Justin Bieber Extends Tour

Justin Bieber fans, get ready to rejoice! You officially have another 20 chances to see Justin in concert! The teen idol was scheduled to finish his Believe tour in late January, but it was announced on Monday that it's going to go on beyond January.

The Canadian will fire the tour back up in June and continue on in to August, playing at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn's new venue. He will return to his native Ontario and play concerts there and will also play shows on consecutive nights in LA.

If you need another reason to justify seeing Justin, maybe this will help. The singer has decided to donate $1 from each ticket sale to Pencils of Promise, an organization that is endeavoring to build 15 schools around the world for kids in need of help.

Source: Gossip Cop

Aaron Carter Extends His Time in The Fantasticks

It would appear that  New York City can not get enough of Aaron Carter. Carter, who has been playing Matt in the off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks, has just extended his stay in the city with a new round of performances. Carter originally started performing in The Fantastick at the beginning of November in 2011. He was set to end his time with them as of the end of January, at which time he extended until April 22nd. With that date fast approaching, Carter has now extended his performances through July 22nd.

In a statement made, Carters says "I'm thrilled to extend my run in The Fantasticks and I'm looking forward to spending the summer in New York performing."

While he has been performing, Carter has also made time for his music career. At the end of March, Carter tweeted "Great start to the new year: NEW album! NEW me! Get ready folks!!" Carter has also been tweeting pictures of himself in the studio with different producers and other musicians. He has made time for concerts in areas surrounding the big apple and seems to be working just as hard on his music as he is on his performance with The Fantasticks. How he juggles it all, we will never know. But we are not complaining!

Aaron Carter is constantly on twitter tweeting with his fans, posting pictures, and keeping everyone up to date on his fast moving and quickly growing career. You can catch him on Best Ink on the Oxygen channel tonight (April 10th) at 10 pm EST as a guest judge. If you are unaware of the happenings that are Aaron Carter, you must be living under a rock. We can't wait to see what else he has up his sleeve and we'll definitely be watching as he works his way to the top.

For tickets to see Aaron Carter in The Fantasticks CLICK HERE!

INTERVIEW: Eric Schackne at House of Blues - Anaheim

Eric Schackne played the House of Blues in Anaheim Wednesday night during the Acropolis Record Showcase. His set started promptly at 11pm and he was well worth the wait! He was by far the best artist who played that night. I had the honor of interviewing him prior to him taking the stage so I got a little background on what the night had in store. He opened up his set with a song he sang to the tune he played on the piano. It certainly caught the audience's attention and definitely captivated me. During the rest of his set, he was accompanied by a drummer and guitarist who added a more upbeat feel to the night. Toward the end of his set he even played a little of the guitar himself. He sang a few songs off his first EP and gave us a little taste of what will be on his lastest EP, "Hammers & Strings," which is set to be released on March 27th. I loved getting a sample of his new music. The lyrics were so honest, I can't wait to listen to the entire album.

Between each song he engaged with the audience and he was quite the funny guy! At one point Schackne asked the crowd, "How are you guys feeling tonight?" The audience responded with cheers and "Woo!" to which Schackne said, "Woo? I feel woo too from time to time!" His chats with the audience showed that he wasn't only a talented musician, but he had a great personality that made him likeable as well. If you haven't heard his music, get to listening! For more information on Eric Schackne visit his website at EricRockMusic.com which also has links to his Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

Check out our interview below with a sneak peak of part of his performance from House of Blues in Anaheim, California!

Aaron Carter Plays Crocodile Rock Cafe

You may know him from growing up on his catchy tunes, such as "I Want Candy" or you may know him as Matt from the hit off-Broadway show "The Fantasticks", but tonight you will know him as Aaron Carter, performer, entertainer, and definitely all grown up.

Carter is making the journey from New York City, where he is currently starring in The Fantasticks off-Broadway to Allentown, PA where he will be putting on a live concert at the popular Crocodile Rock Cafe. Tickets are only $20, and best yet... it's ALL ages. So even if you aren't quite old enough to stay out late on a school night you can still enjoy the festivities. Doors open at 5:30 pm with Carter hitting the stage at eight.

According to Crocodile Rock's website, special guests will include Dalia Rae, FM Waves, Fight From the Kid, and Talinday. Carter also offered a VIP experience to meet up with him after his show and get a little one on one time (who wouldn't want that?). VIP tickets are not available at the door, so let's hope you got yours!

Carter has been fighting his way to the top of the entertainment industry over this past year and making quite the mark. Even with tragedy in his path with the death of his beloved sister, Leslie Carter, 25, back at the end of January, Carter has overcome the odds and is showing the world he is not just a child star, but an overall entertainer who is willing to work hard for what he wants. We are sure his sister would be proud, just as the fans are.

We are patiently awaiting the release of an album as he has tweeted occasionally about being in the studio working on his music. Until then, check him out tonight at Crocodile Rock Cafe in Allentown, PA or swing on up to New York City and check him out in The Fantasticks.

The Nova Echo and Oh No Fiasco Concert Review

If you're looking for a concert with an insane amount of energy from both bands on the bill, you need to take the time to check out The Nova Echo and Oh No Fiasco. The concert took place at The Double Door Inn in Charlotte, NC on Thursday, April 28, 2011.

The Nova Echo is a local band hailing from Asheville, NC. The band consists of Matt Hixon on Bass, Lee Brooks on keyboard, Travis Moss on drums, Caleb Hanks on Lead Vocals, and Evan Bradford on Guitar as well as vocals. The band is full of such energy, that is it quite difficult to keep from moving. In between each of the songs, Caleb somehow has a way of having the audience in stitches from his randomness and jokes throughout the set. I can honestly say that I haven't laughed like that at a concert in a very very very long time. The interaction they have with the audience is not something that I see very often. In fact, it is quite refreshing to see a band so involved with the people that they are performing to. The songs they sing are originals that have a sound unlike anything I have ever heard before. My personal favorite is Satellite; but I must say that the one cover they did perform, "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers was INSANE!!!! This is definitely a band that I would recommend checking out if you like good music and great Yoda impressions.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Oh No Fiasco when I saw each of the members of the band stretching as if they were going to be running a marathon before their set; but it sure as heck wasn't what I got. Having never heard them before, I didn't know what was in store for my ears. The band is made up of Lindsey Stamey on lead vocals, Seth Rowlette on guitar, Colin Cunningham on drums, Thomas Boyd on bass, and Cameron Cunningham on BOTH keyboards. The band is based out of Knoxville, TN, and this was just the start of their most recent tour. To say that these guys are energetic, would be a gross understatement. There was not a minute throughout the entire set where they were standing still. There was one point in which Seth was hanging from the rafters of the venue and Cameron had to take his glasses off because of all the head banging. I can also tell you that I can't recall ever seeing a band that was so well coordinated with their outfits. In chatting with Lindsey, I came to discover that she was the one that was responsible for the embellishments on each members shirt. I was highly impressed. Not only does she have a voice I would kill for, but she can sew too!!!! When the time came for them to announce it was the last song of the night, I was a bit disappointed. I couldn't get enough of what they were offering. I definitely left the show a huge fan of theirs; and I will be seeing them the next time they come through Charlotte.

Both of these bands are incredibly talented, and it was a great night had by all. The members of each band are kind and generous with their fans, and I can't wait to experience their music again.


P.S.
Congratulations to Seth of Oh No Fiasco on his wedding that took place this Saturday. We wish you all the best!!

U2 / JayZ 360' tour review...,

Wowers, good golly gosh, freaking amazing, outta the park!! I can't swear on here so that is my initial PG impression!!

Last night I was treated to an amazing 3.5hrs of out of this world entertainment (literally, the stage looks like a spaceship and they referenced space/aliens alot...) from music mogul/producer/rapper/Mr Beyonce JayZ as well as rock gods U2! There were 2 camps here...the die hard U2 fans who didn't know and didn't want to know who or what JayZ was all about and the others who were super stoked to get to see 2 MAJOR acts on the 1 stage for the price of 1 ticket...and pretty much 0 in-betweeners which made for a few interesting conversations.

We arrived part way through JayZ's set and rushed in to a massive sound wall of pumping bass and a few x-rated lyrics, but we were all screaming along and loving it. He performed well and got the crowd pumped and (best of all) acknowledged where he was and thanked us for being there...many times...quite a few artists do not do this!! :(    FYI - Brisbane, Australia

We waited patiently and the clock on the screen ticked down...before disintegrating and the first sounds of David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' came on and the screen showed U2 walking from the dressing rooms and up the ramp onto the stage and the crowd went wild.

The performed a full set with a semi moving stage and the most amazing light show...seriously the best set up I've ever seen at a concert, and then came back on for 2 encores.

Part way through the very energetic and fast paced show, Bono pulled a girl on stage and serenaded her, walked around the stage with her and kissed her on the hand, at which point she looked like she nearly fell over. He was hugging her and it was so sweet. She looked so overwhelmed but held up very well considering.

True to style, they pushed the human rights message pretty strongly and showed videos by Desmond Tutu and a particularly poignant one about the plight of the Burmese political prisoners. During 'Sunday, Bloody Sunday' approx 25 Amnesty International voluteers walked out onto the circular stage catwalk, all carrying oversized Amnesty Candles. It was breaktaking.

One moment that stands out for me was during 'I still haven't found what I'm looking for' when Bono took his 'ears' out and had the crowd sing to him and then he applauded us (I love it when bands/musicians do that).

The second encore was almost like a completely different mini show. The lighting was intense and there was a big animated lead up with cartoon aliens (that I'm not quite sure anyone understood) and then POW! Bono comes flying onto the stage in a jacket with red LED laser thingys down the arms and across the shoulders and a lit up circular microphone that hung on a long wire. What surprised me that was after the entire concert running around the 360' stage, Bono still had the energy to spare to swing on the microphone wire like Tarzan. What a champion.

The night before they had performed a tribute to John Lennon on the anniversary of his death and apparently that was very well received.

10 out of 10!

Source = me! Jade (twitter @JadeAODradio) and my camera