Plug'd In Magazine Issue #40

The Hard-Rock'n Bi-Weekly Magazine The kickass Local Edition Issue #40 Artist Spotlight: Michael Mavretic of For The Perilous This Is: Scott Russo of Unwritten Law Impact: Matt Tybor of The Bunny The Bear Dear Dead Abby This weeks artist spotlight is Michael mavretic of for the perilous

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This Is: Scott Russo of Unwritten Law Interview by Vikki Sin Fans of San Diego based Unwritten Law got a long awaited treat this past March when the pop punk group released their 6th studio album “Swan” after a 6 year hiatus. Not that founder and vocalist Scott Russo was sitting still that whole time. The renowned singer/songwriter/producer kept busy with multiple side projects, as he explained when I caught up with him. All fans new and old can get excited, because it looks like we can only expect more albums and touring from these guys in the near future. Here, the enthusiastic artist tells us all about how his life revolves around music…V.S. PI: How was Warped Tour? What are some of the bands you were excited to catch on Warped Tour?

SR: There’s a band called “The BOTS” who just left, these kids from L.A., they were amazing. I love Winds of Plague. I really love Foxy Shazam. I really love Larry and His Flask. Those are like my top bands. I’m really excited for Yelawolf to join the tour. Other than that, the homie Big B’s on the tour. He’s a dope guy.

PI: There’s a lot of bands from the west coast that aren’t touring on the east coast, which is disappointing I think to a lot of people. You guys do tours on the west coast sometimes and won’t come over here. What’s up with that?

SR: It’s a Biggie/Tupac thing. (laughs) Well, what it is that, quite honestly, unless your band can really draw tickets and make money it’s hard to get all the way over here. So we can’t support ourselves over here. Our fan base isn’t big enough to where it’s financially feasible. That’s what was good about Warped Tour, it exposes you to a lot of people so that when you come right back, these kids are like, if you’re a good band, they’re like “yo, I wanna see this band again”. Since we had taken a 6 year hiatus, even before that we hadn’t toured probably in like 3 or 4 years, so we’ve got kids that have probably never seen us or heard of us before. It’s an amazing opportunity to get in front of a lot of new people.

PI: How did you guys get involved with Suburban Noize Records?

SR: We grew up with Kevin Zinger, who is the owner of Suburban Noize Records and SRH, and before he owned these two companies he was a concert promoter, and he put on some of the first Unwritten Law shows. We became friends with him years and years ago. About six years ago, our label went under, so we had no home. We kind of took a hiatus. The guys were raising a couple of kids, I was producing and writing for a lot of other artists. Kevin Zinger approached us about two years later and was like “Hey man, we’d love to have you over here at Suburban Noize. Do you guys want to

do another record”? We were like “Yea, let’s do it”. So that’s how the whole thing kind of came about.

PI: Since there was a 6 year hiatus and then you put out ‘Swan’, can we expect a steady flow of records now?

SR: I think at this point you will be able to, because now we have members that want to play music and they want to tour. Before no one wanted to tour, if there was no money involved they didn’t want to tour, and now everyone fucking just loves to play music, they want to do shows, so I think now it’ll be easier for us to get together and make music and put it out, for sure. This is kind of us getting restarted again.

PI: Did the hiatus give you time to put a lot of thought into ‘Swan’? What was your inspiration behind the record?

SR: When I was on that hiatus, I wasn’t thinking about Unwritten Law at all. In fact, I was producing for Anya Marina on Atlantic Records, Big B on Suburban Noize, did some shit with Swayze, did some shit with Mike Posner, I’m all over the place writing music with this band Super Groupie and then I also had 2 projects, Scott and Amy, with Amy Allen, and then I also had Scott Russo and the Big Bang .

So that being said, I never really stopped writing. For this record, it did take me a long time, because this record was my calling card, my business card for other artists. Unwritten Law is my baby. So, I had to make sure every song was fucking slamming from front to back, 11 hits in a row, no B-sides, no bullshit, make sure it was sharp enough to pierce anything. This record took me a long time to craft. Took me 14 months to write and record this record. That being said, no stone was left unturned and I focused on this project and fuck anything else.

PI: What are some of your personal inspirations musically, maybe otherwise? Who are the people that inspire you to do what you do?

SR: I get inspired lyrically by life events, whether it is heartache, heartbreak, being in love, or parting. I really like to write about what I know about. If you’re writing shit about stuff you don’t believe in, people are not going to be able to connect with it. So I write about life events, and that’s certainly my influence on how I create music. I want to make sure my music has dimension. It can’t be full on the whole time, it has to have dimension in each song and then of course the record as well.

PI: Is there anything besides music that you’re passionate about?

SR: Music’s my life, it’s who I am. I eat, sleep and breathe it. Other than that, I enjoy my family. I enjoy surfing and skating, that’s kind of like my shit so that’s it.

PI: As far as your childhood, who was it that started you getting into music? Were there any musicians you saw and thought “That’s what I want to do”?

SR: Not really. I always wanted to be a pro skater. Musically, I just kind of fell into music and then it happened to be my gift.

When I was a child, my mom loved 50’s and 60’s pop, so I was really brought up with a lot of Buddy Holly and The Beatles on her side, shit like that. On my dad’s side, he brought me up with a lot of soul, with like Earth, Wind, and Fire and Michael Jackson, The Jackson 5, Janet Jackson. We got a pretty well rounded mixture a foundation of what I would become as a songwriter.

PI: Has there been anywhere in the world you’ve gone that’s blown your mind?

SR: Yea, I love Hawaii. I love Australia, it’s like my favorite. I like tropical areas. I love Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. I like to be by the beach.

PI: Is touring something that you really look forward to?

SR. Yea. I’m one of those people; I’m like a lifer, so all I want to do is tour and play music.

PI: Do you have any crazy fan stories?

SR: Fuck yea, I do. (laughs) I’ve seen a lot of crazy shit. A lot of girls go crazy shit with their bodies, a lot of offers. The things you can imagine, I’ve probably done or had done.

PI: How do you feel about the younger fan base? It seems like the kids are getting younger, as far as the people that come to these shows.

SR: As far as Warped Tour goes, definitely. The demographic of these kids is anywhere from 14-18, maybe. That’s a very, very young crowd. So as far as girl fans go, completely off limits on this tour.

For this tour, it’s strictly about hanging out with your friends and fucking getting your music on.

When the fan base is very young, it’s a great place to connect with fans because they have a whole lifetime to follow and be a part of your career. So it’s amazing all the way around.

PI: If you could bring back any legend from the dead and do a collaboration with them, who would it be?

SR; Probably John Lennon, or Bob Marley…Ol’ Dirty Bastard!

PI: What’s a favorite guilty pleasure song of yours?

SR: What’s my newest…I have a new one…“Bulletproof” by La Roux. I love that song, dude. (laughs)

PI: So, what can we look forward to from you guys SR: Yea, we’re going to continue to push Swan. We’ve been out of the limelight for a long time, so we like to believe it’s a really groundbreaking record so we want to push it so it gets heard.

PI: Is there anything you want to say to the fans that have stuck with you all these years?

SR: Yea, thank you very much.

Can’t wait to see you. Swan: coming to a theater near you!

PI: Thanks for giving us a chance to get Plug’d In! SR: Thank you.

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Dear Dead Abby Brought to you by It’s All The Hair Rage Designs

From The Grave 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. My ex-boyfriend posted some pictures I sent to him to a website called “Is anyone up”? I feel like my life is ruined. What can I do? I asked the site to take them down, but they won’t. S.G. A. Well, you didn’t sign anything stating that they could post those pictures. I’m pretty sure there’s a law about that. Your ex could be in a lot of trouble. Learn from your mistakes for next time. If you’re adult enough to be taking pictures of yourself like that, then you are adult enough to deal with the consequences.

Q. My girlfriend and I used to have sex all the time. A couple months ago we just kind of stopped. She always had some excuse….too tired, had to get up early, etc.…Something seems weird and I’m starting to wonder if she’s sleeping with someone else. Do I ask her? Anon A. Well, the most likely explanation is that yes, she’s seeing someone else, and feels like she’d be cheating on them with you. If you decide to approach her, is there anything else that would cause you to think that? However, there could be another reason as well. Certain medical conditions, medications, or a change in birth control could cause lack of interest and excessive tiredness.

Q. My boyfriend complains that I go out too much. I like going out with my friends and having a good time, but it really bothers him. What do I do? P.G. A. Your boyfriend probably feels like you go out and hit on other guys or other guys are hitting on you. Have you invited him to go with? There’s nothing wrong with having a good time, but what is more important in your life? Your boyfriend, or having a good time? Make time to do things with him. If you’re always going out with your friends, it’s going to make him feel lousy and unwanted. Things can stem from that to cause even more problems. If you’re more into having a good time, then perhaps you should take a break from the dating scene and get it out of your system before you think about settling down into the “Suzy homemaker” life.

Q. Do you think a zombie outbreak like “the walking dead” could ever happen? J.C. A. Who says we aren’t in one right now? Do you get out much?

Q. Thanksgivings coming and we always have it at my parents’ house. It’s the worst. All my stupid family is there and all they do Is argue. How can I get out of going without getting my parents mad at me? P.V. A. That is what Thanksgiving is all about! Getting together with family you hate and all pretend to like each other somewhat for the sake of appearances, and as soon as you’re in the car, badmouth everyone that was there. It’s an American tradition. Do you have a husband/fiancé/boyfriend? Perhaps you could go to their family’s house for Thanksgiving and tell your parents you will come over the day after for Thanksgiving leftovers. If you don’t have that option, just tell them how you feel. Chances are they don’t like it either, but it’s the way it goes. You either suck it up and deal with it, or you run the risk of offending your family and going your own way. Choose your fate.

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Artist Spotlight: Michael Mavretic of For The Perilious Interview by Danielle Welgemoed Taylor PI: I was able to interview Michael Mavretic of For The Perilous to discuss the band, it’s future, and all sorts of member changes.

Here’s what he had to say…D.W.T. PI: How long has For The Perilous been around?

MM: we've been a band for about 5 years now but I only joined 3 years ago. It was about 2 years ago we decided to take things to the next level and really become a professional band.

PI: Where are you based out of?

MM: We are from an old steel town outside of Lancaster called Lebanon.

PI: You’ve gone through quite a few vocalists in the last year.

What was going on and do you think you’ve finally found the right guy for the job?

MM: Yes, we have gone through a total of 5 vocalists. Our original vocalist (Kyle Cantwell) moved back home to Virginia because of some personal issues. (William Trostel) was let go due to some inside feuds we were having between him and his girlfriend. (Tyson Maynard) was a great guy and a vocalist but it came down to the fact that he had a family to provide for and we couldn't pull him away from that because of touring situations. (Allan Mckutchen) he was only in the band for a week and out of the blue decided to ditch us just a couple hours before a show. Our current vocalist is Ian McKinney from a band called Dreamland Park. We were always big fans of their music and when Ian offered to help us out, we jumped on it. We would love him to stay, but we realize he has his own thing going on so in the end, it is up for him to decide whether or not he'd like to continue this project.

But he will continue to ride with us as long as we need him if he decides to not stay.

PI: What are some of the bands influences?

MM: Each one of us listens to our own kind of music which I think really helps define our unique sound. I'm more into thrash metal like old Metallica, Slayer and Testament. Seth (bass) is into more modern hardcore bands like Parkway Drive and Miss May I. Krum (guitar) is into Dillinger Escape Plan and Foxy Shazam.

Ryan (drums) likes For Today, August Burns Red. Ian (vocals) is into Protest the Hero and Veil of Maya type of stuff.

PI: When does For The Perilous plan on going on tour?

MM: As far as touring goes, it's still up to discussion but we might be planning a series of weekend tours staring in February. Details on everything with JBL are still being worked out.

PI: Does For The Perilous have any big plans for the next year?

MM: Next year... we're gonna have to see.

We're kind of just focusing on this album and then management is kind of in the scene. We got some offers from some big name producers who really would like to record us so we might do a couple of singles. I have no idea yet though.

PI: If you could put on a show, which bands (local or signed) would you like to play?

MM: We would love to play a show with Dreamland Park, Between The Lions, and August Burns Red. PI: Who is the mastermind in the band behind the music?

MM: It's more me and Ryan. We all contributed to the record but I think in total I wrote 5 of the tracks. And I've contributed to at least another 2. You can hear it when you listen to the record. My addiction to speed from my love for thrash metal is very prominent in our sound. Not saying we are thrash but you can really hear it. I think my style has rubbed off on the other guys. As for Ryan, it’s like we were born to be in a band together.

PI: Where do you see For The Perilous in the next five years?

MM: That's honestly a question I cannot answer. Things are always changing for us so who knows.

I'd love to say we'll be on tour making this our full time job but nature is unpredictable.

PI: If you could say one thing to up and coming local bands, what advice would you give them?

MM: Don't stop playing. Play as many shows as you can never stop working hard. Too many good bands break up because they don't try hard enough which makes them feel like they'll never make it.

Just keep trying PI: Thanks for giving us a chance to get Plug’d In. MM: Thank you.

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Impact: Matt Tybor of The Bunny The Bear Interview by Danielle Welgemoed Taylor I was able to sit down and interview vocalist Matt Tybor (The Bunny) of The Bunny The Bear after their show at the Croc Rock. We discussed the band, his influences, and where the name came from. The Bunny The Bear is an up-and-coming band that is quickly gaining fans of all musical styles, from all around the world. With catchy choruses and songs that will make you want to throw down or dance, these New Yorkers know how to put on a show.

D.W.T PI: What is the story behind the name, The Bunny The Bear?

MT: It was completely random. I was sitting there and I was bored, and I said “I’m going to start a band called The Bunny The Bear and wear a plastic bunny mask.”

PI: How long has The Bunny The Bear been around and where are you based out of?

MT: I started the band three and a half years ago, and Buffalo, New York.

PI: What are some of your biggest inspirations?

MT: For musically? For our stuff, nothing. I don’t listen to anything like our stuff. I listen to Chicago, Brand New, Coco Rosie, and a little Michael Bolton!

PI: What was it liked getting signed by Victory Records, and what has touring, recording, and meeting new people been like?

MT: Victory Records is awesome! They’re all extremely friendly, and I enjoy all of their dedication to us and their support. Um, as for touring, I’m not really a big fan of touring, but meeting our fans has been amazing. It’s been an extremely surprising outcome how many people come out.

PI: You’ve been called the “mastermind” behind the music of The Bunny The Bear. Do you write most of the songs by yourself?

MT: By myself.

PI: Which show /city/venue so far has been your favorite and why?

MT: I couldn’t tell you. All of them.

PI: How did you and Chris Hutka establish who the Bunny was going to be, and who the Bear was going to be and how did everything come together?

MT: I just told him, like I do everything else.

PI: You have two albums recorded, and well over twenty songs. Which song is your favorite to play live and why?

MT: Ocean Floor is probably my favorite.

PI: I’ve read that “Alley” is a very personal song to you. What is the reasoning behind that?

MT: A lot of my songs are about shitty relationships; Alley is about, well, it’s more about my relationship with God. Alley is one of the few songs, well it’s the only song, that’s about trying to stay on the right path. It’s like, not

knowing if you’re going to burn. I don’t know, it’s just important to me, and that’s all that matters I guess. Haha. It’s one of the more sensitive songs.

I’m showing my more emotional side, but everything else is just sort of me hating girls, and stuff.

PI: What is the hardest part about going on tour and how does it affect your family life?

MT: Um, my family life kind of sucks. I don’t know. I just really don’t like touring. Like, I like the writing and recording and meeting our fans, but I’d prefer to be at home, sitting on my ass. It’s not really hard. The hardest part is maintaining your voice, but other than that, it’s pretty easy. It’s just a lifestyle I haven’t gotten used to yet.

PI: Where do you see The Bunny The Bear in five years?

MT: On Ellen.

PI: Do you have any favorite pastimes besides playing music?

MT: Pastimes? I don’t have many. I try not to think about the past, or the future. I live in the moment. My mind moves way to fast to think about way too much in the same amount of time to understand everything. I don’t like thinking about the future or the past, I prefer just living in the moment. And wondering why I’m doing stuff.

PI: Some of your favorite things to do besides play music?

MT: I like to watch movies. That’s about it. Oh, and eat.

PI: What advice would you give to young, unsigned bands who want to “make it big?”

MT: RUN. I don’t know, just follow [your dream] I guess. Work your ass off. It’s not the most interesting lifestyle in the world, but if all you can do is write music, then go for it. It was kind of random for us. Just record, record, record, go on the internet and promote. Or you can play Black Ops all night.

PI: Thank you for sitting down with us and getting Plug’d In. MT: I’ve been plugged. Thank you. It was a pleasure.

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ALL AGES! $10 AT THE DOOR! DRESS UP AND GET IN THE SPIRIT OF IT! Nov. 5th - FOR THE PERILOUS, GOODBYE NEVAEH, MANUFACTURED LIES, BEHEAD THE BETRAYER AND HAVE FAITH WITHIN!! ALL AGES! $10 AT THE DOOR! NOV. 18TH - FIFTH L WITH CHE, MDC, J FLY, LOST TIME FOUND THE FUNK AND ILL INTENTIONS! DOORS AT 7:30!

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