BWD Magazine - April 2014

Worldwide Indie Music, Lifestyles, Entertainment Magazine

April 2014

buffalo bites Over 20 Years’ Experience In The Creative Audio World

die so fluid BRITISH

mad dogs and englishmen

Nate Maingard living the life as dreamed for himself

NU METAL

Feral Sun Retro blasting

OVER a decades worth of experience and knowledge

Features 04 Violent Divine Rock N’ Roll Just The Way It’s Meant To Be

06 Nate Maingard Living The life As Dreamed For Himself

10 RetroBlasting A Retro Video Channel, The Desk Of Discussion

16 Mad Dogs And Englishmen British’s Best, Boldest and Brightest Incumbent

18 Feral Sun An Acclaimed Hard Hitting, Heavy Band

21 Moona From Picasso To Pulp, Beethoven to Banksy

22 Broad Street Music Group Uncovering The Best Of The Unseen Music-Scene

COVER STORY 12 Die So Fluid Weird Looking Stepchild Of British Nu Metal

Lifestyle 08 Put It On My Tab Continuing Down Our Avenue Of Avarice With 3 Free App’s

14 5 Tips For Taking The Arse Out Of Rehearse Clutter Isn’t Conducive To Creation

ENTERTAINMENT 20 BWD Radio (Sponsor) Your Top Indie Artist’s ‘Global’ 24/7 Non-Stop Music Radio Station - Commercial Free - #1 in Genre Variety, Live Shows and Contest Giveaways!!

24 Buffalo Bites (Monthly Feature) Over 20 Years’ Experience In The Creative Audio World

2 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com

FROM THE EDITOR

last issue

Bridging the gap across all media platforms BWD Magazine is dedicated to turning the spotlight onto the figures and faces, names and in-the-knows hitting the headlines and filling the attentions of the entertainment world.

From musicians to models, ground-breaking acts to artists and artisans, imagination is the only limit in BWD’s ambitions in bringing the audiences of the world to the names we feature.

With over a decade’s worth of experience in the music industry and a crowd of millions worldwide spreading the word with each new release, BWD has established itself as the leader in its field.

BWD Magazine- ‘Leading Whilst Others Follow’

Editor In Chief V Keach

Associate Editor J Addams

Lead Contributing Writer J Addams

Contributing Writer V Keach

Art Director V Keach

Graphic Artist(s) V Keach, BWD Graphics

Circulation/Sales Officer(s) V Keach/J Addams

bwdmagazine.com bwdradio.com facebook.com/bwdmagazine twitter.com/bwdmagazine facebook.com/bwdradio twitter.com/bwdradio_ twitter.com/bwdPROMOTIONS

BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 3

The Hounds ‘...one of

T

he road leading to the giddy

turns of a musician’s path, the unseen bringing

heights of success is an alluring

to a halt many a travellers tread and tale in the

fiction of glamour and glitz, lit

ledger of largess.

up by the bright lights of adoration and adulation and a Free

With the only guarantee your place in the sun

Pass to the league marked Somebody; it promis-

will just as likely be nothing a hole punched into

this genre’...rock n’ roll

es so much to those who have yet to take their

a threadbare blue blanket strung up in front of

just the way it’s meant

first steps upon it’s exquisitely realized ground-

a sixty watt bulb, it is in how you turn the pot-

swell of grandeur that awaits your falling feet

holes into potential and sudden stalling into re-

with a masseurs touch, assuring your rise along

starts that will decide if it’s time to stock up on

its highways to the tippity top is one of friction-

either sun-tan lotion or job applications.

2010’s best albums in

to be!“

less momentum and effortless reward.

With a fresh new line-up sending a resurgence Captivated by the exotic scenery and bathed

through its ranks Violent Divine have experi-

under a none-more-blue sky the edges of suc-

enced the twists and turns and sudden drops

cess lie just beyond your fingers out-reached

involved when riding the roller-coaster of rock;

touch, calling to you to move just one more step

and rather than stop the ride halfway to fertilize

and then you’ll definitely be within grasp of your

the fauna with half-digested breakfast the band

goal of sitting beside the great and gliterrati.

instead have thrown their devil horned hands high and screamed for it to go faster.

However, if you shield your eyes to the blinding glare of a much-too-bright spotlight, look closer

With vocalist Mike, lead guitarist S.J., bassist

at the scenery and what lies beyond the horizon,

Oscar and cymbal smelter Simon on the stage

and you will see it for the falsehood of easy

Violent Divine have come quite a way along the

deceit it truly is. A perilous and uneven walk,

road already since its inception in 2005 with

the floor beneath your tread is littered with

original line up and breakthrough debut album.

the remains of those who have tried and failed to navigate the sudden twists and unexpected 4 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com

Charging through the charts and surging through

“we know the competition is tough & there are loads of great bands out there...”

violent divine

the airwaves worldwide the critically acclaimed release saw threat

own intricately woven blend of melodies and themes 2014 sees a

singles birthed from its brilliance; Rush You, Let’s Go and Levitate

now rejuvenated Violent Divine bestriding their own route to the

washed across the ears of Europe and brought them into the atten-

top, armed and ready to fire themselves into the spotlight beside

tions of a global audience.

the greatest of greats with an upcoming fourth album release Hyperactivity Disorder, details of which can be found by visiting one

Rewarding their fans and new found followers Violent Divine cre-

of the contact links below to let you into the world of Violent Divine.

ated their second album In Harm’s Way, Misty released its vocal appreciation in January 2009 on Misty Recordings. Produced and

Contact Information:

mixed by notable Hammerfall guitarist Pontus Norgen it revealed a band that imbued the same passions and power the previous

Website: www.violentdivine.se

release had shown but one with a firmer, more assured, more con-

Twitter: @ViolentDivine

fident air than before.

Facebook: ViolentDivine

When Swedmetal Records said the bands self-produced third

Photo Credits: Daniella Williams - All Rights Reserved

album release The Hounds ‘. ..one of 2010’s best albums in this genre... rock n’ roll just the way it’s meant to be!’

‘We know the competition is tough and there are loads of great bands out there,’ the band said when discussing their BWD Magazine feature contest win. ‘This opportunity to get our band exposed to new rock fans means a lot to us - we are flattered and very proud to win.’

Maintaining the hard driving attack of raw rock with the bands

BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 5

F

nate Maingard rom an unobtrusive corner of the globe in his home

With a move to the UK and London in 2013 Nate continued to shower Europe

country of South Africa to the giddy heights of the

with his sound and garner praise in equal measure, audiences throughout

world’s stage and the attentions such interest brings

Germany and Lithuania joining those in London who considered themselves

Nate Maingard is anything but a simple musician.

to be Nate-amaniacs.

Born the son of Marc Maingard, an acclaimed luthier of

During this time he also released his third body of work, the In The Shadows

bespoke hand-made guitars, Nate’s family tree reaches back into the history

EP expanding his fan-base and introducing him to the industry inside, his

books with a strength of character and patina of colour that goes some way

fortune seeing him working alongside the same people who collaborated

to understanding why this modern day troubadours own style of complete

alongside The Beatles’ Paul McCartney and the enigmatic Cat Stevens to -drop

compositional crafting’s have piqued the interest of the industry’s names

but two name-’s.

and knowns.

Having started 2014 with a performance at Sofar Sounds in San Francisco; Bequeathed a legacy of characters that span the gamut between French

in February, Nate’s current touring schedule includes a return to Europe and

minstrels and pirates Nate’s richness of history swells through his works

his audience therein, an invite to MC at an Open Mic at the prestigious Boom

like a syrup of sound, a richness in desirability that demands another taste,

Festival one of many engagements on his calendar.

another soupcon of succulent sweetness and song.

Prepped and poised and pushing the mountain of air-miles across the ticket Inspired by the great writers and performers of the sixties and seventies

man’s desk BWD Magazine flew off with haste to sit and chat with Nate about

Nate’s enthusing for the muse drove his desire to realize fully his fledgling

the man behind the musician, the music of the muse, and the much-ado-

musical extemporising, his ability to articulate appropriately reaching past

about-nothings in our exclusive interview...

his then younger self’s still developing talents revealing the artiste’ beneath.

exclusive interview By the age of eighteen Nate had developed his own voice to be that of an accomplished musician, his words accompanied in sound by his partner-in-

BWD: Hello to you, and if you would like to welcome us into your world..?

performance Melody, and the custom built guitar crafted by his own hand.

Hello to you, too! Nate here, just a simple man living the life I dream for myself: Making mistakes, laughing at them when I get over myself, learning, growing,

With a ticket for two to ride Nate hit the road in 2011, and found demand for

and being grateful. We’re all sharing this world, so let’s all welcome

him and Melody waiting at every turn. From a sold-out performance at the

each other. I’m stoked you invited me for this interview, plus I’ve read

screening of 1 Giant Leap to the critical acclaim his two self-released albums

the questions, so I’m looking forward to answering them, too!

The Wild Land and Home.

BWD: You describe yourself as ‘unintentional philosopher, a hopeful Receiving the National Arts Festival Ovation Award For Excellence and

romantic, and a modern troubadour’; which is It.?

Innovation in South African Art saw Nate round out 2012 with a flourish, the

Can I be all of them?

twelve months previous spent performing and appearing throughout his home countries biggest festivals and almost matching his own personal high

The ‘unintentional philosopher’ part comes because I never consciously

point of autographing the jeans of a 73 years young fan.

intended to write deep songs, or tell the kind of stories I’ve ended up

6 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com

telling. It all happened without me realizing it. When I began song writing it

to London in 2013 I began hosting the Sunday open-mic night and have been

was all meaningful—songs about life and the journeys we all share as humans.

running that for over a year now. Through the popularity of that night the guys

It took me years to embrace that part of it, to consciously step into this role life

at Boom Festival heard about me and invited me to MC their festival open-mic.

has asked of me. So, yes, I think a lot and feel as much and put it all into my sto-

It’s an honour for me to be invited and I’m not sure what to expect, but I know

ries, my songs. Is that being a philosopher? Maybe not, but it feels like it to me.

it’s going to be all kinds of fun!

I have been very influenced by the books I’ve read, the people I’ve met and the music I’ve listened to. The deep things like Hermann Hesse, Paulo Coelho, John

It all comes down to connections. I love meeting people and being involved in

Lennon, Bob Marley, Jesus, Buddha, my Mom, my Dad, the Ocean, and Mother

the global community of music, folk music, the arts, spoken-word poetry, etc. I

Nature. All the beautiful seekers who have shone light on what it means to be

love meeting passionate, inspiring and professional people. I think what we put

human really inspire me.

out into the world comes back to us. So I put out all my love for people and music, and it all comes back in these beautiful opportunities. I am grateful.

The ‘hopeful romantic’ is because I never seem to be able to give up on romance.

Romance is not just to do with being in love with someone—it’s an attitude

BWD: Describe a typical ‘day in the life’ of Nate Maingard, illustrator of the

towards life. It’s as though each day has all these secret gems hiding in its

intellectual imagineer..?

moments and we can be treasure hunters, finding value in each unique instant…

Wow, where’d you get that line from, ‘illustrator of the intellectual imagineer’?

or not—the choice is ours. This hopeful romance can be as simple as appreciat-

I love that line, may I make use of it? Anyway, a typical day is something I don’t

ing a flower, or buying a stranger a juice, or enjoying the feeling of walking. All

really have. I work a few days a week in an ethical store just off Brick Lane

these things are practices of being in love with life, with the world, with the

called Cock & Bull Menswear (I also have an endorsement deal with them—their

miracle of existence. All of these things make me a hopeful romantic. Then of

clothes are amazing!). This is a nice, relaxed environment where I get to promote

course there is being romantic in the lover sense. A few of my songs reflect that:

something I really believe in. It keeps my feet on the ground.

“Barefoot Romance” and “The Turns Of Life” especially so.

On most days I wake up and make a Superfood smoothie for my housemates Finally, I am definitely a ‘modern troubadour’. I travel from place to place, tell-

and me, and get some lovely hugs and laughs with them all before they go off to

ing the personal, shared stories of humanity through my songs and stories.

work and study. Then I’ll do some work on my computer, play some music, read

Historically, troubadours sang about something called ‘courtly love’, which was

a book or do whatever my mood asks of me. I often have meetings with different

considered a higher form of love, spiritual in nature. I feel like love has so

friends, people who are mentors, and my manager Lisa Young In. I play a few

many facets, so many faces and layers and exciting possibilities to explore, so I

gigs a month at this point, generally in London. I also very much love touring:

sing about that, too. On my father’s side, some of my ancestors were minstrels

I’ll be in Germany in July and Portugal in August, then America in October (just

(troubadours) in the French courts, so on a practical level I have ‘troubadour’ in

for holiday, though) and hopefully Germany again in December. Maybe I’ll even

my DNA.

go back to visit and play in South Africa early next year.

BWD: With an interest in ‘the positive transformation of reality through the

One of my favourite things to do is to play house concerts, which means I come

conscious and natural expansion of personal perception’ it certainly marks

to your home and you invite some friends/family over and I play music for you

you apart as someone with very few contemporaries or similar?

all. There is a suggested donation and my albums are for sale. It always turns

It is my belief that we are all in this physical realm, this ‘life’, as one part of a

out to be a very, very magical experience for everyone involved. People who want

great journey we are on. The way forward is to choose as an individual to explore

to do this can e-mail me any time through my website.

the deeper aspects of what it means to be human. To ‘be happy, do service, live and die consciously’. Of course my feelings, my emotions, and my beliefs about

Finally, I have recently begun playing online shows, which is me in my bedroom

the world flavour shape the music I write. It’s all part of the same thing. As above,

playing to people all over the world through my webcam. It is such a fun experi-

so below; as without, so within. I also come from a family of musicians, as I men-

ence and I look forward to doing many more of those. You can always stay up-

tioned before. My mother’s ancestry was Shamanic tribes in Russia, before they

to-date about the things I’ve mentioned and everything else happening in my

converted to Judaism a long time ago. So, I have all this mixed history, of music,

world at my website where you can also sign up to my mailing list for some free

of magic, of beliefs in the many faces of the Divine presence and the deeper

downloads. You can also buy my music on Bandcamp or iTunes.

explorations of human existence. To put it simply: I write about what I feel and I guess that it all comes from that long heritage.

BWD: How did the opportunity to MC at this year’s Boom Festival come

Contact Information: Website: natemaingard.com

about?

Twitter: @NateMaingard

I have been involved with the amazing inSpiral Lounge in Camden, London, for a

Facebook: NateMaingard

number of years now. I used to work behind the bar and have stayed involved in different ways since then. My friends Dom and Bella are the owners and I believe in their vision of a sustainable, ethical, eco-friendly business. When I moved back

Photo Credits: Nate Maingard -All Rights Reserved

BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 7

put it on my tab Following on from last month’s introduction to the wonderful world of app’s available for the price-minded Store Surfer out there we’re continuing down our avenue of avarice with three free app’s designed with the musician and appreciator of music in mind.

8 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com

smart voice recorder

Music Volume Equalizer

Inspiration can `find you suddenly pos-

What if it’s the mix of the out-put itself

sessed with a head full of lyrics and

you wish to alter, rather than the volume

nowhere to keep them safe. Whilst whip-

of said sound?

ping out your mobile to quickly tap out this tattoo of treasures your eye catches

Then it’s off to the Store and a search for

sight of a bird flying into the side of a

the Music Volume Equalizer by Ellen Wu for

building. Distracted, the lyrics are as lost to your mind as that avian

you! Allowing you to manipulate the music in a manner more akin

ability to remain conscious, the half formed line of words on your

to the home sound system the front end is pleasantly simple to

screen now forever lacking the genius ending that finally found a

swipe and slide your way through; a full five band equalizer awaits

rhyme for ‘orange’.

your delicate touch, and once you tire of ruining the sound of your favourite song you can choose one of the nine pre-sets built-in to

So faster than the speed of thumb it is and with the Smart Voice

return it to its former and even greater glory.

Recorder app by Smartmob Development you need never let a single letter nor lyric be lost to mis-placed attentions or poor spellings

Should you stumble upon the perfect mix you can save it for future

turning lyrical prose into dyslexic scrawl.

use, and you can even get the whole lot belting out in glorious 3D Surround Sound should your fancy find favour in its frivolity,

Record a line of a song or an impromptu jam, your entire commen-

everything topped off with a glorious visualizer to add some sights

tary of the Seinfeld series or a memo to remember to get some

to the sounds issuing from your speakers.

milk, it’s really a universal tool for the tongue.

Imbued with relative skipping silence for between musing pauses, wave and/or pcm encoding with adjustable sample rate, a simple one-push-start/finish interface that also has the option of automatic and manual sensitivity control for those quiet times, and the amount of recordings you can make are only as limited as the amount of space your mobile or memory card has.

volume booster Need a kick up the speakers? Then this app’s for you, bringing a mighty boost of volume to the sounds coming out the grill of your gizmo.

One tap opens the app and a chance to tinker with the levels of EVERYTHING on your Android that emits a sound awaits; if your alarm is too quiet or your partner too loud, or you’re waiting on an important text, one swipe of the pinky raises the volume of either or both to a level higher than before.

Maybe your headphones aren’t quite up to producing the same sort of volume the man on the market stall assured you was even louder than his son’s Beats, or you live for the sound of a new Tweet coming through and cannot abide to miss a single moment of someone else’s life, again a single motion towards the top of the screen will elicit a pleasantly bassy bringer of the noise far better than the standard sounds of ‘stock’.

BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 9

retroblasting

A

s a wise man once said; ‘The geek shall inherit the Earth.’

lectables and couture of character-driven canon.

Truly, we now do live within a great big geeky modern

With television’s attempts at zeitgeist band wagon jumping with endless

world of wonder and W.O.W.; always online and con-

cookie cutter programs about some guys in a comic book shop/second-hand

stantly connected, the combined knowledge accrued

shop/place of old stuff with a focus of ratings rather than content, it is onto

throughout humanities existence accessible to all with

the shoulders of the sites two protagonists the responsibility of bringing the

an internet connection and at least one working digit.

excite back into the insight inevitably falls - Michael leading a complex life

Even the very magazine you are reading these words in is a marvel of the

of part human, administrator of the official ‘Voltron’ social media channels,

sci-fi plastic-fantastic futurisms and fancies of the archetypal bespectacled

and all awesome, Melinda dividing her time between art, anthropology, and

‘nerd’; imaginations whose machinations were inspired by a healthy Stan

deconstructing ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ in a likewise move of ‘+1’.

Lee and Star Trek obsession that went on to invent automatic doors, touchscreen technology, and machines that can go ‘Beep’ really fancy-like.

Indeed, few other couples can lay claim to having their argument with a “Wookiee” over the seat of Harrison Ford’s pants shared with the world via

Having previously shunned those

CNN as this pair are able, the

who found favour within the

duo attending the ‘DragonCon’

worlds of such imagineers’ as

as Han Solo and Princess Leia

George Lucas, Joss Wheedon, and

and unwittingly getting ‘Bacca’s

Wolverine himself; the rise in

back up.

mainstream acceptance of comicbook culture and retro reverie

Describing themselves as proud

has finally opened the doors to

to be an independent voice of

any with a passion for the past

honesty BWD Magazine snatched

to share their love of all things

up its note-pad, tore-on its coat

loquacious and long-forgotten,

-- pausing only to load the back

unearthing lost childhoods from

of the car with all the comics,

beneath the shifting sands of

toys and half-broken bits of col-

time and polishing the memories into a shared appreciation of a past-life

lectable tat from a landfill of videogames and such it’d kept in the hope

favoured fancies.

of it being worth something in a few years -- hit the internet highway with the windows down and the music up to seek some RetroBlasting brilliance.

Bringing the love and loquacity of lamentations for an era gone-by, with a celebration of the culture that reflects the pride of their passions, echoing

exclusive interview

to the strains of a My Little Pony/Megadeth mash-up soundtrack thundering its way up to 88 miles per hour, RetroBlasting is quickly becoming the home for the homage, the desk of discussion.

BWD: From the world of all things retro and more comes our two protagonists, who are..?

Expressing their reflections of old school indulgences of youth whilst dis-

RetroBlasting is a retro video channel created and run by Michael French and

cussing the latest releases in the world of comics and Rebooot Rumourville

Melinda Mock. Michael is a nostalgic child of the 80’s who works as a multime-

‘RetroBlasting’ hosts Michael and Melinda showcasing the culture of col-

dia producer, freelance writer, and social media consultant while Melinda Mock

10 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com

is a 80’s metal chick, artist, and anthropologist who spends her days working in

as a society.

pharmaceutical research. In their spare time, they operate RetroBlasting, a social media channel devoted to videos about pop culture of the past.

People are craving retro more than ever now because the pabulum Hollywood has been pumping out in the last few years has no magic to it. No soul.

BWD: By its very nature the world of retro can mean anything from 8-bit

Audiences today are very savvy. They can tell when they’re being purely marketed

games to Ghostbuster figures, and with the length of time given to some-

at. Movies and TV series used to feel like stories you could invest in. Now, most

thing before we deem it retro getting shorter and shorter, how do you choose

of them feel like commercials.

what is and isn’t worth showcasing?

The label “Retro” is too easily applied these days. Ideally, we’d like something at

I think a lot of people are yearning for those shows and films of the past because

least 20 years old to be deemed retro. Preferably 25 years old. We won’t discuss

when you watch them, you can feel that there were people behind them that

it as “retro” if it was made from 1999 forward. To our minds, once the Star Wars

wanted to make something truly magical, something conceptually bigger than

Prequels begin, retro definitively ends. As a habit, we don’t discuss much after

a cash grab. Artists like Gary Kurtz, Jim Henson, John Carpenter, Lou Scheimer

1992. For us, T2 was the last moment in pop culture before the CGI revolution

and Larry Hama. They wanted to *create* worlds that would *last*, not shill vapid

really took hold with 1993’s Jurassic Park. In the 21st century, retro should be

ADHD illusions on celluloid that would sell toys for a fiscal quarter.

a term applied to “all things analogue” and anything in the digital age is “postretro.” The core of RetroBlasting’s subject matter is old cartoons (pre-1993) and

The Wookiee? At DragonCon in 2010, Melinda and I were dressed as Princess

the merchandising that accompanied them. However, we sometimes like to focus

Leia and Han Solo from The Empire Strikes Back. This guy in a Chewbacca outfit

on a specific toy or object in a standalone video. Occasionally we’ll discuss a

told me, without prompting, that my costume wasn’t screen accurate because I

classic movie or focus on something other than toys and animation. With each of

didn’t have a seam running across the butt of my pants. “You can see it in the

our videos there are always two elements of paramount importance to us: Will it

film!” he said. Now, I’ve seen Empire Strikes Back over 100 times and I made my

give people a feeling of nostalgia, and will it make them see this cartoon/movie/

Han Solo costume from scratch on my own meticulous research. I’ve never seen

toy/object in a new and different way?

a seam on Harrison Ford’s rear. It might be there if you pause on one specific frame and zoom in 200%, but it is *not* easily visible. Some fans are just like that

BWD: What was the inspiration behind creating RetroBlasting and what’s

I guess…staring at Ford’s rear end obsessively.

this we hear about ‘ Wookiee’s..?

RetroBlasting exists because Melinda made it so. I was looking for videos about a

BWD: How did the offer of RetroBlasting presenting at 2014’s Pensacon and

Voltron toy and all the videos I found were showing incomplete toys with missing

Emerald City Comic Con come about?

and broken parts galore. Melinda reminded me I still had my childhood Voltron

We were at Mobicon 2013 presenting three panels and a good friend of ours con-

complete with all the pilots and parts. She said I could make a better video about

nected us with the organizers of Pensacon. We pitched them some panel subject

it than anything online, so we did.

ideas. They liked them and asked us to be a part of their event! Now Emerald City Comic Con was a different process entirely. We were competing essentially

I still have all my childhood toys and I’m an avid collector now. I was always

with more than 300 other applicants to present at the Seattle convention from

into toys, movies and cartoons in a way that I think many other kids were not.

March 28-30, 2014. RetroBlasting was chosen among less than half the appli-

Sure, they liked them as diversionary entertainment, but when most kids grew

cants to present and we’re really excited to attend! We will be recording our

out of toys, that was it. However, my fascination with them remained long into

panels and posting them to our YouTube channel for our subscribers who cannot

young adulthood. I guess that’s because I look at them analytically, make quirky

attend these events first-hand. We also plan to get some footage of the conven-

connections, and tie it all to the history of the property in context with the time

tions and let folks know what it’s like to be there, and maybe help them decide

period. Plus, my memory of early childhood is unusually sharp, so these toys and

if they want to plan to go in the future!

moments from my past are always with me in stark clarity.

BWD: And finally; what else can we look forward to from RetroBlasting?

We try to offer our audience those recollections, but also give them more than

2014 is going to be an exciting year for RetroBlasting! We gain more sub-

just fanboy gushing that “everything’s awesome!” That’s everywhere online and

scribers every day who want to be part of our nostalgic community and they

it gets old. It isn’t real. RetroBlasting illustrates the pros and cons of these

bring enthusiasm and great ideas to our attention. In April, RetroBlasting

shows and toys through fully-researched, scripted, and produced videos. Finding

will attend Wizard World St. Louis. I will be there representing Voltron,

the facts and finding the funny is our goal for our viewers. Retro Infotainment.

and Melinda will be there for RetroBlasting! Later this year we will be at

My favorite film is The Empire Strikes Back, but I was also into Indiana Jones,

Dragoncon, located right in our hometown: Atlanta, GA. Our subscribers

Ghostbusters, Voltron, Back to the Future, Star Trek and more. Melinda loves

can also expect a ton of new videos from us, tackling subjects ranging from

Rocky, Rambo and anything Cold War Russian. She also digs 1980’s horror films

Transformers to the Centurions to Rambo’s Force of Freedom cartoon. That’s

like Nightmare on Elm Street, yet maintains a childhood enthusiasm for My Little

just the tip of the iceberg!

Pony. She’s into The Cure and Megadeth and I’m listening to Huey Lewis and Duran Duran. She’s wearing her Rocky fedora on weekends and I’m driving my DeLorean. We’re just that passionate about what we believe was, in many ways,

Website: www.retroblasting.com

a more fun time to be alive in America. We need some 1980’s back in our lives

Photo Credits: RetroBlasting - All Rights Reserved BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 11

T

hink about the world in which we live and the number three appears more often than would seem merely coincidental.

From the biblical (the Spirit, the Son, and the Holy Ghost), decisions judged as ‘best out of three’, to the handing out of prizes to the three people atop of the podium at a competitive event,

the number is more than a way of marking a set-amount of ‘value’ or ‘things’.

In Die So Fluid, the self-proclaimed weird looking stepchild of British Nu Metal - the number resonates throughout; from the amount of members within the group to the number of albums under the groups belt, their constantly changing and re-working of the road-map-of-rock and perceived expectations turning audiences into genuflecting disciples at the Die So Fluid alter and frustrating lazy journalists over-reliance on pigeon-holing groups into a what-genre-’X’sounds-like.

Holding court at the helm and on bass and vocal duties Grogs turn of charm and terrifyingly talented visage leads the charge, Al Fletcher carving out the causeways and pathways on drums, and Drew Richards defining the landscape into a Die So Fluid form through the six strings beneath fingers; together they form a sculptor of sound making real the unlimited possibilities of a wild-eyed imagination.

Laying a new line of lyrical luminosity for others to follow the band took themselves out of the spot-light in 2011, the direction to take music towards

die so fluid

any of the many new horizons forged by the band left open for others to study and understand and expand upon and beyond.

Website: www.diesofluid.net

However, with an industry unable to let go of the safety rail and musicians

Twitter: @DieSoFluid

refusing to take the training wheels off their creative composing the demand for a band capable of restructuring the road-map of music as they go was clearly much in need. Having so resolutely commanded the chariot of change for those drowning in a sea of sound-alikes before Die So Fluid are back, ready to re-write the riffing rule-book and armed with a brand new release to illustrate their teachings of travellers’ tales.

Since the release of their debut EP Operation Hypocrite - Sanctuary records - in 2001 the band have opened ears and eyes to the impact of the Die So Fluid’s sound, the single Suck Me Dry marking them out as a band of brains as well as beats, the infectious riffs and voracious vocals already heard by their fans now made loud for the rest of the world to hear.

With the forming of their own Cartesian label and the releasing of their third single Disconnected it wasn’t long before demand for a full album was generously fulfilled, with 2004 seeing the Spawn of Dysfunction release stamping Die So Fluid into the UK’s music consciousness.

Critical acclaim and an almost ceaseless touring schedule saw Spawn Of Dysfunction become a surprise hit, the band receiving invitations to appear alongside the likes of Clawfinger, The Wildhearts, Drowning Pool, Vex Red, and Girlschool (not forgetting Boy Hits Car, Feeder, and Antiproduct to name but a few).

Having already ‘re-invented the wheel’ once Die So Fluid went back into the studio with the intent of recording an even wider-eyed dream of descriptive.

Mixing the members own influential musical backgrounds elements such as ska and even an Egyptian string arrangement from a member of The Death Orchestra, Not Everybody Gets A Happy Ending breached surface in 2007 and with it new ground.

Bringing a uniquely dynamic release to their fans brought an army of followers in return, the band taking flight across the globe and to the States and Europe in support of the release, finding audiences across almost twenty different 12 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com

Facebook: DieSoFluid Photo Credits: Tina Korhonen - All Rights Reserved countries signing up to the NEGAHE sights-and-sounds tour in rabid appreciation and fevered enumeration of the band and their second release.

Hitting 2010 with ‘The World Is Too Big For One Lifetime’ Die So Fluid completed the cycle of three and unveiled the power within, videos for the songs Mercury and What A Heart Is For featuring on Scuzz and Kerrang exploding across the world and driving the band to headline status in London and Helsinki. Further demand came in the form of festivals requesting the band appear on their stages, Finland, Holland, Spain, as well as the UK calling for the band to bring mana to the masses and music to the many.

Having apparently fulfilled some unspoken mission 2011 saw the group melt into the background, glances of the band limited to an exclusive performance at the London Bass Guitar Show and two sell out shows.

However, with the road ahead littered with the uncertain step of the unwilling Die So Fluid are back, armed with a brand new blue-print of plenty and an album for aural edification entitled The Opposites of Light.

Representing the fourth release from the band it demonstrates how the previous three releases have imbued the group into a powerful musical force, the single Black Blizzard earning a place in Classic Rock Magazine’s Song Of The Year Award.

With a full world tour lined up and taking the band to the UK’s Altfest in August, across Canada, USA, Finland, Germany and Russia as well BWD Magazine stuck out its thumb and hitched a ride on the Die So Fluid juggernaut, sat down to talk about their new album and upcoming plans, as well as Chuck-ing wood if Norris could.

Cover Story

exclusive interview BWD: To the band we say ‘thank you’ and also please; introduce Yourselves..?

broaden our fan base to enable to reach some of the more far flung places we’ve

Thank you for this opportunity to tell you about Die So Fluid. We’re a three piece

been invited to. I feel that our approach and honesty has gained us credibility

band who formed in London and now I (Grog) live in Los Angeles. I play bass and

and respect, but also I think it gives some people the impression that we won’t

sing. Mr Drew is the guitarist and Al the drummer. Die So Fluid is a rock band

entertain the idea of help from within the music business of a more traditional

with a maverick attitude, we’ve travelled a very DIY and independent path so far,

nature. We’ve always been open minded on the subject but so far haven’t been

and this has attracted a cult-like following and enough support to enable us to

offered anything interesting enough to lure us away from operating things our-

continue. We regard music as art, preferring to challenge ourselves and use our

selves, and we’re not about to commit financial suicide. We’re a band who have

own instincts to evolve. Our fans recognize that and appreciate the soul and

suffered at the hands of several labels we’ve licensed to, and we’ve put a great

diversity that stems from not being afraid to cross genres and explore different

deal of work into reclaiming our back catalogue. We recently removed all our

sources of music. The music primarily draws on metal and post punk but if we

material from Spotify which had gotten over 5 million hits, created a best of’

want to use folk or blues or classical we will. However, we don’t rap. I know that’s

album for streaming sites called ‘Kisses and Kicks’, because none of the royalties

a disappointment to some!!

were filtering through to us! What always keeps us going is our bond and that we love making music. Die So Fluid has grown steadily and is always gaining

BWD: From your debut release ‘Operation Hypocrite’ to your latest album

momentum, it’s not really an effort to do what you love when it comes down to

‘The Opposites Of Light’ Die So Fluid have been anything but ‘just a band’..?

it, no matter how much work or battle is involved. That’s what I focus on now if

Well as I said we strive to keep pushing ourselves creatively, and on the new al-

stuff gets me down.

bum, The Opposites Of Light, we have certainly taken two extremes of the sound we’ve come to be recognized for and really explored them. There are two distinct

BWD: Appearances across the globe aside, what do you ultimately see as Die

sections on the album, we’ve named them ‘Shakura’ and ‘Pah’. These are the So-

So Fluid’s destination?

lar and Lunar deities of the matriarchal Pawnee Native Americans. The titles

We need the whole operation to become more streamlined and reach all our fans.

appealed to me because the writing was influenced greatly by a host of things

It’s easy to jump to conclusions about what you think a band sounds like, well, we

that fascinated and captured my imagination after I relocated to America. There

sound like Die so Fluid and we’ll be your new favourite band once you hear it! It

are themes inspired by ancient spirits of the desert, the dustbowl of the 1930s

is fantastic that we have this cool underground ‘best kept secret’ thing going on,

and the immense and divine power of nature (check out our video for Black Bliz-

but art is made to connect people and we don’t want to be underdogs forever. We

zard), the transience of people both in survival and in search of their dreams and

would love the chance to communicate on a much larger scale with this band.

destiny, the courage and tragedy involved. Stories whispered to me by ghosts,

Sometimes I feel discouraged, as if the ‘holier than thou’ music biz taste makers

and it also comments on the Armageddon obsession that seems somehow both

have decided we should be ignored for whatever reason, maybe misogynistic,

apathetically and uncomfortably accepted and lodged in our general conscious-

maybe not, anyway, in the end it just fuels my fire to create. There have been

ness now. When I write I often feel like I’m just a channel for voices, so I hope

individuals along the way who have encouraged and supported us, and kept us

that these voices resonate with you! The ‘Opposites of Light’ is officially released

strong, such as our manager and his business partner, our Finnish agent, our

on May 5. However, it will be available for pre-release and pre-order before then

sound man, and of course fans who’ve become more than that, have always been

and we recommend you check in to our Facebook page, website or twitter for

there through thick and thin, all of whom have our deepest thanks and respect.

updates on this.

BWD: And finally, finish this sentence; How much wood would Chuck Norris BWD: The world clearly listens when Die So Fluid speaks, answering with

chuck if..?

invites to appear on stages across the world..?

...his pants blew off the washing line and got stuck in a tree and he was throw-

We’ve built up a good live reputation and love touring, it’s an honour to be want-

ing sticks up at the pants to dislodge them. A bundle. A bundle of underwear

ed around the world! I hope the new album is going to enforce this and see us

dislodging sticks.

BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 13

5 tips for taking The Arse Out Of Rehearse There’s a long way to go before you bestride the stage as the enigmatic Though rocking on up with a sheet of paper detailing to the very entertainer secretly feeding their Lama addiction with the royalties off second each and every members movements within the time you a string of number one hits and refusing to fall out of bed for less than have is likely to get you using the floor to catch your face after the gross national expenditure of the army; all the horror headlines your now-former group eject you from the room having some of the tabloids and the endless energies of audience adulation don’t kind of structure to the whole process will reap dividends in the just fall into your passed-out-by-the-amps-open-mouth. Behind all the end. spot-lights and hangers-on handed out invites to social gatherings and red-carpet affairs there is someone with a carefully scripted and detailed So focus on what it is you’re there to do (create music) and look plan mapping out almost every step along your path to the top.

at what you want to achieve before each rehearsal (completion of that new song, sorting out the middle eight of that other track).

However, that doesn’t begin once you’ve signed on the dotted line; and With a firm idea of what you are all there for and what goal you if you’ve any hope of seeing your face next to a much leaner, younger, are heading towards in that session you will be more productive hungrier incarnation of yourself on a television show harking back to the within the time you have without making it feel like school or stars of yesteryear then you should be making plans and implementing worse - work. regimes right from the moment you commit your relationship to music as something more than a passing bed-fellow of wild drunken nights and booty calls of early lonesome mornings.

So when stepping into your rehearsal space, whether it be the first or fifty first time, you should be equipped and ready with.

a plan

Clutter Isn’t Conducive To Creation

2.

Taking the first Tip one step further and slightly to the left, you should be looking to plan your time in an area that allows your artistic freedom to thrive.

A floor full of take-away boxes and beer cans doesn’t make it any less likely a space to make the majesty of your imagination real,

1.

It’s not about limiting the amount of fun you have nor does it promise anything more than perhaps a few trips to the in a rehearsal, it’s about balancing the serious floor at unexpected times when suddenly attacked by whatever side of composition with the social side of friends detritus is laying about and around. enjoying the moment. Much like school you can look to your time in the studio as chunks to be However, the fewer distractions around you the better, and with a

labelled ‘ideas’, ‘break’, ‘practicing material’ and so on...

clean(ish) space to rehearse in you will find the flow of creativity gushing a lot freer than if encumbered by the log jam of left-over

14 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com

lettuce from your Whopper littering up your Loafers, an aluminium

The moment you start expecting someone else to pick up your slack, how-

army awaiting your unwary tread.

ever, is when things can go wrong. If you are the one entrusted to update the social sites and inform your fans of your bands doings and haven’t, then

The type of distraction littering your view can also be stretched to

no excuse short of a dead family member really excuses the fact you did

include mobiles and similar, the constant interruption of a ‘Bing!’

not do ‘your job’.

or ‘Biddly-biddly-beep!’ of a new message from someone on your social feed forever sticking its nose into the world of wonder you’re

Yes, it was quite late when you remembered you had to put the last gig

paying through the nose per hour to enjoy.

pictures up on your website, and you certainly would have taken care of it if it hadn’t been for being blah-blah-blah-blah, of course and have no doubt.

Unless you’re waiting on some life or death news it’s fairly safe to

However, what you may see as reasonable will be (for better or worse) read

turn all communication botherers onto mute for the time you are

as an excuse for something not happening. The world doesn’t see things

rehearsing together - try to keep replying to these missives to the

from your point of view exclusively; people tend to focus on what they

aforementioned Break or even after you’re done. No-one will think

think, what they see, how they are affected by something. This is hardly a

less of you for having to wait a while before reading your response

secret I’m letting slip here, but it’s amazing how many bands and artists

to the picture of next door’s a cat swallowing a Nerf ball, after all.

(even very, very well-known ones) think people will forgive them their mistakes/forgotten posts if they look and sound contrite. They may forgive but

Music Should Motivate You

they won’t forget; and neither will anyone else associated with your music should your failures to implement ideas or fulfil your obligations becomes a regular happenstance. It will show your complete lack of respect for your

3.

If you find yourself looking with dread at the big

audience, your band members, and your music that - whether you like it

Red Cross on your calendar marked Rehearsal

or not - will turn your fans into frustrated former followers, your career in

rather than feeling your inner muse fire up and

music into an unfunny punchline.

start kicking your hindbrain for some attention then it’s unlikely you’re going to be in the right

Do Your Homework

frame of mind to create. If anything, it’ll turn what used to be one of the highlights of your week into a super-sized slice of misery heaped onto your plate, to be shared and endured by the others in your group as your apathy seeps from your soul and saturates your surroundings. Clearly something has gone awry along the way, and simply turning up to fill out the room and pay your share of the costs isn’t going to do anybody involved any good whatsoever.

5.

It’s not just once or twice a week you should be rehearsing your part; it should be as often and as frequent as your own time schedule will allow.

Practice makes perfect, as the old saying goes, and when not gathered together in the formal

setting of a rehearsal you should be looking at what it is your part entails So look at what turned your frown upside down and figure out a way past

within the song and focussing on how to maximize its impact and sound.

it; outside influences such as life have a tendency of getting in the way at times, as does the constant grind of repetition without result. Maybe you

If you’re the guitarist then it’s a given you will be expected to play the

just aren’t feeling the music anymore, and want to go in a completely differ-

notes cleanly and without mistake; but what about adding a little lick here

ent direction; maybe the group of musicians around you aren’t pulling their

or an extended squeal there to really drive home the song at that point?

weight creatively or otherwise; whatever the reason or rhyme, a time-out

As a drummer you’re the heart-beat of the band, controlling the flow of the

from the rehearsal room could be all that’s needed to re-invigorate your

rhythm and unheeded ties to the track that anchor your audiences ears and

drive, and at the very least will give you space to consider your emotions

hips to the motion of the movement. So would a light high-hat rather than

and where you see your time (and money) being spent best.

a huge cymbal smash really emphasize the tormented soul of destruction bleeding through the groups collective soul more effectively? Vocalists

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

have an almost carte blanche platter of plenty to put down a line or six wherever their fancy finds favour, and as it will be the thing most front-and-

4.

A band of musicians performing together is like

centre in the song it’s essential they’re as polished and perfect as possible.

a marriage without the sex. Emotionally you are tied to these people with an unspoken bond of

Try out new ideas away from rehearsal so you can better explain them

trust and respect, each following the unspoken

when in the room, delivering what you think works in an as near to finished

rules of societies niceties’ for the most part (don’t

realization will not only get your ideas across quicker and easier but will

cuss them out or be rude for no reason, remember to say please and thank

be clearer and more likely picked up and run with if truly as good as you

you, etc...) with a certain level of disparaging and insults for when it’s time

think - with the invaluable bonus of you knowing the track inside, outside,

to kick back and make with the good times had by all.

upside and down, which - as a musician - should really go without saying.

BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 15

T

aking inspiration from the old English expression regarding gentleman from Britain and

EXCLUSIVE interview

canines being most likely to be found strolling without during the noontime heat of the day this Manchester, UK rock band are 3 of the finest

BWD: We hear the call to ‘heel’ and proffer a cuppa and say

embodiments of Britain’s best, boldest and brightest incumbents

please; introduce yourselves..?

of the genre - sanity notwithstanding.

Hi BWD magazine! We are Mad Dogs And Englishmen, three hard rock titans from Manchester, L.A. McCabe on Bass/Lead Vocals, Mark

Having already seen the UK gigging scene become a second

‘Wail Shark’ Taylor on Guitars and Eddie Leopard on drums/backing

home for the band LA McCabe, Wail Shark, and Eddie Leopard are

vocals.

quickly setting their sights on the shores of the US of A itself, Mad Dogs And Englishmen unable to be constrained within Blighty’s

BWD: Three people combine to create a sound fitting a stadium

borders.

setting, consuming the listener with tight rhythms, huge riffs, and all-consuming passion. One question; how?

Delivering a call to

Our influences have come

indulge in the lev-

from many different areas

ity of lyrics and

of rock/metal spanning for

less-is-more mastery

decades but we’ve found

of anthemic music

that a core number of bands

the three piece have

have really inspired us and

made their name by

influenced us in writing our

their debut 5 track EP

own music. I’d say these

Live And Unleashed...

were Black Sabbath, Led

At The Temple Of Fire

Zeppelin, Metallica, Guns N’

announced the trio

Roses and possibly a bit of

as a straight out, hard

thrash in there as well with

rock homunculus of

Slayer and early Machine

harmony and heavy

Heads. All these influences

riffs, empowering ear

combined together have

splitting songs and

been our inspiration when

vocals with more bite than a...well...a mad dog.

writing our own songs and to help add a bit more dynamism to our tunes so we’ll have hard hitting riffs inspired by Sabbath, epic lead

Influenced by such bands as Guns N’ Roses, Orange Goblin, Led

solos reminiscent of Slash at his peak but also quieter more melodic

Zeppelin and the mighty ‘Sabbath themselves Mad Dogs And

songs that bands like Zeppelin and Guns N’ Roses were also known

Englishmen’s sound is an ear-gasmic amalgamation of what has

for. Plus our lead singer has a strong punk influence so you’ll find

come before; retaining the originals passion of performance

we are a heavy rock/metal band but with punk driven (as opposed to

and integrity of the artiste’ the band have ripped apart, laid out,

generic metal) vocals which helps differentiate us from a lot of other

focused and toned with a masterly ear, and returned a sound that

bands.

is the embodiment of rock we all know and love but with incredibly tight music-muscle structure and none of the ego-bloat.

The reaction from fans at gigs is always great, people are always blown away by our massive sound, how tight we are and most impor-

With the sun still happily adorning a rather jolly hat in its

tantly they all love our tunes. As I mentioned above, there’s a good

residence within the Centre of the skies above our heads BWD

mix in our music and there’s something for everyone, plus you can

Magazine slapped on the sun screen and renewed our rabies shots

understand our vocals which sets us apart from a lot of other heavy

and braved the stifling unpopulated streets of the land to seek

bands.

out Mad Dogs And Englishmen and ask them the why, the what, the who and the ‘huh?’ of this hot new band.

The sound itself comes from knowing our own equipment inside out and how to get the best from it after years of experimentation and knowledge of what really makes a good sound and what makes a

mad dogs & englishmen 16 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com

difference on stage. Our guitarist for example has had the same rig for

followed by ‘Chaos In The Kasbah’; one of the bands earliest tunes, the

a long time so knows exactly what to do to get the best sound from

slower but fan favourite ‘Kept in The Dark’, the fast Moterhead influ-

his amp. Our drummer invested a lot of time determining the right

enced ‘Super Overdrive’ and then the chilled out closer ‘Pictures’. All

drum set up that he wanted for Mad Dogs which now helps form the

five tracks highlight the different dynamics of the band’s song writing

big powerful Mad Dogs’ sound. Basically we know that to get the best

capabilities. The EP received great reviews from both critics and fans

sound you need good quality gear! Also, being a three piece helps to

alike, the rawness of the sound, being recorded within the practice

forge our tight sound, there aren’t two or three guitars fighting for

room combined with the great production and song writing helped

space in the sound, there’s just one massive guitar sound to blow you

Mad Dogs gain a whole new army of admirers. In December 2013 Mad

away! Add to that a tight rhythm section and regular practice and

Dogs released a new single ‘Ledrose’ and are on the brink of releasing

there you have it the Mad Dogs wall of sound!

their second EP ‘These Are Not Poetic Times’ to coincide with their April tour, a launch party may also be in the pipeline.

BWD: Currently to be found bringing musical manna to the masses in the UK we hear the band has its sights set Stateside..?

BWD: With the music industry seemingly relying on reality show

The band have an upcoming tour in April named ‘These Are Not Poetic

competitions and cookie-cutter pop stars how has the internet

Times’ tour. This will mainly take in venues around the North West UK

helped bring Mad Dogs And Englishmen to its audience, connect

and North Wales. We did a successful tour last year which saw us play

with its fans, and build its fan-base..?

dates across the UK, we then went back in the studio to write and

We’ve found that with sites such as Facebook and Twitter we can now

record so are now excited to get back on the road again! In terms of

promote our music and gigs much more easily to a wider audience.

future touring, the band are willing to play wherever people want to

Because we grew up and were playing in bands before social media

hear us, we are looking to increase our fan base with every show. In

came about, admittedly we probably don’t use these sites as well as

the pipeline is a possible tour of the Midlands in the UK which after

we could do to their maximum potential. We still believe some of the

all is the home of metal! Unlike a lot of younger bands though we’re

best ways to promote ourselves are the ‘old skool’ methods of playing a

not prepared to play for free especially if it’s a venue further afield. We

great gig, handing out some CD’s and getting some names on the mail-

think a lot of bands get ripped off by venues and aren’t prepared to let

ing list. Social media does help make this process a lot easier though

anyone rip off the Dogs!

and we now have an excellent new manager who knows how to use these sites a lot more than we do so this has helped a lot!

We’ve been played a lot in the US by internet radio and to play in the states would be awesome! We think the Mad Dogs sound is well suited

Whilst we’re still building a fan base, the internet can only help us and

to the US and everyone over there would totally dig the band!

our step will be to create some videos for the band on YouTube – so Watch this Space!

BWD: Your debut EP Live And Unleashed......At the Temple Of Fire gave us five fantastic -tracks from the band, but when will we be

BWD: And finally; tea and crumpets or Jack and Coke?

delivered a full album of awesome from the group..?

Jägermeister slurped off a hooker’s thighs (whilst listening to Slayer).

Live And Unleashed was written and recorded in Mad Dogs’ practice room AKA ‘The Temple of Fire’. It was essentially recorded live by the

Contact Information

band and mixed by our drummer Eddie Leopard who has his own studio gear set up in the room. After several months of rehearsing and

Website: www.maddogsandenglishmen.webs.com

gelling as a band, a number of songs were forged which we decided to

Twitter: @M_D_A_E

record and then re-record and these would become the tracks on ‘Live

Facebook: MadDogsAndEnglishmen

and Unleashed’. You have the big riff heavy opener ‘Influential People’,

Photo Credits: Mad Dogs And Englishmen - All Rights Reserved BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 17

FERAL SUN

W

ith their upcoming 2014 debut album release Evacuate

With music guru Emma Scott at the helm Feral Sun set sail for the shores

filling eleven tracks with more power and passion, rock

of Stakeout Studios – known for their work with such bands as You, Me At

and raw realness than any other band currently fighting for

Six, We Are The Ocean, and Reuben - wherein they struck musical gold in the

space on your playlist Feral Sun are the band most likely

eleven treasures delivered on their album Evacuate.

to finally answer the call to arms for a ‘rock’-solid mast to

pin your music flag to.

Having such a Lord’s wealth of talent at their disposal has seen the band surfacing on the radars of some of the music industry leading giants, Sony

Coming from the heart of the UK in London this fantastic foursome of musi-

Entertainment Games being the one any would consider an impressive

cians are the promise-with-intent for those wishing their playlist hadn’t

target to hit first time.

lost its mighty metal balls around the time high street stores started selling Motorhead t-shirts festooned with sequins.

With rumblings from several other interested parties joining in the stomping of feet and

As an acclaimed hard hitting

chorus of crowd and

and heavy band they certainly

press acclaim it’s look-

have punch behind their on-

ing like it’s time to bat-

stage penache; single releases

ten down the hatches

Long Road and Breathe bringing

and make some poster-

the masses to their knees in

sized space on bedroom

supplication and thanks with as

walls, as the storm Feral

they tore through speaker grills

Sun are creating on the

across Europe and rattled the

music horizon is look-

fillings of audiences in Canada,

ing to be an apoplectic

UK, and just about everywhere

announcement of rock

a radio station wants to deliver

returning to the real

only the best to its listening

meaning of the genre.

audience.

With an umbrella in one hand, an autograph book in the other, BWD Support for the bands domination of decibels has left packed houses

Magazine rolled up its trousers to the knees and donned the traditional

demanding more of the group long after the final few notes of the encore

sea-side attire of knotted hanky on the head and waded out into the swirl-

have faded and the cockerels are checking their alarms and the venues

ing seas around the good ship Feral Sun; to bask in their rays of brilliance

have begun looking at their license to see if they are allowed to stay open

and warm our bones before their blazing sounds, and seek their counsel

24 hours; earning the accolade of being part of the Top Ten Most Wanted

regarding those about to rock.

for five consecutive weeks and establishing themselves as credible chart troublers it was with no small surprise the group were quickly snapped up

by Pluggin’ Baby.

18 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com

EXCLUSIVE interview

BWD: With a huge hearty handshake we say hello, and you are..?

BWD: Your music has already taken the airwaves across the globe by storm,

Mick Burns, Vocals/Guitar of Feral Sun.

and we even hear talk of interest from the highest of high-ups in the music industry?

BWD: Let’s cut to the nub of things, if we may, and ask what we and your

Yeah, we are stoked! It’s all thanks to the lovely (EX- KERRANG DJ) EMMA SCOTT

fans are all wanting to know; when are you releasing your debut album

(Pluggin’ Baby) who has been overseeing all our Radio Pluggin’ and PR over the

Evacuate?

last few months in the UK, Europe, Canada and parts of the USA. The response

Well... I’m happy to say that the Album is set for Release on March 31st and

for both our singles “LONG ROAD” and “BREATHE” has been amazing and has

will be available on ITunes for Pre-Order way before then! We have been work-

caught the attention of both industry professionals and our fans alike. Although

ing alongside our artist in Spain who has given us the final artwork for the

we are still waiting on more news, I guess we must be doing something right

album cover and it looks amazing! Hard copies of our Album “EVACUATE” are

when Sony Entertainment Games wants to get their hands on your tracks!

currently in the printing stage and will be available at all our shows and at our Merchant store. Shows and Tour dates are being booked as we speak and will

Emma Scott will soon be Pluggin’ our album title single “EVACUATE” a week

be announced shortly, but for all our fans in London, see all you “MuvvaRockers”

before the release of the album and all we can say is get ready, as its most

at our launch party at The BARFLY in Camden on May 3rd.

definitely going to be “Ripping up the Airwaves”. In 2013, we joined forces with Warren Gibson at PlugMusic in South Africa and released a (South African Radio

BWD: You’ve already established Feral Sun as a credible band in the rock

Exclusive) single “INTO PIECES” which charted in the Top 10 “Most Wanted”

genre; it seems the band have managed to fill the gap left behind as reality

Chart on Tuks FM for 5 Consecutive weeks and peaked at number 2 twice in a

show singers and over hyped one-hit-wonders claw desperately at the music

row. With “Into Pieces” getting on to many radio playlists and fans around the

buying public from the backs of their band wagons...?

country starting to talk about FERAL SUN, we are now stoked to be in discussion

I guess this might sound like a bit of a Cliché but, it’s all thanks to our amazing

with booking agents over there now looking to get us over for a Nationwide

fans out there who have been supporting us from around the world. Without

Tour in 2014/15. It does not end there as we are now also being looked at by

them, what we have achieved so far would not be possible! We always try and

some festivals in Germany and Belgium, so it’s getting very exciting indeed…

keep a strong connection between us and our fans on a more personal level, a

Watch this Space!

part that I feel a few bands forget along the way or do not understand. We make a point of listening to all our fans from near and far and together we grew as a

BWD: As a British band do you believe there is just something in the genes

band writing the best songs we could. With this in Mind, the response from all

that afford groups such as Sabbath, Maiden, and now yourselves an edge

our fans regarding the new songs on “EVACUATE” has been phenomenal and we

over the rest of the world..?

can’t wait to get it out there.

Well as there are so many big bands that came out of the UK, I guess it does seem like it in some way. I suppose, some of the great bands possibly had better

We have a good feeling about this Album, and we feel that it just might be the

chances at the time of getting the big labels to assist them in Global domina-

stepping stone towards our goal of getting our music to the masses. With hard

tion. Saying that, with the music industry now in shambles, labels are almost

work, determination, getting our music out to as many people as possible and

a thing of the past and bands are becoming independent. I don’t think we have

perhaps a stroke of Luck, joining some of the “Big Names” in the “Big Smoke” is

anything over other bands, except perhaps where we are situated on the globe.

starting to look like it could become a reality one day. Just keep spreading the

Being in the UK which is basically central over the Northern Hemisphere makes

word peeps!

travel to Europe and the USA a lot easier than a band from Australia for instance.

One other thing I could think of is, recording studios and producers…There are

BWD: There is certainly a lot of layers to the music, with the whole being a

some great ones across the UK. Having a good sounding Demo, Single or Album

distinctive, compelling sound unique to the group?

will go a long way!

The great thing about FERAL SUN and our music is that we have all come from different parts of the world and have brought a little piece of our past

BWD: Penultimate question time! Complete the following sentence; To

experiences and influences into our music! Within this we have Drummer Jay

paraphrase the mighty AC/DC ‘For those about to rock…’ with Tequila in the

Stephenson, and Bassist Alex Nikitin who love their Rock/Metal, but have a Hip

Mosh Pit!

Hop side to them too. Then you have myself on Vocals/Guitar and Lead Guitar Maestro Marco Lo Coco mainly influenced by Rock, Grunge, Metal, Prog and

BWD: And finally; what parts of the world are Feral Sun looking to next as

Blues, making it quite an interesting Mix as a whole. We started out writing

part of its crusade to return rock back to the fore and full of grr and grit..?

an album’s worth of tracks, got to play them live and then slowly found these

At the moment we are looking at a few countries within Europe, America, Japan

songs being taken off the list as we ended up writing better songs that are now

and also South Africa! We can’t wait…..!

featured on the album. When people ask us the question, “How do you describe your music?” the answer is always “Beautiful and Fat”.

Contact Information Website: www.feralsun.com Twitter: @FeralSun

Some of our influences over the years in no particular order: Soundgarden, Stone Sour, Dream theatre, Sevendust, Alter Bridge and many more….!

Facebook: FeralSunRock Photo Credits: Feral Sun - All Rights Reserved

BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 19

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20 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com

moona A picture, they say, paints a thousand words; worlds within worlds and wis-

Now taking himself from the relative solitude of South East Washington, D.C

dom within the whimsy, few can fail to be moved to an emotional high when

Moona has revealed yet another string to his bow in the field of music, his

finding themselves standing in the presence of greatness generously af-

grasp with a pen a match for his grasp with a brush as he stepped onto the

forded to them by the minds of the truly insightful. The artists whose works

stage and turned the world on its head. Featuring on the upcoming Rap God

detail a mind capable of withdrawing the beauty and inner workings of life

album by acclaimed musician Te’Boogie, Moona has brought his talent as a

from the distractions and slight of hand the day-to-day grind presents with

graduate of the artists’ greats into the rhythm and beats of the music elite,

unnerving distraction.

further underlining the magnitude of respect afforded by his audience.

From Picasso to Pulp, Beethoven to Banksy, the contentious argument of

With the launch of his MoonaCollection brand taking New York by storm with

what can and cannot be construed as art has always found itself fiercely

his self-titled Gigged Up Style the promise of a fresh summer line-up serves

debated and discussed by the audience itself rather than the artist respon-

only to further build upon the legacy Moona has started.

sible, each new piece of work a sacrifice of their soul upon the alter of the ever unfiltered and forever unfettered mouth-piece known as public opinion.

A legacy he is determined to see to fruition; “I just want to be remembered

Misunderstood and more often than not unappreciated in their own time

as one of the greatest artists of my generation,’ the artist explained to BWD

it requires an incredibly gifted artist to scale the despair and mis-under-

Magazine when talking of his passion ‘this is just a step to get me closer to

standing of others to reach the heights of success and acclaim their genius

where I want to be.’

demands.

With a feeling the path he’s walking is one worth treading in his shadow With the world’s latest unveiling of possibly one of its greatest discoveries

with, you can find where that may be by clicking one of the links into the

of the twenty first century artist, musician, and master of the emotion Moona

world of Moona.

has stepped out from the shadows to become one of the most exciting and deservedly talked about names in the field of contemporary creativity.

Born Trayon Lamont Speight the twenty two year old Moona has been guided

Contact Information: Twitter: @FollowTMC

in his expression within the arts through the nurturing understanding of his

Instagram: MoonaCollection

father, the notable and talented brains behind the world renowned Speight

Photo Credits: @OneLoveSsInc - All Rights Reserved

Sport brand.

.

Precocious to a point as ever such individuals are Moona’s youth was spent mainly in the worlds his artistic mind created; inspired by the works of Jackson Pollack, Jean-Michel Basquiat, pop-art purveyor Andy Warhol and the unparralled Esra Roise the recognized geniuses of the field became his hand-picked tutors, his lessons spent exploring the depths of expression and boarders of what had come before to better redefine the horizons into exotic new shapes and intriguing enclaves of colour that demand the attentions and regale the senses.

BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 21

broad street music group ‘T

o be a part of history, first you must make it.’

chasm between the printed- and online-press, commands the crowds across social sites, and also has the ear of several of the most experienced industry insiders, and Broad Street Music Group

Such is the unspoken mantra one could attribute behind

look set to fill the mighty shoes of the once great Warner and

Philadelphia area based Broad Street Music Group, an uncompro-

Universal themselves.

mising venture between an amalgamation of minds endeavouring to share some of the best nouse and know-how in the industry

Eager to help push the drive for new and emerging artists into

with the purpose of using their talent and expertise to uncover

the faces of all and sundry BWD Magazine grabbed its shoving

the best of the unseen music-scene.

stick and Anti-Spotlight Glare cream and set out to ask Broad Street Music Group all about its modus operandi; the reason behind its

Delivering some of the most highly prized stages of meritori-

raison d’etre, and who would sing what song best?

ous musical ascension normally the preserve of the signed artist beneath the sneaker-clad feet of the unsigned aspirer is an elephantine task, for sure. However, through aspiring to be more

exclusive interview

than just another ‘go-to’ avenue offering choice words of promise that remain solely that, Broad Street Music Group bought together all the various branches and routes and directional pointers into a multifaceted independent production network, capable of being able to bring the brightest of spot-lights leading to the Walk Of

BWD: Welcome to BWD Magazine; would you care to introduce

Fame onto the beguiling charm of the underground artist.

yourselves...?

By affording a way for small bands or those still working on

We are the Broad Street Music Group. Home of the undiscovered musi-

establishing their audience a chance of walking the boards of

cian, based out of the Philadelphia area. Over the past year, Broad

the more iconic, widely known and attended venues Broad Street

Street Music Group has built a team-infrastructure of over 20 passion-

Music Group have given every superstar-to-be the opportunity of

ate, music loving, young individuals -- catering to over 800 artists in

honing their craft before a larger audience; learning the subtle

less than a 2 years’ time.

nuances in their stagecraft that will see them turn a three-chair gig performance into a ten thousand seater sensation, techniques

Broad Street Music Group was just featured in the Philadelphia News

no amount of hometown bar or back-garden performances will

for being a thriving small-business that is providing substantial

bestow.

opportunities for the local community. From the fraternity basement to winning the “Philly’s Best Show & Series” award for shows at the

Underpinning the appearance opportunities is a front line of

Hard Rock Cafe & World Cafe Live, Broad Street Music Group has gone

promotion experts geared up to bringing out in print the aural

a long way in such a short time.

wonderment of works of art Broad Street Music Group represents; combined with a munificence of media contacts that covers the

BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 22

BWD: If we can take a moment to get under the skin a bit, as

BWD: Penultimate question time! Which song would you like to

it were; who are the people, the faces, the minds behind Broad

hear being sung by which artist?

Street Music Group..?

UNDISCOVERED choice: “Lighthouse” by The Burgeoning ----Writing this is Dave Silver, founder & CEO of Broad Street Music

MAINSTREAM choice: “Hey Mama” by Kanye West.

Group – but as a company, Broad Street Music Group is made up 3 owners (Will Toms, Yehoshua Freed, and Dave Silver). Each owner

BWD: And finally; where can we learn more about Broad Street

maintains a different branch of the company; Silver overseeing the

Music Group?

Booking & Event Production – Toms heading the Media & Branding Department – and Freed manning the Promotions & Finances sector.

The best place to find all things Broad Street Music related

Besides the owners, the BSMG team is made up of a bunch of other

would be on www.broadstmusicgroup.com

amazingly talented and hardworking individuals that keep the wheels spinning. Most notably; Production Manager – Andrew Rohe, Lead

You can also find us on Twitter & Instagram at @BroadSt_Music

Photographer – Kev Smith, Booking Agent – Rachel Barrish, Website

– and on Facebook at FB.com/BroadStreetMusic

Manager – Michael Hueter, Event Coordinator – Shaun Irwin, Accounts Manager – Harris Pike (and that’s just to name a few).

BWD: You offer musicians the chance to really show what they can do in venues that might otherwise have been beyond their reach...?

Yes, over the past year Broad Street Music Group has really excelled at finding premier opportunities for the undiscovered musician. Starting from a fraternity basement and now booking shows at venues such as Hard Rock Café & World Café Live – we strive to provide high quality gigs for these musicians in order to get their own brand exposed to the Philadelphia music scene.

BWD: How is Broad Street Music Group able to command such focus without diluting its attentions to the individual musician?

This is a tough one. With the amount of talent that comes through our organization on a daily basis, we are continuously asking ourselves why we don’t just manage these artists in the first place. A good handful of these bands are going to make it in today’s industry, and people think we are crazy for not “taking a piece” of the action. But truthfully, we are not prepared to take on the responsibility of a management team (yet). We want our sole focus to be these events and on increasingly improving our network to provide the most professional opportunities for these creative folk. Soon enough, when the man power is there and we master our event structure, management might not be out of the question.

Contact Information

BWD: You’ve already made your mark as a company of some

Website: www. broadstmusicgroup.com

weight, having won Philadelphia’s Best Show & Series award for

Twitter: @BroadSt_Music

presentations of artists at the Hard Rock Cafe & World Cafe Live?

Facebook: BroadStreetMusic Photo Credits: Broad Street Music Group - All Rights Reserved

It really was such an honour to have won that award this past December. For us, having the city acknowledge our hard work for over the past year was the best feeling. Next stop…the Grammys!

BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com • 23

buffalo bites monthly feature As an artist your talent will only get you so far; when looking to break into

added some electric guitar and piano for textures. I say ‘piano’ - we used the

the attentions of the listening world with a track of solid fried gold it is

virtual piano MiniGrand included in Pro Tools, and with some gentle tweak-

to a producer the musician must put their faith, vision and career into the

ing we managed to get a great real sounding ambient vibe going. We then

hands of.

mixed it through a plate reverb plugin and presto!

The perfect blending of sound that takes the noise in your head and turns

Sometimes I’m requested to go where the artist needs me to be, so at home

it into the ballad in your audiences ears requires more than a spare few

I’m currently running a mobile system: 2012 17” MacBook Pro spec’d up to

hours and a cracked music program to achieve; it requires a producer

bursting with 1Tb thunderbolt external drive, it has Pro Tools 10 running

whose energies and passion for the medium will reflect directly in the final

through an Mbox 3 Pro with various preamps/mic’s. Monitoring is done

compositional take.

through a pair of KRK VXT6 active monitors and an iPod Dock and a TV to check the mixes on.

With over twenty years’ experience in the creative audio world and six years behind the mixing desk learning from of one of the Midlands best

I’m also in the lucky position of being able to test prototype designs for my

producers Gareth Rogers is one of few such producers with a reputation for

incredibly clever tech mate. These preamps are a step above the rest but

helping musicians create aural gold; having been the magician behind the

that’s all I can say for now.

mix producing some of the industry’s most famous of names - including Led Zepplin legend Robert Plant, The Editors, The Twang, Ocean Colour

It’s a very portable and powerful system and with the option to run it along-

Scene, Scott Matthews as well as a cheeky session with recent chart sensa-

side a commercial studio session we can have a second system set up pure-

tion Paolo Nutini - the student turned master and realized they became

ly for editing or prep before bringing audio files back into the main session.

the latest measure de’ musique by launching Buffalo Music Production and

(Especially handy for sessions where time is of the essence). However, for

Recording.

this recording we were doing well for time as Aiden was so well rehearsed.

(Producers’ Point #1; It really does make everything easier when you’re ready,

Ever at the forefront of bringing our readers the insights and inner-working

know the material inside out, and don’t have a huge hangover!)

of the music industries machinations we present Buffalo Bites, a new feature providing you with a behind-the-scenes peek at the world of the producer

I don’t have a ton of fancy gear or my own full studio complex but when

courtesy of Producer Par Excellence, Gareth Rogers...

I need those facilities I’ve built a great bond with Foel, a great place in mid-Wales with a great history in rock music - more about that next month

That’s enough of that stuff...

when I’ve been back there with Malone Malone, a young band making a big impact on the Birmingham scene with their foot tapping, head nodding

This month I’ve been working mostly with a young singer/songwriter by the

clean edged indie sound (Producers’ Point #2; Check out the first single from

name of Aiden Best. Aiden’s been gigging for a few years with various bands

them ‘New Turn’ which was recorded a couple of months back, available on

and is currently settling on his solo career. His influences are clear in a

SoundCloud now.)

unique blend of English Folk and real life lyrics. The occasional Billy Bragg vocal styling appears occasionally and his voice has an honest ‘every-man’

Well that’s it! I hope you’ve enjoyed a little dip into my world and until next

quality I think most people could relate to.

month, keep marching to your own beat!

Not only that but he’s a good chap with a keen drive and is incredibly easy

Buffalo Music Production - www.facebook.com/gazz.rogers

to work with, which is always useful when you’re going to be spending a

Aiden Best - https://www.facebook.com/CowwHead

large amount of time together in a close space.

Foel Studio - http://www.foelstudio.co.uk/ Malone Malone - https://www.facebook.com/malonemalonemalone

Aiden’s session was over a weekend in my project studio in Wolverhampton, England. The bulk of the 6 tracks were acoustic guitar and vocal, then we

24 • BWD Magazine • www.bwdmagazine.com

Photo Credits: Buffalo Bites - All Rights Reserved