Romanian Holiday

NO! I said ROMANIAN Holiday!

(scroll down)

I..... am..... Dracula!

You might remember my band, The Twilights,

and our instrumental "Transylvania 6-5000."

It was a big hit in our neck of the woods.

 Times have changed in the old country.

Romania today has thriving dance-pop

and hip hop scenes and, in this series,

I will introduce some of the best

Romanian artists and recordings.

Take it from me... you won't

be "Balkan" at these tunes!

I bite. I suck. They don't.

Tonight, as the full moon rises,

I command invite you to join me

INNA Garden of Eden!

INNA

ft. YANDEL

You met Romanian spitfire INNA
earlier this year at Riley's Rave #1.

She's the vivacious singer and dancer
who, along with Alexandra Stan and others,
is part of the burgeoning EDM scene in the
Southeast European republic of Romania.
INNA is back, this time accompanied by
Puerto Rican Reggaetón rapper Yandel.
The potent pair perform "In Your Eyes,"
a single from INNA's third album
Party Never Ends. The titillating
video was released on INNA's
27th birthday in October 2013.

"In Your Eyes" - INNA ft. Yandel

(Nov. 2013, highest chart pos. #15 Turkey

#23 Poland/#31 Spain, single from

Mar. 2013 album Party Never Ends)

G GIRLS

Formed in June 2016, G Girls is an all-female

super group made up of four Romanian divas -

INNA, Alexandra Stan, Antonia (Iacobescu)

and Lori (Loredana Ciobotaru). The G Girls

made their debut with the arresting single

and video "Call the Police."

"Call the Police" - G Girls

(June 2016 single)

Time saving tip:

DJ Drac says start
playing video at

25 sec. mark!

LIVIU HODOR

feat. MONA

Liviu Hodor is a veteran Romanian musician,

DJ and record producer. In the 2013 Liviu

released "No Stress," an exciting dance-

pop single featuring Romanian vocalist

Ramona Sora, stage name Mona.

"No Stress"

Liviu Hodor feat. Mona

(2013 single)

Time saving tip:

DJ Drac says start
playing video at

1:37 mark!

ALEXANDRA STAN

Balcan beauty Alexandra Stan is also back

with us after receiving rave reviews at

Riley's Rave. In 2011, Alexandra scored
an international hit with "Mr. Saxobeat,"
a single from her debut studio album

Saxobeats. "Mr. Saxobeat" rocketed to

#1 on the UK Dance chart and also topped

the charts in ten other European countries.

"Mr. Saxobeat" - Alexandra Stan

(Jan. 2011, highest chart pos.

#1 UK Dance/#1 in 10 other countries,

from Aug. 2011 album Saxobeats)

Time saving tip:

DJ Drac says start
playing video at

23 sec. mark!

INNA

INNA returns now with Floridian hip hop

artist Flo Rida. Together they rock this

Romanian rave with a single that went

to #1 in France and #4 in Lebanon

and charted in 13 other countries.

INNA is the "Club Rocker!"

"Club Rocker" (Cutmore Remix) 

INNA ft. Flo Rida (June 2011 single from

Sept. 2011 album I Am The Club Rocker!)

Time saving tip:

DJ Drac says start
playing video at

37 sec. mark!

CORINA + MIRA

+ SKIZZO SKILLZ

As you have discovered in the Riley's Rave series,

modern pop and hip hop are uniting youth around

the world, a phenomenon known as globalization.

Pop music coming out of Bucharest and other

parts of Romania currently reflects a strong

American influence, while music produced

in the U.S. is absorbing the styles of Romania

and other parts of the world. Western hip hop

influence is evident in the recording and video

"Fete din Balcani" by Romanian artist Corina

along with Mira and rapper Skizzo Skillz.

"Fete din Balcani" ("Balkan Girls") - Corina

+ Mira + Skizzo Skillz (June 2015 single)

Time saving tip:

DJ Drac says start
playing video at

1:07 mark!

Dawn is breaking...

Our Balkan blowout

draws to a close.

There is only time for one

last Romanian rhapsody.

Sink your teeth into INNA's new single.
She will surely drive you batty as she
sings "Say It With Your Body."

INNA

"Say It With Your Body"

INNA (Sept. 2016 single)

Time saving tip:

DJ Drac says start
playing video at

38 sec. mark!

Fangs for being here tonight.

 I hope you enjoyed the post.

(It's much more pleasant than a stake.)

I'd like to have you for dinner sometime soon.

Until then I'll satisfy my craving with Adam's apple.

I'll be lurking for you next time, blud.

Fare thee well!

Night of the Living Echo Boomers!

DARKNESS FALLS ACROSS THE LAND

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR IS CLOSE AT HAND

CREATURES CRAWL IN SEARCH OF BLOOD

TO TERRORIZE Y'AWL'S NEIGHBORHOOD

AND WHOSOEVER SHALL BE FOUND

WITHOUT THE SOUL FOR GETTING DOWN

MUST STAND AND FACE THE HOUNDS OF HELL

AND ROT INSIDE A CORPSE'S SHELL

- excerpt from Shady Del Knight's "I Have a Nightmare"

campaign speech delivered Sept. 7, 2016, Des Moines, IA.

Welcome to part 9 of my year long series
on the up-and-coming female stars of
modern pop, pop rock and pop rap.
Halloween is almost upon us and
the young ladies who have been
haunting this series are here to

get you into the spirit. Is there a
ghost of a chance you'll like what
these ghoul-feinds have to offer?

LITTLE MIX

Little Mix is a four member girl group formed

exclusively for the 2011 season of The X Factor

and the only group to win the competition so far.

Their victory landed Little Mix a record deal and

they started releasing singles and albums in the

pop, R&B dance-pop and Synthpop categories.

At the end of 2015, Get Weird, the third
album by Little Mix, came close to
the top 10 on the Billboard 200.

A few months earlier, Little Mix released

"Black Magic" as the lead single from
the album and it zoomed to #1 on
the chart in the UK and Scotland.

FICTION AND FACT
FROM SHADY'S ALMANAC:

The Little Mix song "Black Magic" is not to

be confused with "That Old Black Magic,"

...the song Swinging hipster Buddy Love

sang to Stella in The Nutty Professor!

 "Black Magic" - Little Mix 

 (June 2015, highest chart pos. 

 #24 US Mainstream Top 40 

 #1 UK and Scotland, from 

 Nov. 2015 album Get Weird) 

Herman Munster says start playing

the video at the 1:02 MARK!

BECKY G

Shirley you must remember Becky G

(Rebecca Gomez) from Urban Decay.

Becky's the caliente California girl
who is still in her teens but raps
like a thirty year veteran.

In 2012, Becky G teamed up with singer/rapper

will.i.am, a founding member of The Black-Eyed

Peas, to record "Problem" (The Monster Remix),"

a song used in the soundtrack of the animated

motion picture Hotel Transylvania.

 "Problem (The Monster Remix)" 

 Becky G feat. will.i.am (from 

 2012 movie Hotel Transylvania) 

Herman Munster says start playing

the video at the 45 SEC MARK!

LADY GAGA

While some of the artists in this series are

newcomers, others are household names.

With 200 music industry awards to her credit,

singer, songwriter, actress, style icon, philan-

thropist and social activist Lady Gaga is one

of the most widely known and best selling

artists of all time. "MANiCURE," a song

from Gaga's third studio album ARTPOP,

works well in this highlight reel from the

campy Fox horror series Scream Queens.

 "MANiCURE" - Lady Gaga 
 (from Nov. 2013 album ARTPOP, 
 scenes from TV series Scream Queens) 

Herman Munster says start playing

the video at the 27 SEC MARK!

FIFTH HARMONY

I introduced the Miami-based X Factor

girl group Fifth Harmony back in

August in Modern Material Girls.

In August 2015, Fifth Harmony released the

single "I'm in Love With a Monster," a song

they recorded for the soundtrack of Hotel

Transylvania 2. Beware: the booming tuba

on this track might blow out your woofer.

It's all about that bass, no treble!

 "I'm in Love With a Monster" 

 Fifth Harmony (Aug./Sept. 2015, 

 highest chart pos. #23 Belgium, 

 from film & album Hotel Transylvania 2) 

Herman Munster says start playing

the video at the 47 SEC MARK!

ICON FOR HIRE

Led by Swedish-born singer/songwriter Ariel

(Bloomer), Icon For Hire is an alt rock and

electronic rock band from Decatur, Illinois.

In August 2011, Icon For Hire released their

debut album Scripted. One of the tracks,

"Off With Her Head," is a perfect
song for Halloween!

 "Off With Her Head" 

 Icon For Hire (from the  

 Aug. 2011 album Scripted) 

Herman Munster says start playing

the video at the 51 SEC MARK!

BEA MILLER

You met 17 year old Bea Miller

earlier this month in Sugar N Spice.

She's the Jersey girl firing on all cylinders
as a singer, songwriter and actress. In the
summer of 2015, Bea released her debut
album Not An Apology and it brushed
the top 5 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Pair-mit me to introduce "Dracula,"
 one of the songs on the album.

(You can fang me later.)

 "Dracula" - Bea Miller 

 (from July 2015 album 

 Not An Apology) 

Herman Munster says start playing

the video at the 33 SEC MARK!

I hope you enjoyed these scary hits
by modern misses. Stick around
for part 10 coming soon!

Have a Shady day!

Freakin' Awesome, These Rock Sirens!

Ladies and gentlemen...

boys and girls of all ages!

Welcome to Fräulein Elsa's Cabinet of Curiosities

here in Jupiter, Florida. I'm Shady Dell Toledo,

strongman of the troupe. Find a seat. You're in

for a treat. For the next FIVE SOLID HOURS my

Freak Show family and I will present, for your

edification and delight, a trio of female-fronted

rock bands guaranteed to mystify & mesmerize.

And now, without further ado, here she is, just

back from her tour as headliner at top cabarets

 from Paris to Berlin, the star of our show...

the one and only Elsa Mars!

Thank you for the standing ovation,

my lovelies. You are too kind. Tonight

you will meet three young and talented

rock singers- Dorothy, Mixi and Taylor.

I taught them everything they know.

DOROTHY

Our first act of the night is Dorothy,

a sexy, boozy, dark and dangerous band

from Los Angeles, California, led by singer

Dorothy Martin. Dorothy was ranked #14

on Rolling Stone's list of the 50 Best New

Artists of 2014. In the fall of that year,

Dorothy recorded a cover of a song by

hip hop artists Kanye West and Jay-Z

on their joint album Watch the Throne.

Here in a live performance is Dorothy
the band and "No Church in the Wild."

"No Church in the Wild" - Dorothy

(recorded fall of 2014, live at the

SXSW Festival, Austin, TX, Mar. 2015)

SHADY DELL TOLEDO SAYS

SAMPLE THE THE SONG

STARTING AT 32 SEC MARK!

STITCHED UP HEART

I'm Dandy Mott, a bored, spoiled rotten
ultra rich kid slash frustrated wannabe
actor and budding serial killer.

Some people call me a monster.

I wouldn't have to be if they'd

just stop breaking my rules and
ruining my good times. By sheer

coincidence, "Monster" is the name

of our next tune. Another LA-based
band, Stitched Up Heart, fronted by

Alecia 'Mixi' Demner, plays a blend
of hard rock and goth heavy metal.

In June of this year Stitched Up

Heart released their major label

debut album Never Alone which

includes the single "Monster."

"Monster" - Stitched Up Heart

(April 2016 single from the

June 2016 album Never Alone)

SHADY DELL TOLEDO SAYS

SAMPLE THE THE SONG

STARTING AT 20 SEC MARK!

DOROTHY

I'm Gloria Mott, Dandy's mother.

They say nothing good ever happens

after midnight. That's especially true

when Dandy is around. He's basically

a good boy but he can be a handful at

times, like when he's butchering people.

Dorothy retakes the stage now to perform

their debut 2014 single "After Midnight"

released three months ago on the
band's debut album ROCKISDEAD
which peaked at #129 on the
Billboard 200. Note that it
is not the J.J. Cale song

covered by Eric Clapton.

"After Midnight" - Dorothy

(June 2014 single from the

June 2016 album ROCKISDEAD)

SHADY DELL TOLEDO SAYS

SAMPLE THE THE SONG

STARTING AT 33 SEC MARK!

BETTE (right): Hi, we're Bette and Dot Tattler,

the conjoined twins who entertain

in Elsa's Freak Show.

BETTE: My sister is all excited about this

band because they share the name Dorothy.  

DOT: I'm so excited I almost dozed off!

BETTE: I love Dorothy Martin.

She's got Bette Davis eyes!

DOT: Moving on, "Raise Hell" is

another single from Dorothy's 2016

album ROCKISDEAD. According
to Wiki, the song has been used in
promos for Pandora, HBO shows,

Levi's, Acura, Orange Is the New

Black and Now You See Me 2.

"Raise Hell" - Dorothy

(single from June 2016

album ROCKISDEAD)

STITCHED UP HEART

I'm Desiree Dupree, another member

of the Elsa Mars troupe.

Those glorified Doublemint Twins

(above) got nuthin' on me, child.

I can triple your pleasure! Now

let's enjoy an encore performance

by the LA-based hard rock/metal

band Stitched Up Heart featuring

feisty lead vocalist Mixi Demner.

Released as a single in late 2015,

"Finally Free" cracked the top 20

on the Active Rock Radio chart.

"Finally Free" - Stitched Up Heart

(Dec. 2015 single from June

2016 album Never Alone)

SHADY DELL TOLEDO SAYS

SAMPLE THE THE SONG

STARTING AT 43 SEC MARK!

DOROTHY

I'm Jimmy Darling aka the Lobster Boy.
Shady Dell's my pa but he's ashamed
to admit it.  Far as I'm concerned
he can go pound sand! 

Dorothy the band is back for another shot,

this time to perform their 2016

non-album single "Get Up."

"Get Up" - Dorothy

(2016 non-album single)

SHADY DELL TOLEDO SAYS

SAMPLE THE THE SONG

STARTING AT 24 SEC MARK!

I'm Ethel Darling aka The Bearded Lady.

I'm Jimmy's mother. Dell is his dad, but

a poor excuse for one. Dell was in the

wind soon after Jimmy was born. Now

he's back workin' for Elsa and stirrin'

up a heapa trouble.

Jimmy has potensho. If the boy can learn to

control his drinkin', his fightin' and his killin'

 he'll go far in this world.  "Dark Nights" is

another track from Dorothy's summer 2016

album ROCKISDEAD. The video is one of

 the funniest things you're ever likely to

see. If you've got the time, it's worth

watching from beginning to end.
Be sure to read the crawl at
the bottom of the screen.

"Dark Nights" - Dorothy

(from June 2016 album

ROCKISDEAD)

THE PRETTY RECKLESS

We're Amazon Eve and Ma Petite...

two more members of Elsa's family.

You first met The Pretty Reckless in vol. 1

of Rock Jeopardy. The hard rock/alt rock

and post-grunge band features the ballsy,

bluesy vocals of Taylor Momsen who, as
an actress, played Jenny Humphrey on
the CW network TV series Gossip Girl.
Just yesterday, October 21, Taylor and
The Pretty Reckless released their 3rd

studio album Who You Selling For.
Here they are with the lead single

from the album "Take Me Down."

"Take Me Down" - The Pretty Reckless

(July 2016 single from Oct. 2016

album Who You Selling For)

The show's over, folks...
but the fun has just begun.

I'm Twisty the Clown...

and I'm waiting to play with you
in the woods outside your house.

Don't keep me waiting!

GET YOUR FREAK ON.

WATCH

AMERICAN HORROR STORY:

FREAK SHOW

ON FX AND NETFLIX!

Fright Night... From Dusk Till Dawn!

Watch this, Richard.

Then we talk.

And now begins the ancient word.

The sun slips below the sky

and the world turns upside down.

In the night, we make our feast.

For centuries, I danced for them,

the blood-gatherer,

the bringer of souls.

I've brought them lost ones,

the troubled ones,

the desperate ones.

Now, I am free,

and the world turns upside down again.

Don't call me Fez, amigo, or I rip your throat out, comprende?

They are thirsty for revenge,

and nothing will stop them.

No boundaries,

no borders.

They will come for me,

but I am coming for them.

Their empire of blood will fall,

and I will not rest

until...

it all...

BURNS!

DARE TO GO THERE!

A NETFLIX/EL REY NETWORK ORIGINAL