Plug'd In Magazine Issue #46

46

The Hard-Rock'n Bi-Weekly Magazine The kickass Local Edition

Vikki Sits down with Chibi of The Birthday Massacre Inside This Issue: This Is: Chibi of The Birthday Massacre, Memoirs of a Band Whore: Band Drama, Vikki Speaks: Supporting Music In my own way, The Rant: Can’t We all Just Get Along? Survival 101: The Bug Out Bag, Dear Dead Abby

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This Is: Chibi of The Birthday Massacre Interview by Vikki Sin When I first found out that The Birthday Massacre was going to be coming to town with visual kei superstars Dir En Grey, I almost punched the computer in excitement. TBM is the first band since Manson that I’ve latched on to like audio heroin, using their unique brand of synthrock and creepy imagery to fuel many nights of artistic frenzy. So I set off for Philadelphia with a perma-grin on my face, prepared for an awesome show. I was not disappointed. These guys delivered a powerful performance, playing all the favorites from “Blue” to “Shallow Grave” to a bouncing audience.

I met up with vocalist and fellow art addict Chibi in the alley behind the TLA beforehand to discuss many things, including their latest EP, Imaginary Monsters. Chibi’s one of those musicians that when you meet them, you develop a whole new love of the band based solely off of how fucking cool that person is, even apologizing for interrupting the interview to ask me what kind of paints I use and discussing why she would rather not be a gallery artist (the networking). As a fan, writer, and artist, I couldn’t have been happier. Read on to find out more about the story behind the bunny and why Chibi thinks more girls should put their clothes back on and pick up guitars…V.S. PI: Tell us about the concept of Imaginary Monsters being mostly remixes. What was your thought process going into that album?

C: When we were wrapping up Pins and Needles, which is the last full length album, we had a bunch of songs that we didn’t get to complete because we were running out of time to move into the mastering for that record, so it was a shame because we had some really good songs but we had to sort of leave them to the side and focus on that full length. Then, now that that release is finished, we’re like okay, we’ve got these other songs and we really wanted to work on them and there wasn’t enough to do a full length album so we’re like let’s just do an EP. So, we were able to finish the 3 remaining songs that we really liked, which was awesome because, I’m so stoked, Forever is one of my favorite songs and I was so bummed out when we had to set it aside, so I’m really glad we went back, especially to that one. And we just got some friends, basically, people that we’ve toured with or worked with in the past to do remixes, so it made it kind of fun, like a way to sort of finish the writing process from that album with the EP, and yea, just do some remixes with friends.

PI: So did you personally pick everyone that did the remixes of your songs?

C: Oh yea, we approached them- “we approached them” (makes serious face)- doesn’t that sound so- yea, again, we’re pretty friendly with everyone that did all the remixes so they were stoked to do it.

PI: What inspires you to write and to sing? How did you get started in the music industry? Is it something that when you were growing up, you knew you wanted to do?

C: No. I mean, I did the whole hairbrush/microphone in the mirror just like every one, you know what I mean? But I met Rainbow when we were going to college together and we just started hanging out. He was really into writing music with his friend Mike, who’s now also in the band. But it was something that we started doing just sort of for fun. I was never like “I want to be in a band” or be a singer. We started the band purely for fun and we just did cover songs as like a joke. We didn’t want to go out and spend all kinds of money so we’d stay in on the weekends and just record music and then we ended up writing our own original stuff and just playing around London, Ontario…which is where the band got started. So yeah, it was just kind of for fun. I mean everybody that’s pretty much joined the band as members has moved on, has been a friend. So, it’s always been a friendly for fun kind of thing. It wasn’t like

“WE’RE GONNA DO THIS!” You know, we’re lucky. We’re really happy that it’s gone as well as it has, considering you know, we were doing it just cause we enjoyed it.

PI: You guys are really into artwork. I actually listen to it almost exclusively while I’m painting.

C: That’s so cool!

PI: Yea so I actually ended up painting a bunny mask. Go figure. Where did the bunny thing come from?

C: The bunny originally, on our very first website, nothingandnowhere.com years ago, the bunny was supposed to be a transition between pages, because it was sort of- we were doing like a fairy tale/alice in wonderland kind of- move from one area of the site to the next, so we’ll have a bunny take you there. All of a sudden people starting kind of coming to the shows with bunny ears, so it sort of just- we’re like “okay! I guess we’re going with the bunny!” So it kind of had a life of its own at that point. It was a transition on the website, and totally has become a symbol. And it’s good, though, I mean, it’s pretty recognizable. We throw it on everything nowadays. (Laughs) PI: You utilize the internet a lot, but how do you feel about the direction that it’s taking the music industry, where it’s mainly people downloading music instead of buying it. Is that something you’re willing to play into and work with to get your music out there?

C: That kind of thing is really good to get your music out there. A hundred percent. And we’ve always used the internet, even just for online communities, back in the MySpace days, before MySpace, we had a message board. We still do. It’s super cool that there is that. And then you compare any bands record sales from what they were 15-20 years ago and it’s like ‘oh’, you know, and I’ve sort of seen a perspective online, which is kind of interesting, where people say I won’t buy music, I don’t believe in buying music because I believe music should be shared. And honestly, that’s a really good perspective BUT it’s just like “okay, but do you want us to tour?” (Laughs) Do you want to see the bands that you like? Do you want the bands you like to keep making music? So, I mean, you hope that you could make your music available, it’s gonna be available anyway, but you hope that people will still buy it, just because they know that it’s really important nowadays for bands.

Even for movies and TV shows, who’s even got cable anymore, right? Everybody’s streaming. I do it to; I stream. But I try and buy my music online too, because it’s like, I hope people would do the same. So it’s a double edged sword, basically.

PI: What are some of the places around the world that you’ve been that you’ve found really inspiring?

C: Oh god, inspiring? Honestly, probably everywhere you go. In terms of inspiration, I mean we’ve been to places where no one speaks English, like over in Europe and we’ve been down to Mexico and you meet people before the show and after the show and you’re like “Hi” and they’re like “Oh, hi. I don’t speak English” but they know every word of the albums and that is such a surprising thing. It’s just like, you don’t speak English, but you know these words? That’s really impressive. You’re trying so hard to communicate just as a dialogue, but they know the words to the songs. So that’s always very surprising and shocking to me.

PI: If you could collaborate with any artist alive or dead, who would it be?

C: There’s a band from the 80’s/kind of 90’s,Concrete Blonde. They did a song called ‘Joey’, that was their big hit. Joanette Napolatano was the singer. The musical styles are super different but she really inspired me. When I was in like grade 8 I bought a Concrete Blonde album, Bloodletting, and it changed my life. I dyed my hair black because of that album. She’s an amazing vocalist, just beautiful, and she’s also a visual artist. You should check her out, it’s a great band, one of my favorite bands. So I would say them, even though it’s not similar muscial styles but I’ve always found her to be such an inspiration, like in so many ways, from dying my hair black to just being a woman in (lowers voice) a man’s field. And I’ve got a cold so I could say (lowers voice) man’s field. She’s a real inspiration. I’d love to work with her. But it’ll never happen, because she’s just got so much stuff going on. But she’s really cool. A really cool lady.

PI: If you were queen for a day, what would be the first thing that you would do?

C: Oh, there are so many things! There’s all the stuff like “I would fix the environment” or “I would make people recycle”, “I would this and that“, but one of my biggest things that I feel strongly about is for- I have to look around- I’m a feminist and I think everyone should be a feminist. I am tired of women selling themselves short and acting like fans when they don’t need to be and debasing themselves for a bunch of dudes that they don’t even know. That pisses me off so much. I’m like, why don’t you play a guitar and actually be in a band and do something and achieve something instead of just objectifying- they’re gonna hate me and say “Here she goes again” (laughs) But I think that society nowadays is very anti-woman. I think it’s very popular, even for women, to be anti-women. Like “Ha-ha let’s make rape jokes”. I cannot hang with rape jokes. It pisses me off. I don’t understand. And girls will laugh at them, and to me I’m just like “Okay, ladies, we need to stop sidelining and trying to fit in with the dudebros and actually just be our own people and tell them to shut the hell up and stop dancing like a tramp and pick up the guitar.

PI: I know you toured with Otep. You probably get along real well. (Laughs) C: Oh dude! She’s got some real strong stuff going on and she’s pretty badass in those ways for sure. It’s good, like we’ve toured with a lot of bands that have girls in them, like The Start, The School Yard Heroes, MSI, and these are really good, talented women who aren’t like (makes noises). Girls that do that kind of shit- girls that do that kind of stuff- I don’t like cursing. I curse all the time, but I don’t like to officially.

That’s what I would do I think is just have people just take the anti-woman, pro-rape joke hilarity like stripping is cool, and it is if you want to be a stripper, but it’s too popularized now and all it’s gonna do is make people not take you seriously. Like, you could think getting naked is gonna empower you, but it’s not. Everyone’s just gonna laugh at you dude, you know what I’m saying? That’s it. That’s what I’ve got.

(Laughs) PI: What do you have in the works coming up for The Birthday Massacre?

C: Well, we have to do- “have to” that sounds terrible- we are going to do another album. The label and us, we are working to get it done hopefully by summertime. So that’s the goal. And I’m sure we’ll tour some more too, because we took a year off touring because we were all pretty exhausted, so this is the first tour we’ve done in a while. So that’s the plan. Another album and hopefully more touring.

PI: Awesome! Well, thank you so much for giving us a chance to get Plug’d In! C: This has been really cool! Thanks for listening to me ramble!

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Dear Dead Abby From The Grave

abby@plugdinmagazine.com Abby was born and raised in the coal regions of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The oldest of eight, she constantly had her younger brothers and sisters asking her questions about everything from how things work to why that boy threw dirt on her. She’d try to steer them straight with her advice, though sometimes she could be a bit sarcastic.

Abby also had an uncanny ability to see the truth in people, despite what they tried to portray with their lies. Unfortunately, this led the locals to believe that she was with surrounded with dark forces. The summer before her final year of school, Abby was sentenced to death by hanging, without a proper trial, simply stating that she was a witch. Abby can’t recognize the faces of her family through death, but she answers questions, thinking it might be one of her siblings needing her guidance.

Q. So I saw they’re taking pictures of a model to portray you. If you’re real why can’ they just take pictures of you? A.G. A. People are stupid and need visuals. If they took a picture of me, you wouldn’t be looking at anything. Even if you dug up my grave, all there would be is dust and bones. That’s why they are called portrayals.

Q. Will there ever be a word to rhyme with orange? S.Q. A. Make one up. They add new words to the dictionary all the time. Everyone has a hobby.

Q. I have a pretty deep grasp on how to get to heaven. I also understand how to get to hell. But what I don’t understand is how you end up in a situation like yours. Are you in a spirit world? Do you walk the earth? Are you destined to stay there forever?

Some help please. T.M. A. I am here as long as I choose to be here. When I’m ready to move on, I shall. Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall, just being able to observe everything around you and no one noticing you? I have my reasons for being here.

Q. My best friend “Josh” is gay. He swore me to secrecy. I accidently told someone while talking to them. Now it’s going all around the school and he’s probably going to find out I started it. I swear it was an accident, but how can I tell him that it was me? Help! R.F. A. You “accidentally” told someone. Yeah, sure, whatever. It may have been an accident, but “loose lips sink ships.” If you can’t think before you speak, you’re in for bigger problems down the road. If he gets angry with you, he has every right to be.

Tell him before someone else tells him, or you’ll be in even deeper. If he hears it from you, he’ll still be angry, but at least you approached him with the truth instead of trying to hide from it. If he doesn’t want to talk to you ever again, then perhaps you’ll have learned a valuable lesson.

Q. Are we destined to kill ourselves off? L.K. A. Humans as we know them, yes. Some will violently kill others with savage methods, some will die mercifully, and the rest will die from a global catastrophe, government related.

Q. If you could, who would you vote for in the 12’ Presidential Election? D.V. A. I, nor does Plug’d In Magazine, officially endorse any presidential nominee. I can tell you what I’d like to see in a candidate.

I’d like them to hold firmly to the values that this country was founded upon, that we are equal, and our rights are indeed our rights. That we should be free to live our lives the way we so choose without involvement from the government. The government is trying to have more control than any one entity should have. The right to swing your fists ends where the other person’s nose begins. Our founding fathers believed in the greatness of this country, and what it could be. They would weep if they saw it now.

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Memoirs of a Band Whore– Band Drama Whenever my best friend and I go to Philadelphia, some crazy shit always goes down.

But this experience was by far the craziest. This is how I became not only a homewrecker, but also a band-wrecker....COMPLETELY unintentionally, I might add. But, hey, it is what it is, and it makes for a damn good story.

Because my best friend and I are classy bitches, we snuck some forty’s into the train station bathroom with us, and proceeded to chug them in the bathroom stall together. I was feeling pretty good after this, so we walked to the Trocadero in Chinatown, stoked on seeing LA-based scene boy band, Vampires Everywhere. We had been getting hiton the entire walk to the venue (of course, when you're in tight dresses that barely cover your ass and 6-inch heels, this is expected, I guess). When we heard a voice behind us go, "You girls are workin it," a look of disgust immediately flooded our faces. We turned around to say something bitchy to the culprit, and lo-and-behold it was Michael Vampire. He was all decked out in his make-up, huge black furry coat, goth boots, and when he opened his mouth - THEY THERE WERE - his huge, scary, awful veneers.

Getting into this show for free just got easier. Me, in my drunken state, asked him to guest-list us. Easy, we exchanged numbers, and in ten minutes I got the text, "You're in."

The show was lame. I started losing my buzz and all I wanted to do was party with this band, because if I had to listen to them play for one more fucking minute, I was going to kill myself right then and there. Fast forward about an hour, and their beautiful guitarist, Phillip Kross, comes and grabs my friend and I, and leads us backstage. We enter a room, and there's the whole band, and a whole table full of beer and whiskey.

Score - my two favorite things: band guys and alcohol.

Let the partying commence. Shot after shot, beer after beer. Shortly I was introduced to their drummer, Alex Weinberg, and right then I knew I found my trophy for the night. He was so fucking hot, and he was all over me. We were kind of by ourselves, doing whatever, and then all of the sudden my friend whipped out her double D boobs.

Word. Throwback groupie style, always going hard. That's my girl.

This is where the night starts to blur a little. All I know is I was drunk as fuck, and I just wanted to get this boy done. We were walking through Center City to this hotel, and he was all holding my hand and shit, and I was just thinking to myself fuck it's cold quit being cute with me I just wanna bang you, drummer boy.

Well, we got to this swanky 5 star hotel in Philly. Just picture it for a second: 5 dudes in full stage make-up, in all black, with long black hair and tattoos, and two girls in next-to-nothing dresses, walking into a hotel where only snobby rich people can afford to stay. Rock star status.

These boys knew what's up.

FINALLY I got to bang out this kid in the bathroom. It wasn't even good - he was so drunk and on so much Adderall, he could barely keep it up. Whatever, I just stared at his tattoos and made the most of it. Shortly after, my friend banged their guitarist, DJ Black. Cue the drama.

So Michael Vampire being the little bitch he is gets all pissy because my friend's banging DJ and not him. This ensues with a temper tantrum, and he decides to leave the hotel to go get his own. Tough shit, scene boy, your veneers are scary and you're like 35 years old or some shit.

Michael was gone, leaving the four boys, and the two of us. It was about 4 AM now. Cool, I couldn't get to my car in the garage until 6 AM. It was 20 degrees outside. FUCK. Well, whatever, I'd just chill with these boys for a few more hours, no big deal. That was a great plan until all of the sudden the whole band starts arguing. Like, screaming at each other. What in the fuck is going on?! I have no idea. But just imagine a bunch of vampire-looking boys chasing each other down the hallway of a 5-star hotel at 4 AM on a Sunday night, screaming FUCK THIS, FUCK THAT. NO. JUST NO. THIS IS TOO MUCH EVEN FOR ME TO HANDLE.

My friend and I dipped out of this hotel immediately. Band drama? No thanks. Now we were walking the streets of Philly with nowhere to go for a few hours. Wonderful. Next thing I knew drummer boy is calling me, and apparently he's decided to fly back home to Florida right this second. WHAT THE FUCK DUDE. YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE YOUR BAND MID-TOUR. But, no, as many times as I told this boy to stay, he wasn't listening. He's all waaahhhh no one understands me boooo hoooo waahhhh cry. Really dude?!? We spent the next 2 hours chasing this kid around Philly, trying to convince him to stay. I EVEN resorted to being all cute with him myself, like maybe if I hugged him and promised him everything was okay, he would stay. I was wrong. It's finally 6 AM, and my friend and I leave this psycho boy and Philly behind. He's texting me, telling me he took a cab to the airport and his flight leaves at 10 AM. Michael's calling me asking what the hell is going on. I DON'T KNOW. I JUST WANT TO FUCKING SLEEP. FUCK YOUR SHITTY BAND, BITCHES. End story. End ordeal. This is what I learned from that night: 1) Michael Vampire is a little bitch (with horrible veneers).

2) Vampires Everywhere is a terrible band that should not even exist.

3) I hate parking garages in Philly.

4) My friend's boobs are fantastic.

5) Five-star hotels are great for parties.

6) I have the ability to indirectly break up a band mid-tour with the power of my sex-appeal (I should try this on Nickleback....hmmm...).

Also, I've recently been informed that my drummer boy was engaged when we banged.

Goddammit. My life.

Alright. We gotta have a little disclaimer here. In no way do the opinions of this article reflect the opinions of Plug’d In Magazine. Nor do we attest that the information is correct. We didn’t write it, we just edited it. This posting was submitted by someone who was cool enough to give you a glimpse inside their world…whether you agree with it or not. Our job is to bring you some interesting shit and let’s face it, this shit is interesting. M.D. Editor

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Vikki Speaks: Supporting Music my way

By Vikki Sin As much as I want to say I buy music left and right, the truth is….(wincing painfully) I do not.

Most of my meager income goes into concerts, traveling expenses to said concerts, and, if any is left over, t-shirts that I gleefully cut up and wear proudly to show the world my never ending devotion to said band. I simply don’t have the money necessary to fuel my ever expanding music addiction. I instead rely mainly on such wonderful inventions as Spotify, Pandora and YouTube to provide me with the tunes I require.

It is terrible, and I am borderline ashamed, especially since I talk to so many artists who stress the importance of buying music to support the musicians craft. My head is hung.

Most people are getting away from buying actual CD’s it seems. Digital is easy and great and still provides income for the artist through sites like iTunes, CDBaby, etc. However, there are certain albums that come out that I NEED to possess. I must strip them delicately of their cellophane and caress the plastic, carefully removing the liner to visually digest all of the pictures and lyrics and information and every last thank you, a ritual that no doubt certifies that I am now a well-informed super fan. That’s the irreplaceable beauty of buying albums. You can’t hang downloaded files on your wall. You can’t take out and hold digital copies with pride. You can’t get them signed. You can’t find them behind your couch one day and say “Oh, HERE’S this Sublime CD that I have to keep buying. Wow, we must have lost this during that house party years ago when so and so was dancing drunk to Garden Grove and took out the coffee table”. And really, there’s a fine art in leaving a copy of a gem such as Ugly Kid Joe’s “Everything About You” on the windshield of your ex’s Hyundai. (No, I’ve never done that but it sounds fantastic, yes?) Point being, there’s just something special about owning hard copies of musical masterpieces.

This year is the first year in a while that I am armed with a solid list of releases that I just cannot wait for. Marilyn Manson’s ‘Born Villain’ is set to drop in February, an event synonymous to me with perhaps the second coming of Christ. Other personal favorites like Pierce the Veil, The Birthday Massacre, ICP, Garbage, and Aerosmith are all looking to have albums out by the end of the year. Trent Reznor’s new project How To Destroy Angels, will debut their first full length. No Doubt, Black Sabbath, The Offspring…the list goes on and on!

I guess if I were to have a New Year’s resolution, it would be this: Give back more to the artists that give me so much in the way of inspiration, companionship, outlets, and anthems by purchasing more music. I will buy local music even more so, because they need it more than anyone. I will continue to buy band shirts, because they are hot.

And I will continue to go to shows, ESPECIALLY local ones, again, because they need all the help they can get to keep making music and entertaining us. So do your part for all the musicians out there, because we all listen to their stuff and one can only create as much as one is supported in doing so.

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The Rant: Can’t We all Just Get Along?

By Danielle Welgemoed Taylor I’m Danielle. I do vocals for Save The Zombies…I work for Plug’d In Magazine and I like long walks on the beach.

Before you go and bite my head off for what I’m going to say, I know I’m going to catch a lot of shit for this, and I will take full responsibility for anything said. I’m not holding back, nor am I afraid of what anyone thinks about me anymore. I will say what I feel, and hope you’ll all take some advice and realize I’m not just going after certain bands. This is happening to more than ONE band right now and it’s been bothering me because I feel like I’m partially responsible for the one issue. Anyways, here’s my rant.

Okay, first things first, I don’t know how short or how long this rant will be, but I’m going to get my point across. This has to do with how much our local scene sucks when it comes to bands supporting other bands and the whole “blacklisting” other bands to prove a point bullshit.

It’s sickening to know that people in the local scene treat other bands and band members like shit for no legitimate reason. Quit siding with people, grow a pair, and get the fuck over it. Quit fighting like a bunch of pussies. If you don’t like someone or a certain band, fine. Don’t play with them. But don’t make a huge deal of “blacklisting” them because of something so stupid, like, we don’t like one of the band members and refuse to play shows with you until they are removed from your band. That’s a pile of bullshit right there. The people in the band are the only ones who have a say as to who comes and who goes, and for other bands to be dickheads to a band because they don’t like a certain person doesn’t mean you have to fucking blacklist them.

I know for a fact I’m going to have a lot of people pissed off at me about this, and as of right now, I don’t care. I’m not picking sides, although one side makes more sense than the other. I have respect for the bands involved, but come on, grow up already.

People in the music scene, especially local, need to get along, rather than fight over petty fucking bullshit. Also, SUPPORT THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE. I don’t give a shit if you don’t like pop punk, or hardcore, or girls on stage for that matter. The fact is, support the bands no matter what. It’s not that hard. We’re all (mostly all of us) in this for the same damn reasons, so why can’t we get along instead of fighting all the time? “Oh my God! I just played a heavy fucking breakdown. I’m better than that shitty hardcore band that only played one lame breakdown.” or “I look hotter. I have piercing. I have tattoos. I have a nice guitar. I’m better than everyone else even though my music sucks.” Is there really any reason for any of that? If you want people to support your band while you’re on stage, then fucking support the bands before and after you play. Common sense, dumb asses.

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Survival 101: The Bug Out Bag 34 Essential Items For Your Bug Out Bag

by Jason (Frugal Dad) Imagine the following scenario. You are awakened in the middle of the night by the jolt of a powerful earthquake. Your house is leveled, but thankfully you and your family are uninjured.

However, the roads are impassable, your utilities have been cut off, and many of your neighbors were injured or killed in the earthquake. The only thing you have to survive is what you have on hand, and because you are a Frugal Dad reader, your bug out bag.

Unfortunately, this was a very real scenario for the people of Haiti. And in years past we’ve seen other examples, from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to the tsunami in Indonesia. On a smaller scale, we’ve also seen blizzards, floods and other natural disasters leave many people to fend for themselves. With some preparation, and a little planning, you can greatly improve the chances your family can get through these types of survival situations.

What exactly is a bug out bag?

A bug out bag is a collection of basic survival gear that might be required in a disaster scenario, natural or otherwise.

It is transportable, and consolidated into a single pack or two so that you can grab it and go in a hurry. I like to keep one at home and one in each vehicle, but how you implement the bug out bag is up to you.

The actual bag could be as simple as an extra frameless backpack or duffel bag, or as elaborate as a framed ALICE pack or similar framed backpack. The best bug out bag is one that you can pack the most in and still carry comfortably in the field.

What About Bugging In? In some cases, it might make sense to “bug in.” If you have a decent generator, such as a Honeywell HW6200, and a good supply of fuel, you might be safer staying put and living off items stored at your house. Naturally, this assumes your house is still safe and there are few immediate threats around you. If there are, you are better off bugging out with a well-packed bug out bag.

What goes in a bug out bag?

Anticipating worst-case scenarios is never fun, but to properly pack your bug out bag with only the essential items, you must start here. Imagine no food, no electricity, no water, and no city services for days. What types of things would you need to survive?

A couple rations of food- (I buy from MountainHouse.com). We have a big bag of rice, and several packs of packaged tuna with a two-year shelf life. Both have a lot of calories and are easy to prepare, but are relatively light to pack.

3 Gallon Rigid Water Containers- Keep a couple of these on hand and toss them in your trunk before bugging out.

At 3 gallons, it is not so heavy that the wife and kids couldn’t lug a couple in an emergency, or if I wasn’t there or was out of commission. These rigid style containers are more durable than gallon water jugs, so they are less likely

to leak.

Flashlights- Be sure to pack at least one flashlight per bug out bag. And never burn more than one light at a time to preserve batteries. A handcrank light can come in handy too, for battery-less operation.

Batteries- Be sure to have the right size for your equipment, and pack plenty of extras.

Glow sticks- When flashlights fail, or when you don’t need a high concentration of direct light, glow sticks are a wise choice.

Hand-crank emergency radio- Staying informed is a key to survival. A hand-cranked radio requires no batteries or electricity, and can provide news bulletins, weather updates, and information on evacuation routes, etc.

Multi-tool- I wouldn’t want to be anywhere without a multi-tool!

Knives- At a minimum, I’d recommend a folding camp knife with a saw edge, a Swiss Army knife with attachments, and a large, fixed-blade survival knife.

Rope/cord- Some 550 paracord is a must-have in your survival kit for tying up food, making a shelter, and plenty of other uses.

Change of clothes- This is not vital, as you can always wash/dry clothing in the field. If you have room, take along an extra set and lean towards cold weather gear.

Water purification tablets/drops- Boiling water is the most effective way to reduce the risk of ingesting a parasite.

However, purification tablets are a close second when boiling isn’t practical. Of course, at home I’d just use my Berkey Light water filter.

Anti-diarrhea medication- Be sure to have this one hand in the event you or a family member does suffer from diarrhea, which can lead to life-threatening dehydration very quickly in a survival situation.

Stainless steel Kanteen- I like this stainless steel Kanteen for carrying water (no worries over BPA’s in plastic), and it can be heated by hanging above a flame through cord threaded through the screw-on cap.

Bottle of multi-vitamins- While on a survival diet, chances are you will be lacking the required nutrients from food alone. A good multi-vitamin will help keep your immune system up.

Emergency blankets- These Mylar blankets help hold in heat in an emergency. In addition to those in our bug out bag, we also have a couple in the glove compartment of our car, just in case.

Bug repellent- After water disasters (floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, etc.) there will likely be standing water nearby, which is great breeding ground for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes, and other insects, are known for helping transmit diseases in these conditions, so keep your skin protected at all times.

Compass- Nothing fancy needed here. Just look for a compass that can reliably provide a north heading.

Map of your surrounding area- Who needs a GPS? When it hits the fan, I’d rather have a map of my city and state than something that requires power and communication with a satellite.

Fire-starting materials. We have a butane torch lighter, water proof matches, a magnesium stick, kindling sticks, cotton balls and petroleum jelly.

Signal mirror. Putting a signal mirror’s reflection on a rescue pilot or boat captain is one of the best ways of attracting attention.

Sun block. If caught out in the open on a hot summer day, you’ll be glad you packed sun block to prevent the sun from cooking your exposed skin.

A safety whistle for each family member. Safety whistles can be used to attract attention from rescuers, and to communicate with family members if separated. Plus, they take a lot less energy and make a lot more noise than screaming.

Fishing lures and line. If you can get to a natural body of water, chances are there is a food source in there. It’s possible to catch fish without lures and line, but having it sure improves your chances!

Ziploc bags. Great for waterproofing items, rationing food, etc.

Hand sanitizer. We personally packed a few bottles of Purell hand sanitizer. If you shop the cheap stuff, just be sure it has a alcohol content between 60% and 95% to maximize germ-killing effectiveness.

Camp axe. Probably the most important tool when setting up a camp. A good camp axe can help clear a camp site, split firewood, and chop down small trees for shelter.

Folding shovel. It isn’t pleasant to think about, but you may have to bury waste, or have the less-gross task of digging a fire pit. Either way, a folding shovel will do the job.

First aid kit. I prefer the soft-sided kits here because they are more compact and flexible than the large, plastic box first aid kits.

Survival handbook. A good survival handbook should cover information such as how to make shelters, identify plants and animals to eat, and strategies to get rescued.

Roll of duct tape. Duct tape is the do-it-yourselfer’s best friend, at home and in an emergency situation.

Cash and coins. We keep a couple hundred dollars in cash in a waterproof tube (originally purposed to hold waterproof matches). Also consider taking along a roll of quarters for any coin-operated vending, or to make change.

Ponchos. When you have to leave shelter in search of food, or to move away from danger, keeping yourself dry greatly reduces the chances of getting sick from exposure to a cold rain.

Tarp. With a section of tarp and a little rope tied between two trees you can provide instant shelter in a survival situation.

Deck of cards (to fight boredom). Don’t discount the psychological aspects of survival. After a day or two, boredom will set in and you’ll be glad to have a deck of cards to pass the time.

I recommend picking up one or two items from this list each shopping trip, or ordering them online with a little money from your next few paychecks. It would cost a lot of money to purchase and pack these items all at once. And if you are like me, you’ll have a main bug out bag you keep at home, but a mobile version for the trunk of your car. After all, you never know where you might be in a survival situation.

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