Riot Fest Chicago and Denver lineups announced

The Riot Fest Twitter account is probably one of the funniest to read with the way they troll people who are always complaining about the lineup of the three incarnations. On Wednesday (May 18), festival organizers shut up the hater when they unveiled the first wave of bands for both the Chicago and Denver shows. Earlier this month, news broke that the original lineup of The Misfits would reunite, and perform, at Riot Fest Chicago. Now, it’s been confirmed that they will not only perform at both Chicago and Denver dates, but that they will be in good company.

Riot Fest Chicago will feature a slew of artists including: Morrissey; Ween; Social Distortion, who will be performing 1996’s White Light, White Heat, White Trash in full; Rob Zombie, who will be performing White Zombie’s final album, Astro-Creep: 2000; Death Cab For Cutie; Brand New; NAS; Deftones; Refused; Death Grips; the Descendents; The Specials; Chevy Metal aka Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins’ side-project; and Girls Against Boys.

But those are not all the groups making their way to Chi-town in mid-September. Acts like NOFX, Bad Religion, The Hives, Leftover Crack, Smoking Popes, Pepper, Big D & The Kids Table will also play Riot Fest Chicago. While Riot Fest has been boosting the Misfits reunion, the 2016 incarnation will feature other groups reuniting. Thursday will continue their handful of reunion shows, while Underoath announced earlier this year that they had reunited and would be releasing new music soon. The Daryl Palumbo-fronted Glassjaw reunited earlier this year to head out on tour with Coheed & Cambria and will now be heading to Chicago to continue. Set Your Goals and the Anniversary are also set to reunited during the weekend-long event. While some bands are making their grand return at Riot Fest, this marks the end of Motion City Soundtrack who revealed that they will head on one final tour before calling it a day later this year.

Like Chicago, Denver will feature a lot of the same bands like The Misfits, Ween, and Death Cab For Cutie. Unlike the original Riot Fest location, Denver will feature exclusive  performances from Sleater-Kinney, Jane’s Addiction who will perform Ritual De Lo Habitual, Wolf Parade, and Tyler the Creator.

As of now, festival organizers have confirmed that this is the first wave of acts, with many more to be announced soon. The complete list of performers for Both Riot Fest Chicago and Denver can be seen below.

Riot Fest Denver (aka Riot Fest & Rodeo) will invade the National Western Complex during the weekend of Sept. 2-4. Riot Fest Chicago will take place tow weeks late during the weekend of Sept. 16-18 at Douglas Park. Early bird tickets are currently available on the festival’s website.

Morrissey to Return to the United States for 2015 Summer Tour Dates

Make room America, it looks like Morrissey is returning…well at least he’s going to try to.

After his last disastrous attempts to tour the United States, the Moz will be coming back a year after all the mishaps forced him to cancel all American 2014 dates.

If you remember, there were several health-centric mishaps that forced the former Smiths frontman to not only cancel dates, but also fire his opening act.

But, it appears all that is in the past and he will be trying, once again, to give the US some shows.

The new tour will kick off on June 11 at New Orleans’ Saenger Theater and then wrap up on June 25 at San Jose’s San Jose Event Center. Blondie and former Dresden Doll, Amanda Palmer will serve as separate support for two select dates which can be seen below.

MORRISSEY’S 2015 UNITED STATES TOUR:

06/11 – New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theater
06/13 – Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
06/15 – Durham, NC @ The Carolina Theatre
06/18-21 – Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival
06/24 – Worcester, MA @ Hanover Theater
06/27 – New York City, NY @ Madison Square Garden ^
06/29 – Akron, OH @ Akron Civic Theater
06/30 – Cincinnati, OH @ Aronoff Center For The Arts
07/02 – Nashville, TN @ Grand Ole Opry House
07/08 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple
07/09 – Chicago, IL @ Civic Opera House
07/11 – Normal, IL @ Bloomington Center For The Arts
07/13 – St. Paul, MN @ Fitzgerald Theater
07/16 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
07/18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
07/21 – Seattle, WA @ Benaroya Hall
07/23 – Troutdate, OR @ Edgefield
07/25 – San Jose, CA @ San Jose Event Center *

^ = w/ Blondie
* = w/ Amanda Palmer

Morrissey’s previously cancelled tours were in support of his recently released album, 2014’s World Peace Is None Of Your Business. The record was released through Capitol Records imprint, Harvest Records. If the label sounds familiar, it’s because we covered the legal drama that had risen when Morrissey claimed that the label had dropped him because his album’s sale weren’t great.

As of now (more than six months later) we still don’t what the outcome was, but last we heard, Morrissey is still on the line for one more album for them.

Morrissey Reveals Past Cancer Scares

Morrissey and all his health scares have been the reason the former smiths frontman has not been able to complete an entire tour.

To this date, medical excuses the singer has used have been: Barrett’s esophagus, a bleeding ulcer, double pneumonia, and food poisoning.

But, those are nothing compare to the four times the Moz has faced cancer scares.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper, El Mundo, the singer reveal the scary news, telling the publication that he had four separate encounters in recent years.

“They have scraped cancerous tissues four times already,” Morrissey explained.

In Morrissey style, he followed it up by saying “whatever” and telling the publication “if I die, I die.”

“If I die, then I die. And if I don’t, then I don’t. Right now, I feel good. I am aware that in some of my recent photos I look somewhat unhealthy, but that’s what illness can do. I’m not going to worry about that. I’ll rest when I’m dead.”

He also reveals that doctors have urged him to stop touring, but we all know that Morrissey doesn’t do well with given orders. Besides, like he said, touring is “ingrained” in him.

The European leg of his tour recently began and though we know it sounds horrible, we’re wondering how many dates he’ll actually perform before it gets cancelled like the North American leg.

Morrissey’s new album, World Peace is None of Your Business was released this past Summer and a massive feud between the singer and his former (not former?) record label exploded.

Morrissey Officially Announces European Tour Dates

In another attempt to go on a tour, Morrissey has released his first batch of European tour dates in support of his recently release album, World Peace is None of Your Business.

Considering Morrissey’s history with tours, speculation has already begun with how long the singer will actually be on this tour before announcing cancellation plans.

As of now, the European tour is set to kick off on October 6 in Lisbon and wrap up on November 29 in London at the O2 Arena.

These newly released tour dates come several months after the former Smiths frontman had to cancel his North American tour due to several issues that even we aren’t sure of anymore. The original blame was placed on former opening act, Kristeen Young who was kicked off the tour because she supposedly got Moz and his crew sick which she denied. Since Morrissey has such a colorful history of cancelling tour dates, speculation remains.

In the meantime, Morrissey has kept himself busy by fighting with his former (or maybe not former) record label, Harvest/Capitol and announced yesterday on his blog, True to You,that he will be curating a Ramones compilation titled Best of the Ramones on behalf of Sire-Rhino Records. So far, no tracklist or release date has been given for that.

MORRISSEY EUROPEAN TOUR DATES:

10/06 – Lisbon, PT @ Coliseum

10/13 – Rome, IT @ Atlantico

10/16 – Milan, IT @ Teatro Linear

10/17 – Bologna, IT @ Paladozza

10/19 – Pescara, IT @ Pala Gpii

10/21 – Florence, IT @ Obihall

10/22 – Padova, IT @ Geox Theater

10/24 – Vienna, AT @ Konzerthaus

11/05 – Hannover, DE @ Capitol

11/08 – Lund, SE @ Sparbank Arena

11/09 – Copenhagen, DK @ Falconer

11/11 – Goteborg, SE @ Lisebergshallen

11/13 – Stockholm, SE @ Hovet

11/19 – Warsaw, PL @ Stodola

11/21 – Krakow, PL @ Laznia Nowa

11/23 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle

11/24 – Essen, DE @ Colosseum

11/29 – London, UK @ 02 Arena

The Morrissey Label Drama Continues On

With every passing day, it seems like Morrissey keeps getting himself deeper and deeper into this battle against his former or maybe not former record label Harvest/Capitol Records.

The musician, for the past three weeks, has been at war with the label, but until now, the label have not formally responded to any of it. The only response which might or might not be on behalf of Harvest, was an inside source, familiar with the situation, saying that Morrissey is still under contract with the label for one more record.

For those who have not been keeping a close eye on the battle, Morrissey had claimed that the record label had dropped him following his critique of the label’s promotions for his recently released record, World Peace is None of Your Business. After that source claimed that he had not been dropped, Moz had revealed that he and his lawyer had email proof that the record label’s head and his assistant had sent them emails confirming that he was no longer a part of their roster.

In a new post titled “Please Close the Door Behind Me” on his blog site, True to You, the singer wrote about how Harvest/Capitol was like a beacon at the beginning and how he had high hopes for his relationship with them.Then, thing took a turn for the worse when Morrissey had suggested them create music videos for promotional reasons. The label, allegedly, scoffed at his suggestion and opted for clips of the singer reading songs’ lyrics instead.

But, the head-butting between him and record head Steve Barnett. Morrissey claims that the only reason the label released World Peace is None of Your Business was just to “get Morrissey out of the Inbox.”

One thing Morrissey did warn fans about on the post was to watch out because World Peace would “instantly disappear from iTunes and record stores and every download-upload-offload outlet on the planet, because Harvest technically have no right to sell it.” If you were to go onto iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Rdio right now, you would notice World Peace is no longer on the services because like he said, Harvest has no rights to it.

We’re guessing this is not the end of it.

The ‘Morrissey Dropped From Label’ Debate Continues

It’s like the “he said, they said” between Morrissey and his record label just keeps on going with no end in sight.

Last week, an “inside” source close to the situation had reportedly told Billboard that the former Smith’s frontman was still in the middle of his contract with Harvest/Capitol. The contract that he allegedly signed with Harvest/ Capitol had the singer releasing two album with them.

His recently released album, World Peace is None of Your Business was the first of the two, according to that source, and another was still in limbo.

Today, True to You, Morrissey’s go to blog to write everything and or anything that he has going on in his head or is bothering him, has once again confirmed that Moz had been dropped by the label.

In the blog post, which was not posted by Morrissey, surprisingly, the writer claims that Morrissey and his lawyer are currently in possession of emails that were sent to them from Steve Barnett, the head of the record label, and his personal assistant in which they confirm that the relationship between the singer and the record label had come to an end.

There is also a part in the post in which the writer claims that there was no recording agreement signed by Morrissey for Harvest/Captiol which means the Moz will retain full ownership of World Peace is None of Your Business as well as the label has no interest in licensing a second album from him.

So far, we don’t think anyone knows what’s going on. Harvest/Capitol have yet to officially release a statement about Morrissey’s claims. This all comes after Morrissey blasted the label for not promoting the album like they were suppose to with things like music videos. In his opinion, his fans who made fan-made music videos for tracks on the recently released record, were better at promoting the record than the label themselves.

Morrissey NOT Dropped from Record Label, Says Record Label

After taking to his blog this past weekend, to reveal that he has been dropped by his record label, Morrissey’s label Harvest/Capitol has revealed that the former Smith’s frontman was in fact not dropped from their roster.

Over the weekend, Morrissey took to the internet to blast the record label for not helping promoted his new record World Peace is None of Your Business. What sparked Moz’s fire was when three fans of his created music videos for three of his new tracks.

In his blog post on True to You, he blasts the label for not even trying to help with music video promotion.

Today, a source close to the record label has revealed that Morrissey had in fact not been dropped like he claimed online. Instead, the “source close to the situation” revealed that he still has one record left in his contract with Harvest.

In the original story written by Billboard, the music mag claims, “A source close to the situation tells Billboard that Moz has not been dropped by Harvest/Capitol, and that his contract with the company calls for two release, the first of which was World Peace.”

World Peace is None of Your Business was released last month and manage to reach the #2 spot on the charts in the United Kingdom and the #14 spot on the charts in the United States. Quite a feat for not having the so-called “cooperation” of your record label.

Guess well just sit back and wait for the Moz to take to his blog to vent about this which is probably happening as we type this.

Morrissey is slated to begin the European leg of his World Peace tour this coming October, let’s see if he’s able to make it through this tour unlike his North American leg.

Morrissey Dropped By Record Label

And the hits keep coming for Morrissey.

Two weeks after a former security guard accused the singer of firing him after not carrying out a so-called “hit” on a fansite editor, the former Smiths frontman has now been reportedly dropped by his record label, Harvest/Capitol Records.

In a post on his blog, True to You, the singer wrote about how his label had not done anything to help promote his recently released record, World Peace is None of Your Business. The post went up on Thursday and by today, the iconic singer once again finds himself without a record label.

In the post, Morrissey praise three fans who went out of their way to create music videos for tracks off of the album. “These videos fully understand the intent of the song, and I am relieved that these films exist,” he writes.

Instead of leaving it as is, Moz went on to explain how the record label should have done it to help promote the new record which reached the #2 spot on the charts in the United Kingdom and the #14 spot on the charts in the United States. “A similar document ought to have been harvested by the record label, but please understand that the pop or rock industry can be as dedicated to perpetuating public deception as the world of politics itself.”

One light note does come out of his semi-lengthy post, he reminds fans of The Smiths that it has been 30 years since the band managed to get to the #2 spot on the charts with zero air play or promotions and how “the struggle for the airwaves remains difficult.”

We’re pretty sure this is not the end of this for Morrissey especially since he will be heading out on the European leg of his tour in October. Now, we should start taking bets how many times this tour will be “rescheduled.”

Check Out the Unofficial “Official” Morrissey Tour Cancellation Shirt

With all the drama surrounding former Smiths frontman Morrissey’s tours, it’s great to know that some people have a sense of humor about the repeated cancellations.

Up until now, Moz has not been able to follow through an entire tour schedule.

At this point, the tour (or tours) have been “rescheduled” numerous times because of many reasons including the singer falling ill. Then, his mother fell ill, forcing him to put the tour on the backburner while he went back home to take care of her. Then, he and his crew got ill, again, which led to the dismissal of their opening act and instead of permanently rescheduling the show, it all just ended up being cancelled.

Thank to some genius on Reddit, they created a very fitting “official” tour shirt in honor of Morrissey’s string of cancelled tour stops. The tee features a picture of the singer (the younger years) with the words “Official Morrissey Tour Cancellation T-Shirt.” Really funny and extremely fitting considering all the tour stops that have been cancelled.

While the shirt isn’t on sale, officially, we believe it should be. We’re sure that Morrissey will have something (negative) to say about it soon enough on his blog, so now we just sit back and wait for the damning to begin.

Or maybe he’ll like the idea and start selling some of his own and show that he has a sense of humor about all the misfortune that has befallen on him as he tries to make his way across the United States to promote his new record.

Who are we kidding.

Morrissey in the Middle of a Not So “Peaceful” Lawsuit

UPDATE: It was only a matter of time before Morrissey would speak out about the accusations against him.

Like always, the singer has taken to his blog, True to You to deny all accusations.

In the lengthy post, he reveals he has had issues with David Tseng, the Morrissey-solo.com editor and the person the so-called hit was placed on, in the past, but nothing that would warrant him to get “hurt” or killed.

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We all know that Morrissey like things his way, but we didn’t know he was willing to use bodily harm to get it, at least according to a new lawsuit. And here we thought he was a lover, not a fighter.

In a new lawsuit, the frontman’s former security guard claims that he was fired because he refused to injure a fan.

According to TMZ, who we all know are good at getting the dirt, the bodyguard, Bradley Steyn was hired after an incident during a Morrissey show last May in San Jose where admires rushed the stage, knocking down the Smiths’ singer in the process.

Steyn claims that the Moz fired him shortly after that because he refused to “hurt” a fan that runs the fansite, Morrissey-solo.com, which was started back in 1997.

Steyn says that Morrissey asked him if the fan “could get hurt” because he felt that the website “invaded his personal life.”

But that’s not where this ongoing circus ends. Steyn says that Morrissey’s tour manager even went so far as to wonder aloud if said fan “could be gotten rid of” and if they could somehow find his address to do the deed.

Funnily enough, all this drama comes a few weeks after the Moz released his new album, World Peace is None of Your Business.

Guess there is no “world” peace among these people. At all.