CHRISTMAS CANDLE DECOR

Staind

Staind marks the iconic hard rock band's seventh studio album and first full-length release in three years. Produced by Johnny K - known for his work with 3 Doors Down, Disturbed, and Sevendust, not to mention his Grammy Award-nominated collaboration with Staind, 2008's The Illusion of Progress - and mixed by the legendary Chris Lord-Alge, Staind stands as Staind's most intense and powerful work to date. The album is heralded by the viral "Eyes Wide Open" and official single "Not Again." Singer/songwriter/guitarist Aaron Lewis recently described Staind as "the heaviest thing we have recorded in a long time. It's definitely one of the heaviest collections of songs that we have put together." "It's completely different than the last record," agrees guitarist Mike Mushok. "It's more of a throwback to where we came from. I definitely think it's fresh. It's a modern-sounding version of a heavy Staind record. It's pretty cool."

Opened in 1895, the hotel symbolized a dream for the man who was, simultaneously, one of Richmond's most modest and most colorful citizens and also Richmond's wealthiest citizen. Lewis Ginter was born in New York of Dutch immigrant parents. He came to Richmond in 1842 at the age of eighteen and made a fortune in the import business before losing it to the Civil War. He served in the Confederate Army, and then returned to New York, where he made a second fortune in the banking industry and lost it to a recession.
At age fifty, Ginter returned to Richmond and entered the tobacco business. He made millions marketing the pre-rolled cigarette and became a civic leader and philanthropist. He then sold his interest in the tobacco company and entered his fourth career, land development.
A classic Jeffersonian, cultured, gifted and widely traveled (he crossed the Atlantic thirty times, and went around the world several times), Ginter was interested in the arts and architecture. He also had a strong, abiding love for his adopted city.
To create this dream, he commissioned Carrere and Hastings, a renowned architectural firm from New York. The firm designed the Fifth Avenue Public Library and Henry Frick House (later the Frick Museum) in New York, as well as portions of the Commonwealth Club in Richmond.
Ginter's wishes were followed and the hotel was built incorporating Renaissance and other forms of architecture that he admired, creating a composite, eclectic style popular at the turn of the century. When The Jefferson was elected in 1969 to the National Register of Historical Places, it was considered to be among the finest examples of Beaux Arts style in existence.
THE OPENING - HISTORIC VIRGINIA HOTELS TAKE SHAPE
It is estimated that between $5 and $10 million went into planning, building and furnishing the hotel, with nearly $2 million of this amount spent on construction. The planning and building process took nearly three years with Ginter supervising every detail. As a centerpiece for the upper lobby, The Palm Court, Ginter commissioned Richmond sculptor, Edward V. Valentine, to create a life-size image of Jefferson from Carrara marble. The statue cost $12,000 and took two years to complete. Valentine was able to borrow clothing actually worn by Jefferson, which he copied for the statue.
That was just the beginning. Ginter imported exotic palm trees from Central and South America and purchased hundreds of valuable antiques here and abroad. He saw to it that the hotel had billiard rooms, a library, ladies' salon, grill room, Turkish and Russian baths, plus every contemporary convenience: electric lights, electric elevators, hot and cold water in the bedrooms, and a Teleseme (predecessor of the telephone) for room service.
Major Ginter's dream was fulfilled on October 31, 1895. The Jefferson opened to an awed and delighted public and was enthusiastically proclaimed to be the finest hotel in the country. Despite heavy rain, thousands of people came through the doors, beginning at 7:00 am.
Within a week, the Jefferson had lodged its first distinguished guests. They were in Richmond for the wedding of Irene Langhorne, who had led cotillions in New York, Philadelphia, Richmond and New Orleans. An elegant party, held in the hotel's Roof Garden, was given by the noted New York architect, Stanford White of the firm of McKim, Mead, White, in honor of Miss Langhorne and her husband-to-be, Charles Dana Gibson. Gibson, an illustrator and satirist, created the Gibson Girl look at the turn-of-the-century. Irene's younger sister, Nancy, who was an attendant in the wedding, eventually married Waldorf Astor and became "Lady Astor", the first woman elected to the British parliament.
The hotel, which contained 308 guest rooms, as well as thirty-four rooms reserved for employees, soon became known as "The Belle of the '90's".
FIRE & RESTORATION
Unfortunately, the Major's enjoyment of his accomplishment was short-lived... he died less than two years later. In 1901 the hotel itself came close to being short-lived. A defective wire started a fire that demolished three-fifths of the building. There were no fatalities, however, there was a narrow escape for one famous occupant of the hotel, the statue of Thomas Jefferson.
A rescue crew, including the sculptor himself, was hurriedly summoned to help. The men pushed the statue onto strategically placed mattresses and carried it outside. Then they accidentally dropped it, and the head struck the ground and broke off. For a while, the headless statue stood in the front yard of a neighboring home. (The head was kept in the vault of Henry Valentine, a relative of the sculptor and a member of the rescue crew.) Eventually it was taken back to the sculptor’s studio, where repairs were made.
One hundred guest rooms fronting Franklin Street were intact and reopened in grand style in May 1902. Major reconstruction was required in the portion facing Main Street. T

WALKING THROUGH A GLORIOUS HISTORY

Opened in 1895, the hotel symbolized a dream for the man who was, simultaneously, one of Richmond's most modest and most colorful citizens and also Richmond's wealthiest citizen. Lewis Ginter was born in New York of Dutch immigrant parents. He came to Richmond in 1842 at the age of eighteen and made a fortune in the import business before losing it to the Civil War. He served in the Confederate Army, and then returned to New York, where he made a second fortune in the banking industry and lost it to a recession.
At age fifty, Ginter returned to Richmond and entered the tobacco business. He made millions marketing the pre-rolled cigarette and became a civic leader and philanthropist. He then sold his interest in the tobacco company and entered his fourth career, land development.
A classic Jeffersonian, cultured, gifted and widely traveled (he crossed the Atlantic thirty times, and went around the world several times), Ginter was interested in the arts and architecture. He also had a strong, abiding love for his adopted city.
To create this dream, he commissioned Carrere and Hastings, a renowned architectural firm from New York. The firm designed the Fifth Avenue Public Library and Henry Frick House (later the Frick Museum) in New York, as well as portions of the Commonwealth Club in Richmond.
Ginter's wishes were followed and the hotel was built incorporating Renaissance and other forms of architecture that he admired, creating a composite, eclectic style popular at the turn of the century. When The Jefferson was elected in 1969 to the National Register of Historical Places, it was considered to be among the finest examples of Beaux Arts style in existence.
THE OPENING - HISTORIC VIRGINIA HOTELS TAKE SHAPE
It is estimated that between $5 and $10 million went into planning, building and furnishing the hotel, with nearly $2 million of this amount spent on construction. The planning and building process took nearly three years with Ginter supervising every detail. As a centerpiece for the upper lobby, The Palm Court, Ginter commissioned Richmond sculptor, Edward V. Valentine, to create a life-size image of Jefferson from Carrara marble. The statue cost $12,000 and took two years to complete. Valentine was able to borrow clothing actually worn by Jefferson, which he copied for the statue.
That was just the beginning. Ginter imported exotic palm trees from Central and South America and purchased hundreds of valuable antiques here and abroad. He saw to it that the hotel had billiard rooms, a library, ladies' salon, grill room, Turkish and Russian baths, plus every contemporary convenience: electric lights, electric elevators, hot and cold water in the bedrooms, and a Teleseme (predecessor of the telephone) for room service.
Major Ginter's dream was fulfilled on October 31, 1895. The Jefferson opened to an awed and delighted public and was enthusiastically proclaimed to be the finest hotel in the country. Despite heavy rain, thousands of people came through the doors, beginning at 7:00 am.
Within a week, the Jefferson had lodged its first distinguished guests. They were in Richmond for the wedding of Irene Langhorne, who had led cotillions in New York, Philadelphia, Richmond and New Orleans. An elegant party, held in the hotel's Roof Garden, was given by the noted New York architect, Stanford White of the firm of McKim, Mead, White, in honor of Miss Langhorne and her husband-to-be, Charles Dana Gibson. Gibson, an illustrator and satirist, created the Gibson Girl look at the turn-of-the-century. Irene's younger sister, Nancy, who was an attendant in the wedding, eventually married Waldorf Astor and became "Lady Astor", the first woman elected to the British parliament.
The hotel, which contained 308 guest rooms, as well as thirty-four rooms reserved for employees, soon became known as "The Belle of the '90's".
FIRE & RESTORATION
Unfortunately, the Major's enjoyment of his accomplishment was short-lived... he died less than two years later. In 1901 the hotel itself came close to being short-lived. A defective wire started a fire that demolished three-fifths of the building. There were no fatalities, however, there was a narrow escape for one famous occupant of the hotel, the statue of Thomas Jefferson.
A rescue crew, including the sculptor himself, was hurriedly summoned to help. The men pushed the statue onto strategically placed mattresses and carried it outside. Then they accidentally dropped it, and the head struck the ground and broke off. For a while, the headless statue stood in the front yard of a neighboring home. (The head was kept in the vault of Henry Valentine, a relative of the sculptor and a member of the rescue crew.) Eventually it was taken back to the sculptor’s studio, where repairs were made.
One hundred guest rooms fronting Franklin Street were intact and reopened in grand style in May 1902. Major reconstruction was required

Aussie edition of the alternative metal act's 2001 album. 14 tracks including one exclusive live bonus track, 'Outside' by vocalist Aaron Lewis & Limp Bixkit's Fred Durst.

Watch out, mom and dad. If you don't treat your kids right, they're gonna up and start an alt-metal band to share the angst you've brought on them with the world. After all, who needs therapy when you've got a million kids hearing your pain on MTV? Staind has never been a band to gloss over personal issues. They've given their albums names like Torment and Dysfunction, and their lyrics delve deep into singer Aaron Lewis' difficult past. Contrary to the title, Staind's third release, Break the Cycle, sticks with the tormented cycle, covering the same themes of heartbreak, self-doubt, and broken homes.
Lewis has almost three decades of personal material to mine, and as familiar as his issues are, Break the Cycle still feels like a new, honest look into difficulties that can hit people across the board. "Waste," a song written to a fan who committed suicide, is particularly poignant as it grabbles with Lewis's empathy and anger for a boy he's never met. "Outside" is another album standout. It's a slower, partially acoustic number that builds on its own emotion. The songs on Break the Cycle are drenched in melancholy melodies and slow, heavy riffs typical of the sensitive side of the alt-rock genre. Lewis sometimes breaks out into either a hearty yell or a throaty gurgle that sounds like the devil vomiting ("Can't Believe"), but the best songs keep his passion a little more controlled. You've probably heard rock like Break the Cycle piping from mainstream radio stations already, but Lewis's ability to turn his breakdowns into his art should capture a new round of fans happy to find kindred spirits in the band. --Jennifer Maerz