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Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, July 3–5, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.For race information, visit redbullusgrandprix.com

DJ Peanut Butter WolfThe Hippodrome

I Am EmpireOl’ Factory Cafe (Sand City)

DJ As-IsBritannia Arms

Groove KingsSly McFly’s

DJ AJ Bee and DJ CasperThe Mucky Duck

All events are 21 and over. Door times and cover fees vary by venue.

4TH OF JULY WHEN THE TRACK COOLS DOWN,

MONTEREY HEATS UP.

BROOKDALEBROOKDALELODGELODGEBROOKDALEBROOKDALELODGELODGE Eat, Drink,

Dance, Sleep!

6/20-Heroshima, I Shot the Sheriff, The Bottom of the Ocean, Scryer6/21-Dick Dale6/25-Jazz-Amanders6/26-The Live Dead Band & Matt Hartle6/27-Tether Horse, Nan Miller, Akiva Levi7/3-3upFront, Hate For State7/4 -BBQ Free Live Music.7/10-Undecyded, Dammit Jim7/11-It’s A Beautiful Day!!!7/17-folkyeah presents: Graveyard7/18-TBA7/24-TBA7/25-Southern Cali Inavsion8/1-Lodge-A-Palooza=Honest Mistake, The Devil Himself, Who’s Holdin’, Cylinder, My Stupid Brother, 3upFront8/8-Bill Pesch Presents:8/22-John Sotter Acoustic Warrior8/28 Fire Whiskey

The Lodge at The Brookdale Inn & Spa

SUNDAY

Drink of

the month:

MIDORI

MARGARITA

MONDAYBUD

PITCHERS $7

TUESDAYOPENMIC

WEDNESDAY

KARAOKE

W/ JO

THURSDAYLIVE MUSIC

FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC

SATURDAYLIVE MUSIC

Ask about specialroom rates the night of the show!

DICKDICKDALEDALE

JUNE 21JUNE 21

DICKDALE

JUNE 21

DAMMIT JIMDAMMIT JIMONE NIGHTONE NIGHT

ONLYONLYJULY 10thJULY 10th

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published monthly by Lyon Entertainment. ISSUE #69 JUNE 2009

Contributing Writers: Jon Hermison, Mat Weir, Tracy Forsyth-Lundy, Numerous, Dave Pirtle, Barb Rocks, Darien Lomeli, Brian Crabtree, John Lewis, Maxwell Barna, Holly English, Kimberly Johnson, Itay K, and Kevin Madness

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Table of ContentsTable of ContentsPG.8 Harmony FestivalPG.9 LuminariesPG.10 Bad BrainsPG.11 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Sustainability InterviewPG.12 Del the Funky HomosapienPG.18 MC to Emcee w/ ACE’sPG.20 CD ReviewsPG.22 Justin MadsonPG.24 The Gaslight AnthemPG.26 PropagandhiPG.28 The Taxi Project

PG.30 NorCal Metal ReportPG.32 Eco Cup Winners

PG.36 MiseriaPG.37 D-Minus

PG.38 Almost ChaosPG.40 Your Music Olympicks CalendarPG.42 Letters Make WordsPG.45 CylinderPG.46 Interview w/ Alvin, Halo GuitarsPG.50 TerrorPG.53 The Kris SpecialPG.54 In the Pit w/ Alan RalphPG.58 Concert Calendar

8

For over 30 years, the Harmony Festival, once known as Health & Harmony has been churning out the good times for the Northern California community. A unique event marrying community outreach, environmental sustainability and inspirational music in one of the nicest fairgrounds around, this year featured one of the hottest lineups in years. From

old-school indie rockers Cake, to ortho-rasta Matisyahu, to the socially conscious wisdom of K’Naan and Michael Franti, this year also introduced the very first Eco Cup Skateboard competition featuring shredders such as Andy MacDonald, Bob Burnquist and Pierre Luc Gagnon, who managed to pull into 1st place in both the Best Trick and Overall categories with an insane set of tricks off of the amazing Mini MegaRamp. The Eco Cup stage, put on by Santa Cruz locals Sage Productions featured an incredibly diverse lineup, which is probably why I spent so much time there. From legendary punk rockers Bad Brains and Dead Kennedys, to newcomers Dreaming Dead, Rebelution and Tall Black Grils, the Eco Cup stage stayed rocking hard the entire weekend.

One act that really impressed the hell out of me was K’Naan. He has one of the tightest bands around that features one ridiculous rhythm section from Philadelphia. Throughout his entire set, he had the crowd excited with his inspiring words of peace and love brought out through some intoxicating flows - and in the front of the crowd was a 6 year old Somalian girl propped

on her father’s shoulders holding up a copy of K’Naan’s “Troubador” CD and singing along word for word with the Somali MC on stage. It was pretty heartwarming...especially when K’Naan invited her backstage after the show and signed her doll Fatima. (named after one of K’Naan’s tunes)

All in all, this year’s Harmony Festival, with its impromptu camping, late night partying and ever-flowing sea of Sierra Nevada beer was a huge success. Make sure to go out and experience it for yourself next year... if you can get past all the crusty hippies and patchouli stench it may just be one of the best times you’ll have all summer.

By Itay K Photos by Caroline Reid and Itay K

9

MC, poet, activist for peace, and visionary of the conscious collective Luminaries, J Brave perhaps is best known for his ability to bring people together for the greater good.

His awakening to consciousness was invoked during a mystical trip to the Egyptian Pyramids in 2001, which he acknowledges as the catalyst for his internal shift.

J Brave continues to use his life as an example of positive change, while expressing the message of self-empowerment. He has worked with homeless & at-risk youth for over 5 years and is producing a hip hop project with youth called “Dream Big.”

So, who are you? What group are you with?My name is J Brave, from Luminaries. We are a conscious collective of hip-hop and soul. A funk ensemble, eight piece band that’s here to bring love and the vibrations of unity, peace, good will, and harmony.

What do you think of the Festival so far?You know, it’s been amazing to see all the different artists come here and just come together with different styles and cultures; People doing holistic stuff - meditation, yoga, business leaders, all the different musical acts, all the food and camping sections. The experience has been awesome for us to come out here and share our gifts and get received by all the other artists.

How long have you been together as a group?We’ve been together about a year and a half.

Where are you from?Venice Beach, California.

Do you have an album out?Yeah, we’re working on our first album, our debut album called “Luminaries.” It’s coming out September 21st 2009 on international peace day. We’re looking for distribution outlets right now. Be ready, a lot of people are excited about it down in Los Angeles, we have a big following down there and we’re building a following up north. We’re heading up to Earthdance in September, Mystic Garden party in July, some of the bigger festivals in October and November. You know, we’re just getting our presence known and expanding that awareness. You know, we just want to make people happy and dance, and do it in a way where the young people feel good about it and receive it. It’s hip hop, you know, and we’ve got a really powerful mixture of music and a message that will empower you and open you up to who you are.

101010

Accumulating probably the densest crowd the Eco Cup stage had experienced all weekend, legendary punk rockers Bad Brains threw down one of the more energetic and memorable performances of the festival. Though the years have somewhat taken their toll on these aging rockers, on stage, their youthful energy seems to come out from behind the weed smoke. With long dreads and half-burned spliffs in their mouths, the Bad Brains continue to be one of the loudest, most raw acts you’ll ever see. I had a chance to ask bassist Darryl Jenifer a few questions about the band...

What was it like working with the Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch on Build a Nation?You should be asking him how it was to work with the legendary BAD BRAINS, hehe... Naw, Yauch’s cool. A very nice and funny guy; A very sensitive, kind, old school emcee. He’s my nephew from another.

So, now that it’s been a couple years since Build a Nation, is there anything new in the works?Really? Years, huh? Yeah, we’ve got some new musical movements on tap and brewing.

How’s it feel to play with the original lineup together again?It’s always an honor and a privilege to grace the stage with my big brothers.

Was the transition from a more raw, hardcore sound to reggae and dub a natural progression over the years? What inspired or influenced it?Well, punk rock is rebel music...rubba dub is rebel music - the thunder rolls and the lightning licks, it’s all the same stuff - the influence. Don Letts, the Rutts, the Clash, Jah Shaka - the inspiration - JAH, the oneness of creation.

What did you think of the crowd at the Harmony Festival?I thought it was cool!! With all the hippie stuff and Matisyahu and barefoot Franti and all the dirty weird white pierced dreads and swirling hippie chicks with great abs...the crazy ass skaters risking it...it’s all about freedom!! Love and togetherness. JAH bless us all!

You killed it on the mic during the freestyle session with Radio before your set... ever think of releasing anything as an emcee?Hehe... Naw, I do that for fun. But I am releasing a solo CD of grooves and dubs on ROIR this fall.

Rap is fun... Hey, I’m an old man, aka an Ancient Fada’, but thanks for the love and support!

Their first year as sponsors for the Harmony Festival, Sierra Nevada made their presence known with their unique and innovative approach to beer-making as kegs and kegs of ice-cold seasonal and traditional Sierra Nevada brews were available the entire weekend. I had a chance to ask them a few questions about some of the things they’re doing to help the environment while maintaining a high quality brew...

sdrawot spets s’ti dna adaveN arreiS tuoba tib elttil a em lleTsustainability as a company. What’s the importance of coming to an event like this?We’re at Harmony Festival for several reasons. This is our audience - this is our crowd. This is who we love. They’re happy wih everything. The festival’s been going on for thirty years and it’s one of those events that pulls a really great crowd of people. Everything here is about being comfortable within yourself, your community, and your environment. That’s what we’ve done since the beginning. Our owner, Ken Grossman, understands the importance of the environment. We’re doing a lot to make sure we conserve water, energy, and make sure we’re taking care of the land and the environment.

How has the response been to the select brews available at the festival?Great. We’ve done really well. Everyone loves the beer. They come to talk to us wondering about what we’re doing. And then they want the beer.

Tell me about the solar power fuel cells used by Sierra Nevada?Sierra Nevada has one of the biggest privately owned solar installations in Chico. About 40 percent of our energy comes from solar power and the other 50 to 55 percent through hydrogen energy. During a sunny day like this the plant uses mostly solar energy.

So, how does that affect the beer?I think that it puts the sun in our beer. Plus, we have a high quality beer, and we’re not using our sustainability to try to sell it - the beer sells itself.

11

12

By: Numerous

13

I caught up with Del right before his show at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz on the tour for his new album “Funkman”. After a blown-out underground explosion cancelled his show the day before in San Francisco, Del was ready to knock out the last show and head home to work on more music. Enjoy…

So you’re on the “Funkman Stimulus Package Tour”, between Funkman and your last album 11th Hour, what do you think you brought new to the table?I got better with music, the production got way tighter. I think with a lot of people, with “11 hour” they were like “Watchu tryin to do?...” They wanted me to do it the old way I think…

Like they were expecting Deltron?Some people were expecting Deltron, some people just didn’t know what I was trying to do. Like I slowed up the flow a little bit so people can kinda catch me. I kept my subject matter on the ground, I was trying to go all off somewhere. So to a lot of people they just think I wasn’t being as creative, I mean everybody got their own opinion. But with “Funkman”, I was a little bit more like “let me just play around with rhymes” I wasn’t gonna focus on trying to get a certain message on every song or trying to say a certain thing, I

just let it be up in the air…had fun with wordplay.

I remember the last time I talked to you, you said one of the things you’ve been focusing on is saying more by saying less…do you feel like you’ve accomplished that lately?Yeah, definitely. I’m the kind of person where I’m kinda blunt anyways. When I’m actually talking to people, I’m not hella crazy with the words. I wanted that to translate more into how I was rapping because I’ve learned it’s just communication really. A song is not really the format where you wanna be doing hella stuff with the words. A song is special, it is it’s own entity. Just like writing a book, you wouldn’t write a book like you’d write a song or poetry because you got more room there, people can read it. But with a song, you got like 3 or 4 minutes tops…you gotta hit ‘em you gotta hit ‘em fast. If they’re not interested then it’s not gonna get listened to. So business-wise or creatively, you can’t reinvent the wheel.. you can add onto it and innovate it. But once you know the rules and you know how it goes, that’s when you can play around with it.

How do you feel about your songwriting on Funkman?I like it, I like it a lot. I feel like I accomplished what I was trying to do which was basically re-invent myself. I didn’t come the same ol’ way that

I’ve been comin, I know the times is different…I’m different too. I wanted to reflect that in my music as well as keep up with everyone else out there. I still listen to cats who rhyme and stuff now, so I didn’t want to stay outdated with the styles or nothin, I just wanted to keep movin.

The progress that I’ve seen is, it’s almost like your more in tune with yourself when you’re writing. It’s like you don’t necessarily care as much about what people are looking for, you’re just trying to make music that sounds right to you.Yeah, definitely. I’d definitely say I’m more in tune with just the whole process and that also has to do with learning the tools that I have at my disposal to be able get it done. Now that I know it, it’s just a matter of refining. I feel like I’ve always been good at writing rhymes but now, it’s more intuitive, it’s more of an instantaneous thing. It’s cool, if I’m doing it all the time then I don’t even have to stop, I’ll be writing songs and makin’ music everyday. So I just try

to stay in that zone and try not to let anything break that zone.

The second Deltron album is in the works right now, have you decided on a title for it yet?Tentatively it’s “It Ain’t Illegal Yet”. I’m not gonna reveal too much about it but basically it’s gonna be more beat based. For a youngster, I feel like they’re listening skills are just not as sophisticated as it could be…and that’s nothing bad. When you’re younger there’s just certain things that you’re attracted to. I just wanted to keep it on a level that I know the kids like but it’s still Hip Hop. They like beats…they like shit that’s loud…shit that’s annoying to grownups. Just like rock before, I understand those dynamics because I never stopped liking that shit.

Since I’m working with just beats, I’m trying to do a little bit more with it and be a little bit more inventive with the mixing. Concentrating on just how it sounds with it’s thickness and it’s fullness like effects and stuff like that.

I’m trying to be futuristic with it, I don’t wanna say Electronica or anything like that but…

Like a fusion with not really electronic music but electronic vibes…I think it’s always been there because it’s all electronic music…like all the shit we do is electronic music. People do use live instruments but not that much anymore, it’s just way more simple to do it like this. I just group it all in one big pot. But I do other shit too, I can do some techno shit, I can do some other way out shit too and I like doing it because it allows you some freedom. I have ideas that I feel like I can’t do in Hip Hop because I feel like hardcore Hip Hop heads are severely judgmental and they’d be like “Nah that’s ain’t the real shit son”. But in electronic genres, you can do a lot of shit…more than what people have been doin’ actually. I just try to do everything…

Watch the FULL VIDEO interview with Del The Funky Homosapien

and Numerous online at:www.YourMusicmagazine.com14

How long has the group been together?Casey: It has been an ongoing project. Trance and John were working on it before a lot of the other guys got into it. I would say two years. With the rest of the guys, I would say it has been almost a year.

What kind of music do you make and how do you feel about it?Casey: We always have the joke that goes flip-hop; (laughs). It’s hard to judge, anytime you ask a musician what’s their sound is they are going to have a hard time explaining it. But, it is definitely hip-hop based, yet it is a full band. We try to incorporate a lot of different styles. R&B, Electronic; it’s all kinds of stuff, a really broad spectrum of music. All of us have different influences and try to bring it all together in our music.

Who were some of your early influences when you started making music?John: I listen to a lot of alternative rock growing up, and that would be my main influence. But when I make stuff, I don’t know what is going to come next. It is new every time.

Dimas: Yeah everything from Latin jazz, Spanish Rock, hip-hop, it’s just everything.

Trance: The influence is between us, we influence each other a lot too.

Dimas: This guy (Jerry) likes 18

to listen to a lot of 70’s psychadelic stuff. So there is a mix between all of us.

Do you find that having a live band brings more power to your sets?Casey: It definitely does, and that is what creates such different types of music. We are all in a room together creating music together, while experiencing it together at the same time. But aside from that, that is one of the things that sets us apart when we play the shows. We will either be either the only one, or one of the few groups that will have a live band. When people see you up on stage and see a big group of people putting in all that stuff it’s kind of contagious.

Where have you been playing lately?Casey: As far as gigging, we are still just getting started. Right now we’ve played a bunch, but a lot of it has been fairly local to where we are at, we’ve been establishing our fan base. A lot of us have friends and former fans that are willing to come out and give us support, but All City Elite has not really earned their strong fan base yet. Right now that is what we are working on. Making sure everyone knows who we are, what we are about, and just branching out as much as possible, but it has been a lot in the Bay Area at this point. We’re looking to branch out into southern California.

Dimas: This whole summer is going to be

pretty packed up.

That’s right, you’re on the Awareness Tour...Casey: Yeah, The Awareness tour with Realization and PLG. Vibrant EYEris is on a couple of those as well. But yeah, like I said we are just getting started and once it’s started, there’s no stopping it. Our show list goes on until next year already. You know you have to put in that hard work.

What have you found that helps you establish that fan base?Casey: What we are trying to do this time around, we are trying to connect with people, for real. When we go out to places, we always encourage people to come in and say hi to us. We will offer them free stickers. We are also in a new technological age where, one of the things we are trying to do is get our music out there digitally, because that is were everyone is. Everyone is online. You don’t have to be twenty-one years old to hear our stuff. We are really trying to connect with the younger generation. The guys out there right now don’t have a place to hear us, and that is the easiest way to connect like that, and stay really positive. Music that people can vibe with and don’t feel scared to come out to a club because they are going to get beat

up. It’s all good; you’re going to have a good time with us.

Are you working on any albums, you’re in the studio now right?Trance: We just discovered that we have about twenty-five tracks. We’re trying to get that to around fifteen or sixteen.

Casey: We’ve got enough stuff to keep going. Same thing with the new technology, we are doing everything from home. We had Dimas go in with real drums in a professional studio, that was the one thing we had done professionally… we weren’t ready for that yet. Really, he’s the one that got screwed because he gets one day to record everything and rest of us get four months. That’s the cool thing about doing it in our studio at home on our time, we can fine tune everything. We can do something and listen to it for a couple of days and say “that was cool” or “no that’s not cool”. It is something that we have never experienced before. We are saving so much money by trying to doing it digitally at home, that way we can spend the money to have a really good looking professional album. With the money saved, next time we can just buy more studio equipment.

20

NOFXCoaster

Fat Wreck Chords

I can’t get too keyed up about a new NOFX record anymore. Like my birthday, New Years or getting a new STD, it has settled into being a

pleasant eventuality that happens about once a year. By my count, Coaster is the bands 11th studio full-length and 36th record overall. And, in case you were wondering, NOFX has

The Von EhricsLoaded

Independent

Before I give every album a listen, I like to take a look at every band’s influences and see what they view themselves as. The Von Ehrics have

been described as a healthy, yet typically unconventional blend of Gospel, Country, and Punk Rock music. However, I would not necessarily say, “think Garth Brooks meets The Queers” when describing them. Their third full-length album, “Loaded,” released on Madison, Wisconsin’s Crustacean Records, is really no exception to their interesting sound. First and foremost, let it be known that there is not one track on this record that sounds even remotely similar to the last. To ears beaten down by generic, household-name “Rock and Roll,” this album is like a glass of water to a weary desert traveler – refreshing as Hell. The Von Ehrics have developed a sound of their own and fully demonstrate their aptitude for music with “Loaded.” Songs like “Jimmy Blades” (my personal favorite), carry a harder Rockabilly-type rhythm, but at the same time, songs like “Lost, Found, Free” and “I’ll Like Yours” sound like they might get away with being played at the Grand Ole Opry. And just when the listener thinks they have heard it all, songs like “Buy Me a Drink” serve as a swift right hook to the jaw by a band that refuses to let people forget that they grew up on Social Distortion and Bad Religion. It should surprise absolutely no one that these gentlemen have shared the stage with the likes of The Supersuckers, Drive-By-Truckers, and Reverend Horton Heat. These boys can hang it out with the best of them and “Loaded” is all the proof they needed. - Maxwell Barna

TantricMind Control

Silent Majority

May 19th 2009, Tantirc released their new album “Mind Control.” This is the fourth album on Silent Majority Group label (part of Warner Music Group)

for Tantric. From the producer of Creed and Framing Hanley, Brett Hestla joined the band in studio to co-produce this new record. Hestla’s added his experience and knowledge to make the album as good as it could be. The album has a vast range of lyrical content and technical styles, Tantric’s new album “Mind Control” offers rock melodies and power ballads, and is in stores now. - Brian the Intern

5 Cent CoffeeBourbon & Beans

independent

Hot Damn! Imagine yourself sitting in a tiny room with a red glow to offset the dark oak bar. A sexy little number in a 1920s feathery, flapper

outfit, complete with wavy hair and thigh-high garters, serves you a whiskey while a vagabond trio gets hot and bothered

on stage playing some old timey ragtime and blues. That’s exactly what Bourbon and

Beans, the new LP by Vallejo’s own 5 Cent Coffee, is like. Band members Smitty “Spitshine” Delacroix, Doodles LaRue and Slick McCoy not only bring back the old time Americana sound (what they dub “neo-skiffle junkyard blues”), they do it right: complete with washboards, stand up bass, ukulele, melodeon and even the occassional chain or kazoo. But don’t buy the “innocent, old fashioned music” bit for a minute. With songs like the witty “My Baby” (She’s got a way in the kitchen like cigarette butts in my pinto beans) , and the zany, circus-like “Two Bottles” (two bottles of chardonney and the coke dealer’s on the way) to the haunting “Devil Woman,” the longing in “Amsterdam” and murderous “ Cane Cutter;” their lyrics are smart, mischevious, sometimes mournful, but all fun to singalong with. They even do covers of the traditional gospel, “John the Revelator” (look it up kids) and one by their “patron saint and hero” Tom Waits (appropriately “Chocolate Jesus”) that really are worth mentioning. True to their hobo musical genre, they sound even better live and they do it in style; dressed to the nines and looking keen. So if you’re a fan of new music from a time gone by or you’re just a wandering gypsy looking for something to warm your soul that has an extra kick, get yourself an order of 5 Cent Coffee’s Bourbon and Beans. And in the future, if someone offers you a wooden nickel, despite what you’ve heard, take it. Most likely it will just be Smitty, Doodles or Slick doing what they do best; breathing some new life into an old tradition. - Mat Weir

21

The RocketzWe Are… The Rocketz

Independent

The Rocketz are often classified as “Psychobilly,” but the Rocketz appeal to a much wider group

than just fans of the Psychobilly genre. The album was recorded at Pot O Gold recording studio in Orange California and produced by Dave Irish and the Rocketz. The CD is a mix of fast paced upbeat songs that mix the sounds of early punk and rock with that of recent Psychobilly. The new CD presents a variety of style and skill with original tracks to a Holiday in Cambodia cover in the Rocketz psychobilly style. - Brian the Intern

released 277 songs in their quarter century as a band. Now that is some prolific shit.

In tone, Coaster is freewheeling and frank and has an energy resembling their low-fi favorite Surfer. This is how NOFX is best served, with short, topical songs that are unveiled and clever.

This record features two of the best songs in the band’s long running musical feud with monotheism, “Best God in Show” and “Blasphemy, The Victimless Crime.” Choice lyric: “Blasphemy, Blashem-you, Jesus Christ, the blackest Jew.”

One track making waves amongst NOFX fans is “My Orphan Year” a well-done baller about singer Fat Mike’s relationship with his dying parents. It’s not the sincerity that is startling, NOFX is often heartfelt and sincere about shit, but never before have they dealt with such personal subject matter.

If the album has a bane, it is an overabundance of ego and inside jokes (i.e. Fat Mikes annoying personality) coming through in the music, but if you’re a longtime fan like me you already have a strong stomach for that.

- Kevin Madness

The StrangersHuman Condition

Independent

I’ve had this CD for a couple of months now and not only has it yet to leave my car rotation, but I learned all the lyrics in only a few weeks. If

you’re a fan of good ol’ fashioned rock ‘n roll, then this is the album for you. With influences such as The Clash, Sex Pistols, Social Distortion etc. it’s easy to see how The Human Condition is such a fine piece of musical bliss. Coming straight out of Huntington Beach, Dave Stucken (formerly of The Serial Killers), Rob Milucky (The Hunns,

The Johns), Shane Strange (The Hunns) and Julian Kelly (Broken Bottles) pack a punch with a wrecking ball of raw energy and sound. You have to laugh with a bit of sarcasm when Davey sings, “I’m a poet don’t you know it?” but, a man of his word, he backs it up in songs like “Our Apocalypse” (If Death is a star then Hollywood manufactures it) and “America” (obese robot ipod hate/redneck haircut police state. . .you’ve gotta love that). On top of that, their songs are real; based on experiences like self-hating addictions (Little Motel Bathroom, No Love on the Mirror Above), living in the L.A. ghettos (St. Mary’s Hospital) and learning from love instead of some Emo “my girlfriend dumped me and now I’m in the depths of hell” bullshit (Queen of the Blues). True to their punk roots, they’re not afraid to tell you just how they feel about our so-called free society in “Dark Ages”, and when Davey sings about the police being murderers for the state in “Coming for You.” These guys are the real deal and have been touring throughout the state and country non-stop pretty much since they formed. I was lucky enough to have coffee and hang with them a couple months back when they were in Santa Cruz with TSOL and they’re down to earth guys on top of being damn fine musicians. Look for the interview here in the next issue, but in the meantime go pick up The Human Condition and see what the next generation of Orange County rockers have been up to.

- Mat Weir

Green Day21st CenturyBreakdown

Reprise

“We’re lost like refugees. The brutality of reality is the freedom that keeps me from dreaming.” I showcase

these lines as an example of 21st Century Breakdown’s greatest failure and foremost limitation: bad lyrics. In the Dookie and Insomniac eras Billy Joe Armstrong used to captivate me by singing about how bored and fucked up he was. Today he generally sings through the perspectives of made-up characters meant to personify the American social climate. The problem with this is not the concept, it’s clever (even the names Christian and Gloria hold

.noitalucitra eht rehtar tub ,)ecnacfiingis suoivboArmstrong is trying to say everything at once and we are given too many words and too little wisdom.

With that grievance aired and out of the way, I should mention that this is Green Day’s strongest musical effort to date. With lead guitar overdubs and blended bass, it is markedly neo-Green Day, but with more variety than we’ve heard since Nimrod and more sonic power than ever before.

Alas, comparing 21st Century Breakdown to Green Day’s older work is like comparing Jack Daniels to milk from momma’s tit. Tasty as this is, it is simply and unequivocally, meant for children. - Kevin Madness

What came first for you - the storytelling or the art?The storytelling came first. The writing is the most painless part of the comics-creating process for me. I love coming up with the ideas and characters and environments and mixing them all together and seeing what pours out. There’s much more freedom in writing than there is in drawing. The art just fleshes things out more, breathes life into the story, so to speak. It was my desire and need to tell stories that prompted me to develop my art. And, after a decade of drawing comics just about every single day, I’m finally at a place where I’m more or less comfortable with my art and visual style.

When working on comics, though, you really need to find that balance between writing and art. That’s the tricky part, for sure. You have to know when, as a writer, to shut the hell up and let the visuals take over, and, as an artist, how to best compliment the words on the page.

Where do the ideas for your stories come from? How did Breathers come about?The inspiration for my stories can come from anywhere…from society, from people I know, from something I’ve read in the newspaper or something interesting I’ve seen that I want to use in a scene. It’s hard to say where exactly. I certainly don’t try to think about it too much, for fear of scaring the ideas away.

The idea for Breathers was actually inspired by the winters here in Wisconsin. It’s always a common thing, seeing people wrapped up in scarves, their faces mostly hidden from the world, trudging through the snow. I loved that image with the scarves…it has this sort of mysterious nature about it. I started doing some drawings and the scarves eventually turned into something more industrial with the gas masks, and the visual became much stronger. Then I thought, “This would make a great story…people living in a world where they have to wear gas masks in order to survive.” I really thought about what it would be like to and realized that, although, yeah, it would suck to have to worry about the air killing you, life itself really wouldn’t be all that different than it is now. I tried to think of the breathing apparatuses as another new trend in technology, kind of like cell phones or laptops. Except, of course, owning this new technology was the difference between living and dying. After I had this initial background idea, the characters, their motivations, struggles and relationships developed, and that was that.

Is this your first book/series?I have been making comics for over ten years, not to say that most of what I produced was any good at all, but all of it was necessary, in some way. My main accomplishment during that time was a comic called Happy Town, which was an adventure series spanning twelve issues, complete with demons, detectives, crimefighters and a ton of human drama and plot twists and turns. I built a decent fan following during my work on that series and, although it’s been put on hold for the time being, I really loved working on it. I feel like I’ve pulled the best of what I’d learned from working on Happy Town and used that in my work now. Breathers is definitely my most fully-realized and accomplished work to date. I had a pretty solid plan going in, which isn’t something I had with Happy Town and, that’s made for a much more solid, cohesive story.

When did you decide that comics were your calling?I always enjoyed reading comics, but never really thought I’d be making them myself. I always thought I would be a filmmaker, in some capacity or another. That was really where my heart was early on. But then I started to make my own comics and realized they could be all that film could be, and so much

more. Using words and pictures to tell the story on a page is very powerful, I’d realized, and knew right away, I had found my outlet for my stories and creativity.

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Why choose to print the book as opposed to displaying it online? I’ve never been a fan of online comics. I guess I just don’t see the appeal of sitting at your computer and clicking away page by page to read comics. It’s much less engaging than sitting down with a printed book. When I started making and publishing my own comics, there wasn’t much in the way of online comics. Xeroxing your books was pretty much the only option for getting the work out there, so that’s what I did. I found that I actually enjoyed all those pain-staking steps it takes to produce a book. All the layouts and assembly and stapling and folding. And, when you hold that freshly assembled book in your hands, you get a definite sense of accomplishment from that. There’s just something about lounging back in your favorite chair and paging through a book, feeling it on your fingertips, that you will never get from the computer. Computers are great tools to use in the production of my comics, but that’s where I draw the line.

Do you do all the production yourself? How do you distribute your books?I do all the production myself. After all the long months of writing and drawing a comic are finished, the work is really only half done. I print the interior pages of my books at a local print shop and run the covers on my laser printer at home. My dining room table is usually full of Xeroxed pages awaiting assembly, covers, and long-reach stapler and folding spoon. That’s not to say that I want to continue doing all the production myself forever. It does take a lot of time and energy away from the actual writing and drawing of the comics. But, it works for now.

As far as distribution goes, I try to attend as many small press comics shows as I can, like S.P.X. (Small Press Expo) in Bethesda, Maryland and A.P.E. (Alternative Press Expo) in San Francisco. I also try to keep a decent web presence, through sites like LiveJournal and Facebook, and sell my books and artwork online at Etsy. I also have a sales rep. that works to get my books into some comic & specialty book shops across the country, like Atlantis FantasyWorld in Santa Cruz and Comic Relief in Berkeley. Distribution is tricky, but I seem to be selling more and more comics every

year, so at least I know things are heading in the right direction.

Who are some of your influences in the art/comic world? I am a huge fan of Ted McKeever’s stuff and loved Guy Davis’ work on the comic series, “Sandman Mystery Theatre.” I dig everything from Charles Burns and Daniel Clowes, as well. And, through attending the small press comics shows I mentioned before, I have met a lot of great cartoonists that have definitely influenced my own work, like Hans Rickheit (Chrome Fetus Comics) and Josh Cotter (Skyscrapers of the Midwest).

So with only one issue left, Breathers is just about finished... What’s next? Anything in the works?I’ve been trying to just focus on finishing Breathers and have been resisting the temptation to get involved with any other stories just yet. I’ve been tinkering around with a story I’ve had on the back burner for awhile now, called Late-Winter Days. The story centers around the disappearance of a little girl and a retired detective who enlists the help of his ex-partner’s son and daughter to find her. There will be loads of drama; some supernatural elements and some messed up relationships. I’ve thought about actually making it another Breathers story, maybe taking place around the time when the virus was released into the air, but I’m not too sure about that yet. The plan right now, though, is to just focus on finishing Breathers and get someone to publish the damn thing.

And alas, as this is a music mag, what are your top 5 albums right now?I do end up listening to a lot of music during the endless hours of drawing Breathers. I swear I cannot go a day without listening to The Kinks, and I usually end up going with “Muswell Hillbillies” or “Arthur”. I really dig Andrew Bird’s latest, “Noble Beast” and Clem Snide’s “Hungry Bird”. Also, Mason Jenning’s “In the Ever” and David Dondero’s “Simple Love” can usually be heard emanating from my studio on any given day.

www.justmadbooks.com

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I honestly don’t think I could say enough good things about this band. In the last couple of months they have become one of my favorite bands, and the more I try and force myself to listen to other music, I somehow keep finding my way back to The Gaslight Anthem. Unfortunately, I missed

their performance opening for Rise Against and Alkaline Trio in November, so when I heard they were on a headlining tour and coming to Slim’s in San Francisco, I had to jump on the opportunity. They are quickly thrown into the category of Punk and I would have to disagree. I can only categorize them as Alternative, with songs that seem to weave Punk, Blues, and good ol’ fashioned Rock and Roll together, creating amazing results. The Gaslight Anthem consists of Vocalist/Guitarist Brian Fallon, Lead Guitarist Alex Rosamilia, Bassist Alex Levine, and Drummer Benny Horowitz all hailing from New Brunswick, New Jersey. Only together for three years, the band has managed to compile a demo, an EP, and 2 LP albums with amazing production that only keeps getting better. Brian Fallon’s vocal style has been compared with that of a young Bruce Springsteen (pre-Born in the USA) more times then I can count, and I cannot disagree. Blending vocals that are slightly raspy with soulful lyrics and incredible melodies, there is only one direction for this band to go: up. While record companies seem to be pumping out dime-a-dozen bands, The Gaslight Anthem, sets a new standard that cannot be denied. Their first full-length, Skin or Swim, was released in 2007 and landed them opening spots for bands such as Against Me!, The Loved Ones, and The Draft. Their second LP, ’59 Sound, was released in August 2008, and paved the way for them to open for Rise Against, headline their own tour, and support Bruce Springsteen and Dave Matthews at the Hyde Park Calling Festival in London this summer. They will also be playing at Lollapalooza in Chicago, with bands like Depeche Mode, Tool, The Killers and others. I had a chance to ask a few questions with Alex Rosamilia and Benny Horowitz before the show and this is what they had to say:

I’m sure you guys have gotten it a lot, but why the name The Gaslight Anthem?Benny: How did it come about? The initial name for the group when Brian started was called “This Charming Man,” and then we started some new songs and we wanted a new name, I wasn’t a huge fan of that band name anyway. It came out because the songs started coming out anthemic and I brought up The Anthem as a name. And then Brian would go to this one club in New York that was kind of a faux club in the ‘60’s called The Gaslight where Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and people like that would perform. So it became a mix of those two words.

How’s the headlining tour going?Alex: Surreal, I’m still getting used to the fact that these people come out

and see us, you know? It’s weird to play and there is no one on after us. I’ve said it a million times but this totally surpassed any expectations I’ve ever had of being in a band, I’m just having fun.

You also have Hyde Park Calling festival supporting Dave Matthews and Bruce Springsteen, what’s that like for you?Benny: We’ll see, we’ve never done anything like that before, and may never after, so who knows, you know. I’m trying not to go into it with any expectation cause otherwise I might just freak out. We’re just trying to relax and have fun for what it is. Get back to me in a couple months, I’ll let you know. (laughs)

Being together for three years, with one EP and two LPs, your production quality is amazing when

it seems to take most other bands a lot longer, how’d you bring yours together so quickly?

.sdren adnik er’ew ,ytilauq noitcudorp sa raf sA :ynneBIndividually, we played in a lot of bands beforehand, so all of us were generally pretty studio savvy in terms of how to get our own sound and what we want things to sound like and that takes awhile to develop. I went to audio engineering school, he’s (pointing to Alex) a Guitar Center nerd, so we personally have a lot of input too, not to take away from anyone who’s ever worked with us though. Everyone who’s worked with us are all really good; we got lucky working with good people, or we chose the right people.

Why do you use the imagery of 1950’s America?Alex: Back then, in that era, musically it was a new thing, recorded music and bands, without turning into some weird corporate monster, which it now has become. But back then there wasn’t a formula for anything, they would do it the way they wanted to do it, and now it just seems so formulated. You know, it’s like we do this, then this, then this, and it seems so cookie cutter and back then it was more of a fly by the seat of your pants kind of thing, that’s why musically, we decided to go with that era.

Benny: There’s also just a cool kind of nostalgia to it, and I know people that grew up in the 50’s might think something different, but it kind of means something

to us, a sort of escapism. A weird hope that I feel from the 50’s that we try and get across in our music sometimes, the idea that we know the world is shit, but you can still enjoy it for at least an hour a day and try to just put everything else away for a little bit.

I tallied it up, and between 1 EP and 2 LPs, Maria is in 5 different songs and I was wondering what the story was there?Alex: I have no idea who Maria is. Playing it safe. (laughs)

Benny: All we know is she drives a ’68 Chevy, probably wears her hair up, probably has an anchor tattoo or something, and I don’t know man. She could be real, she could be a myth, she could be an actual person, she could be the combination of a lot of people. It’s for everybody to figure out. Going to leave that one where it is. (laughs)

What song do you really enjoy playing right nowon stage?Alex: I would have to say, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, or State of Love and Trust.

Benny: Yeah, we’ve been doing this Pearl Jam cover recently, that’s probably my favorite right now, it’s just really fun to play on drums.

How would you describe your new record Supporting Caste?I think it’s just a slow progression over our last three albums. We kind of changed our sound and direction with the addition of Todd on bass in the late nineties. We’ve done our last two records with him. This album is our first record with Beav as our second guitarist and that really helped shape things, giving us more versatility and depth to the guitar and melodies. He’s just a completely different style of player than Chris. It made it pretty fun to jam and put the tunes together.

Do you think about your past work and try to make sense of it as a whole when you’re making a new record?I don’t think so. We were sort of different bands at different times. Our first bass player John didn’t have the same vision that Chris and I had. There was a little more of a poppier element to it. When Todd joined it became a little more reflective of our original intentions. We don’t have any notion of what we want to do. When we get down to it, we just throw ideas into the mix and change things around and it’s whatever excites us at the moment.

The art on the cover is stunning.Yeah, amazing. It’s made by Kent Monkman, a guy from our province in Manitoba. He’s becoming a popular indigenous artist in Canada we were really hoping he would let us use it, but didn’t know for sure until the 11th hour and fifty-ninth minute… literally. We sent emails to him and got no response and we had a cut off. We had to look for plan B, but we didn’t have a solid plan B. Then right at the last minute he emailed and said, “Yeah, go ahead.”

Who is the record’s title aimed at? Who is guilty of supporting and perpetuating a

caste system?

Stretching the artwork into the theme of supporting caste is sort of an attempt to demystify the mythology of Canadiana and Americana. The whole idea that we came here and civilized this continent is the established myth that’s prevalent and makes us feel good about patting ourselves on the back as world humanitarians and that is a completely

.daeh sti no denrut eb ot sdeen taht tpecnoc sugobSupporting Caste is trying to identify where you fit into what’s truly a globalized caste system. Where do you fit in? People who listen to punk and metal typically come from white middle-class backgrounds and we have really no connection to the people at the very bottom. The untouchables of the global system, I think, are the indigenous people of North America or people in third and fourth world nations like Haiti, who are destined for a life of malnutrition and being used as a cheap labor unit for punk bands to print up a bunch of t-shirts for cheaper.

How do you fight that?We’ve got to make connections with people at the bottom and try to understand their struggles and try to help them out with that whenever possible. One thing that bothers me is when people who come from a pretty affluent or privileged background are so quick to throw in the towel and say, “Aw, it’s heading downhill, what can I do anyway?” You look at the struggles of Haitians and American Indians who have been shat on for centuries and they are still putting up a fight--- they won’t quit. We need to use that as a source of inspiration.

Does Propagandhi use that as inspiration?I do. I pretty much quit listening to music for inspiration five years ago. Through books that I read and people who are doing things on a local level in our city that don’t get any glory. That’s a good inspiration.

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Since 1986 Canadian rockers Propagandhi have given hell to the powerful. Their wordy, virulent songs show an awareness and uncompromising stand for the things they believe in. If their intelligence alone isn’t terrifying enough, they’ve taken the most intense aspects of punk and metal, put it in a glass bottle, lit the rag and threw it through your window.

Before their fiery headlining set at the Chaos in Tejas Festival in Austin, I sat down with drummer and founding member Jord Samolesky to talk about their new record. Intertwined as they are, a discussion about Propagandhi’s music is a discussion about politics. In either realm, Jord is an iconoclast. By Kevin Madness

Even if you have stopped looking to bands for inspiration, what’s the last band that fucking blew your mind?Getting a chance to see the Bellrays play in Dallas last night was awesome. I’m not totally with my head in the sand. It’s pretty much through doing a record label with Chris and some other guys in Winnipeg that made it seem like the underground music scene’s inspiration for picking up guitars was tainted by the corporate legacy of hip hop or punk rock or rock and roll. I think it’s stained by that and people have dollar signs in their eyes when they are trying to get involved in a punk band, rather than having some kind of real inspiration or integrity or honest love for the music. It’s just a regeneration of a corporate, crappy standard that is so deflated and uninteresting.

Propagandhi has always shown a concern for the world. Right now do you feel a sense of immediacy or a responsibility to deal with relevant topics?Maybe a vague obligation to pay tribute to the political forms of punk rock that were meaningful to us in the eighties and early nineties. They influenced the lifestyles that we’ve taken on and our lifestyles outside of music. It meant so much to us at that time that if we can consider ourselves contributing to that form of political music in some way, then there is a rock and roll duty.

If you had to compare your band to an author, who would it be?Holy shit. I can’t be on a pedestal and compare ourselves to an author like George

Orwell, but possibly in terms of shitting on the established myths and pointing out the absurdity of stories based on lies and penetrating that in some way.

What is the biggest misconception about Propagandhi?There’s a tendency to think that we are these frowning, completely negative, skeptics bordering on cynics that are just angry malcontents, whereas our day-to-day life in the band is just one big stupid fucking joke. We’re just regular people.

You’re regular people who are in a punk band so you have to have a message. What is your bands prevailing message?Stabbing at the absurdity of established ideas that have become myths. Things like liberty and democracy and how real or

.nur yllaer sgniht yaw eht ni taht si laernuThe idea that we are civilized while other people aren’t. That idea is present from what we’re taught in school and what’s on TV to what we should be valuing in society as individuals and what we should be striving for---it’s a bogus trap. It’s a whole lot of propaganda preventing people from actually having power and shaping our own destiny and coexisting. The people at the top have inherited a psychopathic and sociopathic set of institutions that have been refined to the point of threatening the survival of everything on this planet. I love life, I want to treat life with complete respect as much as I can and I just can’t stand to see what’s being reported and propagandized to everyone as truth. It needs to be turned on its head.

WWW.PROPOGANDHI.COM

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On this particular Wednesday I find myself tucked away in the hills of Aptos, Ca. on top of a pristine mountain, overlooking the redwoods which then lead down to the welcoming ocean, listening to the smooth sound of The Taxi Project. It’s always satisfying to find a band that surprises you and seeing this six piece jam on stage was just that. I originally saw them back in February at the Catalyst, not really knowing what to expect, yet left wishing they had played another set. Mixing a funky underlying bass and drum with flowing guitars, all topped off with a hint of keyboard and the lonely cry of a trumpet, you can’t help swaying to their groove. What’s more impressive, they even sold out their first show only months after forming. May ‘09 saw the release of their first EP, “Never Speak,” so find yourself a copy (Hail Myspace!) and let the music drive you.

How did the band get started?Josh: Eric and I had been talking about doing something for years. So about a year ago, Eric (guitar), Justin (bass), Billy (our old drummer) and I sat down at Mr. Toot’s Coffee over in Capitola Village. I was straightforward in explaining to them what I wanted: a band that did more than play music. We all knew each other from church and were looking for a way to live out the things we believed that wasn’t confined to the four walls of a church. We felt that music was the vehicle we could use to bring that message. If you think about a taxi, it’s something that people use when they’re lost or have no other means of getting somewhere. Plus we wanted to do it in a way that’s not cheesy or preachy. I’m not going to preach into a microphone, nobody needs to hear that. But what we can provide is something that is fun in a life that can be, for many, a living hell. With that goal we started writing and practicing. A couple months later we pulled in Matt (trumpet player) and slowly have been pulling in Luke (keys).

You guys have a very free flowing style of music.Eric: Oh yeah, to me improvisation is the funnest aspect of music. Just playing off each

other, taking a solo you’ve never played in your life and then trying to play it underneath and around

the jumping trumpet notes. Basically I’m just trying to outplay these guys! (laughs).Josh: We really just got together to figure out who was the best. (laughs)

Who are some of your influences?Eric: Matt likes old school Miles Davis & reggae, Josh is a folk and jazz guy, and Justin listens to anything technically insane and progressive. Then Luke listens to like, Slipknot.

Luke (laughs): Favorite band! Naw, I’ll listen to old school Stevie Ray Vaughn and even the newer guys like Mayer. I’m actually really eclectic.

Eric: It’s funny because on paper it seems like our influences and music shouldn’t work but then it all comes together. I mean, it doesn’t just happen; there’s definitely a lot of work that goes into it. But all the elements coming together make our music what it is.

Since you all met through church, how does God influence your music?Josh: Anything that we do creatively is just an expression of our being made in the image of a creative God. The joy that we have isn’t because we play in front of people. Instead, the joy that we give away to people has come

By: Mat Weir

out of experiences we’ve had on our own and how God has changed our lives. Music is like a facial expression, it’s always in response to something. Our music is not always happy and it doesn’t sound like worship music you’d hear on Sunday and we’re not setting out to do that. Some of the songs are sad, some sound angry, and some even are melancholy, the hope is that they are real.

Matt: I think all of us are “anti-churchianity.” Most people coming to the Catalyst probably won’t be going to church, so we’re going to them. It says in Galatians: “Therefore freedom in Christ sets us free,” and that freedom is what we want to express in our lives and music. The tattoo I’d love to get--if my wife lets me (laughs)-- would be of Jesus laughing because that’s what he is to me.

So what’s next for the Taxi Project?All: Merchandise!

Josh: I think the next step for us is really like the last step. We’ve arrived here as a result of really checking our motives as to why we’re doing what we’re doing. And as God opens doors, we’re gonna walk through them. We’re not a band that is trying to set up the best business plan to hack out and set a way for ourselves. I mean, all that is great, and we

do need to be responsible; if we start making money we need to know where to put it.But you’re not in it for the money.Eric: Right. We’re in it for different reasons, which really keeps us in check about what’s next and what’s coming down the pike. So we don’t really know the next step. One thing at a time.

So Matt, I heard a rumor about your trumpet...Matt: My grandad was the lead trumpet with Glenn Miller for some time, and then left to form his own orchestra in the ‘40s. One night Louie Armstrong came over and my mom even got to sit in his lap. When trumpet players get together, they will all play each other’s instruments; so it’s kind of become a sacred thing in my family. My grandfather passed away, and even today in practice I had to look up from playing it and reflect; it’s pretty amazing. When I pick it up, it feels like something special. A profound experience every time.

Any last words to the fans? Josh: Fans? (laughs) We have fans! Thank you for being them! Thank you for coming to the shows! And always talk to strangers. If there’s one thing we all need to do, it’s talking with and being real to people.

841 Almar Ave., Santa Cruz (831) 421-0507Lunch and dinner: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. daily. Happy hour: 4-6 p.m. & 11 p.m.-Midnight *Monday - Saturday & all day Sunday.

June 26th Kyrsten's 40th birthday blackout LA PLEBE!

And Brutal Thirst $5

June 27th Comedy Night Host: John Brown

Featuring: Brendan Lynch Headlining: Justin Scales

6/19 Azul

6/26 LA PLEBE!

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6/27 Comedy Night

W/ John Brown

7/9 Fire Whiskey

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7/10 Mondo Blue

7/17 Phil Morris

Mudface is proud to announce that they have been joined by an old friend: Brett Crane. Some of you may remember him as the keyboardist in the pre-Mudface outfit Sift and vocalist Chris Dinsmore’s first post-Sift project Manipulant. Crane will be helping the band in a utility-type role: vocals, visuals, keyboards, and samples. Having already joined the band on the live circuit, he will be working to add a new visual dimension to the band, with “dark and often disturbing images.” Sonically, his addition will serve to make the band sound bigger and nastier than before. Aside from that, they have started to work on some new material, and are targeting the end of the year to lay it down in the studio.

The mighty alliance between Canadian rock warrior Thor and Austrian-by-way-of-San Francisco action/adventure rockers ArnoCorps has grown even stronger with the band’s signing to Thor¹s new label, Vulcan Sky Records. The follow up release to 2005’s The Greatest Band of All Time will be The Ballsy EP, featuring tracks like “Red Heat,” “You Lack Discipline,” and a trilogy of Terminator tunes, including a reworked (and more epic) version of “Terminator” from the aforementioned full-length.

Reformed thrashers Defiance have finished tracking their long-awaited new

album, with sights set on a September release through Candlelight Records. One

I’m not normally one for blatant self-promotion, but this

seemed like it deserved to be told. This month marks my

ten year anniversary in radio. I’ve done a lot of shows

in that time, met a lot of bands, watched them come and

watch them go. To say I’ve given a nice chunk of my life to

the scene is an understatement. It was my whole reason

for getting into radio in the first place. That led to this

column, which I’ve been doing for about half that time.

It’s been an amazing adventure, and one that shows no

signs of slowing down. So, let’s get started on the next

ten years and kick off this month’s NorCal Metal Report.

new track, “The Voice,” can currently be heard on the band’s MySpace page. The album marks the band’s first since 1992’s Beyond Recognition. The band also continues to work on the career-spanning DVD Decades of Defiance, which will chronicle the band’s career from 1985 to present. Expect them to follow up the release of the new album with live dates in Europe “and perhaps the U.S.”

Vengince is officially seeking to add a permanent guitarist to their lineup. The band has recently been utilizing Seattle-based guitarist HellB, but are now seeking a local player to handle the duties. Their lengthy list of requirements includes 100% dedication and the abilities to contribute creatively and financially and tour worldwide. You can view the complete posting at their MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/vengince.) There you can also e-mail the band to set up an audition, or you can reach them directly at distillede@hotmail.com. The band will be entering the studio soon to record their new album so you’d better act quickly.

A Black Rose Burial rises from the depths on July 18th to participate in a battle of the bands event at The Venue in Los Gatos. The stakes are high, with a $10,000 cash prize that the band of course would like to use to bring even more music to the masses. The event sponsors include Ernie Ball Strings, Vitamin Water, Jamba Juice, and Voyage Air Guitars. The band is asking for

By Dave Pirtle

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your help by buying a ticket from them in advance, as it will help them land a better spot on the bill and increase their chances of victory. The unique aspect of the event is that the fans in attendance will be voting for the winner, so YOU can make a difference. They have all the info posted at their MySpace page, so if you need more, visit http://www.myspace.com/ablackroseburial.

Falling to Pieces will release their new EP, Awaken the Weak, on June 13th, which marks the recording debut of vocalist Nicci D. and guitarist Scott Danough. The band will celebrate with a CD release show the same day at their usual stomping grounds of the Pine St. Bar and Grill in Livermore along with

Dissipate and The Venting Machine as well as plenty of new merchandise in tow. This will be followed by a bunch of shows across the region during the summer.

On June 13th, Nevuary Promotions presents a night of female-fronted metal

.ocsicnarF naS ni egnuoL 3G eht taThe event, none-too-subtly dubbed “Hot, Sweet and Sticky,” will feature performances by Dreams of the Fall, Thread, Arcane Dimension, and Sol Innocence. Some of these bands have

:tcapmi elbaeciton a edam ydaerlaDreams of the Fall has garnered a large local and Internet following, and are about to release their debut full-length album via Renaissance records; Thread was recently recognized by the Bands4Bands organization at their 2009 awards for best song, vocalist, guitarist, and bassist. Plus, I have a unique 31

QUICK BITS: A Thousand Kingdoms has parted ways with guitarist Toolio, and are actively seeking a new player to fill the vacant spot . . . Forbidden reports steady progress on their first batch of new recordings since 1997’s Green, and has informed fans to expect a preview this month, once they have completed a string of European dates . . . Spiralarms is gearing up to record a new album this Summer at guitarist/vocalist Tim Narducci’s Sonic Room Studios, tentatively titled Highest Society, which will be released through Narducci’s newly formed label Luxury Buzz with distribution through Sony/Red . . . Mystic Rage is completing work on a new a three-song demo with their revamped lineup, detailed in our previous issue, which will feature backing from – who else – Jagermeister . . . on July 20th, the mighty Heathen will release Evolution of Chaos, their first full-length album since 1991’s seminal Victims of Deception.

Got news? Submit it to norcalmetal@ksjs.org and tell the world! As someone ranted to me recently, not everybody uses the social networking sites. Just consider this column another tool you can use to promote your band and music to people who might care – or as I’ve long said, give the people what they don’t know they want.

NORCAL UNLEASHEDTop 10 Playlist for period 4/23 – 5/21(NorCal Unleashed airs on 90.5 FM KSJS on Thursday nights from 11pm-midnight. Contact madman@ksjs.org for information on how to submit your music for airplay)

1. Repaid in Blood - Follow the Blood Trail2. Silent Sinner - Demo3. Unconventional Thought Process - Convergence Upon the Chaotic4. Geryon - Aspirations of a Great Demise5. Cormorant - Metazoa6. In the Eyes of a Mistress - S/T7. Better Left Unsaid - The Fight Within8. Sol Asunder - Mechanize9. The Dust - Twenty-Two10. A Band of Orcs - WarChiefs of the Apocalypse

attachment to Arcane Dimension, having attended high school with frontwoman Teresa Camp – a small world, it is. In conclusion, you are encouraged to check out the show or at least the bands involved.

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www.GoldCoastTattoo.com639 Lighthouse Ave Monterey, CA 93940 (831) 642-9404

GOLD COASTTATTOOGOLD COASTTATTOO

YOUR MUSIC OLYMPICKS-LIVE PERFORMANCE EVENT

MONTEREY

GOLDCOASTTATTOO

YMM: Let’s start with introductions.Zack: I’m Zack Reed.YMM: What do you play?Zack: I play bass guitar. YMM: What type of bass do you play?Zack: I have a black Schecter Scorpion.YMM: What type of amp?Zack: I have GB 1200.YMM: What are some of your infl uence?Zack: Iron Maiden, Megadeth, and Korn.YMM: How long have you been playing?Zack: About six years.YMM: Next?Miguel: My name’s Miguel Iniguez.YMM: What do you play?Miguel: I play guitar.YMM: What kind of guitar?Miguel: An Ibanez.YMM: How about infl uences?Miguel: Too many to list.YMM: How about favorite Miseria song?Miguel: Fall Out.YMM: Next?Gabe: Gabriel Felten, I play the drums.YMM: What kind of drums?Gabe: Taos pulse drums, but I am working my way up. YMM: What is you your dream kit then?Gabe: Something like Mapex drums. They look sick and come in cool custom designs. Expensive though.YMM: What about infl uences?Gabe: I would say all these metal bands: As They Lay Dying, Atreyu, All that Remains, and Korn.YMM: And Last?Kris: My name’s Kris Carlson, I’m the singer. I use a Beta 58, long cable, so that if anyone pisses me off I can throw it at them. As far as infl uences go, all the usual top metal bands that are out there right now, but also local

infl uences like the singer from Embrace Forever.YMM: What is your band motto?Gabe: “That’s what she said”.YMM: What are you guys trying to express through your name or sound?Kris: Well the name is just misery. As far as the sound, I am sure every band says this but we have something a little different. We are a broad mix from heavy with a death metal sound to light metal with a lot of sing-ing. We’re just trying to get out here and try a little of everything.YMM: Where do you really want to play?Kris: We’ve played the Catalyst, but not the main stage so that would be nice. We were just talking about Cornerstone or Shoreline. YMM: Did you just sign a record deal?Kris: Yeah, we signed with an Indie label in San Jose called Pitch Black Records. YMM: What are they doing, putting you in the studio?Kris: Yeah, next month we’re going into the studio to record our fi rst full length CD. We’re hoping to release that sometime in August or November, and then throw a tour to support it.YMM: What do you think it takes to make it in the music business these days?Kris: Don’t suck. And it’s really about who you know. I had some good friends back in the day, and we tried to get on B&D but that didn’t work out.YMM: How long is your deal for?Kris: One year with tour, video, and record-ings. YMM: Great interview guys, let’s close with your current contact information…t w i t t e r . c o m / s i n g m i s e r y booking contact: kris1987@hotmail.com

Video Interview by Mike Lyonwith MISERIA 6/9/09

from YourMusicMagazine.com

myspace.com/singmisery

MISERIA

YOUR MUSIC OLYMPICKS-LIVE PERFORMANCE EVENT

MONTEREY

GOLDCOASTTATTOO

Introductions:Chris Serolf - Lead vocals and guitar player for D-minus.YMM: How long have you been playing?Chris: In this band about fi ve years. I have been playing guitar for about twelve to fi fteen years.YMM: What past bands have you been in?Chris: A long time ago, I was in God Father Hate. It was more like a garage band that would get together and play in my hometown of Stockton/Lodi. As with most bands every-one goes their own direction through drugs and relationships, which always kills a band.YMM: Yeah, sad. Bonecrusher (BC): Tragic…tragedy. BC: I am the Bonecrusher. I play drums. YMM: What kind of drums?BC: Tama Rock Star, the best in the west. After DW.YMM: How long have you been playing?BC: Twenty years… Chris: Since he was in the womb.BC: Yeah, in the womb.YMM: What past bands have you been in?BC: I have played in Psychos in Love, Snot Rockets, Blood Print, and the Dave Miller Band. YMM: Chris, what are your primary infl uences music-wise?Chris: All kinds of infl uences: Everything from old school 50’s rock, Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, Brittney Spears, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Green Day, metal bands like Lamb of God… There are too many to list. I have an affi nity for the love of music. Without music there is no life.YMM: Do you feel that there is a resurgence of grunge music?Chris: Yeah, we’re trying to bring that back, not so much grunge but real music. Some-thing that just makes you want to get up and dance.BC: Yes, ladies feel free to come dance. Chris: It’s ok to have fun. YMM: In the theme of Grunge, do you believe that Kurt Cobain killed himself or did Courtney Love do it?

BC: Courtney Love did it all the way. What color were Kurt’s eyes?Chris: Blue. One blew this way and the other blew that way.YMM: Do you have product, like CD’s, out for sale?Chris: Our songs are on our website. www.myspace.com/thedminusshow. BC: FREE.Chris: It’s not about getting rich or famous, but it’s about getting the music out.YMM: I forgot to ask, who’s not here right now or is it just you two?Chris: Yeah, it is just us. We are D-minus.BC: We are a two member band with a third person.Chris: Yeah, we have a third person. He is a shadow bass player. He is really good. He is also in another band: Psychos in Love.BC: Don’t smoke kids.Band: HAHAHA.YMM: So, you have a preliminary show at the Your Music Olympicks on the 19th at Carbones. Have you played there before?Chris: Actually, this will be our second show at Carbones and our second show ever. We played our fi rst show the 24th of May. We had a good turnout.BC: It was a cold dark night. Chris: It was almost a full moon. The Were-wolves of London came out, but yeah it was a good show.YMM: On that note, do you have any dream venues that you want to play?Chris: Coachella in two years. BC: We so want to play Coachella. Please…invite us!YMM: Do you have any upcoming shows, besides the Olympicks on the 19th?Chris: Just the 19th. This summer we want to work on our music videos. We are getting in the market of making our own videos.YMM: Any last words to the viewers or fans out there?Chris: Come out and see us on the 19th. Come support D-Minus.BC: You can dance girls… Chris: It is ok to dance again.

Video Interview by Brian Crabtree with D- Minus

6/9/09from YourMusicMagazine.com

D- Minus

YOUR MUSIC OLYMPICKS-VIDEO BLOG INTERVIEWS

CRUZ

BritanniaArms

BritanniaArms

SANTA

Parish Pub

YMM: Let’s start with some introductions.Jose Picazo: I play an apple red Ibanez bass guitar.YMM: Do you do any vocals?Jose: I am also lead vocalist.YMM: How old are you?Jose: Twelve. YMM: How long have you been playing?Jose: Bass, I would say two years. I start-ed out playing the guitar, then I moved to piano, and then started playing bass.YMM: Who are some of your favorite bands?Jose: Beatles and Aerosmith.YMM: Ok, let’s move on down the line…Derek Mather: I play guitar.YMM: What type of guitar?Derek: It is a Fender Stratocaster.YMM: Name your favorite guitarists.YMM: Jeff Beck is my favorite guitarist, I want to do a tribute album of his stuff. Also Jimi Hendrix and jazz stuff like Al Di Meola.YMM: What made you want to play music?Derek: I have always loved music. My aunt always had guitars around.YMM: Alright, next…Mack Hesson: I play the drums.YMM: What type of drums?Mack: Pearl.YMM: How old are you?Mack: Twelve.YMM: Are you all twelve?Derek: I’m thirteen.YMM: Do you all go to the same school?Derek: Jose and Mack go to the same school and I go to a different school.YMM: Back to the drummer, who are some of your infl uences?

Mack: I don’t really do drummers, but bands: Third Eye Blind, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Beatles.YMM: So, you guys play cover songs?Band: Yeah. And originals.YMM: What bands do you cover?Jose: The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Guns ‘n Roses, Billy Cobham, Jimi Hendrix, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Aerosmith. YMM: So what does Almost Chaos mean?Derek: We have so many genres under us that it make us almost chaotic. YMM: Did you take any class to learn to play?Mack: I took drum lesson for two years. YMM: Did you take a class on being a band?Derek: “Be In Your Own Band.” Yeah, we took that.YMM: So you took the appoarch to be your own band. You also just played the Music Olympicks Finals at the Catalyst. What was that like?Jose: That was awesome. YMM: Do you have any CD’s, since you’re working on the originals?Derek: No, we don’t really have anything. We are hoping to work on a fi fteen track album over the summer.YMM: Any up and coming shows?Derek: We have the Avalon in San Jose on the June 21st. YMM: What is in the future of the band? Where do you want to be in fi ve years?Jose: School and put out an album.Mack: To get a record deal. YMM: Any last words to your fans?Mack: Check our myspace!Myspace.com/almostchaosamerica

Video Interview by MIKE LYONwith ALMOST CHAOS 5/18/09from YourMusicMagazine.com

ALMOST CHAOS

841 Almar Ave., Santa Cruz (831) 421-0507Lunch and dinner: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. daily. Happy hour: 4-6 p.m. & 11 p.m.-Midnight *Monday - Saturday & all day Sunday.

June 26th Kyrsten's 40th birthday blackout LA PLEBE!

And Brutal Thirst $5

June 27th Comedy Night Host: John Brown

Featuring: Brendan Lynch Headlining: Justin Scales

6/19 Azul

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Brutal Thirst $5

6/27 Comedy Night

W/ John Brown

7/9 Fire Whiskey

Final Summation $5

7/10 Mondo Blue

7/17 Phil Morris

GOLDCOASTTATTOO

We are halfway through the 2009 Your Music Magazine Band Olympicks event, and here’s what some of you have missed so far (and

what’s coming up):

The Santa Cruz YMO started on Friday, Feb. 27th and ended on Saturday, May 2nd at the

Catalyst Finals. Congratulations to our win-ners (Gold- My Stupid Brother; Silver- Archer; Bronze- The Devil Himself) who received over

$7000.00 in cash and prizes.

The Monterey YMO started on Friday, May 29th and will end with the Finals at the New Planet Gemini on Friday, June 26th. This year bands like Wasted Noise and Praetorian will be competing for over $3000.00 in cash and

prizes.

The San Jose YMO starts on Saturday, June 20th and will end with the Finals at the

Voodoo Lounge on Friday, August 7th. 2008 SJ YMO Finalists Relapse and Letters Make Words will be competing against YMO first

timers Beerijuana and Left of Christ for over $5000.00 in cash and prizes.

The San Francisco YMO will begin on Friday, August 14th and will end on Friday, Oct. 2nd. Local SF bands will be competing for over

$5000.00 in cash and prizes.

The Sacramento YMO will begin on Friday, Oct. 16th and will end on Friday, Dec. 2nd. Lo-

cal Sac bands will be competing for over $5000.00 in cash and prizes.

2009 YOUR MUSIC MAGAZINE BAND OLYMPICKS

SAN

JOSE

YOUR MUSIC OLYMPICKS-VIDEO BLOG INTERVIEWS

YMM: Lets start with some introductions:Nadia: I sing and play rhythm guitar in the group.YMM: What type of guitar do you play?Nadia: I play an Epiphone Classic. YMM: That’s cool, the Your Music Olympicks events are sponsored by Epiphone. Band: Sweet.YMM: You should participate in the San Jose YMO “Best Guitarist” competition, because we’ll be giving away a brand new Epiphone guitar. But back to the interview- what are your infl uences?Nadia: Umm… everything. I have a very broad taste in music. If it’s catchy, then I probably have listened to it. YMM: Alright, who’s next in the band?Justin: I play lead guitar. I play an Epiphone Les Paul Standard.YMM: What kind of gear do you have?Justin: I’m currently using a Marshall head and a 12x12 cab. YMM: Cool. Let’s move on to Naomi…Naomi: I play bass and also sing. My bass is an Epiphone Viola.YMM: You’re also on Epiphone, right on! I’ll have to save some of this for a commercial. So, who are some of your infl uences?Naomi: Paul McCartney is a strong infl uence for me.YMM: Do you do most or all of the song writing?Naomi: Umm, both Nadia and I. Everyone writes their own parts and then we bring them together…YMM: Just like the Beatles. I can see the infl uence.Naomi: Yeah we are huge Beatles fans. Justin used to not be a fan, but we have converted him. YMM: Next, the drummer on the end. What equip-ment do you use?Corndog: I play a Gretsch Maple Kit.YMM: How about your infl uences?Corndog: Travis Barker, Matt Grainer.YMM: Punk Infl uences. You have a pretty original sound. How would you describe your music?Nadia: I would call it rock pop.YMM: So you have some exciting news. I heard you are playing the Warped Tour this year?Nadia: We are playing June 27th in San Francisco. We are on a solar powered stage and we’re spon-sored by Whole Foods. YMM: So you hooked up with Whole Foods, How did all that come about?Justin: We all work there. Naomi: We weren’t really expecting anything, we just wrote a letter to the regional president.

YMM: How did you get on the Warped Tour?Nadia: We got hand picked by Warped Tour scouts. We got picked out of 2000+ bands, so we are very honored. YMM: Naomi and Nadia won silver and bronze awards in the 2008 San Jose YMO “Best Vocalist” competition. What was that like? Was there any pressure?Naomi: Honestly, for me the vocals are the fi rst and foremost thing. I love to sing. I love the band too, but singing is my number one passion. I really like it.Nadia: I feel that there is less pressure, because I didn’t have to play with the band and it was more like karaoke. You can really let loose and you don’t have your band members being too critical of your performance.YMM: The individual competitions are becoming very popular. We just completed the Santa Cruz YMO event, and the individual competitions are re-ally turning into a cool addition to the overall compe-tition. We defi nitely want you to participate again in this year’s San Jose YMO. You were a fi nalist last year were you not?Band: Yes we were.Naomi: I was the best bassist in San Jose. YMM: I have your individual awards from last year, we’ll get those to you guys today.YMM: Any contact information?Justin: LettersMakeWords@gmail.comNaomi: We have a Myspace.Nadia: At myspace.com/lettersmakewords.Naomi: We are also at www.lettermakewords.net.Nadia: You can shoot us an e-mail on there too.YMM: Any last words?Justin: Come see us at Warped tour!Nadia: Come see us at the San Jose Your Music Olympicks on Saturday, June 20th, at the Cupertino Brit. Come support Naomi and me in the vocalist competition also.

Video Interview by MIKE LYON with

LETTERS MAKE WORDS 6/14/09from YourMusicMagazine.com

LettersMake Words

Cherry Nova

Written by Intern Brian Crabtree

On May 30th at the Vets Hall in Santa Cruz, Cylinder’s pre-CD release party brought together a number of talented Santa Cruz artists. My Stupid Brother and The Devil Himself joined Cylinder on stage for powerful showcase of local talent. My Stupid Brother opened the show with a high level of energy, setting a high bar for the following bands. The young musicians were energetic and play-ful on stage. The Devil Himself followed up with a commanding stage presence, featuring projectors, smoke machines, and lasers lights, and a powerful sound, helping to raise the bar and warm up the growing crowd. Cylinder ended the show with a powerful com-bination of old and new material that had the fans wanting more. Cylinder’s performance topped the night.

Cylinder Pre-CD Release

Party 5-30-09 Vets Hall

Santa Cruz

YMM: Tell me a little bit about Halo?Alvin: We specialize in a range of instruments, more targeted towards the metal community, but we are branching out to all genres. We do everything from six to ten string electric, and four to nine electric bass.YMM: So you do custom work on guitars, how would someone go about getting some work done?Alvin: They could shoot us an e-mail or give us a call, and we could get us some spec designs on what is wanted to be done.YMM: What makes you different from other guitar places?Alvin: Well no one else does the extended range of instruments like us; most are up to sev-en strings, but we have nines. We even have a ten-string model available. We also do custom-carving work as well. YMM: You want to tell me about some gui-tars?

Alvin: Yeah, Start with that. You’ve got the XSI. It’s a neck thru body con-

struction, solid mahogany neck and body, dual truss rods. The Kahler bridge that we use for that is a hybrid system where it can be locked into a fi xed bridge position or a tremolo, so it’s kinda the best of both worlds for the players.YMM: Do you play too?Alvin: I dabble.YMM: You want to give a demonstration?Alvin: No, not on this. That’s way beyond me! Lots of Chapman Stick guys would be into that guitar. How about grabbing that carved guy? That is the GVK model. It’s a four string. We do quite a bit of those, as well as some other cus-tom carvings. People seem to dig that kind of stuff. It makes it more unique for the musician, so it feels like it’s theirs.YMM: What are some of the challenges that you face when making custom guitars? Is this custom style hard to do?Alvin: Yeah, most are challenging in some way. The most challenging thing to do is to come up with a custom design that doesn’t copy any oth-er manufacturer’s…that it doesn’t end up look-ing like clones of another manufacturer.YMM: What about materials? Are you experi-menting with anything?Alvin: We use the mahogany base, and that is a basswood that most other makers don’t use.YMM: Is it lighter?Alvin: Yeah, We use plenty of alder and pop-lar, you know, like other manufactures we use mahogany and maple. They give various quali-ties…different construction. This one happens to be a bolt-on construction but we do set neck and neck thru as well.YMM: You can do any kind of custom graph-ics?Alvin: Yeah, anyone can fi nd a jpeg of what they want, and we’ll fi gure out how to put it on there: images and logos.YMM: So you’re really open to custom ideas?Alvin: Yeah, but some ideas are just not pos-sible. As good as they look on paper; the gui-tar still has to balance. You can’t have it where strap buttons are in the wrong places or it will make the guitar heavy and may fall. YMM: What has been some of your favorite projects in the last year?Alvin: We have some real interesting/nice shapes. We did a Master Chief ‘Halo’graphic. One of our endorsed artists, Glen Telford from Skinlab, created his own design called the Squid, taking carving into a new direction. Things that you would not see in other stores. YMM: And this is basswood?

Alvin: Yeah, really light and durable. The other thing that makes a difference from other shops is that we are the manufacturer. Besides the instruments, we also have the ability to do endorse-ments.YMM: How does someone go about getting endorsed?Alvin: Get a press kit together and mail it in here. Contact us via e-mail. If they’ve got an EPK (Electronic Press Kit), send that in via e-mail. You’re probably watching this on your computer.YMM: What e-mail should people send that to?Alvin: artists@haloguitars.comYMM: Is there any criteria that you are looking for?Alvin: All types of music, we are defi nitely looking for people that are willing to work. Understand-ing that everything for a band includes knowing some kind of plan. They have to have some direc-tion or goal with the steps that they are going to take to get there. So, we’re looking for that kind of thing. It’s not always about the greatest shredder in the world. There are a lot of closet shredders out there that no one has even heard of.YMM: You’re a musician yourself?Alvin: It’s a great fi t for me being an employee and a musician.YMM: Anything else you want to add about Halo? Alvin: Come down to the shop, check out the guitars, and get one. We are located at 21621 on Steven Creek Blvd. in Cupertino. Our web site is www.haloguitars.com, and our myspace is www.myspace/haloguitars. YMM: You have a phone number?Alvin: 408-873-8606, ask for Alvin, Jeff, or me.YMM: Yeah, they have some really cool stuff here, unique guitars. They have a massive selection, and you can make a custom ax to design. They do great work, so come by and check out their shop today.

Mat: So why that name?Anne: We really liked to eat at the Way Station because it’s not homogenized. It has old license plates on the wall, old cowboy pictures; basically a trucker/cowboy/Old California atmosphere that is very much my setting. Everyone there is cheerful but not in your face, which makes it a cool hangout. When you’re there you step into a different space than the rest of Santa Clarita. We used to not be vegetarian and vegan, so we’d go there and order the Kris Special. To me, that’s the most punk rock plate of food ever! It comes with hash browns, 2 English muffi ns, 2 eggs any style, bacon or sausage, and then completely blanketed in gravy, and it’s cheap! I always tell people, “Yeah, it’s covered in gravy,” but they don’t even realize! You can’t see the food! You think you’re getting soup at fi rst until you poke around and fi nd the food underneath. Plus, it was named after a waitress there that was popular and I’ve always liked diner waitresses.

Mat: What is your writing process?Anne: Nick wrote one song on the album called “Fiasco,” but I wrote the other songs throughout the years. I don’t force my writing. I’ll usually start with a melody, then I go to my guitar and write lyrics. It’s interesting writing a song because it starts out one way, then you record it, then play it a couple hundred times at shows and it develops over time. You hear different parts, change the dynamics, change lyrics, stuff like that. So the songs we recorded were “done,” creatively speaking. Nick: But to some extent they’re still evolving. When you play something the same way for years, you want to change it up.Anne: It can be stressful because you’ll hear something you like and think, “I wish I recorded it like THAT.” You just have to let it go, what’s done is done. We’re excited because we’re hoping to record our next album within the year or so.Nick: Yeah, we’re in the process of turning Anne’s garage into a recording studio. Mat: What’s changed in the music world since you’ve started?Anne: I can’t believe people used to book tours before sites like Myspace (laughs). I love how a band can cruise into a town they’ve never been to and still have a following because one or two kids in the town spread their music through the net. Peo-ple complain about pirated music and artists not getting their

money, but if you’re getting into this to make money then you’re in it for the wrong reasons. If you’re a mu-sician, you better have a day job and you better re-alize that this isn’t work, it’s your passion. It’s nice if you can make some money, but you shouldn’t get into it thinking, “I’m gonna quit my job and be a famous musician.” The mental-ity should be more, “Alright, I’m going to fi nd a job that will allow me to take weeks off for touring and I’m going to produce art.”

Mat: You have a sound that’s very unique, what infl uences do you have?Anne: From the beginning I’ve been inspired by old country, and old punk. I love people like Patsy Cline, Carl Smith and Slim Whitman. Johnny Cash is great but I never got into him the way others did; I’m a Hank Williams girl. I’ll hear the old country, but think that I can make it darker, with a maybe a hint of the desert. My brother and I were always into old punk along with ska and the other subgenres. So in the beginning, those two dynamics met together to produce our sound. Now we’ve developed into a more dramatic sound, even a surf sound. It also developed with Nick becoming a more creative drummer. Nick: Yeah, over the process of this band, I started and fi nished music school learning composition and all these really weird ideas. Like the guys in the 20th Century who just said, “Fuck the theory,” and just started making really weird stuff.Anne: Complete abstract music like perform-ing a piece entirely by scraping a toothbrush on piano strings.

Tucked away on the corner of a dusty road in my middle-class hometown of Santa Clarita Ca., surrounded by debt ridden yuppies and gentrifi ed neighborhoods, sits a country diner called the Way Station. It’s home to the best hangover cure (country fried steak and eggs), and one dish so good, Anne Pointer and Nick Schutz named their band after it. The Kris Special’s music is just like the restaurant: a fresh breath of desert air in a sea of conventional plastic. Formed in 2001, Schutz (drums) and Pointer (singer/guitar) began jamming on Pointer’s front porch. The band’s minimalist approach pays off for them in a way that would destroy others. Their fi rst LP, Alone Feels like a Hotel Room, is the perfect album for thinking on a long drive; their songs are contemplative, honest and quite beautiful. Pointer’s innocent voice and melodic playing trickles between Schutz’s soulful drums to create a nostalgic sound that makes you want to travel in any direction. I hate using the word “indie” since it conjures up images of trust fund hipsters, but they are indie in the true sense. Alone takes you through crescendoing melo-dies (April loved John), storytelling country ballads (Poor Boy in a Field), and even some upbeat punk (Shadow Smart). By constantly touring the states in Schutz’s packed Corolla, they have made a following for themselves that is already beginning to avalanche. More and more people are showing up to their L.A. hometown shows, and they just added a couple punk legends to their fan base; but I won’t be naming names. When they recently played Santa Cruz, I was fortunate enough to trick them into staying at my back-woods cabin, only to wake them up with a face full of tape recorder.

Waking Up WithThe Kris Specialby Mat Weir

ChickenfootMay 17, 2009, The Fillmore, San Francisco1 - Chad Smith & Michael Anthony2 - Joe Satriani & Michael Anthony3 - Joe Satriani & Sammy Hagar4 - Sammy Hagar & Michael Anthony

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ForbiddenMay 22, 2009,

Octopus Lounge, Pacifica

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San FranciscoThe Fillmore

6/20 Femi Kuti6/21 Grizzly Bear6/22 Grizzly Bear6/27 Xavier Rudd7/07 Duran Duran7/08 Robin Trower7/09 Old 97’s7/10 Mighty Mighty Bosstones7/12 Joe7/14 Nat & Alex Wolff7/20 Indigo Girls7/21 Indigo Girls7/23 De La Soul7/28 Jarvis Cocker7/30 Gomez7/31 Gomez

The Warfi eld6/19 PJ Harvey/John Parish6/20 Les Claypool/Yard Dogs7/02 Yes, Asia7/28 Jewel

Bottom of the Hill6/21 Minmae6/23 Starfucker/Atole6/24 Deastro/Battlehooch6/25 Triclops!/Helms Alee6/26 Magic Bullets6/27 Rube Waddell6/28 Telekinesis/Mumlers6/30 The Swellers7/01 Pale Red Horse7/02 Samiam/Nothington7/03 Sir Richard Bishop7/07 Tornado Rider7/08 Ace Enders7/09 Rural Alberta Advantage7/10 Middle Class Rut7/11 Oneida7/12 Bomb The Music Industry7/13 The Veils/Foreign Born7/15 Builders & The Butchers7/16 Girl In A Coma7/17 Men/Tussle7/18 Three Mile Pilot7/19 Judgement Day7/20 Dirty Jacky 7/21 Casiotone For The Painfully Alone7/22 Fake Problems7/23 Handsome Family7/24 Jay Brannan7/25 Maus Haus7/26 Starlight Mints7/28 Future Of The Left7/29 Magnolia Electric Company7/30 The Warlocks7/31 Classics Of Love8/01 Themselves

Santa CruzThe Parish Pub

6/19 Azu6/26 La Plebe6/27 Comedy Night See ad on page 297/2 Cheers to Doerr

7/9 Fire Whiskey Final Summation7/10 Mondo Blue7/17 Phil Morris

The Catalyst6/19 Easy Star All-Stars6/20 7th Street Band7/03 Eek A Mouse/Aivar7/10 Blvd/Mimosa7/11 Robin Trower7/15 Mystic Roots7/16 Eric Hutchinson7/23 Music For Animals7/24 Gillian Welch7/25 Hottub7/30 Chris Pureka7/31 Stellar Corpses

Brookdale Lodge6/20 Bottom of The Ocean, I Shot The Sheriff, Hiroshima, & Scryer6/21 Dick Dale6/25 Jazz-Amanders6/26 The Live Dead Band & Matt Hartle6/27 Tether Horse, Akiva Levi, Nan Miller7/3 3upFront, Hate for State7/4 BBQ Free Live Music.7/10 Undecyded, Dammit Jim7/11 It’s A Beautiful Day!!!7/17 folkyeah presents Graveyard7/18 TBA7/24 TBA7/25 Southern Cali Inavsion8/1 Lodge-Apalooza8/8 Bill Pesch Presents8/22 John Sotter Acoustic Warrior8/28 Fire Whiskey

Coasters Lounge6/19 Pariah Faction6/20 Honest Mistake/Naysayers6/26 A Bad Love6/27 Devil Himself/Butterface7/03 The Wiseguys7/10 Blackwater Station7/17 The Beach Cowboys7/24 The Bay Area Heat7/31 NightlifeBritannia Arms6/20 Azul6/23 Songwriter Contest6/25 Larry Hosford6/27 Larry Hill6/30 Songwriter Contest7/02 Larry Hosford

San JoseBarb Rocks

6/17@ Voodoo LoungeAODub/Audible Smoke SignalNorthern Son/Stormy Strong7/02@ Britannia Arms-CupertinoThis is War/Death Valley HighJonny Manak & The Depressives7/15@Voodoo LoungeYou Me and Iowa/Your Divine Tragedy/One Over Eight/Boom Boom Stereo

8/01@ Britannia Arms-CupertinoRealization/ACEs/Rey Res-sureccionOne Soul Project8/15@Britannia Arms-CupertinoSilent Sinner/Modern RuinzUnconditional Thought Process8/19@ Voodoo LoungeAsiago/Second the Best/Golden Hour/Two Left FeetShoreline Amphitheatre

6/26 Wild949 Bomb7/04 Fireworks Spectacular7/11 Marilyn Manson/Slayer7/13 Coldplay7/24 Slightly Stoopid/Snoop Dogg7/25 No Doubt/Paramore7/30 Crue Fest 28/01 The FrayVoodoo Lounge6/20 Music Machine6/25 Your Music Olympicks6/26 80’s Babies6/27 Soul Glo7/02 Your Music Olympicks7/04 Music Machine7/08 Art & Soul Live Art 7/11 Soul Glo7/12 Dub Massive7/15 Your Divine Tragedy7/17 80’s Babies7/18 Music Machine7/23 Your Music Olympicks7/25 Soul Glo7/26 Missing Persons8/01 Music Machine8/7 Your Music Olympicks San Jose Finals

The Brit (Cupertino)7/23 Your Music Olympicks7/11 Your Music Olympicks

SacramentoClub Retro

6/19 Castle Heights6/20 Vyncent Flaw6/25 Defying Truth/Exylum6/26 Descolada Virus6/27 Adam Cappa7/02 K Sera/Out Together7/11 Scream The Prayer 27/12 Pop, Rock and Drop It 7/18 Indie vs Hardcore Fest7/25 Stephen Innocence’s Bday

The Boardwalk6/19 Decomposition6/20 Malcom Bliss6/25 Confi de6/26 Cursive6/27 The Pack/Ill Effect7/01 CKY7/03 Emarosa/Our Last Night7/04 Doey Rock7/10 Copeland/Sherwood7/11 Guttermouth7/16 A Static Lullaby7/17 Eric Hutchinson7/18 Track Fighter

7/20 Secretions7/22 Spinnerette7/23 Carnifex7/24 Drop Dead, Gorgeous

West HollywoodThe Whisky

6/27 One Side Zero6/29 Orions Belt6/30 David Maldonado7/04 Dendrites/Misfi ends7/05 Gravecorps7/07 Satiate7/08 The Essentials7/11 Sugar and Chaos7/15 Conquer & Curse Tour7/17 Slyther/Vegabond7/23 Destroy the Runner7/24 Vains of Jenna7/25 Crue Fest7/28 Freedom Lounge 7/29 Hustler Event7/30 Holy Grail7/31 Fairgame8/01 The Millionaires

Key Club6/27 Which One’s/Pink6/28 Ray J6/29 Settel Panther6/30 Emerosa7/03 Save a Life Animal Benefi t7/09 Clash In7/10 Tainted Love7/11 Vice Squad7/12 Pro-Pain7/13 Steel Panther7/17&18 Emergenza7/20 Steel Panther7/21 Drop Dead, Gorgeous7/22 August Burns Red7/23 Pharcyde7/24 De La Soul7/27 Steel Panther7/29 Carnival8/01 Pato Baton

MontereyPlanet Gemini

6/26 Your Music Olympicks Monterey Finals!!6/27 Live Comedy w/ Eric Blake7/10&11 Andrew Norelli/Rene Hicks7/24&25 Paul Ortega/Tommy Savitt

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Music Festivals & Events

Salmon Aid FestivalOakland, CA 6/20-6/21High Sierra Music FestivalQuincy, CA 7/2-7/5Gathering of the VibesBridgeport, CT 7/23-7/26Tellurid Blues & Brews FestTelluride, CO 9/18-9/20

For Booking please send email to:

barbrocks@gmail.comMore info online:

www.barbrocks.comwww.myspace.com/barbrocks

Wed June 17@ VooDoo Lounge

The AODub, Audible Smoke Signal, Northern Son,

Stormy Strong

Thurs July 2@ Britannia Arms - Cupertino

Barb Rocks Birthday Bash with This Is War, Death Valley High,

Jonny Manak & The Depressives, and Surprise Performance

Wed July 15 @ VooDoo LoungeYou Me And Iowa, Your Divine

Tragedy (Seattle),One Over Eight,

Boom Boom Stereo

Sat Aug 1@ Britannia Arms - Cupertino

Hip Hop Show with Realization, ACEs, Rey Resurreccion,

One Soul Project

Sat Aug 15@ Britannia Arms - CupertinoMetal Show with Silent Sinner,

Modern Ruinz,Unconditional Thought Process

Wed Aug 19@ VooDoo Lounge

Asiago, Second The Best, The Golden Hour, Two Left Feet

Upcoming Sierra Nevada

Brewing Co. Music Festivals

and Events:

Fox Theatre- Boulder, CO www.foxtheatre.com

*SalmonAid Festival*www.salmonaid.org

Oakland, CA June 20-21

*High Sierra Music Festival* www.highsierramusic.com

Quincy, CA July 2-5

*Gathering of the Vibes*www.gatheringofthevibes.com

Bridgeport, CT July 23-26

*Sonoma County Sustainability Fair* July 28- Aug 8

www.sonomacountyfair.com

*Telluride Blues and Brews Festival* www.tellurideblues.com Telluride, CO Sept 18-20

Joshua Tree Roots Music Festival Oct 10-11

www.joshuatreemusicfestival.com