Charlotte Prowler Magazine: Mad Monster Party EDITION

PRO LACROSSE AT AMERICAN LEGION MEMORIAL STADIUM

Lacrosse fans are ecstatic that spring has sprung and the Charlotte Hounds will again take the field in Midtown Charlotte. he team is fast becoming THE family favorite for pro sports outings. Lacrosse is fast, dynamic and has just enough edge to keep the oohs and ahhs coming. With reasonable ticket prices, a seriously awesome fan experience and now...the new Charlotte Foxes line-up, who can say just how fanatical Charlotteans will become about Pro Lacrosse? Prowler Magazine has frequently hosted fun day tailgates where kids play lacrosse, adults sip craft beverages and live music sets the stage for an afternoon match that delivers pro sports excitement. We encourage readers to mark your calendars for an upcoming game and enjoy an afternoon under the Carolina blue skies with your friends and family. For info: www.CharlotteHounds.com

O N T H E P R O W L | C R E AT I V E C U I S I N E

AWESOME ASIAN AT EIGHT RESTAURANT

SO COOL SUSHI AT NCMF These days in Charlotte if you want to open a restaurant, you have to do it all – delicious food, exceptional service, and gorgeous décor. Make it a memorable experience for every diner, or – don′t waste your time.

In Charlotte, you can trace a lot of the credit for raising the bar on dining back to one man – or rather one team – restaurateur Alex Myrick and his executive chef Gene Briggs.

Look at their accomplishments so far: Blue, not only Charlotte’s first and best jazz bar, but a long-term survivor of Uptown′s fine dining wars (smoked the competition); Osso, a lovely, stylish spot in the NC Music Factory, which has become a favored gathering spot for the city’s fashionistas (have you tried the pizza?); Texicali, across the courtyard from Osso, proving that Briggs and Myrick can carry off a casual eatery in style, with perhaps the most colorful décor in town, along with awesome margaritas and of course, that Tarantino vibe. Plus the club has established itself as a great place to salsa several nights a week.

Now, with the opening of Eight, serving Asian fusion and sushi, Myrick and Briggs have done it again.

S TO R Y A N D A R T R E N É E W R I G H T

Your first impression, as you walk into Eight for the first time, is Wow! The décor is literally a feast for the eyes with huge painted murals in the Japanese pop art/ street graffiti style. Occupying a long narrow brick room across the hallway from Osso, the bar is overlooked by a modern image of the Buddha. The long sushi/cocktail bar makes an immediate visual impression, constructed of small colorful chips of … what? We asked the bartender. Pieces of skateboards!

There’s actually a story being told in the décor – the journey of sushi from boat to table. Wood from the docks and rope shelving holding bottles highlight the one end of the room. Below the bar, you can trace the story of the Last Emperor. At the far end, a marvelous mural of a geisha samurai by local artist – and rising star – John Hairston dominates the room.

But décor doesn’t make a restaurant, food does. Here Chef Briggs, working with chef de cuisine Andrew Agnotti, has exercised his extensive and expert knowledge of what Charlotteans like to eat to assemble a menu of winners, adapted from cuisines in the Far East. As much as possible the restaurant uses local products with an emphasis on freshness. The menu offers plenty of spicy options, especially

in several vegetarian dishes so important to diners in Charlotte.

The sushi is beautiful and huge, not to mention fresh and tasty. A huge number of small plates (labeled dim sum on the menu) provides lots of choices for under $12. The list of entrees offers inspired versions of Chinese and Japanese rice bowls and noodle dishes, as well as Thai curries.

In addition to great food, and fun cocktails including an alcoholic version of bubble tea, Eight offers a service we haven’t encountered elsewhere. We were greeted with an unfamiliar set up on the bar. Each place had a little lacquered box with a shot glass sitting inside. Clearly not a piece of art, but what is it for? We found out on our second, less hectic, visit when we ordered a shot of sake from Eight’s extensive selection of designer rice wines (served cold).

Our bartender filled the shot glass to the brim, then kept right on pouring as the sake overflowed into the box. It’s a presentation found in Japan, we found out, that represents abundance and generosity. It’s proper to sip the excess sake straight from the box.

With the opening of Eight, Myrick accomplishes something important for the city’s nightlife. Eight, along with its sister restaurants Osso and Texicali, all just steps apart, make the NC Music Factory a dining destination in Charlotte, in addition to a nightlife hotspot. Which is fine with us – we love creative reuse and lovely old brick buildings – and there’s always lots of free parking at the Factory.

It doesn’t hurt that each of these spots

LE MERIDIEN BRINGS EUROPEAN STYLE TO CHARLOTTE

With the opening early this year of Le Meridien, Charlotte joined the elite destinations around the world that can boast of a branch of this unique upscale family of resorts. The property on McDowell Street, formerly the Adam’s Mark, The Blake and, most recently, a Sheraton, enjoyed a complete makeover that cost upwards of $10 million that has completely transformed the hotel.

Originally established by Air France in Paris back in the 1970s, the Le Meridien hotel family honors its European heritage with an emphasis on contemporary design, artistic experiences and the encouragement of social interaction. The hotel’s new open floor plan includes the Meridien Hub, a reimagined lobby where guests can gather, converse, use social media and enjoy espresso and French pastries. Welcoming bars bracket each end of the lobby, serving craft cocktails and local beers.

A 24-hour playlist, curated by popular Parisian collective Nouvelle Vague, provides the hotel with a unique contemporary soundtrack, featuring bossa nova beats. Even the room key cards are more than they seem, offering free entrance to the Mint Museum Uptown.

Le Meridien brings European style to Charlotte With the opening early this year of Le Meridien, Charlotte joined the elite destinations around the world that can boast of a branch of this unique upscale family of resorts. The property on McDowell Street, formerly the Adam’s Mark, The Blake and, most recently, a Sheraton, enjoyed a complete makeover that cost upwards of $10 million that has completely transformed the hotel.

Originally established by Air France in Paris back in the 1970s, the Le Meridien hotel family honors its European heritage with an emphasis on contemporary design, artistic experiences and the encouragement of social interaction. The hotel’s new open floor plan includes the Meridien Hub, a reimagined lobby where guests can gather, converse, use social media and enjoy espresso and French pastries. Welcoming bars bracket each end of the lobby, serving craft cocktails and local beers. A 24-hour playlist, curated by popular Parisian collective Nouvelle Vague, provides the hotel with a unique contemporary soundtrack, featuring bossa nova beats. Even the room key cards are more than they seem, offering free entrance to the Mint Museum Uptown.

Le Meridien carries its devotion to the finer things in life through in its new restaurant. Named Evoke, this fresh entry into Charlotte’s cuisine culture offers USDA Prime and Certified Black Angus beef in a variety of cuts, including a 21-day dry aged NY Strip. But this is much more than a steakhouse.

Carefully crafted dishes range from house made pastas to “crudos,” dishes featuring raw fish that eclipse the idea of sashimi. Try a Peruvian ceviche or scallops seasoned with orange and fennel. And don’t miss the amazing Yellowfin Tuna crudo, draped in unagi sauce and miso aioli.

Cocktails are equally unique, with each offering bearing the signature of the expert bartender that created it. Paired with an appetizer of fried oysters, giant and juicy, they make cocktail hour an artistic experience in itself.

Charlotte’s Le Meridien is a member of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, giving guests access to the popular Starwood rewards program. The hotel’s bars and restaurant are open to the public daily. For more information, visit www.lemeridiencharlotte.com.

includes dishes in a wide range of prices, and offers great happy hours and daily drink and food specials. You can have sushi, tacos, and pizza – all gourmet quality – as you drift from bar to bar. All are welcome, and there’s something here for everyone.

Look around at Eight and you’ll see one symbol repeated over and over, a circle with two brush strokes inside. It’s the Japanese symbol for the number eight, considered the luckiest number of all by Oriental cultures.

(Remember the Beijing Olympics, which began on 8/8/08?) Let’s hope the future will prove propitious for Charlotte’s Eight Sushi Asian Kitchen. It certainly deserves it.

For more information on Eight visit www. eightcharlotte.com

Le Meridien carries its devotion to the finer things in life through in its new restaurant. Named Evoke, this fresh entry into Charlotte’s cuisine culture offers USDA Prime and Certified Black Angus beef in a variety of cuts, including a 21-day dry aged NY Strip.

But this is much more than a steakhouse.

Carefully crafted dishes range from house made pastas to “crudos,” dishes featuring raw fish that eclipse the idea of sashimi. Try a Peruvian ceviche or scallops seasoned with orange and fennel. And don’t miss the amazing Yellowfin una crudo, draped in unagi sauce and miso aioli.

Cocktails are equally unique, with each offering bearing the signature of the expert bartender that created it. Paired with an appetizer of fried oysters, giant and juicy, they make cocktail hour an artistic experience in itself.

Charlotte’s Le Meridien is a member of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, giving guests access to the popular Starwood rewards program.

The hotel’s bars and restaurant are open to the public daily. www.lemeridiencharlotte.com.

MARGARET CHO APRIL 9TH-11TH FRIDAYS LIVE! AT THE FACTORY OUR SUMMER CONCERT SERIES AT THE FOUNTAIN PLAZA STARTS IN MAY! STAY TUNED FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS...

FESTIVAL GROUNDS AT NCMF APRIL 11 CREATIVE LOAFING’S MOO & BREW CRAFT BEER & BURGER FESTIVAL TICKETS NOW ON SALE! COMEDY ZONE ALMOST FAMOUS COMEDY SHOW APR 1 MARCH MANIA APRIL 8 MARGARET CHO APR 9-11 MARCH MANIA FINALS APR 14 JAMES GREGORY APRIL 17-18 STEVE RANNAZZISI APR 23-25 DEON COLE APR 30- MAY 2 JOSH BLUE MAY 7-9 JIM BREUER MAY 10 MOSHE KASHER MAY 14-16 CINDY KAZA MAY 18 JOHN CRIST MAY 20 BRUCE BRUCE MAY 21-24 ILIZA SCHLESINGER MAY 28-30 SID DAVIS JUNE 3 BOBBY LEE JUNE 4-6 SARAH COLONNA JUNE 11-13 STEVE BYRNE JULY 30-AUG 1 THE FILLMORE APRIL 8 COAL CHAMBER W/ COMBICHRIST APRIL 9 DECEMBERISTS W/ ALVVAYS APRIL 10 DATSIK APRIL 11 ON THE BORDER - EAGLES TRIBUTE APRIL 17 BLACKBERRY SMOKE APRIL 20 GUSTER APRIL 21 ALL TIME LOW APRIL 29 TYLER THE CREATOR MAY 1 ZOSO MAY 10 BLUE OCTOBER MAY 13 NIGHTWISH W/DELAIN MAY 16 NICO & VINZ MAY 19 MINISTRY MAY 27 TECH N9NE JUNE 2 ST VINCENT JUNE 11 BRANDI CARLILE UPTOWN AMPHITHEATRE FLOGGING MOLLY & GOGOL BORDELLO JUNE 15 HOZIER W/ DAWES JUNE 17 BARENAKED LADIES JULY 8

HOLLYWOOD COMES TO CHARLOTTE Once again Charlotte will be hosting the Mad Monster Party. It’s a real lively, kitschy party with...a very certain twist. It’s all about heroes, characters, creep, culture and swing. It’s a convention and a cocktail party all stirred into one. Cheers, fans!

For those of you that attended in past years we know this is good news for you.

For those that haven’t yet attended you don’t know what you’re in for! Three days of fun, excitement and celebrities galore!

Last year we saw the likes of Hulk Hogan, Henry Wrinkler, John Schnieder and a midnight showing of Rocky Horror with some of the stars of the movie.

Mad Monster Party is a wonderful blend of genres from horror, wrestling and music to those stars of yesteryear that we all remember and love. They bring in the best of Hollywood but they also include some local talent as well like Charlotte’s own Scream Queen Ryli Morgan.

The guys who run the convention are fans themselves and they know what the fans want. You’ll have a chance to get autographs from your favorite stars or if you prefer professional photo-ops are available. If that’s not your bag there’s a room full of vendors selling just about anything industry related that you could think of.

Toys, comics, art, even some oddities that would fit into a sideshow attraction such as pickled babies and mummified mermaids!

There is always something going on no matter what time of day or even night it is. There is a film festival all weekend sponsored by Mutantville films. Panels and question & answer sessions with celebrities run through the weekend as well.

A burlesque show is planned for Friday night and Saturday brings the costume contest and Miss Mad Monster pageant, both with cash prizes!

If partying is your thing, then Mad Monster is where you want to be! No lack of parties there! Many of the celebrities can be found in the hotel bar talking and joking with their fans. It’s easy to forget they aren’t just your friends when you’re hanging out having a few beers with them! And of course, like any convention, there are room parties. You may be thinking “awwww... but I don’t know these

people, I won’t be invited” My first year at Mad Monster I didn’t know anyone but just by hanging out and talking with people at the convention I was invited to three room parties! If all else fails bring a couple bottles, some mixers and a couple bags of chips and start your own party!

Don’t forget to invite me!

If this is coming across as a weekend of debauchery, well it is if that’s what you want it to be, but it doesn’t need to be if you’re bringing the kiddos. It’s a very family friendly atmosphere in the daytime. There will be people in some scary costumes so parents need to be aware of how their children might react to this but the people in costume are usually very good with the kids and won’t try to scare them. There is also a charity auction to benefit Scares That Care, a wonderful organization that helps children with life altering diseases or injuries. Those are the real monsters of the world and Scares That Care fights those monsters!

For more info on the charity you can visit http://www.scaresthatcare.org This years guest list features Tobin Bell of the SAW franchise as well as a Fright Night reunion. For the music aficionados Peter Criss of Kiss and Charlotte’s own Wednesday 13 will be in attendance.

Everyones favorite bad guy Danny Trejo will be there along with many others to please the fans of all genres of entertainment.

Mad Monster Party will take place at the Sheraton Charlotte on McDowell Street March 27th-29th. For more info as well as tickets please visit the website: www.madmonster.com

A WILD PARTY WITH A TWIST

VIEW THE GUEST LIST AND MORE @ MADMONSTER.COM

Charlotte Prowler Magazine Joe, what prompted you to start Mad Monster Party?

Joe Moe, Mad Monster Founder My partner and monster-brother Eben McGarr and I came together to create Mad Monster magazine. We have such different personalities, but are so much the same in the most profound ways. We both grew up with an uncommon attraction to horror movies and monsters. We realized some of our life’s ambitions as filmmakers. We attended horror shows from the earliest Fangoria and Chiller Cons. Eben had been a big admirer and disciple of my close friend and mentor Forrest J Ackerman, “Uncle Forry”, who was a major player in the genre world right up until his untimely death six years ago. The Mad Monster Party was a natural progression of events fueled by our shared love of genre and our “Let’s make the kind of show WE’D want to attend” and “How would Forry do it?” mentality.

THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK

The Mad Monster Party is a massive gathering of stars and fans that grows larger each year in multiple cities across the US. Have you ever stopped to wonder the hows and whys of it all, just what makes the party tick? Joe Moe is one of the promoters of the aforementioned party and Prowler caught up with him to ask just that.

by Psy-Ko Smiley

Joe Moe rubs elbows with a rainbow of stars. Here we see the Mad Monster maker with Elvira, William Shatner and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hamett.

CPM It must be hard putting it all together!

The logistics of everything must be crazy.

How many people does it take to make a party happen?

JM We’ve arrived at a point where our reputation has won us a lot of loyal team members and some incredibly dedicated volunteers. Depending on the show, we may work with 40 to 100 crew members. Eben is the mastermind of this show. It’s a tight industry, so most of us have worked for each other and worked under each other in the past.

Our collaboration involves Eben articulating ideas and Kevin Blanchfield and I, along with the rest of the team, collaborating on realizing a group vision. Kevin Blanchfield, Charlotte local and Haunted Mill operator, is an unsung hero. He’s been with us since before we hit the ground in Charlotte 4 years ago and quickly became a partner in the entire operation.

CPM How do you decide which celebrities to bring in?

JM At the end of the day, it’s always “fansfirst” with us. We all have celebs that we ourselves would like to meet. Since Eben and I have been in the film world of Hollywood, sometimes it’s a desire to share people we know and love with the rest of fandom.We choose celebs that the fans of the city want to meet. Eben is also a master at procuring first time guests.

CPM Mad Monster is known for bringing in niche celebrities who don’t do a lot of conventions. How do you guys pull that off?

JM News of the unique spirit of the show gets around. Mad Monster fans make that possible. Celebs come to expect a good time with respectful fans who admire their work but ALSO acknowledge that they’re not living on fumes of the past. You may come to see a celeb based on a particular movie they’ve made, but they are still vital, talented artists right now! Celebs know they’re welcome to participate in everything from drinking games to performances. Also, our programming is more creative and challenging than most for stars that hear the same questions over and over again. William Shatner was delighted we wanted him to talk about Twilight Zone and not Star Trek.

CPM Is there any celebrity that you personally would love to have there but you just haven’t been able to get yet? Who would you fanboy over?

JM Ah, Psy-Ko. Good question - and one I’ll evade. Why? Well, there are no dream celebs that we’re not actively pursuing, so I don’t want to jinx our negotiations or get anybody’s hopes up (the way ours are most of the time) before it’s carved in stone.

CPM You’re a bit of a celebrity yourself, Screenwriter & Co-Producer on Red Velvet, Creative consultant & executive producer on 2001 Maniacs:Field of Screams among others, writer for Mad Monster of course and you had an interview published in a recent Famous Monsters! Do you get approached for your autograph at your shows?

JM Celebrity? Well, I’m always happy to deface and decrease the value any piece of memorabilia anyone would like me to sign, for free! But I think I’ll pay you to autograph my copy of this Prowler magazine and give you a big hug for plugging some of my credits!

CPM Charlotte is your flagship show (and we know you love us most) but you’ve expanded to New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle and most recently Chicago. Are you planning on taking over the world?

JM We’d love to become the horror equivalent of the Grateful (Un)dead and have caravans of fans traveling across the country to be with each other at every show. We try to make that ambition a reality by keeping our shows intimate and our charges, even for once-in-a-lifetime photo ops and unique events, to the lowest price-point possible for fans. When we DO travel across the country, it’s the enthusiasm and endorsement of our veteran Charlotte fans that broadcasts the spirit of our brand of hospitality to new cities.

CPM You seem to have acquired quite a following in Charlotte so obviously you’re doing something right. What would you say is the one thing that can make or break a convention?

JM No show we’ve ever done or could conceive of doing can succeed without the support for and of the local community.

Charlotte made us feel at home the moment we touched down on the runway. The artists, fans, businesses, sponsors and entertainers that contribute their talents, energies and trust are the single element of the show that is irreplaceable. It keeps us striving to bring more and more to each show. It allows us to dream big and roll the dice trying to bag gigantic guests. We know that our crew and the Charlotte community are all partners in the future of the Mad Monster Party.

CPM Well I don’t want to take up too much of your time, I know you’re a busy guy right now. Thanks for bringing the scares to Charlotte and we hope to see you here for many years to come! If you’re still curious about Joe you can check out his website at http:// www.gojoemoe.com or just come out to the party and meet the man yourself!

TH E STU FF DREAMS ARE MADE OF Christy Johnson - Vocals, Brad Ward - Lead Guitar, Billy Shultz- Guitar, Bryan Barr - Drums

Years from now when they’re playing a sold out arena you’ll be able to say you saw them when. With a national tour going on, endorsements, and movie deals they were a bit hard to catch up with but in a rare moment of quiet they sat down with us to talk about how things are going in dreamland.

CHARLOTTE PROWLER MAGAZINE Give us a bit of background on the band. I believe you started in 2004, thats a good haul for a band! How did you all meet and decide to play together?

DREAMKILLER Christy started the band back in 2004 and played the first show on ebruary 11, 2005. After many years of member changes, everyone else joined fairly close together in 2014. It can take awhile to find those with the same mindset, drive and goals. The timing was so perfect, it was certainly meant to be. We are very fortunate to have created our own family of motivated and talented musicians that all want the same thing. These first 0 years are merely the beginning!

CPM How would you classify your music? Do you buy into all the sub-genre titles or just consider yourselves a rock band?

DK Generally speaking, we are melodic hard rock/progressive/theatrical rock. We absolutely fit into the rock genre while completely separating ourselves into a completely original category at the exact same time. Each of us pull from a plethora of influences both

by Psy-Ko Smiley

within and outside of the rock genre.

Christy’s background, for example, includes musical theatre (and artists like Idina Menzel), oldies, and 80’s rockers like Pat Benatar, as well as a variety of current artists. Brad Ward (lead guitar) is greatly influenced by aul Gilbert, Ace Frehley and Zakk Wilde, while possessing a degree from Berklee’s online school of music . Bryan Barr (drums) is also influenced by many genres. He started in jazz ensembles as well as performing orchestral pieces such as “Fiddler on the Roof” all the way to the fast pace, progressive, high energy drummers such as Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater and Jimmy Sullivan of Avenged Sevenfold. Billy Shultz also comes from an eclectic musical background with influences such as La Dispute, The Front Bottoms, Vildjharta and various classic rock and country artists. We think it’s important for songwriters to openly accept all types of music and be able to let this melting pot influence the creative process. We aim to defy genres and create a long lasting impression and completely unique experience for the listener.

CPM You have a lot of soundtrack songs, how did you get into that? Has

it helped your music to reach more people? Christy has worked as a professional actress for many years and uses this platform to catapult our music into that side of the industry. It works out great. She has been able to pitch songs on set, at auditions and through past industry contacts. We have even traded placement for music videos. So far, our songs have been featured in 12 different films! Some of these films have been distributed internationally and have won numerous awards. Many play worldwide at various conventions and festivals. We wrote the theme song [“Watch This”] for a film called “Eyeborgs”, starring Adrian Paul from “The Highlander Series” and Danny Trejo from “Machete”. It screens on the Syfy Channel on a regular basis. We love having the opportunities to cater our music for film. It’s challenging and tons of fun.

CPM You’ve played with a lot of big names like Lacuna Coil and Mushroomhead. Was there any show that you were just like oh my god I can’t believe we’re on the same stage as.....

DK It’s always an honor to open up for our influences and other major bands. Warped Tour with In This Moment was very memorable, as well as when we played the main stage of Rockapalooza with Mushroomhead, Saliva, and Adam Gontier and opening for Zach Myers of Shinedown.

CPM Who would be your dream band to play a show with?

DK It’s so difficult to narrow that list down since we have so many influences but it would be so rad to tour with Coheed & Cambria, Sixx:AM, Avenged Sevenfold, Alice Cooper, PVRIS and many others.

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CPM Tell me about Night of The Living Dead: Genesis, what is the bands role in this movie?

DK Christy is starring as Judy Hartley in the film and our song “Love vs. Dreams” has been accepted for inclusion on the soundtrack! We love horror films so this is a perfect match. We may even get Brad in as an extra if we can align it with our tour schedule. This film is prequel, sequel and a re-imagining of the original so expect it to stand out from other remakes!

CPM By the way Congratulations on your endorsement deal with Dirt Nap Straps. Zombie guitar straps, what could be better! So where does this horror connection come from? Who’s the horror lover in the band?

DK Brad is the avid horror enthusiast though we all have a bit of dark side. It’s amazing to have brand support. We are also sponsored by Rock Rage Radio [www.RockRageRadio.com] and COLDCOCK Whiskey [www.ColdcockWhiskey. com] CPM Whats next for Dreamkiller?

DK Now that we are a full time touring band, we are working on increasing our fanbase on a National level and eventually spreading our distinctive music and positive message throughout the world! We are also working on new material for our second concept album and are looking into releasing a track for radio so stay tuned!

Dreamkiller is currently on a nationwide tour that will be stopping at The Drunk Horse Pub in Fayetteville on Mar 27th and then will play The Official Mad Monster Afterparty at the Sheraton Hotel in Charlotte on Mar 28th. Visit www.

DREAMKILL.com for other tour dates and info.

Contact the band for more information at Dreamkillermusic@yahoo.com.

Check out Dreamkiller on their National Tour this February 10th-May 3rd, 2015, sponsored by Rock Rage Radio & COLDCOCK WHISKEY.

Los Angeles Music Awards National Female Vocal Performer of The Year Independent Artist Music Awards Best Rock Band DREAMKILL.com Dreamkiller at Facebook Dreamkiller at YouTube Dreamkiller at ReverbNation #1 in the charts for Rock! www.IMDb.me/ChristyJohnson

by Psy-Ko Smiley

Danny Trejo, probably best known for his character Machete, has quite an impressive roster of roles behind him. Most of which are also pretty scary characters. Is the man really as scary as his on-screen personas?

Charlotte Prowler Magazine Let’s start with the obvious question.

The majority of your roles are the bad guy, the scary guy, the crazy guy.

You are acting right? Which character that you’ve portrayed would you say comes closest to the real Danny Trejo?

Danny Trejo Uhh wow, it’s a cross between the character in Halloween and the character in Heat.

CPM You’ve never hid the fact that you got into some trouble in your younger years. What started that and what kind of things did you get in to?

(If you do not mind us asking).

DT Excitement, and you know drugs…

CPM How did you make the transition from street punk to actor? Right place right time or was it something you really aspired to do?

DT First of all, I was never a punk, I was a criminal and the way I made a transition was I started trying to help people, and my life started to change.

CPM If we could go back in time and tell 13 year old Danny Trejo that

he would someday have well over 250 acting credits what would he say?

DT He would laugh and call you crazy.

CPM If you hadn’t found acting what would you be doing today. What job would you have?

DT Armed robber hahaha. I don’t know, I have no Idea. A drug counselor, I still do that.

CPM The amazing charra tattoo on your chest, how did that come about?

Is there a special meaning for you?

How long did it take to complete?

DT It took two and half years, three different penitentiaries, and a guy named “Harry Super Jew Ross”.

-Just a part of my life -It started in 1965, when there a was big “get to your roots” farm worker movement, all the Mexican workers were getting to their roots. And I was new kid out of prison and I didn’t care. The charra was popular then every had one, but mine is the most recognized.

CPM Any other tattoos with stories?

DT They all got stories. The one on my arm I did in the penitentiaries.

A punk band did one on my ankle. I have my kids on my back.

CPM So we know when Marcia Brady becomes hungry she turns into Danny Trejo, but who does Danny Trejo turn into when hungry??

DT ahahahaha When he’s hungry Danny Trejo turns into another copy of Danny Trejo.

CPM Danny, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us. We look forward to seeing you at Mad Monster Party.

Gearing up for Mad Monster Party, Ogre took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for Prowler.

Charlotte Prowler Magazine You’re a man of many hats: recording, touring, acting. Which hat is your favorite to wear?

Ogre This mutt is always humbled by the fortuitous, mysterious circumstances that allow the donning of either of these two hats. As a child i dealt with a crippling sense of dislocation / alienation. My only referent was a world where things were left unsaid, or said with a motive .. leaving one feeling unsure / unsafe with a general feeling of malaise. This feeling surrounded me like an invisible cloak from as early as i can remember. How fortunate then to be able to take these darker aspects, still tearing away, and be able to explore and work through them onstage, for better or worse. Things that as a child utterly disabled me. The stage then becomes a playground to explore and deviate, relive and exorcise these demons from a lonely past. Film is just as liberating as it is constricting.

The character is already written, ready to inhabit and share with those who watch from screen to screen. It’s a further extension of the masks i’ve hidden behind and emoted since being launched into existence.

CPM How did you end up being a recurring guest at Mad Monster Party?

Ogre My monster paL Joe Moe who writes for the magazine and is one of the organizers of Mad Monster Party along with Eben, the creator of the magazine/convention, asked me to write a column entitled ‘what blows your mind’; a third person look at my own madness. For some reason, which i still wrack my twitching brain over, they keep asking me to come back. i’m sure at some point they will see the underlying insanity of this thief of fife and put a silver bullet to this canines musings. until then i will happily fly to charlotte, phoenix, chicago; whichever direction this spooky and very fun group decides to extend their talons grip and line of sight.

CPM Why is Mad Monster Party special?

Ogre I’ve been fortunate enough to attend a lot of the different conventions and what strikes me about MMP is the strength of its programming and content. Whether its the abstract magic/mentalism of Rob Zabrecky or the titillating burlesque shows, the Night of the Living Dead drinking game, the content is fun, entertaining and goes beyond the normal dj/drinking that seems prevalent at other shows. the photo ops are done very professionally by our pal Carlos, a great artist, who takes the time to put you and the celeb in a very cool background. All this along with hands on hosting and care by a staff of volunteers be_headed by your ghost host with the most, Joe Moe who is always available and loves to introduce shy monsters to the fiends of their fears. it’s pretty special CPM What’s the strangest thing a fan has ever asked you to sign?

Ogre I was asked to sign the tattooed skin from a loved one, all tanned and leathery like. Other notables are sigs on almost any nook, cranny or bulge imaginable on the human body to be then tattooed. So many objects, living dead or inert to the bag of cremated ashes i signed and summarily blew out into the audience. creepY dusts and mists.

CPM Any projects or tours on the horror-rizon?

Ogre We are booked for the Amnesia Rock Festival in Montebello, Quebec in June and string of possible dates in the fall. TBA. Currently working on new ohGr recordings and will be attacking a new Skinny Puppy soon thereafter or during. As well a recording project dubbed ‘secret’ will hopefully manifest and cackle sometime this year. Devils Carnival 2 is tentatively slated for a 2015 release as well.

CPM Thanks for chatting with us today Ogre! Nice to think we’ll see you at Mad Monster cons for years to come.

To learn more about Ogre visit his official aceBook page at: https://www. facebook.com/ohGrOfficia

Ogre is co-founder of the game-changing industrial rock band Skinny Puppy as well as a character actor in cult horror movies like Repo: A Genetic Opera. Ogre is also an ever-present member of the Mad Monster family.

While his name sounds ominous, his music is intense and his stage persona appears scary, Ogre “the critter” is actually one of the warmest and most genuine people you could ever hope to meet.

He personifies the contradiction that is “the horror fan”: folks who look spooky and love the creepiest stuff but are in reality the kindest, gentlest (most animal-loving) people in the world!

by Psy-Ko Smiley

GHOST TREK by MICHAEL PLUMIDES

Michael Plumides is a second generation filmmake . His dad produced the first independent film in No th Carolina, the Southern sexploitation cult classic entitled, Night of the Cat, released in 1973 (available on Something Weird Video). Some of you may know him as the Executive Producer of CLIVE BARKER’S NIGHTBREED: DIRECTOR’S CUT where he was responsible for teaming up Morgan Creek Productions with Scream Factory (available on Netflix). I wrote material for the NIGHTBREED TV SERIES too (in development). Some may have read my book, KILL THE MUSIC, (paperback on Amazon), about his experiences in college radio and concert promotion, resulting in the GWAR obscenity bust in North Carolina (incidentally, Plumides spent the night in jail with Oderus Urungus). Mike also writes for Blurt Magazine and has interviewed folks like Jeff Bridges and covered events like Bonnaroo. plumides is no stranger to the pop culture world. If you haven’t heard of him, he wants to to get you all excited about his feature film called, GHO T TREK: CONFEDERATE GHOULS which he just started an Indiegogo campaign for. Filming will take place in Charlotte, NC and its environs.

“If you love paranormal reality shows (or hate them), love 80’s horror, movies with zombies, heavy metal, gore, “dope” and “bro” humor... or the occasional naked hottie running for her life, the film, Ghost rek: Confederate Ghouls is tailor-made for you! After watching marathon episodes of Ghost Adventures a few years ago, I came up with an idea, “What would happen if a team of paranormal researchers antagonized the ghosts so much that the ghouls came up from the nearby cemetery to kill them? How hilarious would that be?” At that moment, Ghost Trek was born. Problem was, I started writing the feature with the intent of killing everybody but I liked the characters so much, I decided to keep MOST of them. I also wanted to pick outrageous and provocative ghost hunting cases,” Plumides said.

“When I started developing Ghost Trek I assembled a familiar cast of people resembling long-standing personalities in the genre, from shows like Ghost Hunters, and Paranormal State, but I didn’t want it to be a parody like A Haunted House. I wanted it to be more like a stoner version of early 70’s Scooby Doo with mystery, suspense, plus darker comedy and pop-culture oriented fare - something to appeal to the Adult Swim, Blue Mountain State or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil fan. I also wanted to not only lampoon the paranormal reality shows but write in some sociopolitical commentary.”

“I made some funny, campy, stupid, scary episodes on a shoe-string budget and screened them from Virginia to Georgia. Then I was hired as a creative consul-

tant to develop Clive Barker’s Nightbreed TV Series after spearheading the distribution deal for Nightbreed; Director’s Cut. So, I was busy with Nightbreed for Morgan Creek and there’s some interest. But all that work was done on spec, so I think it’s time for me to concentrate on my own intellectual properties again. I have had some interest to fund my feature as well, but I’m just tired of waiting - I’m ready to bring this project to the people.”

Daily Dead, Yahoo, OMG, Empire, Bloody-Disgusting, io9, Shock ‘til you Drop, Fangoria, Geek Tyrant, Den of Geek, and numerous other publications have written something about Plumides and his projects - he was even mentioned in Entertainment Weekly last October.

“But I want to take my feature film, Ghost Trek: Confederate Ghouls to the next level with great special effects and cinematography (and not be confined to just POV) plus some cameos and cool music and gore and lots of bad language.” Now who can argue with that?

The concept has branding potential in the 16-35 market, also 18-49. The episode test screenings all had positive responses.”

GHOST TREK follows the Paranormal Underworld Detective Society (PUDS) as they investigate haunts across the U.S. and abroad between tanning beds, babes, body-building, and bong hits - all the while risking life and limb capturing the undead on video. GHOST TREK is lead by Dr. Zeke Wallace (Michael Melendez), a good-looking ex-chiropractor turned paranormal investigator, who is living in New York with his girlfriend, Shawna Leibowitz (Trish Cannatella) also the show’s produc-

er. Scary Carrie Carmichael (Christy Johnson), the “Living-Dead Roller-Girl”, pines away as the GHOST TREK case manager as Harvey Goldman (Michael Plumides), The Executive Producer, forbids her face time due to her freakish outward appearance.

The other PUDS investigators are: Barry ‘The Bomb’ Burkowski and Joey ‘Mayhem’ Moscone (affectionately called The Goon Squad), two ex-wrestlers from New Jersey who hung up their tights for a paying gig (Disco Inferno and Colt Cabana).The fashion-conscious psychic, Guy Swisher (Brett Gentile), is comedic genius incarnate. The

team’s tech specialists and devoted party monsters are Robbie (Michael Bortone) and Ray-Ray (Jonny Fairplay). Weasel is the kleptomaniac “emo” cameraman (Kevin Johnson). The ‘newbie’, Jules Partridge, (Julia Bullock) is the “investigator in training” chosen by the network marketing department. Svetlana Markovska (Cora Deitz) is the mysterious Russian softcore porn model Zeke has the hots for.

Plumides added, “The new North Carolina legislature recently gutted the film incentives here, especially for smaller indie productions ($250,000 +), so I want to make something in North Carolina that can draw attention to our industry and create enthusiasm to support independent film production again. Movies like evin Smith’s Tusk were shot here but that’s a whole different issue. I am invited to meet the Mayor of Charlotte about a proposal I am developing on March 4th.”

When asked if there were any cool perks on his Indiegogo campaign, Plumides responded, “If you’re a wrestling fan, you can win a night out with legendary wrestlers, Colt Cabana and Disco Inferno. Or you can be a Confederate Ghoul.”

Forrest J (no period) Ackerman, also known affectionately as “FJA, Forry, Dr. Acula, and Mr. Monster,” was fantasy fan number one long before he created the generation-molding magazine, Famous Monsters of Filmland in 1956. Forry won the very first “Hugo” ever awarded to a sci-fi fan and promptly gave it away to someone he considered more deserving. A typical Forry move.

Forry often retold the story of how he became a science fiction fan. At age 9 he spotted the cover of the October 1926 issue of Amazing Stories, the world’s first science fiction magazine, on the newsstand. It spoke to him with its garish pulp cover showing a lobster-like creature bending over a human. “Take me home, little boy, you’ll love me,” that magazine called out to Forry. He did and he did.

Forry understood how to recre-

ate that same feeling in a whole new generation and did so for thousands of youngsters in the 1950s, 60s and 70s as editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland, which fans refer to as “FM.” Intended at first as a one-shot based on a European magazine from Forry’s unparalleled collection of fantastic film memorabilia, it used a selection of photos from the Ackerman vaults spiced with his somewhat adolescent joy in puns to appeal to fannish enthusiasms. Acker-

man, who had a long life, was a Peter Pan who never surrendered his shadow or the ability to fly.

I saw issue number two of Famous Monsters of Filmland on the stands at a drug store in tiny Catawissa, PA, at age 10 in 1957. Like lots of other baby boomers, I was a rabid fan of those late night TV horror programs showing the great Universal monster movies from the 1930s and 40s. They’re all watchable to this day despite the lack of CGI

effects, with “Bride of Frankenstein,” and “Son of Frankenstein,” perhaps best. After that came the Mummy series, with Karloff ’s original version by far the finest, the Werewolf with Lon Chaney, Jr., and many others. That issue of FM, with a man in a werewolf mask on the cover, spoke to me as surely as that issue of Amazing had to Forry in 1926. Take me home, little boy, it said, you’ll love me. I did and I did.

A whole generation loved them.

Some of the fans of FM and Forry included George Lucas, Steven Spielberg,

Ray Bradbury, Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, Fritz Lang, Robert “Psycho” Bloch, Stephen King, John Landis, and every kid I knew down the block. Forry made us feel part of a larger, inclusive group of fans instead of just a bit strange. I joined the FM Monster Club and my photo and name appeared in FM issue number 8.

I met Forry several times at science fiction conventions. He always had on the heavy ring with a large raised “D,” the same one Bela Lugosi wore as Dracula in the 1931 film, one of Forry’s

prized collectibles. We shook hands and I told him, “Forry, you made my childhood.”

Years later, after I had published a couple of science fiction stories and joined the Science Fiction Writers of America, I got a request from Forry, asking for my autograph (inveterate collector, he wanted autographs of all SFWA members, even minor ones like me). It was one of those peak moments you hear about, a childhood hero asking for my autograph. Forry, we miss you.

One of the most shocking statistics today is the average rate of 22 suicides a day among U.S. Veterans due to Post Traumatic Stress (PTS). Up to 35% of veterans are estimated to suffer from symptoms of PTS, including nearly 100,000 living in the Carolinas. Traditional treatment with counseling and psychoactive drugs has at best a 25% success rate with alleviating these symptoms which ruin the lives of so many veterans and their families.

What if there was an easy and safe treatment with a high success rate available that could help these vets immediately get on the road to recovery? Perhaps there is.

Since 2006, Dr. Eugene Lipov, a physician based in Chicago, has experimented with shots of Stellate Ganglion Block in patients exhibiting symptoms of PTS. The drug acts as a biological treatment that “prunes” back the excess nerve growth in the brain found with PTS. Dr. Lipov believes that this excess nerve growth, caused by the original trauma, creates the hyper-sensitivity typical of PTS, including racing heart, sweating, hypervigilance, sleeplessness and disturbing nightmares.

Dr. Lipov found that a single shot of the Stellate Ganglion Block (SBG) drug alleviates many of the PTS symptoms, allowing sufferers to regain control of their lives. His treatment, called CB or Chicago Block to indicate the slight differences between it and the traditional SGB treatment for pain – slightly higher and on the left side of the neck – achieved better than a 70%

success rate in the treatment of 1,000 sufferers.

His success rate of over 70% has been replicated in small studies at Walter Reed Military Hospital, Tripler Hospital (Hawaii), San Diego Medical Center, and Long Beach VA, treating veterans most severely affected by PTS. In May, Dr. Lipov will present a report on the use of CB treatment for helping suicidal patients to the American Psychiatric Association. Enthusiastic reports on the procedure have appeared in Anesthesiology News, Military Medicine Magazine and other professional publications. Large scale studies on the effects of CB treatment are being led by Johns Hopkins University.

The CB treatment for PTS has several advantages: * Symptoms often lessen immediately, and effects are long-lasting * The drug has been used safely since 1926 and is already approved by the FDA for similar conditions * Side effects are few * Cost is far less than that of traditional treatment therapies * Treatment with CB is available without long wait times In fact, veterans and active military with symptoms resulting from PTS may soon be able to receive CB treatment at the first Re ional Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Center being established in Charlotte, with

the assistance of Carolina’s Health Care System and the American Anesthesiology Association. Local organizers, led by LTC (ret) Richard Cantwell, are working with the VA and the Dept. of Defense on this project, which will eventually stretch nationwide.

Currently funds are being raised so that the treatment can begin immediately for veterans and soldiers at risk. Donations are being handled by the Military Family Lifestyle Charitable Foundation, a local non-profit with

no administrative overhead, which supports and assists other charitable organizations in aiding military families. All donations will go directly to establishing the Regional Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Center and to funding patient treatments.

Fight Lab, one of the South’s largest promoters of mixed martial arts (MMA) cage fighting, has joined the effort to raise funds to extend relief to military members and veterans expe-

riencing the effects of PTS. Based in Charlotte, Fight Lab stages numerous matches around the Southeast, including MMA professional bouts at Fort Bragg. On base, company executives have been impressed and moved by the valor and courage of our fighting men and women and of our veterans.

Getting behind this promising treatment for PTS is their way of saying THANK YOU.

Nick Lavery American HerO Nick Nick Lavery: Lavery: American American Hero Hero

Staff Sergeant Nick Lavery

was a hero well before he lost his right leg saving a fellow soldier in March 2013. He had been wounded several times since his first deployment to Afghanistan in 2011, taking shrapnel to the shoulder in Oct., 2012. Just a month later was wounded in a roadside bomb attack, but was still able to pull his commanding office to safety from a burning truck. The United States has recognized Lavery’s service with a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Valor, two Bronze Stars for Service, and three Purple Hearts.

After 20 surgeries and being fitted with a prosthetic leg, Nick returned to service, deciding not to opt for medical retirement. Currently, he’s a tactical combat trainer at Fort Bragg.

At 6-foot-6, Staff Sergeant Lavery provides a powerful role model for young soldiers. A football star in high school and college, Nick stays in shape with MMA training.

“I started boxing at a young age,” Lavery says. “ I trained in different fighting styles through college and then got into combat-

ives immediately after enlisting. It is something that I have always loved doing.

“After I lost my leg I needed to completely reinvent myself as a fighter. I essentially had to unlearn everything I knew. Then modify and adapt it. Then relearn it. My teammates and I work on this relentlessly. It is frustrating yet extremely fulfilling. Fighting is a huge passion of mine and I will continue to drive towards excellence.

Always.”

Brunch

FAVORITES WITH NEW FLAVOR Directions

ASPARAGUS-MUSHROOM-BACON

SKILLET QUICHE Ingredients 6 oz bacon, diced 1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces 4 oz baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, sliced

4 oz shredded Swiss cheese 1 1/2 cups whipping cream 4 large eggs 1/4 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper

CREAMY STRAWBERRY

BRUNCH CREPES

Directions

Place the eggs, milk, water, melted butter, flour, and salt in the pitcher of a blender; blend until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe.

Tip and rotate pan to spread batter

as thinly as possible. Flip over when the batter is set and the edges are beginning to brown. Cook until the other side begins to brown. Stack finished crepes on a plate, cover with a damp towel and set aside. Blend the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth.

Position oven rack to center position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 10inch pie plate. Heat a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir bacon in the hot skillet until crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove bacon and drain all but 2 tablespoons grease from skillet. Cook and stir asparagus and mushrooms in the remaining bacon grease until asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and toss bacon into asparagus mixture. Spread asparagus-bacon mixture into the prepared pie pan. Sprinkle Swiss cheese over mixture. Whisk cream, eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pour egg mixture over asparagus-cheese mixture. Bake in the preheated oven until quiche is set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

3 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup water 3 tablespoons butter, melted 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup heavy cream, whipped 4 cups sliced strawberries

Gently fold in the whipped cream. To serve, fill each crepe with 1/4 cup sliced strawberries and 1/3 cup of the cream cheese filling, roll up and top with a small dollop of the cream cheese filling and more sliced strawberries.

Fontina Spinach

Artichoke

Pasta AM Hash INGREDIENTS 6 slices cut bacon, chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic minced 8 oz cremini mushrooms 1 teaspoon dried dill 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon red pepper 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 16 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed 12 oz marinated artichokes hearts, drained 1 pound angle hair pasta 8 oz fontina cheese, half diced, half shredded 6-8 eggs 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream Lots of chopped parsley INSTRUCTIONS Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, prepare according to directions. Drain, set aside. Preheat oven to 374 degrees F. Heat large skillet over medhigh heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove to paper towel-lined plate. Remove all but one tablespoon of bacon fat from pan, add olive oil and heat over high heat. Add garlic, sauté for 30 seconds.

Add mushrooms in a single layer. Don't stir! Let them sizzle until they caramelize on bottom, about 2 minutes.

When bottoms are caramelized, toss once and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add dill, oregano, crushed red pepper and pepper. Stir in thawed spinach and artichokes and gently stir everything to combine.

Cook another 2-3 minutes until heated through. Add half of the pasta, the cubes of fontina and a drizzle of olive oil, toss well, adding in more pasta if desired. Create small wells for eggs and carefully crack eggs into wells.

Sprinkle eggs with salt and pepper and add remaining shredded cheese. Drizzle cream over eggs. Place whole skillet in oven and bake until whites are just set but yolks are runny, about 15 minutes. To brown cheese a bit more turn the broiler on for 30 seconds. Remove from oven and add crispy bacon.

Garnish with parsley.

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FOUR TASTY TREATS WITH A BITE

A DASH OF FIREBALL WHISKY DOES THE TRICK

|

BY LORI SCOTT

Boston Cream Pie 1 oz Vanilla Vodka 1 oz Chila Orchata Rum 1 oz Fragelico 1 oz Fireball Whisky 1/16 oz Godiva Liquer

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Creme Brulee Martini 1.5 oz Vanilla Vodka .75 oz Hazlenut Liquer 1.5 oz Fireball Whisky .5 oz Cointreau 1 oz Half/Half In a shaker, add ice, shake and strain.

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Martini

Caramel Apple Pie

1.5 oz Marshmallow Vodka 1.5 oz Chocolate Liquor 1.5 oz Fireball Whisky .5 oz Cream .5 oz Milk Chocolate Shavings

2 oz Caramel Vodka 1 oz Apple (Dr. Apple) 1 oz Fireball Whisky Whipped Cream Ground Cinnamon

For More Cocktails Please

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