Xenia Ghali is a songwriter, producer and DJ that has broken through the dance and pop world in Europe and is ready to rock the dance floors in America, Xenia recently teamed up with former Pussycat Dolls member Jessica Sutta on a track titled “Out With a Bang” and Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Xenia recently about the collaboration and her plans for 2014.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us how you got started with songwriting and Djing?
Xenia Ghali: Those started at two separate times for me. I have been studying music since I was very little and am classically trained in piano and flute. When I was 15 I started teaching myself how to play other instruments like the guitar and drums. I joined an indie/alternative rock band and just started writing. We didn’t really do cover songs so that’s when I took my first shot at songwriting. I loved it. As for Djing, I grew up in Athens, Greece and in 2008 I moved to the UK to get my bachelors degree in music composition and technology. While I was studying for I had saved up some money and bought a set of second hand turn tables. I started teaching myself how to spin and mix using vinyl. From there one thing just sort of led to another and I was playing gigs and from there began producing and recording electronic music.

AL: Can you tell us about your new single “Out With a Bang” and what it was like working with Jessica Sutta?
XG: The song is a really fun dance/pop song. It’s one of those songs that just makes you happy and want to dance. It was really important to me when we were working on this song to keep it unrestricted. The song is very listenable and can be played in a club, at home or anywhere really. It’s an easy track to listen to while still being very energetic like Jessica and myself. Jessica and I had great chemistry and she loved the track when she first heard it. It was really great working with her.

AL: Can you tell us about the video for “Out With a Bang”?
XG: I love combining various art forms. Anything that has to do with visual arts I have always been very involved with. This video for me was easy to work on as it didn’t feel like a shoot. It was like we were all just having a good time. Jessica’s team and my team all worked together to come up with an idea for the video that would represent the song for exactly what it is. We wanted everything to be fun with vintage touches but still have it be in today’s style. We wanted the video to be great to look at and make people feel good.

AL: What has been the biggest obstacle for you since transitioning from the music scene in Europe to the one here in the United States?
XG: I think the biggest obstacle for me would have to be bridging the two styles. Music in the States is very different when compared to that in Europe. I come from a very European sounding background which involves a lot of dance and pop. In the states things tend to be more soulful leaning towards R & B and hip hop. Only within the last 5 years or so has there been an influx of European artists making their way to the States to collaborate with various artists. The recent change had made things a little easier for me as people are getting more used to the European dance sound.

AL: What other plans/projects do you have in the works for 2014?
XG: I am actually at a very exciting point in my career and this year is going to be really great. There is going to be quite a few surprises coming. As we speak I am getting ready to release a single which is really exciting. After that there’s going to be more music on the way along with live performances and more collaborations.

Justine Dorsey is an award winning singer/songwriter who has had her music featured recently on the new MTV series “Big Tips Texas”. Justine also released a new EP in October of last year titled and MediaMikes.com had the chance to speak with her about the creation of the EP, how she got in to music and about her popular YouTube channel.

Adam Lawton: What was it that interested you in pursuing a career in music?
Justine Dorsey: I actually became an actor first. That was something that I really loved and one day my mom took me to a musical theater audition and I think by doing musical theater that’s really where my love for music came from. I started singing first and then learned guitar and piano in my early teens. I paired those things up and began writing music which has been my love ever since.

AL: Can you tell us about your recent EP release and why you chose to cover the song “Put on a Happy Face”?
JD: In October I released a new EP titled “Under Construction”. I am excited for people to hear this as it is all original music that I wrote except for “Put on a Happy Face”. I am really proud of how the EP turned out and I finally feel like I am in the right place for my music. I ended up choosing “Put on a Happy Face” because I had been working with a licensing company who had the rights to that catalog. They gave me some options of songs to work on with “Happy Face” being one of them. This was actually how I met my label. I was paired up with producer Bruce Witkan and we ended up working really well together. Bruce became a big fan of my music and that’s how I subsequently ended up with my label.

AL: What types of steps do you take personally when creating a song?
JD: I don’t stick to one particular formula when I am writing. Things can be very unpredictable as to when and how they come out. A song might start with a simple phrase or I have a basic chord progression that I start with. I love that it’s never the same way every time.

AL: You have a song featured on MTV’s “Big Tips Texas”. How did that opportunity come about?
JD: I work with several licensing companies that send out my songs for consideration to be used in commercials and television. This was the first one that we had gotten back asking to use the song. I had never heard of the show but once I was able to see it I loved it. This ended up being a really great feature for my music and I am very happy about that.

AL: You are very involved with your YouTube channel. Can you tell us about that?
JD: I started out doing videos for some friends of mines YouTube channel and that sort of opened my eyes to some new ways of making videos for the site. I want everything that goes on there to look and sound good. I think when you take things to a higher level of production it makes things just that much more exciting. I have started to film my own videos for the channel and it’s a way for me to explore the visual side of music. I have a video on the channel for my song “Under Construction” and that’s probably one of my favorite. Working on that was such a great process. I didn’t come up with the idea but I really love it and recommend people going to check out.

AL: Have you started planning to tour in support of the release at all?
JD: I have a lot of shows planned in the Los Angeles area however nothing really has been set up outside of California. Right now I am focusing on local shows but am definitely looking forward to the day where I can travel around playing my music.

“After The Dark” is the latest film by director John Huddles. The film takes place at an international school in Jakarta, where a philosophy teacher challenges his class of twenty graduating seniors to choose which ten of them would take shelter underground and reboot the human race in the event of a nuclear apocalypse. The film was scored by veteran film composer Nicholas O’Toole and Korn front man Jonathan Davis and Media Mikes had the pleasure of talking with both of them about their work on the film and their ongoing collaboration with one another.

Adam Lawton: How did you both become involved with the film?
Nicholas O’Toole:  I was approached by George Zakk who was one of the producers on the film. I had known him from another project and they had just started to go into post production on this film. George had known that Jonathan and I had been working together for quite some time and it seemed like a good fit. This led to a discussion with director John Huddles. We ended up hitting it off right away and we have stayed friends since.

AL: What was the creative process like between the two of you?
NO: The dynamic is great as we have known each other for so long. We get what the other one does. I myself am very technically minded and I have a degree in film score work where Jonathan is prolific in songwriting, EDM and a variety of other things including film scoring. We sort of mind shared this project.  Jonathan is very dynamic and variant based. He brings a lot to the table from sound design, to mood and colors. I handle the more technical side of things such as arranging and post work. With Jonathan on the road a lot he and I developed a good solution for sharing our thoughts and ideas. We walked in to the project already having a pretty good flow.

AL: Jonathan, did you find any similarities in your writing style for the film and you writing style for Korn?
Jonathan Davis: It is completely different. That’s why I love it. It challenges me. When you are writing a film score you are trying to convey an emotion part of the film. That’s the whole reason why I love doing things like this as it is so different from the other writing that I do. When you are working on a song you have versus and choruses to stick to and with a project like this there are no rules. It’s really different.

AL: Is scoring something you picture yourself doing more of?
JD: I love doing it and am open to doing more. I am just a musical junkie. When I got sober back in the day I replaced partying with music. (Laughs) It is something that I can’t get enough of.

AL: Did you both work on the same parts together or did you work separately on various parts of the film?
NO: It was purely linear in this particular instance. John Huddles was involved as well from the ground level which made things even greater. Having John involved certainly reduced the re-writes. Normally you create a bunch of material and then show case but for this film John was there the whole time and fully invested. I think we just moved from beginning to end on this and then went back and did some adjusting where it was needed. I think you can sort of hear that in the arc of the story. We kept things moving and it felt very natural.

AL: How much of the film were you allowed to see at one time when you were scoring?
NO: We got the film in a reel which is the general process of post production. We are all contracted to confidentiality. You get the entire film however they may still be editing and changing some of the things. We would get new reels every week. We had a screening with the director where we saw the film in its entirety and we discussed where the music would go and for how long and what type of feel was needed. Everything gets spotted out and then we follow those notes and begin writing. You definitely have to understand the narrative in order to be able to start scoring.

AL: After the initial playing of the film with the score were there a lot of changes requested by the director?
NO: Things did change. The film was shot in Indonesia which is known for a style of music called Gamelan. Jonathan had some previous experiences with this style of music as had I in the past so this ended up being a pleasant coincident. We were going to take a more Gamelan eccentric approach anyhow which we did at first. John Huddles liked it but wanted to try a different approach. We repositioned ourselves in a way that caught fire and we were able to just take off. We kept things quite minimal arrangement wise and then mixed in a little Gamelan with electronic and hypnotic elements. We kept things very natural.

AL: Jonathan, did you have any reservations about working on the project? And do you have to get a specific type of mind set to work on this type of music?
JD: Not really. I love doing music. It’s always fun working with Nick and writing music. It was really great working with a director who had a specific vision. This was something so completely normal from what I do in my day job. I think you have to take yourself away because you are writing a piece of music not a song. I have to wrap my head around that but it’s basically music.

AL: Being that you guys have a friendship with one another outside of your work what do you enjoy most about working with each other?
JD: For me we are just friends making music. It’s a simple and pure thing. I am having fun making music for a cool movie and getting paid for it. There is no bad side to this what so ever. It’s just fun!
NO: The collaboration process is enhancing because if it was just me I would be writing out of my head. Jonathan adds another creative brain which comes from a completely different place. When you put the two together the result is always something bigger than what it would have been. Jonathan is prolific outside of Korn in ways that I think fans of the band will totally understand after hearing this. Like Jonathan said it’s just fun and we have a good vibe together so it’s great to be able to keep that going.

AL: What other projects do you guys have in the works for the rest of 2014?
NO: I am always negotiating on some sort of film project. Sometimes the project is working with Jonathan and sometimes it’s on my own. Jonathan and I have a good system worked out.
JD: I have quite a lot going on with Korn but with computers these days it allows Nick and me to be in different places but still be able to work together on projects with one another. I always have my noise buried in my laptop writing.

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Photo Credit: S. Schweiger

Kelly Hansen is best known as the current lead singer of the rock band Foreigner. He joined the band in 2005 after Lou Gramm left in 2003 to pursue a solo career. Foreigner just announced their 2014 tour, called The Soundtrack of Summer along with Styx and Don Felder of The Eagles. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Kelly about tour, music and other future plans.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about what we can expect from your upcoming The Soundtrack of Summer tour?
Kelly Hansen: It is a tour of the U.S. and starts May 16th. Tickets are on sale now. It will consist of Foreigner, Styx and Don Felder (The Eagles). We are real excited about it. We all have been able to hang out recently and working on a re-recording of the track “Hotel California”. So that is pretty cool. We were also on “Fox and Friends” this past week in NYC, where we did a medley of “Juke Box Hero”, “Hotel California” and “Blue Collar Man”. We are rehearsing and getting ready and it has been great. I think it is going to be an awesome summer tour. It will certainly be a fun night of music with a lot of great hits.

MG: Foreigner and Styx have toured together before but tell us about the addition of former Eagles guitarist Don Felder?
KH: You are always trying to find a good package. It was a good time for us to try and all get together. Styx has been doing very well. Things are blowing up for Foreigner recently. We had had a lot of things come up and it has really given me the feeling that this is going to be a good year for us. I have a good feeling about this tour and that the vibe is going to be really good.

MG: Can you tell why you choose to record a new version of the Eagles’ “Hotel California”?
KH: I am not sure if it was a management idea or a band idea. I know that Tommy Shaw had written and played with Don on his latest record. So there was that partnership going on. We thought that it would be a good song for everyone to get on board with and be a part of and to redo for the show. Jeff and Don really came up with the arrangement, the plan and put it together. We all did different parts on it. I sing a verse…Tommy sings a verse…Don sings a verse. Tommy, Johnny and Don all play solos on it, so it is really cool.

MG: I read that Styx and Foreigner will interchange closing slots for the tour; tell us about this dynamic?
KH: Yeah, we call it flip-flopping. You come up with the cities for the tour and then you talk about which show would be good for each band to finish. Some fans want particular bands to close and that is cool. You just sort it and make sure it is pretty even. I like it because it makes it feel like a co-headlining gig.

MG: What can fans expect from the compilation album as well to go along with the tour?
KH: It is going to have songs from each band on there and maybe a couple of extras things. It will be available for sale during the tour. I am not sure of the complete details yet.

MG: Tell us about your appearance at a New Jersey Buffalo Wild Wings to get customers psyched for the Super Bowl halftime show this year?
KH: It was very last minute, we went in on our day off, and I had just gotten back from Germany. I went into the studio and re-sang the lyrics since the words changed for the spot. Then we flew into Secaucus, NJ and it was very on the fly. There were like twelve hidden cameras in the restaurant. It is a sports bar, so there were a lot of TV screens throughout. We had these cheerleaders come out with tons of confetti and we just started playing the tune. We totally surprised people and we did it a few times. We would wait for the restaurant to clear out and do it again. It was wild. Everyone had a great time.

MG: Lastly tell us about plans for a new Foreigner album and plans for yet another tour later this year to play the “4” album in its entirety?
KH: We were talking about doing that, yeah. We are also going to Germany to do an acoustic tour, which is something we have never done before. We will be playing all these cool opera houses in Germany. We were talking about doing the whole “4” album in its entirety, which will be cool. Concerning the album, there is already some writing that has started. I do not know if it will be a whole new album, it will mostly likely be a mix package with new material and hits. So we are looking forward to that as well.

MG: How do you get the energy to constantly tour non-stop?
KH: It is pretty heavy duty. I really have to try and take care of myself. I got a green juice sitting next to me right now. I have to make sure I get plenty of rest. The management and everybody is real good to make sure about asking me if I can do a particular schedule and they take real good care of me.

MG: I am a juicer myself, so I am sure the fans are going to want to know what your green juice recipe is?
KH: Mine is spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, ginger, lemon and apple. I like to do it heavy on the green, just a little bit of fruit. I do not like sweet juice. I like it to be pretty gnarly. I like that [laughs]. If you are juicing andf you have all that pulp left over, what you should do is put all that in a pot fill it up with water and you can make this great vegetable stock that you can use for all kinds of recipes. That way you can use the vegetables twice, especially if you are buying organic and they are more expensive. You juice the vegetable first and take that out and use that to make the stock. Then you go and put in your fruit, so you are not making a vegetable stock with fruit in it. I really enjoy that.

The Zero Theorem
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Composer: George Fenton
Milan Records
Tracks: 26
Running Time: 57 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“The Zero Theorem” is the newest sci-fi extravaganza directed by legendary director Terry Gilliam (“Brazil”, “Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas”, “Twelve Monkeys”). I have been following this film for a long time and I was very excited that the score is being released way in advance of the film. In fact the film at the time of writing does not have a US theatrical release date. If you watch the trailer to this film you can tell that is going to be quite the trip, this soundtrack is a perfect compliment to the film. What it succeeds in is making me REALLY want to see this film now. No question, this is already one my favorite scores of 2014.

If you are a fan of Terry Gilliam’s films, like myself, then you will know how important and the music to the film. I still have the “Brazil” score on my phone for many years. Well there is no change here and the score plays a very significant role in “The Zero Theorem”. Acclaimed composer George Fenton really does a wonderful job with this score score. It ranges from combining simple classical moments then mixed with exciting futuristic, electronic tracks. I also really enjoyed the new rendition of “Creep” performed by Karen Souza. I can’t wait to see how it ties into the film itself. I have had this album on loop since receiving it and I do not see that changing for many months to come! Highly recommend checking this out!

Track Listing:
1. The Zero Theorem Main Title -George Fenton
2. Leth on the Street
3. Creep – Karen Souza
4. Remote Central
5. Joby’s Party Part 1
6. Meeting Management
7. Joby’s Party Part 2
8. Joby’s Party Part 3
9. The Mainframe
10. The Entities Won’t Crunch
11. The Nurse
12. Bob and the Clones
13. Bob’s on the Job
14. Enter in Tropical Style
15. Beach Romance
16. Shrink Rom Rap – Bob’s Crunch – Tilda Swinton
17. Inside Your Head
18. A New Bainsley
19. There’ll Be No Call
20. We Can Be Together
21. Bainsley Leaves
22. Bob Collapses
23. Q Loses It
24. Destroying the Mainframe and the Release
25. Qohen Leth
26. 0=100% (Party part 2) (Konstantine Pope Remix)

“Burials Winter Tour”
AFI, Youth Code, Coming
Date: Saturday, February 1st 2014
Venue: Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

 AFI played the final show of the “Burials” winter tour on February 1^st at the intimate Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY to a near capacity crowd. The California based band has been out in support of their 9^th studio album titled “Burials” which was released in late fall of 2013.  Though it’s been 4 years since the bands last album and quite some time since the band has performed in the upstate NY area they certainly made up for lost time with the evenings stellar performance.

Kicking of the night was a 3 piece band by the name of “Coming”. The groups sound could be describes as a mixture of Reagan Era punk rock with a bit more edginess and experimentation. Though the idea was promising the group seemed to lack any real talent. Drums dominated a good portion of the band’s sound and what space was left was filled buy one line vocal passages screamed well past the point of be able to be recognized just what the singer was actually trying to sing. Though the venue was only partially full by the end of the groups set those in attendance did provide the band with ample applause. As the venue slowly began to reach capacity a two piece Industrial EDM group by the name of “Youth Code” would take the stage and by the end of the group’s first song you could almost hear a pin drop as the crowd, myself included were left completely baffled by what we were seeing and hearing. Unoriginal 80’s era beats mixed with schizophrenic yelling and behavior plagued the groups 30/40 minute set that when the duo finally left the stage it was if a collective sigh was heard throughout the room.

After a sizeable gap between acts AFI would finally take the stage basked in a glow of red, purple and blue lighting. Lead vocalist Davey Havok wasted no time acquainting himself with the audience as by the bands second song he had already made one trip in to the audience via a quick leap from the security barrier. This would not be the first time Havok would make his way out into the three tiered venue which only added to the excitement which filled the now tightly filled room. The band performed songs from their varying catalog which dates back to 1995. The band known for their energetic live performances certainly didn’t disappoint as bassist Hunter Burgan and guitarist Jade Puget made tracks all over the stage jumping and spinning throughout the 17 song set. Even though it was the bands last night of this tour run they gave the crowd something special by performing the song “Greater Than 84” live for the first time which sounded just as good, if not better than the recorded version. Before finally leaving the stage for the night the band performed a 3 song encore made up of “The Conductor”, “Dancing Through Sunday” and “Silver and Cold” which left fans cheering for more. Every time I am able to see AFI it makes me wish that they toured more extensively and this night’s show has once again left me with that same feeling.

AFI Set List:
1.) The Leaving Song Pt.II
2.) Girl’s Not Grey
3.) I Hope You Suffer
4.) Wester
5.) Love Like Winter
6.) Ever and a Day
7.) 17 Crimes
8.) The Leaving Song
9.) Beautiful Thieves
10.) Kill Caustic
11.) Greater Than 84 (Live Debut)
12.) The Days of the Phoenix
13.) 6 to 8
14.) Miss Murder

Encore:
15.) The Conductor
16.) Dancing Through Sunday
17.) Silver and Cold

Dren McDonald is a musician/composer since and runs the website, nerdtracks. He currently also creates music and sound design for video games. Recently he came together to form a band, The String Arcade, and has an album coming out on February 11th. “The String Arcade” spans a few decades in video game history from arcade classics including “Galaga”, “TRON” to 8-bit eras with “Legend of Zelda” to more recent hits with “Portal 2” and “Minecraft”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat video games with Dren and his album.

Mike Gencarelli: How did The String Arcade come together?
Dren McDonald: The creation of The String Arcade didn’t come from one singular “really big idea”, but more like a recipe of several idea ingredients that came together at the right time. The initial spark came from a personal challenge. After working on a lot of client music for the past few years, I wanted to really work on a project that was meaningful to me and that reflected the idea “what music would I make right now, if I could make anything”. Clearly I wasn’t thinking about doing an album of cover songs with that initial thought.

However I’d always been completely obsessed with the music from the film Stranger Than Paradise, by John Lurie. I bought the soundtrack album back when the film came out, hoping that the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins tune, “I Put a Spell on You” would be on there. It wasn’t. But the first side of the record was the entire string quartet soundtrack from the film, and it’s one of the few pieces of music that I continue to listen over the years, ever since the first listen. So I wanted to do something like Stranger Than Paradise: a bunch of string quartet music.

So I started working on this idea, and the first tune I completed was ” Optimism For an Improvement in The John Situation” (a reference to the fact that Lurie hasn’t been playing/writing music due to an illness). This tune served as a blueprint for the other music, and I began to start rearranging some of my own music from games…and in all cases, appending and expanding all of those pieces with the intention of having them played by musicians.

Concurrently, a local project called the Alameda Music Project (alamedamusicproject.org) was starting to raise funds in order to begin their after school music program, a K-5 El Sistema based classical music program with strings, chorus and percussion. So we decided to make this ‘recording project’ a fundraiser, with all sales going to support the new music program. But a CD of all Dren McDonald chamber music wasn’t going to move the fundraising needle too much, so more thought was put into the project.

I started listening closely to some of my favorite game music from my youth (Altered Beast, Legend of Zelda, Galaga) and wondered how those might sound if arranged for string quartet. And how might they sound by using Stranger Than Paradise as a model for the mood? It was a clash of very disparate worlds, but the juxtaposition was one that got my musical brain excited. Soon after we launched the Kickstarter.

MG: How did you choose which games and specific songs where chosen for the album?
DM: I chose games that 1) I was a fan of, 2) that I could see fitting into this musical blueprint some way, so that the recording didn’t come off as a novelty album and 3) games that would reach out to kids with the hopes that they’d be inspired to play music. The recording is a fundraiser for a music program, so some thought was given to the song selection with that in mind as well.

Back to this “musical blueprint” idea, I did want to pick songs that would lend themselves towards being moved, twisted, rearranged and manipulated in a way that spoke to me. Really creative music arranging can be just as rewarding as composition, (in some of these charts there’s a lot of added composition), so I didn’t want to simply ‘cover’ the music, but inject it with emotions or musical turns that moved me.

MG: What is it about 8-bit games and their music that still resonates today?
DM: Sometimes we hear discussions about how 8-bit or 16-bit games had more memorable music than games of our current generation, and I think that’s largely due to the fact that game design has changed so radically due to technology. With the NES, you basically had music or you didn’t. There was no ‘ambience’ really, so it was on or off. So it ‘had’ to be memorable, or catchy so that it wouldn’t make us insane while we played. So if we played Legend of Zelda, or Ecco or Altered Beast in our youth, that music has definitely carved a way into our brains and made a home there. Last year I remember play the Tron arcade machine, which I hadn’t played in many years, and was astounded at how well I remembered all of the little musical pieces that played during game play (especially when you die!). I’m no psychologist, but I think there’s something about that association with a game that comes from playing it, and having a great experience that sticks with you. Hearing the music outside of the context might just bring back those good feelings.

MG: What games didn’t make the cut from this album?
DM: There are certainly games with wonderful soundtracks that I love that I considered…Journey, Dear Esther, Bioshock (1). But I didn’t feel like the contribution that I might make to that music would resonate. As I said, I wanted run these tunes thru my ‘blueprint’ and after thinking about some of this other music, I’m not sure I would have been successful with that approach. When you are interpreting music that had been previously represented by synth or chip sounds, there is a little more freedom there. Even in the case of something like Outlaws or Plants Vs Zombies, the change in instrumentation and musical style was enough to unlock that freedom. Those other soundtracks I mentioned were already created with live string players, so any attempt to cover them in the manner that I approached the other music would have probably fallen flat. Listeners have already heard those soundtracks with strings, and a ‘new’ version would likely be judged as an inferior one.

MG: Tell us about what happens with the proceeds of the album?
DM: 100% of the proceeds goes to the Alameda Music Project (alamedamusicproject.org) with is an after school, K-5 music program for strings, percussion and chorus. It’s a tuition-free program in a Title 1 school, so that kids who might not be able to afford to study music, will have that chance. It’s 5 days a week, after school care (homework, snacks and music) and it’s based on the El Sistema model, which was the music program that began in Venezuela 40 years. The same program that Gustavo Dudamel (creative director/conductor of the LA Phil) had gone thru as a child.

MG: Can we expect follow-up albums or a tour in the future?
DM: Good question! There are no tour plans, but depending on how this record does, and how the music program does this year I’m sure we’d love to do a follow up. There will be a CD release party, with the quartet, and lots of video games to play (include arcade machines, old consoles and several indie game studios who will be there showing their games.) That is March 7th at Rhythmix in Alameda, CA and we are planning to stream video from that show as well. We’ll put details on thestringarcade.com

Jeremy Widerman is the guitarist/vocalist for the Canadian hard rock band Monster Truck. The 4 piece group from Hamilton, Ontario released their first full length album titled “Furiosity” in May of last year. The band is set to kick off 2014 touring with Buckcherry and Media Mikes had the chance recently to speak with Jeremy about the tour, his dislike of music videos and his take people’s perception of Canadian bands.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us a little background on the band?
Jeremy Widerman: The band started in Hamilton, Ontario and all of the guys in the band were pretty familiar with one another because of playing in the Hamilton music scene. We wanted to start a band that we could keep to ourselves and do what we wanted. We wanted to be free of self imposed rules of what we should or shouldn’t be. We started out wanting to be a bar band that would play once or twice a month just for fun. We wanted to be able to stay in control of everything as a group.

AL: When did you realize that the band could/should move forward?
JW: Things became pretty apparent within the first six months of the band. A lot of the songs came together really quickly which gave way to us being able to start doing shows just as quick. It was in those first that we knew we had something that could be expanded upon. It took us a year however to actually go for it.

AL: The bands first full length album “Furiosity” came out almost a year ago. How has the reception been?
JW: The record came out in May of 2013 and we knew that if things were done properly and we did things the way we wanted we would end up with something that could be quite successful not only with our fan base but also to new listeners as well. We worked on “Furosity” for a year because we felt this momentum that we knew we could capitalize on. The record took a little longer than we had initially thought it would to complete but once we sat down with the mixes we were all really confident that we achieved what we had set out to do. The release has gone really well as did the subsequent tour. You never know what to expect when it comes to the music industry but things have worked out well and we have gotten a lot of great opportunities because of that.

AL: Do you feel coming from Canada has influenced people perception of the band here in the United States?
JW: Yeah for sure! That’s just one of those things you can’t avoid. We try not to pay much attention to that stuff as it’s sort of a natural occurrence. I think it’s going to happen no matter what. You are going to have a stigma attached to you no matter what. If ours is that were from Canada that’s fine by us. From our perspective as proud as we are to be from Canada and be Canadians I don’t know if Canada really provided me with the kind of bands I wanted to hear growing up. We don’t take a lot of influence from Canadian music and people have told us that we don’t sound like other bands from Canada. I think that has been a bit of an asset for us moving ahead in the United States and overseas as there is a certain Canadian rock sound that bands have. Whether it was conscious or subconscious it’s something we don’t have.  It could be because our influences didn’t come from Canada and that we have tried really hard to ovoid that stigma. Naturally being from the country will cause some assumption and we are ok with that.

AL: The band has put out a couple lyric videos recently but nothing featuring the band. Have there been any talks to do a full music video production for any of the songs off of the album?
JW: We actually wrapped shooting on a video for the song “The Lion” a few days ago. Lyrics videos are something that I am not a huge fan of. The label likes to put them out to help promote the songs but other than that I’m not really sure what they accomplish. (Laughs) Music Videos in general are kind of hard to understand these days. With YouTube going downhill because of all of the add implementation it has really hurt things. On our YouTube page you won’t find the ads because we chose not to monetize the site. I thought the true beauty in YouTube initially was that you could bounce from video to video without being force fed advertisements. From my perspective videos are fun to do when you have a good idea and it fits with the music. We have sort of shied away from videos this past year but we have been asked to do some recently and it’s just part of the business.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands tour plans for 2014?
JW: Starting January 20^th we will be out on the road with Buckcherry. We had sort of a slow start in the States building the band and that is something we want to work on throughout this year. We will be out for a month with the Buckcherry guys and then we have a couple weeks off before we head over to the UK, Europe and Germany. After that we will be back in States and on tour for three weeks with Alter Bridge. Once that run wraps up we will be out on another run with some really big bands however, I can’t announce that one just yet. We are really looking forward to getting back out there.

You may not be familiar with the name Aaron Donetz Yates, but if you’ve been a fan of rap and hip-hop for the past two decades you surely know the name Tech N9ne!

Born in Kansas City, he embraced rap early in life, even rapping the letters in his name to alert others as to how to spell it. In 1991 he began his professional career as a member of the group Black Mafia. In 1997, after appearing with several groups on different record labels, his solo song “Questions” appeared on the soundtrack album for the Tupac Shakur film “Gang Related.” In 1999 he had partner Travis O’Guinn founded the Strange Music record label.

His thirteenth studio album, “Something Else,” was released last summer and features guest collaborations with artists like Cee Lo Green, Krizz Kaliko and the three remaining members of the classic rock group The Doors (keyboardist Ray Manzarek passed away in May 2013 before the album was released). His current EP, “Therapy,” was released at the end of 2013.

While preparing for a recent concert in Grand Rapids, Iowa, the rapper and music label president took time out to talk with Media Mikes about his 2013 releases and what he has planned for the future.

Phillip Smith: How is “Therapy” different from your other past records?
Tech N9ne: “Therapy” is 7 songs that are just amazing to me. It is just what I was feeling at the time. I know there are some fans that won’t be down with the rock rap sound but that’s what I was feeling, it’s what I wanted to do. The beats were constructed in KC and we than flew out to Venice Beach to meet with Ross Robinson. We stayed at Ross Robinson’s house and Wes Borland (formerly of Limp Bizkit) was staying out there at the same time. He sat in on the album and played on nearly every track. It’s condensed but it’s full of energy. It’s totally different from anything Tech N9ne. It has elements of Tech N9ne because it’s me, it was fun. But it’s all new, a new sound, a new message.

PS: When you come back and play in the KC Metro Area, what is one of your favorite places to play?
T9: I have played everywhere from the Uptown Theater to Kemper Arena. I’m about to play at the Sprint Center here soon. But I’d have to say right now it has to be the Midland Theatre. I won’t know that answer when I play the Sprint Center. I was on stage there one time, Lil Wayne brought me on stage when he was here and it was crazy man. I felt that whole place roar, but this time I get to perform.

PS: Is there any other place that you circle on your tour or make sure that you play every tour?
T9: Denver, totally man. It’s incredible man, incredible. I don’t know how it happened over the years but it happened. It’s still going man, that’s why I have a song called “Colorado” on “Something Else”. I have to give to all the people who have been down with me for a long time. They were always down before KC and now KC is finally catching up! You know it’s crazy out there energy wise.

PS: And they let you get away with Chiefs colors in Denver?
T9: Yeah man (laughs) because they all wear the colors when I come to town. They wear the colors of the rival team for me man (laughs loudly).

PS: Do you ever envision yourself stopping the touring and just falling back on family or just writing?
T9: It’s funny you asked that man…I’ve been saying with this tour that If I stopped…. I would be letting everyone down. They are so with me you know what I’m saying? I feel like I’d leave them high and dry I don’t know if I’ll be able ever to stop man. It’s not like they stopped liking the music and said alright stop. Than it would be easy to stop you know. But I get doper as I get older. I just had my 42nd birthday but I feel like I’m still 19. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop…I don’t know. It’s weird.

PS: That sounds like a lot of pressure to keep going.
T9: Man, it’s a wonderful thing to still be afloat after all this time, but to be still getting bigger. It’s wild. I can’t quit this!

PS: Now that you have become known nationally and internationally… you’re no longer just Kansas City’s secret. Is this what you expected? Not just the money and being famous, but that you still have people who want to hear what you have to say, than afterwards stand up and cheer?
T9: Well man I’ve been planning this for a long time, a real long time. I always knew I had something special. It just took longer for me to make it here because I’m different. I’m the black guy with the painted face. It’s like it’s always going to be… I don’t know man… I’m gonna push hard no matter what. I’m going to always stand out. I’m not going to perform for no amount of money and change. I am the way that I am. I always knew that I was going to do this. But this isn’t the end. This is a wonderful thing but it’s not Global Domination. I won’t stop till the world knows my story.

PS: Is there someone out there right now that you haven’t worked with that you would love to collaborate on a song or an album.
T9: I think Two Murders together would be great, I think people would like to hear that, I know I would like to hear that. I would like to hear myself next to one of the best rappers in my opinion. You know I have tried a couple times, and I just haven’t been able to get it done . If it happens it will and if it don’t it don’t. I’m still a fan of the man’s music. We will just see if we can make it happen.

“Sofia the First: Songs From Enchancia”
Label: Disney
Tracks: 19
Release Date: January 28, 2014

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Having a 20 month old daughter, our family is quite the fan of “Sofia the First“. She has been watching the show since she was 8 months old and stops everything she is doing when it comes on. We also have first “Sofia the First” CD in our record player non-stop and she loves the music (as do I). “Sofia The First: Songs from Enchancia” includes 15 songs from from the first season of the Disney Junior TV Series. The album also includes a bonus song, “Be Who You Wanna Be”, which was a big summer hit and features Jake from “Jake and the Never Land Pirates”) and four karaoke instrumental tracks for kids to sing-along to. If you are a fan of this show then this CD is a must have. My daughter has had it on loop since we received it and I have a feeling we are going to burn it out quickly!

Season one has brought us so many great songs including “Good Little Witch” and “Bring My Best Friend Back” (which is such a great duet). I also love that there are three tracks with classic Disney princesses included as well. “The Love We Share” features Ariel, “Ride of Your Lives” features Jasmine and “Make it Right” features Belle. I love all three of these tracks and so glad that they made it onto this CD. Disney has a gold mine with this show and I love how they try and blend in classic Disney characters as well without being cheesy or overwhelming! Can I suggest a duet with Rapunzel next? My daughter will flip out! One track that I realized was missing was the holiday special song “Wassailia”. I can’t wait to see what season two holds for this show.  I am sure the music is going to be so great and I look forward for Disney Junior to release future song collections in the coming months!

Track Listing:
1. Sisters and Brothers (Sofia)
2. Merroway Cove (Sven, Oona and Sofia)
3. The Love We Share (Ariel and Sofia)
4. Bigger Is Better (Amber)
5. (You Can Always) Count On Baileywick (Cast)
6. Make It Right (Belle and Sofia)
7. Good Little Witch (Ballad) (Sofia)
8. Good Little Witch (Lucinda and Sofia)
9. The Ride of Your Lives (Jasmine, Sofia and Amber)
10. A Recipe for Adventure (Aunt Tilly and Sofia)
11. Bring My Best Friend Back (Clover and Sofia)
12. The Simple Life (Cast)
13. Make Way for Miss Nettle (Miss Nettle)
14. Enchancia (Ruby, Jade and Sofia)
15. Be Who You Wanna Be (Jake and Sofia)
16. Merroway Cove (Instrumental)
17. Bigger Is Better (Instrumental)
18. Good Little Witch (Instrumental)
19. A Recipe for Adventure (Instrumental)

Tom Keifer
“The Way Life Goes”
Merovee Records
Produced by: Chuck Turner, Tom Keifer, Savannah Keifer
Tracks: 14

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Tom Keifer is probably best known for his work as lead singer of the popular 1980’s blues/rock band Cinderella who’s hit song “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” is still being played on countless classic rock stations around the world. “The Way Life Goes” is Keifer’s first release as a solo artist and features 14 hook heavy blues/rock tracks that showcase Keifer’s gritty yet melodic voice.

Very rarely do you see artists venture out on a solo career some 20 years after their initial success. What’s even rarer is when the artist is able to pull it off. Tom Keifer has done that and more with the release of “The Way Life Goes”. Tracks like “It’s Not Enough” and “Cold Day in Hell” do a great job setting the tone of the album as they snake back and forth with driving, upbeat instrumentation which captures and holds the listeners attention.

Tracks like “Ask Me Yesterday” and “You Showed Me” are more ballad like numbers featuring piano and acoustic guitars. The icing on the cake is Keifer’s vocals. For a guy who at one time was unable to sing due to a paralyzed left vocal cord you would never be able to tell listening to this record. From low to high Keifer shows great range and strength making “The Way Life Goes” an enjoyable listen. Whether you a fan of Cinderella in the bands glory days or you’re just looking to check out some new music that covers a lot of territory then this is the album for you.

Track Listing:
1.) Solid Ground
2.) A Different Light
3.) It’s Not Enough
4.) Cold Day In Hell
5.) Thick and Thin
6.) Ask Me Yesterday
7.) Fools Paradise
8.) The Flower Song
9.) Mood Elevator
10.) Welcome to My Mind
11.) You Showed Me
12.) Ain’t That a Bitch
13.) The Way Life Goes
14.) Babylon

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Red Dragon Cartel
“Red Dragon Cartel”
Frontier Records
Produced by: Ronnie Mancuso, Jake E. Lee
Tracks: 10

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Red Dragon Cartel is the newest rock/metal group formed by former Ozzy Osbourne/Badlands guitarist Jake E. Lee. Along with Lee the group features Ronnie Mancuso on bass, drummer Jonas Fairly and singer D.J. Smith. Together the group creates a sound that blurs the lines between progressive rock, heavy metal and industrial synth pop. The self-titled debut is being released via Frontier Records and features 10 original tracks produced by Mancuso and Lee and Executive Produced by Kevin Churko (Five Finger Death Punch, In This Moment, Ozzy Osbourne).

Having been a subscriber of Guitar World magazine for as long as I can remember I certainly wasn’t stranger to the work Jake E. Lee. From Ozzy’s “Bark at the Moon” and “Ultimate Sin” albums to his recent appearances on VH1’s “That Metal Show” he was a player that was always on my radar. When it was announced he was going to be coming out with a new project I was certainly down for checking it out. “Red Dragon Cartel” is a unique blend of styles that cover a wide spectrum of hard rock and metal. The albums opening track “Deceived” shares a striking resemblance to “Bark at the Moon” while forging new ground both musically and vocally.

The track “Feeder” is a catchy rocker that is the first of several tracks to feature guest appearances with this one featuring Robin Zander of Cheap Trick fame. Other guest performances on the album include Maria Brink of In This Moment, former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno and former Pantera/current Kill Devil Hill bassist Rex Brown to name just a few. Don’t let the long list of guest musicians fool you in to thinking that Red Dragon Cartel can’t stand on their own as singer D.J. Smith and the rest of the members of the band all can certainly hold their as the guest performances act more like the icing on the cake.

Though I found portions of the album sounding a bit dated there was nothing on the album that made me want to stop listening. I think the members of Red Dragon Cartel have made a solid record that showcases a number of different styles and talents and those things alone are makes this album worth checking out.

Track Listing:
1.) Deceived
2.) Shout It Out
3.) Feeder (feat. Robin Zander)
4.) Fall from the Sky
5.) Wasted
6.) Slave
7.) Big Mouth (feat. Maria Brink)
8.) War Machine
9.) Redeem Me
10.) Exquisite Tenderness

Reverend Horton Heat
“REV”
Victory Records
Tracks: 13

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The high octane psycho-billy rebels know as Reverend Horton Heat are back with their 11th studio album simply titled “REV”. Though it has been four years since the bands previous release “Laughin’ & Cryin’ with the Reverend Horton Heat” the 3 piece band from Texas have not missed a beat. The album which is the band’s first since signing with Victory Records features 13 tracks which are very reminiscent of the bands early material.

Having been a fan of the Reverend since the early 90’s I was pretty excited when I started to hear grumblings that the band was working on a new album. Little did I know how surprised I was going to be when I was finally able to listen to it. Classic RHH all the way! The album wastes no kicking the tires and lighting the fires as it blasts right out of the gate with the instrumental track “Victory Lap” which showcases the always impressive instrumental skills of Jim “The Rev Heath”, Jimbo Wallace and Scott Churilla.

As the album progresses you hear everything from classic rockabilly to country and all stops in between. The song “Schizoid” is vintage RHH through and through from its subject matter to the Rev’s signature “yeahs”. The track “My Hat” is the perfect dance number for those looking to swing the night away while the album’s first single “Let Me Teach You How to Eat” goes straight for the throat in blazing style. Don’t let a four year gap between albums scare you away as “REV” is all killer and no filler. Even if you never thought about buying an RHH album in the past this one is a great starting place as it does a great job of capturing all of the bands style and sound.

Track Listing:
1.) Victory Lap
2.) Smell of Gasoline
3.) Never Gonna Stop It
4.) Zombie Dumb
5.) Spooky Boots
6.) Schizoid
7.) Scenery Going By
8.) My Hat
9.) Let Me Teach You How to Eat
10.) Mad Mad Heart
11.) Longest Gonest Man
12.) Hardscrabble Woman
13.) Chasing Rainbows

SCOTT IAN: Legendary ANTHRAX Guitarist, Author, and TV Personality Officially Announces “Speaking Words” Tour, North American Leg

New 60-Second Video Teaser Launched via VICE Noisey

 SCOTT IAN’s Hilarious One-Man Storytelling Experience Kicks Off in Chicago, IL on February 20, 2014

“Geek, author, guitarist, icon: when it comes to recounting the history of metal, SCOTT IAN is the man – catch him while you can.” – Alex Milas, Editor, Metal Hammer

At this point, it’s no surprise to anyone that legendary heavy metal musician, author, and television personality SCOTT IAN has a lot to say. After decades-worth of international touring with Anthrax, bumping elbows with illustrious (and sometimes ridiculous) characters all over the media spectrum, and undergoing general “you won’t believe this” experiences— SCOTT IAN certainly has some hilarious and surprisingly personal stories to share.

Following the resounding success of the UK leg of his “Speaking Words” tour, Scott is picking up the mic again for a 15-city North American leg, kicking off in Chicago, IL on February 20^th.

An official “Speaking Words” tour teaser, featuring professional footage from his upcoming “Speaking Words: Live in Glasgow” DVD (pre-order coming soon), has been exclusively released via VICE Noisey today. Watch it here.

Don’t mistake this for your run-of-the-mill spoken word tour. In SCOTT IAN’s own words, “it ain’t no poetry reading” either. “Speaking Words” is an honest look at the insane life that Scott has led for the last 31 years, the people he’s met, and the events that coincide. During each show, Scott will take part in a special Q&A session with the audience.

SCOTT IAN adds, “England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, Germany; I’ve been “Speaking Words” all over the world. My friends in the U.S. and Canada, you asked for it and now I finally get to bring it home! I’m looking forward to talking with ya, talking at ya and telling you some amazing tales of drunken debauchery and ridiculousness. No punches pulled, no swear word left unturned, and no question avoided in the Q&A. Let’s do this!”

A special opportunity to join a VIP meet & greet at each date is available now via SCOTT IAN’s webstore. This unique and limited event will allow you to spend time with Scott like never before. It’s a veritable post show hangout with a metal legend— one that’s sure to enrich your knowledge of not only all-things SCOTT IAN, but Anthrax and metal history in general. The VIP meet & greet also includes a special VIP laminate, banner, and other goodies. Learn more and get your passes here: http://bit.ly/1jXEPen

Currently Confirmed SCOTT IAN “Speaking Words” Dates:

2/20 – Chicago, IL @ Mayne Stage

2/21 – Westland, MI @ The Token Lounge

2/22 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theatre

2/24 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater

2/25 – Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo Club

2/26 – Kingston, ON @ The Mansion

2/27 – Ottowa, ON @ Ritual

3/01 – Baltimore, MD @ The Ramshead Live: Power Plant Live

3/02 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live

3/04 – Boston, MA @ Hard Rock Cafe

3/05 – New York, NY @ BB Kings

3/06 – Syracuse, NY @ Lost Horizon

3/07 – West Warwick, RI @ Manchester 65

3/08 – Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall

With a career spanning three decades, Scott is heralded as metal elite. As the co-founding member of Anthrax, SCOTT IAN helped to create the thrash metal genre in the 1980’s. Anthrax have sold over 10 million records worldwide, have multiple Gold and Platinum awarded recordings, multiple Grammy nominations and have toured the world over on roughly 90+ tours since 1984. SCOTT IAN is recognized as a constant and unanimously recognizable figure in the worlds of music, poker, comics, movies and television. Currently, SCOTT IAN hosts Blood & Guts for the Nerdist Channel, and along with Anthrax, is writing songs for their presently untitled 11^th studio album, due out in 2014.

For more information on SCOTT IAN, please visit these websites:

Official SCOTT IAN: www.Scott-Ian.com

Official Anthrax: www.anthrax.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/scottian

Twitter: @Scott_Ian

Montreal based Isaac Basal may only be 15 years old but he has an ear for all types of music. He is a singer, songwriter and dancer. He currently has a song “No Other Girl” available on iTunes worldwide. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Isaac about his music and what we can expect next.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background on how you initially got involved with music?
Isaac Basal: I’ve always had a passion for music my whole life. When my parents thought I was ready all my instrumental lessons began, which started at the early age of 8. I now play drums, guitar, piano, tom toms and sing vocally. I’ve also been told that I have a musical ear as well which helps a lot. I started my career in music about a year ago. Musical artist Karl Wolf performed at my brothers birthday party and lucky enough for me, he invited me to perform with him on stage his hit single Africa. I realized at that moment I wanted to take my passion for music further.

AL: Being so young, how do you go about balancing your music career and school?
IB: Even though I have my parents support, my grades have to stay up there. Together with the music and activities it can be very challenging. I try and prioritize my days. I have certain time periods for certain lessons and extra-curricular activities, hockey and working out is in my schedule as well. I do all my activities after school and/or at night. During the week after school get homework done…. then lessons and practice begin. Once things seem a little on the calmer side I try and find time to chill with the family or friends. For the moment I am enjoying the ride…

AL: What do you feel is the most difficult part of being a young musician/performer?
IB: One of the most difficult things about doing what I do at a young age is that I can’t chill with friends as often as I would like anymore. Thats one of the consequences of being an artist at this age but I have accepted it and am willing to live with it. Besides, all of it is so much fun and such a wonderful experience especially when we do what we love so much. Something that I don’t find particularly difficult but important to keep in mind at any stage of being an artist is always remember where you came from, appreciate what’s in front of you and stay humble. This is something my parents always try to instill, and seeing the materialistic world out there it is a challenge to remember to stay grounded.

AL: What type of approach do you take when creating a song?
IB: I try to think about music today and try to be as unique as I can. I try to follow my producers and my mom… She actually writes as well and she’s really good at it. My father is taking care of the marketing side. My parents are my greatest influences! I just started to practice producing but what I try to do is keep it simple! Most important is to keep it real!

AL: Can you tell us about any release plans you have coming up for 2014?
IB: I got a lot of stuff planned for 2014! New EPK, new singles, videos, photo shoots and so much more! My next and newest single is coming out the week of the 27th, this new track is called Give It All produced by JHennessey and written by JHennessey and Raquel Basal. I’ve had a wonderful 2013 with my single No Other Girl, and Alone written and Produced by Albert Chambers. I’m surrounded by a wonderful caring team and that’s what makes a strong foundation to a successful future.

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