Author Archives: Jonathan Williams

Rev Theory continues serving up “Justice” for WWE

By Jonathan Williams

With a hard rock sound somewhere between the party swagger and balladry of Mötley Crüe and the driving post-grunge of Stone Temple Pilots, Rev Theory has established itself as one of the top acts in today’s rock scene. The band has become a touring machine over the past few years, playing upwards of 200 shows a year and sharing the stage with the likes of Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Having released its latest album Justice in February, Rev Theory is currently on the HardDrive Live Spring Fling tour with the likes of Saliva, Emphatic, Madam Adam and Seven Day Sonnet (followed by a few dates on the Uranium Tour 2011 with Black Label Society, Hourcast and Anchored).

Photo by Kevin Estrada

Aside from its relentless touring schedule, Rev Theory has also benefited from its tag team-like partnership with WWE, which has not only used Rev Theory songs as official pay-per-view themes on a few occasions, but also enlisted the band to record “Voices,” which has been used at Randy Orton‘s entrance music for the past few years. With WWE choosing the title track from Justice as the official theme song of this Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, guitarist Julien Jorgensen takes a moment to talk about the role WWE has played in the band’s success.

Rev Theory has established quite a relationship with WWE, having your music chosen as the official theme song of several pay-per-views and having Randy Orton use your music during his ring entrances. How did this relationship with WWE come about?

Yeah, we’ve had Randy Orton’s theme song for quite some time and I think that’s one of the most popular and celebrated theme songs in a long time. It’s done well for us. Then we did “Light It Up” for WrestleMania XXIV in 2008, and they used “Hell Yeah” for One Night Stand. This time around, for Friday night SmackDown, they licensed “Hangman” as a theme song along with Green Day, so they have two theme songs for that. So, yeah, it seems to be a very fruitful relationship. They just dig the music and we obviously like the exposure, so it works out great.

Our label and management created a relationship over there and Neil Lawi at WWE [vice president of music] has become a great friend of ours and a champion for our band and just took a liking to the music. And their musical director, Jim Johnston, who does all their music and is just a really talented guy, he really dug the band and liked what we were doing. Those two guys really seem to steer the ship as far as musical content for WWE. We went up and met them in Stamford, made a connection and they continue to support our band, and we continue to deliver.

Green Day’s “Know Your Enemy” is used during the opening of SmackDown, so do they use your song for commercials?

They use it for promo spots and throughout the actual show, when they come back from commercials I guess “Hangman” is featured. I guess it goes well with some of the highlight clips they show.

And you guys have also appeared on WWE shows and performed at a couple, right?

Yeah, we just did Monday night Raw. We didn’t perform this time around, but we were in the front row hanging out. We were also at WrestleMania back in 2008 and we also did another Monday night Raw where we did a skit with Jesse and Festus at the time, and they showed the band in the front row. And we’ve done a couple of other things, gone up to Stamford for a couple of interviews and we did a performance of “Voices” for Randy Orton outside at an event in Sacramento.

It seems like your career really took off as a result of WWE’s use of your music. Do you see a lot of crossover between WWE fans and your fans?

Absolutely. Growing up being wrestling fans, and going to the events now, it really is like being at a concert. You’re constantly entertained, there’s a huge light show and it’s like a huge concert with a lot of music, most of it rock based. They tour just like a band and a lot of their shows sell out. We’re seeing all of these fans spill over and they’re just rock fans that dig music and like coming out to shows. WWE fans definitely make up a lot of the fans in our audience.

When you guys write new music now, do you find yourselves writing songs specifically with WWE in mind? Do they ever ask you to write songs specifically for WWE?

We actually never have that in mind, which is the crazy thing. We just don’t think about that and we never have. We just write songs the way we want to write them and it just seems to fit for what they want to do. They dig it, it works and people are digging it. It’s funny, I guess. It’s one of those things where you don’t even try to do something but it just ends up working out a certain way. So we’re going to continue not to try and write music for them so they’ll continue to use it.

With Orton’s entrance music, was that a song you were already working on? Did you specifically want to do his theme music because you guys are fans of his or did WWE ask you to contribute to that song?

They came to us. We had already established a relationship with them and he’s such a big star in WWE that it was a great opportunity for us. Jim Johnston coordinates most of the theme songs, so it was his idea and he came to us. He sent us over a rough demo version of the song and we basically produced a demo version of it and did the vocals for it on the road based on what he wanted. Then Rich [Luzzi] laid the vocals down, we did some background vocals and we sent it back up to him and he did his finishing touches on it. So it was a collaborative thing between WWE and us, initiated by them.

Is there anyone else in particular you’d like to see using your music?

We really dig a lot of the guys. We’ve met a lot of the guys and guys like Triple H have been super cool. We’re actually friends with the Miz and he’s a super nice guy and is a real rock fan. He just got a good new theme song, but he was always complaining that his theme song wasn’t badass enough. They finally gave him one that’s pretty rocking, so he’s pretty happy now.

There’re a couple of guys we’d be happy to work with and do that for. But at the end of the day, Randy Orton is just a badass and he’s a super cool cat. I don’t think we could ask for having a theme song for a better guy.

You mentioned being a wrestling fan growing up. Did that kind of spectacle influence you as a musician and performer?

As far as being a kid, the music didn’t really stick with me other than maybe Hulk Hogan‘s “Real America.” Everybody had their own thing, but it was more about the characters and the show and basically being onstage. A lot of what they do is what performing is all about. A big rock show is not exactly like a WWE performance, but it’s similar: there are big lights, big music and all that stuff. The energy from the crowd is there and you only get one shot to do things. We realized that when we did Monday night Raw and the Rock came back after being retired for seven years. This guy gave a 20-minute sermon and it gave you chills. He was on point, he had his thing down and it was like he was performing a song up there. It was off the cuff, yet somewhat rehearsed, and he was performing, had one chance to do it and that type of feeling is similar to being onstage with a band.

For more information, go to www.revtheory.com.

Atlanta Film Festival offers screenings, seminars and more

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By Jonathan Williams

Over the next 10 days, Atlanta film goers will have an opportunity to see dozens of independent films as the 35th annual Atlanta Film Festival hits area arthouse theaters. Featuring short and feature length films ranging from documentary and drama to animated action and zombie comedy, the Atlanta Film Festival offers something to entertain almost any type of movie lover.

Corey Peters in "Late Rounders"

It all gets underway tonight with an opening night screening of Terri, a comedy starring John C. Reilly, featuring a red carpet gala with director Azazel Jacobs. There will be several other red carpet screenings over the next few days featuring appearances by such pop culture icons as screen legend Richard Chamberlain (star of We Are the Hartmans, screening April 30), Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (star of Things Fall Apart, screening April 30), Corey Peters of the Atlanta Falcons (star of Late Rounders, screening May 1) and Al Buehler (star of Starting at the Finish Line: The Coach Buehler Story, screening May 6).

Richard Chamberlain in "We Are the Hartmans"

In addition to film screenings and opportunities to interact with filmmakers and stars, this year’s Atlanta Film Festival also features the inaugural CINformation Series, an assortment of seminars where aspiring filmmakers can learn from the knowledge and advice of industry veterans.

Atlanta Film Festival. $8-$25 per screening; CINformation seminars range from free to $75. April 28-May 7. Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, Plaza Theatre, Lefont Sandy Springs and W Atlanta – Midtown. 404-352-4225. www.atlantafilmfestival.com.

Green Day proves it’s “Awesome As F**k” with new live album

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With its last two albums, 2004’s American Idiot and 2009’s 21st Century Breakdown (and the recent American Idiot Broadway musical), Green Day has become one of contemporary rock’s most entertaining and opinionated bands. Regardless of where you stand in the ongoing debate of how punk the band is, there’s no denying the talent and charisma that has gone into these rock operas. And anyone who saw the band’s live show during its 2009-2010 21st Century Breakdown World Tour knows that there is still something akin to punk rock energy in the band’s explosive performances backed by over-the-top stage antics and visual displays.

Featuring tracks recorded during this tour, Awesome As F**k captures that energy, which has now crossed generational barriers as well as geographic ones. Though you wouldn’t be able to tell it by the cohesiveness of this live album, each of the 17 tracks on Awesome As F**k was recorded at a different show, with locales ranging from Glasgow and Berlin to New York and Brisbane. While the album is heavy on newer material, including “21st Century Breakdown,” “21 Guns,” “American Idiot” and “Know Your Enemy” (the current theme song for WWE‘s Friday night SmackDown show on Syfy), there are also some older favorites such as “Burnout,” “When I Come Around,” “She” and the previously unreleased “Cigarettes and Valentines,” one of several lost tracks recorded between 2000’s Warning and American Idiot.

One thing that is apparent on Awesome As F**k is Green Day’s (and particularly front man Billie Joe Armstrong’s) love for performing and entertaining the fans. Thankfully missing from the album, however, is the extended medley of Benny Hill-like inanity that tends to erupt during the band’s performances of “King for a Day,” which includes an extended cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Shout.” Without that, Awesome As F**k extracts only the high points of a live Green Day experience, leaving the other tomfoolery for those who actually made it to one of the shows.

The live CD was released by Reprise Records on March 22 with an accompanying DVD recorded in Japan that matches up almost track-for-track with the CD, with the addition of the band’s cover of The Who’s “My Generation” and the same Phoeniz, Ariz. recording of “Cigarettes and Valetines” that appears on the CD. A pink vinyl version was also released on Adeline Records on April 26 that includes an exclusive T-shirt.

For more information, go to www.greenday.com.

Sandra DeNise helps bring a familar tale to the stage with “Shrek the Musical”

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By Jonathan Williams

Updating the fairy tales of our youth with adult humor and a comically engaging story, 2001’s Shrek spawned an animated film franchise with characters that are familiar to adults and a story that can entertain their children. After debuting on Broadway in 2008, Shrek the Musical took to the road last July, setting out to bring the story of this misunderstood ogre to even broader audiences through song and dance. Having just had its 300th performance, the show makes its way to Atlanta for the first time this week. And helping bring this familiar tale to magical life is the Sugar Plum Fairy, played by Sandra DeNise, who returns to familiar territory herself having gotten her theatre and dance start while growing up in the Atlanta area.

Sandra DeNise plays the Sugar Plum Fairy. (Photo courtesy Brave Public Relations)

Were you involved with the original Broadway production of Shrek, or is the touring cast entirely different from the original show?

A majority of our cast participated in the Broadway show, but a lot of us are newbies and I’m one of them. I came into the production just for the tour and did rehearsals in New York City with the cast. We opened in July of last year in Chicago and just had our 300th show, so it’s been great.

A lot of your previous roles have been a bit more serious and have been set in more realistic environments. How did preparing for this role compare to preparing for your previous roles?

It’s been a lot of fun because my main role for the fairy tale creatures is the Sugar Plum Fairy. It’s much more of a fantastical world, the swamp in Shrek, than any other show I’ve done before. You have a larger world to create and there are not as many limitations, yet it’s still as real as you can make it because they have to be relatable characters. I’m covered in glitter every night, I have a wig that looks like an ice cream cone with candy all over the place and this fabulous sequined tutu and bodice with crazy-colored tights.

Even the way my character does things on stage, it only grows every single night because you get to do it eight times a week and it continues to evolve, as do the relationships you have onstage.

Blakely Slaybaugh as Pinocchio and the fairy tale creatues of Duloc. (Photo courtesy Brave Public Relations)

Is that the same Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker?

Yeah. The fairy tale creatures they’ve chosen to be part of this show are part of some other story, like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Pinocchio is a central figure, the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs. So it’s quite a mixture of what we call freaks. There’s a number in the second act called “Freak Flag” where Pinocchio is pining about the fact that he can’t be a real boy and we help show him that it doesn’t matter if you’re different. It’s feeling loved and that you’re part of something that makes you strong.

Blakely Slaybaugh as Pinocchio and Kevin Quillon as a guard. (Photo courtesy Brave Public Relations)

Sounds kind of like a Lady Gaga concert.

Oh, yeah. Definitely, the song “Born This Way.” It sounds odd to relate Lady Gaga to Shrek the Musical, but it’s very true. That’s what I try to tell people about this show is it’s not just a stage adaptation of the movie. It’s a little bit deeper than that. Just as much as it’s a love story between Shrek and Princess Fiona, it’s also a story about how to have love for yourself and that you shouldn’t wish to be anything other than who you are. You have to love yourself because our differences are really what make us a stronger community, I think.

The Nutcracker is traditionally performed as a ballet. Being that you have a dance background, do you get to utilize those talents in this show?

Absolutely. My Sugar Plum Fairy routine is growing and I am continuously adding little ballet moves here and there. But I also do other ensemble roles within the show where I get to use my dance training.

Will this be your first Broadway show back in your hometown?

I’ve come through on two of the other tours I’ve done. One was my first big job, which was Rent. I got to do Rent at the Fox in ’99 and that was really exciting because I grew up seeing shows at the Fox and when I was a kid they were going to tear it down, but there was a bunch of promoting and fundraising to save the Fox. The second show I did there was when we actually opened the tour for Parade in 2000, which was extremely emotional for me to do because it’s actually a story written about little Mary Phagan, a girl who was killed and they blamed this one man, Leo Frank. It’s a true story that actually took place near Atlanta, in Marietta, and the opening song for that show is called “The Old Red Hills of Home.” So when we first opened and I was at the Fox singing a song about the old red hills of home, it was a very special experience and I got all mushy onstage.

So it’s been quite a while since you’ve performed at the Fox.

Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve played the Fox. I’m so excited to be back, and just excited to be home in general to visit my family.

Shrek the Musical. $30-$67.60. 8 p.m. April 26-30; 2 p.m. April 30; 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. May 1. The Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, Ga. 404-881-2100. www.shrekthemusical.com, www.foxtheatre.org.

“In a Better World” shows frightening similarities between the actions of children and adults

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It can sometimes be a little too easy to overlook the angst and inner turmoil of children, especially when the adults around them are dealing with their own anguish. And in much the same way that small conflicts can snowball into greater political wars (often at the expense of innocent bystanders), troubled adolescents can sometimes go to great extremes to get revenge on those they feel have acted unjustly.

Mikael Persbrandt as Anton and Trine Dyrholm as Marianne Photo by Per Arnesen, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

It is this type of conflict that is at the heart of the two overlapping plots of In a Better World. Originally titled Hævnen, this Danish film draws parallels between the life of Anton (Mikael Perbrandt), a doctor who spends much of his time away from home treating Sudanese refugees in a makeshift village hospital, and his son Elias (Markus Rygaard), who has recently befriended a new kid at school named Christian (William Jøhnk Nielsen). While Anton is dealing with the victims of a relentless warlord, who rapes young women and maims their children at his will, Elias is dealing with bullies of a different kind who call him names and pick on him because of his buck teeth.

Christian, a troubled kid who moves to Denmark from London after his mother losses her battle with cancer, develops a bond with Elias that quickly goes from Stand by Me-like innocence to Heavenly Creatures-like scariness after Christian violently fends off the biggest bully with a knife and bicycle pump.

After Anton (upon his return home) is embarrassed in front of the boys when a minor altercation with another local father becomes unnecessarily aggressive, Christian and Elias secretly come up with a Columbine-like plot to get back at the man whom they feel shamed Anton. Meanwhile, when Anton (already dealing with a marriage on the brink of divorce) returns to Africa, he is faced with a huge conflict when the the warlord responsible for all the pain and death he has been treating shows up with a leg injury in need of treatment.

With all these fires being stoked, and with everyone involved dealing with other moral and emotional conflicts, it doesn’t take long for violence to erupt on every front, with everyone involved left to pick up the pieces as best they can. And by juxtaposing the frightening similarities between the consequences of each characters’ actions, In a Better World shows just how close humanity can often be to self-inflicted disaster.

With moving performances by the entire cast, it is apparent why In a Better World has earned so many accolades (including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film). With a previous limited release in New York and Los Angeles, In a Better World opens to wider American audiences this week.

In a Better World. Directed by Susanne Bier. Starring Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm and Ulrich Thomsen. Rated R. www.sonyclassics.com/inabetterworld.

Review by Jonathan Williams

ArenaChicks offers a new alternative to women’s wrestling

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By Jonathan Williams

Women’s wrestling still exists in today’s mainstream shows, but what passes for female grappling these days is usually more about eye candy than athleticism. Recently, however, a new indie promotion has emerged to help remind fans what women’s wrestling is really all about.

With its first DVD release, ArenaChicks, Volume 1, ArenaChicks features some of the top talent in underground female wrestling. Filmed in conjunction with the Carolina Wrestling Federation Mid-Atlantic shows in Burlington, N.C., the seven matches included on the first ArenaChicks DVD are from different shows, but form one cohesive collection.

With ArenaChicks executive producer Amber O’Neal providing commentary alongside Amber Gertner (best known for her interview segments for Shimmer Women Athletes wrestling), this DVD includes talents such as Allison Danger, Sara Del Rey, Angel Orsini and others previously seen in Shimmer, Women Superstars Uncensored and other prominent indies. And while match-ups such as Del Rey vs. Danger and Orsini vs. Jessica Havok are impressively hard-hitting bouts, it’s the intergender tag match pitting O’Neal and Chiva Kid against Kellie Skater and Coach Gemini (aka CWF Mid-Atlantic’s Gemini Kid) that proves the ArenaChicks are just as tough as their male counterparts.

The main event also features teams of male and female combatants doing battle in The Dating Game Match, where the winners get to go on a date together. Sure, it’s silly, but the match is great and the actual date is included as a bonus feature. Another bonus match is an eight-woman tag match featuring the likes of O’Neal, Danger, Persephone, Becky Bayless (aka Total Nonstop Action‘s Cookie) and Talia Madison (aka TNA’s Velvet Sky), to honor the late Sherri Martel.

ArenaChicks will also be appearing at the Cape Fear Tattoo and Arts Expo April 29-May 1, filming matches for their second DVD on April 30 with former WWE and TNA star Shelly Martinez as guest referee. And this weekend, Cookie will be making an ArenaChicks appearance as a guest bartender alongside O’Neal at Lucky’s Tavern in Jacksonville, N.C.

For more info, go to www.arenachicks.com.