Gary Richards at Miami Music Week 2018

Gary Richards

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HARD Events Founder Gary Richards Announces New L.A. Festival

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The HARD Events founder and former LiveNation exec is bringing a new installment of his AMF brand to L.A.
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Apr 11, 2018 - 1:36 pm

Business has been good for Gary Richards in 2018. Since parting ways with LiveNation – as well as his brainchild production company HARD Events, of which LN owns a controlling share – in Sept. 2017 to take over as President of North American events for LiveStyle, he has acted quickly to establish his new flagship events brand "All My Friends." First up: a new summer music festival set to take place in downtown Los Angeles.

Richards has been expertly teasing the rollout for the AMF brand with a series of activations and smaller events, first teeing up the inaugural voyage of Friend Ship cruise festival – which has already sold out almost a year before the event dates – then hosting a marathon day party during Miami Music Week under the "All My Friends" banner that kicked off at 5 a.m. and ran until midafternoon.

The dance festival czar's latest project will continue to expand his LiveStyle footprint with All My Friends Festival Los Angeles, set to take place in the large outdoor venue ROW LA (which L.A. natives might recognize as the home of the Smorgasburg weekly farmer's market).

The two-day event's official lineup is still forthcoming, but the press release announcing the new venture promises three stages packed with futurebass, R&B and top tier hip-hop acts.

All My Friends Festival Los Angeles will take place Aug. 18 – 19. Early-bird presale tickets will go on-sale on Apr. 12 at 9 a.m. Pacific.

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M.I.A., 2018

M.I.A.

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MIA, Gucci Mane, Jhené Aiko: AMF Fest Announces Inaugural Headliners

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The first edition of Gary Richards' new Los Angeles festival boasts a strong bill of headliners
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Apr 19, 2018 - 11:55 am

Former HARD Events founder and new LiveStyle majordomo of North American activities Gary Richards has announced the slate of headliners for his new downtown Los Angeles-based multigenre music festival All My Friends L.A.

Set in downtown L.A.'s ROW outdoor venue near the former American Apparel warehouse, the two-day, three-stage event will feature landmark headlining sets from RL Grime, Gucci Mane, and Jhené Aiko on its opening day, and M.I.A., Jamie XX, and Armand Van Helden to close out the weekend.

The full lineup of supporting acts for the weekend remains forthcoming, but this initial headliner tease promise big things to come.

Prior to launching his new flagship festival, Richards has been slowly teasing the rollout for the AMF brand with a series of activations and smaller events, first teeing up the inaugural voyage of Friend Ship cruise festival – which has already sold out almost a year before the event dates – then hosting a marathon day party during Miami Music Week under the "All My Friends" banner that kicked off at 5 a.m. and ran until midafternoon.

All My Friends L.A. is set to rip up downtown Los Angeles Aug. 18 – 19. The first tier of Early Bird tickets have already sold out, but tier 2 tickets are still available. Tickets and more information are all available from AMF's official website.

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Slayer's Kerry King, 2018

Slayer's Kerry King

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Slayer Announce Final U.K. Tour Dates With Anthrax, Lamb Of God

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The legends of thrash metal have revealed the dates for their final run of U.K. shows
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
May 11, 2018 - 6:11 pm

GRAMMY-winning gods of thrash metal Slayer are finally hanging up their guitar straps and retiring from life on the road.

Amid their previously announced European farewell tour, the band have now revealed their final shows in the U.K., with a planned run of six dates across England, Scotland and Ireland.

Along for the ride are Anthrax — GRAMMY-nominated icons of thrash in their own right — and GRAMMY-nominated metalcore rockers Lamb Of God, with additional tour support from death metal pioneers Obituary.

In a 2016 Loudwire interview, bassist Tom Araya joked, "After 35 years, it's time to like, collect my pension."

Slayer's final sonic assault on the European territories will kick off on Nov. 1 in Dublin, Ireland, and run through Dec. 8, where it will sow its final seeds of mayhem in Helsinki, Finland.

Tickets to all shows will go on sale on May 18.

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Halsey, 2018

Halsey

Photo: Angela Weiss/Getty Images

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Halsey, ODESZA, Migos & More Announced For Breakaway Festival 2018

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Breakaway Music Festival's flagship destination has unveiled its biggest lineup ever
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
May 10, 2018 - 1:50 pm

Music fans in Columbus, Ohio, are in for a treat this summer as Breakaway Music Festival has just unleashed a killer lineup for their flagship three-day multigenre event Breakaway Columbus.

With a lineup stacked with the names Flosstradamus, Smokepurpp, Jaden Smith, Flatbush Zombies, Chris Lake, and more, plus Halsey, ODESZA, and Migos tapped as daily headliners, the event's made it loud and clear that Breakaway Columbus is where Ohio residents can find a festival with energetic, forward-thinking lineups right in their own backyard.

And if the billing of rising stars of rap, electronic/dance, and pop wasn't incentive enough, Kaskade and Khalid will be putting in an appearance as the festival's mysteriously billed "special guests."

Breakaway Columbus will be held Aug. 24 – 26 at Columbus' MAPFRE Stadium. Tickets to the festival are still available.

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Babymetal, 2016

Babymetal

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Babymetal Drop Incendiary New Single, Video "Distortion"

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The Japanese pop metal outfit have released a surprise new single and music video
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
May 8, 2018 - 11:44 am

The Japanese pop metal trio Babymetal dropped a new surprise today as a gift for their legions of rabid fans and to commemorate the opening date of their new world tour, which kicks off with an eight-date U.S. run and will include appearances at some of the world's most iconic metal festivals.

The new video for "Distortion" is the group's first new release since announcing on May 1 that they have partnered with U.S.-based 5B Artist Management and Records and U.K.-based Cooking Vinyl to launch their own record label, Babymetal Records.

Part of the group's mystique is there incorporation of pseudo lore surrounding their music, in the form of "prophecies," as Blabbermouth elucidates further:

"On April 1, known as 'Fox Day', a new prophecy was revealed. The prophecy revealed that up until now we have only experienced the Light Side and there exists an unknown Dark Side …'Distortion' explores the unrevealed Dark Side …The music video of this song presents this unknown side and marks the important beginning of a new legend."

(How metal is that??)

"Distortion" is now available through all major digital streaming services. The U.S. leg of Babymetal's world tour starts tonight in Kansas City, Mo., and will run through May 20, wrapping up at Rock On The Range before skipping across the Atlantic for a series of European dates. Further show details can be found on Babymetal's official website.

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