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Bowling for Soup Jaret Von Erich's Donington Diary Interviews with Keri Kelli, The Mudmen, King Adora TrashLight Vision, Malibu Stacey - plus CD & Live Reviews
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Well we made it through one year people and celebrating our 1st Birthday this issue - yay! When I put things into gear last summer I gave myself five issues and here we are - so far so good so they're not gonna get rid of us just yet! To make this issue extra special, we've got our very first Exclusive! Bowling For Soup's Jaret Von Erich has taken time from his very busy schedule - New Album, Warped Tour, UK Tour!! - to give TrashPit his run down of this years Download Festival. We'd asked BFS if they'd like to play Donington when we spoke to them late last year and next thing they're on the bill - find out how it went! Thank you Jaret - you're king!! A few other thank you's are kind of overdue if I may? To everyone that's brought, borrowed, stole (you're not that desperate surely?) or just glanced through a copy, it is so much appreciated. Please spread the word
and let everyone know about our tiny magazine. To every band that has featured in the magazine, you're all stars. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us and give up your time and energy. Hope our write ups do you justice! To every fanzine / webzine editor - I hail you! Your endless enthusiasm and drive is inspiring and puts mine to shame! Thank you for all your help and comments. To everyone who has contributed to the magazine, written a review, sent in a CD, we couldn't have made it through this first year without your help - cheers! Finally to my girlfriend and bandmates for putting up with my vagueness and ignorance too many times to mention. Thanks for allowing me my little self obsessed outlet! Anyway, time to stop ass kissing! On with the show!!!
• TRASHPIT Issue 5 - Autumn 2004 • Editor - ROB LANE • All Articles, Reviews & Photographs by ROB LANE unless otherwise stated. © 2004 For What It’s Worth Promotions BFS Cover Pic - Jason Janik • BFS Live Pics - Scott Cole www.d30studios.co.uk • Keri Kelli Pics - Ian Dowdell • AA Pic courtesy Keri Kelli • TLV Promo trashlightvision.com • Nikki Sixx - Sara Wharton • Alice Cooper - Antony John • Metal Skool - metalsludge.com • Dee Snider - Alex Ruffini • EVH - vhnd.net Mudmen Promo - Sextant Records • King Adora - Love Peace Music • Live Pic - James Wright • Malibu Stacey Promo - Ami Barwell www.musicphotographer.co.uk
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w e v i D Re s Jean Beauvoir Chameleon
Electric Eel Shock Go Europe!
Frontiers
Demolition Records
Seems the once larger than life, coolest rock star on the planet has gone all grown up and dare we say it 'safe'. Okay it's almost ten years since we were asked if we were ready to 'Hike It Up' but I perhaps didn't expect Beauvoir to shed his rock skin quite so much. 'Chameleon' is as you would expect, super slick and smooth with Beauvoir's classy vocals sounding as crisp as ever but the songs rarely deliver that flooring punch which you hope for. It seems the production is scared to crank up the guitars, instead happy to deliver an inoffensive mix of programmed drums and layered choruses. Most tracks such as 'Where the river runs deep' and 'Even More' seem more suited to a movie soundtrack or filler music for Dawson's Creek. Beauvoir's tribute to The Ramones on 'Something to Believe in' is the highlight and a nice contrast to the thrash punk of the band it's aimed at but it's buried deep in an album that's great background music but seems more like a structured and polished boy band's ballad outing. 5/10
Cherry Blossom Clinic Cherry Blossom Clinic CD Smash I like trashy vocals but whoever let Dave Crow get away with opening line of 'Vertigo' wants shooting! Seriously, the song is great but my first initial reaction was to fire my hand at the stop button - thankfully I didn't and ten seconds later all was forgiven. Cherry Blossom Clinic are like a cool, scrappy fusion of Fountains of Wayne with Matthew Sweet handling lead vocals. The songs chop and change from fast paced, guitar thumping pop like 'Ordinary Love' and 'O Girl' to cruising anthems such as 'Bar of Soap', whilst all the time Crow's vocals walk that fine line of being super cool and scarily naff! When it works, it works brilliantly - 'Bobby Baccalieri' is power pop at it finest and a mega hit should it get in the hands of a band like Weezer. It's raw at it's rawest but all the time piled to the max with sugar and big pop. 6/10
Like Godzilla trashing New York, Electric Eel Shock have arrived just in time to stomp all over any faceless, mediocre guitar band that consider themselves to be rock. Unless you can chant 'Rock and Roll' at least ten times in every chorus and strap it to a guitar riff you could build a city on then EES aren't interested! Some might consider this Japanese trio to be a joke band but they're far from that they're simply one hell of a kick ass 'fun' band and there's a big difference. When Akihito Morimoto chants 'Rock and Roll can rescue the world', 'My God is early Black Sabbath' or 'I play faster than Eddie Van Halen' he seriously fucking means it! It's all wrapped up in some of the most infectious heavy metal riffage you're likely to hear this side of 1985 and welded to ear splitting solos and trademark Eel Shock chorus chants. You don't know heavy metal till you dial up ‘Radio 66.6’ and 'Do the Metal'! 8/10
Hollywood Hairspray Volume III Perris Records Credit were credit's due, a compilation in this day and age with a title like this would normally deserve a warning sticker and not just for explicit lyrics, but Perris Records have assembled a quite tasty collection of bands that are well and truly dragging glam rock firmly into the modern day whilst still tipping the hat to it's big hair roots. Any album with a Gemini Five track is worth the asking price alone and when it's the title track from their awesome Babylon Rockets CD it gives this compilation a well deserved credit boost - the new Swedish Glam heroes are truly a band that rock can be proud of at the moment. Other notable additions include contributions from Stampede Queen, Machinegun Kelly and monster riffmeisters Eat The Gun. Whilst it's purely an introduction to a host of new bands it's surprisingly listenable and one that will benefit each and every act on it's line up. 6/10
Avril Lavigne Under My Skin
Rebel Rebel Explode Into Space
Arista / RCA
FTW Records
Already delivering two hit singles from this album in just a few months has proved that Avril Lavigne is much more than a pre-packaged punk pop wet dream for every male teenager on the planet! Like her debut 'Let Go' this new album is fit to bursting with potential hit singles which could run and run, and when you have Butch Walker stamping his production and writing talents on a number of tracks you just know the word 'quality' is involved somewhere! Walker sprinkles his production magic on the hits 'Don't Tell Me' and 'My Happy Ending' which he co-writes. For the most part 'Under My Skin' is equal parts bubblegum punk ('He Wasn't', 'Freak Out'), epic ballads ('How Does it Feel') and quality hard rock very much in the mould of the massive Vertical Horizon ('Take Me Away', 'Nobody's Home'). She may be mainstream and she may be popular but that's probably because her albums and songs are always bloody good! 8/10
The Plastix The Plastix TB Records The second album from Nottingham's trash rock trio finally sees the light of day and is as chaotic, crude and guitar heavy as their infamous live shows. Remember the rumours of Gene Simmons trying to line up Eddie Van Halen for the guitarist spot in KISS? Well, The Plastix are a fair guess of what that would have sounded like in today's world. Shame really that Simmons was unable to nail choruses and spit attitude on his new album as well as The Plastix do on theirs! From the sleazy opener 'Sex, Lies & Vegas', the awesome 'Johnny Napalm' and the juvenile genius of 'D.R.U.N.K', The Plastix fire on all snotty cylinders possible. Sure there's occasionally some bland heavy metal predictability laid out on 'Try' and 'The Blame' which is thankfully saved by yet another power charged chorus and you often feel they need to step off the gas a little at times to let the songs breathe but for the most part this is an in your face hard rock work out. 7/10
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CALLING ALL UNSIGNED / NEW BANDS TrashPit will be running a new column featuring unsigned and new bands in future issues. Send demos / CD's to the address at the front of the mag.
The thorn in the LA music scenes side for the last fifteen years and banned from more clubs in California than any other act in history is not a bad CV for a sleaze rock band. Might mean they're limited to what gigs they can play but it doesn't half sound cool! Imagine Motley Crue crossing over from the Mexican border in the early eighties with a tequila in one hand and hitching a ride with Gene Simmons and somehow managing to talk him into singing lead vocals and you've got Rebel Rebel. One moment they rock, others times they suck massively in a crass eighties British Sputnik explosion failing to nail that big time hard rock sing along they strive for but definitely giving it all their heart in the process. I doubt Rebel Rebel will ever see the day when they can rightly proclaim that 'We Are The Future' but until then they're gonna make sure they raise as much hell along the way as they can. 5/10
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www.trashpit.co.uk Reuben Racecar is Racecar Backwards Xtra Mile
Any three piece band that can kick out as much passion and noise as Reuben do and manage to hold it together deserves a tip of the hat somewhat. Having been away for almost a year the trio return with this cleverly titled album of alt-rock and Emo fuelled guitar rage. Promises of a Foo Fighters/Faith No More hybrid are unfortunately lost somewhere in this sixteen song collection instead replaced by Hundred Reasons/Funeral For A Friend type workouts. Not so bad, when the band quit the screaming and hollering and deliver stomping rock in the form of 'Horror Show', recent single 'Freddy Kreuger' (surely they knew that was spelt wrong?) and Pearl Jam groove of 'Eating Only Apples'. Like most bands of this genre, memorable hooks and choruses are regularly sacrificed for power and angst which is all good but gives them a limited appeal, identity and ultimately life-span which is a real shame when most have great potential like Reuben obviously have. 5/10
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Rikki Rockett Glitter 4 Your Soul
Tommy Stinson Village Gorilla Head
Slave to the Rhythm
Sanctuary
Poison drummer Rikki Rockett was always the most flamboyant and glamourous member of the classic hair band and on 'Glitter 4 Your Soul' he lays his influences and heroes out on the table for all to see. Essentially a tribute album to all his favourite artists of the 70's Glitter Rock period, Rockett has assembled numerous top drawer talent to help him re-record eleven classic hits. Musicians such as Blues Saraceno, John Corabi, Jizzy Pearl and Poison's own Bret Michaels take it in turns to reconstruct and pay homage to the godfathers of rock that spawned some of the most anthemic glam rock pre-1980. Hits from Alice Cooper, Gary Glitter, The Sweet and The New York Dolls are delivered with care and pride by artists still very much in love with what they were born to do and allow Rockett to bring all his influences to one home which he can sprinkle some added lipstick and hairspray. Great fun! 7/10
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Being a member of the modern day Guns n Roses unfortunately means you're going to become somewhat over shadowed by constant Axl Rose bullshit and for the most part paid to sit by the phone until the boss rings. So until one Mr Rose gets his head out of the crapper it has led ex-Replacements/current GNR bassist Tommy Stinson to branch out and put together his acoustic rock debut. Coming over like a pumped up Jayhawks or The Verve with personality and charm, Stinson's attention to detail and song craft are ever evident throughout. 'Something's Wrong' bounces along with it's head nodding in a smoky Pete Droge style and 'Couldn't Wait' delivers a great dose of punk attitude to it's acoustic backbone. Stinson has cleverly seized the opportunity during his 'down time' to grab his own shot at the spotlight and he's done it with style. 7/10
Sugarcult Palm Trees and Power Lines
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www.trashpit.co.uk Gene Simmons Asshole
Sanctuary / Simmons Records Maybe the legend that is Mr. Gene Simmons has spent too long believing his own hype. Over thirty years as a rock and roll god has perhaps left the infamous demon a little misguided because this brand new solo album falls well short of the mark. Sure there's co-writes with Bob Dylan and the late Frank Zappa, a few KISS style rockers ('Sweet & Dirty Love' and 'Weapons of Mass Destruction') and the ever present doses of Simmons cheese ('Whatever Turns You On' and 'Dog') but for the most part Gene seems to be on some ropey fifties ballad style trip which isn't gonna earn him any fans. The title track (which is spelt ***hole by the way - come on Gene have some balls! Oh I forgot the CD wont be on sale in Wall Mart if there's bad language on the cover right?) is by far the catchiest track but contains some of the worst lyrics ever 'You're such a creep, You look like a sheep'!! Nooo!! Okay it's a solo album and he can to do whatever the hell he wants but this just don't cut it! 5/10
Fearless / Artimis Records Like most great records the second album from power pop merchants Sugarcult takes time for it's melodies to grab hold. Sure it's pretty infectious straight away but it's four or five listens in when things start to ignite. The opening salvo of 'She's The Blade' and 'Crying' are great flip sides, the bouncy pop of the former grinding against the gritty sleaze of the latter. Sugarcult seem to have a lot more substance and style to their brand of dare we say 'mature' punk pop than most of today's bands in the same way that Red Kross were far too damn clever than any other band of their generation. 'Back to California' saunters along in a post summer haze until it hits you with it's big acoustic pay off of a gorgeous chorus line and 'What You Say' delivers a Lost Prophets fuelled angst anthem to bring things back up a gear. Sugarcult have dropped an album much more solid than their debut and one that is setting them on the right track to be a major pop rock machine. 8/10
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Supergarage Elvis Was Bigger Than The Beatles TB Records Rolling out the hooklines as if on a production line come Canada's hottest power pop act Supergarage. Welding together a mass of choruses and clever brain infecting lyrics, Supergarage deliver at an awesome pace some of the most in your face, chart worthy rock you're likely to hear this year. The band rarely stray from a tried and tested formula and when it works as well as this why should they? - 'Sugar', 'Pop Pop Radio' the sing along 'Texas Charm' and the brilliantly titled 'I'm a Rockstar, watch my video, buy my records, make me famous' all drop choruses to die for at an alarmingly rapid pace. Supergarage remind me of a much more instant and commercial Seven Mary Three and put to the right markets have the potential to be as big as the hooks in each and every one of the songs on this quality album. 8/10
. a T S H R I T P Let us know what bands you want to see in future issue of TrashPit. Drop by the website at www.trashpit.co.uk Sign the Guestbook, Hurl some abuse & Speak your mind!
Trigger The Peekaboo Sessions CD Smash
With the huge influx of bands like Jet, The Datsuns and the D4 there's no reason why Sweden's Trigger shouldn't soon be following in their seventies guitar ravaged footsteps. Recorded in a live situation the album wears it's heart on it's sleeve and is for the most part a raw and honest portrait of a band that should smoke in a live situation. Having been around since the late nineties, you imagine Trigger to have forged their sound through touring through the grimiest shit holes they can find and etching every ounce of sweat and angst into the songs found on this album. It only really works when it's played loud, 'Jesus' and 'Spit On Me' certainly demand nothing less. What Trigger do avoid is having their blues induced punk rock sounding like a modern day bar band, instead it has enough kick and angst in it's songs to see them bring their songs screaming into the modern day. 7/10
Van Halen Best of Both Worlds WEA A seven year silence is finally broken by the worlds greatest rock band. To coincide with what is currently the hottest tour in America, Van Halen unleash this mighty 2 disc set featuring cuts from both Diamond David Lee Roth and the Red Rocker Sammy Hagar. The track listing is an encyclopedia of radio friendly guitar adrenalin that changed the face of rock music. From the opening strains of 'Eruption' and 'Aint Talkin Bout Love' through to mega hits 'Why Can't This Be Love' and 'Right Now', it's all here. The three new Hagar fronted tracks, 'It's about Time', 'Up for Breakfast' and 'Learning to See' take their time to make their mark though and perhaps at times struggle to match the calibre of the earlier material. Also the brief Gary Cherone era has been criminally ignored in favour of some hastily chosen live tracks which have been released before. Why when there must be hundreds of stunning unheard live recordings do we get something we've already got? That said, this is a treasure trove of rock history that both fans and new converts should hail! 8/10
Velvet Revolver Contraband BMG / RCA This is currently riding high at the top of the US album charts, so I won't insult anybodies intelligence regarding the pedigree and members of this band. 'Slither' is all over radio stations in the US this Summer and rightly so. It is a perfect rock song and certainly my single of the year so far. But does 'Contraband' cut it as a strong album and not just a one-song pony? Well, clocking in at over 60 minutes, it's a little long for my liking and I could certainly have done without yet another US rock band covering a Sex Pistols song (Bodies), but that is pretty much all the negativity I have to offer. There are some huge slabs of hard hitting anthemic rock on this disc. Plenty of singles for them to choose from including 'Sucker Train Blues', 'Do It For The Kids', the amazing 'Spectacle', 'Set Me Free' and the GNR style ballad 'Fall To Pieces'. Commercially successful rock music (and the rock star!) is back and this is good news for everybody. JAMIE DELERICT 8/10
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If you would like to write a review for inclusion in future issues of TrashPit, please feel free to do so and send them to rob@trashpit.co.uk
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Keri Kelli
ROCK STAR FOR HIRE Guitarist Keri Kelli is a guy who keeps his options open! His guitar playing skills have allowed him to comfortably land the lead guitarist spot in many of the worlds leading and most respected hard rock bands. In the past you may well have seen him walking the boards as a member of Warrant, Slash's Snakepit, Ratt, Pretty Boy Floyd and most recently Love/Hate and the much talked about Adler's Appetite which features original Guns n' Roses drummer Steven Adler. Kelli was also one of the founder members of Dad's Porno Mag alongside Ryan Roxie and the much loved Big Bang Babies. Earlier this spring the Love/Hate tour rolled through the UK where TrashPit caught up for a chat. Once the tour was over Kelli returned to the US to join up with another hard rock legend, Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil on his current US trek. Like I said Kelli keeps his options open and there doesn't seem to be any band he's not capable of performing with. You keep yourself very busy handling guitar duties for a lot of the LA rock bands. Do you plan to write and record some new solo material in the future? I'm always doing stuff cause I've got a studio at my house so it's real convenient to record. I have a bunch of songs that I want to put out. I've been shopping them around over the last month or two, just stuff I've recorded over the last six or nine months. I'm singing and playing guitar, it's like Goo Goo Dolls or Matchbox 20, kinda adult alternative pop. On all the tracks it's me doing all guitar and vocals then Matt Long from Snakepit on drums. I don't know when it's gonna be released, I just don't want to give it to anybody and I'm always getting hassle from people saying I ought to press it up myself and sell it on the internet but I don't really want to go that route, I want someone to take it on board. How much homework do you find yourself doing when you join a new band on guitar and how much freedom do you get to inject your own style? I just kinda do my own thing all the time! Looking back on it, it's weird, I've played in so many bands over the last ten year period, I'd probably need three hands to count 'em all! When I first started playing with Robbie (Crane - bass) in Ratt which
was five or six years ago, they gave me like 22 songs to learn on a Thursday and we had rehearsal on Tuesday! You just gotta go focus and make it happen! I like doing lead stuff cause if there's a line that's really important I'll just kinda play that how it's meant to be and then just noodle around it. I always try and do my own thing in between. It's weird, there's all these bands I've played with like Gene Loves Jezebel and others that people don't know I've been in. Gigs like these just come up and I have no problem playing with anybody, I just try and do my best and music was always fun when I started and still is. Is there any band you'd love to play guitar with, for example would you ever consider the Ace Frehley position in KISS!? I would love to play with KISS but I think Tommy's pretty tightly knit in that camp. KISS is one of my favourite bands of all time, they were the second concert I ever saw in my life. The first show was Queen on December 22nd 1977 at the LA Forum which was awesome, then I saw KISS on the Dynasty Tour, something like November 1979 in Orange County. I hailed KISS and Queen back then when I was just a little kid. Back in the 70's KISS were legends and the fact they're still doing it today is unbelievable, they're cool for what they are.
Did you know the guys from Love/Hate when they first broke onto the music scene? Yeah, I lived in LA for about five years back in the late eighties, early nineties and Jizzy lived above my old singer and he'd always be yelling and screaming. We'd be like 'That's that fuckin' singer from Love/Hate - shut the fuck up!' Onstage the band appear to have a lot of fun and seem to get along really well - do you all hang out together outside of Love/Hate and Adlers Appetite? It's good to have fun when you play. Sometimes when you're too professional or too tight it becomes really rigid, so I think there's a really fine line between having fun, staying loose but still being professional. So that's what we try and do with Love/Hate, we have a great time playing and we're all friends so that's a good foundation to any band you play in. I've had fun in every band but to tell you the truth some of the most fun I had was when I played with Warrant. We were just goin' crazy! We'd go out and kick ass for like two hours then afterwards we'd just have a blast - killer, no pressure, nothing! Do you think this line up will record together, either as Love/Hate or as a brand new band? I think we'd all probably like to but the other guys are doing their thing with Ratt and we have the Adler project with about eleven or twelve songs done too. We've a deal set up so we've been working on songs for that, then over the summer Ratt are on tour and I'm out with Vince Neil. It'll be about November before we can start on the Adler record so after that Love/Hate maybe next year? The thing I loved about Love/Hate when they came out was you had all bands like Danger Danger which were third generation copies so when Love/Hate came out it was fresh and new, it sounded different but it was still cool, rock and dangerous. Who put the wheels in motion for the Alder's Appetite project? I've known Steven since about 96/97 from around town and we'd jammed at one time in one of my old bands. I'd lost
touch with him for a few years until he turned up in Vegas and one of my friends out there ran into him and they started hanging around. Steven was saying how much he wanted to start playing again so my buddy calls me up. I told him I can get a bunch of guys together and just see if it works, just take it really slow. We just jammed on some Aerosmith, Guns stuff, Thin Lizzy - pretty much all the songs we ended up playing in the main set. It was fun so we just said 'Fuck, let's do it!' It was simple how it came together and now the new stuff is just straight ahead rock, kinda AC/DC meets old Aerosmith - commercial but really stripped down. I think we're gonna put out a solid record. What's your take on Velvet Revolver? I think the best thing they did was get Scott in the band. Some people thought they should've got Sebastian Bach or someone like that but I love new music, I thought Stone Temple Pilots were one of the coolest bands. I love Slash and Duff, they're friends of mine and rock legends but they're old school now and Scott bridges that gap between old and new. I think it's the best person they could've got. I went out to the mini concert they did and it was fuckin' killer! The place was packed, Scott came out all crazy and shit - it was awesome! So I can't wait to go check them out and catch the full show! What's the story behind the mask you've been wearing on this tour? Me and some friends went down to Mexico a couple of months ago, and they have all the shops were you can buy all the bullshit Mexican crap and they have these masks all over the place - I guess Mexican wrestling is really popular. So I'm like 'Man I gotta get one of those masks, that thing is killer! I can wear it onstage and freak people out!' At first I was gonna wear it at the beginning of our set but when I was doing my other jam band with John Corabi in Vegas and during 'War Pigs' I go to the side and come back out with the mask on. Crane and Corabi couldn't even play the song, they were laughing and crying and shit! That was the first sighting of our boy they named El Douche! It was just for fun and now it's turned into something more! El Douche comes out in the Love/Hate set when we play Boozer which is quite appropriate! Who knows maybe he'll come out during 'Welcome to the Jungle' in the Adler set or something!? www.kerikelli.com
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Acey Slade is the perfect rock star. Larger than life on stage, balancing equal doses of arrogance and cool as he leads his band TrashLight Vision through a set of break neck gutter punk. Offstage his persona is calm and enigmatic as he speaks with total enthusiasm for his music and band mates. Spending the last couple of years as guitarist for The Murderdolls, a band that have taken modern day energy, fusing it to a hard rock formula, a love for everything horror and in the process becoming one of England's long lost sons, Acey has bottled up his urge to once again step back in the spotlight as frontman and bring his own twist on the modern day punk meets rock and roll ethic. So, before even stepping into the studio to record an album or single, Acey was determined to unleash his new band on the UK to give his beloved Ghoulscouts their first eyeful viewing of TrashLight Vision. What did you set out to achieve with the new band? I made a conscious effort to do something different to The Murderdolls because I feel what we do with that band is so special that it would be cheap to do a second rate rip off. There's only one Murderdolls and there's only five guys that can do it. I needed to re-invent myself and the way I've chosen to do it is to strip it down and make it a no bullshit rock and roll band, that just kicks ass live and is all about the songs! How'd the new band start? I kind of knew that when I was on tour there was gonna be a time when Joey was gonna have to go back to Slipknot so I started writing. I was fortunate to have a few days off in Berlin so I went to stay with someone I knew there. I locked myself away with a laptop and a guitar and started thinking, 'Okay, this is were Bowie and Iggy wrote songs -Come to me!!' You know, summon up the demons! Then when I was in London, the flat I stayed in was the old room of Fast Eddie Clark from Motorhead and Ginger from The Wildhearts loaned me his guitar and it was the same thing again! Summoning the inspiration! The guys in this band are new to touring and The Murderdolls are an amazing live band. I kept saying 'We've gotta step up!' And everyone was like ''Well, we're kinda moving around' And I was 'Dude, you don't get it'. I put on a Murderdolls DVD and then a show we did with The Wildhearts - 'What's missing!? You remember when you were sixteen and you played in front of five people and you put on
a show like you were Angus Young!?' You gotta go back to that and always have that mentality. It must be encouraging to come over to the UK not promoting an album and be able to do a full tour on the strength of your reputation alone? The Murderdolls fans are so kick ass that I wanted them to have first dibs on us. One thing that I know is that the UK is 'THE' home of the Ghoulscout so in honour of them I wanted to come here first. I haven't even played for any Record Companies yet, I just wanted to get it together, head for the UK and play for The Ghoulscouts! Will you take any constructive feedback from the fans about the new band and songs? Yes and No. When The Murderdolls first came out we'd have kids show up in Slipknot shirts and walk out by the third song! Then by the time they'd heard us a few times and 'got it' they came back in and I think with the new band it's kind of similar. I wanted something with a little more substance which people can relate to but still keep it a fun rock and roll show. To me Guns n' Roses were a great, fun live band but still had substance and that's kind of how I'm modelling this band, in a kind of GNR, Refused, Sex Pistols way. How has it been returning to the spotlight as frontman having toured for over a year as the guitarist in The Murderdolls? It's been an experience that's for sure. It's taken me a little bit longer than I thought to get my vocals back up but the
consistency has been far better - and chicks dig you a lot more when you sing! Do you have any other creative outlets you'd like to explore? No, I'm not one of those guys that sits there and all of a sudden wants to try something like totally different. I'm always sceptical when someone from a band says 'You know what? I think I'm a Painter!' It's disrespectful to Painters, you know? You've got people who are busting their ass at Art School for years and years then you get some successful musician suddenly thinking they're a Painter too - What the fuck is that all about?! I like music and I like Rock and Roll and at the moment I'm having so much fun getting the band off the ground and working on all the t-shirt and website designs. So my creativity comes within the band concept. You're big fans of classic 80's rock - are there any bands around today from that era who you still admire? Obviously, Hanoi Rocks I will never stop being a fan of. They can do no wrong in my eyes! They could put out an album that's nothing but ballads of Yiddish folk songs and I would defend it! Even if it's terrible it wouldn't matter and I'll tell you why it's cool and I'll argue about it. With your combination of image and music do you feel bands like yourself are this generations Motley Crue or Poison? To a degree yeah, I'd like to think so. It's really funny because a lot of people don't own up to liking that era of music yet Motley Crue sold something like 80 million records around the world and all of a sudden nobody bought them?! Fuck Off!! And all these kids today haven't seen anything like that yet because they've been bombarded with such serious music about how bad their childhood was and all that shit. All of sudden it's refreshing to hear some rock and roll songs.
Any clues why The Murderdolls have been taken on board much more by foreign audiences than by people in the US? You have to remember that up until recently Creed were still selling records in the States! People over here look or hear about a band and they check it out whilst in America people are concerned if their friends are gonna like it or not. A lot of times, music in America can be the equivalent of buying a pair of Gap jeans or shopping at American Eagle Outfitters. It's an identity and you'll get people buying a record just so they have it in their record collection. They don't want someone coming over to their house to find they don't have the latest Creed or New Found Glory album, they want it in their collection even if they'll never listen to it! You seem to have made a bond with the guys from AntiProduct who you've toured with several times. I think it's a similar work ethic. They're just cool people with the same influences who've gone in a different way - and they have girls in the band too! I don't know if inspiration is that right word but I respect the fuck out of Alex! Like him all I care about is making a living out of playing our music. I don't give a fuck about the money, the fame, any of that shit. It would be really nice but if we're in a crappy old van playing to fifty people a night then I don't give a shit. I'm lucky, I've played to 88,000 people before yet I still haven't seen any money so why should I start worrying about it now?! The one thing I know about this band is that we're not ready to rest on our laurels. It would be easy for me to wait around for Joey to get done with Slipknot and me to just sit on my ass and do nothing but this all I can do. Acey & TrashLight Vision will return to the UK later this year. For more information visit www.trashlightvision.com
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Bowling for Soup My Drunken Day of Heaviness, Rock, Hero-dom . . . and Finally a Poop!
By Jaret Von Erich
11.10am - Sunday 6 June
arguably the greatest mullet EVER, but he has a huge wiener with a monster face and a huge piercing through it as well. I said hello, and brushed my teeth as he washed his foldable bicycle and prepared for the day. Ffroe and I went to the toilet, but I couldn't go. When I returned, there was Greg, our Merch Guy/ Drum Tech, riding naked on Chop's bike. I was awake by now, and was ready to wake up the other guys. Nothing wakes you up in the morning like a ginger fella riding naked on a fold up bike!
I woke up today at 11am. Last night I did exactly what I said I wasn't going to do - I stayed up all night, drank a bunch, lost all my money to Gary in a dice game (who then lost it all to our Guitar Tech, Tony), and I slept in my clothes. The same clothes I flew over in two days and one show ago. These will be the clothes I'll fly home in tomorrow as well! This was to be the day we played the infamous Download Festival at Castle Donington. A festival that every band dreams of playing! The day started with our Manager calling into my bunk... "Jaret!" "Yeah man" "You got press starting in one hour" "I gotta poop!"
11.50am
11.25am
We boarded the van that would take us from the bus park to the press area just before noon. At the Kerrang! warm up tent was waiting the winner of a competition that was to jam with us. We got set up, and realised there were no microphones so we had to do the whole thing with no vocals. We did 'Surf Colorado', and Punk Rock 101, and I think one other. Cheers to Joe, the winner, for knowing the songs better than we did!
I stepped off the bus into the bright sunlight, a toothbrush and toothpaste in one hand, and a bottle of water in the other. I stood facing the Tour Bus we've used in the UK for the last two years, and was embraced by it's shirtless driver, Chop. Chop is famous in our circle. Not only does he have
Next we did a short interview with Kerrang! and that is when the first beer of the day was cracked open. To be really
12.40pm
honest, and I hate to admit it, I’m not sure any of us ever sobered up from the night before, so we had quite the head start! We found ourselves in the lunch line at this point. It was sandwiches, and cookies for desert - Delicious Ahhh and to drink Beer!
1.25pm By the end of this meal, I had spotted 'him!' The reason I was so excited to be here! There he was, right outside the door! Nikki Sixx was right in front of me! I'm a chicken shit so I felt like a total asshole wanting to bug him for a photo. Luckily, Ffroe grabbed me and we had the photo taken and then, here is my first ever conversation with Nikki Sixx...
better be ready for some SERIOUS water volleyball! They laughed... We snarled... They snarled back... We laughed... Then we got on the bus. Now, Donington is this huge race track so anytime we moved from place to place, the van had to do a lap on the track! Our driver was not aware that he was not in a race, so our turns consisted of the van going up on two wheels, while all of the musicians onboard leaned so it wouldn't turn over! All of this, with the gas pedal floored!!
5.10pm
The photo snaps... Nikki - "Cool, I'm gonna grab some food" Me - "Yeah, lets do that!!!" I am an idiot!!
We arrived side stage for Slipknot - they were amazing! We got to watch from a secured spot, which sort of started to become chaotic and we were asked to leave after a few songs. It seems the crowd surfers were let out on our side, and as people started to take notice of us standing on the barricade, we created a bit of a bottle neck!
2.30pm
7.00pm
We then drifted for the main press tent. Guess what, they had American Light Beer! I saw it a mile away - Coors Light! Not our normal brand, but it was like home. We all had a few of them while we did our interviews with Scuzz TV, and a few others. We got to meet Tracii Guns around this time, and he was really nice. Took a photo and wished him luck on the show. About this time, Scuzz had a camera following us around, capturing the day, though I am not sure they got much - we were hammered by now! And then, we found our dressing room! Oh man! They had EVERYTHING we normally ask for, which is a LOT of alcohol!!! - are you starting to sense the way the show is going to go later on??
This leads us into the part of the day that becomes a blur. This blur was due to the following.. Beer, Sun, an over abundance of meeting individuals back stage that I will never remember, famous people walking around, and more Beer! We met a lot of people, including the guy that used to sing for Sepultura, the Hoobastank guys, and a ton of others. Then we got to hear Joey from Slipknot practising with Metallica since Lars couldn't make the show, for whatever reason!? That was pretty cool.
9.45pm The next hours flew by, and it was time for us to go on! Our stage was all messed up time wise because Slayer had arrived late so they
4.15pm We did a few more interviews, and I ended up on the side of the stage watching Brides Of Destruction. There I was, hours after meeting 'him', watching one of my all time heroes play bass about 4 feet away! It was rockin'!!!
4.40pm By now it was time to go and see Slipknot - the other reason I was excited about going to this festival in the first place. On the way to the bus that would take us to the stage, we said hello to the Hoobastank guys, and let them know that when we run into them in a few weeks in Jamaica, they
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bucks from Dimebag's Tour Manager, and 50 bucks from Dimebag, which I know I will never get! Darrel was smashed, even drunker than us! He could barely speak but having him hang out was a lot of fun, even when he almost broke a friends nose, fresh from a nose job, with a wine bottle!
???am - Monday 7 June The night rounded off sitting in the parking lot singing Irish songs with H.I.M. Then we passed around the bottle of wine Dimebag had been swinging around, hung out with Slipknot's crew for a while and gambled some more... I don't remember much else!! It was a good day that would end with a drive straight to the airport wearing the same clothes I had come to the UK in - 2 days, 2 shows and about 100 beers later!! played the same stage as us. This meant all the set times were way off so THANK GOD they had to cut our time to 30 minutes, which would end up being a blessing! I knew we were in trouble when I messed up on the intro to the first song, but I saw all of the guys faces and realised, we should just do our thing! I'm having fun, these guys are having fun and that is why we're here! To be honest there weren't a ton of people that were there to be blown away by our band. They were just there to have a good time as well! Here we were, these fat guys from Texas, having a GREAT time at a festival in the UK - one that we had heard about our whole lives! We had been doing, ALL DAY, what everyone else was doing - watching bands, drinking beer, and hanging out with our friends! The fact of the matter is, this was a really heavy day musically. All of the bands had been really heavy, and we were not! All of the bands had been really serious, and we were not! We just got up on stage and had a party like we always do! No, it wasn't our best show ever, but the crowd had fun and so did we! Although it was also obvious that a few people in the crowd were waiting for H.I.M so I was glad the show was almost over when the rock flew passed my head!!
12.30pm I was ready for Mexican food but I wasn't ready for the flight! I stunk something horrible. I feel sorry for the guy next to me! I feel more sorry for the girl though that went into the airplane bathroom just after me! I had to poop, and finally did!! But, I couldn't get it to go down! I tried hard, but no dice! So I left it, and held the door for her to go in! Then I giggled all of the way back to my seat. Not because it was funny but, because it was a bit embarrassing, and I knew that when I told the story later, it would be funny. So in a way, me taking that poop in the airplane bathroom was a lot like our actual performance at Download - Lots of build up, Mediocre on the performance side at best, but the memory of the whole experience will be with me for quite sometime...!! Have a nice day!!!!
Jaret
10.30pm After the show, we caught a little flack from our Label, the Promoter, our friends, even our Manager! Everyone was worried about the reviews and about the reaction of the fans to us not being ON our game! I just blew it off, and so did the rest of the band. This was our day too, and we were going to enjoy it. We knew we would be fine. We had just done our thing, done our show and now back to the party!!!!
10.50pm By the time we reached the bus the party was in full swing and we would start rolling the dice again! I had to borrow money to start playing but by the time Dimebag Darrel came stumbling onto the bus, I was way up! I would go on to win all of my money back, all of Tony's money (along with an agreement from him to clean my house for a year!), $100
For more BFS Download photos visit www.d30studios.co.uk The new Bowling For Soup album 'A Hangover You Don't Deserve' is out September and the band will be on tour throughout the UK in October For more information visit www.bowlingforsoup.com
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Brides of Destruction
Camden Electric Ballroom, London What a shame it is that after waiting 13 years to play a live gig in the UK Nikki Sixx had to share the stage with a band of such minuscule talent as Viking Skull. Given all the prime quality British rock, why did we have to offer one of rock's true behemoths this unmitigated junk? Mercifully it's a short set from such a pointless act, and the crowd were buzzing with expectation for one of this years most hotly anticipated bands. BOD may be billed as a super group but it is the unknown member London LeGrand who deserves special mention tonight. The man has such a dirty, dirty voice filled with venom and sleaze in equal measures; and he never stopped careering around the stage to project his image to everyone in the sold out Ballroom. Sixx too was determined that everyone saw as much of him as possible and was leaning right out over the stage to clasp hands with the crowd, before throwing himself high into the air off the drum riser, all whilst maintaining that deafening rumble from his bass. If songs such as 'STFU' and 'Natural Born Killers' were promising on record they proved astounding tonight. The band were on fire and played a raw and electric gig, that was also marked by some surprisingly powerful solos from Guns. Every song from 'Here Come The Brides' featured before an encore that many had only dared to dream - a fabulous series of Motley and Guns covers. It was certainly 'Live Wire', 'Shout At The Devil', and 'Looks That Kill' which brought on a rapturous state, but the final song 'Rip & Tear', from LA Guns 'Cocked & Loaded', still left everyone baying for more. JAMES WRIGHT
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Alice Cooper
Hammersmith Apollo, London
Most people seem to know Alice Cooper for his outrageous stage antics, over the top blood and gore and general rock and roll excess. Fair point I guess as if it were not for Mr. Cooper we'd never have seen the birth of bands such as KISS and certainly not Marilyn Manson. At the end of the day though it's the songs that keep 'The Coop' one of the worlds finest performers and tonight's one off London show proves this to the full. There's no need for any over the top theatrics or clever special effects just top drawer, balls to the wall rock and roll. Continuing were the recent Bare Bones tour left off, Alice and his world class band including main stay guitarists Ryan Roxie and Eric Dover, tear through a set of old school classics from opener 'No More Mr Nice Guy', 'Cold Ethel' and 'Poison' which are complemented with a selection of prime cuts from last years incredible 'Eyes of Alice Cooper' album. 'Between High School & Old School' and 'Man of the Year' comfortably rest against any of Alice's best material but unfortunately we don't get to hear the likes of the brilliant 'Novocaine' and there's not even room for the classic 'Elected' as the set bursts at the seams with endless shock rock anthems. Alice seems a little quieter than usual between songs but his persona still manages to embrace a crowd which is a mix of the long standing Cooper faithful but also a crop of young, new converts which proves the Cooper legacy is far from over.
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Metal Skool
The Roxy, Los Angeles
Absolutely no honeymoon would be complete without a visit to the Sunset Strip and a Metal Skool gig. I'd read plenty about the former "Metal Shop" on the net and had salivated at the chance to finally get to see what sounded like the greatest cover band the world has ever seen. The Roxy was packed and in true Hollywood style, the drummer of Papa Roach was hanging out at the bar, the guitarist from Lit nearly knocked the whiskey out of my hand and Taime Downe from Faster Pussycat was spinning some Danzig from the lofty DJ booth. I felt like I belonged here and that I was....home. The support band featured a Slipknot member, so to my surprise, the band was a wimpy, jangly four-piece called....To My Surprise. There were even flowers on the drum kit. Wait and Bleed? Yeah, whatever. Little did we know it, but next, we were about to see the greatest live show of all time. We knew it was gonna be great, but not this great. The curtains opened and the band launched into an absolutely perfect version of Warrant's "Down Boys". They had incredible 80's Roth style costumes, a massive stage presence and totally flawless musicianship. What I wasn't expecting though, was just how good their comedic timing and skits were gonna be. I genuinely couldn't make my mind up if I wanted to hear them play music or just talk and crack jokes. They played a couple of cracking originals including "Stripper Girl", but it was mostly covers - Scorpions' "Rock You like A Hurricane", Def Leppard's "Photograph", Slaughter's "Up All Night", Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell", "My Own Worst Enemy" (featuring a drunken Lit singer, whom guitarist Ratchet kicked off the stage for fucking up the song!) and for the finale, AC/DC's "Highway To Hell". (Featuring the "Dude from Trixter!") Somebody needs to get these super-talented guys their own TV show or even a film. Catch them every Monday night at the Roxy. If you're lucky enough to live over there. Ten outta ten. JAMIE DELERICT
The Mudmen
Junktion7, Nottingham Openers Teenage Casket Company played a set of what was essentially AOR suffused with surf pop guitars. Launching into the wistful 'Down On Luck' it was hard to believe that this was their debut gig. Hopefully the future will be as bright as their talent suggests. Already in the venue by this time were the incredibly partisan fans of The Plastix and they were receptive as ever as the band strutted through a set sprinkled with tracks from their new and eponymous record. There was also the ever present pube-burning to keep the crowd happy! Now imagine if Ginger got more than averagely drunk and thought that it would be a top idea to hire two huge Canadian brothers of Scottish ancestry to play bagpipes for the Wildhearts. OK so this is highly unlikely, but the end result would sound not unlike Mudmen. Fresh off a support slot with Love/Hate, the Canadians had clearly made an impression as a large number came to see their second show in Nottingham in a fortnight. The Campbell brothers entered with pipes blaring and immediately dived off stage into the crowd to whip up a fervour. Unfortunately this was dampened by technical problems which persisted throughout the set. However this did not stop the show from being little short of spectacular. Zoy Nicoles is a powerful front man that moves with determined zest and energy. His voice was harsh and embittered during 'Saturday', then joyful and exuberant during the drinking song '5 o'clock'. Despite the sound problems the Campbell brothers made their presence known by stomping along in kilts emblazoned with patches of various metal bands, and it was inevitable that AC/DC's 'Long Way To The Top' was going to make an appearance. Mudmen encored this classic and left the stage the conquering heroes with a promise to return very soon. JAMES WRIGHT
Twisted Sister
Rock & Blues Custom Show, Pentrich Let's take into account were we are here... I'm stood in a cow field in the middle of summer near a small town called Ripley, ten minutes from were I live and one of the most famous, notorious heavy metal bands in history are playing their first UK show in almost twenty years! Almost sounds unbelievable right? Well it's true because at the twenty first anniversary of the brilliant Rock & Blues Custom Show, which over a three day weekend has seen the likes of Thunder, Magnum, Slade and even Sir Bob Geldof performing, it's left to headliners Twisted Sister to totally tear the place apart! Dee Snider has managed to pull back together his original line up from the early eighties to come kick some serious rock ass! Yes, it's as stereotypical and at times as Spinal Tap as it can get - all big hair and make up to the max but man is it good! Almost every song earns the name 'Anthemic' from the brilliant 'I Am (I'm Me)' through to fist clenching classics like 'We're Not Gonna Take it' and 'I Wanna Rock' and Snider comes over as genuinely appreciative of the response the biker heavy crowd give back in applause. Just as it seems things can't get any better, the band launch into the intro of AC/DC's 'Whole Lotta Rosie' only to be joined onstage, unannounced by Brian Johnson! It's truly one of those I was there moments as the legendary AC/DC frontman locks horns and vocal screams with Snider in a duet that VH1 would never be able to afford! Yes, I'm in a cow field - Yes, I'm in the middle of nowhere and Yes I'm watching Twisted ‘Fucking’ Sister and AC/DC showing us what rock and roll is all about - wake me up I must be dreaming!
Van Halen
Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri
The somewhat diluted state of rock and roll circa 2004 is being fortified with a powerful, fun, and elite mixture of some of the most recognised, respected, and enjoyed live performances the world has seen in the last 25 years. A reunited Van Halen - the Sammy Hagar incarnation - has embarked on its first anticipated tour since 1995, and the train made its stop at the Savvis Center July 28th and 29th. For the first time since Hagar's departure nearly 9 years ago, everyone in the band seemed happy, healthy, and ego-free. Surprisingly, both shows opened with David Lee Roth-era songs ('Jump' the first night, the classic Kinks cover 'You Really Got Me' the second), and the encores were 2-1 heavy on pre-Hagar material and 'Somebody Get Me a Doctor', with Michael Anthony on lead vocals, was another 'oldie' treat. Hits like 'Poundcake', 'Best of Both Worlds', 'Seventh Seal', and 'Right Now' highlighted the shows as well - even 'Up For Breakfast' and 'It's About Time', two thirds of the new material released just a week before, brought the house down. A band as legendary and talented as Van Halen has trouble squeezing all of its best stuff into one setlist, but they made a valiant effort to do just that. As expected, each band member took his turn at a solo...Sammy faithfully belted out a couple of his solo works ('Eagles Fly' and 'Deeper Kind Of Love') acoustically, Alex Van Halen and Anthony rattled rib cages with their individual thunder, and Edward Van Halen reminded the crowd what has been missing from the music scene for too long-a guitar hero. Even his son, Wolfgang, appeared during the solo to jam with dad a little. This tour couldn't have come at a better time for rock music. If this is the last hurrah for Van Halen, the boys are definitely making that notion acceptable. CHRIS REED
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MU DME N Okay, I'll admit it I was sceptical when I first heard about The Mudmen. Rock music and Bagpipes! Surely it's just a gimmick that has no real long term appeal, maybe it works for just a couple of songs then becomes a little tedious right? Boy was I wrong! The moment you clamp eyes or ears on this Canadian five piece all preconceptions are literally blown away! The sight of larger than life brothers Rob and Sandy Campbell alone on bagpipes is an imposing vision, fixed either side of drummer Ryan McCaffreys kit as new bassist Rich Levesque holds down the solid foundation of the band. Once all of this is combined with the hard rock elements provided by vocalist Zoy Nicoles and flamboyant guitarist Lonny Knapp it creates a formidable musical monster capable of winning over almost any crowd they perform in front of. The Toronto five piece recently made their debut on UK soil alongside Love/Hate earlier this year in support of their debut album with a follow up already waiting in the wings on their return. Does it seem strange having released your debut album so long ago to be out promoting it again? Lonny: I think it's weird that we're playing songs that we haven't played in a couple of years. It's two different things but we're still doing a couple of new tunes. In rehearsal we were looking at each other cause we literally hadn't played the songs in two years. It was kind of fresh and cool but at the same time kind of re-visiting the way things were. Zoy: I quite liked it cause it was almost like a second chance. It's kind of like having a time machine and going back and rockin’ out to these old tunes we wrote. I loved it, it was really cool. Lonny: They do sound different now though and we also have a new bass player now so immediately you go on stage and things sound completely different than they did. When will 'Overrated' be released in the UK? Lonny: Right now we hope there'll be another tour on the first record. Zoy: There's like three songs which we'd release as singles and if something takes off then whatever, hopefully it will, things have been pretty cool so far. I really love both fuckin' albums so I'm glad we get the chance to push it again.
Is this the first rock band that Sandy and Rob have brought in bagpipes? Lonny: This is the first proper band they done it in. Sandy: We've been trying to do it forever. My brother and I started the band then about four years ago we changed the name to The Mudmen and that's when all of us got together. How does having the bagpipes in the band affect your live sound. Do you get odd looks from engineers and sound guys who are more familiar with 'standard' rock bands - guitars, drums and bass? Sandy: It's a pain in the ass sometimes and not that easy. Some engineers should shut the fuck up before they start cause they usually have something ignorant to say! Sound men can get away with it though cause they pretty much have you by the nuts for the rest of evening if you make them mad! Rob: A lot of people in general are narrow minded about the instrument and how many times do you have to prove to these morons that this is the most historic instrument of all time and it's not gonna go away. In the right vein it's fuckin' brilliant so shut up! Just look at people like Jonathan Davis from Korn, Roddy Piper, Bon Scott from AC/DC who have all
Were do the rest of you come from musically - I hear a lot of comparisons to alt-rock bands like Everclear and Soul Asylum in the songs? Zoy: Me, Lonny and Ryan are all pretty much from rock backgrounds. I listened to stuff like The Cult back in the day, Guns n' Roses and now it's Foo Fighters and that kind of music. Lonny: We're all Toronto rock dudes and have been in different bands but I've known them for years and played festivals together. So when the band formed everybody came together from their different projects. I didn't know Zoy but we've probably passed each other at some point. It just Toronto rock so there's only about two thousand of us! Sandy: Me and Rob are from a whole different world - a strange one! Rob: Actually we've probably seen more strange, bizarre things in the Celtic world and playing with pipe bands than any of these guys have seen. There's so many characters that have played music with us that you'll never top! What you see is what you get, twenty four seven they're wild party men. Zoy: Give me a glazed donut, an eightball and a fuckin' donkey and I'll top it, dude! Do you think your sound will influence other acts to incorporate the pipes in their music? Sandy: Rock bands are popping up with bagpipes in them now. We get CD's from all over Canada. Lonny: It's so cool. I work in a bar and somehow it came out that somebodies cousin was a fan of the band and he'd got a bagpipes tattoo. He's really passionate about it and these guys were his influence. Has your sound allowed you to cross over into other genres of music? Rob: I think so, we get to play highland festivals and the pipe bands seem to be really receptive and like us, then we play punk bars in Vancouver who we thought would never like us but it worked and we went over great. Zoy: We opened up for the Guess Who, they're Canadian and huge, and we played in front of 30,00 people. We got emails from people saying their kids were gonna come but the Guess Who are all old, then when we told them The Mudmen were supporting they were like 'We love The Mudmen, if only we'd known!' So now they have something in common. It's amazing, it's eight year old kids through to seventy year old guys who like this band! I imagine you being a great festival band? Lonny: We love them man! The bagpipes are like the call to arms. We're not a huge band over in Canada but we've been able to play some big festivals so when Rob and Sandy start tuning you see kids run across the field. For whatever reason, whenever people hear the sound they're drawn to it! Rob: You could sandwich us between a bunch of Celtic bands and we wouldn't stand out that much, but put us in between Robin Black and Sum 41, either you'll hate us or love us but you'll remember us!
The debut album from The Mudmen is out now on TB Records. For more information visit www.mudmen.ca
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INTERVIEW BY JAMES WRIGHT Sprawling on a red leather sofa backstage at Rock City Maxi Browne looks at home in his ripped jeans and a straw hat. Given their reputation as a hard touring band King Adora are almost certainly more at home on a bus, backstage and on stage than anywhere else. The band's meteoric rise was cruelly brought to an abrupt stop two years ago when a personnel change at Mercury left them adrift, but this was not enough to stop them. Maxi, Nelsta, Dan and Robbie simply kept touring and released what is arguably their best music yet last March on the album 'Who Do You Love?' Things are certainly looking promising for King Adora and there is a note of real confidence in Maxi's hushed Brummie accent. It's been a very turbulent few years for King Adora, how have you managed to keep it together so well after Mercury dropped you so suddenly? I don't know is the honest answer, I completely don't know. I mean you can go either way can't you? I guess we were kind of in shock from it, and the fall out from having everything to having nothing is quite bad really. It kind of took its toll on us personally, but if you have got a good gang thing together you kind of look out for each other. Does it feel like you were starting again? It does and it doesn't really. In some ways I guess it does because we have got to come back, but the hardcore fan base is still there, and there are a hell of a lot of newcomers. Where do you reckon you have picked up the new fans from? I guess it is just like word of mouth really, plus the fact that people will always be into bands like us - even though a lot of people will be against us. I didn't know what to expect on this tour, I thought if we go out there and just two people are at every gig then we'll have to reassess what we are doing after the tour - but there are more people than the last tour. The way I look at it is that a band like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs come over and they play five gigs and play to 6000 people, well we've done 25 gigs and still played to 6000 people, so in my mind that means we are still valid.
Do you think that it has helped that there has been a real interest in the resurgence of rock? I think that we came out at the start of 2000 and when it all went tits up, I guess we were kind of scapegoats really for something that ironically became cool two years later, so the more that resurgence continues the better. How have your fans reacted to the label change and the associated three year wait for the new record? I'm sure a lot of them were very pissed off, as were we. There is nothing more frustrating than getting it out. We're glad it’s out now, we're glad it’s there. We put out 'Drag' the single, there won't be another single from the album - just the tour for the album and then we go forward from there. The fans are very good. I think that as long as you keep the live shows good for them, keep in contact with them, and give them as much respect as they deserve then they will stick with us. There's tonnes of King Adora fan sites on the internet, do you ever visit those websites? Now and again, but some of them are a little disturbing, especially some of the fan fiction! Who've you been accused of fucking in the band then? Ummm? Me and Robbie have been having a bit of a strange relationship and end up cutting each other on broken glass in the heat of the sexual moment !
A lot of people have pointed out that the recent single 'Drag' sounds like the song T-Rex never wrote, is this a comparison you are happy with? Absolutely! We did it on purpose! I think lyrically it is different to what T-Rex would have done, but I wanted to write something that was uplifting, very glammy, very trashy. And I always thought T-Rex did that the best. I never thought of doing it to the point of pastiche though. Do you think that if Marc Bolan was around now he would be jealous of that song? I think he would! I don't think he would turn in his grave though! T-Rex aside, 'Who Do You Love' seems to be a darker, heavier record than 'Vibrate You', was this a deliberate decision? I don't think we had any choice after what we went through over the last two and half years. It certainly helped with the writing, there was a lot of darker stuff which never made the album. I guess you are a victim of circumstance and that is what we went through. What made you cut that darker material out? A lot of it is in there. I would never drop anything because it was lyrically too dark. The other songs will come out eventually.
Because the majority of the UK are like that! The majority of this country is dull, therefore they will still buy their records. What sort of bands are you looking out for at the moment? I like The Killers, I saw them not long ago. Our mates The Glitterati are doing well now too. In particular The Darkness helped, sometimes I wonder if they hinder as much, but they have that presence there. I like The Distillers, I think it was time again to have a band with a strong female character. I also like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but I don't believe in this New York shit and that the NME decide what the nation should like. I think in rock as a whole, the big bands like Marilyn Manson that are out there still doing it are just as important as ever, it is certainly the best time in rock since Nirvana. What have been the highlights of the tour so far? It all kicked off with us having to do six tough gigs in a row, and then we turned up very hungover in Edinburgh which we haven't played in three years and we expected not many people and then there were just loads! It was a pivotal moment in Scotland, and since then every gig has been amazing.
I've heard that you were unhappy with the artwork on 'Vibrate You', have you managed to get it your own way this time? Yeah! The 'Vibrate you' artwork was presented to us two days before it was to go to print and we were on tour. We had a few ideas for what we wanted, but nobody sat down with us and we were then presented with this eye, and that was that! I don't so much mind the photos inside, but it was all a bit too computer generated. This time we have made it more photographic and ripped off Hanoi Rocks!
If you haven't played Edinburgh for three years, what was it that kept it all alive? Who knows, maybe it's destiny?! Maybe our time is coming?! Maybe we just peaked too early before, and it was all really meant to be about 2004! No disrespect to the English, at the moment Scotland is just awesome and we are glad to go on at Edinburgh it's fantastic, and Wales too - Cardiff in particular. I think those places have less venues and more concentration of passion.
How important is the visual image of the band to you? It is vital, I think it should be vital, certainly in this genre of music. Forget the Coldplays and stuff like that where you can look however the fuck you want and nobody cares because you are playing to people in their mid-forties. The bands with the stronger images I think go further and mean more to their fans and that is how it should be - posters on the wall. I think it is important especially if you are on the live circuit.
What are the plans for the next twelve months? I think we will probably do a few gigs over the summer and try out some new songs for a third album. Get the press onside, get radio back onside, get a massive deal again with a great third album and really go again. There won't be another wait for another album because personally I would fucking leave! No way would I wait another three years to do another record. We're hoping to do another tour in October .. maybe the Continent too as word spreads and shit sticks!
How do you think that the bands without a strong image get away with it?
For more information visit www.kingadora.com
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who the fuck are
malibustacey Take the bass player from one of the UK's most succesful rock bands, a couple of Bradford music buddies and one nutcase frontman and you get one of the countries hottest new rock bands. Malibu Stacey's debut album 'On Heat' quite simply rocks big time - there's no other description needed. TrashPit meets up with Malibu Stacey ........ Can you tell us a bit about when and how this band came together - did you know any of the others whilst in Terrorvision? Leigh: I've known Kes (Loy - Guitar) since about 1433! He used to be in a band called Leaf Eater who did a couple of tours with Terrorvision in 1999 and even though it's only five years ago I thought 'I never want to see that bloke again!' and here I am in a fuckin' band with him! Kes got Chris (Bussey - Drums) in 'cause he knows everyone in Bradford. Chris: I'd just finished touring with Guns n Roses and had a bit of time off!! L: Jonny's not from round our part. Jonny: I'm cleaner than this lot! L: Mark from Terrorvision recommended him after seeing him play a gig so we tracked him down. He came up for a rehearsal and brought his own personal manager, Big Dave, with him. You did the album with Bart from Apes, Pigs & Spacemen. Kes: Yeah, Bart used to be in Leaf Eater with me and he's got his own studio now. L: It's just down the road from us so it's ideal. The album didn't take long to do and we'd done all our demos there so we kinda knew how to get the best out of it. Did you have any preconceived idea of what the band was to sound like as you all bring in songs. L: I just wanted more of a 'band' sound from what I'd done before, something more intense, heavier and a bit more in your face. The sound came as soon as we got the band together really, it was obvious from the start how it was going to be. Is there any pressure on you to try and match what Terrorvision achieved or is it the opposite you've been and done all that and now you can just let this band do it's own thing? L: We kind of made our own pressure wanting to be something. Being in Terrorvision was great because we were successful but I want this band to be successful for us. If this album comes out and does nothing then fair enough because we've had a load of fun already. Terrorvision now seems like a distant
memory and we've had absolutely no leg ups from it. K: This guy from one of the bands we played with got a bit pissed and comes up and says 'How did you get the gig with Leigh - he's a legend!' And I was like 'Oh, he's really minted and pays us like a grand a week!' L: What did we get paid at that gig - 3 pounds each!! Is there any particular market you're aiming at with Malibu Stacey? L: Yeah, one that buys records! A lot of the songs seem quite cynical about the current music business and modern day trends? L: It wasn't really done on purpose it just kind of came out like that so it's not really intentional because that can sound bitter. It's more of a gentle poke! Is any of the 'On Heat' material anything that saw the light of day during Terrorvision or are they all new songs? L: God no! There's no dance remixes or anything like that, this is totally new. For old Terrorvision cast offs see Tony Wright's new band!
UK TOUR 2004
www.jimrosecircus.com
14 Sept - Academy, Bristol 15 Sept - Academy, Birmingham 16 Sept - Academy, Liverpool 18 Sept - Olympia, Dublin 5 Oct - Zodiac, Oxford 7 Oct - Leadmill, Sheffield 8 Oct - The Arches, Glasgow 9 Oct - Liquid Room, Edinburgh 11 Oct - Shepherds Bush Empire, London
"We all went home satisfied, entertained and suitably appalled to the depth of our being!" NME
MITCH MALLOY Wed 8th September LIMELIGHT CLUB, CREWE ENGLAND v Poland on 16ft BIG Screen and support - Teenage Casket Company
Thurs 9th September BOURBON ST, GLASGOW plus support
Sat 11th September THE ARCHER, NEWCASTLE Support - Alan Greener
Sun 12th September THE BOARDWALK, SHEFFIELD Support - Teenage Casket Company
Mon 13th September STRIPES CLUB, BRENTFORD Support - Sacred Heart
Wed 15th September THE SUSSEX ARTS CENTRE, BRIGHTON plus support Thurs 16th September CLWB LFOR BACH, CARDIFF plus support Fri 17th September ROCK CAFÉ 2000, STOURBRIDGE Melodic Rock Night with DJ STEVIEE
Sun 19th September Z ROCK FESTIVAL, LIVERPOOL Feat War & Peace, Jesse Damon, Gypsy Rose
Wed 22nd September THE BRICKMAKERS, NORWICH plus support
ACOUSTIC 2004
info 01484 643392 / 07766886972 www.mitchmalloy.com www.rpm4music.com