http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/phish-returns-hampton-comes-alive-in-march.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/phish-returns-hampton-comes-alive-in-march.html Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Phish will reunite for a series of shows this March. As of press time, the quartet's first full performances since 2004 will take place at Hampton, VA's Hampton Coliseum on March 6, 7 and 8, 2009. Earlier this month the band also played a surprise three-song set at the wedding of longtime road manager Brad Sands. The group is expected to announce a handful of additional dates in the near future.

Hampton Coliseum's intimate size and general admission seating has made the venue a fan and band favorite since the group first headlined the room in 1995. Since that time Phish has filled the Coliseum on eleven additional occasions, most recently on its farewell tour in 2004.

This is not the first time the group has selected the room for a special event. After returning from hiatus in 2002, three of Phish's first four shows took place at the spaceship shaped arena, and the group booked a last minute Hampton, VA show after announcing its breakup in 2004. Phish's November 20 and 21, 1998 performances in the room were released as the box set Hampton Comes Alive.

Rumors of a Phish reunion have reached new heights in recent months after the four musicians accepted a lifetime achievement award at New York's Theatre at Madison Square Garden last May. Since that time the players have appeared onstage in a number of different configurations, most recently when Mike Gordon sat in with Page McConnell at South Burlington, VT's Higher Ground this past Saturday. Trey Anastasio has also tested out a number of new possible Phish songs onstage, most notably his co-compositions with longtime lyricist Tom Marshall "Alaska" and "Backwards Down the Number Line."

Anastasio announced Phish's breakup on May 25, 2004, and the group played its final show on August 15 of that year. At the time of his original announcement, Anastasio said, "Last Friday night, I got together with Mike, Page and Fish to talk openly about the strong feelings I've been having that Phish has run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note. Once we started talking, it quickly became apparent that the other guys' feelings, while not all the same as mine, were similar in many ways -- most importantly, that we all love and respect Phish and the Phish audience far too much to stand by and allow it to drag on beyond the point of vibrancy and health. We don't want to become caricatures of ourselves, or worse yet, a nostalgia act. By the end of the meeting, we realized that after almost twenty-one years together we were faced with the opportunity to graciously step away in unison, as a group, united in our friendship and our feelings of gratitude."

A limited number of tickets for Phish's upcoming shows will be available through the group's secure online ticketing system. In addition, the group has issued the following statement regarding ticket scalping:

Phish Tickets has a zero tolerance for scalping and insists that all patrons of our service abide by our policy stated herein. Tickets made available through this site are intended only for fans who are actually planning on attending the shows requested. It is strictly prohibited to resell any tickets obtained through Phish Tickets for more than the purchase price. If you are found to be reselling, trading or brokering tickets that you purchased through our site for profit, Phish Tickets may at its discretion cancel your ticket order and all other pending orders in your name. This cancellation will result in a refund of the total price for the tickets minus a $7.00 per ticket processing fee and any shipping fees that have been incurred with respect to the order. We reserve the right to investigate all orders suspected to be in violation of this policy.

We urge you not to purchase tickets through brokers or "scalpers." These tickets may be counterfeit in which case you will not only be overcharged but will also likely be denied entry into the show.

Meanwhile, Anastasio will kick off a solo tour at New York's Roseland Ballroom on October 16.

--
Mike Greenhaus, Associate Editor & Podcast Producer

Lingering Childhood Addictions: Tuna and Chocolate Milk
Fun Phish Fact: It took me 45 shows to hear “Fee”
Genetic Jamband Bobble: My bouncy walk resembles my disheveled dance step
Genuine Jamband Geekster: I’ve seen a concert in all five of New York’s boroughs (even Staten Island!)
Most Shameless Plug: I store my typos at http://www.greenhauseffect.com/

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/god-forbid-post-new-track-online.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/god-forbid-post-new-track-online.html Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 09.12.08: GOD FORBID Post New Track Online
There is no question that one of the most anticipated albums of 2009 is the new GOD FORBID effort, which is now tentatively set for a Feb. 09 release. This offering was produced by Eric Rachel (Atreyu) with Christian Olde Wolbers (Fear Factory, Threat Signal) handling all vocal tracking.

This is an entirely new GOD FORBID that have matured beyond their years and are now more focused than ever before. The depth and diversity showcased on this new album is easily going to position them as of one the most innovative bands within the genre. The group have posted the new track, “Empire of The Gun,” at www.myspace.com/godforbid, so head over now as the track will be streaming for a limited time.

Doc Coyle (guitars, vocals) states: “Personally, I've been off the radar for a while because there really hasn't been a lot to report. I'm sure many of you were disappointed when it was announced that the album was going to be pushed back to early '09. So were we. To make a long story short, Colin Richardson was supposed to mix the album in July so we could get the album out in October, but we ran into some scheduling conflicts and decided to go back to the drawing board as far as mixing. Hence the album release delay.

“So after about six weeks of hearing some awesome test mixes from some of the best metal producers in the biz, we've decided on.......drum roll.........Jens Bogren. He owns and runs Fascination Street Studios in Orebro, Sweden. He’s most known for his incredible production and mixing work with Opeth, Amon Amarth, Soilwork, Katatonia and Symphony X. The band could not be more excited about this decision, especially considering the varied and dynamic nature of the material featured on the new album.

“We are so happy with this that we've decided to share with the fans the mix that got Jens the job. So enjoy this little sneak preview while it lasts.”

--
Liz Ciavarella, Editress

I would give anything to see: Hell freeze over...
Favorite TV Show: The Sopranos, Family Guy, South Park, 24
Pet Peeve: Mold
Favorite food: Soylent green
Favorite musical moment: Seeing Rob Halford sing for Black Sabbath
Artists I wish I had seen: Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem
Band I’m currently most glad to be around for: Nachtmystium
Lingering Childhood Addictions: Casting spells, Duck Duck Goose, levitation, orange juice

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/don-caballero-announce-european-headlining-tour.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/don-caballero-announce-european-headlining-tour.html Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 DON CABALLERO (Damon Che: drums, Jason Jouver: bass, and Gene Doyle: guitar) have announced the dates their first European headlining tour in support of their brand new full-length, Punkgasm. This Plan B Magazine sponsored tour will kick-off in mid-October in the Netherlands and also include inaugural stops in Norway, Luxembourg, Croatia, and Poland for the band. DON CABALLERO will also be performing as part of the Hobaken Festival in London alongside FUCKED UP, PART CHIMP, SUN RA’s ARKESTRA, and more as well as the Lo-Fi Festival in Poland during this run. A complete listing of tour dates can be found below with more to be announced soon.

DON CABALLERO released Punkgasm in late August and have just completed their first US run in support of the album. Tracks taken from Punkgasm, “Lord Krepelka” and “Bulk Eye”, can be heard now via the band’s MySpace page: MySpace.com/DonCaballeroPGH.

Updated DON CABALLERO news / album information will be made available via the Relapse Records website: www.RELAPSE.com, and the DON CABALLERO MySpace: www.MySpace.com/DonCaballeroPGH.


DON CABALLERO Tour Dates:

October 15 Tilburg, Netherlands 013
October 16 Leuven, Belgium STUK
October 17 Antwerpen, Belgium Scheldapen
October 18 Haarlem, Netherlands Patronaat
October 19 Strasbourg, France Le Molodoi
October 20 Lille, France La Malterie
October 21 Koln, Germany Gebaude 9
October 22 Hamburg, Germany Hafenklang
October 23 Oslo, Norway Revolver
October 25 Munchen, Germany Feierwerk
October 26 Berlin, Germany Festsall
October 27 Stuttgart, Germany Schocken
October 28 Zagreb, Croatia SC
October 29 Milan, Italy Music Drome (w/ NO AGE)
October 30 Rome, Italy Circolo degli Artisti
October 31 Ravenna, Italy Bronson
November 1 Turin, Italy Spazio 211
November 2 Bulle, Switzerland Ebullition
November 3 Belfort, France PMA
November 4 Paris, France Point Ephemere
November 5 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg Rockhal
November 6 Cherbourg, France L’Epicentre
November 7 London, UK 93 Feet East (as part of the Hobaken Festival)
November 8 Brighton, UK Engine Room
November 9 Bristol, UK The Croft
November 10 Oxford, UK The Regal
November 11 Leeds, UK Brudenell Social Club
November 12 Glasgow, UK Stereo
November 13 Belfast, Ireland Black Box
November 14 Dublin, Ireland Whelans
November 15 Bydgoszcz, Poland Lo-Fi Festival

--

Liz Ciavarella, Editress

I would give anything to see: Hell freeze over...
Favorite TV Show: The Sopranos, Family Guy, South Park, 24
Pet Peeve: Mold
Favorite food: Soylent green
Favorite musical moment: Seeing Rob Halford sing for Black Sabbath
Artists I wish I had seen: Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem
Band I’m currently most glad to be around for: Nachtmystium
Lingering Childhood Addictions: Casting spells, Duck Duck Goose, levitation, orange juice

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/mayhem-fest-complete-coverage-and-interviews.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/mayhem-fest-complete-coverage-and-interviews.html Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 For the first time in over 10 years, there was no Ozzfest. Well, that’s not exactly true—there was one show, on August 9th, in Frisco, Texas, dubbed Ozzfest 2008, that featured performances from Metallica, The Sword, and the Ozzman himself. But this summer marked the first in a decade that there was no traveling Ozzfest. Despite outlandish prices for tickets and concessions, Ozzfest has become an annual routine for metalheads longing for a day of moshing and drinking in a parking lot or on a lawn while the sun beats down overhead and the music blares from a couple of stages. What were metal fans to do?

They up and went to the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. In Ozzfest’s absence, the new traveling fest took up the banner of large-scale, summertime metal shenanigans. Main stage performers included Mastodon, Dragonforce, and co-headliners Slipknot and Disturbed. We’ve got interviews with all of them here, except Slipknot—you’ll have to check out the cover story of our Oct./Nov. issue for that. The second stages featured sets from Machine Head, Underoath, Walls of Jericho and many more. By having two second stages, Mayhem Fest essentially avoided downtime—when one band ended, another began on the other stage. Take note, Ozzfest.

The fans aren’t the only ones getting in on the party at Mayhem Fest. Every few nights, a different band has been hosting a barbeque and party, known as a “Metal Mixer,” by their bus after the concert. At the August 6th stop of the tour on Long Island, we got the dirt on the bands that are tearing up Mayhem Fest, their raucous after-parties, and the one-time (?) performance by the demented supergroup known only as Ladder Up An Ass.



Q&A: Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor

What is the craziest or most hilarious thing that’s happened on this tour so far?

There’s been a lot of insanity. It’s pretty cool, some of the bands have hosted barbeques. Ours is tonight. It’s up to the bands to come up with a drink, like Five Finger Death Punch had their punch, Dragonforce had “dragon juice.” We have “wolf urine.” Those are usually a little out of hand because usually it’s before a day off, so people just get out of control. We’re running around naked, dudes running around with thongs on. I think someone picked up a giant cooler with doors and lights and slammed it on the floor last night.

What’s going into the "wolf urine?"

Nothing too crazy. We need something yellow, so we went with pineapple juice and vodka, and fresh squeezed ginger for a little bite. It’ll be tropical with a little sting so you know its urine. Hopefully it’ll make people feral.

If there’s one band on this tour other than Mastodon that’s a must see, who is it and why?

Well, I don’t want to be obvious, but Slipknot, because they have a crazy show. There’s fire and there’s like nine crazy clowns running around on stage. They have these giant drums and Joey [Jordison, drums] spins around in circles and it’s just like, you have to see that. On the second stage, some bands that are a little less obvious, I’d have to say the Red Chord and Walls of Jericho, two of my favorites over there. Red Chord is particularly technical and they’re loopy. They play a very interesting brand of grindcore and they’re great guys. Walls of Jericho, I mean, Candace [Kucsulain, vocals] gets the crowd going, and they’re crazy. Really fun to watch.



Mastodon guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, rocking.

You guys played two nights in Brooklyn with Neurosis earlier this year. What was that experience like and how did it come about?

When Mastodon started, that was where we kind of stood as a band: “Hey, we all like Neurosis, we all like the Melvins. Cool, let’s start a band.” So I think if it wasn’t for Neurosis, there wouldn’t be a Mastodon. Any opportunity to play with them, you know, we’re gonna take it. So they just called us, I mean, I talk to Scott [Kelly, vocals and guitars] pretty regularly. He was like, “Are you guys interested in doing that?” I was like, “Fuck yeah, of course.” At a hundred-year-old black Masonic temple in Brooklyn? That’s amazing. That was one of the best musical experiences we’ve had, doing that with them. It was very special.

Brent has an amazing tattoo on his face. Can you tell me what inspired that?

He’s been talking about getting his face tattooed for a long time. I think it had to be the right design. So he was in Hawaii, surfing, and hanging out with some friends that live there and I’m not exactly sure what it means, but it’s got, like, a Hawaiian, kinda tribal, design thing going on. It’s cool. I think he wears it well.

Q&A: Disturbed singer David Draiman

You guys have done Ozzfest before. How does this compare?

It reminds me of the early Ozzfest days. It’s a much more laid back vibe. Very communal. Not quite as corporate feeling. The bands interact with each other on all sides of the spectrum. There isn’t a separation of the stages. They’re allowed to come see us play, we go to see them play. And there’s also a really nice, unspoken sense of competition. Because you go ahead and watch other bands throw down and it just makes you wanna throw down harder. It’s inspiring. Everybody who comes to see the show ends up getting to reap the benefits of it.

Can you tell me one crazy or hilarious thing that’s happened on the tour?

Crazy or hilarious… well, I can tell you crazy, unfortunately. Our crew got into a really bad accident. Their bus wrecked on the way to Virginia Beach, in South Carolina. Off the road. There are pictures of it on the Internet all over the place. Went into the forest, into trees and just decimated the bus. Our drum tech, Nate, was hospitalized. He had to have some reconstructive surgery on his leg, a plate and a bunch of pins put in. It’s a miracle that nobody actually got hurt worse than that. The rest of the crew, all they really suffered were some bumps and bruises, and actually showed up for the show the next day. Got on another bus and worked the damn show. That’s a real testimony to their dedication and their perseverance and their work ethic, and we’re just so, so grateful that no one died, that nothing extensively tragic happened. We’re very sorry about what happened to Nate, but he’ll eventually come back. He’ll rehabilitate, he will be alright, so it’s good that they all escaped what could have been a very untimely demise.

Disturbed bassist John Moyer flashes the metal sign. Disturbed played foosball deep in the bowels of Nassau Coliseum earlier in the day. No lie.

If there’s one band on this tour other than Disturbed that’s a must see, who is it and why?

I don’t know that I can only pick one. Y’know, Slipknot is Slipknot. It’s an extravaganza. It’s almost too much stimuli. It’s hard to take it all in sometimes—it batters you. Machine Head is just unbelievably powerful. The Five Finger Death Punch guys have come a long, long way since they opened for us on the warm-up run, and they’re really tearing up the side stage. Airbourne, bringing the straight-up rock, AC/DC-style, and just leaving it all out there onstage. There’s so many great, great bands. Underoath. The Dragonforce guys doing what they do—you gotta love a band with a keytar player. Those guys are just hysterical, and great guys, and unbelievably talented. So you have any number of heavyweights on this bill. Everyone has something very tangible to add and is worth checking out.

That guy on the cover of Indestructible and Ten Thousand Fists. He’s pretty badass. What’s up with that guy?

He originally just came from a two-dimensional, menacing, grinning face that I’m sure you’ve seen prior to the three-dimensional version of him. That came from way, way back in the day when we were unsigned and still touring the south suburbs of Chicago. We needed a logo, something to put on our t-shirts aside from our faces, which we never really wanted to do. Anyway, I sat down with a buddy of mine and said, “How about just a menacing, grinning face? Like’s he’s got something to hide, something coming.” And he kinda sketched it on his graphics program in almost stick figure fashion, and used some other piece of software to warp it, to kind of distort it, and that became the first image of The Guy. When Fists came along, we wanted to see if [Spawn creator and comic book artist Todd] McFarlane could make a three-dimensional version to make him more of an actual character as opposed to just a symbol. And then with this record, [comic book artist] David Finch took it even further. We wanted it more brutal, more dark and visceral. And we thought he definitely accomplished that with this one.

Q&A: Dragonforce guitarist Herman Li

Can you tell me something crazy or hilarious that’s happened on the tour?

Mike [Wengren, drums] from Disturbed, like, smashing stuff up and taking his checkbook out the next day and paying for it. Seems like he enjoys that. That’s cool. That’s pretty crazy—smash everything up, pay for it later when he’s sobered up.

Can I expect to see trampolines on stage with you tonight?

We’re not doing trampolines on this tour on purpose. Can’t do the same trick all the time. All the jumping is from our own leg power [now]. We’ve done it so much that we can do it without a trampoline and spin and do 360s without falling over.

Ultra Beatdown is coming out in a few weeks. What can we expect and how does it differ from Inhuman Rampage?

Well, to be honest, does anything I say really matter to anyone? I think people are sick of hearing musicians say, “Our new album is this and that, better than the last one,” and this and that. Does anyone really believe it?

If you wanna be technical, we can get into it. Compared to Inhuman Rampage, this has got lots of tempo changes, much more dynamic—it changes. Inhuman Rampage is definitely a darker album—fast all the way through, shredding all the way. On this album, we really mixed up the tempo quite a bit and it’s more epically triumphant.

Do they believe me? I dunno. They can judge for themselves.

dragonforce_mayhem_singer_final_3.jpg

Dragonforce singer ZP Theart. Those leather pants hug his crotch nicely. Just sayin.

Can you tell me about the cover art for Ultra Beatdown?

It’s made by the guy who did Metroid—you know, Metroid, the video game for Nintendo. We wanted something futuristic because I think the album sounds very modern and futuristic—the way the guitars sound, the keyboards sound, and the way it all comes together. Obviously there’s ‘80s influence, ‘90s influence, all kinds of influences across the board, but it’s definitely modern sounding. It doesn’t sound like an old power metal album, like Helloween.

Do you play the modern videogame systems? Any favorite games?

I have all of them. No favorite games. Just before the tour I was playing Ninja Gaiden 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4. Didn’t really have time to finish them, unfortunately.

Q&A: Machine Head singer/guitarist Robb Flynn

Can you tell me one crazy or hilarious thing that’s happened on this tour?

Probably the craziest thing is Sid [Wilson of Slipknot, DJ] breaking his feet. That happened on the first night. He jumped from 20 feet and when he landed, he broke both of his heels, and he’s still playing. He still plays every night. They put a wheelchair up there and he just does his thing. I don’t think anyone is going to top that story. I mean, we’ve had some good drunken nights. Last night we got all trashed at the party and had Wrestlemania on the bus. I think [guitarist] Phil Demmel was giving our drummer a lap dance. It was ridiculous. It was just… stupidity.

Did you guys host your “Metal Mixer” barbeque yet?

We haven’t done it yet. Ours is in Indianapolis.

I’ve heard that every band has tried to come up with a different drink. Any ideas?

Well, we have our drink, which is the “brown eye.” We got “butt burners.” Dave McClaine [drums] is our resident butt burner maker. Last night the drink was an “oatmeal cookie,” and it had Jagermeister, Goldschlager, butterscotch schnapps and Baileys, which sounds horrendous, but it was so fucking good that I was just like, “Jesus, these are dangerous.” So I did a bunch of those, and you know, it’s like a cavity and a hangover all in one.

What goes into the brown eye?

Brown eye is Grey Goose and Coke. It’s got a secret ingredient, which is a secret, and if I told you, I’d have to kill you.

We got a bar onstage and shit. We call the guitar tech our guitartender. He’s up there doing guitar changes and then passing out brown eye shots.

If there’s one band on this tour other than Machine Head that’s a must see, who is it and why?

There’s a lot of good bands on the side stages. The one band that’s really different and really interesting is Underoath. I really fucking love Underoath, man. Awesome dudes. They’re really heavy, but they’re definitely onto something, a totally different vibe. I was actually ready to hate them cause they’re Christians, I just heard a bunch of shit like prayer circles and I was just thinking, “Oh, god,” cause I’m totally against the whole organized religion thing. [But] I ended up rocking with them. And they fuckin’ rage, like, they totally party like any of the other bands.

On the main stage, Slipknot’s fuckin’ doing awesome. I love them, their music to me is fuckin’ super rad. They’re playing really obscure stuff, album cuts, B-sides. Shit that’s like a bonus track on their special edition and shit. From a fan’s perspective, I fuckin’ love it. I know all these songs and I love it. A lot of the main people here are just kind of the casual Slipknot fans, and they’re kinda like, “Uhh…what’s this?” Disturbed is just hit after hit after hit and people are going fucking crazy for Disturbed. Seriously, it’s impressive. Everybody in the palm of their hand. I never thought they’d give Slipknot a run for their money, but they are.

Have any of the second stage bands done any collaborations?

Every night we have at least four or five different bands up on stage—the Walls of Jericho dudes, the 36 [Crazy Fists] dudes, the Red Chord dudes, and the Underoath dudes—every night they all come up and they do “Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast” [a lyric from “Davidian,” off their 1994 debut album Burn My Eyes].

Q&A: Walls of Jericho singer Candace Kucsulain

Can you tell me something crazy or hilarious that’s happened on this tour?

Well, Ladder Up An Ass just happened and that was absolutely amazing because that was just a joke band that Gun Face [ie guitarist Mike McKenzie] and Greg [Weeks, bass] from the Red Chord started and then it blossomed into what it became today. What pretty much happened was that last week everybody got together and Corey [Taylor, of Slipknot] and Gun Face and Greg and Chris [Rawson, guitar] from our band and a couple of other people started making music together and recording it because they wanted it all pre-recorded for the live show. Then everyone had to have costumes. Corey ordered like 100 triangles so everybody could bang on triangles. Then I was Elton John, they wanted me to be Elton John, so everyone got costumes and it’s just absolutely ridiculous, it’s just chaos. It was awesome, we had a wonderful time. We threw Peeps, there was Peep throwing and they got thrown back at us, and they’re all over the stage. We got in trouble, but yeah, that’s pretty ridiculous.

You guys have done the Ozzfest before. How does this compare to that?

Well, the crowds and all that stuff are pretty much the same, the set up is kind of the same, with a couple of different stages. I would have to say that this is a more friendly atmosphere. It’s just family, man. At Ozzfest we really couldn’t go toward the main stage and we were the little people because we were on the second stage. That shit doesn’t exist here because we’re all here for the music. Every single band on this tour is an amazing band, and everybody is bringing their A-game. Everybody comes and watches. Corey watches, he’ll come to the second stage. So does David [Draiman] and half the other bands from the main stage. It’s more like family.

Walls of Jericho guitarist Chris Rawson and Kucsulain rock the second stage in Uniondale, NY.

I heard some of the bands have had themes when they hosted their “Metal Mixer” barbeques. Have you come up with a theme yet?

We’re thinking, like, total ghetto shit. Like gangster, ghetto. Like Edward 40 hands, shit like that. A little cee-lo. (That’s a dice game, in case you’re wondering –Ed.)

On your new album The American Dream, you guys say “Fuck the American dream.” Can you talk about that a little bit?

I think we’re actually going to do some kind of press release on our MySpace because we’ve been getting a lot of people with a lot of questions wondering if it’s anti-war, anti-government, that kind of shit, and it’s not at all. It’s just that we’re from Detroit and Detroit is one of those cities where people are slowly losing jobs, it’s slowly just dying. People don’t even want to move there anymore. Like, people just want to get the fuck out of Detroit because it’s going to waste. So we started building a song around that, about how it doesn’t even feel like home anymore. You can’t even support your family in Michigan anymore and I came from a family where my dad broke his back every single day to put food on the table, as do many other families, and I feel that it’s just getting lost. There’s no appreciation for the backbone of this country, which is the working man. And people who have money and power do whatever they want and they’re not paying attention to the little people who are the most important part of the country, I think. That’s pretty much what it’s about, and watching it happen and watching my friends go through it. My friends own businesses, and watching them go under because of the corporate industry and everything. Read the lyrics, you know, it’s pretty self-explanatory. But we will express all of our ideas. We all have different versions of what it means to us.

Q&A: Underoath guitarist Tim McTague

Can you tell me something crazy or hilarious that has happened on this tour?

Our tour manager and guitar tech got arrested and sent to jail last night because they stole a golf cart. And when house security tried to catch them, they went on a chase and tried to outrun them and then got out of the golf cart and ran—only to find out later that they were real police, not security guards, so they got charged with larceny and both had to post bail, $40 a piece. And tomorrow’s our day off and we have to drive back to Boston because they have a court date.

If there’s one band on this tour other than Underoath that's a must see, who is it and why?

Machine Head is just awesome. I’ve heard of them all my life, [but] I’ve never listened to them until this tour and they’re like the kind of heavy that you don’t get until you turn 30. Like, you could fake being heavy, but when you hit 30, you kind of know what heavy is, and they’re it. And they’re one of the best bands on the tour if not the best on the tour. Awesome.

Have you guys hosted your barbeque yet?

We haven’t.

Any ideas? I heard each band has a different drink that they’ve been serving.

I don’t know what drink we’re gonna serve, but there’s a good chance that there will be a giant slip n’ slide.

Wow.

Just sayin’. Don’t tell other bands that. I know what you look like, and I know who you work for and I’ll find you.

They won’t know about the slip n’ slide.

I don’t want to get people’s hopes up and I also don’t want to give away the surprise. The day that they show up and there’s a big hill with soap and water all over it is the day they’ll know.

You guys have played Warped, you did Taste of Chaos, how does this tour compare and how is it different?

This tour is very much similar to Warped and Taste of Chaos in the sense that the same people run it. The biggest difference for us is the kids. We’ve done Warped tour every year, and we know the shows are going to be great, we know we’re going to sell this much in merch and it’s probably gonna be a good tour, and it’ll be fun, but it got to the point where we were just playing the same show every year. Now we’re really seeing a difference. People who come to these shows have never seen us before, ever. They may have heard of our band name before, but it’s really cool because you’re playing in front of this new crowd everyday. And we met all of the bands the first day. We didn’t know one member from one band except for Troy from Mastodon—that was the only person we knew from the entire tour aside from the production people. So all the friends that we have on this tour, we just made over the last four weeks, which is sweet.

Slipknot bassist Paul Gray, left, and guitarist Jim Root.

--
Brendan Twist, Associate Editor

Favorite live bands: Tool, Converge, Deftones, Pantera
Happiest when: eating well, playing video games
Guilty pleasures: pop rap, nu metal
Little-known fact: I was captain of my high school football team

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/metallicas-death-magnetic-the-metal-edge-review.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/metallicas-death-magnetic-the-metal-edge-review.html Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Metallica’s death magnetic: fuck you, it’s great

So Death Magnetic leaked Tuesday night, to no one’s great surprise. The narrative being pushed is that a French record store (not named) got copies early and began selling them, and now it’s out on the net courtesy of some customer. I don’t think that’s what happened at all. I think, as is so often the case, it was leaked by someone on the inside. But however it happened, the music’s out there, and now it’s time for everyone to have their say.

I think ,Metallica’s in a tough spot with this album. A lot of people these days seem to hate them, or at least get off on abusing them online. They get ridiculed for obvious missteps like Some Kind Of Monster as brutally as for totally extramusical “offenses” like the photo of James Hetfield, Rob Trujillo and their wives or girlfriends or whoever out shopping in shorts and sandals. And I think it’s time motherfuckers backed off a little. Fine—Load and ReLoad were not good albums, and S&M was an interesting idea, less than brilliantly executed. But you know what? I’ve spent a fair amount of time listening to St. Anger over the past couple months, sort of psyching myself up/steeling myself to the reality of Death Magnetic, and it’s a much more interesting album than I remembered it being back in 2003, when I listened to it once at the label’s offices, went back to my office and wrote a scorching review that got reprinted in about ten alt-weeklies across the country and probably earned me a spot on Lars Ulrich’s enemies list. I’m not gonna go into total historical-revisionism mode here and now, but trust me: there’s a lot to like about St. Anger. Go back and listen with an open mind, and when you’re listening to it, remind yourself that it’s not about you. They didn’t make that album to fuck with longtime fans, and they didn’t make it by accident. They made it because it was the album they wanted to make, and it sounds that way (right down to Lars’s drums) because that’s how they wanted it to sound. If you don’t like it, that’s your business, but they weren’t thinking about you when they made it. And here’s the really interesting thing—it now stands revealed as an album that must be heard in the light of Death Magnetic. Not because the new album is a sequel, but rather because DM doesn’t sound anything like Anger.

It sounds like is a confident, artistically mature metal band that’s no longer running scared. The advance quotes about how the band was attempting to go back and rediscover their 1986 selves? Not entirely bullshit. But that’s not the whole story, not even close.

What Metallica’s done is write a bunch of riffs that sound like outtakes from Master Of Puppets and …And Justice For All, and interweave them with riffs from the boogie-rock version of Metallica that made Load and ReLoad. And more often than not, it works. The album’s first three songs, “That Was Just Your Life,” “The End Of The Line” and “Broken, Beat & Scarred” are all fast, tough thrashers with killer guitar solos and the exact mix of riffs I described two sentences ago. Things start off with a heartbeat, and some melancholy guitar straight off the Black Album, but then we’re off to the races, the riffage sawing away at your ear as Hetfield barks like a demented auctioneer. If “That Was Just Your Life” was five minutes long instead of seven, it would be a total victory. The same is true of the next two tracks, which are just under eight and six-and-a-half minutes long, respectively; only a failure to edit, not weakness of fundamental structure, keeps them from being classic Metallica anthems. Pretty much every song on this album is, if not a home run, at least a triple. Even “The Day That Never Comes,” which I didn’t much like as a first single (I would have preferred they come out of the gate with “Cyanide,” and now that I’ve heard it, “The End Of The Line” would be a good choice, too), works better within the context of the album as a whole. And the closing one-two punch is phenomenal: just as they did on Master Of Puppets and …And Justice For All, they end this disc with an extended instrumental, the 10-minute “Suicide & Redemption,” followed by the headlong, crushing “My Apocalypse.”

Death Magnetic is a unified, solid album, something you can’t really say about St. Anger or the Loads. The only song that disrupts its flow is “The Unforgiven III,” which brings in piano and cellos for a sort of Ennio Morricone feel—no surprise, given they’ve come onstage to the composer’s “The Ecstasy Of Gold” for years. No, it doesn’t stay in that territory; it’s “Unforgiven III,” not “Nothing Else Matters II,” and it gets heavy as fuck by the end, while retaining a cinematic grandeur. It’s far from a bad song, but trilogies are a bad idea, and the melody and mood this new chapter offers would probably work just a little better if it was allowed to stand on its own, rather than being shackled to the half-decent original song and the wretched sequel.

There’s something else important about this album—it sounds like a band. Like four people playing music in a room. A big, reverby room, sure, but still, there’s an organic feel here that’s impossible to deny. Rick Rubin’s hippie-Zen, absentee-landlord approach to the studio is the butt of lots of jokes (including some from artists he’s “produced”), but he gotten truly strong performances out of Metallica, so credit where due.

And that brings me to what Death Magnetic says about St. Anger. There are three immediately discernible differences between this album and the last one: Hetfield’s vocals, Ulrich’s drums, and Hammett’s guitar. There are solos (lots of ’em, and damn good ones), the snare sounds like a drum instead of a trash-can lid (indeed, the kit is recorded super-dry, for a sound that reminds me of the early ‘90s work of New York art-thrashers Prong), and James has recovered his ability to stay on pitch. Which reveals something we should have known all along—that he let his voice crack and go raw on St. Anger because his delivery of that album’s lyrics was as much a reflection of his inner turmoil as the words themselves. That’s why the drums sounded that way, that’s why there were no guitar solos St. Anger was about pain. Relentless pain, with no relief. Metal’s punishing, repetitive riffs build tension, which is relieved through the catharsis of the solo. Metallica weren’t interested in offering catharsis last time out – they wanted to shove our faces in their pain. Not so this time. It’s clear to me after only two and a half listens to Death Magnetic that Metallica have emerged from a defensive crouch they’ve been in for years, and it’s good to have them back. This album is like an armadillo unrolling itself to reveal a dragon. Real metal’s been on the upswing lately, with older bands delivering massive albums and new bands building on tradition in thrilling ways. Death Magnetic goes on the shelf alongside Iron Maiden’s A Matter Of Life And Death, Testament’s The Formation Of Damnation, and Judas Priest’s Nostradamus: I didn’t think they still had it in ’em, and I’m really glad they do. I haven’t loved a Metallica album since …And Justice For All, but Death Magnetic is likely to wind up my Album of the Year.

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METAL EDGE editor in chief Phil Freeman has heard the new Metallica. Here's his take...

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/when-horrific-band-names-happen-to-good-music.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/when-horrific-band-names-happen-to-good-music.html Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 LET’S SAY YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE blessed with extraordinary musical talent. You hook up with a few like-minded musicians who appreciate the same rhythms. You start jamming together, playing some gigs for friends or frats and something starts to click. The music is good, very good. The audience digs it and you gain a following. Bookers are interested. You officially form a band. You all agree this is a major commitment and how you want to earn your livelihood. You are excited. This can be huge—the start of something BIG.

he band needs a name. You huddle, discuss and after days of push and pull you decide on a name that will define you for eternity. A name that will represent great music, unite fans and be on marquees across the country. Your band’s new name is… Uncle Boogie Pants? Please say it isn’t so. Well, it actually isn’t any longer, as the band recently changed its name for the better to The Stretch. This Chicago-based group has a loyal following and plays good music but the name was doing it no favors.

Naming a band is an art. There are some great bands out there that have some terrible names and still do well—but could they have done better? The String Cheese Incident usually comes to mind but it worked for them. The Cheese, SCI and other short forms make fans feel like they are on the inside. Plus, the music kicks ass.

However, there are certain words that should never be part of a band’s name—ever.

Psychedelic: The Breakfast figured that out a few years ago.

Groove: Addison Groove Project was a good band with a lame name.

Ripple: There was a band called Ripple Groove, a case where two negatives definitely don’t make a positive. They have since changed their name to REDUX. We all thank you.

Boogie: There are over 500 bands on MySpace using the word Boogie. That’s over 500 too many.

Funky: I love The Funky Meters but would never wear their T-shirt.

Besides being interesting, a name should also be web-friendly, as the URL is an important destination. When The Zen Tricksters started working with Donna Jean Godchaux they couldn’t agree on a name and ended up with Kettle Joe’s Psychedelic Swamp Review. Try fitting that on a marquis or typing it in the URL. It’s like homework. Thankfully, they switched to Donna Jean and The Tricksters.

Changing a band name midstream has its own risks. It has to be done in a way where fans don’t feel alienated. The Artist Formerly Known as Prince definitely didn’t think it through.

Some bands consciously choose names that make people recoil in horror. Hardcore metal bands strive to be different, both musically and with their image. Take The Bloody Stools for example. Their 1991 album, Meet the Bloody Stools, fortunately featured only barstools on the cover. They were no less interesting with their song titles, including gems such as “Show Me Your Tits,” “Barnyard Love” and “Give Head or Die.” Strangely, the music is pretty good and the album features Richie Sambora as a guest guitarist. I’m not sure it had to do with the band’s name but they didn’t leave much of a legacy as their MySpace page has only three friends and one is Tom—the friend whore.

Ultimately, it’s all about the music and having a great name will never make bad music better but a good name can get you extra attention, bigger gigs and more exposure. A lousy name will only limit your opportunities to grow and leave you with friends like Tom.

Steve Bernstein is the president and publisher of Relix magazine . He plays mandolin in the band Hell or High Water, which once lost a gig due to its name.

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Steve Bernstein, Publisher

Little known fact: I am a twin and my older brothers are twins too
I am sure that: The egg came before the chicken
I would give anything to see: The World Trade Center

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/politics/the-dead-confirm-obama-benefit-details.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/politics/the-dead-confirm-obama-benefit-details.html Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 The surviving members of the Grateful Dead have fleshed out the details regarding their upcoming benefit for the Presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama. As previously reported, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart will perform together for the first time since 2004 on October 13. The group has now confirmed that the benefit will take place at State College, PA’s Bryce Jordan Center, with the Allman Brothers Band and an undetermined opening act also set to appear. Confirming numerous reports, guitarist Warren Haynes and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti will augment the core members of The Dead.

Last February, Weir, Lesh and Hart performed together for the first time since 2004 at a Deadheads for Obama show held at San Francisco’s The Warfield. In May, Weir also joined Phil Lesh & Friends onstage as part of the closing of the Warfield celebration. At that performance, Weir helped Lesh and his band through “Cream Puff War,” “Morning Dew,” “New Minglewood Blues” and “Viola Lee Blues” as part of the group’s recreation of the Grateful Dead’s self-titled debut. Hart and Weir have also shared the stage a few times in recent memory, most notably in Golden Gate Park as part of the Green Music Festival.

Though reunion performances are scarce, the members of The Dead have played together a few times since 2004. In 2005, all the core surviving members of the Dead sans Phil Lesh shared the stage at the Comes a Time benefit. A year later, Weir, Hart and Kreutzmann collaborated with former Grateful Dead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay at Gathering of the Vibes and, in early 2007, the three musicians performed with Haynes and an assortment of guest musicians at an inauguration party for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. If the October 13 benefit goes well, The Dead is expected to tour in April and May of 2008.

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Relix Magazine was launched in 1974 under the name Dead Relix. In its earliest incarnation, this hand-stapled, homegrown newsletter was an outlet for Grateful Dead tape traders—avid concertgoers who taped and traded Grateful Dead concerts. The first issues were small (less than 20 pages), had hand-drawn black-and-white covers, and focused on taping tips and Grateful Dead news. It also provided a forum for tape traders and music fanatics to communicate with each other. Even as early as the second issue, non-Dead editorial found its way into Dead Relix’s pages and, with the addition of an editor, the young magazine expanded its scope to cover the music of the Bay Area psychedelic scene.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/product-reviews/top-ten-reasons-why-you-need-primer-%AE.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/product-reviews/top-ten-reasons-why-you-need-primer-%AE.html Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
Now that you know exactly what Primer ® is . . . you just need to know why you ought to buy it! Here are the top ten reasons why you need Primer ®, the hot new energy spray product. Check out their website

10. You could use some extra cash. The DelHagen Brothers, inventors of what they call The God of Energy, have made it super simple to get in on earning with Primer ®. Just pick up a sample pack or go all in and buy the wholesale box with 36 energy spray tubes. These can be sold anywhere you like, to friends and family out of your suitcase, or in a shop.

9. Your sex life could use some extra pep. Falling asleep while doing the deed? Not anymore. Just spray Primer ® into your mouth for kissable breath and energy to keep going and going and going . . . mix it with your shots at the bar and you can still take girls home after a few too many rounds.

8. You need a new religion . . . why not worship the God of Energy? This could be the best religion going, just spray your adoration into your mouth and go party all night long! It’s a hot new trend that is popping up in clubs and bars all over the nation, with special drinks like the Primer ® Bomb being dedicated to the God of Energy.

7. Mid-terms are coming up and you’re going to be pulling all nighters. This is the stuff Primer ® dreams of. Keep a tube handy and have a spray whenever you feel yourself drifting off . . . it will keep you focused and awake. The student’s new best friend!

6. You are against The Man. So is Primer ®. In fact, the inventors, the DelHagen Brothers, turned down commercial distributors to go underground with their product! How cool is that? So there’s really no reason to stay away from it.

5. You need a new addiction. Energy spray that freshens your breath? Definitely better than coffee! Plus, buy it wholesale and fuel your addiction on the cheap.

4. You love to hit the clubs, but get tired early. Thanks to the reality of life, having to work 40 hours a week, clubbing can be kind of exhausting. But not with Primer ®. A couple of sprays into your drink and you’ll be wide awake all night.

3. You have a hangover. Primer ® is also handy for those rare occasions when you party it up on a Sunday and have to drag yourself in to work the next morning. Now you can look like you actually slept more than three hours the whole weekend.

2. Your breath stinks. Hey, it’s the truth right? Well, Primer ® isn’t just an energy spray, it also gives you fresh breath. Which means you’ll have better luck at the clubs with the opposite sex . . . and still have the energy to make it through a one night stand!

And the number one reason why YOU need Primer ® energy spray . . . .

You’re a trendy person and want to get in on the hottest new craze. Primer ® is the hottest thing to hit clubs since the invention of E, but unlike illegal drugs, this one won’t get you busted!

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Jill Benson - energy drink and product review write for world energy

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/is-primer-%AE-really-the-god-of-energy.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/is-primer-%AE-really-the-god-of-energy.html Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600 According to the DelHagen Brothers, Jacob and Tim, Primer ® is the God of Energy. It isn’t hard to believe, once you’ve tried this funky new caffeinated energy spray, you’ll be zipping through the clubs! Primer ® comes in a crazy translucent tube that can be discreetly tucked into a shirt pocket or a clutch for extra energy boosts all night long.

So, where does this God of Energy come from? The rich beverage so many energy-addicts chug every day at work or school . . . coffee. Originally discovered in Ethiopia by the nomads tending their flocks, coffee has become a stimulant that many people around the world just can’t live without! But there are plenty of side effects to drinking too much coffee, such as, it works as a diuretic and can stain your teeth. Enter Primer ®, The God of Energy, derived from the powerful caffeine found in coffee and condensed into a simple tube that fits into your pocket, where you can carry your newfound religion with you at all times.

Creating a God is no small feat, but the DelHagen Brothers have pulled it off. And the God of Energy, otherwise known as Primer ®, is becoming a huge hit at clubs all over the US, with bartenders inventing brand new drinks and shots to worship their new god, involving the potent caffeine blast that comes in every spray for a super energizing cocktail. One such club is Mad Jack's Rack Shack where the Primer ® Bomb was first invented. This shot really is a bomb, with a shot of Rumple Mints and a couple blasts of Primer ® energy spray . . . you’ll be up all night long!

Recently, the DelHagen Brothers were offered a commercial distribution nationwide . . . and they turned it down! Why? They preferred to take their God underground where it could be enjoyed by all, far from the corporate giants . . . after all, everyone knows what happens to religion when it is taken over by the Establishment! To avoid that control, Primer ® energy spray is far, far from being commercial. It’s available to anyone, and anyone can buy wholesale cases to sell. That means you can either sell this energizing breath spray in a store or just have it to sell to your friends and family . . . or, if you are truly an energy spray addict, just get it cheaper for your own personal use!

Primer ® is currently being worshiped in a variety of methods, enjoying huge popularity in clubs and bars. But that’s not the only place you’ll find this God of Energy. Some people are more discreet about their religion, keeping it close to their chest . . . literally. The little tube of energy spray can be found in the breast pocket of many a weary office worker, looking to take the edge off a day and get just a little more energy than the office coffeepot will provide. Students take it to school, taxi drivers use it to stay awake, Primer ® is everywhere!

Primer ®’s unique formula is designed to be absorbed easily under the tongue, where it can quickly penetrate the bloodstream, making it effective far faster than any energy drink on the market. See, energy drinks work by going through the digestive process. They have to pass through the stomach and into the intestines in order for the caffeine and other active ingredients to begin working. But not this energy spray! Primer ® works fast and carries enough caffeine to please, well, a god!

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Archana Johnson - Entertainment Writer - Covering Primer usage in Clubs. http://www.itsgotime.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/business/primer-explodes-in-energy-drink-market.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/primer-explodes-in-energy-drink-market.html Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500
n. a refreshing breath spray with a "kick in the ass" amount of caffeine formulated for your enjoyment.
primer® (a noun)

n. a cap or cylinder containing a compound that responds to friction or an electrical impulse and ignites the charge in a cartridge or explosive.

n. a small pump for pumping fuel to prime an internal combustion engine, especially in an aircraft.

n. a refreshing breath spray with a "kick in the ass" amount of caffeine formulated for your enjoyment

Who are these brothers? Most call them the “ DelHagen Brothers” We just call them crazy like foxes. At Primer ® they welcome Wholesale distributors as you are critical trading partner for convenience retailers. Their goal is to form a long term profitable relationship with you.

Contact Them today about wholesale and distribution arrangments by calling (406)465-0507 Or check out www.itsgotime.com for more information.


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Written By Jacob DelHagen

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>