FREE
CENTRAL PA.
Aug 13, 2010
PLUG’D IN The Hard-Rock'n Bi-Weekly Magazine You wont find this stuff anywhere else!
www.centralpapluggedin.com Inside this Issue:
Exclusive interviews w/ Bill Leverty (Firehouse), Piggy D (Rob Zombie), and Wednesday 13 (Murderdolls), The Breakdown w/ Bandi, Local CD Review: Alustrium, Business Spotlight: Gotham City Tattoo, and a whole bunch of completely useless, crappy information.
This issue of Plug’d In brought to you by:
www.shoo610.com
From the Throne of the Rock God Rants, Raves, and , News for the Minions
Finally! We‟ve been getting some work done on the website. We officially have way more content than we know what to do with. Each week we reformat and make changes to try and squeeze as much as we can into an issue for you. Currently we are focusing on our summer festival and tour coverage from events such as Mayhem Fest and Summer Slaughter. That‟s only the tip of the iceberg though….our archive doors are busting with exclusive interviews, pictures, and reviews. We are showcasing our exclusive interviews and business spotlights now on our blog page. Keep checking daily for all the new material we‟re uploading. We are working out the bugs, making sure the links work, and all that cool technical bullshit. Its still pretty low-tech, but we love it that way. Screw the bells and whistles...our goal is to bring you exclusive stuff you cant find anywhere else, not pretty packaging. I want to personally thank everyone for all of your support. Its not easy doing what we do. We appreciate all of your feedback and will continue to do our best and bring you all the stuff you cant find anywhere else. Your feedback is very important to us and we aim to please you. Where do you want us to come? What shows should we review? What bands are killing the scene? Who‟s your favorite, or who can‟t you stand? We want to know!
www.centralpapluggedin.com www.myspace.com/centralpapluggedin www.facebook.com/centralpa.plugdin
Driving-Metal Entertainment Booking
07/16/10
Aug. 20th - GREAT WHITE SINGING ALL THE ORIGINALS!! LIMITED 75 VIP TICKETS FOR PRIORITY ENTRANCE, BAND MEET - N - GREET AND AUTOGRAPH SIGNING AFTER SHOW, THE 75 VIPS ONLY!! RAFFLE FOR AUTOGRAPHED GUITAR AND DRUM HEAD!! DOORS AT 6, SHOW STARTS AT 7! $20 PRESALE, $25 AT THE DOOR. PAPARAZZI, REARVIEW DESTROYER, AND MIDNIGHT DECADENCE!! GET READY PEEPS!! Aug. 22th - ATLANTIC AVENUE, COMIC BOOK HEROES, LIKE THE STARS!! The Pleasure, Chainsaw Baby, 8 Bit Squid!!! All ages, doors at 6. August 27th- GARMONIA, RIVERS OF NIHIL, Leviath, Sky VS Sea, Midlife Machinist, Once Held High, All Ages, $10 at the door!! Aug 29th - INHALE, EXHALE AND ACE AUGUSTINE! From This We Rise (CD Release!!), No Remorse For The Fallen, Undead Talent, We Fought By the Sword Doors at 5, All Ages, Tickets $10 presale and $13 Dos!! Sept. 3rd - THRODL FINALLY BACK!! NINETAIL, PALE HARVEST, 20TIL8, BANDS TBA! ALL AGES, $10 Sept. 24th - BENEATH THE SKY IS BACK TOGETHER AND RELEASED A NEW CD!!! From This We Rise, Making-Out With Medusa, Fall Of Heroes and 2 more TBA!
www.drivingmetal.com www.thesilorocks.com
Against The Grain Barbershop 143 N. 10th St. Reading, PA 19602 610-373-6780
Hours of Operation: Tuesday thru Sunday 9AM-6PM Closed Mondays www.myspace.com/barberworld
Cyanide and Happiness Toon of the Week
Disclaimer: Cyanide and Happiness is property of Explosm.net. We are just supporting them cause they‟re funny as crap. Want to see more? Check out:
www.explosm.net/comics
I WANT YOU TO READ PLUG’D IN
Read Plug’d In online @ www.centralpapluggedin.com
Jokes
We apologize if you found any of the jokes to be crude or offensive. We also apologize for you not having any sense of humor and for being so damn uptight. Jeez, they’re only jokes.
A blonde went to buy a pizza and after ordering, the assistant asked the blonde if she would like her pizza cut into six pieces or twelve. "Six please" she said, "I could never eat twelve!" Question: What do a 9v battery and a woman's asshole have in common? Answer: You know it's wrong but sooner or later you're going to touch it with your tongue. One day a guy with premature ejaculation problems went to a doctor. The doctor said, "Whenever you feel the urge to ejaculate, startle yourself." So he went out and bought a starter pistol. Luckily, when he got home his wife was already naked in bed, ready for him, so they got in the 69 position and started in. Soon he felt the urge to shoot his load, so he fired the pistol. The next day he went to the doctor. The doctor asked him how it went. He said, "Not too good. My wife bit off three inches of my dick, shit in my face, and my neighbor came out of the closet naked with his hands up." This man walks into the kitchen, looks at his wife and says "My God, your ass is getting as big as a barbeque". That night they are in bed and he is getting frisky. She turns to him and says "If you think that I am going to fire up the barbeque for one little wiener, then you're crazy". A man joins a big corporate empire as a trainee. On his very first day of work, he dials the pantry and shouts into the phone - "Get me a coffee, quickly!" The voice from the other side responded, "You fool you've dialed the wrong extension! Do you know who you're talking to, dumbo?" "No," replied the trainee. "It's the CEO of the company, you fool!" The trainee shouts back, "And do YOU know who YOU are talking to, you fool?!" "No." replied the CEO indignantly. "Good!" replied the trainee, and puts down the phone.
Check out Plugâ€&#x;d In on Facebook
www.facebook.com/centralpa.plugdin
On Tour w/ Bill Leverty of Firehouse Interview w/ Bill Leverty of Firehouse By: Bandi Budwash When I think of FireHouse, I think of their incredible ballads that would be played at weddings, but they have some great hard rocking songs as well. Bill Leverty, founding member and only guitarist, is an amazingly talented musician that can shred with the best. When he plays, his fingers are moving up and down the neck of the guitar at lightning speeds, making it look so effortless. Between his hectic touring schedule, Bill was awesome enough to grant us time for some questions. PI: What brought all the members of FireHouse together originally? BL: We all loved melodic hard rock. CJ & Perry were in one band (Maxx Warrior), and Michael & I were in another (White heat). We liked them and they liked us. Both bands broke up at the same time and we started a new one. PI: What inspired the name FireHouse? BL: Our old name was White Heat. We had to change our name because there were already a few bands with that name who were out there, and Michael came up with the name, FireHouse. We all thought it sounded cool. Michael went through training to become a fire fighter, so that's where it came from. PI: Who were your musical influences? BL: I have a complete list on my website: www.leverty.com but Eddie van Halen, Steve Morse, Randy Rhodes, Michael Schenker, Allan Holdsworth, Billy Gibbons, and Jeff Beck are some of the big ones. PI: What was your favorite tour, either supporting act or headlining? BL: I've enjoyed all of them actually, but some of the best gigs we ever had were on tour with Tesla. They were touring on a multi platinum album and ours had just gone platinum. There were some great crowds and that band treated us really well. PI: Whatâ€&#x;s been the biggest challenge FireHouse has faced? BL: In the mid nineties, the industry changed so much that it was very hard for us to get any airplay or gigs. We managed to stick it out and we're still here! :) PI: What made you decide to record some solo albums as Wanderlust? BL: I had a bunch of songs that I had written that didn't work for FireHouse for one reason or another, so I just decided that it was time to put them out so someone other than me could hear them. PI: Are you working on anything new for FireHouse? BL: We're re-recording a bunch of our old songs right now. PI: Do you still hold rehearsals, or do you just play? BL: We just play, but we sometimes get a soundcheck and then get some time to jam/rehearse a bit.
PI: Do you actively get involved in promoting the band and upcoming shows? BL: I try to help the promoters in any way I can. PI: If a 12-year old were to come up to you and say they wanted to be in a band, what advice would you give them? BL: Get a college degree first. PI: What‟s your opinion of the Screamo/Hardcore that‟s been prominent this decade? BL: Just like anything, some is good and some is not. I like melody, so if there's a good, strong melody, chances are I'll be more inclined to like it. PI: You have your own signature guitar with GREM guitars. How did that come about? BL: Yes. They asked me if I wanted to work with them on my signature guitar and I said, "Are you kidding?" They had a guitar called the Free Radical that I really liked and I just changed a few things to fit my style of playing. PI: What would you do for a Klondike Bar? BL: I'd play guitar with my teeth. PI: Thanks for letting us get Plug‟d In with you. BL: You‟re welcome.
www.leverty.com www.firehousemusic.com Top 10 Hard Rock Albums on Billboard.com 1) Avenged Sevenfold– Nightmare 2) Korn– Korn III 3) Ozzy Osbourne-Scream 4) Nickelback-Darkhorse 5) Godsmack-The Oracle 6) HellYeah– Stampede 7) Five Finger Death Punch– War is the Answer 8) ACDC-Iron Man 2 Soundtrack 9) Shinedown– The Sound Of Madness 10) Black Veil Brides– We Stitch These Wounds
You just got to respect Chuck Norris. Seriously, if you don't its your ass. Here’s some funny reasons why Chuck Norris is the “Man”.
Once, while having sex in a tractor-trailer, part of Chuck Norris' sperm escaped and got into the engine. We now know this truck as Optimus Prime. Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried. Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits. Chuck Norris' calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd; no one fools Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris once won a game of Connect Four in 3 moves. Chuck Norris puts the "laughter" in "manslaughter". Chuck Norris can delete the Recycling Bin. Chuck Norris owns the greatest Poker Face of all-time. It helped him win the 1983 World Series of Poker despite him holding just a Joker, a Get out of Jail Free Monopoly card, a 2 of clubs, 7 of spades and a green #4 card from the game Uno. On a high school math test, Chuck Norris put down "Violence" as every one of the answers. He got an A+ on the test because Chuck Norris solves all his problems with Violence. Chuck Norris can do a wheelie on a unicycle. When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris runs Windows Vista on his Etch-a-Sketch. Once a cobra bit Chuck Norris' leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
08/27/10
Gettin’ Metal w/ Wednesday 13 Of the Murderdolls Wednesday 13 from The Murderdolls By Nicolle Marie New Album: Women and Children Last' August 31, 2010 (Roadrunner) PI: Wednesday, Your new album “Women and Children Last” is coming out August 31st, we are very excited about this, how do you feel? W13: I‟m very excited as well. As you know, its been 8 years since our last album, and this new one has 8 years of writing. To think it in your head, then have it written down, then to have it done now is just an incredible feeling. I‟m just like wow, its finally done. So far the press I‟ve gotten back is that people are really diggin‟ it and I‟ve been promoting it everyday on this tour. I just can‟t wait for it to be out and this waiting to be over. PI: How does it feel to be on this entire tour and not have to perform or be up on stage? W13: Oh, its fun! There‟s days I can just wake up and be like ughhhh, and other days where I can wake up and be like this is cool, ill hang out and watch some of the bands, and get drunk really early haha but no, its cool, its fun, I just wish it wasn‟t so hot! I‟m really not a big fan of hot stuff, I do like hot sauce, though, haha. PI: If you could describe your new album in 4 words, what would they be? W13: Uhhhmmm Lets be cocky. THE. BEST. RECORD. EVER. PI: Haha, I like that! W13: That‟s really all I could think of right now. Haha. I think it‟s a good record. PI: Are you going to tour for the new album? And if so, will you tour in US more so than with the last Murderdolls album? W13: Yes! The album comes out in August, and first we are going to tour in Europe, doing a lot of support for the bands leading in Ozzfest. Unfortunately, because of press issues I can‟t release dates or places yet because I really have no idea what the hell is going to happen, haha. But eventually we will get back over here. We‟re going to rehearse for a few months and then get together with another 2 bands for the coolest Halloween tour ever! I can‟t tell you yet who it is, but it will be The Murderdolls opening up for 2 bigger Halloween-type bands… PI: Ohh wow, you need to tell me! W13: I can‟t tell you! But it‟s going to be awesome! (He did tell me.., and it‟s real fucking awesome) PI: When you tour, or on your next album, would you consider bringing Ben, Eric, or Acey back into to the band? W13: Well, we‟ve already redone the line up for this album. It‟s never easy to discount the old line up, but you know, that was 8 years ago and a lot of things have changed since then. A lot of people don‟t know that when we recorded our first album, none of us even knew or played music in the same room as each other. We recorded, did a photo shoot, and then went on tour. That‟s how fast they pushed us to put that first album together. It was ready rushed and we basically had a week to practice before our first tour. Plus we just drank and acted like idiots, and really didn‟t even practice haha it was pretty dysfunctional. But now we are all in different places in our lives, and Me and Joey (Jordison) needed fresh blood underneath us, we wanted to do something different this time.
PI: You describe the lyrics as being “pissed off”, who pisses you off the most? Why? W13: Yea, and its weird, I‟m more pissed of now than when I was a teenager, and its just because when you‟re a teenager you‟re just pissed off about whatever. I‟d get mad at my parents for not letting me do anything, and school, ugh I hated school. And now I‟m older, and I‟ve made money, I‟ve lost money, I‟ve lost houses, cars, everything, you know, so I‟ve been up and I‟ve been down, and I guess I‟m just pissed off at a lot of things in life. But I‟m grateful for where I am, and for the things I do, I just use music to channel my demons and all my aggression. A LOT of that came out on this record. That‟s actually why we have 2 warning labels on this album. Haha. The first is the usual “parental advisory” and then 2nd says “we‟re fucking serious”. PI: Haha I love that! W13: Good! I actually just got a copy today, ill show you later.. PI: In your new song "My Dark Place Alone” You mention the “last 5 years” being your dark place. Did something specifically happen in the last 5 years? W13: Ugh yes, everything that could go wrong happened. Like i was talking about before, all those bad things, ups, downs, car crashes, came close to dying a couple times, stuff like that, you know, not good. PI: Aw, not good at all. W13: So, yea that‟s a very personal song on the record and that‟s why it‟s the first single out. PI: Sounds like it means a lot to you. W13: Oh Yea, you‟re right, it means a real lot. And in that video, it was really cool to do all the black stuff and use all the dark elements, it really added more to the vibe of that song. PI: I‟ve heard that the new album has the word Motherfucker said quite a lot. World record? W13: Haha we‟ll I‟m definitely getting close, with an exception of rap artists. Yeaa I‟m getting up there in my years of being quite the motherfucker. In that song, “my dark place alone” there‟s motherfuckers all through the middle of that, and we have a “B side” on the new record, it‟s called “motherfucker see motherfucker do”, haha and then we have the legendary “I love to say fuck”, “motherfucker I don‟t care”, “lets fuck”,.. so yea they‟re all over the place. PI: I‟ll just go and assume it‟s your favorite word. W13: Yep, I guess I say fuck, umm, yea, a lott. W13: EXCEPT in front of my parents. Haha. I accidentally slipped up like 3 months ago and said it for the first time, in my life. When I was on the phone with my mom, I was ranting about something and said fuck, and then was like “…………………..im sorry”. And she was like “……………OK”. Haha but yea I never curse in front of my parents. Never now, never as a kid, my parents have never even seen me live; ugh I‟d be terrified if they had to come to one of my shows and hear the potty mouth that has become of their child. PI: Haha, well, speaking about parents, my mom hated your music when I was 15, what are moms going to think now? W13: Oh Great! Haha. Well I can say if they hated the first album, this one is baddddddd. It‟s not because we suggest anything, or anything bad like that, it‟s just bad in a fun kinda way. I mean, on the record there‟s serious stuff people can relate too, but then its also crazy, violent, pissed off, but its fun, its just……perfect. If I had an album like this when I was a kid I would have been like “this is the scariest coolest record ever and I can‟t EVER let my parents hear it” haha. And if mine did hear it they would probably instantly destroy it or something like that. Sooo yes, parents are going to hate it! PI: Can you tell us where you got the name from “Women and children last”? W13: Well it‟s a spin off of Van Halen‟s “Women and children first”. At first the album was going to be called “The world according to revenge” which is actually the intro on the album, we thought it was kinda cool, kinda dark, but we didn‟t want the whole thing to be too “scary” or anything like that, we wanted to throw something in for the title that was more fun, so in a drunken phone call to Joey at like 4 or 5 in the morning I was randomly like uhhh women and children lasttt.. and we both burst out laughing and were like yes! Mark it! Done! That‟s the title! Haha. It‟s really just meant to be funny. But you know, if someone takes it offensively, we‟ve done our job, and if someone thinks its funny, then we‟ve done our job, that what we do, we like to push buttons.
PI: Could you ever see yourself doing anything other than music? W13: No, nope, never. I love music so much, it means everything to me. When I was a kid I said I wanted to be in a band and tour for the rest of my life. And when I was 25 I was on stage opening up for Guns and Roses in front of 40,000 people. I never imagined anything differently. It took me a while to get here, but I can really say I did it. PI: So could you say you are happy where your life is right now? W13: Well, haha, I could say I‟m happy where my music is right now, but I‟m still figuring out the life thing. My career is where I want it and I have the new album done and coming out soon. I have that stuff all figured out, and I‟m happy about that, it really couldn‟t be better, but at the same time I‟m pretty much living out of a suitcase right now, and need more time to get a handle on the life stuff. But oh well, what are ya gunna do. PI: Well thank you very much for doing this Wednesday. W13: No problem at all, thank YOU.
www.myspace.com/officialwednesday13 www.murderdollsband.com www.myspace.com/murderdollsband
Plug’d In’s Certified Blast From the Past
Hatebreed– Under The Knife 1.Smash Your Enemies 2.Kill An Addict 3.Under The Knife 4.Filth 5.Not One Truth 6.Severed 7.Puritan
08/04/10
From left to right: Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed), Ivan “Ghost” Moody (Five Finger Death Punch), Travis Ryan (Cattle Decapitation), Dan Jacobs (Atreyu), Paul Romanko (Shadows Fall), Wayne Lozinak (Hatebreed), Smile Empty Soul, Dying Fetus
Custom & Freehand Tattooing Sterile Body Piercing w/ a unique selection of Jewelry.
Award-Winning work in a clean environment!
Into The Pits w/ Dan The Economy Sucks, but you should still drop a couple bucks on this. Alustrium- Self titled EP review Many bands put out EP‟s like it‟s just another thing to do on the way to creating a full length or inbetween tours. Alustrium knew they wouldn‟t have another release until they had everything perfect. This being said, we can be glad they put 100 percent into this EP which will only excite us a little more for the debut full-length. Beginning this fine example of underground metal mastery is the five minute twenty five second song, “Butterfly Wings”. Although it sounds like the HIM song (“Wings of a Butterfly”), do not the title deceive you. It is much heavier than the five-piece Finnish band‟s 2005 single although not a melodic. I guess it really depends on what your into. If you‟re looking for melody this may not be the song for you. However if you‟re looking for hard hitting in your face chugging back by speedy double bass work, I can be certain you‟ll like this. Following “Butterfly Wings” will be a song titled Magnum which delievers a sound bigger than what magnums are used for (I had to go there sorry) an excellent bass/guitar trade off in the beginning leads to a heavy riff backed by great drums and searing vocals that rip thorough your head phones and melt destroy your brain. What I found to be the most impressive element of this song is how it seems to be a very bass driven song. With the bass intro and a bit of a bass solo about half way through the song lets us know that, Brett Leftwich is more than just providing low backing tones for the band. Leading into the third track is a riff and double bass that will make you want to get up and mosh. I suggest you not do that however it may make you look mentally unstable. “The All Seeing Eye” may fair for those who enjoy black metal. It is a bit more of a trem picked riff with parts that have both high and low vocals at the same time for certain parts. My only complaint is that it becomes a little repetitive, but at eight minutes and fifty-six seconds long, it‟s a little hard to come up with different riffs that fit within the song structure. My other complaint with this song is the whisper that comes in just under the four minute mark. They don‟t really add anything to the song, but then again It may have something to do with the story within the lyrics; either way a decent song that only adds to the strength of the EP. Finally is “Twilight‟s Reprieve” which comes with the question; when‟s the last time you heard a ten minute song that wasn‟t by Between the Buried and Me? Why do I like this song the most? It‟s a good thing you asked, “Twilight‟s Repreive is definitely the most diverse in style with every element of the music. Even Jerry Martin‟s vocals change in style throughout the song, while in the other songs he maintains a monotone growl which only changes once and a while. “Twilight‟s Reprieve” seems to be a culmination of everything the band has tried to get across in the other three songs. Blast beats, breakdowns and melody. Even an 80‟s hair metal solo comes through around the six minute mark. Where I would normally write unspeakable, horrible threats to a band that tried to do this, I can‟t because it seems like the only kind of solo that fits the music and any other solo would seem out of place. Are they this generation‟s At the Gates? No, however with work and some future tours I can see Alustrium playing the three day European festivals that bands strive to become a part of. Be sure to pay attention to these guys at
www.myspace.com/alustrium. Check out more of Dan and Into the Pit reviews @ www.myspace.com/intothepit121208 www.intothepit1212.blogspot.com
The Breakdown W/ Bandi Firehouse and Skid Row were playing at Penn‟s Peak in Jim Thorpe on Friday, July 30th. Getting there was an adventure in itself. First, we left an hour later than I wanted. Then, mapquest directions are a complete joke; the GPS kept losing signal. We had to stop at a gas station and ask some local Jim Thorpians for directions to get the last 5 miles. We made it just as Firehouse was taking the stage. Firehouse delivered an amazing set. They were right on the money with everything. C.J. Snare never had an off key moment. Bill Leverty is an absolutely amazing guitarist, with his fingers flying up and down the neck of his guitar. The set list contained songs that spanned across their entire career, from Don’t Treat Me Bad, I Live My Life For You, and When I Look Into Your Eyes. When they started to play Love of a Lifetime, people started slow dancing and holding each other, making all the single people in attendance feel extremely lonely at the moment. Everyone was holding up their lighters, or nowadays, cell phones. Michael Foster was on drums, and Allen McKenzie, the only non-original member, was on bass. C.J. Snare stepped behind the keyboards for a few songs. Michael Foster had an amazing drum solo. It went on for about ten minutes, which by the end of the time, he was standing up, beating those skins, sweat pouring off of him and the crowd kept cheering him on. It was amazing! I was quite surprised with the quality of their show. I forgot how many awesome songs they had, not just the kind you put on a mix tape. After their set, there was a meet and greet back at their merchandise booth. When I walked back a short time later, it looked like everything they had was sold out, which really wasn‟t surprising after that great show. I definitely recommend them to anyone who hasn‟t seen them live. As I was waiting right along the fence for Skid Row to come out, I heard a few people saying, “Oh, it‟s just not Skid Row without Bach.” I‟ll admit that I‟ve never seen Skid Row before, either with Bach or Johnny, but I have all of their cds. In my opinion, I think Johnny was just as good. Just because their debut with Bach went 6 times platinum didn‟t mean Bach made them any better than Johnny. The music industry is fickle. They started by thanking our soldiers, for without them, we wouldn‟t be able to come out on a Friday night and rock. So again, thank you to all of our brave men and women in our armed forces. Johnny Solinger was quite fun to watch. He went all across the stage, touching outstretched hands from the fans. His vocals were great. He proved without a doubt that he could sing whatever you throw his way. No, he didn‟t have Sebastian Bach‟s voice; he had Johnny Solinger‟s voice, and it has a great sound with Skid Row. Dave “The Snake” Sabo was lead guitar, and Scotti Hill was rhythm. They had a grueling duel that lasted a good fifteen minutes. They were having a blast shredding back and forth, and the crowd loved it. They were cheering and whistling. At one point, a woman next to me asked who one of the members were. I thought she was talking about Rob Hammersmith on drums, who only joined up in April, but then she pointed out Rachel. “That‟s Rachel Bolan. He‟s ONLY a founding member and the bass player.” I wanted to say a few more things, but opted with, “Enjoy the show.” The set list contained hits such as Big Guns, Piece of Me, Sweet Little Sister, 18 And Life, Slave to the Grind, Monkey Business, and Quicksand Jesus. Snake and Johnny slowed things up a bit for an acoustic version of I Remember You, that also had the lighters/cell phones come out and light up the inside of the venue. They finished the night off with Youth Gone Wild. Before they left the stage, they thanked us again for coming out. There was supposed to be a meet and greet, but due to time constraints, they had to leave right away. After the show, the same people who doubted Johnny‟s ability were praising him. FireHouse and Skid Row are two bands that put on a great performance, and next time they‟re in town you can find me there.
www.drivingmetal.com
717-733-1641 For a quarter of a century the Record Connection has been a source for music and movies in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Beyond catering to local music enthusiasts the Record Connection draws record collectors from Lancaster, Reading, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, all across Pennsylvania as well as the tri-state area. Boasting customers from around the globe the Record Connection has become a vinyl junkie's oasis. The Record Connection offers over 100,000 record albums, 45s, CDs, cassettes, videos and DVDs. Special sections are devoted to heavy metal, psychedelic music, progressive rock, soul, blues, jazz, country and comedy both on vinyl and compact discs. The Record Connection also stocks posters, tie dyes, t-shirts, lava lamps, turntables, books, price guides, record supplies, rock 'n' roll memorabilia and much, much more!
Gettin’ Metal with Piggy D Of Rob Zombie Rob Zombie Interview Piggy D. (Bassist) By: Nicolle Marie
PI: Piggy how is Mayhem going so far? PD: It‟s Awesome! They have all these great bands here, that we get to play with everyday. And everybody is a lot of fun to hang out with. Anddd our show RULES, haha we have so much fun. It‟s only an hour, but it‟s everything you can possibly do in one hour, and not set yourself on fire. So yea, its fun! PI: So I know you‟re a guitarist not a bassist. Is this the first band you‟ve played bass for? PD: You‟re right, and yes it is. PI: Do you like playing bass for RZ? PD: I love it. I‟ve had more fun playing bass on stage than I‟ve ever had playing guitar in a band. It‟s weird, and there‟s a funny story to it. In 96„or ‟97 I met Geddy Lee from Rush backstage at a show and he walked right up to me and was like “Hi im Geddy” and I was like “wow haha I know who you are”, then he said “Yea, um, you should play bass” when I shook his hand. I said “well I‟m a guitar player” and he was like “Yea, I know, but your going to play bass”. And now, yep, I‟m playing bass. PI: Well he‟s quite the philosopher, Geddy Lee. PD: Exactly! He‟s like Yoda! PI: If you had to describe your life right now in 4 words, what would they be? PD: Very hot and sticky. Haha, that‟s as descriptive as I‟m gunna get right now. PI: When you we younger, back in your first band, Spunk, did you ever picture yourself doing what you‟re doing now? PD: You know what‟s funny, now that you just said that, Spunk actually opened for White Zombie one time. PI: Oh wow, that is funny, I didn‟t know that. PD: Yea, crazy. But did I ever imagine this? Absolutely. I never stopped thinking about this. PI: Who would you say that your major musical influences are? PD: Well when I was a kid it was Johnny Ramone and Alice Cooper. Those would be the top two, and they still are, but in the last 10 years, from a more mature writing perspective, I‟ve been into Paul Westerberg, Bob Mould, Bob Dylan, people like that, they are big influences. Lady Gaga,.. haha PI: Are there any songs on your playlist that you‟d be embarrassed to admit? PD: Haha no, nothing im embarrassed of. Nothing embarrasses me. No I love pop music, I always have, even as a kid. Pop became this dirty word among metal guys and its not cool to say you listen to Katy Perry or Lady Gaga or Ke$ha, but I love all of those records, they are amazing,… PI: Haha I totally agree, we were listening to Ke$ha on the drive here.. PD: Ah yeaaa dude Ke$ha rulesss, how could someone not like songs like that? PD: If you don‟t like stuff like that there is something fucking wrong with you. Those records are just a good time. And who doesn‟t like a good time? I like a good time, ALL the time, haha. PI: Oh I think I know what you mean…
PI: So, on stage, Rob Zombie has Sheri (his wife) dance for him, if you could pick someone to dance for you, who would it be? PD: Ohh man. PI: It could be anyone.. PD: Oh I could really get myself into trouble here, haha, umm our tour manager Sully, he would probably be a good choice, haha. He‟s got some good moves. Actually he has one move, but he does it really good. Haha PI: How does it feel to have Rob Zombie as your “boss”? PD: Oh it‟s awesome, he rules! He‟s the nicest guy ever, we‟re always talking about the show. Every night when we get off the stage we talk about the show and how it went and how we could make it better. And I‟ve never been in a band where anyone does that. Everybody else is always like “fuck it, lets get drunk” and he‟s nothing like that, at all. He‟s constantly thinking of every single element of the show and how it could be better and that is just so inspiring to be around, somebody that really cares that much. PI: I was going to ask you, like right now in your life, who or what inspires you. As in for your writing and in your solo music career? PD: All those people I mentioned earlier really inspire me. And I‟m really inspired by old Minneapolis rock, like The Replacements, Husker Du, Sugar, bands like that. I love Ryan Adam‟s stuff. I buy a lot of that. I just love “good” songs. And I don‟t care who writes them. Good songs are really what inspire me. PI: I know you say that being able to write a good song and play it is the most important.. PD: Absolutely. Its not how big you are or what you do, all that matters is you are good at your music and you are able to move people, to make them feel something. That‟s what it‟s all about. PI: Do you have anything planned for your solo album? My Own Private Radio? PD: Well it‟s definitely changed shape from what my old style used to be. I can‟t tell you a lot about it, because its not a huge priority right now, but it is definitely very different from anything I‟ve done before. It‟s a whole lot more country, I can tell you that. PI: Well I‟m sure it will be wonderful. PI: And thank so much for talking to us! PD: You‟re very welcome. It was definitely a pleasure.
www.piggy-d.com www.myspace.com/piggydofficialpage
Spotlight on: Gotham City Tattoo We got a chance to sit down with Father/Son team, Dan and Dominick Bowers out @ Gotham City Tattoo. Located just on the outskirts of Reading, Pa., Gotham City is a full service tattoo and body piercing parlor. Here is their story… PI: How did you get your start? GC: (Dan) I got my first tattoo when I was 12 years old. It was thru a gentleman @ Marv‟s tattooing. Once I saw him do it, I knew that‟s what I wanted to do. I pursued that as a kid by tattooing with needles and ink. I was just doing homemade tattoos. One day I ran into a friend of mine, he had just started tattooing, and I asked him if he would teach me. He opening up his shop and wanted me to go with him. I didn‟t want to and didn‟t want to bang heads with him because we were friends. Eventually I opened my first shop, New Skin Tattooing on 5th St, in 1991. From there the business just kept growing. My son (Dominick) started apprenticing later on. He was cleaning tubes, the shop…doing all the dirty work. Over the years it really paid off because he grew into a fantastic artist. He‟s really excelled at the business by learning it at a young age. I worked at other shops in the area for years, and about 8 years ago I went to a friend of mine named Barry Vilardo, and asked him about working for him again. Barry said to me, “Dan, you‟ve been in the business for 20 years, why don‟t you just open up again?” I told him I don‟t have all the stuff to do it. I had most of it, but my flash lines were low. He told me to take what you need and do what you need to do to do this. You don‟t get that from many people. He and I had been friends since we were 14 years old. I went in everyday and copied flash and he helped me out by giving me flash as well. Eventually we saw our current location, sealed the deal, and opened up. PI: What was the location before you guys took over? GC: (Dan) It was a country boutique. Nothing ever really worked in here. We were the longest tenets in here beside a bar. It used to be the 18th Ward Bar. When we moved in it still had the features of a bar. It had a copper ceiling, and it was really unique. From then we took it and made it our own shop. You walk in here, you‟re comfortable. Its good business. It‟s a relaxed atmosphere. We have college kids hanging out on their laptops. (Dominick) We even had a church group hold a prayer meeting before they got tattooed. (Dan) Before Phil Harris died (Deadliest Catch) he said one of the greatest things he did was hire his kids to work on his ship. He got to spend every day with his kids. He got to work with them, teach them, and grow with them….and I feel the same. Me and my son did this. We get to be together every day. It makes it worth even more being in business.
PI: Do you guys ever bump heads? GC: (Dan) No. Never. I‟m firm. If something‟s not being done right, I might yell at him, but he takes it and looks at me like Im an asshole (laughs). He trusts my judgment. I‟m trying to give him something my parents never gave me, unconditional love. When you have a bond like that, it‟s hard to break. We both have mellow personalities. It kind of grew off my son to me. PI: Is it just you two tattooing here, or are there other artists? GC: (Dan) We have another artist Ed, who has been tattooing for 5 years and he‟s been with us for about 5 months. He has excelled very well. He bugged me for 3 years to get in here. At first he wasn‟t what I was looking for, but he listened and learned. Eventually I had an opening and I brought him aboard. We also have Melissa, our piercer. She didn‟t apprentice here, but I told her to forget her apprenticeship. Where she apprenticed, they didn‟t give her the right concept and the right way of doing things. We taught her and now I think she‟s one of the better piercers in the area. She‟s doing dermal anchoring and surface piercing; I don‟t think there‟s anything she can‟t do. The best part of this whole thing is it‟s a family thing.
PI: Any plans for any type of expansion? GC: (Dan) we are looking into a new shop right now. It‟s in the making, but we‟re waiting on calls from the people who own it. We also want to do a Gotham City clothing line. I‟d like to get all of that in the making real soon. It‟s just people dragging their feet. PI: You guys support Central Pa Plug‟d In and the local music scene, how does music fit into your lives? GC: (Dan) I‟ve done shows myself personally for the last 2 years. I‟ve worked with Bob Dylan, Travis Tritt, U2, I‟ve done a lot of major set ups. The advertisement with the magazine is fantastic because I can relate to it. It works well for both of us. It‟s neat because I‟ve done this stuff first hand. It‟s great that you guys are working with the major labels and getting the interviews that you are. It‟s pretty phenomenal. (Dominick) Metal has always been one of my favorites. I also like a lot of Blues. One of my hobbies is playing guitar, so I have a big range of music that I listen to. I listen to different music and it influences the art that I do. If I want to do something angry, I‟ll listen to some Metal. If I want to do something mellow then I‟ll listen to some Blues. PI: Thanks for giving us a chance to get Plug‟d In. GC: Thanks so much to you guys!
www.gothamcitytattoos.com
www.pametalshows.com
Mention Plug’d In and receive $10.00 off any piercing!
Special thanks to all the following for making this issue happen: Without you...well, we just would have had to work a little harder.
The Reading Tattoo Co., Belly Busters, Against the Grain Barbershop, Als Diamond Cabaret, All the Super Hot girls walking around Central Pa this Summer, The Chameleon Club, The Silo Nightclub, Jesus, Metal Deb, Pottstown Tattoo Co., Bill Meis of E1, Nicolle Stella, Nicolle Marie, Shoo, Penn Ave Music, Hammer and Nail Tattoo, Skip and Bizr Ent., Daisy DeLa Hoya, Hooligan Athletic Club, Mark Philips of Prospect Park, After 3 AM, Driving Metal Entertainment Booking, Century Media, Victory Records, Facedown Records, The Sloppy Hog Fest, Korn, Amy, A.O.A.A., Desiree, The stuff we stole off the Internet, D&S Images, Mark Kohl Promotions, President Obama, 105.7 The X, The Crocodile Rock, Bandi Budwash, Roadrunner Records, Metal Blade Records, Leaving Midnight, Common Enemy, After 3 AM, Throdl, Days of Waste, The Jalopy Showdown, R.M.C., Gandhi, Tech Basement, Eddies Garage, Chuck Norris, Stewie and Family Guy, Billy Mohan, Cyanide and Happiness, Reading Motorcycle Club, American Heroes, Gotham City Tattoo, Nuclear Blast Records, Dan and Into The Pit Reviews, Curt Ridall and Wallfli, Gwar, Dying Fetus, Sinister Realm, Impending Doom, Cattle Decapitation, The Dungeon Music Shop, Gold‟s Gym, 1800 calorie diet plans, and anyone we might have forgotten!
Our Mission is simple. We want to fill your brain with so much crap that eventually you will suffer from what we like to call “Plug’d In Overload”. Once you have been mentally disabled, we will then proceed to take over what’s left of your mushy, incapacitated brains. In essence, you will be mindless robots...answering our every command. We will then Pillage and Plunder all of Central Pa with reckless abandon. There will be no stopping this! We also want to provide effective and affordable advertising to the businesses' and people that make this community so great. We want to shine a light on the amazing rock/metal scene here in Central Pa. and give the bands a chance to get their music heard and have the opportunity to network with other bands, promoters, venues, and music labels across the Region and the County
Updated Thank yous coming next issue :)
Be sure to check out all the old issues in our archive @
www.centralpapluggedin.com
Reading Tattoo Company 1419 N. 5th St Reading 610-376-1444 Award-Winning Tattoo Artists and Body Piercing Knowledgeable and Friendly Staff. Over 600 new sheets of flash. Over 5,000 designs. ATM on site.
Quality isn't expensive, It’s priceless $20.00 off any Tattoo $10.00 off any Piercing When you mention Plug’d In *$100.00 Min purchase
You can read more about the Reading Tattoo Co. and get exclusive coupons online @ www.centralpapluggedin.com
530 Windsor St. Reading, Pa 19601
Mail To:
Central Pa Plug’d In
520 W. Hamilton St. Allentown, Pa
610-432-7625 www.crocodilerockcafe.com
08/27/10
09/12/10