Interview with Fortress Entertainment | Booking, Management, and Promotion
- Mar 28
- 6 min read
What started in 2016 as a niche New England rock broadcast on a Connecticut college radio station has exploded into a 360-degree multimedia powerhouse. Fortress Radio (WMFR)—and its parent ecosystem, Fortress Brand—has officially evolved far beyond the airwaves. Founded by Christine and Thomas Blardo (known in the scene as Lady Rose and The Beast), the brand has become a gold standard for artist development, event promotion, and rock-and-roll lifestyle.
8 QUESTIONS
WITH FORTRESS ENTERTAINMENT
1. Take us back to the beginning: How did Fortress Radio (WMFR) evolve from a niche radio show into the multimedia powerhouse it is today?
Fortress Radio (WMFR) evolved from a niche New England rock show on WHUS Uconn station in Connecticut into a multimedia powerhouse leveraging digital innovation, strategic industry partnerships, and a significant expansion into physical retail and production. Originally established to fill a void in Active Rock FM in 2016, programming in the Northeast, the station—often referred to as Metal Fortress Radio—Now WMFR Fortress Radio transitioned from a traditional broadcast model to a 24/7 global digital platform
2. A huge congratulations on a massive recent milestone: bringing two California bands all the way to Connecticut to perform at the Mohegan Sun for the New England Tattoo Festival! How did this monumental cross-country collaboration come together?
Christine Blardo, known in the music industry as Lady Rose of WMFR Fortress Radio, has officially transitioned to the West Coast to spearhead the coast-to-coast expansion of WMFR. As the founder of Newington-based Palmer Entertainment, Christine built a reputation for premier event coordination and specific talent bookings, most notably through a partnership with the Hartford Wolf Pack to feature local bands at home games. In 2025, she evolved the company into Fortress Entertainment, a move that integrates the brand with her upcoming musical curation for the New England Tattoo Expo organized by Tom Ringwalt of Tommy's Tattoo Convention and Steve Tefft (winner of Ink Master Season 2 at the convention center at Mohegan Sun.
Now scouting California's diverse venues, Christine championed West Coast talent like The Broughams and The Boilermakers, convinced their unique sound and song selection deserve the national stage, sending them back East to prove West Coast has a unique style the East Coast has yet to witness.
3. Coordinating an event of that scale at a premier venue like Mohegan Sun is no small feat. How does this achievement highlight Fortress Brand's "5-star outfit" approach to event promotion and elevating underground artists?
Securing the Expo stage that regularly hosts various tattoo artists adding this style of entertainment, Fortress effectively bridges the gap between the "underground" and the mainstream. Taking raw, high-flare acts like The Broughams or The Boilermakers and placing them in a premier casino environment proves that their material isn't just "good for a local bar"—it’s casino-ready. This is the hallmark of a 5-star outfit: treating independent artists with the same Artist value and prestige as platinum-selling acts.
4. While you have deep roots in metal and rock, you’ve recently opened your doors to Rockabilly, Punk, and Outlaw Country. How did the lineup at the New England Tattoo Festival help showcase this wider, diverse musical net?
By bringing in California-based acts like The Broughams and The Boilermakers, the festival will showcase how these "new" genres actually share the same rebellious DNA as rock and metal. Bridging the subcultures is similar to the ink on one's skin, music has a story to tell and from a region different then the East Coast vibe. From the roots of a "blues" feel to an "outlaw" attitude, resonates with the same "working-class hero" energy found in the New England metal scene,it will build a bigger, more vibrant community under the Fortress banner, proving that "Lady Rose" has an ear for talent that transcends any single genre.
5. Building off the incredible momentum of the Mohegan Sun festival, you are officially opening a West Coast division! Did bringing those California bands to the East Coast help spark this bi-coastal expansion, and what are you most excited to bring to the LA music scene?
By taking the risk to bring California's "Outlaw" and "Rockabilly" energy to the heart of New England's rock scene, we will prove there is a massive, untapped appetite for high-production, high-energy underground talent hidden on the West Coast and we want to expose that for the world. That success will give us the green light to officially plant the Fortress flag on the West Coast. LA has the glitz, but we’re bringing that raw, hardworking New England hustle. We want to bring the same professional, "5-star outfit" standards to the dive bars and underground clubs of Sunset Strip , various water venues my bands have played and beyond.
With Fortress expanding, we aren't just booking shows; we’re providing a national megaphone. I’m excited to give LA’s hungriest artists a direct line to East Coast fans and vice-versa. We’re looking to replicate the massive scale of our festival successes, working with the organizers of The New England Tattoo Expo, Im hoping to also bring this massive expo to the West Coast too for other talent to experience the same exposure. There's no doubt The Broughams and The Boilermakers will grandfather that stage as well first! LA is the mecca of tattoo culture, and I can’t wait to curate events that blend world-class ink with the "Outlaw" and "Punk" sounds that define the Fortress identity.
6. We hear the Fortress Clothing & More "Rock Boutique" is also making its way to California this summer. How does the fashion and lifestyle side of your brand intersect with the music and live events you put on?
The Fortress Clothing & More "Rock Boutique" is the visual heartbeat of the brand. Bringing it to California this summer is the final piece of the puzzle, because for our fans, the music isn't just something they hear—it's something they wear. With Rock stage clothing from Wornstar to the flattering edgy bling of Vocal Clothing mix it with some holistic healing were're moving past the basic "band tee."
Our boutique focuses on high-quality jewelry, diverse clothing styles, and accessories that reflect the "special flare" of the artists as well as mental healing as well as spiritual connection balancing oneself in a rough staged world we live in today.
By bringing the boutique to the West Coast, we’re offering California fans a way to take the Fortress lifestyle home with them long after the last encore. In California, where fashion and music are inseparable, the Rock Boutique will be the physical hub for the community we’re building. It’s about more than just clothes; it’s about the identity of the Fortress Brand—bold, rebellious, and professionally polished.
7. From conquering Mohegan Sun to expanding into California, Fortress Brand is building a unique 360-degree ecosystem for artists. Where do you see the brand five years from now?
I see a permanent touring circuit where Fortress artists—whether they are Outlaw Country grit or East Coast Metal—have a guaranteed pipeline between premier venues in New England and the legendary stages of the West Coast. I'm currently utilizing venues in different genres to open the lines of communication, Dipiazzas in Long Beach to The famous Baked Potato Jazz club, venues we need to keep in business! Creating the first Fortress Fest was always a thought, WMFR won't just be "coast-to-coast"; it will be the premier digital destination for underground discovery.
We’ll be broadcasting live from our own branded festivals, giving "underground" artists a global audience of millions. Fortress Entertainment will be recognized as the gold standard for artist development. We won't just be booking bands; we will be building icons, providing them with the fashion, the airplay, and the world-class stages they need to thrive. Whether you’re at a festival at Mohegan Sun or a pop-up in LA, fans past and present currently already know that if the Fortress name is on it, it’s a "must-witness" event!
8. We're LA Today, so we have to ask: what is your favorite place in Los Angeles?
For someone who breathes the Fortress Brand lifestyle—where Rockabilly, Punk, and Outlaw Country collide—my absolute favorite place in Los Angeles has to be The Burgundy Room in Hollywood. Its vampire like feel is the place to hear Artists like the Misfits to Bad Brains a perfect mix of Punk, Blues, and Rock n' Roll. Reminds you why the underground scene in LA is so special: it's dark, loud, and completely unapologetic!
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