Blt 120

FRErbEleedcerds ! ea

Falling In Reverse Rappin' Ronnie Radke?

vol.15

City And

Colour Escape From Little Hell

QOTSA A Clockwork Monarchy The Wonder Years THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM JIMMY EAT WORLD Airbourne Monster Truck Outsiders Code

Gay Paris The Bronx KING PARROT Tonight Alive

ISSUE 120 $8.95 NZ $9.99 INC GST

Deftones Dream On Dreamer BUILT ON SECRETS LO!

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9 771445 697001

With Casey Crescenzo

of The Dear Hunter

Behind every great band there’s an even cuter puppy, so it’s time to meet the loveable critters waiting to greet your favourite acts as they stumble through the door after a brutal bout of touring. This issue we’ve got Casey Crescenzo from The Dear Hunter’s pups, Aurora and Sirius.

StayinG Alive

Why send a journo on tour when you can get the good stuff straight from the horse’s (see: muso’s) mouth? We’ve invited Tonight Alive frontwoman Jenna McDougall to share her stories about a midlevel band struggling with their own limitations in the harsh face of stardom... That, or just tell us about the comforts of bus travel and what it’s like to celebrate the big 2-1 on the road. Next stop, Warped Tour!

LIVe PicS Matt Veitch

W

hat’s up ? The past month has been a blast! I’m writing to you from the UK once again after just having played the Slamdunk Festival and a handful of headline dates.

Getting here was probably the longest two days of our lives. As if the trip wasn’t already long enough, we had layovers in LA, New York and unexpectedly Cardiff in Wales. Nothing else could have possibly gone wrong unless we lost our bags or gear along the way, resulting in a total of 46 hours in transit.

But to be fair, I slept the whole way besides when the meal carts came around and watched Gangster Squad and Django Unchained in the few hours that I was actually awake.

The two long days of travel paid off instantly as we departed the airport to step onto what we would call home for the next three weeks: our first bus!

We’ve toured in vans all over the world for four years now and have always felt that travelling in a bus is something you have to earn, like paying your dues, so it was extremely rewarding to have that level of comfort while you’re away from home.

Slamdunk Festival had an awesome vibe about it. You couldn’t walk two metres without running into a friend from a band you’d toured with in the past. It was like a massive reunion and along with some really atmospheric headline shows, it definitely made for our best trip to the UK yet!

Before we made the 46-hour trip over here though, we played our first home shows in a year in Sydney and Melbourne. They were some of the best home shows we’ve ever played and they made us feel a lot more connected with our Australian fanbase than we have in a long time.

Since finishing our new album in May, it feels as though we’ve really entered a new stage in the band’s life. We’ve announced that the record will be released in September this year and we’ve actually just put out the first song from it, “The Ocean”. You can expect to hear another track in the next two months as well but as for now, we just celebrated my 21st and Whakaio’s 23rd birthday in London, which was memorable to say the least [laughs]. I don’t think any of us have had our birthdays at home for the past few years but it was awesome to celebrate it during some time off in another country! Right now we’re days away from heading back to the States for round two of the Warped Tour. It feels so refreshing and positive to be starting a new album cycle so I think Warped is gonna rule! And somehow it feels like we’re even more excited this time around. I’ll be sure to keep you guys updated between now and then! Hope you guys like the new tracks and stay in touch.

Jenna x

Pet’s Name: Well I have two dogs, Aurora and Sirius. Every time I come home after months on end and they freak out, it’s so rewarding.

They do this thing where they seem like they’re so emotional they don’t know what to do with themselves.

Nicknames: Aurora is Rory or Ro Ro, and Sirius is Si Si or Siri.

Breed: Aurora kind of looks like a miniature dingo and Sirius is kind of a mutt, like an Australian shepherd mix.

Favourite food: Aurora’s favourite food somehow is French fries, and eggs, she loves eggs. Sadly I think Sirius’ favourite food is his own poop. You have to watch him and run after him and be like, “Don’t eat that, there’s no reason to eat that.” But he loves everything; he doesn’t care. It’s dangerous.

Usually found: By the front window looking out at people and barking at cars, or in the kitchen staring at the oven waiting for food to come out.

Even when there’s no food being cooked, they just know that it’s a food box and at some point food’s coming out.

Biggest fuck up: One time I bought a really nice rug and Sirius immediately shit and threw up on it, which ruined it. And Aurora, one time I came home with burritos for my wife and I, put them up on the table, and my wife and I got into a fight.

We weren’t paying attention and then we looked over and Aurora scarfed down two giant burritos and proceeded to periodically throw them up in different spots around the house for the next day and a half.

The most embarrassing thing you do with your pet when nobody’s looking: I sometimes feed them out of my mouth [laughs].

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UP FRONT hate across australia

fresh fruit

Tour 2013!

king parrot

One Vital Word Where are you from?

We have three of our members based in Newcastle and two straight out of Sydney, Australia.

Birds Of A Feather

One of Australia’s most dangerous live bands, Melbourne’s King Parrot are ready to be unleashed on the unsuspecting masses. pulls their hands away from vocalist Matt Young for fear of being violently pecked at. By Brendan Crabb.

A

mong the standouts of last year’s Bastardfest tour were Melburnians King Parrot. At the Sydney leg, vocalist Matt Young manically ran amok throughout the venue; ably supported in the crazed energy stakes by his bandmates. The thrashedup grinders didn’t care who ventured in their way – fans and photographers included. When quizzes Young – far more laid-back than his on-stage demeanour suggests – about the show, he chuckles. “I remember getting in a lot of trouble because I tipped a bucket of ice over my head. After the show I found

or think; I can just control what I do. We want people to have a good mosh, a good time and enjoy the show.

That’s our objective – to make people laugh, push each other around and have a good rocking, metal time,” he adds, laughing again.

Since the release of their debut LP Bite Your Head Off last year, King Parrot have built their success (recently inking an international deal with Candlelight Records, playing in Indonesia and investigatingEuropean tour offers) on their frenetic performances. They’ll attempt to bridge some gaps

“After the show I found out there were a couple of Hells Angels that sort of had something to do with the venue, standing up the back, waiting to beat the shit out of us.” Matt Young out there were a couple of Hells Angels that sort of had something to do with the venue, standing up the back, waiting to beat the shit out of us,” he laughs.

“We take a little time before the show just to get into that headspace and try and fire up a little. When the shows go on it’s just about putting as much energy and intensity into the performance as possible, so people won’t get bored. We want to put on a show that’s visually entertaining, as well as having really awesome, heavy music.”

That day, the frontman had a slightly disconcerting look in his eyes, punters scattering to avoid the carnage.

“I guess some people take it personally, and they have before, ‘cos there’s been several occasions at some of our gigs where people have wanted to fight me,” he reveals.

“I’m not getting up on-stage and trying to pick fights with anyone, but sure, I’ll jump into the crowd, push people around, try and get people involved. I’d like to think that most people wouldn’t take that personally or take it as a physical, personal attack on them. But some people seem to,” he laughs. “I can’t control what they do

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within the heavy music realm as part of the monstrous Thy Art Is Murder/Cattle Decapitation run.

“In the last probably five or ten years, there seems to be a lot of segregation with old school stuff and new school stuff,” Young ponders. “This is a good opportunity just to bring it all together. There’s been a whole lot of carry-on about it online, but we don’t concern ourselves with that too much. We’re just happy to be part of it. I think this Thy Art Is Murder tour is going to open us up to a whole new scene of people.

We’ve already won over a lot of the old school crowd, and I guess the members of King Parrot are all from the older school, ‘90s/early 2000s metal scene. We’re really grateful that we’ve been able to have a band that pays respect to that sound and style. But doing it in a new, innovative way and just trying to reinvent the wheel I guess, while staying true to our old school roots.”

Turn to pg. 77 for the tour dates.

Who is in your band?

Owen Smith (vocals); Nathan “Nuggs” Trimble (guitar); Daniel Grenadier (guitar); Alex Douglass (bongos); Chris Newbold (bass).

Who are some of your influences?

Comeback Kid, Strung Out, Rise Against, and Evergreen Terrace.

Where can we normally find you playing?

Either The Cambridge in Newcastle or Hot Damn! in Sydney. However, to stick it to the man we are hitting the road again for a 12-date tour hitting all states.

Tell us about your best show.

My favourite show was when we played with Parkway Drive at Newcastle Panthers.

It was truly a dream come true to play to a crowd like that and on a stage of that size.

It was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.

Tell us about your worst show.

The worst show I would say was about four or five years ago at the Vic On The Park Hotel in Marrickville where we played with Coma Lies and there was literally no one there but us. I think Owen even stopped mid set to eat some of his schnitty and chips. Then at the end of the show we received two dollars in a satchel, so in true One Vital Word fashion, we slapped it on the pokies and lost it.

Tell us your three favourite bands.

Comeback Kid, Every Time I Die, and Zao. Tell us about your latest release.

Our latest release is titled Picture Perfect and it took us a good year to write it. It’s our debut full-length so we didn’t want to rush the writing process at all; we wanted to be 100 percent happy before we set foot in the studio. I hope you have all got a copy and are currently enjoying it while reading this and picturing me naked.

Slayer or Metallica?

Slayer – R.I.P. Jeff Hanneman.

FEATURE

dream on dreamer

l Dream On Dreamer vocalist Marcel Gadacz is ready to prove they’ve got the musicato chops to cut it worldwide, surrounding himself with new members that are ready go the distance. By Cameron Chambers.

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right back at it again australian tour 2013!

I

t’s been a hectic two years for Marcel Gadacz and his Dream On Dreamer bandmates. As just another bunch of local hopefuls in 2009, the recently downsized five-piece became a full-time touring machine soon after the release of their debut EP, Hope, in 2010, finding a home alongside likeminded heavy acts such as House VS Hurricane and The Amity Affliction. A quick trip across the pond in 2011 saw the group record with accomplished knob-twiddler Cameron Mizell, whose work with Sleeping With Sirens and Woe, Is Me lent itself perfectly to Dreamer’s heavily digitalised sound, with the resulting full-length Heartbound capturing the attention of indie powerhouse Rise Records. Multiple laps of the US, Japan and Australia quickly followed, but things began to grind to a halt late last year when the band’s clean vocalist (and bassist) Michael McLeod exited stage left to do the family thing, a situation made worse by the departure of guitarist Luke Domic shortly after. Yet as Gadacz tells it, it was these personnel changes that have allowed Dream On Dreamer Mark II to flourish in ways that weren’t previously possible.

“The thing is, we had a pretty big band meeting towards the end of last year and McCoy [Michael McLeod] didn’t actually want to leave the band of his own accord, so we had to ask him to stand down. We felt it was a better decision to be there for his family and be a new father and really focus on that as opposed to the band,” states Gadacz, carefully choosing his words. “We were focusing entirely on our new album at that time and he couldn’t focus at all, which we weren’t mad about of course, because it [his family] was something that was exciting and important to him.”

So what was the catalyst then for Domic’s resignation?

“From past recordings we knew that Luke could actually sing, he had a good voice, so we wanted him to step up and fill McCoy’s slot. We did some demos and a few things and then he came to us saying he didn’t want to let us down, because it was a big recording for the band,” says Gadacz, suggesting his former guitarist effectively fell on his own sword. “He felt it was too much stress on his shoulders, so he felt he couldn’t take that next step with us and had to leave as well so that someone could take over and put their heart and soul into it.”

Losing two of any band’s founding members often spells disaster, but in this case, Gadacz and his Dreamer brethren were determined to keep pushing forward.

“Honestly, I can say it wasn’t an issue at all, because as much as I love those guys, they never had anything to do with the writing or the creative side of Dream On Dreamer,” claims the singer, “so what makes us Dreamer is still here. Not having those guys on tour will definitely suck but them leaving the band and Zach coming on board has been healthy for us.”

Ah yes, Zachary Britt, the new guy. Having already notched up his first tour as part of Dream On Dreamer – on board a bus throughout Europe no less, although that their new member is very Gadacz assures much aware rolling in that kind of luxury is an anomaly – the guitarist was as enthusiastic about his addition to the band as Gadacz was to land the talented musician, with his clean vocals becoming a focal point of Dream On Dreamer’s forthcoming second album, Loveless.

“We’ve known Zach for a while now and have played quite a few shows with his old band, The Dream, The Chase. I always loved his work so when we needed someone we called him immediately,” he quips enthusiastically. “Within a day he confirmed he was in and then he literally moved from Brisbane to Melbourne within a week for us.”

With McCoy’s singing parts featuring so prominently against Gadacz’s throaty screams in the past, it’s not unreasonable to assume that Britt’s tone and approach would provide some creative challenges for the band.

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COVER STORY

SLEEPING WITH SIRENS

ping With Sirens Scene poster boy Kellin Quinn and his Slee r lives, Feel. troupe have just released the album of thei d, he’s still trying Though as far as the frontman’s concerne a role model in the to wrap his head around the idea of being digital age. By Emily Swanson.

A n a h T e Mor

g n i l e Fe

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A

g

K

ids definitely are not ready for this shit,” utters Sleeping With Sirens frontman Kellin Quinn on the intro to one of his band’s latest tracks, “Congratulations”. While it’s a given that bands and musos love to conjure a bit o’ hype when it comes to their newest releases, you can’t help but have your interest piqued by the conviction in Quinn’s voice. When we get a hold of the frontman, he’s enjoying some much-needed downtime at home with the newly named Mrs. Quinn ahead of an upcoming European tour and the Vans Warped run in June. In amongst looking through the snaps from his recent wedding, the singer is still hard at work, having mixed and remixed his band’s third full-length, Feel, more times than he can count.

“Literally today after getting it back, I said to Sean [Heydorn] over at Rise Records, ‘Please just… take it away from me because I will still mess with it as much as I can,’” Quinn admits. “I’m a real perfectionist, especially with this album. This album is like my baby. I wrote a lot of the record before even bringing it to the band, so a lot of the stuff that it’s about is really important to me and I really wanted the music to reflect it and everything to come across the way it was supposed to.”

Given the competitive nature of the modern rock and hardcore scene, Quinn’s chaotic quest for perfection seems warranted.

On the Rise roster alone, Sleeping With Sirens find themselves in good company with Of Mice & Men, Woe, Is Me, Miss May I and Memphis May Fire, and if Feel is anything to go by, they’re not messing around.

“I let go of any sort of outside criticism and I just kind of gave no fucks as to what anybody thought about writing it basically,” the singer explains. “It is very vocal-driven, a lot of the melodies were rehearsed before even bringing it to the band, so a lot of the songs were written around what I went in with, and what came out ended up being this perfect adaptation. The dudes in my band are so good about letting me be the control freak that I am. We used to dumb a lot of things down, but on this record, everybody got to do the things they wanted to do musically, so it worked out pretty well.”

Fans who have been there since the beginning may baulk at the band’s latest offering, with that token Rise sound being cast aside in favour of soaring hooks, infectious choruses and a more accessible modern-rock sound. Love ‘em or loathe ‘em though, Quinn’s high-pitched vocals are the driving force on Feel (and the root cause of many a failed YouTube attempt to cover the band’s songs, with few doing justice to the singer’s inimitable tenor leggiero vocal range). With 2011’s Let’s Cheers To This settling in as the band’s “testing the waters” record with their member additions of Jesse Lawson and Jack Fowler, Feel allowed the band the chance to properly hone in on their own signature sound.

“We’ve definitely found out who we are and we’ve written a record which I think

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IN REVIEW

CITY AND COLOUR The Hurry And The Harm Dine Alone/Caroline

T

he arrival of a new City and Colour record always brings about the same question: how will the Canadian songbird Dallas Green sculpt an album around his near infallible vocals?

Thankfully, The Hurry And The Harm does not disappoint. What was once a humble side project has now become the vocalist’s full-time objective, and the dedication to his craft shows. The title track and opener is a soothing ease-in to what’s an ultimately pleasant listen, one that’s riddled with token “Dallas” moments – you know the ones.

Sweet, heavenly vocals, soft melodies… Only now, building off of what he started on 2011’s Little Hell, they’ve been beefed up with strings, drums, bass and an electric guitar, Green’s once folky acoustic goodness now reaping the rewards of being fleshed

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out by a full band. It’s a far cry from the singer’s first full-length, 2005’s Sometimes, yet he’s still managed to maintain that inherent delicateness. “Ladies And Gentlemen” and “Two Coins” are hauntingly beautiful in their own right, while the “London Calling”-esque beat of “Lonely Life” is proof of the band’s ability to steer towards something more upbeat and happening. The lyrics themselves are heavily rooted in Green’s own internal dilemma of finding his place in the world and a balance between his post-hardcore persona in the muchloved Canadian quintet Alexisonfire, and his desire to pen something a little less pummelling. When “Harder Than Stone” rears its head, you’re quickly reminded of Alexisonfire’s last full-length, Old Crows / Young Cardinals (2009). “Born and raised to

ESSENTIAL TRACK “Harder Than Stone” – Delicate Dallas at his folky best and it packs Alexisonfire lyrics to boot.

We’re sold.

live beyond/The heft and weight of a world undone” may ring more than a few bells for dedicated fans (the lyrics being directly lifted from the “Born And Raised” chorus), which will either have you onside early, or act as a slap in the face as you’re reminded of the role Green played in breaking up the band.

Regardless, there’s a mellow friendliness in his voice that makes it hard to hold a grudge, particularly when “Thirst” sounds as though it could double as an unplugged Alexis track. Although things drop off slightly towards the album’s end, Green’s “mediocre” still manages to eclipse many of his contemporaries at their best. Dallas Green is one of today’s most discerning and able songwriters and this is but another tasty slice of what the man and Emily Swanson his band are capable of.

the story so far tonight alive

Tonight Alive Because They Can / A Sleepless Melody The Factory, Sydney 16/05/2013

PicS Sandra Markovic

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Sleepless Melody collectively seem less concerned with being a band and more interested in scoring a role on Neighbours as the smouldering boy next door.

Their “I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby” shtick wore thin incredibly fast.

Because They Can certainly didn’t improve proceedings, whining their way through a set of adenoidal guitar pop that felt about as fresh as a MySpace profile. Their sloppy cover of The Vines’ “Get Free” was a complete misfire, while their version of “Song 2” is the reason Blur will never tour Australia.

When 10pm hit, business picked up. Every time Tonight Alive return to home soil, there seems to be a sense that they’ve got something to prove – not only to their long-time followers, but to the kids up the front at their first show, watching their hometown heroes play the songs they love. It’s this extra energy that brought great pacing to the beginning of the set, which pulled out the big guns like “Breaking And Entering” and “Starlight.”

There were also some great exercises in contrast: a solo acoustic “Let It Land” from vocalist Jenna McDougall brought a tenderness to the usually dancy track, while new track “The Ocean” showcased some of the heaviest guitar work we’ve seen out of the band thus far, recalling Juturna-era Circa Survive. It certainly provides greater hope for the band’s future than the Madden-approved “Breakdown”, arguably the only low point of the set.

As the voices sang out and the bodies were lifted above heads during finale “Listening”, there was an overwhelming sense of pride in the room – not only in regards to what the band have achieved, but that there is still so much more to come.

David James Young

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THE BAY DVDS

Found footage horror flicks are all the rage right now and Hollywood just keeps one-upping themselves when it comes to just how fucked-up and freaky they are. This time around it’s an eco-disaster in a small town that sees the residents becoming hosts for a mutant breed of parasite. Hate germs? Then pack a spare pair of pants. Thanks to our pals at Hopscotch there’s ten copies of this frightfest up for grabs, just tell us what your greatest phobia is.

HALO 4: FORWARD UNTO DAWN DVDS

The insanely popular Halo video game universe is finally getting a feature length live action film after years of speculation and countless fan films, and we’re pretty freakin’ psyched about it. Based on the fourth installment of the game series there’s all kinds of bad arse alien battles and explosions to be had. There’s five copies to be HQ so be sure to let us know the video game you’d most snavelled from like to see turned into a movie (other than Halo, of course).

GLOBE BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD IMAX DOUBLE SKATEBOARDS PASSES If there’s ever been anything cooler than these skateboards, we haven’t seen it.

These quality crafted 7-ply maple Globe x Beavis and Butt-Head cruiserboards and decks come in individual Beavis and Butt-Head shapes, each with original art by Mike Judge. You hear that? Beavis and Butt-Head, now in skateboard form! We can barely contain ourselves. Valued at $199.99 each, we’ve got one Beavis and one Butt-Head to give away. If this is something you need as badly as we do, let us know which of the dynamic duo you’d make out with if push came to shove and why.

There’s no better way to spend your day off than sitting in the world’s biggest IMAX cinema at Darling Harbour, having your face melted off by the latest mind-blowing blockbuster. With Pacific Rim (giant robots fighting giant monsters) and Man Of Steel (Superman flying through the atmosphere once again) just around the corner, this school holidays is primed for IMAX madness.

Plus there’s also the chance to take on a little education with your entertainment and soak up some stunning 3D docos (Born To Be Wild, The Butterflies and The Last Reef). For your chance to win one of five double passes, let us know the biggest thing you’ve ever seen IRL (that means in In Real Life).

Write your answer on the back of an envelope along with your name and address and send it to: BLUNT Comps (with the name of the comp): P.O. Box 5555, St. Leonards NSW 1590, or enter online at bluntmag.com.au Terms and Conditions of Entry: 1. Entry is open to residents of Australia and New Zealand except employees and immediate families of nextmedia and its agencies associated with the promotion. 2. Only entries completed with these terms and conditions will be eligible. 3. Entry is by mail and online only. 4. Competition begins at 9am June 12th 2013 and entries close at 6pm July 16th 2013. 5. In determining eligibility the judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. 6. The winners will be drawn at 9am July 17th 2013 at nextmedia Level 6, Building A, 207 Pacific Highway, St Leonards NSW 2065. 7. Prizes must be taken as offered and are not redeemable for cash. 8. The promoter is not responsible for misdirected or lost mail. 9. The winners will be notified by mail and results published in a future issue of BLUNT. 10. Total prize value is $1000. 11. The promoter is nextmedia Pty Ltd ACN: 128 805 970, Level 6, Building A, 207 Pacific Highway, St Leonards NSW 2065

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