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Machines of Grace Featured on Dee Snider's House of Hair |
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Thursday, 15 July 2010 18:19 |
Win the new Machines of Grace CD and an autographed custom Jackson guitar. Want to keep up with some of the best new fresh metal? Then the HOH is the place to score the new Machines of Grace CD!
What do you win?
25 Winners each get:
One (1) signed copy of the new Machines of Grace CD and a MOG t-shirt AND… 1 Grand Prize Winner from those qualifiers also gets a signed, custom, factory fresh, Jackson JS23 Dinky Guitar featuring:
• Bolt-on maple neck
• 24 jumbo frets
• Jackson JE10 humbucking bridge pup
• Single coil neck and mid pups
• Chrome hardware
• 5-position blade switch
• 2-point fulcrum tremolo
How to Enter:
Fill in the Entry Form at http://houseofhaironline.com/2010/07/win-new-machines-of-grace-cd-and-autographed-custom-jackson-guitar/. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON ONLY, please. Incomplete entries will be tossed out – all address fields, station (or how you heard about the contest) field, and name fields must be 100% complete! Only entries received by 7/28/10 will be considered. The HOH staff will choose the winners in a random drawing. Contest Start Date: Monday, July 12, 2010. Contest End Date: Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at midnight. |
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Ronnie James Dio - Memories From the MOG Guys |
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Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:17 |
MATT LEFF -
In 1988 I was attending GIT in Hollywood and read that Dio was looking for a new guitar player. I never expected to get a call but sent in my demo anyway. A couple months later my phone rang and it was Wendy Dio telling me Ronnie had listened to my material and really liked it, they wanted to know if I'd go down and audition... I was like, "YEAH!!".
Out of the thousands of demo's they received, only a couple guys were brought in to audition and I was really nervous about playing with one of my all time musical idols. I mean, there I was, playing with Ronnie James Dio and his entire band! Not to mention Wendy Dio and some people from their label. Typing this out, I'm remembering how nerve racking it was, but what a fantastic experience it was playing with such a musical powerhouse.
From the moment I arrived at the studio, Ronnie made me feel like I had known him my entire life. Just super friendly and any time I tell this story, I always mention that he was one of the nicest people I've ever met. I probably spent 3 or 4 hours playing Dio songs along with some of my own material, then we spent quite a bit of time sitting around the rehearsal room table talking. They all were really great and I'll never forget that day as long as I live. Thank you for being such a huge inspiration Ronnie!
JEFF PLATE -
Throughout my career with Savatage, TSO and Metal Church, I've had the privilege of meeting many of my idols and heroes. Ronnie James Dio was certainly the most memorable, because he always remembered me. After KISS ALIVE!, RAINBOW On Stage was the next live album I could not stop listening to. I wasn't that familiar with all of the songs at the time, but it SOUNDED great! And, once I learned Dio was from Cortland, NY (an hour north of my hometown in Horseheads) I had a rooting interest in the 'local boy'.
I met Dio for the first time in 1996 and he was as sincere and friendly and humble as I could have ever imagined. We chatted for about 15 minutes, and he asked how Jon and Chris were (Oliva and Caffery), and chuckled about the infamous tour with Savatage in '87. He made a joke about the name of my hometown, referring to 'women of the night' and guillotines, quite funny actually. I met him several times over the next 10 years, and each time he would greet me with a smile and handshake, 'Jeff, how are you?'. No one reminded him of who I was, he didn't politely ask me where we had met before, he always remembered me, my name, where I was from (along with the joke about my hometown), etc., and we always had a friendly, funny conversation.
I am humble enough to realize that I am one of thousands he has met along the way, and I am certainly down on his list of 'important' friends, but he always remembered me, and never hesitated to say my name. The voice is legendary, but that impressed me as much or more than anything. Dio's attitude and personality is something we could all learn from. Rock on Ronnie, you will be sorely missed and never forgotten.
ZAK STEVENS -
I'm still in a state of disbelief that one of my vocal heroes of all time has passed away. I practically grew up listening to RJD and marveling over that voice that had a such a huge impact on shaping the genre of rock and metal music that we know today. A good friend of mine introduced me to Dio's band "Elf" when I was in middle school. And I remember sitting in the movie theater when I was a freshman in high school watching the animated movie "Heavy Metal" as Black Sabbath's "The Mob Rules" roared as that army came plowing down the hill. I couldn't wait to buy every album he put out going forward and study it as an up and coming rock vocalist. Ronnie was larger than life to me.
I got a chance to hang out with him when I lived in Los Angeles in the early 90's and I told him how I wanted to do just what he did. He was so cool and supportive and told me "Don't give up on your dream. Work hard and things will pan out for you". He was absolutely correct. He was one of the coolest persons I've ever met, period.
He will be sorely missed. I have all of his CDs and I'm going to play them all now and take some time to remember one of the all-time greats. And in the process I'm going to continue learning from him.
CHRIS RAPOZA -
I remember as a kid listening to Ronnie James Dio singing with Rainbow. I would think to myself - what an amazing voice - so powerful. The first time I heard “man on the Silver Mountain” I was hooked. I remember many times sitting in arenas watching him perform with Rainbow then Black Sabbath and later as Dio – the shows were always so amazing.
In the 90’s as I was performing gigs of my own with my band at the time, Union Jack, I got the opportunity to not only meet Ronnie James Dio but also got to share the bill as his opening act. It was like a dream come true. The night of the show when we arrived at the venue Dio and his band were doing sound check and running very late. It looked like we were going to get bumped from the bill. But Ronnie came out and said “No. That’s not happening. Everyone is going to play tonight.” We only got to play half our set but it didn’t matter to us - we were just happy to be doing the show.
At the end of the night RJD came out and we got to chat with him for a while. He was the friendliest and most humble person. It was a totally unforgettable experience that I feel so fortunate to have had. Ronnie James Dio was such an inspiration to so many musicians both successful and aspiring. He will be sadly missed but always remembered. |
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Machines of Grace in Guitar World magazine |
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Monday, 29 March 2010 22:18 |
Each month, Guitar World magazine includes a CD-ROM with every single issue and the song "Fly Away", from our debut CD, is featured on the May 2010 CD (street date is April 6th). This means almost 250,000 pairs of ears will be exposed to the band! Slash is on the cover and the magazine is available worldwide, go grab a copy now! |
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FAST-RISING METALLISTS, MACHINES OF GRACE, SIGN ON WITH NEW AGENCY, PLOT PLANS FOR 2010 |
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Monday, 11 January 2010 21:51 |
Comprised of band members Zak Stevens (vocals, whose credits include Circle II Circle, Savatage), Matt Leff (guitars), Chris Rapoza (bass), and Jeff Plate (drums, whose credits include Trans Siberian Orchestra, Savatage, Metal Church), the Boston-based band Machines of Grace manages to both pay tribute to their metal forefathers while also keeping a modern hard rock edge throughout their just-issued self-titled debut.
And now, Machines of Grace are fully prepared to do battle with the big names of rock and metal, as the group recently signed on with Redlion Music (aka the Redlion Family). Right now, the group is planning to take it to the stage, as preparations are underway to bring Machines of Grace to the European Festival circuit for the summer, with further dates planned to begin in the early fall.
And the accolades continue to pour in, including the following:
"Before Machines of Grace took the stage most of the crowd had no clue who they were. By the time they left the stage they owned the crowd". - Heavymetalsuite101.com
"The Moment" is the sort of track that has AOR hit single written all over it". - Metalreviews.com
"If there was ever a band that has all the pieces of the puzzle in place, it is this one. There is also a bonding that goes back a long ways, that bond is what makes this one of the tightest units you will ever hear". - SeaOfTranquility.com
"The self-titled debut ‘Machines Of Grace’ is one of those legendary “Monster” albums that has something for everyone on it". - Rockoveramerica.com
"MOG's attention to emotion and mood adds a professional soundscape missing in our “single” fixated music marketplace. It also shows how accomplished the core musicianship of this band really is". - GuitarFueledRock.com
Soon, metalheads worldwide will be able to experience what the buzz is all about on a concert stage near your hometown, as Machines of Grace are guaranteed to rock the house down! “Machines Of Grace is that '71 Chevelle SS that you have been working on in your shop for years...and now it's time to take it to the strip and show it off!”, exclaims Plate, when asked about the MoG concert experience. “This is the next step in bringing Machines Of Grace to the masses. With our experience, the musicianship and quality songs that we carry, and desire to win over every person at every show, I know we will not disappoint."
For the latest information on MACHINES OF GRACE, visit their official website at the following location: www.machinesofgrace.net |
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Zak and Jeff interviewed immediately following appearance on Eddie Trunk's Sirius/XM radio show |
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Tuesday, 29 December 2009 23:14 |
Vocalist Zak Stevens and drummer Jeff Plate are perhaps best known to the world for their work with the mega-successful Yuletide metal ensemble Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO), whose spectacular Christmas tours have made them arena sensations, while their latest album Night Castle hit #5 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. You can hear Stevens sing back-up vocals on three songs on it, while Plate played on the new album and is on their current tour. But serious metal mavens know that the duo go back over 20 years to their time in the Boston-based metal quartet Wicked Witch, a group that played approximately 250 gigs in their three short years together.
Click HERE to read the full story! |
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