For over 20 years singer/guitarist John Corabi has been recording and performing with a number of hard rock acts ranging from Union and ESP to being the replacement for Motley Crue vocalist Vince Neil for a period of time in the mid 90’s. Since that time Corabi has embarked on a successful solo career and also joined the group The Dead Daisies a group whose current lineup also includes Marco Mendoza, Doug Aldrich, Brian Tichy and David Lowy. Media Mikes spoke with John recently about The Dead Daises upcoming album titled “Make Some Noise” which is due out on August 5th and also about the groups upcoming U.S. Tour with Kiss.

Adam Lawton: You joined The Dead Daisies in 2015. What has the first year of being in the band been like for you thus far?

John Corabi: It has been crazy! I got the call originally from Marco as they had been working with someone prior to me and things weren’t working out. They had plans to go over to Cuba and they asked me if I would be willing to go with them. I went and did that and we had an amazing time there. I think that was sort of a way for the guys to feel me out a bit. I think they wanted to see if I was a good fit or not. After that trip I got a call from the guys asking if I wanted to go to Australia and do an album. We got together in March of last year and wrote and recorded the “Revolucion” album in about 33 days. After flying home from that I did some solo shows with my band and the next thing I know I was in California doing a video with guys and also rehearsing for some upcoming European shows with Kiss. We then came back and did a run with Whitesnake after which we went back to Australia with Kiss. We then did the Kiss cruise and went back to Europe again but this time with Whitesnake. I got home at the end of December and by January of this year we were back in the studio working on the new record “Make Some Noise”. Things have been pretty busy. When I’m not out with The Daisies I’m out with my solo band which has a live album coming out in October.

AL: What has the addition of Doug Aldrich been like for the band?

JC: When Dizzy Reed and Richard Fortus got the call to go do the Guns N’ Roses tour we reached out to Doug. He is a really great player who has just jumped right in. I have known Doug since he was about 17 as we grew up in Philadelphia together. With this band it’s about friendship as we all hang out and have known each other for a long time. Doug was able to step in to that as he has a great sense of humor to go along with his amazing playing and song writing ability. With this new record we wanted to go in and do a straight forward 70’s era type rock album. All the guys in the band have similar influences so for us to be able to go in and do that with the addition of Doug was really great.

AL: How did the writing for “Make Some Noise” compare to that of your previous album with the band?

JC: When you bring in a different member things do change a little. Doug fits in with everyone and we all have similar interest so that certainly helped. I think the biggest difference with the new record wasn’t really anything with the guitars but it was more so the fact that we didn’t add keyboards this time around. That allowed the guitars more room to be a little more aggressive. David Lowy made that decision as doing a band similar to the style of AC/DC was his original idea for the band. When Richard and Dizzy left it was decided not to replace them so Doug and David had a little more space to expand on their parts in each song.

AL: Do you prefer working on material that is more stripped down and straight forward as opposed to something with a lot of layers and instrumentation?

JC: I think the song really dictates how much or how little it needs. There was one song we did that we didn’t end up putting on the album that I want to put on my new solo album that had a lot of stuff going on within it. When we looked at what we had this song didn’t really fit in with the others because they are all very straight forward. Again the song really decides what it needs in the way of production. I think back to the first album I did with Union which is a pretty stripped down album as that’s what most of those songs required but there is one on that recorded titled “Let It Flow” which has a bunch of cool over dubs and instrumentation on it because that’s what it sort of dictated.

AL: How was it working with producer Marti Frederiksen this time around?

JC: I had known Marti since he opened for my band The Scream in the early Nineties. I always sort of kept an eye on his career. I realized when he started working with groups like Brother Cane and Aerosmith that he was going to do a lot of cool stuff. We were looking for not just a producer but also someone who understood the writing process and would actually listen to what we were doing with a fresh set of ears. Marti was very open to suggestions throughout the process. We have all been making records for quite some time now so things worked well. We would just record things and if for some reason if something didn’t work we would just take it out after the fact. Marti was great in that he knew when to reel us in and also we to let us keep going. It was a two way street that worked pretty effortlessly.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands upcoming tour with Kiss and any other plans you and the band have scheduled?

JC: We start in the states with Kiss on August 10. Those guys have been really great to us. The shows are going to be very high energy. I am not sure how long we are going to be playing just yet but no matter how long we play its going to be pedal to the metal. We plan to do a mix of both old and new material along with a few covers to get the crowd riled up. That tour goes through mid September then we have a headlining show set in Los Angeles. After that I start rehearsals with my solo band and then we go out on the Monsters of Rock Cruise. From there The Daisies head over to Japan for the Loud Park Festival and we are booked all the way through December. We will be hitting a bunch a places all over.

For more info on John Corabi and The Dead Daisies be sure to head over to http://www.thedeaddaisies.comand also www.johncorabimusic.com

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“Love and Other Crimes”
Masked Intruder
Pure Noise
Tracks: 6
Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Wisconsin based punk rockers Masked Intruder recently released a new EP titled “Love and Other Crimes”. The six track ep which is being released via Pure Noise is the follow up to the band’s 2012 self titled debut which was released via Red Scare and then re-released by Fat Wreck Chords in 2013.

Despite the band being somewhat mysterious due to their identities being hidden behind brightly colored ski masks one thing is certain, These guys know how to have fun! With six songs clocking in at just under fifteen minutes Masked Intruder’s “Love and Other Crimes” wastes no time getting to the point. Each song is brimming over with Ramones like rhythms and comedic lyrics which instantly make the release a fun listen each and every time. Tracks like the albums guitar fueled opener “Take What I Want” the super catchy “Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt” and the tongue and cheek filled “Running from the Cops” are all songs you can listen to time and time again. Even after multiple listens the songs still remain fun and fresh.

Don’t let the bands comedic look and nature fool you as each of the 4 members (Blue, Yellow, Green and Red) show tremendous disciple at their instruments making “Love and Other Crimes” a solid testament to that statement. If you’re a punk rock fan looking for something light and new grab yourself a copy of this release.

Track Listing:
1.) Take What I Want
2.) First Star Tonight
3.) Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt
4.) Running from the Cops
5.) Still Always on My Mind
6.) If Only

AGAINST ME! TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM, SHAPE SHIFT WITH ME,
VIA TOTAL TREBLE / INGROOVES ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

FULL-LENGTH FOLLOW UP TO THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED STUDIO ALBUM,
TRANSGENDER DYSPHORIA BLUES, NOW AVAILABLE FOR
PRE-ORDER ON ITUNES AND AMAZON

FIRST SINGLE, “333,” NOW STREAMING ONLINE

DRUMMER ATOM WILLARD TO BE FEATURED AS GUEST MUSICIAN ON
LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS THIS WEEK STARTING TONIGHT, JULY 18

LAURA JANE GRACE’S FORTHCOMING MEMOIR, TRANNY: CONFESSIONS OF PUNK ROCK’S
MOST INFAMOUS ANARCHIST SELLOUT, TO BE RELEASED BY
HACHETTE BOOKS ON NOVEMBER 15

FALL NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE DATES AND TOUR WITH BAD RELIGION
AND DAVE HAUSE ANNOUNCED

STREAM: “333” (FROM SHAPE SHIFT WITH ME)

Celebrated American rock band Against Me! are proud to announce the Friday, September 16 release of its highly anticipated forthcoming full-length album titled Shape Shift With Me. Being released on the band’s label Total Treble (in partnership with INgrooves) and serving as the follow up to the band’s critically acclaimed studio album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, Shape Shift With Me is now available for pre-order on Amazon (LP, CD) and iTunes where an instant download of the album’s lead single, “333,” is now being offered for those who purchase the album. Stream “333” via YouTube or on Spotify.

Coinciding with the announcement of the new album, drummer Atom Willard will be making nightly appearances this week as part of the 8G Band on Late Night With Seth Meyers. Starting tonight, Monday, July 18, Willard’s guest musician slot can be seen this week through Thursday, July 21 at 12:35/11:35c on NBC.

Additionally, the band has announced its upcoming North American fall tour dates that will both include headline appearances and dates with Bad Religion and Dave Hause. A full listing of dates can be found below with tickets and information on Against Me!’s official website, http://www.againstme.net.

Frontwoman Laura Jane Grace recently announced the release of her upcoming memoir titled TRANNY: Confessions of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout. Set for release on November 15, 2016 through Hachette Books, TRANNY is a searing account of Grace’s search for identity and true self. The highly anticipated book also reveals the struggles and victories that the artist experienced in her quest for gender transition. Written with Noisey editor Dan Ozzi and illuminated by Grace’s never-before-published journal entries reaching back to childhood, TRANNY is an intensely personal and revelatory look inside her struggles with identity and addiction. Grappling with everything from sex, drugs, failed marriages, music, and soul of a punk rock star, this memoir paints a vivid portrait of one of the most revolutionary transgender icons of our time.

Recorded, mixed and engineered by Marc Jacob Hudson (Taking Back Sunday, Saves The Day) at Rancho Recordo, Shape Shift With Me, Against Me!’s seventh full length album, has the distinction of the first album frontwoman Laura Jane Grace has written truly from the heart, with no metaphorical cloaks cast over the lyrics. It’s an album about love, that deceptively complex emotion we all struggle with yet has somehow eluded most of Grace’s songwriting for the past 20 years.

“Tons of people have written about love. But while love is cliché, it’s infinitely relevant,” Grace says. “For me, having always been in a punk band that was expected to be political, I never felt like I had that option to write about feelings in that way. That’s what I ended up being drawn to this time. It’s writing in a way I thought I could never write before, and not giving a shit about expectations.”

As such, Shape Shift With Me is a loose concept album about traveling the world and falling in and out of love, with Grace serving as the narrator. But even though she was opening herself up to new songwriting topics, she knew what her mission was from the start.

“Is there a record that is about relationships from a trans perspective?” she asks rhetorically. “There needs to be more records about trans rights and everything like that, but feeling like I already did that, I wanted to move on to write commentary on living from a trans perspective. I wanted to write the transgender response to the Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main St., Liz Phair’s Exile In Guyville and the Streets’ A Grand Don’t Come For Free. All those records are relationship records. There’s been an infinite amount of records talking about what love means from a cisgender perspective. I wanted to present the trans perspective on sex, love and heartbreak.”

With Grace’s new motivation came a new outlook on the band, as well. Previous albums found the songwriting process to be a largely solitary experience, but she embraced the spirit of collaboration for Shape Shift With Me—so much so that when Cody Votolato of the Blood Brothers sent her some demos of songs he was working on for another project, she became inspired and ended up co-writing “Boyfriend” and “Norse Truth,” two of the album’s most memorable tracks, with him.

“It was just about opening up to whatever comes my way karmically,” Grace says. “Whatever everyone in the band is willing to offer, I just wanted to be open to it. I didn’t want it to be like what it was in the past where it may have felt closed. I want it to be different.”

In a career already full of classic punk records, Shape Shift With Me feels like the definitive Against Me! album—it’s poppy and catchy (“Rebecca,” “Suicide Bomber”), aggressive and in-your-face (“ProVision L-3,” “Dead Rats”), sentimental and longing [Crash,” “All This (And More”)]. Moreover, it’s the culmination of four years of existence as Laura Jane Grace—there’s no going back now, so she might as well embrace it.

“While I’ve always wanted the moon and the stars, I have a certain amount of humbleness,” she admits. “I just want to play shows and make records and write songs. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do. Of course I always want the biggest and best things for those shows and records and songs, but when it comes down to it, I just love doing it. I have no other ambitions or career goals.”

Against Me! will be making the following North American headline appearances as well as touring with Bad Religion and Dave Hause this fall. Dates below with more headline shows to be announced soon.

SEPTEMBER
14 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Stache #
15 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Small’s Theatre #
18 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall #
19 – Boston, MA – Royale #
20 – Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall #
21 – Montreal, QC – Club Soda #
23 – Chicago, IL – Goose Island 312 Block Party
24 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom #
25 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe at Old National Centre #
27 – Northampton, MA – Pearl Street #
28 – Providence, RI – Fete (Lounge) #
30 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom *

OCTOBER
01 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount *
03 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza *
04 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza *
05 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore *
06 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring *
08 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte *
09 – Atlanta, GA – The Buckhead Theatre *
11 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues-Orlando *
12 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Landing *
14 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live *
15 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theater *
16 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues-Dallas *
18 – Kansas City, MO – Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland *
20 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue *
21 – Las Vegas, NV – The Foundry Hall @ SLS *
24 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theater *
26 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo *
27 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theatre *
29 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades *
30 – San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theatre *

NOVEMBER
03 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre *
04 – Hollywood, CA – Hollywood Palladium *

# = headline show
* = w/ Bad Religion, Dave Hause

Shape Shift With Me track listing:
01. ProVision L-3
02. 12:03
03. Boyfriend
04. Crash
05. Delicate, Petite & Other Things I’ll Never Be
06. 333
07. Haunting, Haunted, Haunts
08. Dead Rats
09. Rebecca
10. Norse Truth
11. Suicide Bomber
12. All This (And More)

Jay Jay French is the guitarist/founding member of the heavy metal group Twisted Sister. The band which is gearing up for a run of farewell shows in the summer/fall of this year is set to release a new live CD/DVD release titled “Twisted Sister: Metal Meltdown Live at the Hard Rock Casino Las Vegas- A Concert to Honor A.J. Pero” on July 22nd. Media Mikes spoke with Jay Jay recently about the upcoming release, the group’s final shows and what he will miss most about being on the road.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us an overview of the new CD/DVD Twisted Sister has coming out on July 22nd?

Jay Jay French: The whole focus of “Twisted Sister: Metal Meltdown Live” was to celebrate our drummer A.J. Pero who had recently passed away. This show was the bands first show after A.J.’s death and so much of his life and death was around that show that it made things very important to us. Subsequently this was also our first performance with Mike Portnoy on drums. The sound was produced by our bass player Mark Mendoza and the video was done by Barry Summers. Barry’s first exposure to the band was when he was a kid and saw play in a bar. I think because of that experience Barry brought sort of a fan boy type desire and approach to this project. I think Barry definitely tried to transfer his love of rock and roll over to people through this film.

AL: What was it like for the band going into this show knowing it was being filmed along with the fact that is was also going to be the bands first live performance with Mike on drums?

JJF: What band in their right fucking mind would have a new drummer come on and then have their first performance record for television? (Laughs) Mike is such a pro and a really great guy. I don’t know if we could have done this with any other person. This was a very hard and emotional thing. In the film there is a drum solo that is just A.J. That wasn’t a production trick or anything like that. That was actually up on the screen during the show. We did every show like that last year. Mike is so respectful of A.J. that he was up for whatever we wanted/needed.

AL: How does this film differ from that of the recently released “We Are Twisted F****** Sister” documentary?

JJF: We have a very unusual story. Every other story ends after being told about the ups and downs the band went through to make it. This story ends before we end up getting a record deal. “We Are Twisted F****** Sister” shows the struggle we went through to make it. We were basically just the focal point of that film. We didn’t know where the production was going or what portion of our career it was going to actually cover. It was interesting to see the director’s final interpretation of it. “Metal Meltdown Featuring: Twisted Sister” we were more involved in and I see it acting almost like a book end. The first film shows the beginning of the band and the new film shows the ending. The contrast between the two films is amazing. I think the coda being the Vegas show proves that not every band in their 60’s has to suck. We have a lot of pride in what we do and I think this DVD shows that not only are we still good but we are actually better.

AL: Was the Las Vegas show one you guys picked to film or was it sort of predetermined by the production company?

JFF: We had booked that to be filmed prior to A.J.’s passing. The big question was what we were going to do. The producers of the film as well as all of the promoters we worked with that summer were really great. They all told us that if we wanted to pull out of the events we could and that they would totally understand. We asked for a couple weeks away in order to be able to digest what all had happened. We had planned to end the band that year and I had actually talked with A.J. the day before his passing about the discussion I had with Dee related to this being it. During that conversation A.J. mentioned that he was going to need to drop off his current tour with Adrenalin Mob because he was in need of some rehab on his shoulders. He didn’t want me to be alarmed so he was letting me know ahead of time. That ended up being the heart attack. I guess he had actually had a heart attack three days prior also. I didn’t think anything of it as drummers tend to have aches and pains. I wished him well and that was it. That next morning I got the phone call that had passed. Shortly after I got a call asking if I would come out to the Adrenalin Mob show at the Starland Ballroom in New Jersey to do a song dedicated to A.J. I gladly accepted and that’s when Mike Portnoy came up to me and told me had always been a fan of the band and if we needed any help he would be glad to jump on board. I initially thought that after the funeral we would all sit down and that would be the end of things however after talking we decided to honor all of our commitments for 2015 and then wrap things up in 2016.

AL: What can you tell us about the bands remaining shows and, what are your plans once the band is done?

JJF: Our last show will be on Oct. 1st in New Jersey. We will be doing a bunch of well known festivals leading up to that. Due to all of our personal schedules the band can only play 10 or 15 shows a year as we just don’t all have the time. Outside of the band I write for Ink magazine and also write a business column for their online site. I am doing motivational speaking engagements and I am writing a book as well. I also like to do business advice for people. Those things are really my focus these days.

AL: Is there any part of you that will miss being on the road and in the band?

JJF: I don’t think I am going to miss any part of being on the road. I have done over 9,000 shows which is like being in the heavy metal version of “Cats” accept because were Jewish it’s spelled Katz. (Laughs) Those shows were all fun and everything and I loved being up there but I’m ready for it to be over.

Kevin Bivona is the guitarist/keyboardist of the ska/punk band The Interrupters. The L.A. based band just released their second full length album titled “Say It Out Loud” via Hellcat Records and are currently out on the Vans Warped tour in support of the release. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Kevin prior to the bands set in Syracuse, NY about the group’s background, their new album and their relationship with Rancid front man Tim Armstrong.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background info on the band?

Kevin Bivona: The Interrupters are from Los Angeles, and are sound is kind of a mixture of ska and punk. We started the band at the end of 2011 and release our first record in 2014 in Hellcat Records. Our second album “Say It Out Loud” just came out in June and we have been touring pretty solid since the release of the first album. This is our first summer out on Warped tour and so far we are having a really great time.

AL: What was that appealed to the band about doing a tour like Warped tour as opposed to a traditional headlining tour?

KB: We had actually planned on doing our own headlining tour. The band has been very fortunate in that we have been able to open for a lot of great bands who have amazing fan bases. We have been out on tour with Rancid, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Less Than Jake to name just a few. Through opening for all those bands we felt we had developed a solid enough fan base to go out and do our own headlining tour. We then got the offer to join the Warped tour which was taking place the same time as our newest record was scheduled to come out. We wanted to take that huge opportunity to expand our fan base even more before going out on our own. We were really lucky to get the offer. There is so much variety on this tour and you get to play for people who might not otherwise check out your band so this was just the perfect thing for us as a band.

AL: With Warped tour being one of the few remaining touring festivals in the U.S. What do you feel attributes to the shows staying power?

KB: Warped tour has a very loyal fan base. As that fan base evolves sound does the line up from year to year. If you look back 20 years ago when bands like Bad Religion, Nofx and Rancid were playing it and who could still play it today as they are the godfathers of the tour off of them sprouted all these sub-genres of music who have found a home here on the Warped tour. I think the fact that Warped tour stays current with what’s going on in the various scenes and fans know this that’s why more and more people come out to see the shows each summer. What I am seeing a lot of this summer is parents who bring their kids to the shows who have their own set of bands they want see which is just really cool. Having a multi-generational appeal like Warped tour has is something very rare.

AL: With the band being on the tour all summer who are some of the bands you like to check out each day?

KB: There are so many. I like to see Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish; Masked Intruder is amazing and really fun to watch. Teenage Bottlerocket and Pepper are a couple others I like as well. I found out about this band Ballyhoo! while being out here and there are great as well.

AL: How did your relationship with Tim Armstrong and Hellcat Records come about and what is it like working with him?

KB: I first met Tim in 2005 after getting the job as the touring keyboard player in The Transplants. While we were out on Warped tour that year Tim had a studio on the bus so him I started working together. Pretty much any project he has going on I try and get on in one way or another be it playing or working behind the console. I have worked on all sorts of projects with Tim from his Tim Timebomb solo stuff to the Jimmy Cliff record. It’s just a lot of working with Tim and he is always down to check out what I have going on as well which is really cool. With The Interrupters I think we definitely have a sound that fits the Hellcat sound and all of us individually and collectively had worked with him before so when we started the band he jumped on board as a producer/collaborator. Tim was super helpful while we nailed down the band’s sound and vibe. Making our second record with him was a lot different than our previous as we had more time together and some shows under our belts. That first record is sort of an introduction to who we are as a band. We had a solid and defined vision of who we are with this second album so it made things much easier I think when it came time to write and record.

AL: You mentioned a headlining tour was in the works after Warped tour wraps up. Can you tell us anymore about that?

KB: We are trying to put all of that together right now. We have never done a headlining tour in the states before so that’s going to be something new. Right now we are focusing all of our energy on these Warped tour shows and then once we wrap up with that in mid August we should have some more concrete plans for the band and the rest of 2016. We want to play as many places as we can in support of this new record.

For more info on The Interrupters you can check out http://www.wearetheinterrupters.com/

Vans Warped Tour 2016

Date: July 7, 2016
Venue: New York State Fair Grounds, Syracuse, NY

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

The Vans Warped tour made a stop in Syracuse, NY on July 7th for what proved to be a great day of music and fun. Despite foreboding clouds which hovered over the event site earlier in the day the power of punk rock could not be stopped as once the music kicked off the negative weather took a quick turn towards the positive allowing everyone to stay dry and soak up some rays while listening to this year’s assembled line up.

For over 20 summers now the Vans Warped tour has been the go to for traveling one day festivals featuring alternative and punk rock music. This year despite sporting a thinned down roster, less stages and fewer activities the festival still proved to be just as good if not better than years past. The Syracuse venue featured a great lay out with side by staging for the 6 main stages and a 7th smaller stage was only a short distance from all the bigger action. Each stage offered plenty of viewing space, merch areas and facilities, there was even a massive shaded pavilion area which gave fans a place to escape the sun in between acts. Aside from waiting to get into the venue there were really no other lines to speak of throughout the day which again only added to the events over all appeal. Even the free water filling station which always seems to be a hot bed of action was easy and quick to access. This year’s lineup was a great mixture of up and coming bands infused with some of Warped tours biggest veterans. As the day started out bands like Teenage Bottle Rocket, Masked Intruder and Vanna would put on stellar performances which fit in perfectly between bombastic sets from Warped tour regulars Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake and New Found Glory. Other notable performances from the day included those by State Champs complete with inflatable waving men and bubbles, Old Wounds who in my opinion dominated the Full Sail Stage, The Interrupters who despite playing later in the day were able to keep the energy going as temperatures pushed towards the 90’s. To cap off an already impressive day the closing set of the festival belonged to Sum 41 who bashed out hit after hit to the massive crowd.

Despite a scaled down lineup and production this year I felt that Warped Tour 2016 was better than ever. Sure having a bunch of stuff to do in between acts is fun and all but, when you go to a rock show you are going essentially for the music. That was clearly the focus for this year’s tour as you couldn’t have asked for a more stellar line up. Aside from the extremely long lines to get into the venue the day was a lot of fun and we heard a lot of really great music. The tour runs through August 13th so be sure to grab tickets for one of the shows closest to you. You won’t be disappointed.

Line Up:
Against the Current, Assuming We Survive, Avion Roe, Bad Seed Rising, Ballyhoo!, Broadside, Cane Hill, Chelsea Grin, Chunk! No, Captian Chunk!, Coldrain, Crown the Empire, Cruel Hand, Dash|Ten, Emarosa, Every Time I Die, Falling In Reverse, Four Year Strong, From Ashes To New, Ghost Town, Gideon, Hail the Sun, I See Stars, Ice Nine Kills, In Hearts Wake, Issues, Knuckle Puck, Less Than Jake, Like Pacific, Masked Intruder, Mayday Parade, Mother Feather, Motionless In White, New Found Glory, Oceans Ate Alaska, Old Wounds, Palaye Royale, Pepper, Real Friends, Reckless Serenade, Reel Big Fish, Roam, Safe To Say, Secrets, Set It Off, Silent Planet, Sleeping With Sirens, State Champs, Sum 41, Sykes, Teenage BottleRocket, The Color Morale, The Heirs, The Interrupters, The Maine, The Story So Far, The Word Alive, Tonight Alive, Too Close to Touch, Vanna, Veil of Maya, Volumes, Wage War, Waterparks, We the Kings, Whitechapel, With Confidence, Yellowcard, Young Guns

All photos are copy written and cannot be used without permission

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Ray Carlisle is the singer/guitarist for the Wyoming based punk band Teenage Bottlerocket. In November of 2015 the group suffered a devastating blow in the death of their drummer (Ray’s brother) Brandon Carlisle. The group made the decision to keep going and, is currently out on Warped Tour 2016 this summer promoting their latest studio release “Tales From Wyoming”. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Ray after the bands set in Syracuse, NY where he spoke candidly about the bands decision to move forward and about what the band has planned for the remainder of the year.

Adam Lawton: Tell us about the bands decision to keep going after the passing of your brother in November of last year?

Ray Carlisle: The decision was something that didn’t happen overnight. Brandon passing away put a lot of things up in the like if we were going to keep going as a band and playing music and also if we were going to go out on the Warped tour this summer. We had actually confirmed our spot on the tour before Brandon passed. I personally felt that I had already lost my brother and I didn’t want to lose my band as well. I truly feel that Brandon would have wanted us to keep going. We take the stage each day with him in our minds and in our hearts. His spirit is there while we play. It’s very helpful because I like being up there playing with my buddies. Brandon and I were really close so when I’m up there it’s a chance for me to not feel alone. We were just together all the time and I miss him very much. When we finally decided to get back together Darren Chewka our new drummer was the first guy I thought of to fill Brandon’s spot. We had him come down to Wyoming for a couple days to see how he fit in and everything went real well. We are really finding our chemistry together out here and have played about 45 or so songs together throughout Warped tour as we try and play a couple different songs each day. Needless to say we have been really throwing him for a loop. That’s kind of the spirit of this band is to just go song after song so we have had some great days out here so far and we have had some terrible ones.

AL: Today you guys opened up one of the stages here. Do you find that changing set times each day makes it a little more difficult to get in to a solid routine as a band?

RC: You sort of just have to go with the groove. When you are out on Warped tour you find out at 9:30am what time your set is for that day. You then just have to adjust your whole day around that. Going first is awesome! Everyone is fresh and super excited. The down side is some people who up late so they miss things. I enjoy the earlier slots over the later ones because you can just see the energy change as the day goes on. The heat can be tough on the crowd during these shows.

AL: With this being the bands second run on the Warped tour how do you feel the tour has changed since your last appearance in 2014?

RC: I am kind of bummed that they don’t have the acoustic stage this year. I recently had a solo album come out titled “Do You Wanna Go To Tijuana” and I was hoping to be able to do double duty and play some songs off of that. They also did away with the hip hop/rap stage this year. There are less bands and stages which means a smaller line in catering. Kevin I think really did his research this year for which bands he wanted to bring out and things are really positive around everything.

AL: Your latest album came out in March of 2015. Where are you at in the writing process for your next release?

RC: We are still on the cycle for “Tales From Wyoming” however Brandon did have some songs he was working on before he passed away. Cody and I have been talking about maybe finishing those up. They don’t necessarily sound like Teenage Bottlerocket so we will have to see. Cody and I are both still writing music and we have also talked about doing a concept album as well. There will definitely be more music and shows in the future. Things really changed when Brandon died so it’s something we are going to have to embrace and move forward.

AL: After Warped tour wraps up what are the tour plans for the band?

RC: In September were going to be doing a few shows in Canada which is where our new drummer is from. We will be up there to prove to all of Derrick buddies that he is in fact in the band. It’s also really great touring up in the Edmonton area. In December we are going to be doing a European tour with a band by the name of Bones.

For more info on Teenage Bottlerocket you can check them out at http://teenagebottlerocket.com/

 ANTHRAX REVS UP BAND’S 35th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

WITH A NEW LYRIC VIDEO, MAJOR FESTIVAL & HEADLINE GIGS
ACROSS THE GLOBE, AND A NORTH AMERICAN FALL CLASSIC
WITH FELLOW BIG FOUR MEMBERS, SLAYER
Band Announces Special VIP Tour Packages That Include
Choice of Band Members’ Signature Guitar, Bass or Snare Drum

LOS ANGELES, CA — (TUESDAY, June 21, 2016) – Celebrating 35 years as a band, 2016 is proving to be a very good time for thrash/metal icons Anthrax, and the festivities are intensifying. First, today Anthrax is releasing the third lyric video from their new album For All Kings, this one for the track “Zero Tolerance.” The song closes the album and its message is very personal and particularly timely in today’s society, with the horrific rise in mass shootings and other forms of terrorism. In the words of Anthrax lyricist Scott Ian, “‘Zero Tolerance’ sums it all up. It’s about doing anything to protect your small circle of family and friends from the insanity of the world.” Check out the lyric video for “Zero Tolerance” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1_HKsoql1Y

The truth of humanity is far from insane
It’s focused, it’s cruel, it’s hearbreak and pain
As if I needed more reasons to hate
A savage decision that’s not hard to make
Family and friends, dare to threaten what’s mine
I kill motherfuckers for crossing the line
Tighten the noose round my life and I choose
Murder and mayhem ’cause I’m worse than you

Clockwise from left: Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, Jon Donais, Frank Bello, Joey Belladonna

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Anthrax’s 35th anniversary year will also see the band spending the bulk of June, July and August playing major music festivals throughout Europe. These will include France’s Hellfest and Download, SwedenRock, Graspop in Belgium, and the UK’s Bloodstock, as well as playing select dates with Slayer, Iron Maiden, and a handful of headline shows.

Then, the 35th anniversary will culminate beginning September 9 in Cleveland when Anthrax will join forces with Big Four comrades Slayer for a seven-week North American tour of major and secondary markets. This trek will also include appearances at several major North American music festivals including Ozzfest Meets Knotfest on September 25 in San Bernardino, CA.

“I find it hard to believe that all this time has gone by,” said Anthrax’s Charlie Benante. “I still feel like I did when we were first recording our Spreading the Disease album. For All Kings has been so well received, it really does make us want to take this to another level. I think it’s all so encouraging that, after all these years, here we are hanging out with out metal alumni Slayer. The two bands have never been better at what we do, that’s encouraging for the future of music.”

Added Scott Ian, “July 18, 1981 is the day I started playing rhythm guitar in Anthrax. Thirty-five years have passed since that day and my life has changed profoundly. I am a husband, I am a father. I am a long way from the 17-year-old soon to be college dropout that co-founded a heavy metal band. The only thing that hasn’t changed in 35 years, the one constant, I am still the rhythm guitar player in Anthrax. It’s what I GET to do. I GET to play in a band and I never take that for granted. It is a privilege. And the reason I GET to be in Anthrax is because for 35 years, people all over this planet have connected with what we do. There wouldn’t be an Anthrax if it wasn’t for the fans that heard something in our sound that made them want to bang their heads all those years ago. Together over these 35 years, we became part of something that changed the history of music and I am deeply proud of that. So to quote the Scottish poet Robbie Burns, “Here’s to us; who is as good as us? Damn few, and they’re all dead.” Thank you my friends…35 and counting.”

For the September/October dates with Slayer, Anthrax is making available a limited number of “VIP Kings Ensemble Packages.” In addition to the band’s new For All Kings CD, access to the band’s Meet’n’Greet, a personal photo with the band, early entry into the venue, and much more, these special packages will include the buyer’s choice of a Scott Ian Signature Guitar, Charlie Benante Signature Series Snare, or a Frank Bello Signature Series LTD Bass Guitar. Only 10 of these Ensemble Packages will be available. For more info on all of the Anthrax VIP Packages, go to http://anthrax.com/vip-info/

Confirmed dates for Anthrax’s 35th anniversary tour are as follows:

JUNE
25 Amnesia Rockfest, Montebello, Canada

JULY
2 Tuska Open Air, Helsinki, Finland
3 Wroclaw Stadium, Wroclaw, Poland (w/ Iron Maiden)
5 USF Verftet, Bergen, Norway
6 Terminalen, Alesund, Norway
7 Parkteatret Scene, Oslo, Norway
9 Jalometalli Festival, Oulu, Finland
11 Pumpehuset, Copenhagen West, Denmark
12 Live Music Hall, Koln, Germany
13 Skaters Palace, Munster, Germany
15 Gefle Metal Festival, Gavle, Sweden
16 Dynamo Metalfest, Eindhoven, Netherlands
17 Rock Fest Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
19 Castrelos, Vigo, Spain
20 Sala Arena, Madrid, Spain
22 Area Concerti Festival Majano, Majano, Italy
23 Fosch Fest, Bagnatica, Italy
24 Rock in Rome, Roma, Italy

AUGUST
11 Leyendas del Rock Festival, Villena, Spain
14 Bloodstock, Walton-On-Trent, UK
21 Pain In The Grass, Auburn, WA

SEPTEMBER
9 Jacob’s Pavilion, Cleveland, OH
10 Freedom Hill Amphitheatre, Detroit, MI
11 Ground Zero, Travers City, MI*
12 Sound Academy, Toronto, ON
13 Metropolis, Montreal, PQ
15 Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA
16 Anthology, Rochester, NY*
17 Revolution Rock Fest., Mashantucket, CT
18 Rock Allegiance Festival, Chester, PA
20 Egyptian Room, Indianapolis, IN
21 Concord Music Hall, Chicago, IL*
22 The Pageant, St. Louis, MO
24 Houston Open Air Festival, Houston
25 Knotfest, Devore, CA
27 Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
28 Fillmore, Miami, FL
29 Club L.A., Destin, FL*
30 Horseshoe Casino Tunica, Tunica, MS

OCTOBER
1 Louder Than Life Festival, Louisville, KY
3 Norva, Norfolk, VA
4 Orange Peel, Ashveille, NC*
5 Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
6 Varsity Theatre, Baton Rouge, LA*
7 Gas Monkey Live, Dallas, TX
8 ACL at the Moody Theatre, Austin, TX
10 Fillmore, Denver, CO
11 The Complex, Salt Lake City, UT
12 Rev Hall, Boise, ID*
13 The Wilma Theatre, Missoula, MT
14 The Hill event Center, Idaho Falls, ID*
15 Revolution Concert House, Garden City, ID
16 Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA* (offer)
17 ENMAX Centre, Lethbridge, AB
19 S. Okanagan Cvents Centre, Penticton, BC
20 Abbotsford Centre, Abbotsford, BC
21 Hawthorn Theatre, Portland, OR*
22 Discovery Park, Elverta, CA (w/Aftershock)
23 Reno Events Center, Reno, NV
22 Aftershock Festival, Sacramento, CA
25 Orpheum Theatre, Flagstaff, AZ*
26 Top Deck, Famington, NM* (offer)
27 El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, TX**

* Anthrax & Death Angel

ABOUT ANTHRAX:
This year, Anthrax celebrates its 35th anniversary as a band with the release of one of the year’s most-anticipated metal/thrash albums, For All Kings, (February 26, Megaforce in North America/Nuclear Blast internationally). The eleven-song crusher that the band’s drummer Charlie Benante has described as “aggressive and super-thrashy,” was written by Benante, bassist Frank Bello and rhythm guitarist Scott Ian, the dynamic triumvirate whose unique composition chemistry is, in part, what sets Anthrax’s music apart from other bands’ in the same genre. Add to that Joey Belladonna’s breathtaking vocals and the searing guitar leads by newest member Jonathan Donais, and it’s no wonder the band has been so excited about its 11th studio album.

For All Kings debuted at #9 on Billboard’s Top 200, becoming Anthrax’s highest-charting album in more than two decades. A first-quarter U.S. tour with Lamb of God consistently resulted in some of the exceptional live reviews Anthrax has received in its career.

Over its 35-year career, Anthrax has been a pioneering band with its unique style, sound and heavy brand of thrash metal, and, as Metallica’s Kirk Hammett put it, “one can hear their influence on any number of up and coming bands.” The band has sold in excess of 10-million units, received multiple Gold and Platinum certifications, six Grammy nominations and a host of other accolades from the media, industry and fans. From the race and genre barriers Anthrax helped break down in 1988 when they collaborated with Public Enemy on “Bring The Noise,” to becoming a card-carrying member of The Big Four – with Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth – as one of the four bands that defined the speed/thrash metal genre, to being the first metal band to have its music heard on Mars when NASA played “Got The Time” to wake up the Mars Rover, Anthrax continues to demonstrate it’s just all about the music.

Anthrax Official Website

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Introducing “The Breakout Tour” – Featuring THE MACHINIST and GLADIATORS

with Support from THE BLESSING OF THIS CURSE 

Beginning July 8th in Falls Church, VA

Introducing The Breakout Tour, featuring today’s hottest up and coming heavy metal and rock bands from the U.S. Northeast! Presented by Pure Deathcore, Deathkrew Clothing, CI Records, ESP Guitars, Imperial Cymbals and Fakelife Clothing Co., the tour will feature performances from New York City’s The Machinist and Lancaster, PA’s Gladiators, with support from New Jersey’s The Blessing Of This Curse. Each of these artists have received great recognition in their local scenes – demonstrating strong instrumentalism and striking live performances – and are poised to breakout into national stardom.

The Breakout Tour will visit a total of eight Northeastern U.S. cities next month, beginning on July 8 in Falls Church, VA and will hit venues in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut before ending in Lancaster, PA on July 17 at 717 Fest.

See below for all currently confirmed tour dates and more information on each band. To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit the links below.

The Breakout Tour dates:
7/8 Falls Church, VA @ VFW Post 9274 – event info
7/11 Elmhurst, NY @ Blackthorn 51 – event info
7/12 Poughkeepsie, NY @ My Place Pizza (Class Act Fest) – event info
7/13 Trenton, NJ @ Championship Bar – event info | tickets
7/14 Revere, MA @ Sammy’s Patio
7/15 Providence, RI @ Fete
7/16 Milford, CT @ Sobah Bah – event info
7/17 Lancaster, PA @ Lancaster County Convention Center (717 Fest) – event info + tickets

About The Machinist:
The Machinist is a four-piece metal band hailing from all corners of Queens, NY and abide by one goal: to bring the groove to all. With catchy riffs, grooving breakdowns and the shred we all love, The Machinist has a little something for everyone… and then some. The band’s debut release, The Machinist EP (out July 8 and available on tour), was recorded at Westfall Studios with Anthony Lopardo and is available to pre-order via the band’s BigCartel page.

Featuring lead vocalist Amanda Gjelaj – who’s demonic growls and screeches would put any metal vocalist to shame – The Machinist EP will appeal to fans of groove metal like Lamb of God, as well as fans of emotive melodic groups such as Misery Signals. Watch The Machinist’s new music video for the track “Wake Up” here, and learn more about The Machinist here: www.facebook.com/themachinistnyc

About Gladiators:
Gladiators is a rising progressive metal band from Lancaster, PA. Lancaster is a culture hub that within the last decade has become recognized for its vibrant music scene exclusive to the region. While Lancaster-native artists like August Burns Red, Texas in July and This Or The Apocalypse have made a strong name for themselves in the metal scene, Gladiators works tirelessly to set themselves apart and establish a new frontier in the genre. The band brings a fresh perspective and direction to a scene that has developed a specific sound.

Gladiators worked meticulously for the better part of a year to establish their new release, Plexus, which came out this past March via CI Records. The band released a music video for the title track, which you can view here. You can order Plexus via iTunes, and learn more about the band here: www.facebook.com/GladiatorsBandpa

About The Blessing Of This Curse:
The Blessing of This Curse is a five-piece metalcore band based out of Bergen County, New Jersey. Their most recent release, Emergence EP, is available now on iTunes and all other digital music providers! Featuring the singles “Quicksand” & “Unconditional,” this latest effort by TBOTC showcases their ability to blend technicality, brutality, and melody in a unique, cohesive way. This EP was recorded with Steve Seid and mastered by Will Putney at Graphic Nature Audio (Northlane, The Acacia Strain, The Amity Affliction).

Since their inception in 2011, The Blessing of This Curse has made it their goal to create honest, heavy music that stands out from the rest. Although their sound has changed and progressed over the last few years, this goal has stayed constant. After gaining traction with their sophomore release Separate Yourself, they have been given the opportunity to share the stage with national acts such as Motionless In White, The Word Alive, Upon A Burning Body, Veil Of Maya, Thy Art Is Murder, I See Stars, and more.

Check out the band’s music video for the single “Unconditional” here, directed and produced by Kevin Joel. Learn more about The Blessing of This Curse here: www.facebook.com/theblessingofthiscurse

“Clean Your Clock”
Motorhead
UDR Music
Not Rated

Our Score:  CD: 3 out of 5 stars    

                    DVD: 3.5 out of 5 stars 

“Clean Your Clock” is the latest live release from the heavy metal band Motorhead. The release captures the bands November 20/21, 2015 shows at the Zenith in Munich Germany and is the bands very last live recorded show. The release captures the natural sound of one of heavy metals most astounding bands and serves as a solid send off to the one and only Lemmy.

Having followed Motorhead’s last tour pretty closely due to the almost daily updates of front-man Lemmy Kilmister’s diminishing health I was a bit skeptical of a release that was going to showcase a show from this run. Would a sickly looking Lemmy be the way I wanted to remember the band? Most definitely not. Having experienced the band live on a couple different occasions and knowing the amount of energy the band exuded during their performances I initially wasn’t expecting a lot out of this release. Thankfully within minutes of putting the DVD portion of the CD/DVD combo in my player I could tell the performance was going to be top notch. The lighting elements of the show look great and include a moving plane which hovers at varying heights through out the performance adding uniqueness to the rather straight forward staging. I’m not going to say Lemmy looks or sound amazing in this because he does not however, for a 70 year old man dealing with what he was dealing with at the time he sounds damn good! Classic tracks like “Bomber”, “The Chase Is Better Than The Catch” and “Ace of Spades” rip through your speakers with reckless abandonment and showcases Lemmy’s signature attitude and sound while fellow band mates Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell hold down their ends and in my opinion really carry the band throughout the performance. Both the DVD and CD portions of the release sounded nearly identical however the CD seemed to have a little bit more treble present in the mix. This did add some clarity to the tracks but at times the added frequencies were a bit too bright for my liking.

If you’re a devout Motorhead fan then you already know that “Clean Your Clock” is a must have. The release is available in a variety of formats including Blu-Ray, CD/Blu-Ray, CD/DVD and Vinyl however; you will want to check your video player setting as this is a European release which due to its encoding can play havoc with some players. Bottom line “Clean Your Clock” is a sleek, good sounding release that fans of the band will appreciate but, if your newer to the band or are a more casual listener you may want to skip over this one and check out one of the bands older live or studio releases.

Track Listing:

1.) Bomber
2.) Stay Clean
3.) Metropolis
4.) When The Sky Comes Looking For You
5.) Over The Top
6.) Guitar Solo
7.) The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
8.) Lost Woman Blues
9.) Rock It
10.) Orgasmatron
11.) Dr. Rock
12.) Just ‘Cus You Got The Power
13.) No Class
14.) Ace Of Spades
15.) Whorehouse Blues
16.) Overkill

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Jesse Zuretti is the founding member of the New Jersey based progressive metal band Binary Code. The group recently released their four full-length album titled “Moonsblood” in May of this year and are set to begin touring in support of the release in July. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Jesse recently about the new album, his new found writing freedom and about the groups upcoming summer tour.

Ryan Albro: It seems a lot has changed in the band over the last 7 years since your first album was released, most notably, line-up changes. How much would you say the band has changed over that period of time?

Jesse Zuretti: That time period was mostly due to the writing process. This is the first release we have done where I was in control of writing the entire thing. I would say that because it was put into a position of songs get written when they get written instead of forcing them out it took a little bit of time. The end result was songs truer to the mindset that I was in each time they were written. Since nothing was forced it kind of allowed the songs to come at a natural pace, which is for me, in hindsight, a better way for the music to come about in the natural process. My drummer and I at the time used to jam a lot and write songs very quickly because we both had one another to hash things out with. This new stuff comes from me sitting down and very methodically coming up with the songs and being able to emphasize more of a song structure behind it. In my opinion as much as I like the contribution from the whole band it was definitely easier for me to come up with the songs in those moments. In the future there’s going to be a lot more involvement from the guys that are in the band right now. It will be more of a fusion. I think it’s for the best.

RA: What was the recording and writing process like this time around versus your previous releases?

JZ: The last two releases that we did were a combination of DYI mixed with help from a friend of ours who was manning the studio. It was very hands on for me in the recording process the last time. This time it was 100% we had a producer there. He would very uniformly tell me when things were right and wrong. The input from having an outside prospective on the music really helped with getting the best out of the music. It’s always really good to have a second set of ears on something. Having Eyal Levi involved with his music background thrown into the mix with guys who aren’t super musically schooled really made me a better musician at the end because the amount of preparation that goes into recording with Eyal is unbelievable. You go into it and you come out a better musician. In the past we would write a song and then show up to the studio. This time I would write the song and have it pre-produced. That would give me the option of look back at the songs and adding or changing things that I wish I could have done before. I just really got to have my influences shine through a little bit more because it was kind of like a representation of the song writing that I do.

RA: That album art is killer, what can you tell us about that?

JZ: The artist who did it, his name is Acid Toad, he’s an artist from Bangalore. I was blown away when I first saw his artwork. He does everything with paper and ink. I just feel like the market in the progressive metal scene right now in terms of art is very homogenous. There’s a constant flow of similarities between the bands, like everyone is drawing influence from another band. This guy’s artwork is so otherworldly that I thought he would be the guy. We had a lot of amazing guys do art for us and we noticed a lot of it was similar to the style of other bands and we didn’t want to do that. He was awesome, he’s going to do stuff for us in the future without a doubt. I really want to have a relationship with an artist. The influence behind that was the relationship H.R. Giger had with the band Triptykon and their history together. I really wanted to do the same thing with this guy.

RA: What made you to decide to release the album yourselves?

JZ: It came down to whether or not we wanted to continue waiting for a business opportunity to come along to help with the release. We had just been waiting so long. We all decided it was time we did this on our own and it ended up being really exciting for us. I expected to be devastated be the idea of doing this on our own after all this time and it actually was a very exciting thing for us. We’re really happy to be doing it this way. There’s definitely a possibility of it in the future, just at this point we had to make a move.

RA: What are your plans to tour the highly anticipated new material?

JZ: We have a tour that’s being worked out for the end of July into August. We decided instead of wearing ourselves thin with a one month long tour we’re going to have a little space in-between and change it up with different bands. That will be hitting most of the U.S. After that we have something we’re working on with a band from Norway. We’re not really at a point where we can really say who it is, but they’re a band that we’ve played with before. We’re hoping that works out and the line-up for that tour’s killer and if that goes through that will be September. We’re definitely going to be a very busy band over the summer. We put so much work into the music and we waited so long and have been so patient, so the best thing for us is to go out and work as hard as we can.

Dee Snider is the out spoken, wild hair front man of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. Dee is currently one of the subjects in a recent exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame titled “Louder Than Words: Rock, Power and Politics”. The exhibit showcases some of the most important debates of our country through the lens of rock music. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Dee recently about the exhibit, his thoughts on the country’s current political climate and the Twisted Sisters farewell shows scheduled for this fall.

Adam Lawton: How did you become involved with the current Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exhibit “Louder Than Words”?

Dee Snider: As it turned out my involvement during the 1980’s in Washington was a significant rock and politics moment. They reached out to me to do an interview and afterwards asked if I had any items I could loan them for a display. I ended up donating some of the things I wore the day I testified before congress. After talking with them more I was invited to the opening of the event which evolved into me singing an acoustic version of “Were Not Gonna Take It”. We did that with just piano and vocals and it went real well. This song is so much more important and says so much. It’s a lot more than just a great party song.

AL: Prior to your appearance before congress were politics something you had always been interested in?

DS: I had no interest in politics at that time. I was a young man in rock and roll and you just don’t think about those things. The song was written about my/our oppressors and I was sharing it with our audience who were equally frustrated. Now were older and there are greater concerns. The political climate right now is just awful! The fact that we have probably the most despised person in the history of presidential elections running against the second most despised person. The elections are going to come down to voting for one of those two people. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be so that’s why now more than ever I want “Were Not Gonna Take It” to inspire people. I want people to listen to that song and have it inspire them to try and make a change to get things back to the way our fore fathers intended it to be. People have to vote based on if they like the other guy or girl candidate instead of what issues they stand for. People are viewing this election like a reality television show. We all know reality television is not real but this is! When it comes down to this election we are just boned. I am actually in the process of shooting a new video for “Were Not Gonna Take It” with the guy who shot the original. This time around the video is not going to be funny. It’s going to be a fucking statement! The thing is its too late now but it’s not too late for the future to make something happen.

AL: Initially “Were Not Gonna Take It” was attached to Donald Trump’s campaign. How did that come and about and how did things work when you asked them to stop using it?

DS: I want to make something very clear. Donald Trump is a friend, a great guy and a class act. Unlike most politicians he called me and asked if he could start using the song. Him being my friend I told him he certainly could use it. Now when you are friends with people there is a rule. You don’t talk about three things sports, religion or politics. We never talked about the things he was standing for so when I started to see and read this stuff I thought “Holy Shit!” I called him up and told him I couldn’t stand behind the things he was saying. He said ok and that was it. Donald is a class act because he asked me first to use the song and then stopped using it when I asked him. I still like him as a person but we definitely don’t see eye to eye politically.

AL: Having seen where “Were Not Gonna Take It” has gone what do you think the young Dee Snider would think of all this?

DS: Young Dee Snider would be stunned. That song was written to rile up the masses and scare parents and it did that. Then it leads to me being the poster boy for all things bad about rock music and having to defend my songs and speaking out about censorship. Cut to now and it’s a rock and jock anthem, It’s on kids shows and commercials for women’s pre-menopausal medications. The ultimate irony of all happened a couple of years ago when the “Rock of Ages” film came out. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays a typical esc character fronting a PMRC esc organization who is trying to stop rock and roll. What song do they end up singing? “Were Not Gonna Take It”. You had to be fucking kidding me! That was the ultimate definition of irony. If you told young Dee Snider that thirty or forty years ago he probably would have punched you in the face! (Laughs)

AL: Twisted Sister was recently the topic of a documentary titled “Twisted F****** Sister” which showcased the bands early career. Are there plans to release a second part to that showing the success of the band?

DS: We sort of covered that with the “Behind the Music” special that aired on VH1. That’s the story most people tend to already know. We supported the making of that documentary but it was not something that was instigated by us. There was a documentarian who was intrigued by our story having learned that we were a band for ten years prior to making it big. This was something he was taken with and we welcomed his interest as too many people think that we jumped on the bandwagon of hair metal. We didn’t jump on it we built it! There were no bands like Motley Crue or Poison when we started. I give credit to Hanoi Rocks and Quiet Riot as well for also contributing but there was certainly no wagon to be jumped on. We were carrying the torch for something that record companies were rejecting. This film shows how hard we fought to get noticed and to where we are.

AL: It was recently announced that the band will be playing a handful of farewell shows this year. Can you tell us about those plans and what prompted this decision?

DS: I think this is long overdue. I don’t want anyone to take that the wrong way but I never intended to reunite Twisted Sister and then be together longer than we were when we first got together. I wanted to fix the broken relationships we had with one another and then end on a higher note than the one we ended on when we quietly disbanded in 1987. After a few years of reunion shows we had accomplished what I had wanted. We played the Wacken Festival to seventy five thousand people and it was a perfect show played to a perfect crowd on a perfect night. It also was captured by a dozen or so HD cameras and is available on DVD. That’s how I wanted to end things and I asked the guys if we could stop however the guys voted to keep going. With AJ passing away the sense of who Twisted Sister is and how we wanted to be remembered has become very strong. We know guys have members die and they keep going but we don’t want to be that band. After AJ died it seemed like a logical stopping point for us but with one caveat. AJ was the nice guy in the band however he didn’t have any sort of estate planning set up in the event something happened to him. These shows are going to allow us to say our goodbyes to the fans but also help raise some money for AJ’s estate. Along with our love for AJ and with the help of Mike Portnoy who is one hell of a drummer we did a run of shows last year and will be doing some this year as it will be our 40th anniversary. After these show’s that will be it for us. I don’t think anyone would fault us if we wanted to continue on indefinitely however there are other things we have to take in to account besides the loss of AJ. We perform with a very high energy rate and aggressiveness which has become expected of us. I don’t want to let our fans down. With a lot of work at the age of 61 I am still in great shape but no one beats gravity. I don’t want to go down on stage with a broken hip or something. If I did I don’t think the guys would even know something happened because they have seen my roll around on the floor before. (Laughs) Those guys wouldn’t think anything was really wrong until the EMT’s showed up as they probably would just assume I was milking it.

Rock N’ Derby
May 20th-May 22nd 2016
Schaghticoke Fairgrounds, Shaghticoke, NY

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Upstate New York came alive on May 20th- 22nd as it hosted the inaugural “Rock N’ Derby” festival in the humble town of Shaghticoke, NY. Despite only being in its infancy the three day event offered a sprawling layout and variety of activities from professional wrestling and demolition derby’s to performances by some of today’s biggest artists including Five Finger Death Punch, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Shinedown and Megadeth.

With more and more multi-day festival popping up around the country it’s hard to figure out which ones are the real deal and which ones are merely just jumping on the band wagon. I am here to tell you that “Rock N’ Derby” is in fact the real deal. Despite being in a rather remote location which require traveling a variety of back roads the 3 day festival was easily one of the most enjoyable concert going experiences I have had. The festival offered plenty of room to move around, ample vendors and facilities including three well placed stages that didn’t require a lot of walking back and forth. To top it off the sound at all three stages was top notch the entire weekend. Though we weren’t able to be on hand for the events first day we talked with plenty of people in attendance who stated that the day’s events were highlighted by some killer performances including those by Lamb of God, Clutch and Five Finger Death Punch. Knowing all of those bands bring incredible live shows I’m sure they set the bar for the rest of the weekend. The main stages for day two of the event kicked off around 2pm with an intense set by the Ohio metal-core band Miss May I. Vocalist Levy Benton and company did an impressive job early in the day setting the standard for those who followed. As we bounced back and forth between the two main stages (the Derby Stage and the Rock Stage) we caught some really great performances by acts such as All That Remains, Chevy Metal featuring Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters and as the day shifted to night Halestorm who put on an impressive set which included a full scale demolition derby taking place in the near fore ground. Closing out the night on the Derby Stage was the always energetic A Day to Remember. The band hit the stage with bursts of giant multi colored confetti and dozens of beach balls which bounced between the stage and crowd. The band sounded great and was very fun to watch as they played to one of the larger crowds of the day. Closing out things on the Rock Stage were thrash legends Anthrax. The NY natives also played before a very large crowd as they shredded through some of their classic back catalog which included songs like “Antisocial”, “Got the Time” before ending the night with “Caught in a Mosh”.

The main stages on the third and final day of the festival started up around 3pm with the hard hitting Trivium commandeering the Derby stage for an hour long set which helped re-energize the crowd from the previous day’s undertakings. Shortly after the opening of the Derby Stage the Rock Stage would be opened by none other than Dokken. Though only Don Dokken and Mick Brown remain from the bands classic eighties line up newer members guitarist Jon Levin and bassist Chris McCarvill handled their duties with ease as the band performed their hour long set. Aside from the days headliners the biggest talk around the grounds on Sunday was the performance of Ghost. The masked Swedish occult themed metal band played an incredible set that not only excited the festival crowd but also conjured up a wind and rain squall that added a different element to the bands theatrical performance. With the weather subsiding shortly after Ghost left the Derby Stage Nikki Sixx and Sixx A.M. got things going on the Rock Stage performing to a slightly dampened crowd. For me the performance matched the poor weather as they were one of the only acts over the three days that didn’t sound good. Sixx’s bass dominated the mix making the rest of the band barely audible and sent us back to the Derby Stage quicker than expected. Coheed and Cambria would take the Derby stage around 7pm putting on a stellar performance. The band was extremely tight making their intricate songs sound as good if not better than the studio recordings. It was great to finally here songs like “The Hardsell” and “A Favor House Atlantic” live as I had up until this day been unable to catch the band live. Needless to say they did not let me down. As the festival slowly started to come to a close Megadeth would be the last artist to take the Rock Stage where despite finding out about the passing of long time band member Nick Menza only a few hours before the group performed like true professionals. Mustain and his crew played a mixture of new and older material including “Hangar 18” and “The Threat is Real” prior to pausing and taking a few somber moments to recognize Nick’s passing. After a heartfelt moment of silence the band closed out the night and the stage with three of their more popular songs “Symphony of Destruction”, “Peace Sells” and “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due”.

While Shinedown was still holding court on the Derby Stage we made our way through the various camping locations and parking lots. Despite the large number of people at the festival things still remained uncluttered and in control. Festival goers moved freely out of the gates as did cars out of the lots. This was something I could greatly appreciate as anyone who has been to a concert of this size knows getting in and out can be one of the worst experiences ever. From our stand point “Rock N’ Derby” was a really fun and well organized event. Great acts, great vendors and a sizeable venue with ample facilities made the entire experience enjoyable and something we hope becomes an annual event.

Festival Line Up:

Friday, May 20th, 2016
Five Finger Death Punch, Lamb of God, Clutch, Parkway Drive, Wolfmother, Pop Evil, Scott Stapp, Corrosion of Conformity,        Red Sun Rising, Wild Throne, Schism

Saturday, May 21st, 2016
A Day To Remember, Halestorm, Anthrax, Chevy Metal, Hollywood Undead, Extreme, State Champs
Sebastian Bach, Bear Tooth, Memphis May Fire, We Came As Romans, All That Remains, Avatar,
Thy Art Is Murder, Stray From The Path, For Today, Cliver, Rings of Saturn

Sunday, May 22nd, 2016
Shinedown, Coheed and Cambria, Megadeth, Sixx A.M., Ghost, Collective Soul, Sevendust, Dokken, Trivium, Enter Shikari,         Born of Osiris, Like A Storm, Currents, Bad Case of Big Mouth

(All photos are Copyrighted and cannot be used without permission)

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• Concert Review: Kings of Chaos, Verona, NY
• Concert Review: Vans Warped Tour 2016, Syracuse, NY
• Concert Review: “Rock N’ Derby” Schaghticoke, NY
• Concert Review “Winter Warriors Tour” Rochester, NY
• Concert Review: GWAR “30 Years of Tourment” Rochester, NY

“Poison Headache”
Poison Headache
Metal Blade Records
Producer: Phil Sgrosso/Taylor Young
Tracks:

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“Poison Headache” is the self titled debut album from the band of the same name. Consisting of vocalist/guitarist Andy Kukta, drummer Kyle Rosa and vocalist/guitarist Phil Sgrosso Poison Headache are releasing their 10 track album via Metal Blade Records. If Sgrosso’s name sounds familiar you may have recognized him as the former guitarist of As I Lay Dying and/or from his current band Wovenwar. Along with Taylor Young, Sgrosso also produced the album which is a unique blend of heavy metal stylings.

Infuse early 80’s NY hardcore with guitar driven modern heavy metal and you have the foundation for the debut album from Poison Headache. The group which originally formed and started writing material several years ago after the demise of the band Internal Affairs was initially just for fun however, over time the idea of doing a full album became more real. Over the course of the album you can clearly tell that the records tracks are sort of a meeting of the minds so to speak as both Kukta and Sgrosso’s signature styles shine through at various points. The albums opening track “Sin Eater” along with tracks like “Rot With Me” and “Never Again” lean more to Kukta’s hardcore roots while tracks like “Grey Skies” and “Death’s Design” showcase Sgrosso’s heavy metal back ground. Though the albums cohesiveness is a touch off it was because of this that I kept listening. You never know what is in-store with each subsequent track. This not only made the album fun to listen to but also added to its over all appeal.

Fans of the trio’s previous works and various groups will certainly want to pick up a copy of “Poison Headache”. The album not only showcases the member’s musical roots but blends each member’s uniqueness and what it may lack in cohesiveness it makes up for in raw energy and power.

Track Listing:
1.) Sin Eater
2.) Pity the Backseat
3.) Rot with Me
4.) Conspirator
5.) Gray Skies
6.) Benumbed
7.) Death’s Design
8.) Hail, Colossus
9.) Never. Again.
10.) Discloser

Punk mainstay Harley Flanagan is often recognized as one of the most influential members of the NY hardcore/punk scene of the early 1980’s. His band the Cro-Mags set the early standard for hardcore which is still followed and recognized to this day. Harley recently released his first solo album titled “Cro-Mags” and Media Mikes had the chance to speak with him recently about the album, his trials and tribulations with his former band and also about his upcoming book.

Ryan Albro: At what moment did you decided it was time to release your first solo album?

Harley Flanagan: I had some ideas in my head that I had been working on and at one point I was fortunate enough to have some studio time made available to me so I decided that I was going to use that time to start laying down some demos. From there one thing led to another and it wound up turning into this album.

RA: What was the writing process like working on a solo album versus previous albums?

HF: It was really the same process as I am the guy who came up with riffs. Back in the old days, I would have be recording them on a cassette player or when I was living with Squatch I used to call up Parris’s house and tell him not to pick up the phone so I could hum riffs on his answering machine. He’d learn the riffs and then we’d meet up later and we’d play them together. Now I sit around the house and record them on my phone. Whenever a riff comes I put it down and I work with it. I had a ton of riffs on my phone and when the studio time became available I went in and just waded through everything and picked out a bunch that I thought had an old school type of feel. I wanted to write a bunch of short songs that just come in, punch you in the face and walk right over you. I actually wrote everything believe it or not on an acoustic. I am actually thinking about releasing an acoustic version online just for fun because that’s how this whole album was originally recorded

RA: What made you decide to name the album Cro-Mags, considering the issues you have with the band?

HF: I basically felt like it was time for me to reclaim something that is rightfully mine. All bullshit aside, my hand has always been extended to those guys and even after all the shit went down at Webster Hall and along with everything else, my hand is still extended. The fact of the matter is that so called band is just John and occasionally Matthew. There’s nobody playing in that so-called band that has ever written a Cro-mags song and the Cro-mags have not written a song since I haven’t been involved. They are like a tribute band doing songs and other covers. This new record sounds more like Cro-Mags than anything anybody’s done since. I’m taking back the name. That magic is never going to be recaptured without everyone being involved. I believe that and I know that and that’s why I’m the sentimental fool that’s always fucking extending my hand to these guys, but obviously it doesn’t mean as much to those guys as it does to me. The good that game out of it far outweighs the bad, but unfortunately there has been a lot of bad. For me that whole interruption in 2012 and then putting out this album and really venting my feelings about that moment has been a real positive thing for me because it has helped me exorcise a lot of those demons.

RA: You also have a book coming out can you tell us about that?

HF: As far back as I can remember people have been telling me I should write a book, at least going back to like the 80’s but, I never really wanted to. Despite being told I have some really great stories it’s just never been something I had the desire to do. When I was going through some particularly tough times in my life I started thinking that in case anything happens I do want my side of the story to get out. I already knew that hardcore had made enough of an impact culturally where there would inevitably be books written and bullshit said and bullshit told. I was like I’m going to get my side of this out and I’m going to tell my story, the actual story. If I don’t I’m going to wind up with some asshole telling my life story the way they perceived it or the way they want it told to serve their purpose. I started writing everything down that I could remember going back as far as I could to my early childhood. Over the years of working on it I kept going back and fact checking and, double checking and, confirming facts with my family members. My mom was helpful with that before she passed away. I did a lot or research on everything. I wrote this book with the intention of it being something that people would want to read and them to see what it was like living in that time period through the eyes of a child, through the eyes of someone that was there growing up in it. There has been a lot of books about punk rock but there haven’t been any written by someone who was 10 years old when this happened. It goes through my whole life. It starts off with the day that Webster Hall went down and then right when that started to erupt it goes back to my early childhood and it retraces everything through as much as I could. Obviously I had to cut a lot of shit out or it would have been like a 10,000 page book but I wound up getting an editor and after everything was written and really narrowed down to the most powerful stuff. People can get a taste of what will be in the book if they check out www.harleyflanagan.com

RA: Lastly, What are your plans for touring in support of the new album?

HF: I have looked into doing some shows and some touring but so far the right show hasn’t come up. I work 6 days a week, I love my job, I love the people I work with and I love being home with my wife and spending as much time with my kids as I can. For me to get out there and tour it has to be the right shows. When the book comes out I will definitely be doing a book tour and, the idea is I would like to try and book shows that coincide with that so I can perhaps do a book thing during the day and maybe a show that same evening in the same city. That way you can kill two birds with one stone while having fun.