Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Were you cool/hip in 2008?
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Interview with Cassie Ford of The Vincent Black Shadow
It is great. We make all our own decisions and I don't have to deal with people trying to dress me anymore.
2. What are the bands upcoming tour plans?
We are doing a fall 2008 tour of the west coast of the USA. There are 12 dates I think. We have Nim Vind (Chris and Tony's other band) opening the show.
3. How do you feel about the current state of the music industry?
I don't really care for the music industry.
4. Are there any crazy things that fans have done that have weirded you out?
I can answer this in the form of a tip, messaging me on myspace and asking me out doesn't work- nor it will ever work. And come to think of it, has it ever worked? I guess I just feel that if you like our music, that is great, and we will write you back to normal questions on myspace or whatever, but that's where it ends.
5. If there were only two albums that you could listen to for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Fantomas- Directors Cut
Boyz II Men- II
6. I googled you as I was preparing these questions and I found that someone had submitted you for some kind of "sexy geeks 2007" poll. Do you consider yourself a geek and do you consider yourself sexy? (If this one if too invasive feel free to skip over it.)
It's like She's All That all over again.
7. Would you say it's more difficult being a woman in the music business than it is for a man? If so, why?
Yes. Just look at any MTV video. Women are expected to be sluts, or lesbians or sluts pretending to be lesbians to please 15 year old boys. The annoying part is that most girls will happily oblige to be like that for some fame, so I doubt anything will change anytime soon. Good thing I don't really care!
8. How would you describe The Vincent Black Shadow's sound to someone who's never heard the band?
I would just give them our myspace, www. myspace. com/tvbs, and in like 3 seconds they could find out what we sound like. It isn't 1980 anymore. Technology 4eva.
9. In your new video on the bands myspace page you say that you like El Monstruo better than Fears In The Water. What about El Monstruo do you like better than Fear's In The Water?
The songs are way better. I still like Fears but this time our songwriting got a stronger and more focused.
10. Are there any plans to make a music video for any of the songs on El Monstruo?
yeah we just did a really interesting idea that involves stop motion photography, with a great photographer Albert Normandin. We hope to have it out soon. Not sure what song it will be for...
11. Is there anything else you would like to say to people who may be reading this that I didn't cover in my questions?
Thanks to everyone who has supported us on our new album so far. To anyone who wants to get El Monstruo, the only place to get it is at our online store:
www. tvbsmusic. com
You get it digitally and we will send you an album in the mail! We rule.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Interview with Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying and Austrian Death Machine
Interview with Tim Lambesis from As I Lay Dying and Austrian Death Machine
1. You have your hand in everything from being the vocalist of one of metal/hardcore's biggest bands, producing the new War of Ages album, managing Destroy The Runner, and doing your side project, Austrian Death Machine, do you have any other talents you haven't shared with us yet?
There are definitely days that are crazier than other where I wonder what I'm doing, but for the most part I've learned to balance things pretty well. I'm a pretty calm guy most of the time, so my attitude is to just do the best I can and that's all I can really do. With the release of Austrian Death Machine coming up I am no longer managing Destroy the Runner. They've actually done their past tour on their own and have decided that they won't be touring as full time after the summer, so it just seemed to make sense to split. We all still live in the same neighborhood and hang out recording stupid fun stuff in my studio though. I'd say that the recording side of my life is maybe one of the talents I haven't shared fully and will hopefully be doing more records when I get time off between tours.
2. Please tell me about Austrian Death Machine, How did this project come about, how will it sound, and what is it about Arnold Schwarzenegger that inspired you to do this project in his honor?
Well, I finally got a full song up online for people to hear after teasing them with the preview for a while. The sound is much more trash oriented than As I Lay Dying and is an awesome outlet for the goofier side of me. The lyrics are 100% based on Arnold Schwarzenegger one liners in his movies, so part of the fun is that everyone already know the lyrics to the big sing alongs. The idea came up when talking with friends and impersonating those great one-liners. Then I started thinking how amazingly fun it would be to have a bands where that was every chorus.
3. Will you be playing any shows as Austrian Death Machine or is this an album only project?
At first it was supposed to be an album only project, but then friends of mine kept telling me they would join the band if we played some shows. There won't be any crazy touring plans, but I want to put together enough shows to do the "Preda-TOUR."
4. Did you play all of the instruments on the Austrian Death Machine album?
Yeah, I played all of the original studio version of everything except for the guitar solos, but then as time went on I had friends come in to help me get things a little tighter and sounding the way I want. I'm a perfectionist and the truth is that I haven't been playing guitar enough regularly to play as tight as I wanted to on a lot of the fast parts.
5. With As I Lay Dying having a new album out and touring plus your other projects, where did you find the time to record the Austrian Death Machine album?
Every time I was home between tour I would record a little more. The whole recording process was about a month when you put it all together, but it was spread out over about three months.
6. When As I Lay Dying began did you have any idea that it would become such an important band in the metal and hardcore scene?
Definitely not, but I also didn't think that metal would become an important genre again either. I just wanted to help write the best music I could for the genre which I thought I was very underground at the time. In the big scheme of things metal is still very underground when you compare it to radio junk or hip hop, but it's still crazy to think that some bands in our genre have gold records even though they scream and stuff.
7. What musical artists would you say have unfluenced you the most, personally?
I love the energy from punk and hardcore being so fast paced all of the time, but I like to combine that energy with stuff influences that are rhythmically intense like Living Sacrifice was. I'm really stoked they're back together. The melody side of our music can be influenced a little by At the Gates to name one.
8. What will the schedule be like for As I Lay Dying this summer and for the rest of 2008?
We're finishing up Van's Warped Tour and then going to Europe for a bunch of festivals over there. Hopefully we can start writing a little after that, but that doesn't mean our touring plans will stop. They'll just slow down a little.
9. How do you feel about the current "christian" hardcore and metal scene? Is there anything about it that you think needs to change?
Just because a bunch of dudes grow up in a Christian home doesn't mean that need to call themselves a Christian band or Christians in a band, or whatever the trend is. Either Jesus matters enough to all five members that He influences all of their lives (including music), or that band should just admit their faith is cultural and doesn't affect their lives. I guess what I really wish I could change has to do with all of what we call Christianity in modern times. There are so many people that call themselves Christians that it really means nothing. It should be hard to make the Christian claim because it means that you actually believe what Jesus said and want to be held accountable to it. That's pretty gnarly to think about because Jesus said more about people giving up their riches than He said about being born again. It's comfortable to say we're born again because that idea is so vague in our society, but how many of us can really say we've sold all we have to give to the poor or that we turn the other cheek to our enemies. Those ideas still challenge me as a US citizen where even the poorest of us are rich compared to most of the globe. I've done very little in my lifetime to bring justice to the poor and oppressed the Jesus loved so much, and I feel challenged to start meaning what I say when I call myself a Christian. Of course I would never be ashamed to associate myself with Jesus, but I am ashamed to associate myself with the Christian majority in the US because it seems they care less for following Christ's teachings than they do for following the so-called culturally Christian empires of our time.
10. Would you call As I Lay Dying a "christian band" or would you say you are "christians in a band"?
We are a Christian band because my beliefs influence everything that I do.
11. What has God been teaching you lately?
"Whatever you've done unto the least of these, you've done unto Me."
12. Is there anything you would like to say that we haven't covered?
I tend to come across very serious when you get me on the right subject, but I also want people to see the other side of me just trashing around and having fun. Hopefully Austrian Death Machine will help get that across while it also gives me a chance to play a lot of the instruments I had to give up when I started singing in As I Lay Dying.
Interview with ZacK McKim of Take It Back
Interview with Zack McKim of Take It Back Here is my interview with Zack McKim, vocalist of the awesome new Facedown Records band, Take It Back! |
Interview with Travis Boyd of Sleeping Giant
Interview with Travis Boyd of Sleeping Giant 1. Who is answering these questions and what do you play in the band? |
Interview with Chris McCaddon
Interview with Chris McCaddon of The Famine!
This is my interview with Chris McCaddon, vocalist of new Solid State band, The Famine, and former vocalist of Embodyment.
1. Who is this and what do play in the band?
Chris McCaddon and I am the vocalist.
2. How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?
I would have to say metal with a heavy southern and death metal influences.
3. What bands are your biggest influences?
Being from Texas, Pantera would be at the top. You might not really hear it but I can say without that band we probably wouldn't be playing music. Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Morbid Angel, Sepultura, Human Remains. Personally I listen to a lot of early Napalm Death, Assück, His Hero Is Gone, and Death.
4. When is your Solid State debut due out?
We don't have a date set yet. Before the summer of 2008.
5. Are there any plans for a tour yet?
Absolutely. I can't confirm anything as of right now. It's all still being worked out. You will most likely see us touring frequently in 2008.
6. You guys used to play in Embodyment, how long after things fell apart with Embodyment did you guys start playing together again?
Well, a few years ago Andy and I began entertaining the thought of playing in a band again. Andy and Mark started writing again and it wasn't until a year ago that we actually tracked some stuff.
7. Since you guys were all together in Embodyment the metal and hardcore scene has gotten more popular and more mainstream. Did the fact that you guys will have the opportunity to play for potentially more people than you could have five to ten years ago have any part in you deciding to start playing again?
For sure. It definitely wasn't the sole reason but the timing was right. There is a better opportunity for us to be successful at it and to play to a lot more fans.
8. How did you guys end up back with Solid State Records?
Those guys are family to us. We didn't want to go the whole "shop the demo" route again. The label loved what we were doing and from the start got behind us.
9. What role would you say christianity plays in your band?
I wouldn't say it plays a "role." That's like deciding when it is appropriate for your faith to take the stage. It is embedded in the fabric and is who we are.
Interview with Jimmy Ryan from Trenches
Interview with Jimmy Ryan from Trenches Here is my interview with Jimmy Ryan, vocalist of Trenches and former vocalist of Haste The Day. |
Interview with David from For Today
HEr | Here is my interview with David from For Today for my other site (christian hardcore news). Interview with David from For Today! David, drummer for our Unsigned Band of The Week, For Today, was gracious enough to answer some questions for me to post on this site! If you don't know For Today right now, you will in the near future. Here is my interview with, David. |
Interview with Dean Atkinson
A mixture of death metal and hardcore, and some other metal influences here and there.
2. You guys just got signed by Victory Records this year, How did that come about and what made you decide to chose to sign with them?
A friend of ours in a band called A Day To Remember told them to check us out, victory liked what they heard and asked us to come and play a showcase for them in chicago. We went and did it and then they asked us to sign. We have known of victory for a long time. We liked the people we met and knew that they could push our music and promote us well and that would help our message get out there to more people too. They are very supportive of us being a Christian ministry based band and, we prayed about it and felt like it was a great decision and blessing from God.
3. You're currently recording your Victory Records debut, What are the songs sounding like in comparison with the songs on "Golgotha"?
They are faster and heavier, some slower and heavier too haha, we kept the sound we have, including heavy mosh parts, its definitely an improvement, we feel like.
4. Do you have a title or release date for this album, yet?
January 22, 2008 the album is called Horror.
5. You guys are about to go on tour with My Children, My Bride, what can people expect when they come to a show?
Well haha, fun I hope haha, heavy music a fun stage show and the love and acceptance of Jesus Christ.
6. What bands inspire you and have influenced you the most, personally?
Well many have, but mainly for me with heavy music would have to be Zao, old Underoath, Kekal, Extol, Crimson Moonlight, musically and spiritually. As far as just musically then Dying Fetus, old Metallica, Pantera, and so many more.. as far as non heavy bands there are alot too haha, but The Beatles, believe it or not, are like my band from all time periods, haha.
7. If you could only listen to one album through your next tour, what would it be?
Zao - Liberate Tu Ex Infernis
8. How big of a role does christianity play in your band?
It is the sole reason we do what we do. We are not perfect and have many struggles, but Jesus is our reason for living and the reason for our music.
9. Do you guys plan on playing at Cornerstone or any of the other christian festivals next summer?
Yeah, definitely man. As many as we can, haha.
10. Christian Metal and Hardcore music has gotten very popular in the last couple years, what would you say the reasons for that are?
Honestly, I believe the blessings of God and people realizing that Christ isn't just some idea or philosophy, and that you can love Jesus and make good heavy music with a message other than satanic, blasphemous, garbage. There are so many amazingly talented bands that have that message, their music is not garbage, but the message of evil and satan definately are. People are searching for something, and Jesus is the answer for it!
If there's anything you would like to say that I didn't cover in my questions, let me know!
No, thanks so much for this chance man! Much love and may the Lord Jesus bless you!
My interview with Brenna Lee Roth
1. You were in Inhale Exhale's video for "A Call To The Faithful", How did that opportunity come about for you?
The director ask(begged) me to do it. The shoot was in my hometown of canton ohio, i was there seeing family anyhow, so i did it. Turns out that the husband they cast with me is now going to be my real life husband too.
2. Are you personally a fan of Inhale Exhale or any other Solid State Records bands?
I grew up on Ghoti Hook, Craigs Brother, Value Pac, Spud Gun, Traning For Utopia, lots of bands like that...but i never listened to Inhale Exhale until after the video was out.
3. Who are some of your favorite music artists?
Favorite? Guns and Roses.
4. I read that you played in a punk band, is your band still active?
Not really. I have a studio in my new house, some friends come over and we write stuff, jam...whatever, but we don't play shows.
5. What are your religious beliefs and what do you think ok Jesus Christ?
Hum...beliefs is hard to explain. I was raised Mennonite, then (not married) had a baby, the church said I can either get an abortion or get married. I thought that was stupid so i just found a different church. Then i started going to a Christian collage (Malone, Canton Oh) and they told me (after 4 years) that by showing my dead body and half a t** on CSI:Miami that it was sexual misconduct and i should leave. So now i don't like many other Christians...but i am still one.
6. I know you probably get plenty of questions involving your father, David Lee Roth, but I had to ask at least one. You and I are both 24 so we were pretty young at the peak of Van Halen's career. My mother tells me that "Jump" was my favorite song when I was 2 or 3 years old. Do you remember anything about the days when your dad was fronting Van Halen in the mid 80's and what's your favorite Van Halen song?
I've never seen him play on stage...and it's hard to tell if i liked his music or not when I was little because if it came on the radio, he wouldn't say "this is me".
7. What got you interested in being an actress?
None. Haha. No, I just found something I was great at and thank God I can make money doing it, because don't know how to do anything else.
8. You've been in horror movies, worked for the horror channel, and even produced a documentary about how culture affected horror movies in the 70's, is that correct? How did you develop such a passion for horror films?
Hum...I don't know. Actually, I don't really like horror movies. They scare me. I am just friends with all the people that make them, so when i made GrindHouse Glory (doc) i just went around and interviewed all my friends.
I do some drama sometimes. I just finished a TV show called "The Kill Point", I was in Spider Man 3, Miami Vice, Law and Order, CSI:Miami, and now i am in K-Ville and a comedy feature called "Adventureland" by the guys that made "Superbad".
9. You're young and ambitious, what goals do you hope to accomplish in your career?
Um...i don't really have career goals. I only have family goals. I want to get married to an amazing man, and have more kids. I don't even know what else there is in life if you don't have that.
10. Are there any movies or projects you are currently working on?
A few...I just finished "heavy mental" where I play a girl that hates metal so i kill everyone in metal bands. and another movie called Dog. I start filming this week, I play a girl that ownes a sk8 shop.
Thank you very much, Brenna!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Bono makes an 'Oh No'
Apparently the new U2 album has leaked because Bono was playing it too loud out of his window. A passer-by noticed that it was new U2 and started recording the music. Uh oh, Bono!
Haste The Day reveal track list for Dreamer
Friday, August 15, 2008
lamb of god working on new album.
Are you having fun?
So I was a little late to party when it came to the band called The Format. I fell in love with them right as they were breaking up. Luckily Nate Reuss, vocalist of The Format, has a new band called Fun. They have a rough demo on the linked myspace page.
Don't Buy The New Morrissey DVD!
The man himself has this to say about the new DVD;
My favorite alt-rock-pop-sury-ska-lounge-jazz-metal band readies new album!
The Vincent Black Shadow will be releasing a new album sometime this fall. This band mixes so many genre's it's ridiculous, yet it comes across so smooth.
Wigger Slam? Oh please, no!
Deathcore Is Taking Over.
Christian Deathcore band, Underneath The Gun have signed with Ferret Records. I'm surprised Solid State Records haven't signed a Deathcore band, yet. Get with it SS!
New Videos!
Norma Jean Vs. The Anti Mother
God Forbid To Cover Muse
God Forbid have announced that they will be covering the song by Muse called "Stockholm Syndrome" as a b-side to their upcoming album. Here is Muse's video for the song.
Random Goodies
I'm crying like a baby.
One of my favorite bands, Life In Your Way, recently played their final show together. I believe they were the best band ever to fuse worship and hardcore. If you have never heard their album Waking Giants, you are missing out on a truly amazing and life changing album. Watch this video for a glimpse of the power in their music.
Black Metalcore?
...and it sounds good!
You Look Like A Freak
OMG! PARAMORE ARE SELL OUTS!
Oh Mae Goodness!
New music on the way from Mae!