50
The Hard-Rock'n Bi-Weekly Magazine The kickass Local Edition
Our 50th Issue! Inside this issue -This Is: Hank III -Dear Dead Abby -Memoirs of a Band Whore: She’s got balz -Artist Spotlight: JT Cage -Budgeting For The Zombie Apocalypse
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This Is: Hank III Interview by Vikki Sin Shelton Hank Williams, better known as Hank3, is a legend in the making, following in the footsteps of his famous family. Known for his diverse musical background and numerous projects, not to mention his no holds barred attitude toward creative freedom, this outspoken hellbilly has caught the attention of a broad spectrum of fans, honkytonk cowboys, metal heads, and punk rockers alike. He’s just set off on a 3 week tour in support of his latest albums, Ghost to a Ghost/Guttertown, a double album focusing on the country side, and Attention Deficit Domination and Cattle Callin’, which are more in the metal vein; all of which he released from his new label on the same day this past September. Busy? You bet. So I was thrilled at the chance to chat with him 2 days before he set off from Nashville to find out a little bit more about his notorious rocky past with Curb Records and his love of dogs, tattoos, art and everything in between. Maybe a Slayer collaboration in the future? Read on to find out… V.S. PI: You released 4 albums on September 6th last year, which showed a range of your musical abilities. What made you decide to release 4 albums at once? H3: There’s more things than just one, but the main foundation for it is just being different. You know, making my mark in musical history. It’s something that I don’t think has been done before. The only other person that came close to doing it was Frank Zappa and his label held him back from being able to do that vision, so that gave me a lot of inspiration. I haven’t been able to record or sell my own CD’s at my shows in over 18-19 years, so I can guarantee we’re bringing the doom and the cattle calling and the country and the hellbilly to the fans, and giving the fans a chance to see the show and buy each genre of music. So, those are a couple of things on just the foundation and I don’t know in time if I’ll ever have that much focus or drive to take on so much material at one time. PI: I know you were having a lot of problems with Curb records as far as your limitations on what you were allowed to put out. How did you go about finally getting to release things on your own label? H3: It’s just a nice creative freedom. It didn’t matter if I was an underground artist who didn’t make Curb much money, or someone like Tim McGraw who’s made ‘em millions and millions and millions and having the same problem with Curb Records. It just shows that there’s a problem there that they don’t respect a lot of their artists, or creativity, or music. So, it’s nice for me to be able to do what I do and that’s make music and play with others. You know, if you really look at the mass, I only had maybe 5-6 releases out of those 10-12 years or more on that label, 15 years, whereas most would have double the releases. So, they weren’t just holding me back creatively and musically, they were holding me back in all kinds of ways; all kinds of great opportunities that I had to be part of, many cool things I didn’t get to follow through with, because they would shoot it down. PI: It must be nice to finally be able to put out music that you want to put out and that your fans want to hear and get away from that. H3: I always put out music I wanted to put out, I just had to spend a lot more on lawyers to be able to do it. (Laughs) I mean, now, if I want to create a country song, or a rock song, or if Les Claypool calls and says “Hey man, I want you to play drums on my record“…ok! PI: I was talking to my father, who’s a huge country fan, about this interview and he said “That whole family is known for doing whatever the hell they want to do” and I think it’s cool that you’re an inspiration to people to do what they want to do. You stand up against the music industry, and that’s important. H3: I show kids a good work ethic, you know. Like Henry Rollins and Jello Biafra and all these people showed me
when I was growing up, I’m passing that on to my fans, and showing them how to record themselves and record their practices, and do what you believe in. It’s a lot more to it than just being a rebel. I have a drive in me to do music and all kinds of other things, and be creative, that’s just how I am. People that record, come to the studio, you can just tell when you walk into my house it’s just a very busy, high paced thing that I do. Over the years, I just knew what I wanted to do with my sound. Had a lot of bands that have influenced me and showed me that longevity is much better than being a one hit wonder. PI: This tour that you’re about to embark on, is it going to follow the same so called Jekyll/Hyde format that you’re known for, playing a bit from each genre? H3: Yea. I always pay respects to my country fans first, and then I do the rock towards the end of the show. I think that just breaks it up a little more even, where everyone feels that they got their money’s worth, because the last thing I want to do is make my fans feel cheated, and I think that’s been the best way to do it over the years where everyone seems satisfied. If you don’t want to see the rock, well, you have the chance to leave. That’s the best formula over the years, it seems like. PI: I know you’re really into your dogs. You have Trooper on the new album on a song (Trooper’s Hollar), you have the video you did for the Animal Humane Shelters where you’re speaking about rescuing animals; when you go on tour do you bring your dogs? H3: No, I try not to, because it makes it really hard on my crew if I do that. I have had to take them on tour before and if they get off the bus, well then I hold everyone accountable, you know? It’s like messin with my kids and it puts everybody in a really bad situation. PI: I bet you miss them when you’re gone. H3: Oh yea, definitely. It’s always an ordeal having to make sure that they’re taken care of. They’re very important to me. All my dogs, I gotta make sure they feel safe, my peace of mind when I leave, you know. I have to do it today. I have a new person here that has to watch them and learn them and get used to them. It’s always a little tough. PI: You’re obviously very, very busy. You do a ton of things; you play all kinds of instruments in many different bands. What do you like to do on your off time besides music? H3: I like cutting grass, running the weed eater, keeping up the land, working on the trails, just a lot of stuff outside to keep my body in shape and different kind of work really, just high paced kind of stuff. That helps me get grounded too, when I can work outside. PI: Is there anybody that you haven’t worked with that you’d love to do collaboration with? H3: I’ve been wanting to try to work with Dave Lombardo of Slayer. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. That’s a really big one I’d like to do. Trying to do a country project with him, it’s something he’s wanted to do and I’ve wanted to do with him but we just haven’t had the time to do it. That’s what I’m hoping we can pull together. PI: You’ve got a lot of tattoos. Any ideas for your next one? H3: It’s probably gonna be Trooper’s paw print on me, I guess will be the next thing that I do. I already got it saved in ink and everything.
PI: I saw pictures on your website of you painting a guitar. Is that something you dabble in, painting? H3: Yea, I do what I can with it, you know, when I have a chance to sit down and focus a little bit. It’s something I haven’t done near as much as I’ve wanted to, but I get to do it every now and then. PI: Do you follow politics at all? Is that something you get into? H3: Not really. I try to keep that out of my music as much as possible, because I don’t really focus on that as much. People like Jello Biafra have really approached that, and Henry (Rollins), but they really do their homework, and for me I’ve always been a musician more than a politician and I try to let people forget about their problems. I’m not trying to sell you or push you on something, that’s why I rely on the partying theme a little bit, just so people get to let go and just kind of do their thing out there. I’ve never been political. It is what it is. I’m more into working hard and I hope that people get that out of me. That’s one of the best things out there, is the drive I can offer for people. The political game is just so different nowadays. It’s just one of those things. I keep religion out of it as much as possible, politics out of it as much as possible and just try to make it for the music. It’s like listening to some music that you don’t understand what some people are saying, in different languages. PI: You did the West Memphis 3 collaboration record. Is that something you felt strongly about, or was that more about being able to work with Henry Rollins? H3: Yea, with Henry Rollins and Black Flag. It was an honor to be able to offer hope for kid and that’s something that just shows that if you keep on fighting and just do what you do that hope and support can go a long way, and it did, in that situation. It really made a big difference. That album was a great thing. PI: I just saw today about the album Long Gone Daddy coming out in April. If I’m correct, I believe that is going to be distributed through Curb Records. Can you tell me about that? H3: That has absolutely nothing to do with me. That’s them trying to take away from my business and my records. That’s them releasing stuff that has basically no spirit and no oomph in it. You’ll notice people that I have worked with in the small scene when they were nothing have sucked up to the corporate team nowadays, on the artwork side of things and some of the performers on that record. I have NOTHING good to say about it. That’s just another way of Curb trying to take me down and take away from my vision and my art. PI: You’re doing the tour for a couple weeks. Is there anything else that you have lined up that you can talk to us about? H3: Right now it’s hard to say. I’ve worked with Elmo Jones, recording a project for him. Right now, I’m focusing on the road and when I get home, no telling what kind of project I’ll be doing. I’ll be doing a little bit of everything, but it’s hard to say what kind of record I’ll be putting out when I get back. PI: Is there anybody that we’d be surprised to learn that you are into musically? H3: People from Blondie to Adam Ant to Gary Newman to Heart in the old days, and all kinds of stuff like that. There’s a lot of underground compilations I listen to, but those are a few basics right there that some people might think is strange. PI: Good luck on tour and thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us! H3: You’re welcome. See you soon.
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Dear Dead Abby 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. Exactly who do you think you are and where do you get off talking to people like you do? A.X. A. I’m dead fucking Abby bitch! Q. Are zombies real? H.K. A. Yes. Q. You guys have a feature about band whores. Do you agree or disagree with what the girls are doing? C.S. A. Plug’d In Magazine does not support nor condone. If that is what somebody wants to do, then let them. Everybody has different reasons for doing what they do. Some want attention, some like the thrill. I think if somebody is single, without any commitments, then by all means, go out and have fun, whatever their definition of fun may be. Get it out of your system while you have the chance. That way, when you meet a person that you want to be in a committed relationship with, you won’t have the what if nagging at you. Live on the wild side, but not life-threatening dangerously so. Q. Guns N Roses sucks now. What do you think? F.T. A. I think most bands that try to make a resurgence, or a comeback if you will, suck. There are a few exceptions. I think when a band has lost key foundation members, it will never be the same. I think every band will come to the crossroads of is it time for me to hang up the leather and spandex, or do we still have another hit record in us? Most don’t realize that it’s the former, not the latter. Q. My parents are getting a divorce and now I have to move with my dad. This sucks so bad. Any advice to help me get thru? G.D. A. Divorce is an ever growing epidemic. I’m sure you have friends with divorced parents. I’m sure you would have better insight if you asked them. You can’t change the outcome, just make the best of it. Both your parents love you, so don’t ever think that you were a factor in their decision to divorce. People change. Things change. Remember the good times you had as a family, and love your parents now just as you have. Divorce affects them as well. They might seem strong on the outside, but I’m sure they’re hurting as well. Q. I caught my fiancé messing around with a girl at his work. I kicked him out, broke up with him, and have moved on. It’s been about a year now. He just called me asking for the ring back. I put it away thinking I would sell it someday. Do I have to give it back to him since he was the one who cheated? D.D. A. Proper etiquette says no, you don’t have to give the ring back, especially a year later when he probably wants to put it on another’s finger. That ring is yours to sell or do with as you wish.
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Memoirs of a Band Whore: She’s got balz This story is all about #wilkesbarreproblems. These include such things as: damn, there are way too many hot band boys here to just choose one. Or, damn, they threw our whiskey in the fire. Or, damn, I broke a nail, lost my nose hoop, and my dignity in the matter of a few hours. Oh, Wilkes Barre. Your boys never cease to amaze me in more ways than one. It all started with #miwproblems, particularly Motionless in White's synth player, Josh Balz. I came across him one day on Facebook. Feeling pretty confident, I sent him a message. He replied, we exchanged some messages, and then he gave me his number. Let the sexting begin. We exchanged so many nudes back and forth. Literally every night we were talking dirty and sending pictures. Within a day I already had a solid library of Balz. You can only imagine what it's like now...fucking impressive. We were supposed to meet and hang out at the All Stars tour in Baltimore, MD last summer. This became a lot more convenient when I just so happened to be in Scranton at the Summer Slaughter Survivors tour when Motionless in White was returning home for a day off from their tour. SCORE. Balz and I decided to meet up as soon as they returned at about 2 AM. I was sitting in my car with my friend waiting for their RV to pull up. I was pretty nervous for this one. This boy is fucking gorgeous and he's in one of my favorite bands. Finally, they arrived. He came and met me at my car. HOLY JESUS HE WAS HOT. 5 minutes later, he was putting his hand on my neck, choking me, and making out with me. Go figure, this goth boy was kinky. We wasted some time on their RV cuddling or whatever. It was slightly awkward because my friend was with us. But she knew what was up. "I'm gonna go to the car and sleep. I'm tired. Just come when you're ready," she said to me. I swear, I have the best friends in the world. She left and 2 seconds later I was undressed with this dude and OH MY GOD. My friend (the one with the giant boobs) and I have this thing we do. Every time we bang a new boy we relate him back to Balz. Because, she has fucked him too, and once you fuck Josh Balz, no sex will ever compare. This boy is TALENTED. Not to mention he's into all that fun kinky shit. So, girls, if you were wondering how Josh Balz is in bed, all I have to say is: FUCKING FANTASTIC. He has his reputation for a reason. After we finished, we kissed good-bye, and I headed home. I ended up going back the next night to bang him out one last time before they left again for tour. I stayed the night with him this time. Cuddled and shit. The next morning I dropped him off at their RV so he could leave for tour. Fast forward a few months, and the boys were back from tour. I got an invite to a party in Wilkes Barre from one of Balz' friends, Justin Kurtzweil, who's in the band Patterns. Not only would both of them be there, but so would Ryan Sitkowski (guitarist from MIW), and a whole bunch of their friends. Immediately I contacted my partner in crime, and we headed to Wilkes Barre. Bottles of whiskey and tequila in our hands, we finally arrived to this shit. I don't know what it is about Wilkes Barre, but I swear EVERY guy there is so fucking hot. I didn't even know what to do with myself. So I started drinking. And then the night took a turn for the worst. There was a bon-fire outside. Everyone was chilling all around it. So much random shit was going on. (Cont’d)
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Almost everyone was wasted. Someone threw our whiskey in the fire. Ryan pissed on his friend AJ. I don't even know. All I know is Justin and I snuck off to "go to the bathroom". Next thing I know, we're in a bedroom and I'm getting a trophy. Justin Kurtzweil, you're a damn good fuck. We finished up. I was still pretty damn drunk. The night was young. Justin was over me, which worked out well because I was onto the next trophy. Hello, Ryan Sitkowski, you're also quite hot. We were making out on the couch. Fuck, Balz and my friend were encouraging it, so we kept at it. Next thing I know, Ryan and I are in the bathroom. Yes. Second boy of the night. Second trophy down. Zero fucks given. I'm a mother fucking champ. Finally the whole party was calming down. I realized at some point I had broken one of my nails. I had also lost my nose hoop. And I was about to completely lose any sort of dignity I may have had left. Fuck it. Everyone left the house aside from my friend, Balz, his friend BJ Kasteleba, and I. My friend went to bed with Balz. He ended up doing her in the B-hole that night which we now refer to as, "Balzin It" . So I went to bed with this BJ kid. Whatever, he wasn't in a band, but he was pretty hot. All tattooed and shit. He wanted my V so I just banged him too. Third one down. No big deal. What a fantastic night. I really took the phrase, "on to the next one" super literal. My friend is my best friend for a reason. Because the next morning, after I had told her what all happened, she told me I did a good job and that she was proud of me. Most people at that point would probably disown me, but not her. I owned last night. And we left feeling pretty damn accomplished. Oh well, #wilkesbarreproblems. I recently went back to Wilkes Barre, this time to see Ryan again. The boys were back from the Fearless Friends tour, and he wanted to hook up again. I went to the bar with him and some other people. We were both wasted. I ended up back at some house with him and we hooked up twice. Ryan is such a fucking dickhead. But he's pretty great in bed, so it's kinda worth it. Recently I received a facebook message from Motionless in White's "merch girl", Alexandra Berry. This bitch was starting shit with me out of fucking nowhere. Obviously I put her in her place. The shit hit the fan when I told her that Ryan had been good to me over the weekend. A few days later I found out they were dating. Oops, there I go home-wrecking AGAIN. Merch girls get really fucking pissed when you sleep with their band boyfriend. #miwproblems 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
Artist Spotlight: JT Cage Interview by Michael Demos PI: What going on man. Tell us what you’ve been up to lately? JT: How’s it going man? Been kinda busy lately. Fixin to record the new cd with No Remorse For The Fallen, been working with the guys in Lethean as the new vocalist for that band, playing shows, getting things ready for OMG! Fest II, and somewhere in there I find time to have a beer or two. (Laughs) PI: How’s everything going in the band? JT: Things are going great. I'm excited about recording this new cd called "The Unwanted EP". This will be the up to date recording with the new additions to the lineup. As you probably know, Brad came back, but is playing bass instead of drums. We've added Joe (drums) and Ian (guitar) to the band. They definitely add new dynamics to No Remorse For The Fallen, that we are all excited about. Can't wait for everyone else to experience it. We are more focused than ever. PI: Do you guys have any shows coming up? JT: Yes we do. We kind of toned down our schedule some to allow time for recording the new EP. NRFTF's upcoming shows are March 18th at The Grape Room in Philly/Manyunk area (Ages 21+). March 23rd is Duel 2 The Deaf 2 at O'Reilly's Pub in Philadelphia (Ages 21+). April 13th is a fun one. It’s at Club Risque in Philly. Strip Club show and my birthday blast at the same time. (Laughs) (Ages 21+). We are also doing the Launch Music Conference the last weekend in April in Lancaster. We're still waiting on the exact date on that one. May 3rd is our friends in Dark Waters End's CD Release show at O'Reilly's Pub in Philly (Ages 21+). After that it’s OMG! Fest II on May 19th (All Ages) at the Silo. That’s the big one. 20 Bands. 2 Stages. It’s gonna be wild. Besides those NRFTF shows, the other band I'm in, Lethean, literally just a few minutes ago, got confirmed for our debut show with me in the lineup. It’s April 22nd at Championship Bar & Grill in Trenton, NJ (All Ages) with Origin and Decrepit Birth. Can't wait for that. PI: How did you get your start in music? Do you play any instruments? JT: Well I pretty much was always involved with music my whole life. From literally 1st grade, through about 10th grade, I was in chorus. I took piano lessons for a while around 8 or 9 years old. I’ve pretty much listened to every style of music. I really started getting into metal around 10th grade while playing high school football. It’s all we would listen to before practices and games. After high school I was going to so many shows with my best friend Don, who was the bassist of No Remorse For The Fallen, that we'd joke around about starting a band. We ended up meeting and hanging with Dave Williams and the rest of the guys in Drowning Pool. They said we got something and we should start the band. Don decided at the time he couldn't do it because of his career in engineering. A couple of years later, I got off my ass and joined my 1st band in 2003 called Subskin. We were a band for 5 years in the Lehigh Valley. Some of the members of Subskin started a new project called No Remorse For The Fallen. I originally joined, but couldn't do it because of personal family stuff, and the opportunity came again later that year. I joined. And the rest is history. Naw Mean! (Laughs) That’s totally the short version of how I got into music. PI: Any singers you look to for inspiration? Bands? JT: Singers would be Matt Holt from the band Nothingface. He's been a huge influence on going from screaming to "clean" vocals. I used to always practice and warm up to Nothingface songs. Also Greg Puciato from The Dillinger Escape Plan. The dude is freakin nuts and I love it! He carries such a high energy on stage and just goes completely ape shit. He puts on a show. That’s how I always wanted to be, even since early on. I didn't just want people to just come to shows and hear us. I want them to experience us. It’s so easy for bands to come on stage,
and the vocalist to go "Hey, fuck this place up!", "CIRCLE PIT!!", "Jump", "Yell". But then you look on stage and they are standing in place. It’s like “What? I paid money to come see YOU perform”. “Do something that will make me want to go nuts.”To this day I feel that way. I won't ask the crowd to do anything, that I wouldn't do 1st. And I definitely got that from Greg. There are other vocalists out like that, but Greg was the 1st that really captivated me. There’s also Cory Taylor of Slipknot/Stone Sour, Dave Williams (RIP) of Drowning Pool, Disturbed (I even have their face logo tattooed on me, the list literally goes on and on. PI: You’re a diehard wrestling fan…who’s the best wrestler out there right now? JT: (Laughs) This maybe the toughest question you asked. Right now I'm really digging CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler. Punk is just awesome on that mic. And the pipe bombs he drops. Hopefully he can get WWE to start making them Ice Cream bars again. Ziggler is just so athletic. There is a certain "it" factor about him. It reminds me of Mr. Perfect from back in the day. Oh and Santino is one of the funniest guys in the business. PI: Who’s your favorite wrestler of all time and why? JT: STEVE AUSTIN!!!! OOHHH HELL YEAAAHH!!! He was my idol growing up. I wanted to be just like him. I just loved his kick ass, don't take shit from nobody attitude as Stone Cold. And even before then, when he was in WCW as "Stunning" Steve, he was just a workhorse in that ring. Kinda like how Dolph Ziggler is now. Very athletic and a ring technician. It was an honor to finally meet Steve in April of 2010. It’s funny, because we actually chat on twitter here and there. He actually follows me on there (@jtcage). It’s such an honor. We BS about different things like beer, wrestling advice, music (yes he has heard No Remorse For The Fallen), Cyber Stunners. (Laughs) If you have a twitter you gotta follow him. He's funny as all hell. @SteveAustinBSR. PI: Back to music…what’s been the best show you’ve ever played and why? JT: Hmm, that’s a tough one. I'd have to say Part 1 of NRFTF's CD Release party at The Silo. The show was packed. Stacked lineup with some of our favorite bands, and we played the whole No More Good Days album from front to back, in order, in its entirety. That was fun to do. The energy was there. It was what the young people say now...EPIC. Other than that, I'd have to say my 1st ever national show in my career at Croc Rock in '03 with E.Town Concrete. It was the for real moment that I was up on stage, looked out, and said to myself "I did it, I'm here, and I'm going to be here for a long fucking time”. “Let’s Do This!" PI: What’s been the best concert you ever attended and why? What made it so good? JT: I used to love Ozzfest. I've been to 2001, 2002, and 2003. It’s like all of your favorite bands on one bill. I love festivals like that. Just so much going on and so much to do. It used to be one of those things I looked forward to once a year. In my eyes it was bigger than The Superbowl or The World Series. Not quite Wrestlemania, but close. That’s why I wanted to do something like OMG! Fest. To bring that Ozzfest feel. That atmosphere on a local/regional level. Give something back to these fans that been supporting this scene for so long. Ozzfest used to inspire me to wanna do what I do. I hope OMG! Fest inspires some kids out there with a dream to join in on this. (Cont’d)
PI: In the local scene…what bands are you excited about and why? JT: All of them honestly. To name some I'd say Save The Zombies. I watched them grow into something incredible in such a short time. Every time i see them live, it just gets better and better. Love them guys...and girl. Ovlo, Apocryfiend, and Chinga! from the Allentown/Lehigh Valley area. We've just been doing this so long in the scene with them for so long. It always feels like home, no matter where we play at, when we play with them. From This We Rise and The Dawn Of Apollyon are both recording new albums that I can't wait for this year. I've been there since the beginning for both of the bands, and they are incredible musicians and friends. The new albums are gonna be SIIIIICK!! A band that I got into from last year's Launch Conference was Beyond Dishonor from Philly. Just fucking awesome!! We've been playing shows together now, and overall, they may be in my top 10 bands period. Not just locally, I mean period. Check them out, and you'll see why. And of course, I cannot forget about the original local band on the scene, Throdl. Those are my brothers even beyond and after the end. I was going to Throdl shows before I was even in a band. They were one of those bands that I'd see at a show and go, “Man, I wanna do that someday with them”. Well fast forward a couple months later in '03 and my first show was at Croc Rock main stage with those guys. It just always came full circle for me. I've always been blessed to have these opportunities to do what I love, and do it with some of the most incredible people on earth. Naw Mean! PI: If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be and why? JT: Eh, maybe not have such good genes that my hair isn't balding yet. (Laughs) I'm tired of having to shave it bald all the time. I just want it to fall out so I don't gotta worry about it. Here I have family members who started going bald in their 20's. I'm going on 31 next month, and if I don't shave, I’ll have a full head of hair, crew cut style, within a week. Just fall out already! (Laughs) Other than that, not a damn thing. I love who I am. If I wasn't exactly how I am, I probably wouldn't be where I am today. PI: What’s the one thing about being in a band you hate? Whets the best thing? JT: I guess one thing, well I don't hate, more just disappointing, is I don't get to see a lot of my friends and family too often. I moved from the Lehigh Valley, away from my family, to the Philadelphia area to be closer to my band. The commute was killing me. It was like get up in the am, go to the day job, right from there, come down to Philly, rock out till like 1AM or more, drive back to Allentown, sleep for maybe an hour or 2. I’d repeat twice, sometimes 3 times a week. I just was like, fuck that. I packed it up and moved down. Dave, one of the guitarist for NRFTF, and I are roommates in an apartment. What’s the best thing about being in a band? Honestly everything. I love every moment of this. Don't get me wrong. There are times that you’re ready to just pull your hair out, if I was lazy that day and have hair, but still. Whatever the situation, you breathe, move on from it and learn. It’s called paying your dues. Not everything is gonna work out perfect or as planned. So you gotta grow tough skin and roll with the punches. We've had arguments, had our equipment stolen from a practice spot, unnecessary drama because of he said, she said bullshit. You know…the life of a musician. But you live and you learn from it all constantly. So, whether it’s good times with the band, or bad times with the band, these are the times that define us as doing what we love to do. And that is the best thing in the world! PI: What do you do for a living and is it had to balance that and being in a band? JT: I've actually been back and forth for the past 12 years doing Customer Service work or Warehouse work. Whatever is the flavor of the month pretty much. I’m gonna lie, it sometimes is hard to balance both. I've had a lot of
jobs. If I put on my resume all the jobs I have had, HR would laugh at my ass and be like "next". But I just roll with it, and stick with the job as long as I can. You gotta make that paper to support what you REALLY wanna be doing. Naw Mean! The hardest balancing act was putting my wrestling training on hold for the band. I was training for a while at the ECW arena on Tuesdays and Thursdays. As much as I love music, I love wrestling just as much. I always wanted to manage doing both growing up at the same time. I wanted to be in a band and still wrestle. Kinda like a Chris Jericho. But there just came a time it was getting tough to do both. So, I figured I'd do music, and when presented with available time, I'd finish my training for wrestling. I don't need to be in the WWE (would be nice though, but to be able to do my full time band schedule and once a month wrestle on an independent card. That would be the ideal goal. So hopefully, with God willing, I'll get back to my wrestling. But for now...LETS ROCK!! PI: Music seems to go thru trends and patterns. How do you see music changing right now? JT: Well I came into metal during the Nu-Metal period. You know like Korn, Limp Bizkit, Dope, Dry Kill Logic, and many more. I loved it. I still love nu-metal. My 1st band Subskin started as a nu-metal band. But then as time went on, the music was getting heavier and in turn, you want to be heavy but yet true to yourself. So in comes Metalcore. The next step from that was your deathcore, and prog type bands. I mean the times change. It all comes in cycles. Do I like all the "deathbob" bands out there? No. Do I respect them? Hell Yes! They are doing what they love in the time period they are in. If my 1st band came out now, and it was now that I just got into metal, more than likely my 1st band would be like those "deathbob" bands. When you start, you kinda mimic what you know, until you find yourself. So to all you people out there hating on this band because of their style and movements on stage and cookie cutter style, and feel that you must blast them for it, try to think back when you started listening or doing the music you do. Especially if you’re another musician. Think about your 1st "shitty" band, and how you evolved into your own. Give them time. But for now, let them do what they love. Naw Mean! PI: Thanks for sitting down with us and giving us a chance to get Plug’d In. JT: No problem. Thank you for having me and getting Cage'd. Naw Mean!
http://www.facebook.com/nrftf
Budgeting For The Zombie Apocalypse By Yolander Prinzel | Investopedia In preparation of our forthcoming blog called “Budgeting for the End”, I thought I’d show you this cool article about prioritizing. It’s not super-indepth, but it’s a start, especially for those that have never given the idea of disaster preparation any thought. So enjoy, and stay tuned…we’ve got some seriously cool stuff coming ahead for you…M.D. The zombie apocalypse is a simple thing for which to prepare. No, it's not necessarily easy stockpiling nonperishables, water, guns and ammo is definitely not easy - but it is straight forward. When getting ready for the host of reanimated dead to overtake the world, you need to prepare for survival and self-defense. And your pre-zombie apocalypse budget is the perfect place to start readying yourself in order to survive a zombie-filled world. 1. Embrace Simplicity Survival is the top priority during a zombie apocalypse. Entertainment, fun, hobbies and other non-necessary activities will probably be thrown by the wayside. Instead, you will focus on acquiring food, eliminating zombies and securing your safety. By comparison, when embracing simplicity in your budget, you focus on eliminating debt and securing your financial future through savings. 2. Have an Emergency Plan In life, there are emergencies, and then, there are EMERGENCIES. The zombie apocalypse definitely qualifies as the all-cap kind, but in the world of financial preparation, so does a job loss, unexpected medical bill or certain home repairs. Creating a plan for dealing with these unexpected, immediate expenses in your budget will help you learn to be resourceful when the zombies are on the loose. 3. Set Clear Goals During a zombie apocalypse, you will probably have very clear-cut, short-term goals, like getting food, staying alive (and non-zombified) and finding a safe place to catch a few Zs at night. Your long-term goals might be to find the one place left on earth that is unsullied by brain-eating mutants. The best-run budgets have the same approach to goal setting. Just a few very simple and clear budgeting goals for the short-term - such as paying off credit card and other high-interest debt, saving for your child's education or your own retirement. 4. Be Ready to Run There are always times, in any zombie apocalypse, when the ammunition runs out and the undead hordes overwhelm you - the only tasty-brained non-zombie in the area. During these moments, you have got to be ready to run. You need to have all your supplies together and in reach, so that you aren't leaving behind anything vital to your survival when you flee. In your budget, you need to be ready for those times when work, home life and other obligations get in the way of organized bill payment and saving efforts. If you don't, you will face late charges, credit setbacks and wasted money. You can prepare for these busy times by setting up auto-pay for your bills and auto transfers from your checking to savings accounts. 5. Ration Everything When the world is run by revenants, there will be no more mass production of food. The water supply may become polluted as factories begin to crumble, and you may not always be able to access fresh food and water sources. This makes it imperative that you ration everything for the unexpected - that you treat each can of SPAM and flask of water as if it were your last. In your budget, rationing your money means treating your paycheck as if it's a limited commodity and not something that is followed by additional paychecks at regular intervals. If you live as though this paycheck is your last, you'd be amazed how little you can get away with spending. (Cont’d)
The Bottom Line You might think that the possibility of a zombie apocalypse means there is no need for you to work on a budget for yourself and your family. But with the skills you'll learn preparing your budget and the savings you'll accumulate in doing so, you will actually be a powerful contender for survival in the event that zombies rise from their not-sofinal resting places looking for brains. Best of all, if the dead decide to rest in peace, your preparation will help you avoid a personal finance apocalypse.
Budgeting For The Zombie Apocalypse
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