Vents Magazine 17th issue

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TWO YEARS LATER....

That’s right! 2 years ago I started this magazine. Back then the plans where to spread about. Sick and awesome bands that could easily kick or reach those actual mainstream called HOPEWHEN.

As month got by, before 2010 ended I began with what now we know as VENTS. Really i But due to several things, I decided to change and in a way «renew» the vision beyond. and people started to know about us.

Since then, things have been going AMAZING. Never expected that we would had our ow spiration and music heroes I always loved and help me in my music career in an inderectly out there.

But something I am really sure about... The mission is just beginning. Are you ready?

Rafa

Rafael Jóvine Editor/Writer

Fred Gakuru Cover Designer & General designer

Lena Marisola & Nicholas DiNatale MA Photographers

the word of those bands I loved, but nobody knew m bands. That way I created what in that time was

it was supposed to be a sis’ mag from HOPEWHEN. Also got in more social networks where readership

wn radio show. Or that I would have in my pages iny way, of course. Never expected such GREAT talent

Kevin Sloan Designer Luisa Fernandez Writer and SoCal Photographer

Cody Blevins Writer

Melissa Hurry Uk Writer

Bree Steele Writer & SoCal Photographer

Georgia Rawson Emily Rawson Uk’s writer Uk’s photographer

Cello Fury are the antithesis of the current music scene, with obtuse arrangements, unorthodox instrumentation, and a a fleeting concern for what's hip. They are visionaries in the dying breed sense.

It is a joy to hear experimentation, an with the musical skills they possess, it would be wise to lend an ear.

By Cody Blevins Interview by Rafael J贸vine Layout by Fredrick Gakuru

How did you get into music?

I started playing piano at age 9, and was singing and acting in musical theater from junior high through college at Penn State University. But it wasn't until I moved to Los Angeles and became great friends with Vijal Patel (my guitarist), that my discovery of songwriting really occured.

We formed a trio with an amazing celloist, Craig Treusdell, and put out our first album, "Sweetloop".

I then met, and was taken under the wing by the amazing singer/songwriter Jerry Hannan, who helped push me to work on my own solo project, and get in the studio to record with help from all my great musician friends. A year later, I had written, recorded and released the four songs that are now on my self entitled EP! What's the message you want to spread with your music?

A lot of my songs are about love and relationships, in all it's crazy and mystical forms...bad/good, healthy/corrosive, requited/unrequited, etc...but in the end, you realize that they were all worth the going through of them, no matter what the outcome. And that without making mistakes in life, you cannot evolve and grow. Artistically and personally, at the end of the day, I want my songs to intrigue, inspire and uplift.

Can you describe your music?

I've been described as a Sheryl Crow on a piano, or Taylor Swift, but with songs aimed more at 20-30 year old women, which totally works for me, as they are both songwriting idols of mine! But literally, i feel that half my songs are more country/pop, while the other half dwell in the 'introspective girl on a piano'/ballads.

Who are your music influences?

Tori Amos, Neil Young, Avett Brothers, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Sheryl Crow, Neko Case...to name a few.

What has been the funniest moment you guys have been or took part?

Well Vijal and I have been friends and making music together for 13 years now, so we have a ton of funny memories, but the rest of my band (Aaron Dubois, Dan Riley, Terence Young) and I have only been officially 'together' for the past 7 months but i'd have to say, it is ALWAYS fun getting together with them. Being the only female in the band I definitely get to enjoy the raunchier side of my humor with these guys as you can imagine. A funny, but also cute moment just happened the other night in the green room before our show at THE MINT in LA. I'm 8 months pregnant and the boys put all their hands on my belly, kind of like, a "Gooooooo Team!" kinda thing.

Super cute, and funny.

What plans do you guys have for the future?

Onward and upward from this point. Write new songs, create, collaborate and I hope to use the amazing individual strengths that each of my bandmates have to help expand my own musical and songwriting horizons.

What has been the greatest moment as a musician?

Probably the night of my EP Release party at Molly Malone's. I've been called a procrastinator who has had problems finishing projects throughout my life, and making this EP was something that I not only set my mind out to do, but I finished it all in less than a year, and pregnant at the end! The feeling of accomplishment was stellar to say the least. Also, after our gig at THE MINT, my 4 year old son, Jack, ran up on stage and gave me these sparkly beads and said, "You were awesome, mommy!" It was his first time seeing me on stage. That definitely would be a tie for 'greatest moment'.

Do you feel you are moving on the right direction?

Oh yes. Most definitely. Since my EP Release in November, I've signed with a fantastic manager, Rebecca Edelson at Lovestruck Productions, and in turn, she got me a publishing deal with Left Lane Publishing in Miami, so yeah, this mama is pretty damn happy these days... :)

Rafa/Vents: What has been the greatest moment as musicians?

Allan/Bonedome: Sheesh...I've been doing this a long long time, and there have been a lot of great moments... The greatest Bonedome moment, so far in our relatively short life as a band, was the first time I looked out in the audience at a show and saw a young, good-looking girl who was there alone, not with anyone else. Don't get any ideas-it wasn't a groupie thing, and I won't embarrass her by revealing her name. She was obviously really into it, we didn't know each other and didn't have any mutual friends or family, and had heard our stuff somewhere... She was there completely on the merits of the music, and came to the show based on how the music had touched her. That's one of the happiest moments I, as the proud parent of all these songs that I've kicked out of the nest into the wild, could have. She was "Bonedome (real) fan #1" and we love her for it. And yes she's been to a few shows since, too.

Rafa/Vents: What has been the funniest moment you guys have been or took part?

Allan/Bonedome: Bonedome's short life so far hasn't had that many funny moments--just some really sweet shows in front of warm rooms full of friends. So far, nothing as funny as when, in a previous band long ago, we discovered when we got to overdubs that we had accidentally/unknowingly recorded all the basic tracks 1/2 step sharp.

Rafa/Vents: What plans do you guys have for the future?

Allan/Bonedome: We're having a great time doing what we're doing right now, so in the future it'll probably be the same but more. As I mentioned, we're demo-ing songs for the new record, which based on the current pace may have a fall release. In the mean-time we're having great success getting the word out--lots of great press and college/public/community/indie/internet radio is really having a lot of fun with us because we are not like your average indie bear. We'd like to continue the progress we've made towards getting some stuff licensed for TV/Film, which we think will be the best way to propel the economic machine forward and enable us to keep doing the stuff we really like doing. I'd like to do some limited touring where it makes sense. But the primary objective is to keep writing/recording/performing cool music, and doing whateve we need to do to keep that happening.

Rafa/Vents: Situation question: You guys are been attacked by zombies. There's no guns or weapons. What would you guys do?

Beat them to death with flaming vampire limbs, duh!

Rafa/Vents: Where does Bonedome name stand for?

Allan/Bonedome: When I was in high school I had a pretty bad car wreck where I got tossed out of the door and ended up skidding across an asphalt parking lot on my head. There were two lasting effects of this. First, the scar tissue caused a little bit of asymmetry in my hairline that only became more obvious and weird-looking as male-pattern-baldness began to reveal itself over the next decade. Second, right before I was released from the hospital the doctor came in holding a couple of skull X-rays in his hand, chuckling. The doc threw the images up on the light and showed me how much thicker my scull was than a "normal" person's skull, and said "you may have landed on the safest place, your head." The doctor's comments inspired a notion that I have a sort of internal bone helmet, and that notion stuck with me.

Cut to about 7 years later, and I'd finally started shaving my head bald, tired of the weirdness with my head and hairline--I figured if you're gonna have a scarred & dented head, you might as well wear it loud and proud. And although I was playing in a band that had signed a major label deal, the writing (of my eventual departure) was on the wall, and I was taking opportunities to play in other bands. I had to mark my gear with something short and unique as I bounced from gig/band to band/gig, and my email address at the time was "bonehead," So the first mnemonic device was born that way.

Eventually I had to change email services, and "bonehead" was taken, so "bonedome" was the next closest thing. And I was slowly accruing a large collection of songs that didn't really work in any of the bands I was in, and I had to label them something.

So, just as I continued labeling gear that didn't belong with other bands with "bonedome," so I started labeling the multi-tracks, CD's, DAT's etc. on which I was amassing all this material.

When it finally came time to put together all this material, we all referred to it as the Bonedome material to distinguish it from other stuff, and it stuck. In the last couple of years self-Googling has educated me to the fact that some people in military aviation also refer to a pilot's helmet as a "bonedome," which works fine for me. too.

Rafa/Vents: How did you all guys decided to create this band?

Allan/Bonedome: I'm lucky enough to be a member of a large group of working Dallas musicians, AKA "sideguys," who play as much as we can for whomever we can. Almost all of us are writer/composers, too, and when the time comes for a project to come together we all kind of pitch in for each other however we can. That's one reason, for example, there are so many people contributing on the record...everyone likes to record.

At the core of the band, however, are me and (drummer) Gerald Iragorri. I'm the primary writer for this project, and Gerald was critical to building the arrangements and keeping the project going in the face of adversity. There's sort of a rotating cast of guitar players we call on--it's just the nature of the beast for working musicians.

Original bands like Bonedome don't make much money at first, so we have to have a deep bench of people who can afford to do the gigs for "love" every once in a while. Our first (live band) bass player Dave Mabry, normally a drummer in other bands, has moved on to his own solo project, and I wouldn't be surprised if I end up playing bass in his band a few times while he's playing guitar--in the mean time Doug Neil, who made an amazing guitar-prog record last year, will be playing bass for Bonedome. Paul Williams recorded on the record, mixed it, and has played all the live gigs, but he's a busy engineer/producer, and he'll end up mixing it up, too.

I'm currently working on demoing the next batch of Bonedome material, and Gerald and I will flesh it out, getting a whole host of great musicians to contribute whenever and wherever they can. Then we'll rebuild the band around the material...who knows, there might be more keyboard stuff on it next time and we'll try to rope in Chad Stockslager (who played on Thinktankubator, too) as a permanent member.

Rafa/Vents: What's the process at the time of writing a song?

Allan/Bonedome: It always starts with a core idea--sometimes a hook, sometimes a lyric, sometimes a chord progression, sometimes a sonic tidibit, sometimes just a vibe or a groove. I'll work it as far as I can, then when I run into a roadblock I do something else--either work on some other aspect of the song or work on a completely different song, always adding and subtracting recording layers using whatever tool I have handy. Eventually the songs will find themselves about 95% written and about 85% arranged, all in demo form with a programmed drums (I love Reason for that). Then I get together with my available collaborators and start recording, tightening up the loose lyrical/sonic/musical bits as the need and/or opportunities present themselves. Eventually you end up with a song that has effectively written itself.

Rafa/Vents: Who are your music influences?

Allan/Bonedome: When I was in 6th grade some friends and I used to walk round singing the tunes from The Beatles "blue" and "red" albums (greatest hits), in the order we found them on the record, and in multi-part harmony, so this must represent some kind of influence, right? Up until then I'd been playing violin in the orchestra, my dad had been blasting me out of bed on Sundays with Bach organ pieces in glorious mono, and my only album was the Star Wars soundtrack (which I found very disappointing, because I didn't understand why it didn't have dialog and sound effects). Just a year later I received a copy of the Clash's "Give 'Em Enough Rope" and began a crashcourse in culture-lagged late-70's/early 80's non-pop music, including Gang Of Four, The Cure, Stiff Little Fingers, Sex Pistols, Bauhaus, Buzzcocks, Mission to Burma, The Jam, XTC...anything that had the aroma of "punk" or, it turns out, was just contemporaneous with punk bands.

My first huge concert was The Who with Billy Squier opening...somehow I tried to draw a line between those bands and the punk bands. My friend Colin's older brother had a cool record collection, and someone made a mix tape that we all copied drove around with for a couple of years in high-school; The Skunks, Surf Punks, Big Boys, Terminal Mind, TSOL, Roky Erikson. Those bands that I immersed myself in along with my high-school friends are probably the ones that meant most to me, and from there it was simply a matter of working forwards/backwards. Bauhaus does a really rockin' cover of "Telegram Sam," for example, which inspired me to dig deep into and fall in love with T.Rex. Bauhaus' cover of "Ziggy Stardust" led a winding path that, years later formed the foundation of a love for David Bowie, particlulary pre-"Let's Dance."

Rafa/Vents: Do you guys feel the band is moving on the right direction?

Allan/Bonedome: I think so...we're making our way in a rapidly involving music environment, and it's pretty exciting.

We're focused on 2 things: making music we can be proud of and figuring out the best ways to get it into the ears of the people who are prone to appreciate it. The opportunities like talking to Vents are pretty promising towards those ends, and we're grateful for that. We're having fun trying a little bit of everything towards these ends, except of course the things we've tried a million times expecting different results. We'll probably go down a few dead-end paths, either because we're clinging to old modalities or because we're trying something new that doesn't turn out work, but we think if we stick to those fundamental objectives we can't go wrong, no matter what the outcome.

What are your hobbies?

This whole music thing is my hobby. Writing songs and short stories and clever tweets and posts. I don’t knit or play with model trains. I’m not an aerialist or a card shark. I don’t do Sudoku. I don’t bake sugar dusted fruit tarts and I don’t prune bonsai trees. I don’t play Xbox 360. I’m not one to fly a kite. I never go antiquing and I certainly don’t whittle, not soap or wood or otherwise. I’m not into curling and I don’t raise Alpaca. I like to write and play and sing.

Do you feel you are moving in the right direction?

Absolutely. I’m keeping my majestic nose to the grindstone and writing as much as I can.

This album is taking up most of my time but as we near completion I’m getting excited about the prospect of putting a band together and making the rounds. Everyone says it’s a long bumpy road but the cool thing is you never know what’s waiting around the corner. I’ve met some extraordinary fellow travelers who have challenged me, inspired me, grounded me, lifted me, tripped me, picked me up and pushed me forward. They say it’s about the journey, not the destination. I think I get that now. Once you surrender to that notion things seem to fall into place and you discover that every moment, every opportunity is preparing you for the next. Cheers!

How did you get started in music?

I’m not from a musical family per se but Dad sang a lot of Johnny Cash around the house and Mom would hum along to Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 while passing hors d'oeuvres at their soirees. It wasn’t long before I was standing in front of a mirror using a tennis racquet as a guitar. That was really the foundation I guess. Also, I went to Catholic school where the nuns made me sing the soprano solos because I could hit the high notes.

They thought that was a hoot. Jump forward forty years and here we are. After enjoying a gratifying career as a Creative Director, I suddenly felt compelled to pick up a guitar and start singing again. That inspired me to write which made me determined to record.

What message do you want to transmit with your music? Life happens – enjoy it! There is a mythology built up around love, success, glamour, beauty, wealth, intelligence, creativity, all those sorts of things, and folks get caught up in striving to achieve or at least project, a perfect picture and we beat ourselves up when we fall short. The truth is everyone has a story to tell and every single one of those stories is more complex and more interesting than any romanticized Disney fantasy. My radar is always up for a colorful anecdote or slanted opinion. I will eaves drop at a confessional to get good material.

That’s what life is about - the struggles and foibles of the hoi polloi, the skewed view of the quirky. Celebrate it.

What songs do you love more than the ones you’ve written? My favorite song of all time is “Pennies From Heaven”. I love the sentiment. I also love Roy Orbison’s “Crying” because it’s perfect – PERFECT. And as corny as it sounds, I still well up when I hear “Hey there Delilah”

by Plain White Ts. There is something about the marriage of that simple melody and the plaintiveness of the words - “Oh, it’s what you do to me.” It kills me.

I’m a big sucker for good lyrics so Tom Waits slays me, as does a band called Elbow. I actually get dizzy trying to keep up with their clever wordplay. Oh, and here’s a good one - Jeremy Messersmith – a wunderkind out of Minnesota. Check out “Organ Donor.” Sometimes these songsters are so overwhelming I have to stop listening cold turkey for fear that I won’t be able to write anything better or different than what they are putting out.

Is there any plan for the future?

The goal is to finish up this album by August and start performing it.

Then I’d like to start right up on another. I’m excited about what that might be. Maybe I’ll do a record inspired by 60’s French Pop, or maybe Italian Spaghetti Western soundtracks. I’m open. Whatever it is I hope my current producer, Adrian Holtz, is willing to take another ride. I’m also curious about licensing and publishing. I’d love to find out if there is a place for me at that table. And I’d love to experiment with writing something linear like a song cycle or a theater piece. I have a couple of stories in mind that are ripe for that sort of interpretation.

What’s the funniest prank you’ve ever taken part in?

Well, I had a friend visiting from out of town and I invited my neighbor over for dinner. I told my friend that my neighbor was legally deaf and to be sure to speak loudly… almost shout when conversing.

Then I told my neighbor the same thing about my friend. When they finally met they stood there screaming at each other for the first 5 minutes. We still laugh about that.

What country would you like to play?

Canada, hands down – dream big. There is something in the water up there. Their singer songwriter tradition is unparalleled. I revere their royalty, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, but it’s the new guard that really blows my skirt up. Guys like Hawksley Workman, Ron Sexsmith, Rufus Wainwright and the heir apparent, Royal Wood.

These songsmiths are prolific, soulful, humorous and just all around crazy good.

To play for an audience that understands and appreciates these unique voices would be a kick.

Where does VOICE IN THE ATTIC’s name come from?

It was inspired by Patrick McGrath’s novel Spider. The protagonist hears voices allegedly coming from the attic of the boarding house he is staying at. Only later does the reader realize that this guy, Spider, suffers from schizophrenia. The voices are in fact created by Spider’s disturbed mind and can only be heard by him. To me, this is also an image for all sorts of creative processes, such as music. You can only be an artist by way of introspection, that is, if you listen closely to what your ‘inner voice’ tells you. But if you wish to stay sane, the voice in the attic must enter into a fruitful dialogue with the outside world. That’s one part of the explanation. Besides, I’m a singer and I own a recording studio in the attic of an old house. So I think the name fits perfectly.

How did you get started in music?

My family is a very open-minded one, so I was never forced to practise an instrument as a child.

I was encouraged to discover the sounds of the objects and instruments surrounding me, though. When I was an adolescent, I started writing my own lyrics and began recording songs on tape and playing and singing in bands. The feedback was always good, so I guessed that I was a musical person. When I was in my early twenties, I studied opera at a prestigious conservatory. But I didn’t want to end up merely interpreting what others had thought, felt and written. I must express my own thoughts and feelings. Also, I missed the down-to-earth feel playing rock music gave me, which is why I dropped out and focused on my own songwriting instead.

What's your method at the time of writing a song?

I once said that I’m a singing poet rather than a poetic singer, meaning there’s usually a story behind a song written by me that connects to my life, my way of looking at things. One thing I remind myself of when trying a new song and it doesn’t come out right is this, I tell myself: “BC, if you’ve got nothing to say, just shut up.” So normally, I have a concept first – a line or perhaps a topic I wish to write about, something that bothers me or which has recently happened to me, etc. Once I know what the song will be about, the music comes naturally. To give you an example: “Wrong” came into existence when I was at a post office early one morning. Upon leaving, I couldn’t open the bloody door. I looked up and saw this large sign saying “PULL” just in front of my face. I had been pushing at the door all the time. Leaving the building I said to myself, “What the hell is wrong with you, man?” Getting on my bike and riding back home, the melody for the chorus popped up in my head. As soon as I got home, I grabbed a guitar and a mic and recorded it. It’s still the same as the one you can hear in the song.

How has the acceptance of your music been so far?

Great. I mean, we haven’t got thousands of fans yet, but I believe that’s just a matter of networking and distribution. VOICE IN THE ATTIC is still in its first year, and I’m the band’s only permanent member at the moment. What I’m really proud of is the fact that the feedback especially from those people who have been inside the music business for many, many years is so great. I have fans among people whose music I adore, which makes me really proud. And then I’m in touch with musicians and sound engineers who’ve worked with legends – and they too dig my sound!

What has been the funniest moment you guys have been or took part?

There isn’t a single moment I could pick but when you’re in the music industry you meet all sorts of weird people and lots of bizarre things happen. One example might be that I know people who’ve worked behind the scenes with people such as Motörhead’s Lemmy or the AC/DC drummer. If only 10 per cent of the anecdotes they’re telling me is true then this biz really is a freak show.

What plans do you guys have for the future?

VOICE IN THE ATTIC’s second EP, “Shark Rider”, will come out this year and I hope to garner a good record deal and get lots of airplay. I really believe in the new songs. Next I wish to create a permanent line-up for the band and play as many live shows as possible, both in Germany and abroad. The next step is to support a headliner. Ah yes, and there are more music videos coming soon.

What bands you think can be somehow distinguished from your music?

Among those bands that have influenced VOICE IN THE ATTIC I would count King’s X and The Tea Party or singer-songwriters like Tori Amos and Tracy Chapman. What many people say I sound like when I hit the lower register, though, is Barry White. I must concede I didn’t even know who that was, so obviously he was not a direct influence. Apart from the latter comparison I have been told my voice was recognizably my own, which I think is good in terms of “unique selling point”.

What has been the greatest moment as musician?

Having been accepted as an opera singer at Robert Schumann conservatory certainly was a defining moment for me. From then on, I knew I could achieve anything I wanted in terms of music. I was always self-taught and I had been practising opera for less than a year before I went to the audition. Many people thought I’d make a fool of myself because other than in talent shows on TV anybody who applies at a conservatory is able to hit the right notes and normally they’ve been practising for years on end. The audition is as raw as it gets: It’s just you, a pianist and a panel of judges who are renowned singers. No technology, no room for cheating.

When I was singled out I knew I must be a natural, and that I can trust my intuition regardless of what others may say.

Do you feel you are moving in the right direction?

Yes, absolutely. I’m particularly proud of the fact that although VOICE IN THE ATTIC’s music is diverse the feedback is so good. That is to say, although I’m not ‘only’ writing rock songs but also singer-songwriter tunes that feature strings or even rap beats occasionally, people accept this diversity, I think, because my voice and my way of writing songs serves as a unifying element, as a kind of trademark. Life, after all, is multifaceted. I like to mirror that fact in my music.

JUST FREE www.facebook.com/JustFreeFans

Hot as The White Stripes, Just free easily get you attracted right away. Riffs, voices, everything combine perfectly.

By RJ Frometa

What does Just Free stand for or what is the meaning?

Just Free has robbed a little from my name (Justin Fremont). It was decided on for the meaning behind it, which is, to lead a lifestyle of freedom. Just be free, do not feel tied down, and do what you want to do with your life.

How did you begin your music career?

I have been around music since birth. I was raised with my parents istening to plenty of classic rock from the 60s and 70s and also a fair amount of 90s grunge and alternative. I started out playing dums at the age of 12. My parents could not afford a drumset, and did not know if I would stick with it, so they bought me a pair of drumsticks and I would use them to bang on pillows in the backseat of the car while we would listen to the radio on weekend drives. Once I became a Pillow Rockstar, they bought me a drumset for getting straight A's on my report card. I played drums along with my favorite Green Day, Metallica, and Black Sabbath CDs for a couple years but had the desire to write my own songs, which is something you can't really do on drums. My step-dad played guitar and I started learning on his acoustic and then finally, after getting good grades again, got my first electric guitar when I was 15.

What's your method at the time of writing a song?

I used to write a lot of lyrics and then sit down with a guitar and try to put music to them. I rarely liked how any of that turned out. It always seemed like I was trying to force the music to fit with the songs. Now I just noodle around on guitar for awhile and come up with some catchy riffs, then I just put words to them that will fit what is already going-on. Most times I will just start singing random things that come into my head. These are generally the first lines of many of the verses and then I will write out the rest of the lyric lines to fit the flow that the improv verse had. Although sometime the entire song can be based on ad-libbed lyrics, "Say/Go" is an example of this. There was no though behind the lyrics. They were purely made up and then written down because they fit the music so well.

What plans do you guys have for the future?

Plans are to Go Big! I have been in plenty of bands before and had fun, but this is the first one that I truly believe in. The music is original and catchy and our live shows are full of so much energy that it makes Angus Young look like Celine Dion! We do want to focus on getting an actual album done, but we are all about playing live and rocking some faces!

How would you describe your music?

Rock and roll the way it is meant to be played. Raw, energy-filled, sexy, and unpredictable. Most of the influence is drawn from immortal rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Black Sabbath. However we have to tip our hats to some new acts like Wolfmother, The White Stripes, The Killers, and some of the early Kings of Leon stuff.

What has been the funniest moment you have been or took part before, during or after a show?

We had a gig booked in Denver, CO on a Saturday night and had to play in Columbia, MO on Friday night. We finished the Columbia gig and drove straight to Denver. That is a 12-hour drive and most of it is through Kansas, which is THE worst state ever to have to drive through. We were supposed to have a friend of a friend that was going to let us shower and sleep at her place before the gig. Well we get there and she decides that she isn't going to let us come over and shower or crash because her boyfriend might not like it. So, without any money for a hotel room and an aversion to truck stop showers, we instead opted to sleep in a tree in a park that was at the foot of the capital building and then bathe in the Colorado River. We got plenty of strange looks and it was a rather Woodstock-esque experience that I imagine defined the "Just Free" lifestyle even more. We later found out that this girl's boyfriend was in New York at the time and would not have even know we were there. I guess our irresistibly sexy reputation preceded us!

What inspires you to make what you do?

I play music for the sheer love of playing music. Nothing makes me happier than when I have a guitar in my hands. I would love nothing more than to be playing in fround of thousands of fans, but would be just as content rocking out in seedy bar somewhere. Watching performances by some of the rock greats also helps keep me going. Watching a live Hendrix or SRV performance it is like a drug to me. I will be instantly amped up and itching to have a guitar in my hands.

Do you feel you are moving on the right direction?

I think we are. I mean, we are doing this interview, right? The mission is to get our music out to as many people as we can and even this interview is something that I would not have even dreamed of a year ago. We have some decent recordings that give people an idea of our sound, but really we just need to get out and play some major gigs. Once the right people see us play live I am fairly certain we will be set on our path to making rock and roll history!

www.reverbnation.com/godcryrock

Awesome vocals, great riffs and one great message for today’s society is only part of what this guys are about.

Get yourself drag by this outstanding band.

By RJ Frometa Where does GodCry name came from?

It reflects the purpose of the band in that we hope to be used as God’s instrument to cry out to anyone who listens to our music.

It also is a reference to the bible passage I Thessalonians 4:16.

How did you get started in music?

Each member comes from a different background. Michael and Colin are trained musicians, whereas John and Jeannette have worked on their talents for many years, but have received little to no training.

What's the message you guys want to transmit with your music?

That Jesus is the answer. Nothing else matters really. You can do everything the world tells you will make you happy, and you’ll find out it’s all a lie. It won’t make you happy. That void you still feel inside when you think you have it all, that’s where you don’t have the peace having Jesus in your heart gives you.

How has been the acceptance of your music so far?

Its been great as the response is mostly positive. Not everyone will like what we do, but we have found that a wide range of people of different ages and backgrounds enjoy our music. It’s a good feeling to know you are connecting with different types of people.

What has been the funniest moment you guys have been or took part in?

Our manager John once worked as an assistant at a major festival. He was told to only let people with the proper credentials backstage. He denied one gentleman access the second day of the festival and unlike others who were turned away, this gentleman was truly shocked. The next night, while enjoying the introduction to the festival’s headlining act, John noticed the gentleman again—he was the lead singer for the headliner.

Ooops.

What plans do you guys have for the future?

2011 looks to be our busiest year yet. We hope to release our songs on Itunes and other distribution outlets later this year, and are currently looking for labels and/or management groups to partner with. We are also looking at several options for radio play, and are using social media (Facebook, Reverbnation, Myspace, etc) and adverstising to get the word out about us. 2011 is shaping up to be a great year!

What are your hobbies?

Jeannette loves to cook. Colin is a jack of all trades—if you give him something mechanical that is broken, 5 hours later it is fixed. John builds his own tube amps, and Michael plays cello. Our manager John likes to eat--alot.

Situation question: You guys get stuck in an island on the middle of nowhere. Who would you guys send to look for help? And by waiting, any possible food finished and the only way to eat now is by recurring to cannibalism, who would you eat first?

We would send Colin to find someone because he never gets lost, and we would eat our manager John first. The guy eats like a horse, and if he couldn’t eat for a while he probably would lose his mind and go all ”The Shining” on us. So he would have to go first.

What bands you think can be somehow distinguish from your music?

I think its pretty clear we are heavily influenced by Evanescence. You could also throw Heart, Nickleback, Fireflight, and Flyleaf in there. They are all amazing bands who have had an impact on us.

What has been the greatest moment as musician?

I would say seeing people come to know Jesus at our concerts. We love music, and are very proud of our work. We feel our music speaks for itself. However, it’s a vehicle for what the band is truly about. We loves Jesus more than anything else and we play for him. So when people are brought into contact with Jesus through us, that’s the best feeling in the world. Once a teenager didn't take his life because he heard our lead singer's testimony and he decided not to go through with it. Sometimes your proudest moments as a musician have nothing to do with music.

Do you feel you are moving on the right direction?

Yes. We all feel called to do this and its our passion. Its not easy, and being fulltime musicians along with working fulltime, having families, and being an independent act make it very challenging. However, we love what we do, and we truly feel we are exactly where God wants us right now.

40 years later, a band that has been rocking the world with their music. Catchy riffs and sounds that would get you in, right on.

By RJ Frometa

www.thebrymers.com Q1: Where does The Brymers name came from?

A1: The Brymers were originally called “The de-Fenders” and started out as a surf band in California (1963). The average age of all of the band members was 15. The founding members were Dick Lee (drums), Mike Wagner (guitar), and Ken Valentine (guitar). In 1964, the group was signed to Diplomacy Records and taken to Los Angeles to record. After the recording session, Diplomacy Records and West Coast Artists decided to take the members to a plush hair salon in Hollywood to get their hair cut off in front of fans and cameras. The label changed the name of the group to The Brymers in hopes that the audience would associate the name with the actor Yul Brynner.

Q2: How did you guys get started in music? I got understand you guys began on ¡1963!... Can you tell us the road from then to now?

A2: On a Saturday night in May 1962 I was attending a Melco Dance by Mel Simas, a local radio deejay in Lemoore. A good friend named Charlie Brown introduced me to Ken Valentine, a local guitar player. Ken and I stated talking about music and as the evening progressed we decided to start a band. Mike Wagner, another Lemoore resident and friend, was a guitar player, too. The music bug sort of hit all of us at the same time.

The next weekend all three of us were in my parent’s garage on Champion Street in Lemoore attempting to learn a few songs. Soon, another guitar player joined the group. His name was Frank Bento. Frank played with the group for a month or two then left. After a few months of playing we decided we needed a name. Hence, a new band with a new name was born. We were called The Challengers. Bass player Robert Virden (from Stratford) joined soon afterwards.

We rehearsed at nights and on the weekends until we had enough songs for a gig. Our first gig was at the local Navy base. Needless to say we were excited, but the excitement subsided when we found out that only male Navy personnel were in the audience. We made the most of it and had a great time.

In late 1962, Mel Simas approached the group and asked if we would like for “Melco Int.” to become our manager. The group voted yes and our longtime friendship with Mel began. The surf sound was “in” so a lot of music played was from The Ventures, Dick Dale, etc.

In September 1963, an electric piano player joined the group. His name was Bobby Cox (from Chowchilla). During that same time period, Sharon Lee (guitar and vocals) joined the group. She added the female voice for high harmonies and for some of the girl songs out at the time (i.e., “A Thousand Stars”). What made it even better was that she was my sister.

To our surprise, we received a letter that stated we had to stop calling ourselves The Challengers as another group in town owned the name. Therefore, “The de-Fenders” (for Fender amps) was decided upon. After a period we began learning how to play our various instruments and started playing at local dances.

In November 1963, The de-Fenders were comprised of: Mike Wagner, lead guitar and vocals; Ken Valentine, lead guitar, vocals, sax; Robert Virden, bass guitar and vocals, and Dick Lee, drums. This line-up made two recordings in January 1964: “More,” an instrumental, and “Irritation,” an original tune. “Irritation” was our first attempt at an original song and “More” was taken from a movie, but with a surf sound added. The purpose of the recordings was for demo purposes and to press two tracks. The group rented a studio in Fresno, California and proceeded. During the same time period, Mel Simas became our manager. Mel heard the recordings and agreed to attempt to shop out the tracks to various record companies in Hollywood. Two days after the session, Mel was in Los Angeles and visited with executives of Dot Records, Liberty Records, Del-Fi Records, and numerous others. He returned to Lemoore and met with the group with the same message from all labels, “The tracks had no commercial value.” The group did not rehearse for two weeks and we began to wonder whether The de-Fenders were good enough to play professionally.

It was during this time period that Mike Wagner left the group due to his draft notice. Bobby Cox soon followed him. The de-Fenders now had only three members: Ken Valentine, Bob Virden, and me. The de-Fenders found a new guitar player/vocalist named Jim Mellick (from Lemoore and later Hanford). The group was up to four members: Ken Valentine, Robert Virden, Jim Mellick, and me and would remain so for several months.

We began playing at high schools, parties, and local events. We initially played a lot of local gigs for free and then someone actually paid us. This first paid gig was probably more of an event for us than our first record. It was difficult to believe that individuals would actually pay us to play music. It sort of made it more special because we were all such good friends.

None of us ever took what we were doing seriously. On the weekends you could find The de-Fenders in my parents garage at 234 Champion Street or around the corner at my aunt and uncle’s garage on Hamlet Street. To this day, I often wonder why the neighbors never turned us in to the local police for excessive noise.

We began to play all over and also became a recording band for various other vocal groups. The 1960’s saw an explosion of musical groups. We traveled and backed up many groups and/or artists including: Chuck Berry, Ian Whitcomb, The Isley Brothers, Cannibal and The Headhunters, The Five Satins, The Penguins, Dick and Dee Dee, Roddy Joy, Chuck Berry, The Uniques, The Isley Brothers, Frank J. Wilson, The Coasters, Dick Dale and The Del Tones, The Drifters, The Pyramids, Bobby Freeman, and Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Q3: How has been the acceptance of your music so far?

A3: To date, The Brymers have released four CD's. Sacrifice was released in 2007 and contains 24 tracks that the group recorded during the 1960's. "Where Are They Now' contains 14 new original tracks with that 60's sound. "40 year Brotherhood" was released in 2009 and contains 18 driving tracks. "Never Too Old To Rock-n-Roll" was released in 2010 and contains 20 tracks. The group has performed on Fox TV Summer Concert Series, and has over 40 videos on You Tube.

The Brymers music appears to be enjoyed and well received.

Q4: What has been the funniest moment you guys have been or took part?

A4: One of my favorite memories occurred while backing up Chuck Berry. It was late 1964 and we were on a Melco Dance bill with Chuck Berry, The Isley Brothers, and The We Five. Chuck Berry was the last act to perform.

Fifteen minutes prior to his time slot he still hadn’t appeared. He finally arrived about five minutes prior to going on. Remember, that we did not have any time to rehearse any songs. I approached Berry and asked, “Chuck, what songs do you want us to play?” Berry responded, “What do you mean boy – we are going to do Chuck Berry songs.” And with that he jumped out on the stage and began playing the intro to “Johnny B. Goode”. We collectively said, “Oh Shit,” and began following him through the beginning cord progressions of Johny B. Good.

The Brymers performed with Chuck Berry many more times over the years and he always kidded me about the look on my face that evening. The night went well…but what an experience. I heard a recent interview with Bruce Springsteen and he described the same sequence of events with our hero, Chuck Berry.

Another crazy time occurred while the group was booked into a San Francisco venue in 1967. Bobby Hollister (lead guitar and vocalist) had hooked up with this beautiful young blonde after a concert. He proceeded back to his hotel with the young lady and both entered his room. The rest of the group was next door playing poker and having a few beers to unwind. At one point, we heard Bobby yelling and banging on our door. As we opened the door, Hollister came running into the room yelling, “ She has a dick! - She has a dick!” To his surprise, he had hooked up with a transvestite who was a working female impersonator in a North Beach nightclub. Needless to say, Bobby was always ribbed about the incident and always checked that future women did not have a “package.”

Q5: What plans do you guys have for the future?

A5: The Brymers plan to continue performing and recording an album per year. It is hoped that the lovers of the 60's sound will continue to enjoy our music.

Q6: What are your hobbies?

A6: I personally enjoy reading, hiking, playing music, and looking at beautiful women. I am also involved with producing a compilation box set of 1960's garage rock music from artists from Central California.

Q7: Situation question: You guys get stuck in an island on the middle of nowhere. Who would you guys send to look for help? And by waiting, any possible food finished and the only way to eat now is by recurring to cannibalism, who would you eat first?

A7: I would definitely send Bill "The Wolfman" Brumley for help since he is not directionally challenged. I think the rest of us would keep an eye on Jim "Sluggo" Mellick's ass since it is of good size and would probably provide something to snack on until help arrives.

Q8: What has been the greatest moment as musician?

A8: Being interviewed for induction into the Central California Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame one year ago. In addition, one of the Brymers songs (Fit Me In) has charted in Europe and the group has had two songs placed in movies (Sacrifice and The Summer of Love).

Q9: Do you feel you are moving on the right direction?

A9: The Brymers plan on recording another album this year.

www.evanwesterlund.com

Country and rock combine together to create something just perfect!... Totally a most look listen musician

By RJ Frometa How did you get yourself started into music world?

The short version is that I was working at a radio station, and took a fancy to a lot of the great music that passed my way through the music library either destined for airplay or into the non-playable's bin. The process started in about 1985 and it took me 11 years for the realization to take place that what I really wanted to do was write songs & perform them, instead of just playing them on the radio. I started writing & performing in 1996.

What's your method at the time of writing a song?

It varies...sometimes it's just a title that pops up & I write toward that by allowing a flow of consciousness do the work, for instance, on Can't Stop Wonderin' & Who's Gonna Take Care of the Horses? On other days, I map out the entire theme, hook-line & melody and then make sure my characters and their situations in the story are in order before starting to write the lyrics.

For example: Still Crazy, Once Chance & Kisses Won't Cut It. And on the odd occasion, its just a guitar lick that starts it all and takes the whole idea home like on Give Me Some Twang. I like to co-write as it's a 1+1=3 equation in the creativity and musical input.

Who are your music influences?

They are numerous, from The Eagles to Tom Petty & Bruce Springsteen, to Johnny Cash, Radney Foster, Chris Knight, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam, and Marty Stuart. I am also heavily influenced by a couple of the relative newcomer writer/artists like Dierks Bentley & Keith Urban who bring a refreshing approach to the old school. Even if their more pop-oriented sounds are getting them hits, it's the tracks where they do tradition that give me the buzz for their talent.

Can you describe your music?

It's country fueled with southern rock. STILL CRAZY is a record filled with songs about love, heartbreak, guitars, dreams, tornadoes, trains, living to the max & dying - featuring killer guitar licks & sizzling pedal steel solos that will leave you dizzy. It's pure, raw energy...and music that does really well in a live environment. That's my take on it, anyway!

What has been the funniest moment before, during or after a show?

I would have to say it was the time I was playing a show on a Saturday night, and a woman made her way up to where I was on the stage and started screaming a request in my ear while I was singing, and then offered me a drink from her red high-heeled shoe.

What plans do you have for the future?

The plan at the moment is to continue promoting the latest album Still Crazy as much as possible to recoup recording & promotional costs and get the album out to the audience it deserves. I feel it's a strong record and something a bit different whereas country is concerned. But there are a lot of great albums and artists, so the challenge is always to find a way to break through. It's been reviewed positively all over the world, and has enjoyed airplay all over the world as well, although in terms of commercial play in the U.S. and Canada quite limited. I released single to Canadian radio and it's a tough and challenging market to break at radio, not to mention a costly game to get into as an indie artist. Radio is alluring, but you also need to be smart with your money if you want to be profitable as an indie artist.

My intention is to take my calling where it leads, take calculated risks, and turn up the volume on the amps & give audiences a great show wherever the band gets a chance to play.

We are currently booked as headliners at a couple of festivals in Sweden, and planning to get over to Nebraska in the U.S. to play some shows there and create a contribution to a tornado relief fund of sorts that coincides with the airplay I am getting for the song Springtime in Nebraska..a song from Still Crazy inspired by the 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak. Renew the plan from there and keep forging ahead with writing and recording while surrounding myself with capable people that know more than me about "how" to gain visibility for the music.

Do you feel you are moving on the right direction?

That is a challenging question, really. Thanks! Hmmm....if I had three wishes...

No, but seriously...it is certainly a pause for thought question. I often look at things with a constant level of constructive discontent. I feel that the record deserves a large audience, and I do what I can during most days to get music out there, book shows & hone the live aspect. Sometimes I wish for that big magic wand and a Major label to come along and say "Hey kid, let our team of experienced people show you how it's done. We'll invest in you!". I wouldn't complain! But at the same time, I am happy with the momentum that has been built to this point nearly single-handedly as an indie artist.

Sun Travellers

Smooth, awesome riffs and tracks makes a perfect combination that would drag you right away and get you in Love.

By RJ Frometa

www.suntravellers.com Where does Sun Travellers name come from?

That was my idea, based on two main concepts as a mediterranean sun worshipper... The first of a cosmic and upsetting nature, about a dream of being able to populate planets orbiting different suns, and wondering about life on earth origins. Also inherited from many Pink Floyd lyrics (Why can't we reach the Sun... Set the controls for the heart of the Sun... Fat Old Sun...

Two Suns in the sunset...), which sank in my mind since my very early teens. The second ironically travel-agency oriented, having all of us met in Amsterdam, with none of us actually from Amsterdam, so travellers, constantly chasing the sun when it shows up between the torrential rain showers.

How did you guys decided to create this band?

We met while studying and later teaching Audio and Multimedia here at the local SAE Institute, originally with the intention of working as engineers for other artists. We did that for a bit and we decided that we rather wanted to do it for ourselves and wanted to work on our own music. Some of us still teach at SAE though, as music certainly doesn't pay the bills, and some work in the IT/Web. What's the message you guys want to transmit with your music?

The lyrics are often introspective and describe our own crisis, sometimes nostalgic and quite dark, but at the same time follow a great epiphany.

There's a sense of reaction to a status, the desire to break away, to look into ourselves and see who we really are behind our day jobs. The instrumentals I write are also very soulful and inspired from Classic Rock bluesy psychedelia, and there's a lot of sonic research to try to reach a sort of metaphysical dimension.

What has been the greatest moment as a band?

So far being able to produce and self-release worldwide our album, which is quite diverse and contains all our multiple influences, being all of us from different places and backgrounds (Italy, Sweden, Morocco, UK).

What are your hobbies?

Luc (guitars) restores classic sport cars, in fact he has a passion for wrecks of all sort, underwater, on the ground, or up in the sky. Gordon (vocals) is the king of fresh homemade pasta and pizza, and also a great skater: could definitely make him a speedy rollerblading pizza delivery boy. Paul (keyboards) is an amazing skier and snowboarder. Mehdi (bass) is a fantastic cook and also plans to have his own brewery. Matt (drums) is a film maker.

Who are your influences?

To name a few... Pink Floyd, Genesis, Santana, Doors, AC DC, Grateful Dead, Caravan, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, Yardbirds, Crosby/Stills/Nash/Young, Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel...

What has been the funniest moment you guys have been or took part while tour or after a show?

Luc when he doesn't remember how the song starts and keeps upsetting the others with way too long intros...

Situation question: One of you guys are doing something on a bank (Taking money out, putting money in your account... whatever); suddenly a robbery take place: What would you do?

Being broke musicians, we don't happen to go to a bank. Anyway we would try to activate our metamorphosis devices and turn everybody into plants and little critters. That would fail. So we would try to convince the hot chick in front of us to take off her pants so the robbers would be distracted by primordial instincts. That would fail too. So we would shout "I am a broke musician!", the robber would respond "Me too! Come here buddy, give us a hug!"

Do you guys feel like are moving on the right direction?

We are passionate about our music but sometimes we think we live in the wrong place.

We had quite a hard time just after the debut album release, because of two of the original members leaving, being relocated elsewhere or back home. The line-up suffered and that unfortunately didn't allow us to do a promotional tour. Besides we wish there was a larger audience nowadays for alternative and instrumental rock, but at the same time we just want to leave our mark, transmit our message, doesn't matter if it takes time to get delivered.

Funny Special Articles A few months ago, Internet’s world, specifically YouTube, changed forever. A video reached soon the inordinate number of 40 million and more visitors within a month. You'd think this would be a mega video created by a legendary artist/band or known character such as Rolling Stone, Led Zeppelin, Queen, a President's speech, a message from God to the world directly from heaven... or all together. But no! It wasn’t absolutely anything like that. It was the worst video with the terrible lyrics I think ever written by a human in the history of the world.

Don’t know you guys, but this got me thinking for a while. I mean... The world is so lost now that nonsense stuff generates popularity? Was it all a plan made by sects to dominate the world?

How did this all happened?

Get ready to know the truth. For a while I decided to find the reason, the solution. In my quest to find the answer, several theories emerged and I will share them here only to you. None of this is in any other magazine, only here. It's time to know the secret behind Rebecca Black and her evil song: Friday.

Network Theories As today's society, which seems to have many things for them to do, but for some reason has nothing better things to listen than garbage. Proof of it is the video. But unlike us, many people have tried to decode it. Getting into wrong and simple solutions, though at least provide us with laughter and such good moments. Below, we got few of those:

Boring Theory Now, coming to our thing, the first theory could be the answer to all our questions. The reason why it has generated so many views is because, as humans after all, as also mentioned above, people today seem to be in a constant boredom. Many healthy and not so healthy ways to have fun have been created since the earth is earth -Say 350, 000, 000 or 10, 000 years- yet we go outside, read the news, and what do we see?... Bad news pretty much committed by people that deeply beyond psychology was caused besides mental issues, also by boringness. Sounds ridiculous, but in so many cases that’s correct.

However, there’s an interrogation yet not been answered: if this is the problem, why stupid movies like Furry Vengeance and Justin Beiber songs, that compared to Friday, are way to awesome don’t get this all attraction? How many people spend their time on that? Problems of perception between right and wrong? Maybe. But maybe the answer it’s the following…

Spam Theory It would be hypocrite to say we haven’t seen the video several times, etc… However, seventy million in a month. That’s quite a big number. If our first theory is true, I still hope and really think that there aren’t so many people with quite a lot of patience to click that video so many times. I mean, even the biggest hater of all, must have a limit. Thus, as in all social networks are always weirdos, viruses and spam, it would not be surprising that some of these visits were made by programs that are used today to raise the ranking and the numbers to impress. And yes, it exists; I am not making this up.

The Curious Case of Rebecca Black

Funny Special Articles Black – Friday Theory It was something that came to me like Puff! It was so obvious!... As we know, the song is about a Friday. But what Friday? She does not say ... or does it?... Then I found out the truth: The message was in the title. Many were looking at the lyrics, committing the first and big mistake. For you all can understand me, let's take Rebecca out of the title… What’s left after done that? Black Friday.

I know that many have not yet caught the idea. Shortly and without ado, the video hasn’t generated popularity, but it is all part of hysteria.

Hysteria? That’s right. For those who are not related to the dreaded Black Friday, is what comes after the much loved and waited Thanksgiving Day. It's very ironic, and after listening to the lyrics of the song all makes sense. The problem is that whoever wrote the song forgot or intentionally didn’t say what happened, for example, on Thursday. That day, many families were sitting all giving thanks. Very nice and charming. Then came Friday, where even the most of the civilized suddenly got possessed by a spirit of insanity, which in many cases, not even the wildest third world citizen can compare. The buildings are full with mad people all around; others are buying online more and more until the servers are to be exploited. Saturday everyone feel the losses that perished in the terrible hours of discord. On Sunday many bury their loved ones in their churches according to their beliefs, remembering the fallen.

If we look at it that way, behind the lyrics is a subliminal message to all the listeners fall involuntarily possessed by the terrifying demon of ignorance and madness. The most sadistic, then, would such a thing is being watered with a catchy sound. Perhaps even the same artist knows what she’s doing... Or of course, also the video is in memory of the Black Friday. In that case, the sadism is still standing. I mean, who sings a pop song about a terrible day?

Conclusion Those who said “I don’t know how to write a song”, “it is hard”, “I would never make it”… . There’s still hope. Rapper looking for a successful music career in today’s industry? Grab a kid and make him sing, do a featuring with him and that’s it! I know, isn’t that great?!... And third, but not less important: How would it be a song about Monday?

Book Reviews Het Madden, A Zombie Perspective/The Zombie's Survival Guide by Calvin A.L. Miller II 2009/2010 Zilyon Publishing I'm a zombie fan, I admit it! So this past December when zombiehoard.com was giving away all kinds of cool undead merch for Christmas, I HAD to try for something! I was lucky enough to get by my hands on (signed) copies of these two books (and a third)

by Cal Miller! Thanks guys! And my mind was blown away!

I'm sure most of you reading this have seen your fair share of zombie movies, tv shows, comics, or books. These two gems intriged me because, unlike so many others, they showed us inside the mind of the living dead.

I read the "Survival Guide" first as its a short book and I wanted to get a feel for Miller's style and ideas before moving on to the novel. It cracked me up from beginning to end, yet never let me forget how horrifying zombies actually are. This book also laid a nice ground work in getting to know the other books main character, Het Madden.

Now, "Het" is another book all on its own. Obviously tipping the hat to zombie conventions created by such masters as Romero, this book takes those conventions, tears them apart and gives them new undead life ("Who is Alive?").

Beginning at the start of the zombie apocalypse (December 2012), we shamble with Het as he turns, fights to survive, and becomes a leader for his oppressed brethen. The plot has quite a few twists & turns, as well as a few surprises along the way. But what struck me the most is how Miller gets us inside Het's head and makes us sympathetic towards his journey, then quickly reminds us how he'd feast on us all given the chance.

Both books also deal with heavy issues like racisim, oppression, and feeling alone, but without getting heavyhanded. Certainly there are a few flaws along the way (mostly editoral and I would've liked a little more description during the battles) but these books are must reads for any one who loves zombies! I recently asked Cal about the sequel to "Het" and he told me to look for it this spring or summer, so now would be a great time to get ahold of these books!

By Mike Reardon