Highwire Daze #154

ISSUE 154

MAY | JUN 2024

PLUS: ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK, MODERN ENGLISH, SPONGE, BABYLON A.D., LYPSWITCH, JENSEN GERING, JORDN DAY, TJ MINOR, WE ARE THE BLACK THINGS, LET EM COOK TOUR WITH LAST NIGHT OF SOLACE, FATALIST, VILAMOURA, ONE OF US AND MORE...

Temperance EP Available NOW!

May 24 at The Whisky Opening for The Iron Maidens https://www.beautifulskeletons.com/

HIGHWIRE DAZE Sponsored by THE SANDGAARD FOUNDATION

Publisher Highwire Daze Magazine A General Partnership Editor Ken Morton

TABLE OF CONTENTS SKETCHES BY THE EDITOR................................................... 8 PRODUCT REVIEW BY JAMES GROVER...........................10 IN MUSICAL ORBIT BY JUPITER..........................................12 King Zebra review

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, Joe Schaeffer, Linda Emord, Tony F. Corpse, Alison “MetalBabe” Cohen Proofreading Editor Jason Harary Cover Art by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography Cover Photos by Jack Lue HIGHWIRE DAZE www.highwiredaze.com email: ken@highwiredaze.com Copyright 2024 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!

INTERVIEWS with...

Visions of Atlantis.................................................16 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD).........20 Modern English.....................................................24 Babylon A.D..........................................................28 Sponge...................................................................34 Constance Antoinette.............................................36 Lypswitch..............................................................40 The Let Em Cook Tour with Fatalist, Last Night of Solace, Vilamoura, One Of Us........44 Jensen Gering........................................................48 jordn day................................................................52 TJ Minor.................................................................56 We Are The Black Things......................................59 VISIONS OF ATLANTIS POSTER by JACK LUE...........32/33 CONCERT REVIEWS................................................................14 Bruce Dickinson presents The Mandrake Project MUSICARES AWARDS HONORS BON JOVI........................60 ALBUM REVIEWS Beautiful Skeletons, Priest, River City Rebels, Sacred Dawn.........................................................61

Listen To Highwire Daze Radio at Live 365!

24 Hours A Day - 7 Days A Week!

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

http://www.highwiredazeradio.net HIGHWIRE DAZE

May/June 2024

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Sketches By The Editor

Editor Ken with Visions of Atlantis

Welcome to Highwire Daze Issue #154! I sure wish I could say doing a print magazine is becoming easier, but 154 issues in, this still remains quite a challenge. And that is perhaps why I still enjoy doing it after all this time. It’s been a long journey since our Hollywood beginnings in 1990. Still very exciting to interview bands such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Modern English, Visions of Atlantis, and Sponge. And the Los Angeles area is still bursting with new talent such as TJ Minor, Jensen Gering, and jordn day.

How wonderful it is to see Constance Antoinette - formerly of She Demons - now playing various instruments with the likes of Till Lindemann, Aesthetic Perfection, and Demi Lovato! Super excited to check out the Let Em Cook Tour with Last Night of Solace and Fatalist - with Vilamoura and One Of Us joining them at various stops. The Let Em Cook Tour will be at Chain Reaction July 12th! And then one week later, Highwire Daze #155 will be out July 19th!

Enjoy this issue with all these amazing artists!

The Wright Wave Radio at Live 365

Down In Wuhan

Presented by Jonathan D. Wright

New original 12 song Hollywood Hard-Rock album Down In Wuhan now available worldwide!

Established October 2012

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

Playing all of your rock, pop, and new wave favorites 24 hour a day, 7 days a week! http://www.thewrightwave.com/ May/June 2024

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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

Laney IRT 2 space rack mount Iron heart Studio Amp.

The IRT-STUDIO is not just a tube pre-amp – it is a full 3 channel with pre-boost, all-tube Ironheart amp in a 2 space rack.

Loaded with a pair of EL84’s output valves the IRT-STUDIO generates either 15 watts or less than 1-watt RMS of pure valve tone.

The IRT-Studio features the same great IRONHEART tube tones as the bigger heads in a low-power, lightweight, portable EL84 all-tube package with some neat features added. The IRT-STUDIO features a USB Audio I/O and a RE-AMP send jack Interface.

Plug it straight into your PC/MAC or iPad and get pure tube tone directly into your digital world. The IRT-STUDIO is the ultimate in portable amps and is supplied with a dedicated 4-way footswitch. Use it in the studio, at rehearsal, on the road or in your rehearsal room.

You will definitely won’t be disappointed in the tones and the simplicity of this amp.

Likes and Dislikes: Likes: What I like about this unit is that it has a variety of possibilities to create clean Jazzy tones to Pure metal tones.

Easy to use and to set up all 3 channels.

Dislikes: Not much to dislike about this unit. The price range can be a bit steep but definitely worth the investment.

https://www.laney.co.uk/amps/guitar/ironheart/irt-studio

Reach James Grover at:

https://www.facebook.com/james.grover.311 10

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In Musical Orbit by Jupiter Jupiter at

Highwire Daze Online Crew

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

Between The Shadows King Zebra Frontiers Music Srl Get ready for a thrilling and exciting musical experience.

From Zurich, Switzerland comes the highly anticipated studio recording BETWEEN THE SHADOWS from KING ZEBRA. Musicians include vocalist ERIC ST. MICHAELS ( CHINA ), guitarist ROMAN LAUER, guitarist JERRY NAPITUPULU, bass guitarist

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MANU JUDGE, and behind the drums is BENJAMIN GRIMM. Kicking it off with a slammin’ straight ahead rock and roll groove is Starlight. Track 02 Children Of The Night is a fast rocker with a melodic hard rock edge. Impressive vocal harmonies from ST. MICHAELS enhance these driving, high energy tunes. Guitar solos are slightly longer than many of the new releases these days and will more than satisfy your cravings. Lovin’ it! Track 06 Cyanide will take you on a rock and roll journey. The final cut, track 10 Restless Revolution is a bit different from the rest of the album with its slow yet heavy feel. Many hit singles seem to be in their future. Track 04 Dina has already been released as a music video. Released in April 2024, BETWEEN THE SHADOWS is a rock and roll masterpiece! The individual virtuosity of each musician shines through brightly and kept me on the edge of my seat.

The record was produced by OSCAR NILSSON. I could hear some DOKKEN influences here and there. Can’t wait for a U.S tour. You can follow KING ZEBRA at this link:

https://www.instagram.com/kingzebra/

JUPITER on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=100042121189738

May/June 2024

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available on CD and VINYL

themilitants.com

BRUCE DICKINSON THE OBSERVATORY, SANTA ANA, CA., APRIL 15, 2024

Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue What an amazing moment in time for a metalhead to be living in Southern California, especially if you are an Iron Maiden / Bruce Dickinson fan. With the iconic vocalist’s only Golden State performance at The Observatory long since sold out, Dickinson would add two additional dates at the world-famous Whisky A Go-Go on the Sunset Strip – he even surprised those who stood in line all night by being at the box office selling the much-coveted tickets! Those two dates would also sell out and take place prior to his performance at The Observatory in Santa Ana. So, for the time being, Los Angeles and Orange County were host to the only Dickinson dates Stateside in support of his latest solo magnum opus The Mandrake Project.

Highwire Daze caught up with Bruce Dickinson and his band at The Observatory, and what an absolutely epic performance! There were no Iron Maiden songs presented, but with a solo catalog so rich and compelling, this would certainly be a night to remember for the metal ages ahead.

Kicking off the set with an astounding rendition of Accident of Birth from the 1997 album of the same name, Dickinson instantly won over the audience with that classic towering voice and bravado stage presence. Abduction from 2005’s Tyranny of Souls manifesto was up next, followed by the rapturous reprieves of Laughing in the Hiding Bush from 1994’s Balls To Picasso. Then it was time to delve into the mysteries of The Mandrake Project, as Dickinson and his band raged into the amazing Afterglow of Ragnarök! Chemical Wedding from the 1998 album of the same name was unleashed, and just within the first five songs, the audience was taken on a wondrous journey through a grand and captivating solo career. And there was still much more ahead!

Bruce Dickinson remains one of the greatest heavy metal vocalists on this planet, and what a commanding performance he delivered throughout the entire night! That vibrantly legendary voice filled the entire room, and the audience was singing along to each and every song! The band was absolutely first rate, including the glorious participation of Philip Naslund and Chris Declercq on dueling guitars, Tanya O’Callaghan of Whitesnake and Adler’s Appetite on thunderous bass, Dave Moreno on super intensive drums, and the almighty Mistheria on keyboards. Together, the legendary Bruce Dickinson and these world class musicians unleashed the metal concert of a lifetime!

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After ending the show with Darkside of Aquarius from Accident of Birth, it was clear that the audience was not prepared to let Bruce Dickinson wander off into the wilds of Orange County and beyond just yet. The applause was euphoric, and Dickinson and the band would return for an absolutely explosive encore! Navigate the Seas of the Sun from Tyranny of Souls made its live debut at this show – the first song of an absolutely devastating encore. Then arrived Book Of Thel and The Tower – a one-two punch from The Chemical Wedding that concluded the show in a grand and stratospheric way!

Bruce Dickinson has promised to return for a full-on North American solo tour later in the year! Be sure to check out The Mandrake Project and do not miss the opportunity to see Bruce Dickinson live the next time he brings his concert extravaganza to your part of the world! https://www.instagram.com/brucedickinsonhq/ 15

Visions of Atlantis:

Metal Pirates Return To The City of Angels Interview by Ken Morton - Photos by Jack Lue The pirates of Visions of Altantis are about to take listeners on their heaviest symphonic adventure yet with their new studio album, entitled Pirates II – Armada, set for release on July 5, 2024 via Napalm Records. The new successor to their high-charting previous release, Pirates (2022), is set as high as the waves cresting the Jolly Roger - taking everything that has been achieved to date to another level. With the second chapter of the pirates’ saga, Visions of Atlantis prove that they are more than ready to claim the crown of symphonic metal.

The band would play quite a few songs at the recent 1720 show where they opened for the grand and mighty Korpiklaani. Prior to Vision’s epic set, pirate queen Clèmentine Delauney and brave captain Michele Guaitoli sat down with Highwire Daze for an interview, which included an exclusive photo/center poster shoot by Jack Lue. Read on...

We’re here with Clemi and Meek from Visions of Atlantis. First of all, where did the wonderful crown come from?

Clemi: I got it from a designer in Ukraine. She is specialized in making crowns of any styles and fell in love with her crafts and contacted her, told her, I would love a crown of this genre that you already made, but it’s for a pirate queen. Can you put all the sea-related elements that you can find? And she did it, and it’s wonderful. It’s pirate-ish, and if you look at the details, it has the little sea horses and fish bones and stuff, so it really fits the picture I had, so it was great collaboration.

How is this tour with Korpiklaani been going and what have been some of the highlights for you both?

Meek: Honestly, it’s always great to come to the North American seas, because for us it feels fresh. We’ve been touring Europe for so long! Even if we already played this venue, for instance, it still feels fresh, it still feels like something new. And doing it with Korpiklaani personally, I think it’s a fantastic experience, because these people that are fans of Korpiklaani - they basically have no clue of who Visions of Atlantis are, and 16

vice versa - the fans that are coming for us, they have no idea of who Korpiklaani are most of the time - because it’s two styles that, despite being matchable in a way, because it’s a great discovery for everyone, it’s bands that are too far, style-wise, to be connected. And what’s happening after every show is that so many fans from Korpiklaani are like, “Hey, it’s the first time I saw you, it’s the first time that I get to know the band, you blew me away” And the same thing is happening to them. So I think it’s a great match and a great discovery for the people that are attending the shows.

Let’s jump the upcoming album Pirates II - Armada.

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Is there any overall story or concept behind the album?

Clemi: Concept? Not really. We wanted to continue the journey we started with Pirates, also because when we started to write songs, they definitely were coming from musically pretty much the same source, let’s say. It was very coherent, music-wise. But also different. This album is a step forward in many ways, compared to everything that we’ve ever released before. So yeah, there is no concept per se, but there was this will to continue the journey, that’s why it’s called Pirates II. Because if you could take songs from Pirates II and Pirates together, you could make a beautiful Pirate-related playlist that would work. And it has a lot of common points with Pirates. It’s not a concept album, but it’s just a continuity.

How do you both personally relate to the pirates that you envision on the album and in the videos?

Clemi: It’s more a philosophical approach than a strict consensus being a pirate in real life. It’s more on the philosophical aspect, on chasing your own dreams and trying to be your best self. Your empowered self, the one that goes for his own values, his own world, and crafting out there the dream you have inside. And all my lyrics are metaphorical. The whole pirate concept for Visions is actually a huge metaphor for just being your most empowered self that will conquer his own world and make his dreams and his life happen the way he wants it to be. And chasing his own approach to freedom and his own approach to joy and his own approach to fun. Yeah, so anyone can be a pirate. That’s the message that we would love to embody.

Clemi, Exit Eden, what’s currently going on with that band?

Clemi: We just released a brand new album, Femme Fatale. And it was a great comeback after seven years.

And a lot of people dig that new record that is made of both original and covers. This time, we had a lot of brand new original songs. That was the main difference with the album before. And, of course, Amanda Somerville had to leave the project in between. But now we’re waiting for our agency to give us insight on tour dates because that’s the only aspect that is still missing for the band, is to be present on stages. We’re eager for that. We cannot wait for it to happen. Because the only few times that Exit Eden’s been on stage, it’s been an absolute blast because people know the songs, especially the covers. Everyone sings along. It’s a huge party and the girls HIGHWIRE DAZE

May/June 2024

in there, they’re my best friends, in a way. So I would love to go on tour with them, have fun with them, land share the music with the crowd.

Meek, what’s currently going on with Temperance?

Meek: Temperance also has a new album, which is called Hermitage - Daruma’s Eyes Pt. 2. This year, I barely was home. Because it started with the 70,000 Tons Of Metal with Temperance. Right after, I jumped on tour with Temperance.

We were special guests for Serenity, which is a band that is pretty familiar, both to Visions, especially to Clemi. And in Europe, it went really well. We even recorded some shows, and we are thinking about releasing a live album. This is like a little scoop that I’m giving you because there are some videos that we filmed during the tour, and some recordings that we probably will release at a certain point. Hermitage Live. And now, we just got confirmed for a Prog Power, and we are already working with our agent to tour again. And it’s not gong to stop.

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And Clemi, you were on the Temperance album. What was that experience like?

Clemi: I was honored to be asked to be part of the choirs, and it was really fun. We were, like eight, ten people?

Meek: I think ten. Five girls and five guys.

Clemi: Yeah, girls on the one side and guys on the other in the same room. And Marco was guiding us like a real nice choir conductor. And of course on that moment I couldn’t even hear the song because we were recording just the parts where the choir was needed because of time efficiency. And so I was like, I have no idea of the results, but it was a lot of fun. I love to sing in choirs.

I love to sing anyway. And I was very happy to be part of a Temperance album because of the connection with this band and also because they’re friends. So it was nice. When I heard the final result I was really amazed because it’s a very unique personal piece, this new Tem-

Carrie Cane-Drums

Frank Garrett- Bass

perance album. I think it did a great composition work with the choirs and with everything. So I’m very happy to be a part of it.

Do you have any messages for the fans out here in Los Angeles who are reading the magazine right now?

Clemi: First of all, thank you so much for being always there when we come to LA. We’ve played five shows in LA so we are starting to have a little pirate empire with a little pirate flag with the metal fans in LA, and we want to thank them so much for being so faithful, for coming back to the shows, and for requesting us to come every time that we can...

https://www.visionsofatlantis.at/ https://www.temperanceband.com/ https://exit-eden.com/

Tone Raven-Guitar/ Vocals

Rae Owl StarlingKeyboard

Luthario MitchoTurntable

Friday June 7,2024 7:30 PM w/Babylon AD Thurs Sept 26,2024 6:45PM w/Lynch Mob Mr.Scary and guitar son Tone Raven one stage,one night live! youtube.com/toneraventunes facebook.com/ravenscrymusic 18

Wed Nov 13,2024 8:30PM w/Tantric May/June 2024

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Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark: 45 Years and Counting

Interview by Ken Morton Over the past 45 years — give or take a decade break — the illustrious and critically acclaimed Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) have sold over 40 million records worldwide, establishing them as electronic synthesiser pioneers and one of Britain’s best-loved pop groups. Their 13 long players include benchmark-raising classics Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (1980), Organisation (1980), Architecture & Morality (1981), and Dazzle Ships (1983).

OMD conquered the United States, and yielded the 1986 hit, If You Leave from the Pretty In Pink Soundtrack.

OMD returned last year with their first new studio album since 2017’s highly praised The Punishment Of Luxury, a record entitled Bauhaus Staircase (released via White Noise through The Orchard). And now OMD has announced two big dates at the iconic Greek Theater in Los Angeles, one night of which has already sold out at press time. It was an honor to chat with OMD member Paul Humphreys to discuss their upcoming North American Tour, the making of Bauhaus Staaricase, their 45 glorious years as a band, and a whole lot more!

We’re here with Paul Humphreys from OMD. First of all, what are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming US tour in the fall?

Yeah, I mean, the thing is, we’ve always loved touring America. It’s one of our absolute favorite places to tour. American audiences are kind of different to the rest of the world. And they’re, more gregarious, they’re more lively, so yeah we love the shows. We love traveling around America. We’ve been touring America since the early eighties. And every time this American tour shows up on the schedule, we go “Yeah!” We also travel around on a Nightliner tour bus where we sleep and we hang out with our crew all the time, who are great fun. Because we’re one of those bands that we don’t really have a hierarchy - all our crew is just as important to the show as the band. So, we’re great friends with our crew as well. So we always have great fun touring around.

Included in this tour is going to be two nights at the legendary Greek theater in Los Angeles. What do you think about that theater and about the city of Los Angeles overall?

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Well, I used to live in Los Angeles. I lived in Los Angeles for 15 years actually. Because I married a California girl.

I have an American-born daughter who also still lives in Los Angeles. So I go to Los Angeles a lot, even though I’m certainly divorced from my first wife. It’s a long, long time ago. But we’re still good friends. And I keep visiting LA to see my daughter. So yeah, I’m still in LA a lot, love LA. But, you know, we did the Greek Theater, with the Barenaked Ladies we were supporting the Barenaked Ladies, and we thought, wow, that was our first gig at the Greek. And we thought, you know, we want to come around here and headline it ourselves next time.

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So last tour we did, we played one night at the Greek and that sold out. So we put two shows on for the Greek this time, and the first one’s sold out, and the second one’s getting up there as well. We seem to be doing something right at the moment. Because lots of people want to come and see us around the world. We’re selling a lot of tickets at the moment. We’re just on our European tour at the moment, and just about all the tour has been sold out. So we’re doing something right.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the title and the song Bauhaus Staircase?

Bauhaus Staircase - we have to understand with OMD is that I’m the electronics geek, and Andy is the artistry history geek. And, he is a big fan of sort of 20th-century art. And he found the painting, it was a painting by Oscar Schlemmer called Bauhaus Staircase. And so he really wanted to write a song about that. And, we see it as a bit of a metaphor.

I mean, the Bauhaus movement was shut down by the Nazis, in 1933. And, because they thought it was a threat to totalitarian regimes- art is a threat because they can’t control art.

So in an attempt to control art they shut it down. And, we’re sort of a bit worried about the world at the moment, about totalitarian regimes and there’s a movement to the far right everywhere, trying to control everybody and control things.

So we used it as a bit of a metaphor.

How much of the new album was influenced by the Pandemic? If at all?

It exists because of the Pandemic. I was down in the south of France and got stuck there, which was no bad thing and Andy was stuck in his house, near Liverpool. And, I think Andy was a bit more bored than me because I was in the south of France, and at least the weather was amazing. And so he kept texting me if “you’ve got any ideas, if you’ve got any music ideas, I’m really, really bored.” Because we hadn’t even thought about making a new album. Our last album Punishment of Luxury is five years ago. And we were wondering whether to make that our last album. But then, Andy kept texting me, “Have you got any music? Got any music?”

And so I started sending him things, and then he started to develop them and started writing his own stuff. And, before we knew it, we had an album. I mean, we never really announced that we’re going to make a new album. Our last album was so well received by fans and critics alike that, we thought, if that’s going to be our last recorded offering, we’ll end on a high. We’re really big self-critics, and we don’t want to release an album just to brand the next tour. We have to say something on our album and the songs have to be strong enough. So after about a year of writing, we kind of realized that we had the album was good enough to be a new OMD release.

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Do you feel that this could be the last OMD album? Or do you still feel you have a lot of creativity to go even further?

We always say that, but we have to say, we never say never really in life, you know? I mean, we’ve been going 45 years now. We had our 45th anniversary on the 12th of October last year. So, we’re not getting any younger. So, I mean, the thing is, we’ve got masses of energy though, and we keep touring because we’ve got loads of energy and we put on a very energetic show. So as long as we have energy, we’ll keep doing it. So, yeah, we’ll see. We never say never. I mean, the thing is, we get inspired all the time. We’re always kind of keeping notes and chord ideas and melody ideas. So who knows if we have the energy to make a record as well as tour with maybe one record left in us. Who knows?

Junk Culture is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

When you look back on Junk Culture and the fact that it’s been 40 years, what do you think of it now in retrospect?

I look back at Junk Culture quite fondly. It took us a while to get that album completed. Because we did it at George Martin, the Beatles producer’s studio, on an Island of Montserrat. And we couldn’t get it finished there. And then we went to Belgium and Holland to finish it after that. So it took a while, but I think we were feeling a lot of pressure when we made that record, because, the album before was Dazzle Ships. And, even though Dazzle Ships is cited as one of our most seminal and exciting records at the time, we released it. And we kind of confused our audience. Because it was a littlem ahead of its time, because it was a very experimental album.

And, it didn’t sell that well, even though there’s lots of bands, including bands like Radiohead cited it as a very 21

influential album for them, but it didn’t sell very well. And so we felt the kind of, the pressure then of having to make a commercially successful album. So I think we left behind a bit of our experimentation and just concentrated on writing songs that were a bit more commercial. So that’s my overriding memory of Junk Culture. But there are some really good songs on that record for sure, Locomotion, Tesla Girls, Talking Loud and Clear - they’re all from that record.

What do you think has kept you so excited about, OMD and electronic music for 45 years now?

Electronic music was always my passion. As kids, Andy and I discovered Kraftwerk’s Autobahn, heard it on the radio. That was in 1974. And we were just kids. I was 14.

But I heard it and thought, “Wow, that sounds like the future.

That’s what I want to do, I want to make music that sounds like the future.” So that’s why we started with electronics.

And, to be honest, it was a struggle when we started making electronic music there was a backlash against it. It was just like, oh, oh, it’s done by computers, it’s done by all these electronics. You just push a button and it writes the song for you, you know? And it’s not real music because it doesn’t have a guitar in it.

And so in the seventies and even early eighties, we were fighting a battle, to have electronic music accepted. And now, of course, it’s immersed in almost all genres of music.

And, so, yeah, it was difficult starting out. But of course, we’re sort of known as pioneers in that field, so it’s good that we were on the sort of cusp of the new electronic revolution. But now we’re still true to our roots and we still love making electronic music. We still love listening to electronic music. But when we get out on stage, we’re kind of more of an electro-rock band because we have a real drummer and we have lots of energy and we put on a bit of a rock show in a way. But it’s still with a lot of electronics as well and good reproductions of our songs that people want to hear.

Do you have any messages for, OMD fans who are reading this right now?

Well, if you’re OMD fans, thank you for your support for all these years. I mean, no one is more surprised than us to be going for 45 years and people still want to come and see us and buy our records. So I just want to say thank you to all those people out there that still support us.

https://omd.uk.com/

w/

ΛIЯ-IK

Join Air-Ik as he hosts The Metal Block on his YouTube channel @TheMetalBlock380.

The show features MUSIC TALK ,VIDEOS, including topics like TOP 10’s, Best Of’s, Video Showdowns,Special Guests and More!!!

@TheMetalBlock380

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A Countdown to Modern English

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

Modern English recently released 1 2 3 4, the legendary British new wave/post-punk band’s first album of new material in eight years. Touring the States in support of their latest endeavor with the Buzzcocks, Modern English played a tremendous sold out show at The Teragram Ballroom deep in the heart of Downtown LA. A few weeks prior to the tour, Highwire Daze caught up with bassist and founding member Michael Conroy to find out more about their epic new album, connection with the Buzzcocks, their landmark I Melt With You pop tune, and more!

We’re here with Mike Conroy from Modern English. Let’s go ahead and immediately talk about the great new album, 1 2 3 4. What does that title mean to you, 1 2 3 4?

Usual thing, when you make a new LP, it’s like, “What are you going to call it?” We pretty much recorded the whole album live in the studio, like take one, two, three or four. Half of the songs, the drummer counts everyone in with a bit like the Ramones, “1 2 3 4.” We were discussing what to call the LP. Robbie actually, he said, “Why don’t we just call it 1 2 3 4 because that’s how all of the songs start?” Pretty basic, no magic numeral stuff going on there. Just, “Let’s go!”

You’ve got some amazing new songs on there. Let’s talk about Long in the Tooth. What does that song mean to you?

That’s basically a song that, lyrically, is about where Robbie is at the moment. He’s kind of like, “We’re not spring chickens anymore.” Long in the Tooth is someone that’s getting on in their years. But the thing is Robbie actually kind of came up with that song. So it’s quite a great big nod to our early days when we were kids, punk rockers, trying to play fast music with energy. I think it’s quite about sounding too over the top, it’s like being old, but channeling the music of our youth at the same time.

Not My Leader, tell me a little about that one.

A similar kind of thing, that was the first track we’d actually recorded. We did that a while ago actually because of COVID and sudden changes in the way the entire world was operating. Not My Leader was not completely fully formed.

Rob, again, wrote the lyrics for that. I think it was just him shouting at the television, politicians, whatever people are HIGHWIRE DAZE

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saying, “I think it’s in our best interest to do this as a country.” Of course, in democracies, quite often just under 50% of the country don’t agree with what that person’s saying anyway. So I think that’s basically what that song’s about: Robbie not agreeing with everyone, which is a good thing.

It just seems like from when Modern English started, Margaret Thatcher to today, Donald Trump, nothing’s changed.

No. Apart from the fact, I think it’s a lot more crazy. So Margaret Thatcher, she wasn’t my choice. Her and Reagan, they were politicians who understood how politics work. They weren’t just shouting, “Vote for me,” and you’ll get jam tomorrow. What’s going on now with all of this populist politicians is just insane. It’s kind of like telling people what to think and what not to think, and not letting people think for themselves really.

I want to talk about one more song, which is one of my favorite songs on the album, Plastic. Tell me a little about that one.

Basically at that time, beaches all over the world were just full of rubbish: empty Coca-Cola bottles and shopping bags and stuff like that. I think that’s where Rob got his inspiration lyrically on that song.

Mario J. McNulty produced the album. He’s worked with David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, Linkin Park even. What was it like working with Mario?

It was really good. Mario’s a lovely guy. He’s also worked with Philip Glass, which I was quite really interested in then. Mario, his approach was slightly different from what I expected. When we first started, you just go in the studio and record together as a band. We wanted to make the record as live as possible. Mario was totally into it. We did lots of pre-production with Mario, making sure that parts flowed into the next part. It all sounded good. Mario was amazing at capturing a live performance and saying, “That’s it, that’s the take.”

Also, I used to watch him work and I think, “Aren’t you a bit concerned about that bass drum in the second verse?” He’d say, “No, get over yourself, carry on.” I thought, “All right.”

I even said to him, “When you did work with Bowie, did they just go in and bang out a song and say, ‘Right, next.’?” He’d 25

say, “Yes.” I would have spent more time looking at stuff, but now in retrospect, I know that that time would have probably just been wasted, navel gazing, listening to hi-hats and snare drums, whereas Mario was saying, “Just listen to the whole song,” which was quite good fun working like that. It just reminded us time is precious and we can record more songs if we’re not chatting and over-analyzing stuff.

I recently saw the Buzzcocks a few months ago at a punk festival and they were awesome. What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming tour with the Buzzcocks?

When I was a kid, the Buzzcocks and Wire were possibly my two favorite groups. I used to go and see the Buzzcocks all the time. I think they’re doing that Singles Going Steady album on this tour, which basically is the greatest hits of the Buzzcocks. I know every word to all of their songs. I’m a massive fan. I’m just looking forward to seeing them play.

One of the good things about going on tour with bands like the Buzzcocks is that I get to see them for free.

Did you know the late Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks?

Oddly enough, when we, Modern English, recorded our fourth LP, we did it with Martin Rushent. He was the producer of all of the Buzzcocks’ LPs when Pete Shelley was alive. And Pete Shelley was living at the studio for a time.

He was a very nice guy. He was just working at the same time as us at the studio. Before, like I said, I’d only ever seen him on stage singing as a member of the audience.

Let’s go back to this new album. How do you think 1 2 3 4 compares to the classic Modern English albums of the 80s?

I think it’s a mixture of After The Snow and Mesh & Lace for our first album, which took a long time before it got released in America, which is different from After the Snow.

After the Snow is more about songs and Mesh & Lace was more about aggression and noise. So, I think there’s a mixture of those two and there’s one or two pieces on 1 2 3 4 that do remind me of Ricochet Days. Because Gary and Steve are both on the record, 1 2 3 4, it could have come after Ricochet Days, really. There’s a continuum in the field. But of course, there’s a 40 year gap in between those records.

I Melt With You - that song will be with Modern English forever and a day. We hear that on the radio here in Los Angeles every day still. Did you ever think that I Melt With You would become such a huge song for you?

No. At the time, we worked with Hugh Jones, who’d just previously done Heaven Up Here by the Echo & the Bunnymen, which was a great LP. So with Hugh Jones, that was the first time we’d worked with a producer, and it was a fascinating experience. Every idea that we had, he wanted to hear, and we showed him I Melt With You, and our general 26

feeling within the band was that it sounded a bit too commercial and poppy, should we say, as if it was a crime in our stupid heads to sound poppy.

But Hugh Jones latched onto it and said, “No, this is a good song. We can definitely work this into the album.” It got a bit of interest, initially, and then it never got into the top 40 or anything like that. It was in Valley Girl, and it was like on underground college radio, KROQ, and it grew over time.

It meant more to people than we ever could have thought it would mean.

Do you have any messages for Modern English fans here in the Los Angeles Orange County area who are reading this now?

I definitely would recommend that if you’re a curious type, check out the new Modern English album, 1 2 3 4. It’s available in the few record shops that are left in the world, and of course the streaming services, etc., and on your handheld device.

https://modernenglish.me/ May/June 2024

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S T I A R T OR

P D BAN

@SOFINCHPHOTOGRAPHY (562) 326-0653 | SOFINCHPHOTOGRAPHY@GMAIL.COM

SO FINCH PHOTOGRAPHY

Kitten Kay Sera (IG @kittenkaysera) of Pinktastic Plastixx (IG @pinktasticplastixx) performing at Whisky A-Go-Go February 16, 2024.

Babylon A.D. present Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day

Interview by Ken Morton - Live Photo by Joe Schaeffer

(Derek Laughing)

Babylon A.D. has returned to rock the world once more with Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day - their latest magnum opus now available via Perris Records. In the grand tradition of their well received iconic early albums, Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day presents Babylon A.D. at their very best! All this, and Babylon A.D. return to the world famous Whisky on June 7th! Highwire Daze recently caught up with lead vocalist Derek Davis to find out more about the amazing new album!

What is the inspiration behind the first single Wrecking Machine?

The song came about when lead guitarist John Matthews played me an old cassette tape recording of live music he had done with Leonard Hayes drummer for Y&T. I thought the opening riff was really cool and I played the music track a few times in my studio and came up with the idea for the song and lyrics pretty quick.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the album title Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day? Other than it took 6 years to release this new album, no!

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The song is about a lost girl with destructive mental problems. She’s manipulative and vengeful and she is a created AI Robot! She’s not happy unless she is destroying people, relationships and eventually the world. She is a Sci-Fi 29

“WRECKING MACHINE” come to life! We are extremely happy with the way the visual idea of the video and track came together.

Select two other songs from Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day and what inspired the lyrics?

Face of God is probably the most inspirational and closest to my heart. It is a universal conversation piece that I think everyone has had to ask themselves at one time or another.

Also Sometimes Love Is Hell is another example of what it means to be in love and go through the ups and downs, the doubts you may feel about your relationship with the other person and the confusion that sometimes exists. And everyone in the world that has been in a loving relationship can relate to it.

Who produced Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day and what was it like working with them?

I produced, mixed, and engineered the album and it was really fun but extremely tough sometimes because there are so many different types of songs on it and I had to glue them all together to give them the Babylon A.D. signature sound.

How does Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day compare to the previous Babylon A.D. releases?

I personally think it is by far the best one we have ever done.

As a band and as a singer/ songwriter I feel we have matured leaps and bounds, but we have been lucky enough to still write songs that could have been on our first album, so me and the guys our very proud of what we have accomplished.

How did your partnership with Perris Records come about?

I have known Tom Mathers the President over 20 years now. We released American Blitzkrieg with him as well as last years album Live Lightning. So it was very easy when he asked if we would do another album for the label. We jumped at the chance.

What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming show at the Whisky on the Sunset Strip? And what is your history with the legendary venue?

I love The Whisky and have seen many great shows there as well as been lucky enough to share the same stage as legendary musicians like Jim Morrison and all the 60’s,70’s icons, it just feels amazing when I am on the same stage and very humbling to know I am standing where all the biggest and greatest artists have stood.

Introduce the two new members in the band Craig Pepe (bass) and Dylan Soto (drums) and what are their backgrounds.

Dylan Soto, our new drummer is an amazing talented 23 year old who plays drums as well as guitar, he also sings and he can write music so he is a very big plus for the band.

Craig Pepe is a journeyman bass player who has played around the Los Angeles music scene for many years. To30

gether they bring a very well disciplined, tight hard driving rhythm section which Babylon A.D. needs to fuel our engine that motors our machine.

Do you still enjoy playing the classic Babylon A.D. songs such as Bang Goes The Bells and Hammer Swings Down after all this time?

Absolutely, they are the bread and butter of our sets and the fans are always so animated when we play them, they sing every line with us, it is so cool and gratifying to know these songs touched a part of their history and our songs meant something in their lives.

Any new solo music on the horizon?

Absolutely, I have a bunch of songs written in the bucket and I am also writing with Dan DeLaRosa for a new project to be released next year as well.

In addition to the Whisky show, what’s up next for Babylon A.D.?

We also are playing Monsters On The Mountain with Tesla, Joan Jett, Foghat and more great bands and we have a bunch of dates going through the states that are about to be announced very soon. As well as the next single/video Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day which will be released in June.

Do you have any messages for Babylon A.D. fans who are reading this now?

I can say from the boys in Babylon A.D. thank you so much for being part of our lives and keeping the dream alive, It is a great ride and without the fans we would not exist.

https://babylonadband.com/ https://perrisrecords.com/ May/June 2024

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Sponge: A Chat From The Whisky Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Jack Lue The almighty Sponge made their way out to the Southland to play a sold out show at the world famous Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip. Performing songs from a vast and epic career in music, vocalist Vinnie Dombrowski and his band were in top form, and absolutely rocked the venue! Prior to Sponge’s powerhouse set, Highwire Daze went backstage at The Whisky for a brief yet all-encompassing interview with Vinnie Dombrowski! Read on...

We’re here with Vinnie from Sponge. First of all, what are you looking forward to the most about your show here at the World Famous Whisky?

This place makes me feel, I hate to say it sometimes, like I allow myself to feel like a tourist. I walk in here, I get excited like when I walk into Sun Studios or perhaps Graceland in Memphis. The Whisky still gives me chills to just walk in the door.

Planet Girls for Record Store Day, why did it take you so long for this album to see the light of day?

Never thought we would release it, and the only reason we decided to put something like this out was because of the guys at Sound City Records, Jason Hartless, and his dad. They presented the idea to us, they said they would put it out on vinyl. My thing was it would be smart to do something that was special. Because they’re doing it on vinyl, it’s exciting to us, it’s different for us, so we decided to go ahead and move forward with it. That’s probably the only reason we saw the light of day.

How did Jason Hartless become involved? He’s like best known of course for being Ted Nugent’s drummer.

We were without a drummer and Jason jumped in, and Jason probably played drums for us for about, I don’t know, maybe six months or something like that. After that, we’ve been talking back and forth ever since.

What was it like to revisit these old songs after so long? Had you even heard them in a while?

No, I think some of them I have not heard in many years, but it made me understand why we didn’t decide to put that record out back then. Some of the stuff is really powerful, it’s really good, but it just didn’t fit the band’s vision at the time, and it reminded me of that. I just go, “Okay, I get it. Now, I understand why we didn’t put it out back then.”

Let’s just go to the past for a bit. Ten years ago, Stop the Bleeding came out. When you look back to that album now, what do you think of that album in retrospect?

Wow, we were really stretching. We were using some tradiHIGHWIRE DAZE

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tional production style, like Tim Patalan and I working together writing songs, picking the songs, and Tim producing the songs, with some traditional style Sponge. But then there was some non-traditional style mixes that we wrestled with, which is really different with Sponge. It’s almost like Skrillex-meets-Sponge We’re going to go back 20 years, For All The Drugs In The World. Talk about that one, and what do you think of it now in retrospect?

I think that record stands on its own to this day. Joey Mazzola was still in the band at the time, while we were two guitar players. I listened to that record, and I still think there are some great songs on that record. One song that a lot of folks ask us about is Burn, which is a fantastic tune. I’m proud of that record, stands on its own.

Rotting Piñata celebrating its 30th anniversary this year!

What goes through your mind knowing that Rotting Piñata came out 30 years ago?

I can’t believe that time has passed and after the fact that we’re still out here doing it, and for the fact that people still want to hear the songs, it just blows my mind.

Do you still enjoy playing Plowed and Molly after all this time?

I don’t get tired of it, man. People want to hear the songs, and they come to the shows, and I go, “Yup, we’re going to play Molly, and we’re going to play Plowed!”

I want to switch over to The Lucid. What has it been like working with David Ellefson?

What a gentleman and a pro. He works real hard, plays his ass off, he’s got good ideas, and he’s just a very good dude.

You once opened for KISS.What was that experience like?

That was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I’m just so proud of that moment to be in our hometown in one of the most iconic baseball stadiums. It’s no longer around. We just had a great day playing with our friends, Alice In Chains, probably one of the last two or three shows that Layne did, and it was just a perfect day.

Do you have any messages for Sponge fans who are reading this now?

Mad love to all the folks that keep coming to the shows, keep looking out for what we’re doing. Go to our Facebook, facebook.com/sponge rocks, or spongebaband.com to find out what we’re doing.

https://www.spongetheband.com/ 35

In A World of Shred with

Constance Antoinette Interview by Ken Morton - Photos by Jack Lue Constance Antoinette is a world class musician who has been touring with the likes of Demi Lovato, Till Lindemann, and Aesthetic Perfection. She is also known for her particpation in the She Demons who toured with the one and only Misfits! Currently working on her own solo project before hitting the road once more, Constance Antoinette is sure to be crossing your path sometime this summer or beyond. Highwire Daze caught up with Constance at a Jack Lue photoshoot to find out the current happenings of a very brilliant careeer in music!

What was it touring with Demi Lovato and how did you secure that gig?

I actually was in a band with Leanne Bowes, who plays bass and she’s also Demi’s MD. We actually played in Shira Girl together and we played Warped Tour together. Nita Strauss was playing guitar for Demi, and she moved on to playing with Alice Cooper again. They needed a guitar player, and Leanne put my name in for an audition. I got the audition and a few months later I booked it – and here I am. And it’s really fun. She’s a great person to play for – and honestly, she’s really, really sweet – and really, really fun.

What do you think of Nita Strauss and her guitar playing?

Oh, she’s so awesome! I love Nita. It was kind of big shoes to fill in because Nita’s a legend. When I was in high school, she was starting to blow up already, because I’m a few years behind her. Replacing her in the band – I was really nervous because she’s such an amazing player. And so, it’s an honor, obviously. She’s really rad. Just seeing her onstage and seeing her play. I went and saw her with Alice Cooper actually last year, and it blew me away. She’s incredible!

How did wind up playing with Till Lindemann?

I was playing with (and still play with) Aesthetic Perfection – and Joe Letz, who plays drums in Aesthetic Perfection – is also the MD and plays drums for Till Lindemann. We did a whole tour together with Aesthetic Perfection, which is one of my favorite bands I’ve ever played in – they’re great.

And it turned out they needed a keyboardist for a show last minute with Till in Mexico – Hell and Heaven Fest. And we were co-headlining with Pantera that night – and I’ve never played a show that big in my life! And it turned out they needed a keyboardist, and they just kept me in the band.

And keyboard – not guitar…

I play keys. I also play bass and drums – and flute, which is HIGHWIRE DAZE

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random enough – I usually don’t tell people that one. But you can have it in there, that’s fine. I was playing keys and guitar in Aesthetic Perfection. So, while I was doing that, he was seeing me on keys in real time every night onstage – and I would do crazy dance moves and I’d do backbends and flips and cartwheels, splits, and stuff while I played keys.

And he said, “I’ve never seen anyone play keys like this before.” And he actually sent a video of me playing keys – and I didn’t even know – to Till. And he was like, “Look at her playing keys – I’ve never seen anyone playing keys like this.

She has to be keyboardist!” So, it’s cool. It’s nice to play different things in different bands.

What’s are you looking forward to the most about playing the Aftershock Festival with Till opening for Slayer?

We’re actually co-headlining. It’s insane! I’m super excited.

I’m obviously a big metalhead myself – I was a real thrasher in high school. And that I’m literally co-headlining with one of the biggest thrash metal bands in the world is insane! The only other one I would be even more excited about would be Metallica. That’s like a goal one day. One day, maybe…

It could happen! You never know. So, let’s talk about your solo song Freakshow. What was the inspiration behind that?

So, the inspiration behind that. I have a lot of – even myself, growing up, and being a metalhead, wearing band shirts – I was called a freak in high school. I had hair in front of my face, and I played guitar – and people were like “She’s really weird. That weird metal girl – she’s a freak.” That really stuck with me growing up. And then, as an adult seeing people treat each other like that- it’s actually meaner now, because can really feel the hate – as opposed to the kids teasing you. And that was more of a song to help me and my friends around me deal with the struggles of not fitting in with the norm – and just learning that everyone has a little secret, and everyone’s a little weird somewhat. And just let everyone know that we all have it. Welcome to the freakshow – we’re all freaks – get over it! And it’s just a way to make everyone feel more comfortable and supportive.

You have a song called Hypnotic. Tell me a little about that one and the inspiration behind it.

That one is a little more of a naughty song (laugher). Just the inspiration behind it – I was writing it with Lenny J actually and he produced it – he also produced Freakshow too. That song was just more melodic for me. I just like the melody of it. The lyrics just kind of fell into place – they’re just more fun. We were just bouncing off each other some words and 37

some nasty words to put in there. And I was like “These are kind of gross – how about Hypnotic?” (Laughter) Maybe Megan Thee Stallion could do all those lyrics. She could pull them off. I tried – and I was like, “I feel weird – I can’t do it.” So that’s why it’s a little more Hypnotic.

Hypnotic sounds nice…

Yeah, right? It kind of fused together hip-hop with metal – because I do like hip-hop. I like metal. I like rock. I like pop.

I pretty much like everything. And I wanted to fuse together my two favorites – which is hip-hop and metal. And that’s what I did with that one.

How did your collaboration with Lenny J come about? You work together a lot.

We met each other during Covid and starting producing together first – and that was the main thing. We started writing and we realized that we work really well together. And once you find a producer that you like to work with, you don’t really like to switch producers. Not saying that I haven’t worked with others – I have. Right now, I’m currently working on an EP, and he’ll be mostly doing that one – and I’ll have a few songs here and there with other people.

Your song Out Of Time has 322,000 plays on Spotify. What does a number like that mean to you?

I don’t know. I wasn’t even expecting it. Every time I look at my Spotify, there’s more streams on it. Because I focus more on the other bands, I’m in and playing with people, I haven’t been focusing on making my music – which is what I’m doing now. To get that many streams is just insane – at least to me, it’s a huge accomplishment. I don’t even know where they came from, but thank you to whoever has been streaming it. If it’s my mom in her room streaming it or it’s my fans I don’t know – but either way, I’m very happy!

When you look back on your time spent with She Demons, what do you think of it now in retrospect?

I think it would be a good learning experience for me. I was 21 when I went on that tour, and I joined the band at 20. It was a very learning time of my life – at 21 you think you know it all – you think, “I’m old enough to drink – I could do anything now. I’m a grown adult!” And really, you’re not at all. You’re just legally an adult. That was my first full on tour. I had only done West Coast tours, so that was my first national tour – and that was a learning curve to wake up on a bus every day and how to like live on a bus with people every day. That was a big opportunity for me, but also, I think helped shape me and make me the musician I am today. But it was crazy. I was playing with the Misfits – I was opening for them! That was a great experience – I just love it so much – and going back and revisiting it. I hadn’t revisited it in my brain for a while. A lot of late nights – a lot of drinking – but a lot of bonding and realizing that I really love touring with women – so that was also another positive experience.

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Have you kept in touch with Alicia and what do you think about DragonForce?

Of course. That’s so sick! I’m so happy she has that gig. It makes my heart really happy that all of us are still working and doing something – because we were all so young when we joined the band. Looking forward, Alicia is playing with DragonForce – I’m playing with people – Kiki’s social media is insane! She’s doing super well. (And at press time, Kiki Wongo has joined the legendary Smashing Pumpkins – Editor’s Note.) And Priya, she’s doing so well in her life, and she’s released a bunch of singles. And Jess – I actually just did a video shoot with her like two weeks ago – and she’s killing it too. She’s on tour right now in Europe! So yeah, I keep in touch with all of them.

What’s up next for you and your various projects?

I can’t announce yet if there will be a tour coming up soon, but I can say that I won’t be home soon. I have been home a few months and I’ve been recording an EP and writing it in real time. It’s a lot, but I’m going to have a lot of features on there with artists that hopefully you know and artists that hopefully the rest of the world knows as well. And it’s going to be a lot heavier…

https://www.instagram.com/offwithhershredz/ May/June 2024

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JUNE

Lypswitch: Into A World Of Sin

Interview by Ken Morton Originally from Orlando, Florida, Lypswitch moved to the wilds of Hollywood in April of 1988. The band kicked and clawed their way around the Strip scene packing the usual hotspots such as The Whisky (a favorite of theirs), Gazzarris, The Roxy, and The Troubadour, while frequently playing with rival bands such as Taz, Scratch, Liquor Sweet, Blackboard Jungle, Funhouse, as well as Bang Tango and Love/Hate, who, of course, went onto significant label success. Along with that healthy competition, Lypswitch also had plenty of press from L.A. rags like BAM, Rock City News, and Screamer, as well as even getting coveted airplay on the legendary KNAC Pure Rock 105.5 FM with their first 40

single Rattlesnake Skin in late 1989. Along the way, they also took part in the L.A. band traditions of posting flyers, making phone calls to people on their mailing list, and even sending newsletters to people who listed themselves in the pen pal section of Metal Edge Magazine. It was an idea that helped the band spread their name all over the country and even internationally! And now Lypswitch and Eonion Records present World Of Sin, featuring songs from the glory days of the Sunset Strip as well as three brand new selections!

Highwire Daze recently interviewed Lypswitch to find out more about this epically underrated band! Read on...

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Lypswitch, and May/June 2024

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how long the band has been together.

Danny Whaley - Vocals, the band started in 1987 in Orlando, Florida.

Mick O’Brien - Guitar and producer.

David Love - Bass KA - Drums.

How did the collaboration between Lypswitch and Eonian Records come about?

KA: In early 2023 we released a new single and video for the song “Get Out - RUN”. Stephen Craig from Eonian contacted us in late February to express interest in the new song and remastering our 30 years CD (self-released in 2018) and was also interested in any new material to release. We had two other songs we were also working on, and by July we had signed the contract with a release date set for early 2024.

We finished up the other two songs in August of last year and Eonian did the rest. It was great to work with a label since everything we have done in the past has always been done by us. Stephen set up a dropbox and we went through the Lyp vaults and scanned in everything we had from back in the day.

Eddi Calzado did the CD artwork and he really did an amazing job. It has been a great experience working with Eonian and they have been kicking ass promoting the CD. They have worldwide distribution and we are really excited about the new release.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the album title and song World Of Sin? DW: The song is about the realities of life in Los Angeles and what the band was seeing, feeling and living each day when we arrived in April of 1988.

The song also inspired the World of Sin Design that eventually became the new album cover. It was originally designed by David and KA and then brought to life by Alan Forbes, and he did an amazing job. The artwork was on all of the band’s flyers, jackets and the bass drum head. In 2024 the artwork was updated by Eddi Calzada for the Eonian Records release of the World of Sin Album.

What was the inspiration behind American Song?

DW: The song is about what was happening in the USA in the early 90’s, the Gulf War was just starting and this was almost a prediction of bad things to come with the Rodney King LA Riots happening in 1992, and that changed the Sunset Strip scene for good.

Select 2 other songs from World Of Sin and what inspired the lyrics.

MO: World Of Sin is a collaboration between everyone in the band musically and it’s a killer song to play live. It gets our hearts pumping for sure!

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Carry Me Away was fun to write and record. There are some Led Zeppelin influences throughout the song. We all had a lot of input on the writing of that song and the final version you hear is on the CD. I love Danny’s lyrics and melodies.

It wouldn’t have been a great song without his vocals and writing.

Who produced the songs on World Of Sin and what was it like working with them?

KA: Mick O’Brien our guitar player produced the songs we recorded in both 2018 and 2023, and it was a great experience. We recorded our parts in 3 different states all via file sharing and a click track. Guitars and bass were recorded in Florida, Drums in Arizona, and vocals in California.

The remastering by Anthony Focx of Beautiful Creatures is absolutely amazing. What was it like working with him and how did he become involved with the project?

KA: Eonian Records hired him to master/remaster the new CD. He did a great job and has an amazing resume for sure.

And those two Beautiful Creatures records are awesome as well.

Would you like to do a few shows or even a tour in support of World Of Sin? DW: There seems to be a movement and interest for the music we love and played. We are looking for opportunities to play with some of the bands that are playing live again. The spirit of the sunset strip and the bands that grew up through it are still alive.

Any chance of a third Lypswitch album with all new material?

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MO: Never say never, who knows what the future holds.

What was the Hollywood / Sunset Strip scene like when you moved out there in 1988?

MO: It was insane! When all four of us and Dave Brandani (Close friend and road manager) got to Hollywood for the first time it was a major culture shock to say the least. So many bands, so many flyers, and so many girls! It was everything we dreamed of as kids and so much more. We saw the good and bad side of it all. Trouble was always around the corner and somehow we managed to find it. Our music reflects this and we explore a lot of dark topics all inspired by what we saw as young kids in Hollywood.

And do you remember your first show on the Strip? If so, how did it go?

KA: Yes Gazzarri’s April of 1988, an Alibi Artists show with 3 people in attendance on a Sunday night at 8pm… and the bar tender charged me $3.00 for a glass of water after the show. We opened for Snake Rock from Cleveland, who had recently won the KNAC radio pure rock competition. Snake and the guys were very cool to us as we were just kids, I was the oldest and was only 20. They helped us with more shows and we will never forget the kindness they showed us.

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What was it like opening for bands such as Bang Tango and Love/Hate back in the day?

MO: It was great, they were both much more experienced than we were, but they were super cool to us and helped us out by introducing us to promotors and industry people as well.

Up next for Lypswitch?

KA: Keep promoting the new record, more videos are also in the works with Eonian. We are doing CD and Lyp merch giveaways on a great Facebook group called Glam Rock City with our friends Curtis, Mojo, and Tami. More interviews and media reviews are also happening, and at some point, we would like to release a limited run of World of Sin on vinyl.

Messages for fans who are reading this now?

MO: Thank you for reading this and please go to www.lypswitch.com or www.eonianrecords.com to learn more about the band.

www.lypswitch.com www.eonianrecords.com

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HIGHWIRE DAZE

The Let Em Cook Tour

with Fatalist, Last Night of Solace, One Of Us, and Vilamoura

Interviews by Ken Morton

Last Night of Solace and Fatalist will be on the road on their co-headlining Let Em Cook Tour, both in support of their newest music. The tour will take the bands on 9 stops on the West Coast, starting in San Francisco and ending in Corpus Christi, TX. Also on select dates are Vilamoura from Austin and One Of Us from Los Angeles. Let’s get to know the bands on the Let Em Cook Tour...

numetal with a ton of hardcore influences. This will be the first showcase of the new project.

What are you most excited about going on or participating with the Let Em Cook West Coast Tour?

I am honestly excited to get dialed in. What I mean by that is - you don’t really fall into a groove as a project until you have some miles under your belt. There is something about touring and playing live and having that shared experience that really unifies a band. I love being on the road. I love meeting the people who come out to the shows, the bands we play with, and I am just excited to be able to get out there and see what we are made of.

What could one expect from your live show?

Relentless Energy. No stops. No mercy.

FATALIST Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band and what part of the tour you will be on.

My name is Franccesca, I am the vocalist for FATALIST, and we are co-headlining the whole run.

Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Give a bit of background on your band here.

FATALIST was started in 2024, right here in Los Angeles.

The music scene here is crazy - so diverse and the community of people who are dedicated to the local scene is so strong. I started FATALIST after 6 years of being the front-person for Fate DeStroyed. It’s a little scary to basically walk away from a project that was doing (subjectively) well, but I did a lot of soul searching and realized that if I wanted to change the trajectory I was on, I needed to start fresh - do something that started from the beginning in line with the vision instead of trying to convince a fan-base to make the jump. Our music is equal parts metalcore, rap, 44

Select two songs you might be playing at the show and what inspired the lyrics.

The only song we have out right now is Double Down.

The others we are playing are unreleased - which is kind of cool. We get to audience test these tracks before we put them on tape, which is cool. Double Down is our debut track and it features SINIZTER - the track is all about throwing a big middle finger in the face of people who doubt you or think you’re not good enough. I have learned when to accept the criticism and grow from it, and when to say “fXck you” and double down on my path.

Between now and the tour, do you have any new releases coming out or shows you’d like to talk about?

I think we will be releasing a track called “EW” right as the tour gets underway. We have a collaboration with Notions in the works, and a ton of music we are fine-tuning to drop this year.

Messages for music fans heading to you see you on tour.

Don’t be shy - come hang with us! We just want everyone to have a good time and hear some dope music. I’m on that “keep it simple” vibe.

https://www.instagram.com/fatalistband/

May/June 2024

HIGHWIRE DAZE

Fractured. This song is about losing someone you loved so much they felt like a piece of you. Leaving you feeling fractured when they’re gone. I hope it helps those who hear it as much as it helped me to write it. Another person can’t define who you are, only you can.

Phantom Pain. Phantom Pain is about giving someone everything you have and having it thrown back in your face. In the worst part about it is they aren’t even a bad person, they just can’t see how they affect the people around them. I hope this song helps people realize that they are worth it, even if people in their life don’t treat them like they are.

Photo Credit: Cheyanne Singleton

LAST NIGHT OF SOLACE Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band and what part of the tour you will be on.

My name is Cameron Foley, I’m the Vocalist of Last Night of Solace and will be performing for the whole tour.

Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Give a bit of background on your band here.

Last Night of Solace is based out of Dallas Texas. The music scene in Dallas is amazing and is a big industry for the city.

There are countless venues across the metroplex and Dallas is home the the historic Deep Ellum Arts district. Last Night of Solace is a metalcore band started by at the time high school students Cameron Foley (vocalist) and Jeiden Lovell (guitarist). The band would later expand to bring in Kennedy Boynton on lead guitar, Seth Andy on drums and backing vocals, and Austin Hunt on bass. Last Night of Solace’s mission statement is to improve the world through music by pushing the boundaries of heavy music, putting on captivating live performances, writing emotionally reasonent and impactful music, and giving back to our community and fans.

You never know when going to a show or hearing the right song can save someone’s life or give them what they need to keep going.

What are you most excited about going on or participating with the Let Em Cook West Coast Tour?

I’m excited to meet new friends and fans, play historic venues such as Chain Reaction, and to further our career and experience as artists.

What could one expect from your live show?

The Last Night of Solace experience can be summed up with one word, community. We build a community through our music and we’re all one big happy family at a show. We’ll put our problems aside us for the night and laugh, cry, feel, scream, and of course mosh together.

Select two songs you might be playing at the show and what inspired the lyrics.

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Between now and the tour, do you have any new releases coming out or shows you’d like to talk about?

We’ll be releasing the title track of our upcoming EP on June 21st. PHANTOM PAIN. Messages for music fans heading out to see you on tour.

Thank you so much for supporting the music scene and for supporting us. People like you are keeping music alive and maintaining a community that gives people careers, makes people’s dreams come true, saves lives, and allows art to flourish. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

https://www.instagram.com/lastnightofsolace/

VILAMOURA Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band and what part of the tour you will be on.

Hi, I’m Don Shipman, I play guitar in Vilamoura and we (Vilamoura) will be apart of the Texas Leg of the tour!

Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Give a bit of background on your band here.

We are based out of Austin, Texas and the rock and metal scene here is growing and thriving really well! Vilamoura has been playing a bunch of shows in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston so it’ll be really awesome to come back with this tour since it’s been a couple months since we’ve played here in Austin.

What are you most excited about going on or participating with the Let Em Cook West Coast Tour?

Probably getting to play with Last Night of Solace and Fatalist. I’ve been really stoked to get to play with them and have been looking forward to it since talking with them in the very beginning. I really dig what both bands are doing with their music and so I’m excited to see how they perform live and what they can bring to the table.

What could one expect from your live show?

Lots of movement and a lot of high energy. We really try to give the audience something to look forward to and we really try to engage with them and give them the best show that we can offer to the audience so im looking forward to what we 45

ONE OF US

can bring to the table especially in Corpus Christi since we’ve never played there before.

Select two songs you might be playing at the show and what inspired the lyrics.

Blind is more focused on internal struggle and self-doubt. It’s a song about feeling like you can’t do better and the internal war of simultaneously feeling doomed to fail while also being fully aware that failure will come down to your own choices and accountability. It’s about the feeling of wanting to give up and not fight battles you don’t think you can win, but also understanding that the second you give up that fight you will never be able to take that decision back later.

Vindictive is written about different people and experiences that we as members have had to deal with in the past. People who you might have expected to be different but turned out to be the worst version of themselves presented to you so I feel like both of those songs are really relatable to the majority of people Between now and the tour, do you have any new releases coming out or shows you’d like to talk about?

We have a new song called Omega coming out on all platforms on May 17th. This release is going to be super awesome. It’ll be our third new track that we have released in the past 5 to 6 months ushering in a new Era of Vilamoura that has some of the older vibes in it but is definitely new and fresh so I’m really stoked on it.

Messages for music fans heading to you see you on tour.

We are just really looking forward to seeing as many people as we can and meeting a bunch of new people. We love and appreciate all of our fans and so I’m really hoping that everyone feels free to come out to the merch booth and just hangs out with us. We’d love to meet and see everyone we can!

Much love from the guys and I in Vilamoura.

https://www.instagram.com/vilamouraband/ 46

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in your band and what part of the tour you will be on.

Hello! I’m Davey and I sing for One of Us. We are very excited to be apart of the Anaheim show of the “Let ‘em cook Tour.”

Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Give a bit of background on your band here.

One of Us is based out of Los Angeles, California. The scene is definitely getting stronger by the day here especially with hardcore music. “One of Us” is a relatively new band, we started in November of 2023. We have released a couple of songs so far and have played a handful of shows.

What are you most excited about going on or participating with the Let Em Cook West Coast Tour?

I’m definitely most excited to play the show itself! And to meet the other bands and new people in general.

What could one expect from your live show?

Controlled Chaos.

Select two songs you might be playing at the show and what inspired the lyrics.

You can definitely expect our two singles to be played. Silent Mass is inspired by some deep sadness I’ve unfortunately had to go through in my life multiple times . It deals a lot with complete isolation and “rock bottom” You can also expect our single Unstable to be played. This song is just a fun angry energetic song to play. Lyrically it’s about feeling betrayed by someone or something you thought would always have your back and having to look out for yourself. This world is kill to stay alive.

Between now and the tour, do you have any new releases coming out or shows you’d like to talk about?

Yes! We should have another single with a music video coming out so definitely keep an eye out for that!

Messages for music fans heading to you see you on tour.

Come rage.

https://www.instagram.com/oneofusbandofficial/ May/June 2024

HIGHWIRE DAZE

LET EM COOK TOUR

JULY 11TH | SAN FRANCISCO, CA DNA LOUNGE JULY 12TH | ANAHEIM, CA | CHAIN REACTION JULY 15TH | LAS VEGAS, NV SINWAVE JULY 16TH | PHOENIX, AZ NILE UNDERGROUND JULY 17TH | TUSCON, AZ HOUSE OF BARDS JULY 20TH | DALLAS, TX HALTOM THEATRE* JULY 21ST | AUSTIN, TX COME AND TAKE IT LIVE* JULY 23RD | HOUSTON, TX ACADIA* JULY 24TH | CORPUS CHRISTI, TX RED RABBIT*

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FIND TICKETS, BAND UPDATES, AND MORE AT LASTNIGHTOFSOLACE.COM

Jensen Gering at The Hotel Café

Interview by Ken Morton - Photos by Jack Lue

Jensen Gering is a 15-year-old singer / songwriter / actor who is already making quite an impression in the entertainment industry. He starred in the Nickelodeon/Netflix comedy series Erin & Aaron playing pop star Aaron Williams.

He has appeared in the feature film Wickensburg as well as multiple International Print and Television campaigns for major brands such as Guess, Banana Republic, Tommy Hilfiger, H&M, Lucky Brand, Old Navy, Puma just to name a few. His dad is Galen Gering, the star of NBC’s long running soap opera Days of our Lives.

Jensen has been focusing quite a bit on his music career as of late, and has appeared at The Hotel Cafe, Lucky Strikes Hollywood, and the world famous Whisky A Go-Go on the Sunset Strip. Jensen will also be appearing at The Viper Room on May 25th! Highwire Daze caught up with Jensen at The Hotel Café to find out more about his amazing talent on the rise. Read on...

What are you looking forward to the most about playing here at the Hotel Café today?

I’ve been trying to get in Hotel Café for a while now, so I’m super excited that I am here. I’ve had a lot of my friends play here, a lot of people that I know, they all said it was great. It’s one of the best singer songwriter venues that you can go to, so I’m super excited to be here.

You recently played the We Care Music Festival at Lucky Strike. How did you become involved with We Care, and what was that experience like?

I found them online. I mean, they’re a great organization with a great cause. So automatically I was interested in it.

They were like, let’s do a 30-minute set. So I did. Surprisingly, that was the longest set that I’ve done so far. So I did a 30-minute set and it was awesome and the sound was great. The energy was great in there. Everyone was super nice, super awesome. It was great to be there.

Select two songs that you’ve written and what inspired the lyrics for you, maybe something you’re playing tonight.

That’s a good question. Okay, so one of my biggest inspirations is John Mayer. I was in Canada shooting a movie, and this song still that I eventually ended up writing was HIGHWIRE DAZE

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inspired by this song called Bigger Than My Body. Normally what I do is I write the chords to my songs first, and then I figure out what lyrics play into the emotion that the chords are describing. So Still is about feeling, even though you know something’s not your fault, you still feel like the problem. And then another one is called Quiet at Home, and there was a period in my life where people were out on trips and I was kind of just home alone a lot. So I wrote the song called Quiet at Home because it felt like everything was just quiet and slowed down at home. So that’s why I wrote that one.

How did you wind up on the Erin & Aaron show, and what was that experience like? I guess it only lasted a season.

Erin & Aaron was a great experience. I got the audition, it was one of the first auditions I got with the agency. I remember I got the audition and I did it. It took a while for me to hear a response. So it was kind of out of my mind. It was like, you got a call back for this show and I was like, this seems like a real opportunity. I can do comedy acting. I already played music. It was a perfect blend. It was the dream job, unfortunately it only lasted one season, but those were some great 13 episodes. I met more than enough people on that show and still have of those relationships to this day.

How influential has your dad Galen Gering been on your music and acting career? Do you watch Days of Our Lives?

So funny enough, I was actually in one of the episodes I remember of Days of Our Lives, I was playing a sick kid and me and my brother were there. My dad has been a huge inspiration. I mean, obviously having a dad that acts you would want to dip your toe in the water and try it. So of course I did and I went in and out of it and I was like, you know what? I really like this. Then acting and music go hand in hand. So there was a ukulele program at this one school that I went to, so I was like, ukulele is like guitar but less cool. So I was like, I’ll try it out and then see if I can switch to guitar in a bit. So that’s how that kind of all started. But yeah, my dad’s been a huge influence on my acting career, which eventually later led to my music career.

So props to him.

Any other acting on the horizon?

I have one movie that’s yet to come out. It’s a sequel to 49

the first one. I did this movie called Wickensburg. It was a movie in Canada, and there is another one coming on the way. So looking forward to that.

How close are you to recording it and releasing your music?

What I’ve been doing for the last few years is trying to master my sound, because once you put something up on Spotify, it stays there. It’s not like Instagram or whatever social media platform. So what I’ve been doing is perfecting my sound under the radar, going to these shows, still doing acting, getting my name out there. But the more I play and the more I go to these venues, I’m starting to feel like it’s closer and closer to the time. So in the next year or a couple months, getting with a label and then working on an EP or a single would probably be the first release. But I’m already working on stuff in the studio - so soon to come.

What could one expect from one of your live shows?

Man, it’s fun. That’s all I’ll say. I love performing live.

Some of the best moments of my life have been performing live. I can’t even describe how great it is, but you can expect a lot of energy. You can expect a lot of songs obviously, that you haven’t heard before. Just an up and coming artist who’s trying to share his music with the world.

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

I have to say John Mayer, because John Mayer was the reason I started playing guitar. I’m a huge fan of his. So opening up for him would be a dream.

Have you met him?

No, I have not. Hopefully I can.

On Instagram, you have a quarter of a million followers.

What does that number even mean to you? It’s like insane.

Thank you, man. From a young age, I kind of was in and out of photography and modeling for things like Target and Sketchers and all that kind of stuff. So I was like, you know what? Let’s post some stuff on here so other brands can see it and then it kind of just turned into, now I’m starting to do music and now I’m starting to do whatever, get on shows and get on movies. So I was like, let’s just keep going and it really was never an overnight thing. It was kind of just like we started with zero and it started building slowly and slowly. But it’s mainly thanks to my mom. She helps me a lot with the content creation and ideas for it. So big thanks to her and getting that number to exist.

What’s up next for you after Hotel Café?

I just saw a show at The Troubadour, so hopefully I can 50

get a band together and do something like that. That would be the next thing, possibly sometime soon. Then I’m also doing a show in Indiana for this organization called Best Buddies, it’s a great organization as well. I think I’ll have some smaller performances before then.

Do you have any messages for people who follow you on Instagram or who are reading this right now?

I see people who are inspired to start guitar because of me, and I think that’s crazy that’s even happening right now. But I do see that - and it’s awesome to see that. So if you are a guitar player yourself, or even if you’re not inspired by me, just keep going if you love it. Everyone’s like, “Oh, you got to practice and it sucks.” For me, practice is the best. It’s the most fun thing. So if you love something and you’re passionate about it, the practice and the progress will naturally show itself. So keep doing what you love, whatever it is.

https://www.instagram.com/jensengering/

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Meet jordn day: Artist On The Rise

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

Starting off in the pop punk band Blood Honey, then going solo under the moniker of Monday – and more recently releasing singles under his own name – jordn day is an artist on the rise that we’ll be hearing a lot more of in the months ahead. Based of the Los Angeles area, jordn day has played in iconic locations such as The Viper Room and The Bourbon Room as well as worked with sought out producers such as Kevin Thrasher and Micheal Bono. His just released single Lipstick presents pop inflections with a hard rocking edge, signifying an update in music direction that should absolutely tantalize the senses. Highwire Daze invited jordn day over for an interview and So Finch Photography shoot at Dystopian Studios in Downtown L.A. to find out a whole lot more about this charismatic singer ready to jump into the stratosphere of stardom…

We’re here with jordn day at Dystopian Studios. First of all, what was the first song you ever wrote? How old were you and what was that song about?

I think it was a rap song. I think it was called Can’t Stop.

And it was pretty embarrassing. I was, like, 16, I think I wrote a rap song because I didn’t know how to sing yet. I had to learn. So, I started out rapping.

Prior to Monday and then changing your name, what music projects or bands were you involved with?

I was in a band called Blood Honey when I was about 20.

And what we did it was pop punk / hard rock blend kind of thing. We did that for a bit. Then I broke off and started doing my own thing because I wanted to go into more pop.

And hard rock.

To the Moon is the your current song. What’s the story behind the lyrics and the inspiration for that?

So there’s a movie – it’s a Disney movie. It’s about emotions. It’s called Inside Out and there’s an imaginary friend in it. And he basically, in the movie, he sacrifices himself and he says, “I can’t take her to the moon. Can you take her to the moon for me?” So it’s, like, this whole idea of letting somebody go, but accepting the fact that somebody else can take her to the moon And that’s that’s what the lyrics are about. But I did it my own spin on it.

Fine Without Me is another one of your songs. Tell me HIGHWIRE DAZE

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about that.

It was just, me and my two friends, Noah Cunane and TJ Minor. We were in the studio and we’re just like, let’s make a song. Actually, it was another person with Noah Pepper.

So it was supposed to be 4 people on the song, but it just turned out, like, too many people felt jumbled. So, Noah Pepper decided to step back. And, yeah, it was just for fun at first, and then it turned out pretty well. So, we put it out.

It was just supposed to be kind of like a fun thing. But it turned out well.

What was it like performing the song with TJ Minor and Noah Cunane the other night at The Bourbon Room?

So fun! I love those kids.

That was a fun show. I actually went to that. TJ’s actually coming by later to do a photo shoot and interview as well.

It was so good. TJ’s amazing.

17 is another song you did with Noah Cunane. Tell me about that song.

That was a song that actually had a few features. So, at first, it’s just me, and then there’s one with an artist named Barns Courtney. And then there’s one was supposed to be Mod Sun. And then it was Noah Cunane and he was amazing.

But that song is about addiction. I kind of started doing drugs when I was 17. And it was like, my turning point of my life kind of going to shit. And then at 23, I kind of got sober – I’m sober now. So, it was just kind of like a, I love you, but also fuck you to my 17-year-old self. It was like, I’m glad I went through it all, but yeah.

You have an upcoming song called Lipstick. Tell me a little about that one.

That is my next song. It is about kind of like a love hate relationship with a woman where she’s got a dark side to her, but I love it. Like, it’s lipstick. The lyrics are, “Lipstick stains on your enemies.” It’s sexy. It’s fun. I also made that with my past band, Blood Honey. The guitarist and drummer were involved in that, and then the producer is Kevin Thrasher.

What was it like working with him?

He’s amazing. He’s super talented, fun guy, very funny.

Super cool. He’s great. He’s he has a guitar solo in there, and it’s amazing.

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What can one expect from a live jordn day show?

You can expect the unexpected. I hope you don’t expect what I’m gonna do. I hope that I can continue to bring uniqueness and difference to every show. I hope that it’s always different.

I’ve seen one show of yours at the Viper Room. What was it like playing the legendary Viper Room?

It was amazing. I actually love The Viper Room. My first show there was a little rough, but I think it was just because it was my first show, and then the second show felt great.

The energy in there is amazing. So many legends have played there. I’m blessed to be in LA where I can play all these venues where all these legends have played. And it’s just, like, what more can I ask for, you know? The energy is crazy. The green rooms where it’s like Motley Crue pictures and Bob Marley pictures – it’s insane. I’m very grateful. So much history.

overall?

I love it. I love the people around me. I think the scene is blossoming in a beautiful way. And I think rock music is coming back and it’s amazing. I think I couldn’t ask for a better time to come into it. I think that if I came into it, like, 5 or 6 years before, it wouldn’t be as fun as it is now because people are (into it and) it’s back!. The energy is back!

If you could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be?

I love to do Post Malone, current. And I’d love to do Queen past.

What’s up next for you?

I’m gonna get this song Lipstick out, and it’s a new sound.

I think it’s my sound. I think everything else in my past songs have kind of been 2 years old, and I’ve been trying to get them out. Now this is my fresh sound that I think that hopefully people gravitate towards it. It’s more of the harder rock side, more, British rock, I would say. With pop vocals.

So, I feel like it’s unique to what most people are doing.

So, I have Lipstick coming out, and then, the next song will be Pushing Daisies. And then the next song will – I don’t know what it’s called yet. But it’s good. It’s exciting. And then the producers with those ones, Michael Bono. We have Kevin Thrasher. And then, Pushing Daisies is with Nick Axel Kauffman. 3 different producers, same sound, but it’s exciting…

What do you think of our local Los Angeles music scene

https://www.instagram.com/jordnxday/

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TJ MINOR:

The Dystopian Studios Interview

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

TJ Minor is a singer / songwriter from Los Angeles ready to launch a music career above and beyond the City of Angels.

With brilliantly solid pop songs such as Waste My Time and Narcissist, TJ Minor is sure to leave quite an impression on all music fans who give a listen. TJ recently presented a standout performance at The Bourbon Room in the heart of Hollywood and had a very attentive audience singing along to each and every song. A few days after show, Highwire Daze caught up with TJ Minor at Dystopian Studios right before a photo shoot with Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography to find out more about this amazing artist on the rise…

We’re here with TJ Minor. First of all, where are you based out of and what is your local music scene like there?

So, I’m based in Los Angeles and my local music scene is awesome. There’s so many talented people around me. It’s never competition because they’re all just so awesome and you want to learn from them. The L.A. live music scene is really fun.

Prior to going solo, what music projects or bands were you involved in?

I grew up actually playing guitar and singing with my dad on stage. My dad (Tim Miner) is a very talented producer / songwriter. My dad’s worked with a lot of cool people and I kind of got a base through him for the love of music. And he’s an incredible singer, so I always had a good teacher with me. I really would say it’s my dad who got me fully into music.

Let’s talk about the new song Narcissist. Is there any story behind the lyrics? And what does that song mean to you?

So, that song means a lot to me. I recently just got introduced to a new kind of situation. Before, like most of my past prior relationships have been very, you know… Like it’s all good, like let’s see each other soon. This one had a different outcome which I still absolutely wish the best for her. I love her so much, but it’s like a story, it’s like a whole different kind of way I got to learn of a person, and I got to put my experience in it. And I wanted to share if anyone else had that same experience and needed a song to scream in the shower too. Like they needed some free therapy but… That’s what that means.

It was never to drag anybody or to make someone look bad.

It was just like that was the situation and that’s what came out of that and into that song. So, that’s all.

The best songs come out of crappy relationships. Isn’t that terrible?

Yeah. Even better songs come from good and bad relationHIGHWIRE DAZE

May/June 2024

ships when they happen at the same time. Like when it was just one relationship that was amazing and bad, and then great, and then sad, and then like even if you’re mad at each other, you still miss each other. There’s just so much combative emotions that I’m glad I was able to, like, sum up in a song in two minutes and thirty seconds.

Tell me about Fine Without Me and how that came about.

I’ve been so excited to tell this story to somebody. So, Fine Without Me originally started with me, jordn day and Noah Cunane. Noah Pepper was in the room and a lot of our friends. Like it was a lot of people in the studio, a lot of cooks in the kitchen, right? So, we had a song that we were making, we didn’t know who was going to be on it, had no idea. We were just trying to make something. It was some like Jonas Brothers weird song. Nobody was vibing with it. We spent like two hours on nothing and came up with nothing. So, then Noah Cunane is like, “I’m going to get some food. I’m going to go to Chipotle.” jordn’s like, “All right. I’m going to call my girlfriend.” And then, now, everyone just left the room for a second. And then me and Redd, the producer, were like, “Fuck, dude. No one’s vibing right now. This shit is blowing it.” So, he’s like, “Should we scratch it?” And I’m like, “I don’t think they’re going to be mad if we hit scratch it. I think everyone wants to do it. No one’s saying it.” So, he kind of scratches it and then just starts fucking around with some chords. And that’s when he came up with like, “Dun dun dun, dun dun, dun dun dun, dun dun.” And then he was strumming that and I out of nowhere just go, “I think you’re fine, da da...” I didn’t have the full sentence out but that was the thing for it. So, then me and him kind of locked in. We came up with the words “I hate thinking you’re fine without me” tracked to just that phrase. Everyone comes back into the room and goes, “Is this an unreleased song, TJ?” I’m like, “No, this is what we’re doing today.” It all just like it sparked.

Everyone just got creative. Everyone was like, “We just needed a break from that song” and we did it. And everyone came in, everyone put their own two cents in the full chorus, and it was awesome. It was cool. But it started from shit. It started from a bad day and then it came into that.

What was it like performing it live at The Bourbon Room with everybody?

Oh my gosh. Every time I go on stage with those dudes, I’m just so thankful. It’s so much fun. It’s even more fun to do it live than it was in the studio because it was like we get to tell people now. We get to hear people sing it back to us. This is just like… It’s a dream come true to like to have even one person sing my song back to me, let alone have The Bourbon Room screaming to us. It was awesome stuff.

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Waste My Time. Tell me about that song.

Waste My Time, that was my second song I brought to L.A. So, I flew from Nashville, on the plane, and at the airport, I wrote like a bunch of shit that I was going to take. Because I didn’t have songs produced yet. I was like just acoustic and good vibes – that’s all I had. So, then in the airport from there I wrote it. So I came to L.A., and it took me forever to find a producer to do it, but I found this talented producer named Jared Gaines (formerly known as Vaines and now known as Rat Park). He helped me bring that song to life. I love that song so much because that’s like the one I wrote on the way to L.A. It was cool. So, that’s my baby right there. I love the gang vocal in that one where I get to get the whole crowd clapping with it and it’s fun.

The video is so cool.

I had so much fun making that. Christiaan Mikey freaking destroyed that video and I wanted to give him his credits because he destroyed it. I love it!

You have a song called Funeral. Tell me about that song.

That song is grim.

It’s hilarious because the meaning behind that song is super grim, but the beat is like very chill and happy. It’s loud. It’s fun. So, that song, I wrote about… it wasn’t even like a specific person. It was like a story, like a vibe I was feeling. Like something had just happened to my friend, I was like, “Damn.

If that were to happen to me, it’s how I would feel?” And the song is about me telling that person who hurt you, “I’ll make sure even if I die, that you don’t show up to my funeral.” So, even though it’s a really grim topic, you listen to the beat, and you know, it’s like the same thing as any other song with sad lyrics, happy beat. It’s just like you can’t tell it’s that sad until you digest the lyrics from it.

What can one expect from a live TJ Minor show for those who haven’t seen you yet?

I feel like when I’m on stage with everyone there, it’s like I’ve known everybody for ten years. It’s like I’ve known everybody for my whole life. If you come to a TJ Minor show, you’re going to leave feeling like we’ve been friends for years, because I’m going to do my best to come out on stage and talk to everybody. If anybody took time out of the day to come vibe with me and everyone in my crowd, then I’m going to take the time to give that back to you, because I love and appreciate everyone who wants that. So, if you want to meet some new friends and feel like it’s not awkward to yell or voice crack to any of my songs, come to TJ Minor shows.

I have voice crack on stage sometimes. It’s awesome!

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

Okay, so current day, I’m going to do The Kid Laroi. That kid, especially in his music currently, has really spoken to me… I think he’s gone through a similar situation. His is a little bit more fucked than mine, but his whole album was really like – it’s the thoughts in the back of my head that I couldn’t find and he said them, and it’s like, I connect so good with 58

his music. That’s a huge inspo for me. That’s a dream tour.

And then, when I go older, I’m going to have to say, either Queen or Michael Jackson. I would love to go on a Queen tour, just because of the crowds that they brought. And then MJ because I especially learned a lot of his runs earlier on in my life, so like it would be a dream to sing with the guy who created swagger, you know?

Yeah, definitely. Now, if your music was a donut, what kind would it be and why?

That’s a crazy question, Ken. I’m going to say chocolate sprinkles on the standard because I feel like I have a pop rock sound that could make people… I mean like if you love hard rock and you hate pop music, you could like it, or if you really hate rock music and only love pop, you could like it. And everybody loves a chocolate sprinkle donut!

And what’s up next for you?

Next is just those shows. I’m announcing them hopefully soon here, and I would love to, after those, to get my own show going on. I’d love to get a live L.A. show, possibly at The Bourbon Room or at The Troubadour. So, my own little headliner. It wouldn’t even be a headliner. I just bring my friends. I probably might ask a couple of special favors from Noah Cunane or jordn day or a couple other of my homies and get a good show going on.

https://www.instagram.com/tjminorr/ May/June 2024

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WE ARE THE BLACK THINGS LIVE 2/24/24 8 PM AT UNIVERSAL BAR AND GRILL

By Highwire Daze Magazine The 5 piece outfit We Are The Black Things..

Things Universal Bar And Grill in North Hollywood California hosted by Metal Mayhem presents, We Are The Black Things!!

Things The 5 piece outfit known as We Are The Black Things gave their new hot original rock n’ roll music set a spin over the hill at Universal Bar And Grill, Grill, over from the band’s West Hollywood origin, giving the lows of the valley a piece of their rock n’ roll action.

Bang A Long (Lyrics by Tone Raven) Bang A Long Rock A Long Bang A Long Our Rock Is Strong Bang A Long

So here we are Mothers of hard rock Fernando our rock’s on this is our band

Angels in low places arise and hear these rockers cry Angels in low places fly and steer these rockers flight Over the hill at Universal Bar And Grill from the band’s origin Whisky A Go Go Ville So come with us Angels of Saint Fernando rock along with us you valley bells

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So come with us Angels of hard rocks though clock’s wrong,can’t stick us time waits for no man In North Hollywood Land

May/June 2024

Take us or leave us but we’re here to roll with you our rock’s your song Bang A Long We Are The Black Things Frank Garrett-Bass Rae Owl Starling-Keyboard Luthario Mitcho-Turntable Carrie Cane-Drums Tone Raven-Guitar/Vocals MANAGEMENT-TONE RAVEN MUSIC We Are The Black Things-TM 2018 Tone Raven-TM 2021 Contact Booking: toneraven@yahoo.com

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MusiCares Awards Honors

Jon Bon Jovi as Person of the Year Written by Alison “MetalBabe” Cohen Photo by Lori Lea Photography Congratulations to Jon Bon Jovi for being honored as the MusiCares “Person of the Year” for the 33rd Annual Awards on Friday, February 2nd 2024 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Jon Bon Jovi is not only known for his 40-year career with Bon Jovi, but also for his ongoing philanthropy with both the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation and his Soul Kitchen restaurants.

Dozens of publications and various media outlets covered the red carpet for this event. Celebrity guests and performers walked the Red Carpet for hours doing brief interviews and posing for photos prior to entering the event.

The entire Bon Jovi band, including Jon Bon Jovi, David Bryan, Tico Torres, and Hugh McDonald, walked the Red Carpet, along with touring musicians John Shanks and Everett Bradley.

Jon was humbled as he was repeatedly congratulated. I did get a quick chance to congratulate him and tell him that I was “proud of him.”

Highwire Daze is honored to have been part of this incredible event honoring Jon Bon Jovi. We were able to get brief interviews with Annie Ray, Young Dro, Orianthi, Ted Danson, and his wife Mary Steenburgen.

Annie Ray, who won the 2024 Music Educator of the Year Award, spoke about Jon Bon Jovi’s musicality and what he does for the music communities. “It goes so beyond what he does on the stage and how he reaches into people’s hearts.” She uses his music to teach her students what musicality can sound like with Bon Jovi guitar moments, and other bits and pieces of their music.

Young Dro told me he wanted to write and record an iconic song that can be sung years and even decades later, like Jon. He elaborates, “I’ve yet to top that, or even come near it, so that keeps me going. One day I’m gonna get me a hit like “It’s My Life.” He’s a great representation of a real rocker.“ Orianthi discussed what a big deal it is for her, as an art60

Jon Bon Jovi May/June 2024

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Orianthi ist, that Jon Bon Jovi is so into giving back. Having a voice, and using it, is so important. “MusiCares is a wonderful foundation. I’ve done a lot for them. That’s why I’m here.”

Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson shared fond memories of dancing in the kitchen with their kids listening to Bon Jovi. They both agreed that how Jon lives his life is such an inspiration. Mary continues, “He gives so much to others, and not everybody that’s as successful as he is sees that that is maybe what they should do. He gives so much. We just admire him for it.”

Hosted by Jim Gaffigan, the 2024 tribute to Jon Bon Jovi featured 15 performances including Melissa Etheridge, Jelly Roll, Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, and Lenny Kravitz… As well as the legendary Bon Jovi band themselves. Bruce Springsteen joined Bon Jovi onstage to perform “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,?” which was released on the band’s 2005 album ‘Have A Nice Day.’ This was the first time that Jon Bon Jovi had performed live in two years, and the first time he sang in public since his vocal chord surgery in June of 2022.

Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson

Young Dro

For the encore, all the musicians performed “Livin’ On A Prayer” together. Jon Bon Jovi made his way around the stage, hugging and high-fiving everyone.

Bon Jovi plans to tour in 2025 in honor of their 40th Anniversary as long as his vocal chords continue to heal. *Phil X was not on the Red Carpet, but performed with Bon Jovi. Richie Sambora planned to attend, but forfeited to care for his mother, who tripped on her carpet and broke her hip.

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May/June 2024

Annie Ray 61

ALBUM REVIEWS Temperance Beautiful Skeletons

Wormhole Death Records

Screaming Crow Records

Review by Ken Morton

Review by Ken Morton

Formed in 2018 in the Pacific Northwest, Beautiful Skeletons is a female fronted hard rocking collective well worth seeking out. They’ve opened for the likes of Saliva and Yngwie Malmsteen, and now with the unveiling of their latest EP Temperance, Beautiful Skeletons are destined to explode into the big leagues in an epic way. From the opening refrains of the compelling Letter To A Narcissist to the captivating Only Zuul with its “forgive me father, this is my first confession” sentiments and beyond, the five songs found within are thought provoking and ultimately liberating. Stunning performances abound from the entire Beautiful Skeletons membership, featuring Tina Firefly on vocals, Einar Einarsson on guitar, Jason Johnson on bass, and Huwy Williams on drums. It will be super exciting to see what the future has in store for the dynamic band on the rise.

Be sure to catch Beautiful Skeletons at The Whisky on May 24th opening for The Iron Maidens!

https://www.beautifulskeletons.com/

Dark Pulse Priest

Label Blue Nine Review by Ken Morton Attention fans of Rammstein and Nitzer Ebb: prepare to be converted into the mysterious, ultrasonic world of Priest! Priest has opened for the likes of Nitzer Ebb, Die Krupps, and Combichrist, - and are destined to headline their very own congregations - especially if their new album Dark Pulse is indicative of greater glories ahead. Heavily inspired by cyberpunk and goth culture, Priest unveils such seductive reveries as Burning Love, Black Venom, Demon’s Call, and a whole lot more! These are absolutely brilliant and haunting electric dreams ready to tantalize the senses and set the imagination in rapturous flight. Dark Pulse is Priest’s fourth studio album, and it is skillfully produced by Simon Söderberg (ex-Ghost).

The Priest lineup features ex-members of Ghost, and perhaps that is why the music and visuals are so absolutely intriguing!

Here’s hoping Priest visit us here in the States to spread their superbly infectious cyber-gospel. In the meantime, check into Dark Pulse and their other sonic entreaties!

https://www.priestnexus.com/ 62

Pop Culture Baby River City Rebels

River City Rebels are back! The legendary punk rock band has released 7 albums, including four on the notorious Victory Records label. Pop Culture Baby is their glorious comeback, featuring four songs of pure sonic intensity. Opening with the wickedly wonderful musings of the title track Pop Culture Baby and onto the socio-political commentary of Rock A Cross, one finds River City Rebels in absolutely tip-top form! Unless Your White continues the brilliantly subversive lyrical content followed by the rambunctious meanderings of Abuse Myself. Pop Culture Baby is an instant genre classic to be sure, and one destined to place River City Rebels back on the road to auditory infamy.

Founding member/frontman, Dan O’Day (aka Bopper) has picked up the pieces and has unleashed the Rebels in an epic way, with new members Marc Conti, Izzy DeSimone, Kody Sanborn and Adam Allard - and their creation Pop Culture Baby is not to be missed!

https://www.instagram.com/rivercityrebels/

Dismal Swamp Sacred Dawn Qumran Records

Review by Ken Morton Sacred Dawn burst onto the Chicago metal scene in 2005 with an innovative mix of progressive metal and old school hard rock. Dismal Swamp is the name of the latest magnum opus from Sacred Dawn, now available via Qumran Records - and it’s quite an achievement! From the spiraling Das Chaos Beginnt overture, into the mighty forces of Unintended Consequences and throughout the entire album, Dismal Swamp is mesmerizing! Thrilling choruses and imaginative musicianship reign supreme, with selections such as Truth Be Told, A Dream Within, and The Lake of the Dismal Swamp leaving a stunning impression on the senses.

Front man and lead guitarist Lothar Keller is a standout, with impassioned vocal versatility and axe work that is vividly astounding! They’ve opened for the likes of Firewind, Kamelot, Epica, and more - with an album this tremendous, expect Sacred Dawn to headline their very own shows soon!

https://sacreddawn.net/ May/June 2024

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