Save the Date, Gearhead is Having a Party!

Some People Like to Rock! Some People Like to Roll!  But movin’ and a groovin’ Gonna satisfy my soul, Let’s have a party Ooooh, Let’s have a party!
      -Wanda Jackson
   
The legendary California heat of this summer is nothing compared to the heat being generated here at Gearhead.  The magazine is in full production now, more on that shortly, but first let’s talk about parties.

There’s lots of reason to celebrate these days. The dark painful past is behind me now and all sorts of fantastic milestones are on the horizon. 2015 is a time to commemorate it all. As you know, Gearhead® was started back in 1993 and I came on board in 2000 to launch the record label. That was fifteen years ago, yet it seems like it was only yesterday.

It’s been a long time since I threw a party and it’s about damn time to do one, so drum roll please, SAVE THE DATE!! Saturday Sept 26, 2015, I’m throwing a party to celebrate my fifteen years with Gearhead!

It will be hosted at The Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95816. Starting at 6 pm with a Blessing of The Cars (I am a minister after all), bring anything with wheels to the front of the Blue Lamp for an informal, non-denominational blessing. Afterwards, the first band, Sacramento’s The Moans, featuring The Secretions own Danny Secretion will kick things off, followed by the rockin’ sounds of The White Barons (have you bought their new album yet?)

The legendary Pat Todd of The Lazy Cowgirls will crank things up further with an appearance from his Rankoutsiders  and topping the evening off Gearhead is pleased to announce psychobilly hell-cats Thee Merry Widows!!

They have officially joined the Gearhead roster and you can buy their first two records now on Itunes. I’ll have more great news to announce about them later this year, but I’ll let you in on a little secret, there’s a new record in the works.

During intermission, there will be a Ms. Gearhead contest, with all the proceeds going to the local SPCA. Girls come dressed up with your best Gearhead gear and compete for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue of Gearhead.

No party is complete without good food, right? There will be food trucks, plus goody bags for the first fifty customers through the door. I’m so excited to see all my friends in one place having a good time, so you do not want to miss out on this! Tickets are $10 at the door, but you can save a couple bucks by buying them in advance now.  This is also the official relaunch of Gearfest too, the last one being almost thirteen years ago so yet one more reason to make sure you don’t miss this party!

If an anniversary and a new band weren’t reason enough to celebrate, how about the release of the long awaited issue number 19 of Gearhead Magazine? After months of writing and collecting stories, the release is scheduled for late summer but you can still be part of this legendary relaunch by advertising with Gearhead  If you have a cool product or shop you want to advertise, contact me ASAP to nail down an ad for this sure to be sold out edition.

If it sounds like I’m bouncing all over the road with enthusiasm it’s because I am. It feels great to be back again, and Gearhead is back with a vengeance. Lots of the classic Gearhead shirts are back in stock  now, thanks to those of you who supported the What The Fuck is Gearhead?  fundraiser campaign. We made our goal and the shirts should have already arrived in your mailbox. They look great; it brings a chuckle to my lips every time I look at it.  I’ve also put a bunch of specially priced collections of cds, posters and stickers together on EBay for those of you not familiar with the Gearhead Brand. And for those of you who are, its a great way to fill in some holes in your Gearhead collection at a low price.

On a more sober note, my heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Steve Rodriguez, bass player for the legendary Dragons  who passed away suddenly July 21, 2015. He was a bright spark of love, warmth and humor in this tumultuous business that sometimes causes people to forget we’re all just human. Steve was always the guy who could rock with the best of them, and then just as suddenly, turn around and give you a hug, just because he was happy and loving life. The years I worked with Steve and The Dragons were some of the best of my life and I will cherish my memories of this fabulous man and the great music he helped create. My heart broke when they called it quits and now it’s broken once again. RIP Steve, you will be deeply missed. RLF. I’ve written some further thoughts and shared some pictures in the News Section  on the Gearhead website.

There will be a memorial concert Sunday Aug. 2, 2015 at The Casbah in San Diego. Check out the facebook event page for more information. There is also a Go Fund Me account set up in Steve’s memory. Please donate! The proceeds will be put towards expenses as well as a college fund for his son.

People have asked about their records, so I’ve put together several special packages of Dragons Merch for sale. All proceeds from the sales will go to the Go Fund Me account. If you love the Dragons, turn your friends and family onto this exceptional band; you’re doing a good thing while you’re at it.

Until the next newsletter, you can stay on top of all goings-on by following Gearhead on Facebook, Instagram, You Tube, Twitter, and now Pinterest and Soundcloud.

Much love,

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Rev. Michelle

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