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July 2009 • CrankIt Mag • �
Interviews 8 MickeyCash FloridaSensation...
9 TheJoneMachine CreationofaMachine...
18 HardWayStudios TopKnotchComicArtists...
Reviews22 MusicCamp2009 ReviewwithPictures...
24 CDReviews Chickenfoot,etc...
25 CDReleases
26 MoviePicks TheHangover...
27 Concert/FestLists CarolinasListings...
29 GamersCorner TipsforGuitarHero....
Special Articles102009Greenvile HDBikeNight w/BentonBlount...
Exclusive20 Rock‘nRollMorale Builder
21 America?What? JustCheckItOut....
Extra Articles 5 SpreadingNews GWAR,MOTM,etc...
6 HighwayVoyeur RoadtoLaconia...
7 OpenRoad RidesfortheOpenRoad...
23 MOMT BooneMusicFestinAugust...
30 JokeTime Jokes,Puzzles...
www.crankitmag.com
Staff
Photographers
Sales
Publisher:RobMooreEditor:T.J.Royal
ArtDirector/Manager:RobMoore
ContributingWriters:TJRoyal,DawnGlencer,
TiffanyAllison,RobMoore,Digger,AdrianHutchins
andTwistedTodd
TheBreeze,DawnGlencer,GageYoung,RobMoore,
JohnGrubbsandGSPNightlife
SouthCarolinaAdSales:CurtisMoore
[email protected]:(864)357-5083
Columbia/MyrtleBeachAdSales:RobertLucas
[email protected]:803-231-9619
Next Deadline Dates:Copy/ImagesinbyJuly20th-Outbyfirstweek
ofAugust09.
CoverImageby:RobMooreCopyright© 2009 by CrankIt Entertainment
Anyreproductionofnewsarticles,photographyoradvertisingartworkisstrictlyprohibitedwithout
permissionfrommanagement.IssueisFREE.Mostdesignandwritingisonafreelancebasis.
Feature Ar tists
view virtual magazine online at:www.crankitmag.com
TRIPLE COBRAGlamBandisOnetoWatch...Literally
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14JONATHAN SCALESScalingtoNewHeights
s15
16Nothing Complicated About These Guys
cover story
A lot has happened to the Greenville, N.C., rock quartet Parmalee over the past year. ... < more inside >
Parmalee
CONTENTS
Customer ServiceMechelleMoore
Pho
to b
y R
ob M
oore
MADINA LAKEInterviewwithMatthewLeone
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Also, check out our online gallery for cool images!
Visit Us Online at:www.crankitmag.com-or-
www.myspace.com/crankitmagazine
ELLSBETHOnTheRoadtoSuccess...OneSongataTime
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4•CrankItMag•July 2009
DearReaders,Firstofall,letussaythatitwassadthatthemusicindustry(andtheworld)lost
apopicon,andthatourprayersarewiththefamily.MichaelJacksonisinabetterplaceandnotsuffering.Wewillalwaysrememberthemoonwalkandthewayhemadethemusicvideoamainpartofhismusic.Hewasapioneerofthemusicvideomovement.Hewillbesorelymissed.
Onalighternote,whatamonthJunewas!Andthesummerisjustgettingstarted.Whatelsecouldmakethismonthmoreexciting?Music,ofcourse.
CrankItattendedtheMusicCamp,andbikenightsaregoingstrong.HootersofSpartanburgwillkickofftheirSummerConcertSerieswithSunnyLedfurdonJuly11.BeleChere,TheAllGoodFestival,andFloydFest8aresoontokickoff,andthereareplentyofsmallerfestivalstocheckout–plentyofvarietyforthemusicfan.
Last,rememberthatwecelebratethebirthofourcountrythismonth,andpleasepaytributetoALLofthosewhohavemadeitwhatitistoday.OneGREATcountry.Enjoythe4thandallthemusicthatwillbeassociatedwiththecelebration.CrankItUp,America,androckon,Upstate!
Sincerely,RobMoorePublisher/[email protected]
A Letter From The Editor
sBenton Blount
We are always looking to make ourselves better, so we look to the readers to give us helpful feedback. Tell us what you like, don’t like, or just send us a cool note to let us know you are out there. We appreciate the input. Our
readers are what keeps this magazine going.Contact us: [email protected]
Give Us Some Feedback
EDITOR’S CORNER
Benton Blount is shown here playing an acoustic set June 26 at the Greenville Harley Da-vidson Bike Nights, sponsored by us, CrankIt Entertainment. He put on a great show, and his music was a refreshing break from the rock and roll I have been listening to lately. Check him out online at: www.myspace.com/bentonsmusic, and check out our image gallery online to see more images. Photo by Rob Moore
Image of the Month
July 2009 •CrankItMag•5
PICK US UP AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
email us at: [email protected] or
visit us online at www.crankitmag.com
Send us news of an event, or something you have heard, and we might just post it. Send to [email protected] NEWS
Baghdad - Sgt. Jason Smeser, of Killeen T.X., plays his guitar over his head as the crowd goes wild at the end of a show with the 1st Calvary Division Army Rock Band at Forward Operating
Base Mahmudiyah, June 2�.photo by SGT Mary E Phillips
Music on the Mountaintop isscheduledforAugust29rdinBoone,NC,tuckedawayintheheartofthehighcoun-tryatTheOldFairgrounds.MusicontheMountaintop is Boone’s first festival of-feringafulldayofunmatchedmusic,fea-turing several national acts, creating aneclectic blend of Americana, bluegrass,and acoustic funk and folk. We’re supply-inganunheraldedexperience,providingourownoriginal,greenvillageallowing
you to truly get neck deep and hands on with interactive and multiculturalactivities.Ourgoalistobringawarenesstotherealecologicalissueseffectingourenvironment.
Wehopetoleaveyouwithnotonlyanunforgettablemusicmel-odybutasenseofaccomplishmentthroughourcause.Wearereach-ingouttothecommunityandanyonewillingtochange.MusicontheMountaintopisanambassadorforourcausebyofferingamajorityofourproceedstoNCGreenPowerandtheAppalachianStateUniversityEnergyCenter.
SAM BUSH, KELLER WILLIAMS, ACOUSTIC SYNDI-CATE, STEEP CANYON RANGERS, YO MAMAS BIG FATBOOTY BAND, DIRTY GUV’NUHS, DO IT TO JULIA, JONA-THANSCALESFOURCHESTRA,THENAKEDGODS,MIKEAL-VARADO,UNCLEMOUNTAIN,BAFOODUS,ASCELLAVEGA,MAJORMAGICK,HOPEMASSIVE,THELOSTRIDGEBAND,NATIVESWAY,AMPLEEXAMPLE,THEMODERATE
Formoregohere:www.musiconthemountain.net/
Music on the Mountaintop Tickets On Sale
Shadows Fall to Release New Album - “Retribution” - on Self-Created Label, Everblack Industries
NEW ALBUM ART, TRACK LISTING REVEALEDSHADOWSFALLareproudtoannounceRetributionasthetitle
of their fifth full-length al-bum,whichissetforaSep-tember 15 street date. Thealbum, a follow-up to 2007’s criticallyacclaimedThreadsofLife,willbe releasedonthe band’s own label, Ever-blackIndustries,whichwascreated in conjunction withWarner Music Group’s ILG, FerretMusic, andChannel-ZERO Entertainment. Formore information on Ever-blackIndustries,pleasevisitwww.everblackindustries.com.Theblisteringnewal-bumwasproducedbyZeuss
(Hatebreed, Municipal Waste), with vocal production by Elvis Bas-kette(Incubus,AlterBridge).
Singer Brian Fair commented on the band’s venture: “We learned everything from the ground up. We’ve gone through the independent metalworldtothemajorlabelworld,andhavecometorealizethat,given the way things are now, it’s all about the band re-taking control ofeverything:music,business,ownership,publishing.Everything.”
FanscannowsignupfortheSHADOWSFALLmailinglistand
streetteamatwww.reverbnation.com/shadowsfall1.Exclusivedown-loadsarenowavailableforallmembers!
TheNewEnglandmelodicthrasherscalledondesigncompanySonsofNero(Unearth,EveryTimeIDie,BringMeTheHorizon)forRetribution’s cover art.
Retribution track list:1 ThePathtoImminentRuin2 MyDemise3 StillIRise4 War5 KingOfNothing6 TheTasteOfFear7 EmbraceAnnihilation8 PicturePerfect9 APublicExecution10 DeadAndGone
“With each album we’ve gotten a little more confidence to really let all of our influences show,” Fair added. “We’re unapologetic about the old-school metal and the 80s influence, as well as the thrash and the melodic death metal. There’s really no holding back when it comes to our songwriting. Once the floodgates open, we go all the way.”
The result isRetribution -acollectionof songs that showcasetheversatilityandvisionofthisbandthatonlyseemstogetbetterovertime.
Army Rock Band
the
GWAR Celebrates 25th Anniversary and Escape from Earthwith New Album - “Lust In Space” - Due Aug. 18
Intergalactic shock rockersGWARarebackwithabrand-newalbum,LustInSpace¸justintimetocelebratetheir25thAnniversaryasaband.TheScumdogsoftheUniverseareparticularlythrilledthistime around as they have finally escaped the seething, filthy mudball that is Earth! GWAR will also be triumphantly returning to MetalBlade Records for the release of Lust In Space,dueAugust18.
The band will also be terrorizing the air-waves once again, appearing on Fox News’ late-night show, “Red Eye,” on Monday, June 22.
Quoth GWAR’s lead singer Oderus Urun-gus, “The lead-up to the release of Lust in Space, GWAR’s return to Metal Blade, continues to grow in size and fury...on Monday, June 22, GWAR’s leadsinger,ME,OderusUrungus,shallre-appearon Fox News’ late-night hit news show, RED EYE. My first time on the show was a great success. Mil-lionsofemailscamein,andeventhoughIwrotethe great majority of them, they still asked meback!Thefools!Iamhopingtousemystatusasanintergalacticcelebrity(andmyabilitytotravelthecosmos)toturna revealing light on some of our universe’s more unsavory secrets...so tune in to Oderus and GWAR on Fox News’ RED EYE, hosted by the delightfullyminiatureGregGutfeldonMonday,June22at3:00AMEST!”
Also,onWednesday,June24th,theEarthwilltremblewiththecolossalforcestobeunleashedwhenOderusUrungus,leadsingerofthe galaxies’ most dangerous band, GWAR, meets Tracy Smothers ofIWAEastCoastWrestling,knownlargeandhairyperson,inano-holds-barredwrestlingmatchoftitanicproportion!
Quoteth Oderus, “I have no idea how I got roped into this one. I guess someone is makingmoneyoffit.Nomatter!Iwillbethere,withbellson,andthisTracySmothersso-and-soisgoingtofind out just what it’s like to go toe-to toe with an intergalacticgod!Ijusthopeheshaveshisarm-pits first.”
The “Loser Leaves Earth” match will be part of the IWA East Coast Wrestling Event, “Pondo’s BigAssBirthdayBash”heldatSchoenbaumAm-phitheaterinCoonskinPark,Charleston,WV,onJune24th
“Hell, that makes me want to lose!” said Oderus, right before burying his Cuttlefish in a jar ofstewedbloodworms.
GWAR’s two-year long 25th Anniversary starts August 18th, whentheirnewalbum,LustInSpace,motherfuckingdrops!
Checkthemoutonlineatwww.gwar.netorwww.myspace.com/gwarofficial.
SINGER ODERUS ORUNGUS TO MAKE 2ND APPEARANCE ON FOX NEWS’ “RED EYE”
CHECK US OUT ONLINE - NEWS IS ALWAYS ADDED WHEN WE GET IT.
6•CrankItMag•July 2009
C O L U M N
ow,Ireallywouldhavelikedtohavebeen heading north to the LaconiaBike Week myself, but my summer
classschedulehasmeprettymuchboundandtied to Greenville until August. It’s such a greatrally,andIwantedtobeabletosharethe experience with the Upstate riders whoprobably haven’t had the chance themselves toheadthatfarnorth.Luckyforme,IfoundoutthatseveraloftheNYCFireRidersMCwereheadingout,andtheyagreedtobemyeyes and ears. So, thanks to daily briefings with the guys duringtheir trip, we can alllivevicariouslythroughthem.
Laconia, NewHampshire,hasjustcel-ebrated their 86th An-nualBikeRally. Now,the record books saythat the rally actuallystartedin1923withtheLoudon Classic mo-torcycle race, althoughmotorcyclists had beengathering there, in thesummertime,asearlyas1916. In1930, theFederationofAmericanMotorcyclists officially recognized the event aspartof theGypsyTour,andtherallybe-camefamousforitsmotorcycleracesandhillclimbs.
I first met Ken “Whitey” Christiansen atoneoftheFireRiderspartiesduringbikeweekinMyrtleBeach. Aninstantbond,aswebothsportmatchingIndianLarrytats,thered question mark accented with a choppersymbol.Whiteyagreedtobemymaincon-tactandtakepicturesduringthetrip.
The guys planned a nine-hour route,leavingStatenIslandonSundayandheadingoutthroughtheCatskillMountains.Whiteyled the ride and earned a new nickname,“Food Nazi,” for refus-ing to constantly stopfor food along the way.“Hey, I was ready to get where we were going,”Whitey told me. “They can belly-ache all theywant;plentyoffoodandbeerwhenwegetthere.”They pulled into WeirsBeachabout5pm.ThetorrentialrainstormsonSundayhadleftthedowntownareaprettyempty.But,hey,nocrowdsmeansnothav-ingtowaitonbeer,sotheguysheadedtotherentedhousetodumptheirgear.Thehousetheyrentedwasprettymuchinthemiddleofnowhere,witheverytree-linedstreetlookingpretty much the same as the next one. “We hadtouseGPSjustabouteverynightjusttogetbacktothedamnhouse!Man,identicalstreets inpitchblack,no lightcomingfromanywhere.”
So, the first night in town, the guys de-
cided to head to the Broken Spoke Saloon.Turnsout,therewasgoingtobeahugeEastMeetsWestbikerbuild-offbetweenPaulCoxof Brooklyn, NY (Indian Larry’s former part-ner-in-crime)andChica,theJapanesebuilderout of Huntington Beach, CA. There wasgoing tobeabig ridewith thebuilders thefollowing Saturday, ending with a people’s choicejudginglaterthatnight.
Monday morning, the club decided torideouttotheNewHampshireMotorSpeed-wayfortheU.S.VintageMotorcycleGrand
Prix. A few more oftheirguysgotintotown,sotheydecidedtoheadback to the house tohookupwith thembe-fore heading for a rideup to Mt. Washington.The newly-arrived rid-ers told theothershowthey got pounded withhailforagood15min-utes coming throughthe Green MountainsinVermont.Rainhurtsbadly enough at 70mph – can you imag-
inemarble-sizedhailhittingyoudeadintheface? “Ah, they were fine. Minor brain dam-age–youcouldbarelyevennoticetheslurredspeech.”
The guys finally reached the top of themountain–andsnow. The temperaturedroppedabout40degrees,andtheywereallint-shirts.Whiteysaidtheyalltriedtoactlikeit wasn’t that bad, until one of the guys finally admitted he couldn’t feel his fingers anymore. So they decided to head back down. “Now, what I’m about to tell you is going to sound likecompletebullshit,Iknow.ButIswearithappened! I’ve got witnesses…” The club was coming down the mountain when, outof nowhere, a large deer came flying off the
cliff and literally bellyflopped in front of three oftheirbikes. Theguyslocked up their brakes,skiddingsideways,astherestoftheclubfollowedsuit, tryingnot to smackinto them. “The friggin’ deer gets up and runsaway.Justunbelievable.
Weprettymuchheadedbacktothehousetochangeourshortsafterthatone.”
So, after a good night’s sleep and a great day’s ride, the guys were ready to head out andhitthedowntownbars.Theweatherhadclearedup,thestreetswerepackedwithbikes,andthebikiniedbeer tubgirlswerealreadybreaking a sweat. “Yea, we were having a blast – taking pictures with the girls, doingshots…it was all fun and games for a while.” Thatis,untilthemanagementoftheLaconiaRoadhousepolitelyaskedtheFireRiderstoleave. “Guess we got a bit loud…and drunk.
It wasall in fun. They were really nice about it,though.”
Whitey and some of the older clubmembers were pretty beat anyways, andready to call it a night. “Man, next thing we know, we’re hearing Johnny Cash music blaring downstairs and guys friggin’ beat-ing on pots and pans. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Guess the younger club guys weren’t quite ready to call it a night. “But I wastootiredandtoodrunktogetupanddoanythingaboutit.”
The next morning, Whitey woke up–hangover-freeandgladhe turned inearly– and decided to head downstairs to wipedown his bike. “I’m in a good mood; skies are clear, figure it’ll be a great day to ride. ThenIseethebikes.”Withblacktireskidsalloverthedriveway,andbitsandpiecesofburnt rubber all over just about every bike,it was pretty obvious someone had decidedtodoalittlemidnightburnout. And, intheextreme darkness of the woods, the knuck-lehead probably didn’t notice how much of hisbacktirehewassharingwitheverybodyelse’s ride.
“Oh man, I was ready to kill somebody atthispoint.Wedraggedalltheirlittleasses
outof bed
to see who hadthe bright idea. “Angry Bob”
was the only one who wouldn’t make eyecontactwithme.”Whiteywasalreadyfiguring that “Angry Bob” was going to be picking up the next few tabs…or ten. “Next thing we knew, he had packed up and friggin’ left to head back to New York! That’s okay, though;weknowwherehelives.”
I talked to Whitey this morning – theguyshadanuneventfulridehomewithfairlydecentweather.Noneoftheguyshaveheardfrom “Angry Bob” yet. I’m hearing rumors of retaliation…but that will have to be an-otherstory.
FYI–theNYCFireRiderswillbehereintheUpstatesoon!TheguyshaveaskedmetohostastopinSouthCarolinaontheIron&SteelRunthatwilltakeplacethisSeptemberover the 9/11 MemorialWeekend. Therewill be several different firefighter motorcy-cleclubsparticipatinginthisrunthatwillbeescortingasteelgirderfromtheTwinTowersin NYC to the new military museum at Ft.BenninginGeorgia.TheridewillreachtheUpstate on Monday, September 14. TherewillbeahugepartyfortheridersatHootersin Spartanburg that night. Local riders areencouragedtocomeonoutandjointheride,andallarewelcomedatthepartythatnight.Pleasevisit www.ironandsteelnyctofortben-
”
On the Road to Laconia with the NYC Fire Riders MC
“
N
The ride will reach the Upstate on Monday, Septem-ber 14th with a huge party for the riders at Hooters in Spartanburg that night.
by Dawn Glencer (with quotes from Ken “Whitey” Christiansen)
July 2009 •CrankItMag•7
U P C O M I N G B I K E E V E N T S F O R T H E R I D E R S
ONGOING EVENTSEVERY THURSDAY NIGHT
Starting at 6:30pm - BIKE NITE at Hooters in SpartanburgDrink specials, vendors, music.
EVERY WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Starting at 6:30pm - BIKE NITE at Quaker Steak & Lube, next to Greenville Harley. Drink specials, vendors, music.
Every Friday, from now to Sept 4th, from 6:�0-10pm
Bike Nite Fridays at Backyard Burger, 95 Halton Rd. Greenville, just off Con-garee Rd. behind Rafferty’s. Family-focused, non-alcoholic for bikers & the com-munity. Music, 10% menu discount, 50/50 raffle and door-prizes. For more info
- call Jerry & Kim Canady 864-906-�9�6 or Chappy & Tina Smith 864-918-0�60.
RIDES for July 2009July 11thDemo Rides at Greenville Harley Davidson from noon til 5pm.
July 18thLaurens Electric Poker Run$2000 for best hand! $250 for worst hand. Registration starts at 8am with 1st bike out at at 9am. Rides ends at Harley Greenville with live music, food & beer.
July 21stAll-Girl Garage PartyIf you are interested in learning how to ride, get the low-down at this informative session - Greenville Harley 6-9pm. Pre-registration required, email [email protected] for more information.
July 23rd-26thAll-Female Motorcycle Enthusiast RallyDudes allowed, just know your place! Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Cen-ter, 70 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley, NC 28751. Registration $�0 until May 15th, $40 after May 15th . Toll free 866-926-0201, or local 828-926-0201. Register online at www.mountaingoldproductions.com. Registration includes Thursday night welcome cook-out, live bands. Friday and Saturday: Lace & Leather fashion show, banquet, vendors, free t-shirt to 1st 100 registrations, maps with suggested rides, discount coupons, prizes, and lots of fun! More info, call Wendy at 828-926-5544.
July 26thChesnee, SC – 5th Annual Antique Bikes on Main & 7th Annual Foothills British Antique RallyDowntown Chesnee, starts at noon, free admission, everyone welcome. More info, call 864-590-2141.
July 31stBike Night – Greenville Harley from 6-10pm. Live music by Doug Jones of Cravin Melon. Food, beer, and bike games.
8•CrankItMag•July 2009
INTERVIEWS The Jones Machine... Page 9Extra:Bike Night... Page 10
y the end of Mickey Cash’s “What A Woman Goes Thru,” the St. Augustine, Fla., songstresshas impressed us with the gruff
melody of her voice. Cash shows off thosepipes inaprototypecountryballad, leavingyouwantingtohearalotmoreandwonder-ing “Why the hell haven’t I heard this woman singbeforenow?”
Is it a surprise then to learn she’s the daughter of one of the legendary OsborneBrothers’ band members, Gordon Cash? That connectionhelpedspringboardCashintohervocation, where she’s now backed up by St. Augustine’s local legends from the ‘80s, The
All i -gator Cowboys. Booked
solidintheFloridacityuptothefall,CashsaidshewasabletogettheCowboystoplaywith her even though “I had never organized abandonmyown.”
Because of the appeal of their coversin the Florida area, Cash and theAlligatorCowboy’s lead singer Pat Murphy, agreed “it would behoove us to get together.” Mur-phy added that “being grossly over-served” whiskeyonenightgreasedthewheelstotheagreement.
Thebandisalsoworkingwith633Mu-sicGrouptopulltogetheranoriginalrecord,Cashsaid.Alongwithaseparateliverecord-ing they’re working on, she said they have an EP they’re working on with 633 Music. “They have taken me under their wings. We’re blessed, we’re lucky. We have a popu-
larity,butwedocovermusicthatweputourownspinon.Withinthenextmonth,monthand a half, we’ll have six to eight originals from633Music.”
CashgavealittlebitmoreofhertimetoCrankIt Entertainment,givinginsightintoher past, present and what the future holdsforherandtheband.
CrankIt Entertainment Magazine: Your voice is distinct, to say the least. Did you have to really make an effort to produce your voice’s sound, or is it more your natural sound?
Mickey Cash: I havelovedtosingforever,andof course I come froma singing family. As ayouth, I thought I wantedtosoundlikeotherpeople.I thought (my) sound was bad, but I can’t getawayfrom it.Mydadsays there is thiscertain something God put in your voicethat He doesn’t give to just everyone, but he gaveittoyou.Theuniquenessofit.AsakidI was self-conscious of it, but now I’m glad I’ve got that. I’ve just always had this deep, brassysoundingvoice.
CrankIt: How much of your song material is drawn from your per-sonal experiences?
Cash: I’m going to say 90 percent, if not bet-ter. At least 90. I cannot and don’t sing a song I don’t feel. If I can’t feel my feet are in it, I can’t deliver the message. “What A Woman Goes Thru” was written for me, a collabo-rationwithJimmyLambertandFredFoster.Theywrote that songwithme inmindandgaveittome.
CrankIt: When you’re playing, which song gets the strongest response from the crowd?
Cash: This town (St. Au-gustine,Fla.)musthearmesing “Angel From Mont-gomery,” the John Pinesong.
CrankIt: Would mu-
sic have been a vocation even without such a direct family tie to the business?
Cash: It absolutely would have, yes. I can’t escape it. It’s just one of those things that grabs ya and you can’t shake it, so you might aswelljoinit.
CrankIt: Anything crazy happen out there on the road lately?
Pat Murphy: We were up in Canada withThe Alligator Cowboys.The cities up there are140milesapart.Idrive62mph,andthespeedlimitsare (higher). A Mountiepulls us over, the first guy I see in Canada. And hesays, ‘I just want to read the bumper stickers allover your trailer.’ ... One
time,inaWinnebagonearAmarillo,Texas,Iwas sleeping across from a refrigerator. I’m looking up, and no one’s driving the van. I said to my friend ‘what the hell are you do-ing?’ He goes ‘I’m making a sandwich, go backtosleep.
If y’all are looking to catch Cash in The Carolinas,shesaidthegroupwouldbeatTheIronHorseBarinApex,N.C.,fromAug.28-30.TokeepupwithCash,andtocheckout“What A Woman Goes Thru,” head on over toherMySpacepage,atwww.myspace.com/themickeycashband.
Andyoucanalwayskeeptabsonwhatmusic’s coming up in The Carolinas with CrankIt Entertainment Magazineandwww.crankitmag.com!
Florida Sensation Hooks Up with The Alligator Cowboys
BcM
by T.J. Royal
I cannot and don’t sing a song I don’t feel. If I can’t feel my feet are in it, I can’t deliver the message.
“”
Ph
oto
pro
vid
ed.
Mickey Cash
Having some fun onstage with the Alligator Cowboys.
July 2009 •CrankItMag•9
INTERVIEWS
ery soon Greenville, S.C. and theoutlying area will get a chanceto hear The Jones Machine live,
fronted by a hometown boy who made outverywellonSeason7ofAmerican Idol,JoshJones.
Thanks to that performance onAmeri-ca’s most popular show, Fox CarolinaofferedJonesachancetoauditionfortherestofhisband, The Jones Machine. Dusty Johnson(drums),JasonHudson(leadandbassguitar)andMattGeib(bassandelectricguitar)wonoutandimpressedJonesthroughtheauditionprocess, and three months later, they’re set to release a four-track EP showing how they’ve comealong.
Jonesalreadyhadsomeofhisownmu-sic available online, some he told CrankIt Entertainment he’s been working on since 2000.Aftermaking it to the top30 in Idol,the27-year-oldmusiciansaidhetriedtogetaband going in Atlanta, but that “it proved very difficult” to get a solid act going. He made his way back to Greenville with “no plan, no nothing...verylowhopesforeverything,”hesaid,whenthetelevisionstationapproachedhimwiththeauditionidea.
But when listening to a track like “The SouthFloridaDream,”which Jones saidherecorded all the instrumentationbyhimself,the bouncy sound and the bizarre imagerycome together for a highly memorable first impression.AlthoughhesaidthegrindoftheAtlantamusicscenewasstartingtowearonhim,fanshavemuchtolookforwardtosinceJonescamebacktoUpstateSouthCarolinatochasethemusicdream.
CrankIt spent some more time withJones, filling in readers on what they can expectfromTheJonesMachineinthenear-future.
CrankIt Entertainment: Do you get recognized a lot from Idol?
Josh Jones:IgotrecognizedbyaVietnamesemailmantheotherday.WhenIgointhegro-cery store, people say‘Hey, you’re that guy off TV!’ That is a plus. It’s publicity that there’s no way to buy it. It’s awesome.We have im-mediatelycomeupovernight, because peoplearoundGreenvilleknowabout us. And thereare other bands aroundtown that people don’t know. Now people aregonna know ... can they walk the walk? We’re readytobringit.
CrankIt: Do fans really expect a band like yours to have such a
distinct, strong keyboard sound on their tracks nowadays?
Jones:Intheplansforthefuture,wheneverwe play a large gig, we’ll have (our guest pianistJustinMichels).LikeDaveMatthews,it’s going to be one of those things. The Bi-Lo Center (in Greenville) is huge. If an actcomes to town and there’s a (gig available), I’d have Justin Michels. It’s nice to have a littlesomethinginthere.Iwouldlovetohave
him full-time, but itjust doesn’t work out withhisschedule.
CrankIt: Who in the band comes up with the song-writing?
Jones: At this point,theearlystage,Iguessmost of the ideas andlyrics come from me.
But what’s invaluable that everyone contrib-utes, I don’t write every single part. We’re still trying to fill up all the space between thefour(EP)songswithallofourcontribu-tions. What’s so invaluable with (The Jones
Machinebandnow),isthemcominginwithpreparingthemeatandpotatoesoftheshowright, and then bringing the gravy. They’re very heavily involved with the compositionofthesongs.Dustythedrummerwouldhavea unique beat for a song, and Matt wouldfollowinthekickofthedrum,andcomeupwithanideathatwouldmakethelyricsandtheversessoundtotallydifferent,butitwouldbegold.
CrankIt: How far outside of Green-ville have you all ventured in your live performances?
Jones: Columbia. We actually played at abiker club, for The Warlocks biker gang. ItwaslikeabigWarlock,motorcycleJuneJam.Itwaspretty scary. ... (Earlier)weplayedashowatanamphitheatredowntowninGreen-ville for a Susan G. Komen benefit, not bad for a first show. It was a huge stage with an enormoustentoverit,itwasgreat.
CrankIt: In your song “The South Florida Dream,” where does one come up with the idea for an el-ephant to be inside a bar?
Jones: It was a dream that I had. I had adreamthatanimalscamealiveandjustkindof took over this bar. I was a fly on the wall and I saw the whole thing. I said ‘Holy cow, I have to make a song about this.’ ... Whenever I sing it live, I sing ‘Damn those magic mush-rooms, I’m seeing shit again.’
CrankIt: What’s something bizarre, funny or crazy y’all have experi-enced lately?
Jones: I’d have to say (playing a recent con-cert sponsored by) The Warlocks. It was,shew.Justbecausethoseguys,Ibelievetheyare constantly monitored by police, I can’t sayanynames.Theyhadscarynames,scaryoutfits. They were all pretty big and pretty mean looking, not anybody you’d want to messwith.
To catch some of The Jones Machine’s liveperformances,headonover to theirof-ficial Web site at www.thejonesmachine.com. YoucanlookthemuponMySpaceaswell,atwww.myspace.com/jonesmachine.AndkeepthosepagesturninginCrankIt Entertainment Magazine and online at www.crankitmag.com!
by T.J. Royal
V
cM
“And there are other bands around town that people don’t know. Now people are gonna know ... can they walk the walk? We’re ready to bring it.”
The Creation of a Machine
Josh just joking around.
The Jones Machine
10•CrankItMag•July 2009
inally,IgetdowntoGreenvilletoattendabikenightandhaveagoodtimeandI was amazed by the hospitality fromeveryone.
Itwasgreattoseesomanypeopleouten-joyingahotsummernightinSouthCarolina,anddrinkingacoldbeer,all-the-whilelisteningtoangreatcountrymusicartistbythenameofBentonBlount.
I got to meet this music artist and he’s very familiar with my neck of the woods, Boone,N.C.,becausehegraduatedfromAppalachianState.Ineverknew.Apparently,neitherdidmyfamily.
BentonwillhaveanewCDcomingoutsometimethissummerandweareexcitedbe-cause he’s got some great new music sure to hitthecharts.
AsIworkedmywaythroughthecrowd
tolookatthebikes,andthereweresomeniceones,Inoticedthattheridershadbikegamesgoingon.Iwatchedoneridergetblindfolded,urgedtomoveforward,andtrytogetasclosetosomemarkinordertowin.
Well, let’s just say this rider did a good jobbutveeredoffthepathjustabittomuch.
Anyway, some of these riders are Vetsand showed their loyalty by hangingAmeri-can flags and that’s one thing that this spirited grouphasisthelovefortheircountry.
There were so many bikes I reallycouldn’t tell you a favorite. The bikes had nice paint jobs, tricked out lights schemes, shinypipes and some even loaded with extras, buttheywerewayoutofmypayscale.
Tosumitup,itwasverynice.Greatfans,greatmusic,nicestageandGreenvilleHarleyDavidson is just doing it right. Rock on andCrankItUp!
by Rob Moore
cM
F
Benton Blount, Nice Bikes, Beer and a Great Crowd...That’s
America!
BIKENIGHT - JUNE 26, 2009
(Above) Benton Blount playing to the crowd. (Right) Blindfold rider games.
July 2009 •CrankItMag•11
ailing from Chicago, Ill., MadinaLake is one American rock bandthathaswhatittakestomakeittothe top. Madina Lake consists of
Nathan Leone (vocalist), twin brother Mat-thewLeone(bassandbackupvocals),MateoCamargo (guitarist and backup vocals) andDanTorelli(drums).
Originally, the Leone twins played ina band called The Blank Theory. They be-friended Dan Torelli and Mateo Carnargo,whoplayedforthebandReforma,andwhohad relocated to the same area. They bothhad the same manager, but decided to dis-band their bands and form Madina Lake.Theyformedin2005andpushedtheirmusicforward and played their first gig as a band May21,2005.
In2006,theyproducedanEPcalledThe Disappearance of Adalia,whichgotthemonthemapandtheattentionofmusicfansandproducers. Their influences range from the SmashingPumpkinstoNineInchNails,buttheyhavetheirownpop-rockattitudethatre-allyappealstotheyoungergeneration.Thisappeal got the attention of Roadrunner Re-cords, and in 2007 they cut their first debut
albumFrom Them, Through Us, to You.From Them, Through Us,toYouwould
be produced by a more laid-back producerfrom the west coast by the name of MarkTrombino. Eventually, as the band pro-gressedandagedabit,theywouldbetotallyturnedupsidedownbytheirnew producer, David Ben-deth, and cut their secondalbumAttics To Eden.
Once signed on withRoadrunnerRecords,Madi-na Lake made great stridesby touring and by playingwithLinkinPark,whospe-cifically requested them to play the Revolution Stageat one of their gigs. Thechance to play with LinkinPark was huge for them,and theymade thedecisiontonotplayTheWarpedTourin2007.
2008wouldbeabusyyearfortheband,astheyplayedseveraltoursinEuropeandtheU.S.Thisyear,theytouredtheUnitedKing-dom by playing in the Kerrang tour, whichisafavoritefortheband,accordingtoMat-
thew, and they played The Rock am Ring(RockattheRing)andRockimPark(Rockin thePark) festivals,whichare twosimul-taneous rock music festivals held annuallyin Germany. “What was that like?” I asked. “It’s incredible,” Matthew said. “Eighty-
thousandpeople,twoshows,three stages and we got toplayinfrontofabout30,000people.”
“That’s got to be an incredible feeling,” I said.“Totally surreal,” Matthew said with enthusiasm. “We feltliketheluckiestdudesinthe world, and I rememberus all saying ‘Wow, can you believe we’re in Germany playing in front of 30,000people?’”
Ihadtoaskifthefansformedamoshpit,andMat-
thew said with a laugh, “Yeah, they sure did.”
This is the fan interaction thatMadinaLakegetswhenontour.Thefanslovethemin Europe and the United States. They dothingsduringtheirshowstokeepthefansin-
volved and wondering what’s up next. Their musicalsogetsthefansupanddancing.
Theyhavecomealongwaysincetheirdebutalbum.Theyneededachangetohelpthem move forward and they found thatchangewithDavidBendeth.
“He’s all business,” said Matthew. “He’s hardcore,likeamilitant,andwewentinthereto do the second album and he’s yelling at us, tellinguswesuckandeverythingneededtobebetter.”
“How did this affect you?” I asked. “It’s what our band needed,” Matthew said. “You get complacent if you’re the only one chal-lengingyourself.Hescouredeverything,andweneededthat.”
“Do you feel that you have come a long way?” I inquired. “Leaps and bounds,” Mat-thew said. “We’re totally a grown up band fromwhatwewerewhenwestarted.”
Theirsophomorealbum,Attics To Eden,shows theprogression theyhavemadeas aband.Itisacompleteconceptalbumfullofmystery and clues for the fans to collect tosolvethepuzzle.Hence,keepingthefanin-teractiongoingstrongevenonline.
Themaincharacterisagirlbythename
Madina Lake
Warping Through the Carolina’s July 23
Hby Rob Moore
Madina Lake ... Page 12 Ellsbeth ... Page 13Triple Cobra ... Page 14Jonathan Scales ... Page 15Hard Way Studios - Comics ... Page 18FEATURES
“ ”We’re a totally grown up band from what we were when we started.
Interview with Matthew Leone
Continued On Next Page
CD Cover ffor Attics To Eden ea-tures their main character Adalia.
12•CrankItMag•July 2009
There I was, peacefully browsing forantiquecutleryoneBay,whennewsofMi-chael Jackson’s “shocking” death exploded acrosstheInternet,practicallyshuttingdownGoogle,ringingupobscenebillsfortextingcharges,andsettingTwitterallatwitter.
ThefactthatthePrinceofPopdiedmerehours after 1970’s hottie Farrah Fawcett and
wasquicklyfollowedbythepassingoftelevisionpitchmanBillyMayswasproofthatbadthingscomeinthree.Andtheinevitablespincycle began, at least in Jackson’s case. The other two had the misfortune of choosing abadtimetodie.Ithappens.
Aswithothercelebritydeaths,Iwasleftwonderingwhypeopletookitsoper-sonally. I mean, I can see where the Jackson Four would be sad, as they’d lost their lastbestchanceforareuniontour,butformostofus,Jacksonwasthisbizarremu-tantskimmingtheedgesofourradar,especiallyinthepastdecade.Yetpeoplearewailing and thrashing, piling up flowers, offering tributes, and the media reaches for obscure “pseudocelebrities” to comment on the legacy before the corpse is cool.
Deepak Chopra is concerned about Michael’s drug use–but he hasn’t seen him in six months. How concerned is that? Was Chopra the biggest name they could find willing tobeasopportunisticas themorgueworkers,whoarenodoubt snippingoff and packaging bits of Jackson’s hair for the collectibles crowd? And, don’t look now,butherecomesRev.JesseJacksonroaringbackintospotlight,servingasself-appointedfamilyspokesman.Whoa.Wheredidhecomefrom?FarrakhanorCatoKaelinnotavailable?
Sorry, we don’t care about the loved ones and their grief. We want the real dirt. Where’s Bubbles in all this? What happened to that weird oxygen chamber Michael usedtosleepin?Diditgetrepossessed?DidDebbieRowereallysleepwithhimorwasaturkeybasterinvolved?Howcansomebodysorichbesomanyhundredsofmillions of dollars in debt? Which lucky bastard had a Michael Jackson bio half-fin-ished and got it sold at auction in New York, with only the final chapters waiting to be finished? Which troubled singer would be the “next” Prince of Pop? (My money’s ononeoftheJonasbrothers).
Lookhowdivisivetheallegationsofchildmolestationbecame.Armchairlaw-yerswereconvincedofguiltorinnocencebasedonacertainfacialexpressionorthewhiteness of Jackson’s skin during any particular pretrial discovery period. Though I am wise enough not to pass judgment if I haven’t heard all the evidence, I could never imagineMichaelhavinganykindofsex–hetero,homo, legal,perverted,orotherwise.Though, tobehonest, Inever tried to imagineveryhard, ifyouknowwhatImean.
And, for God’s sake, the man hired a plastic surgery to deliberately give himself abutt-chin!Onpurpose!Maybehedeservesoursympathyafterall.
Michael’s life was a sad circus. We’re glad he did it, so we didn’t have to. We weresafeontheothersideoftheglasstit,packedincoliseumcrowds,dolingoutdollars for product. Yet I don’t understand how anybody can call his death “shock-ing.”Nothingabouthimcouldpossiblyshockusanymore,unlesshegrewoldandmowedhisownlawnandvolunteeredatthelocallibrary.
I don’t know anyone who woke up that tragic day and said, “Hmm, I wonder what Michael Jackson’s up to?”
Yet still come the tears and the suspicions and the flood of false empathy from people who don’t even pay attention to the people in their own household. And I’m part of the problem because here I am, calling him “Michael” when I owned one of hisrecordsforallofthreedays.
Why must our celebrities die? In most cases, it’s because they use prodigious amounts of drugs. And the flies lay eggs in their eyes all the same.
Thanks, Michael. We’ll cry for you because we can’t cry for ourselves.
Dirt from the Digger
F E A T U R E continued
The
of Adalia, who was featured in the first album, and all the clues are about her. They use confetti, balloons,notesandcluesonlinetokeepthefanswantingmore.Totalfanparticipation.Theexcel-lent cover art is by a friend of Nathan’s, Vic Lindin, who did a bit of “resource based transaction,” according to Matthew. “Artist to artist trade.”
MadinaLakeiscurrentlyonTheVansWarpedTourwithseveralotherbands.Therearesomanydatesonthistouritlookslikeamarathon.Somedatesareoneaftertheother.Thistourhasstarted,anditoriginatesinCaliforniaandeventuallyhitstheeastcoast.Charlottewillgetitsshowon July 23. Matthew called it “brutal.” I see why.
“If there’s a kink in your chain or weakness in your band, Warped Tour will exploit it and bust you up in two seconds,” Matthew said. “It’s like a three-month tour that starts out with everyone excited and partying, but towards the end everyone’s depressed and won’t talk to each other.”
You can expect them to play their old tunes and some of their new ones. “You’ll Never Take Us Alive” is sure to be played and maybe a tune from their darker side called “Criminals.” Whatever theydodecidetoplayonthistouryoucanexpectsomequalitymusic,andmaybeamoshpitoutfront in appreciation. North and South Carolina, make sure you see this band, but if you can’t, check them out online at www.madinalake.com or their MySpace at www.myspace.com/madinalake.“Thanks to anyone who has connected to us,” Matthew said. “Can’t wait to play for everybody!”
Check them out online and at the Vans Warped Tour July 23 in Charlotte, NC.
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SEQ CHAPTER: 1 Celebrity Death: Who do we cry for?
Want to respond? Contact the Digger at [email protected]
July 2009 •CrankItMag•13
utstanding lead vocalist for Ells-beth, Shannon Quamme’s soul-chillingsoundputsEllsbethinthetoprankofmodernpoprock.
Hailing from Los Angeles,California, Ellsbeth is not likeyour averageversionofpop rock.
Within theirnewalbum,Well Dress Killing Machine,quintetintroducesamixtureofun-dertonesrangingfromGoth-metaltoninetiesstylerock.
Formingin2005,Ellsbethhadarockystartduetoconstantchangingofbandmates,butoriginalmembersQuammeandguitaristSean Lacefield held the band together single handedly creating their first 11-track album, Well Dress Killing Machine.
Quamme credits Grammy award win-ner and producer Chris Spilfogel for theirsuccess,sinceitwasjustthetriolayingdownthetracksinthestudio.
“Chris definitely played a large active roleinevolvingthesongsfromjustademoto what it is now,” she said. “As tough as he wasonme,Iknewhecouldhavebeenmuchtougher.But,thenagain,whenyouareusedtoworkingwithpeople likeBeyonce in thestudio, I guess there’s a level of expectation from the vocalists you are working with. I’m noBeyonceorJenniferLopez,andIcertainlydon’t sing that kind of music, but I feel very fortunate thatI was able toreceive thee x p e r i e n c ehe had fromworking withs u c c e s s f u lartists so thatI may gatherthat experi-ence andh o p e f u l l yearn my ownsuccess inparallel forminthefuture.”
Andsuc-cessisexactlythe word onewould use indescribingthevocal tracksin the album.Quamme’s pipes are set to the forefront of thetrackscreatingahauntingairhighlightedby Lacefield’s heavy distorted guitar rhythm.
EllsbethrecordedtheiralbuminWest-lake Studios in Hollywood, CA and theiralbum dropped April 1, 2009. Since theiralbumdropped,Quammehasonly receivedpositive affirmation.
“There has been an overwhelming, positive response,” she said. “We grew a fan basethatseemedtobereallyintothedemoversionsofthesongs.”
Worriedtheirsoundchangedtoomuch
fortheirfanstoaccept,Ellsbethwaspleasetofind that their songs were greatly appreciated bytheirfollowers.
“When we put out our singles, our fans ate it up. I’m pleased that they appreciate the music in all stages of it’s evolution and that weareabletogrowtogether.”
Quamme and Lacefield found their other three band members Scott Ramsay(guitar),JimDineen(bass)andJayLiermann(drums) after they finished recording their debutalubm.
“We waited a long time to find the right people,andtheywerewellworththewait,”he said. “ This new album will be a new ex-perienceasthewholebandwillbeinvolved
and not jut me and Sean. It’s very exciting forus.Wearedeadsetonblowingpeoplesmindsbyfocusingonthetouratthemoment,butwillcontinuetohashoutnewmaterialforthenextalbumwhileweareontheroadsothatwhenwegetback,wecanjumpintothestudio with our guns blazing. “
Ellsbeth seems to have a lot of spiritandpassionformusicandsuccess.Notmanybandsareable tohop froma tourbusbackintothestudio,butwiththeirdetermination,there isnodoubt theywillproduceanotherhitrecord.
AndQuammecreditsherdeterminationtohonesty.
“All we’re trying to do is be true our-selvesandbehonestwiththemusicwecre-ate,” she said. “That’s all we can really do at theendoftheday.Hopefully,insomesmallway,thatwillgiveothersareasontobeabletodothesame.”
Quammediscoveredher loveforsing-ingwhenshewasayounggirl.Inherearlydays,shewouldsinginLatinduringrecitals.
“My goal was always to sing rock,” she said.
Quamme earned a scholarship to LosAngele Musicians Institute for six monthswhereshe focusedonkeyboardandvocals.
After she completed her six-month schol-arship, she was granted another six-monthscholarship.
“I think at one point you have to be honestaboutwhatyouwanttodowithyourlifeandwhatyouarecapableof,”shesaid.“There may have been other options for me butthisiswhatIam.Forbetterorforworse,there is nothing else. “
Quamme does not only bring the me-lodicvocaltothegroup,butshealsowritesallthelyrics.
During the interview, Quamme ex-
plained their song entitled, “Defy” as a blast towriteandfuntosing.
Sheexplained that thesongwasaboutasoldierinIraqwhoeverybodythoughtwasthe perfect soldier who made no mistakes.Buthisegooverwhelmedhisabilitytomakewisedecisions,andhedecidedtoembarkona solo mission to find the enemy everyone was hunting to find. During his hunt, he was capturedandkilled.
“So, the underlying current I suppose wouldbebeingalittletobigtoyourbritchesand needing a step back and understandingthat your human, therefore you’re not infal-lible,” she said.” Just because people mayput you high up on a pedestal doesn’t mean
you’re inde-structible. Re-member yourhumility.”
Q u a m m esaid the overallmessagebehindEllsbeth is be-ing honest toyourself and tootherpeople.
“I‘ve tried to be as hon-est as possiblein what I’m feeling andtranslating mytrue emotionsinto the lyricsand melodies Iwrite,”shesaid.“I’m less than perfect, and
I’m human. There’s so much in the media aboutwhoyou are suppose tobe andwhatyour suppose to wear and what you shouldsmelllikeoractlikeorhowyoushouldwearyourhair.Atonepoint,weallneedtoreal-ize that we are enough. We don’t need all of thatotherconsumercraptomakeusfeelOKaboutourselves.Appreciateyourselfforwhoyouarerightnow,notsomeoneyouaretry-ingtobeinthefuture,andfeelgoodaboutit.Celebratebeinghuman.”
On The Road to Success ... One Song at a Time
by Tiffany Allison
O
ELLSBETH
F E A T U R E
cM
Ph
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2009 New Release
14•CrankItMag•July 2009
T
F E A T U R E
an Francisco-based sextet Triple Cobra spent lastmonth touring from California, through middleAmericaanduptoTorontowiththeirglam-rockandpunk-infusedsensibilities.
FreelythrowingaroundstylereferencestoDa-vidBowie,Queenandvariouspunkactson the stage, leadsingerAttiss Ngoval thinks fans and newcomers enjoy theband because they are flamboyant and “over-the-top.”
Along with all the males’ heavy make-up, Triple Cobra has twolovelydancersoutonstageevery time,completingtheir show’s “glamorous” hook with lots of lights, confetti and bubbles.
“I think the nature of the show, it’s something people can get behind, because it’s so over the top, it’s real entertain-ment. You don’t have to be invested in it, you go and you’re entertained. It’s dazzling.” It bears repeating; their live show’s gotbubbles.
But if it was just about looking pretty, Ngoval admitsthat their band would go nowhere fast. So their music is filled withenoughirreverenceandself-referentialhumortokeepitwhere listeners wonder what’s up next.
In “It’s Not Too Late,” off their full-length album Live Fast&DieBeautiful,thebandtakesthewholethemeofbe-ing late to something and how terrible it is, like with love,and turns it on its ear: “It’s not too late, yeah we can still die young. It’s all the same, all the same, all the same.....” And in their most catchy song, “Glitterlust,” Ngoval sings that the glitterlust for listeners is “whatever gets you off, whatever getsyouhighneverisenough...Whateversucksyoudry...”
When asked what band’s glitterlust is, Ngoval said that it’s “exactly what we’re doing now. Being on the road, playing every night, puttingonashoweverywherewego.
“That being our lives, that’s pretty muchthegoalrightnow.IfeellikeIcoulddothisforever.”
Foralltheenergyandstyletheyputon the stage, Ngoval is reminded of how“there’s a lot of not-so-glamorous hours in the van” traveling from gig to gig. “But once we get up there (on the stage), it’s totallyworthit.”
AftergettinganodinSpin as the “band to watch” at this year’s SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas, all the hours putintotheirbandmeantmorevalidation,Ngovalsaid.
“That made a big difference for us, on our personal mo-rale, and it’s also helped us get better booking on this tour, helped us play better houses with better promotion. We’re not signed,wedoallofourownpromotions,...(so)anypresslikethatisabigdealforus.”
Doing our part to let people know about ‘em, CrankIt Entertainment chatted more with Ngoval about where theyfeeltheygetagreatlivereception,whatthedealiswiththeirnameandmore.
CrankIt Entertainment Magazine: Which is more important to you all: Playing the best show ever each night, or looking good up there on stage every time?
Attiss Ngoval: It’s not really a choice, because we always lookgreat.So(thechoice)wouldbeplayingthebestshowwepossiblycan.Nomatterwhat,wealwayslookgreat.
CrankIt: Who’s the most beautiful member in the band?
Ngoval:Seriously?Thatwouldgetmeintoso much trouble. ... It’s my wife, D’aria.
CrankIt: Outside of your home-town San Francisco, where do y’all get a good response out on
the road? Y’all got a good review up in Toronto for NXNW last year and at SXSW this year.
Ngoval:Bothofthosefestivals,thereceptionwasexcellent.This tour we’re on right now is the first really extensive tour we’ve gone on. ... We didn’t really know what to expect, if people were going to get it or what. It’s been the same thing everywhere we’ve gone, everybody’s loved it, gotten behind it....Sometimesthesmalltownshowsarejustasexcitingasthebigcity.
CrankIt: What’s been something outrageous, funny, or disgusting that’s happened recently?
Ngoval: Oh, St. Louis. That was definitely the most crude and disgusting thing we experienced out on the road. We’ve been playinginallthesenicetheaters,andthensuddenlywefoundourselvesinthisdivebaronthewrongsideofthetracksinSt.Louis.Itwasthesleaziestplaceweeverbeen.Ourmanagerhadtocleanthespaghettioutof theshower,becauseof thespaghettiwrestlingthattookplacethenightbefore.Wewerepretty terrified. We played the set and immediately chucked everythingintothevan,andhauledassoutofthere.Itwasstillaprettygoodshow.Wewereintoit.
If the Triple Cobra logo looks a little familiar, that’s be-causeNgovalsaiditwas,indeed,theCobraCommandersym-bol from G.I. Joe. “We’re still waiting on the cease and desist (order) from that one. ... If we’re on (Hasbro’s) radar at that point, that’s probably a good thing for us.” he added.
Andasforthebandname?“We want people to know that it’s definitely better than
singlecobraordoublecobra....Wewerehavingaconferenceaboutthechupacabra,theMexicanreptilianmonsterthatgoesarounddestroyinglivestock.OurfriendthoughtweresayingTripleCobra,whenIsaidchupacabra,andItoldhimit(TripleCobra) was really the name of a band. I didn’t want to lie to him, so that’s the name of our band. I just had to follow through. Beyond that, it doesn’t mean anything.”
TocheckouttracksoffLive Fast & Die Beautiful,andwhen thebandmightbeheading fora liveCarolinasshow,head over to Triple Cobra’s MySpace at www.myspace.com/triplecobra. You can also hit them up on www.triplecobra.com.
Asalways,keepthoseeyesgluedtoCrankItEntertain-ment Magazine for acts, like Triple Cobra, you’ll want to checkout! cM
Triple Cobra
It bears repeat-ing; their live show’s got bubbles.“
”ph
oto
by J
ohn
Gru
bbs
Sby T.J. Royal
Glam Band is One to Watch ...Literally
July 2009 •CrankItMag•15
F E A T U R E
sheville-based Jonathan ScalesFourchestra has a uniquenessthat is just theirs–steel drumsand jazz. This cool combina-tionisaproductofAppalachian
State’s alumnus Jonathan Scales. Taking the calypso-style (style of Afro-Carib-beanmusic)soundsoftheCaribbeansteeldrums,fusingthentogetherwithjazzandreggae,andputting them to-gether is his signa-ture. He manipulatesthe soundofhis steeldrum in ways that arerefreshing, yet distinctintheislandsounds.
Hisbandismadeupof Ryan Lassiter (drum-merandfellowAppalum-nus),DuaneSimpson(gui-tarist),andShannonHoover(bass).SimpsonandHooverarenewtothebandthisyearand in Jonathan’s words, “They are ripping it.”
“How do you mix the tra-ditional Caribbean, jazz, reggae in yourmusic?”Iasked.
“Well, I’m influenced by everything
I’m around, but I didn’t grow up listen-ingtoCaribbeanmusic.Igrewuplikeanytypicalkid, andwhen Iwent to college Ilistened to classical and modern music.That’s pretty much my musical influenc-es,”saidScales.
He named one of his main influ-ences as Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.
He also has other influences liketheDerekTrucksBand,Andy Narell, Pat Metheny,Cannonball Adderley, andChick Corea to name afew. He has also had theopportunity to play withJeff Sipe (most recent-ly he has toured withKeller Williams withMoseley, Droll andSipeandJimmyHer-ring Band), FutureMan, and Jeff Cof-fin (Bela Fleck’s drummer)andandhe has woven all
of that influence andknowledgeintosomecool
soundingmusic.“In playing with Sipe and Coffin,
what inspirational growthhave these twogivenyoutohelpopennewmusicaloppor-
tunities?Iasked.“Jeff Coffin in particular is a big influ-
ence on me,” Scales said. “I actually tried to get him to play with me on the first CD and he wouldn’t do it. I learnedalotaboutbeingpro-fessional and produc-ing quality, and thesecond time aroundhe said he would doit because I proved Icouldstepup.”
Steppingupisex-actly what Scales has done. He has pro-duced a second CD, the first being One Track Mind in 2007, titled Plot Scheme.This CD features Jeff Coffin and others, butisfullofthatjazz,steeldrumsandCa-ribbean flavor that’s their signature style and a “more developed sound,” according toScales.
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra will beatMusicOnTheMountaintoponAugust29,inBoone,N.C.Heplayedtheinaugu-raleventlastyearandputonaverygoodshow. Very refreshing. This year he willmoveupthetotempoletoabetterstage.
“What are you going to bring to the tableatMusicOnTheMountaintop?Any-thingcool?”Scaleswasasked.
“We’ve got some new music that’s
still Jonathan Scales, but some of ournewerstuffseemstobeedgierthanitwasbefore and I don’t know why.” Scales said. “I am also bringing my new lineup. A new andimprovedband.”
Well, we arelookingforwardtohisshow in Boone. Hewill also have a tourcoming to the upstateof South Carolina inthe fall so be sure tocatchashow.Youcan
catchhissoundandplaydatesonlineathisMySpace, www.myspace.com/jonathans-calesandwww.jonscales.com.
Sca l ing to New He ightsby Rob Moore
Ryan Lassiter - drums • Duane Simpson - guitar • Shannon Hoover - bass • Jonathan Scales - steel drums
Well, I’m influ-enced by everything I’m around, but I didn’t grow up listening to Ca-ribbean music.
“”
cM
A
Vi
Upcoming ShowsJuly 24 8:00PM Jazz’d Savannah, Ga.July 25 9:00PM Studio 281 Atlanta, Ga.July 26 1:00PM Bele Chere Asheville, N. C.July 31 9:00PM Double Door Inn - w/ Actual Proof, Charlotte, N. C.Aug 20 8:00PM FALL TOUR! (Aug 20-Sept28) stay tuned for show dates on the East Coast
JONATHAN SCALES
Scales at Music On The Mountaintop 2008
phot
o by
Joh
n Le
idel
lot
has
happ
ened
to
the
Gre
en-
ville
, N
.C.,
rock
qua
rtet
Par -
mal
ee
over
th
e pa
st
year
. A
fter
rele
asin
g th
ree
prev
i -ou
s al
bum
s, t
heir
six-
track
EP
Com
plic
ated
got
the
m
notic
e fr
om
NA
SCA
R,
with
th
eir
sing
le
“Gas
olin
e”
feat
ured
on
se
vera
l ra
ce
broa
dcas
ts
last
ye
ar.
And
it
was
ar
ound
a y
ear
ago
that
the
y w
rapp
ed
up fi
lmin
g th
e vi
d -eo
to
“G
asol
ine,
” fe
atur
ing
hot
rides
an
d ho
t ga
ls
with
M
att
Thom
as
(vo-
cals
/gui
tar)
, Sc
ott
Thom
as
(dru
ms)
, B
arry
K
nox
(bas
s/vo
cals
) an
d Jo
sh M
c-Sw
ain
(voc
als/
guita
r)
putti
ng
thei
r dr
ivin
g so
und
out
ther
e fo
r al
l to
hea
r. They
al
so
help
ed
head
line
Gre
envi
lle,
S.C
.’s i
naug
ural
Cra
w-
fish
Boi
l ba
ck i
n M
ay,
kick
ing
off
the
May
16
show
bef
ore
fello
w r
ock-
ers
Filte
r w
ent
on.
On
top
of th
at, M
att T
hom
as s
aid
they
are
try-
ing
to g
et a
tou
r ki
cked
off
with
Pap
a R
oach
. “T
here
’s n
othi
ng s
et i
n st
one,
but
we’
re t
alk-
ing
to (
them
) ab
out
it. W
e’re
writ
ing
mat
eria
l no
w, a
nd th
at’s
the
idea
for t
he e
nd o
f thi
s yea
r,”
Thom
as s
aid.
The
adde
d at
tent
ion
has h
ad it
s app
reci
ated
pe
rks f
or th
e gro
up. “
We h
ad a
ball”
at th
e Coc
a-C
ola
600
last
yea
r in
Con
cord
, Th
omas
sai
d.
“We
had
som
e pi
t pa
sses
, w
e w
alke
d ar
ound
an
d dr
ank
beer
, hu
ng o
ut w
ith t
he d
river
s,”
a fu
n tim
e si
nce
the
coun
try b
oys
them
selv
es a
p-pr
ecia
te “
anyt
hing
that
goe
s fa
st.”
But
they
defi
nite
ly k
eep
thei
r ban
d’s n
ame-
sake
, Par
mel
e, N
.C.,
clos
e by
, sin
ce th
eir p
rac-
tices
that
hel
ped
get t
hem
to th
is p
oint
occ
urre
d th
ere.
With
the
tow
n’s
2786
1 ZI
P C
ode
etch
ed
on th
eir g
uita
rs, a
nd o
n th
eir b
odie
s to
o, T
hom
-as
said
, the
y’re
rem
inde
d of
whe
re th
ey’v
e be
en
even
tho
ugh
thos
e re
hear
sal
days
are
“lo
ng
gone
.” “The
tow
n ha
s be
en q
uiet
for
fou
r ye
ars.
W
hen
we
wer
e st
artin
g ou
t, w
e’d
rehe
arse
all
nigh
t. I’
m
sure
they
wer
e gl
ad to
hav
e so
me
of t
hat
ruck
us o
ut o
f th
ere,
but
we
mad
e so
me
good
frie
nds.
” he
add
ed.
With
th
eir
gain
in
no
torie
ty,
and
this
mon
th
bein
g th
e tim
e th
e U
.S.
cele
brat
es
its
inde
pen-
denc
e,
Thom
as
adde
d th
at th
ey’r
e alw
ays d
own
for a
show
for t
he a
rmed
fo
rces
. “
It’s
a bl
essi
ng
wha
t the
y do
for u
s. S
o m
uch
has
been
sac
ri-fic
ed s
o th
at I
can
live
fr
ee.
I ap
prec
iate
that
sh
it!
I’m
sitt
ing
here
in
m
y ho
use
in
air
cond
ition
ing,
pl
ay-
ing
rock
‘n
roll
for
a liv
ing.
...on
ly
in
Am
eric
a. W
e’ve
got
it
mad
e.” Kee
ping
Old
Glo
ry i
n m
ind,
Cra
nkIt
En-
tert
ainm
ent
Mag
azin
e as
ked
Thom
as
abou
t so
me
of th
e ba
nd’s
tune
s an
d m
ore.
Cra
nkIt
E
nte
rtain
men
t M
ag
azi
ne:
Yo
ur
all
’s s
on
g “
San
Die
go
” w
as i
n-
sp
ired
by a
gu
y’s
red
-ho
t ro
man
ce
that
wen
t so
uth
.
Mat
t T
hom
as: Y
ep, s
he h
ad to
go.
..We
wro
te
the
lyric
s ar
ound
a t
eena
ge r
oman
ce,
But
the
pr
emis
e w
as t
rue.
. Sh
e gr
adua
ted
colle
ge a
nd
got
a jo
b of
fer
in S
an D
iego
, so
she
had
to
choo
se to
go
to S
an D
iego
or s
tay
with
the
riff-
raff
. Wha
t are
you
goi
ng to
do?
Tha
t ain
’t th
e fir
st o
ne to
mak
e th
at d
ecis
ion,
but
that
’s tr
ue.
Onc
e yo
u ge
t tie
d up
in th
is d
amn
(roc
k ‘n
roll)
th
ing,
it’s
tou
gh,
toug
h on
a r
elat
ions
hip.
.It’s
de
finite
ly n
ot a
nor
mal
life
styl
e. I
t can
take
its
toll
on a
nyon
e.
Cra
nkIt
: I
can
’t t
hin
k o
f s
om
eth
ing
to
g
o
alo
ng
w
ith
w
hit
e,
fro
m
the
g
oo
d o
le R
ed
, W
hit
e a
nd
Blu
e.
Y’a
ll
go
nn
a h
it u
p J
ac
k W
hit
e s
om
eti
me
an
d h
op
efu
lly p
lay
wit
h T
he
Wh
ite
S
trip
es?
Mat
t: I
’d lo
ve to
. I li
ke h
is b
and
the
Rac
que -
teur
s.
Cra
nkIt
: D
id a
gir
l e
ve
r re
ally
ma
ke
y’a
ll b
lue e
no
ug
h t
o w
an
t to
wri
te a
so
ng
ab
ou
t th
e e
x-
peri
en
ce?
Tho
mas
: Oh
abso
lute
ly,
gone
thr
ough
a l
ot o
f th
at, a
nd y
ou se
e a
lot o
f pe
ople
go
ing
thro
ugh
it. A
nd y
ou c
an t
ake
off
thei
r ex
perie
nce,
or
com
bine
bot
h.
Cra
nkIt
: Wh
at d
o
yo
u t
hin
k a
bo
ut
us
havin
g
a
bla
ck p
resid
en
t n
ow
?
Mat
t: H
ow a
bout
th
at?
I do
n’t
care
who
the
man
is,
as
lon
g as
he
can
do t
he j
ob.
I d
on’t
get
all
invo
lved
with
pol
itics
, bu
t ev
eryb
ody’
s go
ing
to fi
gure
out
cha
nge
can’
t ha
ppen
but
so
fast
. Ev
eryb
ody
shou
ld b
e pu
lling
toge
ther
now
, not
ar
guin
g an
d sh
it.
Cra
nkIt
: W
hat’
s
be
en
s
om
eth
ing
cra
zy t
hat’
s h
ap
pe
ne
d o
ve
r th
e p
as
t year?
Ho
w a
bo
ut
on
th
e s
et
of
the
“G
aso
lin
e”
vid
eo
?
Tho
mas
: It
was
so
dam
n ho
t in
ther
e (f
or th
e vi
deo)
. I th
ink
one
of th
e ch
icks
far
ted.
Bar
ry
said
he
hear
d it.
Som
ebod
y di
d it.
I’m
sur
e it
ain’
t the
firs
t tim
e he
wou
ld b
lam
e it
on s
ome -
body
els
e. I
don
’t kn
ow w
ho i
t w
as. .
.. (A
nd)
it w
as ju
st c
razy
pla
ying
with
Sno
op D
ogg
(at
the
Cra
wfis
h B
oil).
You
see
Sno
op ro
ll by
with
hi
s en
tour
age.
Tha
t dud
e’s
a su
pers
tar.
He
rolls
th
roug
h th
e ha
llway
, and
it’s
like
‘Aw
ww
shi
t, it’
s Sno
op.’
With
Sno
op ro
lling
, it’s
a w
hole
dif -
fere
nt l
evel
. It’s
cra
zy t
o se
e th
at. I
t’s h
ard
to
imag
ine
livin
g th
at su
pers
tar l
ife li
ke h
e do
es, i
n th
e pu
blic
, whe
re e
very
body
kno
ws
it. E
very
-bo
dy k
new
who
Sno
op w
as w
hen
he w
alke
d up
th
ere.
... I
can
onl
y im
agin
e liv
ing
that
life
.
For n
ow, P
arm
alee
’s k
eepi
ng th
e to
urin
g sc
hed-
ule
with
in T
he C
arol
inas
. Th
ey’ll
be
at t
he
OB
X B
rew
ing
Stat
ion
in K
ill D
evil
Hill
s,
N.C
., on
The
Fou
rth, t
hen
at C
atch
-22
in G
reen
ville
, N
.C.,
on J
uly
16. T
hey’
ll be
at
The
Pour
Hou
se i
n R
alei
gh t
he n
ext
day,
fol
-lo
wed
by
Su
mm
erfe
st
in
Ham
ilton
, N
.C.,
on
July
18
. Th
ey’ll
rou
nd o
ut t
he
mon
th i
n G
reen
ville
at
The
Han
dleb
ar o
n Ju
ly 2
5, a
t a
show
spo
nsor
ed b
y 93
.3 T
he
Plan
et.
To c
atch
the
ir tu
nes,
hea
d on
ov
er to
thei
r MyS
pace
at w
ww
.m
yspa
ce.c
om/p
arm
alee
. And
to
keep
up
with
them
, and
oth
er re
-gi
onal
act
s yo
u sh
ould
be
liste
n-in
g to
, kee
p th
ose
page
s tu
rnin
g ev
ery
mon
th i
nC
rank
It En
tert
ainm
ent M
aga-
zine
.
July
200
9•
Cra
nkI
t M
ag •
�7
July
200
9•
Cra
nkI
t M
ag •
�6
Bass/v
ocals
Barr
y K
no
x -
Ph
oto
by R
ob
Mo
ore
PA
RM
ALEE
No
thin
g C
om
pli
cate
d A
bo
ut
The
se G
uys
Photo by PR Brown
Lead g
uita
rist
/voca
ls M
att T
hom
as
is s
how
n h
ere
jam
-
min
g to the G
reenvi
lle C
raw
fish B
oil
crow
d this
past
June.P
hoto
by
Rob M
oore
It’s
a b
lessin
g w
hat
they d
o f
or
us. S
o m
uch
has b
een
sacri
ficed
so
th
at
I ca
n
liv
e f
ree.
I ap
pre
cia
te t
hat
sh
it!
I’m
sit
tin
g h
ere
in
my h
ou
se i
n a
ir c
on
dit
ion
-in
g, p
layin
g r
ock ‘n
ro
ll f
or
a l
ivin
g .
..o
nly
in
Am
eri
ca.
We’v
e g
ot
it m
ad
e.
“”
cM
by T
.J. R
oyal
A
Vi
Up
co
min
g S
how
sJu
l 410
:30P
M O
BX
Bre
win
g St
atio
n K
ill D
evil
Hill
s, N
orth
Car
olin
aJu
l 16
10:0
0PM
Cat
ch 2
2 - U
NPL
UG
GED
! Pr
esen
ted
by 9
9X, G
reen
ville
, N C
Jul 1
7 8:
00PM
The
Pou
r Hou
se M
usic
H
all-
Ral
eigh
, NC
Jul 1
8 1:
00PM
Sum
mer
fest
H
amilt
on, N
C
Jul 2
4 8:
00PM
The
Cid
er H
ouse
- Val
ariu
m
with
Tho
roug
hfar
e K
noxv
ille,
Ten
ness
eeJu
l 25
8:00
PM T
he H
andl
ebar
93.
3 Th
e Pl
anet
Pre
sent
s Pa
rmal
ee w
/ Th
orou
ghfa
re, A
fter A
ugus
t,Tr
end
Kill
Om
ega
Gre
envi
lle, S
outh
Car
olin
a
”
lot
has
happ
ened
to
the
Gre
en-
ville
, N
.C.,
rock
qua
rtet
Par -
mal
ee
over
th
e pa
st
year
. A
fter
rele
asin
g th
ree
prev
i -ou
s al
bum
s, t
heir
six-
track
EP
Com
plic
ated
got
the
m
notic
e fr
om
NA
SCA
R,
with
th
eir
sing
le
“Gas
olin
e”
feat
ured
on
se
vera
l ra
ce
broa
dcas
ts
last
ye
ar.
And
it
was
ar
ound
a y
ear
ago
that
the
y w
rapp
ed
up fi
lmin
g th
e vi
d -eo
to
“G
asol
ine,
” fe
atur
ing
hot
rides
an
d ho
t ga
ls
with
M
att
Thom
as
(vo-
cals
/gui
tar)
, Sc
ott
Thom
as
(dru
ms)
, B
arry
K
nox
(bas
s/vo
cals
) an
d Jo
sh M
c-Sw
ain
(voc
als/
guita
r)
putti
ng
thei
r dr
ivin
g so
und
out
ther
e fo
r al
l to
hea
r. They
al
so
help
ed
head
line
Gre
envi
lle,
S.C
.’s i
naug
ural
Cra
w-
fish
Boi
l ba
ck i
n M
ay,
kick
ing
off
the
May
16
show
bef
ore
fello
w r
ock-
ers
Filte
r w
ent
on.
On
top
of th
at, M
att T
hom
as s
aid
they
are
try-
ing
to g
et a
tou
r ki
cked
off
with
Pap
a R
oach
. “T
here
’s n
othi
ng s
et i
n st
one,
but
we’
re t
alk-
ing
to (
them
) ab
out
it. W
e’re
writ
ing
mat
eria
l no
w, a
nd th
at’s
the
idea
for t
he e
nd o
f thi
s yea
r,”
Thom
as s
aid.
The
adde
d at
tent
ion
has h
ad it
s app
reci
ated
pe
rks f
or th
e gro
up. “
We h
ad a
ball”
at th
e Coc
a-C
ola
600
last
yea
r in
Con
cord
, Th
omas
sai
d.
“We
had
som
e pi
t pa
sses
, w
e w
alke
d ar
ound
an
d dr
ank
beer
, hu
ng o
ut w
ith t
he d
river
s,”
a fu
n tim
e si
nce
the
coun
try b
oys
them
selv
es a
p-pr
ecia
te “
anyt
hing
that
goe
s fa
st.”
But
they
defi
nite
ly k
eep
thei
r ban
d’s n
ame-
sake
, Par
mel
e, N
.C.,
clos
e by
, sin
ce th
eir p
rac-
tices
that
hel
ped
get t
hem
to th
is p
oint
occ
urre
d th
ere.
With
the
tow
n’s
2786
1 ZI
P C
ode
etch
ed
on th
eir g
uita
rs, a
nd o
n th
eir b
odie
s to
o, T
hom
-as
said
, the
y’re
rem
inde
d of
whe
re th
ey’v
e be
en
even
tho
ugh
thos
e re
hear
sal
days
are
“lo
ng
gone
.” “The
tow
n ha
s be
en q
uiet
for
fou
r ye
ars.
W
hen
we
wer
e st
artin
g ou
t, w
e’d
rehe
arse
all
nigh
t. I’
m
sure
they
wer
e gl
ad to
hav
e so
me
of t
hat
ruck
us o
ut o
f th
ere,
but
we
mad
e so
me
good
frie
nds.
” he
add
ed.
With
th
eir
gain
in
no
torie
ty,
and
this
mon
th
bein
g th
e tim
e th
e U
.S.
cele
brat
es
its
inde
pen-
denc
e,
Thom
as
adde
d th
at th
ey’r
e alw
ays d
own
for a
show
for t
he a
rmed
fo
rces
. “
It’s
a bl
essi
ng
wha
t the
y do
for u
s. S
o m
uch
has
been
sac
ri-fic
ed s
o th
at I
can
live
fr
ee.
I ap
prec
iate
that
sh
it!
I’m
sitt
ing
here
in
m
y ho
use
in
air
cond
ition
ing,
pl
ay-
ing
rock
‘n
roll
for
a liv
ing.
...on
ly
in
Am
eric
a. W
e’ve
got
it
mad
e.” Kee
ping
Old
Glo
ry i
n m
ind,
Cra
nkIt
En-
tert
ainm
ent
Mag
azin
e as
ked
Thom
as
abou
t so
me
of th
e ba
nd’s
tune
s an
d m
ore.
Cra
nk
It
En
tert
ain
men
t M
ag
azi
ne:
Yo
ur
all
’s s
on
g “
San
Die
go
” w
as i
n-
sp
ired
by a
gu
y’s
red
-ho
t ro
man
ce
that
wen
t so
uth
.
Mat
t T
hom
as: Y
ep, s
he h
ad to
go.
..We
wro
te
the
lyric
s ar
ound
a t
eena
ge r
oman
ce,
But
the
pr
emis
e w
as t
rue.
. Sh
e gr
adua
ted
colle
ge a
nd
got
a jo
b of
fer
in S
an D
iego
, so
she
had
to
choo
se to
go
to S
an D
iego
or s
tay
with
the
riff-
raff
. Wha
t are
you
goi
ng to
do?
Tha
t ain
’t th
e fir
st o
ne to
mak
e th
at d
ecis
ion,
but
that
’s tr
ue.
Onc
e yo
u ge
t tie
d up
in th
is d
amn
(roc
k ‘n
roll)
th
ing,
it’s
tou
gh,
toug
h on
a r
elat
ions
hip.
.It’s
de
finite
ly n
ot a
nor
mal
life
styl
e. I
t can
take
its
toll
on a
nyon
e.
Cra
nkIt
: I
can
’t t
hin
k o
f s
om
eth
ing
to
g
o
alo
ng
w
ith
w
hit
e,
fro
m
the
g
oo
d o
le R
ed
, W
hit
e a
nd
Blu
e.
Y’a
ll
go
nn
a h
it u
p J
ac
k W
hit
e s
om
eti
me
an
d h
op
efu
lly p
lay
wit
h T
he
Wh
ite
S
trip
es?
Mat
t: I
’d lo
ve to
. I li
ke h
is b
and
the
Rac
que -
teur
s.
Cra
nkIt
: D
id a
gir
l e
ve
r re
ally
ma
ke
y’a
ll b
lue e
no
ug
h t
o w
an
t to
wri
te a
so
ng
ab
ou
t th
e e
x-
peri
en
ce?
Tho
mas
: Oh
abso
lute
ly,
gone
thr
ough
a l
ot o
f th
at, a
nd y
ou se
e a
lot o
f pe
ople
go
ing
thro
ugh
it. A
nd y
ou c
an t
ake
off
thei
r ex
perie
nce,
or
com
bine
bot
h.
Cra
nkIt
: Wh
at d
o
yo
u t
hin
k a
bo
ut
us
havin
g
a
bla
ck p
resid
en
t n
ow
?
Mat
t: H
ow a
bout
th
at?
I do
n’t
care
who
the
man
is,
as
lon
g as
he
can
do t
he j
ob.
I d
on’t
get
all
invo
lved
with
pol
itics
, bu
t ev
eryb
ody’
s go
ing
to fi
gure
out
cha
nge
can’
t ha
ppen
but
so
fast
. Ev
eryb
ody
shou
ld b
e pu
lling
toge
ther
now
, not
ar
guin
g an
d sh
it.
Cra
nkIt
: W
hat’
s
be
en
s
om
eth
ing
cra
zy t
hat’
s h
ap
pe
ne
d o
ve
r th
e p
as
t year?
Ho
w a
bo
ut
on
th
e s
et
of
the
“G
aso
lin
e”
vid
eo
?
Tho
mas
: It
was
so
dam
n ho
t in
ther
e (f
or th
e vi
deo)
. I th
ink
one
of th
e ch
icks
far
ted.
Bar
ry
said
he
hear
d it.
Som
ebod
y di
d it.
I’m
sur
e it
ain’
t the
firs
t tim
e he
wou
ld b
lam
e it
on s
ome -
body
els
e. I
don
’t kn
ow w
ho i
t w
as. .
.. (A
nd)
it w
as ju
st c
razy
pla
ying
with
Sno
op D
ogg
(at
the
Cra
wfis
h B
oil).
You
see
Sno
op ro
ll by
with
hi
s en
tour
age.
Tha
t dud
e’s
a su
pers
tar.
He
rolls
th
roug
h th
e ha
llway
, and
it’s
like
‘Aw
ww
shi
t, it’
s Sno
op.’
With
Sno
op ro
lling
, it’s
a w
hole
dif -
fere
nt l
evel
. It’s
cra
zy t
o se
e th
at. I
t’s h
ard
to
imag
ine
livin
g th
at su
pers
tar l
ife li
ke h
e do
es, i
n th
e pu
blic
, whe
re e
very
body
kno
ws
it. E
very
-bo
dy k
new
who
Sno
op w
as w
hen
he w
alke
d up
th
ere.
... I
can
onl
y im
agin
e liv
ing
that
life
.
For n
ow, P
arm
alee
’s k
eepi
ng th
e to
urin
g sc
hed-
ule
with
in T
he C
arol
inas
. Th
ey’ll
be
at t
he
OB
X B
rew
ing
Stat
ion
in K
ill D
evil
Hill
s,
N.C
., on
The
Fou
rth, t
hen
at C
atch
-22
in G
reen
ville
, N
.C.,
on J
uly
16. T
hey’
ll be
at
The
Pour
Hou
se i
n R
alei
gh t
he n
ext
day,
fol
-lo
wed
by
Su
mm
erfe
st
in
Ham
ilton
, N
.C.,
on
July
18
. Th
ey’ll
rou
nd o
ut t
he
mon
th i
n G
reen
ville
at
The
Han
dleb
ar o
n Ju
ly 2
5, a
t a
show
spo
nsor
ed b
y 93
.3 T
he
Plan
et.
To c
atch
the
ir tu
nes,
hea
d on
ov
er to
thei
r MyS
pace
at w
ww
.m
yspa
ce.c
om/p
arm
alee
. And
to
keep
up
with
them
, and
oth
er re
-gi
onal
act
s yo
u sh
ould
be
liste
n-in
g to
, kee
p th
ose
page
s tu
rnin
g ev
ery
mon
th i
nC
rank
It En
tert
ainm
ent M
aga-
zine
.
July
200
9•
Cra
nkI
t M
ag •
�7
July
200
9•
Cra
nkI
t M
ag •
�6
Bass/v
ocals
Barr
y K
no
x -
Ph
oto
by R
ob
Mo
ore
PA
RM
ALEE
No
thin
g C
om
pli
cate
d A
bo
ut
The
se G
uys
Photo by PR Brown
Lead g
uita
rist
/voca
ls M
att T
hom
as
is s
how
n h
ere
jam
-
min
g to the G
reenvi
lle C
raw
fish B
oil
crow
d this
past
June.P
hoto
by
Rob M
oore
It’s
a b
lessin
g w
hat
they d
o f
or
us. S
o m
uch
has b
een
sacri
ficed
so
th
at
I ca
n
live f
ree.
I ap
pre
cia
te t
hat
sh
it!
I’m
sit
tin
g h
ere
in
my h
ou
se i
n a
ir c
on
dit
ion
-in
g, p
layin
g r
ock ‘n
ro
ll f
or
a l
ivin
g .
..o
nly
in
Am
eri
ca.
We’v
e g
ot
it m
ad
e.
“”
cM
by T
.J. R
oyal
A
Vi
Up
co
min
g S
how
sJu
l 410
:30P
M O
BX
Bre
win
g St
atio
n K
ill D
evil
Hill
s, N
orth
Car
olin
aJu
l 16
10:0
0PM
Cat
ch 2
2 - U
NPL
UG
GED
! Pr
esen
ted
by 9
9X, G
reen
ville
, N C
Jul 1
7 8:
00PM
The
Pou
r Hou
se M
usic
H
all-
Ral
eigh
, NC
Jul 1
8 1:
00PM
Sum
mer
fest
H
amilt
on, N
C
Jul 2
4 8:
00PM
The
Cid
er H
ouse
- Val
ariu
m
with
Tho
roug
hfar
e K
noxv
ille,
Ten
ness
eeJu
l 25
8:00
PM T
he H
andl
ebar
93.
3 Th
e Pl
anet
Pre
sent
s Pa
rmal
ee w
/ Th
orou
ghfa
re, A
fter A
ugus
t,Tr
end
Kill
Om
ega
Gre
envi
lle, S
outh
Car
olin
a
18•CrankItMag•July 2009
lmosteveryonehaspickedupacomic book and read it. I haveowned my fair share of them,and I’ve always been in awe of the technical illustration work.
There’s a lot that goes into the making of these beautiful creations, from initial con-cepttoactuallygettingthemontheshelf.
HardWayStudioswasformedaround2006 by Chris and Dwayne, founders, af-ter theyhadbeendoingfreelanceworkforsomesmallcompanies.Thefreelanceworkwasgoingnowhere,sotheydecidedtostarttheirownstudioandjustdothingstheirway.Theybegantoacceptsubmissionsandhavegrown to more than twenty members. Themembers are from America, Canada, andEngland.ThestudioitselfisinSprucePine,NorthCarolina.
Recently, Ihad theopportunity tousethe servicesofHardWayStudios–DwayneBiddixandChrisCarpenter.Theseguysareextremelytalented.Theyhaveseveralcomicbook series, like The Supremacy and Mor-bid Myths,whichareoutandforsale.Dueout Halloween 2009 will be Suicide Note,72pagesofsomecreepycomics,andthen,
in2010,theywillhaveGenotype Prime The Earth / Sol System War and House at the Edge of Nowhere.
These guys are some very busy art-ists. We got lucky to utilize the servicesof these talented fellas, andyou can checkout our “Crazy Monkey” online to see the qualitytheyproduce.Wanttoseethecomicbooksonline?Goto theirwebsiteatwww.hardwaystudios.com and see these talentedartists and to order a copy of a comic thatinterestsyou.
Iwanttotaketheopportunitytointro-ducethesetalentedartiststoourreadershipandtogiveabitofinsightastohowacomiciscreatedandwhatittakestosurvive.
CrankIt: What was the very first comic/illustration created by you or your studio?
Hardway: The first thing was a small self-publishedcomiccalledThe Shelter,azom-biecomic.ChrisandIdidtheentireissue.
CE: Formal training? College? Genes from mom and dad?
Hardway: Just trial anderror, and readingeverything I could find on drawing. Practice, practice,practice.
CE: Give some insight on your slogan: “If we did it... we did it the Hard Way!”
Hardway:Whenwewere startingout,weliterallydideverythingthehardway!Noth-ingwasevereasy.Wefoughttogetintocom-ics, fought to start a studio, fought togetbooks topublishers, andfoughttogetbookstoread-ers.Welearnedthatwehaveto fight for our chances. Nothing worth having iseverhandedtoyou.
CE: You have a new series called The Supremacy. How are the fans reacting to the new comic se-ries?
Hardway: So far,we are hearinggood things. Gra-hamCrackercom-ics sold out on the first dayandhavereordered.Thatwashugeforus.
CE: Any other projects in the mak-ing?
Hardway: Oh, yeah. We are finishing up agraphicnovelcalledSuicide Note. It isahorrorcomicaboutawomanwho receivesa mysterious anonymous suicide note that,onceshereads,beginstoleadherintoadarkframeofmindwhereshebeginstofeelthedesiretocommitsuicide.Shemustmakethedecisiontokillherselftoescapethedarknessherworldhasbecome,or liveinthatdark-ness.Weareveryexcitedaboutit.ThereisalsoaseriesweareplanningtoreleasecalledGenotype Prime The Earth / Sol System War,a sci-fi story about Earth stepping up into a galactic conflict. We are also working on others that I can’t go into at the moment.
CE: How long does it take to cre-ate a complete comic book, either
in color or black and white?
Hardway: Depends. It usually takes usabout amonth and aweekor two toget a22-pageissuedone.Sometimesfaster,sometimesslower.
CE: Describe the satisfaction of creating such a masterpiece.
Hardway: You know, I don’t like the term “masterpiece.” That implies that the work youhavedoneisthebestyoucaneverdo.I
alwaysseegrowthinmyworkfrom issue to issue, andeven now as I practice, Iamgrowing,soIneverfeel
thatIwilldoamasterpiece,because thenext thing I doisalwaysbetterthanthelastthing.ButIamdeeplysatis-fied when I see my work be-ing read by others. There isno greater feeling than seeingsomeonerespond tosomethingyoucreated.
CE: It takes a lot to de-sign/create a comic/illus-tration. Is it hard to part
with your creations?
Hardway:Yeah,itisalotofwork,but I don’t see it as a job. This is my
dream,andIamgettingtoliveit.Thatisbe-yondcool.Rightnow,westillownourstuff.Wehavebeenluckytoworkwithpublishersthatallowustokeepourcharactersandsto-ries.So,therehavebeennoseparationanxi-eties.Butthereisabookindevelopmentthatmayneedtobetransferredtothepublisher,andit ishardtoimaginethatsomeoneelsewillbe incontrolofyour ideas,but that isthenatureoftheindustry.Youhavetolearntoseparateyourselffromyourwork.
CE: Where can people look you up if they desire your services?
Hardway: www.hardwaystudios.com orcontact us at [email protected].
CE: Any final words?
Hardway:Getoutthereandreadsomethingnew!
IF WE DID IT ... WE DID IT THE HARD WAY!
cM
by Rob Moore
HARD WAY STUDIOSA
ARTIST SPECIAL“ ”It’s all about the Rock and Roll to fuel my creativity.
“Yeah, it is a lot of work, but I don’t see it as a job. This is my dream, and I am getting to live it.”
Painting by Scott Allen Denis - Interview on page
20•CrankItMag•July 2009
Exclusive cont... Page 21Music Camp... Page 22MOTM... Page 23CRANKITEXCLUSIVE
Soldiers at Forward OperatingBaseMahmudiyahhad a chance
to “lose themselves in the music,” and escape from their troubles, ifonly fora littlewhile, thanks toG.O.1Underground, the1stCalvary Division’s Army Rock Band.
G.O.1UndergroundcametotheFOB,June23,andputonaconcertfortheSoldierslivingthere.
Spc.DanielThompson,ofHeadquarters andHeadquartersBattery,113thFieldArtillery,wasoneofthosewhogatheredinfrontofthestagewellbeforetheshowstarted.
“It gives you a little bit of home,” said Thompson, of Jack-sonville N.C. “Where I live I go to concerts all the time.”
G.O.1Undergroundplayednon-stopforabout21/2hours.AllthemembersofthebandwereenjoyingthemselvesjustasmuchastheSoldierswatchingthem.
“It is great that the Army has given me the opportunity,” said Spc. Chris Rettig, lead vocals for the band. “I get to do what I loveandhelpotherSoldiersatthesametime.”
TheArmyrockbandtravelstoFOBsalloverIraq,tryingtoraisethespiritsoftheSoldiersandhelpkeepupmorale.
“We try to travel to the places where Soldiers don’t usually get music or USO tours,” said Rettig, of Defiance, Ohio.
HavingG.O.1UndergroundcomeoutandplayfortheSoldiershelpslifeontheFOBseemalittlemorenormalandthebandlovesdoingit.
“It’s great to be able to come out here,” said Rettig, “and to be abletohelppeoplerelievethestressfromtheireverydayjob.”
by SGT Mary E. Phillips
Soldiers Enjoy the Music of 1st Calvary Division Army Rock Band
A Rock ‘n Roll Morale Builder
Drummer Staff Sgt. Rudy Rendon, of Uvalde, Tex-as, of the 1st Calvary Division Army Rock Band, sings during their show at Forward Operating Base Mahmudiyah, June 2�. The band, known as G.O. 1 Underground, plays for Soldiers in Iraq to help to lift spirits of the Soldiers. All Photos By SGT Phillips
Bagdad- REMEMBER THIS?
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG,
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR WHICH IT STANDS,
ONE NATION UNDER GOD,
INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY
AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!
I HOPE SO.Happy 4th!
Guitarist Sgt. Jason Smelser (left), of Killeen, Texas, and bassist Staff Sgt. Dennis Milne, of Rockford, Ill., with the 1st Calvary Division Army Rock Band, jam at Forward Operating Base Mahmudiyah, June 2�. The band, known as G.O. 1 Underground, plays for Soldiers in Iraq.
Sgt. 1st Class Mary Dangerfield (left), of Broadway, N.C., and Senior Air-man Greg Jones, of Columbus, Miss., with the 7�2nd Expeditionary Security Force Squadron, Detachment 2, dance together during a concert put on by the 1st Calvary Division Army Rock Band at Forward Operating Base Mahmudi-yah, June 23. Dangerfield is assigned to the Company E, 2�0th Brigade Support Battalion, �0th Heavy Brigade Combat Team.
Thanks to my friend SGT Mary Phillips for giving us this view of our soldiers jamming overseas. God bless them.
July 2009 •CrankItMag•21
As I came out of the supermarket that sunny day, pushing my cart of gro-ceries towards my car, I saw an old man with the hood of his car up and a lady sitting inside the car, with the door open.
The old man was looking at the engine. I put my groceries away in my car and continued to watch the old gentleman from about twenty five feet away.
I saw a young man in his early twenties with a grocery bag in his arm, walking towards the old man. The old gentleman saw him coming too, and took a few steps towards him. I saw the old gentleman point to his open hood and say something.
The young man put his grocery bag into what looked like a brand new Cadillac Escalade and then turn back to the old man and I heard him yell at the old gentleman saying, ‘You shouldn’t even be allowed to drive a car at your age.’ And then with a wave
of his hand, he got in his car and peeled rubber out of the parking lot.I saw the old gentleman pull out his handkerchief and mop his brow as he went
back to his car and again looked at the engine. He then went to his wife and spoke with her and appeared to tell her it would be okay. I had seen enough and I approached the old man. He saw me coming and stood straight and as I got near him I said, ‘Looks like you’re having a problem.’
He smiled sheepishly and quietly nodded his head. I looked under the hood myself and knew that whatever the problem was, it was beyond me. Looking around I saw a gas station up the road and told the old man that I would be right back. I drove to the station and went inside and saw three attendants working on cars. I approached one of them and related the problem the old man had with his car and offered to pay them if they could follow me back down and help him.
The old man had pushed the heavy car under the shade of a tree and appeared to be comforting his wife. When he saw us, he straightened up and thanked me for my help. As the mechanics diagnosed the problem (overheated engine) I spoke with the old gentleman.
When I shook hands with him earlier, he had noticed my Marine Corps ring and had commented about it, telling me that he had been a Marine too. I nodded and asked the usual question, ‘What outfit did you serve with?’
He had mentioned that he served with the first Marine Division at Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal . He had hit all the big ones and retired from the Corps after the war was over. As we talked we heard the car engine come on and saw the mechan-ics lower the hood.. They came over to us as the old man reached for his wallet, but was stopped by me and I told him I would just put the bill on my AAA card.
He still reached for the wallet and handed me a card that I assumed had his name and address on it and I stuck it in my pocket.. We all shook hands all around again and I said my goodbye’s to his wife. I then told the two mechanics that I would follow them back up to the station. Once at the
station I told them that they had interrupted their own jobs to come along with me and help the old man. I said I wanted to pay for the help, but they refused to charge me.
One of them pulled out a card from his pocket looking exactly like the card the old man had given to me. Both of the men told me then, that they were Marine Corps Re-serves. Once again we shook hands all around and as I was leaving, one of them told me I should look at the card the old man had given to me. I said I would and drove off.
For some reason I had gone about two blocks when I pulled over and took the card out of my pocket and looked at it for a long, long time. The name of the old gentleman was on the card in golden leaf and under his name....... ‘Congressional Medal of Honor Society.’
I sat there motionless looking at the card and reading it over and over. I looked up from the card and smiled to no one but myself and marveled that on this day, four Marines had all come together, because one of us needed help. He was an old man all right, but it felt good to have stood next to greatness and courage and an honor to have been in his presence. Remember, OLD men like him gave you FREEDOM for America . Thanks to those who served...& those who supported them.
America is not at war. The U.S. Military is at war. America is at the Mall. If you don’t stand behind our troops, PLEASE feel free to stand in front of them!
Remember, Freedom isn’t “Free” -- thousands have paid the price so you can enjoy what you have today.
CRANKIT E X C L U S I V EThe Old Man...
The Unites States Flag Stands for:
Writers and speakers often attributemeaning to the colors of the flag. But, in truth,theContinentalCongressneverspokeaboutwhatthecolorsrepresented.
But thered,white,andbluecolors in-cludedintheGreatSealoftheUnitedStates,which first appeared 1782, did purportedly representidealsandbeliefsofourFoundingFathers. Their significance was explained by Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Conti-nental Congress, and included in the book“Our Flag,” published in 1989.
Note that many, many flags around the worldusethecolorsred,white,andbluein-cluding theBritishunion jack.Someof thedesigners of the American flag consciously wanted to connect it with the British flag.
The flag of the United States of Amer-icaconsistsof13equalhorizontalstripesofred(topandbottom)alternatingwithwhite,with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged innineoffsethorizontalrowsofsixstars(topand bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states and the 13 stripes representthe originalThirteen Colonies that rebelledagainst the British Crown and became thefirst states in the Union.
The star:
It is a symbol of the heavens and thedivinegoal towhichmanhas aspired from
time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic oftheraysoflightemanatingfromthesun.
Red:
•Hardinessandvalor•Redrepresentsthebloodspilled protectingourhome.• Red: Signifies bravery. •Redisforthebloodofthepatriots and those that fight for our country. •Somesayitrepresentsthebloodof
Americanpatriots.
White:
•Purityandinnocence•Freedom
Blue:
• Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance, andjustice
•Blueisforjusticeandperseverance.•ThecoloroftheChief(thebroadband
abovethestripes)
Our Answer:
CrankItsays...theredmeans thebloodfought for victory, white is freedom. Thestripes represent the 13 original colonies,thestarsrepresentthe50states,andthebluemeansjustice.
There are several meanings but onethingisforsure...weareFREE.
Info compiled for readership.
What Does The Flag Stand For?
Semper Fidelis
Freedom ofExpression
22•CrankItMag•July 2009
mongthedust,thedirtandtheheatthegoodtimefunwasstillvisibleat “The Music Camp”, June 19 and
20,onthePacoletRiver.WhenarrivingIhadto drive through about a mile of a twistingwinding road littered with “shh quiet” signs forthecampers.Therewerepeoplewalkingaroundeverywhere,upanddown the roadsand in and out of the woods. People werewearingshortsandshirts,bathingsuitsandsomealmostnexttonothing.IcetrucksweredrivingaroundsellingiceandCarolinaBBQsupplyingacheapanddeliciouslunch.Eventhoughsecuritywasthere,theonlythingtheyreallyworriedaboutwastransportingpeoplefromtheconcerttotheriverforacooldownandbacktotheconcert.Iknow,IpersonallyhaveRodneytothankformygraciousrides.Itwasalongwaytowalkwithdirtyfeetandtheheat.
The bands weren’t the only people participatinginthesoundofmusic.Camp-erscouldbeseenwithbanjosandguitarswith their own small following betweenshows. The field and entire festival was solargethatonecouldplayfootballandlistentothebands.Themusicwasgreatandfocusedonthecommonthemeoftheweekend: southern American heritage.
ThePiedmontBoyswereabighitandhadbeautiful ladies shakingdownby the stage.CottonwoodgaveoutfreeCDsto150luckypeople. Everyone was having a good timeand bands were collaborating on a whim.Some from the Belleview Outfit played with DAMComboonstage.
Under the large shed, in front of thestage,peoplebroughtblanketsandchairsandthoroughlyenjoyedtheshadewhilelisteningtothemusic.
Thisfestivalwasproofthateventhroughthe heat and the dirt the love of banjo’s, gui-
tarsandsouthernrockstillsurvives.
by Adrian Hutchins
A
Music Camp 2009June 19 & 20, 2009 @ on the Pacolet River, Spartanburg, S.C.
REVIEW SPECIAL
cM
July 2009 • CrankIt Mag • 2�
CD Reviews... Page 24 CD Releases... Page 25Movie Review... Page 26
Concert Listings... Page 27Gamers Corner... Page 29Comics... Page 30
t’s that time again! Summer is here andwithitcomesaplethoraofmusicfestivals. If you find yourself head-ing towards Western North Carolina
inAugust, be sure to mark your calendarsforAug.29for thereturnofMusicon theMountaintop.
Comingbackoritssecondyear,Musicon theMountaintophasquitethe lineup featuring hits likethe legendary Sam Bush andKeller Williams to local actslikeDoITToJuliaandMikeAlvarado.
Founded by undergradu-ates from Appalachian StateUniversity as a class project,thisfestivalfocusesnotjustonmusicaltalent,butalsoonen-vironmentaleducation.JimmyHunt,directorofMusicontheMountain,formedthefestivalin hopes of educating localcollege students about greentechnology.
That’s why this year the day before the festivalAug. 28, Hunt hasorganizedarivercleanupforthosewhoareinterested in actively pursuing a healthierenvironment.
“This year we hope to focus more on green education and to actually practicewhat we are preaching,” he said. “This year we are requiring vendors to sell on com-postablematerial.”
Greeneducationisnottheonlyaspectof the festival that is growing, Hunt hasscheduledover20 acts andwill be setting
upthreestagestoprovideconstantmusicalentertainmentthroughouttheday.
An entirely solar-powered stage willalsobesetuptoshowthepublicthatrock-ingoutdoesnot requireusinga lotof en-ergy.
Thelineupincludesotherhits likeYoMama’s Big at Booty Band, Acoustic Syn-
dicate, Steep Canyon Rang-ers, Jon Scales Fourchestra,AscellaVega,TheLostRidgeBand,MajorMagick,AmpleExample, The Naked Gods,Uncle Mountain and HopeMassive.
With such a diverselineup, Hunt feels this festi-valappeals toallmusic lov-ers.
“This setup covers all genres of music from blue-grass, reggae to jambands,”he said. “But every band has aBoonefeel.”
Hunt expects around4,000- 5,000 person crowd,
so be sure to get your tickets beforeAug.28.
Another upgrade from last year’s fes-tival iscampsites.Hunt saidhe receivedalot o feedback from last year’s crowd about wantingaplacetocampaftertheconcert.
This year, Hunt said camping will beavailableor$6per camping spot.Heasksfor people who plan to camp to form ingroups of six. There will be family spotsavailableorfamilieswhowishtocampoutafter the festival. Water and porter johns
willbeprovidedorcampers.“I am encourag-
ing people to come inand reserve a camp-site,” he said. “Be-cause there maybe alittle surprise after thefinishing act you don’t wanttomiss.”
Hunt mentionedalatenightjamcalled,“The Circus” for those whowanttodancethedayandnightaway.
Hunt said it willbe a collaboration ofdifferent band mem-bers,whowanttostayafterandjam.
Justin Butler ofHope Massive, one of the band membersplanningtostayforthelatenightjam,said,“We’re really looking forward to playing with the other bands in the area. I’m looking forwardtohavingagoodtime.”
“It’s only getting bigger and better,” saidHunt
Ticketsalesareupdrasticallysincelastyearandticketpriceshavenotbudgedsincelastyear.TicketsforASUstudentsandstaffare$30andgeneraladmissionis$35.
FormoreinformationaboutMusiconthe Mountaintop, please visit www.musi-conthemountaintop.com
“You’ll see a lot less trash. You’ll see more of a green focus, and you’ll see more people,” Hunt said. “So come on out and haveagoodtime.”
by Tiffany Allison
Music On The Mountaintop
I
EXTRA articles2nd Annual Festival in Boone Brings Some Top Talent
cM
Images From 2008 MOTM
by Rob Moore
24 • CrankIt Mag • July 2009
CDREVIEWS by TwistedTodd
ChickenfootSelf-Titled
Chickenfoot–SammyHagar,JoeSatriani,Mi-
chaelAnthony,andChadSmith,havethecureforwhat ails you. You are sure to find a cure from these vets,withsomeloudmusic,ifyouareinpursuitofagood time. Hagar is a veteran of “good-time” music like “Mas Tequila” and “Little White Lie,” but this newCDis thesametypeofpartymusicoverandover,exceptlouder.
Hagar does bring in guitar expert Satriani,whoseswaggeringriffsandchatteringleadsdomi-nateChickenfoot.Isitenoughtoinjectanewsoundinto therockmainstreamof thisday?Yesandno.Thisisano-brainertypeofmusic,butitdoesseemhe’s very energized because he’s got some very tal-entedmusiciansathisback.Youdogetsomeout-standing signaturebackgroundvocalsbyAnthonyandstrongguitarplayfromHagarandSatriani.Ohlet’s not forget the talented Red Hot Chili Peppers ChadSmithondrums.
Makenomistakethough.Chickenfootissomeeasypartyrock.Theyknowthisandareproudofitwith songs like “Soap on a Rope,” “Get It Up,” and “Sexy Little Thing.” Sounds like sex, sex and more sex.Hey, sex sells, and theygetyou to sinkyourteethintheirmusicandwantmoreofit.ItisaCDthat sounds like early 90’s Van Halen on steroids, butithasattitudethatspellsoutChickenfoot.WherewasthiswhenIwasgrowingup?
These songswill standas aproud testamentto the enduring power of a studio full of stackedamps, some tuneful shouting, a smile, and prob-ablyapartygettingbustedbecausethemusicistooloud.Eventhoughthismusicisdumbeddown,itiscatchyandsuited for thepartypeople, and itwillsurvive–CrankItup!by Rob Moore
EllsbethWell Dressed Killing Machine
Hey,everybody,meet theMetal/Progressive/Goth band Ellsbeth. This is a powerful, femalefronted metal band from Hollywood, CA that isrootedinmoodanddarknessandleadsingerShan-nonQuammereallyhasasetoflungs.
From the first track “Eden,” Quamme really letshervocalstakecharge.Thedoubleguitarworkof Sean Lacefield and Scott Ramsay is awesome throughouttheCD.TheheavybassofJimDineenworks hand-in-hand with drummer Jay Liermannand,together,Ellsbethhasapowerfulcombination.
Theymustbedoingsomethingright tohave400,000 hits on MySpace for each tune. This issolidMetal/Gothrockthatwillslamyoutothewallifyouturnupthevolume.Notablesongstocheckout are “Defy,” “Say Goodbye,” and my favorite “Victim of Mine.”
Well,havingjustcompletedtheirdebutalbum,thisbandisdestinedtomakeitsmarkinthemetalcommunity.Check themout and see for yourself. by Rob Moore
HalestormSelf-Titled
I’ve actually been meaning to review this disc for some time now since I got an advanced copyof their self-titled debut when they came to theHandlebarwithTraptandRedbackinApril.AllIcansayisthattheyareagreatnewbandledbytheveryattractiveandtalentedLzzyHaleonguitarandvocals and ‘manned’ by a few guys including her brotherArejay Hale on drums (hence the name!).The disc opens with their set opener “It’s Not You” and is followed by their debut single “I Get Off” whichjustenteredthetoptenrocksongsatthetimethat I am writing this. The next song “Bet U Wish UHadMeBack”isanotherstrongsongasarethelast two tracks “Dirty Work” and “Nothing to Do withLove”thelatterofwhichhasgreatalternating/backingvocalsinthechorus.Nottomentionallthesongs in between are great as well. I’m simply se-lecting a few songs I hesitantly consider ‘highlights’ since there really isn’t a bad song on the record. Again,allIcansayisthatthisisagreatnewbandfromwhichtoexpectgreatthingsiftheycontinueontheircurrentpath.by Twisted Todd
ThrownThe Beautiful End
Thrown has released their debut album The
Beautiful End, and it just plain rocks. This four-piecerockband,fromDallas,TX.,formedinJan.
2004 and has finally put together a CD that will blowyourspeakers.
In the 90’s there were several musical move-ments that helped shape the music we listen toandoneofthemthatevolvedwasGrungeRockorGrungeMetal.Thrownhascometothetablewiththat same Grunge sound and the vocals of GregVinson reminds me of Soundgarden’s drummer/vo-calistChrisCornellandevenScottWeilandoftheStoneTemplePilots.Notonly that, theyhave thesoundofthebandandasimilarsoundoftheSTP.The heavy riffs from Thrown’s guitarist Brad Mc-Farland and Vinson’s voice are very similar but they dohavetheirownTexassound.
Our favorites on this CD are “Bleed Like Me,” “Nothing Left,” and “Ignorance.” These are the tunes that have some bad-ass guitar play andexcellentsinging.Theydoslowitdownabitwith“Goodbye” but Thrown really throws down on theirdebutalbum.ThisisamusthaveCD. by Rob Moore
311Uplifter
Ok,311isjustoneofthosebandsInevergot-maybeIneversmokedenoughpot!So,needlesstosay,Ihadlooowexpectationsforthenewalbum.For starters, the disc opens with the first single “Hey You,”whichIthinkisafairlylamesong.However,immediately following the first track is a clump of actually decent songs. “It’s Alright” is a fairly de-cent laid-back and catchy song, as is “Mix It Up,” followed by the mellow feel good track “Golden Sunlight.” Skip past a few ok songs with “Never Ending Summer” being a bit cheesy, and there’s a couplemoredecenttracksincludinganothermellowfeel good song called “Two Drops in the Ocean,” followed by a catchy rocker called “Something Out ofNothing.”Stillnotmybag,butcertainlynotthescrape-across-the-chalkboardIthoughtitwasgoingto be. I’ll leave that for the next Staind record.... by Twisted Todd
Richard JaymesDollar and a Dream
Countrymusichas reached apointwhere al-most anything goes, and you never know who, orwhatband,will break through theNashvillemain-
stream.RichardJaymesdecidedthatgoingsolowasanavenuehewantedtopursue,sohetookwhathehadlearnedfromhisbandSokoandreleasedhisde-butalbumDollar and a Dream.
Heweavespop, rock, and southern rock intothisalbumandwastesnotimeingettingitoutforthepublic tohear.Hehasanup-tempobrandofcoun-try rock, and the title track “Dollar and a Dream” grabs your attention and focuses on our economy,Wallstreet,andwhereweareinthiscountry.Itmightbepoliticallydriven,butitreallytellshowhefeelsaboutthestateoftheeconomyintheU.S.
The rock andpop continues tobeondisplaythroughout the album. “Sweet Southern Girl” and “Four Leaf Clover” choose to present lyrics about womenandlove,whilesongsliketheslowerpaced“My Farewell” and album closer “That Was Yester-day”focuson thingsgoingwrong in loveand life,withthelatterfocusingontheabilitytolearnfrompastmistakes.
Jaymeshasreallyputtogetherasoliddebutal-bumandhasblendedhisstyleperfectlywithamorerocking flare throughout the album, and you get a realviewofwhatRichardJaymesisallabout.Blues,rock,pop,andcountry,allwrappedupinone.by Rob Moore
Triple CobraLive Fast & Die Beautiful
GlamrockersTripleCobrahaveanewrelease,Live Fast & Die Beautiful, thatisfullofsurprisesandisveryextravagant.100percentglamrock,andtheyreallyexpressitonthisCD.WithasoundthatremindsmeofQueenwithamixtureofBowieandeven a touch of Poison, this band has a very fastsoundthatisengaging.
Attis Ngoval’s voice is perfect for this band, and he really gets off throughout the CD. The first track,thetitletrack,isoneofthebestIhaveheardinawhileandshouldbeonethatgoesalongway.The cool guitar riffs throughout blend in master-fullywiththefast-pacedsoundofTripleCobra.Thebackground vocals of D’aria and Athena, especially in “Trash,” add a sexy element to the the music that iswelcomeandrefreshing.
You are on a roller coaster of music that ismercilessandcompelling.Checkout theCD,andthe tunes “J-Hole,” “More,” and “Little Vice” will havemoretruemeaning.Theyareprettycool,andthesoundsonthisreleasearetransferredtothestagewithconfetti,glitter,andofcourse,theirsignatureglam.Thisisakeeper.by Rob Moore
CD Reviews OnlineSee them online at www.crankitmag.com.
If you’d like your CD reviewed, please send it to:
CrankIt Entertainment Magazine, 549 Sugar Loaf Rd., Boone, NC 28607
We can’t promise that your CD will be re-viewed, but we definitely try. Thanks!
m o n t h l y
Have a CD to review? Send it to us, and we will do our best to get it in. Questions? e-mail [email protected].
July 2009 •CrankItMag•25
July 7
Soundtrack - Hannah Montana, Vol. 3Queen Latifah - PersonaMaxwell - BLACKsummer’s NightBilly Boy On Poison - Drama Junkie QueenYung L.A. - Futuristic LelandLMFAO - Party RockOriginal Broadway Cast - Rock Of AgesClutch - Strange Cousins From The WestImagination Movers - For Those About To HopAll Time Low - Nothing Personalstellastarr* - CivilizedThe Jayhawks - Music From The North Country: The Jayhawks AnthologySon Volt - American Central Dust
June 14
Daughtry - Leave This TownJordin Sparks - BattlefieldCeltic Thunder - Take Me HomeTwista - Category F5The Dead Weather - HorehoundTrick Daddy - Finally FamousYung Joc - ???Soundtrack - Harry Potter And The
Half-Blood PrinceThe Dead Weather - HorehoundRobin Trower - What Lies BeneathGin Blossoms - ???La Factoria - DemphraJoe - SignatureChico DeBarge - Addiction: Reality MusicLisa Lisa - Life N Love
June 21
Demi Lovato - Here We Go AgainOur Lady Peace - Burn BurnMatthew Sweet & Susannah Hoffs - Under The Covers: Vol. 2Kenny Loggins - All Join InSugar Ray - Music For CougarsMarie Digby - Breathing UnderwaterSoundtrack - Battlestar Galactica: Season 4
Stryper - Murder By Pride
June 28
Ashley Tisdale - Guilty PleasureHowling Bells - Radio WarsHurricane Chris - UnleashedRyan Star - 11:59Felix Da Housecat - He Was KingC
D R
EL
EA
SE
SJULY
CD RELEASES
uly is the month to celebrate our in-dependence as a country and your in-dependence with the music you love.
Hopefully there are some of your favorites coming out this month. Our favorites are Clutch, Celtic Thunder, Gin Blossoms and Son Volt. A special CD has also made an ap-preance in the U.S. by the name of Madder Mortem “EIGHT WAYS.” Check them out, mu-sic lovers, and Crank It Up!
J
26•CrankItMag•July 2009
The Hangover - 8 Cranks out of 10 Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha, Rachael Harris, Heather Graham, Mike TysonDirected by: Todd Phillips
“They gave out rings at the Holocaust?” When you step back to think about it, you know deep down you are wrong to
be laughing at a line like that, even if it’s delivered from a putz like Alan (Wilkes County, N.C. native Zach Galifianakis). In the instant classic The Hangover, nothing is really right, except the belly laughs that follow.
Two friends, Stu (Ed Helms) and Phil (Bradley Cooper), de-cide they’re gonna throw a Vegas bachelor party for their about-to-be-hitched buddy Doug (Justin Bartha), and get his future brother-in-law Alan thrown in the mix. After some wrangling, they all make their way to Vegas, make a toast, and… You spend the rest of the movie retracing their steps and try to resolve just
exactly how they lost the groom amidst the revelry.Somehow a tiger, a chicken and a baby find their way into their burned out suite, Stu’s
missing a tooth, and the three of them have to get the groom back for the wedding that same day. The Hangover is really just one gag playing out after another, and there isn’t anything prob-lematic about that since they all produce a bunch of laughs.
The trailer ruined a few surprises, like Tyson’s appearance, and the tiger, and how one of the guys gets married before he’s supposed to. But then comes a whole bunch of crazy-good stuff, like the ride around in the police car, the hitmen and other hot messes for the friends to wade their way through. Many people have bizarre funny drunk stories; The Hangover is a hilarious fulfillment of those realities turned into fantasy.
The one thing that would’ve been appreciated more in this movie would’ve been around five to 10 more minutes of actually retracing their steps. After they’re passed out in their suite, there were a couple of times you got to see what shenanigans they actually pulled, as well as incriminating photos that play over the end credits. That was such hilariously good stuff that it left me wanting a bit more of it.
Other than that, no complaints. It’s a raunchy comedy, so you’ll know beforehand what you’re getting yourself into. If you’re fine with that, knock yourself out with The Hangover. Review by T.J. Royal
Beam Me Up!
Baby Tyler in Warner Bros. Pictures’
MOVIE picks
8Cranks!
Want to comment on a review or make a request? Contact T.J. Royal at [email protected].
Zach Galifiana-kis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms in Warner Bros. Pictures’
July 2009 •CrankItMag•27
AshevilleSouthwest N.C.
Wed 07/01/09 Sierra Leone’s Ref All Stars Grey Eagle Matt and Kim Emerald Lounge Thu 07/02/09 Jenny Lewis The Orange Peel Vertigo BoBo Gallery Sat 07/04/09 Stephanie’s Id Private Function Tue 07/07/09 Jay Reatard The Orange Peel Fri 07/10/09 Ott Stella Blue Peter Holsapple & CStamey Grey Eagle Sat 07/11/09 Roger Clyne & Peacemakers The Orange Peel Tue 07/14/09 Hank III And Assjack The Orange Peel Morningbell BoBo Gallery Fri 07/17/09 The Hill Country Revue The Grove Arcade Sat 07/18/09 Todd Snider The Orange Peel Lost In The Trees BoBo Gallery Thu 07/23/09 Gary Pfaff Wild Wing Cafe MercyMe Biltmore Estate Fri 07/24/09 Emmitt Nershi Band The Garage At Biltmore “Bele Chere Festival” Downtown Asheville Sat 07/25/09 India.Arie The Orange Peel “Bele Chere Festival” Downtown Asheville Bruce Hornsby Biltmore Estate Sun 07/26/09 Chimaira The Orange Peel Peter Mulvey Kittredge Theatre “Bele Chere Festival” Downtown Asheville Mon 07/27/09 Peter Mulvey Kittredge Theatre Tue 07/28/09 Peter Mulvey Kittredge Theatre Black Moth Super Rainbow Club Nashwa Wed 07/29/09 Dream Theater Thomas Wolfe Aud Peter Mulvey Kittredge Theatre Thu 07/30/09 Peter Mulvey Kittredge Theatre Grupo Fantasma Grey Eagle Tom Jones Biltmore Estate Fri 07/31/09 Shannon Whitworth Grey Eagle Peter Mulvey Kittredge Theatre Loverboy Biltmore Estate
CharlotteSouth Piedmont of N.C.
Wed 07/01/09 Vertigo Double Door Inn Thu 07/02/09 “Bacardi B-Live” The Forum Fri 07/03/09 311 Verizon Wireless Amp The End Of The World Evening Muse Sat 07/04/09 Josh Hoge Evening Muse Hank III And Assjack Amos’ Southend Benjy Davis Project Evening Muse Wed 07/08/09 Thriving Ivory Neighborhood Theatre Dylan Gilbert Evening Muse Kip Winger Amos’ Southend
Thu 07/09/09 Carbon Leaf Visulite Theatre Aerosmith Verizon Wireless Amp moe. Neighborhood Theatre Fri 07/10/09 Trey Rosenkampff Evening Muse Buckwheat Zydeco Visulite Theatre Emily Lynch Evening Muse Sat 07/11/09 The Hardy Boys Evening Muse Beres Hammond Neighborhood Theatre Death On Two Wheels Evening Muse Sun 07/12/09 Toby Keith Verizon Wireless Amp Roger Clyne & Peacemakers Neighborhood Theatre Tue 07/14/09 The Offspring Uptown Amphitheatre Wed 07/15/09 Curtis Peoples Evening Muse Thu 07/16/09 Castanets Milestone Club Kyler England Evening Muse Fri 07/17/09 The Afromotive Neighborhood Theatre The Designer Drugs Tremont Music Hall Evelynn Rose Evening Muse Sat 07/18/09 Paul Thorn Neighborhood Theatre Gregg Karukas TBA The Hill Country Revue Visulite Theatre Automatic Chi Evening Muse Sun 07/19/09 Simplified Mac’s Speed Shop Wed 07/22/09 Hoots & Hellmouth Evening Muse Damon Fowler Group Double Door Inn Thu 07/23/09 “Vans Warped Tour” Verizon Wireless Amp Simplified Wild Wing Cafe The Duhks Neighborhood Theatre The Hot Seats Prevue Fri 07/24/09 Rachel Vanslyke Evening Muse Twin Tigers Milestone Club Chris Kasper Evening Muse Sat 07/25/09 Joe Firstman Neighborhood Theatre The Corduroy Road Smokey Joe’s Trevor Hall Double Door Inn Two Man Gentleman Band Evening Muse Sun 07/26/09 Kid Rock Verizon Wireless Amp Nightmare Of You Milestone Club Simplified Mac’s Speed Shop Tue 07/28/09 Jason Mraz Uptown AmphitheatreWed 07/29/09 Tool Bojangles’ Coliseum Thu 07/30/09 Torche Milestone Club John Taglieri Amos’ Southend Fri 07/31/09 Sam Bush Neighborhood Theatre Simplified Fifty 1 Gary Pfaff Wild Wing Cafe Nickelback Verizon Wireless Amp No Second Troy Evening Muse
Greenville, S.C.Upstate of S.C.
Wed 07/01/09 Peter Murphy The Handlebar
Thu 07/02/09 Sonia Leigh Downtown Alive Thu 07/09/09 Benjy Davis Project The Handlebar Tyler Reeve Downtown Alive Fri 07/10/09 Diana Krall Peace Cntr Concert Hall Sat 07/11/09 Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ The Handlebar Crabb Revival Abundant Life Church Thu 07/16/09 The Hill Country Revue The Handlebar Fri 07/17/09 Hank Williams Jr. Bi-Lo Center Sat 07/18/09 Gary Pfaff Wild Wing Cafe Jimmie’s Chicken Shack The Handlebar Fri 07/24/09 Will Hoge The Handlebar
Wed 07/29/09 John Taglieri The Gypsy
Spartanburg, S.C.Upstate of S.C.
Thu 07/02/09 Combichrist Ground Zero Sat 07/18/09 Lions Ground Zero Thu 07/23/09 Eleni Mandell The Showroom
Fri 07/31/09 Rhonda Vincent & The Rage TBA
Columbia, S.C.Capitol of S.C.
Thu 07/02/09 Benjy Davis Project Headliners Mainstage Fri 07/03/09 Gary Pfaff Wild Wing Cafe Matt MacKelcan Jillian’s Wed 07/08/09 Every Avenue New Brookland Tavern Thu 07/09/09 Tension Head Headliners Mainstage Fri 07/10/09 L.F.O. New Brookland Tavern Fri 07/17/09 Gary Pfaff Wild Wing Cafe
Kevn Kinney Sudworks
North Myrtle Beach, S.C.Coast of S.C.
Wed 07/01/09 Anthony Hamilton House Of Blues
Thu 07/02/09 Edwin McCain Band House Of Blues Fri 07/03/09 Corey Smith House Of Blues Fri 07/10/09 Chairmen Of The Board House Of Blues Sat 07/11/09 The Wallflowers House Of Blues Mon 07/13/09 Collective Soul House Of Blues Wed 07/15/09 Sum 41 House Of Blues Fri 07/17/09 Clint Black Alabama Theatre Wed 07/22/09 moe. House Of Blues Thu 07/23/09 Rise Against House Of Blues Fri 07/24/09 The Avett Brothers House Of Blues Randy Owen Alabama Theatre Sat 07/25/09 The Avett Brothers House Of Blues Fri 07/31/09 The Oak Ridge Boys Alabama Theatre
MONTHLY CONCERT LISTINGS for North and South Carolina Select Cities
mag.comVisit Us Online!
the CONCERTS
North CarolinaJuly 01 -July 04, 2009 Red White and Bluegrass FestivalMorganton, North Carolina. Bluegrass music festival, bluegrass camp for kids, tent sales, fireworks. 828-438-5350
July 03 -July 05, 2009 Cherokee July PowwowCherokee, North Carolina. Cherokee 4th of July Powwow. 800-438-1601
July 03 -July 04, 2009 July 4th CelebrationHarrisburg, North Carolina. 12th Annual event features Amuse-ments, Arts/Crafts, Commercial vendors food, Music & much more! 704-455-5614
July 04, 2009 Independence DayLake Lure, North Carolina. Old time festival games, artists, music, kids area. 828-625-9163
July 04, 2009 Red, White & BoomCharlotte, North Carolina. Come to Memorial Stadium in Center City Charlotte for a spectacular 4th of July celebration! 704-332-2227
July 04, 2009 4th of July CelebrationCastalia, North Carolina. Annual July 4th Celebration. Parade, Car Show, Craft & Food Vendors, Live Entertainment, Fireworks. 252-459-3668
July 04, 2009 Classic/Vintage Car ShowCastalia, North Carolina. 8th Annual Car Show, Classic or Vintage
25 yrs or older. 252-459-7279
July 11 -July 12, 2009 Summer Arts & CraftsMaggie Valley, North Carolina. Annual Arts & Crafts with live en-tertainment and demonstrations. 828-926-1686
July 17 -July 18, 2009 Festival of Native PeoplesCherokee, North Carolina. Festival of Native Peoples & Cherokee Indian Art Market. 828-497-4496
July 25, 2009 High Country Bluegrass FestivalBoone, North Carolina. Bluegrass Festival featuring Doyle Law-son, The Grascals, and many more. 828-733-8060
South CarolinaJuly 10 - July 19, 2009 Beaufort Water FestivalBeaufort, South Carolina. Awarded 2006 Event of the Year for NC & SC. concerts, lowcountry supper. 843-524-0600
July 10 - July 19, 2009 SC Peach FestivalGaffney, South Carolina. Peaches, Music, Food, Arts& Crafts, BBQ, 864-489-5721
August 06 - August 08, 2009 Craftsmen’s Classic Arts & Crafts. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. See the Creative process in action as many of the 250+ juried exhibitors demonstrate their craft. 336-282-5550
F E S T I V A L S
Have a Festival and would like it posted? Send to:
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28 • CrankIt Mag • July 2009
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July 2009 •CrankItMag•29
uitarheroisagameforPlayStation2, Play station 3, X box 360 andNintendoWiiwhereyoucanplaya`guitar`whichwillbeintunewith
famoustracks.Thisrequiresagoodsenseofmusic beats, some patience, and love for afewpresentsongsandmostimportantofall- fast - moving fingers something which you can acquire with practice.Though this mayseemtobesimple,playingonitcanbeverychallenging,mainlyathigherlevels.
Four steps on how to play a guitar hero:
1. Know your guitar:
A)Thereisastrumbarwhichisinthemid-pointofguitar.Itcanbepushedorpulledup/downtoplayanynote.
B)Thewhammybarcanbemovedtovariatethenotesproduced.
C)TheStartbuttonandtheSelectbuttonsarefakevolumeknobsandtheyshouldn`tbeusedtoturndownthevolume.
D) Right handed people use their left handfor holding the guitar neck and placethree/four fingers over the fret buttons, keepingtheirrighthandonthestrumbar.
E) If you are willing to sit down and play,then you can putthe guitar on thelapandifyouwantto stand up andplay, you need touseastrap.Ittakessometime to getused to the gui-tar and you mayeven personalisetheguitarbyusingstickers.
2. Starting the game:
Firstconnectyourguitar to theconsoleandthenswitchontheTV,theconsole,thesoundsystemandtheninsertyourgamedisk.
A)Career-Hereliesthemaximumfunofthegame; there are nearly thirty five songs
across4levelswhichallowyouto gather money and fame; asonce you complete each set, itwill increase your position, let-tingyouproceedwithanewbunchofsongs.Youmaybuyguitars,songs&characterswithyourearnings.
B)QuickPlay-Youcanplayanyunlockedsong at any level. It also has a table toshowyourhigh-scores.
C) Multiplayer - You need two plugged incontrollersforthisfacility.
D) Tutorial - It`s anintroduction thatgivesyou an experience byallowing you to playthe simplenoteswith-out the demands of acompletesong.
E) Options - It is im-portant if the playerhas a wide-screen. Acrucial option is theleft-flip which turns if
youarealefthandedperson.
3. Play:
Youcanplaythesimplestofallsongsandifyoualreadyhaveabasicfeelofrhythm,youshould try the Medium difficulty first. Go to
themenuandselect`QuickPlay`or`Career`,and then you can choose the song.After amessageandadvice,relatedorunrelated;youcanseeanescalatingviewofthelocation,thebandandyourownavatarwithaguitar.
4. Advanced techniques:
StarPower-Thesenotesarevisibleasspin-ning stars instead of circles and appear inmoregrandworksofmusic.Alongstarnotegives you extra power if a whammy bar isusedonthis.Ifyouscoreplentyoftheseyoucan nail it and go into this mode by tiltinguptheguitarorpushingSelectbutton.Onatemporarybasis,itdoublesyourpointswhichyougetfromthenoteandlargelyraisesthepopularityrate.Sotryanduseitinconsecu-tivenotes.
AfterenteringtheStarMode,youcan-notexituntilthepowermeterwilldrainout,soyouhavetowaituntiltherearenotesap-pearing,elsetheStarPowerwillbewasted.YoucanalsouseStarPowertohelpyougetthrough toughpartsof songs thatyoucan`tgetthroughotherwise.
Follow the guidelines given here onhowtoplayaguitarheroandsoonyoucanbecomeanexpertinit!
by Roberto Sedycias
4 B a s i c T i p s O n H o w T o P l a y G u i t a r H e r oG
30•CrankItMag•July 2009
When the store manager returned from lunch, he no-ticed his clerk’s hand was bandaged, but before he could ask about the bandage, the clerk had some very good news for him.
“Guess what, sir?” the clerk said. “I finally sold that terrible, ugly suit we’ve had so long!”
“Do you mean that repulsive pink-and-blue double-breasted thing?!” the manager asked.
“That’s the one!”
That’s great!” the manager cried, “I thought we’d nev-er get rid of that monstrosity! That had to be the ugliest suit we’ve ever had! But tell me, why is your hand ban-daged?”
“Oh,” the clerk replied, “after I sold the guy that suit, his guide dog bit me.”
At the end of a long day, all the fisherman had caught was one small, red salmon. He was about to kill it when the salmon shouted, “Wait, I’m much too small!”
“Wow, a talking salmon,” the fisherman exclaimed, “What’s your name?”
“Rusty,” replied the salmon. “Please throw me back into the sea!”
The fisherman did so.
About a year later, the man was fishing the same spot when he again caught Rusty! “Amazing,” exclaimed the fisherman, “What have you been doing since I last caught you?”
“I’ve been sitting on the wreck of the good ship Titanic writing poetry, it’s very inspirational there.”
The fisherman read some of the poems and was quite impressed.
“These should be published,” he said. “Have you thought of a title for them?”
After some thought the fish said, “I’ll call them “Salmon Rusty’s Titanic Verses.”
A reporter hears about an amazing pig and goes out to the farm in Arkansas to get the story.
He finds the farmer near the barn and asks him if the rumours about his pig are true.
“Yep,” says the farmer. “I got a pig that started squeal-ing real loud when the house was on fire. He woke us all up and so we all got to safety. Otherwise we might have been killed. That’s some pig.”
“And didn’t the pig save your boy from drowning?” asked the reporter.
“Yep, he raced right into the pond and pulled my little boy out by his shirt collar. Saved his life,” the farmer says, wiping a tear from his eye.
“Wow, I’d like to see this pig,” the reporter says.
“Well, come on over here.”
The farmer leads the reporter over to a nearby pen. There in the mud the reporter sees a pig with a wooden leg.
“Why does he have a wooden leg?”
The farmer replies, “Well, you don’t eat a pig like that all at once.”
Jokes
1. Benjamin Franklin, John Ad-ams and Thomas Jefferson served on the committee that picked the eagle for the national seal [Franklin wanted the tur-key].
2. Bald eagles have few natural enemies and live only in North America.
�. Bald eagles get their white head and tail feathers about 4/5 years of age.
4. Bald eagles are not, and never were bald. The term comes from when “bald” meant “white-head-ed”.
5. Their maximum speed: 40 mph or over 100 mph while in a dive.
6. They can lift roughly half their body weight.
7. The Bald Eagle is no longer con-sidered endangered, and now only threatened.
8. The only other kind of eagle in North America is the golden eagle.
9. Bald eagles mate for life, but if one dies, the survivor will accept a new mate.
10. It is a felony to shoot an eagle.
“I’m a pretty big pothead. And not the ‘Whoa, hemp can save the world’ kind of pothead.”
Food for Thought
– Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas
FACE THE FACTSTen Independence Day Items of Trivia About
The Bald Eagle: Test Your FamilyJuly 4th American Symbol
JOKE TIME
Only in America
Plus Other Tidbits
The Suit Sale
1755-Samuel Johnson issues the first English Dictionary, at last providing young children with a book they can look up dirty words in.
1758-New Jersey is chosen as the site of America’s first Indian reservation, which should give Indians an idea of the kind of shabby living con-ditions they can expect from here on out.
1763-The French and Indian War ends. The French and In-dians both lost.
1770-The shooting of three people in the Boston Mas-sacre touches off the Revo-lution. 200 Years later, three shootings in Boston will be considered just about average for a Saturday Night.
1773-Colonists dump tea into Boston Harbor. British call the act “barbaric,” noting that no one added cream.
1776-Napoleon decides to maintain a position of neutral-ity in the American Revolution, primarily because he is only seven years old.
1779-John Paul Jones notifies the British, “I have just begun to fight!” and then feels pretty foolish when he discovers that his ship is sinking.
1793-“Let them eat cake!” becomes the most famous thing Marie Antoinette ever said. Also, the least diplomatic thing she ever said. Also, the last thing she ever said.
1799-Translation of the Ro-setta Stone finally enables scholars to learn that Egyp-tian hieroglyphics don’t say anything important. “Dear Ramses, How are you? I am fine.”
1805-Robert Fulton invents the torpedo.
1807-Robert Fulton invents the steamship so he has something to blow up with his torpedo.
1815-Post Office policy is es-tablished as Andrew Jackson wins the Battle of New Or-leans a month after he should have received the letter telling him the War of 1812 is over.
Just A Small History Lesson
Talking Salmon
A Special Pig
![CUGA MAG [JULY 2013]](https://img.pdfslide.net/doc/110x75/568c49b01a28ab49169528cc/cuga-mag-july-2013.jpg)
