Press Release
News Conference Scheduled For April 29 In NYC At The Intrepid Sea-Air
Space Museum To Announce USO Tour Dates In South Korea & Headlining
Dates In USA & Europe For Summer 2003
Finally, the one wish of the die-hard fans of Twisted Sister has come
true. The New York-based, multimillion-selling heavy metal band
Twisted Sister is officially reuniting after more than 16 years apart.
The classic lineup of lead vocalist Dee Snider, co-lead
guitarist/vocalist Jay Jay French, co-lead guitarist/vocalist Eddie
Ojeda, bass guitarist/vocalist Mark \"The Animal\" Mendoza and
drummer/vocalist A.J. Pero is ready to explode with a reunion tour.
The band will hold a news conference to talk about the reunion on
Tuesday, April 29, 2003, at 11:00 a.m. at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space
Museum, located at Pier 86 at 12th Avenue and 46th Street in New York
City.
Twisted Sister's current tour plans include USO shows in South Korea
in May and select headlining dates in the United States and Europe
this summer. A DVD from the summer shows, along with behind-the-scenes
and heritage footage, is being planned for a fall release. Several
record labels have approached Twisted Sister about making a studio
album, but right now there are no plans to release a new one.
The set list for the tour will feature all the hits and fan favorites
like \"We're Not Gonna Take It,\" \"I Wanna Rock,\" \"You Can't Stop Rock
'N' Roll,\" \"I Am (I'm Me)\" and \"Under the Blade\" from the albums
'Under the Blade,' 'You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll,' 'Stay Hungry' and
'Come Out and Play.' Twisted Sister has sold more than 10 million
records worldwide, earning the band 33 gold and platinum
certifications from across the globe.
Since disbanding in 1987 after 15 years together, Twisted Sister had
only performed together once: headlining the NY Steel benefit concert
in November 2001 for firefighters and police officers after the tragic
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
\"September 11 seriously affected me emotionally. The NY Steel show
happened about six months after the VH1 'Behind the Music' episode,\"
French says. \"After that 'Behind the Music' special, which was great
theater that brought up dormant bad feelings, we had the desire to do
something constructive. We had the realization that only the five of
us can do what we do.
\"We did nothing to promote our performance at the NY Steel show. I was
dead-set against the appearance of self-promotion. I was so focused on
the event itself being the center of attention rather than the band
that immediately after we were done playing I walked out with my
family and went straight home.\"
French was amazed at both the response of the fans at that show and
how well Twisted Sister played after just three rehearsals. Then, over
the next 18 months, momentum had started to build regarding an
official reunion. Phil Carson, Twisted Sister's longtime friend,
manager and record company executive, came to French with a proposal
for a tour this summer.
No one should ever underestimate the power of Twisted Sister as a
lethal live act. Performing more than 9,000 shows over 3,300 nights
during a 15-year career honed a razor-sharp edge.
Twisted Sister was considered by many to be one of the greatest live
bands of all time, and this summer's shows will arguably reinforce
that well-deserved reputation.
\"Dee Snider is the best frontman in rock, period. And there is no
better rhythm section in rock than Mark and A.J.,\" French says.
\"In the early years, we played as many as three shows a night. We are
a well-oiled machine,\" says Mendoza.
As warm-ups, Twisted Sister played three sellout shows in New York in
early April in Brooklyn, Farmingdale and Poughkeepsie under the
moniker Bent Brother; another Bent Brother show is set for April 27 in
Danbury, CT, at Tuxedo Junction.
\"We had a great time at those first couple of shows. It's extremely
exciting to be performing together again. We're getting along fine,\"
Mendoza says. \"The music is what matters. The one thing that kept us
going was the music, even when things got bad among us personally
before we broke up.\"
The first new shows as Twisted Sister will be in early May at one Air
Force base and two Army bases in South Korea on behalf of the USO:
Saturday, May 3, Kunsan Air Base; Sunday, May 4, Camp Walker; and
Monday, May 5, Camp Casey. This is the first USO tour to go to South
Korea since the war began in Iraq.
\"It's a unique re-emergence onto the scene. What better way than to
support our troops? We'll arrive in Korea on May 1 and play shows at
the bases on May 3, 4 and 5,\" says French. \"The USO tour was arranged
through the office of New York City congressman Jerrold Nadler.
Originally, we were supposed to play on an aircraft carrier near
Kuwait about three months ago. But then the war against Iraq became
likely and the plans changed.\"
The Korean peninsula has also been a tense region due to communist
North Korea's recent advances in its nuclear weapons program, but
Twisted Sister is not worried about security at all.
\"The USO monitors security on a daily basis and if there is ever any
sign of trouble civilians are evacuated immediately. The only USO
performer ever injured was Martha Raye in Vietnam when she was wounded
by shrapnel. We're told that what's going on in North Korea right now
is just political grandstanding,\" French says. \"The subject of the
SARS virus has come up, but Korea is SARS-free.
\"It's funny that back in 1985 we had to go before Congress and defend
our music against censorship and now we're ambassadors for the Defense
Department!\"
June sees Twisted Sister headlining major festivals in Europe
commencing on June 8 at the Sweden Rock Festival, Solvesborg, and
finishing on June 28 at the Bang Your Head Festival, Balingen,
Germany.
These European dates will be followed by July shows in the United
States. Twisted Sister will headline an Independence Day weekend
celebration on Saturday, July 5 at Six Flags Great Adventure in
Jackson, NJ. A special guest appearance with Alice Cooper and Def
Leppard is scheduled for Friday, July 18 at the Chippewa Falls Music
Festival in Chippewa Falls, WI. Other U.S. headlining dates will
follow.
Twisted Sister then returns to Europe for more headline dates,
commencing with a festival in Spain on Friday, August 29.
The showmanship that Twisted Sister brought to the music scene in the
'70s and '80s will certainly be evident at this year's concerts. Much
of the glam-inspired clothing and makeup will reappear in a new form.
Further selected dates will be announced soon.
\"We can't do everything offered to us. What's great is that a lot of
pressure is off because we have no obligations to a record company or
anything like that. This is for the fans, \" Mendoza says. \"The shows
are going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be like a freight train
roaring through your living room.\"
For all the latest news and tour updates, visit
[a href=\'http://www.twistedsister.com/\' target=\'_blank\']http://www.twistedsister.com/[/a] .
News Conference Scheduled For April 29 In NYC At The Intrepid Sea-Air
Space Museum To Announce USO Tour Dates In South Korea & Headlining
Dates In USA & Europe For Summer 2003
Finally, the one wish of the die-hard fans of Twisted Sister has come
true. The New York-based, multimillion-selling heavy metal band
Twisted Sister is officially reuniting after more than 16 years apart.
The classic lineup of lead vocalist Dee Snider, co-lead
guitarist/vocalist Jay Jay French, co-lead guitarist/vocalist Eddie
Ojeda, bass guitarist/vocalist Mark \"The Animal\" Mendoza and
drummer/vocalist A.J. Pero is ready to explode with a reunion tour.
The band will hold a news conference to talk about the reunion on
Tuesday, April 29, 2003, at 11:00 a.m. at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space
Museum, located at Pier 86 at 12th Avenue and 46th Street in New York
City.
Twisted Sister's current tour plans include USO shows in South Korea
in May and select headlining dates in the United States and Europe
this summer. A DVD from the summer shows, along with behind-the-scenes
and heritage footage, is being planned for a fall release. Several
record labels have approached Twisted Sister about making a studio
album, but right now there are no plans to release a new one.
The set list for the tour will feature all the hits and fan favorites
like \"We're Not Gonna Take It,\" \"I Wanna Rock,\" \"You Can't Stop Rock
'N' Roll,\" \"I Am (I'm Me)\" and \"Under the Blade\" from the albums
'Under the Blade,' 'You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll,' 'Stay Hungry' and
'Come Out and Play.' Twisted Sister has sold more than 10 million
records worldwide, earning the band 33 gold and platinum
certifications from across the globe.
Since disbanding in 1987 after 15 years together, Twisted Sister had
only performed together once: headlining the NY Steel benefit concert
in November 2001 for firefighters and police officers after the tragic
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
\"September 11 seriously affected me emotionally. The NY Steel show
happened about six months after the VH1 'Behind the Music' episode,\"
French says. \"After that 'Behind the Music' special, which was great
theater that brought up dormant bad feelings, we had the desire to do
something constructive. We had the realization that only the five of
us can do what we do.
\"We did nothing to promote our performance at the NY Steel show. I was
dead-set against the appearance of self-promotion. I was so focused on
the event itself being the center of attention rather than the band
that immediately after we were done playing I walked out with my
family and went straight home.\"
French was amazed at both the response of the fans at that show and
how well Twisted Sister played after just three rehearsals. Then, over
the next 18 months, momentum had started to build regarding an
official reunion. Phil Carson, Twisted Sister's longtime friend,
manager and record company executive, came to French with a proposal
for a tour this summer.
No one should ever underestimate the power of Twisted Sister as a
lethal live act. Performing more than 9,000 shows over 3,300 nights
during a 15-year career honed a razor-sharp edge.
Twisted Sister was considered by many to be one of the greatest live
bands of all time, and this summer's shows will arguably reinforce
that well-deserved reputation.
\"Dee Snider is the best frontman in rock, period. And there is no
better rhythm section in rock than Mark and A.J.,\" French says.
\"In the early years, we played as many as three shows a night. We are
a well-oiled machine,\" says Mendoza.
As warm-ups, Twisted Sister played three sellout shows in New York in
early April in Brooklyn, Farmingdale and Poughkeepsie under the
moniker Bent Brother; another Bent Brother show is set for April 27 in
Danbury, CT, at Tuxedo Junction.
\"We had a great time at those first couple of shows. It's extremely
exciting to be performing together again. We're getting along fine,\"
Mendoza says. \"The music is what matters. The one thing that kept us
going was the music, even when things got bad among us personally
before we broke up.\"
The first new shows as Twisted Sister will be in early May at one Air
Force base and two Army bases in South Korea on behalf of the USO:
Saturday, May 3, Kunsan Air Base; Sunday, May 4, Camp Walker; and
Monday, May 5, Camp Casey. This is the first USO tour to go to South
Korea since the war began in Iraq.
\"It's a unique re-emergence onto the scene. What better way than to
support our troops? We'll arrive in Korea on May 1 and play shows at
the bases on May 3, 4 and 5,\" says French. \"The USO tour was arranged
through the office of New York City congressman Jerrold Nadler.
Originally, we were supposed to play on an aircraft carrier near
Kuwait about three months ago. But then the war against Iraq became
likely and the plans changed.\"
The Korean peninsula has also been a tense region due to communist
North Korea's recent advances in its nuclear weapons program, but
Twisted Sister is not worried about security at all.
\"The USO monitors security on a daily basis and if there is ever any
sign of trouble civilians are evacuated immediately. The only USO
performer ever injured was Martha Raye in Vietnam when she was wounded
by shrapnel. We're told that what's going on in North Korea right now
is just political grandstanding,\" French says. \"The subject of the
SARS virus has come up, but Korea is SARS-free.
\"It's funny that back in 1985 we had to go before Congress and defend
our music against censorship and now we're ambassadors for the Defense
Department!\"
June sees Twisted Sister headlining major festivals in Europe
commencing on June 8 at the Sweden Rock Festival, Solvesborg, and
finishing on June 28 at the Bang Your Head Festival, Balingen,
Germany.
These European dates will be followed by July shows in the United
States. Twisted Sister will headline an Independence Day weekend
celebration on Saturday, July 5 at Six Flags Great Adventure in
Jackson, NJ. A special guest appearance with Alice Cooper and Def
Leppard is scheduled for Friday, July 18 at the Chippewa Falls Music
Festival in Chippewa Falls, WI. Other U.S. headlining dates will
follow.
Twisted Sister then returns to Europe for more headline dates,
commencing with a festival in Spain on Friday, August 29.
The showmanship that Twisted Sister brought to the music scene in the
'70s and '80s will certainly be evident at this year's concerts. Much
of the glam-inspired clothing and makeup will reappear in a new form.
Further selected dates will be announced soon.
\"We can't do everything offered to us. What's great is that a lot of
pressure is off because we have no obligations to a record company or
anything like that. This is for the fans, \" Mendoza says. \"The shows
are going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be like a freight train
roaring through your living room.\"
For all the latest news and tour updates, visit
[a href=\'http://www.twistedsister.com/\' target=\'_blank\']http://www.twistedsister.com/[/a] .