Take Two guitarist Adam Lawton talks about the bands latest release “We Aren’t Big”

Take Two have been performing in and around the Tri-State area since the groups formation in 2012. The four piece band who lists Corning, NY as their home-base bring a unique mix of sounds and styles to the pop-punk genre which they associate themselves with. The group’s latest release “We Aren’t Big” is set for release on March 13th and Media Mikes had the chance to speak with bands guitarist Adam Lawton about the band, the new release and making the transition to a heavier sound.     

Ryan Albro: What can you tell us about Take Two?

Adam Lawton: The band is made up of Josh Cavaluzzi, AJ Kish, Nick Murray and I. The original line up of the band formed in 2012 while some the guys were going to college together in Upstate New York. After a short time they were looking for new guitarist and that’s when I joined the band. We put out our self-titled debut shortly after.  Around that same time we got hooked up with the Cold Cock Whiskey artist program which allowed us to connect with a bunch of other bands and play some new places around NY, NJ and PA. After a couple more lineup changes including Josh moving from drums to vocals and downsizing to a four piece we released two EP’s (Weekend Warriors and Natures Chicken) Through the release of those and connections we made we joined the Dirtbag Clothing Artist program and also started working with ACE Products Group both of which have been amazing! Because of them we were able attend our first winter and summer NAMM shows which took us to Los Angeles and Nashville. Now on March 13th we are set to release a brand new album titled “We Aren’t Big”   

RA: Can you give us some background on the new album We Aren’t Big?

AL: “We Aren’t Big” is the bands 4th studio release. It consists of 9 tracks four of which are brand new. The other five come from two previously released EP’s (Weekend Warriors and Natures Chicken). We re-recorded those with the current lineup of the band

RA: What was the inspiration for the album’s title?

AL: (Laughs) that started out as a joke between the guys in the band. We were on our way to a show one day and we stopped for some food. A couple of us had already ordered when the cashier asked our singer Josh if we were in a band. He replied “Yes, but we aren’t big”. Of course we all lost it and we were like “what do you mean we aren’t big!?” We are huge in our own minds. (Laughs) So since that day we all would joke with each other about being a band but it’s not big. When it came time to decide on an album name that one liner came up and it instantly stuck.

RA: Which songs are you most proud of from We Aren’t Big?

AL: We worked hard on all the songs so to pick just one or two is kind of tough. When you are putting these things together you get really attached to certain parts as you spend a lot of time playing them over and over to get them just right. For instance the breakdown in “Fall”, the verses of “Burner” and the solo of “Lock Up” are ones that stick out for me and fun to play.   

RA: What were your inspirations to blend metal and punk on the album?

AL: That was something that happened organically over time. Each time there was a lineup change we tweaked our sound a little bit. We have had this same line up now for quite some time and we are all into various forms of heavy music along with punk. One of the first new songs we had was “Burner” and being that song is fairly aggressive we figured that the other new songs we were going to include with it should follow suit.

RA: What are your thoughts on current influences in the punk genre?

AL: I think if you look at punk over the years it’s a genre that is always evolving and expanding. “Punk” is such a broad term now and there are just so many sub-genres of punk like Folk-Punk, Afro-Punk, Celtic-Punk you name it. I think punk is more of an idea or thought process in that you are doing something different than what is considered the “norm” at that time. You can be “punk” without looking or sounding any one specific way and that’s really cool.   

RA: What are Take Two’s upcoming touring plans and what’s next for the band?

AL: Coming up on March 14th we will be playing in Buffalo, NY with a bunch of great acts from up there. Being it’s the day after the record comes out we have decided to stream our set via facebook.com/official.taketwo starting at 8:30pme EST. We thought that would be cool way for more people to be able to check out the show and hear the new music in a live setting. From there we will be appearing at this year’s Launch Music Conference in Lancaster, PA. We will be making the rounds that weekend and promoting a song of ours that is featured on the Conference compilation record which they put out each year. Another cool thing we have coming out is we got hooked up with Phameless Records from Philadelphia and have a song appearing on a compilation they have put together so that’s going to be really cool as well. Aside from all of that we have shows booked through the fall around NY and PA and are always looking to add more whenever we can.

For more information on TAKE TWO and to get a copy of “We Aren’t Big” visit the bands official web page at www.officialtaketwo.com

ME AND THAT MAN, Featuring Adam Nergal Darski, Signs Worldwide Contract with Napalm Records

Evil has truly never sounded so good.

Blackened blues project ME AND THAT MAN – founded in 2013 by Behemoth frontman Adam Nergal Darski – has officially signed a worldwide contract with Napalm Records (excluding Poland).

ME AND THAT MAN released their debut album, Songs of Love and Death, in 2017 – introducing the world to their unique brand of folk and blues, mixed with hints of outlaw country. The atmospherically dark album provides a strong contrast to Behemoth with its catchy melodies and relaxed rhythms, and gives Nergal space to express his creativity in a different setting. Since its release, the album’s lead single, “My Church is Black”, has racked up over 2.5 million streams on Spotify.

ME AND THAT MAN has big plans in store in the coming months.

NERGAL on the signing:
It’s a pleasure to be working with a brand new team of people on a project which in many ways is brand new to me. We have some big surprises for you in the coming months so keep ‘em peeled. The record has been a lot of hard work; some blood, some tears but just wait and see, it was totally worth it!

Sebastian Münch, A&R Napalm Records, on the signing:
“As I’ve been a Johnny Cash fan for many years, Songs of Love and Death turned out to be like a memorial to the country music god himself! Nergal´s creative and musical brilliance redefined an entire genre, and the album’s dark and sinister vibes were most certainly noticed in distant Nashville. Welcome, ME AND THAT MAN, to the Napalm family!”
Watch “My Church Is Black” HERE:
Adam Nergal Darski has been a fixture in the music industry for years. As the frontman of black / death metal band Behemoth, Darski has been known to preach unholy sermons, praise Satan and sing about explicit blasphemy. Naturally, the next step was to channel those themes into another genre commonly dubbed as the Devil’s music – blues. 

ME AND THAT MAN is exactly that – Nergal’s solo project will surprise and bewitch the listener. The visionary creative founded the band in an effort to showcase his true ability to adapt to any genre. Released in 2017, ME AND THE MAN’s debut album, Songs of Love and Death, delivered thirteen stunning pieces full of multifaceted riffs and honest lyrics. In summer 2018, a line-up change followed, but Nergal’s solo project was far from over. Stay tuned for more details coming very soon.
ME AND THAT MAN live:
18.– 21.06.2020 BE – Dessel / Graspop Festival
26.06.2020 ES – Madrid / Rock The Night Festival
09.07.2020 SE – Gävle / Gefle Metal Festival
05.08.2020 CZ – Jaromer / Brutal Assault Festival
More tba

Parks and Recreation's Amy Poehler, Adam Scott and Mike Schur chat about the big wedding episode

February 21, 2013 – Tonight’s Parks and Recreation will see the wedding of Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) in a spontaneous ceremony put on by the Pawnee Parks department. The two stars spoke together, along with series Executive Producer and Writer, Mike Schur about the special occasion as well as Leslie and Ben’s relationship throughout the series.

 

Element of Surprise

Back in October, Ben Wyatt surprised viewers with his impromptu proposal to Leslie in one of Schur’s favorite moments of the series so far:

Mike Schur: “I like the proposal the most of the things that have actually aired because I’m of the belief that the most powerful weapon we have in tv these days after sixty years of sitcoms is surprise and that has been our goal with every relationship really and with every non-romantic story we tell on the show we just try to always be surprising to the audience. And that was the idea, we were not going to have the proposal come in the season premiere or in you know, November sweeps or you know, Christmas or whatever. We’re going to do it at a time where it just feels natural and right and that kind of takes people by surprise. That was the plan with the proposal and I think it worked.”

Everyone has to Chip in

Originally planned to take place in May, Ben’s sudden decision to hold the wedding instead at tonight’s Parks Department gala puts the entire cast to work:

Schur: “They basically have two hours to throw it together. So everybody kind of has a role to play. Tom Haverford becomes the officiant and has to get ordained online in like an hour and Donna plays a role in that for the first time we’re going to feature her beautiful and professionally trained singing voice…In order to pull this thing off, in classic Parks and Rec fashion, everyone has to chip in.

 

Will the wedding see Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) looking for ladies?

Schur: “The wedding is really about Leslie and Ben and everyone sort of gets that. So Tom is not—Tom has a desire to kind of shine at the wedding, as he always does in any social situation that he’s in. But it’s not about ladies. It’s about him wanting to be a star at the wedding.”

 

Did Leslie miss having a big production wedding?

Amy Poehler: “Leslie…is a modern woman. So it’s not like she has these weird fantasies about marriage or of weddings necessarily. So she’s kind of a combination of her liking to be in control. And what’s cool about that moment for both Ben and Leslie—because they tend to like to control things—is that they kind of throw things up in the air.”

 

Ben Wyatt as The One

Leslie Knope has dated an assortment of men throughout the series from Louis CK to Justin Theroux, but it became clear to everyone that Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt would be the one to wind up tying the knot with Knope.

Adam Scott: “We thought that it might be—Leslie and Ben might be a couple at some point but I think it was sort of a wait-and-see sort of thing. Because if we got together and didn’t quite click as a relationship…I sort of got the sense that they were gonna try that out and see if it works and if it didn’t maybe find something else for me to do.”

Schur: “The plan was always that this was a love interest and a long-term love interest. Our initial idea for Leslie was that she was gonna have a series of relationships with different men, different kinds of men over the course of the show and that she would sort of learn something different from each of them…She learned something from Mark Brendenowicz [Paul Schneider], she learned something from Louis CK’s character, she learned something from Justin Theroux and we were kind of like oh, Adam Scott, she’ll date him for a while and she’ll learn something from him. It was certainly the plan to have him be the love interest…The first episode—in the Master Plan episode—they have a conversation in a bar and I wrote this thing into it where Ben says to her very casually ‘You want to run for office someday, right?’ and she says ‘Yeah, how did you know?’ and he just sort of blows past it. I mean he’s just kind of got her number, he just kind of gets her. He understands her and what her goals are. And the second episode that we had which was the finale that year called Freddy Spagetti, they have a conversation and Leslie smiles at him and walks off and there’s a shot of Adam looking after Leslie with a smile on his face and as soon as I saw that I kind of realized that not only were they going to get together but they were never going to break up. It became really clear in that moment that this was it.”

Poehler: “It’s chemistry baby, you can’t fight it!”

 

Pawnee after the wedding

As always with Parks and Recreation, work goes on in Pawnee right alongside the romantic plots.

Schur:“In the second episode [tonight’s 9-9:30 half of the hour]… the cold open of that episode is Leslie and Ben coming back from their Honeymoon and just sort of talking about how much fun they had on their Honeymoon but the episode is just a regular episode of Parks and Rec and Leslie and Ben are in the same story. Ben is starting a new job and it’s the first day of work and he’s sort of thrown into this new challenge of his new job and Leslie has an event that she’s planning for which is sort of a correspondent’s type of event where the politicians roast each other and stuff.

And so I think you’ll see right away that there’s sort of a blue print going forward that yea, they’re married now but you know, they also have other aspects of their lives that are very important to them and so I hope and very much feel like that will be the thing that keeps it from feeling like the ‘magic is gone.’”

Parks and Recreation airs every Thursday at 8:30pm on NBC.

Adam Green and Joe Lynch talk about FEARnet’s “Holliston” and Season 2 plans!

Adam Green and Joe Lynch are the masterminds behind the hit FEARnet sitcom “Holliston”. The first season of the show has just recently been released on Blu-ray and DVD and Media Mikes had the chance to talk with the guys about their favorite moments and what we can expect from season two.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some back ground on how you were able to get Dee Snider and Dave Brockie involved with the show?
Adam Green: I have had a very long friendship with Dee Snyder. I actually came up with the Lance Rocket character when I was DJing at the Rainbow Bar and Grill on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. The place is a heavy metal hang out but it’s also like a time capsule where guys in there 50’s and 60’s don’t realize the 80’s are over. It’s hilarious but sad at the same time. The design of “Holliston” is that every character has a dream beyond what their day job is. When I approached everyone about 4 years ago Dee was the only one who was going to be playing a fictitious character. The rest of us would play similar versions of our real selves. Dee was a little apprehensive about the role. He told me that he was never anything like this guy but a lot people thought he was because of Twisted Sister’s imagery.  He had spent the last 20 years trying to redefine himself and now we wanted him to play this role. Thankfully after he read the script he thought it was funny and that it would give him a chance to poke fun at that whole stigma. Dee is having a blast. With Dave aka Oderus I have known for 13 years that there was going to be an imaginary alien in my closet that gives me advice. I have been a lifelong Gwar fan and have hoped it would be him. Thankfully this show took so long to get made I was at a point to where I could reach out to anyone I wanted. The guys were aware of me and Dave was a very quick yes.
Joe Lynch: It is so crazy that both of those guys are in it. Being an instant fan of Gwar from the first time I saw them and having known Dee from when my Dad used to ride bikes with him is just awesome. I am very glad the show happened when it did as Adam was able to say this is the cast I want.

AL: Where there any reservations about signing to FEARnet due to their limited coverage?
AG: That is what really made the show possible. This show had been developed for a major network at one point over its 13 year process. When it was in development at the major network the first draft of the show came out and it wasn’t even my show anymore. If I had gone with that version of the show I would have only been doing it for the money. With Fear net coming in to existence and being a startup network has given us the opportunity to become the flag ship show. Creatively we could do exactly what we wanted. There were some limitations due to just getting started and not being on every provider but, most people these days don’t watch a show when it actually airs. They watch it afterwards on DVD or Netflix. We got in on the ground level and are very important to them as we are their first original show. So far we are their only originally show. We have their undivided attention. They make those shows with us which is a great experience. I don’t think it would be the way it is anywhere else. We look at Fear net still getting their footing as a positive thing.

AL: Is there a moment from season one that sticks out for you both as a highlight?
JL: It is hard to pick just one moment. The first episode for me was definitely a highlight. This was the first time that we got to see ourselves in this format. There is something completely surreal about seeing yourself in a sitcom. There’s this very strange moment where you think “oh my god I’m on a TV show”. It’s a shock and awe moment. When you watch that first episode we start in the Movie Crypt and end in the Holliston Grill. To see that all happen and having to myself drink all those black coffees is something I will never forget. Watching that arc from episode 1 to episode 6 which features a ton of guest stars was really great.
AG: We didn’t shoot the episodes in order. In fact the pilot was one of the final episodes we shot. We did that because I never want to shoot the beginning of the movie first. That’s the time when people are still finding their footing. We shot the “Candy Man” episode first which featured Tony Todd. It’s funny when we read reviews where they are talking about the pilot and how we are just finding our way but by episode 3/4 we are hitting our stride. That’s not true. That is the audience hitting their stride. The first two or three episodes you watch you are still getting in to it and becoming attached to the characters. Shooting that pilot with the show being so autobiographical was tough at times. The scene where I first see Cory and her new boyfriend was a very emotional scene for me as it was real and I had to keep doing it over and over. Everyone loved it and thought it was great but I was just dying inside. I will never forget that.

AL:Special guest-wise, who can we be watching for in season two?
AG: Kane Hodder and Daniel Harris will both be back in season 2. We also have David Naughton from “American Werewolf in London” and James Gunn the director of “Slither. Sid Haig will also make an appearance this season. There will be a lot of guests. We have been very lucky to have people like Derek Meers and everyone else involved again this season. We really wanted people who you saw in season 1 come back as it feels natural being “Holliston” has a small town setting. It’s something very natural. When an audience likes a certain character you want to try and keep them around. Even Cory’s boyfriend will be back. People just love him. There are some names we are holding back on purpose as we want there to be some surprises.

AL: Has there been a specific air date scheduled for season two?
AG: We know that it will probably air around the same time as season 1 did last year. We haven’t heard the actual date yet however it will most likely be spring time. My guess would be May or June. There will be 10 episodes as well as a Christmas episode which will air in December. What’s great about the Christmas special is it’s not your average stand alone hour special. It really acts as the connective tissue between season one and two. A lot of really big shit goes down between characters that set up things in season 2. We are really excited for this episode. I am editing it now and I think it will air in either the second or third week of December.

AL: Do either of you have any updates on “Killer Pizza” or “Knights of Badassdom”?
AG: As of now I am only the writer on “Killer Pizza”. It is a big studio movie meaning that things move incredibly slow. The writing process was a solid two years. A lot of that time was spent waiting for contracts and re-writes. I am now done with my contractual commitments to the script and it has been submitted to MGM. I haven’t heard anything either way but I wouldn’t expect to this soon. Hopefully something happens with the movie as I would love to see it get made. It is a really fun movie.
JL: That is kind of the same thing with “Knights of Badassdom”. My work is done so now it comes down to the people financing the film. I have heard the film will be out sometime next year. I have my fingers crossed just like everyone else.

AL: Can you tell us a little about “Everly”?
JL: Right now we are doing a lot of prepping and casting. The film is a really ambitious thriller that is completely different from the things we have done before. This is something that I have kind of always wanted to do. I co-wrote the film and we hope to start shooting in January. Things have been a little tough because of casting and other commitments. I also didn’t want this to get in the way of the work on “Holliston”.

AL: Any other projects you guys would like to mention?
AG: We are just about finished with post on “Hatchet III”. I have not heard the release date yet. The intention was to have it out in America by early 2013. Recently in an effort to help stop pirating distributors have started coordinating release dates worldwide so that may hold things up a bit. Until the talks are done between all of the people distributing the film I won’t know an exact release date. I will also be continuing my work on a documentary with artist Alex Pardee titled “Digging up the Marrow”. That has been sort of a side project the past year or so but I hope to be able to free up some more time to get that film completed. There also a few other things Joe and I are in talk to work on but we can’t say anything just yet about those.

WWE Superstar Adam “Edge” Copeland talks about his role on Syfy’s “Haven”

WWE Superstar Adam “Edge” Copeland recently retired from wrestling and is the youngest person to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Adam was a guest star on Syfy’s “Haven” during its second season and became a regular throughout season three. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Adam about working on “Haven” and his transition from wrestling.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about becoming a regular in season three of “Haven”?
Adam Copeland: I always use the term “happy accident”. I was told I had to retire from WWE about a year and half ago now. I guess Syfy had decided to use one of the WWE wrestlers from “Smackdown” for their show “Haven”. I think there was some trepidation since there is still that misconception that wrestlers just yell and scream in their underwear. Thankfully one of the writers showed a clip of my retirement speech and t hat in essence was my audition video. I got the call if I would be interested and I said “Of course”. I flew up for what would be just one episode initially. But after seeing my speech, they took two different characters and merged them into one. After the first episode, they decided to write him in more and that become four episodes in the first season and now seven episodes into this season.

MG: What do you enjoy most about working on the show?
AC: Everyone was just so friendly shooting in Nova Scotia. Especially coming off of the road and doing 250 shows a year. I thought this would be nice pace for me. That is one of the things I enjoyed the most was sleeping in the same bed every night…but still working. That is something that is very foreign to me. It was nice to have a script and be able to study the lines. I just liked really being able to prepare for the role. It has really been the best of both worlds for me personally.

MG: Just from the first two episodes of season three, the show seems amped from last season, can you reflect?
AC: I don’t know if angrier is the right term, but things are put up with more of urgency this season. Things really come to a head and a lot of questions get answered. I feel that it is a little darker and aggressive and I like that. One of the things I like and even going back to last year, I am fan of this show and I really proud to be a part of it. It is not just a pay-day job for me. This is really cool for me. I also like that it is still shot on film and it still looks so good.

MG: Tell us about your dynamic with your fellow characters on the show?
AC: My character has a completely different relationship with each character. With Duke, they really don’t like each other but they are a lot alike. With Nathan, that is Dwight’s partner and he looks after him. With Audrey, he looks at her like a little sister. Then Vince and Dave, they are like these grandfatherly/uncle types. They are all awesome to work with. Vince and Dave are just awesome, their facial terms are just so subtle but effective. One of the things that people don’t realize is that in the U.S. is that Dave (played by John Dunsworth), he is like a national icon in Canada. He is in this show called “Trailer Park Boys”, which is so awesome. He and I went out one day and there is not a person walking down the street that didn’t stop him. I am sort of used to that with my prior career. I get stopped occasionally but no joke; he gets stopped by everyone in Canada. I’m like “Hey I used to do that little wrestling thing, anyone remember that?” [laughs].

MG: Your character Dwight has a lot of mystery behind him; can we expect any reveals of his background?
AC: It delves a little more into all of our pasts. It tells us a little bit of how everything is intertwined. It was touched on before but we get a few more layers into it. You find that there is definitely some cool things going on. I had a lot of cool scenes with Vince and Dave this season, which is great. Last season, I spent it primarily with Lucas (Bryant) and Eric (Balfour). But yeah, it gets deeper into who Dwight is and his involvement. Also from a fan perspective, when I found out where it was going this season I was really excited.

MG: What has been your biggest challenge transitioning from wrestling to dramatic series?
AC: Since I was told I had to retire from wrestling, I think it was easier for me to transition. I couldn’t do it anymore and this other thing came up and I figured I could give it a shot. That has made it fun for me and not given me any pressure. This has felt not like it is not a job and thankfully neither did WWE. So it is kind of cool that for my entire adult life that I haven’t worked. I have just been involved on these really cool projects. The biggest transition was pulling back my mannerism and face movements. In wrestling, you have to translate things to 80,000 people away…all the way to the back row. You do that with bigger face expression and more physical theatrics. With “Haven”, I had to realize that this camera can pick up my nose hairs. I had to pull back my facial expressions otherwise I told myself they are going to look completely insane [laughs]. But that was still fun working on that. I also got to work with like three or four different directors, including Jason Priestly. So it was great to get the different feedback and see how each person works.

Adam Busch talks about working on TBS’ hit show “Men at Work”

Adam Busch is currently co-star on TBS’ hit show “Men at Work”.  He co-stars along side Danny Masterson (“That ’70s Show”), James Lesure (“Las Vegas”) and Michael Cassidy (“The O.C.”).  “Men at Work” is one the best new shows on television right now and was already renewed for a second season next summer. Like myself Adam is also a Long Island, NY native who then moved to Orlando FL (also like myself) to pursue acting.  Media Mikes had a blast chatting with him about “Men at Work” and if you haven’t seen this show be sure to check it out on TBS.

Mike Gencarelli: What drew you to “Men at Work”?
Adam Busch: I have always wanted to do a sitcom. I started working for Nickelodeon on the show “The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo” and across the hall they were recording the sketch comedy “All That”. Our show was serious and we would hear this laughing and screaming next door whenever the stage door was opened. They were always having such fun and improving on the fly. I said myself that I wanted to do that.  Well, it took about 15 years later but I am finally making it happen. It was definitely as fun as I thought it would be.

MG: How do you prepare for the role of Neal?
AB: I like that it’s a place for Breckin (Meyer) and the writers to really explore relationship problems. You get heartache, you get serial monogamy and the pressure of a new dating system. Neal is the only chance to get the positives and negatives of being in a long-term relationships and the things that come up. I think it is a constant reminder to the other guys that things can be much better or much worse depending on the situation.

MG: The show is filmed in from of a live audience, does make it more difficult to shoot?
AB: That is the best part! If at all everything else is a challenge and that is where I feel the most comfortable and have the most fun. When you have been rehearsing a line all week long and right before you say it one of the writers or Breckin comes over and hand you a brand new fresh line that you haven’t had time to think about, you have no choice but just to commit to it. To hear the reactions from the crowd, that is so much fun. I love the studio audience. There is also a rhythm you can into like if the audience is laughing or Oooing and Ahhhing, you can tap into that and just go with it and make the audience happy.

MG: You find that their is a lot of room for improv?
AB: Well, yeah there is room for it and it certainly does happy sometimes. The really exciting thing is that it gives room for Breckin and the writers to come up with lines on the fly.

MG: Breckin Meyer seems like he is always there on set, huh?
AB: He is always there. Every day, after we rehearse with the director, we do a run through for him to hear it and see it. He is the one giving notes on our performance or walking around making sure everyone is cool or has questions before the shoot. It is a really lucky situation having a young actor as your boss. Also everything is ripped right from his life, so he has all the answers.

MG: The chemistry between you and the guys are great, you find it hard to stay serious while shooting?
AB: Yeah, I do…I do. But that is what is great about doing a show about four friends. Very often if I am laughing at something James (Lesure) is saying during the shooting, there it is right in the show. We are friends and he makes me laugh and that is it. I don’t have to remain serious. We enjoy the way we all interact. Our dynamic of us hanging out is actually a lot different than our dynamic on the show. In the show everyone makes fun of Neal but outside we all make fun of (Michael) Cassidy. He is so freaking pretty and you can’t resist [laughs].

MG: What has been your favorite episode so far this season?
AB: I don’t know if I have a favorite episode. But I certainly have a favorite scene, like when I smack Cassidy back into reality. That was really fun and it changed so much throughout the week. First it was him smacking me, then it was me smacking him and it ended with us both smacking each other. We decided we were just gonna do it, no blocking with camera to fake it. I said I gonna smack you and your gonna smack me and that’s it. I also loved meeting J.K. Simmons and working with him. It was really wonderful.

Eve to Adam Signed CD “Banquet For a Starving Dog” & T-Shirt Giveaway [ENDED]

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED AND WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL. PLEASE CHECK BACK EACH WEEK FOR NEW GIVEAWAYS!

To celebrate the extension of Eve to Adam’s support run with rock legends Creed Media Mikes has once again teamed up with Total Assualt PR to giving away 1 Eve to Adam t-shirt and 1 signed copy of the bands latest album “Banquet For a Starving Dog”. If you would like to enter to win one of these great prizes leave us a comment below or send us an email telling us what concert you are most looking forward to seeing this summer? The giveaway will be open until Friday, July 27th at Noon Eastern Time and is only open to residents of the United States. Only one entry per person, per household. All other entries will be considered invalid. Once the giveaway ends Media Mikes will randomly select one of the winners and notify them via email.

“Banquet of a Starving Dog” is the debut from the NY hard rock band Eve to Adam. The band prides themselves on being a live act and has shared the stage with bands such as Daughtry, Motley Crue and 3 Doors Down. You can catch them all summer long as the opening act for Creed. Also be sure to check out Media Mikes exclusive interview with Eve to Adams lead vocalist/guitarist Taki Sassaris.

Eve to Adam Extend US Tour Dates with Creed

Eve to Adam has just announced that they will be extending their 2012 tour supporting hard rock legends Creed. The nationwide tour kicked off early this Spring, and will continue through September with additional stops in Nashville, San Antonio, Atlantic City, and more. The full schedule, including Eve to Adam headlining shows, is below.

The New York City band’s latest single, a cover of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out,” is currently climbing the charts and is even played by Cooper himself on his syndicated radio show. The track is available now on iTunes and streaming in full via Soundcloud. In addition, Eve to Adam’s “Reach” (from their debut album, Banquet for a Starving Dog) is still a top 20 track on the Mainstream Rock charts.

For more on the band, visit their evetoadam.com as well as their Facebook and Twitter.

Tour dates:
7/27 Cherokee, NC – Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center w/ Creed
7/28 Vienna, WV – Fishbone Gill and Grill
7/29 Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium w/ Creed
7/30 Little Rock, AR – Juanitas
8/2 Redding, CA – Redding Civic Auditorium w/ Creed
8/3 Lincoln, CA – Thunder Valley Casino w/ Creed
8/8 El Paso, TX – Speaking Rock Entertainment Center w/ Creed
8/10 Pharr, TX – Pharr Entertainment Center w/ Creed
8/11 San Antonio, TX – Sunken Gardens Theater w/ Creed
8/12 Corpus Christi, TX – Concrete Street Amphitheater w/ Creed
8/14 Amarillo, TX – Aztec Music Hall w/ Creed
8/17 Madison, WI – High Noon
8/18 Fargo, ND – Concert Hall at The Venue w/ Creed
8/21 Toledo, OH – Mickey Finns
8/22 Detroit, MI – The Detroit Pub
8/25 Hartford, CT – Up on the Rock
8/27 Bethlehem, PA – Sands Bethlehem Event Center w/ Creed
8/28 Glen Allen, VA – Innsbrook Pavilion w/ Creed
8/30 Melbourne, FL – King Center for the Performing Arts w/ Creed
8/31 Pensacola, FL – Saenger Theatre w/ Creed
9/1 Biloxi, MS – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino w/ Creed
9/5 Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center w/ Creed
9/7 Atlantic City, NJ – House of Blues w/ Creed
9/8 Montclair, NJ – TheWellmont Theatre w/ Creed

“School’s Out on iTunes:http://bit.ly/LlMwcr“School’s Out” on SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/evetoadam/schools-out-alice-cooper-cover

Banquet for a Starving Dog on iTunes: http://bit.ly/zzJ4vw

Assets: http://music.totalassault.com/artists/573/Eve_To_Adam/

Official Sites:
www.evetoadam.com
facebook.com/evetoadam
twitter.com/#!/EVETOADAMMUSIC

Interview with Big Brother’s Adam Poch

Adam Poch was a contestant on season 13 of the reality television show “Big Brother”. Adam quickly became known to his house mates and viewers of the show for his love of Heavy Metal, Bacon and all things “Beverly Hills 90210”. Adam took a few minutes out of his day to talk with Media Mikes about his experience on the show as well as getting to meet Tori Spelling.

Adam Lawton: Were you familiar with the show prior to auditioning?
Adam Poch: I have been a fan of “Big Brother” since the beginning. Thank God around season 6 of the show I got my first DVR, which turned me from a big fan into a huge fan! I was then able to watch every episode. From there I started getting on all the blogs and watching the live feeds as well as the after dark stuff on Showtime. I really like the concept of the show as well. When I saw Evil Dick on season 8, I realized that they could have a rock and roll type guy on the show.  So I thought about trying out.

AL: Had you auditioned for any previous season of the show?
AP: Yes. I had auditioned prior to season 10, however I bombed my audition terribly. I went in and talked about everything but myself. I was too busy at the time to audition for season 11, so the next time I went in was for season 12. I walked in this time and just gave it to them as to what made me unique. My opening line was “My name is Adam and my three passions are heavy metal, bacon and Beverly Hills, 90210”. You could see everyone in the room kind of look at me a little different. I made it all the way to the finals however they ending up not choosing me but they told me to keep trying.  This year I went back and gave them me again. I had some changes in my life since the previous year such as losing a 100 lbs. and having a girlfriend. I think my confidence definitely showed more and they loved everything that had from the previous year but they loved it even more this year.

AL: Having gone through the audition process a few times what was it like?
AP: They have you jump through hoops and answering questions over and over. There were a couple rounds of interviews with different people. For me there were a lot of sleepless nights waiting for phone calls about whether or not I made it to the next round. Open auditions started in April and it’s not until July that the show starts. For someone who got so close last year, I could taste it and there were lots of nights dreaming about how cool it would be to be on the show.

AL: Did you ever become annoyed with having the cameras around literally all the time?
AP: When you sign up for the show you know going in that the cameras are going to rolling 24-7, you really have no place to hide. I was never annoyed with the cameras but I was annoyed that I could never just get away and have a luxury reward. We had the episode where David Hasselhoff came into the house and four people got to watch the show “Same Name”. I was just praying there would another similar competition to watch a movie or television show. It would have been nice to get out of the game for just a bit,as being in game mode all the time did take a toll on me.

AL: You guys are completely locked out from the outside world correct?
AP: I had no idea about anything going on outside of the house. I remember some of the cast wanting to know what was going on with the Casey Anthony trial. Personally, I wanted to know what was going on with the NFL lockout. I knew I would be getting out of the house in September and a Fall without football just isn’t Fall. I also knew I was missing a lot of great concerts while I was in the house. I really missed an entire summer of new stuff. Being blocked off from society is not always a bad thing but you do miss the connection with people.

AL: What was it like living in an elf suit for a week?
AP: For me it was a good time! People weren’t looking at me as a threat because I was an elf. I was just some goofy guy running around the house making people laugh and drinking syrup. I think the suit came at a good time for me because there were lines starting to be drawn deeper in the sand. No one really thought of me as a threat. I was able to stay under the radar and be entertainment for the house. If anyone in that cast had to get the elf suit, I was glad it was me because I feel I rocked it! I actually still have the suit. I saved it to use later in the game if tension started to get high, but I never did get back out as I was afraid it would make people upset rather than happy.

AL: What do you think was the hardest challenge you participated in?
AP: Probably the food competition from week two. Dominic and I were strapped together in an ant contest. The other guys all got matched up with girls who were pretty easy to carry. Dominic and I are not the smallest people in the house. You put the two of us together in an ant costume crawling over picnic items really tore us up. I have a few scars on my knees from that competition. I’m glad I will never have to do that one again. The ski slope challenge was pretty intense, as well as the first part of the final Head of House competition. We were on the beaters churning butter. I had to stand on this small platform with size 13 feet and about 15 minutes in my legs locked up and I was done. I ended up sitting in the pool for another 10-15 minutes because I just couldn’t move my legs.

AL: Did you guys have an idea as what each competition was going to be ahead of time?
AP: We could hear banging and things like that going on outside but we could never see anything. We had no idea what we were doing until the curtain goes up and we walk outside. We would often speculate what we thought we were going to have to do. At certain times we had a pretty good idea what was going to be coming up but we couldn’t be totally sure until we were out there.

AL: Can you describe the Tori Spelling meeting?
AP: Tori who? [laughs]…..I know that I didn’t win “Big Brother” but Tori Spelling came into the house and knew who Adam Pock was. Tori kissed me on the cheek while I was drinking an appletini! I would have blown through $500,000 so fast but the memories of Tori Spelling kissing me while drinking an appletini in the “Big Brother” house are worth way more than $500,000! It really was a dream come true being on the television show. I figured I would meet Tori one day at a book signing or something, but the fact Tori Spelling knows who I am! was the biggest thrill of the summer for sure. She was just as cute and sweet as I expected her to be. I fell in “love” with her character on the show and I watched her other reality shows and I just couldn’t have expected her to be any sweeter.

AL: Any chance we will see you on the show again?
AP: If people want me back on the show, write to CBS and tell them you want the elf/heavy metal teddy bear back on. Right now, I am back to my day to day life. I am back working at my job and have moved in with my girlfriend. I lost so much in three months that I am trying to catch up on things as much as I can. If I was called to be on the show again I would have to seriously think about it. The show was very draining both physically and mentally but I loved it. If things all worked out at that certain point in time I would probably go back. For right now though I am not knocking on any doors to have me put back in the show anytime soon. I give respect to those people on the show who have done back to back summers. It takes a special person to walk through those doors!

For up to date info on Adam head over to Twitter and follow him @heavymetalteddy