2016 July

Prong released a new album “X– No Absolutes. The new album is Prong at their very best!!! The sheer intensity and ferocity of the albums opening triumptive Ultimate Authority, Sense Of Ease, and Without Words, leaves the listeners gasping for air. They are currently touring the new album and we had a chance to sit down with them here in Vegas for an exclusive interview! p. 6

Jamie Paullus Jamie Paullus continues to WOW our readers with the BEST Spokane has to offer - this month: music greats DEVIL DRIVER and VIOLENT FEMMES..

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Sherry Keith

Mystic Photography continues her up close and personal view into the Vegas music scene with PRONG AND PRIMAL FEAR...

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Ellefson Coffee Co, the premium coffee brand of java connoisseur, Author, and Rock Star David Ellefson of Megadeth, has officially unleashed it’s second blend KENYA THRASH. Packaged in a distinctive red metallic bag, Kenya Thrash is a bold high-octane blend of 90% Kenya-Kichwa Arabica Beans, and 10% India Robusta, roasted with a kick, for a high blend of flavor and function. An “Earthy and Savory” blend, with distinct notes of Grapefruit and Black Pepper, Kenya Thrash is a guaranteed wake up call to body, mind, AND tastebuds.

“Thrash” is the follow-up to ROAST IN PEACE, the highly celebrated original Dark Roast Blend, small-batch roasted from 100% Brazilian Arabica, with distinctive notes of “Chocalate, Dark Caramel, and Roasted Nuts”, already receiving high

praise from coffee lovers and media alike. With features on major web outlets like Blabbermouth, Brave Words, a segment with Ellefson on Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante’s Coffee podcast, and a feature in the July issue of REVOLVER MAGAZINE, and high profile artists like Hellyeah, Sevendust and Lamb of God publicly singing it’s praises, Roast In Peace has already become a staple in the mugs of the Rock N’ Roll elite.

But, says Ellefson, ROAST IN PEACE is more than just a distinctive coffee offering, but also a mission statement.“My love for coffee has accompanied me around the world for my entire musical career. Just like the spirit of a culture or the melody of a song, the enjoyment of coffee brings people together and creates harmony among us. The beans in this bag are traceable to their global origin and exemplify the spirit and culture of the people who grew them."

"It is my aim to bring this roast to our tables and awake our taste buds, fire up our rock n roll spirits and continue the global fellowship of music, art and coffee. May you, Roast in Peace!"

Ellefson Coffee Co blends are artfully small batch roasted by Parliament Coffee Roasters, and the blends hand picked by Ellefson himself. Both blends are available in 12 OZ Whole Bean (or Ground) bags directly from empmerch.com.

For More Information: Ellefsoncoffeeco.com facebook.com/ellefsoncoffeeco

Contact: Thom Hazaert - Ellefson Coffee Co Thomhazaert2@gmail.com

<CV> I was doing some reading and learned a little something and want to see if what I read was true.

<TOMMY> Ok, what did you read?

<CV> Of course I know the band was formed in 86.

<

TOMMY> Right

<CV> What I read was that you originally were the sound engineer for CBGB.

<TOMMY> Right

<CV> Oh wow, so that’s true then.

<TOMMY> From 86 to 90 yea. I wasn’t the only guy, but I was the head guy there for 3 years. I started working there in 86,I did all the hard core matinees. Then Prong started to get active so we did a couple of tours and wouldn’t get back to work so you know.

<CV> Awesome, from what I understand it was you and the door guy is that right?

<TOMMY> Yea Mike, we formed the band out of there.

<CV> How did you come up with the name?

<TOMMY> Well there was three of us and we were trying to work with the concept of being a trio into it. So it was a three piece, like a 3 pronged plug breaking the wall out. So instead of 3 pronged plug we said how about just Prong? So we had a big sit down and I came up with that and everyone was like yea that’s cool! So basically like a 3 prong plug, like a wall outlet.

<CV> Very cool!

<CV> So you disbanded in 96 and you joined Danzig? What would you like to tell us about that?

<TOMMY> Well I still play with him, it’s a long standing relationship. So you want to know how that happened?

<CV> Absolutely!

<TOMMY> I knew Glen and the original guitar player got fired and they had another guy that wasn’t working out. Prong was supposed to go on tour with Danzig on the first OZ Fest and then we got dropped by the label. So we did not have money for tour support and Glen knew about that. Literally I was going to go home and

deliver pizzas or something. I was like fuck it, if the band isn’t going to have tour support then I don’t even know what to do with Prong. Glen called me up in a couple days, it was the weirdest thing and said can you learn all the songs and I said yea and I just started playing with Glen to make some money.

<CV> Very cool. I’ve never seen him live.

<Tommy> No?

<CV> No, but it’s on my to do list. *laughing*

<CV> You reformed in 2000 with Monte Pittman and recorded the album Scorpio Rising.

<TOMMY> Scorpio Rising,yea

<CV> At that time you were still touring with Danzig and if I understand correctly you wrote some of the material for the album Circle Of Snakes?

<TOMMY> I didn’t write any of that, Glen takes the writing credit on it, but I did play guitar on it. I am on the last 3 Danzig records.

<CV> Very nice!

<TOMMY> I’ve been playing with him for awhile.

<CV> Of course we all know that you have done time with Ministry.

<TOMMY> Right

<CV> If I am correct Ministry was nominated for a Grammy?

<TOMMY> Yea, I got two Grammy nominations with Ministry.

<CV> Very nice! I bet that had to have been amazing!

<TOMMY> Yea, it was cool. It was good for my mother and family because they finally recognized that what I was doing was making some kind of sense because they have always been strongly opposed to it.

<CV> Uh-oh

<TOMMY> Yea, so suddenly it was good that it happened but it doesn’t really mean anything.

<CV> Yea, some of my family does not agree with me doing this magazine or my concert photography and being in the music scene either, but hey I would not change it for the world.

<TOMMY> Right

<CV> We discussed this briefly right before your sound check that you reformed in 2007 with Aaron Rossi and Monte Pittman, and that was the show I came out and shot in Seattle at Studio 7.

<TOMMY> Right

<CV> God that was like 2009ish I believe.

<TOMMY> It was awhile ago

<CV> Yea it was, but it was a great show!

<TOMMY> Cool, thanks.

<CV> Now that was for the slicing across America Tour and then you did Slicing Across Europe?

<TOMMY> I think so, it’s hard to remember. We’ve been really active in the last 4 years more

than ever so I even have a hard time remembering that even.

<CV> So tell us who else is in the band.

<TOMMY> Art Cruze on drums and Jason Christopher on bass, they have been with me for awhile now.

<CV> Ok, so now I’m going to get personal.

<TOMMY> Ok *laughing*

<CV> Not to personnel *laughing* What originally got you into music and at what age did you know this is what you wanted to do?

released on February 5th.

<TOMMY> I never knew that this is what I wanted to do, I sort of fell into it. I have an older brother and three older sisters, so I am the youngest of 5. There was always a lot of music in the house. My sisters were into different kinds of stuff then my brother was pushing Jimi Hendrix and Zeppelin on me. Then I started buying my own records like Sabbath, Deep Purple and Kiss. I think at a certain age I stopped being a jock and got out of little league and playing basketball and stuff because I stopped growing and stuff and I got into music. I wanted to do something different than everybody else. Music was an outlet and I just wanted to get into a band and be playing. I was never really successful at it and that’s why I got into sound engineering and miraculously the band formed out CBGB’s. We got really popular really fast and got a record deal and stuff.

<CV> Who would you consider your biggest musical influence?

<TOMMY> Killing Joke is one of my big ones. I like a lot of different kinds of music so it’s hard to say. What Prong is like Killing Joke mixed with thrash metal and hard core and hard core punk. I also really like Black Flag a lot, so I have Black Flag and Killing Joke and like Metallica is what makes Prong really.

<CV> Let’s talk about your new album that was

<TOMMY> It’s a great record, especially in Europe it’s been going over fantastic! We are getting a great response and a lot of Spotify plays. We came out with the single “ Ultimate Authority” and it’s getting played in a lot of clubs in Europe . Then we released a second single “Cut And Dry” and now “Sense Of Ease” is coming out now. It’s just packed with singles. We are going to centime to put singles out and do some videos’ and work this record for a year and a half and do more tours. We just did a European tour, just got back a week and a half ago.

<CV> Wow

<TOMMY> Yea we only had a week before we started on this tour. It’s going great!

<CV> Well I was excited when I found out about the new album, I contacted friends and pretty much yelled that there was new Prong and they got excited and now here we all are. I’m that girl I get excited and then I try to get others excited. *laughing*

<TOMMY> Cool! *laughing*

<CV> Give me some insight on the song and music writing process. Do you do all the writing or is it a joined effort?

<TOMMY> No. These days I work with the co -producer that I worked with on “Ruining Lives” which was the previous studio release and we write together, I also write with a friend

of mine Erie Lock from the band Dream In Red. I have songs that I write and then I collaborate with them to get them finalized and the guys in the band help with the arrangements and Art will design all the drum parts. We write really fast and we don’t really question ,we get 13 songs done and that’s it.

<CV> What’s the motivation behind the songs you write, do any of them speak to you on a personal level?

<TOMMY> Absolutely! As I go through the days and experiencing different things I will either dictate or write on my phone, come up with lyrical ideas and implement them into actual songs. So that’s how it goes. The other side of it is coming up with cool riffs and ideas

<CV> This is a question I like to ask different artists to see how they feel . What are your thoughts on the use and necessity of Social Media?

<TOMMY> It’s 2016 so who am I to judge on how everything is done now days. I try to do as much as I can on limited knowledge of how everything works . I don’t see anything wrong with it. Who knows in ten years what new media and new formats are going to be around or how everything evolves. Of course I come from an era where everything was done by the mail. Promoted the band through sending tapes out. I didn’t have a beeper or a cell phone obviously, I had a land line that I never really used in my apartment. I don’t know how we did it but we were able to book shows.

<CV> Hanging flyers on telephone poles *laughing*

<TOMMY> Yea, hanging flyers all over the place and we would go out in the middle of the night and do that the benefit of being in New York City that is how we did everything. Promoting the band locally and then other cities would hear about it. We had a community of Fanzines back then too. Really serious Fanzine network. I was the one who would do all that

and reach out to the Fanzines and talk to Punk Rock magazines and send them demos, send them records and people started paying attention. We got lucky, we were at the right place at the right time.

<CV> Exactly!

<CV> How do you feel about download music sales? Would you prefer a return to CD’s and Vinyl?

<TOMMY> Well CD’s is a dead format ,I don’t think people are interested in buying them that much. We do sell them at shows and we do have them at stores and in Europe people are still interested in them . I know for myself to have a cd and carry it around, it just seems weird. Now with Spotify everything is on there. If I want to listen to something I usually resort to some kind of streaming. It’s nice to have the packaging. I think the vinyl, the new revolution of vinyl is cool. A lot of people don’t even open it. We sold out of our vinyl the first day of 2000 copies.

<CV> Oh wow, nice!

<TOMMY> Yea It just went out the door. That’s what everyone wants is the vinyl. So now it’s in its second pressing. The people making the vinyl are backed up so vinyl is definitely a big deal now.

<CV> I know you play overseas, is it different playing there?

<TOMMY> Oh yea, especially in Germany there are really serious metal fans there. They take it a lot more seriously than American’s do. They are dictated by the media that much, they don’t really care. Americans tend to listen to what they are “told” to listen to through radio and mass media. If you have a lot of money to promote a band you can get over on people. They don’t fall for that really over there.

<CV> I have been wanting to get over there really really badly for the Wacken Festival.

<TOMMY> Wacken ,oh yea. Wacken is a perfect example of how crazy and dedicated these lunatics are over there. That’s not the only festivals over there, there is serious metal fests every weekend from May all the way into September all over Europe, there is like 50,000 people showing up ,it’s a very strong scene over there.

<CV> Do you have any funny stories from tour life?

<TOMMY> Oh, I have millions of them. *laughing*

<CV> One of the craziest ones that comes to mind is with Ministry. Prong is kind of mellow, Jason and I are sober and we try to be cool and there is not that much craziness these days. With Ministry it was Pandemonium. We got this road manager and Al demanded that the road manager drink a whole bottle of Absinthe. In one sitting. *everyone is room laughing*

<CV> *laughing* I’ve never had that but boy I have heard stories.

<TOMMY> He drank the whole bottle! He guzzled it! We watched him and it was an instant reaction. This guy was younger than me but he looked

like an old man to begin with. He was kind of a weird looking dude. So we are watching him and he just went into another dimension. We are on the bus and he started praying to God saying help me, and we were evil back then. He threw up all over the place and we stripped him completely naked and then the magic markers came out and we drew all over him. *everyone in room dying of laughter*

<TOMMY> We drew all over him from head to toe. Like big cocks, and stuck cigarettes up his ass, like just brutalized this guy! *everyone in room laughing*

<TOMMY> He was out of commission for a day, we put him in his bunk and then we were in Budapest. We had no information on where we were going and we driving around and we finally found the hotel we were supposed to check into and we woke him up. He is in his bunk naked covered in magic marker with *I like to suck cock* and all this shit written all over him . *everyone dying of laughter*

<TOMMY> We yell Max, we are at the hotel and

you have to check us in. He says oh , I have to get to work and he walked out. Now we did finally put underwear on him, somehow he wound up with underwear on , so he walked off the bus into the hotel like that! We just watched, he didn’t even know! 30 hours later and he was so fucked up on this shit, and we all of a sudden see these two huge bouncers pick him up and threw him out onto the sidewalk so he was all fucked up. It’s a horrible story but it’s true.

<CV> Yes, but god it is funny! *everyone laughing*

<TOMMY> That is the craziest thing.

<CV> I do believe that is the best one I’ve heard! *everyone laughing*

<TOMMY> I have a million funny stories, I’ve been on the road a long time. *laughing*

<CV> I was checking everything out and you do tour a lot.

<Tommy> Oh yea, like three different bands. It gets crazy.

<CV> How do you juggle all that?

<TOMMY> Well I don’t play with Ministry anymore and Glen does not really work that much now ,but sometimes scheduling conflicts are a problem and it can be a pain in the ass.

<CV> What can fans expect to see at a Prong show?

<TOMMY> It’s pretty high powered, we play a lot of fast stuff and it’s pretty vicious. Everyone says the band is really tight and high energy. For three guys we make a lot of noise. All the shows have been really great on this run and the response to the new record.

<CV> You just played the Whiskey and Brick By Brick in San Diego right?

<TOMMY> Yes, last night we played San Diego.

<CV> And those show went well?

<TOMMY> Yea, those shows were really good.

<CV> To date, is there any one show that is memorable for you and if so why?

<TOMMY> I try to stay in the moment a lot of times and people try to remind me about old shows and apart from the crazy antics that go on <CV> Like making someone drink a bottle of Absinthe *laughing*

<TOMMY> Yea like that *laughing*

<TOMMY> Right now my favorite show is like last night, it’s always like something recent. I can’t really go back in the past . I think that some of the best shows Prong has ever done has been recently. Then we did play Budapest again, and that is where that event with Max happened. Poland is always really great .

<CV> Have you ever played Japan?

<TOMMY> Yes, a long time ago.

<CV> A lot of artists that I talk to always say that Japan is amazing.

<TOMMY> We are trying to go back, it’s been a long time. I had a bad experience in Japan. We played a show and immediately kids stormed the stage and some kid jumped into me and my finger is still fucked up and dislocated from that. It wasn’t my playing hand but that broken finger did disrupt my playing and I played four half ass shows because of that. I ended up going to the hospital immediately because my finger was really fucked up. It was like 500 kids stormed the stage, it was crazy.

<CV> Obviously you have been with Prong since 86, but where do you think you are in the journey?

<TOMMY> That’s a very good question. I don’t know. I have a really good manager now and a really good band and I have a good label which is everything I have been fighting for for a long time. I f I can stay alive and continue doing it, I think that Prong is needed. Even though we are not the most popular band in the world, it’s good to have somebody that is sticking around.

<CV> I totally agree with you!

<TOMMY> What else am I going to fuckin do?

<CV> Well here is the thing. Doing what I do, I have been around music ever since I was little and it’s very important to me.

<TOMMY> GOOD!

<CV> I like all kinds of music, like sometimes people come to my house and laugh because I’m listening to Bocelli and they ask me what are you listening to and I’m like don’t judge! *laughing* With that said most of the music coming out these days, I can’t stand it! You can’t tell anybody apart, they all sound alike and it’s so redundant.

<TOMMY> Well the kids today, it’s a different thing. I don’t know, I agree with you it is redundant but that’s their thing. I don’t try to judge it, they just have a different reference point. One thing though that is annoying to me which I thought was going to end is these bands playing

with backing tracks. That’s a really big thing, even with Metal bands. I can see pop bands doing it, but you go see a lot of young bands and they have tracks running. There is no groove to that and they are locked into playing with a recording and that’s all they know because they learn to practice with a computer, they have learned everything with a computer, everything is in a digital domain. They have not had to do what we have done, like blindly go into a rehearsal room and be like what are we going to do for 8 hours. We would be there for 8 hours and still not write a song, like what the fuck is going on here? From nothing, just coming up with something, they don’t do that anymore. Everything is prepared, they send each other files and they may rehearse for like an hour and then they leave. It’s a whole different thing.

<CV> Exactly. What advice would you give younger bands just starting out?

<TOMMY> I really wouldn’t know , if I knew how to make my career more popular I would know these things. Anything I would say would probably be just a bunch of bullshit because I don’t know what to tell people. We toured with this band and the name was Steak Number Eight, horrible name, but they are from Belgium. They are really good , they are like Radiohead but heavier. They are really talented and they asked me “what can we do” and I’m like I don’t know because it’s such a tough business, it’s harder now than it was, it’s almost like I would tell people to learn coding and go into video games. Why

<CV> What do you like the best about being on stage and what keeps you motivated to do what you do?

<TOMMY> I think that most nights what I do is good. I think that I am unique and when I’m on my guitar playing and feeling healthy, I’m sober and I don’t really do that much so that’s the highlight of my day. I like meeting people and it’s a vehicle for that. If I’m doing it right and it’s comfortable it’s an enjoyable experience. I always compare this stuff to being a professional athlete. In all kinds of works of life, like if you are a real estate agent and you sell a house, that experience of success. It’s ego gratification to some extent .

<CV> The recording process, is there anything you like or dislike about it?

<TOMMY> I do like the modern technology right now ,everything caught up with Prong and here I am contradicting myself because I was sort of bashing younger bands. On the positive side in today’s music world you can make records a lot more inexpensively than you could years ago. We would have to be in a studio and it baffles me about the money we used to spend going to a regular recording studio and hiring producers who really didn’t do anything, it was all a bunch of bullshit. Did you ever watch Vinyl?

<CV> No, I have not watched that actually.

<TOMMY> It’s on HBO, you have to watch it. It’s the way things were in the 70’s and some of it’s exaggerated and a lot of unrealistic things. Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese produced it. The music business was this big deal and there were record labels where 100 people were working and now all those jobs are gone and it doesn’t exist anymore. The downscaling of all that has made it available to where you can make cheap records and if you know what you are doing you can somehow survive. I sort of like the idea that there is not a lot of waste anymore.

<CV> I know that many people use Pro-Tools.

<TOMMY> Yea, modern technology has enabled you to be creative at a faster rate.

<CV> I have friends that will tell me I played all

the instruments and put the album together and now I’m selling it on I-tunes. I tell them well that’s great but what I really want to see is you playing live on that stage.

<TOMMY> Right, that’s the problem is getting them to go on stage to actually perform and play the songs live.

<CV> Exactly

<TOMMY> I hear that a lot. I have some friends of mine or engineers that work with larger artists where they do have that issue, where they have to do so much manipulation to get things somewhat listenable in the recording studio and then bringing that into a live situation is a whole other deal.

<CV> What does Prong have planned for the rest of 2016?

<TOMMY> More touring! We are going to keep knocking it out, that’s pretty much it really.

the Band on Instagram. I’m always available to communicate. I get on the message board on Prong and try to answer stuff.

<CV> What would you like to say to your fans and our readers?

<TOMMY> You can hit me up on Facebook and hit the other guys up too and check out the Facebook Prong page. Twitter Prong Music and Prong

<CV> Very nice, thank-you for taking the time to sit down with me and can’t wait to see you own the stage here in a bit!

<TOMMY> You are welcome and Thank-you.

ROCK AGAINST MS: THE PIZZA RECORDINGS TO RELEASE TUESDAY JULY, 19TH –PRE ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!

RECORDED AT THE FAMOUS 606 STUDIOS – ALL STAR BENEFIT ALBUM

LIMITED EDITION – VINYL ONLY – SPONSORED BY ROCK & ROLL RED BALLS PIZZA

FEATURING ORIGINAL MUSIC BY:

THE BULLET BOYS, MIKE WATT (THE STOOGES), KIRA, DILANA, PHIL X (BON JOVI)

PHIL BUCKMAN (FUEL/XFILTER), MATT STARR (ACE FREHLEY/ MR. BIG), TODD MORSE (THE OFFSPRING/JULIETTE & THE LICKS) DANN SAXTON, TODDSPLANET, IMPERFEXION, SQUIRRELEXPLOSION, BILLY BONES, GALVANIZED SOULS & the JEZEBEL DOGS

HOLLYWOOD, CA (June 20, 2016) – The long awaited ROCK AGAINST MS: PIZZA RECORDSINGS will be released Tuesday July 19th, 2016. This is a limited release of 1000 vinyl records with music written and recorded specifically for the Rock Against MS Foundation, 501c3 at the world renown 606 Studios – Home of the Foo Fighters.

PRE-ORDER YOUR VINYL HERE: https:// goo.gl/7oAlvt

This album was the brain child of David “Veggie” Vieira when he held a battle of the bands at his restaurant, the World Famous Rock & Roll Redballs Pizza. The winners received recording time for 1 song that would be turned into a vinyl album. Finding that he recorded more than 1 vinyl could hold, he contacted his dear friend, publicist Nancy B. Sayle and said “Let’s do another album for your foundation and ask your friends to join in!”

Sayle had limited space on the album as to the number and length of songs that could be recorded. The music also had to be fresh, new and never recorded - So, she sent out a plea to her friends to donate a new song and record live for the foundation. Several artists stepped up for the challenge

without hesitation. In two days they all came back with amazing new, never recorded music and got ready for the studio. They spent the day at the 606 Studios recording the old fashioned way – LIVE IN STUDIO! “Being a part of this album was an amazing experience and a no brainer – It is a charity near and dear to my heart,” explains Phil Buckman (bassist/FUEL). Plus we got to record the song on the legendary 606 Studio soundboard!”

SIDE A

What

Cha Don’t - Bullet Boys

Where I Belong – SquirrelEXplosion

Build A boy – Dilana

Love Not For Profit – Billy Bone

Make A Sound - Galvanized Souls

SIDE B

Struggle – DOS (Mike Watt/Kira)

Fly – Complex Killers (Phil X, Phil Buckman, Matt Starr & Dann Saxton)

No Peace In The Valley – Jezebel Dogs

Feels Like Drowning – TODDSPLANET

Same Old Stupid Thing – Imperfexion

This album is one of a kind and a limited edition. Get yours ordered now before they sell out and ROCK AGAINST MS!! For more information go to www.facebook.com/rockagainstMSfoundation

About Multiple Sclerosis

Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system.

MS interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body and stops people from moving. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The advancement, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research

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Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.1 million worldwide.

Contact: Jodie Wilson | Rock Against MS Foundation, 501c3 | Jodie@vqpr.com | 818 716 6670

Order in the Chaos

Man, I can’t believe I worked with that guy, and the jerk finished the song without me!

I was recently asked how I feel about when a band breaks up... what happens to the music they were working on that never got finished...

In most cases, it is probably discarded. Sometimes it gets re-written, and sometimes it gets released later with other talent filling in YOUR spot. (Boohoo… maybe you should have finished the job and recorded the song… THEN quit.)

But, it also depends on the song’s validity, strength, potential, and whether it has been professionally tracked or not. It also depends on who CREATED the concept for the melody and string of notes barring no vocal track was recorded with the product.

The thing is, a SMART composer copyright protects everything they write. So that when they bring it before a group of musicians they are working with, unscrupulous, thieving, ass-hats cannot steal the music if the group disbands or a member is let go.

Every scenario is different, and no two people in music group will ever feel the same way about everything. But, the truth is, if you write something, and you take the time to record it, but certain other members do not follow-through and track their parts... they have no legal claim of ownership to the product other than time spent rehearsing it. If they choose to leave the band, they choose to leave behind the music the band was working on. If they take what you wrote, and try to work it out with a new band… they deserve an ass whooping and a lawsuit.

If the entire band breaks up, the music should

stay with the one who initially brought the material into the room for arrangement, etc.

Additionally, if a member DID track parts to the song, the song doesn't get finished, and the band breaks up... again, the song stays with the initial writer of the material. And depending on the individual who wrote the song, they may just replace your parts and still release the song. If they retain your performance, they really SHOULD include you in the credits, and at the very least, in the liner notes as a contributor. If they don’t, I hope you were compensated for your time. But, if you weren’t, and you get no credit… that is totally on you and you have no legal rights to sue the artist. ALL collaborators, writers, etc. deserve fair recognition for their efforts – but you also have to remember that not all writers are fair.

I spent over a decade painstakingly writing, arranging, and perfecting the music that later became my old band's EP. I never made a secret about whom I worked with on it, and I never tried to keep the material to myself. What I always tried to do is give fair ownership to each member that was involved in the final recording of that music. I do the same with singles I release.

The EP I released with Agents of Chaos was all music that was written by me years prior to building the band that eventually tracked the finals. Jake McCoy Martin wrote all the lyrics and melody of the vocal passages on the release. The Bass and Drum parts were all written and performed by Dave George and Scott Henderson.

All three did an amazing job, and I am proud of the resulting product, and I am proud of each of the three for their time, efforts, and skills that came together to round out five really cool tracks. That EP was released just over four years ago and it still gets attention. It still gets airplay, it still sells on iTunes, and I still get people in other

countries reaching out to me to tell me how much certain songs on that EP touched them upon hearing it.

This is what music is for.

Not to turn us into stars, or make us butt-loads of money, but rather, to soothe the spirit, incite the passion, stir the soul, and ignite the blood of the listener of the final product.

And I give the three of those guys credit where it is due.

What I detest is when I hear prideful people say that once they leave a band, the material should die and they expect it to be taboo for the writer of the composition to carry that music into another scenario.

Especially, if they didn't actually write the melody or lyrical composition to the song or did not write the main root of the piece.

Luckily none of the guys I tracked the EP with or worked with later ever tried to pull any of that nonsense on me since our rehearsing and live performance set-list at one point grew to be almost 30 songs of completely original music.

As the guy who came up with the initial riffs and the basic arrangements of all that material, I retain the right to do with that material whatever I wish. I can kill it, I can finish it, I can re-write it, or I can get other folks to come in and re-do certain parts of that material. What I will NOT do, is idly sit by and watch non-contributing folks that may have been a passing-through member try to appropriate MY hard work and call it their own. That, my friends, will probably get you sued – and it SHOULD.

Look at what is happening to Led Zeppelin currently. They are finding out that quite a bit of the material released by them throughout their career that became huge hits, were all appropriated from other songwriters who wrote and performed the music before Led Zeppelin ever came into being. And, now they are probably getting sued for it.

I was recently speaking to a dear friend (who actually played Bass for Agents of Chaos in it’s earliest form) and he brought up the Zeppelin scenario.

He had a pretty funny comment that resulted in a fun conversation, but was really thought provoking. He said (and I paraphrase a little, so forgive me, Tim), “I wonder what it was like to have been the guys who originally wrote Stairway to Heaven before Zeppelin released it. Did they ever say anything? Did they sound like raving, lunatic, fame seekers telling people ‘We wrote that song!’, or did they keep quiet? And, if so, why did they wait so long to do anything about it?”

Well, I don’t have any answer to that, but it did make for a fun conversation to imagine the poor guys telling everyone they met that they wrote one of the most famous songs in Rock History, and were never given any credit for it. And fun to picture some poor old Englishman sitting in a padded room, wearing a straightjacket muttering, “I wrote that song” over and over again. But, the reality is, back in the 60’s and throughout the 70’s, the music industry was comprised of Coke slamming Producers and Record Executives who fronted large amounts of cash to the bands in exchange for contracts to complete albums. And those same producers and executives would receive massive amounts of tapes from up-and-coming or neverwill-be talent.

Think

on that for a moment.

What if you were in a band, and you wrote a few songs and tracked them. Then you submitted that material to a record label in hopes that they would hear something they liked, and give you a deal… but you never heard anything back? You would move on and continue to make music and submit it to other labels.

Here’s the rub… Did they COPYRIGHT their material prior to submitting it to the label?

Probably not. So, the material the band wrote and submitted to the label was fair game to be handed over to someone else to perform and turn into a major hit. Back then they did not have all the electronic anti-piracy codes mastered into the recordings to protect themselves. They just mailed in a two-inch reel-to-reel or cassette tapes with their band name and contact info scrawled onto the label.

These days, that practice is still going on. Bands recording music, hoping to make it big, and submitting it to labels in hopes that they will become the next Led Zeppelin. And they do it all without ever taking the time to copyright the material.

I find these types to be very naïve and unprofessional. So do the record execs and producers. And most will not pass up the opportunity to steal the material and make some money off of it. They are, in reality, in business to release music. And, if you are silly enough to send them your hard work, and expect them NOT to steal it and to respect you as the writer/creator… you have way too much faith in your fellow man.

Cover your ass, join a Protective Rights Organization (PRO) like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC and copyright your material BEFORE submitting it to anyone, even your own collaborators. Because very few songwriters do, and are very vocal about how those PROs are all out to make money off them, etc.

Not true.

PRO groups are there to make sure songwriter/ publisher’s intellectual properties are safely controlled by the Writer and Publisher – not by them. They are not trying to STEAL your music. They are not trying to steal your money. They exist so that when someone else tries to steal your music, they will get caught.

Now, if you are the type that doesn’t care about protecting your music and intellectual properties then have at it. Keep releasing CDs, and keep letting others have access to it… eventually you may end up like the band who originally wrote the main melody to a good portion of Zeppelin’s

catalog of hits. Raving like a lunatic, at anyone who will listen, how YOU wrote that song. Good luck with that.

And, lastly, if you are the type that believes that just because you played in a band, but wrote none of that band’s music, that you deserve any rights at all… keep dreaming. You can cry all you want about how so-and-so is a dick for rerecording his or her song with other talent because YOU wouldn’t follow-through and do your part… I got news… maybe YOU are the dick. And you don’t deserve ANYTHING, not even honorable mention on the final release.

Brien DeChristopher Musician/Entrepreneur/Owner

of Sic•Skinz Custom Drum Wraps

https://www.facebook.com/ brien.dechristopher?fref=nf

http://www.linkedin.com/in/btomassetti1

http://www.sicskinz.com

<CV> Let's start off with introducing the band and their roles.

<Rick> Javier Rojas: Guitar, Vocals

Lloyd Varnon: Bass

Rob Daley: Drums

Rick Cox: Guitar,Vocals

<CV> You originally formed in 1998 is that right? Tell us about the beginning.

<RICK> In the early days we were originally called "Mortality" and were a bit more of a thrash style. 7 years later, a change in the lineup, and with a slightly different direction musically, we emerged as NEBULA X in 1998.

<CV> Tell us how you came up with the name for the band?

<RICK> We all have a special interest in astronomy.

<CV> Give me a little background on each member.

<JAVIER> I have been playing for a little over 20 years and was a founding member of both Mortality and Nebula X.

<RICK> I have also been playing for over 20 years and was also a key part in the forming of the band Mortality.

<ROB> I am a drummer, father, partner, and electrician.

<CV> What brought you all together and how did you know this was a perfect fit?

<RICK & JAVIER> We have known each other for over 25 years and we soon discovered that we had a lot of the same tastes in music. We think that because of this we always had a good chemistry writing together.

<LlOYD> I was brought into the band after drinking with Rick at Vamp’d one night in November...

he mentioned he needed a bass player, and I mentioned I played bass. Shortly after we lost the drummer that was playing with us, and I knew Rob from his MYNAS days, and i asked him about returning to the kit for us.. and the rest is history.

<ROB> I had played a show with Nebula when I was in my previous band, so when Lloyd sent me the message that they were looking for a new drummer, I had some knowledge of them. The music, I feel, really suits my style of playing.

<CV> What got each of you into music and at what age did you know this is what you wanted to do?

<JAVIER> At the age of 6 I found a kiss 8 track tape. Blew my mind away , then with MTV I got into wanting to play.

<RICK> There was always music going on around me as a child but when I discovered bands like Led Zeppelin, Kiss, and Black Sabbath, around age 7, I knew from that

point on that I wanted to play in a band.

<ROB> I can remember my love for music beginning when I was in preschool, and always wanted to play. I started messing around on guitar in elementary school, and switched to drums my sophomore year of high school. By then, I was a metal head wanting to bash the hell outta the skins. It’s all I’ve ever really wanted to do with my life.

<LlOYD> I have been into music since I was around 8 years old. I played Piano as a child, Alto Saxophone in High School, and moved on to guitar/bass my senior year.

<CV> Who would you consider your biggest music influences and why?

<Javier> Prong....the man can do no wrong with his style of writing.

<Rick> Too many bands to list... Zep, Kiss, Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Slayer, Prong, etc.... on and on.

<ROB> My first drum idol was Robert Sweet, followed by Lars, Charlie, Aldridge, and in later years, Portnoy and Bozzio.

<LlOYD> As a band you can easily hear who our two influences are... Static X and Prong....Personally my top 3 influences of all time are Kiss, W.A.S.P. and Metallica.

<CV> Tell us about your very first show together, how did it go and how were you received?

<Javier> With this current lineup , our 1st show was at the Dive Bar here in Las Vegas. it kicked ass. Full house, great crowd response

<ROB> Our first show together was at the Dive Bar in March. We were very well received, and were invited back for more shows there.

<LlOYD> Our( Rob and myself ) first show with Nebula was in March, at the Dive Bar. We opened for our friends in CracKerman. We went over really well, most people said we were loud as hell... and this was a punk crowd we played for.. not a metal one.

sic writing process; is it a joined effort or does one person do all the writing?

<JAVIER> We all have input into the writing, there is no special formula. If it's good and we all agree , we proceed.

<ROB>At this point, all of our songs were previously written by Rick and Javier in previous incarnations of the band. We’ve talked about writing new tunes, but are working on building our set list with the previous songs right now.

<CV> Tell us about the recording process, anything you like or dislike?

<JAVIER> Recording is where I have the most fun.

<CV> Give us some insight on the song and mu

<RICK> Things have changed drastically since our first recordings. New equipment and technology make it a faster process than it used to be. I've always loved being in the studio. A song can be totally done but during the recording process you get a chance to step back and just listen to it rather than to be playing it in the

rehearsal studio and that sometimes leads to new ideas. Sometimes we change or add parts to a song during the recording.

<CV> What is the motivation behind the songs your write? Do any of them speak to you on a personal level and if so why?

<Javier> There are several topics from pollution, people in the news (Jack Kevorkian,"suicide jack") to personal drug use (in the past).

<CV> Tell us about the music industry today and where you think "Nebula " fits in?

<RICK> We're not always sure we do "fit in". Somehow that seems to work for us though. As far as playing live, people don't know what to expect from us. We do songs in Spanish and English so that kind of throws them a curve ball.

<ROB> Things today don’t feel so genuine to me. Promoters leave a lot of it up to the bands, and tend to over book the show so that it’s a rushed, cram it in, feeling. We do our best to roll with it, but I wish things weren’t quite like that anymore.

<CV> What are your thoughts on the use and necessity of Social Media?

<RICK> It's the way things are done now. If you're not using social media in some way you won't get noticed at all. It definitely has changed everything.

<ROB> Social media definitely has a place these days in getting the word out there and informing others of what you’re up to. The trick is not becoming someone’s idea of spam

<LlOYD> Social Media is huge now, so like it or not, its a platform that has to be used to reach out to people to promote our music, events, or news about the band. Long gone are the days of stapling flyers to a power pole and hoping someone sees it.

<CV> How do you feel about music download sales, would you prefer a return to CD's and Vinyl?

<RICK> The convenience of being able to download music is very cool. I wish when I was a kid we had something like that. It seems pretty tough though to sell anything anymore with piracy and

the ease of getting music for free.

<ROB> I Hate downloads. All of my music is bought on CD. Downloads and piracy have robbed the musician of their time, value, and importance. These ‘computer keyboard’ songwriters can kiss off too. Learn to actually play an instrument, or cut the crap.

<LlOYD> I'm old school on this topic. I still buy hard copies of CD's and refuse to use streaming or buy downloads because I like seeing the cover, reading the liner notes, and having that physical copy on my shelf that I know i wont lose if my hard drive crashed.

<CV> You recently opened up for Prong. Tell us about that show.

<JAVIER> It was to date one of our finest shows , other than my amp blowing up before the show.

<RICK> This was actually the second time we have opened for Prong. Always an awesome thing! Prong is one of our biggest influences musically.

<ROB> For me, that was a dream come true. I’ve enjoyed Prong since I was 18, and this was the first time I’ve gotten to Play before a band

that inspired me.

<LlOYD> Prong was a highlight of my time with Nebula X so far. We were direct support, and when we came out we had a packed LVCS waiting for us to melt their faces.... and I think we did a good job of that.. and my amplifier didn't catch fire either :)

<CV> Tell us about some of the other shows you have played so far, do you have a favorite place to play and why?

<RICK> We've been fortunate to have played with a lot of really great bands in both the English and Spanish market. bands like Prong , Fear Factory, Metal Church, Flotsam and Jetsam and on the Spanish side... Maldita Vecindad, Tijuana No, Leprosy, Ley de Hielo, Cesar "Vampiro" Lopez of Mana and Jaguares, and others. As far as places to play... we've played all over from House of Blues to house parties, good sized clubs to tiny dives, but it doesn't matter where. As long as the crowd is into it, we're into it. that's all that matters

<LlOYD> In my brief time with the band we have played four shows so far. One at the Divebar with Crackerman. One show at Backstage Bar and Billiards, and two at LVCS supporting both Prong and Fear Factory.

<CV> What can fans expect to see at a "Nebula" show?

<JAVIER> Energy and potent riffs with pounding drums.

<LlOYD> Fans can expect a straight forward loud blistering bilingual metal experience in their face.

<CV> To Date, is there any one show that is memorable for you and stands out and why?

<JAVIER> The show we did in Mexico, 95 it was in a bull ring.

<RICK> That one stands out for me too. It was my first trip to Mexico, a bit of a culture shock for sure. Packed bullring, the people were great, so much energy.

<LlOYD> We just played a show at Backstage Bar and Billiards last week. Our singer/

guitarist/captain had some sound issues with

his guitar, so he just threw it down, and just sang. Normally we are a two guitar attack, but that night we had only one... and it turned out ok. Still laughing about it.

<CV> Where do you think you are in the journey of "Nebula"

<JAVIER> We are where we wanna be,having fun doing shows.

<ROB> Just starting to find our footing and headed towards the summit.

<LlOYD> No idea, I'm doing this for fun and as a hobby.. no delusions of grandeur.. not going to be the next big thing.. just having fun with it, with some of my friends.

<CV> What advice would you give a band just starting out?

<JAVIER> Practice like there is no tomorrow.

<ROB> Be honest, and put in then time.

<LlOYD> Its not about how good you are, its about who you know. Network, make contacts, friends and always support other bands, and before long, other bands will be supporting you.... and promote, promote, promote and then practice.

<CV> What is your favorite thing about being on stage? What motivates you to do what you do?

<JAVIER> Crowd response, we have been fortunate to have the crowd respond favorably to our music.

<RICK> Same for me. I love the energy you get from the crowd when they're getting into it. < ROB> The energy you feed off of the crowd. There’s nothing like it. It’s in my blood.

<LlOYD> I enjoy the attention lol... I'm an attention whore :)

<CV> What does "Nebula " have planned for the rest of 2016? Any tours or projects in the works?

<JAVIER> Write more songs ,and every show play a different set list...not always the same songs.

<RICK> With this new lineup we have some work ahead of us still, nailing down all the songs, and then maybe some road shows.

<ROB> Continue building our set list with as many songs as we can.

<LlOYD> Nebula X has a library of songs that we are currently rehearsing as we speak. 30 or so. Our goal now for the next couple of months is to have such a diverse catalog of songs at our disposal, that we can play 3 shows in a row without playing the same song.

<CV> What would you like to say to your fans and our readers?

<RICK & JAVIER> The fans are why we all do this...all local bands do. We really appreciate the support we get from our long time fans that have known us since the beginning and also from people that are just discovering us . You are the reason we do it! Thank you!

<ROB> Thanks for checking us out, supporting us, and for continuing to do so.

<LlOYD> I would hope anyone who is reading this takes the time to check us out on Reverbnation, Facebook or a better idea would be to come see us play. I apprecaite the opportunity you have given us and we look forward to playing more shows down the road. Come check us out!

\m/ Thanks for your time!

A W H I t