METALLICA's 'Orion Music + More' Festival Adds Billabong All-Out Air Assault Surfing Expedition

Orion Music + More — the two-day festival created by METALLICA that will take place on June 23-24 at Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey — has announced the addition of the Billabong All-Out Air Assault Surfing Expedition.

Commented the band: "Music and surfing have always gone together. At Orion, we are taking that idea to another level with an all out air assault competition.

"Come see some of the world's best aerialists and New Jersey local rippers taking to the air on the best waves Atlantic City has to offer.

"Get relief from from the sun, check out some surf flicks, and realize that life really is better in boardshorts at the Billabong Oasis Lounge.

"Who do you want to see compete? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter! And stay tuned for more details on the event coming soon!"

Check out a video message from METALLICA members Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo below.

For more information, go to this location.

An entire stage at Orion Music + More devoted to punk and thrash music — Damage Inc. Stage — will be headlined by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and SEPULTURA, and will feature up-and-comers TORCHE, RED FANG, KYNG, LANDMINE MARATHON, BLACK TUSK, THY WILL BE DONE, and more.

Orion Music + More will feature multiple live music stages plus a lifestyle element that reflects each of METALLICA's bandmembers' many personal interests. METALLICA will headline both nights of Orion Music + More and play "The Black Album" in its entirety one night and "Ride The Lightning" in its entirety the other. This will be the only time the band will perform these albums in North America in 2012.

Orion Music + More has launched a complete web site where fans are able to explore the full Orion Music + More lineup by clicking any band name for a bio, video, streaming music and more. They will also be able to use the Custom Scheduler to make their own personalized lineup.

Tickets for Orion Music + More are currently on sale for $150 for a two-day pass including all fees. Visit www.orionmusicandmore.com to buy tickets.

Orion Music + More scheduled performers:

METALLICA
ARCTIC MONKEYS
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
MODEST MOUSE
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM
ERIC CHURCH
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
FUCKED UP
THE JIM BREUER HEAVY METAL COMEDY TOUR
BEST COAST
HOT SNAKES TITUS ANDRONICUS
GARY CLARK JR.
LUCERO
ROKY ERICKSON
THE BLACK ANGELS
THE SWORD
WOODEN SHJIPS
A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
GHOST
LITURGY
SOUL REBELS

Damage Inc. Stage

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
SEPULTURA
TORCHE
LETLIVE
RED FANG
KYNG
LANDMINE MARATHON
BLACK TUSK
THY WILL BE DONE
CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED

During an interview aired immediately after the announcement, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich stated about how the bands were selected to perform at Orion Music + More, "Music, to us, is really diverse; it covers all grounds. If you took the four of ours;' iPods and scanned through those, you would find the biggest variety and diversity of music, so we're trying to bring that spirit to this festival."

He added, "A lot of the European festivals, and certainly also Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo and so on, in outside lands in America, these festivals are really about diversity and about different experiences. You go there, you go check out bands you don't know a lot about, you go check out bands where it will be the first time you'll experience them. So there's a whole big pile of stuff — from punk to thrash to country to, sort, of alternative, straight-ahead rock, blues. But it's really about diversity."

"We'd love to have people open up their focus. Maybe they come to see us but wind up discovering some blues or country act," METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett told USA Today.

Added Ulrich: "It's all about balance, keeping things fresh."

"We've done festivals our whole career," said METALLICA guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield. "We wondered what made those people come back year after year, and it was because it was someplace you had to be. Maybe we can create something like that."

The METALLICA members explained that Orion was named in honor of the band's late bassist Cliff Burton. "Orion" is also the name of the instrumental song from METALLICA's 1986 album "Master Of Puppets", which is widely considered to be one of the greatest metal LPs of all time.

"We've had the idea of doing our own lifestyle festival with lots of diverse music and fun and games for years," said Ulrich. "Finally this year all the practical ducks lined up in a row, and we are beyond psyched to bring Orion to our fans, friends and the curious. After the most incredible of weeks ever in December 2011 celebrating our 30th anniversary at the Fillmore in San Francisco, California, bringing the spirit of that week, the looseness of that week, the possibilities of that week, the fan interactive elements of that week, and the (fill in your own blank here) of that week to a festival setting is so exciting we can hardly contain ourselves."