James Moore's Blog, page 106

How to get “Superfans”

For the past few years I’ve been very active on the hard rock and metal scene, I have a blog, run a label, promote bands, book shows, all that jazz. There is one thing I’ve noticed though that allows bands, especially on the local scene, one thing that sets them a cut above the rest and allows them to become one of the definitive bands on the scene. The fans. That might seem silly at first, what is a band without it’s fans anyway? What I’m really talking about though is what I like to call “Superfans” people who buy every piece of merch, constantly message the singer on Facebook, and even do covers of the groups songs to post on Youtube. Getting this kind of connection organically is no easy task, but it is very rewarding and will allow your band to stand as one of the best on its scene, and connect with more fans across the globe, who doesn’t want that?

From what I have observed, fans really like it when a member of the band (usually the vocalist) is able to generate a sort of ‘cult of personality’. This may sound slightly intimidating at first, but consider a band like Nirvana, to a great extent, their whole shtick was Kurt Cobain and his weird personality as a ‘tortured artist’. Yet, to quote Waynes World “Kids can spot a phony, they’re very smart you know.” In other words, if you want to use the ‘tortured artist’ persona, you better not be going home to sleep in a nice house in a good neighborhood. Honesty is important, if you’re willing to lie to your fans in order to make a buck, why should they want to listen to your music? Most people don’t like dealing with liars, so why would you ever want to be one?

“But Matt,” you might be saying “How do I go about generating a personality or image for myself?” Well, in my view, the easiest, and perhaps best way is to have a story. For example, my friend Niloofar from Unscarred has perhaps what is the most metal backstory of all time. She was kicked out of her home country of Iran because the government thinks she is Satan. She has been able to use touches of this to help market her band. The notable thing is though, even though she has been offered some very major media opportunities she prefers to only divulge her tale with more underground publications. This allows her fanbase to grow organically and also admire her dedication to the underground. Remember, if you have been labeled as a part of a certain genre’s “Scene” it is important to stay loyal to it unless you want mass revulsion a la Metallica.

Now, the next logical follow up question might be “I don’t have a story!” Well, a lot of the time, that’s simple, you actually do. Think about what really drives your music forward, what raw emotions make you want to create? Dustin Schumacher of Inner Temple often says he is driven by sadness. The motivation behind his story has been a harsh breakup with a significant other and his parents breaking up. He uses ideas like this, ones that a lot of people can relate too. For example, on his bands debut EP there is a song called “Father” which is about having an alcoholic father, a topic that many of us can relate too. In other words, his music touches on something much more primal within all of us. This is not just limited to grunge music though, black metal bands like Drudkh can touch on something innately human as can a pop-rock group like the Killers. Yet, in every case, what makes the bands able to be in touch with our humanity is the fact that their music is driven by their story.

Another thing that I have found really gets fans into the music is having a wide variety of merchandise. This means going beyond your normal package of stickers, t-shirts and CD’s. When I was working with Unscarred, we decided to print cassettes, upon their introduction dozens of people ran up to buy one, it’s this kind of cool and quirky spin on merch that allows bands to succeed. Another band I was friends with when I lived in Paris, Thanatic Eyes decided to make bottle openers, something that went down very well with the alcoholic French crowds. While part of this idea of having unique merch is to make money, it’s also important to remember that unique merch gets people talking. It gives people something to recognize your band by. When I used to tell people I worked with Unscarred, after a point they wouldn’t say “Oh that’s the thrash band” but “Oh that’s the band with cassettes” or perhaps better yet “Oh that’s the band with the singer who was kicked out of Iran.”

A final idea for helping to generate superfans, is simply by glorifying the fans. A lot of the most successful bands I know make a conscious effort not just to take pictures with fans but also to make status updates honoring certain fans. Adding a picture of a fan wearing your merch at a show that is not your own helps to make it seem like your band is a lot bigger than it is. Once people buy into the illusion of your band being better known than they actually are they will start to feel honored that they too can be featured on your page. This idea of using a cult of personality and penetrative marketing to make your band seem bigger than they are is the type of thing that makes Babymetal so popular. They have been able to use pictures with heavy metal royalty to barter their way up to a tour with Lady Gaga. If that doesn’t motivate you to use these techniques I don’t know what will.

 

It’s actually surprisingly easy to get photographs like these, all you need is a few journalist friends who are willing to take some of your merch to their interviews and ask the bands to pose with it. The band Unscarred has managed to do this by giving several of their industry friends cassettes and CD’s and then getting returns with photos from bands like Soilwork and MOD. Another idea would be to give your bands shirt to a member of a larger group who you are opening for. This shows the larger groups support of the underground as well as providing an effective marketing technique for your own band.

Simply put, getting Superfans is a lot simpler than it might seem. Once you have a clear and defined sound, the next step is always making people care about you. By having these kinds of personal connections and taking time for the fans you are able to commence an initial level of communication with your fanbase. By generating a more significant look and personality for your group, people will really want to latch on to what you have created. Once the fans have latched on, it will be a lot easier to generate merchandise sales which in turn will create more money for your band to develop. Go out and craft a rock star personality, but be sure to stay humble and human. If you can get this volatile mix of elements right then you just might be able to make it.

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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SubRosa: Revealing our humanity through doom metal

For all you know is a heap of broken images – T.S. Eliot

Roaring down the highway, just over the speed limit with enough illicit substances in the car to get the driver booked for at least a couple of months, this sounds like as good a place as any to start my story about SubRosa. Here I was riding shotgun on a four hour car trip with a guy who I had met only nine days prior. He had agreed to join me on my strange and potentially epic journey to document the mystical world of SubRosa, a group who are, in my opinion, the best emerging heavy act on the scene right now. I have fallen into some sort of freakish fandom, a chaotic borderline obsession with this group, why else would I take a journey that led me across five states to see a band I had already met weeks prior? It was clear, I need to try to figure out what they were on about.

Perhaps a bit of background is necessary first. SubRosa was first formed by the mysterious Rebecca Vernon in 2005, birthed from the influence of the local Utah legends, The Red Bennies. Her friend, the violinist, Sarah Pendleton asked to join the band early on and ended up permanently altering the bands future sound. Rebecca said to me “I wanted it to be really loud and brutal and sludgy and all that, but I did not picture violins. Sarah was learning violin at the time, we were really good friends, and she was like “I want to be in the band” and I said “Um, okay, let’s see how that will work out” just thinking the violins would make it more delicate and it ended up being the best thing that could have happened.”

Since then, the band has been through a whole mess of bassists (The current count is at eight I believe), changed drummers a handful of times, and added another violinist to the band in the petite form of Kim Pack. Their two full lengths since Pack’s arrival the band has reached huge critical praise, they have been listed as the 13th best record of 2013 on SputnikMusic, which for the uninitiated essentially puts them as one of the best doom bands in the world right now. The band has even got the attention of some of the biggest players in the metal scene. For example, one of the main organizers for Hellfest went out of his way to personally book the band because they were that important to him. In other words, perhaps my deranged journey to a city I hadn’t been to for years with a relative stranger had a lot more merit behind it than I previously thought.

So when we arrived at my friend Leslie Bornsteins studio apartment, I started to think that just maybe I had gotten a better handle on this whole brouhaha than I had previously expected. After viewing some raw footage for her in-process film on death metal in Mozambique, it came time for me and my traveling companion to hit public transport in an effort to get to a show that could hopefully teach us something about the state of doom metal today, the triumph of apocalyptic layers of noise, and perhaps the human experience.

Upon arriving at the Bowery Ballroom (The venue for the evening) I received hugs and handshakes from every member of the band. When I had met them at Hellfest we had become fast friends and so getting to see them again, on a different continent, in a city to which none us were natives, was truly unique. It felt as if I had fallen into a dream, just a few years ago I would have never thought this kind of adventure possible, and now here I was embracing the spontaneous delusions that dominate my psyche and allowing them to let me find my way into a brave new world. The air was electric, this was the bands first ever New York show, and I got the impression that everyone was a bit nervous, myself included. Something about the atmosphere suggested to me that the evening would be a magical and memorable one.

As we helped the band load in I realized how different the three frontwomen of SubRosa could look before they each embraced their unique stage personas. Without the magnificent eye makeup Rebecca could be a librarian. When she came out from the changing room in her long black gown and mascara there was a marked difference, as if she had performed some sort of occult ritual to embrace the true power of doom within her. Kim came out with her hair redone, giving her that fascinating and very unique fairy-like look that is part of what makes SubRosa’s live performances so interesting. Sarah perhaps had the least change, yet, ever the fashionista, wore an interestingly crafted shirt with all manner of metal studs and straps. The gentlemen of the group seemed for all intents and purposes unchanged, although it should be noted, Andy’s beard rippled as glorious as ever.

Before the soundcheck could even begin my traveling partner, Jake and I ambled off with Kim and Rebecca in search of pizza. Heads turned at this motley crew, a hardcore guy, a metal dude, and a pair of strangely dressed musicians from the midwest. Surprisingly, the New Yorkers seemed friendly enough, taking an interest in the strange dynamic we had going on. There’s a weird feeling you get when people ask you if you’re a member of one of your favorite bands. On the one hand its kind of an honor and makes you feel special, and on the other, there is a sort of crushing desperation when you contemplate that a band you have poured untold time and money into may never get the recognition you feel they truly deserve. Yet such is metal, forever condemned to a forgotten corner, for those of us who seek it out though, this particular rabbit hole is potentially endless. Broken images that we are forced to piece together to find some form of internal triumph.

Tensions started to rise when after soundcheck it was discovered that Kim’s camera had gone missing. At this point, Kevin, an incredibly sweet and competent security guard at the venue stepped up and helped find it. His support of the band and truly passionate work to help the set go forward smoothly is the kind of thing which should never be forgotten. Too many times we ignore security, yet people with jobs like Kevin’s are perhaps the most important in metal, they allow the music to happen. In some way, security guards are like ministers, allowing the transcendent glory of doom metal to wash over the fans while simultaneously making sure the prophets can stay safe.

The long wait before the show started was on. Fans started to pour into the bar under the venue, and those of us with security clearance were forced to pace around, nervously awaiting what was to come. SubRosa have a strange tradition of going to the bathroom repeatedly before their set, one whose impact was accentuated by the lack of artist-only toilets. It’s in these strange hybrid moments I think that we see what truly defines a band. The love between the members is clear, Kim once told me that the three women of SubRosa are like sisters, a bond that defines the band. That being said, there also seems to be a deep link between Levi and Andy, and while it is not one I’ve really had the chance to get into, their quiet brotherhood gives the groups rhythm section a strange sort of empathy, allowing it to drive the band forward with a passion that few of their peers can really compare to.

Suddenly its time, the band has to go on in mere minutes. Rebecca sits on the steps by the stage giving Sarah a neck massage, the rest of the band stand nearby, nervously awaiting what could be one of the defining performances of their respective careers. They may be on Profound Lore Records now (Which is, for all intents and purposes, an incredible label) but I get the impression shows like this one are giving the band the opportunity to be much more than that, to embrace the breadth of their appeal as one of the most interesting bands in heavy music today. Their unique appeal and frighteningly iconoclastic sound was in high demand, and now they had to step out and deliver.

Then, as if a switch has been flipped it’s happening, SubRosa have commenced playing and the acoustic intro of their two song set gets the crowd bristling with anticipation. Part of the beauty of this band is that they extend the soft parts just long enough that you don’t think anything special will happen, so when they open up in a storm of violins and loud guitars the music is simply that much more glorious. This band is so loud that you feel it in your bones, SubRosa give you a full sensory experience, no other emotion can prevail when you are swamped in sludge and then suddenly thrown into a strange acoustic fairyland.

These contradictions, this mix of light and dark, allows for SubRosa to take on an almost Black Sabbath like quality. The riffs retain the power, but, like with Sabbath, the acoustic and quiet parts have a very distinct flavor of their own and make the music soar even higher. The bands relentless headbanging emphasizes the groove of the music. For example, Kim has a surprisingly ferocious sort of stomp she seems to fall in too whenever the groove becomes overpowering. Her tiny foot slams into the stage, making it feel as if the entire thing is shaking. There is something deliciously primal about all of this, the full body headbanging and the very human bellows over a roaring guitar provided by Rebecca which are then directly contrasted by lullaby-like acoustic passages. It feels as if the entire human experience, from birth to death is embodied in their set.

Saying some doom metal band from Utah reflects the human experience may seem like some sort of drugged out madness, but I will assure you, much to my chagrin I was sober for the entirety of the evening. See, these guys have a strangely natural flow between clearly organized acoustic passages with classically inspired violin lines and chaotic almost punk rock attacks. When the violins embrace a Schoenberg like level of madness it feels like a bad acid trip, overwhelming your body and rooting you in place. Somehow, on their last two records these guys have tapped into something greater than the sum of its parts, doom metal redemption that allows us to feel every aspect of our lives in the progression of just one song.

The band kick into The Usher and I head up to the balcony to get a different view. As they embrace the multipart harmony that dominates the introduction of this doom metal epic you get an overwhelming sense of the beauty of the music. Is this their Stairway to Heaven? Quite possibly. Both times I have seen them they have ended with this song, it is perhaps the defining track off of their latest record More Constant Than The Gods. It’s the kind of piece that embodies all I love about doom, from the solemn beauty to the refined structure. The fact that it’s one of the only SubRosa songs to feature a death growl is also a plus in my book, it helps keep things dynamic and unique. After all, not many doom bands can claim to have a song that uses four different vocalists, and fewer still can claim that that song connects with people so well it should be a crucial part of their live set.

The set closes off, and the next band comes on. Sure, The Atlas Moth is good, but for me at least, they can’t recapture the almost sacred magic of SubRosa. There is a strange sort of magic that allows a band that is so darn unconventional to thrive. They don’t follow any of the rules and are crafting beautiful new pastures of sound, too few of their peers can match them. The thing is, sure there are a lot of women in doom these days, but how many bands boast multiple? Furthermore, how bands have the powerful array of instruments that these guys have? If nothing else the mere pitch of “It’s basically doom metal with three part harmonies and two violins” has to make you at least a little curious.

The evening starts to cool down. After The Atlas Moth rock the house, Boris, a band who I had pretty minimal exposure too beforehand (I had listened to a handful of their records before coming) simply blew me away. This bill is special in its own right. Many a doom freak can tell you, this is the sort of bill that most people only dream of, getting to see three bands like this in one night is a treat, even if in my opinion Boris should be opening and SubRosa headlining. Controversial opinions asides, it proves the might of team working behind SubRosa, from their label, Profound Lore, to their booker, the might Nate Carson, a dude who just might make the history books as one of the greatest metal promoters of his time.

There is a strange sense of destiny guiding this band, I’m not quite sure how to put it into words, but speaking with them I get the sense that SubRosa could somehow be among the great bands of this generation. In a world where there is so much darkness, but also so much light, we need a band that reflects that, that can cross the spectrum of emotion and leave every fan feeling tuned in to something greater than themselves. It essentially sums up all that I love about doom metal and I think in the long run, this breed of band shall triumph. Order and chaos can coexist side by side, and nothing proves that like SubRosa’s music.

Too soon it came time for load out, and I sat there in SubRosa’s green room, trying to make sure nothing got stolen from them while they sojourned in this city of mainlines, blood feasts, and bad taste. Conversations had been had, fans met, and label officials appeased. It was another successful night for the band, as they found themselves on their way to a new venue, another day in quicksand, trying to fight for the ability to make SubRosa their full time jobs. Metal is a challenge, make no mistake, but, as Charles Dingus of Witch Mountain and Blackwitch Pudding once said to me “The key to success is to do something different.” It certainly seems like this group have got that one down pat.

It came time to say our good byes, with hugs all around we knew that it would only be two more months before we saw each other again. Yet, despite our planned reunion in Texas at Housecore Horror Film Festival, I got a strange sense of the ephemeral nature of nights like these. As with our previous meeting at Hellfest this was a big night for SubRosa, but I think that’s what makes our relationship so interesting. I’ve been blessed to stumble across the band on crucial days, the types of events that can make our break their careers. Behind the scenes you get a sense that big things are happening for the band and don’t be surprised to see them headlining a major tour in just a few years. This bands star is only rising, and I think that we have a while before we see it peak. Rebecca once told me that she thought the band would peak two records from now, personally, I’m not so sure, perhaps they will be one of those rare blessed acts who somehow reach a sort of perpetual climax, a constant evolution towards sublime heavy metal ascension.

As Jake and I wander off to try and find our way home, we are left contemplating the strange, and beautiful reality that the evening has presented us. We were granted full access to one of the premier heavy tours of 2014, and suddenly handling the notion of that feels like it might be too much. A lot went down, from the glorious performance of SubRosa to a Relapse Records representative making me a serious offer for an internship. It’s one of those nights that reflects the charmed magic that seems to follow this scene, and perhaps more specifically SubRosa. They are a blessed band, the sort of group Dio smiles down upon from his place in the clouds, leaving us to do our best to make sure that they, and other groups of their ilk get the recognition and honor they deserve.

In a Facebook conversation Rebecca once said to me that “We are the Metallica of doom metal,” and though it was in jest, perhaps she was closer to the truth than any of us had ever realized. With a discovery of what makes them special the only thing holding them back is the crazed nature of the music industry. As is the lament of so many bands of their generation, even doom innovators have to deal with a lack of tour support and financial aid from the label. Is that anyone’s fault? Not particularly, but overcoming these boundaries is not going to be the sort of thing that any band hurdles right away. Yet, few bands so accurately reflect the human condition and the ultimate glory of our world. Ultimately, the majestic sounds of SubRosa may be the thing that binds together this heap of broken images into a glorious stained glass window, one that guides our eyes towards the truth.

 

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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Cracking Skulls at This Is Hardcore Festival: Day 4

So as I get to the end of this strange freak out, the unholy glory of the festival started to grow on me. Sure, hardcore isn’t my trip, but there is certainly something to be honored here. These bands are trying hard, working shitty jobs, and doing the best they can so that they can go out on the road and share what they love with their fans. What more can I really demand of any band other than that they try to reach out to fans and give them something to live for? It was a triumphant realization to start the day as I muddled my way through University City trying to find the train station. This would be a long and dull train ride, but I knew in the long run it should be worth it.

To be completely honest, by this point festival fatigue was kicking in and I couldn’t feel the music at this point. In fact, I found out I would have to leave after 4 to attend my fathers birthday dinner. I only remember four bands from this day, even though I’m pretty sure I saw at least five. Regardless, I have some wonderful memories, of hanging out with friends, partying and generally reveling in the final minutes of what is possibly the most significant hardcore festival on the continent.

World War 4 were vicious and soul searing. There brand of hardcore is not one that is easily forgotten. Punks jumped all over the singer, and yet somehow he stood firm. This is the kind of strength that hardcore gives to mankind, the ability to stand up and shout, even when a half dozen skinny teenagers are jumping all over you. As the band wrapped up with the track also titled World War 4 I felt strangely comforted. There was something fun and peace inspiring about the speed and gore of World War 4, it left me feeling satisfied, realizing that if nothing else, this band could guide me on my way forward in my own quest for balance.

Harms Way stormed the stage next, their singer is simply ripped. His vocals are gruesome and powerful roaring out of some deeper cavern within himself. Its the sort of skull crunching attack that I’m not sure I’d ever be able to deliver with my own music. The bands bassist seems to get really into it. His bass flies around his neck as he storms across the stage. If nothing else, Harms Way certainly understand how to bring the triumphant energy of hardcore to the stage. Kids danced, and sure, I still think that’s stupid, but the outpouring of energy that came from the crowd during their set was impressive and made me realize how much fun and how cool hardcore can be.

Now it was time for the band who I had most wanted to see today. (Considering I had to leave early, Power Trip was no longer an option) Suburban Scum are the kind of band who do a split with Xibalba and come out as the best band on the split, and that’s saying something. They simply tore the stage apart, I was overwhelmed with the incredible hatred this band spewed. This is what hardcore is all about, heavy hitting riffs and a singer who spits out gruesome lines about society at a breakneck speed. I felt almost obliged to take a break after their set because of the oppressive heaviness of their sound, so I stepped out, knowing these guys would be one of the last bands I would see at the festival.

While I walked around the grounds for the last time I spoke to Michael Arellano and wished him well, I’m not going to see him for a few months, but hopefully he will come back soon with M.O.D. I spoke to my new friend Casey, a local hardcore booker, he’s a young straight edge guy who I might just be able to trust even though he doesn’t drink. We had a bond there, realizing that Billy Milano was right when he said “It doesn’t matter how you wear your hair, it’s what’s inside your head.” Despite our difference in subculture and fundamental disagreements on alcohol we still get along. Perhaps Casey put it best when he said “I don’t do drugs, so I eat a lot of mozzarella sticks”

Turnstile played then. I can’t honestly say I remember much of their set other than that it was fast and proud. It left me realizing the glories of hardcore, the kind of things that I had only glimpsed earlier. This was the hardcore magic at work. I may never cut my hair, but at least now I have a much greater respect for my hardcore cousins. I’m an alcoholic, they’re teetotallers. I crush people in the pit, they swing their arms and go crazy. Yet, we are all family, extreme music fans who just want change, relief from the oppressive world that holds them back. This is hardcore, this is the sound of freedom.

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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United Nations’ detonates on “The Next Four Years”

It’s been a tough Thursday for Geoff Rickly. It’s also been a tough Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Since the overdo demise of his main thing Thursday, in 2011, luck hasn’t come too often.

In the aftermath of Thursday Rickly worked in retail, lost a girlfriend, got robbed and toured houses behind the solo material he recorded as Hurricane Sandy hit. All of that churning ill will had to be released somewhere, at some time.

United Nations is the side project Rickley started in 2005 with various members of other bands. He has revived it for their excellent, hair-raising second album, The Next Four Years.

Immediately, the album gets right to it’s intended point: to riddle the boombox with bullet holes and scream about it. Musically, it’s abrasive and destructive–a siren call to society’s devastation.

Over the years, the actual members of the group have changed and been kept secret due to contractual obligations, but have consisted of players from Converge, Pianos Become Teeth, Thursday, Glassjaw and others. Rickly has always been at the helm.

Throughout these eleven songs United Nations is in a relentless pursuit of music that combusts from exhaustion. The ceiling caves in under the weight of the album’s opening song, “Serious Business,” and leaves the listener to search the rubble. “Revolutions At Varying Speeds” gives a constant jolt to the brain until you start to wonder if the track is skipping or if you’ve fallen into some grindcore purgatory.

Fans of Thursday’s lighter side–the one that supplanted the term “emo” in the black hearts of millions–might find the album a turn-off. This is the metal music Thursday always stayed flailing on the outskirts of. It’s compact, direct and in the business of crushing ear drums with mid-level blast beats.

Rickly’s pained vocal wallowing comes through his inner-Venom screams, but only barely. When he screams, he sounds like a bitter Gollum galloping through the forest seeking revenge.

The raining down of rockets quiets only for brief interludes. “F#A#$” pulls the listener in close for the only long-lasting moment of calm on the record. The guitars lull contemplatively, pushed along by a forceful drumbeat, before turning back to the singed sounds of depravity.

The project has been apt to court controversy, most obviously by sharing a name with a certain powerful intergovernment agency (who is not pleased). They’ve also bastardized iconic album covers, making them their own (The Beatles smoldering in flames walking down Abbey Road for their self-titled debut; a near-exact replica of Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols for their four-song EP, Never Mind the Bombings, Here’s Your Six Figures.)

The music on The Next Four Years, and of United Nations, is a direct reflection of the frustration felt in dealing with, and conceding to, the arbiters of inaction in the United States government. It hardly matters any more which side you’re on.

As the album fades from the onslaught, the final thing we hear is Rickly shouting over the sound of a gavel knocking on a piece of wood. “Changing parties / Changing minds,” he shouts on the closing track, “Music For Changing Parties.” Between each line, a voice mutters, “Always the same.”

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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Cracking Skulls at This Is Hardcore Festival: Day 3

So now it was time for Saturday, what a day, perhaps the day where we might find that piece of the American dream that This Is Hardcore had been hinting at for the previous 48 hours. Through the fire and the flames we carry on, but can we find the true enlightenment we need, and perhaps even deserve? Or is there no way to find peace in this torn distorted world, and is hardcore simply something to take our minds off the darkness? Perhaps I will never know, but I certainly hope that this is one of the things guiding us towards a sort of cultural ascension.

It should be noticed that I had been almost entirely sober for the previous few days, something that has never happened to me at a festival before. Being surrounded by straight edge kids was starting to frighten me. Sure these guys are nice enough, but as the great Raoul Duke once said “Never trust a man who doesn’t drink.” I wasn’t sure if I was wholly comfortable in this environment. Vegans I can deal with, but there is something strange about young people who avoid alcohol entirely. Sure they say “Fuck bar culture,” but how can you hate something you’ve never been exposed too?

Anyway, I arrived at the venue early, and was frustrated to find that entry only started as the first band began to play. The opener on Saturday was Freedom, a group I had really been looking forward to seeing. I finally made my way into the venue about halfway through their set, yet what I did see totally ripped .These guys get the beautiful destruction of hardcore and their sound is loud and proud. It was really fun to watch these guys live, they certainly bring the mosh, and their energy is oftentimes unholy. I wish I had a chance to catch them play more of their stuff, because to be completely honest, if anyone at this festival truly understands hardcore, it might just be these guys.

Up next were Old Habits, now, I had had zero previous exposure to this band, but by god was I impressed by their music. They immediately came out and impressed me with an all out attack that added touches of Pantera to solid hardcore. Add in memorable chorus lines and powerful vocals and you had yourself a recipe for success. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of their performance though wasn’t the music as much as the couple who got engaged halfway through the set. Though their set was limited, the bands vocalist, Billy, proved to be an able and charismatic frontman who gave everyone a great experience. I was disappointed that these guys only really play in Florida, I would stoked to see a band who get hardcore like they do again.

The third band in a row for me was Full of Hell, another group made up of extremely young guys who play with an incredible rage and ferocity. The vocalist of Full of Hell may very well be demon possessed. The way his lines are torn out of his body and thrown upon the stage is simply impressive. These guys riffs are vicious too, every song blasts forth like a bear from a cage, leaving the listener feeling battered and broken, a slave to grinding, metal tinged hardcore that will split you in half. This is what the best hardcore is about. Youthful energy and destructive vibes channeled into something that we can all relate too and find a deeper meaning in.

Now it was time to go out and conduct some interviews. First I went down and found Billy from Old Habits, a man whose band had impressed me so much I felt almost obliged to interview him. He proved to be as cool in person as he had seemed onstage, reflecting some of that strange American magic that was dominating my weekend. I also took the time to set up a chat with Danny from Die Young, of course to properly interview him I probably had to wait until I actually heard some of his music, or at least saw him live, as I would later in the day. With that scheduled, I went and hung out with some of the local hardcore brethren and bands like Noisem. It made for an interesting time to chat before Die Young hit the stage.

When Die Young did come on I was immediately struck by the live energy of a band who have been doing this for basically twelve years now. The touches of metal in the sound helped to keep me engaged, and on at least one track there was even a *gasp* guitar solo! As the legions of stage divers crashed onto my skull, I realized that these guys really get what hardcore is about. As the bands singer, Danny, preached to the crowd about animal rights and the like between songs I realized that these guys had a very clear and beautiful driving force behind their music. These men are artists in the highest sense of the world, creating something engaging and educational, allowing us all to find something great within ourselves.

Coke Bust had a tough act to follow, but their unique brand of super angry hardcore did a good job of following up the magic of Die Young. There’s something incredibly democratic about a genre of music where any old fan can tear the mic out of the singers hand and contribute a voice of their own. Coke Bust are one of those bands who really get to the magic of hardcore. From the bandana on the singers head to the incredible grooves that these guys laid down, Coke Bust bring it hard. Sure, they never slowed down, but in all honesty, that only added to the magic, it makes Coke Bust the kind of hardcore masters who will tear your face off and force your body into the unholy two step that defined so much of the festival.

Now I had a bit of break before going back in to see Rotting Out so I did my interview with Danny from Die Young. It was interesting to speak to a man who had such a sense of balance in his life between hardcore and real life. In many ways getting a better understanding of his music was inspiring to me as a writer and musician, maybe you don’t need to go the whole way with this, but you can instead find peace with the toil of this world and the glory of music. All of the sudden halfway through a conversation with some of the guys from Die Young I heard a band covering Minor Threats In My Eyes. I knew it was time for me to jump into the pit and watch Rotting Out.

This was another one of those hardcore bands who get it. Blaring forward with the kind of breakneck and carefree attitude that only legends can have, Rotting Out did what they do best, they broke my skull open with a sound that can only really be described as a heavier evolution on Minor Threat. I’m fairly new to American Hardcore being European and all, but I’m starting to get a sense for the regional sounds of the genre, and when these guys refer to themselves as Washington DC hardcore you get a palatable sense of their pride in who they are and in what they do. They just want to share their crazed anarchist sound of liberation with punters like us, and you have to respect that sort of magic in the music.

After a far too long pause it was time for Nails to crash onto the stage. Now, I had high hopes for this band, Abandon All Life had been one of my favorite records of 2013. I was weirdly disappointed then by the music in their set. Sure the setlist was great, but it felt like they extended out the breakdowns so kids could rage. Seriously, why is hardcore dancing a thing? Furthermore, why would you do that at a show where the music seems to clearly be suggesting that you go out, and start a massive and face crunching mosh pit? Suffice to say, sure they were heavy as balls, but did they really get to the power of what they could put out on the record? No. However, I get the impression if I saw them on a metal bill with a pit going it might have been a lot better. I need to give Nails another chance before my heart breaks.

Anyway, it seemed like it was a good time to get going on to the aftershow, it would be 21+ so sneaking in might be hard. It was around this time that I found out a group of kids I had been hanging out with where not 20 like I had suspected but 16. The inevitable freak-out brought on by sobriety was about to start. I tried to figure out how to get to Kung Fu Necktie. Walking on your own for the first time through a shady neighborhood in an American city is a unique experience. At one point I pussied out and got taken a few blocks by an incredibly nice cab driver named Concord. Yet after I found the venue, I knew that the greatest struggle, sneaking in, had yet to come.

Unfortunately, despite the antics of me and Tyler from Noisem we were unable to get me into the show, and so I was forced to stand outside, hanging out with other young musicians trying to get to the heart of the American dream. Perhaps now is a time to mention how exceptionally decent Tyler Carnes is, he’s a sweet guy whose being taken on an incredible journey, if he manages to stick it through he could be his generations Randy Blythe. I met the guys in Full of Hell too, they are another bunch of friendly young dudes who just want to bring hardcore music to the fore, and surprisingly enough, they’re starting to succeed.

Yet, soon they had to go in to play their respective sets. I was left outside with the band Castle Freak, a group who were all nice dudes who happily consented to doing an interview with me. They seemd fun, exciting and heavy, the sort of wonderful metal music that keeps guys like me alive. Sure I’m a metal lifer, I don’t see another way to be, and dealing with other young metal lifers like these guys is always a pleasure. Their bassist is a graduate of the same school I’ll be going to in the fall which brought us together, talking about the goo times to be had at Saint Joseph’s University. The sort of brotherly bonding that can only happen through extreme music. I had learned a lot today and had many cool experiences, and so I lay down that night, ready for a final day of hardcore hatred.

 

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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Stagecraft 101 Part 2: Warning! Atencion! Achtung! Danger Will Robinson!

By Jeff Black

Originally posted in Vandala Magazine. Read Part 1: Why Performance Matters.

Amongst the discussion and responses for my original article,  I stumbled across this comment:

 “Thanks for the advice, guy whose played in go-nowhere never

fucking heard of them bands. This “scathing article” from a fucking creatively

bankrupt hare-brained idiot who thinks that covering Ozzy songs “sets him apart”. from being a cheesy moron prancing around with choreographed back street boy bullshit moves. Pathetic. What a tryhard…”

You can’t please everyone.

Fact: you probably don’t know who I am. You’ve probably never heard of me. Does this make my advice worth any less than if it came from, say, Gene Hoglan or Rob Halford or Steve Harris or whomever? Nope. Maybe? Probably. Shut up.

You heard it in that quote above, I’m just a creatively bankrupt tryhard hunched over his computer, drinking Warsteiner at 8:30am on a Thursday with no pants on when I should really be booking studio time. You probably don’t want advice from me. And yet, I feel compelled to give it.

So here’s how I see things: Do what makes sense to you.

My semi-coherent stage-monkey babble will not work for everyone, nor for every band. Your mileage may vary and every band is trying to accomplish something a little different then the rest. Do what makes sense to you. Just do it well.

PRACTICE FOR PERFORMANCE

Have you ever gone out and watched a play? Like a musical production? I’m talking Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Les Miserables, Game of Thrones: the Musical (hopefully that’ll be a thing by the time this article gets published) Footloose, whatever.

How often do you see a professional-level production where the actors screw up the choreography and ruin the song? It happens, sure. Youtube is a treasure trove for that stuff. However, in my experience as a viewer and a performer it’s pretty rare for things to go wrong in a hugely noticeable way. Unless we’re talking about your nephew’s Christmas pageant. That sucked. Do little Jimmie a favor and tell him not to quit his day job, because his rendition of “Frosty the Snowman” was a less of a song, and more of a smear campaign against the holiday spirit.

I have a huge amount of respect for those in the Theater Arts. Those nutty thespians have to memorize and rehearse melodies, harmonies, lyrics, soliloquies, monologues, stage blocking, dance choreography and lighting queues and all kinds of crazy shit. Most of them shell out thousands of dollars for a BFA program to learn these skills.

Bands can learn a thing or three from these people.

Let’s get Hypo… no, not Hypodermic, put your damn belt back on you junkie. I mean Hypothetical:

You play in a five-piece rock band (or black metal, or post-new-age-funk, or Icelandic jacuzzi thrash, whatever moistens your berries). You’ve been jamming for like two months now and you’ve got your first gig tomorrow. You spend twenty minutes drawing up a set list and brainstorming some ideas for things to do onstage. You all leave your jam space with eager hearts and warm smiles, ready to ascend the heavens on a staircase made of fire to the annals of Rock and Roll legendry; to sit alongside Zeus and Odin in their golden hall where winged groupies slather themselves in Jim Bean and/or the blood of your enemies as they welter in fits of orgiastic bliss.

The gig is a mess. And not a hot mess. Your drummer tries a stick-toss that she saw Mike Portnoy do on a DVD once. The stick hits your bassist and knocks him unconscious. Your rhythm guitarist tries to run to the other side of the stage, but trips over your singer as she crouches down to chug a beer. Now your setlist and $2,000 pedal board are drenched in lukewarm Budweiser (because god

damn, stage lights are hot). Also, it turns out that resting your foot on a monitor wedge isn’t as easy as Zakk Wylde makes it look. You lose your balance and tumble into your crowd of (let’s be real here) eleven people. The headstock of your Jackson Warrior stabs some poor jerkoff in the eye. Guess what? You’re being sued! To top it off, the video is uploaded to Youtube, entitled “Worst Band Ever!” and it’s grabbed 12,034,879 views in under four hours.

What went wrong?

I’m not a doctor, but lots of these brutal screw-ups can be prevented by – drumroll please…

PRACTICING. YOUR. SHIT.

This may not apply to everyone. Some people are blessed with an innate talent for using their bodies and strong hand-eye-coordination. These are the same sort of people who excel at dancing and sports with uncanny ease. People like this might spend their band practices sitting in a chair and frowning for two hours, only to become a whirling dervish of rockstar badassery when it comes time to work the room.

If you’re one of those people, congrats. Get in the van, hit the road and share your wealth.

The rest of you? Stick around.

I had to learn this crap the hard way. Once you’ve worked out some ideas for your performance, you’ve gotta follow up with practice and rehearsal. You think that Robert Wise put all the Jets onto the set of West Side Story, called “Action” and prayed to the gods of finger-snapping and slicked-back hair for a miracle? HELL NAW. Those actors practiced their shit. If they couldn’t pull it off, their asses got fired.

People forget. People make mistakes. Some people have better short term memories than others.  Things get unpredictable in the heat of the moment. Without correct preparation, your ideas will be as useful as shoving chili cheese-dogs through your input jack with a spork, which isn’t useful at all so don’t try it, weirdo. Good gigs start with great rehearsals, great rehearsals are best prefaced with home prep.

Let’s talk about practicing at home.

When I was first learning to head-bang while playing keyboards or walk around while strumming a guitar or singing and playing at the same time, I had to spend time, sometimes HOURS at home to get it running even a little bit smoothly, especially during difficult passages. Even the simple act of tearing my eyes away from the guitar (I still don’t know why I epoxied my eyeballs to my fretboard in the first place) and playing songs while looking elsewhere was a Promethean-level struggle for yours truly. But I worked on it and I got better. That’s what practice is all about.

Ever been to a dance studio? One wall is a giant mirror. I love mirrors. Buy a mirror. Hell, if your bathroom’s big enough then you can try practicing in there. Toilet doubles as a monitor, right?

This will probably feel stupid at first. GET OVER IT.

If you feel stupid by yourself, how are you going to feel doing this in front 10 people? 50? 200? You’ll need to get comfortable in your own skin. That’s what the mirror is for. Cut loose, have fun, act like you’re twelve years old again, discovering Randy Rhoads or Yngwie or Angus Young for the first time.

Don’t force it, though. If you’re doing this stuff because you feel like you “have to” and not because you WANT TO, it’ll look contrived and weak. Some musicians pull off the “rooted” stance quite well. Do what makes sense for you and your music. But whatever you do, you’ve gotta MEAN IT.

Vocalists having trouble with their feet being glued to the floor while they’re singing/growling/eating wombats should practice this. You can use a hairbrush or rhinestone buttplug if you don’t have a mic at home, and chinchillas make excellent wombat substitutes in a pinch. The best thing about being a singer is that you carry your instrument wherever you go. Squandering your practice opportunities should be punishable by fifteen sporkings. I’ll let your imagination run wild with that one.

Watch yourself in the mirror. Better yet, RECORD yourself – What kind of body language are you conveying as you sing? As you wide open, ready to receive the world and it’s pleasures, or are you cowering and cramped?

Hint: There is no right or wrong answer. There is only “What Works Best.” Let the song tell you what to do.

As you go you should work on playing without looking at your instrument. Using eye contact is crucial to establishing a personal connection with your audience which can create those golden moments that turns a simple “gig” into a life-long memory. Sometimes it’s the little things, like a wink or a smirk or an eyebrow wiggle that worms itself into people’s brain-holes. It’s golden moments like these that will put asses in bars time and time again and put those dollars in your pocket.

If you REALLY want to separate the (wo)men from the (girls)boys, Practice with the lights off. Ever had the lights go out onstage in the middle of a song? I have. It sucks, unless you’re prepared for it.

What we are doing here is practicing the way we intend to perform.

If you spend all your time sitting on your ass in some comfy chair with your guitar chafing your nipples as you stare at your fretboard in a well-lit and well-ventilated bedroom, then that’s what you are preparing yourself for.

Next time: How to prevent Hoover-level suckage at the rehearsal space.

Jeff Black is a professional musician and piano teacher based out of Edmonton, Canada. He has toured across the nation with groups such as Scythia, Samandriel, The Ozzy Osbourne Experience and has performed on nine studio releases to date. When he’s not busy in the lesson studio or onstage, he’s probably reading or writing, often enjoying a cold European ale in the process.

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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Cracking Skulls at This Is Hardcore Festival: Day 2

On the morning of this strange, but fine day I used public transport in the United States for the first time on my own. This was an enlightening experience if nothing else, exposing me to the strange realities of a land where this sort of thing isn’t taken for granted. At this point I felt no sense of the inevitable freakout, instead I felt a strange sort of calm, a weird link with my fellow passengers who all seemed very kind and helpful. Surely this had to be some sort of ruse right? American’s can’t be this nice can they? Perhaps this is what I was supposed to learn from this festival, this might be my first real exposure in years to the American way of life.

Upon arriving, I didn’t yet feel like watching any groups, the first one I had planned on seeing anyway was Twitching Tongues, so I went out to the stands and treid to find some friends. I was overjoyed to bump into my good friend Michael Arellano of M.O.D who was here to place with Die Young (Who were in fact set to go on the day after) I started to get a very real sense of that wonderful bonding that makes the underground extreme music community so much fun, brothers in blood, fire, and steel, young people who just want to find another way to live in a dark world. As I prepared to go see Twitching Tongues I wondered if This Is Hardcore was pointing me towards enlightenment.

To be honest, Twitching Tongues were a tad disappointing. While I had heard of them before (Mostly in the form of praise from hardcore dudes) I had hoped for something a little more well put together than this. The fact of the matter is while their riffs were heavy (Sometimes frighteningly so) the melodic vocal lines just didn’t do it for me. Maybe it was because there wasn’t enough rage, or maybe because the guy couldn’t really sing as well as he seemed to think he could, but Twitching Tongues simply left a lot to be desired. I doubt I would go to seem them again, it just didn’t sit right with me, and I don’t really get the appeal of that brand of ‘melodic’ hardcore music.

I stepped outside then for a brief break in between groups to do an interview with Mike Arellano on his music, life and just about everything in between. We bonded and chatted, some of my friends were thrilled to meet someone from the vaunted M.O.D, which, to be fair, made me feel pretty cool, simply by association. It felt strange to be standing there, with my buddy Mike as people wearing S.O.D shirts walked by us. This is the surreal world of music journalism, you can stand with someone who plays in a fairly legendary band fronted by a true legend, and throngs of fans can pass by without ever recognizing him. I’m still not sure what to make of that strange reality.

I know I saw a band before Slapshot, but I can’t remember which one, which proves they probably don’t merit a review. So on to Slapshot! They were one of the groups I had most looked forward to seeing, especially since I had missed them at Hellfest. They were every bit as awesome as I had hoped. Very early on in the set, the bands charismatic frontman, Jack Kelly, sustained a cut above his eye which bled for the entire show, adding to the magic of the performance. There is a beautiful and primal punk rock energy to this band. Sure, they only have one original member left, but fundamentally, that’s not what matters, what matters is that these guys will still rip your face off and beat you into a pulp. Slapshot knows what’s up, they are vicious and unholy, masters of a genre which rightfully glorifies downtrodden and forgotten Boston boys.

After a short break it was time for Agnostic Front. Now, I wasn’t sure how to feel about these guys, I’ve heard some of their records and was more or less familiar with the controversy that surrounded their new sound. Yet, honestly, I was impressed with their energy and charisma. The songs were powerful and filled with the sort of rock and roll anarchy that makes punk rock so glorious. One thing I found especially fun was the bands longtime guitarist Vinnie Stigma’s reactions to the crowd. He was constantly waving and high-fiving fans. I think due to the nature of the festival the group went a bit more hardcore punk than usual, encouraging the madness of stagediving and skull cracking fun, as opposed to their more thrash side. Regardless, they were one of my favorite bands of the festival, seeing them was an absolute pleasure.

Finally it was time for the band who were perhaps destined to be the highlight of my night, Converge. Again, I’m not really a hardcore guy, I knew a little bit about this band and I’ve heard a few of their records, but I’ve never really had a chance to really dig in to what Converge is all about. Jake Bannon is a beast of a frontman, the way he brings the entire crowd together is unreal. Billy from Old Habits perhaps but it best when he said that Bannon has an incredible ability to write a hardcore song about any emotion. It makes the Converge live experience almost overwhelming, a glorious sensory blast that leaves you feeling more powerful than ever before.

The mix of fast and slow, destructive and ambient, these things define Converge’s set. I wish they could have played for two hours to give us a full sense of what the band is all about. Yet, even as is, these guys can rage forward in a way that none of their contemporaries would dare. Few bands that have been around for almost 25 years still have this level of creativity and passion behind their music. I now understand why Jake Bannon has been vaunted as one of the best frontmen of all time, he lives and breathes on stage, reflecting humanity and our struggles with every movement.

As soon as the bands set ended, me and my friends Jake and Will headed off to get to Drexel where I was to sleep. In the car we talked about the strange world that Converge had opened up before us in their set. Sure, it was a lot shorter than any of us would have liked, but it showed us a strange new world of hardcore madness. There was something wonderfully pure and beautiful about the crushing magic of this band that touched all of us. As we excitedly planned our trip to New York for the following weekend, I think we had a group realization that this is the kind of thing that makes our youths so beautiful. Madcap adventures and eye opening concerts. Exposure to art that will preserve our souls.

 

 

 

 

 

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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Interview with Piqued Jacks

I recently had the chance to sit down with pop-rock luminaries Piqued Jacks. In our twenty minute interview I found these young Italians to be fun rock and rollers who really know what they’re on about. In the interview we discuss their lives and music in depth, getting a better grasp at what defines the band.

So what’s going on in the world of Piqued Jacks?

Andrea (A): Right now we are in Italy in the studio we are working on new stuff. We’re recording the next album and we are very excited about it. Right now we’re very very busy, we’re in the middle of recording vocal and piano sessions. We are very focused. It’s strange because spending every single day in the studio can get hard. We also released two new singles in May which are a connection between Just the Machine, our previous EP which we released in 2013 to the new album we’re working on. We have a lot of ideas for the new cycle. We’re very busy right now.

Are the singles not going to be on the album?

A: No they will not be on the album. We just wanted to release those two songs because we wrote them before starting writing the new songs and the new album. So we just wanted to respect the time they were born in.

You guys actually flew back to Italy to record the record right?

A: It’s a long story. We moved to Austin last fall and we toured for 5-6 months around Texas with our records. After SXSW this year we had to fly back to Italy because we had some visa issues. It’s not fair I think for a band who are working hard every day. So we had to fly back to Italy and the tour had ended in March so we just got the opportunity to be in Italy and to stay at home and think only of the new record.

What I noticed with the output from before you lived in America versus after you lived in America, there’s almost an American twist to the music now?

A: Well, even before coming to America we felt that our sound wasn’t Italian at all. We felt that it was more American, that’s why we tried to reach someone from America. Working in America and playing there and being in the middle of the American music and sound inspired us in some ways. We can say that we had a stronger American twist to our music. We like to keep the things we grew up with in the music, our roots.

We always listened to American music, so we’ve always been influenced by American bands. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mars Volta, The Killers, The Foo Fighters… Moving to Austin wasn’t the beginning of the American twist.

So are you planning on moving back to America soon?

A: We hope so. We’re working on the bureaucratic elements. As soon as we finish the album and the recording session, we want to come back, so we’ll find a way.

Does your work with the band pay for all of this? Is it your full time job?

A: Kind of. Being an independent band is only an investment. But I mean for us, we’re working on it everyday. It is our full time job. We don’t get paid yet, but it is our full time job. We’re trying to do part-time jobs too, so we can keep on investing money in the project. We hope to get to the next level soon. Getting paid…we would like to be able to live with our music.

Do you want a record label or do you want to keep it independent?

A: I don’t know. It depends on the opportunities we’ll get. They are completely different worlds, the independent world and the record labels. Until now we didn’t have the chance to talk with record labels. That’s why we want to be in the US, to get a label. Right now we’re searching for a smaller label or management group who can help us get to the next level, and then we’ll see. We don’t want to skip any steps. We just want to climb over the rest. So we’ll see!

When is the album due?

A: We hope it will be out this fall. We also have to shoot a video, we have a lot of work to do.

What song will the video be for?

A: It’s a new song. You don’t know it yet. It’s called Romantic Soldier.

Finish this sentence for me, “I’ve never told this story before and probably shouldn’t but…”

A: We started playing together when we were 16 years old, the drummer was 14. We were just boys playing with instruments. It was the summer and during the summer it was the first time we were going to play in Rome.

Francesco (F): For an independent band it was a pretty big deal.

A: They called us to play a pretty good venue. We decided to go, and we did a three hour trip to Rome. Right when we arrived to the venue we went on the stage and there was a big hole in the middle of the stage. It was a really dark venue. We were still young, and it wasn’t our city, so we were really scared.

F: We moved all of our stuff inside the venue, then we took a look around and saw some photos on the wall…

A: It’s a venue in Italy where fascists and Nazi’s go. It was so weird. We don’t really know about that kind of stuff. We saw this whole in the stage and we asked the bartender what it was. And he said yes, the night before they didn’t like the singer so they did something with him…

We got more and more scared, we went out of the venue trying to figure out what we were going to do. So we decided to run away. It was funny because we had already loaded in. So we just went back in, took all our instruments and we just walked in front of the bartender, with all of the instruments. And it was like “Hey guys where are you going” and we were like “We’ll be back in a minute” then we ran away.

F: Another funny thing was that the name of the venue was “Jailbreak” it was appropriate for the scenario.

What do you guys love so much about music?

A: I think because we grew up together playing music it’s special. We’ve known each other since Kindergarten. We’re from the same little town in Tuscany. We really grew up together playing music and we learned so many things from this. We knew each other better as a result. I think without music we wouldn’t be friends as we are. We’re trying to make this friendship our strength. A band is a relationship, and in every relationship there are bad moments, so we’re trying to make this friendship our strength and livelihood so we can keep on doing what we love.

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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Cracking Skulls at This Is Hardcore Festival: Day 1

This Is Hardcore Festival 2014, the first metal festival I have ever been to where I didn’t have full press credentials, or any sort of guaranteed backstage access. I knew I could get interviews, but I would have a motherfucker of a time handling it. What kind of madness would overcome me, would I be able to fend off the terrors of a festival where I couldn’t legally drink? These where the questions that raced through my mind on the initial car ride, from my sleepy suburban home in Downingtown, to the vaunted Electric Factory in Philadelphia.

It was a long car ride, traffic was tense. Me and Nick from Fisthammer chatted about life, the universe, and everything, blaring death metal and headbanging, much to the concern of drivers around us. Nick confided in me that he in fact wrote the first two Fisthammer records, even though he was not technically a part of the band at the time. While I find this claim to be of questionable veracity, what do I know? This world of heavy metal is a strange one, and trying to understand the mysterious ways of a genre that God forgot, well, isn’t that why I’m writing this?

It’s important to remember, the last band I had seen live was about a month prior, and that band was Black fucking Sabbath. How do you follow up something like that? Apparently in my case it was with the extremely solid hardcore act Expire. Their sound is ferocious and fun, the sort of hardcore band you go see live and just immediately fall in love with. Their sound is not incredibly unique but they have a great power when they play, it’s extremely engaging to watch these guys come out and rip the stage up. The legions of stage divers, often ripping the mic from the frontmans hands only added to the madness, kicking off my night in grand style.

Up next was one of the bands I had most hotly anticipated, Noisem. This extremely young death metal act are not afraid to bust skulls. Sure there were hardcore dancers rather than a mosh pit, but they certainly drove their point home with crushing growls and circle pit inspiring riffs. These guys are part of a new generation of death metal masters, and watching them rip up the stage was a pleasure. They understand how intense death metal needs to be live, and they gave the entire a personal experience, the sort of soul touching magic that defines what heavy metal should be about. These guys get death metal, and their vicious youth allows them to triumph.

After hanging out with some of the local hardcore and metal brethren and finally getting to meet Casey from Mishaps, it was time to bring the mosh once more, this time with super-heavy hardcore favorites Xibalba. Now, I go to see a lot of doom metal bands live, but a lot of them would be challenged to be as incredibly destructive as Xibalba were last night. These guys have a sort of primal hatred running through their veins which allows them to charge forward, vicious and destructive, unholy and hateful hardcore masters who will not be stopped. There is something kind of magical about a band this powerful, the way they tear your body apart, making you a slave to the crushing groove.

It was time to slow down a bit now, I knew I wanted to see Code Orange Kids, but first I had to go to talk to my friends in Crowbar who had only just arrive. It was kind of surreal, tonight I would see Crowbar for the third time in five weeks. There is no better feeling than having one of your favorite musicians, along with his wife, recognize you and shake your hand. It’s the sort of incredible experience that makes all of the hardships of this job worth it. Somehow, knowing that at the end of the day, you know your heroes and they know you, even if it is only in passing, makes it all seem like a triumph over the darkness that surrounds us.

I hurried back inside to catch Code Orange Kids, a band who many of my American friends had raved about. Watching the bands female guitarists hair fly, and the insane frontman charging around the crowd like a thing possessed was a real treat. These guys have the vicious hardcore anger and destruction that makes hardcore great. But more than that, they have a certain honesty, with their fans and with themselves. They are not aspiring to be greater than they are, but simply the hardcore kids they were born to be. Something about that is very beautiful to me, and in a way, I might even describe it as refreshing, to see a band who understand themselves in such a deeply personal way.

At this point I wandered back to the stands and decided to talk to the Relapse guys. It was around this time that I found out about a Relapse aftershow which would feature the almighty Inter Arma. I was old friends with these guys, and I hadn’t even thought I would have had the chance to hang out with them again. So I feel I was understandably pumped, knowing that after Crowbar my night would only get better. I was also introduced to the ever-friendly Gordon from Call of the Void who decided to do a really cool and interesting interview, not so much about his music as much as art and the way it interacts with extreme sounds. This is the sort of intellectual and beautiful talk that just makes this life worth living, discovering brave new worlds of sounds with masters of their genre.

I also ran over to the aftershow venue in order to try and set up an interview with Inter Arma. I was stoked to see all of my friends in the band, especially the always interesting TJ. These guys know where it’s at, and getting to hang out with them is always fun. After slamming my first beer of the night and chatting with Ultramantis Black I knew it was time to rush back to the Electric Factory and soak up the magical vibes of Crowbar. This may not be the heavy metal apocalypse everybody expected, but it was certainly better than any that I had hoped for.

As I mentioned before, this was my third time seeing Crowbar in 5 weeks, so, suffice to say, I have a pretty good grasp on their current live set. After getting shoved to the front and trying to avoid hardcore dancers (Seriously, fuck those guys, fuck them right in the ear) I found myself having a very personal experience with some sludge legends who were truly in their element. The powerful grooves of this band and the crushing bottom end resonated within my soul, reminding me why sludge and doom are some of my favorite metal subgenres. As I stage dived on the bands last song (My first in far too long) I felt truly alive, a slave to all that is heavy, but finally free of the trials and tribulation of a world that never seemed to understand.

Now it was time for the Relapse aftershow (Because seriously, who wants to watch Unearth and Killswitch Engage, the headliners for the night, in 2014?) I stumbled over to the venue just in time for Call of the Void to start playing. Their set was incredible, violent, vicious, but also very personal. There was maybe 50 people in the room, and that’s being generous. These guys just threw themselves out there with the bands vocalist prowling in front of the stage, tearing us apart with screams seemingly from the abyss. Despite this, it seems clear that these guys have fun on stage, tearing bodies apart and allowing us all to headbang together as sons of a darker master.

I had noticed that halfway through the Call of the Void set, Tyler from Noisem had walked into the venue. When I went over to request and interview he seemed friendly and intelligent. We had a very deep conversation about being young, and deeply involved in the metal scene. He’s one of the guys who just understands what all this madness and beauty is about. Getting into it with a guy who feels the music and lives it, this is what makes festivals so magical. Perhaps when I wrote about the magic of Hellfest a few weeks ago I was wrong, perhaps there is just a magic when a group of dedicated individuals come together to mosh, party, and drink.

Now it was time for my personal highlight of the day, a band who get what doom should be about and who bring it with all of their might, Inter Arma. These guys are more than just doomsters, there is a certain beauty to the colossal riffs on their new record Sky Burial that I just can’t put into words. Inter Arma is the sound of mountains moving, shifting under the weight of riffs so incredibly heavy that mortal man does not know what to do with them. Mike, the bands singer, has a sick stage presence, screaming as if he is dying and making the music all the more real because of it. If you haven’t seen Inter Arma yet, you need too, these guys are pushing the envelope, turning it up to 11.

As we drove home, Danzig blaring in the car, I felt complete. It had been far too long since I went to a gig and got to find myself. This is the sort of thing I live for, not just because I like it, but because I have no other choice. Is this what defines success? Finding your way in a precarious world to get at what you love? I don’t know. Nibbling carrots with the bassist of one of my favorite death metal bands as we roll down the highway was a bizarre experience, but perhaps that’s what’s going to define the rest of this weekend. Bizarre experiences with men who make a living off of our obsession with darkness. It certainly should be interesting.

 

 

 

 

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 Cracking Skulls at This Is Hardcore Festival: Day 1 appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.

Follow the trail of gun powder to White Lung’s “Deep Fantasy”

Deep Fantasy by White Lung takes off like a burning trail of black gun powder leading to a sonic bomb blast. It’s 22 minutes–a quick toxic burn over the horizon–ten crushing songs of grating, apocalyptic punk rock, each under three minutes long. No seconds are spared.

“Drown With The Monster” cracks open the album with the intent of making the walls in your room shake. Feedback squall circles the drums like beasts of prey. “Sycophant” is driven by panic and sounds like buildings falling.

Deep Fantasy is the Vancouver group’s third album and their first for Domino Records. Mish Way unhinges her jaw, Kenneth William shreds the guitar, Anne-Marie Vassiliou splats the drums and Hether Fortune chokes the bass. Their last album was Sorry in 2012.

The group expertly pack in full, winding song structures in their limited scope. At the first clack of each drum stick the songs explode, then shift into crushing punk rock blows to the head.

On “Lucky One,” maybe the best song in a pointless race between songs, the guitars chomp down like saliva-dripping panther fangs. “You are the lucky one and I’m a dyin’ breed,” Way wails, her voice crackling like an isolated flame.

Mish Way is one of the fiercest, unforgiving, fist-in-the-air, fist-down-your-throat singers to spit in the recording booth in a while. She unleashes the energy of anxiety, frustration, doubt and discontent whenever her mouth opens.

Way’s voice can intimidate at a lowly Joan Jett grumble or squawk like yellow-haired Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls. She takes Deep Fantasy beyond the expected energy of any punk rock record and adds to it the vicious poetry of the bitter heart. “Despite of me losing my mind / All the world’s pretend,” she sings on “Face Down,” “I seem to be on the valley / Of the weak and damned.”

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 Follow the trail of gun powder to White Lung’s “Deep Fantasy” appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.