Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in My Ticket Home, and how long the band has been together?
My name is Nick Giumenti and I do screams in MTH. We have been a band for about 3.5 years, starting in July of 2008.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there?
We are from Columbus, Ohio and to be honest the scene here sadly isn’t what it used to be. When I was younger before I was in a band the scene here was so alive and shows were so packed and everyone would just go completely mental and now it seems that once all the bands that used to be local got big there hasn’t really been anyone to take there place and no one seems excited about music around here anymore. Now that’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with the people here cause we love our home, but the scene needs help right now.

How does the music on To Create A Cure compare to what’s heard on The Opportunity To Be?
Well, I like to think that it’s much better. Our band pretty much became sick of our EP before it even came out and we didn’t feel like it represented us well at all. We kind of view To Create A Cure as being our first record. It’s got way more heart, way more intensity, more diversity, and even there’s things I wish we could change, it is just a better portrayal of who we want to be as band.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the To Create A Cure title?
There is and there isn’t. We came up with the title randomly but we felt it was fitting for many reasons. Our band was in a very rough place throughout our time recording this album and we viewed our overcoming that and succeeding in finishing it to represent curing ourselves from all the bullshit that was around us.

Who exactly is 67?
You are.

Select two other songs from the new album and what inspired the lyrics.
Dark Days was inspired by the previously mentioned “bullshit” and is the heaviest song on the record. Fear Complex was loosely inspired by the movie “antichrist” and is my personal favorite song.

Since being signed to Rise Records, how much touring have you done and what has the experience been like?
Not enough haha. We sadly weren’t given the opportunity to tour until only a few months ago but those few months have been incredible. Everyone says that touring will really separate whether you really are ready to devote yourself to music and we all found out just how much we love doing it.

Who did the cover art for To Create A Cure and how much input did you have on it?
It was done by our friend Glenn Thomas out of Australia and we had a TON of input on it. That poor guy must have hated us because we made him redo it like 10 times or something!

What was it like working with Caleb Shomo this time around and what do you think makes your collaboration with him so successful?
Working with Caleb is really nice because we already have a great relationship with him that we wouldn’t have with any other producer. Being that we’re so close you can really share creatively without anything getting the way and I think that gives us the best product possible.

How did Sean leaving affect My Ticket Home and do you still keep in touch with him and the members of Attack Attack!?
It was actually a very positive thing for our band and made us closer and more tight as a group. We don’t see them as much but we hangout on occasion

Who is the new clean vocalist and what is his background? Wnat other bands or projects has be been in?
His name is Derek Blevins and we knew him from another band we had played with called Agape. We got to be good friends with him and then their band broke up so we asked him to join.

How do the two brothers in the band get along and have they always been in bands together?
This is actually Marshal and I’s first band. And I would say that we get along very well. We have always been close growing up so this isn’t anything new for us.

What is the best and worst part about being in a band with your brother?
The best thing is that we’re always around each other and the worst thing is that we’re always around each other hahaha.

Has My Ticket Home ever played here in the Los Angeles area or plan to do so in the future? If so, what was the experience like?
Not yet, but we leave for tour in a few days and will be there !

What is the strangest thing someone has ever said or written about My Ticket Home?
There’s probably something strange that I’m forgetting but I can’t recall anything specific. The funniest thing is to see when people post about the band with completely wrong information while acting so confident. That’s a laugh!

Are you or any of the other members involved with bands or projects outside of My Ticket Home?
Not yet. But I’m sure there will be things in the future!

Any final words of wisdom?
Pursue what you love, forget the world. Thanks for reading!

My Ticket Home is:
Nick Giumenti- Vocals
Luke Fletcher- Bass
Derek Blevins- Guitar/Vox
Marshal Giumenti- Drums
Matt Gallucci-Guitar

(Interview by Kenneth Morton)

My Ticket Home on Facebook

Atreyu

In this interview, Travis Miguel discusses his new band and the various members, the current status of Atreyu, a friendly rivalry with Avenged Sevenfold, his advice for bands seeking a record deal, and many other topics of interest.  Read on…

How long has Fake Figures been is existence and was the band already in the planning stages prior to Atreyu’s hiatus?
The initial idea for the project came about a few years ago, long before Atreyu decided to go on vacation. I’d have a few weeks here and there between tours to trade ideas back and forth with Bob Bradley (bass), and then off I’d go again. So this chunk of down-time from Atreyu has allowed us to concentrate on Fake Figures.

Is there any story behind the band name Fake Figures and who came up with it?
Ha, nothing too exciting really. When we trying to decide on a name we were demoing rough ideas for songs at our drummer’s house and Rus and I got to talking about the Twilight Zone and how even today, a lot of those episodes are really creepy. In the episode “After Hours“, a young girl finds out she’s really a mannequin or a “fake figure”. So we all kinda looked at each other and did the whole, “well that could be a cool name”. It doesn’t really mean anything at all…just kinda sounds cool…looks good on a shirt.

How did the other Fake Figures members become involved with the project?
Most were or are in some pretty well known bands. – We’re all basically in the same circles of friends. I’ve known Bob for a number of years through his time in Scars of Tomorrow. Atreyu and Scars played many a show together when we were coming up and then we eventually took them out on tour with us in ’05. He and I have always had pretty similar tastes in music. He kinda just asked me out of the blue if I wanted to start a project and I delightfully agreed. We didn’t even really know exactly what kind of project we wanted it to be, we just knew we wanted to do it. I’ve known Justin Pointer (drums) since we were in high school and have played in a few bands with him when we were younger. He also played for SS Nova with Bob. Next, came the bitch of a task of finding a singer. We didn’t really know any singers who would fit the music we were writing. We held a brief online audition, and most of what we got was the generic metalcore thing. We wanted someone who sounded like “Rus from Hotwire“. We figured why not just ask “Rus from Hotwire?” At first he was a little apprehensive about doing loud music again, but when he heard some of the rough demos we were working with, he jumped onboard. We initially planned on being a 4-piece, but all the guitar parts ended up becoming more and more layered. So we figured we’d need a 2nd guitarist. We called up our friend Heather Baker enthusiastically joined the fold.

Is there any story or concept behind the CD title Hail The Sycophants?
You’d have to ask Rus about that one. A sycophant is basically an ass kissing self serving parasite, so make of it what you will.

Where did you get the ideas for some of the lyrical content? Please select two songs from Hail The Sycophants and what inspired the lyrics.
Rus writes all the lyrics. He usually pretty vague and open-ended with his words. We like the idea of songs being open to interpretation. But, this is was Rus had to say about “Something Deadly“..”The inspiration to the lyrics on this one was primarily from the shooting in Arizona and Fort Hood. Also, how generally there is something deadly being birthed in someone around the world everyday…it’s just a matter of IF & WHEN they decide to release the monster. We can’t escape the manifestation of this kind of psychology, just try to better recognize it from its inception.” And this is what he had to say about “Day of Peril“…”it’s about the day in your life when you’ve hit rock bottom and you find yourself searching for a shovel to dig deeper rather than climbing back up.”

What could one expect from a live Fake Figures show?
Well, I doubt you’ll see us jogging in place or doing any leg squats in rhythm. Rus probably won’t show the audience the palm of his hand that isn’t holding the mic as he sings. I dunno…we just plug in, play, and have fun. Not a single fuck is given when we play.

Atreyu played all over the world on some pretty huge tours. Does it feel like starting all over with Fake Figures, and what experience from Atreyu do you being into the new band?
I think there are certain aspects of it that feel like it’s starting over which makes it exciting. But when we were younger and starting bands, we were all really green and naive. That naivite isn’t really present anymore….or I should say, it isn’t AS present anymore.

What advice would you give a new band seeking a record deal?
Plan on working hard for very little return. When we were starting out, the advent of the internet was just starting to blossom. Landing a record deal sure as hell didn’t guarantee any kind of success and that’s more prevalent today than ever. Nowadays, it’s really easy for bands to record, release, and promote their music on their own, which if you think about it, can be a blessing and a curse. Because it’s so easy, thousands of bands are doing it, and of these thousands of bands, which ones and how many will actually get attention? It’s harder to tour now than it’s ever been, so of these bands that may actually get any attention, will they be able to make enough money to tour? Even if they do tour, breaking even would be considered a miracle. It’s unfortunate, but it’s true.

Since both bands are from the same area, did Atreyu ever feel like there was any friendly competition with Avenged Sevenfold and their success?
There was probably some subconscious healthy competition, but no one obsessed over it or anything. We all basically just played as hard and as well as we all could. One of my first shows with Atreyu was at a backyard party with Avenged playing as well. It’s amazing to see how far we got since then…even more amazing as to how far they got. They sure as hell deserve it.

Do you still keep in touch with the other Atreyu members since the hiatus and what do you think of their various new projects?
We all still keep in touch. Whether it’s hanging out at the bar or stupid inside jokes via text or facebook. They’ve all seen Fake Figures play. I’ve seen Hell or Highwater play numerous times. Marc and I just saw Brandon (Hell or Highwater) play in LA not that long ago.. I absolutely love the other dudes’ projects. HoH is probably the most catchiest thing I’ve heard in a while. Alex’s Iamwar project is awesome as well. Shit’s piiiiisssed. I love it.

What was it like working with Shaun Lopez of Far and what did he bring to the overall recording process?
It was pretty surreal for us, being that we’re all longtime Far fans. It’s weird, but in a very good way. If you told me when I was 18 that Shaun Lopez would be involved in a record I was making, I would’ve laughed in your face in disbelief. We had a few rough mixes that Shaun wasn’t involved with and after listening to what he did to it after we handed it over to him, our jaws just dropped. He gave the overall sound and vibe a huge kick in the ass.

What’s up next for Fake Figures?
We’ve slowly started writing new stuff…bouncing ideas back and forth off each other and whatnot. We’re gonna be playing live as much as we can. We’ll be playing a couple of shows with Will Haven in early Feb which is a big deal for Bob and I seeing as how we grew up on a very healthy diet of Will Haven.

Any messages for longtime Atreyu fans wanting to check out what Fake Figures has to offer?
It’s a heavy record, but probably not in the way most Atreyu fans are used to. Judge it for what it is, not for what it isn’t. You’re either gonna get it, or you won’t. I’ve seen a couple of posts here and there saying something to the effect of “…but it’s not Atreyu.” Well, yeah, no shit genius. It doesn’t say Atreyu on the cover does it? Nailbomb didn’t sound like Sepultura. S.O.D. didn’t sound like Anthrax. PIL didn’t sound like the Sex Pistols. Postal Service doesn’t sound like Death Cab, Team Sleep doesn’t sound like Deftones, etc. It’s the reason side projects exist; to branch out and do something different. But, with that being said, enjoy!

(Interview by Kenneth Morton)

Fake Figures on Facebook

Old Gods

When he’s not devastating the entire planet with Dillinger Escape Plan, guitarist Jeff Tuttle fronts an equally dynamic collective who goes by the name of Old Gods.  Looking to re-discover the meaning and roots of what hardcore music is all about, Old Gods has unleashed a self-titled EP that should really give the masses a grand idea of what stands out as a truly spirited musical genre.

In this interview, we discuss with Jeff Tuttle about the origins of Old Gods and their thunderous songs as well as current happenings with the mighty Dillinger Escape Plan.  So grab a place in the pit and check in as we commence on a chat with the ubiquitous Mr. Tuttle…

First of all, how did the Dillinger Escape Plan tour with Mastodon go, and what were some of the highlights?
The tour was amazing. The turnouts were great and the response even greater. In San Francisco, Mike Patton joined us on stage for “when good dogs do bad things.” later that evening, Jello Biafra and our bus driver shared stories about Wesley Willis till 4 AM. It was a pretty surreal night.

With DEP being so active, what made you decide to pursue Old Gods?
Any good artist will tell you that there is always more work to be done. I make music. That’s what i do. I’m also working on a few other projects as well. I’m pretty sure I will be this way till I die.

For those who haven’t heard it yet, how does Old Gods compare to your work in DEP?
OLD GODS is similar to DILLINGER in that we both draw a lot of influence from punk and hardcore. Stylistically, we may be different, but at the core we are very much alike. We all grew up in the same scene, albeit in different parts of the country, and we have forgotten our roots.

What inspired the lyrics on the Old Gods EP?
I love horror movies. Horror movies were a big inspiration for my lyrics, but more so in the sense that horror and hardcore seem to be kindred spirits. Both can be direct reflections of the darker side of human emotion and both get very little mainstream recognition. Many of the songs celebrate this relationship and delve deeper into my fascination with what is widely regarded as noise and filth.

Would Old Gods and DEP ever want to do a tour together and how would you would do performing in both bands on the same night?
In theory I would love to.  This goes back to my desire to always wanting to be creating and performing. DILLINGER has done two shows in one night many times and it always ends up with the second performance being greater than the first. Who knows? Maybe someday it will happen.

Jeff Tuttle of Old Gods - Photo Credit: Paul Kelley

How easy or difficult was it to transition into being a frontman for Old Gods?
My biggest fear about being a frontman was that I wouldn’t be interesting. When watching other bands perform, I get bored very easily and I have no desire to fall into that category. We’ll see what happens.

How has it been working with Derek Swanson from your former band Heads Will Roll and how did he become involved with Old Gods?
I actually was the one who got involved in his project. I was the final piece in the OLD GODS puzzle. Derek is a great dude and a great player. We’ve been throwing around the idea of making a movie for years. Let’s hope it actually happens.

Tell me about your contributions to Solid Dudes Kitchen and how good of a cook would your wife say that you are?
The SOLID DUDES KITCHEN stuff is always a great time. Those dudes do amazing work and I have no doubt that they will have a lot of success in their future. The dia de los muertos episode was a lot of fun. Getting into that black metal getup and writing those riffs had us laughing the whole day.  And I’m an excellent cook. Everyone knows that.

What advice would you give a band about to attempt to go on Warped Tour for the very first time?
WARPED TOUR is a shit load of fun, but it’s also pretty grueling for smaller bands. Bring lots of socks and water. You’re gonna need plenty.

Are you involved with any other projects outside of Old Gods and DEP?
I’ve been playing with my old old band, CAPTURE THE FLAG, again. We play melodic punk rock, but not that watered down, pseudo-pop bullshit that passes for music these days. Just good, guitar driven rock music. I’m also working on a record of my own music, which I hope to have completed by the end of the year. Its slow going so we’ll see how that goes. The songs have more of a classic rock vibe.  I grew up on that stuff so it’s in my blood.

Is there any chance of an Old Gods full length and tour in the near future?
We’re working on a full-length right now.  It’s going to be more conceptual than our last effort so it’s going to take a bit more time to materialize. Nevertheless, we are stoked on what we have so far.

What’s up next for DEP?
DILLINGER is heading to the UK to continue the MASTODON tour. After that we have the SOUNDWAVE festival in Australia and a few other off-the-beaten-path type of tour dates. We also hope to get a new record going soon.

Any final words of wisdom?
no.

(Interview by Kenneth Morton)

Old Gods on Facebook
Dillinger Escape Plan on Facebook

First of all, how did The Raleigh Sessions come about, and could you give me any background information behind these sessions?
We went to Raleigh for the first time in January. Our friend lives there, and she has a really nice, big house that we were able to stay at – and pretty much set up our camp there. We built out a little studio there. We were planning on just recording demos for what was going to be our first full length album under Fearless. So that’s what we started to do. We bought a couple of mics – just started recording for the demos – and we’d send the demos to our manager and our label. And that’s pretty much where the songs came from. They’re songs that we were writing and demoing out that were going to be on our full length before we split from Fearless, and then we decided to call it quits with the band.

Since Amely has begun to make a name for themselves, why stop doing the band and why part with the name?
There was a lot of struggle with the band. We were signed for a year and a half, and during that time, it was really hard. It was a lot harder than anticipated to get tours. We really didn’t get a lot of tour opportunities. And that’s all that we really wanted to do – to go out there, play in front of fans, make new fans. We love touring and promoting our record and the band. Once our record came out, we didn’t have a tour around the record. The record was supposed to come out in May, but it was pushed back all the way until September because we couldn’t get tours. And even when it came it out in September, we didn’t get a tour around the record – which was the whole point of waiting, so it kind of defeated that purpose and we kind of lost out on 2010. We did two tours at the end of the year that were relatively small and short – just like two weeks. We tried going for tours, and for some reason, it just never ended up working out. We weren’t really getting anywhere with that. We were trying to do things musically. Once you reveal yourself as a certain thing – we did start as a pop rock band, and we wanted to be more alternative pop rock and not so boy bandish. People started to be against that, and everybody always has that first impression stuff in their head – so that was another reason we kind of decided to split from the name. That way, everyone could get a fresh start on what they’re doing.

Are you still on good terms with Fearless Records?
Oh yeah, absolutely. It’s an amazing thing to be able to split from a label on good terms. We weren’t dropped from the label. We kindly requested that it’s the end of the band and for them to drop their terms, and they were amazing enough to let us do that and agree with our vision. They really took a chance on us, and we’re glad that they were able to work with us on that.

Select two songs from The Raleigh Sessions and what inspired the lyrics.
Back To Love is the first track, and that’s actually the first song we wrote while we were trying to write songs for our first full length on the demo we recorded. I’m sure a lot of people go through a time when they break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend – and they go for a long time without dating anyone else because they just think they can’t love anymore – they can’t even like anyone. It’s kind of like a weird situation. But then you find that one person that kind of changes your mind. It could be months or years later. In my case, it was three years later I found someone else that changed my mind and started getting me thinking that I could have a new relationship. And that’s kind of where the lyrics come from. A lot of the lyrics in Back To Love are really dark, and that represents that dark time when you’re single and lonely – and once you find someone to bring you to life, it’s Back To Love. Sell Your Alibi is the third track on the EP. For me, it’s about that relationship that ended. It’s kind of like riding the ups and downs of a relationship. You’re with someone that’s kind of tearing you apart, yet for some reason you’re staying with them. A lot of people are in really destructive relationships, and they can’t figure out why they can’t just end it with that person – so they continue to be in this destructive relationship. And that’s kind of what Sell Your Alibi is about – someone that you just keep sticking with, no matter how much they are hurting you or your life.

How will the music from your new band Sovereign Soldiers compare to Amely?
The music is a lot different. We’re aiming to create a true alternative rock band. It’s not really like a pop band. We’ll be releasing a song by the end of the year. The influence that we took for the new band is all music that we actually listen to. We wanted to form a band around music that we would actually listen to and music that we’d want to play – as opposed to trying to fit into anything. We’re just trying to make the songs that we want to make, and hopefully have a strong online presence and have that be the base of the band. So the music will be a lot more rock and a lot bigger sounding – just a little heavier and not so pop based.

Have you had any vocal training at all? Your vocals are pretty amazing, especially on the later material.
Thank you! Yeah, I took classical vocal lessons for a year – it was five or six years ago. I go back every once in a while and take a lesson or two with my vocal coach. It was just during high school, and that’s how I learned to sing really. She gave me my voice and taught me how to do different things – so yeah, that’s how I did it. I’m a strong believer in the fact that anyone can sing – just because I went to not being able to sing at all and really trying hard and just sucking really bad to be honest. And she taught me some things, and now I’m able to sing. And I think that anybody could learn how to do that. If I could do it from how bad I was, I think that anyone can.

The H.I.M. cover you did (In Venere Veritas) and the video is really dramatic. What made you decide to cover that song, and has anyone from H.I.M. heard it yet?
It kind of like one of those videos I put up and it didn’t get a lot of attention – at least not as much as some of my other cover songs – just because it’s not Lady Gaga – it’s not Adele – who are some of the top recording artists. It’s just H.I.M. – which is definitely one of my favorite bands of all time. And that goes back to what I was saying about music that I listen to that I want to play. I do listen to all kinds of music though.

Speaking of H.I.M., how gothic of a person would you say you are and why?
Well, back in high school – in 9th and 10th grade actually – I was (full) blown – I had the parachute pants and the whole deal. I had the hair dyed black and everything like that. It’s like funny how people can grow and change, but really, at heart, I think I’m still there. I still listen to a lot of the same music that I used to. I don’t know. I think I’m like an 80’s child – I was supposed to be born a little earlier to live my time through the 80’s. It’s really weird. I wish I would have been there. There’s was a lot of dark, gothic stuff going on then. Now, I mean I don’t know. The other day I saw my ex-girlfriend in a bar, and she told me I was a Hot Topic Kid, so you know…

As far as you know, has Lady Gaga heard your cover of The Edge Of Glory, and what made you cover that song?
You know, I really love that song too. Lady Gaga is a huge inspiration, for being as big as she is for as strange as a performer as she is. I think she really took her craft really far. I don’t think she’s heard it – probably not. I know one of her dancers – he said he was going to show her the video, so you never know. Maybe…

What advice would you give a new band reading this right now who is looking for a record label deal?
Uh, don’t do it! Look, here’s the thing. A lot of bands – everyone is under the impression that you get signed and then you’re a lot bigger and you’re able to have a lot of these new opportunities. And through my experience and through everything that I’ve learned from seeing the industry from the inside, is that it’s just not how it works anymore. That’s the old morale and the old theory, but it just doesn’t apply to today, being that the digital age has really taken over. You know, the artists getting the most attention and the most popularity are through sites like YouTube and stuff like that. That’s where artists are really being discovered – even major labels nowadays, they don’t sign artists who are small and work them from the ground up. That rarely happens now. They find artists that are insanely successful on YouTube with millions and millions of hits who already have millions of fans. And they just take that and sign it. It’s almost like you’re better off doing it on your own if you could find the right team – the right management. I think the most important thing for a new band starting up is not to focus on trying to sell themselves to a label. That’s only going to hinder their progress. I think they really need to find who they are as a band. And the most important thing, if you want to be a touring band, is to find your booking agent first. That’s absolutely all you need. If you’re in an unsigned band and you’re creating great music – I think if you find a great booking agent, you could be playing tours and playing shows in front of hundreds of people. You really need music videos, cover songs, stuff like that – at least what I’ve learned – a lot of that stuff is all happening online. As long as you’re good with the social networking stuff, then you don’t need a label. Really, all the labels are going under and they’ve lost their advantage in today’s music economy.

Is there any story behind the name Sovereign Soldiers and why you went with that name for the project?
Even during The Raleigh Sessions, we started to write a couple more alternative songs and started to drift in that direction – at least Nate, Patrick and I. Being that we continued to record all of these Sovereign Soldiers songs ourselves, we kind of started to discover the fact that we really didn’t need anyone else. This goes along what what we’ve been saying – you don’t need a label – you don’t even need a manager – you don’t need anything. If you’re being self productive, you’re basically ruling over everything yourself. And I think that’s where the name Sovereign Soldiers comes from. It just like we’re the absolute power in creating our music and we’re able to do with it what we want. And I think that anyone can be a Sovereign Soldier of their own agenda. Your own ruler – your own boss at that point. And that’s where the name comes from. We’re fighting for independence from whatever force may hold us down.

What is the name of the first song you’re planning on releasing?
The first song is called Goodbye To Yesterday, which I think is appropriate for the start of a new band. We’re trying to start this band from the ground up. We didn’t change the name on our Twitter and Facebook to just swap them over to instantly have fans. This is a brand new band. We’re really trying to emphasis the fact that it doesn’t have any ties to Amely – besides the band members. The music is all pretty different. The singing style is different. People can expect a new kind of vocal approach from me. It’s just me, Nate and Patrick and we’re gonna see how that goes.

Will there be a final Amely show?
You know, we haven’t had a final show. The last show we played was in May on the Let’s Be Animals Tour with The Downtown Fiction. To be honest, a couple of us are spread out throughout the country. We’re not all in the same city, so it’s kind of hard to get together and decide that. I mean, it’s a possibility. I would love for that to happen, just for closure and a final farewell, but I don’t know. There’s no guarantees. It may or may not happen.

Do you have any messages for your fans who have stuck with you over the last couple of years?
Absolutely. I personally have people that followed me even from my first band ever that I started in high school, and people that found some of my older covers from 2004 and 2005. It’s really cool to be able to see these people still stick with it and discover my new band and my new cover songs. I guess my message for them is to hopefully continue to support me and to follow me in my musical journey. And hopefully they enjoy Sovereign Soldiers, which is my latest approach. And yeah, just stick with it and always follow us online.

(Interview by Kenneth Morton)

Amely on Facebook
Sovereign Soldiers on Facebook
Petie Pizarro Music on Facebook

The Foo Fighters and Symphony X came in tenfold from a wide variety of musical talent.  The poptastic Britney Spears was even selected by one of our surveyed artists.

We asked members from bands ranging from pop rock all the way to death metal to participate – and here are the various responses that were sent in.  When you are finished reading this, be sure to add your own favorite of the year in the comment section at the conclusion of the article.  And now presenting the results…

And The Bands Present Their Selections…

All That Remains - Photo by Justin Borucki

Jeanne Sagan of All That Remains
“Alkaline trio- damnesia.  It’s one of my favorite bands and I’m a sucker for acoustic versions of songs.”

Oli Herbert of All That Remains
“My favorite album of 2011 is Dream Theater’s “A Dramatic Turn of Events“. It is arguably there most ambitious album to date and features one of the worlds best drummers, Mike Mangini. I have been a DT fan since 1992 and have garnered a huge amount of influence from both there compositions and of course guitarist , John Petrucci. Speaking of John, this release features his most poignant performance to date. I feel it captures the great phrasing of his earlier material and ever growing technical prowess. It is hard for me to pinpoint one song that is my favorite as they are all amazing and akin to their earlier releases, “Scenes Of A Memory“, “Images and Words” etc, meant to heard as a collective. I consider myself to be a fairly jaded listener and I honestly can say that there is not one boring moment on the entire CD.”

An Early Ending

Greg Hildebrand of An Early Ending
“2011 had about a dozen releases whose music I really valued and enjoyed, but my favorite was Taking Back Sunday’s self titled release. It has now made its way back to my current playlist for the fourth or fifth time. TBS is a band that I grew up with and has seen a number of changes in that time. Although I’ve enjoyed their music all along, their latest release reflects how far they’ve come. The original members are all in the mix and the new music has the same hook they originally had, with all the kinks worked out… There’s not a bad song on the record, you can light it up and enjoy the whole thing.”

Fronz of Attila
Tyler The Creator – “Goblin”
“I like it because his shit is super offensive but artistic at the same time. It’s apparent that he doesn’t give a fuck and I enjoy that type of vibe. The track “She” is one of my favorite tracks of all time. So creepy and offensive, I love it!”

August Burns Red

JB Brubaker of August Burns Red
“My favorite album of 2011 was Separation by Balance & Composure. I was a big fan of the last two EPs they put out and was really excited for their debut full length. It’s rare for a band on their first full length to be so skilled at songwriting, but Balance & Composure know what they’re doing. The album is all over the place dynamically, has really catchy parts, aggressive parts, ambient moments, and I’m able to simply connect with the songs. This record makes me feel a certain way, and I like it.”

Seth Hecox of Becoming The Archetype
“Mastodon’s “The Hunter” was a great album from a great band. They kept the prog elements that saturated Crack The Skye but put some muscle back into this album. The songwriting is great as usual, but the blend of heaviness and prog elements is perfect in my opinion. I’m expecting Mastodon to start making horrible albums soon because they’ve got to have run out of awesome ideas, right? If not, they’ve got a good chance to be one of my favorite heavy bands of all time once they’re done.”

Justine Ethier of Blackguard
“The best CD of 2011 for me would be Symphony X – Iconoclast. The four years of wait was totally worth it. When I first play this CD my nose started bleeding from beginning to end. Also, the musicianship shown on that CD is just amazing!”

Paul Zinay of Blackguard
“The most fun filled CD of 2011 is A Day To Remember’s, What Separates Me From You. This record is so catchy it should have been launched into space as soon as it was completed because mankind was not meant to have this much fun listening to a CD.”

Tony Gambino of Blessed By A Broken Heart
“I know I’ll probably be made fun of because of this, but I got obsessed with The Band Perry (and their self-titled ep). I guess I’ve started to hate most music nowadays, it’s become over saturated with copycats, and become a product instead of artistry. So when I heard this album, even though an unlikely match since I’m not too into country, I was pumped. They are true musicians and writers. Killer album.”

Beau Bokan of Blessthefall
“My favorite album of 2011, besides Lights – Siberia (which would be a biased decision), would have to be Blink 182 – Neighborhoods. Blink is my all time favorite band. Going 8 years without putting out a record would have sank any other band. But Blink came back and my 3 heroes put together something amazing. A great mix of mature song writing as well as song summertime bangers. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do next!”

Jeremy Wagner, Broken Hope / Lupara, author of The Armageddon Chord
“Q: What was your favorite CD of 2011 and why?
A: Diamond Plate “Generation Why” album (Earache Records)
I chose this because it’s the finest example of the new-wave-of-US-thrash…completely relentless, full of great energy, and the production is stellar. The best debut of 2011.”

Scott Middleton of Cancer Bats
“White Wives – Happeners
We toured with these dudes last year and had a blast! After the tour I got their record and haven’t been able to stop listening to it. Super catchy punk meets indie rock with really smart and insightful lyrics. I love the 2 vocal approach, and how aggressive they can be and yet be incredibly melodic and dynamic. What started as an Anti-Flag side project, turned into what I think is one of the best punk bands in the world at the moment. The kind of songs you don’t get sick of on repeat, and you know will stay a classic for years. I really think more people need to hear this and realize well written punk songs can be catchy without being bubble gum pop music.”

Brian O Connor of Consfearacy
CONSFEARACY “Consfearacy“…. I feel the record covers a lot of metal sounds. Great vocals and guitars. Well written record.

Dirk Baur of Coronatus
Symphony X – Iconoclast – Symphony X, for me, was always a very deep experience of extremely talented music, symphonic, very expressionistic and virtuos. Now, on the Iconoclast album, the bands style has changed to more power metal. And this change is simply sensational! Hear the guitar work of Michael Romeo, way leading for any metal musician on the planet.

Stanley Sievers of DEAD ICONS
“My favorite album of 2011 is “Wasting Light” by the Foo Fighters. I chose this album because it might be their best yet. It has ties to early FF era (Everlong etc..) which can be heard in many of the songs, yet also holds true to the newer “One By One” era modern rock formula which has served them well. This album is catchy, groovy, and basically awesome in every way in my opinion. The songs are very well written and they definitely show that the band is back and better than ever. I am going to say that it might stand up as one of the best rock albums of the decade.”

Jürgen of Diabolos Dust
Symphony X – Iconoclast
perfect song writing and great vocalist

Dibbukim

Niklas Olniansky of Dibbukim
First of all, 2011 has been an awesome metal year with loads of solid releases. Artists like The Project Hate MCMXCIX, Symphony X, Dream Theater, Evergrey, Novembers Doom and Forefather all deserves the title “album of the year” for their performances. So believe me when I say that it was truly difficult to select only one winner. In the end it all comes down to solidity and there’s one in the bunch that totally reeks with just that – Symphony X’s “Iconoclast”. This is a killer from the first note and just keeps on delivering throughout the album. The riffs play tricks with your mind and ensnare your soul with their brilliance, the production is spot on and the vocals by Sir Russell Allen are simply heaven sent. In addition to this, every track is pure magic on its own as well as a unit, it simply won’t get much better than this!”

Jim Hart of Dogs Divive
Anthrax..Worship Music
Its just great to hear new music from these guys. I grew up on this stuff and at one time in my life Anthrax was one of those bands that I could just not get enough of. One of my favorite concerts ever was “The Clash Of The Titans “ tour. This album has all the classic Anthrax sound and its energetic and new. Plus its nice to see dudes older than me still kicking ass…lol

Ben of ELM STREET
Favourite CD of 2011 is easily Accept’s “Blood Of The Nations“. When you thought that Accept were done after all these years without Udo, they came out with an album that kicked everyones ass and proved them wrong!
Every song is powerful, memorable and just plain vintage Accept. Loaded with a modern sound but still keeping their old-school influences and sounds it’s a killer album from start to finish.
Accept is definitely back and you really don’t even realise Udo’s missing, as much as we love him Mark’s voice is really welcoming and respects go out to him for replacing one of the greatest German frontmen.

Emmure

Jesse Ketive of Emmure
“The best CD of 2011, I would have to say is newest Decapitated record! I have always been a death metal fan (real death metal from the late 90s and early 2000,2001). Decapitated killed it with their second CD and now came back with a super powerful new but a simmilar classic sound! Production and playing is outstandig as well.”

Drew of Farewell To Freeway
“My personal favorite record of the year is “Wasting Light” by Foo Fighters. It’s a solid record front to back with a bit of an old school Foo Fighters feel to the songs. A creative record while still keeping that Foo Fighters sound. Love that they threw a more aggressive track like “White Limo” that comes out of nowhere. Great guitar and drum tones on the record;very real and natural sounding. Don’t think there’s a bad thing about this record. My favorite song on the record “Dear Rosemary“, featuring Bob Mould and Krist Novoselic.”

Harry of Girl On Fire
“Foo Fighters – Wasting Light (2011)
Produced by Butch Vig (Nirvana’s Nevermind) and recorded in Dave Grohl’s garage, Wasting Light is a refreshing return to form for the Foo Fighters. The album is jam packed with raw/diverse songs that evoke memories of their first album The Colour and Shape. My personal favorites are “Rope,” “Walk,” and “I Should Have Known.”

Doc Coyle of God Forbid
“My favorite album of 2011 is The Hymn Of The Broken Man by Times Of Grace.  It contains great songs that are expertly produced and performed, by some of my favorite metal musicians, Adam D and Jesse Leach. I love Killswitch Engage, but this album has an emotional under current that spoke to me and moves me every time I hear it, in a different way than recent Killswitch albums. It’s perfect blend of heavy, hook, and heart.”

Hands

Shane Ochsner of Hands
“My favorite album of 2011 was “Wasting Light” from Foo Fighters. No contest! Not only did they write an amazing set of songs that flow together flawlessly, but they recorded it on tape, in a garage! Which is so awesome, especially in a time where digital editing and plug ins run the music industry to create souped up, perfectly aligned albums.  What you hear on “Wasting Light“, is real. And REAL is hard to find these days! Seasoned musicicans playing to the best of their ability. Having years of writing, touring, and recording under their belts. No samples, no re-amp, no plug-ins. Great album! Well done, Foo. Well done.”

Evan Hughes of I Declare War
Thrice – “Major/Minor”
“Thrice has been my favorite band for the past 7 years and with Major/Minor they have completely outdone themselves. To me, Thrice is a band that has grown and matured over the years along with myself. This album is excellent on every level. From the subtle guitar intricacies to the creative drumming, the album is totally engaging from start to finish. The news of their upcoming hiatus has saddened me a little, but if this ends up being their last album it will be a perfect ending to a long and exciting career for them.”

John McEntee (Incantation, Funerus, Ibex Moon Records)
My favorite CD of 2011 is Autopsy – Macabre Eternal.   It’s just a great CD – has everything Autopsy was back in the day and also has some great new surprises. it always great to have a new album from one of my all time favorite bands.

Clay Nevels of I, Omega
Favorite Album of 2011- Thrice-Major/Minor
“Thrice has always been a favorite and every album they’ve put out has showcased their ability to evolve . Major/Minor was a perfect culimation of all the sonic avenues they’ve pursued in their career and is slowly becoming my favorite album that they have released. With them recently announcing their hiatus from music, Major/Minor really was the perfect album for them to leave us until(if) they return.”

Scott Featherstone (vocals) of ION VEIN
Anthrax – Worship Music
Why: I simply could not stop listening to it! Great riffs, great playing, and Best vocals of any Anthrax album.

Chris Lotesto (guitar) of ION VEIN
Mastodon – The Hunter
Why: The opening riff grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go…these guys continue to come up with cool and interesting material time and time again….pretty amazing!

Rob Such (bass) of ION VEIN
Fair To Midland – Anchors and Arrows
Why: Because in my opinion these guys are THE BEST new band in YEARS…unmatched songwriting meets musical talent! Plus this album is truly ALL KILLER AND NO FILLER…and I’m one picky son of a bitch!!

Chuck White (drums) of ION VEIN
Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn Of Events
Why: I just keep going back to the new album for some reason. Maybe the new addition…. F’n awesome drummer…overall the band as whole just seems better!

Dave Matrise of Jungle Rot
“I would have to say Toxic Holocaust’s, Conjure & Command is the best CD of 2011 . I just love the aggression that comes through in there writing. This band is helping out a lot in bringing back the old school sounding death metal, and it’s time for a change in the underground scene today. We need more bands like this to bring it back!”

James Genez of Jungle Rot
“Disma “Towards The Megalith” is one of my favorite albums of 2011. It’s been in heavy rotation around here (Wisconsin). I love the old school feel, even the writing and riffs are straight out of 1990, the early days of death metal, when I was a young whipper-snapper.. when death metal was special. The record takes me back like that.”

Dolk of Kampfar
Absu – Apzu
Its simply because its a new Absu album. Its been way too long already!

Lamb Of God

Chris Adler of Lamb of God
Decapitated – Carnival Is Forever
“While possibly not the historic death metal landmark that Organic Hallucinosis will occupy in the legend of metal, this is proof that it’s not about how you get knocked down – it’s all about how you get back up. Vogg is a genius. RIP Vitek.”

Kyle Maax of MAAX
Midnight “Satanic Royalty” It’s everything todays over abundant crop of bands don’t do. It’s evil, it’s sleezy, it’s rock & roll, it’s a kick in the teeth, it’s Midnight!!!…self proclaimed Satanic Royalty!!! take notes!

Phil Demmel of Machine Head
“Foo Fighters- Wasting Light
I’m never disappointed by this band and this record is no exception. Solid from front to back with hard rockers and hooky riffs and melodies, WL put a huge “Fuck Yeah!!!” expression on my face on first listen.”

Madina Lake - Photo by Katie Hovland

Matthew Leone of Madina Lake
Awolnation “megalithic symphony”
“In truth, I spent most of 2011 cleaning out my musical closet, subsequently listening to older numbers, but newer band, Awolnation grabbed me by the cluster immediately. They’ve got everything I enjoy in a band, from concept and mystique, to the discovering of a new unchartered musical path. It’s a band that puts their soul into every nook and cranny of their art, which these days, is an almost antiquated notion. They’re pushing forward on a “rock” baton that has been laying on the track for a few laps now.”

Joe Cotela of Man Made Machine
Foo Fighters – “Wasting Light”
“From the opening track you felt energy and feel of the Color and Shape days. I purchased it to get the piece of recording tape they included on the day it came out and I must’ve had the cd in my car on repeat for a month straight. Dave Grohl continues to establish himself as one of the greatest rock n’ roll has ever seen. I can’t wait to see what he puts out next.”

Carson Allen of Me Vs Myself
“Science & Faith” by The Script
“Jan 18th, The Script released a record that would not only be the number one record I listen to the most, but a record that really motivated me as a songwriter. Every song on “Science & Faith” has its own unique quality. As a singer, I’ve always admired Danny’s voice and delivery of thought out lyrics.. and at times I even find myself hating him for being so talented. All in all, The Script really kicked ass on this record, and set the bar high!”

Dave and Nicholas at Spaceland - Photo by Lisa Johnson

Nicholas of Me Vs Myself
Foo Fighters- Wasting Light
Rock record of the year. Was lucky to see them in Spaceland down in LA with few other folks. This was also one of the first venues Foo Fighters ever perform at back in 1995. And the night I saw then was the eve of Spaceland’s closing, before the venue reopens as Satellite. They played the record beginning to end with no breaks. It was truly amazing. Also was on my birthday, so a night to remember indeed. Thank you Foo Fighters for making such a great rock record.

Dave Gregor of Morta Skuld
Forbidden was the best album for me this year, it had a great production and they kept the material very interesting and style was the same but stands the test of time. They are an amazing band.

R.D. Liapakis of Mystic Prophecy
SYMPHONY X – ICONOCLAST … I personally believe they are one of the best bands in Metal Music … there are really no words strong enough to describe this album … anyone who is involved in music can easily understand that these guys are musical geniuses … their composing and technical skills, along with a perfect voice that matches this style … in a nutshell, a perfect technical band with great melodies and power !!!

My Ticket Home

Nick Giumenti of My Ticket Home
“Favorite record of 2011 for certain is “Rising Sun” by Stray From The Path. Besides being one of our favorite bands, Stray has an incredible view of real music and how the industry should be and in there last album they shared that view openly and without exception.  They are a perfect example of a band that stands for something real, and we very much admire and respect that.”

Nathan Ryan – solo artist
I would have to say my favorite CD of 2011 was D.R.U.G.S. debut album cause not ONE song is bad. I jammed with them all summer at warped your and kept listening them even went I got back. Never gonna get sick of it

Onward To Olympas

Kramer Lowe of Onward To Olympas
“I would have to go with Oh, Sleeper’s – Children Of Fire. The last CD before kind of put them in a spot where it was just average and people slowly started forgetting about them, though it seemed. This new album came out with a bang. Great transitions, structure, melody, heaviness, all the above. Definitely help put their name back on the map.”

Jeremy Sullivan of PARENTZ
The best album has to be the new m83 hurry up we’re dreaming. Some weird songs for sure, but he’s the king of that sound, nostalgia, synths, big 80s toms, children-voiced monologues (and not children like Balam Acab pitched up children, but actually kids) whatever. he’s got it. That Balam Acab Wander/Wonder was a close second I’d say.

John Ioannidis – Keyboard player of Persona non Grata
“I am afraid 2011 didn’t give us a outstanding album, something fresh or new at least from what I have in mind.
I personally like the EP of Adrenaline Mob. Apart from being a new beginning for Mike Portnoy i was pleasantly surprised from production, rock and solid, a typical characteristic of Mike’s.
I am also a big fan of Russell Allen and I have to say that this album is one of his best moments.

Phathom - Photo by Megan-marie Alice Mills

Yannick d’Assignies of Phathom
“My favorite album of 2011 is hands down ‘Wasting Light‘ by the one and only Foo Fighters. I had the chance to see them at both the Roxy and Spaceland (right before it switched names) and seeing the Foos rock such small venues and play the entire album live made me fall in love with it. I listened to that album religiously and I can say no album has rocked me like ‘Wasting Light‘ in 2011!”

Yotam ‘Defiler’ Avni of Prey For Nothing
“My Favorite CD of the year was Symphony X – Iconoclast. I don’t see myself as a progressive metal fan or Symphony X fan – even though I always thought they were an excellent band. Thing is – when I listened to their latest effort I was blown away! I never imagined the band that wrote cheesy prog-power songs like “From The Ashes” just a decade ago could turn into this riff-monster. Iconoclast might have came from a progressive metal band, but it’s the thrash metal album of the year, and it’s sheer power and life – full diversity is what makes it so good, and so not typical Symphony X material.”

Jouni Matilainen of RE-ARMED
A - Ritual from The Black Dahlia Murder. Full of catchy hooks, skilled and not over produced american metal album! Also album’s artwork is just great, something little bit different than you could expect from that band. Atmosphere on this album is also dangerous which is nice!

Marshall “fucking” Beck – Reign of Vengeance
REIGN OF VENGEANCE “Disemboweling Swine“- Because we wrote the album to be.

Ryan Hayes of Righteous Vendetta
“The best record of 2011 hands down was “Hands” Give me Rest. I never was a huge Hands fan but this thing came out and punched me in the mouth. It is heavy, beautiful, tight, and raw all at the same time. I have never heard so much passion come out of a record. Amazing.”

Human Furnace of Ringworm
“The best CD of 2011 would be Foo Fighters, Wasting Light, because it’s a really good CD by an excellent band,..and DEVO’s “Something for everybody” which came out in 2010”

Eddie Cano of Scarlett O'Hara

Eddie Cano of Scarlett O’Hara
I would have to say,
My favorite Album of 2011 would have to be “Hell is what you make it” by “Breathe Carolina”
It’s a perfect club mix between pop and electro and still they managed to keep their genre exactly the same.
They really impressed me with every track, “Blackout” in particular, there isn’t one song on their CD that wasn’t memorable. I expect to see big things from them in the future!

Anthony Lojeski of Seven Day Sonnet
“My favorite album released in 2011 was hands down City and Colour’s Little Hell. The album is an absolute emotional rollercoaster that delves deep into the trials and tribulations that we all face each day. The lyrics are honest and intimate and at the same time haunting due to their eerie and melancholy subject matters. It is an album that truly evokes emotions in myself that not many songs, let alone a whole album, can do. The deliver of the lyrics is beyond perfect and the craftsmanship of the music is second to none. If you do not have this album and are looking to experience something sincere, honest, and real this is for you.”

Seven Day Sonnet

Mike Scarlata of Seven Day Sonnet
“My favorite CD of 2011 has got to be Moment of Impact by the band Eye Empire. When I had heard that this band had formed, and looked at the members, I knew I’d be getting a great record. I loved Submersed, Stuck Mojo, Stereomud, and Switched. Every track on this record is phenomenal. From melodic slowly driven rock songs with excellent vocals to heavy beat down your door guitar riffs with in the pocket syncopated drum beats. Overall great record and a must have for your Ipod.”

Esa of Silverdollar
In Flames, Sounds of a Playground Fading
“True craftsmanship in songwriting, arrangement and variety in songs, they’re still developing but still in In Flames style!”

Liv of Sister Sin
“The best CD in 2011 is The Haunted’s album, Unseen. This album is innovative and genius in every way!”

Matt O’Brien of Sleep City
“Thursday’s “No Devolucion” for me. The atmosphere on the CD is incredible from track to track, and they really got into the ambient side of their work which was great to hear. Sad to see them go for sure, but at least they went out on top!”

Max Zigman of Son of Aurelius
“My favorite of the year just off the top of my head has to be Protest the Hero’s Scurrilous. Machine did a fantastic job of keeping dynamics in the recordings, its unlike many albums in this genre in that it sounds very organic and everything sits in its own place. And the songwriting is just off the chain. Awesome album.”

Mike Sarkisyan of Spineshank
“Machine Head “Onto The Locust” need i say more?”

Lars of STORMWARRIOR
ROB HALFORD – “Live at Saitama Super Arena”
Why? Because this is Heavy Metal and not some kind of stupid Lou Reed & Whatever – Connection…!!!

Aad & Sinister of Supreme Pain
Than I have too say .. ROSE FUNERAL .. GATES OF PUNISHMENT.
This record is so Aggressive and brutal and super well played .. a real death metal piece !!!!

Taproot

Michael De Wolf of Taproot
“My favorite album of 2011 is Britney Spears: Femme Fatale. Why? Because it f’n ROCKS, keeps me happy, and is solid from start to finish… I also enjoyed Rival Schools: Pedals. It too rules.”

Phil of Taproot
“The best album in 2011 is, The Greatest Video Game Music by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. From Super Mario Bros. and Zelda to Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell, even Angry Birds, this album has something for everyone…that loves video games.”

Amos Williams of TesseracT
“Ghost by Devin Townsend. It is one of those rare albums that transports you to another world. Perfection.”

Ricky Armellino of This or the Apocalypse
“Defeater- “Empty Days and Sleepless Nights“. Such a powerful, emotional, record.”

Phillip “PJ” Kinzer, Jr. of Thrust Management / InVogue Records
My favorite is : Major/Minor by Thrice, simply because it is compelling and tells a story not only lyrically through the first note to the last note..but musically as well. Truly a great influence to have!

Joey “Superstar” Severance of Tornado
My favorite album of 2011 is Tornado – Amsterdamn, Hellsinki and the reason being is simple. It’s the album I’ve been waiting years to hear where every track is catchy in every aspect. Especially song wise, riff wise, shredding wise and vocal wise . If it has to be a band other than my own, then Symphony X – Iconoclast (for the same reason as Tornado)

Tobias of Torture Division
My favorite CD of 2011 is without a doubt “All Guts, No Glory” by Exhumed. They are one of my all-time favorite death metal bands and on this “comeback” album they show that they’re as good as ever. Songs like “As hammer to anvil” and “Distorted and twisted to form” are instant classics! –

Justice of Trapped Under Ice
“Take Offense – Tables Will Turn – Chula Vista ‘s Take Offense released an LP that combines element of Suicidal Tendencies, Cro Mags, Warzone, and modern hardcore to create something timeless and original. Each song makes me feel like its 1980-something, I’m 17, and mad at everything in sight.”

Vampires Everywhere

Aaron Graves of Vampires Everywhere
“Favorite album: In Flames – Sounds of a Playground Fading
In Flames has always been one of my favorite bands and I love their maturity and growth with each album. No matter how much they change their sound, they always still manage to sound like In Flames. I respect the fact that they actually make an attempt to change and grow. This album does it all for me. It has the riffs, the melodies, the singing, the screaming, the programming, and the solos. Colony and Clayman are timeless albums, but I wouldn’t want to hear the same album regurgitated over and over throughout the years. Props to them. Sounds of a Playground Fading is hands down, the best album of 2011.”

Michael Vampire of Vampires Everywhere
“My favorite record of 2011 has to be Wednesday 13 “Calling all Corpses“. It brings back the whole shock rock vibe & it’s fun to get loose to! If you love horror punk this is your record!”

Davey Muise of Vanna
Balance and Composure – “Separation”
“It’s such a throwback to grunge and raw rock and that’s what I grew up on in the 90′s. Balance are young kids from that thriving post hardcore/rock Philly scene and it’s so refreshing to see younger dudes making great honest music and doing it their way. I do not skip a single track on that record and when it ends I but let it play again. That record is for sure my soundtrack to spring/summer 2011.”

Chris Mehrtash the singer/lead guitar of Vegas Is North
My favorite CD of 2011 had to be Blink 182: Neighborhoods, because it’s my favorite band in the whole entire world! No matter what I will always love blink. I grew up listening to them and they play huge inspiration factor to me and my band. Plus who doesn’t love blink? Great comeback album.

Victorian Halls

Jordan of Victorian Halls
“The album I connected with the most in 2011 is Bayside’s “Killing Time“. Their music has always progressively gotten better along with each album they release. They blend old school punk roots with intricate musicianship and that has always been a great factor to the reason why Bayside is in my top 5. Anthony Raneri’s lyricism takes me to a realm where everything is okay again. It gives me something I can relate to, plus it’s just the right amount of catchy and distinctive compared to all the other bands out there.”

Sean Lenart of Victorian Halls
“My favorite CD of 2011 is Grouploves’ “Never Trust A Happy Song“. The songs are simple, familiar, and still creative, without recycling. You can tell they are a song writer first band, but they didn’t get lazy with the production either. They’re definitely a band I wouldn’t mind watching night in night out on tour. This is first straight indie record I’ve really liked in a while.”

William Ryan Fritch of Vieo Abiungo

William Ryan Fritch of Vieo Abiungo
“This is a really tough question as there have been lots of albums that have some great material on it, but I have to say that My Brightest Diamond’s All things Will Unwind is the most striking and bold record I have heard all year.
The quality of the arrangements and songwriting is pretty stunning, and I feel like she has lyrically found her voice. I could listen to the song “Be brave” again and again and marvel at it’s balance of spaciousness and intensity.”

Steven of Wretched
“My favorite CD of 2011 is ‘Born This Way‘ by Lady GaGa. I really enjoy the music she creates, and her lyrical topics. She’s very open about the subjects she chooses to write about. She’s breathing fresh air into modern Pop music, which has been absent for quite some time now!”

Gustaf of Yggdrasil
“I think the best album of the year is Einherjer’s “Norrøn“. It is powerful, both melodic and harsh, both new and old. They combine the best from every old Einherjer-album with new influences in a great-sounding, dynamic production.”

Wolfgang Rothbauer of Zombie Inc.
“My favourite CD 2011 is “A Dreadful Decease” from the band Zombie Inc.”  —-because its an outstanding old-school Death Metal release, and celebrates the comeback of Martin Schirenc (ex-Pungent Stench) into Death Metal”

And now it’s your turn!  What was your favorite CD of 2011.  Please list your answer in the comment section below…

(Compiled by Kenneth Morton – Top 10 Graphic by  Yannick d’Assignies)

How does the music on the In Stereo EP compare to the previous Cartel releases?
I think it’s a lot of the same stuff, as far as an origin. I think it’s just letting Cartel be Cartel. I feel like it might be a bit more natural – a bit less forced. Not to say that we ever forced any music, but we didn’t have any constraints going into the recording process or the writing process. We didn’t have any goals other than creating music that we wanted to. I think with that, it came across a lot more natural and raw. And we tried to give it more of a live feel – as far as sonically on the record. I think we accomplished that. I think it’s in that different mode of trying to present a different sound.   Of course it’s a little bit different just because we’ve progressed, but I still think it’s a variation of the same thing – which I think all of our records have been.

How easy or difficult was it to go into this studio and release everything on your own without label help?
Overall, it was remarkably easier. But there are some things where it’s easier to do it with a label. Obviously you’re not worried about budget so much as a band. You’re kind of being involved with the budget talks and how we’re going to pull stuff off – seeing that we don’t have a giant budget as with being on a label or anything. There were some hoops to jump through in that regard, but I would say overall that the experience was better.

Tell me a little bit about the title track In Stereo. Is it an autobiographical song in a way, and are you “bitter?”
It’s actually funny. I only wrote about half the lyrics on that song. Our guitarist Joseph was the instigator of the lyrics on that. One of the riffs of the song had been laying around since the Cycles writing sessions. He took it upon himself at some point in time to make a demo. He wrote the lyrics and then some vocals and did it as a demo. I ended up really liking it. I wouldn’t say it’s autobiographical as much as it is more of an archetype for the way a lot of bands feel nowadays. It’s kind of an analogy – but a direct one – without the metaphor. And I wouldn’t call us “bitter,” but we definitely are experienced. We’ve been through a lot of things that could have made us bitter. There’s two ways to look at anything regardless of what the actual reality is. And we chose to live on the positive side of things – live for today and not live in the past. But there’s definitely a few things we could have been real angry at – and been a lot less positive in our music. But I think that really doesn’t do anything for us or for the people listening to it. We wanted to make sure none of that stuff came through, because that’s not really what our band is about. That song, I would say, I think it represents an era that’s going on in the scene right now that we wanted to voice out our feelings on,

That song features some of the most aggressive singing you’ve ever done. Is that a fair assessment?
I kind of wanted the song to have a little more of that snotty vocal flavor. I guess aggressive is a good word for it – but not crazy aggressive. I really don’t have that gear in my voice. I think it’s also due to the natural melody of the song being a little higher in my range. I think a lot of things that are a little higher in my range – especially with as many words as there are – it kind of takes more breath and more energy to get it out. I think that’s a natural thing from the song itself – having a lot of energy. I wanted to make sure the vocals were as strong as the rest of the song – very forward and very moving. I would probably say that and like Conditional Friend are probably the two most aggressive songs I’ve had on vocals. It felt good to kind of get in that gear again.

What inspired the lyrics for the song American Dreams?
Just real life man. I’m married – I’ve been married for three years. Life is great! But there’s also hard times and things like that – the current economic situation and things like that. It’s probably one of the more “real songs” besides like Wasted that I’ve written. I feel like sometimes you just want to get away from everything and stop worrying about real life. The American Dream is kind of like a double entendre – “has a house, has a dog, has a car” and things like that. But it’s kind of a dream state at the same time – it’s not ever really obtainable without some sort of sacrifice of reality. It’s really like a mild dive into that topic.

How close are you to recording and releasing a new full length Cartel album?
You know, we haven’t even gotten into the conversation of doing a full length. I think right now we just want to concentrate on getting more songs out and try to build a self-release catalog. I would say we’ll probably have another EP or something a little longer than an EP – not really a full length – maybe 7 songs – come out sometime in March, April, May – that arena of time. If we were going to do a full length, it would be the end of next year earliest it would happen. And that w0uld probably be just recording it, which would mean probably releasing it early 2013. In that scenario, we would have at least two more EP’s come out by then. There would be no shortage of music.

You’re about to go on tour in Australia. Have you ever played there before and what are you looking forward to the most about those shows?
We have played there before. We were on the Soundwave Festival in January of 2008. That was a lot of fun for us. It was a totally surreal experience to be in Australia. We’ve been to Japan before – and we had actually gone to Japan a second time right before we went to Australia that year. We kind of ran the full gamut of a world wide tour. But it was a lot of fun. We played five Soundwave shows and two sideshows. But pretty much the whole tour we’re doing now is kind of running over the same route we did with Soundwave, except we’re going to be in the cities this time instead of out at the amphitheaters and parks where they had Soundwave. So it’ll be fun to hit the other side of things and play a lot of club shows in Australia. I’m really looking forward to that. And I would say the most exciting part – between going to Australia and the UK – it’s awesome to go to a foreign country and have that foreign country experience, but also not have to worry about language barrier stuff – except the accent is different. It takes you a second just to get used to hearing how they speak. It’s a nice learning curve to go through – but it’s also having been to Japan and having no clue whatsoever what the language is – it’s nice to go somewhere and know that you’re not going to be way out of the park with the language barrier there.

Did you get to see any kangaroos?
Yeah, we did actually. We went to one of the wildlife preserves where you get to hold koalas. We wanted to take a picture, because obviously we don’t have koalas here. It was like I gotta go do that! It’s kind of crazy to do, because with the exception of the dangerous animals, you are allowed to walk out in their habitat. It was a preserve more so than an actual zoo. So we walked right out in the middle of this giant field with like 100 kangaroos out there. And not the giant kangaroos, but the smaller guys that are half the height of a normal person. It was kind of crazy, because there was a kangaroo stampede – something moved in the woods and all 100 of them came just roaring by us! That was kind of enthralling for a second, but it’s kind of very odd to see kangaroos bouncing along in front of you. “We’re definitely in a different world right now.” It’s pretty funny.

Cartel at the El Rey Theater - 11/19/10

At the El Rey Theater last year with The Ready Set, you had all these girls screaming at you. How does your wife feel when she sees this?
She makes fun of me. She’s like, “You’re such a loser! Look at all those girls yelling at you.” And I’m like, “Yeah, I know…”

How much of a curse has it been to be known as “That band in the bubble.”?
Pretty much every interview, that questions has come up – “What was it like?” I think it’s more of a talking point than it has been a curse so to speak. I think we’ve made it abundantly clear what our initial thoughts were on the subject and have addressed the different parts of the bubble that people wanted to ask us questions about. The all “selling out” thing – we’ve addressed that. I’m pretty sure we’ve squashed that. Logically you can’t really argue with what we’re trying to say here. So if you want to go on and call us “sell outs” and not listen to our band – that’s cool. Go have fun! We’ll see you later. We had a lot of fun and had a lot of good experiences and learned a whole hell of a lot. Probably more than we would have done just doing a normal record then. I’m proud of the fact that we went to do that and took the risk. And I guess that’s how we feel about “the curse,” if you will. I wouldn’t call it that. Most of the time people bring it up to ask “what was it like being in there” – cuz it is such a unique experience. It’s cool to have that story to tell people.

If they came up to you again and asked, “How would Cartel like to do Band In The Bubble Part 2,” what would you do?
Only if we had total control over the editing and the storyboard of the thing. If they wanted to go make a big production again and do all the pizzazz surrounding it – that’s fine – I understand they need to get their corporate fix – have all the ad mats and things like that to make somebody keep their job I guess. We’d probably let them do their thing and just make sure that our band is represented the way we want it to be. That’s the only thing that we didn’t like about the first time – that they didn’t portray what actually happened in there. They had to edit a bunch of drama together – and it wasn’t even good drama – it was fake ass drama – which was the problem – but there was none. We had told the producer’s before “You should make this a lot more like Jackass and a lot less like Real World, because we don’t fight like little bitches. That’s not what we do. We’re grown ass men. We’ve been friends for over ten years. We’re our best friends. We’re going to go in here and have a great time. So if you think we’re going to come in here and lose our minds, you’re barking up the wrong tree. It’s the wrong band.” And they’re like, “No, no, no! We definitely want to showcase your personalities and how much fun you guys have and the good spirits in there.” And I’m like, “Cool! Sounds good! We’re on the same page.” And then Noooopppeee! It’s didn’t happen. Besides that, we really don’t claim objection to anything that went on there. It’s the machine man! What are you going to do? There were some crazy experiences that I would have never gotten to do otherwise. So you can’t call it a loss in that regard. And that is my favorite record that we’ve done. There’s nothing that we would not have done outside of the bubble that didn’t across how I wanted it to. In that regard, it was great! So yeah, if we were to do Band In The Bubble 2, it would just be the ones editing it down and showing people what we wanted to show them.

What advice would you give to a new band looking for a record deal for the first time?
I would say that you would need to figure out whether or not you even need a record deal. As a new band, most of the things that make you want to have a label is really kind of based around money. And the reality of it is that a very, very small percentage of the bands that make music actually make any money. And the best way to do that is to NOT owe anybody anything. So I would say probably the best idea – totally aside from musicality – cuz if you band is good, your band is good – and on the other hand, if you band sucks, it sucks and there’s nothing that you could do about it. You could work harder – but that’s totally your thing, and nobody could tell you how to do that right. But on the business end, as far as looking for a label deal, I think you’ve got to make sure it’s the right deal – make sure that if it’s a small label, you’re not selling your total life away, as it would be with a large label – making sure that they’re not going to constrain you too much. The real reason why we’re self-releasing is because with the Internet and the way that music is consumed nowadays; it’s like what is the point? The only thing that we’re really missing is a big recording budget, which we don’t really need in order to be able to put out records. If we wanted to go and make Abbey Road 2, then we would need a big budget. But we don’t – we’re not trying to do that right now. So we’re not worried about it. We could do it for a much smaller recording budget. The other thing is lacking a big marketing budget, where you could put all the money behind ads and that sort of thing. But there’s Twitter, there’s Facebook – there’s all these different social media outlets – as long as you maintain them and cultivate the fan base through there. Of course it doesn’t have the same footprint as a major label or even a significantly large indie label would have. But it’s enough that you feel a sense of accomplishment, because it takes a lot of hard work to push through those barriers. Of course, it helps to have a name already – I’m not going to deny that fact – obviously that’s not the point here. But I would say try to do as much as you can by yourself, because ultimately if the worst case scenario happens, that’s all that you’ve got anyway is yourself and your own faculties. So try to grow those and be as confident in each area of business and outside of playing the music as you can. And that way, you know you’re only going and getting the help that you need – and not the help that you THINK you need.

Wikipedia, which can be highly inaccurate at times, says that you’re a big fan of Tiger Woods. What do you think of him now after all of the scandals?
I think it sucks for the guy. Obviously had he not been in a position of intense fame and success and things like that – I don’t know if that’s really the way his life would have unfolded as far as having so many mistresses or whatever like that. I have sympathy for him that way – it’s a total dirt bag move by the way to do that to your wife and kid and say, “Oh, yeah, that sucks.” My appreciation and admiration for him has nothing to do with his personal life or how he conducts himself off of the golf course. For me, it’s all totally about what he’s been able to accomplish as a golfer. But that’s pretty much where I draw the line. You know, it’s not my life. I don’t know your kids. I don’t know your wife. I’m not personally offended by what you did. He still does a lot for children without access to a good education with his Tiger Woods Foundation. So he’s not a total scumbag. Think about it. He’s a skinny nerd who grew up a skinny golf nerd. He went to Stamford a skinny nerd and then went on the PGA Tour as a skinny nerd. Then he destroyed everybody on the golf course and got a little bigger through working out and things like that and finally growing up. And then people started looking at him because he’s had tons of success – as much money as you could ever think to have – marginally good looks, and access to basically anything he wanted. So pardon the expression, but he’s probably going to want to get a lot of p*ssy – and I don’t blame him. From being a skinny nerd all through high school, I totally understand the mindset. That really isn’t a fair ball game anyway – I can’t even imagine what his life might be like. I would say that it doesn’t surprise me that that happened. It’s still a bad thing to do to your wife and kids. “Don’t get married and no one cares” is pretty much the answer to that – well for him anyway. But it’s all about the golf for me. And I’m just waiting for him to try to find his game and get back in gear so I could have a reason to watch golf tournaments.

So what is the most scandalous thing someone could ever say about you?
(Laughs) I gotta think hard about that one. There’s really not much scandal to me. I would say that the most scandalous thing anybody could ever say about me is that my dance moves are completely atrocious – and they’d be correct. So I would recommend that if there is ever a dancing environment and I’m around – it’s a crime against society for me to thus begin dancing. That would be a pretty big scandal – going to jail for dancing so terribly.

So we won’t see you on Dancing With The Stars anytime soon?
Hell no!

Do you have a message for Cartel fans here in the Los Angeles area?
We need to play Los Angeles! It does happen to be on the other side of the country. But still, I love L.A. Hopefully with this new wave of Cartel and the new phase we’re going through here – it will put us back out on tour a lot more often so we could get out there and play more shows. I would say thanks for the support, tell a friend, and bring a friend to a show, and we’ll have a good time – and let’s see this thing through.

(Interview and Live Photo by Kenneth Morton)

Cartel on Facebook

It is now time once again for the annual Fearless Friends Tour, which kicks off November 9th in Flagstaff and concludes December 16th in Tempe.

C0-headlining the event are two Arizona-based bands – Blessthefall and The Word Alive – with direct support from PA’s own Motionless In White.

Two bands from afar are also participating – Chunk! No Captain Chunk! from France and Tonight Alive! from Australia – both recent signings to the Fearless Records registry of artists.

Highwire Daze decided to interview the various bands to find out about what to expect on the tour this year, current happenings,  stories from the road, and other grand and fearless topics!

And so now, meet four of the bands from the Fearless Friends Tour 2011…

BLESSTHEFALL

Introduce yourself, and tell me what you do in Blessthefall and where is your band based out of?
My name is Beau Bokan and I sing for the international rock act known as Blessthefall. We’re based out of Phoenix, Arizona

What are you looking forward to the most about the Fearless Friends tour?
Well its been a while since we’ve headlined. I’m looking forward to playing songs kids haven’t heard us play before. Also, we have a sweet ass light show! Stoked to see what that’s going to look like!

Is there any story or concept behind the CD title Awakening and how does it compare to the previous Blessthefall releases?
We wanted a sweet one-word title for our album. The word Awakening held so many different meanings. We thought everyone could listen to the record and come up with their own idea of why we chose that title. This album is like Witness’ older, cooler brother.

Select a song from Awakening and what inspired the lyrics.
“40 Days..” Is about when my fiancée and I spent 40 days apart from each other while we were both on tour.  It’s the only love song I’ve ever written and I really pour my heart out. I think a lot of people can really relate to it. It would be cool to shoot a video for it.

What could one expect from a live Blessthefall show on the Fearless Friends tour?
You can expect a lot of hyper active kids onstage losing their minds. We pride ourselves on our high-energy live performances. I swear one of us is going to have a heart attack on stage one day.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
We like going ghost hunting in haunted asylums. That always gets strange.

How difficult was it when original member Mike Frisby left the band and do you still keep in touch with him?
It actually wasn’t difficult at all. Elliott came in and knew all of our songs from the first day of practice. He also helped us write our record. He’s a great guitar player and has done a killer job filling in. We hang out with Mike all the time. He’s a good friend.

How did Christopher Dudley of Underoath become involved with the recording of Awakening and what was it like working with him?
We toured with Chris and Underoath last summer and we made super good friends with those dudes. We knew we wanted to have some rad programming on the record and Chris was the first person we thought of. He was super stoked on the idea. We’re the only band he’s ever worked with outside of UO. He’s an amazing dude..truly one of the best dudes ever and so talented. We were very lucky to have worked with him

What is your definition of a Fearless Friend?
PARTY.PARTY.PARTY.

Any messages for fans looking forward to making friends with you on the Fearless Friends tour?
We love each and every fan. We will be hanging at our merch table so come by and high five us! We want to meet you ALL!!!

THE WORD ALIVE

Introduce yourself, and tell me what you do in The Word Alive and where is your band based out of?
My name is Telle, and I’m the vocalist of TWA. The band is based out of Phoenix, Arizona.

What are you looking forward to the most about the Fearless Friends tour?
Just the fact that we’re not only going on tour with a lot of friends, but able to do our longest set on a support tour so far. It’s gonna be a great tour.

With Deceiver being out for over a year, how close are you to writing and recording an all new The Word Alive album?
We’ve been writing most of the year, especially the last several months. We wanted to get a major head start on the next full-length as opposed to how little time we had before writing/recording Deceiver due to touring so much. We knew we had to write most of our record on the road so we made arrangements to do that. The recording time is set for Feb 7-March 21 with producer/engineer Joey Sturgis.

Select any two The Word Alive songs you may be playing on the Fearless Friends Tour and what inspired the lyrics.
Lights And Stones: It’s about that feeling like you’re lost, and then realizing there is something greater than us, that we can take comfort in.
The Hounds Of Anubis: It’s a metaphor for our fans, and our supporters as a whole, standing up against those who would seek to end what we’re doing or make it harder on us.

What could one expect from a live The Word Alive show on the Fearless Friends tour?
We’re constantly working to improve our live show, both by individual and group practice. We just want to have fun and facilitate the crowd who is PAYING for a great show, to have the most fun they can.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
Probably our vehicle troubles on our headlining tour earlier this year, we went through 9 different vehicles and just had the worst luck ever.

With two Warped Tours under your belt, what advice would you give a band about the go on Warped Tour next year for the very first time?
You have to be prepared for the hardest tour you will ever do. You could wake up and play within an hour, or you could wake up and realize you have to sit around all day long and play once everyone is super tired already, but still try to bring the energy. I think it’s an amazing tour that really helps bands to grow. It has done so much for our band.

Any chance of The Word Alive being on Warped Tour next year?
Being on it 2 years in a row, we’re hoping to take a year off and use this summer to work on expanding our fanbase to a different crowd. So that in 2013 we can come back, and join the Warped Tour once again, being the strongest our band has ever been. We will work hard and would love to continue our tradition of being involved with Warped Tour. Kevin and all of the staff have been really supportive of us, and we appreciate them a lot.

What is your definition of a Fearless Friend?
I guess someone who supports all the variety on the label, and supports what the bands are trying to do individually and as a whole.

Any messages for fans looking forward to making friends with you on the Fearless Friends tour?
Come find us, we love meeting new fans!

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE

Introduce yourself, and tell me what you do in Motionless In White and where is your band based out of?
My name is Chris and I sing for Motionless In White. We’re based out of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Dunder Mifflin represent!!

What are you looking forward to the most about the Fearless Friends tour?
I’m really excited that we are finally touring with The Word Alive. They are great dudes and we’ve known them for a long time so to finally get to tour with them is pretty sweet.  Other than that, I’m just looking forward to playing some old songs to fans who have been asking for them.

Is there any story or concept behind the Creatures CD?
The basic meaning behind the record is that we wanted to do something that we could dedicate to our fans and give them a better acknowledgment. Creatures represents everything we do and the people that are a part of it. There’s no theme to the lyrics of the songs themselves except that they are all about personal interests or opinions of mine.

Select two songs from Creatures and what inspired the lyrics.
The 2 songs with the best story or inspiration would be Creatures and Immaculate Misconception. Creatures lyrics was entirely written by our fans via submission to me and then I selected the best that fit the song in my mind. Immaculate Misconception is about the fake, lying and profit seeking religious figures in the world today and it’s a call to arms to the people who have beliefs but are TRUE to those beliefs.

What could one expect from a live Motionless In White show?
Energy, Aggression and Open Mindedness

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
We’ve had a lot of crazy shit happen. Not to long ago, we were parked at someone’s house and some old guy was banging on our door at 7am and woke us up by screaming that he was gonna call the cops and have us arrested for being parked in his development all because we had a sign on our door outside that said “don’t fucking knock” and a pentagram on it. Religious nutjobs… we get them a lot.

Who did the killer artwork for Creatures and how much input did you have on it?
Angelo our drummer is sort of the art director for our band and he took care of a lot of stuff for us dealing with the CD art. He didn’t exactly finalize it but I know he had a big part in it.

How difficult was it when TJ Bell left the band and do you still keep in touch with him? He was pretty much there since the beginning.
Tj didn’t leave the band. He was fired because he is an Alcoholic and was becoming a Drug addict. No Thanks. Some of the people in the band keep in touch with him. I don’t because he had many negative things to say about me since his departure. I’m not in highschool anymore. I don’t hate him and would definitely talk to him again but not if there would be any drama.

What is your definition of a Fearless Friend?
I think it’s just a name to give all the people involved in this. The bands, the label, the fans and the sponsors. it’s a family.

Any messages for fans looking forward to making friends with you on the Fearless Friends tour?
We’ll be at the merch table after Blessthefall is done playing.  Let’s get those high 5′s goin!

CHUNK! NO, CAPTAIN CHUNK!

Introduce yourself, and tell me what you do in Chunk! No, Captain Chunk and where is your band based out of?
Hi, my name is Bertrand Poncet, but my friends call me Bert (that sounds better!), I sing in Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, but I also make all the samples and synthesizer tracks, and I produced the first release of our album called Something For Nothing.  Now, CNCC is a five piece band from Paris in France, formed in 2007.

What are you looking forward to the most about the Fearless Friends tour and is this your first full on tour in the States?
We are so excited about this tour. This is a great opportunity to tour the US with the bands of our label.  We are stoked to meet the guys from Blessthefall, The Word Alive, Motionless In White and Tonight Alive and I am pretty sure we will have so much fun with everyone.
Also, this tour is not our first US tour, we already toured the United States last summer with In Fear And Faith, Vanna and A Loss For Words on the Partery Tour. This one was organized by our management company The Artery Foundation, we had such a good time and we can’t wait to go back to the US.

What is the name of your current or upcoming album on Fearless Records and is there any story behind the title?
We re-released our first album called “Something For Nothing” through our label. The title of this record is actually related to the kind of music we are trying to do. “Something For Nothing” refers to a contrast between two opposite concepts and our music is a kind of compromise between two opposite genres, that is like indie and pop-punk mixed with hardcore and metal. This is a schizophrenic genre playing with the bright and the dark side.
Moreover, we thought it sounded good. Our band name is long and we didn’t want to write more than three words. We wanted people to remember the name easily so we chose these two contradictory words.
Also, when we wrote and recorded this album we didn’t expect anything from this, we were doing this for ourselves and we never thought that so many people would like it and share it all over the world.

Select two songs from your current/upcoming album and what inspired the lyrics.
Most of our lyrics were written after personal experiences. Others are about things we love or care for. We have two songs about our friends and brothers “In Friends We Trust” and “For All We Know“. We wanted to do this because CNCC is more than a band, it’s like a familly. We have amazing friends we love and we wanted to tell the world about it and dedicate them those songs because they deserve it! They helped us to grow up and to be what we are now, they never let us down. It’s maybe cliche to write songs about friendship but when it’s truly sincere, I don’t think it is.
Also, we have songs about things we love. For example, “Captain Blood” is about pirates and “Positiv-O” was originally inspired by Bender from Futurama.

What could one expect from a live Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! Show?
In three words, it’s energetic, funny and posi. We just want the crowd to have a good time during our set. Also, I personnaly love to dress up on stage and we usually do funny introductions to prepare people to our set.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to your band while out on the road?
We have so many funny tour stories, it would be impossible to tell what’s the best or the strangest… Here is a short list: Being robbed by a gang, waking up with 5 unknown naked men in the same bed, staying in a haunted house for the night, getting our van stolen with all our gear and stuff inside, and a lot of other crazy experiences that we just don’t remember, haha!
Anyway, life on tour is great!

Since Something For Nothing was originally released last year, how close is your band to writing and recording all new material?
We have been writting our next record for a long time and I can tell that we are almost done with the writting process now. This next record is a very big deal for us, we want to write the record of the year, haha! But yeah, we really want to make it big, so we took the time to write the best songs as we can. Also, it’s difficult for us to write lyrics in english. We don’t know when we will record yet but I am pretty sure it will be released next year.

What is your definition of a Fearless Friend?
A friend who has no fear! haha!

Any messages for fans looking forward to making friends with you on the Fearless Friends tour?
I’d say to everyone to come to meet us after the shows, we are always very glad to meet the fans and talk with them. It’s also a very good way for us to improve our english and learn more about the american way of life. It’s always a good experience.

DATES AND LINKS

THE FEARLESS FRIENDS TOUR featuring blessthefall, The Word Alive, Motionless In White, Tonight Alive and Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!:
Nov 09 – Flagstaff, AZ @ The Orpheum
Nov 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Roxy Theatre
Nov 11 – San Diego, CA @ Soma (Main Room)
Nov 12 – Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
Nov 13 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
Nov 14 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
Nov 15 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Nov 16 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
Nov 18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
Nov 19 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
Nov 20 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre
Nov 21 – Minneapolis, MN @ Station Four
Nov 22 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
Nov 23 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
Nov 24 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House
Nov 25 – Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe
Nov 26 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
Nov 27 – Worcester, MA @ Palladium Upstairs
Nov 29 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls
Nov 30 – Cleveland, OH @ Peabodys
Dec 01 – Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre
Dec 02 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
Dec 03 – Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
Dec 04 – Charlotte, NC @ Amos’ Southerland
Dec 05 – Orlando, FL @ Club Firestone
Dec 06 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
Dec 08 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
Dec 09 – Nashville, TN @ Rocketown
Dec 10 – St. Louis, MO @ Pop’s
Dec 11 – Tulsa, OK @ The Marquee
Dec 12 – Dallas, TX @ The Door
Dec 13 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
Dec 14 – San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
Dec 15 – El Paso, TX @ Open Gate Church
Dec 16 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre

For more information about The Fearless Friends Tour 2011 go to www.FearlessFriendsTour.com.

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Miracle at St. Anna, and how long the band has been together.
My name is Jesse and I play guitar in Miracle At St. Anna. The band has been together for about 3 years but we’ve only been Miracle At St. Anna for about 1 year.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like?
We are out of New Orleans, LA. The local scene there is starting to rebuild itself but New Orleans is a real Jazz oriented city. It was really hard for us as a Metal band to climb into the scene.

How did The Death Of Greeley Estates Tour go and what were some of the highlights? That was definitely a long one!
The Tour was great! Greeley is probably one of the nicest band I will ever tour with! A huge highlight of that tour had to be when we had an off date in New Orleans and we took all the bands alligator hunting. hahaha.

What could one expect from a live Miracle At St. Anna show?
A lot of energy. We try to put on the best show no matter what. Whether its 10 people of 10,000 people we will always give you what you paid for.

Is there any story or concept behind the CD title Shadow Country?
I wouldn’t say a concept but Shadow Country definitely reflects on where we are from. New Orleans is a real mysterious and creepy place so no better title than “Shadow Country.”

Select two songs from the new album and what inspired the lyrics.
My favorite song is Moses in Agony. My vocalist had a VERY abusive stepfather and this song is kind of one big “fuck you” to him. I hope other kids who are in this situation can turn to this song as inspiration to step up to an abusive family member and stand for what is right.

Shot at the Tiger means a lot lyrically as well. The song conveys a story of a person struggling to cope with his slightly abnormal individuality.  Nonetheless, it sends out a message to stick to your different qualities, rather than trying to blend in with what is more socially acceptable.

Who did the cover art for the CD and how much input did you have on it?
The cover art was done by Aaron Marsh (Sons Of Nero) The overall art we had nothing to do with but, he kinda drew up the concept and we liked it a lot!

How did you wind up being signed to Tragic Hero Records?
We had a little manager before named DJQ. He sent me an email from this guy Drew Fulk who was really interested in recording our band. A few phone calls later and he somehow swindled me into going all the way up to North Carolina to record a song. We recorded about half of the song and Drew sent it over to Tommy at Tragic and he immediately signed us after. It sounds like we didn’t do much to get signed but I promise we worked really hard on recording that half of song! hahaha

What’s up next touring wise for your band?
Well we just finished up The Circle of Friends Tour with Thick As Blood, The Plot In You, and The Air I Breathe. So now we’re kinda at home planning our next move. Hopefully something BIG pops up.

Any strange or unusual stories from the road you could share?
Where do I begin?! One night, one of my band mates thought he could party with Attila and live to tell about it. 2 hours later we find him in the van full of piss and passed out in his throw up. The next morning he was completely confused as to what happened. hahahaha I’ve also witnessed a few BUM fights outside of gas stations! Those are always the best! hahaha

Why should someone run out right now and buy Shadow Country?
It’s easily one of the most diverse CD’s you will find in our genre. No two songs have the same structure or the same feel. We try our best to give each song its own identity and so far I think we do a pretty good job at it!

Did you see the movie Miracle At St Anna and are you a Spike Lee fan?
I did see the movie, and it’s pretty good. I do however believe our band is way more amusing than the movie! hahahaha Spike Lee is great guy! He was a huge part of the rebuilding process in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and that was a really rough time for us, so anybody who lent a helping hand is an amazing person to me!

Any final words of wisdom?
Don’t let anyone tell you you’re are going to burn in hell for being who you are. Be proud of yourself and don’t let some ignorant person tear you down.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! Hope to see your band back here in Los Angeles soon!
You’re welcome and hopefully we’re back in LA soon!

Miracle At St. Anna is:
Cody-Vocals
Mitch-Guitar
Jesse-Guitar
Ryan – Bass
Spanky – Drums

(Interview and Live Photos by Kenneth Morton)

Miracle At St. Anna on Facebook

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Molotov Solution, and how long the band has been together.
I’m Nick Arthur, the vocalist/lyricist of Molotov Solution. The end of this year will mark year 7 for the band.

Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Any local bands you could recommend?
We’re based out of Las Vegas, being where the band originated, but we do have a couple of members who are from Sacramento, CA. The Vegas scene is always changing, as is the music scene, but shows are always good and bands always feel welcomed here. As far as locals to check out, give Impurity of Mriya a listen.

Is there any story or concept behind the CD title Insurrection?
The definition of Insurrection is: “The act or an instance of open revolt against civil authority or a constituted government.” This defines the overall theme of the record to a T and it’s not just speculation or fiction – it’s happening everywhere. The time is now.

Select two songs from Insurrection and what inspired the lyrics.
Prophetic Illusions was inspired by the belief in a God or Gods and the origination of these ideas or “prophecies”. Cruor Viaticus, which is Latin for “Blood Money“, is inspired by fear mongering and intimidation tactics used by the global elite and their monopoly over the media ulwhich they use to seek control of the flow of power through debt.

How does Insurrection compare to your previous Metal Blade release?
To put it simply, it doesn’t. BlkHeart Group is playing in a whole different ballpark than Metal Blade. We have full site ad takeovers, full page ads in magazines, full production music videos (yes,plural), CD release shows and party’s, tour support.. the list goes on.

How did you wind up working with the BlkHeart group?
I guess we can thank Jason Mageau, the back bone of what is now BlkHeart Group. He was interested in managing us after we left The Artery Foundation. BlkHeart Group was just getting started when we parted ways with Metal Blade and we jumped on board. The rest is history.

Who produced Insurrection and what was it like working with them?
Will Putney. Engineered, produced, mixed, mastered, guest guitar performance solo on the bonus track. Dude did it all. He’s the fucking man, one of the best dudes we’ve ever met, let alone worked with. There’s not much else to say other than he’s the candles to our menorah.

Was it a difficult decision to leave Metal Blade Records?
Not at all. Metal Blade is a great label, just not a suitable home for Molotov Solution.

What could one expect from a live Molotov Solution show?
Stages dives and at least a couple fights.

Who did the outstanding cover art for Insurrection and how much input did you have on it?
Robart Borbas aka Grindesign. He gave us nearly full artistic creativity.

Any strange touring stories you could share?
Hookers, cocaine, fights, destruction.. Choose your next words wisely.

The band lineup has changed dramatically since the release of The Harbinger. Do you still keep in touch with any of the ex-members, and how difficult were the lineup changes?
Of course. Still best friends. Kevin and Jeremy have a house together less then a block from my house. We party on the regular.

What’s up next for Molotov Solution?
International. Music videos. Festivals. Festivals. New Music?

Any final words of wisdom?
Read a fucking book!

Molotov Solution is…
Robbie Pina – Guitar
Nick Arthur – Vocals
Shane Slade – Bass
Jacob Durrett – Drums
Richie Gomez – Guitar

Molotov Solution on Facebook

BlkHeart Group Official Home Page

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Deserters, and how long the band has been together.
Matt: Matthew Roell, I sing for Deserters.
Will: Will O’Bryan, I play guitar and sing. The band has been together for just over a year at this point.

Where is your band based out and what is your local music scene like there? Any local bands you could recommend?
Will: The band is based out of Los Angeles. However, Matt and I are from the Coachella Valley and the other members are from various parts of southern California. As far as local bands, there is so much going on out here that it is hard to pick a short list.

How did you wind up being signed to Rite Of Passage / Mediaskare Records?
Matt: Will and I actually moved out here with the intention of starting this band. Will wrote the music and was able to record the guitars for me to write lyrics to. We met Baron through our mutual friend who we were living with, but kept the band a secret until we had recorded the first half of the EP.

Is there any story or concept to the EP title Fail Yourself?
Matt: The EP consists of six first hand occurrences. It begins with the reason I failed being myself and it ends with the reason someone else failed because of me. The title is the theme of every song in a different scenario, whether it be a struggle with yourself, the environment around you, the God above you or the people you put beneath you.

Please select any two Deserters songs and what inspired the lyrics?
Matt: “Wolf in Shepherd’s Clothing” is an explanation to God about why it will never work between the two of us. I ask how we will ever learn to love a God who’s presence is defined by his absence. I can’t speak for the rest of the band, but Will and I have made a big part of the band’s imagery the Agnostic struggle of trying to find a balance about a God who’s answers to so many prayers are a needle in a haystack.

“The Fool” on the other hand is an explanation to a certain girl about the weight of a lie on her ability to ever leave. The song begs her to forget all of it, but she can’t help but feel my hands tighten around her neck as she drives away.

What could one expect from a live Deserters show?
Will: A chance to see the music, exactly how it sounds. It is in your face, uncomfortable and ugly.

With an EP just out now, how close are you to recording and releasing a full length effort?
Will: We are more than halfway done with the writing process of our full length and we are planning to record early 2012. We are planning to have the CD out by the summer.

Which members used to be in Suffokate and do they still keep in touch with Suffokate?
Will: I was never in Suffokate. I filled in on bass for a short tour they did a few months back. Great dudes, good times.

What kind of touring have you done so far and do you have any road horror stories you could share?
Matt: This tour coming up in November will actually be our first time on the road. We have spent the last year tightening up our sound and we look forward to walking away from our jobs, our homes and pursuing something we actually give a shit about.

Why should someone run out right now and buy the new Deserters EP?
Will: It’s the real deal. It’s honest music made by dishonest people. Fail Yourself is a tasty little record.
Matt: This is the first step, the first shred of music we have ever released as Deserters. It is the first time we have not only put pen to paper and wrote down things we would absolutely never talk about, but we actually scream them right in the face of anyone willing to listen.

Are you looking forward to playing with Throwdown at the Brawloween Cobalt Café show and have you ever played with Throwdown before?
Will: Of course we are pumped to play with Throwdown, they are a killer band. The whole line up for the show is really good.
Matt: Being into hardcore when I was in high school and getting to hear Throwdown play Haymaker from start to finish is going to bring me back to driving two hours with too many people in too small of a car to Showcase. I can’t wait.

Any final words of wisdom?
Matt: This is just the beginning for Deserters.
Will: If you dig a band, support them. We need to get back to buying music and supporting the bands that we care about so that they can do what they need to do. CD’s sound better than mp3s anyway. We’ll see you at a show.

Deserters is:  Matthew Roell, Will O’Bryan, Scott Annesley, Marvin Marroquin, and Justin Powell.

(Interview and Live Photos by Kenneth Morton)

Deserters on Facebook