Highwire Daze #143

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SANT ANA, E ART HWI ND&F I RE , MACHI NEGUNKE L L Y , AGAI NSTT HE SUN, CY ANI DE4, DE VOI D, DI ANE&T HEDE DUCT I BL E S.DI ANT HUS, T HEHARDWA Y ,T HEMI L I T ANT S,OUT L AND,SANDGAARD,SE NNA, T AST E , T A YL ORSACKSON, WEARET HEBL ACKT HI NGS, ANDMORE . . .

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Publisher Highwire Daze Magazine A General Partnership Editor Ken Morton Managing Editor Danny S. Pasley Senior Photographer Jack Lue East Coast Editor Jupiter Lee Contributors Ken Morton Jack Lue Jupiter Lee James Grover Kim Crain Vivian Ortega Tony F. Corpse

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTERVIEWS with...

Graham Bonnet Band............................................14 Kevin Baldes of LIT..............................................18 Brad West of Against The Sun..............................22 We Are The Black Things......................................24 Margarita Monet from Edge Of Paradise..............26 The Militants..........................................................28 S8nt Elektric..........................................................30 Dianthus.................................................................36 Taylor Sackson......................................................38 Cyanide 4..............................................................40 Devoid...................................................................44 Outland..................................................................46 Senna.....................................................................48

S8NT ELEKTRIC POSTER by JACK LUE.......................32/33

Cover Art by Yannick d’Assignes of Smart Works Intl Cover Photos by Jack Lue HIGHWIRE DAZE 827 N. Hollywood Way PMB419 Burbank, CA 91505-2814 www.highwiredaze.com email: ken@highwiredaze.com Copyright 2022 Highwire Daze Magazine Opinions expressed within this publication do not neccessarily reflect those of the publisher.

All rights reserved. Nothing may be produced in whole or in part without the express and written permission of the publisher.

Supporting Noise Pollution Since 1990!

CONCERT REVIEWS Borknagar...............................................................52 Santana, Earth, Wind & Fire.................................54 Destruction, Nervosa.............................................56 Machine Gun Kelly, Avril Lavinge.......................58 ALBUMS REVIEWS Bad Boy Troy, Lessmann/Voss, Sandgaard, Taste.......................................................................60 SKETCHES BY THE EDITOR................................................... 8 PRODUCT REVIEW BY JAMES GROVER...........................10 IN MUSICAL ORBIT BY JUPITER Lazarus Dream review...........................................12

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Sketches By The Editor

Welcome to Highwire Daze Issue #143, featuring interviews with Graham Bonnet, Kevin Baldes of LIT, as well as our coverage of this year’s edition of The NAMM Show. Highwire Daze had a booth at The NAMM Show, which took place at The Anaheim Convention Center on June 3-5th.

Day One would include an interview and signing by Abby K (go to our website and read all about it) as well as our first ever live show at the booth featuring Rafa Souza from Wikkid Starr performing a live guitar demo. L.A’.s own Attack of The Rising also stopped by the booth for a signing and Meet and Greet.

Highwire Daze Crew at the Graham Bonnet Band Signing - The NAMM Show 2022!

Brad West of Against The Sun kicked off the Highwire Daze Booth activities on Saturday performing an all acoustic set of tunes. Then we had meet and greets with We Are The Black Things, Margarita Monet from Edge Of Paradise, and The Haunt. Margarita and The Haunt were signing Jack Lue posters from the magazine. Then it was time for all out madness when The Graham Bonnet Band and special guest (including Giancarlo Floridia from Faithsedge, Pete Fry from FarCry and Jaded Past, Seann Nicols from Delete After Death, Jesse Blaze Snider, and actress/model Faith Floridia did a signing - over 200 people stopped by the booth to meet the iconic Rainbow/Alcatrazz vocalist and chat with the many other musicians who participation with the meet and greet. Thank you to Giancarlo Floridia for setting this up.

For a rundown of the signing, go to our Grahan Bonnet interview we did in this very issue! And see how many people you can identify in the candid selfie our photographer Vivian Ortega took at the top left of this page. Vivian and I are front and center in the picture along with Diane Adams and Mila Hiles. And that’s Cliff Rehrig in the back!

Other Saturday appearances at the Highwire Daze booth included Saul Castillo from Memories In Broken Glass (interview soon at the website), The Militants and Dianthus.

S8nt Elektric also stopped by for an interview to discuss their upcoming European Tour, And then on Sunday, we had a last minute grand finale of Taylor Sackson performing a powerful set of tunes at our booth.

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Thank you to Thomas Sandgaard and The Sandgaard Foundation for sponsoring our booth at The NAMM Show.

The fight against The Opioid Epidemic continues, I am proud to annouce we have an interview with Thomas Sandgaard in the next issue. Diane Adams and Cliff Rehrig of Diane & The Deductibles helped out the entire weekend and basically ran the booth - thank you a million times for your support and friendship. And thanks to the wonderful Mila Hiles for her amazing booth support and friendship.

Massive thanks to the Official Highwire Daze photographers Jack Lue and Vivian Ortega for their tremendous work and artisty! Thanks to our Managing Editor Danny S. Pasley for making sure I even got there and got home! Danny is behind the scenes at the magazine, but his support over the years has been very much appreciated! Thank you to all of the musicians who participated in the signings. Most importantly, thanks to everyone who showed up at our booth to say hi!

See you all at The NAMM Show 2023!

July/August 2022

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Product Review by

James Grover MEZZABARBA M0100 Amplifier Review

In 1998 an Italian engineer teamed up with guitar players to create a revolutionized “Hand Made”amplifier and with the mind of musicians Mezzabarba amplification was created.

In this Issue we look at this Marvel Engineered Mezzabarba M0100 (100 watt) Amplifier.

Mezzabarba has really made a new definition in the phrase “Hand-Made”. This Amplifier Is a beast and is played by monster Guitar Players around the World. I am fortunate enough that I have worked alongside in studio and on tour with my good friend who is an actual user of the Mezzabarba M0100 Amplifier: Robert Sarzo (Geoff Tate Queensryche, Hurricane).

James: Robert, what are the tones and bottom ends of this amp?

Robert: “This Amplifier Is the “Holy Grail“ for guitarist of the 1970s and the 1980s. In the lead Channel you don’t need to have an overdrive pedal, the crunch Channel reminds me of a” Plexiglass Marshall”, I owned one and it was a super bass 100, I got it from a professional bass player out in Florida, I used it on guitar with an overdrive pedal in the 1970’s and it just had a beautiful harmonic tone to it, and this Mezzabarba amplifier gives me that tone, the mids are just perfect, it has a beautiful low end that just hits you right in the chest like it should when you’re muting and hitting your strings, the pinch harmonics respond perfectly just like the same way you hear in your head is what comes out. Your head, in your soul, and your body, then you express that through your guitar strings and you want to be delivering that same expression, the Mezzabarba amp is the only one that really has done that for me, it’s just a beautiful amplifier it is built by hand, and it has the best components you can ask for, it’s really the best amplifier out there in the market.”

James: What’s the Highlight you like the best of this amplifier?, and what are your like and dislikes?

Robert: “It sounds unbelievable it makes me sound my best!, and very reliable as well. The only dislike is that it is a heavy amplifier as expected because the Transformers are well built to play large venues, It’s a guitar players amplifier.”

James: Thanks Robert! for your input into this review, one day I will get one of my own. I like that it’s a versatile amp and 100 watts of pure power.

Reach James Grover at: https://www.facebook.com/james.grover.311 10

July/August 2022

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In Musical Orbit by Jupiter Jupiter at Highwire Daze Online Crew East Coast Editor

Hey everyone! It’s Jupiter Lee - East Coast Editor. Check out my record reviews here and be sure to add me on Facebook! Link is at the end of my column...

LIFELINE Lazarus Dream Pride & Joy Music Introducing LIFELINE, the second album from German band LAZARUS DREAM. Musicians in this duo are multi - instrumentalist MARKUS PFEIFFER and vocalist CARSTEN LIZARD SCHULZ. Slowly building a platform of hard rock and metal is track 01 Dead End Symphony. Just an epic production at over 06:00 minutes with its back to back virtuosic guitar

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leads and melodically driven vocal. Another tune that really stood out for me is track 05, Overdose Of Paradise containing galloping rhythms, catchy hooks and harmonies. Track 08, Crack The Hourglass is more of a straight -ahead rock and roller with LIZARD’S vocal shining through and includes a touch of progressive rock. I would like to hear this one on the radio. Now beginning with an instrumental passage of Far East influences along with a hint of Goth, this will prepare you for track 09 Save Our Souls to create this one of a kind gem. Moving on to track #10, Modern Lies. PFEIFFER is in great form and wish this tune had made an earlier appearance. Drummer MARKUS KULLMAN showing how to create and hold a groove. Flying into #11 is Still Running with perhaps a trace of QUEENSRYCHE influence. Awesome lead guitar at 04:35 and for me could have gone on quite a bit longer (maybe live). Many very special guests include keyboardists DEREK SHERINIAN (SONS OF APOLLO, DREAM THEATER), THOMAS NITSCHKE, JORRIS GUILBAUD, drummer MARKUS KULLMAN (GLENN HUGHES, SINNER) and percussionists THOMAS RIEDER and ANDY LUBBERT. LIFELINE has 14 tracks, you will need just over an hour to complete this awesome auditory experience. https://www.facebook.com/lazarusdream

JUPITER on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jupiter-Lee-173082899386911 :

July/August 2022

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Graham Bonnet Photo by Jack Lue

A Day Out At The NAMM Show with

GRAHAM BONNET

Interview by Ken Morton - Photos by Jack Lue

The Graham Bonnet Band were the very special guest signings at The Highwire Daze Booth at The NAMM Show this year. Set up entirely by Giancarlo Floridia of Faithsedge, the participants in the signing included Graham Bonnet, Beth Ami Heavenstone and Conrado Pesinato of The Graham Bonnet Band, Pete Fry of FarCry and Jaded Past, Seann Nicols of Delete After Death, Jesse Blaze Snider, as well as Giancarlo and his daughter Faith Floridia (actress/model). 200 NAMM Show attendees would eventually go through the line - a lot more than what was expected! In this interview with the legedary Graham Bonnet, we discuss The NAMM Show signing, his band’s brand new album Day Out In Nowhere, the 40 Year Anniversary of his particpation on the Michael Schenker Group album Assault Attack, and more!

What was it like going back to The NAMM Show and what were some of the highlights?

It was totally different from the way it used to be. For one thing, it wasn’t very crowded. Usually when you go there, there’s like millions of people milling along the rows and all that kind of thing. But it was very, very quiet. But we did an autograph signing thing which was surprisingly well attended I must say. Because I always remembered doing signings before, years ago, and there’d be like two people there going “Who are you? Who are you?” And you’d have to explain who the hell you are when you’re in a line with a bunch of people who are probably better well known that you. But we got a good attendance. It was great! I mean that was the highlight of the day. We hung out with sort of our friends there. But it’s not quite the same. A lot of the products – the vendors that were there – Fender wasn’t there for one thing – or Gibson. It was all very quiet. It changed a lot. But I’m glad to say that my favorite guitar the Hofner – the Hofner stand was there, and I went over and talked to them, and they were very pleased to see me.

And that was our booth – the Highwire Daze booth – were the signing took place. So, thank you so much for doing that.

It was a pleasure. As I said, I was just surprised at how many people were there!

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July/August 2022

Let’s talk about the new Graham Bonnet Band album Day Out In Nowhere.

It’s really been interesting to see the reviews done on our new album. It’s been like wall-to-wall praise from everybody. Every interview I’ve done – every review I’ve seen – has been amazing! We could do no wrong. All the tracks were reviewed which most people don’t do – they listen to two or three and then say something about those tracks – but every track! I read a review yesterday and it was just incredible! It’s like each track tells this story – and that’s what I’ve always tried to do – to tell a story that’s true or has happened to somebody else. A lot of these things have happened to me – these events. I’m not one of these guys that writes about the sword in the stone and dungeons and dragons which you probably know. I’m anti-that – and I think people find it interesting that my lyrics are sort of interesting and tell a story.

Is there any overall story or concept behind that title Day Out In Nowhere?

Well that song – again, I’m like a reporter – like some guy that’s writing for a newspaper. It’s something that happened to me. When we were in the van, we were travelling in Russia. We were on our way to Saint Petersburg or something – I don’t know what city it was.

But we can’t be over there now, can we? Things have changed big time! But we were on our way to a city, and we were driving through farmland – I’m looking out the window and seeing all the horses and the cows and sheep and whatever. And then suddenly all that livestock was gone – there was nothing there. And I thought “that’s very strange.” No animals and we were driving through farmland. And I looked up and I thought “where are all the birds?” There were no birds in the sky either. And I thought “that’s strange!” And another thing I noticed there was no roadkill – the road was completely clean.

Always when you drive, somewhere along the way you’ll see a dead deer or something or a fox or whatever it may be. But there was absolutely nothing at all! And I thought “This is very, very weird.” And I said to the other guys in the band, “Do you notice something strange about where we are at right now?” And they said, “No, what do you mean?” And I said “Look at the sky. Do you see a bird?”

And they looked up and said “No.” And I said “Do you see anything in the field – horses or cows? Do you hear anything? Do you hear any dogs barking?” “No.” I think 15

The Graham Bonnet Band signing at The NAMM Show

Left to Right: Graham Bonnet, Beth Ami Heavenstone, Conrado Pesinato, Jesse Blaze Snider, Giancarlo Floridia, Pete Fry, Seann Nicols, Faith Floridia – people tell me the reason could be was the farmers kind of poisoned the land or there was some kind of electricity within the soil itself to keep away the predators – to keep away the people eating the crops and the foxes. I heard that. But this went on for like ten miles of nothing! So, it was a Day Out In Nowhere. And I said to the guys in the van “We’re coming up to a city in a minute. You watch.

Look at the sky. I bet you see birds.” And for sure, we did.

The sky was alive with birds. There were cows and sheep, and everything was normal. But this other space we drove through – it was like nothing at all. And that’s where that story comes from – that’s Day Out In Nowhere.

Let’s talk about a few of the other songs from Day Out In Nowhere. Tell me about Imposter and the inspiration behind that one.

It’s about me looking in the mirror and saying, “Wait a minute! That’s not me, is it?” When you get older, you think “Oh my god!” When you’re not looking in the mirror – when you’re walking around, you feel like your old self. You are your old self – nothing’s really changed internally. But when you look in the mirror, you go “oh fuck! Is that really me?” So, Imposter is, “who are you?

You’re not me!” I’m basically saying to the mirror “Wait a minute! That’s not me! This mirror’s lying to me. There’s 16

something wrong with it. It’s cracked. Something’s wrong with this reflection!” I have let my hair grow gray now, and I realize how old I am – and I’m not ashamed of it.

My hair is falling out – whatever. I’m 74 and I’m glad to be doing what I’m doing. But I think everybody has that feeling – they don’t want to grow old and everybody’s having plastic surgery left, right and center. And when they see themselves in the mirror, they want to have a bit more plastic surgery. I noticed the first thing with me is when I looked at my hands. I noticed that my hands looked like my dad’s hands – they have the age spots on them – which happens! And I thought looking in the mirror, I now see my dad. I see my father and his brothers – they’re all very alike looking. I’ve got the same hair style as them too. They were very handsome people of course. My dad was a very handsome man, I must say. I have to say that, because I look like him now. So, it’s basically about that – about growing old and thinking that is not me – I don’t look like that in reality. But you look in the mirror again – you have a photograph taken – whatever – and you say, “yeah, that is me!” And that’s what it’s about.

12 Steps To Heaven – tell me a little about that song.

Well, that’s about being in AA basically. I’m kind of flickJuly/August 2022

HIGHWIRE DAZE

ing through the AA book, and I don’t understand a damn thing. I’m looking at that – and it’s got 12 steps on how to become a clean, wonderful person. And I don’t get it! I don’t get it at all! I can’t understand it. I don’t quite see how this helps me or any other people. Other people have had the same problem. I’m doing this AA meeting every day and I don’t feel any different. What am I gaining from this? And that’s basically what it’s about. Misunderstanding these rules that are there for the alcoholic, which I am.

And I say at one point, “I don’t want to take these steps again. I want to get there but I don’t want to do this over.”

And that’s kind of what it’s about – very simple.

And we’ll go with one more song. Brave New World – tell me about that. Are we living in a Brave New World?

That’s a little bit of a funny one. But it’s about this girl that comes in one day – she’s got this plastic/leather suit all the way up to her head. It zips up the middle. She says “Let’s try something different” to her boyfriend or husband or whatever. That’s basically what it’s about – being sexually involved in different ways to have sex – with a rubber suit. And he’s kind of shocked by it, like “What?”

And she’s “C’mon, let’s try this. It’s a new world for you.

You’ll enjoy it!”

I wanted to mention Assault Attack because it’s the 40-year anniversary of that album this year. What goes through your mind knowing that album came out 40 years ago and what do you think of it now in retrospect?

I look at photographs from that time and think, “Jesus Christ, I was so handsome!” (Laughs) It’s so weird to think that it was 40 years ago – the years have gone by so fast. The numbers are mounting so quickly. And I see that all the time from other bands. When I hear those tracks, I’m very proud of it. I think we did a fantastic job.

Michael, I think played his ass off on that. It’s some of the best guitar playing he’s done, I think. His arrangements were fantastic – and we had Martin Birch produce it. It was absolutely wonderful. Ted McKenna was drumming – Chris Glen playing bass – we had a couple of different keyboard players. But that was such a great time. We had a great time together with ups and downs and abouts. But that album Assault Attack – a lot of people have said to me that that’s the best Michael Schenker album ever. And I believe them because that’s the way I am. I like to believe things like that. But it’s a great compliment when you hear it from so many different people of so many different age groups. I get kids like 18 years old saying “I love that Assault Attack album Michael Schenker did.” I’m proud of that and always will be.

What was it like revisiting those songs again at the Michael Schenker Fest shows?

Oh yeah, to do that again for real. It was a very nice thing.

HIGHWIRE DAZE

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I don’t know if you know, but the first gig I did with Michael Schenker turned into a disaster – and I was fired on the spot. Well, you know the story – I don’t have to tell it again. (Laughs) I think I got through half a song or something and just ran away cause all kinds of stuff was wrong, I was out of it, I was completely shitfaced – and I just had to get out of there. And I was taken to the station and got on a train back to London. But now I remember when we did the song Assault Attack (with Michael Schenker Fest) – looking across at Michael and I was nodding my head going “We did it!” And Michael “Yes Graham, we’re on, we’re together now!” Because we weren’t back then.

When we did those three or four songs I did from that album, it was such a pleasure, and I was so happy that he and I had come back together. I love the guy and I love the way he plays – like a lot of people do. He’s an amazing guitar player and you always know it’s him. You could spot him from all the other guitar players in the world.

There’s something about him. He’s very dramatic, I think.

He’s the best – I love him.

Do you have any messages for your Graham Bonnet Band fans who are reading this right now?

I’d let them know to look out for all of our new albums and listen for us always – give this band some support.

We’d like to play in America more than we do, and we need a bigger fan base here, I think. We’re okay in Europe. Anybody who likes Rainbow, Alcatrazz, Impellitteri – if you like that kind of music – the band’s I’ve worked with – you’ll like this even better I think, because we’ve come up with something special with the Graham Bonnet Band. I’m very proud of this album Day Out In Nowhere – very proud…

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Kevin Baldes of

LIT

House Of Blues - Anaheim June 17, 2022 Photo by Jack Lue

LIT RETURNS WITH TASTES LIKE GOLD

Interview by Ken Morton - Band Photo by Nick Fancher

Lit is back with a dynamic new album entitled Tastes Like Gold, jam-packed with the high energy rock and roll tunes the band has become known all over the world for. With songs that could give their iconic A Place In The Sun a run for its money, Tastes Like Gold presents Lit at the very height of their creative prowess. Highwire Daze recently interviewed bassist Kevin Baldes a few days after their triumphant House Of Blues headlining show in Anaheim to find out more about the almighty Tastes Like Gold, their new drummer Taylor Carroll, their early days on the Sunset Strip when they were known as Razzle, and more...

What was it like playing brand new songs at your hometown House Of Blues in Anaheim the other night?

It’s funny you ask, because I’m the guy in the band whose been trying to get a lot of the new songs into the set and bail a lot of the old ones. This is the first album where I actually want to play a lot of the new material. Honestly! I would have never said this for any other interview for any other album. I mean I loved all of our albums, but I’m having a lot of fun with these new ones. Tastes Like Gold, The Life That I Got – those are the next two that I want to add. We already have four in there – we were doing a fifth one Yeah Yeah Yeah – but it’s funny – sometimes we’re headlining – sometimes we’re supporting somebody – and when we’re supporting somebody it’s usually a 45-minute set. And it’s tough, because there’s staple songs we have to play. I get it – when I go see Iron Maiden, I don’t want to hear a bunch of new stuff – I wanna hear old stuff. I get that they want to play new songs because they get off on that and they want to promote their new album. It’s a tug and a pull situation. You hope that people like the new album enough that they’re okay with the band playing a bunch of new material. So right now, we’re at four new songs live.

What does the title of the new album Tastes Like Gold mean to you?

I haven’t really thought about that too much. We have a song called Tastes Like Gold, and I’m the one that suggested calling the album that. It’s kind of a classic move – having a title track on your album. We did it with A Place In The Sun – we didn’t do it for Atomic and A View From The Bottom or the Self-Titled album. We didn’t have a song called Tripping The Light Fantastic. So, there’s been two albums in our catalog with a title track – A Place In The Sun and now this one Tastes Like Gold. Hopefully Tastes Like Gold follows the road that A Place In The Sun did. That would be cool.

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A Place In The Sun was your breakthrough album…

Yeah! And I love the songs on Taste Like Gold too. So, for anybody out there – definitely listen to those songs. Taste Like Gold is probably my favorite song on the album.

You had some very cool special guests on this new album.

One of them was Adrian Young from No Doubt who you worked with before. He was on the song Mouth Shut. What was it like working with Adrian again?

It was cool. He has that home studio, and he does a lot of production work out of there. And so, we were fortunate enough to have him play drums on it. And those drums were recorded in the thick of Covid. And I remember him asking “Hey, Kevin wants to cut bass. He could do it from my backyard and we’ll run lines out there.” And as appealing as that sounded, I thought it would be really cool to go to Adrian’s house and record bass there with him – we ended up doing it at a buddy’s studio – at Straitjacket Studios in Fullerton.

Because I like to be right there on the console – air conditioning and what not (laughs). But maybe one day I’ll do something – now that Covid has kind of run its course a little bit. If we were to do it now, I would probably be in the control room. I would absolutely do that song at Adrian’s house – it would have been a lot of fun. I was thrown off a little bit like “man, I gotta be in the backyard by myself with a line” – with headphones I’m sure and the whole bit – so I opted not to do it there. But it was great – Adrian’s awesome! He’s a bro. We just released a new video today for Mouth Shut, and Adrian’s the drummer in the video.

You have the amazing American Authors on the song The Life That I Got. Tell me how that came about.

To be honest, I don’t know how that came about. I know that Jeremy wrote with them out in Nashville, so I’m assuming that one or two of those guys live out in Nashville and they got together and wrote that song. Another favorite – that song is actually going to be in our set here soon. It’s a fantastic song and people have been gravitating towards it now that the album has been out for half a week. We’re getting feedback already, and that song has come up quite a bit. So, we’ll see what happens. It’s always interesting when the albums been out a while to hear what people have to say and what they gravitate towards. Miserable off of A Place In The Sun was not going to be a single until we were on the road for a while.

We came back and told RCA that this song is really reacting live. People are gravitating towards it. And they were like “Really?” And we were like, “Yeah, that’s possibly got to be another single.” And it was – it ended up being a single and it did very well for us. So sometimes it take a little while to 19

see what people gravitate towards.

You have Butch Walker on Let’s Go – The Cars’ cover.

Butch was in a hair metal band called Southgang back around the time you were doing Razzle. How did collaborating with Butch Walker come about?

Butch has been a friend of ours for many, many years. We both tackled the Sunset Strip in our formative years. It’s funny, because Let’s Go was just going to be a fun track – I think we even tacked that before the pandemic hit. Jason Freese from Green Day – a really good friend of mine – he did the synthesizer part first – and then we cut drums to it and then we cut bass to it. And then we had Sean Holland who was originally in our band when we first started when we were little kids – be actually plays guitar on it as well. He played a scratch track. Then we sent all of the tracks over to Nashville where Ajay and Jeremy finalized it. That was not going to be on the album – we were just doing that for fun. And as the song came together, everybody was like “Man, this sounds really cool!” Everybody loved it, so it ended up being a song on the album. Of course, Butch Walker was out there near Jeremy in Nashville somewhere and he hit him up – and literally in one night he sent back all the vocals. He cut all the vocals at his house – everybody knows Butch is a big studio guy. So, he just cut the vocals real quick there at his house – they spliced it up and the rest of history. But yeah, anytime we ask anything of Butch, he totally helps us out – he’s totally down to do anything we want him to do.

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As far as you know, has anyone from The Cars heard or commented on your cover of Let’s Go? No, but we played with Todd Rundgren on a festival some months back, and I had the opportunity – and at this point, we didn’t know that Let’s Go was going to be on album. At the time it was just a recording that we were working on. But the keyboard player for The Cars was playing in Todd Rundgren’s band. I met him and spoke to him briefly, but I didn’t bring that up. I would love for them to hear it. As a matter of fact, for a minute there after we did that show, I thought about getting ahold of him about him playing the keyboard parts since he’s the originator of it. But then again, I didn’t want to shit on my friend Jason’s part he did – that would be unfair. So, we said, “Let’s keep Jason in there – Jason did a great job.” So we didn’t do it. Maybe we’ll do another Cars song and have the original guy do it – I don’t know – that’ll be cool. We love The Cars. We actually did a song in our set for years where we jumped into a Cars song – we had to take that out of the set because now we’re doing Let’s Go in the set. We just love what The Cars brought to the table of rock and roll.

You have a new singer since I’ve seen you live – Taylor Carroll. I met him when we were doing a photo shoot with Diamante, and he told me that he was in your band. How did Taylor become involved with Lit and what’s his background?

He’s a little bit younger than us – actually quite a bit younger than us, which is okay, because he definitely brings a fun enJuly/August 2022

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ergy to the band. He’s like the most positive guy in the world.

He is an incredible drummer! I’ve played with a number of drummers – and beyond Lit I’ve played with a bunch of other people. When you got a good drummer driving behind you, it really, really kind of helps set the tone – especially in a live setting. And I don’t want to throw anybody under the bus, but the drummer we had prior to Taylor cancelled shows on us. We had Southern California shows – they weren’t Orange County shows, but they were in Southern California.

And literally the day before these two shows were supposed to happen, this guy cancelled on us and just said “Dude, I’m ill.” And there’s a lot more to the story than that. And I don’t blame him for being ill or anything, but it just kept happening throughout. I’ve never cancelled a show on Lit, and he cancelled what was going to be his third and fourth show. So, I called him and said “We gotta let you go. We gotta pick somebody new.” And literally on a day’s notice, Taylor was able to come in and know our entire set – rehearsed one rehearsal with us ands then we played Pasadena and the following night we played Big Bear. And I think from there on, every weekend he was out with us. He was great! He obviously played on this album, except for Mouth Shut. And dude, he’s awesome – you gotta see him live with us. He’s a monster on the drums!

When you look back on your days in Razzle and Strain, what do you think of those songs and those days now in retrospect?

You know what – I won’t even remotely shy away from the Razzle days or the Stain days. Those were very special days. When a lot of people were doing their thing, I was in a band with Jeremy and Ajay and Allen, and those were such special moments. I remember those moments very well – some of those early shows we did – and we busted our butts to really pack them in. We were in high school – and when you’re in high school, you have a ton of friends. We packed out all the clubs in Hollywood. We just wanted to perform.

We wanted to create – and that’s exactly what we did. We put a lot into it. You look at photos and everything – it’s funny – you can laugh at them or whatever. I laugh at them – whatever – it doesn’t bother us anymore. We had long hair and that was the temperature at the time – it was very rock and roll – it was very what we were into. And I still listen to a lot of those bands – Ratt and Van Halen – I love that stuff!

We were just a variation of that or trying to be a variation of that – and that’s all that was. And then with Stain, we got a little bit older, and we started realizing the pop rock and then we kind of got a little tougher and shied away from the clothes and stuff. Things just change. Anybody looking back on when they were 15 years old and then 21 and then when they were 25 and then when they were 30 – I mean anybody’s gonna change, you know – for the most part. That’s exactly what we did. They were all very special times, and like I mentioned earlier, Sean Holland played on Let’s Go and he was the guitar player for Razzle. And him and I talk every day. We’re best friends. Him and I reminisce every once in a while. He’ll come over to my house on a Saturday and I’ll be digging around in my garage going through stuff. Dude, I’ve HIGHWIRE DAZE

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got boxes – I’m the guy in the band who collects everything.

I’ve got boxes and boxes of flyers and shirts and memorabilia from Razzle. He wasn’t in Stain, but I have tons of Stain stuff. And obviously all the Lit stuff throughout the years – I’ve got everything! It’s a little crazy.

I saw Razzle once at The Troubadour a long time ago back when Highwire Daze first started.

Really? Those were special times. So, what’s funny, I hang out with Sean. I hung out with Sean on Sunday, or Monday I think it was – we went up to Big Bear and we went mountain bike riding – which was awesome. And every time I’m with Sean, it somehow come up. When we played The Roxy when we were really young, we went up onstage and the curtain opened, and it was sold out – I must have been 18 or 19 years old. And I told Sean, “Look over your shoulder and let’s never forget this moment.” And because I said this, to this day we always reminisce and say “Hey, remember that time we looked over the shoulder?” When we say that to each other, I have a snapshot in my mind of what that looked like. It was very special, because we were young – we weren’t signed – we were just like a local band writing music in our warehouse and being able to work our butts off to draw enough people to put on a big show and all that on that level – it was very, very special.

And now back to the present. Do you have any messages for Lit fans who are reading this right now?

I would say definitely give Tastes Like Gold a shot. It could be your new favorite album for sure. I would put Tastes Like Gold up against A Place In The Sun for sure. I love A Place In The Sun – obviously, it’s got a very special place in my heart. It opened more doors than I could ever imagine. But Tastes Like Gold is right on its tail quality-wise, song-wise and everything. I hope people give it a shot.

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Brad West of AGAINST THE SUN: THE NAMM SHOW 2022 INTERVIEWS

Interview by Ken Morton Photo by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography

Against The Sun is an alternative rock band from Orange County who are really beginning to make a name for themselves all across Southern California and beyond. When Highwire Daze found out their vocalist Brad West would be attending The NAMM Show, we invited him over to the booth to play a three-song acoustic set, which included Chelsea Said, Search To Find, and a cover of Wait So Long by Trampled by Turtles. Right after his set, Brad West sat down with Highwire Daze for an interview. Read on....

We’re here with Brad West of Against The Sun. First of all, what are you looking forward to the most about The NAMM Show this year?

First of all, the performance we just did was really fun.

Now I get to say I performed at NAMM technically, which is now very fun. I am just so excited to play all kinds of frickin’ guitars and learn so much about gear.

Again, I’m going to learn so much today. I’m really excited.

Let’s talk about the new song Back To Ruin and the meaning behind it.

Absolutely! We just dropped this track last week. It’s super metal – it’s super hardcore which is really fun.

It’s probably the heaviest song we’ve done. The song is basically just like your worst demon personified – it’s like that worst vice that you’re ashamed of, beckoning you back to be that worst version of yourself. When we wrote the song, the riff sounded so sinister – so kind if evil. So, I was like alright – in this one I’m going to play the villain here. I’m going to write like it’s the devil on your shoulder. It was really fun to do.

Let’s talk about Chelsea Said – which you actually played acoustic here today.

It’s a much older song that I wrote back in college – and 22

we wanted to redo it, because back then we didn’t have a recording budget – so we wanted to redo it modern production style. It’s a really fun song. It’s like a weird mixture of hard rock and metalcore – but also pop punk and emo – so it’s really fun. That song is basically from personal experience. It’s about watching someone you love fall back into – for me it was like addiction – it’s like falling back into their addiction and you not being able to help them. So, it’s telling that story – it’s a painful story.

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Is there any other song you’d like to talk about?

Yeah! I’ll say we have new shit coming out really soon – it’s really cool. But if the addiction thing is your thing, we released a track last year called It Should Have Been Raining. That one’s really emotional for me. It’s about my mom who passed away a few years ago from addiction. Unfortunately dealing with loved ones who are dealing with addiction is a huge part of my life, so I write about it a lot. If you’re struggling with addiction right now, just know that people love you – you’re worth it – and life can get better if you make the decision to change it. So that’s what I’m trying to do.

Dead Man’s Party – you guys covered that. Has anyone from Oingo Boingo heard or commented on it?

Yes, so John Avila, the bass player of Oingo Boingo, has commented on it. And he said that he really, really liked it – which was really cool. I was trying to get it in front of Danny Elfman, but of course I know that’s a long shot. But yeah, John Avila has and he’s really cool. His bass on that song is so legendary, so it’s so cool to get the props from him. He’s very awesome!

Against The Sun played Knotfest in 2019. What was that experience like?

Yes, we did. Oh, it was badass! Our buddy John Safari from Orange County Music League hooked up his trailer in the VIP section – and we got to play to all the VIP folks who came in early – and it was really badass.

It was the first time we ever played like a metal festival, which was really cool. We got like a mosh pit going.

It was hot as hell – it was out in San Bernardino in the summer, and we played inside of this trailer – but it was a really great experience. Seeing a mosh pit of Slipknot fans going to your music – it was a wild ride!

Tell me about the show you recently did at the Hard Rock Café in Hollywood.

It was put on by this organization called The LA Rock Collective – and basically, it’s a community of LA Rock bands that are trying to network with each other and lift ourselves up – like promote each other’s songs and shows and what not – because it’s really about building together and building that community. And so, this was put on by David of The LA Rock Collective, and we had some of the founding bands in the organization perform – and we played with one of our favorite bands ever Carry The Day that we’ve played all kinds of shows with, because they’re absolutely badass. We HIGHWIRE DAZE

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played with Chasing Desolation, an acoustic artist from the We Are Triumphant label Anson who was pretty awesome – we played with State Five – they were great. So, it got a little rowdy – it got a little mosh pit-ty at the Hard Rock Café – which I think was pretty fun.

And what could one expect from a live Against The Sun show?

A lot of energy! There’s barely ever a time where we’re standing still. We just go really hard, and we try to get the best out of the crowd – even when the crowd is – I remember one time we were playing in Fullerton at this skate shop – and we were going really hard, and everybody was packed in like sardines so they really couldn’t move. But we just go hard – we want people to have a good time and to cut loose – and to let themselves be themselves. That’s what I do at shows – I really try to feel the music and mosh around and have fun – not to hurt anybody but have fun. And that’s what I hope people feel when they come to our shows – where they feel the energy and they have a really great night.

What’s up next for Against The Sun? We just dropped a music video for Back To Ruin, so we’re going to be promoting that real hard. We have some other songs coming up this year. Follow us on Instagram, on TikTok, also on Spotify and keep up with the releases. We’re going to consistently keep putting them out.

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WE ARE THE BLACK THINGS: THE NAMM SHOW 2022 INTERVIEWS

Interview by Ken Morton Photos by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography

ed about with NAMM this year are the people and the excitement about being around the rock and roll spirit.

Tone Raven and Luthario Mitcho from Hollywood hard rock band We Are The Black Things made their way behind the Orange Curtain to attend The NAMM Show at The Anaheim Convention Center. Promoting their recently released Down In Wuhan manifesto, Tone and Luthario stopped by the Highwire Daze magazine booth to discuss their new CD, a return to The NAMM Show, creating in Hollywood in the midst of a pandemic, and more!

Luthario: (on turntables) I’m looking forward to a lot of excitement and meeting a lot of classy people and just looking forward to having a ball – having a good time.

Introduce yourself and tell me what you are looking forward to the most about The NAMM Show this year.

Tone Raven: I’m Tone Raven from We Are The Black Things, guitar/vocals. The thing I’m most excit24

Your new album is entitled Down In Wuhan. Tell me a little about the title and the inspiration behind it.

Tone: Down In Wuhan – basically we’re down in the hell that Wuhan has created – which is basically like a metaphor for Down In Hell with regard to the Gain of Function lab release from the Wuhan virology. So, it’s just a nice way of saying you know where you can take this and we’re not going to take it anymore, and we’re going to fight back with the truth about our freedom to July/August 2022

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be able to make our own decisions about our own health and well-being.

How did it feel to write and create this album in the middle of a pandemic?

Tone: It was the most incredible feeling in the world.

It’s so gratifying, because it’s exactly what I wanted to be doing. And those songs and the elements for those songs were so raw and seething. They had no other place to go but in my digital recording studio. I just had to stay focused on getting that out, so that’s what I did.

Describe Hollywood during the pandemic.

Tone: Hollywood during the pandemic – and Luthario is down on the front lines in Hollywood as well. It was seething – it was very divided – and it was basically a meltdown status not to mention it was literally falling apart at the seams – and the Hollywood Walk Of Fame was very, very dark.

Luthario: It was tough times. A lot of people were down and bludgeoned by it emotionally – but at the same time you just have to move forward, stay positive, and do the little things required to stay busy – and just move forward to the future. And just do whatever you can do to keep your hands in the mix and do whatever you can do to be a part of the community – and just stay positive.

On a lighter topic, you recently opened shows for Enuff Z’Nuff and Bang Tango. What was it like opening for those two iconic bands at The Whisky?

Tone: For me, Chip Z’Nuff (Enuff Z’Nuff) and Joe Leste (Bang Tango) are two class iconic and purveyors of the Hollywood hard rock genre – even though Enuff Z’Nuff’s from Pennsylvania and what not. It’s an absolute dream come true, and to be able to do it at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go is such an honor. That’s our family there.

What does it mean to you to be part of the Hollywood rock and roll scene?

Tone: It’s something I’ve always wanted ever since I used to pick up Hit Parader with Mötley Crüe on the front in middle school. It’s my destiny, so that’s why I’m here and have been here for all these years.

If George Lynch invited to do be in a tribute album and you could do any song from any of his HIGHWIRE DAZE

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bands as We Are The Black Things, what song would you want to do and why?

Tone: I think Smoke This probably off his ’99 release, because Smoke This – kind of Top This! It’s a George Lynch new school sense of the way, and so I would cover his modern, new school song or songs.

What’s up next for We Are The Black Things?

Tone: We’re opening up for Tony Harnell on July 14th at Whisky A Go Go. And we’re following up Down In Wuhan with a post Down In Wuhan single Phantom Of The Rainbow – it’s about The Rainbow Bar And Grill on the Sunset Strip. So, we have a song already finished – we’re just in the mixing and mastering phase of that. What we’re doing is we’re redecorating the band in the sense we have a new vitality – we’re very vital – we want to have as much fun with rock and roll – we want to get out and play as much as the possible – the way we were meant to be doing this. So, we’re just looking forward to being on track to what the goal is – and that is to rock and roll as much as possible anywhere and anyhow that we can.

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Margarita Monet from

EDGE OF PARADISE: THE NAMM SHOW 2022 INTERVIEWS

Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Jack Lue

Edge Of Paradise unveil music from another world - inspirational and intriguing - crossing genres and setting the imagination in flight. At this year’s edition of The NAMM Show, vocalist Margarita Monet stopped by The Highwire Daze Booth for a meet and greet with fans, signing copies of her poster from Issue #122 photographed by Jack Lue. After the signing, Highwire Daze interviewed Margarita Monet discuss the new Edge Of Paradise album entitled The Unknown, their upcoming European tour with Temperance, the 10 year anniversary of their debut album Mask, a brand new cover song on the horizon, and more!

What are you looking forward to the most about The NAMM Show this year?

Just catching up with people I haven’t seen in so long, like you. And it’s always fun to see new gear.

Having fun and catching up with people.

What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming tour with Temperance?

We’ve been waiting to get back out there and we’re finally going to the UK. Because before we did one show in London, so we’re finally doing more of an extensive UK tour. We’re doing 10 shows – then we have some Netherlands and Belgium shows. We’re just super excited to get out there again and to play this new music, because we really haven’t brought The Unknown to the live stages yet. Temperance is a great band, so it’s going to be a great tour and we’re super excited.

Let’s talk about the new album. Is there any story or concept behind the title The Unknown?

The Unknown – we made the album through 2020. We were supposed to go on tour with Hammerfall, and Beast In Black – it was a full tour here (in North America) for us. We were working towards that, and then everything just sort of cancelled. We had just started recording the new music, but when everything can26

celled, we went into the studio with Mike (Plotnikoff) – and Neil (Sanderson) was on the Skype in Canada.

So we spent the whole year there. And the story behind it – the song The Unknown is probably closest to my heart because that’s kind of how I want to live my life – not to fear The Unknown – not to fear what tomorrow will bring – whether it’s in this life or the next life or whatever you believe in. I just want to believe things happen for a reason and there’s a good outcome no matter what your situation is now. All the songs always have a positive message at the end, but we do explore some dark places in the universe.

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Believe – tell me about that song.

That song – the idea sort of came from my childhood. I think when we are very new to the world, we have very open minds, open hearts – we wouldn’t experience a lot of hardships yet. And there’s this wonder, and the childlike innocence is lost throughout the years because life can be (very difficult). And I noticed it within myself, so I just wanted the song to remind myself and the people to sort of keep that inner fire that we are all born with and believe in something greater. And I think just having that open mind and that outlook is a doorway to a brighter future.

Your first album Mask celebrated it’s 10 year anniversary last year. When you look back on that and think of how you recorded something ten years ago, what do you think of it now in retrospect?

It’s kind of crazy, because I was just talking to Tony Franklin who played bass on that – and this was the first time I met him and we’ve been keeping in touch for 10 years. We’re such a different band now. Back then, I didn’t even know anything about metal or rock or singing when I recorded that album. I would have never imagined myself being where I am today, so it kind of cool looking back to where it all started.

What is the Robin McAuley connection with Edge Of

Paradise?

Robin wrote Mask with Dave (Bates) before Dave met me, so that was his music. After Mask, that was when I started writing with Dave. Robin was always very supportive of me – he’s a really great guy!

Do you have any new music on the horizon?

In a month we’re releasing a Welcome To The Jungle cover. It’s nuts! We did a really crazy cyber industrial Welcome To The Jungle – and a maze of madness because we have a really crazy video to go along with it.

We wanted to release something before the next album, because we’ve already started to work on the new music. Our next album will be finished in December and will come out early next year – but it’s something to hold people over until we bring the next single forward.

And do you have any messages for Edge Of Paradise fans who are reading this right now?

A huge thank and just so grateful to people that support us – because without people that listen to our music, we would be nowhere completely. So I’m just super grateful and love how music brings us together. It’s like a big family that we’re building, so we’re just very grateful. I just want to thank everyone and can’t wait to see them at a show.

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THE MILITANTS: THE NAMM SHOW 2022 INTERVIEWS

Interview by Ken Morton Photo by Jack Lue Meet Charlie Zeigler of The Militants, who presents fist pumping metal from the LA indie music underground! Gathering Darkness, the latest manifesto from The Militants, has been gaining a good amount of acclaim and was an absolute inspiration for all as the pandemic days of 2020 consumed the world at large. Now back at The NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center to do a Meet and Greet at the Highwire Daze Booth, Charlie Zeigler filled us in on all the grand and epic metal masterworks The Militants has to offer, as well as news on a BRAND NEW album! Read on...

What did you enjoy the most about The NAMM Show this year?

My name is Charlie Zeigler - Vocalist / Songwriter of The Militants and CEO of the record company Aggressive Records. I started the band in 1994 and sure have come a very long way.

Let’s go back to your album One Nation One Death.

What was the inspiration behind that title and looking back, what do you think of that album in retrospect?

ONE NATION UNDER DEATH is a very good record and still stands with the times. I am very proud of this album and YEP! SOLD OUT 1100 copies and that is an incredible feat itself. The album is about how the world puts War For Profit a Price on the head like a bounty on a country if you do not conform then destruction most is certain ~ ONE NATION UNDER DEATH. Let’s talk about Fuel The Aggression and the story behind that album and title.

Oh Yes the album FUEL THE AGGRESSION this came out in 2013.This record really pushed The Militants up to another level. The record is about standing your ground, take no shit from any one or anything, protect what is yours, and your rights to keep alive. I am very proud of this album, it sounds KILLER!!

Front Line Kill – what is the story behind that album and title?

FRONT LINE KILL came out 2017 and this is when I 28

decided to go Vinyl besides CD. .I did some experimenting on different tuning of my guitar. This album is tuned to Open “C” - it give that really low heavy tone and it sounds awesome all the way. The Album is about being on the frontlines and dealing with death every day and it is either be killed or kill is the sanction. FRONT LINE KILL is simply an amazing well composed record. Every song is a hit!

Your recent album Gathering Darkness is amazing!

Give us a little background on the title and album.

Thank You Ken. Yes, GATHERING DARKNESS came out 2020. The album is very special to me cause once July/August 2022

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again did different tuning. This Album is tuned to Open “D” and concept behind the album is about the world living in Dark Times. Slowly but surely things are coming to change in the future, and it seems it is not looking very good around the world, and I do hope for the best for all but the path the world is leading and coming to is becoming quite dangerous.

How close are you to releasing a brand-new album and how has the writing process been going?

The Militants new album is completed and it is called SIGNS & SYMBOLS. The World and people from day one on this planet we call Earth are driven by SIGNS & SYMBOLS. It is a belief ~ it is religion ~ gives hope and shows you the way , it is worship as in statues creation to Idolize it can represent good or it can represent evil ~ your choice and you decide which path a person wants to take to find destiny. The Album will be out this November 2022 or early December 2022. YES it sounds that good. I really captured amazing moments upon every song. It is for sure a Heavy Metal hit Record. Every song is timeless and priceless.

I’ve seen your vinyl in stores such as CD Trader in Tarzana. What is it like to have your creation released in a vinyl format?

Ken, I love going to record stores, and to see The Militants albums in the stores is such an honor. I made a dream come true and so many people really adore the records that I have produced and recorded and engineered.

Yes it feels great, looks great and to see people buying The Militants albums when you are in the record store and when they see it is me in the store shopping as well is awesome, and yep I always make the time to chat with the people and to see their face glow and light up is worth everything to my metal soul as to their metal soul.

What’s up next for The Militants?

I am going to keep writing new songs which I have already begun to do so right now. I have 9 new songs, Drums are all done and now composing music and this next record will be released sometime in 2024. And I can tell already it is going to be KILLER!!

You can pick up The Militants albums at: www.themilitants.com

Promoting the all new full length album “Down In Wuhan” out August 28, 2021 Worldwide on all major platforms DOWN IN WUHAN TOUR 2022 Thursday July 14, 2022-8 PM Thursday August,18,2022-8 PM Friday September,23,2022-7:15 PM [w Pretty Boy Floyd]

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S8NT ELEKTRIC: FROM LA AND READY TO ROCK YOUR WORLD

Briana

Niko

London

Interview by Ken Morton Photos by Jack Lue

It has a lot of solos and a lot of cool drum parts and crazy vocals. It’s really fun.

S8nt Elektric is an up and coming band from the Los Angeles area ready to take on the world - they recently concluded a European Tour where amongst their many stops, the band played Prague Rock with the legendary Metallica. Prior to their European adventure, Highwire Daze caught up with S8nt Elektric at The NAMM Show and then attended a Jack Lue photo shoot with the band at The Urban Jungle downtown. Here are some pictures (including the center poster) from the laundry room photo shoot as well as their NAMM Show interview. Read on...

Your band has a European tour coming up. What are you looking forward to the most about this tour?

Briana: I’m so excited because we’re all besties and I’m so excited to travel with my best friends. I’ve never been to Europe at this age, so I know we’re going to have a lot of fun. I’m very excited to meet new people and new fans.

I’ve got a lot of messages on Instagram that they’ve bought tickets already and we’re like “Wow! That is so awesome!” But playing the music with my friends and seeing new sites and places that are really beautiful – that’s what I’m excited about.

London: The food.

Jack: I’m excited to see all of the different countries. I’ve never been to any of these places before – so it will be really exciting to travel through them and to see all these brand new places and getting to play shows at each one.

Eric: I’m excited for Prague Rock because I know that’s going to be a killer show. It’s in Prague and we’ll be playing with Metallica, Red Fangs, Steel Panther, Five Finger Death Punch, and others. It’s going to be sick!

Niko: We’re just so stoked to have an opportunity like this and we’re just having a fuckin’ blast while doing it. To be able to do it in like Czech Republic is insane. But we’re

We’re here with S8nt Elektric. Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in the band.

Briana: Hi, my name is Briana and I’m the singer.

Niko: Hi, my name is Niko and I’m the guitar player.

Jack: I’m Jack and I play bass.

Eric: I’m Eric and I play rhythm guitar.

London: I’m London and I play drums.

Tell me about your new song Subliminal and the story behind that one.

Niko: So Subliminal is a hard song about how people are divided now because of all of the misinformation and media and everything. It’s kind of a statement about that.

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ready.

The first time I almost saw your band was at The Whisky during a power failure. What was it like to play at The Whisky in the dark?

London: It was very frustrating. We had a lot of really rad people there – everyone was super excited. We were bummed that the power went out, but we still got to play a little acoustic set, so that was cool. And apologies to the people that came out – it was not our fault!

So you mentioned Metallica. What are you looking forward to the most about opening for the legendary Metallica?

Jack: I’ve seen Metallica play before – they’re super sick to see. It will be really cool just to be on the same stage with them.

Maybe we could talk to them backstage or something if we can, but in general just the experience of getting to (open for them) is great!

If S8nt Elektric could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?

Briana: If I could open for any band, it’s Muse. I love Muse. I love Matt Bellamy – I love the way he sings, he like my inspiration to singing all these different octaves. So definitely Muse.

Niko: I have to say I’m on the same page with Muse. They’re like my favorite band ever.

Eric: I would love to open for Turnstile.

London: I would love to open for The Chili Peppers. That would be sick!

Jack: I think my first choice would be King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. That would be so very sick.

And so what’s up next for S8nt Electric?

Briana: In two weeks we’re leaving for Europe, so we’re very excited about that. We’ll be recording new music. We just put out the Subliminal music video – our first music video. And we’re going to start doing more music videos when we come back and probably start writing more songs.

We’re very excited to have more opportunities come towards us. But that’s what we’re doing right now – just focusing on Europe.

Niko: Also we plan to have our first EP out soon so be on the lookout for that!

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July/August 2022

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DIANTHUS:

THE NAMM SHOW 2022 INTERVIEWS

Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Jack Lue The twin sisters of Dianthus, Jackie and Jessica Perry, stopped by The Highwire Daze Booth at The NAMM Show for a fan Meet and Greet. An interview was also conducted, where Dianthus discussed their Realms endeavor, upcoming shows with the legendary Angel, working with topnotch producers since as Steve Evetts and Jinxx of Black Veil Brides, an upcoming comic book, and more...

Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in Diathus.

Jackie: Hello this is Jackie and I play guitar and sing lead vocals in Dianthus.

Jessica: Hi, this is Jessica Perry and I play drums and sing background vocals in Dianthus.

How has NAMM been going and what have been some of the highlights?

Jackie: NAMM is really great. We’re having a lot of fun – not just the music part but actually seeing new faces and seeing old friends. I think that’s the best part too. It’s been 36

really great networking.

Jessica: It’s been really fun networking with familiar faces and also getting to see a lot of boutique companies as well. A lot of the brands that we play have been here, so it’s been a blast.

What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming tour with Angel?

Jackie: We’re just really excited to hear them live. It will be our first time hearing them live and also playing a show with them. We’re really great friends with Charlie (Calv) because he’s on the same label as us.

Jessica; We’re very excited to be sharing the stage with all those legendary bands. Charlie of Angel is really down to Earth, and we’re going to see everybody in person finally – so we’re looking forward to that.

Is there any story or concept behind the title of your new album Realms?

Jackie: Yeah, there is a story we’re trying to tell with each song. Each song is actually a different realm. That kind of July/August 2022

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ties in with our comic book too – we have a comic book coming out. But each songs tells kind of a story. It’s kind of like a journey with music.

Jessica: We’re very excited to have it out. It’s kind of a different version of us for sure. We found our new sound with more progressive stuff. And the recording process was a lot of fun. We worked with Steve Evetts – he worked with Butcher Babies and Suicide Silence. That’s the sound we wanted and we finally got it on the record. It’s very raw.

That was one of my questions about working with Steve Evetts. That must have been a real treat.

Jackie: I think it was our label and the connections we had at the time. They kind of directed us to find a local studio to us.

Steve happened to be very close to us. It wasn’t a problem driving to that studio and we got some really killer tones. The guitar tones were really great. And Steve is a bass player, so he was able to help us out with some really good bass tone and we’re really happy with it.

Jessica: Steve really brought out the best in us. We really came out of it as better musicians. As a drummer too – I was able to attack the kit in different ways that I wouldn’t normally have. Just hitting the snare drum – lots of rim shots – getting the real raw tone. It was a great learning process too!

A Space In Silence – tell me about that song and inspiration behind it.

Jackie: We were actually doing the finishing touches of that song amist the whole pandemic situation. I believe it’s just one of those songs where it’s important to find a quiet place to just reset, refresh – get rid of negative feelings if you’re feeling down. Honestly just things like listening to your favorite band. It’s important to find a quiet time just to refresh – so that’s what that song is about.

Jessica: That song too has a corresponding music video as well. It’s very Victorian – it’s kind of got that creepy, mysterious Shining twins kind of vibe. That’s what we wanted to go for, cuz this song itself – the lyrics – it’s kind of deep and dark – but there’s always a positive outcome. That’s what we really try to do.

Is there any other song off the album you’d like to talk about?

Jackie: I’d like to talk about the title track Realms. That one was actually the first song we wrote for the record. We really took our time with that one. I think it’s a good title track because it’s got everything that we are. It’s got classical, it’s got progressive rock elements, it’s got metal – even some pop vocals. It’s just a good combination of everything we are.

We’re really proud with that one.

Jessica: Realms was actually the first track we wrote for this new record. It’s kind of interesting to share the back story of what inspired it. We were watching that Queen movie Bohemian Rhapsody back in 2018. We were just finishing promoting the first record and we were on to the new record – HIGHWIRE DAZE

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and the movie kind of kickstarted the new album really with that song.

Jackie: It’s almost like our own version of Bohemian Rhapsody – because you know how that song combines so many different styles? That kind of what Realms is. It’s just a big combination of everything we are.

You’ve worked with Jinxx of Black Veil Brides in the past.

What was that experience like?

Jackie: We went through Jinxx of Black Veil Brides for our first record Worth Living For. And it was really great working with him because we both share a classical background.

Jinxx plays violin and he does all these string instruments – guitar – you name it. He’s experienced with that, and you can kind of hear his strings on songs like The Unveiling. He was very great – he helped me with guitar tones as well. And he’s a super humble guy, so it was great.

Jessica: Working with Jinxx – we’ve been fans of the band Black Veil Brides for ages before Dianthus. So working with him was pretty humbling. It actually kind of helped us focus more on the music too because there was no ego with Jinxx. He’s a humble guy and music is always first with him.

He actually helped us out live with some shows too. It just shows how humble he is.

What’s the best and not so best part about having your sister in the band?

Jackie: I think it’s really good to have a sibling in a band with you, because they’re always there. If you have an idea that you just want to rip out, they’re not too far away – sometimes they’re right in the next room. So it’s really easy to song write – to get immediate feedback – and also rehearsing too – it’s really great, because we live in the same house. It’s not too complicated.

Jessica: I’m trying to think of a real negative. I kind of have a little one. When it comes to performing live, we have session guys with us. And I remember a while back, we had a show and it was us, a guitarist and a bassist – and then something happened with the backing tracks and got off – but then Jackie caught on – but the other guys were completely lost. And I think it’s because we kind of have a twin telepathy onstage – it can become a trainwreck for other people that they can’t catch on.. I guess that’s one of the negatives at live shows – we read each other super fast.

And what’s up next for Dianthus?

Jackie: We do have a lot of shows coming up. We have a show coming up with Angel at The Whisky. We’ll also be playing the Orange County Fair July 16th – we will be at the Hangar Stage. It’s going to be a great time.

Jessica: I’m also excited to announce that we’re going to have a comic book coming out very soon. It’s going to support Realms. It’s a very deep story behind that record and we wanted to bring it out in a different medium and go more into what the characters are about. Very excited!

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Taylor Sackson: THE NAMM SHOW 2022 INTERVIEWS

Interview by Ken Morton Photo by Linda Emord

Singer/songwriter Taylor Sackson made her way to The NAMM Show and performed a special set at the Highwire Daze Booth on Sunday - accompanied by keyboardist Paige Williams.

A powerful voice and deeply introspective lyrics were presented, featuring songs from her soon to be released You’re Not A Friend album. After the set, Highwire Daze interviewed Taylor to find out more about her vibrantly cathartic music.

Read on...

We’re here with Taylor Sackson and she just did a performance at the Highwire Daze booth which was really cool! Thank you for that.

Thank you for having me.

Your welcome. So what are you looking forward to the most about the NAMM Show this year?

I’m a pretty big gear nerd, so I love just walking around and seeing what everyone’s making. I think that’s super cool. I remember a couple of years ago they introduced the Acoustasonic and I got one like months after. I just love new stuff, so I think I’ll just say the new gear, playing, and meeting new people.

Where are you from and what is your local music scene like there?

When I get asked this question, it’s hard to answer, because I’m from a lot of places. I was born in very Northern Michigan – its called the UP (Upper Peninsula) – and then I lived in Rochester, Minnesota for a long time – that’s where all my family is. But I lived in Phoenix mostly growing up – and the music scene there is pretty small but very mighty.

Everybody goes to everyone’s show – they’re very supportive – so I think I carry that with me out here. We’re nothing without community. You could be the best singer in town, but who cares if you’re not a good hang. So making friends and all that sort of stuff is definitely a Phoenix thing that I brought with me out here.

Tell me about your latest single Overachiever and the inspiration behind it.

There’s a lot to say about that one. It’s pretty much about my brain. I pretty much pick on myself when I write songs, and Overachiever is very much that. I’m very much a work38

aholic and I’m constantly in a battle with myself trying to outdo myself. And I think it was kind of like a lesson to just “sit and chill, you’re doing a lot. Be in the moment.” So I would say that’s what Overachiever is really about.

Let’s talk about one of the songs you did today called Inertia.

Inertia is the first song I released when I left a band, so it was my first song as a soloist. I used to be in a band that toured and did the whole thing. It wasn’t the best experience for me so I left the band. I released a couple of songs under my own name and they mean a lot to me. It took me a lot to be okay with being a solo artist. So now I have an album that I wrote that we’ll be releasing, and it’s really cool to have a team helping me. You have a team when you’re in a band – it’s a whole different animal when you’re a soloist – but it’s cool because the team that you make as a soloist are people that really want to be there. They don’t have to be there – they just love you and are helping you. But with those songs – they’re my babies – I just love them. They’re about my mental health. I grew up listening to sad songs and writing sad songs. I can’t afford therapy, so that’s what I do.

And you played a song today I think was called You’re Not A Friend…

That’s going to be the title track on my new album. You’re July/August 2022

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Not A Friend – what I say about that song is if the shoe fits, it’s probably about you. I really don’t like to go into detail about the specifics. But yeah, I’ve had a lot of people in this industry fuck me over. Like navigating who your friends are – again, community is everything and learning who your friends are is the most important thing in this business. I think I had a huge realization of what to look for in friends and in this business – and You’re Not A Friend is very much about that.

Ali your publicist told me to ask you about Alice Cooper. So what is the Aljce Cooper connection?

Alice and his family are pretty much my family at this point. They kind of raised me in music and Alice runs a charity in Phoenix that I was a part of for a while.

Through that, I got to sing with him, do backups with him, play some instruments for him. He taught me more than anyone in this business and gave me some kickass advice that I think about every single day – and I love him. His daughter just did my makeup for my album art. They’re like my parents – I want them to adopt me.

What’s up next for you in the future?

I’m really hoping to get signed. I’m really hoping to go on tour. That’s my dream – I just want to tour. I’m not a TikTok artist, I’m not a recording artist, I’m not a fucking influencer – I am a live performer. That’s my thing. And so I just want to be on the road. I’ll do whatever – I don’t care who I’m playing with. I don’t care if there’s four people – if there’s one million – I just want to play. Being able to do that and pay for my apartment and therapy would be awesome...

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Booking now

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39

The Rock and Roll Almagama of

Cyanide 4

Interview by Ken Morton Cyanide 4 is a hard rocking glam metal band from Greece who has opened for the likes of the Scorpions and Bonfire.

Their latest album Amalgama has been issued worldwide via Perris Records, and it’s sure to rock music fanatics well above and beyond their historic Athens homebase. Highwire Daze recently caught up with Cyanide 4 to find out more about the amazing Amalgama, the music scene in Athens, opening for legendary collectives, the 10-year anniversary of their debut album Everyday Is A Masquerade, and more!

Introduce yourself; tell me what you do in Cyanide 4, and how long the band has been together.

Hello Highwire Daze Magazine, it’s Cyanide 4 from Greece! The band was established around 2008 in Athens, Greece, mixing influences of the 80s’ Glam Metal bands and of the new Scandinavian generation. Since that day, we’ve released 3 full albums and played alongside many acclaimed bands/artists.

Where the band based out of and what is is your local scene like there?

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Well, technically the band is based on Athens, Greece, but actually each of the band-members lives in a different city.

Generally, we wouldn’t say that the Glam Metal/Hard rock scene in Greece is that ‘strong’ but on the other hand Metal scene and especially the Thrash or more extreme ones, have provided many high quality bands and albums through the years. Through the recent years, many bands have toured across Europe supporting their albums by the side of wellknown artists and by publishing high quality music, engineered by masters of the art that come from abroad. So, more or less it’s only progress for the scene…Let it be progress in unity, too.

How did you wind up signing with Perris Records?

That all started back in 2012, when we had been in first contacts regarding the release of Everyday is a Masquerade.

Then, it was 2017 with Nekyia, ending up to today and Amalgama. Perris Records was always interested in bands of our style, always supporting the genre we belong and generally the Hard Rock sound, so, that was the main reason behind that cooperation.

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Is there any overall story or concept behind the album title Amalgama?

In Ancient Greece, the Alchemists, whose symbol was the Caduceus of Hermes, used to create alloys by mixing mostly Mercury with different metal elements. A mixture like that was called “amalgama”. That was the inspiration behind the title of our 3rd album, describing our endeavour to adequately mix all the “metal elements” each of the new members of the band had brought and blend them with the Hard and Sleaze Rock legacy of Cyanide 4.

Select two songs from Amalgama and what inspired the lyrics. a) Redeemer: This song is about failure, that things in life can go sometimes up and sometimes down. Dont take anything for granted. Life is doing circles, so, somebody can taste both success but also failure. In the 2 verses we have 4 different stories of people that took things in life for granted, but in the end all of them faced the ‘not-so-bright-side-of-life’. b) The Secret Doctrine, as a title is inspired by Blavatsky’s The Secret Doctrine, but the lyrics are about summoning spirits and use them to serve for any purposes.

What was it like supporting the legendary Scorpions and did you get to meet or hang out with them at all?

We were asked by the promoters office, if we wanted be part of this. Well, could we actually say “no?” NO WAY! We were so into it, we did it, we had lots of fun and marked our very first years as a band. We loved that!

Club show is a club show, but stadium is a stadium, the numbers of the audience are completely different. The magic you feel when you see that sea of faces and hands…Wow man, that’s something else!!!

I can recall Mr. Jabs in the lobby of the hotel, hanging out where we were also drinking before the show and then he was pissed off in the elevator, because it took us about 15 minutes to reach our rooms. And of course, James Kottak hanging out with us backstage after the show. The rest of the band-members didn’t actually pay so much of attention to any of us, just passed us by like they were prime ministers of the G8, hahaha!

Another iconic band you opened for was Bonfire. What was that experience like?

Well, regarding Bonfire, that was totally different than the Scorpions’-shows. We were playing 2 clubs shows in Athens & Thessaloniki, the hospitality by the host/promoter ‘Blasgarden’ was great and we had been chatting with them in a very cool way backstage, pre/after show.

One funny thing is that Alexx Stahl’s (singer) wife came to us, having our 1st EP in her hands, asking for a signature, saying that she was a fan since day-one and really loved it when we were announced as the special guests on their Greek shows. And of course, Adrian doing like a fan-boy when HIGHWIRE DAZE

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meeting one his TOP-favorite drummers, Andre Hilgers!

Some OUZO drinks were inevitable, at that point…hahaha!

Prost und schöne Grüße Bonfire!

If Cyanide 4 could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?

Two simple words: MOTLEY CRUE! Your album Every Day Is A Masquerade was released 10 years ago! When you look back at that album and time in your career, what do you think if it now in retrospect?

It was our first effort, the point when it all started, what we were all about and the direction we wanted our music to follow. It brings out some innocence, you can not copy that; it’s the feeling in overall that matters.

Has Cyanide 4 ever played here in the States or plan to do so in future days?

Unfortunately, we haven’t played in the US so far, but an appearance at M3 Festival would be awesome…or something like that! We hope that any promoter is actually reading these lines now, so, feel free to get in touch!

What’s up next for Cyanide 4?

In short time, we are about to release 2 official videos clips off of the new album, for the songs Perfect Sensation and So In Vain. We are also planning a couple of “Album Release Show” gigs in Greece in late November/early December and finally, our 1st European Tour, in promotion of the record. We are also working on some surprises, but you’ll get to find that out, when time comes!

Any final words of wisdom?

Take care and enjoy each and every moment! Live, Love and Rock on! That’s what rock ‘n’ roll is all about after all!

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DEVOID Reissue Cup Of Tears with MR Records

Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by WPROD Devoid present their own thrilling brand of melodic metal, now featuring the participation of guitarist extraordinaire Shad Mae (Shadyon), powerhouse vocalist Carsten ‘Lizard’ Schulz (ex-Domain, Lazarus Dream), guitarist Gwen Kerjan, keyboardist Jorris Guilbaud, bassist Geofreey Neau, and drummer Benjamin Lesous. Their current album Lonely Eye Movement was released to great acclaim through Fronttiers Music Srl last year. And now through the mighty MR Records of Australia, Devoid has reissued their glorious debut Cup Of Tears! In addtion to all the superb musicianship found within, Cup Of Tears has a guest appearance by the one and only Magnus Karlsson of Primal Fear infamy. Highwire Daze recently caught up with Devoid mastermind Shad Mae to discuss the return and the making of Cup Of Tears, the recent Lonely Eye Movement, news on the Shadyon front, and more!

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Devoid, and how long the band has been together.

Hello I am SHAD MAE founder of the band DEVOID and SHADYON , I am the guitarist and main songwriter of DEVOID . The band has been around since 2017 and we 44

have released 2 albums - the 1st on MR RECORDS thanks to Andrew McNeice for his confidence and the 2nd on Frontiers Records.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there?

We are based in France except CARSTEN who resides in Germany.

How did the MR Records reissue of Cup Of Tears come about?

Currently the album is reissued on CDs, it is very probable that a vinyl reissue will arrive soon. This is good news because it means that the album is popular and that we can continue the development of the group with serenity.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the album title Cup Of Tears?

There is no real concept on this album, it is essentially rather introspective personal reflections on my way of looking at life..and I admit it’s not very happy. There is a form cynicism in the lyrics Select two songs from Cup Of Tears and what inspired the July/August 2022

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lyrics.

I quote THE CLOCK IS TICKING and SOLDIERS. Soldiers talks about our world which is in perpetual war (just look at recent events in Ukraine). The resulting human sacrifices for justifications that I find obsolete. To be right … certain things, objectives are beyond me in this world without great humanity and without real awareness of what our fundamental purpose is.

The Clock Is Ticking talks about that it’s necessary to ensure that we do not waste our time on trivialities and concentrate on what excites us, really pleases us. Do not pretend, do not lie to yourself.. time flies... regrets are disastrous ...failure can be beneficial if you transform it into an experience that leads to success....I’m still afraid of this phrase...it’s too late...

Who produced Cup Of Tears and what was it like working with them?

This is Gwen KERJAN, owner of SLABSOUNDSTUDIO, we have been working together for years, especially with my other group SHADYON. We share a common vision and influences and his work goes beyond recording since he brings many proposals on songs (by the way in wrote 2 songs on our last album LONELY EYE MOVEMENT) How did Carsten ‘Lizard’ Schulz from Domain (and many other bands) become involved with Devoid and what was it like working with him on Cup Of Tears?

I have always been a fan of Carsten as a singer (I discovered him with Evidence One). I asked him on the basis of a simple demo and he immediately joined the project. He embellished the songs thanks to his fabulous vocal parts.

This guy knows how to write memorable choruses. For our 2nd album he wrote all the texts which testifies even more to his involvement in DEVOID. Magnus Karlsson of Primal Fear also appears on Cup Of Tears. What was it like working with him and how did he become involved?

Magnus is one of my biggest influences in terms of songwriting. I offered him the title The Clock Is Ticking and he recorded a direct solo...and wow...Stunning! I’m a fan of LAST TRIBE and I wanted to seize the opportunity to be able to share the guitar solos on a track with him.. and it’s done ;- ) it’s a great honor for me ...subliminal message ...I dream of a new Last Tribe album. Witchdance is just perfect.

Lonely Eye Movement, the 2nd Devoid album, was released during the pandemic last year on Frontiers. What was it like releasing an album during that time and did the title have anything to do with the pandemic?

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The pandemic played a little on my mind and I took refuge in the composition with the help of my so talented partner Jorris Guilbaud with whom I co-wrote almost the entire album. It was therefore a rather special period which, if we want to remain positive, will have been favorable to my creativity. I am quite lonely so I was not too affected by this period of confinement If Devoid could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?

I would love to play with Winger, Evergrey or TOTO!!

Anything happening with Shadyon – new music maybe?

Yes, the 3rd album is finished. We plan to release this new album on 2023. There is a fantastic new line up with our new drummer Walter, and he co-wrote the songs with us.

He is a fantastic drummer and so talented songwriter .

Are either or you currently involved with bands or projects outside of Devoid or Shadyon?

The 3rd DEVOID is written and currently I’m working on a new very epic project .. secret for the moment and no deadline. I’ll see when it comes out. As soon as things are more built I will reveal the details :-) What’s up next for Devoid?

As I said the songs are written (only demo for the moments) need to add vox etc…I ll fix all the stuff in 2023 with the same line up .

Any final words of wisdom?

Music is the language of emotions.

45

Outland: Melodic Rock from Los Angeles

Interview by Ken Morton Outland is from Los Angeles, the melodic rock/AOR capital of the world - and their latest album Where Do We Go From Here is sure to enrapture fans of classic bands such as Foreigner, Toto, and Whitesnake. Now signed to MR Records of Australia, music fanatics all across the globe may experience the sonic reveries Outland has to offer. Highwire Daze recently interviewed Outland members Jeff Prentice and Rob Nishida to find out more about the making of Where Do We Go From Here, signing to MR Records, working with Pat Torpey of Mr. Big on their Long Way Home endeavor, future plans, and more...

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Outland, and how long the band has been together.

Rob: Jeff and I started Outland in 1999. We started the band when we were offered the opportunity to be featured on a compilation CD for a melodic rock covention that took place in Los Angeles in called Ultrasound 2000. Our songs Valerie and One More Night wound up on that CD and really help launch the band, garnering us interest from a number 46

of labels. I play guitar, bass, keyboards and sing background vocals.

Jeff: I Sing Lead, Harmonies, Play Keys and play most of the lead guitar.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there?

Rob: We’re based in Los Angeles. The music scene here is actually pretty healthy but not necessarily for a band like Outland.

Jeff: We’re basically in the beach area southwest of L.A. How did you wind up signing with MR Records?

Rob: We’ve always had a great relationship with Andrew McNeice who used to run the melodicrock.com website. He introduced us to the guys at Melodic Rock Records.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the album title Where Do We Go From Here?

Yes, at least for the title track. We started writing for this CD in 2005, and one of the biggest news stories of that year was Hurricane Katrina and the havoc that it caused in the New OrJuly/August 2022

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leans area. The song Where Do We Go From Here was wtitten from the perspective of somebody who was affected directly by the tragedy.

Select two songs from Where Do We Go From Here and what inspired the lyrics.

Rob: Wrong Side of Town is kind of a modern take on the West Side Story scenario. Good Enough is a song about not settling and giving in. Both songs are romantic in nature, but I think give different perspectives on how people deal with love and relationships.

Who produced Where Do We Go From Here and what was it like working with them?

Jeff: Rob and I pretty much co-produced the record. At the end of the process, I mixed and mastered it in my studio. It was really great working with us!!

When you look back on your first two albums Different Worlds and Long Way Home, what do you think of them now in retrospect?

Rob: I think that there is a natural progression to the music.

The production has gotten better overall and I think musically, it has become more interesting with each subsequent album.

Not only that, Jeff is singing better than ever!

Jeff: Hey Thanks for that Rob! I think the songwriting has been there from the beginning but we definitely got better at the recording process on each subsequent record.

You worked with Pat Torpey of Mr. Big on the Long Way Home album. What was that experience like?

Rob: Pat was not only an exceptional drummer, but a really great guy. I think the thing I remember most was just hanging out with him, eating mexican food and talking about our family and kids and the whole Mr. Big saga. During that time, Mr. Big had been broken up for a few years and Pat was talking with the guys for a possible reunion down the road. Eventually, the reunion would happen in 2009.

Musically, the thing that struck me was the first time he set up his kit and started tracking. I’ve played with many drummers, but no one who hit the drums quite so hard! Needless to say, his drumming on Long Way Home was nothing short of astounding.

Jeff: It was great to work with Pat. He was a super nice guy and a consummate professional.

If Outland could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?

Rob: For me, it would be the original line-up of Foreigner at their height or the Evolution era Journey.

Jeff: The “Live and Dangerous” Era of Thin Lizzy, UFO Circa “Obsession”, or Judas Priest with Les Binks on Drums.

Jeff – when you look back on the Predator album on Metal Blade Records in 1985, what do you think of it now in retrospect?

Jeff: I’m proud of my guitar playing for sure. The songwriting could definitely have been better. Most of the lyrics were an HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2022

afterthought to take up the space between guitar solos! LOL I do wish I could still scream like that! As many people know, the album cover was voted “worst album cover of all time” in at least one publication, and I think that is hilarious and awesome! I think the final production sounded a bit weak but it fit right in with the independent metal releases of the day.

That was such a great time for music and I’m really happy to have been a small part of it.

Rob – give me a little background on your band Weeds and do you still keep in touch with any of the members?

Rob: Weeds was a pop/Americana type of band. This band was formed just before bands like Matchbox 20 and the Wallflowers broke big. We had interest from guys like Bob Clearmountain and worked with a music supervisor with BMG but nothing really panned out. I’ve lost touch with the rest of the band members but I have very fond memories of the band.

Are either or you currently involved with bands or projects outside of Outland?

Rob: I’m in a new band called Black Sage Burn that plays locally. This band is more in the Foo Fighters / Incubus vein. You can find some of our music on any of the streaming services.

Jeff: I am currently putting the finishing touches on a new Predator record. Plus I play in several local Wedding/Corporate type bands What’s up next for Outland?

Rob: Outland 4 of course!

Jeff: Certainly!

Any final words of wisdom?

Jeff: I notice Rob left this blank. It’s probably best if I do as well.

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A Moment In Time with

SENNA

Interview by Ken Morton Leading the next wave of talented young artists ready to make their mark on the heavy music scene, SharpTone Records’ newest signing Senna has just released their debut EP A Moment of Quiet upon the world at large.

Recorded with the help of producer Manuel Renner of Überlärm Studios, the EP’s five stunning tracks are packed with Senna’s dynamic hard-rock meets progressive post-hardcore style. Featuring the massive talents of Simon Masdjedi (vocals), Tobias Stulz (guitar/vocals), Marcel Dürr (guitar), Fabian Cattarius (bass), and Leon Dorn (drums), Senna has opened for the likes of Being As An Ocean, Holding Absence, and As Everything Unfolds. Highwire Daze caught up with guitarist Marcel Dürr via Zoom to find out more about this amazing band on the rise...

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Senna, and 48

how long the band has been together.

I’m Marcel, I play guitar in Senna. We started in 2019.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there?

We are in Mannheim – not everyone lives in Mannheim, but everyone lived in Mannheim at some point. It’s also where we have our rehearsal space and where we meet up in general. And Mannheim I would say is almost the second biggest music scene in Germany because we have The Pop Academy, which is a University where you can study music, but in an applied setting – not actually playing jazz or classical but playing shows and pop music. So that’s why we have a very active music scene. And I feel like it’s either Mannheim or Berlin for a lot of people – which is absolutely crazy because Mannheim, it’s a big city but not like Berlin or Munich or so. But we have a very active music scene and there’s a lot of government support. It’s really awesome July/August 2022

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Marcel Dürr of

SENNA

to be a musician in Mannheim honestly.

SharpTone Records – they have bands such as Holding Absence, Caskets and Boston Manor on their label.

What has it been like to be signed with SharpTone Records and how did that come about?

Honestly, it’s insane – like exactly what you just told, so many bands that we absolutely love – especially the ones that you said – the biggest bands on scene right now. The way it happened – we talked to our manager Tom from Stray From The Path – and he’s also working with Tandem Management. We hadn’t been with a label and we talked about that of course. So he asked us “What would be your ideal label if you could dream?”

And all of us said “SharpTone.” Because almost all of our favorite bands are with SharpTone. And he kind of made it happen, to be honest. So it kind of just happened. It’s amazing – we’re blown away by it and very grateful of course.

Let’s talk about the new EP. Is there any overall story or concept behind the EP title A Moment Of Quiet?

Yeah, it’s not like something that’s very clear from the beginning. It all started with the last song from the EP which is called Morocco Mint. It’s obviously just coming from a very stupid working title where we were drinking a tea that was called Morocco Mint. So we HIGHWIRE DAZE

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had this as a working title for the longest time. We kind of liked the tea culture aesthetic which is very – like fine china, very fragile, a lot of gold, nice teapots, very calming. So we kind of liked that aesthetic, so we came up with a lot of tea related names for the other songs.

So A Moment Of Quiet kind of seemed fitting, because it was like you take a breath, you relax, you sit down – you just have your own peace of mind for a short while. So that’s how that came. And we wrote almost all of it during Covid, which of course a lot of stuff was happening, but the reality for a lot of people was kind of sitting at home in quarantine or having lockdowns. We in Germany were also having lockdowns, so especially for the music scene, it was very quiet. And we also used that time to write all of the songs for the EP, so it was kind of fitting in many ways.

Let’s talk about Jade the single and the music video.

Is there any overall story behind that, and do you know how to fence or sword fight?

(Laughs) No, I don’t. I don’t know how. But the general theme of Jade is also something you can see in the video – it’s kind of like overcoming your own struggles a bit. The whole fencing thing is what the videos guys came up with – Leo Feimer and Thomas Otto are the names of the two guys we worked with. So they came up with the concept. And the narrative was kind of 49

fitting – that you’re kind of losing a battle – like you’re fighting with your inner self where you’re kind of feeling not confident and you don’t have the energy to do anything. For a lot of people it’s an internal struggle – like you’re fighting yourself – which can be seen in the video symbolized by fencing, so that was very fitting.

You kind of see the protagonist girl in the video failing at first, and then she finally overcomes her struggles and can win the battle. It’s very symbolic for overcoming your own struggles and being proud of yourself – showing up, getting out there, presenting yourself, and being content with it.

Tell me about Lavender, the guitar playthrough video you did, and your Ibanez guitar.

That was one of the very early videos we did. A lot of the stuff we do with Senna is very technical on guitar and I also use the double thumping technique for the guitar nerds out there – so maybe some of you know Tim Abasi – he kind of popularized it in modern metal music. I’ve been a fan of Ibanez since like forever.

My first guitar was an Ibanez guitar. I also remember having a catalog and just looking through it – and when you’re a kid, you don’t have that much money to spend.

But yeah, I was drawn to them, and they always catered to the modern guitar riff – and to me that still holds true.

A lot of guitar players I look up to are with Ibanez as well. You also see different needs for different people – so right now there’s this trend where it’s going away from this super metal looking, very black kind of sharp edges guitars and more towards more traditional guitar shapes and just general specs. So Ibanez does that fantastically but their AZ Series, but they also have the metal guitars as well. It’s just an awesome fit for me as like a modern guitarist in metal or rock music.

Do you have an endorsement with Ibanez?

Uh no, not yet. I would love to absolutely, but at the moment no! There are so many people endorsing Ibanez already that I look up to. It’s kind of the same thing with SharpTone, where you look up to it and at some point you’re lucky enough to be one of them. It would be awesome, honestly.

You recently opening for Being As A Ocean – and I believe Holding Absence and As Everything Unfolds were also on that show. How did that show go and what was that experience like?

The shows were awesome. The first show was terrify50

ing to be honest. A lot of us hadn’t been on a stage for over two years, so it was really nervewracking. But everything went super well. The people responded well too. We felt confident. We are all doing something that we loved doing – and doing it after two years of not being able to do it was just awesome. But also the guys from Being and Holding Absence and Everything – all of them were so welcoming to us and so nice. It was an incredible experience. We felt like they treated us as equals. When I was a teenager, I was listening to Being As An Ocean. They’re like legends for us – and being on the same stage as them and sharing the same – we had vegan barbecue which was awesome! And just sharing a table with them – getting to know all of them – it was like mindblowing! It felt really good and I hope we can continue to play a lot of shows in the future – also with those bands but with many others.

What’s up next for Senna?

So we’re already writing the album and we’re making really good progress. The EP was already finished well over a year ago. And then we started talking to Tom, we started talking to SharpTone and so on. So we had some time to spare, and we already started writing some more music. We’re actually working on new music. It’s still far from finished, but we’re already making good progress and we’re really happy with how it’s turning out. And hopefully we’ll also play a lot of shows.

July/August 2022

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BORKNAGAR

Devastation On The Nation North American Tour 1720, Los Angeles, CA., May 22, 2022

Review by Ken Morton Photo by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography The last time the almighty Borknagar made their way across the States was on the Kings Of Terror Tour in 1999, supporting the legendary Emperor! Now as a new millennium rages on and a great pandemic beings to fade, Borknagar find themselves exploring the vast terrains on North America once again – this time on the Devastation On The Nation Tour with Rotting Christ. Deep in the heart of decaying Downtown LA, Borknagar presented their own thrilling brand of epic black metal, and their vibrant reveries swept throughout the cavernous walls of the 1720 and into the hearts and minds of local metal fanatics. Opening with the mesmerizing refrains of The Fire That Burns from their recent True North magnum opus on Century Media Records, Borknagar proceeded to enrapture the Devastation On The Nation attendees with eight absolutely brilliant works of sonic artistry.

Founding member Øystein G. Brun and his Borknagar co-conspirators unveil a massive amount of imagination and intrigue into their recorded music and live shows, and this 52

rare appearance here in the States presented the rapturous complexities of extreme metal in its finest hour. Frostrite from 2012’s Urd was absolutely astounding live and The Rhymes of The Mountains from 2016’s Winter Thrice left an indelible impression as well. For old school fans, Borknagar unleashed sonic entreaties such as Colossus from their turn of the century album Quintessence and The Dawn of The End culled from 1997’s The Olden Domain.

One could watch Borknagar perform for hours and be entranced by the somber yet majestic beauty of their music.

8 songs may have been way too short of a set, but you could tell the metal hordes in Los Angeles were hooked by each and every magical note emitting from the 1720 stage.

In addition to the amazing guitar interludes of mastermind Øystein G. Brun, Borknagar features the dynamic participation of ICS Vortex of Dimmu Borgir infamy on vocals and guitars, Lazare on keyboards and vocals, Jostein Thomassen on guitar, and Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow on drums. On this final date of Devastation On The Nation 2022, Borknagar presented a metal concert for the ages here in the City of Angels!

July/August 2022

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Santana / Earth, Wind & Fire Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, CA., June 18, 2022

Earth, Wind & Fire unforgettable, impassioned entertainer. And then there’s the very amazing founding member, Verdine White, tripping the light fantastic on mega-pulsating bass. Each and every EWF member on that stage played with a tremendous amount of heart and soul, with classics such as Boogie Wonderland, After The Love Has Gone, and September sounding as innovative and refreshing as the day they were first released!

Carlos Santana Review by Ken Morton Photos by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography

On a very special day in Southern California, the legendary Santana and the iconic Earth, Wind & Fire performed at the massive Banc Of California Stadium on the Miraculous Supernatural 2022 Tour. An event that truly brought music fans of all generations together, a grand and glorious night was in store for all!

After an early opening set for LA’s own WAR, the mighty Earth, Wind & Fire took to the stage to unleash songs from a vast and epic career in music. Opening with their smash hit single Shining Star, Earth, Wind & Fire presented a set of tunes from an illustrious career in music. Lead vocalist Philip Bailey possesses the heavenly vocals and smooth moves that truly make him an 54

Carlos Santana is one of the very best guitar players on this planet - and within a live setting he does it all - classic rock, hard rock, smooth jazz - even shades of metal may be found within the realm of Santana. And a concert for the ages was presented at the Banc Of California, courtesy of Carlos Santana and the powerhouse battalion of musicians who presented a visionary work of vast sonic artistry. This would include the vibrantly haunting vocals of Ray Greene and the extraordinary drumming of Cindy Blackman Santana. The hit songs Evil Ways and Black Magic Woman were unveiled early on in the show, enveloping the Banc Of California audience under a warm and wonderful spell of sweet musical delight. Santana’s rendition of the Tito Puente classic Oye Coma Va was sheer brilliance on tap while their cover of The O’jays classic I Love Music had everyone in the crowd up on their feet, singing along and dancing. And the entire concert raged on, with Carlos Santana playing his heart and soul out on guitar; he and his band weaving their mystical tapestries to a spellbound City of Angels crowd. Santana under the stars is an evening to remember for a lifetime!

July/August 2022

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DESTRUCTION / NERVOSA 1720, LOS ANGELES, CA., MAY 22, 2022

Review by Tony F. Corpse - Photos by Jack Lue The night was ablaze with rapturous female strength.

Lilith’s ample bosom, gushing forth the blood of thrash metal empowerment and wrath. Brazil’s Nervosa proved with an iron will that the fairer sex cannot be declawed once a conquest is presented. The beauty and beast dwell deep within the nether regions of vocalist Diva Satanica. Her stage presence, a fusion of voodoo trance sways, brutish death growls and banshee witch screeches, co-mingling in perfect unison, especially during the title track of their new opus Perpetual Chaos, and the frantic, piledriving urgency of Time To Fight.

Bass ravaging queen Mia Wallace stared downed the ever loyal acolytes with the firey eyed intent of medusa whilst band leader/guitar destructor Prika Amaral trasversed the stage in wild abandon, headbanging like a beautifully primal monstrosity. During Venomous, drummer Eleni Nota displayed a human agility verging on superhuman. Her drum fills as precise and fast cutting as 56

a surgeon’s tempered steel blade. The lovely metal lasses were victorious this evening. Rebel Souls one and all.

Beheadliner’s Destruction raged like a ravenous pit of vipers trapped in a rusty cage. They approached swinging with thrash’tastic title track Diabolical, loping off a few skulls in the melee, whilst inciting a riot of violence (pun intended and relative band). Their teutonic barrage advanced like a panzer on rocket fuel, essentially decimating eardrums and rattling ribcages in the process, especially during The Ritual off of 1985’s imperial treasure Infernal Overkill. The pit mongers raged like a pyromanic’s victim alight, encircling and flaying in a dance of death. I, being quite inebriated (as one should be at a thrash gathering) howled along succiently during Life Without Sense. Much to my chagrin I matched Schmier’s piercing banshee wails during the refrains Life and Sense. I was a proud wolf, bloodthirstily howling at the moon’s illuminating evervescense. A memorable night of thrashing metal madness!

July/August 2022

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Machine Gun Kelly / Avril Lavigne Kia Forum, Inglewood, CA., July 13, 2022

Avril Lavinge In addition to the brilliant work of Machine Gun Kelly and his band, there were special guests galore for the hometown show.

This would include the legendary Lil Wayne, who performed on Drug Dealer and Ay! Opener Avril Lavinge would arrive onstage a bit later to perform Bois Lie with the band. And the surprises kept on arriving on the Forum stage, including appearances by the one and only Halsey, Blackbear, and Willow Smith (who by the way kicked off the night with a mighty bang!)

Machine Gun Kelly Review by Ken Morton Photos by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography Machine Gun Kelly has come a long way since his humble beginnings. Once having played The Roxy on the Sunset Strip, Machine Gun Kelly is now headlining sold out arena shows - including a one night stand at the iconic Kia Forum on the Mainstream Sellout Tour! Knowing how to make an epic entrance, Machine Gun Kelly began his show hanging from a helicopter ladder high over the heads of crowd, unleashing a fierce rendition of Born With Horns. Love or hate him, there is no doubt that Machine Gun Kelly is a passionate performer for this modern age - whether he’s unleashing his own brand of pop punk emo, raging hiphop or straight up rock and roll, there is ton of heart and conviction going into each and every song - and the passion in his work is tenfold within a live setting.

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An amazing standout in the Machine Gun Kelly band is brand new guitarist Sophie Lloyd, whose performance unleashed a massive amount of fire and intrigue into the show. Even visually, the concert was stunning, espeically when “The Internet” took an animated life of its own. Machine Gun Kelly clearly speaks to a the new lost generation, and his words and music are immense and profound.

And whoever thought to have the wonderful Avril Lavinge supply direct support is verging on sheer genius! The Queen of Pop Punk took to the stage, opening with the fierce and wonderful Girlfriend - and the entire Forum sang rapturously along to this classic. In town and on tour to promote a brand new album called Love Sux, Avril and her band performed the single Bite Me and Love It When You Hate Me featuring an appearance by Blackbear. The entire venue went spinning with Avril slammed into her massive hit single Sk8ter Boi. At the end of the set, Avril performed Complicated, one of her first songs she wrote 20 years ago - and one of the co-writers of the song Lauren Christy was in attendance at the Kia Forum on this very special night. Avril only performed 8 songs, but her fun and memorable set definitely left an lasting impression! Be sure to catch the Mainstream Sellout Tour if Machine Gun Kelly, Avril Lavinge, and Willow Smith arrive in town! This is truly one show not to be missed!

July/August 2022

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ALBUM REVIEWS On My Way EP Sandgaard Sandgaard Music

Rock The World Bad Boy Troy MR Records

Review by Ken Morton Troy Tipton has played guitar for the likes of Sly Fox, Dave Evans, and Tommy Heath of Tommy Tutone. His namesake band Bad Boy Troy is signed to MR Records and are ready to rage across the universe with the dynamic new album Rock The World. Kicking it all off with a fiery cover of the Pink Floyd mega-hit Another Brick In The Wall, Bad Boy Troy unleash this one hard rock style and it’s absolutely brilliant. And their own compositions reign supreme, with selections such as Bad Ass Boy, You Really Knock Me Out, and I Like It Like That destined to be played all over the classic rock radio airwaves. Seventeen shows how wondrously effective Bad Boy Troy is with presenting an absorbing acoustic ballad. And the spiritual side of Bad Boy Troy is revealed in the final moments of Rock The World with the unveiling of the spectacular God Is Good. Bad Boy Troy has released an inspiring album that will surely Rock The World and well beyond! https://www.facebook.com/TheBadBoyTroy

Rock Is Our Religion Lessmann/Voss Atomic Fire Records Review by Ken Morton Lessmann/Voss is the brilliant collaborative effort of Claus Lessmann (ex-Bonfire) and Michael Voss (ex-Mad Max), going above and beyond their much-revered Phantom V project and creating a rock and roll album for the ages. A perfect dozen tracks are unveiled within the auditory world of Rock Is Our Religion, and it’s an album music fans will cherish for a lifetime. From the opening sonic remedy of Medicine Man to the heartfelt reveries of Smoke Without A Fire, a carefree trip through Runaway Days and more, Lessmann/Voss present a banger of an album! In addition to all of the exceptional original songs, Lessmann/Voss unveil a stunning cover of America’s Sister Golden Hair! Also in the mix is the solid drumming of Vincent Golly, who holds his own quite well with the two legendary namesakes. Fans of Bonfire and Mad Max will be thrilled to discover the Lessmann/Voss debut as Rock Is Our Religion is jam packed with absolutely timeless songs that soar into the stratosphere! https://www.facebook.com/P5Fanclub 60

Review by Ken Morton Thomas Sandgaard is best known for being on the frontlines in the ongoing battle against the opioid epidemic with The Sandgaard Foundation, as well as being the proud owner of the mighty Charlton Athletic! And now with the unveiling of the Sandgaard debut EP On My Way, you could add arena rock to an already impressive resume.

Sandgaard shreds into the stratosphere on guitar, and is joined by bassist Rich Ross, drummer Goose Lapoint and Warrant singer Robert Mason. Produced by Scott Humphrey (Mötley Crüe/Rob Zombie), On My Way unleashes four thunderously solid tracks that will remain in your head for the rock and roll ages ahead. Powerhouse selections such as Believe and Breathe Into Life will make you want to raise your fist high in the air while singing along as loud as you can, ready to take on the world. Thomas Sandgaard has been such an inspiration to many, and the songs featured within On My Way envelope the senses and dare you to live your dreams. Fans of classic rock need to invest into the richly rewarding Sandgaard! https://www.facebook.com/SandgaardRock

Fighting Gravity Taste MR Records

Review by Ken Morton Taste are legends in Australia, best known for wickedly bombastic rock anthems. And with the upcoming album Fighting Gravity, the band has released their most fully realized, introspective album to date. Opening with the rapturous refrains of 22 Summers, Taste unveils 13 selections of sonic magic and intrigue. The title track Fighting Gravity presents Taste at their most poignant and reflective. (We All) Stand Up imagines us all as shooting stars, and is nothing short of an all-out revelation. Hello Hello is a standout, rich in lyrical romanticism and auditory delight.

Extraordinary Day is a grand celebration of this strange and wonderful life we all experience together on this wayward planet. And be sure to listen to the very end for the very wonderful 2020’s Gone, looking back at one of the most harrowing years the world has ever faced - where the nightmare has come to an end and rock and roll has truly saved the day!

Fighting Gravity presents Taste in their finest hour! Expect this one to show up on 2022 Top 10 lists worldwide! https://www.facebook.com/TASTEROCKBAND July/August 2022

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