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Megaforce Records co-founder Marsha Zazula Succombs To Cancer

Johnnie Crow — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 21:59:39 +0000

Marsha Zazula is a legend in the world of hard rock music, who lost her battle with cancer on Friday, January 10, 2021. Survived by her husband Jon and daughters Danielle, Rikki and Blaire, and five grandchildren, Marsha left an indelible mark on every life she touched.

Marsha’s influence in the Thrash Metal genre is far reaching. Under Marsha’s creative direction the genre was born and artists like Metallica, Anthrax, Testament and Overkill were given a platform in which to create their art which then influenced the entire metal community. Without Marsha being an initial patron and advisor to Metallica and Anthrax, the music the world now knows as Heavy Metal would not exist.

As co-founder of Megaforce Records, Marsha shattered the glass ceiling in the male-dominated world of Heavy Metal. Also running Crazed Management, Marsha and Jon discovered so many of the hard rock scene’s superstars. The label released classic albums from Metallica, Anthrax, Testament, Ministry, Ace Frehley, Disco Biscuits, Kings X and Raven.

Marsha was a galvanizing and calming force in the chaotic music scene and nurtured many careers – musicians and industry pros alike. Their success was her joy – and her joy was shared with all those she met.

Most telling of Marsha’s nature are the comments from her friends and family upon her passing. She will be greatly missed!

The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation to Broadway Cares in Marsha’s name.

“She was a mother and mentor to many, and a role model as a woman breaking the glass ceiling in an industry run by men. She had balls, beauty, brains and vision.” – Jon Zazula via Variety

“Marsha Z is the Metal Matriarch of the East Coast. She was our mother when I had none. She made great sacrifices for Metallica to grow. Thank you Marsha. Love and positive energy to the Zazula family.” – James Hetfield, Metallica, via Instagram

“Marsha was an incredibly selfless matriarch who had an enormous impact on my life and the lives of countless others… I will forever be grateful to her, Jonny and the entire Megaforce family for taking a chance on a gang of misfits and outsiders like ourselves and for helping connect us to a larger and like-minded audience.” – Lars Ulrich, Metallica, via Variety

“She kept things balanced. She was this steady hand, a calming force, during these intense moments — and there were intense moments! Jonny and Marsha were really a team; she was there for every decision. Jonny, bless him, was the stereotypical hot-headed, East Coast label executive — patience and calm may not have been his strong suits — and she balanced him out.” – Alex Skolnick, Testament, via Variety

“It’s with much sadness that we hear of the passing of Marsha Zazula. A true pioneer, along with Jonny Z. Those two were responsible for changing all our lives. Hard to put into words what a world this might be without their belief and dedication to metal and all of us. Our love to her family.” – Anthrax ,via Facebook

“My life would be very different without her. We worked very closely for the love of Music and Art, we built our relationship on those 2 things. I am saddened to wake up to the news of her passing. My love to the family and the people she touched.” – Charlie Benante, Anthrax, via Facebook

“There will no doubt be tributes and outpourings of love from far and wide for this wonderful lady, and rightly so, she was most definitely one of a kind.” – Jeff Dunn aka Mantas, Venom/Venom Inc, via Facebook

“Never will you not be near me in my heart Marsha…I love you ..sleep well..” – Tony Dolan, Venom Inc, via Facebook

“There are no words…. Rest In Peace Marsha….” – John Gallagher, Raven, via Facebook

“I was their first customer and first employee. They took me in and took a chance on a suburban punk rock girl with no direction. Marsha Zazula had an incredible impact on my life – I am forever grateful to Marsha, Jon and their daughters. Marsha was a wonderful friend who brought out the best in me. In our 40 years of friendship, Marsha welcomed me into her family, guided my career and encouraged me to be my authentic self – like she always was. There is never enough time with those we love – the times we had the good fortune to share were of LEGEND – traveling the world, experiencing culture, appreciating nature and so much more. Every person Marsha met was better for knowing her. I cherish these memories and am incredibly grateful for the time we had. I would not be the woman I am without you!” – Maria Ferrero, Adrenaline PR

Read more about Marsha Zazula’s life and career:

Megaforce Records co-founder Marsha Zazula Succombs To Cancer first appeared on Game On Media.

Monsters Of Rock Cruise X – 2020

Johnnie Crow — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 07:36:41 +0000

The holy trinity of guitar gods – George Lynch, Nuno Bettencourt, Reb Beach. The greatest voices in rock – Miljenko Matijevic, Gary Cherone, Kip Winger, CJ Snare, Jeff Keith. Legendary drummers – James Kottak, Brian Tichy, Rick Allen. Guitar clinics, comedy shows, artist Q&A’s, late night karaoke with rock stars. What has all of this and more?

The 10th annual Monsters Of Rock Cruise (AKA MORC X) set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on February 8, 2020. The Royal Caribbean ship Independence of the Seas was the home to 50 rock and roll bands, and thousands of their fans, over 5 nights at sea. The cruise stopped in Belize and Cozumel, Mexico when it was not rocking through the high seas. There were a variety of stages to host the nonstop concerts, including the large 2 level theater, a smaller theater with a large standing area surrounded by tiered seats, a club lounge, and a special pool deck stage rapidly constructed for the event which allowed fans to watch shows from the pool, hot tubs, lounge chairs, pool bar or upper level deck.

The cruise was headlined by Tesla, Krokus, Extreme and Winger, which is enough to make for a great concert right there, but that is never enough for a Monsters Of Rock Cruise. Take a deep breath, because there were 49 bands announced and one special surprise sailaway band that was only revealed when they took the stage as the ship left port. The insane lineup included Atomic Punks, Autograph, Ben Woods, Black N’ Blue, British Lion, Burning Rain, Cold Sweat, D-A-D, Diemonds, Doro, Enuff Z’nuff, Faster Pussycat, Firehouse, H.E.A.T, Hardcore Superstar, Heavens Edge, Heavy Pettin’, Honeymoon Suite, Joel Hoekstra, Keel, Kingdom Come, Kings X, KIX, Lizzy Borden, Lynch Mob, Mac Sabbath, Paradise Kitty, Raven, Richie Kotzen, Ron Keel, Russell Allen, Shiraz Lane, Simon Daniels, Slaughter, Steelheart, Stryper, The Quireboys, Thunder, Tokyo Motor Fist, Tyketto, Vixen, White Trash, Y&T, Jason Beiler, and Cold Gin.

As rock fans from around the globe boarded the ship, found their room, purchased their drink tickets, waited for their luggage and figured out the lay of the ship, the MORC Crew worked feverishly to turn one of the pools into a full sized stage, complete with lightshow and perfect sound. All of the hosts came out to welcome everyone aboard – Eddie Trunk, Nikki Blakk, Luc Carl, Don Jamieson, Jim Florentine and Metal DJ Will. Then the surprise sailaway band took the stage – BulletBoys – featuring their original lineup of Marq Torien, Lonnie Vencent, Mick Sweda and Jimmy D’Anda. From there it was an endless musical orgy of classic guitar metal, unique events, once in a lifetime selfies and shared community.

Every Monster had their own unique experience over the course of the week. On top of close to 100 concerts, MORC X offered photo opportunities with the artists, painting lessons, art exhibits from Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen and Tesla bassist Brian Wheat, dinner with bands, basketball games, surfing contests, costume contests, charity events and guitar raffles. Being a rock cruise, there were special music-themed beers available. Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon hosted a party in the promenade featuring his new Double IPA from Out of Bounds Brewing Company – Heavy Metal Hippie. Not to be outdone, Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris hosted a pub party featuring 2 brews – Trooper Premium British Beer and Sun And Steel Sake Lager.

Most bands played two 1 hour sets during the cruise, sometimes on different stages, sometimes with different setlists, sometimes with special guests. Tesla and Kix are among the greatest live rock and roll bands in history and they never disappoint. Tesla played 2 incredible theater sets, and about half of the songs differed each night. They also brought out Rick Allen, who played along with “Little Suzi” and “Signs” on a drumkit with custom MORC artwork. During the second show, Allen surprised Troy Lucketta during the set by appearing behind him and drumming along. Def Leppard helped introduce the world to Tesla, taking them along on the massive Hysteria In The Round tour in the 80’s, and has had them on numerous summer tours in recent years. It was really special to see the guys interacting and enjoying their time on stage together.

Kix is another cruise veteran who wanted to give their fans something special. Most of their set varied from show to show, with their theater show digging deep into the catalog, pulling out “Kix Are For Kids”, “The Kid”, “The Itch”, “Baby Time Bomb”, “Restless Blood”, and “Rock & Roll Overdose”. They went overboard next, bringing out the co-writer of “Bang Bang (Balls of Fire)” – none other than Kip Winger! What a treat for everyone involved. The joy that comes off the stage during a Kix show can be felt in the audience, and it gets radiated back onto the band and shows on their faces. There is no frontman more entertaining than Steve “Hey Fucker” Whiteman.

Many of the bands were celebrating the 30th anniversary of their best albums, which made for some special shows. 4 of the original members of Kingdom Come recently reunited, with Keith St. John providing vocals and a dynamic stage show. Lynch Mob was celebrating their debut album “Wicked Sensation” and vocalist Oni Logan rejoined George Lynch’s band to play the entire album front to back, with Brian Tichy on drums and Michael Devin on bass. This landmark album remains one of the best in the genre and it was so special to see it performed twice on this voyage. Extreme’s 2nd album “Pornograffitti”, another of the all time classics, also turns 30 this year and the boys from Boston pulled heavily from it. They remain an incredible live band, with perhaps the most raw talent of any band on the ship.

Really the only downside to the whole experience was #fomo – fear of missing out. I managed to photograph 30 of the 50 bands, and catch part of the sets of 5 others, leaving 15 bands missed completely. I heard great things about the peformances of Richie Kotzen, Lizzy Borden and Firehouse and would have loved to witness that. With so much going on, it would be nearly impossible to see every band, and it was important to find some time to eat a good meal once in a while and try to sleep a little bit.

Perhaps the best part of an event such as this is the combination of singing along with every word from one of your favorite bands (Winger, Steelheart), mixed with the experience of seeing a band you have loved for decades for the first time (Krokus, Kingdom Come), and the joy of discovering something new to you. The Monsters Of Rock Cruise introduces fans to newer bands, sometimes featuring familiar faces, sometimes something completely different. We came away from MORC X fascinated by The Quireboys (from London), Burning Rain (with Doug Aldrich and Keith St. John), British Lion (with Steve Harris) and H.E.A.T (from Sweden).

Next year’s celebration will star Alice Cooper. Get all the details on sale dates and lineup announcements at https://monstersofrockcruise.com/

Monsters Of Rock Cruise X 2020

70 photos

Monsters Of Rock Cruise X – 2020 first appeared on Game On Media.

Dimebash 2020 Honors “Dimebag” Darrell with All Star Jam and Dave Grohl’s BackBeat BBQ

Johnnie Crow — Wed, 22 Jan 2020 06:45:13 +0000

Nick Bowcott (Grim Reaper), Tony Campos (Static-X, Ministry), Sen Dog (Cypress Hill, Powerflo)

The annual DIMEBASH is an all-star jam honoring the life and legacy of “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, the late co-founder and guitarist of Pantera and Damageplan, and the unofficial kickoff party for the NAMM convention. Jose Mangin and Riki Rachtman co-hosted the event on January 16, 2020 at The Observatory OC in Santa Ana, California.

Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), Revel Ian, Scott Ian (Anthrax), Charlie Benante (Anthrax)

Over 5 incredible hours, artists from dozens of bands rotated on and off the stage, performing 40 songs, including Pantera classics and other legendary tunes. Sadly, this event now also honors the late Vinnie Paul, drummer of Pantera, Damageplan and Hellyeah, and Dimebag’s brother. Both men were more than stellar musicians, they were incredible human beings who brought light into so many lives. It is no surprise that their musical peers and friends show up in droves to honor their memory by playing their songs, and sharing their love for these two giants.

Lita Ford, Patrick Kennison (Heaven Below)

The one-of-a-kind lineup featured members of Accept, Act Of Defiance, Anthrax, Armored Saint, Bad Wolves, Bad Guys Wear Black, Broken Hope, Butcher Babies, Cody Jinks, Crowbar, Cypress Hill, Dylan Rose, Foo Fighters, Grim Reaper, Hatebreed, Hellyeah, In Flames, In This Moment, Iron Maidens, Kill Devil Hill, King Diamond, King’s X, Kyng, Lamb of God, Lita Ford, Pearl, Prong, Sebastian Bach, Sepultura, Stone Sour, The Haunted, Testament, Tyr, Vio-Lence and more, including the debut of Revel Ian, son of Scott Ian and Pearl Aday.

Jose Mangin, Kyng (Tony Castaneda, Pepe Clarke, Eddie Veliz), Chris Broderick (Act of Defiance)

Jose “Metal Ambassador” Mangin kicked things off on lead vocals, performing the second song from all over the crowd, as fans surfed him from the front of the house all the way back to the stage. He also shared emotional speeches about the power of music and love and gratitude. Riki Rachtman also told stories from his days on MTV’s Headbangers Ball, where he was forced to call him “Diamond” Darrell instead of “Dimebag” due to outrageous censorship.

Jose Mangin, Rita Haney, Ronz World guitar, Christian Brady (Hellyeah)

Ron Williams of RONZ WORLD Custom Painted Guitars delivered yet another amazing original piece, which was auctioned off, as the winner was chosen by Rita Haney, Dime’s longtime girlfriend and keeper of his legacy. Proceeds from the event will benefit music education and animal rescues.

Sebastian Bach

After the show, VIP guests were able to join the artists backstage to enjoy Back Beat BBQ, which none other than Dave Grohl himself had been cooking since 8:00 that morning. This was the best pulled pork and ribs that I have ever eaten. Is there nothing this man cannot do? All in all, it was an emotional, empowering evening of entertainment and excess.

NAMM 2020 Dimebash

57 photos

Dimebash 2020 Honors “Dimebag” Darrell with All Star Jam and Dave Grohl’s BackBeat BBQ first appeared on Game On Media.

Dimebash Event Honoring Dimebag Darrell Announces All-Star Talent

Johnnie Crow — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 18:52:03 +0000

Additional All-Star Talent Announced For

Dimebash

Event Honoring “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott Will Feature Members Of

Anthrax, Bad Wolves, Cypress Hill, Foo Fighters,

Hatebreed, Hellyeah, In Flames, In This Moment,

Lamb of God, Sepultura, Stone Sour, Testament & More

Co-Hosted by SiriusXM’s Jose Mangin and Riki Rachtman

Thursday, January 16

At The Observatory OC In Santa Ana, CA

With Exclusive Artist & VIP Backstage Afterparty Featuring

Dave Grohl’s BackBeat BBQ

Limited Number Of Tickets Still Available

Additional talent has been announced for the upcoming Dimebash all-star jam tribute to “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, the late co-founder and guitarist of Pantera and Damageplan. Set for Thursday, January 16 at The Observatory OC in Santa Ana, California, the one-of-a-kind lineup will feature members of Accept, Act Of Defiance, Anthrax, Armored Saint, Bad Wolves, Bad Guys Wear Black, Broken Hope, Butcher Babies, Cody Jinks, Crowbar, Cypress Hill, Dylan Rose, Foo Fighters, Hatebreed, Hellyeah, In Flames, In This Moment, Iron Maidens, Kill Devil Hill, King Diamond, King’s X, Kyng, Lamb of God, Lita Ford, Pearl, Prong, Sebastian Bach, Sepultura, Stone Sour, The Haunted, Testament, Tyr and more surprise guests.

The all-star jam will feature Dime’s music and some of his favorite songs, with the Texas homegrown sounds of WhiskeyDick opening the show as top rock and metal artists honor the guitar legend 15 years after his untimely passing. See highlights from the 2019 Dimebash and Backbeat BBQ event in this new video:

www.facebook.com/dimebagdarrell/videos/996125130761585/

The all-ages event, which also serves as the unofficial kick-off for the Winter NAMM show, starts at 7:00 PM and will be hosted by metal ambassadors Jose Mangin (Affliction / SiriusXM) and Riki Rachtman (former MTV Headbangers Ball host / Cathouse founder). A limited number of general admission tickets are still available for $33 (plus fees) via www.DimebagDarrell.com. There will also be lots of great raffle prizes to win throughout the night.

Dimebash 2020 partners include Metal Blade, Dunlop Manufacturing, Dean Guitars, BackBeat BBQ, Affliction, Paiste Cymbals, Creekstone Farms and Ronz World Guitars. Proceeds from the event will benefit music education and animal rescues.

The Observatory OC is located at 3503 S. Harbor Blvd. in Santa Ana, CA.

To further celebrate Dimebag’s life, fans can order Dimevision Vol. 2: Roll With It Or Get Rolled Over via Metal Blade Records here: https://www.metalblade.com/dimevision/#order. Dimevision Vol. 2… is a true celebration of Dimebag and how he lived his life. The DVD/CD set includes classic video clips as well as five demos picked from a vast catalog that Dimebag accrued starting in 1984 when longtime girlfriend Rita Haney gave him his first 4-track. Dimevision Vol. 2 also includes never before published photos from Stephanie Cabral, dates, stories, and notes on the five tracks. Rita worked in collaboration with Daryl “Bobby Tongs” Arnberger–who was one of Dimebag‘s closest friends and an official videographer for Pantera and Damageplan—and film editor Rob Fenn to choose 33 segments for Dimevision Vol. 2.

For more information on Dimebash 2020, visit:

www.DimebagDarrell.com

www.facebook.com/dimebagdarrell

@dimebagdarrell

Dimebash Event Honoring Dimebag Darrell Announces All-Star Talent first appeared on Game On Media.

Jonny Z to Release Tell-All Book “Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula”

Johnnie Crow — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 02:26:42 +0000

Music Industry Legend Jon Zazula, a.k.a. Jonny Z, to Release Tell-All Book, “Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula”

Lived and Told by Megaforce Records Co-Founder Jon Zazula

Brought to Life by Harold Claros-Maldonado

Foreword by Testament Vocalist Chuck Billy

Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula Available for Pre-Order in Hardcover and Paperback Here

Jonathan Zazula, known the world over as Jonny Z, has lived an intense life. Born in 1952, he began his extraordinary journey as a renegade youth who went from living on the streets of the Bronx in New York City, to later working on Wall Street, and eventually (and unexpectedly) transitioning into the music business and discovering Metallica and others. Today, Jonny Z remains one of the most respected names in heavy metal and the music industry as a whole.

Jonny Z tells all about his incredible life in a brand new book that he describes as, “not a typical rock n’ roll book, but rather, a blue collar success story” – entitled Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula, scheduled for release on Tuesday, October 29, 2019. Heavy Tales is the detailed, never before told story of how Jonny Z founded legendary New Jersey-based label Megaforce Records with his wife, Marsha, and built a dynasty unmatched by others – forever changing the scope of heavy metal.

Pre-orders for standard and signed hardcover and paperback copies of Heavy Tales are now available via www.jonzazula.com, as well as digital retailers such as Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble and Ingram Content Group.

The ebook version of Heavy Tales will be available for pre-order soon, and will be released on Black Friday, November 29, 2019.

Jonny Z and Marsha Zazula in the Golden Era of Megaforce

Jonny Z says about deciding to release a book about his life, “I wanted to tell the story of my life before someone else did. This is a story that has a motto behind it – “nothing to it but to do it”. There were a lot of odds factoring in for Marsha and myself, and we did it. No matter what anyone says to Marsha and I, we did it, and I just wanted to get that story down – that it took two people. I wanted our love story in there. I was also never very forward and transparent about my manic depression and bi-polar condition, and I just wanted to tell the story of how a man can get through that, poverty, incarceration and humiliation and rise to succeed with everything against him.”

After experiencing the horrors of Wall Street, in order to put food on the table for his children, Jonny Z began selling records at a flea market store he dubbed Rock N’ Roll Heaven in 1981, which blossomed into a major record store in the United States and influenced the heavy metal movement as we know it today. Seminal Megaforce Records publicist and Adrenaline PR CEO Maria Ferrero was his first customer before the store was even open.

Zazula adds, “I sold metal records because metal is foreground music, not background music. It inspires you to listen and pay attention to it. The fans of heavy metal music all came into the store with their painted jackets and denim vests and patches, which was very reminiscent to me of the late 60s and early 70s music scene that I was such a part of.”

In the winter of 1982, Jonny Z received an unexpected demo tape from underground, unsigned band Metallica. Eager and determined to have the music heard by the entire world, Jonny and Marsha, founded Megaforce Records in 1983, and soon after, released Metallica‘s debut album, Kill ‘Em All. Through this release, Megaforce cemented its position as the de-facto music label in America for heavy metal – but that’s just the start. The bands they would go on to work with released some of the most prolific and important albums in heavy metal history, giving it its Golden Era.

Heavy Tales details the stories of how Jonny Z worked miracles by managing and releasing albums by Metallica, Anthrax, Testament, Mercyful Fate, Overkill, Exciter, Stormtroopers of Death, Method of Destruction, Ace Frehley, King’s X, Ministry, Mindfunk, Nudeswirl, Warren Haynes, Disco Biscuits and others, and how one night in 1984, he jokingly created rap metal before anyone else conceived the idea.

With a foreword written by Testament vocalist Chuck Billy, plus over 100 rare photographs unearthed from the MegaVault and photographer friends worldwide, Heavy Tales is the definitive American story of a family man with a dream, determined to prove to the world that heavy metal belonged on the stage, in your car, on the radio, inand in your living room.

Chuck Billy mentions in the foreword, “After reading this book and learning about Jonny Z and how he helped to shape the future of heavy metal, I think you will agree that being a bat shit crazy genius is what it took to create the biggest independent record label in the world.”

Together, Jonny and Marsha built a musical dynasty out of modest beginnings unmatched by any other underground heavy metal label, a partnership that has stood the test of time, deaths, egos, and grunge.

Outside Rock N’ Roll Heaven record store in Clark, NJ

Photo: Brian Keith Nyers

Jonny Z and Scott Ian of Anthrax

Photo: Mark Weiss

The stories told in Heavy Tales were captured and compiled by Harold Claros-Maldonado, a lifelong fan of heavy metal who originally contacted the Zazulas to write a report on early Metallica. After several discussions, Zazula felt Claros-Maldonado would be the ideal partner to help him tell his story in a book.

Harold Claros-Maldonado says, “Jon Zazula is without question the Godfather of thrash metal. Having the opportunity to work together, I learned about the miracles he worked in order to release some of the most potent heavy metal albums of all time. With this book, I know many fans of Megaforce Records releases will have a greater sense of how a working-class man built an empire out of nothing to give us all the soundtrack to our lives.”

L to R: James Hetfield, Scott Ian, Jonny Z, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Cliff Burton

Photo: Metal Mike Rijswijk

Jonny says, “At one point we were one of the biggest indie record labels in America. With all of the mistakes and all of the successes, we managed to thrive. Readers may learn what to do and what not to do as fledgling industry hopefuls getting started in the business. The book is a hard, brutal unraveling of the truth, and tells it all. I’m putting this book out around Halloween, because there’s nothing scarier than the truth.”

Release parties are currently being planned for the fall – stay tuned for more details!

For more information on Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula, please visit www.jonzazula.com, www.facebook.com/heavytales and www.instagram.com/thejonzazula, and stay tuned for more information coming soon.

Photo: Gary Schwartz

Jonny Z to Release Tell-All Book “Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived by Jon Zazula” first appeared on Game On Media.