Plug'd In Magazine Issue #51

51 Run for your lives!

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

The Zombies are coming!

Inside this issue Artist Spotlight: The Pumpkin King Dear Dead Abby Business Spotlight: Aleigha of B.O.C. Records FTV James of Asking Alexandria Run For Your Lives 2012

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Artist Spotlight: The Pumpkin King Interview by Vikki Sin

I have to admit, when I first started seeing The Pumpkin King pop up on my Facebook newsfeed, I brushed it off as just another wanna be who put on a Halloween mask to claim all the glory up for grabs in the horrorcore scene, driven by hoardes of Juggalos eager for new material. And then I actually listened. What I found was a wellblended flow of no nonsense metal and rap, seriously addictive lyrics, and a down to earth guy who has zero pictures out of character, which I admire in my own weird way. Juggalo impressive, no doubt, but in playing his songs around unsuspecting metal heads, I’ve noticed they dig it as well. I love when that happens! His third CD “The End Is Mine” is dropping April 10th and features a pretty impressive roster of guest artists, including one of my personal favorites, those veterans of debauchery themselves, WOLFPAC. Here, Central PA’s up and coming King of the underground explains the reason behind his persona and why, if he really did take the throne, we would all need to watch out…V.S. PI: How did you get started rapping?

PK: I actually got started in all this as a depressed kid who used poetry as an outlet. I used to write poetry all the time, sad, lonely, heartbreaking shit. I even got a handful of my old stuff published. Around age 15-16, I started experimenting with turning poems into songs. It didn't seem too different, just the addition of a chorus. I wrote dozens of songs, but never made any of them a reality. I was just a kid, didn’t know how to go about making music, so I started looking online for people around my age doing it already. It took a while but I actually found a group of people over in the UK who read my songs, liked them and then helped me learn how to do basic recording. Back then it was all on free Napster/ Morpheus beats, recorded with a computer mic, with terrible quality. But it was progress. My music turned very angry during my late teen years, and my lyrics became more and more violent, which fit perfect with the growing underground scene. It took a lot of research, a lot of energy, dedication, and hard work to evolve as a young musician. To take things from recording in my family’s computer room, with free beats and basic equipment, to building my own home studio, owning my music, and using pro equipment.

PI: Where does your Pumpkin King persona come from? Is there a story behind the character?

PK: Originally it was based on a face paint design I did for Halloween. I tried a few, but my favorite was a Jack-oLantern. I actually started playing it off as a possessed scarecrow, but evolved my character and look to fit my love for metal/rock music; less of an ICP and more of a Slipknot feel, The name actually comes from.. You guessed it, The Nightmare Before Christmas! Tim Burton's early work was always an inspiration to me as a tortured youth, and NBC was one of my favorite childhood movies. And with the Halloween/jack-o-lantern look becoming my common calling card, the name kinda came along with it. I actually have Jack Skellington, Zero, and Sally tattooed on my forearms. I never understood why Jack Skellington was considered The Pumpkin King, he was a skeleton. But if you actually listen to the original soundtrack cd, on the final track the narrator talks to (the now retired) Jack Skellington about his old "Pumpkin King" days. So since he’s retired, I figured I'd claim the title.

PI: Who are some of your biggest influences, musically or otherwise?

PK: Some of my biggest musical influences are currently featured on my new project, one being SUTTER KAIN (DJ Bless), the self-proclaimed "King of Ghetto Metal" and creator of the style of music. His combination of rap and metal has had my interest peaked since my teen years, and I've wanted to work with him for a long time. Another big one would have to be WOLFPAC. Although they haven't put out a new cd in almost a decade, their songs "Something Wicked This Way Comes", "Evil Is", and "Death Becomes Her" were the soundtrack to my junior year (Cont’d)

in high school. I've been in talks with them for a long time, always been a big supporter, and having them feature on my CD is (to me) one of my biggest accomplishments to date. Bands like Slipknot, Insane Clown Posse, Mushroomhead, and others have played parts in inspiring my musical evolution, none play bigger roles then the two above. I feel honored to finally be at a level where I can personally work with them. It kind of shatters a glass ceiling that was currently over my head, and allows me to reach out to new heights.

PI: Tell us about your CD. Is there a story or theme behind it?

PK: The new CD is called "The End Is Mine", 15 tracks long featuring GrewSum, Intrinzik, Sutter Kain, Wolfpac, and more! Mixed and mastered by my personal friend Nick "Tokk Sikk" Thomas, who actually features on the track "Take a Hit" as part of the duo, Dem Korrupt Boyz. It’s my most intense project to date, mixing a lot of metal/rock sounds with rap lyrics.

The story behind it can be taken in a couple different ways. Most people would see it and think it has to do with 2012 and the end of the world. While once you start listening to it, you realize it’s deeper than that. It’s more about how some "Icons" of the genre have been around for a long time and seemingly refuse to step down on their own accord.

Because for the next generation to blossom and step out of the shadows, the current legends must step down and make room for the new. When then do, (which they all eventually will have to) there are so many looking to jump into their position and make their end, a new beginning. And "The End Is Mine".

PI: How would you describe your writing style? Where do your lyrics come from?

PK: It’s very intense, in your face style of writing. All my lyrics are taken from emotional experiences, highs and lows. Although, most of my stuff has a very violent, angry vibe to it, it’s not because I'm currently angry or an angry person. Heartbreak leads to anger, depression leads to anger, anger leads to more anger. I use personal experience to help motivate the direction of my music and the sound of each song. To meet me you wouldn't think I was an angry person, I'm very direct, funny, and open. But the skeletons in my closet are the fuel to the fire in my music, PI: Who would you love to collaborate with in the future?

PK: I would love to work with the guys from Mushroomhead, even if it was just the lead singer, or if one of the guitar players contributed to one of my beats. When it comes to the rap side of things, I would like to work with guys like Tech N9ne of Strange Music, or Dirtball from Suburban Noize Records. I think they all have a sound that would blend well with my own and make something my fans, as well with their fans, would love to hear. In this industry collaboration work is easy to accomplish if you have the money to fund it. And unfortunately I don't have the major funds to shell out for 30 seconds of someone’s time like that. So only time will tell.

PI: What other things to you like to do in your spare time?

PK: Well, I work a full time job, 4 days a week, 10 hour days, but I'm still a young guy so I do a bunch of the typical stuff. I listen to music over 10 hours a day, every day. I'll play some PS3 in my spare time, catch some new movies.

I'm a trained independent professional wrestler, and from time to time, I will go and make appearances at small indie shows. Have some fun in the ring, power bomb some fool, and enjoy a crowd pop. I have to admit, I'm kinda addicted to the sound of a crowd cheering for me. I also make all my own graphic work for music, so I like to play around on new t-shirt designs, logos, show promos, when I'm bored. All in all, I stay pretty busy.

PI: What's the best concert you've ever been to?

PK: Hard to really say. Best performances or best experience? I went to see Ozzfest in 04' with some friends from high school. It was the first time I saw Slipknot live and made the entire show for me. There were few bands I actually watched because the obsessive need to mosh pit took over. At one point security tried to break up a mosh pit for becoming too violent and one of the security guards got stomped on until they (Cont’d)

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finally just stopped trying to stop us. I broke my friend’s nose, and watched half a dozen people be carted off by EMT's due to exhaustion or injury. That was pretty fun.

PI: If you really were king for a day, what's the first thing you'd do?

PK: Oooooo‌interesting question. Well I'd definitely be putting a lot of specific people to death by public, personal be-heading, followed by making a bunch of proclamations and law changes. After that, who knows, the world would be my oyster, and even if it was only for one day, I would have a reign that would live in infamy for generations. Go big or go home!

PI: Tell us where we can find your album/music.

PK: Best place is at www.KingOfThePatch.com for tangible CDs. But as for digital distribution you can find me in all the usual spots, iTunes, Zune, Rhapsody, CDBaby, etc.

Any major digital distribution company should/will have my music available. I would love to have my music in stores nationwide, but retail distribution is very expensive, and I am 100% self-independent.

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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. Gas prices are outrageous right now. Is it going to get worse? H.K. A. Yes, and then it will drop off before the election, and pick back up afterwards. This country interjects itself in the Middle Eastern affairs due to oil, and oil alone, no matter what else they try to tell us. The United States relies so heavily on the import of oil that they will go to war to protect their interest. My suggestion, buy a cheap 4 cylinder car that gets 30+ miles per gallon, and try to condense all your errands into one trip.

Q. I’m thinking about spending some money on radio advertising. Do you think radio advertising is worth it? D.F. A. It depends on what type of people you are advertising to, and what your product is. If you think you can reach a broad audience that way, then go for it, but remember, every business decision has risks, but you also won't get anywhere without taking risks.

Q. We had no winter at all! Something’s definitely wrong. What’s up? L.V. A. Would you rather have a frigid winter with being snowed in every other weekend? Seasons go in spurts. Sometimes it might be cold, sometimes there's no snow, sometimes there's a lot of snow. It doesn't mean anything is "up" as you put it. Or, you could believe in the global warming epidemic, that the solar flares are melting the poles, and killing the polar bears, whatever floats your boat.

Q. My friend at work told me she saw my boyfriend out at a bar with another girl. I asked her if she was sure it was him and she said she was positive it was him. She snapped a photo on her cell too. It’s not super clear but it kinda does look like him. I’m furious. What should I do? W.R. A. Oh, that's something you have to be careful with. Do you know where he was that night, or where he said he was?

Does he have an alibi? Do you have any reason to believe he was? Has he cheated before? I understand not trusting someone, and then hearing from someone that they were out with someone else. It'll be a fight regardless, either him being defensive or that you don't trust him, etc. I guess it comes down to you, and if you really want to know they truth, or if you want to avoid it and live in denial or thinking "what if" the rest of the relationship.

Q. 6 million people died worldwide last year from smoking. What don’t they just make it illegal? G.D. A. It's all about the Benjamin’s. Money is what it boils down to, or population control, whatever. It stinks, it's disgusting, it rots your teeth or turns them yellow, constant dry mouth, bad breath, affects your health drastically, birth defects on babies, and yet people still choose to smoke after knowing all this? It's a filthy disgusting habit. There are arguments about how cigarettes are worse for you than certain drugs that are illegal. Either way, to each their own.

abby@plugdinmagazine.com

Business Spotlight: Aleigha of Born Of Chaos Records Interview by Jessica Dietrich PI: Hey Aleigha! Thanks so much for doing this interview today. I know you’ve been super busy between your record label, your involvement in the local metal scene, and now the Damsels Of Darkness Tour 2012!

I know you personally and professionally, and am honored to say so. So I can certainly vouch when I say you are definitely hardcore, dedicated, and driven with the sole purpose of helping everyone out as a metal family. That’s rare, and much appreciated! I wish there were more like you in this business. How are you able to find the time, energy, and inspiration to not only continue in this cut-throat scene, but to also put on an all-female fronted tour?

AE: Well, it is my chosen profession, literally. My husband and I own Born Of Chaos Records, an independent underground label that supports vast genres of extreme metal. That is what I do all day, every day. I get the energy from my inspiration, which is the Music! As the marketing and tour manager of the label, it is my job to assemble promotional projects that directly expose and advertise the company, its bands, and its supporters. In the case of the Damsels Tour, it is an all-in-one promotional campaign.

The idea was born through a group discussion I had with The Lead Farmer Girls. We really wanted to hit the public big time with what’s going on in a widely undiscovered scene, and to upstage the mainstream drab of bland and trendy sounds with genuinely talented musicianship, and the dedication, backing and foundation of a loyal, laborious, and thriving heavy metal community.

PI: Very cool. So, then what is the idea and cause behind the tour?

AE: We want to show the world that hard working musicians in the underground metal scene can tour successfully and get their music heard without the big wigs, and without having to sell dozens of tickets to play under national acts, as long as we come together as a collective support-network, and take a stand against the ridiculous requirements of pre-sale tickets for unsigned local talent. This tour is about maximizing the exposure of these bands, and their incredible music, through live performances outside of their commonplace, with supporting bands and venues who all share mutual aspirations in the hard rock/ heavy metal society.

PI: That’s great! Can you tell us who has been involved in making all this happen?

AE: So many people!! When I first brought the idea to the LFGs, about 9 of us began really working out all the hypothetical situations a tour like this would involve. Then it grew immensely when we added 13 bands and 8 venues to it over the course of 3 short weeks. And then it grew again as sponsors came forward to support such an exciting series of events. Between the booking agents, club owners, bands, sponsors and promoters involved, we’re talking over 65 people pulling together as one big, single heavy metal unit we call the Family!

PI: Wow! That’s awesome Aleigha! So, what’s the path of the tour? As far as, which venues and bands are involved?

AE: Ok, you ready? The list is long. (smiles) Alright, I guess we’ll go in alphabetical order here with the bands: We have Ancient Wolves (Kingston, PA), Apocryfiend (Allentown, PA), A Sound Of Thunder (Washington, DC), Forever Her Nightmare (New York, NY), Infernal Opera (Lehigh Valley, PA), Kandela (Philadelphia, PA), Mistress (Philadelphia, PA), Necromance (Whitehall, PA), Our Ashes Remain (Scranton, PA), Pool Of Thorns (South Jersey/Philly), Portal Of Praevus (Howell, NJ), Save The Zombies (Lancaster, PA) and True Rumors (Vineland, NJ) Our path is one big ass circle (that ironically looks like a lowercase “d” on the map) and embodies over 400 miles of the tri-state region, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. (Cont’d)

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PI: Haha….That’s funny! And what a great mix! It’s gonna be an awesome tour! I know with anything we do, we hit bumps along the way. The tour hasn’t even started yet, but are there any snags you’ve had to overcome with this tour so far? I’m sure there was some hesitance in booking and promoting this due to the possible controversy of all female-fronted bands only.

AE: Well sure, at first I definitely thought we’d be looked at as feminists or something, due to the “all female-fronted” thing, and then I thought to myself, “I’m not going to bother worrying about mere opinions” What we have here is pure, original talent, and we’re going to shine some major light on it all! And yes, just as any independent tour could always use more funds, so could we. But honestly, we are in no position to complain. It’s not often that bands get paid for their live performances anyway. On this tour, the bands are splitting the take at the door evenly, even if it means each band only getting $20 a piece each night. Something is better than nothing.

(And let’s face it, gas isn’t cheap.) We are touring for exposure. We are touring to get our music heard. We are touring for the love of what we do, with the hopes to expand our fan base.

PI: Hell yea! That’s a great attitude! What type of promotion are you doing to help the bands on the tour?

AE: All sorts of stuff Jess. To start, some musicians from the tour and I have been doing several promotional interviews on FM radio, online radio, in printed magazines, and online webzines as well. We have our sponsors promoting the tour to their public. We’ve been hanging posters and handing out flyers as a physical street-teaming effort. We’re currently putting together a free handout promotional compilation with a track from each band on it. And of course, we’ve been saturating the online support networks, sending tour info and samples of music to FM Radio, record labels, regional promoters, etc... Each person involved, bands, venues, photographers, models, and fans alike are spreading the word in our support!

PI: Sounds like lots of great exposure! What opportunities do you feel this will open up for all that are involved?

AE: I truly hope that each and every one of the musicians on this tour will gain some form of exposure from their involvement. It would be a blessing if because of this, bands get their singles picked up by FM radio, get signed, are asked to play with national acts, make new fans in areas outside their own, etc… Sometimes all it takes is the right place and the right time. That combined with the extraordinary talent on this tour, sounds like a good old-school recipe for success. (smiles again) PI: With everyone joining forces and helping each other, I think this will be a great opportunity! Do you foresee expanding on this tour? Possibly having additional tours in the future?

AE: Absolutely! I organize at least one tour per year anyhow for the label. If the bands and venues all enjoy their time spent with this tour, I’d be happy to put together another with the same cause: helping expose, what I call, the Rising Stars of the Underground. Maybe not all female fronted next time, maybe not under the same name, but I’ll always be putting together tours, big and small, and booking the local talent to rock them!

PI: Very cool! So, Aleigha….On a personal note, and I know the answer to this, but I know most others don’t. You are somewhat newish to the area and the scene from a local standpoint. But, there’s actually much more to you and our life in this industry. It really is in your blood! So, this really isn’t at all new to you at all, is it?

AE: I was literally born a rocker, thanks to my parents! Booking and managing local talent was something I did for years in Rochester, Upstate NY, where I grew up. In between high school and college I did a lot of moving around.

I’ve been a major supporter of the metal music scene and motorcycle community all of my life. I moved to SE Pennsylvania in 2009 to be with my longtime love and now husband, Ron. That year, the Label was born, and I became the strong center of an independent business in an underground community. So, to answer your question: yes and no.

Is the metal scene new to me? Definitely not. Is this state and region? Yes. Is organizing and managing bands and

tour dates new to me? Not at all. Is running a business? Yes! (Laughs) However, I’m currently registered for summer semester online studies in Business Administration & Accounting. Hopefully, that combined with the fact that my DNA is literally made of heavy metal, I’ll have all it takes to take on the world!

PI: Hell yea! Much love and respect to you and all you do for our metal family!

Thanks so much for taking time out of your crazy schedule to do this interview with me. I look forward to this tour!

AE: Thank you Plug’d In! It was my pleasure! Be sure to catch the Kickoff of the Tour on Friday, March 23, 2012 at Championship’s Bar in Trenton, NJ, and hitting 8 major cities around you! Hailz!

www.bornofchaosrecords.com

From the vault: James of Asking Alexandria Interview by Vikki Sin

With two CDs set to drop and a highly anticipated tour that’s selling out shows, England natives Asking Alexandria are hard at work taking the metalcore scene by storm. To support the April 5th release of their second studio album ‘Reckless and Relentless’, the band has set out on a North American tour of the same name, with an energetic and brutal lineup including Emmure, Chiodos, Evergreen Terrace, and Lower Than Atlantis. I caught up with drummer James Cassell before their second show on the tour, March 11th at the Crocodile Rock in Allentown. There was no shortage of head banging, black n blue eyes, and ice packs that night, and the sold out crowd loved every minute of it. But despite all the attention, James was quick to dismiss the label of ‘rockstar’, proudly showing off a large paper ‘A’ that a fan had made them hanging in their bus. Here’s what he had to say about life in Asking Alexandria…V.S. PI: This is the second night of your Reckless and Relentless tour, and you’re selling out shows so far. So, how does it feel?

JC: It feels great. It feels awesome. It just feels really good to be back in America, really, because we’ve spent a lot of time abroad. But yea, it’s awesome. Really good. Really happy with how it’s going.

PI: Who are the bands/artists that influenced you, growing up and currently?

JC: For me, I listen to a lot of metal and nu-metal and stuff. I know a lot of the guys in the band listen to rock stuff, like Queen and Aerosmith and stuff. For me it was more the sort of heavier side of music that influenced me.

PI: You guys have a lot of techno influences?

JC: Yea, that was something I sort of got into when I was about 16-17, started going to clubs and stuff. When I was younger, I didn’t really listen to a lot of it.

PI: On the ‘Life Gone Wild’ EP, you cover two Skid Row songs. Is everyone in the band a really big fan of Skid Row? JC: Yea, yea. We all love Skid Row. At the moment, for me, I’m getting into a lot more music. Some more 80’s metal. It influences a lot of our new album.

PI: Do you think that hair metal will ever make a comeback?

JC: I don’t think it’ll make a comeback, and if it does it’ll have to be in a different form. It can’t be the same. You couldn’t re-release those tracks and expect them to do well, they’re classic. It’d have to have a heavier twist or like a different twist on it, which is kind of what we’re trying to do. Our new album has got more hair metal sounding stuff but it’s still really heavy.

PI: So, you’re not going to start wearing spandex and teasing your hair?

JC: (laughs) No, I don’t think so. If we do, it’s just for fun.

PI: I know you get asked this all the time, but I have to ask about the name. Where did it come from, because I read a couple different things on where ‘Asking Alexandria’ came from?

JC: There’s so many rumors out there, and to be honest, we started most of them. Everyone’s always asking about the name. (PI) I’ve heard you give different answers. So you won’t ever tell anyone? (JC) See the laminate that you’ve got? (Points to the press pass, which has a picture of a tattooed girl with thorny (Cont’d)

vines wrapped around her) She’s now Alexandria. We got to design someone to fit the part. She’s just a hot tattooed girl. (PI) So, it just came about, the name? (JC) Yea, it literally just came about. The band was already named it before I was in the band.

To be honest, Ben (Ben Bruce, founder and guitarist) made it because it sounded cool. But now we have a back story and it’s going to be, not the face of the band, but the symbol is going to be that girl. (PI) Everyone loves a hot tattooed chick right? (JC) Sure!

PI: You guys are from England and you spend a lot of time over here. What do you find that the main difference is between touring over in England and touring over here? Are the fans any different?

JC: Fans here are a little bit more insane, a little more into it.

Fans in the UK are crazy but they’re not going to come up to you. It’s different, it’s weird. They’re very, very similar, especially compared to all the rest of the world.

PI: Do you have any crazy fan stories?

JC: All the crazy fan stories definitely come from Asia. We did Japan, and Japan was awesome. We went to Singapore and Thailand. Whoa, they were crazy. They were some of the best shows I think we’ve ever done. They were so good, but the fans were so intense. We finished playing in Singapore and we’d look outside the green room window and the whole crowd just stood outside the green room looking up, because they know that’s the green room. We literally would look out and they’d just start screaming, as if we were about to walk on stage again. In Thailand, we finished playing the show and the van we were in was about to take us to the airport and we were trying to get in and it was just people trying to get in the van and it was just intense.

PI: Is that the craziest place you’ve ever been, over in Asia?

JC: Yea, Thailand is pretty crazy. They don’t see any shows. No bands go there, so when bands do go there it’s just the best day ever for them so they get crazy. Not like America. So many tours go across America and the UK. PI: So what do you, personally, do when you’re not on tour?

JC: Catch up on old friends, see family, and see my girlfriend. Try and live normally. You get home and you’re like ‘This is so fucking good” but then in a few days you’re like “Oh man, I want to get back on tour again”. Sort of like a love/hate relationship.

PI: Tell us a little bit about the ‘Stepped Up and Scratched’ remix CD that you guys have coming out.

JC: Yea! I mean, I don’t actually know when it’s coming out to be honest. We’ve changed the date so many times; I don’t even know when it’s coming out. It’ll be coming out at some point. (PI) You’re creating a buzz. (JC) Yea, it’s going to be awesome. Were working with some really, really great artists on that stuff. (PI) And dubstep’s on it? (JC) Yea, there’s dubstep, all sorts of shit. It’ll be coming at some point. I don’t know when. But it’s going to be really good. There are a lot of really good artists working on that, some of my favorite artists in that sort of scene.

PI: If you could tour with anyone, who would you like to tour with?

JC: Just for the size of the band, or just cause I want to?

PI: Just cause you want to, if you could put together a dream tour.

JC: Dream tour…it would be so random. It would be like (laughs) I don’t even know where to start. (PI) Hair metal?

(JC) Yea it would be like a massive hair metal…it would be like someone like Bon Jovi, Prodigy (laughs), Slipknot.

Yea, it would be such a weird collection of artists, but definitely those 3. (Cnnt’d)

PI: What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t in a band?

JC: I’d still be playing. I was going to music class before I joined the band, so I’d still be doing something in music, more behind the scenes, still playing drums. Maybe doing a tour or two but I’d just be a fill in, do regular gigs, not in a band. Definitely be doing that, or teaching. Or else, I’d just become a crack head and then fail in life. (Laughs) PI: You guys have an intense tour, it’s like every night. What to do you do to keep up the energy? Is it hard?

JC: Oh, God. Especially, like, at the moment I’m so tired. I’m really tempted to go to sleep. I did that last night and I woke up even more tired. I had a couple hours sleep and then had to play. As soon as you get on stage really it changes, you get into it. You had to have a really rough night to go onstage and be like ‘I can’t’, like no sleep at all, which has happened a few times.

PI: What do you want to say to the people that buy your CD’s and make you things and wear your shirts and sell out these shows?

JC: Just, thank you. Thanks for taking an interest in the band. It’s awesome.

PI: Did you ever think you were going to end up in a band that became this big?

JC: No, I didn’t. I was in bands before, I thought I’d always have a band to play in but I never thought I’d be doing it on this scale. Get to see the world, travel around and play sick shows to thousands of people and shit. I never thought that would happen, but it has! (Laughs) PI: Thanks for giving us a chance to get Plug’d In! JC: Thank you very much.

www.askingalexandriaofficial.com

Run For Your Lives

By Michael Demos

We love zombies. We really do. We’d love them a little more if we were double tapping them instead of running from them. Sometimes though, you’ve gotta run. And everyone remembers what they said in Zombieland right? Cardio. That’s right. If you want to survive the impending zombie apocalypse you’ve gotta be able to run.

It wasn’t hard for me to see that we’re heading for the hot place in a hand basket real fast.

If there’s going to be undead walking the earth anytime soon, then I need to get into shape and fast! My problem wasn’t enthusiasm, it was motivation. Sure the apocalypse sounds fun…but who the hell wants to train for it? I know I didn’t until I came across Run For Your Lives.

The Zombies are coming!!!

Run For Your Lives is not your typical 5K. For starters it’s a 5K and an obstacle course. Oh yeah and it’s filled with blood thirsty zombies. Don’t believe me? It’s coming to Baltimore, MD in October and we’re going to bring you inside like you’d never expect.

We’re going to give you a chance to watch the training that I’m going to undergo so I’ll be able to undertake, and hopefully survive, the Run For Your Lives course. We’ll keep you posted with all the latest goodies and tidbits ,and of course, bring you the exclusives you’ve come to expect from Plug’d In Magazine. So get ready and Run For Your Lives! M.D. Here’s a little bit about the race: Run For Your Lives is an apocalyptic 5K obstacle race. But you’re not just running against the clock — you’re running from brain-hungry, virus-spreading, bloody zombies. Before the race, you will be given a flag belt, just like the overly intimidating game of flag football. These flags represent your health. The zombies want to take your flags and maybe eat your brains. If you lose all your health flags, you die. And the zombies win. Health bonuses will be hidden throughout the course. If you find one and carry it to the finish, it will save your life.

Throughout the 5K obstacle race, there will be a series of man-made and natural obstacles for you to complete. Runners may choose NOT to complete an obstacle, BUT any runner who skips an obstacle will not be eligible for prizes.

There will be zombies. Their job is to chase you and eat you — but mainly go after your health, in the form of your flag belt. Avoid the zombies to keep your health flags. Use speed, strategy and your intact brains to make it to the FINISH LINE “alive” with at least ONE FLAG INTACT (or a health bonus pack). If you finish with zero health flags, this means the zombies have successfully transformed you into the “undead”; your time will be (Cont’d)

recorded, but you will not be eligible for awards.

There will be a start line, and a finish line, but what happens in between is up to you. There are multiple routes to reach the finish. Choose wisely, or your 5k might turn into a 10k.

Registration packages for participants include a race shirt, admission to the Apocalypse Party, a medal signifying your survival or zombie transformation, and advanced training for the zombie apocalypse. Spectator and camping packages are also available.

Prizes will be given to the top male and female human finishers in several age brackets, including: 14-19; 20-29; 30-39; and 40 and up. There will also be an awards bracket for military participants. A portion of every ticket sold will be donated to the American Red Cross.

Athletic apparel company, Warwear is the title sponsor for Run For Your Lives, and Subaru of America has signed on as a presenting sponsor of the race.

Run For Your Lives will be launching in locations near the following major cities: Atlanta – March 3 Boston – May 5 Minneapolis – June 2 Indianapolis – June 23 Denver – July 14 Seattle/Portland – Aug.4 St. Louis – Aug. 18 Pittsburgh – Sept. 1 Toronto – Sept. 15 San Diego/ Los Angeles – Oct. 20 Baltimore – Oct. 27 Austin – Dec. 15

To register for Run For Your Lives or for more information regarding how the race works, please visit:

www.runforyourlives.com

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