May 2014

Steel Notes Magazine | 1

Features 22

Interview with Mamie Van Doren

By Marlowe B West Prezentz Hollywood Revival in an interview with a Hollywood legend

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Interview with Mutated Soulz by Dawn Mohn This whacky carnival troup is available to create mayhem and fun for your event!

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International Beauty Show - Photos by Gary Pries

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Behind The Scenes - Interview with Tom Keifer by Alexxis Steele

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Lisa Yamasaki, from Tokyo Japan founded J’s Hair Studio & Academy of Los Angeles premiers in the NYC International Beauty Show this past April

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Articles 6 18 16 42 58 76

Amanda Kasinecz - Jamberry Nails by Alexxis Steele Beauty at Any Age by Ronnie Kulanko Trisha Yearwood - Still Going Strong - by Bob Klien May’s Model of the Month - Amanda DeSouza Artist of the Month - Shannon McLoughlin by Alexxis Steele Interview with Vincent Martell by Alexxis Steele Photos by Bob Klein Part one of a four part series with the lead gutarist of Vanilla Fudge

Columns 3 8 14 20 30 51 52 54 74 82

Letter From The Editor - Alexxis Steele Brodian’s Banter - Stewart Brodian - Raji’s Story The Underground - Stormy Boz - Can Slipknot Survive?

Barbell Buzz by Tim Caso Roman’s Rants - Booze First Poetry Corner with Michael Hendrick Under The Radar - Lori Kapes - Sneakerhead Culture In The Spotlight - Alexxis Steele with Sharon Elizabeth Marlowe B. West Takez Manhattan - Take a walk with me Behind the Scenes - Interview with Tom Keifer Alexxis Steele

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6 16

42 58

Reviews 29 CD Review - Elbow 61 CD Review - Hank 3 by Michael Hendrick 76 Mob Movies wit Da’ Gangster Guy by Michael Hendrick

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© Copyright Steel Notes Magazine 2014

76 www.steelnotesmagazine.com | May 2014

Letter From The Editor

This month we have an interview with the Hollywood Legend, Actress and Sex Symbol - Mamie Van Doren And from burlesque to carnival, the Mutated Soulz Carnival Troupe. An interview with Vanilla Fudge Lead guitarist- Vince Martell. In The Spotlight with artist- Sharon Elizabeth.

Pictorial of the International Beauty Show from NYC. The Voice Of Cinderella - Tom Keifer along with our regular

columns, CD Reviews. and a story by staff writer Stewart Brodian

Happy Reading!

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Staff Writers

Michael Hendrick Stormy Boz Thomas Richmond Lori Kape Tom Martini Gallo Locknez Stewart Brodian HQDeceit BBStrange Tony Angelo A. Jude Tim Caso Marlowe B. West Rayvin Stites Roman

Photographers Gary Preis Larry Dell Sheri Bayne Bob Klein

On the Cover

Cover design by: Keith Boisvert Vero Concepts

Layout & Composition Magazine Design by: Leland Maurello Lelanda.com

Social Media

Facebook.com/SteelNotesMagazine

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Steel Notes Magazine is a monthly magazine featuring what is happening in the art, music, entertainment, and fashion industry.

Copyright is reserved.

Re posting is whole or in part on other sites and publication without permission is prohibited.

All right to photos belong to their respective owners. ♍

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Amanda Kasinecz - Jamberry Nails

By Alexxis Steele

A

manda holds a professional marketing career in the entertainment and music industry. In her spare time, she pursues her passion for fashion and design. Amanda recently was introduced to one of the newest beauty trends hitting the market, Jamberry Nails. Jamberry Nails are essentially nail wraps that are heat and pressure activated to create a watertight bond to your nail (much higher quality than store wraps!). They can be applied in just 15 minutes at home with a hair dryer. There are over 300 designs to choose from and last up to 2 weeks on fingers and 6 weeks on toes.

Plus, a few key facts that make Jamberry the best nail product on the market: • ­Highest salon quality product available • ­No harsh chemicals that will damage healthy nails or chip or fade • ­Largest selection of designs in the world, with new patterns being added regularly • ­Each sheet is enough to use 2­3 times • ­Vegan friendly!

Owning her own Jamberry Nails Consultant business allows Amanda to share her hobbies with others. She offers full event planning services for her Jamberry Hostesses, including personalized cupcake creations well as social media and digital marketing support. The possibilities for a Jamberry event are endless! Birthday parties, “Mommy + Me” events, or just a girl’s night, Amanda can customize a Jamberry Nails party to anyone’s needs. Benefits of hosting a Jamberry party i clude, free nail wraps, half priced items and discounted merchandise. Plus, Jamberry Nails is pleased to offer fundraising opportunities for groups and organizations. Steel Notes Magazine has teamed up with Amanda and her Jamberry Nails business for a kickoff fundraising event on May 7th for Type 1 and 2 Diabetes. The Jamberry party will be a preliminary fundraising event for the Septe mber 20th STEEL NOTES MAGAZINE DIABETES FUNDRAISER at Crocodile Rock in Allentown.

For more information on Amanda’s Jamberry Nails or to book an event, please visit: http://kasinecza.jamberrynails.net ♫

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Steel Notes Magazine | 7

Brodian’s Banter Raji’s Story

R

aji Ahmad was a lone worker in one of Iran’s underground nuclear facilities.

He had seen how the United States had ruined the capital of neighboring Irag. Baghdad, a city of thriving industry and culture into nothing more than ruinous rubble.

Raji has learned how the United States had set up puppet governments in Iraq as well as his own country only to end up with less than prosperous results.

Raji, like many in the Islamic world, has nothing but disdain for the United States - most commonly referred to as “The Great Satan”.

Even though education about Western Culture is discouraged, Raji considers himself a scientist He is a scientist whom is obsessed with learning and experimenting.

Learning and experimenting in the hopes of bringing down the Great Satan along with what he believes is it’s Judea-Christian alliance partner, Israel.

He had heard of an experiment made by the United States during the second world war.

The experiment, known commonly as “The Philadelphia Experiment”, was an experimentation in invisibility.

A battleship, moored at a Philadelphia dock, was modified with experimental electronic devices, which were to render the ship invisible - making it undetectable from enemy surveillance and detection.

Supposedly, according to unconfirmed sources, the ship itself literally disappeared - only to travel in both space and time!

When it reappeared minutes later, the sailors on the ship were either dead or, dying.

Some, according to unconfirmed sources, were actually embedded in the steel!

Invisibility or, (as we call it today) ‘stealth’, would be the ultimate weapon against the United “The States and could be used to bring the Great Satan to it’s knees!

Great Satan One way he is intrigued is the realization of how a modern day cell phone has more electronics is responsible than the space capsule which first brought Neil Armstrong to the moon! for all the He thinks that if that complicated technology can be reduced in size and increased in comworld’s plexity then it may be possible for the invisibility mechanism to be modernized in the same way! poverty” Despite having limited resources, Raji is still able to obtain some notes and published recollections from witnesses that have survived to this day.

He learns about the technology and devices that were used in the original experiment - most notably: The Gizma-tron and the Magno-ray.

Through further study an analysis, he believes he has figured out what may have gone wrong in the original experiment. www.steelnotesmagazine.com | May 2014 8 | Steel Notes Magazine

He reasons that the two mechanisms should not have been attached directly to one another, as they were back in 1942.

Also, he believes that a completely steel structure surrounding the mechanisms only overloaded the polarity and caused an oversurge in the devices’ power.

Properly separated, in a less steel encased structure, it would provide a more even flow for the power and NOT provide such disastrous results.

But, what mobile craft would be the most versatile and useable for both such an experiment and ultimately the deliverer of such a feat?

The answer came to him when he sat back and thought of a vacation he had taken less than a year ago.

A plane! A semi steel structure with enough space in the middle to separate the two technologies!

But, how + where to find such a device and experiment in secret?

The answer eluded him.

This could NOT be discussed with his superiors.

He would be seen as a lunatic.

Strict conduct codes do not allow for discussions of experimentation outside of what was only to be done at the facility.

Where could he find resources? Where could he find funding?

The answers lay in the internet. The chat rooms. The chat rooms of the experimenters and individuals with access to resources that weren’t available in the usual ways to the general public.

The anarchists, the self righteous do-gooders, the ones who didn’t fit in with the usual thoughts in their respective societies.

These were the ones where Raji found his resources and where he could network and discuss his ideas and more.

More and more, Raji networked with such individuals, obtaining funds, corresponding with electronic ‘wiz kids’ who knew more about electronics than he ever imagined.

He knew they were out there.

But, he didn’t know what their imaginations were capable of!

Given the right atmosphere, almost anything can be accomplished!

While on vacation, he observed two young men going about their business.

Two young boys with dreams and hopes of finding jobs elsewhere and helping to support their families and make life better.

He could only think of his hatred for the United States.

“The Great Satan is responsible for all the world’s poverty” he thought.

Raji thought he can get into a better frame of mind for his idea of improving the world by starting out small - helping the lives of two young individuals.

Working through other resources he had hoped someday to get them illegal passports through certain syndicates and send them to another country to try to get better work.

There can be money and opportunities in getting such work for individuals seeking a better life.

He still had contact information for the two boys.

“These two boys would be the experimenters!”, he thought,...

“They could be the carriers of the devices and then I could show my superiors the applications for this technology!”.

Time went on, working with his networking, attaining funds, getting updates on the progress of the development of the new smaller versions of the Gizma-tron and Magno-ray.

Months passed and, to his surprise, he was notified that he would have working models of the Gizma-tron and Magno-ray withing Steel Notes Magazine | 9

two months.

This was in January of 2014.

Time went by and he requested another leave of absence citing fatigue.

He revisited where he had vacationed and met up with the two boys once again.

Not much had changed in their lives.

They were surprised to see the man again.

Too many times, different people come to many people all over the world with promises of opportunity only to be disappointed and sometimes scammed and/or be the victims of slavery schemes.

The two boys were curious but cautious.

Sayed, a 29 year old and Pouria, a 19 year old were both men of thin structure and seemingly good character.

The two would be non-suspitious looking to authorities.

Sayed, looking out for his younger friend, had the most questions.

Raji understood this and reassured him that the two would be well taken care of once they reached their destination.

“Where?” asked Pouria “Vietnam” replied Raji.

“Why Vietnam?” asked Pouria.

“The United States hires many Asian countries to make their clothes and toys - do you like toys? - they hire many workers for factories and new opportunities from the USA are opening up in Vietnam”. :Why such a long time to contact us?” asked Sayed.

“There were legal things and contracts to work out” said Raji.

After some more conversations, the two young men seemed reassured that all would be alright - especially when they realized that they were going to receive their very first cell phones!

The experiment was set!

“Why experiment in that region?’, one may ask,...

The planes’ path needed to be over an area that was not much interest, militarily, to many countries.

Countries such as Iran and North Korea are basically under a microscope.

There is a body of water, just below Vietnam (western portion of the South China Sea) that hasn’t been known for much activity from any country since the Vietnam War. Raji felt that it would be best over there.

Once again, using his privileges as a government worker, Raji would have access to satellite data + information to monitor the planes invisibility as it passed near the South China Sea. Time went on and travel arrangements were made.More than anything else Raji wants to bring down the United States and bring it to it’s knees! www.steelnotesmagazine.com | May 2014 10 | Steel Notes Magazine

March 8, 2014.

The two young men will be flown to Thailand, then catch a connecting flight to Vietnam.

Raji, through a messenger, gave the two youngsters plane tickets.

The two cell phone shaped devices were to be given to them by an additional co-conspirator when the boys arrived in Thailand.

There was an explanatory note included with the devices.

Sayed was to call Pouria at the exact moment the plane would be halfway between Thailand and Vietnam.

The explanation was that this is how cell phone could be activated.

This was at exactly 1:20 AM Indochina Time.

Raji would be monitoring satellite data as well as transponder transmission from the plane itself.

The boy arrived in Thailand that afternoon.

One of Raji’s internet friends managed to meet up with the boys, acting as a friend/correspondent but, secretly making sure the cell phone shaped Gizma-tron and Magno-ray were well secured.

The correspondent helped the young men to the airport and they were on their way.

Raji was excited, nervous as all experimenters tend to be.

What if there was a delay? What if there were terrible weather patterns?

What if somebody found out?

He didn’t care.

His internet associates were all to eager to help him in this experiment.

There are many others, outside of the Islamic world, whom also share a disdain for the United States and all that they feel it represents.

Some of whom live in the United States itself!

Staring diligently at his computer screen, with windows open from other assisting correspondents, continuously monitoring all information being relayed to him, Raji intensely waited for his work to be proven effective.

Waiting, waiting, waiting,..1:10 AM, 1:15 AM, 1:16 AM,....finally, the time had come the experiment will WORK! There was a sign, one of the plane’s transponders ceased relating information.

Then, at first, the plane seemed to have disappeared!

Sayed must have pressed the right key on the Gizma-tron!

The experiment was working!

Then, something went wrong.

The plane hadn’t disappeared. The plane was off course!

It made a left angle turn of about 90 degrees.

Was there an emergency?

Was the craft hijacked?

Did the authorities suspect something?

The plane continued flying in the wrong direction for hours!

WHAT IS GOING ON?!!! Raji thought.

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Has someone interfered with my experiment?

Were the plane’s guidance systems confused by some type of polarity overload?

Where is that thing going?

Then, without any indication of impending doom, the plane disappeared completely from the radar monitors.

No signs, no fireballs, no distress signals, not even a pinging from the aircraft’s black box.

There was nothing. No indications of emergency procedures from any of the militaries of the countries in the area.

It was gone!

While Raji started to worry, he also began to wonder: “Did history repeat?”.

Was this craft inadvertently sent on an interstellar time dimensional trip?

Has the experiment failed?

“If this was some conspiracy by some other country”, he thought, “They have definitely crossed the line!”.

That’s when the door to his small office burst open.

“INFIDEL!”.

A large guard with other guards burst into his office.

“What have you done?!!!” shouted the irate officer.

Before Raji could rise to his feet, he was clubbed to the floor by the large officer.

Other officers began throwing all the paperwork and equipment into large carts and boxes and trashing everything else.

You have created an international incident!

“What did you with that plane?” “What were you thinking?

“There were United States citizens on that aircraft!”.

“Do you want them to bomb our great country?”

“Didn’t you think what they might do?”

“We have been monitoring your activities you fool!”

The beatings continued.

“Praise Allah” said Raji. “Allah Is Great” he exclaimed.

“Tell him in person!” Screamed the large officer.

Down the hall, in this secret facility, a young guard stood as security.

He hears the screaming. He hears the beatings.

Finally, he hears two shots being fired.

He hears a body fall to the ground.

He hears more beatings and then, another shot is heard.

He does not flinch. He does not move. All he knows is to follow orders.

He is a guard and that is all.

He stands emotionless as the fallen Raji’s body, along with cartons of equipment and paperwork are carried out of the small office.

He will not speak of what he’s witnessed.

This will be kept to himself until his dying day. www.steelnotesmagazine.com | May 2014 12 | Steel Notes Magazine

And what of the individuals whom were on the flight which never returned?

What did they experience while taking this flight to which no one knows where it has ended.

Is it perhaps still in the air, somewhere in time or space?

What were the pilots experiencing while the craft was in it’s flight?

Were they following what they thought were proper directions from their confused instruments?

Did time itself, in some strange way, come to a stop in the interior of the plane?

And, what of the two young boys?

Were they seeing, perhaps, strange lights such as the Aurora Borealis one may see in Northern Canada?

If so, since this was their first experience in an airplane, would they have assumed this was only normal when soaring above the heavens?

These thoughts will only be known but to the one who knows all. ♍

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The UndergrounD

by Stormy Boz

Can Slipknot Survive?

Life after Paul Gray and Joey Jordison.

Slipknot has been a part of the metal scene since they made their first appearance in 1998.

They were the band that scared your parents and spoke to you through their music. Out of what appeared to be mass chaos on stage, came a show that left the audience wanting more. The critics said a band with 9 members that included 3 percussionist, a DJ, two loud guitars, gritty bass lines, a sampler and a vocalist that is undeniably one of the best in the business would never make it. They proved their critics wrong and have fans or “Maggots” who would follow them to the ends of the earth. Question is, can Slipknot survive the loss of two of their founding members?

The loss of Paul Gray on May 24, 2010 was devastating, not only to the band but also to their loyal fans across the world. When the news hit, everyone wondered if Slipknot would continue on. Members of the band were busy doing his own side project and there was concern if the band would continue after the loss of Paul. No one was more vocal about continuing than Corey Taylor. He stated several times, “I’m very conflicted about whether or not I want to do anything with Slipknot, because to me, Paul was such an integral part of the band1”.

Eventually, they did come back together and had three extremely successful summers of touring that included the headlining slot of Rockstar Mayhem Music Festival 2012 and Download Festival 2013 as well as the inaugural Knotfest in 2012. To cover Paul’s bass parts for all of the live shows, they turned to a former member, Donnie Steele. Donnie has played Paul’s bass parts from behind the curtains since 2011. The musicianship is still there but the mass chaos is not what it used to be. Something is missing and that is Paul Gray on the bass.

With the loss of Paul, the fans were actually excited to hear in late 2013 that Slipknot would be entering the studio in early 2014 to start work on a new album. It was stated that an estimated release date would be sometime in 2015. Granted, all of the members had been working on personal side projects, but the impression was that all members were on board with this new album. The album that was going to be a tribute to fallen member Paul Gray. That is until, December 12, 2013.

The headlines said it all, “Slipknot Parts Ways with Drummer2”. I, like most of the fans was devastated, confused and a bit angry. Why were they parting ways?

What is going on? All that was being said is, “I can confirm that we have parted ways with Joey and as soon as we can say something, we will, but we’re trying to protect him, trying to protect us, just making sure that we do everything right because that’s what we would expect from ourselves and what we would expect from the fans.3” per Corey.

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Protect him? Protect them? Protect whom from what? The rumors have ran rampant all over the Internet and I refuse to give any of them any merit. The one thing that remains a mystery is WHY? The biggest question I am seeing among the fans is this, “Who will fill Joey Jordison’s shoes as drummer?”

It is a well-known fact that Slipknot has 3 percussionist and any of the three are talented enough to sit behind the kit. Shawn, Chris and Joey were the backbone of Slipknot along with Paul Gray. There was a certain chemistry that made that collaboration work. Joey’s double drumming techniques are some of the best in the industry. Not only with Slipknot but also with his side projects, Scar the Martyr and Murderdolls.

Not everyone can pull off his techniques and it leaves fans wondering what is going to happen with Slipknot.

Slipknot is obviously not going to be the same with two of the founding members no longer with them due to death and unknown reasons. Can they still be successful with the changes? Will Slipknot still have that special chemistry that has propelled them to the top without Joey and Paul? Will the fans accept the NEW and Improved Slipknot? Will they eventually tell the fans the reasons behind the split? Will they surprise the fans and rehire Joey? Questions could go on forever with or without answers. Do I, as a fan myself, feel that Slipknot will be fine? Yes, I do because they are an incredibly talented bunch that makes incredible music that speaks to their fans. Do I feel Joey will be ok without Slipknot? Yes, because he has had great commercial success with his bands Murderdolls and Scar the Martyr.

Will Slipknot be the same as the first time I saw them on the “All Hope is Gone” tour in February 2008? No. In order to have the intensity that has made Slipknot who they are, you need the 9 brothers that created that intensity and that died on May 24, 2010.

Reference Material 1: http://www.nme.com/news/slipknot/52887 2 :http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/slipknot-parts-ways-with-drummer-joey-jordison/ 3: http://loudwire.com/corey-taylor-first-interview-joey-jordison-departure-slipknot/

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Music Review Trisha Yearwood 20 Years Plus...

Still going Strong

By Bob Klein It’s hard to believe that Trisha Yearwood’s debut album was released over 20 year’s ago.

1991 to be exact, and this album also scored Trisha her 1st number 1 hit with “Shes In Love With The Boy”. A lot has happened in 20 years, but this particular night in Lancaster it was as if time stood still. She opened the show with one of her biggest hits “Wrong Side Of Memphis” which hit the Top 10 in 1992. She flowed through many hits like “The Song Remembers When”and “Perfect Love”, “Walkaway Joe” (originally recorded with Don Henley of The Eagles).

One of Trisha’s biggest musical influences is Linda Ronstadt. (I personally can hear a LOT of Linda in Trisha’s voice). She then rips into a killer version of “When Will I Be Loved”. She definitely did justice to the original. Next YES another Linda song “Blue Bayou”. I personally have LOVED Linda’s music for over 35 years and to hear Trisha’s interpretation’s of her music, with her powerful voice, just took this show up a notch.

“On a Bus To St Cloud”was also included, a haunting ballad by songwriter Gretchen Peter’s. I have to point out that when Trisha does a song she has a way of OWNING the song. Perfect case in point is her version of Gladys Knights “Midnight Train to Georgia”, another Classic song done to perfection.

Opening act and songwriter Karyn Rochelle joined Trisha on stage to duet on the song she wrote “Georgia Rain”.

A staple in Trisha’s show is “How Do I Live Without You?” Some may be more familiar with Leann Rimes version of the song, however Trisha’s version made it to the big screen being featured in the film “ConAir”.

And if you think she’s finished here, we get another Ronstadt song “You’re No Good”.

Note for note another gorgeous cover of classic Linda.

As mentioned earlier Trisha DOES have a Powerful voice and to witness the true beauty of her voice is to hear her rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” which closed the show. Truly a moment that will take your breath away.

Trisha is like a fine wine, she gets better with age. ♫

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Beauty at Every Age

by Ronnie Kulanko -Esthetician

S

pring has Sprung! So has the sun! We all want to be beautiful at every age. What is the largest organ on your body? Is it your heart? Could it be your brain? The answer to both is no. Your skin is the largest organ on your body! It is your first line of defense against infection, it helps to maintain your body temperature, and it protects all your other vital organs. Your skin is always working. Have you ever noticed how tired you are after a day at the beach? Do you ever wonder why? The reason for this is because your skin is working frantically to protect you from the harmful UVA and UVB rays! The sun causes Intrinsic as well as extrinsic aging!

That’s right. It ages you inside as well as on the outside. Your skin has its own menstrual cycle as well. This process is called Desquamation. When we are young this process occurs approximately every twenty eight days. As we age this process slows down ;( It is basically this. Young skin cells are born deep down in the dermal layer of your skin.

They are big and fat and round. Slowly they begin to rise to the surface and eventually they flatten, die and they are sloughed off as dead skin cells, and the process begins again. In youth, we are loaded with Collagen, Adipose tissue (layer of fat), and wonderful Elastin which makes our skin just pop right back to where it was, like a rubber band.

As we age, not only does Desquamation slow its useful purpose, but the Adipose layer thins, and Collagen and Elastin production slow as well.

With summer quickly approaching it is more important than ever to protect the largest organ on your body! Sunscreen, Sunscreen, and Sunscreen! The sun is one of the most important factors on how we age. Inside and out.

The American Cancer Society’s estimates for skin related melanomas in 2014 are over 76,000 new cases! These statistics rise each year. Approximately 10,000 are expected to die this year due to skin cancer. The risk of melanoma increases with age.

It is also the most common cancer in young adults!

We should be cleansing, moisturizing, treating, and protecting our skin every single day 365 days a year. Drinking water also combats de-hydration. As we age and Desquamation slows it is even more important to exfoliate those dead skin cells off

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manually (gritty scrub), or chemically (beta-hydroxy acid).

A layer of dead skin cells hides the luminous skin underneath.

Exfoliation removes that layer and also helps to quicken Desquamation at any age! This is a good thing folks. We all have one face. It is the face that will stare back at us in the mirror every single day! Protect that face and the largest organ on your body. Take that first step to be beautiful at any age!

A study was done on identical twins. This I would like to share with you. Same genetic make up. The same chronological age. The same everything.

What do you think made the significant difference you see here?

This is a set of identical twins. They were born minutes apart.

The twin on the right abused the sun. Notice all the dark spots all over her face. This is hyper pigmentation spots from the sun. Notice the deeper wrinkling and leather like texture of her skin. The UV light also decreased the twin on the rights skin elasticity, deepening her wrinkles.

The moral of this story……….If you wish to be beautiful at every age. Protect the largest organ on your body, treat it well, and you will always enjoy the reflection that stares back at you in the This ‘n That ♫ www.steelnotesmagazine.com | May 2014

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Steel Notes Magazine | 19

Barbell Buzz

by Tim Caso

Before we get too far into exercises, workouts and goals, we need to go over some important preliminaries. Like showering in the morning, incorporating these guidelines into your workout routine will help point you in the right direction.

The Notebook

We’re all a bit egotistical.

We like to look back with pride at some (but Lord knows, not all) of the things we have done over the past few decades. We like to pull out old newspaper clippings in which we were prominently mentioned or tell (and re-tell) that shop-worn story of our famous victory. These stories help us keep that I-still-got-it spirit alive, which leads me to my next point: your notebook. Another vital aspect of your workouts is to keep a diary of your exercises: your sets, reps, and weights. You need to do this a couple of reasons. First, it’s easer to see where you’re going if you know where you’ve been. Consider it history in the making. If you’ve ever caught yourself reviewing your Social Security statement and marveling about how you got by on so little income when you were young, you’ll know what I mean. When you look back at your notebook after a couple months, you’ll find yourself saying things like “gee, two months ago, I could only do that?” Then you’ll be looking forward to the next two months! Second, you won’t remember. Trust me.

Fads

A few words about fads and about that “great workout you saw on the internet!” Okay, I confess: my body is smarter than I am. (Don’t kid yourself: yours is smarter 20 | Steel Notes Magazine

than you are too!) Yes, dear reader, even I, your humble host, have occasionally fallen prey to that “great” chest/shoulder/ab/ back workout I saw on YouTube! Hey, I’d like to cheat Father Time too but somehow that never quite works out the way I had planned. Case in point: I once fell in love with a so-called beach-bodyworthy shoulder routine, which consisted of four exercises in a row, without rest. I admit that I was a bit envious of the shoulders on the guy in the video and pictured myself squeezing sideways through the doorway after doing this workout for a while. “Yes,” I thought, “that could be me!” The first time I tried this workout, I was hooked! My shoulders got a great pump, and I could barely get my shirt off to show my wife! Wow! I was hot stuff—even the doorways started to look a bit narrower! Do you know how long that lasted? Exactly two workouts. Yes, two—before my shoulder joints started biting back and my elbow began crying. Oh yes, I tried to tough it out: “C’mon, Tim,” I said. “You have forty years of experience, and you’ve been through much worse—like the time 405 pounds fell on your back!” (Another story for another time.) But it was all to no avail. My body was unconvinced and, once again, it proved to be much smarter than I am! Needless to say, I bathed myself in ice for a few days, put my tail between www.steelnotesmagazine.com | May 2014

my legs, ditched that great beach-body-worthy workout, and got back on track.

“Really, Tim?” you say. “Now I know you’re losing it!” Stick with me

Dress Code

When choosing gym-wear, you should never “dress to impress.” Don’t be “that guy or “that gal.“ Be mindful of the fact that your clothes are simply another tool to help boost your performance, and you should use them that way. You’ll go a long way if you develop the mindset that everything you do in the gym will either move you forward or push you back-wards.

Stick with loose-fitting T-shirts, shorts, and when the occasion calls for it, sweats as your body needs to stay warm throughout your workout.

here, and I’ll explain. Put the belt on so that it’s snug around your waist. So far, nothing new. Now, here’s where the “coordination” part comes in: push your stomach out strongly against the belt while simultaneously arching your back. This creates a solid foundation from which to lift, and it helps keep that back tight! It’s tricky, but once you get the hang of it, your technique, and then your weights will improve.

Go to @TimothyCaso on Twitter for more great tips on weight lifting!

How To Use That Belt

Belts are another important piece of equipment to have on hand.

Like any other tool, there’s a right way and a wrong way to use this one too.

And, not surprisingly, most people misuse weight belts as well. Using a weight lifting belt actually takes a bit of coordination.

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an interview with

Mamie Van Doren

Photo Š by Alan Mercer

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M A R LOW E B . W E S T PREZENTZ HOLLYWOOD REVIVAL Q: Describe happiness for me, Mamie ... Please ...

MVD: I wake every morning to a lovely white German Shepherd licking my face. Lilly Mae is the love of my life. She shares my breakfast (along with my other four dogs), and is my companion when I make my nightly pilgrimage to the beach. I truly love the ocean. It revitalizes me. And Lilly loves to dig in the sand.

Q: What is your greatest love?

MVD: My greatest love, I think, is life itself.

Like all things we love, it is finite. The spice of the love is the knowing it will eventually end. My Lutheran upbringing tells me that if you’re good--very good--your reward will be eternity in that Kingdom in the Sky. However, my recent exposure to Buddhism says that if you pay attention to your karma, your reward will be rebirth and, eventually, enlightenment. I kind of like it that Buddhism is very open ended. We accept that there is suffering in this life, face up to it, and move on. If you experience suffering, that’s okay.

That’s just suffering Buddha. If you experience goodness, that’s okay too. That’s joyful Buddha. What really counts is that you search for, cultivate, and experience the Buddha within you.

Q: I bet Mamie was super impressed with Marilyn Monroe when she was a little girl. I would love to ask her about that.” How about it Mamie Van Doren. What do you have to say on the subject ???

MVD: I always admired Marilyn, but I found her vulnerability frightening in a way. As we became acquainted, you could almost see that she was bound for great success--and an inevitable fall. That it would be the tragic

death she had, no one could have guessed, but she lacked the coping mechanisms that might have kept her on the straight and narrow.

Q: ... What ... in your opinion and from your point of view ... from the inside looking out ... really happened to Marilyn ???

MVD: I don’t have any special insight into her death. I don’t believe she was murdered. The most likely answer is that she drank too much and forgot how many sleeping pills she took.

Q: We would really enjoy your sharing the thrill of it all ... The victory ... The glory ... & ... The elation of being Mamie Van Doren.”

MVD: I don’t have a direct answer for this one. Alan J. Watts, the Buddhist philosopher and writer was once asked what being enlightened was like. He replied that it was just like everyday life--only about a foot off the ground.

Q: Can you put into words the kind of mindset you must have to achieve and maintain a place so high as Queen Bee Of Golden Hollywood ???

MVD: No. Achieving any sort of success in Hollywood is 90% luck and I’ve been lucky to have an angel on my shoulder. It helps to be in the right place at the right time. And it helps to be unafraid of hard work. I Steel Notes Magazine | 23

think many people outside Hollywood don’t realize what a grind making a motion picture can be.

Q: Of all your films, which is your favorite and who is your favorite co-star ???

MVD: I really love all my films in the way you love all your children. I’m very fond of the teenage juvenile delinquent movies like Untamed Youth and High School Confidential. I loved playing bad girls and I loved rock and roll. I was the first woman to perform rock and roll on the big screen, much to the chagrin of my then-husband, Ray Anthony, who was a big band leader.

Favorite co-star? Who else but Clark Gable in Teacher’s Pet. Q: Would you care to share a story or so about Rock Hudson???

MVD: All my Rock Hudson stories are in Playing the Field, available on Amazon. Rock was amazing in many ways. He was a huge movie star, and remained so throughout his life. The fact that he was gay was the best kept secret in Hollywood, though you can read in Playing the Field how un-gay he behaved on the night he escorted me to the Golden Globe Awards. His death, however, was sad and, in a way, a betrayal of the gay community.

Though it was clear to everyone he was dying of HIV AIDS, he took the secret to his grave.

Q: You are magic, Mamie ! Is it something you eat or drink ??? ... Do you have a secret regimentation, a guru, a genie in the bottle ??? Where does all this magic come from ???

MVD: PFM. I take good care of myself. I don’t drink accept maybe a beer before dinner occasionally. I have never smoked, and I’ve never liked drugs aside from a very occasional toke. I get lots of sleep, take naps, have a protein shake every morning.

And I do whatever the fuck I want to do.

Q: If you ever decided to unleash all of that power and authority, what might the world be seeing in tomorrow’s headlines ???

MVD: If I could change the world tomorrow morning there would be peace, enough food for everyone (there is enough now; it’s just not distributed properly), a living

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wage for every person, health care as a right and not a privilege, humans would have greater rights than corporations, and there would be intense concentration on the creation of a Gross National Happiness Index such as they have in Bhutan. The following morning I’d think of something else.

Q: In 1959 you filmed The Big Operator and the following year 1960 you did one of my favorites, Adam And Eve ... both with Mickey Rooney ... who just passed on April 7th, 2014 ...

What will you share with the grieving world after losing one of Hollywood’s all-time greats ???

MVD: Mickey Rooney was a unique and irreplaceable Hollywood star. He had a brilliant mind and a photographic memory. He would page through a script once and say, “Okay, let’s shoot it.”

It could be frustrating for some actors doing scenes with him, because he rewrote his lines as he went along. I found Mickey’s

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Photo © by Alan Mercer improvisations exciting though. It kept me fresh and interested in my scenes. He was a complete riot to work with, while at the same time being very serious about his craft. Mickey will be sorely missed by those of us who loved him.

Q: ... In ‘53 you did a movie called The All American with Tony Curtis who is quoted as saying “Kissing Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot was like kissing Hitler “ ... Any comment here ???

MVD: I think Tony said later in his life that he really didn’t mean it like that. In fact, Tony had an affair with Marilyn. By the time Some Like it Hot came around, I think she may have been less enamored of him Q; You were born to survive !!! Besides the everyday struggle of survival that each and everyone of us has no choice but to be familiar with, what makes you so damn tough ???

MVDA: I don’t think of myself as tough really. I think resilient is more like it. My upbringing on a farm in South Dakota strengthened me and gave me an appreciation for hard work. No one works harder than a farmer--at least a small farmer back in those days. The work is never over, there are no days off, and there is no guarantee of a profitable crop. When I got to Hollywood, it seemed like a piece of cake compared to a South Dakota winter. ... Thank U So Much, Mamie ... It Haz Been A Dream ... & ... Set Me Up About A Foot Higher ... Toujourz, MBW ... ♫ Steel Notes Magazine | 25

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Photo Š by Alan Mercer

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CD Review

Elbow: The Take off and Landing of Everything.

Guy

by A. Jude

Garvey is a surprising fellow; gruff and unkempt in his demeanor, charming and awkward to a fault onstage, and with a voice like a bruised angel he sings poetry as moving as Leonard Cohen.

The lyrics are clearly wrung from the depths of his northern English soot-stained heart. Even his outing with Massive Attack (the magisterial Flat Of The Blade) was redolent of coal mines, stainless steel and industrial landscapes.

The Manchester band, Elbow were together for around 11 years before their first record hit the streets in the UK, and they have steadily developed a reputation for nothing less than magnificence, improving their sound with nods to Radiohead, Verve and Talk Talk (in my humble opinion) but with an inimitable knack for melodies that unravel steadily with each listen.

This album will most likely not yield any “One Day Like This” award winning monsters, (from their previous album “The Seldom Seen Kid”) but the best start to begin to digest this album is definitely the charming and hilarious organ-driven “Charge” with lyrics like “Glory be, these fuckers are ignoring me” “New York Morning” is a stunning and evocative, probably my favorite, starting with a dreamy Eno-esque ambience, and slowly erupting into a male voice choir-led GLORIOUS outro.

I can’t explain the rush of adrenaline and emotion that floods over me when I hear this stuff. If you actually LISTEN to music and feel it to your bones and in your brain and let the words drive your conscious thought around “Real life (Angel)” is Elbow’s “Reckoner” (by Radiohead) in sound and feel. I am sure that is not their intent, but it just IS. This is music for the soul, for the heart and a microscope on the sentiments of the romantic Northern English man. Always overlooked for the stereotype of a rough-hewn alcohol-sodden creature, the truth is that Joy Division, The Smiths, Echo and The Bunnymen and now Elbow represent the wit romance and downright genius that the predicament of that joyless landscape dictates.

We escape within, and that is for the betterment of the world. It is impossible to HEAR this music unless you invest your full time.

The beauty unravels slowly and the songs dig into you until you forget there was ever a time when they were not part of you.

Listen and weep. ♫ Steel Notes Magazine | 29

Roman’s Rant Booze FIRST! THEN Musicianship!

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By Roman mmmm...do I want to be in a cover band and get the money? Or do I follow my muse, be original and creative, and be a starving artist? Hey! They’re both fun, as long as I can play.

If you are hired to play a place that wants covers, you play covers. If they want blues, play blues. A rock joint? Rock!Punk place? Original music? You’re smart to play the place that appreciates you. But you have a job to do if you are just making a paycheck. And the job you’re being paid to do is none of the above. It’s SELLING BOOZE. But integrity, insanity, and crowd pressure are all factors.

Sometimes the lines blur, and I play my ass off for drunken masses that are happier hearing the same songs the (clever band name here) did the night before. Sometimes I comply but sometimes I don’t.

And I usually don’t. I’m constantly taking the hard road by playing my heart out to people who don’t get it, only to discover that I could do less work, use up less energy, and basically just play popular favorites without giving a crap and actually be more successful.

Below are some instances where I stood at the intersection of Originality & Integrity Streets to stare the Devil Of Cover Music in the face and threw caution to the wind. (Often a paycheck went with it.)

First scenario: I recently auditioned for a local venue. That’s right, “audition.” It was actually the 2nd one this month. It’s a trend I’m seeing more and more of in these times of everybody scrambling to play no matter how little it pays. In this case, the venues have so many knocking at their door that they have the option of making them come in first to see up close and in person what they’re getting. I truthfully can’t blame them. Especially with me!

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So I showed up on the scheduled night, arranged a good month or so in advance, to be seen and heard. I’m on time and start on time. I brought people with me. I notified my people in the area and some of them came. I had even more people from much further south come up to support us. They supported us and the place, buying food and booze.

And honestly the band was particularly hot that night. I was impressed by my guys. They were tight and sounded good despite the weak “House” PA system (two big main speakers that the drummer was never gonna hear, and no monitors.) We all played exceptionally well to cheers and applause from out friends and the regulars, with some of our friends saying it was best we’ve been yet.

We did some covers with some really creative slants, some overplayed-but-expected covers (the few that WE liked,) and some originals. We moved and shook it down and we were all over the stage, creating a vibe and engaging the audience. We worked hard and gave a great performance. We were told immediately that they wanted us and would contact us.

But they didn’t. I called back, and they replied that they were already booked all year.

What is that really saying? It tells me they’re saying forget it. What happened?

Second scenario: I’m asked to fill in with a mediocre cover band for a two night commitment. They are playing all the songs that every cover band knows, but I don’t. They knew of me, and were glad to have gotten me at the last minute, assuming that because I was known to play well I must know cover setlists. But having come from punk rock, blues, jazz, and originals I never practiced signature riffs from Bon Jovi or Guns ‘N Roses songs.

(Guess what songs I’m referring to.)

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making it worse. I was all over the place trying to do all those songs from memory. I made it even harder for them to perform. I could hardly wait for the gig to be over, and when it was I was so relieved. I tried to pack up my guitar and split fast but before I could some slobbering drunk stumbled all over me, gurgling “Man...(belch!)...you guys are (big long slur) GREAT!” Third scenario: I get a new student, an adult. He already plays in a cover band. He shows me a pretty big list of covers. Lots of songs I know, lots that I have played, and some I don’t know or actually do but don’t want to play. He shows me their schedule and it’s full. They have a lot of work. I never heard of them, but I guess they must be popular...look how busy they are!

So I suggest some of his music for us to play together so I can see what he can do and how I can help. Yikes! He’s horrible! He can’t do anything more than what’s on the radio-played record, and he does it badly. How is he getting work?

Final scenario. I audition for a well known cover band. These guys are pro’s. They are with the popular booking agency in town.

They have a lot of work and they get paid extremely well. I’m in their practice room which has more gear than I’ll ever see outside of a music store or major concert. We are all waiting for one more member to show up, a keyboardist. Everyone else is there, singers, bass, drums, horns, etc. All they’re talking about is how quick can they make some money. I swear I literally heard them say “it’s just about the money” so many times I wanted to hit someone.

So I’m nervous, and impatient, just sitting on my amp. Finally I say “C’mon! Let’s do something! Let’s jam!” They can’t do it! “What do you mean jam?” they say. “You know, a blues or something” I reply. “Oh, blues...” They all start paging through their big books of cover material and finally find a Susan Tedeschi song (what they’re doing with that I’ll never guess. A favorite of a female vocalist maybe.) “Here’s one” they confidently say. “It’s blues” and they start playing this song that is some pop crap that I’d never associate with blues as I know it. They obviously were out of their element.

OK so what is the lesson here? The lesson is you’re not being paid to play well, sound good, or be interesting. You’re being paid to SELL BOOZE. Appeal to the MASSES. (I’ve always been suspicious of the masses, and anything that EVERYBODY says is what I should like.)

In the first scenario, my band did well and offered something fresh and new and original but the club hired a less talented cover band to do songs that their beer drinking crowd knew better. Danceable stuff. All I could offer was great musicians (who actually tour internationally) a new crowd, and some originality.

In the second scenario the cover band I filled in with was bad from the start but is probably told they’re great repeatedly. But with a drunken slur.

Third scenario is the same story: bands doing popular favorites, no matter how poorly, and being asked back.

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Fourth and finally the pro’s: doing covers just like the record, and I mean perfectly. Big gear and stage lighting. Work every weekend, at the shore, up and down the coast. Living the dream by creating the illusion. They’re Pink Floyd (not the cool old stuff) AND they’re Kanye West. And they are paid well for providing this entertainment. Yet a friend of mine in a similar agency-represented cover band quit after two years because creatively it was driving him to hate music. It no longer mattered how much he got paid.

I have wrestled with this decision from day one. I work in music stores full of employees in cover bands that have work every weekend. Meanwhile I don’t know where my next gig is coming from. Me and my stupid original music and arrangements. These guys are getting paid GREAT and some readily admit they can’t play well. I’m playing for...whatever. Well actually these days are so tough even the cover bands are getting what I get...but...What am I doing wrong!?

First scenario: I’m doing what I love and what I believe in. I put my heart and soul in it. It’s sincere, and the people know when you’re sincere. It shows. I have some great musicians that will play with me for very little pay because I offer them the chance to be themselves and have fun, not copy a record efficiently. Getting people up and dancing is not my priority, but a by-product of what I feel good doing to begin with. I’m not selling you booze, I’m presenting you my soul. Buy booze if you want to, but it’s not why I’m there. Besides, people will buy booze when I’m making them feel good.

Remember that second scenario, where I sucked and was still told “You’re GREAT?” The next day I was at a jazz jam in Philadelphia, the former great Ortlieb’s, where there were jazz students half my age running circles around me, not to mention experienced cats older than me making you drop your jaw in awe. Well I got my turn, went up there after waiting for hours, and got in one song with a few minutes of soloing. An older and highly respected and recorded pro whom EVERYBODY knew came up to me afterwords, patted me on the shoulder, and sincerely whispered “you’re getting better.”

I’ll never forget that EVER. That meant more to me that all the drunken “You’re GREAT’s” I’ll ever hear in my lifetime. That told me then and there which path to take.

I don’t make a lot of money. But when I come off a good set I feel good inside instead of feeling like I fooled someone. I feel really honest, like it was a good day’s hard work. I did well and gave people my best effort and it was appreciated.

I didn’t get asked by any cover bands recently to play the Jersey shore during the summer season Margarita nights. I also haven’t gone looking for that. But I was asked to play England three times. And Germany and Italy (I said YES!) I didn’t get paid a lot but traipsed around England and Europe for pennies a day, playing music I liked and wrote, to people who really did think we were “GREAT!” I was even asked by Columbia Records to send them material because they were seeing our name so much they couldn’t help but notice. Now we didn’t get in for various reasons, but they weren’t interested in covers. They’re looking for the next ORIGINAL song that EVERYONE WILL WANT TO COVER. I’m staying true to what I feel in my heart, and you should too, hey man, even if it’s covers...but I make a living playing music doing it MY way. It is WAY HARDER but can you believe I haven’t ever had to play “Wanted Dead Or Alive” or “Sweet Child Of Mine”?

Sorry all you masses! I guess if you want to hear a popular favorite that sounds just like the record...I’m not your man! Music is not what I do, it’s who I am. ♫

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See the International Beauty Show pictorial in this issue!

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PREPARE TO BE

MUTATED Interview by Alexxis Steele

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Q WHERE ARE YOU FROM? We are based out of Reading, Pa. Q HOW DID MUTATED SOULZ GET STARTED? WHOSE IDEA WAS IT? It was October, 2010 in the height of the Shocktoberfest season, for those of you who don’t know Shoctoberfest, is a local haunt where Thomas Meneely, and Edwin Dierolf, had been working for several years. They dazzled the crowds and coworkers alike with their macabre theatrics. Paying particular detail to their costume and makeup, catching the eye of many of the employees of shocktober fest, they creating many characters ranging from stilt-walking swamp monsters to hit-and- run victims, not to leave out the crept-keeper or the burn victim. With our popularity growing more and more people started asking for makeup and costume ideas. So on a raining night in October 2010, Thomas, Edwin, and a very close friend who had been pushing the idea on Tom and Eddie for a month or so Dawn Mohn sat down and that night and a dream was born. It was decided that we were going to start Mutated Soulz a performance, costume, make-up business. With Dawn Mohn added to the team as the Performance Manager with 30years experience in Dance, as well as being a very experienced choreographer with knowledge of how to run shows in the proper and most successful way. We figured with this combination we can’t lose. We love the macabre world and all the freaks who are in it. We also love the performing arts, whether its makeup, costuming, or performing!!

Q: DID YOU ALL KNOW EACH OTHER PRIOR TO WORKING TOGETHER? We were all good friends when we started down the road of operations and performing in a carnival troupe. Since our adventure started we have grown closer as a group and have mutated together rather nicely.

Q: WHO CAME UP WITH THE NAME OF THE CARNIVAL TROUPE? Mutated Soulz FX was decided by all of us. Its stems from how we feel when applying make-up or performing. We want to mutate your soul not merely change your appearance.

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Q: WHO DESIGNS THE COSTUMES? Costuming is managed by Thomas Meneely. Everyone involved with each event is given a character to portray. The overall appearance is discussed with each member as we want all our performers to feel comfortable in their temporary soul. We create all of our costumes from scratch or modifications.

Q: WHO DOES THE MAKEUP? Edwin Dierolf is in charge of the makeup department. He is skilled in the art of cotton and latex, bring back the older forms of SFX design reminiscent to the 1980s style of SFX makeup. This artist is not limited to SFX makeup he also does beauty makeup, airbrush painting, Body painting and face painting. Any mutations you want you can receive them here hahaha Q: HOW MANY ARE IN THE GROUP? There are 5 core members of Mutated Soulz FX. Edwin Dierolf, Thomas Meneely, Dawn Mohn, Steven Caplan, and Brian Parcells.

Q:WHO ARE ALL OF THE PERFORMERS AND WHAT DOES EACH ONE DO? All 5 core members perform as well as freelance performer who we call upon to join us in our performances. These performers are some of the best of the best in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware.

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Q: WHAT INFLUENCED YOU TO START THIS ACT? In March 2011 a production group Blood Productions invited us to and event Monster Mania in Cherry Hill NJ to do makeup for the roaming actors with the group, In return for our services they gave us a room and tickets for the weekend. Tom, went as 9 ft tall Teeter the clown and Edwin, went as Bartal B. Strange, the deranged Ringmaster, As soon as they hit the lobby they were an instant hit. After that we knew this is where we belonged.

Q: WHERE DO YOU PERFORM? We perform and do make up in the tristate area as well as New York and New Jersey. You will find us at Horror, Macabre, Steampunk conventions and Fairs however, we are available for any genera, and one might be surprised where you may find us at fashion shows to street festivals .

Q: WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? Mutated Soulz hopes to be mentoring kids and young adults to help them in choosing the right paths and skills to help them in the performing arts world.

Q What type of performances does your troupe do, and what does it include?

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When you come and see a Mutated Soulz Show you can expect to see dancing, stilt walking, comedy, juggling, hula hoopers, pio performers and much more.How to contact Mutated Soulz : Wedsite: http://www.mutatedsoulz.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ ♍

Prepare to be Mutated Are you tired of the same old boring party? Well how about having some new and unique performers at your party or event? (kids parties, weddings, faires, conventions , are to name a few of the events we provide performing and facing painting for ) MUTATED SOULZ FX can turn your parties into fun and exciting events; No one would want to leave. Our Circus of Bizarre is full of talented, fun entertainers; Bartle B the Ringmaster , Teeter, Hera, Horrus, are just a few of our circus characters. They will entertain you with Stilt walking, dancing, hula hoop performers, poi performers, fire performers and much more. We also specialize in FX makeup ,beauty makeup, and face painting for kids. For more information go to our Website, Facebook link or type in MSFX11, message us or call us at (484) 483-6651 if you would like to book a party. We have a big character bank, so please include the theme of your party and contact information www.steelnotesmagazine.com | May 2014

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Model of the Month Amanda DeSouza Feature by Alexxis Steele

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manda Amanda DeSouza has been a performer for many years, with her first professional production at the age of sixteen, and has not stopped progressing since then. This beauty has performed in countless musical theatre productions in the Philadelphia and Jersey shore areas. Some musical theatre credits include: Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Mimi in Rent, Cassandra in Cats, Cosette in Les Miserables, and many other roles in various productions.

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ome fun facts about me? My favorite holiday is Halloween, hands down. I am obsessed with anything that has a skull on it. My favorite musical is the Phantom of the Opera. Many people ask my ethnicity, I am Russian, Jamaican, and Jewish. My absolute favorite movie is Beetlejuice, and I have about 6 pillow pets. I am so joyed to be the model of the month! This opportunity is so lovely!

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Our lovely May Model Of The Month is currently employed as a dancer, singer, model, and makeup artist for several different entertainment companies, including 2Life Talent Agency and Entertainment Company, AI Cats Studios, and Mutated Soulz FX circus troupe. In most recent years she has worked at, the Tropicana, Caesars, Showboat, and Resorts casinos in Atlantic City New Jersey as a performer and promotional model.

Specialty jobs she has worked at includes: Rumor night club

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and Soundgarden Hall for special DJ events in Philadelphia, Sweet Sixteen’s, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and promotional events in the Philadelphia area.

Amanda’s credits are: University of the Arts BFA Musical Theatre • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Charter Tech High School for the Performing Arts www.steelnotesmagazine.com | May 2014

In Amanda’s own words....

Performing has always been a big part of my life, modeling was something I never thought of doing until I started working at different conventions and events. The first convention I ever worked at was Monster Mania in 2012. I was a promotional model for a film that was being shown at the event. I looked quite funny actually, I was dressed as a zombie school girl doing splits all over the hotel lobby. I became the girl everyone had to take a picture of. After working at Monster Mania, I worked as a dance at a Macabre Fair with Mutated Soulz Fx circus company, and then Steampunk Worlds Fair.

Because of my busy schedule, I can’t always manage to make it to the conventions and fairs, but I am always there in spirit! As a result of working at all these conventions I booked the job as the new cover model for Ester Wheelmaker’s new Zombie Punk book series. I am currently on the cover of her first book of the series called Gravely Inanimated and also guest star in the trailer video. They are currently working on the release of the second book of the series, which I and a beautiful male model will be on as well!

I would say I have plenty of hobbies as well, makeup artistry is one of them. I have been professionally doing makeup for about two years now. I have done makeup for Photo shoots, sweet sixteens, weddings, and have face painted at several events. Theatrical makeup is what I do best. I am so very fortunate to have been given all these opportunities at such a young age. My family is very supportive, and I have wonderful friends to back me up in my journey. ♫

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Poetry Corner

by Michael Hendrick Shut Down An intimidating rush of silence falls upon me in hushed violence.

My dusty room lies bright and still With kitties sleeping where they will.

Passing traffic, far birds squawking Broken distant sounds of talking – These are things I notice now, That my laptop has shut down.

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Under The Radar Sneakerhead Culture

by Lori Kapes

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aiting in line for hours for a movie release is pretty common. Waiting in line for your favorite singer or band is perhaps more common. But, would you wait in line for hours for a new pair of sneakers just to turn around and sell them? The sneaker-enthusiast culture, known as “sneakerheads,” actually does this on a sometimes weekly basis.

Most recently, in early April, Supreme, which is known for its skateboarding shoes, teamed up with Nike and released the Nike x Supreme Air Foamposite 1 sneaker. For sneakerheads in NYC the release for the much hyped about sneaker never happened because the line was shut down due to a safety concern.

Fortunately for sneakerheads in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania waiting in line never gets that serious.

Instead of waiting in line, usually at a local Sneakervilla, for the Nike x Supreme Air Foamposite 1’s, Kris Herrera purchased them online just before they sold out in a matter of minutes. Herrera, a 20-year-old Neuroscience major at Penn State, became involved in the sneakerhead culture by way of his brother’s friends.

Herrera’s sneakers caught the eye of one of the friends and they offered to do a trade and then educated him on the sneakerhead culture. Now, nearly 2 years later, he knows the ins and outs of buying and selling.

These particular sneakers generated a lot of hype because of the two brands coming together. Hype is a really good indicator how well a new sneaker will do. “I base it off whether or not I’m going to camp out for them by the hype people build up around them,” says Herrera. “If they’re hyped up, as in a lot of people on Instagram or Facebook are talking about them, will determine whether or not I want to sell.” So, before Herrera preps to camp out, usually on weekends when new sneakers are released, he takes in to account the interest in them which results in how much the re-sell value will be. “It all depends on how many sneakers you can pick up,” he says. “If I can pick up 10 pairs and make $50 to $100 profit per pair that’s $500 to $1,000 in just one day.” Camping overnight, Herrera says the longest he’s camped out was 14 hours, seems easy enough but there is a process to it as well as buying online.

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Chances are some of the people who waited in line in NYC went with a group of friends, or as Herrera jokingly called them his “co-workers.” When buying in stores you are only allowed one pair per customer, so Herrera asks his friends if they’d be willing to wait with him and then that will determine how many pairs he can walk out with. When it comes to buying online the rules are slightly different.

Instead of one pair per customer it’s one pair per form of payment, which might also explain why the Nike x Supreme Air Foamposite 1’s sold out online in only two minutes. Herrera uses a credit card, a debit card, and/or a PayPal account to make his purchases. When he’s not able to wait around for sneakers to go on sale online, Herrera takes it one step further. He uses a program to monitor the Nike Twitter page for sale links and then it will complete the purchase(s) without him even being near a computer. Selling is a whole other part of the process in being an active sneakerhead.

Through social media and in-person interactions Herrera is always making connections or continuing connections with repeat buyers.

Unlike eBay or Amazon, Herrera can’t rely on a star rating to show that he’s a good seller. “The more people you personally deal with the more your rep goes up,” said Herrera. Thanks to facebook groups he’s sold to people in his area and as far away as Texas. He continues, “so if you would sell to someone new and you need references those would be the people that would give you a good word (to others),” basically his own personal star rating. A sort-of-business man, Herrera at times feels like he sometimes over-charges his new and repeat buyers.

Like other sneakerheads Herrera goes by the pre-sale price and then he compares it the market price on release day. If bought online, though, the value of the sneakers could depreciate several days after they’re delivered. In the know sneaker-aficionados might buy the sneakers the day of. If they sell out and a seller still has that particular pair they can still make a profit, because demand might still be high even though they’re a couple days or weeks old.

Herrera bought the Nike x Supreme Air Foamposite 1’s online for $250 and they were shipped to his house less than 5 days later.

Before he sells them he takes them out of their box in order to get a good look at the red and gold accented sneakers. Unlike toy collectibles, un-boxing sneakers doesn’t depreciate their value, so although Herrera has every intention to sell them, he couldn’t help himself. Less than a day later he sold them for $700. “People are always willing to pay for sneakers,” he says.

When asked about continuing in the sneakerhead culture Herrera said, “depending on where my career and college takes me, if I make a lot of more than selling sneakers then I would probably just end up buying sneakers instead of selling.” A week later he was camping out for yet another new pair. He said “there’s always money to be made selling sneakers.” ♫ Steel Notes Magazine | 53

In The Spotlight Sharon Elizabeth

by Alexxis Steele

S

haron Elizabeth is a 24 year old singer/songwriter from Stewartsville, NJ and a graduate of the School of Rock. She recently won 2 Lehigh Valley Music Awards for Outstanding Singer-Songwriter and Outstanding New Artist. Sharon was also named the winner on The Lehigh Valley's Happening List of 2014 for musician/bands. She is an affiliate of BMI and a member of Nashville Songwriter's Association (NSAI).

Sharon expressed a serious interest in songwriting at the age of 22 when her music teacher, Albie Monterrosa, asked to hear her songs and encouraged her to finish and record them. He was also a producer, and she began working with him to record her first EP. In December of 2013, she released her first single, "Alone on New Year's Eve" along with a music video by Lisa Koza Productions. The EP, titled Breaking Free, was released in early 2014 and is available on iTunes.

Throughout the past couple years she has performed with mulitiple cover bands around the Lehigh Valley, including, That Being Said, Tranzistor Highway, The Inn Mates, and Strange Paradise. Working with multiple bands has helped her gain experience in different genres, such as rock, hard rock, pop, country, and Motown. Currently, Sharon performs covers with The Inn Mates and

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The Toga Party Band at weddings, festivals, and local bars. She is now working on a solo project of her originals with guitarist Matt Migliorino (former School of Rock All Star) and is writing new songs for a full length album. Some of her influences include: Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Pat Benatar, and Lzzy Hale.

The Breaking Free EP includes 5 songs written during her struggles with her weight, anxiety, and depression. Within two years, she has reached her goal weight by losing 125 lbs, and has overcome the shadows that have been holding her back. She hopes to inspire others to break free from their shadows, whatever they may be, through her music. With a new self-confidence, this transformation has Sharon ready to take on her dream!

Press Quotes:

“I “I “I

really loved the disc for the following reasons: I could relate to each song on a personal level and she writes and sings from the heart and life experience. The place where the best songs come from. Michael Phoenix - Writer of A Valley and Beyond

”

”

put the CD on repeat! Lol I listened to it four times already! Your voice is amazingly beautiful! Marc M. - Fan have no doubt Sharon will have a strong following in the future and I really think she is going to be reckoned with very, very soon. I can hear the knocks on her door now. Please go out and buy this EP as soon as you can. Jim Allford - Music Critic ♫

”

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Artist Of The Month Henna Artist Shannon McLoughlin

By Alexxis Steele

S

hannon McLoughlin has been a henna (mehndi) artist in the Lehigh Valley for 11+ years. She was exposed to henna as a body art in her high school years through a friend and has been hooked ever since. She’s primarily self taught and specializes in the intricate designs common to traditional Indian mehndi and is also well versed in the modern trends and designs requested today. Mixing her own henna paste allows her to make sure the ingredients in it are completely natural and organic, using no chemicals of any kind which is very important to her.

Shannon attends many events and festivals with her business, Traveler’s Song Henna, where she offers henna body art, hand made aftercare products, items using henna inspired designs Photo (c) Janice Lipzin such as hand painted boxes, henna’d candles, clothing, and jewelry. And as a new addition to the booth this summer she will be offering glitter tattoos for those who are looking for something that will fade a bit quicker or for those who just want a little extra sparkle in their lives! She’s also available for individual appointments (perfect for something special or to test drive a tattoo idea) and parties! She also is the henna artist for the Banana Factory in Bethlehem where she attends their First Friday events and she will be teaching a class on the art of henna June, 7th and 8th, 2014.

In addition to being a henna artist she’s also a wife and mother of two small children with a 3rd on the way late July! She’s also a birth, and lifestyle photographer. ♫

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CD Reviews Hank III - Brothers of the 4 x 4

F

By Michael Hendrick or fans of Hank3’s country/hellbilly side his recent collection of songs, Brothers of the 4X4,may be his best record yet. We got us a hot one here!!!

Besides his metal and punk projects, the last taste country he gave us drifted toward the avante-garde on his acclaimed Ghost To A Ghost/Gutter Town in 2011. This time we hear something closer a traditional country throughout the whole disc. Hank wrote, recorded, mixed and mastered all of the songs himself at his Haunted Ranch, aside from playing drums, guitar, bass and claw hammer banjo. He also whistles, yodels and does a bit of cussing. The lone exception is the song, Outdoor Plan, co-written by Eddie Pleasant – who also co-authored Devil’s Daughter with Hank on his debut LP, Risin’ Outlaw.

For fans of grand-daddy Hank Senior,

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the welcome tonality that only Williams genetics can deliver will delight those who enjoy Hank because of his family resemblance both physically and vocally.

As with many great musician/songwriters like Bob Dylan or Tom Waits (both of whom have demonstrated their respect for Hank Senior; Waits by railing against his ban from the Grand Ol’ Opry, and Dylan for purchasing the rights to Hank Senior’s entire song catalogue.) Hank3 records his tracks live in his own studio with the same band that hits the road with him.

With Hank taking over the banjo, Daniel Mason returns on stand up steel, and most of the band remains intact as David McElfresh and Billy Contreras both fiddle about. Zach Shedd plays stand up bass this time as opposed to the doghouse bass or double bass he plays on other recent Hank records. Johnny Hiland returns, this time on chicken picker. (For those with active imaginations like the reviewer Google ‘Wampler Ego Compressor.’ Even if you don’t know what it is, it is fun to see it listed in the instruments!)

Missing in action is Shawn McWilliams, Hank’s longtime drummer who is currently nursing a torn rotator cuff. Hank played the various instrumental leads and sang vocals at the same time, the drums being the only instrument to be dubbed in. A couple of guests/friends/players and his faithful dog Trooper help round out a few of the songs, too.

Standing out from the start and carrying the album, the beat distinguishes Hank3 from all other country/western musicians, as well as the shadow of his grandfather. While Senior created rock and roll with Move It On Over, Hank3 doubles the time of the beat in a very unique style. Even the slow, sad songs march.

As he told us in his interview here last month, “It goes back to me playing the drums and playing acoustic guitar on it and having just a little bit of a different kind of drumbeat as opposed to most traditional drummers who are studio players around Nashville.”

Hank tends towards modesty. Genius seems more likely to be the origin of that beat.

The legacy of longing lyricism lifts the first song, Nearly Gone, ups the ante immediately, as it starts off goofily enough with (presumably) Hank whistling and delivers the high lonesome spirit

F

arthest Away hammers the heart. The plaintive tone and snapping fingers accentuate a solitary life of broken days, a broken heart and somehow, hope. A dose of realism wrapped around a futile hope of change in a relationship gone bad; a sucker punch to the gut with the steel smile of enduring pain. The lyrics, deft yet so touchingly simple, reach deep and come across honest.

“When the closest one is the farthest away .How it burns in your mind when there’s nothing left to say,” he takes us to a place many have felt. “Is there anything that I can do to help you want to change?” Expressing that hopeless feeling of knowing the spark has died but not in your own mind and exposing the wounded soul in stark but sweet words belies an honesty that hurts. Hank digs into the abuse of himself as a child.

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On the upside, he offers wisdom and advice.

“Keep on truckin’ Through the broken day All you can do is what’s best for you.”

Then it ends on a high note – three notes from the steel. Anybody can fade out and anybody can end with a bang but to end on a clever note is tricky and Hank is a Hellbilly Trickster.

At six minutes six seconds, the song seems to pass swiftly since you fix on an image and can’t help but feel it and how it applies to you. By the time you finish thinking about what he just said, you realize that you must missed three minutes of more images. He referred to it as one of “the more old-school, deep country songs on the record” in our interview last issue.

The reviewer started a song by song review of Brothers and ended up with this single song on ‘repeat’ from 11:45am Sunday until about 2:00am the following morning. After over fourteen hours, it hurt to hear it as much the last time as it did the first. The reviewer can stand repeated playings of songs by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Townes Van Zandt and other certain singer/songwriters, as they are meditative in that way. The crafting of the music to affect listeners in that way shows Hank tuning into the Universal Mind the way they all do. Then, when asked, they say it comes to them that way.

If only for this one song, you need to buy this set. Yes, as usual he threw in a second disc.

What’s more, Hank says another track, Deep Scars, about “losing like a loser who’s got nothing to lose” but who will keep on fighting because he knows “how it goes when everyone’s bettin’ that you will lose.” For underdogs, it’s like an anthem. “It ain’t no place you want to be unless you like the feeling of being abused.”

“It’s the kind of life they warned you about,” he says. It’s a revelation and a realization, like “how does it feel to be on your own, a complete unknown with no direction home…like a rolling stone…”

With the cowboy feel and steel running through it, the lightly marching melody pulls you in and then drops the lyrics on you.

The up-tempo fun songs outnumber the sad ones here. Lookey Yonder Commin salutes his dog, Trooper, the life of running down the mountain “with my number one dog and my rifle in my hand.” The self-censoring lyrics Hank does when he gets to “Bum-Beep, Idaho,” ring hilarious considering the way Walmart and other merchants clean up his lyrics and post the parental advisory and the whole bit. To make sure you get the real thing, you are best buying at his website. www.hank3. com) Rubber hits the road insofar as defining Hank as writing ‘roots’ music in this song. Odes to dogs are not particular to America. Many countries are given to such expression for beloved pets. This is Americana. At the end of disc one, Dreadful Drive, with the claw hammer opening and the thanks to his dogs Possum In A Tree presents us with dead on roots country, “It’s always a sight I like to see. I wonder what he’s thinking,’ staring down at me. There ain’t nothin’ like seeing that ‘possum in Tennessee.” Living his life wild and free, the critter outfoxes the dog who wags his tale in annoyance. Mason starts and ends the song and plays some of the best steel licks on the record during this timeless tune, a knee slapper that will find it’s way to bluegrass festivals and become part of the our culture. A feel good song. The enthusiastic assistance on vocals from special guest Leroy Troy and his claw hammer banjo gives an extra boost. ♫ Steel Notes Magazine | 63

International Beauty Show Translation edited by Alexxis Steele

Lisa Yamasaki

founded J’s Hair Studio & Academy of Los Angeles in 1996. Presently she is the Artistic Director at J’s Hair Studio and a WELLA Top Artist.

Lisa graduated from Takayama Beauty College in Tokyo, Japan. She has hosted many seminars and shows in both Japan and the USA. Other than the Los Angeles studio, they have a hair salon business in Japan, called J’s HAIRSTUDIO & SALON. The salon technicians in Japan, have been made available to train every student in various beauty techniques.

Currently, there are 10 schools in the Beauty field, and based on the educational philosophy of the schools, they are planning a beauty training program for domestic and international students, full of originality.

Various events will be held by the U.S. Marinello beauty school. Their Japanese instructor will make you become familiar with the difference of both salon practices, as she is a lecturer, experienced of both Japan and the United States.

The school will provide quality training with teachers who are active in the commercial world and Hollywood movies as well. The students who are aiming to be in the beauty business will be meeting everyone in the profession, and will be supplied with basic, easy-to-understand courses, and all seminars will use the models showcasing the latest trends. Our message is ”The World Of Beauty” through Japanese technology “. Students seeking a future in the beauty industry, can hold onto their big dream and make it a reality. The academy is located at: 17352 Colima Rd. Rowland Heights CA. PH: 626-964-4666 Email: Jshairstudioacademy@verizon.Net ♫

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Marlowe B. West Takez Manhattan!

Take A Walk With Me Downtown

... and There ... MAJESTIC ... It Rose ...

... The Heart Of

‘The Village’ ...

... Cross Fashion Avenue From Madison Square Garden ... A’spin Thru Revolving Doorz ... You Are Hit With A Vividly Alive Fresh Rosy Fragrance Az Macy’s Welcomez Spring ...

...tall

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skinn

y buil ding

s!

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At Washington

Square Park.

... Yaa !!! ...

Wonder Who Hiz Designer Wuz ???

... Our 1st President Had Great Style ...

... An Instant Elation 2 Happy Shopping ...

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Mob Movies wit Da’ Gangster Guy

by Mark Hendrick

The Family

After getting bored with life with the Fockers and a few other mediocre cameos of late, one exception being his appearance as a racist senator gunning down illegal Mexicans in the cult classic Machete, we welcome Robert De Niro back to gangland. As Fred Blake, former Giovanni Manzoni, De Niro lays down the mean streets in one of the bloodiest locales in world history, Normandy, France.

You’ve heard of the Manson Family? Meet the Manzonis.

Hiding there under the US witness protection program Fred and family quickly acclimate to, and take over, the locale. Michele Pfieffer wears a hard edge as Maggie Blake and casting picked the right pair to play the teens, Belle and Warren; played by Dianna Argon and John D’Leo, respectively. Fred does what it takes to provide on the home front, while Maggie makes sure the family gets the proper victuals, even if she has to bomb every little market in France until they stock peanut butter. Belle is not only a seductress, plying that skill on one of her professors. When four male students drive her into the country against her will, she shows them what she really knows about ‘love’ with her tennis racket.

Meanwhile Warren proves to be a chip off the old block, sizing up the school from his cafeteria seat, eventually taking over the ‘cigarette action,’ solving the bully issue in a unique way and making a wad of cash for his troubles.

Tommy Lee Jones, as fed Robert Stansfield, appears whenever the plot needs direction or to smooth over destruction. Generally, he is too late or just in time. Perpetual frustration Fred needed an ‘occupation’ in order to keep peers out in his hangdog look whenever Fred or Maggie are suspected of another bombing, beating or shooting. There is no lack of blood or bodies in this film but it must under the radar. Now he can say he is a ‘writer,’ be noted that bombings are as frequent as in many war movie. much to the chagrin of A bomb meant for Giovanni precipitates the move, Maggie leaves a trail of smoking Stansfield, who can see bombed markets in her wake, when the family turn on the spigot and brown water the gangster memoir gushes out, we should know by then the water plant will be bombed…and it is! rolling off the carriage If plot is what you want, it goes like this…To save their own skins, the Manzonis join faster than Fred can the protection program and go overseas. In one of the more unbelievable scenes, Fred type it. find a brand new portable typewriter in the garden shed while cleaning out their new hideaway. That is not so unreal but the fact that it has a new ribbon is… nonetheless, if you overlook that, it makes for more good plot twists. Fred needed an ‘occupation’ in order to keep under the radar. Now he can say he is a ‘writer,’ much to the chagrin of Stansfield, who can see the gangster memoir rolling off the carriage faster than Fred can type it.

Through an odd twist of fate, a smuggled a bottle of wine finds its way to the Don who Fred betrayed. It is slipped to him in prison, inconspicuously wrapped in old newspaper…old French newspapers. Showing off his linguistic abilities, the Don pages through the sheets and discovers the Manzonis’ hiding place. He promptly contact Fat Wily (Vincent Pastore) who is overseeing the twenty million dollar contract on the family.

With the American hit squads now on Manzoni turf, they naturally attack Fred/Giovanni with yet another bomb. This time fired from a grenade launcher. This really pisses off the rest of the family and then there is hell to pay. www.steelnotesmagazine.com | May 2014 76 | Steel Notes Magazine

As the goons move in, Fred beams as he is asked to speak on an American film in his capacity as a writer. He and Stansfield, who knows this is blowing the cover, both react strongly when the film rolls…Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas! Stansfield sinks into his seat, rolling his eyes, while Fred beams, watching the film - bolt straight in his seat, absorbed and smiling at the beginning and sober at the ending, which was not a happy one for gangsters. Martin Scorsese executive produced the film, which was directed by Luc Besson and also written by Besson , his script based on a book by Michael Caleo.

Other De Niro films get referenced for fun…before breaking a bat while beating a crooked plumber with it, Fred stands in back of the seated man and wields the bats, quoting Al Capone as he readies to swing…just as De Niro swung the bat as Capone in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables.

While Fred stitches up the post-film lecture with laughter, we learn what the power of The Family is all about. As the tension rise high to the climax, the serious tone is broken by the killings of several annoying Frenchmen, who earned it by not showing respect.

Before they die, each goes through their annoying shtick and are then dispatched.

The Manzoni’s Rule!

We don’t think we are giving much away if we say the family survives. The narration by De Niro (excellent throughout the flick) leaves an opening for a sequel, as they will now need new names and a new country to hide in. If you can watch those Focker movies, pray for a sequel to this one.

To finish, and not for nothing, this steals a lot from the Netflix series Lilyhammer, starring former Sopranos consigliere Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt) as the exiled Frank Tagliano. Both stories dig deep into the Sopranos casting pool. You ain’t seen Lilyhammer?

Forget about it! We’ll tell youse next time. ♫ Year: 2013 : Running time: 111 minutes Director: Luc Besson Writers: Luc Besson (screenplay), Michael Caleo (screenplay), Based on the book by Tonino Benacquista Stars: Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianna Agron

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Interview with Vincent Martell

by Alexxis Steele

A: Vinny where are you originally from?

V:Born and raised and grew up in the Bronx New York A: Aah I could tell that by your voice!

A: Did you come from a musical family?

V: Yes I did actually.. My father played the guitar and the violin, and my mother played the guitar and the mandolin. My grandparents all played music, my aunts and uncles too. My sister played classical piano, after many years of lessons, so yes, I did.

A: Wow! That’s great! That’s really a musical family right there!

V: It sure is!

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A: Who were your influences when you were growing up?

V:Well, there was a guy named Tony Catuzzi that played on one of big Comedian Steve Alan Tv shows that my father knew. Then Les Paul, I saw him at Radio City Music Hall when I was just a kid, My folks took me down there with my sister, on Sundays sometimes into the city, so that was inspirational. I had a teacher down in Manhattan named George Marone who was a very good teacher of mine up until I was 16 , that I guess a lot of people didn’t hear of but he had a big name in the business, so I had quite a few influences.

There was also somebody on the Grand concourse, a famous guy who has a lot of books named Mel Bay. A: Oh yes Mel Bay! V:I actually took a lesson or two from him when I was a kid also A: I remember very well. I play a little bit of bass so, I have one of those the Mel Bay books for learning to play bass!

V: My Later influences are Lonnie Mack, Chuck Berry, all the early rock guys.

A: very cool, so how old were you when you played in your first band, and what was your first real gig?

V: Because I played since a kid I was able to play in the navy and was offered some gigs off base in Norfolk, VA . I had a band I was asked to join but I wanted out of the navy town and my parents moved to Florida, nd I got to play some shows at carnivals and dances.

A: You mentioned Les Paul, so is that your favorite guitar to play?

V: Well yes, I actually just off European tour with the Vanilla Fudge, and I did use a Les Paul over there for the whole tour, along with a Kramer and I have a couple of ESP’s.

A: How did the Vanilla Fudge start and how did it all come get together?

V: Well it started out in Florida playing with the Bondsmen backing up for bobby Vinton. In 1966 I got a call from a bass player named Joey Brennan, a drummer who asked me A :How did the band’s name come about any significance to the name choice?

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italize in the fact that the Beatles were a bug so he thought we should be the Pigeons.

A: Your guitar riff in the Vanilla Fudge , where you did the remake of the Supremes Keep Me Hanging On, you were ranked the number four heaviest riff by guitar magazine. You were also number six in the US, and number two in England, second only to the Beatles. That is awesome!

V: Oh man I’ll tell you, we’re still big in Europe, we still sign autographs. We have great management, a great producer, named shadow Morton, who is very very creatively involved with The Shangrilla’s, Janice Ian, and wrote The Leader Of The Pack, and Walkin In The Sand. We had a great record company behind us, and the song took off because of Shadow Morton. He brought it to Scott, and knew the idea behind it, psychedelic psionic rock, is the terminology we gave our music,and we slowed the tunes out dragging the most soul and emotion out of every note possible. As far as the number four riff , I have some classical music background, I was involved with east indian elements, Ravi Shankar, and everything at the time, and I got a couple of these riffs we also did on Bang Bang , that Sony and Cher wrote, who Shadow knew. Sony and Cher suggested they do that song so we arranged it, so I was into that whole east indian thing and it just really caught on and became number four in guitar magazine in 1995 which was great.

A: Vinny, you toured with a lot of great musicians!

V: I sure did A: You toured with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Janis Joplin, BB King, Jefferson Airplane, those must have been very exciting times for you!

V: I’ll tell you I don’t think there isn’t a famous group In the old days that we didn’t do a gig with or a tour with 67-70 we had maybe two- two week periods off in that whole time, we burnt ourselves out we played so much. We did thirteen days with Jimi Hendrix in a row ,we did gigs with Janis Joplin we even opened up jamming with Jeremy Lynch in the West Palm Beach festival that’s on video, and the promoters said they would release it. The Stones were there, Sly and The Family Stones , everybody every day we had to fly in by helicopter to the concerts, so we toured with everybody. So it’s a pretty rich history we got.

A: Yes absolutely! Now keeping that in mind ,what were the factors that caused fudge to break up in 1970?

V: we were together too much, we all got tired of each other, we needed a break from each other, from the business for touring, three years of constant everything, touring and playing and TV

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shows. We did all the big TV shows, so that’s it, we just got to the point we wanted a break, talking about it now, we should have taken a few years off and it ended up life came into play and a lot of years came in between the time off.

A: I guess it happens you know!

V: You gotta fill in the rest of times, we didn’t do that, we just rode this thing and slowly got burnt out on it actually, until we were ready to come back , and we got back tighter in 83 .

A: Jimi Hendrix told you to contact him if the Fudge ever broke up, so if he were still alive today, do you think you would be playing with him now?

V: I got to be friends with him to some degree because we used to jam all night, we flew together for a thirteen day tour, and after there was a place called Seaport Scene on 46th st that everyone would jam at after concerts if they were in town, and he was down there jamming one night I was down there he was there, Buddy Miles, Carmine, Jack Cassidy from Jefferson Airplane , and everybody is looking to jam with Jimi, and its four am when they closed the club, so Eddie Kramer, Jimi’s producer suggested we go down to the Record Plant on 44th St , and he has the keys , so we had an entourage of followers and who’s getting high, who’s drunk, who doesn’t want to go home yet ,whatever it is, and there was a whole bunch of us that went down there, and Jimi let me do the solo on the recording, and that’s when he let me know if The Fudge ever broke up, to let him know. I was very inspired by his music, and I’m good friends with a fellow that worked with Jimi Hendrix, and Gypsy Sun and Rain, and was up at Woodstock when jimmy did Woodstock. I’m sure me and Jimi would have gotten something going. I was also very good friends with Buddy Miles who passed away, and I did his last gig with him and we did something called Love-In, A Musical Celebration, and this was out in 07’ and it was his birthday. ♫

Part Two of this interview will appear in next month issue of Steel Notes Magazine

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Behind The Scenes

by Alexxis Steele

A Candid Interview with the voice of Cinderella ~ Tom Keifer

I had a very nice conversation with Springfield, PA born and raised artistTom Keifer, Cinderella front man and guitarist.

Alexxis: Tom, do you come from a musical family? Were your parents musicians?

Well, my dad played trumpet, and my mom played piano, although she really didn’t around much in the house, so I didn’t hear it much in the house. I guess it’s in the genetics.

Alexxis:- How old were you when you seriously got interested in music?

I started playing guitar when I was about seven or eight years old, and I remember seeing the Beatles on Tv, and I just wanted to learn how to play guitar, and my mom had a teacher come to the house, so I got a little acoustic guitar, and the teacher taught me not only how to strum up and chords, he also made me sing the songs.

He would have Beatles songbooks, and American folk songs, and that kind of things, so it was almost like a singer/songwriter lessons, it wasn’t just guitar. It was kinda cool.

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Alexxis: Okay so, were The Beatles your biggest musical influence? Or who were your musical influences?

I think it’s what inspired me to get into it, but I wouldn’t say, as the years went on I leaned more towards The Stones, and Zeppelin as I got older, Aerosmith and Rod Stewart, but certainly the Beatles were the thing that got the ball rolling, but many things came into me after that.

I was growing up in a time when rock was really exploding, and it was really new, and there were many amazing artists. Stuff like Yes to dirty blues rock, you know, Stewart & The Stones, and everything in between. I Loved Fleetwood Mac, I loved the Eagles, Skynyrd.

Alexxis: so you were interested in a lot of diverse music!

It was a very diverse decade to be growing up and learning about music, you know? A very cool time.

Alexxis: so, what was your first band, and your first real gig?

(Tom laughs) Well, I don’t know if I would call it a real gig but, I remember in third grade getting together with a couple of my buddies, and playing like the school assembly and like the school assembly, and we had no idea what the hell we were doing, and I’m quite sure we were terrible, but that was.. I don’t even remember the name of the band but, it was that kind of blind eyed innocence to just get up there and do it Alexxis: So you had an early start for sure! What is the story about how Cinderella actually came about?

Well, I had been bangin around in the club scene in high school really, and I was playin in clubs five, six nights a week, five sets a night, when I was still in high school, getting home very late, barely sleeping and still going to school. I did that for years in the south jersey club scene, and just started to get tired of playing other people’s music, and I wanted to start writing music, and so I did and I looked at like you know, The Stones and Aerosmith, some of the people who were my heroes and the thing that separated them from a cover band, and I ‘m like why can’t I make a record- well you have to have your own music, so that dawned on me, and I just started workin on music and assembled the band, and it was just one of those things like hey I know this guy, and I’ll bring in this drummer and eventually settled on the members that we had.

Alexxis: I am curious about the significance of the name choice for the band Well we were lookin for something different in the early eighties when we were coming up, hard rock was getting very popular and in vogue again and there were a lot of bands starting to

take off like Metallica and Motley Crue and a lot of band names that were very literal, and when we saw the name Cinderella we thought it was reminiscent of those band names that something heavy that’s described by a light name like Alice Cooper, or Kiss, or Sweet or Queen. It just seemed different and it seemed unique, and it was the kind of name that you wouldn’t really know what you were getting into musically until you heard it. Once you heard it you forever associate that sound with the name, so that is what the appeal was with it.

Alexxis: You had mentioned earlier about the Jersey club scene and of course performing in Philly. Did you have any influence from the Dead End Kids?

I loved The Dead End Kids, I thought they were great! They were pretty badass musically and visually. Visually they were nothing like anyone I had ever seen, so musically I think they were inspired by many of the same things I was, so I don’t think they changed my world all that much, and I knew those guys. Kelly and I used to hang out and we had similar influences, but I love them! I thought they were great!

Alexxis: The band was actually discovered by Jon Bon Jovi at the Empire Rock Room in Philly, right?

Yes well I wouldn’t really use the word discovered.. Gene Simmons had taken an interest in the band a couple of years before that. Most of the attention goes more from the media and the press goes to Jon’s corner I guess because a deal came out of his interest in it, but Gene took interest in us early on, so it’s hard to say who discovered us. Jon’s involvement certainly led to a record deal, but I am very grateful to both of them for taking the interest that they did.

Jon walked into The Empire rock club when he was in town, making 78 Degrees Fahrenheit, their second record and he watched the show. We didn’t know he was there, and he came backstage afterwards to the dressing room (If that’s what you want to call it- it was pretty small back there.) He introduced himself, and we knew who he was cos Runaway was kind of a hit then, and it was kinda cool for us, cos it was like- ooh it’s that guy that is on MTV! He said basically, hey I enjoyed your show, you guys are great!, and we all introduced ourselves and said yadda yadda, hi, hello, how are ya, and out the door he went. A couple of days later, we heard from our manager that he had been in NY, at his A & R guys office- Derek Shulman, and Derek already had our demo tape which was awful. The demo sucked, and he was riding the fence about it. I wasn’t there but, legend has it that Jon said forget the demo tape, I just saw them live, so go see them live.

So that was the catalyst that got Derek out. And I will say this- in typical A & R fashion, Derek still was not convinced. He didn’t

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think we had the songs at that point.

He signed us to a six month developmental deal, to write and record more demos, and then he finally signed us to a full deal.

Interestingly and ironically, hardly any of the new songs that were done during that six months developmental period, ended up on the record. The big singles we already had before we did the six months. That’s an A & R guy’s job to push you.

Alexxis: I have to say that probably one of the greatest all time rock ballads is “Don’t Know What You Got “ (Until it’s Gone” )I think everybody in the eighties were so into that song as far as rock ballads. So do you have a favorite?

You mean in terms or Rock ballads?

Alexxis: No, I mean just overall Well that is certainly one of the songs I am proud of, and it holds up. It passes the test of well can you sit down with an acoustic guitar and play it, and will it still hold up without the production in it? It is almost better that way! We were doing it that way on my solo tour last year. Actually we did it half and half, where up to the solo it was acoustic, where I would sit down actually with my wife Savannah, and do a very singer-songwriter acoustic version of it, and then at the end of the solo we kicked into the full electric thing, and you know it holds up as a song that way, and that’s kinda the rule of any singer-songwriter. Can you just sit down and bare bones do it?

Alexxis: After the Heartbreak station tour you went through some problems with your voice. How did that situation affect you from moving forward with your music?

Well you know, the voice as I mentioned, even going back to my early guitar lessons was always a part of it. Unbeknownst to me, that teacher when I was eight years old was teaching me to be a singer-songwriter by not just teaching me guitar chords, but making me sing the songs while I was playing them. so it’s always felt like all three. The Guitar, writing and singing, has always kinda felt like the same thing to me. Takin out the voice was just devastating, and it just crushed my world. You know it is something

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that I did not see coming, it was sudden, it was overnight, and all of a sudden you get this news that you are never going to sing again and the only prayer of singing again is well….You always look to doctors well like- fix it, fix it!.. And they can’t.. There’s no medical cure for it in terms of medicine or surgery, and they said you know if you’re going to be able to ever sing again, basically they said you are just going to have to figure it out.

Obviously that means working with coaches and some professionals and speech pathologists, and it was awful, and it has taken me years, and it’s been an up and down battle with it you know? Two steps forward, and three ,back, and four forward, and one back. But it’s really stable in recent years. The last three Cinderella tours and last year with my solo tour it’s been really strong. I’ve learned a lot from all of the teachers I’ve worked with and just kept at it, and it’s doing good now. It’s still a lot of work every day.

I have to do an hour and a half of therapy to two hours sometimes, every day whether I am on the road or not to keep it this way, but it’s certainly worth it.

Alexxis: I want to fast-forward here and talk about your solo career. Your wife Savannah she co-writes with you, and also co-produces your music?

Yes she does on this record.

Alexxis: So the title of your solo cd is called “The Way Life Goes” I assume that it is kind of like a testament to maybe the struggles you have had over the years?

Well, I think it’s just a slice of life. Struggles, good times, bad times. You know to me, it’s what music and rock music for me has Steel Notes Magazine | 85

always been about, when you can look to the lyrics and see a part of your life or what your struggles are. Your good times and bad times, and that kinda thing, it’s always been about that for me. These basic human things that we all go through, and all of the artists that I grew up on had that element to their music. It was very real stuff that The Stone’s sing about, that Rod Stewart did, and Skynyrd’s lyrics were just amazing, and that’s the place I’ve always written from, so I think the title is appropriate. This is certainly a huge slice of life on this record.

Alexxis: Tom, how would you describe the music on your solo cd compared to what you were doing in Cinderella?

I think the style is pretty similar. I think I picked up where I left off there. I would say blues or American roots influenced hard rock, and it has the same kind of dynamics in terms of balads, and hard driving songs and things that are in between, so I think it is very similar in that sense. As for me having been the lead singer and I pretty much wrote all of the songs for Cinderella, and did a good bit of the guitar work, there’s a sound there that’s me that when I step outside of that to do my solo stuff is obviously going to shine through too.

Alexxis: Tom, what do you think about the state of the music industry today, compared to when you first started out, and how It’s changed?

I think it’s sad. I think we came up in a time where we didn’t have to worry about the illegal downloads and pirating of music. We didn’t have to worry about streaming networks, we didn’t have to worry about people making their favorites in You Tube their album collection. I think the thing is when music’s not paid for, then the companies which are sometimes viewed as the big evil record and publishing companies, whatever you think of them, they are not receiving that revenue. They don’t have the money to develop and put into new artists, and to bring new artists along, and make sure they have the best of everything, like we were fortunate to have when we signed with Mercury. They stayed with us for four albums and made sure we were in the best studios, had the best producers, and the best engineers. You know it’s a whole different game now because of one thing, and that is loss of revenues, because so much of the music that is out there today is not paid for, and I don’t think people realize that it ultimately comes back on and affects the art. So the way you win today for a new artist, the way you have to look at it is , it used to be that record companies www.steelnotesmagazine.com | May 2014 86 | Steel Notes Magazine

had A & R people that had ears and were creative and imaginative, and you could send them a very shitty work tape, and if they heard something that they thought was magic, they would say, Oh- This is cool. Let’s get these people with the right producer, and engineer, and we can make a real record with these people, and they would actually do the work, and take the time and money in developing you.

Now record companies just wanna hear it developed, done, finished, with all the technology. We have it a little easier. You can have Pro Tools in your watch, and record a pretty good sounding record on your phone, but still that guidance- there was something really nice about having the record company involved, and that attitude. Whatever it takes to develop your songs and your music, and I think those opportunities are just less and less for new artists today, not to mention that it is harder for them to make a living.

You have bands that are huge bands in terms of the world and everybody knows who they are, and they are barely making a living because of that, and everybody has a right to make a living from their work and efforts, and it’s sad, and I have no idea where it’s heading. You would like to think that something is going to come a long and fix it. I don’t know that it is going to happen, other than awareness, and people starting to realize that it’s affecting ultimately the quality of the music or the art itself or both.

Alexxis: Who would you like to perform with , that you have not already played with?

Well, ( Tom laughs) Can I dream big? I wouldn’t mind playing with the guitar player in The Rolling Stones, they are my favorite rock band period, of all time. I haven’t done that yet. I’ve had a lot of amazing opportunities and jammed with a lot of people. I’ve met them, but I never walked onstage with them and played, so that would be cool!

Alexxis: Speaking of The Rolling Stones, how did you feel about being compared to having the swagger of Mick Jagger?

(Tom laughs) They are very kind!

Alexxis: Tom, where can fans find you and your music?

Through my Facebook- www.facebook.com/TomKeiferOfficial, on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/tomkeifermusic . They can also find my music online at in retail stores.

Alexxis: Tom, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with me!

Thank You! Good Talkin to you! ♫

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