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Earning their stripes the old fashioned way Interviews with Warrant, Wednesday l3, Trashlight Vision 3milehigh, Weird Al Yankovic plus CD & Live Reviews
LIMITED EDITION CD AVAILABLE @ www.myspace.com/enemyofthought
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Ten issues, quite a landmark for me (I didn’t think it’d last five!) and this has certainly been the hardest issue to pull together so far. A combination of things, a very busy year for Teenage Casket Company but also I think 2006 seemed pretty quiet for the kind of bands I love to cover in TrashPit. There were very few tours that I really wanted to go see and except for a few strong releases there was a distinct lack of quality albums hitting the streets. Agree? Some of you may or may not be familiar with the band on the cover of this issue and when you realise their debut single was released on TrashPit Records then you’ll probably think it’s some kind of marketing ploy. Yeah, right! Me some kind of record company guru, I seriously doubt it! Anyone who knows me will know there’s very few bands who I really like, I’m just to critical or should that read ‘cynical’ I’m not sure? Anyway,
issue 10
Patchwork Grace are one of the very few bands that have really blown me away these past few years. Both on CD and particularly live they continually impress and their ability to be open to learn and absorb any kind of musical style to better themselves is continually endearing. Anyway, please make up your mind for yourselves as I’m sure they’ll be heading your way soon! So what will 2007 hold in store for this magazine? Well, more releases on the TrashPit Label for one thing with a Compilation CD in the works and hopefully the chance to work with even bigger bands. If I can pull my finger out then things could begin to get really exciting. Keep your eyes and ears peeled. See ya on the ‘Get Happy Tour’ this February!!
• TRASHPIT Issue 10 - Winter 2006/2007 • Editor - ROB LANE • All Articles, Reviews & Photographs by ROB LANE unless otherwise stated. © 2007 TrashPit Magazine Patchwork Grace - Martin Shepherd • Warrant - C. Edwards & C. Franchi / Metaluna 5 Media • 3milehigh Photos courtesy of GMD Wednesday 13 Live Shot - Craig Lamont • Trashlight Vision, Weird Al & Wednesday 13 Promos - Photos supplied • Richard Marx - richardmarx.com Buckcherry - Alison B • Goo Goo Dolls - Michelle Simmons • Hardcore Superstar - Jane Ushwell • Butch Walker - Debbie Austin • Winger - Alex Ruffini
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w e v i D Re s Ashley Parker Angel Soundtrack To Your Life
Bowling For Soup The Great Burrito Extortion Case
Blackground / Universal
Zomba / Sony BMG
Some of you may remember Ashley Parker Angel as the lead vocalist in boy band O-Town who featured in the first 'Making The Band' reality series. Since then it's been a rocky road for the singer, losing his record deal and relocating to LA with a clean slate he's been busy carving his own individual identity. The result is 'Soundtrack To Your Life' a collection of radio friendly rock songs that fans of Butch Walker, Matchbox Twenty and the Goo Goo Dolls will fall in love with if they have enough brains to look past the boy band past. Angel has grown into a strong songwriter with a great knack to pen some great power pop anthems that deserve to open up doors to a future star. Opener 'Let You Go' is an in your face rock tune that instantly grabs you by throat and shows this guy means business. From here you have the stomping title track, the super slick and infectious 'Feel So Alive' and the Beatles pyshadelica of 'Who Cares'. Right through to incredibly touching and subtle album closer 'Apology', Angel has confidently thrown his hat into the contenders ring as being a great rock star in the making. Essential power pop!
The Authentics Blondes Make The Best Victims UNOB
Winters suck, early dark nights stink and crappy weather gets me down so there ain’t no better way to brighten everything up than a brand new Bowling For Soup album. Once again it's a marathon collection of power pop anthems done by the kings of the genre and no other band has the ability to put a smile on your face than these well rounded Texans. Once again the band have struck gold in the pop rock treasure chest and done it so frickin effortlessly. Straight away album opener 'Epiphany' is a clever yet instantly likeable track soon followed by the infectious 'mega hit to be' 'High School Never Ends' which combines throwaway pop hooks with a clever take on growing up. Elsewhere the fun comes in bucket loads with 'I'm Gay', the ass kicking rocker 'Luckiest Loser' and again the Soup can throw in some storming top drawer song writing which will have critics eating their words with 'Why Don't I Miss You?', 'Much More Beautiful Person' and 'When We Die'. Hell, any band that can name check rockers Danger Danger in a song like '99 Biker Friends' are number one in my book. Bowling For Soup without realising it, are probably the best band in the world and manage it by simply being themselves!
Kevin Cahoon & Ghetto Cowboy Doll Anchor C Records
Hard working Leicester rockers The Authentics celebrate an incredibly busy year with the release of their debut album. 'Blondes Make The Best Victims' is an eleven track rocking collection of guitar heavy tunes that whilst lacking instant appeal of bands like The Wildhearts, it's made up for with loads of enthusiasm and energy. There’s tonnes of genuine punk rock flair but it often tries to be a little too clever on arrangements making songs seem overlong when they could be simple throwaway pop. 'Don't Disappear' has a Trashlight Vision feel shortly followed by 'Licence To Chill' working The Wildhearts vocal style to the max. Whilst it's admirable that the band do everything by their own rules, it might be worthwhile getting a producer on board to pull songs apart and channel them into the great band they're easily capable of being.
Exploding out of the normally dark punk filled New York music scene comes Kevin Cahoon and his band Ghetto Cowboy. Riding a brilliantly colourful seventies glam rock vibe with a great modern day power pop feel, Cahoon is indeed a rock star in the making. The sound of the album chops and changes, hinting at elements of Suede and a heavily melodic My Chemical Romance vibe particularly on the title track and ‘Fashionista. Other tracks such as ‘Bitch’ has more of a venomous bite in Cahoon’s vocals and things rarely let up until ‘Star Ballad’ which grabs at Bowie’s coattails with talk of outer space adventures and wouldn’t be out of place on the first Robin Black CD. Certainly with the right exposure Cahoon could easily be launched into the mainstream and beyond!
Enemy Of Thought Enemy Of Thought
Miles Hunt Interloper Live 2006
www.eot.org.uk
IRL
Liverpool based metal band formed by guitarist Pete Frank and drummer Norman Walker from the ashes of the band Contagious back in 2004. The band name and logo perhaps may conjure up an impression of thrash or brooding heavy metal but this debut six track EP delivers more of a melodic and groove based metal in the mould of solo Ozzy with a Stone Temple Pilots twist. 'I Am' and 'Ever Again' display the band's strong knack of delivering hook laden choruses without having to sacrifice any energy or distortion filled power and the sound has a great crossover potential for both old and young rock fans. The second half of the EP with songs such as 'Who The Hell Are You?' and 'You Don't Hear' maybe lack the polish and instant attention of the early stronger material but still hold the solid grooves and in your face attitude. It's only a shame that they EOT constantly seem to clutter up their identity with jokey, laddish humour that whilst may be fun, it also takes the shine off what could be a band that could easily go on to becoming a solid, quality staple of the UK's underground metal scene.
Goo Goo Dolls Let Love In Warner Bros. It seems that before the release of each Goo Goo Dolls album there's always talk of the Buffalo band trying something new and going in a different direction away from their million selling mainstream style of the past decade. The last few albums have seen the band hit on a formula of churning out endless anthemic radio friendly hits and felt it was now time to challenge themselves a little more. This is something I personally was excited about and on first listen to this new album I was maybe a little disappointed. 'Let Love In' is perhaps the bands most mainstream collection of songs to date and one that conforms more to 'the formula' than ever before. That said, whilst at times it may seem to have a huge record company thumb print on it with the inclusion of their cover of 'Give A Little Bit' smack bang in the middle, after a few listens you begin to realise that this is maybe the bands most personal and epic album so far. Lead singles 'Stay With You', 'Let Love In' and the huge 'Better Days' are top draw, melodic rock gold - songs that no other band on earth could match, fact! Fans of recent albums and mainstream America will no doubt devour this album, whilst the rest of us, at first may feel let down but in time will realise how strong this album really is.
An acoustic live album from The Wonderstuff frontman Miles Hunt is an effectively uplifting, funny, touching and at times emotional time capsule of songs. Like the gigs themselves it's the crowd interaction and general musings that Hunt delivers between songs that are the real gems and the songs almost become a background soundtrack. But what a soundtrack, right from 'Circlesquare' and 'Caught In My Shadow' right through to more recent numbers such as 'Rubbish Island', it's a strong retrospective into The Wonderstuff back catalogue. As expected it's the tributes, 'For Gilks and Jonesy' and the brilliant 'Room 512' to drummer Martin Gilks who passed away in early 2006 that give the album its mark of individuality. Hunt is open in his lyrics and doesn't shy away or try to gloss over past situations, instead paying a genuine tribute to friends and band members. A totally essential piece of Wonderstuff history that encompasses all you want it to and sees a songwriter at one with his past and summing it all up as he tells us "Life takes you strange places and you end up being someone you never thought you'd be, and alarmingly when you get there, it feels alright".
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Neil Leyton The Betrayal Of The Self Fading Ways
One of the industries most hardworking personalities both on stage and behind the scenes, Neil Leyton, returns with a brand new album recorded back in October of 2005 but only now surfacing on his own Fading Ways Record Label. Leyton’s style hasn’t always been the most accessible and demands numerous plays to gain it’s rewards but this new album is helped along with the likes of the Tom Petty-esque ‘When a Ghost Flies Young’ which has a more instant upbeat pop feel and ‘Done This One Before’ with it’s Rolling Stones laid back swagger. With thirteen tracks to soak up, The Betrayal Of The Self, certainly takes you on a journey with Leyton as your guide and fans of bands such as The Killers, The Strokes or even perhaps The Quireboys who are wanting something a little more challenging yet familiar, could find more than enough to enjoy with Leyton at the healm.
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Mean Blue Days Mean Blue Days
Poets & Pornstars Poets & Pornstars
Mojo Vegas
Karmagun Records
Mean Blue Days is the brand new power pop project from Martino Hroncich and it's a total blast of fun that fans of 40ft Ringo and Marvelous 3 will go mad for. Convenient then that this EP has been produced, engineered and mixed by Steve Brown who many will know as being the 40ft Ringo frontman and former Trixter guitarist. Anyone visiting the Mean Blue Days website and a quick read through his bio will realise that Martino has his tongue firmly planted in his cheek but the songs themself mean big business. Vocalist Bobby Valante sounds suspiciously like Steve Brown himself as his rips through the hook laden 'First Time In My Life' and 'You're So Cool' and each song delivers loads of attitude and a great vibe. It's the laid back and melodic '2nd Avenue' though that steals the show. Hopefully this could develop into something more than a studio project as the songs would soar in a live format and a full album to this standard would be a great prospect indeed. Come on Martino, bring the band together, give Steveo a call and get out there kicking ass live.
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www.trashpit.co.uk Mojo Rib In For Sin
Nuthing Sacred Mojo Rib are your first class ticket to a Saturday night in Hollywood. It's plain and simple rock and roll with as many LA, Hollywood and Sunset Strip references you could ever ask for. Much like their debut album back in 2003, Mojo Rib are still a balls to the wall combination of AC/DC and Van Halen. Straight ahead rock with big guitars and screeching vocals which often scrape on Judas Priest territory and constantly blasting out stories of late nights, lots of drinking and hot women. Think of maybe a more full bodied, can I even say mature, version of Jackyl, and you'll be somewhere near. Not particularly ground breaking or original stuff but do you ever think about things like that when you're kicking back beers in a sweaty bar late at night - no, I didn't think so! Check out on 'On The Grift' with it's sleazy, Aerosmith fuelled stomp with a cool laid back hook or maybe 'Skeezer' which takes a fun look at some low life thinking he's 'the man' and on Hollywood's A List - far from it according to the Rib guys! Pick up a slice and you'll be transported to a booze fuelled world where rock and roll still rules and Mojo Rib are the kings!
Currently hot property on the LA music scene, Poets & Pornstars feature vocalist Hal Ozsan, born in Cyprus but raised in Essex, who eventually relocated to LA in the late nineties landing several acting roles and chasing his rock and roll dream. The result is Poets & Pornstars who have played and sold out most of Sunset Strip's world famous clubs and have also shared the stage with the likes of Bon Jovi and Buckcherry to name but a few big names. The album itself is a polished rock and roll workout which fans of bands such as Road Star and Thunder, straight ahead British styled rock with an American shine coated on top, will adore. For the most part it's enjoyable but nothing to really ignite a fire and it's incredibly safe. 'Get Your Kicks' gets things off to a rolling start and the band try out numerous styles with both rock and funk and can serve up a strong, unique ballad in 'Inflatable Girl'. You can't really fault what the band are doing, it's all great musicianship and strong songs but whether they
Poison The Best of Poison 20 Years of Rock Capital Poison were more often than not, branded as an Hair Metal band who were more about image than songs. This collection of twenty years worth of material is perhaps the biggest screw you possible to anyone who thought there was any truth in that comment. Listening back to songs that are two decades old and have them sound so fresh and exciting is a true testament to the fact that Poison are perhaps one of the most underrated bands in rock history and I really mean that. Very few bands of the late eighties had the undeniable knack of penning such simple, catchy, fun loving songs that allow the listener to taste a small slice of the crazy hedonistic lifestyle of that era and deliver hook after hook so effortlessly. Every song you know and love is here to savour. Right from 'Talk Dirty To Me', 'Cry Tough' which proves after twenty years what a classic piece of pop it really is, right through to 'Ride The Wind', the Kotzen era 'Stand' and more recent tracks such as 'Shooting Star' from Hollyweird. Forget Motley Crue or even KISS, when it comes to songs and a killer hook, Bret Michaels, CC Deville, Rikki Rockett and Bobby Dall were the real kings of party rock and roll, and you can quote me on that one!
The Scallions Agony Through Ceremony SLAMjamz Writing and recording for over sixteen years, The Scallions are made up of Mike and Shawn Franklin. The band describe their sound as ‘Avant Garde Power Pop’ and it’s a fairly accurate description which captures the sound of their new album - a collection of wistful, lilting and for the most part upbeat acoustic based melodic pop with a Toad The Wet Sprocket style. There’s certainly a whole crop of possible singles which could boost the bands fan base should they get a chance at radio play in the form of ‘Her Rise and Fall’, ‘Silence in Sunshine’ and ‘Reflections’. The brothers also take their chance on numerous occasions to experiment with different sounds and textures to enhance their sounds and sometimes it works, at other times it makes it harder listening. The Scallions though are an untapped treasure trove of laid back melodies and classy songwriting.
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The Scared Stiffs Autopsy Turvy Poptown Records
Serpenteens Dead Men Walking Blood & Guts Records Kicking it since 1995, New York band The Serpenteens are a horror fuelled combination of horror lyrics and simple pop melodies that come together to create what they describe as 'Monster Pop' and it's great fun. In a scene where kids are eating up acts like Wednesday 13 and other horror influenced bands, The Serpenteens are a great addition to the fold and they've probably been doing it longer and better than most of the bands out there too. They have a great ability to drop great fun choruses which instantly drill themselves into your skull and have you hooked by the second verse. Just check out 'Xray Eyes' or the brooding 'Hell California' for just two of their instant blood fuelled classics. What gives these zombie loving rockers their own style though are their great fifties swing anthems such as '(Please Be My) Zombie Bride' which reminds me of early KISS when they had fun with tunes like 'Then She Kissed Me' back in the seventies. Anyone with a love of horror movies and good, fun rock and roll in the mould of early Alice Cooper, The Misfits and the mighty KISS right through to the current crop of horror rock bands should check out these monster music merchants!
Skid Row Revolutions Per Minute SPV
Another horror punk band rises from the grave in the form of The Scared Stiffs from New York. These four grave merchants keep things real simple with a solid seventies spook style similar to the likes of early Alice Cooper, particularly on ‘Zombified’ and they add in a heavy coating of The Ramones for good measure. It makes for a fun collection of songs with a real love of trashy B-movie horror with titles such as ‘When Monsters Fall In Love’, ‘Graveyard Girlfriend’ and the brilliantly titled ‘The Creature Stole My Surfboard’, a cover originally done by The Dead Elvi. Fans of the current crop of horror styled acts such as Wednesday 13 and Rob Zombie may find The Scared Stiffs a little ‘light’ in their musical sound but it’s a fun collection of songs that are immediately instant and work real well with the fun side of horror rather than trying to be down right nasty.
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The return of Skid Row several years ago was always going to be met with mixed reactions with a new singer at the helm and their album 'Thickskin', whilst it was a solid rock album, it also had fans split. The live shows though proved the band certainly had a real fire and vocalist Johnny Solinger more than proved he was a worthy frontman for one of America's greatest rock bands. So, here were are with another brand new album and again it's a real mixed bag. Skid Row no longer seem like the world dominating band they were back in the nineties instead they now seem happy just being a good rock band. The new CD sees a band at times struggling with direction and it pains me to say it but many of the songs seem like fillers and quite often throw away. When they strike hard they do it well such as on 'Nothing', 'Let It Ride' and their cover of The Alarm's 'Strength' but other songs such as the acoustic swing of 'You Lie' which we get twice, and the social commentary that is 'White Trash' seem a little forced and to be honest, a bit odd. I'm more than sure that most of these songs will sound great live but on album it fails the capture the spark and energy you know this band are so capable of.
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Sparkling Bombs Diamond Skin
3milehigh 3milehigh
Mascara Drama
GMD
Following their first visit to UK shores, France's Sparkling Bombs have followed it up with the release of their brand new seven track EP. 'Diamond Skin' is a polished collection of mascara fuelled glam rock anthems that should cement the bands status as one of the best underground acts around, all encased in some wonderfully original and technicolour artwork. Instead of following the trend for the dirty, sleaze styles of the genre, The Sparkling Bombs follow a more elegant, romanticised angle which gives them a real style and seventies flair which works well with their European backgrounds. 'Beautiful' and 'Silver Bohemian Boy' are fine cuts of glam rock pomp and splendour whilst the title track holds more of an edgy Robin Black flavour which fans of the band will be familiar with. Perhaps the most enchanting track on the CD though is their closing acoustic rendition of 'Trust In Dust' from their previous album which works incredibly well in this format. Who said Glam Rock was all looks and no substance?! Sparkling Bombs are a class act in a world of wannabes and pretenders.
Strummin With The Devil The Southern Side of Van Halen CMH Records Van Halen done in Bluegrass style! Yes, we're serious and what's perhaps even strange is that it works and well! If you're familiar with stuff like Hayseed Dixie and how they interpret rock songs then you'll have a good idea of what this album is all about. It's an assembly of some of the finest musicians for the bluegrass and country music scene and they've served up incredibly clever and touching interpretations of Van Halen classics from the David Lee Roth era. From 'Runnin With The Devil' through to 'Unchained' and 'Panama', hell, even 'Eruption' gets the Bluegrass treatment it's all here! What's perhaps even more impressive is that the mighty Roth himself even guest vocals on 'Jump' and 'Jamie's Cryin' which adds a real stamp of approval to the whole proceedings. It would be easy to say these versions are maybe funny or perhaps even hilarious when being so familiar with the originals but that would be taking a cheap shot to these great songs. Instead we can look at them with a wry smile, a nod and a wink and genuinely salute the care and attention that's been taken to produce a real unique and fitting tribute album.
I often get sent albums to review and to be honest, as awful as it sounds I expect very little and it's very rare I'm blown away. This was an exception. From the dirty, almost gothic type artwork, the last thing I was expecting was a full on, explosive pop rock album - especially from a UK band! Leeds rockers 3milehigh have arrived with a power packed slice of melodic rock gold not far from the perches of the likes of the All American Rejects and Matchbox Twenty, certainly a rarity on the UK music scene. The album is extremely well produced and performed with a real slick finish that gives an added shot in the arm to the already classy songmanship. Particularly 'Adrenalin' and the call to arms of 'United States of England' prove this is a band that has a mighty fine chance of doing something special. Vocalist Rob Karl can certainly deliver with real emotion and the band confidently work through slower numbers such as the soaring 'Powerless'. Whilst at times the album walks a very safe and unoffensive line, the power and attention to detail is very impressive and proves that homegrown talent can run with the very best that the Americans have to offer.
Trashlight Vision Alibis & Ammunition Undergroove With it's late seventies feel but dragged by the scruff of it's neck, kicking and screaming with a modern day slant comes the long awaited debut album from Acey Slade's Trashlight Vision, a abnd that has been adopted by their legions of fans over ehre in the UK. 'Alibis & Ammunition' is a dirty, angry but overall downright fun and honest rock and roll record. It sounds like it's been created in a back yard garage with real blood sweat and tears literally engraved into the CD itself, which I probably imagine have been! It makes no apologies for being trashy from start to finish and is an album that's custom built to be played at full volume. Fans of the band will no doubt be familiar with most of the track listing from their many tours over the past couple of years and songs such as 'Allergic To You', 'Black Apples' and 'My Fuck You 2 U' prove to be as vital on record as they do in their ass kicking live format. Make no mistake, I doubt we'll be seeing Trashlight Vision blasting onto daytime radio and I don't suppose they have any ambition to do so. They are a band for the underdog, a band for the fans and a band that care about and live by the old fashioned but timeless rock and roll ethic. Trashlight Vision are equal parts punk, rock and real.
Vains of Jenna Lit Up, Let Down
Richie Wermerling Lost
RLS / Filthy Note
www.richiewermerling.com
Swedish pirates Vains of Jenna have over the past twelve months proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with as they've torn up the live Glam and Sleaze scene in the UK and even more so in their new adopted home land of the USA. Becoming a firm staple on the LA rock scene with their modern day version of the late eighties glam rock image and currently taking their explosive live show all over the country, the band have cemented their status with the release of their debut album on skate king and Jackass member, Bam Margera's brand new Filthy Note record label. 'Lit Up, Let Down' is a collection of pure attitude and dirty rock and roll that whilst it may take several spins to let the hooks set in, the genuine rock excess is there from the first note. The band have managed to shed their Guns n Roses idolisms recently to create their own cool swagger that has seen them grow into their own larger than life characters. With more songs the calibre of 'Hard To Be Vain' and the excellent 'Baby's Got A Secret', then Vains of Jenna could easily step up to the plate and launch themselves in the rock and roll mainstream with a real heavyweight punch.
Butch Walker & The Lets Go Out Tonites! The Rise & Fall of.... Epic Slick - one word that describes Butch Walker these days, and certainly sums up this brand new album from the man that has received legendary status in hard rock circles without having to sell out to the mainstream. His previous album 'Letters' totally divided fans and was a disappointment to people who harked back to the big rock anthems of his Marvelous 3 days, but for those who gave it the time it demanded then the reward was huge. This time around it's gonna be a similar result as Walker has once again re-invented himself with a real laid back seventies glam rock vibe resulting in an album that challenges it's listener. After numerous listens it's still taking time for the tracks to hit home, but Walker is smart, he's sprinkled the album with some power pop gold which makes you unexplainably wanna keep going back for more. 'Hot Girls in Good Moods' and lead single 'Bethamphetamine' are there to wet your taste buds and have you punching the air whilst the magic spell of 'Taste Of Red' and the wonderful 'Canyons' creep up behind you and hit you hard in the back of the head. The man is a modern day genius who has always been true himself and again has delivered what you'd least expect with top drawer class.
Any fan of pop music in the mid nineties who didn’t succumb to the onslaught of Brit Pop and all the crap that went along with it will no doubt remember Let Loose. Okay, sure they were lumped in with all the boy bands of the time but this power pop three piece had much more to offer with a whole crop of quality pop anthems that certainly leant more to the likes of eighties legends such as Duran Duran, A-Ha and Nick Kershaw than say, New Kids On The Block! Following their break up after just two albums the band members seemed to disappear. but now over ten years since topping the UK charts, vocalist and main songwriter, Richie Wermerling is back with a new solo album, Lost. It’s an album that is a mainly made up of laid back acoustic tunes but there’s still enough cool slices of pop gold to bring Richie back into people’s attention. ‘You and Me Against The World’ is a great, lazy summer anthem and ‘Wonderland’ stomps along a great, fun loving pace. Some of the songs maybe seem a little overlong and drag the flow of the album at times but for me it’s great to see one of this countries true pop stars back out there and making music once again. Now how about some live shows?!
The Wireless Stores Dust Ghosts In At The Deep End After the excellent mini album 'Historic Sites of Scenic Beauty # 1' comes this full length release from Nottingham's The Wireless Stores, perhaps unusually released on the IATDE label, normally the home to punk and hardcore acts. Frontman Paul Yeadon, of nineties rocker Bivouac, has a great style for taking middle American guitar rock and sprinkling it with a wonderful British flavouring that is both charming and inspirational. It puts them in a league of their own which could see them easily break into the US market by sneaking in the back with a familiar sound but adding the English twist. Where radio friendly guitar based acts such as Maroon 5 lack soul and substance The Wireless Stores can mix both anthemic upbeat rockers such as '43 Pence Worth Of Luck', 'The Unlikely Cavalry' and the foot stomping 'Super8veneer' alongside the subtle slide guitar fuelled 'Not Going, Gone' making them one of this countries finest underground bands. It's kind of like Snow Patrol but with a great deal more identity or an untouched Coldplay in their most upbeat. The Wireless Stores could easily and
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It’s been a strange year for Acey Slade and his band Trashlight Vision. The band began on a high with the long awaited release of their debut CD ‘Alibis and Ammunition’ and a successful UK Tour earlier this year. Then, just before they were due to undertake a marathon US Tour, news filtered out that drummer Lenny Thomas would no longer be part of the band. Almost as suddenly as it was announced though things were turned back around and Lenny would be doing the tour. Next up was an unprovoked attack on Acey during a gig in North Carolina which led to the singer being hospitalised with stitches and the cancellation of several shows. Finally, just when things were on the mend and the band were about to return to England for a highly anticipated Christmas tour, the shows were cancelled due to an error by the promoter. TrashPit was eager to find out how Acey was feeling about all the events of the past twelve months and it was great to find him so open to let us know all the details about what has been a very interesting year in TLV history. I imagine you're pretty gutted about not being able to come to the UK - a lot of people were getting real excited about those shows? Yeah, no shit! We have been real lucky in the UK. For about four or five tours we have had people sticking by us waiting for the CD to come out. We are gutted that this promoter put us in this position, and that our label, Undergroove, did nothing to help us or our fans. When do you think you'll be back over? Well, that's why the shows are 'postponed'. Our main commitment is to the UK so, we already have our agent trying to figure out a plan for March. It's a little tough though with everyone getting ready to fill up on Christmas. Guess this WAS The Nightmare Before Christmas!!
You've said you're gonna work on album number two you already mentioned before you've got quite a lot of material... We'll work on more stuff in January, demo it up in February, and hopefully, get back on tour in March. Shit, this will be our first 'break' in about three years! I hope I can write in my sleep! It was weird because when we were preparing for the UK tour earlier in the year we thought it'd be cool to write some stuff which we could work on whilst on the road and all of a sudden we had like a dozen songs! It was one of the most exciting things that have ever happened for me with the band, almost even more than the record coming out because there's a lot of pressure that comes along with that but all of a sudden, boom, here's a song, then another!! I think the songs seem a little more stronger and maybe
straight to the point. But during our 'break' we have a few things we want to work on like a DVD and another video for 'Black Apples'. I'm starting a record company too and maybe a clothing line. I'm also doing some DJ dates in Japan...did I say we were taking a break?! You've also been working with a band called Showdown City who are from the UK? How did you hook up with them? Let me tell you about Showdown City. What a great band. I can't say enough about them and about how cool they are. They're in a punky hard rock vein but very original sounding and a great vocalist. Unfortunately, we hit some snags in the production, that I'm fuckin' livid about. I think they just hit me up on MySpace. I get a lot of amazing bands that hit me up there. Billy Liar, is another one and also Patchwork Grace. Man, I could go on forever about the untapped talent in the UK. If I say Teenage Casket Company will I look like I'm a cock sucker?! Have you had chance to catch up with the Vains Of Jenna guys since they've been back over to the USA? Yeah, I saw them in West Chester, PA - the home of Bam Margera, and also where I grew up too! I live in NYC now, but the suburbs of Pennsylvania is where I'm from. So it was very weird to have Bam, and the Vains guys right there in my back yard! Then, my Mom was having some surgery and I had run of the house and had a party. We raided her liquor cabinet and everything! God, I felt like I was sixteen again!
After the incident in NC, has this affected how you approach a gig at all? Is everything cool with you now? You know what? I thought I would get more sympathy sex from it but I guess nobody is interested in banging a guy with blood and staples coming out of his head! At the time it happened I thought, 'Fuck this guy, I'm not going to let him take ME out'. So we did two more shows after but I couldn't hear anything out of my left ear and my balance was fucked. It turns out there was blood and fluid encasing my ear drum and from ignoring it, it became infected. I got some Antibiotics and a few days off which is good for a punk ass like me to take every once in awhile anyway.
happens, if not that's okay too. A lot of my favourite bands never really did anything America like The Wildhearts or Hanoi Rocks. Basically everything is run by radio and none of them want to try anything new, so it's this vicious circle. Everybody's talking about the music industry being stuck in the shitter well it's because nobody has a reason to buy an album right now because it's basically just the same old rehashed, Nu Metal, Stain-ed type shit so as a result you have bands who have the number 1 single on radio and when they tour they bring 150 - 300 people because there's no room for development there. Americans are sheep! You always seem very gracious towards other bands and say cool things about them and always to take onboard ideas and learn from them too. Do you think some bands miss out on that and have a tunnel vision when it comes to their careers? I think there are some bands who kinda have a bubble around them and think that whatever they're gonna do it's gonna be great! But that's not the case, for me I never see any one gig any differently to another. To me they're all equally as important and all links of the chain. What's the Philadelphia music scene like at the moment? There's a couple fo good bands like Silvertide, The Union Dead and Lowfast but it's really kinda weird cause there's about half a dozen bands that know and support each other but outside of that it's the most vindictive, back stabbing and
ungrateful scene you can find and that's one of the reasons I moved out of there in the first place. Nobody wants to see anyone do good but outside of that we've got a cool little scene amongst our friends.
Is everything straight in the band now after the stuff about Lenny before the start of the tour? Was everything blown out of proportion? That would be incorrect, it being blow out of proportion. Being in a band is like having three girlfriends and being in Trashlight Vision is not easy. We tour constantly, and make pretty much no money. And just like any relationship, when you’re broke, nerves get edgy. I guess people don't completely understand because I don't like to air dirty laundry, but at the same time, I work very hard and I get resentments very easily and a resentment is like taking poison and expecting someone else to feel the effects. Doesn't work that way.
Your online Blog from New Orleans was really interesting and gave a cool insight to how things were down there...... We'll we have a song on the album called NOLA. I wrote it before the whole Hurricane Katrina thing. I think it's disgusting how my government handled or I should say didn't handle Katrina. One of the great things about touring is that you gain perspective on the world. Same with 9/11. I lived in NYC at that time and when we first attacked Iraq, I was very proud! I thought 'Fuck those bastards!' Then I was in Birmingham with the Murderdolls on the one year anniversary and I remember watching the BBC...and thinking 'Oh God...we got it all wrong, we're doing the WRONG thing!'. That's because the news in the US is so censored and bias. On our last tour, we had shirts that were going to say, 'Fuck War, Let's Fuck', but I figured this is rock n roll and I'm not fuckin' Eddie Vedder or a politician. So we figured we would keep the war closer to home and changed it to, 'Fuck Emo, Let's Fuck'. On global issues, I may be a bit ignorant, but on music issues, I'm not. Boys and Girls - it's up to YOU and I to take up arms against Emo!
What's happening with the album in the US? I don't know, America is so fuckin' fickle so if it's happens it
The album ‘Alibis & Ammunition’ is out now on Undergroove For more information visit www.trashlightvision.com
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Warrant
Down Boys Reborn!
During the late eighties and early nineties, Warrant encompassed everything that was fun and exciting about the Hard Rock scene. They had the image, the attitude and most importantly the songs! Two huge selling multi platinum albums and the band were on top of the world. Then, as I’ve mentioned numerous times before in past interviews in TrashPit, along came the advent of grunge and gears shifted. The band tried to ride the change in musical climate with the release of ‘Dog Eat Dog’ which saw a darker side to the band and something that has become a much underrated album. From there the sound developed even more with the release of ‘Ultraphobic’ but then numerous lineup changes halted the bands rise. Warrant continued to tour until frontman Jani Lane left into a rock and roll wilderness. Then from out of nowhere Warrant returned in 2006 with the reunion of the classic line up (minus Lane) with a new frontman Jamie St. James and a back to form, no apologies hard rock record ‘Born Again’. Warrant are certainly back and TrashPit caught up with founder members, guitarist Erik Turner and bassist Jerry Dixon to catch up on how the band have hit back. It's great to have the band back with such a fire in its belly. Does Warrant 2006 feel like a fresh band all over again? ET: The band is tighter and stronger than ever! We are really into the music we are writing right now and also slamming out the old hits out live and loud. It's like we are five fingers making a fist and kicking ass! JD: Oh yeah! It's so nice to have the Original line up back with the addition of Saint. As well as a new CD on the shelves. You referred to the new record as 'Your Baby'. Does 'Born Again' feel like a full band record with much more of a whole band feel, particularly from the song writing point of view since it was normally Jani as the main songwriter? This time there's ideas from other people. ET: Jani was the most prolific songwriter in the band 20 years ago, but soon after the first CD we all started writing. Lane would sing on a demo or two with songs that I wrote with people like Tommy Thayer or Butch Walker, but when it came time to make a CD he only wanted to do his songs. It's great that now we all get to write music and enjoy that experience of having fans dig a song that you wrote. A band that writes together stays together longer. JD: Each new CD is a new baby. This one is more so than the
others. We where always told Jani wrote this and that and we where not going to be able to do a CD without him....well sorry, but we did and I think it's a great Rock record. Were you ever concerned about the fans reaction to a new singer / front man as it's without a doubt the hardest piece of the puzzle to replace? JD: Yes it's a nightmare in that respect. Any time you replace a singer it's tough. The big picture for us was the long term aspect. We would rather do professional shows with a new guy than a shitty show with the old guy. Our fans where sick and tired of seeing half ass shows where you never knew who would show up. ET: We didn't have the luxury to be concerned though, Lane bolted and we needed a singer now. So that's what we did. The Saint was in the band a few weeks later, along with Joey and Steven a few weeks after that. It's a great, solid rock and roll record. Was this always the intention to bring back that good time feel and make an album that everyone knew Warrant for? ET: I wanted to make a CD for Warrant 'fans' so when it came time to pick 12 songs, we voted with that in mind, at least I did. JD: Guitar solos are back!
Do you think this type of music is making a definite comeback? Have you seen many younger fans at shows? If so has this surprised you? ET: I don't know if rock n roll every goes away really. Sometimes there is just more of it available to the rock n roll listeners. When we do all ages shows, there are lots of young kids and their parents in the crowd. JD: I don't follow trends. We just do our thing and people like that about us. Some days we are hip and some we are not. You were a band whose sound changed during the 90's. It was met with mixed reactions - did this feel comfortable for you guys moving in a different direction or was it a natural progression and reflection of the times and how everyone's tastes were changing (including yourselves)? ET: It was what was happening at the time and we were influenced by it. Fun for us to make, but ‘Belly to Belly’ didn't sound anything like Warrant. I still think ‘Ultraphobic’ is a great CD though. Very modest of me to say so! JD: We where pissed off at the world. People where dropping like flies all around us. Life just crumbled in front of our eyes. Music should reflect what's going on in your life. If it doesn't than there's is a problem. What kind of venues have you been performing at on the recent tour? Has the new material gone down well? ET: Clubs, casinos, sheds, fairs, biker rallies - anywhere there is electricity and beer basically! The reaction has been good to the new songs, we are stoked about that. JD: The new tunes go over great.
need to Rock Europe and play some golf too…FORE! JD: I guess it's just the time difference and the travel aspects that always make leaving the country a bitch. We will work it out and make it happen soon. If the Warrant of 1986 were told they'd still be touring and recording as Warrant in 2006 (twenty years later!) what do you think their reaction would have been? ET & JD: You gotta be BULLSHITTING me!!! If you could put together your perfect line up for a summer tour including bands from the Hard Rock era of the 80s/90s and some new bands from today - who'd be on the line up? ET: Bon Jovi, Tesla, Warrant, NFG, Hinder (Sold Out) JD: I think it would cool to do a mix of old and new. Green Day, Warrant, Chili Peppers, Motley..what a great show! What's the best thing about being in Warrant in 2006? JD: Still doing what I love! ET: 22 years since we started this band, Jerry and I. We are still having a great fucking time playing Warrant songs for our fans. Joey, Steven and the Saint kick ass, and the band is tighter and more pro than ever, being able to create new music and now some new videos too. We even still get free beer!!! For more information visit www.warrantrocks.com www.jerrydixonweb.com www.erikturner.com
TrashPit interviewed Keri Kelli sometime ago. We asked him which band has been his favourite to perform in. Of all the bands he's played with he said the most fun he's had on tour was with you guys - what makes being on the road with Warrant so much fun? ET: Wow, that is quite a compliment. Mou Mou, has been on the road with some great bands. KK and I are still friends and he is a great guitar player. This is the only band I have ever been in, we just try and have a good time all the time. JD: We just enjoy ourselves to the fullest extent. It's only rock and roll. There was talk of some UK shows earlier this year but they never happened - what happened there? Do you think you'll make it back to the UK for a full tour sometime? ET: I'm not too sure what happened, a lot of talk but no action. Maybe next year something solid will happen. We
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I think the key to a great band or at least a real band is the way an audience reacts to their live show. No band wants to be considered just ‘alright’ by an audience member - they either need to be loved and adored or totally hated - no middle ground is acceptable. Patchwork Grace are just that, you’re either gonna love them or hate them, either way you’ll remember and they’ll make an impression. With a wisdom for performance and professionalism that bellies their young ages this band are currently blowing crowds away with their explosive live shows and unique sound that somehow manages to mould eighties hard rock with the dirt and aggression of grunge. TrashPit caught up with vocalist Tori Trash and bassist Joey Strange around the release of their debut single ‘Zebra’ to talk about what make the band, completed by guitarist Crip and drummer Danny Gunn, the unique monster it’s fast becoming. You're all into the showmanship of the live show. Does this come from your influences or a response to bands that don't realise how important that aspect is? T: Over the past couple of years the whole music scene has got much bigger and it's become fashionable again to go out and watch bands. You just saw the same boring shit though with people just standing still and playing guitars, just not giving it anymore than what you would get from listening to an album. Myself and the rest of the band realise how important it is that if you take the time to go and see a band you should expect a good show. I personally take influence from other musicians and even local bands that I really enjoy which affects how you approach writing and performing. J: There's too many bands around that are just so boring live. Bands I grew up on like Bryan Adams, The Ramones and
Bon Jovi - when you went to see them live they put on such a show which was just so awesome! If you just wanted to 'listen' to a band then just put on the album but if you're going out to see them you want to see something worth while. I think you have to kind of make a conscious decision to take it to that next level as well cause there's a gap between the bands that are boring to watch even if they're good musicians then you've got huge bands that are just so great to watch, it kinda comes in the same package. Tori, with the other members of the band getting more and more into the Glam Rock side of things - did this ever bother you or was it an interesting challenge to tailor your lyrics and melodies to that sound? T: It's really challenging at times because I've never been
exposed to that kind of music before. I could probably only really name Motley Crue as that's all I ever hear about in rehearsal. But having Cripl coming up with a new riff, I just have to draw from it being a dirty, sleazy riff and work from there but it is a challenge. I enjoy it sometimes but then I think you can often tell where I've had input in songs and I'm not sure if that's a good or band thing, that's for people to decide. What's been some of the highlights of the band so far and what are you most looking forward to? T: Playing the Main Stage at Rock City was a real highlight for me. I think if it had been anywhere else I wouldn't have been that bothered. The first gigs we went to were on that stage so it made it special. J: Because we've grown up in Nottingham and always gone to gigs there. I think for anyone who's from this area and picked up an instrument they've got to have dreamt about playing on that stage. I think the next big thing for us will be to record an album and to try and actually get something that sounds like 'us'. The recordings we've done so far I think have been a little too polished and not got the rawness that we want them to have. T: ‘Zebra’ was always a weird song to have in our set as it seems like we're going from one extreme to another and that the most poppy song we had. It's a real catchy song which loads of people caught onto and it's been a good one to help build the name of the band but I hope with the next single it'll sound more like us. J: It's always hard to capture to the live energy onto record because you put it to tape one by one and doesn't really have that edge to it. Have you heard any recordings from bands that you like the sound of which would maybe work well with your own recordings? T: The best, most raw sound I've heard is any of the Nirvana albums. I've read stories of how they recorded the songs which was really bizarre and they really captured that energy within the tracks and that's a very difficult thing to do. Not only did they make the band iconic but also the sound which so many people try to emulate but fail to do. J: I loved the production on Engerica's album which I thought was awesome and there's also a couple of songs on the first Robin Black album like 'Screw It Up' which compared to the rest of the album sounds so trashy, raw and edgy. So something like that would be cool. What do you think the secret is to that? J: Err, Robin Black?!! Do you see your sound developing much in that you're still learning or do you have a firm idea of where you want to go? J: The sound is always changing and I think you're always learning. The songs we were doing two years ago and the stuff we're writing now is just completely different. T: I think if you're developing as a band and even if you like some of your older songs, if they don't fit into what you're doing then you're sort of hindering yourselves with it. The set we've got at the minute and all the new songs we're writing I'm really happy with them. The newer songs are more darker but with a poppy thing going on too.
You have a very loyal and young audience - why do you think they're more open to you than say an adult audience? T: I think people in our age group and younger seem to get it because there's so much shit thrown at them from every medium you don't really know what you should and shouldn't like and so they're looking for something different. Everything these days just seems to do the rotation whether it be fashion or music, it just keeps coming back around again and we just want to try and break out from that. I don't think you could ever completely get out of the 'cycle' unless you did something totally bizarre but we just try to do something a little bit different. Which Which touring touring bands bands would would be be the the best best suited suited for for you you to to support support on on aa national national tour? tour? J: A lot of people have said we'd go down really well with someone like Towers of London. T: I think if you put us on a bill with any other 'girl band' it'd just go wrong. I don't think people can comprehend women in music unless they're already successful. I've seen loads of girl bands and people always have to go up to them and say 'I love what you're doing, you sound like......' or 'I don't like you, you're just trying to be......' It gets annoying because if I was a boy would people just come up to me and say I'm just trying to be Nirvana or 'insert make lead singer'? I find it really frustrating, I sometimes want to make a t-shirt saying 'I AM NOT...' then list a load of female singer on the back but I don't know if I'm that brave! J: I'd love to tour with maybe TrashLight Vision or Robin Black because they're our favourite bands and just dead nice guys. I think that's also the kind of audience we're trying to break into. What the best and worst thing about being in Patchwork Grace? J: The best thing for me is being on the road and turning up at a gig and finding out what all the other bands are like. Sometimes you play with bands who you think are pretty good, others that aren't really your kind of thing then every once in a while you'll see a band and think 'These are fuckin awesome!!' I think the worst thing is having a girl in the band. Not necessarily for us but people just don't accept it. We can do a soundcheck, get all the instruments ready then the sound guy will ask where the singer is. We'll point out Tori and it's not totally blatent but you can see they're thinking 'But that's a girl!' We've even had gigs were we're soundchecking and sound guys have asked Tori to leave and said it's only band members on stage! It just gets really annoying sometimes. T: The best thing is that 30 or 45 minutes on stage when you get to be someone that you're not! My onstage character is everything that I'm not, I'm really shy and introvert and I can just change that on stage. I think I was just really pissed off one day it just blatantly came out on stage and I realised I could do that any night 'cause I'm a dead good liar! I'm an amazing liar! The single ‘Zebra’ is available now on TrashPit Records The new single / video ‘Soap’ will be released Spring 2007 along with a UK Tour. For more information visit www.patchworkgrace.co.uk
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Buckcherry
Rock City, Nottingham
When Buckcherry first launched their sleaze punk campaign in the late 90s they shone against the drab post-grunge, proto-nu metal wallpaper of the time like a stripper's flashing Lucite heels click-clacking down Sunset Strip. As it turned out Buckcherry weren't a group of delusional 80s throwbacks, but rather ahead of their time. In 2002 they split, with their UK shows totalling just one intimate club gig in London, and a daylight slot somewhere on the 2000 Reading festival bill. Since their surprise re-grouping for third album '15' times have changed a bit, the movement they pre-empted is in now full swing and consequently Rock City is rammed to bursting tonight. One thing that hasn't changed a bit though is Buckcherry's ability to wipe the beer-stained club floor with any set of bandwagon jumpers and the attitude-saturated 'So Far' from '15' is a shit-kicking start to the evening. All vicious bombastic percussion laced with an ultra-dumb, annoyingly catchy hook. Lanky streak of tattooed skin 'n' sinew frontman Josh Todd makes a hypnotic Iggy-style focal point whilst guitarist Keith Nelson never skimps on truly jaw-dropping solos, like the one which lights up an extended jam of anthem 'Crazy Bitch'. His deep-souled, blues-rooted playing can be every bit as intense as Todd's frantic fury and the sparks that fly when the two frictiously combine are what make a Buckcherry show so explosive. Buckcherry may have helped to kick start a whole movement a few years back, but they're not going to be satisfied with just getting that credit in the history books. Instead this is not only a band which remains unquestionably relevant, but one that is still that a cut above the rest. ALISON B
Alice Cooper - Monsters of Rock Milton Keynes Bowl There’s great sense of anticipation as the stage is being set for Alice Cooper's impressive show at this years Monsters of Rock. The crowd move in closer and people can be heard shouting the name of the 'Godfather of Shock Rock.' One man who will definitely be missed today is guitarist Ryan Roxie, who recently left the band and this will be the first time many have seen the Cooper show without him. A huge cheer goes up as 'The Phantom Of The Opera' theme blares out and a bigger cheer greets the band as they launch into 'Department Of Youth', and 'No More Mr Nice Guy'. Unfortunately, due it still being daylight the full light show can't really be seen and takes away from the effect but Alice more than makes up for this with his showmanship and the band are on top form with new guitarist Keri Kelli proving a more than worthy replacement for Roxie. 'Dirty Diamonds' and 'Woman Of Mass Distraction' are the only songs from Alice's recent release along with 'High School And Old School' and 'What Do You Want From Me' from the 'Eyes' album but they fit in seamlessly with the older material. A decapitated body is built during 'Feed My Frankenstein’ followed by Alice being decapitated with the famous guillotine only to be resurrected when his decapitated head is placed onto the body and he launches into the classic 'School's Out' and 'Poison'. 'Under My Wheels' closed the set and after this many started to walk away, even though Deep Purple are still due on. Theatrical? Yes. Cheesy? Possibly. But today's performance proves that over 30 years on, Alice is still the best at what he does. CHRISTINE V
Hardcore Superstar Pressure Point, Brighton
Goo Goo Dolls Rock City, Nottingham Despite what others may say, it sure is a rare thing these days to see what I’d consider real rock stars on the Rock City stage. In a day and age where bands come and go, to see the Goo Goo Dolls hit my local venue is something really special. With a backdrop of lights that would easily suit an arena show, the band storm the stage to the anthemic ‘Stay With You’ and the place is immediately alive and singing. Once again, the sound at Rock City tries it’s hardest to put a dampener on the evening but the quality of songwriting throughout tonight’s set means it doesn’t stand a chance. Seeing one of your favourite all time bands is usually a weird experience were you can go on forever wishing they played this or that and the fact that frontman John Rzeznik avoided any of the bands ‘heavier’ songs, the likes of ‘Long Way Down’, ‘Dizzy’ and ‘Big Machine’, okay not particularly head banging material but fans of the band will know what I mean, in favour of mainly mid paced radio friendly tracks is quite noticeable. He has however developed a great repour and stage manner in recent years and now seems much more relaxed and confident to talk to the crowd. Bassist Robby Takac though is once again a joy to watch. Like a fifteen year old kid he stomps the stage continuously bashing the fuck out of his bass guitar with a massive grin on his face throughout proving he’s still the punk rock kid at heart. As expected, ‘Iris’ takes the roof of the venue with the crowd singing every word to what has become a modern day classic and newer tracks such as ‘Let Love In’ and ‘Better Days’ prove they will soon be earning equal praise and respect. Why the band chose to end with their cover of ‘Give A Little Bit’ instead of one of their other killer tines I’ll never know but that aside to see a legendary band in my hometown venue will be something I remember for a long time.
Wet and windy Brighton was where we’d have to travel to but it was going to be worth it. Swedish rockers Hardcore Superstar don't visit these shores very often and after the release of their last self titled album which was easily th best CD of 2005 the time had come to catch them whilst we could. Four measly dates and tonight the venue was downsized at the last minute. The Furyon, a group of local lads opened up and they were very good, solid, old school guitar and very professional. I Say Marvin followed with an average age fifteen and with their school mates in tow did their twenty minutes of strange style keyboards which reminded me of early Genesis with a bit of Devo thrown in, enough said! Sweden’s Babylon Bombs had a poor sound and an unresponsive crowd and only really played two good tracks 'Delirious and 'Home town hero' which left me very disappointed. Luckily the sound improved for Hardcore Superstar and the crowd were biting at the bit. All their die hard fans seemed to be rammed at the front when they hit the stage with 'Kick on the upper-class' and it soon became a hot, sweaty and physical seventy five minutes. Singer Jocke shouted "Where have you all been?” And our reply was "Where have YOU been??” as it had been quite a few years he just shrugged his shoulders and nodded. They played excellently and pretty much delivered the whole new album with a couple of oldies thrown in. The crowd were very vocal especially to their latest single 'We Don't Celebrate' which, hooray, has had a bit of airplay on music channel Scuzz. Sweaty, bruised and wanting more it was certainly a great night, now just get yourselves a decent promoter and don't leave it so long in coming back! JANE USHWELL
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The Loved Ones
Richard Marx & Rick Price
If you ever go to a gig with me, you know that it's never gonna be simple and straight forward. In this particular case, The Loved Ones in Leeds. For me, The Loved One’s debut LP "Keep Your Heart" is album of the year for 2006. It's perfect. I'd long had this particular date marked on my calendar and there was no way that I was gonna miss the Philadelphia three-piece's first visit to the UK. Just to insure that everything went according to plan, I even decided to ring the venue beforehand. Oops. Sold out. Shit. OK, no problem. I had a little chat with a few different people and they put a couple of "spare" tickets aside for me to pick up on the door. Sweet.
With strong feelings of guilt and anticipation I attended what was affectionately referred to as ‘The 2 Dicks’. Guilt from knowing how much Mr Rob Lane would of loved to be at this show and anticipation from having not really seen or heard much from Richard Marx since ‘Hazard’ ruled the airwaves back in the early 90's. Rick Price who may not be known to many of you is an Australian singer/songwriter who blasted onto the scene here in Australia around 1992 with a brand of melodic rock very similar to Marx. Whilst the flowing locks are long gone, Rick's solo acoustic set highlighted his tremendous vocal and songwriting talents. Although stripped back to the bare bones, hit singles ‘Not A Day Goes By’ and ‘Walkaway Renee’ were still trademark Rick Price. Richard Marx on the other hand will no doubt be known to many of you for his chart topping songs or maybe his infamous mullet! Anticipating a more laid back affair, we were delivered a stadium rock show that would rival the likes of Bryan Adams or a solo Mike Tramp. Taking us back to ‘when music was music, videos were videos, and where hairstyles were kinda messed up’ we were treated to rocked up versions of his 80's classics ‘Should Of Known Better’ and ‘Don't Mean Nothing’. Whilst unfamiliar to most, songs off latest CD ‘My Own Worst Enemy’ almost stole the show. Pure melodic rock doesn't come much better than the likes of ‘Love Goes On’ and ‘When You’re Gone’. ‘Ready To Fly’, introduced as one of his proudest song writing moments was nothing short of a soaring epic. Other obvious crowd favourite's were ‘Take This Heart’ and the song he co-wrote with Aussie country rocker Keith Urban, ‘Better Life’. But wait, there's more.... ‘Now and Forever’, crowd sing along ‘Right Here Waiting’, a haunting version of ‘Hazard’ and ‘Angelia’ (inspired by Def Leppard's Hysteria album). Playing with an energy that belied his forty five odd years and guitar solo's galore I must confess I walked away having witnessed something I totally did not expect. Seeing Richard so obviously humbled by the standing ovation from the sell out crowd, it was awesome to finally see one of music's most underappreciated performers gain the respect and appreciation he so totally deserves. SCOTTY ROCK
Joseph’s Well, Leeds
So, myself and Laney arrive in Leeds, I speak to the guy on the door; no tickets. Sold out. No admittance. I tried all manner of sob stories and lies to gain entrance. I even offered him £40 in his back pocket to let us both in. (Tickets were only £6 each!) No dice. We hung around outside and I tried various other "tricks of the trade" to get in. Still nothing. Just as we were ready to throw the towel in and go home, I saw a familiar face heading out towards the tour bus.....DAVE! I actually did shout "Dave" too, like he was my best mate or something. It was in fact, Dave Hause, lead singer of The Loved Ones, who had never met me before in his entire life. A quick conversation later, we followed him back into the venue and past the bloke on the door as Dave said "these guys are with me". Hand stamped, thankyou, RESULT! "Fire regulations", my arse. As we breathed a sigh of relief, show time was upon us and I have to say, rarely have I ever been so excited about seeing a band perform live. Was I disappointed? FUCK NO! Kicking right in with the anthem "100K", it was plain to see that it wasn't only me who had been so deeply affected by The Loved One’s debut album. This was a support band, a relatively new group, on their first European tour and the first few rows were singing along to every word with their fists in the air. By the third song (and my personal favourite) "Breathe In", I was aware that I was witnessing something very special indeed. The band were clearly overwhelmed by the surprising response too, stating that it was like playing a hometown show back in Philly. After a while, bassist Spider ceased trying to stop himself grinning like a cheshire cat throughout the entire set. After all, there was no point trying to fight it, the planets were aligned and this was a night to remember. TLO fans who were "in the know" beforehand were left more than suitably satisfied and if the band didn't make thousands of new fans on this tour, then I'll eat someone's hat. Or I'll eat the lead singers dreadlocks from headliners Strike Anywhere. We stuck around for a couple of their songs afterwards incidentally, but we knew full well that we'd just witnessed stars in the making and an early getaway was totally needed. In closing, I'd seriously be surprised if The Loved Ones don't at least make it to an Alkaline Trio-esque level of success within the next 12 months or so. Ten out of ten, five stars, a perfect show. JAMIE DELERICT
Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne Australia
Butch Walker
Islington Academy, London Butch Walker hit London but wasn't alone. Supported by his full band, The Let’s Go Out Tonites, ‘breathtaking’ would be a way to describe this gig, yet that doesn't do the evening justice. I thought the last acoustic gig would be impossible to beat, but apparently not. He didn't so much beat the last one, rather take a baseball bat and smash it the fuck up! Butch jumped straight into ‘Hot Girls in Good Moods’, one of his more 70's style rock songs. There was a great mix of new and old songs from the current album, way back to the Marvelous 3 days. ‘Indie Queen’ was given the loudest cheer of the evening, especially when Butch forgot the words but the crowd happily obliged and sang the song with him, filling in the blanks. The highlight of the gig was when the band left the stage, and all that remained was Butch, and the piano. He told us the heart wrenching story behind ‘Dominoes’, and then played the song, leaving many a tear stained face in the audience. The sombre mood didn't last that long of course as soon to follow were ‘Best Thing You Never Had’, ‘Mixtape’ and ‘Don't Move’, anthems in their own right, and perhaps amongst the best of Walkers' catalogue to date. The surprise of the gig was his version of ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Barkley, the song was completely unexpected and unbelievably well executed. The man has an incredible talent of making any song sound amazing, and putting his mark all over it. ‘Lights Out’ was the finale of the evening, during which he leapt off stage and into the crowd, encouraging us all to dance. There was of course the trademark ‘Campfire’ moment with everyone sat on the floor at Butch's feet. It was a fantastic gig musically, but the whole evening was such an experience. He said he was hoping to be back to the UK early 2007….Let’s hope so!! DEBBIE AUSTIN
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With the release of his new album ‘Fang Bang’, Wednesday 13 has managed to bring together all his favourite elements once again to create a huge, gore filled, kick ass rock and roll record. Where his last album was filled with dark and heavy moods, this new slab of horror rock is a blood red bubblegum fest made up of huge choruses wrapped around as many horror references which would outdo Fangoria Magazine. With the new album comes a slick, revamped image and a brand new band seeing the frontman unite with his former Murderdolls bandmate Eric Griffin, this time taking on lead guitar duties. TrashPit caught up with the singer backstage in Sheffield on his recent UK Tour to talk about the new album, new lineup and the continuing crop of horror film remakes. The new songs seem to have a more pop angle which really work with the horror theme. Did you have any kind of conscious outline blueprint for Fang Bang? To me, pop or glam or whatever you want to call it is what I grew up on. Early stuff like Twisted Sister, Motley Crue or Alice Cooper right to Pretty Boy Floyd, Vain and bands like that so to be it was just me going back to where I came from with the kind of pop glam thing. I'm not really a fan but I'm very aware of a lot of the new stuff that's around and it's pretty obvious the whole metal thing has come back with guitar solos and it's boring, it's as bad now as it was ten or twelve years ago so where my last record was a little darker and heavier which I love but now I wanted to give exactly the opposite with a cool, fun, dumb rock record. Everyone was just trying to be so heavy or play guitar real fast but I wanted maybe half guitar solos and the rest just chants, 'Heys' and things like that. I wanted to write it and get a real live feel. Was there any particular bands you were listening to at the time that might have brought on the albums sound or doesn't that affect you that much? I was just listening to a lot of Ramones and just kinda old country music like David Allan Coe and Johnny Cash, things like that. I don't think that comes across on the record that much but I just wanted the attitude of those guys cause I came to realise that all these old country guys had the same attitude as bands like the Sex Pistols and it was new to me and kinda inspired me.
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You've worked pretty much on your own on both albums - what did you learn on Transylvania that you wanted to put into practice this time around? Was there anything different you wanted to try on this album? I took too long last time but this album came together really quick which turned out really good cause the longer you have to think about it you begin to think I shoulda done this or that. If you just do it, bang, bang, and put it down it becomes a lot easier that way - this isn't The Chinese Democracy! I usually realise right away if something sucks. Transylvania 90210 was described as your 'Shout at The Devil' and this is your 'Theater of Pain' - would you agree in anyway? I'm not a big fan of Theater of Pain and I don't think Motley are either but I guess I see where 'Shout' was pretty dark and this new album is a little brighter so I'll take that compliment.
alcohol, no water, nothing!' But the club was packed and he made money. That's why we bitch so much about it, we did shows where there was hardly anyone there but not on that night. The tour on whole was definitely successful though. It's a different world over here, our best show in the US was our worst show over here! How has it been playing with this new line up? How did you all manage to get together? I started talking to Racy our drummer first cause he and I had met each other at a show in December and destroyed a dressing room together! It was pretty weird, a good weird and so I was like 'Man, you're out of your mind' and he just replied, 'Yeah, well so are you, we should be in a band together!' I hadn't talked to Eric in maybe a couple of years so i called him up, bullshitted each other for a while and now here we are! The bass player was the last one we found cause we had a guy who quit, we got the old guy back and he fucked his back up so we got Nate from Amen. We all kinda fit together pretty weirdly! Are you looking forward to the remake of 'Halloween' with Rob Zombie in the directors chair? Rob's so cool. He thinks a lot from a fan’s point of view and he knows all the bullshit and doesn't do all the shit those dumb ass directors do, he's into it bare bones and he'll do it great. It'll be spooky and it'll be cool! That's one of my favourite movies of all time but I know he'll do a great job. For more information visit www.wednesday13.com
Wednesday 13 Fang Bang Rykodisc
Did you enjoy putting together the Drag Queens Box Set - did you try and approach it as what you'd like to see as a fan or did you just want to do a good, solid history of the band? I tried to put it together in a way I saw the band develop. I did all this shit before anyone really knew who I was, whilst putting it together I felt like an old guy! To put together a box set before I was thirty was a pretty cool thing to do though! Most bands don't get to do that until they're like forty five years old! How was your US Tour? There's been several reports on your MySpace Page about gig cancellations and problems with promotors. There were one or two people who were assholes to us but the one show we made a post about, the show was packed and the promoter was like 'Fuck you guys, you don't get no
This past summer saw the return of Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13 with his latest solo offering. This time it's a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek glam/punk feel than 2005's more metal-based 'Transylvania 90210' whilst still keeping the classic horror theme alive (or dead?). This is evident in the instantly catchy opening song 'Morgue Than Words' which quickly lays the foundation work for the rest of the album, proceeding with big riffs and even bigger choruses throughout. With songs such as 'Happily Ever Cadaver', 'My Home Sweet Homicide' and 'Til Death Do Us Party' following suit 'Faith In The Devil' and 'Too Much Blood' return to the heavier, more aggressive sound of '90210' whilst 'Die Sci-Fi' shows off 13's more musically inventive side. 'Haddonfield' seems an obvious choice for the soundtrack to Rob Zombie's adaptation of Halloween, telling the story of 'the night he came home' with fantastic results. Closing by paying homage to the world's greatest rock n roll band with a cover of Motorhead's 'R.A.M.O.N.E.S.' Wednesday 13 has taken part punk rock, part cock rock, part B-Movie cheese, a pinch of salt and just five days in the studio to come away with the best album of his career so far. JOEY STRANGE
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Weird Al Yankovic is without doubt an American institution. He is a true symbol of pop culture who has cleverly poked fun with upmost respect on most genres of popular music and trends with his insanely clever parodies. For those who think it’s all a ‘joke’ should take note of all the Grammy Awards the singer has received or maybe take a look at his mind blowing videos which have the most serious attention to detail and care. Most of you will have seen at least one of Al’s videos or heard his super slick parodies at some point and if not then get ready because his current album ‘Straight Out Of Lynwood’ is currently flying off the shelves thanks to the popularity of it’s lead single and video ‘White & Nerdy’. TrashPit took the opportunity to speak to Al to find out a little about how it all began and his reaction to the current media frenzy surrounding the new album and video. You began to get exposure whilst as a teenager sending in demo tapes to a radio station - Dr Demento. Can you tell us a little how you began your parodies did you do this before you began original material? I was very young and it was never with the thought of making a career out of it, it was just to amuse my friends and myself. I was a fan of the Dr Demento Radio Show and he was really popular in the USA with his weekly radio show where he played a lot of comedy and novelty music and that where I was exposed to people like Spike Jonez, Stan Freeburg and Alan Sherman. It was funny music that kinda spoke to me and made me think that maybe I could do something like that. I took my accordion and a little tape cassette recorder and I made a series of horrible recordings and sent them into the Dr Demento show and he ended up playing this on his nationally syndicated radio show which
was amazing because the songs were really quite horrible! I guess he thought there was something unique or unusual enough about those recordings that he wanted to encourage me to send in more. So over the course of several years I kept sending in recordings and by the time I had graduated from college I had a couple of nationally released singles which where 'My Bologna' which was a parody of 'My Sharona' by The Knack and another which was 'Ride The Bus' which was obviously my Queen parody of 'Another One Bites the Dust'. Do you remember the first song you did - was it the ‘My Sharona’ cover? It was the first one that made it onto record and got released. I think prior to that I'd done several for the radio show which where too horrible to mention.
Did you ever play in your own band before the success of your parodies? You know I tried, but since I played the accordion for some reason a lot of my friends didn't really feel the need to have me in their bands! Is any particular genre your favourite to cover or do you try and reflect what's happening in the industry at the time? I guess my job is to kinda hold up a fun house mirror to whatever's happening in the Music Industry so I can shamelessly follow whatever trends are happening at the time. I can do anything from gangster rap to power ballads to Ska, to Swing Music, to whatever happens to be the current musical flavour of the month! My own personal musical tastes are fairly eclectic, I like lots of different music, my favourite would probably be more toward Alternative Rock or something that's a bit twisted or left of centre but I appreciate a lot of different kinds of music. Are you constantly listening out for songs to cover? Not always, after I put out an album I generally shut off my brain in that area because I'm a big music fan and I can certainly listen to songs on the radio without constantly thinking 'Hmmm, how can I screw this one up?!' So there's certain times when I obviously, actively looking for the next big hit or material for the next album so then I'll be listening with more of a bench towards achieving that goal but until then I listen to the radio for my own amusement. You've got an incredibly large back catalogue - but are there any parodies your particularly proud of or a particular response you got? Out of everything in my entire career the absolute favourite is always the one I'm currently promoting! So right now it's 'Straight Out Of Lynwood' or 'White & Nerdy'!! I don't know it's hard to pick, I've had a number of hits over the years which I'm very proud of such as 'Amish Paradise', 'Smells Like Nirvana' and of course the Michael Jackson parodies 'Eat It' and 'Fat'. There's quite a few original songs as well that I'm very fond of doing as well. Do you think the impact of sites such as YouTube and MySpace have been one of the reasons the new material has become so successful because it's available to more people much easier? I think that's been a big help. A lot of people and artists complain that the internet has cannibalised their record sales because of illegal downloads but I think what the Music Industry needs to do is change things round and really have the internet work for them and that's what I've tried to do by using portals like YouTube and MySpace to really get the word out about the new album. The 'White & Nerdy' video has now been seen on YouTube alone over ten million times so it's been a huge help promotionally towards the new album. What are your touring plans for this album - the 'Poodle Hat' Tour was pretty extensive in the USA - any plans for Europe or is it just too expensive? We're gonna be spending the bulk of next year on the road. We're going to be doing Australia and New Zealand in March, North America over the summer and I'm trying my
hardest to get a European Tour together. We've never toured Europe and I feel that this is my shot so I really wanna make it happen for next year. I'm hoping the album does well enough over there to merit coming out to do a full on tour. It's not just a rock and roll show, it's very theatrical, there's costume changes, film clips - it's quite a production so it's become sort of an expensive proposition to take it overseas but having said that I'm gonna do everything in power to try and make it happen. Everything you seem to do has a real mark of quality on it, in that you make sure you care about every fine detail and give great value for money both on records, videos, and live shows. Is this really important to you and do you like that real hands on approach? I've always had a real attention to detail and it's important to me to make the comedy come through because for me the comedy is in the detail. I am a bit of a control freak but it comes in handy when I'm writing, producing or directing because I want to make sure that everything little thing is right. Especially doing parody because you're trying to emulate somebody else’s style or a particular look in a video I think that humour plays better if you're able to match the original as closely as possible. Do you think releasing a great value for money product with lots of extras and great artwork is sometimes missed in today's instant, fast food, download generation? Well, I guess that's kind of my own personal way of trying to combat piracy. I figure if I make the package as great as possible with all this additional added value - six music videos, a 'Making of the Album' documentary, 5.1 Surround Sound, Karaoke function and a 24 page colour booklet - you make the package so great that people have to buy it to get the whole experience! Do you still live in Hollywood - do you take in much of the lifestyle and industry around there? I used to be out and about in the clubs and all that when I was younger but I've been married now for six years and have a daughter whose about to turn four so my lifestyle is a lot quieter now and fairly sedate so I'm not as exposed to the nightlife quite so much as I used to be. What other things do you like to do outside music or does that keep you permanently busy? I've been extremely busy with the new album and all the promotion and I'm on various awards shows in the next couple of months as well as working on several TV Specials. I'm just trying to wedge my personal life in there so I can enjoy family life as well so I don't have time for many hobbies!
The album ‘Straight Outta Lynwood’ and the single ‘White & Nerdy’ are both available now on Sony/BMG The ‘White & Nerdy’ video along with loads of other Weird Al videos can be found at www.youtube.com For more in formation please visit www.weirdal.com or www.myspace.com/weirdal
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3milehigh 3milehigh It’s always cool to find a band that stays true to it’s influences and forges their own direction rather than running with the pack and following musical trends. Although melodic hard rock may still, and perhaps always have a market in the USA, over here in the UK it always seems to be somewhat underground and have a shadow of dislike cast upon it by the music press. Leeds rockers 3milehigh though are one of the few bands who know the power and magic a great rock song can hold and are currently forging their own path to deliver top quality hard rock with infectious hooks and arena filling melodies. TrashPit was litterally bowled over to hear the band’s debut album and didn’t hesitate in catching up with the band, vocalist Rob Karl, guitarist Will Grinder, bassist David Rule and drummer Warren ‘Woz’ Ormondroyd to have a chat. I know it's a standard question but can you give us a brief run down on how and when you guys got together and what you've been up to? Will: The three of us, Will, Woz & Rob, got together about four years ago now. We began jamming together and doing some songwriting with a variety of bassists. About eighteen months ago we met David Rule through one of the old bassists funnily enough and we all just felt like we had finally got the right person to complete the band unit. David: It takes time to build up the right chemistry and chemistry might be the most important thing. To summarise that point, I brought the magic. Other 3 together: Well you definitely brought something!! Will: It was then that we started recording our album and consciously going out to play more and more gigs. What have we been up to since? Well plenty of gigs in sweaty rock clubs up and down the UK, huge amounts of rehearsing, writing new songs and general rock and roll misbehaviour. You have a great radio friendly rock sound - is this what you all grew up on? Rob: I grew up listening to a lot of American bands, and trying to discover new bands from around the world. Will: I suppose in a way yes, I definitely remember loving it as a kid when a Bon Jovi or Van Halen record came on the radio. At home my parents used to listen to a lot of blues records though and I wouldn't describe that as being radio friendly. I did later on start getting into punk rock and John Peel’s radio show was a complete eye opener for me. Are there a lack of bands doing this kind of thing? I don't know that there are, it's just the mainstream reflects a small section
of the music scene in order to keep up with changing trends so you don't hear about bands that don't fit in with current trends. They are out there, you just need to look harder. David: Actually I do think it's very strange that people say there aren't many bands doing what we do. Bands like U2 got me through school - you won't credit how important rock music has been to me. Woz: I grew up listening to things like Dire Straits, Babe Ruth, Queen and Jim Steinman, my dad was an old rocker! To be honest I think the UK music scene is completely trend orientated now. The fact that we are seen as having a new or different sound now is because we have stuck to our guns and play music that we enjoy and not fallen in-line with what is perceived cool!! I think the UK is crying out for a band like us that plays full on stadium powerful melodic rock and not this trendy shit that is polluting the radio at the minute. Can you describe the 3milehigh live show - do you go for the Big Rock Show to match the Big Rock Tunes?! Will: I like to think that we do deliver a big rock show. We are very energetic on stage cos by the time we've travelled to the gig, waited around for sound check and sat about waiting for show time, we are like a coiled up spring. We don't take ourselves too seriously and also are firm believers that the audience are equally as important to the show as the guys on stage. We have to make them enjoy it so we can enjoy it ourselves too and when you get that mutual understanding between band and crowd, we'll take the roof off! David: Yeah of course we do. Generally size matters where 3milehigh is concerned. Intimate is good but the bigger shows are what we strive for and are even better.
Woz: Oh yeah, our live show is very impressive. There are so many bands that sound great in the studio but sound shit live. We've worked really hard and put in the hours to create a show that looks and sounds good. The hard work has given us the self confidence and assurance to know that we can cut it live and the feedback we get from our audiences tell us we are obviously doing something right. Which bands do you currently enjoy listening to? What was the last band to really blow you away? Will: The last band that blew me away supported us at a gig in Leeds recently. They're a 6 piece called Violent Cop. It was their 3rd or 4th gig and I was really into their sound, they haven't even recorded anything but I'm sure if they stick together and keep doing what they are doing they'll go far. Bands I'm enjoying listening to at the minute..... Social Distortion’s new album is amazing, for the past 25 years that band have been performing better and better with every gig they play or song they write, truly something very special. Rob: I've been listening to Hedley, Switchfoot, Yellowcard, Foo Fighters and Everclear. The band I'm currently listening to, that I think are brilliant, are Angels & Airwaves. David: For me, I had a recent rediscovery of The Police - there's 3 men that knew how to fill a stage. Muse is another band that are small in numbers but massive in sound. I reckon Kasabian are gonna go mega this time round too. What kind of audiences are the most receptive - is it the younger kids or the general adult rock crowd? Will: I suppose younger kids do appreciate your set more cos they are just getting into live music and of course youngsters can't get into most places that put bands on so its very exciting for them, but we seem to be able to play to any crowd and get away with it somehow. Recently we have played gigs on Indie nights, Folk Nights, Extreme Metal Nights, Punk Nights, Dance Nights and we have gotten good responses from all those people. David: 3milehigh do really well across all age ranges. You're right about us being radio friendly, I guess part of that is in having that broad appeal. That said, we've been really surprised by how switched on younger audiences are to us. The feedback they give is really quite uplifting. Woz: I think we have a broad appeal. Young kids and older people all seem to dig us. I think it's because we're not trend orientated so don't fit into any of the categories of ‘what’s cool at the time’ as dictated by some sections of the media. The sound on the album is very polished. Did you spend a long time recording and refining the sound? Will: Yes we did, it took about a month to record everything the way we wanted it and then we had little alterations and
over dubs to do after that and the mixing and everything. Woz: We didn't start off wanting a polished sound but the songs kind of dictated that as we progressed with the recording. Carl the producer did an excellent job all along the way and it really was a huge learning experience for all of us to realize what one can achieve. My expectations almost changed daily as we were introduced to different ways of creating certain sounds and to how all the various elements could be mixed together. I for one am really quite proud of what we have created. David: We just use a state of the art bespoke polish. It'll be available in the shops after Christmas but it won't be cheap!! What has been the response to the album so far? Will: Phenomenal, we read some reviews of the album and can't believe they are writing about us, its all very encouraging. David: Overwhelming - we couldn't wish for a better response. We've known for a while that we should never doubt the product as some of the tracks have been available to listen to on broadjam.com in the States and they've had phenomenal comments and it's still so good to know folks are really taking notice of what we're doing. Woz: Amazing. We are getting fantastic reviews but so we should, it's a great album. I don't think we'll be giving The Killers a run for the number one album spot just yet, we know it’s going to take time to get the music out there to be heard, and will probably be a ‘word of mouth’ type album, but from the feedback we have had so far we are confident that we could actually do something here. We are well aware though that it's a bloody hard slog and none of us expect any overnight success. What does the next twelve months hold in store? Will: Hopefully more of the same, gigs, gigs, gigs, playing in the USA and Europe, writing new material and more gigs. Whether or not the album is a commercial success we will keep doing what we are doing cos we have no choice, we are 3milehigh and we need to play live & write songs, it’s like eating & breathing. Rob: Loads of gigs, entertaining a lot of people and getting them into the music, selling our album and having fun! Woz: Touring, promoting and always being creative. David: That's the million dollar question. The next twelve months I'm sure are going to be the most important of our lives so far. I'm certain we've worked hard enough at ground level to really move the band forward. There’s a lot of people out there now who really believe in us and we really want to prove them and ourselves right. Like now, it's great to be doing this interview for you and hopefully we can meet up over champagne and caviar in twelve months and do another. Wish us luck. Nice one and good luck with TrashPit. Catch 3milehigh on tour in February For more information visit www.3milehigh.com
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Holy crap! Over the last few months there’s been a real increase in the number of old school style fanzines cropping up again. Sure Webzines are cool for instant news but to have an actual magazine in your hand is the real deal. The quality too is exceptional. Check out and of the zines below, drop them a line and pick up a copy! Any other Zine Editors out there who want a review in a future issue please send a copy to the address at the front of the mag and we can set up a trade. Beat Motel #6 Contact: Beat Motel, 71 Rectory Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP2 8EQ £1.50 + SAE Mr Andrew Culture does it again with one of the most refreshing, honest and down right funny zines out there. Great mix of music (mainly punk), general bullshitting and fun! Always great reading. A legendary zine! Black Velvet #45 Contact: Shari, 336 Birchfield Road Webheath, Redditch, Worcs B97 4NG £2.00 & 75p SAE Black Velvet meets another landmark with it’s 50th issue and a brand new look, all glossy and full colour! Shari’s really stepped things up a gear once again with some great interviews with Sugarcult and All American Rejects. Rock N Roll Damnation #1 Contact: George Brautigam, 530 Woodside Ave, Berwyn, PA 19312, USA $4.00 + Postage Cool new zine from the guys behind Perris Records. Basic layout, loads of reviews but lots of adverts too - they’re all relevant though. As a first issue it’s a kick ass start and the future looks good if this is anything to go by. Empty Playground #4 Contact: 84 Pole Barn Lane, Frinton-on-sea, Essex Co13 9NH Contact: www.emptyplayground.co.uk Busy, busy new fanzine with issues flying off the shelves. Mainly metal based with the likes of Coheed & Cambria and Killswitch Engage. Smart layout and a free CD too so if Death Metal, Hardcore and Thrash is for you, get on it!
Insomnia - Nov/Dec 2006 Contact: Mark Sesin, 75 High Street, Loscoe, Heanor, Derbys DE75 7LG £2.50 plus £1 postage One of our favourite new zines from our hometown! Covering bands from rock to Goth and also a soft spot for Horror films too. This zine is going from strength to strength and now the guys are even putting on live music nights. Satan's Fish Tank #21 Contact: Dan Morris, 17 Eyton Close, Winyates West, Redditch B98 0JY £2.99 & 35p SAE SFT sells it’s soul but des it in style! No longer a laser copied zine but a fully fledged glossy mag you can buy in HMV. It’s still the same zine at heart though with all the best modern day rock and metal stuff. We salute ya Mr Morris!! Sonic Ruin #1 Contact: Carl Isonhart, PO Box 752, Harvard, IL 60033, USA $3.00 + Postage Great, honest, old fashioned and fun zine from the USA focussing on rock with a sweet spot for glam. Interviews with Soho Roses, Buttz and an Alarm feature plus loads of reviews make for a great read. Looking forward to issue 2! Unsigned #2 Contact: Ev, 6 Boxwood Place, Staffs St5 7BH £2 + SAE Does what it says on the tin and does it really well. Loads of great upcoming bands plus articles on The Zutons and the legend that is Mr Robin ‘Fucking’ Black! Plus you get a great 19 track CD slapped on the front cover - bonus!
“Unleashed and Loaded II” boasts 20 foot stomping, fist thrusting, spine tingling tracks from 20 of the best acts we’ve seen or heard this year including Zen Motel, Robin Black, Teenage Casket Company, Sweet Seduction and Drugdealer Cheerleader Pure Rawk is sure you’ll agree that it’s a stellar line up. £1 of every CD sold goes to the Royal Marsden Cancer Trust
www.purerawk.co.uk