WRECK THE HALLS 2009

Street Dogs/Roger Miret and the Disasters/Stigma
by Jason Walsh
photos by Jez Beasley

As 2009 wound to an end, in a year that was one of the most difficult in recent times with a crippled economy that affected nearly all Americans, some of the underground’s greatest ambassadors came together for a December run of more than a dozen dates to spread seasons greetings to all. Street Dogs, led by Mike McColgan, headlined this jaunt that has become an yearly tradition.

“Usually, it’s an annual thing,” McColgan said. “We do an East Coast tour every December, which culminates with the final shows being in our hometown of Boston. We started it back in 2004 and we’ve tried to make it an annual thing every year. We’re really looking forward to doing the East Coast dates and the 19th and 20th in Boston. It’s just a good way to kind of wind down the year and all that. We always strive to give people their money’s worth, I mean especially nowadays when money is so tight. We never take for granted the hard-earned money that people spend to buy a ticket and when we put a lineup out there, we want to put a rock solid lineup out there.”



The tour kicked off in Houston on December 9, following the Street Dogs 20-date European run with Civet, still in support of their fourth full-length, “State of Grace.” Along for the ride on this ambitious bill will be Roger Miret and the Disasters and Stigma, side projects of Agnostic Front hardcore innovators Roger Miret and Vinnie Stigma.

“The real deal,” McColgan said. “Legends and forefathers and godfathers of punk rock, y’know. They’ve been good to us on the way up and we want to give back a little bit so that’s what that’s about, and we just want to give people a great package, y’know.”

Miret, who has fronted the New York Hardcore outfit Agnostic Front since the early 80s, found time in his always busy schedule to add his Disasters group to the roster after a request from a former collaborator and current Street Dog.

“Well, it’s been a while since the Disasters have done any East Coast dates so we decided we’d go do this tour,” Miret said. “Johnny (Rioux) had called us from Street Dogs, and Johnny used to play with the Disasters, and asked us to join the tour. Then, I suggested that we get Stigma to join too. The whole package came out great and we’re excited.”

Founding A.F. member and Lower East Side statesman Vinnie Stigma, who has played guitar alongside Miret for nearly three decades started a solo project, Stigma, this year with fellow Front bassist, Mike Gallo. This is the first time Stigma has set down the guitar and stepped to the microphone as a lead vocalist.

“First of all, I think I sing better than I play guitar, y’know?” Stigma said. “I love talking to the people and I don’t know, it’s just a different approach to everything. I pace it the way I see it and well, the music is different anyway so every show has got its own little niche to it, but I have no problem with that. I sing, I play guitar, tell a few jokes…I don’t give a shit.”

Stigma released his first full-length solo album in 2009, “New York Blood,” on I Scream Records. The idea came from an old friend while on the road with Agnostic Front and has turned into a beloved endeavor for him.

“One day I was on tour with Hatebreed and Agnostic Front, and Jamey Jasta put the idea in my fucking head and we ran with it from there,” Stigma said. “When we first went into the studio, we didn’t know what kind of record I was going to make. We thought we were going to make like a fun record, a joke record, a hardcore record. We didn’t know what direction we were going to go in. We just wanted to go for ‘shits and giggles,’ but we wound up making, y’know, a pretty decent record. Now we know we have a direction for our next album, you know what I mean? Now we know what we’re going to do.”

Stigma is also currently working on material for a new Agnostic Front record as well, which the band will look to record in the coming year and after all these years, making music is still something that keeps Stigma inspired.

“I’ve got like nine or ten songs of that already that we’re working on and I’ve got about six or seven songs for the next Stigma record. I can’t believe at my age, I’m still producing music. It’s who I am, but you do have to take it serious, like a job also because you want to make it right. You want to do it right. Sure, I love it and have fun with it, of course. That’s the idea, because if you don’t, don’t do it.”

The NYHC representatives joined the Street Dogs following a South American run with dates in Argentina, Chile, and Peru, and ten dates in Europe with Ignite. For Miret and Stigma, this stretch of shows will be the first time the two projects will be traveling alongside one another with their respective incarnations.

“Yeah, it’s actually the first time we’ve toured together,” Miret said. “We’ve played a couple shows together in Brooklyn for the Rumblers show (Miret’s Car and Motorcycle Club), but we’ve never toured together, which is something we’ve talked about doing. We’re going to incorporate a little bit of Agnostic Front to our set, togetherwise. Vinnie will come up and play a song with me and so will Mike, so there’ll be little moments of Agnostic Front which will be fun.”

While on the road, the Disasters were bringing along a sample of new material for fans at the shows to check out. This may be the first preview of the group’s fourth full-length studio release and long-awaited follow up to 2006’s “My Riot.”

“It’s a single, there are actually three new songs,” Miret said. “It’ll be with us on the tour. We’ve been working on a full-length album, which we’re kind of ready to record. We’re just getting everything together and then take it from there.”

Now that the Wreck the Halls tour has wound to an end with the close of 2009, Agnostic Front will be busy in the new year. As part of the 25th anniversary of the releases of their first records, “United Blood” and “Victim in Pain,” not only has the band released a remastered CD of these classics on Bridge 9 records, but they are returning to the original 1984 lineup in celebration of the milestone. Hardcore enthusiasts heading to the venues this year will see Rob Kabula and Dave Jones taking the stage alongside Stigma and Miret.

“We haven’t played together since ‘84,” Miret said. “This is the classic lineup together again doing vintage AF songs and some classics. We couldn’t be more excited to do this. 2010 starts off with Agnostic Front dates in January on the West Coast followed by Agnostic Front dates in all of April in Europe followed by Agnostic Front dates again touring in Europe and in between all that more Agnostic Front dates on different coasts. We’re going to be recording a new album next year too. I’m going to be a pretty busy guy.”

Agnostic Front won’t be the only band hitting the studio this year. Street Dogs will be heading to the Blasting Room in Ft. Collins, Colorado to start work on their fifth studio release. For McColgan, time spent creating and performing their music has been rewarding and exciting, and the ability to do it their own way has always been at the forefront.

“It’s been amazing,” he said. “We’ve always done things on our own terms and played whatever type of music we wanted to play and to be aligned with Hellcat Records has been amazing. We’ve worked on 25 new songs and we’re getting ready to go into the studio to make a new record. It feels really good. We just came off the heels of a successful European headlining tour and we’ve the biggest crowds we’ve ever seen over there. It just feels good to do what we want to do and play what we want to play and really not pay attention to fads or what’s hot and what’s not. We could give less than a fuck about that. We play, say, and do what we want and we take care of those who take care of us. We do it the old-fashioned way. We earn it. We don’t fake it, we take it.”

McColgan said the band has had a chance to try out some of the new material on fans and continued to do so throughout the Wreck the Halls tour. He felt the feedback on the tracks has been positive.

“We’ve been working some of the new songs in with existing songs and we’ve found that the response of the crowd has been really good. I mean, I think we’re returning to our roots with some of our stuff and playing fast and playing more aggressive. It feels good, y’know.”

Lastly, did the most recognizable guitarist ever to emerge from the NYHC scene make any New Year’s resolutions this year?

“I think I’m going to go back to the gym,” Stigma said. “I was supposed to go right now to the gym, but I’m going to go regular to the gym. I’m going to stop drinking and smoking. I’m going to take my vitamins and then I’m going to break it two days later. You know the routine. You’ve been through that before. I’m going to lose weight. I’m going to diet. I’m going to do all that, yo.”

EXODUS

EXODUS
by Jason Walsh

It was 1980 when the trash metal scene was first emerging from the Bay Area and lightning fast riffs, thundering drums, and shredded vocals were becoming the standard in the California community. A group of likeminded guys bonded together to create EXODUS, featuring Tom Hunting, Gary Holt, Paul Baloff, and Kirk Hammett, who would go on to great fame and fortune with METALLICA. EXODUS had a good run throughout the next decade and half, but were overshadowed by their peers in critical acclaim and lucrative contracts. In 1993, they disbanded for several years, reuniting for a brief time in 1997, and attempted a second reunion in 2001, which was shattered by the unfortunate and untimely death of frontman Paul Baloff. The band persevered following the tragedy with some lineup changes, releasing a few more studio records, and continuing to hit the road.

Last year, the band reworked their legendary “Bonded By Blood” album from 1985, which in considered by many to be one of the most important thrash records in metal history. The nod to the classic, “Let There Be Blood,” took songs from a quarter decade ago and gave them a technological and modern upgrade.

The band has currently been on tour with European thrash metal gods, KREATOR, and on a stop in the Lone Star state, I had a chance to talk to guitarist Gary Holt about being on the road after nearly three decades, the new album they will be starting this Fall, and yes…even crawfish, Texas style.

JW: So what’s going on, Gary? How you doing today?

GARY HOLT: We’re doing good, man. Been out here on the road for what seems like an eternity with KREATOR, BELPHEGOR, WARBRINGER, and EPICUREAN and we’re having a good time. Right now we’re in Houston and we’re in the middle of Crawfish Feast.

JW: Well, that’s a good thing. I won’t keep you too long from that. That sounds like a good time.

GARY HOLT: Uh, yeah, I just woke up to it (laughs). Got a little crawfish and watch a little lizard run across. Other than that, it’s a pretty good day, man. It’s beautiful. It’s humid as hell though but really nice.

JW: Where you at right now?

GARY HOLT: Houston.

JW: Oh, so you’re down in Texas. No wonder it’s humid.

GARY HOLT: Yeah, it’s hot and humid but it beats the cold from the early part of the tour. Last few days it’s all been about BBQ and everyone’s just gathering together and have some drinks. I think we got nine more shows with KREATOR and everybody else and then we’re just going to headline our way back home from West Virgini, you know.

JW: So how long have you been on the road with KREATOR now?

GARY HOLT: We’ve been out with KREATOR since April 7 but we started, the tour started in Baltimore, Maryland, and we’re from California, so we worked our way back East. We started like March 26 I think and we finish…May 26 is our last show, so two months…yeah.

JW: You’ve been on the road for a while then.

GARY HOLT: Yeah, yeah. There was a point when I think everybody was hitting the little wall, you know, but the last couple days I think everybody’s been getting a second wind. We had a big BBQ in Dallas and everybody was just drinking beer and just pigging out and it was a really good times. Everybody seemed to get a jolt out of it. Tonight should be really good and we actually have a day off tomorrow.

JW: So, c’mon…29 years later. Is this still fun?

GARY HOLT: Yeah, I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t fun. You know I’ve always said that when this becomes like a “day job,” I won’t do it anymore and that’s exactly what I did in 1993. It had become like a “day job,” wasn’t having any fun whatsoever, and so I quit for a while. Right now, I don’t take anything for granted. We’re all having a good time and we’re all working very hard. It’s a good time. Here in North America, things have gotten a lot better for thrash metal and in Europe it’s always gone strong, but you know, it’s good times playing the kind of stuff we do right now.

JW: Tell me about this record you’re working on. It’s a follow-up to “The Atrocity Exhibition…Exhibit A” in 2007. Is it kind of like part two of that?

GARY HOLT: Well, it’s called part two (The Atrocity Exhibition…Exhibit B). Thematically, there will be some musical intros that tie the albums together and stuff like that, but lyrically it’s going to concentrate on some different things. Yeah, but it’s what we’ve been calling EXHIBIT B and we hope to be in the studio probably about November 1 to start recording.

JW: Have you written anything yet or are you still kind of working it out?

GARY HOLT: No, we’ve got a lot of stuff. We’re just finalizing a lot of riffs, we keep on writing, we have four songs that aren’t even finished from the last session so we have a head start already on it. We’re real excited about getting this one underway.

JW: When do you think that might look to be released? Any idea on that?

GARY HOLT: We’re shooting for Spring next year. We’re tired of touring in the Winter. It always seems to be a Winter release and then we’re out in Europe in the ice and snow. We’re just going to put this one out probably around March of 2010.

JW: Very cool. So tell me about the “Let There Be Blood” album you guys did last year. You redid “Bonded by Blood” which is like a classic. I mean that’s pretty much the staple that everybody remembers Exodus by.

GARY HOLT: Yeah. We just wanted to give those songs a sonic upgrade, you know, with the benefit of modern production and put those songs on display kind of like the way we like to play them now. A number of reasons, to pay homage to the original, pay homage to the guys who did it, and put the fact that we still love playing these songs. The album came out killer, you know. A lot of people don’t think you should mess with a classic. A lot of people didn’t think we should and then loved it when they heard it. We didn’t chickenshit around with it, you know, we went all out on it, made it heavy, and played it with a lot of energy and I’m really happy with how it came out.

JW: And those songs. They stand the test of time and still are relevant today. Why do you think that is?

GARY HOLT: Exactly. Well, the songs are just killer and great songs stand the test of time, and especially when you hear them with the modern recording and modern production. They don’t sound like songs written in the early 80s and released in 1985. They sound current and that’s one of our whole goals, to show how relevant these songs still were…and are.

JW: My last question…after this tour what are you guys going to do before you hit the studio. You got any big plans for the summer?

GARY HOLT: No. All our plans are very minimal for once. We have a weekend “fly-in” show in Puerto Rico, which is basically just a three-day vacation in Puerto Rico, you know. A lot of Pina Coladas and one gig (laughs). Then we fly in the weekend following to play Graspop (Metal Meeting in Belgium) and the Bang Your Head Festival (Balingen, Germany) in Europe and those are our only two European shows of the year. Then, we just end up working on the next record.

DETHKLOK

DETHKLOK
by Jason Walsh

Returning for their third season, the world’s most brutal death metal band will not only be desecrating the newly digitized airwaves around the globe, but taking the show on the road, literally, to a venue likely near you. That’s right…the five most evil musicians in the history of mankind have joined forces with Mastodon, Converge, and High on Fire for a 38-city North American Tour. DETHKLOK, the notorious stars of Adult Swim’s “Metalocalypse” animated series, will be performing live to the metal masses across the continent…well, sort of…

For those not in the know, DETHKLOK is the blackest of black metal bands in the lands, but they are also the cartoon manifestation from the minds of Brendan Small and Tommy Blacha, who began this odyssey back in 2004. Brendon was a guitar virtuoso, who graduated from Berklee College of Music, and later pursued a career in standup comedy, leading to his first gig in comedic animation with the UPN series, “Home Movies.” On this project, he was involved in near every aspect: co-creator, composer, musician, writer, and voice actor. When “Home Movies” wrapped, Brendon started hanging out with writer friend Tommy Blacha, going to metal shows and rejuvenating his love of the music, when one day the two came up with the idea…DETHKLOK.

The two pitched it to Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and were greenlighted for 20 episodes of the show “Metalocalypse” in 2006, which would feature their incarnation, the ultimate metal band, in an apocalyptic society where they are worshipped by the suicidal masses. The 11-minute episodes have a nod to the 80s groundbreaking animated feature, “Heavy Metal,” stirred together with twenty-first century technology, melted down to completion with the heaviest of heavy soundtracks. Brutal…

So meet the band…Nathan Explosion is the ever tempermental Cimmerian front man, followed by the dueling guitar duo of Skwisgaar Skwigelf, the fair-haired Swedish lead shredder with an Yngwie Malmsteen-like god-complex and propensity for mature women, and Toki Wartooth, the sickly Norwegian rhythm guitarist who is continuously tormented by Skwisgaar. On bass, William Murderface, the deranged and potential serial killer with a low self opinion, keeps the rhythm section going (when he’s not being muted from the mix) with drummer, Pickles, rocking his combed-over dreaded balding mullet and notoriety as legendary front man and lead guitarist in his previous band, Snakes ‘n Barrels (a parody of Hollywood’s GNR glam exploits).

Brendon is the man behind the curtain…music composer, voice actor, and shared producing and writing credits with Tommy Blacha. “Metalocalypse” also features the vocal talents of Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and Victor Brandt, and has seen guest appearances by almost everyone throughout the professional metal community, including members of Metallica, Megadeth, Cannibal Corpse, Emperor, and King Diamond. With the wide appeal amongst viewers of “Metalocalypse’s” first season, he decided to produce and release the first album by DETHKLOK from the musical work he did for the show. “The Dethalbum,” released in 2007 on Time Warner’s William Street Records, reached fans throughout the metal community. Charting higher than any other death metal band on the Billboard 200, debuting at #21, the record sold 33,740 units its first week as well as streaming more than 45,000 times on AOL Music. This led Brendon to put together a band with studio and session musicians, to play the music from these ink-and-microchip-created incarnations…LIVE!

And they did…with former Frank Zappa guitarist Mike Keneally, fellow Berklee graduate Bryan Beller on bass, and the infamous Gene Holgan on drums, whose resume includes Death, Testament, Dark Angel, and Fear Factory. A successful score of college dates saw positive response for the four-piece stand-ins of the show’s menacing quartet. Future travels on the road saw the band alongside the likes of Chimera and Soilent Green, then finding themselves opening for Iron Maiden at Montreal’s Heavy MTL festival.

Season Two returned watchers in 2007 to the dimensionally deranged universe of DETHKLOK, with twenty more 11-minute vignettes. Season Three premiered this October, now expanded to a half-hour block. Prior to the show’s debut, the sequel release, “The Dethalbum II,” hit the market on September 29. This has all led to the North American tour supporting Mastodon that kicked off in October as well. I had a chance to talk to Brendon as he was getting AMP’d up to hit the road.



JW: How are you doing today?

BRENDON: Oh, I’m good, thank you very much. How about you?

JW: Not bad, not bad. So, tell me about this tour coming up. Are you excited about this?

BRENDON: Ummm…Excited isn’t the word. Exhausted, sleepy, overworked…that’s more where I’m coming from.

JW: Well it’s kicking off at the beginning of this month. Are you ready for it? Or, you sound like you might need another month off to relax.

BRENDON: I need a nap is what I need, but um, no, I am prepared. I’m actually physically prepared, the music is going to sound great. I just started rehearsals yesterday and I’m about to go in again. It’s just a lot of work getting from the TV show and preparing for this tour at the same time. Doing new animation, producing a record, all the same year, but it’s going to be fun. I guess it’ll be the vacation I’m looking for, or the closest thing to it.

JW: Kind of getting away from everything you’ve got going on. Everything seems to be all coming together at the same time.

BRENDON: It’s true. Yeah, it was kind of planned that way and it’s definitely not easy to do it that way, because our team is very small. Everyone that works stays up late at night..I’ll stay up working until like three in the morning. We work through weekends and stuff, just trying to make the main whole project not suck.

JW: How did this all come together? What was the catalyst that kind of kicked this whole thing off for you, as far as starting the whole DETHKLOK thing?

BRENDON: I consider it just me falling back in love with my guitar. I went to music school. I’ve been playing guitar for twenty years and, y’know, I was a good student. I studied hard. I started getting good at guitar right around the time when it wasn’t cool to play solos anymore and I just kind of didn’t know what I was going to do with music, and then I got into comedy and all that kind of stuff. Somewhere around early 2000, I started listening to metal again and I was just very excited to see where it was…it’s just gotten heavier and cooler, and it was just very inspiring, and I wanted to do something that involved this.

JW: And where did these characters come from?

BRENDON: They come from me and Tommy Blacha’s imaginations, y’know. No one’s really based on anybody in particular. We sat around in a day and just said, “OK…well I’d like to have two guitars, a bass player, and a drummer, and a singer.” The singer, the one guy (NATHAN EXPLOSION) we said, “OK…Let’s have him kind of look like the dude from CANNIBAL CORPSE, George Fisher combined with Conan the Barbarian.” But everybody else, we just kind of started fucking around with. Me and Tommy kind of auditioned against each other for the voices and so I said, “OK..well I’ll take Nathan, and you take Toki, and I’ll take Skwisgaar and Pickles and we’ll see what happens. And you take Murderface.” It just kind of went from there. It was very organic and it just happened quickly, which is kind of the mark of something that will yield a lot of fun, cool stuff.

JW: Now, looking back, are you surprised how popular this series has become?

BRENDON: Yeah, I’m as surprised as anybody. I mean it all ends for me when I get the episodes out the door to the network. Like that’s my whole creative journey, just kind of ends right there, and if anybody digs it beyond that then I’m very excited to hear that. I mean, ultimately I’m a very selfish person because I do it for myself….ultimately I do it because it’s creatively fun. If anybody else digs it beyond that then it really is wonderful.

JW: Now how did you guys get Mark Hamill and Malcolm McDowell on board for this?

BRENDON: Well you know, they do a lot of voice-over work. So what happened was because me and Tommy were taking on so many other voices on the show, we thought our voices were relatively young sounding and if we tried to sound older we kind of sound like guys trying to sound like older voices, which I kind of don’t like and neither did Tommy. So we wanted some guys that actually had a little bit of age in their voice, even though they both look very young and wonderful (laughs). They have very good, gravelly voices. Mark Hamill actually sent in an audition, and I was just hoping because he’s Mark Hamill, his audition would be great because I just wanted an excuse to hang out with him because he’s a hero of mine. Luckily, to his credit, he’s such a good voiceover actor and his voice can do so many different things. What he did with that audition was so great that, of course, we had the luxury of also hiring him and being able to see him every couple of weeks, which is pretty cool. He’s a great guy.

JW: That’s awesome.

BRENDON: The thing with Malcolm McDowell, I mean he’s a real sweetheart and he’s got that voice. I mean we know that voice all the way from “A Clockwork Orange.” He’s just so cool.

JW: As the series has gone on, you’ve picked up a ton of different musicians that have come in and done cameos. From KING DIAMOND, the guys from METALLICA, Marty Friedman, Mike Patton, the guys from EMPEROR. I mean is the metal community embracing this show and wanting tgo be a part of it?

BRENDON: Oh yeah, I mean the guys with a sense of humor, get it, and that seems to be everybody that we have had the privilege of working with…if you think it’s fucking awesome, come do it, but if you don’t find the humor in it, we don’t want to…why would we want to work with you? So, it’s been pretty cool. The community has been very good about the show and y’know, it also shows that we’re fans of metal too by involving these guys in the show.

JW: So when you guys developed this, was it ever in your mind that you would actually be going on the road and playing these songs live to an audience?

BRENDON: Well, yeah, it was actually. Again, the whole concept of the show kind of came very quickly which is that it’s about a band, I’m going to write all the music, I’ll do most of the voices just because it will be easier that way. I won’t have to wrangle a whole bunch of actors because I like to change stuff a lot. I’d rather not be stuck with a crappy take from a guy that’s in like Cincinnati doing comedy over the weekend when I can go and fix it myself. Ummm…I’ve already forgotten what I was talking about but I was going somewhere with it just for the record (laughs).

JW: Ha…yeah, the idea of playing these songs live.

BRENDON: Oh yeah, yeah. OK. I’m sorry, I already derailed it (laughs some more). Yeah, no the idea was that I’ll do the music and if I can I’m going to try and talk the network into putting out a CD at the end of each season. And if I put out a CD, then I should be able to tour with it. Well, how do you tour with an animated band? Well, THE GORLLAZ seem to do it so where do you go from that? How do you make that work for the metal world? That was the challenge, that wasn’t too big of a challenge. I saw THE GORILLAZ show, got a DVD, and I just thought there’s probably a better way of connecting with the audience, just a little bit more than they’re doing, even though what they are doing is awesome. But yeah, it was all pretty much thought of in the same afternoon.

JW: So tell me about Season 3. There are longer episodes. Is there going to be more of them? What do people got to look forward to?

BRENDON: Season 3 picks up right where Season 2 left off. And, you know there’s a lot of story to service in the first episode. It’s a very kind of bigger, darker epic at the set in and then from that point on we go straight in to comedy and it’s really fun. I’m really happy with the way these episodes are turning out. It’s very different going from a quarter hour to a half hour because the style of storytelling has to really just be on point. I think it’s working nicely in a half-hour format. And um…yeah, there’s a lot of stuff, there’s a lot of great comedy. Tommy and Mark are great, fun music, and some great character-driven episodes.

JW: Now, I got to ask. You’re playing with MASTODON, CONVERGE, HIGH ON FIRE. Are these bands brutal enough to be playing with DETHKLOK?

BRENDON: (laughs) Ummm…the real DETHKLOK in the cartoon world. I don’t know (laughs) but ME. Absolutely. Me and the guys I play with, we’re all big fans of each others and it’s a real treat to go out with a band like MASTODON. I mean I’m a big fan of theirs. I think they’re really great writers. Really cool people. I mean I think it’s going to be a really fun tour. It’s going to be pretty crazy.

JW: My last question to you and this relates to the guys in the band. How do you think William Murderface and Nathan Explosion would feel knowing that you were out there on tour playing their music?

BRENDON: Ummm…I don’t know. I just kind of like, uh…I think they would probably…here’s the thing…I think they would have me killed but I have the power to kill them, so I think we’re like at just an old fashioned Mexican standoff at this point.

UPDATE FROM THE AMP/HAILS NEWSDESK: Reports that Brendon Small has been taken to an undisclosed location by DETHKLOK’s private army of KLOKATEERS has been denied by DETHKLOK manager and publicist Charles Foster Ofdensen. Ofdensen went on to say that the band does not recognize the existence of Small, nor will he be any part of their continual conquest and worldwide domination through brutality. Have a nice day…


http://www.diefordethklok.org/

BLACK N BLUE BOWL 2009

BLACK N BLUE BOWL 2009
by Jason Walsh

Brooklyn was once again host to this year’s fifth annual Black N Blue Bowl, which featured the likes of some of the best in old-school hardcore. Murphy’s Law, Crown of Thornz, Indecision, Stigmata, Discipline, and Walls of Jericho were among the sixteen groups on this year’s roster, which included reunions by Earth Crisis, Bold, and Killing Time as well as the last show by NYHC stalwarts, Subzero. The event has been successfully run by the guys at Black N Blue Productions, “Cousin Joe” Cammarato and Freddy Cricien of the legendary New York Hardcore group, Madball

“It’s been a tradition in our scene for many, many years,” Cricien said. “It somehow got lost along the way over the years and my partner, Joe, and myself, we brought it back.”

Originally dubbed “The Superbowl of Hardcore” back in the mid 80s when the New York Hardcore scene was exploding at venues like CBGB’s in Manhattan, the event ceased to exist. But those who still felt strongly about the movement and passionate for the scene decided it was time to give it back to the fans who had stood by through the years and the bands whose resolve never wavered.

“Man, it’s crazy. If you would have asked me ten years ago if I would be throwing the Superbowl of Hardcore I would have said you’re fucking crazy,” Cammarato said. “I approached Freddy years ago because I had the go to do it and Freddy had the music credentials. I knew I needed some help to get this thing off the ground and we came together. It was meant to be.”

Detroit-based metalcore oufit Walls of Jericho were one of the many who found themselves in NYC for the big day in Brooklyn. Vocalist Candace Kucsulain was excited about taking part in this year’s event.

“Freddy from Madball asked us to do it,” Kucsulain said. “We have much respect for that scene in New York. It was an honor to be part of the show and play on stage with a lot of bands that we grew up touring with. It was a great time. A lot of energy and we look forward to doing it again some time.”

Kucsulain said that aside from once again being able to throw down for the audience from the five boroughs, there were also some great moments for her throughout the day. “Skarhead shooting a video upstairs was definitely a highlight,” she said. “It was good times with good people. Being able to share the stage with Indecision once again. It was my first time seeing Bold and it was a memorable moment.”

Late-80s youth crew legends Bold were one of the big draws of the day, blasting out their now two-decade-old “posicore” straight-edge standards. Guitarist John “Porcell” Porcelly, renown for his work with Youth of Today and Judge, was excited to be back on the stage again with the band.

“Quite honestly, Bold was pretty much broken up and we hadn’t played any shows in about two years,” Porcell said. “Out of the blue, Civ called me and asked if Bold would play the BNB Bowl and I was very psyched to do it since I hadn’t seen any of my New York friends in a while. The other guys felt the same and it was a blast to get together and play again.”

For Porcell, the decision to do the show was the right one, stirring up those old emotions, yet the consummate musician, he wondered if the band would be ready for the gig. “The show was awesome, both for us and the crowd. Like I said, we hadn’t played together in years and since we all live in different parts of the country, we only had a limited amount of time to practice, so I was worried that we wouldn’t be that tight. Amazingly though, everything just came together and we actually sounded better than we ever have.”

The reunion for Porcell saw him reconnecting with many from the NYHC crew that he hadn’t seen in a while. He said he enjoyed seeing bands like Earth Crisis, Urban Waste, Murphy’s Law, and Killing Time as well as seeing Agnostic Front guitarist Vinnie Stigma, whom he dubbed, “the godfather of hardcore,” walking around “talking with his hands.” The day for him had many upsides.

“For me, the highlight was getting to sing the encore for the Bold set,” he said. “On past tours for an encore, I would come out and sing the old Bold song ‘Nailed to the X,’ but this time we decided to do something a little different and I sang ‘NY Crew’ by my old band Judge. The response from the crowd was incredible and people were literally grabbing the mic out of my hands the whole time to sing along. I barely even got to sing it! The energy was intense and it was encouraging and humbling to see that kids were still so passionate about music I made years ago.”

Indecision vocalist Tom Sheehan was also on board when they were approached to do this year’s Black N Blue Bowl. This was a return engagement for the hometown crew from Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge area.

“We played the Superbowl in2006 after having not played together in like eight years,” Sheehan said. “It went incredibly well and we had such a blast that when Joe (Cammarata) had approached us to play again this year, we were totally in. Plus, to be able to play in our hometown with Killing Time, Earth Crisis, Urban Waste, Murphy’s Law, Bold, and all the other great bands was a chance we couldn’t miss. I think it was a solid lineup from beginning to end. Joe and Freddy and BNB seem to outdo themselves every year. The whole thing was a highlight for us. Plus, seeing younger bands like Forfeit and Backtrack totally kill it was great to see.”

Albany’s Stigmata was also on the marquee and came down from upstate New York for the show. Guitarist Jay Sunkes said they decided to play as soon as they were asked.

“We knew it would be a great crowd and a good time and we were right on both,” Sunkes said. “The show went great. Crowd was very into it, singing songs word for word, dancing and grabbing for the mic. I think for most hardcore fans, the music and lyrics had a huge impact on their, and our lives and something that strong don’t fade. For me, it is just the love of the music and the desire to spread our music to as many people as possible. And, it’s just fucking fun to play. Period.”

Porcell said that in this day and age, it’s events like the Black N Blue Bowl that strengthen the scene, bringing the fans together like a family to stand together as one, as in the glory days of hardcore’s initial rise.

“It’s important because it brings some unity back to the New York scene,” he said. “I mean there were hundreds and hundreds of kids from all walks of life, ages, nationalities, but everyone got along because they were there for the music. Back in the day, there weren’t a lot of fights at CBGB’s because there was a sense that we were all outcasts in one way or another and somehow this form of music had brought us together, so we looked out for each other. It was good to see that spirit at the Black N Blue Bowl.”

Black n Blue Productions marketing director, heidiminx, agreed that the relevance of hardcore is part of what makes the BNB Bowl important and its roots are what helps to keep it grounded.

“The scene was born out of DIY and that’s what this event is,” she said. “It’s put together by people in this scene, for this scene. They are way too many corporate shows in so many cities, it seems like those shows are the only shows. It didn’t used to be that way and this show is a testament to hard work and rolling up your sleeves to making something happen because you love it.”

Black N Blue founder Freddy Cricien agreed that this annual event is about more than just a concert with a bunch of bands. It’s about a community. “It’s always been that kind of environment, family, friends, and we want to keep it that way. The people that come to these shows have a lot of respect for what we’re doing and for the people behind the scenes. There’s a lot of respect. It brings a lot of different people together to have a good time in New York City. What more can I say?”

DEVILDRIVER

DevilDriver
Interview by Jason Walsh

It has been a slow and steady climb for the metal outfit from Santa Barabara, who formed in 2002 after frontman Dez Fafara left Coal Chamber. Originally named Deathride, they changed their name due to copyright issues with another band of the same name, and thus became DevilDriver, referring to bells used by Italian witches to drive away evil, dark forces. Now, nine years later, the band has released their fourth full-length album and have toured nonstop since their inception.

“Pray for Villians” hit shelves this summer selling nearly 15,000 units its first week and debuted at #35 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. I had a chance to talk with vocalist Dez Fafara on the day of “Pray for Villains” release to talk about the new Roadrunner Records offering, as well as upcoming tours, and the future of DevilDriver.

JW: So man, how are you doing today?

DEZ: Dude, I’m doing killer. It’s day of release. Unreal. You know what I mean? That’s a far cry from when we got done. You know it’s always three or four months, once you get done, then they release the record so the anticipation of that kind of builds up like a damn volcano.

JW: How do you feel about the record? I just listened to it right before you called and I got to tell you, it’s really good and a lot different from some of your older stuff. I mean, how are you feeling about it?

DEZ: Well for me it’s a culmination of records and I think what people need to know is DevilDriver was only together like six months before we recorded our first record, that was primarily written by one guitar player, so by the second record we’d only been together two years and that’s when we’d find out that everybody could write guitar and put in their own feel. By the time we got to the third record, we’d only been together four or five years, so the growth has been inspiring for me. You know, I mean I think we continue to define what we’re doing and certainly separate ourselves from the genre that’s going on definitely.

JW: But personally, after you sit back, you listen to it, you’re driving in your car or whatever the case may be, how are you feeling about it?

DEZ: Personally, how do I feel about it? I think we stepped it up a notch. I knew that when I received the music, it made me vocally have to step up to the plate and not just be, y’know, some death metal screamer all my life and actually go, “OK, let’s get down to it,” without throwing in the huge clean choruses and all that to sell out to radio. So for myself artistically, as long as we push boundaries and don’t kind of wallow in the mire of what everybody else is doing, then that’s what’s important to me. As long as it’s art that stands apart from itself, that’s where I’m going with it. So, y’know, content. I never want to call myself happy, because I’ve made so many records now and I never look back and I’m never happy because once I’m happy then it’s not going to make me move forward in an artistic way to go write the next record. I mean I’m writing today already for the next record and my record just got released so…

JW: So always looking ahead, even though this just came out and you’re just now getting it out to the people, but you’re always kind of looking to the future?

DEZ: I can’t get wrapped up in the art that we’re doing in the moment because I just got so much art in the future, y’know, and I know how this band is growing and I think we’re starting to find a sound now that’s really going to take us through the years and like I said, define us. I’ve rarely used that word when it comes to interviews on any of the last records. I’ve always said, “hey, each record is going to get better,” which for me, it definitely has.

JW: Tell me about who you had in the studio producing this?

DEZ: Logan Mader. He was ex-guitar player for Machine Head. He’s produced a bunch of bands and the thing that he is really good at is he puts his stamp on it without putting his sound on it, meaning band A, B, and C all sound they’re produced by one producer because you can hear his sound. He doesn’t do that. He allows the band’s sound to come out and to generate your own tune and then he focuses you in on it and we really honed in on songwriting this record, so it was important to have a cat in there like that to take some of the structures that we were doing and making sure that they stayed true to what we were trying to do.

JW: Now you were talking about pushing yourself when you got the music. You heard it, you knew that you kind of had to, like you said, step it up a little. Was he there as well to help push you and make you go beyond where you thought you might be able to go?

DEZ: Absolutely. Once we heard the demos, we realized, OK, some of this we’re going to sing our asses off so we got to be real focused, y’know. I didn’t hit any alcohol, I should say wine because I don’t drink hard alcohol, but I didn’t hit any wine or any beer or any of that when I was behind the mic. I wanted the progression of the vocals to be, y’know, you could hear the pronunciation and the diction in every word, you know what I mean? So, he was instrumental in that and he would call me out on it if it wasn’t clear and if I wasn’t hitting whatever tones that I wanted to hit within the melody, different keys and everything else.

JW: And that’s good for the creative process to have somebody that’s in there that does that instead of just kind of like “let’s knock this out.”

DEZ: Yeah, yeah. There’s two kinds of producers: one that nurtures you and one that wants to knock it out. And when you’re recording music, unlike other arts, you know when it comes to painting or sculpture or whatever, you’re not alone. You’re surrounded by musicians. You’re surrounded by a guy, working the board recording you, and you’ve got to all work as a team in order to get the sound that you want.

JW: Now, you guys just got back from Europe. How was that?

DEZ: Killer. You know any time you can do festivals and do off-shows with Down, Slipknot, Anthrax, I mean it was a great time, man. We had a killer time. We were there for a month.

JW: And that’s the thing. Going over there to Europe, especially when you’re in metal bands, you guys draw huge, huge crowds as opposed to the States, not to say you wouldn‘t draw big crowds in the States, but over there it‘s a completely different world.

DEZ: Absolutely. You know the thing is over there you can go from playing a festival like DOWNLOAD in front of 85,000 people and then the next night, you’re in a club with Slipknot that’s got 6000 people, and the next night you’re with Anthrax that’s got 1500-2000 people, and then you make it an off-show, because we don’t like to sit, that may only be 600 people at a club. Then you take that energy and you take it right back to the stage when you do the festival. It all helps each other.

JW: You guys are getting ready to start the “Thrash & Burn Tour.” Tell me a little bit about that?

DEZ: Well, it’s a diverse lineup. The “Thrash & Burn” guys have done it a couple times and they called us, they wanted us to headline it. We said “sure, we’ll do it” and for me it’s really killer. It’s like oil and water because it’s hardcore and metal and most the time those bands, they don’t mix a lot on tour. They’re all friends and everyone hangs out, especially at festivals and other places like that, but in America, it’s like people don’t put those two genres together and out them out on the road. So, there’s a bunch of hardcore bands and a bunch of metal bands going out, playing decent-sized venues, and really getting down to it. If you support the underground-type tour, where it’s not a bunch of big bands that everyone’s put together to kind of spin everybody’s head and get 30,000 people to some big festival. It’s really bands you should hear about, bands you should know about, like Despised Icon, Oceano, Emmure, DevilDriver. So, it’s an important thing to come out and support.

JW: And the good thing about that is you’ll have a diverse audience that will come out to these shows. Like some guys might be coming out to see one band, and maybe they don’t know about you guys or some of the other guys on the roster and the get to check them out.

DEZ: That’s what I said. I said “look, if you’re into metal, you’re going to get you’re share of hardcore. If you’re into hardcore, you’re going to get your share of metal.” Either way, if it’s heavy, count me in. I don’t care if you have a shaved head and a hat on sideways, y’know, and you’re only listening to hardcore, but you better know you’re roots, like Black Flag and things like that, right? And if you’re listening to metal, same thing. You better come out because some of these bands are heavy as hell. I mean I don’t know if you’ve ever heard some of the bands we’re going on tour with, but I’m proud to say that it’s obvious that basements are rattling all over the nation with people doing heavy shit. It’s obvious.

JW: And that’s kind of thing now. This kind of music has always been up and down. The faithful ones have stuck it out and it seems like we’re seeing a resurgence of heavier music in both metal and hardcore.

DEZ: You do. Almost to the point where it’s getting convoluted with so many bands. We’re going to see who comes out, how would I say, on top, over the next two or three years. Like who is going to hang in and be there for the duration doing their sound and I think it’s important. I’m really influenced by what people call hardcore now, which early for me was Crumbsuckers, Black Flag, bands like that, that extremely influenced me, man. Bands like Minor Threat. I mean I get off on all music that’s heavy and the roots of hardcore are punk rock, and the roots of DevilDriver are punk rock. If you watch our stage show, we’re like plug in and go.
JW: Very cool. Last question. After this tour, what’s the band do from here?

DEZ: After this tour, we’re going to come home for a brief moment, we’re going to head overseas October and November with Behemoth to do some really killer venues there for about five or six weeks. Then we come home and we go straight over to Australia with Lamb of God and I think hit Japan and Hawaii by ourselves. In December, come home for Christmas, take a little bit of January off, start rehearsals, get out February and March back over to Europe, and back to the States again. I mean we’re running strong until about 2012. We’re starting to book the middle of 2011 today.

JW: Always looking to the future.

DEZ: Always, man, always. The thing with this band is we never stop touring. I’m hoping my guys hang in (laughs).

TESCO VEE and the MEATMEN

Return of the Meatmen
by Jason Walsh

The motor-city madman is back…no, not Ted Nugent. The real king of the super bikes, Tesco Vee, is up to his usual deranged and unimaginable antics, ready to piss off an entirely new generation of kids who have succumbed to the pop-punk vomit spewing from every major (and minor) record label in the land. Here come the Meatmen, and they still think you suck.

So what ever happened to Tesco Vee and his onslaught of pretty much everyone and everything? Well, it’s been over a decade since he’s been in the studio, and with a new lineup of young, hungry, and slightly insane Meatmen, he has a new album out of classic cover songs and working on another LP chock full of brand new originals. “The Meatmen Cover the Earth” released this past summer to the adoration of several generations of not-so-easily-offended fans and the boys have played a decent amount of venues to boot. I had a chance to talk with Michigan’s finest son, who began this journey of outrageous punk rock madness in 1980, to find out just what the hell was going on.

JW: So man, how’s your weekend?

TESCO VEE: Great man. I just got back from the studio yesterday. We laid down about half the tracks, the vocal tracks, and this new album is pretty fucking good, man, if I may say so. I know I’m a little biased, but it’s called “The Meatmen Cover the Earth.” It’s all my favorite cover songs and it’s a lot of fun. We’re having a gas doing it, so I think people are going to dig it. It’s my first output in 13 years and it’s going to be like 22 songs, and y’know, it’ll have my comedic shit in between songs, and the return of Shecky Schpilkis in “Sexmart 2010,” so what’s not to like, right?

JW: So 13 years since you’ve been in the studio?

TESCO VEE: Yeah. I mean the last record I put out was “War of the Superbikes 2,” which was the original album and then some bonus tracks, so that’s the last time I’ve been in the studio, so it’s fun.

JW: So with such a hiatus from being in there, man, how does it feel to be back in the studio?

TESCO VEE: It feels really good. I mean I forgot how much I miss all this shit. I thought I was done and then my son and my nephews, they were too young to enjoy it the first time around, they were like “come on man…you gotta do it again.” So, like fuck it, let’s go. Then we’re going to do this album and then we’re going to do an album of all originals after that. Having fun, don’t know how long I’ll do it but I’m having a good time. Been doing it a year now and things are going well even though the economy sucks and the PC police are everywhere. But it’s my duty to come back and fuck things up once more.

JW: And I think that’s part of the thing. With everything that’s going so bad, bands like the Meatmen need to come out and kind of call out everybody.

TESCO VEE: Yeah. I mean I agree. I was reading an interview with Clint Eastwood last week and he’s like 78 years old and he said he believes that the whole PC thing has pretty much ruined our culture. I couldn’t agree more. I mean it’s ridiculous. People can’t laugh and it’s rather pathetic, so that’s one other reason I had to come back. Everybody else is dead. Me and Lee Ving (FEAR) are the only scumbag rockers that are still walking the planet. He’s coming back I guess. Well, you’re out in California right, so he probably plays out there some., but he hasn’t been out our way in a long fucking time.

JW: Actually, I’m out in Virginia.

TESCO VEE: Oh, you live in Virginia…Oh…

JW: Yeah, yeah, and it’s funny because I was going through your bio today and I was reading at one point that you had some guys from Dumfries.

TESCO VEE: Yeah.

JW: I was just up in DC doing some things and that’s one of my kids’ favorite exits because they like the exit for “DUM-FRIES” and “MAN-ASSAS” and they think that shit is hilarious.

TESCO VEE: (laughs) Yeah…I need to put a “P” on Dumfries and it became DUMP-fries. They were the house band at the Tiki Fala. I don’t know if that’s even still there. They were a heavy metal cover band called Sinister Grin and it worked out pretty good, when you pick up a whole band that already knows each other and knows how to play, so that worked out good for a few years. The new lineup’s I got is pretty fucking righteous too. All of these guys are in their late 20s but they are all fully versed on Meatmen history and they know a lot about music, so they’re probably the coolest bunch of guys I’ve had the pleasure to be in a band with so that makes it easier to go out on the road and do all this stuff, you know.

JW: So playing with a bunch of younger guys, is there a certain level of rejuvenation with that. I mean you’re hanging out with guys that are, y’know, a decade or two behind you. What’s that like?

TESCO VEE: Yeah, I think it does. I mean I always hung out with people that were younger than me. When I hung out with the Necros back in the day, I was in my early 20s and they were all just little teenagers and shit. So, I’ve always kind of been the elder statesman. I don’t know, I relate well to anybody of all generations. Yeah, I think it keeps me young definitely and makes me realize why I don’t drink all the time (laughs) like they do, but they still have a full complement of brain cells and I got to watch it because I don’t want to look like a leather handbag like Iggy Pop or David Johansen. Contrary to my wild and raucous image, I do lead a relatively clean lifestyle these days, but don’t spread that around. I don’t want to blow my image.

JW: Coming from someone who is approaching 40 I understand that and I’m a father as well.

TESCO VEE: Cool.

JW: Do you kind of find yourself kind of being a parent for these guys and see them doing their wilding and you’re like, “Ahhh…I’ve been there, done that, but hey take it easy guys.”

TESCO VEE: No, not really. I try not to do that. It gets weird, because we’re on the road and my son’s the road manager and I got my nephews riding along with us and so it’s kind of like a family affair. So, yeah, I don’t play Dad. Once in a while, I put my foot down a little bit but fortunately I don’t have to play Dad.

JW: So tell me about the new record.

TESCO VEE: It’s all covers, all cover songs. It’s other people’s songs and it’s everything from some from the 60s, 70s, 80s. It’s punk rock, it’s hard rock, it’s metal, “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean, just everything. The cover is going to have us like kind of a play on the Sherwin Williams logo, the paint logo, with the paint dripping off the Earth, but I’ll let you imagine what’s dripping off the Earth when we’re involved (laughs). A big wad of gism, so yeah. There’s a GG Allin song on there, there’s a Fear song on there, we try to cover as many bases as we can and just rock these songs like the Meatmen would. That’s the beauty of the Meatmen, y’know, it can be anything. It can be punk, it could be metal, it could be hard rock, it can be whatever. I’m not locked into any one thing. I’ve always been a fan of music so I got to pick. Actually, we started with about 50 songs and by the time we looked at them we realized we couldn’t put 50 songs on a record, so slowly paired it down to these chosen few.

JW: Are you putting this out on your label?

TESCO VEE: Yeah, I’m putting it out on Meat King.

JW: And after this you said you are going to go back with this lineup and do some originals?

TESCO VEE: Yeah, we’re going to start writing originals here once this thing’s in the can and I already started writing some originals. There’s one old song that I never recorded back in the 90s, so I’m going to pull that one out. Yeah, and these guys are all excited to do an album of all originals too, so it’ll be fun.

JW: Give me a break down of the guys you’ve got playing with you right now.

TESCO VEE: These guys have all been in a bunch of other bands. I got Dave Malosh, he was in a band called the Paybacks. I got Ian Sugierski and he is the drummer. He’s in a metal band called Superchrist and in another band called Wastelander. Andy Lucas, his stage name is Stinky Penis, and he’s our bass player. A couple of them live in Detroit and Andy and I both live in Lansing. We practice in Lansing so those guys drive up, we practice, and it’s all good.

JW: So how long have you been in Lansing now?

TESCO VEE: Since ‘99. We left DC in ‘99 and we’ve been back here ever since. I was glad to get out of there because, I don’t know, the Republicans were coming and I knew it, so it was time to go.

JW: That was a good call. I was just up there. They’re all leaving.

TESCO VEE: (laughs) Maybe it’s time for me to come back. I sold my house and I can’t afford to buy a house, so I guess I’m stuck in Michigan. Even though the weather sucks, I really like it here. It’s a great place to be in a band. There’s just so many fucking musicians and so many good bands come out of Michigan, it’s definitely easier to find people here than in DC. I was never really accepted by that whole DC contingent. I was always just kind of a fringe, outside player. I used to be buds with some of the Dischord guys, but you know, whatever. People move on. I didn’t really have a whole lot of people to hang out with there at the end locally. We’re having a hell of a time just trying to get a show there. We hope to be playing at the Rock ‘n Roll Hotel. The Black Cat and the 9:30 (Club) want nothing to do with us, so some things never change. (laughs)

JW: And that’s the thing. The 9:30 is not really the 9:30 from the days when you were down there.

TESCO VEE: No, not at all. From the days when there was a pipe that went across the dressing room that said “rat crossing” and people would be like, “haha…rat crossing” and then a fucking foot-long rat would run across the pipe. It really was a rat crossing. (laughs again)

JW: It was not really a joke.

TESCO VEE: No, it was not.

JW: Yeah, the District’s definitely changed over the past few decades. What’s it like being back in Michigan, especially now. To be honest, my family is up there and I’ve been trying to relocate to Kalamazoo, but the economy is so bad and the job situation is worse. It’s like a third-world nation. Is it difficult living up there now?

TESCO VEE: Well, no, cuz we all have jobs so we’re the lucky ones, knock on wood. There are jobs, but more of a skilled thing. I’m in a technical field so if you’re technical at all, either computers or phone systems, in my case, there’s still jobs, but it’s the auto workers, the manufacturing sector is fucking in the crapper. But I don’t know, Michigan is bad, but it’s just bad everywhere right now, y’know. I’m sure we’re worse than other places but it’s just fucked up right now. Yeah, that’s interesting, they moved to Kalamazoo. Did they take advantage of that deal where you live in Kalamazoo and you get free college.

JW: The promise. They got there just in time. Four years of college paid for.

TESCO VEE: Yeah. That’s cool.

JW: Are you looking to tour after this?

TESCO VEE: I don’t like summer touring so much but probably Fall we’ll head South and try to hit Florida and all that stuff. I don’t like long tours anymore. A week or two, I can handle that, but I don’t like the six-week, eight-week shit like I used to do. Just go out there and have some fun and sell some t-shirts and play some Hate Rock.

JW: Very cool. You know, you’ve been doing this a long time. What keeps you inspired and still interested in doing this?

TESCO VEE: I sounds kind of cliché but when you get out on stage and I think that’s what really lit the fires. I played that show with Negative Approach in May of 2006 and the guys from N.A. backed me up, and it’s just like getting out there in front of a thousand kids all going crazy and it was like “Holy Crap.” I can jump around like a crazy man in a 120-degree heat and not have the “big one” so I figure well, it feels pretty good, y’know, hit the treadmill, get back in shape, and yeah, it feels good man. The lineup I got, we’re like firing on all cylinders and I can’t be happier with the way it’s going.

PLAYING FOR CHANGE: Songs Around the World Tour

by Jason Walsh

published in ON TAP Magazine, Washington D.C.

The life of a musician can be a hard road, along which many have found themselves playing for change just to survive. The street musician is a mythic figure, regarded both high and low, and represents the unique and individual cultures from which their songs originate. It took the pairing of a Grammy-award-winning engineer with a documentary filmmaker, and the desire to capture the sounds from the streets to bring the music of the world together. This was how Playing for Change began.

“Music has always inspired me in many ways throughout my life,” filmmaker Jonathan Walls said. “I’m fascinated at the complex, yet simple divinity it has.”

Walls combined with Playing for Change creator Mark Johnson when they collaborated on their first film, “Playing for Change: A Cinematic Discovery of Street Music.” Where this first outing documented the sounds of the street in America, their second would serve to bring the music of the world together. “Playing for Change: Peace Through Music” saw Johnson and Walls traversing the continents, gathering sound and film elements from all corners of the globe. The inspiration came from a random, chance encounter by Johnson in New York City.

“About ten years ago, I was headed to work one morning,” Johnson said. And, while in the subway, I witnessed a musical performance of two monks painted all in white from head to toe. They were wearing brown robes, and one of them was singing in a foreign language while the other man played a nylon guitar. I remember seeing about 200 people, of different cultures, races, and genders, stop and listen to the music. Everyone was so moved by the performance even though I can’t imagine any of us knew what they were singing about. It occurred to me that there existed in this moment in time, a strong sense of human connection and the ability to overcome our differences as people. I decided right then and there that music is the key to a better world. I also realized it was my calling to go out and find as many of these inspiring human moments as possible.”

Their third outing, a CD/DVD release called “Songs Around the World” saw them take the music of nearly 40 different musicians from different nations and mix them into the one singular standard, “Stand By Me.” Started off with street musician Roger Ridley in Santa Monica, the song fades in local New Orleans icon Grandpa Elliott, and then to Clarence Bekker in Amsterdam, fused with the instruments of more than three dozen musicians from as many countries: Spain, Venezuela, the Congo, Ghana, South Africa, Brazil, France, Russia, Italy, and more. The video had counters spinning on You Tube, as more than 30-million viewers saw the ultimate worldwide jam of like-minded performers who had never met.

“The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people,” Johnson said. “No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual, or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.”

“Playing for Change: Songs Around the World” debuted at #10 on the Billboard Top 200 Pop Chart selling twenty-six thousand copies in its first week. With the success the films and music releases of the Playing for Change project have had, Johnson and Walls decided to bring the music they’ve gathered together to the stage for a tour that will showcase nine of the main participants.

“I’m super excited about our upcoming Playing for Change tour,” Walls said. “It’s always a treat and an absolute blast to get the band as well as our crew together and share our passion and music to audiences. When our ‘family’ is together doing what we all do best, beautiful moments unfold, and the inspirational energy is transferred.”

The North American tour will hit 22 cities with the Playing for Change band, featuring Grandpa Elliott from New Orelans, Clarence Bekker from the Netherlands, Mermans Kenkosenki and Jason Tamba from the Congo, as well as other jammers from Venezuela, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. The first show of the tour kicks off in Alexandria on Tuesday, October 20 at the Birchmere. Walls said there were some positive events ahead along the road, as they have created a foundation where the music can help give back.

“We are excited to be kicking off the tour at the Birchmere,” he said. “We do have a special benefit show for the Playing for Change Foundation in Los Angeles. These events are always special because they are benefiting the youth of our world, giving them opportunities to become empowered and inspired through music at the Playing for Change Music Schools we are building around the world.”

This program was their way of giving back to the communities from where they had found the performers who had shared their music. It was further justification to them that the power of the song can bring change.

“Over the course of this project, we decided it was not enough for our crew just to record and share this music with the world,” Johnson said, “We wanted to create a way to give back to the musicians and their communities that had shared so much with us. Now, musicians from all over the world are brought together to perform benefit concerts that build music and art schools in communities that are in need of inspiration and hope. When audiences see and hear musicians who have traveled thousands of miles from their homes, united in purpose and chorus on one stage, everyone is touched by music's unifying power.”

Walls agreed that what first began as an assignment, has changed his life forever.

“While filming all over the world and experiencing an assortment of cultures, beliefs and dreams, I've realized a tremendous amount about humanity and the commonality our human race has. At the same time, I've learned more about our differences, giving me an opportunity to further understand each other on a deeper level, thus allowing myself to blossom toward not only a personal peace, but an ambassador toward global peace. And, our path was music.”

The Birchmere

Tuesday, Oct. 20
3701 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22305

703-549-7500

http://www.birchmere.com/

$49.50

Still Proud Clothing

by Jason Walsh

This up-and-coming South Florida franchise is a new outlet for hardcore and hip-hop themed designs. SPC is yet another independent endeavor that is not driven as much by money as it is the message. The roots of owner/operator Gavin Otsuka is like so many others.

“As cliché as it may sound, hardcore and hip-hop have been a huge part of my life and as a result, I’ve been actively involved through many mediums such as writing, playing in bands, booking shows, and really saw clothing as another creative outlet. I’m drawn to clothing because as simplistic as it is, it has the ability to convey a powerful message in a very direct way.”

There are five designs in the line, all with singularly different bold statements. “Keep Metal Out of Hardcore,” “FCK Fighting,” and “American Straightedge” are a few of these.

“Over the years I came to find out that a lot of my favorite bands were edge, so I felt that if your going to put out a line encompassing the hardcore scene, what not a more proud faction to appeal to,” Otsuka said. “Sadly enough, just about every show I’ve attended has had at least one fight, so this design (FCK Fighting) was a given and its appeal really goes beyond the hardcore or hip-hop scene. You can wear it to any event that calls for a good time and that’s why we decided to put it out.”

Otsuka gets the most comments about the “Keep Metal Out of Hardcore” design. “There are many people that believe metal has thinned hardcore out, chipped away at its punk foundations and commercialized it, while others believe it is a natural progression of the music that has kept it interesting. We can argue either side until the sun comes up but at the end of the day it’s a matter of personal preference.”

“SP Hammer Time” is a design based on the legendary 80s hardcore group, Judge. The shirt is an ode to the crossed hammers logo found on all Judge’s albums and merch. Otsuka felt this was a tribute to the band and their message.

“Judge was a very influential band in the hardcore scene so I thought it would be fun to put our take on it. Also, while every shirt has our logo on the back, this is the only one in our first line that blatantly states the company name.”

The last shirt in this first run states “Support Independent Hip-Hop,” which as Otsuka stated, was a large influence in his life.

“I’ve always had an appreciation for independent hip-hop as it harbors a more organic sound and dedication than any commercial artist I’ve come across. I felt it was important to put this one out because I believe that the independent scene is a much better definition of what hip-hop is. Hip-hop, in my opinion is not about flashy cars or bling like MTV has made it out to be. It’s about real life issues and a true appreciation for the art form.”
Philadelphia based outfit, Outerspace, is one of many who have lent their name to the line. MC Planetary of the raw Philly hip-hop crew was all about working with Otsuka.

“The company is run by a great guy, the gear is dope and Outerspace is always down to network and build a relationship with quality, indepenedent companies such as Still Proud. Besides the look, we like the fact that it brings two seemingly different crowds together.

Miami’s Knock ‘Em Dead is a heavy hardcore five-piece that has also joined forces with Still Proud Clothing. Frontman Hamlet echoed the same sentiment of the positive messages that a shirt can convey about a company.

“We have been long time friends with Gavin and we support independent companies helping the scene. We like the fact that Still Proud is a genuine, underground company with a DIY ethic because that is the same approach and foundation that Knock Em Dead was born out of. If you are a fan of hardcore and hip-hop, you should support independent companies like Still Proudas they risk a lot like us to keep the spirit of this music alive and functioning in society.”

Otsuka plans on selling the current stock before planning the next wave in the line. He’s had success at local hardcore and hip-hop venues in South Florida and will continue to expand as time rolls forward.

“Success has a very different meaning to each individual and I think I’ve started off on the right path,” he said. “I’m not out to make a million on this but that does not mean that I’m not going to push this company as far as it can go. I started this company as a way to stay involved in this music as I’ve great respect for the bands and individuals, so as long as the kids are digging my stuff and helping me release consistent designs, I’ll take that as success.”



http://www.myspace.com/stillproudclothing

Trivium

TRIVIUM
by Jason Walsh

The technically-proficient guitar virtuosity hailing from Florida’s land of metal and more metal found themselves thrust into yet another amazing year of constant road work. Trivium does not sit still long, and spend unimaginable amounts of time touring. Still supporting the 2008 release of “Shogun,” their fourth full-length offering that saw the band blending the Japanese thematic endeavor into a conceptual conclusion, the four-piece from Orlando have been across the world and back with no sign of slowing down. Taking the better elements of the likes of Metallica and Iron Maiden with a huge twist of South Florida speed, Trivium continues to fulfill its destiny of playing everywhere they can.

The Roadrunner Records artists are all about the road and where it takes them, and their arrival is met with a sea of excited humanity, ready to see what the boys from Florida can throw. Following unimaginable numbers at this year’s Download Festival in Donington Park, England, Trivium joined Slayer and Marilyn Manson for the summer’s biggest and baddest metal festival of the season. I caught up with vocalist and guitarist Matt Heafy as the Mayhem Tour had just gotten underway.

JW: So Matt, how are you doing today?

MATT: I’m doing great. We actually just got here. We got here late. Our tire blew up on our bus, but we made it on time and that’s what counts.

JW: So where you at? You’re in Denver right now?

MATT: Inglewood. Inglewood, Colorado. Which I believe is close.

JW: How’s the Mayhem Festival going?

MATT: It’s the best U.S. festival we’ve ever been on before without a doubt. Everything about, everything from the vibe of the tour to the crew on the Mayhem tour to all the bands. I mean everything is really amazing. Everything’s a fun vibe and very great. It’s been the best thing I’ve ever been on.

JW: How are the fans reacting to it? Are you guys having a good impact?

MATT: Yeah. It’s been amazing. We knew it would be good, but we didn’t know it would be this good. Ahhh…a good live band is something we pride ourselves in being and we came to this tour prepared and our fans have been coming out in droves. Every single day we’ve been doing multiple signings that have been lasting like an hour to two hours a day. It’s been a really, really amazing thing. I can’t believe how good the reaction has been.

JW: What are you guys going to do after the tour? What’s in store for the band?

MATT: As soon as the tour is over, we have two headlining tours across North America, back to back. The first one is secondary and tertiary markets and the next one is all major markets. I think it’s a good mixture of dates throughout the U.S.. We’re pretty much going to hit everything with this tour.

JW: So who are you guys going to be hitting the road with on this tour after the Mayhem festival is over?

MATT: It’s not entirely announced yet. Whitechapel has been confirmed for both tours, that’s all we know for now. Both tours are going to have four bands total and the lineups are going to amazing. We definitely have Whitechapel secured for both.

JW: You guys working on a new record right now? I mean it’s pretty tough to do that when you’re on the road, but do you have some material you’re looking to record soon?

MATT: We’re going to start recording probably the middle of next year, if not the, yeah probably second or third quarter of next year. But we’ve been writing, yeah. It’s not exactly writing time where we’ve felt inspired so we’re just going to try and get everything together. Between all of us, we probably have twenty or thirty songs. We’re definitely going to narrow it down and pick our best songs for the band.

JW: Very cool. So…is this still fun for you? You still have a good time going out and doing this?

MATT: God…how could I not? I mean, of course it is. If it wasn’t so fun, I wouldn’t be here. It’s the best thing in the world. I mean, go out and your job is to play guitar and sing. It’s a really amazing job and I still love it to this day. I don’t want to do anything else in my life than this.

JW: What is it that drives you to keep writing new music, and keep going out there, getting on that stage in front of people and watching them lose their minds?

MATT: I mean it was like rain since I was like a little kid…‘don’t want to do this, don’t want to be in a band, don’t play no for a living.’ When I was twelve I said ‘this is what I wanna do,’ and that’s how I joined the band and it’s amazing. I guess what keeps me going is that you can see years later like where it’s going. It’s finally starting to happen for us…and now it’s like the whole world picking up at the same time. It’s just really amazing to see all our hard work finally going to something good. I mean our goal is just to play anywhere in the world where any people will see it and that’s we want to do.

JW: Now when you were a kid and you first picked up a guitar and started playing, did you ever think you would be touring on the level that you’re doing and going to all these countries?

MATT: I mean I always wanted to do it but never really thought anything past that. I didn’t know what it would be like and now that I’m in it, it’s incredible. No matter where we are, it’s like taking a free vacation. I mean you’re anywhere in the world that’s culturally significant and you can see what the world’s like firsthand. Do whatever you want. It is what you make of it. Rather than just sit there and do nothing all day…no matter where I am, whether it’s the U.S. or Europe or Japan or Australia, I try to go and see as many things as possible and learn about where I am and experience what local culture’s here.

JW: Do you think right now, Metal and Hardcore have always been kind of like in peaks and valleys, and right now it just seems like there is just a lot of heavy metal and hardcore bands out there. I mean sometimes it seems to go up and then down, and a lot of these bands die out. Do you think it’s kind of in an upswing right now and it’s going to stay like this? What do you think?

MATT: I don’t know if it’s in an “up” or a “down.” All those years ago it’s going up and down, and the one constant is this. There’s always some new “thing,” the new thing that everyone wants to jump on top of, and they make a big deal about something…the thing we’ve always said early was to separate ourselves from that because we’re not part of any specific thing that’s going on. Everybody said we were labeled as one thing, and we’re like, “we’re not that.” I think that’s something a lot of the newer bands need to understand. They need to not allow themselves to be lumped in with some kind of trend that’s going on and just do what they want to do. So, yeah, I think things are going good here. You know, they could go up, they could go down, but it’s a matter of each band trying to find their own thing, and their own destiny, and try to paint their own picture.

JW: For the kids out there, the ones that are in the garages, doing their bands, they got aspirations to do something bigger, what would you say to them to inspire them to follow their dream and do it?

MATT: The band’s starting off?

JW: Yeah.

MATT: The most important thing is to write songs that connect to people. No matter what that means. That doesn’t mean to make a pop song. You just got to make music that connects to you , the artist, and that connects to the people around you and the audience you want to have. There’s so many bands nowadays that it’s all about how heavy they can be, how technical they can be, or all this nonsense. In the end, it’s all about a song. Bands make songs…try to create the best songs that mean the most to you, and mean the most to the people even around you, and go from there. And you just got to crush the live. We’ve met a lot of bands out here that are like, “dude, how do I make my band get bigger…” Just to be better than every smaller band in your hometown, you have to be a better live band. You gotta be tighter, you have to practice more, you have to want it more. And that can’t be forced, you can’t force wanting it more. The whole band has to want it the same amount that you did or it’s not going to work out. You’re going to want to have that have that same drive as you do. If you do that, you’ll make it work out.

The “Into the Mouth of Hell We Tour” tour hits the road on September 11, with Whitechapel, Darkest Hour, and Dirge Within, hitting the “secondary and tertiary” markets Heafy discussed previously. The “major market” tour should be scheduled soon after and you can hit their website (www.trivium.org) for updates. Following into the new year, they have booked the Soundwave Festival tour in Australia featuring headliners Faith No More, My Chemical Romance, and Jane’s Addiction, in February. Then, they start the “Into the Mouth of Hell We March” tour of England, the isle that holds a special place for the band, of which Heafy stated, “the UK was the first place in the world to truly embrace Trivium and make us feel like we had a home away from home on stage.” This will be a number of British dates throughout March.

No rest for the touring wicked.

OLDE YORK

OLDE YORK
by Jason Walsh

From the city that spawned some of the greatest hardcore bands of all time comes yet another group of urban dwellers, bringing back the true roots of the underground in a time when memories start to fade of where it all began and what it was all about. Olde York is a four-piece unit from Brooklyn which has gone through a considerable amount of lineup changes since the band’s inception, but have finally released their first full-length, “Empire State,” on Countdown Records.

“’Empire State’ is an album we’ve been trying to work on for some years now,” said band founder and guitarist Blake Farber. “After all the demos, 7-inches, and tours we finally nailed down a full-length which we are very proud to present. I’m also very satisfied with how much support our label is giving us. It’s great to see this album in almost every continent around the world and hopefully in every kids ipods or mypods around the world.”

The band started with a chance meeting in the unlikeliest of settings where many like-minded people, such as Farber and future frontman Ted Wohlsen, would gather in the borough.

“Olde York came by Ted and I meeting at Punk Metal Karaoke,“ Farber said.

“They had a live band playing behind you, it was pretty cool,“ Wohlsen said. “They would do Bad Brains, Black Flag, Anti-Nowhere League, et cetera, as well as a bunch of metal stuff. Anyway, I had this party one time at my place with all those guys, and Blake came to it.”

“We jammed out, and I was fooling around on the drums,” Farber said. “Since we shared the same style of music, he said ‘come by again and we should jam and start a band.’”

“At the party, Blake had been playing drums,” Wohlsen said. “So, I thought he was a drummer. Shows how wasted I was to think he could play drums. Anyway, so he comes over like the next day or something and is like, ‘actually, I play guitar, not drums,’ so I was like ‘OK, cool.’ I was playing bass, like really distorted and fuzzed out, and him on guitar, and we came up with some songs.”

Wohlsen spent eight years previously in his first band endeavor as the singer for Big Mistake before hooking up with Farber. They went through a couple singers in Olde York and were looking for someone to fill the vacant seat behind the drum kit.

“We don't have a permanent drummer and are trying different people out,” Wohlsen said. “Until Blake goes, ‘oh, hey, I forgot, my brother plays drums.’ So, that is how Dev (Farber) got into the band. This is when the name came about. We were hanging out, I think we went to a friends party or something, and were drinking 40s. I said "‘hey Olde English, that's a pretty cool, name,’ and Blake was like ‘but we aren't English...how about Olde York?’ and it stuck.“

With their second singer leaving, Wohlsen stepped back up to the mike, like in the old days with Big Mistake. “Rather then find a new singer, I decided to go back to singing since that is what I did in my old band and I was much better at that then at the bass.”

This change of Wohlsen to vocals and brothers Dev and Blake on drums and guitar, engraved the core center of the band into concrete, and they continued to roll from there. Demos, 7-inches, and a lot of road time, the band was coming into their solid formation and a full-length was just the next step.

“It actually felt like it took a long time to get it together,” Wohlsen said. “We go in to record the album, and we get our friend 6 Pack Jon, who plays bass in Caught In A Trap and guitar in About To Break. We get him in to co-produce the record with us, cause he is amazing with guitar sounds and we wanted to have someone in that wasn't directly involved with the music, you know to have that objective ear, cause Blake and I tend to get into it over stuff, and Dev and our bassist at the time Kyle, kinda just keep quiet about things more, so having that outside person helped a lot.”

This brotherly tension is common in bands, but add actual siblings to the mix and the disputes are sure to escalate. “The family affair aspect definitely makes it tough sometimes,” brother Dev Farber said. “We definitely end up fighting half the time, but at least it makes it easier to be direct and I think that's more important than always getting along.”

However, the bond between brothers, whether by blood or “found family,” has always been a significant part of hardcore culture. The strength of this family is what holds the circle together.

“Having a brother in the band is classic HC style,” Blake said. “It’s a family thing, so what’s more family than your own blood? But it’s great having him in here. When we play, we don't have to even talk to each other, since we’ve been together for so many years. You just know what each facial
reaction represents. But in the most loving way, we still argue sometimes.”

In the triangle that is Olde York, Blake, Dev, and Ted also have three distinct professional careers that compliment the forward progression and growth of the band. In other words, they have some good jobs and important skills that has helped them along the way: Ted is a recording engineer with his own aptly named studio, “Empire State Recording Company,” Blake is a videographer who has worked with the likes of Alicia Keys and David Samborn, and Dev is as graphic artist who surprisingly used his talents on the CD.

“Graphic Art for me is a good way to get the rent paid and keep the creativity going,” Dev said. “That's how I see it for now. When the new album needed some layout work done, I was right there to help, since it happens to be my day job too.”

Wohlsen has had a pretty amazing career in the city, working with numerous NYC hip hop acts as well as punk, metal, and hardcore crews. “I went to school for Music and Sound Recording, and after I graduated, I got a job at The Hit Factory, NYC, as a runner. From there I moved up to assistant, and then started engineering sessions, mostly hip hop, like KRS-One, Wu Tang Clan, Wyclef Jean, Run DMC. Most the big names in hip hop and R&B, I worked with. I got kinda burned out on it so I started my own studio, where I was living at the time in Park Slope, Brooklyn. As it turned out, about a year or so later, The Hit Factory closed its doors due to the rough economy. So, then I moved to where I am now and opened Cook Street Sound, where I was doing more hip hop stuff, then when I made the commitment to go all punk, hardcore, and metal, cause that is what I really wanted to be doing, I changed the name to Empire State Recording Company, to differentiate it from Cook Street Sound. This was right around the time when we were getting ready to record the album, and I liked having the album name and the studio being similar. It kinda provided that circularity for me, you know? So recently I've been doing stuff for Reagan Youth, Skam Dust, and a bunch of local hardcore and metal bands like About To Break, The Mug$, Vermefug, and Grizzly Smith.”

And, the directorial skills of working as a filmmaker and music video producer by Blake was an even greater benefit to the band, in more than one way. “Filmmaking always interested me since I come from two parents who are both photographers,” Blake said. “They’re both very visual mediums, so I love tying them into one. Being a director/filmmaker in the band not just helped me produce a fun hardcore music video, but from the directorial side of things it helps manage the band. It really helps coming back from a film director point of view, since managing a band is very similar to directing a film.”

The dynamic shared by the three musically is only complimented by what they’re everday job skills can bring to the table.

“The fact that all of us have different careers that help out the band is amazing, Blake said. “Besides saving us tons of money on hiring those people. We have creative control to come up with a great project. The reason being that it comes from the heart and not some guy whose in it to make a buck. Next member we need to get: a screen printer, FREE SHIRTS!”

The use of the studio in making “Empire State” a reality helped tremendously as well. “Well, it certainly made it much cheaper to make the record, plus it's really like a labor of love, and I think we are all really proud of it.”