Monique Powell is the lead singer of the Orange County ska-punk band Save Ferris. After a 15 year break the band is set to release a new EP in February titled “New Sound” and embark on a US tour also starting in February. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Monique recently about the bands return, their pledge music campaign and about working with producer John Avila.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background info on the reformation of the group in 2013 and leading up to where the group is now in 2016?

Monique Powell: In 2012, I was diagnosed with a degenerative spine condition that had caused irreparable spinal cord damage in my neck. I was told by doctors that, without emergency surgery I could eventually lose my ability to walk. The catch was that, the surgery I needed was typically performed from the front of the neck, an issue that would have prevented me from ever singing again. I had one doctor say to me “Do you want to sing or do you want to walk?”. At that point, I became determined to find a doctor that could perform the surgery I needed through the back of my neck, a procedure considered far more dangerous, painful, and with far more required rehabilitation. The minute before I went under anesthesia for the difficult surgery, I decided I was going to bring Save Ferris back if I woke up from the procedure with my ability to walk and my voice intact. This is what led to the reincarnation of Save Ferris in 2013. I had to relearn how to hold my head up, how to do simple tasks with my arms, and through it all, I had Save Ferris and the fans to aim for. The response to the shows in 2013 was so positive, I decided to bring us back for good!

AL: What was it like heading back into the studio after being away from that process for so long?

MP: At first, scary. I didn’t eat for days prior due to nerves but then something happened and the magic of John Avila filled the studio, and, I settled in beautifully. It was as if a day hadn’t gone by.

AL: How did the relationship with producer John Avila come together?

MP: John produced the first Reel Big Fish album which was the first album I ever sang on when I was about 19 years old. We had a great time recording “She Has a Girlfriend Now” for Reel Big Fish and I never forget John’s kindness and calm demeanor. When I was shopping for producers for my new stuff, John’s name came up, and I thought, “how crazy would it be if this all came around full circle”. So I scheduled a meeting and here we are.

AL: Can you tell us about the pledge music campaign that is happening around the new EP?

MP: Well, being a band that was virtually inactive for so long, I had no idea how I would finance a new album. Thanks to Pledge and our fans, this new album has been made possible. It has been really fun, we had a studio party with our fans that donated to be on the record it was an epic night for all of us.

AL: Can you tell us about the upcoming tour and what other plans you and the band have for 2017?

MP: The band and I are all so excited to be finally touring together. It really is a dream come true for us, and I cannot believe it is actually happening. I’ve worked so hard for 3 years to make this possible. As for 2017, after we release the EP early in the year, and the 6 week Fall tour of North America, we will continue working on a full length album. If all goes as planned, we will release the full length prior to our 2017 summer tour so fingers crossed!

For more info on Save Ferris and a complete list of tour dates visit http://www.saveferrisofficial.com/

Pete Griffin is a Grammy Award-winning bassist who has worked with everyone from Dweezil Zappa and Steve Vai to Edgar Winter and Dethklok. Griffin’s latest musical endeavor is that of Giraffe Tongue Orchestra a group whose members also include Brent Hinds of Mastodon, Ben Weinman of Dillinger Escape Plan and William DuVall of Alice In Chains. The group released their debut album titled “Broken Lines” in September and is hitting the road this month in support of the release. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Pete recently about the bands formation, the creation of the album and what fans can expect from the upcoming tour.

Adam Lawton: How did the group initially come together and what is the story behind its unique name?

Pete Griffin: Ben and Brent had been touring together off and on for a decade with their respective bands Dillinger Escape Plan and Mastodon. Even though their sounds are a bit different there groups are both heavy and are very forward thinking. They have been friends and co-workers for some time. Those guys started kicking ideas back and forth and they ended up being better than the average ideas one might pass along. This all started back about eight years ago. The idea for the group has been around for some times and there have been various rhythm sections and recording sessions that didn’t yield any solid results. Last year I got a text from Brent after meeting him while I was out with Dweezil Zappa. I got asked to come and jam with those guys and we started working on a song that would end up being titled “Crucifixion”. They had already started working on things before I got there so I just walked in and just started going. It was at that moment that I think we all agreed there was something there. A month later we tracked the rest of the record with no vocalist. During that time Ben and I were having some pretty hilarious text messages back and forth about who we should get to sing. We were throwing out names like Sting and Paul McCartney which were just pipedream ideas. Around this same time Brent ran in to William in Atlanta and asked him if he would be interested in doing the record. The name of the group was already in place by the time I came along. I think it was one of those flash in the pan ideas where they saw a nature documentary about giraffes and you got to have a band name so there you go. On the flip side you have the abbreviation GTO which when you read it often gives people thoughts of the muscle car which is a hard driving automobile. I think that is a pretty accurate description of our sound as well so in a silly backhanded way it became a good moniker for us.

AL: Are the songs that make up “Broken Lines” ones that were already put together before you joined the group or is this an entirely new group of tracks?

PG: About seventy five percent of the songs were blocked out before I came in. The parts were all there but the bass lines may have needed some tweaking. We also may have done some arrangement changes but Ben had demos for three quarters of the album. When we got together we wrote three more songs as a band and things went from there. The last song we did was put together from three different jams we had recorded. We came up with a way to put them all together and make them work as one song. The interesting thing about that was going back and learning that song in its new form. Now that we have done it a few times its one of the more fun songs to play as it jumps around quite a bit.

AL: The group made some ties recently to “The Walking Dead” television series can you tells us how that all happened?

PG: Bear McCreary who is the composer on the show is a good friend of mine. I have worked with Bear for many years now on a number of his other projects. Have yet to work on “The Walking Dead” but I have done stuff for “Black Sails” and a bunch of other movie score stuff. I had let some of my music friends know about the new album when it came out so they could check it out and a couple weeks letter Bear made a post telling people to go check it out as well. It was cool to get the praise from him.

AL: What can fans anticipate from the upcoming live shows?

PG: So far I know we are going to be performing the full record. With the record being only forty five minutes I am sure we are going to be looking to add some other material or do some extended jamming but we will have to see. At this point we are still experimenting with who we are live. We did two festival shows in England but other than that this is all still very new. It’s definitely going to be a great show though every night we get up there. I am really excited to get things going. A couple days before the tour starts we are all heading out to Ben’s in New Jersey to put everything together so it’s going to be a lot of fun.

AL: This tour runs through mid-December. Have there been any talks of what you and the band have planned for the remainder of the year and into 2017?

PG: Currently after December there isn’t anything else booked for Giraffe Tongue. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be anything else as I would love to keep doing this but nothing is scheduled for right now. Personally for me after this tour wraps up I have a pretty quite rest of the year. Going in to next year I will be working with Paul Gilbert in January and February as we will be going down to Brazil which I am definitely excited for. Ben will be out with Dillinger in Europe promoting their last album and Brent has a new album with Mastodon coming out. It’s going to be a busy 2017 for all of us. That’s something fans should consider when thinking about coming to see Giraffe Tongue Orchestra is this could one of the few times you will get to this project live. That fact also will make the shows even more special.

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Since the early 90’s, Tub Ring has been a true passion project. It’s survived multiple incantations, a revolving door of band members, and different record labels. Despite their longevity, they stayed under the radar as they toured constantly across the country year in and year out. With each music release, tour, and band member, the band found a way to create something new and spin their own unique take on their favorite genre. After going on hiatus for half a decade, the two long lasting members, Rob Kleiner and Kevin Gibson, have come back with a kickstarter for fans who’ve stuck around since the band’s early high school days and those who discovered them along the way as they toured the country with the likes of Foxy Shazam, The Birthday Massacre, Dog Fashion Disco, Mindless Self Indulgence, and others. Media Mikes got a chance to talk with them as they get ready to head back into the studio.

Jeremy Werner: After Tub Ring’s 2010 release, “Secret Handshake,” everything seemed to go silent and the touring stopped. A lot of fans seemed kind of in the dark for years, kind of just assuming that the band had called it quits. But here you are with a Kickstarter, a successful one at that, and some are wondering what’s happened over the past six years?

Rob Kleiner: After non-stop touring and making albums for a solid 10 years we were due for a break. Kevin and I had been the two constant members during that period of time. All the upkeep, finances, songwriting, planning, etc., fell on us and us alone. We were a bit tired and also broke. On top of all this I had started finding the biggest success I’d ever had in my music career writing and producing for bigger artists, which led me to move to Los Angeles to focus on that. Since arriving in LA all my creative attention has been aimed that direction.

Kevin Gibson: I got married, and enjoyed living a nice normal life. My love of music remained, but I became more of a music fan than a music creator. My wife and I follow Skrillex all over the country cause we’re nerdy superfans like that.

JW: What was it that got the ball rolling in terms of deciding to come back together, make a best of LP, make some new music, and start a crowdfunding page?

KG: Nothing in particular. I think we both had a little necessary time off, but then started seeing each other more often. Kinda seemed like the right time to do it. It was pretty organic. We had always said Tub Ring wasn’t dead, just on hiatus, so we wouldn’t want to be dirty liars now, would we?

RK: Our guitarist Patrick put the idea out there for making a best of vinyl. Kevin and I liked the idea, and decided it’d be fun to make a few new songs to accompany that.

JW: You reached your Kickstarter goal literally days after launching. What is it like seeing yourselves reach that goal so quickly?

RK: It’s beautiful. I remember a long time ago someone asking me, “What would make you happy in life?” My answer was, “to create someone’s ‘favorite’ music.” Maybe I achieved that. Maybe not. But it sure seems like this is a good indicator that I’ve made music that’s meant something to some people.

KG: It was pretty wonderful, actually. Tub Ring was always a labor of love for us, but I wondered if anyone would still care. Seems like they do, so I’m gonna try to live up to the love.

JW: The stretch goal is $30,000 to do a live show in Chicago. If you reach that…what would a possible second stretch goal be?

KG: Shit, I don’t know. Working on new stuff has been immediately enjoyable. To be honest, we’re playing it by ear. I suppose if not just the kickstarter, but everything else worked out we could always keep recording more music.

RK: We’ve definitely discussed that possibility. If there’s demand then yes. Perhaps we spin the new EP into a new album, or we do a small tour. We’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Whatever people want could become possible.

JW: Because it’s been so long in between new releases of music, is there anything that’s been released by artists you like or any new music over the past six years that you’ve gravitated towards and look to incorporate in your new music?

RK: Absolutely. I write directly from my inspirations. My songs always end up sounding like what I’m listening to. My taste is always evolving. Hopefully my newer influences will work with the new TR material.

KG: Well, I love music and my music preferences are constantly changing. It’s pretty much the same as when Tub Ring was heavily active. Obviously I’m influenced by different music at different times, and it’s fun to incorporate new sounds and styles, but I don’t think we ever sit down and say, “I want this album to sound like this.” We just kinda write what we write and what comes out is Tub Ring.

JW: Is the Kickstarter for the fans or are you looking at trying to make some splashes with the new music?

RK: For the fans and for ourselves. If it brings in any new interest that’s great, but that’s certainly not the goal here.

KG: This Kickstarter is definitely for the fans, as well as us. I sure have fun making music. That being said, it’s not like I’d be upset if we made some more fans.

JW: With both of you on different ends of the country almost, what kind of strain does that put on the music making process?

KG: I don’t think it’s going to any strain at all really. We can bounce stuff back and forth immediately through the wonder of technology. I remember when Tub Ring started out I would write lyrics using a terrible room recording made from a boombox and a cassette. Basically it’s just adapting to the current situation.

RK: It does makes getting together a bit more expensive. That’s what the kickstarter is for to help with. Altogether though, it’s really not too bad of a strain.

JW: I’m sure that you have fans that you talk to all the time about your music, but is there anything you’ve worked on in the past or anything you’re working on now that you’re really proud of and you want people to go check out now?

KG: My Apartment looks nice.

RK: I can’t pimp out one of my artists without pimping out all of them – so instead of writing a novel, fans should just go to my website.

You can check out Tub Ring’s Kickstarter here.
You can get up to date information from Tub Ring on their Facebook.

John Doe is a singer, songwriter, poet and actor. He is probably best known for his work with the seminal Los Angeles punk band X which formed in the mid 1970’s. 2016 has been a busy for year for Doe as earlier this year he released his first solo album in five years titled “The Westerner” along with a book chronicling the L.A. punk scene titled “Under the Big Black Sun”. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with John recently before his performance in Ithaca, NY about the idea behind his new album and what it was like revisiting the stories contained in his book.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background on the new album “The Westerner”?

John Doe: My friend Michael Blake who wrote “Dances with Wolves” and several other books was like a brother to me. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and over time couldn’t remember anything. It bugged the hell out of him but we remained close through everything and I would always go up and visit him. We influenced each other a lot in art and writing. Howe Gelb and I were reconnecting around the same as I was writing songs about Michael and using him as a character. I like what Howe has done with different peoples sound as well as his own in Giant Sand. He has really refocused the sound coming out of the Tucson area. I wanted the songs to have space and reverb so working down there seemed like the natural way to go. I had the title “The Westerner” sort in my mind as someone sent me a Doors record. The Doors were also Michaels favorite band so I began looking up stuff on them and my connection with that band goes way back. I was searching the internet and found an image done for one of their record store day releases. Shepard Fairey is the artist who did the piece and he and I have been friends for some time so I asked if he would redo the piece for me and he said yes. The original photo was shot at the Rose Bud Reservation by Aaron Huey who has an organization called “Protect the Sacred”. This was one of Michael’s main charities so it was great to be able to tie all this stuff in with the album. The album is a tribute album but it’s not sad.

AL: Was the idea to do a new solo album already in your thoughts prior to Michael becoming ill?

JD: Everything happened very organically. These days I sort of sit back and look at my watch and say “Holy shit it’s been 4 years since I made a new record” (Laughs). I always am writing bits and pieces of things but it just so happened that Michael was on my mind and I started to see how things were happening and I began tailoring things with what was going on. I loved the song Exene wrote called “Alone in Arizona”. It seemed to be kind of about Michael even though it really wasn’t. I am a big fan of Chan Marshall especially her albums “The Greatest” and “Sun”. I started doing the song “A Little Help” and realized it was similar to “The Greatest” and asked Chan if she would sing on it with me. With the song “Go Baby Go” I reached out to Debbie Harry as X had toured with Blondie and I had asked her before that if I ever had something I thought she would be good for would she do it. That song is a fun rock song and it worked out great. I am very fortunate that I am still around and that people want to come and play.

AL: Having been in the music industry for some time now aside from digitalization and the internet what has been the most notable change?

JD: MTV was really big when it first came out. All the other stuff out there I don’t really concern myself with. I have Instagram and my manager does Facebook so I have a small to moderate presence with social media but if people really want to see me then I think they should come out to show as I am generally hanging around. There is so much great music out there these days that it’s hard to rise above the static. Think of the old music business like an hour glass. You had the music at the top, at the pinching point was the business at the bottom was the public. Over time the shape of the industry changes to where now it’s square. There is just so much stuff flooding people ears these days.

AL: What can you tell us about your new book “Under the Big Black Sun”?

JD: Tom DeSavia who is the co-author and my sweet heart were both telling me that I should write a book. I thought it was going to be just too much work so I didn’t really pay attention to them. One day I had this brilliant idea about how the scene in L.A. was about community and collaboration. With that I knew that I wouldn’t have to write this book all by myself or suffer the pain if people didn’t like it I could just blame it on somebody else. (Laughs) I didn’t have to be the authority on things. I liked book such as “Please Kill Me” and “We Got the Neutron Bomb” however there is not a lot of fact checking that goes into oral histories. Los Angeles was sort of a romantic place in that era so I thought it was important to have it be its own character. I really feel that everything that is Los Angeles from the weather to the cars affected the way the music sounded. After Tom and I decided to do it we got a book deal and things became real. We got paid a pretty good advance and then we knew we really had to go through with it. We started getting people together and selecting topics based on what was important to that scene and what would make people care. The big one was it was that what happened was a cultural revolution. That was Exene’s big part of the book. Dave Alvin was part of the roots scene which got pulled into punk rock so he is the expert there so, that’s where he tells his story from. Robert Lopez was in a Latino band called The Zeroes. He was not out at this time but he was obviously gay so he was able to talk about that aspect of things. Jane Wiedlin talks about where people lived and how that played a role. By doing things this way we were able to give the book a much broader perspective.

AL: The book shines a light on the L.A. punk scene as it was/is often overshadowed by what was going on in New York and London around the same time. Can you tell us a little about that?

JD: I think at some point the media picked up on The Sex Pistols and few other bands that were young and/or un-experienced who said “Fuck You”. The media then said “Ok, Fuck you” which caused them to not cover things as much. When the L.A. scene finally came around about a year and a half later they possibly had enough images and maybe had made up their mind that we weren’t going to play ball. I think bands like Blondie, Talking Heads and The Ramones just wanted to be part of music and have a career. That’s what we wanted also. It wasn’t until the hardcore scene that people felt like they had been abandoned leading to bands doing things on their own. That’s when labels like SST started popping up. Everyone had sort of a chip on their shoulder and over time L.A. punk has started to carve out its own niche which has been good. Twenty or thirty years ago I would have probably been pretty bent out of shape about how the L.A. scene was looked upon but these days I couldn’t care less.

AL: Was there a present rivalry between the two coasts/scenes because of this?

JD: Sure. I think there was a healthy rivalry between New York and L.A. and L.A. and San Francisco but it wasn’t anything to wild. I do remember Exene getting into a fight with Handsome Dick from The Dictators once. (Laughs) What we loved about the whole thing was that almost all of those bands came out to Los Angeles to play at The Whiskey. We saw The Ramones, Blondie, The Damned, Television and a few others who played out our way regularly.

AL: What was it like for X when they would travel to the east coast?

JD: It was rough at first. Exene’s sister got us three shows in NYC in 1978 after we put out our first single. We basically drove from L.A. to New York with all of our gear, played three shows and then drove home. There is a little of that in the book but it was sort of a lukewarm reception. Debbie Harry and Chris Stein came to the shows at Studio 57 and later on we got to be pals with The Ramones. It took a little while because everyone thought L.A. was just swimming pools and Farrah Fawcett. You weren’t just given a Mercedes when you moved there. It was a pretty hard scramble. It was cheap to live there at the time though so there were a lot of young people with nothing to do but create stuff.

AL: What was it like revisiting a lot of the memories from that time period, especially the ones around the time of the death of Exene’s sister?

JD: That specific event wasn’t hard to dig into as I had experienced it so deeply in the beginning. It changed everything for Exene and by relation me too. It wasn’t too hard to look back. I don’t necessarily wish I had kept diaries or anything. It might have been good? You sort of start channeling towards a certain direction and things start to come back. I think it’s all about the details. I worked with everyone who wrote for the book and I always asked for more details. I think everyone was happy to tell their story and I was surprised by quite a few of them.

AL: With your current solo tour coming to end do you have planned for the coming year?

JD: The fortieth anniversary of X is coming up next year. We have the initial schedule which consists of around one hundred shows! Usually we do between thirty and fifty shows a year so this is quite a bit more. I think it’s great! Forty years ago we put a big investment into the bank of punk rock. At the time everyone though it was bullshit but we all have been able to make pretty good careers out of that initial investment. We are one of the few remaining punk bands from that time with its original members. Everyone is healthy now which is really great. We also will be looking to put out some live material and if Exene will write some more lyrics will put out some new songs as well. (Laughs)

John Doe, Anna Coogan

Friday, November 4th 2016
The Haunt, Ithaca, NY

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

John Doe founding member of the legendary Los Angeles punk band X made a stop in Ithaca, NY on November 4th as part of Cornell University’s “Punk Fest: Anarchy in the Archives” a week-long event which included various speaking panels and music performances which coincided with the opening of the Universities “Anarchy in the Archives” exhibit which showcases a vast array of rare punk artifacts. The performance was second of three performances the venue was schedule to host and fans who attended were treated to a great night of music which was highlighted by a guest appearance by X front-woman Exene Cervenka.

Little did I know when I walked through the intimate river side venue doors that on this night I was going to witness an amazing performance by not one but two! Legend’s in punk rock music. The venue was buzzing with excitement as people had heard that X front-woman Exene was in the building after being asked earlier in the day by John to perform with him. After a brief yet eclectic opening set from singer/songwriter Anna Coogan who despite battling some seasonal illness put forth a solid effort which the Ithacan crowd seemed to quite enjoy from the local artist who just returned from a tour with Alt/Country artist Johnny Dowd. After a very quick set change over the man himself John Doe was front and center where he announced his plans for the evening and confirming that Exene was in-fact in the house and that she would be performing with him this night. This announcement only further electrified the crowd as everyone in attendance now knew just how special this night was going to be. To start the set off Doe played selections from his solo career including a handful of new tracks from his recently released “The Westerner” album. Mid way through the performance Doe welcomed up his X cohort Exene to the dimly lit stage. The long time collaborators then proceeded to take the evening to the next level. Though the portion of the set with Cervenka was impromptu the two veterans armed only with one acoustic guitar and their voices delivered a mesmerizing performance that went off as though they had done it hundreds of times before. Much like their work in X the duos haunting voices complimented one another and despite the minimal instrumentation the music was equally if not more powerful in its raw form.

Doe took the stage like a pro and with the help of his long time band partner Exene Cervenka held the Ithaca crowd in the palm of their hands.

Be sure to check out our exclusive interview with John Doe in the interview section of the site.

“Honor Is Dead”
Wovenwar
Metal Blade Records
Tracks: 11

Our score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Metal Blade recording artist Wovenwar are back with their sophomore release titled “Honor Is Dead”. The group which consists of former As I Lay Dying members Nick Hippa, Josh Gilbert, Phil Sgrosso and Jordan Mancino along with Oh Sleeper front man Shane Blay is taking things to the next level with their latest release consisting of 11 aggressive tracks which demand listener’s attention.

From the opening lines of “Confession” to the closing notes of “130” the latest offering from Wovenwar is a much more aggressive album than the groups 2014 self titled debut. Vocalist/guitarist Shane Blay seems to have settled in and planted his roots firmly with the former As I Lay Dying members which are nicely showcased on “Honor Is Dead”. The group once again does a great job blending melodic tinged vocals and crushing guitars but goes one step further amping up the heavy portion of the album with strategically placed guttural screams and lyric passages that will surely satisfy even the most fanatical heavy music listener. For those looking the album more melodic moments check out the title track “Honor Is Dead” as well as “Silhouette”. For those wanting the heaviest of the heavy take a listen to “Stones Throw” and “Cascade” as the will undoubtedly do the trick.

The band seems to only be getting better the more and more time they spend with each other and “Honor Is Dead” is a solid testament to that. Though I found the album lacking some of the catchiness found in the group’s previous release I still enjoyed listening to the new material. Clocking in at just over thirty minutes allowed for multiple listens and the diversity of each track cancelled out any redundancies making the latest from Wovenwar a solid pickup.

Track Listing:
1. Confession
2. Censorship
3. Honor is Dead
4. Lines in the Sand
5. World on Fire
6. Compass
7. Stones Throw
8. Cascade
9. Silhouette
10. Blood Letter
11. 130

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PLUGINZ ‘Jack Rack’ Now Available via Guitar Center & Musician’s Friend –

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Pluginz recently introduced their newest product – the latest musician’s must-have – the “Jack Rack”! Already making a name for itself, this unique, eye-catching wall-mounted keychain holder is the best way to “Hang Your Keys like a Rockstar”. Now, Pluginz is pleased to announce that in addition to their online store at www.thejackrack.com, you can now purchase your very own “Jack Rack” online via top musical gear retailers Guitar Center and Musician’s Friend.

Not only can you buy your own “Jack Rack” via Pluginz, you customize them for your business or brand, too. Artists and reputable companies in the music industry are already creating their own custom Pluginz “Jack Rack” designs after witnessing the personalized nature of the product – allowing them to further promote their brands with a fun and functional twist. To find out more on how to customize your very own “Jack Rack”, email Pluginz at: [email protected].

Pluginz was founded in early 2015 by Mike Stricklin. Stricklin soon partnered up with Rockworld Merchandise owners Dan Jacobs of the band Atreyu, and his brother Joe Jacobs. After a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $10,000, Pluginz started making a buzz within the music industry. Soon after, the “Jack Rack” went viral on the front page of Reddit, as well as breaking records for post likes, comments, and shares on pages such as Guitar World, Revolver Magazine, Shut up And Take My Money, Celestion Speakers, 100.3 the Sound FM, Alt 98.7, OC Weekly and many more.

Take it from those who have used the “Jack Rack” and branded their own:

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Shut Up and Take My Money
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“Let Me Feel Your Power”
Saxon
UDR Music
1 DVD+2CD’s

Our score: CD 4 out of 5   

                   DVD: 3.5 out of 5

British heavy metal legends Saxon have just released their 10th live album titled “Let Me Feel Your Power”. The two CD and one DVD/Blu-ray is being released via UDR Music and features 16 tracks that were recorded in Munich and Brighton in November of 2015. The release also contains bonus footage from the bands September 2015 show in Chicago. “Let Me Feel Your Power” is available in a variety of formats including a deluxe vinyl version which also includes the Blu-Ray and 2 CD’s and is limited to 1500 copies.

The latest live offering from Saxon is a solid testament to the staying power of one of the originators of the NWOBHM movement. Vocalist Biff Byford and company sound great through all 30 tracks making this an enjoyable listen and one of the better live releases I have heard recently. The video portion (which coincides with the audio portion) of the package is equally good as it features a variety of crystal clear camera angles with top notch sound. Songs like “Motorcycle Man”, “Power and Glory” and “Queen of Hearts” rip through your speakers with surprising clarity which allows you to hear every instrument with ease, often a rarity with live recordings even with today’s modern technology.

With a track listing that is a mixture of both new and old Saxon “Let Me Feel Your Power” has something for just about every era of Saxon fan out there. Combine that with top notch audio and video and you have a really enjoyable release. Though there are a few songs which you get duplicate versions of and a lack of any real bonus or behind the scenes footage of the band (which would have been cool) these small short comings weren’t enough for me to not highly recommend this release as it’s a great heavy metal listen.

Audio Track Listing:
 Disc 1
1. Battering Ram
2. Motorcycle Man
3. Sacrifice
4. Destroyer
5. Power and the Glory
6. 20,000 FT
7. The Devil’s Footprint
8. Heavy Metal Thunder
9. Queen of Hearts
10. Princess of the Night
11. Wheels of Steel
12. Denim and Leather
13. Crusader
14. Eye of the Storm
15. Battalions of Steel
16. Requiem

Disc 2
1. Motorcycle Man
2. This Town Rocks
3. Sacrifice
4. Power and the Glory
5. Solid Ball of Rock
6. Dallas 1 pm
7. Heavy Metal Thunder
8. Rock the Nations
9. The Eagle Has Landed
10. Wheels of Steel
11. Backs to the Wall
12. Just Let Me Rock
13. Strong Arm of the Law
14. 747 (Strangers in the Night)
15. Princess of the Night
16. Denim and Leather

LAMB OF GOD to Release The Duke EP,

Featuring Two Never-Before-Heard Songs and Three Live Tracks

The Duke EP out November 18 | Vinyl out November 25

Internationally-renowned heavy rock band LAMB OF GOD will release a brand new EP, entitled The Duke, on November 18, 2016 via Epic Records. The EP will be released as a vinyl version the following week, on November 25. The Duke EP is titled after the new track “The Duke”, written in honor of the band’s late friend and fan, Wayne Ford, who was named after “The Duke” John Wayne.

“A little while ago I became friends with a fan named Wayne Ford – he was terminal – leukemia. I talked with him often, even video chatted him into the studio. He was very calm about his impending death, and we discussed it very openly. I learned a lot from him. This song is for him,” dedicates vocalist Randy Blythe.

You can stream the new track “The Duke” and read an in-depth, exclusive interview about The Duke EP with Randy Blythe now via Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/hear-lamb-of-god-honor-late-fan-on-new-song-the-duke-w445283

Exclusive pre-order bundles for The Duke EP, including CD and vinyl versions, are available via http://theduke.lnk.to/merch. Pre-orders on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and other digital retailers, plus Spotify streaming of “The Duke” single will beginning  Friday, October 21.

The Duke EP Track List:

1) The Duke

2) Culling

3) Still Echoes – live from Rock am Ring

4) 512 – live from Bonnaroo

5) Engage the Fear Machine – live from Bonnaroo

In conjunction with The Duke EP release, LAMB OF GOD will be offering the following items with all proceeds going to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (WWW.LLS.ORG):

– Randy Blythe’s Ashes of the Wake gold record plaque

– Signed signature model guitars

– Signed copies of handwritten lyrics

– Signed copies of The Duke EP on CD

– Signed copies of The Duke EP on Vinyl

– Signed copies of Randy Blythe’s book

– Plus more

The charity campaign is being hosted via Propeller.la and will launch Friday. For more information, please visit www.lamb-of-god.com.

LAMB OF GOD is:

Randy Blythe (vocals)

Mark Morton (guitar)

Willie Adler (guitar)

John Campbell (bass)

Chris Adler (drums)

LAMB OF GOD Online:

www.lamb-of-god.com

www.facebook.com/lambofgod

https://twitter.com/lambofgod

http://instagram.com/lambofgod

“Regina Spektor Tour 2016”

Regina Spektor
Friday, October 14th 2016
The State Theater, Ithaca, NY

Our Score: 4 out of 5 Stars

Singer/Songwriter Regina Spektor paid a visit to the historical State Theater in Ithaca, NY on Friday, October 14th where she performed to a sold out crowd. Spektor who is currently out on the road in support of her latest album “Remember Us To Life” put on a stellar performance which combined her unique performance style and emotionally fueled vocal styling’s which tugged at the inner most parts of the Ithacan crowds emotions.

After a four year hiatus it was great to finally not only hear new music from Regina Spektor but also be able to see her live and in such an intimate venue as the State Theater. With the theater at capacity Spektor and her band took the stage to a loud wave of applause and cheer. The singer quickly thanked the crowd and kicked off the night with “On the Radio” and “Better” both from her 2006 album “Begin to Hope”. As the set progressed Regina included several songs from her latest album “Remember Us to Life” including “Older Taller”, “Bleeding Heart” and, “Grand Hotel”. Spektor and company seemed to connect almost flawlessly with only a few minor errors coming during “Après Moi” which saw Spektor throw her head back and shake it in disapproval at her mistake though like a true professional she didn’t let the slip bother her and continued on with a bright smile on her face. A unique moment in the set occurred when a fan shouted out a request for the song “Sailor Song”. Spektor who stated “we never take requests” broke her rule due to the fact the band knew the song though she did apologize beforehand if there were any mess ups. The song went off without much of a hitch and the crowd seemed to really enjoy the bands willing to give the song a try and provide a special moment for the night’s crowd.

From start to finish the concert was a great experience. Regina’s voice sounded amazing and was a perfect fit to the classic theaters surroundings. Aside from her work on the “Orange is the New Black” theme song “You’ve Got Time” and a few other tracks I was only a casual listener of her works however after seeing her and her band perform live I have a much greater appreciation for her music and quickly found myself transforming into a fan. If you have the chance to catch Regina I strongly encourage you to do so. Not many artists are able to perform night after night at the level Regina does as she is able to connect with the listener on a number of different levels making for a really great concert/music listening experience.

Set List:
1.) On the Radio
2.) Better
3.) Tornadoland
4.) Bleeding Heart
5.) Older and Taller
6.) Grand Hotel
7.) Blue Lips
8.) Black and White
9.) Small Bill$
10.) Ballad of a Politician
11.) Après Moi
12.) You’ve Got Time
13.) The Trapper and the Furrier
14.) Sailor Song
15.) Obsolete
16.) The Light
17.) Seller of Flowers
18.) The Visit
19.) Us
Encore:
20.) Fidelity
21.) Hotel Song
22.) Samson

Phil Campbell and the Bastards Sons is the latest post Motorhead offering from long-time guitarist Phil Campbell. What makes this group unique is that the “Bastard Sons” really are Campbell’s sons. Along with Neil Starr on vocals Phil’s sons Todd, Dane and Tyler round out the group’s lineup which is set to release their self titled debut EP on November 18th. Media Mikes had the chance recently to talk with Todd Campbell about the group’s formation, the creation of the EP and about the bands upcoming tour.

Adam Lawton: How did the idea for the new band come about?

Todd Campbell: About four years ago I celebrated my 30th birthday and we had a party with a band. My dad happened to be home at the time and we got up and jammed along with my buddy Neil Starr. We did a few Rolling Stones songs and it went really well. We had said that we should do that more often and things have just sort of carried on since then. That really was the basis for the band. My dad and I play guitar, my youngest brother Tyler plays bass, my other brother Dane plays drums and we have Neil singing. Us Campbell’s we can play a bit but our voice is a bit un-cool. (Laughs)

AL: From a creative stand point how did the album come together?

TC: The whole process was really cool. We didn’t really have a time frame to get the EP out so we just played quite a bit together. We would sort of sit on the material for a bit then my dad would come in and give his thoughts and input in different parts. It was all really easy to be honest. I think my dad actually enjoyed the process as well because being related we were all sort of on the same page already so it was a good experience.

AL: What was it that appealed to the band about doing an EP for your first release as opposed to a full length album?

TC: There were some time and budget factors that helped with that decision but when you do a full album you in a way are sort of tied to that specific sounds for a couple of years. With an EP you can bounce to the next thing a little quicker and get some fresh material out there to your fans. It also gives us an angle to play some new songs live as we move on to the next album.

AL: Do you think the music market right now sort of lends itself more to EP’s as opposed to full length albums?

TC: The value of music these days is just lost. Gone are the days of saving up your money and going to the music store and buying an album. We originally had this idea of doing just one song and then charging $100 dollars for it. (Laughs) We figured if we made the most expensive song people would look at it and just wonder why it was expensive in hopes to bring value back to the industry. We never ended up doing it because we figured after one person bought they would just share it and the thing would die on its ass. In today’s market you have about 30 seconds to grab some ones attention and that’s all you get. Despite all of that I think for rock bands the album will always be there. You get that 45 minutes or an hour to put your stamp on something which is important in rock music.

AL: “Big Mouth” is the bands first single. What was about this track that stood out above the rest?

TC: That song has a good rock and roll vibe and is also really punchy. That was about the third song I think we actually worked on. I had come up with the riff and then my dad unlocked the rest of it. I think that song came together the most organically. We all agreed this was the one that should go our first to everyone so they could gauge us as a band. It was all a very natural process.

AL: A lot of times we see band members taking on dual roles as producers. Your situation is even more unique as you are not only both of those but also a son and brother. How do you go about balancing all of those rolls?

TC: I have worked/played with a lot of different bands and when you don’t know someone as well you have to be rather tactful with your approach to different things. In this case where I have known everyone practically my entire life you just get right to it. If I think something is shit I can come right out and say that. (Laughs) You can be really upfront with everyone. Sometimes when people see us sound check they are a bit taken back as we are very honest with each other. We have these mini arguments but then 2 minutes later it’s all been forgotten about. Everyone is very honest and no one’s feelings get hurt as we just move on being we have that family bond with one another. Where I had to step back from things was during the mixing process. I wanted to bring someone in with fresh ears. You can sort of obsess when it’s your own work so we brought in Cameron Webb who mixed the last few Motorhead records. He did a fantastic job and that sort of took some pressure off of me. Having those outside ears keeps you on the ball as well because you can’t be lazy. You have to get everything right before it goes on to that next process where you won’t be as involved.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands upcoming UK tour and if there are plans to bring the band to the States?

TC: We are doing a run of shows on our starting October 18th and then towards then of the year we will be doing some shows with Saxon which should be really great. We definitely want to come to the U.S. and we have representation there now. The EP is really kicking things off for us and now that we have the Motorhead team behind us I think that’s going to really help. Before we just called ourselves the “All Star Band” and only played here or there but now we have something bigger going and we are taking it serious so we hope to be able to get out to as many different places as possible.

For more info on Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons you can check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PhilCampbellATBS

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“Elvis Costello Detour Tour”

Elvis Costello w/Larkin Poe
Friday October 7th, 2016
Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Concert Review by J.R. Deeter

I have to admit I haven’t really listened to Elvis Costello in a long while so when I heard he was having a show at a local “small” venue, I thought it would be cool to check it out, enjoy the hits and see what was new with the man who first caught my attention when I was a radio DJ in the 80’s. Back then “Everyday I Write the Book” and “Allison” were staples of my Top 40 airplay.

The setting for this “Detour Tour” was both simplistic and engaging. Centered around a giant TV screen on which still photos and occasional videos played out moments of time in the life of Costello (including a performance of his fathers 1960’s version of “If I Had A Hammer”) were an easy chair, a few guitars and a borrowed piano from his wife, jazz artist Diana Krall.

Opening act Larkin Poe was an unexpected pleasure. The duo from Atlanta are often described as Southern roots rockers and they do deliver with their bluesy, guitar driven sound. The vocals of Rebecca Lovell and lap steel guitar of sister Megan combined to entertain and for me, the highlight of their set was a smokin’ cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” Larkin Poe also serve as backing musicians for Costello for a good portion of his show.

Costello’s performance rolled through several waves, moving at times from guitar to piano and back to guitar. In between, anecdotes and reminiscences were delivered, along with the occasional Trump jab, to an appreciative audience. Many in the audience were surprised to learn that Costello had written several songs for a planned stage musical based on the film “A Face In the Crowd.” Upon divulging this, Costello performed “Blood & Hot Sauce” and “Burn the Paper Down to Ash” featuring vocals by Larkin Poe’s Rebecca Lovell. Top moments for me included the off mike, into the audience version of “Alison” and the rousing, crowd pleasing “Peace, Love and Understanding.” On the downside, no “Veronica” or “Radio Radio.”

Elvis Costello Set List:
1.)New Amsterdam
2.)Poison Moon
3.)Accidents Will Happen
4.)They’re Not Laughing at Me Now
5.)All This Useless Beauty
6.)Everyday I Write the Book
7.)Shipbuilding
8.)Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
9.)No Man’s Woman
10.)Face in the Crowd
11.)Little White Lies
12.)American Without Tears
13.)Watching the Detectives
14.)Alison
Encore
15.)Blame It on Cain
16.)Clown Strike
17.)Burn the Paper Down to Ash
18.)Vitajex
19.)That’s Not the Part of Him You’re Leaving
20.)American Mirror
Encore 2
21.)(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
22.)Jimmie Standing in the Rain
23.)Side By Side
24.)Blood & Hot Sauce
Encore 3
25.)Brilliant Mistake
26.)Down on the Bottom
27.)(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding
28.)Good Year for the Roses

The tour continues through the month. Upcoming dates include:

October 11: Majestic Theater Dallas, Texas

October 13: Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater Austin, Texas

October 14: Revention Music Center Houston, Texas

October 15: Saenger Theater New Orleans, Louisiana

October 17: Ryman Auditorium Nashville, Tennessee

October 18: Cobb Energy Centre Atlanta, Georgia

“First Ditch Effort”
NOFX
Fat Wreck Chords
Tracks: 13

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Punk veterans Nofx are back with their first album in six years titled “First Ditch Effort”. The new album which is being released via Fat Wreck Chords features 13 tracks from the Nor-Cal punkers and is classic Nofx through and through with however with a tinge of maturity.

From thought provoking lyrics and tongue and cheek song tiles everything you have come to expect from Nofx is included on the band’s latest release “First Ditch Effort”. The album starts off with the 90 second screamer “6 Years on Dope” which features guitarist Eric Melvin on lead vocals. Thought this isn’t the first time Melvin has lent is voice to a NOFX track his voice sounds better than ever making wish he would sing on a few more tracks. Front man Fat Mike is no slouch either in the vocal department as he much like the rest of the band only seems to get better with age. Tracks like “California Drought” and “Generation Z” are perfect example of this as the both of these tracks show the bands cohesiveness. For listeners looking for a more somber moment in the record and/or something similar to what was found on the “Cokie the Clown” EP from 2009 check out the track “I’m So Sorry Tony” a heartfelt tribute to No Use For a Name front-man Tony Sly who passed away in 2012.

Clocking in at just over 30 minutes “First Ditch Effort” harkens back to the bands mid 90’s heyday but with a modern twist. Catchy sing along choruses and tales of aging and loss fuel the 13 tracks making up the album which is easily the bands strongest release since 1994’s “Punk In Drublic”

Track Listing:
1.) Six Years on Dope
2.) Happy Father’s Day
3.) Sid and Nancy
4.) California Drought
5.) Oxy Moronic
6.) I Don’t Like Me Anymore
7.) I’m a Transvest-lite
8.) Ditch Effort
9.) Dead Beat Mom
10.) Bye Bye Biopsy Girl
11.) It Ain’t Lonely at the Bottom
12.) I’m So Sorry Tony
13.) Generation Z

Andy Timmons has been performing on stages all over the world since the mid 1980’s most notably with the band Danger Danger, Kip Winger and as the musical director/guitarist for Olivia Newton-John. When not working in the studio or with one of his many projects Andy focuses on his group The Andy Timmons Band. The group has just released a new instrumental album titled “Theme From a Perfect World” and Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Andy recently about the albums creation, his creative process and the bands current U.S. tour.

Adam Lawton: What can you tell us about your bands latest album?

Andy Timmons: We started working on the record about six years ago. What happened was is we started working on “Theme From a Perfect World” and that sort of morphed in to the “Sgt. Pepper” album. That really took on a life of its own and we ended up finishing the Pepper record first. It took us a little bit of time to get back to this new record as we had been doing a bunch of live shows along with all of us being very busy outside of the Andy Timmons. We are here now after about ten years with a new batch of original material. That certainly was much too long of a stretch and we hope to correct that in the coming years.

AL: Can you tell us about the decision to do an all instrumental album?

AT: For me I think my uniqueness to music is my voice on the guitar. I have certainly done a fair share of music with vocals and such but I think guitar is what I do best and that’s really what I have spent my life doing. Instrumental music is a more pure and direct way of communicating especially if you are able to develop that connection on your instrument. With the guitar I think I am just scratching the surface really. Two of my heroes are Jeff Beck and Pat Matheny. Those guys really set a bench mark with their level of expression. There are a lot of great players out there but those two guys are at the forefront of people who raise the bar. That’s the path I am aspiring to and the band and I are just really trying to strike a deeper chord with our music as opposed to taking a more generic route.

AL: Is there a different creative process for you when writing instrumental music as opposed to lyrical
music?

AT: It’s all driven by the same muse. I am trying to create music that I love. I think the songwriting process or the guitar soloing process is really driven by that same desire. I want to create something that’s equal in quality to all the music I have taken in over the course of my life.

AL: The album has a deep melodic feel to it. Is that something that evolved over the course of making the album or was that something you consciously wanted to do?

AT: That has been sort of an ongoing growth/development. It’s been a natural progression for me. I think there have been some good songs on some of my earlier releases but what has always been in the forefront of my mind. Yes I wanted to write some good songs but I also wanted to play my ass off. With the maturing and growing process it’s clear that none of that means anything unless you have a great song. You want people to listen repeatedly and it to be something they want to hear multiple times.

AL: How do you think your songwriting has evolved since your early days with Danger Danger?

AT: It sort of has just evolved in the way it’s evolved. It’s hard for me to really speak much about that because I am so close to it. The inspirations and motivations haven’t changed that much. I do think I am getting better at reflecting the emotions that I want to get across. Not every moment on the new record has a deep meaning but there are a handful of the songs that are based around some very heavy life changing events. Everything was very much in the moment and a heartfelt document of what was happening at that time.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands current tour?

AT: This is the bands very first U.S. tour. It’s a bit crazy to hear me say that because we have been a band since 1988! It’s been an interesting trajectory for the band in that our career has sort of lived more in Europe and South East Asia. In the States things seemed a bit more daunting. We have all done higher level touring here in the states with other bands so the prospect of jumping in a band and potentially lose money didn’t seem that appealing. Doing that is fine in your early 20’s but not so much these days. Thanks to the internet and things like that people have been able to find more of our material which is great because we now are able to get out on the road here in the States. We will be out in the states for three weeks then we head over to Asia in November. We have December off and then in January we will be appearing at the NAMM show in California. I want to concentrate more on the U.S. at this point. We will still probably hit Europe sometime next year as well. There’s going to be several pockets of touring activity but Mike and I have a lot of recording we want to do as well. There’s going to be a much more ongoing creative process going forward.

For more info on Andy and the Andy Timmons Band you can visit http://andytimmons.com/

New Jersey Kiss Expo takes over Somerset, NY on Sunday, October 9th 2016
Tickets on sale now.

One of the longest running and largest Kiss fan expo’s in the world returns this year to the Somerset/Bridgewater Hotel (formerly the Crowne Plaza) in Somerset, NJ. On Sunday October 9th 2016 the rooms and halls of the hotel will be ALIVE with all things KISS! From endless tables of collectibles and rarities to a star studded list of celebrities including current Kiss drummer Eric Singer and former Kiss/current Grand Funk guitarist Bruce Kulick. There will plenty of other events also happing through out the day making this year’s expo the must see event for Kiss fans of all ages.

For tickets and complete event info visit: www.njkissexpo.com