Stubble 40

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ISSUE 40

The AKAs at Warped 2005

Tr i v i um atOz z f e s t‘ 05

Soilwork atOz z f e s t‘ 05

Interviews: Every Time I Die SOILWORK Tower of Power

Live Show Reviews: OZZFEST 2005 / Warped 2005, ANGER MANAGEMENT TOUR,  Tower of Power and Tom Jones, The Dan Band, Gigantor 

Tons of New CD and DVD Reviews!

NEW COMICS by DOUGLAS POPE WILSON

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Interviews EVERY TIME I DIE Ozzfest Tweeter Center, MA July 14, 2005 (KB = Keith Buckley, lead vocals KZ = Ken Zebbyn) KZ: You guys have been having a lot of success. How much does that mean to you guys, l i k ei st ha ty ourg oa lor , i fnot , wha t ’ sy our motivation at this point?

KB: When we first started, I remember the first meeting we had as a band before we even practiced. We all wanted to play music for a living and we were gonna do what it took to be full-t i memus i c i a ns .I nt ha t ,Id o n’ tt hi nk a ny bodyha di nmi ndt ha twe ’ da c t ua l l ybea s successful as we were. We just kinda wanted to get by, you know, and be able to call this our job. This is all just bonus. We were living our dream a year ago, let alone now, with the s uc c e s swe ’ v eha d.

KZ: When you started out, what made you guys go to this genre music as opposed to others, since you can play all different types of music and have a career. Was there a certain influence, or was it that you started out in a certain direction and ended up this way?

KB: I just remember, ever since I was a kid and I heard first, I think the first heavy record I heard was The Puppets, and ever since then I remember always being drawn to heavier sounds in general. Especially when we first started, as the main songwriter that was my biggest influence. I was just drawn towards heavier sounds. It just seemed to be what I was best at creating, because things you hear as a kid just kind of stick in your brain, you know?

Everybody else in the band also obviously enjoyed what they were doing as well. When I would write some offering to bring to practice, the heavier stuff was just what really seemed to click, especially in the Jordan Sterling style, the heavier stuff.

KZ: He hits the skins not only fast but hard.

I t ’ sr e a l l ypoundi ng ,y ourmus i c ,e s pe c i a l l yy our bass and drums go along and it sets that really fast style that you have. Not that everything you doi ss pe e dorha r dc or e , buty oudon ’ tg e ti nt o too much of a dirge sound as a rule. With all the different styles that are on the tour today, how familiar are you on a personal basis with other bands given that a lot of you come from same place?

KB: We ’ v ee i t he rt our e dorpl a y e ds howswi t h pr e t t ymuc he v e r yba ndont hes i d es t a g e ,t he r e ’ s onl yac oupl et ha tweha dn’ tpl a y e dwi t hun t i l today. We have a lot of existing friendships with those guys. They all have a very similar passion f ormus i c .Thi swhol ef e s ti s n’ tj us ta bo ut wa t c hi ngg r e a tba nds ,f orus .Wh a tI ’ ml ook i ng forward to the most is just hanging out with e v e r y body .Tha t ’ st heme nt a l i t yoft hes i de stage bands, and a lot of metal bands in general, very down to earth and very much how hard core bands learn. That real family-like mentality

whe r ee v e r y body ’ st r y i ngt ot a k ec a r eof e a c hot he r ,t he r e ’ snof i e r c ec ompe t i t i onor jealousy. I mean, everybody wants to do the best for themselves, but we all are pretty levelheaded.

KZ:Tha t ’ swha tI ’ v ebe e nhe a r i ngf r omt he ot he rba ndswe ’ v es pok e nt o,wea l lwa nnabe t hebe s tbuti t ’ sn otl i k e“ You’ r es t a ndi ngi nmy wa y . ” KB: Ye a h.The r e ’ snotoneg o l dme da lor anything, our bands could all do very very well.

Sometimes the success of another band helps us, and vice versa.

KZ: With that in mind, when you get to metal t he r e ’ sobv i o us l yg oi ngt obes omeol ds c h oo l metal later today on the main stage, and more of the younger, upcoming acts are on this stage, e x c e ptma y beRobZombi ewho’ sbe e na r o un d for a long time. Metal goes from say emotional metal, or people are talking about say social i t e ms ,a ndt he nt he r e ’ st hede mon i cs a t a ni cs t uf f .

How do you feel you fit in yourself, rather than someone else trying to label you, as a band?

KB: Lyrically I always write from a very personal standpoint. I think you can actually hear the passion in our music. Just drive that comes from our music being very personal to us.

So lyrically in a sense I would use the personal things that are going on in my life to drive me to have that kind of passion for the music, and then my world view as a person, because I personally am a Christian. Even when I talk about the struggles and trials that you go through, ul t i ma t e l yt he r e ’ sapos i t i v eme s s a g ebe hi nd t he m.Ido n’ tr e a l l yha v eal otofpol i t i c a ls ong s , butI ’ mv e r ypa s s i ona t ea boutt h i ng st ha tha v e hi tmes oc l os et ohomea ndl e s s o nst ha tI ’ v e l e a r ne d,t r i a l st ha tI ’ v eg onet hr ou g h.

KZ: Are you a big Faulkner fan or is that just a coincidence?

KB: He has a very good and unique writing style, but the name, we got the idea from the novel but it was more just something that we l i k e dt hes o un dof .I t ’ sno tl i k ewe ’ r edi e -hard fans or anything.

KZ: Was it something you all discovered together or was it a book, or was it a film?

KB: We l ln o,a c t ua l l yag ui t a rpl a y e rwho’ snot in the band any more originally was studying for an English class he had in college and he picked up a copy of a Cliff Notes for whatever book he was reading, and he looked at the list on the back and saw the name As I Lay Dying. So the next time he came to practice a day or two later he s a i d“ Che c koutt hi sna me ,Is a wi to nt heba c k ofCl i f fNot e sa ndIt h i nki t ’ spe r f e c t . ” KZ: Is anyone in the band familiar with the actual piece of literature?

KB: Ye a h,Ni c k ’ sr e a di tbe f or e .Li k eIs a i d,I e nj oyt hewr i t i ngs t y l e ,butIj us tc oul d n’ tg e t through the whole thing.

KZ: Tha t ’ sc ool .Iwa sc ur i ousbe c a us eIwas talking with a couple reporters earlier and a lot ofpe opl edi d n’ tr e a l i z et ha ti ti saFa ul k ne r nov e l ,j us tl i k eal otofpe o pl edi d n’ tr e a l i z et ha t the Black Dahlia is based on a person who was actually murdered who was from Massachusetts,

and that person moved to California where things happened.

And they say, “Really? So how do you find this s t uf fout ? ”I t ’ spr e t t ye a s y ,i fy oug ot ot he c omput e ra ndt y pei n‘ Bl a c kDa hl i aMur de r ’a nd y oug e tnoto nl yt heba nd’ swe bs i t e ,b uta l s o everything related to the murder.

KB: Yeah, like when you Google us you get our web site, but everything else is related to the book.

KZ: The charting of the album is doing so well f ory our i g htnow.Doy out hi nki t ’ st he ma t ur i ngofy ours oun dt ha t ’ sg ot t e ny out oa larger audience?

KB: It hi nki t ’ sac ombi na t i o nofama t ur i ngof ours ou nda ndt ha tna t ur a l l y ,be c a us ewe ’ r es o y oung ,we ’ v eg ot t e nbe t t e rbot hi no ur songwriting and our ability to play. Also, we spent such a long time building a foundation for a record tha tdi dn’ tr e a l l yc omeoutwi t hal o tof hype, it just came out and did pretty decent, and then just stayed steady for two years never went down for two years, sold at the same rate. It took a long time to build that foundation, and then now looking back ont ha t , he r e ’ st hi sbi g foundation and in putting out a new record, we don ’ tr e a l l yha v et owor r ya boutt ha ts l owbui l d.

Weha dt hebi gf i r s twe e k s ,a ndwehopet ha ti t ’ s going to go two years long again.

KZ:It hi nki t ’ sr e a l l yf or t una t e .Whe ny our e ad t hehi s t or yofal otofdi f f e r e ntba ndsy ou’ l ls e e that they chart really well on maybe their first couple of albums and then they never reach that s t a t usa g a i n.Andy ou’ r ek i ndofdoi ngt he opp os i t e ,whe r enowy ou’ r ec ha r t i ngbe t t e r ,a n d It hi nkt ha t ’ sac r e di tt owha ty ou’ r edoi ng .

Another thing I wanted to check. Obviously y ou’ v ebe e nt our i ngadoi ngal otofs t uf fov e r the years. What a lot of people like to see when reading an interview is possibly a story that ma y bewa s n’ tf unnywhe ni twa sha ppening while you were on tour, but now when you look ba c koni t , i t ’ sadi s c us s i o ny ou’ v eha dwi t h many people and everyone chuckles about it. Is t he r ea ny t hi ngl i k et ha ty ou’ dl i k et os ha r ewi t h us?

KB: Ye a h.I ’ ms t i l lmi xe dwi t h- not regret, but I guess, frustration and humor over the whole s i t ua t i o n.I ’ mobv i ous l ys t i l lf r us t r a t e db ut … recently, a month ago, we went to Europe. On our tour there the driver we were supposed to get cancelled, and the guy we got was a first time ever driver for the compa ny .He ’ ss up pos e dt o c omepi c kusupa ndd oe s n’ tg e tu sa tt hea i r p or t , so we ended up stranded at the airport for the evening. Finally we get ahold of him and he s a y s ,“ Oh,I ’ mnotg oi ngt obet he r eunt i l t omor r ow, ”s owec he c ki nt oo urhot e l .The nhe pi c k susupa ndi t ’ shi sf i r s tt i mee v e rdr i v i ngf or the company, and we wanted to drive instead but wer e a l l yc oul dn’ tbe c a us edr i v i n gi nEur opei t ’ s different. If someone gives you directions in Ge r ma ny ou’ r enotg oi ngt of i ndy ourwa y .So after a day of driving we realized this guy really doe s n’ tl i k ehi sj oba nddoe s n’ twa ntt obehe r e .

And actually he becomes very vocal about it and very upset with the situation because he wants to behomea nddoe s n’ twa ntt obed r i v i ng .The ni t

starts to get worse and worse where it gets to the point of road rage, so we had to drop him off at the airport, fire our driver in the middle of Ge r ma ny ,a ndj us ts a i d“ He y ,he r e ’ st hea i r por t , g e tout . ”Wedr ov eo ur s e l v e sf ort her e s toft he Germany. The company was supposed to get us another driver and never did, and two days before the tour ended the vehicle we rented broke down, so we were stuck on the side of the road in the middle of Germany until midnight, trying to figure out how we could get to the next show. When that tour was over I remember going to sleep in my own bed and thinking it I j us tc a n’ tr e me mbe rt hel a s tt i mebybe de v e rf e l t as comfortable as that.

KZ: You definitely went through some trials and tribulations. So right now Ozzfest is your focusf ort hene x tt wowe e k s ,ma y bey ou’ r e doing some side gigs as well. How important was it to get on the Ozzfest bill this year as opposed to other things you could have gotten involved in, such as the Sounds Of The Underground Tour?

KB: For us, the timing was perfect. We got the offer to be side stage headliners which - I c oul d n’ ti ma g i ner ot a t i ngp l a y i nga t9i nt he morning on Sundays, so that offer was a great offer. Sounds Of The Underground seemed to me to be a little bit flooded with bands that had a similar kind of sound. As a whole I think it takes the genre to the next level, but individually ba ndsdo n’ tr e a l l ys t i c kouto nat ourl i k et ha t .

So Ozzfest made the most sense for us because I t hi nkt hi si st hek i ndoff a nba s et ha twe ’ r er e a l l y unable to reach with our kind of underground attitude on our last record. These are definitely me t a lf a nsa ndIt hi nkt he y ’ l la ppr e c i a t ewha t we ’ r edoi ng .

KZ: Have you already come out with a DVD of your stuff, a live DVD? KB: We ’ r ewor k i ngoni t ,weha v eall the plans f ori t .We ’ r ec ol l e c t i ngf oot a g ea ndt a pi ngs ome of the Ozzfest shows.

KZ:Ni c e ,y ou’ l lha v et ha tl o udc r owd.Oneof the things that really stinks about Ozzfest, at l e a s tf r ommyv i e wpoi nt ,i st ha twe ’ r e qua r a nt i ne d.Thef e a ri s ,s ome one ’ s gonna take pi c t ur e sofOz z y .Youc a n’ tl e a v et hep hot oa r e a long as you have a camera. So one of the things y ou’ r eg oi ngt od ot oda yi se x pe r i e nc et het hi ng s t ha tI ’ mnotg oi ngt og e tt od o,s e e i nga l lt he things that happen. Is this like a real circus for you, walking around and seeing everything all the kids are doing?

KB: Ye a h, bu ti t ’ sk i n dofi nt i mi da t i ngbe c a us e e v e nt og e tt ot hee a t i nga r e awe ’ v eg ott owa l k t hr o ug h,a n dwhok n owswha t ’ sgonnaha p pe n ne x t .Some t i me si t ’ se nj oy a bl e ,s omeda y son t het o uri t ’ sg o nnabeal i t t l et o omuc h,butr i g h t nowi t ’ sf un.

KZ:Whe ny ou’ r eupons t a g e ,wha tt y peof things that a crowd could do really amuses the ba nda st he y ’ r epl a y i ng ?I si tmor eorl e s st he “ Showusy ourt i t s ”s t uf ft ha t ’ sg onnaha p pe n when Ozzy comes out? Are there certain r e a c t i onsy ou’ r el ook i ngf orf r ompe opl e , wha t ’ s your ideal thing from a crowd, is it just a good mosh, the wall of death or whatever the heck is was I saw out there?

KB: They could get some injuries. For me, I don’ ts e ewhyy ou’ dwa nnag ot oas howa ndn ot ha v eag oodt i me .Be i ngI ’ mamor eme l l ow pe r s onof f s t a g e ,whe nI ’ mwa t c hi ngac onc e r t I ’ mnott y pi c a l l ymos hi ngbuty ouc ou l dt e l lj us t by looking at me, if you were on the stage and you looked at my face you c oul dt e l lI ’ mha v i ng ag oodt i me .I fIwa st he r et os e ey ourba ndI ’ m there to see your band. I like to look at each pe r s on’ sf a c ea ndwha t e v e rwa yt he y ’ r ea bl et o e nj oyt heba ndwhe t he ri t ’ smos hi ngore v e nj us t standing there with their fist in the air or wha t e v e ri ti s ,a sl onga sIc a nt e l lt he y ’ r ej us t ha v i ngag r e a tt i me ,t ha t ’ st heg r e a t e s tr e a s on why I get on stage. I have the time of my life.

KZ: If I was to look inside the CD player here what would surprise me?

KB: I ’ mabi gf a nofDi do.Id on ’ tk nowi fs he wr i t e s‘ e mors ome bodye l s ewr i t e s‘ e m,but s he ’ sg ots omeg oods ong sa n ds h e ’ sg otav oi c e that on long drives on tours made it seem like 5 minutes.

KZ: Is there something, given that this is basically a Boston market, although we do have we bs i t et ha t ’ swhe r et hef oc usofma g a z i nei s , so are there any Boston experiences you could share with us?

KB: Most bands like camaraderie in the Boston area. I remember the first time we played Boston at Axis. We were still very very up and coming at the time, and Brian from Shadows Fall was there, not to hang out and be noticed but to legitimately support our band and also the bands that were on tour with us. I remember him jumping out in the crowd and getting into it just like any other person at the show, and the camaraderie I remember from that first show. In general how cool it was that guys would come out and support us when we at the time were just getting started.

KZ: I guess the last thing I wanna ask is, in terms of music, if you weren’ tdoi ngmus i c y our s e l f ,obv i ous l ye v e r y bodyi nt heba n d’ sg ot t he i rowns t or y ,bu twha tdoy out hi nky ou’ dbe doi ngi fy ouwe r e n’ tdoi ngmus i c ?

KB: Tha t ’ sag r e a tque s t i o n.On eoft her e a s ons I was so passionate about doing music was that I c oul d n’ tf i gure out anything else that I really wanted to do. I did enjoy going to school.

Maybe I would have finished, gotten my Ma s t e r ’ sde g r e ea ndbeamus i c i a nwhe r eIc oul d teach and be a better point of influence in our education system.

KZ: Is there any par t i c ul a r‘ Yourt a k eonl i f e , ’ any special message you want to say to end the interview?

KB: Ag e ne r a lt houg h to nl i f e ?Don’ tbe l i e v e e v e r y t hi ngpe opl et e a c hy oua nde v e ni fy ou’ r e que s t i o ni ngy ourownbe l i e f sy ou’ l ln or ma l l y come out stronger if those beliefs are genuine.

SOILWORK Ozzfest Tweeter Center, MA July 14, 2005

(BS = Bjorn Speed, lead vocals KZ = Ken Zebbyn) KZ: I guess the first thing I wanna ask you about is, obviously, the experience of Ozzfest itself, you probably have done large tours in Europe, but is this the first large U.S. tour y ou’ v edone ,wi t ht hi sma nyba nds ?howdoe s the experience of Ozzfest compare to your experiences in Europe?

BS: We ’ v epl a y e dt heWor l d’ sb i g g e s tme t a l festival, Open Air, and it reminds me a little bit of Ozzfest, in a way, but this is with Iron Maiden and stuff like that. This is really bigger than a ny t hi ngwe ’ v epl a y e dhe r ebe f or e .I t ’ spr e t t y much the biggest thing you could do in America a same t a lmus i c i a n,a ndi t ’ sr e a l l yapl e a s ure to be here.

KZ: I was reading the tour notes on your web site and I got a kick out of the fact that you mentioned I guess your bass player was watching the Iron Maiden live performance in t hes t a di um.I si tf a i rt os a yt ha ti t ’ sr e a l l y flattering to be on the same tour, and just meet and hang out with them?

BS: Of course. I mean, those were the guys that got me into metal in the first place, really. My mother bought me a cassette tape at a gas station because I thought the cover looked cool. It rea l l yc ha ng e dmyl i f e .I t ’ sr e a l l ya nh on or .

KZ: Wha t ’ sy ouro pi ni onofFr e dDur s t ?

Obviously when people were comparing you to that you took that as a bad thing. Are there things about Fred that are good and things he does that are not admirable, or are you just not a f a nofwha the ’ sdoi ng ?

BS: I ’ mnotr e a l l yaf a nofwha the ’ sdoi ng ,a n d he ’ sbe i ngk i n dofs k e t c hyi nl a t e s tf e wy e a r s ,

butI ’ mno ts a y i nghe ’ saba dpe r s onora ny t hi ng .

I just think comparison is just fucked up. I know y ou’ r enots u pp os e dt obema da n dy ou’ r e supposed to act so professional but that really doe s n’ tma k es e ns e .I ’ dha di t .I twa sj us tt oo much.

KZ: I look at what they do as, and again terminology is never right, but I look at that as Hip hop metal and what you do as death metal, or definitely more somewhere between alternative metal and death metal, because I think what makes your music so good is that y ou’ v eg ott heme l odi cha r moni e sa swe l la st he aggressive, gravel vocal or however you want to call it. With that i nmi nd,I ’ monl yf a mi l i a rwi t h your current album and I think I heard a couple of cuts off a compilation previously; has your music changed in terms of becoming more melodic, as the press kit mentioned?

BS: Yeah, in a way, I mean, we started out as a ve r yy oungba ndi n’ 98a ndr e l e a s e dourf i r s t album. We were very much influenced by the scene at that time, but I do believe that we added some kind of trademark, right from the very beginning. Today as well, the trademark has always been there as far as the bloody melodies a ndt hei nt e ns i t y ,i t ’ sj us ti nad i f f e r e nts ha pe .

Some t i me si t ’ sha r df orpe opl et or e a l i z et ha ta nd they just think we sound poppier or whatever, butt omet ha t ’ st ot a l l ywr ong .Ir e a l l yf e e lt ha t we ’ r edoi ngs ome t hi ngv e r ys ol i dwith our mus i c ,a ndt ha ti tma k e ss e ns e ,i t ’ snotj us t patchy, you know, riffs and melodic parts and that stuff. I guess the melodic vocals has taken over a little bit of the melodic guitars in a way, buti t ’ sj us tama t t e rofbe i ngi nadi f f e r e nt shape.

KZ: I ’ v ea l wa y ss a i dt ha tt her e a s onmos tba n ds g e ta c c us e dofs e l l i ngouti sbe c a us et he y ’ r e maybe selling out an arena or getting a lot fan recognition, and just because a lot of fans want to listen to what every body else hates, they turn on you, and I ho pet ha t ’ sn otg oi n gt oha p pe n.

Any wa y …y ou’ r ef r omSwe de nwhe r et he r e ’ sa n absolute ton of bands, anywhere in Scandinavia as a whole, but Sweden in particular, where t he y ’ r epl a y i nge x t r e meme t a lorde a t hme t a l , a ndIk n owt he r e ’ sal otofPopt h a tc ome s out, but how big is the actual scene there? I know here there are certain clubs we can go to for me t a lbuti t ’ sno tl i v ee v e r yc l ubi sme t a la ndI woul da s s umei t ’ st hes a mei nSwe de n.

BS: Sa me .I nSwe de nt he r e ’ sal otofpe o pl e that believe that as soon as you enter the borders ofSwe de nt he r e ’ sl i k eme t a le v e r y whe r e ,e v e n in supermarkets and stuff like that. I can tell you i t ’ sno tl i k et ha t .Yo u’ dha v eaha r dt i mef i ndi ng ame t a lba r ,r e a l l y .I t ’ sg e t t i ngbe t t e rf orme t a l but for some reason people are too lazy in Sweden to get the hell out of their apartments a ndg e td ownt he r e ,whi c hk i ndo fs uc k s ,buti t ’ s getting better in terms of musical climate for me t a l .The r e ’ sal otofba ndsr e a c hi ng ,l i k eThe Shards and stuff, you know, Dark McKilty, and also Soilwork and I think Archenemy as well, a ndt he nHa mme r f a l l ,It hi nkt ha t ’ spr o ba bl ya di f f e r e ntt hi ng , bu ts t i l lIg ue s si t ’ sme t a l ,a nd t ha t ’ st hemos ti mpor t a ntt hi ng .

KZ: Iwoul ds a yi t ’ sa l mos tol ds c hoolme t a l , like Iron Maiden?

BS: Yeah, classic heavy metal.

KZ: It hi nkt ha t ’ soneoft hec ha r msoft hi st o ur , I mean if every band was the same kind of metal, Ido n’ tk n ow,a f t e rpr oba bl yt hr e eba ndsI ’ ma l l set.

BS: I agree, I totally agree.

KZ: So the other bands on the bill, are you already familiar with them, or met them on tours?

BS: Yes. KZ: Is there a good deal of, you might say friendly rivalry between the bands from Sweden?

BS: We l l ,t he r e ’ sa l wa y ss omes ma l l competition going on, and of course you want to show that your band is the best one of the Swe de s ,ofc our s e .Butwe ’ r enotwa l k i ng a r oun dn ots a y i ng“ Hi ”t oe a c hot he rora nyof that kind of bullshit. We hang out and stuff like t ha t .Ev e r y bodyj us tk i ndak nowst he r e ’ s c ompe t i t i on.Any bodywhos a y sdi f f e r e ntt ha t ’ s bullshit, bu ti t ’ snoha r df e e l i ng s .

KZ: So you just recently did another video.

This one, as you pointed out in your e-mail, is pretty much involving more of the band members than just yourself. How much control do you really have when you make a video?

BS: Pretty much no control at all. It really was my idea to make a video having all of them be in it at that time, but there was a rumor that Peter was moving to the United States, so it was impossible. It would have looked weird to have the rest of the band but not Peter. But it was r e a l l yt hev i de odi r e c t o r ’ si de at oha v eonl yme i nt hev i de oa n dhes a i d,“ Ye a h, wec a nbui l da c ools t or ya r oundi t , ”b uti tdi dn’ tr e a l l yha ppe n and I kind of expected more. All they had was this scene with burning car rigs and all that, and I did what I could. It turned out OK, but I see what people mean with some of the movements, but that was supposed to be, as well, like major e f f e c t s ,a ndi tdi d n’ tha ppe n.Ik i ndofg ot disappointed. I wish the whole band was there.

Now we did this video in Hollywood on our previous tour, and it turned out really good.

KZ: Any plans in the future for a live DVD or live CD? BS: We ’ r epl a nni ngonr e l e a s i ngaDVDwhe n we have time, but we have to sit down and collect all the clips and stuff and go through like shitloads of stuff.

KZ: I noticed in the press kit at first you had one name and then you relabeled yourself as Soilwork. Was that something where the band felt it needed to make a change, or how did that decision come about? Because sometimes the de c i s i ont oc ha ng eaba nd’ sna mes e t saba nd ba c k ,a nds ome t i me si tdoe s n’ t .

BS: Ye a h,wej us tf e l tt ha ti tdi d n’ tr e a l l yma t c h the music, we had more to say. We had more to say than a typical death metal band so we needed a different name.

KZ: OK.We l l ,e v e r yt i mewe ’ r ea tOz z f e s twe s e epl e nt yoft hehor nsha nds i g na l ,orHook’ e m hor nsora swes a yi nt heSt a t e s .Be c a us et ha t ’ s also sign for the University of Texas in case you di d n’ tk n ow.

BS: Oh really?

KZ: Yeah, so a lot oft i me sI ’ l lj ok ewi t hk i ds a nds a y“ Youg uy sf r omTe x a s ? ”I nAme r i c a pe opl ek n owwha ti ti sa ndt he yj us ts a y“ No. ” Obv i ous l y ,t ha t ’ sn otwha ti ti s .Sowi t ht he amount of Satanic overtures and demonic type things, at least lyrically, is not really deeply involved in extreme hate or Satanic messages. Is that something you think is tongue in cheek in the metal scene or do you think people are dead serious? And how does that affect what you do, a ndd ope op l ea s ky ouh owc omey oudon’ td o more satanic stuff?

BS: I ’ v ene v e rbe e nr e a l l yc l os et of e e l i ngt ha tI wa ntt owr i t ea boutt ha ta mounto fha t e .The r e ’ s a l wa y sas ma l la mountofha t ebu tpe o pl ec a n’ t hate that much. It sometimes gets kind of pa t he t i c .Iwoul ds a yt he r e ’ sal otofba ndsout there that just talk about hate and a more satanic message, which is usually all bullshit. I really respect people that have true belief in Satan and dot he i rt hi ng , bu tt he r e ’ sal otofhy poc r i t e ba ndsa swe l l .I t ’ st oug ht oha t e , a swe l l .You don ’ tha t et ha tmuch. I prefer to write lyrics that f e e lc l os e rt ome ,c ons pi r a c i e sa n dwha t ’ s actually happening out there, pure social realism.

KZ: I ’ dr e a l l ys a yt ha ty ourl y r i c sg e ne r a l l ya r e , notr e a l l ypol i t i c a lbu tg e ne r a l l yt he r e ’ sas oc i a l message. Is there somet hi ngt ha ty ou’ r et r y i ng to get across, or is it like you just said, or is it j us te x pe r i e nc e sa ndy ou’ r et r y i ngt oe x pr e s s y our s e l f ,ori st he r eac e r t a i nme s s a g ey ou’ r e trying to send?

BS: I tde pe n ds .I ’ v ebe e nwor k i nga lot with kids with social proble ms .Some howi t ’ sr e a l l y –you know, it was hard being a kid when I was a kid, but now it seems to be really really hard.

Kids are being really shoved around now in t oda y ’ ss oc i e t y ,s oIg ue s sIg otame s s a g et he r e as well. I had a really hard time in school and i t ’ sno twhi ni ngi t ’ sj us ts t uf fI ’ mus i ng ,t e l l i nga story as far as social relations and that type of stuff.

KZ: I st hi st hef i r s tt i mey ou’ v ebe e nhe r ei nt he States touring?

BS: Ac t ua l l y ,l e tmes e ehe r e ,i t ’ st hef i f t ht i me .

We ’ v ebe e nt ouring with Killswitch on the first tour. The second one was Flames Camara, third one was Solar Camera, the fourth was the he a dl i ni ngt o ur ,a ndnowwe ’ r ehe r e .

KZ:I ’ v enot i c e d, a tl e a s ti nt e r msoft her e por t s weg e tonwha t ’ sc ha r t i ng ,wha t ’ ss e l l i ng ,t hat this album is doing very well. And obviously

Ozzfest is a great opportunity. Do you think this is going to be a more opportunistic year for the band?

BS: Absolutely. We ’ r ei nag r e a ts pot .I tf e e l s l i k es ome t i me swe ’ v ebe e ns t a ndi ngi nt he shadow of a lot of bands, and this is a perfect spot to get more exposure for band, and we hope f ul l ywe ’ l lf i na l l yg e tt hea t t e nt i o nIt hi nk wede s e r v e .I t ’ sa boutt i me .

KZ: Well I think a lot of the people coming to the show think so too. When I went to pick up our tickets there were like six guys with Soi l wor ks hi r t so na n dt he y ’ r edi s c us s i ng whe t he rt og oi ny e t ,s oIa s k e dt h e m,“ Ar ey ou he r et os e eSo i l wor k ? ”“ He l ly e a h! ”t he ys a i d, a ndIs a i d“ We l l ,t he y ’ r eona t10o’ c l oc ks oy ou be t t e rg e ti nt he r e . ”So I know at least those guys tumbled on in behind me to see you guys.

The reaction pretty good. As far as coming out first, will that be throughout the tour, do you draw straws or are you always first in every city?

BS: We were not first, actually, there were two ba ndsbe f or eus .Bu ti t ’ sar ol l i ngs c he dul es o we play, like, all times throughout the tour.

KZ: So depending on the city, you could be behind Rob Zombie?

BS: No, t he r e ’ sl i k ef ourba ndst ha tha v ea permanent set, so to speak, and then the r e ’ sa rolling bill containing like 4 or 5 bands.

KZ: You’ v epl a y e di nt heSt a t e sa ndBos t o n be f or e ,a ndwe ’ r eaBos t on-based magazine. Is t he r ea ny t hi ngt ha ty ou’ dl i k et os ha r ei nt e r ms of experiences, something that happened in the Boston area that you could fill us in on?

BS: Bos t on .I ’ v es e e nt hec i t yi t ’ sr e a l l y be a ut i f ul ;Il i k ei t .

I ’ v ebe e nt hi nk i ngi ft he r ewa s any city I would move to in the United States it would probably be San Diego or Boston, hone s t l y .Asf a ra ss t or i e sIc a n’ tr e a l l y remember any funny thing happening as tourists.

Ir e me mbe ronet hi ngi nBos t o nb uti t ’ sr e a l l y not a funny story. Just the bathroom started to leak into the bay area of the bands and we got totally wet. It was nice.

KZ: With that in mind, one thing fans like to read is a story about something that maybe wa s n’ tf unnywhe ni tha ppe ne dwhe ny ouwe r e on tour, but now that you tell the story is something that other people can share a laugh on. Is there one you can share with us, regardless of where the tour was?

BS: We l l ,t he r e ’ s …o urba s spl a y e rus e dt odoa l oti fs t uf f .He ’ l lpr oba bl yg e thi sowns e c t i on on the DVD. So, he was running around naked in Indiana, and he was holding a road sign in the middle of the road. He was standing there ass naked and just stopped all traffic.

KZ: Soa sag r o up, t he n,t he r e ’ sag oods e ns e of humor among you guys, having fun while y ou’ r edoi ngt hi s .Youme nt i o ne dy ouwe r e doing I guess some community service working wi t ht r ou bl e dy out h .I st hi ss ome t hi ngy ou’ r e doing yourself, or is the rest of the band involved?

BS: Not really, that was my job for like three and a half years until I got started living off the music. You know, I kind of miss it sometimes.

Inspirational; you felt like you were doing somethingi mpor t a nt ,a ndt ha t ’ sa l lt ha tma t t e r s

t ome .Tha t ’ spr oba b l ywha tIwoul ddoi fI wa s n’ tpl a y i ngwi t ht heba nd KZ: Is there anything in particular mention y ou’ dl i k et obr i ngt ha tIma ynotha v e mentioned, any thought you want to bring up?

BS: Watch out for our video, to those people whol i k e dt hepr e v i o usv i de o .I t ’ l lbeo nt hewe b s i t ea swe l ls oc he c ki tou t ,i t ’ saoutg r e a tv i de o.

KZ: As far as the web site, do you just do postings, does the band themselves have some web skills?

BS: The band is free to just post messages whenever they want, and I have my own little corner that I try to update pretty frequently.

KZ: Since you have worked with kids, and without a doubt the main audience who picks up the magazine is young people because music is more important in your life the younger you are, any life message of final words of inspiration you could leave?

BS: The only thing I can tell is that music saved myl i f e ,pr e t t ymuc h.I ’ v es e e nal otofk i dsa nd t ha tr e a l l yg i v e smes t r e ng t h.I ’ mkeeping in touch with those guys that I used to take care of, and now I try to give them inspiration, encouragement, whatever. Sometimes it works, s ome t i me si tdoe s n’ t , b utt wooft hos eg uy s started playing in a band, and it seems like t he y ’ v ebe c omer e a l ly focused on music, and t he y ’ r ebe i ngbe t t e rpe r s ons .Ke e pi nga wa y from the bad shit and just concentrating on music.

KZ:Ic oul dn’ ts a yi tbe t t e r ,be c a us emos t people have the unfortunate stereotype that when y oul i s t e nt oda r kmus i cofa nyt y pey ou’ r e automatically a bad person doing bad things, and It e l lpe o pl e“ Yo u’ r emor el i k e l yt og e tbe a tu p a taRol l i ngSt o ne sorGr a t e f ulDe a dc onc e r t . ” BS: Right.

TOWER OF POWER Fan Pier Pavilion

Ki t t yHar t ea ndLy s i neOr e ’ se x c l us i v einterview with Emilio Castillo, (tenor sax, background vocals, bandleader) and David Garibaldi (the drummer), of Tower Of Power. Nice sunny day, seagulls and planes flying overhead.

KH: Are there any bands now that are doing the same kind of thing as you, or bands that you like?

EC: I like Ravi Shankar. A lot.

DG: The r e ’ saba ndf r omEur opena me d I nc og ni t ot ha tIr e a l l yl i k e .I t ’ sc l os et owha twe do,s i mi l a rs t y l e ,s t y l i s t i c a l l y .Ime a n,t he r e ’ sa lot of good bands. Not so much bands like ours.

EC: Notal ot .We l l ,we ’ vebe e nd oi ngi tf or over thirty-seven years, not too many of those around. That kind of separates us a little bit from others.

KH: Back in the day who did you feel like you were competing with, musically?

EC: Greensville Station, Earth, Wind, and Fi r e ….

DG: Cold Blood, another Bay Area band –they were really good. Some others not as well known.

EC: The r e ’ sal otofl i t t l ey oungba ndst ha t play clubs that emulate us, in terms of repertoire, but ah mainstream, big time music, no.

KH: So do you do any covers or do you do all your own originals?

EC: Wedoa l lourownma t e r i a lbutwe ’ r e getting ready to do a bunch of covers. Yeah, we ’ r eg e t t i ngr e a dyt odooneoft hos ec ov e r records.

KH: If you ever did a cover of The Commodor e s ’“ Br i c kHous e , ”ho wwoul di tbe different?

EC: We l lt ha t ’ sno to newewoul dd o, buti fwe were to do it, it would be fun.

LO: Sowhe ny ou’ r epi c k i ngt hec ov e r si si tl i k e a collective decision?

EC: We ’ veg ott hi sh umong ousma s t e rl i s tt ha t we’ r eg onnaha v et of i g htov e r .

Ev e r y body ’ sc ont r i but e dt oi t ,a l lt he i rf a v or i t e songs.

LO: Ev e r y bodymus tha v es t uf ft he y ’ r edy i ngt o do.

EC: The r e ’ sdi f f e r e ntr e a s onst ododi f f e r e nt things, but we have to do at least a few people recognize.

DG: We have a habit of picking obscure stuff.

When I first joined the band in 1970 they had already been Tower of Power since 1968.

EC: We were The Motowns before that.

DG: They would do some cover songs when I first went to hear them, and then they were doing some original stuff too that was really cool. The

cover stuff they did, nobody would do those same particular songs.

EC: Wewoul dn’ td ot heo ne sl i k e“ Br i c k Hous e . ”Wewoul dd ol i k e ,o bs c ur es t uf f .

DG: Instead of songs on the radio they would do like album cuts.

EC: Songs on the radio, no, that is not what Tower of Power would do.

DG: Other bands would do songs like “ Re s pe c t , ”s ong sbyOt i sRe ddi ngl i k e“ Ca n’ t Tur nYouLoos e , ” EC: Andwe ’ dwoul dc ov e rl i k e“ Ha r dt o Ha ndl e , ”“ Bi gOl dMa n , ”“ Downi nt heVa l l e y , ” you know, songs no other bands were doing, t ha t ’ swha twe ’ ddo.Wedi ds on g sbyHowa r d Tate, all these kinda weird, obscure artists; BobbyTa y l or ,“ Doe sYourMa maKnow? ”We di dc ov e rt une sbutwedi d n’ tdot heone st he club owners wanted us to do (laughs).

LO: Like back when Billie Holiday was singing a ndpe opl ewoul ds a y“ Howc omewene v e r he a r dot he rpe opl edoi ngt h os et u ne s ? ”a ndi t was because she got the rejects.

DG: We did em our way too, really personalize everything.

EC: Back in the day club owners would say “ Youg ot t adot hi s ,y oug ot t apl a yt hi s , ”a n dwe we r ej us ts a y i ng“ We l lwe ’ r enotdoi ngt ha t . ” They wanted you to play those tunes because t he ywa nt e dt hepe o pl et oda nc e .We ’ dc omei n t he r ea ndwewoul dn’ tpl a ynoneat hos e ,the band was just such a grooving band that everybody was dancing, we always had a dr i nk i ngc r owdc a us et he ywe r es we a t i n’a ndhot y ouk nowc hug g i n’dr i nk sl i k ef i s h.Soa f t e rt he c l ubowne r sr e a l i z e dt ha t ,t he y ’ dl e tuspl a y whatever.

KH: Did you ever dress alike in colored suits and do dance turns, you know, like the Stylistics?

EC: Yeah, we had suits. I remember when I first hired Doc (Kupka), we wearing these white jackets with black pinstripes. Then there was this guy Mark and we both dressed in these like lime green suits and the other guys dressed in different colored suits. Kind of gold tuxedos with gold shiny lapels, ascots, yeah we did all that stuff, like, when we were younger.

KH: Have you ever done any songs totally a capella?

EC: No. KH: How about instrumentals?

DG: We ’ v edoneal o tofi ns t r ume nt a l s .

EC: We were never that great at singing.

DG: Better players than singers.

EC: We ’ vedones omeg r e a ts t uf fv oc a l l yon records, we know how to get it on tape, you know, and we could always pull it off live. But not like say Huey Lewis, we played with them for years, or at least my horns section did. Huey Lewis would bang out like six songs and wow the crowd.

KH: The r e ’ sag uyi nmya r t sg r oupna me dWi l l Tenney who went to Berkeley High School with St e v eKupk a ….

EC: Doc played oboe and English horn.

KH: They were in the band together.

EC: He did g ot oBe r k e l e yHi g hSc hoo l ….

KH: So tell him Will Tenney the bassoon player says hi. And Otha Sonnie, another person in my group, wanted me to ask about Lenny Whi t e ,i si tal ongt i mes i nc ehe ’ sbe e nwi t hy ou guys?

EC: He was never with us. We had Lenny Williams.

DG: Le nnyWhi t e ’ sadr umme r .Hewa swi t h Azteca for a while, then Jamaica Boys.

EC: Lotofpe op l ema k et ha tmi s t a k e .We ’ r e st i l li nc ont a c twi t hhi m.He ’ sg otane wr e c or d out. He actually just re-recorded the biggest hit wee v e rha dwi t hhi m,“ SoVe r yHa r dToGo. ” DG: Lenny Pickett was our sax player for years, he ’ snowmus i c a ldi r e c t orf orSaturday Night Live.

EC: He sit si nwi t hus .AndSt e v e ,he ’ st he best. I have to say that every time Steve comes up.

OL: I t ’ sl i k eaf a mi l y ,pe opl el e a v e ,pe opl e c omeba c ki n….

EC: We have an alumni association.

KH: Wha td oy out hi nkofWi l l yNe l s on’ sne w Reggae CD? DG: He has a Reggae CD? KH: Yeah, it just came out. I heard something f r omi tont her a di o,“ TheHa r de rThe yCome . ” EC: He has a cool way that he does his music, i t ’ sv e r ype r s ona l i z e d,a n dIe nj oyhi sv oi c ea ndI enjoy listening to what he does, because he likes to t a k ec ha nc e sa ndhe ’ sno ta f r a i d.

DG: He ’ se x t r e me l ys oul f ul .

EC: He ’ sac oolg uy .Che c kouts omeoft he s t a nda r ds ,l i k e“ Cr a z y ”- i t ’ st heb e s t .

DG: The r e ’ sal otofhe a r ti nhi smus i c .

EC: His voice, just the way he approaches a tune, very comfortable. We used to hang out quite a bit. We did gigs together in Lake Tahoe.

Great guy. First he used to come around when we toured with Huey Lewis.

KH: Do you have any stories about touring or being in Boston, something that happened that maybe didn’ ts e e ms of unnya tt het i me ?

EC: Yeah, for a while back in our early days we had this maniacal cocaine dealer. He was just off the hook. He used to manage the Buddy Miles band when they were based in Boston.

They were a great band. Somehow we got hooked up with him, that was our crazy days ya k now,a ndhek e ptons a y i n’“ Wa i tt i l lweg e tt o Bos t on . ”Hek e ptt a l k i nga bo utt hi sbi gma ns i on out in Newport, the Buddy Miles band had lived there, and we were gonna go there and party and all that. He was also manager for Sly and the Family Stone. So we get out here to Boston and he took us out to this mansion –we were just talking about this the other day –and it was a nice house but it was completely empty. I mean there were beds but there were no blankets, no sheets, there was nothing there and he took us out there and dropped us off and split. We were like stuck there for hours. That was my first t i mehe r es owe ’ r el i k e“ Ohy e a h,Bos t o n,r e a l l y g r e a t . ”Noph one sorn ot hi ng ,t ha twa smyf i r s t time here.

DG: But we always have a good time playing in Bos t on .I ’ l la l wa y sr e me mbe ronet i mewe pl a y e dKa t i e ’ s .

EC: K-K-K-Ka t i e ’ s

DG: Oh man what a cool time.

EC: The r ewa sadi s c oc a l l e dLuc i f e r ’ s ,t hi swa s

by Copley Square, oh it was cool. We had a great time.

DG: We burned it up. And remember at Luc i f e r ’ st he r ewa st ha tTVs howdur i ngt he daytime, there was some TV show they taped there. We went up there and played.

EC: We met a lot of the local musicians, a lot of the Berkeley musicians that would come up to us a nds a y“ He y ,wes a wy oua tK-K-K-Ka t i e ’ s . ” We used to play the Paradise Ballroom a lot. All these people from Berkeley would come out and all these musicians would line up - all the sax players talking to the sax player, all the trumpet players, bass players, drummers. And we had a really cool gig at Berkeley performance center.

Tha twa sadoub l ebi l l .Ido n’ tr e me mbe rwho was on it.

DG: Santana, we played with.

EC: Our first two times here we were with Credence Clearwater and Santana. We played t heBos t onGa r de n,t heCe nt r um… BobLuc r a y in the early 90s.

LO: Did you ever play a show where you and the other band were a really bad mismatch?

EC: Uh, yes! We did that one we had this meeting ice arena Savoy Brown or LO: A friend of mine saw that!

DG: We bailed on the tour it fell apart somehow. Totally lame.

EC: Then we went to Korea. I was six months s obe rs ot ha twa s198 8,t hes umme rof’ 88,we we r ewi t hFog ha t .We ’ r et our i nga l lt hemi l i t a r y bases in Korea, and in our mi nds , i t ’ sl i k e , “ We ’ r eg onnaslaughter these guys. Kill ‘ e m. ” We get out there all the guys that are stationed in t heDMZ, t heDe mi l i t a r i z e dZone ,a ndt he y ’ r e ba c kont heba s e ,t he y ’ r eoutt he r edr i nk i n’be e r , and Tower of Power and Foghat are playing. Oh no they loved Foghat, hated us. Every night we bombe da ndFog ha twa st hebi gwi nne r .Tha t ’ s wha tha ppe nswhe ny out hi nky ou’ r eg onnak i c k s ome body ’ sbut t , weg otourass kicked. Plus on the way to the gig, getting ready to fly out of LAX we pick up Rocco in a limousine and the driver takes an illegal U-turn, and a car hits us.

Lee Thornburg was knocked out, Doug, knocked out. he got hurt. Doug, when he was on the plane he went into shock all this blood coming outta his ears - trip from hell. We took him to Korea because he could speak Korean and all the time we were there all he did the whole time was sit in the bed. He nearly died - broke a few ribs, punctured a lung, real freaky trip.

DG: Lotta good ones though, on the other side of the ledger.

KH: How do you feel about Tom Jones, being on the same bill with him?

EC: I t ’ sha r di na r e a swhe r ewe ’ r enots owe l l k nown.We ’ r epopu l a ri nt hi sa r e a ,Con ne c t i c ut , Boston, but when we get down to Atlanta, Mississippi, a lot of the older what we call blue ha i r sc omei na ndl ooka tusl i k e“ Wha ta r et he s e boy sdoi nghe r e ? ” KH: Yeah, I was thinking the audiences for the two bands would be in the same age group but different.

EC: Butwe ’ r eg e t t i ngov e r .He ’ sg r e a t ,g r e a t guy, the band is great, great equipment, every ni g hti t ’ sa l wa y st hes a me ,ac oup l eofv e nue s 2, 5 00pe o pl et ha twoul d n’ tn or ma l l ys e eus e v e r yni g ht .I t ’ sg r e a tf orbot ha c t s .

DG: About7 0y e a r s ’c ombi ne dmus i c a l experience, the continuity in itself is pretty interesting.

EC: Plus i tpa y spr e t t ywe l l ,l i k ewe ’ r enot getting paid joke sums like some little opening a c t .We ’ r ema k i ngg r e a tmone yf orl i k et wo mont hsa ndi t ’ se a s y .Theg uy sa r eg e t t i ngour sound check last so we get there late, we do a sound check, we have dinner, and after we play hedoe s“ Downt ot heNi g h t c l ub , ”a ndwedot ha t s ongwi t hhi m.The n,pa c ku pa n dwe ’ r eoutof there. We get there last, we leave first. William Mor r i sbo ok suss owhe nhet e l l suswe ’ r eg onna dooneoft he s eTomJ one st our swe ’ r el i k e , “ Re a l l y ?He l l o,TomJ one s ? ”Hes a y s“ We l l , you might want to consider it. He gets the most requests here in our office next to Willy Ne l s on. ”Theg uydoe ss upe rb i gbus i ne s s .

KH: I hear he does different stuff when he tours in Europe but mostly plays old standards here.

DG: Ik nowi nEur opehe ’ sg otmor eofa c ur r e nt ,“ Se xBomb”r e pe r t oi r e .

EC: Idi gt ha ts o ng !He ’ sg oti tg oi ngonov e r there.

DG: Ov e rhe r ei t ’ smor et hewome nt ha tus e dt o throw their panties at him in 1971 I t ’ sdi f f e r e ntf orust here as well. They relate to music there in a much different way. Whereas he r ey ouc a nbeak i ndofbeaha sbe e n,t ha t ’ sa thing that goes on, but over there you get respect for your longevity. Kids in the audience e i g ht e e na ndun de ra ndt he y ’ r es i ng i ngall our s ong st ouswhi l ewe ’ r epl a y i ng .

EC: We had a career over there based on our 90s recordings, not on our 70s recordings. We would go over there same set that we did in the s t a t e sa ndi twoul dn’ tg e tov e r .The ywa nts t uf f from the 90s. But then, as years went by, and we did a live record with some of our old hits and t he ys t a r tl ook i nga ti ta n ds a y i ng“ He r e ’ ss ome ne ws t uf ff r omTowe rofPowe r . ”Wepl a y whatever we want to play and they just love it all.

DG: Michael put the band on television.

EC: The r e ’ st hi ss howc a l l e dOhne Filter on television and we were on it about about three times. That helped us out a lot so now we tour Germany. The jazz festival there was huge for us.

LO: You ever get to Sweden any? Stockholm?

EC: No, not lately, but Sweden, Finland, and Denmark was all we could play at first. Now we ’ r eg oi ngt oEur o pebu twe ’ r enote v e ndoi ng Nor wa y ,Swe de n,De nma r k ,orFi nl a nd .We ’ l l just have to go do that on a different leg I guess.

One of our fans calls and leaves messages. He says (imitates hoarse voice) “ I ’ ml ook i nga ty our s c he dul ea n dy ou’ r enotc omi ngt oOs l o.I t ’ s a l wa y ss ol doutt he r e .Howc a nt hi sbe ? ”( Back to his own voice)“ Sor r y–scheduling problems –we ’ l ls c he dul ei ts oo n. ”Weus e dt opl a y Goteborg, Sweden - they love us there.

KH: When we were there the Rolling Stones we r epl a y i ngt he r e ,a ndnowt he y ’ r epl a y i ng here.

EC: They used to play with us a lot there.

LO: I know with England sometimes my i mpr e s s i oni st he y ’ r emor ef a i t hf ult oi t ,t hey like the old blues.

EC: Weha dn’ tpl a y e di nLond o ni nal o ng time. We played at a place called the London As t or i a ,t heSt o ne spl a y e dt he r e .We ’ r et ol d t he r ewa sl i ke500pe o pl eo ut s i dewhoc a n’ tg e t i na n dwe ’ r ei ns hoc k ,l i k e ,“ Wha t ’ st hi s ? ”We hadn’ tbe e nt he r ei nal o ngt i me .Sonowwhe n we go we fill up the place pretty good.

DG: 1,500 or 2,000 people –we packed the place.

EC: Id on’ tk nowi fi t ’ ss omuc ht ha tt he y ’ r e f a i t hf ul ,It hi nkt he y ’ r enots wa y e da smuc hby radio as they are here in t heSt a t e s .The y ’ l ldi ga c e r t a i nk i ndofmus i ca ndt he y ’ l lg os e e ki tout , g os e ei t ,g ob uyi t .The ydon’ tha v ee ve r yda y t her a di ot e l l i ngt he m“ Br i t ne ySpe a r s ,Br i t ne y Spe a r s . ”I nt heSt a t e s ,e v e r y bodyi ss o programmed by the media. They could be way into Tower of Power, but then they leave the c onc e r t ,a n dt woda y sl a t e rt he y ’ r ea l l“ Br i t ne y Br i t ne yBr i t ne y . ”I nEur opei t ’ snotl i k et ha t .

Pe o pl edo n’ tha v et her e g i ona l … Ev e nwhe nI g odoi nt e r v i e ws ,J a pa n’ st hes a mewa yt oo, t he y ’ r ej us tmuc hmore interested in the

pr og r a m.He r ei t ’ sr e a lc or por a t ee v e r y body ’ s got that same 39 songs. Even the oldies stations, i t ’ sa l wa y s“ Re s c ueMe , ”“ Ai n’ tTooPr o udTo Be g . ”Onl yt hec l a s s i chi t s .The ywon’ te v e r branch out. In Europe they have interviews and s t uf f .Al lt hi swe i r ds t uf f ,a ndi t ’ sr e a l l yc ool .

They have an opinion. Whereas here I think opi ni o ni sdi c t a t e d.Ev e r y body ’ sl i k eawi c k e d automaton.

DG: There are fans here they bring their kids to s e eusa ndI ’ ma l wa y sa ma z e da tt hel o okont he k i ds ’f a c e s ,i t ’ sa l mos tl i k ewhe r edi dt he s eg uy s come from, a real band? Kids these days, if they wanna have a band like us, where are they gonna pl a y ?I t ’ st oug h.The ys e eusdoi ngourt hi ng , still going it at a really high level, putting on a killers how,a ndt he yg o“ Whoa . ”The i rmout hs are open.

EC: Ye a h,i t ’ sd i f f e r e ntov e rt he r e .I nag o od way. And it always has been. Like jazz musicians, over here they were disrespected.

Thi si swhe r et he y ’ r ef r om.Wedog oo dhe r e , but we have to approach it differently.

KH: OK final question: Does the name of the band, Tower of Power, have a phallic reference?

We have to ask.

DG: Does it what?

EC: Does it have a phallic reference? No (laughs). I picked it off a list. We were The Motowns. We were The Motowns because I was born in Detroit Michigan. My mother was ma na g i ngt heba nda nds hes a i d“ I fy ou’ r eg onna pl a ys oulmus i cy oug ot t abeTheMot owns . ” Well, then we started working and getting older, we ’ r el i v i ngi nOa k l a nda n dt he ybui l tt h i s Fillmore auditorium thing and we wanted to go t he r ea ndwek ne wwe ’ dne v e rg e ti nt he r ea s The Motowns. Got to get rid of the suits and all t ha t .We ’ dne v e rg e ti nt he r ewi t ht heba n da s we were so we were doing a little bit of recording and this guy constructed a list. They were all these really psychedelic names like and I was going down the list and we saw Tower of Powe ra ndt h oug ht“ Ye a h,t ha tde s c r i be sour s oun d. ”Sono ,i t ’ snotap ha l l i cr e f e r e nc e .

KH: Nott ha tt ha t ’ saba dt hi ng .

Stallion, Copyright 2005

Live Show Reviews AGRESTIX / INSOLENTS / LATEX NUNS / BLOODY MESS & THE TRANSFUSIONS / SUPERMEN VFW HALL, Western Ave. Peoria, IL. 11-26-05

The Agrestix opened with a really short set which was a shame, as I did like them. They sounded a bit like old Gorilla Biscuits (which I totally dug).

2nd up was the Insolents, who did a pretty lengthy set. To me they had the feel of the bay area street punk (Rancid after Op Ivy and before they went back to the Op Ivy sound, Swinging Utters, etc.). Good band, lots of rocking to be had by all. 3rd up were The Latex Nuns, to me alot of fun. I really liked them alot (hell had to buy their lil CD). I would like to see them again.

4th were Bloody Mess and the Transfusions.

They played a short set, but what can I say that has not been said a billion times about Bloody Mess over his 25+ year career at this, he was full of action and to me did not miss a beat. It is awesome to see this man throw himself about on stage night after night giving the old full 100 percent. And finally the Supermen,g r e a tr oc k i n’ sound. They came out dressed in Mexican wrestling uniforms, and started to kick some ass.

Unfortunately (and this is my opinion soleygimmick bands get old to me very quickly, but the band was rocking none the less).

Overall it was a fun Saturday night. I can think of one thing that would have made it better, but to see old friends and some new ones made up for it.

Godi t ’ sg r e a tbe i ngba c ki nPe o r i a .Thes hows , although few and far between, are still a whole shitload of fun, and bring back memories of when I was the age of the majority of the crowd (note: it was an all ages show, and by all ages... It was ALL AGES, at times I felt like I was at a pedophile picnic...).

Good to see the youth out supporting shows, I guess I am just old, am so used to seeing bands in bars and night clubs exclusively... Have not been to a VFW Hall show in over 10 years.

What a trip). - Chance Rush

ANGER MANAGEMENT TOUR 3 The Tweeter Center Mansfield, MA July 10, 2005 Let me just start out saying this concert was pounding from the beginning to the end just loud bass flowing from the speakers.

The concert started with an announcement and a twenty second countdown to get to your seat or you would miss the start and most people did because they were still boozing in the parking lot and standing around the giant Vitamin Water stage that was dedicated to Fifty and his personal Fifty Cent Grape Vitamin Water, you can get it at your local beverage retailers.

So at the end of the countdown the two video screens on the sides of the stage started playing a video game graphic of two H2 Hummers, one white one black, racing each down a street and crashing into each other. The driver of the white H2 Hummer was Lil Jon, and then another Lil Jon Pops out the top of the black Hummer and opens fire with an AK 47 assault rifle at the other Lil Jon. Then the two Hummers flip over, the curtain drops, and Lil Jon walks out on stage with his pi mpc upa n dh i sOa k l e y ’ sonwi t hagigantic backdrop of himself and what must have been a twenty by twenty foot statue of himself with a moving head and arms like a giant Lil Jon puppet wi t ht heOa k l e y ’ son.The nLi lJ ons t a r t e dwi t h hi sba s sp umpi nga nt he m“ Thr owI t , ”a ndha l f wa y through the song the East Side Boys join in with “ YEEEAAAHHH” .Then Lil Jon went into “ Wa t c hGonnaDo? ”The nPi t -Bull came on stage a ndg ott hec r owdg oi ngwi t hhi shi t“ Cul o, ”a n d t ha t ’ swhe na l lt het e e na g eg i r l si nt hec r owdwe nt crazy, and then they kept the crowd going with Da ddyYa nk e e ’ shi t“ Ga s ol i na . ” The nthe bass k e e pspoun di ngwi t h“ Ge tLowGe tLow, ”“ Fr om the Windows t ot heWa l l s , ”a ndt he nhet hr owsi n al i t t l e‘ Sha k eLi keaSa l tSha k e r ”a nda l lt he asses in the crowd just start shaking. I felt vibrations because there was some major booty bounce at this one point. Then all of a sudden ssshhh comes on and the little girls start singing along about wanting to see dick. (What is this world coming to when 40 year old moms with their fifteen year old daughters, with matching tattoos of course, are singing along about dick? It

just ain't right, but hey, what cha ya gonna do?)

Then Lil Jon and the boys walk off the stage and then you see Dave Chappelle on the two screens talking to the crowd, and he goes into his Lil Jon skit. You might have seen it on his show; WWWHHHAATTT!!!!, OOOOOOKKKKAAAYYY!!!!!, YYYYYEEEEAAAHHHHH!!!!, YYYYYEEEEEAAAAHHHHH! ! ! ! ! ”Af t e r Dave, Chris Rock is on the screen giving a shout out to the crowd, and then all the ladies scream because Usher is on the screen saying how he wishes he was there and how he has to introduce Li lJ on’ sf i na l ewi t ht he i rh i t“ Lov e r sa nd Fr i e nds , ”butLi lJ oni s n’ tons t a g ehe ’ swa l k i ng around the lawn seats of the Tweeter Center with Pit-bull, serena d i nga l lt hel a di e swi t h“ Love r s a ndFr i e nds . ”Us he r ,J o na n dLudaha dt odoi t again.

After Lil Jon finished, the intermission was full of advertisements all including Fifty Cent. The commercial ranged from previews to his new Fifty video game. This included his Reebok commercials promoting his G-Unit foot apparel.

The favorite Reebok commercial of the night was the one with Manny in it - all twenty times we saw it. Very sad. The two other advertisements were for his Formula Fifty water, which is grape flavored and made by Vitamin water. Then the advertisement for his movie about his rise from a crack dealer in Jamaica Queens to a Platinum Rap Star. You probably already guessed the name of i t ;y oug oti t , i t ’ sc a l l e d“ Ge tRi c hOrDi e Tr y i ng . ”Were have we heard that before, Kiddies?

(Edi t o r ’ sno t e : You may have heard that riots br ok eou ta tt hemov i e ’ sope ni nga nds ome oneg ot s hot .Yo uma ya l s oha v ehe a r dt he y ’ r ema k i nga movie about that n ow.I t ’ sc a l l e d“ Ge tPopc or n orDi eTr y i ng . ”Ba dump-bum.)

Then after twenty minutes passed the lights got low then there was a loud explosion the curtains dropped and here comes Fifty dropping down from the rafters in harness to more loud e x pl os i ons .Heg oe si nt o” Di s c oI nf e r no”t og e t the crowd going. With Fifty on the stage when it started was Tony Yayo. Fifty had an outrageous backdrop. He had the head of the Statue of Liberty hanging from the rafters behind him with a catwalk going from one side of the stage to the other. He also had a mural of The Brooklyn Bridge behind everything else. He had garbage cans with fire shooting out of them - very great pyrotechnics. Ri g hta tt hee ndof“ Di s c oI nf e r no, ” Lloyd Banks rises up and is on top of the catwalk, t e nf e e thi g ha bov eFi f t y ’ she a d.Then Lloyd Banks walks down the stairs singing his hit song “ Fi r e , ”a nde v e r yt i mehes a i df i r e ,f i r ewoul d shoot out of the trash cans on the stage. So with Fifty, Lloyd, and Tony on the stage one person was missing and that was Young Buck. But boom, all of a sudden Young Buck appears on the catwalk behind the rest of G-Unit. While he wa l k sdownt hes t a i r shea s k sa l lt he‘ s ha wt y s ’i f they would like to ride with him; that leads to his hit song off his album. So Young Buck is on the stage talking to the crowd by himself, and he asks the crowd if they love Biggie. When they cheered

he had MASE from bad boy walk on stage and wave to the crowd. After he walks off, Young Buck continues to ask the crowd if they love to smoke herb. Then he lights a blunt on stage accompani e dbyRi c kJ a me s ' s“ Ma r yJ a ne . ”He asks the crowd if they love old school, and he has t heDJpl a y“ Ai n' tNot hi ngButAGThi ng ”byDr .

Dr e ,t he nal i t t l e“ LaDiDaDi ”bySl i c kRi c k ,a nd f i ni s he dof fwi t h“ YouSa yHe ' sJ us tAFr i e nd”by Biz Markie. So now Young Buck wanders off the stage and Fifty and Yoyo walk out in tuxedos, Fifty wearing a white one with a black top hat and Yayo rocking a black tux with a red shirt and matching hat, singing P.I.M.P. Then Fifty introduces the newest members of G-Unit: the Infamous Mobb Deep. They hit the crowd with “ Don' tGe tI tTwi s t e d”a ndc ont i n ue dwi t h“ Qui e t St or m. ”The nFi f t yj oi ne dt he mons t a g et od ot he ne ws ong“ Out t aCont r ol ”of fofFi f t y ' sne w album. Fifty then proceeded to introduce the other new members of G-Unit, MOP, and they did t he i rf a mousol ds c ho ola nt he m,“ Ant e -Up. ”At this time the DJ alerts them that if they don't leave the stage and go past their time they will be fined two thousand dollars a minute. So they continue onwi t h“ I nDaCl u b, ”“ Wa nk s t a , ”a ndf i ni s he d wi t h“ IWa nnaGe tt oKnowYa . ”Now Fifty gets the crowd to chant GGGG-UUNNNIIITTT. He walks off and Young Buck and Lloyd Banks say goodbye to the crowd and FUCK THE POLICE. Eminem did steal the night though. He had a three-story catwalk with a cathedral background and all the doors open, which was pretty cool. He started off with a song off his latest album. The next song he did was total talking shit about George Bush. He had a person wearing a big George Bush mask waving to the crowd. EM continued to talk to the crowd and then decided to c huc ks omemoont hec r owd’ swa y .Tha t ’ sr i g ht , he flashed us his skinny white ass and it sucked, but all the forty year old women there were eating i tu p.Het he ns i ng s“ AnAs sLi k eTha t . ”During t hes ongi ts h owe dEmi ne m’ sCr a nkYa nk e r sdol l on the screen singing along. Then the true Eminem now comes out when he starts hearing the voice of Mariah Carey playing in the ba c k g r ounda n dhec ont i n ue ss a y i ng“ Le a v eme a l one ,I ' mma r r i e d,y ou’ r ec r a z y . ”Hes a y s“ You ma k emes i c k , ”a ndhewa l k supt hec a t wa l ka nda toilet bowl gets pushed out the door. He proceeds t ot hr owupi nt het oi l e ta n ds a y s“ Ma r i a h,You Ma k eMeSi c k . ”Now D12 wanders out on stage a ndt he ydo“ 40Oz ”a nd“ MyBa nd. ”Emi ne m c ome sba c kouta ndd oe s“ Emi ne mWi l lFuc k i n Ki l lYou , ”“ Cl e a ni ngo utMyCl o s e t , ”a nd “ Ha y l e y ’ sSong . ”EM needed a break then, so Obie Trice came out and talked about his new album coming out soon. Then he sangs his hit “ GotSomeTe e t h. ”Ne x tEmi ne mdi d“ Toy Sol d i e r s , ”“ Le t ’ sGe tDownToBus i ne s s , ”“ My Na meI st heWa yIAm, ”a nd“ HeDi dSt a n. ” Tha t ’ swhe nIde c i de dt obe a tt hec r owda nd leave. My final thoughts are that all three acts kicked ass and all brought something different to the table, which made the concert better. KZ JR.

BLOODY MESS AND THE TRANSFUSIONS Texas Mini-Tour Sanctuary, San Antonio TX Headhunters, Austin TX Sept 3 and 4, 2005

The first show of the mini-tour was at Sanctuary with 6 bands! First up was The Dispicables of San Antonio. The lead singer (shown here with Transfusions frontman Bloody Mess) rocked and growled for a while while the audience restlessly prowled around and then it was time for the next band, Second To None. They played hardpounding punk, led by Retarded Dan (photo).

The lead and bass players had cool fire-engine red guitars; the bass player, a woman, had red cords and pickups too. Very hot. (Web site www.myspace.com/secondtonone.) Next up was the shirtless The Perturbed.The y ’ v ebe e n playing since 1988, with Ramone-influenced vocals and sweet rock and roll. (Check their site, www.theperturbed.com.)

Bloody Mess and the Transfusions followed, introduced by Peter Yarmouth of Black and Blue Re c or ds .The i rs e t :“ De t r oi t ,I ’ mI nTown, ” “ Wr ong , ”a ndt he nt woc ov e r s ,“ Be a tBe a tBe a t ” a nd“ Chi ne s eRoc k s . ” Ne x twa soneofmyf a v e s , mostly for the way Bloody Mess be l t si tout :“ I Ca n’ tRe me mbe r . ”The ydi d a new one “ Tor e Up, ”a ndt he nt hee v e r -po pul a r“ HungOv e ra nd St one d, ”whi c hc a us e dt wog uy st os u dde nl yg r i n at each other and do one donut of a do-si-do. The c r owd’ sf a v or i t e ,t ho ug h,a n dt heonepe opl e asked me about after the show, was the song “ Empt y . ”( “ Thes unc ome supa n dt hemoo ng oe s down/ Ev e r y t hi ngi sbe t t e rt ha nbe f or e . ” )Gi ve t ha to neal i s t e n, y ou’ l ll i ke it. A last-minute pr og r a mc ha ng eha dAus t i n’ sThe Beltones out next. They played nice, loudfast punk rock, and had some cool t-shirts on sale. There was a round logo of writing around a pair of high-top sneakers, a ndt het e x tont o ps a i d“ TheBELTONES. ” Be l ow,i ts a i d“ SHI THEAD. ”NowIwi s hI

bought one. Finally, the Lower Class Brats, local favorite out of Austin, took the stage. Here’ st he lead singer, Bones:

Their high energy set included a mad cover of “ Se xa ndVi ol e nc e , ”or i g i na l l ype r f or me dby80s SoCal band Mad Parade. Some of the great or i g i na lt i t l e st he ypl a y e dwe r e“ St a r tt heNi g ht , ” “ Bi t et heBul l e t , ”“ J us tLi k eCl oc kwor k , ”“ Gl a m Ba s t a r d, ”“ WhoWr i t e sYourRul e s( For Re be l l i on) , ”“ Sa f e t yPi nne da n dSi c k , ”a nd “ Ul t r a -Vi ol e nc e ” .The yha dak i ndofDr oogl ook too (Clockwork Orange,i t ’ samo v i e ,Bubb ba ) .

Word has it they plan to do a cover of The Dead Boy s ’“ Wha tLoveI s ”ona compilation CD. As you can see from the photos, everybody had a rockin good time. Even the audience.

The next day was Sunday and the show was in Aus t i na tHe a dhu nt e r ’ s .TheTr a ns f us i onsk i l l e da little time at a head shop and then wandered over towards the club. Damn there are a lot of bars in Austin. On the way there we saw some tourists riding in a horse-drawn carriage. They were stopped at a light and the horse, a gigantic Clydesdale, decided it was time to take a piss. He was a trip, rocking his body around while he did it. The driver smirked and the passengers pretended they were somewhere else. We stopped in a bar where everyone was watching Family Guy (a cartoon set in Rhode Island). I got the feeling the people there did that a lot. We passed the time in idle chatter. When I told Billy (the dr umme r )“ Bum,ba dum,ba dumpap umpum, ” he knew exactly what guitar riff I was talking about. Cool. It was from In the Air Tonight. He also said Sheryl Crow is hot.

Hi Billy!

Dave Moe and I talked about Basement Steve and howhes t a y si nhi sba s e me nt .“ Doe shes mok ea l otofpot ? ”Da v ea s ke d.“ No, ”Is a i d.“ Hec a n’ t a f f or di t . ”“ Hes ho ul dg e taj ob, ”Moes a i d. “ The r e ’ sa l wa y ss ome t hi ngy ouc a ndo .Le a r nt o type. ”

When we finally made it to Headhunters, I was s i t t i ngu ps t a i r st a l k i ngt oBi l l y .Nowhe ’ sbl i n d due to an accident, and yet he still offered to go downs t a i r sa ndg e tmeabe e r .“ No,I ’ l lg e ti t , ”I t ol dhi m.Whe nIc a meba c khes a i d,“ Yo ud i d n’ t pa yf ori tdi dy ou? ”“ No,It ol dt h e mi fwa sf or y ou.Gotmy s e l fonet oo, ”Is a i d. “ Youdi dn’ tpa y f ory our s ,di dy ou? ”hea s k e d.Is a i d“ No,It ol d ‘ e mi twa sf orLi nc ol n.”Billy laughed. I laughed.

We drank our free Pabst Blue Ribbons. But I digress. More about me later.

The advertisement for thatni g h ts a i d“ Bl oo dy Mess and the Transfusions NYC and The Texas Wr e c k i ngCr e wAus t i n. ”We l lBl oody ’ sba ndi s from the Peoria area. So all through the show, he k e pts a y i ng“ We ’ r ef r omBut t e , Mont a na , ”or “ We ’ r ef r omDa v e npor t ,I owa . ”Ev e nt ua l l yhe announced that they were now a country band, a ndt he ypl a y e d“ The s eBoot sWe r eMa def or Wa l k i n’ ”f ol l owe dby“ Fol s omPr i s on. ”La t e rhe announced that his record producer was in the Mafia. A low voice from the darkness i mme di a t e l yg r owl e d“ The r eis noMa f i a . ” Lincoln, the guitar player, wore a short kilt-like skirt and did some of the vocals too.

At one of the clubs someone was smoking crack i nt heMe n’ sRoom.FYI .Ido n’ tr e me mbe rwhi c h club it was. One thing about Texas - the water from the faucet never gets cold in the summer.

Youc o ul dr u ni ta l ls umme ra ndi t ’ ds t i l lbepiss warm. KH BLOODY MESS AND THE TRANSFUSIONS / AD FRANK / the deetees / ABERDEEN Big Horse Lounge Chicago, IL October 23, 2005 It was the first night of the 2005 World Series, the small TV was on and being viewed. It was close enough to Halloween that some people were in costume, of particular note a certain Bo Peep who caused a lot of rubbernecking. On the calendar behind the bar it was still August. Some chick was selling copies of Bloody Mess and The Transfusions CDs with the names of the Tr a ns f us i ons ’ba s sp l a y e ra ndl e a dg ui t a rr e v e r s e d on the inset card, what an idiot! OK, that was me.

I can tell them apart better now that I realize the dark-haired one (Dave Moe, lead guitar) is a lot taller than the blond guy (Lincoln Log on bass).

Then there was the checks guy. You may not know the term: checks are discarded cigarette butts with some smokability left (in the eyes of the desperate addicts who smoke them). Well, he was one of them, a very enthusiastic and friendly

guy who picked up an ashtray full of checks and methodically proceeded to smoke each one while enjoying the bands and sometimes dancing a little.

It was a big ashtray, too. After a few hours of this the woman whose checks he was smoking disgustedly took the ashtray, which was full again, to the bar and left it there. Quite the amusing little sideshow.

Meanwhile, the bands each played 30 minute sets.

First up was Aberdeen, with a hard-driving 5 or 6 s ong s .“ Su pe r d ome ”wa soneoft he i rmos t melodic songs but still high energy. Then there was a song about Brendan Frazier, after which the v oc a l i s ta nno unc e dt ha the ’ dj us tt hr ownu po n hi ms e l f .He ’ ss i ng l e ,byt hewa y ….

f i r s tbuddy ”then he ranted a little, telling them that they are all dumb bleached blondes and he better not come back i nhe r eorhe ’ l lk i c khis ass, etc. Then i twa s“ Si x t hGr a deFi e l dTr i p”a nd GG’ s“ Be a tBe a tBe a t . ”AChi c a g ov e r s i onof “ HungOv e ra ndSt o ne d”wa sne xt ,t he n“ ICa n’ t Re me mbe r . ”The r ewa sg r e a tg ui t a rpl a y i ng e s pe c i a l l yon“ IWa nnaBeYourDog , ”f ol l owe d by“ Empt y ”a ndf i ni s hi ngup with a kick-ass r e ndi t i onof“ NoFu n. ”The nt hec he c k sg uy asked Bloody to sign his backpack, and presented Bloody with a chocolate box of Christmas lights, which Bloody graciously accepted after the checks guy autographed the box. An interesting weekend for sure. KH BUCKETHEAD Paradise, Boston October 30, 2005

Next up was Ad Frank,“ TheWor l d’ sBe s tExBoy f r i e nd. ”We ’ vehe a r dhi smus i c ,butt he sound system at the Big Horse was not good to him. He has catchy lyrics that you need to be able to understand, kind of like the Dandy Warhols or Talking Heads (in a sub sub sub way), but that di d n’ tha ppe n .If we could have understood it the crowd probably would have liked the Car Nazi s ong .The ys a yt he y ’ r ef r omBos t onbutt ha t ’ s because no one in Chicago knows where Somerville is. Anyway he had a really nice shirt on, 2 women on keyboards and 2 other guys, all with expensive equipment.

Then a band (maybe called the Astros?) played rattlesnake punk a la ZZ Topp meets John Lee Hooker and Golden Earring and they all get wicked drunk. The drummer was amazing though.

After that was The Dee Tees, a 3-piece band with a sound like Green Day with some Ramones riffs thrown in. They seemed to scare away a lot of customers, or maybe it was just getting late.

Finally at about 1 am Bloody Mess came on and a nno unc e d“ Fuck The White Sox. Suck my ass, Chi c a g o! ”After some heckling, the Transfusions br ok ei nt o“ De t r oi t ,I ’ mI nTown, ”“ Tor eUp” f r omt he i rne wCD,“ Che e r l e a de rf orDe a t h, ”t he n “ Ba c kOnt heSt r e e t . ”The r ewa saGi r l sGone Wild bus outside and someone suggested that Bloody invite them in. Bloody did then the guy responded how much will you pay. Bloody said “ Ri g hthe r e ”poi nt i nga thi sme a t“ a ndy ouc a ng o

The freaks were out in full force at a gathering on October 30, the night before Halloween. Half the crowd was dressed in costumes celebrating their favorite holiday of the year. And here comes the main act, sporting long hair and a mask, with a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket over his head. Is it Colonel Sanders reincarnated? He starts wailing some Ozzy riffs on the guitar, and now you know where you are! You are at the Buckethead show at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston! And the biggest freak of them all is headlining the show! With 30 years of seeing shows under my belt, I figured I had seen it all.

But here comes a trio like no other. A keyboardist who MC's part of the show and goofs around singing a number or two, a bass player, and Buckethead. His music is hard to describe, but he is surely a guitar virtuoso. Buckethead does not talk...he just wails away for the most part on his array of guitars and a banjo. He does the robot break dance and goes wild with martial arts numchuks when he puts down his instruments.

The show starts with Buckethead charging into the opening instrumental riffs of Ozzy Osborne's Crazy Train. Halfway through the song he switches to this, that, and then the other thing...That's a Buckethead show! Through the two set performance, Buckethead and his merry men took you through a series of guitar jams as well as an assortment of guitar noises simulating a

roller coaster ride. Heavy metal was paving the way but funk, country, Mexican and television show theme songs come into the mix. The mostly instrumental show would switch from one format to the next like a runaway car eluding the cops and switching lanes back and forth on the highway...that fast! Highlights of the show included a lovely acoustic instrumental Mexican ballad and an instrumental version of Born Free as well as some quick picking on a banjo. But for the most part it was Buckethead tearing apart the guitar going from one intense jam to the next and him messing with your head between jams with his gyrations. The second set opened with the keyboardist/mc and bass player coming out and goofing heavily singing and dancing to a version of Earth, Wind & Fire's big commercial hit, September. Goofing they were as halfway through the song Buckethead hits the stage and starts tearing into his guitar with some heavy metal riffs. The encore was the best part of the show as Buckethead did an instrumental mix that included Ozzy's Crazy Train and then switched over to Jimi Hendrix's Foxy Lady and finally ended with Frank Zappa's Advance Romance.

This mix seemed to highlight some of his foremost musical influences. The show was a bit short considering it was two sets, but the man with the bucket on his head couldn't play any harder for you. The show would not be for everybody, but if you are into some unbelievable "experimental" guitar and a goof factor to go with it, go check out Buckethead! Joe Reyes BUILT TO SPILL The Avalon, Boston October 3, 2005 Even after ten plus years, Built To Spill is still lighting up stages with undeniable presence and top notch performance. The show at the Avalon on October 3rd was satisfying to say the least.

Hundreds of heads bobbed until close to midnight on the Monday evening before Rosh Hashana. With smooth yet colorful vocals, Doug Martsch sounds just as he does on the 1994 hit r e c or d,“ The r e ’ sNot hi ngWr ongWi t hLov e . ” Martsch meandered onto stage in a Fruit Bats tee shirt and broke into a reggae-like song on his guitar, which had a anti-Bush sticker on it. This first tune did not seem to be recognized by many members of the crowd, but was so musically tight and syncopated, it seemed to be appreciated by all. As soon as the song was finished, the band broke into a highly enjoyed Bui l tt oSpi l lc l a s s i c ,“ Ce nt e roft heUni v e r s e . ” All members of the rather eclectic audience nodded their heads in unison. Those deciding to push closer up to the stage found that their competition in getting closest to the band was not against the typical boys with tight pants and hip glasses, but with thirty-year-old men who seemingly stood their ground. One man bickered about how he should be close to the stage, not thirteen year olds. In a sense what he was saying hadap oi nt .

Ma nyofBui l tToSpi l l ’ sr e c or ds peaked back in the early 90's when most kids who were at this show were still in kindergarten.

Seven albums later, this current three-guitar ba nd’ sc r e a t i v ea ndc a t c hyt une sdr a wi nf a ns

wearing everything from Black Flag shirts to Abercrombie tank tops. In the middle of an intense jam, bassist Brett Nelson broke a string and the band waited for him to repair it. Meanwhile guitarist Jim Roth began flirting with the audience in a manner that earned him shrill hollers in return. The band then s udde nl ybr ok ei nt ot hec l a s s i c“ Bi gDi ppe r , ”a s the backdrop behind them impressively lit up with hun dr e dsoft i nybl uea ndg r e e n“ s t a r s . ” Martsch announced the so-called last song and summoned for his friend, lead singer of Helvetia, to join them on stage and play a deep drum for the t e e na nt he m“ I nYourMi n d. ”Thede v ot e dc r owd continued to nod their heads rhythmically even though the guitar trance feedback portion they added to the song was too long and made me feel like a bit I was being abducted by aliens. An e nc or eof“ Twi nFa l l s ”wa spl a y e da l o ngwi t ht he final closer of the show, a cover of The Beatles’ “ Whi l eMyGui t a rGe nt l yWe e ps . ”Bands opening for Built To Spill included The Bales Of Hay, which can be compar e dt oBos t on ’ sSol t e r oi f they dropped acid and went blue grass. Helvetia sounded like a more generic version of Built to Spi l lwi t hCol dpl a y ’ sChr i sMa r t i n’ sv oc a l sl e s s on pitch. Although some may have found this relaxing, many would likely find it dull. Mike Johnson and the Evil Do-e r ’ sof f e r e dmor bi d, repetitive, comatose sounding rock – differentiating among songs was a tedious task. Leah Wellbaum CAMELOT North Shore Music Theater Beverley, MA (date) Ther e c e ntNSMTs howof“ CAMELOT”wa s held in Boston at the Shubert Theater due to the unfortunate fire from this past July. The next pr o duc t i onof“ FULLMONTY”i ss l a t e dt obe presented at the North Shore Theater in November. The set was more elaborate and versatile as the theater space differed from the usual style. But the center focus was a round circular platform (an homage perhaps to the usual performance location perhaps?).The accompanying songs and costumes were up to the high standards of the other North Shore Theater productions. The colors, fabrics and designs of the customes brought out the period superbly.

Fr omt hec onc e i t e dLa nc e l ot ’ ss o ng“ C’ e s tMoi ” ( r e mi ni s c e ntofGa s t on’ sa r r og a nc ei n“ Be a ut y a ndt heBe a s t ” )t oAr t hur ’ sa n dGue ne v e r e ’ sdue t s i ng i ng“ Ca me l ot ”t hemus i c a lnumbe r swere strong. The three main leads Arthur (delightfully performed by Joseph Dellger), Guenevere (the beautiful Nili Bassman) and Lancelot (the handsome Maxime Alvarez de Toldedo) complemented each other perfectly in their acting and gorgeous vocals. The strong supporting ensemble shined and I enjoyed scene five the s ong s“ TheLus t yMont hofMa y ”a nd“ Ta k eMe t ot heFa i r . ”Themus i c a lnumbe r sa nda c t i ng were excellent and continued the tradition of quality acting in a NSMT production.

The one big drawback was the long performance time. Act one was very long (2 hours) and fortunately act two was shorter. Some parts could

have been made shorter to better accommodate a more reasonable performance time. Otherwise, another triumphant performance for the NSMT. – Anna Ing

CHILDREN OF BODOM, TRIVIUM, AMON AMARTH The Palladium.

Worcester, MA. December 12, 2005 So the line outside was a little on the ridiculous side. Wrapping around three blocks or more of kids waiting to get in. Instead of waiting till the point when the show sold out and all the kids with no tickets were pushed into the cold city air, my friend Foghorn (known for being able to vocalize a foghorn exactly) walked around to the front of the place. After waiting for a few minutes, we were ushered inside and out of the cold.

We wandered the venue a bit, already it was packed and at least 500 more kids wanted to get in. Pushing our way to the sound man, we caught up with a few more friends. It was official, we were rolling deep. About 9 heads in our group, and all ready to battle! Thus began the show.

I would like to point out two things needed at all metal shows. First, the necessity for overtly dramatic intro music. Second: BANNERS! With that said, AMON AMARTH took the stage first. Singer John Hegg, embodies that of an ancient Viking. Grizzly beard and stringy long hair, he runs on stage topless, a beer gut hanging over his tight black pants, and a horn full of beer!

He kept leaping up and down screaming into the air with his horn in hand, he must have been having a blast! It was a great way to start the night with true Norse metal!

Next up was TRIVIUM, one who I don't like. At all. I saw a song, then Foghorn and I went walking around. He does a show called The Stress Factor on WUML, Lowell, the college radio station we both help run. It is about three hours of real metal. So we spent the set talking about how shitty TRIVIUM was. At least we are pretentious...

Finally they left the stage, and CHILDREN OF BODOM took over. Again, enter the cheesy intro music and banners galore, but more importantly enter the metal! I had a photo pass so I managed to spend their entire set at the edge of the stage watching them play. Personally, I am not super familiar with all their songs, but with this band live, there is no need to be!

Individually, these guys are amazing, flat out.

Each taking solos all over the place. Alexi Laiho, lead singer and guitarist, is a shredder. Straight up. A little shorter then everyone else, he jumps

all over the stage ripping sweeps and running the fret board like it is a race track. The entire show he seemed to be having a blast. This was where he wanted to be. At one point he battled the keyboardist, Janne Warman, with solos. As Warman would solo or play some amazing riffs, Laiho would get up to him and tuck his head under his arm and the two of them would laugh and not miss a note. Sometimes they even helped each other to drinks.

Drummer Jaska Raatikainen took his solo alone on stage. The first half was the metal side.

Cymbals and toms as hard as he could. Then he paused, and went into this solo that spoke, 'yea, I know how to play drums'. Laiho and the rest of CHILDREN OF BODOM got out to play again.

All in all, an amazing show. I highly suggest seeing these guys live, totally worth every penny.

Black metal will eat snails! Peace - gilroy

The show got even funnier when he sang “ Mi l k s ha k e ”a nds e v e r a lSa l t -N-Pepa songs. He f i ni s he dt hes e twi t h“ Ty r one , ”“ Fl a s hda nc e , ” “ Fa me , ”a ndhi sf a mousr e ndi t i o nof“ Tot a l Ec l i ps eoft heHe a r t . ”Hel e f tt hes t a g ea ndt he n t he yc a meba c ka nde nc or e dwi t h“ YouOug ht a Know”a nd“ La dy . ”Overall one of the funniest and most amusing concerts I've been to in years.

If you can't catch them live, just watch the movie Old School and watch the scene at Will Ferrell's wedding. There you will see the Dan band s i ng i ng“ Tot a lEc l i ps eOfTheHe a r t . ”KZJ R DAUGHTERS/SOME GIRLS The Living Room Providence, Rhode Island October 15, 2005

GIGANTOUR Bank of America Pavilion Boston, MA August 26th Getting up to the Boston harbor area on a Friday afternoon is never an easy feat but we got up there just in time to see Ne v e r mor e ’ slast couple of infectious renditions from their new album e nt i t l e d“ Thi sGodl e s sEn de a v or ” .Nevermore produced some killer quality guitar work along wi t hl e a ds i ng e rWa r r e nDa ne ’ sve r ys t r ong v oc a l sont he i rf i na ls onge nt i t l e d“ Fi na lPr od uc t ” .

It was great to see this Seattle band after 6 albums still cranking out high energy metal that kept e v e r y one ’ sa t t e nt i onunt i lt hee nd.

Nevermore has truly become a classic band of the heavy metal movement. After Nevermore stunned the crowd it was time to get out our shit kickers and get to the front for Fear Factory.

THE DAN BAND The Paradise Boston, MA July 23, 2005

What do you get when you put six men on stage singing songs originally song by women? You get Dan Finnerty and The Dan Band, a highly amusing and entertaining concert, to say the least.

The Dan Band had a short film set up on a sheet raised in front of the stage before they came on.

The short film showed everyone in the band walking into different Ladies bathrooms all getting dressed in their show attire. Then boom, t hec ur t a i ndr opsa n dt he r e ’ st heBa ndg oi ngi nt o their first song, which was an ABBA medley.

The nhes a ng“ Mus k r a tLov e , ”a ndwhi l es i ng i ng it he pulled out a finger puppet of a rat and started serenading it on stage. In between songs he would talk to the crowd and just insult people for the amusement of others, making the concert even better. The Dan Band sang a wide variety of songs s uc ha s“ Fr e eYourMi n d, ”“ IAmWoma n, ” “ Gl or i a , ”a nd“ Mi c k e y . ”The lead singer Dan while singing would just be pelvic thrusting towards women in the crowd, and they were loving it and it didn't even matter the age. I saw forty year old women wanting his hips thrusted in their faces. He had quite the back up singers running around on stage also, doing the pelvic thrusts and shaking their asses in women's faces and wiping their sweat on women in the crowd.

I fy ou’ v e ever searched for a man who talks like a Southern priest and behaves like an obscene, dr u nkChi p pe n da l e ’ sda nc e r ,l ooknof ur t he r .

Da ug ht e r s ’f r ontma nLe xi st her e a lde a l .With stringy brown hair half way down his back, this beer spewing screamer causes boys and girls across the states to join together in holy insanity.

I ft heOc t obe r1 5t hDa ug ht e r s ’pe r f or ma nc e tactics could be described in one word, it would be bald. Atl e a s tt ha twa st hes t a t eofDa ug ht e r s ’ s i ng e rLe x ’ sg e ni t a l i a ,whi c hhee x pos e d for half of their set. With brilliant, although somewhat disturbing methods of getting the crowd’ s attention. The Daughters are so well rehearsed t ha tt he yma na g e de xe c ut ec r owdf a v or i t e ,“ Fur Be a c h, ”whi l eha l fdr unka ndbl e e di ng .The other headliner, Some Girls, contains members of The Locust and Give Up The Ghost. TheSomeGi r l s ’ performance lacked a certain distinctability necessary to be truly memorable in this genre of music. Get Killed, a more punk influenced band, opened the show with a high energy performance.

Breather Resist followed Get Killed, demonstrating strong musicianship and clever syncopation that sets them apart.

- Leah Wellbaum

Front man Burton C. Bell never disappoints when it comes to his hard core vocals coupled with their ripping guitars, heavy percussions, & melodic rhythms they definitely drive it home every time I s e et he ml i ve .I t ’ st ooba dt heBa nkofAme r i c a Pa v i l i o ndi d n’ ta l l owf orpi t sbe c a us et he r ewould have been a monstrous one for this show. They kept everyone tight in their rows but at least they were allowed to get some head banging in without getting kicked out. Si nc et hi sv e n uedi dn’ ta l l ow for a second stage we missed out on Life of Agony, Symphony X, Dry Kill Logic, and a couple other metal bands. But at least we got right into the meat of the show next with the infamous band from Berkeley, Dream Theater.

These guys never cease to amaze me every time t he yc omea r ound.The y ’ r enota sol d as The St one sbutde f i ni t e l ya r e n’ t21a n y mor e .

However, they still put together brilliantly orchestrated musical compositions that blow your mi nde v e r yt i me .I t ’ sr e a l l ya ma z i ngt os e et he

lead vocalist James Labrie stilling belting out their high end notes with no problem at all.

I “ He yma n,Ima k eak i l l e rha mbur g e rbutIs u r ea s he l ld on’ twa ntt odot ha tf ort her e s tofmy life! ! ! ”- FrankyMFHouse Lead guitarist Mike Portnoy was also very phenomenal when it came to his guitar work.

The ye nde dont he i rbi g g e s thi t ,“ Pul lMeUnde r ” which finally woke the crowd out of their trance they were in. Near the end I ran into their wives club at one of the bars and they were still having the time of their lives playing the hottie groupies they once were. I was impressed to see them coming out to support their men. Now it was time f ort heg odsofme t a lt ohi tt hes t a g e …Megadeth!

The i rl a t e s twor k ,“ TheSy s t e mHa sFa i l e d, ”ha s brought them to another pinnacle of musical genius. I was right in front with the other press g uy swhe nt he ys t a r t e dwi t h“ Sk i nO’MyTe e t h” & I had thought for sure that there was a technical issue going on with the system. c oul dn’ the a ra damn thing Dave Mustaine was singing! I had to move around a bit in order to catch some of the v oc a l sf r omoneoft hemoni t or sb uti twa s n’ ta g oode x pe r i e nc eov e r a l l .I ’ mnots ur ei fDa vewa s having an off night bu thedi d n’ ts e e mt oomuc h into it at all. They caught back up to the crowd wi t hs omehi t sl i k e“ Sy mphonyofDe s t r uc t i on”& “ Pe a c eSe l l s ”whi c he nde dwi t hl ot sof pyrotechnics & fireworks. My wife asked me why these guys still go at it after all these years and I go back to my recollection of meeting Dave back stage in 1997. I asked him a similar question and he said to me

JOHN BUTLER TRIO Somerville Theater Somerville, MA October 2, 2005 The John Butler Trio came to town on the night of October 2nd at the Somerville Theatre in Somerville, MA. The next night it was to be a full moon. But on this night I did witness a werewolf like transformation as Butler angrily savaged into the neck of his instruments with his claws the way the werewolf would savage into the neck of his prey on a full moon. The American born Butler, who sharpened his claws and skills in Australia, has long nails on his entire right (playing) hand that act like picks. This unique style, which was used more in the old days before picks, leads to a barrage of sound that Butler and his band produce as he hits notes with faster speed and precision.

Close your eyes and you would think a five piece band was playing in front of you. Butler is a man that takes his anger out on his guitar and writes songs with a purpose. He opened with Bound To Ramble on his banjo and sang about Company Sins, your Attitude, and being a Betterman for slightly over two hours. He spoke against the Freedom Act and he passed out two large buckets to go around the crowd and gather donations for

Hurricane Katerina victims. Having been discovered in the streets and markets of Australia, he has no problem getting out his word and playing to the crowd. The third song of the evening included Butler on lap steel guitar starting us out with some arabic flavored notes for fan favorite Treat Your Mama. Again he spoke in terms where kids today could certainly learn a thing or two as he speaks of treating your mama with respect or get slapped upside the head. Soon enough he brought out singer/songwriter Tristan Prettyman, who opened the show with a short acoustic set, for an acoustic duet of Bob Marley favorite No Woman, No Cry. This was a highlight as was the next song, a solo extended instrumental called Ocean where Butler went into a rage and tore up the 12 string acoustic guitar for the good side of fifteen minutes in anger over the Katerina victims. The crowd reaction was amazing as they appreciated this guy bringing new meaning to the words solo acoustic! Peaches & Cream followed, a lovely mellow tune where Butler talks of this love for his wife and daughter.

The song slowly builds up with Butler hiding in the background around his amps and letting the band start it up. He then jumps in half way through as the song has built momentum and he takes it from there. Betterman was outstanding and included long solos for all the musicians.

Shannon Birchall plays a stellar stand up electric bass. Like a hunter, he had several bows that he takes out and fires sounds at us usually heard from violins and other string instruments. Drummer and percussionist Michael Barker is intense and sounds like he does the work of two men at times. Butler was wringing the neck of his 12string acoustic guitar during his solo, extracting sound from it like a juicer extracts juice from a piece of fruit. Hello eventually incorporated a new look as all three players took out bongos and bongo fury erupted. The show closed out with another long one, Pickapart, where the musicians were once again able to let loose short solos with Butler hiding in the background only to jump in and unleash another fierce attack on his guitar to close out the show. The fans screamed J-B-T and clapped three times over and over until Butler came back for an encore. He started out solo with a banjo for Damned To Hell. This song was a short punchy number that sounded like something you'd hear in a European pub during a session.

He then brought the band back and followed with 2004 single Zebra. This was the crowd favorite of the evening that talks about all the different stripes he can have (I can be loud or silent... young or old...I can be a gentleman or be violent...I can be just like the calm before the storm...I can be ignorant or informed, I can lead or be led...I can be anything I put my mind to, all I gotta do is give myself a half a chance). The night closed out with Funky Tonight, an excellent tune that get everyone out of their seats and dancing as Butler "guaranteed you and me are gonna get Funky Tonight." Overall, it was quite amazing seeing Butler and his band up close and this was one of my favorite shows of the year. I had seen him one other time this spring in New Orleans at The Jazz & Heritage Festival but that is a shortened set in the blues tent. The Butler set

was one of my surprises during the two weekend long festival. But catching this whole Butler show instead of the shortened festival performance proved to be a difference maker.

Getting to see all the different tempos and flavors of music, all the highs and lows and how he allows the other musicians room to express themselves was fabulous. And getting to see this guy manhandle these acoustic guitars was a sight for sore eyes. I have seen other acoustic guitar players over the years and many are boring as the day is long. If you want to see a player that brings new meaning and sound to acoustic guitars, go see the John Butler Trio right away before he is playing in larger, less desirable venues. Joe Reyes O.A.R WITH PEPPER AND THE SOUTHLAND Bank of America Pavilion Boston, MA July 28, 2005

There's a new kid on the Rock & Roll party scene, with a special emphasis on "kid" and "party." O.A.R. invaded the Boston area in late July, playing back-to-back nights and drawing crowds in the vicinity of 10,000 at the picturesque Bank of America Pavilion. The crowd was young (mainly teenyboppers and college-aged fans), well-lubricated and ready to party (it wasn't an uncommon sight to see intoxicated patrons being wheeled out on stretchers, having imbibed a bit too much, and leaving the remnants of their stomachs on the pavement). But for those who were there simply for the music, and not just the party scene, O.A.R (Of A Revolution) has an infectious sound that packs a punch. The 5-piece band, led by lead singer, Mark Roberge, expects fan participation, and receives it, cranking it up on such hits as ''Wonderful Day" and ''That Was a Crazy Game of Poker." The crowd was absolutely delirious, a devoted fandom that would make any band proud - sort of akin to the Grateful Dead for Teenyboppers. Other songs that got the hearts pumping included: "Risen," "King of the Thing," and a pulsating "Missing Pieces," which sent the fans on their way home, happy, drained and ready for a good night's rest.

Fans of the band had another chance to get them at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, a 13,000-seat facility in Providence, RI, which played host to an Oct. 6th concert. They also have a new album on the horizon. ''Stories of the Stranger" is scheduled for an October release. It's the band's seventh album. Party on! -- Uncle Stewey

OZZFEST 2005

Tweeter Center Mansfield MA July 15th 2005 Ozzfest is now in its 10th year as it kicked off at what was Great Woods when the festival of heavy me t a lbe g a ni t sr un.Ic a n’ ta g r e ewi t hRob Zombie when he told the stage 2 audience that Ozzfest has not changed a bit. I would qualify it as saying it is still the premier metal showcase.

What has changed over the years is the sound.

What began as what we now call classic or old school metal has gone through the influx of hardcore, speed, hip-hop and now death metal.

Both stages featured a good deal of this genre.

This event is not easy to cover in depth anymore.

Tha nk st ot hepa pa r a z z i( i nc l ud i n gBos t on’ sown Herald)whowon’ tho nort her e q ue s tofSha r o n Osborne not to take pictures of Ozzy, the press that had photo passes were quarantined to the backstage area of stage 2. Later we were escorted to a press holding area for stage 1. Basically from t hee ndofRobZombi e ’ ss e tt oMudv a y ne( whe n all but 3 photographers were escorted out of the venue) it was first 3 songs only and return to the holding area. One of the photographers (most likely the Herald in disguise because he had very nice equipment and the Herald did not get a photo pass this year but still ran a picture of Ozzy) snuck out of the photo pit after a minute or so and disappeared in the audience. Security could not find him. This is strange. He had a great deal of photography gear that could not be concealed under clothes in the heat. Regardless I saw the whole thing and am reporting it for what it’ s worth. Being that it was the first date of the tour Satan himself wasn’ t going to miss it. Here he is captured by our camera as he watched the action on the second stage. Choiring minds need to know.

speedy mix of death metal and more melodic e l e me nt sf oundc ommonl yi n19 8 0’ she a vyme t a l like Iron Maiden. Bass player Ola Flink

kept doing a cool bass walk across the stage as all the members moved around the stage to get in view of all the fans. Vocalist Speed Strid commands attention with his imposing look and indefatigable delivery. Showcasing the new CD “ St a bbi ngTheDr a ma ”a smuc ha sy ouc oul di na 20 minute set. Up next was the young IT DIES TODAY who urged the crowd to jump up and down. It was so hot when they played the audience only hopped for 20 seconds.

The guys looked more like a goth band than the dark speed metal they played. Talk about access they were in the lawn area when the main stage opened and were there at least till Iron Maiden when it began to get dark and vision limited who I could see. Next was another band from Sweden, ARCH ENEMY who are led by:

After the usual ticket/security holdups we got to the second stage at 10AM an hour after the start.

First up was Sweden’ s SOILWORK who play a

Angela Gossow, whose vocals are as demonic as any other extreme metal vocalist. She asked the crowd if they were ready for real fuckin metal?

They responded my having a steady mosh and crowd surfing. Big time work for security as they began catching the kids getting tossed over the stage barrier. The guitar work of Michael Amott was tremendous. Maybe someone to keep track of. If she could develop some more stage activity ala Wendy O Williams this act could really fly

high! Speaking of flying high next was TRIVIUM who got the crowd to get the Texas Longhorn hook en horns in the air. The dark music they played set the stage as next up was the black metal madness named for a brutal crime.

THE BLACK DALHIA MURDER delivered the most baneful lyrics of the day.

Now as you can see this ‘ zine is from Medford MA. The victim (Elizabeth Short) has a plaque right on Salem Street in Medford that mentions the murder. Kind of a real life Boxing Helena.

Anyway after that I was busy interviewing and missed out on The Haunted but caught a bit of the sickness called BURY YOUR DEAD

before doing another interview. I missed A Dozen Furies but did catch the guitar solos of MASTODON. Appropriately named as these older rockers played on like the dinosaur they are named after. Next AS I LAY DYING came out to a frenzied crowd who waived their horns and fists in the air to most every note of the set.

The San Diego boys cranked out tunes from the catalog and selections from metal’ s hottest CD “ Sha dowsAr eSe c ur i t y ”i noneo ft heda y ’ s most crowd pleasing sets. It was obvious that a lot of As I lay Dying fans were in attendance. (Songs included 94 Hours, Empty Hearts, Eulogy, Blue Struggle, Goodbye, Forever.)

Up next was KILLSWITCH ENGAGE who were a last minute fill in band 2 years ago at Ozzfest 2003. Jesse Leach came out flipping off the fans as he strutted all over the stage in a dance if you will. They dedicated one of their songs to all the women with sweaty tits cause that’ s how they like em! Sick but in this heat easy to find.

Speaking of which this pair popped out right before ROB ZOMBIE rocked the second stage.

With a backdrop of naked women he delivered a set that included some classics from his White Zombie days. Zombie told the crowd he agreed to do Ozzfest when he was told he could headline the Second Stage. A smart thing as it has been better than the first 2 main stage slots in most years. This one may be the exception. While waiting in the holding area a few of the other photographers were discussing how Zombie was acting very effeminate in his set. I totally disagreed saying that they were all basing it on one of them having one of the shots they took on a laptop screen. But to each his own but I was quite disappointed that all I got to see was the first 4 songs of his set. He was non stop movement and was very hard to photograph so maybe that’ s the real reason for the dis. Onto the main stage. The seated arena area was at least a third full when IN FLAMES came out and delivered a combo of the new emotional material and a speck of the black sacriligious metal they built a following on. They bludgeoned the assembled with a se tof“ Cl oud Conne c t e d” ,“ Touc hOfRe d” ,“ Pi nba l lMa p” , “ Qui e tPl a c e ”a nd“ MySwe e tSha dow” .Br ut a l .

Ne x twa sa nOz z f e s ts t a pl e .Za k kWy l de ’ s BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. Zakk is a die hard Ya nk e e sf a na ndba c k s t a g eDJ ’ sf r omaWAAFI think were wearing Yankees jerseys since they lost a bet to Zakk on the previous night’ s game.

TheDJ ’ sbi t c he da b outi tont hea i ra ndba c k s t a g e t ousph ot og r a phe r s .The ydi dn’ tt hr owt hej e r s e y s a wa ys oi tc oul d n’ tha v ebe e nt ha tba d.

Any wa y Zakk began by doing some sort of strange ritual that included spiting and some hand movement. It looked like maybe a black mass blessing, who knows. What I do know is that if you like to hear guitar playing metal music this is it! Putting on a show like Zakk does is awesome. Playing at one point with his teeth. Rockin the house with Mons t e r sl i k e“ St o ne dAndDr un k ”“ De s t r uc t i on Ov e r t ur e ”a nd“ Be e nALongTi me ”.Za k k should have been out later a lot of people miss him every year and a 30 minute set to remember..

Then it was another local act made big SHADOWS FALL.Voc a l i s tBr i a nFa i r ’ s dreadlocks were longer than ever past the knee

and almost touching the ground. His locks nearly hit the press in the photo pit in front of the stage.

Next was MUDVAYNE and they did come out in costume garb after all. Backstage other press were mentioning that theydon’ tdr e s supa ny mor e .I t was a very entertaining set with singer Chad Grey came out with a derby hat and a gorilla suit minus the head. Bass player---- in a red/black paint was a visual for sure. The music was as insane as expected but the crowd was anxious to see Maiden. I was sitting outside the main arena talking to a huge Maiden fan and Ozzy walked by, the real one not the guy who looks like him that always goes. Security walked him through and the people gathered to touch him as if he was their savior. Disturbing even for me. Finally it was time for some old school metal. IRON MAIDEN did not disappoint. Bruce Dickenson came out flashing the Union Jack flag just as he did years a g owhe npl a y i ng“ TheWa r r i or ”Thev i s ua l s di d n’ ts t opt he r e .I twa sl i k eal a t e80sc onc e r t with lots of theater. An giant inflatable Baphomet with moving horns and head along with blue lit e y e sha dt hec r owd‘ sa t t e nt i o nwhi l et he ydi d “ Si g nOfTheBe a s t ”.Thewhol ec r owds ang a l ongo n“ Ru nForTheHi l l s ”a nd“ Wr a i t hc hi l d”.

What surprised me though was the majority of the fans staying to see Ozzy and Black Sabbath. In the past years festival the lawn was a lot thinner.

Maybe it was the new video screens, maybe the roster of bands fans were a better match, who really cares. Thing is one of them screens looked great and the other 2 looked crappy kind of like regular TV vs. HiDef. Ozzy taunted the audience to yell louder as he stayed behind a curtain that had BLACK SABBATH spelt out on it. The place roared as the curtain fell and out came The Wizard for a louder roar. He did a cool set that i nc l u de dt hes t i l lr e l e v a nt“ Wa rPi g s ”i nas i ng along as well as other Sabbath favorites. All Sabbath band too no substitutes as rumored bac k s t a ge .Oz z yc a n’ thi tt hehi g hn ot ea swe l la s he used to but the music was very tight and it di d n’ tma t t e rI T’ S OZZY!. The crowd showed much love for the Ozzman too responding always t oh i sr e que s t st opa r t i c i pa t e .Ido n’ tk nowhow many more he has in him but I hope its at least a few years. Still the best place to catch a day of Metal music even if the price is 40-100 bucks.

Still cheaper than a Sox-Yankees game (which was going on as the festival played into the night) and a lot louder too. The question is will this year be his last? Let’ s hope not. DB

SAVES THE DAY/SENSES FAIL The Avalon Boston, MA October 27th, 2005 If you enjoy emotional pop tunes and sad looking boys in tight pants, then the Saves The Day/Senses Fail/Early November show on October 27th might have enthralled you.

However, this reviewer found this scene to be overly whiney and repetitive.

The Early November offered catchy tunes with simplistic drum beats and occasional keyboard breakdowns. With music somewhat more recognizable than other bands in this genre of poppy emo, this groove-happy band presented energy that fans seemed to eat up. The Early November ended their set with bassist Dave Costa climbing up the ten-foot speakers on the Avalon stage and jumping off.

Senses Fail was full of it. Singer Buddy Nielson swore entirely too much. With a guitarist looking strikingly like Dave Grohl, this band produces sub par angry rock, complete with screaming and poorly expressed songs about chicks. Occasional out of tune harmonies added to the unsatisfactory experience of seeing this band. At one point, Nielson made some reference to Boston having a good hardcore scene, and then played yet another song sounding like the last fifteen. Throughout the Senses Fail set, I found myself wondering why this band wrote songs in which their own singer c oul d n’ ta c t ua l l yhi tt hen ot e s .

Newly joined by the bassist from Glassjaw, Saves The Day has a devoted following. I was surrounded by hundreds of teenagers with highpitched voices all screaming out the lyrics to s ong sl i k e“ YouVa nda l , ”a ndop e ne r“ Fi r e f l y ”s o loudly that I could barely hear Conely singing.

Saves The Day managed to crank out tune after tune of recognizable songs with whiney yet relatable lyrics and cool syncopation. This high

energy group has been a clear influence on the other bands who have been touring with them.

Toward the end of their set, Conely played a solo a c ous t i cv e r s i onofc r owdpl e a s e r“ Thr e eMi l e s Down, ”dur i ngwhi c hane a r byg i r ls hr i e k e d“ Ig ot my screen na mef r omt hi ss ong ! ”The band closed with an all time favorite, off hit album “ St a yWha tYouAr e , ”“ AtYourFune r a l , ”a bittersweet anthem about singing a requiem at an ex-l ov e r ’ sf une r a l .~Le a hWe l l ba um

TOWER OF POWER AND TOM JONES Fan Pier Pavilion Boston, MA July 16, 2005

I really wanted to see Tower of Power but I wa s n’ ts os ur ea b outTomJ one s .Atl e a s tTOP was on first, I said to myself. The crowd was pretty mixed, a wide range of ages but not a really young crowd to say the least. When TOP came on the oldest half of the audience looked c onf us e d,l i k e“ whoa r et he s eg uy s ? ”We l l t he y ’ v ebe e nt og e t he rf orde c a de s( a sha sTom Jones I assume), touring the US and Europe and releasing dozens of albums. They were touring to promote their new album Oakland Zone, which has some great tunes fully worthy of their previous fame. Of course when they play the US they pretty much have to play their biggest hits f r omba c ki nt heda y :“ You’ r eSt i l laYo ung Ma n, ”“ Wha tI sHi p? ” ,a nd( “ SoVe r y Hard to Go” ) .Thos ea r ea l lg r e a ts ong s ,butt heone so n t hene wCDa r eg r e a tt oo,e s pe c i a l l y“ Li f eI s Wha tYouMa k eI t ” .Tha ts e e me dt os umupt he philosophy and spirit of TOP as well. The band has all this brass and a really full sound, plus they always seemed to be enjoying themselves. At one point Doc Kupka did a cute little joyful dance while he soloed. At the end of their set they pl a y e dt hel a s ts ong ,“ Downt ot h eNi g ht c l ub, ” with Tom Jones, and it rocked.

The Tom Jones crowd was a trip to watch so I stayed for that too. Tom Jones was good, though.

Hec a ns t i l ls i ng , buthed oe s n’ twe a rt i g htpa nt s any more. Like TOP, he has a following in Eur o pef orhi sne we rwor k ,but“ Wha t ’ sNe w, Pus s y c a t ? ”s e e me dt obet hi sc r o wd’ sf a v or i t e ;t he women went nuts, rushing the stage, and yes some pa nt i e sma det he i rwa yont ot hes t a g e .I ’ v ene v e r seen so many drunks staggering out of a concert, note v e na tOz z f e s torWa r pe d,I ’ ms e r i ous .The difference was that these drunks were mostly 40+ “ l a di e s ”i nhigh-heeled sandals trying to help e a c hot he rt ot he i rl i mos .Wha t e ve r ….KZ VANS WARPED TOUR 2005 County Fairgrounds North Hampton, MA August 15, 2005 Mud ,mus i c ,a ndma y he mt ha t ’ swha tIg otoutof the Warped tour. This being my first Warp tour I didn't know what to expect. But it turned out better that I thought. First I got there two hours late due to traffic on the Mass Pike. Advice to all you young kids going to next year: watch the road and put the herb down, no word of a lie!

There were seven car accidents and at every accident there were at least 8 to 15 kids standing on the side of the road dressed like they were going to the show. Next time pay attention and you won't miss a great show. I start heading towards the show and the first thing I see is mud everywhere, then I see people just walking around covered in mud. IIt was hilarious.

When I finally reached the first stage I caught the end of Reliant K’ sset. They were rocking the crowd hard. People were moshing and crowd surfing, very entertaining to watch. The next act I caught was the Street Dogs on the Volcom Stage. They had more of a punk sound. They really got the crowd into it. I could tell this was one of the favorites on the smaller stage because they had a pretty big crowd compared to the other acts on the smaller stages. After the Street Dogs I continued my way back to the Mike stage and caught Strung Out.

They had that hard heavy metal sound. A lot of hard sounding guitar rifts and loud sounds from the drums ruled the set. After having my ear drums pummeled I needed something a little softer on the ears so I made my way over to the Code Of The Cutz stage. Tha t ’ swhe r eIhe a r d Hangar 18.

Two MCs and a DJ is what they were providing.

They put on a great set. They were rhyming back and forth with the DJ spinning the beats, one of the better acts of the day. Next I was on to the Hot Topic stage to catch the A.K.A.s.

These guys were at least entertaining to watch and the music wasn't that bad either it was actually pretty good, but the lead singer stole the act. Just his energy on stage was the selling point, his jumping around and constant movement is what kept me standing there for a while. They had a beautiful female bassist which also kept my attention. Much love to them for that.

I continued on my journey through the crowd to try and catch the Dropkick Murphys but I was too late. I caught the end of their set; it was pretty cool that they let people up on the stage with them for the last song. On my journey through the backstage I ran into Travis Barker from Blink 182.

He let me snap a couple of quick photos and I shot the shit with him for a few minutes then I had to continue on my way to catch Fallout Boy.

Now this is one band I have actually heard of.

The ydi dt he r eh i ts o ng ,“ Sug a rWe ’ r eGoi ng Down. “Idi dn' tk n owa ny t hi nge l s et he ydi dbu t the crowd was loving it because they were throwing mud at the stage. I got hit a couple of times. I was wondering if that was a good thing or not but I guess it is. Now the one band I was looking forward to was The Offspring.

Never heard of them before but it was recommended that I see them. They were pretty impressive. They incorporated a lot of keyboard into there set more than anyone else did. It was something different, something that I haven't heard in a while. They had a pretty large fan base for some one playing on one of the smaller stages. Their set was a nice way to end the night, they were easier on the ear drums then the other bands were. Overall this concert rocked. I enjoyed seeing the different kinds of music styles that they had incorporated into this festival. They had something for everyone..

TheOf f s pr i ngs t a r t e dof ft hes e twi t h” ComeOut a ndPl a y . ”At the end of the song Dexter the lead s i ng e rs a i dt ha ts o ng ’ ss t i l lahi t , t he nt he ywent into Self-Esteem.

Offspring rocked the rest of the set with the crowd just singing along with every song they did. Now last but not least the emo side of the show. I made my way to the Hurley stage to catch MAE.

It was also a great people watching event. I've never seen so many people covered in mud and enjoying themselves like I did that day. By the time the show ended the crowd was divided and there was a huge mud fight. Another thing that caught my eye was a woman with her six year old daughter rolling around in the mud. Nothing says quality family time like rolling around in the mud while listening to music, that right there is the American Dream. Oh yes I cannot forget, thank you to the two ladies who were covered in mud who flashed for my camera, one more time thank you. On this day of August 15, 2005 Mud, Music, and Mayhem rule the day. KZ Jr.

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE VANS WARPED TOUR‘ 05 All photos courtesy Ken Zebbyn, Jr.

The Offspring

Mud

Fallout Boys Drummer

Strung Out

Tats

The Crowd

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CD Reviews

BLACKMORE’ SNI GHT– Christmas Eve (Steamhammer/SPV) Ri t c hi eBl a c kmor e ’ sChr i s t ma sa l bumwa soneI had high hopes for. Yeah, open some vino, soft light and sexy music, get some sweet oral from my best gal - this CD put her to sleep before We Three Kings even started, and totally ruined my well-laid plans. Thanks Ritchie. SA

THE ABSENCE - From Your Grave (Metal Blade Records) Standard Medal Blade fare with run of the mill, overly melodic, Gothenburg type leads that go absolutely nowhere. The production of Eric Rutan (from HATE ETERNAL) is too polished and much too clean, creating a sterile sound.

Strident vocals, sweeping guitar themes and restless medal undercurrents. This baby had me nervously looking around the room to make sure Angus Scrimm hadn't just stepped out from some hidden portal to another world. I'd hate to catch one of those spiked balls right between the eyes. 10 tremble inducing tracks featuring "Necropolis," "Summoning The Darkness," and the title cut "From Your Grave." JV AGENTS OF THE SUNMonarchs Of A Fallen Society (www.agentsofthesun.com) Modern metal pop that is as good or bad as the r e s toft hema i ns t r e a ms poog e .I ft hi sa i n’ to na majorl a be lIc a n’ ts e ei tg o i nga n y whe r e .The r e ’ s just too many soundalikes that have that leverage.

LB AGAINST ME! Searching For A Former Clarity (Fat Wreck Chords 2005) When I was fourteen, Against Me! was my favorite band. And although I stopped listening to them religiously long before they went on tour with Green Day, it still hit a nerve to hear that the once anarcho-punk-never-sellout-underground band was going to be playing a show with one of popp unk ’ smos ti nf a mousg r oups .I would guess Against Me ! ’ sf r ont -man, Tom Gabel, would c l a i mt heba nd’ sne wr e l e a s e“ Se a r c hi ngFor AFor me rCl a r i t y ”ha snotbe e ni mpa c t e dby breaking into the commercial punk band scene.

However I think all past avid listening would agree–this CD is different. This music is less politically motivated and no longer possesses the right to talk about struggling in the underground music world. Against Me! is probably aware that they are potentially on their way to, as track t hi r t e e nput si t ,“ l os i ngt o uc h. ”Is us pe c tt ha tt ha t millions of semi-angsty boys and girls all over the country will buy this CD and think it is a great masterpiece. All I have to say to them is go and buy“ Re i nv e nt i ngAx e lRos e ” –Ag a i ns tMe ! ’ s recording that generated the initial serious buzz helped to lead them to where they are now. I think i t ’ sc l e a rt ha ta l t h oug ht heor i g i na lme s s a geof Against Me! has faded, it has not completely disappeared on this recording. I t ’ sj us te x t r e me l y close. ~Leah Wellbaum ALL HOURS – InFlagranteDelicto (Hybrid) Neither good nor bad. A mix of a lot of outdated music styles makes this yet another easily ignorable CD. MB

BOYSNIGHTOUT - Trainwreck (Ferret) The CD starts out with a Kim Fowleyesque apocalyptic talk over dirge metal which made me think this could be a keeper. But from there it goes slowly downhill into what sounds like Good Charlotte pop punk. This is a trainwreck! MTC

IAN ANDERSON – Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull (ZYX Records/RED Music Distribution) I t ’ sa2-CD set of flutist Ian Anderson playing with the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt Orchestra.

They do mainly classic Jethro Tull tunes (Locomotive Breath was never better actually) as well as God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. It was recorded in December 2004, which explains the Christmas (Holy Day?) music. Also available as a DVD, with bonus interviews. KH ANIMOSITY - Empires (Metal Blade) Nice counterplay between the grunt-core and screech-core vocals. It's like listening to two satanic drunks puking in octaves while the dull thump of slightly muted speed metal drones on and on in the background. If you're even slightly suicidal, steer clear of this abominable mix of medal madness. 9 nefarious nocturnes from hell.

JV ASGUARD - Dreamslave (This Dark Reign) Mainstream symphonic black medal in the realm of TIDFALL and SUSPERIA. The kick triggers drive me up a wall. I'm having Dr Rhythm flashbacks. It also sounds like rent-a-synth Verd.

This album is trying to bridge the gap between old school and the newbies but alas, it fails miserably on both ends of the spectrum. JV BALSACOut Of The Grave And Into The Dark (Misfits/Ryko) This DVD/CD combo is chock full of Music and video from these gothpunkers from Nipon. The DVD has live and MTVish clips and a short horror film which should put to rest the pooh poohing of the band’ strue appreciation of horror flicks. The audio portion begins with a dark gothic melange of sound that ended with a violent chainsaw guitar and nail gargling extreme vocals.

Soon though the album settles into a more of a classic UK punk sound. The more I listened it reminded me of Die Totten Hosen as well as their idols The Misfits. MTC

ROBIN BECK – Do You Miss Me (Locomotive) The vocals are a muddled mix of Amy Grant, CHER and HEART. Robin's got Bob Segaritis, that being, the songs almost get there but not quite. 12 also-rans featuring "What About Us", "Find A Little Faith" and the title track "Do You Miss Me". The answer is a resounding no but if you show me your tits I might just be persuaded to change my mind. JV BOLT THROWER – Those Once Loyal (Metal Blade) It's hard to believe that this band has been around for 20 years now. I must be getting old. Karl Willetts is back on guttural vocals and they're as dark and demented as ever. It's melodic speed abomination at its best. 9 tracks of pure corruption including "Entrenched", "Last Stand Of Humanity" and of course the title track "Those Once Loyal". JV PAT BOONE AND FRIENDS PRESENTS Thank You Billy Graham (The Gold Label) Metal legend Pat Boone brings together a bevy of stars including Michael McDonald, LeAnn Rimes, Kenny Rogers, Marty Stuart and many more, to sing a tribute to a man who got the call, the ever popular Billy Graham. JV BRAZEN ABBOT – My Resurrection (Locomotive) Abbots are bad. Yeah, they are. It sounds like FIREBALL MINISTRY meets DIO. Rick Derringer, eat your heart out. Pure 70's glam rock.

I wonder if they've got the fluffy hair and the strategically placed tears in his tights too? High octane, full rectum vocals, creating a seminal situation. Protect your children. JV BROKEN BONESDem Bones and Decapitated 1983-86 (SOS) Re c y c l e dpu nkg a r ba g et ha twa s n’ tbi gi nt he80’ s and hopefully not today either. DB

THE SLUTS ARE BACK!

OFF THE STREETS!!!

Hear the sintillating sounds of America's favorite "Working Girls" and their band of Johns captured live on this brand new CD. Includes both classic Slut Rock tunes and all new material with a special introduction by Peter Yarmouth.

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BLACK & BLUE RECORDS PO BOX 410325 CAMBRIDGE, MA 02141 USA MUSIC TO MAKE YOUR EARS HURT

CHANTAL CHAMANDY – Love Needs You (Nine Muse) Britain's answer to Barbara Streisand. Why bother? You can have ours. 14 flowery flops. JV CHILDREN OF BODOM – Are You Dead Yet? (Spinefarm Records) Slightly dark, mildly blistering shout-core. I think I just invented a new musical genre classification.

The "lead singer" (and I use that term very loosely) is gonna pull a groin muscle if he ain't careful. They snuck a little pop influence into the musical arrangements. I think they're hoping for some decent radio play. Good luck with that. 9 metallic mutations featuring "Are You Dead Yet?", "Bastards Of Bodom", and "If You Want Peace... Prepare For War". JV JAMES CHRISTIAN – Meet The Man (Locomotive) Another Steve Perry clone, stuck in the 80's. The lead guitar licks are right out of the Yngwie Malmsteen handbook. 11 carbon copy cuts of pure corn. JV THE CLASSIC STRUGGLE – Feel Like Hell (Ironclad Recordings) Knuckle dragging metalcore by a bunch of skinny little nerds from South Carolina. The classic struggle is making it through the first track. 12 cuts of UNEARTH worship. JV CLUSTER & ENO (Water) For those who have no clue as to what ambient music is here is a chance to get educated. Back in t hel a t e7 0’ sBr i a nEnot e a me dupwi t ht he instrumental duo known as Cluster. This is the first collaboration of this team that has influenced so many modern artists today. The rest of the catalog is scheduled for re-release on Water so you can experience it all. KZ ALICE COOPER – Dirty Diamonds (New West Records) Wi t hac a r e e rt ha tbe g a ni nt hel a t e60’ sa n d3 0 albums (of which I am most familiar with the first s i x )Is i ta ndl i s t e nt oh i sl a t e s tof f e r i ng .NowI ’ l l be honest I have thought his material after and i nc l u di ng“ We l c omeToMyNi ght ma r e ”i s mostly boring corporate metal. I enter with a somewhat bias attitude. The opening 3 tracks are love songs or at least about women of which the 2nd is downright awful. The title track follows and is pretty good actually. Then comes my favorite track Jesse Jane. It’ s a witty tune with lots of humorous anecdotes about transvestites.

The story is about a murderer who is wearing his sisters wedding gown and how he is in prison waiting. From there on the album kicks in with some more good songs. The problem is that the l y r i c sr e a l l yk i l lt heCDf orme .Al i c e ’ sda y sof adding dark lyrics to Michael Bruce’ s melodic rock have disintegrated into more cute than dark

themes. You could say Alice has lost any edge he ’ se v e rha d.Whi l eDi r t yDi a mondsi sa surprising treat and a huge improvement over his releases from 1980 to 2000, if you want to hear Alice Coopers best you still need to hear his 2nd to 5th albums. (Easy Action to Billion Dollar Babies or the best of CD). Sorry Alice it’ s just the way it is. KZ SHERYL CROW - Wallflower (A&M Records) This is certainly an angst driven, melancholy collection of confessionals. It should come with its own box of tissues. I already had my mid-life crisis but good luck with that. 11 odes to the search for joy. JV

JOE DENINZON & STRATOSPHEERIUS – Live Wire (Fiddlefunk Music/BMI) Fiddlefunk is right. Most of the cuts are instrumentals by Joe D., squealy and squeaky with horns, strings, and strange percussion. He also c ov e r sZa ppa ’ s“ Ma g i cFi ng e r s , ”t heSi mps ons c a r t oont he mes ong ,a ndSt e v i eWonde r ’ s “ Cont us i on . ”Thef i r s tv oc a l sa r ei nt heZa p pa cover; an ambitious choice of artist and material, and a good effort, but vocally and musically a lesser version of the original. The Simpsons theme follows and is more of a re-interpretation, fun and still recognizable. Overall a good listen, e s pe c i a l l yi ft het e r m“ f i ddl e f unk”i nt r i g ue sy oua t all. KH

CRYPTOPSY - Once Was Not (Century Media) Acid jazz infused extreme technical metal. 11 torture tracks. JV CORETTA SCOTTTwist & Shout (Rise) Modern rock ala The Used or Thrice that has its moments. Just not too many. LB CRANES-Particles & Waves (Manifesto) This is the first new offering in over 4 years. This storied act led by siblings Ali & Jim Shaw present a charming DVD CD combo. The DVD contains live performances and the audio disc is the traditional album if you will. Similar to the dual f or ma ti t ’ st he2s i de sofTheCr a ne st ha tma k e s them so fascinating. Ali with her almost childlike innocent vocals and atmospheric music and Jim singing more of a folk or minstrel style of tunes.

Powerful, yet modest offering. MB

DAY OF CONTEMPTThe Will To Live (Epitaph) Aus t r a l i a ’ se nt r yi nt ot hee x t r e meme e t s mainstream metal sound. One nail gargling vocal and one sounding like Creed. Kind of like Avenged Sevenfold. This EP is dedicated to the memory of a young couple and baby with The Ghost of Tragedy being the best track. MB DEMANDER – Demander (Triplicate Records) Captain Beefheart style arrangements with slightly out of tune female pop vocals. Just shoot me now!!!!! 5 forgettable flops. JV

Shannon,, Coolio, Dian, and Paris Hilton Play Poker DIAN DIAZ - Dian Diaz (Strip City Records) A cross between Vanessa Williams and Toni Braxton. 10 smooth and sexy tracks. JV THE DIFFS (SOS) A new ba ndpl a y i ngl a t ea70’ sPunkRoc ks t y l e of music. Kind of like The Rezillos. Full of sarcasm and angst just like back in the day. Rock on kids! DB ETERNAL FLIGHT - Positive Rage (Cruz Del Music) What the hell did Hoag call this stuff again?

Scandinavian-grind? Nordic-core? Anyway, for Viking medal shit it ain't half bad. 11 high seas adventures featuring "New World", "Beyond (The Golden Gates)", and "The Moon King". JV EVERY TIME I DIEGutter Phenomenon (Ferret) One of the hottest new extreme metal bands today. This CD is a collection of angst and earsplitting screams and thrashing guitar chords.

Loud shit when you see its only 2 guitars and a drummer along with Keith Buckley’ Dextreme vocals. MB FENIX TX – Purple Reigh In Blood Live (Adrenaline) I haven't even heard it yet and I guarantee the vocalist is a flamer. The purple reference in the title gave it away... Yup, I was dead on. The bonus video on the disc only makes me hate them more. They should be tryng to disguise their lack of talent, not flaunt their incompetance like they do. Go back to the garage where you came from.

13 crappy tracks JV

50 CENT The Massacre Special Edition CD/DVD Aftermath / Interscope Records What can I say the leader of G-Unit did it again.

This CD has everything from club music to street music to love making music. This CD really has no surprises. Every song is different and each song has a beat that will make u want to listen.

It's a good listen from beginning to end. The only difference between this CD and the originally released CD is that the original has Hate It or Love It featuring the Game and this new one doesn't; the new one features the remix of Outta Control featuring Mobb Deep and the old one doesn't. The DVD kicks ass - it features a video for every song on the CD. Each video is different one is even a cartoon! It's a great watch. I recommend going out and finding a copy urself watch the video and smoke a Fatty to it because that's what it was originally attended for. It's a Must Have for The Collection. KZJR FIVESPEED - Morning Over Midnight (Virgin Records) Very kick ass, highly infectious hard rock.

PARRRRR-TAYYYYYYYYY!!!! 10 tracks JV FROM THE INSIDE featuring Danny Vaughn (Locomotive) What the heck is this guy thinking? Danny's singing pseudo Steve Perry (JOURNEY) vocals over "CHER does Vegas" song arrangements. I'm telling ya, it literally made my teeth grate. The record sleeve says it has 11 tracks and the promo sheet says it's also got a bonus video for "Nothing At All" and an interview clip but I never made it past the one minute mark of the second song. JV TOM FULLER-Chasing An Illusion (Red Cap) Classic rock, I think not. Classic rock style of music? Maybe if you want to imitate the McCartney silly pop spooge that permeates this album. LB THE FULLY DOWN – Don't Get Lost In A Movement (Fearless Records) Hard rock music with glam-rock/pop vocals. Not my particular cup of tea but not bad for what it is.

How's that for taking a stand? 13 tracks JV ED GEIN - Judas Goats and Dieseleaters (Metalblade) STOOOOOOOPP SCREEEEAAAMING!!!! JV GLITTER PALS - Unleash The Compassion (Lovepump United) Let Jake and Mookie uplift you with 4 grandiose psalms from the good book of friendship and devotion. GLITTER PALS are out to save you. JV THE HIDDEN - Smash To Ashes (Electrical Audio Studios) Arrogant New England street punk. The lead singer couldn't fuckin' carry a tune in a bucket but with this shit, does it really matter?? 10 terrible tracks. JV

GO BETTY GO - Nothing is More (SideOneDummy) This band of Latino women from Glendale have got a cool sound that is like the Go-Go’ sbutabi t harder musically and lyrically. Not as extreme as The Lunachicks. They have many a pop hook and GoBe t t yGoa i n’ tj us tac ut ena me . They rock, Betty plays a neat lead guitar. MTC ROBERT GORDON - Satisfied Mind (Koch) Whe nRobe r t ’ sf i r s ta l bumc a meouthewa s always compared to Elvis. He made it a policy not t oc ov e ra nyofTheKi ng ’ sma t e r i a l .Thi sne wCD still reminds me of wiggle hips as it combines R&B, Rockabilly, country and a bit of Gospel music. Trust me its better than the new previously unreleased Presley material. He does do Turn Me Loose which is not the first time he has broken his early rule and that alomg with Sweet Nothi n’ sare very Las Vegas if you catch my drift. The C&W version of These Boots Are Made For Walkin works well while his cover of The Hollies’Long Cool Woman is as painful as the album gets.

Maybe it’ s because I never liked that tune anyway but it is the lowlight of the release. If you want a 50’ ss o un dwi t hmode r npr o duc t i onv a l ue sg i v e this one a spin. Uh Huh, That’ s right. KZ

LEAH-CARLA GORDONE – Dancing On The Dragon (Butterfly Child Music) Masochistic jazz lounge by a poor man's Tori Amos. Nothing overtly offensive but It just sort of plods along.and every track sounds the same. It's like one looooooooong song but it's really 11 tracks, or so the CD cover says. JV THE GROOVE DIVINITIES (Luck Media) Formed from a collection of veteran talents of R&B origins. Led by Guitarist Jimmy Sloan and keyboardist/vocalist Kenni Ski the music takes on a smooth funk style. It is kind of a mix of studio blues band with a touch of soul and modern urban elements with more ups than downs. Smooth as a creamy yogurt shake. MTC

JAMES HARDWAY COLLECTIVEOver Easy (Lunatic Works) An interesting collection of urban sounds from hip hop to smooth jazz. The 2 CD set has multiple versions, original long play, instrumental and 7 inch vocal version. Overkill to some extent but a f t e ry ous pi ni taf e wt i me sy ou’ l lun de r s t a nd .

MTC HEADRUSH - S/t (Locomotive) Flowery hard rock with a URIAH HEEP overtone. The music's solid enough but there's just a bit too much vibrato goin' on with the lead vocalist. Don't try so hard, Roberto. You might pull something... unintentionally that is, if you catch my drift. Alex De Rosso really lives up to his "Italian guitar-hero" rep. 12 tracks JV HELLOWEEN - Keeper Of The Seven Keys (Steamhammer) Hamburg's version of heroic-goth-core, in other words it's a little bit metal, a little more goth and way too much Broadway in the vocals. 2 discs consisting of 13 audio tracks and a bonus video for "Mrs. God." JV HORRORPOPS - Bring It On (Hellcat) Yet another punkabilly band with a stand up bass ala Tiger Army. Hold yer stereotypes cause this time the bass is handled by the vivacious Patricia Day whose vocals lead the troop. Give this CD a s pi na n dy ou’ l lbec ha nt i ngGo Na-Na-Na-Na-NaNa yourself. While some of the songs are a little too pop for my tastes overall this one rocks and is a keeper. LB

INSTITUTE - Distort Yourself (Interscope Records) Ex-lead singer for BUSH, Gavin Rossdale, sounds a lot like Peter Gabriel to me.... and the music sounds like homogenized metal. Not enough angst for the teen scene and not enough bile for the metal heads. Is VH-1 still around? 12 rubber biscuits. JV. ION DISSONANCE - Solace (Abacus Records) They've changed their sound to more of a hardcore vocal approach, kind of an EARTH CRISIS JR. meets INTEGRITY. On their first album, they played death grind that totally killed.

This one is just killing me. I hate those macho, tough guy, knuckle draggin', bull shit, gang vocals. Puke and get it over with already. Hey buddy, life sucks, get a helmet. JV.

THE JONES GANG - Any Day Now (AAO Music) Legendary British rockers Kenney Jones (The WHO), Rick Wills (FOREIGNER) and Robert Hart (BAD COMPANY) with guest appearances

by Ron Wood (ROLLING STONES). It comes with a 3 song CD-ROM. 11 songs JV QUINCY JONES –From Q With Love (UMe/Hip-O Records) Long, slow, atmospheric seduction songs. I was expecting more of a Superfly soundtrack, but this album tracks another kind of action, hopefully not s ol obuto neo no ne .“ TheSe c r e tGa r de n( Swe e t Se duc t i onSui t e ) ”s h ou l dg i v ey oua ni de a–i t ’ s like part Barry White, part Stylistics, and a little bit of Chef from Southpark.Il i k ei t .“ Ba by , Comet oMe ”i sa ss we e ta ndbl a t a nt l ys e duc t i v e a se v e r ,a sa r eol ds t a n da r dsl i k e“ OneHun dr e d Wa y s ”a nd“ TheSha dowofYourSmi l e . ” ( Howe v e rIc oul d n’ tl i s t e nt ot ha tl a s t one, as both demo/advance CDs would only play the first nine tracks.) Two hours of smooth, relaxing music for seduction. Can I get a massage with that? Light s omec a ndl e s ,y e a h….KH

KOTTONMOUTH KINGS –No.7 (Suburban Noize Records) Another Bluntastic album from KMK. How they can keep rapping about weed, money, and bitches is amazing but yet still entertaining. They leave nothing out with a good mixture of Rap, metal, rock, and punk. My advice if your a KMK fan or not is go out buy this CD twist a Phatie and just hit play its a good listen all the way through. It's a must own. And KMK Just Keep Blazin. - KZJR.

THE JULIANA THEORY – Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat (Abacus) They're Detar, Chad and 3 guys named Josh, DIY being the name of the game. Are you kidding me?

Get the fuck out of here....... What's that? It's an anti-Love album? That explains it. Bunch of Nancy boys. 10 tracks JV LISA KARP –Fuchsia Blue (Adore Records) Attempted breathy piano lounge music but Lisa's just tryin' way too hard. It's like a bad parody of RICKI LEE JONES. Dr. John almost saves one of these ten tedious tracks but not quite. JV KILLING THE DREAM –In Place Apart (Deathwish) Contemporary hardcore from California. I just can't get into this screaming at the top of your lungs shit and calling it vocals. Shut the fuck up and let the guitarist take a solo or two or twelve as the case may be (There's 12 tracks, get it?).

Recommended (by the band, not me.): "Critical Thought", "We're All Dead Ends", "Sick Of Sleeping", "29th And Glisan", and "Four Years Too Late". Profanity tracks: 3, 5, 6, 7 & 10. JV LEON-VEST –So Blue (Red Rooster Studios) Garth Webber's lead guitar playing is exceptional (Larry Carlton would be proud) but even that couldn't cancel out Sandy Leon's "off color" vocals. I started surfing for the guitar solos half way through the 2nd of 8 cuts. JV THE LOST PATROL BAND (Burning Heart) An upbeat album of tunes that remind me of The Boomtown Rats or Ruth Ruth depending on the track. This is the new band for Dennis Lyxzen from International Noise Conspiracy. I never knew he was a big Bob Geldorf fan. LB

JANN KLOSE –Black Box (3 Frames Music) All songs are written by Mr. Klose, and all arranged by him too except for the string on one cut. His voice is very nice, but I think his strengths are writing and arranging his music.

Four cuts of nice, easy-listen acoustic rock. KH LU - Issues (Studio Rat Productions) Instrumentally, they've got kind of a Curtis Mayfield thing goin' on but unfortunately, the vocals are quite another story. I can't tell if it's a guy with a high voice or a girl with a deep one but it's definitely creapin' me out. I suppose I could just look at the promo kit but then I'd have to find it first and I really don't care in the first place.

"Hot Dam" (you done fucked up again, oh shit, they ain't no way out of it...) was mildly amusing but I'll take a pass on the rest of it. 17 tracks JV LUNATICA –Fables & Dreams (Locomotive) A female version of SONATA ARCTICA, but that's not necessarily a good thing. To call this one commercial is an understatement. Devoid of highs and lows (translation: ZZZzzzzZZZZzzzz) PseudoEpic and disturbingly grandiose, long and drawn out, flat and emotionless. JV

THE LOVEMAKERS –Times Of Romance (nterscope Records) TATU meets LOVE & ROCKETS for a transgender confrontation with an alternate state of cosmic reality. Techno candy. 13 nuggets of love. JV STEVEN MARK-Aloneaphobe (Basset Records) A very syrupy pop offering of modern music with a70’ s -8 0’ sr e t r oi nf l ue nc e .Be s td e s c r i be da sa poor man’ s George Harrison guitar playing a mix of Eagles meets Gram Parsons country rock. No really it is. LB MARY-JANE –What I Came Here For (Timeless Music Project) Suzi Quatro wanna be. Repetitious elementary guitar. Piss poor production, it sounds like it was recorded in an empty tuna fish can. How about adding some bass for starters. 07 sludge pop cuts. JV THE MASS – Perfect Picture Of Wisdom And Boldness (Crucial Blast) They say they're malevolent indie-thrash. I say it's more like sinister screech-core. Either way, they've really got some good cryptic heaviosity goin' on. 8 electrified cuts featuring "Cloven Head", "Arcass", and "Corpse Wielder". JV MAZARIN-We ’ r eAl r e adyThe r e (I And Ear) Andwhe r e v e r“ The r e ”i sIwa ntt oa v oi d.

This is the 3rd release and if the first 2 are anything like t hi so neI ’ mg l a dImi s s e dout. G-ickey pop stylings, maybe a sub par Blur or Oasis with excessive sound effects. These technical e nha nc e me nt sc a n’ tc ov e rupf orl a c kof originality or dare I complain about talent. People make fun of pop, punk, and country for being 2 or 3 chord tunes. Mazarin breaks more wind than ground. MTC MY RUIN - The Brutal Language (Rovena Recordings) It sounds a lot like Joan Jett doing heavy medal which, believe it or not, is strangely arousing. My pants are getting tight. 10 troubling tracks JV

ROBERT PALMER-Best Of The Island Years (Island) This is all you need from Robert. From his early LPs where he leveraged his friendship with Lowell George to his MTV mega hit videos it is all here. Might as well face it you know you want this. Doctor Doctor give me the news that this CD is not a bunch or rehashed spew. Of course it had Addicted To Love but my favorite is the opening trio of tunes off his 1st LP. Saling Shoes, Hey Julia, and Sneaking Sally Thru The Alley. KZ PATHS OF POSSESSION –Promises In Blood (Medal Blade Records) They've got Corpse Grinder of CANNIBAL CORPSE on vocals but the wanky melodic leads and guttural vocals just don't mix. Formulaic and totally lacking in intensity. It plods along from song to song with no variation in sight. They're trying WAY too hard. It's down right embarrassing. Have a Ricola. JV

MIA-Arular (Interscope) Electronic world music with a big Jamaican dancehall flair. Mia is the child of Sri Lankan Tamil rebel Maya Arul Prasasam who has been living in London since she was 12. Now 28, her obvious love for hip-hop rings true on this her groundbreaking debut. Her vocals although hard to understand at times are very interesting and they just grab your attention. Look for more if Mia cause with as hot as this one is forget the one hit wonder tag. Groovealicious fun! MTC MISFITS Meet The NUTLEY BRASSFiend Club Lounge (Misfits/Ryko) I was appaled at The Nutley Brass Ramones t r i but ea ndt hi sc o l l e c t i o nofe l e v a t ormus a ki s n’ t any better. If you enjoy the mello versions of rock music that vaguely resemble the originals this one’ s for you. The rest of us can continue to ignore this. Why was my first reaction and the question lingers. MTC MIZAR-King Of The Stars (Mia Mind Music) Remixed and adding 4 new tracks can not save this from a thorough trashing. At best a modern day Tiny Tim or is that at worst. The new sacreligous cover of Mizar dressed up as a Jesus s houl dn’ td omor et ha na t t r a c tbu y e r swhowi l lbe greatly disappointed. What did you expect me to say. Thi sCDi sl i k epa r tofade a df i s h,i td oe s n’ t look like a fish but it sure smells as bad. PU! LB NUMBERS FROM THE BEAST – An All Star Salute To IRON MAIDEN (Restless) It's actually not too bad. It's got Paul Di'anno from IRON MAIDEN on "Wrath Child" vocals and Lemmy from MOTORHEAD on "Trooper". Hold the phone. It's the Ayatollah of rock-n-rolla, the Millennium man himself, Chris Jericho, aka Y2J on "The Evil That Men Do". Oh yeah, John Bush and Scott Ian of ANTHRAX are on "Wickerman". JV

NATALISE –I Came To Play (Stars823 Records) Very rudimentary song construction (J-Lo anyone?) but the girl's got a sexy voice and a good look. Hire some new song writers and try again.

Oh yeah, next time, do you have to swear like a truck driver? It's not very lady like. 18 adult themed nursery rhymes. JV NEW ENGLAND ROSES-Face Time With Son (DogPony) Artsy and pretentious bullshit presented as an amazing mix of originals and covers. Folk meets ambiance along with campfire girls singalongs. I was mildly amused on Blood Blood Blood with t hes i l l yl y r i c sbutt he ys a yi tbe s t .“ Dowes uc k ? ” The answer is yes you really do. MTC OLD MAN'S CHILD - Vermin (Century Media) Majestic black metal from Norway's frozen forests. 9 sonically challenging arrangements. JV ORANGE-Welcome To The World of Orange (Hellcat) For those like myself who always are complaining about the lack of angst in contemporary popular punk rock this was a bit of respite. Joe Denmans delivers the goods as well as the current pop element on tunes like WhyWon’ tSheGoOut With Me? No Rest For The Weekend and the bands self titled theme song. Bringing back the whole bored and apathetic attitude that has been missing for so long. KZ

PORCUPINE TREE-Deadwing (Lava) The much anticipated sophomore release from this UK band is finally here. They continue the mix artistic creativity, pop sensibility and songsmanship setting them apart from the usual Oasis like Brit pop spooge so many love and I loathe. If I may lets call it pretension backed with real talent. Steven Wilson is to modern music wha tBr i a nWi l s onwa st ot hel a t e60’ sBe a c h Boys sound. The single Swallow is worth checking this disc out alone for. With Lava Re c or dsdi s i nt e g r a t i ngi nt oAt l a nt i cRe c or dsI ’ m hoping it has no impact on this fine albums success or marketing but it probably will. MTC PREMONITIONS OF WAR – Glorified Dirt * The True Face Of Panic (Medal Blade Records) Medalcore, the dog's barking, skin heads, genitalia piercing, full body tats, week old wife beaters, post hardcore nonsense. JV PRESENCE - Presence (Curb) Metal Edge says that they're "The most convincing band of their ilk in years." The question is, which ilk are they talking about? Is it the [Theme music for this month's WWE PPV is

by PRESENCE] variety? 12 tracks featuring "Inside My Head", an unusual cover version of "Somebody's Watching Me" and their single "Ride". When Vince comes a callin', don't say I didn't warn you. JV PROGRAM THE DEAD –Program The Dead (Low Altitude Records) Glam-metal, pop-core, psychedelic folk, gypsy rock, I don't know what the fuck they are but they've got attitude, damn it. 12 sassy (in a manly way) tracks. JV

MIKE PARK-North Hangook Falling (SubCity) Easy listening music that is his second solo effort.

Thi sonef e a t ur e sal ooki nt oMi k e ’ sKor e a nr oot s .

The music is a modern day Art Garfunkel if you REBECCA PRONSKY - The Early Hours will. Blah stuff, it is not a bad sound but nothing (i-heights studio) t on ot ee i t he r ,pr a c t i c a l l yf or ge t t a bl e .I ’ m all set.

Intensely serious folk-pop. I know, I don't get it MTC either. 6 songs JV

SIX FEET UNDER – A Decade In The Grave (Metalblade Records) One of the supreme American death metal bands. It's about time they released a "best of".

Led by ex-CANABLE CORPSE vocalist Chris Barnes, the band sound really took off when they booted out OBITUARY guitarist Alan West and replaced him with Steve Swanson. Barnes vocal attack is similar to KILLJOY and is exceptionally brutal. A must have 12 cuts off the 5 disc box set. JV THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS-PCD (Interscope) Check out Ashley, Melody, Kimberly, Nicole, Carmit (Carmit?), and Jessica. The publicity reeks of sex as the ladies are very attractive to say the least. But check out the photo, not the music.I t ’ s pure disco pop bullshit and really lame hip-hop DJ mixed in to give it credibility with the youth. Probably best to watch videos of t he mt oot he rmus i ca sIc oul dn’ tg e tt hr oug ht he album it’ s that awful. MTC

SLAB-Society As A Friendly Pusher (Onset Records) Starts out with old school punk ala The Dictators. After a few tracks it quickly changes to a variety more known as the current punk sound more like NOFX. Why you say, they have be e na r ou ndf ory e a r ss oi fy aha ve n’ tn ow’ s as good a time as any to check them out. Who won’ tt or oc kt o“ We ’ r eGonnaRa i nOnYour Pa r a de ” ?LB

THE REAL McKENZIES-10,000 Shots (FatWreckChords) Hoot man, let’ s all get a wee breath of some scotch and get into the spirit of bagpipes and punk rock. Oh yes its time for another CD from the Real McKenzies. I really like the mix of sounds. The reason they are Real is because we don ’ tne e dab unc hofk noc kof f soft hi ss ou nd .

This is thirsty music for sure so bend yer elbows t os se mba c kl a ds .Andd on’ tf or g e tt ot a k et h os e Chasers. MTC

SO I HAD TO SHOOT HIM – Alpha Males And Popular Girls (Crucial Blast) They refer to themselves as modern blastpop visionaries, sugarcoated and venomous, a marriage of monstrous metallic riffing and surreal, swirling pop seizures to cyclones of gasoline-soaked noise skronk and arena-sized rock blowouts that are fronted with utter sass and ferocity. Allow me to translate. Random guitar noise with some chick named Libby who looks like Xena screaming and moaning over the top.

10 torturous tracks. JV

GARY REYNOLDS & The Brides Of Obscurity (ElectroKitty) A CD where the best songs are a bizarre mix of John Lennon and David Bowie styled pop tunes.

Not really like that’ s a good or bad thing it’ s just what came to mind listening to it. On the weaker cuts it’ s almost painful. Gary and company are not from the UK but the US Northwest. A real l a t e60’ se a r l y70’ smus i c a le x pe r i e nc e .LB RICKY LEE ROBINSON-MuShu Pork (Hypnodisk) Pick something else off the freakin menu. PU! Starts off with a cover of the old Crabby Appleton tune Go Back. It sounds like the freakin Archies on the second track and the rest oft heCDi sar e ha s hof70’ sa n d80’ sr oc k stylings. Ricky needs to join a band as his solo effort is as exciting as freeze dried ice cream.

MTC ROOFTOP SUICIDE CLUBAlways Like This (Stop, Pop and Roll) La la la pop spooge that would drive many fans of the underground to want to poke out their eardrums. For those who are looking for some catchy garage pop with syrupy sweet vocal harmonies you might want to check out these boys from New Bedford. MTC

BRIAN STACE –Blue Eyed Bad Boy (Little Round Records) Mighty purty slide guitar work but the gun toatin', whisky drinkin', wife beating bums makin' up the rest of the band are draggin' him down to their level. 10 crappy country tracks.

JV

JEFF SCOTT SOTO – Lost In The Translation (Locomotive) LITT sounds like a cross between VAN HALEN & THE DIXIE DREGGS with Steve Perry on lead vocals. Formulaic 80's melodic rock all the way. A little too FM friendly for my tastes. 12 overtly trendy tracks and the bonus video "If This Is The End". JV AMILIA K SPICER - Seamless (Allspice Music) A country clone of Sheryl Crow and Lisa Loeb.

Too adagio. 13 subtle soulful songs. JV SPIN DOCTORS – Nice Talking To Me (Ruffnation / Universal) They're going for a cross between the BEATLES and the ROLLING STONES... and they fail miserably at both. Pure pop slop. I didn't think it was even possible but the SPIN DOCTORS have actually lost the edge that I never knew they had.

10 tripe tracks on the audio CD and some utterly pretentious interview and concert footage on the DVD. I liked them better the first time around.

JV

TRESA STREET – Baby It's You (A.M.I. Records) This is only a 1996 reissue but it already sounds quite dated. Tresa can really belt out a tune but I'm just not into country pop. 10 twangy tracks JV

STAIRWAY TO ROCK – (Not Just) A Led Zeppelin Tribute (Pick Up Records) I dig the acid rock version of "Whole Lotta Love" but hip-hop "Heartbreaker" I can definitely live without. 11 unorthodox Zeppelin covers. Which are the hits and which are the misses? You decide. Proceed with caution. JV STARBREAKER - Starbreaker (Locomotive) A cross between Bon Jovi and Steve Vai. Melodic metal with TNT's frontman Tony Harnell on vocals and Swedish guitar master Magnus Karlsson providing the speed metal licks. It's a little on the pop side but that ought to get them some decent main stream exposure so it's all good. 13 tracks, a bonus enhanced video of "Lies" and an video interview clip. The music's not bad but their politics really suck. I know it's a hard concept to understand but George Bush isn't the problem. Radical Islamic extremists who cut off innocent peoples heads and blow themselves up in crowded areas are. JV SUPERCREEP - Supercreep (Pat's Record Company) Another bunch of masculinely challenged toadies. These guys make the BEACHBOYS Mike Love sound like death metal. This is beyond lame. Pure early 60's bubblegum. Who would want to sound like that? It's creepin' me out, and not in a good way. 12 limp wristed track of true candycore. JV THE SYN - Syndestructible (Unbrello Records) After 40 years, Chris Squire of YES reunites with clothing and sporting goods magnate Stephen Nardelli to revive the legendary band THE SYN. They're one step above elevator music in the intensity department. If you're in the mood to mellow out to coma levels then this one ought to help get you there. 7 extremely tranquil tracks. JV 6S - Secrets Of 6S (Tin Wolf Studios) I'll tell you what the secret is. The lead singer's got a split personality. He can't figure out whether he wants to sound like a lounge Mick Jagger or a basement Jim Morrison. More Mick Morrison then Jim Jagger. Hit the bricks, pal. 10 bombs JV TESTAMENT –Live In London (Eagle Vision) They still sound alot like FOZZY on meth with a sore throat to me (see their DVD review in this issue) but I like the CD a bit better than the DVD because I don't have to look at their ugly mugs too. Alex Skolnick's quite the musical gymnast on guitar. 14 spastic tracks featuring "Into The Pit", "Practice What You Preach" and "Over the Wall". JV

t.A.T.u. - Dangerous And Moving (Interscope Records) Musically, they're a popped out, substantially less spiritual version of Anya. Sexually, they're confused. The title track "Dangerous And Moving" is passable but not worthy of building an entire album around as the other 11 tracks are pretty much just throw-aways. JV 3 - Wake Pig (Metal Blade) While I totally appreciate the crisp acoustic guitar speed licks fused with metal-maniacal madness, there's just something about Joey Eppard's vocals that grate at my last nerve. She's reminiscent of EVANESCENCE lead singer Amy Lee but devoid of that lilting mystical quality. 13 tracks. JV THRICE- Vheissu (Island Records) I was never a Thrice fan–then I heard this recording. Thrice has managed to produce a CD where you find yourself trying to keep up with complex instrumental lines, and intriguing syncopation. Up until this CD, Thrice sounded strikingly similar to every other pop punk band.

Vheissu, however, features tracks ranging from mellow piano with constantly changing meters, to some serious screaming from singer Dustin Kensrue. Although the lyrics on this album are somewhat repetitive concerning dreaming, being lost, and other typically dismal subjects many screamo bands sing about, Thrice shows impressive musical talent and depth on this recording. I nt r od uc t i o nst os ong sl i k e“ Be t we e n TheEnda n dWhe r eWeLi e , ”e x pr e s st he creative growth Thrice has undergone since they first started recording. ~ Leah Wellbaum THE THUNDERLORDS – Noisy Songs For Noisy Kids (The Thunderlords) The first kid's metal band? Oh, this is gonna be rich. "Old Man Olaf" had a farm, e-i e-i ooo.

"Growl Like A Lion", "Ice Cream Headache", "I Like Dirt" plus 5 more. I wonder if they're pedophiles? JV

TOWER OF POWER -The Oakland Zone (Or Music) Another highly listenable album from TOP, which still includes a lot of the original members, most notably Emilio Castillo and Doc Kupka. These are some really great tunes, with the rocking and complex horn section that defines Tower of Power. Adolfo Acosta on the flugelhorn blows me away (no pun intended and, I ’ ms ur e ,nonet a k e n) .I nc i de n t a l l y ,i t ’ sDa v e Ma t t he ws ’t a t t oooft heTOP“ ha t ”l og ot a t t ooon the CD cover. Check it out! KH TNT - All The Way To The Sun (Mayhem) Scandinavian melodic hard rock, think BLACK SABBATH with a slightly smarmy JOURNEY pop vocal over the top. 12 candy crusted cuts featuring "Sometimes" and a unique reworking of the classic Louis Armstrong favorite "What A Wonderful World". More like "what a pretentious pant load" if you ask me. JV THE TRANSIT WAR - Ah Discordia!

(Orange Peal Records) Overly polished punk with Joe Jackson harmonies over hanging tritones. Let's just say that it's not my particular cup of tea and leave it at that. 8 songs. JV PETER ULRICH - Enter The Mysterium (City Canyons Records) It sounds like an electronic folk mixture of both American Indian and far eastern Indian influences. Kind of a Hindu scales with injun tom-toms sort of a deal. I hope this means we'll be smoking hash in the peace pipe!!! 11 tracks JV VARUCKERS-1980-2005 (SOS) Fast paced angst punk oi from the UK. While I have never heard of these guys before, they sure capture the true spirit of punk missing from the scene today. LB VIVA K - Viva K (Stinky Records) Hindu grunge. Yeah, that's some pretty fucked up stuff right there. 12 chunks of inasnity. JV

VOLTAGE – Building The Bass Castle, Vol. 1 (Flameshovel Records) Strike one; Don't ever send me a promo kit like that ever again. Camp Gay? Strike two; press play. Strike three; You're not PAN SONIC. 8 moronic pseudo-artsy offerings. JV VOODOO HILL – Wild Seed Of Mother Earth (Locomotive) Mellowed out AC/DC style lead vocals, hair band pop harmonies and pseudo-grunge accompaniments. Oh yeah, there's finger tapping too, lots of finger tapping. They left this one in the blender a bit too long. It needs more edge if it's gonna stand out from the pack. 11 pieces of over-processed pop/rock. JV RICK WAKEMAN – Out There (AAO Music) Overtly dramatic sweeping classical keyboard arpeggios and hybrid Norse vocals delivered with pompastic indignance. If you were expecting YES, then you've come to the wrong place. 9 overhyped demo tracks. JV SARA WENDT - Here's Us (City Canyons Records) Is this George Wendt's daughter? Low budget ANYA. Introspective song construction. You know, that whiny folk-pop rot. Her vocal range is non existent. She's like a modern day MIMI FARINA, Joan Baez' sidekick in the 60s. 6 silly songs. JV ABDEL WRIGHT (Interscope Records) Abdel Wright brings us the sounds from the island with his self titled album. He has a very good mixture of instruments, and many different styles of music too. It's a very soul full album.If you’ re looking for something poppy but not overkill pick it up. - KZJR. YIP YIP-Pro-Twelve Thinker (Strictly Amateur Films) These 2 lads (Brian Esser and Jason Temple) from the Orlando FL suburbs are the creators of this space yt r a nc ee l e c t r oni cof f e r i ng .I t ’ sg e t t i ng rave reviews (excuse the pun) from the techno dance crowds. This stuff requires drug testing.

Which one do you want to test first? LB YOB The Unreal Never Lived (Medal Blade Records) Retro 70's stoner rock sound ala PENTAGRAM. A rudimentary rock / pedestrian medal, dyslexic ride to hell. JV

TONY YAYOThoughts Of A Predicate Felon G-Unit / Interscope Records Yayo's first album out of the clink is hard. He raps about life on the street and life in the clink but it also talks about his pimp side in So Seductive featuring 50. This CD is a good listen and a must have for your G-Unit record collection. And just be ready for some more hot shit to come from YAYO. - KZJR. REBECCA ZAPENJapanese Bathhouse (Bashert) Light and airy like a French pastry or should I say Shrimp Chip is a way to explain this well executed mix of folk jazz and swing. Rebecca songs are not a showcase of her classical violin training. They are in some ways songs that could go on a children’ s album. A little too mello for my tastes. MTC BEYOND EXTREMES – Summer Sampler (Candlelight USA) Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeet, I'd say this one lives up to its name. MARDUK, VREID, ENSLAVED, ENTOMBED, OCTAVIA SPERATI, SUSPERIA and 14 more. Can be hazardous to your hearing JV FLAMESHOVEL – Pretty Active Sampler (Pretty Active) Indie punk/rock assortment. It sounds like a garage band competition. I vote for COLLIDE THE TIDE. What's that? I can vote for two more? Okay, how about COMMON NATURE and FUMIO NAMBATA HAD A FARM. 13 contestants JV MASTERS OF HORROR (Immortal Records) 2 discs - 30 different bands - every kind of medal under the sun. Features: ANDREW WK, DEATH BY STEREO, MASTODON, A CHANGE OF PASE, RISE AGAINST and more. JV FRET-ESSENTIAL – The All Instrumental Compilation CD (Quintessence Metal Webzine) Also known as "Guitar Compilation", it's exactly what the name implies, 15 assorted metal

guitarists, ripping & slashing their way to stardom. Sadly, quite a few of them don't stand a snowball's chance in hell of ever getting there.

For brevities sake, I'll just list the ones I really liked; DAVE BEEGLE/FOURTH ESTATE, THE ROB SBAR NOESIS, THE DAVE NEIL CLINE BAND and JIM MORRIS. They all have websites where you can delve deeper into their personal madness' but you'll have to buy the CD to find out what they are because I'll never tell.

JV HAZY DREAMS (Not Just) A Jimi Hendrix Tribute (KOCH) Myi ni t i a lr e a c t i onwa s“ Thi si ss a c r i l e g e ” .

Good thing Jimi is dead cause this would kill him to hear this bastardization of his music.

With a book out questioning if Jimi was gay, a documentary on TV suggesting he beat women, and a biographic movie where they hint his death may have been murder. Milking money from dead is disgusting. Then I thought a little more and maybe this is a way to introduce Jimi to the modern audience. The more I listen to this CD and in particular to Ice-T’ shi ph o pv e r s i onof Little Wing it starts to sink in. This is a tribute to J i mi .Andi s n’ ta na l b um of covers that sound like the original the worst kind of tribute? This a i n’ ty ourg r a ndpa ’ sHe n dr i xf r omt he60’ s kiddies. From modern pop metal to grunge to modern R&B and rap. The only complaint is my usual one on Jimi stuff. If you are doing a tribute then songs Jimi covered should not be included.

All Along The Watchtower and Hey Joe are covers of covers. Very lame. All that considered I recommend you pick up a copy of Smash Hits, Electric Ladyland or Axix Bold As Love by Jimi himself instead. This is amusing but not essential. MTC THE SUICIDE GIRLS – Black Heart Retrospective (Epitaph) 13 classic goth club hits. Most of these belong in the dark wave category. This comp's out about 5 years too late since there is no goth anymore, as far as I know…. The only good thing about it is SKINNY PUPPY and maybe THE CULT. JV

www.blackandbluerecords.com See web site for details or write to us at: Black & Blue Records P.O. Box 410325 Cambridge, MA 02141 USA

DVD Reviews ASSEMBLAGE v1.0 – A Music Video DVD Compilation (Grey two-eleven Productions) A collection of 20 assorted band's angst driven, punkesque videos. The usual chinga-chinga guitars, repetitious monotone/whine vocals, rickenbacker bass lines and accent on the two & four drum beats but a few of these groups have actually managed to polish up that old indy punk turd to such a high gloss that even though I wanted to hate them all with my usual venomous passion, I just couldn't. Some of these videos are down right deep. God help me, I've gotta give this comp the thumbs up but if you ever tell anybody, I'll kill you. JV BAD MANNERS - Live In Concert (MVD) 10 piece British ska band featuring Buster Blood Vessel, a big fat bald chap with an abnormally large tongue and a tin ear. While the overall musicianship of the band was more than adequate, the vocals left much to be desired. I'll give'em this, some of their there song selections were interesting with cuts like "In The Mood", "My Girl Lollipop" and "Woolly Bully" but the execution was streaky at best. 25 tumultuous tracks, an interview with Buster and a bit of soundcheck footage. JV BRAZEN ABBOT – A Decade of BRAZEN ABBOT (Locomotive) The noodlie intro sounded like CAMEL, a 70's prog band. Is that Bobby Goldsboro on lead vocals? Did I mention that Abbots are bad? Oh, that's right. I said it on their CD review. The guitars do absolutely nothing for me. It's like running Steve Vai through a strainer. Oh, he lived in Finland in '89? Well, that certainly explains it. Wishy-washy wannabe classic rock.

The video quality is pretty good though. JV CHER Extravaganza - Live At The Mirage (Eagle Vision) 154 minutes of live CHER footage from 1991 featuring the hits "I'm No Angel", "If I Could Turn Back Time", "Bang Bang" plus 12 more songs, backstage home movies, bonus performances with multiple angles, a photo gallery and a whole bunch of other crap thrown in for good measure. If you're a CHER fan then this disc will definitely tickle your pickle. I hate to admit it but the old broad looks pretty hot in some of those revealing outfits. I'd do her. JV MILES DAVIS –The Cool Jazz Sound (EforFilms) Recorded in 1959, this disc contains vintage footage of the masterpieces "So What", "The Duke", "Blues For Pablo" & "New Rhumba". I enjoyed every single minute of it. The only complaint I have is that there weren't nearly enough minutes to enjoy. If you're a Miles fan

(and if you know anything at all about jazz then you are) this is a MUST HAVE!!!!!! JV DEVO - Live 1980 (MVD) It's a double sided disc with DVD video on one side and audio CD on the flip. Features live performances of the blockbuster hit "Whip It" and the classic "The Girl You Want". While "Whip It" stood the test of time, "The Girl You Want" was a lot weaker than I remember it.

They need a bass player. JV DOMINATOR –The Animated Movie (Eclectic) Lord Desecrator usurps Lucifer's rule and then plans a direct attack on humanity. Doctor Payne tries to stop him but his three bimbo daughters accidentally open a conduit between Hell & Earth by playing metal music at their band rehearsal. Bottom line, the cartoon art is excellent but the story line is a bit contrived to say the least and the music isn't really my cup of tea. Featuring songs by CRADLE OF FILTH, MATTER, SIKTH, V-8 PACK, DIGITALIS, SYNTHETIC, THE GUILLOTINES, KILLING MODE and many more. If you're into animated movies with loud obnoxious soundtracks then this one's for you. JV DWARVES –Fuck You Up And Get Live (MVD) Offensive metalesque crap performed by a bunch of perverted idiots but the females are hot, hot, HOT!!!!!! I give this one two thumbs up....... the dwarf's butt. 75 minutes of twisted bliss. JV EAST OF SUNSET To me it's a dark romantic tale about a pill popping teacher "Carley" and a reformed heroin addict bartender artist "Jim". The Carley is played by (Emily Stiles). She meets Jim played by (Jimmy Wayne Farley) at this club she always goes to. So these two start hanging out and sleeping with each other. Then Jim gets his break and has his artwork shown in a gallery in SoHo. When he's there he relapses and does a little H and tells carley about it and she freaks.

So Jim has to go back to New York to show his work and tells Carley he'll stay off the junk. If you want to know the rest go watch it I don't give away endings but it's a good one. I was shocked. So if ur in the artsie mood go out and rent this one it's rather enjoyable. There are some nude scenes too. - KZJR. THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP – Gimme Some Lovin' Live 1966 (Cherry Red Films) The "meat" of this DVD is rare archive footage of the original line-up, including the Winwood brothers, playing live and includes many of their most famous hits from that period. The "potatoes" is a documentary on the group from 1967 including footage of the postWinwood line-up. 92 minutes of classic 60's rock featuring "Dust My Blues," "I'm A Man" and "Gimme Some Lovin." You haven't really experienced British rock'n'roll until you've heard

Spencer and the gang. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!! JV DUKE ELLINGTON –The Big Band Feeling (EforFilms) 12 tantalizing tracks by the quintessential big band master featuring his timeless classics "Caravan", "Mood Indigo" and "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good." Hot damn but this is some mighty good shit!!!!!

THE ENGLISH BEAT – In Concert At the Royal Festival Hall (MVD) A dark stage. Singer Ranking Roger, covered with zippers, starts jumping around. Bouncy ska music starts up on the drums and guitar. “ Ra nk i n’Ful lSt op. ”Oooh, they’ r es obr i t i s h. “ Roug hRi de r ”i ss of t e r ,s t i l lr e g g a es t y l e .I wi s ht he y ’ dpl a y“ Ai n’ tWha tYouDo, ”t ha t ’ sa g r e a tone .Or“ I ’ v eGotMePa r k a . ”Well if they never sang that one, why not? OK be that way.

KH 50 CENT The Massacre Special Edition CD/DVD (Aftermath / Interscope Records) What can I say the leader of G-Unit did it again.

This CD has everything from club music to street music to love making music. This CD really has no surprises. Every song is different and each song has a beat that will make u want to listen. It's a good listen from beginning to end. The only difference between this CD and the originally released CD is that the original has Hate It or Love It featuring the Game and this new one doesn't and the new on features the remix of Outta Control featuring Mobb Deep and the old one doesn't. The DVD kicks ass it features a video for every song on the CD. Each video is different- one is even a cartoon it's a great watch I recommend going out and finding a copy urself watch the video and smoke a Fatty to it because that's what it was originally attended for. It's a Must Have for The Collection. - KZJR GRAVITATION - Lyrics Of Love (The Right Stuf) A cheesy manga adventure about singer and lyricist, Shuichi Shindo's homo urging for an elitist cad named Yuki. Yeah, let's indoctrinate preteens in the gay life style before they've really had a chance to experience normal love and see this shit for the perversion that it is.

Utter rubbish!!!!! JV THE HUMAN LEAGUE – Live At The Dome (MVD) This electronic Jickie shit didn't age very well. I suppose, if you’ re musically stuck in the 80's then you'll probably want to pick this one up but otherwise, I'd take the tea and crumpets instead.

17 tracks featurng "Hard Times / Love Action," "Louise" and "The Snake." JV

IMPOTENT SEA SNAKES Live In Wacken Germany (MVD) Filmed at the Wacken Open Air Festival, alternative press says that ISS are "perhaps the most outrageous band the U.S. has ever produced." Change outrageous to contagious, as in open festering sores and I'd thoroughly concur with that opinion. The musical highlight was a typical bar band cover performance of "Rock & Roll All Night." Given the fact that the band's all dressed in drag and there are a bevy of unattractive naked sluts performing S&M skits in the background, you might just enjoy this one a bit more if you turn down the volume, put some real music on the stereo and just enjoy the visual freak show. I believe Andy Warhol once said that all the best looking women have dicks and this one does absolutely nothing to prove him wrong. JV THE ISLEY BROTHERSSummer Breeze- Greatest Hits Live (Eagle Vision) This DVD chronicles a long recording career of R&B, funk, and soul hits that started with the single “ Sho ut ”i n 1959 and continues thru this concert recorded in 2005. They perform “ Twi s t a ndSho ut , ”whi c hwa stheir first hit in 1962.

Just after that they had a hit with MoTown (not included here). It was “ This Old Heart of Mine,”and Jimi Hendrix was in the backup band. The yc ove rSe a l sa ndCr of t ’ s“ Summer Breeze”a ndToddRu ndg r e n’ s“ He l l oI t ’ sMe . ” The 70s stuff was the funk rock, including “ Who’ sTha tLa dy ”a nd“ I t ’ sYou rThi ng( Do Wha tYouWa nnaDo) . ”R. Kelly has a cameo as The Other Man i n“ Cont a g i o us , ”wi t hl y r i c s i npa r t :‘ Yo u’ r ec o nt a g i ous , drive me crazy, g i v emewha ty ou’ v eg ot . ’We l li fhes a ngi tt o me I think I’ ds t o pc he a t i ngonhi m.

The candid interviews with two of the brothers, Ron and Ernie Isley, are split into short clips.

Ron’ sc l i psha v ehe a di ng sl i k e“ Re c or di ng Cov e r s ”a nd“ Fi r s tTi meOnTheRa di o. ”I nthe former I learned that they covered Dy l a n’ s“ La y Lady Lay,”a ndi nthe latter Ron says it was “ l i k eChr i s t ma s .I twe ntt o# 1. ”Buthe ’ snot sure what the song was. Ernie’ si nt e r v i e wc l i ps ha v ehe a di ng sl i k e“ I nf l ue nc eoft heI s l e y s ”a nd “ Br ot he r s . ”I t ’ sni c et oha v et hos ehe a di ng st o c l i c kons oy oudo n’ tha v et ol i s t e nt ot hewhol e thing, and you know what to expect. KH RICK JAMES –Millennium (MVD) This best-of DVD naturally starts out with “ Supe rFr e a k . ”It looks so 80s that Rick James is like a caricature of himself, or like Eddie Mur p hyi ndr a g .He ’ sha v i ngwa yt oomuc hf un, too; women colorfully made-up wearing hot pink and turquoise spandex and silver studs dance around him doing head jerks and hip hops. He has glitter on his face and long braids flying around. Much better than video of him, bloated, s a y i ng“ Coc a i ne ’ sahe l l uv adr ug …”Then he doe s“ Gi v eI tt oMe ,Ba by , ”f ol l owe dby “ St a ndi ngOnt heTo p”wi t ht heTe mpt a t i ons .I n

that video Rick James is on a separate platform in a blue spotlight, and the 7 members of the Temptations are all in tuxes and spinning in uni s o n.Od d.Het he ndoe s“ Ebony Ey e s ”with Smokey Robinson, and finishes wit h“ Gl ow. ” Fun and nostalgic. KH LYDIA LUNCH - presents Willing Victim / The Audience As A Whipping Boy (MVD) Lydia's a slightly bulbous skank who went to the Yoko Ono school of obnoxious vocals. This 13 song DVD was filmed in Graz, Austria on June 21, 2003. It truly is an unforgettable performance but not in a good way. I can't get her "cat in heat" wailing out of my head and I only sat through the first three cuts. This is only speculation on my part but I strongly suspect that sitting through this entire collection of noise art could lead to permanent dementia and chronic drizzling shits. JV

a l t e r na t ev i de of or“ Wa r r i or soft heWor l d Uni t e d. ”The2nd DVD is Behind the Scenes, including the Hell On Earth III release party, and TV show footage t ha ti nc l u de s“ Touc hMyTi t s . ” Ge e ,Iwonde rwha tt ha to ne ’ sa bout.

Both DVDs are subtitled in 12 languages! And i ft ha t ’ snote no ug hMANOWARf ory ou, there’ sa l s oab on usCDwi t h“ Ki ngofKi ng s ” from their new album MANOWAR. Very nice package design as well, like they used to have on those round black vinyl things called record albums. You take the little book out of its case, unfold it and there’ sapi c t ur eoft hea udi e nc e , split down the middle. Open those and you get the 4 band members, one on each panel, and when you open the first 3 panels each one slides the disc out for you to grab. The 4th panel has a pamphlet with concert pix and illustrated discography. Two horns up! KH MUSHROOMHEAD - Volume 1 (Filthy Hands Co.) On the road with the band that everyone loves to hate, it's time for some good old fashioned nasty ass black metal, smothered in syrupy pop background vocals. You won't know if you're shittin' or cumin' and I'll never tell.

Proceed at your own risk. JV ORGY - 1997 to 2004 (D1 Music & Associates) This documentary DVD contains 2 plus hours of up close and personal behind the scenes action from 1997 to 2004, including studio, backstage, tour bus antics, live performance clips, and as an extra-added bonus, the bands entire music video collection and a remix version of "Pure." JV

MANOWAR (Magic Circle Music/SPV) It’ sa2-DVD set. The Main Program, 32 cuts of concert footage and other stuff, starts with Hell On Earth Part IV. In the “ Con do mHe a d”c l i p,a concertgoer has managed to fit a condom over his head, covering his nose and ears. He proceeds to blow it up, laboriously, holding his ears and blowing thru his nose. When he finally gets it inflated some one pops it with a cigarette, and the scene explodes from flames into concert footage. Manowar, clad entirely in black, blasts “ Ki ng sofMe t a l .”The audience, clad entirely in black, is all holding up arms in horned salute.

There are clips of Manowar on German TV, where the host asks if loud music will damage their hearing. Joey Demaio says that the vibrations make all the female fans have orgasms. While the host laughs, Joey and Scott Columbus put their shoes up on the table, and “ BI G–DICK –ME –TOO”i swr i t t e na c r os s the soles of thei r4s h oe s .The r e ’ sa l s oan

PIANO ..The Melody Of A Young Girl's Heart... - Movement 2: Confessions (The Right Stuf) A very cutsie manga adventure about two junior high school friends, Yuuki and Miu, mooning over boys and struggling with what seem like major life altering decisions. Kind of like a cartoon soap opera for teenage girls. Okay, so I thought it was pretty entertaining too but I'll deny it to my grave. I can't wait for the next chapter to come out so I can see what happens at Miu's big piano recital. Did I just say that? I really need to get a life. JV PUNK ROCK HOLOCAUST – Punk’ s Not Dead... But Its About To Be..

(Backseat Conceptions & Springman Records) A Troma inspired "horror" movie about the 2003 Warp Tour that has to be seen to be believed.

Murder, mayhem and music, a perfect punk trifecta. I laughed, I cried, I pissed my pants.

Okay, so maybe the excessive beer consumption contributed to my leaky bladder but don't let that stop you from checking this shit out. Features the melancholy sounds of ANDREW WK, HORRORPOPS, ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES, SUICIDE MACHINE and a whole lot more, plus a bonus DVD thrown in with episode one of a five episode series called Punk Rock Holocaust 2 that can be found on Kazaa.com. JV

RUSH - 30th Anniversary World Tour (Anthem) With 2 DVDs, a double CD and 2 guitar picks thrown in for good measure, there's a ton of good shit in this multi-disc collection. To be more precise, it's great to see all the old footage from the vault but some of the newer live stuff really lacks the energy of their youth. I loved the vocal ad lib by the rhythm guitar dude in "Closer To The Heart", right before the big guitar solo. All in all, a must have for collectors of classic rock shlock. JV THE SELECTER – Live From London (MVD) Solid British electric ska band (no brass, just guitars and keyboards) with a funky looking dude on vocals, dressed like Frank Sinatra, who turns out to be a woman in man's clothing.

Features a biography, 15 infectious tracks filmed at Dingwalls, London and an interview with cross dressing lead singer, Pauline Black. I really liked the music but lose the suit, Pauline, and put on a freakin' dress. Better yet, show us your tits!!!!! JV CARLY SIMON – A Moonlight Serenade On the Queen Mary 2 (CMV) Some lucky ducks on a cruise ship got to see and hear this concert? Some of the songs seem pretty crusty, but who goes on cruise ships anyway? Probably old people and newlyweds.

She looks and sounds like Carly but only about 3 songs of the 20 are hers; the rest are –well, let me just lis taf e w:“ IOnl yHa v eEy e sForYou , ” “ Al lt heThi ng sYouAr e , ”a nd“ I ’ v eGotYou Unde rMySk i n. ”OKId on’ tk no wi ft hi sDVD was actually filmed/recorded on the Queen Mary 2,b utIwi l ls a yt ha tIt hi nki t ’ sag oodc h oi c ef or anyone who wished Carly would sing the old songs they remember while they ate shrimp cocktail. K? KH SHINGU – Secret Of The Stellar Wars (The Right Stuf) The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of some manga cartoon characters. I guess we're all screwed. But seriously folks, this one's kind of hard to follow. From what I could tell, there's a galactic federation that stages giant spaceship showdowns with rival intergalactic gangs and for some unexplained reason, they have to conduct them over China. I guess they went for the biggest audience possible. Get it? 'Cause China's so overpopulated? Ahhh, never mind. JV THUNDERS, KANE & NOLAN – Yo uCan’ tPutYourAr msAr oundA Memory (MVD) Filmed live at the Roxy in 1987, these ex-Dolls are as embraceable as they ever were. The title characters are all dead except Kane; rhythm guitar player Barry Jones still walks the earth too but besides this I never heard of him. Johnny comes out smoking a cig and playing guitar to

“ Pi pel i ne , ”whi c hs o un dsal otl i k e“ Se c r e t Ag e ntMa n. ”Ont hi sDVDThu n de r si sf a i r l y alert and not falling down. They do the Dolls hit “ Pe r s o na l i t yCr i s i s , ”s omeHe a r t br e a k e r shi t s , a ndma nyofJ ohnny ’ sownwr e t c he ds o ng swi t h ripped-off blues riffs. Also some very bad covers of R & B songs, and an acoustic set with at r ul yhor r i bl er e ndi t i o nof“ Ev eofSe duc t i o n” ( s i c ) .BobDy l a nhea i n’ t ,t ha nkg od.

Finally the acoustic set ends and the band is plugged back in f or“ Gr e e nOni ons . ”J o hn nys i ng st he He a r t br e a k e r s ’“ J unk i eBus i ne s s ”qui t eba dl y , whe r e ’ sWa l t e rLur e ?Then Johnny appears in a tricorn Paul Revere and the Raiders hat and de s t r oy s“ Mi dni g htHo ur ”i nme mor a bl ef a s hi on.

The title cut is as wretched as originally intended. I fy ou’ r enotJ oh nny -ed out by the end oft hi so ne ,Ido n’ twa ntt ok n owwha ty our problem is. Very enjoyable. KH

commentary by SV that you can turn on or leave off. I saved that for later. KH TESTAMENT –Live In London (Eagle Vision) They sound alot like FOZZY on meth with a sore throat. Okay, so the lead singer really plays a mean air mic stand, I'll give'em that, but he’ s still no Chris Jericho. Hey, it's just your typical demonic electric circus music. 14 frenzied mugs of bile featuring "Into The Pit", "Practice What You Preach" and "Over the Wall". Oh yeah, there's some interview footage too. JV

TURBONEGRO –The ResErection (Bitzcore) The sad sad tale of a Norwegian punk band who almost make it to the top, only to break up due to t hel e a ds i ng e r ’ sdr uga ddi c t i on .

Ohn o,i t ' snot sad that they broke up. The real tragedy is that they get back together again. They make a career out of screaming the word "erection" while the lead guitarist plays 3 seconds of Jimmy Page's speed lick over and over and over again. 110 minutes of complete and utter bull shit. JV

SUZANNE VEGA – Retrospective: The Videos of Suzanne Vega (UMe/Universal Music) A great bunch of videos. Ms. Vega wrote all 16 songs (some co-wr i t t e n) .The“ Luc a ”v i de o,i n grainy black and white with a jangling guitar, Suz a nneVe g a ’ swor ds ,a ndhe rv oi c e , give me goos e bumps .“ Tom’ sDi ne r ”(also known as “ That Doot-De-Doo-Doot, Doot-De-Doo-Doot Song From The Car Comme r c i a l ” ), there are dancers filmed in black and white, and Suzanne dances in color and sepia. Forks drum on a j uk e box .Thes o ng ’ sa bouthe rbe i ngac us t ome r in a diner and people don’ ts e ehe r .Atthe end ofbot hoft he s e ,s hel ook sl i k es h e ’ sa boutt o c r y .For“ Bl o odMa k e sNoi s e , ”the images are more edgy and colorful to match the song. You see gears and primary-colored outlines of men climbing stairs.“ I ’ dl i k et ohe l py ou,doc t or ; ” the words r us ho utf a s t e rt ha nt hebe a t .The r e ’ s also an alternative video for “ Ca r a me l , ”a nda

WEATHER REPORT GIRL (The Right Stuf) Manga for the 17+ crowd, it's a cartoon movie about the cut throat business of weather reporting. Who'd a thunk this kind of stuff goes on behind the scenes at a Japanese TV station? If you're into potty humor, cartoon titties, lesbian S&M and oral sex then this little soap opera ought to really float your boat (like it did mine).

JV

Videotape Review ELKLAND - Apart (Columbia Records) FLOCK OF SEAGULLS wannabes without the gaudy makeup. Thankfully, this is a 3:24, one song demo. Any longer than that and I would have had to wash my ears out with ignited lighter fluid to remove the taint from my ear drums. When did it become cool to be a gay preppy prick? Just give me 5 minutes in the moshpit with these nerdy pukes and I'll straighten' em right out with a little five knuckle shuffle to their foreheads. JV

Editorial PAYOLA ALIVE AND WELL IN THE MUSIC BIZ I nr eadi ngheadl i nesi nBost on’ sf r eedai l ypaperMet r oon726-05, music giant (recording industry titan, giant sleazebags, or whatever euphonious appellation you prefer) Sony BMG was fined for paying radio stations to play whatever music Sony told them to. They were fined $10 Million for Payola practices after losing a civil suit in the state of New York.

Metro reported that others are to follow so this should not be interpreted as Sony being the only one. Just like Buddy Cianci i sn’ tt heonl yMayorwhobentl awst oachi evet hi ngs.Payol a i sn’ tdead,i tneverdi ed,andt hi sr ul i ngwon’ tst opi tei t heri n my humble opinion. $10 mil to Sony is like 60 dollars to me.

Sony BMG Music Entertainment owns several record labels including: Arista Records, Columbia Records, Sony Music International, and Jive Records. (So what does BMG stand for? Big Music Giants? Big Money Giver? Boogey Man Granola?) Apparently what Sony (and other music giants) stands for is forcing huge main stream stars down our throats; stars the music industry already created by shoving them down our throat s.Andwhat ’ swi t ht hat“ Musi c Ent er t ai nment ”i nt hei rname? Doest hatmeant hei rpr oduct s are Music in the same way that wrestling is considered a Sport –by adding the word Entertainment?

And who do they pay the $10 Million to? Not Stubble!

Do we get free review copies from record companies, yes we do. Free concert tickets for review? Yup! But never have we allowed any perceived perk change the reviews our writers submit. I am not trying to make Stubble sound Pure or a model of Decency because we ar enot .I ’ mj ustsayi ngwecan not be bought (or threatened by idiots who send us hate mail for not agreeing with a review one of our writers wrote, a review is an opinion not absolute truth). And really folks I will not refuse to review releases or cover Sony artists or deliberately trash them because of this. This zine is going to continue as it always has. We review what we receive. No except i onunl essi t ’ sademoornoncommer ci alr el ease.They are not alone.

Ohwel l ,i tdoesn’ tmat t er ,asl ongasSonypays the fine the world is once again safe for democracy. Which is just two wol vesandasheepvot i ngondi nneranyway.I t ’ snotl i ke anyone is surprised that the music industry is corrupt and full ofasshol es.I ’ m not !

Smithereens frontman Pat DiNizzo once told me in an interview that he would like to be known as one of the nice people in the dirtiest business in the world. That business is t heent er t ai nmenti ndust r y.I t ’ swhatt heyar e,i t ’ swhatt hey do. When big money is involved, assholes follow the money.

Can you say American Idol?

And by the way, could the Metro newspaper have chosen a better picture to go with their story, than a photo of Br i t neySpear s? Br i t neySpear si sonSony’ sJi veRecor ds label, and she needs the publicity, right? So, Metro news, what did Sony pay you?I ’ m onl yki ddi ng!Il over eadi ng your free zine (yeah I called it a zine). Ken Zebbyn- Editor And Another Thing How about that Howard Stern? Now people have to get Pay Radio to hear him be offensive –i ft heywantt o.I ’ m just glad that Free Radio is safe again. I can push any button I want and –yaay –no fear of Howard rearing his ugly head. KH

Book Reviews Ballpark Blues A novel by C. W. Tooke Doubleday, 2003 This novel is narrated by a fictitious sports writer who forges a relationship with a phenomenal Red Sox baseball player, also fictitious. I nawayt hat ’ si nt er est i ngbecauset hi sbookwas written before the Sox won the World Series. The writer in question eventually lands, then throws away, a job with Sports Illustrated. He also lands, then gives away, an intriguing and speci alwoman,whoj ustsohappenst obet hephenom’ s foster-care sibling. So did he give up the job he should have loved to keep The Girl? That feels right, but then he gives her away to the ballplayer, Casey in an improbable scene at the airport. This last-minute switch, the ballplayer instead of the writer, is an arrangement improbably and instantly accepted by all three people involved. The ballplayer and gets the girl and they fly off into the sunset, to Honduras to work with underprivileged children. Yeah, right. That scene was about asconvi nci ngast heaut hor ’ scl ai mt obeanat i veBost oni an who lives in San Francisco, California. The author consistently misspells Landsdowne Street, which is right next to Fenway Park. You know, where they have all the Red Sox souvenirs. Anywr i t er ,eveni fhedoesn’ tcl ai mt obef r om Boston, oughtta know better. He’ spr obabl yacl osetYankee Fan. KH Using Your Art and the Media to Comfort People

by Anne Leighton Published by Free To Run, 2005 A large-f or matpaper backi nt endedt ohel pot her s“ f eelbet t er , ” I ’ m pr et t ysur et hi sbookwasconcei vedi nr esponset ot he events of September 11th 2001. Most of the fun, accessible illustrations are by Athena Schaffer and depict friends, music, and often cats. This book deserves a second glance, as it actually could give someone ideas on how to help a friend in need of comfort, such as reading to them or bringing them flowers. This advice is intermingled with ideas on getting media coverage for various projects you might want to do to help others. And I learned that Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull apparently loves cats (too). KH

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