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This is all it is...from Wolf's facebook page:
: Can't wait!!!! RT @VanHalen: Australia! http://t.co/
W~
: Can't wait!!!! RT @VanHalen: Australia! http://t.co/
W~
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Huh? Stone Music Festival Lawyers Up Against Tone Deaf
From an online Aussie music magazine, Tonedeaf, more on the developing Stone Festival story about promoters throwing accusations at each other:
'Stone Music Festival has only recently popped onto the radar of the music loving public, but in the six short days since the first acts on the lineup were announced it has already attracted its fair share of controversy.
Some have questioned the need for another festival given the current economic climate, others have been quick to point out that headliners Van Halen have a patchy history when it comes to actually turning up to the concerts they’ve been booked for.
But none was more vocal in his scepticism of the festival than well known Aussie promoter Andrew McManus. McManus was vocal in his opposition to the festival and even took the unusual step to publicly make statements on the Stone Music Festival’s Facebook page with a range of allegations against the festival urging punters to be careful. The move was made all the more unusual given the McManus himself has a less than spotless track record, but that’s a discussion for another day.
On February 18th, Tone Deaf reproduced Andrew McManus’s comments on the festival, as part of our ongoing coverage of the festival and the general live music community in Australia. Everyone is of course intrigued when a new player emerges in the fiercely competitive festival market, and given the popularity of those articles it seems our readers were also intrigued. The festival was quick to respond to McManus’ comments, alleging that his views were wrong in a press statement circulated to the media. “It would be prudent for Mr. McManus to check his facts before making such erroneous and public statements,” the statement read, adding that, ”no artists involved with the Stone Music Festival are involved with Mr. McManus.”
Since then, Stone Music Festival have added even more acts to their lineup, and lost another who said that the festival “just didn’t feel right”.
With the festival only two months away, the promoters must be busy trying to get everything in order so to pull off a successful launch, but the statements by McManus seem to have dwelled on their minds. We were a little surprised, and amused then, when this morning, Tone Deaf received a letter from lawyers representing Stone Music Festival and SEQ; the financier behind the festival. The letter outlined the statements that they believe are false and misleading, and have asked Tone Deaf to remove the comments by 5pm as they believe the statements have caused, and is continuing to cause, loss and damage to the business of their clients.
We can certainly agree that the comments made by McManus are less than glowing of the festival, but they are McManus’ comments. If you want to send the lawyers out, we’d direct you in his direction.
Of course, if you’ve already gone to the extraordinary step of sending legal letters out to music publications that have reported on his statements, you’ve probably already thought of that. But more than that, if you want to change the tone of the discussion surrounding your festival, all you have to do is reach out. We’d be more than happy to talk to the promoters behind Stone Music Festival, in fact we already sent an invitation to them a few days ago.
We never heard back, but the offer still stands.
We’ve sent a copy of the letter off to our lawyers to have a read, but we’ve already removed the statements from the website. However, we still believe we haven’t done anything wrong. We have removed the statements in good will, but we hope that the promoters behind Stone Music Festival will seek to engage the music media in the future, rather than sending legal letters around.
New players in an already tumultuous sector of the music industry are of course going to get tongues wagging, especially when they promise so much so quickly. If the promoters of Stone Music Festival want to play with the big players, they’ll need to learn to grow thicker skin. One thing Australian promoters are not afraid of is having a go at their competitors.
Today, more allegations about the personalities behind the festival and the associated film have surfaced, including by News Limited who assert there may be a criminal past. We’ll be holding back on that story until we hear back from the lawyers, but it does raise more questions than it answers. In the meantime, it’s only taken six days for these promoters to go from obscurity, to announcing a new festival, to sending out legal letters to the media. I sincerely hope they make better use of their next six.'
Nicholas Jones
Editor-In-ChiefLast edited by VHscraps; 02-23-2013, 10:14 PM.THINK LIKE THE WAVESComment
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How dare those Australian promoters have more drama than Van Halen, David Lee Roth and more to the point... The Roth Army!!!
How rude!!"If you want to be a monk... you gotta cook a lot of rice...”Comment
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I really hope they don't fuck this up...David Lee Roth's the greatest motherfucker who ever lived!
— Brian Moore (@brianpmoore666) June 26, 2012Comment
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Who, the Australians?My karma just ran over your dogma.Comment
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Scars and stars
Kathy McCabe The Daily Telegraph February 23, 2013 12:00AM
Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth likes to talk. Kathy McCabe goes along for the wild ride.
KM: You are finally playing in Australia after coming close a couple of times in recent years.
DLR: You're going to have to ask the rhythm section about that one. Kathy, I myself am a traveller. And let me carry with that an explanation that all those who wander are not necessarily lost. I'm calling you from Tokyo, in fact.
KM: OK, getting back to the point, is the concert in Australia part of your quest to get Van Halen out of America and touring the world again?
DLR: Clearly. The Van Halens, I think, are just now starting to value that which once was, which was the capacity to experience other worlds, other communities, particularly when you are a stranger in a stranger land. I find that so refreshing. And you gotta be prepared to be a beginner, you gotta be prepared to not have your cheesburger and fries, you gotta be prepared for a lot.
In the days back when, we would come off the road after a full year out, I would walk straight though to the international terminal and head for an adventure. I have earned the stars and scars. Kathy, we were shooting some film the other day and I said to the make-up lady in Japanese: 'You see there are eight lines on my forehead? Each one is named after an ex-girlfriend'. And she points to the third and says and "Which one is this, Dave?" "That's Stacey from Dallas."
KM: Do you have any particularly good or bad memories of Australia?
DLR: My godfather was Roger Shipton and he was in government, he was in Melbourne. He was the one who taught me at an early age that when Americans say "Whenever you're in town come by and stay at my place," that Australians will. He and his family stayed at my house in Pasadena, I have a tomb with a view in California.
KM: Are you aware of the movie Stone that the festival you are playing in Sydney is based on?
DLR: I've read the work up on it; I've seen part of it through the YouTube etc. It has not reached the American shores through rock'n'roll; it reached the shores through cinephiles like Tarantino and Rodriguez and the post-baby boomers who have had the internet at their fingers.
I was not so lucky. I have one regret in showbiz - I didn't have the f ... kin' internet. I had to wait to get to New York to buy dance music, I had to wait to get to Texas to meet Stacey and buy country music. I had no idea what was going on in our backyard, until I was actually there. There's no bitterness about Van Halen's political ups and downs, there's no bitterness about "Gee, we could have made that record better". My bitterness is "Man, if I'd had that instrument to learn from, what we could have done?"
KM: Is there still that fire in the belly when you walk on stage?
DLR: That fire starts down around little Elvis long before it reaches the belly. Yeah, I named my dick. Actually I think it was Stacey who did. You think I'm kidding?
My fire starts long before we even start to rehearse let alone get to the stage. I collect music, like, by weight. There are still three Tower Record stores here, four floors of actual CDs, you can hold them in your hands like belt buckles. If I cup my hands I can pile CDs all the way up to my chin. I myself have four or five things I really love to listen to and I am able to investigate deeply into that here. I listen constantly and I sing and dance constantly. I chose this apartment because it has a cool wooden floor and with the right socks you can get a four-foot slide.
Stone Music Festival, ANZ Stadium; April 20 (Van Halen, Jimmy Barnes, Kings Of Chaos, The Living End and more) and April 21 (Billy Joel, Icehouse, Guy Sebastian, Lifehouse and more), ticketek.com.au, stonemusicfest.comEat Us And Smile - The Originals
"I have a very belligerent enthusiasm or an enthusiastic belligerence. I’m an intellectual slut." - David Lee Roth
"We are part of the, not just the culture, but the geography. Van Halen music goes along with like fries with the burger." - David Lee RothComment
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Goddamnit - still sliding around on wood floors!My karma just ran over your dogma.Comment
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Wouldn't you?My karma just ran over your dogma.Comment
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Can't wait for an interview from any member of the rhythm section.
Has the singer gone bat shit crazy? You bet!
I'd love to hear what they think of the Roth Show.Comment
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