Nick Catanese of Black Label Society

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Signal To Noise Podcast! In this episode I have another guest host, my buddy  Sean (the owner of the blue Ibanez RG 550 I wrote about a while back). Sean and I talk about the the 30th anniversary edition TS-9 that Ibanez released this year. We also talk about the gear we are lusting after and some classic effects like the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Pedal.

In our interview with Nick Catanese, we discuss Nick’s newest Paul Reed Smith Signature guitar, his signature Dean Markley Strings and Black Label’s upcoming European tour.

Guys like Nick are a great thing in the music industry. Nick is a great player, yet still humble and modest about his abilities. It’s that kind of attitude that has kept Nick grounded and pouring out great music with Black Label Society year after year. Nick was a delight to talk with and…he is a Star Wars fan! Check out this picture of one of Nick’s guitar Picks.

Nick Catanese's Darth Vader Pick

The January NAMM show is one of my favorite events of the year. It’s the show where all the music gear manufacturers pull out all the stops and show off their new products. Months are spent planning for this show. In this episode I am joined by Scott Thompson of the Focus On Metal Podcast where we discuss our highlights of the NAMM show.

Hamell On Trial

Since the dawn of music there have always been musicians who challenged the norm. Bach was notorious for telling off the nobles that supported him. Mozart was probably the original wild lifestyle rock star. And really who can blame them? In the times of Bach you had to be a very skilled musician to earn a living and you were barely paid for it. Now fast forward to 1950’s. Rock and Roll was taking off and stars were born every minute. Some became famous and made a ton of money, and others were slaves to the “nobles” of the time, you probably know them as Record Labels.

Fast forward yet again to today and the music world is in turmoil and the labels blame illegal downloading. Looking at the last 400 years of music history, and realizing that is was essentially the same business model, I say something have to give. We live in an exciting time. It’s easier than ever to make and distribute music. Thanks to the Internet, we now have easier access and more choices of music than ever before. And we also have a new emerging way of helping to raise money to put out your album, Kickstarter.

Kickstarter lets anyone with a dream or an idea raise money to get their project off the ground. Filmakers, artists, writers, musicians, you name it, someone has a project for it on Kickstarter. I like Kickstarter because it is a pledge system with “rewards” for different levels of contribution. But most of all I like it because your project is funded (or not funded) based on the merit of the project and your hard work to promote it and get backers. If you are a solo musician who has been working really hard taking every gig you can and building a fan base, chances are you will be able to use Kickstarter to raise the money.

One of my favorite artists, Hamell On Trial, has started a Kickstarter Project to raise money to record his next record. He set a modest goal of $7,000 dollars and in a about two weeks he reached that goal. In fact with 15 days to go (at the time of writing this) he has currently raised $8,023. In Episode 8 I talk to Ed about his Kickstarter project, his next steps and his approach to recording in the studio. If you have never heard Hamell’s music, I recommend you start with “Tough Love” and then either “Ed’s Not Dead” or “The Terrorism of Everyday Life”. And after that, go see him live. You will never anything like a Hamell show. You will laugh,sing, shout, and probably have the best time you have ever had at a live show. I also encourage you to go to Hamell’s Kickstarter page and make a donation to support the next great Hamell record. I am already backing it and I am waiting with anticipation to get my copy of the new disc.

And since we are talking about the recording studio, we also feature a segment on Peavey’s Revalver software done by Scott Thompson of the Focus On Metal Podcast. I have been using amplitube for about 5-6 years now and other than being a resource hog, I have been happy with it. Hearing the Peavey software and seeing how affordable it is, will make me a convert.

Need your Rock and Metal Fix? Don’t forget to visit www.castironring.com to get the best Rock and Metal shows the net has to offer!

Rob Caggiano of Anthrax

In Episode 6 of the Signal To Noise Podcast we sat down with Rob Caggiano of Anthrax and Ted Aguilar of Death Angel to talk about their current Tour.

In 1990 I saw Death Angel play at a little place called “City Limits” it was an old Roller Rink that was used for small shows. It was one of my favorite places to see a band because you could get right up against the stage. It was small, but probably still held 500 people. After that show Death Angel seemed to just disappear. This was in the days before the internet, so I really had no idea where they went. It was great to sit down with Ted and talk about where they have been and how far they have come now. We discuss everything from Ted’s guitars to the guest appearance from Rodrigo y Gabriela on their latest Release “Relentless Retribution”.

1991 I saw Anthrax for the first time ever on what may been the perfect show for the times. The bands were in order: Young Black Teen Agers, Primus, Public Enemy, and Anthrax. It was probably one of the best lineups in a show I had ever seen. I have followed Anthrax since 1986 or 1987 and to this day there is still nothing like the sound of Anthrax. They re-defined the term”heavy” and the set bar in a place where few bands will ever be able to reach. 20 years after that first show I saw Anthrax again. And now I can can say that the show I just saw was probably the best line up for a show I have  ever seen. I had the opportunity to sit down with Anthrax’s lead guitarist, Rob Caggiano, and discuss his role as a producer and how he captured the classic Anthrax sound while still sounding modern.

The Cast Iron Ring Network

I first discovered podcasts through iTunes in 2005. I wasn’t sure what they were, but they seemed like they might be what I was looking for. What I was trying to find was some sort of way to listen to information about recording. An audio book, an interview, anything. So I typed “recording” into the iTunes search window and discovered that there were a lot of podcasts on recording. So I started to check them out and the irony that I found is that a lot of the podcasts that we about recording SOUNDED awful! I wondered how much I could really learn from podcasts that sounded that bad. Then I stumbled on a two podcasts that I still listen to today, Inside Home Recording and The Project Studio Network.

These two podcasts stood out among the others because of their sound quality and consistency. Sadly The Project Studio Network stopped updating after episode 102, but you can still go back and listen to the archives, and what an archive it is! Thankfully though, Big Al is still sharing his vast knowledge over at Home Studio Guru. Inside Home Recording, however is still going strong. So I used these podcasts to increase my knowledge and add to my skill set, and while I am still no expert, I am way better than when I started.

Eventually I expanded my listening to other podcasts. I was learning to speak Japanese with one podcast and learning about making comics on another. I had considered starting my own podcast, but I had no idea what the show would be about and how in the world I would publish it. Then one day my buddy Sean (whose guitar I featured in my “Classic Guitar” series) said to me “Hey, did you know John has a podcast?”, and the answer there was no. The next chain of events went like this, I stated listening to John’s show and emailed him telling him how much I enjoyed it. We started talking about music and next thing I know he asked me if I would be interested in doing an artist interview for him. Of course I was! I was so excited to be doing something music related again and I would finally be on a podcast! My first interview was Rich Williams of the band Kansas. Boy was I nervous, but it was a good interview. And more importantly, Rich was a super cool guy to talk to. So in June 2010 I made my podcasting debut with Iron City Rocks, and boy was I proud. Then in August came the next opportunity, to assemble a show myself. John was on vacation with his family and we had a time sensitive interview with Morgan Lander of Kittie that needed to be posted. John set up all the web stuff so all I had to do was update a few files. This is where those two podcasts on recording come into play. I have a great little home studio, but I had never really finished a project. It was just bits and pieces of ideas. The Kittie episode was the first real audio project I had produced start to finish in my home studio. After that episode, I did a few more and finally got the bug to start my own podcast. And that is part of the story of how my site, Signal To Noise came into being.

One thing that always drew me to podcasts was the fact that they are almost like pirate radio. The podcaster is calling all the shots, no regulation of content. No topic is left unturned, and pretty much anything can find an audience. I love this renegade, DIY aspect of podcasting. And I am proud to announce today that this single pirate radio station is now part of a fleet. So Raise the Jolly Roger and head over to The Cast Iron Ring! The Cast Iron Ring is a network of podcasts dedicated to bringing you the best in Music and Entertainment news, reviews, interviews and of course Music Gear!!

Garage Band on The iPhone

In Episode 5 we discuss using Garage Band on the iPhone, The Boss TR-2 Tremelo pedal, and we hear from Hank III about his gear.

Apple just updated the Garage Band App for the iPad this past week, and the biggest

Smart Drums interface in Garage Band

part of the update was making the app available to the iPhone and iPod touch. This makes Garage Band one of the best portable composition tools on the market. Other Updates include being able to do 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures as well as being able to make custom chords for the smart instruments.

I am a big fan of Boss Pedals because they are reliable, consistent and virtually indestructible, in this episode I sit down with the TR-2 Tremelo pedal and expolore some of the tones you can create with it.

A special treat for this show was Hank III taking a moment out of his day to talk gear with us real quick. Hank is continuing the family tradition of putting out great Country music and causing a ruckus. Join the ruckus at Hank3.com

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A Screen shot of the Tracks section of Garage Band on the iPad

I first started doing home recording in 1992. I had a Fostex X-28h, a Boss DR-550, a guitar and my P-Bass. It was a cassette recorder and was one of the best home units at the time. The recordings were rudimentary at best and rarely had more than 4 tracks. Still, I did a ton of writing and even recorded some other people. 8 years later I upgraded to the boss BR-8. Now I had 8 tracks, built-in drum patterns for roughing out ideas, COSM amp and mic modeling and it was all digital. In just 8 years home recording had changed DRASTICALLY. A year after that I started using my computer to do my recording, and in 2011…I can now record on an iPad.

Garage band on the iPad blows me away. It boggles my mind to think that this self

Screen shot of the Amplifier in Gargage Band for the iPad

contained flat piece of glass and metal has more recording power in it than the Beatles had to record “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”. And yet here it is. I started my recording endeavor on a cassette tape, and there are no moving parts to be seen and it is a much more graphical interface than I ever had.

What I like best about Garage Band for the iPad is that not only is it a great platform for sketching out ideas. It is also an empowering platform. With “Smart Instruments” it gives the beginner a solid starting point. It is nearly impossible to play a wrong note and it teaches chord theory in a round about way. Recently,  I had the opportunity to watch this empowerment first hand.

I work with guy named Mike. He does not play any instruments, but he loves music

Screen shot of Smart Drums in Garage Band for iPad

and can sing. I thought Mike would enjoy a program like Garage Band, so I sat down with him, showed him the basics and let him go. In three weeks I watched him go from music enthusiast to music creator. The best part is with each song he writes he learns something and uses the smart instruments less and uses what he has learned from the start instruments and applies it to the other instruments in Garage Band.

And that leads me to this episode. In episode 4 we talk with Mike about his transformation into music creator and how the iPad can be a viable tool for all musicians. All the Music in this episode was created by either Mike or Myself and done entirely on the iPad. So sit back and enjoy!

TonePros Wrap Around Bridge

The guitar is quite a curious instrument. It can sound as huge and devastating as a hurricane, but it’s also quite delicate. For example since most guitars are made of wood, they react to the element. Think of it like this. You know how in the summer time when it is super humid your door frames stick? And then then is the winter they work really well because it is so dry? Your guitar reacts in the same in the same way to the climate changes and this can cause the wood in the neck to warp. And if the neck warps… your guitar is done. Most guitarists are very aware of this and take steps to regulate the climate in their houses to keep the guitar and neck in good shape, especially since the neck has so much to do with tone.

There is another part of the guitar that has a big effect on tone as well, a part that as guitarists we overlook, the bridge. The bridge is one of two contact points for the strings. It is also the contact point that controls the intonation of the guitar. If the bridge is junk or in bad shape, then the guitar sounds bad. Even that vintage Les Paul.

In Episode 03 we talk with Wookie of TonePros where we discuss his life on the road in various positions, and how his time as a guitar tech lead him to TonePros.

And don’t forget, The month of October is a special month for our Sister Podcast, Radioactive Metal. Snowy will watching 31 Horror Movies picked by the listeners. so head to their Facebook page and toss in your suggestions!

Scot Coogan's brand new Crush Drum kit

In Episode two we celebrate drummers! Joining us in this episode is Rick Hughes, Artist Relations Manager for Crush Drums. Everyone at Crush Drums is a drummer…except rick. He’s a bassist. Which makes perfect sense! Who better to work with drummers than a bass player? Rick talks to us about the innovations that Crush has made in the drum market in just under two years. From customizable lugs to non-traditional materials, Crush is causing quite a stir in the Drum industry. I really want to thank Rick for coming on the show. We also feature an interview with Crush Drums Artist, Scot Coogan. Scot is pulling double duty as the drummer for Lynch Mob, and Ace Frehley. When the Lynch Mob rolled through Pittsburgh last month (more about that show Wednesday), John from Iron City Rocks invited me to join him in interviewing Scot before the show. We talk to Scot about life on the road with Lynch Mob, Ace Frehley and his new Crush Drum kit.

Also in this episode we discuss the new Zoom H2n, the Digitech iPB-10, and the Samson Meteor Mic. I plan to feature some new products in the show each month and eventually I hope to do some full on reviews. The Zoom H2n is an updated version of the H2. I own the H2, and I am happy about the updates on the H2n. In general it looks easier to use. If you want to hear the H2 in action, check out the Scot Coogan interview in this Episode or check out The Mayhem Festival show on Iron City Rocks.  The mayhem interviews were conducted  in an open noisy outdoor room. The H2 was set to use the front and back Mics and was about two feet from each person talking, just to give you an idea on quality.

The iPB-10 just looks cool, and is the next installment in the ever growing list of iPad accessories. I have used Garage Band and Amplitube on the iPad and would love to try something like this that has high quality in’s and out’s. The Samson Meteor mic is a new USB mic from Samson technologies and is the Mic I happen to be using on this episode.

Dimebag Darrell with his Dean Guitar

I have been listening to podcasts for at least 5 years now. It started with a podcast on recording, then several podcasts on recording. I was even learning Japanese at one point via a podcast. I always wanted to produce my own, but I just could not quite figure out how it all worked on the backend.I knew how to record and produce a podcast, just not how to syndicate it.

Then last year my buddy John over at Iron City Rocks gave me a great opportunity, he invited me to to do some interviews for his show. I was so excited! I was finally a part of a podcast. And if that was not enough, John started letting me completely produce some shows on my own. Well, thanks to working with John, I started the blog you are reading right now. And also thanks to John, I attended the Pittsburgh Podcamp last year. It was at that “un” conference that I discovered a plug-in for WordPress called “PowerPress” by the Blubrry network. And that plug-in is what has allowed me to start podcasting on my own today.

Now, not only did John get me started in podcasting, he also helped me get the first interview. It is with great pleasure that I present to you an interview with Elliot Rubinson the CEO of Armadillo Enterprises, the company that owns Dean guitars. I chose Dean guitars for the first Podcast because this past Saturday was Dimebag Darrell’s birthday. He would have been 45. I though it would be nice to talk with Elliot about how he re-kindled Dean’s relationship with Dimebag and how they keep Dimebag’s legacy alive.

So enjoy this first official Episode and as a treat enjoy this video of Dimebag. Getcha Pull!!!

Dave Ellefeson at the Mayhem Festival in Pittsburgh, PA

In my last post I talked about going to the Mayhem Festival with my buddy John at Iron City Rocks. We went down to cover the festival and do some interviews for the podcast. All in all it was an amazing day and I learned a few things along the way. Here are a few of those things:

1. Be ready to interview everyone on the tour – This was our first festival doing

Dave Mustaine at the Mayhem Festival, Pittsburgh PA

interviews and photos. We tried to prepare for every situation, but we did one last minute interview with no prep. Luckily the guitarist we interviewed (Ben, from All Shall Perish) was a super cool guy…and he plays an 8 string guitar!

2. Set up shots on the fly – We shot photos of 4 bands that day. In order they were Kingdom Of Sorrow, Suicide Silence, Trivium, and Megadeth. These bands

Kirk of Kingdom Of Sorrow at the Mayhem Festival, Pittsburgh PA

are high energy bands, they move around the stage…alot. I missed a lot of great shots from hesitation. By the time we got to photograph Megadeth, we had already learned a lot and I got a lot of good shots.

3. Remember, it’s called the Photo PIT – It’s not called the photo pit for nothing! Remember, as you are shooting photos, there will be bodies flying over your head. I have not been in a pit in years….but it’s just like riding a bike!

4. Be nice to the security guards – They have a tough job, and that job is to keep everyone safe, including you. And they do a GREAT job! My hat’s off to the security team at the First Niagara Pavilion, they were awesome.

5. Drink plenty of water – this one I did not do, and I paid for it the next day. One super cool thing that Rockstar did was have water available in the same cans that their energy drink comes in. I am not an energy drink fan in general, so they made a win-win situation here. I got water and they got free advertising! Very smart marketing on their part.

All in all, it was a great day. John and I recap the entire day with artist interviews in the attached podcast. The really cool thing about the day, is that it was our first time doing Face to face interviews, and now that we have our feet wet I think we will be doing more of these in the future.

Blag The Ripper and He Who Cannot Be Named

About a week and a half ago I had the opportunity to interview Blag The Ripper of the band, The Dwarves (This link is not safe for work, explicit images are on this site) for Iron City Rocks. One of the things I love about doing interviews for Iron City Rocks is getting to speak with legends and unsung heroes of the music Industry, and my interview with Blag was no exception.

Blag is the front man for the Dwarves, a punk rock band that started in the mid 1980′s and has kept rocking for 25 years. 25 years as band with little line-up changes is a feat for any band, let alone a Punk band. Punk bands by design usually burn out, loose members due to overdoses, or all of the above. The very nature of the music and attitude it takes to fuel a band with the kind of satire, sarcasm, and energy the way the Dwarves do should have a 5 year shelf life at best. Somehow, they kept it all together.

Before the interview, I was aware of the Dwarves but not familiar with their music. I have seen them advertised in numerous skateboard magazines. The imagery they use for their albums and posters are highly controversial, and their antics are legendary, but other than that, I had never actually heard them. So I went to their site and started streaming. Each song had a unique character to it. It was different, but still fit in as a group. The song writing intrigued me. They had pop sounding songs, thrash/hardcore songs, and classic punk songs. I found almost everything I listened to amusing and singable. What impressed me the most, was the fact that after 25 years they still sounded like a punk band.

There are many arguments out there that Punk is an attitude, not a sound. I disagree. Being mad at the world, dying your hair purple and getting pierced, but singing Brittany Spears style songs does not make you punk. While I agree that Punk is an attitude, that attitude has to some through the music and shape the sound. Look at the bands Black Flag and The Minute men. Two bands that are both Punk to core in their attitudes and DIY ethics, but their sounds are very different. Very different, but still very Punk. When I listened to the Dwarves latest effort, “Dwarves Are Born Again”, I heard the attitude and Ideals of a Punk band from the 80′s, and it was very refreshing. Too many bands lose their edge over time and soften up, but not the Dwarves. They are just as crazy as they ever were.

In the interview attached to this post you will hear two songs from “Born Again”, an album I highly recommend if you miss the anti-authoritarianism of the Punk of years gone by, but don’t want your music to sound dated. In the spirit of Punk Rock, this was the first show that I did all my host parts in one take and just let it all blurt. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.

Rob Balducci - Violet Horizon

As you may or may not know I grew up in the 80′s. Being a guitarist/bassist in the 80′s meant a few things, you more than likely enjoyed Hair Metal, you were more than likely a guy with long hair wearing a black t-shirt, and you were more than likely a fan of instrumental guitar rock and loved “shredders” and you probably idolized guitarists like Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, and almost anyone on Shrapnel Records. I was all three.

Having the love of “Shredder” guitar that I do, it is no surprise that I really enjoyed Rob Balducci’s latest effort “Violet Horizon” (Available on Favored Nations). I am listening to it right now as write this. The first thing i was to say about Rob, is that his skills as a guitarist are only matched by his skills as a song writer. A lot of times when you get an instrumental guitar record you will have amazing solos, but the song structures them selves are tired, weak, and sometimes really bad sounding midi tracks. This is not the case with “Violet Horizon”. Rob crafts very thoughtful, well crafted songs. And while he can shred with the best of them there is a sense of melody and progression throughout out the songs woven in by his lead work.

I do have to be honest here, when I first started listening to the record, the first two tracks did not do much for me. However, by track 3 “Devil’s Juice”, the album picked right up. I do plan on going back and giving the first two tracks another listen, but that was my first impression. My favorite two track on the album so far are “The Essence” and “Trinity”. “The Essence” features some great whammy work (NOTE: In the podcast you will learn that what I am talking about here IS some great Whammy Bar work!), and I am not sure if this is a pitch shifting effect or just some really good use of the term system on his guitar. It just adds so much flavor and charter to the song. “Trinity” is just such a nice, smooth guitar ballad. It drips of smoky jazz and great jazz organ sounds as well as a singable melody which gets stuck in your head.

The whole CD is really a musical journey. It’s not often anymore that I get a CD that I can listen to start to finish and like almost every song. There is a musical cohesiveness to the entire disc and the flow from one song to another works very well. Something else that I really like about how Rob handled this album is that he has up a series of videos of him discussing the songs on the record and performing them. He is also quite dedicated to guitar education and features a lick of the week on site.

The bottom line for me is this album is a must have for anyone who is a fan of instrumental music. The guitar work is excellent, and well thought out. Rob is not just a great guitarist, he is also a great songwriter and takes pride in his compositions.

Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to interview Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup for the Iron City Rocks Podcast. I have been a fan of Bowling For Soup ever since their album “Let’s Do It For Johnny”, and their 2004 release “A Hangover You Don’t Deserve” is one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s right up there with KISS’ Asylum and Ramones Mania for me.

One of the things I really enjoy about Bowling For Soup is that they embody the Rock n’ Roll spirit. They are just a fun band. You can’t help being in a better mood after listening to their music. Take the “Ohio” song for example. The premise of the song is a guy trying to convince his girlfriend to come back home after leaving for Ohio. It’s the tagline, “Besides, the Mexican food sucks north of here anyway”, that makes the song. It is a serious subject told in a funny manner, something the band has perfected in their 17 year career.

At the end of the podcast you will hear two new songs off of Bowling For Soup’s latest album, “Fishing For Woos”. The songs I chose are SSSSSaturday and “Friends, Chicks, Guitars”. These songs are classic BFS, they have a great guitar hook, catchy lyrics and they are just fun. The whole album sounds fresh. These are clearly a bunch of guys who enjoy what they do and they will be doing it all summer long supporting this album. Make sure you see them when they come through your town.

THE WAMMO & HAMELL SHOW!

PRESS RELEASE

Award-winning, one-man punk show, Hamell on Trial, and founder of Asylum Street Spankers, Wammo, bring their unique blend of story telling, shit talking, and punk rock to the stage at Smiling Moose on Thursday, April 28.  The show begins at 9:00 p.m. and tickets are $10.  Smiling Moose is located at 1306 East Caron Street in Pittsburgh, PA.

Ed Hamell and Wammo are two intelligent guys with sharp tongues that can be profane one minute and profound the next, both with a captivating sense of humor. These American originals are creative to the core and have combined talents to present a live show like you’ve never seen before! Warning, The Wammo & Hamell Show contains no boundaries, bringing you wildly genius infused rants while still being able to silence the room and break a heart or two.

Performer, poet, musician, visual artist:  Wammo defies simple classification. He’s a singer/songwriter who can also express himself through paint on canvas, a record producer who is also a performance poet, an actor who is also at ease behind the camera, a crackerjack washboard player with comic timing to match. Wammo has also enjoyed success as founding member of the Asylum Street Spankers.

Ed Hamell a.k.a. Hamell On Trial is an indefinable musician, artist, comedian, storyteller, and, above all else, a preacher of common sense and truth.  His performances invoke thoughts of the great rebellious comedians and social commentators of the past: Lenny Bruce, Bill Hicks, even a bit of Sam Kinison.  He is a great mind; acoustic punk rock mixed with a traveler’s soul. There’s no way around Hamell’s obscenity, but in that is a willingness to fight for the free-thinkers of the world.  Hamell is a refreshing punk-rock bomb on the unsuspecting folk singer-songwriter world.
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“DIVERSITY? these guys get about 20,000 channels!” -Dallas Morning News

www.wammobaby.com
www.hamelltv.com
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Inquiries, Requests, or Artist Interviews:

Douglas Loren
Broad Street Music
411broadstreet@gmail.com

Mike Watt

The human race has always had legends.  Vlad The Impaler, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Blackbeard The Pirate, and Robert Johnson. All of those are legendary stories that have captivated audiences from generation to generation. Being a musician myself I have always been drawn to and fascinated by musical legends such as Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, and others. And thanks to John at Iron City Rocks, I have now been able to speak with two legends that are also personal heroes of mine.

The first legend that I got to speak with was Jerry Only of the Misfits (Episode 72 of the Iron City Rocks Podcast). I had met Jerry briefly 10 years earlier at a NAMM show and was able to get a picture with him, but that was nothing compared to being able to interview him and get the stories of the Misfits straight from the source. The second legend I got to speak with is Mike Watt.

You might be scratching your head right now and asking “Mike who?”, but trust me, you may not know who he is, but I know you have heard him play. Mike started playing bass in a band called the Minutemen with his childhood friend D. Boon. I First became aware of Mike and the Minutemen because of the band Black Flag. Black Flag was the driving force behind SST records, and SST records was the home for many California Punk and Hardcore bands back in the late 70′s and early 80′s. To me the Minutemen can best be described as “Punk Jazz”. They embraced the energy and DIY ethic of Punk Rock, but musically they sounded nothing like the Punk at the time. They were more free form, like if Miles Davis had decided to redo “Kind of Blue” with just guitar, drums and bass. They had a completely fresh and unbiased approach on making music.  The Minutemen ended in 1985 when D. Boon was tragically killed in a car accident.

After the Minutemen, Mike Watt went on to form fIREHOSE and then continued on with solo projects and other collaborative efforts. Mike Has played on records by Gov’t Mule and Kelly Clarkson and a host of others and most recently he has been playing bass in The Stooges with Iggy Pop. Mike is an amazing creative force. The interview with him was perhaps one of the most inspiring interviews I have ever done. Mike’s approach to composition and music technology is so open minded. And his latest solo effort “Hyphenated Man” is a reflection of that.

“Hyphenated Man” is one long song in 30 pieces. When I first listened to the album I marveled at how one song flowed into the next, each being a completely separate idea from the last, but still transitioned so well. Mikes bass lines are half vocal melody and half traditional bass line. He is the James Jamerson of Punk Rock. Mike is currently embarking on a tour to support Hyphenated Man and will be stopping in Pittsburgh on April 10th at the Brilobox. I plan on being in attendance that evening so I can cross another legend off my bucket list. All signs point to this being an unforgettable evening , stayed tuned for a concert review!

That 1 guy - PacksAWallop!

As you may know, I am a musician. I play trombone, guitar, and bass guitar, but bass guitar is what I do best. At one point I was going to school as a performance major for bass…but there was a catch. The catch was I had to learn to play the upright bass, while what I wanted to play was electric bass. The Upright bass is an amazing instrument that is very old…and very difficult to play. There are no frets at all so you have to have a great ear and great muscle memory.

Earlier this year John asked me if I wanted to interview “That I Guy” for the Iron City Rocks Podcast. I checked out the link he sent me, watched some videos and was quite impressed. You see “That 1 Guy” (Also known as Mike Silverman) is a one man band, but not in the traditional sense. Mike built an instrument that he calls the “Magic Pipe”. It looks like modern art, has two strings that he slaps, bows and hits with drum sticks, and it is loaded with Midi trigger points. It is part Drum, part synth and part string instrument. As I watched the videos I kept wondering “how is pulling this off?” I was amazed at how well he jumped around the neck and kept his intonation and wondered what his musical training was.

Interview day comes and I learn that he is a Jazz bassist and has played the upright bass since he was 10. At that moment it all clicks! Of course he can play like that on the huge instrument with no frets, he has been doing it all his life, now he just “updated” the design a bit.  So what does his Mike’s Music sound like? Picture Frank Zappa meets the Blueman group and then they head to  rave. And if that does not paint enough of a picture,  then just listen to episode 97 of the Iron City Rocks Podcast to check out That 1 Guy’s song “Packs a Wallop”. And if that does not do enough for you, well…. you just need to see him live. An you are in luck because he is on tour right now and coming to a town near you!

That 1 Guy will be performing in Pittsburgh on Friday March 18th at Club Cafe on the South Side. I plan on being there to check out the show and hopefully do a followup interview with Mike. I cannot wait to experience this music in person!

Lemmy

When I was Teenager I tried to like Motorhead. I bought a tape and listened to it, but i just didn’t get it. So I wrote them off. Fast Forward to the 90’s, I get the Ramones farewell video “We’re Outta Here” and who has a guest appearance? Lemmy. Lemmy wrote a song about the Ramones called R.A.M.O.N.E.S. and it was pretty cool. I liked the tune a lot and I thought Lemmy did a great job singing it, but I still didn’t care about Motorhead.

Fast forward to 2010. I am laying on the couch with my son and I decided I wanted to watch the movie “Airheads”. The movie opens up with Brendan Fraser riding a Harley down the strip and there is a cool song playing in the background. As I start to listen closer I notice a familiar sounding gravely voice….Lemmy. The song is “Born To Raise Hell” and it is quite the catchy tune. So this moment opens up my mind once more to give Motorhead another shot. A little later I am listening to the Boneyard on XM and I hear “I’m So Bad (Baby I Don’t Care)”, another great tune. This furthers my interest in Motorhead and over the next month I keep hearing those two Motohead songs on XM.

Finally on January 6th of this year I bit the bullet and downloaded a couple Motorhead songs. I started with “Ace Of Spades” and “I’m So Bad (Baby I don’t Care)” and then I posted on Facebook that I was looking for suggestions. Within minutes my buddies John and Dan responded and I soon had a 12 song list built. The next day I fire up my iPod and start listening on my way to work. As I listen, one question keeps going through my mind… why did it take me so long to like this stuff? “Ace Of Spades” absolutely blew me away. I had never heard more than the chorus of that song before and never knew what I was missing. I finally got why so people thought Lemmy was a bad ass. That bass sound was huge and commanding. Distorted yet clear and powerful as all get out.

Now, I can’t get enough Motorhead. Luckily VH-1 Classic has been playing a lot of Motorhead contenet. I have now recorded The Lemmy Documentary, Motorhead Live, and That Metal show where Lemmy was the guest. And lucky for me, my buddy John over at Iron City Rocks interviewed Motorhead’s drummer, Rickkey Dee (attached to this post), so I have had that interview to listen to. It is a great interview that I found entertaining and educational. I am hoping that their current tour will at least come somewhere near the Pittsburgh area so I can go see them live. I have even been checking out Rickenbacker basses. I have definitely reached the point of being obsessed with Motohead and Lemmy, and is that such a bad thing? Lemmy saw the Beatles play back in their Cavern Club Days and was even a roadie for Jimi Hendrix. The man has a lot of mileage and experience, and that comes through in his records. I am glad that I can now say I am a Motorhead fan, even if it did take 25 years!

Iron City Rocks and Opus One Productions Present GWAR!!

GWAR. The name alone arouses curiosity in most individuals. If you are not familiar with GWAR, you might dismiss them as just another weird metal band who likes to wear costumes. But GWAR are more than that. Recently I had the opportunity to interview Oderus Urungus (a.k.a. Dave Brockie) the lead singer and a founding member of GWAR for Episode 93 (attached to this post, see below) of the Iron City Rocks Podcast. It was the craziest interview that I have done to date. Dave was totally on his game. Every answer he gave was perfectly voiced as Oderus would have said it during a show. I found it hard to keep myself from laughing at times because he would just blindside with some of his answers. He was outrageous, hilarious, and entertaining through the entire interview. He was everything I have come to expect from GWAR, but that got me thinking…what if you have no idea what to expect from GWAR?

So what is a GAWR show like? Picture the movie “Saw” as a musical and the audience as extras. I have seen GWAR live twice now and have had two different experiences, both great, that I would like to share with you. The first is what I call the total GWAR experience and the second will be that of a slightly (but not much) more mature viewer who is still curious about a GWAR show, either not quite ready for the total experience or just don’t feel like wearing a raincoat to a concert.

The Total Experience:

GWAR is known for their live shows, and that is why I wanted to go see them. I had heard so many stories from my friends about all the craziness and mayhem, that I just had to see it for myself. A GWAR show is a very theatrical experience. They usually have a loose story line that is played out during the show and tied into the songs they play in their set. Keeping all that in mind, here are my recommendations for having the “Total” GWAR experience:

1. Wear White- Or at least light colored clothing. It is like a badge of honor to have your clothing covered in GWAR goo. The lighter the better so it shows off all the different colors of liquid you were sprayed with. Also, don’t wear good clothes that you want to wear again in public (outside of a GWAR show).
2. Get up front before GWAR comes out – By the time you realize they have taken the stage, you will already be covered in whatever liquid they are spraying first.
3. Get fed to the creature of the show – GWAR has had several “Mascots” over the years such as the World Maggot and Gor Gor. Being fed to whatever creature GWAR has brought with them completes the experience.
4. Wear non-skid shoes – needless to say with that much liquid being squirted around, the floor gets mighty slippery. Proper footwear is essential
5. Pit ettiquette – Remember your Pit etiquette, if someone falls down, pick them back up as fast as possible. You never know when the person who got knocked down might be you.

The “Casual Observer” Experience:

My second GWAR experience was in 2002. This was after my Car Accident, so my mobility was less than it was in the 90’s and I was not up to moshing. I went with a former guitar student who opted for the”total” experience while I sat this one out. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Still do not wear good clothing-You don’t have to get splattered at a GWAR show. But there is a very high probability of being brushed against by someone who just came from the pit. Keeping that in mind, still wear non-skid shoes.
2. Make sure you have a good view of the stage- While everyone in GWAR is good musician, if you cannot see th stage, you are only getting half of the show. GWAR put as much effort into their stage show as they do into their music, you do not want to miss this.
3. Enjoy the camaraderie – Both times I have been to a GWAR show, I have had a good time just chatting with other concert goers. Every at a GWAR show is there to have a good time, enjoy their company.

I hope you find this information useful and I hope you enjoy Episode 93 with Oderus. I know I did!

Hamell On Trial

In 2003 I was living in Nashville, TN. Ani Difranco was coming to town and I really wanted to see the show, but I had to work late. A friend of mine went to the show and the next day could not stop talking about this one man act that opened the show called “Hamell On Trial“. For days he went on about this guy and how ferocious of a guitar player that he was. Finally He lent me a CD to listen to. at the time it was Hamell’s latest effort, “Tough Love“.

“Tough Love” really grabbed me. I still think it is Hamell’s best “studio” album to date. The overall sound was dark and haunting, but underneath it all was a glimmer of hope. I find almost all the tracks on that album to very “singable” and fun to sing along with. From the seriousness of songs like “Hail” to craziness of songs like “Dear Pete”, the album kept me engaged start to finish.

In Early 2004 Hamell returned to Nashville on his own and my buddy drug me out to the show. I ha no idea what to expect. The CD I had been listening to was a full band, how would this all translate to a one man show? We get there grab our seats and wait for Hamell to take the stage. Hamell steps up to the mic and all of the

Ed Hamell - Hamell On Trial

sudden there is an explosion of sound. I am immediately blown away by how big the sound was. He plays a 1937 Gibson L-00 acoustic guitar, which is a small bodied guitar and not know for a big sound. His arm was moving so fast it was a blur, it was like seeing Kerry King or Scott Ian playing back in the golden days of thrash. The opening song was “Sugar Free” and from there he owned the audience. This was a man with no fear. He was performing in Nashville, a town well populated with music industry execs and one of the first things he does is tell a joke that insults a major label (To Hear the joke, listen to Episode 89 of the Iron City Rocks Podcast attached to this post). The man seemed invincible, larger than life.

Fast forward 7 years. I am still a huge fan of Hamell on trial and have seen him almost every time he comes through Pittsburgh.  I have even driven across the state twice to seem him perform in Stroudsburg at the Sarah Street Grill. Thanks to my friend John at Iron City Rocks, I had the opportunity to interview Hamell recently. Hamell was so much fun to speak with. He is an artist in every sense and very well spoken. I found interviewing him to be just as entertaining as seeing him play live.

One thing that surprises me is that Gibson has not picked him up as an endorser. He is quite an accomplished guitarist and lyricist. He writes licks that could turn Muddy Water’s head and rhymes that make Eminem Jealous. He is a true usical craftsmen. An example of this would be “Jennifer Is Stripping Again“. Hamell has been writing and posting a song a day on his website for over a year or so now and the aforementioned song is #391 in that creative trek. It really showcases Hamell’s finger picking style. He weaves in and out of chord changes with great lead-in riffs, all while singing at the same time. So Gibson Guitar, if you are reading this, check out what Hamell does with a guitar and think about endorsing him. He would be a marvelous addition to your roster.

If you are in the Pittsburgh area, Hamell on trial will be at Club Cafe on the Southside on February 2nd, 2011. Trust me… you will not be disappointed. I leave you know with A few videos that showcase what Hamell is all about. I do want to warn you these are not safe for work or you if you have young children who might be viewing with you. Enjoy and make some noise!

Texas Hippie Coalition

This past Thursday November 4th,  I finally made it to a Texas Hippie Coalition show. It was a great time and I did a full recap of the show over at Iron City Rocks. Over on this site I just wanted to post some pictures and talk about the experience.

As I said over on the Iron City Rocks site, these guys put on a KILLER show! From

Big Dad and Craw of Texas Hippie Coalition

the first note they rock the house. They are a super talented group of guys who not only know  how to play live, but also how to put on a great show. They were entertaining as all get out. Big Dad tells some great stories and makes the audience laugh, and the other guys all follow his lead. It is really a team effort when these guys play. They all shine bright in their own way, but come together as a band. That coming together is a band is what is going to set them apart from other acts as time goes on.

One thing that I absolutely loved is that after the show they all walk right over to the merch table and line up to meet the audience. They have no problem signing anything or posing for a picture. As you might recall from my previous post I had the opportunity to interview both Randy Cooper and John Exall (John’s interview is attached to this post). I was also able to get a picture with each of them as well!

Me with Randy Cooper of the Texas Hippie Coalition

It was quite a treat to get to meet the whole band. They were just as cool in person as they were over the phone. This is a band that really has start quality and staying power. I think the whole band is playing Dean guitars now and I hope that Dean realizes what a charismatic  bunch of guys they have here and start setting up clinics for these guys at local music stores while they tour. I think they all have a lot to teach about music and playing in a band.

One other thing that I really did not expect was the little tribute to the late Dimebag

Dimebag Darrell Silhouette

Darrell during their set. I noticed before their set that there was a metal bookend silhouette of Dime with the Dean “Wings” behind him on each side of the stage. I wish I would have gotten a picture of them pre-show. There was a cool shadow effect going on with the stage lights. I knew the band was very involved with the “Ride for Dime” (Randy and I talk about this on Episode 64 of Iron City Rocks) which benefits “Little Kids Rock” and I knew that Randy and the guys had seen a lot of Dime and Pantera growing up in Denison, TX, but I guess it never hit me what an impact his loss was to them. During the set the honored Dime not with a moment of silence, but with a moment of noise! What a great way to pay tribute!

These guys are really great live. I was so happy hear that they were actually BETTER live than on their record. They are a super tight live unit and they do not miss a

Me with John Exall of the Texas Hippie Coalition

beat. If you do not have this CD yet, head on over to Amazon.com right now and get a copy. It is a great disc start to finish. My only complaint about the CD, and it is really not their fault it is the state of the industry altogether (for more info on this visit “Turn Me Up“), is that is so compressed that you can not make out all the parts. I heard some awesome parts live that were not as clear on the record. For example, I knew John was a great bassist, but I did not get a sense of how lyrical and melodic his playing was until seeing them live. Again, the CD is great still, this is just the Current trend. Even Iron Maiden’s latest release is muddy and over compressed compared to what they used to do.

I will leave you now with a quote from Big Dad Ritch (as well as some more pictures of Randy, I was on his side of the stage.): “We’re from Texas, they call us Hippies, you all make up the Coalition!”.

Randy Cooper of Texas Hippie Coalition

Randy Cooper of Texas Hippie Coalition

Randy Cooper playing his "Texas" Dean ML

This past July I was running errands and listening to “Liquid Metal” on XM Radio. They were doing their weekly countdown show and on came a band called the “Texas Hippie Coalition” with a song called “Pissed Off and Mad About It”. The title alone sucked me in, but then I heard the guitar work. It was bold, it stuck out and it said “I command my instrument”. Once I got home, I jumped on the internet and searched to see if they were coming to Pittsburgh anytime soon. As luck would have it, they were! I e-mail John at Iron City Rocks right away to see if we could get them on the show.

John made some contacts and told me he would keep posted. next thing I know I get an e-mail from John asking if I can do the interview almost immediately. I had done a little prepping already so I figured I could get the rest done and do the

The Texas Hippie Coalition

interview. Well….next thing I know, I am on the phone talking with Randy Cooper (the interview is attached to this post), guitarist for Texas Hippie Coalition, with-in hours of the e-mail from John. Lucky for me Randy is a super cool guy and the interview was probably the easiest I had ever done. As you will hear on the attached interview, we talked guitars, we talked about Iron Maiden, and we talked about Dimebag Darrell and how Dime helped Randy acquire one of his Dean ML guitars. If I hadn’t been on such a tight schedule that day, we could have probably talked for hours!

So if that wasn’t cool enough a couple months later I get to do it all again, this time talking with John Exall, bassist for Texas Hippie Coalition. After that interview I am convinced that Randy, John and I were brothers separated at birth. Again, I had a great time talking shop with him and learning how much we had in common with our bass playing.

I have listened to “Rollin” several times now, and each time I hear something new. I have been waiting a long time for a record like this to come along again. THC is putting the fun back in music and playing some great Metal! They have also opened my ears for some new music (new to me at least) as I am now discovering “The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza” and “Strapping Young Lad”.

The first time they came through Pittsburgh I was unable to make the show. This time I will be there! I hope to see you at Peter B’s to welcome THC back to the Burgh on November 4th!

The Texas Hippie Coalition

Here is the interview I did for Iron City Rocks with John Exall of the Texas Hippie Coalition. John and I talked shop about playing the bass, studying Iron Maiden, and his Dean basses. The Texas Hippie Coalition will be rolling through Pittsburgh on November 4th on the Iron City Rocks Stage at Peter B’s in Sarver. You can hear the interview below. I hope to see you at the show!!

Make some noise!

Suicidal Tendencies circa the 80's

I had the opportunity to interview Mike Clark and Dean Pleasants from Suicidal Tendencies for Iron City Rocks. Both interviews were fun to do and especially with the release of their latest album “No Mercy Fool/The Suicidal Family” which contains new recordings of songs from their second release “Join The Army” as well as songs from Mike Muir and Mike Clark’s side project “No Mercy”.

For as long as I can remember the music of Suicidal Tendencies has been linked with skate boarding. But until recently I never knew why. You could not pick up a skate magazine in the 80′s (especially Thrasher) with out running across Suicidal Tendencies. They were everywhere. They even had their own Skate board.

Possessed To Skate

During the interview with Mike Clark Skateboarding came up and it got me reminiscing about skating so when I Google’d “Suicidal Tendencies Skateboard” I got back a result about Dogtown Skates and Jim Muir. Since “Muir” is not a name I encounter everyday, I Google’d him too.  Turns out Jim Muir is the founder of Dogtown Skates, was at one time a professional skateboarder and…the older brother of Mike Muir, the signer and founder of Suicidal Tendencies.

Once I learned that, it all made sense. Mike was raised with skateboarding, and of course his brother would help promote the band by having their own skateboard. There was the connection and I was surprised that I did not know that. Of course, when I was skating we didn’t have Google yet and I don’t think Al Gore had finished inventing the internet yet. The only thing I used a computer for back then was typing papers for school and playing a knock off of pac-man.

Since I was doing all this reminiscing, I put the call out on Facebook page to friend to share with me some of their memories of skateboarding and Suicidal Tendencies. Some of the memories were just about the music. My friend Scott said “Zorlac! and Power slides in the rain”. My Buddy Droz had a great story that only come from him:

“We were skating behind this kid Dane’s house one time, and he fell and broke his arm RIGHT AS ‘trip at the brain’ came on. I had never heard this song/of this band before, and it seemed like an appropriate track for limb-breaking. so I stole the dude’s mixtape while him parents were putting him in the car to go to the medical center.

Oh, and tell them that “the love you will find is the love that you will never find, cause it is the love that is not always able to be found”(from the Infectious Grooves 1st Album) is one of my favorite quotes to this very day.”

I hope you enjoy listening to the Podcast below. If you live in the Pittsburgh Area, Suicidal Tendencies will be in town on November 15th. Visit Iron City Rocks to enter to win a pair of tickets to the show.

Thanks for reading and make some noise!

Anaheim NAMM show 2001

“Last Caress” was the only song my mom ever objected to me playing when I was growing up. It is my favorite Misfits song, but like many people my age, my introduction to them was on Metallica’s “Garage Days Re-Revisted”. Once I found out that Metallica did not write the song, I sought out everything Misfits. One of my best sources for Misfits material was my buddy Shawn Doty. He used to play the Misfits when we would skateboard in his backyard. That was the first time I heard classics like “Die, Die, My Darling” (which Metallica also covered). Being a bass player, Jerry Only was a hero of mine. He was so cool. He had an awesome band and he had

In January 2001 I made it to my first ever California NAMM show. For those of you who don’t know, NAMM stands for the National Association of Music Merchants. They put on a trade show twice a year where the Music Products industry people can all get together and show off their new stuff and make some sales.  I had been to several of the summer shows, but it was the January show that was the BIG show.

One of the highlights of that particular NAMM

2001 Anaheim NAMM show, wearing the "Devastator" Bass

show was getting to meet and get a picture with Jerry Only of the Misfits. Jerry has one of the coolest Bass guitars. Period. Not only did I get to meet Jerry, I got to wear his bass. For what ended up being my last NAMM show, It could not have been cooler.

Fast Forward now to September 30th of this year. I had the opportunity to speak with Jerry again, this time for a longer period of time. As I spoke with Jerry and asked him the various questions, it struck me that even now as an adult, he is still someone that I look up to. Not for being a Rock Star any more, but now because he is a father who works very hard for his family. As we talked I learned what a great work ethic he has and how focused he is on being a father first and taking care of his family. Being a new father, I really identify with that.

On October 22nd The Misfits will roll through Pittsburgh to the Altar, and I will be there in audience. And I have feeling this will be one of the best Punk shows I have ever attended.

Earlier I mentioned that this all started with one song, “Last Caress”. Well, I found a few different versions of that song and figured I would leave you with the Original, The Metallica Version, The NOFX Version (I love how they break into SKA, but the ending is the best part), This acoustic version by Samother, A Rockabilly Version,and this version by AFI (with Skate video of Rodney Mullen). Enjoy!