We are getting close to our second show put together which will be held in Gilbert, Arizona at Crabby Dons which is located at the corner of Val Vista and Baseline.  This show features four incredible bands three of them local favorites Razer, Big Mouth Mason and Daughters of Fission as well as one special guest Opus Dai coming in from California.

Tickets to the show only cost $7 for just about 4 hours of live music entertainment which is a better deal than you could find at almost any other type of entertainment venue.  In addition the first 100 people to come to the door will receive posters for the show signed by Opus Dai.

I broadcast the show updates on twitter regularly and feel free to hit me up for details and more information my twitter ID is dragonblogger.

I look forward to meeting everyone who is coming to the show, I will be the door man giving out wristbands for the show stop by and say hi, I look forward to meeting you.

-Justin Germino

2008 Arizona State Fair Concert Series
Reserved Seats On Sale September 6, 2008

All shows are FREE with your Fair admission on a first come, first served basis. Or, you may purchase reserved seat tickets through Ticketmaster and the Coliseum Box Office in September. Separate fair admission required.

Larry the Cable Guy
Oct. 11 • 7:00 pm
Reserved seating $20

Goo Goo Dolls
Oct. 16 • 7:00 pm
Reserved seating $20

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert
Oct. 17 • 7:00 pm
Reserved seating $20

Weezer
Oct. 18 • 6:00 pm
Reserved seating $20

Sheryl Crow
Oct. 21 • 7:00 pm
Reserved seating $20

Mary J. Blige
Oct. 22 • 7:00 pm
Reserved Seating $20

Old School Jam
Oct. 24 • 8:00 pm

Featuring:

* NAUGHTY BY NATURE…Hip Hop Hooray, O.P.P
* TON LOC…Wild Thing, Funky Cold Medina
* COOLIO…Fantastic Voyage, Gangsters Paradise
* YOUNG MC…Bust A Move
* KLYMAXX…Meet In the Ladies Room, I Miss You
* CLUB NOUVEAU…Lean On Me
* TIMEX SOCIAL CLUB…Rumors

Reserved seating $15

AB Quintanilla III
and the Kumbia All Starz
Oct. 26 • 5:00 pm
Reserved Seating $15

Meat Loaf
Oct. 30 • 7:00 pm
Reserved seating $15

LL Cool J
Nov. 1 • 7:00 pm
Reserved seating $15

Attractions:

Banana Derby - America’s favorite monkey jockeys mount their canine pals to race in the Banana Derby. Featuring the amazing Gilligan T. Monkey, it’s easy to go ape for the Banana Derby.

Welde’s Big Bear show and Grizzly Falls - Get up close and personal with these “ambassadors of the wild” as the Welde family returns with their “pets,” incredibly intelligent bears ranging in size from 200 to 1,200 lbs. The Welde family spends most of the year touring fairs and festivals to educate and raise awareness of the dangers of losing this beautiful endangered species. Appearing daily in Paws & Claws Plaza located on the southwest corner of the fairgrounds.

Watch as zombies attempt a world record for the Largest Simultaneous Thriller Dance on Sat. Oct. 25 at 11:00 am, in the Arizona Lottery Backyard. Zombies will gather in cities all over the world to perform Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance at the exact same time. After the world record attempt, the audience is encouraged to participate and learn the dance themselves. Brought to you by the Phoenix Valley Thrill the World group and MOViN 97.5!

Unkle Kunkle’s Farm - Kids can experience a day in the life of a farmer in this 19,000 sq ft educational exhibit. The experience includes orange picking, collecting eggs, “milking” a cow and a make-n-take planting activity. Kids can also participate in burlap sack races and the Junior Rodeo which includes stick pony barrel racing, steer roping, and bull riding. Located in the green Wesley Bolin Building.

Kid Zone Jungle Safari - The Kid Zone features fun and educational activities for all ages including Safari Cars, Jungle Jewelry, Jungle Blocks, Ssserpentine Zone, Chimpanzee Challenge, and Endangered Wildlife Trail. Daily.

Macy’s

Macy’s Petting Zoo – A chance for animal lovers of all ages to pet, feed, and learn about many different kinds of animals.

Marie Callender’s Pie Eating Contests - Don’t miss this classic Fair tradition! Saturday October 18th, Saturday October 25th, Saturday November 1st at 4pm in the Arizona Lottery Backyard.

Mad Science presents CSI:LIVE
Join Mad Science for CSI:LIVE, an exciting, interactive journey through the fascinating world of crime scene investigations. Fairgoers will use their superior logic and forensic know-how to examine evidence and test theories. Whether it’s analyzing mysterious gasses or firing lasers across the scene of the crime, the CSI team will work together to solve the crime. It’s the ultimate live stage show experience, for ages 8 and up.
CBS™ ©2000-2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Entertainment AB Funding LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Located in the Paws & Claws near the southwest corner of the fairgrounds in the South Avenue Plaza. Come ride the elephants and ponies. Have your picture taken too! Visit Paws & Claws near the southwest corner of the fairgrounds. Additional fees apply.

Nickelodeon’s Dora The Explorer
You can meet Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer at the Fair Oct. 10-12 as they journey to the Arizona State Fair. Parents, bring your cameras to capture the fun!

Coliseum North Plaza
Fri. Oct. 10: 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm
Sat. Oct. 11 & Sun. Oct. 12: 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm

Caillou
Join popular PBS character Caillou, Oct. 17-26 as he visits the Arizona State Fair. Parents, bring your camera to capture the fun!

Coliseum North Plaza
Weekdays: 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm
Saturdays & Sundays: 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm

United States Armwrestling Championships Got biceps? The United States Armwrestling Championships will be held on Saturday, Oct. 25 in the Arizona Lottery Backyard. Any fairgoer can participate in this free event. Men compete in five different classes from 144 lbs to 220 lbs and up. Two Women’s classes include Open and Lightweight (144 lbs and under) divisions. Prizes include the potential for earning a national ranking, as well as trophies.

Thomas the Tank Engine
Meet Thomas the Tank Engine at the Arizona State Fair, Oct. 21 through Nov. 2! With Thomas, children embark on a journey of fun, entering a world of imagination through the tracks of a loveable steam engine train. Parents will love how the read-along story encourages good manners, hard work and the desire to be a really useful engine.

Coliseum North Plaza
Tue - Fri. at 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm
Sat. - Sun. at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm

Rock Band, the revolutionary music video game from MTV Games and Harmonix, is touring the USA. Bring your band or play with other rockers and battle it out during daily competitions. Rock all day for free on center stage, located at the North Entrance of the Arizona State Fair Oct. 16-26.

Human Speed Bump
Watch Tom Owen, Master Mr. USA aka the Human Speed Bump; work himself into a frenzy as he bets his life against the wheels. The man with the “World’s Strongest Abs” takes a ribbin’ and keeps on tickin’, with 8 trucks weighing up to 30,000 lbs leaving tire tracks on his stomach as he vows to set a new Guinness World Record. Oct. 17.

Wildlife World Zoo - See exotic animals and learn about the importance of preserving endangered species. Oct. 28-31at 2:30pm & 4:00pm and Nov. 1-2 at 1:00pm, 2:30pm and 4:00pm. Download a Wildlife World Zoo coupon for your next visit here:
/Common/Files/wwwzoocoupon.JPG wwwzoocoupon.JPG

Lauren Gottlieb

Learn to boogie from the best Nov. 1 & 2 - Scottsdale’s own Lauren Gottlieb, professional dancer and former top six contestant on the Fox reality series, So You Think You Can Dance, makes her fair debut with performances, classes and audience interaction. Lauren has trained with some of today’s best choreographers and is one of the most sought-after dancers in Hollywood.

• Class & performance
• Q&A session
• Autograph session
Saturday & Sunday, November 1 & 2 from
11 am, 2 pm, & 5 pm. FREE with Fair admission.

SPAMMOBILE™
It’s the largest SPAM® can in the world! If you like this classic staple, be sure to sample the FREE SPAMBURGERS® hamburgers Oct. 17-19 & 24-26.

High Dive Daredevils featuring 7-time World Champion High Diver Dana Kunze who will attempt a Fire Dive from 45 feet above the ground Oct. 24 and a High Dive from a tower nearly 80 feet above ground Oct. 25 at 5:25pm.

Cricket Wireless Connection
Free use of new Cricket Wireless Broadband/Internet Access from the Cricket Wireless/Cricket Broadband and Battery Charging Station! Special offers just for Arizona State Fair guests!

Dish Network - An interactive mobile marketing experience that allows visitors a chance to explore the superior quality, innovative technology and supreme value of DISH Network Satellite TV.

Stuck inside? Come by the Infinity Insurance, www.InfinityAuto.com, booth by the front gate and enter to win your share of thousands of dollars worth of prizes. Plus, you don’t want to miss out on Infinity’s 4 Wheel Theater attraction! The 4 Wheel Theater is a mobile big-screen cinema traveling between local festivals and neighborhood parties in a custom-designed vehicle. Arizonians can visit www.4WheelTheater.com from October 10th-November 2nd to enter for a chance to win the 4 Wheel Theater set up at their next event or a $100 gas card. Remember, Infinity Insurance can save you up to 40% on your car insurance! See you at the Fair!

The Arizona Lottery Backyard- Back by popular demand, the Arizona Lottery Backyard will be bustling with activity.

Fair Dates
October 10 - November 2, 2008
(Closed Mondays)

Fair Admission:
Adult - $12
Child (ages 5 - 13) - $6
Senior (ages 55 and up) - $6
Children under 5 - FREE

Fair Parking:
$12

Fair Hours:
Tues – Fri – Open at 12:00 noon
Sat & Sun – Open at 10:00 am
Closed Mondays
Closing Times

Commercial Buildings
Sunday - Thursday 10:00 pm
Friday - Saturday 11:30 pm

Midway and Grounds
Sunday - Thursday approximately 11:30 pm
Friday - Saturday approximately 1:00 am

Admission Gates
Sunday - Thursday approximately 10:00 pm
Friday - Saturday approximately 12:00 midnight

Livestock Barns
Close each night at approximately 10:00 pm

FREE Park & Ride Shuttle During Fair*

Park for Free at 1700 W. Washington (just west of the Capitol Building)

Enter at 19th Avenue & Jefferson, and ride the free shuttle to the Fair.

*Available only during the Arizona State Fair weekdays after 6:00 pm and weekends beginning at 10:00 am.
The shuttle will stop in two locations on the Fairgrounds: McDowell Road just east of 19th Ave. and in the Fair’s north parking lot.

The shuttle will run approximately every 15 minutes until one hour after the Fair closes.

I would like to spread the word about some good friends on mine. There is a band emerging out of Arizona, called Vayden. This band is on the rise and has gained a significant following in just a year. The story of how the band came to be is a true success story and proof that people need each other. This story is filled with hope, love and friendship. Here is a history lesson for those of you who don’t know of the Vayden movement. Arizona based band Vayden sounds like “Everything you’ve ever imagined yet nothing you have ever heard” says lead singer Curtis Casey. Many of their songs influenced by good and evil, some of the songs come at the listener with an attitude of being confrontational and geared for destruction, while others build from a place you don’t expect.

This band started in the dark and dingy basement of of an old music store where Bruce Weitz taught drum lessons. Curtis being ambitious and believing in what they were trying to accomplish bought a 30 minute session with Bruce in hope to convince him to join their band. After the two met it took 5 minutes for Bruce and Curtis to forge a friendship. Next they started looking for the rest of the future members of the band. After some ups and downs they finally found the missing parts to the band, this is where they found Jason and Armin which totally completed the band. Next they found a producer well known for working with other bands such as Authority Zero, Ten Foot Pole and Dishwalla to name a few. Ryan Greene immediately “Got It” once he heard Vayden. “We chose Ryan because he understands the importance of melodies, and he’s got a great sense of song direction and arrangement. Infusing that knowledge with his ability to capture incredible drum sounds and raw tones makes him one of the best in the business” remarks Casey.

Their debut record is entitled “Children of Our Mistakes”

The name is a play on the fact that every mistake you make spawns a metaphorical child, and that “child” might just grow up to take the wrong path. So in a sense, it’s a reminder to be aware of your actions and whom they effect.

The Album is a combination of hard-hitting rock songs hell bent on destruction (”Karma is a Professional Wrestler”, “Elysium”, “Uniforms”), over the top anthems with gigantic choruses (”Anthem of the Used”, “The One You Left Behind”, “Painted Face”) and melodic introspective songs that will pierce strait to the heart (”Welcome”, “Zoé’s Song”).

Casey explains, “We wanted the whole album to take the listener on a melodic journey, while bringing them home with huge hooks, meaningful lyrics and amazing musicianship. Our goal was to create a very deep record with so many layers that after listening to it 1000 times, you still discover new things that will make you love it even more.”

What does Vayden mean?

The word vayden by definition means knowledgeable or scholarly. To Bruce it means so much more and also to the whole band.

This is a blog post from their website that in depth explains the true meaning of Vayden.

“I’m often asked, where does the name Vayden come from? What does it mean? On the surface these seem like very simple questions, but the truth is that I’ve spent the last three years side stepping them, not because I didn’t want to answer them, but because I didn’t think people wanted to hear the real answer. I now feel the time has come to tell the story of why we chose the name Vayden and what it truly means, not only to me, but to us as a band.

The word vayden by definition means knowledgeable or scholarly. To me the name Vayden represents so much more. Vayden Zoe Weitz was my son. In July of 2004 Vayden and his mother Marcy were killed in a car accident. On the morning of the accident it became very clear to me that how I handled this would determine the outcome of my life. It was as if I had to choose right then and there between life or death. After walking around all morning I found myself in the restroom of a local coffee shop staring into the mirror and vowing to my son that I would make him proud. At that moment I chose life. I chose to believe that Vayden and Marcy fulfilled their purpose in their own lives as well as in mine. I chose to be grateful for the time I had with them and to search for anything and everything positive I could find relating to my experience with them.

The decision was made, but the struggle had just begun. When faced with so much pain, some of the thoughts that flashed through my mind were quite shocking. They ranged anywhere from seeking a temporary escape through drugs or alcohol (nothing new for me at the time) to a more permanent solution such as pondering which vehicles on the road could effectively put me out of my misery by granting me the same fate as my loved ones. Fortunately, as intense as the pain was, it did seem to come in waves, suffocating sorrow followed by brief moments of relief in which I could take a deep breath and feel a definite connection to my son just before the next wave consumed me. During those brief moments of relief there was a sense of inspiration, as if Vayden were encouraging me to seek out my own happiness. I believe that when you lose someone that you love so much, allowing yourself to be happy again is a difficult task simply because of the guilt that’s attached. It seems that when dealing with such an intense sadness, any feeling of joy or relief is immediately followed by feelings of guilt. I would think things like “how can I possibly feel good right now when I just lost my son?” The truth is, my son wants one thing for me and that’s for me to be happy. When I realized this, it became evident that my feelings of guilt were self imposed and as I began to focus on my joy, more things for me to be happy about began to surface in my life.

Through all of this I realized how kind and generous people really are. So many people came out of the wood work to show their love and support, going out of their way to help in any way they could. For that I’ll be eternally grateful. Among these people were the guys I was fortunate enough to be in a band with. I knew they were good guys but I had no idea what truly great friends they were until I needed them most. I could spend the next several pages listing all of the incredible things these guys did for me, but when you read the next few sentences I think you’ll have a good understanding of what kind of people they are. I believe one of the most beautiful songs ever written was written by my good friend Curtis Casey and dedicated to my son Vayden on the day of his and Marcy’s funeral. The chapel overflowed with hundreds of people, friends, family and many people whom I had no idea of their connection to Marcy and Vayden. The place was so full that even with the extra chairs set up outside there still wasn’t enough to accommodate the crowd. As Curtis began playing the song he had written for Vayden, accompanied by Rob Robbins and Bill Delrieu, there wasn’t a dry eye in the building, which didn’t surprise me. What I didn’t expect however, was the calming feeling of peace and inspiration that swept the chapel as the guys played. This song was truly inspired. It’s very rare that a song has the power to cut so deep while at the same time offer such an undeniable feeling of comfort and inspiration. The song is called Zoe’s song and is the last track on our record, Children Of Our Mistakes. The love and support in the room that day is something that I believe will continue to live in my heart always. Since then Rob and Bill have gone on to do their own thing but still remain great friends and we now have the pleasure of playing with Jason Salomone on bass and Armin Peterson on guitar.

I had Vayden and his mom physically in my life for only a few short years but I feel that the things I’m learning about myself and about life because of my experience with them will continue forever. As hard as the last few years have been, I’d do it all again without hesitation because I now understand the value of focusing on the joy of what is given rather than the pain of what is taken away. We named the band Vayden because to us his name represents purpose, inspiration, courage, and most importantly, life.

Vayden, this monument we’re building is for you. I love you son.

Bruce(dad)”

This Band has risen from the darkness and tragedy and grown into fitting success. This is not just a band, but a band of brothers.

Please take a listen to this band:

Vayden MySpace
Vayden Wiki
Vayden Web Site

One of the best local Arizona rock bands Razer has been around for several years.  Their first album “Falling In Line” was released on April 6th 2006, and had received nothing but positive reviews on iTunes from fans.    The band features Chris Powers performing lead vocals who does an amazing job with the lyrics his voice powerful and meshing well with the instruments, Chris Catero formerly from the band “Wardog” as the Bass Guitarist who shows as much enthusiasm playing his guitar as he does with his head banging on stage.  Jeromy Graves on electric who does an outstanding job playing alongside Paul Sullivan who also plays guitar.  What would any rock band be without its drummer?  Eric Gongiorno plays the drums and his timing and skill are outstanding to listen to as well as to witness live.

One of my favorite songs by Razer is one they just started playing live recently, and is going to be on their up and coming album.  What I Say is the name of the song, and this song never gets old to listen to.  It sounds just as good live as it does on the CD and I have seen Razer live three times now, besides the time they performed for Rock Along Production in our “Burning Up the Night” show.    In my opinion Razer doesn’t have a bad song on their first album and other quite notable songs include “Super Paun, Right Kind of Evil, Cut and Paste and Serpentine”.

I encourage everyone to check out Razer’s Music on iTunes, and you can hear samples of their tracks on the Razer Myspace page.

In the meantime stay tuned, Rock Along Productions has another show planned with Razer, details will be announced in the near future.

-Rock Along Productions

Big Mouth Mason is a local band out of Scottsdale, Arizona that was formed back in 1999 by Barbara Emberlin, and Floyd Williams who later recruited Dave Marble and Justin Andrew. The band has released four albums since their formation and their most recent “Engine’s Idle”
The band has a very unique sound that is hard to compare to other bands but you can hear some of their influences in their music. Big Mouth Mason acknowledges that they have many influences and included in that list are: Pink Floyd, U2, Depeche Mode, Ben Harper, Dave Mathews, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Police among many others.

My favorite song on the album is “Engines Idle Part 1″ but I also like “Engines Idle Part 2″ as well. I also like the guitar work in “For You” One of my opinions about the band is that they sound much better live than on the recordings on their album and off of myspace. I think the vocals have a little too much alteration and echo in them, and Barbara’s voice comes across more powerful and better live.

In seeing them live I was particularly impressed when they did a cover of “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones, and this cover would be a good addition as a bonus track for one of their albums.

I encourage everyone local in Arizona to check out Big Mouth Mason and see them live at a local venue. Visit Big Mouth Masons MySpace page for information about upcoming shows and to hear some of their music.