The star of Repo! The Genetic Opera and Songwriters of The Devil’s Carnival explore early American killers in a rustic new concept album

After tackling industrial opera with 2008’s REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA, sideshow cabaret with 2012’s THE DEVIL’S CARNIVAL, and celestial big band in 2015’s ALLELUIA! THE DEVIL’S CARNIVAL, hit cult film composers Terrance Zdunich and Saar Hendelman are reuniting for an edgy, new musical collaboration. This time, they’re taking on early American murder.

AMERICAN MURDER SONG is a collection of original murder ballads by the genre-defying duo, set in 1816 America. The first EP of killer songs, I. DAWN, was produced by BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY’s Scotty Morris and is now available for pre-order. And as a way to thank their fans for their support thus far, as well as a way to welcome new travelers into the fold, AMS’ first single “Murder! Murder!” will be available as a free download for the next two weeks, exclusively on the AMERICAN MURDER SONG website (www.AmericanMurderSong.com).

Between now and May, 10^th, Terrance and Saar are also presenting fans with an exclusive pay-what-you-want opportunity for all EP pre-orders for I. DAWN. All proceeds will go towards funding the next EP and upcoming AMS Tour, which is tentatively slated for Fall 2016. Prior to the upcoming tour, AMERICAN MURDER SONG will also be celebrating its debut performance at the 2016 Steampunk World’s Fair on Friday, May 13^th in Piscataway, New Jersey.

To download your free song, pre-order the first EP, or find out more about the project, visit AMERICAN MURDER SONG‘s official website at http://www.AmericanMurderSong.com. New videos and music are released every Tuesday.

AMERICAN MURDER SONG

1. DAWN

Official American Murder Song trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYtvW5etwGw

Official EP trailer:                                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTlRgURpr78                          

Official Site:                                                        http://www.americanmurdersong.com

Like us on Facebook:                                      http://www.facebook.com/thekillingplace

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Subscribe to us on Youtube:                        https://www.youtube.com/AmericanMurderSong

Explicit:                                                                               No

Genre:                                                                  Soundtrack, Murder Ballads

EP Pre-Order Date:                                         April 26, 2016

EP Release Date:                                                              May 10, 2016

Music and Lyrics by:                                       Terrance Zdunich and Saar Hendelman

Music Produced by:                                        Scotty Morris

Music Arranged by:                                         Saar Hendelman

Track Names:

1.) Murder! Murder!

2.) Johnny

3.) Mary

4.) Edward

5.) Lullaby

Album Liner Notes:

AMERICAN MURDER SONG: I. DAWN is the first chapter in the hybrid film/concept-album project by Terrance Zdunich (Repo! The Genetic Opera) and Saar Hendelman (The Devil’s Carnival franchise). Produced by Scotty Morris of BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY, the EP is a collection of original murder ballads set in 1816 America. AMERICAN MURDER SONG features not only music, but stop motion animation, moving daguerreotype portraits and a rogues gallery of cutthroats and murderesses. As Messrs. Storm & Tender, Saar and Terrance invite audiences to Follow The Mark: http://www.AmericanMurderSong.com

“The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser”
Rob Zombie
Zodiac Swan
Tracks: 12

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Master of the macabre Rob Zombie is back with his 6th studio album titled “The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser”. As the follow up to his 2013 release “Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor” the new album features 12 tracks from the former White Zombie front man which blend his unique brand of 70’s tinged rock and roll with eerie b-movie samplings which seem to permeate from every crack and crevice.

With an album title like “The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser” one would hope for the music to be equally as impressive. Sadly this is not the case as the new album from Rob Zombie is an uneven blend of chaotic, multi layered samples that lack any real musical substance. Over the course of the albums twelve tracks which only clock in at a measly thirty one minutes Zombie’s once unique blend of horror infused rock comes off as stale and tiresome. Despite a few shining moments in the way of tracks like “Well Everybody’s Fucking in a U.F.O.” and “The Hideous Exhibitions of a Dedicated Gore Whore” the album seemed to be absent of any real hook or catchiness and, instead comes off as a scattered mess. Even with such an impressive band behind him consisting of bassist Piggy D, guitarist John 5 and drummer Ginger Fish there still just wasn’t enough musical appeal to warrant a second listen.

Some impressively wordy titles are about all you will find in the latest release from Rob Zombie. With a three year lapse between albums I was certainly hoping for more and, in the case of “The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser” I needed a lot more. The albums lack of focus and its brief runtime really left me unfulfilled. This is easily Zombie’s weakest release however if you’re a long time fan and want it for your collection go for it but, if you are just know checking out Rob’s work I highly recommend skipping this and going to his impressive back catalog.

Track Listing:


1.) The Last of the Demons Defeated
2.) Satanic Cyanide! The Killer Rocks On!
3.) The Life and Times of a Teenage Rock God
4.) Well Everybody’s Fucking in a U.F.O.
5.) A Hearse That Overturns with the Coffin Bursting Open
6.) The Hideous Exhibitions of a Dedicated Gore Whore
7.) Medication for the Melancholy
8.) In the Age of the Consecrated Vampire We All get High
9.) Super-Doom-Hex-Gloom, Pt. 1
10.) In the Bone Pile
11.) Get Your Boots On! That’s the End of Rock and Roll
12.) Wurdalak

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It was called “the theater of the mind.” Back before television families would huddle around their radio and listen to such popular shows as “Gunsmoke” or “Burns and Allen.” I still have fond memories as a young boy going to bed on Sunday nights and listening to the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, drifting off to sleep while picturing the program’s action in my head.

I bought a Sirius/XM radio for my car because I love to listen to the music of the 1970s. But more often than not you’ll find me tooling down the road listening to a great old radio drama on Channel 148, hosted by Greg Bell. I recently had the opportunity to ask Greg some questions about his interest in Classic Radio and why it’s still so popular 50 years after the last program aired.

Mike Smith: Where did you develop your interest in the radio programs of the past?
Greg Bell: As I was born in the 1960s, I was too young to have listened to these shows when they originally played. What is often called “The Golden Age Of Radio” wrapped up in 1962, when CBS, the last network still playing weekly radio theater, ended that with the final episodes of “Suspense” and “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.” Personally I was always a fan of classic media, old films, TV shows and radio. I grew up listening to the revival radio shows including Himan Brown’s “CBS Radio Mystery Theater” in the 1970s and The Elliott Lewis led “Sears Radio Theater” in the late 70s and early 80s. And later I listened to “When Radio Was” during the Art Fleming and Stan Freberg era. The entire reason the XM (now Sirius XM) RadioClassics channel was created was to introduce all these wonderful shows to a whole new audience, who like myself, were not around when they originally aired. Great storytelling is truly timeless, and these shows prove that.

MS: How did the gig at Sirius come about?
GB: In December of 2001, I was hired at XM Satellite Radio in DC for the now-defunct USA Today channel (basically a radio version of the newspaper.) In the summer of 2002, they launched two new spoken word channels, Sonic Theater and RadioClassics. I was hired to run the classic radio channel, and was able to draw on my knowledge of classic films and television to also host the channel. XM merged with Sirius in 2008, and I was retained as the host of RadioClassics. And then following the retirement of Stan Freberg in 2006, I took over as the host of the syndicated series “When Radio Was” airing on approximately 200 radio stations across North America.

MS: You’ve hosted several radio themed cruises. What all do they entail?
GB: What a blast! We are currently preparing for the Fourth Annual Radio Spirits sponsored sea cruise: www.cruisingwithgregbell.com The first three were tremendous successes. While at sea we re-create both classic and original radio plays live on stage with the fans as the actors as well as handling the sound effects also created live. We also have old time radio trivia, show discussions, listening parties, gift bags, and perhaps most importantly it’s a place where I lot of folks, from all over the nation, who love the same stuff (classic radio theater) can meet.

MS: What are some of your favorite radio programs?
GB: Only way to answer that is to break it down by genre:

Comedies: Jack Benny is the king, but for great chemistry and timeless humor; my favorite is “The Phil Harris & Alice Faye Program.” Harris and Elliott Lewis as his pal, Frankie Remley were Cramden and Norton before the “Honeymooners” came along.

The top thriller and mystery series: For me they are “Suspense” and “The Whistler.” Both had tremendous storytelling and featured different themes each week, so it might be a murder mystery one week, science fiction the next and so on.

Police dramas: “Dragnet” was a radio show first and is very well done, but I also recommend “Broadway Is My Beat” (follows NYPD detective Danny Clover) and “The Lineup.”

The Westerns; sure everyone remembers “The Lone Ranger,” “Hopalong Cassidy” and “Red Ryder,” and they are entertaining but were targeted for younger listeners. So my favorites are “The Six-Shooter” (with Jimmy Stewart), “Fort Laramie” (featuring future “Perry Mason” star Raymond Burr) and “Gunsmoke.” Radio’s “Gunsmoke” which debuted three years before the TV version, is easily the best of the bunch. With a whole different cast (William Conrad was the voice of Marshall Dillon) “Gunsmoke” was much more than a western. The writers tackled issues of the 1950s like racism, xenophobia, domestic abuse, etc while setting the stories in the late 19th Century American West.

MS: Why do you think the medium is still popular?
GB: As I said earlier, great storytelling is truly timeless!

MS: With the popularity of satellite radio growing, do you think that radio dramas/comedies could return? Maybe “Screen Directors Playhouse presents ‘Jaws’?”
GB: It’s already here; there are tons of modern radio theater groups all over the country performing both classic and original scripts, so it’s truly alive and well.

MS: Do you have any new programs coming to the channel this year?
GB: There will always be series that our exclusive content provider, Radio Spirits, is able to get legal broadcasting rights to air and/or have digitally restored and prepped for satellite radio, plus they periodically supply us with more “new to the channel” episodes from series we currently feature.

For a list of the weekly shows, click here http://www.siriusxm.com/radioclassics/weeklyschedule

Ace Frehley, KillCode

Date: April 15, 2016
Venue: F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, Wilkes Barre, PA

Our Score: 2 out of 5 stars

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley made a stop at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes Barre, PA on April 15th, as part of a 12 show east-coast run promoting his latest album release titled “Origins Vol.1” The night was a series of ups and downs which at one point had the near capacity crowd on their feet cheering and the next moment had them scratching their heads while leaving the theater to a slow din of boo’s.

Being a huge fan of Ace I was certainly well aware of the fact that when it comes to the “Spaceman” you never know what you are going to get and, this night was certainly a testament to that. The show kicked off with the NYC based band KillCode whose modern rock tinged sound was met with a warm response from the Wilkes Barre. This could have been attributed to the fact that one of the bands guitarists was from the rural esque town or possibly that their performance was the most consistent of the night. Either way the band seemed well rehearsed and fit the opening slot well. After a brief set change and following the sounds of “Fractured Mirror” which played over the P.A. Ace and his band consisting of drummer Scot Coogan, guitarist Richie Scarlett and bassist Chris Wyse would take the stage. The group kicked off the set with one of Ace’s signature songs “Rip it Out” which gave way to several Kiss classics such as “Rocket Ride”, “Parasite” and “Love Gun”. It was at the start of “Parasite” that I began to notice that the night was in for an awkward turn. The songs tempo shifted back and forth as it seemed Ace and the rest of the band were clearly on separate pages. Thankfully after a bit of back and forth things leveled out and songs like Thin Lizzy’s “Emerald” and “Rock Soldiers” sounded great. Towards the end of the bands set Ace began to move less and less and at one point he was even sitting on one of his speaker cabinets. After a lackluster solo and his signature smoking guitar trick the band quickly ran through the Kiss/Ace staple “Cold Gin” before immediately leaving the stage. Previous shows on the tour featured a two song encore which the fans were anxiously waiting and cheering for. After several minutes the house lights came fully on and music began playing over the P.A signaling the show was over. As fans made their way out the doors loud boos and other un-pleasantries filled the air. With a set a set that ran just under 90 minutes there was certainly cause for such reactions.

Fast-forward about 12hrs. to when it was announced that immediately after the Wilkes Barre show Ace was rushed to a nearby hospital and treated for exhaustion and dehydration. (As a side note the last show of the tour scheduled for 4/16 was canceled) I understand people get tired and things happen but when you are at the level Ace is at and have been performing as long as he has shouldn’t steps be taken to prevent these types of avoidable occurrences? Especially on a tour consisting of only 12 dates! This however is the typical type of Ace behavior which partly makes him so entertaining yet which has also plagued his career since his early days in Kiss. Will it ever change? That’s very hard to say. What I can say is that on 4/15 Wilkes Barre was treated to classic Ace all the way.

Set List:

1.) Rip It Out
2.) Toys
3.) Rocket Ride
4.) Parasite
5.) Love Gun
6.) Snowblind
7.) Sister
8.) Emerald (Thin Lizzy Cover)
9.) Rock Soldiers
10.) Bass Solo/Strange Ways
11.) New York Groove
12.) 2 Young 2 Die
13.) Shock Me/Guitar Solo
14.) Cold Gin

Actress/Musician/Comedian Margaret Cho is set to release her second music album titled “American Myth” on April 29th. The album is the follow up to her 2010 debut release “Cho Dependent” which help add musician to the artists already impressive skill set. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Margaret recently about the new album, her current project with Amazon.com and about just what happened at The Stress Factory on March 26th.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background on your new music album “American Myth”

Margaret Cho: I always write music as it’s something I enjoy and is a part of my life. I worked on a majority of the album with Garrison Starr who is a really great artist and someone I have worked with before. She came down to right with me while I was living in Atlanta and I also had a few sketches of songs that I had done on my own. This is the first record where I actually did all the melodies and composed the pieces. I had never done that in the past which made things really exciting. I think the album is really beautiful.

AL: A lot of the song lyrics seem to be very personal. Can you tell us about writing from that perspective?

MC: A lot of the songs on the album deal with loss and compassion. They deal with a lot of human emotions. The songs are very anthemic as I appreciate a good rock anthem. I also did a memorial song on this album titled “Anna Nicole” which is about Anna Nicole Smith. We recently shot a video for this song as well which feature a variety of Anna Nicole impersonators running around a castle. This will be the third video for a song off the new album as I also did videos for “Come With Me” and “Kill My Rapist”. It was a lot of fun running around a castle filled with hundreds of Anna Nicole impersonators.

AL: What was it about releasing a music album that was more appealing than say a new comedy album from your recently aired comedy special?

MC: The stand show album will be coming out as part of the DVD release of the special. That’s something that will generally always come out. The music album is a very different undertaking. It is something that is very personal to me. Stand Up comedy is also very personal but music is a different part of my work.

AL: Over the past few years you have become very involved with bringing attention to homelessness in various cities here in the U.S. Can you tell us how you got involved in that?

MC: The “Be Robin” events are kind of a way for me to honor the life of Robin Williams and to be an advocate for the homeless population. We have events going on all the time in lots of different cities. I can’t always be at the events because of my schedule but we try to have them whenever I have the chance. They end up just being these big, crazy, fun events. There is actually a documentary about this as well which has been sort of a way for us to bring closure to the grief caused from his passing.

AL: What other projects are you currently working on?

MC: I am working on a pilot for Amazon right now called “Highlands”. The show is a comedy/drama about an Asian-American family involved in the marijuana business. I am working with Liz Sarnoff who has worked on “Lost” and “Deadwood”. She is a real genius. We just finished the script and start shooting soon. Everyone at Amazon has been really wonderful as they let the artist be themselves. They have really given a lot of creative freedom to the project which I feel has been priceless.

AL: You have quite a few live dates lined up can you tell us about those and also give us an update on the recent incident that occurred during your show at

MC: I will be in Detroit during the middle of April and then in Nashville at the beginning of May. As for what happened recently at the Stress Factory Comedy Club I speak about a lot of personal things in my shows. I talk about rape and sexual abuse because I feel it’s important to discuss those things. We are living in an age where as a survivor you don’t have to stay silent. That sometimes can be very confrontational to people and an audience. It can be very upsetting. Some jokes are meant to make you laugh while others are to make you think. As comedians we try to wake people up so there is this weird thing when people get angry but that’s part of the great arc of comedy. I am going to be going back to the Stress Factory for a makeup show with those who were there. I want to do a reenactment of what happened and talk to the audience members about why they got upset. (Laughs) It would be fun to bring in Dr. Phil to moderate. I love comedy so much and don’t want to hurt it or the Stress Factory as it is a really important venue in that it’s an independent club owned by comedians. The place is like a dojo and holy to me so I want to invite everyone back and to work this out. We will buy them dinner and drinks and allow them to have a conversation with one another. I think it could be very funny.

Bella D. pushes the boundaries of artistic hard rock with a unique signature blend of operatic vocals and intricate steampunk themed storytelling. This blend of interesting styles can be heard on Bella D’s new album titled “The Crystal Ceiling” which will be released on May 13th. Media Mikes had the pleasure of speaking with Bella D. recently about the albums creation, her partnership with drummer Charlie Zeleny and her plans for upcoming live performances.

Ryan Albro: How did you and Charlie Zeleny come together to work on this project?

Bella D.: Charlie went to high School together but we didn’t really know each other. We just saw each other in the hallway kind of thing. We actually met in college as we had a class together and that’s where our friendship started. I did a lot of theater at the time and I got him a lot of jobs as a theater music and stuff. He and I worked in together a lot and then we parted ways for a little while his career went 1 way and my career went another way. When I got the wild hair to finally do this album I knew I really needed a partner to help me with it. It was one of these things where the album became so big that there was no way I was going to be able to do this by myself. After talking with Charlie he asked me to do a video with him which got us back in touch with each other. I told him the idea about the album and he said he might be interested, Charlie wanted to see if we could write a song together before we invested a lot of time in the project so that’s what we did first. We sat down and wrote one song which went very quickly. From there we tried another and so on. All of a sudden things just exploded and the album literally started to take on a life of its own.

RA: Where did the idea for the dystopian, steampunk theme come from?

BD: It came from me. Charlie’s alter ego is very cyberpunk but I have always been very theatrical and I have always been in love with the Victorian age. I wound up discovering steampunk and fell in love with the idea of a very modern world, with modern objects that are all run by clockwork, steam power. There is something very romantic and badass about it at the same time. Steampunk started off as kind of very small niche and now you are starting to see it a lot more.

RA: The majority of great song lyrics generally can be traced back to writers telling very personal stories in the form of song. What was it like for you to tell not only your own incredible story, but to shape it into a hard rock, steampunk fueled album?

BD: Charlie and I worked very closely together on this album. The album is made up of a lot of my experiences which at times was very emotional for me. We all go through these moments where we feel like we’re beaten up, either by life or just by every day conflict. We are all beaten up and we are all fighting against something and the album sort of reflects that battle. It is one of these things that you have to go into full force and swing that sword, shoot the gun, whatever genre you’re fighting whether its fantasy or steampunk or modern cyberpunk. That is the general feel of it. I have gone through a couple really rough patches in life and I really drew from that. That’s where the story came from.

RA: How did you going about selecting the musicians who appeared on the album?

BD: That all comes down to Charlie. I always joke that he has got this little black book, not of women, but of every musician he has ever worked with. I think it rivals the New York City phonebook. He has had a fantastic career and is really amazing at what he does so because of that he has been able to build up some great connections with all of these artists. Charlie reached out to everyone with the idea of what we were doing and they were like that’s insane, I want in. That’s basically all that happened and the even crazier thing is that none of these artists were in the same room with each other at any time. This was all done digitally. Charlie would plug the performances into pro-tools and tweak little things here and there to make everything sound fantastic.

RA: What can you share about the comic book series that’s coming out with the album?

BD: Basically the music and the story coincide with one other. When we wrote the concept album I wrote the lyrics with a story in mind but not in such a way that you’re going to sit down a listen to a recording of a musical. This is a concept album and each song stands on its own 100% but, if somebody really wanted to sit down and listen and actually enjoy the whole concept of it they could. I really wanted to be able to tell my vision with this album. Being a huge comic book fan and knowing how popular comics are right now it made perfect sense to make this something that if people want to know what was going on story wise in the music they could follow along in the book. I worked with a really great artist who I think captured the first portion of the story quite well.

RA: What do you want listeners to take away from the album and your story?

BD: I think the biggest lesson I’d love people to take away from this is an understanding that we all have been there, we all have been that person who’s been struggling and feeling like the world is literally falling apart around them. The biggest message is that you can make it through, but you have to work at it, you have to pick yourself up, you have to have those moments of “yeah this stuff is horrible” but I’m still going, I’m still alive, I’m still breathing and today I’m going to kick its ass.

RA: What are some of the plans you have for live performances of the material?

BD: We are doing a release party at Carroll Place in New York City on May 19th. As far as live performances past that we don’t have anything locked in yet. I am working on getting into Comic Con as I would love to perform there, especially since I am releasing a comic along with the album. We also have two lyrics videos being released online soon and also a full production video of another song. That’s all in the can ready to go, it looks fantastic, we’re just waiting for the release date.

Mike Burkett better know to the world as Fat Mike is the bassist/lead vocalists for California punk rock band NOFX and owner of Fat Wreck Chords. Together with first time writer Jeff Alulis and his band mates Eric Melvin, Aaron “El Hefe” Abeyta and Erik “Smelly” Sandin the guys have just released their first tell autobiography aptly titled “The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories”. The book which is being released via Da Capo Press is a down and dirty tale of punk rock debauchery told candidly by those who lived it. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Fat Mike recently about the book and also about the bands upcoming album and tour.

Adam Lawton: Where did the idea for you guys to do a book come from?

Fat Mike: It was something that we had been talking doing now for awhile. It wasn’t until I read “The Dirt” by Motley Crue that I started to take doing our own book seriously. Once I read that book it got me thinking that NOFX could do a really good book because I think our stories our better. Our stories are a little less rock and roll. I had also read the book “Please Kill Me” which really changed me as I thought the book was just so good. Our story is right up there but totally different so we said “let’s do a book”.

AL: Did the other members of the band have any reservations about doing this type of book being that it was going to go pretty deep?

FM: There were things that I knew the guys were going to be a little uneasy to talk about. Eric Melvin had never talked about being molested before and Smelly never wanted to talk about his times with Courtney Love. Those guys went in and gave it all up for the book. Smelly really told everything which makes the book his in a lot of ways. We had to wait this long to do this because 10 years ago guys wouldn’t have wanted to tell these stories. You have to get to a point in your life where you are comfortable to talk about these things. For me the chapter which talks about cross dressing was something we added at the last minute because as of 2 years ago I wasn’t ready to talk about that publicly.

AL: Was it difficult revisiting some of those darker memories that make it into the book?

FM: The chapter where I talk about killing my mom was from a very hard part of my life but at the same time I think it was one of the best things I have ever done. My mom brought me into this world and raised me and I was able to give her the greatest gift I could ever give by helping her when she needed it. I wanted to put this in the book because it’s a heroic thing to be able to do that when someone needs your help in that way. Just letting the doctors take care of it is bullshit. That’s what a coward would do. My lawyer didn’t want me to put that stuff in the book so there’s a line stating that it’s the only part of the book that’s not true. (Laughs)

AL: What was it like going back and reading some of the chapters written by former band members?

FM: The chapter with Dave Casillas was really funny because he denied a lot of the stuff at first but then by the end of his interview he said “I guess it could have all happened”.  During the older days of the band when everyone was doing a lot of drugs I only drank beer so my memory from those years is really good. I remember stuff no one else does. It’s the past 15 years that I have a problem remembering. (Laugh)  I just remember those early days so well. Nowadays we will do a House of Blues tour or something like that where everyday kind of blends into the next however, when we first started we would stay at some ones house and sleep on their floor for 3 days, get crabs and then get told not come back. (Laughs) Those are the things you remember.

AL: Were there pieces of the book done separately or were there portions that everyone worked on together?

FM: Everything was done separately. That was something that Jeff Alulis wanted so that we would be able to open up more. What I love about the book is that after reading it we all learned things about one another that we had never known. There was one part of the book I had to call Eric Melvin about just to give him a warning about what he was going to read because it’s a pretty hard thing to read.

AL: What was it like working with Jeff in this capacity as compared to the group’s previous video work with him on “Backstage Passport”?

FM: It was difficult and very trying at times. He didn’t change any of our stories but he did change some of the wording to make himself look like a better writer. (Laughs) He used words that I would have never said. It was still the same thing but he just cleaned it up a bit and made it readable. We went with someone who had never written a book before because we didn’t want someone with a lot of experience who would take our experiences and change them. Jeff felt his way through the book and the early reviews have been great so I think we made the right decision. I am really proud how it turned out.

AL: Did you notice any similarities between writing a book and writing an album?

FM: Our new album is I think our most personable album yet. For me it was like peeling off my skin. The new album which will come out in June is the first album that I wrote and recorded a lot of while I was using drugs. In the past I have always gone into the studio and recorded sober. What I found while working on this album was that I cared more. After I would do a line I became extremely focused on making whatever song I was working on the best it could be. A lot of this came from not only writing the book but also from when I was working on the “Home Street Home” musical. With a musical you can’t put in one word that’s not needed as you have 2 hours to tell an entire story. You can’t waste a word. You will definitely be able to tell the influences of the book and the musical on this new album.

AL: With a book and album coming out this year what are the bands tour plans?

FM: When we make a record we tend to not tour like a lot of other bands do. Our schedule generally doesn’t change in that we will do a two week tour, have six weeks off and then we will do another two week run of shows. With having a book out we really want it make the New York Times Best Seller list so we are going to be doing a bunch of signings and stuff like that to help promote the book. The book was already in its fifth run of printing prior to the release on April 12^th so we are really excited for everything.

Be sure to check out our review of NOFX’s “The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories” in the book review section of the site.

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“Us And The Night”

3 Doors Down
Republic
Producer: Matt Wallace
Tracks: 11

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Grammy Award-nominated 3 Doors Down is back with a brand new album titled “Us And The Night”. The album which is being released via Republic Records is the first album to feature new material from the chart topping Mississippi natives in five years. Produced by Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, O.A.R.) the album features 11 tracks chocked full of the groups signature rock

With five years between the bands last album “Time of My Life” and “Us And The Night” is was certainly more than anxious to see where the band would take things with their most recent release. The 11 tracks which make up the groups sixth studio album all have potential to be hits as the album is spilling over with pop like hooks which are set nicely against a rock and roll background making for a great listening experience. From the driving bass lines of “In The Dark” to the chugging solo infused “Believe It” the band does a good job revisiting their hard rock roots while expanding on their musicality with tracks like the expansive “Inside of Me” which blends piano and acoustic filled verses with huge crescendoing choruses while the track “Pieces of Me” is on the other side of the spectrum featuring a scaled back arrangement that despite less instrumentation is an equally powerful performance.

Time away certainly did not hurt 3 Doors Down as their latest offering has everything fans have come to expect from the band who brought us hits like “Kryptonite” and “Here Without You” and maybe a little more. “Us And The Night” is packed with an even blend of pop appeal and edginess which harkens back to the band’s debut release. Though there are a few slower moments on the records I could have done without with as I much more prefer the harder side of this band however the album mixes things up nicely and is an enjoyable listen.

Track Listing:

1.) The Broken
2.) In The Dark
3.) Still Alive
4.) Believe It
5.) Living In Your Hell
6.) Inside of Me
7.) I Don’t Wanna Know
8.) Pieces of Me
9.) Love Is a Lie
10.) Us And The Night
11.) Fell From the Moon

“Origins Vol. 1”
Ace Frehley
eOne Music
Tracks: 12

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The one and only Ace Frehley is back with a brand new album of reworked hard rock classics titled “Origins Vol. 1” The 12 track album is being released April 15th via eOne Music and accompanying the former Kiss guitarist is a slew of hard rock notables ranging from Slash and John 5 to Lita Ford and Kiss front-man Paul Stanley. Yes you read that correctly! “Origins Vol. 1” will take you on a rocket ride through some of Ace’s influences while also paying homage to several songs from Ace’s own groundbreaking career with Kiss.

When an artist chooses to release an album of covers it usually ends up being a love or hate relationship for myself. Even before listening to the album I am thinking things like “will the artist do the original songs justice?” And, “will the artists own performance be on point?” among a few other things. Despite being a diehard Frehley fan since my early teens I still had to ponder those thoughts just before checking out “Origins Vol.1” as I was a touch skeptical. Right out of the gate the latest offering from the original and only “Space Man” came out swinging quickly erasing any doubt I may have had lurking around my brain. Tracks like Cream’s “White Room” and The Troggs “Wild Thing” which features a guest appearance by Lita Ford hold true to the original versions however with an immense amount of added grit and bite courtesy of Frehley’s signature playing style. Other notable tracks are a crushing version of Thin Lizzy’s “Emerald” (probably my favorite of the 12 tracks) an in your face rendition of Kiss’s “Parasite” featuring Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 and a really cool version of Free’s “Fire and Water” featuring none other than Paul Stanley on vocals. (This is the first time in 18 years that Paul and Ace have appeared on a track together)

It doesn’t matter how dedicated of an Ace fan you are “Origins Vol. 1” is a must have for any fan of hard rock music. Great song selection and performances make this an album you can throw on anytime and be treated to a great listen. No its not new original material but it is literally the next best thing as Ace continues to shine with his latest offering.

Track Listing:
1.) White Room (Cream)
2.) Street Fighting Man (Rolling Stones)
3.) Spanish Castle Magic (Jimi Hendrix) feat. John 5
4.) Fire and Water (Free) feat. Paul Stanley
5.) Emerald (Thin Lizzy ) feat.Slash
6.) Bring It On Home (Led Zeppelin)
7.) Wild Thing (The Troggs) feat. Lita Ford
8.) Parasite (Kiss) feat. John 5
9.) Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf)
10.) Cold Gin (Kiss) feat. Mike McCready
11.) Till The End of the Day (The Kinks)
12.) Rock n Roll Hell (Kiss)

“Book of Shadows II”

Zakk Wylde
eOne Music
Tracks: 14

Our Score: 4 out 5 stars

Black Label Society front man Zakk Wylde is back with the second installment of his acoustic fueled fret board wizardry “Book of Shadows II”. Stripped down and incredibly raw the new album not only picks up where the previous 1996 album “Book of Shadows” left off but the former Ozzy Osbourne axe man shows immense growth as an artist while forging new ground with his signature blend of doom crew infused melodic shred.

Don’t let the fact that “Book of Shadows II” showcases the softer side of the berserker as each of the 14 tracks that make up this release are signature Zakk Wylde through and through. Yes missing are the signature laser like pinch harmonics and the thunderous dirge Wylde is most closely associated with however, what the album lacks in ferocity it makes up for it by creating its own unique power through impressive vocal and instrumental performances. Tracks like “Tears In December” and “Darkest Hour” strike deep as they overflow with emotion while tracks like “Lost Prayer” and ”Sleeping Dogs” feature upbeat rythms and bluesy instrumentation giving the album a solid balance.

For long time fans of Zakk dating back to the old “Pride and Glory” days this is a no brainer to pick up as it will be right at home with Wylde’s subsequent releases. For newer fans it’s just as equally worth checking out but be sure to also check out Zakk’s electric work before hand as it will only make you appreciate the range and musicianship found on “Book of Shadows II” that much more.

Track Listing:
1.) Autumn Changes
2.) Tears of December
3.) Lay Me Down
4.) Lost Prayer
5.) Darkest Hour
6.) The Levee
7.) Eyes of Burden
8.) Forgotten Memory
9.) Yesterday’s Tears
10.) Harbors of Pity
11.) Sorrowed Regrets
12.) Useless Apologies
13.) Sleeping Dogs
14.) The King

PATIENCE…

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“Battle Cry”

Judas Priest
Epic Records
Rated: Not Rated
DVD Running time: 94 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Judas Priest’s tour in support of their 17th studio album was one of the most extensive of the group’s entire career- consisting of 130 shows in 33 countries and offering a set-list that touched upon selections from nearly all of their classic albums. Fans can now relive the live Priest experience through “Battle Cry”. Recorded live on August, 1st 2015 at Germany’s Wacken Festival in front of 85,000, the live performance is available on 15 track audio CD as well as DVD and Blu-Ray which both feature an additional 3 tracks shot in Poland on December 10th 2015.

Though not the first live concert performance release from metal gods Judas Priest it is however the first live release from the band to cover material from practically every album including “Redeemer of Souls”. Everything a hardcore Priest fan could want is here and more! From such classic tracks as “Metal Gods” and “Victim of Changes” to newer tracks like “Battle Cry” and “Redeemer of Souls”. You serious get a little bit of everything with this release. One track missing that I had hoped would make the cut was that of the song “Love Bites” off of “Defenders of the Faith”. The band performed this song for the first time since 1986 during the opening night of the “Redeemer of Souls” tour in Rochester, NY and continued playing it off and on throughout the tours run. Despite my own personal favorite missing the stunning visuals and immense crowd and staging made me quickly forget about that one minor detail as there was just so much to take in. The band made a really great decision by selecting the Wacken Festival as it is really proving to be one of if not thee most premier heavy metal festival.

This release will make a great addition to any metal fans collection especially if they were able to catch one of the bands shows from this tour. It would have been nice though if they came packaged as a CD/DVD combo giving you both an audio and video option all in one purchase. It also would have been cool to include some behind the scenes footage from the tour along with the 3 additional tracks being the tour was such a large undertaking for the band. Minus those few small things and you have great live release.

DVD/Blu-Ray Track Listing:

1.) (Intro) Battle Cry
2.) Dragonaut
3.) Metal Gods
4.) Devil’s Child
5.) Victims of Changes
6.) Halls of Valhalla
7.) Turbo Lover
8.) Redeemer of Souls
9.) Beyond the Realms of Death
10.) Jawbreaker
11.) Breaking the Law
12.) Hell Bent for Leather
13.) Hellion
14.) Electric Eye
15.) You’ve Got Another Thing Coming
16.) Painkiller
17.) Living After Midnight

Bonus tracks:

18,) Screaming for Vengeance
19.) The Rage
20.) Desert Plains

THE JOURNEYS ALTERNATIVE PRESS MUSIC AWARDS
FUELED BY MONSTER ENERGY

ANNOUNCES 2016 AWARD SHOW CATEGORIES & NOMINEES

EARLY BIRD TICKETS ON SALE NOW – ALL TICKETS ON SALE APRIL 4th
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS NOW!

2016 APMAS * JULY 18, 2016 * COLUMBUS, OH
LIVE FROM SCHOTTENSTEIN CENTER

Honorees, Presenters, Performers and More Coming Soon:
WWW.ALTPRESS.COM/APMAS

As announced last month, the 2016 Journeys Alternative Press Music Awards, Fueled by Monster Energy will air live on TV and social media on the evening of July 18th from Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH (555 Borror Dr., www.schottensteincenter.com). Displaced due to the Republican National Convention taking over its hometown of Cleveland, Alternative Press will stage their own Punk Rock Convention, hosted by Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat of eight-time AP cover stars All Time Low.

Although many of Alternative Press’ young readers may not be able to vote in the upcoming U.S. election, those same readers (in addition to music fans all around the globe) can let their voices be heard by voting for their favorite artists at the Alternative Press Music Awards! Voting is open now – in fact, during the past 16 hours, over 50,000 votes have been cast from 113 different countries around the world (including all 50 U.S. states). This is more than double the first round voting numbers within the first 24 hours from 2015.

See below for the official list of newly announced award categories and nominees, and visit the Vans Voting Site at www.altpress.com/apmas to cast your vote.

Best Vocalist:
1. Alex Gaskarth – All Time Low
2. Patrick Stump – Fall Out Boy
3. Kellin Quinn – Sleeping With Sirens
4. Lzzy Hale – Halestorm
5. Corey Taylor – Slipknot
6. Caleb Shomo – Beartooth

Best Drummer Presented By DW Drums:
1. Maxx Danziger – Set It Off
2. Loni Robinson – letlive.
3. Dani Washington – Neck Deep
4. Aaron Gillespie – Underoath
5. Jerod Boyd – Miss May I
6. Christian Coma – Black Veil Brides

Best Bassist Presented By Razor & Tie:
1. Skyler Acord – Issues
2. Ryan Neff – Miss May I
3. Matthew Taylor – Motion City Soundtrack
4. Ralph Sica – Being As An Ocean
5. Ahren Stringer – The Amity Affliction
6. Kelen Capener – The Story So Far

Best Guitarist:
1. Jack Fowler – Sleeping With Sirens
2. Kevin Skaff – A Day To Remember
3. Chad Gilbert – New Found Glory
4. Misha Mansoor – Periphery
5. JB Brubaker – August Burns Red
6. Kellen McGregor – Memphis May Fire

Artist Philanthropic Presented By Hopeless Records and Sub City:
1. Jake Luhrs – HeartSupport
2. Andrew McMahon – Dear Jack Foundation
3. The Used – Living the Dream
4. You Me At Six – Passport Back To The Bars, The Ghost Inside U.K. Fundraiser, PETA
5. The Wonder Years – Puppies Behind Bars, After School All-Stars, The Herren Project, Futures Without Violence
6. This Wild Life – National Breast Cancer Foundation

Most Dedicated Fanbase Presented By Fearless Records:
1. The Ghost Inside
2. New Years Day
3. Issues
4. PVRIS
5. The Maine
6. Mayday Parade

Song Of The Year Presented by Epitaph Records:
1. Pierce The Veil – “The Divine Zero”
2. Panic! At The Disco – “Hallelujah”
3. Of Mice & Men – “Would You Still Be There”
4. State Champs – “Secrets”
5. Falling in Reverse – “Just Like You”
6. Never Shout Never – “Hey! We OK”

Best International Band:
1. Babymetal [Japan]
2. Marianas Trench [Canada]
3. Parkway Drive [Australia]
4. One OK Rock [Japan]
5. As It Is [United Kingdom]
6. You Me At Six [United Kingdom]

Best Underground Band:
1. Moose Blood
2. Tiny Moving Parts
3. Creeper
4. Too Close To Touch
5. ROAM
6. Cane Hill

Breakthrough Band:
1. State Champs
2. Set It Off
3. Knuckle Puck
4. I Prevail
5. New Years Day
6. Neck Deep

Best Live Band:
1. Slipknot
2. Issues
3. Neck Deep
4. Beartooth
5. Motionless In White
6. Attila

Best Music Video Presented By Journeys:
1. Twenty One Pilots – “Stressed Out”
2. Panic! At The Disco – “Emperor’s New Clothes”
3. August Burns Red – “Identity”
4. State Champs – “If I’m Lucky”
5. The Wonder Years – “Cardinals”
6. All Time Low – “Something’s Gotta Give”

Artist Of The Year Presented By Monster Energy:
1. Real Friends
2. PVRIS
3. Fall Out Boy
4. Twenty One Pilots
5. Beartooth
6. All Time Low
7. Motionless In White
8. Slipknot
9. Panic! At The Disco
10. Sleeping With Sirens

Album Of The Year Presented By Journeys:
1. Bring Me The Horizon – That’s the Spirit
2. All Time Low – Future Hearts
3. Twenty One Pilots – Blurryface
4. Knuckle Puck – Copacetic
5. The Maine – American Candy
6. Sleeping With Sirens – Madness
7. State Champs – Around The World And Back
8. August Burns Red – Found In Far Away Places
9. Marilyn Manson – The Pale Emperor
10. Neck Deep – Life’s Not Out To Get You

Watch all of the exclusive Journeys Alternative Press Music Awards nominee announcement videos here, hosted by Tonight Alive’s Jenna McDougall and Set It Off’s Cody Carson.

Alternative Press Music Awards Early Bird tickets are on sale now – visit THIS LINKto grab yours! General sale tickets will be available through Ticketmaster beginning April 4th. In addition, the APMAs is partnering with PromoWest Fest (www.promowestfest.com, Columbus, OH, July 15-17), so tickets will also be available via their box office through Ticketmaster.

“Columbus is a huge music city, so we’re excited to host the APMAs this year. The date aligned perfectly with PromoWest Fest and we are working with the APMAs to leverage our two events to create a 4-day weekend that showcases top artists and music industry professionals. Stay tuned for some surprises,” states Becky Long, Vice President of Sales & Brand Marketing at PromoWest Fest.

Details regarding tickets and VIP packages, honorees, presenters, performers, pre-show parties, red carpet appearances, and more will be available soon via www.altpress.com/apmas.

Each Alternative Press Music Awards show has featured some of the greatest artists in modern music, ranging from today’s biggest rock stars such as Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Panic! At The Disco and Weezer, to musical legends such as Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Slash, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Smashing Pumpkins and Ice-T. Countless renowned artists such as Rob Zombie, Blink-182, Twenty One Pilots, Taking Back Sunday, All Time Low, Motionless In White, Run of RUN DMC, Bring Me The Horizon, and beyond have appeared at the APMA’s, with spectacular performances from artists including (but not limited to) New Found Glory, Yellowcard, A Day To Remember, Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace, Motion City Soundtrack and more. Additionally, the APMA’s is recognized for presenting collaborative cover performances unlike music fans have ever seen before, like Joan Jett and Slash teaming up to perform “Star Star” by the Rolling Stones, Asking Alexandria performing Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like The Wolf” with Jonathan Davis of Korn, Halestorm and Slipknot/Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor covering Temple Of The Dog’s “Hunger Strike”, and many more.

Last year’s event – which took place July 22, 2015 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland – was a massive victory for the music community, garnering unprecedented support demonstrated by a staggering 15.7 billion total media impressions (over seven times the impressions of the 2014 show). Last year’s event also earned the title of “The GRAMMYs of Alternative Music” by TIME Magazine. The 2015 Alternative Press Music Awards achieved over 1 million views on AXS TV, and over 3 million views on YouTube. Re-live 2015’s best moments via the highlight reel here.

Building upon the success of last year’s event, the APMAs is thrilled to once again be supported by returning title sponsor Journeys, a leader in the teen specialty retail scene focused on lifestyle-driven branded footwear and accessories in over 800 stores across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. In addition to Journeys, the APMAs also welcomes fellow sponsors Monster Energy, CreativeLive, DW Drums, CD Baby, Disc Makers, Rise Records, Eleven Seven Music, Better Noise Records, Musician’s Institute, Earthquaker Devices, Razor & Tie, Hopeless Records, Sub City, Ernie Ball, Epitaph Records, Equal Vision Records, Merch Now, Vans and Fearless Records.

Don’t miss the 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards and your chance to cast your vote for your favorite bands! Check www.altpress.com/apmas over the coming weeks for new announcements and information.

The APMAs are produced by Mike Shea, Joe Scarpelli, Josh Bernstein, Kevin Lyman and Marc Grant.

“The Marcho Man Tour Part II”
Bermuda, Demolisher, Aminals
Date: March 7, 2016
Venue: The Warehouse, Syracuse, NY

Our Score: 2 out of 5 stars

The metal band Bermuda made a stop in Syracuse, NY on March 7th as part of their “Marcho Man Tour”. Also on the bill for the evening were Demolisher from Chicago and the Boston thrash band Aminals. Despite it being a rather cold night in Syracuse the bands and a handful of dedicated fans filled the small multi use venue for a night of metal musings.

After brief sets from a handful of local bands Aminals would take the stage where the proceeded to absolutely crush their set! The band demanded the attention of the crowd and made sure everyone was aware of their absolutely jaw-dropping showmanship. You would have never guessed that this was their drummer’s first show with the group as the bands set progressed without incident and leaving the crowd wanting more. Next up was Demolisher, bringing almost a completely different style of metal and hardcore than the previous act. The band seemed right at home and embracing their surroundings which included skateboard ramps and a few unused motorcycles and a car. Yes a car. Demolisher turned the dusty DIY venue into an all-out brawl as clouds of dust arose from buildings industrialized floor

Tour Headliners Bermuda would close out the night and much like the acts before them took to setting up on the floor as opposed to the small confining stage. From the first snare hit, the crushing weight of this band’s brutal riff-age leveled the small crowd. The bands furious sound fueled an intense mosh pit that quickly overtook the area in-front of the band. The bands front man smoldered with steam as the mixture of sweat and cold air provided an eerie effect that fit the night’s mood perfectly. Definitely be on the lookout for when these guys come to town as you won’t want to miss it.

Aminals Setlist:
1.) Bitchcraft
2.) War Widows
3.) Ew, She Smells Like Brooklyn
4.) If You Hear Them Sing in a Hospital
5.) Population Controls
6.) Dirty Habits
7.) Rope
8.) Something Secular

Bermuda Setlist:
1.) Kuma
2.) Vertebroken
3.) Crown Crusher
4.) Grave Dancers
5.) The Wandering
6.) The Human Herd
7.) Parasitic
8.) The Recluse
9.) Intuitions
10.) Process of Drowning
11.) The Cancer Speaks

Icons of cult cinema, Terrance Zdunich (Repo! The Genetic Opera) and Saar Hendelman (The Devil’s Carnival franchise) pull the trigger on a new, twisted musical world, American Murder Song. Combining stop motion animation and moving daguerreotype portraits, American Murder Song features a rogues gallery of original murder ballads set in early nineteenth century America. The genre-defying duo invite you to Follow The Mark, if’n you’re brave. For tunes and updates: http:///www.AmericanMurderSong.com.

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