The Tour 2012

Not sure if you're going to find a bigger and better show this year, speaking in regards to pyrotechnics and lights.  Two of the world's biggest artists throughout the 80's, 90's, and today are teaming up for a kick ass North American tour!

"It's going to be really cool because Kiss is bringing their full stage show, and Motley will be bringing our full stage show, so you are going to see two huge headliners at the same time. It's going to be one of the biggest tours of the summer, if not the biggest." -Vince Neil



Dates for the event(s) are:

July
20 - Jiffy Lube Live - Bristow, VA
21 - Farm Bureau Live - Virginia Beach, VA
22 - Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion - Raleigh, NC
24 - Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood - Atlanta, GA
25 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Charlotte, NC
27 - Cruzan Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, FL
28 - 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheater - Tampa, FL
31 - Oak Mountain Amphitheatre - Pelham, A\L

August
3 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - Woodlands, TX
4 - Gexa Energy Paviliion - Dallas, TX
7 - Hard Rock Casino Presents: The Pavilion - Albuquerque, NM
8 - Comfort Dental Amphitheater - Englewood, CO
10 - Ashley Furniture Home Store Pavilion - Phoenix, AZ
11 - Mandalay Bay Arena - Las Vegas, NV
12 - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre - Chula Vista, CA
14 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - Irvine, CA
16 - Sleep Train Pavilion - Concord, MA
18 - White River Amphitheatre - Auburn, WA
19 - Sleep Country Amphitheater - Ridgefield, CT
24 - Rock Jam Grand - Junction, CO
26 - BOK Center - Tulsa, OK
27 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Maryland Heights, MO
29 - Minnesota State Fair - Minneapolis, MN
31 - Riverbend Music Center - Cincinnati, OH

September
1 - Klipsch Music Center - Noblesville, IN
2 - First Niagara Pavilion - Burgettstown, PA
4 - Bridgestone Arena - Nashville, TN
5 - DTE Energy Music Theatre - Clarkston, MI
7 - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre - Tinley Park, IL
8 - Alpine Valley Music Theater - East Troy, MI
11 - Allegan County Fair - Allegan, MI
12 - Blossom Music Center - Cuyahoga Falls, OH
13 - Molson Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON
15 - Darien Lake PAC - Darien Lake, NY
16 - Comcast Center - Mansfield, MA
18 - Toyota Pavilion - Scranton, PA
19 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
21 - PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ
22 - Nikon at Jones Beach - Wantagh, NY
23 - Comcast Theater - Hartford, CT

The Live Nation promoted tour will go on sale beginning Friday, March 23rd. The KISS Army Fan Club pre-sales begin Wednesday, March 21st at 10am.

***

Kissonline.com has mentioned some promo interviews for this tour.  Check out below:

"Members of KISS and Motley Crue will be teaming up for a series of radio interviews today to promote the hottest tour of the summer!

Paul Stanley and Nikki Sixx will be calling into:
WMMR -Philly 10:10
KBPI -Denver 11:10
WRAT - New Jersey 11:50

Gene Simmons and Tommy Lee will be calling into:
KRFX - Denver 11:10
WNOR - Richmond (Virginia Beach) 11:20
KSAN - San Francisco 11:10

(ALL TIMES LISTED ABOVE ARE EASTERN TIME ZONE)

The guys are recording additional interviews live-to-tape that will air in the near future on many more radio stations. KISSonline will post a complete list of radio appearances later today."

***

If you wanna see what the official press conference said:

Bringing Metal To The Children

Haha!  Being that I am a huge Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, ex-Ozzy Osbourne) fan, this instantly caught my attention.  Zakk has a book coming out  called "Bringing Metal To The Children - The Complete Berzerker's Guide to World Tour Domination".  

The book is due in stores on April 10th, 2012.  You can pre-order here.  Be sure to check out the first section of the book entitled "True Rocker Test" (a basic questionnaire to determine if you are a rocker enough to continue with reading the book...hahaha).

Check out the promo video below:

Recording Time!

Looks like someone is back in the studio and recording...

(www.killswitchengage.com)

Video Overload For March 20th, 2012

So I feel its been some time since I have posted a whack of music videos and trailers for upcoming and newly released material.  There have been many postings online about new material so......

***

Brand new music video from God Forbid for their track "Where We Come From".  This song will be on the upcoming album "Equilibrium", which is due to hit stores on March 27th, 2012 via Victory Records:

***

Ukraine's Make Me Famous launched their music video (in April, 2011) for their "Make It Precious".  I realize this has been out for some time, but I was diggin the track so I posted it regardless.  Good ol breakdowns:

***

A cool clip I stumbled upon today.  A user on YouTube named "MonkeylOrd22" has done a few piano covers for some good metal tracks.  The one I quite enjoyed today was Veil of Maya's "It's Not Safe To Swim Today".  Take a listen and check out the other covers this user has done.  Kudos:



And as a bonus for the day, I found VoM's lyric video for their track "Punisher", which is off their latest album "Eclipse":

***

UK's Architects are hard at work preparing for a new music video release on March 26th for the track "These Colours Don't Run".  The upcoming album, "Daybreaker", will be released in North America on June 5th via Century Media Records:

***

Cancer Bats - 'Dead Set On Living' Canadian Tour with Touche Amore, and A Sight For Sewn Eyes

03/30 -- Winnipeg, MB - Pyramid Caboret
03/31 -- Brandon, MB -- North Hill Inn
04/02 -- Fernie, BC -- Northern Bar & Stage
04/03 -- Nelson, BC -- Hume Hotel/ Spirit Bar
04/04 -- Vancouver, BC -- The Biltmore Caboret
05/04 -- Prince George, BC -- The Generator
04/06 -- Edmonton, AB -- The Pawn Shop
04/07 -- Calgary, AB -- Broken City
04/08 -- Saskatoon, SK -- Sutherland Memorial Hall
04/09 -- Regina, SK -- The Exchange
04/10 -- Thunder Bay, ON -- Black Pirates Pub
04/11 -- Sudbury, ON - Jubilee Hall
04/12 -- Kitchener, ON -- Club Wax
04/13 -- Ottawa, ON -- Mavericks
04/14 -- Toronto, ON -- Horseshoe Tavern
04/15 -- St Catherines, ON -- L3 Nightclub


Check out the trailer below for the promo of the upcoming Canadian Tour:

***

The trailer pretty much says it all.  The newly formed festival will see Metallica as the headliner/organizer of the Orion Music and More Festival.  The event is scheduled for June 23 & 24, 2012 in Atlantic City, NJ at Bader Field.  For more info, visit: www.orionmusicandmore.com.  Check out all the other bands on the bill:


Main Stage:
METALLICA
ARCTIC MONKEYS
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
MODEST MOUSE
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM
ERIC CHURCH
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
FUCKED UP
THE JIM BREUER HEAVY METAL COMEDY TOUR
BEST COAST
HOT SNAKES TITUS ANDRONICUS
GARY CLARK JR.
LUCERO
ROKY ERICKSON
THE BLACK ANGELS
THE SWORD
WOODEN SHJIPS
A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
LITURGY
SOUL REBELS

Damage Inc. Stage:
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
SEPULTURA
TORCHE
RED FANG
KYNG
LANDMINE MARATHON
BLACK TUSK
THY WILL BE DONE


Orion Music + More Festival (Trailer #2)

***

And always a goodie, Tool drummer Danny Carey got himself a great spotlight piece from Vic Firth Drums and discussed technique, style, history and upcoming material with Tool:


Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:

Demon Hunter "My Destiny" Music Video

Well this just made my day.  We've seen enough lyrics videos on here and through the Demon Hunter camp, but today they dropped their first music video for their upcoming album "True Defiance", which will drop on April 10th via Solid State Records.  The track chosen for their first music video is "My Destiny":

Check out the track listing below for the new album:

1. Crucifix
2. God Forsaken
3. My Destiny
4. Wake
5. Tomorrow Never Comes
6. Someone To Hate
7. This I Know
8. Means To An End
9. We Don't Care
10. Resistance
11. Dead Flowers
12. What is Left (Deluxe Edition)
13. I Am a Stone (Deluxe Edition)

Music Releases For March 20th, 2012

Tuesday is one o the best days for myself personally, just because I get to check out all the great new albums hitting the shelves across North America.  So make sure to head to your local record store and/or online retailer to grab a few of this week's new releases:

(Rise And Fall - Faith)

(Split Cranium - Split Cranium)

RSD 2012

So folks, Record Store Day is just around the corner.  For music buffs, this is a great day to celebrate the awesomeness that is a record store and the atmosphere that it portrays.  The site (recordstoreday.com) describes themselves and the event as such:

"The original idea for Record Store Day was conceived by Chris Brown, and was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally. 

This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Francisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April. 

Record Store Day is currently managed by Michael Kurtz, and Carrie Colliton. Folks wanting to contact Record Store Day are encouraged to email us at information@recordstoreday.com 

NOTE:

A Record Store Day participating store is defined as a retailer whose main primary business focuses on a physical store location, whose product line consists of at least 50% music retail, whose company is not publicly traded and whose ownership is at least 70% located in the state of operation.  (In other words, we’re dealing with real, live, physical, indie record stores—not online retailers or corporate behemoths).

This website does include information on participating International stores, but this is primarily a US site, and the releases and promotions featured on this site are for US stores."

That being said, here are a few goodies that musicians and bands will be releasing on April 21st, 2012:

7″ Releases:

††† (Crosses) – “Option“/”Telepathy” (limited to 1000)

Blood For Blood – “Enemy” (limited to 900, 600 grey vinyl/300 white vinyl)

Doomriders/Sweet Cobra – “Why Not Your Baby“/”Lying’ Down The Middle” (Devo covers)

Mastodon/ Feist – “A Commotion“/”Black Tongue” (limited to 5000)

Minus The Bear – N/A (two new tracks, limited to 1000)

Ozzy Osbourne – “Believer“/”Goodbye To Romance” (Randy Rhoads polka-dot colored vinyl)

Pelican/Playing Enemy – Split (colored vinyl)

The Flaming Lips/Mastodon – “A Spoonful Weighs A Ton” (limited to 5000, baby pink vinyl)

12″ Releases:

311 – “Record Store Day” (white vinyl, featuring four remixes from “Universal Pulse“)

Botch – “An Anthology Of Dead Ends” (limited to 750)

Mariachi El Bronx/The Bronx – Mariachi El Bronx/The Bronx (live tracks, splatter colored vinyl)

Metallica – “Beyond Magnetic” (limited to 5000)

LP Releases:

311 – “Music” (numbered 180 gram vinyl, newly remastered by Joe Gastwirt)

All Out War – “Assassins In The House Of God” (limited to 400, pink vinyl)

Disturbed – “The Collection” (limited to 2500, five-album boxset)

Misfits – “Walk Among Us” (new packaging, limited to 3000, 1250 red vinyl/1250 blue vinyl/500 clear vinyl)

Ozzy Osbourne – “Ozzy Live“

Pelican – “Australasia” (limited to 750)

Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Stadium Arcadium” (box set)

Refused – “The Shape Of Punk To Come” (LP/CD/DVD & Poster, limited to 2000)

Ringworm -”Justice Replaced By Revenge” (limited to 400, yellow vinyl)

Ringworm – “The Venomous Grand Design” (limited to 400, yellow vinyl)

Snapcase – “Progression Through Unlearning” (limited to 900, yellow vinyl)

Tomahawk – “Eponymous To Anonymous” (limited to 2500, 3xLP box set)

Heavy T.O. Headliners & Supporting Acts

A fine day in the good ol city of Toronto as we welcome the headliners and supporting acts for the 2012 edition of Heavy TO!  I must say that the diversity of this year's lineup is quite amazing.  Every metal head can enjoy this lineup and have time to grab food/drinks/beer/autographs for the ones they want to skip.

Without further delay, here are the announced acts (bands will be added once they are announced so keep checking back):

Saturday, August 11th

SLIPKNOT (21:00-23:00)

MARILYN MANSON (20:00-21:00)

IN FLAMES (19:00-20:00)

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES (18:00-19:00)

- TRIVIUM (17:00-18:00)
- THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN (16:15-17:00)
- GOJIRA (15:30-16:15)
- OVERKILL (14:45-15:30)
- CANCER BATS (14:15-14:45)
- PROTEST THE HERO (13:45-14:15)
- DANCE LAURY DANCE (13:00-13:30)
- SO SICK SOCIAL CLUB (12:15-12:45)

Sunday, August 12th

SYSTEM OF A DOWN (21:00-23:00)

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH (20:00-21:00)

DEFTONES (19:00-20:00)

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE (18:00-19:00)

- CANNIBAL CORPSE (17:00-18:00)
- KATAKLYSM (16:30-17:00)
- BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME (16:00-16:30)
- VEIL OF MAYA (15:30-16:00)
- JOB FOR A COWBOY (15:00-15:30)
- GOATWHORE (14:30-15:00)
- THE FACELESS (14:00-14:30)
- PERIPHERY (13:30-14:00)
- EXHUMED (13:00-13:30)
- FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE (12:30-13:00)
- ORIGIN (12:10-12:30)
- ROSE FUNERAL (11:50-12:10)

Now onto one of the best parts of Heavy T.O. is the meet and greet!  Check out who's going to be where for autographs and pics:


Saturday, August 11th

SUNRISE TENT:

2:00 PM – Dillinger Escape Plan
3:30 PM – Overkill
5:00PM – 6:00PM – SLIPKNOT
6:30 PM – TRIVIUM
7:30 PM – GORIJA

JAGER TENT:

4:00 PM  - PROTEST THE HERO
5:00 PM– CANCER BATS

 
Sunday, August 12th

JAGER TENT:

2:00 PM - Rose Funeral
3:00 PM – Killswitch Engage
4:00 PM – Periphery
5:00 PM – Veil of Maya
6:00 PM - JFAC
7:00 PM – Fleshgod Apocalypse
     
SUNRISE TENT:

2:00 PM – Cannibal Corpse
3:00 PM – Kataklysm
4:00 PM - Goatwhore
5:00 PM – Five Finger Death Punch 
6:00 PM - BTBAM
*Times are subject to change

Heavy T.O. Tickets Available

Well, at least the ticket prices are there for purchase, but no bands yet folks.  The 2012 edition of Heavy T.O. has a new website interface and ticket packages for sale...

So here is what they are offering for ticket packages:



Bands and more information to come along the way.  Cross your fingers for a good lineup this year!

The State of Music (A Billy Corgan Interview at SXSW)

Billy Corgan's latest interview has been turning some heads, giving his thoughts on the current state of music and the direction it seems (in his opinion) to be heading.  The interview, taken on Monday, March 12th, 2012, was conducted by author Brian Solis at the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.



"[Artists that break through now] have grown up thinking that being famous is the goal. Not to be respected. Not to be dangerous.  [Once you make that deal] you're just the fresh stripper.  Don't call it rock and roll. I was part of a generation that changed the world — and it was taken over by poseurs."

Trioscapes: Separate Realities

Another project I am thoroughly interested/enjoying is newly formed TRIOSCAPES.  Being that Briggs and the boys from BTBAM are successfully signed to Metal Blade Records, it only makes sense that the label would be interested in getting Dan's new project on board (yes, I know it sounds odd these guys are signed to one of the heaviest major labels on the market).  The project consists of the following members:

Dan Briggs - Bass (BTBAM) | Walter Fancourt - Tenor Saxophone, Flute (Casual Curious/Brand New Life) | Matt Lynch - Drums, Electronics (Eyris)

The group has been hard at work recording material and getting ready to drop their debut album titled "Separate Realities" via Metal Blade Records. (see release dates below)

Their Facebook describes themselves as such:

"Trioscapes started in the summer of 2011 when Dan Briggs (Between the Buried and Me) contacted Walter Fancourt (Casual Curious, Brand New Life) and Matt Lynch (Eyris) about working up a rendition of the Mahavishnu Orchestra classic 'Celestial Terrestrial Commuters' and messing around with a few original ideas with the intent of playing a one-off show. After rehearsing the material and playing the show though the group decided the music was so demanding and fun to preform that there should be more of a future for it. A few more songs were written near the end of the summer and a full length album recorded the first week of October with Jamie King in Winston-Salem, NC. Mixing is underway and a release and future shows are being planned..."

For now, be sure to check out some of their material that's hitting YouTube.  The following tracks are "Curse of the Ninth" and their debut single "Blast Off":

With only 6 tracks on "Separate Realities", the album release came back with some great reviews!  I personally am a huge fan of the album and kind of kicking myself in the ass for missing their Toronto date (Sept. 16th @ The Annex Wreckroom), but with the way the reviews are going, I am sure these guys will be back with a new album and a new tour!



1. Blast Off 
2. Separate Realities 
3. Curse of the Ninth 
4. Wazzlejazzlebof 
5. Celestial Terrestrial Commuters 
6. Gemini's Descent

***

"The musicians in Trioscapes have certainly developed quite the synergy during the recording sessions, and it can be easily perceived by this performance alone. Most of the compositions in the album follow a very elevated pace, but there are moments of alleviation when Trioscapes experiments with a more atmospheric approach. 'Gemini's Descent', for example, is a very gentle piece. It has a soothing texture decorated with ambient effects and tribalistic aesthetics that induces a delicate vibe. 'Curse Of The Ninth' is one of the highlights in the album because it is an amalgamation of the many different influences that inspired this project. It expresses elements of atmospheric psychedelia within its sound, before bursting with energetic solos of utterly chaotic instrumentation that appear and vanish as they please.

The album also contains a cover of 'Celestial Terrestrial Commuters' from The Mahavishnu Orchestra's 1973 classic, Birds Of Fire. This particular rendition of 'Celestial Terrestrial Commuters' was actually one of the first ventures that the band produced. It's an interesting cover because where in the original John McLaughlin directed the song with his guitar work, we instead find Walter Fancourt's saxophone carrying us along throughout most of the song. In the end, Trioscapes proves to be yet another promising endeavor from Dan Briggs. Separate Realities is an album that perfectly coalesces the cosmic ambience of Progressive rock with the free-form improvisational atmosphere of Jazz Fusion. And when given the attention and enthusiasm it requires, one may find Separate Realities to be a truly entertaining experience right to the very end." -Sputnik Music

***

"In the six tracks of Separate Realities, the trio – sonically consisting of drums, bass guitar, saxophone and flute, both of which are occasionally tonally manipulated – takes on a mixture of time-bending arrangements felt more as a groove-founded listen than something that moves in standard songwriting structures. 'Blast Off' lives up to its name, setting the pace and mission of Trioscapes’ sound with a flurry of sax rips and technical drum licks. The introduction to the track flashes the band’s strength right off the back – coming together for groove-heavy sections that display cohesiveness as opposed to spotlighting instruments in the wake of a down-played rhythmic section. It is a bit difficult to think of these tracks in verses and choruses, but the repetition of certain motifs in Trioscapes’ arsenal is what makes these tracks stick – and 'Blast Off' is a prime example of that. The nearly twice as long title track takes a moment to get going, but in the wake of a strange introduction that preempts the spacey tones seeping throughout this track, a buzzed out bass helps push the track into the nearly psychedelic territory and allowing it to not get lost in the solo-esqe nature of the saxophone on this one. The xylophone is a nice touch and break up point for the song, reasserting the Zappa tone of this band while almost bringing the track back down to Earth in the process." -Absolute Punk

***

"More than that, though, this album stays fresh because the songs are awesome. 'Blast Off' has been stuck in my head for days now, which once again breaks pre-conceived notions about what a group like this should be able to do. Odd-time riffs and bizarre syncopation abound, but Trioscapes knows how to write some great melodies too, and they can lock into a more traditional groove when they want to. The sad, yet triumphant outro of 'Curse of the Ninth' is a wonderful testimony to the song-writing talent on display here, as is closer 'Gemini’s Descent,' which comes close to sounding like a lost King Crimson track. And then we have The Mahavishnu Orchestra’s classic 'Celestial Terrestrial Commuters,' the cover that was the first thing the trio played together. They manage to make the song sound like themselves without losing much of the original’s energy, which is impressive once you consider that the original was performed on guitar, violin, keys, bass, and drums. What it boils down to is this; you won’t be able to stop spinning this album. It’s going to catch in your brain and stay there. It’s always interesting, unlike many other 'progressive' albums that leave you wishing they’d stop noodling and just get on with the song already. I have a hard time picking out anything wrong with it, to be honest. Some people may not like it purely because of what it is. That’s fine. Some people may think it’s not heavy/brutal/aggressive enough, and I guess those people will always have their Slayer tattoos/corpse paint/camo shorts to feel good about. If you’ve read this far, and you’re still interested, just go pick the album up. You won’t be disappointed." -The New Review

My Destiny

I know this is twice I have posted about this band's upcoming album, but it's just so damn good I gotta share a lyric video once again.  Check out Demon Hunter's latest single "My Destiny", coming from their new record, "True Defiance", which is set to hit shelves on April 10th (ironically Easter weekend) via Solid State Records:



“[My Destiny] is definitely one of my favorite tracks on the new album. It shows just how much the band has progressed over the years. Like many traditional Demon Hunter tunes, it has a little bit of everything, and I think it flows really well through both heavy and melodic territories. My favorite parts are the guitar harmonies in the verses and how the chorus moves- the way the chords combine with the vocal melody is really interesting to me. I think fans are really going to dig this song.” -Ryan Clark

Music Releases for March 13th, 2012

So once again folks, it's that time of the week!  Time to head down to your local record shop or to your favourite online music retailer to pick up this week's notable albums.  Here is what's hitting shelves today:

(The Decemberists - We All Raise Our Voices To The Air)

And don't worry, I didn't forget about you hardcore folks: 

(MYCHILDRENMYBRIDE - MYCHILDRENMYBRIDE)

(Spawn of Possession - Incurso)

The Unchained - Declaring War...

If The Unchained is "declaring war on rock n roll", then AFGM must alert the fans and press!  These guys will be playing tomorrow night (Thursday, March 8th, 2012) at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern and wanted to give a little insight to those thinking about or interested in coming down to check em out.

Currently, The Unchained consists of:

- Ryan Abramowitz (Drums)
- Michael Wolfgang Verbeke (Guitars)

- Ange M (Guitars)

I had the pleasure to sit down and do a great Q&A with some amazing Toronto musicians and their newly conceived project "The Unchained".

First off, thank you guys for taking the time for this interview. I really appreciate the time and effort for you guys to sit down and go through this string of questions.  Lets start with with basics. What is The Unchained and who is in it?

The Unchained is a release. It’s what happens when life and people think they have you wrapped around its finger and eventually you get fed up and say fuck you. Our music tends to reflect the life we know and the stories we have endured. You can hear it in all of our songs – instrumental or with vocals.

Who started this project? When was it conceived?

We have been playing together for 5 years. We were together in a previous band called Easy Sleezy, which we still own and have a new album coming out, but its no longer an active project. Our musical creativity was being hindered by a nuisance of a singer so we decided to focus on what was actually important – writing great, unpretentious rock songs for people to enjoy.

What are the goals/aspirations for this project?

Nothing. Absolutely fucking nothing. We want people to come to our shows, drink and party all night. If they like the music, great, if they don’t, we don’t give a fuck. We do our best to write great songs and hope that it turns into world domination but truth be told, if we have 50 people who LOVE our music we’re happy.

Can you give us some influences you guys have when creating this project? Any specific reason(s) as to why?

We proudly wear all our musical heroes on our sleeve. All the great rock bands inspire every part we write.  Our writing process involves a lot of reflecting on our parts and a lot of rethinking and redoing, but most of what we write comes from nowhere. We hold onto our belief that rock music is pure and should not be contrived, so all of our recordings are recorded live off the floor in one solid take just like our heroes did. That’s what gives Rock music heart - vulnerability.

Fans have been following you for some time with your previous work in Easy Sleezy.  What prompted the change to go instrumental and a new project versus keeping an old one alive?

Fans get very attached to the music they love. Easy Sleezy has a place in our fans hearts that we didn’t want to disturb or change. We were hoping that by creating something fresh, it will be seen as something fresh, not just an ‘alternative’ to something that was. Easy Sleezy is exactly what it is remembered as and we would like our story to stay that way.



Will we be expecting an EP/LP anytime soon? Is there any material that folks can check out?

Yea, we have our demo posted live right now (www.theunchained.ca).  We also have a mobile site (www.theunchained.ca/mobilesite.html) for anyone who wants to stream our music while they walk or just keep up to date with what’s going on. We are hoping to have our full length completed this year.

Can you take us through the writing process at all? Who comes up with the riffs, and where does it go from there?

Honestly, we have no idea. We stand in a room together, pick up our gear and start to play. We press record on our computer and the music just gets spit out. We listen back, filter ideas and construct the best damn arrangement we can. Then we redo it all, and record the entire performance in one take. If we can’t play it perfectly or cant play it in one take, it needs more work. We dont stop until we believe it’s the best it can be...and then we make it better!

How are you guys handling the recording duties? Are you in a studio or are you self producing this project?

Big name producers and studios are over rated and filled with snakes, liars and professional con artists. Not all of them, we do know a few pro choices, but in general 99.9% of them suck shit and try to turn our music into everything its not. We worked with Richard Chycki on the Easy Sleezy album because he is a genius and took many months getting to know our songs and us as people. The Unchained album will be self produced and self recorded.

Are you guys hoping to keep this project a three piece and have session members or are you looking to add any members to the ranks?

To be honest, yes and no. If you think you can sing or can rip on the bass, give us a shout. We would be happy to hear your story and see how you play. But to be blunt and completely honest, we are tired of babysitting. If we ever added new members to the lineup they would be guys that drive this band and make it stronger in every department.

Whats on the go for The Unchained in the next few months? Do you have any more shows coming up in the near future?

We have a string of shows coming up in Toronto over the next few months, and we are planning to head out on a small US tour nearing the end of the summer. We are also working really hard to complete the writing and recording of our new album.

***

And now for some fun, random questions that every musician likes to answer:

If you could have a single guest member on an upcoming album, who would it be and why?

Slash. Because he is the king.

If you had one band who you would be honored to share the stage with, who and why?

Guns and Roses on their reunion tour with the original lineup. We want to be a part of rock history when a riot breaks out and the venue burns down.

Covers are always fun to do when your jammin out in the studio, any songs in particular you guys like to play and have fun with or is it all original material? 

Mainly original. We have thought about playing covers but playing other peoples music, at times, can be boring!

Favourite band/album of 2012 so far?

Aerosmith - Get A Grip. Didn’t know any music was released since....strange.

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So once again, anyone who's looking for a good night with good tunes and brews, be sure to hit up the Horseshoe Tavern and see what Toronto Rock n Roll is all about.  Get on their mailing list in order to get yourself a ticket to the show for FREE!

Shiprocked 2012!

Get Shiprocked!  Or at least check out the website. haha

Anyways, this caught my attention and now pondering whether to make the trip in November for this cruise. The 4 day excursion starts at Ft. Lauderdale, FL on November 27th, 2012 and makes it way to Key West and the Bahamas.  Did I mention there are a sh**tload of bands playing?!

"Four days and nights of music and mayhem, and yes, even some relaxation, awaits you onboard the 4th annual SHIPROCKED! The ultimate rock music cruise vacation sets sail November 27 – December 1, 2012 onboard the MSC Poesia from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Key West, FL and Nassau, Bahamas!

Join GODSMACK, KORN, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, P.O.D., SEVENDUST, FILTER, FUEL, BLACK STONE CHERRY, POP EVIL, LIT, HELMET, IN THIS MOMENT, GEOFF TATE, THE HALO METHOD, GILBY CLARKE, DEAD SARA, WRITE THIS DOWN, and ANDY WOOD, as they rock the ship from bow to stern, while you cruise the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean. Throughout your musical adventure at sea, you’ll also be treated to a boat load of additional unique activities, such as artist meet and greets, Q&A sessions, contests, game shows, insane parties, theme nights, and so much more!

Between the concerts and other events, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to rest and recharge onboard your floating resort, the MSC Poesia. Whether enjoying the serenity of the 12,000 square foot Balinese spa, feasting on all-you-can eat cuisine, trying your luck in the Vegas-style casino, working out in the full-service fitness center, relaxing under the sun by the pool, or just kicking back on your private balcony overlooking the ocean and a star-filled sky, you will discover luxury cruising at its finest.

So grab your friends, pack your swimsuits and the sunscreen, and come Get ShipRocked with us this November!" -getshiprocked.com

Check out the video from the Shiprocked website on past performances and cruises:



You can also check out Shiprocked on Facebook as well, for you social network fans.

Generalized Music...

Found this while stumbling through the net today when I came across a hilarious lyric video for this so called "Risecore" style music.  Apparently, this is taking a cheap shot at labels such as Rise Records (and others) and the artists they sign to their label.  Even though we do our best here to not bash anyone's musical taste and/or bands, this one made me laugh:



This is the caption found on YouTube and the user comments regarding the song:

"This is a joke, I know somebody's gonna end up getting all angry but it's all good. You are meant to take this lightly, it's just a simple light-hearted joke. I enjoy pop punk just as much as I enjoy djent/groove/metalcore etc... This is not a joke meant to cause harm, and I in no way am trying to imply my musical skills (and/or songs) are by any means superior and highly original." -androidkaita1 (via YouTube)

Music Releases for March 6th, 2012

Only a few notable albums are dropping in record stores and online today, but some very good, highly anticipated albums nonetheless.  Cheers folks and make sure to pick up your copy today:

( Every Time I Die - Ex Lives)