Highwire Daze Issue Magazine Issue 125

ISSUE 125

JUL | AUG 2019

DAVE AMATO of

of

\

POSTER BY JACK LUE

APOCALYPTIC LOVERS, ATTACK OF THE RISING, A BEACON SCHOOL, BRITT LIGHTNING OF VIXEN, CHAS WEST OF WEST BOUND, CWIRED, DIANE & THE DEDUCTIBLES, THE HARD WAY, HELIX, HURRICANE, INITIAL MASS, MADYSIN HATTER, STEEL PROPHET, THE STOLEN, AND MORE...

PHOTOS BY ERICA VINCENT

HIGHWIRE DAZE HIGHWIREDAZE STAFF STAFF

Publisher Highwire Daze Magazine A General Partnership Editor-in-Chief Kenneth Morton Managing Editor Danny S. Pasley Senior Photographer Jack Lue Contributors Kenneth Morton Bret Miller Erica Vincent Cover Art by Yannick d’Assignies of Smart Works INTL. Cover Photo By Jack Lue Graphic Design Tyler Heath

HIGHWIRE DAZE 827 N. Hollywood Way PMB 419 Burbank, CA 91505-2814 www.highwiredaze.com e-mail: ken@highwiredaze.com Opinions expressed within this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. All rights reserved. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express and written consent of the publisher.

HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTERVIEWS WITH . . .

BILLY SHERWOOD OF YES ......................................................................6 DAVE AMATO OF REO SPEEDWAGON ................................................ 12 A BEACON SCHOOL ............................................................................... 14 APOCALYPTIC LOVERS ......................................................................... 16 ATTACK OF THE RISING ....................................................................... 18 C WIRED .................................................................................................. 19 INITIAL MASS ........................................................................................ 20 BADFLOWER .......................................................................................... 22 CROWN THE EMPIRE ............................................................................. 24 HURRICANE ............................................................................................ 30 VIXEN ....................................................................................................... 32 VIGIL OF WAR ........................................................................................ 34 THE STOLEN ........................................................................................... 37 STEEL PROPHET ..................................................................................... 38 WEST BOUND ......................................................................................... 39 HELIX ....................................................................................................... 40 MADYSIN HATTER ................................................................................ 41 ALICIA VIGIL POSTER ....................................................................................... 28 ALBUM REVIEWS ............................................................................................... 42 CONCERT REVIEWS .......................................................................................... 44 SKETCHES BY THE EDITOR ................................................................................ 9 BRET’S RAMBLINGS .......................................................................................... 10

5

Citizen In The Next Life and The Royal Affair Tour AN INTERVIEW WITH BILLY SHERWOOD OF YES AND ASIA Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Jack Lue Billy Sherwood is currently traversing the highways of America as a participant on The Royal Affair Tour, playing in both YES and ASIA. In addition, the multi-instrumentalist has just unveiled Citizen In The Next Life via Frontiers Music Srl, his latest solo endeavor that is absolutely stunning to behold. In this interview with Highwire Daze, Billy Sherwood discusses his brilliant career, the story behind Citizen In The Next Life, The Royal Affair Tour, and other epic topics of intrigue. Read on…

Is there any overall story or concept behind the album Citizen In The Next Life?

The concept of Citizen is based on a wandering soul that finds himself in different characters – almost a reincarnated kind of thing. The Citizen character takes on different characters on the first record, whether it was a friend of Galileo’s, where Galileo is trying to explain “the earth is not flat” and his friend is kind of freaking out saying “we shouldn’t be talking about this.” And other tracks on there are talking about Nostradamus and whatnot. It’s basically the same thing on this record, where Citizen takes on the character of Mata Hari, Wyatt Earp and We Shall Ride Again, etc. And it just really affords me a vehicle to be able to write about a lot of interesting things in history that have always perked my interest – and also some fictitious characters as well.

The first single from Citizen In The Next Life is called The Partisan. Tell me a little bit about the concept behind the lyrics on that song?

It’s about Adolf Hitler and his rise from being a sole partisan and joining a group of others and his rise to power and ultimate demise ending in the bunker with him killing himself.

I’ve always found history to be incredibly interesting, and obviously that’s a big part of it – World War II and what happened there. That song as I was writing it had this aggressive nature to it, and started making me think about various dictators the world has dealt with. And it just kind of fit to start writing about that and using Hitler as the model in the one.

Select any other song in Citizen In The Next Life and what inspired the lyrics?

6

There’s a song on there called Sophia which is about the first A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) citizen ever of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia actually made this A.I. robot a citizen. And when I heard that, I thought “this is so bizarre” and what a perfect setup to write about because it’s the first of it’s kind – and as amazing as it is, it’s also kind of frightening as well.

How has The Royal Affair Tour with YES and ASIA been going so far?

We’re already half way through and it’s great! It’s been such a blast. It’s a great tour with great music. Carl Palmer opens up with his ELP Tribute – his legacy tour is the opening act. And then John Lodge from The Moody Blues takes over and they do a bunch of great songs. And then I get to play with Asia with Geoff Downes from YES and then Steve Howe joins us in that set as well. Ron Thal is singing lead vocal in the band and doing a great job and Carl obviously.

Then we take a little break, and I change clothes and come back out and play with YES which is fantastic. It’s the first tour I’ve ever done where I’ve had a wardrobe change.

July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

You’ve done a ton of collaborations with musicians and bands – some of them maybe a bit unexpected. Let’s talk about three of them. First of all, how did you wind up collaborating with Air Supply?

My brother was working with them and I had some friends who were also working with them – so I met them by proxy and we became friends. Then I ended up working with them doing some engineering and some mixing. Graham knew that I was a songwriter and he enjoyed some of things that he knew that I had done with some other bands plus my affiliation with YES and whatnot, so he asked me to write some stuff. So I ended up writing a couple of things with them that ended up on the records. That is kind of how it worked. In this business, you move people, you create relationships and one thing leads to another out of the blue.

You worked with Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons on an album entitled Missing In Action. How did that come about?

I worked for this record label Cleopatra quite a bit doing production and she was about to sign a deal with that label. They were looking for a producer, and they connected the dots there and put me together with Dale. We ended up writing the whole thing together and recording it. It’s another record I’m really proud of because I’m a huge Missing Persons fan and I love Dale’s voice – quirky and unique and cute and powerful and all those things. It was fun to be able to work with her and we became very close through that and remain so. She’s a great lady. I love Dale.

William Shatner – Ponder The Mystery. What was that like working with the legendary William Shatner?

It’s one of the highlights for me because it’s so unusual.

You know, he’s such a good guy. When they called me and asked me if I wanted to do it, I said “Captain Kirk? Are you kidding? I’m in!” And then when we met and started talking about the kind of record we were going to make, again we became really fast friends and we’re still very close. He was actually at my surprise birthday party not too long ago –which I couldn’t believe. Yeah man, he’s just really an artistic guy.

While he’s not a musician the way you think about musicians, he’s completely inspired by music and loves everything music. His heart and his passion was so into it that it was just undeniable. We actually came up with a concept and he wrote all the lyrics and I wrote all the music and then we just started plugging things in. It was so much fun. We wanted to continue doing stuff like that, so we actually played some live shows where my band Circa was basically the band backing him. We did 5 or 6 shows in LA that were all sold out and were great. It was blast!

Is there any upcoming music with Circa or World Trade on the horizon?

TK and I were talking about a new Circa album. The last one came out not too long ago Valley Of The Windmill. So HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2019

we’ve been talking about that. World Trade has a record we put out not too long ago called Unify – and so it really comes down to if the label wants to do it or not and the band wants to do it.

Would you like to take Citizen on the road and do some shows?

I would love to. We would just have to see if the logistics could be worked out. We’ll just have to see what happens.

And do you have any messages for your fans who might be attending The Royal Affair Tour?

Thanks for the support and for hanging in there with me through my crazy musical journey. I know that YES appreciates it as well. 2019 now and still going strong. Obviously in large part because the fans are there supporting it. Just a big thank you and hope to see you at the concert. And more concerts to come…

Citizen In The Next Life by Billy Sherwood is now available from Frontiers Music Srl. Be sure to check out The Royal Affair Tour at Five Point Amphitheatre in Irvine on July 27th!!!

7

Sketches By The Editor And here we are – another issue of Highwire Daze completed – our 125th edition.

As many of you know, since the last issue, we recently lost Jonathan Wright – Associate Editor and CoFounder of Highwire Daze magazine. Thank you all for your support during this difficult time. Your emails, Facebook posts, and in person words of encouragement have been inspiring. I participated in a celebrating of life for Jonathan as a speaker, and I wanted to share with everyone what I said in regards to Jonathan and his work with Highwire Daze.

The year was 1990 in the month of September, and I decided I wanted to do a music magazine and of course dragged JD (Jonathan) along for this new adventure.

In my tiny Hollywood apartment on Orchid Street sat myself, artist Gunnar Morgan, porn goddess Brandy Alexander, the late great Judith Scott who was also in my play Gretchen’s Monster - and soon to be Associate Editor Jonathan D. Wright – and by November of 1990, we released Issue #1 of Highwire Daze magazine. Jonathan’s column The Wright Stuff and his interviews and reviews would enchant and befuddle people for the many years to come. Jonathan paid for our first glossy cover and drove me many miles distributing the issues all over Southern California. We had been friends since I was in the third grade and he was in the fourth grade. How often do you have a friendship that lasts that long? This issues features a back cover tribute to Jonathan’s work with Highwire Daze. In our Facebook page, Jonathan had over 200 messages from people we’ve worked with sharing their memories of what amounted to a tribute to a well respected individual in journalism. You never truly know how you impact lives, until after your dead and they write about it on your Facebook page. May I suggest that if someone has impacted you, definitely let them know while they are still alive and kicking. I think even the irrepressible Jonathan would have been shocked by the amount of tributes that arrived for days on the Highwire Daze Facebook page. By the way, Jonathan had a Radio Station called The Wright Wave which is still up today. Check it out at http://www.thewrightwave.com/ And so Highwire Daze magazine rolls relentlessly on. Thank you all for your continued support! Bringing back the print issue has truly been the ride of a lifetime. Please continue to join me on this ongoing journey through music and time – started nearly 29 years ago. I hope you enjoy this issue…

HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2019

9

Bret’s Ramblings

(July-August 2019) If you’re a musician, you know how much work goes into making a song. Being a DJ is infinitely easier, yet still time consuming. I take upwards of 10 hours a week to perfect my one hour show Bret’s Ramblings, from song selections, to editing, to creating the playlist and publicizing the show. Sure, I get a few listeners while the show is on the station, then a few more once the show is on Mixcloud (which takes hours longer to create), but I do it because I feel the need to share great music with the world. Music that gives me chills and reaches the places in my that help me get through the next day.

Music that when I hear it, I have to go to the station to find out the band. And while it’s often something I put on a show, it’s sometimes a song that Nicolas Wardell (Beatastic Transmissions) or Jason Lamoreaux (Somewherecold Radio Hour) put on the station. Nico has a wonderful approach to his show, it’s distinctly his and I enjoy listening to him talk about and play his selections the first Saturday of the month and following Tuesday. Nico often plays exclusive previews of songs from his Shore Dive Records artists. Jason has an inviting radio voice and I’m always looking forward to his eclectic shows full of ambient and atmospheric music. Jason also features bands from his Somewherecold Records label and his Ambient and Electronica tracks can also be heard on the Sunday Evening Cooldown 4pm-7pm and the Dance This Mess Around show at 7pm-11p.

I thank all the musicians and publicists out there for sending me so much great music for my show and the station!

Something has been on my mind lately, and it’s something that’s bothered me for years. And that’s the willingness to mix/master/produce your band into a wall of sound. Musicians that produce and record their own music via computer know what I’m talking about. The Brickwall, as my editing program calls it. When the levels of so many ingredients of a song are mixed to the upper reaches of comfortable listening levels, around 100db, with little dynamic range. Dynamic range used to be around six decibals difference, and few bands peaked the loudest sounds over 98db. When bands mix their elements closer than 3db’s difference, the overall sound of the song flattens out and the various parts of the song are less distinct, instead blending together. When songs are mixed together in a wall of sound, our ears and brains don’t get a chance to relax, there’s no anticipation of the next part of the song. That’s why I can’t listen to most present-day pop songs, because they’re all highs, no ups and downs, no time to breathe. Today’s bands would do well to take in the production of bands from the past, yet keep their own modern style. The latest Interpol release has all the charm of a sheet of rattling metal, which is a shame because they made unlistenable what are good songs.

Maybe I just need better speakers.

I’ve followed a few newer bands/artists and been happy to hear their evolution in performance, composition and production. I’d much rather listen to a rough independent artist than almost any slick pop band out there today. Why? Because soul and passion and sweat are more important to me than what’s popular.

I’ve always championed the bedroom band, the local band, the unsigned or unknown bands. So many are deserving of attention for your efforts and you’ve been my soundtrack for decades. And so now you can listen to Highwire Daze Radio on Live365 and be like me, constantly checking to see who’s playing. Please support the bands on bandcamp and their websites and labels!

LISTEN TO BRET’S RAMBLINGS 7 days a week at 3:00PM and 11:00PM on Live 365 at http://www.highwiredazeradio.net 10

July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Dave Amato: Gibson Guitars and 30 Years with REO Speedwagon Interview by Ken Morton Not only is Dave Amato celebrating 30 incredible years within the ranks of REO Speedwagon, but he has recently unveiled his own Gibson signature guitar. Gibson Custom Shop, the pinnacle of craftsmanship, quality, and sound excellence, proudly presents the new Dave Amato Les Paul Axcess Standard. Gibson Custom Shop instruments celebrate Gibson’s legacy through accuracy, authenticity and attention to detail. The Dave Amato Les Paul Axcess Standard is the ultimate mash-up of vintage Gibson aesthetics and modern player features and is available worldwide at Authorized Gibson Dealers. Here is an interview Highwire Daze recently conducted with the one and only Dave Amato...

Give a brief history of your discovery of the Gibson brand.

In the 70’s, I started off with a Junior, I was a kid and couldn’t afford a real full sized Les Paul. When I was a kid and learning how to play guitar, my dad knew I was getting more serious about it – practicing and playing with the kids down the street in any band that you would pick up from your friends. And he said “You know, if you’re really getting serious about this guitar playing stuff, you gotta play a Gibson.”

And he knew nothing – he loved music but he wasn’t a musician or anything like that – but he knew the name Gibson and it kind of stuck in my head. So that’s what I wanted to play – and I thought that Gibson was the best – and is still the best 50 years later here. And I’m just lucky to have an endorsement with Gibson. It’s crazy! It’s a dream come true for me really.

What advice would you give a young guitarist seeking an endorsement deal?

You just gotta work hard with your craft and try to build a reputation for yourself – and then go after endorsements. I don’t think they’re just giving them out like candy. It was definitely easier in the 80’s. There were a lot of companies just throwing guitars at you. But Gibson is the elite and it’s a privilege to be there . And I don’t take that for granted at all.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of you being the lead guitarist for REO Speedwagon. How did you wind up in REO Speedwagon and did you ever imagine you would be with them 30 years later?

No, and that’s a great question. I had no idea I was going to stay in REO for 30 years. The most I was playing – I played with Ted Nugent for 3 ½ years and a couple others in the 80’s.

Usually they would last about three years, it led its course and 12

then you would go to somebody else. You’d pick up another band or another gig or something like that. I went for an audition with REO in 89 and they didn’t put out such a big cattle call. A friend of mine recommended me to them to do an audition in 89. I went there in the afternoon about 1:00, and we played some songs – some hits that they already had and a couple of ones that they were writing – and they didn’t have any guitar on them. So I kind of put my two cents in on the new demos that they had – they didn’t have any guitar so I just filled it in – I guess they liked what I was doing and by 5:00 they said “Hey why don’t you join the band?” And I said, “Sure! Great!”

And there you have it . 30 years later and here I am!

Going back in the albums of REO, when you look back on your first album you did with them- the oddly titled The Earth, A Small Man, His Dog And A Chicken, what do you think of it in retrospect?

The title – not so much. But the record was a good record!

The title is another situation there. They were trying to make July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

it clever – like tuna fish – “you can tune a piano but you can’t tuna fish.” They were trying to make it clever but that just didn’t work. But there’s some good stuff on that record. We’ve done some really good stuff since I’ve been in the band and it’s just been a tough. It’s a really different business now than it was in the 80’s to really get your records played – I’m sure as you know – just really tough. We’ve had a lot of really good songs but really haven’t had any airplay. We’ve been touring forever, which is amazing to do that. But getting back to that record – it’s a great record. It’s my first one with REO and I’m really proud of it. The name – not so much…

Let’s talk about the very next album you did with REO – Building A Bridge and the Can’t Stop Rockin’ song. What do you think of your work on this subsequent album, and how were you fitting in with REO Speedwagon at the that time?

I was in the band for a while on that one. That Can’t Stop Rockin’ was a rocking little track there. That was fun. And that was a good record too! There’s a lot of great stuff on that record too and it’s a shame, . I guess it sold a little bit – it did okay. There were some really good songs on there, but the times were a changin’, and I guess there wasn’t room for a classic rock band on the radio. But we toured it – we played those songs and everybody loved them. To this day we get requests for a couple of songs here and there on that record. And I think we did that song live for a while in the 90’s.

We’re about to go back even further. Your career included some time spent with Ted Nugent. What was it like working with Uncle Ted, and what do you think of the two albums you did with him?

I loved working with Uncle Ted – I gotta tell ya! I just loved Ted. He was great to me. I was his other lead singer – him and I shared the vocals. I learned a lot from him then. I don’t care because of the political stuff if he doesn’t get into the Hall Of Fame – Ted Nugent to me is a Hall Of Fame guitar player. I know him personally, and he’s a good guy – regardless of all of the other stuff. I don’t really look at that. I just look at the guy – he’s an amazing man and an amazing guitar player. And I thought the Little Miss Dangerous album was really good!

That’s another record that did okay – but it really should have done better. It was a real good record. And If You Can’t Lick Em, Lick Em – that was my last record (with Ted Nugent) – that was good too! The whole episode with Ted of 3 ½ years was just great for me. What a great time!

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about this, but is will there ever be any chance of a Dave Amato solo album?

You ask some great questions there! It’s gone by me, but we’re so busy with REO. We don’t stop! In 30 years, I’ve never missed a year of touring with REO Speedwagon. We do 80-90 shows a year. It takes up your time for sure! A friend of mine has a studio and we talked last winter – and we were supposed to do something in the spring. There again, we started touring again and you get busy and you need some time off. But it’s possible – there’s a possibility in the future. You’ve made me HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2019

think now…

Any new REO Speedwagon albums or songs in the future?

We’ve played a couple on tour but we didn’t record them. I’m not quite sure why not because – and I know this is redundant to say – but there’s nowhere to really place them. Even Aerosmith is not doing any records. Nobody big is doing any records because there’s no place to put them. It’s really frustrating, because you put your heart and soul into a record – and your money to go into the studio and do what you do – and these songs are like your children. And then you put it out, and the radio – they don’t want to touch new songs from classic rock bands. They just want to play the old stuff. And I don’t know why. If you’ve got a good song and somebody hears it, why not play it? Geez! I mean these guys are still rocking playing the new ones! It’s frustrating! So it’s kind of tough to go in there and do some new stuff – although you could make an inexpensive couple of demos and tour it out to your fans, which is pretty good. Which we will probably do in the near future here – just for the fans because they always come to see us and they’re just amazing! They’ve come all these years and they’re still coming. It’s been a great touring time with REO. It doesn’t stop. And it gets better!

You’ve been in REO for 30 years now. Do you still enjoy playing the classic songs after all of this time?

Absolutely! They’re great! It doesn’t really get old, even though I’ve played the songs so many times. Just looking out in the audience and seeing them loving it every night – and we’re getting young people coming out to the shows from their parents and they know the songs and they sing along and they dance. They’re good, really well written songs and they mean something to them. I never get tired of playing those songs.

It’s an absolute privilege for us to have all these fans come to see us every night and every year. It’s been a great ride with REO Speedwagon – I gotta tell you.

What’s up next with your work with Gibson Guitars?

I’ve sold a bunch of guitars already right out of the box, so everybody is liking my new two pick up Amato Les Paul, which I am just over the moon with. I’m going to Gibson before I go out on the next REO run at the NAMM Show in Nashville – I’ll be at Gibson trying to promote it with the sales people and all of the dealers because they have a big promotional thing going on. I’m going to be there promoting my guitar and then the next day I’m on the road again with REO. And it doesn’t stop. As far as Gibson is concerned, I can’t tell you how over the moon I am with these two guitars they let me build. And they’re amazing guitars from the Gibson Custom Shop. And I think Gibson is back – better than ever – and just a force to be reckoned with again. Gibson is the best name in the world, and I’m happy to be involved in the company as an endorsee. It’s great!

https://daveamato.com/ https://www.gibson.com/ 13

A Beacon School’s Late Night Reveries

Interview by Bret Miller

A Beacon School is one Patrick J. Smith from New York, a multi-instrumentalist and forward thinking musician. Over a year ago he released a collection of songs called Cola that he wrote over a four-year period, some more traditional uptempo indie rock compositions, some taking a more studio-intensive, electronic approach.

The songs that caught my ear were the micro-edited dancey tracks, with Smith’s textured vocals and layered effects and late-night beats. But all the songs are exceptional, even the shortest ones. A year later Cola was released with three more previously unreleased tracks on clear and black vinyl on Grind Select, and I got the clear version. There’s just something about A Beacon School’s music that connects with me and I had to get into the mind of Smith.

Your music straddles electronica and indie rock with live instrumentation and a willingness to break it all down in the production and arrangements into something different and thrilling. While all the songs on Cola sound like the creation of one person, there are distinctions in that some songs are more pared down indie rock like Glue and some are more dancey and atmospheric like It’s Late. What accounts for the two styles? Is it all part of an evolution?

Glue and It’s Late were written around the same period, so I wouldn’t say the difference in sound reflects an evolution or anything like that. I just like lots of different styles of music; I wouldn’t be satisfied working in only one. When I’m working on a song I just do what sounds good to me and hope that people can hear a through-line tying everything together.

Will you continue to explore production and lean more towards the dancey songs or go off in another tangient in the future?

I definitely plan on releasing more dancey/electronic songs in the future, I have a quite a few on the go now, but I also want to keep exploring other directions. I’d like to release some pared down lo-fi stuff, some ambient music, and some stuff with louder ripping guitars. I think Cola does a good job of laying out the blueprint for this project, in that it features a few different directions.

How did you come about the sound for a song like It’s Late?

Who were you listening to, where were you at as a person that made this song the way it is?

It’s Late was made mostly in one sitting in August 2013. I named the session “its late” because I started it at two in the morning. I can’t recall a whole lot about making it to be honest. Just kinda came out in a stream of consciousness. I probably was listening to Caribou and Mount Kimbie at the time What lessons have you learned from life and former bands that 14

led to such a confident sounding album?

I learned from being in other bands that it’s hard to get people to listen to your music. There’s so many options these days that if you’re going to ask people to listen to your band you have to make sure it’s as good as it possibly can be, and even then you no idea if anyone will actually listen. The only thing you can do is make something you are completely satisfied with. If no one listened to Cola I would still be proud of how it turned out.

There’s the saying “Necessity is the mother of invention”. I had thought of it backwards, which actully does work. That because you want to reach a goal you find ways to get there. How did invention come into the creation of your songs?

As an inexperienced singer I felt I couldn’t lean on the vocals to be a focal point like they are in most pop music, so I spent a lot of time crafting the other elements to make sure they were captivating on their own. Also I wasn’t able to track live drums so I had to find ways to use samples that didn’t sound canned or fake.

Did you play all the instruments and do all the production on the songs on Cola?

For the most part. My friend Eric layered some drums on Cut Thru and my friend J Boxer provided the vocals for the intro of Glue.

You toured this past year. Was it with a full band? What was an especially memorable experience from driving around the country? Will you do this again for the next album?

We didn’t really tour, but we did do a few shows in NY and LA. The live version of ABS is myself on vocals on guitar, Jack Dougherty on guitar, Chase Wagner on Bass, and Austin Douse on drums. We would definitely like to tour more thoroughly in the future.

Cola is a collection of songs from 2013-2017. Do you have enough songs for another album and when do you hope to have it out? Will it be on vinyl immediately or later on? What is the future of A Beacon School?

I have a ton of songs in the works, something like 80+. I’m hoping to get a new album out next year, but it all just depends on when I finish everything. Sometimes it takes me a long time... but like I said before, I’d rather take my time getting it right than rush just to have something new out.

Links: https://grindselect.bandcamp.com/album/cola https://www.facebook.com/abeaconschool/ July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Apocalyptic Lovers at The Whisky on the Sunset Strip

Interview by Ken Morton Photo by Joe Schaeffer

Apocalyptic Lovers (formerly Love and War) made their way to the world famous Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip to open for the legendary Dokken. Supporting their recent Redepmtion Volume 1 reissue, Apocalyptic Lovers completely enraptured the early arrivals with a dynamic hard rocking performance. In this interview, drummer David Hope fills us in about the details behind the show...

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Apocalyptic Lovers and how long the band has been together?

My name is David Hope and I’m the drummer of Apocalyptic Lovers. About 1989, myself and my bassist went to high school together. Formed a bunch of cover bands together. We got kind of tired of how commercial and how redundant a lot of the music we listened to growing up was. Just becoming around the end of the 80s going into the 90s, and I wanted to start a hard rock band. They called it heavy metal. Melodic heavy metal band that had a little more to say than about chicks and all that kind of stuff. We wanted to get that edge back to it and make it more. There’s definitely sex innuendo, but it’s also stuff about life and living on the edge and some dark themes to it. That’s kind of where we wanted to go by starting a band. Grunge killed us off in ‘97 so coming back, we decided to rebrand.

So, what was the experience like opening for Dokken at the world famous Whisky A Go Go? Well I’ll backtrack a little bit to our previous band Love and War. When we were in LA, we had a very overconfident manager. We wanted to play there. But she believed that she could get us to play there without having to do the pay to play and she was sadly mistaken. I went there with her. I was the only one with her but that didn’t go well and she burned some bridges. It never happened and we really, really wanted to play there. So, come full circle, we got back together and we wanted to organize one record release party gig just for fun. We haven’t seen each other in 30 years and we show up for rehearsal for one day. We practiced and it sounded like we never broke up, it was amazing. So I was like, Fun! We got bit by the live bug. I was like, “We all live all over the country, this is going to be difficult.” And it’s been difficult because we all live all over the country, and not only that, they have some crazy ass jobs.

The logistics of everything seemed crazy. We all agreed that 16

once a year there was a bucket list gig, that we would do whatever we needed to do to make it happen. We played all over the Midwest. But then you have the Whisky A Go Go and since we made that agreement, the Whisky was A+, number one, top of my radar. All the guys agreed and were like, “If you get that, we’ll make it happen.” I started trying to book the band and I was running into roadblock after roadblock. Not enough money, my bass player is a fireman and his schedule is crazy, my guitar player was at a different job at the time.

I started working on the Whisky and sent (the promoter) the album. She liked it. She thought it was really good. She said, “We have got to get you guys in here.” She and I worked for almost a year to try and figure out a date to get us in there with the right band and there was always something. She was trying to book a lot of bands so she would hit me up and be like, “Hey, but see this!” and I’m like, “No, that’s like a 70s classic band and it’s just not a good fit. Oh, that’s a tribute band, I don’t wanna open for tribute bands.” It just went on for about a year. Then she emailed me one day and she’s like, “Hey, can you do this show?” and I’m like, “Oh, you know, I’m so sick of going back and forth and I want to play so bad, but it’s just a really bad fit and we’re 80s, early 90s hair metal.”

She’s like, “Oh, we haven’t put it on the website yet but we’re getting ready to put up Dokken.” No fucking lie, I did not even ask the guys in the band, “Are you available to do it?” because the one band we all agree on and we all love (is Dokken), and we recently had Michael Wagener do our record (who also produced many of Dokken’s classic records). I’m like, “Yeah, we’ll take it. We’ll make it work.”

Right there, after I hung up I’m like sweating bullets thinking what if the guys can’t do it? And low and behold, every star aligned, nobody had to rearrange everything and we were able to do the Whisky show. It was a huge bucket list gig for us. It just couldn’t have gone any better. We did pretty damn well and we literally haven’t seen each other since our press release party gig and that was July of 2016. That was almost four years ago. I thought we did pretty damn well and we had a blast.

Order Redemption Volume 1 by Apocalyptic Lovers at http:// www.apocalypticlovers.com/. More Apocalyptic Lovers articles coming soon to Highwire Daze magazine!

July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

www.perrisrecords.com

This album “Old School” is dedicated to the memory of Paul Hackman, who played on 3 of these tracks and was a co-writer on 8 of the tracks. He was/is a Canadian musical icon.

Please pick up your HELIX “Old School” CD at the following locations: Amoeba Music - Hollywood, Bionic Records - Buena Park, CD Trader - Tarzana, Freakbeat Records - Sherman Oaks, Fingerprintz Music - Long Beach, Toxic Toast Records - Long Beach, Glass House Records - Pomona, Black Hole Records - Fullerton ALSO AVAILABLE: 99 CRIMES “Self titled”

Featuring Dangerous Toys, Dirty Looks member Catalogue #: PER5702 Barcode #: 670573057024

CDS DISTRIBUTED BY SELECT-O-HITS

Artist/Band: HELIX Title: Old School Release date: 6/14/2019 Catalogue No. CD: PER5722 Barcode #: 670573057222

BABYLON A.D. “In The Beginning”

Featuring unreleased demos Catalogue #: PER1732 Barcode #: 670573017325

& ALLIANCE

DEREK DAVIS

“RESONATOR BLUES” Featuring BABYLON A.D. vocalist Catalogue #: 900584 Barcode #: 888295900584

ATTACK OF THE RISING

RECORDING NEW ALBUM WITH LEGENDARY PRODUCER BILL METOYER Interview by Ken Morton Photo by George Contreras

Attack Of The Rising continue to bring their own raging brand of heavy metal into the Los Angeles scene and beyond. Now recording with legendary producer Bill Metoyer (Armored Saint, Fates Warning, Flotsam and Jetsam etc.), Attack Of The Rising is ready to unleash the next chapter of an already exhilarating career.

Here is a recent interview Highwire Daze conducted with the members from Attack Of The Rising to discuss their work with the mighty Bill Metoyer!

The big news is that Attack Of The Rising is recording new music. How has that been going so far, and when will it be released?

Chris (drums): I just got done with the drum tracks this weekend at Gale Force Studios, which is a great place to do some tracking and just rehearsing. I like that place and we got them done this weekend with Bill Metoyer twisting the knobs. He’s a great guy to work for – a jedi master.

Tony (guitar): So that’s the first stage of it – getting the drum tracks and laying the foundation. And then we each come in and do our parts. As far as when it will be released – as Bill says “It’s done when it’s done.” So that’s good with us.

You guys are recording with a legend – Bill Metoyer – whose metal credits are bar none. What has it been like to work with him?

Chris: For me, it’s been a great experience. It was very mellow. I could just relax and do what I needed to do. It was a great environment.

Tony: He hears things that even us musicians don’t hear. And he has that magic to know when something’s right and it’s not.

Even if you think it’s right, he’s like, “Ah, let me just listen to this again and hear what I hear.” And it’s been pretty amazing so far. And I’ve been around when he’s been doing other people’s work, and what happens is magic. Chris and I have done a lot of DIY – what we call independent releases – 10 CD’s and albums – and nothing has compared to this so far and we have just started.

Select a few songs from Attack Of The Rising and what inspired the lyrics for you.

Mandrake (vocals): I like ON THE HORIZON. It’s very strong lyrics that talk about where we live today – crazy world – government and chaos. And also I think LAST STAND has 18

very strong and powerful lyrics.

And EYES CLOSED is a more introspective song that talks more about finding in your mind your true self.

Chris: I wrote some of the lyrics for BURNING DAYLIGHT, which is mainly about the struggle in the working class unions.

It also talks about the dock worker’s 1934 strike when it was called Bloody Thursday and the police shoot two men in the back. Just them trying improve their means to survive with their families for a better life.

Michael (bass): I think the whole idea of the band is try to capture that punk spirit that seems to be dead – which is a total shock with everything that’s been happening in the world around us and nobody’s really talking about it through music. But I think Attack of the Rising is different. It definitely has lyrics that have more of that punk flavor. It’s a breath of fresh air as far as I’m concerned.

What could one expect from a live Attack Of The Rising show?

Billy (guitar): Brutal – we just bring it!

Chris: It’s definitely high energy – that’s for sure.

Tony: It’s just five guys bringing their presence and their power together and just bringing it to you You did a really big show with Armored Saint and Metal Church. Did you get to hang out with them at all?

Tony: Armored Saint – we’ve known those guys forever.

What’s cool about shows like those is you have local bands who have gone on to other things and become staples of festivals in Europe – and then they come home and do a hometown show – and it’s a beautiful experience. Playing with those two bands – they’re huge influences – so we’re all having a great time.

What’s up next for Attack Of The Rising?

Tony: Basically, when Bill comes in and tell us to do our tracks – we’ll get them all handled and then go out there and play and put it out there to everyone. That’s pretty much what we’re doing.

Mike: Support live music. Come see Attack of the Rising and come get your head bashed in!

Attack of the Rising is: Mandrake (vocals), Michael Risucci (bass), Billy Sablan (guitar), Chris Lepre (drums), and Tony Lepre (guitar).

Info: https://www.attackoftherising.com July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

The Further Adventures of C WIRED

Interview by Ken Morton

C WIRED is a compelling artistic presence whose recent Angel/ Circuit/Engaged magnum opus garnered the Cwiredband a good deal of attention. Their latest single is entiled Baby Prime Became Baby Blue, with C WIRED demonstrating just how passionate and imaginative he can be with a wondrously pensive ballad. We caught up with Charles Whyard, mastermind behind the C WIRED to discuss the further adventures of this amazing entity. Read on…

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

Charles Whyard aka C Wired. Singer-Songwriter for the Cwiredband (CWB). We have been together for 5 years.

Where are you based out of and what is your local music scene like there?

Mid-Atlantic area and Nashville. Surprisingly the music scene in Nashville is very open. Most think it’s all country.

CWB music goes over really well because it is very genreless and not what audiences are use to hearing.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the lyrics for the new single Baby Prime Became Baby Blue?

Baby Prime Became Baby Blue is inspired by a past relationship with a young woman I nicknamed Baby Prime. Everyone goes through down periods in life. During her down period, she was diagnosed with a “mental illness.” In the months following her diagnosis, I watched her take on this diagnosis and, ultimately, believe it. She changed from the person I knew her to be and became very blue.

Who produced the single and what was it like working with them?

Single was produced by CWB guitarist and producer Mr. Addison Smith. Addison is the new breed of musician who is muti-talented and can not only play/perform but is also adept at recording techniques, sound engineering etc. A very creative personality.

What do you think has set the single Baby Prime Became Baby Blue apart from your other two EP’s? It’s such a beautiful ballad of a single!

HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2019

It’s hard to pin CWB music down.

It is very genre-less. Critics think of it as a unique blending of many different styles. It borrows from rock, pop, alternative and indie - resulting in a difficult to categorize sound.

Select two other songs from your vast catalog of material and what inspired the lyrics.

Getting Sober’s A Bitch is an illustration of the frame of mind an individual has coming to grips with his/her alcoholism.

Angels Dancing’ On the Head of a Pin is about worrying about little stuff. Things that we won’t even remember was an issue 6 months from now.

How close are you to writing and recording all new material for another single, EP or full length?

Our next EP Whiplash will be released in August 2019. 6 songs. We are currently tracking our next EP Freedom Glider (7 songs) which will be released in late 2019 / early 2020.

CWB works on a two EP per year release schedule intermixed with various singles.

Is there any overall story or concept behind your previous EP Angel/Circuit/Engaged.

ACE was a very progressive release for CWB. Not as commercially oriented as my other material. Its’ the bands favorite release (so far) although it probably has a more limited audience because it’s so different It takes time for people to get comfortable listening to something unfamiliar and genre-less.

What is it you’d like a listener to remember after hearing your music for the very first time?

The lyrical content. It’s very deep, written on several levels and fearlessly genuine and honest. They express some of my most intimate experiences.

Any final words of wisdom?

Live life Being who you are. Don’t operate from others approval or disapproval. You are a beautiful unique expression of the Divine and are much loved and a very important part of the grand plan.

https://www.facebook.com/cwiredband/ 19

The Progressive Sounds of Initial Mass Interview by Ken Morton Based of the dynamic Los Angeles music scene, Initial Mass present their own astounding brand of progressive rock and metal, presented an auditory adventure certain to enrapture the senses. Bending Light is the name of their third magnum opus, jammed packed with persuasive lyrics and skilled musicianship. Highwire Daze recently caught up with guitarist / lead vocalist Mark Baldwin to discover a whole lot more about the grand and progressive sounds of Initial Mass.

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

This is Mark from Initial Mass. I am the the primary songwriter, guitarist and lead vocalist for the band. The three of us have been friends for many years, all playing in various bands. In 2015 we decided to form a band together and quickly released our first album Time & Measure in 2016. We recorded and released a follow up album Tidal Force in 2018. Now we’re happy to be releasing our third album Bending Light this July.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the CD title Bending Light?

Somewhat. Our last album was a full blown concept album. We set out to possibly make this another concept album but decided not to after we began writing. There is a basic theme throughout the album which speaks to the shortness of time we all have in our lives and the urgency to make change before it’s too late.

Select two songs from Bending Light and what inspired the lyrics.

The title track Bending Light was inspired by a Stephen Hawking book I was reading in which he described “the future light cone” of time spiraling through the universe. Don’t ask me to explain it in any more detail than that. Haha. But I liked the idea for a song and that theme carried through the rest of the album.

Years Past was one where Scott (our bass player) wrote the lyrics about a friend of his that passed away and the promises they made to each other. They had a musical bond and his friend inspired Scott to never give up on music and that song is Scott’s way of showing his friend that he’s keeping his promise. The song is great and heavy and the lyrics are excellent.

What was it like working with Eddie Veliz of KYNG and what did Eddie contribute to the overall recording process?

20

Wow! Working with Eddie was a turning point for our band. I have a lot to say about his contribution, but to keep it short here, he was generous beyond belief. He believed in us, he spent more hours working with us than we paid him for. He probably netted one cent per hour by the time the album was finished. He’s the most talented musician I’ve ever met. His ear is impeccable, and his love for music is endless. He worked his ass of for us.

On the flip side, he was an asshole at times forcing us to perform better. There were a couple times when I wanted to quit and tell him to fuck off. But I love him for what he’s done for us, and for what a beautiful person he actually is deep inside. In the end, he made us all do things we didn’t realize we were capable of. Secondly, Eddie set us up with The Rev Studios in Chino, owned and operated by Ron Sandoval. Ron is the most amazing engineer out there. He made this album sonically perfect. Ron’s love for music is equal to Eddie’s and he was able to feel the music we were all making together and he plunged himself deep into the project, probably netting about one cent per hour as well.

Ron was engaged in every aspect and offered suggestions about our performance as well even though he didn’t have to do that.

Ron too is an amazing person with the biggest heart and a great ear for music. This album wouldn’t be half as good as it is if we didn’t have Ron and Eddie. We’re forever grateful to both of them.

What was it like opening for KYNG at the notorious Viper Room?

It was an awesome night. The place was full and the fans were really into it. It was our first show playing the songs from our new album. Playing with Kyng was a privilege because they are one of the best bands out there in my opinion. Also, becoming friends with Eddie through making this record, it was a nice bow at the end to play that show with him. We hope to do it again!

What’s up next for Initial Mass?

We’re ready to release the album on July 26th and start playing as many shows as we can. This is our second album in just over a year. We want to pause on writing and just focus on playing this album live and gaining support from new fans. We ask your readers to give that a shot with Bending Light. We’re really proud of the album and we feel it takes you on a journey if you give it a chance.

https://initialmass.com/ July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

BADFLOWER BREAKS THROUGH Interview by Ken Morton Photo by Jordan Wolfbauer Badflower is a Los Angeles based collective clearly on the verge of a breakthrough. Their brand new album Okay, I’m Sick showed up on the Billboard charts in its first week of unveiling – and the band would find themselves selling out the venerable El Rey Theater at their record release party. Now on a cross country tour supporting Shinedown, the word on Badflower is out in nothing short of an epic way. Highwire Daze recently chatted with Badflower front man Josh Katz to find out more about this amazing up and coming band and their compelling artistry. Read on…

First of all, your record release show at the El Rey Theater. How surprised were you by this and the audience response?

Every step leading up to that show was terrifying, because, one, the El Rey was kind of a big venue for us at the time. We had never done anything quite that big, so we were nervous that it was going to be a thin looking crowd – that it wasn’t going to sell out. And then when it did sell out, we were just nervous that there would be a bunch of people we would play for – we were playing all these new songs we hadn’t played before – and all of the industry was out there and everybody would be watching with scrutiny. But it ended up being a really fun night and nobody was like judgy or weird – it was just an amazing energy.

What are your impressions of the local Los Angeles music scene and how does Badflower fit into the scheme of things?

We don’t fit in at all. And we never have. That was sort of an issue when we were coming up – before we had radio and we were touring, we were just an LA band that was playing at random LA clubs. We didn’t feel like there was any scene that really existed – the few things that did exist were really small and they really didn’t support the kind of music we were making – and so we just sort of skipped that part. A lot of bands start in some scene in their local cities and branch out from there. We just never did that.

What are you looking forward to about your upcoming tour with Shinedown?

We’re on it now and I’m looking forward to the rest of it. It’s honestly the most fun we’ve had on tour. It’s the first time we’re on a full sized bus with a crew, and playing big shows with big crowds. It feels like that a lot of our hard work in 22

the last few years of touring in a van and driving ourselves and lack of sleep and nowhere to shower – it sort of feels like it’s all come to fruition. It’s all worth it because now we’re touring in a way that we feel like it makes sense. It validates everything that we’ve done.

Let’s talk about the record. First of all, is there any story behind the title Okay, I’m Sick?

It’s a lyric from the first song on the album – and it’s a song that’s very clearly about anxiety and my personal struggles with performing and having to take Xanax to perform. I really like that lyric because it’s sort of like admitting that there’s an issue, which is the first step to recovery. And also the first step to falling into a black hole and becoming a lot worse. But I just thought it linked up to everything that we’re trying to say on this album.

I just watched the Promise Me video and it’s pretty powerful.

Tell me the story behind the lyrics for Promise Me. It’s a song that’s truly about being afraid of growing up. And I mean that in every facet – not just psychicality of becoming an old person and not looking young anymore, but I have this fear in so many experiences that I’ve had in my life that I’ll never feel quite the same again like the first time I fell in love and the first time I was heartbroken – all of these things that were so exciting and so powerful as a kid, as a teenager – or even as a young adult – will never be quite as powerful as they were. And that’s a really scary thought. And so the song is about that fear and the video is like a positive spin on it – and the video is what I aspire to be like. No, I don’t aspire to have a partner who goes into a coma for 50 years – but I aspire to have that youthful sense to July/August 2019

feel like I’m young – to feel that everything is still just as important and as powerful as when I am old as it did when I was young.

And that’s sort of what the characters in the video experienced. At the end when they’re old people when they’re finally reunited when she wakes up, and they venture out into the world again together, they see each other as their youthful selves, which I think is such a beautiful thing.

In the Promise Me video as well as the epic Heroin video, you clearly had emotional roles and had to act. Is that something you’d like to do more of, or have you done acting in the past?

I was sort of like a musical theater kid in high school and I’ve always been into that. In fact, it’s something that our team has been sort of talking about lately – whether or not I would be interested in diving into that world.

And it’s really fun. I don’t know that I’m good at it – I think that I’m good at it in the context of our band and our music videos because they’re concepts that I came up with and characters that I created. I’m so intimate with these characters and I know exactly how they should act and should be. I think if I was given a script that I wasn’t involved with, I don’t know if I could handle that as well as like an actual professional actor. So I don’t know. If the opportunity presented itself to do something beyond music and it was something that I was passionate about and that I thought was really cool, I would definitely explore it.

For you, what has been the best and worst part about touring and being on the road?

Well, touring used to be my worst enemy for a long time – for the first couple years of this.

It’s a blessing and a curse, because if I didn’t have the experiences that I’ve had with panic disorder and hating performing and hating going out onstage, I would not have written the record that we ended up having. It’s a double-edged sword for sure. I love touring now, which is weird.

I actually think that might be the first time I’ve said that out loud. I’ve said so many times how much I hate touring and how much I want to stay home and make albums and just write and create and not have to perform the songs – and not have to leave my dog and my home and all of those things. And now that the songs are out and our fan base has grown quite rapidly, I think that types of people who come to the shows suffer from the same issue that I suffer from – because they connect to our music so I know they are the same type of person. So when I go out there onstage, I don’t feel like I have to pretend to be some grand rock star figure that’s confident all the time. I can truly be myself. If HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2019

I’m panicking onstage, I can tell the audience and they’re not going to judge me. In fact, it will probably be a positive thing and will probably inspire and empower them. It’s been great now that all of that stuff is out and I feel comfortable being myself on a bigger platform. It’s been really, really great.

It’s like breakthroughs all around for you and the fans. And it’s awesome…

It really, really is...

https://www.badflowermusic.com/ https://www.facebook.com/wearebadflower/ https://www.instagram.com/badflowermusic/ 23

A Near Decade of Crown The Empire Interview by Ken Morton

Crown The Empire has returned, bringing their post hardcore reveries back with a good amount of imagination and intrigue. Sudden Sky is the name of their just unleashed endeavor through Rise Records, and it’s sure to captivate and inspire all music fans ready to fearlessly explore what this amazing collective has to offer. On the verge of celebrating a decade of existence, Andy Leo of Crown The Empire recently chatted with Highwire Daze to discuss their Sudden Sky auditory adventure and his thoughts on their upcoming ten year anniversary as a music force to be reckoned with. Read on…

Is there any overall story or concept behind the Sudden Sky title?

We’ve always been very into concept albums, but this one has a sci-fi theme to it. I don’t think we stuck to a narrative per say, but it’s definitely a bunch of stories told through these sounds – through these words – and it’s very heavily sci-fi influenced.

We’re very into this cyberpunk thing that’s happening, because I think that technology is so integrated into our lives – it feels like kind of an extension of us – and that’s a fun idea to kind of play with. It’s definitely got a theme of electronic elements as well as some organic stuff that we kind of brought back. The general theme is that, and I think it’s been fun carving it out and reinventing ourselves as we pretty much do with each record.

Select two songs from Sudden Sky and what inspired the lyrics and themes.

One of the fun ones that isn’t a single but would be fun to talk about is Red Pills. It’s obviously representative of The Matrix “Red Blue – Blue Pill” and it’s sort of taken on its own meaning right now. I started out as sort of a Reddit person – we had our own chat forums – you could say controversial stuff to each other over anonymous leader boards and rooms. And the concept of it was sort of not to follow the hype that social media brings. I think we all are in the kind of bubbles – these weird kinds of cliques – and if it doesn’t line up with what you are into, then you can completely block out the words from even coming across your screen. I think it’s kind of unhealthy and super bizarre that people can’t take and have different opinions on them – and it’s the waking up from that and pulling yourself out of whatever kind of fantasy world you’ve built around yourself – being able to pull yourself out of your routine and doing 24

something else for yourself – doing something that will hurt but will benefit you in the long run.

And one is Blurry – again it wasn’t one of the singles. As far was what we knew what Crown fans would want, I think we refreshed our old sound and added some new elements that made it all unique. But another one that’s very near and dear to my heart personal is Blurry. And it’s about how easy it is to be disconnected from people in a time where anybody is just a thumb touch away from anybody in the world – we still feel very isolated. And I think growing up on the road and the dynamics of the band shifting and changing, there were times that we all felt that we were disconnected. There wasn’t any genuine human connection or friendships. It’s just one of those challenges that we had to acknowledge – and I don’t think we do. I think we just like to be party boys and make it all fun – but I think addressing stuff like that on this record was something that we felt like we had to do.

Next year marks to then year anniversary of Crown The Empire. What goes through your mind knowing that this band has been around for nearly a decade?

Oh shit! It feels bizarre man. We got signed when I was 17 years old, and my mom had to sign the contract for me because I legally could not do it. The following year is when we hit the road and it’s been consistently crazy ever since. (Recently) I was in LA and I think I was on a date or something and a dude walked by and was like, “Yo, big fan of you guys. I used to listen to you all the time.” And I was like, “Used to? Am I grandpa now? Am I old news? Am I chopped liver?” Cuz I feel like “I used to listen to you when I was back in high school” and I’m July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

like “Mother fucker, I was in high school when I started this!” (Much laughter).

The kid’s like 22 and I’m like 25, and it’s weird to be 25 and have what I would assume be the standard amount of time for a career. I’ve never done anything that long in my entire life. So it just feels bizarre that we went from new kids on the block to up and coming bands going out of their way to say “Yo, what’s up? Big fan of you guys.” Even in the hip hop world – you see major hip hop stars directly influenced by the Warped Tour world – by the emo kids and the metal kids – and it’s crazy to see the way it happened like that.

It’s been three years since you released your last album – although you have been releasing singles. How frustrating or nerve-wracking was it to wait three years to release a brand new full length?

Oh man, it was miserable. It’s like keeping a secret – like the juiciest secret of all time and having to keep it to yourself.

The album was done a while ago, but logistically it is a nightmare getting shit printed and getting it put on playlists – and people trying to shop it out to other people – and then not being allowed to tell people when it’s coming out. It got to be where I’m pretty sure on the last single, the only comments were “Where’s the album?” And I’m like “I’m releasing something right now, so just appreciate it for a second, because I swear it coming!”

(Much laughter). But it was hard to keep – it was hard to bite your tongue and not say anything. And yeah. we’re finally happy to announce it!

You actually did a solo song called Everything Breaks?

It could have been a B-side for this record – it could have been a hidden track or something. But I think it didn’t fit into the mix as far as where the rest of the album was trying to go. It’s essentially a ballad but it’s a very bizarre one and it’s fucking miserable.

It’s the saddest, anti-love song – which is probably one of our staples, but I could see why they wouldn’t want that to be the first taste of things they got from the record. I thought it was too good to not put out, so I kind of just leaked it myself. I didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, but I feel like that a few feelings were hurt. That was me going rogue – that was me straight renegade status.

Have you ever thought about doing anything else solo?

Yeah, absolutely. I think it would be fun, because now, four albums in, I think there’s so much weight to Crown – there’s specific things you can use and cannot use – if you tamper with HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2019

those things then it’s not Crown anymore. I think we realized that with the last record, so making something fun that is completely separate from Crown – like not even the same sound – it would be fun for me. And living in LA – that’s the fun part of it because I get to be around amazing producers across all genres of music – and we all get along – so they’ve kind of asked me to be on their projects. And I’ve been writing and doing fun stuff for myself. I don’t know if it will come out anytime soon or anything – but I definitely think I have some ambition to put out something soon – at some point.

Do you have any messages for Crown The Empire fans who are reading this right now?

We fucking love you guys. I told you the album was going to come out, so thank you for holding out. Come out and see us – we’re going to be playing a lot of the new stuff and I can’t wait to see what everybody thinks about it. We’ll see which ones bubble up to the top and we’ll make sure that everybody hears the things that they want to hear.

https://www.crowntheempire.net/ https://www.facebook.com/Crowntheempire/ https://www.instagram.com/crowntheempire/ 25

DEREK DAVIS / NEW RELEASE

Trax:

Check out the new single “Mississippi Mud” from Derek Davis, Songwriter and Frontman for “Arista Records” and “Frontiers Records” recording artists “Babylon A.D.” The second single from his new album “Resonator Blues” hit worldwide on June 1st and went strait to Number #1 on the iTunes blues single charts.

On his latest solo release Derek Davis weaves early Delta Blues, Americana, Hillbilly Twang, Southern Rock, Traditional and Jump Blues all into one.

Twelve Trax of “Wicked Slide, Blistering Harmonica, and Wailing Vox” will be heard!

Watch the video here: “Mississippi Mud” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWn-vBOU03M “Resonator Blues” is now available at all music distribution points.

Southern Blood Records Distribution: Perris Records Website: http://derekdavismusic.com/ - Trax/Videos/Shows

1. Resonator Blues

2. Sweet Cream Cadillac 3. Mississippi Mud

4. Penitentiary Bound 5. Jesus set Me Free 6. Red Hot Lover

7. Death Letter

8. Whiskey And Water 9. Unconditional Love

10. It Hurts Me Too

11. Back In My Arms 12. Prison Train

listen to suzy’s current single “Lies” on all streaming platforms

Follow Suzy on:

fty$

HI GHWI REDAZ EMAGAZ I NE

PRE SE NT E DBY

J ACKL UEPHOT OGRAPHY

AL I CI AVI GI LOF

Hurricane To Play The Rainbow Bar and Grill Backyard BASH

Interview by Ken Morton

Hurricane has been added to this year’s edition of the Rainbow Bar and Grill Backyard Bash. Taking place Sunday, September 1st in the spacious parking lot of the iconic Rainbow on the Sunset Strip, this event will also feature Steven Adler, Sponge, Pretty Boy Floyd and more! In this interview, legendary guitarist Robert Sarzo discusses what to expect from this epic show, his participation with new band Diane & The Deductibles, his signature Sawtooth Americana Vudu guitar, and more! Read on…

We’re here with Robert Sarzo of Hurricane and Diane & The Deductibles, Idol X, and a million other bands. So let’s talk about Hurricane. What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming show at the Rainbow anniversary party?

I’m looking forward to playing the Hurricane catalog. Also, I am planning to drop our next song. It’s a cover of one of my favorite groups. It’s one of my favorite songs that I was commissioned to produce a few years back for a movie and for whatever reason, they didn’t use it so I kept it my library.

We went back into the studio about a year and a half ago and re-recorded some of the parts to bring it up to date. So that’s something new that we’re going to be doing at the September 1st show at the Rainbow Bar and Grill Bash.

Who is the current singer of Hurricane? And how did he became involved with the band?

His name is Chad Cancino. Chad’s an excellent drummer, amazing singer and plays bass as well. And I believe he even plays some keyboards - multi-talented. He comes from a family that’s all musicians. Chad has already performed with us at the Los Angeles Theater. Mike Hansen who has been playing for Hurricane for just about a decade was on the show too. Also with Tony Cavazo, founding member. We toured and opened for Geoff Tate’s Queensryche. We did about a month on the road in 2014. It was Mike Hansen, myself and Tony, with a different singer.

How in the world were you able to play on a tour playing in both Hurricane and Geoff Tate’s Queensryche?

The most difficult thing was what clothing to bring on tour to change into, one show to the other. It’s natural. It’s what I do.

I’m a musician and I’m very passionate with my instrument.

30

So when Geoff Tate asked if I wanted to bring Hurricane to open up a the tour I said, “Of course.” It was just the conditioning I’ve always worked out.

You have to have the endurance to 200% for both bands, which I did. I strived for it and believe I did. It was close to three hours of playing. But other people do it.

It’s one of those things that you feel fortunate and grateful that you’re able to be performing in front of an audience night after night for that duration of time.

And I’ll tell you one thing is that by the time I went on with Queensryche, I was definitely warmed up.

The other original member in the band is Tony Cavazo.

What do you think has made you and Tony work so well together in Hurricane over the years?

We are both Libras, we were born 10 days apart. Even though we didn’t talk for 20-something years, we connected through social media. He is like a brother - it’s a chemistry, it’s a love. We share the same passion and we have the same beliefs in life about things. And that to me as a songwriting partner, it just means a lot. It’s the formula. It’s the chemistry.

I was mostly just going to focus this interview on Hurricane, but I do want to ask about the Sawtooth American Vudu guitar. Tell me about that?

It just got released. It’s actually my guitar that I’ve been playing for a few years now. And what I have done is I have combined all my favorite components and I am enjoying the guitar. It gives me the feel of the guitar that I grew up with and it also has the components of different things that I have been gathering and kept during the years. It’s got nice weight to it, it’s not light, it’s not heavy. I can get any sound with it.

You’re in a band called Diane & The Deductibles who just put out an album called TWO. How did you become involved in with that band?

My wife Avery was submitting her resume for a new job. As you know, Diane Adams owns a Farmers Insurance Agency and was looking for a new staff person. My wife was working with a Farmers agent but wanted to get a new job. Diane saw that she had Farmers experience and music experience so they spoke. Diane asked, “Well, what have you done?”

Sort of interviewing her also about the music industry, being that Diane already had a band. And my wife told her who I was, and that I just got off tour with Geoff Tate’s Queensryche. So Diane said, “Would Robert like to maybe come down to the rehearsal studio and see if he’d like to work with July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

us?” So my wife answered, “Sure, it’s not that far.” And so I have been working with them for about 4 years. They are just wonderful people, talented people.

The Diane & The Deductibles album TWO just came out, What is your favorite song to play from the album TWO live and why?

It’s hard to say. I don’t know. There’s too many of them to be honest with you. That album actually was pretty much recorded live in the studio. There are no guitar overdubs, all the solos were played live. All the rhythm tracks were played live. Nothing was redone. I think Diane had to go back and do some vocals because the quality of the vocals from the other original studio, were scratch tracks for the band to hear a vocal. A lot of people do that anyway but everything else was done live. I love it.

https://www.facebook.com/hurricanetheband/ https://www.dianeandthedeductibles.com/ https://www.sawtoothworld.com/vudu

MEET BRITT LIGHTNING of VIXEN Interview by Ken Morton Photo by Jack Lue Makeup by Maurissa Riss

Britt Lightning has brought the thunder into the almighty Vixen with a mesmerizing lead guitar performance. In addition to her work within the ranks of the legendary Vixen, Britt’s credits include performing with the likes of varied artists such as Alejandro Sanz and Rachel Platten.

Highwire Daze caught up with Britt Lightning at a Jack Lue photo shoot to discuss a vast and epic career in music. Read on…

How did you wind up in Vixen?

I was just playing around in L.A., I had moved there recently. A couple of people had seen me and had known that they were looking for a new guitar player at the time, and recommended me. Their manager saw me play live as well, and so it just kind of all happened organically – just by word of mouth.

What was that first performance like of you with Vixen?

I was so nervous! I’m always so nervous for the first show. It’s so new and you want to act like that you’re not caring – that you’re not paying attention – and give the cool rock and roll vibe. But you don’t want to get too into the zone of the performance and then go like “oh shit, that’s the change. The bridge is there!” You get into like “Alright, I’m having fun,” but when it’s new you’re like “okay it’s two verses, then it’s the bridge, and then it modulates here…” So you have to not be too relaxed so that you can remember the song. There was a lot going on in my head at that first gig, but I still had a blast and it was fun. And then every gig still gets better…

How surprised were you when Janet Gardner left the band?

I was surprised. I think a couple of the other girls felt it more because they knew her for so many years – and I didn’t. And they were less surprised. But I was like, “Oh no! I just joined the band! This is terrible!” Janet’s amazing – I love her as a person – she’s a great friend – and of course an amazing voice and songwriter. But Lorraine (Lewis) is amazing and we’re really happy to have her.

Is Vixen going to be recording new material?

We are! We definitely are 100 percent! We’re going to do a new 32

studio album – we’re writing for it right now and we hope to release it in early 2020.

You played with Alejandro Sanz!

What was that like? He’s a big name in the Latin music scene.

Yeah that was amazing! His band was filled with ridiculously talented musicians. It really broadened my horizons stylistically with guitar playing, but I also learned a lot about Latin culture – learning Spanish and all sorts of things.

What was it like working with Rachel Platten?

That was really neat. It was a great time to work with her because it was right when she was rising to fame with The Fight Song. We did some great gigs – we played a lot of the TV shows – Good Morning America, The Today Show and things like that. We played some festivals, but the cool thing for me was to see her starting out. She wasn’t just starting out, but you could just see how much she’s matured and learned over the span of Fight Song taking off to like crazy success. That was a great band – a great gig – and she was really fun and nice to work with.

Are you now involved with any other band outside of Vixen?

Right now no, but I am writing some new material for a new project.

And tell me about the guitar you used in the photo shoot today.

So that’s an Epiphone SG – it’s a goldtop. It was kind of something I created with my rep over there. They usually don’t have floating bridges. It’s got a floating kind of a Floyd Rose, so it’s not the typical Floyd Rose. It’s an FRX System, so that we you don’t have to hollow out the body of guitar to put the floating bridge in so it doesn’t ruin the guitar because those SG’s are really thin to begin with. So yeah, I’ve been playing that, and we’re making little tweaks on it to make it perfect. I’m hoping maybe that could come out as a signature model soon.

What’s up next for you?

Next we have a summer full of dates with Vixen – and then writing and recording – working on that schedule and then doing a lot of writing and recording on my own as well. Definitely keeping busy. Info: https://vixenofficial.com July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Vigil Of War: The Vans Warped Tour and Beyond Interview by Ken Morton Photo by Jack Lue

Vigil Of War was selected to perform at the Vans Warped Tour 25th Anniversary Show at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View on July 20th. Ever since their acclaimed Bite The Bullet EP, Vigil Of War has toured all across America and in the UK as well, spreading their dynamic message of metallic punk rock empowerment.

Highwire Daze recently chatted with Vigil Of War’s own Alicia Vigil at a Jack Lue photo shoot for our mini-poster to find out more about this amazing band on the rise!

Read on…

What was the name of the bass you used on your photo shoot today???

Zemaitis (https://zemaitisguitarcompany.com/) It’s my endorsement.

They’re a Japanese company and I love it! It’s my baby. As soon as I laid eyes on it, I was like “I gotta get one.” It’s looks awesome and plays really nice too.

How did your recent tour in the UK go and what were some of the highlights?

It was honestly – for me personally, but I think I can speak for the entire band, – our favorite shows that we have ever done. I mean, LA has a special place in our hearts – but the UK – they just appreciate rock more than most of America. They just get it. They were very welcoming and loud and they bought so much merch. They were so supportive and nice and it was refreshing to be around. I think meeting everyone after the show and then hanging out with the band bonding – that was our first official full on tour – and it was really fun.

What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming show at the Vans Warped Tour?

Everything! It’s been my dream to play Warped Tour my entire life, so when they announced last year that it was over, I was really bummed. I was giving myself one or two more years to make it happen. It was a total surprise this year – the whole 25th Anniversary. It’s just such an honor to be a part of it. I’m just excited for the entire thing – so many good bands.

And then there’s randomly us there – and it’s awesome! I’m so excited!

Overall what could one expect from a live Vigil Of War show?

A lot of energy, it’s so much fun to be with them and our natural 34

chemistry is what you can see onstage as well as the performance of everything.

You recently released two new songs – Choke and Hurricane.

Tell me about each of the songs and what inspired the lyrics for you?

Honestly lyrics are my least favorite thing to do. I like writing music and lyrics always come last for me.

I always have an idea what I want to write about. Choke came after a bad breakup and it just naturally came out. It’s kind of a similar vein as Bite The Bullet – where if you get knocked over, you’re gonna get back up stronger. Karma is real – so that’s kind of what that one is about.

And Hurricane is semi-about me and semi-about people I know and their relations with people. The beginning process of a new relationship – whether it be a friendship or a relationship.

How did Chris from Good Charlotte become involved with Vigil Of

War? Chris I’ve known for seven years now – just through mutual friends. We’d always be at the same gatherings, and then I would go and see him in his old band playing with Matt Toka.

So he’s always been really cool and supportive. He came out to our She Demons show and he came out to one of our Vigil Of War shows about like a year and a half ago when we were playing with Diamante. He was like, “Hey, you know I would play for you? Right?” Because we were transitioning drummers. ( And I was like,) “Serious? I would have asked you for from the first moment we started the band had I known that. But I didn’t think you’d ever want to start in this newer project.” Yeah, it’s been amazing. He’s obviously incredibly talented. He’s very knowledgeable and just so much fun to be around – he’s so positive all the time and it’s been awesome!

What’s up next for Vigil Of War? So we are in the studio right now. We’re doing a couple more songs to be put out soon. Possibly a music video coming out soon. And we’ve got a show before Warped Tour which is going to be in LA which is a warm up – and then Warped Tour is going to be in July – and that’s going to be really exciting.

Just trying to plan some more upcoming shows and putting out some more music…

https://www.vigilofwar.com/ July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Babylon A.D. proudly announces Marc “SPYDER” Webb as the band’s new guitarist, following the departure of long-time member, Ron Freschi.

The new line-up includes lead vocalist Derek Davis, guitarist John Matthews, drummer Jamey Pacheco and bassist Eric Pacheco. Babylon A.D. is currently writing and recording for their fifth studio album.

SPYDER is a well known, respected guitarist who has contributed to the East Bay, CA music scene for many years.

His accomplishments include seven Guitar Shred competition titles and multiple Eastern European and Domestic tours, opening for Rage Against the Machine and Tommy Lee’s solo tour with DJ Arrow. Hailing from Edgewater New Jersey, Spyder has delivered the sonic goods for over 20 years. Babylon A.D. is excited about the direction and future that lie ahead.

The band would like to thank Ron Freschi for his many years of friendship, creativity and professionalism. Ron’s guitar playing and songwriting on Bang Go the Bells, Sweet Temptation, Redemption, One Way Ride and others were a big factor in the band’s brand and sound.

Babylon A.D. is currently booking shows and writing and recording new songs for their next album. Stay tuned for the new single and video “Sucker For Me” on the band’s label, Apocalypse Records!

Marc “Spyder” Webb new guitarist, Babylon A.D. Photo credit: Derrick Hornyan D-ROCK IMAGING

Management babylonad.com

For the latest news and information go to: Website: babylonad.com Facebook: facebook.com/Babylonadband Instagram: instagram.com/babylonadofficial Twitter: twitter.com/babylonadband YouTube: youtube.com/channel/babylonadrockband

US and international booking: info@babylonad.com | babylonad.com

Meet Kevin Smart of The Stolen and The Jake Miller Band Interview by Ken Morton Photo by Jack Lue

Kevin Smart is a multi-instrumentalist who has been quite busy as of late. His band The Stolen has just unveiled their Self Titled Full Length debut on Revival Recordings. The Stolen has recently concluded a cross country trip to support the album with Kevin on bass. And now the omnipresent Mr. Smart is about to go on the road once more – this time with The Jake Miller Band as their drummer! In this interview, Highwire Daze chats with Kevin Smart about being in and appearing on the road with each band – and on one tour performing in both at the very same time! Read on…

We’re here with Kevin from The Stolen and Jake Miller’s Band.

How did The Stolen recent cross country tour with States & Capitals go and what were some of the highlights?

This tour is actually incredible. It was about like 3 to 4 weeks and it was like the first time that we’ve been out since December, because over the past year, we’ve been working on this album. We were finally able to release the album back at the end of May and then just started the tour the same day. It was a lot of fun and it was really cool to see fans know the words. It was really a great run and it’s so cool to be able to play our new album every night in different cities, and just hear everyone singing along to it. And the crew at States & Capitals, they were amazing too, not only great musicians but great people.

How did you wind up in the Jake Miller Band and as the drummer, not the bassist.

I actually started off as a drummer. I’ve been playing at shows since I was a little kid.Basically, I started playing drums in bands when I was a freshman in Highschool. Always been friends with The Stolen guys, they’ve been a band since they were little kids. We played at shows together and all that stuff.

And Scott, Jake’s tour manager also manages The Stolen, was booking all the shows that we were playing locally and I just became really close to Scott over the years. Now, I guess like 2 or 3 years after I met him, we were hanging out. And he started tour managing for Jake in his very early stages of touring. And I said, “Yo! Jake’s name has been buzzing around my High School, and a lot people are fans of him at this point and I would love to play drums for Jake.” And he basically said, HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2019

“Cool, yeah just make a drum cover, post it on YouTube and I’ll show it to Jake.”

And within a month, I was asked to play drums for Jake and then I joined The Stolen in that time period after I posted that first drum cover. I joined Jake and The Stolen at quite basically the same time. It all worked out really well.

You’ve actually done a run where Jake Miller and The Stolen toured together.

How in the world were you able to survive a tour like that?

It was kinda interesting. I was driving like 8 hours and I was just thinking of ways to promote and thought - The Stolen just released a new album and Jake was getting ready to go on a big tour and I was just like, “Hey, this might be a cool idea, The Stolen and Jake are trying to tour at the same time.” I actually gave Jake a call and said, “Yo man! What would you think of doing this-- of having The Stolen open up?” And he was just super supportive and then within a few weeks, it was confirmed with everyone.

And that’s all came along. And every night I would have then 2 sets in a row on 2 different instruments and it was honestly a blast. Definitely, it was tiring. I was there in 2 sound checks everyday, loading out 2 sets of gear, 2 sets per day, and then after Jake’s set, I would run for the merch table with The Stolen help out with merch or whatever I could do. It was definitely tiring but I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity.

What are you looking forward the most about your upcoming tour with Jake Miller?

Thatour is gonna be a really awesome! We’re going on tour with Hoodie Allen and we’ve done a bunch of shows with him over the past 6 or 7 years. I’m really excited because we’re all friends with them and there’s gonna be some great shows on that tour for sure.

What’s up next for The Stolen?

We just released this album and we’re super excited about it.

Next thing we’re home for a little bit, definitely we’ll gonna be doing some writing and we definitely have some tour plans coming up for the rest of this year that we’re working out and hopefully we’ll get to announce soon. We’re just staying busy.

https://www.thestolenmusic.com/ https://www.jakemiller.com/ 37

Steel Prophet Versus The God Machine

Interview by Ken Morton

The legendary Los Angeles metal band Steel Prophet has just unleashed The God Machine, their latest and greatest magnum opus upon the world at large. Featuring the participation of Mystic Prophecy mastermind R.D. Liapakis on lead vocals, The God Machine is a massive sonic adventure that metal fans from all over the planet will want to seek out. Highwire Daze recently caught up Steel Prophet guitarist Steve Kachinsky to find out a whole lot more about this amazing new album!

What do you think of the Los Angeles music scene and how does Steel Prophet fit into all of this mayhem?

The music scene here is really good. You’ve got a million things happening each and every night. I’ve got so many friends and they’re playing – like 5 other bands are playing Friday and Saturday nights. And they’re good too! There’s never a shortage of good bands to go out and see at gigs. And then you’ve got your major gigs – Iron Maiden, Priest, Slayer – you name it and they’re always coming through here. There’s jazz – there’s symphonies at the Hollywood Bowl – there’s everything going here. It’s really great. If anything, there’s too much music. And Steel Prophet – in a lot of ways I don’t really consider up part of this music scene because our albums sell in Europe, Japan, and not that much in the United States. We haven’t even done an LA gig since 2013.

Is there any overall story or concept behind The God Machine?

I was thinking what’s a good title for this new Steel Prophet album, and it just kind of popped into my head – The God Machine. And I thought about it and I thought ‘Wow, that could mean a lot of different things.” So I went to some friends and I said “Hey, when I say The God Machine, what do you think of?”

And everybody I asked, they had one or two ideas about what they think it meant – sometimes similar to what I was thinking and sometimes completely different. I talked to like 20 different people and they all had these different ideas, and I thought, “Wow, this is a good idea because it could be interpreted in so many different ways.” And so that’s kind of the story behind it – like how the songs all relate to each other around this theme that could mean just about anything.

Select two songs from The God Machine and what inspired the lyrics.

There’s a song called Buried and Broken which is kind of a ballady type tune – it gets heavy at the second half of the song but it’s kind of mellow at the beginning. And that song is just about loss. Almost everybody has experienced loss of some sort – whether they’ve lost a parent or friend or pet – or they lost out on a big job or they lost out on a great gig. A lot of things that 38

kind of haunt you for a while and it’s hard to shake it sometimes.

I thought that everybody would be able to relate to the lyrics that I wrote there.

There’s a song called Thrashed Relentlessly. And that one is really just about going for your goals and not taking no for an answer. No matter what you do, you always try to get better and keep going. You improve yourself and you don’t know the meaning of the word stop. When you focus on the goal – you want it – and you do whatever it takes to meet it. And that’s kind of what that song is about.

How did R.D. Liapakis of the great Mystic Prophecy become involved as the new lead vocalist of Steel Prophet?

It’s been great!! I mean they don’t come much better than him. And the way we got together was, he mixed our previous album with our old singer. And I was talking to him about our new songs on this album that he’s actually singing on, and what happened is he was giving me some advice about some harmony stuff and this and that. And he said make sure your new guy is going to do a lot of harmonies here. He said you know, I could do some of the harmonies. And if you like them, you could keep them and if not, you could just delete them. And so a little while later, the singer we had, he was too busy and he wasn’t working out. So it was like, “Hey Lia, instead of just doing some harmonies and stuff on here, how about doing the lead vocals too?”

And he thought that was funny – he laughed – and he said “Nah, I can’t do that.” And I said, “Oh, okay.” Then we were talking about the songs because I sent him the demos of some of the songs. And I just asked him again, after he was talking about do this and do that with the mix. And finally I guess he got tired of saying no. He just said, “You know what? I’m going to do it!”

And I was like “Alright!” And it worked out great! https://www.facebook.com/SteelProphet/ July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Destination: West Bound with Chas West Interview by Ken Morton Photo by William Hames

Chas West is best known for his dynanic lead vocalist work with the legendary Jason Bonham as well as with the almighty Resurrection Kings. Now along with famed producer Roy Z, Chas West has unleashed West Bound! Their debut album Volume 1 has been issued via Frontiers Music Srl, and the auditory adventures found within will rock your world!

Highwire Daze caught up with Chas West recently to discuss the happenings of the mighty West Bound.

First of all, how did the West Bound band come about?

Well Serafino, who is the President of Frontiers Music, contacted me. Because I had done a record called Resurrection Kings with Vinnie Appice, Craig Goldy and Sean McNaab. He loved the record and he said he loved my voice – and he said “I want to do something just with you.

But he said I want you to work with a producer / songwriter. Do you have somebody in mind?” And I said “Yes!” So I got back to him with Roy Z, and he said “Oh, that would be great!” And I said we worked together in Tribe Of Gypsies and I knew him well. He was a friend. And I asked “Is it a go?” and he said “absolutely!”

You recently played a West Bound show at the notorious Viper Room. How did it go?

It was great. I mean 10:00 on a Thursday night and it was packed! And it was thrilling for me because it’s my home and I know how things in LA – people are kind of spoiled like “Aww, I wanna be on the guest list.” Everybody except for maybe 20-25 people paid a minimum of $10 – cuz I tried to make it reasonable. And I’m telling you – I walked onstage – the curtain was opened – and the place was packed! It was really a great feeling and it was a great show. It went really well. It was like my hometown show.

For people who missed it, what could one expect from a live West Bound show?

We’re doing some originals obviously – we gotta promote the record. Besides that, it some of my career path with the Jason Bonham Band – the two records and a lot of world tours. So we’re going to do some Zeppelin because of the tie-in there.

I also did a record back in 1996 called In The Name Of My Father –The Zep Set Live in Electric Lady Studios in New York and that was all Zeppelin. It was a charity thing, so obviously there’s a tie-in there. And maybe one or two Bonham songs.

We’ve done three shows so far and it’s gone over really well.

We’ve got an East Coast Tour coming up next month and I’m looking forward to it.

Select two songs from the West Bound album and what inspired the lyrics.

HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2019

The first song on the record Never Surrender – I can really relate to that because it’s kind of like I lived it! The ups and the downs of the music industry and even your personal life. You just pick yourself up, you dust yourself off and you keep on. It’s tough, but believe in your dreams and your goals – even dealing with life’s challenges – that’s where that song comes from. So maybe that’s my personal story, but I think a lot of people could relate to that in their own lives.

And Dance Of Life was actually the first song we wrote. It was actually Roy Z, myself and Dave. And without being religious, it’s a little bit of a spiritual message and looking to the light – because things are hard and I’ve seen it throughout the country and throughout the world. There’s so much divisiveness and everything else. It’s just looking inside yourself and look to the light and believe in yourself. Everybody goes through their own Dance Of Life – whatever that may be – and it’s don’t give up on that dance! Do you own dance of life and do it the best you can, and don’t let everybody tell you that you can’t do it.

Will Resurrection Kings be doing anything else?

Well it’s funny you mentioned that, because actually Frontiers wants us to do another record. We’ve already started working on it. Craig’s busy with Dio Disciples and I’m doing West Bound, but there is probably going to be another Resurrection Kings in about a year or year and a half.

Would Resurrection Kings and West Bound ever want to tour or do a show together?

It would be a lot on me! It would be double duty for me! But you know me – I’m a glutton for punishment so I probably would do it – a least for a few shows anyway – a mini tour. I would do it. Absolutely! I mean Resurrection Kings, when we play live, we play some originals and we play some Dio and some Rainbow songs – and I think we did one Zeppelin song just like as an encore or something like that. So that would focus on the Dio side and West Bound would focus more on the Zeppelin / Bonham side – so absolutely! People would get their monies worth!

39

Helix: Hard Rocking It Old School Style Interview by Ken Morton Helix has just released Old School via Perris Records, a rediscovery of older material dedicated to the memory of band member Paul Hackman. These raging tracks have been stored in a basement for years, and are now available for the entire world to rock out to. Highwire Daze recently chatted with lead vocalist and founding member Brian Vollmer to find out the current happenings taking placing within the Helix rock and roll compound and beyond…

The Old School album is dedicated to the memory of Paul Hackman. What did Paul Hackman do on this release and how surprised were you to find you had tracks with Paul on them?

Paul co-wrote 7 of the 10 tracks and played on at least two of them. I knew these tracks were stored in my basement. There’s more where those came from.

Select two songs from Old School and what inspired the lyrics.

I have a process when I write lyrics. Once the chorus and the melody in the verses is established I try to find lyrics that fit into the melody. In the case of Coming Back With Bigger Guns, it was at a moment in the history of the band where we felt people had counted us out, so the lyrics are a defiant “f**k you” to that attitude. Cheers was written by myself and Bob Halligan somewhere in the Bronx. Halligan was at his lowest; living in a flop house overlooking a busy street and sleeping on a mattress on the floor. That song exemplified our “never give up” attitude.

Harry Hess from Harem Scarem mastered the recording. How did he become involved with the mastering process?

The mastering was done by Harry Hess of Harem Scarem. I used Harry on GET YER HANDS DIRTY on the advice of Gavin Brown, the producer on that album. Harry is considered one of the best mastering guys in Canada now. I have a long history with Harry, so once again I felt very confident in his abilities.

Any even newer music on the horizon?

We’ve already written a couple of songs. I’d like to do the next album with the present line up. They’re hungry and then deserve it.

Any plans for Helix to tour here in the States?

No, not really. The work permits have become too expensive with no guarantees that we’ll get in. There’s also a 30% withholding tax. Too much work, too much risk, and no guarantee 40

on the result. I’m hoping that maybe the Monsters of Rock Boat Cruise will book us next year. That’s in International Waters so there’s no need for a work permit and there’s lots of American fans from all over the U.S. Having said all this, if the right date shows up for the right money I will go through whatever bullshit it takes to play it.

What could one expect from a Helix 2019 show?

We always play the hits with 1 or 2 songs thrown in from the new disc and a couple from the past that we don’t normally play.

We also try to re-arrange the deck chairs with crowd participation, solos, etc. Mixing it up from year to year is a good idea so the players onstage don’t become robots.

Among the bands you toured with was the almighty Motorhead. What were your impressions of Lemmy and do you have any Lemmy stories you could share with us?

I loved Lemmy. He was a kind, intelligent, and funny guy.

What you saw was what you got. Story: We both were sent to do a radio interview while on tour. The DJ told us the station wanted us to do an anti-drug commercial once the interview was done. I thought to myself, “What the hell is Lemmy going to say? He does an inordinate amount of crystal meth every day and drinks a bottle of vodka.” Well, Lemmy didn’t miss a beat!

He pulled the microphone up to him, and in his usual gravelly Lemmy voice growled, “Hey kids-don’t do drugs! All my friends who done drugs are either dead or they’re going to die, so don’t do drugs!”

What do you think has kept you so passionate about Helix and music since 1973?

It was the only thing that I could do half ass well.

What’s up next for Helix?

More touring & writing. I’ve downsized from Planet Helix to a smaller house to give myself time to work on my films. I have tons of footage of the band from the last 40 years. I also want to do a series of films on what I teach- Bel Canto - the oldest method of singing in the world, invented by Leonardo Di Vinci.

Any messages for long time Helix fans as well as new converts?

If you like the new album, please spread the word. It’s tough for bands like us to get noticed nowadays, so we depend on our fans to keep our name out there.

http://planethelix.com/ http://perrisrecords.com/ July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Madysin Hatter on the Sunset Strip Interview by Ken Morton

Photo by Rose Bridges Photography

Madysin Hatter invaded the wilds of the Sunset Strip once more, opening for Lita Ford at the Whisky A Go Go. Presenting an absolutely rock solid, energetic show with a grand amount of passion, Madysin Hatter definitely captivated the Whisky attendees. With a brand new album entitled Wild and Strange in the works, Madysin is primed and ready to rock the entire nation! Highwire Daze interviewed the one and only Madysin Hatter after the show to find out a whole lot more about this amazing talent!

How did your recent show at the Whisky with Lita Ford go and what were some of the highlights? And did you get to hang out with Lita at all?

The show was awesome! That was the first full show I’ve played in nearly three years, since becoming a mom! It was an incredible feeling to be back on stage, and back at the beloved Whisky A Go Go. The audience was incredible. The energy was out of this world. We debuted a couple new tunes, which everyone seemed to love. It was great to play in LA with my east coast friends— Rob Bailey and Emmett O’ Malley on guitar, and Frank Ferrer on drums— and to reunite with LA based Greg Coates on bass. We, collectively as a band, had an absolute blast!! Best one yet.

Overall what do you think of the local Sunset Strip music scene?

Obsessed with it.

While you were in town, you did a photo session with Jack Lue as well as a video shoot. How did that go and what do you think of the color pink?

Working with Jack Lue was a dream come true! I’ve always admired his work, and he’s taken some amazing live shots of my shows at Whisky A Go Go. So it was really great to work with him one on one. I’m obsessed with how the photos turned out, and can’t wait to share them soon! (And pink? It’s my favorite crayon.)

What is your local music scene like and where are you from?

We’ve got a killer local rock scene in NYC. Select two songs from the upcoming album Wild and Strange and what inspired the lyrics.

Wild and Strange has a lot of lyric references to boxing/fighting.

Since having my son, I’ve gotten super into Muay Thai, and practice several times a week. What started out as an efficient way for me to lose the baby weight, quickly turned into a discipline I admire, and an activity that helps me feel capable and HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2019

powerful in my own skin. It’s given me confidence that has carried over to daily tasks, my performance style, and my overall sense of well-being. Highly recommend it to anyone looking to enhance their lives. The overall tone of Wild and Strange rides that confident, capable feeling.

The other song we debuted at Whisky A Go Go is called Treasure, and it’s a beautiful song about loss. I’ll leave it at that so that the listeners can make it personal to them.

If the music of Madysin Hatter was a donut, what kind would it be and why?

Hmm…do they have sequin donuts?

With such as dynamic stage presence, have you done any theater or plays? If so, what was that experience like? If not, is that something you would like to do?

Thank you— I got my start in theater, way before I even started listening to rock music! I grew up doing lots of theater in NYC, and made my Broadway debut when I was nine years old. (I originated the role of “Young Kim” in Hal Prince’s Broadway revival of SHOW BOAT, and was in the show for its full three year run.) It was one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life! Even after switching over to “the rock side” in high school, I continued being involved in theater— in college I majored in Musical Theater at UCLA. Recently, I’ve been feeling a pull back into the theater world. There are so many exciting and innovative productions out there to experience! I’d love to merge the theater world and the rock world somehow. Working on it…

Any return plans to Los Angeles?

Always! Nothing set in stone at the moment.

What would you like a listener to remember after hearing your music for the first time?

I hope my music affects people positively— whether it gives them energy, happiness, or inspiration to go out and make something of their own.

What’s up next for Madysin Hatter?

I’ve got new T-shirts available to support my forthcoming album at madysinhatter.bigcartel.com. I will be releasing new music by the year’s end, along with accompanying music videos. Looking into releasing a live album and videos as well. Follow me on social media for all the latest updates. I just started using the “stories” feature on Instagram and am loving being able to share certain fleeting moments of my day that I wouldn’t necessarily make a permanent post about, so that’s been a fun adventure.

And check out my website at MadysinHatter.com.

41

ALBUM REVIEWS The World Has Gone To Hell Conquest Dark Star Records

by Ken Morton Conquest from St Louis, Missouri has been raging since the 90’s, ramming the ramparts presenting their own ferocious brand of kick ass heavy metal thunder. Fans of Metallica and Judas Priest will surely be enraptured by the thrilling compositions the almighty Conquest has unleashed upon the world at large throughout their glorious tenure. The World Has Gone To Hell is the name of Conquest’s latest and greatest metal manifesto – a battalion of heavy duty, thought provoking anthems that genre fans will want to revisit time and again.

Kicking off with the blasting opening title track, The World Has Gone To Hell sets the tone for what is a wild ride through the times that we live in today as seen through the eyes of the metal battalion known as Conquest.

Throughout our journey into the metal minds of Conquest, we venture through Black Skies and American Blood, two songs destined for heavy metal infamy. Another standout track Heart Of Gold demonstrates how wildly effective the Conquest crew can be when issuing a powerhouse ballad.

And the head banging goes on tenfold, with Demons and Angels, New August, and Mississippi ripping into the diabolical heart and soul of the matter. In the end, auditory retribution arrives in the form of The Creator, Killing Time, and Into The Black – a staggering trifecta of songs that will leave the listener devastated to the core.

The Conquest lineup slams it all into the stratosphere, featuring the participation of Derrick Brumley on vocals and guitar, Tim Fleetwood on drums, Mike Crook on guitar, and Rob Boyer on bass. The artwork found within The World Has Gone To Hell is tremendously effective, created by Drake Mefestta, showing a decaying Statue Of Liberty in flames. A burning slab of modern metal mayhem to be sure, Conquest is a band at the very height of their sonic artistry, and The World Has Gone To Hell will leave an indelible impression upon all who encounter its stunning reveries. https://www.conquestmetal.com/ 42

Resonator Blues Derek Davis Perris/Southern Blood Records

by Ken Morton Derek Davis of Babylon AD is singing the blues once more – the Resonator Blues to be exact – and what a dazzling collection of tunes this slab of auditory brilliance has achieved!

Classic and persuasive, combined with authentic instrumentations, Resonator Blues brings this breathtaking style of music to ultra-vivid life. Resonator Blues unveils a dozen old school tracks in all, featuring both glorious originals and inspirational covers.

From the slamming reverberations of opening title track Resonator Blues and onto a wild ride in the Sweet Cream Cadillac, Derek Davis proceeds to take the listener on the sonic auditory highways of the rock and rolling blues.

Delta Blues, Americana, Folk, Hillbilly Twang, Southern Rock, Traditional Blues – Derek Davis presents all this and more and the results are nothing short of epic.

Whether it’s crawling through the Mississippi Mud, the spiritual reveries of Jesus Set Me Free, the blistering Red Hot Lover and beyond, Resonator Blues tantalizes the senses. In the covers department, Davis performs two of the most enduring selections of the genre, including a haunting rendition of Son House’s Death Letter, and a superbly impassioned version of the Elmore James standard It Hurts Me Too. Celebrating a much revered style of music with imagination and innovative, Resonator Blues by Derek Davis is certainly one of the most thrilling releases of the year. As we await the new release from Babylon AD, Resonator Blues is another path for the multi-talented Derek Davis, and it’s a collection of timeless entreaties well worth seeking out! https://derekdavismusic.com/ http://www.babylonad.com/ http://www.perrisrecords.com/

LISTEN TO HIGHWIRE DAZE RADIO at LIVE 365 http://www.highwiredazeradio.net July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

BAM The Swansons Golden Goose Entertainment

by Ken Morton The Swansons have been making quite a name for themselves all across the nation, presenting their own delightful brand of alternative country. Joe and Angie Finley are the husband and wife team who bring this inspiring music to life, and their pure love for performing is absolutely endearing.

Their previous award winning album, Country This was one of the most captivating and refreshing releases of the previous year. And now with the very amazing BAM on the horizon, The Swansons present the next great chapter of a vibrantly brilliant career. BAM is inspirational, super infectious, and certain to garner The Swansons a whole lot more acclaim and admiration.

BAM is jammed packed with exhilarating songs, including the high flying country rock reverberations of its dazzling title track, where we’re all “getting high on life and living low on gas” yet still ready to take on this great big world.

This wonderful song should be all over the rock and country stations and present The Swansons at the height of their

HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2019

musical genius.

Once you get past the sheer magnificence of BAM, there are so many wonderful songs to be found on the album, filled with insight and inspiration. Thank God makes you proud to be alive and free within the greatest country in the world.

Lucky Man shows just how passionate and profound The Swansons are when it comes to a moving ballad while Helping Hands grabs you with its gleefully hillbilly inflections.

When BAM is released, there will be 13 tracks in all, and what a stunner of an album The Swansons have in store for all types of music fans. Skillfully produced by Bill Watson at Nashville Trax Studio, BAM by The Swansons is destined to be on quite a few Top Ten Lists when this crazy years spins to its frenetic conclusion.

In a world gone completely off the hook, it’s great to have the motivating, feel good music of The Swansons to enjoy and treasure. Be sure to check into BAM, as well as the just reissued Country This, which features a brand new bonus track entitled Find Your Things.

And this just in from Swansonville: “BAM is going to be released as a single first on Friday 8/23. We’re also releasing the music video & performing at the Whisky a Go Go that night”

https://theswansonsmusic.com/ https://www.facebook.com/theswansonsmusic/

43

The Hard Way at The Whisky, July 6, 2019

Review by Ken Morton Photo by Jack Lue The Hard Way made their way back home to the world famous Whisky A Go Go, once again to supply thunderous support for an iconic band – this time for the one and only Firehouse! The room was packed by the time The Hard Way took to the stage, and from the first searing musical note, it was quite obvious this Hollywood –based collective had a good amount of their own fans in attendance. Opening with the marvelously rude and lewd CUM from their Police Brutality album, The Hard Way certainly grabbed the attention of the early arrivals on a Sunset Strip Saturday night.

One of the most wickedly infectious rocking songs found within The Hard Way’s set is Diabolical Bitch, featuring Eric Jeffreys persuasive vocal delivery and singalong chorus rendering this one a standout at this particular show and always. Some of the new tracks that really sent the room spinning included The Walking Dead, Find Myself Again, and Cavewoman. And even within the rambunctious sounds of That Ain’t Love, the irrepressible Eric Jeffreys reminded the crowd “If you’re hitting each other, then That Ain’t Love.” The wit and wisdom of Eric Jeffreys was on full display throughout each and every song, and what a dynamic front man he is!

In addition to the affable Mr. Jeffreys, the current Hard Way lineup is absolutely rock solid, featuring the fine musicianship of John Huldt on guitar, Andres Yepe on guitar, Nick Diiorio on bass and Jonas Streffer on drums. All of this incredible showmanship and The Hard Way dancers too – featuring the gorgeous duo of Corina Cline and April Showers, go go dancing their way into the hearts of Whisky attendees.

The Hard Way present classic Sunset Strip rock and roll, unveiling a live show that is certainly not to be missed. Closing out their set with the blistering refrains of I Can’t Go Home dedicated to the Whisky and the music fans in attendance, The Hard Way concluding the show and adding yet another memorable performance to their list of Whisky conquests.

Be sure to catch The Hard Way opening for the legendary Angel at The Whisky on October 4th!

https://www.facebook.com/ The-Hard-Way-324473777736271/ 44

July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Telltale, Divided Minds, SincerelY, Me, PBW, July 12, 2019 Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Erica Vincent (From Top to Bottom - Telltale, Divided Minds, Sincerely, Me) If you missed the Vans Warped Tour this year, a pop punk three band explosion made their way into the wilds of Pomona, performing a show at PBW on Second Street. Right down the block from The Glass House, PBW has been the perfect place to discover new talent as of late – and not only that, but their pizza is pretty good too!

The touring package included Sincerely, Me from Orange County, Divided Minds from Phoenix, Arizona, and Telltale from Richmond, Virginia – and what an exhilarating show the trio of bands presented at the PBW on a Saturday night in Downtown Pomona.

Telltale was up first, unleashing their own spirited brand of East Coast pop punk at the PBW. On tour in support of their Timeless Youth EP on SharpTone Records, Telltale kicked off their set with the spiraling sounds of Rose. Mixing melodic punk with a bit of intensive metalcore meanderings, Telltale exudes a dynamic amount of passion and conviction on the stage. John Carter is such a tremendously effective frontman, delivering the powerhouse lyrics while making sure each and every audience member is thoroughly engaged in the show. Bryce Marshall definitely tears into the guitar with a fierce magnetism while bassist Tim Fogg and drummer Travis Slack make for a wickedly solid rhythm section. It’s only their second time in the Southland, and Telltale left a lasting impression on the locals. Expect to hear a lot more from this charismatic band in the future.

Although Divided Minds is a trio, they certainly present a big and impassioned sound when performing live. On the road in support of their recently issued Mood Swings EP on We Are Triumphant, Divided Minds captivated the audience with their exhilarating performance. One noticed at once the dynamic lead vocal performance of Sean Collins, decked out in a spotted leopard shirt and singing his heart out tenfold. Also unveiling persuasive performances were Joshua Peters on lead guitar and backing vocals and Deven Palay on drums. Norterra Parkway is definitely the pop punk anthem for the ages and was highlight when unveiled live. Divided Minds closed out their set with two recently released singles Lovely and Pressure, which will be on their upcoming Guilty Pleasure EP. Here’s hoping Divided Minds make their way back to Southern California soon!

Headlining the show was Sincerely, Me from The OC, who packed out the PBW for an exhilarating hometown show. They killed it early on – massacred the power that is – which went out twice on the stage while they were performing. These guys are troopers though, and when all of the outages were taken care of, Sincerely, Me delivered an absolutely unforgettable set. Once known as Between California And Summer, Sincerely, Me played songs from their Half Empty EP on We Are Triumphant. The talented membership of Sincerely Me, includes Adam Cease on vocals, James Boone on guitar, Nolan Forstie on drums, Hunter Lyons on bass, and Will DesMarais on guitar. For a very well deserved encore, Sincerely, Me performed an exciting cover of 1000 Miles by Vanessa Carlton, ending the night on a grand and inspiring note. Pop punk is very alive and well, thanks to fantastic new bands such as Sincerely, Me, Telltale, and Divided Minds. Catch any and all of these collectives the next time they show up on you side of pop punk planet. https://www.telltalerva.com/ HIGHWIRE DAZE

http://www.dividedmindsband.com/

July/August 2019

https://www.facebook.com/sincerelymeband/ 45

HELLFEST OPEN AIR FESTIVAL Clisson, France, June 21-23, 2019 Review Photos by Patty Hänninen

(Pictured: Slash, The Adicts, King Diamond, ZZ Top, Possessed) HELLFEST lives up to its reputation for being the best metal festival!! I never thought I would ever have the opportunity to see such an amazing line up as Hellfest had this year for their 14th year edition. For 3 days metalhead from all over the world took over the small town of Clisson, which was very welcoming to all!

From the moment you enter, the inside opens up with two massive stages for the main acts to perform at split times so you never tend to clash and get to watch every performance, with bars, merch stands, banks, water stations and a full village of food you have everything at you fingertips for one hell of a good time.

The Main stages 1 and 2 were the main acts like Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Slash featuring Miles Kennedy, Kiss and Tool to name a few. The crowds were massive at every stage, at any given time. Every band that hit the stages got the crowds going, from singing and slamming to stage diving!

Not one dull moment in any of the stages!

A different band to please everyones taste in music, whether it be rock and roll, death metal, to black metal and punk, It was a true paradise indeed!

It was a tough time trying to decide which bands to see and which ones to miss since many bands play at the same times in different stages, but no matter what band you decided to see, it was worth every minute!

The smaller stages hosted some awesome bands, for example you have The Temple stage which features bands mainly who are doom/pagan/ and black metal.

Now the Altar stage was home to death metal and grind bands, here we saw bands like Possessed and Carcass tearing it up and the crowds sure didn’t mind having some dirt in their faces while head banging and slam dancing in these smaller tents! The tents were quite popular for those seeking to escapes the blistering sun and catch some great bands, while cooling down! Then you have the Valley stage which featured sludge and stoner bands like YOB, and many others. Last but not least was the Warzone area, 46

July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

which featured punk and hardcore bands like The Adicts!

Hellfest is simply one of the best and well organised festivals I have ever attended Now the complete layout of Hellfest is massive, and it has impressive structures are placed throughout from the Lemmy statue, to the hellfest metal tree.At night they have some pyro that come to life, the flames rising from all the stands, lighting up everything around you! From a flaming planet that lets steam and flames out. They also have a water stain set up, where you can go and refill your water bottles to help keep you hydrated!

The merch booths were crazy packed at all times. You must stand in line for some good time to get to the counter, so if buying merchandise is something you want to do at any time in Hellfest I suggest you do that the first day, because by the last day, many items are sold out. Yeah, you will have to stand in line, for a good while, but you have bars next to these merch booths, so its not too agonizing while you’re waiting in line.

This is an experience every metal head must do at least once in their lives, a chance to meet other metalhead from all over the world, who are brought together for a few days in a small town in France is surreal.

Overall Hellfest is simply the best metal festival..an awesome location for thousands of metalheads to gather every year under the hot sun, listening to their favourite bands, meeting old friends you get to see once a year, and making new friends. From the moment the doors open at 10:30am till the closing time I guarantee you, that you won’t be bored, Trying to put into words the experience is simply not possible. You have to be there to understand the incredibleness of this Festival So if you’re considering going to a festival next year, I say to you, Hellfest is the one to see. See you all in Hellfest next year!!!

https://www.hellfest.fr/ HIGHWIRE DAZE

July/August 2019

47

The End:Machine at The Whisky, April 4, 2019 Concert Review by JNR George Lynch - Hollywood Guitar Icon from the Sunset-Strip, Dokken and Lynch Mob fame is back for the attack with his new modern band at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood California. Their debut show as The End:Machine was April.4, 2019 with West Hollywood Hard-Rockers, We Are The Black Things, and others.

The End:Machine the new modern rock band by George Lynch, “Mr.Scary,” the band is Dokken without Don Dokken, and filling the vocal helm is none other than Robert Mason from George’s, Lynch Mob self titled album #2, Lynch Mob. The End:Machine is Robert Mason on Vocals, Jeff Pilson on Bass, Mick Brown on Drums, but holding the live drumming duty is Will Hunt from Evanescence, and George Lynch - guitar. The new band is yet another one of George Lynch’s children bands,”Mr.Scary” undoubtedly gets fidgety and when he doesn’t have a cutting edge band, like he has comprised with The End:Machine in co-partner music genius Jeff Pilson on Bass. “Mr. Scary” seems to get a bit crazy, so he puts together The End:Machine band to settle scores amongst his contemporaries, leveling the guitar gun playing field on The End:Machine debut album, out on Frontiers Records, March.22, 2019.

The End:Machine debut crowd at the Whisky A Go Go received the likes of songs like Alive Today and Leap Of Faith off their new album. The band actually broke even wider with Lynch Mob’s Wicked Sensation,Tangled In The Web and Dokken anthem Tooth And Nail, forming a knockout set for guitar rival too Van Halen,”Mr.Scary.” Scary as always lit the place on fire, articulating guitar dome magic to the Whisky audience with a different assortment of guitars this time around,from his new Mr.Scary guitar he built and designed, to Gibson’s and much more.

These days, Alive N’ Well is the theme with George Lynch . Rising from the ashes as a guitarist of the Hollywood streets to the highest plains possible.

Currently he is carving new music out from the depths of his soul to survive. The Lynch Mob, riders of the west, are still ridin’ upon his back, his 6 string, his song. Mr.Scary as it seems still ridin’ out in this here terrain no mans land, Hollywood Land.

48

July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Diane & The Deductibles The Rose, Pasadena, CA., June 2, 2019 Review by Christopher Vinan Photo by Erica Vincent Diane and the Deductibles grab their spotlight with a chokehold. Out of breath from constant cheering, all the crowd can do is absorb their melodies in their entirety. Each song eased into the next in a well-curated mix. Diane’s mystic voice pounded out tunes from each of their two albums.

Her vocal capabilities ignited images of various artists of potential influence. From Joni Mitchell to Led Zeppelin, Diane Adams is the amalgamation of the last fifty years of musical innovation. Hearing them live is a testament to their constant betterment and experimentation.

What a Feeling sounded a bit different from their studio version but every difference was positive.

Every head in the room headed towards the end of their song at a trusting rate. It was as if Diane knew how to adapt her music for every crowd.

The sounds of her serenade slipped off instruments dripping in talent for Light of the Moon. The song fit The Rose’s atmosphere. Dark and dusty matched with polished vocals. When the music began, the room went silent out of inherent respect for the intricate melodies. Not even a falling pin would dare make a sound. You really could hear a heartbeat “as one.”

Some of their songs had yet to be published, so we were treated to a sneak peek into the creative workings of the group. Every instrument seemed to be showing off the talent holding it. The band is filled to the brim with experience. Cliff Rehrig, for instance, used to play bass for Air Supply. Beside him, guitarist Keith Lynch has been the music director of Bill Ward of Black Sabbath, and their other guitarist, Robert Sarzo, founded Hurricane and was in Geoff Tate’s Queensryche. Behind them, but guiding their sound, Ronnie Ciago was formerly in Riverdogs and boasts a recording history of over 500 songs! Being sandwiched between these heavyweights is not to be taken lightly. And Diane manages it all too well.

Diane is the punch on the fist. Her ability to vocally maneuver through her eclectic set list keeps the show going until its gone. Songs like Breaking the Chain and Tears may sound similar but together they differ greatly from the live representations of their other masterpieces. It seems to me that the spontaneity espoused to performing live accounts for Diane’s creative flexibility. Definitely go see them when you can. And hear them while you’re at it too. Their new album TWO is out now! (http://www.dianeandthedeductibles.com) 50

July/August 2019

HIGHWIRE DAZE

INCREASE YOUR EXPOSURE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY Join The MBM Vendor Network to gain access to exclusive music industry contacts.

Save 10% off Annual Vendor Packages until 8/31/19 Email info@mbmmusicllc.com to learn more MBM Consulting

Metal Babe Mayhem

MBM Management MBM Communications MBM Music Promotion

MBMMusicLLC.com

you Create. We promote. plug into the network

M BM

M BM

M

BM

VISIT OUR SISTER SITE AT METALBABEMAYHEM.COM

MUSIC

FOR CLOTHING, JEWELRY, AND ACCESSORIES.

MUSIC

WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT MBM MUSIC

M BM I would like to thank MBM Music for keeping the Metal scene alive.

MBM Music LLC has given us a clear vision of our goals to get our music recorded and heard.

MBM Music is a step in the right direction for an artist!

MUSIC

-War Within/Jeff Baldonado

-Ross Knapp/DaVang

-Kepha Arcemont/Peace of Blues

MBMMusicLLC.com