The Israeli actress, author, comedian, and playright Meital Dohan is now breaking into the music scene. Meital is already known through her reoccurring role as Yael Hoffman in Showtime’s hit series Weeds and Sony Pictures web series Woke Up Dead co-starring John Heder. She has two Israeli Academy Award nominations for Best Actress for her roles in Giraffes and God’s Sandbox. Her debut single, “Yummy,” mixed by Rami Afuni (LMFAO), has already reached over 1.3 Million YouTube views in just one month.

HEAR Magazine got the chance to catch up with Meital before her performance backstage at the Avalon Tiger Heat party in Hollywood. “I really love the music industry it’s a lot of fun,” states Meital. “It’s really free and just funny. In Hollywood though it’s artistic everyone always is trying to see how normal you are and make sure you’re normal, but in music everyone is trying to see how crazy you are which is very liberating.”

Her upcoming debut album I’m In Hate With Love was produced by legendary Che Pope of Dr. Dre/Eminem fame and has various influences. “I’m very affected by the electropop wave and electric dance. On one hand I like Deadmaus and dance music, on the other hand I like music like Portishead and Air. So I think my album is going to be diverse and a combination of both. The relationship and the balance between men and women are very weird and it’s kind of changing. And I think I feel that statistically people are very confused about love and that’s an expression of it. It’s kind of like I’m in love with love and I’m in hate with love it’s all very mixed.”

Meital’s shows are a combination of her acting and comedy background with the tracks “I Know You Want to Fuck Me” and “Yummy”. With backup dancers dressed in tiger outfits, and then toward the second song practically nothing at all, her performances are very tongue-in-cheek especially with her gay-icon-pop status.

You can check out Meital at http://www.meitaldohan.com and stay tuned for upcoming midwest tour dates. To check her out on YouTube, click http://youtu.be/a4JWVzAvXIk or http://youtu.be/YanWn29-WfU

There is no denying that Sleeping With Sirens’s sound has changed from their debut album With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear. That leaves a lot of fans wondering…What changed?

In HEAR’s sit down interview with guitarists Jesse and Jack, we got a chance to answer that question of what brought about the change.

“Two good guitar players (themselves) who actually know how to write good music joined the band,” says Jesse. “We don’t write scene breakdowns,” he continues.

“We write actual songs,” adds Jack. “We are writing songs as a whole that people can relate to.”

I figure most bands aim to write songs that their audience can relate to, but why did that mean there had to be a change in sound? Sure, the scene breakdowns may have not been the most stylized way to present lead singer Kellin’s lyrics, but why was there a change in sound?

The answer doesn’t reside in the argument of whether scene breakdowns are a positive or negative, but more with the musical influence of the writers.

“We come from a strong rock and roll background,” says Jack. The replacement of the two guitarists seemed to bring on the change of sound. Seems simple enough, but usually members are added and form to the band, not the reverse of members are added and the band morphs to their tastes.

For fans who have been there from the start, this means that you can expect more of a rock and roll sound coming from future albums. “We definitely want to keep it rock and roll with maybe a little radio rock,” says Jack.

“We still plan to keep the same fan base,” chimes in Jesse. “We’re still going to appeal to everybody, but we’re going to try to expand to appealing to masses. Instead of just 16 year old girls coming to our concerts, we want 30 year old women to come as well.”

It seems to be all about growth with these guys as they look to continue to impact the music scene. They don’t want to put out the same music with each album, but they stress they will still be there for all the fans who have come this far with them.

With almost a year to the date since Let’s Cheers to This was released, it seems the rock band from Grand Rapids, Michigan is due for another album. Currently in the writing process, the band aims to release the album in early September.

“People are going to like what we’ve written so far,” claims Jack. “We have a few demos some people have heard and everyone loves it.”

It will definitely be interesting to see what they do with this new album with the direction Jack claims it will go in, and the promise to still be true to current fans and try to appeal to a new age group as well. Sounds like a very tall order.

Up next for Sleeping With Sirens is a full Warped Tour where they look to continue their road success after completing their first headlining tour of the young band’s career.

“I’m just excited,” says Jesse about Warped. “It was my dream when I was younger and I never thought I’d do it, but I’m stoked.”

You can check out the band on Facebook.com/SleepingWithSirensBand and visit VansWarpedTour.com for their upcoming tour dates on the Vans Warped Tour!

HEAR apologizes to its readers and the organizations!

The Plymouth Whalers were eliminated from the Ontario Hockey League postseason on Tuesday night courtesy of the Kitchener Rangers. The series went to a deciding seventh game at Compuware Arena in Plymouth, but the home ice advantage did not help the Whalers who suffered a 6-3 season ending loss while failing to reach the Western Conference finals. The game was competitive through two periods, but in the third period the Rangers took control of the game supported by a four goal effort from Rangers right winger and Boston Bruins prospect Tyler Randell. It was Randell’s first game back after serving a ten game suspension. His four goals and key saves by the Rangers goalie and Anaheim Ducks prospect John Gibson proved to be too much for the Whalers to overcome. The Rangers added an empty net goal in the final moments of the game which lead to a fight between Rangers defenseman Cody Sol and Whalers center Mitchell Heard resulting in several players getting ejected. The Rangers were well represented with fans nearly filling two sections of Compuware Arena on the penalty box side.

The Kitchener Rangers will begin game one of the Western Conference finals on the road against the London Knights which advanced to the conference finals by defeating the Saginaw Spirit in six games on Saturday. In the Eastern Conference finals the top seeded Niagra Ice Dogs will host game one of their seven game series against the Ottawa 67′s which advanced by defeating the Barrie Colts (4-3) in game seven of the conference semifinals on Tuesday night.

The Whalers dropped to 5-6 all time in their playoff game seven history. Last season the Whalers defeated the Rangers (4-2) in game seven of the Western Conference quaterfinals which took place in Kitchener. In 2003 the Whalers lost game seven of the Western Conference finals (3-1) to the Kitchener Rangers which also took place in Kitchener.

The Saginaw Spirit’s season is over, but the team is still making OHL news as head coach Greg Gilbert has been named OHL coach of the year and will therefore receive the Matt Leyden Trophy. Gilbert took over the coaching responsibilies after the Spirit got off to a slow start and fired Todd Watson who began the season as the Spirit head coach. Saginaw left winger Brandon Saad has already signed with the Chicago Blackhawks and has already been added to their playoff roster for the remainder of the post season. In other news, Spirit left winger John Shalla has already signed a three year entry level contract with the Nashville Predators and reported to the AHL’s Milwawkee Admirals on April 20th.

Keep up with the OHL at ontariohockeyleague.com.

On Sunday April 15th, Club Polo in Allen Park hosted the Pro Wrestling All Stars (PWAS) and HEAR Magazine was in attendance to capture some of our area’s top local wrestlers in classic mat action. The PWAS teamed up with Hailey’s Heroes to raise money for Autism Speaks, which is an organization that raises awareness and sponsors autism research along with conducting outreach activities aimed at families dealing with autism. HEAR Magazine’s own Ryan LaPointe served as the special guest ring announcer for the event which included superstars such as ‘Richie Boy’ Breyer Wellington, Lou Crank, Roderick Street, ‘FIA’ Frank Isaac Anderson, and of course the current All Star Champion ‘The Great Akuma’ who is known throughout the wrestling world as the ‘Pearl Of The Orient’. Club Polo turned out to be the perfect venue to bring family friendly pro wrestling back to the downriver area. The club offered a friendly wait staff, and a fun atmosphere that included leather sofas and several giant flat screen televisions to go along with their great food and drink specials. Promoter Steve Rivera has announced that the PWAS will return to Club Polo on Sunday May 20th for a benefit show where proceeds will go to help the family of the late Ron ‘Showtime’ Stewart (RIP Showtime) who passed away recently at the age of 33 due to complications of the liver. The event known as the ‘Showtime Memorial’ will pay tribute to the former ring announcer and is sure to attract some of the top local wrestlers along with all of the antics and entertainment that accompany pro wrestling.

No titles changed hands on Sunday, however ‘Superstar’ Bill Martel must leave the PWAS as a result of losing a stipulation match. In the main event ‘Hot Stuff’ Steve Rivera accompanied by Lou Crank defeated ‘Richie Boy’ Breyer Wellington and The Great Akuma in a tag team match. Some other notes included ‘The Handicap Hero’ Gregory Iron defeating Roderick Street, while ‘FIA’ Frank Isaac Anderson was disqualified after using his metal briefcase as a weapon against ‘The Prodigy’ Darrell Jackson. ‘FIA’ made his way to the locker room but not before leveling a fan with his metal briefcase. The anonymous fan eventually chased ‘FIA’ all the way back into the dressing room area.

For more info on the PWAS check out www.PWASDetroit.com.

Creed at the Chicago Theatre
By: Marco Scola

Nearly 13 years ago, Creed skyrocketed up the charts with the release of their second studio album Human Clay. After a seven-year hiatus, a comeback album and tour, the band got back to their roots at the Chicago Theatre on Saturday night and revisited the album that made them global icons.

With their original lineup of lead singer Scott Stapp, complete with the return of his long hair, lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, drummer Scott Phillips and touring guitarist Eric Friedman, Creed took the stage to the first track of Human Clay, “Are You Ready?”

The sold out show of nearly 4,000 sang along as Creed launched into the first seven tracks of the album, including “What If”, “Say I”, “Beautiful”, and “Wrong Way.” Stapp hasn’t sounded this vocally in shape since the Weathered tour in 2003, hitting every note as if listening to the record in my headphones.

Absent are the pyrotechnics and large-scale light show from the Full Circle and Weathered tour; instead the band went with an intimate performance with simplistic lights, no fog or pyro, focusing on the music and music only. Playing Human Clay in its entirety, the band reaches the hits that made them – “With Arms Wide Open” and “Higher” – which are greeted with the loudest cheers of the night up until that point.

After finishing the album, Stapp addresses saying, “We missed each and every moment with you guys,” which drew blistering cheers. After an incredible rendition of “Bullets”, the band took in the cheers. “This was our introduction to the world,” Stapp said as the band moved into two songs from their My Own Prison album, “Torn”, “My Own Prison” then left the stage to massive applause after playing “One”.

With the house lights down and the stage black, the crowd chanted “Creed” for several minutes before they emerged and launched into “One Last Breath” before closing the show with “My Sacrifice.”

“I feel like our relationship is making a comeback, Chicago,” Stapp said before leaving the stage. “Good night, God bless, and rock on!”

The band sounded incredible, and that’s exactly what they wanted. Stripping down the million-dollar stage show, Creed chose a venue that would showcase their sound, offering the fans an intimate experience while still delivering a top-notch rock show.

Chicago was the second stop on the five-month national tour that includes Detroit on May 31 at 7:00. Tickets start at $50. Visit www.creed.com for more information.

The album opens up as a fusion of Blues and R&B and leads you into what feels like a 70′s style funk revival. The album brings you right back into a heavy blues feel with the title track. Andre definitely provides a unique, introspective opportunity with this release holding nothing back from the listener. While “Hoods and Shades” proves to be more acoustic than previous releases, it is powerful and does not disappoint.

When it comes to raw power and emotion, the live show is not to be missed. Andre’s performance on 3/24 at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, MI was a true performance both audibly and visually with his raspy voice, pimp style suit, and matching fedora. Andre seemed to have a close and energetic following. A number of the audience members came dressed head to toe in roaring 20′s style garments and swing kid like attire. Andre was backed by a powerful band which opened with a rockabilly track and did not miss a beat when keeping up with Andre’s heavy blues / funk mashups. His music is all over the board and the crowd was not left wanting because of it.

A Comerica Park record opening day crowd of 45,027 fans were treated to an amazing performance that included a pair of aces locked up in a pitchers duel, the arrival of a superstar in Prince Fielder, a walk off hit in the ninth, and most importantly an opening day victory for the Tigers. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning when Jhonny Peralta (3-3 with a walk) doubled followed by an Alex Avilla double which drove in the game’s first run. Justin Verlander exited the game after the top of the eighth inning with two hits, no runs, and seven strikeouts. Austin Jackson (3-5) led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a triple and was eventually driven home by the Tigers’ key off season addition Prince Fielder to give the Tigers a two to nothing lead going into the top of the ninth inning. The lead would not hold up however, as Jose Valverde recorded his first blown save since the 2010 season (49 -49 in save oppurtunities in 2011) and the game was tied at two heading into the bottom of the ninth.

The Tigers quickly loaded the bases for the game’s unsung hero Austin Jackson, who singled in walk off fashion to send the opening day record crowd home on a happy note. Jackson has been prone to strikeout in his previous two seasons with the Tigers, ( struck out 181 times last year and 170 times in 2010) especially in key situations, but Jackson arrived in spring training early to work with hitting coach Lloyd McClendon on shortening up his swing, and choking up with two strikes and so far with only 161 games left, it is paying dividends. The Tigers have Friday off and will wrap up the three game series against the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park on Saturday at 4:05 and Sunday at 1:05 with Doug Fister and Max Scherzer expected to take the hill respectively for the Tigers.

Keep track of your Tigers all season here.

Country superstar Miranda Lambert came to Toledo on March 22 for her show at Huntington Center, one that had sold out in just 20 minutes. Miranda, who is married to judge of NBC’s “The Voice” and country legend Blake Shelton, took the stage in a shiny silver sequin dress, jean jacket, and cowboy boots, strapped with an electric pink and white guitar to match her pink mic. With her guitar straps studded in stones and pink screens behind her, I thought I was about to watch a real life Barbie, but this was no little girl’s show. This firecracker brought down the house with her playful banter and 22 song set list.

For “More Like Her” Miranda sat down by the edge of the stage and serenaded the crowd. Then I watched her do something I’ve never seen done during a show; she interrupted her own performance to break up a fight.

“I guess we’ve already got a cat fight,” she said. “Do not make me come down there and kick some ass. A few idiots can ruin a whole night for everybody else. Next time, I’m coming down there.”

That was impressive. If more artists practiced this approach, there might not be any fights.

A few songs later she sang, “Fine Tune” on a chase lounger, surrounded by her band, singing into an old mic that manipulated her voice to sound like an old record. The screens streamed live but in black and white, making you feel like you were back in the ‘20s.

Miranda’s connection with the entire Center was undeniable during, “The House That Built Me.” You could actually feel her heart in every word she sang, while the crowd swayed with their lighters.

Later she covered Aretha Franklin and surprised the crowd with amazing cover of Lady Gaga’s “You and I.”

“I will never tolerate a man who beats a woman. Just in case, my daddy taught me to use a shotgun. Don’t be fooled by my sequined dress and flower in my hair. I’m darn good with it,” she said, then followed with fan favorites that had everyone standing and singing along, “Gun Powder & Lead” then “White Liar.”

Lambert closed the show with her openers Jerrod Niemann and Chris Young, singing a version of Waylon Jennings’ “Honkytonk Heroes.”
Country fans are diehard fans, and they are a breed all their own. But they will suck you in with that southern hospitality, so if ya’ll missed this show be sure to catch Lambert and many others this summer at the Downtown Hoedown in Detroit. For Hoedown info check out wycd.cbslocal.com

For more information on concert dates and anything Miranda Lambert, please visit her website
or find her on Twitter.

You want to talk about playoffs? The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) playoffs are in full swing, and the Plymouth Whalers are gearing up to make a title run following another successful season, one that claimed a West Division crown and a second place finish in the Western Conference standings. The Whalers featured seven players with 20 or more goals led by Ottawa Senators draft pick Stefan Noesen, who flipped the light switch 38 times and added 44 assists to lead the team with 82 points. The Whalers current roster includes eight players who have already been drafted by NHL clubs, and four members who reside in different parts of the Metro Detroit area. The Whalers were able to skate by a tough Guelph Storm team in six games after initially trailing the best of seven series two games to none! Key injuries, timely saves by Storm goalie and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Garret Sparks, and the relentless effort of Tyler Bertuzzi (nephew of Detroit Red Wing Todd Bertuzzi) were all factors in the slow playoff start for the Whalers.

However, in games three through six, the puck found the back of the net more often for Plymouth while Mitchell Heard returned to action and captain Beau Schmitz came to be expected back sooner rather than later. The Whalers will now face the Kitchener Rangers, which advanced by defeating the defending OHL champions and most penalized team in the league, the Owen Sound Attack. The Saginaw Spirit have also advanced to the second round by upsetting the Sarnia Sting, and they now look to topple the top seeded London Knights, which swept through the Windsor Spitfires to reach the Western Conference semifinals. The Eastern Conference semifinals are only half way decided, as the Brampton Battallion swept the Sudbury Wolves while the Niagara IceDogs were barely able to slip past the Oshawa Generals. The Ottawa 67s currently lead the series with the Bellville Bulls, three games to two, while the Barrie Colts hold a three games to two lead over the Mississauga Majors to round out the rest of the OHL bracket.

For more info on the Whalers check out plymouthwhalers.com.

For more info on the Spirit check out saginawspirit.com.

For all your OHL info go to ontariohockeyleague.com.