Theatre Review “Once: The Musical” Tour – Kansas City, MO

Once: The Musical
June 17th, 2015
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Kansas City, Mo.

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

A few years ago I was given the chance to watch the movie “Once”. I had never heard of it and I didn’t know a single thing about it. From the first song of the movie, I was hooked and within its 85 minutes, I fell in love. Now, fast forward to the present and I, once again, had no idea that there was a stage adaptation of this movie and that it was wildly popular ever since the first curtain call on Broadway. I know that a transition from film to stage is difficult, so I quelled my expectations. Luckily they were exceeded.

Just like the movie, “Once” follows a scruffy faced street musician, who works at his dad’s shop repairing household items. The repair business is a simple side project to his passion. He performs soothing toe tapping songs and soulful songs about love loss. His name? Not necessarily given. He’s simply known as Guy, but he represents so many disenfranchised musicians hoping to make it big, his story is fairly common, so his name isn’t required.

Whilst performing, he’s approached by Girl, who, for lack of a better word, is a girl. She eagerly plays piano alongside him and they quickly connect through their tune, “Falling Slowly.” He’s obviously smitten, but she isn’t as interested. She has a kid, lives with her family, and has a husband. She also notices that all his music, which comes from the heart, is linked to a girl in his past. Girl knows that Guy can still go back to that long lost love, and she doesn’t believe he should go chasing after her.

So it comes down to if they hook up or not. And obviously I’m not going to tell you because that’s part of the charm of this production. The story mainly stays intact and hovers closely to its source material. Certain aspects are changed because you don’t have the luxury of having multiple, expansive scenes. The only problem is the characters. The characters have been tweaked a bit to be more humorous and more relatable.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s a nagging aspect in the back of my mind because these are two characters that I remember fondly for the story that they tell. When some jokes are thrown in to help break up the tension between the two, it feels out of place. The other characters that provide comedic relief also provide some cheap laughs that don’t fit in with the musical as a whole.

But what makes “Once” truly outstanding is the cast and crew. This is a musical that requires our singers to play instruments, interact, and constantly be moving. The choreography to change sets within the confines of a stage while swinging instruments to and fro is perfect. So every bit of praise that I have goes to the people who helped bring “Once” to life. And despite my disappointment with their characters, I’m very pleased with how well they handled the material.

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Filed Under: Theatre Reviews Tagged With: city, kansas, mo, musical, review, theatre, ...

Concert Review “Abominator Tour 2015” Syracuse, NY

“Abominator Tour 2015”
Doyle, Heavy Grinder, Murder In Rue Morgue, One Last Shot, Secrets Kept
Date: Friday, May 1st 2015
Venue: The Lost Horizon, Syracuse, NY

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Former Misfits guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein brought his band of ghouls to the legendary Lost Horizon in Syracuse, NY on May 1st as part of his Abominator 2015 Tour. Along with special guest Heavy Grinder and several local acts the night proved to be a unique and up close experience that the Syracuse crowd seemed to really enjoy.

With this date being one of the last dates on the Abominator 2015 run I was a little skeptical as you never know what condition the band will be in the longer a tour goes on. The night kicked off with several local acts performing brief sets to a small number of fans who filled the venue early on in the night. The most notable of the three bands was the Auburn, NY based Murder In Rue Morgue whose sounds was a solid blend of melodic fueled metal that held my attention throughout the bands entire set. Next up was Heavy Grinder or known to some as DJ Heavygrinder. I have to start off by saying that a DJ was not something I was expecting at this type of show however from the moment the samples of Metallica, Slayer and other notable metal heavy weights starting blasting out the speakers I was quite impressed. I did feel though that the act was a little tiring after some time and may have been better suited as in between music during set changes. The cross faded samples, and beat drops did however provide a unique and fun listening experience and one that I probably wouldn’t have found on my own.

Closing out the night was the man himself Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein. In August of last year we were present for the opening night of Doyle’s first ever solo tour so this night’s performance was going to be heavily compared to that within my own mind. Right off the bat a couple things were different. Along with Doyle and vocalist Alex Story was two new additions to the group. Die Trich Thrall was filling in for Left Hand Graham on bass and Black Flag drummer Brandon Pertzborn replaced Anthony “Tiny” Biuso on the drums. The recent lineup changes only seemed to strengthen the already impressive stage performance of the band as singer Alex Story commanded the crowd’s attention while Doyle’s massive guitar sound pulverized the ear drums of everyone within the venue. The set was a great mixture of Misfits classics and songs from Doyle’s debut solo release “Abominator”. For me the highlights of the set were definitely “Skulls”, “Valley of Shadows” and “Last Caress” though all of the songs were worth mentioning.

As compared to the bands first show together back in August that I previously mentioned, this night’s show was miles ahead. The addition of Pertzborn on drums seems to be the final piece the band needed to take things to the next level both from a performance and musical stand point. Time on the road has also proved to have benefited the group as all the members appeared to key off one another which made the performance seem very cohesive and natural. Even though this leg of the Abominator tour has now come to an end I am sure it won’t be the last we see or hear from Doyle and company.

Doyle Set List:
Abominator
Learn to Bleed
Hybrid Moments
Where Eagles Dare
Land of the Dead
Skulls
Valley of Shadows
Headhunter
Mark of the Beast
Love Like Murder
Last Caress
Die Die My Darling
Hope Hell is Warm

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Concert Review “Juggernaut Tour 2015” Rochester, NY

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

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Filed Under: Concert Reviews Tagged With: 2015, concert, juggernaut, ny, review, rochester, ...

Dave Coulier talks reflects on his role in “Full House” and his stand-up comedy tour

Dave Coulier is know best for his role as Joey Gladstone on “Full House”. What you may not know is that before “Full House”, Dave started out as a stand-up comedian. Well, he is returning to those roots this year with a comedy tour and is hitting the road with dates all around the country. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Dave about his tour, reflect a bit on “Full House” and even chat about his voice acting roles on “The Real Ghostbusters”. Check out his tour dates, here.

Mike Gencarelli: This year is a big year for you as you tour the comedy circuit from January through October; what can we expect that these shows?
Dave Coulier: I started doing stand up many years before “Full House” and I really wanted to get back to my roots. I love performing live. I have been lucky because people have really been packing these venues. I sold out shows in Cleveland and Cincinnati in the last month. I think a lot of people know me from “Full House” but not as a stand-up comedian. So it has taken a couple of years to remind people that this is what I started doing. But I have a really funny show. I talk about “Full House” a bit but you will also get to see what I do when you are not watching me on “Full House” re-runs. So it is fun!

MG: What would you say is one of the hardest parts of doing stand-ups?
DC:I think the most challenging part for me personally is the travel. The writing is a constant challenge for sure and the actual performing on stage is a real blast and I love it. I also really enjoy getting to meet my fans afterwards during the meet and greets. Like I said though, the hard part is being away from my wife and my family. You are living out of a suitcase in a hotel, so that is certainty tough. The performing, I have been doing that for 35 years, so that part is just a lot of fun.

MG: Since you are touring throughout the year, what do you do to make sure your material does get old for you personally each night?
DC:It is a constant process of weeding out material that doesn’t work and filling it with stronger, fresher and better stuff. That is the process night after night. This set that I am working with now is about an hour and fifteen minutes with material which will also be included in a stand-up special that we are going to be shooting soon. It is going to be called “Glorified Birthday Clown”.

MG: I know a few years ago you did a “Clean Guys of Comedy Tour”; is your current tour family friendly or adults only?
DC:I have always worked pretty clean. If you look at the landscape of comedy today, there is a wide specter of guys like myself, Jim Gaffigan, Brian Regan, Jerry Seinfeld and we are all clean. Then there is the other side of the spectrum where the comedians are using F-bombs and being very edgy and there is a lot of different flavors in between that. For me, I just never worked any different. My goal early in my career was to get on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson, which was clean. So, I got to make my first appearance on “The Tonight Show” when I as 24 years old and since then, I never really changed my style. So if you come out to one of my shows, you will not be offended. We have all types of people ranging from teenagers to grandparents.

MG: When you played Joey Gladstone on “Full House”; did you ever imagine that this show would still be so popular and people would still be saying taglines like “Cut. It. Out!”, after all these years?
DC:I think we are all really proud of the work we did and that it has had such longevity. It has also become very multi-generational. We have never been off the air since 1987. We have been syndicated in over 100 countries around the world. I think it owes to the fact that it is good family entertainment. You get some good values when you watch an episode of “Full House” and they don’t produce shows like that anymore. We are all also still friends as well, in fact just prior to us speaking now, I was on the telephone with John Stamos. We are closer than ever and I really love the friendships that have developed from working on this show.

MG: Lastly before “Full House”, you have also done tons of great voice work including voicing Dr. Peter Venkman on “The Real Ghostbusters”; what was it like working on a show like that?
DC:It was an great show to work on. It was such an iconic movie and to be able to play a part that Bill Murray played was a real treat for me because I am a real fan of his. It still has a fan base as well. In fact, at one of my stand-up shows recently and a fan had brought actual animation cells from the show to have me sign. So that was really cool that people are still enjoying it also. So for me the coolest part was just to have been involved.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: comedy, coulier, current, dave, full, house, ...

Concert Review: “Redeemer of Souls Tour” with Judas Priest & Steel Panther @ Main Street Armory, Rochester, NY

“Redeemer of Souls Tour”
Judas Priest, Steel Panther
Wednesday, October 1st 2014
Main Street Armory, Rochester, NY

Our score: 4 out of 5 stars

After a 2 year hiatus from the music scene the metal gods themselves Judas Priest are back on the road supporting their latest album release titled “Redeemer of Souls”. The tour kicked off on October 1st in Rochester, NY before a near capacity crowd and though opening night didn’t go as smoothly everyone was hoping for both Priest and opening act Steel Panther were at the top of their games.

As the doors to the vast Main Street Armory opened fans quickly flooded the venue in anticipation of the evening’s events. As the evenings advertised 7:30 start time rolled around and quickly turned in to 7:45, 8:00, 8:15 etc. It wouldn’t be till almost 8:40 that opening act Steel Panther would take the stage. The band which has been taking a lot of heat since it was announced they would be part of the tour initially didn’t win over the Rochester crowd as they took the stage to a sea of boo’s. It was unclear if the late start was the fault of the bands or of the promoter however despite the unpleasant welcome the band shrugged it off and blasted through an 11 song set which touched on each of the bands 4 releases. Vocalist Michael Starr handled his vocal duties like a true veteran and in between songs attempted to regain the crowds trust through the bands normal joking and goofing on one another.  This seemed to work as the band left the stage to cheers and applause the total opposite of how the night began.

After a few minutes a large Judas Priest banner dropped from the rafters signaling that the wait was almost over. After a brief intro the arena was filled with smoke and lights as Rob Halford and company ripped into the song “Dragonaut” which is also the first track off the band newest album. Halford seemed a little unsteady at first and was using a cane however by the end of the first number it appeared as though it was just a prop as he lurked back and forth with ease the rest of the night. The band played a variety of songs from their vast catalog such as “Victim of Changes”, ‘Turbo Lover” and “Love Bites” which hasn’t been in the set since 1986. The band’s sound was tight and well rehearsed with Rob’s signature scream being in top form. The newest member of the band guitarist Richie Faulkner seemed even more comfortable and certainly did his part to elevate the night’s excitement. Before calling it a night the band treated the audience to two encores which were both greeted with deafening roars and devil horns thrown high into the air.

When the night was finally over and the venue was silent it was easy to say that despite a few small setbacks the tours opening night was a success.  Both Priest fans new and old were given everything both bands had and then some as it was a great night of music. If the tour is coming to your area make sure to get your tickets as soon as you can as there are very few bands out there right now who can rival the power and fury of the one and only Judas Priest.

Steel Panther  Set List:
1.) Pussy Whipped
2.) Party Like Tomorrow Is the End of the World
3.) Asian Hooker
4.) Just Like Tiger Woods
5.) Gold Digging Whore
6.) Girl From Oklahoma
7.) Community Property
8.) Eyes of the Panther
9.) 17 Girls in a Row
10.) Death to All but Metal
11.) Party All Day (Fuck All Night)

Judas Priest Set List:
1.) Battle Cry Intro
2.) Dragonaut
3.) Metal Gods
4.) Devil’s Child
5.) Victim of Changes
6.) Halls of Valhalla
7.) Loves Bites
8.) March of the Damned
9.) Turbo Lover
10.) Redeemer of Souls
11.) Beyond the Realms of Death
12.) Jawbreaker
13.) Breaking the Law
14.) Hell Bent for Leather

Encore:
15.) You’ve Got Another Thing Coming
Encore 2
16.) Living After Midnight
17.) Defenders of the Faith

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Concert Review: The Gaslight Anthem “Get Hurt Fall Tour” Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY

“Get Hurt Fall Tour”
The Gaslight Anthem, Against Me! Twopointeight
Date: Wednesday, September 17th 2014
Venue: Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

The Gaslight Anthem brought their unique brand of rock to the intimate Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY on September 17th where they performed to a sold out crowd. The New Jersey based band is currently out on the road in support of their new album titled “Get Hurt”. Also on the bill for the evening was Against Me! and Twopointeight. The night much like the venue was packed full of great music that electrified the audience from the very start.

As the venue quickly neared capacity for the nights sold out show the band Twopointeight promptly took the stage. Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden the 4 piece band played a mixture of punk infused rock that was two parts Bruce Springsteen and two parts Joe Strummer. Vocalist/guitarist Fredrik Georg Eriksson commanded the audience’s attention while he and his group blasted through a fast paced 20 minute set. Next up was Against Me! who continue their relentless line of touring in support of the groups “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” album. Though the bands set was only 45 minutes Laura Jane and the boys packed as much goodness as they could into that time frame. The set was a perfect mixture of new and old with the biggest applauses coming during songs like “I Was a Teenage Anarchist”, “Thrash Unreal” and “True Trans Soul Rebel”. Despite being on the road since January the group still sounded strong and appeared full of energy which the crowd seemed to really enjoy.

The Gaslight Anthem would take the stage to close out the night with an ambitious 2 hr set packed full of TGA classics along with tracks off the group’s newest album “Get Hurt” which was released in August. In between songs front man Brian Fallon playfully interacted with the capacity crowd which acted as the icing on cake. Set highlights included the upbeat “45”, “Helter Skeleton” and “Blue Dahlia”. The band closed out the night with a 4 song encore that included some of the group’s most popular tracks however noticeably missing was the bands cover of The Who classic “Baba O’Riley” which the band has been using recently to end the night. The band will be out on the road both in the States and in Europe through November so if you haven’t already made plans to catch one of the shows I strongly urge you to do so as you won’t want to miss out on a great night of music.

Against Me! Set List:
1.) Pints of Guinness Will Make You Strong
2.) Unconditional Love
3.) New Wave
4.) Walking is Still Honest
5.) Cliché Guevara
6.) FuckMyLife666
7.) Don’t Lose Touch
8.) I Was a Teenage Anarchist
9.) How Low
10.) Transgender Dysphoria Blues
11.) Thrash Unreal
12.) Black Me Out
13.) Paralytic States
14.) True Trans Soul Rebel

The Gaslight Anthem Set List:
1.) Stay Vicious
2.) Biloxi Parish
3.) 1,000 Years
4.) 45
5.) We Came to Dance
6.) Helter Skeleton
7.) Old Haunts
8.) Have Mercy
9.) Rollin’ and Tumblin’
10.) High Lonesome
11.) Underneath the Ground
12.) Howl
13.) Red Violins
14.) Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
15.) Blue Dahlia
16.) Get Hurt
17.) Great Expectations
18.) Mae
19.) Dark Places
Encore:
20.) 1930
21.) Handwritten
22.) Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts
23.) The ’59 Sound

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Concert Review: Blake Shelton “Ten Times Crazier Tour 2014”

Blake Shelton with The Band Perry, Dan + Shay & Neal McCoy
“Ten Times Crazier Tour 2014”
Amway Center
Orlando, FL
August 30th, 2014

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Blake Shelton is no question one of the best thing that country music has going for it in recent years. His music is fun, careless and if you don’t like it you can kiss my country music loving ass. The “Ten Times Crazier Tour 2014” is not your regular concert. It features Blake Shelton along with The Band Perry, Dan + Shay & Neal McCoy (who not plays once but three times).  This is a real party. The event started at 6:45pm and went all the way to just past 11pm. Now if you ask me that is one hell of a concert and these fans are really getting their money worth.

The night kicked off with Neal McCoy, who only took stage for 15 minutes and sang some fun cover songs…but don’t worry we didn’t see the last of him and his band. Next up was Dan + Shay, who I did not get to see due to being backstage  meeting up with Blake Shelton! That’s right baby meet and greet! He is one cool (and tall) dude! What I did hear though, there were really stealing the crowd and getting them warmed up. Neal McCoy came out again after that for another 15 minutes before The Band Perry really stole the show.

I have never seen The Band Perry live and not really a huge mega fan. I know (and like) a bunch of their songs but not really a number #1. Well after this performance, I am now a number #1 fan! The Band Perry took the stage and literally tore the roof off the Amway Center. Kimberly Perry is such an amazing performer and has such presence. She is also quite theatrical and dramatic, which really adds to the performance. Of course they song their classics like If I Die Young and Chainsaw, which really drove the crowd into an all out singing fest.

After The Band Perry, Mr. McCoy took the stage once more again singing some amazing classics and keeping the crowd ready when the stage was being set for the main attraction, Blake Shelton. Having met the man, a mere minutes before, it was surreal when he hit the stage and he was belting out his hits literally six rows from my seat (thanks to his management team for the outstanding seats BTW).  What I love about Shelton is that it just seems so effortless for him and yet at the same time, the guy seems like an average Joe who at points honestly seems nervous. He is just a great performer and keeps his audiences attention from the moment he comes. He is funny and also a great storyteller.

The top selling/Grammy winning country singing artist played his hits like “Kiss My Country Ass”,  “Mine Would Be You”, “Some Beach”, “Hillbilly Bone”, “Sure Be Cool If You Did” and “My Eyes”. Also in one of the coolest things that I have ever been a part of, Blake actually recorded the video to his latest single “Neon Light”, which is set to be released on his new album “Bringing Back the Sunshine”, due out September 30th. It was a blast to get to be a part of such an amazing event.

As the night grew later, Shelton went all Acoustic on us and came up to the front of the stage solo only with a guitar and really poured his out with tracks like “Austin”, “Drink On It” and one of my favorites, “Home”, which is of course a Michael Bublé cover. But the mood didn’t end on a quite not as he closed out the night with his biggest hits “Honey Bee” and “Boys ‘Round Here” and brought in the night with fireworks. I do not think that there was one person not singing or screaming those lyrics.

This was no question of the most fun that I have had at a concert in recent years. When I left the Amway Center, my cheeks were killing me and mine and my wife’s voices were shot due to singing for hours straight. I hope Blake and his team realized that Florida has its share of country fans and knows how to tear it up with the best of them! Till next time Mr. Shelton! Thanks for a great night, you sure know how to throw a great party!

The Band Perry Setlist:
Done
Night Gone Wasted
You Lie
All Your Life
I’m a Keeper
Timber (Pitbull feat. Ke$ha cover)
Chainsaw
Fat Bottomed Girls (Queen cover)
Don’t Let Me Be Lonely
If I Die Young
Better Dig Two

Blake Shelton Setlist:
All About Tonight
The More I Drink
She Wouldn’t Be Gone
Doin’ What She Likes
Kiss My Country Ass
Mine Would Be You
Nobody But Me
Some Beach
Ol’ Red (George Jones cover)
Who Are You When I’m Not Looking
Hillbilly Bone
Sure Be Cool If You Did
Neon Light
My Eyes
Over You
(Acoustic)
Austin
(Acoustic)
Drink On It
Home (Michael Bublé cover)
Honey Bee
Boys ‘Round Here
Encore:
Footloose (Kenny Loggins cover)
God Gave Me You

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Filed Under: Concert Reviews Tagged With: 2014, blake, concert, crazier, review, shelton, ...

Concert Review: Doyle “Annihilate America Tour 2014”

“Annihilate America Tour 2014”
Doyle, Ashylus, The Isotopes
Date: Friday, August 15th 2014
Venue: Montage Music Hall, Rochester, NY

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Former Misfits guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein kicked off his “Annihilate America Tour” at the intimate Montage Music Hall in Rochester, NY on August 15th and despite several last minute set backs which included being stranded in New Jersey the night before and the band’s drummer quitting several days prior the band simply named “Doyle” proved that nothing was going to stop them from hitting the road in support of their debut release “Abominator” and pulverizing the masses.

Tension was certainly in the air for the tours opening night as band and crew members scurried about the venue after a late arrival due to Doyle and company experiencing last minute transportation issues. Combine that with the group’s drummer Dr. Chud leaving the band only a few short days before and any lesser band would have called it quits even before starting. Thankfully that wasn’t the case. Kicking off the night was Rochester’s own The Isotopes. The 4 piece instrumental act took to the stage donning horn rimmed glasses, green ties and pocket protectors flanked by an impressive light show complete with two lovely go-go dancers. Equally impressive to the bands stage show was their tight sound which seemed to mix 60’s surf music with Iron Maiden like solos and pure punk rock energy.

Though the crowd was still filing in through the venue doors it did little to sway the bands presentation. Up next was the direct support act for the tour Ashylus Hailing from the Pacific Northwest the 5 piece metal-core band quickly elevated the rooms growing excitement as they blasted through songs of their album “Leave Your Mark” which was released earlier this year. After the bands powerful 30 minute set headliners Doyle would take the stage to close out the night. The band consisting of Cancerslug vocalist Alex Story, Bassist Left Hand Graham, Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein and the bands newest member drummer Anthony “Tiny” Biuso.

The band took the stage basked in a red and green glow as Doyle’s signature guitar tone blasted through the towering stack of speakers which flanked both sides of the stage. Before you could blink the band launched in to “Abominator” the title track off the group’s debut album. Doyle pummeled is guitar repeatedly as singer Alex Story belted out lyrics with a guttural growl. The bands set was a perfect mixture of new songs like “Valley of Shadows” and “Headhunter” to Misfits classics such as “Hybrid Moment” and “Where Eagles Dare” and “Last Caress”.

Though the band still had a few kinks to work out as working in a new drummer just days before a tour requires quite a few adjustments however a few small bumps in the road didn’t stop the band from delivering a blistering set that left peoples jaws on the floor from just the sheer impact of the bands volume. Doyle and company proved that they are hell bent on domination and If the same power they brought to the tours opening night continues throughout the rest of the tour then nothing will stand in their way.

Doyle Set List
1.)   Abominator
2.)   Learn to Bleed
3.)   Valley of Shadows
4.)   Where Eagles Dare
5.)   Cemetery Sex
6.)   Headhunter
7.)   Hybrid Moment
8.)   Attitude
9.)   Love Like Murder
10.) Last Caress
11.) Die Die My Darling
12.) Hope Hell is Warm

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Filed Under: Concert Reviews Tagged With: 2014, america, annihilate, concert, doyle, review, ...

Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington & Mike Shinoda talk about new album “The Hunting Party”

Linkin Park recently released their sixth studio album titled “The Hunting Party”. The album is a departure from the groups more recent electronic-rock style albums however it is still very much Linkin Park. Media Mikes spoke recently with the groups front men Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington about the bands direction shift, the new albums unique sound and the bands upcoming tour.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us a little bit about the shift in direction the band took with the new album and how it has been received by fans thus far seeing it was your first album not to go to number 1 here in the States?
Mike Shinoda: When we were making the album, I had a handful of demos that weren’t quite as heavy as this. They were a little more electronic-driven, and there was just a day that I was looking for something to listen to and I couldn’t find what it was that I wanted. I wanted something more aggressive and energetic and I just kept finding either stuff that was modern and progressive and the only stuff I was finding that was modern and progressive tended to be a little more mellow and if it was heavier, it tended to sound more progressive. I think we all found that there was just a style that was kind of being underserved that we wanted to hear and that’s what we decided to make. As far as the reception goes it debuted at #1 in 67 countries. Friends of mine here in the U.S. said, “Hey, I heard it. Sorry that you guys didn’t get to number one on the charts” I feel like the billboard chart is for one thing. It’s for the first week album sales, and this is not really a first week album sales kind of album. It’s a statement album. It’s a live album and an album that should be taken to the stage. That’s exactly what we’re planning to do right now with the Carnivores Tour.
Chester Bennington: It’s funny because I think probably more so than any other record, maybe other than possibly “A Thousand Sons” I feel like critically the record’s been overwhelmingly positive. I have yet to read anything negative about the record on a critical level that has been written, which is pretty amazing, and so for that we’re very grateful. But at the same time, almost on a daily basis I run into Linkin Park fans and I’ll take pictures or say, “Hi,” whatever, and every single person that I’ve met since we released this record has told me that they love the record. They are super happy that it’s out like it is. I’ve heard some other guys in the band say that they feel like it is a record that really the genre needed and that they also appreciate the record that we’ve made, that it is progressive and it is something that they want to listen to. I feel like we have accomplished our goal on this album. I think not only creatively, but personally for the band, but also for a lot of our fans.

AL: Was there initially a lot of reluctance or resistance to make a harder record? Or do you feel like the rest of the band bought in pretty quickly?
MS: For me, it was a bit of a process. I felt like Chester was on board from the beginning but it was still, like, figuring out at that point what we were. Conversations were happening mid-tour last album like, what does a louder record mean? What is bringing energy to the album and what does that mean? How do we do that without it sounding throwback or derivative of heavier stuff that we grew up with. At first it fell on me to kind of find the right tone, so that I could take that to, in particular Brad and Rob, and say, “You guys, like, I know this is something that you don’t naturally gravitate towards at this point in your life, but check out these reference points.”

AL: This was your first self produced album which you chose to recorded via analog tape. Is this something that you see the band doing again?
MS: Yes. I think it’s something that we’ve been curious about for awhile but it had to be the right moment to really dive into it. I’ve had a little bit of experience with tape on previous projects, but not really cutting such large chunks of the song and large performances to tape. It’s was so nice because it forces you to slow down and really consider each performance and each recording of whoever’s playing at the time. It’s definitely something we have experience with now and we could potentially go back and use it again, if the song asks for it.
CB: I’ve been recording the drums in this way. It’s really great in that it does give the feel of the song. It’s a more live feel. For us, I think one of the things that’s always been surprising to a lot of people when they come to see us for the first time, especially my musicians’ friends. There’s raw kind of more prompt and in your face attitude about the band when you see us live. Like, even like our mellower songs; there’s an edge to them that you get in a live performance that kind of gets lost in the studio. I think that with this record we’ve captured a lot more of what we’re like live in the sound of the record and I think that’s very exciting.

AL: With there being a two year gap between your previous albums was there ever a time in the recording process that you guys were worried maybe you went too far with the new sound and that it might alienate some fans?
MS: I think since “Minutes to Midnight” we’ve kind of had this conversation. We knew that when we went into “Minutes to Midnight” that it was going to be different. We wanted it to be extremely different. We knew that it was going to be a risk to take and we could potentially alienate our entire fan base.
CB: Our goal is to make good songs and some are great song. If we accomplish our goal, it will be almost impossible to alienate everybody. Luckily for us a lot of our fans have come along for the ride on the last two records and we really did go and stretch our wings to see how far we could take these. For us going through that process of trying things and making sure that we’re creatively excited and energized helps us create music that still sounds like Linkin Park regardless of what vibe the song is. I think for people to get hung up on us not speaking to a specific sound is kind of a silly idea anyway, considering that we’ve never really been a single genre type of band. I think that going through that process is really a lot of being able to be creative on a heavy record like this. I don’t think we could have been as creative with the guitar or the drums 12 years ago because we’ve kind of gone around and tried new things and kind of alienated ourselves and some of our band.

AL: Were the guest performers on the album brought in to counter balance the bands new sound in anyway?
 MS: The addition of those guys was, in most cases, pretty late in the game. I mean, if you’re just talking about from a fan recognition standpoint, then, sure, if somebody sees the guests names on there, they kind of know what they’re getting
CB: I don’t think those who appeared on the record would have been into working with us if that was the goal. though. If we were coming at this from the idea of “Hey, let’s go work with these people and then that’ll make the record even more cool.” But that’s a weird way of looking at what we do anyway and it’s kind of the opposite of what our intention would ever be. When we do collaborations it’s coming from a holistic place. It’s got to come from a very open, spontaneous kind of grassroots way. It can’t be forced or thought of in a boardroom and written down on a piece of paper. That’s just not the way that anything creative usually gets done.

AL: $1 for every ticket sold is going to benefit your organization; Music for Relief. What can you tell me about the organization and why are you guys passionate about it?
MS: Music for Relief started in the mid-2000’s as a response to the Indian Ocean tsunami. We had just been out touring in Asia. When we got home we were watching the news and the whole place had been destroyed. We just felt like we needed to do something. Music for Relief had been around for a year and we realized that we were actively involved in cleaning up messes, but not so much involved in anything preventative. So, we added an environmental component to Music for Relief, and all in all, I mean, we’ve done projects all over the world. We’ve worked with the UN. We’ve worked with Habitat for Humanity and Direct Relief and the Red Cross and put on concerts with No Doubt and Jay-Z. Most recently we did an awesome show with Offspring and Bad Religion. Travis Barker came out with us and it was just so much fun. This is an ongoing effort that we hope to involve more musicians with. Music for Relief isn’t about Linkin Park. Unfortunately there are always disasters to go get involved after and there are also environmental causes that we can get involved in to help prevent the natural disasters or at least keep our oceans and our land and air clean. The bottom line is Music for Relief is being built up as something that creates trust with the fans. We create trust with the musicians and the industry and let people know that this is a group that does work hard to make sure all the I’s are dotted, or the T’s are crossed.

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, bennington, chester, hunting, linkin, mike, ...

Less Than Jake’s Chris Demakes talks about their new album and the Vans Warped Tour

Chris Demakes is the lead vocalist/bassist for the Punk/Ska band Less Than Jake. In November of last year the band released its 8th studio album titled “See the Light”. The band is currently out on this summer’s Vans Warped Tour and  Media Mikes had the chance recently to talk with Chris about the new album, the bands 22 year career and about his recent appearance at the inaugural AP Music Awards ceremony.

Adam Lawton: The band’s latest release came out in November of 2013. With almost 20 years between the two releases what do you feel has contributed most to the bands staying power?
Chris Demakes: I think at some point we stopped believing that we could chase some kind of a trend. We were and still are a 3 piece punk band with a horn section. We worked really hard throughout the years and made a lot of friends along the way. It’s been a crazy ride over the 22 years since the band first started. Right now we are probably the oldest band out on this summer’s Warped tour. I think we are about 6 or 7 years older than the next oldest band. (Laughs)

AL: When you first started out was a career this long something you ever envisioned?
CD: No. I don’t think any band starts out thinking they are going to have a career. We were just a group of guys who got together in a garage to play some music. Next thing we know we were getting asked to play a party, then a bar and so on. Before we knew it we were 3 or 4 years in to this and getting some label attention. I wake out now with 22 years gone by and I am not sure how to totally answer this type of question. Everything sort of blended in to the next thing.

AL: By being the oldest band out on Warped tour this year how do you go about grabbing younger listener’s attention?
CD: There are certainly no delusions of granger on our part in that we aren’t going to make a 13 or 14 year old girl like our band when she isn’t interested. We just go out there and be ourselves no matter what. We have done enough festivals now to where we are comfortable getting up there in front of whoever. It’s hasn’t been too weird this time around. Warped tour is a way for us to get out there and play to people who may have never heard us before. Being involved with the promotional aspect of the tour has been great for us as well as it has really helped get our name out to the mainstream which is something that probably wouldn’t have happened at this stage in careers. We just aren’t that band anymore.

AL: When it comes times to work on a new record how do you go about keeping the music fresh and do you ever feel confined to writing with your specific genre?
CD: We write ultimately for ourselves and then for our core fan base. If you make the same record over and over people say you’re washed up and you haven’t changed. Then on the other hand if you add a keyboard or tambourine part on something you and asshole and a sellout. You really are damned if you do and damned if you don’t the longer you are a band. You can’t really listen to the internet trolls and naysayers. You have to do what comes from your heart. We are not that complicated of a band. We feel every time we put something new out that it has a freshness to it. We try each time to push ourselves a little bit in terms of writing and musicianship but you have to stick close to who you are while making sure that you keep everything fun.

AL: What do you feel has been the bands biggest obstacle thus far?
CD: That is something that I don’t think I have ever been asked before. I think the biggest thing for us has been all remaining friends. We have the same 3 guys that we started with. Our newest member is our saxophone player and he has been in the band 15 years. You learn over the years how to navigate those relationships. You learn which guy is not a morning person or which guy you don’t want to piss off at this time. (Laughs) That’s really just the everyday obstacle of being in a band and learning to communicate with each other. It’s like a relationship accept we don’t screw each other…Yet! (Laughs)

AL: You were just recently a part of the inaugural AP Music Awards. What was that experience like?
CD: I’m not completely sure how we got involved with that but I was asked to present an award and I graciously accepted. We got to go to Cleveland and drink free drinks and act like assholes. (Laughs) I think the idea of the awards is pretty cool and we were happy to be there however at this stage in the bands career I don’t think being a part of the event is going to change a lot of things for us. We had a great time however and again were very happy to be a part of the event.

AL:  What are the bands plans after Warped tour wraps up?
CD: We have some festival shows booked here in the states and a few in Canada as well. We also will be doing a two and a half week Canadian tour run before ending up in our hometown of Gainesville, Florida for a Halloween show. That will about do it for us this year.

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, chris, demakes, jakes, talks, tour, ...

Concert Review: Skid Row “United World Rebellion Tour 2014”

“United World Rebellion Tour 2014”
Skid Row, Sakara, the JJ Lang Band, Exit Sky, Methanol
Date: Wednesday, July 9th 2014
Venue: Montage Music Hall, Rochester, NY

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

The hard rock band Skid Row kicked off their “United World Rebellion Tour” on July 9th in Rochester, NY in support of their upcoming release titled “”Rise of the Damnation Army, United World Rebellion: Chapter 2. The release is the second of several EP’s the band has planned for release this coming year. Though this was the first night of the US tour run the band seemed tight and ready to take their classic signature sound to the masses.

Montage Music Hall an intimate music venue tucked into one of the bustling side streets of Rochester, NY played host to a bevy of music artists all out to support their own endeavors along with setting the stage for the launch of Skid Row’s “United World Rebellion” Tour. Though the bill featured 5 bands in total the old saying “quality over quantity” seemed to have been ignored. Opening up the night was local act Methanol and though the band seemed well rehearsed they did little to capture the attention of those who came out to the venue early as their stage presence and crowd interaction needed some attention. Exit Sky another local act whose sound could be described as a mix between early Creed and Pearl Jam followed and seemed to garner quite a few cheers from the small crowd in attendance.

Closing out the list of local performers was The JJ Lang Band. The group’s performance was certainly my favorite of the 3 local support acts however; early on in the group’s 30 min set the band experienced some technical difficulties causing the lead singer/guitarist to throw his guitar on the ground in disgust. Though the guitar sound was noticeably thinner from there out I found the vocals to sound much better when that was all that was being focused on by the group’s front man.

The Massachusetts rock band Sakara would take the stage next as direct tour support a spot they will hold throughout this leg of the “United World Rebellion” tour. The band performed a solid set that seemed fairly well received by the crowd on hand who were anxiously awaiting the night’s headliner. After a rather length set change Skid Row would hit the stage helmed by lead vocalist Johnny Solinger who is celebrating his 14th year with the band. Flanked by original members Scotti Hill, Rachel Boland and Dave “Snake” Sabo and the groups newest member drum Rob Hammersmith the band flew through its 90 minute set playing a number of songs from their back catalog including “18 and Life”, “Monkey Business” and the always popular “I Remember You”. The band also performed one or two news songs which fans seemed to enjoy just as much as the older material.

Though it would have been killer to see/hear a 2 hour plus set from Skid Row and fewer local acts overall the show was a pretty decent night of music. Sure there were a few times where Solinger seemed to max out his vocal range however the solid combination of Boland, Sabo, Hill and newcomer Hammersmith provided the perfect support system to keep the night going smoothly and even though a full fledged Skid Row reunion may be just a pipe dream for those of us who grew up with the band the current incarnation of the band is just fine by me and certainly worth going to check out.

Skid Row Set List
1.) Let’s Go
2.) Big Guns
3.) Makin’ a Mess
4.) Piece of Me
5.) 18 and Life
6.) Thick Is the Skin
7.) Riot Act
8.) Darkened Room
9.) Kings of Demolition
10.) Psycho Therapy
11.) I Remember You
12.) Monkey Business
13.) Get the Fuck Out
14.) Slave to the Grind
15.) Youth Gone Wild

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Filed Under: Concert Reviews Tagged With: 2014, concert, rebellion, review, row, skid, ...

The Cross-Country “Rio 2” Summer Party Tour Stops in 8 Major Markets Bringing Soccer Fever, Games, Samba Lessons, and Fun for the Whole Family!

JOIN THE SUMMER’S BIGGEST PARTY AS
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT BRINGS THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF THE AMAZON TO YOUR HOMETOWN

The Cross-Country RIO 2 Summer Party Tour Stops in 8 Major Markets 
Bringing Soccer Fever, Games, Samba Lessons, and Fun for the Whole Family!

– RIO 2 is on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD July 15 – 

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings the party to the people with its cross country RIO 2 Summer Party Tour. Families will have plenty of reason to shake a tail feather down to the tour; it’s full of interactive activities for all ages including portable viewing stations to watch soccer games, live from Rio; screenings of RIO 2; Samba performances and lessons; customizable Carnival masks; soccer challenges, and much more! All guests can also turn their fun into a global sensation by joining a cross country karaoke   from the party via the sing- and dance-along photo booth.

SCHEDULE: 

Date City Venue Event Times Game Times
Monday, 6/30 New York South Street Seaport 12-6:30pm ET 12 & 4pm ET
Tuesday, 7/1 Philadelphia Franklin Square 12-6:30pm ET 12 & 4pm ET
Saturday, 7/5 Atlanta Mall of Georgia 12-6:30pm ET 12 & 4pm ET
Tuesday, 7/8 Cincinnati Riverfront Park Smale Field 1-6pm ET 3pm ET
Wednesday, 7/9 Chicago Kohl Children’s Museum 1:30-6:30pm CT 3pm CT
Saturday, 7/12 St. Louis St. Louis Galleria 1-6pm CT 3pm CT
Monday, 7/14 Dallas The Parks at Arlington 12-5pm CT N/A
Friday, 7/18 Los Angeles Hollywood & Highland Center 12-5pm PT N/A
.

With the Blu-ray/DVD and Digital HD release right around the corner, Fox Home Entertainment will bring the party from the Amazon this summer with a bunch of family-friendly fiestas across the country. You can find the Summer Party Tour any time of day, check out pictures from the tour, follow the GPS enabled tour bus, and explore all sorts of RIO 2 goodies at www.rio2summertour.com.  Follow the tour on social media with #rio2summertour.

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Filed Under: Film Headlines Tagged With: 2, 8, bringing, crosscountry, family, fever, ...

Brian Regan talks about his Summer Stand-Up Comedy Tour

Brian Regan started off in the comedy business after his 1997 CD, “Brian Regan Live” took off and became a huge success. Since then we have been non-stop touring, has worked with Jerry Seinfeld and has appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” over 25 times. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Brian about up summer comedy tour, which makes a stop in Orlando FL on June 21st. and about his amazing career as a stand-up comedian.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your current tour this summer with upcoming stops in Orlando, FL?
Brian Regan: If people like music and dancing and comedy, come on out because I offer one third of that [laughs]. I never know how to sell my own show. It’s me just doing my comedy and that is kind of it. I love the simplicity of it. It is also fascinating to me being off stage before the show starts and you look out and see a microphone stand, a stool and a bottle of water…then you go “Wow, that’s it…that is all I got out there” [laughs]. The simplicity is beautiful and I love the challenge of it.

MG: What do you do to prepare for each show?
BR: I am not like some people that have a crazy routine they have to follow. I will re-tie my shoes though. I know it sounds goofy but the thought of having a shoe untied on stage kills me for some reason. I had a shoe untie when I was on stage a couple of years ago and it just felt incredible awkward, you know? I had to try and put the mic under my armpit and tie my shoe…and you have a thousand people watching you [laughing]. They are thinking “This is supposed to be entertainment…not watching a guy tie his shoe”. It just felt wrong.
MG: …Wow, I can’t believe that he double knots [laughs]
BR: [laughs] Yeah, maybe I should invest in those kids’ Velcro shoes or something, I don’t know.

MG: How do you blend your classic work with your new material when you perform a live show?
BR: When I first come out, I do about an hour and that is the most recent material from the last few years. This is the show that I am working on, so to speak, is the more recent stuff…the fresher stuff. Then usually, I will say “Goodnight” and then come back out and do a little encore. During that time, I might do a handful of bits that people are more familiar with and they will be able to shout out and so on. I like having that line in the sand to delineate between the two. It would be awkward for me to just do old bits. I would feel a little stale.

MG: I saw one of your shows a few years back and people kept calling out for classic bits…
BR: It is an interesting dilemma. I am honored that people know my stuff and want to hear it. My fans are very cool. They usually know that for my first hour they let me do my thing and they know they will have an opportunity at the end to shout out. You can get some people shouting out in the middle of the show “Do Donut Lady! Take Luck!” I usually just smile, nod and go back to my new stuff [laughing]. I try and nice guy it and usually they get the hint. Some people don’t get the hint and they keep yelling and then I have to tell them the process and how I will get back to that stuff once I plow through this new stuff. Then if they heckle a third time…I have them shot with a BAZOOKA! [laughs].

MG: Congrats on recently making your 26th appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman”, the most of any comedian; how does this feel for you?
BR: Thanks man, I am very honored by it. There was a day that I couldn’t even get on the show. I had auditioned a couple of times. They were intrigued but never pulled the trigger on me. When I did get on the show, it meant the world to me. Doing the one means everything and the moment you are done, you think “Wow, was it good enough to get a second” [laughs]. Automatically you have a new goal. It is like crossing the finish line at a marathon and wondering where the next 26 miles go to. I obviously did well enough that I was brought back a second time and I was able to just get some traction on that show. Clearly Letterman and the show seemed to like me and it just feels tremendous to have this constant national booster shot that I can get on the show about every nine months.

MG: Along with David Letterman, you have many big named celebrities like Jerry Seinfeld and Patton Oswalt praising your work; does that add any pressure to how to perform?
BR: Nah, listen I am incredibly honored by it. When you have people who do what you do like what you do. It is like the ultimate compliment. I don’t put any extra pressure on my shoulders. What is the expression…”you dance with the one that brung you”. I just do what I always done. I just try and come up with stuff that I think is funny. I just do my thing. What I like is turning the material over. To me, that is one of the thing that has really helped me along the ways. Every couple of years, I feel like I have another hour of material under my belt. So people tend to keep coming back. So I try not to worry about what other comedians will think. I am honored that they like what I do but I think they like what I do because I do what I want to do [laughs].

MG: How do you feel that stand-up has changed since starting back in the mid-90’s?
BR: The technical side of things have definitely changed. It gives the average Joe Blow out there in the entertainment world a fighting chance, especially if the powers that be aren’t inclined to give them a fighting chance. Back in the day when it was just TV, you needed to convince “The Late Show” or “The Tonight Show” that you were funny. Then getting on one of those, I am going way back here, was sort of being knighted. It put you into the forefront. Now things are much more fractured, there is many ways to get content out there. Anybody can tape themselves and put it up on YouTube. If they have some jets then they might be able to get some traction, which could lead to the higher ups taking notice. So for the most part it is good but there is just a sea of content out there and in some ways makes it harder to break through. There are a million people with a million clips.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: brian, comedy, regan, summer, talks, tour, ...

Guns N’ Roses’ Gilby Clarke talks about solo tour with Quiet Riot and Faster Pussycat

Gilby Clarke is a guitarist/producer best known for a 3-year tenure as the rhythm guitarist of Guns N’ Roses replacing Izzy Stradlin in 1991. Following his departure from the group, Clarke began solo career as well playing guitar with a number of groups such as Slash’s Snakepit, Heart and Nancy Sinatra, Clarke recently announce he will be heading out on the road this summer for a solo tour along with Quiet Riot and Faster Pussycat. Gilby spoke with Media Mikes recently about the upcoming tour as well as his new single and the new video for his song “Tijuana Jail” which was originally released in 1994.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some info on your new single?
Gilby Clarke: I had been trying to put a record together however I just wasn’t happy with things. In the past I always put a record out when I felt I had 10 or 12 strong songs that I would be happy listening to. I just didn’t have that and to put something out that I ‘m not happy with was not what I wanted to do. I decided that I am just going to release singles now. I have a couple tours lined up so I figured I would put out one good song and then follow it up with another a couple months later.

AL: Did the music industry and how music is distributed these days have any impact on your decision to release only singles?
GC: I think the industry being the way it is now allowed me to do things this way. (Laughs) It didn’t drive me the decision but it did allow me to do things this way.

AL: You also recently released a video for an older song of your “Tijuana Jail” correct?
GC: Yes. Before I dropped the new single I wanted to put out a few other points of interest. “Tijuana Jail” is an older song as it came out in 1994 but it’s the most popular song when I play live. We play the song differently now than we did 20 years ago so I wanted to do a video for the song and put a new touch on it. When I originally recorded the song Slash played the solo so to go all these years with a song I didn’t play lead on was something I wanted to fix. (Laughs) We worked on the song at my home studio and it’s really just a recording of our rehearsal of how we do that song live.

AL: Can you tell us about your upcoming summer tours?
GC: Over the past 10 years or so I have been playing as a trio. When I first started doing my solo stuff I always had another guitarist with me. As the years changed it started to become more fun to just do things by myself. I like the challenge of makes a multi guitar song in to a single guitar song. I am having a lot of fun doing things this way and that’s really what it’s all about. For my solo tour I’m going to be going overseas for some shows including a show in Hungry which is a country I have never been to before as a solo artist. We also will be hitting Spain which is another place I haven’t been to in awhile. After that wraps up I will back in the states for a summer tour with Quiet Riot and Faster Pussycat.

AL: What do you find to be the biggest difference in performing overseas as compared to here in the states?
GC: The biggest difference I have noticed performing overseas is that a lot more people come out to the shows. In the states the rock market is sort of fashionable and it goes through phases of being cool or not. Right now big bands like Black Sabbath and Aerosmith are doing great but smaller bands like mine are having a tough time unless you do a multiband line up. My solo band is more of a club band and right now clubs are rare in the states. Things are the complete opposite overseas as there are tons of clubs to play and the scene is thriving.

AL: You recently performed with Guns n’ Roses minus Axl at the Rock Hall inductions can you tell us a little about that?
GC: Most of the Guns guys still play together quite often. The hard rock scene is relatively small and we all know each other fairly well. What was different about the Rock Hall show compared to the other times we have gotten together was it was specifically Guns n’ Roses tunes. It was a little strange playing some of that material as I had never performed it with some of the other members. I had played with Steven Adler before but we never did any Guns material. It was both interesting and fun as Steven has a completely different feel than Matt Sorum who I played with more often. Personally I had the time of my life and I think we did a great job under the circumstances. It’s something I will never forget.

AL: What were the rehearsals like leading up to the performance?
GC: We really only decided to do the show a couple days before. Duff had called me I think the Thursday before the induction he told me they had decided to play and they wanted me there. I couldn’t refuse my friends. I know Izzy is the guy’s first choice and I get that as I am a fan of the band myself. Knowing Izzy wasn’t going to be there I was happy they asked to be a part of it.

AL: Was there any animosity leading up to or during the event?
GC: We all knew that Axl wasn’t coming. We all got the same information as everyone else. There was no extra phone call or anything like that. In a way that sort of lifted what could have been a black cloud over everyone’s head. I do think however that if Axl had shown up things would have been fine. It’s been a lot of years and this was a celebration of the band and the fans that supported it. I don’t think there would have been any problems but that black cloud was there. We just all went about our business and didn’t really mention his name. Duff did a show in Cleveland the night before and I think it was about 1 or 2 in the am when we all finally got together. We did a few songs with Matt and a few with Steven and then went and did the show. I think we kicked ass and it turned out well.

 

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: clarke, faster, gilby, guns, pussycat, quiet, ...

Dog Fashion Disco’s Todd Smith talks about new album “Sweet Nothings” and Summer Tour

Back in late 2006, the experimental metal band, Dog Fashion Disco, announced to their fans that they had decided to call it quits. They had just spent the last 12 years constantly pushing themselves to be more creative and crazy, playing different styles like ska, piano, and metal with many calling them circus metal. They had recently just released their sixth studio album, Adultery, and were reaching more fans than ever before. Since then, they have played a couple of reunion shows running through a marathon of fan favorites and keeping the camaraderie alive amongst the bandmates. In late 2013, the announcement was made that not only would DFD get back together, but they would be putting out a new album, called “Sweet Nothings”. They would then launch a highly successful Indiegogo campaign and realized that fans not only wanted a new album, but that they want two new albums, a music video and some overseas shows in Britain. Media Mikes recently caught up with the lead singer, Todd Smith, about their upcoming summer tour, the release of “Sweet Nothings” and the hectic schedule they’re about to enter.

Jeremy Werner: I guess the first thing that automatically comes to mind is what was it that lead you guys getting the band back together and put out another album?
Todd Smith: Since the break-up, we’d done several reunion shows and we’re all friends…so because the demand was still there and people were planting those ideas in our head about doing another tour, another album, so forth and so on, we figured why not? Like I said, we’re all very close friends. We enjoy creating and performing music together. It was just like a reunion with old friends who happen to make music together. It seemed like a no-brainer really.

JW: Your last album, back in 2006, “Adultery”, was what a lot of fans and critics would say is your best album. Was there any pressure heading back into the studio to match that same level or was it just business as usual?
TS: For the most part it was business as usual. Of course, opinions are subjective. I’m flattered that people love “Adultery” so much and are pleased that we went out on a high note, and I think we’re reemerging on a high note as well. Everyone who’s heard “Sweet Nothings”, is gushing over it and saying they love it. Will it be as well received as “Adultery”? I have no idea, but I think people are definitely gonna think it’s a solid release. I definitely do, the rest of the guys in the band do. The engineer that we recorded with said it was the best sounding he’s ever had come out of his studios. There’s a lot of positive things being said about the new album.

JW: Going back to the people who’ve heard it. You guys played the full album for a group of people that paid a certain amount towards your Indiegogo campaign. Was the room just ecstatic?
TS: Oh yeah, absolutely. There were loud cheers and applause after every song. A lot of smiles. As far as the comments when we were mingling after we played the record, they were gushing as well. They were really digging it. It’s a lot to digest in one sitting, but the reaction we got was very positive.

JW: Did the crowd have any favorites?
TS: I mean…they all seemed to be well received, but as for a crowd favorite…it’s kind of hard to tell. I had quite a few glasses of wine. (laughs) The memory’s a bit spotty, but I remember we all had a great time and they seemed to like every song, so I really can’t pinpoint a favorite.

JW: Now I remember a while back you mentioned that you guys might avoid playing new music on your upcoming tour, is that still true?
TS: Jason and I had a conversation that we totally misunderstood each other. I was saying that I would entertain performing two new songs, but we have such a catalogue of music, that I think giving people just a hint of a few new tunes and then just playing through a retrospective from each album we put out would probably be more pleasing to the crowd. So we’re going to do two new songs for the most part, every night. If for some reason we decided to just do one new song a night, that might happen as well.

JW: Going back through all your songs, what are some of the songs that you might be playing that you have rarely, if ever, played?
TS: Let me think…I mean we haven’t played in so long, I don’t remember what was in rotation back then, but we’re gonna revisit “Satanic Cowboy”. I’m trying to think what else…”Dr. Piranha”, we haven’t played that in a while. “Valley Girl Ventriloquist”, we’re gonna do that one. Pink Riots, we’re gonna do that one. Besides the reunion shows, they haven’t been played in many, many years. There’s gonna be plenty of songs to choose from every night. We’ll try to cover all our bases.

JW: Please tell me “Darkest Days” is one of those.
TS: One of those is “Darkest Days” (laughs)

JW: (laughs) Awesome, I love that song. With DFD’s music, it’s always been experimental. Sometimes it’s different from song to song or completely changes tempo within the song. It’s very Mr. Bungle with how you guys can just flip on a dime. So I gotta ask, with the new album, what kind of musical ideas went into this or is there a running theme on “Sweet Nothings”?
TS: There’s definitely not a running theme. The album is all over the place. It starts out with a jazz…smokey lounge…kind of 1940’s kind of vibe and then ends with a song that starts out acoustic country…mellow…goes to dub and ends with a three minute section of stoner rock doom metal. So it’s all over the place. We have a short attention span and we like a lot of different types of music so we tend to write a lot of different styles and try to incorporate them into an album. Even several styles into one song as you know. A lot of twists and turns, and I think our fans love twists and turns. They’re fun to perform live.

JW: I see you guys haven’t released a single yet. Is there a song you’re looking at as your first single?
TS: As far as I know, the first single would be a song called “Taste So Sweet”. It kind of goes back to maybe, “Committed to a Bright Future” era with a catchy hooky chorus, lots of horn lines. We’re making a video for that in July. So that’ll most likely be our first or second single. We had talked about a song as a lyric video, initially a song called “We Aren’t the World” which is more of an “Adultery” vibe. It has tons of horror lines, cello, lots of moods, lots of twists and turns, a big epic chorus. That would probably be the first one we do a lyric video for just to get something out there because we’re not available to do the video shoot and release the “Taste So Sweet” video until July.

JW: I want to touch upon your Indiegogo campaign for a bit. A lot of bands will put it up and will slowly watch the money crawl to their goal, but with you guys it was extraordinary how fast and how many people latched on as soon as it was live. I bet as a band, it’s a great feeling to reach your goal that quickly.
TS: To meet our goal of $30,000 in 27 hours was completely unexpected. I remember going about my day, that first day, and just seeing the totals just go up and up and up and up. I hadn’t checked in a few hours and they were way up. Our fans are absolutely incredibly and I don’t just say that lightly. Granted we’d possibly still be making music if we had no fans because we enjoy it, but they keep the train rolling. We’re very humbled by the generosity of everybody and how much they actually cared about DFD getting back together and how they care about whatever project we do. We’re very lucky in that respect.

JW: I’m sure before starting you guys didn’t have stretch goals in mind, but after that response, you got to. Even more amazing is reaching all of them. Didn’t you guys break the top 10 most successful Indiegogo music campaigns?
TS: Yeah. I think we’re in the top 10. In regards to the stretch goals, once we hit $30,000 and added the first stretch goal of $50,000 for the video, I mean I thought that was gonna peak and it just kept going and going. We ended up at $85,000 which is a staggering amount. Shows how much people love Dog Fashion Disco.

JW: You guys are incredibly busy with side projects like Polkadot Cadaver, El-Creepo, Knives Out and other things…and with such an impressive and positive response to DFD…do you think DFD now deserves your undivided attention and everything else kind of has to sit on the back burner for the time being?
TS: I would say that everything is on the back burner now. The last stretch goal was to do two albums to be released within a year of each other. So with all the tours we have coming up, there’s really no time to devote to anything else besides Dog Fashion Disco, which is fine. We just wrapped up, mixed, mastered, put a nice little bow on “Sweet Nothings” and we’re already psyched to get back into the studio, wishing it was happening next month. Everybody will go into their little corners and start writing and then we’ll reconvene in December and have another album out by next May or June.

JW: Might be too early, but do you have any ideas for the next album?
TS: Not really. I definitely wanna utilize the horns a lot like we did on “Sweet Nothings”. I mean, they’re just too good not to have. So ya know, a lot of twists and turns. Maybe have more extremes. I’d like to do like a 50’s doo-wop kind of song and then a song that’s just the heaviest thing we’ve ever done. Just a lot of polar opposite dimensions and dynamics to the album. And really like there are no rules, not like there are any rules on “Sweet Nothings”. Going into it, wanna try to do something new and push the envelope as far as what we’ve done before.

JW: So what is the future now of Polkadot Cadaver, El Creepo, Knives Out and other projects?
TS: It’s really hard to predict. I would love to do another El-Creepo record. Something that’s a little more acoustic and mellow. That’s always fun to do. Polkadot has a handful of shows that we’re doing until the end of this year. We’re going out with Bam Margera and his band in August, doing a run on the east coast and then doing a full national tour with him in October and November for Polkadot. So that would be the next in line to revisit after the next DFD record considering that that band tours as well. Kind of like a missed opportunity if we don’t put out a record and do more shows. I would say DFD and Polkadot would work simultaneously and then maybe El-Creepo would be the next thing to get to. As far as Knives Out or anything else, I would seriously doubt that there would be another album that we would put out with Knives Out. It doesn’t make any sense. The band doesn’t tour and the members aren’t available to do shows, so it’s like…what’s the point?

JW: Looking at this upcoming year, in terms of tours, it looks like the one big thing of note is that you guys will be heading across the big pond for the first time.
TS: This would actually be our second time. The first time Dog Fashion went over there was 2001.

JW: Oh shit, I guess my Dog Fashion Disco history is a bit rusty…so I guess the obvious dumb follow up question would be are you excited?
TS: We’re extremely excited and psyched that the first two shows have been sold out and that the third is on it’s way to being sold out. So that’s incredible, it’s gonna be a lot of fun. The weekend is gonna be a blast. We’re looking forward to it.

JW: Because it’s doing well in ticket sales, do you see yourself branching out in Europe?
TS: Our agent overseas is actively seeking out a support band for Dog Fashion Disco. Most likely that would happen next year. I would love to go deeper into Europe. That would be blast. So hopefully that will happen next summer.

JW: I’m out of questions, any last thing you wanna tell the fans?
TS: I just wanna say thanks for all the support on Indiegogo and support they constantly give us. Spread the word: the new Dog Fashion Disco album, “Sweet Nothings”, is coming out July 22nd. We’re psyched to be back on the road and hearing people’s reactions to the new album.

You can check out Dog Fashion Disco on their summer tour, ‘The Merica F*ck Yeah Tour’, playing alongside Psychostick and The Bunny The Bear, at the following dates:
May 29th: Amityville, NY
May 30th: Albany, NY
May 31st: Pennellville, NY
June 1st: Watkins Glen, NY
June 2nd: Trenton, NJ
June 3rd: Providence, RI
June 5th: Westland, MI
June 6th: Cleveland, OH
June 7th: Cherry Valley, IL
June 8th: Joliet, IL
June 9th: Minneapolis, MN
June 10th: Merriam, KS
June 11th: Waterloo, IA
June 12th: Des Moines, IA
June 13th: Lincoln, NE
June 14th: Denver, CO
June 16th: Salt Lake City, UT
June 17th: Sacramento, CA
June 18th: West Hollywood, CA
June 19th: Las Vegas, NV
June 20th: Tuscon, AZ
June 21st: Scottsdale, AZ
June 23rd: San Antonio, TX
June 24th: Houston, TX
June 25th: Fort Worth, TX
June 26th: Oklahoma City, OK
June 27th: St. Louis, MO
June 28th: Indianapolis, IN
June 29th: Columbus, OH

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: album, discos, dog, fashion, nothings, smith, ...
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