Muen Magazine Sept 2009

Jessica Shroy (Model/Actress)

www.Myspace.com/jessangel2003 Photo by: Rudy Stone

Contributors: G. Cataline, Shauna OʼDonnell, Jeanne Thomas (JET), Macavity, Slavewriter6, BC Blonde, R.L. Segarra, Karen Fader McBride, Yvonneʼs World, M Lazar, AngelDevil, Charly Gienau, Shannon Lindsey, Tracy L. Forsyth-Lundy, Jus Forrest, Morbid Miller, Q5, Ron “Roosterpuddin” Isbell, Cerys, Morbid Miller, Diana Price, Metal Mike, Natalie Perez, Tina Rose, Heather Armstrong, Nik Vicious, Laya, Brittany Todd, Warren Meyers, Jori Pierson, Darcee Brian Cade, Bianca Malise, Seegal, Eric Eaton, Chris King Spokesmodels: Penny Layne, Saphira Spanks, Suzie Q, Jessica Shroy Toy Kitten (Genocide), FluxXx Mutation, Danielle Fornarelli, Ethel Hallow, Bianca Barnett, M Lazar, Helen Limon, Paris Inez, Kelly Chaos www.Scribd.com/MUENmag • www.MUENMagazine.net MUEN TALK 525.COM www.525PowerTracks.com MUEN Artist PR & Promotion www.Myspace.com/gcataline www.Myspace.com/ShaunasBandPage

Not all views expressed in these pages, are the views of MUEN Magazine as a whole. MUSIC UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Indie, Goth, Rock, Metal, Alternative, Punk, Electronic For Advertising and Promotional programs contact: [email protected] Skype: mmgc007

Content:

BIG BLACK NOVEL PG. 18 BURN HALO PG. 55 CANNIBAL CORPSE PG. 14 CD REVIEWS PG. 124 CHEVELLE PG. 36 CHIMAIRA PG. 68 CKY PG. 94 DEAD RAGE PG. 78 DIVINE HERESY PG. 90 DYING FETUS PG. 69 ELECTRICA MIAMI PG. 34 EMBER PG. 110 GLASS WOLFE PG. 60 GODSMACK PG. 4 HEAVENʼS BASEMENT PG. 72 INDEX CASE PG. 44 JANUS PG. 24 KENELIS PG. 84 KINGDOM OF GLASS PG. 10 LIVE REVIEWS PG. 104 LOVE HATE HERO PG. 22 OF THE WRECKAGE PG. 87 OPUS DAI PG. 114 QUEENSBURY PG. 107 SAMMY HAGAR PG. 76 SAVING ABEL PG. 52 SHAMANʼS HARVEST PG. 74 SHAOLIN TEMPLE OF BOOM PG. 30 SUICIDE SILENCE PG. 80 TERROR PG. 40 THE CASUALTIES PG. 98 THE COLOR TURNING PG. 100 THE CULPRIT PG. 119 THEORY OF A DEADMAN PG. 26 TOXIC HOLOCAUST PG. 70 WAITING FOR DECAY PG. 64 YVONNEʼS WORLD PG. 78 MUEN Magazine P.O. Box 11446 Whittier, CA 90603

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Shauna OʼDonnell and Dino Cazares at this yearʼs Mayhem.

Geffen recording artists, Garbage from Madison, WI released "Absolute Garbage" on July 24 2007. One of the 90's most influential rock bands put together a collection of their best. This came after four albums and seven Grammy nominations. The “best of” which includes both CD and DVD! Along with the new track “Tell Me Where It Hurts,” Absolute Garbage features 17 songs of extreme and intense emotion, from “Stupid Girl,” “Queer” and “#1 Crush” to “Special,” “Bleed Like Me” and “Why Do You Love Me.” Why are we talking about an album released 2 years ago? Because this band has stood the test of time, and will never be outdated :P

The beautiful Helen Limon... she models and represents MUEN in Russia. Xелл the EC!! (translation: hell yes!!) Myspace.com/limon69

M Lazar (MUEN writer) and her band September Mourning have recently opened for The Birthday Massacre, and is now on tour with Marilyn Manson!! Myspace.com/garbage The letter “M” shall not be underestimated!! ~MUEN myspace.com/mlazar

GODSMACK

Universal/Republic record- MUEN: YOU GUYS ARE first band, Iʼve known the THATʼS PRETTY COOL ing artists Godsmack are singer John Allen since I THEN. YOU GUYS ARE ON THE ROAD WITH back! was fifteen years old. We WORKING ON A NEW MOTLEY CRUE, THEShannon Larkin (Drums)

Boston, Massachusetts

Myspace.com/godsmack By: Shauna OʼDonnell

MUEN: HI SHANNON HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

Iʼm great, thanks.

ORY OF A DEADMAN, DROWNING POOL AND CHARM CITY DEVILS. IT SOUNDS LIKE A BADASS LINE-UP TO ME. HAVE YOU PLAYED WITH THESE BANDS BEFORE?

Godsmack hasnʼt, but in my previous band Amen, we toured with Drowning Pool and their original singer. Itʼs been a pleasure seeing those guys, hanging out and drinking with them. Their new singer is great. Charm City Devils, the

both came up in the Virginia, DC, Baltimore area, so itʼs been a pleasure hanging out with them too. Of course, Iʼve known Tommy Lee for a few years, so weʼve knocked a couple Jager shots back.

ALBUM THAT IS TO BE RELEASED SOME TIME IN 2010. YOU RELEASED ONE NEW SONG TITLED “WHISKEY HANGOVER” FOR CRUEFEST RIGHT?

Thatʼs right and itʼs doing really well on radio. In MUEN: SO YOUʼRE PARTYING WITH MOT- fact, itʼs # 2 or #1 right LEY CRUE AFTER THE now. We took two years off, so you know thereʼs SHOW THEN? always that thing where Well Motley Crue doesnʼt you worry a little bit if people are going to party, but Tommy Lee remember you parties! MUEN:

or if you are going to go out of style. So itʼs been really cool and itʼs been testament to our fan base. We love you guys!

MUEN: HOW FAR ALONG ARE YOU IN THE PROCESS OF WRITING THE NEW ALBUM AND WHO ARE YOU WORKING WITH AS A PRODUCER?

That is still up in the air. We are talking to several guys and Sully has always self-produced our records. We are thinking of having that fifth ear in there because we donʼt want to keep making the same record over and over again on the one hand. On the other hand, we canʼt change too much. We are thinking of bringing someone in this time and let go of the reigns a little bit and see what we can come up with that is fresh and original. We have seventeen songs on the board musically, we typically write the music first and then Sully goes and works on the lyrics and melodies. So right now where we are at we probably have six songs full on with lyrics and melodies and a bunch of other ones that we think are kick ass, but are not complete yet. We are basically not even trying to complete them until we indeed get a producer so he can come in and help

in the pre-production process.

guys are going to run with the Another Animal ball and hopefully in the MUEN: IS THERE A SET future we will do another RELEASE DATE YET? record someday.

We are hoping to get it out in the first quarter, but if you want a set release date, I would say before summer because we want to be on tour during summer. We will really push to have it out by then. MUEN: DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR SIDE PROJECT ANOTHER ANIMAL AND WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THAT BAND?

We had to come back to Godsmack. We did that because we had a couple years off from Godsmack because everybody wanted to take a break after ten years of touring and making records. Basically, me, Tony and Robbie had a bunch of music and so we did the Another Animal thing. When we had to come back to Godsmack full on, pretty much Whit and Lee are continuing on with Another Animal with other musicians filling in for us. Evidently, they have a European, Australian and Japanese release. The album was only released in the states and we only did one little tour for it. It wasnʼt something we had a lot of time for. Those

MUEN: LETʼS TALK ABOUT THE IMV “BEHIND THE PLAYER” DVD. IT IS AN INTIMATE BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AT YOUR LIFE AS A MUSICIAN. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE DVD.

I was approached by a good friend of mine back in the day named Sean Ian, he is part owner of this IMV Company. Itʼs a brand new company. They had secured Munky from Korn, itʼs not just drums. I had never done an instructional DVD before because Iʼm not really a soloist, Iʼm a band guy. When he approached me the idea was to take a couple Godsmack songs and break them down slow to show the kids how itʼs done and how I play each song. I got to pick the two songs that I wanted to represent. I thought it was a wonderful thing, it turned out great, the sound is awesome and it has a bunch of cool features where you can go in and see the footwork and handwork. It will show you how to play the songs at half speed and then I work it up to speed. All the kids that I have

talked to that are starting out playing drums said it was real helpful.

MUEN: YEAH I WAS WATCHING PART OF IT. NOW YOU NEVER TOOK ANY DRUM LESSONS AND YOU TAUGHT YOURSELF HOW TO PLAY IS THAT RIGHT? Thatʼs right, well John Bonham and Neil Peart taught me how to play.

MUEN: THATʼS RIGHT BECAUSE YOU WENT TO STORES AND BOUGHT BOOKS AND LEARNED THAT WAY.

My sister was a couple years older than me and one day she gave me her Rush Hemispheres record and said “Youʼve got to listen to this record.” I wasnʼt a drummer yet, but that made me want to play drums. She then gave me Led Zeppelin II and thatʼs when I asked my parents for a drum set for Christmas.

MUEN: DO YOU THINK THAT BECAUSE YOU NEVER TOOK LESSONS YOU WERE ABLE TO CREATE YOUR OWN STYLE?

Well, that and the fact that I was playing basketball and I jumped on a basketball and a guy jumped on me. I heard

Online at IMV.com and at MUEN: I READ THAT most Guitar Centers YOU HAVE A CLOTHacross the country. ING LINE CALLED “WERD WEAR.” MUEN: ROBBIE HAS ONE TOO RIGHT? Well, thatʼs not my clothing line; Iʼm an endorsee, Robbie has one too, itʼs like Iʼm the face of the great. He plays “Voodoo” company. I donʼt have and some cool bass any business to do with it songs. except for I can veto art designs I donʼt like. MUEN: NOW, HE When they get the art GUEST STARS ON and shirt ready, they YOURS, DO YOU PLAY send me a picture of it ON HIS? and I can say “Yeah, thatʼs cool or No, thatʼs Yeah I do. lame.” That is about my involvement. Itʼs a really MUEN: SOME OF THE cool company that uses PROCEEDS GO TO AN all organic cotton and the ORGANIZATION designs are real simple. CALLED LITTLEKIDItʼs not Affliction style with SROCK.ORG. a bunch of crap all over it. Its simple designs that We do a lot of charity I try to keep rocker/biker events. We just played in heavy. Texas; we went out there for free. We did an MUEN: THATʼS NOT acoustic show because ALL, YOU ARE ALSO A one of our buddies got BIG FAN OF HORROR hurt really badly on a MOVIES AND YOU MUEN: THATʼS A BMX bike and so we COLLECT THEM. HOW GOOD STORY. TELL tried to hook up. There MANY WOULD YOU ME ABOUT YOUR KICK are so many of them that SAY YOU HAVE? TECHNIQUE AND sometimes they come to WHAT IS THE TRICK me and say “Hey, can we Iʼve got over 500 in my TO PLAYING A POWER- do this one?” and Iʼm like collection right now. FUL PEDAL? “Yes, of course.” MUEN: DO YOU COLI think that you keep the MUEN: I NOTICED YOU LECT HORROR NOVheel of your foot up, play HAD A TOY TRAILER ELS AS WELL? on the ball of your foot BACK THERE SO YOU and let the pedal do most MUST HAVE BROUGHT Yes, Iʼm a big reader; I of the work. SOME TOYS OF YOUR always have a book open. Right now, Iʼm OWN. MUEN: WHERE CAN reading the new Glen PEOPLE PURCHASE Duncan book, he wrote Our toys are big Harley IT? I,Lucifer. I just got it the Davidsonʼs. other day, but itʼs really my collarbone snap and this was in the early 80ʼs. Back then, they put me in a full torso cast, but I still had my wrist. I had to raise my snare and lower my high-hat and I could actually still play in the cast. Typically, a drummer plays with his right hand over his left hand so that your right hand is the high-hat and your left hand is the snare. Now, all of a sudden because Iʼm in this cast I switched with my left hand on top of my right hand so I could continue to play with a broken collarbone. When I got the cast off my right hand was used to being underneath my left hand, so to get back I would switch over without missing a beat. When I would switch over I started swinging my arms and thatʼs how the style was born, from a broken bone.

good. Itʼs about a guy who dies and is hovering over his own funeral. He doesnʼt quite know heʼs dead yet so itʼs that kind of vibe.

MUEN: SO I HEAR THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN SOME GRAPHIC STUFF OF YOUR OWN.

Yeah, Iʼve been writing since I was sixteen and I have a couple novels done. I have never tried to pitch them or anything because rock and roll is my life. I figure a lot of my favorite authors didnʼt even publish books until they were in their fifties. I figure Iʼve got some time and Iʼm hoping that someday when this all ends, which inevitably it will, then I will just try and write and publish my works. Itʼs kind of like a song when you are writing; itʼs very personal, no matter how you cut it. I want to make sure itʼs great before I unleash it. When we were doing the Faceless record, I would get drunk at night and put up short stories. I would write them, put them online and get feedback. Some of it is pretty hardcore stuff and so I ended up putting thirteen short stories together and it is like narrated by Satan so I call it The Devilʼs Diaries. I definitely need more stories because I think that the short stories should be

fifteen pages or less. In actuality you can have a hundred page short story, but I want to keep them really short and sweet with wicked twists right at the end. Like, the last sentence will mess you up, you know what I mean? Itʼs exciting and I love to write.

MUEN: SULLY HAS WRITTEN A BOOK AS WELL CALLED THE PATHS WE CHOOSE. ITʼS A MEMOIR OF HIS LIFE.

Itʼs a memoir, right. Itʼs the actual true story of his life. He had a really interesting upbringing. He was raised poor with all the fighting and gangs. I was raised middle class in West Virginia so I really donʼt have a back story. Iʼve been playing drums all my life.

MUEN: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TALKING WITH ME TODAY. IT WAS A LOT OF FUN. BEFORE I LET YOU GO IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD OR SAY?

No, youʼve covered it. That was a good interview and thank you for having me.

FOR ADVERTISING INFO EMAIL: [email protected]

KINGDOM OF GLASS

(United Kingdom)

with it – although it does eat any profits.

www.myspace.com/kin gdomofglass WHO PLAYS WHAT?

wide spectrum of music. Bring on the tuba!

the better of us.

During the last year weʼve focused on exploring our song writHAS THERE EVER By G. Cataline Ok youʼve got us - the BEEN ANYONE ELSE ing abilities without computer plays most IN THE BAND? AND prejudice. Weʼve also SO IT'S JUST THE of it and takes none of WHAT ABOUT LIVE had to get up to speed TWO OF YOU IN THIS the credit, LOL. How- SHOWS? with the latest techBAND? DAVID nologies (thatʼs Daveʼs ever, we have to proBLACKMAN AND gram each and every Not in this band. Back department). Next year CHRISTOPHER weʼll be forming a live note. A key ambition in the 90ʼs we both LLOYD WHITE? band to take on the was to make it sound formed an Industrial road, however, creativas well produced as band call Neuronet, Yes, with a PC centre possible with a mix of gigged around the UK ity will remain with us. stage as a passive real and electronic in- and recorded an third member - thank- struments – whatever album. However, this HOW LONG HAVE fully we donʼt have to it needs, which has al- was in our salad days YOU BEEN DOING share any royalties lowed us to explore a and family life then got THIS?

Iʼve been involved in music for as long as I can remember – or at least since late teens. Following a ʻfamily breakʼ to recover, I managed to trace David down through Friends Reunited last year. After a night of heavy drinking (by Dave) and re-living our youth (or what he could remember!), we decided to stop reminiscing and get back to what we love doing – song writing, producing and drinking. YOU HAVE SOME CATCHY SONGS.. I LIKE "SLOW DIVING" AND "TO GET BY" ESPECIALLY... HOW DO YOU GUYS GO ABOUT THE SONGWRITING PROCESS?

This was our first attempt at writing remotely across continents and time zones and borne ʻMake Believe Angelʼ and ʻKilling Angelʼ . Thatʼs the way to compose – on a beach, drunk! Once the chords are in place Iʼll lay down a rough vocal line so that Dave can build the production around. This allows us to build the songs iteratively. HOW DID YOU CHOOSE KINGDOM OF GLASS FOR A NAME?

We hated choosing a name. Initially we tried picking song titles out of a hat and combining them, however, some of them spelled out as if by an Ouija board! The process usually starts by writing chord So, scared witless, we dumped this idea and progression by what Kingdom of Glass just ever means (somepopped into my head. times even on a real It seemed to describe piano). However, we how we felt about our donʼt limit ourselves songs – being a portal and will use anything or looking glass into on hand to keep the creative juices flowing. another reality or time. Even while on holiday At the time we didnʼt in the US, Dave wrote realise it was a glass some chords using his making region in SweIPOD (iShred), and via den – at least they email we outlines the might by the album. ideas of the songs so I WHO IS DOING THE could write the lyrics.

BACKING VOCALS ON "TO GET BY"?

Iʼd like to say we employed a 30 strong choir. However, a cheaper solution was to use a virtual choir application on the PC. You program the phonetics and after many boring hours (and beers) fine tuning – it eventually sings. Well, sort of.

Tune-in to FM 107 Southeast New Mexico and West Texas

By: Jeanne Thomas

MUEN: You are out on Mayhem tour right? Yes. Yes thatʼs right MUEN: Howʼs it going for you?

Oh

yeah, him hehe Itʼs definitely difplus working ferent than being at with him on the last cd the smaller venues. is also a bonus. We know what to expect MUEN: Letʼs talk about your latest cd from him and he ofthat came out earlier course pushes us to this year... “Eviscer- the limit. Itʼs hard for ation Plague". How me to describe how all the cds differ. The does it differ from recording process is the past cds that different I think. I don't you've done? know if this is an evil Well as a band, when word in the metal you do new cds you world, but this cd has always strive to make groove. It has this a better one. We had doom approaching Eric Rutan producing sound.

Oh itʼs been the best tour ever! The crowds have been huge and we are making a lot of new fans. It's the best tour we ever did. I mean I can tell you for me itʼs the most fun tour I've ever done for sure. I mean itʼs a lot different than playing the clubs.The smaller clubs interaction with the fans is a lot closer. Here at Mayhem the stage is so high and you are farther away again. We know him and he is also a musifrom the people. cian. So with both of MUEN: Yeah itʼs like these factors it makes being God up there. it easier for us to have

MUEN: Well I am sure as a band you try to evolve with every cd...

Yes. Eric is an incredible guitar player and singer. So when he produces he has more of an inside track than some of these other guys. Heʼs been in the studio and heʼs been onstage and he knows. He understands more when I am talking about singing a certain track. Heʼs been there and that definitely plays a big part. All our other producers were great too, but Ericʼs lived this like we are do. Heʼs been here done that. We all just have a better understanding of eachother.

MUEN: He's in the genre and heʼs playing in the genre. And this last cd is

the highest grossing one you ever had so you must be doing something right.

are only concentrating record in their stores. on Mayhem. The book They are saying that is out and itʼs doing re- your listeners are the ally well. Itʼs awesome part of America they that our music and do not want to cater lyrics are actually in to. But if that part of Oh yeah sure. heh one. I grew up collect- the public became the that never hurts. ing comics. So yeah majority, those motherfuckers would MUEN: Is this last cd itʼs really cool. The artist has done all our change their minds so a concept cd? cd covers so heʼs like fast. Itʼs all about another person in the money. And thatʼs disNa na na. The title band. gusting to me and track is obviously a about everything that I story, but the rest of the songs aren't folMUEN: And speak- am against. It is what lowing that story of ing of artwork. In the it is. Censorship will always be there. Now Evisceration Plague. past your artwork They are all separate has prohibited you we just ignore it. Itʼs stories. from playing in many barely even a topic countries. How are anymore. MUEN: So this cd is things now? MUEN: Have you unique in the fact that you can get a Well a lot of the cen- ever had to pay any fines or have somecomic book with the sorship we encounone try to arrest you cd that follows along tered earlier on has with all the songs. been lifted. Countries at any one of your Have you seen it? that have banned us concerts? in the past, we can go Oh yeah we have to now. Like Germany Oh no no. it sucks been doing book sign- banned us because of when we can't play ings everyday. And our first 3 albums - we songs people want to see and hear though. you can get both for a can play there now pretty good price I though. There was a But its time to move on I guess think. problem in New Zealand and Korea, MUEN: Has there but all that has been MUEN: Do you rebeen any talk of cleared up now. Cen- member the first doing a series of sorship sucks. I mean time you set foot on comic books for CC? anybody in any band stage? What was it can tell you its b.s. Itʼs like? We thought about it a problem thatʼs a and maybe somepain to deal with. Es- The first show I did where along the line pecially here in Amer- with CC was in Florida with Kreator. It was we will make that deci- ica because people sion, but right now we don't want to put your definitely a little scary

at first, but it was awesome. I was like OMG this is really happening it was so awesome and now itʼs been like 15 years since then. MUEN: Do you remember the crowdʼs reaction?

Yeah they were all familiar with the old songs we did, but not with the new stuff. The reaction was great and people immediately accepted me as the new singer. And 15 years later ya know? I am still here.

MUEN: Yep people still love ya George! What are the typical cc fans like?

They are metal heads ya know? They all look different some really clean cut some not so much so. But they all extreme metal heads. This tour is crazy so many different people. We are even surprised by some of our fans.

MUEN: Do you see the crowds as being more diverse today?

Oh yeah sure. Some of these people were

just being born when I particular song that started out. And then you do that is your we have fans from favorite to play on back in 88 too. And we stage? love them all. Hammarsmash face. MUEN: What do you The reaction of the attribute to your crowd to that is unbelongevity? lievable.

Well our fans. We all MUEN: Do you think work hard to perform with the introduction well, to play well, prac- of internet radio and tice, and we have alot satellite that it helps of dedication. We bust get you heard and our ass, but in the end attracts new fans? the dedication of the fans is what keeps Oh Sure without a bands on top. Thereʼs doubt. The internet that drive to play good has made things so that elevates us. Our much easier for fans have been with bands. Now instead of us through member shopping a demo you changes and everycan just put it on Mything. They're loyal space. And so many and we are to them as people can hear it well. there.

MUEN: Are your fam- MUEN: So what diilies supportive of rection do you see you? death metal going in now? Oh yeah yeah. Brutal! The way it MUEN: Even from should always be. the start? MUEN: Thereʼs lots Well yeah. Everyoneʼs of bands incorporatfamilies are behind us. ing newer sounds If they were not, weʼd into their music now. still be doing it... But Do you think thatʼs yeah they are all sup- cool, or do you miss portive. old school stuff? MUEN: Is there any

There are lots of

bands doing old school death metal. There are the hybrids, and there are the more technical bands now. I think itʼs all great. It keeps it diversified.

Yup.

MUEN: Did you really play Elijah Blueʼs birthday party?

Yes we did. It was awesome. It was at The Viper Room when MUEN: Do any of you have side proj- Johnny Depp owned it. Cher invited us to ects? her place the day beWe have a few things fore, we had a little party and she treated kicking around here us really well. She and there. All the was an awesome things we have are hostess. Elijah is a back seat to CC. I have a few things, and great person and he has a band that really Alex did a cd with a different band too, but kicks ass too. like I said, it all takes a MUEN: Youʼve been backseat to CC. with Metal Blade for MUEN: So what are a long time now, whatʼs it like to have you doing in your a label stick with you downtime? like that even We all have different through all the shit? hobbies. I play WarItʼs awesome. Our first craft. album was with them. MUEN: Any plans on They take good care making a CC movie? of us we have no complaints :) Well the idea has been thrown around. MUEN: Ok.. What We would definitely be last words do you into it. Itʼs just getting have for your fans? around to it. Stay metal! MUEN: Well thatʼs more stuff you can do on your downtime.

Los Angeles, CA

Interview by: Macavity

Although they have been around the L.A. Music scene a short time, they have already made quite an impression on their fans. After listening to them, I wanted to catch up to the band to ask more about them. We found Devon, Javier, Miguel and Steve to chat with and saw that Devon and Javier were quick to answer about the passion they have for the band. MUEN: Hi guys!

Thanks for talking to band Big Black Novel?” attempting to get “acus about Big Black quainted.” I really was It stuck! Big Black Novel. Iʼve heard one Novel is one of the NOT in the mood. version already, but songs that I wrote. After he realized that have to ask where did my only topic of interthe name come from MUEN: You have only est was musical, he reand does it have a treated to his best been together as a real meaning for the band for a short time. friend Javier, who sat band? Can you explain the quietly in the shadows near the pool table. funny way that the Devon: We had been two of you met and Javier approached, tossing around names then how all four and we immediately like “Ginger Fox,” seemed completely came together to which was a comment make this lineup? compatible on a music a boy passing by at a level. reggae fest had called Devon: I had miserably me and “Crimson Fox,” stumbled into a dingy Javier: She kept talkbut people kept telling dive bar after a really ing, and I was afraid to us those names were confusing break up on interrupt because I RE“lame.” After fretting Valentineʼs Day. This ALLY HAD TO PEE!! about a name, my young energetic, very mom said hastily, “Why enthusiastic kid named Devon: We exchanged donʼt you just call the Benny came up to me numbers and then

came the first encounter when we had our acoustic guitars in hand in the back room of my house and it was musical magic!

intriguing for us. The crowd hushes and is almost lulled by our music! It no longer matters male or female. It is the music, the voice, the song, the solo, the emotion. It always seems that it carries through.

to say that most bands dread answering. I can tell you who our influences are but to describe a sound that has yet to be defined is nearly impossible for MUEN: How did you me. The best analogy I know this was the used to use was “Janis right lineup? Joplin is making love to Chris Cornell, musiDevon: I had been try- MUEN: Do you still cally of course, and ing out different combi- get “pegged” as a fe- they are suddenly innations of the perfect male fronted rock terrupted by Zakk band with guitarists band though? Wylde. and bassists, drummers etc., but with Devon: We indulge in Javier: I donʼt like that Javier it was different! the fact that we are a analogy, because I find We seemed to be on female fronted band it pompous to compare the same page stylisti- and use it to our admyself to the great cally, musically, men- vantage. Though there Zakk Wylde. tally, etc! are not many female fronted bands that I MUEN: I understand MUEN: So many draw inspiration from, some of you play bands that are full on the ones that I do are mostly shows in Calirock donʼt always incredible. I would love fornia. Do you have have such a strong to one day play on the any plans to tour any lead singer to keep same stage as my fe- other states any time up with the music, male counterparts, soon? but you do. Have you Heart, Lacuna Coil, or had any grief from In This Moment. Devon: We would new fans, venues or (Laughs) Aretha eventually like to build the music business Franklin! up such a following when they see a fethat we could tour the male lead vocalist? Javier: We do not see it world!! We are curas a negative aspect. rently in talks with one Devon: Even if we are of our dear friends to in the most obscure MUEN: How would venture all the way out piece of shit hole in the you best describe your to Sacramento yes! wall place and not one music to someone that Still California, but it is soul is paying attenhas not heard you live one heck of a drive. tion. We walk up to the at your gigs in Califorstage and upon the nia or on MySpace? MUEN: Speaking of first chord struck all shows, what has eyes and ears are Devon: This is one of been the most unupon us! It is a phethose questions that I usual or odd thing to nomenon that is quite would go out on a limb happen at a show or

while on the road?

Devon: We once played a show where there were strippers dancing during our songs, which was kind of cool because we had deemed our song “Give it Up” as an inside joke “Stripper Song” because of the sexy guitar lick. It was the after party for a play called “Strip.” Two other unusual encounters come to mind and both were wardrobe malfunctions. Once was a split down the back of my pants (hello butt cheeks) and the other was down the front of my blouse. Lucky for me, I know how to hide things before they show to the crowd!

MUEN: Good thing you do! You have samples up on MySpace from work you have been performing live. When can we expect to see the three or six song EP?

Javier: Our six song EP is available but only at our live shows. We are currently working on a merchandise page and release date for iTunes. MUEN: How were the

tracks decided upon for the EP and do you think they cover the full spectrum of your live performances and recordings? Javier: We drew from the crowd response at live shows and from our fans on our MySpace page.

words and tune immediately popped into my head, “Please go away cuz weʼre not open today.” As I woke up, and my imagination went wild, the song completely took a different course from an acute irritation with my mother to a timeless rock ballad about romantic immortality.

with you!!

MUEN: What should we expect to see from Big Black Novel for the rest of 2009 other than live gigs?

Javier: Promotion, new material, merchandise and sexeh hard bodies!

MUEN: For the fans MUEN: Where did that think they know you record and how MUEN: Do you have everything about you, did you choose the any videoʼs planned what do you each do studio and producer? for the one of the for fun that does not tracks from the EP or have to do with playJavier: We found him to show the band per- ing/writing music? online. We respect forming live for those what he supplies bethat cannot see you Javier: Connoisseur of cause it is true to our in person? fine beers and burgers. sound and he is very, very affordable. We Javier: Currently our Miguel: Beer pong and pretty much produced fans can see our video joining the marines. the tracks ourselves. on Flashrock. We definitely want to do a new Steve: Playing baseMUEN: How is the video. We are consid- ball. music written for the ering doing a dark band and by whom? humor flash animation Devon: Learning the for a song that I wrote art of making amazing Javier: When we first called “Suicide.” ribs!! started we played the songs that Devon had MUEN: How useful MUEN: Is there anyalready written. As time has MySpace been to thing I have not went on, I would bring the promotion of the asked that you think in a riff, and Devon band so far? our readers should would bring in the lyrics know about Big Black and melody. Devon: MySpace has Novel? opened so many doors Devon: Songs just for live shows, new Javier: Though Devon come to me. For infans one of which and I did not meet until stance, the morning I drove 6 hours just to we were old enough to wrote “Dead Inside,” see us play! And if it grace a bar legally, we my mom had abruptly werenʼt for MySpace, lived only blocks of woke me up from a we wouldnʼt have each other growing up very deep slumber. The landed this interview in a quaint little town

known as West Covina.

Devon: I dabbled in the acting world when I was younger. At the age of 9, I landed the part of “Neat Broom Girl,” little Bette Midler, in the feature film Hocus Pocus. When I was in high school I was mocked as “Mostly likely to get gonorrhea of the mouth” in the year book due to a role I played as Moira, a teen who obtained gonorrhea of the throat, on NBCʼs ER. I am still trying to escape that. Sheesh! MUEN: Wow! Good luck living that down now that it is in international cyberspace. Thanks guys for taking the time to talk with MUEN. Looking forward to seeing you and hearing you a lot more soon!

LOVEHATEHERO Ferret Music

Pierrick Berube (Vocals) Hollywood, CA My-

space.com/lovehatehero

By: Shauna OʼDonnell

MUEN: HI PIERRICK THANKS FOR TALKING WITH ME TODAY. Of Course.

MUEN: YOU HAVE A NEW ALBUM COMING OUT ON SEPTEMBER 29TH CALLED AMERICA UNDERWATER. CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT.

Thank you

MUEN: YOU RE-TOOLED YOUR SOUND WITH THIS RECORD. WHAT DID YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?

Well, I think that we decided not to show off so much. All of the musicians in the band are at the highest level so they decided to stop showing off by doing really flashy solos and that type of stuff. We decided to concentrate more on writing full rock songs, big complete songs. That is basically it. We wanted to be more accessible to a broader audiMUEN: THIS IS YOUR I know, we are going to have ence. We wrote a little bit THIRD ALBUM TO DATE IS a hundred by the time we are more radio friendly songs. THAT CORRECT? done. MUEN: WHO PRODUCED Yeah MUEN: YOU MUST WORK THE RECORD AND WHERE VERY HARD. DID YOU RECORD IT? MUEN: YOU GUYS SEEM Daniel James and Leah HaySO YOUNG, YET YOU Actually, our youngest mem- wood at Dreamlab ProducHAVE THREE ALBUMS ber is 21 and Iʼm 25, so we tions in Studio City, CA at are not that young. OUT. their house. They have a stu-

tour in Mexico. The following until I was eighteen, which is month we are going to South when we started this band. Thatʼs when I dropped the America for a tour. MUEN: I WAS NOTICING guitar and started just THAT ALL THREE OF singing. WHO WILL YOU BE MUEN: YOUR ALBUM COVERS GOING OUT WITH? ARE BEAUTIFUL. HOW MUEN: YOU HAVE A GUIDO YOU DECIDE WHAT MUEN: RECENTLY YOU TAR PLAYER WHO GOES We donʼt know yet, we are in GOES ON THERE? SHOT A VIDEO FOR THE the process of figuring it out. ON TOUR WITH YOU AS A TITLE TRACK. CAN YOU In Mexico and South America FIFTH MEMBER RIGHT? Well, that takes forever; we TELL US ABOUT IT? we are going by ourselves. just go back and forth with Right and I play guitar still on We went to South America the artist. We tell him what The video is amazing. We one song and thatʼs it. we are trying to convey and spent three days at Lake Mo- once, to Brazil and the tour was amazing. We were so our ideas. They usually send jave in Arizona on a house us something and it goes boat. Itʼs about a band com- much bigger down there just MUEN: DO YOU REMEMbecause we were an Ameri- BER YOUR VERY FIRST back and forth for a few ing together type of video. CONCERT? can band. weeks until we are happy. That is the theme of the song, coming together, so we MUEN: I REALLY LIKE THE are just out there being bros. MUEN: WHAT CAN SOME- I think it was Korn and I was SONG “ECHOES.” Our girlfriends are there and ONE EXPECT FROM ONE eight years old. My older there are just epic shots. The OF YOUR LIVE SHOWS? IS brother was like a big hessian and Korn was the heavy IT HIGH ENERGY? Thank you shots are incredible and I new band. I was freaking out canʼt wait to see it. I still because I was so young and Yeah, we try and get a lot of MUEN: TELL ME WHAT havenʼt seen it. I saw it it was insane. crowd participation. Itʼs pretty THE SONG IS ABOUT. through the lens of the camhigh energy with sing-alongs era. and stuff like that. Itʼs pretty MUEN: WERE YOUR PARThat song is about the record ENTS ALWAYS SUPPORTcool. and how we are trying to MUEN: WHEN IS IT GOING IVE OF YOU WANTING TO change it up a little bit. TO RELEASE? BE IN A BAND? MUEN: DO YOU GUYS PLAY AT CHAIN REACTION MUEN: WHAT DO YOU I hope pretty soon. It will be Yeah, totally, still to this day. IN ANAHEIM? THINK MAKES YOUR right around the same time They support me in everyBAND UNIQUE? as the record or right before. thing I do, not with money, We have played there a but with love and support. thousand times. You should We are very talented musiMUEN: YOU RECENTLY come out next time. Yeah, cians and I like to think my JOINED THE WARPED that is pretty much our home- MUEN: THANK YOU SO voice is unique. I try to keep TOUR ON THE SMARTMUCH FOR THE INTERtown venue. We live in Los my unique aspects in the PUNK STAGE. HOW IS IT VIEW. I WISH YOU THE Angeles and Inland Empire recording and not sing so GOING AND HOW ARE VERY BEST OF LUCK. BEso itʼs like in the middle. straight forward. Itʼs very THE CROWDS? FORE I LET YOU GO pop, but itʼs got an edge to it. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD MUEN: WHAT IS YOUR FAItʼs a little bit heavy at times. Awesome, we are doing OR SAY ANYTHING? much better than we thought VORITE THING ABOUT BEING ON TOUR? MUEN: YOU HAVE HAD weʼd be doing. There are big Look out for the new record, SOME LINE-UP CHANGES crowds and we are about On this tour, playing for sure, itʼs pretty awesome. PreSINCE YOU FIRST right in the middle in the order it now at STARTED OUT. DO YOU draw. There are some larger the kids come out and sing Smartpunk.com and thanks along. THINK THE LINE-UP YOU acts that are drawing a lot for the support to everyone. HAVE NOW IS PRETTY more obviously, but we are MUEN: HOW OLD WERE SOLID? doing very well. YOU WHEN YOU FIRST GOT INTO MUSIC? Yeah, this line-up that we MUEN: IT SEEMS LIKE have now has been for three YOU ARE ALWAYS ON THE years. All the changes hapROAD. ONCE WARPED IS I was fourteen when I first started learning guitar from pened right away pretty OVER WILL YOU CONmy friends and covering much; we had never toured TINUE TOURING? songs by myself. I would play or done anything. We got acoustic and sing. I was in signed, we started touring After Warped, we are doing a local bands all the way up dio in the back.

and one would drop off. They couldnʼt handle having no money or their girlfriends wouldnʼt put up with it. Itʼs not an easy life.

JANUS

leery of daytime outdoor shows because I prefer the whole dark rock club By G. Cataline vibe, but these daytime gigs turn out to be some SO HOW WAS THE of our best shows! AfterSHOW AT POINTFEST? wards we got to hang out PRETTY AWESOME with Shinedown, Chevelle YOU GOT TO SHARE and Aaron Lewis from THE STAGE WITH Staind. Very cool people. SHINEDOWN, STAIND, Everyone was really apAND CHEVELLE... proachable and modest.

DAVE NAVARRO ADDED IT TO HIS PODCAST "DARK MATTER" RECENTLY... WHO WOULD YOU CREDIT FOR ALL THE GREAT PRODUCTION ON THE VIDEO?

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THE SONG, AND WHO IS THE MAIN LYRICIST AND SONGWRITER OF THE BAND?

David is the sole voice of the band as far as lyrics go. The song is about Noah Shulman directed/edited the video. being yourself and the person you become when He did something like 300+ hours of post pro- you allow others to influPointfest was amazing!!! YOUR SONG, "EYEduction work on it. He's ence your life. It was in105.7 KPNT (The Point) SORE" IS VERY WELL such a great guy to work spired by our experience has been giving the single DONE, AND THE VIDEO with and easy to get within the music industry a lot of love so it was IS OUTSTANDING! WE along with. We knew and the long journey to great to come down and PUT IT ON OUR going into it he was going get to this point. It actuplay for all the listeners PLAYER AT MYSPACE to step up and hit it out of ally reinforces our whole and show them what SOON AS WE HEARD the park. drive for making this we're about. I'm always IT, ALSO WE NOTICED record.

WHEN DID YOU GUYS FIRST FORM, AND WOULD YOU SAY IT'S BEEN A LONG HARD ROAD TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW, OR DID THINGS SEEM TO COME EASY? The current lineup has been together a couple years now, but David and I (Mike) have been making music together for much longer than that. It's been a very long hard road of not only self discovery, but insight into the internal workings of the industry. It's been years in the making, but things are really starting to pick up for us. WHERE WAS THE ALBUM RECORDED,

AND WHERE DO YOU DIRECT PEOPLE TO PURCHASE IT?

We tracked drums and all the heavier guitar parts at a studio called I.V. Lab Studios in Chicago with Manny Sanchez. Then we finished the recording, mixing, and mastering at our own studio. The record "Red Right Return" will be available online on iTunes and in stores on 9/22. The single and video for "Eyesore" are available on iTunes right now! WHY THE NAME JANUS?

and is depicted as a head with 2 faces, one looking forward to the future and the other looking back to the past. It really encapsulates our approach to writing music. We're always looking forward to the future to do something different, but also looking at what we've done in the past to learn from ourselves and build on what we've done before. WHAT DO YOU LIKE AND/OR DISLIKE ABOUT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC ENVIRONMENT?

I really like that there are so many local clubs to play at that have such a Janus is the Roman God long history attached to of gates and beginnings them. They're truly leg-

endary.

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR JANUS?

We're hitting the road for the next 3 to 4 months! So far we've secured a few dates with Framing Hanley, Chevelle, and Pop Evil for September and should be jumping on some longer tours in October to finish out the year. We can't wait to get out in front of all these people and rock! It's going to be great!

www.janusmusic.com www.myspace.com/janus www.facebook.com/janus band www.twitter.com/janus

Tyler Connolly (Vocals, Lead Guitar)

CANADA Myspace.com/theoryofadeadman

By: Shauna OʼDonnell

MUEN: I AM SO EXCITED TO FINALLY MEET YOU GUYS.

Yes! Iʼm very excited to meet you too.

MUEN: HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE ON CRUEFEST2?

Unbelievable, I remember Cruefest1 was such a huge ordeal. Being on Cruefest2 is pretty rad.

MUEN: DO YOU GUYS EVER GET NERVOUS BEFORE TAKING THE STAGE?

playing so hard that I cut my hand and I was bleeding all over my guitar. It was rad.

THERE ANY PARTICULAR CITY YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE THAN OTHERS?

MUEN: DO YOU PARTY WITH MOTLEY CRUE AFTER THE SHOW?

Yes! Every night… No, those guys keep to themI donʼt think so, we really selves. We see them love coming to the west backstage all the time. coast because we never Tommy has his party room with a massive PA get to. We played San Jose last night and it was running with subs. He Like a million, I donʼt has his party and he the first time we ever know. There is definitely played San Jose. The hangs out. The other going to be like 12,000 or crowd was great. It was guys kind of lay low. something. They have been doing one of those things this for thirty years. where you are very exMUEN: DO YOU PREcited to be in a town that FER PLAYING AT FESMUEN: ANY you have never TIVALS OR MORE PREplayed in beINTIMATE CLUBS? SHOW RITfore. UALS YOU I guess I would say WANT TO both. At festivals you SHARE WITH get to play in front of a US? lot more people and you get to win over a lot of new fans. There are a lot of people who are coming here just to see Motley Crue and will probably even miss our set, but there will be a lot of people who will come to check us out who donʼt know that much about us. On the other side, the intimate stuff is rad because you can see the faces and really get up close and personal. MUEN: OH! THAT IS COOL. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WE EXPECTING HERE TODAY?

Ummm.. there is definitely a lot of nervous energy. We did a tour earlier this year with Motley Crue, The Saints of Los Angeles Tour. It was an arena tour and so it felt really different. This one is an outdoor amphitheatre, thereʼs a bunch of bands and there is a second stage so everyday feels like a festival. For some reason there is a lot more nervous energy, you get on stage and you are really MUEN: IS pumped. Yesterday I was

Joey our drummer gets naked and dances around. Itʼs really screwed up and crazy. MUEN: NAKEDʼS GOOD.

Yeah, we just listen to music and get pumped up.

MUEN: I WANTED TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS ON SCARS & SOUVENIRS BEING CERTIFIED GOLD RECENTLY.

Yeah, thank you very much. Itʼs unbelievable.

MUEN: IʼM SO HAPPY YOUʼRE ALBUM IS DOING WELL!

Ahaaa!! No pun intended.

MUEN: NONE AT ALL, YOU GUYS GREW UP TOGETHER AND HAVE BEEN TOGETHER IN A BAND FOR A WHILE NOW. WHAT IS THE KEY TO KEEPING THINGS FRESH AND NEW?

Uhh! Picking on our drummer. We are humorous guys and we are really low key. I really donʼt think we are a bunch of alpha males so we really just kind of goof around. There are a lot of bands that takes things too seriously. We really donʼt take things too seriously.

MUEN: WHO WAS “BAD GIRLFRIEND” WRITTEN ABOUT?

Thatʼs about my now wife, who is probably calling me on the phone. That is when I met her; I met her at a bar. She was like this “bar star.” Every time I would go to this club in Vancouver, she was there hanging out with her friends. Sheʼd be doing shots and dancing on chairs. Itʼs a true story.

NOW BEING FEATURED ON TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN-THE ALBUM RIGHT? Yes

MUEN: DID YOU SEE THE MOVIE?

I have seen the movie.

MUEN: DID YOU LIKE IT?

I thought it was great. It was about 2 ½ hours too long though. Nah, they MUEN: WHICH SONG make movies 3 hours OFF THE ALBUM IS long now, itʼs insane. Itʼs CLOSEST TO YOUR impossible to not have to HEART? go to the restroom while youʼre watching the I donʼt know if there is one, I mean, “All or Noth- movie. It was good with ing” is a song about how lots of explosions and the chick in slow-mo with her I met my wife and how we got married. Thatʼs a boobs bouncing up and good wedding song. We down, so it was good. are getting some comMUEN: I LOVE THE ments from people on our MySpace saying how VIDEO FOR IT AS they chose that song for WELL, HOW EVERYTHING MOVES FORa wedding song. So itʼs WARD AND THEN pretty personal. BACKWARDS. WHOSE MUEN: ARE YOU GUYS IDEA WAS IT FOR THE VIDEO? WORKING ON A NEW ALBUM? That was the director, he wrote that treatment for No, were not. Weʼve us a year ago for that been touring so much song. It took forever beand we have tours fore we made it. I donʼt booked until the end of know why. When we first the year. They are already talking about next read the treatment we years tours. Iʼm sure we were like “Okay, it could will start working on stuff be cool, but you just donʼt know.” After it was next year in 2010. shot and we saw it we MUEN: THAT SONG IS thought it looked awe-

some.

MUEN: LETʼS TALK ABOUT TELLTYLER.COM. WHAT IS IT?

The label set up this thing about how if you have any kind of problems you could email me and ask “What do I do?” and then I would give you advice. They havenʼt sent me any new ones lately. I think itʼs kind of wrapped up.

MUEN: WERE YOU GIVING OUT BAD ADVICE?

No, I was giving out awesome advice. MUEN: DO YOU HAVE ANY SIDE-PROJECTS? FOR INSTANCE DAVE MANAGES BANDS?

No, Iʼve got nothing else going on. I write songs for the bands here and there, but I really have just been so busy. Dave on the other hand, isnʼt as busy; he just goes to bed all day. He does nothing, heʼs lazy. MUEN: HE PLAYS GOLF.

He plays golf and video games, thatʼs about it. Heʼs a ladies man.

MUEN: WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE DOING IF YOU WERENʼT IN A ROCK BAND?

Iʼd probably be dead. (Heʼs kidding) Iʼve always been into music so Iʼd still be into music. If I was in a band Iʼd be recording or producing. MUEN: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CANADIAN BEER AND THE BEER HERE IN THE STATES?

Canadian beer gets you drunker faster. A lot of Americans canʼt keep up with the Canadian beer. Thatʼs why if you live in Michigan and sneak across the border (the drinking age is like nineteen and in some places eighteen) some kids canʼt handle it.

MUEN: IʼM SURE YOU HAVE A LONG AND SUCCESSFUL CAREER AHEAD OF YOU, BUT WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED FOR?

A three inch…..Uh what? (Laughing) I donʼt know. MUEN: MUSICALLY.

Musically? I guess that we have affected peopleʼs lives in a positive way. Thatʼs what music is all about. Even though we have songs like “Hate My Life” I think music is therapy in a way. We look at Motley Crue and the greatest thing about touring with them is the

IS ONE OF THOSE CASES WHERE IT IS SO MUCH BETTER TO LISTEN TO IT RATHER THAN READ IT. BE Itʼs not really three SURE TO CATCH THEM inches. ON TOUR AT SOME MUEN: THANKS SO MUEN: TYLER HAS AN POINT, THEY ARE AMAZING LIVE. MUCH FOR THE INTER- AMAZING SENSE OF VIEW. IT WAS GREAT HUMOR AND MADE ME TALKING WITH YOU. I LAUGH THROUGHOUT CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THE INTERVIEW. THIS fact that they have been a part of peopleʼs lives for thirty years. Thatʼs pretty amazing, so thatʼs what we want to be remembered for.

YOU ON STAGE. ANYTHING YOUʼD LIKE TO ADD OR SAY?

Jessica Shroy (Model / Actress) www.myspace.com/jessangel2003

DAVID ALVAREZ of

SHAOLIN TEMPLE OF BOOM Los Angeles, CA By Shauna O’Donnell

MUEN: WE HAVE DAVID ALVAREZ OF SHAOLIN TEMPLE OF BOOM TODAY. HI DAVID! HOW ARE YOU TODAY? STOB: Hey Shauna! How are you doing?

MUEN: IʼM DOING OK AND FEELING BETTER. STOB: Thatʼs good! You sound a lot better.

MUEN: SO TELL US HOW DID IT FEEL TO WIN THE WONKA BATTLE?

STOB: It was two months of night and day talking to street teamers and organizing things. When it was done it was definitely a big help for me to be able to create more music. It feels great because there were a lot of bands that were actually on the Warped Tour and have management and record labels and it was just SToB against some of the labels out there so it felt pretty good to win that. MUEN: GREAT! FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS CAN REALLY HELP OUT A LOT! THATʼS COOL AND CONGRATULA-

TIONS ON THAT! NOW LETʼS TALK ABOUT YOUR MUSIC. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NEWEST SONGS YOU HAVE WRITTEN?

the sun“ Itʼs a very grungy heavy rock track and there is a very experimental track called “After the Fall” which is a very electronic eighties sounding song. I STOB: Iʼm going to be think I am going to surdoing vocals for a song prise a lot of people becalled “Always, Every- cause it sounds like it is thing” which will be the straight out of the eightfirst time I release any- ies hip hop genre but thing that is just piano, itʼs mixed with rock and vocals and orchestra. when the chorus comes It's really kind of a de- in it has this horror parture in some ways movie metal type feel. but on the same vein of stuff I have done beMUEN: HOW DO YOU fore. Iʼm really excited THINK YOUR FANS about that track actually WILL REACT? because it just flowed out of me. I just want to STOB: I think my fans get it out there, thatʼs are used to SToB music how much I feel about being eclectic so Iʼm it. pretty sure they are going to enjoy this one. MUEN: SO IT JUST The way I look at it is FLOWED OUT OF that I have always writYOU EASIER THAN ten songs for myself so SOME OTHER ONES? if I enjoy it then I am hoping people out there STOB: In some ways will enjoy it too. The yeah, because a lot of Main thing is to please times Iʼll start a song by myself. creating a beat or electronics or something MUEN: YEAH, I UNand it kind of develops DERSTAND WHAT over time but this one YOU ARE SAYING. came out without me NOW WHERE IS THE even thinking about it. BEST PLACE TO The piano and the DOWNLOAD YOUR words and the melody SONGS? just flowed out of me. Then there are some STOB: Right now the other tracks which will best place is through us be full band. There is on our trueAnthem one called “Last day of player

(www.myspace.com/sh aolintempleofboom or www.trueAnthem.com/s tob). Itʼs free and high quality Mp3, you just fill your name in and fill out the little questionnaire and youʼre good to go. The great thing is you donʼt just have to download Shaolin. Thereʼs a wide range of artists available. Once you have an account you just go and see what artists have put out their music for free to fill your iPod up with. MUEN: WELL THATʼS COOL AND YOU GET AN AVERAGE OF TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND PLAYS A DAY.

STOB: Yeah. That is all throughout the internet. Itʼs pretty amazing because one of the major benefits of this contest is the music is spread everywhere so itʼs the best type of promotion. I canʼt really think of another company that has a player that lets you spread your music out this way. You can get the music directly from the widget, I think it is a pretty powerful piece of technology. MUEN: NOW I UNDERSTAND YOU ARE THE FIRST UN-

SIGNED ARTIST TO BE ENDORSED BY ENGL AMPS. THAT IS AWESOME! STOB: Yeah. That was pretty amazing. I was contacted by Michael who is A & R for Engl and I looked on their website and they put me in the professional users section back when it was only bands like Cradle of Filth and bigger signed acts in that section. But I think the best part of Michaelʼs philosophy is that they look at the artists that have a lot of potential. But when I was first endorsed I was the only one that was unsigned and unmanaged. What really blew me away was that they put me in magazines all across Europe. The main one was Rock Hard, which is kind of the Rolling Stone of Germany. When I actually saw the full page ad, I felt like I really need to live up to this. It was a huge sign of faith and their amps are absolutely amazing! I play the Powerball. Theyʼre really huge in Europe and they are starting to make their way here. MUEN: ARE THE SHOWS GOING TO BE LOCAL?

STOB: Starting out in California. I donʼt want to say L.A. but instead California and branching out from there. But also looking for sponsorships and there are some possibilities that might be happening soon.

MUEN: THAT WILL BE GREAT SO MAKE SURE YOU LET US KNOW. NOW, DO YOU HAVE ANY LICENSING DEALS?

STOB: One thing about my music is that I get asked all the time by film studios or directors who are starting out. There is one film in the UK actually that is using “Evil” and a couple here in the states. Lately, there has been interest in taking things to the next level so I donʼt want to say anything yet since nothing is concrete. There is definite licensing possibilities real soon.

STOB: Yeah, times have changed so much that film directors have more access to music you may never have heard of before because you can go online and get introduced to a lot of bands that are unsigned. And there is a lot of great music out there that is unsigned. Part of the winnings that I just got is going to go to a video even though it is limited. But I think it is important because it is an artform you know and I really appreciate it. I donʼt care that it doesnʼt bring cash flow or there is not as many venues because for me it is about creating something that is visually beautiful and interesting and it is a piece of art.

MUEN: I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU AND I LIKE WATCHING THEM ʻCAUSE I WANT TO SEE WHAT THE BAND LOOKS LIKE WHEN MUEN: VERY COOL! THEYʼRE PERFORMSPEAKING OF FILM ING. SPEAKING OF STUDENTS, THERE VIDEOS, ARE YOU ARE A LOT OF GOING TO BE DOING BANDS STARTING TO A VIDEO FOR “I USE THEM FOR WOULD DESTROY”? MUSIC VIDEOS. THEY HAVE FRESH MINDS STOB: Yes, itʼs planned AND ALL THESE to start filming in the FRESH IDEAS SO I middle of August I think THINK THAT IS COOL. with a very talented director by the name of

Tim Thompson that has a lot of really cool visual ideas. I want to do something that is an extension of the music. MUEN: DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND?

STOB: I have a couple of things in mind. The whole thing deals with a metaphorical apocalypse thing. I kind of want to have some topics to showcase in the video. And it will be fun too since we are on a really serious budget, weʼll have to be very creative. MUEN: NOW CHRIS VRENNA, HE MIXED BOTH “I WILL DESTROY” AND “ENTWINED.” TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WORKING WITH HIM? STOB: Well I have never heard anyone like him who mixes drums and music the way he does. I mean when I hear his music I have this thing where colors come into my mind and every time I hear one of his mixes either his own music or like Marilyn Manson thereʼs always certain colors that come to mind. I mean it is just perfect for Shaolin you know. Every time a

other communities like MTV.com and your profile changes with each different community that you join. You can also share your blogs with all the communities and be featured. And you STOB: It's the first band can upload videos too. website of its kind. Itʼs a Artwork can also be upband website but it is a loaded and featured! website that isnʼt just MUEN: ITʼS BEEN devoted to the band. Itʼs also devoted to fans AWESOME TALKING that make up the com- WITH AND I WANT TO MUEN: I NOTICED munity that is shaolin- THANK YOU SO THERE IS A LOT OF templeofboom.com.Thi MUCH FOR THE INFAN ART BEING s is about a community TERVIEW AND I HONESTLY THINK YOU DONE ON YOUR MUEN: SO I ALSO type of movement or WANT TO TALK TO PAGE AS WELL. WHO lifestyle and not just the ARE A VERY VERY TALENTED GUY! ARE SOME OF THE YOU ABOUT YOUR band. GRAPHIC DESIGNCLOTHING LINE. STOB: Thanks Shauna! ERS YOU WORK MUEN: PEOPLE WITH? STOB: Itʼs very early NEED TO DEFINITELY still. Itʼs still a baby. Itʼs CHECK IT OUT AND STOB: The main one is YOUR MYSPACE cool for me though. I am visual artist as well Mikio from Silent Q De- PAGE TOO! sign. He is a great and I like to express artist and does a lot of STOB: MTV just myself that way and I kind of feel like it is time CD artwork. bought Flux, if you join for me to do stuff with shaolintempleofMUEN: I WOULD RE- boom.com you can join shirts and whatever. I

song was mixed in the past, I have had complaints but the first time I heard “I Would Destroy”, which was the first song Vrenna mixed for SToB, it was perfect! He has a long history in music and was one of the founding members of Nine Inch Nails and he had a lot to do with the early records. Outside of that he has been in Marilyn Manson and his own music through Tweaker.

mean we have a first shirt that is up right now. The “I Will Destroy” shirt. itʼs on my website. So far people like that design a lot. Iʼm going to do things that are both musical and not. So if I do a piece of art that will go on and that is something that is going to happen in the very near future.

ALLY LIKE TO DIRECT PEOPLE TO WWW.SHAOLINTEMPLEOFBOOM.COM. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR WEBSITE.

By G. Cataline

MUEN: HOLA ELECTRICA MIAMI! IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE INTERVIEWED AN ARTIST FROM MEXICO, AND BESIDES YOUR MUSIC BEING AWESOME, IT'S VERY COOL YOU POP IN

TO SEE US OFTEN! YOU DO HAVE BOTH LOS ANGELES AND MEXICO LISTED ON YOUR MYSPACE PAGE... WHERE ARE YOU BASED OUT OF? WHAT CITY ARE YOU FROM? Thanks for the interview, we are very

pleased for this, and for the attention you gave to us. We are from Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is a very nice part in northern Mexico, very close to the gulf, and just three hours from Texas. Sometimes we spent some seasons in Mexico City for some gigs

or to record stuff at the studio.

MUEN: WHO ARE THE BAND MEMBERS, AND I SEE THE FEMALE OF THE BAND HAS LEFT? At the present moment we are only three. Is Alex, Guss and I (Vic-

tor). For this moment, Karen is doing some DJ set around Mexico, but we think we are going to have her back in a while.

the best moments to write. The first material, I wrote it for an ex girlfriend, that inspired me a lot, you know, the moment, the nostalgic feelings. Now I write MUEN: DO YOU USU- and I find inspiration on ALLY SING IN SPAN- my friends, and for that ISH OR ENGLISH? people that has something in common with We have songs in both, us, I mean, people like english and spanish, us, nerds, geeks or but generally, it defreaks. pends on the moment, depends on how it MUEN: WHO ARE sound, if it sounds bet- YOUR BIGGEST INter in english we don't FLUENCES? hesitate to sing it in english, or vice versa. Is hard to say, you know, you find some MUEN: HOW ARE music very good for YOU RECEIVED IN you, and the next year MEXICO AS COMyou prefer other kind of PARED TO THE U.S.? music. Still, at this moment I'm very into teleIn Mexico we have a popmusik, fedde le very good acceptance, grand, pornois, Yves but we do consider that larock, Cassius, among sometimes is better in others, but is the kind the US, as in Mexico is of music I hear the very hard when you most right now. play something that is not rock. This genre is MUEN: JUST AN OBstill the most important SERVATION HERE ON in the country. MYSPACE.. BUT MEXICANS SEEM TO MUEN: YOU SEEM TO GIVE WAY MORE HAVE A REAL TALSUPPORT, AND ENT FOR WRITING SHOW WAY MORE CATCHY SONGS. ENTHUSIASM TOWHAT INSPIRES YOU WARDS THEIR OWN, TO WRITE A SONG? THAN AMERICANS DO TOWARDS AMERWell, thanks for that ICAN BANDS... I'VE comment, I really try to NOTICED THIS IN do my best and to find OTHER COUNTRIES

AS WELL ON MYSPACE. IF YOU AGREE WITH THIS, WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?

I don't know if it is the same in every country, but sometimes I feel exactly the same in Mexico, I mean, as an artist, you most have to build a name in other places to have a better promotion in Mexico, moreover on mass media, such as radio and TV. Nevertheless, we have been doing really good, we have had very good experiences.

MUEN: WHAT DO YOU CLASSIFY YOUR MUSIC AS?

YOU FIND DIFFICULT TO DO?

Waking up early!!! hahaha. No, well, in music I wouldn't say there's something difficult, because is the thing I like the best, so I really enjoy it and that makes everything easy.

MUEN: SO YOU HAVE AN EVENT COMING UP ON SEPT 19TH IN SAN LUIS, MEXICO?

Yes the show this 12th of September! It will be great!

I should say electro pop, even though sometimes depends on MUEN: WELL THANKS FOR THE INmy mood. TERVIEW AND KEEP IN TOUCH! MUEN: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BEST THINGS THAT HAVE Well, thanks a lot for HAPPENED FOR THE this interview, We really appreciate the time BAND LATELY? spent and interest, and we hope you like our As I told you before, many things have hap- music and everything pened, but I think that about Electrica Miami! what I like the most, is Talk to you soon. to be traveling, meeting people and places where ever we give a show. MUEN: WHAT DO

CHEVELLE BY SHAUNA OʼDONNELL

Epic recording artists Chevelle

Sam Loeffler (Drums)

Grayslake, Illinois

Myspace.com/chevelle By: Shauna OʼDonnell

MUEN: HI SAM AND THANKS FOR CALLING TODAY HOW ARE YOU?

Iʼm great, no problem.

MUEN: YOUR LATEST ALBUM SCI-FI CRIMES ISNʼT OUT UNTIL SEPTEMBER 1ST BUT ALREADY YOUR SINGLE “JARS” IS A HIT. IT ENTERED THE TOP 20 AFTER TWO WEEKS SO CONGRATS ON THAT. Thank you, yeah itʼs a pretty big deal to think that people keep coming back to hear more music.

MUEN: YEAH, THAT IS COOL. NOW, CURRENTLY YOU GUYS ARE ON THE ROAD WITH SHINEDOWN AND STAIND ON THE “STIMULATE THIS” TOUR AND IʼM SURE YOU ARE PLAYING SOME OF THE NEW SONGS. WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESPONSE TO THEM?

Itʼs been pretty good, you know, the more “Jars” gets played on the radio, the more people get familiar with it and the better it goes over. We also have

gree burns. It was a really interesting article so that kind of encompassed that whole thing, like a sci-fi crime. It doesnʼt necessarily have to do with aliens or anything, just anything unexplained. I guess we just thought it MUEN: THIS TOUR IS was an interesting title to REALLY SPECIAL BECAUSE YOU WORKED sort of sum up what is esHARD TO GIVE PEOPLE sentially eleven or twelve tracks. A LOT OF SHOW FOR THEIR MONEY. I THINK THAT IS REALLY COOL MUEN: HAVE YOU EVER MET ANYONE THAT OF YOU GUYS. HAS HAD A CLOSE ENYeah, itʼs definitely a cool COUNTER LIKE THAT? thing, but I wonder if it is Oh sure, I think we have working or not. I guess I would have to go out and all met people who have had experiences of being talk to some people. Some people are still pay- over tired and driving or drug induced, whatever it ing $50 for a ticket. Granted you are going to is. pay more if you want to sit MUEN: WHO DESIGNED up front, I get that, but I THE CD JACKET? donʼt think every venue was cool with selling Dean, our bass player, he cheaper tickets. Some venues were not cool with actually did an oil painting it, so it only happened in which is essentially the some places. You do what artwork. It turned into a backdrop and t-shirt. Itʼs you can I guess. nice to have somebody MUEN: THATʼS UNFOR- who really appreciates being able to add some TUNATE, TELL US art to what is our art. WHAT INSPIRED THE NAME SCI-FI CRIMES. MUEN: “ROSWELLʼS Itʼs hard to title a bunch of SPELL” WAS INSPIRED BY A VISIT TO THE songs as one thing beROSWELL UFO MUcause each song deals with something separate, SEUM RIGHT? so it was basically an artiYeah, we were there. We cle that Pete read about this woman whose hands were out on the road and were badly burnt by what we stopped by there to she claimed to be a space get a glimpse of something funny. The real point craft taking off from her was that by going to backyard. She had shielded her face with her Roswell, it confirmed the idea that if there had been hands and got third dea song called “Sleep Apnea” which is the first song on Sci-Fi Crimes and it has been going over even better. I wonder if at some point that will become a single.

alien life on this planet, it did not come to Roswell.

MUEN: WHAT KIND OF STUFF IS IN THE MUSEUM?

There were pieces of weather balloons. Itʼs really, really lame.

MUEN: AND “HIGHLANDS APPARITION” WAS INSPIRED BY AN ALLEGED HAUNTED HOUSE. TELL US ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE YOU HAD THERE.

We lived there, thatʼs kind of a joke too. Everyone slept in the same bedroom and we all had similar nightmares. It felt like people were touching them at night while they were sleeping. It was creepy. This woman came to the house, we were looking at her through the window and she was dancing in the front yard. We went out there and she said “I grew up here; my dadʼs buried in the backyard.” Are you allowed to bury people in the yard? MUEN: I DONʼT KNOW, EVERY STATE PROBABLY HAS THEIR OWN LAWS.

Itʼs definitely not legal by us.

MUEN: ITʼS NOT LEGAL HERE EITHER. I DONʼT THINK ITʼS LEGAL TO BURY YOUR PET. ON YOUR LAST TOUR YOUR EQUIPMENT WAS

STOLEN. I REMEMBER THAT DAY LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY. SOME OF THE BANDS I KNEW WERE TRYING TO HELP YOU GUYS GET YOUR STUFF BACK. BULLETINS WERE BEING POSTED, IT WAS COOL TO SEE PEOPLE HELPING LIKE THAT. WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME OF THAT? DID YOU RECOVER YOUR STUFF?

Yeah, we recovered about half of it or maybe a little bit more. The stuff that came through was from people who said “Hey, I know who this belongs to.” and they called somebody and let them know. It worked out really well. There are two sides to it. There were a lot of people who wrote to us and said “You guys are a bunch of pansies. Open up your wallets and buy some new gear. You guys are millionaires.” That is not true and even if it were true, it is still personal items that we have done all these records with. They have sentimental value and no matter how much money someone has, it doesnʼt give people the right to steal from them. Thatʼs ignorant and thatʼs how people hide behind the internet. The good news is that some things did show up in pawn shops, eBay and people let us know. We were able to either get the cops to get it back for us or we were able to buy it back, which is fine too. We are an established

rock band; we have insurance to help us pay for those things. We lost $130,000, itʼs a lot of money, itʼs a lot of money to me thatʼs for sure. Even still, we were grateful to get back the pieces that we got back. There were a couple of pieces that were really important to us. One of them was this original red Paul Reed Smith guitar that we did Point #1 and Wonder whatʼs Next with it and we had, had it on the road. It was the first nice guitar that Pete had ever bought and we bought it used for $900. We had gone in half on it and it was a really important piece to us. We got it back and a couple other guitars that were really important to us. It was really cool.

SONG ABOUT IT CALLED “LETTER FROM A THIEF.” YOU GUYS WORKED WITH BRIAN VIRTUE ON THIS ALBUM. HOW WAS IT WORKING WITH HIM AND WAS IT YOUR FIRST TIME?

Yeah, it was the first time. Brian is great; he is a very established in his ideas kind of guy. He has worked with Janeʼs Addiction, Deftones and 30 Seconds to Mars. He has done so much cool stuff and we were really happy to work with him. It was really nice to do something different, we love Elvis, he has done all of our other records with us.

MUEN: ONE THING THAT PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT THE MUEN: I KNOW THERE BAND IS THAT YOU ARE ALL FAMILY. PETE IS A LOT OF BAD THINGS ON THE INTER- IS YOUR BROTHER AND DEAN IS YOUR NET, BUT THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD TOO. IT BROTHER-IN-LAW. IS GOOD TO SEE WHEN WERE YOUR PARENTS SUPPORTIVE OF YOUR PEOPLE COME TOGETHER AND TRY AND CAREER CHOICE? HELP EACH OTHER. I wouldnʼt say it was a career choice because had Oh yeah, I thought that was amazing, I agree with we come out of the box at fourteen or fifteen years you. old and said “Hey, were going to be in a rock MUEN: IʼM REALLY HAPPY YOU GOT MOST band,” I would imagine OF YOUR STUFF BACK. most parents would be “Yeeeaaahhh.” It hapSOME THINGS ARE pened gradually and by PRICELESS. the time we decided to make a run for the career Coincidentally, we got back the things that were in vision we had established ourselves as havreally important to us. ing the ability to play and write songs. I think everyMUEN: YOU WROTE A

one was in agreement. We kept working towards it and eventually it connected.

MUEN: THEY CAME TO YOUR SHOWS AND SUPPORTED YOU RIGHT?

Without a doubt, many times there wasnʼt anyone at our shows except family and friends. MUEN: AT WHAT AGE DID YOU START PLAYING DRUMS? I was fourteen when I started playing drums.

MUEN: HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT ADDING MORE MEMBERS TO THE BAND?

Not for any real reason, once in a while we thought it would be nice to be able to mix it up and give Pete a little more freedom on stage. When you are recording you can do whatever you want, thereʼs no reason for another musician. MUEN: TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR “JARS.”

Itʼs finished, we did it a couple weeks ago and I think we got the finished edit a few days ago. It is an interesting concept. I didnʼt know if it would work. It is basically an action video. It was fun; we shot it out in the desert of California. It was basically watching someone be a

daredevil.

It depends, on show days we usually have quite a MUEN: WERE YOU THE few interviews and things DAREDEVIL? to do. We run our own merch company and so I wish the business part of things takes up a lot of our time. MUEN: WHEN IS IT We get our long boards GOING TO RELEASE? out and go skateboarding. We go to dinner and try to I would imagine now. I experience local cuisine, hope so. things like that. We do the best we can to have a life MUEN: YOU HAD A when we can. GRUELING TOURING SCHEDULE AFTER MUEN: I BET YOU HAVE VENA SERA. WILL YOU SEEN SOME REALLY BE DOING THE SAME NICE BACKSTAGE WITH THIS RECORD? AREAS.

Yeah, we will take breaks here and there, but we definitely plan on staying out for a while. We love to play, itʼs what we do. What else are we going to do? We could go home and sit around. MUEN: DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING DIFFERENT IN MIND FOR THIS TOUR THAT YOU HAVENʼT DONE ON PREVIOUS ONES?

We brought out full production on it with a light show and everything. It adds to the music, I think, when you have lights and little things like that. We have ideas for our headline shows, but right now we are doing a support show so we donʼt really have a lot of freedom.

They are pretty dingy actually. There is nothing glamorous about being parked next to the dumpster.

MUEN: I KNOW YOU STOPPED BY THE NEW YORK BALLET.

Yeah, that was backstage. The ballerinaʼs dressing room was next to ours so we went in there. We were going through there stuff. MUEN: DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM FOR YOUNG DRUMMERS OUT THERE?

drummers, every single day, practice something new. As a band, Iʼd say the only thing that has Well I can tell you that worked for us is play literlearning to be a good ally every show you are drummer is easily the offered. It doesnʼt matter if hardest instrument you itʼs a backyard party or can choose. You spend a what it is. The other thing MUEN: WHAT DO YOU whole lifetime learning is, write original music. DO TO KILL TIME everything and then anWHILE YOUʼRE ON THE other lifetime learning it MUEN: THANKS SO ROAD? backwards. Iʼd say for MUCH FOR TALKING

WITH ME TODAY. IT WAS AWESOME. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR RELEASE AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL TALK AGAIN ONE DAY. Yeah, no problems at all.

Interview with Hardcore Legends “Terror”

By Morbid Miller Myspace.com/morbidmiller

Terror has been kicking some hardcore ass for almost ten years. Scott Voegel formed the band soon after leaving his former Buffalo, New York band Buried Alive and making Los Angeles his home. Terror has toured around the world several times, playing with almost every band underneath the sun. This is a band that will continue to put out albums despite what is going on in the music business. They have a grass roots following that crowns them the kings of the underground. The following interview is with Martin Stewart the bands current guitarist. How Did Terror Form?

Terror: Well I wasn't in the band when it first formed but I know it started with 5 dudes that just wanted to play hardcore music. Not a real spectacular beginning, but definitely a "REAL" beginning.

How has Buried Alive influenced or inspired Terror?

Terror: I would have to say not at all. That's Scott's old band and it's just history just like any other previous bands anyone in Terror has had.

How has Los Angeles in-

spired your music?

fun and share that fun with shouldn't be forced upon anyone. All that cliché anyone and everyone stuff, you know? around the world that is Terror: I guess just the whole vibe that Los Ange- willing to participate with us. For us, if there's no fun les has comes out in our music and attitudes. Kind then there's no band. Are any of you guys of like Suicidal Tendencies in the 80's; Hard, aggres- Whatʼs your message to Straight Edge? the world? sive, pissed and all the Terror: Our drummer Nick while fun. That's exactly and bass player David are Terror: It's very simple: what our city is like. both straight edge. They You do you, we'll do us party harder and crazier and if all goes well we'll Whatʼs your most memthan anyone you'll ever meet right in the middle orable show so far? meet though (A couple of and have some real fun. Hardcore is a place of ac- animals). Terror: Man, that's a ceptance especially for tough one. We've been When Terror first started fortunate enough to play in those that don't feel acout did you think that all corners of the world so cepted anywhere else in you guys would have as it's hard to say. Being able the world. If you've ever much success as you seen us live then you've to play in Moscow, South have? heard Scott say it before Korea, being the first and that's genuinely how "hardcore" band to ever play in Venezuela. Every we all feel as a band. Our Terror: I don't think the show brings about a good shows should be a place popular idea of "success" was on anyone's mind in of release and solace. memory with us. this band when it was Somewhere you can go started or even currently. where you're away from How did Trustkill the outside world and truly Our idea of success is Records help bolster reaching as many places be yourself. You can reyour career? in the world as possible lease all that anger and and having fun and I can't aggression that has built Terror: Well we're working with Century Media now, up throughout your week stress that enough. We find ourselves blessed to in a positive way by but we had a good run be able to do what we've thrashing around like an with Trustkill. Three done and have the plans animal or doing some records and 1 DVD is pretty damn good accom- sweet stage dives. It's all that we have for the future. We've had the opportunity about stage diving man. plishment, that wouldn't to tour with bands that I have happened without don't think any of us had Give me your take on them I guess. I think that label has a niche following Straight Edge Hardcore? ever even dreamt of touring with. Behemoth? as well that maybe wouldCome on! I've shared mulTerror: I'm personally not n't have heard this band if straight edge so I feel like tiple stages around the US someone else had been with one of my favorite releasing the record which my take on the matter is always good. We're al- shouldn't exactly matter to bands of all time. It's crazy man. ways trying to spread what someone who is. I see it we believe to new people. serve a purpose to friends of mine who come from al- If it was all over tomorWhat is Terror's purpose coholic families or from a row would you be satisfied? history of drug abuse. In or goal as a band? my opinion it's a complete Terror: Although there's Terror: Ultimately to have personal choice and

still places I want to go, I would absolutely be satisfied if it all came to and end.

What bands are some of your influences?

Terror: For me personally my influences are always changing. I listen to such a wide variety of music that it would be impossible to just stick to one thing. One day it might be Otis Redding and the next maybe Testament or Warzone. I listen to tons of hip-hop and R&B music and pretty much everything else other than country. I would say that as a band as a whole there's a lot of Venice style thrash and NYHC in our overall influence though.

Terror: 2 words: internet explosion. It's like where I used to buy a record and check a thanks list to find new bands, now people download the record, check the MySpace and listen the bands in their top friends. It's just a new generation. I don't necessarily like or dislike it, it's just so foreign to me I just have a hard time keeping up. What does the future have in store for the music industry?

Terror: I don't know myself but I know it's going to be something very different than we're used to. Time's have definitely changed and are still in the process of changing. Those "360 Deals" seem to be happening a lot now What do you think about with mainstream music Hatebreed? Did they where a company not only make Hardcore maincontrols your music but stream? everything else involved with you as an artist. Terror: Hatebreed can do That's probably going to no wrong in my eyes as a be the new thing. band. I love everything they've released and I was even really excited about the new cover album they Tell me about the Atticus put out. I don't think they Tour that you did awhile made hardcore mainback? stream in any bad sense. They just took their game Terror: Atticus Tour was to a whole new level and I sweet. We were a lot difcan respect what they've ferent than all the other done. bands on that tour but that didn't matter at all. It was a good experience and it How has the music inwas nice to significantly dustry changed since see that most people there you guys started out in had never heard of us be2001? fore but in the end appreciated what we did and

had fun with us. Hopefully those people will come back around next time we have tour through their city and maybe we'll be able to open them up to a new way of life.

miliar with these days that it feels like a home away from home. Would you rather tour overseas or in the states?

Any sold out shows on Terror: At this point I enjoy that tour?(if you remem- touring overseas a bit more since I've seen so ber) much of the US so many times now. I'm all about Terror: From what I remember a lot of the shows new places and new experiences. Also, this band were if not sold out then completely packed. It was seems to get more recoga very good tour as far as nition overseas so our shows are more appreciattendance goes. Every ated. That's a good feelband being so different from each other made for ing. a large good mix of people coming to the shows with Who two minimal problems. It was steps/moshs/stage dives better, the Europeans or really awesome. the Americans? What do you think of Emmure? Are they help- Terror: Ha! moshing is like ing to save the integrity taboo. We all do it but it's so damn goofy at the of Metalcore? same time. I think everyone looks weird while Terror: Emmure is not a band that I personally lis- doing it so no one can reten to. I can't speak on be- ally be "better" than anyone else. half of the "metalcore" scene because it's not something that I know too How come you guys are much about. There's a lot not on the Bamboozle festival? What do you of new music going on these days that I'm not re- think of the Bamboozle festival? ally familiar with.

Whatʼs your favorite city Terror: The word is that or venue to play at when Bamboozled was afraid of you go on tour and why? the "reputation" that the band has. This is someTerror: Any venue in Los thing that I don't understand since a band like Angeles because then I Trash Talk who is known get to go home after the show and sleep in my own for pushing limits and wonderful bed. But really, going overboard is asked there are cities and certain to play. I would rather venues all over the world them just tell us they think that we've become so fa- we suck as a band and

that's why we can't play rather than that bullshit. I went to the festival for about 40 minutes the day we would have played and watched my friends band Eye Alaska and then immediately left. I couldn't get down with the whole vibe. Maybe I was just pissed about the whole situation, but whatever. We still had our own show that night with tons of our friends and I couldn't have asked for a better night. Although it would have been cool to play, we don't need that bamboozled shit in the end. How was the New England Metalcore festival?

Terror: It was a great time. All day festivals can be a bit hectic because the whole atmosphere is so tense and crazy but it's still such a good time because all these bands that you've come to know from touring with or playing shows with in the past all come together in one night. It makes for a good party. There was a Grateful Dead gig going on across the street so there was like a hippy village set up in the same parking lot as all the bands. Don't let hippies fool you. They're not the peaceful fun loving people they want you to think they are. They were some of the rudest people I've ever come across in my life.

Whatʼs the Terror song "Always the Hard Way"

about?

sweet. Asia, Eastern Europe, Alaska, and the list goes What is Vogelism? Terror: I think the lyrics of on. Once we get to all those places then we'll get that song are pretty upTerror: Hahahahaha, front and bold, kind of self back in the studio. well...Scott just says whatexplanatory. It's spoken in the words of someone that Do you have a producer ever he feels on stage I guess. Like in this band for the new album? was never handed anywe all talk to each other thing ever in life, telling a like idiots because we're story of climbing out from Terror: There's no one all friends. We joke nonthe bottom and surviving lined up now but I'd say stop and say the weirdest we're open to ideas. without any help. Somestuff to each other. With one that lives like that way your friends and peers you How would you describe without anyone guiding feel comfortable saying your band if you were them is going to learn all talking to someone that anything and making jokes of life's lessons the hard has never heard Terror? or just letting loose when way. you're having a good time Terror: You'd be surprised and saying whatever If you could only listen to one album for the rest on how often I have to do you're feeling. That's how of your life which album that. When you're on tour it is at our shows. We don't and stop at a gas station look at people in the crowd would that be? and and the cashier sees your as anything else but why? friends and peers so it van and trailer and asks brings a natural level of "you guys a band or Terror: Infest "Slave". They're my favorite band something?", "What's the comfort for us. So someone had the great idea to of all time and that was the name of your band?", keep track of some of the "What kind of music do first record I heard by them. It's completely nos- y'all play?". Now I just tell funny shit Scott has said on stage and compile talgic yet still so hard and them "Loud, aggressive and obnoxious music" and them onto a website. aggressive and good at www.vogelisms.com. Peothen laugh. the same time. A lot of ple should check it out if records that I used to love as a kid didn't really stand What is the Correlation they haven't yet. the test of time and when I with stage diving and What advice so you have hardcore shows? hear them now I almost for up and coming question how I ever liked Terror: Stage dives take a bands looking for their it. good show to a whole new big break? level. It's like that ultimate When can we expect a rush at a gig. It shows that Terror: Quit looking for a new Terror album? big break and just do it bepeople are going so wild cause you love music and that they're willing to do Terror: There's already you want to have fun. If something crazy. Somematerial that has been times people think that it's you're supposed to survive written and record as demo versions but there's only a hardcore thing but if because you're a good band and have the heart no rush. We have a lot of you look at old punk touring to do before we get videos, metal videos and then it will happen for you. back in the studio. There even the Pantera DVD are a lot of new places in people have been doing it the world that we're going throughout all genres of music. Even Pearl Jam. to play coming up soon. It's crazy and it looks South Africa, Southeast

Index Case: 10 Long Fucking Years

By: Morbid Miller Myspace.com/morbidmiller

In a place and time where most music endeavors no matter how unique or miraculous that might be are left unseen. From great local bands as what I would like to think as Iowaʼs version of System of a down we had Heroic Dose, 35 Inch Mudder was like our very own Limp Bizkit, Deadfront sounded to the likes of Korn, Domeshot was comparable to Tool, Painface was our Sepultura and Smakdab was our Kittie. In the midst of all this raw talent, only one band was signed (Slipnot). The rest

were lost only to be found in the memories of those who were there in the time and place that I like to refer to as the Midwest Movement. I remember thinking that every one of those bands would some day be touring around the world signed to major labels and I would be apart of that. It was the greatest time in my life and it seems as if it was all a dream. In the same state where one of the most influential and successful bandʼs in the world was spawned, many were left behind. The band that had the most impact on my life was the band were about to explore. Index Case is truly one of the most unique and original bands in the world.

Case form?

Dirt Joe: Index Case formed in 1998. We all went to Indianola High School in Iowa. Josh Parker (Guitar) and Korey the original bass player were two years older than me and Jordan Spence (Original drummer). None of us really hung out in high school. Once I was a senior in High school Josh and Korey had already graduated. I hung out with Jordon a lot and he was like “Hey you need to come over to my house sometime, Iʼm jamming with this guy that we went to high school with and heʼs really good”. So I used to go over to Jordanʼs house after school and watch Jordan and Josh jam. They would imWhen and how did Index prove and shit like that. Fi-

nally one day I just grabbed the microphone and started free styling. Before I knew it, like a million people were coming over after school, watching us play and hanging out with us. Eventually we were like letʼs start a band and we started writing songs. It kind of went from there, on weekends we would have 20 people over at Jordanʼs house watching us play.

What was the first Index Case song written?

Dirt Joe: The very first complete song was “Drop Your Neighbor” off our first album Birth.

I love that song and album!

Dirt Joe: That first album is

pretty hard for me to talk about. I know a lot of people like it, but its nothing like what we are like now. Kind of like the Beastie Boys never claimed that they did the album License to ill and that was their coolest record.

Did you ever want to be in a rock band? You listen to a lot of Rap Music. Basically Index Case was formed under the intent that starting a band would be something fun to do right?

Dirt Joe: It was something to do. It occupied my time and it was fun. I was on a microphone and people were taking interest in what we were doing. I wasnʼt just stuck on hip hop. I listened to a lot of rock music. I liked whatever lyrically inspired me. What Josh was doing on guitar was inspiring me. Then when Jordon showed me the Deftones album Adrenalin for the first time, I remember ʻI was like man I have to get into a band, this is what Iʼm supposed to be doing”. That album Adrenaline by the Deftones woke me up.

Thatʼs so weird that you say that, Mitch from suicide Silence said that exact same thing.

Dirt Joe: Yea, Adrenaline is what made me want to be in a band as a vocalist

Early on in your career, how did the local Des Moines legends 35 Inch

Mudder help Index Case out? Check these guys out (www.myspace.com/35in chmudder)

Los Angeles to pursue other careers. He ended up getting some good connections in the music and film industry. Ultimately he started managing us and Dirt Joe: At the time I did- from there we have been working with Chad for the nʼt know anybody in the last 10 years. 35 Inch band. When Index Case Mudder put our foot in the was first jamming, we door for sure. thought 35 Inch Mudder was like Metallica. They I know that you donʼt were the biggest thing in want to talk about your Iowa for sure. We would first album Birth but itʼs go to all of their shows. such a great album. Will We were the little punk you tell me about how kids in the front row and Birth came together and after the show we would go back and jam and say why you think that it was we want to be like Mudder. so popular? I found out that the singer Dirt Joe: Yea, itʼs hard to C-Bone worked at a CD shop on the south side of talk about, but it is who we Des Moines. I went to the were. It was so long ago, store and applied for a job. we were so young. I wish I I wanted to work there be- could go back and do it all cause I knew C-Bone (Vo- over again. cals for 35 Inch Mudder) worked there. I got the job What about the track “Boredom” on the Birth and he trained me. He worked for Lazer 103.3 the Album, have you ever rock radio station here in thought about re-recording it and putting it on a Des Moines and he was new album? Itʼs such a like “Iʼm hosting this big event and I donʼt have any kick ass song! opening bands” and I was like “dude, Iʼm in a band” Dirt Joe: We have it. We want to keep “Boredom” and I still remember the way that he looked at me, how it was. Thatʼs how it was like “Oh god, I donʼt people remember it, so want to say no to this kid, thatʼs how we are going to keep it. We donʼt want to but Iʼm sure this band go back and re do it or sucks”. So he put us on and we opened the show. something like that. We played like at 11 am for like 20 people, but after How did you get the nickname Dirt Joe? that man he dug us and took an interest in Index Case. Eventually we be- Dirt Joe: Oh, Dirt Joe came really good friends (Laughs). I was in 8th grade and I used to wait in with the guys in 35 Inch line to go to lunch at the Mudder. Their bass player Chad Calek moved out to high school. I would al-

ways be the first one waiting in line just standing there watching all the sophomores, juniors and seniors eat. Eventually, I just went in and started talking to people, hanging out and I made friends with one of my best friends to this day Paxton. Iʼm sure you know P-Tates.

Oh yea, heʼs a talented rapper!

Yup, he was one of them in the cafeteria that I used to hang out with. I started hanging out with these guys. All we would do was listen to the Wu-Tang Clan all day long. I loved OlʼDirty Bastards first album. Paxton aka PTates started to joke around and call me OlʼDirty Joe. Eventually, it turned into Dirt Joe and now its just Dirt. To this day I answer when someone says Dirt; I turn my head “they talking to me”?

So was this before Joe Dirt the movie came out?

Dirt Joe: Way, way before (Laughs).

After you recorded the Birth album Index Case gained a solid following. On your follow up to Birth you record an album that doesnʼt sound like your former album at all. You move away from the rapcore stuff, into something that I canʼt even begin to explain. One thing about Index Case is that you

have always been original. Tell me about your sophomore album Glass.

hate us right out of the gate, but then eventually they will be like I get it now. We are one of those bands you know. Still to Dirt Joe: Birth became a this day we are working on hometown favorite. We our 5th album right now grew up in a small town and I have people coming south of Des Moines up to me from all over the called Indianola. Birth was country telling me that the all that town had, the Glass album is there farecord was huge to them. vorite album. Josh came up to me one day and said “Hey man, How did things change lets record a new album”. for the band after your We never even thought of released the Glass recording a new album. album? Didnʼt you guys We were like “Yea, why get some sponsorship not we are a band you with Amp Energy Drink know, so letʼs do a new and play some shows in album”. Josh came to me Hollywood? with all this new material. It was all the stuff on Dirt Joe: After Glass we Glass and I was like “Wow came out to L.A. and did dude, this sounds like we some touring with Amp grew up real fast in one Energy Drink sponsoring years time”. I didnʼt even us. We actually show plan on changing our cased the Glass album for sound; what happened, Captial Records out in L.A. happened. Thatʼs just and Capital was digging it, what he wrote and what they really liked the song he wrote inspired me vo- “Living so Muster”. We did cally to do what I did on a lot of stuff after the that record. At the end of Glass dropped. A lot of the album I remember lis- people couldnʼt undertening to it and thinking, stand it. They couldnʼt this isnʼt even the same compare it to anything band. This isnʼt even close else that was out at the to being the same band at time. It was totally original all. We originally thought and I think thatʼs what that everyone was going people liked about it the to hate us. most.

I did at first. I was so pissed when you guys put out the Glass album. Completely changing your style but I later appreciated it.

Glass defiantly opened the doors for you and you started playing outside of Iowa. Catching the attention of Capital Records and picked up a sponsorship from Amp Dirt Joe: Yea, you know Energy Drink as well as thatʼs how it is still to this recording a couple of day. New index case fans music videos for the

album. Now tell me about your third full length album The Weak and the Wounded.

Dirt Joe: The Weak and the Wounded is when we started taking the band real serious. Thatʼs when we said “Ok this is what we are going to be doing for the rest of our lives”. Capital Records passed on Glass which looking back now was understandable. Our sound at that time was very original. Nobody was doing music like that. Everyone was listening to limp Bizkit and Korn and we werenʼt in that genre. So, we were like letʼs get a record deal. We decided to do it all our selves again. The first three records were recorded DIY style. Yea, tell me about the Dex Inn were you guys recorded your first three albums.

Dirt Joe: It was just this little garage area that was connected to Joshʼs parentʼs house. The Dex Inn was just this big room where we recorded. Our first three records were recorded there all by ourselves. We actually recorded other local bands there as well. We had horrible recording equipment, but we made it sound as good as we could and worked with what we had. Did josh go to Music Tech in St. Paul, Minnesota to learn how to record?

Dirt Joe: Yea, he graduated from Music Tech in Minnesota. All he did was learn about sound and music. That helped us get the most use out of what little recording equipment that we had at the time.

Back to The Weak and the Wounded. You guys were started taking the band serious. Realizing this is what you want to do for the rest of your life.

Dirt Joe: Right, so after we recorded The Weak and the Wounded we started shopping it to different labels again. We received some interests from labels and we had some more show cases but everybody passed. We shopped it to every label twice and they all passed. We have all these fans that are telling us that we are great. We are playing sold out shows, but we canʼt get anyone to get behind us. So we kind of regrouped and reworked a couple of the songs on The Weak and the Wounded. Some of the songs we thought we could make better and we started writing more material. We recorded a couple of demos to send to labels again. Then all of a sudden we get a phone call from our manager Chad and heʼs like “Hey man. their was an Amp Energy Drink Commercial on KROQ and for the10 seconds your song “Listen” was playing and in those 10 seconds the head A&R for No Name

didnʼt here from you guys for a long time. The next thing I heard was that you guys landed a track on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Soundtrack.

tracks and sampler discs trying to get our names out before the album drops. They were also lining up tours such as Ozzfest, they had it all mapped out. We were just excited to get the album done and go out and tour like crazy. We Dirt Joe: Yup, we had a were finally living the track on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre soundtrack. dream. We also landed a track on the first UFC compilation You get the album done. disc called Ultimate Beat What happens? Down Volume 1. After Lazer fest we moved out Dirt Joe: We get the to L.A. for 6 months. We album done and go home. Two weeks after we get were in the Malibu area living in a huge multi mil- home our manager calls lion dollar mansion sitting saying “Steve Richards the president of No Name on top of the Topanga Canyon Mountains. It was died from a brain tumor”. Now he had a brain tumor picture perfect. since I have known him. So you were there for six He kind of talked with a slur and it affected his vimonths, tell me what sion. Steve was the only happened? guy in the music industry at the time who believed in Dirt Joe: Things were a lot us. So the only guy who different, then what we believed in us and had the were used to. We were recording 7 days a week, money to back it up is 16 hours a day with a pro- dead now. We are thinking ducer “James (Jimbo) Bar- whatʼs next. Well just ton”. Heʼs done work for a when we thought that it couldnʼt get worst. Elektra lot of bands such as RUSH. He comes in and has its house cleaning and fires 60% of their staff. sets down and listens to all of our songs. Then we One of them happens to be the president of Elekspent the first month listening to all the tracks try- tra. There were two names on our contract Steve ing to figure out how we Richards and the Presican make them better. Then recording, recording, dent of Elektra. They no and arguing. We were like longer exist. So therefore our contract is no longer. I was at the Lazer Fest in brothers sitting in the 2004, when Cory Brown house non-stop being cre- No record, no Nothing, we were out 2 weeks after we announced before you ative. We did that for 6 got back home after played that Index Case months and in the mean recently signed to No time while we were bust- recording for 6 months. Our dreams are shattered. Name Elektra. You guys ing our asses recording came out and you the new album. The label At this point we are thinkrocked the show. Then I was putting us on sound- ing we are the most unRecords was listening and went to AMP to find out what band that was and found out that it was Index Case”. No Nameʼs mother label was Elektra. No Name was the label that signed Mudvayne and Slipknot. It was No Name Road Runner for Slipknot and it was No Name Interscope for Mudvayne. So were like all right lets go do this. If someone believes in us lets go show case. So we went out to L.A. again and played at the Whisky a Go Go for Steve Richards the President of No Name. After the show He stood up and said “Alright letʼs go back to the office and sign some papers; we want to offer you guys a deal”. I remember all of us looking at each other and saying “Seriously is this happening? we played once and he wants to sign us”. So it was kind of interesting to actually see someone that believed in us who had the money to back it up. Just like that we were signed, all of our hard work finally paid off. Thatʼs where The Weak and the Wounded led us. The album did its job. It was made specifically for those people who didnʼt believe in us. We made the album to make people believe in us.

lucky band in the world. But now we look at it as something prevented us from being on that label. We believe that everything happens for a reason.

So what happens next? You guys start playing more local shows in Iowa, but you end up losing half your members within the first few months.

Dirt Joe: Yea, it was a while before we even talked to each other after all of this went down. We were depressed. A lot of bands at that point in their career usually quit. We decided to go out and start touring a little bit. We were in Indianapolis, Indiana playing the Midwest Music Summit. I remember it, because it was the first time I met the guys from the band “10 Years” and they opened for us. 10 years was going to be the next band signed to No Name Elektra after us. I remember while we were recording the A&R from No Name brought me this album and told me to check a song out and it was “Waste Land” by 10 years. So they were going to be the next band on No Name. Anyway we finally meet these guys and we connect right away. We are still good friends to this day. So we were sitting down eating and Korey our bass player just looks up and he says “Man, I canʼt do this anymore, I canʼt do it and Iʼm not going to do it, I will stay in

the band until you find someone else” and at the time we still had a booking agent and were out on tour with Mushroomhead, Soil, and Dope for a couple months. So at this point theirs still no word on whatʼs going to happen with the album and Korey just couldnʼt take it anymore. He was done. No hard feelings itʼs totally understandable not everyone is meant to do this.

over again. We start touring and promoting the new album immediately. We went out with (Hed) pe for three months, Bobaflex, and American Head Charge. We were touring like crazy, eventually we were playing a show in Atlanta,GA and at this point you can tell that Jordan has just had it. He can barely make it through our set without getting pissed off or throwing stuff everywhere. It was starting to look very unprofessional. We get to the show in Atlanta and he pretty much just says “I canʼt do it anymore”. We assumed that he quit, we left the tour and came home. About a week later we get a call from Jordan acting like he didnʼt quit. We were like “No you did quit, we left the tour and came home”. Jordan to this day is one of the best drummers I have ever seen in my life. We didnʼt click. We clicked for several years, but you could tell that Jordan didnʼt like us as people. Itʼs hard to be with somebody when you feel that youʼre constantly walking on egg shells. We decided that we were going to continue without him.

like that. So we asked him to leave. Then we were back on the hunt for another drummer.

That sucks; the label didnʼt back you guys up! At anytime in your career are you making any money from the band?

Surely, by now you have thought about throwing Dirt Joe: No, none at all. Even on tour we were only in the towel? making 100 dollars a Dirt Joe: I canʼt speak for show. That was barely the other guys, but for me, enough money for gas. “No”. As frustrated and deYou guys also conpressed as I get sometributed a track to the times about how nothing Sound Garden tribute ever goes our way. Still album around this time thereʼs nothing in the in 2006? world like making your You lost Korey your own songs. Before I was bass player. When did in a band, I didnʼt do any- Dirt Joe: We were on the you lose Jordan your thing. Even if itʼs miserable American Head Charge Drummer? tour in North Carolina; being in a band trying to when we get a call from make it, itʼs even more Dirt Joe: Well when we guy out of Minneapolis miserable not being in a got back home, we tried putting together a Sound band for me. out bass players and we Garden Tribute album with got Nick (Snake Head) all the Midwest bands. He You rebuild your band Borror. Nick was in a band asked us to pick a song and find a label to put we used to play with called and it took us like ten minout the album that was Feathers are beautiful. He utes and “We were all like supposed to be on No called me up and wanted Name/Elektra. What kind we have to do Jesus to try out for the band. We Christ Pose”. Jesus Christ of distribution did you knew before he even tried Pose sounded like a song get for your self titled out that he was going to that we would write aldebut album? be the one for Index Case. ready. Itʼs a real drum oriWe were working on Dirt Joe: We went through ented song and we teaching him all the music incorporate a lot of toms a company called and at the same time we Fontana. We changed the and drum rolls in our were shopping the album album from The L to self ti- music. When we finished we recorded for No Name tled. They put out 10,000 the tour we went to our Elektra Called The L. At copies of it on our release friendʼs studio in Iowa City this point we are good and did the song in like 2 date. It was in Best Buy friends with Tim King of across the country and in days. It was fun, still to this Soil. He started up an Indie label out of Chicago Was your next drummer ma and pa stores like CD day we play that song live warehouse. We were just and people love it. called Mortal Records. He Ryan Berrier? happy to have an album called me up saying that You were interviewed for out on the shelves that he wants to sign us and Dirt Joe: Yup, we knew wants to put this album Ryan forever. He came on people have been waiting the award winning documentary The Clown to hear for a couple of out. Due to the fact that to help us out. We did years. They all sold, they Short of Destiny. Can we already have a fan some touring for about a you tell me about that base and have a record year with him as our drum- did their job, selling fine. and if it was ever reThey just never pressed ready to put on the mer. Then it came to a leased? anymore more records to shelves. Tim signs us and point, where we had crewe start the whole thing ative differences and stuff put out on the shelves.

Dirt Joe: That was a film put together about the Des Moines Music scene as a whole. A lot of people think that itʼs a bash on Slipknot. I didnʼt think of it like that at all. Itʼs about a scene. I was asked “What my part was to the scene?” for the documentary. I was asked questions about how the Des Moines local music scene was like. The intention of that film was to show people what the music scene was like in Des Moines. Pretty much every band that I have ever known in the scene was featured on that film. It was never released; it won some awards at the Sundance film festival. But I donʼt know if it will ever be released. Whatʼs this Ghost Hunter thing that youʼre doing all about?

Dirt Joe: Chad Calek our manager is also a film maker. He was the one that made Clown Short of Destiny. His friend that works at Yahoo tells him that they are looking for independent film makers to do a web series called The Ghost Hunter. He tried out and got the job. They wanted to use Index Caseʼs music for the show. Our music is pretty fitting for a ghost hunting show you know. They ended up asking me to try out to be a cast member. They thought it would be a great idea to not only have our music but to have the singer on the show as

well. So I tried out and got the gig. The next thing I know Iʼm on tour again, but Iʼm not on tour with the band. I was touring with 20 people going to the most haunted places in the U.S. and staying the night at the places for 5 days and 5 nights. Traveling with all the cameramen and cast members was pretty interesting and it was actually a paying gig which was cool. It was my first time out on tour and getting paid. So whatʼs your verdict? Are ghosts real?

Dirt Joe: Yea man, I have always believed in ghosts. There is something out there. Rather if you want to call them ghosts or not. Thereʼs something thatʼs not in our dimension.. Thereʼs to much unexplainable stuff in this world for nothing to be going on. People never ever believe in ghosts until they see something that they canʼt explain. In my opinion you have go to see it to believe it. If you never see it then you have nothing to worry about, because you donʼt have any proof. But there are things out there that are weird and I have witnessed several of them. I defiantly believe. I donʼt care to push that on anyone. I donʼt care if anyone believes me or not. Iʼm a believer.

I feel that your music is very spiritual. It always has connected me with something outside of

myself. Do you incorpo- our music. When you see rate some sort of spiritu- us, we are always down to party with everyone. ality in your lyrics? Thatʼs how we like to keep it. People come up to us Dirt Joe: The music that we make is moody. I want all the time and be like “Oh my god youʼre in Index to paint a picture with words. When people here Case, man you must be my lyrics I donʼt want them rich”. No actually were not. As a musician if you can to be able to understand what Iʼm meaning. I want a just pay your bills and live comfortably and pay for picture or a scene to be painted for them. Itʼs hard your apartment just off to describe without sound- your music. You are a very ing crazy. I can right an 8 successful musician! minute song about how I Thatʼs how hard the industry is. Were just a well just touched the wall. I known band that has been have always written my around for 10 years. We lyrics that way, even behave been there and done fore I was in a band. I about everything you can have people come up to do as a band. We have me and say “Hey I love been through the whole that song and I know itʼs label thing and done a lot about this” and I will be of major tours with some thinking “No, thatʼs not what the song is about at big bands. We have stuck it out and have never all” but its cool that they think thatʼs what its about. given up, no matter what bad shit has happened to us. I think people like that All and all itʼs not that bad for you guys. Index about us, so they hold on Case is a well respected to it. band in the Midwest. I would say you are local Tell me about your new celebrities in Iowa. I re- album that you have been working on? member being in high school and I was so inDirt Joe: The new album spired by the Birth once again, is going to be album that I wanted to different. Every Index start a band. I showed the album to my friends Case album changes but we still keep or unique and we started a band. We wanted to be just like sound. Itʼs a little more you guys. Unfortunately beat heavy and up tempo we didnʼt make it far and then our previous records. Not so much of the real we totally ripped you guys off. Check my old heavies then stop stuff that we are known for. high school band out! (www.myspace.com/bur Do you guys have a rentrapcore) lease date? Dirt Joe: (Laughs) I love it Dirt Joe: We donʼt have a that people connect with

release date. We are right in the middle of recording our asses off. We are hoping to have the album done by the end of July. Weʼre not going to press hard copies right away. We are going to just release it all online and on ITunes. We are just going a digital release for the first 2 months and see what happens. If we still have all these fans that we think we have and we can see that itʼs selling good. Then we are going to start pressing hard copies and start getting it out to stores.

unique creative band is kind of like a curse. Some bands make it like Tool is a prime example. Tool can do whatever the fuck they want. They have proved themselves; they have stuck together and made it work. Eventually they blew up from an underground level and now they can do what ever they want. We are getting to the point where we donʼt need a record company. We want to get to a point through the underground to where these labels are like “Oh my god these guys did it on their own?” We want to be apart of it and we can Everyday I hear bands say “You know what FUCK that just suck! I see a YOU” because you didnʼt hundred bands that are want to be apart of it behorrible and have a label fore, so now we donʼt and are out touring, need you. Thatʼs the ultiplaying major festivals. mate goal. We are not It pisses me off that a looking for a label at all. band like Index Case, We donʼt need it! I think who has so much talent with the things going on starve. right now. We have a good chance of blowing up on Dirt Joe: Well man its just an underground level. luck. Itʼs all about the right timing. If one band does What do you think of the well in the music industry, old school Iowa bands? then for the next couple of years all those labels only Dirt Joe: Smak Dab was a want to sign bands that good band. They were only sound like that. Thatʼs from as era where there why every time you turn wasnʼt any female fronted on the radio everything groups doing that kind of sounds the same. I canʼt extreme music or in a even tell you the band metal band. God she was names anymore because amazing as well as the itʼs all the same. Nothing is rest of the guys in the unique. If your original and band! creative then you are considered a lottery in the Alexis was hot! music industry and they donʼt want to gamble with Dirt Joe: Yea, sheʼs attractheir money. Labels want a tive that didnʼt hurt anysure thing. So being a thing at all!

What about Deadfront? I always thought of Deadfront as Iowaʼs version of Korn.

Dirt Joe: Yea, we donʼt man and we recently just started talking about doing some things together. Itʼs not like we donʼt get along or we donʼt want to play together. The opportunity never came along set something up.

Dirt Joe: Yea, Deadfront was my favorite local Des Moines band of all time and still is to this day. Without a doubt they were What advice do you sweet. have for young musicians thinking about What did you think of starting a band? Down The Sun (Band signed to Roadrunner Records featuring mem- Dirt Joe: Be prepared for failure. Maybe that wasnʼt bers of Deadfront, Destrophy, and Stone Sour) the right word. But be prewww.myspace.com/dow pared for everybody to expect you to fail. No body nthesun ever hears there kid say “Oh Iʼm going to be in Dirt Joe: Down the sun wasnʼt bad. I never bought band” and think “Oh sweet thatʼs going to be successthe album. I didnʼt like it that much. I saw them live ful”. Everybody thinks before I heard the album. I thatʼs itʼs a big joke. If you canʼt handle criticism then was a bigger Deadfront fan. I didnʼt like the whole you canʼt be in a band because its 90% negative. thing with the two vocalNegative things happen ists. and you have to be a certain kind of person. Even if What did you think of youʼre the only person in Painface? (featuring the world that believes that original lead singer of your music is good then Slipknot) thatʼs what you got to do. Dirt Joe: I loved Painface. I remember Painface shows and that shit was scary. I remember being terrified of those guys. It was different; nobody in Des Moines was doing the death metal thing with the low growls and screaming. A lot of people didnʼt get it.

Face Cage (Signed to Corey Taylors Label) they are another huge band in Iowa. I never see you guys playing with those guys. Why not?

Virgin recording artists, Saving Abel

LATIONS ON THAT.

first time working with him. I learned a lot from him, Yes, in March, it went gold. heʼs a really good proWe are very pleased with ducer. Heʼs like a little kid with a Gameboy sitting bethat. (Bass) hind a console and comMUEN: WOULD YOU SAY puter. Heʼs really good to Corinth, Mississippi THAT THIS IS AN ALBUM work with, heʼs funny and he gets the job done. I THAT APPEALS TO Myspace.com/savingabel ALL? wouldnʼt want to use another producer. By: Shauna OʼDonnell I think so because we MUEN: SO YOU WILL have a wide spectrum of MUEN: HI ERIC THANKS sound on it. We are some DEFINITELY WORK FOR TALKING WITH ME southern rock boys, we WITH HIM AGAIN IN THE TODAY. HOW ARE have some southern rock FUTURE THEN? THINGS GOING? on it, some heavier rock and some soft ballads that We are working with him Things are going well. seems to have done very right now on our new album. Hopefully, we will well so itʼs got a broad MUEN: AWESOME, IʼM continue to use him on alsound on it. GLAD TO HEAR IT. bums to come. YOUR SELF TITLED MUEN: THERE ARE MAJOR LABEL ALBUM THREE KILLER SINGLES MUEN: AWESOME! SO RELEASED IN MARCH ON THE ALBUM. WHAT THEREʼS A NEW ALBUM OF 2008. IT HAS BEEN WAS IT LIKE WORKING IN THE WORKS? IʼM EXDOING GREAT AND WAS WITH SKIDD MILLS? CITED ABOUT THAT. CERTIFIED GOLD THIS YEAR. SO CONGRATU- It was insane; it was my There is

Eric Taylor

MUEN: I HAVE BEEN A FAN SINCE THE BEGINNING. I ACTUALLY HAVE A COPY OF THE RECORD THAT YOU GUYS SELF RELEASED. I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOUR SUCCESS. I appreciate it.

MUEN: DO YOU STILL RUN YOUR OWN MYSPACE PAGE?

I think the label does most of it. We all have our own pages that have pretty much turned into fan pages. As far as the bandʼs page, we still get on and check all the comments and stuff.

MUEN: THE SONG ”NEW TATTOO” IS BASED ON ACTUAL EVENTS RIGHT? Yeah, our guitar player

went on a spur of the moment, wild trip. He bought a couple cases of beer, as it says in the song and he and a friend went on a road trip. It is based on a true story.

an amazing military video out in San Francisco on an aircraft carrier. To this day, every night that we play it, we give a shout out to our troops. You donʼt have to support the war, but support your troops.

MUEN: AND HE CAME BACK WITH A NEW TAT- MUEN: YOU RELEASED TOO. AN EP CALLED “18 DAYS TOUR” REOf course CENTLY. TELL US ABOUT THE EP. MUEN: TELL ME ABOUT THE SONG “18 DAYS,” Itʼs a bunch of different IT WAS WRITTEN FOR takes on acoustic songs. I OUR MILITARY RIGHT? think there are some unreleased tracks on there too. We ended up turning it into We had some time off eara military song. There is a lier this year so we went legendary Sheriff close to into the studio; everybody our hometown by the in the band grabbed some name of Buford Pusser, acoustics, wrote some of they actually made the the songs and gave a difmovie “Walking Tall” back ferent view of them. I bein the late 70ʼs or early lieve it is available on 80ʼs about it. I think the ITunes, online. The Rock re-made one probably ten years ago. MUEN: THE SONG “ADHe was involved in a drive- DICTED” IS REALLY by, he and his wife were KICKING ASS. I HEAR sitting on the side of the YOU HAVE AN EXroad and it killed her and RATED VIDEO FOR he got shot in the face re- THAT SONG. peatedly. There was a documentary and there was a We have like three or four line in there that said “It videos for it. We shot a had been 18 days since he homemade video back behad looked at himself in fore we started touring and the mirror” because of the got signed. We shot one bandages. That is what in- that was pretty much xspired that first line in the rated with a bunch of song “18 Days.” We were women, drugs and nudity. recording the album and Playboy.com premiered it everybody in this band has and it had over a million military background as far views in one week, so that as family. We are really big was amazing. We tried to supporters and we started get it on networks, but they thinking “Hey, when the said no, so we went back troops are deployed, after and shot another one that their deployment, they get was more PG13. It was an 18 day leave.” We kind shot at a house in Hollyof connected it and shot wood Hills and Downtown

Los Angeles is in the back- FANS? ground. I believe we all are. I am myself and our singer is a MUEN: WHERE CAN PEOPLE CHECK THE X- Nascar fan, but he is more RATED VERSION OUT? of a Jimmie Johnson fan. We actually played the Brickyard 400 a couple They must have it up on Playboy.com; I know itʼs on weeks ago in Indianapolis. We played the pre-race YouTube. and he was giving a shot out to Jimmie. There were MUEN: SPEAKING OF some mixed feelings from PLAYBOY, YOU GUYS the crowd, some booed ARE AN OFFICIAL ARTIST OF “ROCK THE and some yelled. Jimmie Johnson ended up winning RABBIT.” TELL US that race. We did a race WHAT THAT ENTAILS. out in California last year and Jared predicted that Thatʼs true; they had a promotion going on where he would win and he won that race also. They need they were trying to incorto somehow contact each porate rock music with Playboy. They were trying other. Anytime there is a day off and there is a race to blend them together. on, itʼs always on the bus. They got a couple bands We are pretty big fans. to design some t-shirts and we were one of them. MUEN: THE OTHER I think our album cover had little rhinestone Play- BAND THAT IS BIG boy bunnies on the pock- NASCAR FANS IS 3 DOORS DOWN. ets. Itʼs been pretty cool, we have yet to go to the mansion, but we keep our Itʼs a southern thing. Weʼve done a couple fingers crossed. shows with them, they are amazing live. MUEN: HOW DO YOU GET PICKED FOR THAT? DO THEY COME TO YOU MUEN: YOU ARE ON THE ROAD WITH NICKOR DO YOU HAVE TO ELBACK, PAPA ROACH SUBMIT YOUR PRESS AND HINDER. HOWʼS KIT? THE DARK HORSE TOUR GOING SO FAR? I think itʼs a little bit of both, of course, they preItʼs big, there are probably miered our video. I think over a hundred people inthat started the tie with cluding the bands on this them and they wanted to tour. There are probably keep working with us. twenty tour buses, but its fun because we are playMUEN: SPEAKING OF ing for 20,000 people VIDEOS I LOVE THE every night. Nickelback is NEW VIDEO FOR “DROWNING.” ARE YOU a great bunch of guys, even down to the smallest GUYS BIG NASCAR

person on their crew. Everybody is amazing, I couldnʼt be on a better tour, I donʼt think.

MUEN: HOW HAVE THE CROWDS BEEN?

MUEN: DO A SHOT? DO YOU GET NERVOUS BEFORE GOING OUT ON STAGE?

I donʼt know about the other guys, but me personally, I have never been They have been really re- nervous. I love playing sponsive; we are getting music and itʼs what I do our name out now. We are every night. still a baby band and we are trying to put a face to MUEN: I NOTICED YOU our music. I think its work- HAD SOME PICTURES ing and hopefully we are OF A BUS CRASH ON winning people over every YOUR MYSPACE PAGE. night. We are doing our WHAT HAPPENED? job. Yes, that was earlier this MUEN: REALLY? YOU year. I think we were in CONSIDER YOURSELF A Pennsylvania or Ohio and BABY BAND STILL? we were driving, passing an 18 wheeler in a curve. Yes, compared to the The driver of the 18 bands we are touring with. wheeler looked down, Hinder has been around jerked the wheel and for ten years. Papa Roach slammed us over into a has been a big “A” list concrete wall where they band for over ten years were doing construction. It and so has Nickelback. totaled our bus and threw We are two years in as far some of us out of the as major releases. bunk, but no one got hurt. We just heard our driver MUEN: THE KIDS KNOW up there screaming “No, WHO YOU ARE no, no, no!!” He did a reTHOUGH. ally good job, but it completely totaled our bus. Yes, they do and we feel Once a year, we seem to blessed because of that. get involved in some kind of accident. We are lucky MUEN: DO YOU HAVE to still be here and we are ANY PRE-SHOW RITUstill touring. ALS THAT YOU DO BEFORE HITTING THE STAGE AT THESE SHOWS? MUEN: WELL, THE GOOD THING IS THAT No, not really, some of our EVERYONE IS OKAY. guys warm up. We take the weights out and kind of Right, we are doing eight get pumped up a little bit, to twelve hour drives every get the blood flowing, get night; we get in and pray warmed up, do a shot and that we show up at the play a show. next show.

MUEN: GETTING BACK TO YOUR NEW RECORD. HOW FAR ALONG ARE YOU IN THE PROCESS?

We have about five or six of them already tracked and recorded. We have been writing on the road, which is fun, because you see things out on the road. Getting the songs recorded is the problem. On our days off, we fly our producer in and go to the studio. If we have more than a couple days off, we fly in to our studio, but we have about fifteen more written and we are still writing them. We are looking at probably early spring of 2010 for a release. MUEN: DOES THE NEW ALBUM HAVE A NEW SOUND?

Itʼs a little bit heavier. The ballads are a little softer. Thereʼs a little bit of change, but Iʼm sure we will make new fans as well as keep our old fans.

CHANCE TO WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED SAVING ABEL PRS GUITAR RIGHT? Thatʼs right

MUEN: WHAT DO THE FANS HAVE TO DO TO WIN?

I know we give one out every night on tour. At the concerts you text a number and itʼs a random draw. The fan gets to come back, take pictures and hang out a little bit. If they want us to sign it, we sign it with them.

MUEN: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INTERVIEW ERIC. ITʼS BEEN FUN. I WISH YOU THE VERY BEST AND I HOPE TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN SOON. Alright, thank you

MUEN: IS THERE ANYTHING YOUʼD LIKE TO ADD OR SAY?

We have a fall headline tour coming up, so check MUEN: WAS THERE ANY out our website and MySpace. Come catch a ONE BAND THAT YOU show! WOULD LISTEN TO THAT INSPIRED YOU TO WANT TO BE A BASS PLAYER?

Actually, I was a guitar player up until I was seventeen and I got into Tool. I got their second major release and realized that was the bass making all those sounds. Thatʼs what got me into playing bass.

MUEN: FANS GET A

B U R N H A L O

in the song writing in genBURN HALO eral. It is definitely a mod(Rawkhead Rekords)

James Hart (Vocals)

Orange County, CA

Myspace.com/burnhalo

By: Shauna OʼDonnell

MUEN: HI JAMES! THANKS FOR CHATTING WITH ME TODAY. HOW ARE THINGS GOING? Everythingʼs great, how are you doing?

MUEN: IʼM DOING PRETTY GOOD. YOU PLAYED WITH SALIVA LAST NIGHT.

We did, yeah, we were in Houston. We had a good time, the show was awesome and the crowd was good. We were actually there not even two weeks before that doing our own show. It was good to do our own show and have a bunch of people come out. It was a good opportunity for us. MUEN: YOUR SELF TITLED DEBUT ALBUM RELEASED IN MARCH. DESCRIBE THE ALBUM FOR ME. Yeah, it is a modern rock record. It is a very pure and organic record with the sound. It also has a classic rock vibe to it too

duce the record, but because I felt the songs were already there and ern rock album; it is definitely something youʼd didnʼt need any tweaking hear today. I think a lot of I felt like it made more bands from the 80ʼs that sense to make the record with him. are still around making new music forget that MUEN: YOU DREW INthey have to appeal to todayʼs crowd. They get SPIRATION FROM stuck with what they are COUNTRY MUSIC WHEN WRITING FOR used to doing and what theyʼve been doing for the THIS ALBUM RIGHT? last twenty years. I think a lot of that stuff is great in Yeah, you know, I guess complimenting a modern some of the ballads have rock sound and that is re- a country vibe to them. It is more so lyrically with ally what I wanted to try the story telling of it all. to do. The guitars kind of bring MUEN: TELL ME WHAT out that vibe as well, but I just think the story telling PART ZAC MALOY part of country music is PLAYED IN THE MAKgreat. I think a lot of it ING OF THE ALBUM. gets overlooked by peoI met Zac in May of 2007 ple in the rock, metal, hipand we sat down and dis- hop and pop industry because itʼs too twangy. I cussed writing a record think it really paints a pictogether. I went out to Tulsa, Oklahoma a cou- ture for the listener and ple weeks later and wrote that is want I wanted to a couple songs with him, do on just about every recorded a song that he song here. had written and then we MUEN: HOW DID WRITrecorded a song that I ING THIS ALBUM DIFhad written. We had really good chemistry right FER FROM WHEN YOU WOULD WRITE FOR 18 off the bat. I liked the process of our song writ- VISIONS? ing so I went out there once a week for about a It was like night and day month and we ended up to be honest with you; writing the whole record with this we picked up two guitars and pieced totogether. He ended up gether some chords and producing the album as the changes. We would well, which I think is a write a vocal melody over good thing. Usually, I it and then just kind of would want to have somebody from the out- build off of that. It had a very natural, organic feel side that really didnʼt have anything to do with to the process. In 18 Visions, it was the complete the songs come in pro-

opposite. I would get handed a full bed of music and they basically would hand it to me and say ”Here, write some vocals.” It was very difficult to maneuver vocal melodies around some of the pre-existing melodies. There wasnʼt a lot of room for me and I really struggled at times coming up with good melodies and hooks. It took me a lot longer to be satisfied or find a good place for vocals for an 18 Visions song, whereas with this we built it as we went along. It was a very simple guitar and we built the guitar around the vocals. I felt like with 18 Visions we built the vocals around the guitars a lot. I think that is the main difference. Obviously, itʼs a different type of record, the song writing is different and it is a different brand of rock music. I think itʼs a lot simpler and I think they come across better. MUEN: WELL, YOU HAVE BEEN QUOTED AS SAYING”THIS IS THE ALBUM YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO MAKE.”

Yeah, itʼs been a long time coming for me. I think that when you are in a band with two other songwriters and two more opinions, it gets very tough at times. Everybody kind of has to compromise ideas that they do not necessarily want

to compromise because the next person might not like it or it might not be the best thing for the song. You come across those issues, those battles and feelings get hurt, egos get bruised and itʼs really tough. I was always pushing the band to be more of a rock band and to try to branch out and rebuild ourselves as a band. I got resistance here and there, but like I said that kind of goes with the territory.

tle bit more intense, it wasnʼt as carefree as it was before and things got rougher. It was five different opinions on how songs should sound, what the record should do, the imaging of the band and what kind of tours we should take. I think it lead to the decline of the band and the morale. MUEN: IT SOUNDS LIKE ALL THE FUN WAS SUCKED OUT OF IT.

MUEN: IT SOUNDS LIKE THINGS ARE BET- It seemed like it got to TER FOR YOU NOW. that point. I know a couple of people in the camp I think so; I think a lot of it went into the record with has to do with where Iʼm the mindset that they felt at in my life too. Six or like radio should be able seven years ago I didnʼt to do everything for us put up a fight or argument and that the song was with 18 Visions. Everygoing to react at radio or thing was really carefree. its not and that we didnʼt The second we got our need to go out and do major label deal with this tour and that tour and Epic, thatʼs when things play this market or that really started to change market. If itʼs a hit, itʼs a and things needed to be hit and it doesnʼt matter. I a certain way. If we were kind of completely disgoing to be on a major agree with that. I think itʼs label we had to do things important to go into those the way we wanted to do markets, play for those them, but at the same stations, play for those time we had to keep in people and do those mind that they are trying shows to build a fan base to take these songs to of life long fans. You radio. They didnʼt sign the have the power to change band so that they can things to a certain extent. have us do what we have If youʼre not out there and been doing. They wanted doing the work and doing to outsource us in differ- what you can on your end ent ways that we had it is kind of pointless to never been outsourced or me. promoted before. Everyone had to step up their MUEN: WHEN IT CAME game and things got a lit- TO RECORDING THE

RECORD YOU BROUGHT IN QUITE A BIT OF NOTABLE TALENT. LETʼS SEE THERE WAS DANIEL ADAIR OF NICKELBACK, CHRIS CHANEY OF JANEʼS ADDICTION AND SYNYSTER GATES OF AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

up winning American Idol a couple years ago. Heʼs out doing that now, but at the time we were able to have him track the whole record. Synyster Gates has been a good friend of mine for a long time and I wrote a song with him as well for the record. We had him come in and track it and thought it Yeah, I didnʼt have a would be cool to have band assembled at the him play on “Dirty Little time so I really wanted to Girl” as well. I had a utilize the time in the stu- pretty good cast of playdio in the best possible ers. way. I think that was to go out and hire a great MUEN: WHEN YOU drummer and profesWERE DONE RECORDsional bass player. Chris ING IT ISLAND Chaney has been a stu- RECORDS DECIDED dio musician for a long NOT TO PUT IT OUT time and he has done a AND YOUR MANAGER lot of great stuff. He has DECIDED TO START UP made some records for HIS OWN LABEL my manager in the past CALLED RAWKHEAD so that was a no brainer. REKORDS. ARE THERE As far as drums go, the ANY OTHER ARTISTS guy that I really wanted to ON THE LABEL AT THIS get in there was Daniel TIME? Adair of Nickelback. Iʼm a big Nickelback fan, I love No, itʼs just me and thatʼs the drum sounds, I love all itʼs going to be. Basithe style and I thought cally, we had a hard time that his style would defi- finding a home for the nitely compliment my record once the Island music. There was some- thing fell apart so he body that Zac mutually knew somebody over at knew that made a phone the Warner Music Group call. We sent him a through ILG and they record; he was into it and loved the record and behad some down time. He lieved in it. We are doing was great. My buddy pretty well on our own, Neal Tiemann from Tulsa, obviously, we would love Oklahoma did all the to have somebody bigger demo work with me. He step in and take over the wrote “Dirty Little Girl” record. We would like to and “Save Me” with us have more resources and and he was actually going more behind it then what to be in the band until one weʼve had. I think the of his good friends ended number one priority was

to get the record out there, get the track at radio and let people know that this is real.

MUEN: HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT FINDING THE MEMBERS FOR YOUR BAND?

I met our bass player Aaron in Tulsa when I was doing the record. He was a friend of Nealsʼ and I went down and saw him play at a country bar. He was playing in a country band at the time. Heʼs a younger kid and I was looking for guys that kind of were in the music industry that wanted to get out and tour that didnʼt have a whole lot holding them back. I sat down and talked to him about it, we discussed the record, the songs, the direction and the future. He was all about it. I found Joey through a mutual friend of me and my manager Brett. Jacoby from Papa Roach put the Joey bug in our ear. We brought him down to Southern California for an audition and he totally ripped it at guitar. I was actually blown away because I had been working with Neal for the last year and was blown away by his talents. To have someone up to his standard was something I didnʼt think was going to be possible. Our drummer Timmy came from a friend of mine out of New York who knew I was looking for a drummer and he

worked out great. We recently added a new rhythm guitar player Brandon, out of Tulsa, Oklahoma who was friends with Darin. He was in country bands and in a rock band for a while. We really wanted to get back on the road and give it one last shot.

we could shoot everything there. Our budget wasnʼt super high. My best friend has a super nice home down in Mission Viejo and he let us film down there. I called Jeremy up and told him that his bar would be great for what we wanted to do with this video. He was all about it and super cool. They were very hospitable to us and it made for some great footage.

MUEN: THE LEAD SINGLE “DIRTY LITTLE GIRL” IS DOING VERY WELL. WAS THE SONG WRITTEN ABOUT ANY- MUEN: SO I DO NOT ONE IN PARTICULAR? SEE ANY WEST COAST TOUR DATES ON YOUR Yeah, it was written about PAGE. WILL YOU BE a girl that one of my very HEADING OUR WAY close friends dated. They SOON? ARE YOU had this very chaotic, un- GOING TO BE ADDING DATES? stable relationship. I guess the song kind of speaks for itself on what Right now we are routed until August 23rd and kind of a girl she was. then we are going to take The idea of the song is a few weeks off. We are that he is dating this girl still waiting to see what and she does these September and October things, fools around beare going to look like. I hind his back, hooks up with his friends, flirts with guess the majority of the every guy that comes to reason that we do not town, sheʼs partying it up have any west coast and she doesnʼt have any dates is because the majority of our airplay is in regards to what kind of affect that has on the re- the Midwest, the South lationship. For whatever and the east coast. The reason, he just kind of al- Pacific Northwest has acways keeps her around. tually been a big supporter of our record from MUEN: THE VIDEO IS REALLY COOL. WHERE day one so we definitely need to make our way WAS IT FILMED? back there. We just hapWe did that at the Slide- pen to be doing a bunch bar in Fullerton, CA. Je- of support tours and those tours for whatever remy from Lit owns that place with another guy. I reason have not been was looking for a venue routed that way. Iʼm hopthat had two or three dif- ing within the next month ferent rooms in it so that or two that we can either

find a support tour or that it will make sense for us to do some of our own shows in the area because I know there are a lot of people wanting west coast tour dates.

MUEN: THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU ON STAGE YOU WERE WITH ESCAPE THE FATE IN POMONA.

Yeah, that was our first show of that tour and our first show in Southern California.

MUEN: WHICH OF THE SONGS DO YOU ENJOY PERFORMING MOST LIVE?

Thatʼs a tough one; I like playing the ballads live, like “Too Late to Tell You Now” and “Here with Me” even though itʼs not a proper ballad. I like playing those songs because when I was with 18 Visions, the last three albums had ballads on them and for whatever reason they didnʼt want to play the ballads live. I kind of get it because we were more of a metal, hard rock band, but Iʼm not a fan of putting songs on a record that youʼre not going to play live. I donʼt see the point or purpose in it. Singing those songs is great and itʼs a lot of fun. Vocally, itʼs out there and alone for me, so itʼs a little scary at times. If you hit a bad note everybody is going to hear it because itʼs in a

ballad. If you hit a bad note in a heavier rock song it goes a little bit less noticed. I love playing those songs because they have a great vibe to them. I think that there are songs that if they are not connecting right off the bat with people who are not familiar with the record, as soon as they get the record they definitely will know those songs.

MUEN: WHO ARE SOME OF THE NEW BANDS OUT THERE TODAY THAT YOU ARE INTO? Thatʼs tough, huh?

and they were great people. Itʼs good to see bands like that do their thing and climb the charts. Rev Theory is another cool band. Those are the bands we dig for sure.

MUEN: THAT STUMPED MUEN: YOU WERE REYOU. CENTLY IN INKED MAGAZINE. I LOVE THE Yeah, are there a ton of PICTURE THEY USED. new bands out there? PEOPLE NEED TO GO Thatʼs the question. We OUT AND GET IT. WAS just wrapped up a tour THAT THE FIRST TIME with a couple bands MUEN: DO YOU PLAY Halestorm and The Veer YOU WERE FEATURED ANY INSTRUMENTS? Union. They have proba- IN A TATTOO MAGAZINE? bly been around a lot I play a really, really bad longer than us, for sure, guitar. Iʼm probably good since we are the epitome With Burn Halo, yes, I enough to throw together of a new band. We were think with 18 Visions because there were three or a few chords and write a formed in October and riff or two, but thatʼs about out touring in December. four of us who were so as far as it goes. Those bands were great heavily tattooed, we were

in just about every tattoo magazine at the time. We did a lot of tattoo magazine features for sure.

MUEN: THANKS SO MUCH FOR TALKING WITH ME; IT WAS A LOT OF FUN. Yeah, thank you very much.

MUEN: BEFORE I LET YOU GO DO YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING? Keep on Truckin!

GLASS WOLFE

PW: Yes she has so far... but that doesnʼt mean that I wonʼt write some too.

MKG: Phil wrote some lyrics on our first CD, otherwise I wrote the rest.

MUEN: I SEE THAT SHE HAS ALSO WRITTEN LYRICS FOR KEITH EMERSON OF EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER! TELL US, HOW DID THAT OPPORTUNITY COME ABOUT, WHAT SONGS, AND WHAT YEARS WERE THEY? PW: I had been playing in an Emerson Lake and Palmer tribute band

http://www.myspace.co m/theendlessenigma

frequented by many of LAʼs legendary musiBy G. Cataline cians. I had played there in the early 90ʼs MUEN: HOW DID THE with my solo project TWO OF YOU FIRST WOLFEGANG which MEET? turned into my solo album LIFEFORCE PW: We met at the FM with ex Yngwie and ImStation in N Hollywood pellitteri singer Mark CA, a local rock and Weitz. metal club Los Angeles, CA

and Keith Emerson came to one of our shows. We hit it off and one day

http://www.myspace.co we learned that he was m/philipwolfelifeforce looking for a lyricist and I recommended Maria. I saw Maria at a table with her girlfriends and Within a day or two introduced myself. We after getting her lyrics got to talking and the they had demoʼs of a rest is history. couple songs and we have a cassette tape MUEN: DOES MARIA with the tracks. UnfortuWRITE ALL THE nately they never got LYRICS? released as ELP broke

up and havenʼt got back together.

MKG: Keithʼs manager had told Philip that Keith was looking for some lyrics for a new ELP album. Philip gave him a number of my lyrics and Keith immediately liked one I had called “False Prophets”. That was the song he did the demo of. Then I was requested to write lyrics for a song entitled “Crossing the Rubicon”. Greg Lake had come up with the title. I never even heard the music nor did I ever get to as I wrote the lyrics. I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to be writing to or even how long the song was. I just had to wing it. I did some research and discovered that the title referred to a famous battle Julius Caesar fought against General Pompey of Rome and Caesarʼs victory paved the way for him becoming emperor. A friend then told me it was also an expression for crossing the line and not being able to go back. I didnʼt know which of the two concepts Keith wanted so I tried to incorporate both. Then we sent it off to Keith to see if it

sufficed. First, it wasnʼt long enough, then Keith wanted all the references to Caesar removed and I had to replace his name with “the general” and so on and so forth until finally I was told that Keith and Greg Lake had a falling out and since Greg came up with the title of the song, all the “Crossing the Rubicon” lines had to be removed. I was stunned. All that work to write lyrics around a title that they didnʼt want to use anymore. After many months, I heard nothing more until we were told Keith was in Europe touring with Rick Wakeman. A couple of years later, I tried the lyrics out on a song we were working on with some players in our Glass Wolfe project, but I wasnʼt really happy with the song. When Philip was writing the music for Xotica, I decided to use the lyrics on one of the songs, which on the new CD is “Rubicon”. With all the hard work I had done on those lyrics, I didnʼt want them to go to waste.

stuff like Emerald Lady, Rise Above, Helen of Troy and Queen of Tragedy.

MKG: I would have to agree with Philip, although I also really like “The Tempest” and “Rubicon” as well. I am doing all the vocal parts on “Rubicon” with the exception of the low voice in the middle - including the low voice on both verses so I really get to show off my range. The low verse part in that song is pitched down a little, but not much. I had really only recorded it to give Philip a model so he could do those parts, but he liked the feel I had on the parts. MUEN: WHAT SONGS DO YOU GET THE MOST RESPONSE FROM, AND WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?

lar in CA, Florida, Ohio, PA, NY and that nearly 40% of our listening audience is female between 14 and 45 yrs of age.

MKG: We get great reaction from a lot of our songs so itʼs hard to say. The material on Xotica seems to be very different from what many of the bands in LA are playing so that in and of itself gets attention. Weʼve played places where a number of patrons stopped whatever they were doing to watch us. Taking out their cellphones and cameras to take pictures, etc. And they had never even heard our music before. It was amazing.

MUEN: PHILIP IS ALSO A VETERAN TO THE L.A. MUSIC SCENE AND HAS PLAYED KEYPW: We recently got BOARDS FOR WASP, aboard JANGO radio VINNIE VINCENT, AND and from their charts MORE... WHILE LISand graphs it seems TENING TO YOUR that fans of After ForALBUM, I WAS ever, Nightwish and THINKING THIS IS Epica seem to like our PRETTY INTRICATE XOTICA CD very much STUFF... WHAT WERE and favor the symSOME OF YOUR phonic tracks Emerald BEST ACCOMPLISHWHAT SONGS DO MENTS, AND WHAT YOU FEEL THE MOST Lady, Rise Above, ACCOMPLISHED BY? Helen of Troy and Rubi- TIMES IN YOUR CAcon. Jango also show REER DO YOU CHERthat we are very popu- ISH THE MOST? PW: Mostly the new

tracks in our home studio in about 4 hours while Rudy Sarzo recorded his bass in his studio and gave us a CD with the audio file. Neil Citron recorded his tracks in Steve Vaiʼs studio and gave us a CD with the tracks. All the keys and vocals were of course recorded in our studio and more at venues like Donnington UK and as well as the Choir that we got from a local Manheim Germany. Also playing clubs with LA opera company. lots of history like the Marquee in London and It was relatively easy to comp them together in The Hammersmith Nuendo as they were Odeon UK. I also reall recorded with leased the very 1st Hammond B3 and Mini- SMPTE timecode. moog CD Rom But XOTICA It took (for sampler keyboards much longer than expected to finish due to like the Kurzweil my health problems 2500XS, Akai 1000 , that resulted in my life ProTools, Emu etc) in being saved in the 1994 and got a 5 star Emergency room 3 review in keyboard times, a major surgery magazine. and the long healing process that I endured MUEN: THIS THIRD afterwards. Thankfully ALBUM THAT YOU my dear friend John HAVE OUT NOW, Rotondi helped with the "XOTICA"... FEAmixing (and walking my TURES CHRIS dog when I was incaSLADE, RUDY pacitated with pain). SARZO, AND MORE FAMOUS MUSICIANS. And then there was the WAS IT HARD PUTjourney into the world TING THIS ALBUM TOGETHER, OR DID of mastering. I used the TRacks software for 2 IT COME EASY? months and mastered it 5 or 6 times till I was PW: Chris Slade exasperated. Doubting recorded his drum

PW: I enjoyed playing in Japan at the Tokyo Dome with Impellitteri in front of 90,000 screaming fans and the Monsters of rock Europe tour with WASP , opening up for Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath in front of crowds of 85,000

my efforts I took it to Universal Mastering and Pete Doel put his finishing touches on it and graciously gave me the mastering credit. MUEN: TELL US ABOUT THE ARTIST THAT CREATED YOUR ALBUM COVER, ETC...

MKG: We were very fortunate in the talented photographer and artist who made the artwork of Xotica so exceptional. Stephen Manley was our photographer and a good friend of ours who had been not only a professional photographer at one time but a child actor as well who worked on a number of shows and mini-series in the 1970ʼs. His most notable role was the teenage Spock in Star Trek III. Consequently, he came up with all the locations to shoot our photos for the CD. He was very meticulous and creative and the photos reflect that. He really did great work with us. After all the photo shoots were completed, we turned it over to artist Ed Unitsky, who has done CD artwork for a number of other bands. We found him on myspace and

thought his artwork was stunning. He incorporated Stephenʼs photography with his own embellishments and ideas. Therefore, both of their work was showcased and the end result was nothing short of spectacular.

MUEN: WHERE IS IT AVAILABLE?

http://www.cdbaby.com/ cd/glasswolfe3

http://www.glasswolfe.c om ( check or money order )

and also on Apple Itunes

MUEN: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE POWER OF INTERNET RADIO?

PW: We are currently being played on over 100 stations - 70 internet and 30 college stations, a few P3 stations, etc.

It is wonderful ... we were being played on a radio show out of Germany and at the same time were in the chat room interacting with fans and DJʼs from around the world. The next show had a DJ out of Norway etc .

MKG: It has been really positive so far. We have a number of internet stations that have featured us, interviewed us and supported us and we so appreciate it. They are helping to get our name and music out there. We have tried to return the favor by posting their banners, tuning into their shows and chatrooms, posting blogs, etc. Plus, we have met some great new friends along the way. MUEN: HOW ABOUT THE MUSIC BUSINESS IN GENERAL, AS IT STANDS TODAY?

PW: In some respects it is a lot harder because you have to do so much of the work yourself instead of having a label to promote and market you.

On the other hand you can record, mix and master the project in your own studio and then promote it to radio and market it all over the globe from your computer.

with label deals that got some of the same promotion that we were getting by virtue of our hard work and networking without a label. We related to these webzines, journalists, reviewers, etc on more of a personal level than an artist with a label doing the promotion. Plus, we never were forced to compromise our artistic beliefs to a trend because of industry pressure to make a buck. Sure, weʼd like to be more successful, but not at the expense of our artistic integrity. Iʼve seen other bands that I have been a fan of put out a CD that seemed like an attempt to make them more commercial and fit into the current trend which in turn, to me, made the band lose itʼs magic. But it is a lot of very hard work, determination and perseverance. MUEN: HOW OFTEN DO YOU PLAY OUT LIVE?

PW: We have been in and out of the studio (and the hospital) for the last 3 1/2 years and have played only a MKG: It seems like handfull of shows durthere is a lot of uncer- ing that time . tainty out there. We But now with the rehave known musicians lease of XOTICA and

the great response we have been getting we are looking for a booking agent and a tour including clubs and festivals. MUEN: ANYTHING COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS THAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?

PW: More live radio interviews, a new video and some live shows leading up to a bigger tour.

MKG: Every week we are getting word of more airplay, requests for interviews, reviews. Soon we should have reviews coming out of Italy and England, interviews out of Canada, airplay out of the Pacific Northwest, New York, etc. Our myspace site is the best way to keep up with it since we work that site ourselves and are on it almost daily. MUEN: IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD?

PW: We are already 22 songs deep into the writing and recording of our next CD which will be a concept album and possibly a double

CD.

MKG: We would like to truly thank everyone that has supported us every bit helps and is definitely appreciated. We couldnʼt do it without you!!!! PW: We would like to thank the people and companies that have

endorsed, supported and encouraged us . Brian Chung from Kawai for letting me record on their 9ʼ Grand piano, Doug Rogers and Rhys Moody of Sounds Online for the orchestra and choir software, Yamaha, Steinberg, T.C.Electronics, Arturia, Korg, Sibelius, Kurzweil, for software and keyboards, Marshall and Peavey for amps and speakers, Mark Ludmer of Rode Micʼs, and Don Griffin, Rick Waite and Mark Spiwak at West LA Music (we get a lot of great gear from that store).

WAITING FOR DECAY

(Dirtbag Music Records)

Dewayne Clifton (Vocals)

Myspace.com/waitingfordecay By: Shauna OʼDonnell

We are from a town called Hesperia in Southern California. I live in Oklahoma though and the rest of the band lives in California.

MUEN: HOW DOES THAT WORK?

MUEN: HI DEWAYNE, Itʼs actually working THANKS FOR TALKING pretty good, because WITH ME TODAY. what they do is record materials, send it to me Itʼs my pleasure. through email, I download it, upload it on my MUEN: FIRST A LITTLE recorder and we just HISTORY ON THE bounce back and forth BAND. WHERE ARE sending each other new YOU GUYS FROM IN stuff. When we get new CALIFORNIA? songs written, we meet up and just record it. Our

management helps us book shows, so I go out Five years there whenever shows are booked or they come MUEN: IS THIS THE ORIGINAL LINE-UP? out here. MUEN: THATʼS COOL, HOW DO YOU LIKE IT IN OKLAHOMA?

I love it, I grew up here for about seventeen years and then I went to California for about seventeen years. I have been back in Oklahoma for about a year and a half now. MUEN: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TOGETHER AS A BAND?

No, I wish it was. We went through so many different band members. I love the current line-up that we have now; I wish that these could have been the guys in the band the whole time. Just like any other band we went through changes and stuff until we found the right people that can travel and have the time to be in a band. We finally got the perfect line-up.

MUEN: I KNOW THAT YOU ARE THE VOCALIST OF THE BAND. DO YOU PLAY ANY INSTRUMENTS?

end up blowing my voice out. I started doing some acoustic stuff with an old friend and we did some coffee shop stuff. I started enjoying that Nope. I can barely walk, more and more. I was talk and chew gum at the still throwing some of the same time. I took guitar screaming stuff in there lessons and found out and that is what kind of that I wanted to sing. I freaks people out. We enjoyed singing more are an all acoustic band and I didnʼt have the pa- and then Iʼll just start tience to do both. screaming on certain parts, but our guitar MUEN: YOU TAUGHT player kind of beefs it up YOURSELF HOW TO when it comes time for SING. that, so it kind of has its own unique sound. Yes, when I was a kid, they used to make me MUEN: YEAH, AND IT get up in front of the WORKS. church and sing, which went on for about five Yeah, so far. years. Sometimes, they would make me get up MUEN: HOW MANY there and do it by myself. CDʼS DO YOU HAVE I got over that nervous OUT? feeling real quick. I never thought I would end up We have one out, but we doing this, but it was a are in the process of good starting point. recording another one. That should happen this MUEN: ABSOLUTELY, I year. I think we are going THINK THAT EVERYback in the studio around THING WE DO IN LIFE, September. We have LEADS TO SOMEabout thirty to forty songs THING. to choose from. We did the last album back in I believe the same thing. 2007, so I think weʼre due. We have a couple MUEN: HOW LONG different producers that HAVE YOU BEEN PLAY- have been talking to us. ING IN BANDS? MUEN: WELL YOU Only for about eight BRIEFLY DESCRIBED years. I started off in a YOUR WRITING heavy, hardcore, metal PROCESS. ARE YOU band. I ended up THE ONE THAT screaming so much that I WRITES ALL THE thought I was going to LYRICS FOR THE

BAND?

pletely on a different page. Itʼs a neat little Yes, there were a couple collaboration of ideas. songs on the last album that each one of the gui- MUEN: THATʼS COOL tar players had written WHEN EVERYBODY and then we collaborated BRINGS SOMETHING together, but for the most DIFFERENT TO THE part they wrote two TABLE. THAT IS WHAT songs lyrically. The guy GIVES YOU YOUR that writes most of the UNIQUE SOUND. music in the band now is Mike, our guitar player. Exactly, every time we do Whenever we get toa show somebody tells gether we just try to do us a different band that crunch time and record we sound like, so thatʼs as much as we can. Itʼs cool. kind of a fun process, I like doing it like that. MUEN: WHO ARE SOME OF THE BANDS MUEN: WHERE DO THEY TELL YOU THAT YOUR INFLUENCES YOU SOUND LIKE? COME FROM? Weʼve been told Alice in My influences are SlipChains, Days of the New, knot, Metallica and Godsmack and every Slayer. I canʼt do any of once in a while Metallica. that stuff the way that we Itʼs all over the map. write this music. Thatʼs where I come in and try MUEN: I GUESS to scream on different EVERYONE HEARS songs and the funny SOMETHING DIFFERthing is when people see ENT. us when we play and they see us put up the They do and itʼs probably acoustic guitars and stuff coming from their influit kind of freaks them out. ences and what they like. They say “You know you are playing with heavy MUEN: I USED TO rock bands right?” and PLAY DRUMS AND SO they say “Are you sure WHEN I GO TO SHOWS you want to do this?” We I TEND TO WATCH THE have to convince them DRUMMER. THAT IS by saying “Itʼs going to PROBABLY WHAT be okay, just let us play. PEOPLE DO WHEN Youʼll see.” They always THEY ARE IN THE AUinvite us back, but that is DIENCE; THEY WATCH some of my influences. I WHAT INTERESTS also like Alice in Chains THEM MOST. and Godsmack. The other guys are comThatʼs what I do; Iʼll sit

there and watch the singer.

MUEN: WHEN DID YOU SIGN WITH DIRTBAG?

We have been with them for about five months, we are pretty new. They have about thirty bands that they are working with right now. We are really excited, we just had a conference call with the owner and he was telling us some of the new directions that we are going to go in and what he is going to do to take us to the next level. We are really excited about being with those guys.

and Iʼm sure there will be more things that will come. We definitely want to get the new album going. I am talking to a guy right now, the same guy that shot the last video, about shooting a new video for us for the new single. We are really excited to work with him.

MUEN: A LOT OF BANDS ARE USING FILM STUDENTS FROM COLLEGES TO SHOOT THEIR VIDEOS.

Thatʼs what I heard and I think itʼs a great idea because everyone is kind of struggling with money to put towards this and that.

Most of them are just clothing companies and I have one that sponsors me called Darker Image Clothing and Dirtbag obviously. I have a sponsor from New Zealand who works with a company called Dead Ringer and he sent me over all these skull rings and jewelry. He gave it all to me for free and he made all the rings for the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie. He made all the rings for everybody who went down the red carpet. I was shocked that he gave me all this stuff. We have Dunlop who gives us guitar strings and picks. Nothing for me, but the rest of the band, I guess when I got all the jewelry they pretty much told me I wasnʼt going to get anything.

just came off of a small tour. The whole time that we have been a band, weʼve done quite a bit. Weʼve been to Colorado, Texas and California. It kind of goes with whatever time that we get to do things. We will do ten or eleven shows at a time. We havenʼt had the opportunity yet to do thirty or forty day tours or anything, but I think we are getting close to that.

MUEN: HAVE YOU PLAYED IN OKLAHOMA?

Not yet, you know whatʼs crazy is when I do a lot of friend requests off of MySpace through OklaMUEN: WELL THATʼS homa, it seems like the MUEN: I DID SEE THAT GOOD. LETʼS TALK Oklahoma, Texas and YOU HAVE DATES IN ABOUT SOME OF Arkansas people like our TEXAS COMING UP. THOSE THINGS. WE music the most. Iʼve been AFTER THAT YOU LAST INTERVIEWED telling the band that we HAVE A MIDWEST YOU FOR MUEN BACK need to be hitting some TOUR PLANNED? IN DECEMBER SO MUEN: YOUʼRE LIKE READING YOUR BIO IT “LOOK, I GET ALL THE of the states where we LETʼS TALK ABOUT are receiving a lot of atSAID YOU WILL BE THINGS THAT ARE CLOTHES AND THE tention. We were actually HEADING BACK INTO JEWELRY AND YOU CURRENTLY GOING going to do that in SepTHE STUDIO IN SEPON NOW. HAVE YOU GUYS CAN HAVE THE tember, but then my TEMBER OF 2009. OR ARE YOU CURSTRINGS, OKAY?” manager saw the email RENTLY WORKING ON and he said “No! You ANY MUSIC VIDEOS? We put that up because (Laughing) Exactly guys get back in the stuwe never know how dio. Stop trying to book We did a music video for things are going to turn MUEN: YOUʼRE THE these shows.” Heʼs one of our songs called out. We may go in to the FRONT MAN, THAT studio and they will say “Savannah Rose.” It MAKES SENSE RIGHT? dying for us to record another CD. We are showturned out great and that “Okay, thatʼs going to be ing so many different $25,000” and we will be Yeah, exactly is actually how Dirtbag people this new album discovered us. After they like “Okay, weʼre going that have never heard it on tour.” (Laughing) watched the video they MUEN: HOW MUCH before. Thatʼs the fun went and listened to the TOURING HAVE YOU part, even though we DONE AS A BAND? music. We have a couple MUEN: WHO ARE think itʼs old, they are more shows we want to SOME OF THE SPONhearing it for the first time With this line-up weʼve finish out the year with, SORS YOU HAVE BACKING YOU? just started. We actually and it kind of re-sparks we are heading to Texas the whole band.

MUEN: HOW WOULD doing that involve music. YOU DESCRIBE YOUR I also enjoy being with AUDIENCE? my kids.

Thatʼs weird because when we were on the phone with Dirtbag, they were trying to find our target age group. We were just in Colorado playing a music festival. There were kids on skateboards riding around and when we started playing they came up and before you know it by the end of the night there were hundreds of sixteen year olds with their parents standing behind them watching the whole thing. It was just kind of shocking. We havenʼt found our target age group yet, because the songs go from one extreme to another on the CD. Dirtbag told us they need to target an age group, so they are even trying to figure out what age group to target.

MUEN: WHAT KIND OF MOVIES DO YOU PREFER?

I love scary movies. Every year I throw haunted houses for the public. I love the Evil Dead trilogies. I like being scared.

MUEN: THE REASON I ASKED WHAT KIND OF MOVIES YOU LIKE IS BECAUSE I WAS CURIOUS AS TO WHAT TYPE OF MOVIE YOU THINK YOUʼRE MUSIC WOULD BE GOOD IN?

Thatʼs a good question because half of the CD is more of a hard rock style and the other half is really kind of light and mellow. We have had guys that used the songs in dirt bike videos and another guy used it in a B flick movie in a sadder MUEN: OTHER THAN scene. There are so MUSIC, WHAT ARE many different places SOME OF YOUR INthat I think it would fit in TERESTS AND/OR well, I guess it would deHOBBIES? pend on what kind of action is going on in the I like playing on my boat. movie. Iʼm kind of curious I love going to the river. too; I hope someone else When I was in California, figures it out. (Laughing) I would go to Lake Havasu all the time. MUEN: IT WILL ALL Since Iʼm in Oklahoma, I COME IN TIME. do a little bit of hunting. I like to browse on the in- I just want to get back in ternet and find new the studio, we have three things that people are or four songs right now

that I know are just going and listen to our music. to surpass our previous Itʼs acoustic all the time with kind of like a metal CD. edge to it. I think people will enjoy it. Itʼs not a MUEN: I WISH YOU GUYS THE VERY BEST combination that too OF LUCK. THANK YOU many people use, but I SO MUCH FOR THE IN- think it is going to be something fresh. We TERVIEW, IT WAS wish you the best of luck GREAT TALKING TO too! YOU. BEFORE I LET YOU GO IS THERE ANYTHING YOUʼD LIKE TO ADD OR SAY? Visit our MySpace page

CHIMAIRA Matt DeVries (Guitar)

By Natalie Perez

Chimaira formed in 1998 based out of Cleveland, Ohio these metalcore thrash addicts have taken the metal genre to a whole new level after unleashing "The Infection," Expanding a series of new material to express itself to not only the old school fans but the new comers as well. Matt spoke to me briefly on the band's tour bus right outside their last stop in California before heading out East to finish up the remainder of what is left is The Decimation of the Nation Tour. MUEN: So you must get a lot of freedom to do

what you want to do with MUEN: Are you looking forward to any specific your music? venues or cities on this tour? Matt: Whatʼs cool about this record is having us as a whole grow up and being Matt: Thereʼs some Iʼm trying to think all the Califorable to combine our cernia dates I love coming out tain favorites together to create a style all our own. here in the West Coast but I also like going out to Austin. MUEN: What are you currently listening to? MUEN: Any tour anxiMatt: We kind of go back eties? on what we grow up with Iʼve been listening to Pan- Matt: Not really anymore everything is pretty much tera lately. going well. MUEN: If every member of Chimaira was locked MUEN: Is everyone in in a room together what Chimaira still sort of locould you all agree on to cated in Ohio? Or have some members listen to? branched out and moved away? Matt: Whatʼs cool a lot of us have the same backMatt: Everyone is in Clevegrounds like Pantera, land, Chris moved down in Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, any of the old Florida stayed out there for 2 years then moved back. school heavy metal acts So having everyone we can all relate too.

around makes the music process a lot easier.

MUEN: Does that make it difficult when the time comes to practice or write? Is the writing done separately and then sort of pieced together, or is it more of as group effort?

Matt: We write on our own at first then come together. Then we get together and piece it altogether.

MUEN: How do you feel like "The Infection," is different than the other albums that Chimaira has released?

Matt: Yeah itʼs definitely different than anything else weʼve released. MUEN: How does it make you guys feel to hear so many other bands trying to sort of

mimic your sound? Is it flattering or…?

Nation Tour.

CHIMAIRA

MUEN: Does the Photo by Natalie Perez whole album Matt: I think itʼs flattering for sure itʼs not like some- creating process simply one is trying to rip us off but I think its cool overall. get more difficult as time goes on? Have MUEN: Of all of Chimairaʼs albums, what is you ever felt your personal favorite? pressure to top Or is that like asking you yourselves? to try and choose a faSean: You alvorite child? ways feel pressure to top Matt: Iʼd have to say this one because itʼs fresh and yourself. Definitely the songnew. writing process MUEN: Any last words of gets easier but the whole wisdom? process does get harder as each Matt: Thanks for all the album comes support. around.

DYING FETUS

Sean Beasley (Bass)

By Natalie Perez

MUEN: That being said was there an intention to create an album which was a reaction to “War of Attrition,"?

Sean: Not really it was what it was and the same One of the most brutalizing goes for this one coming and intense acts around out. within the death metal pool is known to many as Dying MUEN: How is the curFetus. These three musirent tour going, getting cians combine death metal along with everyone? with a combo of grind and hardcore to establish a Sean: Yeah itʼs going great mixture of metal unlike any so far weʼve been playing other out right now. a lot of smaller places. So Bassist Sean Beasley itʼs a lot more different spoke to me outside the than our usual standards. Glass House in Pomona while the band was out on MUEN: What kind of the last stop in California steps does "Descend on The Decimation of the Into Depravity," takes in

comparison? How do you view the leaps of growth Dying Fetus took between "Purification Through Violence," to "War of Attrition," from "Killing on Adrenaline," and from that to "Descend Into Depravity"?

Sean: Iʼm not an original member of the band so as far as that goes this band has gone through some line-up changes so that makes a difference here and there. Music wise itʼs gotten a lot more intense expressing what Dying Fetus Is truly capable of

doing.

MUEN: What's left at this point? Are there still things left to challenge Dying Fetus? Sean: Yeah get back on the bus than riding in a van, just go out and tour.

MUEN: So what do you have going on this year?

Sean: After this tour is over our next release comes out in September then weʼre going off to play with Cannibal Corpse. In the meantime weʼre wait-

ing for the release of our Joel Grind two new music videos to founded Toxic come out which should be Holocaust in anytime now.

1999 being the original team MUEN: What are the mate who biggest and smallest crowds you've played in wrote and front of? recorded everything Sean: The biggest crowd within his very was probably at Wacken own bed room. 2002 about 40,000 or so

and the smallest was 11. *Laughs* It was just the other band mates and their girlfriends standing and watching us perform. MUEN: Any last words?

Sean: Any last words check out the new album once itʼs released.

TOXIC HOLOCAUST Joel Grind

(Vocals/Guitar)

By Natalie Perez

What do you get when you combine a toxic with a holocaust? Give up? Toxic Holocaust! These punk-inflected thrash metallers out of Portland, Oregon have been kicking it old school since the 1980s. Their musical influences had ranged from a wide variety of acts, Discharge, Hellhammer, Bathory, Venom and Possessed just to name a few.

DYING FETUS Photo by Natalie Perez

After a couple of demo releases (Radiation Sickness, 1999; Critical Mass, 2002), an official LP was revealed entitled "Evil Never Dies (2003). Two years went by and after some constant touring hiring backup back after backup Grind had gone off to release his second attempt "Hell On Earth" (2005) then another round of touring followed. Soon after Relapse Records contacted Grind and everything fell into place from that day, bringing forth "An Overdose of Death," (2008) and thus the birth Grind like's call "Nuclear Speed Metal" was born. Joel Grind spoke to me briefly while the band was on their last California date before heading out East to finish off The Decimation of the

Nation Tour.

to travel and need to get a backup band, MUEN: Tell us about heading out to Austria Toxic Holocaust... a need to backup band, little history... a little going to Brazil backup about the band mem- band. So a solid linebers. up wasnʼt set yet. I did one more demo - I beJoel: Toxic Holocaust lieve in 2007 and sent started in 99 I had that off to some labels started in high school where Relapse came with a couple friends. out to be the best reWe did a demo tape sponse. Since then we but it didnʼt really work replaced our old drumout they werenʼt into mer, have this new guy the punk thrash music along with our bassist style. So I started and everything has recording my own stuff been working out great in my bedroom for a ever since. couple of years which lead to “Critical Mass.” MUEN: If you had to Then this record label describe your sound out of California called to someone what Nuclear War Now took would you tell them? interest and released it via vinyl. So from doing Joel: I would say that, it lead to underthrash punk basically ground tours, gigs etc. combining different styles of music similar But then I would have to sounding a lot like

Hellhammer.

Joel: Yeah got a bunch of new songs ready to MUEN: Your debut An record so everyone Overdose of Death... should be seeing that is out. Tell us about very soon. it. MUEN: You guys Joel: Well itʼs not really have been constantly our debut album but itʼs touring, what is one our third record thatʼs of the most memoactually received the rable places you've most disruption. It has been too? new songs that Iʼd like to call “Nuclear Speed Joel: Most memorable Metal” I donʼt know re- place would have to be ally but I like how the in Japan itʼs so differrecording came toent than any other gether and how raw place weʼve been too. and intense it is over- Itʼs a comall. pletely different culture than MUEN: Pick one song anywhere else. on the "An Overdose of Death...," and tell MUEN: What us about it. How was are your upit inspired? coming plans for the rest of Joel: Well Iʼd have to 2009? pick “Nuke The Cross,” a lot of people hear the Joel: We got a title and automatically tour with think itʼs a Satanic Satyricon haptheme song itʼs actually pening and more about ending reli- then another gion than the title with The Black claims it to be when Dahlia Murder looking at the lyrics. Iʼm coming up not a big fan of a reli- along with gion or a Satanist I just heading to Eulike doing my own thing rope in Decemand believe what I be- ber so lieve in. basically lots more touring MUEN: Do you have going on. any plans for the next release? MUEN: What are your goals

for Toxic Holocaust? and the interviews we do. The bad thing is not Joel: Just get on the making any money but road and release more I do enjoy doing what I records. I donʼt really do. have any goals just meet more fans and MUEN: Anything else make new friends and you'd like to add? get our music heard while out on the road. Joel: Hopefully youʼll see us on the road MUEN: What are one weʼll be coming to your good thing and one tour so come check us bad thing about out! being in a band? Joel: The good thing is all the girls we meet,

TOXIC HOLOCAUST Photo by Natalie Perez

HEAVEN’S BASEMENT

Heavenʼs Basement : Knockinʼ on the Upstairs Door”

hardcore metal has brought us all here together. I love this stuff, man! I free-lance for a lot of music publications because I am a music enthusiast, and today By Ron “Roosterpuddin” Isbell MUEN is the vehicle… Plain and simple. You Wassupʼ MUEN Maga- can look me up on Myzine Fans!? If youʼre space, and see that. reading this now, that means that we are all Today, I want you to already friends. Our focus on “Heavenʼs penchant for raw, pure, Basement”. They have

opened for some MAJOR acts in a damn short period of time. Thereʼs a reason. In my opinion, they stand out in todayʼs music industry that is saturated with a lot of “clones”. Their song-writing is very tight, and theyʼve knocked it out in the studio, also….but Iʼll let you guys make your own call. Make sure you give ʻem a listen after

you read this.

Hereʼs what Sid shared with me. Your browser may not support display of this image.

Q) So how does it feel to open for Black Stone Cherry, Shinedown, and Buckcherry? That's pretty impressive.

It's great, all of those bands, plus Papa Roach, are some of our favorite bands that are around right now. It's always cool to share the stage with bands you're into. Plus we had a fuckinʼ good laugh with all of them!

Michael Jackson, it would have been cool to be around such an intense performer. Q) What bands are you guys diggin' on

with "I LOVE JOHNFRED" written across her to cheer him up. (Yes, Iʼm laffinʼ;)

Your browser may not support display of this

Q) How did the band form, and how did you come up with the name? We'd been mates from various other bands, and one night at a party at Richie's we started jamming some tunes out, there was a real good vibe about it so we just went with it to see how far it would go. Heaven's Basement was a name I came up with to describe the room we were in, and it just stuck.

now?

image. ( Black Stone Cherry with Heavensʼ Basement)

We're getting some good use out of the Shinedown cd we stole Q)What are some of off them. Pearl Jam and your favorite foods / drinks? Alice in Chains, too. Q) Whatʼs the strangest show so far?

like to do when not performing? What makes you happy?

Having as much fun in a foreign city as possible, carnage seems to follow us around more . Yeah, we can't wait to come over to the states sometime and give you all a taste of it. Your browser may not support display of this image. Well, there ya go, peoples. These guys have already opened for four MAJOR acts in a short time. Thereʼs something to be said for that, and I respect that. Iʼm just glad I caught these young men before they go big. Make sure you catch their myspace page. They have some damn fine spins! Iʼm glad I could share this with you, and am honored to be associated with MUEN Magazine. I hope to bring yʼall more stuff to the table here.

Pasta, pizza, curry, Clunge, Belgian beers, Q) What equipment fajitas, Hoegarden, are you guys using tequila, Sumbuca, now? cider...loads really, deThe last show of the We're Black Stone Cherry tour pends on the job you gibson/fender/marwas pretty funny. Jonny wanna get done. ʻTil Next Time, shall/ashdown/tama and I walked onstage Q) Celebrity shovel guys at the moment, during "maybe someand I can't see it chang- day" dressed in cowboy time....If you could hit Ron “Roosterpuddin” Isany celebrity with a ing too soon. They can boots and BSC hottake a beating! pants to freak them out. shovel, who would it bell John-Fred had broken be? Q) If you could tour his hand in the 1st song with any deceased and was still playing the Bill O'Reilly (Hell, I would, too;) musician, who would set so we got a nice it be? Dutch girl to come on with us and get topless Q) What do you guys

as musicians since then.

Jeff City, MO Myspace.com/shamansharvest By: Shauna OʼDonnell

Josh Hamler and Drake Hunt

Our pleasure.

the Bastards” was a If we were forced to de- mathematical, riff oriented piece. scribe the music we would say working class, blues influenced, WHAT ARE YOUR rock n roll with a lyrical THOUGHTS WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THE conscience. “Shine” SONGS YOU WROTE has a sense of personal growth as musi- FOR THE FIRST ALBUM IN COMcians. PARISON TO THE WHAT EVENTS ONES YOU

STYLE HAS CHANGED SINCE YOU FIRST STARTED THIS BAND. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE AND HOW WOULD YOU SAY THIS RELEASE DIFFERS FROM THE PREVIOUS ONES?

CAUSED YOU TO GO WROTE RECENTLY? IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION? Ouch, from a critical standpoint. Most of our Well, we had lost a gui- early stuff began way tar player since our last back in high school album and decided to when we didnʼt know focus on the songs as our ass from a hole in a whole instead of indi- the ground. We can vidual riffs. “March of only hope weʼve grown

THANKS SO MUCH GUYS FOR TALKING WITH ME TODAY. YOUR FOURTH RELEASE SHINE IS NOW AVAILABLE. YOUR MUSICAL

WHO DID YOU USE AS A PRODUCER FOR THE ALBUM SHINE?

It was co-produced by us and L. Rich Criebaum @ Trailer studios in St. Louis. ARE THERE ANY LYRICAL OR MUSICAL THEMES GOING ON WITH THE

ALBUM?

We approached “Shine” with the intention of creating as diverse album as possible while still maintaining its fluidity. I LOVE THE SONG

“DRAGONFLY.” TELL the world and what US THE INSPIRATION they have to offer spiriBEHIND THE SONG. tually. We wanted to sum up what our music DRAKE: The dragonfly does for us on a therato me is a symbol for peutic level and just change. Lyrically, I thought it fit. tried to capture the need for change w/ us HOW LONG HAVE as a band while tying YOU GUYS BEEN changes happening en- PLAYING TOvironmentally, and with GETHER? the current state of economics in our coun- The current line up has try. “Dragonfly” is one been together since of those songs that mu- 2000. sically that came together in a few hrs. WHAT ARE THE ADWhat you hear on the VANTAGES AND DISalbum is pretty true to ADVANTAGES OF the first time we played BEING A BAND OUT it through. OF JEFF CITY, MO?

A LOT OF BANDS THESE DAYS ARE PRESSING VINYL ALBUMS. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU HAVE EVER CONSIDERED DOING?

Well, not may advantages but when your out on the road for a while itʼs nice to come home to a nice quiet place. And the people really dig music.

Emotionally charged, sweaty, lots of screaming… All the primality needed to successfully create a dirty rock show.

tion from over 2000 AIC fans.

WHAT NEW MUSIC ARE YOU LISTENING TO THESE DAYS?

FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT HEARD OF YOU BEFORE, WOULD YOU PREFER SOMEONE TO SEE A LIVE PERFORMANCE FIRST OR LISTEN TO YOUR RECORD FIRST?

As far as newer releases go, we listen to a lot of Mastodon, Clutch, Coheed and Cambria, the Leo Project, Kings of Leon, and more Mastodon .

WHAT KIND OF FAN BASE DOES YOUR MUSIC APPEAL TO?

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INTERVIEW. IS THERE ANYTHING YOUʼD LIKE TO ADD OR SAY?

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE REST OF 2009?

Itʼs hard to pull off the emotion in recordings that come naturally at Weʼre going to continue the live show. We pre- promoting “SHINE” and fer live. our single “Dragonfly.”

Hmm… We hope everyone.

YOU GUYS HAVE PLAYED WITH SOME We grew up listening to HOW WAS IT PLAYNOTABLE BANDS. vinyl and have the ING AT POINTFEST opinion music is meant 25? THERE WERE 35 WHICH SHOW to be heard on vinyl. BANDS ON THE BILL, STANDS OUT THE MOST FOR YOU? Nothing beats that WAS THAT THE warmth. That being BIGGEST SHOW YOU All stand out but the said, hopefully soon! HAVE DONE TO Alice in Chains DATE? acoustic show in St. WHATʼS THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME It was fun, tons of great Louis was way cool. SHAMANʼS HARmusic. It was defiantly We had 2 days to completely rework our set VEST? up there on the list. for an unplugged show and some how we DRAKE: Iʼve always TELL ME ABOUT pulled it off and rehad a fascination with YOUR LIVE SHOW. ceived a standing ovaindigenous peoples of

Weʼd like to just say Thank You to the people who have gone out to get “SHINE” and continue to help us create a buzz. This has been done pretty grass roots, so if youʼre into it call your radio stations. And thank you Shauna for you and your time.

www.RockNation.us

www.RockNation.us

yvonne’s world

placed them along with music he and William had written, onto a Myspace account. The chosen name, DEAD RAGE, was actually an amalgam of two band names formerly used by the duo in the past, Deadbolt and Wicked Rage.

DEAD RAGE: Heavy Freaking Metal, Baby!

wagon.

ceptualized by musicians Don Harrison and William In March 2007, that band Scott, set themselves Band Members: was DEAD RAGE! Check apart as being the 'MEEZ out this amazing story of generated, live musician Wicked D - voice how a couple of washed powered, heavy metal out, has been, wanna-be band'. Fast Willie - guitars 80's rock stars renewed their faith in Heavy Metal, Created using the 3D I.D. Aqua - bass and gained a loyal follow- MEEZMAKER, available at ing in the process, new www.meez.com, Don was Thunder Cock - drums media style. first exposed to the idea by way of Anthrax's Scott Ian, Once in awhile there Hailing directly from the in- OTEP's Shamaya, and forcomes a band that defies fernal depths of Cybermer FUSETV icon, Misall logic, and we ask our- space Hell, animated tress Juliya, all of whom selves "what the hell"? had 3D likenesses created rockers, DEAD RAGE, Then we find ourselves from the site. Taking it one keep the flames of old reading more about them, school heavy metal burn- step further, he created a eventually singing their ing bright. The band mem- fantasy band, dressing songs in our heads, finally bers, 3D computer them in 80s metal fashion climbing aboard the band- generated avatars, conand face paint, then

There was an immediate and overwhelming word of mouth response the first day the band appeared online. Hundreds of site views, hundreds of song plays, and emails on top of emails wanting to know more about DEAD RAGE. Even the corporate big dogs at www.meez.com got involved, launching a press release introducing DEAD RAGE to even more metal and Meez fanatics. They also created a custom DEAD RAGE themed merch shop for use with their 3D animated icons, with Don acting as an advisor as to what should be included. The most obvious items being spiked leather gauntlets, ala Rob Halford and a DEAD RAGE t-shirt. Former Meez publicist, Mayka Mei, stated, "Hopefully, with help from Meez, Dead Rage will be able to cross geographical borders and find fans from all walks of life." So powerful was the buzz, that DEAD RAGE received an endorsement offer from Halo Guitars (the band declined the offer), a licens-

ing offer from BravoNYC Production Company to have their music featured in a documentary, and numerous interview requests from internet radio stations and e-zines.

The band was also invited to participate in the newly created Metal Ryche Band Contest, topping all other competitors by way of popular vote, winning the contest by a sizable margin. Furthermore, a group of professional animators approached Don with the idea of a 3D stage, complete with light show and pyrotechnics. Unfortunately, that didn't pan out.

Sickness' has nearly 10,000 YouTube views with a near 5 star rating! Not bad for a fictional band playing dinosaur music. A second video was released for the song 'Dream Killer' which spliced together Meez characters and film clips from the 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' series of movies.

Dead Rage may appear to be a band making the most of modern computer technology, but while the imagery may be new media, the music is old school, through and through. Inspired by the likes of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio, Scorpions, W.A.S.P., and Shortly after others, the launching DEAD RAGE DEAD RAGE characters upon the world, definitely a video was show the increated for the fluence of power ballad their creators. 'Mourning SickOld school ness', done doesn't stop completely with there, as the the Meez animusic was mated characrecorded by ters set to the way of reel to reel, passed music. It was an instant success with tons of posi- on to each band member to add their prospective tive feedback. This inpart(s). William claims, "It spired other instills authenticity to the musicians/Meez users to almost forgotten art of create videos using their own characters. Most no- Heavy Metal”. tably, hip hop artists, FROM DUVAL, and indie The fact that Don (in Texas) and William (in rocker, LINDSAY RUSH. Massachusetts) live more To this day, 'Mourning

than 1600 miles apart doesn't affect their partnership in the least. "We used to write songs together by way of phone, back in the day, when we lived only a few miles apart and didn't have time to get together in the jam room", says Don. "This is really no different", he adds.

Despite DEAD RAGE's targeted popularity on MySpace (over 30,000 views by less than 800 loyal fans) and Reverbnation (#4 on the local Houston metal charts), there are no immediate plans for a CD release or merchandise sales. The creators had, at one time, consulted professional animators to bring DEAD RAGE to life with a full blown stage show, but negotiations fell apart at the last minute. They had also toyed with the idea of a live performing version of the band, but that was finally deemed not cost effective. Don and William are still working out the details of

how to manage, market and promote a fictional band. For the time being, it appears DEAD RAGE will remain MEEZ generated, live musician powered!

http://www.myspace.com/d eadragemusic

http://www.reverbnation.co m/deadrage About the creators:

Don Harrison aka Wicked D, is a former touring musician and music consultant. He is also a co-founder/manager of Metal Music Promotions, an artist development and public relations company for the metal genre.

William Scott aka Fast Willie, is a former touring musician and guitar teacher. He continues to work as both a recording studio and live session guitarist.

MUEN: ITʼS COOL THAT MUEN: RIVERSIDE IS YOU ARE FROM RIVER- REALLY HOT THOUGH. SIDE, IʼM FROM WHITTIER. Oh God yeah! Imagine Mitch Lucker every time we practice the (Vocals) Our drummer is from same house we have writWhittier. ten music in, rehearsed Riverside, CA for shows and practiced in Myspace.com/suicidesiMUEN: OH REALLY? is in a house in Corona. lence THATʼS SO COOL. I Itʼs in a garage with no USED TO HANG OUT IN ventilation, air conditionBy: Shauna OʼDonnell RIVERSIDE A LOT ing or fans and its like 110 WHEN degrees. MUEN: HI MITCH I WAS YOUNGER. THANKS FOR CALLING MUEN: AND IT IS PROBME UP. Riverside is a cool place. ABLY SURROUNDED The whole Southern Cali- BY ORANGE TREES. Of course fornia area is sick as fuck to grow up in, as you Oh yeah! Itʼs all orange MUEN: HOW ARE know. I feel bad for people groves and avocado orTHINGS GOING? who donʼt grow up here. chards. I think we are on the 7th As much as it sucks ass, or 8th show of the Pedal itʼs badass at the same MUEN: CONGRATULAto the Metal tour. The time. You love to hate it. TIONS ON YOUR NEW shows are amazing. Century Media recording artists Suicide Silence

RELEASE NO TIME TO BLEED. THIS IS YOUR SECOND STUDIO ALBUM RIGHT?

Yeah, The Cleansing record was actually in the studio but we recorded it live if that makes sense. We just said “1234 Go!” to every song and kept the best take of it. With No Time to Bleed we actually took our time like a mother fucker. We moved to New Jersey for five weeks and that way we had no distractions. Everyoneʼs whole focus was just on making a badass record. We definitely liked recording that way a lot better than recording live. Weʼve al-

ready been talking about doing the new record. What we are going to do to write and record the new record is we are going to move up to Big Bear, get a cabin and lock ourselves in there for three or four weeks and just write the whole new record. We will be totally secluded writing good ass fucking music. I think that would be cool as fuck to get a cabin for a month. I think itʼs kind of cool for a band of our style to take the writing process that seriously. To be a successful band you really do need to have awesome fucking songs. We are on the brink of discovering the awesome and cool songs we can write as a band. We work really well as a unit so now we are just tapping into it. MUEN: THIS ALBUM MADE IT ON THE BILLBOARD TOP 200.

Yeah, The Cleansing did that as well, but The Cleansing was at #93 or #94. This one debuted at #32 the first week and the second week it debuted in the 90ʼs so it was cool.

MUEN: I READ THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THIS ALBUM.

Yeah, there is a record which is limited; we always try to make vinyl because itʼs badass. People like to collect it, so there is a black vinyl, but then there is a clear red vinyl with black blood splatter. Those are limited to 2,000. There is the Hot Topic release which is the regular standard record with a DVD of a live show. I think there is also an extra song. The ITunes version is the record plus the Alice in Chains “Them Bones” cover and then thereʼs the box set. There are only 10,000 printed and inside the box are trading cards, a t-shirt, a poster and an extra song.

MUEN: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COVER “THEM BONES?”

Honestly, everyone in the band is a fan of Alice in Chains. Everyone in this band is heavily into music. We have done a Deftones cover before and so we were like “What do you guys want to cover for this MUEN: THAT WAS HIS- record?” I came to pracTORY IN THE MAKING tice not knowing which SEEING AS HOW YOU song we were going to do WERE THE MOST EXand they had already TREME BAND TO EVER done a rough demo of DEBUT. THAT MUST “Them Bones” in A and it HAVE FELT GREAT. just sounded so fucking heavy. It was kind of an That was a really good easy choice. feeling, flabbergasted would be the word. MUEN: NOW IT WAS

PRODUCED BY MACHINE. WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH HIM?

Machine is out of his mind. He got the best out of everybody in the coolest way possible. When we were working on vocals he really drilled me to get the best out of me. He would say “I know you can do better.” and Iʼd be like “No, dude that sounds fucking awesome.” He would make me do it again and Iʼd be like “Whoa! That sounds so much better.” Working with him vocally and as a producer is definitely fucking amazing. I really hope we get to do it again because the combination and the chemistry of our band and him together made it a very awesome record. We just want to keep doing that.

throw it out to the world and see how people respond to it. Itʼs kind of the really cool thing about being a vocalist.

MUEN: WHAT DO YOU THINK SETS YOUR MUSIC APART FROM OTHER BANDS IN YOUR GENRE?

Iʼd say 90% of the bands in our genre sound like us and are just ripping us off. Thatʼs why with this record we totally stepped outside of the box and we did shit that every other band doesnʼt do. We didnʼt soften up at all; we just went outside of the box. We tried to have this record have our sound. When you hear that record you will know it is Suicide Silence, it is our sound. Itʼs not just death metal, nu-metal or heavy metal, itʼs a barrage of shit and you canʼt really put your finger on it exMUEN: WHAT DO YOU actly. We are just a heavy ENJOY DOING THE MOST WHEN IT COMES metal band and we are trying to make it open to TO THE WRITING/RECORDING anyone who enjoys any type of metal to come to a PROCESS? Suicide show. A big chunk of time for me MUEN: I WAS THERE goes into writing the actual lyrics of the song and WHEN YOU PLAYED AT that just happens through- MAYHEM. THAT WAS out my everyday life. Itʼs THE FIRST YEAR WASall the time, I can be tak- NʼT IT? ing a shit on the toilet, That was the first year of have my phone with me and just start typing ran- Mayhem. It was so much dom thoughts. I think that fucking fun. is one of the coolest parts of my job is to be able to MUEN: YEAH, IT WAS A just sit there and unleash LONG DAY THOUGH. my brain onto paper,

That was everyday, if you werenʼt blacked out, drunk and sunburned by the time the sun went down, then you did something wrong.

Thatʼs a metal fucking show and it doesnʼt get any better than that. That is where the real energy is at, when you see people really losing their fucking shit. I remember taking MUEN: ITʼS TRUE, I showers after that and WAS, PLUS I WAS COV- when you took the shower ERED IN DIRT. I WENT you could see brown just IN A LITTLE SUNDRESS pouring out by the drain. AND SANDALS. MUEN: I WENT AGAIN You must have had THIS YEAR. muddy toes. I remember that was our hometown Did you go to the San show and it was one of Bernardino one? You the biggest days of May- probably saw our dudes hem and one of the most there. Everyone from our insane days of Mayhem. band was there except for We made a video for one myself and our drummer. of the songs off The MUEN: HAVE YOU Cleansing called “UnanMADE ANY VIDEOS FOR swered” that day and it THE NEW ALBUM YET? shows when everyone is Yeah, we made a video moshing that the dudes in for “Wake Up.” white t-shirts have turned brown. They had mud MUEN: I WAS WATCHrings in their armpits and ING THE VIDEO THAT mud around their neck. SHOCKHOUND PUT When we were playing, I OUT. THAT IS A KICKremember being on top of ASS VIDEO. IT LOOKS my rock box jumping and I REALLY GREAT. looked down at the stage and the whole stage was We went to the Hot Topic blanketed tan and white. Corporate office and just After the circle pits started played songs for them. going it blanketed the The Hot Topic Corporate whole stage, I lifted my office is the size of two feet up and there was major shopping malls. It is black where I had been fucking massive so they standing in one spot and have like 500 to 600 emthe dust had settled ployees working there all around me. Those were the time. They asked us the days when you look in to come down and play the mirror and there is like three or four songs for mud piled up in the the office so we did a creases of your mouth photo shoot and they just from breathing in were just so awkward shitty dirt. Your eyes are going “This is just our tearing with dirt and you lunch break.” I donʼt know are like “Oh, this sucks!” it was pretty cool though.

lining tour over here and went over to Europe. Ever since then weʼve been going back. We tour there just as much as we tour here in the U.S. If we are not on tour here or have a month off, we are probably over there touring. We MUEN: YOU GUYS HAVE HAD A REMARK- may be in Australia or ABLE YEAR THUS FAR. some part of the world. YOU PERFORMED AT MUEN: IS THERE A DIFTHE GOLDEN GODS AWARDS; YOU WON A FERENCE BETWEEN PLAYING THERE AND COUPLE AWARDS… HERE? We got lucky; we were Itʼs like night and fucking like “Is this supposed to day. Metal is so mainbe happening?” Did stream over there. Exsomeone fuck up? treme music over there isnʼt considered extreme MUEN: YOU PLAYED music; itʼs just music. The MUSIC AS A WEAPON fan base is massive. Itʼs a AND I BET THAT WAS little more accepted so the FUN. shows are bigger and the Music As A Weapon was shows are just insane. I fun, we played on the side love touring Europe and stage everyday and head- the UK, itʼs always a fucking blast. lined it. It was always in parking lots or fields and it MUEN: YOU ARE GOING would always get rained out. You would be playing TO BE PLAYING WITH to kids just standing there DEVILDRIVER, EMmiserable in pouring rain. MURE, MUDVAYNE AND MANY MORE IN THE There was really good shows, but there were re- UPCOMING MONTHS. I AM SO HAPPY FOR ally bad shows too. YOU GUYS. MUEN: AND NOW YOU Iʼm glad you enjoy. HAVE JUST ANNOUNCED A EUROMUEN: YEAH, I DO. YOU PEAN TOUR. IS THAT HAVE SOME MAJOR YOUR FIRST TIME ARTWORK ON YOUR GOING TO EUROPE? BODY. No, it will be like our twenIʼm working on it, I still tieth. The very first time we went to Europe we did have to finish parts, but it by ourselves, we didnʼt Iʼm almost done. have a label. We saved up money from our head- MUEN: YOUR UPPER Hot Topic is one of the biggest supporters in the extreme music scene by fucking far. They do a shitload for us and they do a shitload for a lot of other bands.

BODY IS PRETTY MUCH COVERED, WHAT ABOUT THE LOWER HALF?

Thereʼs a lot of stuff on my lower body, but I wear jeans most of the time so I said “Fuck it.” The stuff on my upper body is more significant and cool because it is a bigger area to work on. There are parts of my arm that need to be finished and a little bit of my torso. Then Iʼm probably going to take a little break. My body goes into shock now every time I get tattooed. I get cold sweats, chills and literally my body just fucking hates it. MUEN: THANKS FOR THE INTERVIEW, I APPRECIATE IT.

No worries, thanks for the interview.

MUEN: BEFORE I LET YOU GO WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD OR SAY ANYTHING?

Come out to the Pedal to the Metal shows. We have some California dates coming up. There is a good chunk of Southern California Suicide shows coming up. Two of them are headliners and two of them are the Mudvayne shows. Go to Myspace.com/suicidesilence for show dates.

www.Myspace.com/OfTheWreckage www.OfTheWreckage.com

KENELIS

Farmborough, UK

after this gig so if you can make this gig you must www.myspace.com/kenelis come! Buy tickets on www.kenelis.com NOW! By G. Cataline You have to shameless promote these days and MUEN: CAN YOU TELL I'm pretty shameless so itʼs US ABOUT THE SEPT never a problem! 19TH SHOW? WHERE WILL THIS BE, AND MUEN: LOVE YOUR WHAT CAN THOSE IN SONGS, "CORPORATE THE AREA EXPECT? CANCER," "GIVE HER THE GUN," AND Its at the Monto Water "DRAINED" IS FANTASRats, Kings Cross. We TIC AS WELL! ... WHAT have a diverse, rock loving INSPIRES YOU TO fanbase and we haven't WRITE? played a gig since our July tour so expect your socks Everyday life inspires me. to be rocked right off! Corporate Cancer is about Weʼre back in the studio working you're fucking

arse for a company that couldn't give a fuck about you, Give Her The Gun is warning that you shouldn't treat people like shit and if you lie and cheat you will get yours. Drained is about wanting someone to be happy even though you know itʼs hard because our lives get drained by unimportant crap that overshadows what really matters; we all have to earn money...

COME UP WITH YOUR ART?

Observer, kind of. Itʼs more about expressing myself because I have tons of emotions and if I don't sing or yell or talk about how I'm feeling I just can't deal with anything. Itʼs much easier for me to write about something in a song than explain it in a conversation. Anyone can say shit but writing a song about it is full on expresMUEN: DO YOU SEE sion. I love the extremity of YOURSELF AS A STORY it. I need it. TELLER OR MORE AN OBSERVER OF REAL MUEN: YOU HAVE A LIFE SITUATIONS, TO GREAT VOICE. HOW

LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SINGING FOR AND HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN A SOLO ARTIST, OR HAVE YOU PLAYED IN ANY OTHER BANDS?

Thanks! I was never a singer as a kid, I always played drums in school bands. Then I taught myself guitar and these songs that I'd always written suddenly sounded quite good! I started at open mic night level and formed Kenelis when I got a gig that needed some more noise behind it. Not only are my band amazing musicians but weʼre all really good friends. We get along so well and that's so important because without that you're fucked. Or Oasis haha how can they hate each other so much? If itʼs actually for real?

MUEN: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EVENTS IN THE PAST YEAR, GOOD OR BAD?

All good this year! Were back in the studio recording the second album which I'm hugely excited about and the most confident I've ever been about our music (I think this is the one, seriously second albums are always the mega ones) We've played amazing gigs, London and Nottingham Prides, legendary London venues like 229 and of course most massively the launch of our debut album! Sales exceeded all of our expectations and getting such good feedback for 5 years

Nothing that's better than what we can do ourselves to be honest. Weʼre a very MUEN: WHAT IS THE hardworking band and MUSIC ENVIRONMENT LIKE IN YOUR AREA OF have great support from my girlfriend who does a FARNBOROUGH, UK? phenomenal amount of It used to be compared to work getting us heard on Seattle! Reuben, Hundred ALL mediums. We've got Reasons and Vex Red are ourselves to a stage where once we have a demo of all from our local area. the new album we can go Then venues closed and fanzines stopped, it really to the bigger labels as a readymade product. died down. Saying that though all the bands still going for it played Guilfest MUEN: OK, WHO ARE this year, it was awesome! THE OTHER MEMBERS Spectrum7, Flame to Fire, OF YOUR BAND, AND D'raven and the Retox are WHAT CAN YOU TELL all doing really well but we US ABOUT THEM? all play UK wide itʼs not as Andy Seabrook-Harris local anymore. plays guitar. He will sometimes disagree just to look MUEN: PEOPLE DEFINITELY NEED TO KNOW at things from all points of view which is sometimes a WHERE TO BUY YOUR total pain in the arse but ALBUMS. WHERE IS other times completely THE BEST PLACE TO necessary to contrast my GET YOUR MUSIC? 'yes' attitude. He's very creative and will fly across CD's on hmv.com and Europe on his own for a itunes for downloads. All £7.99 and free delivery on week with his camera all in the name of art. James CD's, all proceeds go towards making the second Chilton also plays guitar and he's very geeky but album so very worthy very cool at the same time, cause :o) geek chic? He rarely disagrees and is a very good MUEN: WHAT RADIO STATIONS WOULD YOU band banter sport. We CREDIT FOR ACKNOWL- mock him the most but I EDGING YOUR TALENT? know he likes it. Sam Franklin is our drummer and he is the coolest XFM, Total Rock, all the member of the band. He good alternative ones. Were yet to break Radio 1 has the same temper as but itʼs a working progress! me, I think itʼs called short person syndrome? Which I MUEN: HAVE YOU EVER fully endorse. Thank god BEEN OFFERED A DEAL because a non angry FROM A RECORD COM- drummer is just not going to pound hard enough! PANY? OR TELL US ABOUT BLACK GRASS Andy Henry plays Bass. He's one of the most enRECORDS? hard work is awesome!

tertaining people I've ever met. Music, magic, fire, eating bleach blocks, you name it he's done it. I'm not sure what he wouldn't do to be honest! All of my band are really good guys, none of them are wankers or up their own arses and always fun to be around. MUEN: THEY SEEM TO CONTRIBUTE ALOT TO THE MUSIC WITH GREAT BACK VOCALS AND INSTRUMENTAL.

I know, and itʼs me that does all the interviews and takes the credit! Haha you are spot on though all of ours styles compliment each other so well, we've been together a long time and gel so well together musically. Sam used to front his old band and our vocals compliment really well. We kinda sound the same sometimes! Does that make him girly or me boyey?!

MUEN: WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR AND THROUGH THE NEXT?

Lots more gigs, lots more writing and as much exposure as possible! Feel free to whore us to everyone you know. People have the power!!!! :o)x

Next gig - 19th September @ The Monto Water Rats, London Tickets now onsale on our website www.kenelis.com watch our vids!

www.GlassWolfe.com www.Myspace.com/GlassWolfe

OF THE WRECKAGE

Toledo: I said hell yeah! after being exmusicians on the cam- posed to overdosing By G. Cataline amounts of open note pus we immediately chugga chugga death began writing music HELLO OF THE breakdowns i was deftogether. WRECKAGE! SO initely ready for someTHE BAND WAS Christian: I got online thing more interesting STARTED BY MIGUEL AND CHRIS- one day and messages Toledo who was Miguel: I asked Toledo TIAN... HOW DID YOU ALL MEET UP, currently vocalist of an if he knew any bass established local hard- players that could AND ARE THERE ANY PRIOR BANDS core band and asked keep up with the music and he asked him if he'd be interWE SHOULD MENested in doing vocals Matt who played in a TION? for a Technical/Death previous band with him and he was comMiguel: We attended Metal band pletely down. Harmony High School www.myspace.com/ofthew together being the reckage only two death metal

Matt: After hearing there single "Deluge" I HAD to join ! :) WHERE DO YOU ALL ORIGINATE FROM?

Toledo: Matt and I are from Orlando, Florida we're city folk.

Christian: Miguel and I are from St. Cloud, Florida, a small town Christian&Miguel: (simultaneously) THE

SOUTH!!!!!!!!!!

of the song I feel that Music is the sound of (laughter fills the emotion so in order to room) better impact our listeners I strive to make WHO DOES MOST all songs from my OF THE SONGWRIT- heart ING, AND BEING THAT THIS IS Matt: We are going to PRETTY HEAVY AND stay a Death Metal SCREAMO TYPE band. We will defiMETAL, DO YOU nitely expand our muTHINK YOU WILL sical style we have so EVER EXPLORE many musical influOTHER GENRES IN ences it would be ROCK AND METAL? dumb to put ourselves in a box unless in my Miguel: Well Everyone girlfriend was inside Writes...Christian will that box. yum! write some shit then ill come over and jam WHERE ARE YOU write some beats over RECORDING, WHEN it, then I leave and CAN WE EXPECT A Christian will structure RELEASE, AND DO the ideas of the day. YOU HAVE A NAME FOR THE DEBUT? Christian: Yeah, i basically sit in my room Christian: we have finwith my guitar and ished recording our 6 start to put together to song EP titled "Ospieces to create a siriand" and it will be complete song, During released Mid Septemthat time the song is ber and will be Availlike a bunch a scatable on ITUNES for tered Legos that are Worldwide audiences. starting to be put together Toledo: o0o0o0o Child!!!!! Mc7 Toledo: Blasphemy! Records, its our home we hate that screamo away from home! junk :) haha well, i just wait for the instrumen- Miguel: Yeahh! we are tals to be completed working with two then I write my lyrics amazing producers according to the mood Mike Chandler and Ian

AKA Slater the Drum- you ! lawl. www.myspace.com/_l mer of Blessed by a ost_productions Broken Heart.

Christian: Ian actually is featured in our song "Burn The Settlement" doing a short Synth solo at the ending chorus.

I HAVE TO ADMIT, YOU ARE DOING PRETTY WELL IN THE GRAPHIC DEPARTMENT.. WHO DO YOU HAVE DO YOUR GRAPHICS FOR YOUR WEBPAGE, AND WILL THEY ALSO BE DOING THE GRAPHICS FOR THE ALBUM?

Toledo: Ahh thank you! our good friend Gabe Rembart founder of Lost Designs created the layout for our myspace page and the promos were shot by Mike Chandler of Mc7 Records who is also creating artwork for our album. If your reading this as a band member currently looking to hook up your page professionally on a Great budget, Hit up Gabe at Lost Designs and tell him Wreckage sent

HOW MANY SONGS WILL BE ON THE ALBUM?

Miguel: This album will have 6 songs

1.Anchors 2.Burn The Settlement (feat. Ian Slater of BLESSED) 3.The Lycan 4.The Reconstruction of Berouqe (feat. Mike Chandler) 5.Deluge 6.Cowboys Kill

Support and buy our album!! Me and Bryan have to eat!

IT SEEMS THAT YOU ARE UPLOADING TO YOUR MYSPACE AS YOU COMPLETE THE SONGS... ARE YOU LITERALLY IN THE WRITING STAGE AS YOU RECORD?

Miguel: No, instrumentally the songs were finished and recorded. However Toledo would come in song by song and write lyrics being one of the newest members we have successfully created

an album that we are all very proud of.

lador!

Christian: for me the Guitarist I strive to Toledo: Haha yeah being the n00b of the play as well as are Dimebag Darrell, Mark band was a struggle Morton, and Corey so I wrote the songs Deaulieu. Bands literally days before recording them. Now would be The black dahlia murder, Trivwe are awaiting the mixing and mastering ium, Job for a Cowboy, Morbid Angel, process from Mike Chandler because he and Lamb of God. accepts nothing but perfection in his work. Toledo:Vocally I am eternally baffled by the awesomeness of Christian: yeah, he Howard Jones, and takes his sweet ass Mike Patton. My fatime too! :P vorite bands are Killswitch Engage, The (another burst of Dillinger Escape plan, laughter) The Mars Volta, In Flames, Glassjaw, and Matt: But the songs Between The Buried came out REALLY and Me but I often lisGOOD!! ten to MF DOOM, ImWHO ARE SOME OF mortal Technique, YOUR INFLUENCES, Nas, and Kayne West rap music is extremely AND BEING THAT lyrical and inspires my YOU ARE PRETTY writing. YOUNG.. WHAT ARTIST FROM THE 1970'S WOULD YOU Matt:I love the classics, Van Halen, Led PUT IN A GOOD Zepplin, and KISS! but WORD FOR? you'll always catch me Miguel: Musically my at an August Burns Red, Attack Attack!, or biggest influence is Between The Buried drummer Derek Roddy. but..as far as and Me show. Soo bands go Mastodon, sick! Divine Heresy, Dying Miguel: First and foreFetus, Ensiserium, most everybody has to Suidakra and Cel-

thank Led Zepplin They played a Critical part of what metal has become today.

Toledo: Iron Maiden! Everything you could want in a Metal band is in Iron Maiden epic vocals and shredding guitar dayum!

played out live and in such a short time we are happy to have grown such an enormous following.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS AFTER THE ALBUM IS COMPLETE?

Of The Wreckage: Get Christian: Black Sab- signed! Metalblade, bath! They were the Roadrunner, Ferret first to play in low tun- Music, Century Media, ing they are the face Nuclear Blast, etc. Hit us up! of Metal. Matt:Blind Guardian Toledo: And tour the wowww they Shred, world!! they have a song called "Valhalla" How metal is that!!? lol HAVE YOU PLAYED OUT LIVE YET?

Toledo: Yes we have

By Shauna OʼDonnell

DIVINE HERESY (Century Media)

Travis Neal (Lead Vocals) Los Angeles, CA

and devour everything that it comes in path with. It is us bringing to new Divine Heresy to the world. MUEN: WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE HAVE YOU BEEN GETTING SO FAR?

www.myspace.com/divineheresyband Things have been good. There has been some By: Shauna OʼDonnell negative from the people with Tommy (the old MUEN: HI TRAVIS HOW singer) and stuff like that. ARE YOU AND HOW As for 89 to 99% of it, itʼs ARE THINGS GOING? all good. People are down for the change and How are you doing? they love the new sound. Things are going good. Everything has been on the up and up. Itʼs time MUEN: IʼM GOOD, JUST for us to get out there ENJOYING THE NICE and start playing now. WEATHER. YOU ARE HERE IN CALIFORNIA MUEN: THE ALBUM AS WELL RIGHT? HAS BEEN DESCRIBED

Yes, in San Diego.

MUEN: YOU GUYS RECENTLY RELEASED BRINGER OF PLAGUES, YOUR LATEST ALBUM. I LOVE THE TITLE. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE?

AS MORE BRUTAL AND FASTER THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE. WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THAT?

Yes, I would agree that what we set out to do was to have no boundaries with this record. I wanted the heavy, brutal stuff to be heavier and The title could be mismore brutal. I wanted the taken for biblical. When I melodic stuff to be more came up with the title, ba- melodic and everything in sically we looked at our- between. We didnʼt want selves as being an to have any set walls. We established band, but a wanted to write what we re-invented band. To us, wanted to write. I think our new album was con- we did just that. sidered like we were unleashing our plague upon MUEN: WHAT WAS THE the world to take over or WRITING PROCESS to get into everyoneʼs ear LIKE? DOES DINO DO

MOST OF THE WRITING?

Iʼm not too sure how it went with the first record. I think Dino did a lot of writing with the drummer. Basically, Dino and Tim laid out all the roughs for this record and did a lot of the hammered out. Joe came in and wrote as well. They wanted me in the room to work with them, but my preference for writing is to have a complete demo of the song so I can tear it apart. Instead of improvising, I can come up with something solid. They did all the ground work and wrote all the music. I came in after that and laid all the melodies and lyrics over the top of that.

sole. He is amazing.

MUEN: IT WAS A GOOD EXPERIENCE THEN?

Yes, it was very good and Iʼm really excited to hopefully get back in the room with that production team again. They both are fantastic.

MUEN: YOU HAVE AN EXCLUSIVE PACKAGE DEAL GOING ON THAT INCLUDES A T-SHIRT WITH THE CD FOR WHAT $20?

Yes, as far as I know, and I think its $22 for plus sizes.

MUEN: THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT DEAL TO ME.

Yeah, a lot of people MUEN: LOGAN MADER were really excited about that. PRODUCED THIS ALBUM; HE HAS MUEN: THE DRUMWORKED WITH THE BAND BEFORE RIGHT? MING IS SO POWERFUL IN THE SONG “FACEBREAKER.” Yeah MUEN: WAS THIS YOUR FIRST TIME WORKING WITH HIM?

Yes, well actually with Dirty Icon, it was my first time. Logan and I worked together when we did the remake of the track “Bleed the Fifth” for the video. This was my first time being in the studio with him and seeing what that guy is capable behind an engineering con-

Yeah, Tim is an amazing drummer, heʼs flawless. Iʼm a drummer as well, my vocals are my number one instrument, but the second instrument that I love to play is drums. When I first came into the band, I was trying to sing their stuff and I was just watching him play in a closed environment. I was watching his feet and his hands. I was like “How do you do it

man?” Iʼm a well rounded drummer as far as playing all kinds of music, but I honestly donʼt think that guy is human.

end of all and we wanted our video to portray that. Brian Thompson and his crew did an amazing job on that video. I couldnʼt believe I was on a video MUEN: HOW LONG that was that good. When HAVE YOU BEEN PLAY- we were filming it we ING THE DRUMS? were in front of a green screen. There were no I have been playing the props, all the props that drums for twelve years. I were in front of us were only played them in one added in later. band and it was just a band with a bunch of MUEN: YOU CANʼT friends back in the day. EVEN TELL. WHEN YOU WATCH IT, IT MUEN: I LOVE THE LOOKS SO REAL. VIDEO FOR IT AS WELL, IT LOOKS VERY A lot of people were like” APOCALYPTIC. Where did you get those props?” I was like “I have Yeah, that is definitely no idea where they got something that we them from; they were not wanted because of the existent when we were in content in the album. We the room recording it.” do a lot of different stuff. There are a few songs on MUEN: IT PREMIERED there like the last song AT REVOLVER WHICH “The End Begins” was IS SO COOL. written around the concept and idea of the Yeah, I was reading the rumor of the big “2012” responses and like I said thing. Itʼs trying to prethere were a few on there pare yourself for somethat were pro the original thing you cannot prepare vocalist, but most of them for. “Bringer of Plagues” were positive. Thatʼs althe track is written ways good. I told Dino around the biblical story when I first got in the of the Seven Plaques, band, I said “Look, Iʼm the Four Horsemen, coming into an estabfamine, locusts and stuff lished band and Iʼm comlike that. Obviously, ing into a band with a big thereʼs “Enemy Kill” set of shoes to fill. Not which is more of like an everybody is going to like end all war song, fighting it and we are going to for survival in the worst lose some fan base, but I case scenario. That was guarantee you we are the beginning theme of going to gain 3xʼs more the record. We wanted to back with the new sound write a record about the we are going to come up

Park isnʼt the most metal band in the world , but to MUEN: I AGREE WITH be compared to a front YOU AND TO BE HON- man of a band that has EST I THINK YOU ARE accomplished what they A GOOD FIT WITH THE have, I take that as a BAND. THERE SEEMS compliment.” TO BE A GREAT CHEMMUEN: IT IS A COMPLIISTRY THERE. MENT, LOOK HOW Thank you, I appreciate MANY RECORDS THEY SELL. I ONLY SEE A that. COUPLE DATES UP ON MUEN: THERE ARE AL- YOUR PAGE. ARE YOU PLANNING ON DOING WAYS GOING TO BE SOME TOURING IN PEOPLE THAT TALK. SUPPORT OF THE NEW You have sites like Blab- ALBUM? bermouth where people are playing World of War Yes, right now Dino is finishing up and I believe he craft and they get on has less than a week to there and are mad bego on the new Fear Faccause they havenʼt excelled. They just want to tory record. We are basidown everyone that they cally doing a few warm possibly can. A long time up shows just to get out there. I believe there is ago someone made a bad comment about me stuff in the works that is not set in stone so I donʼt (at this time I was in a want to say anything local San Diego band) and I was just like “I know about it and get peoples hopes up. We are hopeit is someone in San fully going to be going out Diego, I want to find them.” The drummer said on a U.S. tour this fall. I know for sure all next “Look Travis, if you are going to let what people year we will be on tour say get to you, then you with Fear Factory. are in the wrong busiMUEN: DOUBLE DINO ness. There is always HUH? going to be somebody who is going to talk shit and there is always going Yeah, double Dino, the guy is an animal. He can to be somebody who is play a full set with one going to praise.” We do what we do, if you like it band and get up fifteen then you like it and if you minutes later to play a full donʼt then donʼt listen to set with another band. it. I had someone say “Oh, that guy sounds like MUEN: LETʼS TALK the singer of Linkin Park.” ABOUT YOU A LITTLE. WHAT BANDS WERE I was like “Okay, Linkin with.”

YOU IN PRIOR TO DIVINE HERESY?

tiac Firebird and his wife walks in and says “Whatʼs that in the driveway?” He puts his hands in the air and says “Itʼs a MUEN: ITʼS GOOD TO 71 Pontiac Firebird, the INTERACT WITH THE car Iʼve always wanted FANS. and now I have it. I rule!” I definitely do a lot of that That is exactly what I said when I had it. on my personal page. I keep my MySpace IM up MUEN: YOU LOVE MOand when people mesTORCYCLING TOO. sage me, I will sit there and talk your ear off. Itʼs WHAT KIND OF BIKE DO YOU HAVE? just the way I am. that comes through is generally answered by one of us.

I was in some unsigned, local San Diego bands. There was a band called Mother May I, but actually my involvement with the Swedish band The Bereaved was prior to Divine Heresy. A lot of press statements say exBereaved, but I am very much involved in The Bereaved still. It is basically my other band, but other than that they have all MUEN: I ACTUALLY been unsigned, local WAS AT YOUR PAGE projects. TOO. YOU HAVE A LITTLE BANNER THAT MUEN: YOU ARE ACTU- SAYS YOU LOVE YOUR ALLY INVOLVED WITH S14. WOULD YOU LIKE A COUPLE OTHER TO TELL US ABOUT IT? PROJECTS RIGHT? Yes, I am a huge rice Other than Divine burner guy. I love my car, Heresy, yes, there is one it is my baby. band from Los Angeles that is unsigned and The MUEN: WHAT COLOR Bereaved as well. I try to IS IT? stay busy. Itʼs like this greenish/purMUEN: THE BANDS ple color that Nissan had MYSPACE PAGE at that time. Itʼs a stock LOOKS BADASS. DO color, but itʼs kind of a YOU GUYS RUN IT AND dark green, if you look at ANSWER ALL THE it just right it kind of turns MAIL? purple. We have a designer that designs it, as for emails, comments and any response that you get; Dino does a lot of that. Iʼm getting ready to start doing a lot of that since he has been so busy and we have a good friend that pretty much handles it. He and Dino are pretty much family, so anything

I have a 2007 Kawasaki ZX6R Ninja; I donʼt have anything too crazy so I donʼt get hurt. MUEN: THAT SOUNDS REALLY FAST.

Itʼs definitely good; it does what I like it to do.

EVER BEEN TO LAGUNA SECA IN MONTEREY?

No, I am planning on moving out of California next month, just because money will go farther somewhere else. My dad rides as well and we definitely want to do a track day at Laguna Seca. I would love to do that.

MUEN: YOU MIGHT MOVE TO TEXAS?

Yeah, I was just out there because I got hired to produce a band out there. I like the area and the cost of living. Gas is only $ 2.19 a gallon and a 2,200 square foot house is $1,100 a month.

MUEN: NOT ONLY MUEN: DO YOU GO TO THAT, BUT MUSIC IS THE MOTO GP RACES? REALLY BIG OUT THERE. I am a huge fan of MOTO GP, unfortunately I have Yeah, there is an incredible local scene out there not been to any of the U.S. races. I would love and there are a lot of very to go. This year has been talented musicians out there that are not getting tough because there is one guy that I follow and the recognition I feel they deserve. The first real he is no longer racing U.S. tour that I did with MOTO GP because Kawasaki pretty much cut Divine Heresy was only MUEN: ITʼS YOUR in Texas. We played for their whole budget. DREAM CAR. Those guys are amazing; eight days and it was That was the car I always when you watch that stuff amazing. wanted. Itʼs funny, when I it just blows your mind. MUEN: THANKS SO got that car; I got it at an You see guys coming auction. Someone got it around corners dragging MUCH FOR THE INTERimpounded and never got their elbows they are so VIEW TRAVIS. IT WAS it out so I got it for super low to the ground. Thatʼs GREAT TALKING WITH YOU. awesome! cheap. I felt like Kevin Spacey in that movie You too. where he got his 71 Pon- MUEN: HAVE YOU

Roadrunner recording artists, CKY

Jess Margera

TODAY?

Yeah, itʼs like 100 degrees with 100% humidity.

going over well so thatʼs always good.

MUEN: THE ALBUM ALMOST DIDNʼT HAPPEN (Drums) BECAUSE YOU GUYS ALMOST PARTED Westchester, Pennsylvania MUEN: THAT SOUNDS LIKE FUN. YOU GUYS WAYS. HOW MANY TOOK SOME TIME OFF YEARS WERE IN BEMyspace.com/cky TWEEN YOUR ALAND NOW YOURE BUMS? By: Shauna OʼDonnell BACK WITH A NEW ALBUM CALLED MUEN: HI JESS, HOW Yeah, itʼs been four years CARVER CITY. ARE YOU TODAY? since the last one. We had some trouble on Yeah, itʼs been a fun Hey, howʼs it going? tour, tour so far for ten sure. The MUEN: ITʼS GOING years new PRETTY GOOD, SO of toursongs YOUʼRE IN DALLAS ing are

caught up with us, I guess you could say. It ended badly.

MUEN: WELL IʼM GLAD YOU GUYS ARE BACK AND THAT THERE IS A NEW ALBUM OUT THERE.

Yeah, it is interesting because everyone thought the band was done and the album wasnʼt coming out. Thatʼs when you see things pretty clear, like how lucky you are to be doing this as a job. Why piss in the well really?

MUEN: LETʼS TALK ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM. WOULD YOU SAY THIS IS YOUR BEST ALBUM TO DATE?

Yeah, for sure, because we definitely came back from that break and it was like we were a new band again. It was really exciting and we took a lot of time making sure all the sounds were exactly perfect. We experimented a lot which we really didnʼt do on the last record. It was good to be back and I think we all gave our best performances on this one.

MUEN: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOU DID DIFFERENTLY ON THIS ONE?

It seems like on previous records we didnʼt really want to add to much stuff and this time we went with it. Anything that sounded cool, we just did it. There is a lot going on, on this new album, in a good way. There were no boundaries, before if we did something weʼd say “Yeah, thatʼs a little cheesy.” This time we were like “Dude, letʼs just add everything.” In this day and age nothing is cheesy anymore. MUEN: DID YOU GUYS USE ANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF INSTRUMENTS ON THIS ONE?

Yeah, we used lots of synthesizers and stuff like that. We kind of toyed around with that on our second album and this time we really went all out on it. MUEN: THE THEME OF CARVER CITY IF PART FANTASY AND PART AUTOBIOGRAPHY. TELL ME ABOUT THAT.

The first song we did was “The Boardwalk Body” and that was pretty much a true story. Our singer Deron went to Wildwood, New Jersey, which is a sketchy beach town. It is kind of like a family vacation type of thing, but it kind of got overrun by Philadelphian hoods or whatever. He was down there, his parents let him stay out kind of late at the little arcade on the boardwalk, heʼs walking back to the hotel with his buddy and there is just a full on dead body under the boardwalk. Itʼs pretty crazy when youʼre twelve years old. That was the first song that we wrote and it kind of just built from there. We wrote about this fictional beach town that is supposed to be this nice, happy, family place, but in reality it is pretty terrible.

We are all big fans of old horror flicks and stuff. It is more exciting for us to try and create an audio horror movie, I guess you can say, rather than just cry about our girlfriends. MUEN: SO CARVER CITY IS A FICTIONAL NAME.

Yeah, but in our minds it is definitely a town on the Jersey shore. If you have ever been to those places you will know what I mean. Asbury Park, New Jersey used to be raging in the 50ʼs and 60ʼs. Now, if you go there it looks like a nuclear bomb hit it. Yeah, itʼs really crazy looking. MUEN: WHO DID THE ARTWORK FOR THE ALBUM?

It was a guy named Travis Smith; he has done a lot of really cool record covers for some old school metal bands. Itʼs cool to have a guy actually paint something rather than just digital art.

CDʼs, still buy records. Itʼs a collectible thing and itʼs really cool to have. I buy mostly vinyl still, with an IPod you play the song and there is nothing to it. Iʼm thirty years old so I remember when I was a kid and I would just play records and stare at the album cover for hours. It was just awesome and I feel bad that kids kind of donʼt know what thatʼs like. Itʼs 2009, so what are you going to do? I love IPods because I travel all the time, but at the same time when Iʼm at home, I need a record. Itʼs something that you can hold in your hands and be stoked that you have it. MUEN: I HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF CDʼS THAT ARE SIGNED, LIKE SOCIAL DISTORTION.

Social D is a great band. We did a tour with them a long time ago. It was a Tony Hawk tour with motocross and skateboarding. There was us, Social D and Devo was on there MUEN: YOU RELEASED for a little while. It was a IT ON VINYL AS WELL. really cool line-up.

MUEN: I SAW YOU PLAY A WHILE BACK ON THE CRADLE OF FILTH TOUR WITH MUEN: WHAT PROMPTED THE DECI- GWAR. MUEN: KIND OF LIKE SION TO PUT IT OUT AMITY WAS IN Gwar is good friends of ON VINYL? “JAWS?” ours and they are cool. Yeah, we tried to do that. It was just because a lot MUEN: THAT SHOW of people who still buy We try and tell stories. Yeah, finally, I know it took a while.

WAS PACKED WITH PEOPLE THAT NIGHT. IT WAS AT THE WILTERN IN HOLLYWOOD.

Yeah, the Wiltern is a great venue. When Gwar is done playing there is so much fake blood everywhere. They lay down carpets on the stage. I love watching the kids that donʼt know what Gwar is about and they are right up front. They get hosed down and they are like “Whoa! What?”

MUEN: YOU GUYS SELF PRODUCED THIS ALBUM. HAVE YOU ALWAYS SELF PRODUCED?

All four of our albums we did with Chad, our guitar player, producing. I think that is how we have our sound. I have never heard a band that sounds like us. You can tell it is us from a mile away just from the guitar tones and stuff. When you work with a producer that works with a ton of other bands, he is just going to do his MUEN: ALSO TO LET thing and you might EVERYONE KNOW sound just like those THERE IS A SPECIAL bands. It is really cool to EDITION AVAILABLE have it all in house and TOO. IS IT ONLY AVAIL- we are just doing our own ABLE AT HOT TOPIC? thing. I think more bands should try and do that. No, its available everywhere. There are four MUEN: WHAT IS THE more songs on there. BIGGEST CHALLENGE There are two songs that WHEN WRITING A are kind of an instrumen- RECORD? tal type of thing. We were planning on giving those We write and record alto movies. There are an- bums really strangely. Itʼs other two songs that got not like we hit the studio left off the record, but I with all these songs. We donʼt know why. They are get ideas, like two guitar really good, kind of my riffs that sound really favorites I think. I canʼt great together; we go into pick a favorite, but the the studio and build the four bonus tracks are def- song from scratch. It initely awesome. A lot of takes a long time, but itʼs times bands will throw really interesting for us to demos on as bonus see a song turn into this tracks, but these are the huge thing from nothing. real deal. They are great We build it from the songs, but we couldnʼt fit ground up. Itʼs just the them on the regular edi- way we have always tion. It is definitely worth done things. It is very init to get the special ediefficient, but exciting to tion. see what it turns into.

Sometimes it doesnʼt turn ON THE ROAD? into anything and we just Yeah, definitely, itʼs tough abandon it. because Deron and I have families now. Itʼs MUEN: WILL YOU BE RELEASING A DVD IN- definitely a challenge to CLUDING FOOTAGE OF go on the road, but at the same time I wouldnʼt be YOUR STUDIO SESable to not play shows. SIONS? Itʼs what I do. Taking that year off was really tough. I donʼt know, I think we filmed the studio stuff, but MUEN: HAS ANYTHING I donʼt know if itʼs going UNUSUAL HAPPENED to turn into anything. It would be pretty cool if it ON THE TOUR SO did, I think. When we are FAR? in the studio we mean business so, there is not Well, we got pulled over a whole lot of crazy, en- yesterday and got tertaining stuff going on. searched. A friend of ours Maybe people would find has a charge for possession of weed or somethat interesting, I donʼt thing from a while ago, so know. that of course, showed MUEN: YOU GUYS ARE up right away. The guy OUT THERE SUPPORT- was like “Alright, everybody out!” The guy ended ING YOUR ALBUM RIGHT NOW AND YOU up being cool and let us go. We were speeding SAID IT IS GOING REand he didnʼt even give ALLY GOOD SO FAR. us a speeding ticket or WHO ARE YOU OUT anything. WITH? We are with a band called Graveyard from Sweden, which is one of my favorite bands right now. They are amazing. We are also with a band called ASG, who we have been friends with for a long time. They are on Volcom Records, which was a label that we were on a bunch of years ago. There is also a band from Canada called Fall from Grace too. MUEN: ARE YOU HAPPY TO BE BACK

MUEN: DID YOU TRY AND SELL HIM A CD OR ANYTHING?

No, he just looked at us and went “Camp Kill Yourself?” We are in Texas, which is kind of like the “Bible Belt” here. The guy wasnʼt reacting too well to that.

MUEN: BUT, IF HE HEARD YOU, HE WOULD LOVE YOU RIGHT?

Yeah, I know “Hey man,

do you like hard rock? Cuz youʼll dig it.”

MUEN: YOU SHOULD HAVE GIVEN HIM A TICKET TO YOUR SHOW.

Yeah, he definitely had his game face on. So, I donʼt know, I didnʼt want to joke with him or anything.

MUEN: DO YOU DO A LOT OF PARTYING ON TOUR?

Yeah, Iʼve calmed down a bit, I used to be completely out of control. I think a lot of us were, hence the whole breakup thing.

MUEN: WELL YOU GUYS HAVE MATURED SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU WERE OUT ON THE ROAD.

Yeah, definitely, I canʼt get too crazy anymore. Last night we partied with all these people in Amarillo, Texas because it was our day off. It was cool.

MUEN: THAT IS COOL, IS THERE ANY PART OF THE COUNTRY YOU PREFER MORE THAN OTHERS?

Obviously, because Iʼm from Philly, I like the east coast. I like doing Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Jersey. All those places are really cool to me. We just did a live CD

in Pittsburg and it was awesome. We also just did Canada, which was really awesome. I had never been to Western Canada, like Edmonton and Calgary.

Iʼm going to have to kick some serious butt! MUEN: SO TELL ME ABOUT YOUR SIDEPROJECTS.

One of them is me, Neil MUEN: WHAT WAS THE the singer of Clutch, Brad Davis of Fu Manchu and RESPONSE THERE? a guy named Reverend It was great. Iʼve noticed Jim from an awesome that in Europe, Australia band called Fireball Minand Canada, rock is still istry. They are heroes of doing well there. In Amer- mine to be completely ica, it seems like it faded honest with you. Fu Manchu and Clutch have out a little bit. It seems like country and rap are been my favorite bands since I was in high school really popular. We just so itʼs kind of trippy to be did a show in England working on a record with and it was huge. It was those guys. double the size of the places we play here and MUEN: I INTERVIEWED sold them out. Iʼm sure being away for four years CLUTCH A WHILE BACK. doesnʼt help, but at the same time Iʼve noticed that there is a bigger re- Oh really? They are one of the best rock bands action to rock music out there hands down. In there. my eyes they are todayʼs MUEN: BESIDES CKY, Led Zeppelin. They donʼt pay attention to trends or DO YOU HAVE ANY SIDE-PROJECTS THAT anything like that. They make amazing rock YOU ARE WORKING records every single year, ON? they are an amazing band. In regards to the Yeah, I do, Iʼm in two other bands actually. Iʼm second band, Iʼm a huge fan of a band from Engreally busy these days land called Viking Skull with three bands and and they have done tours three kids. Iʼve got two girls and a boy. Itʼs a lot with us a lot whenever we go to Europe. They of fun. lost their drummer and I think I had something to MUEN: WELL, WAIT do with it. It was a winUNTIL THEY BECOME win because I said that “I TEENAGERS. would love to play in the I hope the girls donʼt look band and Iʼm a huge fan.” They get a lot of CKY like their mom because

kids buying their records now because of me being in the band. They are stoked on that and Iʼm stoked to be in the band, so itʼs really cool. MUEN: FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW THIS, YOU ARE BAM MARGERAʼS BROTHER. WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING BAMʼS BROTHER? Itʼs definitely interesting. MUEN: IʼM SURE IT IS.

There is always something going on. There is never a dull day in Westchester, Iʼll tell you that.

MUEN: THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE INTERVIEW JESS. IʼM GLAD YOU GUYS ARE BACK AND I HOPE TO CATCH A SHOW SOON. ARE YOU GOING TO BE COMING OUT TO CALIFORNIA?

We just played The Roxy, but we will be coming back shortly. It was really cool, I had a blast. MUEN: I WISH YOU GUYS THE BEST. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THE INTERVIEW?

Thanks for having me on.

New York City Hardcore Punk Gets Its L.A. Fix: The Casualties By: Natalie Perez

I caught up with The Casualties on their latest touring run making their eighth stop on their current U.S. route making their mark upon the Los Angeles terrain. Their new album "We Are All We Have," has just been released on Side One Dummy Records, and it's easily their most aggressive album to date. Prior to their sold out show their bassist Rick Lopez spoke to me over the phone about the new CD, and their upcoming tours. DyingSceneʼs Natalie Perez was able to catch up with Rick conducting a brief phone interview just before hitting the stage at Hollywoodʼs very own Key Club. To check out the entire interview click

since.

fun and have a couple laughs, when people come to a show. We want to make sure that all of our attention is focused not only on us but the audience as well. We donʼt want to MUEN: "We Are All We Have," came out this suck on stage, so when we drink and party we past Tuesday have you gotten all the par- save it for afterwards tying out of the way? because when we do play we want to make Rick: Well the partying sure we donʼt totally suck! is part of the tour and itʼs something we do MUEN: What are a maitʼs why itʼs there. We donʼt want to get up on jority of your songs stage and look like re- about? Is there an untarded drunks. We want derlying theme? to make sure we play good, go out and have Rick: We donʼt have an

tour, weʼre going be heading out to Japan MUEN: How does it next month and then feel to play back in the South American in DeU.S. and how is the cember pretty much hitcurrent tour going? ting the road non-stop.

Rick: The current tour is going great we just released the new record and this tour is to supMUEN: How, when, port that record. Weʼre and why did you out on the West Coast form? right now weʼre about o play L.A. tonight – one Rick: For the love of of our favorite cities to punk rock music because there wasnʼt any play. Weʼve been having at the time. It was all for huge turn outs, having the music, we formed in kids who are into the the 90s and have been punk scene and punk music come out, having playing strong ever lots of energy. After this

agenda on what we write about we just write about whatʼs currently going on around us and the world. What weʼve seen or heard about. Sometimes we have political themes to our music like our previous albums, but this one not as much basically whatever is the most importance to us is what we like to discuss musically. MUEN: What are your immediate music career goals?

Rick: Just make the best records we can make and do a lot of touring and make sure people like our music and have a good time. Doing what we like to do as long as we can. Making sure the music we make is what we want to do. Not writing songs on topics that arenʼt our thing, whatʼs important to us and what we like doing.

questions you've been chance to talk to them about music was aweasked? some. Circle Jerks a faRick: “What does punk vorite of mine was another really cool exmean to you?” I just hate answering that. Itʼs perience for me, to be not something that you able to hang out and can really describe and talk with those guys what it means to you. I about music was great. know the answer I just As of right now weʼre canʼt put it into words. I touring with a band sit down and think about called the Krum Bums theyʼre an up and comit but just donʼt know what it really means. Itʼs ing band from Austin, one of those questions Texas, and those guys are great. you just canʼt answer. MUEN: Out of all the shows you have played, on this tour is there one that stands out as a favorite? Is so, please explain.

Rick: L.A. is one of our favorite places to play – the Key Club is a smaller venue to play and normally always packed, which is good so Iʼm really looking forward to playing it.

MUEN: What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Were you able to overcome it?

Rick: I really think the biggest challenge is all the people within the world talking down on us and talking crap. Saying things such as “You guys canʼt play music” this and that situations, you then worry about what other people will say either online or in person. So you wonder how many of those people will be talking crap. Itʼs a real challenge from all angles.

MUEN: Who are some MUEN: What can you of your favorite bands say about your secret you've shared the show on September stage with? Can you 27 out at the Cobalt name some of the bigCafe? ger bands that you've MUEN: What advice played with if any? do you have for fans Rick: Oh yes, weʼre who want to start their doing a secret show in Rick: Yeah one of the own bands? L.A. before we head out bigger bands weʼve to Japan the following played with was Bad day. Religion really cool guys Rick: Itʼs a lot of hard and we pretty much fol- work and you should definitely do it, no matMUEN: What is one of lowed them growing ter how hard you try the toughest interview up, so having the

donʼt listen to what other people say - do what you want to do. Screw what everybody else has to say just go out and play and do what you love to do. MUEN: What should people know about you? What sets you apart?

Rick: I think what sets us apart is that weʼre hardcore and more louder and thatʼs what I like we have our own uniqueness and Iʼm like that as a person and all of us in this band and we do what we really feel we should do. When you see us playing weʼre not doing this for a paycheck weʼre doing this because itʼs what we love to do and what sets us totally apart from everyone else. MUEN: Thanks for doing the interview, anything you'd like to add?

Rick: Our new record is out now and weʼre touring on it, so come check out a show pick up a record and come check out The Casualties.

The Color Turning

Los Angeles, CA

Interview by: Macavity

Not much is known about The Color Turning but that has already started to change with a new CD out and touring with Stone Temple Pilots amongst others. We knew there had to be more upcoming, so we sat down to talk with David Del Fonzo (Guitar and Piano) to find out what is next for this exciting new band.

MUEN: Hi guys! Thanks for taking some time to talk to MUEN today.

sort of open ended. In the end, it was either The Color Turning or “Dragons of Nazereth.”

you form the lineup for the band that includes all four of you?

TCT: We actually met over a Halo LAN party MUEN: I understand TCT: Hello Hello. Thank that you have been to- Jason was hosting. (Laughs). No, weʼve all you for having us, itʼs an gether since before been friends for quite 2002. How long have honor. some time. There have you been together to been a few members MUEN: My usual ques- become this tion to start is by ask- “overnight” success? come and gone and Garet and David were ing how you came up with the unusual name TCT: Ha! Well, success friends of ours before is hardly overnight and they were in the band. and what it means to We always liked what weʼve yet to feel like the band? weʼve earned that sort of they were doing, and TCT: The impetus for the bravado. But itʼs good to they were into what we band name came from a hear from an educated were doing, so it was The rest of the band is: song Steve had written. source that weʼre doing kind of an easy decision Steve Scavo (Vocals, to get together. All in all, The name sounds sort of well! Guitar), Jason Abraham the 4 of us have been unusual, but we like how (Bass) and Garet Powell playing and writing toit leaves its interpretation MUEN: So, how did (Drums)

gether since 2005.

to these massive stages and luxurious backMUEN: Why are there stages. Those tours four of you? Have you meant sharing the bill each a special talent with Black Rebel Motorthat makes the band cycle Club and Frank just click so well? Black. STP obviously is a monster show, but TCT: At points we were BRMC and Frank Black actually a five piece are fucking incredible. band. Those decisions Scott Weiland has been of who and how many a fan of ours for a little people to have in the while and actually band are really just signed us to his label, based on what the band Softdrive Records. He needs. All of us fortuinvited us out on the nately play a few differ- road, and itʼs an opporent instruments, so there tunity you just donʼt pass really isnʼt a lot of up. ground we canʼt cover at the moment. The strug- MUEN: How has the gle of most bands isnʼt touring been and what musical; itʼs the personal is the most memorable stuff, and getting along moment of this past as people. Weʼre very year? lucky to all have been friends before the band TCT: The touring has and it makes long tours been great, and the reand the long hours of sponse has been really being a band much eas- good, especially considier. If thereʼs something ering weʼd never been to that makes us click, itʼs many of the venues that weʼre good at keep- weʼre playing. We had a ing the ship together, if few days off in Portland that makes sense. recently, which was really cool. We caught a MUEN: It does! You are secret Dandy Warholʼs just finishing up a tour show out there, which and have been out with was kinda nuts. The Scott Weiland and most memorable thing Stone Temple Pilots. for us was definitely How did those come playing the Greek Theabout and especially ater in Berkeley. The the opening for STP? place is legendary. It was the first stop on our TCT: Those tours were STP tour. It was like, we pretty incredible experi- played a 150 capacity ences. We went from venue one night, and the relative hometown next night weʼre playing shows and small touring for 11,000 people. That

TCT: Itʼs pretty hard to do really. I think someone said something like “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” I think thatʼs pretty accurate, especially your own music. And being so close to the music I, my descripMUEN: You did an un- tion is going to be miles off from what someone usual acoustic set in Tucson. How was that else might say. Given all that, Iʼd say weʼre an experience and what made you think to do eclectic mix of instruments with some electhat? tronic and ambient TCT: WeLikeItIndie.com sounds playing our interpretation of a rock song. asked us to do an If you like Eno, Tortoise, acoustic set and they wanted to film it. Weʼre Kent, and Elbow; youʼre big fans of the guerrilla more likely to easily feel style band performances out where weʼre coming from than say, a Nickelof things like La Blogothequeʼs “Take Away back fan might. Show” and saw this as MUEN: The video for an opportunity to do “This Is How That something similar. InFeels” give us a taste stead of samplers, we of your live performput loops to cassette and played them out of ances from your EP. Are there any new an old clock radio, and performed acoustic in an videos planned to showcase more songs art gallery. Later that night we took a broken off of your latest CD guitar we had and set it “Good Hands Bad Blood” or to showcase on fire. We used it to light the alleyway where your live talents more? we performed more TCT: Actually, when the songs. Weʼre fans of what Ruben and Lynette summer touring is all finfrom WeLikeItIndie are ished, weʼre going to do a few videos for the doing right now. album. We have some really talented friends MUEN: We see genre who have wanted to tags about you. But work together on a how would you demusic video or somescribe your music to someone that has not thing similar. Our friend Robert Marshall made a heard it? just doesnʼt happen to many people. To be fair, we havenʼt let it get to our heads. We know that most of those people werenʼt there to see us, but getting 11,000 potential fans to give us a listen is just as good to us.

sort of documentary about the recording of the new album. Youtube “The Color Turning” and you should find it. Itʼs pretty incredible. He came in with some old film cameras during our recording of the album and his footage really set the bar for what weʼd like to accomplish visually.

MUEN: Speaking of your CD, you have previously released two EPʼs and a CD. Has the touring and time spent together changed what you placed on this most recent one? TCT: Yes, being together more has definitely influenced how we wrote. This album has much more of a band feel than say an album that a solitary songwriter might come up with. With that, many of these songs came together while we were signing with the label, and thereʼs nothing like “business” to make a band closer. We were stepping into what was for us, a very big pond. We really looked out for each other in ways that affected our lives and our music. That closeness comes through on the album.

ferently to make the great sounds on there and why?

TCT: We had access to a proper studio and our producer really helped us work out any of the kinks we had along the way. Really, the things a band shouldnʼt have to think about while recording an album were taken care of. All the cables and equipment worked (laughs)! So basically whatever we came up with, we could pretty much get it done. It was daunting and pretty scary for a first album to such freedom, but the challenge was good for us. Limitations can be comforting, you have something to blame if it goes wrong.

MUEN: Also one striking distinction of the band is the passion not only for musical artistry but also visual throughout. What motivates that visual artistic side so much?

TCT: Weʼre all very visual people. Even when we talk to each other about music itʼs often in visual terms. So when we see something that turns us on, we gravitate towards it and often try to incorporate it into our music or in some inMUEN: Was the record- stances the artwork. ing and production of this CD done any difMUEN: Is this how the

faster than ever before, amazing original art came about for the CD which is pretty incredible. Itʼs really not a thing cover? we feel itʼs safe to rely on though. Thereʼs really TCT: Yeah, actually it nothing that compares to was originally a photograph I took on a trip to hitting the road and gainMexico. The imagery of ing flesh and bones fans….and friends for Mexican religious and cultural arts has always that matter. turned us on. Weʼre really sensitive to the kind MUEN: Who writes the songs and how are of imagery thatʼs been poorly co-opted by sub- they written? urbia to represent darkness and angst. The use TCT: Weʼre all contribuof Day of the Dead art is tors to the music, although someone might a play against that. A sort of lightness and cel- bring in an idea or occasionally a complete ebration that ironically touches on what this so piece. We tend to run through ideas over and called “dark imagery” over until they take has come to mean. shape. Add, Add, Add, Being from Southern California itʼs almost im- Subtract, Add, Subtract. possible to not let all of Itʼs kind of a constantly this influence you. Jenna evolving process. Even when songs are “finGibson, an incredible ished”, theyʼre only as artist, recreated the finished as we feel like photo in watercolor for at the time. Weʼll take us. songs and turn them on MUEN: Should get you their head, almost remixa couple of free meals ing ourselves. Weʼre big now on the road! So, fans of flipping things around live. how useful has MySpace been to the MUEN: Has the band? process of writing TCT: Social networking changed since the bemakes the spreading of ginning and you have toured so much? music a lot easier, but the cost is that itʼs beTCT: Touring has deficome so easy that the nitely given us the opsheer amount of information out there makes portunity to write as a it hard to be noticed. My- group, since weʼre together so much. Space and Facebook have helped bands get MUEN: Changing a bit, up and running way

you have a base in Hermosa Beach. Are there any plans to move or is there a compelling reason to stay there?

TCT: Well, weʼre actually based out of Santa Ana. We like it quite a bit. Itʼs not quite Los Angeles, and its not completely Orange County, but its close enough to either, which is important. We definitely feel at home there. Weʼve got some good friends around us and some really great music too like Local Natives, Living Suns and Union Line. Thereʼs a lot of good work coming out of the area.

MUEN: What should we expect to see from The Color Turning for the rest of 2009?

doing more festivals like SXSW and CMJ. There are some plans for touring with some bigger acts as well. A new album? Weʼll see. MUEN: With all the touring and playing such high energy shows what do you each do to relax?

TCT: We canʼt really get away from music too long but if we had to list any non musical hobbies Iʼd have to say golf, cycling, reading (a lot on the road), and exploring the towns weʼre in. Like many bands, were into photography. Oh, also, if thereʼs a swimmable lake, weʼll be in it.

MUEN: Is there anything I have not asked that you think our readers would like to know about The Color TCT: Lots of touring still Turning? in the works. We really want to push the album TCT: Weʼre foodies. Itʼs and get out on the road pretty serious, and weʼve as much as possible. even considered starting Once winter sets in, a food blog based weʼre going to start around our travels, finds, working on some videos and tips. In every town and possibly another EP. we visit, we have to find We have a lot of material the best local thing and weʼd still like to get out. get into it. It turns mundane touring into this MUEN: And, what is weird road trip where the most exciting thing you get to look forward planned for 2010 and to a town for more than beyond? just a show. If you want Mexican in Portland then TCT: Touring again. go to Por Que No. Next year we hope to be Lebanese in Brooklyn

then its Bedouin Tent. It lot more from you in makes visits and revisits the future. worth the trip, for sure, especially when the show may not be up to par. MUEN: Thanks guys for taking the time to talk with MUEN today. We look forward to seeing and hearing a

LIVE REVIEWS

HATEBREED

Hatebreed Bashes the Nation with his Comrades

As the crowd slowly formed background music buzzed - playing numerous tracks as the fans stood waiting for the night of the Decimation of the Nation Tour lead off to a toxic start? Britney Spears “Toxic” filled the air as the stage darkened lights shinBy: Natalie Perez ing on/off a blood shade of red. Until the song had When it comes to any type drawn to a close, utter siof tour, during any time of lence cluttered the air as year there is one thing to each member of Toxic do in a time like this, Holocaust walked upon "Loose Your Mind!" This is the stage. Each of the 3 exactly what the 900 peo- musicians grasping a hold ple scattered about the of their instruments as the Pomona Glasshouse did set started off without hesion the night of August 18 tation. Lasting for a mere 2009. A sea of black t20 minutes total, dishing shirts and long hair covout “Nuke The Cross, Wild ered in sweat ran up and Dogs and Endless Ardown if not all around the mageddon,” thrashing and Glass House, screaming bashing was all that could and shouting throughout be seen. half the night. The night itself having had started off Toxic Holocaust Set List: fast and heavy, with an intention that wouldnʼt fade 1. Wild Dogs away anytime soon. 2. Gravelord

3. War is Hell 4. 666 5. Nuke the Cross

comes to Los Angeles locals Winds Of Plague. Who kept the enraged crowd impacted and ready to mingle? Fans did just that, jumping onto one another shouting along with the lyrics and rocking out to the beat of the music. The musicians themselves were going right along with it. When it was all said and done, several vocalists including their keyboardist jumped in on all the fun. One of the vocalist literally jumping onto the crowd holding the microphone out as the fans held him high in the air, while others jumped in to share the spotlight. What could be better than to have unknown strangers standing on top of you singing their heart and soul into the music they so love. Itʼs called weird but entertaining fun!

Nothing more or nothing less could come of the almighty Toxic goers Toxic Holocaust. Next up was a different type of thrashing one consisting of pure death metal aggression by none other than Dying Fetus. Another 3-piece combo that put brutality to the test, the whole room erupted in chaos everywhere you looked. Guitarist John Gallagher enraged the crowd growling and shouting with all his might getting everyone in an adrenaline rush. Nothing but madness came out of the 30 minute set up that Dying Fetus had thrown out doing anything they possibly could to get the crowd up in heat and utter rage. Musically speaking the instrumental Winds Of Plague Set List: work Dying Fetus played was fast and brutal nothing but heaviness came out of 1. Decimate the Weak them in the end rounding off to being intensely bru- 2. Origins and Endings talizing for all to see. 3. New Song 1 Dying Fetus Set List: 4. Angels of Debauchery 1. Homicidal Retribution 2. Your Treachery Will Die 5. New Song 2 With You (New Song) 6. The Impaler 3. Justifiable Homicide 4. Pissing in the MainBut the weirdness not to streem 5. Grotesque Impalement mention fun doesnʼt end 6. Praise the Lord (Opium there, the night raged onward wrapping up with the of the Masses) two headliners Chimaira You shall soon believe the and Hatebreed. After taking their sweet time Chibrutalizing fate, when it

LIVE REVIEWS

maria came on to show the crowd why they had taken their time. It was merely because they had wanted the audience to bear witness to the mayhem within. Thatʼs exactly what had happened, mayhem that kept flowing way into the night, Chimaira just warming it all up with

3. Secrets of the Dead

4. The Dehumanizing Process

5. Destroy And Dominate

6. Pure Hatred The almighty conclusion of the night life, that couldn't bear to turn away such a

mention “At the end of this show you will leave with a smile on your face, this is called "Perseverance". Jasta had said a handful of catchy remarks that left the audience begging for

more. Clearing out the night with some cover tunes taken off their all covers album “For The Lions,” Jasta saying “This is a tribute to Slayer, this is “Ghosts Of War,” along

TOXIC HOLOCAUST

DYING FETUS CHIMAIRA

such memorable tunes as “Resurrection, “ and “I Hate Everyone.” As the socalled night was drawing to a closing point, last but not least was of course Hatebreed!

Chimaira Set List: 1. The Venom Inside 2. Ressurection

warm welcoming. Playing for only an hour Hatebreed threw together a set list containing the old, new, and latest material that would last late into the night. Jasta shouting “This doesnʼt even feel like a week day it feels like the weekend”. Adding “You 900 people make it feels like 9,000 people.” Not to

LIVE REVIEWS

11. Last Breath

12. Before Dishonor 13. Ghosts Of War

14. Thristy and Miserable

THROTTLE

with Black Tideʼs cover of “Thirsty and Miserable.”

When it was all said and done though, Hatebreed and the rest of the Decimation of the Nation Tour line-up had proven a point that night. That this night was a night Pomonaʻs Glass House would never forget but cherish to remember walking away with smiles slashed upon their faces. Hatebreed Set List: 1. To the Threshold 2. Live For This

3. I Will Be Heard 4. Doomsayer

5. This Is Now 6. Proven

7. Perseverance

8. You're Never Alone 9. Defeatist

10. Destroy Everything

HOUSE OF BLUES, ANAHEIM By: Shauna OʼDonnell

I attended the Inland Empire Metal Invasion at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA tonight. The place was packed with people so much that I could barely make it through the crowds at times. The venue was hot from all the bodies as I searched in desperation to find a seat. Seven bands played, but for me, the one that really stood out was THROTTLE. The band moves about the stage as if they owned it as the crowd yelled “Throttle, Throttle, Throttle!” THROTTLE is a band out of Whittier, CA and has been playing on stages all

over Southern Cali- ther get out of the fornia since 2005. way or prepare to Recently, their talTHROTTLE Up!” ents were discovered by Neurotic Records and the band has decided to join forces with them to take their music to the next level. Like the band says “Ei-

MUEN: Hey Guys! Have to start with the Interview by: Macavity obvious question. Where did the name Welsh-based Queenscome from and does it bury has hit the music have a particular scene in the UK very fast meaning for the band? and very noticeably with some great hard rocking Gump: The name unforshows at some of the tunately doesnʼt really major festivals and ven- have much of a meanues. Many more of the ing! We were toying with same is planned for this Queensbury Rules, howmust watch band so we ever we donʼt wanna just sat down to talk with sell records to boxers. Gareth (Gump) EdItʼs so hard to find a wards, Deian Elfryn, Ed band name that no-one Oleszko and Dewi else has used already Williams to find out more we were just happy to about them. find one which was amCardiff, Wales U.K.

biguous enough not to pigeon hole us into one type of sound.

MUEN: You have only been together as a band of the four of you since 2008. How did you meet up and decide that this was THE band for you each to be in?

too far apart. Amazingly Deian had moved to Cardiff two days before I contacted him which made us believe the whole thing was just “meant to be.” From there Ed and Dewi were invited to join us for a jam and it just kicked off straight away. This is THE band for us because we all fit perfectly into the framework and we all love what comes out when we write and practice.

Gump: Myself and Deian the drummer met through MySpace which sounds straight forward, however we had already MUEN: What other met on MySpace two years previous but lived bands have each of

you been in?

Gump: I have been in about 6 other bands all together, the most famous called AXLANBAY, and we were almost signed to Warner in 2005. Deian the drummer has been involved in such bands as Melys, Guacamole and big Liverpool songsters Amsterdam. The other two guys have been in a clutch of bands together also the biggest namely THE PEAKZ who had lots of success but kind of imploded after a year or so.

MUEN: How would you best describe your sound to someone that has not heard you live at all your gigs or on MySpace?

hard in the past we have amassed a hell of a lot of contacts up and down the UK. Also I think because we are so passionate about our band we find it easy to sell ourselves because we love it. This seems to rub off on people who we meet and come across all the time and they just wanna help us out with gigs and contacts. The first few gigs we arranged ourselves with hard work and promotion, everywhere we have played they want us to come back and play again as soon as possible.

MUEN: See that you have signed with a management company, Klash, and have several labels looking at Gump: I would say we you. What are you exare a mix of modern and pecting from a label old school rock. Proba- right now? bly the closest sound would be a mix of Alter Gump: We have signed Bridge, Alice in Chains with Klash yes! They are and Faith No More. two amazingly hard working guys with some MUEN: You have really good contacts. played many gigs and They believe in us and seem to play more thatʼs all we ask of them. than most unsigned We havenʼt really got bands and some very any expectations other large festivals already. than world domination, How did you achieve the way I see it is why that when so many sell yourself short and other bands struggle why expect something to just get a foot in the small? We believe we door of a pub gig? have the sound and the determination to sell lots Gump: Because we of records to lots of peohave worked so damn ple for many years. We

just want a label to come on board and believe that too! Then give us a few million dollars.

walked over to the pole and started stripping half way through the third song and grinding on the pole. It was off putting to MUEN: I understand say the least; however some of you have we played much slower toured with other than usual just so we bands in the states. could stay on stage Do you have any plans longer and keep watchto tour in the states ing. any time soon as Queensbury or are you MUEN: You have samstill building your fan ples up on MySpace base in the UK first from your EP. When with this band? can we expect to see the EP and how are Gump: We would love to you going to get it to tour the states as soon the fans there and as possible as we seem here? to be getting some really great feedback about our Gump: The EP hard sound stateside. I think copy has now arrived; the way we craft our you guys can get copies songs and the bands we from us we have a Big are influenced by make Cartel link on the Myus lean towards the Space for those. Also the American market. Obvi- EP will be going up on ously touring the states iTunes in the next two is not an easy thing to days or so and various arrange, nor is it cheap. other well known downHowever I am certain we load sites. will tour the states within the next year, we donʼt MUEN: How many care how it happens, tracks did you finally and we KNOW it WILL place on the EP and happen. how were the tracks decided upon? MUEN: Speaking of touring, what has been Gump: We short listed it the most unusual or to five tracks in the end. odd thing to happen at The tracks werenʼt easy a gig or while on the to decide upon, however road? we think we finally got to choosing the most Gump: We played a gig punchy and powerful in a huge marquee once songs we have which and there was a massive also have a commercial pole in front of the stage validity. At the end of the holding up the roof. A girl day we wanted everyone

to hear a fusion of power ucts. We even have our and melody. own official tattooist! Free tattoos? Thatʼs MUEN: How is the fuckin cool right? music written for the band and by whom? MUEN: How useful has MySpace been to the Gump: Itʼs written by all promotion of the of us! We write most of band? our songs in the practice room after someone Gump: We believe that if comes in with a single it wasnʼt for MySpace riff. We build the song this band wouldnʼt exist, from there and love itʼs the easiest way of doing it this way. Itʼs promoting your music on easy when we are all to- the web. Although there gether as there are no are some competitors EGO clashes during now, we still use Mypractice and we are all Space for our sole online willing to try whatever it presence. takes to improve the song. Most songs take MUEN: Changing a bit, around ten minutes to you have a base in write. The lyrics are gen- Cardiff, Wales. Are erally left to Gump. there any plans to move or do want to MUEN: Do you have a stay based there? video planned for the one of the tracks from Gump: I think we all the EP or to show the want to move to the band performing live states as soon as we for those that cannot can, to live the rock and see you in person? roll dream two doors down from Tommy Lee. Gump: We have a video In all seriousness we planned to come out in think America would be September time for the the best place for us and track “CUT IT UP. “ our music to really thrive. MUEN: You have several sponsors listed on your MySpace. How did those come about and what help are they to you?

Gump: The sponsors are generally friends of ours, they believe in the band and we love their prod-

MUEN: What more should we expect to see from Queensbury for the rest of 2009 other than a large amount of live gigs?

ways have time for our friends and fans. If you want to contact us at any time I guarantee we will reply to you ourselves. Thanks very much for MUEN: What do you letting us talk with you each like to do when today, we are now going not playing/writing music other than drink- out to get drunk and ing and tattoos then? watch a burlesque show!

bars after gigs. We really want to sign with a solid record label who will take us forward.

Gump: We canʼt really tell you as we are wanted by several authorities around the globe for our extra curricular activities.

MUEN: Is there anything I have not asked that you think our readers would like to know about Queensbury that wonʼt get the attention of those authorities?

Gump: You should expect more tattoos, a hell Gump: We are four of of a lot more songs and the nicest guys you a huge amount of dry could ever meet! We al-

MUEN: Thanks guys for taking the time before the burlesque show to talk with MUEN. We look forward to seeing and hearing the name Queensbury and your music a lot in the future. Have fun tonight!

EMBER Austin, Texas

having us.

MUEN: Your base or “home town” is Interview by: Macavity Austin now but Ember has burst on to where are each of you from and how the music scene in a town with many many did you all get together and how long talented bands. But has this lineup been they have already together? made an indelible mark not only on that city but worldwide with D: Iʼm from Bakersfield their touring and visit- CA but did most of my ing the troops to bring growing up in San Anfull on rock to them as gelo. Matt (Chewy) is also from San Angelo. they defend our freeJared is from San Andoms. Their live performances, music and gelo/Lubbock. Chris is almost constant shows from Canyon and and touring caught our Dusty is from Waco. This line up really sointerest to find out more about this band lidified in Austin about a year and a half ago. that has a debut CD coming out October MUEN: While you all 1st. With their hectic seem very different schedule we had the good fortune to catch in personality you up to Deuce to speak seem to work great together. Has this alto him about Ember. ways been the case The full band is: Chris and continues to be? Martinez-Vocals, Deuce Wanier-Guitar, D: (Laughs) We're all very different creaJared tures, however this Duyck-Guitar, Chewy creates an amazing Linton-Bass and Dusty dynamic both on and off the stage. Dusty is Saxton-Drums the quiet intelligent, Iʼm the outspoken "salesMUEN: Hi Deuce! Thanks for talking to man" and Chris is the reserved "VOICE." MUEN today about Jared is the guy with Ember. the biggest heart but Deuce: Thank YOU for only a tad bit more

do you feel so strongly about playMUEN: How best ing and supporting would you describe the troops other than your sounds as you what the obvious list American feels in Christian/Rock/Alt as wanting to support your genres but I did those that fight for not hear anything but us? great rock with some alt thrown in? D: Again, speaking more to the previous D: Everyone in the answer. Most of us band has a strong have or had friends Christian foundation. that serve or served. We are real dudes in a Family ties, not to real rock band talking mention the "good old about real issues from boy" factor they are the heart, soul, and FAMILY! road. MUEN: How was the MUEN: You have experience touring toured in July I bethere and what made lieve to play for the you decide to return? troops in an effort to bring Rock music to D: Touring for the entertain the troops. troops left most of us Was this part of speechless. You canʼt Charlie Robisonʼs ef- imagine the look on forts to get bands the faces of the men like yours and Ediand women who see son there? nothing but desert, guns, and cammo for D: Itʼs about the reyears; to a rock band spect and love being in in jewelry, hair product, our blood. We LOVE to and guitars. Seems algive back, to look most like a prethose in the face that Madonna reference, fight for our freedom but it's more about the and ability to rock. music, the rock, the sweat, and the change MUEN: When this of scenery. issue comes out you will have returned to MUEN: I have seen a Qatar and beyond to lot of bands that entertain again. Why work hard but after than my man Chewy.

seeing you live you really work hard even at a show. What drives an unsigned band to play almost nightly and how do you pull something like this off as you rarely have a day off?

D: Every time we step on stage could be our golden ticket. You never know whose life you may touch, who may be watching, or who may be judging. Not to mention it is a passion much like a mother to a child or a soldier to his or her gun. This is OUR message.

MUEN: I noticed that you often donʼt have an opening band but rather play different styles with different members of the band to act as opening acts that are acoustic and then electric/acoustic. How did you decide upon this unique approach to a show?

D: I donʼt know that this is really a decision as it is a necessary evil. We'd prefer to play our stuff, give our "120 percent" for 50 minutes versus spread over three hours. But

sometimes opening bands are hard to come by. We donʼt mind the extra work.

and Target. If not, they'll still be able to buy on CDBABY and thru iTunes.

MUEN: You have one of the most fascinating and unique debut CD in that it is all live performances but with a very different twist. How did the D: We played a Boy Scout show some time recording process happen? in 2004. Eighteen wheeler trailer, all the From the floor! It was PA gear we owned, sunset, and about 800 recorded "live" and in just 3 short days. Boy Scouts plus parents and troop leaders. Where most albums are recorded take after Half way through the take and overdub after set Chris announced overdub we plugged in that merch would be for sale at the side of and all played together. Just like you'd the stage and within ten minutes we'd sold see it live. It takes a EVERYTHING we had. special kind of band to There were eight-year- do that, one that has olds running around in played together for XXL's because it was quite some time and is comfortable playing to all we had left. a click track and has MUEN: In addition to good gear that doesnʼt the tours and all the require much tweakshows you are doing, ing. you have your debut MUEN: Who writes CD about to come out October 1st. How the songs and how will people be able to are they written. get your CD other D: We write all the than at shows? jams and more often than not they are by D: HOPEFULLY (finaccident. We'll write gers crossed) we'll song after song, and have some way for fans to buy online thru not like it. Next thing you know someone acBestBuy, Wal-Mart, MUEN: Hard question but which show or event has been the most fun to play and why?

cidentally puts three or four of the parts together and things fall in to place. Unique to say the least.

MUEN: What may we expect to see from Ember in the rest of 2009?

D: Canʼt go much in to detail, but there are quite a few things in the works. And if all else fails we'll have more music, more love, and more friends/fans to share our ongoing dream with.

MUEN: What is the most exciting thing planned for Ember in 2010?

D: REALLY?? Iʼm not sure I could tell you much more than where our first show in October will be much less next year. (Laughs)

MUEN: You have a great performance vid of “Blind.” Is this going to be your first “single” to be released or is this just to showcase the more ballad side of the band?

D: Blind is an older song and something

we'd decided to put to video a long time ago. We have not decided on a release yet but have a few ideas in the works for the next Ember video.

D: I don't understand bands that DON'T SELL! Each of these people staring back at us on stage PAID money, are giving their attention, and are sticking around for US. MUEN: Are there any We'd be rude to not more videoʼs say hello, to say planned? "Thank you", and to get to know them as D: Nothing in concrete. best as we can for the But we're working on 20 or 30 min we have it! on break. MUEN: What advice would you give to the many other young bands that are starting out with little or no money and a lot of talent?

D: Make sure you have the heart. The rest you can beg, borrow, and... well... ask nicely.

MUEN: One thing I noticed that most bands seem to oblivious to is that you need to “sell” the band offstage as well. I saw each of you approach old and new fans to “capture” them on a personal level by just talking to them. What made you decide to do this as most bands usually escape from fans to rest rather than sell?

been as a promotional tool for the band?

D: MySpace has become more spamful (is that even a word?) than helpful. However there are still REAL people using MySpace and as long as it is an avenue to keep in touch we'll continue to use it. People still have home phones donʼt they? I might be wrong MUEN: Loaded ques- on that one. (Laughter) tion, but do you think you will lose that per- MUEN: For those that sonal touch with fans do know you well or as you make it big? think they do, can you tell them one D: Itʼs inevitable; we're thing about each of you they may not a group of five guys know? and letʼs say we are great at keeping in D: Well, I love dogs, touch with 500 fans. When we've got 5000 play piano and have a high heel fetish. fans it wonʼt be so Chewy has the sickest easy. We find that collection of video even now we are stretched thin but I can games. Jared watches more movies than anypromise that each of us gives every ounce one should and Chris we have back to those can quote more who support us. Thank movies than Jared has you to all of you even even dreamed of reading this interview, watching. Dusty has and for the chance to the ability to grow the BEST afro on the put it out there! planet but wonʼt do it. I MUEN: You seem to keep asking. have a huge followMUEN: Is there anying of fans on Mything I have not covSpace. How ered that you think important has that

our readers would like to know about or should know about Ember?

D: My brain is TOAST at the moment. We started setting up at 3pm. After sound check, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, 3 Lo-Carb Monsters, pizza, and enough loud music to deafen a village I am glad I see the light at the end of the... interview. MUEN: Thanks Deuce for taking the time to talk with MUEN. Know we will be seeing and hearing a lot more from you in the future and look forward to the CD being released October first.

D: Thank you SOO much for having us. It's been a pleasure knowing you, and canʼt wait to grow the friendship further.

Opus Dai

By Macavity

OPUS DAI

www.myspace.com/opusdai Los Angeles, CA

Interview by: Macavity

Many have seen or heard of Opus Dai in various forms and they are breaking new grounds by with a new EP and upcoming art and music shows and also a tour of Japan. We sat down and talked with Jagger who is one of the founding members (and drummer) for Opus Dai to find out more about the band.

The full band includes: Atsushi Miyamoto (Guitars), Tim Neighbors OD: The Guitarist At(Vocals) and Michael sushi and I go back John Adams (Bass) sometime; we were in a few other bands before MUEN: Hi Jagger! this one. Together we Thanks for sitting rebuilt Opus Dai after down and talking to all the touring for the MUEN today. first album, starting with Tim sometime near the Opus Dai: No prob! end of 2007. Murv Thanks for having us! jumped on board just before we recorded MUEN: I understand “Touch the Sun” and that you have been we immediately went together for some on the road with Fair To time. Have long have Midland for a short tour you been together so that would be somewith this current time around summer of lineup? 2008. So, we have

been with this line up since then. Itʼs all gone by so quickly when I think about it.

MUEN: Most bands would have folded with a lead singer leaving yet you seem to have thrived. What has been your biggest inspiration to rise yet higher?

OD: Itʼs just what we do I guess. I couldn't really imagine stopping or letting something hold us back when we have to

power to fix it with a little work and effort. I was still excited about the chance to take the new material to a new level and really what seemed like a set back actually turned out to be a great addition to the band. At first it seemed like it would be a tough transition. But really after the first audition with Tim we were excited to have the chance to start over and create with a fresh new perspective. I really dread the audition

process, especially when it comes to auditioning vocalists but much to our luck, Tim was the first person we auditioned and we hit the ground running with him. Itʼs been a really great experience and we are fortunate to have found one another when we did.

ritual to it all that feels good to us, like a labor and reward aspect. Itʼs not always pleasant, but the struggle is part of growing as an artist and person. The road is a great environment to really challenge ourselves and test our limits and night after night this process really helps us bond with the MUEN: You have over songs and with the 500 shows that include people who come out a lot of touring to your to hear it. credit and just finished another tour. What MUEN: You have drives you to tour and toured with the likes do live performances of Linkin Park, Sysso much? tem of a Down and Sevendust just to OD: The live context name a few you have reveals a completely shared the stage. Putdifferent side to the ting you on the spot recorded material; re- but what band do you ally itʼs a more honest most like to have a rendition of the songs. show with and why? Itʼs where the music starts, being played OD: Well that may be a live. No over dubs, no bit misleading. Atsushi polish. Itʼs raw, itʼs live, and I have been playitʼs real and itʼs loud. ing together in different Itʼs also a great way to bands around LA since hone in. When we are we were kids. In the on tour, each day reearly days we were forvolves around that 45 tunate enough to be a min set. Itʼs like you part of the whole "Nugive your self over Metal" scene that came completely to the out of LA round the late music. From the time 90's so, while we were you choose to sleep, to still just kids learning what you eat and when what it was to play in a you eat it. It all comes band in LA, we had the down to making that chance to play around one set the best it can town with some great be. There is a certain artists from that scene.

Snot, System of a Down, Static-X, Linkin Park (they were called Xero back then) Sevendust, Machinehead, Hed-Pe, Papa Roach to name a few. It was a lot of fun and an exciting time to be in a band in LA. Looking back I think it really made us take being in a band and making music quite seriously early on in life.

MUEN: How has the touring been recently and what is the most memorable moment of this past year?

OD: Touring has been great! Itʼs a bit of a blur when I try to think about specifics... so many people and places. But SXSW was a highlight for sure, SO much fun to be out there! There was a show in Atascadero, CA where we actually broke the stage during our set. It literally came down while we were playing "Sleeping Giant." There is some footage out there, you can actually see it come down but we kept playing though. That was pretty exciting. I've heard since then the venue has a gotten new stage, I think we are stopping through

there again next month so maybe we can do some more damage. (Laughs)

MUEN: You had a memorable touring this spring with SXSW included. How was that experience to play such a large music festival with some impressive bands?

OD: Yeah it was great! There is SO much energy there and itʼs ALL about the music! I saw some amazing shows! Fair to Midland, Dredg, Metallica, Silversun Pickups, Nothing More, Valiant Thorr, Sound and Shape all in the same day! Itʼs pretty inspiring to see what the other bands are doing around SXSW and I always walk away with a new favorite. Also it allows us to come back to Texas, which we love. Texas as a whole has been really good to Opus Dai, but during SXSW itʼs out of control and SO much fun to be able to get back out to the other cities! There are tons of other indie bands doing the same route so we end up playing with bands from all over the country on our way there and

back. That state is so several times over but huge we always end up this will be our first run spending half the tour outside of the country. there. MUEN: We see differMUEN: Speaking of ent genres associated huge. You have with you. But how shows coming up in would you describe November in Japan. your music to some Great crowds! How of the very few that did you decide to play have not heard it? Japan and will anyone tour with you OD: Hmmm, itʼs tough there? to say. Within the band we all have a pretty OD: We are playing out wide range of musical there with a kick ass taste so Iʼm sure that Japanese band called shows in the music. Aggressive Dogs. This Iʼm not one to limit tour came to us as a music to genres, but for result of the venue / us we have a lot of dumanagement owner in ality in the music. Itʼs Japan. He owns sev- both hard and soft, ageral venues out there gressive and tender, including the ones we fast yet moody. Simulare playing are in taneously there are Tokyo and Osaka. Ba- some edgy, more consically he missed one temporary influences of our LA shows while as well as a healthy he was in the states dose of the classics. last month and decided Ultimately we try to to book us in Japan keep an honest quality pretty much so that he to the music and hope would be able to see us that it takes the listener live! Apparently he was somewhere they want impressed enough by to be. the turn out and reaction of everyone at our MUEN: The video for show that he booked “Sinking Ship” give us on the spot without us a taste of your live even seeing us live. Al- performances from though he was a fan of your EP. Are there our music sometime any new videos before then. We are planned to showcase REALLY excited to get more songs? out there for sure! We have toured the states OD: Yeah, that was

they could have held up better. So having the chance to get really intimate with those songs live and learn what we wanted to explore and what we wanted to do differently the next time around played a big roll in the newer songs in addition to the new band members. Working with Tim was great too, cause he could do all these new things, we suddenly had all these new options to work with, it was like getting a new toy as a kid and finding MUEN: Speaking of out all these cool new your CD, you have ways to tinker around. previously released There were countless two CDʼs. How has hours in pre-production the music changed just exploring with Tim. other than the obvious singer changes It was really a lot of fun. In a way it gave us the for this newest one chance to really ask “Touch the Sun”? ourselves what is Opus Dai and what do we OD: I think the lineup change was just part of want it to be? I guess an evolution for us. Be- those are questions that we never stop askfore the first two releases we hadn't done ing really. nearly the amount of MUEN: How much touring that we now have. That was a big use has MySpace influence for us and a been to the band throughout? great way to test out the old material over time and see what we OD: Itʼs been great! did and didn't want to Especially in the begindo with the new mate- nings of it, now there is rial. In some cases the a lot of spam and older songs flourished everyone seems to have some kind of within the live setting music page up but, and in others we felt made with a compilation of raw footage shot over the course of nearly two years of touring the west coast. It was really about the live show and being out on the road. We plan to do some more video blogging and I think the next video goal is to shoot a more formal video maybe something a little more conceptual, but we aren't really there yet so itʼs tough to say at this point.

even today itʼs a huge tool for us to use keep in touch with fans and people we meet when we are away from home. Itʼs been huge in allowing us to reach out to other bands and make friends with some great artists that live in other parts of the country and even the world. In many ways itʼs like the new "scene". Everywhere we go, bands and people say the same thing about their town "oh, the scene is dead here" but really itʼs alive. Itʼs alive everywhere and its not limited to standing in front of your local rock venue or music store handing out flyers with other bands and fans. SNS sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. keeps us all together in one big scene! MUEN: Who writes the songs for the band and how are they written?

OD: Itʼs mainly a collaborative process between Atsushi, Tim and me. There isn't much of a formula in fact we avoid getting to formulaic about it. The last EP was written a bit differently then the other releases as we were

recording demo tracks constantly as we wrote, so in a way it made us approach the songs more from the perspective of a producer rather then a musician. That kind of distance was really helpful. Also, we worked with producer Jun Murakawa on the EP and had much more of a chance to explore our "sound" than we ever had before. It was such an awesome experience to work with someone like Jun and have the chance to learn from his experiences and feedback. MUEN: What should we expect to see from Opus Dai for the rest of 2009 other than the touring to Japan and the other dates set already?

OD: There are some new songs in the works and we should be pulling them out for a test run at some of these up coming shows. And also some new video blogs. If you are in our mailing list, there are some promo things coming up that we do exclusively for our mailing list subscribers (things like secret shows, free songs, giveaways etc.)

MUEN: And what is the most exciting thing planned for 2010 and beyond for Opus Dai?

ing a tire earlier that day also while driving on the freeway. To this day that was our most "Spinal tap" moment and the perfect folly OD: SXSW 2010! Pre- filled way to kick off a production on a new tour. Iʼm glad to say we album and possibly a have come along way video. Definitely more since then in terms of touring in California up organizing our own until the end of the tours and we have a year. much better vehicle now. MUEN: For all the fans that follow you MUEN: Is there anyand think they know thing I have not asked everything about you, that you think our can you tell us some- readers should like to thing that will surknow about Opus prise them? Dai?

OD: Tim has 3 testicles but I guess thatʼs not much of a surprise thanks to the internet (laughs). Hmmm, surprise them? Well, our first tour van caught on fire while on the freeway! We were 6 hours into the first day of our first tour and we mysteriously started getting light headed. Turns out it was from the fumes! Eventually one of our road crew, Joe... opened the door while we were sitting in traffic. He saw a huge blanket of flames coming from underneath the van! This was just after breaking the only key to the ignition off in the door lock and loos-

OD: Iʼll be showing some of my art work at the Third Eye Gathering festival we are playing Sept 22nd. Art work I've done both for the band as well as other art pieces.

MUEN: Sounds like it will a great combination of visual and musical art and perfect for you guys! Thanks guys for talking with MUEN today. We look forward to seeing and hearing a lot more from you in the future.

The Culprit

Stratford-Upon-Avon, United Kingdom

Interview By: Macavity

The Culprit is a band that many have already seen and heard in the U.S. but have many more fans to conquer. We had a chance to talk with Tommy, Russ and Luke recently after they finished a summer tour of part of the states and got some great and very definitely witty answers in our interview from the guys that matches their great music very well.

MUEN: Hi guys! Thanks for talking to MUEN today about The Culprit! Have to ask the obvious question. Where did the name come from and does it have a particular meaning?

often it can freak people out to have secrets kept from them and from that the name came about.

MUEN: You have only been together since 2008. How did you decide on who was going to be in the band and The Culprit: The band actually who started was initially put together the band? by ex members of various bands of the local The Culprit: The original area, but we kept it a se- line up included a different rhythm section upon cret at the time as to who was involved. Peo- conception, but that was just early stages and ple have always had a fascination with mystery local shows. June 2008 was the start of what we and anonymity. Very

call the real line up with whom we have recorded the album and toured extensively with.

MUEN: What other bands have you been in and do you still work with any others each of you?

The Culprit: Russ is in another metal band from where we live called AlterVertigo, but other than small session roles etc, the Culprit is the main creative outlet for the rest of us.

MUEN: How would you best describe your sound to someone that has not heard you live or on MySpace?

The Culprit: We have had a number of descriptions; electro rock, multimedia metal, alternative synth rock. Basically our tag line is six strings meets sawtooth. It is a heavy modern rock band format (guitars, bass, drums, vocals) plus electronic sequences (loops, subs, synths etc) with the live show incorporating film samples etc. Itʼs quite an interactive show! If anyone from Apple read this, Can we have some free stuff? Most people who listen to our music or those who have seen us live recently have related us to groups like Deftones and Thrice, but with a dancy Electro side. I usually describe it as Heavy Electro Rock.

think we try to cherry pick the hooks from a range of styles. I have always thought that bands who only listen to their kind of music can become stale fairly quickly. Russ: My original roots are soul and funk, so Iʼm really focused to creating groove based music. But as Tommy said I think everyone has a broad taste in music! Anything from The Police to Weird Al Yankovic! Luke: All music is an influence. It's all around us everyday, everywhere. I find it difficult to be able to pinpoint a specific group or genre when writing music. It always should come naturally and from the heart.

MUEN: You have played many gigs and seem to have toured more than most new bands which is a great accomplishment. How did you get a SXSW slot and also main MUEN: Who influences stage at Bulldog Bash you most in your writ- for this year? ing and playing? The Culprit: A careful Tommy: Tough one. Well balance of hustling and to be honest, between back scratching. us we all listen to such a variety of genres that MUEN: You just came this would be a someoff a tour of the U.S. what vague response. I that included mainly work outside the band as the Midwest and Texas. a producer, and so am What made you decide fascinated in all types of to do those particular music; Rock, Dance, places for this tour? Classical, Hip Hop, anything! I would like to The Culprit: You gotta

start somewhere! Our bookings management is based in Texas, so it made sense to start and end the tour there and route a months touring around that. We hope to hit the East coast next, and then West coast/Cali areas after that. The US is so damn big we gotta break it up into chunks! To give you an example of how different it is for us, you could fit the UK into Texas twice!

the live sequences, swapping the modern synth sounds etc for orchestral instruments. It worked quite nicely.

MUEN: That is a great outlet to be heard by rock fans. How did playing at Hot Topic come about and are they to now carry your merch and music?

The Culprit: It was all booked as part of the tour. We did something MUEN: You have been like thirty odd shows in to the states before. about twenty-five days Where did you go on as we played twice in a tour then and why did day sometimes. The Hot you choose those Topic shows were a places? great way to promote the evening concerts, and The Culprit: We were reach a wider potential over in March doing the audience. They seemed South by South West to go well with the stores festival in Austin, Texas. promoting the album and It was just a week, but merch should be arriving those shows opened up soon! a lot of other opportunities! MUEN: Glad it went well and speaking of MUEN: It is not easy to touring, what has been get an in store session the most unusual or with Hot Topic and you memorable thing to did many on this latest happen at a gig or on tour. How was it play- tour? ing in a mall and acoustic? Tommy: Ahem…In no particular order…insects, The Culprit: Very weird pink limos, firearms, at first. Until now we had theme parks, stuffed bufnever played our stuff falo, jaw dropping heat, acoustically. However, breathtaking views, altiwe have been calling it tude sickness, strippers, ʻAcousticʼ, as we police, pool parties, swapped the electric gui- ʻDonky Tonkingʼ, Evertars for acoustics, but clear, 6th St, Swine flu, continued to maintain fast food, VIP privileges,

Festival appearances, Rodeo bulls, tutus, GREAT AUDIENCES! Luke: Ha-ha, amazing! That's everything I can remember. Russ: Weird people dancing on the pavement whilst waving a ʻSALEʼ sign and Big Johnʼs (our tour managerʼs) laugh.

MUEN: Sounds like it was very interesting to say the least! You have samples up on MySpace from your EP “The Stable Sessions.” I understand you have new recordings?

The Culprit: Well that EP is now kinda old as we have now released the new full length album. We have re-recorded the songs that now include the electronics etc. MUEN: How is the music written for the band and by whom?

Tommy: It comes to us in dreams, or on the back of cereal packets. No in all seriousness, Luke and I wrote most of the songs on the album together prior to Russ and Scott joining, but we are now writing altogether for new material! Luke: I can't wait to write again. We've come together so well as band and it's going to be really exciting to see what we can create together.

MUEN: Changing MUEN: When are you returning to record the some, you have a base in Stratford-Uponnext full CD? Avon. Are there any The Culprit: Well weʼve plans to move or do want to stay based only just released the new full length, and we there? are now going back into The Culprit: We are desthe rehearsal room to perate to move to the write new material. We US. So if thereʼs anyone will put up new demos as they happen so all we reading this that can find can say is watch our My- us all a wife or a job then hit us up! We are all Space page! housetrained! Joking MUEN: Do you have a aside, we do feel that the nature of our sound video planned for the one of the tracks from pushes us more naturally to an American authe EP other than the live performances you dience. have on YouTube? MUEN: Do you think you have more fans in The Culprit: Yes hopethe states or at home? fully being completed over the next couple of The Culprit: The US months. now! MUEN: How useful has MUEN: What more MySpace been to the promotion of the band should we expect to see from The Culprit or what outlet other for the rest of 2009? than live has been most beneficial to the Tommy: New video, new band? shows, new tracks, posThe Culprit: Vital. Partic- sibly even a progression ularly in the U.S. market. in direction. Same hair though. Russ: And our It is a fantastic tool in that it enables anyone in Christmas single, Santa the world to access your Clause is ʻComingʼ (smirks). Luke: Hah! material for free. You canʼt ask for better pubMUEN: For your loyal licity than that. In the U.K.I think it has become fans that think they a bit ʻlast seasonʼ as au- know all about you, tell us something that diences there can be most donʼt know about somewhat more fickle, each of you. but it is still a massive culture here in the U.S. The Culprit: That is the

point. Itʼs a secret and up to you to find out! All it takes is a few drinks.

MUEN: Is there anything I have not asked that you think our readers would like to know about The Culprit?

The Culprit: We work very hard with a DIY ethos. We take care of everything within the band; production, videos, graphics and website. If you get in touch with us on the site you can be sure that it will come straight to us. Anyone who gets in touch, we aim to maintain communication personally. Check out the MySpace for a series of blogs from our recent U.S tour. MUEN: Thanks guys for taking the time to talk with MUEN. We look forward to seeing and hearing a lot more from you in the future.

Tommy: Our pleasure. Russ: Thanks. Luke: Goodbye MUEN!

JANUS “Red Right Return”

Janus looks beyond the status quo of modern rock music of today. This album marks the start of what some believe is sure to be the beginning of a new and changing modern rock world of tomorrow. If you like the Deftones, Perfect Circle or Earshot you will be blown away by Janus. Every track on this album is infectiously melodic. One can only describe this 11 track song collection as a very well crafted, re-defined and re-designed approach to the genre.

Send CDʼs For Review MUEN Magazine P.O. Box 11446 Whittier, CA 90603

Track one “Six Letters Sent” starts with pounding drums that you can feel right in your chest. The chorus is an amazing demonstration of the ability that the lead singer holds. Towards the end of the song they break it down before building it up into another explosive Chorus “If you keep running, will you know my name”. The ending riff reminds me of something straight of a Deftones album. “Eyesore” is the bands first single. It has a Breaking Benjamin vibe but in a good way. These guys really have something special here.

Some other tracks that you have to check out are the melancholy fueled angst of “Maybe Itʼs You”, or the catchy hooks of “Say It”, as well as the hard hitting song “Skin Deep”. Red Right Return is a must have. I feel its one of the best albums I have heard from an independent artist since the Destrophy demos. This band has what it takes to go to the next level. They recently played with Sevendust in there home town of Chicago. They have all been road tested and are in it to win. Drummer John Salazar has already been through the ringer with the music industry with his former band Relative Ash. They were signed to Island and released a classic album “Our Time with You”. Unfortunately they were dropped due to the change in the music scene. His new project is destined to surpass the former and bring great joy to thousands. For more information check them out at www.myspace.com/janusband or www.myspace.com/morbidmiller

~Morbid Miller

CD REVIEWS

STEEL PANTHER “Feel The Steel”

Rarely do you get a chance to review a CD that you already know is going to be totally killer without even hearing a note. But such is the case with Steel Pantherʼs “official” debut CD “Feel The Steel.” From the very first riffs and screams of vocals there is not one note or tune that disappoints on any level of this kick ass album! Many things can be said of parody style of metal rock but the one thing that cannot be ignored is that you have to have extraordinary talent to pull it off well and they MORE than deliver the goods on this album.

showcase the true vocal talents and the versatility of the musicians while crossing parental advisory perfectly and most of all humorously. “Panther” pleads for you to drum on whatever surface close by in an attempt to match the mind-blowing drumming and bass line. “Turn Out The Lights” and “Death to All But Metal” will be running in your head for days after listening to these great performances.

With a true homage to eighties hair metal and rock sounds, Steel Panther has managed to turn a CD of that genre in to something that is so relevant and entertaining that you can NOT stop listening to the album. Anyone that enjoys supremely talented musicians with a heavy dose of humor in raunchy, explicit lyrics is going to listen to Steel Pantherʼs “Feel The Steel” and be laughing and in awe simultaneously! This is one of those albums that you will not want to buy just one or two tracks because you Within this legendary apti- donʼt want to miss one tude lies amazing guitar second of the brilliance of riffs that make you listen their collection of talents! over and over to try your Run, donʼt walk, to buy the best to air guitar their CD and laugh, head-bang tunes since you could and most of all appreciate never match that level of the incredible talents while talent! The same can be attempting to match the said of the chameleon vo- vocals singing along whercals that rivals Roth, ever you are. Coverdale, Tyler and Meine at their best voice. ~Macavity “Community Property” and “Stripper Girl” are two ballads on the CD that really

POP EVIL “Lipstick on the Mirror”

“Lipstick on the Mirror” is the latest and definitely the best that Pop Evil has offered in the way of a compilation of their mind-blowing music. What makes this compilation truly unique and entrancing is their music has something that transcends genders and genres with their multiplicity of tracks. But with this diversity, within the CD, not one track sounds out of place and all implore to be listened to many times over to hear what true rock is supposed to sound like in the digital age. It would be far too easy to try and compare them to another band but they have proved with this brilliant CD they are incomparable! Their stellar rock vocals, full on versatile musicality and expressive lyrics and, most of all, raw emotion flow throughout and within the music and the lyrics of “Lipstick on the Mirror” and indeed provides the listener with a need to hit repeat many times to appreciate every nuance this band offers.

After many plays it is hard to pick just a few stand out songs since all seem to stand equally strong on their own merits and individuality. If you must pick a few tracks to listen to before you buy the CD then “Breathe” is certainly one. This song has some of the best rock vocals to be heard and enough of pop catchy lyrics to have you hooked into singing along. All of these qualities are encased in truly incredible musical talents with intricate changeups and variations. Their skillful distinctions and variety can also be heard so effectively in the subtle sultry vocal bridge in “Ready or Not” and the passionate slower tempo raw emotions heard in “Romeo & Juliet” not just with the vocals but also within the astounding guitar work.

If you think this is going to be a pure emotional roller coaster without substance then you would be wrong. Pop Evil has given a gift of their musical talents in this CD that is unparalleled to any other rock CD out right now. They have stretched the boundaries to give music lovers a wide variety to entice them with every song on the album for its own individuality and gifted subtleties that make you rock your way through the album over and again.

~Macavity

CD REVIEWS produce a retro track. The bass anchors the song beautifully to make it cross the line to rock retro with a fresh flavor. “Captivated” is aptly named as it is another tune that does indeed captivate you to listen to every articulate lyric that is exceptionally sung and again perfectly THE DARLINGS mixed with amazing musi“Self Titled” cal performance. Within all this high energy punk is a This self-titled EP by The rock ballad, “Love Story,” Darlings shows that exact that would make most any consideration to every artist envious of the qualminute detail can produce ity. Once again the attenan EP that is nothing short tion to detail tells this story of perfection and a delight with an outro of acoustic to listen to many times guitar that ends the EP exover. They convey this ceptionally well. awareness throughout the EP with killer music that This entire EP is so perhas the greatest of atten- fectly done that it leaves tion to writing and song you looking for the repeat structure along with amaz- to play it over and again. ing performances by the The Darlings display entire band. sounds that are completely

It is within those performances that it is difficult to extract one element that stands out more than another. They have everything so well mixed and tight that it all makes for a perfect balance of punk and rock performed to exceeding levels. One feature that must be mentioned is the brilliant use of stellar basslines to make the backbone of the melodies and truly make all their tunes rich, full and energetic punk with a great dose of rock. This is best revealed in “Lacerate” where the unbelievable vocals, together with the guitars and amazing drums,

SUICIDE CITY “Frenzy”

“Frenzy” is an appropriate name for this full length first offering from Suicide City. They have that indeed and much more in this mind-blowing album. The CD also contains heavy dozes of rock, nu metal and alt to make a brilliant masterpiece of what these genres mixed together should sound like.

more tracks that are simply incomparable in their talent. Both exhibit the range of vocal talents that shows how far they can be stretched and still remain clean and clear. Alongside, and equally as important, is the melodic instrumentation and performance of these talented musicians executing stellar compositions that have you hooked with each note heard.

This great tight production, performance and writing you will make you wonder why you have not listened to them before when you have been listening to Biohazard and 36 Crazy Fists. But once you do listen to the catchy tunes and frenzied music you will want yet more from Suicide City. Headbang to these fifteen They could easily be comkickass tracks and eagerly pared to early Faith No await their next CD to see More but they have taken what gifted things could fresh and quite unique that sound many levels possibly top this astoundwhich makes it impossible higher. With such clean ing album. to compare them with any and articulate vocals that other band. They have have great range and vari~Macavity mastered a way to comation combined with adroit pletely own their individual use of programming and talents and sound coninstrumentation they could summately. easily make FNM wish they sounded as good on ~Macavity an album as this one is. They use the dexterity of their sound to make tracks such as “Painted Horse” and “Not My Year” stand out with their frenetic high energy that makes you want to headbang your way through both tunes and sing along at the top of your lungs to match the remarkable vocals. “Undone” and “Cutter” are two

CD REVIEWS

ROBIN “Thunder & Speedumb”

The latest offering, and the first U.S. release, for Robin is a kickass rock psychobilly album that is a must have for all fans of this genre. They utilize their collective talents to put forth a CD that that mixes punk and rock with touches of metal and enough southern rock flavor to make if truly unique and stand up to their genre exceptionally well.

However, a unique use of a variety of basses combined with fantastic guitars, drums and vocals, which are found throughout this CD, set it apart from their peers and makes a statement to cross genres. Each element has a standout track within the album to highlight the individual talents of the band. This is particularly notable in “Vulcanus” which incorporates in to the punk some grind core and metal components through amazing vocals and shredding riffs. It is the longest tune on the CD and worth every second to hear all their talents work together superbly.

“Flying High” brings in elements that are reminiscent of The Sex Pistols only far better with their clever use of the bass and vocals that demand to be heard. “From Hell” is another standout track that truly brings to light their psychobilly sound with a definite southern rock with a THE CROSSING harder edge feel to the “Chemical Gods” music.

This may be there first release in the U.S. but will certainly not be their last! They are a great punk band that utilizes all their talents so well to make their music cross genres and grab fans that would normally turn away from a tag such as punk or psychobilly. For a fresh take on compound genre music, this album that is a must have for anyone that want a new and completely rocking out sound with intriguing composition and performance added.

The Crossing has done more than one thing different with their latest CD “Chemical Gods.” For one it is a compilation of 40 tracks. However, the most striking difference about The Crossing is that they have blown all genres to hell and just created their own called VERSATILE! With this versatility though and the amount of tracks, quality of sounds do not suffer nor get diluted in any manner!

They have managed to garner talents that pull in pure rock and add ele~Macavity ments of alt, blues, grind, clean metal and still throw in to the mix some of the greatest mid-century sounds that harkens to balladeers such as J. Frank Wilson. “357” and the title track both stand out as stellar examples of the range of talent displayed by the band members both musically and vocally. Both are full on rock tunes that showcase an amazing set of vocal range and versatility and also some mind-blowing guitar and drum talent.

“Chemical Gods” also has some of the smoothest vocals that cleverly place an edginess to them when needed to match the musical changes. “Baby Blue” is bluesy to the core with a retro, almost analog, sound that takes such a turn from the rock yet seems to fit perfectly within the rock tracks because of its use of modern programming techniques. “Rot” is yet another song that stands out for more than just the remarkable sounds that are found throughout. It makes an astounding amount of statements with well written lyrics that leave the listener to derive their interpretation if they are political, world or societal statements. This attention and adroit use of lyrics is found throughout and crosses all their songs to make each an ear-catching tune no mater the tempo of the music.

Although the easy way out would be to say they sound like this band or that it simply cannot be done! The Crossing have their own sounds that are as intricate and Technicolor as their album art and something that should not be passed by. This is one of those rare CDʼs where there is something to please any music fan that appreciates quality at its highest form!

~Macavity

CD REVIEWS and again to catch each drum beat and guitar lick. “Anthem” and “Killers” slow things enough to catch each lyric sung and performed and give yet another view of this bandʼs outstanding abilities.

It would be very easy to compare them to AeroPAPERBACK FREUD smith meets ZZ Top and “All In A Dayʼs Work” Stevie Ray added in but Paperback Freud are in a The sophomore offering class all their own. They do from this Swedish rock have the elements of these band shows how far the band has come to express bands and yet have taken their electric live perform- them to a higher level with ances on disc. It is always their kickass fusion of all hard to beat a great debut three influences. This is a CD that all rock fans must album but Paperback have to complete their colFreud has blown their lection of what modern day debut album out of the water with this mind-blow- boogie blues rock should sound like when written ing CD. and performed brilliantly Somehow they have cap- well! tured the bluesy boogie ~Macavity southern rock sound and made it their own unique style of pure rock and roll that has no hint of the traditional offerings from Swedish rock bands. “High Speed Rock and Roll” is a perfect example of this unique musicality with their tight performance and production exhibited with a stellar balance of shredding kickass riffs, beats and vocals. These talents are found, impeccably done, throughout the CD no matter what tempo the tune has. “My Frequency” and “Bad” showcase their versatility to fuse boogie with full on rock and add enough of a blues flavor to make you play them over

FRIGHTDOLL “Assimilation Illusion”

The music of Frightdoll is written, performed, recorded and produced solely on her own. It is a dark mix of transgressional type goth executed in an electronica and industrial manner, complete with bold synth tracks and metallic beats. Frightdoll, out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, is the entire deal, not shy of provocative, and not afraid to lure you with seductiveness.

Ironically, the disc starts out with what sounds like an acoustic piano in the very lightweight sounding, "Lost". After this lullaby of a start, track 2 swiftly swoops in with a more anticipated goth/industrial tone, "Alone In This" and is followed by the same with "Caused," containing uptempo synth beats and electrically charged vocals that are becoming a staple in the Frightdoll sound. It is now safe to say, you may find yourself slipping into a trance, while the vocal parts and synth become more and more fixed in a gothic landscape, as in the song "Evolution," which is

rapidly becoming a favorite. Do you like Edward Sissorhands? Well then you should like "Controverse." "Distant" descends weightlessly back into a more mellow realm again, with a mix of both "acoustic sounding" and electronic keys, followed by the heavier "Leaving You". The later part of this album is good... songs like "Generate" and the somber "Endings," which has some interesting programming.

Lastly, "Sweet Serenity" wraps things up with much of the same... but even more twisted acoustic piano accompanied by some insanely soft twisted vocals, which conjures up visions of Frightdoll curled up in a corner down in a cold damp cellar, plotting her next album. Her latest release includes much color and attitude, not only in the music, but also in the artwork of Synthestruct and photography of Janette Valentine. It is a four-panel fold out complete with all the lyrics and various Frightdoll imagery. A professional production throughout. There are a lot of ways to describe it... in her own words: "a search for a sense of self within, a medium in which the distinctions between the human mind and digital processes have become blurred."

G. Cataline