Overshadowed by the departure of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, it has been confirmed that Sky 'Sunlight' Saxon, founder and frontman of Los Angeles '60s garage rock band The Seeds, has also passed away on Thursday June 25th.

According to reports Saxon was hospitalized in Austin, Texas three days prior to his death due to what is presumed to be an infection of the internal organs, which ultimately lead to heart and kidney failure. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah as Richard Marsh, Saxon is thought to be 63 years old, although other sources suggest he was 71. (His wife would confirm neither.)

Formed in 1965, The Seeds gained popularity with songs like Pushin' Too Hard and Can't Seem to Make You Mine but faded into cult status when Saxon joined a religious sect in the 1970s. Various musical collaborations and several records under YaHoWha13 later, The Seeds reformed in their original line-up in 1989 for a headlining tour but remained inactive again until 2003.

Fans can contribute to Sky Saxon's cremation by donating to his widow, Sabrina Saxon.

Reportedly, pop icon Michael Jackson has passed away after suffering from cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home earlier today. The singer was rushed to the hospital in a coma but paramedics were unable to revive him, after which he was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. The King of Pop was 50 years old.

With a career starting as early as age eleven with the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson is widely considered one of the most influential artists of the past century, and remains one of the world's best-selling musician of all time. The singer was in Los Angeles rehearsing for his upcoming sold-out performances next month which have obviously been canceled.

Jackson is survived by his three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.

Lately, whenever I stick my head out the window to see what's the haps, it comes back covered in layers of clammy fog. I know the goddamn devil sun is still lurking behind the clouds, though, because they're fluorescent grey and burn my eyeballs. It's June, and I'm wearing the sweater my mom got me for Jewish Christmas. What gives? I've had to come up with some indoor activities, like drinking tea and making lists of my faults and tasting new pills and listening to shoegaze. It's almost like being in Liverpool or Glasgow (I have never been to Liverpool or Glasgow). Is it mere happenstance that this moist mindfuck coincides with an explosion of excellent post punk, Brit pop, and other U.K. influenced creations? Or have these bands somehow combined forces to precipitate a climate change? Conspiracy or not, they're a lot of gloomy fun.

Blank Dogs

A shadowy figure until recently, Mike Sniper, a.k.a. Blank Dogs, makes post punk that's simultaneously spooky and infectious. His new EP, Under and Under, might be his most accessible affair yet; his hooks capture the heart-clutching loveliness of Joy Division and New Order, while lo-fi production and vocal tracks that sound as if they're coming from underwater keep things dirty. Spacey sound effects and dreamy lyrical imagery add a somewhat cinematic element.

A solo artist who couldn't be bothered with press photos, he gathered an unintentional amount of buzz for keeping his face and identity hidden, until the mystique threatened to overtake the music and he moved to fix that by getting a band together, playing live and letting everyone know he's just a regular guy who goes to shows and runs a label, not some hooded phantasm. I had the good fortune of meeting him recently and found him to be quite personable, that is, until he vanished in a puff of smoke.



Little Boots

Equally hardworking but vastly different from Blank Dogs, U.K. popster Little Boots (a.k.a. Victoria Hesketh of Blackpool, England) explores two conflicting poles of dance music: on the one hand, she's necessarily glam and performs to hip-shaking crowds wearing tight and glittery little numbers; on the other, the magic of the Internet has allowed us a peek into her daily life as she revels in the inherent geekiness of spending hours alone in one's room with electronics. There's something more than a little thrilling about going along for the ride as she builds a club hit from a few simple elements, tests it out in her pajamas, then performs it on late night television a few months later. I'm still not sure exactly how a Stylophone works, but she makes it look and sound just as good as Bowie did on his early hit, "Space Oddity."



Her recently released single, "New in Town," brings me back to the spring of 2002, when I went to Reading ostensibly for a debate tournament but mainly to drink alcopops and dance in packed house parties while wondering if my debate partner wanted to kiss me. Are you out there, James Tabor? I hope you've made something of yourself, you egotistical British bastard.



She's currently touring everywhere and then some in support of her debut album, Hands. Go experience her adorability firsthand.

The Slits Return

-Ari Upp to Impose.tv, March 2008

Bless their hearts. The Slits participated in the first wave of punk when they were just teenagers, bringing a much needed dose of wry feminism to the movement when they toured with The Clash and the Buzzcocks in the late 1970's. They quickly progressed beyond the parameters of the genre, using primal, disembodied female sounds and reggae beats to create something uniquely subversive. By the time they recorded their first album in 1979, they'd grown into a style some call post punk and others consider a category all on its own.

In a development that should warm the hearts of all you tough/sexy woman enthusiasts, founding member Ari Upp reformed the Slits with a mixture of old and new members in 2006 after a 25-year hiatus and recorded a three-song EP of new material. That's not nearly enough Slits for me, so I was psyched to find out they've got a full-length due out in October. I haven't gotten my dirty hands on it yet (and would hate to see what Ari would do to anyone who leaked it) but I'm betting it'll be a combination of their signature "punky reggae" and some new sounds we're not expecting.



She and Him and Moz

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the meta-awesomeness that is She and Him. You see, in the quirky indie film that I anticipate someone will make about my life, yours truly will doubtlessly be played by Zooey Deschanel. But Zooey also made one of my favorite albums of last year, so to prepare for this role she'll need to listen to...her own music. And now I hear tell that She and Him have covered a song by my platonic husband Morrissey for the film 500 Days of Summer. How incestuous.

The soundtrack looks so good, I'll probably see it for that alone, even though the trailer reveals that it will inevitably make me cry (he loves her! she's a free spirit who doesn't do relationships!). The Smiths, Regina Spektor, The Black Lips, Carla Bruni, and Wolfmother all appear on the tracklist. I appreciate the thought director Marc Webb seems to have put into the film's music; there's a great, spoiler-free breakdown of it here.

He even responds graciously to The Playlist's prediction that the movie will suck more precious, sugary, cock and ruin more good songs than Garden State (which, for the record, also made me cry):

You tell em, Webb! Here's hoping this film will be good enough so I don't feel all self-loathing and manipulated for turning on the waterworks (fuck you, Zach Braff).

Love and Rockets Tribute Album

It doesn't get much more English than this: a slew of bands influenced by Love and Rockets are releasing a tribute album to the legendary Northampton alternative rock band. It will include tracks from the likes of The Flaming Lips, Black Francis, War Tapes, a Place to Bury Strangers, and not one but three friends of SG: the Dandy Warhols, Chantal Claret of Morningwood, and Maynard James Keenan's Puscifer. I've already ranted for far too long, so I'll let the album's MySpace page speak for itself. Until next time, kids, keep warm and dry, and remember to wear your Wellies...I don't want you catching cold.




Hunter is a Brooklyn-based writer currently contributing to Vice, The New York Press, Impose, and The L Magazine. If you email her at hunter.suicide AT gmail DOT com, chances are she'd love to add your publication to that list. Seriously, she's got some time on her hands.

I spent last week on a UK Tour:Smart tour. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If a person like me who has been in the business for 30 years is still learning about the business, you should be too. My week ended at Unconvention (which has to be the best name ever for an unconventional convention). It’s also a testament to Colin Consterdine’s temperament that despite hitting him square in the face with a box of blueberry muffins at SXSW (I mean SQUARE) he still invited me to participate. There were so many great ideas for marketing your band, your music, and your brand to the world and trying to get some attention above the ever growing crowd of people.

Here are tips: (More broad strategy, philosophical stuff, but if you get it, you can sustain. If you can sustain, you can apply your specific lessons and SUCCCCEEEED.)

1. You need fans before you need the guy that is the lawyer for The Eagles
2. Build momentum before you start thinking about business structures
3. Keep your day job while you play and build a fan base. Keep working until you get fired
4. If you can sustain you can succeed. You will need to focus and make choices. When you bet everything on one thing it will blow up in your face
5. The moment you have the leverage to get the deal you think you wanted, you don’t need the deal any more
6. There simply is NO ONE WAY to ‘monetize’ making music. There are a million different ways. Find ten ways that suit you
7. I feel like it’s 1977 all over again. Get creative, be original...(or hijack, remix, whatever someone else’s great idea).

While at Unconvention I met Vijay Nair from India who told me that because India has neither traditional copyright nor any of the million organizations that will help you (like we have in the States), he eventually came to some GREAT conclusions and actions on his own. I loved his idea of giving away a free copy of his album and inviting a fan to turn on another fan to his music. If that isn't the whole fucking point of it then WHAT IS?!!

Another great example of this is a local Chicago artist, Joe Pug. I read about Joe in a blog on Chicagoist (that gave a nice review of his album). But, what really got me is that Joe included his personal email address in the article and invited anyone who wanted a copy of his album to email him. The catch -- you had to ask for at least two and promise to send one to a friend. Genius! Someone at my company did just that and sent one copy of Joe’s album to friend who works in publishing in LA and another all the way to France.

Another exponent of unconventional DIY promotion is Tom Fort from Cobalt and the Hired Guns, who keeps showing up at my events. I saw him at SXSW and at a panel I did with the Chicago Cultural Center. He knows my assistant’s name and even sent her a real paper, hand-written postcard for his band’s upcoming show. That postcard is still displayed on her desk and always reminds me Tom.

It’s simple, simple stuff.

So.... still think you need a deal? Let’s think about this. Once you have a few of the elements in place to get a deal...

• a fan base
• a web site
• a CLUE
• a great recording (or maybe a few)
• some archive video footage
• a work ethic
• an immunity to hard floors, soft tacos, and mediocre plumbing
• a few live albums or demos
• several t-shirts
• shag-a-bility
• noise Noise, or, to be more accurate, other-members-of-the-band canceling headphones

....The LAST THING YOU NEED is a deal!

AND why bother? Many major label A&R men won’t even consider signing artists until they have squillions of friends on MySpace, and thousands of self or indie released records under their belt. And once you’ve reached that level, do you really need a label anyway? Why not bring on board the staff you now know you need, then, for all intents and purposes, YOU ARE your own full service label anyway AND you’ll get to keep 100% of the profits rather than a meager 10-15% (and that’s AFTER the label has recouped 100% of the shared costs!).

Maybe you should sit and ponder how much you really need a deal versus how much you want to say to some other loser in a bar, "we're signed - you're not!!" These conversations, rather revealingly, never talk about the important nuts and bolts of the deals but instead about the amount of cash up front (probably the least important part of any deal with any chance of longevity). It’s smart marketing that really makes a difference. We put a version of the new Pigface album out on an 8-Track cartridge to be difficult, to sound good, and also to prompt a few YouTube video moments of people breaking into Grandad’s car so they can listen to it.



As for me, I’ve finally finished the new Pigface album and i'm taking a break from being the label guy. My friends at Full Effect Records are dealing with that shit this time around so I can concentrate on the nearly finished new book and the school the school the SCHOOOOOOOL! . I’m very proud of this album and hope you all enjoy some new music.

Also, our friends S-Endz and Sam Coley attended my event at Hare and Hounds in Birmingham, and Sam made this kick-ass video (see below). S-Endz’ band, Swami is in Canada on tour -- of course touring :SMART. And a special thanks to Jenny at Capsule for putting the event together.



Upcoming Martin Atkins dates:

Saturday, June 27 - Chicago IL
Martin Atkins DJ set / Pigface CD Release Party at Vampire Night
@ Lucky Number Grill; 1931 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60647
Time TBD / FREE ADMISSION if dressed like a vampire or $5 at the door.
Info:MySpace.com/VampireNightChicago

Friday, July 10th - Baltimore, MD.
Martin Atkins Gallery showcase/sale of his artwork at The Metro Gallery
@ 1700 N. Charles St.; Baltimore, MD 21201
8 PM to 11 PM / Doors open at 7 PM / FREE WINE from 7 PM to 8 PM.
Info: sarah@themetrogallery.net

Saturday, July 11th - Baltimore, MD.
Martin Atkins DJ set / Pigface CD Release Party at Orpheus, Baltimore.
@ 1003 E. Pratt St. Baltimore, MD 21202
DJ Set from 11 PM to 12 AM / More details TBA


Martin Atkins has drummed with PiL, Killing Joke, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, and The Damage Manual, among others. As owner of the now 20-year old Invisible Records, he has worked with artists such as Thrill Kill Kult, Einsturzende Neubauten, Chemlab, Chris Connelly, Sheep On Drugs, Murder Inc, and Psychic TV. Martin teaches a course on Business of Touring at Columbia College in Chicago, IL, and has written a survival guide for touring bands, Tour Smart: And Break The Band, which features contributions from Henry Rollins, Cynthia Plastercaster, The Enigma, the Suicide Girls, Zim Zum (formerly of Marilyn Manson), Kevin Lyman, and various other managers, journalists, venues, agents, sponsors, radio personalities and the like.

What's all this business I hear about growing up? People are always saying things to me like, "Just you wait, someday you won't like living in a dirty loft with six roommates," and, "I can't wait 'til you get sick of wiping the noses of concave-chested scenesters," and also, "Buy some high heels and get a real job." And I'm like, "Whoa, guys!" First of all, I only have five roommates and our loft is pretty clean, and secondly, I will wipe my imaginary boyfriend's nose if he needs it because I'm helpful like that, and you should know that I wore heels out the other night for the first time ever and they almost killed me. I think growing up is less about fitting some dumb "grownup 2.0" mold and more about figuring out how to jerry-rig the universe to let you do whatever it is you happen to like doing, even if it's a silly thing like writing and not lawyering or investment banking or putting sprockets into widgets on an assembly line. I think everyone needs a reminder sometimes that you shouldn't let people make you feel bad for being yourself, especially if those people are your own crazy family, to whom I will say glass motherfucking houses and leave it at that.

Matt and Kim Try Out to Be Suicidegirls

Not really but look how naked they are!



I know I've taken some good-natured jibes at them in the past, but Brooklyn's happiest party couple have won me over with their latest effort, Grand. It's all about being young and broke and psyched on life and staying up all night and having lots of lo-fi fun.

How could I not have a soft spot for them when they're singing about my goddamn life?

The music itself is simple as always, and Matt's omnipresent nasalness can get a little annoying towards the end, but they've upped their production quality and catchiness just enough to make Grand listenable for more than a few songs, even adding nice touches like handclaps, strings and electronic beats.

On the theme of making your childish passions work for you, let's juxtapose the Village Voice's video of Matt and Kim's apartment with a recent WTF Bacardi ad that syncs up "Daylight" with one fashionably scruffy young professional's quest across schmancy white people parties through the ages to find a mojito refreshing enough to make him forget he is not, in fact, Jake Gyllenhall.



I bet Kim bought a lot of ice cream with that check!

They're on tour to pretty much everywhere right now, and I defy even the grumpiest of you to last through their set without catching the smiles.

Orphan

If you like your boy-girl duos more evil than adorable, here's some stronger stuff for you. With their bass and drums setup, Orphan is bound to get compared to experimental noise rockers Lightning Bolt, but to my grateful ears, the two aren't all that similar. Contrary to their name (which, for me, conjures some jacked, twitchy orphan packing sharp swords with which to avenge his parents' deaths), they have deep roots in 70's blues metal as well as grunge, hardcore, and weirder art metal motifs.

I discovered Orphan when they opened for the also-great Pontiak at the lower east side's Cake Shop. Despite sparse attendance, they rocked their black little hearts out. Badass drummer chick Speck Brown pounds classically menacing, Sabbath-esque beats straight into your brain while Brendan Majewski screeches doomsday lyrics and grinds through distorted, catchy riffs to kill you with, proving once again that bass is the best instrument if you're good enough to play it like a lead guitar.

They also make funny videos with footage culled from youtube:



Their latest album, Aborted by Birth, came out on white vinyl with great cover art and a run of 666 (awesome). I'm embarrassed I slept on this one for so long.

Love Is All Is All You Need

Even grownups need to dance it out sometimes. Thankfully, everyone's favorite Swedish indie popsters are back with a new E.P. and tour. I've always liked Love Is All for the balance they strike between noise (distorted guitars, lo-fi production, skronky sax) and pure, joyous pop. Delivered in Josephine Olausson's cute, accented wail, lyrics about love, loss, and loneliness make me want to do a happy-sad dance of identification before lying down and spooning with my cat.

They're currently touring Europe and the U.S. and bring copies of their new E.P. with them, which consists of covers of their favorite Swedish classics (in Swedish!). Because they only made 200 copies, they're also giving the music away online. Spread the love.



Camera Obscura

Do you ever wish you could stop falling in love with people who suck? When I grow up, I'm only ever going to love people who love me back. Psyche! You can't control who you fall in love with. What you can control, however, is how you deal with it. Camera Obscura's Tracyanne Campbell deals with it a lot on the recently released My Maudlin Career, with too-close-to-home lyrics like these:

I feel you, Tracyanne. But then you wouldn't make beautifully sad pop songs anymore. And you wouldn't be playing those songs all over the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. right now, either. It's a bittersweet trade off.

The music has matured too, with touches of '50s girl group and country, and lovely string arrangements. And according to twitter, which doesn't fucking lie, it's a current favorite of Missy's. What more do you need? Buy that shit, put it on, and pretend you run a bangin' girly website. Or just hold yourself and sway back and forth while spooning with your cat, that is, if you're flexible enough.





Hunter is a Brooklyn-based writer currently contributing to Vice, The New York Press, Impose, and The L Magazine. If you email her at hunter.suicide AT gmail DOT com, chances are she'd love to add your publication to that list. Seriously, she's got some time on her hands.

"It's quite a full-thrust, sexy, hot show," promises Gavin Rossdale, who is currently on tour promoting his solo album, Wanderlust, and the second single from it, "Forever May You Run," which will be released as part of a 5-track E.P. via iTunes on May 26.

Rossdale may be promoting new material, but fans of Bush and Institute won't be disappointed with the new show since the singer is drawing from his entire back catalog for the tour. "When I write set lists I don't draw from obscure B-sides," says Rossdale. "I like it when people are connected to the songs, and I think they would be disappointed if I didn't come out and play a bunch of Bush stuff."

Earlier this week, Gavin took an hour out of his busy touring schedule to call in to the SuicideGirls Radio studio for an exclusive interview which will be broadcast on Indie1031.com this Sunday at 10 pm PST (click HERE to listen live and HERE for the podcast).

Rossdale was also kind enough to reserve 2 pairs of tickets for SG readers at his Los Angeles and Anaheim dates (4 pairs total). And it gets better! He's also promised that the recipients will get to meet him before the show. "A meet and greet for SuicideGirls is like a dream match made in heaven," says Rossdale. "That I'd run to the venue for."

For a chance to win a pair of tickets answer the question below:

Q: What's the 10th track on Gavin's Wonderlust album?

Send answers via email to competition@suicidegirls.com. Put "Gavin Rossdale" in the subject header, and make sure you let us know which date you'd like tickets for: June 6 @ the El Rey Theatre in LA, California or June 7 @ the House of Blues in Anaheim. Please also include your full name, telephone number, and return email address. Competition closes at noon (PST) on Wednesday May 27. Winners will be notified by email by 6 pm (PST) on Friday May 29.

For full tour dates go to MySpace.com/GavinRossdale or
GavinRossdale.com.

A month and a half after my last encounter with heavy metal enigma Baroness at Scion Rock Fest in Atlanta, I find myself on the other side of the Atlantic (in Antwerp, Belgium if you want to get specific about it) at the band's first show of their headlining tour in Europe. While the Savannah, Georgia-based four-piece played their epic riffs alongside High On Fire, Neurosis, Converge and Mastodon in February, Baroness is riding solo for the next couple of weeks. Recently listed as one of Spin magazine's Top Five Metal Bands You Should Know, I am fairly sure this is something I don't want to miss out on.

Arriving in Antwerp, I nearly forgot how sketchy this city gets until I'm harassed by Jesus freaks and other weird dudes, but I get to the club in time and with both hands intact. (Supposedly the city's name comes from an old tale of a giant who demanded a toll from anyone crossing the river near where he lived. If the traveler refused to pay up, the giant would cut off one of his/her hands and throw (= 'werpen' in Dutch) it into the river. True story, but I digress.) A couple hundred Belgian longhairs have gathered at club Trix on this Thursday night to see what has gained nothing less of a cult following since the release of the 2004 debut EP First. On stage the band's trademark heavy riffs, intense vocals and thundering percussion all come together creating a haunting and more powerful vision than what a recording could ever capture. I am impressed. Also adding to the band's mystique is its iconic artwork by frontman John Baizley, whose detailed visual creativity extends to album covers of Kylesa, Darkest Hour, Cursed, Vitamin X and Torche. Needless to say the limited silk screened prints made for this tour (thanks to Richard at merchandise.nl) are one of a kind. After the show we hang out on the club's roof for a while but later we take it outside where some of us end up at a Eurotrash-looking joint while others crash out at the hotel to rest before tomorrow's trip to the UK.



The next morning I am voted a-okay which means I get to stay, and by the afternoon we step foot into Birmingham, hometown of Napalm Death, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. UK shows tend to get pretty wild so I'm stoked to be back on British grounds again unexpectedly. However, in true British fashion it's raining and I can't find a pair of decent jeans to save my life, so I am confined to now wet spandex leggings for another day. Anyway, by ten p.m. Hare & Hounds is packed with a rare mix of metal heads, bearded stoners, crust punks and a handful of scene kids, and Baroness sound even louder and more colossal than the night before, which makes for a most excellent second gig. Shout-outs to SuicideGirl Joseph and her guy for showing up and hanging out with us until closing time.

You haven't really been to England if you haven't had a full English breakfast, so team Baroness meet up with some friends for baked beans on toast, fried eggs, sausages and the likes before hitting the road again the next day. In the van I get my virtual ass kicked (Summer has obviously played GoldenEye 007 before), as I suck big time at first-person shooter video games (I'm more of a RPG kinda girl if you must know). Also, who knew John Baizley is the best air drummer in the universe!? In Sheffield we are greeted by our friend Slomo who is promoting tonight's show, and while the dudes soundcheck and do what they've got to do I head into town in search of a change of wardrobe. When I return the band has acquired four animal masks that are nearly as frightening as they are hilarious. Peter's penguin face still gives me the creeps. As showtime rolls around the fog machine is in overdrive (hello Spinal Tap), actually making the animal-headed grand entrée even more surreal! The tone is set for tonight judging by the confusion and intrigue among the crowd, even (or especially?) when halfway through the intro Baroness unmask themselves and their intricate performance unfolds. By now I am convinced that we are dealing with the next best thing in music. Stoked on tonight's gig, most of us stick around at the Corporation for the gothic/metal afterparty which ends up in one ridiculous blur with middle-aged air guitar heroes, scantily clad horror shows and getting completely lost in town at 4 a.m. What city are we in again!?



Waking up to a surprisingly minimal hangover (gotta love being twenty-two) and dreary weather we head down south to Bristol, where Baroness are set to play tonight. While my last memory of this place involves Daughters and a haunted police station, I'm not having it with any apparitions today, so I crash out at the hotel for a couple of hours before meeting up with Nikhita and Joseph who both happen to be in town tonight. The Croft is tiny as hell which definitely contributes to this being the wildest and probably loudest show of the UK leg of this tour. Taking in account the past couple of days, this is pretty unbelievable. The new songs that will be recorded on the follow-up to their Red Album later this year especially get a great response from the sweaty masses tonight. This is also where I discover my love for pear cider, and am very happy about the prospect of sleeping in the next day. (The two are clearly related.)

Being one of my favorite cities, I'm very excited to be back in the capital of England the next day. I always feel like London is a couple of steps ahead of everyone else in Europe when it comes to music, and I have no doubts in my mind that the Underworld will reflect this tonight. My thoughts are confirmed when I spy more than a few High On Fire, Torche, and Kylesa shirts wandering around in Camden Town (the St. Mark's Place of London) before the show. Supported by local bands Latitudes and Manatees, I have never heard Baroness sound better, which is also why it's a good idea to bring an awesome sound guy like Jason. After an hour and a half of progressive sludge stoner doom (try saying that five times hella fast) the party is definitely on at St. Christopher's Inn (note to self: don't drink cocktails with names like 'gas chamber'), and while they may be out of sight after tonight, they certainly won't be out of mind.

Greeting fellow headbangers! Welcome to the fourth -- and very special -- edition of Metal Asylum.

I had the pleasure of attending America's first ever hard rock and metal awards show. The Epiphone Revolver Golden Gods Awards were held on April 7th at Club Nokia in Downtown Los Angeles. The event was hosted by comic and actor Brian Posehn (The Sarah Silverman Show), who is well known for being a self-proclaimed metalhead. Indeed, Poshen's comedy album, Live: In Nerd Rage, which was released back in July 2006, featured a song called "Metal By Numbers" which the comic wrote and performed. To promote the song, which mocks "poser" metal bands and features guitarist Scott Ian from Anthrax (who is also a columnist for SG), Poshen made a silly video, which you can check out below.



Presenters, performers and nominees of the night entered the club on the black carpet. The event was open to the public (by ticket purchase), and the line to get in extended all the way to the next block. Lemmy (Motorhead) was a presenter that night and shared his thoughts on the new annual Golden Gods award show in this video.



As guests were arriving, Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor spun a DJ set, which included awesome classics from Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Dio. The actual awards ceremony started quite late, the timing issue being the first of many technical problems that night. Poshen's microphone never seemed to work, neither did many of the presenters' mics, which were always going in and out. The entire show was very disorganized. "It's metal -- so who gives a shit" seemed to be the prevailing attitude.

The awards ceremony kicked off with a pretty hysterical video of Posehn getting ready for the evening. It included shots of Pantera's Vinnie Paul making Posehn breakfast. Scott Ian was then seen playing guitar to the presenter while he was in the shower and reminding him to "wash his balls." At the end of the video, Posehn spun a HM record backwards to summon the Devil, who appeared in the mortal form of Dio.

One of my favorite elements of the show was that they had the guitarist from Steel Panther (a pseudo Spinal Tap-type band that mocks 80's hair bands) on the stage for the entire show. He just stood there and would play ridiculous riffs during the intermissions and while presenters and winners walked on and off stage..

The night's winners included:

Most Awesomely Good Drummer - Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Hellyeah)
Best Live Band - Slipknot (who also won the Best Riff award)
Best Album - Metallica (Maybe..if this was 1983)
Best International Band - Dethklok (the band gave a pretty entertaining pre-taped acceptance speech)
Best New Talent - Suicide Silence (.....really?)
Best Underground Metal Band - Isis (okay, I'm a huge fan of this band but I'm not sure they're the best underground metal band)
Best Metal Label - Roadrunner Records (love 'em)
Honorary Headbanger - Kat Von D (and the point of this award was...?)
Most Mind Blowing Guitarist - Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman (Slayer)
Golden God - Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
Hottest Chick In Metal - Marta Peterson (Bleeding Through)
Best Riff - Slipknot
Most Viral Video - Protest the Hero
Most Metal Athlete - Shaun White
Metal Industry Award - The Rainbow Bar & Grill
Reader's Choice Award - Acacia Stain

They also presented Ozzy Osbourne with the lifetime achievement award. I'm sure we all saw this coming, and can admit that he deserves it...But before Ozzy came out to accept the award, they played an almost 20 minute "tribute" type of video for him. Needless to say, it was a tad long and a little over done.

For a complete list of the winners of the night as well as videos from the black carpet hit Revolvers website

The show also featured live performances by Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed, All That Remains, Suicide Silence, and Megadeth, who headlined. They could -- and should -- have picked a broader range of bands to represent more of the metal sub-genres. Also, perhaps because of the sound issues, the crowd never really seemed to be "into it." Even Hatebreed had a hard time getting the crowd riled up (I've unfortunately seen them many times and the crowd has never before failed to go fucking nuts).

Megadeth dropped the last performance of the evening. I have seen them only once before at a Gigantour festival gig a few years back. They put on an amazing show when I last saw them, unfortunately, I cannot say the same for this performance.

Megadeth played a three-song set (as did all the bands that night). Their set-list was chosen by fans in an online poll, and they kicked off with "Peace Sells." Right away you could hear that the sound was not mixed well. The guitars were way too loud and Dave's voice, for whatever reason, sounded very off. Dave had a look on his face that said, "Let's just get through these songs as quick as we can and get the hell out of here." Their next song was "Sweating Bullets" which happens to be a personal favorite of mine. For the last song of the evening they played a true classic, "Holy Wars."

Here's a video of Megadeth's performance of "Holy Wars."



I was very excited at the prospect of America finally having a home grown metal awards show and, for the most part, it was an entertaining evening with many metal legends participating (which was a very positive sign). My only hope is that next year the event will be much more organized, and that they will honor and celebrate more corners of our beloved metal scene.

On that note, here are some albums I have been really getting into as of late..
Primordial - Imrama
Old Man's Child - Slaves Of The World
Epica - The Classical Conspiracy
Candlemass - Death Magic Doom
Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God
Eluveitie - Evocation I - The Arcane Dominion

As always, let me know what you guys have been listening too lately. I always look forward to checking new music!

And make sure to keep an eye out for my interview with Chrigel Glanzmann, the guitarist and mastermind behind Eluveitie, which should be up soon.

Until next time,

Horns and Hails!!!

Hollee

So I was browsing Facebook the other day and came across a link from a friend of mine. Oftentimes I ignore these, but she had previously linked me to the brilliant Oren Lavie music video. So I clicked on it, and for the next five and a half minutes, I was covered in goosebumps. Judge for yourself.




After watching that, I did a little research into the organization behind it and what they were doing. From their website:

You may think, 'Well that's great but the world needs more than just a few new musicians. There are real problems.' The foundation is pitching in there as well, not only building both a music and arts center in South Africa, but working to rebuild and improve Tibetan refugee centers in Dharamsala, India and Kathmandu, Nepal. Beyond this, they're also working with the RED(WIRE) group to fight AIDS in Africa.

I guess what makes this whole thing relevant is that we're at a time in the world when many of us seem to be at each other's throats, and really, I can't remember a time when that wasn't the case. We have almost anything at our fingertips, information in a heartbeat and entertainment almost as fast, and just as forgettable. But watching these videos of street performers, professional musicians, and ordinary people all over the world taking a song and an instrument, or just their voice, and building something together is inspiring. They really are trying, in a decidedly unique way, to make a change.

Music has in a lot of cases, devolved into something to make a quick buck or discuss a failed relationship. This documentary and CD has the power to inject a meaning and relevance back into the musical mainstream, and do it without the star power of U2 or Kanye West. I really hope that it succeeds.



The Playing for Change CD/DVD "Songs Around the World" drops next Tuesday, April 28th. Please read more about the foundation at their website: Playing For Change

The great thing about the music business and bands on the road is that pretty much everybody has a useful tip for something. One of the most important things you can do is open your mind to the possibility that you can learn something from anywhere.

It's easy to be open to learning something from me, right? I've been in a bunch of bands, I have dreadlocks, and I wrote a book. What about admitting to yourself that you might have something to learn from the opening band? I mean, they're opening for you, right? What could you possibly learn from them?

Case in point is self-proclaimed international experts on Ovis aries and pharmaceuticals, the brilliantly named Sheep on Drugs (pickled in alcohol as they may be). These not very sheep-like rockers studiously demonstrated the fact that when you drink lots and lots of vodka your sweat starts to smell like vodka. However it was in their pursuit of cash to fund their beverage experimentation that I leant a second, even more key lesson. It was at their merchandise booth that I first saw the concept of the begging bowl interfaced with delightful, disarming honesty that extracted money from everyone who walked past: "Alcohol Fund -- Please give generously."



This tip alone has saved many an evening, and filled many a empty gas tank, stomach, heart, and mind at the end of a grueling day on the road. It is priceless.

We wanted to hear more of these stories so we launched a contest at SXSW. We asked attendees for their nuggets of wisdom -- the person that came up with the most helpful, relevant and/or unique tip would win $4000 worth of really great gear (free being one of the best kinds of gear).

People from all over the world shared brilliant ideas, from the ethereal talking about the spiritual crusade that bands embark upon to the much more down to earth, who shared gems like, "Buy large bottles of Gatorade to use as portable truckers piss buckets to reduce the number of pit-stops during long drives." -- Glorious one and all.

(Note: I've seen the other end of this double-edged sword when, on the road with Dope somebody mistook a lime flavored Gatorade bottle filled with piss for a lime flavored Gatorade. Oh how we laughed, but that is the kind of stuff that breaks up a band.)

There were some tips that were repeated in different ways by different people, all boy-scout-ish in nature:

* Be prepared

* Expect the unexpected (usually instantly ridiculed only by those that have never been on the road)

* Find friends first and musicians second

* Treat your audience as if they were the band and instead of being in the band imagine you are fans of your audience.

That is a great way to describe the reverse of the traditional audience/band relationship and how it should work. It conveniently takes into account that bands should be humble and treasure even the smallest audience and not complain to all who will listen that another 90 (or 900) people should have showed up.

There was also some terrific advice that sadly didn't make the short-list/potentially prize-winning cut:

* Jeff Sheppard from the Sarah & Jeff show wrote "GET ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE! (CAA or AAA)." Which is so much of a no-brainer that it sometimes gets forgotten.

* Emilio Castellanos said, "No matter what happens record everything." (Does not apply if your name is Richard Nixon.)

* John Thomas said, "Just get started. It's easier to change or correct course than it is to get your butt off the couch for the first time." I really liked that too.

* And, "Have a sense of humor in one hand and a big stick in the other and whatever you do don't let anyone know you have a credit card," from Sean Rial -- this made me laugh a LOT!

Surprisingly, one idea that wasn't addressed in the hundreds of entries was something that took me a long time to get to: The Customer Is Always Right.

I couldn't understand how a show that I knew was flawed, where the sound was bad, where someone had obviously fucked up, where things weren't right (or at least not the way they were supposed to be) could seem amazing and enjoyable to anyone. I've gotten into countless arguments with someone who said, "That's the best show I've ever seen." I've spent a lot of energy explaining why it wasn't, going on at length, "If only you had seen us three nights earlier with better sound, better lights, better voices, better, more focused laser light energy, better crowd, less bad notes, more height from the jumps..." The end result being what.....? A confused audience member who just had a great experience explained away and a confused band member convincing fans one at time that we were unworthy.

After years of this, I figured it out. The customer, it turns out, is always right. So when your shambolic 25th show comes to an untimely end, a drum kit falls over, the singer fails to hit high notes and the bass player struggling with only two strings left on his lack-luster bass guitar duels with the incompetent guitarist shredding (except that his guitar isn't plugged in) and somebody says, "That was great!" - it was. And who the fuck are you to take that away from anybody?

Be humble. Be nice. And even though you're not selling anything to anyone anymore, remember the customer is always right.

If you want to read all the rest of tips (and you can vote too) the top 52 are HERE. I encourage you to leave your own tip too. You won't be entered in the competition to win $4000 worth of equipment from PreSonus, Pearl Drums, Dean Guitars, or Trueline Drumsticks (you've missed the boat on that one), but you'll earn a place in my heart forever and who knows, your piece of advice might be the one that saves someone's ass one day.


Martin Atkins has drummed with PiL, Killing Joke, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, and The Damage Manual, among others. As owner of the now 20-year old Invisible Records, he has worked with artists such as Thrill Kill Kult, Einsturzende Neubauten, Chemlab, Chris Connelly, Sheep On Drugs, Murder Inc, and Psychic TV. Martin teaches a course on Business of Touring at Columbia College in Chicago, IL, and has written a survival guide for touring bands, Tour Smart: And Break The Band, which features contributions from Henry Rollins, Cynthia Plastercaster, The Enigma, the Suicide Girls, Zim Zum (formerly of Marilyn Manson), Kevin Lyman, and various other managers, journalists, venues, agents, sponsors, radio personalities and the like.

After stumbling around the country for nigh a month pondering love, barking my shins and consuming everything that crossed my path from flirty glances to pop songs to the entire city of Portland, I have come home. Everything's exactly the same only not, like I time traveled three weeks into the future and am now just a little out of step with everyone here in Bizarro-Brooklyn. Each new venue, human, and sandwich shop that's appeared as if by magic adds a little to my sense of vertigo. Even my cat has grown unreasonably fluffy. On the bright side, flowers are blooming, and it's no longer cold as shit. I found lots to like at SXSW and beyond, and am now catching up on what I missed while embracing the mind numbing uniformity of the desert. Here's some of what I've found.

Cutting Le Rug

In all my travels, I have yet to encounter any event with the delicate balance of body heat, violence, awkward booty dancing and pure joy one inevitably finds at any decent Brooklyn house party. Since finding my inner Paula Abdul at a fête called Gay By Gay Gay, I've been dying to see how my moves have traveled. Brooklyn's Le Rug just entered my consciousness via a post on Impose and made me do a little shake right here in the cafe. Fronted by the moderately insane Ray Weiss, they make music that's messy, spazzy, and perfect for all of your house party needs, and with adorably depressing, topical lyrics like “deregulate deregulate the market / with those profit margins right on target.” Dudes have released 3 EPs in the last 6 months, all of which can be downloaded for free at tamurrecords.org

Starfucker/Guidance Counselor

Portland is a good place to get down, too. It's not Brooklyn, but it does score high in the three categories most important to me: vegan food, d.i.y. shows, and cute boys on bicycles. As it holds far more of these things than I could even begin to enjoy in just two days (try as I might), another visit is probably in my future. Contributing to the place's joie de vivre are Starfucker and Guidance Counselor, who share a drummer and both make crazy fun dance music, with the former spinning samples off vinyl and the latter keeping things interesting with some Foals-esque quasi math rock sequences. At the show I attended, kids were jumping around with such vigor I feared the flimsy house would collapse. They're currently touring the U.S. and Canada together, so check them out if you don't mind waking up with a sore wiggle muscle.

Cerebral Ballzy

If your idea of dancing is actually closer to hitting people and jumping off things, this is your steeze. Besides having the most awesomely bad name, this group of New York miscreants wins the prize for most punk rock performance I caught not only at Southby, but for quite some time before or since then. These kids pack an impressive amount of aggression into their skinny frames as they thrash all over the place and gnash out songs about getting wasted, throwing up, and riding the NYC subway. Tour dates are currently sparse but you can order their new EP Autistic Expression and a kick ass t-shirt that shows a skeleton flipping the bird on their MySpace page, which, I boast, quotes yours truly describing them as "Bad Brains on crystal meth."

These Are Powers

Anna Barie is one of my top five favorite frontpeople in rock. She's up there with Tim "no pants" Harrington, King Khan, and Jared and Cole from the Black Lips, if they melded into one chompy-grilled, mustachioed mega-rocker. Former Liar Pat Noecker slices the air with bright, grindy bass lines and Bill Salas makes all sorts of pounding, ass-moving percussion sounds, both electronic and live. Their new album, All Aboard Future, transports listeners to some sort of dystopic tribal robo-scenario in which we're all taking peyote and fucking on piles of shredded iPhones and worthless currency in the bombed out remains of luxury condominiums. Get psyched; it's happening sooner than you think.

They're playing select dates in the U.S. before heading off on a tour of China(!) so go have fun and tell them I sent you. Be prepared to bang on an instrument, because they usually pass a bunch out. It's just like your elementary school music class, only this time no one will stop you from fighting that bitch in front for the triangle.

Fucked Up

Following through on their promise to release something for each year of the Chinese astrological calendar, everyone's favorite Toronto experimental hardcore group has released the single "Year of the Rat," the third in the series. Unlike Cerebral Ballzy, who distill the elements of punk into a concentrated sock in the nuts, Fucked Up play around with them, adding elements of prog and noise to aid the song's rise and fall like a tidal wave that takes its sweet time breaking and engulfing you. At the song's end, the feedback shrouded voice of John McCain intones "the Secretary of State told me once that you had better be ready to pull the trigger," a chilling reminder of the dark course this past year might have taken. The b-side, "First Born," pulls from blues-based metal while retaining Pink Eyes' (a.k.a. Daniel Abraham's) superior hardcore vocals. An excellent next move for a band that built up momentum with an epic 12-hour marathon show in New York last year which included the WTF moment of that dude from Vampire Weekend singing on covers of Blitz and the Descendants.



I can has punk rock and Chinos?

OMG metal!

I know Clio just discussed them, so I'll be brief, but holy fucking shit. Mastodon's Crack the Skye is the noisiest most intricately brainmelting thing that has penetrated my earholes for quite some time. Get it if you have ever liked metal even a little bit at all, or even if you don't! It will make you a better person. Look how awesome:




Hunter is a Brooklyn-based writer currently contributing to Vice, The New York Press, Impose, and The L Magazine. If you email her at hunter.suicide AT gmail DOT com, chances are she'd love to add your publication to that list. Seriously, she's got some time on her hands.

Greetings fellow headbangers! Welcome to the third installment of Metal Asylum. It has been a pretty busy month for the metal scene.

First off, my interview with Peter Wichers, the lead guitarist of Soilwork, went up a couple of Sundays ago here on SG. To read the full interview click HERE.

Soilwork actually played a few weeks ago at The Key Club in West Hollywood. I was very interested in seeing them now that Peter has returned to the fold. Unfortunately, I only got to see a small portion of their set because I met up with my Finnish friends from doom metal band Swallow the Sun at the show and they convinced me to go drink vodka with them next door at The Rainbow Room (always a bad idea...but always a good time!) From the few songs that I did see I could tell they were really tight and the crowd seemed to love them.

Though I've not always been much of a Soilwork fan, they put out some solid albums early on in their 13+ year career (Steelbath Suicide and The Chainheart Machine). Unfortunately, later, they took the same route as other bands from the Sweden–Finland melodic scene. Bands like In Flames and Children of Bodom, along with Soilwork, were once were the leaders of this particular genre and were great innovative bands. However, these bands have stopped writing the well-crafted songs with exquisite melodies and the über technical music that would amaze, in favor of fodder that is dumbed down for the masses. In my interview with Peter, he said that for Soilwork's next album he wanted to write songs that are more in line with those classic early albums. Let’s hope that's what transpires. Perhaps the original member's return will help the band get back to their roots and with his influence they'll write the kind of intelligent, heavy, melodic music that first put them on the map.

Here's Soilwork's video for the song "Exile" from the album Sworn To A Great Divide.



Also, if you haven't checked out the Finnish Death/Doom band Swallow The Sun yet, here is their video of "Don't Fall Asleep" from their third album Hope. I’d encourage you to check out this band, Mikko Kotamäki is one of my favorite vocalists.



I caught the Týr (Faroe Islands), Suidakra (Germany) and Alestorm (Scotland) triple-threat show this month too. From you comments I know some of you are not big fans of the folk / Viking metal music, but going to a Viking Metal show is a very different experience. They have such a unique vibe. Unlike death and doom metal gigs, everyone is happy (probably because they are all extremely drunk) and soooo into the music.

It was my first time seeing Alestorm. They’re known as one of the few "pirate metal" bands. A lot of people went dressed as pirates to this show, which to my eyes seemed a little unnecessary, but each to his or her own. The funny thing is Alestorm did not dress like pirates for the gig. They delivered a pretty entertaining performance, and received a good response from the crowd, the majority of which were dancing and singing along. More of a band to go see live rather than experience on CD, I certainly understood the appeal more after watching them perform hilarious pirate-themed songs such as "Wenches and Mead" and "Captain Morgan’s Revenge."

Týr on the other hand was simply amazing. They don't dress up or do anything super flashy like some of the other folk metal bands tend to, they just get up there, perform a tight set and get off stage. However, despite playing all the fan favorites, including "Regin Smiður,” “The Wild Rover” and “Hail to the Hammer,” the crowd didn't seem to respond to their set with the same enthusiasm as they did for the other two bands -- perhaps because they are not as upbeat. Anycase, in my opinion, they were the best band on that bill.

Here’s " Regin Smiður" from Týr’s Eric the Red album.



Suidakra closed out the night. Their last album Crógacht, really hit the spot for me, so it felt good to see them live again. They delivered a much stronger performance than when I last caught them at Paganfest ‘08.

Check out "Shattering Swords" by Suidakra from the album Crógacht.



The Pagan Knights Tour 2009 is wrapping up right now. It stops in New York tonight (Sunday, March 29) and Raleigh, NC tomorrow (Monday, March 30). If you are into folk/Viking/pirate metal, this is a wench-rock show you definitely shouldn't miss!

Other upcoming tours of note include:

• Paganfest II with Korpiklaani, Moonsorrow and Primordial.

• The Kreator tour, which also features Exodus, Belphegor, Warbringer and Epicurean.

Some of you have been messaging me about power metal and asking if I'm into it at all. The answer is yes -- to an extent. For the longest time I was dismissive of the genre, considering it was metal for people who played Dungeons & Dragons. But a friend of mine who is a huge power metal fan starting burning discs for me and I am starting to love it more and more. Having always been a fan of female-fronted metal bands such as Nightwish, Epica and Leave's Eyes (though I'm not placing all of those bands into the power metal category), one PM band that I am really getting into is Blind Guardian from Germany. Their stuff is so epic and frontman Hansi Kürsch's vocals are incredibly powerful and unique.

Other power metal bands worth checking out include Rhapsody (In Fire), Kamelot, Hibria, and, of course, the one and only ManOwaR – though there’s much debate as to weather the later qualify as power metal or straight-up heavy metal (I'd like to hear your opinion on this).

Continuing the "albums I'm currently listening to" segment that I started last month, here is my current play list:

Swallow The Sun – Plague of Butterflies (EP)
Isole – Silent Ruins
Blind Guardian – A Night at The Opera
Arsis – We Are The Nightmare
Kataklysm – Prevail
This Ending – Dead Harvest
Amon Amarth – Twilight Of The Thunder God
Korpiklaani – Korven Kuningas

That's it for this month. Feel free to comment below or message me and let me know what you are listening to and bands that you recommend.

Horns & Hails

Hollee

As a cheesy tattoo reality show once said, "Every body has a story." I know at least some of you have studied mine. Can each curve, bump, puffy lip and turn of ankle tell something essential? Is there a side my friends don't see when we get wasted and they watch me stumble towards my ever-solidifying destiny of holy goof-ness?

As I write this, I'm sitting in a motel in Flagstaff, Arizona, downing Emergen-C with my Miller Lite and nursing multiple battle injuries. I'm in the bathtub so as not to disturb my sleeping companions, who've just informed me I go at the keyboard like I have a grudge against it. As always, South by Southwest happened so hard and fast I'm still trying to figure out if I dreamed it all. I threw out my bag of SXSW crap. Pictures glow from the screen, but what I can touch is my body. I see its marks, I feel them, and, when I press on them, they fucking hurt. Maybe they can map a way back into this rapidly receding thing. After all, I'm pretty sure I was there.

Bruise on Top of Left Foot

This happened when I saw HEARTSREVOLUTION at Beauty Bar. Their sexy electro had all the drunks jumping up and down so joyously no one noticed if they stomped on a foot or two, least of all mine. Leila Safai is the ultimate party pixie, packing mondo energy into her tiny frame, then shooting it at you. Am I allowed to quote myself? Oh well, I'm doing it anyway.

Source: The New York Press

The chance to get those tits out came swiftly in the form of a surprise run-in with my old friend Merlin Bronques. Naked in the bathroom at Beauty Bar just like the old days. I almost shed tears of nostalgia, it was such a throwback. Merlin makes me look pretty even when I'm not wearing concealer and haven't slept or put down the bottle in days. Kind of busted but in a hot way, maybe? I love that man.

Scrape on Upper Right Thigh

This happened when I was jumping a fence in an attempt to climb up on the roof of Ms. Bea's to see Health pound out a fitting finale to Todd P's orgy of unofficial rocking. Regular clumsiness worsened by hits off someone's joint, that evil fence caught me in the ass-thigh just when I thought I'd cleared it. It also caught my nice new American Apparel pencil skirt (please send free shit), revealing my purple leopard print undies to all. A good Samaritan helped free me and didn't even stare at my ass, that I know of.

From the roof a panoramic soundscape unfolded. For two minutes, all was sheer noisy bliss, with breezes and crackling sound currents intermingling. Then Todd yelled at us to abort before the scrap wood shanty that is Ms. Bea's collapsed. Like a cat in a tree, I spun all gears puzzling over just how to get down. Unlike that cat, I showed more people my ass before falling unceremoniously into the underbrush.

Bruise on Left Buttock

Followed by:

Assorted Thigh Bruises, Leg Abrasions

It's hard to recall just when and where each of these occurred. I know I woke up with some on Sunday, some Monday, so it's a good bet to say the first group of friends came to me as I floated into the numerous bony people and assorted unforgiving obstacles at the Vice party. When I arrived, Titus Andronicus were playing. Their noisy, anthemic rock with shaky vocals reminds me simultaneously of early Bright Eyes and Bruce Springsteen. I pushed up to the front and went to town. Unlike most afterparties, I didn't feel like shit by the end. This was due to the fact that the only free booze was tequila, which falls out of my mouth like poison, and beer, which I can only drink so much of. Despite missing my old pal whiskey, I sampled a veritable thali plate of Hunter's little helpers, which interfered with one another and cancelled each other out until I was so fucked I wasn't fucked at all.

The next night I went to the most awesomely terrifying party the world has ever seen. Bike punks, fireworks and broken glass spelled F-U-N. More bruising was a given but I counted myself lucky to have escaped with my face intact. I'm a tad neurotic about the ol' shana punim, as I know it'll be my primary dick-bait when I get fat.

Mega Scrape on Left Knee

Somewhere along the line I managed to meet a boy who likes all the same weird things as me. When he asked me to ride on his handlebars (no mustache) I thought my wee heart might pop. We felt it would be best to let Asobi Seksu cloak us in their layered mass of sound, with loud whispers of Cocteau tumbling from Yuki Chikudate's pretty mouth. Afterwards, I rode again with squeals of failing to be serious and coy until an unscheduled date with pavement (no Malkmus) ended it. The blood poured down into my dirty boot but I couldn't stop laughing at its sheer red ridiculousness. It keeps on cracking and sprouting little beads, but I don't mind since I know it'll heal eventually and it helps me remember how much I love that goddamn music festival.



Hunter is a Brooklyn-based writer currently contributing to Vice, The New York Press, Impose, and The L Magazine. If you email her at hunter.suicide AT gmail DOT com, chances are she'd love to add your publication to that list. Seriously, she's got some time on her hands.

Whether it’s just a big tax write-off, some sort of heavy metal promotion campaign or part of a much grander scheme, I could care less why car-manufacturer Scion and Vice Magazine decided to fly out thirty bands to Atlanta, Georgia for a free festival last February. I hear a lot of noise about corporate companies infiltrating the underground scene (come on now, B9), but whoever can throw around that kind of cash and spends it on names like Mastodon, High On Fire, Boris, Converge, Neurosis, and Baroness is pretty okay in my book. We can talk about politics some other time, though.

After mingling with a horde of gorgeous SuicideGirls in Las Vegas for a week to shoot an upcoming DVD, I traveled down south to witness the destruction that was about to go down at Scion Rock Fest. California ragers Trash Talk were set to play a warehouse show in the ATL the night I arrived, so after the chaos that went on there and a stop at a sketchy liquor store the party was definitely on in room 1918 at the Renaissance.

Upon arrival at the Masquerade the next day, the queue outside was insane. Thousands of metalheads had been waiting outside the venue all morning to get into the fest that had everyone talking for the past couple of months. While Trash Talk set up their gear at the Heaven stage (the other two indoor rooms being Purgatory and Hell), I decide to go outside and check out Kylesa. While I dig their records, the Savannah-based sludge metal band isn’t doing it for me today, just as the sound does nothing for Laura’s vocals. However, some of the tracks off their upcoming release Static Tensions are still haunting me in the best way possible.

Back in Heaven, it’s not the first and won’t be the last time I’ll see blood spilled at a Trash Talk show. Even though their line-up this weekend is incomplete (singer Lee is MIA due to a fractured kneecap), the Sacramento hardcore band is solid and as violent as one can only hope for. They are without a doubt the black sheep among this array of doom, sludge and stoner metal, but a fifteen-minute set is all they need to convince their largely unfamiliar audience. I hurry to catch the last song or two of Torche, who have been growing on me for a while now and seem to get better every time I see them on stage. The song Healer is as catchy as a stoner band can get.

One of the bands I have been dying to see today is Baroness, fronted by John Baizley (known for his iconic artwork gracing record sleeves and T-shirts of bands like Cursed, Daughters, Darkest Hour, and Pig Destroyer). The four-piece is sounding heavier and more colossal than ever, I don’t know if their riffs could get any more epic. I kind of want their amps to go to eleven. The same goes for Boris, which is enough reason for the Japanese experimental rock trio to have reached cult-status over the years. Named after a Melvins song, Boris is absolutely one of the most impressive live bands to play at the Masquerade today. Their droning sound is downright hypnotic, largely attributed to guitarist Wata, who by the way is without contest the cutest girl here.

Although I don’t get to see much of Richmond grind thrashers Pig Destroyer, they shred harder than I remembered and sound about as evil as last Summer’s Carcass reunion. Not so diabolical but worshiped by stoners worldwide for the past decade, High On Fire proves to still be unparalleled. Matt Pike (previously of the hugely influential stoner/doom formation Sleep) has an unreal throat that seems to have been created for the sole purpose of fronting this fucking epic band.



Opening with one of my favorite (and most recognizable) songs, Plagues, Boston hardcore band Converge is in excellent shape tonight. With crushing riffs, bone-chilling vocals and ear-shattering percussion, their setlist has been perfected to shut up even the most critical of Converge fans by including Concubine and The Broken Vow, as well as earlier work such as Locust Reign. Creating a sound that has been imitated by many but mastered by few, Converge have yet to fail me.



After witnessing the blood and sweat shed in Heaven, I join the masses outside to a darker and colder space where Neurosis are set to perform. Being the second to last band, they take the main stage to assault my senses with a wall of sound for a solid 90 minutes. The six-headed Oakland outfit effortlessly integrates doom metal with industrial influences to create a truly unique and macabre ambiance. Formed in 1985(!), Neurosis has continually raised the bar in its genre and tonight proves to be no exception.

There is no denying that Mastodon has become one of metal’s leading American heavy metal bands since the release of their 2002 debut Remission, and the Grammy nomination wasn’t a coincidence either. While the Atlanta natives aren’t typically my metallic cup of tea, they conjure an intensity that cuts through flesh and bone and the majority of their peers can only dream of. With three records under their belt and a highly anticipated LP due on March 24, Mastodon is in good company when Neurosis guitarist and vocalist Scott Kelly joins the band to perform Crystal Skull. After nearly two hours of pure fucking metal, Scion Rock fest has officially come to an end and blown my mind from start to finish.

Remember all the fun things I said I was doing instead of having a job? I don't know what's wrong with me but they're getting kind of boring. Maybe it's the melancholy of winter, or that my impending birthday always makes me so sad I need to throw house-wrecking parties and drink 40s and kiss boys and fall over in the snow and almost get arrested just to cheer myself up.

I'm feeling kind of schlumpy. Having achieved relatively little as a 23-year-old besides finding a creative way to get fired, I'm in the career equivalent of a K-hole, and only the sun's rays can bring me out of this hangdog, emo-vampire-hermit state. I think I'm going to hibernate until SXSW, emerging only to eat cake and check on my torrents. I'm also not drinking until my birthday, which gives me a good six days (as of this writing) of sobriety to reflect on things. I love you, New York, but you're bringing me down.



Grizzly Bear

When I hear the name Grizzly Bear, I often think of Werner Herzog's insane film Grizzly Man, about a guy who thought bears were his friends until one of them ate him. But it is an indie folk band that makes damn beautiful music. The other night, I saw them play with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and their compositions stood trial by orchestra amazingly well. I got to hear some songs off the new album, and they're as lovely, layered and expansive as people are saying. Fleet Foxes' Robn Pecknold called their forthcoming album, Veckatimest. "The best record of the 00s." It makes me hopeful that Animal Collective's Merriwether Post Pavillion was just the first of many great albums to come in 2009, our time to shine.

Unfortunately for Edward Droste and company, Veckatimest leaked far in advance of its May 26 release date, and though they are taking it in their stride, Grizzly Bear are understandably sad that a "bummer-quality" version of their baby is making the rounds. I love Ed almost enough to change into a boy for him, so for once I'll wait patiently for a real copy. In the meantime, you can hear the new songs at their numerous upcoming tour dates.

Grizzly Bear's super sharp "Knife"




Nick Cave Reissues

If there's one band that unites goths young and old, it's Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Cave was in his forties the first time I saw them, and he rocked my pasty little mall goth face just as hard as he rocked dirty new wave clubs before I was born. Though his music has always defied genre, its darkly misanthropic streak (Christian awakening aside) warms the hearts of death rockers everywhere, if such a thing is possible.

With Mute Records' imminent reissues, fans can re-live each one of Cave's fourteen albums with the Bad Seeds. Each is a shiny new and improved "5.1 surround sound-enhanced remastered" version of its former still magnificent old self, and comes packaged with B-sides, videos, and various and sundry extras, including a series of short films called Do You Love Me Like I Love You? by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard. From Her to Eternity, The Firstborn is Dead, Kicking Against the Pricks, and Your Funeral...My Trial are due out April 7 in North America, with the rest soon to follow.

And if that's not enough, the band has a slew of fall tour dates lined up, so go re-live the darkness and/or discover it anew.

'Ver Seeds on Jimmy Kimmel Live with their "Red Right Hand"




No Doubt Reunion Tour

Do kids still listen to No Doubt? I try to stay away from those awful little balls of hormones with their angsty haircuts and lipstick parties and incessant chatting on the AOL. In any case, the mid-nineties sensation will reunite to cover Adam and the Ants' "Stand and Deliver" on the May 11th episode of "Gossip Girl," a teen-targeted television program with which I am not in the least obsessed. (OMFG!)

The appearance will preface a summer tour of ginormous stadiums across the land, thrilling scores of overgrown teenyboppers and finally giving my parents a chance to make amends. You see, when I was but an 11-year-old ska fan (shut up), I won a pair of tickets to see my idols at the Meadows Music Center, but my horrible parents refused to let two eleven-year-old girls go to a rowdy, beer-soaked amphitheater un-chaperoned. I haven't spoken to them since.

Sweetening the deal is the inclusion of a high quality digital download of the band's back catalog with every ticket purchase, which should save lots of twelve-year-olds the ten minutes it would take them to find it via torrents, and me the two hours (my cassette copies of No Doubt and Tragic Kingdom wore out long ago).

The band is also working on a new album, though I'll probably be regressing from an even more advanced life stage by the time that comes out.

No Doubt -- "Trapped in a [Teenage?] Box"


I'm so glad I saved my sparkly lip-gloss and stuffed animal backpack for this! The sad part is, I'm not even kidding.



NIN Farewell Tour?

As if the No Doubt thing weren't enough to rocket me back to seventh grade, Trent Reznor has announced a tour with Jane's Addiction, both bands I was listening to in the summer of '97 when I first grew boobs, painted my nails black, and got a crush on a boy of nebulous sexuality. Only the boobs remain, and my affinity for NIN, so maybe I'll fork over the money my parents save me on those No Doubt tickets. It's Trent's fans' last chance to see him before he goes off to "disappear for a while" (DO IT YOU WON'T!), making this an especially exciting affair, though all NIN shows are guaranteed to turn you into a pool of quivering puberty juice.

I'll be surprised if I can drink anything but alcopops or give anything but hj's after this summer. You will find me with many barrettes in my hair, muttering about the mean kids at school and how cute my fellow cast member in Gypsy is. I should probably get off this website before my parents catch me. See you at prom? Right, that already happened. Well, I hope yours was as totally awesome as mine.





Hunter is a Brooklyn-based writer currently contributing to Vice, The New York Press, Impose, and The L Magazine. If you email her at hunter.suicide AT gmail DOT com, chances are she'd love to add your publication to that list. Seriously, she's got some time on her hands.

Chelsea Girls are kinda like Camp Freddy, but with less dicks and more balls. Indeed the band's chief instigator, bassist Corey Parks of Nashville Pussy, was inspired to put the all-female/all-star cover band together after becoming a regular guest player alongside Camp Freddy's bad-boy residents (Dave Navarro, Billy Morrison, Donovan Leitch Jr., et al.).

"It was so loose and fun, and you got to play all the songs that you grew up listening to and that made you start to want to play rock and roll to begin with," says Parks. A call from fellow like-minded Camp Freddy guest Teri Nunn (of Berlin) prompted Cory to start thinking about her dream XX band. Nunn later dropped out of the project and Cory moved on alone.

"Samantha Maloney [of Peaches and Hole] was my first choice for drummer," says Parks, who, after a false start with the Go-Go's Jane Weidlan, secured the services of Donnas' guitarist Allison Robertson. Robertson then brought in Les Deux's Rock Mondays promoter Tuesdae, who completed the core lineup. Though the least well known of the Chelsea Girls, the Juilliard scholarship recipient, who toured the world as a teen opera starlet, rocks out on vocals like a vet.

The band started rehearsing in early January, and have played just two shows to date. Though their residency at the Sunset Strip's Roxy is in its infancy, already the buzz around Chelsea Girls is as loud as their music, which is a mix of classic, head-banging rock. Heart's "Barracuda", Guns N' Roses' "Welcome To The Jungle", Judas Priest's "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", and Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker" are on their set list, though Parks hopes to expand the band's scope as things progress. Their ultimate goal is simple; "We want to be the greatest rock and roll cover band in the world," says Parks. "We will accept nothing less."

Chelsea Girls are keen to keep their concept live and direct. "It's such a dream situation because we don't have to write a record," explains Parks, who doesn't want to get distracted by the toil of recording and promoting a record. "People have actually already asked us," she says, before quickly dismissing the idea. "Why? Why would we do a record of covers? It's the most absurd thing in my life. We're playing songs that people have heard thousands and millions of times. It would never work. No matter how well we play them you would never listen to these and go 'Oh my god, I love this so much better than the original, I'm going to buy a record.'"

One might beg to differ on that point, since Chelsea Girls have a knack of giving even the most testosterone-heavy songs a steroid edge and an adrenalin high. However, for now the girls just want to have fun, and perhaps show a generation of young women, who've missed out on the likes of Joan Jett and Susie Quatro and have had the Pussycat Dolls fed to them as role models, that "you can learn how to play an instrument and kill it!"

"We just want to have the greatest, funnest rock and roll night," says Parks. "We want to be able to provide people with solid, amazing entertainment -- and we want to show little girls that guitars aren't necklaces."


Images of Chelsea Girls at the Roxy in West Hollywood, CA on February 26th, 2009. Special guests included Carmen Electra and Lemmy of Motorhead. Click HERE to view large image library.

Greetings fellow metal-heads! Welcome to the second edition of my monthly metal column Metal Asylum. I appreciate all of the great feedback from the first article and I hope to continue feeding your metal addiction every month.

I'm sure by now most of you heard that two heavy metal magazines, Metal Maniacs and its sister publication Metal Edge have folded, with just one more issue of each title scheduled to come out. The magazines have been on stands for 24 years and 19 years respectively, and were two of the more popular magazines for the atomically well-endowed genre.

I remember when I first started getting into underground metal, running to the nearest store and buying the newest edition of Metal Maniacs to fulfill my appetite for news of new bands. The horrible state of the economy dealt the final blow to these excellent magazines, which were already suffering from ever-increasing online competition.

Admittedly I have downloaded music as well as gotten my metal news online (one of my favorite sites being Blabbermouth.net). But there is still something I love about the feel of paper in my hands. I buy a lot of the metal-zines, and still consume much of by music by way of CD. I like to see the cover art and read the lyrics while the album is playing (this is especially crucial to the enjoyment of most music I listen to since you can't understand what most of the singers I love are singing about otherwise -- really!). I fear that one day soon all music will just be downloaded from the internet, and that will be a very sad day for hardcore fans like myself that like to physically have an album for their collection.

I have seen too many mom-and-pop music stores, and emporiums dedicated to underground metal, shut their doors. After almost a decade in business, my friend Mark, who owns Metal Haven in Chicago, doesn‘t know how long he can hold on. I cannot adequately express how much that saddens me, so let's just say it fucking pisses me off! I have spent countless hours in stores looking for new bands -- and quality metal conversation. It may be easier to stay at home and hit download, but we fans need to go out and support our local music scenes by actually buying albums (or T-shirts?) from the music stores that support the bands we love.

Onto brighter things. I recently attended the Cradle of Filth, Satyricon and Septic Flesh show on February 11 at the Henry Ford Theater in Hollywood, CA. First of all, I have to admit that I was primarily going to the show to see Cradle of Filth and Satyricon as I've never seen either band live.

When I walked up to the theater I saw that Septic Flesh were playing. What an awesome surprise! I started getting into them last year and absolutely love them. I bolted through the doors to make sure that I didn't miss them. Thankfully, they didn't start the show until almost an hour later.

Greece's Septic Flesh went on first and sadly only got to play a 30 minute set. Indeed their actual set might have been shorter because unfortunately they had some technical problems when they first hit the stage. It didn't matter though, they were FUCKING AMAZING. I love Septic Flesh because like Hollenthon, I can't seem to pin down what they play. They seem to take inspiration from almost everyone and everything. I guess if I had to try to fit them in somewhere, it would be symphonic black metal??? Their sound isn't easy to reproduce live -- they have a lot of symphonic and female vocal elements -- but all things considered they did a great job transitioning their music from the studio to stage.

The next band was Norway's Satyricon. I just got their latest album The Age of Nero last week, and I have been listening to it non-stop. It's similar in sound to their last full length, Now, Diabolical. Live, they put on a very powerful show. They played a lot of songs from the new album, "Wolfpack", "Commando", "Black Crow on a Tombstone" and "Die by my Hand". During the latter song, they had the crowd sing the chorus along with them -- call me cheesy, but I always love it when bands do that. Predictably, the crowd also went nuts when they played their hit song "K.I.N.G." but I was very surprised and very much excited when they ended their performance with an old classic, "Mother North" from '96. I should also mention how awesome it was to see the infamous Frost play. He's an incredible drummer and an icon within the black metal scene. The pitchfork mic stand that Satyr (lead vocals) used, is also worth a mention, and is surely a "must have" for all other metal singers.

Here is the official video of Satyricon's "Black Crow on A Tombstone" for your delectation and delight:



Next and last was the infamous Cradle of Filth from England. I have to be honest here and say that I've never been a really huge fan. The last album I bought was Cruelty of the Beast when I was 16. But Cradle of Filth have a huge following and a very loyal fan base, so can do quite nicely without me added to their number. That said, their live theatrics are legendary so I was prepared to be entertained.

The curtains opened to reveal a huge crucifix laid on its side, with a skeleton hanging from it. Four or five torches also adorned the onstage. Their production value was matched by that of their performance. Frontman Dani Filth has great energy and stage presence. Though I can't get into the high vocal screeching he does, I do like his low gutteral stuff. The keyboardist and female back up vocalist had amazing chops and great stage presence as well. Even if, like me, you're not super into CoF, I would recommend checking out their live show. Hit RoadrunnerRecords.com for tour dates near you.

In the meantime here's a taste of "Honey and Sulphur" from Cradle of Filth's lastest, Godspeed on the Devils Thunder.



Before I go, I want to share some new albums I have been getting into as of late. My current play list if you will. If you haven't already heard these albums, I suggest you do immediately:

Belphegor - Bondage Goat Zombie
Enslaved - Vertebrae
Satyricon - The Age of Nero
Opeth - Watershed
Crimfall - As The Path Unfolds..
Borknagar - For The Elements 1996-2006
Suidakra - Crógacht
Amorphis - Silent Waters

That's it for this month. I would like to hear your current play lists and bands you think I should check out!

Also, make sure to check out my interview this month on SG with Peter Wichers of Soilwork. We talk about his three-year departure from Soilwork, his return to their fold, and what he's been up to in the meantime.

Until next time,
Horns & Hails

Hollee

Hello friends and guess what? I went and got myself cut loose from my jobby-job so I could better focus on eating cereal in my underwear, watching stoner cartoons, and having stupid, 10-hour-long dreams in which all the plants in my hometown are missing and I'm way unprepared for an imminent production of Annie. Nobody wants to hire me to do anything right now, not even make sammiches at Subway (I asked!), so I figure I'll just relax and enjoy my vacation while President Awesome fixes America and everything will be cool again in a few weeks. J/k, I am fucked. At least I still have my irrational commitment to music journalism.

R.I.P. Lux Interior

Clio reported on Wednesday that Cramps frontman Lux Interior passed away last week, and I just wanted to stop and acknowledge the death of one of the last embodiments of punk rock greatness. I've always loved frontpeople who respect that mental third wall and read more as otherworldly creatures than some skinny guy in tight pants who's probably going to walk his dog later; we go to rock shows to be transported out of mundane circumstances. Dude was like a zombie Elvis from hell, and made music more slithery and exciting than anything that's come out since. Of course it's sad that he's gone, but he got to fuck shit up until the ripe old age of 60, which is more than can be said for most legendary punk rockers. I'm pouring some whiskey out for you right now, Lux.

This isn't the best video, but I love his clear affinity for the mental patients:


Live at Napa State Mental Hospital


Lips on the Lam

If you thought a tour of a conservative South Asian country might spell trouble for your favorite band of blues-punk miscreants, well duh. According to their myspace blog, the boys narrowly escaped arrest by the Tamil police and a plot which involved "a mysterious man" and someone who
worked for the band's Indian booking agency by fleeing the country.

In what actually sounds like a relatively tame show for them, guitarist Cole Alexander riled up the crowd by shouting "when I say weak-ass, you say bitch!", exposing his buttocks, tenderly kissing band mate Ian St. Pe, and diving off the stage. For a few days Vice Records had no clue where they were, but publicly stated that they were probably fine. A less exaggerated version of the story appeared on Vice's blog last week, letting everyone know that the band is safe and sound in Germany, working on an EP with kindred spirit in mayhem King Khan. These guys are turning into the rock and roll version of the Road Runner.

Here's some exclusive video of how it went down:




The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

In these strange times of three-second news cycles and blog-based insta-fame, a band can seem like it's been around forever even before releasing a proper album or going on tour. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is one such band; I've been digging their sweet shoegaze-pop since I first saw them play my friend's house last year, and their debut full-length is finally out on Slumberland Records. They're touring much of the U.S. and Canada in the near future, so you'll have a chance to see what's got everyone so dreamy-eyed. Their music reminds me of hand-holding and agonizing crushes and awkward make-out sessions conducted while my mom slept in the next room, and also sad things like romantic rejection and puppies with casts on their legs. I put at least one of their songs on all the mixes I make for boys I like, and if you buy their albums, you can, too. Maybe you'll get laid! Or just listen alone in your room whilst hugging your pillow (something I have never, ever done). It's up to you.

You can legally download three songs here, and two more here.


Everything With You


Animal Collective=Yes

I know a lot of smart people have already discussed this at length, but the new Animal Collective is way fucking good. As beautifully messy as ever but now with even more pop structure shining through, the album has cracked the Billboard 200's top 20 and is already being hailed as the best release of 2009. If you've got no idea what I'm talking about, now's a better time than ever to jump on the bandwagon, as they're touring extensively, probably to where you live. You can thank me later, once your mind is blown.


My Girls

Also, big props to sofreshsoclean for turning me on to the Frankie Knuckles remix.


Big Moz Strikes Again

I'm not sure what to say. I've gone through my whole life thinking Morrissey's sad, mellifluous voice was unattached to anything so vulgar as a penis, and who knows, maybe it's not. But this picture makes it a lot harder to pretend. Why'd you do it, Moz? You know Rule Number One of our perfect, platonic marriage is we must never see one another's naughty bits. Oh well, I know you all want a peek, so feast your eyes on this (click to enlarge, heh heh). Just know that your imaginary relationship with him will never be the same.


Iran So Far Away

So I just got word that Kyp Malone of the greatest band of our time's side project, Iran, has a new E.P., Dissolver, coming out this month. I'll write more once I've fully absorbed its brilliance, but suffice it to say it features Malone's great pop voice singing catchy tunes swaddled lovingly in that hissy, lo-fi production that made TV On the Radio's early bedroom recordings so beloved.


Hunter is a Brooklyn-based writer currently contributing to Vice, The New York Press, Impose, and The L Magazine. If you email her at hunter.suicide AT gmail DOT com, chances are she'd love to add your publication to that list. Seriously, she's got some time on her hands.

I guess if I'm going to be a columnist for SG, I'm going to have to talk about something I know well. I go back and forth about one particular subject because I don't want to bite the hand that feeds. I don't want to piss people off to the point where they completely stop buying my records, and I don't want to come off as a whiny musician. I love what I do and I love my life but the fact is, the music industry is in serious trouble. In the age of government bail-outs, who is going to take care of the music business? Who is going to bail us out?

For the past 10 years between file sharing online, people copying their CDs for friends, blatant piracy and lesser quality product, the music industry has been taking a massive beating. U2's manager Paul McGuiness said the industry is on its way to oblivion in the next couple of years. It goes down about 20% in volume every year. Even though music is more popular than ever, our industry is failing miserably. So what roles do the audience, the musicians and the technology play in all of this?

Well, the mainstream music audience is acting like sheep. They are fine with three (now four) judges once a week picking out the safest, cleanest singers out there and re-packaging them like in a factory. The audience eats it up, buys the "Idol's" records and turns the reality star into a household name.

If you're an independent, small band, there's no money to invest to go deep into the promotion of your record. It's hard to get a real shot. Even on a major label, it's difficult for anyone who's not a multi-platinum act because you'll only get one chance for a hit single. If you don't catch that break, you'll be sent packing.

During better days, a young Bruce Springsteen released two records at the beginning of his career that completely stiffed. By then, his record company had invested millions of dollars in him, and were committed to him because someone believed. If it were today, they might have given up and dropped him. By his third record, Springsteen got it right and created Born to Run. This kind of investment and commitment by a label will never be seen again. There is no artist development. There is no patience. There is no place for an artist to grow in today's musical climate.

Today, musicians have got to learn how to make records cheaply, efficiently and quickly. In Filter's world, I've learned how to make records for 1/10th of what I used to spend on a single video. And I don't get to pocket all of the money made from sales. I am not alone in this. I have to pay my engineers, producers, band members, managers, agents, touring crew, and many, many more. It's not just one guy sitting with a mic and a guitar. It takes a whole team of people to create, release, and promote an album. I consider myself lucky to see any profit at all. Like you, I'm just happy to keep a roof over my head and put food out on the table for my family.

Advances in technology have made it incredibly easy to make records, which helps, but it's also made it incredibly easy to steal records. You can grab someone's CD, put it in your laptop and burn 100 copies of that very CD. And file sharing? People can find whatever they want on the internet and simply take it. It has devalued music to the point that people do not even believe they are doing anything wrong. Back in my day, if you wanted to steal music, you had to go into a record shop, pick up a CD, fucking punch someone in the face and run out of the store with it-or hide it under your jacket like a common thief. Every time this happens, it gives one less band a realistic shot at greatness, it cuts the salary of an engineer or a guitar player, it perpetuates a very ugly downward cycle that I unfortunately don't see stopping anytime soon.

It is really up to everyone to be decent and responsible, something the majority of society has a problem doing. Can the artists make better financial decisions? Can the fans be more honest about how they get the music? We have to work together to make the music industry work because we aren't getting a bailout anytime soon.


Richard Patrick is the frontman for the rock band Filter. Their latest album, Anthems for the Damned, which features the single "Soldiers of Misfortune," is in stores now. Look out for their greatest hits collection, The Very Best Things (1995-2008), which will be available on March 31. Click HERE for more info.

It has just been confirmed that Lux Interior, lead singer of the legendary NYC punk rock band The Cramps, has died in in Glendale, California this afternoon. He was 60 years old. Lux Interior and his wife Poison Ivy founded the band in 1976, which became an integral part of the emerging punk scene in the 1970s, and had a profound influence on garage punk and rockabilly. The following statement has been released on behalf of the singer's loved ones:

Playlist: R.I.P. Lux Interior