Composer: Danny Elfman
Label: Sony Masterworks
Release Date: May 29, 2012
Tracks: 22
Running Time: 54 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Danny Elfman is one of my favorite composers of all-time. He has such a unique sound and when you hear his scores you know right away it is his work. It is only right that Danny Elfman composed the score for this film, especially since he scored the two previous “Men In Black” movies. In his third time around it this franchise, he is still able to deliver an entertaining score and even packs a bit of heart.

One of my favorites tracks on the album has to be the relaxing yet comforting “Under the Bridge”.  Believe it or not I was not a fan of “Men in Black 3 – Main Titles”.  I love the theme to “Men in Black” but the added electric guitars on these main titles did not sit right with me and left me wanting to skip to the next track.  I feel that Danny Elfman has really matured though over on this score and after two films he really understands what to deliver for “Men in Black”.

Like in most of Eflman’s work he continues to blend orchestral and electronic sounds.  The album is itself runs just shy of 60 minutes and really sums up the whole film from the moment it starts.  If you are a fan of the “Men in Black” series and Elfman’s past scores you will not be disappointed with this release.  Also if you haven’t seen this film it really kicks you in the mood to watch it for sure.

Track List:
1. Men in Black 3 – Main Titles
2. Spiky Bulba
3. The Set-Up
4. Headquarters
5. Regret
6. Wrong
7. Not Funny
8. Big Trouble
9. Out on a Limb
10. Time Jump
11. Bad Fortune
12. Forget Me Not
13. Into the Past
14. Griffin Steps Up
15. True Story
16. The Prize-Monocycles
17. Boris Meets Boris
18. Under the Bridge
19. The Mission Begins
20. Mission Accomplished
21. A Close One
22. Men in Black 3 – Main Title Revisited

Kimberly Cole’s first single “Smack You” made it to number 3 on the Billboard music charts and Kimberly’s current single “You Make Me Wanna” is on its way to doing just the same. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Kimberly about her such and her recent audition tape which has since gone viral.

Adam Lawton: What has it been like for you after the success of your first single “Smack You”?
Kimberly Cole: It has been crazy! Things have been amazing. After the video release on Oxygen and then the song going to number 3 on the billboard charts it was game on. I think that song legitimized me as an artist. So many doors have been opened which has allowed to me to really grow. I will still watch that video from time to time.

AL: Did you think the song was going to do what it did when you were writing it?
KC: That song was written in an hour. It was inspired by real events and when we were done writing we knew we had something. I played it for my manager and some other people and they all thought it had something. My choreographer did some work with the song and people started asking how to get it. Then people started blogging about it. The song is two years old now and still to this day people are still finding out about it. It’s sort of this cult underground hit. It’s been exciting.

AL: What experience have you gained from opening for acts like Katy Perry and LMFAO?

KC: It is amazing to be at a place where I am with their crowd and the energy. It makes me feel like I am not only on the right track but we are colleagues. I am working my way to being a headliner but I still love opening for other bands. I love the surprise factor. In the studio I am a writer but on stage I am something completely different. I am someone who likes to think a little outside of the box when it comes to my shows so it’s great. It’s really fun to get the energy from someone else’s crowd and win them over.

AL: Can you tell us about some of the other things you were able to be involved in through the release of your “Bad Girls Club” album?
KC: The album did really well and because of the success of the single the Oxygen Network put a clip of the song on one of there shows. From that minute and a half song placement the network was very excited to do something else. We ended up premiering the video for “Smack You” on the network and it did well. Through the album I was able to create a unique relationship with the network which has resulted in talks of doing more work with Oxygen.

AL: What are you currently working on?
KC: I have a new clip out that is sort of a pre-video to my new song “You Make Me Wanna”. It is called “The Kimberly Cole Audition Tape”. The video has a character in it who is sort of a “Napoleon Dynamite” type guy. This character played by Nathan Barnatt crashes the supposed video shoot for “You Make Me Wanna”. The clip has created quite a buzz around the official video because in the audition tape people are rooting for this guy who crashed my shoot to be in the actual video. Because of this we are in talks for the new video and we have a really great treatment planned. Nathan blew us away so we are going to be changing the game a little bit with what the official video is going to be. I also will be doing a show called “A Day in the Life of Kimberly Cole”. The show will have me hanging out with friends and people who I work with. Some of the people I work with also work with major celebrities and are what I call the “Glam Squad” behind some very famous looks. We go behind the scenes to see how these iconic looks are put together. There’s really a lot that goes on to make these looks work. I also have some television things coming up as well. There is a lot of good stuff going on and we are in a really great place.

Jason Michael Paul is the producer of the new show “Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses”, which is currently on tour and heading to a town near you.  If you are a fan of Zelda, this is an event you will not want to miss.  Jason Michael is also known for his work with the show “Play: A Video Game Symphony”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jason Michael about the Zelda show and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you tell us about bringing “Legend of Zelda” to a symphony tour?
Jason Michael Paul: I have been doing things like this since 2004. I first did it with the music from “Final Fantasy”. Since then I have created a show called “Play: A Video Game Symphony” which premiered in Chicago in 2006. I have developed a track record and worked with Nintendo along the way. With the 25^th anniversary of “Zelda” coming up I had the idea to do a “Legends of Zelda” Symphony tour. It just so happened that everyone was interested. We had just planned to do a symphonic recording which was going to be part of a bundle that included the newest installment of Zelda “Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword”. From there we initially planned 3 concerts which were going to be held in Los Angeles, Tokyo and London. Those ended up selling out in record time and we decided to put together the “Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses” tour. This tour is exclusive to the Zelda property.

MG: What would you say was the most difficult aspect of creating the tour?
JMP: This project has been a joy. There haven’t been a lot of obstacles. It has been a phenomenal collaboration between my company and Nintendo. They have been really great to work with and have given us all the access to the likenesses of their characters. It’s been really great and smooth sailing.

MG: What do you enjoy most about the music from Zelda?
JMP: I have done a lot of concerts as I have been in this business for 15 years. I have always had a problem watching my own shows because I see everything. This show I have been able to sit back and watch from beginning to end. To me that is really the most truthful testament to this project. I feel so confidant and am so proud that I can watch it from beginning to end. That is the best thing for me.

MG: How does your work on this project differ from your previous work?
JMP: I have been very fortunate enough to work and develop a relationship with Chad Seiter. He has single handedly put an amazing touch on this project. Hands down he is one of the most talented people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He has been the real difference in this project. I feel honored to work with him.

MG: What is your favorite game series?
JMP: I would have to say that “Grain of Time” is right up there but “Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” is very close to my heart. I actually worked on that game. We did the orchestration that accompanied the game. This was the first time that Nintendo had done anything like this. Being asked to create something like this for them really resonated with me. That title is closest to me because I participated in creating it.

MG: What do you have planned next?
JMP: I am busy with “Play”. When I am not doing Zelda I am doing that. I am sort of a serial entrepreneur as I always have several irons in the fire. I love to create brands and identities. I am just going to continue with what I am doing.

Otherwise
“True Love Never Dies”
Century Media
Producer: Jay Baumgardner
Tracks: 14

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“True Love Never Dies” is the debut release from the hard rock band Otherwise. The 5 piece Las Vegas based band consists of Adrian Patrick- Lead Vocals, Ryan Patrick- Guitar/Vocals, Flavio Ivan- Bass/Vocals, Corky Gainsford- Drums/Vocals and Vassilios Metropoulos- Guitar/Vocals. “True Love Never Dies” is being released via Century Media Records and was produced by acclaimed producer Jay Baumgardner (Godsmack, Bush, Papa Roach).

A straight forward rock album is what you get from the debut release from Otherwise. Standard straight forward production allows the 5 piece band be just that. The no frills album gets right to the point. Producer Jay Baumgardner created a solid mix which gives each of the 14 songs an intense musical feel. Tracks such as “Die For You” and “Scream Now” feature catchy sing along choruses while songs like “I Don’t Apologize (1000 Pictures)” and “Soldiers” feature slightly softer arrangements which showcases the bands diversity.

Though I found the album to be a little generic in its approach it was still an enjoyable listen. Otherwise is not reinventing the hard rock wheel with their debut release but who cares! Each of the 14 songs showcased a band that appears to have a bright future in the ever changing rock world. “True Love Never Dies” is a good foundation and I will be curious to see what is next for Otherwise.

Track Listing:
1.) I
2.) Die For You
3.) Lighthouse
4.) Scream Now
5.) Don’t Be Afraid
6.) Vegas Girl
7.) II
8.) Silence Reigns
9.) I Don’t Apologize (1000 Pictures)
10.) Crimson
11.) Full Circle
12.) Soldiers
13.) III
14.) Heaven

“Rob Zombie & Megadeth”
Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Lacuna Coil
Date: Saturday, May 12th 2012
Venue: Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

On Saturday May 12th Rob Zombie and Megadeth came to the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA. The co-headlining tour featured Rob Zombie, Megadeth and Lacuna Coil. It was a great night for music as the weather was perfect and the secluded hill top setting at the Toyota Pavilion made for a great concert experience.

The Italian rock/metal band Lacuna Coil started the show off and though the venue was still filling up at this point the fans that got there early were treated to a solid performance. Front woman Cristina Scabbia commanded the crowd’s attention which helped take the bands performance to the next level. Megadeth would take the stage next and were relentless in their approach. The band sounded fantastic blasting out song after song. The set was a mixture of newer songs such as “Never Dead” and “Public Enemy No. 1” as well as Megadeth classics “Sweating Bullets” and “Peace Sells”. Dave Mustain interacted off and on with the crowd and he and the rest of the band seemed very appreciate of the crowds applause and reactions. Horror Rock icon Rob Zombie would close out the night backed by his band consisting of John 5, Piggy D and newly acquired drummer Ginger Fish formerly of Marilyn Manson. The band played what could be considered as a greatest hits set, minus a few of the hits to the estimated 4,500 fans in attendance. Though the band sounded decent, I think it’s time for Rob to go back to the drawing board and design a new show. Fans saw an almost exact copy of the 2010 Halloween Hootenanny/Gruesome Twosome show and a similar set list. The brief 12 song set featured staple tracks such “Superbeast” and “Living Dead Girl”. The most notable event of the night came in the way of Zombie’s encore which started off with a pieced together trailer for his new film “Lords of Salem”.

Co-headlining tours are becoming more and more of a staple due to the ever changing economy. This has been both a blessing and a curse. Yes fans get to see several great acts for the price of one ticket however, in the essence of time bands are cutting their sets shorter and shorter. This tour is a perfect example of that. 12 songs by the tour “headliner” is just sad in my opinion. I only hope that if these co-headliner tours continue bands remember that it’s about the quality of the performance not the quantity of the bands on the bill.

Megadeth Set List:
1.) Never Dead
2.) Hangar 18
3.) Head Crusher
4.) In My Darkest Hour
5.) Trust
6.) She-Wolf
7.) Sweating Bullets
8.) A Tout Le Monde
9.) Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)
10.) Public Enemy No. 1
11.) Symphony of Destruction
12.) Peace Sells
13.) Holy Wars…The Punishment Due

Rob Zombie Set List:
1.) Jesus Frankenstein
2.) Superbeast
3.) Scum of the Earth
4.) Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Koovy)
5.) Living Dead Girl
6.) More Human Than Human
7.) Demonoid Phenomenon
8.) Sick-Bubble Gum
9.) Mars Needs Women
10.) Pussy Liquor
11.) Thunder Kiss ‘65
12.) Dragula

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The Great Commission
“Firework EP”
ANGR/Century Media
Tracks: 6

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The “Firework EP” is the latest release from the Riverside, California band The Great Commission. The EP features 5 acoustic renditions of songs which were originally included on the bands 2011 full length album titled “Heavy Worship”. The EP also features a beefed up metal version of Katy Perry’s song “Firework”. Being a huge fan of the bands full length album I was really excited to hear what was in store on the new EP. From the opening vocal lines of “When It Rains It Pours” I was completely blown away! Each member of the band shows a whole new side of their music abilities. Lead vocalist Justin Singh unveiled an entirely different vocal styling that what fans are a custom to. Singh voice coupled with guitarist Angelo Razo’s angelic back-up vocals really brought the acoustic tracks to life. The bands upbeat cover of “Firework” wasn’t bad however it just wasn’t to my liking. I think the song would have been more to my liking if they had gone either full pop or full metal. Not teeter between the two styles.
Bottom line The Great Commission is more than just another faith based scream-o type band and the “Firework EP” proves that.

Track Listing:
1.) When It Rains It Pours
2.) Draw The Line
3.) Weight Of The World
4.) Road To Damascus
5.) Came To My Rescue (Be Lifted…)
6.) Firework (Katy Perry Cover)

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“MassChaos Tour 2012”
Godsmack, Staind, Halestorm, Brook Royal
Date: Sunday, May 13th 2012
Venue: Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The “MassChaos Tour” made a stop at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, NY on Sunday May 13th.The tour consists of native Massachusetts’s bands Godsmack and Staind along with special guests Halestorm and Brook Royal. This tour marks the first time the two Mass. natives have toured together.

The Broome County Veterans Arena is an older venue which is in desperate need of some upgrades. The venues biggest issue is the small entrance which caused fans to be backed up around the entire venue causing extremely long wait times. Once in the venue though fans were treated to a brief set by the band Brook Royal. Though I found the band to be nothing out of the ordinary they did use their time on stage wisely by playing song after song. Halestorm took the stage next and struggled through a number of mic issues which seemed to plague vocalist/guitarist Lzzy Hale resulting in her being very difficult to hear. Co-headliner Staind would be up next and treated the crowd to a strobe light induced barf fest as they played a spattering of songs tinged with hits such as “Outside” and “It’s been Awhile”. I found the bands performance to be stiff and somewhat boring. At times it seemed as though lead singer Aaron Lewis was just going through the proverbial motions. Despite my feelings towards the performance fans were on their feet showing their appreciation from start to the very end of the bands hour long set. Godsmack would close out the night and though the production of the show was much more scaled back than previous tours the band still

delivered. Front man Sully Erna worked the crowd back and forth as the night progressed kicking off songs such as “Keep Away” and “Cryin’ Like a Bitch”. Before the night was over Erna and drummer Shannon Larkin put the icing on the cake by treating the crowd to their signature dueling drum solos. This has been an amazing Godsmack live staple since the group’s 2003 Faceless tour.

Though the show had some technical difficulties and abbreviated sets the Binghamton crowd seemed appreciative of all the bands performances. The bands also seemed appreciative even though the venue was only about half full. There are few bands out there today still willing to tour outside the major markets and play smaller venues however the “MassChaos Tour” is making stops all over the U.S. which is something that I think is really great. If the tour is coming to a city near you make sure you check it out.

Halestorm Set List:
1.) Love Bites (So Do I)
2.) Mz. Hyde
3.) I Miss the Misery
4.) Freak Like Me
5.) Familiar Taste of Poison
6.) Rock Show
7.) It’s Not You
8.) Here’s to Us

Staind Set List:
1.) Raw
2.) Right Here
3.) Eyes Wide Open
4.) Spleen
5.) Failing
6.) So Far Away
7.) Now
8.) Country Boy
9.) For You
10.) Paper Wings
11.) Outside
12.) Not Again
13.) It’s Been Awhile
14.) Mudshovel
15.) Something to Remind You

Godsmack Set List:
1.) Awake
2.) The Enemy
3.) Good Day to Die
4.) Keep Away
5.) The oracle
6.) Love, Hate, Sex, Pain
7.) Cryin’ Like a Bitch
8.) Rocky Mountain Way
9.) Voodoo
10.) Batalla de Los Tambores
11.) Whatever
12.) I Stand Alone

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The Jeff Healey Band: Live in Belgium
DVD + CD
Eagle Vision
Total Running Time: 82 minutes

Our Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Eagle Vision’s raid of The Jeff Healey Band vault continues with this latest entry, a July 1993 show from the Peers Blues Festival in Belgium. As was always the case, Jeff and his band mates serve up a full-course meal of fiery blues in which every song features a guitar solo from Healey that usually rates with those played by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton. And the fact that he’s scorching the fretboard is made all the more impressive by the fact that Healey was blind from age one until his untimely passing in 2008 at the age of 41.

Six of the disc’s thirteen songs are culled from the 1992’s “Feel This”, the album that the JHB was touring to support when this show was recorded. Perennial favorites such as “Confidence Man”, “Angel Eyes”, and his cover of “Roadhouse Blues” – which was featured in the 1989 Patrick Swayze star-vehicle “Road House”, a film in which Healey also appeared – are also represented. And the best is saved for last in the form of a gritty cover of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.

On the whole, the performance is good and has the added bonus of featuring a keyboardist and a female backing vocalist – something that was a rare occurrence within the context of a JHB concert. However, it’s not nearly as energetic as the 1991 show that’s included on as part of the 3-CD + 1-DVD “Full Circle: The Live Anthology” set that was released in November of last year. Whereas 1991 saw Healey full of energy and included bits where he played his axe behind his head and with his feet, he seems somewhat on the sleepier side throughout this gig. The DVD is fairly lackluster on its own but would have been a superb addition to “Anthology” given that it would have sandwiched itself nicely between the 1989, 1991 and 1995 shows that are included in that box set.

The overall audio and video quality of “Live in Belgium” isn’t great, as it’s clear that the source is a low-resolution video tape. The liner notes (which were, for reasons still unbeknownst, not included in “Anthology”) don’t attempt to hide this, though, and freely admit that the source was “a mess”. Their efforts are truly appreciated as the resultant product is one that achieves the goal of preserving one of a scarce number of JHB shows that were actually documented.

Despite its flaws, “Live in Belgium” is a worthwhile DVD and, for those who aren’t already in the know, more than adequately serves as an introduction to this under-appreciated guitar great’s legacy.

“End Game Tour 2012”
Rise Against, A Day To Remember, Title Fight
Date: Tuesday, May 8th 2012
Venue: New York State Fairgrounds

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Rise Against played the Chevy Court at the New York State Fairgrounds on Tuesday, May 8th as part of the bands “End Game 2012 Tour” The tour is in support of the band’s latest album of the same name which was release earlier this year. The tour line-up also featured Title Fight and the always entertaining A Day To Remember. Even though the weather at times was not the best causing a number of giant mud pits each of the three bands put on a solid performance for the assembled crowd.

Title Fight from Kingston, PA kicked off the show and received a warm reception from the crowd which was a mixture of styles and ages. Crowd favorite A Day To Remember were up next and once the band hit the stage the energy level went through the roof. The bands set featured flying beach balls, toilet paper and a giant hamster ball which singer Jeremy McKinnon used to walk over the top of the crowd. The later part of the bands set featured some of the bands more popular songs such as “Better Off This Way” and “All I Want”. As the storm clouds began to move in and day shifted to night headliner Rise Against would take the stage. After a brief intro taken from the 1970 film “Catch-22” the band launched into a thought provoking, energy filled set. The band wasted no time and played song after song. Though the band sounded muffled at time their set was still very tight. The set featured a number of Rise Against staples as well as some new songs off of the “End game” album. Later in the set fans were treated to an acoustic performance of “Swing Life Away” and a few other acoustic numbers. The band closed out the night with an extended version of the hit song “Savior” which left the muddy masses tired but still had them begging for more.

A Day to Remember Set List:
1.) The Downfall Of Us All
2.) A Shot in the Dark
3.) I’m Made of Wax Larry, What Are You Made Of?
4.) My Life For Hire
5.) All Signs Point to Lauderdale
6.) 2nd Sucks
7.) You Be Tails, I’ll Be Sonic
8.) It’s Complicated
9.) Homesick
10.) Better Off This Way
11.) Have Faith In Me
12.) All I Want
13.) The Plot to Bomb The Panhandle
Rise Against Set List:
1.) Survivor Guilt
2.) Ready to Fall
3.) Collapse (Post-Amerika)
4.) The Good Left Undone
5.) Broken English
6.) Help Is on the Way
7.) Disparity by Design
8.) Drones
9.) Re-Education (Through Labor)
10.) Blood to Bleed
11.) Satellite
12.) Paper Wings
13.) Prayer of the Refugee
14.) Audience of One
15.) Swing Life Away
16.) Make It Stop
17.) Give It All
18.) Midnight Hands
19.) The Strength to Go On
20.) Savior

The Cory Smoot Experiment
“When Worlds Collide”
Metal Blade Records
Producer: Cory Smoot
Tracks: 12

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“When Worlds Collide” is the posthumous album release from former GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot aka “Flattus Maximus”. Smoot passed away earlier this year while on tour with GWAR from a pre-existing heart condition. The 12 tracks contained on this album were originally intended for a concept album that was to feature a variety of guest vocalists however, due to time constraints this never happened resulting in Smoot recording all of the vocals himself. The album is now being released via Metal Blade Records under the name The Cory Smoot Experience. 100 percent of the proceeds from this album will go to the Smoot Family fund which was set up by GWAR and Metal Blade Records to support Cory’s wife and child.

Having talked with Cory about this album in the past I am so glad that we are finally getting to hear it. Packed with ripping guitar solos and guttural vocals each of the 12 tracks on “When Worlds Collide” are exactly what you would expect from one of the masterminds behind GWAR’s crushing sound. Turn the intensity up to 10 and the skill up to 11 and that’s what you are going to hear when listening to this album. The track “Brainfade” features some intricate acoustic work which I found to be really cool. I always enjoy when artists show a different side of their musicality. Another notable track from the album is “Countdown to Purgatory”. The track starts off with a 5,4,3,2,1 countdown and could easily be the soundtrack to an actual rocket launch. The song features a great build up which only adds to its excitement. The album features great production and despite the down tuned instruments all of the low end tonal characteristics are still present making the album that much heavier.

I encourage both fans of Cory’s work and those not as familiar with Cory’s previous releases to go out and get this album. All of the proceeds will be going directly to Cory’s family so not only will you be directly helping Cory’s family but in return you will get a crushing metal album. All hail Flattus Maximus!

Track Listing:
1.) The Blood Red
2.) Fortunate Son
3.) Religion is Fiction
4.) Rebirth
5.) Brainfade* acoustic riffing
6.) Mandatory Purgatory
7.) Countdown to Oblivion
8.) The Gauntlet
9.) When Worlds Collide
10.) Mutilation
11.) Hollow Tree
12.) Sloth Loves Chunk

Dan Spitz is best known as one of the founding member of the thrash metal group Anthrax. Together with Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Dan has put together a new band called Red Lamb. The band is set to release a new video in the coming months and Media Mikes had the chance recently to talk with Dan about the project and the premise behind it.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your new band Red Lamb?
Dan Spitz: Red Lamb is the first thing I have ever done full bore outside of Anthrax. I am charging forward with this project the same way I did with Anthrax. We are trying to break new ground as there is a purpose behind this band. Because of that purpose the music its self took a long time to create and get its sound. This music is different from my past but still reminiscent of me. This was a fresh start for me. This is a collaborative effort between me and Dave Dave Mustaine of Megadeth. He came in one day to hear what I was doing and really took hold of it. This is I think the first thing he has ever done outside of Megadeth. He really wanted to be a band member more than a co-producer or co-lyricist. Dave known’s my family so he has sort of a personal stake in this material. He knows the purpose of the band.

AL: Can you elaborate more on the purpose behind the band?
DS: Around the world we have a problem with Autism. Previous generations saw Autism however it wasn’t in every neighborhood. It’s now infiltrating everywhere. My wife and I have identical twin boys who are both Autistic. There is a song on the album titled “Puzzle Box” which will be are next release that we just finished a video for. I hope to change the world through music by bringing awareness around the world that this is a serious problem. We aren’t asking for people to send us money to give to a certain charity. We want to just bring awareness around the world. The CDC just released a statistic that 1 in 56 boys born with have autism. That is crazy! What will we do when everyone grows up and can’t function in a normal job? We pull no punches and I am living this hear every day with my kids. That’s what Red Lamb is here to do. Once the machine roles we will be doing something on a permanent basis.

AL: What will be the actual premise of the video?
DS: The “Puzzle Box” video is really going to be like a mini movie. Our singer Donny is a video producer so I was kind of blessed to have him in the band. He was able to take my idea and show what we live each day as a family. We are going to show to the world what it is like to live with Autism. My family are all in this video. We also filmed at the Autism Speaks walk. We filmed all kinds of important people and things that will be included in the video. I am not here preaching but everyone needs to just wake up. If you look on Facebook people are writing in about how they are affected by Autism. It’s a really moving video. There are people in the movie and sports industry that have been standing up for Autism for years but there has never been anyone in music that has done anything. People often wonder why it has taken me so long after leaving Anthrax to do something new. Now people will get to see what goes on in my house on a regular basis. Every 30 seconds there is a crisis going on. To write and record is very difficult. Eventually I had to leave and live at Dave’s studio to be able to finish work on this project. Things are that hard where I had to completely remove myself. It’s time everyone see’s what’s going on.

AL: What can you tell us about your work on the film “Goat”?
DS: That film has some really cool people in it. Ice-T is the film and it’s funny because he used to be a huge Anthrax fan. A friend of mine is making this film and it is now completed. The song “One Shell in the Chamber” which will appear on the Red Lamb album made it into thefilm. We started writing stuff and decided that parts of that song fit really well. There is some other stuff in the can for other movies my friend has made also. The High School I went to produced quite a few people who have gone on to do things that have really changed the world. We were either friends or we played against them in battle of the bands contests. We all hung out. The guy who did this film is one of those people. Some of the other people I hung out with now put on some of the biggest shows on Broadway. I have had beers with some pretty cool people. (Laughs)

AL: What other stuff do you have going on right now?
DS: At this point I do plan on doing a bunch of things. Red Lamb is taking up most of my time right now. Once this video is done and out then the object is to go out and play. It will be time. We started a little while ago putting things together so I can get back on the stage. I have been away for awhile so it will be great to get back to where I belong. I took some time off from music to clear my head and during that time I realized what I was here to do. I’m back doing it and I don’t plan to stop. I also am currently working of some stuff with Chris Vrenna from Marilyn Manson which is turning out really cool.

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Hank Williams III has recently released four new solo albums. These albums were the first to be released by William’s newly formed label Hank 3 Records. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Hank 3 about what it was like releasing four albums simultaneously.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the idea of releasing four albums simultaneously?
HW3: For me I wanted to try something different. There are many different angles. Doing something different was the first one. The second part for me was trying to make another mark in musical history. I am standing on my own two feet. People can look back on my career and see that I did quite a few different things with the family he was from. A third reason is I haven’t been able to sell a CD at any of my shows in almost 18 years. I wanted to be able to give the fans a chance to see all the different sounds and a chance to also buy them. I don’t know if I will ever have that much focus or drive to do that amount of work again in a short period of time. There are all kinds of things that prompted me to push myself a little harder and do something un-standard. I also kicked off Hank 3 Records with these releases. What better way to do it than to come out of the gate strong.

AL: What made you decide to start your own label?
HW3: Basically I am going through one lawyer instead of five or six. I have less people trying to tell me what I can or can’t do. It’s pretty simple what I am trying to do. I am making music and touring. When I get a chance to work with another musician I don’t want that opportunity shut down. I have always known my sound. Henry Rollins gave me some advice a long time ago about only really needing a good distribution company as the other stuff is already in place. I kept his words very close to me. So far things have not been an issue. However if it starts cutting into my creativity then I might think about changing it up. Right now it is just another way of trying to become more hands on.

AL: Did the writing/recording process vary at all between the four albums?
HW3: The country is always a bit more serious to me. I have to worry about pitch and the tone as well as the timing. I take that a lot more serious when I am working on the country sound. At night I would do a lot of the “ADD” and “3 Bar Ranch” stuff. It was a good way to end the session and wind things down. For a couple of months it was working from the time I got up until the time I went to sleep. Things were full on. I have always been that way when I have been working on the country stuff. You have to be sharper with that stuff. The other material I am playingmostly by myself so things are less intense. There are no outside players coming in and needing your ideas explained to them.

AL: What interested you in using different auctioneers in the back ground of the “3 Bar Ranch” album?
HW3: I have always looked at cattle auctioneers as different singers. I thought the speed of the auctioneers combined with the speed of heavy metal were a good mix. I lost more than 60% of the guys I wanted to use on that album because they didn’t feel comfortable with what I was doing. I was trying to explain to those guys that they weren’t going to like the music or understand it but I was in no way making fun of their industry. I wanted to offer inspiration to younger auctioneers in a different way. I also wanted to give maybe aspiring bull riders a different kind of music to get all amped on before going on an 8 second run. There are quite a few angles but it just goes back to doing something out of the box and different. This album is only for select people out there that might get into this kind of stuff. For me it was a lot of fun. I pushed myself to some other limits as a player. It was a good way to end all of the records.

AL: Did you use samples of auctioneers or did you actually go out and record at various places?
HW3: Basically I would have to try and track the guys down. A lot of them already had stuff up on YouTube. I would call and talk to them about what I was doing and make them an offer. Everyone got offered the same deal. It didn’t matter if you were 17 years old or one of the highest paid auctioneers out there. I just told them this is what I was offering and would they want to be a part of it. When I started losing like 60% of the guys out there I went and recorded a few local people. I did all of the Tennessee auctioneers in person. There were a few guys that were really helpful. Some of the older guys have started to see what I am doing and they have gotten a feel for what it is. I am being a little different but trying not to be disrespectful. At times people don’t quite understand creativity or art views.

AL: What has it been like playing these albums live?
HW3: It’s been fun. By the time I get to the “3 Bar Ranch” stuff we are about 3.5 hours into it. We have taken the audience through a lot of different moods already. For that last little segment it’s pretty intense. For me it’s a lot of fun. When everything is right it feels great. For now we have to work around samples of the auctioneers. One day it would be great to find the right kid who can do that stuff live and correctly. Until then we have to work around the samples. We have done 5 tours with “3 Bar Ranch” so far. There are still some people hanging out at the end of the show who come up and tell us their minds have been blown. It’s always good when you leave an impression on someone.

AL: Personally is there one of the four albums that stands out for you above the rest?
HW3: It just depends on which way you are looking at it. Creativity wise a lot more went in to “Ghost to a Ghost” and “Gutter Town”. This was only because of all the outside players and effects. There was a lot more work that went into that as opposed to “Cattle Callin” and “ADD”. It is intense but not as intense. That stuff is a little more fun and I don’t have to be as strict on myself. It’s like taking a break in a way. The hardest part out of all of this was the mixing. Each album is special to me in its own way. People seem to recognize more with my roots in country music more so than in rock or heavy metal. I try to make sure I deliver some stuff to the hardcore fans out there.

AL: Do you have any more tour plans for these albums?
HW3: We are getting ready to do a Mid-West run which will be sort of a short tour. From there we will be heading over to Europe for about a month. That will take us through mid July. When I get back from that and I take some time to put myself back together we have a west coast run scheduled for August. We are possibly trying to get into Canada as well.

AL: Do you think you will be back in the studio anytime soon?
HW3: Once I break even. I have to keep working until I break even. Once that happens and everyone is satisfied then I will be able to think about that. For me I can’t get creative until I get everything back level.

Derya “Dez” Nagle is the guitarist for progressive UK rock band The Safety Fire. The band just released their first full length album titled “Grind the Ocean”. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Dez about the new album and the bands upcoming US tour.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the new album?
Dez Nagle: The album is called “Grind the Ocean” and it is being released via Inside Out. We have a digitized version of the album as well as a hard copy version. This is our first full length album and we couldn’t be more excited to get the album out there.

AL: Can you describe the writing process for the album?
DN: We generally will start with one motif that we will develop into a whole song. Sometimes we will have a just a chord progression or a riff that we flesh out into a full arrangement. From there we all discuss where we want to take the song. The type of music we do makes it sort of difficult to start off trying to make ideas from the very beginning. Some of the ideas can be quite obscure and or abstract in conversation. It’s a lot easier to go along with the studio vibe and develop the ideas there. We usually will pre-produce those ideas and write everything else from there.

AL: Will we be seeing any music videos to accompany the album’s release?
DN: We did a video for the first single off the album titled “She’s Hammered”. The video has been out for a short time now and has gotten quite a bit of air time here in the UK. I think the YouTube release just recently hit 70,000 views. There also is an exclusive video people can check out on Guitarworld.com for the bands next single.

AL: What can you tell us about the concept for the new video?
DN: It’s very different from the normal kind of band performance. The video is based around Laurie drinking this peculiar drink which alters her perception. We like to have fun videos that have their own story line while keeping a connection to the song. We want people who watch the videos to have an appreciation for both the video and the music.

AL: Being from/based in the UK have you found it hard to break into new markets such as the US?
DN: I think being the type of band that we are makes us very proactive. We are always releasing new content and trying to engage our fans as much as possible. The internet has really broken down a lot of boundaries for what is possible. We have received a lot of messages and such via Twitter and Facebook from people who are excited to see the band. That has been really great. Even though we are from the UK we are always looking for ways to get into other new markets. Radio One here in the UK has helped the band a lot by playing our songs during the drive hours. That has really opened us up to a lot more people.

AL: How long will your tour in States run?
DN: We start at the end of March in Chicago and the tour runs through the end of April. All the dates of the tour are available on line so people wanting to check out the band can look for those and come and see the show. Once that tour wraps up we have been confirmed for some UK festivals dates. We will be at Sonisphere as well as another really cool festival called The Heavy Festival. We love touring and being busy.

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Josh Schwartz is the guitarist for the Washington D.C. based rock/metal band A Sound of Thunder. Media Mikes recently had a chance to talk with Josh about the band’s new album titled “Out of the Darkness”.

Adam Lawton: How would you describe the new album?
Josh Schwartz: I consider “Out of the Darkness” a “classic heavy metal” album, but not in the way the term is being thrown around in the metal scene these days, which usually refers to NWOBHM style bands.  When I think “classic metal”, I think of the days when metal was not so separate from mainstream rock ‘n’ roll, when bands like Black Sabbath and Yes could tour together, and you could put something heavy and evil on the same album with a ballad or a classical guitar piece, and not be considered a sellout. Nobody questions that “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath or “Killers” by Iron Maiden are classic metal albums, even though “Planet Caravan” and “Prodigal Son” aren’t really metal songs at all.  It seems like it’s harder to get away with doing melodic music in metal these days, unless you’re a prog-metal band or have operatic vocals.  I don’t consider us a prog-metal band; I consider us a classic heavy metal band with some minimal elements of prog-rock (not prog-metal) thrown in. We definitely aren’t an operatic band though Nina is belting it out like Dio or Bruce Dickinson.

AL: What is the band’s writing process like?
JS: Generally I will write all of the music, either during rehearsal jams or on my own. We arrange songs as a group and either Nina or Chris will write the lyrics.  Everyone in the band does write music to some degree. Jesse wrote the bridge to “The Day I Die”. “The Night Witch” started with a vocal melody written by Nina and Chris wrote the vocal melody for “This Too Shall Pass”. Nina will often throw a simple idea at me that I can use as a starting point for the music.  For “Calat Alhambra”, she asked me to write something in a Spanish/Flamenco style. For “Kill That Bitch” she asked me to write something in the style of Accept (not sure I succeeded there or not!).

AL: Did you take any different approaches to recording this time around?
JS: Yes! Our debut EP “A Sound of Thunder” and first full length album “Metal Renaissance” were both recorded on analog tape, mostly without a click track, and with minimal overdubs and vocal harmonies.  They were both self-produced.  For “Out of the Darkness” we worked with a producer for the first time. Kevin “131” Gutierrez (Shinedown) produced the album and recorded everything in ProTools.  While we did sacrifice the vintage analog sound a bit, this allowed us to get a much more powerful, crisp sounding record. It also made it much easier to add more vocal harmonies, keyboards, effects, etc.  Recording digitally is just much faster and cheaper which is obviously a consideration.  Some day we may go back and do an all vintage analog sounding album similar to the “Ghost” record.

AL: Is there a track off the albums that you are most looking forward to playing live?
JS: We are excited to add “Discovery” to our set. “Discovery” is a bit of an epic, at almost nine minutes. The song features keys, a string quartet, and lots of guitar and vocal harmonies.  It’s been a challenge arranging it so that we can pull it off live as a power trio, but I think we’ve done it.  Our drummer Chris switches to acoustic guitar for part of the song, which has been a great live moment for the crowd thus far.  We’ve also added some extended guitar, vocal and piano improv with our bassist Jesse switching to piano for a bit.  We play a lot of our heavier stuff live but “Discovery” will be more of a nod to classic rock with its extended length and improv sections.

AL: What are your tour plans for this year?
JS: We’ll be going out on our most extensive tour yet in May.  It’ll be 12 dates in a row, ranging from Washington, DC to St. Paul, MN,  Aside from that we always like to keep busy playing at least 2-3 shows each month closer to home. We may look into another small tour of the south or the north-east later in the year. We’ll be recording a new album over the summer so that probably won’t happen before the fall.

Oystein Brun is the founding member of the Norwegian progressive black metal band Borknagar. The band released their 9^th studio album titled “Urd” on March 26^th via Century Media Records. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Oystein about the release and the bands plans for the upcoming tour season.

Adam Lawton: What can you tell us about the band’s new album “Urd”?
Oystein Brun: The album covers a wide range. It is progressive, epic and metal. It’s all those things combined with the bands trademark sound. We have gotten some really amazing feedback and are very excited. I think we took a step further production wise with this album and we are very happy with how it turned out.

AL: How does this compare to some of this the bands previous work?
OB: I think the production element of the album really shines. Some of our previous releases really lacked the production that should go along with the type of powerful music we play. With the new album we really did take a huge step. Everything on this album feels really satisfying. The band this time also had a great process and we all took a step up. It was great being able to have our hands in all the different aspects of the recording process.

AL: Does the band do any pre-production prior to going into the studio?
OB: I will generally come in with my songs and the other guys in the band will bring in their songs and we start there. This time around we spent a lot of time on the recording process. I think we spent around 6 months just on the recording process itself. We tried different ideas which made things nice. We didn’t have a time crunch or anything so we were able to spend quite a bit of time on the various stages.

AL: What has it been like returning back to Century Media Records?
OB: We were with them back in 1996 when the band was first signed. We did 6 albums with them during our first signing but after those we decided to just try something new. We wanted to try working with some different people. We started to notice that our material was becoming harder to get in certain areas of the world. At the end of the day things just weren’t working. We have shared so much history with Century Media that it has been really great coming back to that label. They know how the band works and have helped get everything back on track for us.

AL: Have there been any talks of touring?
OB: There have been of course talks. (Laughs) First and for most we like to create music. The big issue for us right now is that we don’t want to tour that much. We all have things outside the band and some of us have small babies at home. We will try to do something as I would love to go back to some places in Europe.