Mayhem Festival - Co-Founder Pens Open Letter Regarding Tour Controversy
There has been much discussion around Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival this year and not the good kind. The festival's co-founder Kevin Lyman said in an interview that "metal got gray, bald and fat" and that pissed a lot of people. Then Slayer's Kerry King got involved, criticized the organization of the event and blamed the festival's low attendances on the fact that the 2015 Mayhem lineup sucks, angering some of the smaller bands. Now co-founder of the festival, John Reese, has penned an "open letter" to the heavy metal community, asking everyone to support the genre and not continue to make divisive comments regarding the event. A bit of damage control it seems but things already got out of hand.
Here is the open letter from John Reese: "Dear fans of Heavy Music and metal bands everywhere, we are one community. It is vitally important to our community that we all unite an not divide! Without each other's support the only thing that suffers is Metal as a genre! In the midst of our most challenging year in 8 years of producing the festival, my partner Kevin Lyman made some comments that he has subsequently apologized for. Kevin is an honorable man and has given everything he has to the presentation of music and expanding the profile of countless artists! I am proud of our partnership and our results throughout the years! We have always tried to deliver a platform for artists to expand their fan base and the genre as a whole!
"In saying this, various people involved with the 2015 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival and some from the metal community have understandably made some divisive comments regarding the event. The event has suffered as a result of these many comments. What's done is done but I am here to say that heavy metal music is alive and well! I shouldn't have to remind everyone that we as a culture have faced ostracism from the mainstream for decades and we should not let over-sensationalized media hype separate us! I think we are all tired of all of the bullshit. I know I am!
"Let's move the conversation forward supporting each other not dividing. Thank you to Slayer, King Diamond, Hellyeah, TDWP and every single one of the incredibly talented bands that have performed this year on Mayhem! I would also just like to add a few other choice things for any media conspiracy headlines:
"Can't we all just get along!" - Rodney King 1994
Marilyn Manson did NOT cause Columbine!
Obama is not the Antichrist! And he ain't taking our guns!
Justin Bieber... uhhhh? no comment!
Heavy metal does not cure cancer, but it is good to fuck to.
Hopefully I will see many of you at Knotfest 2015!"
Here is the open letter from John Reese: "Dear fans of Heavy Music and metal bands everywhere, we are one community. It is vitally important to our community that we all unite an not divide! Without each other's support the only thing that suffers is Metal as a genre! In the midst of our most challenging year in 8 years of producing the festival, my partner Kevin Lyman made some comments that he has subsequently apologized for. Kevin is an honorable man and has given everything he has to the presentation of music and expanding the profile of countless artists! I am proud of our partnership and our results throughout the years! We have always tried to deliver a platform for artists to expand their fan base and the genre as a whole!
"In saying this, various people involved with the 2015 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival and some from the metal community have understandably made some divisive comments regarding the event. The event has suffered as a result of these many comments. What's done is done but I am here to say that heavy metal music is alive and well! I shouldn't have to remind everyone that we as a culture have faced ostracism from the mainstream for decades and we should not let over-sensationalized media hype separate us! I think we are all tired of all of the bullshit. I know I am!
"Let's move the conversation forward supporting each other not dividing. Thank you to Slayer, King Diamond, Hellyeah, TDWP and every single one of the incredibly talented bands that have performed this year on Mayhem! I would also just like to add a few other choice things for any media conspiracy headlines:
"Can't we all just get along!" - Rodney King 1994
Marilyn Manson did NOT cause Columbine!
Obama is not the Antichrist! And he ain't taking our guns!
Justin Bieber... uhhhh? no comment!
Heavy metal does not cure cancer, but it is good to fuck to.
Hopefully I will see many of you at Knotfest 2015!"
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| Event: | Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival 2015 |
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62008  |
Karry King is idiot, how about people start to complain that he looks ugly whit his tattoo and whit short hair? Band hasn't realized anything decent under Abyss days, basically band is to ignore live , and now they complain .... its hard get good line up in USA, in Europe Hellfest, WAO, Tuska, Jololmetalli festivaali , (red correct me mate) what alse. Maybe some bands are joke, but what is Slayer now? shit , big shit
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989  |
Mayhem Festival has always been pretty mediocre, and it's been quite clear since its inception that it was essentially trying to recreate Ozzfest after that festival got stale and faded out. Kerry King can quite often be a massive douche, but he does make a good point: Mayhem Fest isn't going downhill because "there are a limited number of headline worthy acts within metal." It's going downhill because there are a limited number of headline-worthy acts within the metal demographic Mayhem Fest has chosen to target. If you as a festival organizer choose to focus more on raking in the C.R.E.A.M. with all that formulaic, breakdown-laden mainstream metal BS, rather than on bands that aren't going to alienate the majority of festival-goers, you're setting yourself up for failure. Ozzfest suffered because of it, Mayhem is suffering because of it, and I bet you Summer Slaughter is going to be next too if it doesn't shift its target area a bit as well.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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