Rezzi is a 16-year-old rap prodigy out of Canada that is being called the next Drake. Media Mikes had a chance to chat music with Rezzi and find out about his upcoming album.

Adam Lawton: What was it that initially sparked your interest in music and performing?
Rezzi: Honestly, it was seeing my idols who I looked up to do it with themselves. Initially it was those like 50 Cent and Eminem. It grew into an array of artists I admire, I see their positive influence they can have on the masses. I decided to take that same path.

AL: How do you personally describe your sound?
Rezzi: I describe my sound as taboo. There is no black and white to my sound, I can’t say I sound like him/her, or this/that etc. I personally feel like there isn’t really any other person who will have my style spot on, in my generation at least.

AL: You released the song “Home of the Brave” in the fall of last year. Do you have plans/are you currently working on new material such as a full length release?
Rezzi: I am actually. I’m working on my tape coming out soon called the “Wall of Words” which is surely something everyone should be looking out for this year!

AL: How has coming from Toronto (a place normally not associated with rap music) shaped your style and career?
Rezzi: It makes you more hungry, in a sense. Toronto isn’t known to be a capital of Rap, as mentioned earlier. Though with that, you get a Rap that is much more heartfelt, if anything Toronto is the place to be for music that puts you in a zone.

AL: You have been featured on Bullyville.com as an advocate against bullying. How did you become involved with that program and what is it about the issue of bullying that you want people to know about or be aware of?
Rezzi: I became involved myself over connection. But what I want people to know about bullying is that it’s something that can impact a life more then what most may think. Being someone who experienced that first hand I can still say I remember those moments like it was yesterday. That shouldn’t be something anyone should go through as a result of segregation or being a puppet of entertainment.

AL: Other plans or projects coming in 2014 that you would like to mention?
Rezzi: A lot of new stuff of mine will be coming into this year and just good progress along with the release of the “Wall Of Words”! Everything else is a surprise behind curtains! Other then that, thank you and thanks to all my fans for their support!

Steven Price, whose original score for the film “Gravity” was voted the Best of 2013 by the staff and readers of Media Mikes.com wanted to share these comments with his fans:

“Thank you so much for this honour! I’m thrilled, especially as it comes from this site. I had such fun talking to your colleague earlier in the year, and am an avid reader of the site. Thank you so much for supporting the film, and my score. It’s truly appreciated.”

Next stop for Steven Price…the Oscars on March 2nd!

Arnie Roth is a classically trained violinist and composer. He is known well in the video game community for his work as the musical director and conductor on concert tours like “Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy” and many others from the “Final Fantasy” series. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Arnie about the upcoming new concert tour “A New World: Intimate Music from Final Fantasy” and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us what we can expect from “A New World: Intimate Music from Final Fantasy” concert?
Arnie Roth: This concert will have almost entirely different music titles from the Distant Worlds concert repertoire. The scores have been drawn from throughout the 25 years of Final Fantasy releases, with the decision made in consultation between myself, Nobuo Uematsu, SQEX, and our AWR Music Productions team. We especially tried to feature many of the most popular scores that we have not performed in the Distant Worlds concerts. Most importantly, this is a chamber music performance, meant to be enjoyed in an intimate setting and a superb acoustically designed space, such as LSO St Lukes. We are fortunate to have superb performers with us for this premiere, including the highly regarded Navarra String Quartet, the wonderful pianist known for his work with the music of Uematsu and Final Fantasy, Benyamin Nuss, and we will also feature Nobuo Uematsu and myself in a live performance of Final Fantasy VI: Dark World.

MG: How it will differ from the “Distant Worlds” tour?
AR: I have mentioned some of the differences above. The most obvious difference is certainly the scale of the event, as Distant Worlds features over 100 musicians on stage with video screens, performed in much larger venues. A New World: intimate music from Final Fantasy is an intimate chamber music concert, without video content, featuring exciting new arrangements and repertoire from throughout the Final Fantasy catalogue, presented in a much smaller venue, with 13 musicians.

MG: Do you have any plans to expand the “A New World” concert, perhaps a tour, after London?
AR: We hope to be able to make announcements about this subject very soon.

MG: Any chances you will make it back to Florida in 2014? May I suggest Orlando?
AR: We are in discussions for Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy performances in several locations in Florida. Your suggestion is duly noted!

Jim “Rev” Heath is the lead vocalist/guitarist for the legendary Rockabilly/Punk band The Reverend Horton Heat. The band is set to release their 11th studio album titled “Rev” via Victory Records at the end of January and Media Mikes had the pleasure of speaking with Jim recently about the creation of the album, the bands 30 years career and the trio’s tour plans for 2014.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some info on the band upcoming album “Rev”?
Jim Heath: This was a project that helped us get back to more of the aggressive sound that Reverend Horton Heat is known for. The album kind of harkens back to the sound of the band during the mid-nineties which was during a time when my writing had started to get a little more amped up.

AL: How did the creative process work out for this album being that you were returning to your roots in a way?
JH: One thing that was really fun and different about this record is that with the change in album sales and the music industry as a whole there aren’t a lot of those big budget recording options available like there were in the 90’s. A lot of bands have gone to recording themselves in home studios so I thought that would be something that could be fun. I have a decent collection of recording gear so I got together some sponsors and some high end pro audio gear to start doing this record. In the middle of things we signed with Victory Records which allowed us to go in to a commercial studio to do some bits and pieces of the album. By in large we recorded most of the record in our rehearsal studio in Dallas, TX.

AL: Were there any reservations signing to Victory Records being they predominately work with in the metal/hardcore genre?
JH: Not really. A lot of their marketing is probably aimed towards a different crowd than ours which I thought was kind of a good thing. What bands are on a label is not really as important as it’s more about how well the machinery behind everything works. I didn’t really know how big Victory was until we started talking with them and realizing what the label was. We were super impressed with what they have and how they have a bunch of departments which all work to help promote music in various ways. At the end of the day the solid machinery is what I need to help promote our music.

AL: When you are putting together songs what type of writing approach do you take?
JH: For the most part I tend to always start with lyrics. I will find some lyrics that I like and I will start bashing around to come up with some music or sound that evokes what the lyrics are about. From there I try to come up with the melody. Sometimes things come very quickly and sometimes it doesn’t. Other times a song may come together quickly but the polishing off or finishing can take quite a bit of time for me. There is just so much to think about when doing arrangements.

AL: Do think the large gap between this album and your previous will have an effect on how it is perceived by fans/listeners?
JH: We found out something a long time ago about that as we are a band that has a lot of cd’s out. We also tour a lot. When fans come to our shows they come wanting to hear certain songs so when you put out a new album it can be hard sometimes to get them to accept that new material. People remember the old stuff and that’s what they want to here. Frankly you never really can do that as you are always doing new material so there is going to be something different about them. That’s actually the desired thing as I don’t want to just keep re-writing or rearranging old songs and passing them off as something new. We were putting out an album every two years but it got to where our fans weren’t really accepting those new songs until about 2 years later just as we were about to put out another new album. It got to the point where new albums were almost pissing off our fans so putting out an album every two years got to be where it wasn’t working very well for us. I also find it really frustrating when you put out an album and then you don’t have enough time to go out and play it live as not only do you have to play all the old stuff people know but you only have time to throw in 2 or 3 new tracks. That’s just the nature of the beast not only for us but for a lot of bands.

AL: With a career spanning almost 30 years now what do you feel has been the bands biggest change?
JH: For me the biggest change was the musical direction. This was something that happened early on. We started out as an authentic rockabilly band that played original songs. We were a little more 50’s sounding in the early goings. As time went on we got a little bit more turned up and aggressive. I think in the early 90’s when we decided to take that more turned up approach is what I think helped define our sound. With that said however we still have our rockabilly songs on every album along with some country songs. Sometimes things aren’t planned they just happen. I write songs not albums. I will write one song then a bunch more songs which all end up on an album. That’s just how I work and those things end up being something I never really thought of. I did an album titled “Spend a Night in the Box” which is a little more bluesy and with our last album “Laughin’ and Cryin’ with the Reverend Horton Heat” things lean towards a country sound. Initially that album was going to be a straight country album rather than one that sort of leans towards that style.

AL: Thinking back a ways can you tell us about the bands appearance on “The Drew Carey Show” and how that opportunity came about?
JH: Working with those guys was really fun. Between Drew Carey, Ryan Styles and Diedrich Bader those guys are really funny. The people who worked around them and with them on the show were just hilarious. Just about all of them are stand-up comics. What was funny about that show was that they could barely get it done. It was an ultra-professional set up but then you had these guys all cracking jokes between takes. It made it hard to get everything done. (Laughs) I think how we ended up on the show was that Drew Carey is a big music fan. Drew and his manager took a cross country drive at one point and one of the cd’s they had was “It’s Martini Time”. They liked it and asked us to be on an HBO special called “Mr.Vegas All-Night Party”. We were on there with Wayne Newton, David Cassidy and a bunch of other great musicians and players. From there they asked us to be on the episode. I got to have a couple lines which was really fun.

AL: What other plans do you and the band have for 2014?
JH: We will be doing some more videos for a couple other songs off the new album. We have one out now for the song “Let Me Teach You How to Eat” and we are knocking around ideas for the others. We will be out on the road playing gigs throughout the year as well. We are also going to be a part of some really cool festivals. We always do festivals but we will be on some really high profile ones this year. We are going to be doing Coachella and Punk Rock Bowling so it’s going to be a fun year. I also have my own festival which I put on with my friend Oliver Peck. We are looking to do this year’s in June on the weekend of Friday the 13^th. It’s called “The Elm St. Music and Tattoo Festival”. This will be our second year of putting this on and I am pretty excited for it as I think it is something that will continue to grow and be pretty cool.

Top Tipper Will Receive The Shirt Off His Back, Handwritten Lyrics For A Song  Of Their Choice From His Catalogue, Alongside Multiple Other Items

Los Angeles, CA — Chiodos singer Craig Owens will be appearing live, on-line via the Stage It platform on Tuesday, January 14 at 8:00 P.M. Eastern / 5:00 P.M. Pacific. Virtual tickets are priced at $5.00, and can be purchased here: http://www.stageit.com/craig_owens/craig_owens_live_online/32645.

Owens has come up with an interesting incentive for “tippers,” offering a “With Love” CD, Wristband, and an mp3 of “Rebel Girl” for the Top 100; a “With Love” CD, Wristband, and a free download of “Rebel Girl,” plus a handwritten lyric sheet for a song of their choice from his catalogue for the Top 25; and the top tipper will receive all of the above plus the shirt off his back.

Owens shares, “In anticipation of the upcoming Chiodos record, I’ve been spending a lot of time at home gearing up, playing my guitar, and getting my voice ready for the chaos that’s about to begin. I love playing acoustic songs for fans, and I am a big fan of Stage It. I like what it represents, and does for both the artists and the fans in enabling this direct contact in an intimate show setting without having to leave your home. So, I thought that for the first few months of 2014, I would do a Stage It show once a month for fans, and for myself. I’m really excited to play some different versions of original songs, and pull out some covers I work on in my private time.”

Band Celebrating New Release By Sending the Famous Grill ‘Em All Truck Around Los Angeles Today Giving Out Free Burgers: “The Fat Girl” and “Eatin’ Ain’t Cheatin’ Cheeseburger”

Pre-order All You Can Eat online January 14th

(January 13th, 2014 – New York, NY) The Sunset Strip’s hottest export, Steel Panther, is back and ready to unleash their third full-length album, All You Can Eat, on the world. The 12-track masterpiece is slated to hit stands April 1st in the United States on Open E Records via Kobalt Label Services (KLS). The album will be available for pre-order on January 14th at http://www.steelpantherrocks.com. From the opening acoustic riff of album opener “Pussywhipped” to final chord hit in the album closer “She’s On The Rag,” it is clear Steel Panther is back and better than ever. Songs like “Gloryhole,” “Gangbang At The Old Folks Home” and “BVS” all showcase Steel Panther’s incredible musicianship and ability to write memorable and sometimes educational songs. The band, comprised of Michael Starr on vocals, Satchel on guitar, Lexxi Foxx on bass and Stix Zadinia on drums, have made a name for themselves as one of the most entertaining acts out today. The debut single “Party Like Tomorrow Is The End Of The World,” was released in November with a star-studded video directed by Rob Riggle that has been viewed over 660,000 times. The explicit video for the song can be seen at http://smarturl.it/sppartyvd. Longtime Steel Panther producer Jay Ruston produced All You Can Eat.

The track listing for All You Can Eat is:

1. Pussywhipped
2. Party Like Tomorrow Is The End Of The World
3. Gloryhole
4. Bukkake Tears
5. Gangbang At The Old Folks Home
6. Ten Strikes You’re Out
7. The Burden Of Being Wonderful
8. F@#king My Heart In The Ass
9. BVS
10. You’re Beautiful When You Don’t Talk
11. If I Was The King
12. She’s On The Rag

Steel Panther has also partnered up with acclaimed LA food truck Grill ‘Em All for a promotion to coincide with the announcement of the release date of All You Can Eat. Grill ‘Em All was the winner of the first season of the Great American Food Truck on the Food Network and is known for their heavy metal themed burgers. The band unveiled the album cover of All You Can Eat on the Grill ‘Em All truck and the truck will roam around Los Angeles giving away “The Fat Girl” and the “Eatin’ Ain’t Cheatin’ Cheeseburger” for free to all Steel Panther fans in Los Angeles. Here is the schedule for the locations of Grill ‘Em All today:

11:00AM – 12:00PM – Origami (1816 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026)
1:00PM – 2:00PM – High Fidelity (1956 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027)
3:00PM – 4:00PM – The Record Parlour (6408 Selma Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028)
5:30PM – 7:00PM – The Rainbow (9015 Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069)

Steel Panther was, for a long time, rock’s best-kept secret: a cult legend on the LA scene. But in recent years due to the success of their albums (both debuted at #1 on the Billboard Comedy Album Charts), and live shows, the band has enjoyed huge acclaim from fans and peers alike. Steel Panther has been joined on stage by rock and roll icons such as Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Paul Stanley of KISS, Corey Taylor of Slipknot, Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park and Green Day to name a few. Steel Panther has also been seen on Dancing With The Stars, Bad Girl’s Club and most recently in a national web campaign for Warner Brothers Pictures hit film, Rock Of Ages.

Michael Orlando is the founder and lead singer of band The Killing Lights, which was formerly Vampires Everywhere! Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Michael to talk about the band’s new name and their upcoming 2014 tour.

Adam Lawton: Can you explain the name change from Vampires Everywhere! to “The Killing Lights?
Michael Orlando: I felt it was time to move on. VE was my brainchild for over 4 years and through it i got to meet so many amazing fans & people. However, over the last 4 years I have grown as an artist and as a person. I am definitely not the same person I was 4 years ago haha. I’m definitely more positive and I feel my eyes are now open to the world around me. The Killing Lights brings a measure of closure to both the person I was & the horrid events I went through. TKL represents the new me and my new hopes and dreams.

MG: Do you feel fans of the band will be confused at all by the change?
MO: At first this was my greatest concern! I had many anxiety attacks about the name change and leaving a project I had built from the ground up! However, my fans are amazing and have embraced the change with open arms! I have recently changed back to my birth name Michael Orlando as well. Fans really seem to respect the fact that I did this name change & I love them for it! I am sure things will continue to be a bit confusing but over time everyone will eventually catch on! I have to stay true to myself and what I believe in.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands new line up?
MO: The Killing Lights consists of myself on vocals, DJ Black on Guitar, Frankie Sil on Bass, & Joshua Ingram on Drums. I am beyond happy to be surrounded by talented determined individuals that can see the big picture. We have been working hard to make sure everything is true to our heart and Rock n’ Roll!

AL: Can we expect any other stylistic/musical changes with the band?
MO: With VE we were overly theatrical and prided ourselves on making a statement. TKL is way different both musically and stylistically! We are basically being ourselves. We don’t go out of our way to be “Rock n’ Roll” we just bring ourselves as we look everyday. Whether that’s a bit of the 90’s or a bit of the 80’s it is who we are and what we represent. You can expect rock n’ roll music from rock n’ roll people.

AL: What does the band have currently scheduled for 2014?
MO: There is so much going on with TKL! As of now we are gearing up for our first UK Tour in February! I am so excited to finally meet my UK fans and show them the new band. We also plan on releasing a music video and a couple of singles. There is so much in the works and I couldn’t be more happy about whats going on!

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Mathew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs
“Under the Covers Vol. 3”
Shout Factory
Produced by: Mathew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs
Tracks: 14

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Singer song writers Mathew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs are back with their 3rd installment of cover albums titled “Under The Covers Vol.3”. Like their previous two compilations which covered songs from the 60’s and 70’s the latest in the trilogy tackles the widely popular 1980’s. Produced by both Sweet and Hoffs the album is being released via Shout Factory and feature 14 tracks ranging from the obscure to the more popular of 80’s tracks.

When you hear the name Mathew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs it’s hard not to envision the sounds of Sweet’s classic album “Girlfriend” and the countless hits Hoff has sang/played on with her former group The Bangles. Though the two are quite different it’s easy to assume they wouldn’t mix very well however the result is the exact opposite. Since the duo’s first covers album “Under the Covers Vol. 1” in 2006 the two have been steadily releasing more work together. The latest “Under the Covers Vol.3” brings the listener back to the age of stone washed denim, hyper color t-shirts and teased hair. Though Sweet and Hoff chose to cover a few more obscure tracks like R.E.M.’s “Sitting Still” and “The Bulrush” by The Bongos each track is given a fresh spin featuring bubbling pop type arrangements making the album one of those that you can throw on and kick back to while looking through your old year book.

My favorite of the 14 tracks were the renditions of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin” and the always enjoyable Go-Go’s tune “Our Lips Our Sealed”. Even though both of those tracks have had their fair share of reworking by other artists these two renditions were packed with plenty of appeal. My biggest complaint about this album was again that some of the songs were a bit obscure for my liking however I certainly cannot fault the performers for wanting to do something different from an era over flowing with tons of great music.

Track Listing:
1.) Sitting Still
2.) Girls Talk
3.) Big Brown Eyes
4.) Kid
5.) Free Fallin’
6.) Save It For Later
7.) They Don’t Know
8.) The Bulrushes
9.) Our Lips Are Sealed
10.) How Soon Is Now
11.) More Than This
12.) Towers of London
13.) Killing Moon
14.) Trouble

Big Head Todd & The Monsters
“Black Beehive”
Shout Factory
Producer: Steve Jordan
Tracks: 11

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

With 25 years in the music business under their belts the members of Big Head Todd and the Monsters have no plans of slowing down. The group’s newest album titled “Black Beehive” hits the shelves a quarter century after the group’s 1989 debut album “Another Mayberry”. Featuring 11 brand new tracks produced by Grammy Award-winning multi-instrumentalist Steve Jordan (John Mayer, Keith Richards) “Black Beehive” see the band strengthening their roots while moving forward at the same time.

Filled with classic blues based instrumentation that blends several other genres such as country, rock and folk music “Black Beehive” is a melting pot of styles and sounds which will appeal to a variety of listeners both young and old. From the down home thump of “Hey Delila” to the dark and gritty rumblings of “We Won’t Go Back” the band covers a lot of musical territory while remaining true to their signature sound. The album features several guest performers including guitarist Ronnie Baker Brooks, Long time Howlin’ Wolf band member Eddie Shaw on Saxophone and harmonica along with producer Steve Jordan who all add the proverbial icing on the cake making the almost 3 year gap between this album and the bands previous release “100 Years of Robert Johnson” worth the wait as both acoustic and electric instrumentation coupled with Todd Mohr’s stylistic vocals make this a must have for any BHT fan.

Track Listing:
1.) Hey Delila
2.) Everything About You
3.) Seven State Lines
4.) Josephina
5.) Black Beehive
6.) We Won’t Go Back
7.) Fear, Greed and Ignorance
8.) Hubert’s Dream
9.) I Get Smooth
10.) Travelin’ Light
11.) Forever Bonnie

Season 10 “American Idol” contest James Durbin recently announced that  he will be embarking on an a month and a half long  acoustic tour to promote his new single “Parachute”. The song which is off Durbin’s upcoming release “Celebrate” due out April 8th shows us a different side James and Media Mikes had the chance recently to talk with James about that change, the upcoming tour and what he has planned for 2014.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell about your new single “Parachute”?
James Durbin: “Parachute” as a song is really accessible and catchy. There are a lot of hooks and spots where you can sing along. I get to have a lot of fun with it and just goof off. I think this song really shows my personality and it shows the changes I have made in my attitude over the last couple of years.

AL: What do you personally feel is the biggest change from your previous work to what is going to be released in the coming months?
JD: The first record was done in two and a half weeks. We did 14 or 15 songs in that time along with photo shoots and everything else that goes along with putting an album out. The first album was thrown together really quick. The new record “Celebrate” I have had a year and a half to two years to work on. In between touring and everything I have been able to get a lot of perspective and time to think. I have gotten to play my cards a little more wisely. I can look at things a little bit more before I do them now and I didn’t have that option the first time around. On the new record I got to co-write 10 of the 11 tracks. There is definitely more me on this record. It’s a lot more personal.

AL: “Celebrate” comes out April 8^th. Can you tell us where everything is at in the process right now and a little bit about the pre-order packages that available on your website www.durbinrock.com?
JD: The record has been mixed and mastered so the music is all done. What we are working on now is the liner note and credits. We are also working on a video for one of the songs. We are getting all of the inner working pieces together. The stressful stuff is all done. As for the pre-order packs there are a couple different options. You can get everything from signed cd’s to hooded sweatshirts and bracelets. I also am doing a great partnership with the National Tourette Syndrome Association where $5 from every pre-order goes directly to that foundation. With those pre-orders you get an exclusive shirt that won’t be sold anywhere else along with a signed cd.

AL: Can you tell us about your upcoming tour that was announced recently?
JD: I am really looking forward to playing and getting out there. This tour is an acoustic tour which will feature me on guitar my bass player Justin and my buddy Jeremy. It’s going to be just the three of us jamming and playing the songs the way they were written. It’s going to be a very relaxed, intimate setting. We have been rehearsing lately and adding some interesting spins to a few of the songs. It’s fun to be able to get up there and just do what feels good. We are planning to do about an hour and twenty minute long set. With this tour I want people to be able to hear these songs the way they came out of my hand and the way in which they were originally written. I think this is a great way for people to understand the material.

AL: How do you feel you will be received this time around without the immediate push from “American Idol” and a three year gap between your previous album and your new one?
JD: I am excited to get out there. Last time people saw me I was sort of scraggly looking. Over the past few years I have gotten to know myself again. I feel safe and comfortable in my own skin again. I am still the same guy at heart but I am much happier.

AL: Other than the album release and acoustic tour do you have any other plans for 2014 you can tell us about?
JD: I have to get out there and tour. People need to hear these songs and call up their local radio stations and request them. There is a lot of hard work that needs to be done. I would love to say that I am going to be on tour with someone like The Killers or on the other end of the spectrum Bruno Mars but I can’t say that yet. That would be amazing but we will have to wait and see. Weather I am playing to 30,000 people or 30 people those who come and see me will get the same experience.

Against Me!
“Transgender Dysphoria Blues”
Total Treble Music
Produced by: Laura Jane Grace
Tracks: 10

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Transgender Dysphoria Blues” is the 6th and latest release from punk rock veterans Against Me! Produced and written by front woman Laura Jane Grace the album features 10 brand new tracks which are a careful mixture of 90’s punk/indie rock. “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” clocks in at just under 30 minutes and is being released independently via the bands own label Total Treble Music.

For those unfamiliar with the events leading up to the release of this album do yourself a favor and find a copy of the May, 12th 2012 issue of Rolling Stone. Not only will that article catch you up to speed but it will also shed some light on the album’s title and several of the songs found on the record. If you already know singer Laura Jane Grace’s (formerly Tom Gabel) story then listening to the songs on “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” will certainly hit on a number of emotions while giving you a look into something a lot of us might not understand. The album plays as if you are listening to someone reading a diary filled with entries of struggle, confusion and sadness.

Tracks like “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” and “True Trans Soul Rebel” contain the bands signature punk driven sound while the lyrics give us a glimpse inside the tumultuous thoughts of Laura Jane pre-transformation. “Drinking with the Jocks” is an in your face tale of trying to fit in with what society deems as acceptable or “normal”. Though a good portion of the albums subject matter revolves around Laura Jane’s experiences songs such as “Osama bin Laden as the Crucified Christ” and the albums closing track, one of my favorites “Black Me Out” are filled with political references and insight that range from subtle to full on blatant.

Along with this being the first album to feature Laura Jane Grace it also is the first to feature the bands new drummer former Rocket from the Crypt drummer Atom Willard. Though the lineup and the look of the band has certainly changed since they first burst on the scene in 1997 the new version of Against Me! Is stronger than ever and “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” does a pretty good job at reaffirming that.

Track Listing:
1.) Transgender Dysphoria Blues
2.) True Trans Soul Rebel
3.) Unconditional Love
4.) Drinking with the Jocks
5.) Osama bin Laden as the Crucified Christ
6.) FUCKMYLIFE666
7.) Dead Friends
8.) Two Coffins
9.) Paralytic States
10.) Black Me Out

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Dave Khan is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the mythical Canadian metal band Scythia. The group recently released a hysterical music video for the song “Bear Claw Tavern” which has been racking up hits via YouTube.com. Media Mikes spoke with Dave recently about the formation of the band, their upcoming album titled “Into the Storm” and how the idea for their successful video came about.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background on how the band started?
Dave Kahn: The band began in 2008 with me and a guy I went to college with. It really all started out as a joke. We quickly found out after doing some shows that we had some catchy material that people liked. We decided to keep some of the fantasy elements we were using but also to become a bit more serious about doing the band. We have a good selection of rowdy tavern music and progressive metal songs because we suffer from a bit of an identity crisis at times. (Laughs) We try and unite those two things with a common denominator be it a melody or something that ties the song to the band.

AL: How did you go about finding members who were interested in doing a band like this?
DK: The funny thing about that is it never happened through the usual channels like musician postings or things like that. When we did put out postings we never found anyone who was on the same page with what we wanted to do. It was more just us getting out there and doing are thing. Initially it was people from college which was a bit chaotic at times as we all came from different backgrounds. Everyone was throwing in different styles which caused a lot of pull. When someone left the group I tried to replace them with someone I knew. I would try and find people who were from outside of our group and familiar with the band. I was looking for people who didn’t look like typical metal heads.

AL: What was it that interested in the fantasy concept?
DK: I have grown up with a great love for fantasy books, movies and games. It has always been a secret side life of mine. I felt the band was the best medium for giving that side of me some attention. I wanted to get up there and creatively show off these ideas I had in my head. Within the last few years in popular culture it has become ok to be a nerd. People are now embracing fantasy stuff and making it socially acceptable and cool.

AL: Can you give us some background on the bands upcoming album?
DK: People wanting to check out the new album can stream a couple of the songs via our band camp page and on CD Baby. We don’t’ want everyone to hear the entire album just yet as we want to make sure that info about the album is out there and we want to have a solid release date. We are almost set to start taking pre-orders and currently have two singles out. “Bear Claw Tavern” and “Into the Storm” are available now.

AL: How does the creative process work for you guys/girl?
DK: I and Terry are the primary story/song writers. This album has had more collaboration than our previous ones as in the past we would write on our own and then bring things together and add in the instrumentation. This time Terry camped out at my house and we both sat in front of my pro tools rig and we did everything together. This was far more collaborative. The other two band members provided input as well but they didn’t do as much of the creative work.

AL: Tell us how the idea for the “Bear Claw Tavern” video came together?
DK: On our last release we had sort of a drinking song on there called “For the Bear”. That song got people excited especially when we were doing shows in North America. People really got in to it and I knew we needed to do something big. At the time we were shooting a video that I think we paid $250 for and after that we said that for the next video we wanted to shoot one at a tavern. The more we thought about it we realized that people who watch videos want to watch ones that are good. We knew we didn’t want to do another video like the one we had just done. I went and talked to Director Richard Olak because I knew he had an idea about fantasy. Now when I started this I never realized how much things could cost. Richard brought me up to speed on things and I explained to him that this was something we had to do. He brought up the idea of crowd sourcing and ultimately that is what we did. We raised about $2500 through Indiegogo.com. That money allowed us to get a start on things so we gave it to Richard and told him to just run with it. Just before we were set to start shooting Richard came to me and told me that the only time the tavern could give was from 12am to 12pm on a holiday. He told me that he had to basically ditch his entire story line due to the tavern only being available at that one time. That was something that I didn’t want to hear. (Laughs) Richard told me he had all the actors and crew coming and that they would figure something out on the fly. I was a bit hesitant that this was going to happen without any issues. I ended up being completely wrong as things went great! We got there and Richard told us to just rock our asses of. That’s what we did and they were able to get our stuff done in about 3 takes. We saw some of the characters on set beforehand but didn’t really have an idea what they were going to be doing. After taking a break we came back to set and everything in the place had changed. There was a little person running around with a hot dog trying to give it to a wizard! (Laughs) I knew then that the video was going to be really cool. We sat and watched the rest of the shoot which was really great. Everyone who worked on this video was really awesome.

AL: Besides the release of “Into the Storm” what other plans does the band have going in to 2014?
DK: We are in the process of booking a tour which will take us through Canada and the United States. Unfortunately it is going to keep us more towards the western half of those countries for now. We are also working on some festival in the east which will hopefully give way to some shows in Philadelphia and New York. After the release of the “Bear Claw Tavern” video we have been getting requests to go all over. We would love to make all those requests happen but in order to drive to some of these places is not always feasible as it’s quite of an investment. We are also looking to tour Europe this year as well.
For more info on Dave and his band Scythia you can check out their official website at www.scythia.ca

Zakk Wylde is a name that needs no introduction. From his legendary work with heavy metals “Prince of Darkness” Ozzy Osbourne to his signature pinch harmonic filled works with Black Label Society, Zakk’s mark on music is certainly present. Starting in February of 2014 Zakk will be hitting the snow covered roads of Canada as part of his “Evening with Zakk Wylde” tour. The shows will feature a mixture of music and readings from Zakk’s 2012 book titled ”Bringing Metal to the Children: The Complete Berzerker’s Guide to World Tour Domination”. Media Mikes had the pleasure of speaking with Zakk recently about the tour, Black Label Society’s upcoming album and about the recent departure of long time Black Label guitarist Nick Catanese.

Adam Lawton: What can we be expecting from the upcoming run of “An Evening with Zakk Wylde” shows?
Zakk Wylde: Aside from a lot of pyro, concussion bombs and the launch of the Black Label Society winter collection of men’s lingerie it’s going to be us up there jamming.(Laughs) I am going to be doing some solo stuff with the guitar and singing and then with the piano as well. Along with the music I will be doing some readings from “Bringing Metal to the Children” and doing Q and A sessions with the fans. We will be talking about everything from what gear I use to Ozzy stories to how many times a day I get prostate exams. (Laughs)

AL: Will a lot of the music resemble what we saw/heard on the recent “Unblackened” release and can you tell us about the special VIP packages that are available for the shows?
ZW: Yes, totally. I think some of the stuff we will we doing is even more stripped down than the “Unblackened” stuff. For the VIP packages again I want to make sure everyone is healthy and regular so they get the free prostate exam as well. (Laughs) There’s only 25 available for each show and along with a meet and greet fans who purchase these will also get some other cool Black Label Society goodies.

AL: The shows announced thus far are all in Canada. Will there be more happening later on in the States?
ZW: We did two short runs on the East and West coasts with this type of layout. I thought it would be cool to take it to Canada as we always have a blast when we are up there. It worked out that there was some time before the new album coming out that we could put these shows together. Everything has worked out great scheduling wise before we roll out the new album in April.

AL: You also will be out as part of the Experience Hendrix tour and as part of the Metal All Stars tour. How did you get involved with being a part of those tours?
ZW: The Hendrix thing is going to be really great. I am a fan of everyone who is playing on those shows and it’s going to be cool to see what they all bring. A lot of these guys I have never met before so it will be a cool experience that I am really looking forward to. The Metal All Star stuff is another batch of shows that are going to be really cool as well. Whenever I get invited to do these things it always ends up being a good time.

AL: With the Hendrix material being a bit different from what you’re known for have you been doing anything special to get ready for these shows?
ZW: I have done covers of people’s material as bonus tracks and such on previous albums so Black Label-izing songs is something I am familiar with. Whenever you get to cover an artist or a song you really like it’s always a good time. With the Hendrix material things will be no different. I am going to probably pick a couple more obscure songs to do as I’m sure songs like “Purple Haze” and “Voodoo Chile” will already be in the set. I’m just going to pull out some of my favorites and jam them out. I think it’s cool when you hear someone else’s take on a song. The Hendrix song that Stevie Ray Vaughn did as well as Sting’s version of “Little Wing” are both slamming.

AL: Can you give us an update on the new Black Label Society album?
ZW: We are just finishing mixing and plan to release it in April. This new album is one that it going to be back to the heavy riffs that the band is known for. I can’t believe that it’s been 4 years since our last studio album “Order of the Black”. We have been really busy since that release so time has passed quickly. For a while we were putting out an album a year which was fun as I love being in the studio just as much as I like being on stage. Some guys like one over the other but I love them both equally. They are different as when you are in the studio it’s a controlled environment and live is live. You have one shot and that’s it. With the studio you can sit back and look at things and add stuff here and there.

AL: With Nick Catanese recently leaving Black Label Society how do you feel the band dynamics will change seeing that Nick had been with the band for 15 plus years?
ZW: Nick played with me on the “Book of Shadows” tour before there was Black Label Society. We were driving 20,000 miles crammed in an Astro van playing to 10 people every night. I will always love Nick as he is a family member. When he came to me and said that his new project was something he felt he had to do I totally supported his decision. I want the guys who I play with to go on and do well. I wish him all the best. We have a couple contenders in the running for that spot right now and I am either going to have them come out with us on the Canadian run or have them with us at this year’s NAMM show which we have to have a second guitar player for. The short list we have are all great players. Nick is a rock so not having him around after 17 years of being together will be different. The thing about Black Label is that everyone who has been involved with the band has been unique and brought their own thing to the group. Once this new guy is in they are in till they decide to leave. If Nick wanted to come back and do a run with us some time our doors are always open. That’s just how things are with this band. We are all buddies.

AL: Being an artist who is always releasing new signature music gear do you have anything planned for release at this year’s NAMM show?
ZW: As far as the signature stuff goes I have the new Gibson Moderne of Doom that was released recently. With that I took an old classic and updated it. This guitar now has more of a Les Paul type neck which comes with an ebony fret board. This is one of those guitars that is so ugly it’s awesome! That’s why I love it.

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Stu Block is the lead singer of the heavy metal band Iced Earth. The group is set to release their 11th studio album via Century Media titled “Plagues of Babylon” in January and will be hitting the roads here in the States starting in April. Media Mikes had the chance recently to speak with Stu about the creation of the new album, its guest performers and how it fits in to the “Something Wicked” saga, An ongoing story spanning the groups last few albums.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some info on the new album?
Stu Block: This album is a pretty dark and heavy album. The first half has sort of a concept that follows a zombie apocalypse type story while the other half of the album features more standalone songs. It kind of reminds me of an old Rush record where you get half concept and half standalone material. There is something for everybody on this record and it takes the listener on an emotional rollercoaster. We are really proud of this record.

AL: Where does the concept portion of the new record fit in with the “Something Wicked” saga?
SB: That really is those first six songs. You can take any period in time or history and apply it to the “Something Wicked” universe. This is something people can really read in to and we are very aware of that.

AL: Did the 3 year gap between this album and the previous affect the creative process at all?
SB: No not at all. Our creative process has always been the same. Jon and I have good creativity together and we both had input towards the record. Jon keeps his big toe on this type of thing because there is a standard for Iced Earth records and he is the man with the vision. Both this album and the previous one are really great heavy metal albums that were very proud of.

AL: Can you tell us about some of the guest appearances on the album?
SB: The song “Highwayman” was an awesome thing to do and it was really a lot of fun. We were able to do that song with some of our best friends. Russell Allen is a vocalist who I have looked up to for many years and we became friends through touring together so that brotherhood was something that was already in place. We also had Michael Poulsen of Volbeat who we just finished a tour with and have all become friends with. This song was sort of a brain child of Jon’s and it’s been a song he has been mentioning wanting to cover for a few years now. Everything worked to where we could finally get it done and it turned out great. I think this song shows the uniqueness of everyone’s voice. We also had Hansi Kursch from the band Blind Guardian and Demons and Wizards sing on a track as well. He and Jon have been friends for a really long time and for me it was an honor to get to sing along side of him. Hansi is a really great guy to be around.

AL: The album is going to be released in a number of different formats. Can you tell us a little bit about those?
SB: I know the album has been mastered in a couple different formats. One of those will be a vinyl format with no compression. I can’t wait to hear that version as I hear it sounds amazing. These different mixes are something that people will really enjoy. There is a mix for people who listen to their music on ear buds and there is a mix for people with high end stereos and then the vinyl format as well. There is a box set that is going to be available also which includes an hour long DVD and some other really cool things that I think fans will like.

AL: Can you tell us about the tour which was announced recently?
SB: This tour is going to be a long one. We are currently rehearsing for the tour as we speak. We start in January over in Europe and from there head to Australia and New Zealand. From there I believe we will be hitting Canada and the United States before heading down to South America. For all the dates fans can go to www.icedearth.com .

AL: You mentioned that you are rehearsing for the tour as we speak. How does the band go about selecting which songs will make it into the set list?
SB: It’s funny that you ask that because this last set was something that came out of our tour with Volbeat. Michael is such a big fan that towards the end of the tour he handed Jon a list of songs he wanted us to do on the next tour. I think the list had almost 40 songs on it. We narrowed it down to around 20 or 25 with some of them being songs we have done before and some of them we hadn’t done before. The set list for this upcoming tour kind of came from Michael. (Laughs) Generally Jon and Luke our bass player put the set lists together and if there is a song I want to do that gets throw in as well. I am excited as there is some really cool stuff we are going to be doing on this run.

Michael Angelo Batio first burst on to the music scene in the late 1980’s with his band Nitro and quickly became known for not only his playing speed but also for his use of unique guitars. In the early 1990’s Michael ventured off on a solo career which has taken him to over 50 countries around the world and also was recently named by Guitar World readers as the fastest player in the world. Media Mikes had the pleasure of speaking with Michael recently about the creation of his new album titled “Intermezzo” and the latest edition to his line of Dean MAB guitars.

Adam Lawton: What can you tell us about your new album?
Michael Angelo Batio: The album is titled “Intermezzo”. The term intermezzo is an Italian musical term which denotes a piece of music that is in between two major parts of an opera. During longer opera’s there would be an intermission and during that time there would be musical pieces that would be played titled intermezzos. Sometimes these works would become more popular than what was being played before and after. I have had an amazing career up till now and there are a lot of amazing things going on within music. I consider myself to be in that intermezzo phase with my career. That’s where everything really started. The tracks on this release are all new original material and I got some really amazing guest musicians to perform on them with me. Everyone from George Lynch and Rusty Cooley to Michael Romeo and Jeff Loomis had a part in this record. There is just so much talent on this record and I think it is the best record I have ever done. I am very happy with how it turned out. This was my first time using seven string guitars and I think this is the heaviest album I have ever done. It not as time signature intense as some of my other stuff but it is a super complicated album even though it may not sound it.

AL: How did you go about selecting who you wanted on the record and, which track they would play on?
MAB: When I was writing I wanted everything to be new. I wasn’t going to rehash old song parts or anything like that. For example on the song “8 Pillars of Steel” I put some music together in 4/4 timing and then played some very syncopated sections along with that. I then asked the owner of Dean Guitars, Elliot Rubinson to play bass as he is a phenomenal player. From there the idea was to have everyone play over the same chord progression. By doing that you are able to here different players take on the same music. That track came out great and the solos really tell a story as they progress from player to player. We did a lot of crazy things on the record. Sometimes we would go back and add things after we got peoples take and then it would go out to the rest of the guys. I just had an idea and it got bigger than life. Everyone I used on this album is not only a friend of mine but I am a fan of their work. I am sure I could have even gotten more guys but at some point you have to make a stand and say enough is enough. (Laughs)

AL: You also had fans write a couple songs for album. Can you tell us about that?
MAB: Dave Reffeit is kind of like my right hand man on this record. I had most of the songs written and they were all pretty close to being finished before we got Michael Romeo. I had told Dave one day that I didn’t have any more in me and nothing else had been recorded so I asked Dave if he could throw something together and he said yes. Dave is a young guy that is very metal and comes from a little bit different school than I do. He wrote the song “Juggernaut” and we had my engineer mix it and it came out amazing. I have a big fan base and I like engaging them so this was my way of giving back a little. I actually had another fan by the name of Maxwell Carlyle who plays in the band Hellion write a song for this record as well. This was actually the third song Maxwell has written for me. Everything worked out great and it fit well within this record.

AL: Can you tell us about the addition of a 7 string model to your line of Dean MAB guitars?
MAB: One thing a lot of people might not know about me is that I was probably one of the first guys to use a seven string guitar in rock. If you watch the Nitro video for the song “Freight Train” you can see that the top two necks on the quad neck guitar I am playing are in fact seven string necks. This was at least a year or two before Steve Vai came out with his seven string. I have always been interested in extended range instruments and pushing the limits of things. For me I have wanted to use seven string for quite some time and I was always bugging Elliot at Dean to put one out for me. Dean wasn’t known for seven string guitars so he was always hesitant to put one out. He ended up telling me that if I wrote some seven string music the company would put out a model. The whole “Intermezzo” album is seven string music. (Laughs)

AL: How involved were you in the design of this model?
MAB: I like wild shaped guitars. I have had everything from double neck guitars to rocket shaped guitars however; I am not stupid enough to think that everyone else likes what I like. The idea of a signature guitar is in fact your signature but there is a lot of money involved when starting with an idea and ending with a finished product. The companies have to be able to sell these models when it’s all said and done. I told Dean Guitars not to put my name on my models as historically models with players names on them don’t sell. We did settle on calling the series the MAB series so that it was associated with me and the first model I did for the company sold through the roof. The new seven strings follow the idea of what we did with my previous models as we wanted to keep the body shape normal and not go with a leap of faith. From there we put in components that I really and that’s how it all really developed.

AL: Can you tell us about your upcoming tour plans and how you plan to perform the new material live?
MAB: Some of the stuff from the new album I won’t be able to perform live but I have been very fortune in my career as I have multiple ways that I can go out and tour. I have the option of doing clinics, solo shows and a multi-media rock guitar tribute show that I do as well. I have been working with two different companies here in the states to put these multi-media shows on as I really enjoy going out and doing my version of other peoples music. I will be performing some of the “Intermezzo” material in a number of these performance settings and between these three options I have about 120 shows lined up this coming year.

AL: Do you have any other projects coming out that you would like to mention?
MAB: I have worked with the guitar tutorial company Metal Method over the past few years to put out a couple videos titled “Speed Kills 1, 2 and 3”. What we are looking to do is to go back and reshoot those. This series was originally shot in 2004/2005 which wasn’t really a long time ago but in the video production world these are ancient. The playing on these was still there but they weren’t shot in high definition or anything. We think that we can make things look a lot better by redoing the series so along with touring I am going to try and fit this work in as well. I really want to run with “Intermezzo” along with everything else.
For up to date information on Michael you can visit his official website at www.angelo.com