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Features
Write ups 30 31 32 33 33 34 35 36 38 38 40 41
Patty Smyth & Scandal Juliette & the Licks Doyle Tesla Woodystock Stone Sour Stray Cats Weezer/Pixes/Sleigh Bells Lita Ford Styx Letters to Cleo Five Finger Death Punch
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Soilent Green Lunar Rogue Heavy Justice Leave it To Cleaver Life of Agony Travis Bowlin Wade Murff of Doyle Altitudes + Attitude Maor Appelbaum Jeremy Hanna
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Behind the Bar Therapy-Guitar Lesson Know Your Gear Gear Review Music with Michael G CD Reviews
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Editor’s Words EDITOR IN CHIEF Mike Smothers
mike@rocknrollindustries.com
PUBLICATION DIRECTOR Jessica Johnson jess@rocknrollindustries.com
SENIOR EDITOR Julia Dettwiler
Julia@rocknrollindustries.com
ASSISTANT EDITORS Dea Meeks, Peggy Murphy, Angelica Ulloa ILLUSTRATOR Jason Martin WRITERS: Raquel Figlo, Michael G Clark, Alison “MetalBabe” Cohen, Scott Schoenkopt, Sandy Martin, Tim Phoenix, Evlin Lake, Billy Zee, Parker Minor, Wolf Navarro, Daniel Hicks, Miranda “Panda” Johnson So what does an Editor in Chief do when not going to concerts for RNR Mag? He goes to concerts with his coffee company, Rock N Roll Coffee Co. One of the things I’ve been focused on, alongside co owner Jessica Johnson, is coffee and finding the finest beans available for brewing the very best coffee. We have been sharing our brew of organic, fair trade coffee with music lovers all over Southern California. In addition to that, we’ve been making coffee for some of our favorite bands and brands like Great White and Coffin Case. Constantly searching out prime locations to grow the company has been a priority so we can bring the coffee closer to you. So keep an eye out for us and we’ll serve you
Mike Smothers Editor in Chief Follow us Facebook.com/rocknrollindustriesmag Twitter @RockNRollind Instagram @rocknrollindustriesmag
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Donovan Michael Punch is here, one of the founding members of the sludge, death metal band, Soilent Green. Some have stated he is one of the greatest and most underrated guitarists out there. Phil Anselmo, mentioned in a past interview that you were his favorite. Phil’s a good friend. I’m thankful he’s been very supportive of my playing. There are so many great guitar players in the world. I don’t really consider music as a competitive thing, but I do appreciate the compliments for sure! Where are you originally from? I’m originally from Chalmette, Louisiana. It’s a huge oil refinery town, yet has the most beautiful skies I’ve ever seen. I stay out in Asheville NC now. Mountains, waterfalls! Who gave you your first guitar, and how old were you when you started playing? Were you self-taught? I’m not even sure about that. It was my grandma or my mom. My dad was a musician, so I had picked up his guitar when I was young, but I started when I was 13. They had an option to take guitar class in high school, so I learned a few things from watching people, but I’m basically self-taught. Here’s something funny about that. I failed guitar class, because I didn’t like learning the paperwork stuff. Then again, I failed all my classes once I owned a guitar.
What was the name of the first band you were in?
core, and death metal we’re just starting up. So, it was a great mixture of different kinds of people. So many great bands. Seeing bands like Graveyard Rodeo, Exhorder, Incubus, was a huge inspiration, and they were some of my favorite bands at that time from the older scene. Then came bands like Paralysis, Flesh Parade, Crawlspace, Rude Awakening, Christ Inversion that I really liked. There was a really cool vibe in the scene. So many cool people.
Metallic Axe! Hahaaaa
Favorite memories in Soilent Green?
Your former band, Soilent Green, when, where, and how did that form? Who were the members? Tell us about them.
No favorites. I love them all! I spent the most time with Glenn, so I guess you could say we were the closest. But, seriously, they’re all like family.
Soilent Green started in 1989. Me, Brian Patton, and Glenn Rambo were in another band called Nuclear Crucifixtion. Me and Glenn got kicked out the band. Brian stuck with us. I called my friend Tommy Buckley, and asked him if he wanted to join us. He did. Brian knew a bass player named Marcel Trenchard, and he joined us. Glenn Rambo looked like Charles Manson. Everyone used to call him Ozzy. I would always see him hitchhiking with his boombox from the time he was like 11 haha. He saluted me one day, and we became friends. Brian Patton’s a phenomenal guitarist! Super at bridging parts together, and tempo changes. Killer riffs. He’s a huge influence on my guitar playing. He was always introducing me to new music that I loved. Tommy Buckley plays in Crowbar now. Him and my brother Israel used to beat all the jocks in basketball at school! Bad ass drummer! He always picked me up for band practice since I didn’t drive. We used to rehearse the Soilent Green songs unplugged before the rest of the band got there. Tommy on lap drums! Marcel Trenchard did so much for the original Soilent Green. Along with being a super talented bass player, he would do the art, write lyrics and bass parts, and set up shows. The riffs he was making before he left Soilent Green were so crazy good. I couldn’t play em, I had to make up parts that went along with it.
Wild stories you’d like to share? I’ve been told a few by peers who knew you back in the day. Would you like to reiterate?
Bass, keyboards, drum machine. Just enough to record, and do music by myself. I had a sitar I bought 2 months before Hurricane Katrina that I was really excited about learning to play, but I never did get a replacement.
What was the New Orleans Metal scene like in those days? Who were some of your favorite bands and inspirations? Wow, it was so great! I loved playing behind a bookstore called Abstract Cafe. It was also a halfway house. They had a big garage out back they let us play in. No fancy lights or p.a, just raw music. All ages. Old school circle pits! The punk, hardcore, thrash scene was still kicking. Grind-
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Shit, where do I start! One time, for one of our shows, Glenn Rambo dressed up like Santa Clause with tampons hanging from his outfit with ketchup on them. That was interesting. Let’s see... I once passed out drunk on stage, woke up the next morning with a woman... Don’t remember anything, yet we have a kid from that night! I played naked twice! I used to show up at gigs with no guitar, or equipment and have to ask the other bands if I could borrow theirs. One time on tour we were in the van listening to Frank Zappa’s “Valley Girl” over and over. Our bass player Scott Williams couldn’t get enough of the “ Gag your face, I’m sure.” He couldn’t stop laughing at it. “ He later got into an argument with the woman working the door, and said it to her over and over until they called the police, we had to take off before they got there. That’s enough... What was the reason you decided to leave Soilent Green? Lots of reasons. First off, I had kids at home, and me and my girlfriend broke up. Also, it seemed every time I left to go on tour something bad happened to one of my family members. My daughter got badly bit up by ants once, and had to go to the hospital. Another time my cousin got beat up. The big one, was my mom going into a coma. The band was really great when that happened, and canceled the rest of our dates, and brought me home. So thankful for them being considerate like that. I also felt somewhat musically limited, so I branched off and made different bands. Then became overwhelmed with having too much to handle. I
Photo By Evlin Lake
What other instruments do you play?
just wanted to get away from everything. Another thing was the usual band drama, tension, fights between band members. I was also over my drug, and alcohol stage of life, and being around it wasn’t really fun anymore. Playing the same songs night after night began to suck, too. There were really fun times on tour, too, though. Did you ever regret or miss playing or recording with them? Definitely missed writing music, recording, and practicing with them. Still do. I didn’t miss touring at all. There were some major tragedies that occurred with some members of Soilent Green. One was with your original vocalist in later years. Another with bass player. Tell us about those events. In 2004 I got a call from my friend Frey Thieler, telling me that Scott Williams (bass player for Soilent Green) had been shot by his roommate. His roommate then shot himself. Then in 2005 Glenn Rambo (original singer of Soilent Green), his ferrets, and his mother all died in Hurricane Katrina. My brother Joshua is a fireman, and had to work through all that craziness. He was the one who called me as soon as they found out about it. Love them both, and still communicate through the dream world to them. The original SG vocalist, Glenn Rambo. What kind of person was he? What do you most remember him for? He was a great friend. Big heart. Animal lover. Always made time to talk to everyone at all the shows. I remember him most for coming over to my Grandma’s house at 6am waiting for my grandma to leave for work, waking me up, jammin’ and hanging out all day long. Walking to Winn Dixie and Walgreens in the evenings to get candy, chips, and drinks. How could someone dig up some of your old music from Soilent Green? http://paranoizenola.com, click on the way it was, and scroll. Also, some are on YouTube. Just type Soilent Green demos.
METAL ALLEGIANCE JANUARY 24 | MUSIC HALL • 7PM
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I’m okay with performing live these days if it’s laid back. I’m not really wanting people to pay that much attention to me. I like creating a nice background for people to enjoy themselves. As far as making music, I feel like music is making me. I don’t feel like the creator of it. It always happens when I’m not trying. If I try it doesn’t turn out that great. I like improvising a lot if I have another musician that I can play with. I love recording. I record at home. But it’s a dangerous world for me to go into. I forget important things like eating, sleeping, drinking. So, I have to be really careful.
JANUARY 26 | MUSIC HALL • 7PM
How many albums do you have to date? I have two full lengths with Soilent Green, and one solo. I also have 8 more solo full lengths that I’m releasing throughout the next few years. The music has been done. Just getting them out when I have the money to do so. They can all be heard in their entirety on my YouTube channel. What are you working on today? What do you hope for in the future with your music, recording, writing, or filmmaking? I’m just playing songs that come to me right now, and street performing. I would love to have my music used in soundtracks. I also would really love to create my own films. I just started working on a movie script, and I am really starting to get into it.
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How can someone hear some of your recent music? Go to YouTube and type in Donovan Punch full CDs, or come to Asheville NC, and come over, I’ll play something! Anything else you would like to add to this interview? Yes, I would like to thank you for the interview! I wish the best for everyone. -Evlin Lake
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Lunar Rogue, indie rock band from Los Angeles, just released their latest single “Another Night, Another Day” from their unreleased, yet-to-be-named album that is in the process of being recorded. With me today is Julia Dettwiler (lead singer/songwriter), Roslyn Osborn (drummer/harmony singer), Sam Orellana (bassist), and Alex Methot (guitarist). Jim Briggs (guitarist) was unable to make it, but these guys seem to have it all under control!
“Rock N Roll Love Child of Alternative and Classic Rock,” huh? Cool combo. Who are your biggest influences? Julia: My family and friends are probably my biggest influences but other big influences include Stevie Nicks, Ann Wilson, Pat Benatar, Debbie Harry, Barbra Streisand, Freddy Mercury, Steve Perry, Joan Jett, Cyndi Lauper, and almost every badass artist I’ve ever seen live. I try to learn something from every concert I attend Alex: I love this question because we all have different influences that help us bring different flavors to the band. I’ve always been a blues influenced, up-tempo rock n’ roll kind of guy and
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picked up the guitar thanks to Slash, Joe Perry, Brian May, and Angus Young to name a few. Rozz: Steve Gadd taught me the importance of having that perfect, in the pocket groove that fits with the song. Chad Smith is the perfect rock drummer example in my mind. His fills and timing are incredible. And Dave Grohl...I could say so much about how he inspires me, but the biggest thing is how he was a drummer originally and then became a singer/guitarist and formed the biggest post grunge band. That really helped me come out of my shell and start singing and doing harmonies and push myself to become more than just a drummer and a more well-rounded musician.
Sam: The list is massive but to keep it concise, probably mostly: All members of Rush and Mr. Big, my older brother Ricky, and The Pillows. The J-rock helps keep things interesting. Do you enjoy recording? Rozz: Of course! I think it’s important to get your music out for the world to hear. If not, you’re just playing for yourself and music shouldn’t be trapped in a room like that. It should be recorded and released. Sam: I love recording for the most part. It feels super dope to record my stuff and be able to play it back and be proud of something. That being said if something just isn’t coming out
right, I can get frustrated pretty quick.
Julia: Practice, shows, whiskey and Vegas.
Alex: I absolutely LOVE recording. It’s a magical thing to be able to extract what’s in your head and give it life. Our goal is to create more of what we love and share it with the world.
Your latest self-titled album.....
Julia: Absolutely! I can sing for hours and be absolutely content. I Love watching musicians working hard to perfect their parts and all the behind the scenes shenanigans that only the few of us get to be a part of. What do you like most about being in Lunar Rogue? Julia: My band mates are incredible human beings. We are a family, so we Love and respect each other and that makes it extra fun to play music together. There’s a symbiotic connection that shines through when we arrange and perform together. Rozz: I love that we’re like a family. We have each other’s back and what’s more fun than being on stage with people you love the most in the world?! Sam: Playing with such incredible musicians is probably my favorite part. There’s just a vibe that exists when you’re all playing as a cohesive unit and working on stuff. Its electric. And Lunar really has this amazing electricity happening when we play. That’s probably my favorite. Alex: Simply, it’s just plain fun. There’s a certain connection you feel when you’re up on stage, just you 5 vs the rest of the world. It’s a connection I haven’t felt with any other friend group. How did you, as a band, get tight? Sam: Aside from like the obvious love for the music, I’d say through our dope circle of friends and partying. When I joined the band I definitely wasn’t as outgoing as I am now. Just being around the people we call family and being able to just hangout and have a good time together really made me feel welcome. It felt like I had known these people for years and they’re all family to me now too. Rozz: In my opinion the best way to get your band tight is to play as many shows as you can. It’s said that ‘One show is equivalent to 100 practices’ and it’s so true. The more you play live the better you get and the tighter you get.
Julia: We have played the crap out of it at shows and are excited to be incorporating more of the new songs! It has been hard to swap out songs, because everyone has a different “favorite” and we get hell from fans when we skip their faves… it’s a good problem to have. You’re currently in the studio recording. Tell us a little about your recording process and when we can expect to see the new album coming out Sam: The sooner the better, but I’m shooting for some time this year, 2019. Julia: We are leaning toward releasing a full-length album in 2019, but we have been dragging our feet a bit on recording because we’re still perfecting arrangements on a lot of the songs. We’ve been in and out of Vanity Studios tracking pieces and parts with Bill Georges (engineer extraordinaire), but we are trying to get our newest songs worked out before bombarding him with more work! We just released a new single “Another Night, Another Day” available on iTunes and Amazon and pretty much all of the digital outlets like Spotify and YouTube, etc. The current line up Rocks Live! Tell us a little about how you met and what made you choose them for the band. Alex: Like a lunatic, I answered a sketchy craigslist ad for a guitarist… showed up to the 4 of them in the garage getting set up with what seemed like a small house party going on. They’d asked me to learn 4 songs in like, a day. It went smoother than expected! I think the most important part, though, was having the time to hang out and get to know everyone that evening. That cohesiveness is crucial, and I could tell right away that this was a group I wanted to stick around for. Here we are a year later, and I’ve got friends for life! Rozz: I actually met Julia a few days before my 21st birthday. We met at a coffee shop and talked for hours. She invited me for a Lunar Rogue show, which turned out to be the day of my 21st birthday and it happened to be their drummer’s last show, I went to the show met the whole band and a week later joined the band full time. It was the best birthday gift ever! Sam: I found the band while scouring Craig’s
list actually. My old band dissolved and my old roommate kept prodding at me to jump online and find a band to join. I found Lunar and hit them up to let me audition. The audition went alright but I was super intimidated being surrounded by such professional and amazing musicians. It felt like a “Sink or Swim” type challenge. Thankfully I’ve been able to keep my charade up for this long. Julia: I found them at the circus. We immediately became family. For those who’ve not heard your music before, what can they expect from Lunar Rogue at a Live show? Rozz: We really thrive on our energy and chemistry on stage. Of course, you’re going to hear some amazing songs and some amazing music, but what we have that a lot of bands don’t is the energy that we give. And I think that goes back to how close this band is, it really shows on stage that we are having a good time and want our crowd to be a part of that. Sam: Lots of energy and a range of sick jams. I really do love that our show starts and ends with high energy, there’s a wide range of music throughout the set so it really is blast. Has Lunar Rogue ever considered doing a mini-tour? Who would you choose to tour with, if it were possible? Alex: We’re definitely considering a mini tour, perhaps down through southern California and out towards Vegas and parts of Arizona. And Definitely a world tour. I’m ready to play Tokyo, those guys know how to rock!! Sam: Mini-tour would be awesome. I’d want to tour with Heavy Justice just cause our folks would be so much fun on the road. Other musicians, hmmm... I’m not sure. Julia: That would be ideal! I’d like to tour with the influences I just mentioned… preferably the living ones. Rozz: Just tell me where to sign. Where can people find you? Julia: LunarRogueBand.com and most of the social media outlets. Please check us out on Spotify! And you can download our music on iTunes and Amazon or buy CDs and merch at shows or through our website.
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Hey guys! Thanks for the hang! Let’s start with the basics. How long has the band been together? Neil: Greg and I met sometime in middle school and started writing together circa 1999. We created Heavy Justice with a drummer friend around then in high school and played for a year. After college in 2010, Greg and I came across each other again and decided to “get the band back together” for fun and we started actually pursuing a career in 2011. The current lineup began when we picked up Michelle in 2015 and Irvin after that. 16 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
Irvin: Many, many moons. Wow. That’s a long time, Irvin. Ha. How did you guys come up with the name, Heavy Justice, for the band? Neil: The legend is in high school we decided to look for a terrible heavy metal name as a joke. Started with Justice and our original drummer, Adam, blurted our “How about Heavy Justice?”. Kinda stuck around. When we got back together in 2010, we talked about a name change but kept it for sentimental value. Greg: The name of the band was created when Neil and I were in high school and writing many of the songs that ended up on our first album, Apocalyze. Irvin: I named it after Greg and Neil named it. Samantha: How did you find each other? Neil: As mentioned earlier, Greg and I knew each other for a long time. When Michelle came to audition, she was 15 minutes late and came bursting in through the door to the audition room and first thing she says is “You’re gonna hate me!”, doesn’t look at anyone, and goes straight to the drum set. Greg and I liked her immediately. When Irvin came in, we actually
forgot to book rehearsal space. Being long time customers of that rehearsal joint, they hooked us up in their recording studio and Irvin actually auditioned by playing the Apocalyze CD with Greg. There’s video of that somewhere on our Instagram page. His real audition was later that night at the bar. He did well. Michelle: Tinder Go Tinder! Are you currently recording a new album? Michelle: YES!! Greg: Yes, we are currently preparing to release a new single, “When Inmates Run the Asylum”. Irvin: YES! Do you prefer performing or recording? Michelle: Performing is the reward for the hard work that goes into creating and perfecting something you want to share with others,
something that has the ability to bring people together and lift your spirit. Greg: Performing and recording are different beasts that we love equally. Performing puts a face to the body of sound created in the studio, so we find joy in both. The recording aspect is definitely where a lot of the creativity is fostered and produced into a product that we are very proud to release to our fans. However, it’s on the big stage that we get to really let loose and let the music we write come to life and physically show the flow of energy in and between each song in a particular performance. Irvin: Personally performing has always been my passion but over time I’ve come to admire the process of recording songs that I’ve/ we’ve put heart and soul into, and listen/watch as the progression during recording makes it come more alive. What is your ultimate goal as a
Photos: Julia Dettwiler
If you’ve ever seen Heavy Justice, a badass indie metal band from Los Angeles, play a show you’d understand why I’m excited to get to chat with them. The energy they emit on stage is contagious. If you chat with them off stage you pick up the down to earth, friend like warmth that you wouldn’t imagine after watching them rock your face off. I got to spend some time chatting with all four band members: Neil Moutrey (lead singer/bass player), Greg Mullen (lead/rhythm guitar), Irvin Garabay (lead/rhythm guitar), and Michelle Pickering (drummer and all around fox). Nothing about this band is boring, and I look forward to seeing them again and again in show! Check them out at heavyjustice.com and on most social media outlets.
band? Neil: I think Greg and I have always wanted a brand that was self-sufficient. On any level. If something we do pays for us to do the next thing, then we feel justified in continuing beyond a hobby level. Michelle: The opportunity to share our music world wide. Greg: To continue to write and perform music that people enjoy. What got you into playing music? Neil: Lyrics. I grew up a massive George Carlin fan. Especially in my teens. He kind of constructed my view of the world at that time. Carlin was also a huge jazz fan. Growing up in New York in the era when jazz was a big deal, he learned over time to write his comedy shows with a musical flow. He understood that words have a natural musicality and you can’t use just any word in any place. Learning that is where I gained my passion for words. Michelle: From playing viola in an orchestra as a kid, to attending my first rock concert, nothing else would ever be appealing after that. Greg: Music always came easy to me from a theoretical standpoint - the structural analysis of music, the relativity of sound, the controlled freedom of sound in counterpoint. I mean, it began with piano lessons as a kid, but in high school suddenly shifted into guitar playing and songwriting. Irvin: Watching and admiring videos of my favorite artist and wanting to be up on stage just like them. What are your rituals/superstitions before performing or recording? Neil: I’m not a big ritual guy. I don’t get nervous for performing. It comes easy for me. I just like to get to the venue early and settle in. For recording, especially vocals, I just do vocal warm ups cause I have a permanent vocal cord injury and I have to do maintenance. But I’ve never been one for the hocus pocus. Michelle: Beer Greg: For performances, my personal show preparations often include a repacking of my gear specific to the stage specs while watching Les Misérables and as
showtime nears and stage is set a single beverage to loosen the limbs. What advice/tips do you have for aspiring musicians? Neil: Be professional. If you’re in this just to have the rockstar life, fine, there’s a time for that but rehearsal isn’t it. If you want a career, your reputation matters. Show up early. Treat everyone with respect, even if you think they are not good at their job. You don’t know their story. Come prepared to rehearsal. Rehearsal is for rehearsing. Learn at home. Treat being a musician like you would any other job. You can always tell when someone isn’t being professional. And everyone remembers it. If you’re easy to work with, they remember that too. When it comes to writing with other people, do not take it personal. That’s key. Taking it personal is poison to the project AND to yourself. Compromise. Some ideas weren’t meant to be. It’s disappointing, but better than not being a part of it at all. Learn to take some joy in watching your bandmates be happy with their ideas coming to life, too. You spend a lot of time together. You’re a family. Enjoy that. And create content… as much as possible. Get into how to use social media, learn how to video edit, learn other means of monetization. Approach this as a business. Ask other bands you admire questions and learn. It’s a lot of work but extremely gratifying if you put the time in. Michelle: Do it for the love, from the heart, and don’t be influenced by “what’s hot” at any given time. Greg: Recognize the difference between a hobby, a profession, and a lifestyle. Public opinion and media popularity shift continuously and it’s difficult to know what new trend it’ll shift toward next. Create your own lifestyle and live it genuinely. If enough of the public shifts toward a lifestyle you already enjoy living, then ride that wave and be smart with any income that comes of it - fame is fleeting, enjoy your life as a musician however you wish to live it. Irvin: My best advice is to invest in yourself and work hard to reach your goals as a musician, don’t settle, and be the best… mainly, listen to Heavy Justice!!! -Samantha Stevens
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I recently got to chat with Ryan Vuckovich from the metal band Leave It To Cleaver, established in 2009. This SoCal band is a wild and entertaining one and, should you be presented with the opportunity, you shouldn’t miss them! You can check out their social media and/or website for tour info and of course to listen to some of their work. Ryan is the lead vocalist and bass player. Mike D’Aleo (guitar), Skeletor (guitar), and Matt “Attack” Sandoval (drummer) are M.I.A. right now, but Ryan has plenty to say and is ready to give us the skinny.
How did you guys come up with the name Leave It To Cleaver? Ryan- It was back in 2009 when I was arguing with original members, Charlie Lopez and Danny Molina, over what to call ourselves. We sent each other texts every day with suggested band names, but no one could agree on anything. It wasn’t until Danny’s brother Nick jumped in and said “how about instead of LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, you call yourselves LEAVE IT TO CLEAVER; like a meat cleaver?” Charlie and Danny flipped out over the idea and soon bombarded my phone with the band name and all these reasons why we should be called LEAVE IT TO CLEAVER. At first I was not on board, because I don’t like it when bands have silly names but push their music to be so serious sounding; but the more I thought about it, the name suited us very well because there is a weird horror/humor connotation that we love to play with. Examples being that we have one song called “Elixir” which is about the negative effects of drinking yourself to suicide, and another song called “Blackout” which is about having a good laugh at waking up the next morning after playing Edward 40-Hands and not knowing who you punched or slept with. That’s what the band name means to me—are we trying to scare you or make you laugh? How did you all meet? Ryan- I first met Mike when I was going to school at Cal State University Dominguez Hills.
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We were in the same choir class together, and we quickly became platonic lovers after finding out we both love Metal music. He heard CLEAVER’s music, which was at the time a three piece, and asked if we thought about adding a second guitarist—which I thought was hysterical when he asked because I talked about having him join with the other band members so…the universe man! Skeletor was in a band with Mike called CASKET and once Charlie left the band to work up in Washington we asked Skeletor to join. Matt is a very interesting story because, originally, we asked his brother Chris to audition for the band. Chris passed with flying colors but he later said he could not do it due to other obligations; but then Skeletor told us that Chris’s brother Matt also plays drums so we asked him to try out, which ended up being the best choice because, besides his ability to play, Matt’s personality is just as weird and stupid as ours. What’s the writing process like for you guys? Ryan- As weird as it sounds, the one element that drives the song writing process is boredom. We love our Black Metal, we love our Hair Metal, we love our Polka fusion; but as much as we love different genres we do not want to be playing the same type of music over and over again. It’s a waste of creativity and it’s boring! So when this band was formed the first rule we said was “If the song’s not crap, it does not matter the genre.” And I’m truly happy with the results because some great songs have
evolved out of this band because we have no limits—aside from crap. Haha, how sweet. Who are your biggest influences? Ryan- For me I would have to say its Alice Cooper and Twisted Sister. When I was about 14 I was watching TV and this commercial advertising Six Flags Fright Fest comes on and all I see is this guy with long black hair wearing black make-up sitting on a metallic thrown with pyro surrounding him, and in the background they were playing this song called Welcome to my Nightmare. That set me down a path I never came back from because after seeing what music could be I was hooked. Twisted Sister is another important band to me, especially being in LEAVE IT TO CLEAVER, because here you had a band that dressed like women but played such heavy songs like Burn in Hell and Under the Blade. CLEAVER is the same way in which we play with contradictions; like on our album cover for And You Thought We Were Nice where we posed for a glamour shot like high school girls to get you to laugh but when you heard the album there is some very dark and heavy material on there. If you guys could tour with anyone, who would it be? Ryan- I think GWAR would be absolutely perfect for us to play with! The over-the-top sense of humor, the in-between song banter, insulting the audience, insulting band members,
insulting public figures, songs about porn and drugs—where do you think we got all this from? Maroon 5? Shakira? The Wiggles...Well maybe the Wiggles if they were doing computer duster and crack. You have an album in the works, what has it been like in the studio? Ryan- Well the nice thing about us when we record is that we don’t set a time frame of when it has to be finished. It will get done when it’s done. That’s how the first album was made and that’s how this album is being made. It gives us time to experiment with sounds, song structures, and the overall feel we want the album to have; but when you have an album that is going to be titled Registered Hex Offenders, you can only imagine what types of things we are going to be putting on this album. What’s your next step after the album is done? Ryan-I think after this we will try and hit hard on places like Hollywood. We have done enough of the South Bay and I feel that “HollyWeird” needs to have a band around that is honest. Too many bands try to play it up with the whole “Thank you so much for coming out and sup-
porting local music” but they leave after their set is over or stay outside smoking their e-cigs before they hit the stage. CLEAVER is not afraid to call out bulls*** and we will not lie. We will tell an audience and band directly that we don’t like them and we will not censor ourselves to please someone’s political ideology. These are very sensitive times we live in and we are not going to make ourselves miserable just because we’re afraid of offending someone. If you don’t lie and stop worrying about being offensive then you will enjoy life more, and if people still don’t like your attitude then so what? We don’t lock the Exit doors when we play, as much as we would love to.
people’s feelings and emotions. If you still think I’m crazy for saying such a notion, then I suggest watching the film Network because as long as there are emotions and ideas to exploit, there is capital to be gained. Yet I hope one day someone tries to capitalize on us—I want my indoor hot tub damn it! Haha. Where can people buy/hear your music now?
Do you think the music industry has gotten better or worse over the years?
-Samantha Stevens
Ryan- Aside from the obvious, which is our shows, you can check us out at leaveittocleaverme.wixsite.com/leaveittocleaver or at leaveittocleaver.bandcamp.com or on Facebook and Reverbnation.
Ryan- I think the music industry has stayed the way it’s always been—a business, one that will take the current philosophies of today and exploit them to make money; like all businesses that deal with the arts. You really think that the people who made Star Wars: The Force Awakens actually care about ethnic diversity? The film industry discovered a growing movement, found a medium to exploit that movement, and made lots of money off of
Find out more and Submit Your Music at www.creativedefensemusic.com
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Life of Agony’s Mina Caputo
“Brings the Ruckus!” By Raquel Figlo
RNR: You “came out” during a Facebook argument with a fan, calling you out. Obviously not cool, but would you have come out at that time, if that didn’t happen?
RNR: In early 2018, the Life of Agony welcomed new drummer Veronica Bellino. How has this changed the dynamic of the band? Mina: I think Veronica is absolutely incredible and so does the whole band. We have been touring all year long, and we have been in the studio writing new music for 2019. She fits in like a glove. A friend of mine even said to me, “I brought the Fuckin’ ruckus! Veronica brings so much balance to you,” and I agree. We know she is a keeper, we are having fun, bottom line. We are co-creating with one another, whether it is sitting at the dinner table having a conversation, or if we are playing in a room of 50 kids or 1000 kids, we are ready to fuck the stage. That is what has been missing for a very long time. RNR: LOA has had some crazy fans. In 2018 a Vegas a teacher wanted to kill herself at one of your shows and in the same year, you got bit in the leg in San Diego. Any thoughts on this? Mina: We had the first recorded death in a mosh pit, not proud of it. And getting bit was not fun. My first instinct was a violent one, but I know how the world works. If I acted I would be sitting in jail still. Intuition tells me she was on flakka; she was strong. She
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pulled me right off the stage. I am protected by angels, because I totally thought she broke the skin and she didn’t. I had Doc Martins on and that helped. It was more of a fright than anything. I forgave the girl who bit me, but I still don’t have any closure as to why she bit me in the first place. And then that psycho in Vegas... That sick woman showed up at a festival where we were playing. Synchronicity, Joey and Alan were doing a tour of the jails and who was next to them? This girl. Alan noticed her and so immediately the police escorted her off the premises. It was so idiotic. RNR: How did being raised by your grandparents have an effect on your band in its early days? Mina: We all have our stories. We are programmed as victims. My grandfather fought in World War 2. He was a very angry individual. He was also homophobic, transphobic even though there wasn’t a word for it back then. We used to call it men in skirts. I am grateful for everything I have been through, I am happy. That is how one is taught wisdom. Through trifles and tribulations of life. We were a garage band. We used music to vent our frustrations and anger. We also beat up people
Mina: Yes, I would have come out. But that was my excuse to come out quicker (laughs). I couldn’t take it anymore. All these meat heads sending me hate mail, telling me I will never be a beautiful girl, that I am disgusting. I grew up with transsexuals my entire life, living a double life. A double life hosting swinger parties, transparties, and selling dope since I was 18. Dina Delicious back in the day really inspired me, I wanted to be like her. She is a trans from the old school, look her up. RNR: There was a dark period in your life where you were doing a lot of coke and gambling with your life. Can you elaborate and how you are living now compared to then? Mina: Yes, in my 20’s and 30’s I was bi-polar and suicidal. They labeled me, you named it. I was hooked on oxycontin. I was ready to put a bullet in my head and leave the fucking planet. My soul had enough. But being alive and being who I am, I am helping out a lot of people. I am a vibrational being. There is no right and wrong in this world, only perception, energy, frequency and vibration. Music is my energy. Being alive, showing people that you can grow, be and do whatever you want regardless of what other people say. I don’t need to go around the country beating a nail into all these people’s heads, when they are going to doubt me anyway. I could give a fuck if you like me, believe me. Fuck off. I don’t need your
validation anyway. I used to, but not anymore. RNR: Tell me about your solo projects? Mina: I have made more solo records than Life of Agony records. My solo career dates back to 1999. I worked with musicians that played for Bowie and Lenny Kravitz’s bands. Flea was on my 2007 release. And the cover to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” was my original coming out record, but no one was listening (laughs). RNR: What can we expect from your new album. Mina: “A Place Where there is no More Pain” album was very dark. We are going to try and flip a mother fucker. Lyrically, the band is known for tragedy but finding bliss out of it and making that tragic event work for you in a blissful way. We have a delivery date of June 2019, we already have half the record mapped out, we are currently figuring out schedules, we have to finish writing. Every record we make is very different. We want to go more strippeddown punk rock. I can only explain it in colors. “A Place Where There is No More Pain” is very black and dark mahogany colors. The new record will be more into light purple, orange schemes, vibration and blues, still heavy and impactful, confrontational lyrics, and groovy. The songs are amazing, I can’t say much more. RNR: You have been friends with Billy Biohazard since the beginning, any fun stories. Mina: Here is a cool story about Billy. I was too young to get into CBGB’s, I was only 14. Biohazard was doing a matinée show and I couldn’t get into the show, so they put me in a drum case and snuck me in, that was pretty fun. I have been around it for a long time, this thing called music.
Danielle Dombrowski
in the neighborhood, but that’s another story. As a teenager I was getting all my masculinity out. I don’t want to be poor me, a victim. A lot of people in my era have been that, but it is how you utilize it. I had music and music had me. That has been extremely helpful to bringing me happiness and sanity.
Travis Bowlin Our Assistant Editor, Dea Meeks, sat down with Rhythm and Blues artist, Travis Bowlin, at Summer NAMM in Nashville for a quick interview to catch up and discuss his new record, Secundus has been a top 23 Blues/Rock record on radio for the past 5 months The last time I saw you, you were getting ready to do an Australian tour, will you tell me how that went? Travis: I’ve been lucky enough to go to Australia in the last couple of years. The first time I went we had 19 gigs in 3 weeks. This last time it was 32 gigs in 40 days. Australia is wonderful and very open to Americans. I specialize in Rock, Blues, and Soul music, and they really just eat that up. It’s a lot of work being an independent artist and getting all the ins and outs of that but it all pays off. I tell people every day, if you can get to Australia once, I recommend it. They just take everybody in with open arms. You have a company, Bowlin Box Guitars, tell me about that… Travis: Well several years ago, someone had made me a guitar made from a cigar box. I kept it for years and never really thought much about it. I started meeting more people that were into that recycling instruments stuff and I realized the history of that guitar was the history of the music that I loved. I just started getting drenched in the history. Next thing I know I’m 150 instruments in being built and sold all over the world. Its allowed me to meet really cool people and have people building instruments for me. Now we’re gonna get to the juicy stuff…the baby…the NEW RECORD! Travis: Yeah! Secundus, that means the second in Latin. My full name is Travis Bowlin II. The word can also mean lucky or favorable. It just kinda clicked in my head. With Blues musicians, it’s all about bad luck. It’s all me on this record, but I branched out into different styles that interest me.
Do you wanna give a shout out to any of your sponsors? Travis: I would love to give a shout out to the ones that are here at NAMM. We have Lace Music Products, Re-Axe Guitar Stands, Killer Q Guitar Straps, Mick’s Picks, and American Cigar Box Guitar Association. Those are a few that are here at NAMM and have been very helpful to me in the last few years. What’s one thing that your fans would be surprised to learn about you… Travis: I’m pretty well domesticated. I can cook, clean, and sew. That’s just stuff that I’ve learned growing up. I can cross-stitch. I used to crotchet. Well you’d make a good husband one day. Ladies, he’s single right now! Travis: I just turned 30 so I’m feelin’ dirtier and flirtier than ever!
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Rock N Roll Industries spent the day with Wade Murff, Drummer for the band DOYLE, in a New Orleans cemetery, just days before Halloween 2018. Later that night, Doyle played at Southport Music Hall. Tell us a bit about yourself, who your bandmates are, and how you came to play with the guys in DOYLE? The band Doyle is Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein, Alex Story, Brandon Strate, and myself. We’re from all over the country. Doyle is from NJ, Alex from Alabama, Brandon from Minneapolis, and I’m from Oregon. I grew up in a very musical household in a small town called, Grants Pass. There was always music playing in our house and we had a piano, drums, and a guitar in the house at all times. I came upon the Doyle opportunity when a friend of mine, Shawn Knight, who sings for the band Child Bite, contacted me and told me Doyle was looking for a drummer. The timing was perfect, because, even though I played every day, I was just working independently on business projects and some legal stuff. I didn’t have any commitments or roots planted and I was anxious to play more live. So, I sent my web links and info to Bruce Miyaki at Insane Management, and he recommended me to Doyle. It was super-last minute—I had like 32 hours to learn two albums, pack up my stuff, and get on a plane to NJ for 2 rehearsals, then a tour. The music biz is ALWAYS last minute like that. Always. Never fails. Rehearsals went well enough that Alex walked into the room and said, “Sounds like we got a rock show!” Since then, I’ve had a lot of time to get to know Doyle’s playing style and the feel of the band in general. Fans have been coming up to me and specifically pointing out how much tighter the band sounds and how they love the current lineup. It feels great to hear things like that. I’m all-in. How old were you when you started playing drums? Who bought you your first set? I’ve been drumming since age 4. My dad was in bands when he was a teenager, and he held on to a drum kit from those days, and I just immediately took an interest in it. He set it up for me without the seat because I was so small, so for a few years I played standing up! Haha! When I was about 8, he bought me a stainlesssteel Ludwig kit—it looked like chrome. Very cool. Drummers like Kevin Haskins from Bauhaus and Alex Van Halen had those kits. I played that kit all through my teens and early 20s. I was in a Portland metal band called, Popewyrm, and we used to drape wicking soaked in lighter fluid all over it and light it on
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fire for the last song of the night. We also mounted flash-pot pyro to it, which I triggered with a switch on the floor. Very dangerous…haha... and obviously we were doing this before the Great White nightclub fire happened. Yikes. What drummers inspired you growing up? I feel really fortunate to have grown up on my dad’s record collection. It was extensive. But, I immediately gravitated toward the greats: John Bonham, Ginger Baker, Keith Moon…Ginger Baker was a HUGE influence on me as a kid. I remember dropping the needle right before his drum solo, called Toad,” and trying to play along to it a million times. His playing was revolutionary for me—it seemed a little wild and crazy and I liked that energy. It was his actual personality coming across through his instrument. Haha! Alex Van Halen and the band in general had a massive impact on me. As a kid, I thought he was larger than life. His drum sets were excessive and customized and he just seemed to make his own rules. I was so taken by the song, “Hot for Teacher.” The video was amazing! And, the double-bass blew my mind. After I heard that song, I knew that I wanted to play a double-bass kit. Some of my current influences are Tomas Haake (Meshuggah), Chris Adler (Lamb of God), and Gene Hoglan (Testament). When you were a kid, did you think, “Someday I’m going to be a rock ‘n’ roll star” or? Yes. My dad had the “Cheap Trick at Budokan” record, which was a double-LP gatefold with cool live shots of the band. I used to listen to the screaming audience on that record and stare at the pictures of the band playing live. I wanted to be a part of that kind of excitement. I wanted to be part of the reason people felt that thrilled. I thought, “I’ve got to get into a band like Cheap Trick!” But, I knew immediately that I’d never dress like Bun E. Carlos, haha. What bands did you play in before joining DOYLE?
I played in a lot of bands. I grew up in Southern Oregon and moved to Portland as soon as I graduated high school. It didn’t take long before I was playing in punk and metal bands and spreading myself really thin. All of the Portland bands I played in were very underground; Popewyrm, The Weaklings, The Lucky Thirteens… I did a stint with Sweaty Nipples who were on Metal Blade, but I quit that to do more metal stuff. I lived and played in LA for about 3 years. Also, I toured with a Relapse Records band, Lord Dying. Portland’s scene was so dark and special in the 90s. While local bands like Heatmiser and the Dandy Warhols were getting big record deals, there was also this meta thing going on too, where we were gaining influences from outside the scene, like black metal for example. But we were making it our own and just running with it. Everyone went to shows. Everyone. Tell us about the AS WE DIE World Abomination Tour. The tour is in support of the second Doyle release, “Doyle II: As We Die,” which came out in the summer of 2017. So, “the tour” has been many tours, including 3 US tours and 2 European tours. This last winter leg in the US was the longest, starting October 7th and ending January 3rd. Days off were few and far between, so the band got into really strong playing shape.
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Photo by Evlin Lake
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Wade Murff of DOYLE
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You guys give us such an intense and amazing performance at every show. How are the fans responding at live shows? How can fans better support the band DOYLE? The reception has been so great! I love Doyle fans! When we play “all ages” shows, parents (who are Misfits and Doyle fans) bring their kids, who look up to Doyle himself as some sort of superhero. Alex’s fans are awesome, too. It’s really cool and I’m so glad to be a part of it. The entire crew gets very ramped up before we play because we want to blow peoples’ hair back every show. It’s a really healthy energy, too. I’m straightedge and only a couple people in the band/crew drink, and that’s occasionally. We load gym equipment into every venue and workout after Doyle’s done using the equipment. So, in general, we’re all really healthy and able to put out a lot of energy, night after night. Fans of Doyle can better support the band by doing THREE things: 1) purchase the albums— don’t torrent them online, 2) come and see us live, and 3) buy Doyle merch (whether through the Doyle website or at the shows). What’s the story with, Trixilu, the cute little mascot who’s been traveling with you guys and becoming a little diva star at shows and on Instagram? Trixie is Alex’s doggie. She is the BEST thing on the bus, aside from a personal bunk and
maybe food. She keeps the group calm and is just a joy to have with us. When she created her Instagram page, she had thousands of followers within hours. It’s crazy. She hasn’t let it go to her head either. She’s still very down-toEarth and cool.
I am an entertainment lawyer, so I plan on taking my “time off” to build my practice and broaden that horizon. Touring and band obligations don’t take me away from my legal work—I just have to work during the time I am not needed to do any band-related stuff.
What drum equipment are you working with, who are you currently endorsed by?
As for recording, I plan on posting some more drum covers on my YouTube channel. Doyle is in writing mode at this point, so hopefully I will get a chance to lay tracks for the next record in 2019.
Right now, I play two different drum kits. I play a Yamaha Stage Custom at my practice studio in LA and a Pearl Masters Series on tour, which is stored in NJ. I am endorsed by Paiste Cymbals, Aquarian Drumheads, Vater Sticks, and Devil Wolf Clothing Co. I love and appreciate my endorsers. I get a lot of fans asking me about equipment, and I always recommend my choices. I want to start a working relationship with some pro audio companies, such as Shure and Alesis, for in-ear monitors and backing tracks/ samples, respectively. What’s next in 2019 for Wade Murff? Hopefully some much deserved rest after a long tour. Any recording? Haha! Definitely some rest! But, honestly, I’m only “happy” when I’m moving 100mph and trying to accomplish a million things all at once. I’m also a total gym rat. All of it can be tiring and frustrating, but it’s the mode of operation with which I am most comfortable.
What’s next for DOYLE? The band is on a really good trajectory right now. I think that 2019 and 2020 are going to see the release of a third record, lots of touring and appearances, and bigger shows. I know the band is ready for all of it—we’re waiting with baited breath. Will folks reading this at Winter NAMM 2019 get a chance to meet you in person at the Rock N Roll Industries booth to get their copy signed? Yep! I’ll be there! I love attending NAMM and I want to meet as many people as I can! Thank you for the chat, Wade. See you at NAMM. -Evlin Lake
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On the new Altitudes and Attitude album GET IT OUT, in stores January 18th from Megaforce Records, legendary Big 4 bassists Frank Bello (Anthrax) and David Ellefson (Megadeth), plant a bold new flag, leaving behind the spiked shackles of thrash, and heading straight into uncharted territory, with a disc full of pummeling melodic Hard Rock, steeped in the classic progressive 70’s radio rock, Cheap Trick, KISS, Boston, that they grew up on. On GET IT OUT, Bello, who trades in his bass for 6 strings and a microphone, shows a different side, opening up deep personal wounds on tracks like, “Out Here”, “Part of Me”, and first single “Late” (which features KISS guitarist Ace Frehley) like a pickline IV straight into the heart of one of Heavy Metal’s unsung heroes. Produced by Jay Ruston (Stone Sour), and rounded out by drummer Jeff Friedl (A Perfect Circle), and guests including Stone Sour guitarist Christian Martucci, Russ Parrish, and Alice Cooper shredder Nita Strauss, GET IT OUT shows Bello and Ellefson, wearing their influences on their collective sleeves, with skillfully crafted Rock songs that are a stunning nod to a time when big Rock songs were big Rock songs. Thom Hazaert of EMP LABEL GROUP and COMBAT RECORDS sat down with Ellefson and Bello on the eve of release to discuss all things A&A. Thom Hazaert: So tell me about the new record coming out, fuck in just a couple weeks here. By the time this is out, the album will be in stores. Tell me about it. Frank Bello: Even as you say that, I can’t believe it’s coming out next week. It’s been a long haul. David and I, with all the stuff we’ve been doing over the years, touring, and just getting time to do this record, and to see it coming to fruition, it’s almost surreal. It doesn’t feel like it’s real, that it’s coming out, and we’re doing shows. The thing we wanted to do, our passion thing, is coming out. I’m really psyched. I kinda don’t even know what to feel, we’re releasing it now, it won’t just be ours anymore. Thom: It was such a long process. You guys started working on this what? 4-5 years ago? I mean even the EP came out before I even started working with David, that was like, what, 4 years ago? Frank: Yeah, you gotta realize, we’ve done so much touring between Anthrax and Megadeth, and we had to be together. I think I went, one time, out to Jay’s to do vocals by myself, but every other time, David was there. And he had to be. David and I were always together, and then Jay’s schedule got really crazy for a while. I’m surprised we got it out this early. David Ellefson: It was a really collaborative record, and we were together really making it every step of the way, me, Frank and Jay. I can’t stress enough how important Jay was to the record, and the process. It was definitely a big task with our schedules to get it finished, but we did, and it’s exciting that it’s finally going to see the light of day. We got such a strong reaction to the EP when it came out, and the response to the record so far has been so cool, and so positive. And I think it really says a lot about Frank and his strength as a singer, and songwriter. Thom: Yeah it seems like the response has been really good. What’s it been like with people who have heard it, and what’s come back to you? This is kinda your “coming out” Frank, so to speak, as a vocalist, and a writer, where you’re right out front, that’s gotta be a bit of simultaneously exciting, and unnerving, experience.
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Frank: For me, with the singing thing, it’s a learning process. I asked a lot of my friends a lot of great questions, that they had a lot of great answers for. I’ve been working Melissa Cross because I wanted to learn to breathe and all that stuff, for shows, and it’s been a great learning experience. Singing is just another way to get the expression out. Instead of going through someone else, I think it’s just more important that it comes straight from outside, and into the song. And that’s the way I feel about these songs. And when people are saying in the reviews and stuff that they like my voice, that’s great. I’m really grateful for it. Thom: Yeah man, as a fan of Anthrax, it’s exciting to see you step out front and do this, and it’s a really great fucking record. I mean, I’m close to it, and you guys, but I think the accolades really speak for themselves. All of a sudden, A+A is everywhere, on the radio, magazine covers, you guys are on the cover of BASS PLAYER this month. I mean, it really seems like it’s been a phenomenal overall response. Frank: The great thing is, people are giving it a chance. That’s the most important factor. I’m really psyched that people are giving it a chance, and having open ears, because look, it’s a Hard Rock record. People know Dave and I from Megadeth and Anthrax, and we put it out there, we were really honest. This is a Hard Rock record, it’s not a Metal record, but look, we’re into Metal, and we grew up on Hard Rock. David: When I was growing up in Minnesota, all that great Hard Rock of the 70s was really the first music I was exposed to, and it really had an impact on me. When I was 9, 10, 11 years old, the bus driver on the way to school would play WLS AM out of Chicago, so that was really some of my formative Rock experiences, BTO, Chicago, Foreigner, and of course KISS. KISS was the band that really changed everything for me. Frank: It’s all really close to it, and I know it all comes from the same place. It’s just heavy Rock songs with melody. And a lot of people are getting that, which is great to hear. Look I always say that I just wanted to write good songs. Period. Thom: And you hear a lot of that influence in there, and me and David have talked about it a lot, and I’ve written a lot of stuff around this record, and I always mention it. There’s a lot of Cheap Trick, and KISS, Boston.. There’s a lot of that just classic timeless great Rock in this songwriting, and on these songs, and that’s really what comes across. I don’t want to compare it to other stuff, but maybe like the Foo Fighters, which a lot of that came from the same stuff, and the same kind of an influence, and there’s a lot of that on this record. Frank: I mean, thanks for even saying that. For me, it’s just more like, I can’t write something I don’t know. This is what I know, I grew up on all that stuff, in the late 70’s, the Hard Rock stuff. It all made sense, and this, just the way it came out. That’s as honest as I can be with it, this is just how it came out. And I’m glad people are digging it. The exciting thing is that just from the first two songs, I can’t wait until people hear the whole record, because it’s like a story. The whole thing is like a story. The sequencing, everything, it was very intentional, and it tells a story. Each song flows into another, so I’m excited for when people get to actually feel the full impact of the record. Thom: Yeah there’s definitely kind of a defining narrative that goes through a lot of the songs. And Frank, you were kinda the primary lyricist on all the stuff right? You and David collaborated on the music, but you were really the one holding the pen, so to speak?
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Frank: For the most part. A lot of these things, I just kinda sat in my living room playing guitar, and they just came out like that, a lot about my growing up, my inner stuff that I’ve been dealing with all my life. I always say this now, it’s pretty much like a therapy for me, you know, getting all this stuff out, hence the title Get It Out. It feels a lot better, it’s like a release. David: It was definitely a great outlet for both of us, away from our respective “day jobs”, and really, on a whole other level. I love making records with Dave and Megadeth, and that whole experience, but this was a different level of creative freedom and expression that neither of us really had before, even just from a stylistic standpoint. Frank: It’s completely two different things. In Anthrax, Charlie, Scott and me, we get together, bounce ideas, it’s not always easy, believe me, there’s a lot of intensity there. This is just a lot more freeing. More open. Not even comparing, but I can sit in my living room with the TV on mute, and just write songs. That’s what really happened. And I’d bring it in, David puts his parts in, and this stuff just kinda flows. It’s really two different Worlds. I love both Worlds, but writing with Anthrax is just more intense. Anything goes in Altitudes and Attitude. Thom: And that’s really, this is probably way more expressive. In Anthrax, and Megadeth, you guys are locked to, you kinda have to write shit that sounds like Megadeth and Anthrax, and you have to be mindful of that. This you kinda went into it, nobody had any pre-conceived notions, ‘cuz what the fuck is Altitudes and Attitude?? You guys had the freedom to just build this to be anything you wanted it to be. Frank: Thankfully, with Anthrax, we’ll try anything, but we’ll know. Charlie, Scott and I will look at each other, and we’ll know if it sounds like Anthrax. And if it doesn’t, well move on. And like I said, I love both, but with this, it’s a lot more freeing. It’s a lot more open. We’ll try it, and there was a lot more room to try different things. And all that just kinda built the sound of Altitudes and Attitude. David: Frank brought in some great song ideas, and I brought some stuff in, and we really just built it together. I think there’s definitely elements of who we are, and what we’re known for, but it’s really coming from a different place. I played with Montrose, and Randy Bachman (from BTO and The Guess Who), and a lot of these guys, and I’ve really developed a different appreciation for that style of playing, and doing things outside of the normal realm of “speed metal” and thrash. Thom: And it all came out of you guys doing clinics together for Hartke? Frank: Exactly. Literally, we were doing a lot of them, and we were looking for things to jam to. And David said to me one day, we should just write some songs, just background songs to jam to. So that’s what we started to do, just writing music. So I went home, David went home, and we just started writing songs. I started putting melodies on them, and I started to sing along to them at home in my living room, it’s like a snowball effect. Then I started making demos and sending them to Dave and to Jay, and it just started working out that these were songs. These were songs that needed to be heard. David: It really was a totally organic process, of us just writing and making music with no real agenda. I think that was a huge part of why it came out the way it did. We really just wrote what we felt, without really trying to sound like anything, and this is what came out. Frank: And the ultimate compliment for me, by the way, is sounding like a Cheap Trick song, or some KISS in there, all of our influences. Boston. There’s no bigger compliment. I love hearing all of that. I still listen to all that great stuff, it’s very important to me. Thom: Speaking of KISS, you have some amazing guests on the record, the most notable of which being Ace Frehley, who plays the solo on
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“Late”. How did that come about? Frank: Just trying to track him down, we got in touch with his manager John, and actually Dave ran into him. I kept saying, “Look we have to get Ace on this song.” Eventually we just kinda nailed him down and got him to do it. You gotta understand, me and David both grew up at diehard KISS fans, so to have Ace on a record that we wrote, and are putting out, it was a big deal to us. It’s still a big deal to us. So, we got it to Ace, he played an incredible lead on it. It’s just almost surreal, If you told 15-year-old Frank Bello that Ace Frehley was gonna play on one of his songs that he wrote. I just never would’ve believed you. Thom: Hey if you told 15-year-old Thom Hazaert, one day he’d be talking to Frank Bello, and his partner David Ellefson, about the record they just made with Ace Frehley, my fucking head would’ve probably exploded. It’s just that constant full circle of “holy shit”, ya know? As much as I LOVE KISS, Megadeth and Anthrax WERE my KISS, and I think it’s just that kind of generational fandom and true appreciation that keeps music alive. David: We’re both huge fans of music, like I said, KISS was the band that pretty much changed my life. I had posters of Ace Frehley on my wall, and KISS was my band, just like Megadeth was yours. KISS influenced us, the way that younger bands tell us Megadeth and Anthrax influenced them, and there’s something really special to that. Frank: Yeah, it does come around. I’ll always be a diehard KISS fan. For
“It really was a totally organic process of us just writing and making music with no real agenda. I think that was a huge part of why it came out the way it did. We really just wrote what we felt, without really trying to sound like anything, and this is what came out.” -David Ellefson me, they did a lot for my upbringing, so they were big for me. I’ll never forget that. Thom: So who else is on the record? There’s some other guests too. Frank: We’ve got Christian from Stone Sour, Gus G, Nita Strauss plays an incredible lead. Russ Parrish (better known as Satchel from Steel Panther), you gotta hear the stuff he did. There’s this instrumental track David wrote, “Leviathan”, and Russ just, there’s some incredible lead stuff he’s doing. Miki Black. There’s just a lot of great players, a lot of friends of ours, really showed up. David: And of course, Jeff Friedl, who is an absolutely amazing drummer, and plays for a ton of bands, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, Eagles of Death Metal, etc, and was also a huge part of the process. Frank: Jeff, he’s the guy. We never have to worry about anything. That dude just comes in, and he whacks it out. Just knows exactly what part to put in each drum part. And, he’s always right. You never have to question it, and he always shocks me. When I see him go in there, and actually play the drums in the studio, it kinda freaks me out, ‘cuz he’s so good.
Thom: And you guys are finally going out and doing some live shows, there’s a CD release in New York, some stuff around NAMM, ShipRocked, and then going to Europe to do some shows with Slash and Myles Kennedy. What’s it been like getting ready to do it live? And how did you find time to even do it with your schedules? David: Yeah, it’s so great to finally be able to get out and play this stuff live, we’ve done a couple things before, but this will be the first real “touring” of any kind for A+A. But it’s been a process. When you make a record like this, and then you’re away from it for a while, you really have to get back in there, and almost relearn the songs. The A&A record, as I said, really happened organically and somehow just worked out in between our Megadeth and Anthrax schedules. We’d have a little bit of downtime, head in and somehow it got done. Now it’s getting a little trickier, as both Anthrax and Megadeth are in various stages of work on a new album, but we’re definitely finding some time to get some shows in. And the Slash tour, we’re really excited about. A lot of the shows are already sold out, and Slash is an old friend, so it’s really exciting to get out and play some shows with him. Frank: We’re playing Saint Vitus in New York, next Saturday. Man, I can’t believe I’m saying “next Saturday” already. We have some other cool events around the release in New York City, and we’re playing at MI the following week. Then we’re going out on the SHIPROCKED cruise, and, yes, then going out supporting Slash in Europe., which is coming up fast. Wow, we’re doing a lot. As for getting ready, like I said, I’ve been working with Melissa Cross, really working on getting my voice in shape. And just playing the songs. It’s really exciting to not only get the record out there, but to go out and play these songs live, many of them for the first time ever. Thom: And live, you have other guys playing with you? I know the stuff in NYC you have Bumblefoot and Opus from Dead By Wednesday, and on ShipRocked it’s Bumblefoot and John Tempesta? David: Yeah Ron, Bumblefoot is a good friend, and Dead By Wednesday is on Combat/EMP, and both Ron and Christian (Opus) came out and played with me on a couple legs of my BASSTORY tour, with Dave Sharpe from Dead By Wednesday, who played guitar. So, when we were figuring out who was gonna play drums for the NYC events, Bumblefoot mentioned Opus, and we were all already kinda playing together, so it just worked out. Frank: It’s great to have friends. And we can trust these people. I’ve actually jammed with Bumblefoot a lot. And I don’t know if you know this, there’s a video out on YouTube, but one of my favorite times jamming with Bumblefoot, he and I jammed with Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. It was at the Hard Rock, for Eddie Trunk’s 30th Anniversary, they came out and we did 2 KISS songs, “Hooligan” and “Love Her All I Can”. That was one of my favorite times jamming with Bumble, so I trust Bumblefoot with everything. He’s a great guitar player, he’s a great singer. He can do it all. Thom: Holy shit. That’s amazing. So the record’s coming out on Megaforce, and EMP/Universal in Japan. Megaforce also puts out the Anthrax records, and you guys seem to have a great relationship. How did they come to put out the record? Frank: Missi Callazzo is awesome, I’ve known her for a lot of years, and obviously she runs Megaforce Records. And she’s really good at it. She’s really good at what she does. So I gave her some songs, some A+A songs to hear, to see if she wanted to work with us, it was as easy as that. We were going to other companies, but Missi was the one I was hoping, just because I’ve seen what she does with records, and she puts her heart and soul into it. So, I was really excited when she wanted to sign it. And then the great
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thing was, when they actually heard the whole record, when me and David and Jay finally gave her the whole record, mixed and everything, they really had no idea what they had, which was really nice, and were so psyched about the whole record. I remember, Missi’s husband, Robert, who works with her as a partner, called me and was just like, “This is just a great Rock record”, which is the ultimate compliment. I’ll never forget that. It really felt good, that they listened to the whole record, and they really thought that each song had something to it. Thom: It was the same thing over here, when I heard the whole record, being in David’s camp. I hadn’t heard anything really, besides “Booze and Cigarettes”, the EP songs, and some demos here and there. But when I finally got the whole record, and really sat down and listened to it, I was like, “Holy shit, what have you guys been doing over there??” It was like a knock-it-out-of-the-park, honest to goodness, ass-kicking, Rock N’ Roll record, really front to back. I was blown away. Frank: I remember you saying that to me, I couldn’t have felt better, I thank you for that. I still thank you for that. It was an honest emotion, it just came out of you like that. I was like, “wow, he actually heard the whole thing”, and he got it. You know what it is man? When you release that thing like this, that you’ve held for a while, and you don’t know how.. It’s an honest thing. Now it’s out, it’s out in the World. Hopefully people give it a chance and dig it. And to hear that kind of reaction, that makes it, all the fights, all the pain, all the times flying out to LA, and getting together with Dave, it all made sense. Thom: And to see it all come together the way it is, again, it’s really rewarding all around. To see you guys work so hard on this thing, and then people fucking love it. I knew people were gonna love it, but to see if come out, and see people honest-to-goodness, just fucking freak out over the songs.
Wednesday, and then I’m playing with Metal Allegiance Thursday night at House of Blues. Bello: I have a writing session with Anthrax in LA in between all the A+A stuff, then we actually have a day of signings for EMG, and some of our sponsors at NAMM, and then we’re flying straight out to do ShipRocked, which is insane. We come home after ShipRocked, I can see my family, hopefully say hello for a few days, and then immediately we start the Altitudes and Attitude tour in Europe and the UK. Thom: You guys both have big years coming up, outside of A+A, working on new Megadeth and Anthrax albums, respectively, Megadeth doing the Ozzy tour. David you have the new book. What else is coming up? Frank: As I mentioned, I’m getting together with the Anthrax guys to start writing a new record, and obviously all the A+A stuff. Outside of that it’s really the Anthrax record. David: We’re working on the new Megadeth record, and then the Ozzy tour, and that’ll probably start ramping up the cycle for the new album. And yes, as you know, my new book MORE LIFE WITH DETH is coming out in 2019, along with a few songs i’m working on to release as part of the book. And lots of new records with Combat and EMP, new releases from Archer Nation, Frank Hannon, American Bombshell, Ron Keel Band, Dopesick, Dead By Wednesday.. The list goes on. Thom: (Feigning ignorance.) Tell me more.
Frank: I’ve released it to people that I’ve trusted for years, that I’ve let hear Anthrax songs, and other stuff that I’ve done, I’ve given the record to some of my close people, and the reaction has been the same about the whole record. These are musicians from some great bands, and I just put it out there, and said, “Just give me your thoughts, be honest”, and I’m knocking wood right now, but so far everything that’s come back has been extremely positive.
David: Well, the EMP stuff I’ll leave up to you. As for the book, you obviously already know since you wrote it with me, but for everyone that doesn’t, it’s the follow-up to my first memoir MY LIFE WITH DETH, and it basically picks up where the first one left off. Going into my years outside of Megadeth, working at Peavey, and then coming back into Megadeth, making Dystopia, winning the Grammy, and everything else I’ve done outside of the band, EMP, Combat, Ellefson Coffee Co, etc. And we go back pretty deep into the origins and earliest days of Megadeth as well, so it’s definitely an interesting read. A lot of these stories have kinda been told before, but I think we really found a way to tell many of them in a new, interesting way.
Thom: You’re both being inducted into the HALL OF HEAVY METAL HISTORY at NAMM, along with Max Norman, Lee Kerslake, Bob Daisley, Saxon, Mike Portnoy, and so many others. How did that come about? Are you guys doing other events at NAMM?
We have some other amazing guests who contributed to it as well, Brian “Head” Welch from Korn, KK Downing from Judas Priest, Brian Slagel from Metal Blade, Mark Tremonti, Dan Donegan from Disturbed, Alice Cooper. It’s really exciting.
David: Yes, it’s a huge honor to be inducted into the Hall of Heavy Metal History, with so many of our other friends! I actually inducted Nick Menza last year, and then they were talking about inducting me this year, and then it happened. And then they were asking about inducting Frank too, so it all worked out that we were going to be in LA. But we’re actually only going to be at NAMM for one day, really, then we have to fly to Texas for ShipRocked. We have the MI event on Tuesday, The induction on
GET IT OUT is in stores Jan 18th.
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Altitudesandattitude.com davidellefson.com megadeth.com anthrax.com
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“Hands Tied” and “Beat of a Heart” and “The Warrior” before fake finishing us off with “Goodbye to You.” Patty got me right in the feels when she started singing “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough,” which has always been a personal favorite of mine. They nailed two covers in particular, delivering a heartfelt version of “Ode to Billie Jo” about halfway into the set, and “River Deep Mountain High,” a perfect in-our-face rock session to finish the encore and send everyone home with a bang. There were some amusing moments throughout the show that were not musical when Patty told some great stories and jokes. It’s always refreshing to hear some
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solid banter from the front person, and she has obviously honed in this skill with grace. She sang part of one song while lying down on the stage, which is no easy feat for a vocalist, as well as sang every song in the keys in which they were originally performed/ recorded... that’s quite impressive. Patty then came out after the show and signed autographs and took photos with a long line of very excited fans. She remained in the booth smiling and chatting and laughing with us until every last person got their desired autograph and/or photo. Ms. Smyth is an all-around incredible talent and an extraordinarily down to earth and dazzling woman. -Julia Dettwiler
Photos: Julia Dettwiler
I
n the early 80’s, Scandal gave us gems like “Goodbye to You” and “The Warrior” to fuel our desire for fun music we could rock out to. The voice of Patty Smyth could crush most vocalists with a single note. On July 26th at the Coach House in Orange County, California, Scandal proved they still rock and Patty proved she could still crush with the same strength and sexy rasp. The house was full, and we got a full performance from this group of very talented musicians. The show took us up and down through songs that made us dance, to ballads that made us feel all the emotions they were originally written to derive from our hearts. They started the set with “Heartache” and played several crowd favorites like
Julia Dettwiler
f you’re looking for energy that can’t be matched, Juliette and the Licks bring it times ten. On July 20th at the Teragram Ballroom in Downtown Los Angeles, not only did JATL bring it, but Sumo Princess rocked the house. This bottom end duo gave an unsuspecting crowd an earful of a style all their own, a style that was warmly welcomed by all ears in the house. An already pumped audience greeted the Licks to the stage with howls. When Juliette Lewis blew onto the stage like a firework, the room went crazy… and as well they should. The music that filled the Teragram was not your typical bullshit modern music. No, you probably won’t hear a whole lot of their stuff on the radio. This wild and free art pleased our ears and the intensity of their performance left us wanting more. Juliette connects almost directly with each of her fans. Throughout the duration of their set, she spent time in the crowd and on the crowd, surfing that is. She seemed genuinely happy to be tearing up that stage. Among a killer set of badass JATL originals were covers including “Hot Stuff” and “Proud Mary.” The whole band looked like they were having the time of their life and Juliette was obviously born to lead on stage. They gave us rock, blues, and even disco. No, they’re not delivering “modern music.” And for that I am grateful. -Julia Dettwiler
Sumo Princess
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Doyle wrapped up their 2018 AS WE DIE World Abomination Tour on January 3rd, 2019. Rock N Roll Industries caught various Doyle shows around the country, including their New Orleans stop on October 22. Wade Murff (drummer) spent the day with us in a cemetery for a spooky Halloween adventure shoot, then met back up that evening at Southport Music Hall with Alex Wolfman (vocalist), Doyle W. Von Frankenstein (guitarist), and Brandon Strate (bassist). Looking like monsters and playing like beasts, they put on another incredible show. Their hard work payed off during this long tour, earning many more fans, and proving they aren’t going away anytime soon. Backstage we met Doyle’s Notorious mascot, Trixi-Lu, Alex’s sweet Chihuahua who’s been a great companion on tour, and making quite a name for herself on Instagram, sharing many photos with the band. Doyle band will take a short break just in time for NAMM, while Doyle W. Von Frankenstein himself will be joining Metal Allegiance on January 24 at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California. The all-star line-up includes members of Sepultura, Testament, The Black Dahlia Murder, Death Angel, Armored Saint, Machine Head, Overkill, Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein of Doyle, and the Misfits. Follow OfficalDoyle on Instagram, Doyle on Facebook and Officaldoyle.com for future tour dates. Follow Trixi-Lu on Instagram
-Photos Evlin Lake
-Evlin Lake
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Photos: Julia Dettwiler
Tesla, made up of: Frank Hannon, Brian Wheat, Jeff Keith, Troy Luccketta, and Dave Rude, can certainly pack a joint. This sold-out event at the Coach House was set up with tables and chairs, but once Tesla hit the stage, the crowd danced and sang throughout the set. They performed hits like “Modern Day Cowboy,” “Paradise,” “What You Give,” and “The Way It is,” but when the band lined up across the stage to perform a fan favorite, “Signs” the crowd went wild. And, as expected, the crowd went nuts when they hit us with “Love Song.” The band was tight and energetic. They gave us quite a show. Jeff Keith and Dave Rude gave us that little bit of extra something by playing to the crowd with a genuineness that made us believe they LOVE what they do 100% of the time. Their fans obviously LOVE what they do…. Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, I know!
-Jennifer Anderson
Woodystock Blues Festival A Blues Festival in the middle of nowhere in Apple Valley, California? Yes! October 2018 marked the 6th Annual Woodystock Blues Festival that John R Woodard Jr has put together on his private property in Apple Valley. Rock N Roll Coffee Company was there to wake everyone up each morning with coffee, teas, smoothies and paninis. Bob’s Cajun Boil was also there with the most delicious Cajun Boil I have ever tasted. They started it in the morning and let it cook all day. There was a sturdy raised stage made out of wood for the musicians. The sound man had an excellent system and he made everyone’s music sound great! Jay Jaime of Epic Television was
there. People came from near and far to attend this festival. Several folks there had been there for every one of the 6 Blues Festivals, giving it the feeling of a reunion of sorts. When asked what brought him here every year, Mike Fryman said it was the music and the friends. Everybody there was helpful and kind and it made for a very relaxing three night, two day weekend. The performers included Delta Shade, Bridgette Purdy, Stone Stanley and The Time Bombs played and sang the blues. There was even some great blues rock played by a couple of the artists. For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/Woodystock Peggy Murphy Rock N Roll Industries Magazine 33
So let me tell you why I love this band! Stone Sour is very entertaining, because their singer is Corey Taylor. In case some of you don’t know, Stone Sour is Corey’s original band…. I Know?! Shocker! Like, before Slipknot! The best part is you can see his goofy face! Corey comes alive with attention grabbing antics, and a side of him you didn’t know erupts onto the stage with a confetti gun! He is joined by the other characters that make up this five piece and you just can’t help but have fun with them. Nothing makes me happier than when I see a band enjoying themselves on stage and feeding that energy to a crowd. Christian Martucci is the newest member of Stone Sour, joining the band on the “House of Golden Bones” tour, and to cowrite and record their album “Hyrdrograd”. I personally feel he has been fantastic. He is a phenomenal guitar player and never misses a lick! Like Corey, he
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is having a great time and smiling while ripping solos with ease. The band’s other lead guitarist, Josh Rand, formed the band with Corey, and he is hilarious! Josh wears very dapper bow ties and has a quirky attitude. Watch a guy smash a pink polka-dot guitar on stage wearing a bow tie and you will see the world differently. I also think Josh is responsible for most of the practical jokes on stage. One show Roy Mayorga was faced with having to play with piles of glitter on his drums! Roy still hit hard and didn’t miss a beat while billions of pieces of shiny bits flew up in clouds! He was covered, looking like a human disco ball or auditioning for Rammstein. Oh and while we are on the Roy subject, I would like to retract a statement I made. He worked at “C.B.G.B.’s” in NYC and it was a very special time in his life, I’ve since watched the movie. In comparison to his band mates, bassist Johny Chow seems to be the mellow man of the group. He stands firm delivering bass lines from his beard, but don’t let it fool you! He is consistent in fun and his soul driving bass booms. Overall this band is a good time and, on the plus side, they have amazing songs! “Hydrograd” is definitely a something-for-everyone record, and I highly recommend it. They really
are talented bastards. If you missed their show, you missed out! You didn’t get to see the wacky, waving, inflatable, dancing tube men! So sad. But those of you that did, you know what I’m talking about. See you next album!! Miranda Panda
Enrique Nunez
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et me start by saying I am a huge Stone Sour fan! I’ve seen them live about ten times. I was also lucky enough to pop by Sphere Studios while they were recording their album “Hydrograd” with producer Jay Ruston.
Photo : Suzie Kaplan
This rockabilly three-piece has definitely left their mark on more than one generation. From kids to adults, people of all ages were dressed in cuffed jeans and bandanas with their best bouffants. These fans looked as though they had fallen right out of the 1950’s. It was August 16, 2018 at the Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa when these guys brought us a taste of a genre that has cut through the decades with sheer success and consistent popularity. Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker, and Slim Jim Phantom have been dazzling crowds as Stray Cats since 1979 and did just that on this night. They surprised us by playing “Stray Cat Strut” early into their set. “Rock This Town” came much later following several fun and upbeat songs. All three guys played their instruments while standing, and they even did their own stunts. At one point, guitarist and lead singer, Brian Setzer, jumped off the bass drum while playing his guitar. Drummer, Slim Jim Phantom, played his drums while either standing behind or running around his kit and also while standing on top of his bass drum. Bass player, Lee Rocker, played his upright bass while standing on top of it in a balancing act and even played while laying on it. Rocker also sang some lead vocals with a velvet voice that complimented Setzer’s vocals beautifully. These boys did these fun acrobatics and, if you had your eyes closed, you’d never know they were doing tricks while playing. The music did not suffer even a moment of their trickery. It was a fun show for all. Keep strutting, boys! -Julia Dettwiler
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to always hit his notes with the same warmth he had on the recorded versions. He rode out into the crowd on a scooter and did a couple of songs from the center of the arena by the sound booth. “Island in the Sun” and A-Ha cover “Take on Me” were played from that island in the spotlight forcing an arena full of cell phone flashlights to do the presentday version of the concert lighter effect. Weezer got the place lit up both literally and figuratively. It was definitely an excellent pairing of bands. -Julia Dettwiler
Photos: Julia Dettwiler
It was between 95-100 degrees outside, but that did not stop these concert goers from attending this sold out show at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Luckily, the Forum is an indoor venue and kept everyone cool throughout this kickass show. Sleigh Bells were the first up. They brought their all to the stage and rocked. This duo’s energy was high as singer, Alexis Krauss, bounced all over the stage belting her vocal leads. When Pixies took the stage, they were silhouettes on a dark stage with lights beaming from behind as they bumped their bottom end intro long enough to get their fans worked up over “Gouge Away” and “Wave of Mutilation” (which they played a more mellow version of later into their set). Paz Lenchantin has proven time and again since 2014 that she is the perfect fit for this band. Her driving bass was felt across the arena. And Black Francis did not waver. His vocals haven’t changed much over the years. The whole band gave a hungry crowd a big slice of badassery. This performance certainly snagged them a few more fans from the hardcore Weezer fans who were ready to take in 21 scoops of awesome for dessert. Weezer opened with “Buddy Holly,” easily one of their biggest hits among several, on a stage built to look like their classic Happy Days inspired music video for the popular song. The crowd loved it and went even more nuts over Weezer’s cover of “Africa,” when the band surprised everyone with a special guest spot by Weird Al Yankovic for the last half of the song. He graced us with an inspired accordion solo and vocal harmonies. What a way to finish a set before returning with an encore of more crowd favorites. I think we all secretly hoped TOTO would show up to cover “Hash Pipe” for Weezer’s fans, but TOTO was playing one county over at the Pacific Amphitheater in Orange County on that same night, so Weezer played it for us themselves a few songs into their set. No one was disappointed, but it would have been fun! These guys put on such a tight show it should have been recorded for a live release. Rivers Cuomo has held onto his unique vocal sound and seems
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Bomb” from her days in The Runaways, Lita has consistently paved the way for women in hard rock and metal. Her current lineup for this tour is herself, Patrick Kennison (guitar), Bobby Rock (drums), and Marty O’ Brien (bass). Current tour updates can be found at www.litafordonline.com Missie Tong
Missie Tong
Lita Ford made a blistering, hot night in September even hotter with her show at Fortress Obetz on September 2, 2018 as the opener for Bret Michaels band at the Obetz Zucchinifest in Obetz, Ohio. Covering songs that expanded her long career in rock, including an Elton John cover (The Bitch is Back), Alice Cooper (Only Women Bleed) and “Cherry
Styx kicked off their show with “Gone, Gone, Gone” from their album titled The Mission released in 2017. They rocked the crowd with Styx favorites: “Blue Collar Man”, “The Grand Illusion”, “Lady”, “Rockin’ the Paradise”, “Too Much Time on My Hands”, and “Come Sail Away”. James and Tommy shared fun stories
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about how the unique Styx sound has been sustained throughout the years and Tommy shared his story of how he joined the band. Lawrence captivated the audience with a tribute of mashup of songs including “Bohemian Rhapsody” which got everyone in the arena singing along. Styx closed the set with “Mr. Roboto” and cannons blew us away with confetti during
an explosive performance of “Renegade”. Without consulting my “Crystal Ball”, I knew Styx would give an excellent show and they did not disappoint! -Jennifer Anderson
Photos: Julia Dettwiler
Styx came out banging at the Star of the Desert Arena on October 6th 2018! The legendary band was greeted by a crowd of all ages, charged with excitement. Tommy Shaw and James “J.Y.” Young ran up and down the stairs to the high riser behind Todd Sucherman on the drums, a spinning piano opened up performance opportunities for Lawrence Gowan, and a special guest appearance by Chuck Panozzo, the founding member of the band on his bass guitar playing alongside current bassist Ricky Phillips made this a performance to remember. While maintaining their individuality, the band connected with the audience with their collective energy, talent, and showmanship. They smiled and danced and got silly together all while running around playing their classic hits and a few newer ones. No doubt, they are still having fun doing what they love.
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in this intimate venue singing along to every song. “Demon Rock” got the show started as they blew through 16 or so of their hottest songs, including their breakout hit “Here & Now”. They played “4 Leaf Clover” and “Hitch a Ride” from their latest release, Back To Nebraska. For their encore came “Rim Shak” and they even played “Cruel To Be Kind” live for the first time and crushed it. The show lit up the place as did Kay’s banter to the crowd. Their humor and realness make you feel like you’re hanging out with friends. They all had a warmth that I was lucky to catch one on one with most of them after the show. They stuck around for photo opps and autographs with their fans, which I’ve always thought was the coolest move a “Big Star” can make. Hopefully, LTC will continue to dazzle us with great shows and new music! -Julia Dettwiler
Photos: Julia Dettwiler
When I think of innovative bands that have successfully brought old songs back to life by making them their own, all while crushing it with their own original songs along the way, I think of Letters To Cleo. Their alternative rock/power pop style defined a unique sound that the 90’s would have sadly lacked without the music of LTC. A few years ago, when they played in Los Angeles, I was given the opportunity to photograph the show they played. I was just starting out with my camera, and I got to shoot this badass band. So naturally, when I found out they were coming back to L.A., I was excited to get to the show. Kay Hanley bringing on her sweet vocals, Mike Eisenstein and Greg McKenna making their guitars sing, Joe Klompus on bass, and Stacy Jones drumming away created that same tight sound the band has always had. They rocked the Hi Hat just as expected. The crowd was jammed up against the stage
Five Finger Death Punch, Breaking Benjamin, Nothing More and Bad Wolves Tour
This was one of the best lineups for 2018 because there was something for every type of rocker.
Five Finger Death Punch is a band I have been following for years and have been to many of their shows. I feel this was the best stage setup to date! Siting above drummer Jeremy Spencer hung a 15-foot skull and cross bones, apart from the bones were baseball bats. Lasers shot out from the skull’s eyes, which looked epic through the haze. Jason Hook played his signature guitars, which light up along with the lights on stage. He also had a platform that lifted him above the rest of the band. Singer Ivan Moody has become one of the best front men out there, making sure everyone is safe and the kids in the crowd are happy. The fans love him.
of “Zombie” by The Cranberries. The band was set to record with front woman Dolores O’Riordan, but she sadly passed away before they had the chance. The band went on to record “Zombie” and all the proceeds went to her children, which is just amazing! Fronted by Tommy Vext, Bad Wolves put on a great show, they have a number of moving songs including newly released “Hear Me Now” featuring DIAMANTE. I recommend seeing any one of these bands as they continue to tour not only are they all brilliant live bands, their production is on point. Miranda Panda
Enrique Nunez
Breaking Benjamin co-headlined with FFDP, which is a change of pace, but was so amazing. Ben’s vocals never let me down, and this band has very talented musicians. They played all the Breaking Benjamin classics, as well as covers from Nirvana, Cowboys From Hell and Metallica. Fire and haze blasts filled Breaking Benjamin’s stage, and you couldn’t help but be wowed! Nothing More has been one of my fave bands since the release of their first single “This Is The Time (Ballast)” in 2014. I’m loving their new record “The Stories We Tell Ourselves” and they are killing it! With front man Jonny Hawkins riding his “scorpion” how could they not? And the fact that Jonny never wears a shirt helps... I joke, but seriously... Never. Nothing More have a close bond that shows in their performance with how in sync they are. They have deeply, touching messages about navigating through this crazy life in every song they write. Last but not least, as they say, Bad Wolves were the opening act of the tour. This brand-new band blasted on to the charts with their cover
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STILL ROCKIN MIDDLE AMERICA BY Missie Tong Central Ohio. They don’t stray from the formula of well known hits such as “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”, “Sentimental Street”, “ (You Can Still) Rock in America” along with songs from various band members other projects like Damn Yankees, Ozzy and Alice Cooper. Their 35th Anniversary Tour is still going on and current tour dates can be found at www.nightranger.com .
Missie Tong
Friday, July 13, 2018 found Night Ranger taking the majority of the crowd back to their high school days in the 80’s by headlining the rock night of the Picktown Palooza in Pickerington, Ohio. The current lineup of Jack Blades (bass, vocals), Brad Gillis (guitars), Eric Levy (keyboards), Kelly Keagy (drums, vocals) and Keri Kelli (guitars), brought their 35th Anniversary World Tour to
Enrique’s “Ones To Watch and Follow” Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Nili moved to Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 12. With a couple of solo albums (Through The Looking Glass and A Matter Of Perception) released and a very long list (which you might end up skipping, seriously, it’s long and “woah” worthy) of collaborations and performances with some of the world’s best musicians, the Summa Cum Laude Berklee College of Music graduate became one of the youngest faculty members in the Berklee Summer Guitar Programs at the age of 19. Nili Brosh has been paving her way to success on her own terms, and her hard work is paying off. Famous for her YouTube videos and “Nilicks” she posts, this talented musician is one busy person going from recording, to video posts, to her gazillion shows a week as “Muse” in Las Vegas’ Cirque Du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson: ONE” (Yes, this is the part where you say “Ooooh, I knew I had seen her before!” For more info on Nili and her projects www.nilibrosh.com Facebook.com/NiliBroshMusic IG @nilibrosh
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Nili Brosh
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Send $30 for two tickets (or $20 for one) to PayPal.Me/LITSOUL1776 Ticket will be left at Will Call. Rock N Roll Industries Magazine 43
The Cherry Bombs are, as they call themselves, “The Darlings of Rock N Roll” and for good reason. Well, let me tell you, forget the darling part (which is obvious), they are fierce, talented, sexy and fearless! Did I mention they are beautiful, too? I’ve seen this act before but what was different a few weeks ago is that it happened at the Affliction Store in Seal Beach, CA accompanying Stone Sour on their super intimate performance presented by Zippo Lighters at the Affliction stage right next to Sirius XM’s Jose Mangin’s booth for Octane/Liquid Metal shows. Those that were in this show got a double whammy of a treat with a terrific performance that includes (say it in Beavis and Butthead style) FIRE!!! No Affliction clothing was damaged in the making of such cool visuals and performances, but perhaps a few jaws dropped when flames, spinning women in leather outfits, aerial performances and grinding tools producing sparks were in session. It was also an honor to see a handful of fans enjoy an acoustic set by Stone Sour, wrapping up a crazy couple of years of the Hydrograd era. The intimate acoustic performance was followed by a Q&A hosted by Mr Mangin. Thanks to Jose Mangin for always opening his doors to Rock N Roll Industries Magazine to be part of such intimate events. -Enrique Nunez
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Enrique Nunez
Cherry Bombs Stone Sour AT AFFliction
Enrique Nunez
“I grew up listening to Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and a few LA bands like Warrior and Malice. I always wanted to go back and reclaim those classic metal roots, and I feel like 3 Headed Snake is the project to do that with” -Sin Quirin
As many of you might know by now, there’s a new cool kid in town called 3 Headed Snake. This baby was conceptualized by guitarist Sin Quirin (Ministry/ RevCo/Lords Of Acid). I’ve known Sin for over a decade now, probably 12 years, and he’s one of those guys that you don’t see as a “rockstar.” I mean, I know he might be to other people, but to me, he’s my fellow Mexican-American fellow music lover who happens to be in a known band by the name of MINISTRY. To me he is that kid who grew up listening to rock in the streets and schools of LA and now has been nominated for Grammys a couple of times, big deal… right?! Ha ha! But in all seriousness, I know he is a hard-working man who loves what he does and loves KISS. I was fortunate to be invited to be part of the 3 Headed Snake video shoot for the song “Wisdom Screams” (directed by Lord Zane) that took place in July and then released in October 2018. I somehow dragged my wife and friends into this shoot, and it’s great to see other familiar faces in it as well. Alicia Dove (Cherry Bombs), model and media extraordinaire Dr. Amie Nicole, the talented Kevin Llewelyn, Prayers’ Dave Parley, MU Mana Afshar, violinist Alyson Montez, etc. Expect a melodic metal sound by the quintet, and we hope to hear a full album soon in 2019, maybe? 3HS is: Sin Quirin (guitars), Johnny Ray (vocals), Cesar Soto (guitar), Derek Abrams (drums), and DV Karloff (bass). Enrique Nunez Rock N Roll Industries Magazine 45
Band Spotlight: Frosthelm By Raquel Figlo For the past 10 years, the black-metal band Frosthelm has shaken the thrash music scene from their icy North Dakota homeland to the international metal community. The hardworking quintet is a group of longtime friends: fearless vocalist Bernard Pfilger, drummer Brian Helm, guitarists Dakota Irwin and Billy Zahn, and bassist Jim Cherry. Outside of practice and shows, each member nerds out in his own right, from PC gaming to obsessive vinyl collections. Energized by the shredding styles of Dissection, Slayer, Metallica, Gwar, Megadeth and other early metal innovators, Frosthelm pioneers a sound all their own that seamlessly shifts from melodic construction to total destruction. While there’s an extensive list of bands they’d like to slay with, right now Wode, Slayer and Metallica rank high on their list. Their full-length debut, “The Endless Winter,” ranked in the top 10 of MetalSucks Best of 2015 list. The album was produced by Alec Schneider and Eric Milos, then mastered by Grammy-winning metal producer Matt Hyde under the label Alkemy Brothers. Pizza and beer fueled the recording sessions between the Clear Lake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, CA and the famous drum room of Mekoche Studios in Bismarck, ND. While the group enjoyed both studio experiences, the band was grateful to mix things up from the blizzardy discomforts of their home state. While their style embraces the relentless and punishing cold of the North Dakotan frozen plainlands, their furious riffs are anything but plain. Frosthelm exhales an emotional flurry of bone-chilling melodies and savage lyrics touching on death, dragons and black magic. For anyone who’s witnessed a brutal prairie blizzard, their songs conjure up the physical bleakness of a region, translating into a personal darkness that pent-up listeners can find a release in. Frosthelm’s willingness to absorb different genres builds a complex auditory layering of two worlds: one with real everyday frustrations demonstrated by fast-paced percussions and one that lyrically paints a phantasmagoric mood. With melodic depth and energetic riffs, textured
APOP
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ariq “BL$$D” Sharrieff, the producer of Rolex (A viral hit that racked up 700M+ YouTube views and was certified 2x Platinum in less than a year), teams up with Aaron Reid stepping into music history by creating ALL POP INTERNATIONAL (APOP), a new collective of producers, songwriters and artists. Joining their management team are Dee Thompson and music consultant Harrison Hawkins. Some of APOP’s production credits include: Young Thug ft. Future Relationship, Cruise Ship; Quavo ft. Lil Baby Lose It; Ayo & Teo ft. Lil Yachty AY3; Lil Yachty Say My Name, Young Nudy Loaded Baked Potato and a host of rising stars. APOP’s corporate headquarters are in Florida, with a studio in Atlanta, and a new studio currently under construction in Los Angeles. APOP is changing the way hits are made in 2019 and looking forward to many more certifications this year.
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and diverse sounds are what give Frosthelm an edge over bands with similar metallic flavors. As for the Dungeon and Dragon-esque name of their band? Their original drummer laid it on the table and the rest was left up to chance — after the roll of a twelve-sided dice; it was settled. Frosthelm slithered and seared itself into the minds of people wanting to connect with a sound that’s authentic, raw, and ultimately dismal. Find the Endless Winter vinyl and The Sorceress cassingle (a selection from PYRRHIC) at Rhythm Records and Cafe in downtown Bismarck. Mail orders will be available in January 2019. Their upcoming album PYRRHIC is set for release on March 23, 2019. PYRRHIC is an avalanche of thrashy death metal with pulses of punk elements. Traces of NWOBHM course through the album’s veins, crafting a dynamic sound that’s disrupting the metal world. Follow Frosthelm: www.frosthelm.com
Mercy Mercy entices audiences of all diversity with her deep sound, enchanting voice, raw guitar skills, and captivating lyrics. This native Los Angeles starlet is newly signed with the legendary Bay area rapper, Too$hort, and is releasing “The Playlist”, a compilation of feel good music followed by her sophomore album. IG: Mercy_collazo Facebook: Music.mercy
RNR Horoscopes with Aunt Juju Aries – You may or may not find something you’ve been looking for… like your soulmate, or your keys, or a missing shoe. Taurus – There’s something wild about your energy right now. You seem extra fiery. Did you just eat Taco Bell? Gemini – Buy those concert tickets you’ve been wanting. It’ll be worth it. Don’t read into this. I’m not saying anything other than a show is going to happen. Just saying go for it. Cancer – Stay away from buses for a while. Need I say more? Leo – The magic 8-ball said to try again later… whatever the hell that means.
Virgo – Jimi Hendrix just tapped in and said you’re cool af. Or maybe it was Morgan Freeman. Either way you’re apparently cool af. Keep up the good work. Libra – Clean out your junk drawer. There’s something awesome in there. No clue what it is but odds are you must have something awesome in a drawer filled with crap you haven’t gotten rid of.
Capricorn – Drizzle balsamic over your pizza. It’ll make you feel fancy and it’s surprisingly delightful. Aquarius – Someone in Zimbabwe has your credit card info. Good luck with that. Pisces – You need a dog. Adopt. Don’t shop.
Scorpio – You’re basically screwed. You’re not getting your money back for that pack of chonies you already opened. Sagittarius – Be nice to everyone. I can’t tell you why. Just trust me on this.
*Disclaimer this is only a novelty and Aunt Juju’s crystal ball is not always, or even usually, accurate.
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I would say most records I work on I like on a personal level if it’s the music or the sonic results of it. For example: Faith No More - Sol Invictus, Sepultura – Kairos, Yes – Heaven & Earth, Candlemass – House Of Doom, Halford – Made Of Metal, Walter Trout – Blues for the Modern Daze, Starset – Transmissions, Meatloaf - Braver Then We Are. Eric Gales – The Bookends .To name a few What are some of the newest releases that you have worked on? There are lots of cool new albums that will come out
As I teenager I was always fascinated by music and the production side of it. So it was natural for me to connect to the technical and artistic side of things. Because of my past work in the field of recordings, live sound, broadcasting, being a musician, DJ, had a small label / distribution and I was music journalist for a few publications. I was the person who was dealing with the final result and how its spread out and heard. Mastering for me was the natural progression. It’s the last creative and technical stage of the production and it’s the buffer between the professional side of the creation and the consumers listening experience and product. I feel I can give my best in this profession as I had gained a lot of experience in being on both sides of the game, so I know the different music styles and sonic signatures and I can work with the clients to achieve those goals. You have worked with so many great bands like: Yes, Meatloaf, Eric Gales and Faith No More. Tell us a little about working with these bands. It’s always a pleasure working with musicians that have a clear vision of what they want. This becomes even better when they have a legacy of great albums behind them. You learn as you work what each client likes to hear and you tune yourself to that notion. In some cases the artists likes to keep the tradition of what people already know of their past work and keep it in the ballpark or expand it further but still in the realm of what people identify them with as the sonic signature that has been part of the legacy. In some cases the band goes for something very remote from what they had done before and want to explore new territories and sonic landscapes, that’s when you go wild and try new things, it might work, and it might not. That’s where communication is key. To make sure you are in sync with the artist’s vision. It’s a balance and it takes a while to figure out how to manage it, so it’s a win - win situation. In some cases your instincts guide you well and in some cases it might be a process of
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going back and forth with the artist to get it right. Working with each band was a pleasure and I am honored to be part of their discography. Working with YES was about getting the best results by knowing the legacy of the band and making sure the mastering side of things will bring the fans the sound they are used to with what technology gives us as an improvement. Like making it clearer and HIFI .To give them an extended experience of the record. With Meatloaf it was about bringing the new album to sound as contemporary as possible but still have the dynamics that are part of his older legacy. It was finding the middle ground of making this work in todays listening climate. The older fans want to hear the nice dynamics just like with the older records and the new fans want to hear it louder, more compressed and tight. Finding the sweet spot is the name of the game and it worked well. With Eric Gales. It’s all about flavor and vibe of the record. I have mastered his latest album albums. Each one is very different then the one before and requires a different approach – I go by the vibe of the songs and what the mix has in terms of balances and energy. Eric is an amazing guitar player which is known allover the world. He is also singing on the album and got a great vibe with the songs. With Faith No More it’s about finding what brings out the vibe and extended it further and wilder. For example when I had mastered the comeback album “ Sol Invictus “ It was all about making it feel like the band had continued from where they had stopped almost 18 years ago. Making it as the next progression that would be expected from them in terms of how crazy the music can be but also make it fit the mood of the new album, which was even more eerie and crazier then albums before. Personally what are some of your favorite albums that you have been able to work on over the years? There are so many albums and songs like that. It’s a blessing and an honor to be able to be part of those records and what people are listening to. To know that my work is helping get the music to sound the way the artists envision is so rewarding for me.
What would you like to tell bands looking for Mastering? Like steps that they should take in the studio before getting their music mastered. It’s important that they get in touch with the mastering engineer as soon as possible to know what the process entails and to know who is the right fit for the project. Another important thing is getting the communications going between the mixing engineer / producer and the mastering engineer so they are all in sync and can maximize the efficiency of the process. To plan the schedule and be prepared in case changes are needed on the mixing or the mastering side of things. Also in terms of budgeting and the preferred format of releasing the music, it is best to know upfront what the goals and expectations are and to work it out so it’s going as smooth as possible even if there are unexpected bumps on the way. Mastering can be both creatively artistic and super technical so its important to know how you envision the song and album in terms of sonic esthetics and to discuss the process and what can be achieved with the current mix. What type of gear do you use? Does it change depending on the project? I like to experiment with the different types of gear I have for each project. It’s like searching for the right vibe and the texture. I have an arsenal of mastering gear. I use it in various ways to accommodate the different types of music and sounds that are coming in. I have a big collection of Hardware Analog gear. Some are Tube gear and some are Solid State. I find that every project is different and requires a different touch to enhance the sound. I like having the flexibility to pick and choose the specific gear for each project and to yield the results by combining what makes it vibe and engage more. When you got lots of flavors to choose from you can spice up the sound in a natural way because you are not imposing one sound on everything. I like it to be like a kitchen where I have an option to choose the tools and spices to cook the dinner that tastes great for the client – only thing is I am not a cook. So I do it with audio – I am just a Mastering Engineer.
Steve Harvey
How did you get your start in Mastering?
Spirits Of Fire, Eric Gales - The Bookends, Sigh – Heir to Despair, Aria – Curse of the Seas. The End Machine, Burning Rain – Face The Music and more. Also mastered the main themes for the video games Fallout76 and Elders Scroll – Blades.
Behind the
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Gringo Bandito was started in 2004 by Dexter Holland, singer for the multi-platinum punk rock band The Offspring, more as a hobby than a business. “I just thought it would be cool to have a hot sauce,” says Holland. “I gave away the first batch as Christmas presents to my friends.” The response to this new hot sauce was so overwhelming that Holland decided to put it out commercially. Sales were modest at first, and the hot sauce was distributed only in Holland’s native Southern California. “It has always been a DIY operation for sure,” Holland says. “It started small but it has just kept on growing.” After several years and over a million bottles later, Gringo Bandito hot sauce has garnered a worldwide audience and a loyal following. “We’re not the most well-known hot sauce out there,” says Holland, “but once people try it, they’re hooked.” Gringo Bandito is now sold in Australia, Japan, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, UK, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Hungary and coast to coast in the US and can be found in the top 10 on Amazon.com’s highest customer rated hot sauces amongst 5000+ other products.
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Jeremy HanNa of Sullen Clothing Passion. Persistence and Perseverance. By Raquel Figlo
Jeremy Hanna and I go back 13 years when we were both involved in the action sport industry. We would see each other at the ASR Conventions down in San Diego. Since then, both of our professional careers grew, and we reunited 6 years ago when I did my first interview with him for Sullen Musik. Now that Sullen Clothing is coming up on 18 years this March, I wanted to know what keeps Jeremy motivated after all these years. RNR: How did Sullen get it’s start? Jeremy: My best friend Ryan Smith and I started Sullen off our couch 17 years ago. I don’t really count the first 5 years running off our coach in our apartment, we didn’t know what we were doing. We almost lost the business multiple times. It’s not an easy gig. Apparel is tough. I compare it to the music world. When you and I would see each other at ASR, at that time we sponsored a lot of athletes and skate teams, but we slowly evolved to be a tattoo art driven brand. Which is cool because tattoos go along with action sports, but more importantly they go along with the music world. Our niche is the tattoo world. RNR: How have you seen your industry change over the years? Jeremy: Once again, like music, it has become over saturated. It has been tough over the last ten years, but we are coming up on 18 years in March. Not only have we passed the test of
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time, we just had our best year to date. We are stronger than ever. The brand is solid right now. We are super happy with our team, sales, the musicians we are working with and distribution worldwide. We have shipped over 55 countries. We have some solid distributors out there. RNR: How did you get into the tattoo industry? Jeremy: My business partner is a tattoo artist and graduated from the Art Institute of Pasadena with honors. He is an artist, a painter, graphic designer, and tattoo artist. In the first 5 years, he was kind of intimidated to jump into the tattoo world because he came from an old school apprenticeship when it was a little more gnarly with bikers, convicts and rednecks. The tattoo world is very protected, and he knew that it had to be done right. Luckily, it organically happened with a couple of introductions with some artists. Ryan started drawing with Carlos Torres, Tom Berg, and Nikko Hertado. It grew from two artists to 5, and now we are working with over 300 tattoo artists from all over the world. It organically happened. The tattoo world embraces us because Ryan is a badass artist and tattoo artist. RNR: Sullen has a solid relationship with tattoo artists. How did this relationship grow? And how is it beneficial to both parties? Jeremy: The tattoo artists that we work with are our brand ambassadors. In the market-
ing world these guys have followings like rock stars, some have over a million followers. It is not necessarily about numbers, but if we have 300 badass tattoo artists that are rockin’ Sullen, hashtag-ing us, tagging us, and traveling the world like musicians and they are selling Sullen shirts at their booth at these conventions, then we are doing pretty good. They act as our ambassadors and help get our word out worldwide. RNR: What trends do you see with the up and coming millennial tattoo artists. What are they doing differently form their predecessors? Jeremy: The importance of social media these days... Story telling all day, every day. The new guys are very hip in knowing how to do that, where some of the old timers don’t want to get on there but eventually do because someone talked them into it. Then they realize they are getting a lot more business because they did. Millennials are better at social media, they know how to edit and film their own videos and photoshop, these skills are super important these days. But for the youngsters coming up, I am always trying to drill it home, that they pay respect to the OG’s who paved the way and kept this industry on the right track. RNR: Sullen collaborates with a lot of companies, Black Fly’s being one of them. How to you pick the brands and celebrities that you work with?
Jeremy: It needs to make sense. I tell everybody, Black Fly’s inspired us to start Sullen. When I was in high school the older kids wore Black Fly’s sunglasses and we looked up to them, they were the cool kids having rad parties and good times. Growing up here in Orange County you see brands by looking at the stop signs. You see new stickers whether it’s Volcom, RVCA, Hurley, or Black Fly’s, these brands all started here in our backyard. Ryan and I were like, “oh shit we can do that!” We mimicked Black Fly’s, we made stickers before we made product. We destroyed all of Southern California. We would wake up in the middle of the night and go on sticker missions. We would drive up and down the coast from San Diego to Los Angeles and the IE, we just murdered Cali with stickers. We have nothing but respect for Black Fly’s, and then it came full circle, we became closer to them, and now we have completed 5 different collaborations with them. One of my favorites being the Sublime sunglasses. That made sense because Sublime is the epidemy of Southern California, Long Beach. When I listen to sublime it reminds me of growing up in Orange County. RNR: You travel all over the world attending tattoo conventions, what trends are you seeing in other countries? Jeremy: We are really fortunate starting our brand here in California, that already gives us a head start. No disrespect to any other part of the world. I know if we started in South Dakota, we would have a harder time than starting in Huntington Beach. We are in the mecca of some of the biggest clothing companies out here. We have noticed in the tattoo industry, in certain countries the culture is strong like in
Russia, New Zealand, and Canada, these guys are incredible artists. Not everything is about numbers. You will see young kids in Russia put out these amazing artworks on Instagram, and they will only have like 1000 followers, and we are blown away by the work of these young artists. We have been all over the world, and I will see at least one Sullen tattoo either going to a convention or getting tattooed at a convention. That never gets old. RNR: You had started Sullen Musik 7 years ago, where is it now? Jeremy: When we started Sullen Muisk, I had so many friends in bands, and they were killing it locally, I felt I had a platform. I teamed up with Mike De Armon, Ronnie King, Chris Egger and we started a record label. I got discouraged because there wasn’t much money in album sales. It wasn’t about the money, but I had the opportunity, the platform, the network, the promoters, so I gave it a shot. It was sad to see the little money coming in and it wasn’t enough to keep the business running. It was a lot of work. I am now working with established bands, bands touring the world. You will see a resurrection in the future. RNR: What did you learn from the music industry? Jeremy: That it is tough. I always compare the apparel industry to restaurants and bands. It is a 90% failure rate, but if you catch lightening in a bottle you can have good success. I learned these guys work their ass off, and sometimes it is not as much money as you think. It’s for the
passion. RNR: What advice can you give up and coming bands? Jeremy: Tell your story man. In today’s social media world, you need to tell your story. You want to be able to tell who you are in one sentence. Make it dummy proof. Take for example; Sullen Clothing, we are the tattoo art brand, Volcom, they are the youth against establishment brand, Metal Mulisha, they are the dirt bike brand. Every brand needs to say who they are in one sentence and these bands need to do the same. Tattoo artists and musicians are brands. What’s your brand? What’s your story? RNR: What keeps you motivated and what advice can you give to the up and coming entrepreneur? Jeremy: The passion is still there. I have been doing this a long time and I am passionate AF about this industry. This is my life. I breathe it and bleed it. Ryan and I come to work every day to tell our story and hustle some t- shirts. My advice to the up and coming entrepreneur would be there is no secret to success... except working your ass off. You have to out-work that next person whether it is your competition or whoever. You have to work hard. The one thing successful people have in common is their work ethic. Know your story, make it dummy proof, and tell your story all day every day in as many ways possible. For more info: www.sullenclothing.com
Nik Kai Nik Kai 18 year old Gibson-Epiphone endorsed & lead guitarist has been working on a new hiphop project this past year. He will be dropping his new single “Anywhere” featuring Kingsley January 2019. Nik is also a singer songwriter, music Producer & engineer. Nik is preparing to go in studio with ALL POP producers spearheaded by the prestigious Aaron Reid, Tariq “BL$$D” Sharrieff & music consultant Harrison Hawkins. Nik is also starting this new year off with a new company he just launched, Kaisamples.com which offers guitar audio samples. Wishing Nik Kai a very happy 18th birthday this January at NAMM.
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Therapy Deconstructing the Method behind the Madness Tabbed by Jason Martin - www.takelessons.com/with/Jason-M Standard tuning
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Therapy What’s up guitar-verse, rock-n-roll-verse, or wherever you’re coming from! Let’s jam! I started writing riffs about the same time I started playing guitar decades ago, and I can remember, when I started, how when I came up with an awesome idea it would almost magically appear on the radio not soon after. Conspiracy? At the time, I thought there might’ve been spies everywhere waiting for my next riff so they could steal it and use it for themselves. But, what I noticed was that the riffs that they had stolen were changed either slightly or dramatically so that, not only could I not take credit for writing it, but it was actually executed better and more creatively than I believed I could ever have imagined. I couldn’t even fathom how to squeeze any more thoughts into the riffs that had already taken me all night to come up with. How do you overcome that? What do you do with that awesome guitar part that on day one ended up sounding too basic? Ditch them? Write it down? Without sounding like a grandpa, (“back in my day”) we didn’t have Instagram or YouTube to play our riffs on or show off our skills with when I was growing up. (Instagram: JasonJamesMartin YouTube:AtomicBobVids) But the answer was to wait, keep practicing, keep writing, and when it’s time to dig deep, THAT’s when you go for it. I can still think of examples of my ideas in modern music (that I won’t mention) that use the concepts I was studying when I heard them. I believe I gravitated towards certain bands after I graduated because they were using the same progressions and intervals that I was processing. So, this month what I wanted to cover is how I used a fairly common idea, and made it clever or my own. Let’s start with our first example. Taking a descending pattern like E D C B has been used over and over, and I think we can say that it came from Black Sabbath or Metallica...but what would happen if we took our knowledge of extended chords like 7s, 9s, etc. and applied it? At first, the E sounds like, if you were to place it properly, it would fit into the key of Em. So, I altered it to make it a major chord and shifted it back to D5 and back up before adding a trill. Sounds good so far! Let’s do it again, but this time let’s add a nasty skank with the pinky over the 10th fret while keeping the position of the original chord in place of the trill. With the D, in the key of Em or G, the D is a dominant chord. This means that if we extend out the 7th tone it’s going to be a whole step under the root. Now instead of just keeping the 7, the sus2 also works. The 2nd interval of D is E, so all we need to do is bring the pinkie up one string from the b to the g on the 7th fret to get this chord voice change. The rhythm is also worth looking at. The reverse gallop is fairly consistent followed by some slight nuances from measure to measure. When we get down to C you’ll notice that I’m picking my hand up to transition to the next measure with an open passing chord even though I’m staying on the same chord. I stuck with a diatonic major 7th chord (In the key of G, C is the 4th chord which extends to a major 7th) and might’ve added a sus2 variation in an un-transcribed version of this piece that was played prior. The rhythm also changes here moving from a gallop in the first beats to a set of triplets throughout the rest of the phrase. The B I translated to a B7 which is non-diatonic but not uncommon in the key of G. If you play a lot of cowboy chords, you might already be aware. The reason the B7 doesn’t fit is because of the D# which works in the key as the harmonic tone as it’s only a half-step from E and dominant stemming from the Phrygian or 3rd mode coming up from G. This is also a good time to break into a chord that will resolve nicely back to the first chord. In this case I chose the D# diminished. I’ve always wanted to find a place for the diminished chord, and it works pretty well here. It’s not the F# diminished you would fit in diatonically, but if you consider F# A and Eb (D#) you have the makings or start of a diminished shape from that angle. One of the things I pride myself on while writing this was not repeating myself. Even though I spelled this one out for you, there was a section before that was similar but different
enough to make it unique on its own while keeping the backbone of the progression. You can find this example on my Instagram page around Nov 21st, 2018... Letting the riff tell you where it wants to go is what happens in the next phrase. I’m keeping the triplets and a relationship to Em in power chord form, only I shifted back and forth between the scale tones descending from B C B down to F# G F# and then blasting into an accented beat one and 16th note frenzy over A5 for 2 measures. While this is a nice 4 measure progression, this is where it’s time to get creative. I used the same triplets out of the gate, but this time instead of going to A5 for two measures I started a NEW 4 measure progression from B5 to C5 to G5 to D5. It’s not exactly a time signature change, but it’s still exciting because it starts a fresh idea and expands on it halfway through the same phrase. The final phrase before the finale is a single-note riff emphasizing a (bII) from E to F and a (b5) from F to B before coming back with a metal chromatic drop from G to F#, F to E and letting that E hang over the first beat of the following measure on each repeat. I used a fun trick by taking alternate ending 3 and matching it to 1 with a similar beat 1 and 2 and a minor third trill over beat 3 and 4. The second ending drills the same idea, but goes Iommi with half step trills over the same two notes from the ending prior. Trying to end this wasn’t difficult and there are a number of ways that it could have been done. I drew from E major to a 12th fret double stop E sound into a Hendrix chord for the transcription. In the video, if you check it out, the only thing different is the rhythm and I think the chords might be a little bigger with a hint of whammy bar to say I’m done. So that’s how it works. We took a simple idea, threw it against the wall, busted it open, and let the pieces fall on the floor before sweeping it up to create something unique. Could it have been easier? Sure. But would it have been as much fun? I think not. Thanks everyone, be sure to check out my teaching page at http://www.takelessons.com/with/ Jason-M and I’ll see ya next time!
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54 N Roll 54 Rock Rock N Roll Industries Industries Magazine Magazine
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Books & Gear
Rabid Heart
by Jeremy Wagner
Heavy Leather
Heavy Leather is known for their guitar straps and belts. They do lines for artists including Tony Iommi and even a couple of Vegan straps for Doyle, which are not made from cowhide like most of the straps and belts that are sold in this web store. The straps are designed and packaged well by this smaller designer, but they don’t have the unique, handmade feel that one would expect from a boutique strap ranging in price from $60-$400. Over all the straps show quality but do come at a price point that deserves high standards.
Knowing how much detail Wagner puts into his lyrics for his band Broken Hope I couldn’t wait to see how that detail played out in Rabid Heart. He published Rabid Heart in October 2018. I would gladly give this book a five star review. This book is filled with romance and despair. Rhonda was having a perfect life before it all happened. Now she is trying to cope with the forever loss of her loved ones. In her state of sadness and mourning, she does not know how far she will go for love. Jeremy Wagner in his work Rabid Heart takes you through a world of what would happen to a person who lost everything they loved. How does Wagner have time to be an author of many amazing books such as Still Hungry for Your Love and Fang Bangers while continuing to tour with Broken Hope. Sabrina Johnson
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hat’s up fellow pluckers of the strings? Ready for some knowledge? Hell yea, then let’s go!
Today I’m going up be talking about harmonics. Harmonics occur in a bunch of places on the guitar. To play a harmonic with an open string, simply touch your finger barely making contact with the string directly over the fret, then pick or pluck with your finger. Open harmonics are as follows: Fret 12 - E A D G B E - one octave higher than the open strings Fret 7 - B E A D F# B - one octave higher than the fretted notes Fret 5 - E A D G B E - two octaves higher than the open strings Fret 4 - G# C# F# B D# G# - two octaves higher than the fretted notes Fret 9 - G# C# F# B D# G# - Same pitches as fret 4
fretting hand play a few pull off licks... like g string frets 4 2 0 continue playing this one-handed, take your picking hand and lay it over the strings where you’re picking, barely letting it hit the strings, move up... pull hand down the fretboard until you get to where your hand is playing the notes. If you did it right, you will hear a plethora of notes screaming out louder as you passed the natural harmonics. It took me forever to find this out as a kid, and it is super simple and sounds amazing. Zakk Wylde is a big-time harmonics lover. You can hear him doing this in most songs he’s on, but Zakk is known for his pinch harmonics, and he’s a master at them. To play one, simply really dig in when you pick the note and let some of your finger holding the pick touch the string. It should squeal if you did it right. Where you do this makes a huge difference. I prefer right about the 24th fret. Keep on this and you will have harmonics ringing in your music.
But that’s not all! Not even close!
If you’re at the NAMM show don’t forget to come by the Rock N Roll Industries Magazine booth for signings, star appearances, and giveaways. You never know what we are pulling out next!
Now grab a note on the 2nd fret of your B string... pick it, then touch your picking hand finger exactly 12 frets up...14th fret for the 2nd fret b string... do it right and the note will ring!... Might take a little practice but it’s very easy to learn.... now ready to take it to the next level? With your
And until then, keep your strings clean and your riffs mean!... Michael G out!
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CD Reviews Archer Nation
Beneath The Dream
by: Peggy Murphy
Genre (s): Hard Rock/Heavy
Metal
Score 9 of 10
Archer Nation is a young power trio from Santa Cruz, California that delivers hard rock and heavy metal music to fans everywhere. They have toured at least 20 countries, including North America and they have a large fan base. Beneath the Dream, the trio’s second full-length album was recently released on January 25th, 2019 by EMP label Group. This new release shows that the group has progressed and matured, adding a heavier sound to not only the vocals but the instrumentals as well. This 8 track album starts off with a song that is a step or two away from Archer Nation’s usual stuff. This is showcased right up front during “Matricide”, the first track
Frank Bello Jeff Friedl
I listened to this album several times and liked what I heard. Out of a possible 10, I gave Beneath the Dream by Archer Nation a 9.
Altitudes & Attitude
Genre (s): Rock Label: Megafore Records Band Members: David Ellefson
Label: EMP of this release. The vocal harmonies in “Acedia” are incredible as are the guitar Band Members: riffs and bass lines in this tune. The title Vocals & Guitar – Dylan track, Beneath the Dream starts out with Rose a soft, slow guitar. The bass then comes in doing a very cool counter melody to Bass – David DeSilva the guitar which can be heard through the guitar work. Nice job guys! The time changes are subtle yet they structure the Drums – Keyhan Moini tune nicely. The last track starts rather abruptly as if to snap you back to reality before the album has finished.
Altitudes & Attitude is a super group with band members, David Ellefson, bass player for Megadeth, Frank Bello, bass player for Anthrax and Jeff Friedl, drummer for A Perfect Circle and Beta Machine. Their self-titled album was released Friday the 18th of January 2019 on MegaForce Record Label, which holds 13 tracks, 47 minutes and 15 seconds. Recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Jay Ruston at Serenity Studios located in Hollywood, CA. Jay is very experienced in all these areas and has a refined ear. Throw some very experienced musicians in a studio and great sounds will always be the result, as is the case with this recording. David and Frank are amazing song writers, melodies are clear and catchy. Frank normally is a back up
Get It Out
singer but here he brings his voice to the plate and it is tasty. The lyrics are meaningful and sang in a way that demands you to listen. Guitars are in sync with warm rhythm and riffs you would expect from such established talent. I am not let down. Drummer Jeff has epic technique and is a great fit.
Score 9.9999 of 10
The music itself is rock with underline punk rock tones, it is obvious that this album has many musical influences. For me the best songs on the record are “Out Here”, “Late” and “Talk To Me”. Beautiful guitarist/singer Miki Black joined the band on “Late” and “Talk To Me”; she adds some sassy licks and sweet harmonies. I scored this record at a 9.9999 out of ten but I might be biased, it’s a feel good album I recommend.
Want to see your band here? Submit your digital press kit to review@rocknrollindustries.com or mail one to the main office. 58 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
by: Miranda Johnson
(not all media will get reviewed)
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