Pentatonix’s Avi Kaplan & Scott Hoying talk about NBC’s “The Sing Off”

Scott Hoying and Avi Kaplan are members of the Arlington, Texas based a cappella group Pentatonix. The group burst on to the scene last fall after winning season 3 of NBC’s “The Sing Off” Media Mikes talked recently with Scott and Avi about the group’s formation as well as their new hit single “Starships”.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background on how the group came together?
Scott Hoying: We started out as a trio. Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado and I all grew up together. Later when I move to Los Angeles to go to school I decided I wanted to try out for “The Sing Off”. I talked to my friend and he told me I was going to need a really awesome beat boxer and bass if I wanted to have a chance at the show. We found Avi through a friend as he had a really great reputation for singing bass in the Los Angeles area. We later found our beat boxer Kevin Olusola through a viral video of him playingcello and beat boxing. We sent him an email and after a phone call or two he was interested and he came out. We actually all met the day before the audition. Everything just clicked and the audition went really well. Now we are all best friends and it’s a happy go lucky story.

AL: What was it like competing on the show while you were still getting to know each other as a group?
SH: It was an interesting thing. On the show we were developing both as a group and as friends. If you watched the show you could actually see how we interacted with each other. We were also finding out how to work with each other as we didn’t really have a leader. We sort of sat in a circle and just talked. It was super hard to do at first because we were all different people and liked different music. We eventually clicked and ever since things just keep getting better and better.

AL: Was it hard working with the cameras around?
SH: Not really. I expected it to be hard but literally after one day you forget that they are there. You just go on your way and do what you have to do.

AL: What have been your thoughts about the success of your EP and its first single“Starships”?
SH: It been overwhelmingly exciting. We never thought a year ago when we were trying out for the show that anything would become of it. To be able to do what we love and are passionate about is really great. When we made the EP we worked so hard on it and the scary thing is people don’t really buy albums anymore. We were afraid it wasn’t going to do well.  People have been really intense about supporting us and we really appreciate that. Things are going better than we have ever hoped. We are still celebrating.
Avi Kaplan: The whole thing for me has been a dream comes true. It’s an amazing experience. This is just something that I have always wanted to do. I never thought this type of music would be my profession. I am getting to live my dream everyday and it is just so amazing.

AL: What made you choose “Starships” as the first single?
AK: When we were arranging all of the songs “Starships” was one of the last songs we arranged. The song just stuck out and we were very proud of the arrangement. We thought that this song would be a great spring board for our album.

AL: What were the writing/recording sessions like for the EP?
AK: It was definitely a collective process as we all have different styles. We appreciate all types of music so things were very collective.

AL: What are the group’s plans for the rest of this year?
AK: We really want to start recording our next EP or LP. We also want to start working on our Christmas Album. Besides touring those are the two things on our plate right now. We have a few different shows already scheduled and will be announcing more as the dates become available.
SH: We are going to be touring in a lot of different places. Even though were not doing an official tour nationwide. We plan to do a number of shows in different areas where it will feel like a tour.

White Chapel’s Phil Bozeman talks about new album

Phil Bozeman is the singer for the heavy metal group White Chapel. The band has just released a new full length album titled “White Chapel”. The group is also set to take part in this summer’s Mayhem Festival. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Phil about the album and what he is most looking forward to with touring this summer.

Adam Lawton: This album is the first to feature drummer Ben Harclerode. What do you feel he has brought to the band since joining?
Phil Bozeman: We went through a little bit of a funk with our previous drummer. We love the guy to death and are still friends with him. There were a stream of events that happened and the cards were just not in Kevin’s favor. He had injured his foot and at the same time started using different drum pedals. Things turned into a big cluster for him and his double bass playing really suffered. That is something you just can’t have so we had to

move on. We had gotten a video from Ben who we call “New Guy”. He was playing one of our older songs and he just nailed it. He flew out to Knoxville to play with us and it was everything we needed. I feel like we have transformed into a completely different band. We have always had fast double bass but not like this. We can write parts now where the double bass just rips. It’s nice to have that option and it’s been a great addition that has changed our band for the better.

AL: This album has a much darker sound and feel to it. Was this something you did on purpose or did this occur naturally?
PB: I wanted our next album to be depressing. I like dark ominous music and I wanted that sort of feel for this album. A lot of the lyrical content is very depressing especially the ending track. I just wanted a different direction.

AL: What type of process do you have when writing your lyrics?
PB: I know a lot of people who write constantly but I write when a song is done. I feel I can give the song better phrasing after I hear it first. I think it’s a lot tougher to write lyrics ahead of time and then try and get them to fit. I will write stuff that’s on my mind but only after I hear a track.

AL: What do you think makes this albumstand out from other similar releases?
PB: I feel like we have just released an album that no one was expecting. This album represents us as a band in general and it really shows our capabilities of writing pretty much whatever we want. There are a lot of bands out there that we have been compared to but I think we have our own sound.

AL: What are you most looking forward to about the bands upcoming tours?
PB: Mayhem Festival definitely! Slipknot is a band I have never seen so getting to see them is going to be great. It sucks that Paul won’t be there but it’s still going to be great. Of course there is never a bad time to see Slayer either.

 

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White Chapel’s Ben Harclerode & Phil Bozeman talk about new album

Ben Harclerode is the drummer and Phil Bozeman is the singer for the heavy metal group White Chapel. The band has just released a new full length album titled “White Chapel”. The group is also set to take part in this summer’s Mayhem Festival. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Ben & Phil about the album and what their is most looking forward to with touring this summer.


Ben Harclerode

Phil Bozeman

White Chapel’s Ben Harclerode talks about new album

Ben Harclerode is the drummer for the heavy metal group White Chapel. The band has just released their fourth studio album which titles “White Chapel”. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Ben about the new album and what it has been like being the new guy in the band.

Adam Lawton: Can you describe the bands writing/recording process on the latest record?
Ben Harclerode: The process was pretty collective between everyone in the band. We all got together at Alex’s house where he built a small studio space. We spent most of January there going through old riffs. We had a massive amount of material to go through so it was more a matter of everyone sitting down and figuring out what would work with what. We wrote some new stuff as well which was also thrown in to the mix. We really were just piecing various ideas together.

AL: Were there songs from the recording sessions that did not make the album?
BH: We were shooting to have more material however we just didn’t have enough time.We went out on tour with The Devil Wears Prada in November/December and then had about 2 weeks off for the holidays. From there we immediately jumped into working on the record for about a month. Time constraints were sort of put on everybody so we basically used what we had. We had hoped for a bonus track or two but we just didn’t have the time to make it happen.

AL: What do you feel you have brought to the band since joining?
BH: I have never met Kevin who is the guy I replaced. From what the other guys have told me they were looking for someone who was not only a fast player but the wanted someone who had a little more groove to their playing. They were looking for someone who was into playing other styles rather than just the standard blast beats and double bass. I like to think that maybe I bring a little bit more playing style outside of metal to the band. When I first joined I brought click tracks and sampling to the table. Now during our live shows we have started to sync our lights and other effects to those tracks. I think we can be a lot more flexible with our set now.

AL: What do you think makes this album standout from others in the genre?
BH: I think more and more as records are categorized into one specific genre a lot of style blend together. I feel when we put this album together no one was trying to sound one specific way. I think the end result shows a dynamic contrast between the songs. Each song has more of its own idea and vibe. This album has its own thing going on as do each of the tracks individually.

AL: Can you tell us about the band’s upcoming tour plans?
BH: We are going to be going out with Hatebreed. I haven’t seen the dates yet but I think it’s going to be a small venue tour. I love playing big venues but the more intimate shows always seem to be a lot more fun. We are on this year’s Mayhem Festival which I am really excited for. Getting to play with Slipknot is going to be great. All of the guys in the band are huge fans of theirs. This fall we also have plans to tour Europe with August Burns Red and The Devil Wears Prada.
 

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Attika 7’s Evan Seinfeld talks about new album “Blood of My Enemies” and tour

Evan Seinfeld is the former lead singer/bassist of the legendary NY hardcore band Biohazard. Seinfeld left the group in 2011 and joined the hard rock/metal group Attika 7. The group released its first LP titled “Blood of My Enemies” in mid June of this year and Media Mikes had the chance recently to talk with Evan about the group and their new album.

Adam Lawton:  What was it that interested you in joining a new band?
Evan Seinfeld:  I am the kind person that thrives on change and new energy. I started Biohazard when I was still a teenager. We played 4,000 concerts over 25 years. I put a lot of energy and time into the last Biohazard album but in the end I have to do what’s best for me. I had to be able to grow as a musician and to be inspired. I always put my creativity first and money second. I could have just gone on doing the same thing and faded off in to the sunset. When I first heard the material my friend Rusty Coones had written while he was in prison it gave me chills. I live for those moments.  When I am singing these new songs it takes me back to being 17 again. This time around I know what I want to do and I don’t have to waste any time with things I am not interested in. We only have a certain amount of time on this planet and I plan to live mine to the very fullest.

AL:  How did you get involved with the band?
ES: I have lived by our guitarist Rusty Coones for some time now. I had first met him though Jesse James and after that we were always hanging out and riding motorcycles together. One day we were talking and he had told me that they had just let their singer go and that they had a gig coming up. Rusty asked me if I would fill in and I said sure. He sent me the tracks and even though we hadn’t played together before I liked the music. At that point I had never really listened to the lyrics but after really listening to them I became very inspired. Rusty had never thought I would be available and that I was just filling in for this one show. The music just spoke to me and I felt like this is what I should be doing.

AL: How would you describe your work on the new album?
ES: I feel really great about this record and am walking with pep in my step. A lot of the credit I have to give to our producer MudRock. I have worked with a lot of great producers in my career but MudRock really helped me to find my voice. I am now able to sing harder and with more range than I was ever able to in the past. He did something in the studio that just brought the best out of me. I really enjoyed the process. This album is both heavy and melodic while remaining crystal clear. We went in to the studio and played the album front to back live which was great. A lot of the material werecorded was already written prior to me coming in but there were some songs that still needed a little work. A majority of the material was written so perfectly that it didn’t need anything else. We however did write some songs from scratch. Rusty had wanted to put this band together for a long time and played with a bunch of different people. When he and I started we just clicked. We dove in to that material and just dissected it in order to get the best possible result from each song. I like working like that and I really like being in the band. I am honored to sing songs that are so deep.

AL: How would you categorize the sound of this album?
ES: Everyone one loves to relate sounds to other bands as it’s an easy way to do things. Attika 7 is clearly derived from classic metal. You can hear our influences in the songs. I think it will definitely appeal to people who like old school Pantera up to fans of Godsmack. When I listen to the album I can hear a lot of my own influences like Black Sabbath and Type O Negative mixed with some melodic hard rock. I hear every little thing in this album. There are moments when we really lock in as a band and we don’t sound like anyone or anything else. Those are the moments that I am most proud of. The inspiration for this record comes from a very dark place and in the end the message is one of hope and redemption. When all the shit goes down you find out who you are and who your friends are. To be able to look in the mirror and know who you are and what you are made of is a great thing.

AL: What are going to be the tour plans for this album?
ES: There is a lot of talk and buzz right now about what we may be doing however, nothing has been confirmed. This is a new band so people are going to wait to see just how good we are live before making any decisions. A lot of times people have expectations or thoughts about how this project sounds like something else that me or one of the other guys in the band have done before. It has been really important to us that this band have a very heavy and true live sound. We also wanted the band to be really tight and have since made line-up changes to help us get to that point. Everything is completely wide open right now. It’s been a humbling process to start over. It’s awesome in a way because it alleviates any pressure or expectations I have on myself where I maybe played a venue back in the 90’s to X amount of people and this time there are only this amount of people. I am stoked if 20 or 20,000 people show up. As long as they are in to the music that’s all I care about. I am really excited to go to some new places and turn new people on to our sound.

AL: Are you planning to do anymore acting?
ES: Rusty and I both have a bunch of reality television type stuff in the works. Some of the things will be together while other are going to be separate. In terms of acting that is something I love to do. The thing that I don’t enjoy is going to auditions. Those can be disappointing because I am very hungry and love doing what I am doing so you go to those things and you may end up not getting the part. You then see who was cast instead and know you could have done better or been more real. That was kind of the situation when I auditioned for “Sons of Anarchy”. I really wanted that part and knew I could sink my teeth into it but they ended up casting a few guys who don’t even ride. I would enjoy the challenge of acting again but there are a lot of people out there that watch television and think it’s real. They often forget that actors are playing a character. You can’t tell me Anthony Hopkins walks around as Hannibal Lector. That’s just crazy to think. If I was to do more I don’t think I would want another role that would make people think I am something that I am not.   

Merrell Fankhauser talks about surf music and his “Tiki Lounge” DVDs

Merrell Fankhauser is one of the innovators of instrumental surf music. He recently released two volumes of “Tiki Lounge” DVDs and a new “Best Of” collection through Gonzo Multimedia. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Merrell about his music and his plans for the future.

Mike Gencarelli: There is a real lack of surf music in today’s music, how can you reflect?
Merrell Fankhauser: I still have been doing surf music, Mike. Disc jockeys and radio stations all across the United States and in Europe remember me from the hey-day of surf music. In the late 80’s there was a resurgence of surf music and what members were left from The Impacts we got together in ’89 and had an album come out in ’94 called “Surfin’ 101”. Then the movie “Pulp Fiction” came out and the label we were on re-issued our albums. I still get emails requesting more instrumental surf music. So “The Impacts” ended up doing three CD’s from late 80’s through the 90’s. So in 2000 I did one called “Rockin’ and Surfin'”. That led Volume 2 & Volume 3 in 2003 and 2004 and now I am working on Volume 4.

MG: What do you enjoy most about touring still today?
MF: I play with my son Tim now and I am producing his first solo album. We sing good harmony together. He is an awesome guitar player. We are having a lot of fun playing concerts. We recently got together with a band I used to play with The Rebels, who had the song “Comanche” in “Pulp Fiction”. We were totally rocking out. It was a real blast.

MG: Tell us about your recently released “Tiki Lounge” Vol.1 & 2 on DVD?
MF: I started out in 1991 doing a show called “California Music”. It was broadcast out of NY and it went out to 150 stations out of satellite. A lot of my old 60’s pals came out and we chatted and then jammed a little. I did that show till around 1995, since I was doing a lot of touring. But I had a lot of interviews in my archive. One day after coming back from Hawaii and touring with Willie Nelson, I looked out on my patio, which is a Tiki themed and I thought to myself “I should do a show called Tiki Lounge”…and that was 11 years ago, Mike. It is a laid back Hawaiian style show and there really isn’t anything like that out now.

MG: Tell us about working with Gonzo Multimedia and your recent “Best Of” collection?
MF: I owe a lot to the head of Gonzo Multimedia, Rob Ayling. It’s been really nice working with them. It was his idea to do the “Best of” collection. I have over 30 albums of material so I started going through them all. It was very difficult what to keep and what not to use. I found a few unreleased tracks in my archives on a few two-track recordings that I found. A lot of that ended up on the “Best of”.

MG: What do you have planned for 2012?
MF: I got releases on different labels coming out and scheduled well into next year. This summer, Gonzo is going to be be releasing “Area 51 Suite” album with bonus DVD”. At the same time, I have a song with drummer Ed Cassidy from Spirit. I have a song with him called “Two Guys from the 60’s” coming out on a Sky Saxon (of The Seeds) tribute CD box. I also got a Greek label that wants to put out a rarities with outtakes etc release together. So combine that with a lot of touring and my TV show, so I am keeping real busy!

 

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Emilie Autumn talks about film “The Devil’s Carnival” and new album “Fight Like a Girl”

Emilie Autumn is a musician and world-class violinist. But there is so much more that makes up Emilie including her dark lyrics, metal-shredding violin solos, and industrial-strength voice. Emilie also co-stars in Darren Lynn Bousman’s new film “The Devil’s Carnival” as the Painted Doll. Emilie took out some time from working on her new album entitled ‘Fight Like A Girl and extensive touring to chat with MTedia Mikes about the film and her new album.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you initially get involved with working on this film?
Emilie Autumn: It was completely by absolute chance. I was on tour a couple of years ago and my tour manager at the time got an email from Darren explaining that he was making a movie, it’s going to be a crazy thing and he really thought I should play a part in it. We get those kinds of emails all the time and I usually don’t pay attention to them because usually they’re not real or I’d rather focus on my own musical world and aren’t interested in being in a bunch of people’s movies. But he was very, very persistent. And what I didn’t know until later, when we got together at a meet and greet and somebody asked him how he started working with me, was that the story is much more elaborate. He said he basically became a stalker (laughs). I didn’t know any of that. I thought he had just sent me that one email. But it turned out he had been trying to get in touch with me for ages through all sorts of different means. And because I was touring at the time I wasn’t on line a lot and I wasn’t getting his messages. So in the end he just got so obsessed with me playing this character. Which is funny since I had to endure four hours of makeup and prosthetics every day which pretty much made ME invisible. I have to admit that when they first contacted me I had no idea who Darren was, mainly because I hadn’t been exposed to “Repo” or anything else but it’s weird because I actually have (2) songs on soundtracks from films that Darren directed! I really enjoy good thrillers but I’m not very big on films with long, gratuitous torture scenes. There’s enough crazy shit in my head already! I hadn’t seen those. But lucky enough Darren understood why I hadn’t seen them. Amazingly we’re still friends, even after I said “I don’t know who you are and I haven’t seen any of your work” (laughs). I sent him a note saying, “I have no idea what this is…I need some more information.” And he sent me a reply back saying, “please go watch THIS.” I thought it was going to be a link to one of his films but it was actually a link to a compilation site of what the fans – the “REPO” army – were doing. Dressing up and watching a movie that had been completely panned and having gotten the worse reviews ever. And that was good. He wanted me to see the actual audience response to something that was completely underground yet became such a huge community that was really about being creative. And that is exactly what I, with my own career, am doing. That was pretty much the exact right thing he could have sent. When I told him that he said to go on my next off day and watch “REPO.” So all of my band girls and I got into one hotel bed, Netflixed it and watched it. We didn’t know ANYTHING about it. And then all of a sudden the opening credits come up and it’s Sarah Fucking Brightman! And I was like, “what the F??? Are you fucking with me?” I sent him an email back saying, “you got Sarah Brightman. Who am I to say “no” to you?” I mean, if it’s good enough for her I’ll do it. So that’s how it all began. And you have to realize, this could be a movie that nobody gets. It’s a project about people using their own money and their own connections and their own skills to make something happen. And that’s the only way I have personally ever done anything. So to me it was a beautiful thing. To work with people who are doing things the exact same way I do. We made it in six days. We recorded the soundtrack in one day. It’s really amazing and I love talking about it. With nobody else’s money they do what I do…they go on tour. They rent out theatres as they go across the country living in a van. I’m actually getting ready to join them for the rest of the tour. I’ll do some of the premiers and some more meet and greets and Q & A things. And it’s great because half of them who come to the show are wearing Emilie Autumn T-shirts! So for me this is a great crossover audience. A few weeks into this tour it looks like a mad fucking success. And I’m so proud to be a part of it. I’m so proud of so many things. I’m not embarrassed by my performance. I adore all of my songs. But I’m proud most of Darren. I mean I was reading about “Rocky Horror” a while ago and I noticed that, just like “REPO,” it was given horrible reviews. Nobody gave a fuck about it. Then it suddenly exploded into a cult thing that hasn’t died yet. And I think “REPO” can become something like that along those lines. That being said, I’ve yet to see a fan review of “Devil’s Carnival!” Maybe you will write one after you see it.

MG: This was your first film. What did you enjoy most about the process of making a film?
EA: I still get smiley and giddy when I think about it because I did not expect to have that much fun. I did not expect it to be so easy and yet so challenging at the same time. It was like Christmas every day. Especially because it was freezing every day. We shot in a town called Riverside, California, which is kind of like the carnival wasteland. It’s where old circus’ and carnivals go to die. It’s like two football fields of old ferris wheels and tents and carnival attractions and rides and wagons and games. And from it we actually built a theme park. I wish you could have seen it before it was put together. We were doing night shoots but in mid-May it’s still deathly cold. And I’m wearing very little. Of course Lucifer gets to run around in a cape and a giant bathrobe so he was fine. So the cold was really the only thing that was remotely unpleasant about the whole experience.

MG: I just saw a 12 minute teaser trailer for the film. What can you tell us about that?
EA: It’s funny on a couple of different levels. What I didn’t know, what I found out at one of the Q & A sessions, was that I was the very first person they asked to be in the film that had signed on to the project. Which makes sense why I’m the main one in the teaser because I had signed on before anyone else. But what we didn’t know at that time was the direction they were going to take with the Painted Doll character. So we just pulled the crew together, set up the cameras and made that 12 minute teaser, which was basically compiled from 35 minutes of me walking around doing nothing! Plus I don’t really look anything like my character, I look like Emilie Autumn. So it was me and all of this old stuff. Darren would tell me to walk around a corner and pick up an apple. NOW SPIT IT OUT! Now pick up that weird giant doll-thing. Now dance around with it. And of course what I don’t notice when I’m doing it, but what I see later, is that the camera is mostly zooming in and focusing on my ass. I mean, I totally approved. That’s not a problem for me. But I was like, ok, I know what’s going on. But it’s funny. When it came out it was pretty much the first thing anybody had seen on “Devil’s Carnival” on the web site. What’s funny is that I can’t read articles or interviews about myself. It just weirds me out. I can’t deal with that much information about ME. But I set up Google Alert for “Devil’s Carnival” because THAT I can read about all day long. So I was getting all of these little bits about what people thought about the 12 minute film. Half of them were like, “wow, that’s real cool and tantalizing. I can’t wait to see what this is.” And then some other people were like, “well, that’s 12 minutes of my life I’m never going to get back!” And the thing is they were both right. They were both absolutely right. Because NOTHING is going on. And when we shot it and Darren called me out there I asked him what he wanted me to do and he said “NOTHING!” And I asked him what the point was we were making and he said “NOTHING!” He really wanted something where you would watch this girl walk around for 12 minutes picking up stuff. You would be waiting for someone to say something or somebody to get killed or somebody to come in…some punch line or something at the end. But he just wanted you to watch and wait and then think “FUCK!” at the end! And he got what he wanted.

MG: How do you feel the songs in the film differ from your own original songs, if they do?
EA: Not a lot. My own music has always been dramatic and the songs on my last album have even gotten into musical theater territory. In fact some of the songs on my new record are part of a Broadway show that is being written right now. So it is all verymagically coincidental in that way. That I would be asked to be part of a musical theater project and to sing a song in a very dramatic way. To run around a tent and sing…”yes, this is Hell.” That is what I’m supposed to be doing. And of course, three days after we shot that scene I’m out on tour doing my own thing. And I should say the story starts out bad but it gets better. But I did the film the week before the tour and didn’t rehearse. I didn’t rehearse for my own tour. But the good thing is that I had two of my Bloody Crumpets – my girls who sing with me on stage – also with me on the film. And so at least we could sit in our dressing rooms and talk about the tour. We didn’t rehearse but we talked about what we were going to do for our shows.

MG: Since you brought up your new album, tell us how you chose the new direction your music is taking?
EA: Well the song “Fight Like A Girl” is not only the title track but, to be honest, it is deceptively “poppy.” And that was intentional. To say these really forceful things and basically go to battle but with a really catchy beat. To be scary and beautiful and fun all at the same time. And then the second track, “Time for Tea,” that one really starts the story. Both in our live show and on the record. I mean we have a big clock and when it’s four o’clock it goes off and we say, “four o’clock, it’s mother fucking time for tea, and it’s time to eradicate the enemy.” Then we just run down the stairs with medical tools and we start slaughtering. And the rest of the album just gets more epic and symphonic. So what makes it different from the others is how everything is together and complete in a story.

Nivek Ogre talks about Skinny Puppy and “The Devil’s Carnival”

Nivek Orgre is the lead singer in the band Skinny Puppy.  He is also known for working with Darren Lynn Bousman in his film, “Repo! The Genetic Opera” and “The Devil’s Carnival”.  Ogre took out sometime to chat with Media Mikes to chat about “The Devil’s Carnival” and also touring with Skinny Puppy.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you start working with Darren Bousman?
Nivek Ogre: I first met Darren through Joe Bishara. Joe was the musical producer for both “Repo! The Genetic Opera” and “The Devils Carnival”. He has been a friend of mine and fellow musician since back in the day. He went on to make a much better choice than I did by moving from playing in bands to doing sound tracks. After our last tour in 2007 we were talking and he asked me what I was going to do. At that time I pondered some of my fantasies. I was thinking about doing everything from being a pastry chef to being put into prosthetics. Being put into prosthetics has been one of my favorite dreams ever since I was a little kid reading Famous Monsters magazine. He told me about the work he was doing on “Repo! The Genetic Opera” and there was a character that is a face stealing rapist. I thought it was delicious. They had originally wanted someone else as Darren wanted Actors who could sing not Singer who could act. It was sort of an uphill battle for me but Terrance Zdunich and the whole crew were pulling for me. Terrance had heard of Skinny Puppy and I got to know Darren more over the course of production as I was wearing his wife’s face. One of the masks they had cast for me was of his wife Laura’s face. Whenever I had to ask him a question with that mask on he would look at me and run away. (Laughs) It was a bit of an odd friendship at first. I didn’t know what he really thought of me and was sort of out in left field. I was told to be very polite and not to pull any diva moves by the producers. I’m not sure what they thought I was. They were all very nice to work with. Over the time since Repo Darren had tried to get me in to some of his other projects however things never seemed to work out. We always kept in touch and on the side we started to realize we both had an interest in paranormal and other extremesort of perceptive qualities. We went back and forth over email and Darren told me he had this character called “The Twin”. They plugged me into that role and that’s how things all sort of happened.

MG: What can you tell us about your role as “The Twin”?
NO: The Twin is sort of an interesting character to me as I think he could have been played a lot of different ways. I myself tend to have too much empathy so I wanted to make him very sympathetic. I kind of saw him as one of the original shells that were shucked down to hell. He probably made a bargain with the man below and is now living in fear trying to escape his fate by taking on the appearance of another. However while doing this he tends to see the best parts of him which gave him a slight bit of humanity. He also would see their nastiest thoughts which ultimately would do them in. It is both an empathetic and vicious character. I see myself as the bait for Lucifer.

MG: What do you enjoy most about working in the horror genre?
NO: Everything I have worked on has been somewhat of an ensemble cast. The best part for me is I am playing a supporting role for a whole group of people. Sometimes it’s even for the main character. In the case of Repo I was supporting Paul Sorvino. We each had our own things but we all were Paul’s kids. It’s a huge kick because it allows me to dig into a character. I get to really be in the moment and react to everything around me. With Skinny Puppy I make it. I conceptualize the stage show, I perform it and I am there every night by myself. I have musicians on the stage but everything else is imaginary. It is a huge amount of fun to play up against people. I really enjoy the process and I love makeup effects. I am one of those guys who likes to be immersed in character. I don’t have to have my face showing as I love trying to push myself through a mask.

MG: How do you think your music on the soundtracks differ from your work with Skinny Puppy?
NO: It’s incredible. If you ever have any trepidation or fear about changing your style or jumping into something new do it whole heartedly. I tell people this all the time. For 26 years I have stayed in the character of Ogre and never stepped too far out from that. I didn’t want to piss fans off or have them think that I wasn’t bloody or weird enough. When I actually stepped out and pushed myself it gave me a whole new presence and character within my voice. It was a great thing.

MG: Can you give us some background on the upcoming Skinny Puppy live album?
NO: In May of last year I released an Ogre record and I have continued to tour that as my solo project. Skinny Puppy is recording a new studio album as we speak that is going to be titled “Weapon”. The live album I believe is coming out in July. That album kind of follows our ill-fated European tour. It was a great tour performance wise but we were pirated out of a large sum of money. The tour just went upside down on us. Everything that could go wrong did. I did get to take my girlfriend to Europe for the first time as she had never been so I guess there are two sides to the coin.

MG: Are there any other upcoming projects in the works?
NO: I am doing a movie at the end of April in Philadelphia that is going to be a throwback to the 80’s slasher films. The movie is titled “Scream Park” and we are filming it in an amusement park in Northern Pennsylvania. I am pretty excited about my role in that film.

 

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Laura Wilde talks about music and touring with Ted Nugent

Laura Wilde is an Australian singer/songwriter who is currently out on tour with her band supporting classic rock icon Ted Nugent. Laura just released a new single titled “Sold my Soul” and Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Laura recently about the single and the current tour.

Adam Lawton: What was it that made you want to get in to playing/performing music?
Laura Wilde: I have been obsessed with guitars ever since I was a kid. It was something that was always on my mind. My parents wouldn’t buy one for me so it just started to become a deeper and deeper obsession. Around the time I turned 12 I finally received a guitar for Christmas. I was so happy to have one that I played it all the time. When I was about 16 I decided that I wanted music to be my career. I started recording songs as soon as I finished high school and all while I was attending university. After a year of university I asked my parents if I could try music and see how things go. I have been working at it ever since.

AL: How do you personally describe your sound?
LW: I think it is pretty much just straight up rock and roll. There are screeching guitars, heavy drum beats and some melodic tracks thrown in the mix.

AL: Can you give us some background on your first single “Sold my Soul”?
LW: The song was written and demoed pretty much over night. It was a very fast process and the song sort of wrote it’s self. It’s a celebration song about coming to America and all of the places I want to visit while touring. We had the toe tapping drum beat and then we threw the guitar riffs over the top of that and everything just fell in to place.

AL: What has been the biggest difference for you performing in the States as compared to performing in your home of Australia?
LW: In Australia there wasn’t a real rock scene. There it is more of an indie rock type thing going on. I am more in to the leather and big hair. (Laughs) I decided to come to America after an A&R guy told me that I would be more suited in the States. There are more opportunities here in the States because there is a larger group of people. America is the heart land of rock and roll.

AL: Can you tell us about your current tour supporting Ted Nugent?
LW: It has been such an honor to be invited to tour with Ted. He is a legend and does over 300 shows per year. Ted runs a very tight ship and everything is very professional. It’s been a huge learning experience.

AL: How did you initially become involved with the tour?
LW: My publicist at the time used to be Ted’s publicist as well. She was the one who put it together thinking it would be a good fit. Unfortunately she passed away before she could see everything happen. She has been with us in spirit every step of the way.

AL: What are your plans for the rest of the year?
LW: We are out with Ted until late August. Once we get back home we will be going in to the studio to start on the record. We will definitely be doing a full-length release next and you will probably see some of my older influences shine through. I have about 30 tracks written that we can choose from but I know there will be more stuff being written while we are out on tour. We are looking forward to being busy in the coming months.

7 Horns 7 Eyes’s Aaron Smith talks about New Album

Aaron Smith is the guitarist for the progressive metal band 7 Horns 7 Eyes. The group’s latest album titled “Throes of Absolution” recently released via Century Media Records at the end of April. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Aaron recently about the band and their new album.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Aaron Smith: We started around 2006. 7 Horns 7 Eyes is sort of the evolution of a rock band I was in high school. Around senior year some friends and I really started to get into metal music. We started writing heavier music and the band was born out of that. We put out a self released EP that is still available on the internet. If you have heard it you can tell it sounds quite different than how the band sounds now. We have grown older and are musical tastes have shifted some.  In 2009 we got a new drummer and guitar player and that’s when I would say the sound of the current band started.

AL: What can we expect from the band’s new album?
 AS: I think a lot of our influences shine through on this recording. You can hear some poly rhythmic stuff on there as we are big fans of Meshuggah. We tried not to rip them off though. There is a lot of ambience and textures. We wanted to make the atmosphere bigger than just guitars, drums, bass and vocals. We really wanted to have a more epic feeling. There is quite a bit of technical guitar playing on the album but, we try to keep it tasteful. I don’t feel music has to be technical all the time just to catch someone’s attention.

AL: Did you guys shoot any videos for the album?
AS: We are cooking up something right now. There hasn’t been any official releases as of yet. There are a few samplers out there that show our album art work while walking you through 30 second clips of the album. There is also some older footage out there of us playing the Key Club in Los Angeles.

AL: What do you think makes 7 Horns & Eyes stand out amongst other bands in the same genre?
AS: I do a majority of the song writing so I can kind of speak from that point of view. When I write I try to not use something that sounds like something else I may have heard. There are a lot of bands I love that inspire me to right but at the same time it doesn’t make me want to emulate them in every way possible. When we are putting songs together there is a strong focus on taking our influences and taking our time to create a fresh spin. What I find the most exciting is when I record something new that I have never heard before. In my mind I think is what makes us unique.

AL: What are the bands tour plans for the release?
AS: The first tour up is with our label mates Stealing Axion. We will be out with them for around 3 weeks. The tour is mainly going to focus on the western part of the States. The tour is called “The Dual Destruction Tour”. It will be mainly to promote our album and Stealing Axion’s digital track that they are releasing. The tour is being sponsored by Guitar World which is pretty cool. That will be sort of our first tour experience in support of the album. There is another tour coming up in Mid-July but it has not been announced yet.

Greg Lake talks about working with King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake is best known for his work with King Crimson and Emerson, Lake &, Palmer. Greg has recently released an autobiography titled “Lucky Man” and is currently on tour speaking about and performing songs from his vast musical catalog. Media Mikes caught up with Greg recently to discuss his book and the current tour.

Adam Lawton: What can you tell us about the re-release of the Emerson, Lake &, Palmer catalog?
Greg Lake: To be honest I didn’t have a lot to do with the re-release. I did approve them and I know they have gone through a lot of trouble to make this a really top class thing. They have re-mastered everything in 5.1 sound as well as including a number of out-takes from the original sessions. They have also done a tremendous job on the packaging. It’s a first class reissue but I think the main reason I don’t take a lot of interest in re-issues is that I get very tired of seeing the same album released over and over again with very minimal changes. These are a genuine upgrade and they dug into the vaults to find new bits and pieces of material.

AL: Can you tell us about your current tour which is being billed as “The Songs of a LifetimeTour”?
GL: During the time I was writing my autobiography “Lucky Man” certain songs popped up as being important or influential to my career. At the end of it all I realized what the songs were and what they represented. It was journey the audience I have shared over many years.

AL: What has been the biggest challenge of putting on a show like this?Music is a backdrop to every one’s life. I thought it would be nice to relive that journey with the audience. From my point of view each of the songs has a story. This tour gives me a chance to tell those stories as well as hear the audiences own stories about the songs. The audience and I get to interact with one another and relive our journeys. I didn’t want this to be me sitting on a stool with a guitar boring everybody. I designed a very dynamic show that combines a number of different elements. There is humor, warmth and emotion. It really is quite an entertaining night which is what I wanted. The audience leaves having had a wonderful time. That’s the most important thing.
GL: Every night that I go out on the stage it doesn’t feel like a concert. It feels like walking into a family living room. We are all connected in some sort of way and everyone knows it. When one person tells a story other people get it. There is a feeling of bonding. It’s a very strange concept as I don’t think there is anything else quite like it. I took elements from the original recordings of these classic songs and produced new sections specifically for this show. I have something from the original records, something new and of course the live portion of things. All the stories provide an ensemble of experiences. I think this is why it’s been received so well.

AL: What are the upcoming plans for the tour?
GL: We are just finishing up our first U.S. and Canadian run. From there I will be going to Europe and Japan. Hopefully next year I will be back in the United States for another run as the shows have been very successful. This has been beyond my wildest imagination. I just can’t believe how well it’s been received. I worked on production for this tour for over a year and things have just really paid off. The greatest gratification you can have as an artist is to know that your music has gone from soul to soul. Knowing that my music has helped or changed someone for the better is really great.

AL: What made you decide to write an autobiography?
GL: I never really wanted to write an autobiography. It was something that I never had any sort of craving to do. I suppose all musicians have a lot of stories to tell and sometimes when I sit and have dinner with someone I will tell some of these stories. I have been told for years that I should write a book. My manager called me one day and told me that if I didn’t write these stories down that someday they will just disappear. I ended up writing this book which is told from behind the scenes. Everyone has already seen or knows what happened at all of the shows so I tried to write from the perspective that people didn’t see. This is not a kiss and tell book by any means nor is it about all the drugs I used to take. The book is I hope an interesting story from behind the scenes during some incredible years in music. I thought that I had a good perspective on how and why things happened the way they did during certain periods of music history. I had and still do have a privileged view on the subject. I consider myself very lucky hence the book’s title “Lucky Man”.  I grew up very poor so from every since of it the title is very fitting.

AL: Will we be seeing a new solo or live album from you anytime soon?
GL: I will certainly issue a CD from this tour as we have a wealth of good stuff. This summer I plan to record a new solo album. This tour has really given me an added inspiration to do a new album. It is just a phenomenal thing to see how deep my music has penetrated people lives. This is really gratifying and worth way more than the notoriety and money. To realize the music you made has touched someone and been a real value is just so gratifying.

Rise to Remain’s Austin Dickinson talks about new album and tour

 Austin Dickinson is the vocalist for the heavy metal group Rise to Remain. The group is set to release a new full length album titled “City of Vultures” in June. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Austin recently about the new album and the bands plans for the rest of the year.

Adam Lawton: How would you describe your album “City of Vultures”?
Austin Dickinson: It’s the product of us knocking our heads together and trying to make what we wanted to hear from a new metal band like ourselves: Fast, heavy, emotive, technical, convicted and melodic. I think that we were very meticulous in writing the songs. We wanted the whole thing to flow from beginning to end. In terms of sound, we wanted it to quite simply sound huge! That’s where Colin came in.

AL: What was it like working with producer Colin Richardson?
AD: It was amazing! He’s a huge producer in our genre and one of the best in the world at mixing. It was a massive honor to have him manning the helm along with our co-producer Carl Bown. They were a fantastic team and we’re very proud of the results.

AL: Do you have plans to release any more videos for any of the songs on the album?
AD: Well, apart from the five we’ve done already, we’re constantly throwing the idea around but who knows! Maybe it’s time for some NEW music accompanied by a video? We will never say never that’s for sure.

AL: What do you think makes this album stand out from others in the same genre?
AD: I suppose just because it’s us, it sounds like us, it’s made by us, so in that way I think it sounds pretty signature. Is it better than everything else out there? You’d have to tell me that, because I don’t know. There are some amazing bands out there, and we’re honored to be in the same league as them. Metal has a very strong representation right now.

AL: What are the bands plans for the rest of the year?
AD: We’re about to do Rock Am Ring/Rock in Germany. We just finished Sonisphere in Spain, and then we do Download Festival and continue over to the United States to be part of the Vans Warped Tour! Everything after that is top secret.

 

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Ghoul’s Digestor talks about new album and touring with Gwar

Digestor is the guitarist/vocalist for the thrash metal band Ghoul. The band hails from Creepsylvania by way of Oakland, California and recently released their 5th full-length studio album titled “Transmission Zero”. Media Mikes had that chance to talk with Digestor briefly about the band and their plans for the coming months.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us how the concept for the band came about?
Digestor: It seemed natural. We are hooded cannibals with limited musical ability who lived beneath a fog-enshrouded graveyard.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands line-up
Digestor: I, Digestor, play guitar and sing, Cremator plays bass and sings, Dissector plays guitar and sings, and Fermentor plays drums. We are also joined by Killbot, Mr. Fang, Baron Samedi, Destructor, and our loyal and idiotic Numbskull. Each of these guys spend most of their time tripping over our cables and unplugging us while spurting various liquids into the slack jawed faces of our fans.

AL: How would you describe the band’s sound?
Digestor: Splatterthrash!

AL: What are the plans for the next Ghoul album?
Digestor: We just put the newest album out about six months ago! Hold your horses, buddy!

AL: The band just finished up a tour run with Gwar and Municipal Waste. What are the bands plans for the rest of the year?
Digestor: At the end of May we will be in Maryland playing the Maryland Death Fest and after that we go to Texas for Chaos in Tejas. We also have a few select dates with Occultist and then Toxic Holocaust!

 

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Gregory Alan Isakov talks about his music and upcoming album

Gregory Alan Isakov is a singer/song writer who has had songs featured on Showtime’s hit series “Californication”. Gregory’s song “Big Black Car” was part of a popular McDonalds Christmas commercial in Canada which helped propel the song to the #1 position on the Canadian iTunes chart. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Gregory recently about his work and about his upcoming album.

Adam Lawton: What was it that interested you in playing music?
Gregory Isakov: I was always playing songs growing up. I sort of was doing it for myself for a long time. I never thought I would be playing music for other people. I got out of school and started playing out here and there and now I am doing it a lot. It was just something I got into after high school.

AL: How did your music end up in the hands of a few different television and commercial writers?
GI: We put all of our records out ourselves and we have also been touring for awhile. It has never gotten too crazy or anything as we never signed on to a major label. We had thought about doing that but we decided to go the more DIY route. A lot of people we have connected with over the years have just heard our stuff at shows or on the radio. Everything has been pretty organic.

AL: What was your first thought when you were asked for the use of the songs?
GI: I am always really excited when film or television wants to use one of our songs. However there are times where I might not think what they want to do fits in with what I am after but, when I see the finished product it has always looked pretty cool.

AL: Has anything changed for you since having one of your songs be at #1 on the Canadian ITunes chart?
GI: It seems like when we go back to towns we have played before the crowd has always gotten a little bigger. The ITunes thing came out of us doing a show in Toronto and being asked if one of our songs could be used for a commercial spot. I was a little skeptical as I didn’t know if we wanted to do something like that. We were set to pass on it but then I started to think that we could use the money for a lot of cool stuff. We ended up donating all the money from that commercial to a number of charities that work on things such as organic farming. It was such a cool thing to be able to do. I am usually worrying about how we are going to pay for gas. (Laughs) I never thought people would care about a song in a commercial.

AL: Your last album release was in 2009. Are there any plays to record some new material in the near future?
GI: Yeah! I have been working on a new album for about a year and a half. It is pretty much done and will definitely be out this year. We were going to release it in the fall but we had been working on some new stuff and the record took a turn and went somewhere else. I think it will still be out this fall at the latest.

AL: Do you normally like taking quite a bit of time in between releases?
GI: I spend a lot of time writing in general. Sometimes our records consist of songs that we have had for a long time. At times we have songs that don’t record well and take more time while others record very easily. It is
something you kind of have to follow as you go along. We have wanted to do an anthem inspired Springsteen type record but it always seems to turn out differently. It’s funny because we will start out with an idea and then we start recording and things take on a life of their own. You want the songs to feel complete. A lot of stuff I write specifically for the record and don’t play it live.

AL: What are your plans for the rest of this year?
GI: We are on the road right now and we are going to be playing a lot of festivals. In the fall we will be heading to Europe after we have some time off to finish the new record. I don’t think we ever have more than 3 weeks off at a time.

Cameron Argon talks about his one man band Disfiguring the Goddes

Cameron “Big Chocolate” Argon is the creator of the one man band Disfiguring the Goddess. Together with his Macintosh computer Cameron has put together a new album titled “Sleeper” Media Mikes had time to ask Cameron some brief questions about the project and the new album.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background on the band?
Cameron Argon: Disfiguring the Goddess is a one man band that was started when I was 15/16. It’s now a one-man-band that consists of me and my lovely Macintosh computer.

AL: How would you describe your new album “Sleeper”?
CA: This is the most advanced album so far. I think it is also the best all-around album as far as production, structuring and tone goes. This is the first real album with an official push. This is also and first album letting the world know that this is a one man band.

<AL: Any plans to shoot a video for any of the songs?
CA: Funny you should ask. I just posted one the other day. People can check it out here:

AL: Can you tell us the idea behind not playing live shows?
 CA: I’m super busy with my EDM stuff. Disfiguring the Goddess is just a side project for me. I still love it, but my main focus is on my electronic music right now.

AL: Does the band have any other plans for this year?
CA: Possibly another album.

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