh? What?

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

As reported by www.TMZ.com
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TMZ has learned Clay Aiken is going to be a daddy. In case you didn’t process that, Clay Aiken is going to be a daddy.

Here’s what we know. Multiple sources tell us the mother is Jaymes Foster, a record producer and Clay’s best friend. He lives at her home when he’s in L.A.

We’re told Foster, who produced several Aiken CDs, is due in August. She’s the sister of record mogul David Foster. We’re told she’s in her late 40’s, though we could not confirm her exact age. She divorced a few years back and has no kids. Aiken is 29.

We’re told Foster was artificially inseminated.

No immediate word from Aiken’s rep.
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Ummm…congrats?

“LIT” Drummer Allen Shellenberger Diagnosed With Malignant Brain Tumor

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Our best wishes go our to Allen, his family and his brothers in LIT. We wish you a full and speedy recovery. Leave some love for Allen at www.litlounge.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALLEN SHELLENBERGER, DRUMMER FOR PLATINUM ROCK BAND LIT, DIAGNOSED WITH MALIGNANT BRAIN TUMOR

Allen Shellenberger, 38 year-old drummer for Orange County rock band Lit, has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Lit made an initial announcement over their website on May 5th that a brain tumor had been discovered and the band was canceling their European tour dates with KISS. Biopsy results identified Shellenberger’s cancer as malignant glioma. According to the National Cancer Institute, malignant glioma affects approximately 10,000 Americans per year. It is the same type of cancer Senator Edward M. Kennedy is battling. Allen’s symptoms prior to diagnosis included numbness and tingling in the left side of his body.

Shellenberger is under the care of world-renowned neurosurgeons Dr. Hunt and Dr. Black at the Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute where he is pursuing radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Despite the news, Allen is in good spirits and committed to the fight.

Lit, who has been both a brotherhood and a band for over 20 years, has enjoyed multi-platinum success and chart-topping singles including “My Own Worst Enemy,” “Miserable,” and others. After two decades together the band continues to write, record and tour. “Allen’s young and healthy and if anyone has a chance to beat this, it’s him,” says Lit guitarist Jeremy Popoff. “As sad and scared as we all are, we’re standing by him and staying positive. We’re going to fight this together.”

Calling All Bands!

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

CLICK FLYER BELOW!

Johnny A and Portnoy pack em’ in!

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

Separately of course. First up - Daddy’s Portland was host to guitar hero Johnny A last night and the packed house was a rockin’! Johnny will be at Daddy’s Nashua tonight, so if you haven’t had a chance to see Johnny perform in this very intimate setting - I suggest you do so now! Tickets are still available at all Daddy’s locations and online at www.daddys.com

Here are some pics of last night….


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And of course, yesterday also brought the return of Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy. There was dicussion yesterday between myself and Mike regarding the fact that Berklee College of Music - which is directly across the street from Daddy’s Boston - had already ended their school year and the students had gone home and what impact that may have on attendance of the in-store. Well, as you can see from the image below - it had ZERO impact! Well over 250 people showed up to meet Mike! In fact, we were joking that “Thank God Berklee wasn’t in session!” He’d still be at the store signing! You Dream Theater fans ROCK!


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We have TONS of stuff in -store for you guys this summer - from the return of Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner to 3 Daddy’s locations, to a chance for you high school guitar players to win one week at the Berklee College of Music Summer Guitar Session program, to some fun with EXTREME, and for you metal heads - I am working on a whopper for you! Keep checking back.

Enjoy your long Memorial Day weekend! Be safe.
Candi

Jason Bittner ROCKS!

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

I’m not sure how many feet Jason Bittner actually has…I counted two, but there certainly sounded like there were more! Jeez that guy is a monster with the double kick! Daddy’s Albany was rockin’ once again last night with Albany, NY hometown hero, Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner in clinic. Great player, great clinician and a really great guy! If you missed it, here are some pics….

I am also happy to announce that Jason will be back in June at Daddy’s Portsmouth and Manchester, NH and Shadows Fall hometown Springfield, MA! I will be posting dates and details soon!

And don’t forget to pop over to Daddy’s Boston this afternoon at 4pm for a free in-store meet and greet with Dream Theater Drummer Mike Portnoy! OR if you are in the Portland, ME area, drop by Daddy’s Portland tonight to catch the amazing Johnny A in clinic! Johnny will also be at Daddy’s Nashua, NH tomorrow night (Wed) Tickets are still available at all Daddy’s locations or online at www.daddys.com

Who knew Albany, NY was so Rockin’?!

Monday, May 19th, 2008

What a crazy day yesterday in Albany, NY - crazy in a good way. The planet’s certainly aligned in favor of Albany yesterday with the amount of all things rock and roll that were going on. First up - a superfun in-store with legendary Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy! Once again, you guys came out in droves and we want to thank you! Mike had a great time meeting you all! And after about an hour of signing, we had some other special guest show up - Jason Bittner from Shadows Fall and Frank and Jim from Fates Warning stopped in to say HI! Now, Jason is from the area, but Frank and Jim - “What the hec are you doing here?!?” :) Everyone had a ton of fun…. Don’t forget, Mike will be at Daddy’s Junky Music in Boston on Tuesday (Tomorrow) at 4pm for a meet & greet! Stop on by.

I also want to thank those of you who donated to “Camp Good Days”. With your help, we raised $750 for a great cause! THANK YOU! Tuesdays charity will be “The Station Family Fund”.

And speaking of Jason Bittner - don’t forget that he will be doing a clinic tonight at Daddy’s in Albany at 6:30pm - there are a few tix left - so come on by!


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So after about 2 hours of signing, Mike finally got through the line and he was off to his sold out gig over at the Armory and I was off to some cooky place called “The Egg”. In all my years of going to Albany - I had never heard of this place. I must say “The Egg” (which is a theater - kinda looks like something out of the Jetsons) is beautiful on the inside. Anyway, I headed over there to go see my friend of the last 20 years, Godsmack frontman Sully Erna - performing his solo show. I’ve gotta tell you guys - if you have a chance to see Sully solo - GO! I was completely blown away by his show. It’s not your typical hour and a half of performance - he interacts with the fans - he speaks to them, they get to speak to him, he’s funny, completely entertaining and on many occassions, it was incredibly moving. Plus, he has a guest with him and while I don’t want to ruin the surprise - that person will blow you away as well. :) GO SEE IT!


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Alright, that’s it for now. I am on the road most of this week with events - so keep checking in as there will be lots of blog’s and pics this week!

Candi

Brad Delp Foundation Awards Grants to New England Music Programs

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

HAMPTON, NH | The Brad Delp Foundation is awarding two significant grants this week, according to foundation director and spokesman Bill Faulkner. The presentations are to The Nashua Community Music School of Nashua, NH and Plugged In of Needham, MA.

“With these donations, we at the Brad Delp Foundation are pleased to further our mission to continue on Brad’s spirit of generosity and giving”, said Jennifer Delp, foundation President. “We are particularly pleased to be making donations to organizations in Brad’s home region of New England, as he always took pride in his ability to help out in the community where he always felt happiest, and most at home.”

Delp, lead singer for the bands Boston, RTZ and Beatle Juice, was well known not only as a gifted singer but as a quiet, humble humanitarian. During his lifetime, Brad was particularly generous with his time and talent, playing many benefit concerts each year and otherwise supporting causes that he believed in such as children’s causes, anti violence organizations, school fundraisers, hunger and shelter programs, among many others.

“We are extremely grateful to the Brad Delp Foundation for this grant.” said NCMS Executive Director Gillian Hinkle. “It is our mission to make music instruction accessible to families of all income levels. In today’s economic environment this has become increasingly difficult and we would not be able to accomplish our goals without their assistance.”

“At Plugged In, we provide a compassionate and nurturing learning environment based on a love of music and a desire to help others. In this environment, kids feel safe taking risks, they gain self-confidence, and they are comfortable accessing and expressing their natural feelings of generosity and kindness to others”, said Sandra Rizkallah of Plugged In, “In his life, Brad Delp exemplified many of these same ideals. We are proud and honored to receive a grant from the Brad Delp Foundation to help young musicians find community and carry on Brad’s humanitarian efforts.”

“We’re delighted to present major operational grants to these organizations” said Faulkner, “and look forward to supporting students, schools and other music related organizations in the future.”

The Brad Delp Foundation, a non-profit, 501(c)3 charitable entity, was created by his children Jenna and John Michael, family and friends for the purpose of carrying on Bradley’s legacy of compassion, generosity, and kindness. Brad had an uncommon ability and desire to listen, understand, and care about people. The foundation seeks to honor Brad’s memory by awarding music related grants, scholarships and funding for school music programs.

The Nashua Community Music School is a non profit, 501(c)3 organization. Nashua CMS believes that learning and performing music is a valuable experience that not only provides a different area of knowledge; it also instills discipline and learning techniques which can be used in other areas. Most importantly, it provides the satisfaction of performing music, which remains with us throughout our lives. It is their goal to provide the Nashua community with a broad spectrum of learning, performing and listening opportunities in music and to provide vocal and instrumental lessons with the finest teachers available. More info at www.nashuacms.org

Plugged In is a non-profit program for teenagers that teaches kids how to be in a rock band and, more importantly, about the importance of giving back to the community. Twice a year, there are benefit concerts and all the students vote to choose the organization for which the concert will raise money. Plugged In is about bringing young people together through music, teaching them the importance of using their music to make positive change in the world, and helping them gain self-confidence. Our goal with Plugged In is to have the charitable aspect of the program be so meaningful for our students that they will continue using their music to help others throughout their lives. More info available at www.pluggedinband.org

Donations to The Brad Delp Foundation can be made by mail at P.O. Box 1046, Lynnfield, MA 01940, or directly through the foundation website www.braddelpfoundation.org Business correspondence and inquiries should be directed to The Brad Delp Foundation, attn: Bill Faulkner, 408 Lafayette Road, Hampton, NH 03842.

Attention Staples…

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

Please sendthe following item to Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland:

As I have to assume one of the first things he said upon his release from jail yesterday was, “That was easy!”

Reports are that the rocker, who had been sentenced to 8 days in jail for I believe a DUI charge, checked himself into jail at 8:55am and checked right back out at 6:54pm - THE SAME DAY!

I repeat my earlier statement - “That was easy”

This Month At Daddy’s!

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

Thanks to everyone who made it out to our Roland guitar clinics this week featuring guitarist ROBERT MARCELLO! Robert spent a bunch of time showing off the new Roland GT-10 pedal board - I’ve gotta tell you, I’m not a guitar player, but this machine blew me away! It is VERY VERY cool! It also comes in a bass version - the GT-10B which we just got in - stop by and check em’ out!

Don’t forget we’ve got a ton of events this month and we’d love to see you all! A lil’ something for you guitar players and drummers.

JOHNNY A returns for two more performances at Daddy’s this month. Tuesday, May 20, 6:30pm @ Daddy’s Portland, ME and Wednesday, May 21, 6:30pm @ Daddy’s Nashua, NH. $10 tickets for each performance are on sale now at ALL Daddy’s locations, or online by clicking here


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We’ve got none other than legendary Dream Theater drummer MIKE PORTNOY returning to Daddy’s to meet fans for not 1, but 2 in-store meet & greets! Woo Hoo! Courtesy of Sabian Cymbals of course….

Now, before I tell you where and when, I to remind you guys that Mike and I decided to turn these meet & greets into charity events. So, we are going to kindly ask that you make a donation at the door to the charities specified below, in order to get in to meet Mike. There is no minimum and there is no maximum donation - it is whatever you can give would be greatly appreciated. 100% of ALL donations will go directly to the charities.

Sunday, May 18 at 4pm - Daddy’s Albany, NY. We kindly ask that you make a donation at the door to “Camp Good Days” - a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children, adults and families whose lives have been touched by cancer and other life challenges www.campgooddays.com

Tuesday, May 20 at 4pm - Daddy’s Boston, MA. We kindly as that you make a donation at the door to “The Station Family Fund” - A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charity aiding the victims & survivors of the deadly Station Nightclub Fire in W. Warwick, RI that killed 100 people February 20, 2003 and severely injured hundreds more. www.stationfamilyfund.org


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And last, but NEVER least, is the incomparable Shadows Fall drummer JASON BITTNER making his Daddy’s Albany debut on Monday, May 19th @ 6:30pm. $5 tickets are on sale NOW at all Daddy’s locations or you can purchase them online by clicking here.


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Couple of other things I want to tell you guys about. First, JENNA DELP, daughter of the late great singer BRAD DELP is going to be running the Nike Women’s 1/2 Marathon in San Francisco on October 19th! She is running as a part of “Team in Training”, a wonderful organization dedicated to finding a cure for blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.

She has to raise at least $3,200 to participate in the event, but has set herself a personal goal of $5,000!! She needs your help! You can donate to Jenna’s run here “>CLICK HERE.

We are with ya Jenna!

photo: Fred “Daddy” Bramante and family with Jenna Delp

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From all of us at Daddy’s, our heartfelt prayers and well wishes for a quick recovery go out to Kyle Sweet, beautiful wife of Stryper singer Michael Sweet and their entire family. For updates on Kyle’s progress click here www.michaelsweet.com

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, May 5th, 2008

Just wanted to drop a quick THANK YOU to all of you who purchased concert merch from the “PHOENIX RISING” Station Family Fund concert on www.daddys.com over the past month. Your purchases helped raise over $5000 for the survivors, victims and their families of the deadly Station Night Club fire in Warwick, RI that killed 100 people 5 years ago and injured hundreds others. While the merch is no longer available on our website, it is available for purchase at Daddy’s Warwick, RI store. And of course - you can always donate directly to the Station Family Fund by clicking here :)