tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51438098006742919312024-03-14T01:57:55.447-07:00Burn in paradiseMusic has a hand in everything.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-11320799932864215932016-07-11T13:15:00.000-07:002016-07-17T11:37:26.201-07:00American Bang bring back gritty rock and roll11-2-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
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<img alt="American Bang on stage at the Machine Shop 10-29-10" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/73/73/737333748acf4b6a3b4d02e8606bfbe8.jpg?itok=615SPKbQ" rel="image_src" title="American Bang on stage at the Machine Shop 10-29-10" /><br />
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On Friday night American Bang brought their hard gritty southern rock to the Machine Shop in Flint for the first time along with local band The Hangers On and headliners The Gracious Few, who are a super group comprised of Candlebox and Live members.<br />
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American Bang is comprised of vocalist Jaren Johnson, guitarist Ben Brown, bassist Kelby Ray and drummer Neil Mason.<br />
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Before the show and after a intense day of driving, radio promos and a lengthy beer tasting event, the band sat down for a interview that was more like a casual give and take conversation:<br />
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Q: What time do you guys go on tonight?<br />
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Jaren: 8:30 or 9, I think. Where are you from?<br />
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Q: Just outside of Detroit. Takes about a hour to get out here.<br />
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Jaren: Nice. We drove like 7 hours to get out here. We were in Colombus last night but drove out to Saginaw for this radio thing and then came back for a beer tasting at 3. It's been a long day. We all ended up getting real drunk at the beer thing and now we're going out on stage! Did you want a beer?<br />
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Q: Leftovers from the beer tasting?<br />
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Ben: We tried but no.<br />
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Q: You had the album come out in August. How has that been going?<br />
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Jaren: Yes, it came out August 31. It's been great man. We spent a lot of time getting ready to put that out and tour and writing and all that stuff to get to that point. Finally having it out there is pretty exciting and kind of a milestone for this band I would say. It's been good. The response has been great. It's been neat to actually go to places and kids have the record and so they know all the words other than just to "Wild and Young" or whatever the current single is. It's exciting man; very cool.<br />
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Q: You did quite a bit of touring before you released the album.<br />
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Jaren: Yeah. We've been touring since we pretty much started I think. Our first tour was like in '05 at the beginning of that year and we've been touring ever since pretty strong.<br />
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Q: Legendary producer Bob Rock (Aerosmith, Metallica, Motley Crue) worked with you on the album. What was that like?<br />
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Jaren: It was great. This is actually the third time I've answered this today. He's kind of a magician when it comes to the whole producing thing and the guitar. He's a great guitar player. He helped us do a full record because we spent so much time writing and you know you have four and a half years with the songs and he kind of helped us groove them all together in a group that made sense. A new perspective. We had a blast with him. We spent two months in Nashville recording and then two months in Maui. It was awesome!<br />
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Q: Is there a song on the album that sticks out for you?<br />
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Jaren: I think "All We Know" is probably my favorite. I don't know, what do you guys think (looks at the rest of the band)?<br />
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Ben: That's really fun live. If we're talking live people have really been into "Rewind". They sing along to that one. It's cool live and people seem to enjoy it.<br />
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Jaren: They like that one because eveyryone is f*cked up!<br />
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Ben: Yeah but they're still singing it!<br />
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Jaren: I don't mean that they're drunk. I mean that everybody in their life at one point has f*cked up.<br />
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Ben: Right. I f*ck up all the time! I ain't done f*cking up.<br />
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Jaren: Both then: they f*cked up and they are f*cked up! The whole record really we're just excited about all of the songs on it. It's finally out there and it's been a long time coming for us.<br />
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Q: Have you performed all of the songs live now?<br />
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Jaren: Yeah there's only a couple we don't do. We don't do "Other Side of You" and "Wouldn't Want to Be You" and "A Man Change". We haven't learned those or relearned them since we recorded them. Yeah man that's our set. You haven't seen us before?<br />
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Q: First time...<br />
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Jaren: We're going to f*ck you guys up!<br />
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Q: Never seen Gracious Few either.<br />
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Jaren: They're good. This is our last night with them actually. Tomorrow night we go and do something else.<br />
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Q: You were touring with Cavo before this?<br />
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Jaren: Yeah we were with Cavo for a month and before that we were out with Saving Abel. We've been out since May so it's kind of been a long year so far but I think we're just doing pretty much all radio stuff the rest of the year. Then we'll start back up again in January.<br />
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Q: Are you working on new music?<br />
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Jaren: No, not really. Thought about it maybe but it's like we just put that sh*t out there so it's the last thing we want to do.<br />
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Q: So you don't have any official tour plans yet then?<br />
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Jaren: Well we're going out next year to tour with The Beatles. They're coming back to life and so we'll be doing that. I was so surprised when Ringo called. I was like listen get Paul on the phone and let's figure out what this money split is gonna be because I don't want to do it if it's not right.<br />
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Kelby: I was talking to John Lennon and that was just awkward all together. It's like you're a dead guy, you know?<br />
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Jaren: You're a dead guy man!<br />
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Ben: Are we really going out with The Beatles? (the rest of the band explodes into laughter)<br />
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Jaren: You can tell who's stoned!<br />
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Ben: Really. Nobody told me about that!<br />
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Jaren: No, we have tons of tour plans but we don't know exactly what, where or when but we'll be out there.<br />
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Q: You've gotten to tour with a lot of your idols.<br />
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Jaren: Yeah we got to tour with ZZ Top about two months ago and then we did the Pretenders. We did a lot of radio things with a lot of different bands; not necessarily our favorite bands but we made a lot of great friends. The Saving Abel guys are some of the funniest guys you could ever meet. Have you met them?<br />
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Q: Yeah I interviewed Blake (Dixon, drummer) over the Summer.<br />
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Ben: Great guy.<br />
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Jaren: (in a high pitched voice) I'm a grown ass man with braces! That's Blake right there! Nah, it's been cool man. The Pretenders tour was the sh*t. It's been a wild ride. It's pretty cool.<br />
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Q: Who were your biggest influences?<br />
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Jaren: We were all into Petty and all into the Zeppelin phase I'm sure. Guys like Neil Young and stuff like that. I'm more into anything by Dave Grohl or Jack White but we all kind of like that I guess. We grew up listening to a lot of old Hank Williams and Metallica. All the grunge stuff and then moved into the hippieland like Phish and all that stuff. So we're very out there and (pauses as his cell phone blares)...well hello!<br />
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Q: There is that southern feel to your music.<br />
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Jaren: Yeah I listened to a lot of country. Modern or I guess not modern but at the time stuff like Garth Brooks and Keith Whitley, a little bit of Waylon but more like Clint Black and that kind of stuff. That's kind of like where we get our southern sound from. I guess we all like Skynyrd a bit too.<br />
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Q: There isn't a whole lot of "true" country out there anymore.<br />
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Jaren: Yeah, there's just across the board not a whole lot of good sh*t out right now. It's pretty brutal.<br />
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Q: A lot of reviewers have called you country and then others rock. How would you describe it?<br />
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Jaren: Bad Mother F*cking Ass! We used to call it southern fried rock but I think now the record we made is more modern rock with a southern thing to it. I think we try to separate from everybody else by paying a lot of attention to the songs and spending a lot of time making sure that whether it was our choice or not all of them were really solid. Yeah, I don't know what we'd call it. It's just rock and roll. I like the bad mother f*cking ass. You can do that if you want.<br />
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Q: Do you have more singles coming off the album?<br />
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Jaren: Yeah. "Whiskey Walk" is on the charts right now. I'm not sure what the next one is going to be. It'll probably either be "Rewind" or "Angels". It'll definitely be one of the songs on the record. I have no idea. I know "Angels" is one of the videos that we've done so we'll see what happens.<br />
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Q: You've toured so much. Is there anywhere you like playing the most?<br />
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Jaren: Yeah we like the festivals. Lollapalooza in Chicago is a blast. We did Coachella which is b*tching. It's out in Palm Springs. Austin City Limits is a good town to play. You know what's kind of weird is that we all love New York City but we've only gone a few times. We played the Roseland Ballroom with the Pretenders. It was the second show of that tour. It was f*cking rad. It was like 3,000 people and taking it in your face!<br />
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Q: Do you prefer playing the larger venues?<br />
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Jaren: Yeah but you know I like those little sweaty ass everybody just slammed in there places too. It's just a lot of fun. We like it all man. We're just having a blast out there.<br />
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Q: Have you ever played here before?<br />
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Jaren: No, I don't think we have.<br />
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Ben: No, not Flint.<br />
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Jaren: The only thing I know about Flint is the Michael Moore movie. I guess he's from here.<br />
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Kelby: We've played in Ann Arbor, in Detroit.<br />
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Neil: Detroit a couple of times.<br />
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Jaren: Yeah Detroit. The Magic Stick or Bag or whatever. We played with that band J Roddy Walston and The Business. Straight up check that sh*t out! Also bad mother f*cking ass!<br />
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Q: Is there anyone you would like to tour with besides The Beatles of course?<br />
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Jaren: We'd like to go out with Petty. Definitely the Foo Fighters. That's our, you know, the one we want so bad but that's a hard one to get. I would love doing any one of Jack White's things.<br />
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Ben: Pearl Jam.<br />
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Jaren: Pearl Jam would be great. Stone Temple Pilots. We tried to get on some of their shows this year but haven't lucked out. I'd like to go out with the Strokes, Queens of the Stone Age; that type of stuff. The Eagles.<br />
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Q: You talked about going to Hawaii to record. How was that?<br />
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Jaren: How do you think it was? It was pretty rad. We had a lot of drinking, a lot of smoking, a lot of singing. There was this little surf house down by the beach. It was cool man. Bob's got a really cool like Asian style house up on this hill and you can see it from pretty much anywhere on the island. It's really laid back with a great view. Great studio and lots of great guitarists. We had a blast man. Learned how to surf.<br />
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Ben: Learned how to try to surf!<br />
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Jaren: Hey, I did alright! I rode that sumb*tch all the way in the first try! Didn't I?<br />
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Ben: I did not...I did not!<br />
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Jaren: Once you get over the shock of like oh I did it, I rode a surfboard. Once you're over that and you get to where it's getting shallower and shallower you're like do I get off now? What do I do?<br />
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Kelby: It's like when you're all the way out and then you turn around to try to get a wave and you stand up and you're going and you suddenly realize I'm in the middle of the ocean!<br />
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Ben: That's where I freaked out. I didn't freak out when I got closer to the beach. I freaked out the further out. It was like I should not be doing this!<br />
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Kelby: It's not like I'm that great of a swimmer.<br />
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Ben: I remember the guy who was teaching or whatever we were talking after we'd been out a couple of times that day and he was like "You gotta be careful out there because there are sharks out there." I'm like then why did you have us go out there?<br />
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Jaren: Yeah we go don't say that and he said well there are, it's just a part of life and I said it doesn't have to be! It was a rad trip though. It was fun.<br />
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Q: Do you have any Halloween plans?<br />
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Yeah we're playing tomorrow at Madison's Freak Fest so that'll be fun. We'll probably be driving all the rest of the day on Halloween. We're going home for a few days. Freak Fest we'll be playing with Ok Go and I don't even know who else.<br />
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Q: Are you a band who likes to get out and meet and greet the fans?<br />
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Jaren: Yeah we usually go out every night and have some drinks and hang out.<br />
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Q: This is a great venue for that!<br />
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Jaren: Yeah it's kind of funny because when we walked in here I kinda felt we were in a mix between a tattoo shop and a f*cking tire shop!<br />
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Kelby: Yeah. Now when you go in from the backstage area to the front they've got like a chain fence gate. Then there's everyone sitting quietly at the tables drinking!<br />
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Jaren: Have you seen the opening band The Hangers On?<br />
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Q: Yeah I believe they opened before Taddy Porter on one of their many shows here.<br />
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Jaren: Did Taddy headline last time they were in here?<br />
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Q: They opened for Finger Eleven.<br />
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Ben: I heard Taddy on the radio today. "Big Enough".<br />
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Jaren: I like that song.<br />
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Q: Flint loves Taddy. They're back here next week with Evans Blue. Maybe after you play here you'll start coming back every few weeks to the Machine Shop.<br />
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Jaren: Well damn it's pretty far from our house but if it's a good show we'll make it a frequent stop!<br />
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Q: What has been your strangest fan encounter?<br />
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Jaren: The other night in Cincinnatti we had a guy drive up from Atlanta for the show. He brought us two of these (holding up a couple of bottles of moonshine) and gave us a bunch of weed. He asked us if we wanted anything else and opened his car door and he had all this stuff like Vicodin, anything you could think of. We were like, it's cool man.<br />
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Ben: You didn't take any? I took some!<br />
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Jaren: Vicodin?<br />
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Ben: Yeah man!<br />
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Jaren: Want to split it? (the band dissolves into laughter again)<br />
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Kelby: We have a lot of great fans though. We had this one girl make us a thousand of these buttons with our band name on them. We've been giving them out ever since!<br />
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Q: Well guess it's time for you to get ready for the show.<br />
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Jaren: Time for some bad ass mother f*cking rock!<br />
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True to their words, American Bang went on to blow everyone's minds at the Machine Shop!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-36250457392800352582016-07-11T13:13:00.001-07:002016-07-11T13:13:24.099-07:00American Bang and The Gracious Few rock small crowd at Machine Shop11-1-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br /><br />
<img alt="The Gracious Few on stage at the Machine Shop 10-29-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/36/94/36944b88f988bbb8e52ea7196942b854.jpg?itok=YcuuyedZ" title="The Gracious Few on stage at the Machine Shop 10-29-10" /><br /><br /><br />Friday night, American Bang and The Gracious Few wound up their tour at the Machine Shop in Flint.<br /><br />The crowd was a little light possibly due to the busy Halloween weekend but those that did make it out were treated to one of the better rock shows of the year.<br /><br />The evening started with a performance by local band The Hangers On who unfortunately didn't draw much of a crowd during their set as those who were there stayed seated or wandered outside.<br /><br />American Bang's set started out with only a few people in front of the stage but once they began playing and people got exposed to their appealing brand of bluesy rock and singer Jaren Johnston's enthusiasm, the rest of the crowd was on it's feet and joining the others at the stage.<br /><br />American Bang's "Wild and Young" single has gotten a lot of airplay and the band is known for being one of only a handful of bands today who just stick to playing true rock and roll.<br /><br />The "Wild and Young" performance was good but it was their performance of their song "Hurts Like Hell" that stood out as Jaren emphatically presented the chorus to the crowd.<br /><br />Throughout the set, the band all moved from one end of the stage to the other with Johnston taking to the top of the percussion set and eventually out into the crowd.<br /><br />Johnston ended up on the ground with his guitar and continued to play without missing a beat.<br /><br />The only problem with American Bang's set was that at times Jaren's voice got overshadowed by the rest of the band's playing, which is unfortunately something that occasionally seems to happen at the Machine Shop when a band uses their own sound techs.<br /><br />The venue has a set of loud capacity amplifiers and if they are not set up right that problem tends to happen.<br /><br />The farther back in the venue you are, the better the sound for certain acts.<br /><br />Fortunately, the Gracious Few's set was lacking that problem.<br /><br />The band took to the stage and proceeded to run through all of their self titled debut album.<br /><br />The supergroup features vocalist Kevin Martin and guitarist Sean Hennesy from Candlebox and guitarist Chad Taylor, bass guitarist Pat Dahlheimer and drummer Chad Gracey from the band Live.<br /><br />Together, the band forms their own unique sound that encompasses the rock sound that they were both known for with a larger bluesy sound that works well with Martin's voice.<br /><br />Set highlights included soulful performances of "The Rest of You" and "Sing" but it was the performance of "Crying Time" that really stood out.<br /><br />The song was opened with a introduction by Martin who spoke about combining the two bands and being inspired by a friend who passed on. Martin went on to dedicate the song to him.<br /><br />The song breaks out into a amazing bridge that allowed Martin's passionate voice to shine and was backed up beautifully by Hennesy's guitar solo.<br /><br />The Gracious Few set also featured Martin climbing across the rafters to hang above the crowd before he fell down into them.<br /><br />It was clear to anyone at the show that the band is loving working together and truly inspired by the music they are producing and the crowds that they are drawing.<br /><br />It was also clear that during the tour American Bang and The Gracious Few have bonded and various members from both bands kept taking the stage throughout the evening to share drinks and shots.<br /><br />Both Johnston and Martin spent time praising the other one, which is probably due to their mutual love for the pureness of the rock genre and the energy that they both exude on and off the stage.<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-14787813423689958632016-07-11T13:11:00.001-07:002016-07-11T13:11:36.915-07:00ABK explores the spiritual on Medicine Bag, plays Hallowicked 10-28-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br /><br />ABK performing at the 2004 Gathering of the Juggalos<br /><br />
<img alt="ABK performing at the 2004 Gathering of the Juggalos" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/cd/97/cd9794807493621b58e6685f019969c7.jpg?itok=PS4FaFWc" title="ABK performing at the 2004 Gathering of the Juggalos" /><br /><br />Local Detroit underground rapper James Lowery a.k.a. ABK recently released his fourth album on the Psychopathic Records label started by Insane Clown Posse (ICP).<br /><br />Medicine Bag is a different turn for ABK as it moves away from the dark, moody music that is prevalent throughout the Psychopathic Records' roster and instead explores the lighter side of the spiritual world he is interested in and inspired by.<br /><br />ABK is one of only a handful of Native American rappers and his heritage is prevalent throughout his music.<br /><br />He began his musical career at a young age after being surrounded by music.<br /><br />In 1995, he joined up with childhood friend Lavel to form Krazy Klan and released two independent albums before taking the name Native Funk and releasing a solo album that caught the attention of Psychopathic and friend Blaze Ya Dead Homie who was looking for a hypeman.<br /><br />After touring with Blaze as a opening act for ICP and Twiztid, Psychopathic signed him as a solo artist and since then he has released the albums Hatchet Warrior, Dirty History and Mudface.<br /><br />ABK is known for his unique lisp, lyrics and sound and Medicine Bag takes things to a new level.<br /><br />To promote the new album, ABK is hitting the road beginning with a four date stand opening for ICP on their annual Halloween extravaganza Hallowicked.<br /><br />On Tuesday, I got a chance to talk to ABK where he was at home staying out of the storm:<br /><br />Q: How are you?<br /><br />A: I'm doing very good. I'm inside.<br /><br />Q: You have the new album Medicine Bag out. How has the reaction to it been so far?<br /><br />A: It's been awesome. It's been getting a very good response. It's been the best one yet so I'm very excited to hit the road with it. To get out there and start promoting it and doing shows with it and everything. As much as I can do with this one.<br /><br />Q: You have the Hallowicked dates with ICP coming up but do you have any other plans to tour?<br /><br />A: Yeah after the four Hallowicked dates I have an East Coast tour and then I have a few dates in the Denver area and then the Buffalo area. Around the surrounding area until November when I'll be going on a West Coast tour.<br /><br />Q: Are you still going to be opening on the makeup dates for the recently cancelled ICP Old Sh*t tour?<br /><br />A: Yeah. I'm going to do the old school tour also. I'm going to try and stay out there as much as I can this year.<br /><br />Q: Are you going to be doing a lot of the new stuff on the Hallowicked dates?<br /><br />A: On the Hallowicked dates I'm going to be doing a couple of new tracks but mainly I'm just going to stick to my darker stuff for Halloween time.<br /><br />Q: You usually put out a Halloween track every year. Are you doing that this year?<br /><br />A: No. Insane Clown Posse I know made one this year but I haven't. I've been busy with the album.<br /><br />Q: What makes this album different from your other ones?<br /><br />A: It's more of a party feel instead of the darker side because you know I'm Native American so I usually have the darker Native drums and whatnot. This one's more of a party vibe. I brought out my inner teenager again I guess so it's a lot more party tracks. I'm having fun with it.<br /><br />Q: It kind of has that eighties hip hop feel to it too.<br /><br />A: Oh yeah, definitely.<br /><br />Q: Is there a particular song on Medicine Bag that stands out for you?<br /><br />A: Especially "Last Chance" mainly. That's the first single off the album. It's just a close personal type feeling song. It's more or less saying goodbye to loved ones. It's one of the deeper songs on the album. I love the personal, deep tracks so that's one of my personal favorites.<br /><br />Q: Do you think that most of the album is pretty personal?<br /><br />A: Well "Last Chance" is because of the feel of it. Both of my parents have passed on and I have a sister who passed away. I have two children that I don't really get to see that much because they're living with their mother so it really is a last chance type of vibe. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm speaking to them in the song.<br /><br />Q: Do you find your own personal experiences add to your music?<br /><br />A: Either my personal experiences or those of my fans because of being on the road and getting to talk to them. I like to meet and greet a lot so a lot of the stories come from them.<br /><br />Q: On the track "Brace Yo Self" you say "paranormal music with a rhythm you can boogie to". I think that does a great job of getting at the heart of your music. Do you feel that sentence really describes it?<br /><br />A: Yeah, definitely. I am very, very into the spiritual world, I guess you would say. It's kind of what I base my music around. Paranormal music, I guess; the native vibe with the spirits and the ancestry.<br /><br />Q: You started playing music pretty young. Was there a particular reason for that? Were you surrounded by music within your family growing up?<br /><br />A: Yeah well my father was a preacher so being in church a lot I was always around music and messing with the instruments a lot. What really showed me I could get out there and put out a tape was the first Esham tape. You know someone from the neighborhood doing it. I think that inspired a lot of people who wanted to do music but didn't really know how to get it out there. You just had someone to back them then and inspired a lot of people in the neighborhood.<br /><br />Q: You mentioned Esham but was there anyone else who inspired you?<br /><br />A: Yeah, you know just the old school hip hop like Run DMC and Fat Boys. Stuff like that. Prince and Michael Jackson, of course. Anything in that era.<br /><br />Q: You came into Psychopathic as Blaze's hypeman right?<br /><br />A: Yeah that's how I got into Psychopathic. I actually did a couple of albums prior to that with a guy called Lavel and we were called Krazy Klan. Then I did a solo album and that's how I hooked up with Blaze. He needed a hypeman and I was solo at the time and so I hooked up with him.<br /><br />Q: You left Psychopathic for awhile. What made you come back?<br /><br />A: More or less I just wanted to find myself. When I first got signed I was put into a situation where I was touring a lot and it just got to my head. I was just able to take a break and start up a side company called Native World that was a slower pace with artists and stuff like that. I just went back and did smaller shows and got back into the vibe of things and now I'm ready with the bigger shows. I just needed to take a little break I guess.<br /><br />Q: Who is on Native World right now?<br /><br />A: Well there's Strict 9. He's on and off. It's not really a label. It's just a platform for people that come on my shows. I like to have a lot of local acts open instead of you know paying the bigger names to come. I like to give the local acts a chance. It's a spot where they can come and order cds in a small amount or order stage clothes or t-shirts for their band.<br /><br />Q: Psychopathic has done a great job as a underground label. Do you have any advice for up and coming artists?<br /><br />A: Flyers!! The best way is flyers and samplers. Giving them away free. Most of my career was unpaid. Be prepared for that. Be prepared for giving away a lot of free stuff. That's the best way to get your name out there.<br /><br />Q: Besides touring do you have any other future plans?<br /><br />A: I'm getting ready to shoot the video for "Last Chance". Then I'm going to be starting up a Internet show. I don't really have a name for it right now but I'm just getting all of my ideas for it together. Pretty much that's it besides touring. I'm probably going to do a in-store tour also.<br /><br />Q: The bonus tracks on the different versions of Medicine Bag were originally from the Possessed album you were working on. Do you still plan to release those as a EP collection?<br /><br />A: Yeah I want that to be a tour-exclusive cd that you can get on Hatchet Gear but not in the regular stores everywhere. An underground cd for everyone. It's more or less the darker side. Me doing wicked sh*t I'd say.<br /><br />Q: Earlier this year you were in ICP's comedic western Big Money Rustlas. Do you plan to do more acting?<br /><br />A: I'd love to get into acting. I know they're filming the Detroit 187 here now so maybe I'll go down there and get some extra parts. I was an extra in the movie Hoffa when that was filming here. That was fun. I don't mind being on set and the hours.<br /><br />Q: There's a lot of opportunity around here right now.<br /><br />A: Yeah, right. It's good though, good for the city.<br /><br />Q: Is there any current music that you are really into?<br /><br />A: I like anyone that's really hustling. Anyone that's putting in their grind. To me it's really not just the music; it's the personality, the whole attitude of it I guess. If you're not afraid to get on the stage and put up your banner and sell your own merch and shake hands and sign autographs, I think that's awesome. A lot of artists don't really like to meet and greet. They hit the stage and then they just leave. I don't know you know anyone that likes to get personal I guess that would be music I can feel. Someone who can actually get up there and feel their fans.<br /><br />Q: All of the guests on this album are from Psychopathic but is there anyone outside of that that you would like to work with?<br /><br />A: Anyone really. I love a lot of different emcees. There's so many out there. I guess probably just old school emcees from the Run DMC era or the Ice-T's.<br /><br />Q: You talked about going from the large to the small venues and back again. Do you prefer one to the other?<br /><br />A: No, not really. I think they all have their own attitude.<br /><br />Q: Psychopathic has gotten a lot of attention this year with the Gathering Tila Tequila incident and the ICP Nightline coverage. What do you want people to know about the label?<br /><br />A: It's not what a lot of people make it out to be. The label helps out a lot of people in their neighborhood. It's a platform for people to come and learn things like video editing or wrestling. Psychopathic has interns that come and work at the office and that's a platform for them. It's really not what it's made out to be. They just help out a lot of people and the fans you know paint up and get in a ICP line and then turn around and hit up a Jay-Z show. There's really no difference. It's just the difference in how they're looked at I guess.<br /><br />Q: And over the last couple of years the album sales have increased as well from ICP's Bang! Pow! Boom! to Boondox's South of Hell to Blaze's Gang Rags and most recently Twiztid's Heartbreak & Homicide. I think a lot of new people are being exposed to the music and enjoying it.<br /><br />A: Yeah, that's awesome. If everyone could get a little taste of it I think the world would be a better place. At least in my opinion because it is a big giant family and everyone does try and help each other out and make sure everyone does have a good time.<br /><br />Q: I think that sometimes people do take the lyrics too seriously too.<br /><br />A: Oh yeah and it's no different from a horror movie or a comedy. I guess a lot of bands went through it.<br /><br />Q: Do you think you'll ever be back in with Dark Lotus?<br /><br />A: Probably eventually. It's tattered on my wrist until I'm dead and gone. I'm gonna keep saying it until then so eventually maybe. Who knows what the future holds!<br /><br />Q: Do you still plan to release another Drive-By album with Blaze?<br /><br />A: Yes. Me and Blaze, we're in talks about another Drive-By and possibly a tour. That's a project I would like to keep going. I love Drive-By stuff.<br /><br />Q: You talked about working with artists through Native World. Is that something you want to continue with?<br /><br />A: Yeah I love working with artists. I have ideas that just come into my head all the time and half of them I can't use so I'm sure there's someone out there who could. I'd love to work with artists giving them some type of advice and anything that can help.<br /><br />Q: With the Internet and downloads I think it's harder to get noticed and like you said a lot of it is about being out there and driving your sales and getting your name out there.<br /><br />A: Oh yeah. I mean the Internet does help get people get their music out there a lot more actually. There's a lot of dance moves that's out, you know the crazes and all that stuff, and the Internet helps those get noticed so that's good. For some people it kills their album sales but that is where you gotta love to tour and meet and greet.<br /><br />Q: Is there one track that stands out over your career?<br /><br />A: "To Whom This May Concern" because that will probably be a song that's played at my funeral. That's probably it right there!<br /><br />Q: With Halloween approaching, what is the best costume you've ever had?<br /><br />A: The best costume I ever had was I bought some saran wrap and went as a leftover. I just wrapped my legs and my arms up and wrote meatloaf. A piece of paper that said meatloaf on it. It was a leftover; easy and comfortable.<br /><br />Q: What can people expect from Hallowicked this year?<br /><br />A: Just craziness! At Halloween time Juggalos get extra crazy. They come from all out everywhere. It's kind of like a mini-Gathering. It's pandemonium everywhere!<br /><br />Q: There's always so many out of town people there.<br /><br />A: Oh yeah. It's awesome that so many people would rather not trick or treat or what not. That's cool. You know you don't really want to trick or treat, you'd rather go to a concert.<br /><br />Q: I've seen people take their kids out early and then bring them to the show.<br /><br />A: Oh yeah, yeah plenty of times. That's what I do actually. I take my kids trick or treating and then head down to the show.<br /><br />Q: Will you be at the Hallowicked After Party?<br /><br />A: Yes, yep. Gotta check out my homie Blaze! Hope to see you there.<br /><br />ABK will be opening in Detroit for ICP with the Dayton Family, AMB and Boondox on Halloween night at the Fillmore Theater.<br /><br />Doors for the show open at 6 p.m..<br /><br />The Hallowicked Afterparty featuring JCW Wrestling and a performance by Blaze will be down the street at the Majestic Theater.<br /><br />Doors for the party open at 10 p.m..<br /><br />ABK will be back in Michigan on Thanksgiving night to open at his friends Critical Bill's annual free show at the Emerald Theater in Mt. Clemens.<br /><br />The show will also feature performances by the Christina Criss band, Lithium and BWNN.<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-508943512506610372016-07-11T13:09:00.001-07:002016-07-11T13:09:49.461-07:00ABK takes a lighter look at the spiritual world 10-28-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br /><br /><br /><br />Detroit underground rapper Anybody Killa (ABK) recently released his fourth album Medicine Bag, which is his third album on the Psychopathic Records label led by horrorcore rappers Insane Clown Posse (ICP).<br /><br />ABK's music stands out on the Psychopathic roster not only because of his unique delivery due to his distinctive lisp but also because of the fact that he is one of only a few Native American rappers.<br /><br />ABK has brought his Native American heritage and influences into many of his past songs and on Medicine Bag, his tribal hip hop sound comes through loud and clear.<br /><br />In the past, his music has been similar in style to most of the dark "wicked" music that all of the artists on Psychopathic Records are known for and he originally began work on a new album set in this style that he planned to call Possessed.<br /><br />However, midway through the recording of the album he decided to switch directions after being inspired by his culture and people that he met while out on the road.<br /><br />Medicine Bag began as a way to uplift spirits and a way to project a happier vibe that harkens back to the early hip hop sound.<br /><br />In Native American culture a medicine bag is a satchel full of magical items to increase a person's skills and abilities.<br /><br />The items are intended to aid someone during a "vision quest" where sacrifice like fasting, prayer and isolation occur for the purpose of making contact with spirits to guide a person to reach their full potential.<br /><br />ABK's Medicine Bag album takes this central idea and runs with it creating a listening journey that brings together a mix of rock, rap and pop that leaves the listener craving more.<br /><br />The album features a cover sporting a tribal painting courtesy of ABK himself.<br /><br />The album comes in three different versions: red, green and blue. Each version has two different bonus tracks that were originally intended for the Possessed album plus each album insert fits together to make one big poster.<br /><br />The album opens with a spoken track called "The Meaning". ABK uses the track as a way to explain what the album is all about, "The music on this cd is recognized as having various supernatural abilities."<br /><br />The opener leads into the album's title track "Medicine Bag", which instantly lets the listener know that this is a party album and immediately brings forth the old school hip hop feel, "There's a song that you play when you ain't feeling right because it's bad to be stressed out and all uptight."<br /><br />The next track "Get Down" is all about being at the top of your game and features a soundtrack straight out of a cowboy and Indian western complete with gun shots and horses, "Breathe. Tell me how you feel. You looking winded I suggest you chill."<br /><br />"I'm Comin' Swingin'" is a head banging/low riding track that turns into a powerful track aimed at his Juggalo fans. At times the track moves seamlessly between rap, rock and dance, "Tell everybody you know. This time I'm comin' swingin'." The song also features a nice nod to ABK's old track "Stick and Move".<br /><br />The album's first single is the ballad "Last Chance", which is a song dedicated to the loved ones he has had to say goodbye to and to those loved ones he is unable to see that often due to his lifestyle. The song should appeal to anyone who has found themselves with regrets and wishing they could let someone know what they are thinking, "If I had one last chance to say hey I would be alright."<br /><br />Next up is a track with Axe Murder Boyz (AMB) who are signed to the Psychopathic Records' susidiary Hatchet House. The song "Brace Yo Self" features one of the best lyrics on the album delivered by ABK, "Paranormal music with a rhythm you can boogie too." The sentence is the perfect description of the entire album and ABK's discography in general. His own interest in the spiritual world combined with his love of old school MC's is on full display. Unfortunately, the song is taken down a bit with the appearance of AMB who are continuously a weak point on the label.<br /><br />"Nervous" is a entirely different feel to the rest of the album as it is almost devoid of any background music and just features one continuous beat and some snapping. ABK's low delivery also helps set it's feel as he cooly talks about his emotions before going on stage and urges people to deal with their uneasiness and to just go out and get it done, "There's still no other place that I'd rather be."<br /><br />"Lose Control" is probably the closest song to the "old" ABK sound as the song is built as a high speed chase and is delivered with a strong punch, "Now I'm mad at the world and I'm showing it."<br /><br />"That Sh*t U On" features ABK's longtime friend, labelmate and collaborator Blaze Ya Dead Homie and is easily one of the highlight tracks of the album. The song is the most eighties sounding single on the album and puts forth the party vibe in a big way, "A little hip inside your hop...Back up man you're about to make the needle jump."<br /><br />"Super Killa Fragilistic" is the most hilarious moment of the album as ABK sits everyone down to tell a story about his own attributes, "ABK the dopest...Everbody knows this." However, the song is also aimed at up and coming rappers as a way to get them to go out and work as hard as they can and not sit back and expect things to happen for them.<br /><br />Next up is the track "Tired of Asking" which is a typical track about getting what you want, "Tired of searching for help. Don't want these cards I was dealt." The song features another reference as ABK refers to his song "Hated Me".<br /><br />"That's Enough 4 Me" is all about appreciating what you have, "Mind over matter means a lot if you're part of the streets." The track is another heavy fast paced song.<br /><br />"Keep It Wicked" features a appearance by ICP and changes the sound of the album up a bit. The track is similar in sound to most of ICP's music and features a soundtrack of carnival and "wicked" sounds that the band is known for. The song takes listeners on a ride that seems to be spinning out of control, "I keeps it wicked like a Hendrix guitar." ABK also pays homage to his hometown Detroit as he calls himself a "Motown rap star" and a "Detroit beast".<br /><br />The album closes with the track "On My Way", which begins as a slow ballad and then explodes into a rock guitar driven track that becomes a Hatchet family anthem complete with the "Juggalos!" and "Family!" chants. The track is a beautiful layered song that sets out to inspire people to take a chance and follow their dreams, "Can't nobody change me or what I believe. So I make it a need to go out and achieve."<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-60086081378065232402016-07-11T13:05:00.002-07:002016-07-11T13:05:56.502-07:00Pepper brings Like A Surgeon tour to the Crofoot <img alt="Pepper on stage at the Crofoot 10-19-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/72/99/pepper_0.jpg?itok=F00xYOHV" title="Pepper on stage at the Crofoot 10-19-10" /><br />
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10-22-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br /><br />Tuesday night, Pontiac's Crofoot Ballroom was treated to Pepper's Like A Surgeon tour.<br /><br />Pepper is touring behind their recently released EP Stitches which features popular single "Wake Up".<br /><br />Tuesday, the show was opened by Californian punk rock band Pour Habit, whose wild antics and hard songs were a hit with the small but rambunctious college crowd.<br /><br />Pour Habit frontman Chuck Green found his way out into the audience to mosh with the fans quite a few times and spent the rest of the time dancing wildly from one end of the stage to the other.<br /><br />Randomly throughout the set the band would stop for a beer bong break before they would get back to their unique blend of metal, reggae and something that is indescribably their own sound.<br /><br />Up next was Minneapolis hip hop artist Brother Ali and DJ Snuggles.<br /><br />Brother Ali actually spent most of his childhood in Michigan and seemed to have quite a few fans who came out to the show just to see him.<br /><br />The albino rapper is known for his early hip hop style and music that deals with things that are important to him including his view on the political system as well as his wish that the world would be a more open and accepting place.<br /><br />Tuesday, he pulled out a number of songs off of his new album Us including the powerful title track and "The Preacher".<br /><br />Set highlights included a beatboxing performance by DJ Snuggles that blew the audience away and a performance of Brother Ali's popular track "Truth Is".<br /><br />Hawaiian rock band Pepper are known for their wild performances and they did not disappoint at the Crofoot.<br /><br />In honor of their Stitches EP the band named their latest tour Like A Surgeon and before their set, the audience was treated to a soundtrack of hospital themed songs including Madonna's "Fever", TLC's "No Scrubs", Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood" and, of course, Weird Al's "Like A Surgeon".<br /><br />The band's set for the tour is a hospital theme complete with a hospital background and props like a teaching skeleton and a wheelchair.<br /><br />Pepper then came out to the sounds of someone being resuscitated and flashing red lights representing the heartbeat.<br /><br />Pepper members lead vocalist/guitarist Kaleo Wassman, vocalist/bassist Bret Bollinger and drummer Yesod Williams came out sporting hospital masks and doctor scrubs.<br /><br />The band then played a solid set full of songs spanning their thirteen year career.<br /><br />Pepper's music is a great mix of hardcore reggae and rock reminiscent of Sublime or 311 but the band puts their own humorous spin on everything they sing.<br /><br />New tracks like "Wake Up" and "Lonely" went hand in hand with older tracks like "Your Face" and "Nice Time".<br /><br />At one point DJ Snuggles and Brother Ali joined the band on stage and during a performance of new song "Mirror" Pour Habit's Green took the stage in a wheelchair as a mental patient.<br /><br />Green also made a memorable appearance during Pepper's first performance of popular new song "Drunk Girl" as he swayed, sang and jumped along on the edge of the stage.<br /><br />However, it was the band's performances of "Freeze", "No Control" and closer "Ashes" that really stood out as they hand the crowd singing and swaying along.<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-2854297416694836162016-07-11T13:04:00.000-07:002016-07-11T13:04:11.660-07:00Finger Eleven, Taddy Porter and Tripp N' Dixie rock out at the Machine Shop
<img alt="Finger Eleven at the Machine Shop 10-16-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/a9/ba/finger_0.jpg?itok=KIIWLhws" title="Finger Eleven at the Machine Shop 10-16-10" /><br /><br />10-20-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On Saturday night, Finger Eleven, Taddy Porter and Tripp N' Dixie made a stop at Flint's Machine Shop.<br /><br />The show was opened by Clarkston's own Tripp N' Dixie who got the crowd warmed up with a set full of soulful rock music.<br /><br />The band has been gaining recognition after recently opening for Taddy Porter and Saving Abel.<br /><br />Their southern rock tinged music fit in well on that tour and Saturday they were the perfect opener getting the crowd on their feet and moving along.<br /><br />Taddy Porter was up next.<br /><br />The Oklahoma rock band has been enjoying the success of their self titled debut album and have been getting their name out there through a number of high profile tours including most recently touring with Slash.<br /><br />Saturday, despite front man Andy Brewer's cold, the band sounded great with a set list full of their heaviest songs including "Shake Me", "Big Enough" and "Mean Bitch".<br /><br />Set highlights included opener "Whatever Haunts You" and the slower "In The Morning".<br /><br />The members of Taddy Porter ooze chemistry on stage and their powerful guitar work make them some of rock's greatest rising stars.<br /><br />The band mixes the blues, heavy metal and southern rock into a amazing mix that blasts listeners away and often ends up overshadowing the headliners.<br /><br />For that very reason, the band has become a regular at the Machine Shop and will be returning there with Evans Blue on Wednesday, November 3.<br /><br />Canadian rock band Finger Eleven are out on tour in support of their latest album Life Turns Electric, which is full of some of the best material they've ever done.<br /><br />The album is a wonderful mix of strong rock songs and heartfelt ballads and on Saturday the band presented a number of these songs to the Flint crowd for the first time.<br /><br />Songs like their opener "Pieces Fit" and "Any Moment Now" fit in well with older songs like "One Thing" and "Above".<br /><br />Vocalist Scott Anderson has a powerful diverse voice and guitarist Rick Jackett kept the crowd entertained with his crazy antics.<br /><br />Closing songs "Living In A Dream" and "Paralyzer", which included a section featuring covers of Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" and Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall", stood out but it was their memorable performance of "I'll Keep Your Memory Vague" and new song "Whatever Doesn't Kill Me" that were the evening's highlight moments.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-62930083347635865172016-07-11T13:00:00.000-07:002016-07-11T13:00:13.828-07:00Taddy Porter make the Machine Shop their second home
<img alt="Taddy Porter at the Machine Shop 10-16-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/58/7f/taddy1.jpg?itok=C_vremju" title="Taddy Porter at the Machine Shop 10-16-10" /><br /><br />10-19-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br /><br /><br /><br />It's always fun getting the chance to shadow a band but it was particularly exciting to get a chance to shadow Oklahoma rock band Taddy Porter on their latest visit to Flint's Machine Shop on Saturday.<br /><br />Taddy Porter began to gain attention after being discovered by Overtone Music Group in 2009 and their subsequent two years as a opening act for Saving Abel.<br /><br />The band consists of lead vocalist Andy Brewer, lead guitarist Joe Selby, drummer Doug Jones and bassist Kevin Jones.<br /><br />The band met while they were in college when Andy randomly met Doug and then Andy introduced him to his guitar instructor Joe. The band rounded out with the addition of Doug's brother Kevin.<br /><br />Earlier this year, Taddy Porter released their self-titled debut album and watched as the lead single “Shake Me” debuted as the #3 Most Added track at Active Rock radio.<br /><br />After the release, the band had the honor of touring with famous guitarist Slash who was touring in support of his self-titled debut solo album.<br /><br />After getting a short break back home after the Slash tour, Taddy Porter is back out on a tour with Finger Eleven who are promoting their latest album Life Turns Electric.<br /><br />Saturday the Machine Shop was the site of the tour's opening date.<br /><br />Taddy Porter has become such a regular act at the venue that they were even introduced on stage as the "house band".<br /><br />The band actually began their trip to Michigan with a headlining stop at the Intersection in Grand Rapids on Thursday.<br /><br />Saturday, after making their way to the venue, the band headed out to get gas leaving Kevin behind to greet my friend and I when we got there as Finger Eleven performed their sound check.<br /><br />The band then made a quick trip across the street to Flint's Dort Mall, which is known for it's lack of business but entertaining decor filled with old memorabilia.<br /><br />The band made the trip after a sick Andy decided to go in search of a pair of sunglasses.<br /><br />The band then snuck out with a local photographer friend to find some key spots in Flint to take some pictures.<br /><br />Due to the trip, they ended up missing their own sound check time so opener Tripp N' Dixie filled the spot until they returned.<br /><br />They then ran through a quick sound check of their own before sitting down for a interview as Joe serenaded us on his guitar:<br /><br />Q: So when I last spoke to you back in August you were just getting ready to head out on the Slash tour. How did that end up going?<br /><br />Joe: It was awesome! Awesome!<br /><br />Q: Did you get to hang out with Slash at all?<br /><br />Doug: Yeah we did. We got to say hi and hung out a little bit. Myles [Kennedy, Slash's touring vocalist] was around a lot and he was really cool. Slash was pretty reserved.<br /><br />Andy: He was pretty busy though. It was cool.<br /><br />Kevin: It was amazing! He was super nice. So was Myles.<br /><br />Q: How is this tour with Finger Eleven going?<br /><br />Andy- This is actually our first night. We haven't even met them yet.<br /><br />Doug- We're on tour with them for three weeks I think.<br /><br />Andy- It's two I think.<br /><br />Q: And then you're heading out with Evans Blue and playing the Machine Shop again in a couple of weeks on November 3?<br /><br />Andy: Yeah that's two weeks also.<br /><br />Q: Do you plan on doing a headlining tour anytime soon?<br /><br />Kevin shakes his head yes as Andy indicates no.<br /><br />Doug- We're waiting on that.<br /><br />Kevin- Probably not!<br /><br />Andy- If we did it would probably just be around back home.<br /><br />Q: You got to go back home for a bit after the Slash tour.<br /><br />Andy- Yeah I got to go back home and see all of my friends I hadn't seen in a long time so I didn't get any rest. I was out with them and there was no time to rest.<br /><br />Q: Which is probably why you're sick now...<br /><br />Andy- I think it is. That's exactly what it is!<br /><br />Q: With all the different tours have you been changing up your set list?<br /><br />Andy- We changed it up because we had some scattered shows where we headlined like the show in Grand Rapids the other night.<br /><br />Doug- That was real cool.<br /><br />Andy- Shows like here we only get 30 minutes.<br /><br />Kevin and Doug chime in with 40 minutes.<br /><br />Andy- 40 minutes. Is that what it is?<br /><br />Q: Who else was on the Slash tour?<br /><br />Andy: We played with a band called Tag The Band on a few dates.<br /><br />Q: Do you find larger crowds back home when you play there? Does it usually sell out?<br /><br />There is a chorus of sometimes by the entire band.<br /><br />Doug- Sometimes in our hometown. There are definitely larger crowds there though.<br /><br />Andy- We don't really sell out in Tulsa though.<br /><br />Q: The Slash tour was in larger venues. How was that?<br /><br />Andy- Yeah it was great.<br /><br />Doug- Some of the crowds were unbelievable.<br /><br />Kevin- A lot of them were selling out. It was pretty cool.<br /><br />Q: The larger venues have a different feel to them...<br /><br />Andy- It is. You get used to playing with a whole lot of people and there's a whole lot of enthusiasm in a big group of people. I like playing in both types of venues. We've been here at the Machine Shop like 20 times.<br /><br />Doug and Joe say six or seven times.<br /><br />Kevin- One thousand times and in two more weeks!<br /><br />Andy- Six or seven times. We have people who come out and check us out now all the time. That's the business you know? You travel and come back and see your crowd grow and have more friends in the city. With this city that has happened quite a bit. That's a great feeling to know you can come and see a bunch of familiar faces and to know you've made more and more friends. That's really cool.<br /><br />Q: It definitely seems like the crowds and the recognition is growing.<br /><br />Andy- What was really great at the time was when we went out on tour with Saving Abel. But then we toured with them for two years so we didn't really get out of that crowd. We played in front of them for years. The tour with Slash and this tour and the next one are great because we get out and see more people. We had a date with Buckcherry in Atlanta and they're a great rock and roll band. We started meeting people and making new friends because of that. We made friends with Buckcherry and we're talking about possibly touring with them.<br /><br />Kevin- Nothing official.<br /><br />Andy- We'd love to tour with them though. Their crowds are good. They're a great band with a great show and they play in front of people who want to see a great rock show.<br /><br />Q: Before this show after saying I was coming out to cover it I had tons of people leaving me messages saying, "Have them play this or that song". People are definitely listening to the album.<br /><br />Andy- Yeah tonight they want us to play "Long Slow Drag".<br /><br />Q: That was actually something I heard a lot!<br /><br />Kevin- That'll be when we headline.<br /><br />Andy- Yeah the next time we come through. Well not this next time with Evans Blue but sometime after that.<br /><br />Kevin- In another two weeks.<br /><br />There is a chorus of laughs.<br /><br />Kevin- We'll come back and work that song up. We will.<br /><br />Andy- Next time we go back home we'll get it together. We got a piano. That was the hardest thing. That was the whole reason we couldn't play it because we didn't have a piano. When we went into the studio in Tennesee there was a piano there so we recorded me playing that. As soon as we get some wiring on our own piano done we'll do it. It's gonna be fun. I'm excited to just play it on tour.<br /><br />Q: Have you performed most of the album live now?<br /><br />Doug- Oh yeah.<br /><br />Andy- Yeah there's only a few songs left. We haven't played "Bringin' Me Down" and of course "Long Slow Drag". Yeah haven't played those live yet.<br /><br />Joe bursts in to the riff from "Bringin' Me Down" and everyone laughs as Andy points and says yeah that one.<br /><br />Andy- There's constantly new songs so that's good. Always working on new stuff.<br /><br />Kevin- Yeah we'll probably start throwing those in there for the conversation. You know, previews.<br /><br />Andy- That way you can get the rhythm set before the studio.<br /><br />Kevin- That and you can test it out to see how people like it and respond to it.<br /><br />Q: Will you be playing anything new tonight?<br /><br />Andy- No. We're working on a new set though.<br /><br />Q: What keeps you coming back to a place like the Machine Shop? Is it the fact that you have gotten to know the people?<br /><br />Andy- That's why we play here more because we know Kevin [Zink, Machine Shop owner] and everyone here at the Machine Shop is the best.<br /><br />Doug- We came last night for the Hank Williams III show. I sent Kevin a text message and was like hey can we get in and he was just like sure. We came up the street and George [Slater, Machine Shop sound technician] was out there waiting and guided us in to the bus parking and then took us in through the back way and gave us pizza. It was awesome! It's definitely cool to come to a venue where people like you and know you and you know them.<br /><br />Q: You said you've been working on new music. Any idea on when a new album will be out?<br /><br />Andy- That's a good question because I was thinking earlier rather than later but that is just what I think our band should do. After our cycle here in the U.S. we're gonna go to Europe and restart the album over there.<br /><br />Kevin- Maybe even re-release it over here a second time too. Their music scene really seems to pick up things and increase your visibility.<br /><br />Andy- I would imagine if that goes well we would probably stay over there for awhile.<br /><br />Kevin- Do the whole Hendrix thing!<br /><br />Andy- Exactly. Live there for a few years and then everyone will be going what happened to Taddy Porter? They used to play around so much. Then it's just gonna be like bam! We're gonna come back brand new with all new songs and they're gonna go oh my god!<br /><br />Kevin- Taddy Porter....I love that band!<br /><br />Q: We'll be seeing a Machine Shop poster spouting Back By Popular Demand!<br /><br />Andy- Exactly. That's it right there.<br /><br />Q: When do you plan out the night's set list?<br /><br />Doug- 20 minutes beforehand.<br /><br />Andy- Yeah usually it's off the top of our heads. We go back and forth. We usually have a set one or two songs that we always play. We like to usually play our most rocking songs so it's just getting them together in a order and then it's just here you go. You know you don't really get a chance if you play 30 or 20 minutes to naturally let your set unfold so it's pretty much just rock really hard and have the audience go oh that's great. So we play it that way but when we have a chance to make it longer that's when we'll be able to play "Long Slow Drag". It'll be great.<br /><br />Kevin- The movement will be good.<br /><br />Andy- Oh we should do that!<br /><br />The rest of the band stares blankly at him.<br /><br />Andy- It's a good idea. When we go to Europe we can record a EP and release it in the U.S. after our album is done here. We'll get people listening to our new stuff so when we come back they'll be ready for the second album.<br /><br />Q: A career path is born!<br /><br />Andy- Yeah. It changes everyday.<br /><br />Doug- It changes all the time.<br /><br />Kevin- That's hilarious.<br /><br />Andy- Our lives are constantly scattered. We're not real grounded. I haven't been grounded for a long time. It's like okay you're going this way now. If you can imagine us like floating along aimlessly but with a goal. Whenever someone were to be in love or something and like they stop to take in something. You know floating along and then stopping to smell. That's kind of how I imagine us right now.<br /><br />Kevin- But with our eyes closed.<br /><br />Q: But drinking Taddy Porter beer?<br /><br />Kevin- No we never do.<br /><br />Doug- It's the best beer that we've never had.<br /><br />A discussion ensues about the fact that Kevin turned 21 the week before.<br /><br />Q: Happy Birthday! Must make things easier for you now.<br /><br />Kevin- Actually it wasn't too bad. I was still able to go everywhere you know?<br /><br />Q: Isn't it kind of crazy to jump from tour to tour?<br /><br />Andy- I like playing with a lot of different bands. I found out that it's cool to play with a bunch of different bands because it's a different perspective on music. Like I said earlier touring with Saving Abel I'd be talking to somebody and someone would be on stage in the back and I would just start singing along because I knew exactly where he was at and knew exactly where they were going. I like to hear something new all the time. Change is good.<br /><br />Kevin- Change it up!<br /><br />Q: How was the Hank Williams show last night?<br /><br />Kevin- It was ridiculous!<br /><br />Doug- I'm glad we called because we've been here the night before a show in the past and not come to the Machine Shop and missed a great band. So I was like I'm calling tonight and seeing who it is and found out he was playing. He's sort of been around following us. You know we hear about him at venues we are playing and always seems to be the night before or after he is there. Everyone kept saying you have to see him.<br /><br />Joe- It was pretty crazy watching him.<br /><br />Kevin- Good time.<br /><br />Doug- I downloaded some of their songs.<br /><br />Q: Do you get a chance to get out and see many shows?<br /><br />Doug- Not a lot.<br /><br />Kevin- It's kind of weird like to be baseball player all day and to go see a game, you know? But on the other hand you still want to see your favorite teams play. It's the same thing with our favorite bands.<br /><br />Doug- When we have a opportunity we do.<br /><br />Kevin- Last night was something where we didn't even know any of his songs but it was like holy crap that was pretty cool. Something totally different that kind of mixes it up.<br /><br />Andy- It is definitely fun to do.<br /><br />Kevin- Yeah watching that slide guitar man!<br /><br />Joe- The slide band was riveting. It was incredible with a double bass like metal riff and then the wailing.<br /><br />Doug- It reminded me of White Zombie in a way but more crazy. Even more impressive.<br /><br />Kevin- He had like turn tables. All of them were good.<br /><br />Q: The Machine Shop is one of those great rock venues.<br /><br />Andy- Yeah you can see anything here. It's funny because we used to hear about it and we see the shirts everywhere.<br /><br />Everyone stops to listen as Joe begins playing Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love".<br /><br />Q: So now that you've had this new country experience will we be seeing that in your music?<br /><br />There is a chorus of nos.<br /><br />Kevin- There will be a new direction but not that far out. Not in that direction.<br /><br />The interview ends as everyone takes off outside to get ready for the show.<br /><br />The rest of the night the members of Taddy Porter spent a lot of time hanging out with their fans before their impressive set which included many of the crowd's favorite songs like "Shake Me", "Big Enough" and "In The Morning".<br /><br />After the show some Machine Shop regulars presented Kevin with a birthday cake and the band spent some time posing for photos and signing autographs before Andy headed out to get some rest.<br /><br />Taddy Porter will be back at the Machine Shop on Wednesday, November 3 with Rains and Evans Blue. Doors for the event open at 7 p.m.. Tickets for the show can be purchased online at www.etix.com, Paradise Express in the Dort Mall, Strange Daze Tattoos in Davison, High Octane in Fenton or at the club during business hours.<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-4209856762688489952016-07-11T12:58:00.002-07:002016-07-11T12:58:41.127-07:00Eisley embark on long awaited tour<br />10-9-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br /><br /><br /><br />Eisley kicked off their Over the River and Through The Wood tour tonight in Lake Charles, Louisiana with opening acts Christie Dupree and San Diego's own Ives the Band.<br /><br />The tour runs through November 27 and will be making a stop in East Lansing Michigan at the Union Ballroom at Michigan State University on October 29 and will be in Detroit at the Magic Stick on Halloween.<br /><br />Eisley is a rock band from Tyler, Texas consisting of four siblings: vocalist Stacy Dupree, guitarists Sherri and Chauntelle Dupree and drummer Weston Dupree. In addition to the siblings the band also features their cousin Garron Dupree on bass.<br /><br />Yesterday, I got a chance to catch up with Stacy as she and the rest of the band were packing for the tour and taking advantage of their last chance to spend time with their family.<br /><br />Stacy explained the idea behind the tour, "We sort of decided that we needed to tour. It's been so long, We've been off for a long time and things have been going slow for us in the past year due to trying to get off our label and get our record in our own hands and it's just been crazy. We decided we aren't gonna let that stop us and our fans just have been asking. You have to tour for survival. We were just like screw it, let's just get out on the road and hopefully this will be the last tour that we do before the new record comes out. It's kind of just building up to next year. We're looking forward to this tour; should be fun and easy."<br /><br />The band left Warner Brothers Records back in February and have been looking at new labels ever since. The band is currently in talks with a label and hope to get their new record out sometime next year, possibly in the Spring.<br /><br />The album itself is pretty much done except for some studio mixing or "all cooked" according to the band.<br /><br />Eisley will be performing some new songs on this tour, "It's tempting to want to play the whole new record. To be honest, we're kind of worn out from playing the old songs for so many years but our fans are still really dedicated and passionate. They find meaning and sentiment in those old songs so it's just about giving them an array of old and new." explained Stacy.<br /><br />Stacy says that the album is a new approach with a new direction for them, "It's really honest. I think we've been through a lot individually as a band and as a family in the past two years with personal things, relational things. We've seen some tough times and I feel like ultimately it's been great for our creativity and musical direction. I think it's helped us take a more brave approach to writing. We're not as timid as we were. I'm singing from a different place. It comes from deep within and I think it comes from growing up and getting older; I turned 22 yesterday. It's more bold; a definite progression."<br /><br />When asked about songs on the album, Stacy shared her feelings on the song "Ambulance", "I wrote it after a difficult time that I went through with my family. It was kind of about, to be really blunt, watching my sister go through a painful divorce. I think in a family when you're so close you take on each others pain and infirmities. I sort of wrote a song from her perspective and it is on our last EP Fire Kite and will be on the new record. It's really cool because it's actually getting played in this indie film Hidden that's about raising awareness of teenage homelessness in Canada. That song for me is really close to me and it's the most honest thing that I've written."<br /><br />Stacy and Sherri do most of the band's writing but everyone has input on the finished product.<br /><br />Eisley formed in 1997 when Chauntelle and Sherri began playing the guitar and writing music together.<br /><br />Stacy says that the Dupree household was always full of music with her dad a guitarist and her mother a singer and she remembers growing up listening to Beatles records and wanting to join in her sister's fun, "I wanted to be a part of it so bad and I was so young and I wasn't invited into their hangs. I would sit at their door and beg to come in but they would say no. I learned a couple of chords and went to this dark room and got really dramatic and wrote this song about my parent's friend who had tried to commit suicide. As a little girl that was really devastating to me. As a kid you take a likeness to certain people and I remember that I really liked this guy and I just didn't understand. I was 8 at the time and just wrote this song and showed it to my sisters and they were like you're in!"<br /><br />The band began to play regularly at a coffee shop that their parent's owned and eventually they found their way out on the Dallas music scene building up their name. <br /><br />After gaining some attention, the band found a manager who wound up being Coldplay's manager as well and ended up getting them out on tour with them as a opener, "It was as natural as you could go for being so young. I mean we were driven but there was no one pushing or prodding us. Our parents were supportive but they really let us do our own thing." shared Stacy.<br /><br />Since that tour, the band has released two albums and seven EPs and toured with a number of other bands including Brand New, Snow Patrol, New Found Glory, Hot Hot Heat, Switchfoot, Taking Back Sunday and the Fray.<br /><br />When asked about a wish list for future tours, Stacy said she felt weird even thinking about it because it was so amazing just getting to tour with Coldplay, who they were a huge fan of. However, she did mention Bjork and Radiohead as two bands who she would love to tour with and would allow her to "die happy".<br /><br />Stacy also spoke about this tour's openers: Christie and Ives the Band, "Ives the Band sound really great from what I've heard. One of the guys in their band contacted me on Facebook and said hey I think we'd be like two peas in a pod and should tour together. It was great timing. I'm excited to get to know them and hear their music. As for Christie, we are so proud of her and so excited for our fans to get to hear her music. It's really great and I think that she's got something special. It's really awesome to see her grow up and spread her wings and become her own individual because she kind of just came into it later and out of nowhere for us. It was like wow you can write! It was almost like she kept it hidden from us. It's a really awesome thing to help her out and support her. It's a great joy for me."<br /><br />Stacy credits the band's success to their aggressive touring schedule and their amazing fans who kept up with the band despite their recent extended break and that the band is excited to get back out on tour and meet up with those fans. <br /><br />When asked to describe their music she spoke about it's melodic qualities, "Our music has a vintage feel to it. We draw a lot from the Sixties and a lot from the Beatles. It's definitely pop; this new record has a dark pop feel to it. It has a touch of whimsicalness I guess. We try to be very creative with our lyrics and we are really inspired by fantasy. Our music is fantasy-driven in a way but I think we are moving away from that a bit on this album but that's always been the base for us. I'm not really sure why."<br /><br />Finally, Stacy talked about the fact that Eisley is "nowhere near ready to give up touring or music". She feels that "next year will be our year!".<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-32715554219970755652016-07-11T12:55:00.001-07:002016-07-11T12:56:26.169-07:00West Side Story playing at Fisher Theatre<br />
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</figcaption></figure><figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"><figcaption class="caption media__body">10-8-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck</figcaption></figure> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden collapsible is-collapsed clearfix">
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More than fifty years ago one <a class="inline_link omniture-click-processed" href="http://www.examiner.com/topic/musical">musical</a> changed theater forever. Now it’s back on Broadway mesmerizing audiences once again.<br />
<a href="http://www.broadwaywestsidestory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">West Side Story</a>
is one of the greatest love stories ever told and the Broadway version
of the show directed by Tony Award®-winner Arthur Laurents remains as
powerful, poignant and timely as ever.<br />
The score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim — a collection of
standards that includes “Tonight,” “America,” “Maria,” “I Feel Pretty”
and “Somewhere” — is widely regarded as one of the best ever written.
And the extraordinary, Tony®-winning choreography by Jerome Robbins
completely changed the language of Broadway dance.<br />
The revival of <a href="http://www.broadwaywestsidestory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">West Side Story</a>, both on Broadway and on tour, incorporates some Spanish in the dialogue and lyrics. The tour of <a href="http://www.broadwaywestsidestory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">West Side Story</a> employs the exact same script as the current smash hit Broadway production with no changes.<br />
The story is a ode to William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". <br />
Set in New York City in the mid-1950s, the musical explores the rivalry
between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different
ethnic backgrounds. The young protagonist, Tony, one of the Jets, falls
in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. <br />
The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes, and focus
on social problems marked a turning point in American musical theatre.<br />
The production opened at Detroit's <a href="http://www.broadwayindetroit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fisher Theatre</a> on September 30 and will be running through October 16.<br />
Wednesday night was press night and the gathered crowd was treated to a evening that brought a modern classic to life.<br />
There has been some negative press on the fact that the Spanish
language has been incorporated into the musical but I felt that it just
added to the authenticity of the story.<br />
Songs like "I Feel Pretty" were just enhanced by the Spanish dialogue
and were easy to follow even if you did not understand the language.<br />
This version of the story is a slightly modernized one with more overt sexual overtones.<br />
The show's actors did a great job of bringing their characters to life,
particularly stars Kyle Harris (Tony), Ali Ewoldt (Maria), Michelle
Aravena (Anita), Joseph J. Simeone (Riff) and German Santiago
(Bernardo).<br />
All of them are amazingly talented dancers and singers.<br />
A show highlight was Maria and Anita's bedroom duet and the full cast performance of "Tonight".<br />
The show's final sequence and the firing of the gun was powerful enough to have the whole place jumping.<br />
From the show's actors to it's design, sound and story, the production was a great retelling of the classic tale.<br />
Tickets for the Detroit performances of the production are now on sale at the <a href="http://www.broadwayindetroit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fisher Theatre</a>
box office, all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 1-800-982-2787 and
online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.broadwayindetroit.com.</div>
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</section>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-35544687212162577372016-07-11T12:53:00.002-07:002016-07-11T12:54:03.778-07:00Q&A with Black Label Society's Will Hunt<br />
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10-2-10 Originally Published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
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Black Label Society is currently enjoying the success of their eighth studio album, Order of the Black, which debuted at number four on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart: the band's highest chart label to date.<br />
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Last week, the band began their Black Label Bezerkus tour with 2Cents, Children of Bodom and Clutch.<br />
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Longtime Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde formed Black Label Society back in 1998 and over the years the band has seen a number of lineup changes with people leaving and returning to the fold throughout.<br />
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On Thursday, the band was in Omaha, Nebraska preparing for another stop on the Black Label Bezerkus tour. <br />
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During opener 2Cents' sound check, drummer Will Hunt sat down for a phone interview before he had to take the stage.<br />
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Q: This version of the tour began on September 22, correct?<br />
<br />
A: Right, exactly.<br />
<br />
Q: How is it going so far?<br />
<br />
A: Really good. The bands are all really cool. They're all different enough to kind of make it interesting but still kind of fall under the genre of being underground hard rock bands.<br />
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Q: It's a very different lineup.<br />
<br />
A: Very different. I would definitely agree with that. <br />
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Q: I saw somewhere where Zakk described the tour as a tour of "insanity, drunkenness and dysfunction".<br />
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A: Absolutely. The bands on this tour kind of run the spectrum. You've got 2Cents who are just a modern really heavy rock thing/borderline metal band. Clutch is just a f**king great rock band. And then you've got Children of Bodom that are just straight up metal. <br />
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Q: Are you getting a chance to see everyone's set?<br />
<br />
A: You know I get out and watch every band every night. Sometimes I can't watch the whole thing but I watch a lot of it for sure. <br />
<br />
Q: The idea for this tour kind of grew out of all of the touring Zakk Wylde and the band have done on Ozzy's Ozzfest but this is a bit different isn't it?<br />
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A: This is more like a kind of regular tour headlining run because there's only a total of four bands and you take on less because you don't have ten bands. You don't have multiple stages and most of these shows are indoors. It's been a little less shall we say, chaotic, which I think is cool because each band is able to do things like the first band 2Cents is doing with a sound check right now. That is something that is unheard of on package tours. It kind of makes it to where everyone is getting on their A-game because everybody can prep for it.<br />
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Q: You've been playing new music off of Order of the Black. How is that going?<br />
<br />
A: It's going killer. Everybody loves the record. I mean I guess it would be one thing if the record was met with what the hell is this but the general consensus is that this is Black Label Society's Back In Black. It's just a really good record and the songs transcend well live. They're high energy, up tempo tracks and people really dig it. <br />
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Q: Is there a particular song that you enjoy playing live?<br />
<br />
A: I love playing "Crazy Horse", "Parade of the Dead", "Godspeed Hellbound". All of those are awesome. "Overlord" is a amazing song. Drumming-wise it's pretty simple so I get a chance to kind of lift my head up and look at the crowd for a minute.<br />
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Q: During the recording of Order of the Black you were in the studio with Zakk and bassist John DeServio. How was that experience?<br />
<br />
A: It was amazing. It was a hell of a opportunity to be able to do that. When I started doing the record I had actually flown out to L.A. to finish some drum tracks on Tommy Lee's Methods of Mayhem album and I was in the car getting ready to drive up to Zakk's house and my buddy called me to ask what I was up to. I said I just left Tommy's and I'm getting ready to head up to Zakk's house to lay down some tracks and he goes wait a minute do you even realize what you just said? It is kind of crazy man to go from one hero to another hero's house to record with him so yeah it's the kind of stuff you can't really dream of.<br />
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Q: Zakk has his own studio now. Was it different recording there?<br />
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A: It was a really cool thing. It's like a lot of time you're in a studio and with labels and budgets and that kind of thing you're really pressed for time. What you try to do is work all that stuff in pre-production beforehand before you go in to the big studios so you're not spending all the money. The beauty of being able to do a record like this one is that you're constantly in a state of pre-production because you're like not in a hurry. I was able to like a couple of weeks later after listening to things and going I wish I could redo that and do this a little bit differently realize that the obvious answer is what are you waiting on? There's the drums right there! It's unheard of. I didn't even think about that. It was just a really cool open and musically healthy atmosphere to be able to create and record a record in.<br />
<br />
Q: How did you hook up with Zakk?<br />
<br />
A: His other guitarist Nick Catanese is friends with my daughter's godmother so I've known Nick for damn near 10 or 11 years and we've remained really good friends. He's always such a really cool dude and we keep in touch with each other. I had just happened to call him randomly about something completely unrelated to Black Label Society and he said I guess you're calling because you heard Craig left and I said I didn't know about him leaving. He asked what I was doing and I said I'm just kind of hanging out between this next Evanescence record. Once that happened he started making phone calls and Zakk was like I remember Will because I was with Static-X last year. We had played on the Pedal to the Metal tour so he said I remember that guy and sh*t let's bring him in and see what happens. We hit it off really well and musically we see eye to eye so it was a pretty natural fit.<br />
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Q: In the past Zakk has talked about the fact that he sees BLS as a open band where people naturally come and go. You are still planning on going back to Evanescence?<br />
<br />
A: Well that's the plan. I really enjoy being here with these guys and it's a really cool vibe. I like playing this music and I've learned in this business you've just got to take it day by day. I don't really try to look too far in front of me. I love being in Evanescence too. She's [vocalist Amy Lee] taking awhile to make this record and I think that's a good thing. It's an important record for her . She wants it to be right and she's in a position where if the label wants to hurry her along or the fans are saying it's taking too long she is able to block that out and focus on making the best record she can make. I admire her for that. In the meantime, I'm enjoying being able to do some other stuff.<br />
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Q: You have so much going on how do you juggle all of it?<br />
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A: Like I said, I just take it day by day because the way this was set out with BLS was that I was just going to do the record. The time line for Evanescence was that we were supposed to be on tour right now so really the touring thing didn't come into play until I said I'll be available to tour for a little while if you guys want and they went yeah let's do that and it ended up working out well. When you put it on paper in front of you it's like how the hell do you juggle all of this but there's so much downtime between things sometimes. I don't really know for me I find myself to be really and truly blessed to be working at all in this economy that we're all faced with and I'm able to do something that I love to do and I'm employed and it's beyond me you know. <br />
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Q: It's also a lot of different types of bands so you kind of get that mix.<br />
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A: Yeah I don't get bored with everything that's for sure! It's like I kind of get to spread my wings a little bit. A lot of people look at me and are like that guy is a metal drummer but really I'm not. I'm a rock and roll drummer, a electronic drummer. I play anything that makes people's asses shake. That's what I'm into.<br />
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Q: What makes this album different for BLS?<br />
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A: Well like I said it depends on who you ask. Everyone's got their own opinions. There's been a lot of press about how this is BLS's best record and Zakk is sober so that has something to do with it. However, if you ask Zakk he'll say well I was never bombed when I was making the other records. That's just one theory I guess and of course I'm bringing a totally different flavor into some of tunes and the style. When I came in to do the record I mentioned to Zakk that one of the things that I missed about his playing is that back with Ozzy drummer Randy Castillo used to put these kind of up tempo funky beats to what he was playing and it was a really good marriage. It still made you want to move but it was still really heavy and I wanted to bring that back a little bit and Zakk was all for it. I think you can really hear me injecting that style on "Parade of the Dead" or on "Godspeed Hellbound" or "Crazy Horse". It's kind of trying to bring back that Randy Castillo style of playing which I thought was a really good marriage between Zakk's riff writing and drum rhythms.<br />
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Q: With the ballads on the album there is a good mix and balance from front to back.<br />
<br />
A: Yeah it's a cool thing. I think that's something that kind of sets BLS apart a little bit because Zakk is still able to go down that road kind of in a way that Zeppelin used to. To come at you hard with something like "Dazed and Confused" or "Whole Lotta Love" but then turn right around and do something like "Going to California" and it's still believable because it's them doing what they do and they're just good at doing a lot of different things. I think some bands try to do that and it's unbelievable but Zakk sings that stuff and it is really believable. He owns it and he's able to do stuff like that.<br />
<br />
Q: You were talking about "Parade of the Dead". Why was that the first single released?<br />
<br />
A: I don't know. I think that everybody kind of back when we recorded it saw it as something different. I saw it as "Miracle Man 2010" and I think that's the reason people naturally sort of gravitated to it because it sounded like Zakk back to his roots as far as the riff writing he was doing. I think that might have had something to do with why that came out first.<br />
<br />
Q: Do you know what the next single will be?<br />
<br />
A: I believe a song called "Overlord". We just did a video for that. It's gonna blow everybody's minds! I don't want to give it away.<br />
<br />
Q: This tour lasts through November but is there anything else going on for the band?<br />
<br />
A: We finish this tour in Las Vegas on November 22 and then we're taking the rest of the year off. We're gonna do a little more recording sometime in the next remainder of the year. I think there's gonna be a re-release of this album with some bonus tracks. Again things change in this business so this is the latest up to date information that I have. Come next February we're gonna hit Europe hard for about 6 to 8 weeks and then hit Australia, the Pacific Rim, Japan, China and then we're gonna head back to Europe for the Spring and early Summer festivals. Then we'll head back to the States for another run through the Summer.<br />
<br />
Q: You were on the Ozzfest tour this Summer. How did that go?<br />
<br />
A: It was killer. I mean anytime you get a chance to be on that bill, particularly just headlining the second stage, is a really prestigious thing. It's good to be a part of something like that where he has such a huge crowd that' really into that type of music. I think it was cool this year because a lot of the recent Ozzfests have been just really super, super heavy, which I think is a great thing but this Ozzfest lineup to me was a really diversified bill. It was kind of cool and refreshing. It brought a lot of different kinds of people out. I like the diversity this time. <br />
<br />
Q: Did you see differences in the fans that came out?<br />
<br />
A: Absolutely. Everybody comes out and has got their favorite one or two bands that they really dig but the whole point from a band standpoint is to introduce yourself to a lot of people who aren't giving you the time of day. Your hope is that when people come to see you they walk away going man I didn't know about that band and you build your fan base that way.<br />
<br />
Q: You've been able to work with so many different people but is there anyone you really want to work with in the future?<br />
<br />
A: Oh man. This is going to sound really weird but I actually would love to be able to play for somebody like Lady Gaga or Madonna or just something really left of what I'm doing now. I like that kind of music too and I would love to do something like that just to do it. Like a Maroon 5 or anything like that. As far as like heavy bands go I don't know what to say. I've worked with the best now like Zakk and Tommy and I've played in Motley Crue. I mean I don't know. So there's other things but I would have to sit down and really think about it. <br />
<br />
Q: Do you find it hard to adjust when you're going from one style to another?<br />
<br />
A: Yeah I guess I never set out to make a career of being the hired kind of go to guy. I just kind of fell into it naturally and I don't know I had a producer guy tell me he's never seen someone able to walk into a situation and literally overnight almost be like a band member where everybody's so comfortable with me that we're having conversations like we've been in a band together for five years. I try to come into things with a real open mind. I try to come into things like I know I'm not going to reinvent the wheel. These guys were already going and and this is what they do. I'm just here to try to make it as good as it can be. <br />
<br />
Q: Is there anybody in particular that influenced you?<br />
<br />
A: I've had the real privilege of working for Tommy for a long time and still work with him and he and I are still really good friends. He was a big inspiration because he's such a big personality and he's a huge star but the way that he is is that he's just a real dude. He has like no attitude, no ego and is just a really great citizen and thankful for the things that he's got and works his ass off. As a person and a musician that influenced me because he has a great work ethic and a great personality.<br />
<br />
Q: I've heard that a number of times now and I think it's interesting because he's always portrayed with this opposite persona.<br />
<br />
A: Yeah I mean I think that sometimes unfortunately he gets the backlash from the media from being so in the spotlight. You know how it goes: people in the spotlight have people who hate you and just want to see you fall. You know if there's anybody that I can think of that doesn't deserve that kind of treatment it would definitely be him because he's pretty much face value. I've never seen him stopped in public and asked for a autograph and I don't care if it's in the middle of nowhere at four o'clock in the morning in the 24 hour Walmart that we're making a little bus stop in, he stops every time and takes every picture and is completely courteous and kind to everyone. It's just that he's a great dude. <br />
<br />
Q: Growing up was there anyone that first made you want to get into drumming?<br />
<br />
A: I got into it because I saw KISS on the Jerry Lee Lewis telethon and I mean when you're four and you see fire and comic book characters flying through the air and blood you're just like god I've gotta do that! From a really young age for me I knew that that was what I wanted to do. That was huge and as I kind of got into it I started listening to Led Zeppelin and obviously KISS and Motley Crue. The Police were big. As a kid I always loved music. <br />
<br />
Q: Was there ever anything else that you could have seen yourself doing?<br />
<br />
A: Nah. Music was pretty much it for me. I always knew that was what I wanted to do. It wasn't that I wasn't good at anything else. I did good in school and all that but all I thought about all day and all night was music and girls of course!<br />
<br />
Q: Is there any current music that you are into right now?<br />
<br />
A: I've always been a huge fan of Clutch that's for sure. The interesting thing is that this tour's opening band 2Cents is one of the most entertaining bands that I've seen in probably ten years. So when people come out to the shows they should definitely try to come out early because I'm not just blowing smoke, they're something to check out! I listen to anything that's new in pop, in metal to electronic music and back. I'm just constantly thirsting for something new. I still listen to the old classics and things like that but I'm always looking for something really cool and new to crank up in the car or put on my headphones when I'm jogging or whatever.<br />
<br />
Q: Any good fan stories from this tour?<br />
<br />
A: Well I was talking to our bass player J.D. about it today but I've never seen a fan base that's this rabid or this crazy or this into it as like this band's fans. The only thing that I could ever compare it to would be like KISS or Slipknot with how rabid the fans are. They wear the colors out and it's amazing. That in itself is kind of like I'm in awe of it. It's like I can't help but kind of laugh like are you seeing this? It's unbelievable! It's a really powerful thing. <br />
<br />
Q: For those new fans you are trying to reach who haven't heard BLS's music how would you describe it?<br />
<br />
A: It's funny because Zakk and I were talking about this today because a lot of people go we're a metal band but really we're not. It's a hard rock band and that's going back to that thing where we play songs like "Godspeed Hellbound" and then there's a song like "Time Waits for No One", a ballad, and it's like being in a rock band you're able to do that kind of stuff. I think that's true that "Godspeed Hellbound" is a metal song but "Overlord" and "Southern Dissolution" are rock songs so I think you can just classify the band as just a really good hard rock band.<br />
<br />
After the phone interview, Black Label Society had to cancel the Omaha show and the following evenings show in Clive, Iowa after Zakk Wylde had to be taken to the hospital with a blood clotting condition in his legs. <br />
<br />
Last year, Wylde was first diagnosed with the condition and had to take some time off.<br />
<br />
Wylde was expected to return to the tour this evening in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.<br />
<br />
The Black Label Bezerkus tour will be making two Michigan stops: in Grand Rapids at the DeltaPlex on Friday, November 5 and in Detroit at the Fillmore on Sunday, November 7.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-10630639104088759472016-07-10T11:01:00.001-07:002016-07-10T11:01:26.814-07:00Finger Eleven return to rock and roll with Life Turns Electric2-29-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
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<figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <img alt="Finger Eleven to release Life Turns Electric" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/a9/ba/a9baeab4760f81ae6ca77a6cabe66241_1.jpg?itok=gRZ0EhoZ" title="Finger Eleven to release Life Turns Electric" typeof="foaf:Image" /><figcaption class="caption media__body"><div class="caption__title">
Finger Eleven to release Life Turns Electric</div>
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Canadian rock band <a href="http://www.fingereleven.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Finger Eleven</a> are gearing up for the release of their sixth studio album, <em>Life Turns Electric, </em>on Tuesday, October 5.<br />
The album picks up where their progressive hit single "Paralyzer" left off on their last album, <em>Them vs. You vs. Me, </em>but
this time around they bring a harder feel with more guitar-driven rock
tracks interspersed with their own brand of heartfelt ballads.<br />
The band played a show in Toronto on Sunday at the Mod Club where they previewed a number of tracks from the new album.<br />
I got a chance to talk to guitarist James Black on Monday after the show and he was happy with the way it had gone.<br />
Black talked about being excited to play the new material and that the
audience had responded well to the new songs, "It's always tough when
you have a new record because you think you know it inside out but
there's plenty of room to mess up when you get on stage and you never
know how the crowd is going to respond. Last night went as well as
could be expected. It was great."<br />
<em>Life Turns Electric </em>was recorded over last Summer in New York at the <a href="http://www.winduprecords.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wind-Up Records'</a> studios.<br />
Black said that the recording process was a unique one because it was
the first time that the band really had full control of the entire
process, "We went out and got a studio as a kind of trial run. We all
stayed near there and the idea was to do it ourselves. We went into it
thinking okay we have a studio playground and let's go for it!"<br />
Black and the other guitarist Rick Jackett ended up being producers of
the 10-track album with vocalist Scott Anderson bringing in the lyrics
and the entire band helping to form the actual songs.<br />
For Black, the experience was a good one as he found the album focusing
more on the band's guitar work; something he felt was lacking on the
last album, "For me the last album moved away from true rock and roll."<br />
Black also spoke about the fact that although <em>Life Turns Electric </em>features
a wide variety of songs, it also has a consistent flow to it, "We
definitely tried to make it have a variety and not be monotonous but we
also focused it in a way that it feels like a complete album where one
song naturally flows into the next one. I don't think we've repeated
ourselves but the album has a certain vibe or focus. That's something I
don't think we've achieved in the past. The last album was a little
too diverse."<br />
When asked if there is a particular song that stands out for him Black
instantly spoke about the album's first track "Any Moment Now", "It's
got a great riff. Last night we played it for the first time and the
instant that we began to play it we all just looked and each other and
we were just feeling it! We're playing about five new songs on the tour
and gradually we'll introduce more and hopefully eventually get to the
whole album."<br />
With the new music being introduced, a band always has to walk a fine
line with their set list, "As I was saying earlier, it's hard with new
material. You can tell people are intrigued but they can't rock out and
sing the song. It's funny because you have those people who are
singing along but you know they don't know the lyrics and are trying
anyways. It's awesome!" Black shared.<br />
The album's first single, "Living In A Dream" was released on July 20 and has been performing well.<br />
Black said that the band chose it as the first single because it just felt like the right one to go with.<br />
The track was the first one that <a href="http://www.fingereleven.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Finger Eleven</a>
worked on in the studio and served as the trial run for how and where
the album would go and according to Black, "Of all the songs we recorded
it had this sound and energy that feels like the same band who did
"Paralyzer". It ties into the last record."<br />
He went on to talk about the fact that it was a instant unanimous
decision on the band's part, which is a rarity with five strong
personalities, "With us agreeing on anything is a big challenge. It
works out great because there are five of us and it's a democratic vote
because there's always a tie-breaker. But when you have a moment
where's there's not even a discussion and everyone says yes we know
we're on the right path."<br />
The band was in agreement once again when it came time to pick the
album title as well. For them, "life turns electric" was a statement
about the sound of the record as a whole and the way that it has moved
to a more electric, classic rock sound.<br />
In Black's own words, the album is "a return to a really bad ass record, a rocking album".<br />
Although there is no official information out, Black believes that the
next single to be released from the album will be the track "Whatever
Doesn't Kill Me", which is the song that he and the others in the band
have found has been going over well with their family and friends, "I
remember on the last record "Paralyzer" kind of had that vibe when you'd
play it and well there's certain songs that you play for your buddies
and they go that's cool and then there's those songs where they go, hey
play that again! This is one of those songs."<br />
When asked how he would describe <a href="http://www.fingereleven.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Finger Eleven's</a>
sound to new listeners Black took a minute to think about his answer,
"I guess from record to record I see a difference. I think that now
that we've made enough records we can step back and get a bigger
picture. We're a guitar rock and roll band when you get down to it.
Definitely like a song band, a jam band but ultimately a electric guitar
and rock and roll band where anything really goes."<br />
The success of "Paralyzer" found the band's music getting played in a
wide variety of areas including on television, in the movies and in
popular video games. <br />
Black says that he hopes to see more of that in the future as that is
one of the ways to best get your music out there. As a fan of the show
Entourage, he spoke about how at the end of each episode during the
credits there is a new song playing and he finds himself looking up
information about it after wards.<br />
I asked him if he thought it was harder these days to get album sales
and he shared that he believes that the music world has become a sort of
support group and there is a system in place that is hard to break
through. However, in general he believes that with all of the
different forms of social media available it is easier to get your music
out there with one click of a button.<br />
Black continued with, "It's not really about getting it out but about
the challenge of how to get it noticed. I mean you're a drop in the
ocean so how do you make your band stand out? All music is up for
grabs. I think it comes down to proving that you're a good band.
Ultimately, good songs will rise to the top."<br />
When the band first formed back in 1989 they chose the name the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/rainbowbuttmonkeys" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rainbow Butt Monkeys</a>
and later decided that wasn't how they wanted to see themselves
portrayed and decided on a name change. However, the band was not
completely prepared for the reaction and difficulties they would have
after already having established themselves under the first name, "I
think we were a bit naive," explained Black, "We were doing what we
wanted to do and we were like you're not going to tell us what to do!
We weren't discouraged at all but we learned along the way. It takes
two years to make a record and then you tour and after two years people
can forget about you. Having a name that sticks out is important. You
have to be careful."<br />
Black also spoke a bit about his own personal influences which began with his parent's love for <a href="http://www.thebeatles.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Beatles</a>, "The first time I ever acknowledged <a href="http://www.thebeatles.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Beatles</a> was when I bought the <em>Revolver </em>album on 8-Track. I was always into the classics."<br />
As a guitarist, one of Black's inspirations is <a href="http://slash.ultimate-guitar.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Slash</a>, who he would love to meet and hopefully tour with one day. Black's dream tour would be a reunited <a href="http://www.gunsnroses.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Guns N' Roses</a>.<br />
Despite all of the band's many influences, they are trying to move away
from their love of playing a medley of their favorite songs on tour,
"You love to play songs that influenced your life and it keeps you on
your toes but you gotta come up with new tricks. We don't want to be a
cover band." said Black.<br />
Although the band tries to get out while they are on tour, there is
usually not a lot of time to visit anywhere but they do spend a lot of
time catching up on new movies, tv and music; making a lot of late night
Walmart stops, "It's amazing what crap you'll f*cking buy at 4 in the
morning when you've been drinking!" shared Black.<br />
When asked to share some road and fan stories, Black spoke about the
band's biggest fan Mike Duyn, who they had seen the night before at
their show in Toronto, "He found me on Facebook and has been telling me
where he is going to be on our tours. He's been going to <a href="http://www.fingereleven.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Finger Eleven</a>
shows for a decade. We see him everywhere and he has all our music and
shirts. I learned about my life from this guy. Even if nobody else
ever listens to our music except him it's a pretty good feeling."<br />
Black shared that if he hadn't become involved with the band he
probably would have pursued something with video and marketing. In the
past, he has directed some television commercials and some short films.
He would love to direct a full length movie but doesn't have the time
or attention span to do it. However, one day he hopes to put all of his
old footage of the band together to do a documentary.<br />
<a href="http://www.fingereleven.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Finger Eleven</a> will be touring in support of <em>Life Turns Electric </em>from now until the end of the year and then they hope to head over to Europe and Australia.<br />
Their current tour will be making a stop in Flint at the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/themachineshop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Machine Shop</a> on Saturday, October 16 with <a href="http://www.myspace.com/taddyportermusic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Taddy Porter</a>.<br />
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</section>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-90316924226248444062016-07-10T10:54:00.001-07:002016-07-10T10:54:39.799-07:00Ed Kowalczyk brings a mix of solo material and Live classics to the Machine Shop9-26-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
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<figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <img alt="Ed Kowalczyk on stage at the Machine Shop 9-24-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/50/43/edk.jpg?itok=OMxYzMhn" title="Ed Kowalczyk on stage at the Machine Shop 9-24-10" typeof="foaf:Image" /><figcaption class="caption media__body"><div class="caption__title">
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Friday night Flint's <a href="http://www.myspace.com/themachineshop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Machine Shop</a> patrons were treated to a night of inspiring music from indie rock's <a href="http://www.thrivingivory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thriving Ivory</a> and <a href="http://www.friendsoflive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Live's</a> <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ed Kowalczyk</a>, who is performing material off of his solo album <em>Alive</em> for the first time.<br />
<a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk</a> found massive success as the frontman and song writer for alternative rock band <a href="http://www.friendsoflive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Live</a>,
whose arena rock songs like "I Alone" and powerful ballads like
"Lightning Crashes" made them one of the most popular bands in the early
nineties.<br />
After the break-up of <a href="http://www.friendsoflive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Live</a> in 2009, <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk</a>
was unsure about the next step in his career and spent time doing some
soul searching before he decided to try his hand at writing music for
himself.<br />
The result of that soul searching is <em>Alive</em>, a personal album that explores <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk's</a> spiritual side and speaks to his gratitude for the life that he leads.<br />
Earlier this year, <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk</a>
put together a new band to help him bring his new material to the
stage. This includes Ramy Antoun on drums, James Gabbie on lead guitar,
Chris Heerlein on bass, and brother Adam Kowalczyk on rhythm guitar, who
also toured with <a href="http://www.friendsoflive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Live</a>.<br />
Friday, the tour made a stop at the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/themachineshop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Machine Shop</a> and found a enthusiastic crowd eager to embrace the new songs as loudly as they did the performances of the <a href="http://www.friendsoflive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Live</a> material.<br />
The show opened with Flint's own metal band <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Frequency-54/68709520440" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Frequency 54</a>,
whose enigmatic front man Justin Rose did everything possible to get
the small crowd that made it out to the show early on their feet and
feeling their music.<br />
At one point Rose made his way to the back of the venue to stand on a ledge above the crowd seated at the venue's tables.<br />
The band really rocked it out and Rose started off strong but his voice seemed to falter a bit towards the end of the set.<br />
It'll be interesting to see how they fare with a little more experience and touring time behind them.<br />
The set was noteworthy for the fact that it marked <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Frequency-54/68709520440" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Frequency 54's</a> final show with bassist Kurt Stuart, who is leaving to spend more time with his family.<br />
Up next was <a href="http://www.miggsmusic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Miggs</a>, whose set was pretty disappointing, mostly due to the loudness of their set.<br />
Not sure if the venue itself was responsible or the band's own set
up but vocalist Don Miggs was almost impossible to hear at times as he
was overshadowed by the rest of the band and the loud amps.<br />
It's a shame because if you listen to some of their music Miggs has a
great voice and it would have been nice to see that showcased live.<br />
<a href="http://www.thrivingivory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thriving Ivory</a> were up next and features vocalist Clayton Stroope, whose unique, powerful voice is perfect for a live setting. <br />
The band got on the tour after meeting <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk</a> in the studio through a mutual friend, <a href="http://www.winduprecords.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wind-Up Records</a> producer Greg Wattenberg, who not only worked on <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk's</a> new album but <a href="http://www.thrivingivory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thriving Ivory's</a> sophomore release <em>Through Yourself and Back Again</em>.<br />
<a href="http://www.thrivingivory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thriving Ivory</a>
gained attention with their self-titled debut album and popular single,
"Angels On the Moon", which was written around the time of 9/11 and
struck a chord with it's listeners.<br />
The band's heartfelt lyrics and anthemic rock songs have gained them a large fan base and make them a band to keep an eye on.<br />
Friday night, they took the stage at the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/themachineshop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Machine Shop</a> just as the venue began to fill up.<br />
Their forty minute set was full of songs off of their new album as
well as some of their older crowd favorites like "For Heaven's Sake" and
"Angels On The Moon".<br />
Set highlights included a standout performance of new single "Where
We Belong" and new song "Moonlight", which featured the band all coming
to the front of the stage where drummer Paul Niedermier had a single
drum to play on.<br />
They then brought a couple of fans up to the stage to help close the
song out on the drums as Niedermier returned to his drum set.<br />
Finally, it was time for <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ed Kowalczyk</a> to take the stage to the crowd's obvious delight.<br />
During his hour and forty minute set, <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk</a> ran through a number of songs off of <em>Alive</em> as well as songs from his <a href="http://www.friendsoflive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Live</a> era.<br />
Songs like "All Over You", "Selling the Drama" and "I Alone" went
hand in hand with newer songs "The Great Beyond", "Zion" and "Drink
(Everlasting Love)".<br />
<a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk</a>
seemed to really be feeling the music and enjoying being back on stage
again as he interacted with the crowd, spent a great deal of time
laughing with his band and danced around the stage.<br />
At one point he even came down to the crowd and may his way from one end to the other shaking hands and giving out hugs.<br />
Set highlights included powerful performances of new song "Drive" and classic <a href="http://www.friendsoflive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Live</a> track "Heaven".<br />
At one point, <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk</a> took some time to talk about his tour's sponsor <a href="http://www.worldvision.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">World Vision</a>,
which is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working
with children and their families worldwide to reach their full potential
by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.<br />
<a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk</a>
got involved with the organization after he became inspired while doing
his "nightly job" of getting glasses of water for his two young
daughters, a simple pleasure that many throughout the world are not able
to do.<br />
Each venue on the tour will have a <a href="http://www.worldvision.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">World Vision</a> table where information about the organization can be obtained and donations can be made.<br />
After leaving the stage, <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk</a> returned for a encore of new song "Fire on the Mountain", first <em>Alive</em> single "Grace", standout <a href="http://www.friendsoflive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Live</a> track "Lightning Crashes" and Live song "Dance With You".<br />
Ed Kowalczyk Set List:<br />
Just In Time<br />
The Great Beyond<br />
The Distance<br />
All Over You<br />
Selling the Drama<br />
Zion<br />
Drive<br />
The Dolphin's Cry<br />
Soul Whispers<br />
Everlasting Love<br />
Stand<br />
Heaven<br />
I Alone<br />
Encore:<br />
Fire on the Mountain<br />
Grace<br />
Lightning Crashes<br />
Dance With You<br />
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</section>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-4034158582781728302016-07-10T10:37:00.001-07:002016-07-10T10:37:33.460-07:00Nickelback's Dark Horse tour returns with Buckcherry and Three Days Grace along for the ride 9-22-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
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<figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <img alt="Nickelback's Chad Kroeger on stage at Joe Louis Arena 9-18-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/c1/41/c141839eaf2e78f34074f63d9fb4e94c_1.jpg?itok=DJdgZCEK" title="Nickelback's Chad Kroeger on stage at Joe Louis Arena 9-18-10" /></figure>
Saturday night, <a href="http://www.olympiaentertainment.com/venues/joelouisarena.jsp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Joe Louis Arena</a> played host to one of the Summer's biggest tours with rockers <a href="http://www.buckcherry.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Buckcherry</a>, <a href="http://www.threedaysgrace.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Three Days Grace</a> and <a href="http://www.nickelback.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nickelback</a> all sharing the stage.<br />
The show was action packed from start to finish and everyone in the packed crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves.<br />
The show opened with partying hard rockers <a href="http://www.buckcherry.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Buckcherry</a>.<br />
The band performed a number of their most popular songs including "Lit Up", "Next 2 You" and "Rescue Me".<br />
The band also played some songs off of their latest album <em>All Night Long </em>including the title track and "It's A Party".<br />
Heavily tattooed front man Josh Todd was a blur of colors as he leapt
from one end of the stage to the other only stopping to dance a bit on
each end to the crowd's delight.<br />
Set highlights included a lighter filled rendition of their ballad
"Sorry" and their closer "Crazy Bitch", which remains their most popular
song.<br />
Up next was alternative rock group <a href="http://www.threedaysgrace.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Three Days Grace</a> whose banging set read like a who's who guide to rock radio.<br />
The longer you listen to them, the more you realize just how many amazingly good singles they have put out.<br />
Saturday, the band ripped through most of these singles from openers "I
Hate Everything About You" and "Break" to "Pain" and "Never Too Late".<br />
Front man Adam Gontier spent a lot of time interacting with the
audience as he spoke about Detroit being his second home (the band is
from Canada) and his love for the Detroit Red Wings.<br />
The only downside to the set was during a performance of the song
"Riot" when a member of the audience decided to throw a beer at Gontier,
prompting him to ask security to toss the person from the arena or he'd
go after them himself.<br />
Set highlights included "Animal I Have Become" with Gontier leaving the
stage to tour the arena and a spotlit performance of "World So Cold".<br />
The band went on to play a special show on Sunday in Flint at the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/themachineshop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Machine Shop</a>.<br />
<a href="http://www.nickelback.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nickelback</a> has been touring behind their <em>Dark Horse </em>album for a couple of years now and had made a stop in Michigan in Grand Rapids at <a href="http://www.vanandelarena.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Van Andel Arena</a> back in May.<br />
This time around not much had changed about the set or set list but for
those who had seen the show before it didn't seem to matter.<br />
Despite the criticism that the band often gets, they remain one of the
best and most popular live acts around combining all the elements that
go into making a perfect rock show including everything from moving
stage pieces, plenty of pyro, sing along covers, humor and solid good
music.<br />
Once again, front man Chad Kroeger spent most of the evening drinking
and joking with the crowd even telling a story about playing years ago
in Detroit at local rock club <a href="http://harposconcerttheatre.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Harpos</a>.<br />
Throughout the show, Kroeger spoke about how happy he was to be in
Detroit on a Saturday night and how they'd planned it in their schedule
that way so no one would have to go to work the next day and if you did
you'd just be calling in anyways.<br />
<a href="http://www.nickelback.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nickelback</a> pulled out covers of <a href="http://www.garthbrooks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Garth Brook's</a> "Friends In Low Places", <a href="http://www.journeymusic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Journey's</a> "Don't Stop Believing" <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica's</a> "Sad But True" and <a href="http://www.bonjovi.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bon Jovi's</a>
"Wanted Dead or Alive", brought drinks and t-shirts out for the crowd,
presented a awesome drum solo and performed out in the center of the
crowd.<br />
Throughout their set they pulled out a number of their biggest hits
including ballads "Savin' Me" and "Someday" and rockers "Burn It To The
Ground" and "Rockstar".<br />
They also shared provocative songs like "Something In Your Mouth" and "Figured You Out".<br />
For those that enjoy getting your money's worth out of attending a show, this was the place to be over the weekend!<br />
Buckcherry Set list:<br />
*<br />
1. Talk to Me <br />
2. All Night Long <br />
3. Rescue Me <br />
4. Everything <br />
5. Sorry <br />
6. These Things <br />
7. It's a Party <br />
8. Crazy Bitch <br />
<br />
Three Days Grace Set List:<br />
1. I Hate Everything About You <br />
2.Break <br />
3.The Good Life <br />
4.World So Cold <br />
5. Pain <br />
6. Home <br />
7. Last to Know <br />
8. Never Too Late <br />
9. Animal I Have Become <br />
10. Riot<br />
Nickelback Set List:<br />
*<br />
1. Burn It to the Ground <br />
2. Flat On The Floor <br />
3. Photograph <br />
4. Savin' Me <br />
5. Shakin' Hands <br />
6. Something in Your Mouth <br />
7. This Afternoon <br />
8. Friends In Low Places (Garth Brooks cover) <br />
9. If Today Was Your Last Day <br />
10. Don't Stop Believing (Journey cover) <br />
11. Rockstar <br />
12. Sad But True (Metallica cover) <br />
13. Animals <br />
14. Drum Solo <br />
15. S.E.X.<br />
16. How You Remind Me <br />
17. Too Bad <br />
Encore:<br />
18. Gotta Be Somebody <br />
19. Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi cover)<br />
20. Someday <br />
21. Figured You Out Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-8760831962406124142016-07-10T10:15:00.001-07:002016-07-10T10:15:01.418-07:00Thriving Ivory release Through Yourself and Back Again, tour with Ed Kowalczyk 9-22-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
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Last week California rock band <a href="http://www.thrivingivory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thriving Ivory</a> released their sophomore album, <em>Through Yourself and Back Again, </em>through <a href="http://www.winduprecords.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wind-Up Records</a>.<br />
The band is currently out on tour with the <a href="http://www.miggsmusic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MIGGS</a> and <a href="http://www.friendsoflive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Live's</a> <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ed Kowalczyk</a>, who is touring in support of his new solo album <em>Alive.</em><br />
The tour began in Pennsylvania last Thursday making stops in Philadelphia, Lancaster and Pittsburgh.<br />
While in Pittsburgh on Saturday, <a href="http://www.thrivingivory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thriving Ivory</a> drummer Paul Niedermier was able to do a quick phone <a class="inline_link omniture-click-processed" href="http://www.examiner.com/topic/interview">interview</a> to talk about the tour and the new album.<br />
After sharing how well the tour had been going so far, Niedermier went
on to talk about how excited the band was to be playing with <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk</a>, "We all grew up listening to <a href="http://www.friendsoflive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Live's</a> <em>Throwing Copper </em>album in '96-'96 and to go out and play on the same stage with Ed, who is playing half of his solo stuff and half old <a href="http://www.friendsoflive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Live</a> songs, and to actually see him singing those songs live is pretty cool."<br />
The band was able to get on the tour due to the fact that <a href="http://www.winduprecords.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wind-Up Records</a> producer Gregg Wattenberg was a friend of <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk's</a>.<br />
Wattenberg helped with many of the singles on <em>Through Yourself and Back Again</em> and while <a href="http://www.thrivingivory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thriving Ivory</a> was recording the album in New York <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ed Kowalczyk </a>happened to be there for a few days.<br />
The band spent a lot of time talking with him while he was there and
after he left they heard that he was going to be touring and used their
connections to set themselves up as a opener.<br />
When asked about being able to watch <a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kowalczyk</a>
perform, Niedermier shared, "On the tour we just got off of we were
headlining and a lot of the time when you're headlining you don't get to
see the opening acts. Now after we're done we pack up our gear, have a
ice cold adult beverage and sit back and watch Ed play!"<br />
<em>Through Yourself and Back Again </em>is the follow-up to <a href="http://www.thrivingivory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thriving Ivory's</a> self-titled debut album, which hit number one on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.<br />
The album featured the hit single "Angels On The Moon", which went certified Gold earlier this year.<br />
"That song is actually one of our oldest songs. It was written around
September 11 and some of the lyrics are about that tragedy but the song
is not entirely about that." stated Niedermier, "I wish you could see
some of the amazing, heartfelt emails and Facebook and Myspace messages
that we get about that song. Messages from people whose family members
are suffering through cancer or people who are playing the song as the
first dance at their wedding or whatever. And then it goes all the way
to the other end where we had a die-hard fan who was 100% convinced that
we wrote the song about the New York Yankees. We kind of just let
people draw their own interpretations at that point. Obviously it means
something individually to all of us in the band."<br />
The band continues to bring their timeless brand of melodic indie rock on <em>Through Yourself and Back Again </em>beginning with their first single "Where We Belong", which was released awhile back on I-tunes and has been performing well.<br />
Since last week's album release, the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.<br />
Niedermier spoke about the fact that over and over again, when people
describe their music they speak about being able to listen to their
album from front to back and that it is "music built to last", "We're on
the road throughout most of the year and we listen to the radio. There
are some great songs out there and I find myself humming after I turn
it off but with that being said, I don't think a lot of those songs are
built to last. A lot of them are kind of just flavor of the week
songs. We really want to do songs that will last and stick with our
fans. I think part of the reason we are able to do that is that we have
a pretty big demographic. At some of our headlining shows we see dads
and sons and mothers and daughters and they each have a copy of the
album and are both listening to it."<br />
Niedermier went on to tell a story about a recent show, "One kid came
up to us on the last tour and he was probably fifteen or sixteen and for
some reason we had recognized him from before and he was buying another
album. We said you already have that why are you buying it again and
he said that his dad had taken it from him and wouldn't give it back.
It's good to know our music is universal."<br />
When asked about why he thinks their music draws such a large demographic Niedermier talked about the fact that <a href="http://www.thrivingivory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thriving Ivory</a>
is not a band looking to go after the Top 40 or imitate what is on the
radio, "I'm not saying that we are doing something that is totally
abstract or something new but we're kind of just doing what we want to
do and making the form of music that we want to make. When you do that
it allows your music to be much more open for people to have those
different interpretations."<br />
On this tour, the band is playing a lot of their new material which
according to Niedermier was difficult before the album was released
because they were finding that their fans were wearing "that new song
face where they want to sing along but just don't know the words" but
that they were just beginning to see people sing along and starting to
shout out requests for the new material.<br />
One of the new songs that the entire band loves performing is the song
"Moonlight", which is a track that stands out on the album for its
differences, "It's a very organic song. While we were recording the
song in the studio we did a lot of different stuff like just stopping
and clapping and using organic ways to make it and it's translating well
live for us. It's a song where we all come up to the front of the
stage and there's a drum from my drum kit up there and we've been
grabbing a random audience member and bringing them up there to finish
the song with us. It's just fun and everyone gets a kick out of it,
especially the person who comes up," said Niedermier.<br />
Niedermier also talked about the fact that the title of the album has a couple of different meanings.<br />
For starters, the title is a lyric that is hidden away on the album for
listeners to find. Personally, the title is a reference to where the
band is at this point: coming full circle after completing another
album cycle after learning what did and didn't work the first time
around and "hopefully doing it better".<br />
The band all grew up in the Bay Area of California and went on to form
while they were all going to school in Santa Barbara where they started
out playing keg and house parties, which is where they were discovered
by <a href="http://www.winduprecords.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wind-Up Records</a>, "We always wanted to have this as a career but when <a href="http://www.winduprecords.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wind-Up</a> came along it turned into an actual physical thing. It was definitely a life-changing experience," Niedermier explained.<br />
Back in February, the band lost bassist Bret Cohune who decided to
pursue a different career path. Although the loss was difficult, it was
a mutual decision on both sides and there were no hard feelings.<br />
The band hired some bass players to sit in on the album including
bassist Jack Daley, who sat in for most of the album and was a "pleasure
to work with".<br />
For the tour, the band brought in bassist Charlie Reid, who has been
with them for a few months and has fit right in and become part of their
"family".<br />
When asked about the band's influences, Niedermier talked about bands like <a href="http://www.u2.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">U2</a>, <a href="http://coldplay.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coldplay</a>, <a href="http://www.keanemusic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Keane</a>, <a href="http://www.maroon5.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Maroon 5</a> and <a href="http://www.aqualungmusic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Aqualung</a> who he said are bands the entire band can agree in.<br />
Individually, each member has their own preferences including guitarist
Drew Cribley who likes indie rock and vocalist Clayton Stroope, who
enjoys eighties music and has been recently listening to a lot of
country.<br />
<a href="http://www.thrivingivory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thriving Ivory</a> is currently keeping their fingers crossed for an upcoming big tour and will be appearing on <a href="http://www.vh1bestcruiseever.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">VH1's Best Cruise Ever</a> in April along with the bands <a href="http://www.trainline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Train</a>, <a href="http://www.lifehousemusic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lifehouse</a> and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/safetysuit" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Safety Suit</a>.<br />
The band recently shot a humorous ad for the cruise featuring them in Hawaiian shirts and performing a song.<br />
The band has toured with <a href="http://www.lifehousemusic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lifehouse</a>
in the past and according to Niedermier "connected with them on a
personal level". They hope to be able to tour more with them in the
future as well as with <a href="http://krisallenofficial.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Allen</a> and <a href="http://www.ofarevolution.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">O.A.R.</a>.<br />
At the end of the year, the band will be playing a number of radio
holiday shows where they will get to perform with some of their favorite
artists.<br />
On Friday, the <a href="http://www.miggsmusic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Miggs</a>/<a href="http://www.thrivingivory.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thriving Ivory</a>/<a href="http://edkowalczyk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ed Kowalczyk</a> tour will be making a stop in Flint at the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/themachineshop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Machine Shop</a>.<br />
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</section>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-67766203510245784802016-07-09T15:57:00.001-07:002016-07-09T15:57:26.233-07:00Stone Temple Pilots play the Fox Theater with renewed presence and passion 8-29-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
<br />
Much like their troubled front man Scott Weiland, <a href="http://www.stonetemplepilots.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Stone Temple Pilots (STP)</a> have always been hard to classify.<br />
They emerged on the music scene back in the early nineties with all of the grunge bands like <a href="http://www.hereisnirvana.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nirvana</a> and <a href="http://www.pearljam.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pearl Jam</a>.
However, they were often dismissed because their music drifted into
punk, glam and funk territory and later into psychedelic rock.<br />
Despite some criticism, <a href="http://www.stonetemplepilots.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stone Temple Pilots</a> went on to become one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the 1990's.<br />
In 2003, after Weiland's multiple drug related offenses and a decline
in record sales, the band split for five years with all of the members
going on to form new bands including Weiland's <a href="http://www.velvetrevolver.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Velvet Revolver</a>.<br />
In 2008 the band reunited for a successful world tour and earlier this year released their sixth studio album <em>Stone Temple Pilots</em>, which debuted at number 2 on the Billboard charts.<br />
The album finds the band taking on the blues with a sound that leans towards the rock of the sixties.<br />
<a href="http://www.stonetemplepilots.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stone Temple Pilots</a> is currently out on tour supporting the album.<br />
The tour made a stop at Detroit's <a href="http://www.olympiaentertainment.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fox Theater</a>
on Thursday night and the band proved that in their over twenty years
of performing they appeal to more than just a single generation of fans.<br />
Where many bands from the nineties have disappeared, <a href="http://www.stonetemplepilots.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">STP</a> is still going strong.<br />
From the opening strains of "Crackerman" until the band took their bows
at the end of "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart", they had the crowd
in the palm of their hands.<br />
Songs like "Wicked Garden", "Vasoline", "Plush", "Interstate Love Song"
and "Sex Type Thing" were renewed with bluesy overtones as the band
moved through a number of new songs off of their latest album including
"Between the Lines" and "Hickory Dichotomy".<br />
Set highlights included a jamming version of "Down" and encore "Dead
and Bloated", which featured Weiland pulling a girl from the crowd to
sing along.<br />
Throughout their set, <a href="http://www.stonetemplepilots.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Stone Temple PIlots</a>
sounded and looked great as they seemed to be enjoying being on stage
with one another. At one point, guitarist Dean DeLeo pulled Weiland
over for a hug, which had the crowd cheering.<br />
Years of drug use have effected Weiland's voice making it a bit rougher
and deeper but in my opinion it seems to work better for him. Both the
new and old songs sounded great and the rest of the packed crowd seemed
to agree.<br />
Stone Temple Pilots Set list:<br />
*<br />
1. Crackerman <br />
2. Wicked Garden <br />
3. Vasoline <br />
4. Heaven and Hot Rods<br />
5. Between the Lines <br />
6. Hickory Dichotomy <br />
7. Still Remains <br />
8. Cinnamon <br />
9. Big Empty <br />
10. Dancing Days (Led Zeppelin cover) <br />
11. Pretty Penny <br />
12. Silvergun Superman <br />
13. Plush<br />
14. Interstate Love Song<br />
15. Huckleberry Crumble <br />
16. Down <br />
17.Sex Type Thing<br />
Encore:<br />
18. Dead and Bloated <br />
19. Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-90263800533549747002016-07-09T15:53:00.003-07:002016-07-09T15:53:49.292-07:00Coheed and Cambria play to packed Orbit Room 8-28-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
<br />
<figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <img alt="Coheed and Cambria on stage at the Orbit Room 8-25-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/5c/f8/5cf89b4e4fcf81d4c1ca1da1f0b92387_0.jpg?itok=F-3aEOcm" title="Coheed and Cambria on stage at the Orbit Room 8-25-10" /><figcaption class="caption media__body"><div class="caption__title">
Coheed and Cambria on stage at the Orbit Room 8-25-10</div>
<div class="caption__credit">
Tracy Heck</div>
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</figure>
Wednesday night, <a href="http://www.coheedandcambria.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coheed and Cambria</a> fans packed into the Orbit Room in Grand Rapids to see their favorite band.<br />
The packed house was treated to a solid show from start to finish that began with indie rock band <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thedearhunter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Dear Hunter</a>.<br />
The band only had a short performance time but they made the most of it
running through a set full of energy and enthusiasm that got the crowd
on their feet and into the show early.<br />
Up next was co-headliners progressive rock band <a href="http://www.porcupinetree.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Porcupine Tree</a>, who seemed to draw almost as many fans as <a href="http://www.coheedandcambria.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coheed and Cambria</a> did.<br />
The band certainly didn't disappoint as they ran through a number of
their most popular songs from "Train" to "Way Out of Here" to their
closer "Sleep Together".<br />
The band has a Pink Floyd-esque quality to them and are extremely
talented but many of their songs went on a bit long and by the end of
the set the crowd was beginning to get a bit restless.<br />
By the time <a href="http://www.coheedandcambria.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coheed and Cambria</a> finally took the stage, there was hardly any room to move. <br />
The second the band came on stage the crowd erupted as a massive mosh
pit broke out and people immediately began crowd surfing. That energy
did not abate the rest of their set as the crowd sang and jumped along.<br />
<a href="http://www.coheedandcambria.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coheed and Cambria</a> has been touring behind their latest release <em>Year of the Black Rainbow.</em>
Earlier this Summer on the first leg of the tour they played sets full
of rare material so this time around they decided to pull out all of
their hits as well as some new songs.<br />
Set highlights included enthusiastic versions of "Ten Speed (Of God's
Blood and Burial)", "Here We Are, Juggernaut", "The Suffering" and "No
World For Tomorrow".<br />
The band slowed it down with "Pearl of the Stars" and "Wake Up", which
featured vocalist Claudio Sanchez taking the stage by himself for a
crowd sing-a-long.<br />
The band closed out the evening with new hit "World of Lines" and their most popular song "Welcome Home".<br />
Coheed and Cambria Set list:<br />
<br />
1. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 <br />
2. Ten Speed (Of God's Blood And Burial) <br />
3. Here We Are Juggernaut <br />
4. The Crowing <br />
5. The Suffering <br />
6. Pearl of the Stars <br />
7. Everything Evil <br />
8. When Skeletons Live <br />
9. The Willing Well I: Fuel for the Feeding End <br />
10. Delirium Trigger <br />
11. No World For Tomorrow <br />
12. Encore:<br />
12. Wake Up <br />
13. World of Lines <br />
14. Welcome Home Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-45619958380226185932016-07-09T15:52:00.001-07:002016-07-09T15:52:45.427-07:00Volbeat begin tour as trio, prepare for release of new album8-25-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
<br />
<section class="article-content">
<figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <img alt="Volbeat on stage in Flint 8-18-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/b5/12/b512e1a288f766859b98c763a2581ac7_1.jpg?itok=6xPdovtd" title="Volbeat on stage in Flint 8-18-10" /><figcaption class="caption media__body"><div class="caption__title">
Volbeat on stage in Flint 8-18-10</div>
<div class="caption__credit">
Tracy Heck</div>
</figcaption>
</figure> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden collapsible is-collapsed clearfix">
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<div class="field-item even">
On Wednesday, Danish rock band <a href="http://www.volbeat.dk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Volbeat</a> brought their U.S. tour to Flint at the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/themachineshop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Machine Shop</a>.<br />
Before the show <a href="http://www.volbeat.dk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Volbeat</a> drummer Jon Larsen sat down to talk about touring as a trio, the band's new album, and his own influences.<br />
<br />
Q: You just started this leg of the tour right?<br />
A: We started out last Friday in New York City and then in
Philadelphia and worked our way to Flint. We went to Toronto, Canada
yesterday. It's been doing good actually.<br />
Q: I heard that the dates have been packed and you've had some sellouts?<br />
A: New York was sold out. The rest of them have been close. I think
Philadelphia was really close and Toronto was good. I don't know about
tonight but there seems to be a lot of people at the doors.<br />
Q: You've played in Michigan before?<br />
A: Uh, did we? Maybe on the <a href="http://www.nightwish.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nightwish</a> tour. I'm not sure actually. I can't remember. I'm very bad at dates.<br />
Q: How did this tour come about?<br />
A: <a href="http://dommin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dommin</a> and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thesleeping" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sleeping</a> are supporting us. I guess after we did the <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica</a>
tour there was demand for us to come back so we didn't say no to that!
So we set up this little tour for two, two and half weeks, so it's
good. It's cool. It's good to be back.<br />
Q: You are touring without one your band members, correct?<br />
A: Yeah, one guy is missing in action. There was some trouble for
Thomas [Bredahl, guitarist] getting his visa so he hasn't gotten here
yet. Something regarding a long ago theft of a bar stool. It's just
the three of us. We decided when we came over that we would try to play
the New York show and see how it goes. If everything had gone wrong we
might have been forced to cancel the rest of the tour but fortunately
we did okay. It's not the best but it's the best that we can do at the
moment. Hopefully he'll be out here as soon as possible. It's
unfortunately not up to us but hopefully Thomas will make it out soon.
Maybe even as early as tomorrow. I hope so.<br />
Q: Has it been different playing without him?<br />
A: Not for me personally because I always listen to Michael's
[Poulsen, vocalist] guitar and vocals anyways but there are certain
songs where Thomas may start the intro and stuff like that. Some
harmony parts are missing. Our drum tech has been doing the intro stuff
for us so we can still play the songs with his intro but it's
different. We do it as best we can.<br />
Q: You have a new album coming out in September. What is it called?<br />
A: I always get it wrong. Above Hell/Beyond Heaven...or is it the other way around? Yeah, <em>Beyond Hell/Above Heaven</em>.
Yeah, it will be out in September. I'm not sure but I heard it might
be released in the U.S. on September 14. It's going to be in Europe and
Canada as well.<br />
Q: Does it pick up the storyline from your previous album <em>Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood?</em><br />
A: No, not really. Two of the songs are picking up that story but it
is the end of the story. One of the songs is called "The Mirror and the
Ripper" and one is called "7 Shots", which is the conclusion. I think
at the beginning Michael maybe had the idea to continue the story for
most of the album but I think he just came to the conclusion that he
could end it with these two songs.<br />
Q: So does the rest of the album pick up a new story?<br />
A: I mean it's always about the music. On the last album not all of
the songs were a part of the story. I think maybe seven songs were
linked to it. Michael always had these little stories. On the previous
two albums it was the story of Danny and Lucy and whatever happened to
them and I'm not sure if he's finished with that story yet. Who knows he
may go back to it someday. Most of our songs on this album are
actually just love songs. Sad love songs.<br />
Q: Is there any particular song on the new album that sticks out for you?<br />
A: I have my favorites. I like "The Mirror and the Ripper" for
instance because I think that it's a bit of a throwback to what we did
when we first started. I like "7 Shots" because we brought in some of
our old heroes to participate in that song and I like the song "Evelyn"
which also has a guest vocalist, Mark Greenway of <a href="http://www.napalmdeath.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Napalm Death</a>,
who is one of my heroes from when we were younger. It's so cool that
these people came to do our songs with us. I think those are my
favorites at the moment. I haven't really listened to the album. Once
I'm done in the studio I'm not really paying any attention to the stuff
until we have to rehearse.<br />
Q: Are you performing any of the new material on this tour?<br />
A: We're doing one new song. We talked about maybe doing two and
unfortunately this little incident with Thomas happened. On the other
hand, we haven't been to the U.S. that much so playing too many new
songs might not work anyways. We are doing one song called "Fallen",
which has been released as a single in Europe. I think you can get it
on I-tunes. It seems like the audience really likes it.<br />
Q: You aren't signed to a major record label are you?<br />
A: In Europe we are. We're signed to Universal Germany. In England
it's another record company. I think the album will be released on
Universal in Canada and possibly in the U.S..<br />
Q: I think it's great that you have such a large following despite not having that major label push.<br />
A: Yes, I guess you could say thank you to the Internet for that one and of course the <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica</a>
tour. A lot of people probably had never heard of us or maybe had
heard of us but hadn't seen us or heard any of our music. Of course
there was the <a href="http://www.nightwish.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nightwish</a>
tour as well even though that was in smaller places but there have been
people that we have met on this tour that have said they saw us on that
tour. For me, it was surprising because I though most people would be
like, "Hey, I saw you with <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica</a>!" but actually there's been more <a href="http://www.nightwish.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nightwish</a>. A lot have said they couldn't get tickets for the <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica</a> one. They pretty much sold out worldwide.<br />
Q: Is there anyone you would like to tour with in the future?<br />
A: Hmmm. I wouldn't mind going on tour with<a href="http://www.ironmaiden.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Iron Maiden</a>. I think those guys are probably the last big men that we could tour with. To tour with <a href="http://www.slayer.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Slayer</a>
would be a dream come true but I know how their audience reaction to
the support acts can be. We probably wouldn't fit the bill. We could
do a festival with them I guess but to tour with those guys may be over
kill. Maybe <a href="http://www.imotorhead.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Motorhead</a>. That would be nice but <a href="http://www.ironmaiden.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Iron Maiden</a> would be my first choice.<br />
Q: Who was your biggest influence?<br />
A: Drumming or music-wise?<br />
Q: Both!<br />
A: Drumming-wise it started out with Ringo. That was the first big one and from him I progressed up to <a href="http://www.kissonline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kiss's</a>
Eric Carr. For me that was the best drummer they ever had. No
disrespect to the others but there was something special about Eric.
I'm not sure what it was. From then on, of course, there was Lars
whether you like him or not he and <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica</a> influenced a lot of people. Then guys like Charlie Benante from <a href="http://www.anthrax.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anthrax</a>, Nicko McBrain from <a href="http://www.ironmaiden.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Maiden</a>
and of course the biggest of them all: Dave Lombardo, who is the best
drummer in the world. I don't care what people say, he is! Music-wise
for me it started out again with the Beatles. <a href="http://www.thebeatles.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Beatles</a>, <a href="http://www.rollingstones.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Rolling Stones</a>, <a href="http://thekinks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Kinks</a>, <a href="http://www.thewho.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Who</a>...the
big British bands. That's who I started with and then it progressed to
some of the Eighties pop music actually because that was what I grew up
on. <a href="http://www.duranduran.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Duran Duran</a> was a big influence. There was a man from the band called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_and_the_Ants" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Adam and the Ants</a> who were huge in Europe. He was my favorite and then, of course, the metal stuff. When it started it was <a href="http://www.ironmaiden.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Iron Maiden</a>, <a href="http://www.kissonline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kiss</a>, <a href="http://www.judaspriest.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Judas Priest</a>, early <a href="http://www.motley.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Motley Crue</a> stuff. All these Eighties bands and then <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica</a> came along. <a href="http://www.slayer.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Slayer</a>, <a href="http://www.anthrax.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anthrax</a>, <a href="http://www.obituary.cc/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Obituary</a>, <a href="http://www.cannibalcorpse.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cannibal Corpse</a> and all that death metal stuff. Then I tended to go towards punk music like the <a href="http://www.ramones.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ramones</a>, <a href="http://www.sexpistolsofficial.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sex Pistols</a>, <a href="http://www.theclashonline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Clash </a>and
stuff like that. At the moment, I'm listening to some of the Norwegian
black metal bands. I'm twenty years behind everybody. When all that
was big I was like, "I don't like that!" Now I'm freaking out on guys
like Immortal. Not all of it but some of it.<br />
Q: Michael was originally in a death metal band wasn't he?<br />
A: Yeah he was. When he was younger he was a much more aggressive kid
so he was into death metal. We all were at that time because death
metal was really big in Denmark. Everybody formed thrash metal/death
metal bands, you know? It was fun while it lasted. I guess Michael
grew tired of it pretty quickly because they made four albums. The
first one is really heavy death metal and already on the second one it
started to change a bit. The second one was a concept album and still
heavy but not as much and the third one was actually a prequel to <a href="http://www.volbeat.dk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Volbeat</a>.
The fourth one was very close to the old Metallica sound and then
Michael decided that that was it. He grew tired of the whole genre and
wanted to do something else and that's when we came along.<br />
Q: How would you describe your music for people who haven't heard it?<br />
A: I can't. No, I don't know. A lot of people for some strange
reason call it Elvis metal. I don't really get that. Sure, there are a
few phrases here and there that could sound like Elvis but I don't know
I just call it rock n' roll. Everything is basically rock n' roll
anyways.<br />
Q: Your music is full of a lot of different influences.<br />
A: Yeah there is. When we started out the first reaction I got when
we heard it was to me that it sounded like old Black Sabbath actually. I
thought oh, this is pretty cool! Then Michael turned up with other
stuff and I thought this is not Sabbath this is more like the Misfits
and again I said that's cool. Then he turned up with a really heavy
metal song and I said what is this? For some strange reason he mixed it
all and we sound like we do. Of course the influences are everything
from Elvis to the Misfits to <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica</a>.<br />
Q: Do you think that's why it does appeal to people?<br />
A: That's definitely one of the reasons. I hope that it's just
because they think that it's just good music of course but Michael does
spend a lot of time perfecting the melodies. In the old days it was
more about the riff...making it fast and heavy. We had a t-shirt at one
point that read "Metal Even Your Mother Would Like" because someone had
used that phrase and we thought oh that's clever. A lot of people
thought it was very disturbing and funny but a lot of them thought you
sold out but who cares, you know. We do what we do! For some reason
right now everybody seems to be really into shows that you can bring
everybody too. That's cool.<br />
Q: Do you have any future plans?<br />
A: Yeah, touring. When we get home from the U.S. we have a week and a
half off and then all the promotion stuff for the album begins in
Europe. We're probably going to do one or two in-store signings. Once
that's done we will go into the rehearsal room and try to make a set
list for the next tour which will start in October. It is scheduled in
Scandinavia and Europe. From there we go to the UK for the first time.
We've played in England before but this is our first time as a
headliner. England is tough, it is. Ticket sales so far look pretty
good though. Everybody's pretty confident that it's going to go good.
So touring for the rest of the year from October through December. And
from then on maybe in early Spring another U.S. and Canada tour and then
it will be festival season.<br />
</div>
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</section>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-82731219822696476952016-07-09T15:51:00.002-07:002016-07-09T15:51:27.276-07:00Q&A with Dommin's Billy James8-24-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
<br />
<section class="article-content">
<figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <img alt="Billy James on stage at the Machine Shop 8-18-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/14/4b/144b734f9d7db922a162ace5f6694de2_2.jpg?itok=z3mUa9gD" title="Billy James on stage at the Machine Shop 8-18-10" /><figcaption class="caption media__body"><div class="caption__title">
Billy James on stage at the Machine Shop 8-18-10</div>
<div class="caption__credit">
Tracy Heck</div>
</figcaption>
</figure> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden collapsible is-collapsed clearfix">
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Last Wednesday, alternative rock band <a href="http://dommin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dommin</a> made a stop in Flint, Michigan at the Machine Shop in support of Danish rock band Volbeat.<br />
<br />
The band is currently out in support of their debut album <em>Love Is Gone.</em><br />
<br />
Before the show, <a href="http://dommin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dommin</a> bassist Billy James took some time out from rehearsing to talk with me about <a href="http://dommin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dommin's </a>past, present and future.<br />
<br />
Q:When I interviewed Kristofer [Dommin, the band's vocalist] back in
April you guys had just started out as the supporting act along with <a href="http://www.myspace.com/drivea" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Drive A</a> and <a href="http://www.wearethefallen.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">We Are The Fallen</a> for Finnish rock band <a href="http://www.heartagram.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HIM</a>. That tour got you quite a bit of exposure didn't it?<br />
A: Yes, it was one of our best and biggest tours so far. It was
awesome. It was everything that we could have asked for at this point.<br />
Q: Your music fit in well with their style didn't it?<br />
A: Oh, very much. It fit very well. Just their fans in general
really appreciated us on that tour so it was great for everybody.<br />
Q: And then you did some headlining dates after that tour?<br />
A: Yeah, we did some headlining after that. They went better than
expected which is always obviously good. Yeah it was one of our first
times headlining. We actually did one date headlining in London that I
think was right prior to the <a href="http://www.heartagram.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HIM</a>
tour. Right before or right after. Actually, I think it was after the
U.S. gigs. We did like a month and a half in Europe with <a href="http://www.heartagram.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HIM</a>
and then we came back and did a couple of weeks of our own shows or
something like that. So yeah the headlining show in London was kind of a
test to see where we are right now and it went really well.<br />
Q: Do you enjoy headlining more than being an opener?<br />
A: It depends because there is a lot more weight when you are the
headlining band and you have to do a longer set. You carry all of the
weight of the whole night so all the opening bands are kind of depending
on you to bring the crowd.<br />
Q: Have you seen the crowds getting bigger?<br />
A: Yeah, definitely. I can see a substantial growth within the last
year we've been touring. And we have been touring non-stop for the last
couple of years.<br />
Q: How did you get involved with this <a href="http://www.volbeat.dk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Volbeat</a> tour?<br />
A: I don't know exactly how we got involved with this one. Our
booking agency put it together and I'm sure they submitted us for it. <a href="http://www.volbeat.dk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Volbeat </a>gets
all the band together and you know they approve based on their likes
and dislikes whatever. I'm not sure how exactly it all came together
but when I heard it I was excited.<br />
Q: You've done a few dates now. How is it going?<br />
A: We've been on this tour for about six shows now. It's going good.
Very good. It's going very well. Everybody's been really cool. All
the bands have been really nice. Yeah, I can't complain. It's another
great bunch of people.<br />
Q: Do you have any plans for after the tour?<br />
A: We are planning a headlining tour for when we get back sometime in
November. We also have another pending tour that's going to be as a
supporting act that we possibly might not get. I'm usually the last
person to find out all that stuff. We are going to do a headlining tour
around the U.S. basically though.<br />
Q: You've been touring for <em>Love Is Gone </em>for awhile now. Are you working on new music?<br />
A: We have been. We have a lot of material that we haven't shown
anybody. One of the things that will definitely happen for this new
album is that we're trying to be over prepared. We have stuff that
we've been working on even now. Kris on this tour has been constructing
a lot of songs and putting together a bunch of new stuff as well as
revamping a bunch of old stuff that didn't get put out previously.
Yeah, we are going to be overly prepared. We don't know exactly the
date when they're going to want to start recording us but we're going to
be more than ready.<br />
Q: Is the new material similar in mood and sound? Will it continue to
build on the concept presented on this album of heartbreak and
poisonous love?<br />
A: It's definitely similar in sound. The story is going to change
direction a little bit and that's all I can tell you but it is going to
be signature <a href="http://dommin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dommin</a>.
We're still going to be writing about past experiences and past
relationships and stuff like that but the mood is going to shift a
little.<br />
Q: I know Kris writes the music but does everyone play a role in putting the music together?<br />
A: Yeah Kris writes most of the music but we all collaborate with all of our instruments. We all influence the songs.<br />
Q: Speaking of influence, Kris talks a lot about his thirties and forties musical influences but what are some of yours?<br />
A: I like a lot of different stuff. Right now it is amazing to watch <a href="http://www.muse.mu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Muse</a> and how they are on stage. My main influence comes from, and actually this goes for everybody in the band, <a href="http://www.rammstein.de/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rammstein</a>. They are a huge influence on us. We actually got to seem them when we were at the Hultsfred Festival. It was amazing! <a href="http://www.typeonegative.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Type O' Negative</a> has always been a big influence on me. <a href="http://www.depechemode.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Depeche Mode</a>, <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica</a>, I can go on and on.<br />
Q: Is there anyone you would like to tour with in the future?<br />
A: Let's see. I think we would do well with <a href="http://www.thirtysecondstomars.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">30 Seconds To Mars</a>.
I'd like to tour with them.. I heard some gossip about our management
and booking agency trying to negotiate some type of tour with them but
it hasn't happened so far.<br />
Q: You seem to play out this way a lot or at least out in the Midwest. Is there any particular reason for that?<br />
A: There is no reason really in particular that <a href="http://dommin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dommin</a>
has played this way. Most of the times we've played out this way it's
been as a supporting act. Yeah, a lot of our shows have been in the
Midwest. I guess that's where a large population in the U.S. is.<br />
Q: Have you ever played in Flint before?<br />
A: Flint, no we've played Detroit and we've played Grand Rapids.
We'll be there next actually. Last time we played Detroit was as a
opener for the <a href="http://www.69eyes.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">69 Eyes</a> at the <a href="http://www.irocknightclub.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I-Rock</a>.<br />
Q: Does the band plan on taking any time off?<br />
A: No, probably not. I mean possibly in December at Christmas-time
like most bands do. There might be a month here or there but for the
most part we're going to try and tour as much as possible. If an
opportunity arises we're going to jump on it!<br />
Q: For people who haven't heard your music, how would you describe it?<br />
A: I would probably just describe it as alternative rock because I
can't really classify it as goth rock because some people would say
we're not goth enough or classify it as metal because it's not metal
enough. Just from hearing everybody's feedback over the year I just
take a step away and overall categorize it as alternative rock. It's
got a lot of different influences in it. It's got a lot of rock
influences, goth influences and metal influences.<br />
Q: You said touring has really helped your exposure. Is that the best way to gain a following and recognition?<br />
A: Yeah. I would say maybe ninety percent of people at our shows are
because of touring and they've seen us before on tour with other bands
and we won them over.<br />
Q: Do you have any more singles coming off of <em>Love Is</em><span style="font-style: italic;"> Gone?</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><em>A: </em></span>I'm not sure so
don't quote me! Personally, I want them to squeeze as much juice out of
the album as they can. It's getting close to the end of the year so
we're going to start talking to the label on when they want to start
recording a new album.<br />
Q: For your "Tonight" video can you explain the concept a bit?<br />
A: Well when we got together with our producer she had kind of a
treatment for us. She submitted it to us and it sounded really cool.
Basically the concept is about light. The female actress in the video
is addicted to light and she needs to fill her life with it. In the
video she looks through the frame or window and sees the light on the
other end. That was the start of the high note we wanted to immediately
achieve by grabbing someone's attention while watching videos. We made
it stimulating to the eye.<br />
<a href="http://dommin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dommin</a> does expect to have a Detroit date on their upcoming headlining tour.<br />
</div>
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</section>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-73103941565540443832016-07-09T15:49:00.005-07:002016-07-09T15:49:45.635-07:00Machine Shop rocked by Dommin, The Sleeping and Volbeat8-23-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
<br />
<figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <img alt="Dommin on stage at the Machine Shop 8-18-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/88/12/8812d8b10a1d547761ebc0afa1f0506f_2.jpg?itok=OWLHH0wA" title="Dommin on stage at the Machine Shop 8-18-10" /><figcaption class="caption media__body"><div class="caption__title">
Dommin on stage at the Machine Shop 8-18-10</div>
<div class="caption__credit">
Tracy Heck</div>
</figcaption>
</figure>
Wednesday night Flint's <a href="http://www.myspace.com/themachineshop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Machine Shop</a> played host to rockers <a href="http://dommin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dommin</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thesleeping" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sleeping</a> and <a href="http://www.volbeat.dk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Volbeat</a>.<br />
Gothic rock band <a href="http://dommin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dommin</a> opened the show with a short solid set of songs from their debut album <em>Love Is Gone</em>.<br />
Earlier this year, the band toured with Alternative rock band <a href="http://www.heartagram.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HIM</a>, which gained them the widespread exposure they were looking for.<br />
<a href="http://dommin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dommin's</a> music is full of passion and their amazing live performances have earned them a rapidly growing fan base.<br />
Running through songs like their first single "My Heart, Your
Hands", the pumping "Dark Holiday", and "One Feeling", the band did a
great job of warming the gathered crowd up.<br />
A set highlight was a performance of the <a href="http://www.hereisnirvana.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nirvana</a> classic "You Know You're Right".<br />
After exiting the stage, the band spent the rest of the evening out near their merch table meeting and greeting their fans.<br />
New York rock band <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thesleeping" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sleeping</a> was the next to take the stage. Unfortunately, their set was not quite as powerful and it took awhile to get the crowd into it.<br />
However, their set took a turn for the better when they began to
play some material off of their upcoming album, which had a bit more
fire to it.<br />
Finally, it was time for Danish rock band <a href="http://www.volbeat.dk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Volbeat</a> to take the stage who did it in style coming out to Elvis Presley's "An American Trilogy".<br />
The band is known for their early rock n' roll, heavy metal and rockabilly and gained attention when they toured with <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica</a>.<br />
Normally, the band is a four-piece ensemble but unfortunately
guitarist Thomas Bredahl was detained before being allowed to enter the
U.S. due to a long-ago theft of a barstool.<br />
Thus, the band had to perform a handful of dates as a trio.<br />
Wednesday night you would not have known it though. <a href="http://www.volbeat.dk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Volbeat's</a> timing seemed perfect and they seemed to really be enjoying themselves.<br />
Songs like "Radio Girl", "Sad Man's Tongue" and "Caroline Leaving" sounded great.<br />
Set highlights included their performance of the <a href="http://www.dusty-springfield.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dusty Springfield</a> song "I Only Want to Be With You" and a performance of new single "Fallen" off of their upcoming album <em>Beyond Hell/Above Heaven</em>.<br />
<br />
Volbeat set list:<br />
*<br />
1. The Human Instrument<br />
2. Radio Girl<br />
3. Sad Man's Tongue<br />
4. Hallelujah Goat<br />
5. Mary Ann's Place<br />
6. Fallen<br />
7. I Only Want to Be With You (Dusty Springfield cover)<br />
8. Boa [JDM]<br />
9. Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza<br />
10. Rebel Monster<br />
11. Caroline Leaving<br />
12. Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood<br />
13. River Queen<br />
14. Encore:<br />
14. Angelf*ck (Misfits cover)<br />
16. Still CountingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-22966128047789311842016-07-09T15:48:00.004-07:002016-07-09T15:48:25.433-07:00Honda Civic Tour 2010 makes stop at Meadow Brook Music Festival8-22-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
<br />
<section class="article-content">
<figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <img alt="Paramore on stage at the Meadow Brook Music Theater 8-15-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/76/c2/76c214115809baf77c676d1f4124841e_1.jpg?itok=01CRJZzR" title="Paramore on stage at the Meadow Brook Music Theater 8-15-10" /><figcaption class="caption media__body"><div class="caption__title">
Paramore on stage at the Meadow Brook Music Theater 8-15-10</div>
<div class="caption__credit">
Tracy Heck</div>
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Last Sunday the 2010 Honda Civic Tour made a stop in Rochester Hills at the <a href="http://www.palacenet.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Meadow Brook Music Festival</a>.<br />
<br />
Relatively unknown alternative rock band <a href="http://www.myspace.com/kadawatha" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kadawatha</a> opened the show with a impressive show that won over the crowd.<br />
The Swedish band's music is beautiful and filled with winding melodies that morph into power rock ballads.<br />
Songs like "Agape" and "Dreams and Dreamers" definitely showed that this is a band to look out for in the future.<br />
Rock band <a href="http://www.myspace.com/newfoundglory" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New Found Glory</a> were up next and pulled out some of the crowd's favorites like "Hit or Miss" and "My Friend's Over You".<br />
They had the crowd laughing as they held up index cards saying "Buy Our Shirt!".<br />
Indie rockers <a href="http://www.teganandsara.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tegan and Sara</a> were the last of the openers. <br />
They had the crowd on it's feet and dancing along throughout their set
as they performed songs like "You Wouldn't Like Me", "Walking With A
Ghost" and "Where Does the Good Go?".<br />
Headliners, <a href="http://www.paramore.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paramore</a>
took the stage for their set with a bang as they stayed behind a
curtain letting the crowd gather as lights allowed the crowd to glimpse
their shadows.<br />
They opened the show with newer hit "Ignorance" and kept the energy
going from there moving through some of their most popular songs
including "That's What You Get", "Decode" and "crushcrushcrush".<br />
The highlight of the show was a performance of the <a href="http://www.lorettalynn.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Loretta Lynn</a> classic "You Ain't Woman Enough" as vocalist Hayley Williams showed her country roots.<br />
The band went on to perform a acoustic set that included "When It Rains" and "Where the Lines Overlap".<br />
<a href="http://www.paramore.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paramore</a> closed their set with a sing-along performance of their new single "The Only Exception".<br />
The band returned to the stage for a encore of their two most popular
songs "Brick By Boring Brick" and "Misery Business", which included a
portion where the band pulled a girl out of the crowd to help them
perform the song. <br />
They closed the evening with a spray of confetti leaving the crowd more than satisfied.<br />
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</section>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-52452666411969575682016-07-09T15:47:00.002-07:002016-07-09T15:47:20.419-07:00Taddy Porter and Saving Abel rock the Machine Shop 8-17-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
<br />
<section class="article-content">
<figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <img alt="Saving Abel on stage in Flint at the Machine Shop 8-11-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/c9/0f/c90f58edd74ff2c589c27e6fba2794aa_2.jpg?itok=nZ2XW9kA" title="Saving Abel on stage in Flint at the Machine Shop 8-11-10" /><figcaption class="caption media__body"><div class="caption__title">
Saving Abel on stage in Flint at the Machine Shop 8-11-10</div>
<div class="caption__credit">
Tracy Heck</div>
</figcaption>
</figure> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden collapsible is-collapsed clearfix">
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Last Wednesday, rockers <a href="http://www.taddyporter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Taddy Porter</a> and <a href="http://www.savingabel.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Saving Abel</a> made a stop in Flint at the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/themachineshop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Machine Shop</a> for a show full of energy and enthusiasm.<br />
Both bands spent time hanging out at the venue meeting and signing autographs for their fans.<br />
Local group <a href="http://www.myspace.com/trippondixie" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tripp 'N' Dixie</a> opened the show with a solid set followed by Swartz Creek's own <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/thehangersonband" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Hangers On</a>.<br />
The final opener was New York rock band <a href="http://www.sugarreddrive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sugar Red Drive</a>, who did a great job of getting the crowd ready for the headliners.<br />
The band plays hard hitting rock music that fit in well with the Southern rock-influenced music that <a href="http://www.taddyporter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Taddy Porter</a> and <a href="http://www.savingabel.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Saving Abel</a> are known for.<br />
<a href="http://www.taddyporter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Taddy Porter</a>
took the stage and immediately blew the roof off with a set full of
some of their hardest songs, many of which have been getting a lot of
airplay in the television and sports world.<br />
The band is touring in support of their recently released debut album.<br />
The band is known for their explosive live shows and they did not
disappoint as they ran through killer versions of "Shake Me", "I Want
You" and "Fire In The Streets".<br />
<a href="http://www.savingabel.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Saving Abel</a> who have been making Michigan a second home recently, closed out the show with a set full of songs off of their latest album <em>Miss America </em>as well as songs from their popular debut album.<br />
Songs like "Contagious" and "Hell of A Ride" got just as big of a crowd
reaction as older songs like "In God's Eyes" and "Drowning (Face
Down)".<br />
New hits "Stupid Girl (Only In Hollywood)" and "The Sex Is Good" stood
out as well as their two biggest hits "18 Days" and "Addicted".<br />
Both <a href="http://www.savingabel.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Saving Abel </a>and <a href="http://www.taddyporter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Taddy Porter</a> will be back in Michigan Labor Day weekend to play at the <a href="http://www.artsbeatseats.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arts, Beats & Eats</a> festival, which will take place in Royal Oak for the first time after a move from Pontiac.<br />
<a href="http://www.savingabel.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Saving Abel </a>will be appearing on the National Music Stage on Friday, September 3 at 7 p.m. and <a href="http://www.taddyporter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Taddy Porter</a> will be on the Budweiser rock stage on Monday, September 6 at 5 p.m..<br />
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</section>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-76308340481391958892016-07-09T15:45:00.006-07:002016-07-09T15:45:57.233-07:00Taddy Porter rocking their way across the country8-15-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
<br />
<figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <img alt="Taddy Porter on stage at the Machine Shop" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/ed/ca/edca622e21332ef1bae2e078ab02d036_0.jpg?itok=USi3c8Ck" title="Taddy Porter on stage at the Machine Shop" /><figcaption class="caption media__body"><div class="caption__title">
Taddy Porter on stage at the Machine Shop</div>
<div class="caption__credit">
Tracy Heck</div>
</figcaption>
</figure>
Wednesday night, Oklahoma rock band Taddy Porter made a stop in Flint
at the Machine Shop opening up for their good friends Saving Abel.<br />
Before the show, the band took some time to sit down and talk about the tour, their music and life on the road.<br />
It is clear that they enjoy what they are doing and enjoy working
together as they laughed, joked and talked over and with each other.<br />
Taddy Porter formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1997 after vocalist Andy Brewer and drummer Doug Jones decided to form a duo.<br />
However, after taking guitar lessons from Joe Selby, Brewer decided to
bring him on as lead guitarist and the three invited Jones' brother,
Kevin, to fill out the quartet.<br />
After releasing a 2007 EP, <em>Monocle, </em>the band was discovered by Overtone Music Group and have not looked back.<br />
After touring extensively over the last couple of years, Taddy Porter recently released their debut album.<br />
While in its first week at radio, the lead single “Shake Me” debuted as the #3 Most Added track at Active Rock.<br />
"We're proud that it shows that we're a rock and roll band and it's
funny because the songs that we wrote on it were written when we were 20
years old; when we were young anyways, I myself was 20 years old."
explained Brewer as Kevin piped in with, "I was 17."<br />
Brewer picked up the conversation with, "It's cool to see what we were
doing back then and it also makes us excited for all of the new songs
that we've been writing to see a progression for us. I can't wait for
other people to hear our music and I can't wait for us to write new
music. It's been great because we're a high energy band and we play our
songs with much enthusiasm. People like us and you know we're not bad!"<br />
The band worked with producer Skidd Mills on their debut who also worked on Saving Abel's latest album <em>Miss America.</em><br />
Taddy Porter’s music has been heard everywhere lately, at Citi Field in
New York where “Shake Me” is Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey’s at bat and
warm up song and all over broadcast and cable.<br />
The band had two songs featured in the Entourage season premiere – “King Louie” and “Mean B*tch”.<br />
Their songs have also appeared on Monday Night Football, ESPN’s SportsCenter, ABC’s Cougartown, and the WWE film Legendary.<br />
The band has been winning fans and garnering rave reviews mostly due to their explosive live shows.<br />
Brewer explained, "Whenever we're on stage we really enjoy what we're
doing and it gets more and more exciting as we go. There's a point in
time where you do something different and you get off stage and you go,
"That was awesome. I'm going to do that every time" and sooner or later
it's just a big giant I guess it seems like it is orchestrated because
we move together so well but it's really just that we've been doing it
for so long that we know what we're going to do."<br />
Selby described it best when he went on to say, "It's organized chaos."<br />
The band has done quite a bit of touring mostly with Saving Abel
including a jaunt last year on the inaugural Class of 2009 tour, which
was conceived as a way to get a bunch of bands who have been in the Top
10 all year together with a new rookie rock band. For that tour, Taddy
Porter was the rookie and the tour got them quite a bit exposure.<br />
"We were on tour with Red and Pop Evil and Saving Abel. It was good.
It was like our first true touring experience and it got our music out
there." said Brewer.<br />
Selby added, "The people working with us did a good job spreading our name out there."<br />
Brewer added, "This tour is going very well. We recently had our album
come out about a month ago so it's been fun because before we were just
touring without an album. It was kind of just us touring just for the
sake of playing live. Now with our album out it's awesome. We've seen
lots of people come out to our shows with the album to get it signed and
stuff. It's comforting and it shows that we're doing our job."<br />
After this tour, the band will be heading out with classic guitarist Slash, who is touring in support of his latest solo album.<br />
When asked how they managed to get a spot on that tour Brewer said,
"You know I think it was because we shared the same uh..." (looks to the
others as Kevin and Doug tell him "Radio promotions!") Nodding Andy
continued, "Radio promotions, thank you. The same distribution with
Slash."<br />
Kevin went on to add, "They were like you've done really well with us
and we like your style let's go ahead and throw them on this tour and we
were like yeah. They don't have to ask us twice!"<br />
The band says that they are working on new material but probably won't
get back into the studio for another year after they finish touring in
promotion of their debut, "The next one's going to be pretty insane. The
next one's going to have more rocks. It's gonna have more
stones...let's just say that" exclaimed Brewer.<br />
All of the band members agreed that they would like to tour Europe
where the vibe for rock music is different from what they are used to.<br />
When asked if they thought growing up in the South influenced their
music they all agreed that it had, "You know I would say so yes. And you
know it's funny I feel like it's just the way you grow up. If you're in
the South that's just going to be a factor. The way I grew up was in a
small town by a lake so all I had to do was you know I'd go to school
and then go to whatever sport practice and then I'd go down to the lake
and go fishing. We didn't have like movie theaters and stuff so we just
grew up with that kind of mentality and the fact that my father listened
to classic rock and southern rock music kind of molded it into that.
That's just myself." said Brewer.<br />
Kevin added, "I think that classic Southern rock speaks to where we're all from."<br />
The band went on to have a hilarious exchange over who their major
Southern rock influences were. In the end they all agreed on the
classics like Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers and Thin Lizzy.<br />
Selby threw out Them, a Irish rock band featuring Van Morrison but went
on to say that since they were from Ireland they didn't really count
but Doug offered that they are still Southern rock. Brewer on the other
hand argued that they are from Northern Ireland which prompted Kevin to
add, "It's political Southern rock!"<br />
Doug finished the discussion with, "It's a different part of the world like the South but not the South!"<br />
Hinder, Them Crooked Vultures, Queens of A Stone Age, White Stripes and
Kings of Leon were brought up as bands that the members of Taddy Porter
would like to tour with in the future.<br />
When asked where they enjoy playing the most, Brewer paused as he slyly
looked at the rest of the band, "Um, Flint, Michigan! Flint's where we
have the most fun. Michigan is where we have the most fun in a state.
We get a good response because it seems like there's something about
the Motor City that loves rock and roll music." (the rest of the band
echoed with a chorus of yeahs) "They're receptive to our music which is
great because some places you go they have a genre that they like but
here in Michigan they just rock. They love to rock."<br />
The band says they don't get out too often into the cities they visit
but on this tour they've been hitting a lot of gyms with members from
the other bands.<br />
When asked about their strangest fan encounter Kevin shared, "We had
some girls figure out that we were sponsored by Motel 6 so they found
out what Motel 6 we were at and booked the room right in between our two
rooms and like slammed on the walls at six in the morning. They called
our rooms and eventually made us get up and come out and sign some
things."<br />
Selby went on to add, "We got recognized at the gas station the other
day that was cool. (the others nod) First time outside of Oklahoma."<br />
Finally, the band was asked how they would describe their music to new
listeners which immediately had Brewer grinning at the others as he
burst into a clearly thought through answer, "If I were to describe our
music I'd have to say that if you've ever seen the Silver Bullet train
just show up out of nowhere you know like the Coors Lite train all of a
sudden someone goes "Are you thirsty?" and somebody goes "I've got a
Coors Light!" and the bullet train comes up and everyone goes
"Whoohoo!". I just like to imagine it that way. It's a Taddy Porter
locomotive. It's just a bullet party. Just high energy rock and roll:
swagger music."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-81169365130383989802016-07-09T15:43:00.007-07:002016-07-09T15:43:51.438-07:00Q&A with Puddle of Mudd's Paul Phillips 8-13-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
<br />
<section class="article-content">
<figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <img alt="Puddle of Mudd" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/f8/b5/f8b5ab12317324f4022d4f382ad6fdaa_1.jpg?itok=BpUS3qCa" title="Puddle of Mudd" /><figcaption class="caption media__body"><div class="caption__title">
Puddle of Mudd</div>
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Publicity Please</div>
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On Tuesday, I had a chance to talk to <a href="http://www.puddleofmudd.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Puddle of Mudd</a> guitarist Paul Phillips.<br />
<br />
The band is currently out on the <a href="http://www.carnivalofmadness.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Carnival of Madness</a> tour with <a href="http://www.sevendust.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sevendust</a>, <a href="http://www.10yearsmusic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">10 Years</a>, <a href="http://www.chevelleinc.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chevelle</a> and <a href="http://www.shinedown.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shinedown</a>.<br />
<br />
The tour made a stop in Clarkston last weekend at the <a href="http://www.palacenet.com/default.asp?venue=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DTE Energy Music Theater</a>.<br />
<br />
Phillips talked about the tour, the band's latest album, his return to
the band after leaving because of personality differences and the state
of the music industry today.<br />
<br />
Q: Where are you guys at now?<br />
A: Pikeville, Kentucky. Don't ask me where that is because I don't know where I'm at.<br />
Q: I was actually out that way over the weekend and was surprised
because it was actually cooler down there then it is out here in
Detroit.<br />
A: Yeah, well it's hot today. I can tell you that but we're playing indoors today so it's all good.<br />
Q: You're currently out on the <a href="http://www.carnivalofmadness.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Carnival of Madness</a> tour. How is that going?<br />
A: So far so good other than like I said: the outdoor hot shows have
been a little trying but other than that it's been fun. A lot of good
friends out here who we get to hang out with. I get to play in front of
a lot of people so it's been good.<br />
Q: How did you get on this tour?<br />
A: Actually all of the bands have the same management and they kind of
dreamed it up and you know it's kind of like a family-type thing. It
was a chance to have all their bands out and we've known all these bands
forever so they dreamed it up and contacted us and we were all in.
That's the long and the short of it right there.<br />
Q: And you were already touring with <a href="http://www.shinedown.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shinedown</a> before this right?<br />
A: Yeah, in like January and February. You know we've done numerous shows with <a href="http://www.sevendust.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sevendust</a> and <a href="http://www.chevelleinc.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chevelle</a> as well.<br />
Q: You were out in Detroit over the weekend at <a href="http://www.palacenet.com/default.asp?venue=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DTE</a> . I couldn't make it out for the show but I've been hearing great things about it. How do you think it went?<br />
A: It was good. Those amphitheaters are sometimes weird. I don't
really like them especially the ones that have heat all the way up to
the stage. That kind of freaks me out a little bit but that was good.
It was fun I had a great time and the crowd was good so that made up for
it.<br />
Q: So the crowd reaction has been pretty good for the tour so far?<br />
A: Yeah. It's been a good turnout. All these bands have been around
for awhile and have been lucky enough to have a lot of songs that people
know. I think from start to finish everyone's been enjoying it.<br />
Q: When you put together your set list how did you decide what to play with a shorter time?<br />
A: It was a tough one. It was really hard because we haven't played
that short in awhile so it was virtually impossible. Luckily, we have a
lot of songs that have been on the radio but the hard part about that
is you end up having to cut some. Then people afterwards are going, "I
can't believe you didn't play this or that song!" Then if we played it
they would just ask why we didn't play another one. It was tough. I
definitely kind of stressed out a little bit trying to get it to where
it is but but it's got a little bit of all our records and the hits so
it's good.<br />
Q: The last album came out awhile ago but when you play the newer songs how is that going?<br />
A: Good but like I said, both singles we play have hit the Top 5 in
rock as well. Those are the only two we are playing right now because
of the time.<br />
Q: What's your favorite song to play live?<br />
A: We've been doing a cover actually that's kind of fun and different. We do a cover of <a href="http://www.acdc.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AC/DC's</a>
"TNT". That's really fun to play. Like I've said, we've been playing
these songs for years. It's not that I'm tired of playing them but it's
nice to do something new and refreshing.<br />
Q: Do you get a chance to get out while you are on tour and check out the different cities?<br />
A: Mostly we're on the tour bus but a bunch of us on this tour go to
the gym so we all kind of jump in the car and go out. But then we'll
come back and that's about it with all of the press and meet and greets
and stuff like that. You don't have much time on a actual show day. On
a off day you can get out and do a little bit.<br />
Q: What makes <em>Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate</em> different from your other albums?<br />
A: I think musically it's not really that different. I mean the
process of making it was different from how we normally do it because we
were kind of touring in the midst of it. So we would go in and record
for like a week, tear all the gear down and go out for like two or three
weeks and then come back and set it all up again and record for another
week or two. The amount of time we were actually in the studio was the
shortest. It was like five and a half weeks but it was stretched out
over like six months because of the touring so that was different.
Normally you go lock down in the studio and you just don't leave until
you finish it but this time we'd do two songs here and two songs there.<br />
Q: This was your first album back with the band after departing during the making of the previous album?<br />
A: Yeah, I left during the writing cycle of <em>Famous</em> which was the record before.<br />
Q: What made you come back?<br />
A: Oddly enough the band actually played in my hometown of
Jacksonville, Florida on a big festival that me and my friends go to
every year. I wasn't going to go because you know I obviously didn't
want to see my old band play but I got talked into going and ran into
the guys and ran into Wes [Scantlin, <a href="http://www.puddleofmudd.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Puddle of Mudd</a>
vocalist] and we ended up going out to a bar. We ended up having a
good time for once. That was something we didn't have there at the end
of my run. We started talking on the phone and staying in touch and it
wasn't even about coming back to the band but everyday stuff. Then I
got a phone call and Wes was like, "Hey we've got a show next week.
What do you think man? You want to come back out and give it a whirl
again?" Under the different circumstances I was game to come back. I
definitely wouldn't have come back to the same situation and so far it's
been great. It's better than it's ever been.<br />
Q: I just saw somewhere that it's coming up on ten years since the release of your first album <em>Come Clean</em>.<br />
A: Yeah it'll be ten years next August, which is just crazy. There
are so many bands who come out and have a huge record or a huge single
and then they're just gone and you never hear of them again. I never
though we would make it ten years. We've been very fortunate.<br />
Q: Why do you think you have been able to stick around?<br />
A: You know, I have no idea! We just kind of you know definitely
don't follow trends. Like when we came out the big trend was nu-metal
like Limp Bizkit and Korn and we came out and just stayed true to just
rock. Some people kind of lump us in with the blues thing or whatever
but we just stayed true to our guns and don't try to change our sound or
reinvent the wheel and like I said we don't follow trends. I guess we
just stay in the middle and just play music that people want to hear and
they don't get tired of it.<br />
Q: You were talking about <a href="http://www.acdc.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AC/DC</a> and they do exactly that: stick to their guns and sound.<br />
A: Yeah they're the king of that. That is for sure but you love them
nonetheless and they still sell out arenas so there you go!<br />
Q: Do you think it's harder or easier to promote your music now?<br />
A: I think it's easier with the whole I mean well there's two sides to
it because obviously the labels aren't spending the kind of money that
they used to because they don't have half of the kind of money that they
used to because of the Internet. On that front it's a little harder
but that also opens up all of the ways that you can promote your stuff
in the future with Myspace and Facebook, which has become the bigger of
the two. It's very easy now to get information out at just the touch of
the button. It's right there you don't have to wait and do an
interview about it in a magazine that comes out a month later. You can
get it out to all of your fans right then in real time. You know on
Twitter whenever people have subscribed it comes up a second later on
their phone. In a lot of aspects I think it's much easier because young
bands can go film their own home video and millions of people can see
it on Youtube or whatever. It's out there to be seen so I think it's a
little easier.<br />
Q: What would you tell someone who is trying to get a band together?<br />
A: Like I said in this day and age labels are just not spending money
so chances of you getting a huge record deal out of your hometown and
getting put in a bus with lots of money is very slim to none unless
you're like <a href="http://www.ladygaga.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lady Gaga</a> or the <a href="http://www.blackeyedpeas.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Black Eyed Peas</a>
or something. For a rock band all I can say is use all the tools you
have to build your Facebook and Youtube page and do as much as you can
do on your own and build a following and put out a record yourself. Now
you can print a record yourself and sign a distribution deal not a
record deal and the distribution company will put the cds out for you in
stores and you don't have to have a record label. Go tour and build up
a fan base. I tell people too at this point if you can afford it buy a
van so that's less that a label has to spend on you. They don't have
to buy your transportation. The more you can do yourself the better.
The better off you'll be and the more a label will be willing to invest a
small amount of money to your cause. That's just where it's at now. I
mean obviously if you blow up there's more money but in the beginning
now for rock bands it's very, very tough.<br />
Q: Is social networking something that you're involved in?<br />
A: Oh yeah for sure. We're very active. I have my own Facebook as
well as the band's and we try to every night after the shows to put up
photos from the show and let them know where we are everyday and any
kind of press articles that come out we put them up. We try to keep it
fresh. I mean obviously you're competing for people's attention. So
the more you put out there the better the chance that they'll actually
look at something.<br />
Q: Have you thought about different ways to get your music out in the future?<br />
A: Yeah I've been having this conversation a lot and it's not really
about how to get it out but the format I see coming. I mean with Itunes
the way people can just go and buy your songs as opposed to the
record. Now they go with $.99 as opposed to $13.99 or whatever for a
whole cd which works for the consumer and it's great but not for the
artist and it affects the whole music industry. I think what's going to
happen is the whole album per se is going to go away and we're going to
go back to singles like you had with the old 45's where you had one
song on one side and one song on the other. That was the single. There
wasn't an album and that got sent to the radio. I think that is what
is going to happen. We'll send a song to the radio, which you can get
on Itunes and get another song with it and that's it. I think albums
are going to go away. Nowadays people are having multi-platinum single
sales instead of multi-platinum records.<br />
Q: How did you start out playing guitar?<br />
A: I actually started when I was 11 when I got MTV in my city and was
just enthralled by rock music and metal music and guitar players. I got
a guitar but my mom put me in lessons and you know that really wasn't
something I was in to because I wasn't playing what I wanted to play. I
put it down for awhile and then around 15 I had some friends who were a
little more advanced than me and they showed me these song books called
tablatures where you have to know how to read music. It's graphs and
photos and shows you exactly how to do it. They showed me a couple of
little things and they showed me songs I wanted to learn and after that
it was the whole Summer and I just didn't turn back. It just went from
there. I'm still learning today. Everyday.<br />
Q: Is there anybody in particular that influenced you?<br />
A: Yeah there's a few. The big two are definitely <a href="http://www.slashonline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Slash</a> and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/dimebagdarrell" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dimebag Darrell</a>. James Hetfield from <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica</a> was big as well. Those are probably my top three for sure.<br />
Q: Do you get a chance to get out and listen to music?<br />
A: A little bit. There's not as much lately. I'm just kind of stuck
on what I grew up on. Every now and then I'll hear a band that I like
but you know times change and right now there's not a lot of new stuff
that's grabbing me. There's a few bands here and there but I'm mainly
interested in bands like <a href="http://www.hereisnirvana.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nirvana</a> and all of the stuff I grew up on.<br />
Q: What's your strangest fan encounter?<br />
A: There's been a few I mean people get crazy which is just shocking
to me. I remember one time there was a guy in the front who was in a
wheelchair and he got lifted up and was crowd surfing in his wheelchair
from side to side of the venue. I think it was in a arena. I can't
remember but they picked this guy up and I would hate to be a little kid
or a girl trying to hold this big guy up in a wheelchair going over my
head, you know? That was a sight to see! Not safe for any of the
parties involved but whatever it was something different.<br />
Q: Is there anyone you want to tour with in the future?<br />
A: Yeah there's loads of bands. I mean the ones who are still touring
though it's a little more difficult. I could say like my idols but a
lot of them aren't around anymore but I could say like <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica</a>, maybe <a href="http://www.motley.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Motley Crue</a>. Might be a little weird but I guess those are two of my idols that are still around and still touring.<br />
Q: You've done some USO tours. Is that something you'll be doing more of?<br />
A: Yeah I would like to. We've gone over there twice and it was a
very rewarding experience. The people over there just can't believe
that you came over and they just can't believe that a band would come
and play for them over in the desert. I mean the lives that they're
living is definitely not easy. It's a tough lifestyle and I don't know
if I could do it but if we can go over there for a little while and
maybe bring a smile to their face for a couple days or a week it's the
least we could do really.<br />
Q: If you weren't doing this what would you be doing?<br />
A: You know I don't know but before I got a record deal I was going to
college and about to graduate with a management and marketing degree so
I would probably be somewhere in a suit and tie behind a desk. That
was the route I was heading so thank god I got a record deal!<br />
Q: Is there any future plans for the band?<br />
A: Right now we're just trying to figure out what we're going to do
for the rest of the year. We just released our third single off of this
record so we're gonna kind of see where we are. We're probably going
to take the month of September off and figure out if October is the time
to tour through maybe Christmas and then start a record or maybe start a
record in October. We're kind of on the bench right now. I'm trying
to figure out what we're going to do. We're definitely writing and
getting ideas down and getting ready to go just in case. We're kind of
playing it by ear right now but definitely no later than early next year
we'll be writing a new record and getting in to record.<br />
Q: So ten years down the road where do you see <a href="http://www.puddleofmudd.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Puddle of Mudd</a> and yourself?<br />
A: Oh that's a hard call because like I said I never thought we'd make
it this ten years so I mean obviously I would still love to still be
doing it and we'll do it as long as people want us to do it. If people
still want to come to the shows and actually care. I don't want to be
that band playing bars in front of twenty people. They were big in the
eighties and now they're playing their local pool bar, you know? Not
really my dream. Hopefully in ten years we can still be relevant and
still be going strong.<br />
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</section>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-7714055021817226012016-07-09T15:42:00.004-07:002016-07-09T15:42:36.736-07:00Coheed and Cambria's Claudio Sanchez talks about everything from sci-fi to Inception to literacy 7-30-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
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<figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <img alt="Coheed and Cambria's fifth album Year of the Black Rainbow" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/35/f8/35f84e1e0b4ebdd745e46cbd98d368ef.jpg?itok=wP2Mx2YA" title="Coheed and Cambria's fifth album Year of the Black Rainbow" /><figcaption class="caption media__body"><div class="caption__title">
Coheed and Cambria's fifth album Year of the Black Rainbow</div>
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Progressive rock band <a href="http://www.coheedandcambria.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coheed and Cambria</a> have built a strong following with their concept albums that revolve around a science fiction storyline called <a href="http://www.theamorywars.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Armory Wars</a> that lead vocalist Claudio Sanchez conceived through a series of short stories.<br />
<br />
Each album is set in the fictional universe of Heaven's Fence and
revolves around the characters Coheed and Cambria and their rise and
fall during the apocalypse.<br />
<br />
Heaven's Fence is comprised of 78 planets which are aligned by
interconnecting beams of energy known as the Keywork, which has become
the band's official logo.<br />
<br />
To date, <a href="http://www.coheedandcambria.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coheed and Cambria</a> has released five studio albums including their latest release <a href="http://www.theamorywars.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Armory Wars</a> prequel <em>Year of the Black Rainbow, </em>which was released in April.<br />
<br />
Earlier this week, I got a chance to talk to Sanchez who spent some time
talking about how his fictional universe was created during a trip to
Paris and was never intended to be anything other than a way to document
his trip to a foreign land, "It turned into more because I was having a
hard time putting my personal experiences down into my music and my
fictional universe was a way to do that. A lot of the roots within the
story are very real scenes."<br />
<br />
Sanchez shared that it was always in the plans to do a prequel to the series and the <em>Year of the Black Rainbow </em>was a way to do the characters of Coheed and Cambria justice who as he said had been "put through hell".<br />
<br />
The album takes listeners back before the characters' deaths and allows
a speck of hope to shine through the darkness that is prevalent
throughout the series. Sanchez says much of that sense of hope is due to his marriage earlier this year which he describes as a "true partnership".
<br />
<br />
For the recording of <em>Year of the Black Rainbow, </em>the band worked with producers Joe Baressi (<a href="http://www.qotsa.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queens of the Stone Age</a>) and Atticus Ross (<a href="http://nin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nine Inch Nails</a>) who helped give the album a bit of a different feel bringing in a stronger electronic feel.<br />
<br />
According to Sanchez, Baressi and Ross "balanced each other out" and
helped "elevate" a sound that he had been wanting to explore for awhile.<br />
<br />
The storyline itself is built around the concept of a absence in
reality that creates a divide between the inhabitants of the world and
creates a need for the creation of Coheed and Cambria. I brought up a particular lyric in the first single released off of the
album, "The Broken", which goes, "The world looks better when you're
falling." Sanchez spoke about the song and how it is a anthem of
acceptance and accepting yourself for what you are, good or bad.<br />
<br />
The special edition of <em>Year of the Black Rainbow </em>features a novel written by Sanchez and sci-fi writer Peter David. When I mentioned that the packaging of the novel is a great way to draw
buyers in this era of downloads, Sanchez was quick to say, "Very true
but also, without sounding like a teacher [laughing] but I think it's
great when you can get people to read!"
<br />
<br />
Sci-fi and horror is something that Sanchez grew up on. In fact, he
said that he was always fascinated by the "fantastic" and always saw <a href="http://www.theamorywars.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Armory Wars</a> as a series of stories and comic books.<br />
However, he is tired of the comparisons to Star Wars and being dismissed as a "comic-book band".<br />
Sanchez put together a special video for their song "World of Lines" featuring scenes from the classic science fiction film <em>Metropolis</em>, which explored the struggle between workers and industry.<br />
Sanchez says he used the film because it portrays the message that he
was trying to send in "World of Lines", which is the division of the
elite and the workers and more specifically the elitist view of the
media, who are responsible for dismissing <a href="http://www.coheedandcambria.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coheed and Cambria</a> as nothing more than their concept.<br />
The video was meant as a special treat for the fans and a official
video for the song is in the planning stages and will be released later.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.coheedandcambria.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coheed and Cambria</a> have been extensively touring behind <em>The Year of the Black Rainbow</em> and were getting ready to head to Asia when I spoke to Sanchez. <br />
<br />
When asked about future plans, Sanchez said that they are already
working on stuff for their next album as well as some solo material and
that he does intend to stay within <a href="http://www.theamorywars.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Armory Wars</a> universe but it will branch off into new story with new characters.<br />
<br />
The band has toured with a number of different groups from <a href="http://www.linkinpark.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Linkin Park</a> and <a href="http://www.pro-rock.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clutch</a> to <a href="http://www.trivium.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Trivium</a> and <a href="http://www.slipknot1.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Slipknot</a>
but when asked if there is anyone in particular that he enjoyed going
on tour with the most, Sanchez was unable to pick just one, "You know I
like playing with anyone. With <a href="http://www.slipknot1.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Slipknot</a> or bands like that people would say it is a odd coupling but we like doing different things. <a href="http://www.coheedandcambria.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coheed and Cambria</a> prefers to take the hard road. We like to see people come out to a show and say, hey that really worked!"<br />
<br />
When I mentioned seeing them on that <a href="http://www.slipknot1.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Slipknot</a> tour and the positive audience reaction, Sanchez laughed and exclaimed, "Victory!"<br />
<br />
Sanchez also talked about having gone out to see the Leonardo Dicaprio/Christopher Nolan sci-fi thriller <em>Inception </em>the
night before. Like many, he enjoyed the movie because of it's concept
and the fact that he "is always looking for something different."<br />
<br />
After seeing the movie, the band then went to see the new <em>Predator </em>movie and he said, "Let's just say we had a hard time sitting through it after seeing <em>Inception</em>."<br />
<br />
The band will be starting a second round of U.S. dates beginning August 12 in Hollywood and ending August 31 in Norfolk.<br />
<br />
The tour will be making a stop in Grand Rapids at the <a href="http://www.orbitroom.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Orbit Room</a> on Wednesday, August 25.<br />
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</section>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07150151958257586019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5143809800674291931.post-67328017510295946782016-07-09T15:39:00.000-07:002016-07-09T15:39:00.025-07:00Apocalyptica bring unique blend of classical and heavy metal to intimate Eagle Theater 7-18-10 Originally published on Examiner.com by Tracy Heck<br />
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Finnish band <a href="http://www.apocalyptica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apocalyptica</a> are a strange breed; a band formed by four classically trained cellists who decided to get together and perform <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica</a> covers for fun but found that their unique blend of classical and heavy metal music had a strong following.<br />
<section class="article-content__embedded"><figure class="article-image article-image--landscape"> <a href="http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/apocalyptica-at-the-eagle-theater-7-16-10"><img alt="Hollow Drive on stage at the Eagle Theater 7-16-10" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/14/ea/14ea720fc96f54eae9f766f828b8d2bd.jpg?itok=NqhOobBR" title="Hollow Drive on stage at the Eagle Theater 7-16-10" /></a><figcaption class="caption media__body"><div class="caption__title">
Hollow Drive on stage at the Eagle Theater 7-16-10</div>
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<img alt="Apocalyptica on stage at the Eagle Theater 7-16-10" class="zoomable media__img" data-large="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width_large/hash/1a/0d/1a0d346558a7db71b285f60630279939.jpg?itok=iOsdsWM5" rel="image_src" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/1a/0d/1a0d346558a7db71b285f60630279939.jpg?itok=bBv0i6ED" title="Apocalyptica on stage at the Eagle Theater 7-16-10" /></div>
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Over the years the band has gone from playing covers of their favorite
metal bands to writing their own arrangements and bringing in a number
of rock's biggest vocalists to accompany them. Their last album, 2007's <em>Worlds Collide</em>, is the one that began to break them in the United States but the band has had a huge following overseas for many years.
<br />
<br />
Today's lineup of cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lotjonen and Perttu
Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Siren are preparing to release their
seventh album, <em>7th Symphony, </em>on August 24.<br />
<br />
Friday night, <a href="http://www.apocalyptica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apocalyptica</a> made a stop at the <a href="http://www.thecrofoot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eagle Theater</a> in Pontiac for a small intimate show that included new and old material. The crowd was an interesting mix of ages and styles but they all had
one thing in common: they all were rabid followers of the band as
evidenced by their clear recognition of all of their songs whether
instrumental or vocal tracks.
<br />
<br />
Local metal band <a href="http://www.myspace.com/hollowdrivemusic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hollow Drive</a>
opened the show with a rare acoustic performance that was more
hilarious than anything as the band spent a lot of time laughing at
themselves as they worked their way through performing their songs in a
new way.<br />
<br />
The band even pulled out a couple of <a href="http://www.killswitchengage.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Killswitch Engage</a> and <a href="http://www.lamb-of-god.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lamb of God</a>
covers which greatly amused the crowd as vocalist Ryan urged them to
pick up one of their albums to see what they really sound like.<br />
<br />
It took awhile for <a href="http://www.apocalyptica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apocalyptica</a> to take the stage but by the time they did the floor and balcony had packed in.<br />
<br />
The band took the stage to the strains of their cover of <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica's</a> "Wherever I May Roam" and immediately showed why they are known as one of the world's top live acts.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.apocalyptica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apocalyptica</a> has a energy and stage presence that makes it hard to turn away from. <br />
Their talent shines through on every song as they bring not only what
they learned at the prestigious Sibelius Academy in Helsinki but their
own enthusiasm for the metal genre marrying the two in a amazing mix of
symphonic metal. Each member of the band brings their own personality to the performances.
<br />
<br />
Band founder Toppinen is the spokesman for the group introducing the
songs in his own unique way while Kivilaakso is the most animated and
joker of the group.<br />
Lotionen spends most of his time as the crowd rouser, urging them to
sing or clap along while drummer Siren brings everything together and
was clearly enjoying his larger role in the band's latest music.<br />
Finnish rock singer Tipe Johnson has been touring with the band as a
vocalist for their tracks that feature guest stars and Friday night he
did a great job not only on new single "End of Me", which features <a href="http://www.bush-music.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bush</a> singer Gavin Rossdale but also on popular tracks like "I'm Not Jesus" which featured <a href="http://www.slipknot1.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Slipknot</a> vocalist Corey Taylor.<br />
<br />
Set highlights included an amazing version of their song "Bittersweet"
without vocals. The band seemed to be amused as the crowd decided to
sing along on their own. New instrumental tracks "Beautiful" and "Sacra" also stood out.
<br />
<br />
"Beautiful" featured Lotionen leaving his drum kit to pick up a cello
of his own, which stunned the crowd who were unaware that he even
played. <br />
<br />
The band closed their set with covers of <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica's</a> "Seek and Destroy" and <a href="http://sepultura.uol.com.br/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sepultura's</a> "Inquisition Symphony". <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.apocalyptica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apocalyptica</a> returned to the stage with Johnson for an encore of track "I Don't Care", which originally featured <a href="http://www.threedaysgrace.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Three Days Grace</a> vocalist Adam Gontier. The song's haunting feel worked perfectly in the small venue.<br />
<br />
The band closed out the show with a rousing performance of <a href="http://www.metallica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Metallica's</a> "Enter Sandman", with the members singing along with the crowd and their thunderous performance of <a href="http://www.mnc.net/norway/EHG.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Edvard Grieg's</a> classical piece "Hall of the Mountain King".<br />
<br />
As usual, after the show the members of <a href="http://www.apocalyptica.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apocalyptica</a> came out to spend time with their fans.<br />
The band will be doing a longer U.S. tour in the Fall so if you have
not gotten a chance to experience them live, make sure you take the
chance to see them! The experience will be unlike any other.<br />
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