Rob, Sheri Moon & The Craft of Zombie Magic

By Tammy Moore aka Metal Freaktress

Screaming, cackling, vicious witches making wicked music, naked, in pitch black woods around raging fire and chaotic embers… It’s just the beginning of the demented delusions that kick start Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem. When the credits rolled at the end of the movie’s premier at SXSW last month, Sheri Moon Zombie’s mug and ID flashed across the screen and the crowd roared in applause. The weight of this film falls squarely on the shoulders of the famed horror director’s cherished wife and leading lady. She nails it as her portrayal of a woman’s spell-induced possession elevates her acting prowess to new heights.  While he is regarded world-wide as the super talent that has shattered ceilings with his phenomenal successes in both the film and music worlds, the enchantment of their latest endeavor is, without a doubt, the result of a very particular chemistry generated by this extraordinary union that seems propelled by, yeah, we’ll call it… destiny. The result is a movie you’ll love or hate but you won’t walk away unaffected.

The seed for this feature was planted a decade ago when the Zombie’s attended a friend’s wedding in Massachusetts. While killing time in the hotel gift shop, he came across a book on the Salem witch trials and has since brought forms of the story to life in no less than four different mediums – a song, an animated video, a film and even a novel released in March.

The movie version of The Lords of Salem is undeniably influenced by and pays homage to the special constitution of late 60’s / early 70’s sinister cinema, circa Rosemary’s Baby era. It also begs the question of how much Zombie was influenced by famed Italian directors like Lucio Fulci or Dario Argento? “It wasn’t a conscious effort at first,” says the seven-time Grammy nominated rocker-turned-film-director of his sixth motion picture. “It was just that as I started working, it became apparent that the style of movie that was starting to form had a very European sensibility and, as we were shooting, I go, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen in America but they’re gonna fuckin’ love it in Italy!” He was right about that audience as they completely embraced the film for its kindred feel to Argento. But for Zombie, it really came down to thinking about whose movies “just feel weird even when nothing weird is happening… Like Argento’s Susperia, and any Lynch or Polanski films. Those are the films I would look at and think, ‘oh, these have that sense of dread at all times, even when nothing is really happening, which I thought was important. I like the style I’ve done in the past, especially Halloween II. I love when movies look like that. I like really rough, raw looking movies. But I didn’t think, for this movie, it was appropriate.”

Fittingly, music plays a delicious role in this flick to the degree that it is an entity in and of itself. The big thing for Zombie was that he didn’t want the score to sound modern. “If I’d had more money I would have set this movie in the 70’s but period movies get pricey. And I knew, especially in Salem, we were going to be stealing the shots. We have no permits. We’re just gonna start shooting until a cop shows up. If it had been set in the 70’s, we’d have had to replace all the cars, all the signage, all the clothes and we couldn’t do that. But, with that being said, I said, “John (5, lead guitarist of Zombie’s band who he enlisted to score the movie), make it sound like you recorded it in the 70’s. Everything vintage… even with the creepy witch music it was all weird acoustic instruments. It was all done live. None of it was digitally created.” John 5 delivered exactly what Zombie had hoped for in that this music can accurately be called a presence.

And then there was the collaboration with his wife on the character of “Heidi”. Ask Zombie for his take on their working relationship and he’ll tell you that it’s a weird dynamic to discuss. “I’m not quite that conscious of it because I try to keep it the same as with all the other actors. I don’t really show her things before anyone else sees it. And every actor’s different. You just try to know what to do to push their buttons and make it work.”

But after being together for over 20 years, she is his life partner above all things and that also makes her his conspirator on set. “I usually feel bad for her,” he says, “because she knows too much. Like the other actors don’t know all those dark secrets of what producers I hate and who’s ripping us off and all the bad shit that’s going on… I try to keep it away from her but I just can’t sometimes. Unfortunately for her, she never gets a break from it.”

Does he take the opportunity that marriage creates to mold her characters more? “I don’t really try to do that because when we’re home I don’t want to be like, ‘oh, well, they get to work 8 hours a day but you’re gonna work 24 hours!’ In fact, it’s probably the exact opposite because I would like to do that, discuss it non-stop, all around the clock, but, again, I know that’s not fair because she needs a break from me just like everyone else.”

But her story is that he makes working fun for her. When asked if she would continue to work with Zombie exclusively SM Zombie said “Well, I have branched out and I have done other projects, but, I have so many interests in life and I’m not just cornered into acting here as the only thing I do. He always gives me great creative opportunities. We have a great partnership and it’s so much fun and it’s easy. I totally trust him. As an actor the trust thing is really important. You can walk on to a set and just be treated like shit. I like to be part of the fun creative part, not the bullshit business, and working with Rob secures that for me.”

On the subject of faith and the role it plays between them as actor and visionary, she says, “You just have to trust your director. Even what was written on the page in the script, for me, I couldn’t visually picture what it was actually going to look like until I was on set.  And even then you’re there and you’re in that world but there’s the whole process after… the editing and all that stuff they do that makes it. It’s a whole magical experience, I think, to be a part of. So… total trust for me… especially when I’m naked! It’s just the worst!”

And it feels like she’s naked a lot in the film. Scantily clad would be a more apt description for the majority of Heidi’s time on screen but Zombie’s ongoing ability to translate his wife’s sensuality seems to have evolved into a full on trademark in the new film. Perhaps only a husband that seems to interpret his wife as fine art herself would be capable of transferring the intimacy of her essence the way that this man does.

The Zombie’s also worked closely together on her character’s look… impressive in that it is a stand-out departure from how fans have grown accustomed to seeing Mrs. Zombie portray women in films before. The Lords of Salem victim is iconic with long blonde dreads, originally designed tattoos and a wardrobe so informed by the 70’s that it’s more the vernacular the characters speak in that helps the viewer figure out initially that they are, indeed, in the present moment. Black rimmed glasses are thrown into the mix and one might assume they were designed to emphasize Heidi’s intellect but, I’ll go on record and say they must be meant to sexy the woman down somewhat. I barely remember a scene where she wasn’t wearing thigh high socks that would drive most mortals to distraction. But the look conjures another kind of magic by drawing the viewer in for an even closer look at this protagonist.

Jeff Daniel Phillips, who joined the glam rock couple for the interview and stars opposite SM Zombie in The Lords of Salem, says of the their relationship, “He trusts her too. Who would you choose but your wife? She’s game to help fulfill the vision. You don’t have to deal with some head game.”

“Oh, there’s head games with me,” SM Zombie playfully interjects. She laughs and touches on shooting the feature in four weeks. “I worked practically every day on this film. There were days where I had a 7-page scene after just having a 5-page scene and I’m like, ‘I can’t do this! I can’t do this!’… and then he’s a director…”

“… and pulls it off,” Phillips completes the sentence knowingly. He’s seen them in action.

And her evolution as an actress is evident, too, in her chemistry with Phillips’ character. They chalk it up to weeks of rehearsals but there’s a subtlety in both performances that resonates something more: marked talent. SM Zombie humbly says that she was lucky because the first week of shooting was in sequential order and the slow decline of her character was followed by that, as if it made her job easier. She says that her husband’s choice of locations, lack of sleep from a relentless shooting schedule and even grungy dressing rooms added to the genuine darkness of her performance and the overall eerie feel of the flick. Still, she’s added another layer of contrast here to the characters she’s capable of playing and it all adds up to her being a de facto force that staunchly enhances her brilliant husband’s vision for this story.

When the subject of past accusations of nepotism rears its head, SM Zombie isn’t fazed. “I mean, a lot of directors work with relatives or they hire the same actors all the time so that means nothing to me.” And why should she have to justify it anyway? The Zombie’s magnetism in their work translates into art compelling enough to move us emotionally one way or the other, and isn’t that the point? They succeed wildly to that end. They just happen to be soul mates and seem to recognize their great fortune in that.

Regardless, Phillips jumps to her defense. “You know why she gets singled out? It’s because she doesn’t do a lot of other projects. She chooses to work with him and then people automatically assume, ‘well, she can’t get work outside of him. But it’s her choice. She doesn’t want to go out and just work with anybody, knock on doors, audition. So that gets seen as weak but it’s not… that’s her choice.”

And there it is. A life choice in personal and professional alliance, rooted in the self-actualization of two very talented people who savor creating art for us to interpret as we will.

The Zombie’s had a motto before every take in The Lords of Salem: Let’s get weird.

They did that. And it works… like their own brand of monster magic.

The Lords of Salem opens Friday, April 19^th. Rob Zombie’s new album ‘Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor’ hits streets April 23^rd and is the first release on his new label, Zodiac Swan.

Back to April 2013 Main Menu

Your hosts for the weekend from left to right: Lucy Roman, John Wickham, Mary Milton, Cassandra Davis, and Aleks J down in front

Prepare yourselves, Texas. Convergence XIX, appropriately titled ‘The Gathering ov Bats’ will descend upon Austin, Texas the weekend of April 18th through the 21st.  Started in 1995, Convergence is the annual meeting of members of  the alt.gothic scene to come together and celebrate all things Goth. With a weekend boasting international musicians and djs, art shows, fashion shows, panels, a boat cruise, bat viewings, tours of the city’s creepiest locales, shopping trips, designated after-party locations, and scheduled liquor runs, Convergence is shaping up to be an event the likes of which our fair city has never seen.

Incidentally, this will be the first time the annual Goth festival has ever been in Texas after a voting process crowned Austin the winner. This year’s hosts are mid-west transplants Aleks J, and Lucy Roman of ACERBUS Entertainment. Upon arriving in Austin a few years ago and experiencing the party atmosphere, they knew the next Convergence needed to be held here and began campaigning to make it happen.  While there is no official committee of Convergence, there is group of people known as the C*b*l encompassed of long-term members of the alt.gothic newsgroups. Along with being some of the festival’s longest standing attendees, these are the people who are credited with keeping the Convergence website running, as well as being a rich source of wisdom for questions that the host city’s committee may have.  As per the rules of the nomadic gathering, an all local committee puts on the festival and this year along with ACERBUS Entertainment it includes John Wickham, owner of Elysium , Mary Milton and Cassandra Davis of Secret Oktober, and as web master and general adviser, Guymon Adams.

A ‘murder’ of Goth at Convergence X

When I talked to Lucy Roman and Aleks J about their upcoming venture to see how it was going and how it all came about, they were understandably a little freaked out about throwing this event. Both of them described these last few weeks as being ‘continuously on pins and needles.’ To alleviate the tension a bit, we decided to start’ testing’ custom liquor shots that would go along with the theme of the weekend. (You’re welcome, Convergence crowd! Enjoy the ‘Bat Venom, and the ‘Bat Scat!’ I was hung-over for a week after that night!)

They told me how they had each attended the festival in the past and knew some of the same people,  but it wasn’t until Convergence XII that they met and instantly bonded over the sense of community and debauchery. It inspired them to become devotees of Convergence and motivated them to bring the festival here to Austin. They agree that although they’re thrilled the Gathering ov Bats is happening here in Austin, they love the overall idea of the festival happening anywhere, as long as it keeps happening. They want to stress the importance of keeping the Goth scene alive and for wanting something as awesome as Convergence for the younger generation to keep going.

Aleks J and Lucy Roman of ACERBUS Entertainment

Knowing Lucy Roman and Aleks J as well as I do, I can guarantee that this is going to be an epic weekend resulting with lots of reasons to feel ashamed of yourself for the rest of the year.  (The two of them checked into a hotel here in town just for kicks, and ended up getting thrown out when some transvestite at a party they were attending started a fight with a security guard.)

I’m here to tell you: BRING YOUR CAMERAS, FOLKS!!

For more information on the festival, including ticket prices, hotel options, and a schedule of events please visit: gatheringovbats.net

Back to April 2013 Main Menu

Project Infest, is a new Austin organization dedicated to exposing, promoting and supporting independent artists and musicians throughout the city.A little over 3 years ago we started a DIY art / music warehouse space in South Central Los Angeles with the hopes of creating one of the largest centralized hubs for creative output and support in the area.  Throughout our occupation, we were responsible for creating a wide array of successful creative and innovative projects / events aimed specifically to help get new artists and musicians exposure to their respective underground and mainstream audiences.
Since then, we have moved on to a much larger project in size and scope right here in Austin.  As of the first week of April, Project Infest will be opening its new Austin location (The Infest) at 213 W. 5th St downtown, where Antone’s currently resides.
Though the space will still serve as a bar / venue to those looking to find new art and music, it will also be used as a community think tank and project HQ for those looking to do more than just putting on shows.
If you would like to find out a little more about who we are and what we’ve done in the past check out our facebook profile “Multiply Infest” or our business page “Project Infest”.

Chelsea RisemanLook for an interview and update with Chelsea in the upcoming issue of Rank and Revue!

Back to April 2013 Main Menu

David- Guitar
Karlos- Guitar
Kike- Vocals
Gustavo- Bass
Alejandro- Drums

Head Crusher, the thrash/death/hardcore band, formed in early 2001 in Pereira, Colombia, South America, are now a local favorite and clearly dedicated to supporting ATX metal. Kike Valderrama shared his thoughts about the upcoming SXSW festival.

X: You have been around Austin long enough to be a part of the whole SXSW experience, what is your take on the festival?
Kike: My first SXSW was in 2009. It is definitely a monstrously huge event. Downtown Austin becomes an obstacle race for a whole week. We have never been part of an official SXSW showcase but we always ended up playing 4 or 5 shows that week in different unofficial shows, parties, etc. I always hear about these big acts that are coming over, you know Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, Yoko Ono and that kind of stuff; but I don’t know anybody who has actually seen these shows. It seems that the people I know ended up spending most of their time waiting in lines outside those high-demand shows than actually listening to live music. It is a fun and also exhausting experience as a musician or a live music fan.

X: Other than Hoeks Death Metal Fest, do you have plans to play anywhere else during SXSW?
Kike: We are currently finishing our new recording, so we have been focused on that. We’ll play at Hoek’s Death Metal Wednesday, March 13th at 11 p.m. and Sunday the 17th at Dirty Dog around midnight. That’s pretty much all for us this year during SXSW. We’ll be checking out lots of bands and supporting lots of friends from several parts of the world that are coming over to Austin this year.

X: How is the metal scene in the Austin, TX different from Pereira, Columbia’s?
Kike: It has lots similarities and differences. Musicians are very dedicated in both places and take pride in their art. Pereira and the cities around it have lots of talented metal bands; just like Austin. It is definitely easier to tour, open for national acts and have access to better equipment/venues/promoters here in Austin. We love Austin. It is a great city with a thriving metal scene and great people. We couldn’t be in a better place.

X: Was it what you expected it to be when you moved here in 2008 and how do you think Austin metal has evolved since then?
Kike: Before moving to Austin half of the band was already in New York and the rest was in California and Austin. Texas was the place where we could finally give shape to HeadCrusher. We found a city with lots of musicians, lots of welcoming people and a metal community which allowed us to be part of it. The landscape has certainly changed in the last few years. I feel there are fewer venues with spaces for metal bands, but there are more bands and great promoters like Come and Take it Productions and Texas Metal Collective who have consistently support the local scene in the last few years.

X: How did you and the others band members meet in Columbia?
Kike: I’ve known Alejandro( drums) and Carlos (guitar) for almost 12 years. We had HeadCrusher in Colombia. I moved to the U.S in 2006 and then the guys moved in 2007. We decided to move to Austin where we knew Gustavo (Bass) and eventually met David ( guitar). It’s been almost three years since we have had this line-up.

X: Do you have any plans to tour? If so, would you stay in the U.S?
Kike: We are working on that. We are trying to figure out what is the most viable way to go on tour as an independent band. You know, it takes a lot of planning, time, phone calls, emails, a lot of waiting for responses to arrange a 2 or 3 weeks tour. We may also go again to South America this summer. Right now, everything is in the planning stages, but we can’t wait to go back on tour. Would we stay in the United States? I would say yes. We all have our lives here in Austin. So, we’ll be around for a while.

X: What music are you listening to now?
Kike: I honestly don’t know what the other guys are exactly listening to right now. But, I know we all like and keep in rotation the 90’s Swedish bands like At the Gates, Hypocrisy, Entombed, Soilwork, Nile, Dissection, Meshuggah and that kind of stuff. We also listen to lots of newer bands like Revocation, Allegaeon and Austin locals like Critical Assembly, Prey for Sleep, Beyond Gods and Empires, Dead Earth Politics, DSGNS and many more… oh and, SEPULTURA and SLAYER.

X: Tell us the story behind the name Head Crusher?
Kike: It was our drummer Alejandro’s idea. This was about 12 years ago when he was still in High School. He wanted a name that could represent the idea of head banging. I think he wanted to express in words what you feel when you listen to Dying Fetus which I know it’s one of his favorite bands. Then, Megadeth made a song called Headcrusher and we have to explain that we’ve had this band way before this tune.

X: You are opening for Soulfly on March 24th. How did that come to be?
Kike: We have opened twice for Cavalera Conspiracy here in Austin. It has been great both times. It seems we are a good fit for the shows since we are from South America and Soulfly has those Latin elements. We were offered to open the show and we couldn’t say no. It will be a really fun show. Get there early to support the local opening acts and leave late.

X: How would you describe your music?
Kike: I would like to think that we write thrash/death metal music that is musical, technical and heavy. I would prefer people to judge it and describe it by themselves. You can visit our website www.headcrusher.net and download our latest album “Let the Blood Run.”
Salud

• http://www.headcrusher.net
• https://www.facebook.com/Headcrusheroffi…
• http://www.twitter.com/headcruserband
• http://headcrusher.bandcamp.com/merch

Comment at: http://www.facebook.com/ATXMadameX

Back to April 2013 Main Menu

An Interview with Doug Stanhope…by Otis Crowley

Crowley: I just saw the trailer for the Andy Andrist video. It looks amazing. What has the feedback been like?

Stanhope: That’s Andy’s thing. I was honored just to be a part of it. I’ve known him for years and he’s told me stories many times about being molested as a child. When he came to me with the idea of tracking the guy down in Florida and confronting him on video, I didn’t think there was any way we’d find the guy, or be able to get him to talk to us. The way it turned out is pretty amazing, and I’m happy for him. But yeah, that’s his thing.

Crowley: Any thoughts on Colorado and Washington legalizing recreational use of marijuana? Have you been to either state since legalization? Do things seem any different there?

Stanhope: Yeah, I think it’s great. Now they can tax it and regulate it, and control the potency. Bars won’t be able to sell it past 1:30am so all you potheads out there won’t be able to get high after 1:30. And your friend “Bob” will have to get a real job. He won’t be able to sell pot anymore because people will be able to go down to Walgreen’s and pick up their pot. Yeah, all the quote / unquote unemployed friends will have to find work. I don’t smoke pot so…Yeah, I’ve been both places and I’ve been doing that bit there so you kind of set me up with that.

Crowley: You’ve earned a reputation as a hard-living, hard-partying road comic. Think you’ll ever see your name in the Celebrity Death Pool?

Stanhope: Yeah, of course. We all will. That’s the point. I’ve learned a lot since doing that. Like, you want to bet on prostate cancer over breast cancer, because the survival rate of breast cancer is higher. It’s like a bunch of old men sitting around at the dog track, but instead of betting on which dog will place they go for the long shot.

Crowley: Ever think about retiring or slowing down?

Stanhope: Yeah, I think about everything all the time.

Crowley: What’s the story behind getting banned from Cap City Comedy Club in Austin? Any other clubs you’ve been banned from and why?

Stanhope: Oh God, that’s so boring. Well, I was doing 2 shows a night and they added a 3^rd, midnight show called the Blue Show. It was supposed to be dirty. Well, I can’t get much dirtier than I already am so I said ‘Fuck it’. The first night I went up and did my set nude. The second night, I went up nude and got the box office girl to shave my balls. Then I got banned. It worked out though, because now I get to work bars instead of comedy clubs, and I make what I’m worth instead of the shitty Cap City rate.

Crowley: Who was the first stand-up comic you remember hearing on record or seeing on TV? 

Stanhope: The first one I remember was Bob Newhart, or Bill Cosby on record. I used to repeat Bill Cosby jokes to my Dad in the bathroom.

Crowley: Who was your biggest influence as a young comic?

Stanhope: Dice, no doubt. I used to recite his specials verbatim. At the office where I was working at the time, this guy I worked with asked me to open for his band and I had to tell him that those weren’t my jokes, they were Dice’s.

Crowley: Joke stealing…has it ever happened to you? Do you think the documented cases are legitimate or overblown?

Stanhope: Yeah, there was a bit I did on No Refunds about abortion. I don’t even want to say it, I’m sure you already know. This guy took it and did it on a special. I don’t care. Once I record a bit, I’m done with it. If Dane Cook wants to rip me off, go ahead! It was already on Showtime, fuck face.

Crowley: Were you happy with how the episode of Louie you starred in turned out?

Stanhope: Well, yeah. I’m not really into acting. Being there and working with Louie made it easier. I think it turned out pretty good. I just don’t think I’m a very good actor.

Crowley: Do you think the Stanhope / Rogan era of The Man Show will ever be released on DVD?

Stanhope: I saw the other day that it’s out on Hulu now. I have the master tapes. I meant to put them up on Ebay. Guess no one will want them now that they’re on Hulu. I just want them out of my house. Comedy Central will never put them out.

Crowley: Any upcoming shows or releases that you want to let people know about?

Stanhope: I’m overdue for the one I’m working on right now. It was supposed to be shot in Cincinnati. Who knows? By the time we actually get around to shooting it, I’ll probably have lost interest. Other than that, I’ll just be showing up in fine cities like yours at places like Red 7.

Back to April 2013 Main Menu

Back to April 2013 Main Menu

WHO’S DRIVING THE MUSIC BIZ TODAY?

To really understand the answer to that question you first have to go back and look at the original driving forces from the beginning. In the 1940′s three quarters of all records produced in this country went into jukeboxes. The “juke-joints” those machines resided in were the birth place of what would eventually be known as “rock-n-roll”. Radio stations at that time played relatively little music except for live remote broadcasts of big bands from various ballrooms around the country. But with the new medium of television taking over their traditional programs, radio stations soon found themselves with hours of airtime to fill. Those hours were eventually filled with those same records, and when rock-n-roll began its rise in popularity “disc jockeys” became major influences on what might become a hit or not. While at first the DJ’s might have picked their own tunes, the practice that was eventually called “payola” soon came about. Payola was basically bribes paid to DJ’s to play a particular single on the air. No one really knows what the average payment might have been,  but Phil Lind of WAIT Chicago once testified to receiving $22K for playing a single record. Alan Freed, the DJ credited with coining the term ‘rock-n-roll’ and with promoting the first rock concert in 1952, was eventually fired from his New York station for the practice. And after payola was declared illegal in 1960 he was prosecuted for commercial bribery. The legendary Dick Clark escaped prosecution mainly by agreeing to co-operate with prosecutors.

But the DJ’s and payola were just the more public aspects of what was actually driving the music business. The real power lay with the record labels themselves, and the stranglehold they had on their product from beginning to end. To start with, before the payola to the DJ’s could even work, the labels first had to have a finished, professional sounding single in hand, available for purchase in the local record store.

Dick Clark

And the major labels were the only ones with pockets deep enough to sign the artist, hire the record producers, pay for the studio time and then actually get the records pressed. After that there was still the matter of getting those singles packaged and shipped around the country for the record stores to stock and display. So the payola was primarily there to insure that the records that were getting the big push were the same records receiving the needed airplay to bring them to the buyer’s attention. And as long as all of those pieces were all in place the money kept rolling in, mainly to the labels themselves of course, but with enough money scattered around to keep all the players at least somewhat happy. Artists might have grumbled about the small amount they received for their creations, but it was the only game in town.

Then the first crack appeared in the big labels’ armor. An odd little crack from what became known as “cassettes”. Tape cassettes were originally developed in the 1960′s for low-fi voice recordings such as business dictation and by the 70′s, enterprising tape deck manufacturers were matching the little cassettes with the new Dolby noise reduction system.  Soon you could buy high fidelity decks that you could use to “dub” copies of your LP albums. Or you could record songs you hadn’t even bought off the airwaves for free. The major labels saw the potential loss of their grip (and profits) right away and started a “home taping will kill the music industry” ad campaign. But a series of legal cases both here and abroad all ruled in favor of the consumer so one little piece of the wall went down.

About this same time there was yet another crack starting to develop, one that would make cassettes seem like a minor annoyance. This time it was a change in the technology itself, one that would shake the basic foundations of the major labels. In the 1980′s developments in personal computers were one part of that, but it was the internet which eventually connected them all that really turned things upside down. Add in the transformation from analogue LP albums to digital audio CD’s and suddenly a couple of big bites are taken out of the labels profits, because once the music had gone digital it had become a bit stream of information. It could now be transmitted endlessly over the internet with no need for record pressing machinery, no need for trucks to transport the product. And eventually no need for record stores…..

By the mid 90′s home computers were commonplace, and most came ready equipped with CD burning capability. With the right software consumers could also print their own labels, either original creations or an outright duplication of the original artwork from the studio releases. This effectively ended the major labels ability to control the industry through their access to record pressing equipment and product packaging. Now any teenager with even the simplest grasp of computer skills had the power to completely overcome two of the industries last grips on musical power.

That was not the last, or perhaps even the worst of the blows to the record company’s empires. By the end of the last century file sharing became popular, now even the CD discs were no longer needed to access popular music. Anyone with a personal computer and an internet connection could go to such sites as Napster or FreeNet and download mp3 files of pretty much anything, neatly sidestepping the whole music industry. Again the labels fought back, this time with “file sharing will kill the music industry”. Only this time they found some allies in the artists themselves, or at least a few high profile ones. In 2000 the group Metallica filed suit against Napster, as did rapper Dr. Dre. Those lawsuits, combined with the ones from the labels themselves resulted in the downfall of Napster, but not with actual file sharing. In and of itself file sharing is not illegal and it is still out there today.

A variation of that is now even more popular, that of the entity known as iTunes. iTunes is a product of Apple that was developed from the original SoundJamMP, it is both a media player and a media library application that most people know from use on iPhones & iPads and it is also used in Windows applications. Going through iTunes, the music fan can download songs into the device of their choice without ever leaving their chair. This leaves the major labels almost entirely out of the picture. Sure, royalties get paid but the actual royalties were never the lion’s share of the record labels profits, and it certainly spelled the end of their ability to control who the prospective buyer was listening to. Radio was waning and much of any “buzz” was coming from other media now.

The biggest buzz factory for musical artists in recent years has been the emergence of YouTube, the video dumping ground for all things human. YouTube is, if nothing else, the playground of humanity. Parents post videos of their child’s milestones, teenagers dance around in skimpy outfits and somewhere in there are the music videos, both past and present, of musicians around the world. Do a YouTube search for your favorite songs and you’ll find various live versions shot on cellphones, high quality authorized videos and covers both ridiculous and sublime. And due to all the other factors: PC’s, the internet, iTunes, almost everything except the old traditional avenues, sometimes a video will go “viral”. No one person or entity controls the viral process, it seems pretty much organic and just the latest offshoot from those who are driving the music world today.

Today there is no payola, no A&R men waiting to sign artists to crappy contracts, no fleets of trucks crossing the nation with 45′s hot off the presses. The driving force behind the music business today is you, whether you are a working musician or a music fan listening to the latest songs at home. Home recording gear is cheap, distribution costs are negligible and advertising can be as cheap as an upload to YouTube. It’s a whole new world for music fans, and for now it is all there for us to enjoy.

Here in Austin it is doubly so. In addition to all of the above factors we are in the ‘Live Music Capitol of the World”, whether you like that title or not. Bands from around the world come here to see if they have what it takes to bring an Austin audience to its feet. Those trips to your favorite club might be just another night out to you, but for the touring bands that come through it may well decide if they stay together or not. It’s power. The same kind of power that Alan Freed once wielded, but it’s part and parcel of living in this town, in this day and age.

Will things stay this free and easy? No one can really say, just as no one could have predicted today’s music world back in the 50′s. More than anything it is an opportunity for artists and their fans to grab the music industry by its ears instead of them owning yours. We are all in the driver’s seat now, so let’s try not to drive it into the ditch…….

Rev Jim

Back to February 2013 Main Menu

BIEBER BREAKS UP!

Or had at the time of this writing…..Apparently the little dip-shit and his Disney Clone paramour are officially on the outs, it’s been all over the ‘net, the tube, Twitter & as far as I know smoke signals out West. There has been absolutely no way of avoiding all of this so now I want everyone to repeat after me:

WHO GIVES A FAT RAT’S ASS?

Or, leaving the rotund rodent’s posterior out of things for a while, why is this even considered news? To anybody? Anywhere? Since this is the Valentine’s issue of Rank and Revue I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. Last year my contribution was the “Love Stinks” article. Love still stinks but this Bieber inspired stench is something altogether different. And the more I smell it the more I realize it’s more of a problem than just some 90 lb. talentless toad out in LA.

Because we’re continually surrounded by this kind of crap. If it isn’t Bieber then it’s one sort of Kardashian or another. Or if Jennifer Anniston is really delighted with whatever personage she’s been photographed with lately. And do we really need to stay awake at night contemplating just how bleak her wealthy Beverly Hills lifestyle must be? But we don’t have to wonder alone because there’s an entire idiotic slice of the entertainment industry out there built around other people’s love lives. Or lack thereof. With sites such as TMZ and OMG cranking out the crap 25 hours a day, 8 days a week, even a person with absolutely no interest in such things can’t help but be inundated with the sordid, boring details. Case in point is the title of this article. I can guarantee you that as a 57 year old biker I have never gone out of my way to know anything about the little androgynous android. But I kill time at break by checking the headlines at such “mainstream” news sites as Yahoo News or CNN and it’s plastered everywhere you look. How did this happen?

Celebrity gossip of course is as old as celebrities themselves. I imagine on some pyramid wall somewhere there are hieroglyphics wondering if Cleopatra is actually doing the deed with Marc Anthony. But at least she was an actual queen, not just some swishy teenager. And in Hollywood’s golden era the scandal sheets did a brisk business. But those were specifically targeted to a specific audience. And more importantly, they were about genuine celebrities. You know, people who had actually done something worth celebrating. But what the hell has a Kardashian ever done to be celebrated? Or the Octo-Mom? These are just random people apparently selected to be elevated up to 24 hour attention for reasons that I just can’t fathom. We hear about it when they get together with someone, we hear about it when they split. And don’t even get me started about their reproductive habits! I thought the incessant adoptions were bad enough, but why in hell do we even have to hear about “baby bumps”?

Worse yet is if reproduction isn’t quite in the cards. You know, that entire gay thing…..I suspect the ink spent speculating on whether Tom Cruise is gay or not could have probably given every hipster in California a kick ass tribal tattoo by now. And if you figure in John Travolta then every barrista in Seattle as well. And it’s not like those guys are living in Longview and trying to run hardware stores, they live in Hollywood where being gay is more like money in the bank than some kind of liability. Which brings us back to that rotund rodent;

WHO GIVES A FAT RAT’S ASS?

So I hereby swear on St Valentine’s grave that the next time anyone brings any of this crap up I will scream my diseased old lungs out. Enough is enough, we all have better things to do. I’m not quite sure just what those things might be, but I’m pretty sure they are filed under “EVERYTHING ELSE!” This is a great town that we live in, and there’s always something just incredible going on somewhere. We don’t need TMZ, OMG or any other papparazzi inspired gobbledygook harshing on our good times. It can be done. So far we have been pretty much Bieber and Kardashian free, so maybe we can set up checkpoints before they’re tempted here by the next SXSW infestation. As for me, I’m going to start avoiding any site that says its “entertainment”, because obviously it’s not. And this is a good thing, because that frees up a ton of time for me to think about how incredibly hot that Selena Gomez chick would look on the back of my Indian. I hear she’s single now…….

Rev Jim

Back to February 2013 Main Menu

KAOS Radio DJ MOFO Show 7-9pm

Shawn Troy Truitt – I have Egypt here in the studio and first off we are going to get the basics out of the way.  Please introduce yourself and what instrument do you play?
Matt Pyle – My name is Matt Pyle and I play the throat and guitar.
Nathan Calhoun – I’m Nathan and I play guitar.
Joe Bublor – Joe Bublor, I play bass.
Grant Dorian – I’m Grant, I play drums.

STT – What forces of universe created the band named Egypt?
MP – Forces of the Universe, well…boredom.  The love of Rock N Roll and sheer boredom.
NC- Entropy, gravity, love.
JB – I answered an ad in the Chronicle.

STT – What year did you start because I saw you guys at The Parlor North Loop on 9/11 a few years ago.  When did you actually start and has it been consistent or have there been breaks?
MP – There have been breaks but we started Egypt in probably ‘99 I think, ’98?  We played for quite a while then we had some lineup changes.  We played at The Parlor in 2002 actually; the first anniversary of the national day of terror and that was pretty fun.  Mike Belyea was playing drums with us then, Nathan quit and then we took a long break for five or six years I guess.  We started playing with Grant and we wanted to play a lot of these songs some more, write some new songs in that same spirit, Heavy Rock, and Grant was a perfect fit.  It’s been a lot of fun.

STT – What I do remember about the show is that you had the sculpture of the two towers with the plane and smoke billowing out, who decided on that great idea?
NC – I decided on that idea even though I did not play that show because I quit by that time.  In 2001 I think we played on September 12th or 13th right after the thing and I happened to have some big boxes in my house and really wanted to do something.  I’m sure Mike had something to do with it because Mike is a pretty funny guy.  So we got the boxes and we had a smoke machine and they looked like the twin towers, it was spectacular.

STT – I love The Parlor because it was the only place in town that you just go to at 10pm and there would be a live band.  It might be a bunch of people who didn’t know how to play their instruments or it could be a touring band, I thought that place was brilliant and I miss it.  I’ve been in Austin for 25 years and there are always new venues.  Places close, the scene moves around town.  I know everyone is lamenting Red River at the moment, Lovejoy’s and all but there is always going be new places popping up, it seems consistent.  STT: Along those lines, what are some of your favorite venues that you like what places do you like to play?

JB – Right now we like White Swan a lot, Legendary White Swan.  Where else do we go?
GD – Right now there is a shortage of clubs that we can play at, you know Metal.  We are trying to get booked at a couple venues, not going to name names.
NC – Shitty bands like us get forced further and further to the outskirts of town and it’s actually become good because it’s closer to where we live.  We can play right now so we are in a good position.  Unfortunately we probably get forced out of the part of town we live in but probably be forced to the area we will be able to play again.  So, it seems to be a leapfrog effect that keeps us close to where we play.  Eventually we will be right at the Capital when it becomes deserted like it was a big plan or whatever like Washington DC.

STT – This is your first release, it’s in the can, what are your plans?  How is the music going to be a released, on vinyl, a download or a CD?
MP – We are going to get it to people as many ways as possible.  We are going to just try to make CD’s and sell them at our shows and on our website we will have a place to download the songs at http://egypttx.bandcamp.com/music   We will get it to you.  If you want it you can send us an e-mail at Egypt.band.texas@gmail.com.  We will get it to you.
GD – We are going to force people to listen to it anyway we can.
JB – If any of y’alls’ Moms wanna chip in to make some vinyl, that would be great.We are going to have a little Branch Davidian action where we pick a compound and play Egypt towards the energy field.

STT –   Can you give us a little about the recording process, where you recorded it, mastered it and give us some technical information for the folks out there?
NC- We made our recording at Chris Burns’ studio, Chris Burns Audio.  Chris is a great guitar player, played in Pocket FishRmen and a bunch of bands but he did a real great job for us.  We went down there and knocked it out and it’s not really mastered yet, it is kind of roughly mastered by me.  We are real happy for what we got for what we could afford.  It’s a tough racket especially because you don’t sell music anymore.  With T-Shirt sales we were able to do this.
GD – It is not the first release because when I was not in the band you all did that “Tome of Disqualification” with Mike Belyea.
JB – That was actually in the Jukebox of Room 710 and I think Red Eye Fly for sometime.  Basically we recorded drums and bass and those were our live tracks then overdub guitars and vocals.
GD – That was in the past.  We’ve got the new CD.
MP – Yeah, great new CD, it’s fantastic, lets listen to it because it is fuckin’ badass.

STT – What are some of your influences musically?  What instrument did you play growing up?
JB – I started with the clarinet, swiftly moved to the Euphonium and then I think I played piano for a while.  I Love You Truly was my first Euphonium recital, it was pretty hot, and it went down really well.  If you don’t know what the Euphonium is it is a fancy way of saying small tuba.  What did you play Grant?
GD – I’ve always played drums, played the drums loud.  My early influences…what got me started was Peter Chris and not necessarily his drumming but I just thought he looked the coolest.  That was a long time ago and then I got my first drum set.
NC – I played piano then french horn for one year because I think that was the only instrument left and I was the only one that could blow hard enough to make it work.  I’m a good blower and maybe that will help us get vinyl money, I am a good blower.  I switched to guitar sometime and kept playing on and off for a long time now.
MP – I actually played french horn too.  It was pretty much the same thing, there were not any other french horn players and I did not want to be eighth seat clarinet.  So I switch to french horn. I was first seat and terrible.  I did a lot of musical theatre when I was a kid, which I probably should not admit to all four listeners on the interwebs.  My vocal chops are hot.  I started playing guitar around 15 or 16 and never really got any better.  My fingers don’t work right, I got the claw problem.
GD –  As far as influences, I would say for this band it is Punk Rock, Metal, Classic Rock ala Queen, Devo, you know just heavy shit man.  It’s what we are about.
STT – Devo is a rainbow bridge, I can play Devo in any crowd and they like it.  I have played it to an entire crowd of Black Metal and everyone is singing and dancing.  It is amazing; you can play it for your Grandparents.   People love Devo.  Devo is great.  That is my public service announcement.

STT – Who has been in the band over the years?
MP – I’ve been in the band over the years, beginning of the years.  Let’s see…there has been Matt Meshbane for a little while, Kashka was our original Bass player, Nathan, Tristan our singer initially, Mike Belyea was in the band for a long time and is a good friend of ours.
NC – I had to quit the band for a little while, for a band I’m still in which is called She’s Got Balls, it is my female all AC/DC cover band which kicks the ass of Hells Belles.  So you are welcome to come out and see She’s Got Balls, we play all the time.  We are playing the Erwin Center next week, Saturday night and not at the shitty little Long Branch Inn, we are playing at the Erwin Center.  She’s Got Balls.
JB – uh, yeah I have played in the band for a while.  What is the next question?

STT – What is the lyrical content of the songs?
MP – It is mostly about horribleness, depression, drug-use, loneliness, and the horrors of the world.  That is where this version of Egypt is different because we are really sad and fucking miserable.  The other one we just wanted to pet your animals, we wanted to be friends with your pets.  Now, we do not really care too much about your pets.  I mean we care about our own pets but fuck you and your pets.  I really like Fantasy Sci-Fi stuff and so I try to incorporate some of that crap in there.  Cthulhu mythos and that kind of creepy bullshit and it’s fun. It’s metal, you know?  I think metal’s lyrics should be fucking creepy, horror movie.  I have never understood how a metal band could have songs about love and call themselves a metal band.  I think that is fucking gay…sorry to any gay people out there.  Sorry Shawn just a term.  It’s happy.  Anyway, before I fuck everything up.  I think metal lyrics should be spooky.

STT – You were talking about how the recording went, you were doing some of it on tape.  Could you recap us on that process?
NC – I hope that I don’t step on my dick like Matt did there on the last part of the interview.  Insult our whole audience and by the way I love the Long Branch, I get drunk there every night.  Kevin, I love your bar but She’s Got Balls still kicks a lot of ass, I’m not going to take that back.  Tape is very expensive now so what we had to do was to do each song on the tape, a couple takes and then bounce it into the digital format.  So basically the tape was only used for the perception that we are doing it on tape because a lot of people will tell you that you cannot tell the fucking difference.  It might add a little warmth to it, verdict is still out on that.  It was a quick and easy way to add that though by using the same 10 minutes of tape over and over and over again.  It did not cost anymore, it added a couple of hours but an affordable way to get tape sounds.

STT – What shows do you have coming up?
MP – March 2nd at Beerland w/Pocket FishRmen, March 15th at Legendary White Swan at the Bi BiPolar day show 4:45pm and March 29th at Headhunters aka Metal & Lace.

Back to February 2013 Main Menu

by Tammy Moore aka Metal FreaktressIt’s approaching 8 years to the day that Grammy award-winning Korn made the announcement that guitarist Brian “Head” Welch was leaving the band to dedicate his life to Jesus Christ. Cue the collective eye roll of legions in the metal world. The guy had the life countless undiscovered rock faithful were scratching and clawing to get to. He was in a multi-platinum selling band that had traveled at warp-speed to fame and all the coveted trappings that come with it. Their 5th record was called ‘Untouchables‘ and that seemed legit in light of the cushy life fate had dealt the five eclectic artists from Bakersfield, Cali. The point of a finger and hoochies were theirs for the taking. Easy money, world-travel and adoration were the mystical counter parts to all the alcohol money could blow. It seemed the Universe had wrapped the gift in white powder ribbons and overnighted it in a private jet to some clearly favored sons.

Their success was undoubtedly ignited, in no small part, by the sensually dark guitar sound crafted by Welch and James ‘Munky” Shaffer. Theirs was a sonic scheme in league with high priests Tipton and Downing, who had given demagogic measure to the definition of an actual signature guitar sound. Distinct to the degree that it had to be sub-categorized within the metal genre and purists were mortified at what they’d conceived. But the architects of nu metal were no doubt laughing all the way to the bank, thanks to the reception it received from the rest of the planet. On that note, critics, raise your hand if you’ve actually conceptualized a new sound in music. Right. Short list. So he’s chained to glory most mortals will never know and the story goes that he was unhappy despite it all. He’d been proverbially knifed through the heart by, surprise, a punk rock chick with an affinity for skinheads, and he was self medicating nightly at levels that would send most of us to the morgue. Right before he went on stage and slayed the masses with his 7-string… only to be subjected to god-like exaltation in return. But he was human after all and he loved the girl despite the gaping wound left in her wake. He was watching the bottom fall from the perch protruding from his broken heart, but there was a child that the tumultuous union had produced. He had to protect her and he had to start by saving himself so he said good-bye to the band and the life and went in search of something more for them both. It was pretty touching on one hand. But, really, Rock Star, what are you thinking? What kind of freak walks away from that?

The tale is well known by now. A high-profile baptism, in the Israeli river that uber-punk rock Jesus himself took the same plunge in, kicked off Welch’s journey into a wilderness where he would face down pain and trials he hadn’t known would be part of the deal at the onset.  And here’s where the story gets incredibly interesting because the relevancy isn’t in whether or not you believe in what he found. It’s the fact that he had the courage to pursue it to the extent that he did that makes Welch an artist worth examining. The guitar mastery is impressive, for sure. And in the band he’s nurtured since leaving Korn, Love and Death, he’s emerged as a charismatic front man. But he has an impressive pedigree to draw inspiration from there so it’s the temperament, will and free-falling abandon that drives him that’s really affecting. He’s hardly the first to find his way to inner peace. But Welch’s private journey was so excruciatingly… public.

He had to endure the blow back from the Korn nation. The anger of his beloved brothers and fans who felt betrayed. He was recovering from a merciless meth addiction and a love gone haywire. He was navigating a new relationship with this Entity that had touched him, all the while tending to the needs of a baby girl that was completely dependent on him. As an artist there was still the need to express himself through his music but reality came crashing down on him the first time he went out on a club level tour with a new band and a string of promoters that understood little of what to do with them. He thought he could easily pack mid-size venues. But it didn’t work out that way. Probably only those that have actually attempted the climb to recognition in music and started at the club level, where most artists stay for years and years because of the enormous difficulty to move past it, can appreciate the magnitude of the fall Welch took when his self-induced stage dive from arenas and stadiums to club platforms and sub-par sound systems landed him in front of crowds of 20. Welcome to the deep end of the hero’s journey. If you haven’t been there, there’s no way you can imagine the blood equity that goes into the pursuit of this particular dream. Was it a culture shock? Hell yeah. Was it humbling? To the point of tears. But did it defeat him? No. He stayed in the ring… kept searching for truth.

“It was the best thing for me, ” he says, “but it was the hardest thing for me. One of the things I had to face was that pride of life. A lot of my emotions were telling me ‘this sucks. I hate it’ because I was used to the big time. I wanted to quit. I wanted to go home. But I just felt inside of me, you know ‘you can’t quit.’ I actually did once. Flipped out, threw my mic, broke some stuff, went right to the runner’s van and quit a tour. But it was the best thing for me. I’m telling you, seriously.” Because you grew as a person? “Yeah. Exactly. It’s all about that.”

He took comfort from the Christian community that embraced him. They were somewhat ecstatic when he broke away from Korn and embraced their God as his own. Welch was more dogmatic in those early days and they were his defenders when the secular world questioned his sanity. And they are incredibly important to him now except that even within that sect, he deals with small groups of the opposite extreme… fans, supporters that judge him harshly at times. I started paying attention last year after I read his second book, Stronger. That was when I saw the condemnation. It seemed like he was getting it from both sides and that’s when I decided I needed to save him. Not from himself but from the religious right fanatics whose cranial circuitry seemed to visibly blow Jihad style fuses every time he appeared in an Instagram with a sinner like Nikki Sixx or posted a joke with a word like, hang on to your seats, ass in it. “I talked to Nikki Sixx about our struggles and triumphs with drug addiction and it’s just awesome. That’s where we need to be… in all those places where all those other bands are.” He’s talking about reconnecting with a world he understands and maybe being able to help other musicians that might be struggling with something like what he’s experienced but…

Whoa! What was happening to Christianity’s dread-locked poster boy? He was starting to resemble some sort of free-spirit and was it really wise to hang with that lot? With feverish strokes to their keyboards they hammered out insults on social networks and blasted him with the fervor of Roman centurions, full on persecution style. His predicament was one that reeked of a bigger issue in society and seemed worthy of addressing… intolerance. I wanted to convince those free-basing on the Holy Water that he wasn’t doing anything wrong by embracing the secular world once more… if I could get them to recognize the genius in the fearless expansion of his world… if I could show them that what he’s doing is exactly what God would want for him… and them… to create and experience the biggest life possible in this realm of existence, built on genuine concern for all and tranquil co-existence… then that would be my own little contribution towards steering the human race in a better direction.

So I set up the interview, intent on savoring whatever pearls of wisdom he offered and regurgitating my message of tolerance for all to the masses but, as it turned out, he didn’t need saving. And you want to know why? Because he doesn’t care. The spark of absolute amusement that popped through his bloodshot eyes when I brought up the subject that Fall night, in a small town on the outskirts of San Antonio, made that crystal clear. Welch hadn’t slept for two days… he was dealing with a crisis I’d been told by his handlers, and I offered to reschedule the interview, but he insisted in the end, for my sake since I’d driven all the way from the ATX, so we found a tiny room in a church he’d come to speak at, chaperoned by very decent Christian bodyguard types (courtesy of the church in case I turned out to be a serial killer). We talked about God, trusting the process of life and heavy metal. To say he doesn’t care means he’s not fazed by the disapproval. “It’s like kicking a hornet’s nest,” he told me. “And if they get too crazy, I just delete those people and kick them off my facebook. I’d rather they go somewhere else and leave my people alone. Leave me alone.” In truth, the flak is small by comparison to the support he gets. He does wish his detractors might realize some of the truths he’s come to know but he respects that we’re all on our own journeys and that serves a purpose in the evolution of things. “If you do your own thing, I don’t judge anybody. But then don’t judge me for the way I look or the music I play or for spreading the anti-organized religion thing because that, as a whole, has scared people away from God and I want to break that.”

In his case, he’s let the trials teach him and is grateful for all that the experiences have taught him. “I love it. Even the controversial stuff.” He came face to face with his own spirit and the more he conquered setbacks, disappointments and losses, he realized what he was really capable of as a human being and that mattered more than ripping apart a stage to the sound of the worship of thousands every night… but clearly, he realizes now what a gift that was too, and he’s going back to claim his spot among the elite. Within a couple of weeks after our interview, Korn announced that Welch would be reuniting with them for some European dates scheduled for this summer. It’s interesting that the opportunity comes just as he releases an album that drives home the fact that he’s a talent to be reckoned with in his own right, with or without the flanking of Korn.

His prowess as a songwriter blasts through on the new Love and Death record, ‘Between Here & Lost,’ where Welch both exorcises some demons and finds a peaceful coexistence with the presence of others. Recorded in Nashville, and produced by Jasen Rauch, the album was released on 1/22/13 to rave reviews. “I did this with the band. They wrote some stuff, I wrote some stuff, Jasen wrote some stuff and we got some outside writers to help with lyrics. They know what I’m about so they gave me ideas and we would work together on things… it was ‘ah, yeah, that’s what I’m feeling’… that type of deal. And some of it I wrote myself so it’s a mixture.” So, the writing process was collective? “Yeah, and I’ve never done that before. It’s cool because outside writers do stuff you would never think of, with different flavor, and it went well. I loved that team we worked with. I’d like to do it again. I’m really excited about the record.” What made you choose Tooth & Nail Records? “They really believed in it and they were willing to put their necks on the line to get it out there. They put their heart into it. I can tell.”

What might be the perfect analogy for where he is in life right now might be the Rock On The Range show roster, a U.S. festival that Welch has agreed to also reunite with Korn for before they head to Europe. Out of 48 bands confirmed, he joins the ranks of the headliners with Korn at the fourth position from the top and is an opener at third slot from the bottom with Love and Death. There’s a whole lotta room to move in the middle there. He doesn’t have to endure the climb of the newer band but something tells me he might be in a place where he enjoys the challenge. It’s a great place to be when you realize that struggle serves a purpose and you can actually embrace it. Still, it’s hard to believe he won’t go back to Korn full time. Those concerned need only watch the footage of their brief reunion at the Carolina Rebellion last summer and check Jonathan Davis’ reaction after they played “Blind” together for the first time in years. It was one of the greatest moments in rock and roll. Emotion like that comes from genuine brotherhood and Brian will be in good hands. I asked what that moment was like for him? “It was emotional. It was intense and I loved it.” Did it feel like coming home? “It felt odd. It felt weird and I was nervous but it felt right.”

Here’s hoping he finds the energy to devote his time to both projects because it would be interesting to see what inspiration he taps into next. No matter what the emotional pull of the past may be, it must be incredibly exciting for him to explore the future, and bring forth all he’s learned. I saw him in Austin a couple of weeks later. He said, “there’s a path down the middle and that’s where you’ll find peace.” He’s found that his path of totality is the one where he operates unchained by either side and that doesn’t mean his spiritual life has taken on less meaning. It means everything. But he’s beaten back the darkness and dismisses intolerance from the right. He’s off the leash. With no fear of existing strictly as his tattooed beautifully freakish self. Of his natural high, Welch says, “There’s a spiritual high that you wanted the drugs to give you but there’s no down side. It’s really cool. I was created to be high and I’m still high. I’m higher than I’ve ever been. I’m not recovering. I’m changed.” Embracing the spoils and the struggles equally, with a mind-set that understands the value in both now. In this world of vapid fascinations, I think it makes this artist’s trip extraordinary and one worth…watching.

Welch’s Love & Death routes through Texas next month… 3/6 – Trees (Dallas), 3/8 – City Bank Auditorium (Lubbock), 3/9 – Josabi’s (Helotes), 3/10 – House of Rock (Corpus Christi)

Back to February 2013 Main Menu