ICON FOR HIRE: Ariel Bloomer, An Icon For Higher Power, Music With A Mission

ICON
A symbol resembling or analogous to the thing it represents; A person regarded as a symbol of a belief or cultural movement.

ICON FOR HIRE
A transformational persona symbolizing a cultural movement, pushing forward the prosperity of art, fashion, music & entertainment

What if I told you...

Rock 'n roll's saviour moves among us

And, once again, not emanating from a sprawling metropolis but a quaint town

That The Voice of a generation will not be found on a temperature-controlled soundstage before a handpicked audience

                 but is from a place that rhymes with "equator"

What if I told you...

That I wanna live like I lost the script

& Scream every line like "This Is It"

What if I told the music industry...

That, it's time to test your pulse and check your vitals...

That the answer to your doldrums has been SCRIPTED

That it's time to GET WELL

What I If told you...

That references to the empires of vampires and their blood-thirsty desires don't need to transpire 

That pop can rock and slick can still stick to your lips

That the eighth wonder of the world has unfurled...

That it's time for an ICON to Make A Move and stake their claim

What if I told you...

That the word "Icon" is ripe but will not suffice

That there is so much more to the towering height of this plight

That the complete absence of colour is white

And that absence of nuance will lead to strife

What if I told you...

That the protagonist for the band shares the same name as a Disney Princess (from an adaption of a Hans Christian Anderson story entitled The Little Mermaid).

That both The Icon and The Princess, and which is which, are bloomers born bold and noble; One, the mother of Melody and one the matriarch of melody.

What if I told you...

That Pretty In Pink is Poetry

That Poetry Is Pretty

That Pink was not enough Poetry

That Hot Pink was not HOT enough

That Sparkly is more than just a vivacious shade...

IT'S LUMINESCENT EFFERVESCENCE!

What if I told you...

That Iodine in your blood line

Results in requisite refine

That two classic seminal albums, Evanescence Fallen and Flyleaf Flyleaf, have a like kind...

That the epilogue of the pantheon has arrived

The trilogy now has a third side.

That future generations will stream these dramatic Scriptures and revel in their climatic Overtures.

What if I told you...

That a soaring octave can grip your mind and grace the divine

That the rhythm of a vibrato can be lyrical AND visceral

That literate can be literal AND empirical

Magical can be theoretical AND ethereal

That melancholy mused in melody can enlighten your disguise

That it cannot be overstated that only the elated can coalesce the jaded

That believing in the strength within is not a sin

What if I told you...

That Amy Lee, Alecia Beth Moore, Hayley Williams, Sierra Kusterbeck, Shirley Manson, Skylar Grey, Lacey Sturm, Juliet Simms, Jenna McDougall, Brooklyn Allman and Theresa Jeane need to allow room at the altar for one more vocal deity...

One more shining star

That Avril Lavigne (Abbey Dawn), Gwen Stefani (L.A.M.B. Love. Angel. Music. Baby. / Harajuku Lovers), and Ashley Costello (AC eBay store) should welcome another game-changing fashion maven with open hems:

Ariel Bloomer (Custom Catastrophes)

(Lacey of Flyleaf is wearing a Custom Catastrophe Thrash Zipper Arm Warmer on the cover to the band's new single New Horizons)

What if I told you...

That if Revolver Mag anointed the smartest, most clever, creative, forward-thinking, witty Chicks in Hard Rock, I know who would reign supreme...

What if I told you...

That the eyes never lie

That objectification is a literary device 

That the pieces won't pick up themselves, you know

That forever is only in your mind

That NOW is the time For Hire to Transpire!

Would you believe me?

I believe in a Higher power

I believe in Icon For Hire power!

ICON FOR HIRE
Tour Dates
Sep 28 - Beckley, WV @ Cross Point Church
Sep 29 - Charlotte, NC @ Carowinds Theme Park
Sep 30 - Willoughby Hills, OH @ Friends Church
Oct 01 - Keyser, WV @ Church McKee Arts Ctr / Potomac
Oct 02 - Toledo, OH @ Frankie’s
Oct 03 - Columbus, OH @ The Basement
Oct 04 - Nashville, TN @ Rocketown (w/ The Nearly Deads)
Oct 05 - Hickory, NC @Victory Baptist
Oct 07 - New Albany, IN @ The Grand Theater
Oct 09 - Springfield, MO @ Remington's
Oct 11 - Dallas, TX @ The Door
Oct 12 - San Antonio, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
Oct 13 - San Angelo, TX @ San Angelo Coliseum
Oct 14 - El Paso, TX @ Hawkins Park
Oct 15 - Farmington, NM @ First Assembly Church
Oct 16 - Albuquerque, NM @ Family Worship Center
Oct 18 - Glendale, AZ @ Community Church of Joy
Oct 19 - Las Vegas, NV @ Valley Bible Fellowship
Oct 20 - Highland, CA @ Immanuel Baptist Church
Oct 21 - Lodi, CA @ Century Assembly Church
Oct 23 – Live Oak, CA @ Church of Glad Tidings
Oct 25 - Casper, WY @ Restoration Church
Oct 26 - Minot, ND @ Ann Nicole Nelson Hall
Oct 27 - Baxter, MN @ Forestview Middle School
Oct 28 - Fosston, MN @ Fosston High School
Oct 29 - Omaha, NE @ Liberty Christian Center
Nov 01 - Menomonie, WI @ U of Wisconsin Stout-Johnson
Nov 03 - Kimberly, WI @ Kimberly High School
Nov 04 - Rockford, IL @ Faith Center
Nov 24 - Decatur, IL @ Lincoln Theater
Dec 07 - Ennepetal, Germany @ Christmas Rock Night
Dec 08 - Ennepetal, Germany @ Christmas Rock Night

ICON FOR HIRE - FACEBOOK | TWITTER
ARIEL - FACEBOOK | TUMBLR | TWITTER | CUSTOM CATASTROPHES

Hayley Reardon Inspires Teen Girls To Join Her TRIBE For National Unity Day

On October 9, 2012, acclaimed 16-year old singer-songwriter Hayley Reardon will issue the second single from her forthcoming debut album, Where The Artists Go (due Oct 23 via Kingswood Records).

Coinciding the release of “Tribe” with National Unity Day, Hayley explains the meaning of the song, “I know what it’s like to want something different than everyone else around you. And to feel like the more you find yourself, the less of you they understand. I wrote this song about learning for myself that all we need to be is what makes us feel alive and eventually we’ll find our “tribe,” a group of people who understand and don’t want for us to be anything but ourselves.

"So many times I think all I’ve needed to hear is ‘let it go, little girl.’ Let go of the ones who don’t understand and hold out for the ones who do. Don’t lose yourself in the search because your tribe is waiting and once you find them, you’ll know what it means to belong.”

Instituted by the PACER National Bullying Prevention Center in Minneapolis, MN, “belonging” is the message that will unite our country on Wednesday October 10 as those who care about students who are bullied and want bullying to end, will make their color ORANGE on Unity Day.

On this observed day of Unity, everyone will link together—in schools, communities and online— to send one glorious ORANGE message of support to students who have experienced bullying.

During “Unity” week, PACER will premiere the official music video for “Tribe.” Featuring handwritten messages of Unity submitted by students from across the country, the video furthers the message Hayley expressed in a “Teens Against Bullying” toolkit created for distribution to classrooms via PACER.



Additionally, Reardon was asked to design a custom “Unite Against Bullying” t-shirt. Her “celebrity” design, including layouts from YouTube phenom Rebecca Black, country music crooner Kylie Morgan, Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice, actresses Janel Parrish and Katie Leclerc and decorated Olympians, gymnast Nastia Liukin and diver David Boudia, will be available for sale via CustomInk.

Universal messages of “Unity” and “Inclusion” are ones that Reardon has always held dear to her heart. Since developing an in-school performance program called “Find Your Voice” to deliver peer targeted messaging encouraging empowerment through self-expression, Hayley has been sharing her message in an official role as a National Peer Spokesperson for the PACER Center.

Enlightening young minds at middle school auditoriums and summer camps throughout New England, she has also played at schools in Michigan and Minnesota and will soon visit two middle schools in Anchorage, Alaska during ‘Unity Day’ week.

Reardon’s “Find Your Voice” message stems from a song she wrote after winning multiple recognitions at the annual Boston Folk Festival Songwriting contest at only 12 years of age.

Entitled “Stand Together,” the song, which appears on her Hope You’re Smiling Ep, was penned to encourage students and young adults to find their own voice and take a stand against bullying.



Hayley vividly recalls the genesis for writing Together, “I wrote ‘Stand Together’ a few weeks after starting the sixth grade. I was always warned that middle school could be a hard time socially because kids are known to be so brutally mean to each other at that age.

The song was my response after going in and seeing it for myself. It was basically me speaking to my peers, about how this whole ‘growing up thing’ would be a little easier on all of us if we could just face it as a team”.

From the powerful team which was assembled for the making of the eleven-song Where The Artists Go [producer / drummer Lorne Entress (Catie Curtis, Lori McKenna), guitarists Kevin Barry (Ray LaMontagne, Mary Chapin Carpenter) and Mark Erelli (Josh Ritter, Lori McKenna, Kelly Willis), bassist Richard Gates (Paula Cole, Dar Williams, Patty Larkin, The Weepies) and pianist Glenn Patscha (Ryan Adams, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson)] to a tribe of storied folk luminaries, Reardon continues to join forces with generations of highly artistic creative communities.

With a prominent appearance amongst the likes of Joan Baez, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Taj Mahal, Maria Muldaur, Geoff Muldaur, Jim Kweskin, Jackie Washington, Jim Rooney, Peter Rowan in the award-winning documentary For The Love of the Music: The Club 47 Folk Revival, which won Best Documentary at the 2012 Boston Intl Film Fest, to official showcases at the 2011/2012 Folk Alliance Conferences, to appearances on DittyTV, WDVX’s Blue Plate Special in Knoxville and Morning Edition on NPR affiliate WBUR in Boston, all signs for Reardon are pointing due north.

Fresh from graduating a summer performance program at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Hayley has been invited to join folk music legend Tom Rush as a special guest performer during his Tom Rush - Celebrating 50 Years of "Doing whatever it is he does" - Part 3 - The Modern Times at Club Passim on Sunday Sept 23 before returning to the iconic club on Sunday Oct 21 to celebrate her album release with an afternoon showcase.

Hayley Reardon Tour Dates

09/23 - Cambridge, MA @ Club Passim (w/ Tom Rush)

09/27 - Framingham, MA @ MetroWest Women's Alliance Gala

10/08 - Anchorage, AK @ Mears Middle School

10/09 - Anchorage, AK @ Goldenview Middle School

10/18 - Dedham, MA  @ Paradise Cafe

10/21 - Cambridge, MA @ Club Passim (CD release show) [4:30PM]

10/27 - Boston, MA @ Mass General Hospital (Juvenile Diabetes Ctr)

10/27 - Lynn, MA @ Walnut Street Cafe

11/20 - Concord, MA @ Concord Middle School

HAYLEY REARDON.COM

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOU TUBE

 

Led Zeppelin Celebration Day Nov 19; Live From London's O2 Arena

On December 10, 2007,  Led Zeppelin took the stage at London’s O2 Arena to headline a tribute concert for dear friend and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun.

What followed was a two-hour-plus tour de force of the band’s signature blues-infused rock ’n’ roll that instantly became part of the legend of Led Zeppelin.



Founding members John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were joined by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham, to perform 16 songs from their celebrated catalog including landmark tracks “Whole Lotta Love,” “Rock And Roll,” “Kashmir,” and “Stairway To Heaven.”

Although 20 million people applied for tickets, the band’s first headline show in 27 years was seen only by the 18,000 ticket holders who were fortunate enough to have secured seats through the worldwide lottery.



The film of Celebration Day will see a worldwide theatrical release by Omniverse Vision on 1,500 screens in over 40 territories on October 17. The theatrical screenings will follow premieres in London, Los Angeles, New York, and other major cities.

Tickets for the public screenings will be available on September 13 via LED ZEPPELIN.COM



Celebration Day will then be available on CD/DVD/Bluray/Download on November 19 from Swan Song/Atlantic Records.

LED ZEPPELIN
CELEBRATION DAY
1. Good Times Bad Times
2. Ramble On
3. Black Dog
4. In My Time Of Dying
5. For Your Life
6. Trampled Under Foot
7. Nobody’s Fault But Mine
8. No Quarter
9. Since I’ve Been Loving You
10. Dazed And Confused
11. Stairway To Heaven
12. The Song Remains The Same
13. Misty Mountain Hop
14. Kashmir
15. Whole Lotta Love
16. Rock And Roll

Led Zeppelin has also been selected as one of the recipients of the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors. The band is set to receive the Honors at the annual gala on December 2 in Washington, DC.

STARS IN STEREO Broken Video; Tour Dates With The Used & Blue October

Since playing their inaugural show at the Troubadour on April 22, LA alt-rockers STARS IN STEREO, led by singer/guitarist Bec Hollcraft, have been touring non-stop, landing opening slots with The Used, Dead Sara, Foxy Shazam, Twin Atlantic & Hoobastank.

When their September run with The Used finishes up, they'll leapfrog from Boise to Bourbon Street to pick up a string of Rocktober shows in support of Blue October (tour dates below).

Rare as it is to not be bustling and hustling from Point A to Point B to Point X, Y & Z, Bec and the boys recently found time to film their first music video for The Broken.



SinS will soon be issuing their very first Ep. In the meantime, scope out their next-level lyric video for Violence that's a mash-up of a lyric video and an actual music video.

STARS IN STEREO
TOUR DATES
09/18 - Pomona, CA @ The Fox Theater (w/ The Used)
09/19 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre (w/ The Used)
09/21 - Chico, CA @ Senator Theater (w/ The Used)
09/22 - Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spaces (w/ The Used)
09/23 - Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory (w/ The Used)
09/25 - Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory (w/ The Used)
09/27 - Missoula, MT @ Wilma Theater (w/ The Used)
09/28 - Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory (w/ The Used)
09/30 - New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theater (w/ Blue October)
10/01 - Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage (w/ Blue October)
10/02 - Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore (w/ Blue October)
10/04 - Boston, MA @ House Of Blues (w/ Blue October)
10/05 - New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place (w/ Blue October)
10/06 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Living Arts (w/ Blue October)
10/07 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre (w/ Blue October)
10/09 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall (w/ Blue October)
10/11 - Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues (w/ Blue October)
10/12 - Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre (w/ Blue October)
10/13 - Traverse City, MI @ Ground Zero (w/ Blue October)
10/14 - Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues (w/ Blue October)
10/17 - Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom (w/ Blue October)
10/18 - Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium (w/ Blue October)
10/20 - Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall (w/ Blue October)

STARS IN STEREO
FACEBOOK
TWITTER (BAND)

TWITTER (BEC)

STITCHED UP HEART 2.0; Frankenstein Rises From The Grave With Guns Ablaze

She's baaaaaackkkk!

And Ms Mixi ain't whistlin' Dixie

Ok, so she never really left but it makes for an appropriate headline emblazoned on the tombstone of Hollywood as STITCHED UP HEART are cranking up the butane once again.

Re-hemmed, Re-fueled, Re-formulated, Re-calibrated.

Stitched Up Heart's revolvers are Locked, Stocked, and ready to be Unloaded with both guns blazing!

So, don your Saturday night flak-jacket best and get ready to board this exhilarating scary-go-round, but lest it be known, that it's a high velocity whirling dervish.

It's very GRAVE and only for the BRAVE!

Stitched Up Heart, led by singer/ringleader Mixi, exploded onto the wilting Hollywood rock scene two years ago with palpitations quickly emulating cardiac arrest.

The band knocked 'em dead at hallowed haunts like Bar Sinister, The Viper Room and The Roxy, mopped up the masses at SXSW and select Warped tour dates before penetrating the pulse of the pragmatic while on tour with Warner Bros recording artist Gemini Syndrome.

People took notice and so did the industry as Mixi was anointed one of the Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock by the editors (and readers) of Revolver Magazine.

Label offers started rolling in. But, one must ruminate...

Is this a passageway to Heaven?

Or

IS this the WAY to get to HELL?



It was an incendiary first twelve months for the band but around the time Revolver was hitting newsstands and mailboxes, then guitarist Nikki Misery was hitting the exit as he side-stepped a few zip codes south to join up with Orange County Haunted Mansioncore incinerator, New Years Day, led by the ghoulishly affable Ashley Costello (Misery is far left in the photo below).



Soon thereafter, Mixi and several of the other band members bid adieu.

It was a time of transition and TRUE BLOOD.

While seeking replacements to stitch up her juggernaut, Mixi (real name Alecia Demner) found herself with a cameo role in the "Somebody I Used To Know" episode of True Blood (season 5, Ep 8).

With her trademark red heart necklace glowing brightly, Ms Demner is seen crossing the camera frame in vamp bar Fangtasia. Bartender, I'll have another and can you please put the "unofficial" official Bon Temps theme song on the nukebox:

Wonder if I checked your pulse
would there be a beat at all?
You're like the Dead Walkin'

The Walking Dead

Chapter 2.

Bearing a visceral moniker lends itself to many interpretations and, in this case, to the very band itself. 

Stitching up the heart of the band with David DiSarro on bass, Grant Webb on guitar and James Decker on drums, Mixi's magic carpet ride is, once again, flying high in full stride.

Re-confirgured to indoctrinate the uninitiated with their next-level fastidious Frankenstein fury, Stitched Up Heart have thrust to Mach 2, which equates to twice the speed of sound...and that's with the pedal at only half mast.

Faster than a speeding bullet and able to leap expectations in a single bound, the band is on a mission to zoom past all preconceived notions of hard music.

Lap one unfolds with the blistering video for their new single "Grave". Juxtaposing between just and justified, it's cotton candy for the inside. 

REVOLVER joined Team Mixi, hosting the world-premiere as a precursor for the unveiling of the 2012 edition of The Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock, which glazes eyeballs and papers bedroom walls this week.

Phase one is done.

Phase two is underway, as Stitched Up Heart is providing some much needed resuscitation to the beleaguered arteries of Hollywood. Over the last few months, SUH has put together/headlined several packed-to-the-gills multi-band bills with a fashion show component.

The most recent one took place on August 25 at a fabled House under the lights of a glorious Sunset.

At one of the most iconic venues along the Sunset Strip, Mixi popped her House of Blues Cherry with a dominant performance worthy of a Purple Heart. 

Flanked by bands Assuming We Survive, Downtown Attraction, A.M. or Above, Hey You! and an Amanda Jean fashion show, Mixi and her new band of brothers were more ferocious than ever!

Gone are the once-upon-a-time show gimmicks of glitter and fake blood. Back is Mixi's bold, beautiful blue locks while her trademark black & white stripes are less pronounced as her full-length striped arm bands have been chopped down to wrist-band size.

And even though her favorite black pants seem to split and shred more and more as the months roll tide, there's no fear and nothing to hide! Mixi has complete command of, and has a good chemistry with, 2.0, as the band is truly armed and dangerous.

These combustible components lend themselves emblematically to the new songs. The perverse circus swirl that permeates "I'm A Fucking Genius (But I Don't Know Shit)" detonates the mind as an instant showstopper while "Frankenstein," "It Comes Back Around," "Dead Walkin'" and "Grave" continue the anthemic tradition instituted by "We're Alive" and "Is This The Way To Get To Hell".

Round after round after round of heavy artillery showcased a ready-made monster systematically marching towards nirvana but then, in an instant, my breath ceased and the passage of time hung in the balance. An intimate song entitled, "Is This The End?" swooped down and encircled my soul.

The rapture commenced.

A generational anthem has been born but equally intriguing is the peek behind the Mixi mirror, a glimpse of the courageous heart of a Lioness. Vulnerable and raw, powerful and poignant, her entire-being embodiment left a lasting impression.

Stitching oneself up allows for progression and transformative emergence, but so does unstitching thyself.

Frankenstein has risen from the grave

Dead Walkin' like Christopher Walken

No time for sulkin' like Macauley Culkin

Only time for Rockin' like Dokken

STITCHED UP HEART

TOUR DATES

10/17 - San Francisco, CA @ TBA

10/18 - Portland, OR @ TBA

10/19 - Tacoma, WA @ TBA

10/20 - Coeur D'Lane, ID @ TBA

10/21 - Spokane, WA @ TBA

10/23 - Seattle, WA @ TBA

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TWITTER (MIXI)