 Need some good old fashion rock and roll to kick off your holiday season? Do not miss The Lords of Altamont on tour now with Rev. Horton Heat! Dishing up gear-grinding rock and roll since 1993, this is the first US tour for the band in several years. Make sure you pick up their legendary new record Lords Take Altamont available now on LP/CD or on Itunes
Nov 27 Austin, TX Tickets Nov 28 Houston, TX Tickets Nov 29 San Antonio, TX Tickets Dec 1 Flagstaff, AZ Tickets Dec 2 Tucson, AZ Tickets Dec 3 Tempe, AZ Tickets Dec 4 Las Vegas, NV Tickets Dec 5 Santa Cruz, CA Tickets Dec 6 San Francisco, CA Tickets Dec 8 Sebastopol, CA Tickets Dec 9 Sacramento, CA Tickets Dec 10 Ventura, CA Tickets Dec 11 Los Angeles, CA Tickets Dec 12 Santa Ana, CA Tickets Dec 13 San Diego, CA Tickets Dec 15 Albuquerque, NM Tickets Dec 16 Aspen, CO Tickets Dec 17 Boulder, CO Tickets Dec 18 Denver, CO Tickets Dec 19 Fort Collins, CO Tickets Dec 20 Colorado Springs, CO Tickets  I love that American Express has launched all these ads encouraging consumers to celebrate local small and independent businesses this holiday season! It's the cool little independent boutiques and shops where you find the creative, the unique and the inspiring gifts for this holiday season. Not that malls don't have their place, but honestly, how many times can you shop at a Walmart or a Target and find something unique and kustom?!
Gearhead is honored to be among the rank of small local businesses and even though I closed our retail boutique several years ago, you can still shop our online store for tons of cool stuff! Take advantage of the Small Business Saturday discount now and use code SBSNOV2015 at check out and receive 25% off your entire order! Really, it's that EASY!! But hurry, this deal ends Nov. 30, 2015.  To say I am grateful for the support I've received would be an understatement. GEARHEAD is not just a brand, it is a community. So I share with you all a grateful heart, and the words of my pet punk rock liberty-spiked turkey, Happy Thanksgiving!
xoxo Rev. Michelle  Gearhead magazine Issue No. 19 Previously, I shared how nervous I was to follow in my former partner Mike’s footsteps as editor of GEARHEAD. But I realized it was about finding my voice and putting my own stamp on the magazine, much as any other new editor does. Once I was able to look at it that way, the writing flowed. The tricky part has been figuring out how to put it all together, and of course raising the money to print it. This new issue contains stories I have wanted to write for a long long time, including an article about the Yolo County Demolition Derby, an in-depth interview with Jake from The Lords of Altamont, and a behind the scenes look at the long-running Lady Luck Tattoo Convention. Craig Fitzgerald over at Bangshift.com serves up a history of the 60s craze The Zingers! Long time Gearhead supporter Laurent Bagnard is contributing a tribute to the King of Kustomizers, George Barris, who recently passed away. Eva Von Baron contributes a look at the Bay Area music and art scene, and Aime Elkins McCrory shares delectable details about what it was like to be legendary music producer Kim Fowley's assistant. The new mag is stuffed with lots of other cool stuff, so Pledge Now, so I can raise the money to print it and share it with you!  Smash 'em action! Yolo County Demo Derby 2014 I have had no templates to work from, with nothing to guide me except back issues of the mag. But hell, those of you who know me know I am nothing if not determined. I created an entire record label from scratch fifteen years ago, for goodness sakes, and put out over eighty records on a wing and and a prayer. I knew I could certainly figure out how to write, design and lay out a single issue of a magazine! And now, it all comes down to money.  Zinger promo shot You've probably heard I'm running a Kickstarter Campaign to raise the necessary $3500 to print the magazine. It's a chance for you to be a part of the process, so please pledge your support now if you are even the slightest bit curious about this new issue! I personally think it's one of the best but I'm a little biased! Click here to check out the cool gifts you can get when you pledege today! But hurry! The campaign ends 9:30 am PST Monday Dec. 2, 2015. If I don't reach or beat my goal of raising $3500, I DON'T GET A DIME, and you fine folks won't get your magazine. SO PLEDGE TODAY PLEASE!
 George Barris in front of the Munster Mobile 2014 George Barris shaped my life. Truly. As child of the ‘60s and ‘70s I grew up watching his famous cars in TV shows that would forever imprint themselves on my psyche and later, on my choice of careers. The Munsters, Beverly Hillbillies, Batman, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Green Hornet…. iconic TV shows all with way cool cars that the shows revolved around, almost like the cars were part of the cast of characters.  The hot rod from the TV show The Munsters Rock and roll, hot rods and muscle cars burned their way into my soul as a youth, and like the cars Barris kustomized, my destiny was shaped little by little. I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with George several times at various car shows.  Gearhead CEO Michelle and George Barris in front of the Munster Mobile 2014 He was a doll, absolutely charming and delightful, still working the angles, promoting his brand and the line of famous cars he became known for. He invited me to come visit him and tour his museum, and urged me to call his daughter Joji to set up an interview. I had planned on doing that this upcoming spring of 2016, but sadly I won’t get that opportunity now. George passed away Nov. 5, 2015 at the age of 89.  Michelle with George 2015 He was scooting around in a little motorized jalopy, which hadn’t been kustomized, much to my surprise. Delighted to talk with fans and pose for pictures, he was sharp and with it, sporting a groovy yellow satin jacket, hipster shades and slicked back thinning gray hair both times I met him.
 Grampa Munster's Dragula at Viva Las Vegas 2015 We always fought over who got to be Batman and drive the Batmobile. Of course as children we made due with whatever we could find, our old red wagon, or my pink stingray bike, and used our imagination to supply the special features. Thank you George for all you did to energize the imagination of my youth, and fuel my path towards the weird, the quirky, and the kustomised culture. Never be boring, always stand out and do your own thing. These are lessons from George that I will embrace always. Rest in Peace George. Thank you for your vision and your impact on the pop culture that made me who I am.
 The cover of the new issue of Gearhead, #19 Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to announce the imminent arrival of the long-awaited issue #19 of Gearhead Magazine! It has taken me almost an entire year to get to this point: GEARHEAD is ready to go to print! I imagine this is very much what giving birth is like. Not that I’ve actually done that, but the creative process is similar. Once I decided I was really gonna do this, I had to get my mind and body on the same page. Since I was starting from scratch, and I’ve never actually put a magazine together, months of planning was followed by months of writing and organizing. Finally, the big day came when I knew I was almost ready but the final piece, the financial aspect, had to be dealt with.!  Reserve your limited edition Pheck Monster Shirt on Kickstarter today! Which brings me to this moment: I need your help bringing this baby into the world! Kickstarter To the Rescue! Yes, I’ve launched a Kickstarter Campaign to raise the necessary money to print GEARHEAD. There’s a ton of cool gifts in exchange for your support. First off, this is the only way right now you can reserve a copy of the magazine, which will be a limited edition print run of 2500. Secondly, there are some other cool gifts from some of our friends: a spooky Monster T Shirt from Pheck, and some wicked cool sunglasses from Tres Noir. Browse through the different levels of support; there is sure to be one right for you! Of course the trick with Kickstarter is you have to reach your goal, or you don’t get anything, so please help any way you can, even if it’s just clicking the “share” button on the page and letting your friends know. We have until Dec. 2, 2015 to raise the money, and once we do, this bad boy is heading off to the printers with a goal of being in your mailbox by Christmas! What’s in the new magazine? Click here to read a list of the contents! There are even a few sneak pictures there. I don’t want to reveal too much since I want it to be a surprise, but hopefully it’s enough to whet your appetite and pledge your support!  Long out of print issue #11 of Gearhead is now available for digital download Speaking of contents, you can still buy several of the back issues of Gearhead, but for those of you who never saw the magazine before and dig digital technology, two out of print issues are now available for digital download! It’s a great way to take the magazine with you, much as you would your favorite Gearhead band! Which brings me to the final big piece of news: The Lords of Altamont are heading out on their first US tour in almost ten years, supporting the Rev. Horton Heat. Click here for the dates, and if they’re coming to your city, GO! They put on a great show, and who knows when they’ll decide to do this again?!  The Lords of Altamont Thank you all for your continued support. To finally be at this point with the rebirth of Gearhead means a lot to me. I’m delighted and scared and nervous. I can’t wait to hold the finished magazine in my hands and breathe in that inky goodness. I hope you’re thinking the same thing and will go reserve a copy today!
Keepin’ the rubber on the road, xo Rev. Michelle |
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