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from The Entertainer! July 2020

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE JULY 2020 MUSIC

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THAT ‘ROCKER GUY’ Andre Comeau pushes ‘The Real World’ behind him with new EP

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Four years ago, former Reigndance vocalist Andre Comeau was playing in an acoustic folk band. Then, inexplicably, he felt the pings of hard rock again.

Encouraged by Thom Hazaert and David Ellefson of Megadeth, who run EMP Label Group, Comeau released the EP “Wrong Within,” five songs of straightforward, Southern-tinged hard rock, in mid-June.

“I met Thom many years back when he was still living in LA,” says Comeau, known as the “rocker guy” on the first season of MTV’s “The Real World.”

“We talked a bit, and when I had the new album finished, a friend of mine reconnected us—Thom and I—and one thing led to another. I met up with David Ellefson and Thom when they were here in LA. We met at the Rainbow and had a lot of fun hanging out with those guys. I’m super excited to put this EP out on the label.”

Comeau says the break from rock music and its inevitable return were conscious changes.

“It was really a natural progression,” Comeau says. “I write all my songs on acoustic guitar. I wasn’t terribly thrilled with the direction of rock at that time. I felt a real connection to some of the acoustic music I was listening to.

“I continued along the folk path for many years. It wasn’t until maybe 2015 when I quite unexpectedly started writing rock songs again. There was no point in trying to bend those to fit my then-current folk leanings. I put a rock band together to record them and flush them out.”

The move made Comeau realize how much he missed rock music. He’s so inspired that he already has 20 songs written for the next album and five of them are recorded.

The delivery of his new songs is quite different from the Dylanesque approach of his folk tunes. He sings in a much higher register and, in some cases, “scream my head off.”

“I missed it,” Comeau says with a laugh. “I certainly missed performing in that high-energy way and playing loud instruments. Playing in this rock genre allows me to open up my voice, just really open it up and let it fly. I would liken it to taking a fast car out on the freeway and seeing what it can do. That’s how I feel about playing rock. That’s where I shine.”

When Comeau was on “The Real World” and playing with Reigndance with Dean Fertita (who’s now in Queens of the Stone Age and the Dead Weather), fans and critics didn’t give their music much of a chance. Comeau is hoping with “The Real World” eons behind him that will change.

“Other than being a musician, which I will always be—hopefully, anyway—I can’t see that anything from then is all that relevant,” he says.

Born in ’70s-era Detroit to a family of touring musicians, Comeau grew up steeped in all genres of music. Possessed with an instinctual sense of melody and dynamics, he has music in his blood.

Reigndance ignited but quickly outgrew the burgeoning Detroit music scene of the early ’90s. Shortly after relocating to New York, Comeau was chosen to be a cast member “The Real World.” After three records and extensive touring, Reigndance disbanded in 1997.

“Reigndance was really a great band, and we took it up the mountain,” he says. “And I’m extremely proud of everything we did. And we’ve all continued to be successful in our individual pursuits after. ‘The Real World’ thing, for a long time, was something I disconnected with, and at the time, it was really its own thing. For a long time, I didn’t even talk about it.

Comeau relocated to Los Angeles and took up folk music via River Rouge in the 2000s. They released a handful of well-received albums and became a highlight of the Los Angeles club scene but disbanded in 2016.

“I have always been a fan of Andre’s music, which, of course, I discovered through ‘The Real World,’” Hazaert says.

“Reigndance was a great rock band, and, from a distance, I have perpetually kept up with his musical endeavors over the years. While we had discussed briefly working together during the early 2000s, which ultimately never came to fruition as he transitioned away from rock for a season. I’m extremely excited that it has come together now the way it has. Andre has always been an extremely gifted songwriter and a true entertainer.”

Andre Comeau

facebook.com/ andrecomeaumusic/ emplabelgroup.com facebook.com/emplabelgroup Listen to “Son of a Gun” at youtu.be/hhFHI3k05dI

Dr. Immanuel Abraham found his calling with a damaged violin

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Dr. Immanuel Abraham questioned everything throughout his troubled childhood. However, when he obtained his first violin from the Salvation Army, his life had purpose.

The instrument was broken, like him. It only had three strings and was stored in a pillowcase. There wasn’t even a sound post.

“The violin wasn’t in a condition that made it possible to play,” Abraham says.

He took advantage of an offer for free lessons at the Chicago nonprofit Merit School of Music, which eventually loaned him a violin in much better condition.

The teacher said she liked his attitude. Abraham recalls him being “musically illiterate. I couldn’t read music.” Still, he studied five to six hours a day. His life was devoted to the instrument.

“In that time, the teacher said if I kept up that attitude and progress, she would be happy to keep teaching me for free. It was the first time I felt safe and not afraid,” says the Tucson resident.

Recently, Abraham earned his doctorate in violin performance at the UA. He’s been twice featured on PBS Arizona, and he was concertmaster of the Arizona Symphony Orchestra, the Arizona Contemporary Ensemble and the Arizona Theater Company. He’s the resident composer and music director for Miraval Resort and Scoundrel & Scamp Theater company.

Abraham came from a near-homeless family in inner-city Chicago, where he was subject to violence and injury. He began playing music in 2005 and started touring the world—even though he picked up the violin at age 14.

“Quickly, the violin became my best friend,” he says. “Within a year of picking it up, I went to arts camp in (Blue Lake) Michigan and I played my first symphony with a full symphony. That was a lifechanging experience for me.”

He began music studies under former Chicago Civic Orchestra concertmaster Professor Guillaume Combet through the Merit School of Music Conservatory.

In three years, he became concertmaster of several youth ensembles, including the Merit Symphony Orchestra, and assistant concertmaster of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra during the Chicago Festival of Youth in Music. The festival was conducted by the worldrenowned Gustavo Dudamel.

Abraham became the first high schooler to serve as youth symphony concertmaster at Blue Lake, with whom he spent two months touring Europe.

“I wanted that more than anything I ever wanted before,” he says. “When I got the music for the audition at the camp, I not only learned the music but I committed two hours of repertoire completely to memory.

“To this day, I don’t think I ever learned anything as thoroughly as those audition excerpts. Impossibly good things seemed to happen. I got out of the projects. I slept in a bed. This was a chance for me to have a totally different life. Music opened those doors. I used to think I hated classical music.”

Abraham says he used to make fun of classical music because he believed it didn’t have a beat.

“I thought I knew what a beat was,” he says. “But I didn’t. It wasn’t groovy. It was only for elevators. I had no idea. Now, every performance lights my body up with goosebumps in ways I never experienced before.”

After graduating high school in Chicago, he headed to the University of Michigan, a decision that made him a bit self-conscious.

“I didn’t have a computer or a cellphone that I could rely on,” he says. “At the UM that year (2009), they were ranked on par with Juilliard. I didn’t know that when I went there.

“At that point, I had gotten to a bit of a cocky point in my musical development. The first day of school, I saw the level of the students who were there. They were child prodigies. It was immediately stressful and dampened my ego.”

He recalls he thought to himself, “I worked as hard as humanly possible, only to be the worst. The discipline that was required, I didn’t go to a single party. I knew I couldn’t screw this up.”

Graduating with highest honors, Abraham continued violin studies at the University of Michigan under Naumberg award winner Andrew Jennings. That’s when he explored the electric violin. He returned to Blue Lake to teach violin and took a job with the Sphinx Organization, a Detroit-based national organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts.

“They’re a really, really remarkable organization,” he says.

Abraham then accepted an offer from UA to teach music, jazz history, pop music history, counterpoint music theory and the history of American pop music in exchange for tuition.

“In the words of ‘The Godfather,’ it was an offer I could not refuse,” he says with a laugh.

His first year in Arizona, he won the UA 2015 Concerto Competition with the Brahms Violin Concerto premiering his own cadenzas. He graduated from UA summa cum laude with a doctorate in violin performance. To this day, he’s still enthralled with the violin.

“Everyone thinks the violin is something that stayed the same for a half a millennium,” he says. “It has not. It’s 2,000 years old. It originated in Mongolia. The Stradivari family was inspired by a Middle Eastern instrument that later became a violin.

“A Baroque violin is as different from a modern violin as a harpsicord is from a modern concert grand. My thesis was based upon an object analysis of Bach’s violin work and hypothesizing what he would have written had he had access to the modern violin. To this day, I’m obsessed.”

LAMB OF GOD ON LOCKDOWN Bassist hopes fans enjoy the new album during these historic times

By Alex DiStefano

This month, acclaimed American heavy metal band Lamb of God should have been on a nationwide tour with Megadeth, Trivium and In Flames, marking the genre’s biggest jaunt of the year.

But, due to the COVID-19 pandemic—like most tours—the run was postponed until perhaps 2021.

Lamb of God’s bassist John Campbell is in lockdown like the rest of the band, in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia.

“I have two kids, who are 9 and 12, so I have been the family man during the lockdown and quarantine,” Campbell says.

“That has certainly kept me busy, which is a good thing. I take my kids on walks and we go to the store, but that’s about it. We’re trying to be safe.”

Campbell says he passes time like most people.

“I’m just trying to keep from going insane,” he says, “Of course, I play music but also watch TV and some movies. I read as well and recently re-read “Animal Farm” by Orwell, and it seems relevant to today.”

Lamb of God’s tour would have promoted its eighth album, a self-titled effort. It is traditional groove metal, mixed with hints of death metal and thrash, proving that Lamb of God is a powerful, relevant band—a modern force to be reckoned with in heavy metal music. This new slab of brutality is the first to feature drummer Art Cruz.

“Working with Art both playing live shows and on this record was amazing,” Campbell says. “I got to say he was a positive dude, always full of energy. For us, we have all been at it for a while, so it was new and exciting to have a set of fresh eyes. Art has been a fan, listening to Lamb of God growing up trying to emulate that in his drumming. So far, for us all, it’s been a great transition. He’s been a real pro to play with. We’ve all enjoyed it.”

Campbell says he and his bandmates are eager to share the record live.

“We hope fans will enjoy it,” Campbell says. “So far, we’ve gotten good feedback. I’m proud of this album, I know it’s cliché, but this is the best we’ve done. We put so much time effort and energy into it and we can’t wait to get back on the road and play some of these songs for our fans from the West Coast to the East Coast.”

Lamb of God’s live performances are known for their intense mosh pits and infamous “Wall of Death.” So, will Lamb of God bring it to small screens?

“Personally, I don’t know if us performing on a stream or whatever live streaming would work,” Campbell says. “When we play a show, it’s all about the energy of the crowd. The fans in the audience, they carry the magic and power of our time on stage. I don’t know how it would come across online with no audience. It would just be like a rehearsal. It would take a lot of convincing for me personally to do it, but we have not talked about it as a band.”

Campbell is frustrated by the lack of a timeline for the return of live events.

“That part really sucks. I don’t know when I’m going to be able to go to work,” Campbell says. “But safety has to come first. We can’t see ourselves playing any significant show until things calm down and it’s safe with a vaccine or something. The music business is very volatile. You never know when something crazy is going to happen that will threaten the business model. But, as a band, this is not the first time we’ve been in a grim situation where we didn’t know the outcome.”

He’s referring to lead singer Randy Blythe’s arrest on manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic after a 19-year-old fan died from injuries sustained during a Lamb of God show. Blythe spent five weeks in custody but was subsequently acquitted.

“We can’t tell you when things will be over or how things will play out,” Campbell continues about the pandemic. “Right now it’s just a waiting game, and it sucks, but we’re just here just trying to focus on a better future. I know I am not alone. There are people suffering way worse. I am not unique in my struggles. We’re all in this together, and we’ll all see how this will play out.”

Some artists have hosted social distancing live events or drive-in concerts. However, Campbell says this wouldn’t work with Lamb of God.

“Right now, it is a scary time, and this is a virus you don’t want to get,” Campbell says. “We all just need to focus on staying safe and healthy as individuals and as a species in general. When the time is safe, we will be back to play shows again.”

In the meantime, Campbell enjoys his time with the family and being a father during these tumultuous times.

“My kids understand what’s happening out there, but I try to make sure they know this is not normal,” he says. “We’re here in Richmond, Virginia. There are lots of protestors out here, and there are lots of historic statues that are ‘artistically being adding to’ by some protestors. I took my kids out there one day when it was safe and not too crazy. We all wore masks. I just wanted them to understand the historical significance of the times we’re living in. They’re not going to forget this. I want them to remember. We are reliving history in a way.”

By Alex DiStefano

Agnostic Front singer Roger Miret says his New York hardcore band is feeling the pain of the pandemic and race riots. A 13-year resident of Arizona—most recently Scottsdale—Miret has been on lockdown with his wife and kids.

“Our air conditioning just blew out, too, which is bad timing,” Miret says. “Other than that, we’re good. But we’re all here just worried, waiting and wondering what’s coming next.”

Agnostic Front features vocalist Miret, original guitarist Vinnie Stigma, along with additional guitarist Craig Silverman, bassist Mike Gallo and drummer Pokey Mo. In the 1980s, Agnostic Front created hardcore with the extreme sounds of punk and fury of metal, crossing over for fans of both.

“Agnostic Front played our last show before the pandemic the last day of January. We were in Europe,” Miret says. “As we speak, we were supposed to be on tour with our friends in Sick of It All, in the U.S., for our new album, called ‘Get Loud.’” Agnostic Front’s monthlong U.S. tour was supposed to start on April 25, but all the dates were rescheduled to 2021, Miret says.

As for now, Miret is happy to be home in Arizona.

“I love living in South Scottsdale,” he says. “I live in Old Town. It’s great. My family and I love it here. The weather is nice, and everything is walking distance. Also, we enjoy the calmness. It’s not New York City where I’m from. Not to say that it’s isolated. We’re a thriving city here, and I also love how there are some music venues here, too. We just love this community.”

Miret says while he would love to get back to the road, Agnostic Front hasn’t considered virtual or streaming gigs.

“We have to feel it,” he says. “That’s how we approach it and work it through with other people in the room. That’s the process. It’s fun but also very personal for us.

“I would rather see bands doing more interviews and Q&As online and using the internet to interact with fans on a more personal level with social media,” Miret says.

When it comes to the future of live music, Miret is not sure social distancing can work at punk rock, hardcore or

heavy metal shows due to the nature of the music.

“We’ll see how everything goes with shows and tours after things calm down a bit and it’s safer,” he says. “At this point, no one really knows. This COVID-19 is a game changer.”

Miret doubts any major concerts or shows will happen until 2021. He thinks smaller clubs will probably open first, but they’ll have to cut their capacity by at least half.

“I always loved clubs and smaller venues for sure over big concerts, but venues and bands are going to have to adapt though this,” he says.

On the plus side, the pandemic has allowed Miret to spend more time with his wife and kids.

“Family life and touring has always been a struggle for me with Agnostic Front,” he says. “Right now, my kids are 10 and 12, and I can’t complain about spending this much time with them.”

Through all the doom and gloom,

news reports and pessimism, Miret prides himself in a positive mental attitude.

“I lived in New York City. I’ve been through some crazy stuff in my life, so I know how to survive,” he says.

“This is going to be a hard one for us all. This is our generation’s hurdle to deal with. I’m just being positive and hoping we can all get through this for my family and for everyone else and their families.”

Miret admits he’s confused about current events, but he tries to keep up to date.

“I don’t know what to expect anymore,” he says. “Everyday something new happens or some different news comes out. But music is one thing that has gotten people through many decades of the hardest times. It unites people for life through tragedies and all, and I hope that is the case for fans of our music.”

The looters in Scottsdale were just as confusing; however, Miret is hoping things have calmed down.

“There were way more peaceful protestors than there were idiots out there during when some of those people started looting and breaking into stores,” Miret says.

“People were there purposefully causing trouble. It was a crowd of knuckleheads at the mall. Our kids were worried. We tried to not let them watch too much TV, but we did explain to them. Luckily for us, where we’re at there were helicopters, but it was definitely more of a protest and a minority that tried to start a riot.”

In the end, optimism is what drives Miret.

“I’ve got to be optimistic,” he says. “Let’s just move ahead in a positive way and hope for the best with this pandemic. Maybe this is just something for us to check ourselves and be better human beings on this planet, to the environment and to each other. This could be a reminder for humanity.”

37 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO GILBY Guitarist doesn’t hold back on new singles

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Guitarist Gilby Clarke has delivered exactly what music fans need this days, he says: hard-driving rock songs—“The Gospel Truth” and “Rock ’n’ Roll is Getting Louder.”

“I’ve been spending my time in a garage, where I work on my motorcycles, making parts with metal,” Clarke says.

“I put on radio stations and there’s just so many categories. I keep hearing the same songs over and over, though, every single day. We need some new rock music. That’s why I’m releasing music. It’s classic rock with a new twist.”

The songs, which are from the forthcoming album “The Gospel Truth,” are somewhat autobiographical for the legendary rocker.

“I did what I wanted to hear in new music,” Clarke says about “Rock ’n’ Roll is Getting Louder,” in particular. “I want it to be loud. I want the guitars to be loud. The things that inspired me are the same as when I was younger. I need to hear some good-moving rock ’n’ roll.

“‘The Gospel Truth’ was a little bit different. I grew up Catholic. I got control over my life and I didn’t have to go to church. I started opening up and exploring new things. My wife is actually Jewish. That is a retrospective look back into what it was like when I was a child and how important it was when I was younger. That Catholic upbringing still kind of sticks with you.”

Clarke played in Guns N’ Roses and The MC5. Before joining the Guns N’ Roses circus, Clarke was Kim Fowley’s go-to session guitarist and ghostwriter in LA. After playing with Hollywood bands Candy and Kill for Thrills, a late-night call from Slash changed everything. Clarke joined Guns in 1991.

He appeared on the band’s “Spaghetti Incident,” “Live Era ’88-’91” and “The Greatest Hits” albums. Clarke spent years on the “Use Your Illusion” tour in the 90s.

After GNR imploded, armed only with his Les Paul, Clarke went back and launched his solo career. Receiving critical winks for his albums “Pawnshop Guitars,” “The Hangover,” “Rubber,” “99 Live” and “Swag,” Clarke spent the lean years recording/or touring with Nancy Sinatra, Heart, The MC5 and his old bandmate Slash’s Snakepit.

Clarke splits his services with Kings of Chaos led by Matt Sorum and all-star alumni that has featured Steven Tyler, Joe Elliott and Gene Simmons and his solo band.

When he recorded the album “The Gospel Truth,” he didn’t realize it had been 17 years between records.

“I was actually at the last Motley Crue concert at the Staples Center quite a few years back,” he recalls. “I ran into a friend. He asked he when I was going to put out another solo record. He told me I needed to write. That clicked with me.

“I started the process of writing and bringing in the guys to play and working on ideas. It started to flow naturally. The process was just about getting the right people. Being a solo act, I’m not really tied to one drummer, one bassist, one guitarist. I can get a drummer who fits the song—whether it’s Kenny Arnoff, Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction or Matt Starr—or Nikki Sixx on bass, or Sean McNabb on bass.”

A solo record is a singular vision and it’s Clarke’s vision. He produces plenty of records, particularly those with younger musicians. He just finished an album with Hillbilly Harold, which he describes as a “good, classic rock AC/ DC-style record. It’s really simple with no deep meaning to it.”

“I like to go back to the core of what’s

important and keep things simple,” he says. “People get distracted so easily that they miss what’s the most important part of the song—the lyric, the guitar riff, whatever. People don’t listen to music the way they used to.

“There’s some great music out there. If you can dive down the wormhole and get it, there’s some great, creative stuff.”

Gilby Clarke

gilbyclarke.com/ smarturl.it/GC-TheGospelTruth

He’s Still in Love

Limahl is ‘too shy,’ though, to listen to his music

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Former Kajagoogoo singer Limahl doesn’t like to hear his voice after he’s laid down the tracks for songs. He fears there’s something he’d want to change, or something he fl at out doesn’t like.

But the platinum-haired singer answers quickly when asked if there’s anything he wants to change about his band’s 1983 new wave hit “Too Shy.”

“Nah,” he emphatically says with a laugh. “When I hear my voice in ’83, it sounds terribly young. Th en I think, ‘Oh yeah, I was young. I was 23.’ I think my voice is like a leather jacket—it’s gotten better with age. When I sing it now, I sing it with a slightly more mature voice.”

Limahl, whose real name is Christopher Hamill, is bringing that “mature voice” to radio waves again with the smoky ballad “Still in Love.” It’s accompanied by an equally smoky video with a couple—professional dancers Cameron Anthony and Eliza Simonelli—performing in an artsy home.

“Th e directors came to me and they suggested the colors,” he says. “I loved that idea. I suggested the dancing. I’m a big fan of dance. I love contemporary, tap and ballet. I know it’s such hard work for dancers. Th ey give the best years of their lives to the skill.”

Th e single’s video had 20,000 views on YouTube within the fi rst fi ve days and every single comment was positive, he says. Limahl has been astounded by the feedback to the song.

“I’m my own worst critic,” he says with a laugh. “I’m quite critical, as most artists are. I don’t listen to my own stuff .”

He blames his return to music on American TV viewers because his songs are frequently used on the small screen. His hits “Neverending Story” and “Too Shy” were rejuvenated after being featured on hit TV series “Black Mirror,” “American Horror Story” and “Stranger Th ings.” He’s not one to rest on his laurels, however.

“I needed an incentive to get back in the studio to write,” he says about “Still in Love,” which hit the streets in June. “Th e American TV shows using my music last year gave me that incentive. Of course, what really sealed the deal was seeing the Spotify views going from 300,000 to 1.5 million, and I thought, ‘OK, people are interested in hearing something new. Come up with the goods.’ Th at was the challenge.”

Th e pandemic was tough for him, like all performers. Every one of his 2020 shows were postponed until next year— so far.

“I had a bunch of stuff in my diary (calendar),” he adds. “I moved out of central London fi ve years ago. I lived in an apartment all my life. I never had a garden.

“Now, I live 2 miles outside of greater London and I love it. Th e fi rst thing I did was collect my lovely 82-year-old mum to stay with me and my partner. I didn’t

want her to be alone for the whole thing, as she’s a widow. We didn’t kill each other. I’m just having a problem staying away from the chocolate—the dark chocolate. I think it’s the endorphins I’m looking for.”

His mother is now staying with his sister, and he’s hoping to have some normality restored by Christmas. But he’s still with his partner.

“I have been blissfully happy with my lovely partner, Steve, for 26 years and in our ‘civil partnership’ for 11 years,” he beams. “I think when you’re young, it’s almost inevitable to go through relationship dramas and make the typical mistakes. Let’s face it, we’ve all had great night of passion and thought, ‘Ooh, is this the one?’ But surprise surprise! After the one hour of hankypanky wears off , there are still 23 more hours in the day.”