Volume #3
December 2009
Janus featuring Chicago’s own
Low Of The Low
Raven X
Also… The Sermon • Mary Magdalan • Noctem Faker Junior • Fire Bug • Hydrovibe …and much, much more!
Predator
New Feature! Same Old Ten with Ockum’s Razor
From the desk of… Well, here it is! Issue three. Better late than never they say. I wanted to make sure it was full of fantastic and interesting articles for you to read and I hope I achieved that. There have been lots of changes since the last issue and this is the main reason why it has taken so long to get this one out to you. Inclination has been putting together a team and so far we have some new writers and a couple of photographers willing to share their brilliant work with us. I’m still looking for some help and could really use some people in LA and SF in California and also the NY/ Boston area, so if there’s anyone interested in joining a passionate, professional and talented team please get in touch with me with samples of your work. We have recently joined forces with The Nervecast show. It is a radio show that plays the best unsigned music that when they started had the intentions of helping their local bands out- they now have a million and a half listeners a week, worldwide, their own social networking site and will be starting a record label in January!! All this in under a year! We’re very proud to be their official webzine. www. nervecastshow.com. We are very excited to have Janus on our cover this issue. As well as being a band from Chicago that are doing very well with an amazing new album and touring all over America with bands like Chevelle and Framing Hanley, Janus was the Roman god of gates, doorways, beginnings and endings. Well, this will be the last issue for the year and then Inclination has lots of beginnings, with everything I’ve mentioned already and also our fabulous, redesigned new website!!
The Staff Miss Mischief
(Spokesmodel; www.myspace.com/missmischiefchaos)
Current Interests: N/A
Argento1134 (aka Brian)
(Music Reviews, Articles and Graphic Design)
Current Interests: Katatonia Night Is The New Day, Nip/Tuck, Between The Buried And Me The Great Misdirect, Baroness Blue Record, V, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 7, Christian Finnegan Au Contraire, Them Crooked Vultures, Slayer World Painted Blood, Dragon Age Origins, Jesse Ventura’s upcoming show on TruTV.
Brittany Feagans
(Photography; www.bfeagansphotography.com)
Current Interests: Concerts, photography, vodka, writing, vounteering at Save-A-Pet, Harvesting virtual crops on Farmville, taking naps, Chicago Cubs baseball, my amazing cagefighting boyfriend.
Cola
(Venue Reviews and Travelography)
Current Interests: Music, writing, travel by way of van, coffee, prescription drugs, chocolate, cheese.
Enjoy the new issue, let us know how you like it. Your feedback is important to us.
Thanks, Lissy
Chad Payne (Photography)
Current Interests: Music, production, photography.
Lissy MacMillian
(Editor-in-Chief and Founder, pictured above)
Current Interests: Live bands, discovering and listening to new music, writing, tinkering with Photoshop and InDesign, social networking, late nights on the couch watching old movies, spending time with good friends, cooking, eating good food and drinking good beer/wine/Grey Goose drinks and finding new interests. www.inclinationwebzine.com www.myspace.com/inclinationwebzine www.facebook.com/#/inclinationwebzine inclinationzine@gmail.com www.reputationlabel.com www.myspace.com/nervecastshow twitter.com/nervecastshow www.reverbnation.com/label/nervecastradio
Wicked D (aka Don Harrison) (Artist Career Development Writer)
Current Interests: Music business, internet marketing and social networking, rock/metal music, mixed martial arts, NFL football, religion/mythology/folklore, ancient history and Biblical archeology.
Coma (Not Pictured) (Interviews and Articles)
Current Interests: N/A
METAL MERGENCE 3
REGGIES ROCK CLUB, CHICAGO
then went into more about how important it is for the bands to support each other. Go to one another’s
JULY 11TH By Lissy MacMillan
The Metal Mergence is an event ran by Monsterman Graphic extraordinaire, Scott Jackson, along with Scott Davidson, Tonya Leigh, Yvonne Nieves, Dann Szymczak and Eva Flora. It is an evening of networking for anyone and everyone involved in the underground metal scene in Chicago. They had a good number of vendors there selling and promoting their goods and services on the balcony. F3 studios was there, you will recognize many of their photos as they’ve taken some amazing band pictures of Dope, Fashion Bomb, Static X, HellYeah, Wednesday 13, Soil. Live photos of Megadeath, Mushroomhead, Dimebag, Stryper, Alice Cooper, man I could go on and on…. The guys from Chicago Powerfest were there (Chris Lotesto, Rob Such and John Coyne). They were participating on a Q&A panel where anyone could ask questions about the music industry and they, along with Tim King of Soil, Scott Davidson (Rebel Radio) and Dann Szymczak (Metal Mondays) would give their words of wisdom as musicians and promoters that have been in the business for several years. The message was: “why spend 12 years making the mistakes we made when we can tell you how to do it right from the beginning”
shows; use the opportunity while at these shows to promote your upcoming gigs and network. Everyone’s complaining about how they’re playing to empty venues right now, if everyone came out and suppor ted each other, that wouldn’t be the case, As a side note of my own, I bet if the bands were hanging out, the fans would be out more too. I know times The Q&A was very interesting and actually touched are tough, but $5 to get into a show? I think we on a point that had really annoyed me before. can manage that. Then if you’re playing, stay If you’re the opening band, you should stay till the end, as a person watching the show, it and watch the other bands play. The discussion looks really rude when you pack up and leave right after your set.
Another highlight of the evening was Dark Star Records signing Shatter Their Illusion to their label as well as having one of their bands; Rival headline the stage. The other bands that played, and did an amazing job was To m o r r o w Has Arrived, Mind w ar p Chamber and Ion Ve i n . There w e r e also graphic artists, photographers, promoters, band managers and of course myself representing “the press” To top all of this off was our esteemed host: Ari Lehman who played the first Jason from Friday the 13th. He did a wonderful job of getting the crowd going to get the event started and was just a very personable man all around. If you’re in the Chicago area and play in a metal band, want to play in a metal band, promote, manage, blah blah blah, metal…. And you weren’t there that night; the big question to you is WHY NOT? As well as giving everyone involved the support; you missed
a fantastic networking opportunity. Hope you’ll be there next year! www.myspace.com/metalmergence www.chicagopowerfest.com www.myspace.comf3studios www.darkstarrecords.com www.firstjason.com/home.html
O
ur band of the month contest is entirely based on the reader’s choice. YOU submit the nominations, then YOU vote for your favorite! Make sure you take this opportunity to get your band exposed to the masses by nomiating them in the future at our myspace page: www.myspace.com/inclinationwebzine. Meanwhile, enjoy reading about our winners so far.
Low of the Low is a Southern flavored Rock band from Chicago with Mark Crowley (vocals), Gabe Lipari (Bass), Frank “the TANK” Schuch (Drums), Pat “Sully” Sullivan (Lead Guitar), Paul Jagmanis (Rhythm Guitar). I have actually had the pleasure of seeing these guys play live before and even though it was over a year ago, their performance sticks out in my mind as an unforgettable one. This year they played at The Taste as we call it here in Chicago, where we also had Counting Crows and The Wallflowers entertaining us.
AUGUST BAND OF THE MONTH at an outdoor venue, especially something on the scale of the Taste of Chicago. When we got to the Taste of Chicago we were all thinking “This is gonna really suck - the weather RUINED this show!” - it poured rain before, during, and after we played, but our fans and friends all hung out and pulled through for us, so it was a great time! We’ve been invited back next year, so hopefully it won’t rain next time!!”
“The taste of Chicago show was surreal. It was great to be completely out of our comfort zone. You never know what to expect when you Their calendar is always play in Chicago, but it pretty full, playing turned out great! It’s venues like The Rave in rare that we get to play Milwaukee, Double Door in Chicago, and dozens of
other venues all over the Chicagoland area and even if they’re not playing you’ll quite often see them out supporting other local bands. It was at one of these shows that I was handed their 11song demo, “Land of Lincoln”. It was recorded at FloodZone Studios in Joliet with John Sullivan (Loudmouth and The Digs), the CD will be available soon, but for now, go check out some songs, get a free download, buy a T-shirt from their myspace, and stay tuned for their website which is currently
under
construction.
They take their influences from Queens of the Stone Age, Black Label Society, Kyuss, and a few others…like true rockers they like drinking, women, and music and probably not always in that order. In the four years that they’ve been together they can already name several highlights in their career, like opening for national acts like System of a Down and Clutch, another one band they aspire to: “We’ll be opening up again for Clutch this week! It’s wicked! INCLINATION WEBZINE™ PAGE 4
important...lol!”With this kind of positive attitude I
LOW OF THE LOW CONTINUED... The rush of it is great, and they are a great group of guys to hang out with. Not to mention they are badass musicians! I’ve never met such a successful bunch of people that are so level headed, normal, and cool. I’m so socially awkward... lol! Sometimes when we hang out with them I stand there and stare at these dudes like there fucking gods, unable to talk, I’m a complete ass. And then I catch myself and snap out of it! They’re like Led Zeppelin to me. Seriously! Sounds retarded, but how would the average ROCK fan react if you met Robert Plant? Before we got “Low of the Low” up in running we would sit around listening to Clutch, COC, Down, Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, going FUCk, we should be doing what they’re doing! How come these guys can do it and we cant?? And now we do...and it’s a FUCKIN BLAST!” If you go and see them play you’ll hear new songs from their next album already (these guys sure are busy!)
“God’s Green Earth” and “The Fall” are their current favorite songs to play live and their fans have been giving their approval. I love the harmonica at the beginning of Mississippi. They like to keep their set fresh. Other ways they believe is the road to success for a band is lots of practice and persistence, patience and understanding with your band members (they’re like a family) a n d … “… You get a lot of people that tell you that you can’t do something. We call
think they can achieve anything they want! Even
maybe their dream show: Kyuss in the dessert at an old school generator party, or Corrosion of Conformity at The Vic with Kyuss opening for them- why not? As long as if in five years they’re still above ground, vertical and breathing without mechanical assistance.
“Live your dream, do what you do, and don’t let ANYONE tell you that you can’t achieve something!!”
BULLSHIT on that! Live your dream, do what you do, and don’t let ANYONE tell you that you can’t achieve something!! Oh, and the ability not to murder each other at any given moment is really
with us. Don’t be a mindless pop-disney zombie. Ashley Tisdale will think
your cooler for being an individual not a fucking product! Oh yeah, check out our myspace/ website, support Inclination Webzine, and thank you for your support!!”
Make sure you go and add them and congratulate them. If you’re in the Chicago area, get out to a showyou’ll love it! They actually have a couple of dates in Missouri in September so watch out! Maybe pretty soon, they’ll be coming Here’s some final to a town near you..? words from them: http://www.myspace. “If we come to your c o m / l o w o f t h e l o w town, house, basement, support local rock h t t p : / / w w w . music and come party l o w o f t h e l o w . c o m with us. Don’t be aa INCLINATION WEBZINE™ PAGE 5
By
Lissy
MacMillan
CAMERON LOVELACE
M I K E GABRIEL
PHOTO BY DAVID S RUBIN Have you ever popped in a CD or hit a MySpace page or been listening to the radio and heard a band for the very first time and thought “WOW! I LOVE this band!!! Give me more!” and then the more you hear of them, the more you want? That’s how it was for me when I first heard The Sermon from San Francisco. A year or so ago I had done a CD review on a band called Rollercoaster. Now two of the three members of this band are playing with The Sermon, but were not with them when their album: “Articles of
War” was recorded. The Sermon, as they were then were: Greg Daniels, Matt Gabriel, Mike Gabriel and Dave Leonard. The current line-up of The Sermon is: Mike Gabriel (vocals and theremin), Dave Leonard (drums and backing vocals), Cameron Lovelace (bass), Jeremy Lyn (Guitar and backing vocals) and Matteo Perra (Guitar and backing vocals). I love Rollercoaster so I can only imagine how they sound as a live band now. They’re playing a few shows at the end of August in California, so make sure you go and see them and let me know what you think.
Their influences come from the classic blues artists: Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, the psychedelic sound of Velvet Underground, The Doors, 13th Floor Elevators and Small Faces, punk from The Damned, The Clash, MC5, The Stooges and New York Dolls and the pure rock of The Who, The Rolling Stones, Kiss and Yardbirds. You can see they really value where Rock and Roll comes from and the Masters that were creating it, and INCLINATION ™ PAGE 6
By Lissy MacMillan MIKE AT 111 MINNA when you listen to their music it is evident too.
Articles of War starts off with a no-nonsense politically charged song, A Choice of Weapons, probably the punkiest of the songs on the album. My favorite song is Time Zone Blues; because of the cool guitar intro that leads into a groovy rift- yes I did just say “groovy”. As well as being full of catchy melodies, the CD’s lyrics are well written and sung with such intensity as to grab your attention. I really love every track but a couple of other songs that really stood out for me were Day In/Day Out, The Hunted (maybe because it’s about a badass bitch with black hair) and Freight- although when I first started listening to the CD I thought it was the last song, it just has that feel to it, but it is actually song number four.
A couple of weeks ago I embarked upon a very exciting road trip with some of my good friends, where one of our stops was Cleveland and our main objective was to see The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I’ll start with my highs and lows of this experience: With the recent passing of Michael Jackson I was anticipating a ridiculous amount of space set up in some over the top display with dozens of weeping people all around it dropping off flowers, drawings and teddy bears dressed in black hats and white sequined gloves. Luckily this was not the case. There was a tasteful display
This is a CD that will get a lot of mileage at home and in my car. Check the band out on their myspace – you can buy their music through Snocap right off their page. www.myspace.com/thesermon
http://www.thesermon.com/
set up near the entrance that told the story of his life, and also in the lobby was a small area set up for people to drop off tributes. My low was that the Johnny Cash bus was closed, probably due to the weather. We had all been looking forward to that, so we made the best of it and took tons of photos of each other standing in front of it. The museum takes you through the history of music starting with its roots: gospel, blues, INCLINATION™ PAGE 7
rhythm and blues, country, bluegrass and folk. Some great quotes from this era of music and its artists are: “The Blues? It’s the mother of American music. That’s what it isthe source” BB King “The Blues had a baby, and they called it rock and roll.” Muddy Waters
Then you start to see all these really cool display cases and set-ups with Johnny Cash’s shoes, Elvis Presley’s clothes, and original release vinyl’s of Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis etc and you think this is this the coolest thing on earth, but then you turn the corner and there’s Elvis’s car, or a huge Beatles display with pieces of paper with John Lennon’s handwriting
on it. Pictures drawn by Jimi Hendrix as a child are hanging on the wall. I can’t describe my feelings as I walked through aisles of clothes and thought to myself, “Yep I recognize that” Amongst hundreds of costumes there’s David Bowie’s clown costume, the Beatles’ collarless Jackets, and the beautiful dresses that The Supremes wore. I had to keep reminding myself to close my mouth as I found myself walking around with my jaw dropped. In the end, I just covered my mouth with the map so people couldn’t see. The guitars were really cool as so many of them were custom made, or they were the artist’s first guitar. I saw something from all eras and all music that has been born from Rock and Roll all the way up to present time, including a pair of boots from the band Mushroomhead.
My favourite display was the Sex Pistols, Ramones, The Damned, Siouxie and the Banshees, Patti Smith and New York Dolls one. That won’t surprise anyone who knows me. But I was also very moved by Jim Morrison’s wall, I don’t want to explain why, you need to go yourselves. Anyone who loves music really must go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It will be different for everyone that goes, but you’ll enjoy it! You can’t get that experience from looking at photos on the Internet. And if you need to eat while there, I recommend a Cajun Blues themed restaurant and bar called Fat Fish Blue. The food and the entertainment were absolutely amazing, and seemed quite an appropriate way to end the day.
scenes of the city
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N e r v e c a s t
Media John Summers : Owner, D-J, Producer and creative director Wade Warburton : Co-Producer, creative consultant, Facebook network director Mark Tutton : Artist Events co-ordinator & Myspace Site director
Back in 2005 a 2 man team (John Summers and Dave Sparkey) set out to promote the live music market along the south coast of the UK. They caled themselves AudioBurger Incorporated or ''Ab Inc'' for short. Establishing live music events from Dover to Bournemouth a four hundred mile radius, they organised live music events for such companies as RedBull, Carling RipCurl and O'Neil Sportswear, to name a few. Audiences of over 20,000 to 30,000 people at a time in locations as diverse as Beach parties to Carparks would attend an average ''Ab Inc'' event. It was whilst AudioBurger was in operation John Summers established media contacts with many major recording labels and agents as well as media companies such as Virgin and Endemol. AudioBurger were one of the leading UK independant live music promotion teams of the time. 2007 saw the birth of Nervetonic UK - a more focused live music promotions concept for the Internet. Created by John Summers, Nervetonic concentrated upon the wider scope of the UK bands promoting the music and profile of many UK unsigned Rock, Indie & Punk bands from all over the country. With AudioBurger Incorporated now being bought out by Warner Brothers Music, John felt it as time to progress with the promotional side of the unsigned music market. It seemed that the Internet was full of many likeminded promotions teams and Nervetonic needed a fresh new and exciting way of delivering the best of the new and unsigned music to the world. Drawing back on the Radio presenting work he had done in the late 90's, John Summers decided the way ahead was to promote the artists via a ''Radio Show'' style podcast to be broadcas via various internet sites and media outlets.
The Nervecast Show was set up late 2008 to promote the new and unsigned music artists, to advise and help with the development of the artists profile and distribution of merchandise the artist had to offer. All this wrapped up in a 30 min show blasting out from various internet sites. For example; Myspace, bebo, You Tube, Reverbnation and, of course, nervecastshow.com. The Nervecast Show ow recieves over 3.5 million listeners a week and has been awarded the European Radio award for best new show in 2008. Things are growing stronger by the day with Nervecast. Soon to be launched under the Nervecast Media name is REPUTATION; the all-inclusive promotional label dealing with the sale and distribution of promoted artists material. Now, with the inclusion of Inclination, Nervecast Media is set to grow and deliver the best in the new and unsigned music the world has to offer.
13th OCTOBER SHOW PLAYLIST The shows go out twice a month. The current show has the fantastic sounds of: THE FORES myspace.com/thefores THE DAMZELLS thedamzells
mspace.com/
THE ELECTRIC WASTED myspace.com/ electricwasted SEXSTONE myspace.com/sexstonerocks PLAN NINE myspace.com/plannineband JOINTPOP myspace.com/jointpop ZEMITONES myspace.com/zemitones SILVER BRAZILIANS silverbrazilians
myspace.com/
EXCELLENT MUSIC FROM SOME OF THE BEST NEW & UNSIGNED ACTS OF TODAY!
NEW TO NERVECAST MEDIA The Official launch of REPUTATION, the promotional label fro Nervecast is the 4th January 2010, but you can access the site now. Not only this, but the creative souls at Nervecast Media have made the site a community social network. Reputation lets you communicate, innovate & inspire with those in your life. Sign up — it's Free and everbody can join in.
Here is what you get: • A place for you to create & customize your own profile • The ability to create your own world on Reputation by uploading your own music, videos & photos • Videos can be embedded from You-Tube or DailyMotion media outlets • Create your own group (s) to invite people into - this is excellent if you have a band or organization! • Communicate with all other members via the Chat Box, as well as the blogs and forums. Create your own blogs and forums too, especially for your groups. This can be a private blog or forum for your membes only
Lots going on and we would love to see you there soon! John Summers
MARY MAGDALAN INTERVIEW BY COMA
Mary Magdalan are a 3-piece hardcore/metal/hip-hop band from Cali. Mary, Gzus, and Eric B. have a huge following of “Junkies” all across the U.S. and beyond and their numbers keep growing. Not because of mass marketing or big record deals, but because they connect on a personal level somehow with each and every one of their fans. IW recently spoke with Mary at the kick off of the summer tour for R.I.P. (their sophomore effort) She and the band were definitely hyped about it and ready to go....pugs and all.
INCLINATION™ PG 10
You just started the Summer tour for RIP, (and I see on MySpace you took the pugs... lol) How has it been so far? Mary: It has been amazing. We were off the road for almost 8 months so to get back into it has been phenomenal. The fans have really made us feel like we are at home in their cities and of course the pugs have always been the highlight of the show. We usually unleash them after the show and they just take over the room. We’re just getting started so we are very excited to hit the road and start leaving J.u.n.k.i.e. Love all over this fucking world. Did you do any touring for Pity Girl, or mostly local gigs? Mary: We did a west coast tour from Seattle to San Diego but gas was so expensive that weren’t able to do much more than that. That’s why we are so excited for this new tour. There are a lot of regions that we wanted to hit on Pity Girl that now we can go there and do our thing. You just released RIP this month, how have sales been? Mary: We are blessed to get the response that we get on our music. For us we are just 3 kids making noise in their apartment, so every sale that we get means a lot to us. Every sale we do is amazing to us because we are still in awe that people have even taken notice to what we do.
MM have blown up so much the past few years, and you still do all of your own shit recording, packaging, sales, mailing out the Junkie care packages...etc...etc. Mary: Of course we do. We decided that a long time ago. Of course we could send our shit out but then you would just be getting another CD. We want you to feel us in every thing we do. When you get something from us you can tell that it is handmade. Its not processed in some plant and then strapped with a bar code. Its authentic and we love that about it. Its definitely getting hard to keep up but we will be doing it all on our own as long as we can. Who knows what the future holds. Anything going on behind the scenes as far as record deal?
Mary: Same shit as it ever was. The vultures come and go. Once they realize that thy can’t lie to us or blow smoke up our ass they retreat, so its all good. We have never been against record companies or signing a deal, we just don’t want to get fucked, and in this game it’s all about getting fucked. We have never pursued a deal. Someone will come with the right thing that makes sense to us and to our music and when it does, we will make that move. Until then it’s WTOFW! On Pity Girl you used your experiences growing up to write an autobiographical rage fest of sorts. With RIP did you draw from the same well or did you use more recent experiences for inspiration? Mary: With R.I.P. I was able to really tap into my mind and see what made me who I INCLINATION™ PG 11
Mary: It’s a trip. I black out during the show. I go into my own little world and bring my experiences to life. Ericb. is just captivating to watch on guitar. And Gzus is our maniac in charge and brings the turntable to life like never before. All in all it’s an experience like no other. Something new to peak the senses.Something real. You Gzus and Eric have been together for a few years now, where do you see MM in 5 years? or where do you hope to be in 5 years? was. Pity Girl felt like a long night in my mind where R.I.P. feels like an eternity in my own madness. I was able to really remember things from my childhood that scarred me and transfer that into music. The song “Rotting Into Pain” is a perfect example of that. I just remembered my mother’s funeral and the words poured out of me. It took about 5 minutes to write. And its one of my faves on the album. “These Thoughts” was like that too. After my family died I was chosen as a case study in Beth Israel Hospital. That song is about that time in my life, them wanting me to remember things. My editor will be seeing your show in Chicago and I will be seeing you in Cleveland. What can we expect from a live MM show?
Mary: In five years we plan on doing the same thing we are doing now. Being that we have no record company or management telling us what to do or how to do it we are just doing what we feel. That’s why we dropped a double album. We wanted to do it so we just did it. Funny thing is within a week of wrapping R.I.P. we already started writing new music. We had probably 20 songs that didn’t make R.I.P. so we are sitting on shitload of music that we plan on dropping some time in the near future. So to answer your question in five years we will have tons of music out in the world and be rocking
show after show all over the world. We are blessed to do this and each day is our gift. If you had to choose some other profession, besides ROCK STAR what would it be and why? Mary: Pug farmer. My pugs mean the world to me and if I could have a farm with tons of pugs I would be a content person. Choobies to that, or should I say snorts. w w w . m y s p a c e . com/marymagdalan
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Underground Zodiac By COLA Don’t let winter’s chill freeze your fire. Keep pressing on in your creative ventures, using the seasonal depression as your inspiration. Write a sad song, paint a self-portrait, or just spike your coffee with some whiskey for a warm up. Keep that flame of yours burning white hot, even when you’re feeling ice cold. As for that special someone, they can see you when you’re not holding up your torch! Right now is the ideal time to let go of your individuality and team up with a partner who will help you stay focused on a project that has been in the works. Admitting that you need to be tutored in the ways of romance as well as business, is nothing to be ashamed of. If you see a rope thrown down to you, grab hold of it and climb….that person at the top is the key to your success, emotionally as well as financially.
Forecast
Tis the season to stay secluded. Being wild and social is something that you have mastered over the years, but there comes a time to master the art of solitude. It will be much easier to choose between those two lovers, when you have removed yourself from the game. Take a seat on the bench and just observe, for without your interference, their true colors will shine through, making your decision far simpler. Though the heart cannot help what it wants or needs, the mind can logically analyze what the heart is blinded by.
Have a good cry. If you’re still sitting at home compulsively watching “ L o v e Actually” or playing your Elliott Smith anthology on repeat, it may be time to accept that it’s over. Allow yourself to mourn the loss of your fuck buddy and get on with your life. They weren’t the one. Look out for a friend who has had their eye on you, even when you were at your worst. That shoulder that you’ve been crying on, may be a better one to be massaging this winter.
You need to take three steps back in order to take 5 steps forward. Your relationship has its rough patches, but through compromise and compassion, a common ground can be discovered. Also, remember that if your partner is being overly needy, sometimes fighting fire with fire is the greatest way to resolve that annoyance. Show them how it feels to be constantly questioned, without being too obvious. You’ll find that when your significant other is looking over their shoulder for you to be lurking around, they’ll be relieved when you are venturing off and away for an evening. You have once again found yourself stuck in a bad scene. You can’t leave out of guilt and you wouldn’t have anywhere to go, even if you could. Why not try being honest for once? If you’re unhappy, let someone know. Getting these things off your chest will assist you in finding someone who will actually be able to help you get out of your toxic situation. INCLINATION™ PG 13
Now that you’ve successfully broken your own heart and theirs, think about the future. Remember the smallness of your universe, and how you won’t be able to avoid that heart you’ve sliced in half forever. Chances are, when you are confronted with your dirty dishes, you’ll discover that someone else has already taken the liberty of cleaning them spotless, and your opportunity to redeem yourself will have been long gone. They will be smiling at you from across a room, while you will be swallowing hard and finding it suddenly hard to breathe…. now that your “air” is gone. Your lover is spoiling you rotten, so don’t forget to return the favor. Take off your “Secret Agent Spy” costume for a moment and truly admire what a wonderful person you have standing at your side. Being suspicious and not trusting them will only drive them away. Have a little faith in that weirdo that you chose to share your life with. Snuggling and shagging are less important than talking and sharing right now.
Deeper than under the covers...we go Underground Get wild. You just dropped huge baggage and it’s your time to release the hounds. Go out and party until you’ve turned your piss purple. A variety of invitations to parties and concerts are coming your way….try to hit them all! Don’t tie yourself down right now, instead use this time to network. Put your love life on the back burner until spring. Your family needs you now. There is someone in your close relative circle that is in a desperate place, and could use your expertise on what ails them. You are in a stable relationship, don’t blow it by getting too messed up in other people’s problems, but don’t shut out those in need either. When that wounded dog shows up at your door, you’ll know it.
Think Globally, but act locally...meaning, know what you want in a love affair, but don’t leave that state line to find it. If you look a little closer to home, you might see that your ideal scenario for a steamy acquaintance is right under your nose. Also, stay away from someone whom is already involved, being number two, is just that...number two…like shit. You’re not shit... you’re gold...don’t settle for someone else’s sloppy seconds. That person from your past is stalking you, and not in a good way. Don’t allow an old flame to mess up a good current. Watch out for unexpected phone calls or emails from former lovers who have a diabolical agenda. Play it cool, and press on into the New Year, sans the drama of a love triangle.
INCLINATION™ PG 14
The Same old 10 with Topher of....
Topher is the lead singer from Ockums Razor, a heavy rock band from St Louis. What sets them apart from other bands in their genre is that, as well as playing the usual full-on rock experience style concert, they play acoustic shows and even have an all-acoustic album, which they released in early 2009. They also belong to “The Wolf Pack”, a growing community of bands from all genres, that support one another. Check them out at all of their myspace pages, I’m sure that you will become a fan like us. http://www.myspace.com/ ockumsrazor http://www.myspace.com/ ockumsrazoracoustic http://www.myspace.com/ ockumsrazor_therazorsedge
1. What was the last concert you went to? Last “Big” concert that I went to was Disturbed, Stone Sour, Flyleaf, and Nonpoint (Been awhile, I usually am busy going to local shows around the area.) 2. Who would you most like to record a song with? Eric Clayton of Saviour Machine. 3. What are you reading right now? A book about Morrissey and a book on The Druids. 4. If you had one day left to live, what would you do? Skydive naked from an airplane. 5.Who would you say is the most underrated musician in the history of Rock n’ Roll? Very difficult question. Well, here
is one, Chuck Berry was very underrated in his time for sure. 6. What’s your favorite meal? Pasta, in any form or fashion. 7.Where in the world would you most like to visit? Europe. 8. What was the last song you listened to? Angry Chair by AIC. 9. If you could be someone else for 24 hours, who would it be and why? I would be my boss, so I could give myself a raise! 10. What has been your biggest fashion faux pas? I wore a woman’s baby t-shirt with a smily-face angel and smily-face devil on it with bagpipe plaid surfer shorts that were so baggy that they looked like a kilt.
http://www.myspace.com/ voodooqueenwolfpack
Topher says he would... Skydive naked from an airplane INCLINATION™ PG 15
MAY YOU LIVE In INTERESTING TIMES By Lissy MacMillan (Rotten Records) After their EP “Progress” I had high expectations for Ideamen’s debut full length, and I was not disappointed! “May You Live In Interesting Times” is an audible and a visual treat with artwork done by the band’s singer, Dave Solar. The CD cover insert opens up and on one side are three pictures that are all related. There is so much detail you could probably stare at it for hours and find something new, but basically one picture is an outdoor scene, which is being projected to a wall where two people are standing in another picture, and then a third is someone else looking at that picture on a computer screen. There are small, neat details, like a mug with “Ideamen” on it by the computer and then the same logo is part of the mechanism
RECORDED AT: THE STERLING GROUP + CRABBEY RD DRUMS ENGINEERED BY: BEN SOLEIM MUSIC ENGINEERED AND MIXED BY: CHRIS GARDNER MASTERED BY: ROB KLEINER
in the big room with the projector. The back of the CD case is a different view of the person looking at the computer screen. So much creativity has gone into the artwork alone that if you stop there before walking to the CD player, it could be a while before you hear anything. The first track is Interesting Times, of course named after the album. The song is very upbeat, and recognizable as one by Ideamen. I should say here that none of the songs on the album were on Progress, like some bands will do with their first release. Everything is new, written and produced by the band themselves! In keeping with their originality and experimental style, they still mix up their songs with heavy
guitars, harmonizing vocals, and keyboard/synthesizers making you wonder what genre they fit into it, if you’re one that feels the need to do so. Their lyrics are clever, catchy and recognizable in our own lives, and you will find yourself listening intently from beginning to end through all ten tracks. Everyone in this band contributes to the brilliance that is Ideamen, you can hear it on their CD and most definitely see it at their live shows. Their CD release show will be at The Beat Kitchen, Chicago, this upcoming Friday (October 30th). They also have a number of dates in the Midwest through December so check their myspace page and get out and see them if you can. Otherwise order their CD, you will not be disappointed!
SEPTEMBER BAND OF THE MONTH
PREDATOR multitude of aspiring bands out there so we know to do a great job with the songs and recording. After all, what we leave for you will be out there for good. We certainly do not want to leave a bad impression. The truth is, our inspiration is for our fans. Without you, we are nothing.
BY LISSY MACMILLAN AND YOU!! Predator had just been featured in our last issue of Inclination Webzine so we decided to do things a little differently this time around. It wasn’t us that asked the questions, it was the fans. They had the opportunity to ask anything they wanted, Damien was around to answer them for everyone: Quinn Dobbins wants to know: When are you coming out with another album? Damien: Very likely in 2010. We already have the songs written. We are currently in pre-production and we start recording shortly after that.
Samson Moore had two questions: Who is everyone’s superhero and why? Damien: I am a fan of science fiction. I like all the X-men stuff. All the Marvel and Dc Comics characters are pretty cool. There is a little bit of all of them that can be admired. It would be cool to possess all that strength and special talents here and there. Then also: Who or what inspired you the most to be such a kickass band? Damien: We are all very hardworking perfectionists. We realize that there is a great
Scott (I love hot sauce) asked: Name an instrument you wish you knew how to play.
Damien: I wish I could play the violin better than I do. I play many instruments but I wish I sounded better on the violin. I practice guitar about 4 to 6 hours a day and after that I have so many responsibilities INCLINATION™ PG 17
that it leaves me with no time to devote to the violin. It just requires so much time to practice other instruments. Primarily, I am a guitar player.
Nestor to
is his
dedicated studies.
Dan is raising two teens as a proud single father. You have to admire that!!
Finally DJ Vulgar asked a very good question: Do you Scott, like Chris enjoys his get much airplay or not? cars and motorcycles. He is also a science fiction Damien: We have gotten some fan, and loves Star Wars! airplay in France, Germany, Colombia, and a little bit in Damien owns a music the States. We have gained a store/ music academy in lot of popularity without any Ft Lauderdale. As well as TV, big Radio, or any magazine reading and playing the support. We owe it all to the guitar, he loves going to the fans who believe in us and beach at the crack of dawn know good metal when they as he feels like he’s the only hear it. Trust me when I say remaining human on earth. we will NEVER disappoint any of you with a bad album. Many US magazines have refused to w w w . m y s p a c e . c o m / even give us the time of day p r e d a t o r h e a v y m e t a l because we don’t have the huge budget to advertise with them. We are for the people anyway. I have also heard rumblings and whispers of a tour, so I had to ask: Will you be touring soon, and if so where do you plan on going?
Damien: We have been talking with some agencies about doing some performances. We have nothing confirmed at the moment but when we do, there will be some announcements on our web pages.
Here are some other interesting things to know about the members of Predator: Chris is currently working on Wedding plans (sorry girls!) He also works on muscle cars and rides dirt bikes, then in between all of that is practicing his guitar! INCLINATION™ PG 18
Janus is a name that has been around Chicago for a while now, but all of a sudden they’re being talked about everywhere! Why is that? Their new album Red Right Return, and the single, “Eyesore” with the fantastic video they have released for it. You can’t turn on the radio without hearing it! Poised at the brink of endless possibilities and while busy on the road, Mike Tyranski still found time to call me for an interview.
The world according to…
Janus
Hi, How’s it going? Thanks for calling. Going great, thanks. First off, can we get a little history on your band and how long have you all been together? This current line-up has been together for two and a half years I wanna say. OK. How did it all start? How did you all meet? I met David, our singer through an old childhood friend of his, who I happened to be living with at the time and we met, and we had the same musical interests. He had a band at the time and I wasn’t in a band, he was living in Maryland, and the band moved out to Chicago. Shortly thereafter one of the guitar players left and he wanted to focus more on singing and less on guitar playing because he did both at the time, and he asked me to join and take over on guitar and he would focus more on singing. Then over a little bit of time, we kind of picked up the current bass player, Al, and Johnny on drums when we were making this new record, through the process. We finished the record and it took off from there. How long did you work on the current record then? It took us about a year to finish it, writing and recording, mixing and mastering. I’d say it took us about a year to do the record in total. So where were you playing your first shows and who were you playing with? Mostly local stuff in Chicago. We played anywhere from Elbo Room, Double Door, working our way on up to Metro a lot of bouncing between those three in particular.
Interview By Lissy MacMillan
Photos courtesy of facebook.com/#/janusband Those are the three that people know. That’s it for the city, maybe a handful of others, and then we did some suburban stuff, did a lot of bars and clubs in the Southside. Is there anyone that really stands out as having been there for you, helped you get to where you are today? I don’t think there’s any one particular individual, I think it’s been our friends and our families that have been the most stand out for us in supporting us, giving us that support that we need to do this. Those are the people that have been there for us. Chicago has a lot of great music and a lot of great bands are there any that have really inspired you? Locally in Chicago? Yeah. Well, there are always the classics of Chicago like The Pumpkins, there’s been Filter, inspiring: Chevelle. From the local aspect, our genre comes from a previous band called “Shades of Fiction”, I found them to be a really inspiring band at the time, they no longer exist, and he’s now playing in our band Janus (Johnny Salazar), it was inspiring. I love your album; I think it’s absolutely
brilliant. Thank you. This is your first studio album? With this line-up, yes. We made another record in 2004 called Armor, nothing really happened with that record, it got “peer acclaimed” amongst our other bands locally and things of that nature, but never really did what this record is doing. This is our first record that we’ve got signed off of, and it’s doing really well so far. We’re really proud of it. Do you have a particular method for your song writing? It varies. A lot of times it starts with where I’ll write a guitar riff or a collection of parts that go together and we’ll kinda hash them out as a band, or if we’re not figuring it out that way, I’ll kinda take it back, sit down with it and see if I can flush it out a little bit further to have something more to work with. From there we just keep hammering it out till we get to a spot where we’re all happy with it. I think a lot of times it starts with a chord progression or a guitar part, something like that. Was the album recorded in Chicago? It was. We recorded drums and some of the guitars at I.V Lab Studios in Chicago. A friend of ours, Manny Sanchez owns that studio and we’ve worked with him before. The rest of it we took that stuff from there and we finished the rest of it in our studio and then we mixed and mastered the album ourselves. That took a long time because we’re very very picky, we weren’t happy with anything. Kept scratching the mixes, going back to the drawing board. We just wanted it to come out the best we could make it. It must be pretty hard to work on your own stuff. With someone else working on it, you have that third ear, so to speak. You get snow blind, your ears get desensitized. I had to take a break and not listen to it for days and just come back with a fresh set of ears because you couldn’t tell what was what anymore. You’re so close to it. It’s very true. I really like the way the theme carries through with the CD artwork, and when
I saw you guys play live, you had your set design, lighting, what you were wearing. How did you come up with the whole idea? The artwork is all based around 1920s constructivist artwork. David, our singer designed all the artwork for the album and our online presence and all our merch, and things like that. We kinda took that and it came together with the name of the album which is Red Right Return, and Red Right Return is an old nautical saying for ships returning to port, they want to keep the red channel markers on the right side of the boat, so that’s how they remember that, and for us, the whole idea of making this record was not worrying about what was popular, what was the trend, what’s going on, you know? It was about- Ok lets make these songs that we really love, and lets record them the best we can and write the best songs we can and put it out there and see what happens. That was our return to ourselves basically. But that whole concept around the record wasn’t what the content had but more of a process of how we arrived at making the record, and the artwork really seemed to stick to that title, very strong, almost revolutionary feel to it. Like we’re forging ahead with our idea. Its very strong, very bold visually, it tied to the music and concept well. We started to incorporate it into everything, bring it into what we were on stage, to everything, like I said, online, to merch, to whatever it is. It made its way into the video that we have. Who created the clothes? The designs for the clothes you wear on stage? We worked with a designer who is a friend of ours called Sarah Church. She’s from Chicago and she had been out in LA for a while. She had recently moved back and we met up with her and sat down, told her what we wanted to do. She was really excited about it and we worked closely with her, sketching out ideas and she made that come to life. We all came up with our own idea. They’re all very similar, they feel like they’re a part of each other but they’re very
different at the same time. So you get a little individualism mixed in with some uniformity.
wanted to because of his time. We couldn’t afford it. But it came out great!
Out of all the songs on the CD, why did you pick “Eyesore” as the first single? It was the most standout track and we had gotten some feedback from other people, friends, management, various different people,
Yeah, it’s very strong visually. Now this is a question I get asked a lot by colleagues and bands at shows and while we’re just chatting, so I like to ask this question- do you think labels are doing everything they can to fully support their bands? It’s hard to lump them all into one category. I think the way major labels have been running things have opened the doors up for a lot of independents, which has kind of opened up the door for us, because we’re on a small small independent label. It’s part of a large… it’s actually part of Warner Bros, but it’s a very small label, very small budget, so we get a lot of support in terms of publicity and other types of things, it’s not really of the monetary aspect, we don’t get tour support or an advance of cash or anything like that. They’re also taking a leap of faith with us though too ‘cause we’re coming out of the box with this record and they’re kind of on the line for the sales. Where I think a lot of major labels at this point and what’s held us up in the past from getting signed to a major is literally record sales- they want to see a sales history before they’ll even touch you or do anything- a significant amount, to the point where you’d question if you’d even want to be on a label if you could pull in that many record sales on your own. So I think the way they’ve handled that has opened the door for independents and made the situation what it is today and it puts a lot more of the control, the ability to make a return on our investment. We’ve invested a lot into this project, and the video we have now allows us to work hard to see a return without us working hard to see a return for someone else. So I think it’s a unique opportunity and probably where the trend’s going as far as record labels are.
that it was a really standout track and that it was the most ear catching, surprising. Bold in the fact that it bucks the trend as far as radio goes a little but with having more of a screamy chorus, it was definitely the more stand out track. So that was why we went with that. I love the video too, what was it like making that? It was actually really simple, from our perspective, because we shot all of it in a green screen studio in about six hours, and we were all shot individually. That had to be strange… That was a little weird but you got used to it and you did two takes and that was it, you know. We were wrapped up and out of there. Six hours with the piece that he needed, the director, Noah Shulman and then he did all the editing work. He spent three hundred to six hundred hours, maybe more of post production stuff, all the editing, all the layering, all the after effects work. There’s a lot of background type imagery in the video that David designed. He designed ten different backdrops and like type animation design for the video. Worked really closely with Noah on that, and then Noah took it and ran with it. When we got it back, first time he showed it to us, I was relieved! I didn’t know how it was going to turn out. I ended up being really great ‘cause I liked it! It takes three to four hours to render three seconds of this video because there are so many different layers, it’s quite a process, and we couldn’t really change anything if we
What about CDs and Digital Downloads? Someone told me that CDs were going to be obsolete next year- personally I think they were misinformed, but where do you think we’re headed as far as CDs Vs Digital Downloads? That’s a good question. I don’t think CDs will disappear overnight. I think eventually they could disappear, but we’ve seen a lot of people wanting hard copies and we sell a lot of hard copies at shows. As great as digital downloads are- I used to hate them, but because of my desire to want something immediately, I kind of became a fan of that, I still see kids going to stores though to buy that stuff because they don’t necessarily have…because with digital downloads you
need a credit card and things like that to purchase these and people of a certain age don’t have access to that kind of purchasing power, all they have is cash. They need to go to a store to buy it. So depending on your demographic, instore hard copies are still selling rather well and are selling well for us, online stuff is doing well too, they’re kind of hand in hand right now, it’s still alive as far as I can see. I still like CDs because I’m such a nerd for CD artwork. We have a booklet in the d ow n l o a d , which is nice but it’s not the same as getting the physical paper copy. We liked having all the artwork in the CD and the lyrics for people to want this packaging because it’s special, it’s interesting to flip it open and look at it. You don’t really get that with the digital stuff. That’s how I feel. The Mom and Pop stores are hurting, although I think they’re kind of making a comeback with vinyl right now which is a trend and that’s because younger kids have never seen it. Records are passé or old news to a lot of people but to some of these young kids albums are really cool. It’s kind of a re-birth into the old- it’s bizarre, like bell bottoms or something, they keep coming back every ten years and you’re like ”Why is this back?” I was kind of sad when vinyl went away. Yeah well that holds a special place and I’m making a weird parallel to fashion, but the point is that everything comes back for no reason. You don’t know what drives it; it could be a lot of different points that makes that happen. Hard to predict. How’s the tour going?
It’s been going great so far. We’re doing a couple more dates. We’re doing a date near Minneapolis, we’re doing a date in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and then we’re back home for a few days and then we’re doing a lot of one off dates, some radio shows hitting some of our bigger radio markets. Doing some
headlining stuff ‘till the end of the year. We don’t know yet what 2010 holds but hopefully we’ll be on a bigger, longer tour in the beginning of the year. But this tour has been great so far, we’ve been out with Framing Hanley and The Veer Union for a month, all of October basically, and it’s been the best for us as far as getting the word out there.
You’d be surprised, as powerful as the internet is, touring makes so much more of an impact than an email, or facebook or a myspace message ever will, there’s
just no replacement for it. You have to get out there to these places, and come back to them. How do you maintain your energy when you’re on tour? ‘Cause it seems you’ve been, well you have been touring for months, and you’ve been doing interviews and appearances… how do you guys do it, night after night after night? You get a lot of good feedback from people; you get messages or emails on myspace or Youtube. People that are really excited about the song or the record. At the shows, they’re really excited and want you to sign stuff, so that whole interaction with the fan base is really powerful and really invigorating and getting that kid of news face to face is what keeps you going. Also news we get from the label about how radio’s going, how this piece of press is doing, for example we just had the video on Headbangers Ball and that was a first for us and it was really exciting! Just little bits of news like that, any tiny grain, big or small, i t ’ s huge in keeping you going, keeps you running. It’s tough and exhausting. Its cramped quarters and it gets on your nerves after a while. Have you had any low points during the tour? Hah! We’ve had a couple of shows where…we were going to play in Arizona and we were on our way there, we were coming from Texas and we were on our way to Arizona and then on to California and we found out in Midroute that the Arizona show got cancelled because the local radio station changed formats to oldies, I guess. So there was going to be no radio promo, so the promoter pulled the plug on the show. So that was a bummer. But we went up to California, up north to Santa Rosa where
the radio station, The Fox is and the radio station was great, the show was great, the fans were great, and so it kinda leveled everything out.
surprising. From there I don’t know what, all I can ask for is a chance to make another record, to keep making records, better ones, not go the other direction.
You play quite a variety in venues and crowd sizes. Which would you say you like the best: The small intimate clubs or the massive shows with thousands of screaming fans out there? It’s hard to say. It depends on the mood, I guess. I like the small shows that are just packed, that have a lot of people in them, it’s really dense and you’re really close to the people. On the other hand, the big shows have just appeal in general because you’re there with bigger bands, bands you’ve grown up listening to. For example we just hit Buzzfest with Papa Roach and Chevelle, so you get shows like that and that’s really cool. There’s thousands of people there, it’s a great experience in a different way. It’s not the intimacy of the small clubs, but it has this larger than life feel to it. It’s a lot harder, in fact to play a big show like that, where you’re playing a pavilion, because you don’t have that connection so you have to come from somewhere else.
How old were you when you first started playing guitar? I was fourteen, I only played for a little while and I switched to bass guitar and I stuck with bass for a really long time. Then when I talked with David and he wanted to bring me into the band he said, “How do you feel playing guitar?” I said OK I’ll try that, and I’d played a little bit, I’d been playing bass for years so I made the transition over to guitar from bass which was different but it’s still a string instrument, it’s just got a different method to it.
What’s the best part of being in a band? For me the best part is being is being able to see your ideas, and create and have them come to life. Have people within the band work with those ideas and accept them and love them and turn them into something you can share with other people, and they in turn liking them. Then you know when you do it for them how you like it done, that you’re gonna connect with someone else out there that kinda feels the same way you do, you get it, you both get it. You understand what’s going on, where this is coming from, where it’s going. You really make a connection because you’re both enjoying the same thing. Like I almost feel like a listener of our music, not a creator because we made it because we want to listen to it, not necessarily for other people, ‘cause we don’t know what other people like, you can only assume. Creation is really the best part for me. What are your ultimate goals as a musician and with Janus? I’d like to see us do some consistent touring over the next year and be able to put out another record. Push our song writing and creativity to another level, another area. Hopefully surprise people again with the follow up record, like this on has been
What kind of guitar do you play? I play Paul Reed Smith guitars, they’re real warm sounding, and they resonate a lot. They have a real cool sound to them so… I really like all aspects to these guitars. Did you get lessons when you were younger? I did. I took some lessons. That didn’t last long, you know what I mean? That lasted like a summer, kinda just started to pick up my own style. I don’t know, its good to have lessons, but the desire to just want to play is a little more overwhelming than the desire to learn how to play something specific or fundamentally.
I hear that a lot from guitar players, they get enough lessons to get the basics down, and then they tend to do the rest themselves. Yeah our drummer is self-taught, our bass player is too. I don’t think you see a lot of classically trained musicians or musicians that have been doing fundamental learning, you just don’t see a lot of that. There’s a lot of self-motivation to learn on your own which is good, it leads to other things. I know a lot of people that play really well and they have great technique, but
they don’t make anything of interest. What’s your favorite song off the album? You know it changes all the time. My Favorite song right now…I was listening to one a lot the other day… Mine changes a lot too, right now it’s “Maybe it’s You” I like that song a lot, what was I listening to? I was listening to…I always like “Six Letters Sent”, it’s a really fast song, really heavy and it changes moods in the chorus, it’s just a cool song, that’s my favorite at the moment. That’s the other one I think would make a good single. Oh, we’re trying to figure that out still. If this song does well, where are we gonna be at with the next single? Not sure yet. This one has to do well before we can get to that point. Last question- Are you getting a lot of girls hanging around after the shows wanting to meet you, and get autographs? There’s a lot of people in general that want us to sign stuff and talk with us and hang out, and we do all that. We don’t pretend to be something that’s grand. Just because we’re played on the radio…we’re just people. Every night after we’re done playing we’re at the merch booth all night long hanging out and talking to people. We’re a small crew, so we don’t have people to do those things, we have to do them so we’re the people on the ground, selling the shirts and signing the stuff, loading all the gear up, talking to all the people at the venue. We like that interaction. We think people really like it too. Oh yeah! I think it’s very important for bands to spend time talking to their fans. All the online stuff is us. Nowadays it’s just a little harder to get back to people. We’re constantly on the move and busy, but it’s still important. We try to talk to as many people as possible. Well thank you so much, thank you for taking the time to do this. No Problem, thank you. Janus are: David Scotney - Vocals Johnny Salazar - Drums Alan Quitman - Bass Mike Tyranski - Guitar/Programming http://www.myspace.com/janus
exo & beleth of
noctem
interview by lissy macmillan I’ve been listening to your album; “Divinity” and I think it’s amazing! How long has it been out now?
exo
Noctem are an extreme metal band, Death metal at it’s finest! They don’t do things in halves, and are known for their intensity, and violence, with a very unique look and usage of real blood- no ketchup or red paint here!! That intensity is captured not only in their music, but also in their new video for “Across Hercules Towards”. Check it out on YouTube or on their myspace page: http://www.myspace. com/noctemofficial.
Exo: Well…the album is out in stores and online from the 20th of April in Europe and the 20th of May in United States. It has a central theme, doesn’t it? Could you explain that to us? Exo: Yes, we based the full album theme in the story of the lost continent “Atlantis”; talking about the rituals its society used to celebrate to reach the immortality, their blood desire in the battle… everything under our dark and subjective point of view. Who wrote the lyrics? Do you write poetry or anything else in your spare time because they’re very beautiful? Beleth: Thanx. I wrote the lyrics, founding the right theme in almost one month, I worked hard to spread the best message in it. Out of the band, I use to write but I’m not near the poetry “style”. How was the first piece created: “Atlas Death”?
Exo: For the first piece we counted with our mate “Leal” from the band “Inner Fate” (ex-Forever slave), he’s an excellent keyboardist and he found the best atmosphere for the starting song of the album. How create
did
you your
guys look?
Exo: We always try to create original and personal way to express our music, so our aesthetic is based in our desire to find different and own extreme metal sounds; we base the look in old cultures and civilizations. Do you ever use real blood? Beleth: Yes, we have the record as the most censored band per show in Spain. In our 07-08 Tour presenting “God among slaves” we used real blood, visceras de animal, lamb heads and more… We were a thousand times censored in Europe, specially at Belgium and the U.K, but I won’t stop doing our kind of show! What about the fans at your shows? Do they get all dressed up like you? Beleth: The fans in our shows INCLINATION™ PG 23
beleth
DARKO
are unbelievable; they feel the shows like real maniacs. Two dates ago during a show I gave to a girl in the crowd a pig heart and she took it as a present. We love the fans that live our music in the same way we do.
When did you start playing your instruments? Did you always want to be in a band?
Have you been playing a lot of shows? Do you plan on taking the album out on the road- maybe bring it to the US? Exo: Yes, and we will be presenting “Divinity” in every city until we enter the studio in a couple of years, it’s a long way and this is only the beginning. U.S isn’t now in our plans because we will tour Europe for a long time; anyway Mexico is in our plans, so maybe we will tour some North American cities or places near your country the next year.
Exo: I started to play guitar at the age of 15, and yes I always wanted to form a band and play around the world. What’s your view on religion? Beleth: We’re absolutely against the totality of religions. It’s only a way to control the masses.
UI
Who do you listen to when you’re not working on your own music? Exo: Well…our influences are very different, from the classic trash metal to the new wave of death metal; bands like Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir… Is there anything else you would like to add to this? Beleth: To all our fans in the U.S, be patient, we will tour the States and will give you the best shows ever!!! w w w. m y s p a c e . com/noctemofficial
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THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
By Lissy MacMillan
This was my contribution for Blog Action Day. Anyone who knows me well, or has been reading my work for a couple of years now, knows that humanitarian & environmental issues are important to me, so it felt great to participate in an event that went worldwide and that I could also tie in to what I do here- The Music Industry. I want to now share it with you, I hope you enjoy reading it.
In the last few years musicians have been doing commendable things to help the
world and it’s inhabitants. Bono, Annie Lennox and Bob Geldof to name a few. Now there is something different coming from this powerful pop culture. There is something that doesn’t just effect those in third world countries, but everyone on this planet, and it might just take the music industry as a whole to be the leading example for us all to try and fix it.
Climate Change is real; it is not a myth or a hoax or whatever else the naysayers wish to call it. There has been more than enough scientific evidence collected to prove that we’re in the middle of a Global Warm-up, and it’s all because of the way
we treat home, the
our earth.
One of the biggest ways we can stop and possibly reverse climate change is by reducing our Carbon Footprint. For those of you that don’t know what a Carbon Footprint is, it is a “measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon
d i o x i d e ” B a s i c a l ly, everything you do causes a footprint. How much of one you leave depends on what you do and how you do it…did you spend an extra few minutes in the shower because the water felt good? Did you leave the lights on in your bedroom
their footprint, Glastonbury Festival has an On-site grocery store so vendors don’t need to
again? Did you sit in your car idling at the MacDonalds drivethru, then drink coffee out of a Styrofoam cup, which you threw in the garbage can? All these things increase your carbon footprint. I know most of us all know the things we can do to do our part, and I hope that even though you’re only ONE person, you know that all together, lots of ones add up to millions. But what about the big industries, the ones causing the most impact of us all? In the UK alone, a study showed the music industry there measured at almost 1 M tonnes a year! Glastonbury Festival in England’s beautiful Southwest has been “green” for as long as it has existed, doing things like having bins on site, Glastonbury Tor, Photo By John Davies
for recycling “Glass” “Paper”, “Cans”, “Organic Waste” for example, and as a result half of the waste from the festival was recycled. T-shirts are vegetable dyed and printed with water-based inks. Eating is a different experience: You will eat off plates and drink from cups that are made from compostable material and all cutlery is made from wood instead of plastic. One of the most genius things, I thought, was that there is an on-site grocery store so the vendors do not have to make runs into town for supplies! There is so much more that this festival does to reduce its impact on Climate Change, and they really are an example to everyone that it can be done and still have a successful event. Glastonbury
as well as The Sunrise Celebration, D o w n l o a d , Firegathering, Wireless, Isle of Wight, T-in-the-Park (UK), Peats Ridge, The Falls Festival, Bluesfest, WomAdelaide and Southbound (Australia) received the Greener Festival awards this season.
Other things festivals have been known to do is use bio-diesel generators and on their compostable cups, and recycled paper flyers use only soy based inks. Some festivals won’t even have paper at their festivals anymore, providing a PDF download of maps and the line-ups on their websites for the goers to print if they so wish to do so. Another big way the music industry effects our environment is with the CD! How can the record
labels and the bands reduce their carbon footprint when it comes to something so fundamentally important? Well, first of all, there’s digital downloads, that’s an obvious one – One fact you may not know is that it takes 2lbs of carbon to press one CD and thousands of them end up in landfill every year. But not everyone is into downloading their music off the internet, and believe it or not there are still people that don’t have iPods. So, what else? CDs usually come in a jewel case, which is made of polystyrene plastic. Recycling plastic is labor intensive as there are 7 types of plastic and these have to be separated first of all, and polystyrene is actually one that is rarely recycled because it is not profitable to do so and ends up in landfills. The best thing to do is to keep as much plastic out of the packaging as possible, replacing it with recycled cardboard. If you do the digipak, instead of using the plastic part to hold the CD, a tray made of starch and cellulose can be
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used instead. (Motley Crue has used this option). Then of course there’s the vegetable based dyes and soy base inks for the beautiful artwork. Granted these might be a little expensive for those bands that are just starting out, but switching from the jewel case to card would be a step in the right direction. It’s wonderful to see the options available now, when I first started looking into the music industry and its carbon footprint, it was a long way from where it is today. Now if only we could teleport all the festival goers to their destinations…. h t t p : / / w w w. agreenerfestival.com/
h t t p : / / w w w. glastonburyfestivals. c o . u k / h t t p : / / w w w. j u l i e s b i c yc l e . c o m /
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Breaking Up Is Hard to Do aka It’s Not You, It’s Me By Argento1134
I don’t even know where to begin. I would never have believed that this day would even arrive. Five years ago…or even five months ago, if someone had told me that I would sitting down to write this out, I would have thought that chances were greater that I would suddenly find Margaret Cho to be funny. But alas, here I sit…crestfallen. I wonder how this happened. I remember how we met. It was sometime in the mid-to-late 1980’s. It was late night on PBS or some other random nondescript broadcast channel. Our eyes met and I’ll be the first to admit that in the beginning, I was afraid of you. From you, I was treated to the unexpected. Things I was not used to seeing were being presented to me. My initial reaction was that I didn’t know how to understand you. Once I was able to see the entire you, I began to see where you and I could fit together like a glove. As the 1980’s gave way to the 1990’s, I counted you amongst those I could rely upon in a pinch. You were always there, delivering epic mounds of gore and guttural satisfaction. We spent many a night together, sitting on the couch reliving our initial meeting. Every moment we spent together, I remembered both why you used to frighten me and later, how I came to adore you so. What made our relationship so special is that we had an understanding. We knew that in this instance, exclusivity was something that our relationship would never be built on. Given the unique nature that you exist under, it is only natural that I would meet and subsequently love others like you. We knew from the very beginning that our love would be not committed, but more of a communal love. A colony of free love, dead eyes, cannibalistic feasting and intestinal fortitude of epic proportions. We were OK with this. When I began to know others like you, the love was often instantaneous and joyous. Knowing that all others were actually just a newer facet
of your entire being, we both understood that letting others in was crucial to our relationship’s capability to grow and be forever nurtured. Bathed in the love of blood, gore and zombie goodness, if you will. From our initial encounter as Night Of The Living Dead to our mid-90’s tryst into the vortex of Dead Alive to our most recent attempt to breathe new life into each other with Diary Of The Dead, our relationship was built on trust and respect. Trust that you would always supply me with mountains of gore and respect in my letting you know when you have let me down. While I realize that this
last comment makes it seem like I’m making this all about me, let us remember the nature of our relationship. In recent years, I have to admit that you have let me down consistently and often. While you felt the need to expand and grow, you cannot deny that you have changed…and not always for the better. Let’s face it: you’re more popular than ever now. Everyone suddenly thinks you’re “cute” and “clever”. Seems that you have forgotten who was there for you when times were tough. Before you became the latest thing, I was there to admire and nurture you. I was there, damn it! When you gave me Resident Evil, I gave you more than a fair chance. I praised you when others
wanted to chip away at you. I made sure to capture your moment on my mantle, knowing full well that it was never you at your best. When you showed up at my door with Undead, I rolled my eyes. I knew that you had gotten completely ridiculous, but I was not about to give up on you. Not now. You needed me now more than ever. I’ll give you credit for Land Of The Dead and Diary Of The Dead. You gave your best efforts in quite a long time to cement what we once had. For awhile, I was becoming a believer in you again. I could see you beginning to flirt with the cool kids for the first time, but I stood by you anyway, hoping that it was just a phase. Even though you decided that I was no longer good enough to walk alongside of and you just HAD to start running, I never thought that you would use that opportunity to run out on me. Or on us. Yes…you ran out on us! I did the best I could. I did anything I could to keep the fire burning. I went back to better times. Times when you were at your best, even in the face of criticism accusing you of being at your worst. Burial Ground. Nightmare City. The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue. Do you even remember those times? Or are you content with your newfound popularity now that you simply want to forget that those ever happened? You give the world Zombieland and now, they love you. The people that used to point at you, talk about you behind your back…now they want you around. And you couldn’t wait to leave me behind for them. Fine. I’m sorry, but I just can’t do this anymore. Zombie movies…it’s time that we call it a day. End this relationship. Break up, if you will. Clearly, you have moved on. And don’t try telling me that I’ve changed. I never questioned you when you had “broken the rules”. In fact, I celebrated you for being unique. So, I guess this is where we end now. I will always remember the good times. I still have the old videos that you made and despite my current feelings, I know that I am going to break them out on occasion. You know, for nostalgia’s sake.
The Penny Road Pub, Barrington, IL — October 29 53 miles there and another 53 back is how far I travel when I go to The Penny Road Pub, but I have seen some really good shows there recently. When I found out that Powerman 5000 was going to be playing there, I knew I would be making the journey again. I arrived in time to see enough of Lockjaw to know I liked them a lot! As soon as I walked in, they grabbed my attention with their dark industrial sound and I was very excited to see who else they were going to have open the show. Lockjaw will be opening for Fashion Bomb’s CD release show at the Double Door on December 4 so don’t miss it! The next band was called Heart-Set Self Destruct. Good musicians, playing alt/rock. They gave the audience what they like, and are a group of good looking guys. I can see them doing well, and have since been to their MySpace page and seen that they have a lot of shows booked in the near future. Hyperflo are essentially a cover band, playing songs by Linkin Park (Bleed It Out) and NIN (Head Like A Hole). As a band that captivates and entertains the crowds they have that down- they had everyone eating out of their hands. Even musically, they’re pretty good. I just found it hard to see some of the songs they played being played by a band other than the original artists. I would definitely love to see what these guys could do if they were to write their own material. Powerman 5000 can do no wrong, simple as that! Everyone was there to see them and moments before they came on you couldn’t move by the stage as everyone crammed up as close as they could to get to the front. Despite a terrible sore throat, Spider put on a brilliant performance, downing honey in between songs and laughing off requests for Worlds Collide. They played tracks from his new album, Somewhere on the Other Side of Nowhere, which I think is a brilliant album, as good as, if not better than Tonight the Stars Revolt! They left the stage to allow everyone to call for an encore and came back on to everyone’s immense pleasure and played their request for them and a couple other popular classics. You could feel a good vibe in the atmosphere that night at Penny Road Pub where all, despite the torrential rain outside, had a good time and a great kick-off to the Halloween weekend.
The Gypsy Switch Building a Bridge Charity Single (Joint Records) Brighton, England’s The Gypsy Switch has released a single available for download at CD Baby to commemorate Armistice Day, which is the remembrance of the treaty signed between the Allies and Germany on November 11th at 11am, 1918 and ended the First World War. The proceeds are going to Help For Heroes, The Royal British Legion and War Child to assist in the needs of the current conflicts in our world today. Building a Bridge is a thoughtful tribute to our soldiers, and a beautiful song. The Gypsy Switch have captured the essence of 70s rock with melodic guitars, memorable lyrics and their use of percussion instruments in their songs. This is a band I can really get into. www.cdbaby.com/cd/GypsySwitch to purchase their single. www.thejipseswitch.com to find out more about the band.
FASHION BOMB
MONGREL REVENGE
VISIONS OF THE LIFTED VEIL
(Screaming Ferret Wreckchords)
(Full Effect Records)
By Lissy MacMillan The band on our very first cover last year was Mongrel because of their talent, hard work and full length album, Fears, Lies and Propaganda. Well, since then, they have recorded and just released a five-track EP Revenge. Mongrel is a no-holds-barred heavy punk band, playing in the same style as Black Flag, The Misfits and GBH. Scum, Beyond Repair, Butterknife Suicide and Point A Finger are all names of songs I had no problem with. Catharsis on the other hand, seemed a bit out of place.Punks purging their emotional tension….?? But I think the fact they won’t “be your fucking crutch” makes it obvious they’re not about to start singing ballads and bringing out the Kleenex anytime soon. I love this CD. All five songs have well sung lyrics you can understand, the drums are uncomplicated but effective and the guitar riffs are bound to kick you into a frenzy. This EP is a tease for the upcoming full length they plan on releasing next year, and I am thoroughly tormented now as I wait.
By Lissy MacMillan Finally, the long awaited album from Fashion Bomb is here! It was definitely worth the wait though as you’ll find out. First of all, I have to mention the CD artwork, which was done by F3 Studio’s Stephen Jensen, it’s very striking and I love the back with the Apocalyptic Chicago skyline. He always takes brilliant band photos too, and the one of Fashion Bomb used here is no exception. The first track is S=K LOGW. I’m going to get a little nerdy on you here. If you write it: S=KLOGW then you have the formula for entropy in thermodynamics. As well as the physics definition, entropy can also mean “social decay or destruction” and going along with the CD cover, I like this definition for the instrumental piece that starts the album. Visions of the Lifted Veil is just excellent from beginning to end, but The Meek is my favorite song. Every time I listen to it, I hear something new and it keeps getting better. Biggest surprise is their version of Tori Amos’ Crucify. It’s a totally different song from the original, and so good you can’t knock them for doing it. I also love The Vow, The World Will End With Us, and Veil Of Meggido. Another reference for destruction is here with “Meggido”, the word Armageddon is derived from the Hebrew “Har Meggido”. Visions of the Lifted Veil” is available November 10 pretty much anywhere you buy your music from, they will also have their CD release show in their home town of Chicago at the Double Door on December 4, where I intend to find out a lot more about the band and this album. Also if you pre-order your ticket for the show, you will get the CD for free!
Check out their myspace page for information: www.myspace.com/xfashionxbombx
Recorded By Tim Koukos @ SFW Studios Mixed by Jeff Wallace Mastered by Thomas Deyesso
FIREBUG
DREAMING OF AMERICA SINGLE AND VIDEO
(Buddha Belt Records) Firebug have done it again! They have managed to amaze me, not only with their brilliant song-writing and musical talents, but with another excellent video to go along with their newest single, Dreaming Of America. This masterpiece is directed by Matthias Schubert (http:// www.cinematthias.com) and filmed in various locations around the west of America. If you saw their last video, also directed by Schubert, it was filmed entirely in the desert, and is quite different. Firebug have that ability, to keep everything fresh and original, but also very distinctively theirs. Dreaming of America is full of melody and hooks that show what amazing guitar players Jules and Juliette are. The tune is very catchy and its not surprising that it is leaping up the unsigned charts at tourdates.co.uk. The lyrics are great too, touching on some current and ongoing issues, and I think Bill Maher should use the song for his TV show. The video, though gave me a sense of love and warmth for this country and maybe that’s what Firebug were going for: that even though America has its problems, it’s a beautiful country worth dreaming of still.
Arthritic Foot Soldiers “Immature Nobodies” (Turkey Vulture)
Kick To Tha Head “As We Think…” (Turkey Vulture)
Legions Of Fire “The Mark Of Power” (Turkey Vulture)
Man Made Man “Your Punishment Begins” (Turkey Vulture)
Nole “Sin To Live” (Self-released)
There lies a certain difficulty in reviewing music when it comes down to simple matter of taste. Such is the case for me when talking about Arthritic Foot Soldiers. Musically, Arthritic Foot Soldiers are a hybrid of more modern punk rock in the vein of Dropkick Murphys while incorporating British Oi, unsurprising given their land of origin. Put up against most similar artists in the genre, Arthritic Foot Soldiers holds their own well. They are a rhythmically tight unit that adds some additional stringed flair when expected. Given the style of music, the lyrics become a little more of a focal point as they tackle general commentative subject matter such as war and government. The lyrics seem to be very onthe-nose, though I suspect that was the writer’s intent. The conundrum for me, as a listener, lies in the feeling that I get that while the lyrics are straight-forward, they sometimes lack a cogent sense of urgency. Regardless, Arthritic Foot Soldiers have the musical chops to thrive in the punk rock genre.
There is something to be said for leaving things to the imagination. With a moniker such as Kick To Tha Head, there is little leeway as to what sounds might emanate from this release. Hailing from the capital of Illinois, Kick To Tha Head is more reminiscent of what hails from the Eastern seaboard. In the same vein as bands like Madball and Terror, Kick To Tha Head plays mid-tempo to fast hardcore punk that flirts with metal soundwise. With song titles such as “Everyday Battle”, “Fake” and “Assemble Your Crew”, it is fairly clear that this band makes no apologies about their influences. All things considered, it would appear that Kick To Tha Head has some work ahead of itself if it wants to vault into the upper echelon alongside their influences. Though the genre is hardly complex in a musical sense, Kick To Tha Head have vocals that are indistinguishable, even amongst fellow grunters. With some added vocal depth and time on their side, they may someday do the head-kicking.
I’m seeing a small venue. Low ceiling, worn down hardwood flooring, paneled walls that spill over into the bar’s decor and a stage that is a touch too tall, yet still workable. Not quite a strip club, but buxom cocktail waitresses in stiletto heels wearing half shirts are the order of the day. As the band is preparing to take the stage, a noticeably large crowd assembles, making the pathways in this venue cramped with bodies. I’m seeing amplification of the highest order. Legions Of Fire finally takes the stage. Constructed in the mold of Black Label Society and Black Album-era Metallica, Legions Of Fire aim for the heights of professionalism in the digital age. Sticking to mostly crunchy midtempo rhythms and pinch harmonics, they give the listener ten songs that hold well against the comparative influences. In fact, the vocalist seems to press hard to attain a dead-on James Hetfield impression. Though I couldn’t see myself enthralled in my aforementioned venue scenario, I imagine the crowd would be.
In more than 20 years of listening to metal, I’ve learned to temper my expectations. When I inserted Man Made Man’s CD into my stereo and “Your Punishment Begins” began, I was wondering if I was going to be pleasantly caught off guard. It started off in Gojira-esque manner that showed initial promise. Even as the song really moved into the main territory, there was a Black Dahlia Murder vibe awakening that, while becoming worn, also displayed this band’s musical ability to progress into the future. Musically speaking, Man Made Man is not doing anything terribly original to make themselves stand out, blending Swedish metal with Hatebreed-style mosh metal. Still, there is a solid rhythm section here with what seems to be a fairly high ceiling of potential. What seems to be holding this project back further is the lack of bass in the mix and the inconsistent vocals. Granted, in time, Man Made Man could iron out their creases and develop into something that makes the greater metal world take notice.
Demos are crucial reference points in the life of a band. Aside from the initial intent of getting one’s first recording out there for consumption, it also allows one to see where they came from. One added aspect of the demo comes into play when the artists) take it upon themselves to manufacture the recording. “Sin To Live” has many of the makings of a demo recorded in one’s own home, possibly even on a Macintosh laptop such as the one I’m writing with. Nole, from my listening, seems to be sans bass player. If there is a bassist present, they seem to be buried somewhere into the background. The overall atmosphere I get from Nole is similar to that of some of the earliest recordings of Callenish Circle that I have heard. However, Nole lacks the timing and tightness of the aforementioned death metal band. Drum rolls seem off time and blast beats fall off pace with the guitar. As time moves on, Nole can only can better. From what I’m hearing, they seem to have their work cut out for them.
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by Argento1134
Whether your traveling through Chicago’s trendy art filled neighborhoods of Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, or Humboldt Park, or you’ve been living in our fair city searching for a fun evening out, look no further. The Empty Bottle in Chicago is a hot spot that screams live music, inexpensive drinks and fun social atmosphere. On any given night of the week, Empty Bottle invites it’s patrons to revel in the quirky basement like surroundings. As you wander into Empty Bottle and feel it’s true sense of community, noting that the Chicago music scene is filled with performing artists
(well known as well as novices) whom offer support to each other as well as mingling freely with their supporters. Empty Bottle’s socially accommodating layout allows for this phenomenon to continue to draw out the crowds. The main bar and stage area exist “sans seating”, encouraging folks to wander about, and also to stand by the stage , offering the bands the acknowledgment that their hard work deserves. If you’ve had enough of the rock and roll and would prefer to have bit of conversation with the music as more of an
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afterthought, pay a visit to the adjoining room that is completely separated from the bar and stage area. This living room of sorts hosts a pool table and old sofas, seducing the locals and visitors alike into lackadaisical lounge poses. Let’s get down to it. The main reason that you have found yourself in this gem of a Chicago hole in the wall rock venue, is just that, the ROCK. Music is primus at Empty Bottle. Independent Rock bands whom have paid their dues like Chicago’s own “Sea and Cake” and “Tomahawk” (side project of Mike Patton- singer of “Faith No More”, as well as local artists grace the stage nightly for your enjoyment. There is something about the smallness of Empty Bottle that gives you the feeling that these musicians are playing at your party, it’s intimate, not overblown. You are free to walk right up to your favorite artists and buy them a drink. Empty Bottle gets everyone together in that spirit of community and celebration that my sweet home Chicago is well known for. A rock show at this little bar that was opened to make music lovers squeal in delight, is one that can’t be beat by the monster ballrooms that overcharge for tickets and drinks. Tickets and drinks are always low in price at Empty Bottle. The bar is stocked with top shelf liquor, bottled beer, offers draft beer, wine by the glass and by the bottle. All of this at great low prices in comparison to other local music venues. Every major city in the U.S. is notorious for jacking their pricing through the roof. This greedy corporate scum
move may maximize profits for them, but minimizes your fun factors by emptying your wallet. The only thing that Empty Bottle wants to “empty” is the bottle. Making beverages affordable to it’s patrons has always been a priority of Empty Bottle. They have also been able to keep down the price of tickets, a tricky feat in this down sliding economy of ours, offering great shows and drinks to the public without the price hiking tactics that are affiliated with the big business, music venue scum of large cities. I believe that artists respect this about Empty Bottle and continue to include them as a stop on their tours far after they have achieved mainstream success. Located at corner of Western and Cortez at 1035 Western in Chicago, Empty Bottle is just 3 blocks south of Division Street and slightly north of Augusta. The venue is accessible by interstate, CTA bus, or any of Chicago’s great cab companies. The Local and guest of our great city like to ride their bikes up, saving money on gas as well as being environmentally intelligent. It’s easily reachable location by public transportation, bicycle and even on foot, for the townies, makes Empty Bottle not only a great night out, but also a safe night out. Seven nights a week, Empty Bottle has a happening scene that waits for the crowds of young and old hipsters. Music and merriment are an every evening occurrence when you find yourself at Chicago’s best hole in the wall venue, Empty Bottle. For those of us living here in the city, or suburbs, and for those of you passing through, Empty Bottle has a drink and a show waiting. Stop by! w w w . e m p t y b o t t l e . c o m
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What do you get if you put 3 Mancunians and 1 Canadian together? A band called Faker Junior and an amazing EP called “Need to Know” that’s what.
So, what do you “Need to Know” about this super-group? Here’s one for you: It took them about 6 months from starting the band to releasing their first EP! In fact, after meeting in December 2008, they were already in the recording studio with their four songs to record in the following February. They attribute this to the instant chemistry they found despite the fact they have all come from such different places geographically, musically and personally. When you listen to their music, you know it must be fate!
From the start, Faker Junior has amazed me. The four songs on the EP are “All We Need To Know”, “Bridge Burning”, “Coda” and “She Is The City”. I quickly loved these songs and each one has been my favorite at a different time for their own reason. The first thing you’ll notice when you listen to them is Ryan’s vocals, which are clear, steady and warm, and they allow you to pick up on the lyrics very quickly. Then you’ll hear the beautiful melodies emanating from the guitars played by John and Ryan, these are held together by a rhythm section that just blend in perfectly and dominate at the right time to give the tunes the necessary beat. Lee is Faker Junior’s drummer and Rick is on bass guitar. My first favorite song, and I will always love it, is CODA. It is such an original song, when you listen to it, you hear so many different things happening and I love the lyrics… “See I’ve got this sickness that guys like me are bound to get I didn’t ask you to bear me witness But don’t soon forget To say my name when I go Say it on the wind Let it blow to my home Say my name when I go Tell them where I’ve been
Let my family know” Coda has two definitions in the dictionary:
1 a: a concluding musical section that is formally distinct from the main structure b: a concluding part of a literary or dramatic work 2: something that serves to round out, conclude, or summarize and usually has its own interest When you listen to the song, I think you’ll see how this is all very clever. My other favorite song is “She is The City” and this is for it’s up-beat tune and catchy lyrics. When Ryan
told me what it’s actually about, that made me like it even more; it’s also one of his favorite songs off the EP. He said he likes “She Is The City” because….
“..it’s kind of about when I moved over to Manchester and starting gigging around the city; I noticed how incestuous the “scene” was in a way and how bands kinda seem to happily get stuck in a rut with what they’re doing. I know the same could be said for probably any city - but what I found unique about Manchester is that, because of its “rich musical history”, a lot of acts here seem to feel entitled to any sort of recognition. Like just being in (or from) Manchester qualifies them for a decent shot. And so they just stay in the same place waiting for something to happen, whilst doing very little for themselves. I also like All We Need To Know because I think it’s a nice piece of music - and, paraphrasing what I said to
introduce it at last night’s gig (while I was a bit tipsy) - “it’s about keeping your shit together when all the shit in your life turns to shit.” Something like that” Both Rick and Lee’s favorite is Bridge Burning: “My favourite song on the EP is Bridge Burning. It’s the oldest piece of music we have but when Ryan joined he breathed new life into it with the vocal and arrangement. The whole song is fluid and uplifting and I love the circular riff at the end. It’s a song that fits anywhere in the set and never get bored of playing it.” R i c k “For me it would be ‘bridge burning’ because it’s the first song we wrote and completed together as a band, that’s when I realised this was a good place to be.” Lee John, like me likes “Coda” for it’s unusual structure. He also loves the recording and production and can’t imagine improving it in anyway.
The CD was produced and mastered by Yves Altana and the band photo by John’s brother, other than that, everything else has been done by the band, even the artwork and graphics were done by Ryan. I always admire the true DIY bands.
I always wonder why bands pick their names, and I couldn’t figure this one out. They were obviously not “junior” to their craft and there’s nothing fake about them either. Lee’s answer when I asked him about why they picked “Faker Junior” as their band name made me laugh… “Faker junior does not mean anything to be honest. We had a get together at Rick’s house and discussed band names over a curry and
several bottles of wine. We liked the idea of having junior in the band name so just bounced ideas around and came up with it and all love it.” So, that is that. I was kind of expecting this revelating story I guess. Sometimes a name is just a name.
As I said earlier, I have been very impressed with how far these guys have come in such a short time. Where will they be in 5 years? Headlining Wembley Arena? Who knows…but for now, I’m interested in their plans for the next six months- I was hoping they had the US in mind, but the closest is a possible trip to do some gigs in Canada. Oh well maybe next year. They plan on writing more new songs, maybe doing some live recordings and they have a festival in Germany to play in October for Halloween! I’m sure if you live in Manchester or the surrounding area and check their myspace page you’ll see some live dates as well. Go and check them out! If you can’t see them live, visit their myspace and if you like them get their EP. Mine’s getting so many plays if it had been a cassette tape it would have been kaput by now. www.myspace.com/fakerjunior www.CDbaby.com/fakerjunior
Pay 2 Play Is NOT A Necessary Evil aka Create Your Own Gig! By Wicked D
Straight up, I loathe Pay 2 Play, Pay 4 Play, or any other name it goes by these days! Furthermore, I don’t have a lot of respect for bands that continue to let it exist. No matter what excuse you may have for doing so, Pay 2 Play Is NOT A Necessary Evil. NO! More exposure is not an excuse. I don’t care if you are buying your way to play on the same bill as Metallica or AC/DC, the return on your investment will not pay off! I can almost guarantee that very few of the thousands in attendance will remember who you are the next day, and even fewer will have even thought about purchasing any of your merchandise. Here’s an idea! Concentrate on smaller, paying crowds who really give a damn about your music. Personally, I would rather play a small bar in front of 10 or 20 people who have paid just to see me play or who have all bought a CD and/or T-Shirt, as opposed to playing in front of 1000’s of people who have no clue who I am. You just may walk out a couple hundred dollars ahead, instead of in the hole with no guarantee on your return. I have some success stories I would like to share with you. Hopefully, this will help you in your quest to end Pay To Play! Back in the early to mid 90s I was in an old school Heavy Metal band called Wicked Rage. We made our rounds through the Houston area club circuit, and like everyone else, we were lucky to make ends meet. Houston is a huge, spread out city with no central music district. Over 600 square miles, making it nearly twice as big as New York City, and almost as massive as Los Angeles and Chicago combined! Playing Houston was almost a tour within itself. A tour that rarely left much of a profit. And that was bypassing Pay 2 Play clubs. Getting to the point, our jam room was located in the center of a warehouse compound, secluded on all sides, except for a driveway. There were always loose pallets lying around, so one day we had a crazy idea. The owner of the compound gave us permission to build a stage with the pallets. We layered it with some plywood and carpet from the jam room. Checking with the local officials, we learned as long as we didn’t publicly advertise, we didn’t need a permit for an outdoor performance. Basically, it was going to be a word of mouth, back yard party, of sorts. We asked a few friends to kick in for a couple of kegs and to spread the word to friends, family & co-workers about a ‘Donation Only’ Wicked Rage concert. What happened next was truly amazing! The initial turnout of people we personally knew was staggering in itself, but as the night went on, it was clear we were onto something huge. Word of mouth had worked better than we could have ever imagined. Plus, the music traveled beyond the compound, attracting more Metal Heads who found their way in. I would periodically announce from the stage that this was a donation concert and to please consider dropping a few dollars into the bucket that was located next to the sexy babes serving up the brew. We took a break after about 10 songs so we could mingle with the crowd. I even took over keg duty for a while, thanking everyone that came within 10 feet of me. During the second set, the police showed up, asking us to tone it down, since it was after 10PM. They were really cool about it, hanging out to hear the last few songs of the night. Afterward, we thanked them as they stuck around to help direct traffic out of the compound.
How successful was this self made gig? We cleared over $600! Future compound gigs featured a ‘Merch Sale Cover Charge’, setting up a merch booth at the driveway entrance. Worked like a charm! Creating our own compound gigs netted the band an extra $800 – $1000 per month. Using the same basic principle as our mega-gig, we began to take over local clubs, one venue at a time. We weren’t looking at the “named” venues, nor were we interested in opening for a national act. We were going to take baby steps. Our plan was to approach a local bar/pub/ice house with the idea of a ‘Metal Night’. This would be a small venue that may not normally play host to original bands or may not have bands at all. We would convince the owner to let us do a trial run on any given night of the week. The first night would be a freebie. All we asked is that we be allowed to sell merchandise. Should it turn out to be a profitable night for the bar owner, we would then negotiate a return fee. This worked so well for ‘Bud’s Ice house’ (and it’s patrons) in South Houston that the owner, ‘Bud’, allowed us to set up permanently! He had a small stage constructed and told us we were welcome to use his bar as a jam room any time we wanted. We also made Bud’s a regular monthly stop, splitting the bar and selling merchandise. Many of the regulars were also more than happy to get out and promote Wicked Rage! With one bar down, we moved to the South East side to a little pub called O’Brian’s. Rumor had it that Matt (owner) didn’t like anything heavier than classic rock, so we took a different approach. A couple of the barmaids were fans of ours as well as a number of his patrons, but the kicker was the newly added DJ booth. I had Gretchen, my favorite waitress, slip the DJ one of the Wicked Rage demos. He announced that the vocalist (me) of the next song was in the house, then played the track. Matt took notice of the crowd reaction and Wicked Rage was booked! Quickly noticing a pattern, we began to create a spiral effect, adding a different bar almost weekly. With Bud’s as the center of the spiral, we slowly spread out farther & farther away from our home base of South Houston. Eventually hitting clubs on the Southwest, West, and Northwest sides, some 50+ miles away, maintaining an amazing crowd draw, due to word of mouth and great references from previous club owners. Oh yeah, my new DJ friend from O’Brian’s worked for a jukebox vendor. That’s right, the Wicked Rage CD mysteriously found itself onto several jukeboxes throughout the Houston area. Networking really does pay off, so make sure you greet and/or respond to everyone you come in contact with. Get to know club owners, agents, DJs, barkeeps, and waitresses personally, and get in the habit of saying “thank you”. That is a wicked kicker! Don’t forget to get your fans involved. Give them some freebies, mention some of them by name, and reward them for making you what you are. You’ve got to really want it and be willing to work for it. Learn from those who are doing it successfully. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Knowledge of the biz and what really works is a must. Be creative, be bold, but most of all, don’t be afraid to say NO to Pay 2 Play!
Don ‘Wicked D’ Harrison has been dubbed The Indie Metal Entrepreneur by his peers. He is a musician/ singer/songwriter, artist development consultant, publicist, music industry blogger, owner of Wicked D’s Network, and co-founder of Metal Music Promotions. www.networkordie.com www.metalmusicpromotions.com
OCTOBER’S BAND OF THE MONTH RAVEN X
Harmoniously blending together sounds of gothic, death, black and industrial metal comes, what I think is quite the ideal band for our October Band of the Month: Raven X. Well, how
first did
things you
first, meet?
Nÿx: We were actually together as a couple before starting anything together musically. We had many of the same tastes in music but we also introduced each other to other styles of music and bands. I mentioned to him that people had told me that I had a good
voice but that I never took it any further because I felt that they were just being nice. He insisted that I try singing some songs and that he would record them to really hear how they sounded. I was very intimidated because I have a very high respect of his opinions on music,but after hearing the results he asked me if I would be interested in putting a voice to his music.
Do your names NYX and KHAOS have a special meaning? Khâos: Both names are based in Greek mythology. Nyx was
the goddess of night and was a figure of exceptional power and beauty. Khaos was the origins of creation from the infinite void and expresses unpredictability. The names represent our individual personalities and music styles. I know you’re working on an album- when is your debut due to come out?
Nÿx: We are planning on finishing the debut CD by the end of the year and we are shooting for a release date of around Valentine’s Day.
I know you, Khåos, play guitar, who plays the drums on the tracks? Khâos: Originally the drums were to be played by the drummer that appears on our demo. After her departure from the band,we decided to scrap all recorded tracks and start again from scratch. Nÿx will be performing all of the vocals and I will be performing all of the music on the album.
What’s the general theme or themes of your songs? Nÿx : The themes in our music are mostly based in psychology. The lyrics are often about the dark and twisted thoughts people have and the emotions that follow. Some are based on my own personal feelings and thoughts. Who or main
what
are your influences?
Khâos: Ihsahn (Emperor,Peccatum) and Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree,Blackfield) are my biggest influences at this time. Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath have always been very inspiring to me as well. It’s really hard to narrow down my influences because I am really into all types of bands and styles of music.
Nÿx: Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy, Karyn Crisis, Bjork, Anneke van Giersbergen and Ihsahn are all influences on me vocally. Lately,I have also been listening to Jared Leto (30 seconds To Mars) and Julie Christmas (Made Out of Babies,Battle of Mice) a lot as
well. Khâos has to be my biggest influence musically. He is really the one who got me to believe in my ability to sing and create. You’re unsigned. Do you do everything yourselves, or do you have help with promotions, your myspace page, bookings etc?
Khâos: We basically do everything ourselves. We are recording and performing everything on the album ourselves and we also plan to release the album independently. We will be doing all merchandising ourselves with the first things to be available around the time of the release date for our album. We also maintain all of our web pages and do most online promotions,but we have been lucky to have people like Billy from Keep It Metal Promotions helping to get the word out about our band as well. Do you play live shows?
Nÿx: At this time we are not playing any live shows because our focus is on finishing our album and getting it released. After that we will begin searching for a bassist and drummer to complete the live lineup of Raven X. Who do you listen to when you’re just kicking back and relaxing?
Khâos: Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin are always great to kick back to. I also like to listen to Paatos, Sigur Ros and Star Of Ash.
Nÿx: I like to listen to Ihsahn’s “The Adversary”, Dimmu Borgir, Arch Enemy, Gojira, Peccatum, Led Zeppelin, 30 Seconds To Mars, Mazzy Star and Battle Of Mice. Some of these bands may not seem like music to kick back to but they are relaxing to me. Do you have any special plans for Halloween? Who or what do you like to dress up as?
Nÿx: We will possibly be attending a private party. If we do I will probably be dressed up like Baby from House of a 1,000 Corpses and Devil’s Rejects. She is pretty,but deadly. Khâos will likely be dressed as Otis from the same movies. Otis has some killer corpse paint in House of 1,000 Corpses. Evil, definitely evil. Khâos: My plans for Halloween are the same every year… worshipping Satan. :p
With 2009 almost over what are your plans for 2010? Khâos: We plan to release our debut album in early 2010 and promote it as much as possible. As Nÿx said, we will also begin to look for a bassist and drummer to complete the live lineup of Raven X and start doing shows to promote the album and help to get our music out to the public. w w w . m y s p a c e . com/ravenxonline
Los Angeles is a place that is said to eat people alive and spit them back out. At the same time, it is the city that many look at to launch their careers. Formerly of the land of Mardi Gras, Hydrovibe’s vocalist Heather St. Marie and guitarist Mat Dauzat are examples of people who have taken their hardened New Orleans persona to the City of Angels.
with a bit of a modern nu-metal-esque vibe, falling somewhere between Black Label Society and Disturbed. Offsetting the aggressive midtempo rhythm section are the strong, yet diligent vocals that remind of Ann Wilson with a slight nod to Stevie Nicks.
While Hydrovibe is still hard at work in building their profile from coast to coast, Dauzat has already gained some musical notoriety. Upon relocating to Los Angeles, he signed on as Kelly Osbourne’s guitarist for her Shut Up recording and tour. This opportunity not only landed him in front of television audiences via The Tonight Show and MadTV, but also enabled him to spread the word of his passion project, namely Hydrovibe. Throughout his stint with Ozzy Osbourne’s famous daughter, he continued to write for Hydrovibe with singer St. Marie. In 2006, drummer Phillipe Mathys, formerly of UPO, and bassist Eliot Lorango signed on to complete Hydrovibe. Upon release of their debut album Nothing Left To Lose, Hydrovibe was given their first major break as a slot on the Saw III soundtrack came calling. Through their connection
Thus far, Hydrovibe has begun to raise the consciousness of the rock world with their slot on METAL EDGE Magazine’s “ C o r p o r a te Punishment Tour”, as well as sharing a stage with rock luminaries such as Static-X, Soulfly and Black Stone Cherry. With a growing presence and a new album in tow, Hydrovibe is ready to take their show on the road.
By Argento1134 to the wildly popular horror franchise, their track Killer Inside was featured in the film, alongside a video featuring Saw film star Shawnee Smith. Currently, Hydrovibe is promoting their latest release, the aforementioned Nothing Left To Lose that is out now on Orleans Street Records. Tracked at Mad Dog Studios with Kevin Lamb and Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, In This Moment), Hydrovibe blends their southern roots