Jim Wilson has a career in the music business spanning almost 20 years. Jim has played guitar for such groups as The Rollins Band, Daniel Lanois and was a founding member of the blues rock band Mother Superior. Wilson’s latest project is a re-visioning of his group Mother Superior named “Motor Sister”. The group which also includes Scott Ian, Pearl Aday, John Tempesta and Joey Vera came together after a one off performance at the Anthrax guitarist’s birthday party. Together Motor Sister have reworked twelve songs from Mother Superiors original catalog and Media Mikes recently spoke with Jim about how everything came together and what it was like revisiting some of the material on “Ride”.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us a little more info on how this group came together?
Jim Wilson: My band Mother Superior was one that Scott and Pearl would always come out to watch when we were playing in the Los Angeles area. I even remember seeing them at a show in Denver. We became friends as time went on and I eventually ended up working with both Scott and Pearl on Pearl’s album. We have a pretty solid history of playing together. I had also worked with Joey Vera in the past on Mother Superior songs as well so we all certainly were connected to one another. Pearl was throwing a party for Scott and she wanted to have me by and do some Mother Superior songs with Scott. Joey also ended up playing that night as did John Tempesta who I knew of but that was about it. Scott picked out the songs for the night and I looked them over and things surprisingly came back pretty easily. This was supposed to be a onetime thing. We never thought that the band would sound so great and be so tight. It was a really great combination that at the end of the night we all wanted to do it again some time. A few days later I found out that Neil Zlozower was at the party and mentioned the show to a friend of his at Metal Blade Records. Next thing we know they were asking us to make a record. Things have just worked so well. I am really lucky and fortunate to be able to play with these guys.

AL: What was it like going back and reworking these songs?
JW: There were a lot of memories that came back from the early years of Mother Superior. We were always on a tight budget when we made those records so to have them still sound good really means something. I do wish some of that earlier production was a bit better but at that time being independent was pretty cool. There was a scene for bands that had a sound that was a bit out of the normal commercial rock sound. The 12 songs on the record are what we played at Scott’s party and were picked by him. That was certainly ok by me as I don’t think I could have chosen only 12. Each of the songs has its own vibe which I really like. We changed some of the original arrangements around but nothing major. John is a double bass master so it was fun to add in some of that. Everyone did what they do and it was a lot of fun. This would have been something entirely different if I had decided to put a new version of Mother Superior together with different people. Everyone in Motor Sister is fans of the original music/band and we are all friends which makes it a lot of fun. This group has an energy that is very infectious.

AL: How did having Jay Ruston produce the album come about?

JW: If you go back through the Mother Superior catalog Jay Ruston actually mixed and mastered some things for us. He actually did the original version of ‘This Song Reminds Me of You” and a couple others that appear on “Ride”. We all have known Jay for awhile. I am pretty sure I was the one who introduced Jay to Joey Vera and one of the NAMM conventions which brought Jay into knowing the Anthrax guys. Pearl and I also worked with Jay on her album. It’s just this weird circle of friends.

AL: What type of long term plans does the band have?
JW: We recently played a show in NY and we have one coming up in San Francisco. After that we all sort of go back to our other projects. It won’t be till about June that we all have time to do more with Motor Sister. There are talks of doing a major US tour though with this band. We want to hit all of the major cities. Scott also has this vision of doing 4 or 5 shows in Michigan being that area has such a history with rock music. I don’t know if fans would get the full vibe of our show in a large festival setting as I see us more in a hot sweaty club packed with 300 plus people would be just great! There have also been talks of signing on with one of the summer package shows but we are still in the planning stages for that.

AL: Aside from Motor Sister what other plans/projects do you have in the works?
JW: I will be going out with producer Daniel Lanois as part of his band. I have been working with him for over 10 years now. We get to play some really great places. Daniel had a new album come out in October for which we toured the states in November. In May we will be heading to Europe for a 6 week tour which will be a lot of fun. I am also working on my second solo record. My solo stuff is a little bit darker and a touch more funky.

The melodic metal-core band Wovenwar whose members consist of former As I Lay Dying members Nick Hipa, Phil Sgrosso, Josh Gilbert and Jordan Mancino along with Oh, Sleeper vocalist Shane Blay released their debut self titled album this past summer and since then have been out on the road non-stop in support of the release. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with vocalist Shane Blay prior to the bands performance in Rochester, NY about his joining the group, the creation of the new album and the status of his previous band.

Adam Lawton: How did your joining the band come about?
Shane Blay: Nick and I were in a band together from the time we were 14 till about 19 called Evelynn. We were both the guitar players. After that he joined As I Lay Dying and I joined Between the Buried and Me. Somewhere along the line I started singing and Nick had sort of followed what I was doing with Oh, Sleeper. A few months after whatever happened with Tim I was out on Warped Tour with Oh, Sleeper and the guys hit me up. They played me some of the stuff they were working on and I thought I could do some stuff over it and after the Warped tour ended I flew out to Josh’s studio and the first day I was there we wrote “All Rise”.

AL: Were there any reservations about coming into the group at the time that you did due to the stuff with Tim being still pretty fresh?
SB: I didn’t really have any reservations however I was a little nervous about taking a new spot. I am a lead guitar player so being the lead vocalist/guitarist was going to be different. I also was concerned about the backlash that could happen being that I am more of a singer and not a screamer. I can do that a little but it’s nothing something I care too much for. I had that in the back of my mind along with people’s ideas that I replaced Tim. This was not the case as Wovenwar is a new band.

AL: How much did you have to adjust your style of singing/playing to fit in with what the band was doing?
SB: I don’t think I really have taken any different approaches to how I have always done things. I had gotten down the playing and singing thing with Oh, Sleeper as I was doing some lead playing and singing so luckily I had gotten that down quite awhile ago. (Laughs)

AL: How much of the material on the album was completed when you came in?
SB: I think there were about 5 usable songs that were done. The guys weren’t quite sure which direction they wanted to go in as they could have easily gotten someone who could scream and do stuff like Tim did so there was a lot of material done in that style. When they sent me “All Rise” it had versus and choruses and I knew I could do stuff over that. Once we solidified that I was going to be the guy we wrote the rest of the record in about a month. Going back to when I first got “All Rise” I sort of procrastinated on writing for it until I was at Josh’s but it came together that day, we recorded it and then sent it to Metal Blade Records. After that the song was sent to our would-be booking agent and they thought it was awesome. Somehow In Flames heard it and they instantly added us to their European tour. Before we even had any songs out we were asked to go all over Europe which was pretty crazy.

AL: Did your writing style/process change at all?
SB: Once I was in I knew that we wanted to be marketable as a rock entity. I always tend to take a the classic approach to writing as with Oh, Sleeper I would mess with that structure a little bit but I like having verses, chorus and pre-choruses as I feel it gives people something to latch on to. That style certainly flowed over to this record

AL: With everything happening so fast for the band what has it been like getting more comfortable with your material out on the road?
SB: It’s been awesome. The tour we just finished with Periphery was our first U.S. tour on the record and it was great getting to see what people in our home country thought of the material. It’s been really awesome seeing all the great reactions night after night. We have another tour run with In Flames booked and I am sure that is going to be just as great. After that there are talks to do a headlining Euro tour which should be a lot of fun

AL: Where are things at with your involvement in Oh,Sleeper?

SB: We are sort of on an indefinite hiatus right now. After Warped Tour we all agreed to put the band on the back burner. We hadn’t gotten bigger or smaller but we had the greatest fans and we didn’t want to abandon anyone. We all have financial responsibilities so we needed to take time away. I was the only one not getting married so the chance to join Wovenwar came at just the right time. I miss Oh, Sleeper as that was a band I started and I am going to finish it but I have to get the time to be able to do that. We were supposed to do another EP but I really want to do a full length album and one more tour to end on a high note.

The hard rock/heavy metal band Fozzy released their 6th studio album titled “You Wanna Start a War” this past summer and since that release the band has been out on the road non-stop in support of the release. The group is set to hit the road again and will be kicking of a headlining tour of Europe beginning in March. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with the group’s front man Chris Jericho recently about the group’s latest album, the bands relentless tour schedule and his popular “Talk is Jericho” Podcast.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the bands next tour run?
Chris Jericho: We have quite a few tours lined up at this time but the one that will be kicking off first starts in March. We will be hitting England, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, Germany and France. We have always done very well in Europe which makes it feel like our second home. We haven’t been there in about 18 months as we have been doing a lot of stuff here in the States since “You Wanna Start a War” came out. It’s really an honor to know that we have such a devoted fan base to be able to tour as much as we do. In this day and age touring is the back bone of the music industry so the more places you can hit the better it is for both the band and its fans. It’s certainly a different vibe when we are overseas but we are used to it and always have a great time.

AL: What type of band line up will the shows feature?
CJ: This will be our headlining tour over there and originally we were looking to do possibly a co-headlining tour and bring along a band with a similar style to that of Halestorm or Avatar. After some thought we decided to just go on our own. We will have a UK band by the name of The Dirty Youth with us but we really felt it was time to start taking bigger steps as a band and it’s looking like a lot of those shows are on pace to sell out. Sometimes you just have to take a chance and put on the big boy pants. That’s what we did and it’s seems to be paying off.

AL: It was announced recently that you will again be part of this year’s Rockville Festival here in the States. Can you tell us about that?
CJ: We are starting to see festivals like this one pop up here in the states that have elements of festivals that have been going on overseas for years now so this is something that is really cool. We played the festival last year and generally they don’t have bands back two years in a row. That’s why you won’t see us at some of the festival shows we did last year. For whatever reason we were invited back this year to Rockville again and we will take because we had a great time last year. Jacksonville is a great rock and roll town so I am sure it will be a great show. We have started talking about putting together a tour in the states with the Rockville show sort of being the corner piece.

AL: With “Do You Wanna Start a War” being out now for several months what has the overall impression of these songs been for you having watched them develop during the creation process to where they are now being performed live on a regular basis?

CJ: That’s always the fun part. The creative process is a lot of fun and very challenging as you want to get it right. I think most artists would say this is the best record we have ever done and you should definitely feel that way each time you make a new record. This is certainly our best record yet but it’s also our most diverse. Taking these songs out on the road and seeing the reaction from fans has just been crazy. We currently do 6 of the 12 songs from the new album live. We are looking to add one more for the European tour. Fans are getting a good helping of the new album so if you come to the show not having heard the album already you might be a bit lost. The songs are very catchy though so it’s not hard to get caught up. All the songs our going over real well and have fit in nicely with our older material which makes each shows set really great. Whether we are headlining or supporting we make sure to pick the ones that get the crowd going. It’s sort of a non-stop barrage of rocking during our shows. There’s not a lot of talking as we let the music take care of that and the shows have a nice flow.

AL: With the band going through a number of lineup changes where do you feel the band camaraderie is at right now being that this line up has been together for two albums now?

CJ: The core line up of the band has been the same since the start with me, Rich Ward and Frank Fontsere. Billy Grey has been with us a few years now and Jeff Rouse we have known for awhile as well. When you spend a lot of time together you sort of whittle away the bad seeds and dead weight over time. It’s very important to have a lineup you get along with. It’s not just the songs you’re playing during that hour long set. It’s the other 23 hours of the day you’re together traveling and what not. When you together for large amounts of time it doesn’t take much for people to get on other peoples nerves. When that stuff starts to happen it can throw an entire tour off. After all these years we have a lineup that is great together both on and off stage. This has never been Chris Jericho’s band. This is a band of 5 legitimate personalities who have worked hard to get to where they are. We want to stick with this line up for as long as we possibly can.

AL: Will you be keeping up with your podcast’s while out on tour?

CJ: Absolutely! I have about 20 or 30 episodes on deck ready to go. I do the outro’s and intro’s weekly and those can be done just about anywhere. A lot of times when I know a tour is coming up I make sure I have all that stuff set to go ahead of time. I love talking with people so to be able to do these shows is really great. Even to talk with people I have worked with for years is really great because very rarely do you get to just sit down and have a longer conversation. It’s a lot of fun and to have the freedom that podcasts have is great also because I really think that’s what draws people to them.

 

Take the lineup of a festival, put it on a cruise ship to the Bahamas, invite 2000 of your closest friends and you’ve got ShipRocked! This year was better than ever with an optional added day on the ship for the Superbowl Sail Away pre-party, but even with that addition, most survivors of this voyage at sea couldn’t get enough!

We boarded in Miami on February 1st, and while awaiting the kick off concert featuring Chevelle, we were all quite surprised when Zakk Wylde from Black Label Society came out on stage to play the national anthem. Chevelle then took us into game time with a high energy performance that got everyone in the mood to party. The Super Bowl was playing on screens all around the ship until halftime, when we were treated to a halftime show unlike no other, courtesy of the metal band Wilson, straight out of Detroit, Michigan. Complete with custom “jerseys”, sexy cheerleaders, screaming vocals and enough rhythm to make even your grandma shake her caboose, Wilson rocked the boat so hard that most ShipRockers forgot there was even an NFL championship on the line that night! The Sail Away pre-party concluded with Sevendust performing their self titled first album release, their first of three shows on this years sailing. Anyone that wanted a little more music then headed inside for some Three Years Hollow, or just meandered around, finding their friends, hitting the buffet, or getting some much needed rest. Remember, this was only the first night!

Day 2 was spent waiting for anyone that didn’t book the pre-party to get on the boat so that we could sail out for the Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island. The first live performance of the day was at 4:30 PM, and we sailed away into the blue water with Limp Bizkit providing the soundtrack. From that point through midnight there were 4 different venues on board the ship with live music including Nonpoint, Andrew W.K., Tremonti, Gemini Syndrome, Filter, P.O.D (acoustic), Buckcherry, Lacuna Coil and some fresh faces with Cilver, Sidewise, and Letters From the Fire. The party did not stop when the shows were over, as post-midnight DJ Lippy Rage was spinning tunes to keep everyone up and moving all night long! Trust me, there’s nothing better than watching a bunch of rockers try and bust out the latest dance moves after a hard day of partying!

Days 3 and 4 were spent on the Great Stirrup Cay, where Norwegian Cruise Lines allows Shiprocked to set up a beach stage. Bands start live performances at 11:30 AM, with 2 bands performing on the beach per day, In addition, various contributors set up beach events like beach wars, rock my yoga, beach jenga, and even a boot camp challenge, all happening before and during the shows. 2 of the 5 meet and greet sessions took place on the beach as well. Get some sun, catch some tunes, go on an excursion, or simply catch a quick nap, because at 6 PM the activities on the boat started up again, with bands playing in the 4 “venues” on the ship.If you wanted a break from liver performances, you could have participated in rockstar karaoke, the drunk spelling bee, played some rock and roll bingo, or beer pong, hosted by our good friends in Crobot! Because each band plays twice while on the cruise, these two days covered Metal Allegiance, Crobot, Zach Myers, Otherwise, Daybreak Embrace, Black Label Society, Living Colour, Icon for Hire, along with some repeat performances from the bands we saw on days 1 and 2.

Day 5 was spent at sea as we made our way back to the port of Miami. Just because we’re on the boat all day does not mean that the fun stopped in any way! Belly Flop contests, meet and greets, charity auctions, book signings, and 12 shows to choose from on this, the final day of the cruise. The night ended with a screening of Rocky Horror Picture show and a walk through haunted house, then of course we had DJ Lippy Rage up all night partying until we pulled into port.

Keep in mind this whole adventure took place on the Norwegian Pearl complete with amazing food, a full service spa that offered specials, and an amazing staff that were rocking out with us the entire time! Centered around its fans, the creators of the ShipRocked event do a fantastic job accommodating band and event requests, truly listening to the feedback that comes from “survivors” of the ShipRocked experience. One line that stuck with me from this ShipRocked experience came from Alan Koenig, owner of ASK4 Entertainment and the producer of ShipRocked; “It’s like we build the house, but you guys make it a home.” Having spent the last week with my new extended “family” was truly an incredible experience, and I can’t wait to return “home” in 2016!

Don’t get left behind when the boat sets sail in 2016. Dates and ports of call are still being finalized but you can keep up with the latest information by “liking” the facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/GetShipRocked

Bookmark the website: http://www.shiprocked.com/ 

And if you have any questions just find me on Facebook. I’m a 2 year survivor!

Over the last decade, RED has emerged as a career artist.  The three piece band is honest about who they are and what motivates them as a band. The group’s latest album “Of Beauty and Rage” is based around suffering and finding the beauty within. Media Mikes spoke recently with the bands bassist Randy Armstrong about the band returning to their roots during the creation of the album, the albums first two singles and the bands tour plans over the next several months.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about the bands new album?
Randy Armstrong: The new album is called “of Beauty and Rage”. We started working on it this time last year up in Maine which was like being in a polar vortex. (Laughs) We actually got stuck there as it was around -40 degrees and you just couldn’t go outside. It ended up being the perfect opportunity for us to listen to some music and go through old demos that we had. We got inspired and talked about what we wanted to do with the album. Ultimately we wanted to go back to the sound that made us popular. We decided to put everything else aside and just really focused on making songs that people would love.

AL: Aside from returning to your original sound did the band set any other goals that you wanted to accomplish with this record?
RA: Our fans sort of let us know they weren’t fond of what we did on our fourth album. We were trying to get back to rock radio with that album and we stripped down the songs quite a bit. We wrote songs specifically for radio. Fans were taken back by that change and they certainly let us know it. We have always been hands on with our fans and while we were in Maine we decided that we were going to go where we were wanted and not necessarily where we wanted to go. That was something that we all had in the back of our minds.

AL: Does working like that make it hard to keep things fresh for the band as musicians?
RA: We have our core fans who expect certain things from our albums. They expect a lot of emotion, production and symphonic elements. We wanted to make sure that we pushed those things and get very cinematic with the record. We wanted this album to be one that you had to listen to the whole way. We wanted to display all the things we have learned making records over the last 10 years. When you get to the end of this record you can feel a resolution. Along the way we wanted to have people feel things they hadn’t felt before. I think our writing has definitely matured and we wanted to keep challenging ourselves to continue down that path. I think we did that and accomplished something that had yet to accomplish.

AL: Can you tell us about the two singles you have released?
RA: We always find a song during the recording process that encapsulates the entire emotion of what we are looking to get with the album. The song “Darkest Part” by sheer coincidence was the first fully completed song we heard. When we all heard that first time we couldn’t believe what we had done. When the label heard the album they wanted to go with the song “Yours Again” as the single. We hadn’t written any of the songs with the intention of going to radio so it was a bit difficult to decide. “Yours Again” is a very spiritual and emotional song and after some talking and several listening tests it was decided to release both of the tracks as people really liked both of them.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands upcoming tour?
RA: The first tour of the record is always very exciting. The first week of this tour the record won’t even be out yet. We will be selling the album early at those live shows which will give fans that come out something to take home with them. This is going to be one of the longer tour runs we have done as we will be out for about 6 weeks this time around. When this run is done we have a week off and then we head to Australia. We come back from that and have some time off while our singer Michael’s wife has a baby and then were off to Europe for another 6 weeks.

Singer/Songwriters Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield have combined their talents for the first time on record with the release of “Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliot Smith”. The album features 11 stripped down songs handpicked from singer/songwriter Elliot Smith’s diverse catalog. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Seth recently about the creation of the album, the duo’s tour plans and other projects Seth has in the works for 2015.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background info on the album and what was about Elliot Smith’s work that initially appealed to you?
Seth Avett: Elliot Smith is one of those artists that I feel if you are meant to hear his work you will. I think what drew us to him is what draws people to most music. It’s sort of a cascade of beautiful melodies that we have attempted to follow in a very real way. The writing is very honest and it attempts to show you through the lyrics. I have always been drawn to music that does this and I think Elliot is one of the strongest examples of that over the last few decades. How this all sort of came together was that Jessica opened for the Avett Brothers at a show we were doing in Sun Valley, Idaho in 2011. We hung out with Jessica for a few days and on the last day that we were hanging out at the venue it was her and I in a small practice room with just a piano. I started plinking out the chords for the song “Twilight” and Jessica was very into it. I sort of had a moment where I thought everything just sounded amazing. I don’t think I thought of a record at that moment but I could sort of feel things aligning. I had a small hand held recorder with me and made a recording of what we were doing. I ended up listening to that over and over again which got me thinking about what it would be like to do a whole album like that.

AL: How did you go about choosing the tracks from Elliot’s diverse catalog?
SA: I try to always do my best and follow the path of least resistance. We sort of gravitated to songs from later in Elliot’s career with a big focus on songs off of “From a Basement on the Hill”. Jessica and I gravitated towards that album as it was a personal favorite of both of ours however we also wanted to make sure that we represented Elliot’s other works as well. Basically we each brought in 7 or 8 songs and then started to see how they would go together with us singing them. Pretty much what we ended up taking to the recording studio made the album with the exception of the song “L.A.”. That song almost made it. It had really great energy but ultimately we chose not to go the full way with it.

AL: How did you go about balancing your duties as both performer and producer?
SA: Any sort of conflict I might have had I think certainly came more from trying to do the material justice. My production style is more of a non-production type style. I like to let the music take shape and let it go with the flow a little bit. I don’t like thing to feel like I have to make a suggestion or plan for everything. I really enjoyed being able to produce this record and was extremely honored in the fact that Jessica trusted me enough to make those production related calls and to push her performances. Our trust for each other certainly was taken to another level with this project.  From a performer stand point I sort of look at the two roles as one in the same. I love being very hands on and rolling up all of the roles into one and just running with it worked well for me.

AL: Do you find your creative process to be the same working on a project like as compared to your work with The Avett Brothers?

SA: It changes entirely. When I am making music with my brother things tend to trickle down to the band. That process is much more laborious as there are more than just myself giving input or direction. There is a lot of passing back and forth during that creative process. When I am writing for just myself there is less of that back and forth collaboratively. I feel working from both sides’ benefits the overall process as a whole.

AL: Can you tell us about the shows you have planned in support of the release?
SA: The shows are going to have a very stripped down approach. The plan is to only have three performers on the stage. We will have a stand up bassist, acoustic guitar and a pianist/vocalist. The shows will be very intimate and I hope will provide a nice back and forth with the audience. We will be playing a lot of songs of the album as well as some of both mine and Jessica’s solo material. The tour is to support the record but the show its self will not read that like.

AL: Can you tell us about any other plans you have for this year?
SA: It’s going to be a busy year. The band is already chomping at the bit to get out there as the winter is generally our down time. We are fully into making a new record at this point though as couple months back we were in California working on new material. We have already played a few of the new songs which will be on the record live but there should be more new tings starting to surface here shortly. For live shows this is going to be a really great year. We won’t be doing as many shows this year however the shows that we are doing are going to be very special.

Motor Sister
“Ride”
Metal Blade
Produced by: Jay Ruston
Tracks: 12

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Ride” is the debut offering from the newly formed rock group Motor Sister. The band which consists of Pearl Aday, Scott Ian, Jim Wilson, John Tempesta and Joey Vera came together after a one off performance by 90’s rock band Mother Superior for guitarist Scott Ian’s birthday party. All parties involved were huge fans of the original band and are now together breathing new life into some of the member’s favorite Mother Superior tracks. Veteran producer Jay Ruston grabbed the reigns acting as the icing on the cake doing what he does best. Coincidently Ruston’s r relationship with Mother Superior goes back to some of the bands earliest recordings which only adds to the story of this unique group.

Though there is no new material contained on “Ride”, the new versions of songs like “Beg Barrow Steal” and “Fork in the Road” blast our your speakers. While more subtle rock tracks like “Head Hang Low” and “Devil” provide an even mix to the albums straight forward rock and roll approach. “Ride” does a great job of showcasing the diversity of Mother Superiors catalog with new enthusiasm that transfers seamlessly to the listener. “Ride” is not just for rock fans as there is certainly something for everyone on this album

Track Listing:
A-Hole
This Song Reminds Me of You
Beg Barrow Steal
Fool Around
Get That Girl
Head Hanging Low
Fork in the Road
Little Motor Sister
Pretty in the Morning
Whore
Doghouse
Devil Wind

“Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliot Smith”
Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield
Ramsuer Records
Produced by:  Seth Avett
Tracks: 12

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Singer/Songwriters Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield are together for the first on “Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliot Smith”. The twelve song album is a stripped down and straight forward collection of songs from the diverse catalog of singer/songwriter Elliot Smith. Though this is the duo’s first release together the combination of Avett and Mayfield is almost flawless as the two complement each other quite well. The recordings have a very natural and warm feel which makes this an album you can put on after a long day and just escape into the music.

Tracks like “Between the Bars” and “Twilight” have a captivating almost lingering effect which draws the listener back to them time and time again while songs like “Somebody that I Used to Know” which features a more upbeat arrangement and the indie rock feel of “Roman Candle” breaks things up nicely giving the album a nice balance before being closed out with a somber duet of Smith’s “Memory Lane”. Whether you are a casual fan or dedicated diehard of the artists featured on this album I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great musical experience

Track Listing:
Between the Bars
Baby Britain
Fond Farewell
Somebody That I used to Know
Let’s Get Lost
Twilight
Ballad of Big Nothing
Angel in the Snow
Pitseleh
Angeles
Roman Candle
Memory Lane

“Juggernaut Tour 2015”
Periphery, Nothing More, Wovenwar, Thank You Scientist
Date: Monday, February 9^th 2015
Venue: Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, NY

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The progressive metal band Periphery slid into the Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, NY on February 9^th to play one of the last shows of the groups 2015 winter “Juggernaut Tour”. The 6 piece group from Bethesda, MA is out in support of their latest albums “Juggernaut: Alpha” and “Juggernaut: Omega”. Also on the bill for the snow filled evening was Texas natives Nothing More, Wovenwar and Thank You Scientists. Even though mother nature reaped havoc on Upstate, NY the near 12 inches of snow did not stop 3 of the 4 bands on the bill from giving their all to those who braved the treacherous travel conditions.

Horrible weather didn’t stop 3 of the 4 bands on Periphery’s Juggernaut Tour from bringing each of their unique and progressive sounds to those who slipped and slid through the venue doors. Though Thank You Scientist were unable to perform due to a break down the 3 remaining acts on the bill put their best snow covered feet forward. The former members of As I Lay Dying would take the stage first with their new band Wovenwar. The melodic metal band which features Oh, Sleeper vocalist Shane Blay shredded through a brief 6 song set which showcased songs from the groups self titled debut album. The always spot on guitar duo of Nick Hipa and Phil Sgrosso were in top form as were the other member’s performances. Though the band took little time to interact with the intimate sized crowd they let their music do all the talking which resulted in tremendous praise from the audience. Nothing More would take the stage next flanked by an array of drums held up by ornate stands which factored heavily into the bands visual presentation. Despite the band showcasing a variety of talents including a 3 person bass solo and tandem drumming I found these occurrences to be the only real highlight of the bands 10 song set. After a brief set change the members of Periphery would hit the stage running with the song “Icarus Live!” which gave way to fan favorites like ”Make Total Destroy” and “Ragnarok” while also giving fans a taste of some of the songs off both new albums. At times the bands down tuned dinge seemed to over shadow Spencer Sotelo’s vocal performance but that aside the bands performance otherwise flawless.

Despite weather putting a huge damper on the evening’s attendance the 3 bands that performed demonstrated nothing but sheer professionalism. There is no doubt in my mind fans who came out this evening enjoyed the show. Bands with less professionalism would have simply thrown in the towel and bowed down to the weather gods but Periphery, Nothing More and Wovenwar showed their dedication to their fans and each put on noteworthy performances that will stick in the minds of each person who made it out to Water Street this night.

Periphery Set List
1.) Icarus Lives!
2.) Make Total Destroy
3.) The Scourge
4.) Psychosphere
5.) 22 Faces
6.) Ji
7.) The Bad Thing
8.) Alpha
9.) Graveless
10.) Scarlet
11.) Ragnarok
12.) Masamune

Nothing More Set List
1.) Christ Copy
2.) Sex & Lies
3.) Mr. MTV
4.) Bass Solo
5.) Jenny
6.) The Mathews Effect
7.) Dirge
8.) Fell in Love with a Ghost
9.) Salem (Burn the Witch)
10.) This is the Time (Ballast)

Wovenwar Set List
1.) All Rise
2.) Death to Rights
3.) The Mason
4.) Profane
5.) Tempest
6.) Prophets

Guitarist Dweezil Zappa appears on the latest Randy Rhoads tribute album titled “Immortal Randy Rhoads- The Ultimate Tribute”. The album which pays tribute to legendary Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads reads like a who’s who of hard rock musicians. Along with Dweezil the album also features the likes of Tom Morello, Rudy Sarzo and George Lynch. Media Mikes had the pleasure of speaking with Dweezil recently about his work on the album, his first exposure to Randy’s Music and also about his first solo album release in over 10 years.

Adam Lawton: What was your first exposure to Randy Rhoads and his music?
Dweezil Zappa: I grew up listening to music my dad made and whatever he was listening to around the house. I didn’t really know about other music until I was about twelve. We never listened to the radio or anything like that. Around that same time I started to get into guitar. I liked all of my dad’s music but I thought it was a bit hard and not the easiest place to start. At that time the most popular music on the radio was hard rock music. I would hear bands like Van Halen and Ozzy Osbourne when I was hanging out at a friend’s house or what not and I was super into what Randy was doing. When I started reading about him and his playing what really stuck out was just how much he practiced. You could tell what he was did in Quiet Riot and a short time later with Ozzy was just leaps and bounds ahead. Hearing that made me very dedicated to the instrument. Seeing what he was able to accomplish in a very short amount of time made it seem possible to me. I could start from one place and get to another in big steps.

AL: How did you get involved with the album and, what do you think make’s it stand out above other tribute album?
DZ: I have been in touch with Randy’s family over the years in different ways and been involved in a few different tributes they have put on. This particular record was being produce by Bob Kulick who had contacting me to work on previous projects he was involved in. It was a simple thing to want to be involved with as everyone who worked on the project is really great and just good people. Randy’s playing was something that was very life shaping for me and ever night that I’m out doing a show I try and throw in a Rhoads lick as sort of a tip of the cap. It’s one of those things I decided to do a long time ago. So getting to just be part of this has been great.

AL: How did you go about approaching your performance?
DZ: I felt that what Randy did was so great that I didn’t really want to change it any way. Bob wanted us to make the pieces our own so I did do that to an extent but, I tried to keep things true to what Randy did. I feel like in order to play Randy’s music you have to play it as he did.

AL: Were you involved in the song selection at all?
DZ: All of the songs on the record are ones I appreciate. The one I was invited to play on buy Bob was “S.A.T.O.”. That song has always been one of my favorites. The solo is one of the ones that Randy didn’t have completely composed solo for. Most of his work is done as a complete composition but this song has always felt like it was more free form with him just going for it. With that being said the song still has great structure and flow. What’s also cool about this song is that it goes through a series of chords that are a little different than what he had been playing over. There are elements of major pentatonic along with a few other things that are different. There are also some bluesy elements to it as well. He really seems to have dug in and just went for it which I love.  I added a few slight changes of my own and who knows they may have been things Randy may have done later on.

AL: What do think it is that keeps Randy’s legacy still going some 33 years after his passing?
DZ: I think you have to put things in to context by what he did and the time that he did it. That makes a difference. There wasn’t anyone doing what he was doing at the time. The intricacies of his recordings can still be listened to today and you can hear all the pieces and how they are connected. His style of arranging and songwriting hadn’t been done up to that point. He added classical styling’s making his work very sophisticated. There were a lot of rhythmic things in his riffs which I think made him stand out. He was in his early twenties when he did all of this and the fact he was here so briefly adds to his body of work which really stands the test of time. Everyone took notice of him and those two albums were burned in peoples mind. The energy and emotion just jumped out of the speakers. I think all of these things helped Randy and his body of work transcend time.

AL: Can you give us a quick update on some of the other projects you are currently working on?
DZ: I have a lot of things in the works right now. I have a new solo album in the works. I haven’t been able to make a record of my own for over a decade as I have been busy doing Zappa plays Zappa. I have a pledge campaign started at www.pledgemusic.com and the plan is to have it out sometime in April. There’s a lot of stuff on the record which sort of showcases everything that kind of got me into the guitar and taken me to where I am. There are a lot of different styles and influences on there. I even did a track by the Bulgarian Women’s Choir on guitar. It’s a very song oriented album with lots of strange moments of guitar spread throughout. I am also working picking out dates for the next run of Dweezilla boot camps. Along with that I recently shot a new DVD lesson series, I will be out doing more Zappa plays Zappa date along with a few other appearances.

I have been listening to Andrew W.K.’s music since “I Get Wet” was released in 2001. The music has such a positive vibe and energy to it, that I would almost call it “addictive”. Much of the time, people attribute negative connotation to addiction, but I feel in the case of Andrew WK, can you really be faulted by forming a habit for music and messages that bring you up from the darkest places and make you feel alive? Notoriously fan friendly, motivational and a seemingly endless fountain of “life”, Andrew W.K. is someone that I have long waited to meet, and I finally got my chance before his full band performance at the State Theater in St. Petersburg, FL, on January 29^th.

Eric Schmitt – When did you decide that your music should take a positive approach in the hard rock and metal genres?
Andrew WK – It’s a great question. Even more so than lyrically or ideologically, the big question for me early on was whether to use major or minor keys. I like all types of music, both major and minor chords, but I was always, in terms of energy, really driven by  chromatic minor music. Like traditional heavy metal, especially very brutal heavy metal. It was very aggressive and I always drew great energy from it’s power. I wanted to do that, but I never felt I could do it as well as the masters. I had this strong feeling, like a pinpoint where I could use this major key, but I didn’t know if people would like it. I had these doubts that it somehow wouldn’t work, or the metal community wouldn’t like it. I remember very clearly coming back from this family trip, where I decided “okay, I’m just going to do it. I’m going to make this music that’s in my head.” I could hear how it sounded, and I just had to believe that I could do it. And it all formed from that, the major key is a cheerful sound, and everything just formed from that cheerful sound.

ES – How have you seen some of the positivity of your music manifest in your fan base and other external areas?
AWK – I never initially thought it would be a positive thing. Music itself makes you feel good. Music of all sorts, even if it’s a sad song, angry song; I don’t think anyone would listen to music to feel physically worse. It has a good feeling – it’s magical really. I feel that any music you put out there has the ability to generate that feeling in people. Certainly, when you can add to that already positive feeling in music, a positive message, or specifically focus on getting motivated and powered up, feeling good about life, then it gets amplified by a billion times! You fuse these two things, cheerful music and positive mindset, and it goes through the roof. So I was really excited and very influenced by people reacting to the music I was putting out early on – finding positivity in it. So I said, “okay, I’m going to commit to this”. A lot of the lyrics aren’t positive in a blatant way, they’re kind of all over the place, so it was really people finding that in it. I definitely wanted to be cheered up myself, so when I saw it was working for other people, it sort of became a team effort. We were using this music and a Party mind-set as a centerpiece to build around.

ES – Describe your mentality when writing music – specifically when piecing together the Wolf, which ventured into more serious territory than “I Get Wet”. For instance, “Never Let Down” is a significantly different song than anything that was on “I Get Wet”.
AWK – Well, there wasn’t a whole lot of rhyme or reason to it. A lot of the songs on the second album, “The Wolf”, were actually written at the same time as the “I Get Wet” songs. Some of them before. I guess I just chose to make the first album, like it will be these types of songs. Then the second album I would open it up to more tempos. But also, I think the first album started this party, then the second album was almost like singing about how that felt. Again, I didn’t intend for it to be that way. A lot of the lyrics and feelings that I got across on the second album were my amazement that any of this was happening, and recognizing it and trying to amplify it. It was “here’s the party starting“, and then “this is what it feels like”.

ES – What factored into you writing the “Party Bible”?
AWK – Being asked, probably first and foremost. Writing a book wasn’t something I planned on, at least right now. But, I had some people that were very supportive. Initially, my book agent, Simon, he said I should make a book. I’ve done writing throughout my work, advice columns and posting stuff, you know? I always liked writing, but a book was a huge undertaking. I, of course, was intimated by the challenges that it implied, but having someone there that believed I could do it was nice. Then several years later, Simon & Schuster actually came through with a book offer. So I started writing it (the Party Bible) and it’s not really an autobiography, more about partying and the stuff we’re talking about now. Hopefully it’ll be done soon, I’ve been writing it for a couple of years. It was definitely harder than I thought it would be.

ES – Do you think we’ll see an “I Get Read” book tour when the “Party Bible” is released?
AWK – (Laughs) That’s a great title for a book tour! Of course, I want to do a book tour and you know, not just do book appearances, but party lectures like I’ve done before, and play some shows. I love touring, so any reason to tour is great. Having the book, of course would be a whole new version of a tour experience.

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I had never seen Andrew perform live, and having his full band on hand before trekking down to Miami for ShipRocked 2015 was certainly an added bonus. I’ve always envisioned Andrew WK as the “party guy,” but the interview gave me a glimpse into the intellectual away from the stage. I don’t know if I was still hung up on that aspect, but when the band blasted into “It’s Time to Party,” the State Theater crowd erupted and I was swept up in a tidal wave of emotion and sweaty metal heads. It was the most intense level of fan interaction I have ever seen at a live performance!

Song after song, bodies would fly from every corner of the stage, some being caught by partying revelers, the others falling to the sticky alcohol mess of the floor. But there was no strife, no anger, no machismo – the entire crowd was united under the “Party Banner”. I had never seen anything like it, and I stood my ground 6 feet from the stage so that I could absorb the energy in all its glory.

Sporting 4 guitarists (!), a bassist, drummer and Andrew on keys and vocals, the band was almost militant in it’s musical assault on the crowd. The performance was an unrelenting barrage of good feeling, and the crowd was more than eager to reciprocate. Constantly singing along, invading the stage to dance with band members and raining down applause after each tune! ANYONE that walked into that performance mid-set would have been swept off their feet by the energy – it was that strong! After playing the majority of the “I Get Wet” and “The Wolf” albums, AWK closed the show with the title track from the first album and “Don’t Stop Living In the Red”. It was towards the latter song that my wife, who has never really been a fan of Andrew’s music, was converted. The look in her eyes said it all – She had indeed, Partied Hard!

John 5 is probably best known for his work with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie however he is also a successful solo artist who recently released his 8^th solo album titled “Careful with That Axe”. The album blends a multitude of styles and sounds making the album impossible to ignore. Media Mikes spoke with John recently about the album creation, his backing band The Creatures and what fans can expect from his first ever solo tour.

Adam Lawton: What can you tell us about your latest solo album?
John 5: The latest album is titled “Careful with that Axe”. The album was recorded live so there are no punch ins or anything like that. I had an amazing band which consisted of Rodger Carter on drums and Matt Bissonnette on bass. Everything just went together real well which led to the idea of taking things out on the road. The songs all sounded really great and Rob was going to be working on a movie so the timing also worked out. The album has everything from western swing guitar to Spanish style guitar. There are also a couple Jerry Reed songs on there as well. This is really my favorite record from the ones I have done.

AL: What made you decide to cover some of Jerry Reed’s material?
J5: Everything is from childhood. Jerry Reed was someone whose music was always being played in my house. My father loved “Hee Haw” and was into guys like Chet Atkins and Jerry. One of my favorite pickers is Jerry Reed so I wanted to pay a little tribute to him and maybe educate a few people along the way about who he was.

AL: What type steps did you take during pre-production to ensure you could record each song live?
J5: I would sit with a metronome and really work at the songs to get them as tight as I possibly could on my own. I would then go in and rehearse with the guys. It was sort of like training for a fight as after those rehearsals we would go in and record it. It only took a couple hours for each song and then I would go back and mix things. It was a pretty fast recording process however preparing and getting to that point took some time. It was a challenge doing things the way we did but it I like that and it was a lot of fun.

AL: Can you give us some info on the upcoming tour?
J5: This will actually be my very first solo tour. This is a tour that is going to be very special for me. For the fans we are doing a special meet and greet package where people who purchase these will get to come to sound check and meet the band along with all the standard photos and such. You also get the super rare John 5 soda. People have been driving hundreds of miles for this stuff! We are going to be everywhere with this tour and I am very excited to get out there. We also have plans to record a live album during this tour which should be a lot of fun as well.

AL: Are you going to have the same backing band that played on the album out on the road with you?
J5: Rodger Carter will be on drums. I have known him for quite awhile and he is just a really great player. However Matt will not be out with us due to his commitments with Elton John. To find a replacement I had to go to the Musicians Institute to find someone who could play this material. I found a guy buy the name of Ian Ross who is just a monster. This band is just phenomenal.

AL: Are there plans to change any of the song arrangements for the live shows?
J5: They will pretty much have the same formula. When I would go see bands and they wouldn’t play songs the way they were on the albums it sort of bummed me out. I loved going to see bands like Rush that played exactly what you heard on the record. I just found that so cool. I tend to take that same approach and keep things pretty close to the records.

AL: You also have a new live album with Rob Zombie coming out. Can you tell us about that?
J5: This album is a completely live album. There are no overdubs what so ever. We captured the material over a couple different shows. This record really shows just how tight of a band we are. I am very proud of that fact. Rob has done an amazing job and this album came out really great. I personally enjoy live albums especially ones like that this that are true live albums. You can go back and listen to that live performance time and time again.

AL: What other projects do you have in the works for this year?
J5: We just finished work on a new Rob Zombie album. I’m not sure when it’s going to be out just yet however it’s probably one of the best Zombie albums to date. I was a big Zombie fan even before I was in the band and I feel this new album is the best one by far. I also will be working with Rob on the score for his next film “31”. Another thing I have out is a new set of signature guitar strings which are being put out by Dean Markley. I have used their strings since I was a kid so to have my own signature set is pretty cool.

John 5
“Careful with That Axe”
60 Cycle Hum Records
Tracks: 10

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Careful with That Axe” is the latest solo release from guitarist John 5. The 9th solo release from the former Marilyn Manson guitarist and current Rob Zombie guitarist the 10 track instrumental album covers immense musical ground as 5 and his cohorts are unleashed on your ears like bees exploding out of a freshly broken hive.

Tracks like the albums opener “We Need to Talk about John” feature Zombie like overdubs which gives the album a familiar feel right off the bat while the guitar virtuoso meticulous shreds in the back ground making you well aware of what you are in for with the following 9 tracks. The album quickly gives way to a diverse make up of material like the rockabilly tinged “Six Hundred and Sixty Six Pickers in Hell” and the in your face “Flight of the Vulcan Kelly” before traversing to the flamenco like styling’s of “El Cucuy” and the hauntingly down tuned “Portrait of Sidney Sloan”. Combine all that with two signature Jerry Reed songs “Jerry’s Breakdown” and “Jiffy Jam” which showcase John 5’s impressive picking skills and you have a very unique listen.

You don’t have to be a guitarist to enjoy the over the top instrumentation, eerie overdubs and/or crunching heavy metal rhythms as John 5’s “Careful with That Axe” speaks to everyone. The only downfall I could find worth noting with this release was that there were only 10 tracks as John 5 and company left me wanting more.

Track Listing:
1.) We Need to Have a Talk about John
2.) This is My Rifle
3.) Flight of the Vulcan Kelly
4.) Jerry’s Breakdown
5.) Six hundred and Sixty Six Pickers in Hell
6.) Portrait of Sidney Sloan
7.) Jiffy Jam
8.) Villisca
9.) El Cucuy
10.) The Dream Slayer

NOFX
“Backstage Passport Soundtrack”
Fat Wreck Chords
Tracks: 15

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Legendary punk rockers NOFX have just released the long awaited soundtrack from their popular Fuse Channel television series “Backstage Passport”. The show which premiered in 2008 followed the band around the world documenting various shows and occurrences the band experienced while performing in places such as Medellin, Columbia and Osaka, Japan. Though the series only aired for one season there has been recent talk that the band will begin work on a second season of the series and this album release only seems to add fuel to the fire.

Though the album doesn’t necessarily include any new material the album does include the show’s opening and closing themes “Backstage Passport” and “Punk rock Passport” along with a live version of “Leaving Jesusland” and a scaled down accordion tinged version of “I Melvin” which was probably my favorite track off the album. Fans expecting a greatest hits type compilation should take note as this is certainly not the case. Instead the band chose songs from some of their more recent releases which I found helped with the albums appeal however also hurt it some too. If you were a fan of the show and/ or are looking to bolster your NOFX collection then this is a release worth picking up.

Track Listing:
1.) Backstage Passport
2.) No Fun in Fundamentalism
3.) Insulted by the Germans (Again)
4.) All My Friends in New York
5.) You Will Lose Faith
6.) Teenage Punching Bag
7.) Leaving Jesusland (Live)
8.) The Greatest Country in the World
9.) Last Night Was Really Fun
10.) We’re Bros
11.) Your Hubcaps Cost More Than My Car
12.) Fan Mail
13.) Arming the Proletariat with Potato Guns
14.) I Melvin
15.) Punk Rock Passport