NEW ALBUM AVAILABLE NOW
MARTIN: It was different in the sense that we were more involved from start to finish. Our producing team RamPac did a fantastic job and were also very good at listening to our ideas and make them work. KCM: What is the next video for this album, have you decided on the song yet? MARTIN: We have a couple of ideas but nothing is really decided yet. We still believe Generation Wild works as a single and video. KCM: How did you come up with the concept for the album cover? PETER: The band sat down and drank a fair amount of beers trying to come up with a concept. A couple of hours later we had the idea and our friend Malena made the picture from our ideas and it turned out great!
Riding High with “Generation Wild” Originally our plans were to hop on a plane and join CRASHDIET for a great video interview, (but as it happens sometimes) our plans got squashed due to uncontrollable circumstances and the next best thing was to send the boys some questions….. Freshly back from Italy and Greece here’s what the boys had to say….. By: Agnieszka Wilde
KCM: What are some of your favorite songs to perform on this album? SIMON: I like all the songs but I really enjoy So Alive, Native Nature where I play harmonica on stage and also Rebel KCM: Who came up with the concept for the “Generation Wild” video? SIMON: It was something that was conceived by the director and the band together. KCM: How did it feel to be tortured by a “Girl-killer” in the video? SIMON: It was wonderful. The whole recording experience was a blast and even more so when we saw how good it all turned out. KCM: Was the recording process of this album different from the previous ones?
KCM: Did you have input of co-writing on this album? PETER: I don’t know if my being there had any effect on the writing but I did write the music and lyrics to Caught in despair but that never made it on to the album KCM: If you had a chance to be a Historical figure, who would you want to be and why? PETER: I would be Thore Skogman and write the song Pensionärsvisan KCM: What are some memorable moments from having just played Italy and Greece? ERIC: There too many to mention, but as always meeting the fans and feeling their support is something you always carry with you when going home. KCM: What would be the first thing you would do if you played the U.S.? ERIC: Start the concert intro? No seriously playing in the US is something we always wanted and hopefully it will happen on this album. Its hard to say though what the first thing I would do would be. KCM: What would you like to say to your fans in the countries that you have not played yet? ERIC: Thank you for still supporting us and we promise to come there as soon we have the right offer. Crashdïet wants to play everywhere
Special Thanks to Fredric who made this possible ( You totally Rock!) Simon, Martin, Peter and Eric Stort tack till dig! Vi älskar Crashdiet och du kommer alltid vara en del av vår Krashcity familj ... All of you are fantastic!! For the latest Crashdiet merch, News and “Generation Wild” CD go to www.Crashdiet.org or www.myspace.com/realcrashdiet
RENT THIS SPACE …… 212-613-5400
MT: I am an extremely dedicated and organized person when I am passionate about something, plus I have outstanding contacts in Helsinki (venues, street team, friends). In addition, the family artists are a pleasure to work with which makes my job much easier! Once we arrive in Helsinki, my Trash Staff is a dream team, so it is smooth sailing no matter what! KCM : Do you have a fun memory from the very first Trash Fest? MT: The most fun and heart warming memory is the Mama Trash All Star Band. Just think I hand selected Jyrki, Acey, Anzi, Hot Rod and Slim Pete to perform a song together. It brought tears to my eyes. To be honest, that is the most fun every year!
Interview with The First Lady Of TRASH FEST
Mama Trash‌. KCM : Who came up with the initial idea for Trash Fest? MT: I would have to give credit to Anzi Destruction! My first visit to Helsinki was in October 2007. He put together a show for me to give me the opportunity to see some of my clients perform live: Stereo Junks!, Sonic Roots, Gemini Five, Maryslim & Sexydeath. The event was so much fun and successful that we decided to do it again! When I returned home I discussed it with Jyrki who came up with the name, Trash Fest. KCM : How did you manage to pull it off, especially overseas?
KCM : How did it feel to be in a foreign country for a first time? MT: The first time I was in a foreign country was England in April 2005. I was on tour with Trashlight Vision and found it to be a very pleasant experience. A lot of people recognized me due to my relationship with the band, and I met Jyrki for the first time, the rest is history! KCM : Will you attempt to have something like Trash Fest in the U.S. perhaps for American artists? MT: I would love to have a Trash Fest or Trash Shows in the US, BUT the US is very different. I looked into it last year and the venues are not very welcoming, plus I only have one US Family Artist (I am working on changing that!) so the expense to bring bands over is out of this world. Many are ready to come, but until a venue approaches me and is willing to work out a fair deal, I have to put it on hold and focus on Europe.
Tin, Sammy, Jaako, Mike, Mortiis, Mikki…I tend to be closest friends with the singers for some strange reason here on earth so why not in the after life? KCM : If you were going on a trip and were only able to take two things, what would you take? MT: My IPOD and one of my cats…either Haley or Abby. They are around me all the time and I miss them most when I am not at home. KCM : Say a recording studio is on fire and you are among ten bands, who do you help escape first? KCM : Name one fave artist from each year of the Trash Fest?
MT: The singers! They need me most…the rest can fend for themselves!
MT: All the bands are amazing, but Mama always has a favorite! Trash Fest I: Private Line, Trash Fest II: Mortiis, Trash Fest III: Lord Of The Lost
KCM : Which alcoholic drink would describe you best?
KCM : What are some future plans for Mama Trash? To expand the “Mama Trash” brand.
KCM : Please fill in the blanks: being reserved _____ and being impulsive______?
MT: I will continue to hold Trash Fest in Helsinki each Spring, but hope to be branching out to offer “Trash Tours” and “Mama Trash Promotions Presents” shows in the very near future. Stay tuned! KCM : Who would you want to hang out with in the after life? MT: That is a tough question! First of all, let me say I am not the easiest person to get along with and I am very fickle, so it would take an amazing person to make my list. That being said: Mama Superior Trash (my mom), Acey Slade, Bren & Ren (my twins) Cat Casino (he is hysterical to be around!) and of course I would love to say Jyrki for eye candy, but only for short visits. Actually, most of the singers from the Family Artists would be awesome to hang out with in the after life for different reasons: Anzi, Jaani, Chris, AJ, Victor, Ben,
MT: Strawberry margarita! Sweet, but sassy!
MT: SUCKS / ROCKS KCM : Which flavor are you: Fudge-o-nuta-licious, Vanill-o-freeze-a-sinki, or Band-oblend-a- berrymama? MT: Vanill-o-freeze-a-sinski! Vanilla goes down smooth, I love frozen drinks and it sounds like Helsinki! KCM : If you were looking through an hourglass, how would you say your life has changed now as oppose to ten years ago?
MT: Believe it or not, ten years ago I was an Assistant Vice President at one of the largest credit card companies in the world and when I wasn’t working or spending time with my family I was a couch potato! Fast forward to 2004 when I met Acey Slade and my life changed dramatically! Since then I am a completely different person, I have traveled all over the world, have my own promotions company and hold an annual festival in Finland!
KCM : Embrace us with some Mama Trash words of wisdom? When I started this venture I started it because of my love of music and my passion to help artists in a very difficult industry. It is an exciting job, but there are many negative sides to it as well. It definitely takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears. There are always going to be jealous people that want you to fail or think they can do it better, you can’t trust ANYONE in the music industry, there are disappointments when you least expect them from people you never thought would hurt you, it is almost impossible to make a living out of your hard work and some of the guys are the biggest Divas on the planet! All that being said, when I stand in the audience at Trash Fest and see Family Artists perform to a thrilled crowd of fans from all over the world, I see that I DO make a difference and that makes me happy.
BF: They were all good in their own ways but I guess if I had to pick one, for Kix it was The Great White / Tesla tour in 1989. We did a tour of outdoor amphitheaters. They were nice size venues and we were right on the verge of breaking through just before "Don't Close Your Eye's" was released. For Rhino Bucket it would have to be our latest European tour this past January and February. We had never been there before so just being there and seeing all those countries (eleven in all) was one thing and then to have it turn out to be successful on top of it... it was amazing! Interview With KIX / Rhino Bucket’s SIX STRING SLINGER……
Mr. BRIAN FORSYTHE By Agnieszka Wilde
KCM : Brian how do you manage playing in five bands and be a veterinary assistant? BF: At the moment I really only play in two bands Kix & Rhino Bucket. I'll do an occasional blues gig, maybe once a year with the Purple Gang. I only work four days a week at the veterinary clinic and take a lot of time off to tour. I'm lucky to have such a forgiving job! KCM: You must have a non-existent personal life? BF: It just seems like I'm busy but I still have time for a life. KCM : So far how has it been playing with Rhino Bucket and Kix? BF: Up until last year the two bands paths didn't really cross that often. But things have picked up for both Kix and Rhino Bucket in the past year or so. So now it's more of a challenge trying to book around each other. KCM : Looking back through all your band History what was your favorite tour and why?
KCM : Have you played with people you idolize? BF: Yeah Kix opened for Aerosmith a few times back in the early '80s, the Joe Perry Project and one of my biggest influences ZZ Top. Billy Gibbons is a huge influence on my guitar style. Were you asking opened for or actually played with? (Played With, but we get what your saying) KCM : What keeps you going in the somewhat disappointing music business? BF: The Music of course! I love playing music! The business is sometimes disappointing but never the music.
KCM : Tell us a little bit about the Snake handlers? How did you get involved with them?
when Hammerjack's closed. I never had the chance to play CBGB's. KCM: Who are some of your favorite current bands? BF: Airbourne is my current favorite. I don't listen to too many new bands. A few years ago Jet and Kings Of Leon crossed my path but only for a short time and then I lost interest. Is Jet still around? (As far as we know yes they are Brian)
BF: Reeve and I somehow hooked up with Bryson Jones back in the mid-'90s and played together in a southern rock band called Trouble Walking' but that kind of fell apart partly because of my excessive drug use at the time. Later after I cleaned up, Bryson put together The Snakehandlers. Reeve and I were asked to join. The Snakehandlers was a great band but very dysfunctional. There was a lack of communication and a loss of direction that eventually caused it to fall apart. Great musicians though and great songs. I would describe it as high-energy country with blazing guitars! If you check out my myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/brianforsythe) I have a Snakehandlers song on there called "Something In The Water". It was one of our more laid back songs but I always felt it was a hit song that nobody knew about. KCM : How different is it living on the west coast as oppose to the east coast? BF: It's a lot different. For one thing it's a lot warmer in the winter! There are a lot more opportunities as far as music goes out here. In addition to the band stuff and the veterinary clinic I also get together twice a week with this guy I know who owns a recording studio to work on sound track music for TV and films. KCM: What was your reaction when you first heard that CBGB’s was closing? BF : It's always sad when a legendary place closes its doors but I think I was more affected
KCM: Please fill in the blanks: Sometimes touring is a bitch but I keep going because----. BF: What else is there? KCM: If I only knew then what I know now about-----------My life would have taken a different turn. BF: Taking care of myself mentally, physically and financially KCM: Is Lichtenstein a: Band, clothing designer or a country? BF: It's either a country or an artist. KCM: What inspires you in life to be a better person? BF: Well it used to be drugs but now it's sobriety! KCM: Please finish this nursery rhyme in your own words‌Little Robin Red breast sat
upon a tree, Up went pussy cat and down went he; Down came pussy, and away Robin ran;---------------------BF: Like a black man running from the Ku Klux Klan.
Sorry that's the best I could come up with. All Photos Courtesy of Mr. Forsythe Photos taken by: Jay West Photography & Marcy J Royce
WHAT’S IN YOUR IPOD ?
Junkie Dildoz Welcome To The Porn Nation By: Tommy Z
Junkie Dildoz are raw rock and roll at its finest. Their album, Welcome To The Porn Nation, combines impressive guitar work with raw vocals to make for an exciting mix of eight songs. If the listener can tolerate the extremely raspy vocals, then they will like this album. The first few songs, particularly tracks 1 and 3, are enjoyable; however, sound a bit similar to each other. In a search for differentiation, tracks 5 and 6 really stand out. Track 5, “Sometimes She Dies”, shows more vocal range than previous
songs, which was a welcome addition to the album. Track 6, “You Wring My Heart Apart” is a slower song that again shows more vocals than we are used to. There is even a little synth included in this track. Though a short eight songs, Junkie Dildoz have a great album here, made for the fan of hardcore rock. They even threw in a cover of the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy In The U.K.” which should definitely be checked out. Check Out: “Welcome To The Porn Nation”, “It Ain’t Easy Baby”, “Sometimes She Dies”, “You Wring My Heart Apart”, “Anarchy In The U.K.”
play on MEDUSA's album 'Can't Fucking Win'. Upon the first few moments of 'You're so lucid' you hear a throw back to 90's alt rock musically. When Julian kicks in with vocals it's more of an old school rock n roll vibe added to it. They stay within that sound throughout the CD. A few tracks have a different sound in the opening of the songs but go back the rock n roll/90's alt rock mix. I'm not personally a fan of mumbling vocals and music that doesn't seem to fit with them. Rating: 2 out of 5
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Sonic Roots Kill Street Blues By: Tommy Z
MEDUSA Can’t Fucking Win
By : Julie Creep I didn't know what to expect when I first hit
Sonic Roots – Kill Street Blues Finland native band Sonic Roots released their first album earlier this year, named Kill Street Blues. Not only is the album fantastic for a debut, it just plain rocks hard.
Guitar is heavy from the start, and the raw vocals from Henry Lee Roots burst onto the scene with the album’s first track, “Pharaohs Don’t Sleep Tonight.” The second song, “Sound Of My Mind,” is arguably the best on the record. Blended perfectly with the first, the guitar work in this song is catchy and impressive. The record continues in much the same fashion until the fifth song, “Poison Wine.” A slower song for most of it, this song is a nice change-up that speeds up again at the end. Next is “Obscene Medicine,” another strong track. “Trashy Morning” closes out the album as one of the best songs. The hard rock never stops flowing on this record, and punk rock influences make noise on some of the songs as well. A must listen for someone craving raw rock and roll. Check Out: Sound Of My Mind, Poison Wine, Obscene Medicine, Junkie Girl, Trashy Morning
Rating: 4 out of 5
ASTRONAUT ACADEMY
Self Titled By: Susan Marchese
This is an 11 track CD. The band hails from California with Jeff Dunham on vocals. Jeff's strong voice goes up and down throughout the CD. The band shows multiple flavors on this CD also. Their style integrates rock with glam, some punk, psychedelic and Goth. Tuesday Afternoon sounds psychedelic with cool trippy guitar riffs and lyrics. The track Too Hot In The Desert is the most likeable tune on the CD. This is straight up Glam ala Poison or Motley Crue. Easy to sing along with lyrics "it's getting hot in the dessert" This song is catchy and stuck with me more than any other track. Aly is the best tune musically on the CD. Its a sad song about a loss of a girl complete with emo lyrics about suicide. Slippin Away has excellent guitar riffs, also with very sad lyrics. Monkeyman 956 is straight out of Hot Topic. Enough said. Mayday is punk/alternative. The vocals sound really cool almost haunting on this track, totally listenable. Haley is super emo. "Haley - I'm not angry".....over and over.... I didn't love this CD as a whole. I think they are a talented band but they dabble in too many genres
and maybe should focus on the glam rock sound that they do so well. Check out for yourself . Rating 3 out of 5
STACI COLLINS The Lucky Spot By: Paulina Stasicka
Staci Collins is an artist of which Nashville dreams are made of and every cowboy goes crazy over. With her Country, Blues and Southern Rock Flare you can smell the cows from miles away. After having a few beers in a club I could see myself square Dancing a few rounds while twirling my cowboy hat a few times, but if I had to sit home and listen to her without having a few beers I don’t think I could take it, it’s not my cup of tea, but I’m sure that any Dolly Pardon Fan would go nuts for this chick. Rating 3 Out Of 5
DOMMIN Love Is Gone By: Felicia Rose
If you're a fan of rock, mixed with goth and a little jive along with subjects of romance and heartbreak, then “Love is Gone,” by California based Dommin is the band, album for you. I first heard Dommin last fall, they were right up my alley and on top of that doing a great version of one of my favorite songs from the 80’s “(I Just) Died in your Arms Tonight” (recorded by Cutting Crew, released in 1986), I was sold! The album “Love is Gone” is an everyday listen, the whole album is fantastic, starting off with the lead single, “My Heart, Your Hands.” Singer, guitarist Kristopher Dommin’s voice is sensual, dark and passionate when he spews out the lyrics in each song on the album. Track six, Dark Holiday, mixes rock with a couple jive grooves, one of the main reasons it’s my favorite song on the album.
The song “Remember” is just beautiful… It’s just pianist Konstantine and Kris, so it is more of a slower song, but very heartfelt and listening to Kris sing that one, you can hear it. There are unnecessary tracks like the instrumentals on there, which leads/intros to another song, like “Event Hallow” into the song “Tonight” and there are a couple more like that as well… But other than that, I can’t say that I have objections to this album, that if I had to pick a top five by the end of the year, “Love is Gone” would be one of the five! Songs to Listen to – My Heart, Your Hands, New, Tonight, Dark Holiday, Without End, One Feeling, I Still Lost, Remember, Heaven Sake, (I Just) Died in your Arms Tonight, Awake (the last two are on the digital version of the album)
Lola’s Theme By: Julie Creep
The first track on SUBWAY's 'Lola's Themes' is a cover of Sunglasses at night. It's a refreshing spin on the 80's classic. I caught myself bobbing along to My Life and singing with the chorus. 'Lola's Themes' has plenty of fast, loud songs that make you wanna drive fast as well as a few ballads. Every rock band needs a good ballad in my opinion and I'm a fan of SUBWAY's Old Photographs. SUBWAY is a heavier sound than what I usually listen to. Rating 4 Out of 5
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
KREEP Lead Us Not By: Paulina Stasicka
SUBWAY
This band is unique as it’s members hail from such places as Nevada,
California and Salem Oregon. I dig this band a lot and I strongly recommend them, to me it’s sounds like they derive from groove metal and the first band I could compare them best to is Sepultura. Their songs have plenty of high energy, melodies and drive. I’m sold. Rating 4 Out Of 5
The Erotics Today The Devil, Tomorrow The world By: Felicia Rose
Listening to the Erotics for the past, five or so years, sometimes a fan of the band would get familiar with their songs. But songs on the albums, “All that Glitters is Dead” and “30 Seconds Over You” don’t even come close in comparison of what is on the album that is still yet to be released… Yes people, the album is NOT out yet, but I must say, the band is about to release one, anger driven, wrathful, “fuck you”… incredible album! It’s one of those, I guess, “murdering your enemy while listening to this album” album. On “Today the Devil, Tomorrow the World,” a majority of the songs are based on vengeance, revenge and hate towards their enemies, shit-talkers and anyone who have basically done them wrong. From the moment I heard the first song released from this album which happens to be the title track, I just somewhat knew before even hearing the whole album that this one was going to be different than their previous releases. Any person listening to it would be in such fear to be the target or the reason for any given song on this album; I guess when the band was in the writing process of the album, instead of painful physical violence, they
chose verbal hatred therapy, the only legal way of getting revenge on those they despise. The title track “Today the Devil, Tomorrow the World,” just has an evil, creepy, eerie feel to it, making a deal with the Devil, him/herself. But the album begins with “Blast Off,” I guess a cleaner was of saying fuck off. The song “Anything” is pretty much selfexplanatory when you hear the lyrics in that one, “I’ll fuck anything just to fuck you”… Need I say more? So far right now, my favorite has to be track #2, “She Sucks the Life.” But to shed a little light, the band does get a bit “sentimental” with the final song, “I Feel Nothing,” which to be honest; I’ve never heard anything like this song come out of the Erotics before! It was just like, “WHAT!?” But in a good way, it’s a beautiful song, just more of a shocker. Songs to listen to – All I will say, and this is just me, when it comes out, it’s definitely worth checking out, don’t want to spoil it for anyone. ;-) Rating 5 out of 5
www.amiestreet.com
SLASH SLASH By: Susan Marchese This is the much awaited solo album from Slash, who has a long and prolific guitar playing history. His main claim to fame was being the guitarist for Guns N Roses in the 90's. He also played with Velvet Revolver and many other musicians throughout the years. (Michael Jackson to Rihanna to name a few) Everything he touches turns to Rock-N-Roll as far as pop music goes. This album is a collaboration of Slash with many of his talented friends. The track “Ghost” is classic 70's metal. The vocals are reminiscent of the old concert days and waving the lighters. “Crucify The Dead” featuring vocals by Ozzy Osbourne is a great tune, it displays Slash's amazing guitar skills. This combination makes this track a great listen. “Beautiful Dangerous” with the vocals by Fergie is the best tune on the album. This also shows how talented she is vocally. She really should sing more rock tunes. The vocals really make this song a summer anthem that should definitely be played on the radio. The guitar solo on this
track is also really intricate and tasty. “We're All Gonna Die” featuring Iggy Pop is a great tune. “We're all gonna die - so let's get high”. This is about just having a great time. It's pretty clear that Slash had a great time on this entire album. The track “Mother Maria” was actually donated as part of a charity collaboration with Linkin Park's (Music For Haiti Relief). The intro guitar and vocals by Myles Kennedy on “Starlight” are emotion packed and this song could easily be played on the radio. This song breaks away from the rest of the album by being a ballad/love song with really strong vocals. There is a cool guitar solo here as well. Once again it just shows how talented Slash is. Myles Kennedy is part of Slash's band and they are definitely a great match. “Slash is definitely one of the world's best guitar players today, hands down”. I hope this album gets some exposure as I am sure it will open up Slash to another legion of fans. If you get a chance, check out Starlight, Beautiful Dangerous and Crucify the Dead. Actually, check out the whole album. It's worth a listen for sure.
The Lust Boys LUST By: Paulina Stasicka
I’m a huge fan of good music and I just listened to the Lust Boys who hail from British Columbia, Canada….Musically the band is good( but nothing I have not heard before) and I definitely hear a bit a the 80’s in the guitar playing. The only two songs that stand out in my mind are “Bring me 2 My Kneez” and “Lady Cadaver” although in my opinion the lyrics in that song need much improvement. With that being said this band has potential as long as they are willing to develop their own musical style, I don’t feel they have that at all. Rated 3 out of 5
Rating 4 out of 5
www.garageband.com www.cdbaby.com
project that I wrote the song for, but yes, that was inspired by the title of the movie. KCM: What are some of your favorite songs to perform live? MM : Nothin’s Alright, Hammersmith Palais, Dead, Jail Or Rock’n’Roll, Dysfunctional, I Wanna Be Loved, to name a few.
MICHAEL MONROE By: Agnieszka Wilde
KCM : How did you manage to find such phenomenal musicians for this project? MM : I’m just lucky enough to know some great people who like me as well. KCM : Will you end up recording an album with this line up? MM : That’s the plan. KCM : How has it been playing the States so far? MM : It’s been great! I love American audiences. KCM: After so many years in this business, what keeps you still going? MM : My love for Rock’n’Roll and me wanting to keep getting better at what I do. KCM: Were you inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean for the video of “Pirates of the Baltic Sea”? MM : Jussi 69 and Jyrki 69 had that name for the Baltic Sea
KCM: Who is one of your Idols? MM : Little Richard KCM: In your opinion how different is the music business now as opposed to 20 years ago? MM : Well, records don’t sell that much anymore, but other than that it hasn’t changed that much for me.
MM : Walking and checking out the scenery. KCM: What are some of your bad habits that fans don’t know about? MM : I only have good habits. KCM: If you were a fan looking in, how would you describe Michael Monroe ten years ago and now? KCM: As someone who has maintained his integrity and never sold out. MM : I love my current band and would rather concentrate on this life now. KCM: What are some of the memorable moments from this tour so far?
KCM: What do you think about the whole “Glam Band” thing still going on in Scandinavia? MM : I really haven’t taken much notice of it, so I don’t have much of an opinion on it either. KCM: Do you think Glam will come back to the States? MM : I have no idea. And I don’t think it has much bearing on me as I really don’t feel that much a part of it.
MM : Playing great shows and enjoying hanging with the guys in the band.
MM : The smell of the streets.
KCM: Would you say that you are: Smooth like vermouth, wicked like tequila or burning Hot like Jack Daniels?
KCM: What’s the one thing you love to do once in New York?
MM : I don’t drink alcohol, so it’s your call.
11. What is your favorite thing about New York City?
KCM : What are some of the current Rock Roll bands that you like? MM : Warrior Soul, Foo Fighters, Alice Cooper and Cheap Trick are still great… KCM : Let’s rewind back a little bit, and let me ask you” How was it working with Johnny Thunders on his ”Que Sera,Sera” album? KCM: Which TV show would best describe your life? MM : There’s no such show. My life might be a bit too surreal for TV. KCM: If you met God what would you tell him? MM : Thanks for all the help and good things in life. (Here are a few questions from my friend a Spanish artist called “Star Mafia Boy” from a band called “Guitar Mafia” who idolizes you) KCM: Are you aware of the tremendous influence that you have on musicians from around the world, and are you aware of the amazing talent you posses? MM : Thank you. It’s always a positive surprise and flattering to hear about my influence on others. I’m aware that I’m pretty good at what I do; I just keep trying to get better.
MM : It was great when there was just Johnny and me plus the engineers, but at times when the control room was full of liggers and hangers on, it wasn’t so much fun. KCM : Would you say now that working with Johnny was a defining moment in your life? MM : Let’s just say I feel quite proud of having worked with him and I have a lot of fond memories of those times. KCM : What advice do you have for up and coming musicians who are struggling to make it?
MM : Stay true to yourself and don’t compromise your integrity. KCM :. What can fans expect from this current Michael Monroe live show? MM : A great band with high energy Rock’n’Roll, really good entertainment. “Thank you, see you in New York!” Michael Monroe
New York City’s Own…
Six String Outlaw STEVE CONTE
KCM: Steve, when did you know you wanted to be a musician? SC: As cliché as it sounds, I knew it
when I got into The Beatles as a kid. My parents played jazz & classical records when I was little but once I started listening to the radio and hearing rock & roll, I got hooked. I started as a drummer and soon after started writing songs on my brother‟s guitar. It was all just fun because I was 10 years old but the obsession grew and soon it was my whole world - my life raft. KCM: Who are some of your Idols? SC: Tom Waits, Iggy, Keith, Chuck
Berry, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Muddy, Wolf, Coltrane, Bird. KCM: Between The Crazy Truth, Mike Monroe and The N.Y. Dolls how did you manage to stay balanced and focused? SC: It ain‟t easy!! I have to keep a lot Photo By: Alan Rand
Ridin’ high from New York Dolls, Michael Monroe and The Crazy Truth, Steve Conte moves around like a speeding bullet…Most musicians would die to perform with all the musicians Steve had played with and continues climbing that musical ladder, in hopes that one day he’ll hit his mark by having a hit record. Read on to find out about the complexities and Joys of being well somewhat of a Rockstar… By Agnieszka Wilde
of different music in my head. I usually start listening to whatever music I am doing next in my I pod a few days before the gig. KCM: Is there a show that you played which stands out in your mind for a particular reason? SC: Chuck Berry, 1988 @ The
Meadowlands. He was my childhood hero and the first guitarist I ever copied. When he gave me the solo on Johnny B. Goode. I was in heaven.
KCM: Besides producing your own band, would you consider producing some local bands? SC: Absolutely! If they have good songs
and can play. Producing is one of my favorite things that I do for a living!!
KCM: Which current bands do you like?
Steve Conte & The Crazy Truth http://steveconteandthecrazytruth.com
SC: Not many. They mostly tend to sound
alike. The Hold Steady are pretty good though.
KCM: What’s the one thing that you want but have not achieved yet? SC: A HIT RECORD! Hahaha… KCM: What’s your favorite place in the world?
KCM: If you could share some of your wisdom with up and coming bands, what would you tell them? SC: Develop as many talents as you
can; play, sing, write, perform, present yourself well and check your ego. Also, have a good lawyer.
SC: I love so many places…but I‟d have to
say New York City. I do love Sevilla, Amsterdam, Marrakech, and any city in Italy!
KCM: What was it like working with the great Willy Deville? SC: It was the best and worst tour of my
life…but an experience I wouldn‟t trade for anything. Willy was a very talented, complex and sometimes difficult man. But when he was “on” there was nobody better; he was full of heart, soul, passion and always on the edge. Willy wasn‟t really forthcoming with kind words but after one show where I followed him on bunch of songs I never even heard before he told me I was “A hell of a guitar player”.
Steve Conte & The Crazy Truth KCM: Please fill in the blanks: Italian Girls-----------but New York Girls-----SC: Italian Girls COOK but New York
Girls ROCK.
KCM: If I were standing next to ---------I would tell them---------.
SC: If I were standing next to Hendrix I
would tell him Thank You for coming to earth
KCM: I was born to be in the spotlight because-------but I don’t always like to----SC: I was born to be in the spotlight
because There‟s nothing else I do better but I don‟t always like to talk onstage. KCM: How did you come up with the concept for your “Gypsy Cab” video? SC: The song dictated it, I really didn‟t do
anything except imagine what the song would look like if it were a video. I told my concept to director Dana “distortion” Yavin and she knew how to get what I was after and make it look right. I wanted the look of old NYC; early „70s French Connection/Shaft vibe, black & white, gritty, sleazy, etc. KCM: If I could change---------I would do it – SC: If I could change a million dollar bill-I
would do it in 20s.
Live at Bowery Electric NYC Photo By: Alan Rand
TRASH FEST 3 2010 Mama Trash Family Artists were asked the following questions… "How do you feel about Trash Fest?" "What makes Trash Fest such a different experience compared to other festivals?"
together and share the experience, mama has created an awesome family of bands and friends. There is a real sense of community, a place we can all go to enjoy great music and Party!!”
“Trash Fest is amazing the atmosphere is electric, where other festivals are lacking Trash Fest delivers everything, good location, great bands, awesome friends, all in one amazing festival!! All Thanks to Mama Trash, we all owe her a great debt of gratitude.”
Chris Harms/Lord Of The Lost Davey Messiah/New Generation Superstars United Kingdom: “Trash Fest is an amazing opportunity for us to reach a whole new audience who love great music and wanna get
Germany: “It's like Christmas, only better! The whole family is together.” “It really feels like coming home and like having a good time with friends. No competition, no envy, no false pride.”
Jussi 69/The 69 Eyes Finland: “Trash Fest rocks like fuck! It is a really cool, huge party with all these cool bands and what makes it really special is that there´s no way you could get to see such a big, diverse bill of upcoming great rock´n´roll acts anywhere else! I had so much fun hanging out Trash Fest 08 with my brothers Acey Slade, Skinny from Deathstars and Gemini 5... Can´t wait for the next one!”
Ryan Slade/Crystal Rain Mortiis/Mortiis Finland: Norway: “Having played it once, we love it. Jo puts a very personal touch to it. She is actually human, as opposed to other festivals where it’s kinda like "get in, play, get the fuck out" It’s cool to see Jo run around trying to please everyone, makes us all warm and fuzzy :-D”
“I also think it’s cool she put the festival in Finland, which, on a personal level, has always been a very cool country to us... I know TF may be expanding beyond Finland, but at least I thought it was very cool that it has its roots there.”
“We love Trash Fest, it's our new fave festival J” “TF is all about the trash family, and all the people who participate will be part of that family throughout the fest... in no other happening have I seen such a bonding and positivity in the air... for real:) <3”
Jaakko Turunen/Spiritraiser Finland
“Trash Fest is to me, what rock n roll is all about in the first place. The music business is full of competition especially now that there are a dozen singing/band competitions where the artists are stripped from all originality. I know. We have participated in some with Spiritraiser, and it has been a great experience. Even though we've been successful, it still leaves a bad taste. But you live and learn. Music is not competition. Concerts should not be competitions or just a procedure to market an album. They should be more. They should be gatherings, where people can together experience something larger than life, that’s how the Trash Fest was to us. J” “It has this tight family feeling in it. Maybe because Jo is Italian. She takes care of all the artists like they were her children and every artist respects her and each other. It's like a band of brothers on a band camp ;-)”
Ben Christo/Night By Night
“TF is an absolute familiar festival, a place to meet all the bands you know of different single shows, tours or festivals all over the globe and you can meet all them in one place in one weekend and party with your friends till you collapse.”
“Basically the fact we all know each other, there's a family and friend feeling all the time, it's like going out with your party animal friend! I have all my best musician memories connected to Trash Fest! Can't wait for the next edition!”
Darin Yevonde/Dope Stars Inc.
Mike Divine/Violent Divine
Italy
Sweden
“I feel like I’m in a big family, something like a huge music celebration day happens every year. It is a great occasion for playing and having fun with musicians & friends. It is really rare to find something like that. Mama created something in a new concept of basic festivals. In my point it's really a unique situation =)”
“To me Trash Fest is a family reunion of bands, fans and friends.”
UK “It's an inimitable and truly unique event!” “There's a real sense of community - it's ONE event, not separate bands on the same bill. The audience was also very receptive to acts they've not seen before - as they were to us!”
Mikki Chixx/Stoneman Switzerland “Sad we could not manage to be part this year!”
“I think Trash Fest is personal in a way other festivals are not. Its passion and devotion to the music and the fans – totally a different attitude from most more "commercialized" festivals. Trash Fest matters to me personally.”
Neon Synthesis Italy
Anzi Destruction/Stereo Junks Finland “Good every year tradition which brings good people together.” “There are not too many festivals that concentrate on this kind of music and crazy mama is organizing the festival all the way for us J that makes it different. I really hope long life for this festival and also that more and more people would find this special happening!”
“Trash Fest was great! It was the right place for us. Everything matched perfectly our style and musical approach. We've never been in Finland before, so we felt a lot of curiosity and interest around us, and we were more that glad to show everyone what Neon Synthesis is made of! We were quickly able to capture the audience's attention. They rewarded us with a great feedback. And, aside from the fun we had on stage, Trash Fest has also been a nice opportunity to get more visibility, thanks to a thorough and professional promotional work by Mama Trash and her staff.” “We completely loved our experience in Helsinki. We sensed a very good atmosphere, because everyone was simply enjoying the nights at Gloria or Nosturi, not caring about set list schedules or band rivalries. It is not so common to see bands mixing with the audience,
drinking at the venue bar, hanging out with guys from other bands, sharing time and fun with the Festival organizers and promoters. So we thank those who made this possible and send our best wishes for the future events!”
Baby Jane Sweden “Trash Fest is an awesome event! The people and the atmosphere - great! It's like a big family reunion and what a crazy family!” “It's hosted by Americans
in Finland - west meets east! It's like a cheeseburger you have left in the fridge to eat the day after – it feels a little bit awkward but it's so fuckin good!”
KCM: What inspires you to write songs? JO: Everything: my friends, my girlfriends, ha ha, a good concert, a good hangover. I don’t wait for things to happen I sit in front of a blank page and I start remembering experiences, my favorite subject to write about is make fun of myself, that way nobody else can do it. KCM: You’re a writer, performer and producer. Is it hard to balance all three?
Inside The World Of ………….
Juan Olmos By: Agnieszka Wilde It’s hard to find someone like Juan Olmos these days, but we found him all the way in Madrid Spain. He comes off as a happy go lucky guy. He loves Music, performing, producing and his importance for good friends and siestas is inspiring. He plays gigs with his band Antigua to hundreds of crazed girls and knows how to kick back and chill out with a big smile…What better way to find out who he truly is then through an interview?
JO: No. As a matter of fact I need to do it. I try to learn and enjoy each moment. I lose myself in Rock and roll; I do not care how and with whom I make rock and roll. KCM: Which aspect do you enjoy most as an artist? JO: Singing on stage it s my passion… but making arrangements, producing or composing for other artists pushes me to think, to move my ass and to look for new options. KCM: Would you be happiest performing as a solo artist or with your band Antigua? JO: Singing live with Antigua, that’s the most exciting feeling I will ever have.
Juan muchas gracias por hablar con nosotros ... Nos encanta su energía positiva y ganas de vivir y están más que encantados de incluir en nuestra familia Krashcity ... y como decimos aquí “ Johnny do things You Fuckin’ Rock!!” KCM: Your music reflects a big variety of artists, who are some of your influence JO: Mafia Boy and Javier Mira from my country, it is not easy to explain having your idols as your friends, as they teach you Rock and roll with each sip of beer… David Coverdale, Jeff Buckley, Robert Plant, David Lee Roth, Paul Rodgers, etc.
Sir Juan Olmos in his studio in Madrid
KCM: What do you think of the music industry today? JO: I always try to get the best of each situation. So, in the shit we are now, we have to look forward for new adventures, people with dreams who propose things and we have to push ahead anyway. I think we have to play, does not have to be important whether we make less or more money, what is important is to get to the people. Work hard, present a new serious projects and try to not lose money or friends.
home. I worked in the studio and when I had the opportunity I jumped into the adventure which carries on today. KCM: How did you know you were ready to produce, and how would you describe the process? JO. I think this is something natural in my personality. One good day your opinion is important and you show optimum results. I try to make the band and the artist to feel that their stuff does not change. I have to have good taste and be decided in crucial moments.
KCM: Have you played outside of Spain? JO: Fuck I would love to do it… I never had the opportunity. KCM: How have you changed as an artist in the last ten years? JO: Well, I met a lot of people and I have a lot of friends. It is obvious that if the work is well done, at least you have more recognition. From the professional point of view, the strength now it’s having a recording studio and producing projects of artists I like. KCM: What are some bands that you like and would like to see play Spain? JO: Oh! Kiss, Badlands, Thunder, Hanoi Rocks, Asia, Dogs D’amour, Guitar Mafia, Jimi Hendrix, Grand Funk railroad…ha ha ha and more and more.
KCM: What is the one thing that no one knows about Juan Olmos? JO: Ha ha ha, nothing I am a clear guy, hard worker, party animal and proud of my friends. KCM: What alcoholic beverage would best describe you and why? JO: Good question… I’m a fresh and energetic morning beer, aged and wise cognac in the afternoon and sweet keen rum at night. KCM: If you were in a Bavarian castle and the ghost of Hitler appeared before you, what would you ask him? JO: Do you still kill and destroy existence in the after life? You scoundrel.
KCM: At what point in your musical career did you decide that it was time to open your own recording studio? JO: I always recorded. I use to record my songs and I did it for my friends. I started using an ATARI and a 4 track cassette recorder…good times… I did that at home. Later, when I saw that I was doing a good job, I got a better computer and recorded the drums in studio the rest of the song at
Juan Takes Flight
KCM: If you had a chance to trade your life for one day who would it be with: Tony Montana from Scarface, James Bond or Arnold Swartznegger from Terminator? JO: I’m sorry... I stay with Edward Norton. KCM: Your voice is unique and it has a bit of a theatrical drama in it, would you ever consider performing for musical theatre? JO: Wow, thanks, I love some musical shows. I had the lucky opportunity to participate in rock and roll show of Jesus Christ Super Star… did not end very well… that was long time ago. KCM: What advice do you have from all your years in music to up and coming artists and bands? JO: Work and work and work, technique, sound, good vibes and good songs.
Juan’s Band ANTIGUA Juan takes control of his fans….. Translation By: Norma Gamboa-Lingo
For more of Juan check out these links: www.myspace.com/Juanolmosvoz www.Juanolmos.net www.myspace.com/antiguarockandroll
ROB MONDELL of JUSTIN SAIN CUSTOM GUITARS By Bobby Lingo In my column this month, I decided to interview Justin Sain Guitar luthier extraordinaire Rob Mondell. I own 31 guitars. Among them a 55 Les Paul, 57 Stratocaster, 57 Telecaster, 58 Les Paul Junior to mention a few. I also own 5 Justin Sains and I have to say, they are my go to guitars. They play great, sound great and look great. Without any further ado:
KCM: Tell me about yourself and how you got into making guitars: RM: I always tinkered around with stuff, anything from cars, motorcycles, whatever and I was getting into guitars and I’d get one and mess around with it for no reason, really. You know, that’s how I started, I was always interested in engineering things and how things worked, so I would take things apart and put them back together and eventually, I built enough guitars so I was getting good at it and I started coming up with my own ideas. Cause, after everybody had a Strat, Tele, and a Les Paul, like what else is there, you know? So I kind of got into the chambered thing a little bit and that’s where it’s at right now, pretty much. KCM: Tell us about your time at Kramer. RM: Way back, before I built guitars, I actually worked for Kramer but it was just assembly line stuff. I’d put the Floyds on and basically set them up and then do a rough set up both on
the neck, put the pickups, and pick guards in, someone else always wired them, and someone else set them up.. But what I would do at Kramer, I would always go to the Spector section, which was the bass company. Every chance I got I would go in and watch because they actually made guitars. Kramer is mostly imported stuff from ESP and things like that. We just assembled from Warmouth parts or Allparts. That’s what we did.. So I learned how to paint from my friend George who worked there and I watched how he would paint or I watched how Spector radiused necks, or cut out bodies, they had all the pin routers and all kinds of really cool machines. Where I was, basically, was rather boring, 4 bolts to the neck, make sure it’s straight to the Floyd, set the Floyd properly and send it to the tuner guy. You learn that in a week and then you start wandering off, so I didn’t last long cause they got mad at me wandering off. (Laughter) It was fun though, because you learn a lot. I did some artist stuff there just out of default, cause I would be the guy doing it that day. So it was neat
KCM: Who are some of your clients now? RM: Now, people who have used my guitars in the last few years are, most recent Dave Linsk from Overkill. We designed a bigger Les Paul Style guitar with a Floyd Rose, set neck, different headstock, and an inch longer, a half an inch bigger around. He’s a big guy so; he wanted a big guitar and a lot of weight to it. He wanted something heavy there’s no control pan where you would put the controls, I routed out a hole for each pot. It has some neat features that Gibson doesn’t really do, like a two way truss rod, so it can be adjusted at any time. Each pot has individual holes that are exactly the same size of the pot cut out, so there is no wood taken out whatsoever. I’ve always found the weight relieved chambered Les Pauls don’t really sound like Les Pauls, they don’t sound bad, but they don’t sound like good old Les Pauls. He wants that big chunky sound so we left all the wood on, as much as possible, sounds really nice. I’ve done work for Ben Harper, made a whole bunch of lap steels for Ben. I’ve worked for Keith Nelson and Steve D.
(Dacanay) from Buck Cherry, The other guy from Buck Cherry whose name escapes me. Eric Singer bought stuff from me, Gilby Clarke; Tommy Thayer used my guitars on the KISS tour in 04. The singer in Jet uses one of my guitars. Nick Perri from Silvertide and Shinedown used my guitars and Nick Perry is currently putting together a power trio as we speak and using a newer version of my guitars. So, it’s a continuing relationship with Nick. Twiggy from Marilyn Manson was another. Two of my guitars went out on the Rolling Stones “A Bigger Bang Tour”. That was pretty exciting. I got to see a couple of shows for that.
bright or a piece of mahogany that sounds darker. It’s really up to the tree, where it grew, and what part of the tree. The lighter wood is at the bottom of the tree because the capillaries that bring up the water to nourish the tree are wider down there, so the bottom of the tree is generally lighter than the top. It’s also wider. As far as tone goes, lighter, does it sound better? Not necessarily, the guitar I just did for Dave (Linsk) must weigh 15 pounds. I’ve done guitars that are similar looking to Les Pauls that weigh 6-7 pounds, all solid, no chambered stuff. Your basic tonality is going to come from whatever the wood sounds like. You can do a lot with pickups and all that too, but your basic tone comes from the wood. If you tap a piece of wood and it has a deep tone, then your guitar is going to have a deep tone. Light doesn’t necessarily always sound better and heavy and vice versa. It’s really up to the tree. The trick for me, that I really spent a lot of time learning to do, was pick the right wood to try to get the sound that the individual person wants for their instrument. KCM: How do you get such a great tone in your guitars?
KCM: I heard that at the end of the tour, Keith swiped the guitar that Ronnie was using. RM: Keith kind of walked by and dug the one Ronnie was playing and commandeered it from his hotel room….(laughter). KCM: Was that the pearl top one? RM: He commandeered the triple pickup one. Or was it the pearl top? Come to think of it, there was a picture of Ronnie using the triple pickup metal top on the web somewhere. It can’t be mistaken for a Zemaitis or a Trussart. I have a picture of him using it from Madison Square Garden, but for the life of me I can’t find the print I have and the link is down. KCM: How do you choose your wood and is it true that the lighter the wood the better the tone? RM: Well, I choose my wood by tapping it. Depending on what the client would want, you can get a piece of mahogany that sounds
RM: I hand pick every single piece of wood. I don’t go and order 50 mahogany body slabs to come in and cut them out. I’ll go there and pick out 50 from 500 slabs. If the boards aren’t cut up yet, I’ll pick out the board that sounds the best, but I prefer picking out body size pieces about 15” across by 22” long. I prefer to get the body size wood, so I get a closer idea what I’m picking out because it’s almost the same size after its cut. Some guitars are chambered, some are solid, depending what the person wants. All my aluminum tops are essentially chambered out. It’s a cross between the Zemaitis and Trussart. That’s kind of the niche I want, you don’t want to copy a Zemaitis and just go screw a plate on top of something. They already do that, there’s no need for that. The Trussart guy is pretty much into the whole aluminum body thing with the wood neck, so there’s no need in doing that either. Mine are basically, hybrids, it’ll be a wood mono construction body, if it’s chambered out, still one piece of wood or depending on the model, some are actually three pieces where the neck
is the whole body and the wings are glued on, but they’re hollow and the metal holds the wings. The different thickness of aluminum, the different aluminum grades, sound different. Some are softer, some are a little harder and there are a couple of neat things going on between the relationship of the metals and the wood.. So, I think that’s really the key as far as my guitars are concerned. Just the relationship of all the materials and the fact that I’ve been tinkering with everything for so long, and the main thing I didn’t want to do, was come up with another guitar that sounded like a Gibson or something like that. It has to be different, I mean, I love Gibsons, but they already make guitars.
Right now, I have a maple neck Les Paul custom that would be my favorite Gibson. I have a nice Telecaster, like a Keith Richards one that the finish was stripped off. That’s a really nice guitar, a twelve string Rick, if I had to pick one though… KCM: Which is your go to guitar? RM: uhhh, probably a Brazilian board Les Paul and we’ll leave it at that. I put a phase switch in it. That’s the only modification, so I can put it out of phase and it’s the greatest. It does so many things. Other than my own guitars, that’s my favorite. It has to have a big round sound. My favorite guitar now, that I’ve actually built is a chambered resonator, it kind of has a floating pot on it that shakes and sounds pretty cool. It’s somewhere between a Dobro and my other design. It’s an upgraded one with two pickups that split. What would your favorite be? KCM: That sounds awesome. My favorite? That’s a choice between my 55 Les Paul and the first guitar you built for me, the three pickup chambered, dual plate. RM: Oh yeah, that’s a great guitar. KCM: It’s an awesome sounding guitar.
RM: That’s not mine?
RM: That’s a good one, the thick top with the back plate just has its own sound, it’s just ridiculous and that’s due to the mahogany underneath
KCM: Yes
KCM: and the baseball bat size neck.
RM: My favorite? I love so many… I love them all! (Laughter)
RM: well, that’s part of doing custom stuff. I’m actually making a Fender style neck for a guitar teacher who has carpal tunnel syndrome; he can’t play a thinner neck anymore so I’m making a monster neck. It’s so big actually that to put it on the Strat, you have a heel like the Les Paul, so it fits where the Strat pocket is and I didn’t want to route it out. It’s mahogany with a maple fret board.
KCM: Which brings me to the next question, what’s your favorite guitar?
KCM: Is there one particular one that you’ve played or owned that knocks you out? RM: Ahhhh, my favorite one is broken. It was an old Gibson Les Paul, it had the sweetest sound. I busted the headstock and I replaced it with a maple neck that I had built. That became my favorite guitar. A lot of Gibsons, I put maple necks on them just to be different, and some sounded better and some sounded horrible.
KCM: Which brings me to my next question, what do think is the perfect setup regarding the
wood of the body, the wood of the neck, the combination of pickups? RM: I prefer rosewood necks, mahogany bodies. If it’s a solid body, I prefer maple caps on them for a little bit of “cut through”. I like mahogany necks, as long as the rosewood has a nice upper mid ping to it. Some rosewood is really dead sounding, so you really have to pick it. But I like guitars in general, that really have a lot of depth to them, but have a lot of ping to them, they really cut and every note is crystal clear, no matter what amp you play them through. That is really very important to me. To get every note to sound right across the strings, across the whole fret board in any position. If you want to shoot on to your next pickup, you want it to be a little “woofier” sounding, but clear. If you want to unclear it up, just turn your tone down. Nobody ever uses their tone knobs. There’s plenty of ways to get so much out of guitars. Mahogany, a thick top metal plate, I think always sounds really punchy, and a rosewood fret board on a mahogany neck with possibly a maple fender strip..hahah it really depends on the wood, but that seems to work the best.
much out of it. That would be one. I like Mick Taylor’s playing a lot but I haven’t heard anything from him in a while. New guitar players…I like Nick Perri. I love working with him all the time. I do build for him but I really dig working with Nick, he’s a great guitar player. He has a lot of promise for the future, I put a lot of stock in the “boy”.
KCM: You probably have about a hundred people you want to build guitars for, who are at the top of your list? RM: oh dear, probably, at this moment someone like Mark Knofler or Vince Gill. one of those guys. KCM: That’s interesting.. RM: Yeah, I think Vince Gill actually lost a bunch of guitars in the floods in Tennessee, I’m not sure, you hear rumors, but I don’t know the guy. I saw him play on the Crossroads video and I thought you got to be kidding me. He’s amazing, he can play anything. And then Mark Knofler, you listen to “Brothers in Arms and its insanely good. KCM: It is insanely good, I love the way he plays and he’s got such a great tone RM: He has a great touch, a great feel. He could have one amp and a guitar and bring so
Photo’s of Bobby Lingo’s Custom 3 pickup built By Rob Mondell.
KCM: Going back to touch, when we were talking about Mark Knofler, what do you think has more effect on tone? A person’s fingers or the wood? RM: A combination of everything and you know, there’s no doubt that the way you play is very important to your tone. The only argument I can use for that is the quintessential Les Paul sound: Clapton, doesn’t sound like Beck, Beck doesn’t sound
like Page, Page doesn’t sound like Billy Gibbons. And those guys don’t sound like the Eagles. But, they all play 59 Bursts.
KCM: and every one of them is unmistakable RM: Yeah. It’s a combination of your amp, your guitar, your fingers, the way you phrase it, the way you play it. These days with all the modeling stuff, it really bores up music. That’s why there aren’t many people I want to build guitars for. Digital technology has really evened the playing field to the point where you can really sneak away with a whole bunch of stuff, which is good but on the other hand, it’s not good. KCM: It’s kind of cheating… RM: The people that have it, shrine through anyway. You can only be so good by imitating, you have to be original and all those guys are great. KCM: Tell us about your seven string guitar. RM: I developed a new neck; essentially, it’s a combination of a seven string and a six string in one. It’ll feel like a seven string from the fifth fret or seventh fret down towards the nut. Past that it feels like a six string, so when you’re soloing, it doesn’t feel so wide and cumbersome. It might catch on. It has its purposes and one of the really neat things about it is that you can play touch harmonics with your thumb, while you’re still doing stuff with your other fingers and pick. It’s something you couldn’t do with a standard seven string or six string. I think it may have its place among some special artists that really want to come
up with something different. There’s a few of them finished now and as soon as my website is up and running, there will be some pictures of them on there. I think my buddy Nick will be playing one of them at some point and Bill Merritt will be demoing it for my website. When he was 16, he was playing with Al DiMeola, that’s how good he is, he’s just amazing. He was noodling around with it for ten minutes and he came up with some amazing little tricks, it was pretty cool. It might be a little gimmicky, seven string diehards and six string people might think it’s annoying but there’ll be a few people out there that will probably do something with it if they want to stand out and be completely different from everybody else. That’s what that one is all about. The one’s I have right now sound absolutely amazing. Hopefully, we’ll get that marketed properly. It’s interesting, it’s new, it’s exciting and it’s something that I haven’t seen done on a guitar so far, so I have a patent for it. I have to decide how to market it, get it into the hands of people that will be interested in playing it and we’ll see how it does. Just another interesting day in the world of building guitars. KCM: And last questions, what’s your favorite band…(laughter) RM: Oh come on…(laughter)…I don’t know, you could go down the line, you can’t name one…Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin. Anything Randy Rhoades did, he did a lot of really interesting stuff, .Dire Straits, the Cars are great. It seems like most of my favorite bands are English. Other than Aerosmith and Kiss, everybody was English. (laughter) So I could pretty much leave it at that; that covers a lot of it. It’s almost like the English took the American blues and reinvented it and I took the British influence and tried to design guitars around that. I could have just taken a five hour ride south and heard where it all came from but it had to come across the ocean years later in a different format (laughter). There are so many great bands both living and not living. So many, I don’t have a favorite…the big three, Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin… From day to day, it just depends on your mood.
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BY: Agnieszka Wilde
I would like to introduce to you a music Blog out of Madrid, Spain called
www.rockinandblogin.com To some of you this may seem as no big deal, but to those of us who are true music lovers this place is a music bible. Created by Phil Beaucamps this little slice of heaven consists of 12 writers, each with it’s own page. Phil writes in his own Blog called R&R Attitude, Brijitte West of NY Loose has her own, and so does Star Mafia Boy, and his is called From the inside. What’s great about this Blog is that it consists of all sorts of music from all walks of life, it’s not just about RnR or Blues or whatever. You will read about bands you know, and a lot you have never even heard of. I know people get turned off because it’s written in Spanish, but you have two options in that matter. You can have Google translate the page before you even enter or there’s a British flag on the page that you click on for automatic translation. People are able to write about their feelings and opinions with regards to bands, and fans can leave comments interacting with the writers. The server crashed a few months ago from too many visitors all at once visiting the site, improvements are made as we speak. They also have over half a million followers on Facebook from all over the world, so no matter what you might think all those people can’t be wrong….I say all of you should give it a shot, after all we are just one musical community and we should stick together and take over the planet.
KRASHCITY Magazine “Give Us A Read, And We’ll Rock Your World”
Rob Mondell. for allowing us to step into your world of guitar building.
First of all…….
Brian Forsythe. one of the greatest Guitar players, thanks for the fascinating chat.
We would like to thank all of you for your support and loyalty to this magazine. We can hardly believe that it’s been a year! It’s because of people like you that we want to get bigger and better and have bigger and more interesting bands. We believe in giving everyone a chance at the spotlight, and we fully support independent artists.
Steve Conte. one of the best New York City Guitar slingers, thanks for joining us at the last minute you’ve enlighten us with your great accomplishments. Personal Thanks!
Secondly, Thanks to all the contributing writers: Bobby Lingo, Tommy Zanata, Julie Creep, Susan Marchese. You guys did great job and we hope you’ll continue to do so.. Norma Gamboa Lingo. Thanks for the translations. James Jackson , thanks for the great camera work. We are looking forward to sharing many fun moments with you.
Liz Lascivious & Autostrada Outlaws For letting us feature you in this issue, we hope for more and certainly want more of you….You rock! Phil of www.Rockinandblogin.com I’m so happy to have met you and I hope our friendship lasts a lifetime. Star Mafia Boy you really are an incredible person, musician and friend. You’re the best and we love you Frankie!!
Thirdly, Coming from New York City we’d like to Thank all the Local bands for their support…All of you are Rock Stars in your own right! Special love goes out to: Acey Slade & The Dark Party Andee Blacksugar & Blacksugar Transmission, Sex Slaves Mike Trash and The Erotics Lipstick Killers Militia & Swear On Your Life The Black Angels
Juan Olmos we are still amazed by how talented you are, too band you don’t live closer, but we love you anyway..hhahaha Holly Reusser for being our Rock n Roll Diva on www.blizzrockradio.com Lastly, We just have added our KRASHCITY Europe Street Team Page, you will meet our world correspondents in the August issue, meanwhile join this page at www.myspace.com/krashcitymageu
Now to all the artists in this issue:
Also check us out on you tube, new videos will be added periodically www.youtube.com/user/krashcitymag
Very Special Thanks goes out to:
Coming Soon KRASHCITY TV. Stay Tuned!!
Virpi Immonen. without whom the Michael Monroe interview would have been impossible.
Many of you ask to be a part of our KRASHCITY family, right now we are looking a KRASHCITY KITTY spokes model to do live interviews. All KRASHCITY KITTIES must be based in New York City or the five boroughs.
Michael Monroe. for being such a cool cat always. Mama Trash. for making trash talk hilarious and for your awesome support !
We are always interested in welcoming more writes for reviews , whether is album reviews or show reviews.
Crashdiet. for always allowing us into your world ! Please contact us for more info at Info@krashcitymag.com Karen Stever. the most fascinating artist in this issue. Thanks for the great interview And your support! Ben and The Last Vegas. thanks for the many laughs and the kick ass show! Juan Olmos. you are one of a kind….Thanks for the great interview!
Agnieszka Wilde Brandon Rouge Felicia Rose Paulina Stasicka