Highwire Daze #146

ISSUE 146

JAN | FEB 2023

PLUS -

KANSAS: 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH RICHARD WILLIAMS, BARNABAS SKY, DARK STATION, FINN MATTHEWS, THE GUITAR & WHISKEY CLUB, THE HARD WAY, JOKER'S HAND, MADAM BOMBS, MINOR STRUT, SUPERBLOOD, TEMPERMENTAL, WE ARE THE BLACK THINGS, XYZPDQ, AND MORE...

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So Vain (@sovainofficial) at the December 4, 2022 photoshoot for Highwire Daze Magazine

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

HIGHWIRE DAZE Sponsored by THE SANDGAARD FOUNDATION

Publisher Highwire Daze Magazine A General Partnership

INTERVIEWS with...

Richard Williams of Kansas.................................14 Simone Simons of Epica.......................................18 Todd Kerns of Heroes & Monsters........................22 Barnabas Sky.........................................................26 Violet Saturn..........................................................30 Finn Matthews.......................................................34 Dark Station...........................................................38 Joker’s Hand..........................................................42 Superblood.............................................................46 Minor Strut............................................................50 XYZPDQ...............................................................54 TemperMental.......................................................58 Madam Bombs.......................................................60

Editor Ken Morton Managing Editor Danny S. Pasley Senior Photographer Jack Lue East Coast Editor Jupiter Lee Contributors Ken Morton Jack Lue Jupiter Lee Vivian Ortega James Grover Alison “MetalBabe” Cohen Cover Art by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography Cover Photos by Jack Lue HIGHWIRE DAZE 827 N. Hollywood Way PMB419 Burbank, CA 91505-2814 www.highwiredaze.com email: ken@highwiredaze.com Copyright 2023 Highwire Daze Magazine Opinions expressed within this publication do not neccessarily reflect those of the publisher.

All rights reserved. Nothing may be produced in whole or in part without the express and written permission of the publisher.

Supporting Noise Pollution Since 1990!

VIOLET SATURN POSTER by JACK LUE.......................32/33 CONCERT REVIEWS Mister Misery.........................................................53 The Guitar & Whiskey Club, We Are The Black Things....................................................................57 ALBUMS REVIEWS Khymera, Lit Soul, Lypswitch, Rob Moratti.........62 SKETCHES BY THE EDITOR................................................... 8 Editor Ken’s Top 10 of 2022 PRODUCT REVIEW BY JAMES GROVER...........................10 American Fender Stratocaster review IN MUSICAL ORBIT BY JUPITER.........................................12 Bad Boy Troy review

Listen To Highwire Daze Radio at Live 365!

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Classic Rock, Hair Metal, Black Metal, Metalcore, Heavy Metal, Pop Punk, Punk Rock HIGHWIRE DAZE

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January/February 2023

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Sketches By The Editor

EDITOR KEN’S TOP 10 OF 2022 Albums

The Last Rodeo by Ali Thomson (Thomson Music And Media) Crysteria by Crystal Ball (Massacre Records) Day Out In Nowhere by Graham Bonnet Band (Frontiers Music Srl) Get Over It by Hartmann (Pride & Joy Music) Force Majeure by H.E.A.T. (Earmusic) Wings Of Time by Mad Max (Roar – Rock Of Angels Records) Universal by Michael Schenker Group (Atomic Fire Records) Unfinished Business by Mitchell’s Kiss Of The Gypsy (MR

Records) Closer To The Flame by Riot Act (Global Rock Records) Dopamine by Thunder (BMG)

EP’s Truth’s Wake by Against The Sun (Self-Released) The Mourning by Black Veil Brides (Sumerian Records) The Way EP by Bonnie Brae (Self-Released) Datura by Boston Manor (Sharptone) Don’t Look At Me by Clearfight (Theoria Records) The Guitar & Whiskey Club EP by The Guitar & Whiskey Club (Gwc Productions) Overreacting by Jei-Rynn (Jei-Rynn Llc) Spreading The Plague by Rage (Spv Records) On My Way by Sandgaard (Sandgaard Music) A Moment Of Quiet by Senna (Sharptone) A sampling from the very best releases of 2022. Now bring on the music classics of 2023!

Read the entire article at Highwire Daze Online here: https://highwiredaze.com/2022/12/17/top10of2022/

“Air-Ik’s cover of the ‘Blondie’ classic ‘Call Me’ is a very imaginative effort, perhaps to be heard within the realm of a mysterious David Lynch movie!”

-Ken Morton (Highwire Daze Magazine)

Down In Wuhan New original 12 song Hollywood Hard-Rock album Down In Wuhan released world-wide on 8/28/21!

Produced by: Tone Raven Available Now. Everywhere.

World-Wide on all major platforms. iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and CD. youtube.com/toneraventunes

MANAGEMENT-TONE RAVEN MUSIC 8

And more!

Be sure to check out the animated lyric video for ‘Call Me’ and subscribe to the YouTube Channel At:

@air-ikmuse-ik Also more info at: Facebook/AirikBloodMusic January/February 2023

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TO END THE OPIOID CRISIS.

The Sandgaard Foundation supports nationwide efforts to decrease the habitual use of prescription pain medication, prevent addiction, and support victims and their families. We do this by actively supporting initiatives that create positive changes to help end the opioid epidemic.

www.sandgaardfoundation.org

Product Review by

James Grover

American Fender Stratocaster

When Leo Fender set his mind to create a guitar with a long scale neck in 1954 he did not know that he was ready to change the world of music. The Fender Stratocaster was created in Fullerton California.

This guitar was used by guitar greats like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the late Jeff Beck. This guitar is the Workhorse of the 1960`s to the present day in music.

What makes this guitar the Workhorse of rock n roll?

It has a long scale neck with 22 frets that are easily reached with cutaway body design and has three single coil pickups and A five position switch that you can easily mix and dial in for low, mid and high tones with different wiring schematics available.

The Fender Stratocaster is the guitar king when it comes to Rock, Blues, jazz, country and other styles. And it happens to be the number one recorded instrument of all time and the number one collected brand of guitars in the world, the older and original the guitar is the more it’s worth.

The setup of this guitar is very simple and that’s what makes it unique it has individual string saddles at the bridge that make intonating the guitar easy, it comes with a tremolo system in which the late Jeff Beck mastered. The guitar body is made out of hardwood species the neck is always made of maple with a Rosewood fingerboard or Maple fingerboard. Over the years aftermarket companies have created accessories for this guitar including pickups, pick guards to accommodate for humbuckers, and different Hardware options When I started playing at the age of 7 I learned on a Stratocaster guitar, to this day I still use my Stratocaster. This guitar will never stop dominating in the guitar and music community. The simple design of this Bolt on neck is the perfect instrument for any beginning or professional guitarist.

Jeff Beck really took this guitar to its limits he was an extraordinary musician and master of the Stratocaster may he rest in peace.

Likes and Dislikes: I like that the guitar is comfortable to play and the fretboard has easy access to the higher notes.

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The only dislike I have about this guitar is that sometimes it could be a noisy guitar with the (60 cycle hum) when using single coil pickups

Reach James Grover at: www.facebook.com/james.grover.311

January/February 2023

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In Musical Orbit by Jupiter Jupiter at Highwire Daze Online Crew

East Coast Editor Happy New Year!

It’s Jupiter Lee - East Coast Editor. Check out my record reviews here and be sure to add me on Facebook! Link is at the end of my column...

Rock The World Bad Boy Troy MR Records Veteran guitarist, TROY TIPTON has just released his new album ROCK THE WORLD. A collection of 12 explosive rock n’ roll tunes. Breaking out with track #01 is his own one of a kind version of PINK FLOYD’s Another Brick In The Wall. Track 02 Bad Ass Boy is a straight ahead rocker with a great hook and

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chorus. Drums and bass working as one. 05 Easy On The Eyes could be the best radio friendly hit. Moving on to track #06 Seventeen, TIPTON breaks out his acoustic guitar for this more delicate one. Another tune that I really like is track 09, When I’m Dreaming and features a very medieval sounding guitar riff and takes you into a very cool, short, tasteful double lead guitar solo. Lovin’ it!

There are many great songs on here with amazing hit potential like You Really Knock Me Out, I Like It Like That and 24 Hours To Go. Bass guitarist ERIC BRITTINGHAM (POISON, CINDERELLA) makes an appearance on three tunes. With perhaps a shade of RICK DERRINGER, maybe some ZZ TOP influences, ROCK THE WORLD has just under an hour of music written and produced by TROY TIPTON. For the latest info, you can follow this link.

https://www.facebook.com/TheBadBoyTroy/

JUPITER on Facebook

:

www.facebook.com/Jupiter-Lee-173082899386911

January/February 2023

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50 Years of KANSAS An interview with founding member Richard Williams

Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Emily Butler Photography KANSAS, America’s legendary progressive rock band, will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2023. To commemorate this landmark occasion, current label InsideOutMusic are pleased to announce Another Fork In The Road – 50 Years Of Kansas available now! A career-spanning collection, it features carefully-selected tracks from across the bands sizable discography, as well as a new version of Can I Tell You. Originally recorded and released on their 1974 debut, the song is updated by the current line-up. It provides a full-circle perspective on the band’s long and continuing history that has seen them release 16 studio albums and sell in excess of 30 million albums worldwide.

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Highwire Daze recently interviewed guitarist and founding member Richard Williams to discuss the epic endevor of releasing Another Fork In The Road – 50 Years Of Kansas, why he and co-founding member and drummer Phil Ehart work so well together after all this time, touring news for this year, and a whole lot more!

What goes through your mind knowing that you’ve just out a compilation referencing 50 years of Kansas?

You could have kind of different parallel thoughts. On one hand it seems like we started yesterday. On the other hand, it seems like it’s 1,000 years. To not really think about it and just for what it is – it’s just another day. It’s just been a really long walk. The goal was January/February 2023

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always to do what we enjoy doing, which is continue to play the next tour and the next tour – let’s do an album.

And you keep taking the next step forward. And all of a sudden, it’s been 30 years and you’re “Wow!” We did this for 40 years. And now holy crap, it’s been 50!

Nothing has changed in the journey – it’s been taking the next step forward. Then you look in the mirror behind you and go “Wow, it’s been a long time now!”

Tell me about the remake of Can I Tell You which opens the compilation, and how that came about.

Coming out of Covid and all of that, and us trying to remain creative – we were wondering if we could do this remotely – because everybody has a home studio of sorts. We were looking at doing the 50th Anniversary – in wanting to add something new to it – what if we tried to do some recording and see how that works.

And the perfect song to experiment with was Can I Tell You, because that was the song that brought us to the game. We had made a demo tape – actually we were a band called White Clover at the time – and this was before Kerry Livgren joined. And we had gone to a little studio in the Southwest of Kansas called Liberal, Kansas – there was this little four track studio there – and we recorded Can I Tell You. In these days, it was reel to reel tapes when the demos would go out – we’d have three songs on one side and three songs on the other. We really didn’t have the money to make a lot of tapes – we probably made about a half dozen. One of them wound up on Don Kirchner’s desk. And eventually he got to it – he never heard the second side to know there was any material on it. The first song was Can I Tell You, and his new record company really liked that song and loved the violin.

So, that song was probably our career – without that song we would have never had one – we would have never gotten to Left Overture – we would have never gotten to Point Of Know Return – none of this would have happened without that song getting our foot in the door. So, we thought this would be a perfect book end of 50 years. That’s the song that got us here – let’s do a redo of it. And so that was the catalyst. And then part two was, can we do this remotely? So, Phil Ehart went into the studio that we use in Atlanta and recorded the drums tracks. The rest of us all did it remote – I cut my guitar tracks where I’m sitting right now – at home.

Technology is pretty incredible! And so, our experiHIGHWIRE DAZE

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ment worked. What we wanted to do was to redo that song with the new band to bookend the 50-year career.

How easy or difficult was it to select what songs or what versions would appear on Another Fork In The Road?

Well actually, we took it out of our hands. We were approached by Inside Out, which is our record label.

They really wanted to do this project. In modern times, a record company being enthused about doing anything is remarkable! (Laughs) And Thomas Waber is first and foremost a big Kansas fan – long before we were with his label. And his approach to us was “I really want to do this project.” And we were “well, that’s awesome. Thank you.” And he said “here’s what I’d like to do. If you guys would let us, from a fan perspective, put together the lineage – the career – covering all aspects of the band in this project – and not make it yet another Best Of.” And that’s one thing that Phil and I did not want to do, which would have unfortunately been our go to’s – we gotta have this song! We gotta have this song! And it just would have turned out to be a regurgitation of other Best Ofs. And so, we took our hands off the project and let them do the selections. We did have final say in it, and we changed a song or two.

But we really wanted to do what their idea was and 15

that also applied to the cover. We’ve always been very hands on with the artwork. We let them present their idea of it, and then in conversation we “what if we did this? What if we did that? Let’s take this away.” And so, it was a collaborative effort, but we let them carry the ball with this in tradition with how they started – which was from a fan’s perspective. I’m a fan of us, but I’m also an insider – and you can’t have that same perspective.

Tell me about the two songs on the album from The Absence Of Presence, which was released in 2020 and what that album title meant to you?

We like to be a bit ambiguous. “What does it mean to you?” is kind of the question that we wanted to raise in that. Not standing on the pulpit and making a declaration so much is just something that would cause people to think. And the purpose of that was more to spark, “I wonder what this means? What does this mean to you?” as you listen to the album etcetera.

I don’t like being dictated to. I don’t like somebody standing on the pulpit and tell me how it is. That’s boring! I think that’s a boring perspective to write from.

Opinion is boring but raising a question – something to think about that spurs the imagination. That’s what paints color in your head – that’s what dreams are like.

I don’t like a direct story. Again, ambiguity is what I always stress when talking to songwriters. Don’t tell me a story that has a beginning, a middle and an end and a conclusion. Make me wonder where you are going. I think the common man can relate. We’ve all thought these things. We’ve always wondered these things. So that was the purpose of all of that.

What do you think has made you and Phil Ehart work so well together over the years?

The first band we were ever in was in high school. The Junior year of high school we were in a band called The Pets. That summer of ’66, I took some guitar lessons. Ever since the Beatles were on Sullivan, I wanted to be in a band. And before that in Kansas, there were these really cool ten-piece soul bands doing steps with everyone wearing the matching tuxedos – a black lead vocalist who would sing his balls off with a big horn section.

The Midwest was covered with these bands, and it was 16

very exciting. They’re all traveling around together in a converted school bus. That life just seemed so exciting. And that was before I even had a guitar.

Then the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and that lit the fuse. I wasn’t going to be stopped – and I kicked and screamed and pissed and moaned. So, my dad finally took me to a music store where I rented an electric guitar and a crappy amp and took lessons that summer.

Playing the hits of the day at the time, you didn’t need to know much. And that was the beginning of our first band The Pets – and we’ve been together since 1966.

We’ve known each other longer than we’ve known all of our wives all together time wise. (Laughs) If we had anything to bitch about, to fight about, to argue about, to differ about – I guess all that was resolved a long time ago, because we’re on the same page all of the time. That’s our daily conversation – knowing who we are and what we want to do and how we want to do it. And so, it’s a very easy friendship. We’ve been joined at the hip since we were 16-17 years old.

Do you have any messages for Kansas fans who are reading this right now and will there be a tour?

Oh absolutely! That’s what I’m rehearsing for right now. In March we are going to do some casino shows.

And starting in June, we have already locked in a 50date tour, which will be the 50th Anniversary Tour.

And that will take us up and into December. So yes, there is going to be a 50th Anniversary Tour. It’s going to be very exciting, because we’re going to adding material that we haven’t played in three or four decades. There will be things that diehard fans have been wanting us to play forever – and for whatever reason we never really got to. It’s very exciting!

I’m a gearhead and I’m already putting together my 50th Anniversary guitar rig. I’m sitting here in a room with 15 varieties of Marshall heads and probably 40 guitars on the wall – and ignoring all that because I’m so excited about the new crap that I’ll be getting. It’s nice to still remain passionate about what we do. It is the best job in the world. I’ve been in the band too long – I could never be a civilian again. I enlisted when I was 16 and I don’t know any other way. And I don’t care to know another way…

https://www.kansasband.com/ January/February 2023

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Simone Simons of EPICA Photo by Jack Lue

Southland Adventures with

Simone Simons of EPICA Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Jack Lue Epica recently completed a tour throughout North America with Sabaton, which included a local stop at the iconic Hollywood Palladium. Promoting both their Omega 2021 release and their just issued The Alchemy Project EP, Epica unveiled a show that was filled with magic and sonic intrigue. Vocalist Simone Simons would do a shoot with photographer Jack Lue prior to the show - and a few weeks later after the craziness of being on the road, Simone chatted with Highwire Daze about their Southland adventures, The Alchemy Project, photography, and other topics of interest. Read on...

How did your recent tour with Sabaton go and what were some of the highlights?

Oh, it was an interesting tour. We had some problems with our tour bus, so we were struggling a little bit in the beginning due to the shortage of tour bus availability. (Laughs) We had a broken tour bus, so everyday was a little bit like an adventure trying to get to the next venue – with or without a bus. But the shows were amazing, and we had so much fun with Sabaton. The tour flew by, and we gathered a lot of new memories, new Epica fans – and some of the highlights were the last show of the tour in New York.

I loved playing Boston and I loved playing Montreal.

Overall, it was really a great tour with great people, and we had a good time.

Nice! I saw that show at The Hollywood Palladium, and it was awesome!

Yeah, it was cool! A lot of legendary artists and bands have played there.

Let’s talk about The Alchemy Project. Is there any story behind that title and how did it all come about?

The idea was that it’s a collaboration project so there’s seven songs that were written by Epica band members together with our friends and colleagues in the scene. And because it’s a collaboration and it’s like experimenting, we should do something with a laboratory and all these secret ingredients – and everybody working together coming up with a special formula to create amazing music. And that’s HIGHWIRE DAZE

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a little bit the idea that we had, and together with Stefan Heilemann, I did the artwork. He was the graphic designer, and I took photos of the guys while we were on tour they’re the little puppets on the cover and on the inside. It was a lot of fun to create this. It’s a little bit more like fun on the loose side. That was also the idea behind writing the music and also recording the music – we wanted to do a little bit more old school, jam together in the studio, and also record those sessions. We recorded it in March/April 2022 and now it finally sees the light of day.

Let’s talk about a few of the songs. Phil Lanzon of Uriah Heep – he’s a legend! What was it like working with him on Wake The World? And you also have Tommy Karevik from Kamelot on that one.

That was actually one of the first songs when we had the idea of doing this collaboration project – it was the first song that we worked on. Rob our bass player worked on the song with Phil - and then Phil told us the idea of the lyrics – he wanted to have this girl who could sing music and music could hold this special power and that it unites people. And he wrote the first version of the lyrics and then we changed the lyrics but kept up the idea that he had for the lyrics. I never met him in person -we only had Skype conversations. He was a really nice guy, and it was really great to have him on the project.

The Great Tribulation features Fleshgod Apocalypse.

What was that collaboration like?

That was a song that Mark wrote together with the Fleshgod people. We also toured with them in North America.

They are a brutal band, like in a positive way – and they’re really nice people. They gave the song an extra dimension and made it even heavier. And it’s also one of my favorite songs off the album. Mark really never got together with them in one room – it was all sending files back and forth.

And the same with Tommy (on Wake The World). Tommy recorded his vocals in Canada, so he was also never with us in the studio. He did an amazing job! I was blown away when I heard his vocals. He’s a great guy and a really great vocalist. So, some of the musicians joined us in the studio and some of them recorded from their homes.

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Your previous album Omega was released during the pandemic. What was it like to record and release an album during that time?

We were kind of lucky that we almost finished the recordings of the album when the pandemic started. The only problem that we had were the vocal recordings – so like the ending of the recordings – that was when it started like getting really bad. And Mark and I both had to record our vocals from home. So, Mark recorded at his home in Sicily, and I searched for another studio nearby here in Germany, and then our producer Joost was there via Zoom while I was recording my vocals. It worked out really well.

The only downside of course was that we couldn’t tour, but because of that we created Omega Alive. Normally if we were touring, we would do a CD presentation and then we would go on tour. This time, we had the time, the space, the means to create something like that – so that was the silver lining.

What was the experience like working with Arjen Anthony Lucassen of Ayreon?

He’s extremely well prepared. When I work with him, he sends me all of the files in advance. I only have to practice the songs. I go to his place, record the vocals, and that’s it. It all goes so quick. And performing live with him is also super nice, because I feel like half of the metal scene is always there. He’s a great guy – I admire him – I love working with him. Every time he asks me to work with him, I always say yes. I don’t have to think twice. It’s always a lot of fun working with him.

How often do you and your husband Oliver Palotai (of Kamelot) actually get to tour together – and why wasn’t he on The Alchemy Project?

We toured together before we had our child. And now it’s either him going on tour and I’m home, or the other way around. Sometimes we’re both on tour – not with the same bands though. He’s also one of the busiest people I know, so he has a lot of projects on his own. So, no time to join us on this project, but at least Tommy from Kamelot was in one of the songs.

Maybe if you do an Alchemy Project 2, you could invite your husband to participate.

Yeah, but I do like to keep business and family a little bit separated. We work together every once in a while, but not too much. As a conscious choice, but also, we’re just so, so busy – and I don’t want to ask him “Can you do this?

Can you do that?” Because I know he’s busy like hell. We actually have this little project – it’s this musical in Germany where I just had to sing the demo, and they wanted to find a singer to sing the part. And they liked the demo, 20

and they want me on the CD. (Laughs) So sometimes I do stuff like that. But that’s the max. I don’t think I’ll do any live shows with that because of the busy schedules we both have.

How active are you with your photography, and is that something you still keep up?

I do love photography a lot, but I have very little time at the moment because Epica is so busy. And we have an online fan club which is called The Epica Universe, that is something that takes up a lot of my time. And I have a Patreon myself, also photography related – because my goal is to release my first photo book hopefully next year. Epica’s been touring a lot, so I did not have as much time as I would like for photography – but that will come at a later time, I think. But I have my own little studio at home, and I can use that for also the other promotional things I need to do for Epica – and also for my Patreon.

I’m a very busy woman.

Definitely! Do you have any messages for Epica fans here in the States who are reading this right now?

Yeah, we had the best time in the US. Hope to be back soon. And I was very happy to see a lot of familiar faces throughout the tour, but also a lot of new Epicans. So, the family is growing, and everybody is welcomed. Thank you so much for the support!

https://www.epica.nl/home January/February 2023

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Keep Warm This Winter with Metal Babe Mayhem Beanies & Hoodies!

Todd Kerns

of Heroes & Monsters Photo by Jack Lue

Todd Kerns presents his new band

Heroes & Monsters Interview by Ken Morton - Live Photo by Jack Lue Band Photo by Enzo Mazzeo Heroes & Monsters is a new band who’s power trio of a lineup features bassist/vocalist Todd Kerns (Slash ft Myles Kennedy & The Conspirator, Toque), guitarist Stef Burns (Y&T, Alice Cooper), and drummer Will Hunt (Evanescence). Their Self-Titled debut is now available via Frontiers Music Srl, and the compositions found within present a glorious auditory journey into the throes of modern day classic rock and roll. Highwire Daze recently interviewed Todd Kerns to find out more about this amazing new project! Read on...

How did the Heroes & Monsters project come about?

Will is an old friend of mine. It all just came up because of the lockdown and a lot of us just sitting around. We weren’t the only musicians sitting around not doing much.

(Laughs) So he calls up and says “Me and a friend are knocking some stuff around. What do you think?” And I said, “Send the files over.” I was literally on the couch and was like “by all means.” So, one song led to another, and the next thing you know, you’ve got an album on your hands.

And is there any story behind that band name Heroes & Monsters? It conjures up so much imagery.

It’s interesting, I think it was one of those things that was knocked around a little bit. I like the dichotomy between those things, because it seems like in so many ways that one man’s hero is another man’s monster. It could be taken to be the same person – just a different perspective on it.

That’s how I kind of took it anyway.

How well this new band compare to the other bands you’ve done such as The Age Of Electric and even your work with Slash and Myles Kennedy?

There’s always kind of a through-line that connects everything in a weird way – it’s funny how that happens. The fact that it was a power trio was exciting to me – it’s the one thing I haven’t done since I was a kid. Just doing it as three guys was fun. Sound wise, I think we play with a lot of different sounds going by. There’s sort of a classic rock thing happening there. We weren’t afraid to dip our toe into some throwback stuff in a very sort of modern sense – HIGHWIRE DAZE

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coming to production and stuff.

You do have Stef Burns in the band who played with Y&T and Alice Cooper amongst many others. Tell me about how you got to know Stef.

The funny thing is I didn’t know him. I was always very aware of him – and that the very interesting thing about this 21st century way of connecting with people – is the ability to have these connections when you’re writing songs and talking every day. But then you’re like, “we haven’t actually physically met yet.” We didn’t meet until we went to make Raw Power and Let’s Ride It on the same trip. It was like we hadn’t actually physically met, but we connected really well when it came to music and personal stuff. It is bizarre how in any other context that would never really work, other than pen pals back in the day pre-social media I suppose. It’s a very interesting thing to be a part of when you can do stuff like this without actually physically being together.

Let’s talk about Will Hunt from Evanescence, how he became involved and how you met him.

I’ve known Will for a while. I’ve always been a great admirer of his – he’s an amazing talent and a monster drummer. But I learned so much more about him getting 23

into a project like this as far as a creative individual. He’s a strong writer and a mixer – he has a lot to do with the mixing and recording of the record. It’s impressive! It’s not always – and it almost feels like a bit of a slight – “he’s just a drummer.” You could be “he’s just a guitar player” or “he’s just a singer” as well, I suppose. But yeah, he’s so much more.

What are you looking forward to the most about the upcoming Heroes & Monsters live shows taking place in Italy?

Well, first of all, I’m excited to be going overseas. I haven’t been overseas since 2019 with Slash and the guys.

That will be exciting. And just basically the whole being able to attack these songs on the actual performing side.

It’s always interesting – when you’re writing and recording a record, you’re somewhat conscious of what the actual lineup is and what the actual playing is, but you’re not really thinking about “how will we present this live?” Until this is sort of thrown into your lap. Like okay, now we have to do this live. There’s things I played on the bass and sang, and I’m like “oh, I never thought about having to do this at the same time. Okay!” So that takes a bit of homework. And then the whole idea of getting everybody on the same page – just to make sure the band’s tight and all that kind of stuff. You don’t want to be the weak link, so you’ve always got to get your game on. I’m looking forward to the whole thing. It’ll be fun!

Will Heroes & Monsters be doing any live shows in support of the album here in the States – or is that something you would like to do?

Oh absolutely, I would love to do it! I don’t know. A lot of it – like most of these things – a lot of these projects I do – everybody’s doing other things. The days of everybody being in one band have kind of fallen by the wayside. Will has Evanescence stuff and Stef has Vasco Rossi stuff, and I have all my stuff. So, it’s just a matter of finding those windows of opportunity to present themselves. I certainly think it’s possible, and I certainly think it would be really cool to be able to do that.

What’s up next for you, your other bands, and Heroes & Monsters?

I always have stuff going on. Toque is very active and has a lot going on this year. The Slash thing sort of bubbles up, but it’s more of a “behind the scenes” kind of thing right now. We probably won’t be doing too much from a live standpoint for a while. I’m not really sure what to make of all of that, but as soon as the world opened, we all ran back to these obligations we made back in 2020 and 2021 that we couldn’t make good on, and we suddenly had to do them all. We will find our way back to each other when the opportunity arrives, but in the meantime, it’s sort of like 24

business as usual. I have all these hundreds of other things that I do, and Toque will take my attention. I do the Raiding The Rock Vault thing in Vegas when I’m home. Lots of solo stuff and lots of other projects on the go. Heroes & Monsters will flare up now and again like a rash (laughter), and we’ll find the moment to do it again.

And do you have any messages for fans who are reading this right now?

Only that I appreciate people still supporting what we do and supporting the music. There’s a lot of my old heroes that have been around forever who just don’t make new music anymore. It sort of one of those things where I don’t feel like I’m done yet. I feel like I want to keep making music, so in the meantime I really appreciate people still being there and still having some sense of interest that we could be making new music and that it would be worth checking out. And in the meantime, I hope to cross paths with everybody when we get out there on the road one way or the other, and I just can’t wait!

https://www.instagram.com/heroesandmonstersband/ January/February 2023

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Further Exploration Into A

Barnabas Sky

Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Christian Esche The melodic hard rock all-star project Barnabas Sky, led by German guitarist and songwriter Markus Pfeffer (Lazarus Dream/Winterland), has returned with a brand new endeavor entitleds What Comes To Light!”

Once again on board are Tyketto’s Danny Vaughn as well as Silent Rage’s Jesse Damon, whereby the former impresses with energetic vocals on the title track and the latter is supported with choirs by AOR legend Paul Sabu on the elegiac earworm “Grant Me A Wish From Heaven”. Other adventurers to be found within the second Barnabas Sky magnum opus include Doogie White (Rainbow, Alacatrazz, Rising Force), Dan Reed (Dan Reed Network), Roy Cathey (Cold Sweat, The Fifth), Dirk Kennedy (Hittman), 26

Carsten “Lizard” Schulz (Domain, Evidence One), Lee Small (Sweet, Lionheart, Phenomena) and metal legend Alan Tecchio (Watchtower). In addition to these already established singers, the exceptional vocal talent Deibys Artigas Venegas (Preincarnation) from Venezuela, who is just 30 years old, is on board as an insider tip.

Highwire Daze recently caught up with mastermind and commander Markus Pfeffer for further exploration into the magic and intrigue that is Barnabas Sky. Read on...

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Barnabas Sky, and how long the band has been together.

My name is Markus Pfeffer, I am 49 years old, live in Kaiserslautern/Germany and am the “creative head” of Barnabas Sky, I write the music for all of the songs January/February 2023

HIGHWIRE DAZE

and play guitar, bass and synths. The project itself was founded in early 2021.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the album title “What Comes To Light”?

There was no concept per se. Danny Vaughn had written the lyrics for a song with that title and I quickly realized that the song was the perfect opener for the album.

In addition, I immediately had a suitable artwork for it in mind. Specifically, the bombed city in the background combined with the cornflowers (which, by the way, generally symbolize “hope” and in some cultural circles are used as a symbol for war victims) in the foreground.

Stan Decker has done an absolutely stunning job with this.

What do you think has made you and Danny Vaughn of Tyketto work so well together on both the Barnabas Sky releases?

I think Danny feels very well how much Tyketto’s music has influenced me, so it’s obviously not very difficult for him to find the right melodies and lyrics to my music. We even wrote two new songs together, but the second one (“Fire Falls”) will be on the next album.

How did Jesse Damon of Silent Rage become involved with the Barnabas Sky project?

I always liked his rough voice very much and had simply written to him via Facebook. By the way, he already has songs from me for the next album.

Doogie White of Rainbow also appears on the new Barnabas Sky album. How did Doogie White become involved?

Here the song was decisive. I had recorded a demo (later called “Circus Of Delight”) that sounded pretty “classic rock”-like, with driving drums and prominent Hammond parts. It immediately made me think of late Rainbow, but also the current Alcatrazz stuff with Doogie on vocals. So I thought to myself “Hmm, his voice would really be perfect for this.” No sooner said than done, haha (laughs).

Roy Cathey from Cold Sweat and The Fifth also appears on the new album. Talk about an epically underrated vocalist! Are you a fan of Cold Sweat and what was Roy like to work with?

In September 1990 I was 17 years old and the first time ever at a REAL big open air, the “Super Rock 1990” HIGHWIRE DAZE

January/February 2023

in Mannheim, headlined by Whitesnake. Cold Sweat were on tour with DIO at that time, because they were managed by Wendy Dio and both bands also played at the festival (DIO with Rowan Robertson on guitar by the way). I remember very well that I was immediately “blown away” by Roy’s voice. I didn’t find Cold Sweat’s songs that mind-blowing (sorry Roy, haha), although Marc Ferrari’s guitar work was also remarkable. But the voice - that was what I remembered.

Decades later I remembered it, found Roy, contacted him and here we go. A fantastic singer and incredibly nice guy, with whom I would like to work again in the future.

And let’s talk one more vocalist on this album – the amazing Lee Small of Lionheart. Have you seen Lionheart live and what did Lee contribute to the new Barnabas Sky album?

In fact, I discovered Lee through the last Lionheart album (not seen them live yet, unfortunately), and his voice directly inspired me. I then directly got the two Signal Red albums (insider tip!) and then contacted Lee to collaborate for Barnabas Sky. For the next album, he will contribute two songs again.

Your previous album Inspirations had Steve Grimmett from Grim Reaper as a participant. What was that experience like and what was your reaction when you found out about his passing?

Again, there was a song first and I immediately thought 27

of Steve’s voice (later “Never Enough”). Saturday morning at 7:30 I wrote to him via Facebook and sent him my demo, he replied within minutes and a few weeks later the song was signed and sealed. In July 2022, he had wished me a happy birthday, and a month later he died completely unexpectedly, it had really shocked me. It took half a day until I could really believe it and it still makes me very sad.

musician and it really paid off. Here, as with Lazarus Dream, there will be only one singer. The music of the album is already finished and the singer is currently writing lyrics and melodies. I can’t reveal more at this point.

What is currently going on with your other band Lazarus Dream?

We pause a little bit, because we had released two albums relatively fast one after the other.

Any final words of wisdom?

Yes, whoever likes melodic rock music with guitar riffs and cool voices should lend an ear to Barnabas Sky. The whole thing is a project with a lot of heart and soul and I think you can hear and feel that (http://www. facebook.com/barnabasskyband).

Are you involved with any other bands or projects outside of Barnabas Sky or Lazarus Dream?

Yes, my actual regular band Winterland and additionally a new project with the deliberately eighties-sounding name “Atlantis Drive” with the fantastic French keyboardist Jorris Guilbaud from Heart Line and Devoid.

I wanted to have some fresh artistic input from another

Any live shows on the horizon for any of your bands?

Unfortunately nothing concrete at this stage.

What Comes To Light by Barnabas Sky will be available January 20th via Pride & Joy Music!

https://barnabassky.lnk.to/whatcomestolight

The Drop The Bomb “Bat On My Back” B.O.M.B 2023 Tour Fri.Feb 10 2023 7:30PM w/Bang Tango Fri. May 12 2023 7:45PM w/Lynch Mob

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January/February 2023

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Kickin’ the Quarantine: Tour 2022-23

Japan Dec 11 Dec 13 Dec 14 Dec 15 Dec 16 Dec 18

Antiknock (Shinjuku) DOM (Omote-sado) Black Cat (Kawasaki) Crawdaddy (Shinjuko) Cyclone (Shibuya) Cat’s Hole (Shinjuku)

Thailand Feb 09 Feb 10 Feb 11 Feb 12

Queen Bee (Bangkok) Rock Factory (Pattaya) Burapa (Pattaya) Heat Lounge (Pattaya)

Feb 14 Feb 17 Feb 18

USA Bernies (Pattaya) Rock Factory (Pattaya) Heat Lounge (Pattaya)

Mar 08 Mar 18

Will Call (Cotati) QuarterNote (Sunnyvale) Mar 25 Seha’s Tavern (Reno) Apr 15 Whisky A Go-Go (Hollywood) Apr 16 Last Call (Tarzana) May 12 Music Ink (San Jose)

New EP Coming Q2 2023!

©SHIGEYUKI USHIZAWA

See you April 15th @The Whisky A Go-Go!!

For Tix: andyhewett441@gmail.com

The Universe of Violet Saturn

Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Jack Lue

Brother-and-sister act Violet Saturn summon the raw energy and provocations of Pop-Punk and Alternative with a fresh, Gen Z twist. 17-year-old lead singer Lauren Carr Reed brings powerful vocals and an impressive range to the band’s addictive, angsty songs, while 20-year-old Spencer holds down the instrumentals and production, leading the band and its invigorating yet polished rock sound on guitar. Based out of the legendary Los Angeles music scene, Violet Saturn found their music being played on KLOS and would soon be signed with Big Machine/John Varvatos Records! Violet Saturn is set to release their debut album All The Cool Kids on January 27th! The band recently did a photo shoot with photographer Jack Lue and sat down with Highwire Daze to discuss the universe of their dynamic artistry. Read on...

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Violet Saturn, and how long the band has been together.

Lauren Carr Reed - singer, songwriter and fashion decorator Spencer Carr Reed - guitarist, songwriter, producer and all things technical.

On our album it was really cool to have Josh Freese on drums and Chris Chaney on bass.

We have been together in music for as long as we can remember. I’ve (Spencer) played many instruments including the French horn For all my school years I was always in an orchestra. Lauren has been writing songs and singing since she was 5. She’s always been 30

a performer. She’s also a brilliant actress. Growing up music was always our go to for everything. It’s our passion, our career and our source of enjoyment all in one.

Where are you based out of and what is your local January/February 2023

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music scene like there?

Los Angeles area - our local music scene is unique in that many of our favorite bands live in LA along with many up and coming great bands.

How did you wind up on Big Machine/John Varvatos Records?

After a live show we did in Malibu we were invited by a friend of Lauren’s to be on KLOS’s Heidi and Frank Stay or Go. We were so lucky the program director liked our music and vibe and put our song on rotation. The song played on rotation for almost 1 year before it was released. KLOS introduced us to Big Machine and the rest is history.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the album title All The Cool Kids?

Yes, the general theme of the album is about the struggles of being young, growing up, expectations and acceptance. I wrote all the songs on this album from age 13 -16 so it’s a collection of our teenage years. With the mass amount of social media and outside pressures there is an unhealthy focus on being cool.. The track “All The Cool Kids” shares an important message and reflection about being young and about life in general.

It’s also about hope and looking forward. All the Cool Kids is a teen anthem about embracing your unique self. This is why I like it as the perfect title track. (Lauren) What could one expect from a live Violet Saturn show?

Most people are surprised by our live show. Don’t get me wrong we’re not biting off bats heads or anything like that but we are fun and super energetic . We love performing and treat every performance , no matter how big or small , like it’s Madison Square Garden.

What was the experience like playing at the notorious Viper Room on the Sunset Strip?

Amazing - We were honored and thrilled to play the Viper Room. It’s such an iconic venue and growing up we have memories of driving down Sunset mesmerized by the vibe and hopeful that one day we’d be on that stage. We are thankful to have had that opportunity. It was definitely a bucket list venue.

What are you looking forward to the most about HIGHWIRE DAZE

January/February 2023

your upcoming show at The Troubadour – another world-famous club in West Hollywood?

Another iconic venue on our bucket list that we are honored to be playing. I hear it’s where a lot of big artists got their start so we could not be more excited.

It’s all ages so our friends can come to this one!

If Violet Saturn could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?

Ooh, it’s hard to pick just one but a few are Machine Gun Kelly, The Killers, Olivia Rodrigo, Ed Sheeran, Paramore. Yep we can’t seem to narrow this down to one! Guns N’ Roses - is that now and then?

What’s the best and maybe not so best part about working with a sibling in a band?

The best part is we know each so well and we both share an equal commitment and passion for what we do. We work around the clock and expect the best from each other. We are very different with very different strengths and weaknesses so together musically we make a powerful, committed team.

The worst part is also the best part. Because we know each other so well there is not a lot of sugar coating.

We are not afraid to give our honest opinions.

What was it like doing a photo shoot with famed photographer Jack Lue? We were honored to do a photo shoot with a legend like Jack. He is brilliant and has a great ability to create a vibe. We loved working with him.

What’s up next for Violet Saturn beyond The Troubadour show?

More music, more shows and …. Madison Square Garden :) Updates at Instagram/TikTok/ @ violetsaturnofficial Facebook @ violetsaturn Twitter @ violetsaturn555 Any final words of wisdom?

Be yourself, work exceptionally hard, and don’t let anyone tell you not to follow your dreams.

On January 28, Violet Saturn will celebrate their album release with an all ages show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood.

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FINN MATTHEWS Photo by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography

Connecting with

Finn Matthews Interview by Ken Morton - Photos by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography Finn Matthews is a recording artist on the rise you’ll be hearing a lot more from in future days. Having moved to Los Angeles on his own at the age of 16, one of Finn’s very first singles was Pinned To The Cross, collaborating with the one and only Rich Ross. Finn has recorded a full length album entitled Things I’ve Been Going Thru, and is primed and ready to release a new collection of songs in 2023. Highwire Daze caught up with Finn Matthews to find out more about this amazing new solo artist. Read on...

What do you think about our local Los Angeles music scene.

You moved here when you were 16.

Yeah. Super diverse music scene. Any crowd you want to find, they’re pretty much here. I think the dopest part about LA in general – like not even including music – is that there’s people from all over the world here. You can have so many different cultures clashing, and that makes for some new shit.

The music scene is cool. I’ve been doing some shows with Breaking Sound and We Found New Music – and that’s a really cool way for smaller artists to get their shit out there.

When you moved out here when you were 16, did you move out here on your own or with your parents?

Yeah, I came out here by myself. Dropped out of school – did the whole thing.

Was that scary? What was that like?

At the time, it felt just right – but looking back it was actually kind of nuts – you know what I mean? I think I was just so focused on the goal of being an artist that I would do anything it takes. Any fear I had subconsciously I kind of ignored it.

This was what I want to do, so I’m going to do it.

Let’s go back to Pinned To The Cross with Rick Ross. How did that come about and what was it like working with Rick Ross?

It was crazy random. I think it was just fate. My boy Elijah Blake – he’s been a mentor of mine – like a big brother to me.

He’s written for Ross a bunch of times. They sent him some records – Elijah was like “You want to write these hooks with me?” I said “Sure, fuck yeah, I’m with it – Rick Ross!” I ended up singing the demo for Pinned To The Cross and we HIGHWIRE DAZE

January/February 2023

sent it over. The idea was that they were going to have another artist do it and that I was just going to have writing credit or whatever. And then Ross was like “Who is this singing?

We want to just keep it the way that it is.” So literally out of them liking what they heard, they kept me on the record – and we made it happen. They flew me to Atlanta to do the music video. It was so surreal to be honest. But that was definitely my highlight of 2020. Highlight of my life low key.

You have a new album that came out recently called Things I’ve Been Going Thru. Tell me about that title and what it means to you.

It’s honestly exactly what it sounds like. It’s just a bunch of things I had been going through – still currently going through. That album I wrote between 2020 and the end of 2021, so almost two years of my life in one album. Going from 20 to 21 doesn’t sound like a lot of some people, but you do learn a lot in that span, and you do grow – it’s one of the most expanding times in your life when you learn the most and you become who you are – 20-21. So, it’s just an amalgamation of all of the things I went through in that year – from heartbreak to being in love – being mad at the world – being hopeless – not believing in God – believing in God – all different types of things and just going through all those emotions.

All that and a worldwide pandemic too.

Yeah, it gets amplified for sure.

The single The One You Can’t Forget – what was the inspiration behind that one?

My ex-girlfriend – as you could imagine. It’s just one of them songs. The thing I like about that song is it’s asking questions. In the chorus – what if I could change? Nothing is set in stone. I think sometimes when you write a song about something that you’re too far removed from, then it could kind of remove the essence of uncertainty that makes a song beautiful – at least that type of song. I think with that one, I wrote it in the midst of trying to understand everything I was going through, so there’s a lot of questions in it. Like the whole thing is basically a question. So, I think that really captures that emotion and that uncertainty really well.

Stay The Night featuring Michael Cimino who was in Love Victor. How did that collaboration come about?

35

It just started with us being really good friends. I’ve been friends with him for almost four years at this point. I was friends with him before he was even in the show. I got to see him go through his whole journey, and he’s killing it now, which is fuckin’ sick. He’s always been interested in music – I’ve obviously been interested in music. One day we were hanging out and I think I started playing the chords on the keyboard – we were with Nate Huff as well, who is our good friend – who is also a songwriter – he wrote the record with us. So, I started playing it and the whole thing just kind of flowed – and over the next 2-3 hours we just laid it down. It was just one of them things.

Have you ever thought about acting? Is that something you’d like to do? Or have you been there, done that?

100 percent have not been there, done that. I definitely want to get into it. It’s something that I think requires a full-time commitment. It’s not really in my focus right now, because I want to make this music thing happen. Down the line when I’m already established in music and I’ve the right connections – hell yeah, I’m with it! I definitely want to get into acting. It’s just another expression, so I’m always looking for new ways to express myself.

So, for those who haven’t been yet, what could one expect from a live Finn Matthews show?

It’s lit! They just gotta come. I don’t use a lot of backing tracks in my vocals – so you’re gonna get live vocals. You’re just gonna get good music and good vibes. I like doing live shows because I’m a goofy ass person – as you might be able to tell – or maybe not. I’m pretty goofy, so I get to show that side of myself onstage, which I like. Sometimes in music, it’s easy to take yourself too seriously. But when I’m jumping around having fun, there’s nothing holding me back from just being weird.

If you could open for any band or artist, who would it be and why?

Honestly, I’d love to open for SZA on a tour. If I went on tour with SZA, I’d be happy.

What advice would you give to a 16-year-old wanting to move out to Los Angeles to pursue their dream – besides “don’t”?

I would not give them that advice. I would say “Do it 100 percent!” With that type of thing, you never know until you try. If you come out here and you decide it’s not for you, you think when you’re 30, 40, 50 you’ll be like “I wish I didn’t do that when I was 16?” No, no, you’re going to look back on that fondly and you’re going to be happy that you did it – and you probably learned and grew from the experience.

So, I would say that anything you want to do, no matter how impulsive – obviously not going over the line of being reckless – just follow your dreams. You’re never going to regret 36

that – even if it doesn’t work. Because that’s what gives you substance. And you might even end up figuring out – maybe you’ve followed your dreams and you realized you don’t even want to do that, but you would have never known that if you hadn’t pursued it. So, you might come out here and be like “I want to be an artist” but then be like “Nah, I actually hate the music industry. I want to be a painter.” You would have never found your calling if you didn’t go after what you was trying to do. So that’s my perspective on that. Don’t think too much. If I could give myself advice when I was 16, it would be “Stop thinking so much.” As a kid, I was always overthinking.

Do you still overthink?

From time to time. I’ve learned how to manage it.

And what’s up next for you?

I have an albums worth of songs I’ll be dropping, and it’s definitely a step up from the old album in a good way.

https://www.instagram.com/finnmatthews/ January/February 2023

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Dark Station Photo by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography

INTO THE LIGHT WITH

DARK STATION

Interview by Ken Morton – Photos by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography

In the spring of 2018, five Southern California musicians came together, leaving their respective projects behind, to form a new band. A band with the ability to seamlessly transition from crushingly heavy riffs to unforgettably haunting melodies and lyrics. With inspiration drawing from the top late 90’s and early 00’s rock bands, there’s a certain familiarity to the music that’s refreshing and yet evolved into what can only be described as Dark Station.

The band issued their debut album Down In The Dark right before the pandemic. They’ve managed to tour a bit after restrictions were lifted, which included a few dates with The Dead Rabbitts and recently issued an EP entitled Afterlight – which is a few of the Dark Station favorites reimagined with a glorious amount of originality and intrigue.

Highwire Daze recently conducted an interview and photoshoot day at Dystopian Studios deep in the heart of Downtown LA. and invited Dark Station over to participate. Before their session with Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography, Nathan Spades and Kyle Ort from Dark Station sat down for an interview to discuss news on their upcoming sophomore release, being on the road with The Dead Rabbitts, more about creation of their Afterlight EP, and other topics of interest. Read on…

Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in Dark Station?

Kyle: My name is Kyle Ort; I slay the bass in Dark Station.

Nate: My name is Nate and I make noise with my mouth.

I understand you are beginning to work on a new Dark Station album. How will this one compare to the first one Down In The Dark and is there a working title yet?

Nate: We’ve had working titles in discussions. Nothing we’ve made a decision on yet. I think we need to finish a lot of the record before we come to a conclusion on that.

And then as far as the comparison we can make from this record to the last one, we’re really just trying to provide HIGHWIRE DAZE

January/February 2023

the same kind of diversity as the first one. We had a lot of range and a lot of different styles that I feel like we hit, but they were still Dark Station – and I think we’re trying to honor that and make a record that is just as awesome and rocks just as hard – but we want to show progression – that we’re advancing as musicians and as artists.

How has the pandemic and all the social unrest in the world influenced the writing and direction of this album and the band – if at all.

Kyle: Our first album was released in 2019, right before March 2020 when everything went to hell. We were getting ready to tour and really push that record, and the whole world stopped. We’re definitely excited to being able to get out there on this new record and finally be able to push it properly and play these songs live – like we didn’t get to really do on this last record. So, I’m excited about that for sure.

Tell me about the concept of your recently released EP Afterlight and what was it like to break down these songs in a different way?

Nate: I think the whole concept is just basically trying to provide a different experience with a lot of the original songs that we wrote and maybe push them to an audience that really wasn’t about the rock stuff – if that makes sense. Maybe it wasn’t their taste. So, we wanted to provide a different experience for some of these songs because a lot of these songs had a lot of potential to be heard in other ways. The ones that we chose were a little bit softer – like Ghost especially – that one was very emotional for me, and the song is shown in a different light with the way that we did it on Afterlight. And I think that was the whole point of it – to provide a different experience so that other people who might not be into the regular versions would be into these – and a lot of people who were into the regular versions would have another version to hear as well. I think it really showed a different side to us. We have the ability to do other things and we are capable – so I think that was the idea and that’s how it was brought up. The songs obviously mean a lot to us, and it was really cool hearing what we did to them 39

because I really didn’t think we had expectations on how they were going to come out.

You did a few shows with The Dead Rabbitts. What was that experience like, and did you get to meet Craig Mabbitt?

Kyle: Yeah, Craig was very nice and welcoming to us.

We had a great time with him. We only did a few shows, so it was kind of a mini-tour, I guess. I would definitely play shows with that band again – the whole band was great. We had a good time on that tour. It was only about a week long. Craig was great – I still stay in contact with him today. Hopefully we can do some stuff in the future.

You guys had a standout song on your debut album Down In The Dark called Heroes. What is your definition of a hero?

Nate: I think my definition of a hero is somebody that no matter who’s watching or no matter what anyone thinks, will stay true to their integrity and the reason that they are doing something – regardless of how many odds are against them – regardless of what the majority says 40

– regardless of this or that – not making excuses about doing the wrong thing. Just holding themselves to a high personal standard. A good moral compass. To me, that’s a hero – someone that can go through all the bullshit and weed through all the bullshit and still be the person that they are. Because that’s really fucking hard to do – I don’t care what anybody says. That’s a hero to me. That’s something I’m trying to do, and I struggle with it. To be honest, we’re only human, right?

Exactly. So, what’s up in the New Year for Dark Station?

Kyle: Still working on the new record – still writing.

We’ve probably got like 20 songs we’re working on right now that are started. We’ll narrow it down to the best 10-12 songs, but right now we’re working on about 20 of them. Next year we’re going to keep hammering away at that. Maybe we could get it released towards the end of the year and do some touring – we’ll see…

https://www.darkstationband.com/ January/February 2023

HIGHWIRE DAZE

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Joker’s Hand Photo by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography

Dealing The Cards with

Joker’s Hand

Interview by Ken Morton - Photos by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography Joker’s Hand is an alternative rock band on the rise, based out of Southern California and more than ready to go nationwide! Their latest album is entitled All-American Rage, and the band has recently released a brand new single entitled Danny Phantom featuring the one and only Jakob Nowell.

They were personally selected to play Beach Life Festival in 2021 and have had quite a few of their songs played on the legendary local station KROQ. Highwire Daze recently

conducted an interview and photoshoot day at Dystopian Studios deep in the heart of Downtown LA. and invited Joker’s Hand over to participate. Before the session with Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography, Highwire Daze interviewed Kevin Kawana and Matt Lau to find out more about the amazing Joker’s Hand! Read on...

Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in Joker’s Hand.

Kevin: I’m Kevin Kawano – I sing vocals and I play guitar.

Matt: I’m Matt Lau – I play lead guitar and I do backing vocals.

What do you think about our local Los Angeles/Orange County music scene and how does Joker’s Hand fit into the scheme of things?

Matt: That’s a good question. I think it’s very varied – the scene around here. There’s so much variety. There’s so many different people and all different styles. I feel like we fit into the alternative kind of camp.

Kevin: I agree. It’s nice to have a scene in this area, because the area that I’m from – the South Bay – there’s no scene. LA and Orange County – I would say it’s the alternative – I don’t know if we fit into the heavier scene – that’s the thing. There are some songs that we have that are somewhat heavy.

Matt: I think we kind of dance in that realm, especially with our never stuff – I feel like that we can kind of sit with the heavier bands, but also offer a lighter, melodic side to it too.

Is there any overall story or concept behind your album title All-American Rage?

Kevin: The story behind the name, for me, was the dichotomy between rich and poor that’s occurring, not only in this country, but worldwide. And kind of the dangling of the HIGHWIRE DAZE

January/February 2023

carrot that social media and people who influence tend to do to consumers to perpetuate the status quo of buy, consume, rinse, reuse, repeat – that kind of thing.

Matt: It kind of reflects and paints this picture of this very American culture discontent – the idea of the haves and the have nots – the idea of dangling the carrot. All of us want to get somewhere and all of us see the people that are up there – maybe intentionally or maybe not – kind of wanting what they have. There’s a little bit of hope – like you can get there – but also there’s a sense like they’re just showing you that and it’s for us – the people on top.

Kevin: At the same time, it’s kind of scary too, because the image you often see of people up at the top are people that are very cutthroat – people that will do anything to get there – which is not something that we identify with. I’m sure success is something that everybody wants, but it’s not something that I’m willing to bend my morals for.

Let’s talk about some of your newer songs. You’re Why I Don’t Sleep At Night – what was the inspiration behind that one – any person, place, or thing?

Kevin: I guess just a myriad of relationship issues he and I have both had. (To Matt) You’ve had some stories of people with relationships who just kind of ghost of you? (Matt agrees) That’s kind of a similar thing that both of us have dealt with before – with both friendships and relationships honestly – with people deciding that they don’t want to talk to you – they don’t want to talk it out – they’d just rather not ever speak to you again. That’s kind if the inspiration for that.

Danny Phantom featuring Jakob Nowell. Tell me the inspiration for that one and how did you get Jakob to perform on it?

Kevin: Honestly the inspiration answer for that is not too different from Why I Don’t Sleep At Night. I think this one was a bit more specific. And the way that got Jakob on it…

Matt: ….we played a couple of shows together. When we first met him, we had this small local show at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach – like that’s where we first connected when we first saw him, and he first saw us.

Kevin: Well, we played Casbah with him in San Diego – we played Alex’s Bar – and we played a showcase with him at South By Southwest in March of 2022. But the first show we played with him was at the Venice West. And I remem43

ber during his shows he would make this little – the name’s Danny Phantom and the theme of going ghosts – that was something that was in the back of both of our heads for a bit.

We were cooking on this idea for a while – and he seemed like the perfect person to be featured on this. One – sonically because we love his voice, and we love his energy. But two – we noticed every time he played the live shows with us, he did this little thing where he would play a bit of a theme song and just, he like “he’s a phantom.” He and I knew that was a reference from the show, so automatically we were like “okay, he’s going to understand.” We had a lot in common in terms of like what kind of media we like to consume – anime, cartoons, music, you name it – video games too.

What was it like performing the actual song with him live the first time?

Kevin: Super cool! I was so nervous, man. I was trying not to forget lyrics and everything. It just made it kind of a lot more for me – “okay, don’t fuck up.” Super scary. It felt really good doing that honestly.

Matt: It was really exciting. A couple days leading up the show, we weren’t really sure he was going to show up – if he was going to be there that night. He was like, “Yeah, I’ll try and come through”. And day of, it was like “I’m not sure but maybe” he might come through. And then he did.

Kevin: He’s a funny guy. I’ll like message him, and then he won’t respond for maybe five days. And then midnight in the sixth day he’ll respond with a paragraph – and I’m like oh wow, okay!

You guys did a really big festival – Beach Life. What was it like to play a festival like that?

Kevin: It was really exciting. You may have a better way of putting it – exciting is kind of common (laughs) Matt: I think with any sort of step up – as a band, you get that next tier – even for that one show – it’s nerve-wracking – even more so than usual. And just the setting, seeing all the stages and just how the event was organized and how big it was, and how many people were involved – just getting the bones of it together – it was kind of a lot. It was really motivational to be there and fun to be a part of that.

Since we’re all in the LA Rock Collection, let’s talk about them and how you became involved the organization.

Kevin: We actually got involved with them – I want to say Versus Versus or Loser Parade reached out to us – it was one of those two bands. One of the bands reached out to us and asked if we wanted to play a show out in San Bernardino.

It was a little house party in the middle of summer. It was close to 105 degrees. There were 30-40 people there – pool in the middle – a dog – I always love a dog at a house show.

And that’s how we met them. I met Hvnted – I think we already knew Minor Strut from a previous show. I’m kind of surprised that everybody is involved with this. We knew 44

you before, but it was really cool seeing everybody at these events.

Matt: It’s been exciting to have this sort of community come together. For a while when we were kind of getting our feet wet, it kind of felt more cutthroat – like you were in it for yourself. But with the collective, it feels a lot more like we’re in it together – which is really cool.

What do you hope 2023 brings for Joker’s Hand – what’s the plan for you guys?

Kevin: We have a lot of content planned. We were going to put out an EP this year, but we didn’t. A lot of that had to do with the record label and scheduling and the fact that I guess no one is releasing stuff in winter typically. I don’t know. But we’re going to put out an EP. We have a myriad of covers we are looking to put out as well – music videos – hopefully we can get some touring in. And I think we’re probably looking to record another EP, because the one we’re releasing has been done for a minute, so it’s just a matter of when to put it out.

https://www.instagram.com/jokershandofficial/ January/February 2023

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Available at: Third Eye Records, Long Beach Fingerprints Records, Long Beach World Famous VIP Records, Long Beach Bionic Records, Buena Park Programme Skate & Sound, Fullerton Radiation Records, Anaheim Vinyl Solution & Tapes, Huntington Beach

New EP 'Truth's Wake'

Sponsored by: www.sandgaardfoundation.org

Superblood Photo by Vivian Orrega of So Finch Photography

Becoming Superblood Interview by Ken Morton – Photos by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography Superblood is the audtory creation of Cam Rostami, originally from North Texas and now based in Los Angeles.

Within the realm of pop punk and hyper pop, Superblood has released standout singles such as Happy O.D. and Selfslayer. In addtion, live appearance have included shows at The Whisky on the Sunset Strip and The Mint in Santa Monica. Highwire Daze recently conducted an interview and photoshoot day at Dystopian Studios deep in the heart of Downtown LA. and invited Superblood over to participate. Before the session with Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography, Highwire Daze interviewed Cam Rostami to find out more about the process of becoming Superblood. Read on...

We’re here from Cam from Superblood. First of all, how did the Superblood project come about? I understand you came from a solo artist background.

In 2021, I was making solo music all the way up until November. And in December, my mom passed away like halfway through the month – it’s actually almost a oneyear anniversary on the 16th. So that was pretty earth shattering for me, because she was my number one supporter – pretty much always had my back. I didn’t really know what to do after that honestly, and I thought I kind of wanted to leave behind the old stuff and start something fresh – just in general – kind of as a coping mechanism.

So, I kind of started making a ton of music. The one thing everybody knows about tragedy is that it’s great fodder for art. I tried to take that from it and make a bunch of music.

And I’d always wanted to play with friends of mine, so I started reaching out and of them – Sam, who’s my drummer now – I’ve known his forever. He’s always been a talented drummer and he’s been a part of other projects – so I finally snagged him for this one. Honestly, I feel so lucky for that because he’s traveled all over the place with me. So yeah, that’s kind of how came about. We’ve only existed for about eight months. That’s pretty wild.

The first and second time I saw you play was at the Whisky on the Sunset Strip. What was it like playing the iconic Whisky A Go Go? That was one of the coolest experiences ever. We got some epic footage from it, and we got to play with friends too, which was really cool. Friends we’d been trying to play shows with for ages. It was just a great experience HIGHWIRE DAZE

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and great exposure for us. We’re going to playing there again next year in March. So, if you’re out here, I hope to see you there.

Compare to music scene out here in LA to the one in North Texas.

The music scene in North Texas is a lot more underground.

There’s not as many big venues. There’s so many more, but they’re all smaller. When I was in college, everything was house shows – people wouldn’t go to typical parties, they would go to house shows and that’s where all the bands would get their exposure – which was really cool at the time. But eventually you want to go beyond that, and there’s not much for that out there unfortunately. There’s more of that opportunity in Austin than North Texas, but that’s not totally to discount Dallas. People who know Dallas – like the Deep Ellum part of Texas are really cool.

And you could just walk around downtown and find cool music.

Let’s talk about a few of the songs. Happy O.D. with Imfalls. Tell me about the inspiration behind that one as well as the collaboration?

That was actually one of the first songs I wrote when this new year started. I had just started on new medication as well – I was seeing a psychiatrist and they were putting me on so many medications that I didn’t think were necessary and I thought were making things worse for me. And I was thinking oh man, it would be nice – we’re having to worry about overdosing on actual chemicals, it would be nice to overdose on happy for once – (laughs) you know, for that to be a concern. So, I reached out to a bunch of people to collaborate, and Imfalls immediately hit me back. And I was surprised by that, because he doesn’t make music like that song – he makes completely different stuff – and that’s why I was so psyched to have him. I think it turned out way better because of him.

Selfslayer featuring Smrtdeath – tell me about that song and the collaboration.

That song is the definition of everything I love about creating music. Basically, I had this opportunity with Smrtdeath, and so I needed a song to send him. Selfslayer was just something I randomly had. I was thinking maybe Happy O.D. to send to him at the time, but thank God it ended up being Selfslayer, because it ended up turning out so great. His feature on that song is like my favorite thing that we’ve ever done. And we hope to collaborate 47

with him some more as well in the future, which would be amazing. He’s a dope artist.

Select any other Superblood song you’d like to talk about and the inspiration behind it.

Well, an easy one to talk about would be the first one we ever put out – Permission To Die – which is pretty obviously just about my mom. It was a stylistic change for me too, because I had never made anything like hyper pop before. And that genre has been very welcoming to me. People who listen to hyper pop – it’s a very young fan base. The artists that are at the top of the hyper pop genre are in their teens – it’s crazy – but they’re coming up with some crazy stuff and they’re very welcoming of new and strange things – so I hope to explore that more in the future for sure. It was really cathartic to do, and it’s always a blast to play live.

If Superblood could open for any band or artist either now or from the past, who would it be and why?

I have so many answers for this and they’re all fairly realistic, I think. Number one right now would be Royal And The Serpent because she’s just destroying it right now. Our circles barely overlap, so I’m trying to manifest this happening. Along the same vein, one of my friends is in Beauty School Dropout, and they’re fricking killing it right now, so I would love to open for them. Lip Candy – another So Cal band – they’re on the blow up and I would love to open for them too. My most listened to artists all year and pretty much all of them, which is Royal, Mod Sun, Bilmuri – shout out to Bilmuri – we would love to open for them. That’s just a few – I could go on all day.

Is acting something you would like to pursue again, and what acting have you done in the past?

So, I was a child actor – that’s what I grew up doing – and I was in a bunch of indie movies and commercials. In fact, probably one of the coolest experiences of my life was getting to work with The Coen Brothers – who were some of my heroes that made some of my favorite movies. And if I’m being honest, filmmaking is the pinnacle of art to me, because it encapsulates everything I love. It has music in there as well. In fact, when I first started making music, I was making soundtracks for movies that didn’t exist. They were mostly orchestral, no vocals at all kind of thing. So yeah, I would love to get back to that honestly. But the thing about movies – and the thing that I love about it is that it’s so collaborative – but that also creates a barrier. I can sit in my room and write crazy music and send it off to people and get collaboration. I can’t exactly just create a movie by myself – I have tried (laughs). I’m trying to get back into it in 2023, but for now, music is definitely the focus.

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What do you hope the New Year brings for you and for Superblood?

We’re setting up a small tour right now – a self-funded indie tour – so it’s not going to be anything huge crazy.

But it’s going to be Southwest US, and I’m really excited, because I’ve never toured on any project that I’ve done.

So that’s very exciting. I hope to open for some of these crazy bands that I just mentioned this year and I am going to make that happen one way or the other. I told one of my friends that’s trying to move out here – we made a pact that if he’s not out here by next year and if I don’t hit a million streams just in general, we’re going to have to get a really embarrassing tattoo. So that’s another thing I’m going to have to do next year – and I think I’m going to make all of those things happen. I’m going to do it. I’m determined!

And now it’s gonna be in print!

Exactly. It’s out there. So, I have to do it now…

https://www.instagram.com/superblood_cam/ January/February 2023

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Minor Strut Photo by Jack Lue

A CHAT with CORYN CAHILL of

MINOR STRUT

Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Jack Lue

Minor Strut is an independent, alternative rock band from Southern California ready to take on the world. The band has played at iconic venues such as The Whisky on the Sunset Strip and the massive Grove of Anaheim. They recently released a brand new single entitled State Of Mind and are ready to rock into 2023 and beyond!

Minor Strut recently did a photo session with the legendary Jack Lue at Dystopian Studios deep in the heart of Downtown LA. Highwire Daze caught up with vocalist Coryn Cahill right after the shoot to find out more about this amazing band on the rise. Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Minor Strut, and how long the band has been together.

I’m Coryn – I’m the lead singer of Minor Strut, and we’ve been together since 2014 – so I’m the newest.

What do you think of the local Los Angeles and Inland Empire music scenes?

It’s been really cool, because every time we come back, it’s something different. We’ve seen some really awesome artists like Chrome Rhino – just local bands that show something unique to the scene – as well as a personality and a persona – how they perform. It’s really exciting to walk in and meet new people.

Let’s talk about the brand-new single State Of Mind. What is the inspiration behind that song?

I would say the inspiration behind State Of Mind is independence as a person – it’s talking about struggling. Everybody has their own version of HIGHWIRE DAZE

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that. So, I’m just writing about my own process of struggling and how my mind is when you’re dealing with anxiety – the shakiness – the quick thinking – the quick decisions you have to make when you’re in a serious moment. It’s about very serious moments in our lives.

And select any other Minor Strut song and what is the inspiration behind it.

I would say that My Youth is another interesting song that I really enjoy talking about, because it’s about us growing up in the music industry as kids.

I enjoy it because I teach music now and it’s really fun to talk about. We’re like right at the age group – we still live with our parents – we’re kid/adults.

So, it’s about wanting to grow up and sometimes wanting to grow down and be a kid again.

What was the experience like performing at the Whisky A Go-Go on the Sunset Strip?

The whole Sunset Strip – it has a place in my heart, because it does for a lot of people – so whenever they come there, there’s just a sense of “I’m in my happy place.” Whenever I invite other people, they go, “Oh, the Sunset Strip! I used to roadie here! I used to do this back in the day!” It’s really cool to meet other people who experienced it differently.

We go to the shows and it’s a ball! The whole room is filled to the brim with excitement! So, it works – it’s fun!

What could one expect from a live Minor Strut show?

Goofiness! That’s what I would expect from myself I would say, because I can’t avoid that as a person – my dialog onstage. Outside from that, I feel like our drummer l, you hear him first. For me, I’m biased because our drummer is awesome in my opinion.

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But I feel like you hear Aiden – he’s very snappy.

That’s what I would say – the drums, the beat, the feel. That’s what I enjoy about the show.

If Minor Strut could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?

That’s an interesting question, because we all have different people that we are heavily inspired from.

I would say one is Foo Fighters because the boys have always loved the Foo Fighters. Grohl, Hawkins – that would be amazing to the boys opening for them. I would say 311 would be really cool! We all love them as a band.

You just did a photo session with the legendary Jack Lue. What was that experience like?

Jack was really cool to work with. We were switching things up really quickly, so we got a lot of different shots. We enjoyed that because the variation is cool. It was very cool experience. We

all had a good time. It was fun!

What’s up in the New Year for Minor Strut?

We just released State Of Mind – we were talking about that. But just releasing more videos – getting more footage out of what we’re doing right now.

Getting more music out and recording. So yeah – we’re just performing and releasing and grinding.

Be sure to check out Minor Strut at the Whisky on January 27th!

Minor Strut is: Coryn Cahill – Vocals Ethan Nguyen – Guitar Marquis Miranda – Bass Aiden Kunhardt – Drums https://www.instagram.com/minorstrut/

Liquid Music Group LLC

Booking now

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A Perfect Night of Misery…

Mister Misery

10/31/22 Cassiopeia - Berlin, Germany

Written by Alison “MetalBabe” Cohen Photo by Julia Angermann

Mister Misery are a goth glam band from Sweden who have released two albums to date and are currently working on new material.

They have played Wacken twice, as well as other European festivals, and recently toured with Neverland In Ashes for The Reawakening Tour.

When I found out that Mister Misery was playing Berlin on Halloween night I knew that I needed to be there. Aaron Bennett Dykstra and I made this dream a reality. I am honored to have the opportunity to not only see them play in Berlin on Halloween night, but also to listen to soundcheck (from outside) and interview the band prior to the show.

The Review…

Fans were packed inside Cassiopeia as they anxiously awaited Mister Misery. The stage was set just perfectly...

Complete with skeletons, skulls, and jack-o-lanterns.

We were ecstatic to be front and center experiencing Mister Misery in Berlin on Halloween night. The band played nine songs total, including songs from both releases and their brand-new song Welcome Insanity. After the Intro, they started the show with Strangeland. They took a brief encore for a drum solo/intro before coming back with my favorite Mister Misery song My Ghost.

In character and unalive, the band did a group freeze and awakened to finish the show with The Devil In Me. Their set was full of high energy fun. The crowd was dedicated, and kind to us. Everyone we spoke to could not believe we came all the way from southern California to Berlin for Mister Misery. We all sang along, sweated, HIGHWIRE DAZE

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screamed, clapped, rocked, and danced throughout their set. The crowd was diverse in age, ranging from 13 to 70 years old. Hardly anyone used their phone or even left for a bathroom break or a drink. It was just about experiencing the performance.

I’m grateful I was able to get to know Mister Misery during our interview prior to the show. (Keep posted for my upcoming interview with Mister Misery.) Seeing them transform in front of my eyes to their characters onstage was unbelievable. I was in for a treat, as the band said… A special Halloween treat. I could not have asked for a better group of guys, or a better night in Berlin with Mister Misery. It truly was a perfect night of misery.

Fingers crossed we can bring the band to the States, and to Los Angeles, so our friends can experience Mister Misery.

Please visit mistermisery.com/ for more information.

Alison “MetalBabe” Cohen’s Official Website: metalbabemayhem.com/ 53

XYZPDQ Photo by Jack Lue

Meet Salem Darling of XYZPDQ Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Jack Lue XYZPDQ is a young power trio from Southern California who are making their presence known in nothing short of an epic way. Vocalist/guitarist Salem Darling has appeard on The Kelly Clarkson Show and was a finalist in The John Lennon Songwriting Competition. The tremendously talented threesome recently did a photo session with the legendary Jack Lue at Dystopian Studios deep in the heart of Downtown LA. Highwire Daze caught up with Salem Darling right after the shoot to find out more about the very amazing XYZPDQ. Read on…

We’re here with Salem Darling from the band XYZPDQ. Give us a little background on the band and how long everyone has been together.

We started the band – I was 10 years old, and Dax and Julian were like 12 years old, and we were just playing together. It was a five-piece band at the time, but it was really fun. We used to play a lot of gigs – and then it went on for a couple of years – I think 3 ½. And then we all went our separate ways for a little bit. We just did some other projects and worked with other bands.

But after Covid, we just kind of got back together – the three of us – and we just started writing and playing together and playing shows. And here we are. And we took the same band name that we had 5-6 years ago.

What do you think about our Los Angeles and Orange County music scenes?

I love it. I think it’s really fun. I think it’s a really good community. Everyone’s so supportive and there’s so many bands we love playing with. Everyone is so nice, and they ask us to play gigs and we ask them to play gigs, and everybody is just so fun to be around.

What do you like the most about Gibson Guitars and are you endorsed by them?

I am. I’m part of this program – it’s called The G3 Program – and what that is – Gibson has like ten teenagers from around the world everywhere – and it’s really cool.

They have this little program and we get to do anything that they come up with. Recording stuff – we’re doing commercials – I got to go out to Michigan during the HIGHWIRE DAZE

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summer to do a Gibson commercial and it was really cool. I’m grateful to be a part of it. I’ve been playing Gibson since I was like 11.

What advice would you give another young person seeking an endorsement?

I would say post a lot on social media, cuz it’s not going to hurt to keep putting yourself out there. Something good could really come out of it. They found me on Instagram. I just posted a lot. If you want to be endorsed by companies and see if you could get an instrument from them, just post a lot of songs and stories on TikTok and whatever you can do. And maybe they will find you.

How did you wind up as a guest on the Kelly Clarkson show?

That was during quarantine. They found me on Instagram – and they were like, “Hey are you able to be on this show? We’re thinking about having this rock young person thing. Would like to do an interview?”

And I said, “Yes of course, that would be great!” So, I filmed a little video saying who I was and then they interviewed me. And then all of a sudden, I got it, and I was freaking out. It was so crazy! I was like, “Oh my God, what is happening?” Anyways, it was really great.

And they just wanted me to film me playing something, cuz I think because of Covid, they didn’t want any in person playing or anything. So, I got to go in and get interviewed by her in person. I didn’t get to play but I got to go, and they played the video on a screen behind me. And then I got to talk to her and then they surprised me with Melissa Etheridge. It was one of the best ever and I’m very grateful!

Tell me a little about the John Lennon songwriting competition you were in.

I wrote a song – it’s called I’ll See You – it’s a very personal song. It’s about a family friend who passed away.

This was about 4 four years ago I want to say. I don’t remember when we submitted the song in the competition, but all of a sudden, I’m a winning finalist in it because of that song. I was surprised. I did it and I didn’t expect anything out of it – but I was like let’s submit the song and see what happens. So that was really cool.

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What could one expect from a live XYZPDQ show?

A lot of original songs and fun. I think that is the main goal – we just want people to have a good time. We definitely have a variety of stuff. We have some angry songs if you’re mad. We have some happy, upbeat songs. We have some fun covers that everybody really likes. We have a ballad that we wrote too. We try to have a little bit of everything. We do some rock songs like Led Zeppelin, and we do some more modern stuff like Avril Lavigne, so it’s just a lot. I think there’s something in there for everybody.

If XYZPDQ could open for any band or project either now or from the past, who would it be and why?

I think we would all have different answers definitely. I’ll just answer for myself because I don’t know what they would say. For me, it would probably be Avril Lavigne because she’s my biggest inspiration with songwriting and everything. So that would be my answer.

Are you involved with any other bands or projects

outside of XYZPDQ? I’m not involved with any other bands, but I do some stuff on my own. I haven’t released anything, but sometimes I do little solo gigs – nothing too big, Here and there I do sometimes. I’m kind of doing both, but I’d say as of right now, the most I play is with XYZPDQ. But I sometimes occasionally a little bit by myself.

What’s up next in the New Year for XYZPDQ? We’re hopefully going to release some songs, because we have a few that we’ve written that we’re really proud of, and we want to get those out as soon as we can. I hope that will happen really soon. And definitely more shows. We’ve been playing a lot, so I’m pretty sure that will keep going. So yeah, new music and new shows!

XYZPDQ is: Salem Darling - vocals, guitar Julian Bailey - bass Dax Corcoran - drums https://www.instagram.com/xyzpdqofficial/

Be sure to check out our animated lyric videos for both singles and subscribe to our YouTube Channel At:

@Deathcryptopia5616 Check out our MERCH AT DEATHCRYPTOPIA.COM 56

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HIGHWIRE DAZE

The Guitar & Whiskey Club / We Are The Black Things The Whisky, West Hollywood, CA., December 21, 2022

The Guitar & Whiskey Club Review by Ken Morton - Photos by Jack Lue The Bulletboys were headlining a late December show at the iconic Whisky on the Sunset Strip. Opening the show were two of the very best local bands on the LA music scene - The Guitar & Whiskey Club and We Are The Black Things.

We Are The Black Things mix Sunset Strip rock with a moody artistry, and have always been a brilliantly mind-blowing experience to see live. Debuting songs from their Down In Wuhan magnum opus, you could not take your eyes or ears away from the stage as Tone Raven and his co-conspirators presenting their chilling tales from these dark pandemic days. From the foreboding labs of Wuhan to the streets of Sunset Blvd and beyond, We Are The Black Things rock your world and leave you craving a whole lot more. When the auditory escapades of George Lynch and Jim Morrison meet in a fiery head on collision, the results will surely mesh into the gripping and glorious reveries as presented by We Are The Black Things.

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January/February 2023

We Are The Black Things Providing direct support to The Bulletboys was The Guitar & Whiskey Club, performing selections from their critically acclaimed Self-Titled EP. It won’t be long until GWC will be headlining their very own events on the Sunset Strip and beyond, especially with shows as vibrant and energetic as the one witnessed on this cool December night at The Whisky.

Songs such as Sleazy and Does Your Dog Bite sent the room into sonic rock and roll overdrive. Founding member Jeffrey Donovan is absolutely inspirational on guitar, playing his heart and soul out. And vocalist Mark Prudeaux is the front man for the ages, his dynamic vocals and explosive stage presence enveloping the entire room, There is no doubt the GWC gained a whole lot of new fans with this very amazing live performance!

What a treat it was to see two of my favorite local bands playing the very same night at The Whisky! All this and The Bulletboys too, featuring the amazing Ira Black on guitar! Looking forward to seeing everyone at The Whisky in 2023!

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The Fierce Sounds of TemperMental

Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Jack Lue TemperMental is a fierce rock and roll band quickly gaining notoriety in the L.A. music scene. The founding members of the band were brought together by circumstance while spending several months filming the Netflix Comedy TV Series Wet Hot American Summer, Ten Years Later in Malibu. During this time, they found that they all had a common bond in music and spent their breaks singing together. A few months after filming wrapped, the girls got together for fun and decided to form what would become TemperMental. Recently joining up was drummer Miles Elze, completing the current lineup.

TemperMental recently did a photo session with Jack

Lue at Dystopian Studios in Downtown LA. Highwire Daze caught up with TemperMental right after the shoot to find out more about their dynamic music. Read on…

Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in TemperMen58

tal.

Kristina: Hi, I’m Kristina and I’m the singer of TemperMental.

Ruby: I’m Ruby and I’m the bassist of TemperMental.

Marilaine: Hey, I’m Marilaine and I’m the guitarist of TemperMental.

Miles: I’m Miles and I’m the drummer of TemperMental.

What do you think of the local Los Angeles and Riverside music scenes?

Kristina: It’s awesome! It’s really awesome! I feel like, especially now, it’s just been growing and growing. Maybe I’m just getting out more and going to more shows, but I feel like everyone is there for each other.

Marilaine: We’ve been making a lot of different friends with other bands and going out to shows – and it’s been really cool seeing everybody play and kind of developing this little community we’ve got going on.

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Let’s talk about your recent single Get Out and the inspiration behind it.

Marilaine: That song is about intrusive thoughts. I was up at 3AM, kind of messing around with my guitar, and came up with the guitar riff – and then I wrote the lyrics, because I was kind of going through a hard time at the time. So, I brought it, and everyone wanted to do it – so that’s the song – all about intrusive thoughts and mental health and kind of advocating for that.

Come With Me – let’s talk a little bit about that song.

Kristina: So, Come With Me we wrote quite a while ago, and that song is meant to be an F’you song about getting back and coming back better.

And then let’s talk about one more song called How Could You Want Me. Marilaine: That song is actually kind of funny, because that song I wrote when I was 13 about somebody I was dating at the time – and I was being really dramatic because “I was such a terrible girlfriend” and all of this stuff. And it was all just because I wasn’t calling him enough. He doesn’t even know this is about him, but it’s really stupid.

Kristina: He’s gonna know now!

Marilaine: Yup, he’s gonna know now. Sorry dude. But it was funny, because I was just being a dramatic 13-year-old. I brought the song in, we changed up some words, and we’re doing it like 4 years later now.

Let’s meet the newest member of TemperMental - Miles!

What is your background, and how did you wind up in TemperMental?

Miles: I just moved to LA from San Francisco to pursue drumming, and TemperMental were one of the first bands I came across that needed a drummer. So, I saw it as a great way to get my foot into the Los Angeles music scene.

Since we are all part of the LA Rock Collective, let’s talk about what it was like performing at their show and how it feels to be an LA Rock Collective band.

Kristina: The LA Rock Collective is really cool. Maybe that’s part of why I feel like the community is getting stronger and coming back stronger after the pandemic. Really everyone is there for each other, everyone gets to see each other every time – and you get to meet a lot of new people and a lot of new bands. And playing there was really, really fun. Funny story – we had an awesome time and all the bands there were amazing. Joker’s Hand, The Toxhards, Monty Xon. It was pretty toasty in there!

Marilaine: I passed out onstage.

Kristina: She passed out onstage and everyone was like, “Whoa, what a sick new move!”

Marilaine: I get rowdy onstage and I throw myself on the ground all the time. So, when I actually passed out, nobody HIGHWIRE DAZE

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realized that I was unconscious.

Kristina: That’s how hard we perform on the stage – we pass out! (Laughter) That kind of segue ways into our next question. What could one expect from a live TemperMental show – besides girls passing out. (Much laughter) Everyone: A lot of fucking around onstage. A lot of jumping around. A lot of energy and loud noises – good loud noises.

And a lot of dancing. Headbanging too!

If TemperMental could open for any bands either now or from the past, who would it be and why?

Kristina: I would say Sleeping With Sirens. I really like Kellin Quinn’s energy onstage. I don’t know why, but I feel like I can relate to him. I feel like that all the emotions that we put into our songs really resonates with them.

Ruby: I would say Ice Nine Kills because they’re such a great band and the way they perform with their theatrical stuff.

Marilaine: I would choose My Chemical Romance because I’ve been obsessed with that band for a while now. I love Gerard, Frank, Mikey, Ray – I have a guitar named after Ray Toro – it’s called Toro. (Laughs) It’s the red guitar. I would want to open for them because their music means a lot to me and I feel like we go a long with them. We take a lot of influence and inspiration from them. I went and saw them three times – their last show was phenomenal. I love them!

Miles: There’s so many bands that would be great for this band to go on tour with. Like Slipknot, Paramore – that’s the cool thing about TemperMental – you don’t have to be into one genre to love it. Whether it’s rock, metal, or hard rock – it’s all good. I think any band that makes good music we would be a good opener for.

I saw on your credit an appearance on Wet Hot American Summer – 10 Years Later. Tell me about that and what the experience was like.

Kristina: Back in the day when we were 11-14, we were part of the main campers on Wet Hot American Summer – 10 Years Later. You can see us in the background of things, braiding each other’s hair. (Laughs) But we got to know each other and became friends on there. We all figured out we played music and wanted to jam together.

What’s up in the New Year for TemperMental.

Ruby: A lot of shows…

Kristina: …and an album is coming in 2023!

Marilaine: We’ve been working on it for a while and it’s been a long time getting there, but we’re going to release that. And the three singles that we released will be off of that album too.

https://www.instagram.com/tempermentaltheband/ 59

The Explosive Madam Bombs

Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Jack Lue Madam Bombs is a power trio from Simi Valley, whose fierce brand of alternative punk rock and roll is gaining the band a good deal of notice throughout Southern California and beyond. Their high octane music has even caught the attention of the legendary Youth Brigade, who personally invited Madam Bombs to play this year’s edition of Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas.

Madam Bombs recently did a photo session with Jack Lue at Dystopian Studios in Downtown LA. Highwire Daze caught up with the Madam Bombs trio right after the shoot to find out more about their explosive music.

Read on…

Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in Madam Bombs.

Claire: My name is Claire FitzGerald and I play guitar and sing.

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Marlowe: My name is Marlowe Shachory and I play bass and sing.

Samara: And my name is Samara Ellis and I play drums and sing backup.

Give me a little background on the band and how long the band has been together.

Claire: Samara and I have been going to this music school since we were little, and there was a band program there, and that’s kind of how we met. And eventually, we grew out of it, and we’ve gone through a few members to meet Marlowe – who’s a perfect fit for us.

And we’ve just been a trio.

Samara: And we’ve been playing together for almost three years – and just us three for the past year.

Let’s talk about the Madam Bomb songs. (Not) With Me – what is the inspiration behind that song?

Claire: It’s kind of a silly concept. It’s kind of about January/February 2023

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a girl that is obsessed with this guy, and she’s trying to get his attention, she knows all about him and he doesn’t know who she is, and she’s kind of a stalker. That’s kind of what the concept is. And it’s not autobiographical.

It’s just a funny story.

Samara: It’s just kind of a deeper look into clinginess.

You also have a song called Get Me Out – tell me about that one.

Marlowe: Get Me Out is about not wanting to be like all the other people at school.

Samara: It’s about standing out and feeling comfortable in your own skin and wanting to be able to embrace the difference in yourself. It’s about individuality.

What was it like playing the world-famous Whisky A Go Go? Samara: It was awesome! And at that show, we actually got to collab with another amazing artist Lava Diva.

We wrote a collab song together – an original – we performed it there and it was amazing! It was so cool!

Claire: We’ve gigged out a lot and we’ve had good shows and bad shows, but for me personally, I think that was my favorite show that we’ve ever played. It was such an ethereal feeling.

Marlowe: It was a really good energy at the show. And for me at least, it was the first time I played on a stage that was raised. It’s so raised – I had never been over the crowd before – and so it was really weird. And it was packed because we and all the other bands that played promoted it so much! And a lot of people came out, so that was really fun.

How did the Lava Diva collaboration come about?

Samara: We played their reunion show at The Federal in NoHo in January – and afterwards we talked to them and said, “Oh my gosh, you guys are so cool!” And they thought we were cool, and we though “Okay, we should get together and write a collab song.” And then we actually did, and it was really, really cool. It turned out really great, and hopefully it will be released soon.

The big news is that Madam Bombs was recently added to the Punk Rock Bowling show! How did that come about and what are you looking forward to the most about that show?

Marlowe: So Punk Rock Bowling – we got a DM from Youth Brigade on Instagram out of the blue. They DM’med us asking us to play and that their booking HIGHWIRE DAZE

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agent would reach out to us. And later once the booking agent did, we found out that our friend Andy at Corbin Bowl actually recommended us to the people who were putting Punk Rock Bowling together. It was so amazing we received this opportunity! We are forever grateful to Andy. And I’m so excited to play it. I love all the bands on it! It’s crazy that we’re even sharing a flyer with bands like Bad Religion and L7. Even if our name is miniscule at the very bottom of the flyer, the fact that we’re on the flyer with these bands that we look up to is amazing to us! It’s a step in the right direction.

If Madam Bombs could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?

Marlowe: I would love to open for Bikini Kill - or L7.

I can’t believe we’re playing Punk Rock Bowling with L7.

Samara: I also agree Bikini Kill – that would be amazing! Or any inspirational girl band like the Go-Go’s. But 7th grade me would be so proud if we played on a stage with the Offspring. I love the Offspring so much – our music style isn’t similar, but it goes together in a way.

That would be awesome!

Claire: Honestly my answer is a mix between theirs.

Honestly just sharing a stage with any other major band would be amazing! So, any opportunity that could come by would be amazing!

Samara: And honestly, sharing the stage, it would be like more with the local scene that we have – like Lava Diva – we love playing with them. Or Speed Of Light.

All those bands are really inspirational to me personally.

And it’s really cool that we’ve gotten the opportunity to play with them and know who they are – and they’re great people.

What’s up in the New Year for Madam Bombs – in addition to Punk Rock Bowling.

Samara: We’re thinking about releasing a single every month.

Marlowe: Hopefully writing new songs and recording some more. And just having fun.

Claire: We’re just going to try and gig out as much as possible. We’re finally at a point in time where we have more availability, so I think we’re going to make a push to play more shows.

https://www.instagram.com/madambombs/

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ALBUM REVIEWS Hold Your Ground Khymera Frontiers Music Srl

Review by Ken Morton It’s way early on in 2023, but it’s very clear that the new Khymera record is bound to be one of the very best melodic rock albums of the year. Featuring Dennis Ward from Pink Cream 69 and Magnum on sweeping lead vocals and rock-solid bass, the long running Khymera presents a career best with the rapturous Hold Your Ground.

Each and every song should be all over worldwide radio airwaves, and absolutely tantalize the senses. In addition to Ward’s amazing leadership, Khymera features keyboardist extraordinaire Eric Ragno, weaving his very own magic and sonic artistry into the proceedings. From the glorious reverberations of opening track Don’t Wait For Love to the burning passion found within Firestarter and beyond, Hold Your Ground by Khymera captures the imagination, transporting the listener into a euphoric state of pure sonic bliss.

The Khymera legacy continues, and Hold Your Ground is a vibrant collection of songs well worth seeking out! www.facebook.com/khymeraaor

Best Of Lit Soul Lit Soul Metal Babe Mayhem Review by Ken Morton Lit Soul is a melodic hard rock band that advocates liberty in the modern age. Based out of the Los Angeles area, the band has just released a Best Of double CD after six studio albums, over 20 official music videos, and countless live performances. Including 16 previously released songs and two new ones, Best Of serves as a glorious introduction and/or celebration of mastermind Rob Chevelle and his powerhouse sonic artistry. Each track found within is filled with a ton of passion and conviction - whether the subject matter is of the heart or a social commentary, Lit Soul delivers a message of freedom and liberation that is thrilling to behold! With highlights galore, there is so much wonderful music to explore on this brilliant Best Of compilation. Fans of acts such as The Doors and The Cult are absolutely destined to uncover a lifelong favorite when encountering what Lit Soul has to offer the world at large. A massive, impassioned collection of music that listeners will want to revisit time and again! www.metalbabemayhem.com/mbm-blog/litsoulbestof 62

Get Out - Run! Lypswitch World Of Sin Music

Review by Ken Morton In 1988, Lypswitch moved from Orlando, FL. to Hollywood, CA. to follow the Rock ’n Roll Dream. In three years the band played over 100 shows and was almost signed. The band would regroup and release a CD compilation titled 30 Years in 2019. And now in 2023, Lypswitch is back with a raging new single entitled Get Out - Run! And this one is absolutely powerful, presenting a very dark story of addiction and betrayal. Timely and very impassioned, the subject of mental health and drowning your sorrows in the midst of alcohol is dealt with quite effectively. Get Out - Run! is a stunning next chapter to what is expected to a collection of songs leading up to a brand new Lypswitch album! What an amazing track, delivered with a compelling sense of urgency and conviction! If you or someone you know suffers from depression, substance abuse or is suicidal, please visit SAMHSA (Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration) at www.samhsa.gov! www.lypswitch.com/

Epical Rob Moratti Frontiers Music Srl Review by Ken Morton After spending time on the late great AOR Heaven record label, Rob Moratti has now signed to the one and only Frontiers Music Srl - and has released a brandnew endeavor entitled Epical. Also known for his work within the ranks of Final Frontier and Saga, Rob Moratti has amassed quite a magnificent solo career. Epical presents the artist at the very height of his creative energies. In addition to Moratti’s vibrantly impassioned vocals, also included within the magical auditory journey of Epical is the participation of Joel Hoekstra of Whitesnake, performing his trademark wizardry on lead and rhythm guitars. There is also a co-write

by Steve Augeri (ex-Journey) on the song For The Rest Of My Life. Selections such as Can I Hold You For A While, Masquerade, and Love demonstrate just why Rob Moratti is so revered within the worldwide rock and AOR community.

So much passion and depth to found on the majestic Epical, and it’s definitely Rob Moratti’s finest recording to date! www.robmoratti.net January/February 2023

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March 5, 2023

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