James Moore's Blog, page 103

Marilyn Manson channels Hexxus on The Pale Emperor

On Marilyn Manson’s ninth album, The Pale Emperor, the unholy, self-proclaimed God of Fuck sounds more like the God of Slow-Groove. Set for a January 20 release on his own Hell, etc. label, it is Manson’s most straight-forward rock album in years.

“Killing Strangers” opens with a snotty bass line and a boot-kicking groove that’ll shake the caked mud from your face. Manson, in his devilish croak, makes the case for killing strangers as a way to keep from killing those we truly love.

It’s a typical Manson sentiment, grotesque and callous, but one he’s built a career on defining. If this were Manson’s cultural heyday, he’d have the Religious Right all in grumbles over a pro-murder chorus. Luckily, neither party crosses paths anymore and a Marilyn Manson record can be heard for what it is. The man doesn’t stray from the ugly, he spreads it apart and thrusts himself inward, no apologies.

The slithering “Deep Six” moves like a snake across the swamp. “You wanna know what Zeus said to Narcissist?” Manson asks in a warning squall, “You better watch yourself.” “Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge,” one of rock and roll’s great song titles, was the first official single from the album. Manson breathes through clenched jaws as a sullen bass creeps along a dark tunnel with no light at the end. He sounds weary and on the cusp of a paranoiac outbreak as he wonders where he’ll be in four days’ time.

Manson’s vocals are low and burble like melting tar, but every now and then, his scream hits like scorched Earth and evokes unprovoked fear. “Slave Only Dreams To Be King” greases the albums up with a grave-digging guitar crunch and Manson’s screech slipping around. The awesome refrain of “Slave never dreams to be free / Slave only dreams to be king” pounds into any skull within earshot. “The Mephistopheles Of Los Angeles” flips the oft-used marching drum beat of “Beautiful People” before falling into a rousing chorus.

On “The Devil Beneath My Feet” Manson walks a path in the light of Satan and wears his affiliation proudly. “Don’t need a mother fucker looking down on me,” he seethes before exiting back into total darkness. Manson then takes the listener on a long sprawl through the underworld where he has many acquaintances. “Birds Of Hell Awaiting” sounds like something Hexxus from FernGully: The Last Rainforest would get down to.

Manson’s slight production adds a layer of twilight, not too dissimilar from frenemy Billy Corgan’s work on The Smashing Pumpkins’ brilliant album Adore. The songs are minimal with the tempo stuck in place throughout. They’re evil and heavy, but come out sounding more bluesy than metal. The Pale Emperor is a sturdy album from one of the most polarizing figures in popular music and quietly reasserts Manson into the fold.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post Marilyn Manson channels Hexxus on The Pale Emperor appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.

Fisthammer and the Morbid Reality of Death Metal

Death metal has always been the genre for freaks and geeks, hardly the kind of thing you would show to your mother on a rainy day. Nevertheless, certain groups seem to have a sort of freakish dedication to the genre, composing songs with gruesome titles and weird verbal images. Fisthammer is one of those bands, the product of a couple of friends hellbent on taking over the world with their music we sit here now almost seven years in, watching a band who seem destined to rise up and stun audiences across the globe.

The human drama of Fisthammer comes from the fact that it seems that the world is perpetually bent against them. For every step they take in a positive direction, some devastating setback seems to come down and hit them hard. They’ve had a number of tours fall through at the last minute, they’ve had all night drives for shows that have been cancelled (But no van breakdowns yet!) and all manner of unprofessional bullshit hounding their collective tails. Yet still they persevere, creating a sort of epic narrative, men abandoned by many of their peers and looked down on by society as they plow ever forward into a brave new world.

Perhaps you could accuse me of over romanticizing death metal, but people far more intelligent than myself have already gone out of their way to prove that death metal is an essentially romantic genre. How else could you justify songs like Doom of the Gods Part II: Níðhöggr Winged Serpent of Hel? Sure they may claim it’s just because they’re into horror, mythology and history but you can not deny a decidely 19th century twist that some of the bands more epic works have. After all, aren’t those subject what the romantic creatives mostly wrote about? (Death Metal Underground) For example, Wagners Ring Cycle is essentially the same epic stuff that makes up your average Fisthammer song. It might seem incongruous, but considering that not only are these guys extremely talented but also a little bit weird, it makes sense. Most of the alleged ‘great’ composers throughout history shared those traits.

It seems that despite it all, no one implements the romanticism of death metal better than Fisthammer, whose riffs, written in large part by the ingenious Max Svalgard, are filled with arpeggiated frills and frolicking bass lines, driven forth by the young and hungry Nick Rivello, prove that this band is more than just your standard issue death metal act. This noble pair of ax wielders have in a very short time been able to come up with a powerful stage presence that shows two men totally locked in to their music. On top of that, the bands drummer, Danny Piselli, who is, in my reckoning one of the best drummers on the Eastern seaboard, tears apart the kit with an impressive level of incredibly precise but almost animalistic ferocity. Such is the cast of characters who make up this rather remarkable band, whose story is only just unfolding. This band is set to take the long shot and they know that the odds of success are slim, but that’s the beauty of it. The fact that they persevere nonetheless proves their dedication to the music above all things.

The brutal reality that Fisthammer live is one that is faced by all of the wonderful, but sadly underrepresented death metal bands that populate Middle America. They barely have any money, can’t really find places to play all ages shows and still play to less than ten people every now and then. Simply put, playing in a death metal band sucks. The bands drummer, Danny Piselli said “There’s always a sense that we get rolling and then we have setbacks that come out of the blue.” But here’s the thing, Fisthammer seem to have a sort of magic about them that more and more people are getting turned on to. Acclaimed metal blogs from across the globe have praised them. Reviewers have said things like “I haven’t felt this excited for a newer death metal band in FOREVER.” (sic) or “Their songwriting is adventurous and they prove they know oscillating modern metal techniques inside and out.” While they remain humble merely saying “It’s nice that people put it in such high regard.” Yet, something seems to indicate that this bands is special.

The sense of destiny behind Fisthammer is indomitable and speaks to the greater power of death metal. Though they may be a band who very much dwell in the basement, there story is the story of death metal bands everywhere, the only difference is that it looks like they’re going to make it big. Piselli said “We want to go out and play to bigger audiences. That’s our destiny so to speak. That’s the destiny we’re trying to build as a band, you’ll call us and we’ll fucking do it.” This is a wholly remarkable band who are putting out some of the most dynamic and thought provoking death metal to come out in years. They are proving that this isn’t just a genre for meatheads and slackers, but that there can still be real substance and a visceral sense of reality behind the music.

The fact of the matter is that these guys are building towards something bigger and better. There is a sense of momentum about this band that has built up over multiple nation spanning tours and hundreds of local shows. These guys are starting to get all the right connections and they know it. It seems that the time for them to strike is rapidly approaching, and yet, things seem strangely quiet from the Fisthammer camp. Though they’ve hinted to fans at a few tours to come, some fans wonder what these guys will be up to next. Some say they need a second guitarist before things really explode, others just think they need just one lucky break. For a band like Fisthammer though, breaks are few and far between. Even though the metal underground is freaking out over this band, that doesn’t mean anything to the powers that be. Yet as they raise their fists and look down upon their foes, it’s hard to not believe that these guys are going somewhere fast. As they put it “As long as we can get our music out and get people to feel it we’re happy!” Darlings of the local scene, these guys are rising up and giving a sense of legitimacy to an entire group of fans. They shake, rattle and roll unlike any other, so perhaps its time to give in and let the music take control of the shattered fragments that make up our lives.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post Fisthammer and the Morbid Reality of Death Metal appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.

Punk Houses and What They Mean for Your Band

You wander in, people are smoking cigarettes indoors, a dude with a massive face tattoo gives you a once over with suspicious eyes. Are you a narc? Play it cool and you might just be let in, screw up and you could get booted, literally. Yet places like this are invaluable to your local scene, and you can’t underestimate the worth they could have in helping to promote your band. Punk houses are hard to understand at first, and for many, even the concept of a house show is bizarre. Yet if you learn to play it cool and enter the wondrous realms of darkness that these shows encapsulate, you could be setting your band up for great things.

In America especially, with it’s lack of support of the arts, punk is kind of a big deal, not just as a form of music, but as a general ethos. In my few months here I’ve rapidly come to realize that no matter what genre of music you play, if you’re in an independent band, you probably owe something to the punks in your local scene. Although this connection is of course more apparent for rock and metal oriented acts, I think that there is still something to be said for punk in pop music. (Beyond those silly Punk Goes Pop compilations) A lot of the more legitimate seeming pop artists out there today will not deny having spent years working their local scene and making friends with everyone, punk or otherwise. It may seem weird at first playing in front of thirty people in some smelly dudes basement but in the end, people respect you more because of it.

For what it’s worth, I’ve seen a lot of fairly major people from record labels show up to house shows to support bands that aren’t even on their labels. And yes, I know a lot of bands on independent labels who play house shows. What better way to prove your mettle than in front of movers and shakers in the scene who also can help make music your living? Sure, house shows are usually at best, semi-legal but that’s kind of the point! What better way to prove to your fans that you’re “real” and working for them than by playing in extremely intimate venues? I know that my respect and appreciation for a lot of my favorite bands only really came after seeing them play house shows. By playing house shows you are encouraging the growth of superfans and promoting viral marketing. I know from years of experience that people, young people in particular, will be much more supportive of bands (Regardless of level) that they’ve gotten to see in intimate venues than groups that only play larger ones. In a way it makes sense, think about it, are you more likely to tell your friend about a cool band you only just discover when you saw them play a 500 person room or about an incredibly intimate experience with a new band where moshers repeatedly shoved you onto the stage?

The best part is that playing these kind of shows is oftentimes pure profit, or nearly so. Punk houses rarely (if ever) charge a fee for the venue since it’s owned and lived in by the people who host it. This means that it’s fairly easy to quickly make a hundred bucks to further your bands ambitions. The people running these houses are aware of this, and usually, that’s why they do it, after all, they get some kickass shows right in their house every few weeks and get to sell beer for profit, it’s a win win situation. If you’re willing to sidestep some of the minor legal issues (Which to be fair, often change on a local basis) and embrace the true magic of the underground, then this could very well be the thing that makes your band a dominant force in your local scene.

One of the key issues that people have with house shows though is simply getting invited, how do you even find these places? They usually don’t publish the address online or elsewhere for legal reasons, and I have multiple stories about going to the completely wrong neighborhood by accident only to find out that the neighborhood I was supposed to be in had a lot more gunplay than previously anticipated. Getting into these things is usually just a matter of finding the right people in your scene. This doesn’t always mean the most important people in your scene though, a lot of the time they will claim to have ‘graduated’ house shows, or to ‘not need them anymore,’ which oftentimes is probably true. Punk houses are there primarily to help independent or low level artists. If you want to uncover the whereabouts of punk houses start talking to the guy with face tattoos, or the one who wears a jacket with patches for bands you’ve never heard of and whose logos are indecipherable, or maybe it’ll be the kid who runs a small indie label. If you ask around you’ll be sure to find what you’re looking for, and the rewards are truly great.

So why don’t more people buy into the magic of punk houses? In a lot of cases its simply fear, or an unwillingness to associate with people who many might view as the scum of the earth. Yet, the way I see it, if you’re a musician, you can’t really be lording it over anyone. This is one of the most effective ways to generate fans rapidly along with a fairly decent revenue (Seriously, what kind of guarantee do you play in ‘real’ venues for? Most punk house gigs can match it if you market the show correctly) Sure you often need to go into the ghetto, try not to get mugged, and desperately pray those pops were fireworks and not gunshots, but that’s part of life as an underground musician. It’s a bleak reality, but in the long run, it gives you great stories to tell and provides evidence that you ‘paid your dues’ and in a scene where fans can know literally everything about their favorite artists, being truly legitimate can curry you a lot of favor.

The essential takeaway from this article then, is fairly straightforward. Punk houses are crucial to your scene because they are what much of the underground is based off of, and if you’re reading this, the odds are you are currently, and probably will remain an independent or underground artist for a good long while. This is one of the best ways to show that you are the real thing and get people across the scene into your music. There are lots of ways to curry an international fanbase, but you’re nothing if you can’t draw locally. The intimate settings of a punk house gives you a chance to talk to people, get new fans, and prove that you deserve to rise up, and take the world by storm.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post Punk Houses and What They Mean for Your Band appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.

IMP presents: Top Ten Releases of the Year

2014 has very easily been the best year for music, at least since The White Stripes were still active. Spoon, Ryan Adams, TV On The Radio, Aphex Twin and Interpol all returned with strong releases after a few quiet years. Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young and Pink Floyd all added to their legendary discographies. But, more than anything it was a phenomenal year for women making music.

R&B’s hypnotism launched further into space with the work from FKA Twigs, SZA, Jhene Aiko and Azealia Banks. Warpaint, Dum Dum Girls, Marissa Nadler and St. Vincent all made stunningly next-level records, while White Lung, Priests and Perfect Pussy chimed in with quick-burning records fronted by spit-fire, acid-tongued leading ladies. Everyone experimented and stepped just to the left of their sound. It was a year of wild transcendence for many musicians. Music was rich in 2014. Here now is Independent Music Promotion’s annual list of the Top Releases of 2014.

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# 10

Cellar Door: Terminus Et Exordium by The Underachievers

Dead Prez were revolutionary but gangsta. The Underachievers are revolutionary but spiritual. And not in some “Have you heard the good news?” type way either. The fascinating part about these guys, for me, is that they sound as hard as any trap or gangster rap out there today, but flip the weapons and bling talk for third eye power and mind revolution and you’re starting to get just how much these guys DO NOT fit in, by any means, anywhere in hip hop. And that’s what’s makes them so courageous and amazing. The album is shockingly good, and you’ll find lyrics making you spontaneously scream “YES!!!!”

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# 9

El Pintor  by Interpol 

The black-clad doom-groovers of New York City returned with their fifth album, El Pintor, this year. Interpol parted ways with bassist Carlos Dengler at the finalization of their 2010 self-titled album. Paul Banks and company rebounded without bothering to fill in Dengler’s place. Banks took over duties on bass for the recording and the group soldiered on to create an album as good as their debut, Turn On The Bright Lights, released over a decade ago. “Breaker 1,” “Anywhere” and “Everything Is Wrong” charge ahead with the rhythm section’s angry brood. Banks’ voice coils around the looping guitar crescendos with anguish and disappointment. “All The Rage Back Home,” “My Blue Supreme,” and “Same Town New Story” are three of Interpol’s greatest songs, each built with tunneling song structures where, at any turn, the fragments of one’s heart might scrape off and disappear. El Pintor is the soundtrack of every empty skyscraper in New York City tonight.

# 8

Syro by Aphex Twin

Even as an Aphex Twin fan who wouldn’t consider himself fanatical, I was very excited about “Syro”, admittedly because the current musical climate has been so scummy. That being said, it far surpassed any expectations and provided an album chock full of ear candy, worthy of repeated listens. Overall, it’s not my favorite Aphex Twin album because of it’s consistency. An extremely welcome addition to the year’s musical climate.

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# 7

Ryan Adams  by Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams’ fourteenth, self-titled solo album is an album of stark, minimalist, pure-hearted rock’n’roll. The guitars are lean, stripped bare and fall in line with the rhythm section. The melodies are catchy and each song follows a basic verse-chorus-verse structure. Adams wades into territory just slightly left of his usual countrified sound. Gone is the country twang from his work with the Cardinals. His voice is more subdued, mushier. On “Kim” Adams deals with the sight of an old flame moving on with somebody else. The guitars latch onto the constant pounding of a snare and each line is bittersweet. Other times he sounds dejected and spiteful. “I don’t love you anymore,” he sings on “Am I Safe, “I just want to sit here and watch you burn.” “My Wrecking Ball” is the quiet folk tune Adams perfected on Heartbreaker and Gold over a decade ago. Ryan Adams is Adams’ best since 2005’s 29.

# 6

The Joy Of Motion by Animals As Leaders

Metal music needs intelligent advocates, and with Animals As Leaders leader Tosin Abasi, they have one. Not one who yaps about demons, scorched earth, damnation, anti-christian sentiment or any of those other tired topics, but someone who plays with the heart of Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix and actually strives to expand the genre. The work of Animals of Leaders is not for everyone, but it’s extremely dynamic and colorful; music to dream to, and there’s no doubt that it’s forging a new sub-genre all on it’s own led by possibly the best guitarist active today.

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# 5

Deep Fantasy  by White Lung

Deep Fantasy, by punk-Canadians White Lung, starts with a blaring ring like the oncoming warning of a missile as it enters enemy airspace. Vocalist Mish Way’s shrieks bleat against the punk crush and wailing sonic blast on opener “Drown With The Monster.” Way is powered by the onslaught from Kenneth William’s guitar, Anne-Marie Vassiliou’s drums and Hether Fortune’s bass as they go on to pulverize ten songs for 22 minutes. Deep Fantasy is the band’s third album. The carnage of White Lung is real. When they play live the band’s sound explodes from shitty amplifiers and Way releases the tension of the record with the ecstatic gymnastics of a front woman in charge of her aspirations. Press play then find cover.

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# 4

Run The Jewels 2 by Run The Jewels

With the majority of hip hop still drawling about “smoking good weed, stealing your bitch, sipping on that purple” and being basically untouchable, it’s refreshing, and damn near shocking that innovative and hard hitting hip hop like this still exists in 2014. It’s practically a revelation, and El-P and Killer Mike and just the duo to pull it off. With production that deserves an award in itself and rhymes as fat as can be, there are virtually no improvements that can be made. I challenge anyone to come up with fatter beats than El-P. You pretty much have to listen to yourself to determine that, compared to everything else happening in hip hop right now (with the exception of the Underachievers), these guys have taken the game to outer space.

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# 3

Z  by SZA

Z is technically an EP–SZA’s third–but it stretches out over ten songs and for forty minutes your mind is given all the fuel it needs to power each song for days after. The stoned songbird yawns, meditates then levitates in her colorful R&B prism, singing about headless Barbie dolls, Street Fighter and bumpin’ that Jadakiss. She’s concocted a sugary sweet sound with the all trappings of neo-soul and hip-hop, but with the foggiest of guidelines. SZA has kept her musical palette open, safeguarding her from ever being pigeonholed. Chance The Rapper slithers in a melancholic verse on the watery “Child’s Play,” while Kendrick Lamar punctures holes through “Babylon.” For the hypnotically lush “Sweet November” SZA twists Marvin Gaye’s “Mandota.” Her proper, debut album, A, is due for a release in 2015. If SZA’s first three EP’s were merely creative flicks of the wrist, I can’t wait to hear a whole hip thrust.

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# 2

To Be Kind by Swans

I’ve always appreciated the work of American experimental rock/noise group Swans, particularly their more recent output. Although I found myself at moments cringing at the belligerence of aspects of their live show, where their alarm bells overwhelm their actual, visceral grooves. On “To Be Kind”, the listener is treated to everything Swans have to offer – and it’s by no means watered down. It’s a perfect follow up to The Seer, and quite possibly tops it. The grooves are consistent and nothing short of completely menacing at all times….but you can GROOVE to the menace. That’s the fun part. Vocalist Michael Gira goes deep into his psyche and it pays off for all of us daring enough to take the journey with him. Hats off to Swans for creating actual, uncompromising art in 2014.

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# 1

St. Vincent  by St. Vincent

There is no album that more succinctly wraps up the emotions of our digital existence than St. Vincent’s fourth, self-titled album. Annie Clark, the brains behind the music, vows to never settle for going straight. One of the greatest guitarists currently making music, she has progressed her sound by leaps and bounds since 2011’s Strange Mercy. Clark loves to throw a song into total disarray only to pick it back up like she does with “Bring Me Your Loves.” She can also write a straight-forward ballad straight from her pumping heart as evidenced by “I Prefer Your Love.” Nearly everything on the album is enveloped in the light fuzz of distortion and it pinches the back of the neck until the drool flows.

Clark is joyfully weird on St. Vincent. Her confidence allows her voice to breach levels of ecstasy and devilment. Her penchant for experimenting with metallic textures and psychotic song structures gives her music an urgency, like it’s trying to constantly fake you out. She pushes the limits of what’s expected in a song and for that her name deserves to roll off the same tongue as Bjork, PJ Harvey, Erykah Badu, Laurie Anderson–the beautifully supernatural women of rock. The earth should be so lucky.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post IMP presents: Top Ten Releases of the Year appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.

5 Reasons Why Even Talented Music Artists Fail

Excerpt: Your music may actually be on par with some of the top acts getting all the recognition, but there’s other reasons you may be failing that are just as important.

Written by Omari MC (www.omarimc.com/artist-help)

Sometimes the best way to learn what to do is to learn what not to do. Your music may actually be on par with some of the top acts getting all the recognition, but there’s other reasons you may be failing that are just as important.

So, here’s 5 ways to guarantee that you don’t make it as a full time music artists. If you want to keep working the day job and make sure that success doesn’t come your way just follow these steps and you’ll spend countless hours doing the wrong things for your music.

1. The Sit and Wait Theory

I don’t know who keeps telling artists that they just need to wait their time. That is a complete pot of crap. I swear if I hear one more artist say they just know they’re waiting to blow up one more time I might go crazy.

What they mean to say is that they plan of some A&R or record label coming their way and offering them a deal to fund all their recording costs and do their work for them.

Wouldn’t that be nice? If all we had to do was record an album and post it on social media, and all of a sudden a record label was knocking down our door. Here’s the catch… THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN!

The people who succeed are the ones who get up off their butts and make things happen EVERY day. The word ‘excuse’ is not in their vocabulary.

Keep buying your time and you’ll end up 65 years old and looking back saying, “I wish I would’ve…” Fill in the blank with whatever you want, but don’t be this person.

If you want to make things happen, then stop giving yourself excuses that lead to failure. (Rarely ever do excuses lead to results)

2. Unpreparedness

I literally cringe at this one.

If we are to truly say we love the music we create, why do we keep cheating our talents.

Don’t just go buy a domain name. Make sure the site is optimized for building a fan base and converting them to loyal listeners through your email list.

There’s no such thing as a half-way music artist. It sure seems that way these days though.

Everyone and their mama tries to make music nowadays, but a miniscule percentage actually put everything into it they need to.

I can’t tell you how many people send me to a Soundcloud or Reverbnation page when I ask to hear their music.

I should be getting sent to one page only. Your personally hosted and registered domain name. Period.

It’s great if the site looks cool too, but personally I’d rather see a more plain site with better functionality than a site with all the bells and whistle but no opt in box.

3. Trying to Get Around Doing Actual Work

Maybe it’s just me, but I was always taught that if something came easily it probably wasn’t worth doing. Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.

That’s a cliché, and it may be true, but what people need to focus on is doing smart work. You can work as hard as you want, if you’re not doing the right TYPE of work it doesn’t matter.

I preach to artists about getting a good mailing list going. Preferably a real auto responder instead of just using the ReverbNation tools. I even teach artists the right way to go about it in one of my free programs. (www.omarimc.com/artist-help)

Then I take a survey and ask people what they’re still struggling with AFTER I give them the information that will help them.

You know what they tell me? The same old excuses.

“I just need to be discovered.” A.k.a I don’t feel like working hard enough to do it myself.

If all this sounds like hard work, it is. That’s the point. If it were easy to be a full time DIY musician everyone would be doing it.

4. Visiting the Excuse Factory

This one tops them all. Just the other day an artist told me he didn’t feel like learning the smart way to market his music because he didn’t think he’d be good at it. I want artists to seriously think how crazy this is for a moment.

That’s the most lame excuse I’ve heard. Here’s some more of them.

“Now’s not the right time to go after my music.” (You said that last year. When IS it going to be the right time?)

“I don’t have enough money.” (Wrong. I used to think this too. The truth is you don’t know how to wisely use the money you have at moment. More on this below)

You don’t need a new iPhone or more booze at the bar.

You need to treat your music like an entrepreneurship.

5. A Lack of Business Knowledge

You are an entrepreneur! Not just a musician. I understand some artists don’t like the marketing or website design aspects of the job, but you have to start wearing more hats if you really want this thing to work.

Here’s something I never understood either. Why don’t more artists take premium courses to enhance their entrepreneurial skills?

Do they cost money? Of course, but the benefit you get from them outweighs the cost.

Seriously, it does. I’ve taken a few courses.

Obviously, I made sure the people were legit before I bought, but why would I hold on to my money when it’s not making me any money?

I’m extremely grateful I took those courses too.

The value of knowledge is extremely important for success. Why do you think multi-billion dollar companies still hire consultants before doing even a standard project?

Because it makes sense. Who cares if you have to pay for a course if you get a return on investment.

No one is getting any younger, and those who understand this concept and apply it always outshine the people who’d rather waste time looking for freebies everywhere.

Either you acquire the correct entrepreneurial skills or you spend your life wondering, “Why didn’t anyone discover my talent?”

There’s a difference between having a music hobby and a music career.

If you want it to be a career all you have to do is take the action. Don’t rely on anyone else to make your career happen for you!

Written by Omari MC (www.omarimc.com/artist-help)

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post 5 Reasons Why Even Talented Music Artists Fail appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.

Albini Was Right About The Music Industry – We’re Not Fucked After All

We’re not really that fucked. Sure thing seem bleak, and yes, nobody actually buys music anymore, but 15 years or so into the age of piracy, I don’t really get the impression that the industry is going to collapse on itself more than it already has or that we should all get real jobs. The point that nobody seems to want to make about the current state of the music industry is that we’re viewing the past with rose tinted glasses. Whenever we let older musicians talk about the music industry we forget a fundamental aspect behind whatever point they have to make, they were successful then given the complete revolution we’ve had, why should we expect them to be successful now? Maybe it’s just because I’m 18 an think I know everything (Hell, I know I know everything), but all the signs seem to be suggesting that things are actually getting better.

Legendary producer and musician Steve Albini recently said that the internet has solved what he called ‘the problem with music’. A lot of people seemed to think what he was saying was ridiculous, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right. See, we forget that in the past a lot of fairly big name rock bands still worked jobs when they got off tour, or otherwise lived in poor conditions. The thing is that now we’re just more aware of these problems because there’s so much more of everything. In this time more than any other in human history we have tons of touring bands and as a direct result of that we, as fans, are more likely than ever to be friends, or at least acquaintances, with someone in a touring band. Suddenly, the basic problem of poverty that musicians have faced for years becomes a lot more clear.

The fact of the matter is that nowadays, with the internet, bands have more reason to stick around. While in the 80s a band might go through a handful of incarnations before getting signed or breaking up, nowadays bands can immediately find their market or at least have the hope of finding the three or four other bands in the world who fit their niche and working with them to grow their respective fanbases. Though the concept of a ‘superstar’ may be dying, suddenly a lot of that money and interest is being expanded to independent artists (Which is part of why it’s more important than ever to have a promoter or an agent) So suddenly, being an independent artist is more viable than ever, but that still doesn’t mean it’s very viable. People in the Western world, in America especially seem to have this twisted sense of entitlement, that they as ‘artists,’ whatever that’s supposed to mean, are not supposed to work. If every person who I knew trying to get a job in the music industry got one, then this would be literally the biggest industry on earth. Sadly it is not, and most of the people who try to get jobs in this industry are, frankly, usually lazy stoners, which nowadays, given the level of work and dedication required, makes working in this industry harder than ever.

There’s a couple things you have to consider when making an argument that it’s still possible to make money off of music. First off, technically it is fairly feasible for a mid level band with around 20,000 Facebook fans to not have to get real jobs in the conventional sense. Admittedly this means they need to tour up ten months a year, but it’s still technically possible, it just won’t be easy. Bands like KEN Mode prove this, they’ve figured it out such that they only really tour 6-8 months a year most of the time, but still don’t need real jobs. But think about it this way, what other job would you expect to only have to work a couple months a year and still make a decent living? Going on tour is brutal and profits are small, that’s why if you want to make money off it you have to do it a hell of a lot. It’s like any other low paying job, but that being said, you get to play in front of a whole new crowd of fans every night, and really, who doesn’t want that? The best job in the world has to have some downsides right? Anyway, for now at least it seems like touring is the only way to make any sort of real living purely as a musician.

This brings up another big issue in the music industry, getting kids to go to shows. But, again, you have to remember, that’s always been a problem! Sure, Led Zeppelin played to thousands every night, but guess what, your unsigned rock band is not Led Zeppelin! In fact, if any band today were to be compared to Led Zeppelin in terms of revenue it would probably be some butt rock act that you probably hate. For years people who are ‘all about music’ have not been going to shows for small independent bands, you know why? Because people don’t understand the fundamental beauty of live music from bands they’ve never heard of, and that is a problem I’m not entirely sure how to solve. The only thing that I could see working would be some sort of independent chain of venues that host underground shows and that had a big enough name to be trusted by fans of all ages. Maybe if Starbucks started hosting live shows regularly that would be a step in the right direction, or perhaps the expansion of these programs where you pay a flat fee every month to go to as many concerts as you want. But at this point, I’m still just spitballing.

See, the audience for music is still there and if anything it has only grown. The issue is that people don’t want to consume it in any tangible way. A digital product is essentially intangible and the revenue stream from recorded music needs to be forgotten if you’re lucky it can cover the cost of your webstore and that’s about it. I don’t care how good you are, you’re not making serious money with music sales anytime soon. That being said, there are all sorts of good things you can do to continue to profit, this is a problem that’s been faced (in a different form) in the past and will be faced (in a different form) in the future. For example, limited runs of CD’s will always be in demand, especially for smaller name bands. You might not be able to sell thousands of your albums on a national level, but if you have any sort of local renown, selling 50 to 100 copies of your album on CD shouldn’t be too hard. This can provide a nice little starting point for your band to generate revenue for more merchandise, which can hopefully later on fund tours.

I don’t have all the answers, but I just want you to consider this. A lot of people will say “Oh, nowadays you can only get rich off music if you’re in the top .1% of bands” or something to that effect. Here’s the thing though, the bands that have survived through the ages, and whose antics you read about, the guys who were on the cover of Rolling Stone, those are the top .1% of bands! Sure you might be into some more obscure acts like Blue Cheer or Budgie, but guess what? Those guys still had jobs and lived in houses with upwards of twenty other people! In fact, with the revamped success of independent bands, you’re actually a lot better off as a small name act today than in the 70s. This is where the sense of entitlement comes in. Musicians of times past may have had another revenue stream in the form of vinyl, cassettes and later CD’s, but life still was hard for them. Yes, the job market is brutal, especially for the lower level jobs that touring musicians tends to take on, but that’s just a bleak reality. Do you think the first Black Sabbath album would have been as good if Ozzy wasn’t working in a slaughterhouse while some of the songs were being written? Being poor an hungry is what has fueled the fire in the bellies of musicians for centuries.

Perhaps a better title for this article would be “Albini Was Right: We’re Fucked, but No More Fucked Than We Ever Were” Musicians have more of a chance to make it as independents now, but they also have to deal with the general lack of revenue that comes from all media being available for free online. So yeah, trying to be a full time musician sucks and will probably see you working 70-80 hours a week for what comes out to be be below minimum wage, but that’s your choice. If you want to live comfortably, don’t be a full time musician. There are other things you can do in the music industry that make you a fair bit of money, but life has always sucked for musicians and it always will. That’s why you shouldn’t be getting a music degree if you don’t know exactly what you want to do with it. For those of us who want to spend our lives in dive bars and punk houses, good, for the others, not so much. Remember, you will almost certainly never be famous, and you shouldn’t expect to be. That should not be your way out of a life your are unsatisfied with.

With the death of the superstar and the fall of physical media we are entering a new phase in musics history that is almost reminiscent of a time from before recording technology existed. For years the great American composer J. Phillip Sousa was against his symphonies being recorded because he was afraid people wouldn’t go see them live anymore and he would lose money. Well now we’re at a time were everything is always recorded, whether we like it or not, so we have to do our best to create something that is worth going out to see.

This is essentially what I view was the third phase of post medieval music. First we had only live performances with no recordings and it persisted this way for centuries, the only people who really made a living off music were famous composers and musicians who played every single night and who probably worked on farms and the like when there was a low demand for music (Usually whenever the relevant ruler was in court elsewhere). Then we had recordings that could be used for profit alongside live shows for most of the 20th century. This led to bloated rock stars we still read about, and who for some reason we all think, myself included, we can imitate. And then we come to today, where the recordings are almost assumed. We have no other choice than to make money off of innovative merchandise and exciting live shows. This is the twisted reality we live in, but I think the reality has always been twisted, it’s only now that our sense of entitlement has us putting up a serious fuss about it.

I don’t know what will bring us out of this current era of music. Maybe live shows will be broadcast cheaply (or, let’s be honest, for free) as holograms across the world. I think though, that for a certain segment of the population there will never be an alternative to standing in a sweaty club that reeks of beer and cigarettes as your favorite band (or hell, even a band you’ve never heard of) give their all a few feet in front of you. Some of us will never concede what is ‘real’ and truly authentic, especially in an increasingly digitized age. Things are good now, perhaps better than ever for independent artists, and they could get worse, or they could, somewhat miraculously, get better. That’s not my place to judge. All that I can say is that for now, there are still opportunities there for you if you just go for it. Embrace the primal poverty forced upon you as a musician and use that to fuel your music. We all know music usually becomes decadent and dull when it comes from the rich, there’s a reason underground music was always was tied in with lower class fans and musicians. There will always be ways to survive off the underground, it may not be easy, but know this, though the night may be dark and full of terrors, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and with enough work and dedication you can make money in the music industry. We may be fucked, but it’s not as bad as we think.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

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Jeff Tweedy Proves He’s a Cool Dad On Album With Son

Jeff Tweedy has always been a tireless conjurer of song. He’s pushed Wilco into the major American touring behemoth they are today. He’s spun around in hazy circles with Loose Fur and Golden Smog and before that he helped redefine American country music with Uncle Tupelo.

On his newest musical output he pushes all of that aside. Tweedy rubs the sleep from his eyes, sips a cup of coffee and picks up the guitar to start his newest release, Sukierae. Not quite a solo album, it’s more a family affair. The album was recorded with Tweedy’s teenage son, Spencer, on drums. The project is simply dubbed Tweedy.

The album opens with “Please Don’t Let Me Be So Understood,” a quick-witted rocker that sounds like a possible b-side from Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky. The song ends quickly, then shifts gears into “High As Hello.” The dreamscape anthem rolls along cooly with magnetically-charged guitars. Tweedy’s pronunciation is as sleepy as his eyes. The simplicity of verse allows for an easy introspection, waving at your problems like a hologram in the distance.

As Wilco has taken to blowing out stadiums and outdoor venues over the last decade, Sukierae finds Tweedy in a calm strum, quietly looking inward. The album’s title comes from a family nickname given to his wife, Susan Tweedy, who battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma during the recording. The album acts as a love letter filled with dizzying hope and heavy sadness.

When backing up his father, Spencer Tweedy proves his ear for rhythm and motion. His drumming is loose and allows for the expansion of notes. He provides the perfect anchor to his dad’s wayfaring strum on the dusty romp, “World Away.” On “Diamond Light Pt.1” he keeps up an off-balanced beat as the song rolls by like a car down an empty highway on a sullen evening.

The two recorded the album’s 20 songs and hour plus of music together, sketching out songs with an iPhone, then adding instrumentation over it. A discordant rush of sound opens “Slow Love” until it straightens out with an easy bass jostle. “Low Key” hops along like a mid-summer jangle. Tweedy harmonizes with the flowers and the trees and the sun.

The songs on Sukierae are droopy and drift by like dust in the sunlight of an open window. They wander in the open fields of their creator’s mind. Tweedy twiddles his fingers delicately over the guitar strings. There is a comfort in his playing. He sounds relaxed, content to sit in the studio all day. It is a very casual record, proving that Jeff Tweedy can write a song like he’s walking around the block.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

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Housecore Horror Film Festival Day 5 – Going Home and Remembering a Legend (In Honor of Corey Mitchell)

Housecore Horror Film Festival was quite the success last year. This Phil Anselmo curated event immediately garnered special attention from the metal world. This was to be the festivals second edition, and it was poised to be bigger than ever. Four days of metal thrashing fun, Housecore proved to be quite the success. However I hope we never forget the man behind this incredible and almost mythical event, Corey Mitchell, sadly deceased mere hours after the festival wrapped up. The only redemption being that he drew his last breaths in the throes of a truly great triumph.

I had a busy day ahead of me, and as I got on that early morning plane I got a sense of dread so great that I couldn’t bring myself to write. I hadn’t checked Facebook yet, and it would be a while before I could. Instead I had the combined joy of air travel and then public transport to deal with. These are not things I take lightly, and by the time I got to school I had missed all of my classes for the day. Yet I had a meeting in a few hours with my adviser. Right before I left to go see her I checked Facebook for a final time, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. The man who I had hugged the night before and who had introduced Danzig was dead.

Corey Mitchell was a great man, and though I didn’t have a lot of time to get to know him, the time I did spend with him was special. He was always extremely kind and patient, even when I was being stupid. He understood the industry better than almost anyone I know, and he proved to me that even at high levels we can still have cool dudes running around. The last time I saw him he was standing on stage with Phil Anselmo and Chuck Loesch, giving a final celebratory announcement about the festival and reveling in the joy of a job well done. He had achieved something truly great and beautiful, cementing his place, not just as a crucial figure in metal, but a veritable legend, the father of the greatest festival in the Southwest.

A heart attack is a brutal way to go, especially after an event that wonderful. He left behind a family and a legion of friends across the globe and on Monday literally thousands were in shock. Here is a man who was kind and loving, with everyone he dealt with. No one would fuck with him because he knew exactly what he was doing and could overcome any obstacle. I pray for his family and desperately am waiting for finding out how I can help them. This is a man who deserves Valhalla, the sort of metal warrior who people are going to be talking about for years to come. So genuflect and remember the glory of this man.

Even as I write this four days on I’m tearing up and I barely knew the guy. I don’t have much more to say other than that I desperately hope the show goes on. Let Housecore stand as a memorial to Mitchell and allow generations of metallers to come to learn of his legend. This weekend was too great to make it a one time thing, I’m confident that it’s going to continue to grow and get bigger and better with age. Anselmo and Mitchell had something special going and I’m excited to see how it grows. Their is hope no matter what, and soon Housecore will rise again!

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

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Housecore Horror Film Festival Day 4 – The Festival Comes to an End (In Honor of Corey Mitchell)

Housecore Horror Film Festival was quite the success last year. This Phil Anselmo curated event immediately garnered special attention from the metal world. This was to be the festivals second edition, and it was poised to be bigger than ever. Four days of metal thrashing fun, Housecore proved to be quite the success. However I hope we never forget the man behind this incredible and almost mythical event, Corey Mitchell, sadly deceased mere hours after the festival wrapped up. The only redemption being that he drew his last breaths in the throes of a truly great triumph.

I realized on the morning of this fourth and final day that I would have been perfectly content ending my festival with GWAR and their triumphant Pet Shop Boys cover. The weekend was coming to an end, but we still had a few highlights to hit up, including the almighty Superjoint Ritual and Warbeast. The day promised to be a good one, and despite a bit of a bangover I was excited to see what the final few hours of the festival would hold. While Saturday may have been my favorite day, there were still a lot of exciting things to look forward too!

The first band I saw was Krigblast who are a fairly standard issue death metal band. However they played with a lot of energy, and I remember their set being passionate and strangely beautiful in the way that only death metal is. This was clearly a dream come true for many of the bands members and the fact that Randy Blythe was standing up front taking pictures of the band only made the event all the more special. Though their set was fairly short I think they won a few new fans, and I’m certainly going to be going out and checking some of their stuff on Facebook as soon as I get the time to do it!

Gasmiasma were up next, and I have much clearer memories of their performance. Asides from being fronted by the slightly infamous “Eagle-head dude” from a recent Metalsucks Podcast they delivered a very unique band of grinding punk. The accents done on the bass lines played by Down’s very own Pat Bruders helped to keep things interesting and proved to me that these guys have what it takes to truly reach the next level. With a potential deal with Housecore coming up and a few plans for tours here and there I get the sense that this was just another step for Gasmiasma. They have a unique sound and very different sensibilities, now it’s just a matter of them getting the recognition that they so readily deserve.

I took a bit of a break now for some final interviews, including a cool one with King Parrot as well as another with Dave Hill. The Hill interview was particularly exciting since I’ll be seeing him in Philadelphia in just a few days, and he’s been one of my favorite comedians for a long time. I think it was around this point that I talked to Corey Mitchell for the last time, his parting words being “See you around”. Little did I know that I would not actually be seeing him around, and that mere hours after the magic ended tragedy would strike, but more on that later, now we have a last batch of bands to write about!

Corrections House were the penultimate band to grace the outdoor Midway Stage at Housecore and they delivered an incredibly memorable and oftentimes jarring set. Their music was powerful and profound, crushing riffs that tore me apart were complimented by drum loops and saxophone solos. What these guys are doing is incredibly unique, yet it all works under the Sabbath influenced guitar of Scott Kelly and the unholy shrieks of the legendary Mike IX. The only complaint I had was that Mike’s stage presence wasn’t quite up to snuff, but Corrections House don’t play live all that often so that’s fairly excusable. They still played some memorable music and I look forward to seeing them again.

Suddenly it was time for the almighty Superjoint Ritual, living proof that Anselmo can simply churn out legendary bands like it ain’t no thang. This set was fiery and exciting, and I could tell Anselmo was glad to be back. Though the band has yet to announce any follow up shows don’t be surprised if they end up doing more. It seemed like everyone was having a grand old time, the only issue now being trying to find time in all the band members busy schedules. As is though, this set will always live on in my memory, with the closing track of Superjoint Phil managed to close off a legendary part of his career and prove that he is still a force to be reckoned with. I love that after all his years in the business he still plays with the same demonic energy and still has the humility to play in the middle of the day at his own festival. This is a stand up guy who will never die, so you better prepare yourself for whatever he decides to crank out next!

The crowd then headed over to Emo’s for the start of the final stage of festivities. Dead Earth Politics were about to go on and people seemed to be more pumped than ever for Danzig. I grabbed a bite to eat at a nearby deli and bumped into an old friend, once again affirming how good this festival was at bringing all sorts of metal people together. Here I was talking to a guy I hadn’t written for since I was 16, but who had probably shaped my writing career more than I care to admit. Housecore is one of the premier US metal events for a reason, everyone whose anyone cares and feels the need to be there, take note metal wannabes, go to Housecore next year and meet all the contacts you could ever need!

I came in halfway through Dead Earth Politics first song. I’ve listened to their record and had been chatting with their singer, Devon Brown, who is quite the showman. These guys are fun to watch play live, they have a lot of energy and some unique ideas. Their distinct mix of Lamb of God with Iron Maiden is really cool to see carried out live and shows that these guys have what it takes to really succeed in a crowded scene. The band was clearly excited and it came through in their playing. Dead Earth Politics are a true pleasure to watch live and I get the impression that we are going to be hearing a lot more from them in the next few years!

One of my most anticipated bands of the weekend, KEN Mode were set to storm the stage next. Now, I’m fairly familiar with their work, but I’d never gotten the chance to see them live. Simply put, they blew me away, Jesse Matthewson has great stage presence and his growls are truly sick. Meanwhile Scott plays some wild bass, his own vocals nicely complimenting Jesse’s. When Jesse climbed down into the pit for the bands last song, Never Was (which had the crowd singing along) the band reached their righteous climax. These guys are still climbing the ladder but they definitely have something special. Their music is truly unique and I’m excited to see how they continue to grow. The band still haven’t been forced to get real jobs, and I get the impression they never will. So continue to feel the love and bend your knee before the might of KEN Mode.

I almost ended up skipping Warbeast to take some time to recover, but a good friend of mine managed to convince me to stick around and see what happened. I’m glad he made me stay, these guys utterly kicked ass, playing their own brand of death metal at a million miles an hour. Bodies flew as the band choked out one death metal masterpiece after another. By the time they hit their classics at the end of the set the crowd was absolutely wild. These guys have only gotten better with age and proved to me that there is no stopping a true death metal band who have the motivation to do whatever it takes to succeed. Warbeast understand what death metal is all about, and when they unleash their unholy grooves it jars the listener right back into the strange and twisted reality which we are all forced to inhabit.

The last band who I truly wanted to see at the festival was the almighty Eyehategod. I’ve been listening to them since I was a mere 14 year old and I was simply blown away by how heavy they were. With a nice mix of classics and new stuff, Eyehategod crushed me to a pulp. Mike IX redeemed himself and proved to me that he deserves his place in the pantheon of the great metal frontmen. His vocals were utterly sick and his headbanging brought the entire crowd into a sort of unholy motion. Here is a band who sound like people are dying and by god is it good. Eyehategod proved their years of stage experience have paid off with some of the most satisfying sludge metal I have ever had the pleasure to see live. This is definitely one for the photo album.

I decided to stay for Danzig because even though he’s a colossal ass and I don’t really like his Samhain or Danzig material, fuck it, I want a Misfits tattoo, I might as well see the guy. I had an early flight and knew I couldn’t stay for the entire set, but I definitely wanted to see some Danzig classics. While his stage presence is still strong, I feel like his voice has gotten a lot worse and can’t handle a lot of the more intricate Danzig stuff. In fact, if Danzig came off his high horse and did Misfits songs not only would the audience get off more, but he would be more capable of performing them given his vocal range. As is, it was still a fairly memorable show and Danzig managed to put together something pretty special. It’s always cool to see legends play live, it humanizes them and gives me a better understanding of the entire world we call rock and roll, and so, on that level, it was very much worth it.

We drove home that night with the dread of a short night ahead of us. My plan flew out at 8 and I didn’t want to have a bangover in the plane. Little did we know of the tragedy to come, instead we sat in the car and reminisced, about Housecore, Hellfest, and more. This was a beautiful weekend that will always stay bright and powerful in my memory. Festivals like this one are truly magical, heavy metal at its finest, and for people who know how to do it right, pure bliss. I wish with all of my heart that those could have been the last words that I wrote about this festival, but alas it was not to be.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

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Housecore Horror Film Festival Day 3 – Death, Doom, and Gore (In honor of Corey Mitchell)

Housecore Horror Film Festival was quite the success last year. This Phil Anselmo curated event immediately garnered special attention from the metal world. This was to be the festivals second edition, and it was poised to be bigger than ever. Four days of metal thrashing fun, Housecore proved to be quite the success. However I hope we never forget the man behind this incredible and almost mythical event, Corey Mitchell, sadly deceased mere hours after the festival wrapped up. The only redemption being that he drew his last breaths in the throes of a truly great triumph.

I got to the venue early, I already knew Saturday was going to be fairly brutal for interviews, and in fact I think I might have tied my one day interview record with something like 10 interviews conducted throughout the day. Before the first band even started I had cracked a beer and gotten to talk to Spencer from Archspire. It wasn’t even noon and the day was already hot. I knew that today would be punishing, but extremely rewarding, and by the time Acid Witch took the stage I was hungry for some good old doom metal.

I’ve been listening to Acid Witch pretty much since the first record came out, but I’d never seen them when I was living in Europe (Have they ever even played Europe?) Their set was monolithic and powerful, Acid Witch are aware of how silly they can be, and for me that’s part of what makes them so appealing. Big, epic, and majestic doom metal is all well and good, but frankly, this whole scene sometimes takes itself too seriously. It’s refreshing to occasionally hear songs written by guys who just love old horror movies. A highlight of the set was when the bands vocalist pulled out a plastic pumpkin, the type children carry with them to hold candy on Halloween. Any time a stoner-doom vocalist throws candy at a crowd while holding a silly pumpkin is a good time. These guys are a lot of fun to watch live, and heavy as fuck. I’m just excited to hear how they grow and where they take their sound next, there is too much potential here for them to fade into obscurity.

Archspire took to the stage next and they played with an incredible energy. When it’s that hot out and your music is that fast you have to be extremely dedicated to be able to pull off any sort of live performance, but these Canadians seemed to take it all in stride. Their music is wonderfully technical, yet it’s also easy to get in too. Season of Mist have been killing it with techdeath bands this year and it was cool to see that these guys can really deliver. The bassists constant windmilling and the guitarists stage antics kept the show exciting and fun. Further adding to the magic, I noticed multiple band members sport Archspire tattoos, these guys are in it for life, they are living their dream and at this point it seems like there is no backing out.

Of course now I had to run off and do more interviews, resulting in me missing Ringworm and Decapitated. It’s funny that I missed Ringworm for an interview, because that’s already happened to me at multiple other festivals, I suppose such is my fate, tis indeed a weird reality that metal journalists are expected to live in. Things seemed to be getting amped up though, there was a huge sense of anticipation for Macabre and Napalm Death. I bumped into my good friend Mitch Harris right before the Macabre show started and he was down a guitar, apparently the airline had failed to send it along with his other stuff. It’s this kind of thing that reminds me of how small metal really is, sure Harris may be a legend, but that doesn’t make airlines care any more about him.

Macabre took the stage and sprayed the audience with forty minutes of songs about serial killers and death. Their set was tight, and I really liked that the bands singer used a headset mic rather than one on a stand. It gave him a lot more freedom and helped to make this three piece a lot more interesting to watch. It’s kind of crazy to think that these same three guys have been making heavy music together for thirty years, over parts of four decades. It proves that metal,and friendship will never die, especially when mixed together. Another thing that made this set special for me was that it seemed like every other audience member was a significant musician. Next to me stood a couple members of SubRosa, behind me, KEN Mode. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Phil Anselmo rocking out and the drummer for Lord Mantiis watching from the side of the stage. These are the kind of things that make festivals legendary, showing us the eternal might of metal that should, and often does consume our very souls.

Napalm Death came on next and crushed it as usual. This was my third time seeing Napalm Death in just under a year, and I’m not lying when I say that the first time I saw them was simply life changing. They are as vicious as ever, and Barney still knows how to deliver vocals that are angry, political, and filled with an utterly sublimed hatred for what he refers to as ‘small minded things’. While they had some issues with guitar tone and mixing, they still played a tight set and were a lot of fun to watch. Mitch’s vocals seemed especially good during this set, his new freshly cut hair (Even shorter now) gives Napalm a slightly strange new look. Yet regardless of it all, they prove that anarchism and destruction will reign eternal. This is not a band to be easily underestimated or stopped, they will rage until they drop. They’ll be going on tour again in January and I’m already counting down the days!

Right as Napalm Death ended I dashed over to the Masters of Metal and Horror showcase at Emo’s. Moderated by the mighty Corey Mitchell this star studded panel was really interesting to watch. While it didn’t have that much direction, it was really cool to get to see guys like Randy Blythe discussing horror with legends like Leatherface. The fact that I was watching with my two favorite podcast hosts, Chuck and Godless from the Metalsucks podcast, only made the whole thing more special. At the end of the day though, this panel was incredibly unique and the kind of thing that could only possibly happen at this festival. I think with some fine tuning and adjustments to the way it’s run, this could become an awesome staple to the festival, as is, it was a truly memorable experience. It’s this kind of thing that makes me hopeful for what future editions will hold!

At this point there was something of a lull in the action for me at least. I needed ore of a break before I watched more death metal, so I went out to dinner with Chuck and Godless. Now this was a true honor, and speaks to the power of this festival. There was an incredibly high density of important figures in metal, from Sylvia, the red haired Australian promoter who works a day job at the University of Texas to the great Phil Anselmo. Every single one of them was friendly and made the experience memorable. For me festivals are special because they let you meet people, and Housecore perhaps does that better than any other major American metal festival I have been too.

Before I knew it it was time Author and Punisher to come on. I had high hopes for this one man project, I’ve heard a lot of good things, and though I haven’t listened to him in a while I had good memories of the music. The live show given by Author and Punisher is extremely unique and I think it was really good that he had a video projection going on behind him because his rather small set up probably couldn’t have dominated a stage that large. The music is really interesting to see played live especially because all of the instruments are totally unique to the band. My only complaint was that I wasn’t sure how much of it had been prerecorded. I don’t like not knowing whats live and what isn’t and it was a bit disconcerting. As a whole though, Author and Punisher provided an incredible and wholly immersive listening experience that I won’t soon forget. This guy is doing something truly unique and it’s a pleasure to watch him play live.

Neurosis had a tough act to follow up, but as expected they delivered with aplomb. Now, before this weekend I only had a fairly passing familiarity with Neurosis, I’ve heard all their records, but that’s about it. Their live set totally blew me away though, proving to me that this is a doom metal band who are, in a phrase “nothin’ to fuck with” Their music was incredibly heavy, and their stage presence ferocious. I hadn’t realized that the bands bassist, Dave Edwardson had kept his green hair and wild stage presence. As good as the music was, they were perhaps even more fun to watch. In a genre where most of the band members just stand still Neurosis put on a bit more of a show and keep things exciting and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of musical taste. By the time they were finished I was begging for more, but anticipation was rapidly climbing for GWAR and it seemed like the crowd was about to go absolutely nuts.

GWAR absolutely blew my mind. Unfortunately I never got the chance to see them with GWAR, (What can I say, they rarely play in Europe!) but I feel like this is how Oderus would have wanted this chapter of the bands career to begin. By paying a beautiful tribute to Oderus they managed to create something that moved many fans to tears. Yet within it all they were bloody, tasteless, and quite simply glorious. Everything about their performance was perfect, there is truly an art to a GWAR show, and Blothar has mastered it. These guys know how to perform at an extremely high level and I don’t think they’re going anywhere but up.

One thing that especially impressed me about GWAR’s performance was the addition of Vulvatron. Her piercing vocals gave the songs a distinct flavor and helped to keep things exciting and fun. Blothar nails Oderus’s vocal style, but I think it’s Vulvatron who is going to keep the band fresh for a new generation of fans. These guys are pumping out powerful and unique tunes that give a fresh twist on old gems. With hints at new material coming out in 2015 I feel like GWAR is only just beginning to achieve their full potential. This night proved to me that these guys will never stop, and centuries from now the almighty GWAR shall reign eternal.

As we drove home that night, laughing at the viscera that covered us, my buddy Mike and I simply reveled in the fact that GWAR had not died and would stay strong. Yet beyond that, we had passed one of the best days of our lives together, doing what we love most, going to shows and partying. Housecore managed in just a few days to create an incredibly comforting and loving atmosphere that transcended just the bonds of metal and horror. We were a group of people left fighting the world trying to find our own place in a turbulent universe that no one can truly make sense of.

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