Chaotic Riffs Magazine - Issue 1

Transcription

Talk Back ........................................................................... 4
Featured Interview: The Rods ................................ 5
Tim Gibson ........................................................................ 12
Jamie Delerict ............................................................... 16
The Crossing .................................................................. 20
Writings On The Wall ................................................ 23
Pretty Boy Floyd’s Troy Farrel ......................... 34
Colby Veil’s Freakshow .......................................... 44
CD Reviews: The Rods ................................................. 46
Editor/Graphics/Layout:
Leith Taylor
Illustrations:
Oktobyr
Interviews:
JRock Houston
Graphics:
Oktobyr & Leith Taylor
Chaotic Riffs Magazine is owned, created and published by:
Vortexual Dreams Production, Inc.
PO Box 32, Ocala, FL 34478
Advertise With Us:
[email protected]
How are we doing?
We want to hear from you.
Questions or Comments:
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Issue 9 - January 07, 2010
Copyright 2009. Chaotic Riffs Magazine - www.chaoticriffsmagazine.com
Here at Chaotic Riff’s Magazine we really do hope that you all had a Rockin’ New Years Eve...............Well in
2010 we have big things planned for our readers....To start off with want to know what you think! We want to
know how we are doing....We want your input on how we can make our magazine better than it already is....
We want to be sure you keep visiting our site which is why in 2010 we’re going to continue to cover the bands/
musicians that we really believe in and that we think you need to know about....This May will be our one year
anniversary and in our May issue we’re planning to bring you up to date on several of the acts we’ve featured
in our magazine over the last year. Now to start off the new year we want to welcome you to a new feature
TALKBACK....Which is a monthly topic where we will talk about some music related topic and then ask for
you to E-mail us back your thoughts/feedback which we in return will publish some of these letters at a later
date.
This month’s topic is Tribute Bands!
Now as anyone who has ever read a single issue knows we have featured some tribute bands in our magazine
over the past year...I know some of you may have been scratching your heads wondering why we’d bother covering a tribute band in our magazine.................Well let me tell you there’s more to tribute bands than meets the
eye....I am here to tell you the long believed myth that anyone who plays in a tribute band is just a failed musician who has no talent and can’t hack it in an original act. In my years interviewing bands I have interviewed
many tribute bands and I, myself was amazed at what great stories some of these bands have....For example, I
once interviewed the Drummer from a Kiss tribute band and was amazed to learn that in the film Detroit Rock
City it was this tribute band that filmed the concert scenes and not the actual band Kiss.
In issue 2 I interviewed Hollywood Roses Singer Colby Veil which is one decision that I have never regreted...
Not only in that interview did I accomplish the goal I set out to which was to tell that band’s story but after that
interview was published Singer Colby Veil contacted m to first thank me for the interview and then to tell me
that he would like to write a monthly column for Chaotic Riff’s Magazine which is how Colby Veil’s Freakshow came to life....I contacted the magazine’s Owner/Editor Leith Taylor and ever since then Colby’s monthly
column has been a welcome addition to Chaotic Riffs Magazine. Since the interview in issue 2 I have gotten to know Colby Veil and I can tell you he’s one of the most down to earth, friendly guys that you can ever
hope to meet and the guy is loaded with talent! Colby is not only in Hollywood Roses, La’s Premiere Guns N
Roses tribute band but he has his own original band DOPESNAKE who will be making some serious noise in
2010! Let’s not forget that Tim Owens was found in a Judas Priest tribute band and look at the success he’s
gone on to have......And then this New Years Eve I had further proof to just how great a tribute band really can
be! I Experienced not just Hollywood Roses live at the Whiskey in Los Angeles but also another great tribute
band..................Beggers And Hangers On....A Tribute to everything SLASH! Expect Beggers And Hangers
On to also make some serious noise in 2010!
So now, what we’d like to know from you is.............What do you think of tribute bands? Do you have a favorite tribute band that you’d like to see featured in Chaotic Riffs Magazine?
Send Comments to: [email protected]
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Interviews with
Singer/Guitarist David Feinstein
& Drummer Carl Canedy
JROCK: If you don’t mind I’d like to go back in time
and talk a little bit about back when you were in the band
ELF w/Ronnie Dio.
DF: - Well I joined the band when it was still named
Ronnie Dio and The Prophets which turned into Electric
Elvis, which eventually turned into ELF.
JROCK: Now I know that you and Ronnie James Dio
are Cousins....Did you guys grow up together, were you
close when you were growing up?
DF: - Well Ronnie is a few years older than me so we
treally didn’t grow up together but we lived next door
together and then in High School we were both in band
and played the Trumpet so we had that in common and I
can also play the drums but when Ronnie learned that I
could play the Guitar that was when he asked me to join
his band.
JROCK: So you actually played on some of the albums?
DF: - Yeah I played on the first two albums and then I left
the band.
JROCK: So what led to your decision to leave Elf?
DF: - Well there wasn’;t any animosity or anything between me and the other members of the band or anything
like that. It was more about me wanting to do some non
musical things for a while which I did back then. I took
several years off from music.....I didn’t even pick up the
guitar for years.
JROCK: After leaving Elf and seeing Elf eventually
break up and go their seperate ways what was it like for
you to see all the success that came Ronnie’s way?
DF: - I thought it was just great....I felt that Ronnie really
desearved all the success that came his way because not
only is he a great Singer but he’s always been a very,
hard worker and I have to say that Ronnie’s always been
a great guy to me.
JROCK: So what year was The Rods formed?
DF: - 1980, I didn’t touch the guitar for years after I left
Elf but when I met Carl and Gary I knew I had met the
prefect Drummer and Bass Player and that’s when The
Rods came together.
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JROCK: I was curious why you decided to be a trio
when forming The Rods?
DF: - I don’t know if becoming a trio is something
that we really decided on but like I said when I met
Carl I was just really impressed with what a phenomenal Drummer he was and then Gary was a fantastic
Bassist. Before The Rods I really wasn’t a Singer. I
was known more for my Guitar Player....I became a
Singer almost out of necessity. We just didn’t have a
Singer so I became the Singer/Guitarist. Even today I
don’t think I’m that good of a Singer.
JROCK: I understand that back in the day you had
Managers who would tell you guys that your albums
weren’t selling and that The Rods sucked....Now
these guys are supposed to help push the band so why
do you think they did such an awful job?
DF: - I really couldn’t tell you why........We even once
had the opportunity to open for AC/DC in the U.K.
and the management didn’t allow us to do the tour
because they said that it would be too costly, cost too
much for us to tour over there and to this day I think
that was a really, big mistake on the management’s
part because we got offered that tour because AC/
DC who was very big at the time wanted us on that
tour! I think had we done that tour we would have
been headlining shows after that. This was during the
period after the first album was released on Arista Records and after the Managerment wouldn’t allow us to
do the AC/DC tour we fired them but they held us to
our contract which means our hands were tied and we
were unable to do anything else for a year.
JROCK: Who were some of your influences?
DF: - Beck, Blackmoore, Hendrix, and Page. As a
matter of fact I’ll tell you a funny story. Back in The
Elf days we toured w/Deep Purple which I just loved
because I was such a fan of Rihie Blackmmore’s and
I’d watch their show every, single night and I was just
so impressed with the guy’s playing.
JROCK: Did you ever get a chance to meet Blackmoore? I’ve heard stories that he’s always been very
standoffish.
DF: - I’ll tell you what, I had heard all kinds of horror
stories about Ritchie Blackmoore before we did that
tour. I heard things like if Blackmoore doesn’t like
the Guitar Player he’ll throw the opening band off the
tour......Anyways because I’m such a huge Ritchie
Blackmoore fan I wanted to meet the guy so one night
I go up to a Deep Purple crew member and I ask “Hey
where’s Ritchie’s dressing room?” They said “Over
there, why though? You can’t bother him...Anyways
I walked over to Ritchie’s dressing room, introduced
myself and I then asked him who was his favorite Guitar
Player? he replied “Jeff Beck” I then said to him that’s
great because Beck is my favorite guitarist too and then
you’re my second favorite Guitarist...He laughed and
was very friendly with me so that was my experience
meeting Ritchie Blackmoore.
JROCK: Since the band has gotten back together are
you discovering that there is more of a demand for the
band and that maybe you are discovering that you have
fans half way around the world in places where the band
has never even performed before?
DF: - I think it’s a little bit of both....I mean like I said
back in the day The Management wasn’t really telling us
how popular we were...It wasn’t until the band reformed
with the Internet that we started getting all these e-mails
from all around the world telling us how much they
loved us, wanting us to come and play live in their City,
and in some cases countries where we’ve never even
played.
JROCK: So I know that the band has been working on a
new CD that you’re planning to release in the spring of
2010 .......Have you guys signed with a label or what?
DF: - Right now we’re not with a label and as a matter of fact since the band has been back together we’ve
been booking all our own shows and managing the band
ourselves.
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that Ronnie James Dio appears on two tracks.
DF: - Ronnie did sing on two tracks but it’s not for
sure those songs are going to make the album....It really depends on what kind of deal we get worked out
for the new album.
JROCK: So once the new album gets released I
imagine that the band will begin do a little more of an
extensive tour?
DF: - That would be nice, that is the goal, but it really
depends on the success of the album. The new album
will sound like tradional Rods music from the 80’s.
There are a few songs that sound a little different but if
you’ve liked the albums we’ve done in the past you’ll
like this new album we have coming out.
JROCK: I was listening to the first Rods album just
last night and I was really impressed with the fact
that you guys were a band from the 80’s and yet you
sounded like this great, classic rock band out of the
70’s. What really impressed me about the band on
that first album is the way both your vocals and guitar
playing really stand out.
DF: - I think that shows the band’s power as a trio...I
mean when there’s just Bass, drums, and one guitar
every, single note really stands out...I mean as a Guitar
Player I’m playing both the rhythm and the lead parts
and if I make mistake and play a bad note believe me
it’ll be heard.
JROCK: You guys also toured with both Iron Maiden
and Juda Priest early on in your career....What memories do you have from touring with both those bands?
JROCK: It’s just amazes me how the music industry
has changed...I mean today you have all these band on
MYSPACE and the internet releasing their own music
and marketing themselves these days.
DF: - Yes we toured with both those bands...We toured
with Priest in the states which was just great...Rob
Halford has always been one of my favorite Singers
so I really enjoyed touring with them...And then in regards to Iron Maiden we toured with them in the U.K.
and I just remember how welcoming they were to us.
DF: - Yeah it wasn’t like that when The Rods was starting out...I happen to think it’s just great the way bands
have been able to cut out the middle man being the
record labels and pretty much do things on their own.
JROCK: Back in 2004 you released a solo album....
What was the biggest difference for you between that
album and the other albums you’v recorded w/The
Rods?
JROCK: In regards to the new Rods CD I understand
DF: - Well on my solo album I concentrated on my
guitar playing and brought in another singer to do the vocals.........He was a
really, fantastic singer who had done a lot of other stuff before. I’m planning
to release another solo album and I think on the next solo album I’ll release it
as David “Rock” Feinstein and make it more of a solo album in terms of me
playing all the guitar/bass parts and doing all the vocals and then bringing in
a Drummer that I’ve worked a lot with in the past.
JROCK: So besides the number of strings is there much of a difference for
you between playing Guitar and Bass?
DF: - I can’t really play Bass lines, the next solo album won’t be Rush style
music where you need a huge, precise bass sound. it’ll be more basic Rock N
Roll where not a lot of technique is needed which is good because the strings
are bigger and fatter than they are on the guitar.
JROCK: Is there anything else that you’d like to let all The Rods fans all
around the world know about?
DF: - As a matter of fact there is......Before the new album hits in The spring
we are planning to release a live CD/DVD combo pack and the DVD will
have bonus stuff on it which will include interviews and things like that in
addition to live footage. This is something that we are planning to release in
early 2010 and it’s something that we’re releasing just for our fans and will
probably be released in a limited edition....So be on the lookout for that.
Carl Cannedy
JROCK: What year was your band The Rods formed?
CC: - 1980
JROCK: How did you guys first get together?
CC: - David was in Elf, and I was playing in a couple of other local bands
so we would cross paths in these different bands with Elf playing the same
club circuit so we knew each other. We had started a band called Thunder
and we played a little bit before and then out of the ashes of that band we
decided to start The Rods.
JROCK: I read on your webpage that when the band first started that it was
your goal to kill Disco which was still real popular at the time...With that
being said how successful do you feel the band was when you were first
taking off?
CC: - You know that’s funny because we started to play, and we would just
try to get gigs, and we started recording just about 3-4 months after we
started....So we would play gigs for just a little money and most of the
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times the club would just empty out, they just didn’t get it,
there was just a big difference to what people were listening to. As time went on we started to get a following and
little by little the fans started coming out and so we started
to build an audience despite the fact that people weren’t
used to initially then it grew from there and things started
to go well for us. It was defintley an uphill battle.
JROCK: When the band was first formed was there any
specific reason you guys decided on being a trio?
CC: - You know I don’t know why we did a trio thing. I
think David is a strong Guitarist and I have always been
influenced by Drummers from trios even though like Keith
Moon, The Who were a four piece band...The band was
Guitar, bass, and Drums. Blue Cheer, you know when
I saw Blue Cheer’s Dickie Peterson just passing away it
was very sad for me because he was a great guy and it was
an honor for me to work with him and Paul. I saw Blue
Cheer on American Bandstand when I was a kid and they
were just blowing the speakers out of my T.V. and I just
stood there in awe these guys with these long hairs playing
so loud, you could tell it was crazy loud and the speakers were vibrating. To see these guys play “Summertime
Blues” and I don’t know who was on that show but it was
always the middle of the road kind of people on that show
and then to see Blue Cheer come on and blow the doors
off the place. Paul Whaley had this huge drum kit and I
was like “Ok I get it, That’s what I want to do.” So Hendrix, Cream, those were all the bands that I grew up on so
for me being a trio was kind of a natural thing. It was the
kind of drumming that I came from.
JROCK: I read on your webpage that back when you
released your debut album that initially you released it on
your own label...How hard was that to do back in the day?
CC: - It was hard, you know today it’s pretty easy to do,
just go any number of places to upload your songs or get
it manufactured but you know it was pretty weird setting
it up but it was great, I think it was the best thing we could
have done for ourselves. We only pressed like a thousand
copies but they were gone immediatley.
JROCK: Did you sell the albums at your shows back
then?
CC: - Yeah it was mostly shows, and I think some local
stores. I think we each had like one or two copies and
now can’t even find them anywhere.
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JROCK: Have you given any thoughts to re-releasing
the old albums?
CC: - I think right now that album has been re-released on High-Voltage and distributed by Cherry Red
In the U.K. And The Wild Dogs album is being rereleased which will be out in January and that is beautiful, they’ve done a great job. We’ve done some new
interviews with Malcom Dome for the liner notes. So
that album is coming out and they did a great job of
remastering it with bonus tracks and so on.
JROCK: I was also reading that the first major label
you guys were with was Arista which is interesting
because you would expect to find a metal act signed
to that label...How did that come about?
CC: - Mike Bone was our A&R guy, he was a great
A&R guy and he was really into The Rods God Bless
him and we went to sign with Airiola but the Company was taken over by Arista and Mike Bone was still
the A&R guy so he pushed to have us so they kept us.
So all of a sudden we went from a label in America
that was German based that knew about Metal and
now we were with Air Supply and Aretha Franklin so
it wasn’t exactly the best thing.
JROCK: So with that being said did you guys get any
kind of tour support from the label?
CC: - The people at Arista U.K. were phenomenal.
Mike Bone really pushed for us, he really busted his
ass to make sure we got everything we could possibly get but overall we didn’t get much from Arista
in America and it was unfortunate but they did what
they felt they could do. We were a heavy metal band
and they didn’t get that.
JROCK: Of course David is the Cousin of Ronnie
James Dio...You must get asked about that a lot. Did
you ever find that a lot of people would check you
guys out simply because of that connection? Do you
ever get tired of answering questions about that?
CC: - You know I think David and Ronnie are family so David never gets tired of that because he loves
Ronnie and Ronnie’s just the greatest guy. I was in
the band when we used to rehearse in the same house
and used to say hi to Ronnie....and then only recently
when he came to guest on these
two new Rods songs that he sang on did I get to spend
more time with him at some of the Heaven & Hell shows
so I never get tired of talking about that because he’s
just the greatest guy. I wish him well because I know
what he’s battling right now...I know he’ll come through
it. We don’t get tired of that at all and to answer the
first part of your question I think maybe initially maybe
people did come and look at us because Ronnie was
David’s cousin so there was a connection but ultimately,
musically we stood on our own. We were a real raw,
balls to the wall kind of band and I think at some point
we kind of just made our own name.
JROCK: Have the two tracks with Ronnie already been
recorded?
CC: - They are recorded already yes.
JROCK: And what is the status of the album?
CC: - We’re looking for that album to be release in the
Spring.
JROCK: What led to the band’s breakup?
CC: - Well I had started producing a lot of bands and at
the time things were winding down for us. It wasn’t that
we didn’t want to play or perform but the opportunities
weren’t there so for me I was involved with producing
and David started a Restraunt called The Hollywood
that’s been very successfull and it’s a great place...It’s the
official hangout for The Rods. Gary was playing with
Savoy Brown at the time and was on tour so it got to the
point where we were just no longer doing anything.
JROCK: So is that restaurant in New York?
CC: - Yes Upstate New York.
JROCK: So how did the band’s getting back together
come about?
CC: - Well we decided it would fun to do a one off
show. David had done a solo album, he had done a few
dates and we talked about hey let’s do a live show, you
know it’ll be fun. Once we got together to rehearse it
was like the old days, nothing had changed and everyone was playing well, we were having fun, that’s how it
got started and we decided that David and I had a lot of
material so let’s put an album out.
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JROCK: Have you found since getting the band back
together that there’s more of a demand for the band now
than there was for the band at the time of the band’s
breakup?
CC: - You know I think for myself personally, we just
played a show Saturday night and it’s been a blast for
me meeting all the fans and seeing it. I’ve been saying
this when doing interviews but we didn’t know for a
long time, our management not the most creative and
supportive...They kept us from knowing that people
really liked us. We were basically being told that we
sucked and nobody cared about The Rods so as The
internet started becoming more prominent in everyone’s
lives we started getting E-mails from all around the
world telling us that people really liked the band so The
Wild Dogs are still out there. Now when we’ve been
doing shows the fans are unbelievable and it’s just great
to meet them. So that’s been the biggest highlight for
me is playing with David and Gary again and meeting
all the fans.
JROCK: It must be great having the internet which
wasn’t available back in the day as far as being able to
market the band and communicate with fans?
CC: - It is, you know we have fans, people who contact
us that are really into the band . We know have more
of an instant feedback. We didn’t know for years that
people were out there and into us...So now we post
things and things go up on YOUTUBE and comment
about it and we get immediate feedback so it’s great.
JROCK: So how do you feel about fans posting a live
performance of yours on YOUTUBE? Do You have a
problem with that?
CC: - I personally don’t...We’ve been doing a lot of
recording of shows. As a matter of fact we’re right now
in the process of discussing and I think it is going to
happen to put out just for the fans because everyone’s
been asking us is a DVD/CD pack prior to the release of
the new album so we’re hoping to get it out by January. It’ll be a live CD/DVD with some bonus features.
I have no problem with fans putting stuff up, I think it’s
great that they’re willing to take the time to film something and throw it up on the internet is just great.
ROCK: Are you also finding out in your use of the
internet that there are people who are just finding out
about the band for the first time, or that people are
finding out about the band for the first time in places
that the band has never even performed before?
CC: - Absolutely....I find here even in the States that
we get E-mails, there was some kids at the shows that
are only 18, 19 years old that weren’t even around
when we first started and they’re like “We really love
you guys and we just discovered the band recently.”
so yeah we’re seeing those people come to the show
which is really great.
JROCK: So in regards to the new album that’ll be
coming out in the Spring were all the wongs written
specifically for this album or was there any old material that had been laying around for a while that made
it on to the new album?
CC: - No, everything is brand new...David and I
wrote all new material...We co-wrote the title track.
JROCK: When the new album comes out are there
plans for the band to start to do some more heavy
touring? Get out there and do a real massive tour
behind the album?
CC: - That’s what we are hoping for. We’re doing
Rock Tower in April and we’re hoping to do more
festivals.
JROCK: You guys performed at The Texas Rock
Fest last year didn’t you?
CC: - We did and that was cool. Texas has always
been great, even at the lowest point they never gave
up the metal.
JROCK: Is there a place in the world that you
haven’t performed yet that you’d like to perform one
day?
CC: - Japan
JROCK: I know early on in your career you opened
for both Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. What do you
remember about those tours?
CC: - I’ll start with the Iron Maiden guys were looking for an American band to open for them on The
Number Of The Beast tour and we wound up being
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chosen. They were fantastic...I mean the first night of the
tour they came in with Champaign and introduced themselves. They could not have been nicer. They gave us
all the time we wanted onstage, they were no ego trips by
the band, they were just really great guys so it was just a
really wonderful tour for us. It was our first major tour,
they were just great to us, I can’t say enough about them.
Judas Priest I still have great memories of standing at
the side of the stage watching Dave Holland play a huge
set for Screaming Of Vengeance Tour and we had done
some shows with them before that. I think one of our first
shows we did when we were looking for Management
was at The Palace Theater in Albany, New York but The
Screaming For Vengeance Tour was phenomenal and just
watching night after night Halford, and everyone in the
band was just wonderful. It was fun and a great tour to be
part of.
JROCK: I was curious why you decided to become a
Drummer? Why did you choose the drums as your instrument of choice?
CC: - You know I play guitar and I play Piano as well.
That’s why people ask me when they hear a song I wrote
“You wrote this whole song?” They think someone else
must have written the music but I play Guitar as well. I
started playing Guitar shortly after I started playing the
Drums. I started playing Drums because for some reason
when I was a little kid
I went to this wedding and he really showed off on this
drum solo and was playing like with a Choir and I thought
“that’s cool!” I always wanted to play Drums even
though I didn’t actually start until I was 13.
JROCK: You mentioned that you produced some other
bands a few years ago...Do you think being a musician
yourself helped you in being able to produce those bands?
CC: - I think so yeah because you know what it’s like
when you’re trying to go for something and it doesn’t happen. I’ve always tried to help capture the energy of the
band and I’ve always tried to help them with their vision.
JROCK: Have you ever thought about putting out an
instructional DVD?
CC: - You know I’ve thought about it but I don’t really know what I’d have to offer. I’ve watched them. I
certainly have a pile of them that I have purchased . You
know every Drummer is different. I just watched Terry
Bozzio the other day and I have one from Chad Smith and I’m like “They couldn’t be any different
DVD’s”. and yet you learn something from each of them.
JROCK: So what do you do for fun when you’re not touring with the band?
CC: - I just write, I try and write as much music as I can, I practice, that’s a lot of what my fun is.
JROCK: So for now the plan is for The Rods to release new music and stay together for the immediate
future?
CC: - That is correct.
Interviews by JROCK HOUSTON
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Interview by JROCK HOUSTON
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ROCK: You are the Lead Singer/Guitarist for the U.K.
based band Teenage Casket Company....What year was the
band formed?
JD: We formed very late on in 2003, played our first gig
in May 2004 and released our debut album early 2005.
We went full steam ahead until I decided to get sober in
November 2006 and since then it’s been a bit of a sporadic
band really!
JROCK: What part of the U.K. are you from? Is there
much of a music scene there?
JD: I’ve always said that I’m a jack of all trades, but master
of none. I can play lots of instruments, just not very well!
I’m totally from the Johnny Ramone school of guitar playing. I attack my guitar with basic chords and never play
solos. There are millions of amazing “technical” guitarists out there that will probably never even get out of their
bedrooms. I’m self-taught, I only know the basics, but I’ve
done pretty well for myself and I beam with pride at the
things that I’ve accomplished so far. There is NO substitute
for passion, self-belief and hard work.
I think I’m an ok vocalist and I really enjoy singing. I was
the lead singer and guitarist in pop-punk three piece PANIC
for ten years, but it got to the point where I needed someJD: We’re pretty much based in Nottingham. It’s easy to
one else to share the load. That’s how TCC came about. I
say that when we’re asked, but in reality, we’re all spread
wanted someone else to sing other than me and also someout around the country these days. The UK music scene
has been very steadily on the decline for the best part of ten one to play solos better than my crappy efforts!
years. It’s got to the point now where something has got to
I also play bass for the Irish based rock n roll band the
change. Venues are closing, promoters are losing money
and bands are breaking up because there’s no money to be DANGERFIELDS. Bass was my first instrument and my
made. It’s really tough out there to try and make a name for first love, so I think that I’m most at home with the old fouryourself. It’s harder than it’s ever been and I’ve been doing string. Sometimes it’s nice just to rock the fuck out with
your weapon of choice and sing a few backing vocals here
this a long time. We’re down to the die-hard music fans
and there.
now. God bless them all!
JROCK: Who were the bands/musicians who had the great- JROCK: How old were you when you first started playing
the guitar?
est influence on you?
JD: I actually bought my first bass guitar just to play the
riff to “Unbelievable” by EMF. Before I knew it, I’d joined
a hardcore punk band and we were supporting some of
the underground greats like “Sick Of It All” and “Born
Against”. I really didn’t know what the hell I was doing,
but I knew enough to know that I’d found my calling in
life. I was introduced to bands like the Ramones, the Misfits, Descendents, Germs, Minor Threat, Black Flag, Green
Day and Operation Ivy and I’ve never looked back. I’ve
always had quite a diverse taste in music, but in my heart
I’ll always be a punk rocker. I like my music to have balls,
attitude and loud guitars! The bands and artists turning me
on right now are The Loved Ones, Dead To Me, Danko
Jones, Jesse Malin, One Man Army and D Generation.
JROCK: Like I said you are a Singer/Guitarist...Which of
those roles are you most comfortable in?
16
JD: I bought my first bass in 1991. I was sixteen. I guess
that’s pretty late on in life to start learning an instrument by
today’s standards. In 1993, the band I was in had a sudden line-up change, so I taught myself how to play guitar
in one week and in another week, I learned how to play
guitar AND sing at the same time. I can honestly say with
my hand on my heart that I have not improved on those two
weeks in sixteen years.
JROCK: Do you remember what was the very, first song
you learned to play on the guitar?
JD: As I mentioned earlier, I learned how to play “Unbelievable” by EMF on the bass. It was all wrong, but it was close
enough for me at the time. On the guitar, it was an obscure
song titled “Tied Down” by an old US hardcore band called
Negative Approach. It was three chords, my friend taught
I used to run some rehearSal
studios in Nottingham and
Wylde’s old band used to
practice there.
me where to put my fingers and the pleasure that I got from
finally nailing it was incredible!
JROCK: What do you remember most about the very, first
guitar you ever got?
JD: I swapped my bass for my very first guitar in 1993. It was
by Aria and the model was called “The Cat”. Ha-ha! It was my
first choice guitar until I got my Gordon Smith in 2002 which
I still use to this day. I still also have “The Cat” although it’s
pretty trashed now after a TCC groupie/stalker got her filthy
hands on it….
JROCK: Can you briefly tell the readers of Chaotic Riffs
Magazine how you first met the other members of Teenage
Casket Company and came to form the band?
JD: I used to run some rehearsal studios in Nottingham and
Wylde’s old band used to practice there. They were a good
band, but VERY dated in soft-rock kind of way. We shared a
mutual appreciation of Motley Crue, LA Guns and Poison, and
also a lot of great pop bands like Go West and A-Ha. We had
a jam and found that our styles meshed quite well. Both of our
bands were rapidly reaching their natural ends, so we decided
to go for it. He brought in Laney 74, who in turn brought
in Spike. It was fantastic chemistry right from our very first
rehearsal. We recorded ten songs in a studio after only four
months together which is just crazy looking back. Different
versions of those ten songs went on to become the “Dial It Up”
album.
JROCK: Is everyone in the band involved w/the song writing
process?
JD: Usually myself or Wylde will demo a song and give a copy
to the other guys. By the time we rehearse it, everybody has a
different idea of where the song is headed. Most of the time,
we end up with a cracking tune! Laney and Mike are such
great musicians, that the process wouldn’t work as well as it
has done to this point without their valuable input.
JROCK: When writing songs do you tend to write more about
things that you’ve actually lived through/experienced or what?
JD: Nine times out of ten, yes. I’ve tried the “telling stories”
17
route a few times, but it doesn’t tend to work out as well
for me as the lyrics that are written about me and about
how I’m feeling.
JROCK: How did you come to name the band Teenage
Casket Company?
JD: I actually had the band name in my head for quite
A while before meeting the other guys. I was in PANIC
at the time and the internet was really kicking off at the
turn of the new millenium. I thought that my next band
name should be much more than a simple generic word
and certainly not be a name that other bands around
the world might also choose. I also liked the idea of a
business that exclusively made coffins for dead children.
That dark concept, juxtaposed with the logo using bright
colours and our good time, feel good music….. A unique
result!
JROCK: Has anyone who has ever seen a Teenage Casket Company ad ever really thought you guys were an
actual Casket Company?
JD: We get emails all of the time from people wanting
quotes for building them caskets. Really.
JROCK: How many Cds has the band released to date?
JD: Two CDs. The “Dial It Up” album from 2005 and the
“Eat Your Heart Out” EP from 2006. We haven’t been
too prolific as of late, but we’ve all been ridiculously
busy with other projects and of course, our “normal”
lives.
JROCK: What has been the reaction to Teenage Casket
Company so far?
JD: We’ve just recently played our first four shows in
two years. They went down very well I think. Our friends
and fans were certainly happy to see us back. But as individuals, we have changed. On stage, when we’re “on”,
there’s no band better. But things do change, people have
moved on, the “scene” is so different now and the kids
have got shorter attention spans now than they have ever
done! It’s all kind of subjective these days anyway. The
I proceeded to get it on with
this girl in front of her
livid boyfriend.
internet means that in twenty years time, (when I’m a Grandad!) TCC will STILL be picking up new fans!
JROCK: Who designed the band’s cool looking logo?
JD: I could be wrong, but I think that I brought the concept and
Laney 74 executed it perfectly!
JROCK: What do you remember most about the band’s very,
first professional gig?
JD: I remember that we supported a Canadian band called
The Mudmen and I had just returned that week from getting
married in the US. I remember that I wore a bandana on stage
for the first time just to differentiate myself from the Jamie
Delerict that played in PANIC. I remember that the venue in
Nottingham has since become our “home turf” and that we’ve
had some memorable nights there. I remember that James from
Riot Promotions saw us at that gig and we’ve worked very
closely with him ever since that night. I also remember feeling
“free” for the first time on stage as I wasn’t anchored down by
lead vocals on every single song. I remember that it was the
start of a fantastic ride.
JROCK: What is the craziest thing that has ever happened at
one of your concerts?
JD: I don’t remember much about it, but “The Boston Incident” of 2005 is always brought up when questions like this are
asked. On the second date of our first US tour, I either hit the
booze way harder than I thought, or I was spiked with something, but I put in a shambolic three song performance before
crashing through the drum kit, abruptly ending our set. I then
passed out inside a locked toilet, with Spike and Wylde accidently smashing up the sink and flooding the restroom in the
process of trying to rescue me. Whilst we tried to make a quick
getaway from angry bouncers before the cops showed up, I
proceeded to get it on with this girl in front of her livid boyfriend. I also “lost” my pedals and wireless system that night.
There were many people angry with me after this show. Thank
fuck I’m almost three years sober now.
JROCK: What is currently going on w/Teenage Casket Company?
18
JD: Hmmm. We’re at a very strange point in our
lives and ca reers right now. The comeback gigs were
good, but things are never straight forward in the land
of TCC. Behind the scenes, we’ve overcome some
serious personal problems between various band
members. Things that would make even the closest of
friends the worst of enemies. But we’ve always managed to get through it. The chemistry is fantastic between us musically and especially on stage, but drama
always seems to haunt our every move. Unfortunately
for the band, we lost a lot of momentum and started
encountering problems when I decided to get sober in
late 2006. It’s the second greatest accomplishment in
my life (after my daughter) but it seemed to somehow
hurt the band in the long run. In particular, the relationship between Wylde and myself has never been the
same since he lost his “drinking buddy”. In all honesty
Jason, at this exact point in time, I’m not sure what the
future holds for TCC. I know that there are many rock
n roll bands throughout history that have hated each
other and yet still managed to co-exist, but without
the option of separate tour buses and lots of cash to
keep us sweet, I’m not sure how much gas is left in the
tank for TCC! I really don’t want to be cryptic. I’m an
honest guy, who likes to give straight answers. But I
think that we’ll know for definite in the next couple of
months or so.
JROCK: Are you currently involved w/any other
bands/projects that you’d like to mention?
JD: Yes! I’ve been the bassist in the DANGERFIELDS
since January 2007. We’ve recently toured with the
Supersuckers, the Dwarves, Stiff Little Fingers and
many more. We’ll be recording our long awaited “difficult” second album in November. We have a singing
drummer which isn’t something you see every day. AG
has also been sober for five years, so that’s a HUGE
help in keeping me sane when on long tours.
Before I joined, I was a huge fan of the band and it’s
always fun times on the road with the DFs.
I also record with a Manchester based producer called
Tim Sawyer at least one day a week. It’s not exactly
“solo” material, it’s more of a collaberative effort, but
A big part of my musical
awakening in 1991 was getting
involved in the local Durham
City hardcore scene.
he has some great contacts and we have lots of exciting
opportunities available to us. It’s the first ever time that I’ve
recorded without a deadline and it’s all coming along very
nicely. In between all that, I also run my own touring company, driving and tour managing other bands in my spare
time.
JROCK: I read on your webpage that you are a Vegetarian......Could you please briefly tell our readers the story of
how and why you became a Vegetarian?
JD: A big part of my musical awakening in 1991 was getting
involved in the local Durham City hardcore scene. At the
time, Straight-Edge was a fairly new concept in the UK and
vegetarianism has always traditionally gone hand in hand
with that movement. As is evident by some of my stories
earlier, I never really identified with the Straight-Edge
lifestyle at THAT point in my life, but I wholeheartedly
embraced the vegetarian way. I’ve always been an animal
lover, so as soon as I realised that it was actually possible
to live a healthy life without meat, I jumped right on it and
never looked back. My Mother was very supportive of my
choice and even cooked me a separate meal every night. I’ll
never forget that as in those days, interesting ingredients
were very hard to find!
JROCK: Anything else that you’d like to say to your fans
Jamie?
JD: Thanks for the interview Jason, I’ve had fun answering
your questions. Here’s some links for you all. SUPPORT
ROCK N ROLL!
www.myspace.com/jamiedelerict
www.myspace.com/teenagecasketcompany
www.myspace.com/thedangerfields
www.myspace.com/shuttleboytours
19
An Interview With The Crossing Guitarist/Keyboardist: John Bullaro
JROCK: You’re the Guitar Player and Keyboardist for The
Crossing.......I was curious which instrument have you been
playing the longest and do you feel more comfortable playing the Guitar or the Keyboards?
JOHN: I am definitely more comfortable of guitar because I
am really not a keyboard player at all. I play the easy chords
and riffs on boards when it’s manageable, but for the real
keyboard parts I either program what we’re looking for or
get someone good to play the sections! We work with a guy
named Erik Nelson of The Insomniaxs who is a world class
keyboard player, so we use his talents whenever we can.
JROCK: Did you take Guitar lessons or would you consider
yourself to be self taught?
JOHN: No, I never took lessons, but that is something I
kind of regret. I’ve developed a lot of bad habits on the
guitar over the years and there a million techniques that
still elude me. At this point, I would hardly consider myself
a complete player. It’s a work in progress. But I wouldn’t
necessarily consider myself self taught, either. Pretty much
everyone I was growing up with was playing guitar, so I fortunately just picked up stuff from a lot of different people.
JROCK: Do you remember what was the very first song you
learned to play on the guitar?
JOHN: No, I really don’t. But if I had to guess, it would
have been something like a Zeppelin, Priest, or Sabbath riff.
To this day, I am still not very adept at learning and playing other band’s songs all the way through. I know a lot of
individual riffs, licks and chord progressions, but outside of
having to actually cover a whole song, I never really figured
out tunes completely.
JROCK: Do you remember what was the very first song you
learned to play on the piano?
JOHN: Probably the same answer as before. I know a lot of
little parts and passages, but no songs all the way through.
It’s something I would like to do in the future, though.
JROCK: How did you first meet the other members of The
Crossing and come to form the band?
JOHN: The Crossing was actually just Steve Lazzara (lead
vocals) and myself working on and off as a studio project
for a long time. We played with a lot of talented musicians.
It wasn’t until Denny Jett came on board that The Crossing
really took shape. Denny was brought in by our old
20
keyboardist as a temporary replacement for our previous bass player. With what Denny brought to the table in
chops and songwriting, we kind of knew right way that we
might have something permanent happening. The songs
he’s brought to the table really transformed what the band
was all about. Pat Ring joined the party on drums about
eight months ago and we really hit it off with him personally and musically. The four of us make up the band.
JROCK: What year was the band formed?
JOHN: Steve and I have been working together since the
1990’s with different bands and lineups. Denny joined
about three or four years ago. But ever since Pat came on
board, we have really begun to move forward, so we kind
of like to think of The Crossing as less than a year old.
JROCK: How did you come to name the band The Crossing?
JOHN: Unfortunately, it may be a letdown, but there is no
big meaning behind the name. It’s kind of ambiguous and
we dig that. When we were trying to come up with a band
name, I think it was the first one that Steve and I agreed
on, so we just went with it. John Lange, one of our graphic
designers, also came up with a pretty cool logo, so that
helped, too.
JROCK: The band is from Chicago...Is there much of a
rock scene there these days?
JOHN: Chicago loves it’s rock, but it also can be tough,
because not a lot of rock acts break from here. It’s a great
town if you’re somewhat established, but outside of
Disturbed, Chevelle, and The Smashing Pumpkins, I don’t
know of many rock bands who break into the national and
international scene. We hope we’re next!
JROCK: Who were the bands/musicians who were the
greatest influence on you?
JOHN: Easy answer. Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Rush
were and continue to be huge influences on me. Those
three bands really transformed the way I listen and think
about music. I love Zeppelin, Sabbath, Alice In Chains,
Slayer, The Cars, and most things rock and metal. As a
guitarist, there are way too many players to name, but I’m
a big fan of Satriani, Malmsteen, and Vai. Those dudes
scare me. I am also a really big fan of 80’s pop and classic
rock. It may bear mentioning that I also just love ABBA!
JROCK: Were all the songs on the CD written in the
same time period?
Go figure.
JROCK: I understand that the band recently got a new
Drummer....Could you please tell the readers of Chaotic
Riffs Magazine a little bit about the new Drummer and why
the band parted ways with your original Drummer?
JOHN: We had been auditioning drummers for almost a year
without a lot of success. Pat Ring had seen an ad we were
running and came in to try out. Pat had previously been in a
Rush tribute band and he had just left a national touring act.
After one audition, we knew he had what we were looking
for on the drum kit, and we really made a connection on a
personal level right away. Pat is a terrific guy and is already
a key member of the band. The guy he replaced was actually not our original drummer. We have worked with five
guys over the years, each who were tremendous players and
helped us get to where we are now. Some of the drummers
moved away, some got married, and some just went on to
other directions in their lives. A fairly common story. Luckily, all those partings were pretty amicable and we maintain
friendly relationships with all of them.
JROCK: The band’s debut Cd is titled Chemical Gods....
How did you come up with the CD title? How long did it
take from start to finish to record the CD?
JOHN: “Chemical Gods” is actually our second release. We
put out a cd entitled “Daisies” in early 2008, which still does
pretty well for us. “Chemical Gods” has forty songs on two
cd’s, so working between two studios, it took the better part
of a year to record, mix, and master. The title comes from
one of the cuts on the recording. We just thought that title
sounded cool and interesting. Plus, once the album art was
chosen, it really clicked for us.
JROCK: What do you remember most from the recording
sessions for Chemical Gods?
JOHN: With that many tunes being recorded, it’s hard to remember single moments. It was a whirlwind experience and
a lot of ideas were just coming together. We had what we
considered to be the songs and main styles we were looking
to record, but as the writing progressed, we found we had
over forty tunes that we really felt strongly about. Disc one
became the rock disc we were originally shooting for, but
we were convinced the songs that became disc two had to be
recorded and released. The second disc is a lot of A/C, pop,
and experimental stuff that is a world apart from the usual
sound we do live. We probably wouldn’t try it again, but the
way the tracks turned out made it totally worth it, and so far,
it’s been pretty well received.
21
JOHN: We had been working on some of the tunes for
a long time prior to hitting the studio. Once we committed to doing all forty songs, the writing went into
high gear while we were in the process of recording. A
couple of tunes actually didn’t even make it on to the
disc. Personally, there are still a ton of tunes I have been
trying to put to bed for years!
JROCK: Is everyone in the band involved with the
songwriting process?
JOHN: Steve, Denny, and I all write, so there’s never a
lack of good ideas and variety. Pat has brought a lot to
the sound, too. We are a band that likes to write in a lot
of different styles. Most of our stuff falls in the rock and
alternative range, but we don’t set out to write songs in
any particular style. We write and record whatever we
think can be a great song. It may be a bass line, a guitar
riff, a drum groove, a vocal melody, or a lyric that gets
the process started, but it becomes pretty clear early on
where the tune is going stylistically. It doesn’t stop us
from developing a song just because it isn’t going to be
a heavy rock tune.
JROCK: As far as songwriting goes does the band tend
to write songs about real, true life experiences or what?
JOHN: We spend a lot of time on trying to do different things with the lyrics which hopefully keep the cuts
interesting. Steve and I write a ton of lyrics, but I would
consider Denny to be a premiere lyricist. He has a way
of drawing on personal experience and making it really
universal. There is a very clever way Denny uses language and his stuff ranges between very poignant and
really funny. In the end, we hope that our lyrics offer
something a little more diverse to a listener.
JROCK: What has been the reaction to the band so far?
JOHN: Well, based on our online platforms and how
some of the shows have gone over, I like to think that
the reaction has been great! We are trying to do something a little different, and I think people are digging
that. We like to think the band has something to offer
everyone, and we have been deeply gratified by those
who have supported us.
JROCK: What is the craziest thing that has ever happened at one of your concerts?
JOHN: We have had our share of unforeseen technical problems
on stage. I had my amp burst into flames once. Needless to say,
that doesn’t help your sound!
JROCK: Has the band toured outside of the Chicago area yet?
JOHN: We have basically been in Chicago and the local Midwest until now, but there are plans in the works to take this
show on the extended road.
JROCK: What plans does the band have to promote Chemical
Gods?
JOHN: Well, I must say that interviews such as these are a really big help to us. We have had a good amount of radio support
so far and the cd has received a lot of good press. We have plans
to shoot a video for “Rebellion”, one of the cuts off “Chemical
Gods”. And of course, playing live for new audiences is key.
JROCK: Are you happy with the response Chemical Gods has
got so far?
JOHN: Very much so. The response from both the fans who
have picked the cd up and the press reviews of “Chemical
Gods” have been tremendous. With forty songs, we pretty much
guarantee that everyone can find something they dig on this
release.
JROCK: Anything left that you’d like to say John?
JOHN: I would invite everybody to visit us at any of our online
platforms. We are constantly writing and recording, so we usually put new material up on these sites. And The Crossing is
about to hit the road, so hopefully the band will be on a stage
near you soon!
http://www.myspace.com/thecrossing1111
http://www.facebook.com/thecrossing1111
http://www.reverbnation.com/thecrossing1111
http://www.ilike.com/thecrossing1111
http://www.thecrossing.info
22
Interviews by JROCK HOUSTON
23
An Interview with
Brett Morris of Chinese Democracy
JROCK: How long have you been a professional
musician?
JROCK: What do you remember most about getting
your very first guitar?
BM: Well, professional implies you’ve been paid
so not very long (laughs). I’ve been let’s say “in the
market” here in LA for about 5 years or so. I’ve been
capable and serious about guitar for over a decade
though. I had my first live, full band experience when I
was 12 or something.
BM: I remember walking in the living room Christmas morning and seeing a beautiful black guitar not
unlike the guitar I play today, thinking “Holy shit I got
a Les Paul!!” but then getting closer and seeing the
name “Hohner” on the headstock (laughs). No, it was
actually a very decent first guitar to have. I put EMG
81s in it too, which gave it a boost. It definitely got the
job done for a number of years. The second guitar I got
was a Marty Friedman signature Jackson Kelly, and
I still have that one. It’s actually a beautifully made
guitar, better quality than my real Les Paul I’d say. The
shape is a little silly to me now though, it’s really made
for more metal environments.
JROCK: How old were you when you first started
playing the guitar?
BM: I was about 11 I think. I had been taking piano
lessons for a few years, but my older brother had taken
up guitar and was making it clear to me that piano
wasn’t as cool (laughs). My dad also played rhythm
guitar in a classic rock/oldies band, and still does. So,
for my 5th grade talent show I decided to learn Metallica’s “The Unforgiven” on guitar with all of about a
month to learn the instrument (laughs). I pulled it off
though.
JROCK: Did you take guitar lessons or would you
consider yourself to be self taught?
BM: Self taught. Though I gotta give credit to my dad
and brother for getting me started and sort of influencing me. Also, taking piano lessons had taught me
basically how music worked and trained my ear a bit.
But once I learned to cleanly pick a string, the bug bit
me hard! I got totally obsessed. I’m glad I got started
younger, because I had some time. I used to just lock
myself in a room with a Jimi Hendrix or Metallica or
Megadeth or whatever CD for hours and hours just
working away. I took off pretty fast, especially because
a lot of the music I liked (metal, hard rock) demanded
a pretty high level of technique. You could say that my
guitar heros taught me how to play, because I literally learned just studying every detail of the guitarists
that I loved. Guitar magazines and tab books helped
a lot too. I would just pick up everything I could get,
and try to absorb everything I could. No lessons ever,
though. Actually, scratch that, there was one time after
I had already been playing for a couple years I thought
maybe lessons would be good so I went to this guy,
who was some jazz geek. Nothing against jazz but he
wasn’t compatible at all. He literally taught me one
jazz chord, and that’s it(laughs). One lesson, one chord,
that was enough. Still remember the chord though!
24
JROCK: What was the very first song you learned to
play on the guitar?
BM: I think the main riffs of Enter Sandman, or was
it Walk This Way? Like I said before, The Unforgiven
was one of the first, and the first full song I learned.
And also...
JROCK: What was the very first GNR tune you
learned to play on the guitar?
BM: ...Don’t Cry. I distinctly remember learning that
as one of my very first 3 or 4 riffs.
JROCK: Have you ever given guitar lessons to other
or have any interest in doing so?
BM: Yeah I’ve given lessons to quite a few people
actually. I enjoy doing it. Since I’m self-taught and
don’t know tons and tons of theory, I have kind of an
unconventional way of teaching that I think can actually be better and more fun for beginning to moderate
guitarists than some of the stiffs you find in music
stores. I grew up playing metal, but also Beatles and
finger-picking folk and all sorts of diverse stuff, so I
usually teach the style and songs that the student really
wants to play, and mix theory into it subtly. I’m available for lessons now still.
JROCK: Can you briefly tell me the story of how you
first discovered the music of GNR and what was it
about the band and their music that you found to be so
influential?
BM: I was young, born in ‘82. Appetite came out in
‘87 and I actually think I first took notice of them from
the beginning. I heard Welcome To The Jungle from my
brother or sister and immediately loved them. They were
just so kick ass and dangerous sounding. I remember road
trips just playing Appetite on repeat and I was just 5 or 6
(laughs). Axl’s voice had so much almost maniacal energy
in it, and Slash’s solos were so melodic and soulful, they’ve
always just hit the spot for me. They’ve been one of my
favorite bands as long as I can remember. They definitely
were one of the bands that influenced me to really dive into
hard rock and metal, and music in general, a few years later
when the early 90s scene came around.
JROCK: What do you feel is the best GNR album released
to date?
BM: They’re all perfect albums, in my opinion. You can’t
really say anything is better than Appetite, but I’ve always
had a close connection with Use Your Illusion II.
JROCK: How did you hook up w/the other members of
Chinese Democracy and come to form the band?
Shawn, Chris and I had played together in a cover band
right before Chinese Democracy and that sort of disintegrated. Shawn had bounced the idea off of me to start an all
GNR band. The previous cover band did a few GNR tunes,
and those were always our favorite, and strongest ones anyway. I was a little bit reluctant to do it because I didn’t want
to spend all my energy playing covers, but the fact was I
knew all the songs anyway and Shawn could sing them perfectly so it really was low maintenance for us. It’s rare to
find someone who can sing Axl’s style like Shawn, and he
didn’t want another guitarist so it was actually something I
thought we could do really well.
We also had been sharing all the new GNR leaks from
Chinese Democracy the album, and had been following Axl
closely for the 100 years it’s felt like since he started the
record. Shawn might be the only guy I know who’s a bigger
fan than I am (laughs)! A lot of people have been totally
oblivious to the new stuff, so it was cool to find someone
else as into it as I was. We thought it would be a novel idea
to pay tribute to the new GNR as well as the old, it’d be
challenging but also would set us apart from the other GNR
tributes.
Like I said, we had Chris from the old band and he’s hard
working and very easy to get along with (a rarity in this
business) so he was a founder as well. Shawn brought his
Domination 101 (Pantera tribute) bassist over, but he left
after just a few rehearsals. We got Aurick after auditioning
some really weird dudes. Our original drummer, Matt left
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after our first gig. So, after auditioning a few drummers that didn’t click eventually I asked Sean,
who’s one of my best friends and a great drummer
I’ve jammed with for years, if he’d by any chance
want to join. I wasn’t sure he’d be interested, but
he was down. The second he sat down with us there
was no question he was a perfect fit, and played the
songs better than anyone we’d played with before.
JROCK: What do you remember most about the
band’s very first live performance?
BM: Our first performance was at Paladino’s in
Tarzana sometime at the beginning of summer
this last year I think. It actually went pretty well
I think, no real problems. Paladino’s is actually a
pretty sweet place with a nice big stage, and people
really coming to see our kind of bands so it was
cool. We always get a strong response there, so it
was a good place for a first gig. Our second gig,
at Martini Blues in Huntington Beach...that was a
little rockier (laughs).
Hollywood music scene when Chinese Democracy
was just starting out?
BM: Well, it was just 2007 so it’s the same as it is
now, that is to say, a lot of crap and a few awesome
bands.
JROCK: What do you believe sets Chinese Democracy apart from all the other GNR tribute bands
out there?
BM: Namely the fact that we DO Chinese Democracy songs, before the album has even come out! If
the album ever does come out, we’ll be ready. We
need a keyboardist though!
The other thing I think that sets us apart is that
we’re not really a gimmick kind of tribute band,
we show up as we are but we really try to nail the
songs. I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and
say that when they closed their eyes, they couldn’t
tell us apart from the real Guns N Roses. I’ve
even had some say that we sound better than the
old GNR concert they went to (laughs). GNR was
always kind of hit or miss live, either they were the
best band ever or it was kind of a train wreck and
Axl stormed off. I wouldn’t say in a million years
that we’re even close to the real thing, but we try to
be more consistent (laughs). But Shawn sings Axl
like no one else I’ve seen personally, and I think that’s the
most important thing you look for in a GNR tribute.
JROCK: Would you say when the band was just starting
out that it took a while for the band to get a following or did
things happen for the band right away?
BM: Well, we’re still trying to build a following. The
people that come out love us though. Everywhere we go, we
get a pretty crazy response. Even the smaller places where
people are just sitting down for all the bands not really caring, when we play they come up to the stage and sing along
and cheer all the solos which is great. 90% of the credit
goes to the songs themselves being so classic, but I think we
give them a good charge. We’re getting some good response
on Myspace, and people love the live clips we posted.
JROCK: Why go the route of a tribute band rather than
form a band that writes/records/performs original material?
BM: Well, for me it’s not either/or. I’ve always been set
on writing/recording/performing original material, so this
band is just sort of a fun thing for me, I love the songs and
it keeps my live chops up while I do my own stuff. I’ve also
had several people come up to me after shows and want to
collaborate. It hasn’t worked out yet, but playing onstage
and meeting people is definitely something that could lead
to other opportunities. Playing originals is my real focus and
passion, but this band is really low maintenance so I don’t
see it being too much of a conflict down the line. I’m currently looking to join or form an original band so if anyone
is reading this and interested, look me up.
JROCK: Who is your favorite GNR guitarist Slash, Izzy,
Gilby, or Bucket Head?
BM: You missed Bumblefoot! He’s the current one, and he
smokes all those guys in my opinion. No one can replace
Slash at what he does, he’s an icon and will always be one
of my biggest influences, but apart from him, Bumblefoot
(his actual name is Ron Thal) absolutely blows my mind.
Buckethead is crazy too, but I think Ron is better and much
more underrated. I was actually a huge fan of him before he
joined GNR, he’s a fucking monster and I hope Axl fully
utilizes his talents because he can sing disgustingly well,
and his songwriting is awesome. A lot of solo virtuoso guitarists suffer in the songwriting department and just jerk off,
but he actually writes and sings really good songs, but with
just freakish guitar parts. He’s one of the only guitarists in
the world who will play something so alien sounding with
just his fingers, it’ll leave me with absolutely no clue what
he just did. Most other virtuosos, I know in my mind what
they’re doing...it’s just really fast or technical. With him,
he’s as fast as anybody but more than that, he’s just bizarre.
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He’s got a huge sense of humor in his playing and
writing too, which I love. His style is from another
planet. In a way, I don’t really see how he fits in the
Guns N Roses mold, but I’m so happy he’s getting
the exposure he deserves and I guarantee he’ll play
things you’ve never heard before on the record.
I can’t recommend his solo albums enough to
people. I’d start with 9.11 and Hands, and move
from there.
JROCK: What would you say is the hardest GNR
song to perform live?
BM: Locomotive. I’d say it’s definitely their most
technically demanding song to play. From a guitarists perspective, it’s got about 8000 solos but the
main verse riff actually gives your right hand a
workout like no other GNR song. It’s got some interesting timing and changes too, getting it tight as
a band was a challenge. I absolutely love that song.
JROCK: What are some of your favorite GNR
songs to play live?
BM: I really like playing You Could Be Mine,
it’s got a great solo and the song just rules for live
performance. I like singing the chorus with Shawn
too. Don’t Damn Me is another one of my favorites, namely because the solo just wails. For our
longer shows, I usually get a solo spot which is fun.
Sweet Child is fun for me because people really
know and love that solo intimately, they can sing
along with it almost. It really is a great solo, I play
it pretty much note for note, and every time I do I
realize why people like it so much. It’s constructed
perfectly. Notice a pattern? I like playing solos. Oh,
and Locomotive for the reasons above.
JROCK: What is the craziest thing that has ever
happened during one of your live shows?
BM: Hmmmm, I guess one of our 14 Below shows
would have to have been the craziest. There was
this weird drunk old bum without a shirt wearing
Ugg boots (??) going crazy right by the monitors,
and then next thing I know he’s on stage right by
me running around! Keep in mind, it’s a small
stage that barely fits even all of us, so he was not
welcome and I had no idea what he was planning to
do up there. Luckily he got down. During that same
show, last call came up and we had to stop playing.
But the crowd just kept chanting for more. We were
halfway packed up, the lights were on but they
wouldn’t stop. The house was cool enough to actually let us play another, I’ve never seen a bar turn the lights
back down and fire up the PA again just for an encore.
The craziest thing that happened AT a show, but not during was meeting God...er I mean Lemmy Kilmister at
our show at the Cathouse opening for Dizzy Reed’s Starfuckers. What can you say about that guy? He’s the real
deal, one of a kind. Eric Singer, from Alice in Cooper and the guy who sang on Slash’s Snakepit’s “It’s 5 O’Clock
Somewhere” (fantastic album) was also there. Super nice guy.
JROCK: What is the hardest thing about putting on the show you put on?
BM: Probably just not getting caught up in the energy so much that you’re not focused on what you’re playing.
I’m a perfectionist, so I like to really be super tight and at the right tempo as a band. Sometimes it’s so fun that
you get a little sloppy. Even if the crowd doesn’t notice, I’m still hard on myself. Another difficult thing is forming a set list! There are so many songs we want to play, but we don’t always have the time to do them.
JROCK: What is the most enjoyable part of putting on the show you put on?
BM: Just nailing a solo or a song and getting that response from the crowd. There’s nothing like it.
JROCK: Are you involved w/any other bands/projects that you’d like to plug?
BM: Not at the moment, but I’m always writing and I might post some original music fairly soon. My intent is
to find an original band too. Not necessarily Guns n Roses style, but definitely in the vein of hard rock, metal,
grunge, and all the classic bands. Again, if someone is reading this and is serious about music (and is good!),
contact me.
An Interview with Paul LaPlaca
JROCK: Where are you originally from?
PAUL: Jamestown NY, Home of the 10,000 Maniacs and
Lucille Ball.
JROCK: How long have you been a professional musician?
PAUL: Unfortunately, I don’t make a living as a musician so
I’m only professional with regards to my work ethic.
JROCK: Who were the bands/musicians who had the greatest influence on you?
PAUL: My greatest influences were from my friends and
local musicians. Randy Deppas and Tom Luce (two friends
from college) and my bandmates from one of my first bands,
Eric Gustavel and Jeff Cooke all helped to shape my foundations and were extremely important to my development as
a player and songwriter. Dave Constantino from Talas and
Rob Buck from the Maniacs were also huge influences. As
far as bigger names go, I was a huge KISS fan as a kid and
Ace certainly was an inspiration followed by Alex Lifeson,
Eddie Van Halen, David Gilmore, George Lynch, Steve Vai,
Jeff Beck, Billy Sheehan, Geddy Lee, Chris Squire and Neil
Peart were all important to me. I had a really good FM radio
station growing up so I was exposed to a lot of variety
27
everything from Blackfoot to Ted Nugent, the
Cars, Gary Neuman, the B-52s, Earth Wind and
Fire, Steely Dan- The list is pretty endless.
JROCK: You appear on the new Vinnie Vincent
tribute CD Kiss My Ankh...Can you briefly tell me
how you got the opportunity to take part in this
project? 7. You appear on C.C. Banana’s parody
cover of the Kiss song “Unholy” ....Are you happy
with the way the song came out?
PAUL: I met CC Banana at a KISS convention
in Jersey, he’s this nut who dresses up in a banana
costume and adopts a bit of a CC Deville personafunny as hell. He contacted me with an idea to do
the Unholy Parody and told me the story behind it.
Reader’s Digest, condensed version is Ted Poley
of Danger Danger was on tour with KISS and was
about to meet Paul Stanley for the first time, alone
backstage in a long hallway. As they passed each
other Ted lost his nerve and didn’t say anything
but as Paul Stanley continued on down the hall,
Ted heard him sing (to the chorus of “Unholy”)
Ted Po-le-ey. I thought this was one of the coolest, funniest stories I’ve ever heard about someone
meeting one of their biggest idols. I had been on
the road with ZO2 opening for KISS in 2004 and I had
similar, good experiences with Paul so I was thrilled to
participate. CC did a fantastic job on vocals considering
he’s never done anything more than drunk karaoke to my
knowledge. Caffery burns a phenomenal solo and Dennis Leeflang did an amazing job on the drums and helped
with the mix as well. I’m happy with the song but I would
have loved to have had access to full blown studio to
track and mix in. Considering it was mostly done in my
apartment in Brooklyn on a Digi 003 we had some sonic
limitations.
I’ve heard some negative feedback about this track from
fans that think we somehow are showing disrespect to
Vinnie or KISS but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Not only are we showing our appreciation for a great, well
written song, we are also giving a nod and a thumbs up to
Stanley for having a sense of humor and for giving Ted a
story to remember for a lifetime. Nothing is more frustrating than working on something like this and having your
intentions misread.
JROCK: When you were approached about doing this
project did you know who Vinnie Vincent was or anything
about him?
PAUL: The first time I saw/ heard Vinnie Vincent was the
debut of the video for “Lick it Up”. I was in High School
at the time and hadn’t listened to KISS in years but was
still on the edge of my seat to see them without make-up.
My first thought was, “Holy cow, is that ACE? Put the
make-up back on!!”
ROCK: Would you consider yourself to be a Vinnie
Vincent fan?
PAUL: A fan of the man responsible for giving the world
Slaughter?!!
Seriously, I have a lot of respect for Vincent. He was
extremely important to keeping KISS alive (see what I did
there?) and all KISS fans owe him a debt of gratitude for
some outstanding songs. I’m not that familiar with the Invasion era stuff, it wasn’t really my style but I know there
are fans out there that strongly support Vinnie as a solo
artist and feel that he should be recognized for his work
outside of KISS. Hopefully this CD help in that regard.
JROCK: What do you remember most about the recording of the track?
PAUL: The vocals were finished last and I had the mix
pretty much done at that point. I was working on the last
bit of delay on the final scream and was about to hit stop
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when CC says in his best, Deville/ Jerry Lewis, “I
think I hurt myself!” That and him breaking into that
creepy pedophile rap from “Christine Sixteen” is
pretty damn funny.
JROCK: What instruments do you play?
PAUL: I started at home on a console organ, then
started playing the furniture with a borrowed pair of
drums sticks. I moved on to guitar, bass and saxophone as necessity dictated. Give me a month and I
will be able to play something on any instrument, just
takes dedication and a deadline!
JROCK: What do you remember most about your
very, first, professional gig?
PAUL: I guess the first national level gig I ever did
was the KISS/ Poison tour in 2004. It is really indescribable the feeling of pulling up to the guard behind
the venue, showing your backstage pass and driving
up to the 5 huge red semi-trucks in the loading dock.
I remember walking onto that stage for the first time
and seeing the crew working on the huge KISS sign
and knowing I would be playing on that stage that
night is something I’ll never forget. Granted it was
only one song but it was still pretty damn cool!
very, first, original song you ever wrote?
PAUL: The first song I ever wrote was for a girl
named Laura when I was in Jr. High School. I had
just gotten my first guitar and only knew a D chord
and a C chord so it was a pretty short song. I played
it at our “Gong Show” and she threatened to sue me
for using her name in the title. Nope, didn’t get laid.
ROCK: Can you tell me about some of the bands/
projects you’ve been involved w/in the past?
PAUL: I was in a few great bands in Buffalo, NY The Sparks Flight, Wunderland and Stealin’ and even
did a stint with the self-proclaimed son of Elvis Presley in a ‘50s band. When I moved to NYC I joined
Von LMO an underground noise legend and was able
to play some incredible shows headlining CBGBs
and the reopening of Max’s Kansas City. I went on
to October Thorns, Grey Skies Fallen, Zandelle and
The Void and I’ve done some live work with ZO2.
The bassist, David Z was with me in Thorns and was
picked up for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra when we
played the Savatage Convention in ‘99. Dave suggested me for Chris Caffery’s solo band and I have
been with him ever since, the only
player to not miss a single show with
him! Chris is pretty much a one man
band when it comes to recording so I
haven’t had much of an opportunity to
contribute to his CDs but I was able
to do an orchestration for “Winter in
Hamburg” and I’m pretty happy with
the way it came out.
JROCK: I understand that you toured
w/Doro last summer...How did you
land the gig w/Doro?
PAUL: Caffery was subbing for her
guitarist and was able to get on the bill
as the opener as well. I was tapped to
mix Doro to help with the tour.
JROCK: What have you enjoyed most
about working w/Doro?
PAUL: They are such an incredibly
dynamic band. As an engineer you can
really have an impact if you follow
their lead. They usually close with
“Love Me In Black”, this amazing
power ballad that goes literally from a
whisper to a scream. I’d start the mix
off at a pin drop level but by the last
chorus you could see people getting
their hair dried by the air we were
moving. Extremely satisfying professionally and we had a blast on the bus
as well.
JROCK: Are you currently involved
w/any other bands/projects you’d like
to mention?
JROCK: What can fans expect from
Paul LaPlaca in the year 2008 and
beyond?
PAUL: I’m working on my own
studio and will probably be doing a lot
more mixing and producing this year.
Caffery has some shows in the works
for next spring and summer and I have
my own projects that i hope to have on
stage by the spring. Expect the unexpected, lol!!!
An Interview with
Ex-Anthrax Singer: Dan Nelson
JROCK: Where are you originally from?
Dan: I’m originally from NY
JROCK: I know that you’re a Lead Singer but I was curious if you
play any instruments as well?
Dan: I do, I play guitar, bass and drums.
JROCK: What were some odd jobs you had early on in your career
to help support your musical dream?
Dan: I’ve worked construction, as a mover, store manager, guitar
teacher and personal trainer.
JROCK: Who were the bands/musicians who had the greatest influence on you?
Dan: Everything from Elvis to Metallica. I am a big classic rock guy
as well. I just love a good song.
JROCK: What do you remember most about your very, first, professional gig?
Dan: My first gig was at 11 or 12 years old in front of 300-400
people...I remember being a nervous wreck, haha... but afterwards
being completely hooked.
JROCK: Most people know you of course Dan because you’re the
Singer who replaced Joey Beladonna in Anthrax when the Anthrax
re-union w/Joey fell apart. Prior to joining Anthrax what were you
doing? Were you in any other bands at the time?
Dan: I was singing and playing guitar in the band Devilsize.
JROCK: What year was it when you got the Anthrax gig? How did
you get the gig with Anthrax? I mean did you have to audition for the
band and compete among a cattle call of other Singers who were also
trying out for the gig?
Dan: I got the gig in Sept. of 2007, although it was announced I think
in December. I had been in talks with members of the band since
April/May 2007 though about auditioning after working on a different
project with Rob Caggiano.
JROCK: What was the audition process like for you?
Dan: What do you remember most about your audition? I just remember being ready.
JROCK: How did you learn that you were the new Lead Singer of
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Anthrax?
Dan: I never learned all the classic material, just the songs
that were in the set. Plus a few extra songs in case of encores, surprises, etc.
JROCK: Of course by now everyone knows that you
are no longer with Anthrax....Most fans know that
initially the band made some press statement where
they basically said you had to leave the band because
of some mystery illness you had....Later in your own
press statement you denied having any kind of illness. So I want to give you the opportunity now to
tell your side of the story in regards to what do you
believe is the reason for the band’s abrupt decision to
split with you?
JROCK: Were you an Anthrax fan prior to joining the
band?
Dan: I’m not sure, and honestly don’t care any longer.
I’ve moved onto to the next chapter in my life.
Dan: Yes I was.
JROCK: Have you heard anything in regards what
will happen with all the material you recorded w/
the band? Any chance they may hire a new Singer
to rerecord over your vocals....If they were to do that
how would you feel about that?
Dan: Through an Internet chat, same as the fans.
JROCK: After you found out you were in the band....How
long did it take for you to learn all the classic Anthrax
material?
JROCK: What was your first impression of all the other
guys in the band when you met them for the very, first
time?
Dan: Everything seemed to gel well between us.
JROCK: Was there any one member of the band that you
ever felt closest to?
Dan: No, I wouldn’t say so.
JROCK: What do you remember most about your first,
show w/Anthrax?
Dan: I haven’t heard anything about what plans there
are for “Worship Music” it would be a shame for fans
not to hear it as is though, because it is truly a great
album.
JROCK: What have you been up to since leaving
Anthrax?
Dan: I’ve been working on starting a family with my
wife Kim, playing hockey again as well. On the muDan: The fans were amazing, the energy was awesome,
sical side of things I have been singing and playing
great gig.
guitar in the rock band Inside Hollow as well as singing for a yet untitled metal project with Paul Bostaph
JROCK: Once you started writing material with Anthrax
on drums and Jeremy Epp on guitar. Both bands are
for what was intended to be your first album with the
sounding amazing, and I can’t wait to get out there
band....What were the writing sessions like.....Did you
write all the lyrics or did you collaborate w/the other mem- and play with those guys.
bers of the band on all the songs?
JROCK: What should fans expect from Dan Nelson
in the year ahead?
Dan: We all worked on music, melodies and lyrics together. There were about five songs written musically
Dan: Lots more music and shows, hopefully some
prior to me joining, three of which were ditched early on
babies! Ha-ha
in the writing process. The other two that were kept went
through many changes before becoming the songs that
JROCK: Anything left that you’d like to say to your
were to be on “Worship Music”.
fans Dan?
JROCK: Of all the recording you did with the band what
do you remember most about those recording sessions?
Dan: Working very hard to make a great album for the
fans.
Dan: I can’t thank you guys enough for the support that you’ve all shown me both in and out of
Anthrax...You all rule and I look forward to hanging
with you all again real soon!!
JROCK: You played last year’s Rocklahoma festival w/
Anthrax...What memories do you have from that show?
Dan: The crowd was great and the show was great. Nothing but good memories from my time on stage there.
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Issue 1 - May 07, 2009
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By purchasing this album, up to 50% of the net profits will be use to help people and communities in need. Our goal each year is to provide a
means to combine local music and talent to generate proceeds to be used to help the community at large by selecting bands who are willing to
participate in the cause to help raise monies to assist in the funding of the United Song Alliance projects. These services are available for anybody
in need of assistance with a variety of issues, such as, food, mortgage payments, car payments, home improvements and a list too long to list here.
For full details for obtaining assistance from the United Song Alliance please visit the www.unitedsongalliance.com website.
War Remnants is available for purchase at Amazon for
$8.99 via digital download.
Get yours today!
42
Neal Moser grew up in a generation that came out of the military during the
Vietnam War searching for meaning in their lives. He found his meaning in
playing and singing in a band. However, he was not happy with the standard
guitars available or the sounds they produced. He had learned to do basic
guitar electronics at Warwick Electronics, Vox Guitar division, in 1966, just
before he went into the military. On returning from service he started working at West Coast Organ and Amp in Hollywood, California as a guitar electronics tech. While working there Neal Moser worked on the guitars of many
of the most famous players and bands of that era including, Jimi Hendrix,
Iron Butterfly, Vanilla Fudge etc. It was during this time that Neal Moser came up with electronic modifications to meet
the needs these famous players had for innovation in guitar sounds. In 1971 Neal developed special electronic circuits for
his own use and found that many of his customers were very interested in what he had developed. One of his customers
took his guitar to Bernie Rico of BC Rich Guitars to get it painted and when Bernie saw the electronics he called Neal and
the rest is history. A unique collaboration between Bernie Rico and Neal Moser was the beginning of the Metal Guitar
market. It was during this time that Neal Moser designed guitars for BC Rich that were pointy and unique and earned him
the title of “Father of Metal Guitars”.
When Neal Moser left BC Rich in 1985 he was introduced to Lee Garver by Wayne Charvel and at that time Neal and
Lee produced instruments under the name “Neal Moser Guitars/GMW Guitar Works”. After retiring in 1995 and due to
many requests from old customers and fans for highly customized handmade, neck through guitars he started thinking
about building again. Moser Custom Shop was born in 2003 in the hills north of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley.
Now in his 60s Neal has decided that it is his turn to pass on the many skills he has acquired over his long and prolific
career as a guitar designer and builder. He has decided to offer intensive seminars that are 2 weeks in duration to a maximum of four students at a time. Neal realizes that many, who have the same love for guitar building that he has, need
more direct and personal instruction on how to hand build quality neck through guitars. He is offering his tricks of the
trade at a price he believes many can afford even in these tough times. For further information go to www.mosercustomshop.com and you can also learn more about Neal Moser’s career and life at www.nealmoser.com.
For class dates call 818-834-6616 or visit our website at: www.mosercustomshop.com
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Volume 8
It’s the end of an era…or at least a decade, as our Earth makes its final terrestrial lap around the Sun. Hopefully that last few months have been filled with oodles of “Holiday Cheer” for all! But for those of us whose
holiday spirit was a little less than merry, don’t be too discouraged. The cold weather can sometimes bring
out the worst in some people. I’m talking about the spiteful, ignorant, small-minded folk that slip through
the cracks I myself find it hard to keep my mouth shut, but depending on the circumstance, it is usually best
just to bite your tongue. With that being said, 2010 is fast approaching, And I can’t think of a better time
than right now to pitch in any last minute “Resolutions” for the “New Year”. Of course if you happen to
have the gift of Clairvoyance, then you will already have full coverage issued well into the next decade.
All joking aside, I am personally looking forward to another year/decade.
So, before the ink is dry, we turn the page, and close out this chapter of our lives, I wanted to take a quick
look back on the end of the first decade of the “New Millennium” with bullet point precision. Let us Begin….
- Tuesday, January 20th 2009
Barack Obama became the 44th “President of The United States Of America”. The inauguration set an attendance record for any event held in Washington D.C. Also, based on combined attendance numbers, television viewership, and internet traffic put this among the most observed events ever by the global audience.
- Thursday, June 25th 2009
The world was stunned when news broke that one the favorite sons of American music “The King of Pop”
Michael Jackson, had passed away. On a global scale the world mourned the loss of a legendary, talented,
and innovative icon. As a result, an unexpected fallout ensued… The life and death of Michael Jackson became the TOP INTERNET SEARCH OF 2009.
Meanwhile, somewhere amongst the haze of the before mentioned tragedy, Hollywood finally said farewell
to Farrah Fawcett & Patrick Swayze. Both whom tragically lost their long winded battles with cancer.
- July, 17th 2009
Legendary television personality, journalist, and anchorman Walter Cronkite also passed away.
Cronkite, best known for his historic coverage of the Vietnam War, Moon Landing, The assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Watergate, and covering the historic first American television broadcast of “The
Beatles”…. All of these were carried across the wire via radio and television from the “Golden Age of Television” to the “Digital Age” of the present. About now, I am sure that you are feeling as though that you’re
smack dab in the middle of a fill-in-the-blank community college….So, now is the point where I feel that I
should draw a fine line in the sand to assure everyone that the “obituary section” of this 2009 retrospective
is drawing to a close. But before I can do that, I wouldn’t be who I am without saying farewell to to Rock
N’ Roll’s indisputable King of Innovation – Les Paul. Les Paul was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter, and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid body electric guitar which “made the sound of Rock n’ Roll possible”. He has been
credited with many recording innovations including overdubbing (also known as sound on sound), delay effects such as tape delay, phasing effects, and multi track recording. Among his many honors, Paul is one of
a handful of artists with a permanent, stand-alone exhibit in the “Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame”. This legacy
is not only a testament to his ingenuity and love of music, but will forever continue to not only be heard by
legendary guitar players such as Slash, Jimmy Page, Zakk Wylde, Joe Perry, Ted Nugent….But by every kid
that knows what it feels like to pick up, strap on, and plug in a “Gibson Les Paul” for the very first time.
44
2010 is already shaping up to be a busy year for me and my bands “HOLLYWOOD ROSES” & “DOPESNAKE”. We’re kicking off the New Year by having both bands on the same bill at “Whisky-A-Go-Go“ on December 31st “New Years Eve!” “DOPESNAKE” is currently working on NEW material for our
second record entitled “What Would Iggy Do?” Followed by a Tour this Spring with N. Carolina Misfits “CRANK COUNTY DAREDEVILS”. Be sure to check them out at myspace.com/crankcountydaredevils
Also the “DOPESNAKE” song “HELL YEAH!” is currently featured in the Trailer for the upcoming Cinematic release “EASY RIDER – THE RIDE BACK”. *Type in the title above into YOUTUBE.COM to see the trailer now! Otherwise it will be coming to a
television near you in 2010!
- “HOLLYWOOD ROSES” will be playing HONDURAS on JANUARY 23RD 2010
Hollywood Roses Sites:
www.hollywoodroses.net
www.hollywoodroses.org
www.myspace.com/hollywoodroses
www.facebook.com/hollywoodroses
www.twitter.com/hollywoodrosesx
OR FIND ME HERE….
[email protected]
www.myspace.com/veilfreak
www.facebook.com/veilfreak
www.twitter.com/veilfreak
Also, Check out “DOPESNAKE” on “Reverb Nation”
www.myspace.com/dopesnake666
With a glance I can see an ominous glow coming in sharp and swift over the horizon….
….My Heart feels broken already from the candy sweet bruises that are rotten from the inside out. See you
all in February….
That’s it for now! One more HUGE “THANK YOU” to all of my family, friends, & fans for making 2009
so AMAZING! Also, a special “THANK YOU” to my wonderful beautiful best friend and wife, Erica.
Thank you for not only your brilliance & patience, but how always see the “REAL” me, even when I can’t
or to stubborn to try. You Put Up With Me – And I know that’s sometimes a fulltime job in itself … Lost
Without You…All my love and life shines within our union….
Rock n’ Roll Til’ Death!
Colby Veil
45
Artist: The Rods Title: The Rods Release Year: 1981
Track Listing
1. Power Lover
2. Crank It Up
3. Hungry For Some Love
4. Music Man
5. Woman
6. Nothing Going On
7. Get Ready To Rock N Roll
8. Ace In The Hole
9. Rock Hard
10.Roll With The Night
11.Getting Higher
12.Wings Of Fire
Artist: The Rods Album Title: Wild Dogs Release Year: 1982
The Rods is a great classic Rock band that chances are you
just might not have heard of..........The band is from New York
and was formed on the ashes of Elf, that would be Ronnie James
Dio’s pre-Rainbow/Black Sabbath band...and oddly enough the
Dio connection doesn’t end there....Rods Guitarist/Vocalist David
“Rock” Feinstein is the cousin of Ronnie James Dio and was also
in Elf w/Ronnie.
Don’t let the fact that David “Rock” Feinstein is related to
Ronnie James Dio be your only reason for checking this band out
because I can tell you that The Rods is one band that really is a
class act all on their own.....While at first glance it may seem like
this New York trio is a pretty, simple act with just Bass, Drums,
and Guitar but let me tell you that The Rod is a real Power trio
that needs no flash or tricks because their music is just that good
all on it’s own.........Feinstein would give any Guitar Player a run
for their money and his masterful guitar playing is all over this
album.....The musicianship is flawless and the band as a whole
just really plays together as a
tight unit.
The Rods are a band that is all about delivering great classic
Rock. With The Rod’s
what you get here is an album loaded with 12 rockin tunes that
will Rock you for years to come..............While I love all 12
tracks on the album I have to tell you that the 3 that really stand
out to me are..........”Hungry For Some Love” which has a bit of a
Led Zep vibe to it........Then there’s “Music Man” which sounds
a bit like Deep Purple to me, kind of sounds a bit like “Highway
Star” to my ears......and then “Nothing Going On” just might be
my favorite song on the album because it’s the fastest song on the
album and David Fienstein’s Guitar Playing is on fire! If you’ve
never heard of The Rods before let this be the album to introduce
them to you because this is an album that will no doubt Rock
Your World!
46
After listening to the first to albums by The Rods I am just it
utter amazement that this band never became bigger than they
did...This is one band that should have became a major
act on the hard rock/metal scene back in the 80’s. What’s a real
shame is that The Rods is one band that is not lacking when it
comes to talent and yet what most people seem to know this
band mostly for is the fact that Lead Singer/Guitarist: David
Feinstein is the Cousin of legendary Black Sabbath/Rainbow
Singer: Ronnie James Dio...While that may be an interesting
side note like I said it’s time that people really started to pay
attention with their ears and take notice that The Rods is one
band that not only oozes talent but at this point and time in the
year 2009 should already be a band considered to be true Metal
Legends!
Now after listening to the first two albums by The Rods I
have to tell you that both albums really Rock and while both
albums were recorded by the same band, very same lineup that
both albums sound very different.......The band’s first album had
more of a classic Rock feel to it and is a great way to introduce
andyone to this Rockin band from New York if you’ve never
heard the band’s music before.................On the Wild Dogs, The
Rods returned with an album that had more of a metal/hard rock
sound and that’s good because with Feinstein’s fiery Guitar playing this band is best when they play it lous, hard and fast...Now
when I say that This album has a real metal/hard rock sound
don’t think for a minute that these guys sound anything at all
like SLAYER.....Just great, pure hard rock driven metal that any
headbanger could ROCK to! Wild Dogs is a must have for any
true Metal Head so show your love for The Rods and all things
Metal and find the Wild Dog in you when you listen to the classic 1982 album Wild Dogs by The Rods!
Artitst: The Rods Title: Let Them Eat Metal
Release Year: 1984
Track Listing
Artist: The Rods Title: In The Raw Release Year: 1983
After listening to the first Three albums by Legendary New York Rock
bands I’m more convinced than ever that the music Industry screwed
itself over in a big way and is to blame for many talented bands such as
The Rods falling by the wayside and not becoming the huge stars that
they could have....Let me start off by saying that The Rods may have
not ever reached the legendary statous of bands such as Deep
Purple, Black Sabbath, or even the mighty Led Zepelin but this is one
band that was never lacking when it came to talent...This is a band that
should have been a lot huger than they ever were but like so many, great
bands before them just didn’t have the right group of people working
behind the scenes to really help push this band to the next level that
after hearing their first three albums I don’t doubt for a minute that they
could have reached if they would have had the propper people working
behind the scenes.
1. Let Them Eat Metal
2. White Lightning
3. Nuclear Skies
4. Rock Warriors
5. Bad Blood
6. She’s So Tight
7. Got The Fire Burnin
8. I’m A Rocker
9. She’s Such A Bitch
10. You’d Better Run
11. Life On The Edge
Now on the first three albums by The Rods the band was
trying to find their idenity, that is to say that they were trying
to find a sound that was really all their own.....Now let me
make one thing very clear here....On the first three albums the
band did a mighty find job of delivering the goods...That is
to say that they delivered some mighty, fine music that to my
ears should have been heard by even more people back when
these albums were first released. I want to make it known that
Let’s now get to taking a look at the band’s 1983 album In The Raw......I while I had heard of The Rods prior to my interviewing the
band for this issue of Chaotic Riff’s Magazine that I was not
must say that the title itself is a fitting discription of the music that is
featured throughout the entire album...That is to say that there’s nothing fammiliar at all with the band’s music..........But in listening
to these albums and now reviewing them I can honestly say
less than 100% metal on this album.......This is an album that any true
hard rock/metal fan could really sink their teeth into and never get tired that The Rods is one band that really knows how to Rock and
of....Now I have to make it really clear when I say Metal here we’re not if you have never heard of the Rods before I highly recomend
you do yourself a favor and give the band and their back catatalking about full, throttle speed metal like say Slayer or Exodous but
log a real, good listen! You might find out for yourself that
more in line with say The Scorpions.....Throughout this entire albums
this is one band that desearves to be ignored no more!
as well as with the band’s previous release Wild Dogs I heard a very
strong Scorpions influence running through this album...That’s not to
Now as I said on the band’s fourth album Let Them Eat
say that they’re trying to sound like The Scorpions but rather to say
that there is a real strong Scorpions influence/vibe that runs through the Metal I think the band’s most, crowning accheivement is
entire album. On In The Raw the band has really progressed in all areas that the band on this album has finally found a sound that is
which is already saying something because this is a band that has never truthfully all their own. Let’s take a deeper look at this album
though..........The album kicks off with the Heavy and Hard
lacked when it came to talent.................All I can say is that on In The
Raw the band really come alive and I think the most noticible thing on Rockin title track “Let Them Eat Metal” to let fans know
what they’re in store for is an album full of nothing but pure
the entire album is the way the band plays as a real tight unit..............
rock, hard Rockin Metal! You won’t find any wimpy balAs far as the songs go there’s no filler material on the entire album....
The hardest thing for me was finding one track I liked the best and yet at lads here..........The closest thing the band has to anything that
the same time I think my favorite track on the album would be “Whole sounds like it could be a radio oriented track is the final track
Lotta Led” which is quite interesting when you consider it’s the longest on the album which is “Life On The Edge” I really also liked
the song “She’s So Tight” and there’s also a cool cover of the
track on the album coming in at 12 minutes..............WOW That is a
song “You’d Better Run” which was originally made famous
long song! The interesting thing is this is The Rods paying tribute to
the mighty Led Zep.............While the music is unquestionably very Led by The Rascals....Most Rock fans are probably more fammilZep influenced to my ears it came across as The Rods trying to pay trib- iar with the version that Pat Benatar released. Original Kiss
Drummer: Peter Criss also featured a cover version of the
ute to one of their favorite bands of all times...Best way I can describe
song on his 1980 Solo album Out Of Control. I also must say
this song is it’s a Medley of many great Led Zep songs and yet it also
features some original lyrices by The Rods...............With out a doubt a that Drummer Carl Canedy really came alive on this album
and that is to say that there’s a real, heavy, huge drum sound
very, long track and yet I enjoyed it very much because I can honestly
throughout the entire album.
say that I’ve never heard a song done quite like this before, and yet it
accomplishes what I think the band set out to do which is to simply
pay tribute to one of their favorite bands of all time. This song alone is
reason enough to check out In The Raw by The Rods!
47
www.YoHoWear.com

Chaotic Riffs Magazine - Issue 1

Transcription

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