#because they thought my songs had a strong thrash influence

[crankgayplays]

Regret 

Dark had a weird sense of identity, he was his own entity and at the same time he wasn’t. He considered himself a kind of fondue, he was a mix of these ... things he felt in the back of his head. A soft mans voice telling him what he needed to do, the goal he should point towards that kept repeating the word “Villain” over and over again. 

He also felt a soft presence, a woman. She herself was by no means soft, Dark could feel her restrained and righteous fury. He felt her soft and delicate as she slept, allowing herself to be vulnerable and a weak presence in his mind giving most control to this man and giving him the responsibility of protecting her while she slept. 

The other part of him that spoke was softer, much much weaker but he would hear it on occasion. He couldn’t peg who or what they were but they were sad. This part always lead him to this same building. It was an old mansion, decrepit, clearly having been abandoned decades ago. Every once and a while Dark found himself outside, just staring with an empty feeling in his chest. Something about this place made Dark angry, sick, sad, regretful, furious. So many emotions at once it made his head swim. Yet he always came back, like now.

The flickering entity was so focused on the home in front of him, he missed his approaching friend until a firm hand grabbed his wrist with a surprising lack of gentleness for who the hand belonged to. Without showing it visibly, Dark felt a jolt of surprise and turned to face the grabber, Wilford. Another, very confusing element towards Dark’s lack of a personality or identity. This, wonderful chaotic man.

He would never, ever be able to explain why directly, and would never admit it but something in his heart truly sang seeing the other man. Different kinds of love from different parts of him burst when seeing him. Affection, love, passion, regret, a bit of anger, sadness. It confused Dark, a lot and he tried his best to keep him at arms length though he was bent on making sure he was glued to Dark’s side. 

“ Why are you here? “

This was, surprising. Wilford always seemed to have his own softness and kindness when around Dark, a certain restraint he never showed around the others. So to hear a harsh tone, see the hard look from a man he’d gotten so used to seeing a soft and affection was a jarring experience. 

“ I got where I please Wil.” he responded, a calm and cool tone lacing over his words, despite his surprise and discomfort with this demeanor change. Just because he felt this love for the other man, didn’t mean he deserved to see any weakness. That was a strong thought screaming from both sides of himself. This response only mad Wilford frown even more, his grip falling from Dark’s wrist.

“ This is a bad place, dear friend. People, get hurt here. “ 

Dark shook his head, turning back to look at the dilapidated manor. “ I keep being drawn back to it for some reason.” Sharp teeth angrily digging into his tongue at the admission, frustrated at how loose his words seem to flow around Wilford. The statement had a shocking effect, scaring him. The assassin’s hands shook delicately for a moment before he stuffed them into the pockets of his beige trousers. 

“ I’m not surprised. Just, be careful if you go in and remember . . . . it’s , not how it seems. Don’t be so hard on yourself, my dear friends.” 

With those last words, Wilford was gone seemingly from thin air before Dark could question the plural. How could he know? Dark had never shared the components of himself with anyone he barely understood it. 

Shaking off the thought, sometimes Wilford was just an odd man, Dark decided to take a chance and step into the manor for the first time since this fascination started. 

It was , simple. He expected a home absolutely thrashed by the ravages of time and was pleasantly surprised to find a home mostly preserved if fallen into disrepair. He could see the early forties influence in the architecture and design. 

Crossing the threshold made the soft part of Dark sick, shaking and shifting as if having a nightmare. He may not have a good sense of self and identity but he understood trauma. Something about being here was triggering this woman that lived and slept inside him, and it made him hurt for her but his feet continued forward. Suddenly, he needed answers to questions he didn’t know he had and was convinced they were here. 

He stopped pretty soon into the grand hall, a shattered mirror drawing his attention. This was familiar, it was a vague foggy memory but it was there, one of his first. Looking into this mirror, feeling a weakness leave his body and marching away with purpose. 

“Weakness? That’s kinda mean.” 

Dark looked around suddenly, wondering where the giggling voice came from. It was amused and tinkling, it didn’t sound aggressive or angry and seemed to fluctuate in tenor and pitch.  “ Who said that?” 

“Me ding dong, you for sure didn’t get your parents smarts.”

Dark spun back around on his heels to face the mirror, and there on the mantle in front of it sat, something. A vaguely formed being, no real distinct shape other than “human”, comprised of smoking sparkling pitch black clouds, shifting and moving and fluctuating shape even as it sat perfectly still. Large almond shaped eyes watching him curiously, taking up a large portion of what Dark assumed to be the beings face and sparkling like small galaxies with every color an eye could possibly have both naturally and unnaturally. Their large stretching mouth closely resembled a Cheshire cat, with far more threatening sharp teeth. Even what was supposed to be clearly a kind smile looked threatening and had Dark on the defensive.

However another part of him spoke, that small quiet part spoke of familiarity and want and the louder man that protected his sister hurt deeply. Regret, missed chances, unspoken words of affection, all rang in his heart like a bell and made him angry. Who was this person? Why did the dominant half of his heart care so much for them and why did the sleeping woman feel nothing. 

“Who are you?”

This question seemed to, actually hurt the entity a bit who let out a weak sigh. “Well, I guess I can’t expect you to have access to all your memories.” before shaking their head. “Who I am is not important, what is important is I am holding you back.” Dark frowned crossing his arms, it angered him this stranger would think they had such power over him but .. they were correct. This, thing drawing him to the house was consuming his mind and he had a feeling deep in his chest that this thing in front of him was the core of that. 

Giggling, they reached out with a shapeless hand and unfolded Dark’s arms, taking his hand into their own, and Dark let them. Smiling in what, he assumed was sadness and regret the entity looked at their joined hands. “I always loved holding your hand, people gave you funny looks because they couldn’t tell what I was or what I was to you and you didn’t care. You just wanted to soothe me and let me know it was okay when my anxiety overtook me.” Dark blinked away tears he didn’t remember feeling, that man settled in his chest getting heavier and heavier with each word as if his own separate heart was breaking.

The being stood, standing in Dark’s space and looked up at him with a wide smile that made Dark’s heart scream a song he didn’t understand, almost seeing an actual human face that was both familiar and a stranger. 

“Listen, both of you. I love you. I’m no longer angry, I am always watching you and i’m so fucking proud of you and everything you’re doing. Please, stay strong get stronger and break this sick game Mark has all of us playing.” It was getting harder and harder for Dark to breath, which he didn’t even need to do.

“My eyes are with you always, and i’m rooting for you so much. Celine, rest, Damien be strong. I love you so much my heart bursts with it and all i want is to see you finish this mission and free all of us. “

Tears fell freely and silently down his grey ashen skin, which the entity quickly wiped away with a warm gentle shapeless hand that cupped Dark’s face with a gentleness he’d never felt from his own self. “You’re so strong” seeming to grow in height without leaning up, the entity brushed their mouth against Dark’s cheeks in a soft ghost of a kiss, before their sparkling cosmic spoke evaporated around them and he was alone again.

Except, not? Somehow he felt, lighter and more at ease. As if the wall around the man and woman fell just a little and he was more connected to himself. Wiping what was left of the tears away, Dark turned and made his way towards the front of the manor a new confidence in his step and new names on his lips. 

Caline and Damien.

He didn’t know them, he didn’t know their story but he knew they had a mission and he would fuffill it. He exited the mansion to find Wilford waiting for him patiently, a scared look on his face.

“How are you feeling friend?”

Dark shook his head, allowing a small smile to grace his features. “Better, actually. Thank you, William.” the name slipped, almost on reflex and made him frown in confusion. It clearly did something to Wilford, but he masked his reaction quickly and smiled taking Dark’s hand in his own.

“That name isn’t important, all of that’s in the past my friend. Let’s move forward and create memories to last forever until the last grain of sand falls in this crazy hourglass we call life.”

Chuckling with a deep echo, Dark simply nodded and allowed Wilford to hold his hand and drag him a bit behind him as he marched forward confidently with long strides. “I agree, old friend.”

[hey-have-you-heard]

Hey have you heard these 50 songs from 2019

I really enjoyed this last year so going to give it another go for ‘19. I put quite a lot of thought into what actually a ‘song of the year’ for me when I was first constructing and then heavily editing the playlist that came to be my Top 50 of 2019. I think the most important thing is that above all it’s a track that I’m glad exists, sometimes this is because of the songwriting or composition, sometimes the performance, sometimes the lyrical importance and sometimes just because it sparks joy.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6bFJOjL8b8Zc2s5r1oJbsk?si=UJdqSXOTR3SQ8D3IwcmV2g

Explanations for each tracks inclusion below the fold…

100 gecs - 800db cloud 100 gecs channel a mix of Crystal Castles and Sleigh Bells with a Death Grips level appreciation for noise. It’s an absolute rush and that outro is just absurd.

Natalie Evans - Always Be Natalie Evans soft melody and sing song vocals are sublimely sweet on this heartfelt track of lost love, longing and nostalgia.

Petrol Girls - Big Mouth “If you fight back or disagree you’re the one with the fucking problem” this hits home, hard. Big Mouth is a rallying cry to speak out against oppression and discrimination, to raise you’re voice and be heard, not to be controlled.

Charli XCX ft. Lizzo - Blame it on your Love Charli has a midas touch when it comes to pop, combine that with Lizzo who has just about been the most fun thing in music this year and you’ve got a 10/10 banger.

Poppy - BLOODMONEY Poppy’s music just keeps going further down the rabbit hole. Originally playing with blending elements of nu-metal with bubblegum pop, she now seems to have transcended genre altogether to create whatever BLOODMONEY is, it’s absolutely ridiculous and I love it.

Body Hound - Bloom Get on that GROOVE! So proggy it hurts, this track from Body Hound is a technical wonderland of metamorphosing rhythms, gargantuan riffs, and just the tastiest of chord progressions.

Can the Sub_Bass speak - Algiers Word of warning, this is not an easy listen. A freefall tumble through genre and tone accompanies a stream of consciousness monologue full of racism, prejudice and political and artistic critique.

Elohim - Buckets Buckets is an onslaught of trap influences, emotional outbursts and aggressive distortion. I’m a big fan of this sound.

VUKOVI - C.L.A.U.D.I.A I know very little about VUKOVI as a band, but that riff is absolutely massive and this track has been a constant throughout my year on that basis alone.

Show Me The Body - Camp Orchestra Apparently more hardcore bands should use Banjos, because this is a damn good sound. Slowly building from a single bass line this track builds into a powerful demolishing force.

clipping. - Club Down Having thoroughly proven themselves able to do afro-futurist scifi on the Hugo nominated Splendor and Misery, clipping. now turn their considerable talents to horror core and unsurprisingly nail it. Daveed’s flows are tight as ever as he brings to life a decaying city backed by tortured screams.

Dream Nails - Corporate Realness YOU ARE NOT YOUR JOB. WORK IS NOT YOUR LIFE. YOU ARE NOT WHAT YOU MUST DO IN ORDER TO SURVIVE. Dream Nails are great and exactly what we need right now.

ControlTop - Covert Contracts This track positively bristles with an anxious energy. A fitting sound for the subject of the information overload we find ourselves locked into everyday.

Cherry Glazerr - Daddi There’s an icy coolness to ‘Daddi’, a disconnected sarcasm that falls away to reveal the anger and torment in the chorus, it’s a masterful bit of emotional storytelling through musical tone.

The Physics House Band - Death Sequence I Listening to Physics House latest release, the Death Sequence EP feels like a physical journey. This opener is a perfect example of this, as you’re plunged straight into a heady and disorienting mix of rhythms and counter-melody’s, the Sax guiding you through the turbulence until you land in a placid midsection, before that bass riff drags you forward through rhythmic breakdowns into an absolutely absurd brain melting saxophony and then it just keeps on going from there…

Witching Waves - Disintegration I saw WW back in the early summer, they were a bassist down so it was just a guitar and drums duo. They started with this track and it was one of the most pure punk things I’ve experienced, drummer/vocalist Emma Wigham bashing the absolute shit out of her kit . A great no-nonsense lo-fi banger.

Lingua Ignota - DO YOU DOUBT ME TRAITOR Another, not particularly easy listen here. DO YOU DOUBT ME TRAITOR is a dark and angry brooding track, building in intensity to release the primal rage, fear and horror of the abused. Its deeply chilling and instantly arresting. This track and the entire CALIGULA album stands as an absolute must listen.

Carly Rae Jepsen ft. Electric Guest - Feels Right I love the instrumentation on this one, those chunky piano chords and screaming guitar lift the track out and make it the highlight of an already great album to me.

Orla Gartland - Figure it out Dialing back the intensity slightly, Orla chronicles the frustrations of having to deal with someone in your life who you’re done with. The choruses burst forth in beautifully fuzzy explosions of noise. That vocal flair at the start of the final chorus is chef kiss.

Battles - Fort Greene Park Battles are at their best when they keep things simple. This is evident on 2019′s Juicy B Crypts which features some incredibly cluttered moments, but this just makes Fort Greene Park stand out all the more. A delightfully spacious piece of math rock, from some of the best in the business.

Dogleg - Fox Boy howdy, do I love me some midwest emo. Catharsis in musical form, it just makes me want to mosh my troubles away like I’m 16 again.

Tørsö - Grab A Shovel Tørsö go hard, I can appreciate that. An absolutely brutal track about the destructive power of depression and self-loathing.

“Pijn & Conjurer playing Curse These Metal Hands” - High Spirits “We were like, are we Pijn and Conjurer, or are we Curse These Metal Hands? I think we’ve settled with ‘we are Pijn and Conjurer playing Curse These Metal Hands’ …whatever that means!“ what it means is one of the most joyously triumphant pieces of metal music I’ve ever heard. Some of the guitar lines in this absolutely soar.

Lizzo - Juice Lizzo has won 2019, her message of self love, acceptance and body positivity has won her both critical and cultural acclaim and permeates her music in a way that makes it impossible to not love.

COLOSSAL SQUID, AK Patterson - Kick Punch Colossal Squid is the name given to Three Trapped Tigers drummer, Adam Betts’ experimental project. After a solo album of percussive wizardry Betts has now teamed with vocalist AK Patterson to give us something else entirely.

Evan Greer - Liberty Is A Statue Evan Greer uses the a folk punk sound to deliver an essay on the damaging influences of cis-normativity and social inequality. Of course I like this one.

Taylor Swift - Lover I wasn’t on board with this song for a fair while, but then I kept listening to it and kept coming back to it because of a roughly 50 second section which ties the track and the whole album together. Yeah, this is on here purely for the bridge, which is just beautiful.

Dodie - Monster Monster is an incredibly well written and delivered study on how perception changes with resentment and it makes me cry.

The Y Axes - Moon Moon is a delightfully dreamy piece of pop that glitters with infectious melodies, it’s lyrics a blissful embracing of cosmic nihilism, need I say more?

Ezra Furman - My Teeth Hurt My teeth hurt is a song about tooth ache, about that pain you carry with you everywhere and can’t get rid of, that ruins your days and and is one hell of a mood. Yeah it’s about gender dysphoria.

Nervus - No Nations Speaking of things being a mood, this track hits the nail squarely on the head.

Cultdreams - Not My Generation "Everyone ignores me Unless I’m on a stage talking Because they put me on a pedestal And pretend I’m just performing“ Lucinda Livingstone calls out the misogyny in our culture with a singular ferocity.

Lil Nas X - Old Town Road If there’s one song that’s dominated 2019 this is it right here. Who ever had the idea of putting that NIN Ghosts sample to a trap beat and cowboying over the top of it is an absolute genius.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Planet B It’s impossible to predict where King Gizzard’s sonic influences are going to take them next I doubt even they know half the time. Whatever they turn their hand to though they do it as if they mastered the sound decades ago Planet B is an all out thrash track with a strong environmental message.

Kesha - Rich, White, Straight Men Okay, I’m about to compare Kesha to John Lennon here but HEAR ME OUT… As ‘Imagine’ asked us to consider a world without conflict or capitalism, Kesha now posits that we should tear up our conceptions of our society based on its formation by a privileged group and imagine what kind of utopia could be built if we gave the underprivileged and minority groups a say.

Allie X - Rings A Bell The chorus here sounds like it could have been off Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, and I’m all about that sound. Combined with Allie X’s dreamlike vocals make this a certified bop.

Poly-Math - Sensors in Everything Sensors in Everything is a beast of a track spanning over 14 minutes of absurdly dense prog. Having recently enlisted keyboardist Josh Gesner. Polymath make use of the new sounds and textures available to them, at times imitating a sort of Hammond sound not unlike John Lord to the chaotic maelstrom of noise.

Calva Louise - Sleeper Big hooks on this one. Sleeper has a confident swagger to it’s sound which stands apart for the bands previous work. It’s an absolutely huge track.

Slipknot - Solway Firth Slipknot didn’t disappoint after the tease of 2018′s “All Out Life”, following up with an album which blended old and new aspects of their sound to create one of their best to date. Solway Firth is a perfect example of this matching the punishing heaviness of Iowa with the melody driven sound of All Hope Is Gone.

Clt Drp - Speak To My Seeing Clt Drp perform live was one of my highlights of the year. The filthy guitar tones, powerhouse vocals tight as heck drumming and the _grooves. _Absolutely like nothing else I’ve seen. Just an incredible band that deserve so much more recognition.

Black Country, New Road - Sunglasses Black Country, New Road released two tracks this year and now I just want more. Dense wordy lyricism plays off against ever evolving instrumentation to present a raw cut of emotional storytelling.

Her Name Is Calla - Swan Her Name Is Calla are a band that have always been on the edge of my radar, my Dad is very fond of them and saw them live a couple of years ago, but never went back to relisten to any of their stuff, then they started an album with this. I was sold instantly.

black midi - Talking Heads Talking Heads (the band) are an obvious inspiration on this track. Both David Byrne’s vocal style and the Talking Heads penchant for sharp angular melodies are on show here. But given an extra ounce of chaos through Black Midi’s delivery.

Amanda Palmer - The Ride The ride is ten minutes of bundling up all your fears and anxieties of where we are and where we’re going and just, accepting them as part of the ride. Written off the back of a prompt from Amanda asking her fans what they were afraid of right now.

Kim Petras - There Will Be Blood Okay, let’s have some out of season spookiness. Love the squelchy synths on this, there’s a huge amount of energy on this track and with it’s commitment to the horror conceit it makes for a super fun bop.

Kate Nash - Trash Kate Nash’s sound is like bathing pure nostalgia,here she spins the toxic-relationship narrative central to her work to deliver a bigger story about humanity’s, quite literally toxic relationship to our planet.

American Football & Hayley Williams - Uncomfortably Numb The other side of the “midwest emo” coin. A melancholic song built on a soft bed of arpeggiated chords and clean harmonics, Uncomfortably Numb is a heartbreaking track of losing everything and of cycles persisting thorugh generations. Employing the clever metatextual trick of referencing Pink Floyd’s comfortably Numb to mirror the generational similarities.

Glenn Branca - Velvet and Pearls Disclaimer, Glenn Branca was a musical hero of mine, his approach to music and composition being solely responsible for influence a vast number of my favourite bands. Released posthumously, Velvet and Pearls is taken from a live performance by Branca’s ensemble and perfectly captures the sense of sonic disorientation, conjuring aural illusions through an assault of intricately crafted noise. It’s an exhilarating piece that should be played as loud as humanly possible.

Brutus - War The raw emotional strength of Stefanie Manneart’s vocals instantly made me pay attention when I first heard this track. Then the song exploded into a barrage of riffs and breakneck drumming.

Valiant Vermin - Warm Coke Another slice of throwback pop, Valiant Vermin proved with “Online Lover” how much of an ear she has for pop and has proven it once again with Warm Coke. Is a real good bop.

———

Welp there it is, 50(+1) songs, I had to limit myself to one track per artist in the main 50 because according to Spotify I listened to [checks notes] 1082 new artists this year. There are a small handful of tracks I wanted to highlight from the same artists though as they offer something quite different to the tracks in the playlists, so here they are quickly with 3 word descriptions.

Petrol Girls - Skye (dead dog, sad) Amanda Palmer - Voicemail for Jill (Talk about abortion) Ezra Furman - I Wanna be Your Girlfriend (Trans Torch Song) Battles ft Jon Anderson & Prairie WWWW - Sugar Foot (Batshit Prog Insanity) Poppy - Choke (Dark Minimalist Pop) Show Me The Body - Forks and Knives (Anxious nightmare punk) Lingua Ignota - CALIGULA (the whole album.)

———

Closing Statement

Cultdreams - Statement

There has been a shadow over the entertainment industry the latter half of this decade. Whether film, music, TV or video games, the late 2010′s are filled with stories of people coming forward to bravely tell their stories about being abused and manipulated by men in positions of power. The #metoo movement as it’s come to be known has been a powerful force in giving marginalised people a voice and the ability to call out oppressors and in starting the groundwork to root out the misogyny in the seats of power, but this is a battle far from won.

While there are thousands of stories out there I want to focus on one in particular.

In 2016 a number of women spoke out about various forms of abuse by a well-known musician in the punk scene. It’s now over three years later and this group of women are in the midst of a long fought claim of defamation from this musician. If this case goes through it sets a precedent for silencing marginalised voices in the industry. They have been fighting for so long and with no legal aid available for the case they have had to finance their defense from their own pockets.

This is where Solidarity Not Silence comes in. Solidarity not silence is a crowdfunding effort to help take the case to trial without the women bankrupting themselves entirely so that they don’t have to give in to this mans demands.  You can read more about Solidarity not Silence and make a donation (if you feel so inclined) here: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/solidaritynotsilence/

You can also follow them on twitter here https://twitter.com/solnotsilence

[happymetalgirl]

Albums I Missed in 2018

Alright, already halfway through the year, and the time has come (as I said I would last year) to acknowledge the albums from 2018 that I didn't last year before getting onto the second half of 2019. Yeah, that's it, no need for more intro. Here are my thoughts on some albums from 2018 that I didn't talk about.

Yob - Our Raw Heart

I heard so much hype over this album last year and saw it ending on so many year end lists, yet for some reason I just didn’t have the time or energy to give it a worthy try so it slipped by me. And honestly, after finally hearing it, I can’t say I’m all too heartbroken about missing out on it. It's honestly some of the most derivative modern doom/sludge metal that I've ever heard hyped up to this degree. When the album isn't meandering through the types of thick soundscapes that hearken a bit too much to early Pallbearer, it's "resting" amid cheap drones that sound like unaltered Sunn O))). The band are closer to achieving their goal on the more dirging doom songs on here like the title track, but when they try to get heavier like on the unbelievably annoyingly repetitive "The Screen", they sound very out of their capacity. I don't know what so many saw in this album last year beyond its occasionally convincing imitations of Bell Witch or Pallbearer.

Craft - White Noise and Black Metal

I don't know why I didn't talk about Craft's 2018 album, maybe because it wasn't all that different from the band's previous releases, but either way, the Swedisg crew came through with a strong fifth offering of straight-up modern black metal. That band has always had a knack for the grim and sardonic, and they carry that energy well onto White Noise and Black Metal. Again, it's hardly the most unique black metal I've ever heard and it's really not all to different from Fuck the Universe or Void, but for what the band are doing, there's really not much else to complain about. Sure, it could be a little more varied or come with a few more memorable grooves or something, but for nasty, snarling black metal with nothing else in mind, Craft continue to be on of the genre's steadfast pillars.

Convulsing - Grievous

I stumbled across this album earlier this year because I recognized the visual handiwork of Leviathan's Jef Whitehead gracing the cover art. Convulsing is apparently somewhat of a one-man solo project that seems to have started out pretty recently (around 2016 or so) and the music is as harrowing and demonic as I would expect from a Jef Whitehead endorsement. The low-tuned guitar work on Grievous is pretty in line with the type of playing that made Scar Sighted so powerful, and the bellowing death growls give it a furiously cavernous atmosphere. And it is indeed an atmospheric type of listen despite being so thick in its death metal elements, but the gravitation pull of those elements are well-harness to really suck one into the deep dark it provides.

Hoth - Astral Necromancy

On no other album last year did I hear quite the smooth and well-balanced overlap of technical death metal speed, blackened death metal menace, and thrash. Hoth really has it all and is not afraid to show it; this album really has everything: a variety of melodic guitar leads, sinister growls, and intricately hyperactive drumming. It’s this impressive juggling act that makes Astral Necromancy such a unique listen, and one that I wish I had talked about and dissected more thoroughly the intricacies of last year.

Bad Wolves - Disobey

Despite actually not totally disliking the band’s alt metal power ballad cover of The Cranberries’ “Zombie” (which goes over much better than their original balladry), the combination of the band coming up largely by way of a cover song and their close association with Five Finger Death Punch unfortunately kept me at bay from the very label-propped band’s debut album. After having heard the rather familiar djent-influenced groove metal style that the band has to offer, I can't really say the channeling of what Whitechapel and Upon a Burning Body have tended toward into formulas that Shinedown would work with is really all too offensive or inoffensive either. Sure, some of the fence-sitting political commentary, while well-intentioned, is a bit beyond the band's lyrical capacities at best and ham-fisted at worst. But really there isn't really anything the band are doing or saying that's at all new. They're simply one of the newest voices contributing to servicing the Five Finger Death Punch fan demographic, and it really does sound like if Shinedown decided to go djent-groovy in an attempt to bring back their old fans, which I will say does sound better than what Five Finger Death Punch are offering these days.

Hyperdontia - Nexus of Teeth

This one only really caught my attention because of this dental theme, which I think needs to be a theme more prevalent in metal music. More bands need to create musical horror stories that push for encouraging better dental health. But really, this album isn’t exactly the most ground-breaking of modern death metal releases, but if it’s an itch that needs scratching and the usual helping hands like Morbid Angel, The Black Dahlia Murder, or Bloodbath seem worn out for the time being, Nexus of Teeth will get the spot just fine.

Sarah Longfield - Disparity

Brilliant YouTube-based guitar shredder Sarah Longfield had been putting out albums before this one, but I didn’t hear about Disparity until the year was over, and while it’s certainly not a terrible project, I’m not really all too upset about missing it. Longfield takes the album as an opportunity to dive into smooth, semi-jazzy atmospherics that don’t always highlight her technical talents the way they needed to to make the album more engaging. Again, it’s not awful and it’s not like she’s stuck playing back-up the whole time, but Longfield seems subdued on her own album, and it’s disappointing given how magnificent it could have probably sounded if her guitar playing got more time at center stage, which was quite possibly her intent being that she already makes so much content focused on her guitar technicality.

The Black Queen - Infinite Games

Though not quite as overtly raucous as the now retired The Dillinger Escape Plan, Greg Puciato’s second album with this new electronic rock-focused project does generate its own kind of energy that could arguably bear a thread connected to Puciato’s former band. But the appeal of The Black Queen and Infinite Games is rooted more in the textures that the band bring to the table and the more fully opened expression of this calmer side of Puciato’s voice over new-wave-inspired electronic ambient pieces, which, to be clear, bear no resemblance to anything metallic. What’s clear about this album though is that it’s something that Puciato has wanted to do for a while and has genuine passion for rather than a ploy for the “metal singer doing no-metal project” novelty. I didn’t hear about it until earlier this year, but I will definitely be keeping an ear out now for any upcoming The Black Queen releases.

Violet Cold - Sommermorgen (Parts I, II, & III)

I came upon Violet Cold through a friend of mine turing me onto their Magic Night album around the time Deafheaven's brand of bright, cathartic blackgaze and post-metal was sweeping the black metal landscape. While I had kind of forgotten about the album for awhile, I really liked the main opening song to that album, and I was hoping to maybe hear a little more from the band along those lines with their three-part album. Sommermorgen's three parts, while not offering what I was hoping for, fall nicely in line with the occasionally metallic post-rock ambient music of Hammock, If These Trees Could Talk, and Explosions in the Sky, providing at least a sufficiently soothing atmosphere with enough compositional dynamic to keep it from being a total bore.

Slugdge - Esoteric Malacology

How I missed Slugdge’s fourth album and transformation into a fully fledged performing band last year is beyond me. I promise this has a point and that I’ll get to it, but since its inception, one of the most baffling things about Slugdge is how upset some people seem to get about something about either their theme or their puns or their aesthetic. It baffles me because this is so clearly an innocuous side project (or at least it began that way) for its founders to just put out some death-y sludge metal without the kind of self-imposed rubric that often comes with a main project. Slugdge’s music is also so accessible (free if you choose) that complaints about it kind of bear that whiny quality that often underlies complaining about free content. And for fuck’s sake, it’s music about a celestial slug deity; could there be a more obvious signal to not take this too seriously? Because that’s clearly exactly the point of this project. I bring this up because it has clearly been this apparent liberation from needing to create in a super serious context that has become the compositional strength and the appeal of Slugdge. And sometimes freedom from expectations for a band’s music to fall within a certain framework can really unlock artists’ full potentials, which has definitely been the case for Slugdge. Even to some of the band’s fans, Esoteric Malacology felt like a bit of a loss of this non-serious charm the band had operated under, which I think was just inevitable as the members continued to see such success from Slugdge. But any sense of lost charm hardly comes through in the actual compositional content of the album, so either I’m missing something or others are reading too much into contextual aspects of the bands rise to death metal’s upper echelons and applying them to the enjoyment of this album. Personally, I find Esoteric Malacology to be a fine continuation of the refined combination of sludgy and deathly styles that characterized Gastronomicon and were expanded upon on Dim & Slimeridden Kingdoms and one I wish I hadn’t arrived to so late.

Lingua Ignota - All Bitches Die

This did technically come out in 2017, but I will take it's re-release through Profound Lore last year as an excuse to talk about it here because goddamn! Along with her visceral live performances that truly earn that descriptor, Kristen Hayter has seen quite the outpouring of deserved support and respect for her work on Lingua Ignota's Let the Evil of His Lips Cover Him and All Bitches Die. On both these albums (both released in 2017 orginally) Hayter channels her personal experiences as a survivor of domestic and sexual abuse into both classically sung, mournfully gorgeous lamentations and venomous shrieks of anguish, rage, and vengeance. It's hard to say I enjoy this album in the traditional sense, and knowing how real it all is to its creator and performer, I honestly don't feel right just putting either of these albums on in the background while I do other things without giving them my attentiveness. But what Hayter does so powerfully through Lingua Ignota absolutely deserves to be appreciated not just for her musical capacity and artistic uniqueness, but for how it expresses the voice and emotions of the victims of such abuse that aren't heard too much in this field.

[comebackbehere23]

Could you do 29 (‘When was the last time you slept?!?’) for Malvie? Perhaps Evie is being stressed about the number of orders she has to complete, revising for a exams, or both simultaneously? Or perhaps it could be worked into a chapter from I'm just a teenage dirtbag?' Perhaps Mal hasn't been sleeping because she's too caught up in helping Evie sleep, worrying that she isn't enough to protect her, dealing with her own Isle trauma kind of thing? Either way, I adore your works! Thank you!

This one ties into my fic 'we're so close yet so far apart' :)TW: Panic attacks and discussion of questionable consent.*They diagnosis Evie with PTSD, and her parents quickly put her in therapy. At first, it works. She is able to sleep a little better, and the anxiety medication they put her on is a blessing but then the nightmares start up. Evie lays in bed and stares up at the ceiling, she counts the plastic stars that Ben put up their first year; she makes wishes on them, she wishes that this ache inside of her would go away. But it doesn’t, it just gets worse and she pretends that it isn’t real. She pretends that she’s had a good night’s sleep in a week, and she pretends like the moment her eyes close she doesn't think of is the Isle.The worst though are the nights when she remembers the feeling of being under Uma’s strong influence. She remembers trying so hard to fight it, trying to hang onto her memories of Mal; she even remembers how it hadn’t worked at first and how angry Uma had gotten. The worst part is remembering how rough Uma had been with her when she kissed her, how she pulled away and looked at Mal who looked so betrayed and disgusted. That’s what haunts her to the most, the way her body and love was used as a way to inflict revenge on Mal.Audrey tries as hard as she can to comfort her, and sometimes she wordlessly crawls into Evie’s bed at night and falls asleep beside her. Evie appreciates it, but all she wants is Mal. When she is with her girlfriend, Evie feels safer; she knows that Mal will never let another thing happen to her, she knows she’ll always be cared for with Mal beside her. On the same hand, Evie doesn’t want to torture her girlfriend with anymore guilt. She knows how hard Mal is still struggling with it all, and she refuses to add to that.“Evie?”Evie startles as she blinks up at Ben, “Hm?”“You okay?” Ben asks in a low voice.“I’m fine.” Evie nods as she forces a strained smile onto her face. “My meds have just been making me a little tired since they upped the dosage.”Ben studies her for a moment before his face softens ever so slightly, “You’re lying.”“I don’t want to talk about this.” Evie snaps as she looks down at the book in her lap, a book she doesn’t even remember grabbing. “Just leave it alone, Ben. Please.”“I will. For now.” Ben sighs as he makes his way to the doors of the study and pauses to glance back at Evie. “Mal is worried about you. Everyone is.”Evie ignores him. Or maybe she doesn’t hear him at all, Ben really can’t tell. But he can see from his sister’s expression that she’s a million miles away. With a frown of defeat he leaves, but instead of returning to his office he simply closes the door and sinks down against the wood. On the other side of the door, Evie bites her lip until it bleeds and closes her eyes to fight the images playing in her head; yet she can’t escape them, she never will.-“Tie her up.”“You don’t have to do this.”“Oh, but I do.”Evie thrashes helplessly in her bed as the nightmare plagues her. She can feel the fingers curling around her bicep and squeezing until she is sure there will be a hand shaped bruise left in his wake. The smell of salt and dead fish is potent as she is tossed against a pole and her head snaps hard against the wood. And then hands are all over her; they pull at her, tighten a rope around her, and brush over her cheek while she stares into faceless monsters. As soon as she hears a cackle she knows what is coming, a scream rips from her throat as they pull the ropes around her wrist tight enough to dig into her skin.“Evie! Evie, darling, wake up!”Evie whimpers as she shudders in a breath and feels familiar arms wrap around her, “Mommy?”“It’s me, sweetheart. I’m here.” Belle soothes as she rests a hand against Evie’s head and guides her to rest on her shoulder. “A bed maid heard you screaming from down the hall, she ran to get me as soon as she realized you weren’t stopping.”“I-It was just a dream?” Evie shudders out.“It was just a dream, baby. You’re safe.” Belle assures as she holds Evie to her. “Tale as old as time, true as it can be. Barely even friends then somebody bends unexpectedly.”Evie sniffles and laughs, “Really?”“I used to sing this song to you and Ben when you’d have nightmares, I’m not stopping now.” Belle teases with a small smile. “Just a little change, small to say that least. Both a little scared, neither of them prepared. Beauty and the beast.”“I don’t want to close my eyes…” Evie admits.Belle frowns, “Why?”“I don’t want to see them.” Evie replies as she winds her arms around Belle’s waist. “Mommy, will you please stay with me?”“Of course, Evie.” Belle assures her as she scoots back on the bed and carefully pulls Evie into her. “I won’t leave you, okay?”“Pinky promise?”Belle smiles as she looks down at the teen in her arms, and for a moment she is reminded of Evie with chubby cheeks and unruly curls. She looks down at the terrified girl in her arms and all she sees is that little girl she met in the clinic. Her eyes burn with tears, but she is quick to blink them away as she tightens her grasp on Evie and ducks her head to press a kiss to silky blue hair.“Pinky promise.”-Evie stops going to therapy, she doesn’t see a point anymore. All her doctor does is hum and scribble things down on a pad of paper, and he doesn’t understand. He tells her that she has to let time heal her wounds, but how is time supposed to heal wounds that never stop bleeding? So, she takes to ditching her sessions and plastering on fake smiles as she tries to move on with her life. It works for a while, but she knows people are catching on; she’s always irritated, she snaps at everyone but Mal and Ben, and she pretty much takes herself out of spending time with her friends.“This will be good for you.”Evie glares towards Audrey, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”“Okay.” Audrey shrugs.“I have homework. I don’t need to be attending a movie night.” Evie grumbles as Audrey taps a little beat against Jane’s dorm door. “I’m going to go back to our dorm and…”“There you are.”Evie gasps and turns with fear filled eyes until she sees that it’s only Mal, “Hi.”“Hi.” Mal replies in a slow tone.“It’s about time you guys got here,” Jay greets as he opens the door and ushers them in. “You’ve missed all the fun. Dude ate all of the gummies, Carlos has made himself into a blanket burrito, Lonnie and Hayden won’t stop making out, and Chad is arguing with Jane over what movie to watch.”Mal takes Evie’s hand as they walk into the dorm room, “I thought we agreed on a horror.”“Chad wants a romantic comedy.” Jay sighs with a roll of his eyes.Eventually, everything is sorted out and the group spreads themselves all over Jane’s large dorm room while a suspenseful soundtrack plays. Evie is tucked into the corner of the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on her kneecap as she tries to pretend she’s the least bit interested. She hasn’t ever really been fond of scary movies, especially right now. She can already feel the telltale signs of a panic attack building as she looks around the darkened room and tries to block out the screaming pouring from the TV speakers.She tries to stay, she does, but after yet another scream she can’t help but press her hands over her ears. Mal is the first to notice her discomfort and as soon as Evie sees a hand reaching for her she is quick to jump up from the couch. All of her friends are suddenly replaced with smirking pirates and she presses a hand to her stomach as it twists painfully. Just as she turns to run, she gasps as she crashes into a broad chest and feels fingers curl slowly around her wrists.“Don’t touch me!”The entire room goes quiet as Evie sinks away from Jay, and her hand immediately goes to her wrist as she rubs the scars. Everything around her blurs together and her knees feel weak, and she barely feels it when they make contact with the hardwood floor of the dorm room. Evie can’t breathe, she feels like she’s back on the Isle. Every breath she takes, she can taste the stale salt in the air and she can smell the hint of fish that always seemed to linger on the pirates that harassed her. A sob breaks free as she curls her hands to her chest and tries to pull herself back to reality.“E?”Mal is there. Evie can hear her voice, and it calms her for only a moment. But as quick as it comes, it goes. Mal is on the boat, Mal is in danger. Her hands reach out and she grabs onto stiff leather before she pulls herself closer until she replace the smell of salt with the familiar scent of strawberries. The second arms curl around her, Evie settles. She can feel her breath slowing as she tucks herself under Mal’s chin and matches her own breaths with the way Mal’s chest moves beneath her.“You’re okay. You’re okay.”As Mal continues to repeat the words, Evie allows them to lull her to sleep.-The first thing she feels when she wakes up is the soft brush of lips against her forehead. Normally, she would bask in it but it’s a touch that she hasn’t consented to so she instead pulls away with a hiss. She hesitantly opens her eyes and frowns as she sees Mal lying beside, and she glances around to see the splashes of blue and pink and she knows she’s back in her dorm room. With a whimper, Evie reaches for Mal and tugs her close until arms are curled so tightly around her that it aches.“How did I get here?” Evie rasps.Mal runs her fingers along the dips of her spine as she sighs, “Jay carried you back. You’ve been asleep since last night, and it’s already two in the afternoon. Fairy Godmother excused us from classes, Ben told her that we somehow are both sick at the same time.”“Oh.”“Evie,” Mal begins as she pulls back so she can lock their gazes, and Evie flinches at the concern. “When is the last time that you slept?”“I just did…”“You know what I mean, princess.” Mal sighs.Evie swallows hard as she begins to play with the soft material of Mal’s t-shirt, “Truth? I don’t really know. I sleep in little splurts, I try to sleep a lot during the day.”“What’s going on with you, E?” Mal demands as she furrows her brow and pauses her fingers. “You’re not sleeping, you’re distant, and I have never seen you react to Jay in a negative way.”“I’ve...my anxiety is really bad.” Evie admits as she ducks her head. “I thought it was getting better, but then the nightmares started getting more intense. I just can’t get over what happened, Mal. I’ve tried, but I can’t. I’m so sorry.”“Why are you apologizing?” Mal scoffs.“I...I kissed her.” Evie whispers.“Evie, don’t ever apologize for what happened that night. You were...you didn’t want any of that and I know that.” Mal assures her as she runs a thumb over the dimple of her chin. “I’m the one who should be sorry, it happened because of me.”“I’m falling apart, Mal.” Evie whimpers.“And that’s why you have me. That’s why you have your parents and Ben.” Mal points out. “We’re here so you don’t have to fall apart, we’re here to hold you together.”“I just don’t know how to get over it.” Evie murmurs after a moment. “I realize that I was under the influence of Uma’s spell, but...I remember what happened. I remember all the things I said to you. I remember how she touched me, how she kissed me, how she held me.”Mal shifts herself so she can cup Evie’s face as her girlfriend’s chest begins to heave, “Shh. You’re okay. You’re here, you’re with me. You will never have to deal with Uma again, okay?”“I want her out of my head.” Evie chokes out as she looks up at Mal with a desperate gaze. “Pl-Please get her out of my head.”“Are you suggesting I…?” Mal frowns.“Anything, Mal. Just...get her out of my head.” Evie begs as she clenches her jaw. “I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can barely think straight.”Mal brushes a thumb over Evie’s lips, “I’m not going to spell you.”“Please, Mal!”“No.” Mal snaps as her eyes flash, and Evie ducks back in surprise. “I won’t do that to you, it isn’t right. I know you want to forget, but casting a spell on you isn’t the way to do it.”Evie sniffles, “Then how?”“I don’t know, princess,” Mal confesses with a saddened frown. “But we’ll figure this out. You and me and the space between, remember?”“You and me.” Evie nods.“You need to sleep.” Mal notes as she looks her over.“I’m fine.” Evie protests.“You’re scared, but I’m here. If you even begin to make a single face in your sleep then I’ll wake you up. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Mal grins as she pushes Evie back down and slides behind her. “I am right beside you, okay?”Evie pulls Mal’s arm around her waist and sniffles softly, “Will you sing to me?”“Sure, princess. But don’t tell anyone because I’m rotten to the core and I don’t want anyone forgetting that.” Mal huffs, and and she smiles as Evie gives a small giggle.“Okay.”“A million thoughts in my head, should’ve let my heart keep listening. Cause up till now, I’ve walked the line. Nothing lost, but something missing. I can’t decide what’s wrong, what’s right. Which way should I go?”Evie falls asleep to Mal’s soft voice, and for the first time in awhile she thinks that maybe she can do this. Maybe she can get better. Maybe there’s a way to fight her inner demons. So long as she has her girlfriend and the people she loves, she thinks there’s a way to move past this.

[doomedandstoned]

Season In Hell:

King Zog

Debut LP Stokes Ungodly Flames

By Billy Goate

Everything's too fucking LOUD!

Australia has always felt like a second home for me, even though I've not gotten over there too often in recent years. My grandparents, after homesteading with a family of seven in Anchorage, decided to uproot and hammer down fresh tent pegs in Western Australia. Well, more like a houseboat, to be precise. One of my earliest memories is watching Tom Baker's Dr. Who (I'll forever identify him with the role) on a black and white television below deck, docked in the harbors of Perth. The whole experience was like being on Earth 2 for me. When I came back as a young adult, I remarked that Australia is what the U.S. would look like if the British had won the War of 1776.

As you can imagine, then, I'm quite fascinated with the heavy music scene Down Under and follow it keenly. People, it is absolutely exploding there. Just pick your city: Melbourne, Tasmania, Brisbane, and the aforementioned Perth on any given night you can get your ear drums blown by some incredibly talented axe wielders and amp worshippers. One band that recently caught my interest was KING ZOG:

Daniel Durack (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)

Vince Radice (lead guitar, vocals)

Rory Keys (drums)

Martin Gonzalez (bass)

"Guitarist Vinnie Radice started this band with me in 2013 after I'd moved back from London, having lived and worked there for eight years," front man Dan Durack tells me. "We'd both been in rock 'n' roll, garage, and punk bands over the years and it was Vinnie's idea to put together a band to play heavy music, with both of us being obsessive fans since we were kids growing up in rural Western Australia."

You're curious about their name, I'm sure. I was. The first hit you get for your armchair sleuthing is Zog I, King of the Albanians. This enterprising fellow went from Prime Minister to President to King (yes, all three). "Bizarre King Zog" he was called. Despite all of his tyrannical proclivities, perhaps his one redeeming quality is he was one crazy chain-smoker, said go through 200 cigs a day. Could there be a connection to the band? It didn't hurt to ask. "A friend of mine's family is of Albanian descent and told me about Zog," Dan recalls. "A pretty interesting character. I thought the name sounded great, perfect for a metal band."

Even though King Zog is pushing five, they've only been gigging for the last two years. "It took us ages to find the right rhythm section. It was pretty comical, really. One bassist we believe took all the ecstasy in the '90s. After being in the band for a few months, he went away for a fortnight then came back and forgot everything. Another guy brought a practice amp to rehearsal and starting slapping the bass to Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" while we were setting up."

The bad luck didn't end there. "Unfortunately, we had to fire our drummer, Merrick, after we finished recording. Lovely man, but sadly just not the right guy for us anymore. He likes playing fast, with double kick, whereas we just want to get slower and dirgier, if that's a word. We found a killer young drummer, Rory, who's fit in really well, so already looking forward to recording with him. Since it took fucking ages to settle on a recording line-up, Vinnie and I already have a bunch of songs that the band is currently learning. Feels great to be finally progressing after years of being bogged down with people who weren't quite up to it."

King Zog by King Zog

This summer, King Zog's eponymous debut stole my attention. Enticed by Dominic Sohor's arresting album art, I stopped what I was doing and gave it a spin. It's a slow burner with a steady doom groove from end to end. Sometimes a band just does the basics really, really well. So well, in fact, you feel like you're hearing the sound fresh, almost for the first time. That's King Zog for you.

"We finally began recording last year with a rock 'n' roll producer named Ken Watt," the band says, "an amazing guitarist/front man and was in a couple of great Perth rock bands, Valvolux and The M-16s. He's not really a metal guy, but he's obsessed with guitar sounds and tone and knew exactly what we wanted. He set up a studio in his house right in front of Scarborough Beach, one of Perth's most popular beaches. It was winter when we began laying down tracks and it was pretty inspiring seeing the wild coastal weather while recording."

That would explain the churning feeling I'm picking up on here. Songs like the opening "Lost At Sea" present a slow, doom jam with strong, clean vocals that remind me a lot of Plush-era Scott Weiland, emotive guitar solos, and a stormy undercurrent that's pays homage to Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, and Nirvana, presumably the music. In other instances, the influence of Black Sabbath is both undeniable and welcome (check out "Fuck Island," a real headbanger). While 'King Zog' (2017) is a metal album through-and-through, it is appropriately tempered by these influences, which makes the record, well, interesting to listen to.

"Recording it felt easy since we'd been playing those songs for about three fucking years," Dan remarks. King Zog lucked out in having their debut mastered by famed English sound engineer Noel Summerville, whose resume includes decades of greats, including records by Bolt Thrower, Napalm Death, and Electric Wizard's Witchcult Today, "a record I've been pretty fanatical about since it came out."

The songs on the new record go back to when King Zog was still in is awkward growth phase, just Dan and Vinnie. "We write well together. We're good at completing the other's songs," Dan says. "I'll put in a bridge here; Vinnie will add a chorus there. Once I get a theme for a song in my head the lyrics come quickly, which might sound obvious to anyone who reads them! I try to keep it simple. I like a good vocal melody having grown up listening to Ozzy, Dio, Gillan, Paul Di'anno, Rob Halford, and Blackie Lawless."

These vocal anchors make sense for this record. While much of doom today adopts death-style vox, Dan prefers singing over the growling. "Cookie Monster style," he calls it. "Just a personal preference. I do like eating cookies -- we call them 'biscuits' in Australia." I almost forgot that. Please pass the biscuits.

And that grungy sound I described earlier? Turns out I was on to something. Dan and I grew up in the same era. "I was a teenager until 1994 and dug some of the grunge bands," he tells me, "particularly Nirvana, L7 and Mudhoney. Some of Soundgarden's stuff. I'd been pretty metal-obsessed as a teenager, but as I got into my twenties I did what a lot of people do and started looking backwards and getting into the pre-history of the stuff I loved, which led to a lot of '60s psychedelia, garage rock, and proto-punk."

This included bands from the groundbreaking Nuggets compilation, The Stooges, MC5, and Aussie acts Radio Birdman and The Saints. "All rites of passage bands for young Australian men," he explains “Australia had a band called The Missing Links in the '60s which I loved -- trashy and loud. While I never stopped listening to metal, I did embrace '70s and '80s punk and a lot of '60s music."

From there, Dan spend time in London soaking in the scene. "Living in England and its close proximity to Europe was perfect for metal shows and festivals, and I saw a lot of bands. I'd go out of my way to see Electric Wizard. I took a bus to Bristol and a plane to Berlin to see 'em. That band makes me feel like what it must have been like for a Sabbath-loving teenager in the '70s. They are easily the band I most look up to in terms of sheer mind-numbing, crushing, hypnotic riffs." At this point, I was curious what else was on rotation in the King Zog playlist. "Lately been listening to Windhand, Monolord, Yuri Gagarin and we listen to Sleep a lot."

Before I let front man Dan get back to riff-slinging, I had to ask about Perth. It had been years since I'd been there and I was curious what it was like living and gigging in the City of Light. "Perth's an isolated city. Whether that's reflected in the music, I don't know. There's a small but vibrant metal scene here that's also quite supportive. We've played with grind bands, punk bands, thrash bands, southern metal bands. We supported Acid King last year which was cool. We play loud and there's a lot of young sound engineers in Perth who are okay with that, thankfully.

There was that one time, however. "We played one venue down the road from where I live, an RSL hall (Returned and Services League, a support organization for men and women of the Defence Force) which we played at a couple of months ago. They'd been hosting bands for about a year but shut it down after we played. We'd only played a few songs when the guy who ran the bar yelled at me, saying 'You might be the best fucking guitarist and singer in the world but we'll never know because everything's too fucking LOUD! You've even alienated your own fucking fans, they're sitting outside!' We think the venue is probably better suited to bingo nights."

I don't anticipate King Zog turning the volume down anytime soon. 'King Zog' (2017) is an enjoyable ripper from end-to-end. "We're getting vinyl pressed in the next couple of months so looking forward to getting hold of it. We're focused on the next album already. Only the most lumbering, killingest riffs will make the cut."

Follow The Band.

Get Their Music.

[hmoricegsa-blog]

Lords of Land Festival

Seen 

- Rotting Christ 4/10

OG melodic black metal

As one of the bands considered to be a huge and long term influence on the second wave of black metal, I was excited to see how they would perform. I was, unfortunately, unimpressed with the band. There were several points where the guitarist would fail to play correctly, when it counted on it, such as when holding the rhythm with palm muted tremolos. They played an interesting mix of old and new songs but despite being incredibly enthusiastic, it came off as compensatory for the shoddy playing.

- Belphagor 5.5/10

Satanic Black Metal

I have seen Belphagor before in Glasgow about two years ago. I enjoyed them more that time but that is because I think I was in need of it and the crowd was in a more intimate setting. After seeing many Black Metal bands, their type of atmospheric performance makes me believe that the music is more suited to an intimate setting rather than on stage during a big festival. In their own gig they are able to cultivate the atmosphere they desire and have more creative control. In this festival setting the staging is more made to fit a wide variety of musical genres and so is less personal. Either way they played well and put on a good performance. I am just not sure it was the right place to see them. 

- The Black Dahlia Murder 9/10

Melodic death metal

These guys were incredible. I have seen them before on my birthday last year supporting Cannibal Corpse and they were also flawless then. They have such a unique sound that combines so many genres, meaning that they are popular throughout the scene. I met some thrash kids during the festival who I know from other gigs and they were expressing what they were excited about and it seemed the only cross over of taste from the festival was this band. As I am more a doom/stoner/black metal fan I was looking forward more to Electric Wizard and Belphagor (and this band) than the thrash Coroner and Tankard. They played perfectly and put on an amazing show to a very hype crowd. The only reason I am deducting a point is that I am not a fan of thrash beats and they use much of that and focus less on the more death metal rhythms. This is only personal preference.

- Coroner 4/10

Industrial thrash

I have a lot to say about this band. The entire thing left me feeling confused. The whole thing felt like a few dads who found their kids thrash and nu metal music and decided they liked it and to start a band. They were exceptional musicians, don’t get me wrong, every song was performed perfectly. There was just something off about it. I remember thinking at the time that they played the good riffs for hardly any time and the more filler sounding riffs for far too long. I felt extremely dissatisfied from this. It made me think about the importance of a balanced song structure and how having the wrong amount of two things that both could work in a song can turn it sour.

Also there was something that bothered me during the set which was before one of the songs, the singer said in a strong Swedish accent; ‘This one is about the terrorists,’ This statement with no further addition made me and my friend who came with me feel uneasy. The statement of the song could have ranged from a song about fighting together against people wanting to take away freedom to something with xenophobic or racist connotations. I thought for a while about how if I was a fan of their music before I would be able to find this out. However I decided that it is not the duty of the audience to have to figure out if a band was racist or not and that given the seriousness of the subject matter and the volatility of the current political climate that the band should have more sense to not leave any room for imagination with their statement.

- Electric Wizard 10/10

S T O N E R  D O O M  M E T A L

The crowd for Electric Wizard was one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. There was a massive mix of drugs everywhere. As I stuck to the pit area I managed to see a woman fall 3 times flat on her face while her (immoral) boyfriend tried to hold her up so he could stay at the show. There was some hardcore kids in the pits completely wired off their faces pushing into everyone with a touch more force and aggression than probably should have been necessary for a stoner metal gig. This was mixed in with many other weirdnesses. It’s not that I haven’t seen this stuff before, it’s just unusual to see it all at the same time. I guess that’s the consequence of holding a day festival with very varying bands, you get a varied crowd.

I am not wanting to focus on the people at the gig in this reflection, I merely mentioned as I thought it was something that was a notable element of the experience. 

The band themselves were the best I have seen them. This was the third time, and second time at a day festival of this kind. They had clearly been practicing as they were far more in sync than they had ever been before. Heavy stuff man. The room shook with doom. 

Fucking SICK. 

[theplaguezine]

CELTIC FROST

Interview with Tom G. Warrior by Daniel Hinds

(conducted November 1999)

Switzerland isn't a large country, but it has certainly produced some of the most singular musical entities, whether you point to the esoteric funk stylings of Yello, the psychedelic industrial ruminations of The Young Gods or the jazz-thrash technicality of Coroner.   One of the most influential (and my personal favorite) however was Celtic Frost.  In the mid 80s, the classic line-up of Tom G. Warrior (guitar, vocals), Martin Eric Ain (bass) and Reed St. Mark (drums) recorded one of metal's landmark albums, Into the Pandemonium.  The inclusion of everything from gothic moods and textures, female operatic vocals, and orchestral instrumentation, to a hip-hop song, a new wave cover tune and the band's already established brand of heavy metal made this album an incredible listening experience.  The rest of the band's catalog was certainly none too shabby either, with albums like Morbid Tales and To Mega Therion laying down some of the heaviest and most memorable grooves of all time.

Although the band constantly struggled with the business side of things and eventually went their separate ways in the early 90s, the Frost legacy is as strong as ever.  Bands as diverse as Emperor, My Dying Bride and Nirvana(!) have claimed influences from the Swiss outfit.  Sadly, the band's label didn't put much thought into the initial CD releases of their classic efforts, but Tom (now Thomas Fischer of the band Apollyon Sun) has taken the time to collect all the original art, lyrics, proper mixes and release remastered versions of the first three albums.  He also took some time to talk about the releases and reflect on the majesty that was (is…?) Celtic Frost.

Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to get all the albums re-released properly!  What prompted you to get involved and get this done?

It was the absolute dismal job that Noise did in the first place; the mutilation of our original artwork and the dropping of lyrics, the exchanging of photos and all that stuff that happened since the albums were originally on the market.  We could not stand that.

And are you pretty happy with the new versions? We are necessarily happy because the band was 100% involved with it.  Noise simply provided us with the resources to do it, but it was the band who put this together.

Out of all the Frost releases, what has been the biggest seller so far? I would say it was probably Into the Pandemonium.

Who was your favorite producer to work with?   It is definitely Roli Mosimann because he has a vision and is very unconventional, just like the band.  He's not afraid of taking risks, sometimes absurd risks, and this is all totally in the vein of Celtic Frost as band themselves.

What kind of risks do you mean? Well, to try out ideas that other people would say, 'They never sell,' or to try out ideas that are totally off-the-wall.  Risky stuff in that not every band does it and it is less than certain that it's going to work.  But for the benefit of creating new music, you still try it - you still have the integrity to stick behind it and you do it, even if it's maybe not a certain success.

Is there any more Frost or Hellhammer material in the vaults that might see the light of day someday? Well, as far as Hellhammer, I really don't care.  As for Frost, there are demos from Vanity/Nemesis and there are two demos from the last album that was never released.  I'm really not quite sure if that will ever be released or not - I don't know if we should release every little fart the band ever did. (laughs)  But, perhaps.  We've been talking about it loosely, who knows.

Any chance for a live video or a live album from one of the classic tours? No, there are no official live recordings.  We never wanted to do a live album - we really didn't like live recordings.  There are some mixing desk tapes that are in the possession of the band, but I don't think they are fit for release and everything else is just bootlegs.

Is there any live footage on video maybe? Again, it's just bootlegs.  We were going to do quite a big show in New York with an orchestra, where we would have played "Rex Irae (Requiem)" and some other tracks in classical arrangements, but that never came together.  That show was going to have been filmed and released as a home video, but it's one of many unreleased projects of the band.

Was that just a money-thing? No, it was connected to other things.  For business reasons, it just never came together and then later on, we had other plans and so on.  It's a shame, though, because we really wanted to do that.

Do you have one particular frost show that really stands out as being a particularly memorable show? Definitely when we played the Beacon Theater in New York City at the end of 1987, that was an outrageous show, just from the crowd reaction.  One of the most memorable shows was the Halloween show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, after Pandemonium.  That must have been one of the peak shows the band ever played.

Any contact with H.R. Giger since his involvement on To Mega Therion? No, we actually haven't.  Just recently, though, he gave an interview to a German music paper where they asked him about Frost and he had very kind words about us.  I will probably provide him with copies of the re-issues, though.

How did you come across the artist Les Edwards for the inner sleeve of Into the Pandemonium? The first time I saw his work was in a book of fantasy paintings.  I had this period in the mid-80s where I was interested in fantasy for a while and I had this book of really great fantasy paintings, but out of all of them, Les Edwards' work stuck out because it was more serious than the other ones.  It had more depth to it.  So, we were very eager to secure his work for our album because we knew we needed an inside sleeve.

When you finally found Ron Marks to join as a second guitarist, it seemed like you had been searching for a long time. How long had you been looking for someone? For perhaps one-and-a-half or two years, for a very long time.  It was just very difficult for us to find the perfect person.  We knew we could find somebody competent, but we didn't want just a hired gun - we wanted somebody who was original and who was as obsessed as we were, so we took a long time.  That's why we found Ron Marks very late in our career.  He had actually been to a show of ours in '86, but he didn't know we were looking for a guitar-player and we didn't know he was there. (laughs)

How did you actually hook up with him finally? Well, we had an ad all over America because we had such a great experience with Reed.  Ron Marks was a Celtic Frost fan and he put together an amazing tape and sent it to our management.  It was literally the last tape we received, but our manager called us into the studio and he said, 'We found the guy!  He's exactly the guy you want.'

How did you develop the singing style that you used on songs like "Mesmerized" and "Sorrows of the Moon"?  The first time I listened to that album (Into the Pandemonium), I thought you were sharing vocal duties with someone else! It's a bit complex to explain that.  On the first U.S. tour in '86, Reed and me were very disappointed by the hardcore faction in our audience, the people who came just for the most primitive elements in our music.  These fans were so violent, they started riots and fights in the audience, they came on-stage and destroyed part of the equipment, they made it almost impossible for the other fans to enjoy the show.  So the band made a conscious decision to alter our musical output.  We wanted to make it more accessible, we wanted to make it more melodic, in order to separate ourselves from that hardcore element.  And a very important part of that was to find a different vocal style, but since I didn't have any formal training, we resorted to experiments.  We were trying to determine what else there was in vocal styles that would match with our music, and these experiments are very reflected on Pandemonium.

Where did you get the title for Cold Lake? Well, it's very much a manifestation of our frame of mind at that time, meaning our extreme frustration with the recording industry.  After fighting for fourteen months in the most radical and extreme way possible against the record company, and them fighting us the same way, just because of Pandemonium, and the resulting destruction of the line-up of Pandemonium and the financial problems and the canceled video clips and everything…  We were just in a totally distraught frame of mind at that time and I think the title reflects that.

I'm wondering who some of your influences were in the earlier days that led to the more experimental tracks like "Danse Macabre" and "Tears in a Prophet's Dream." It was simply an attempt of painting a picture without the visual aid, like a movie without the pictures or a theater play without the actors - we just delivered a soundtrack that gives you a picture.

Did you ever think about doing a whole album along those lines? No, actually the second track "Tears in a Prophet's Dream" went almost too far for us.  We kind of had exhausted that concept and we were already starving for new stuff.

Are you surprised by the enduring influence and interest in Celtic Frost? Very much so.  It is something that we hoped for, though maybe not on that scale.  We always hoped the band wouldn't be forgotten when we would finally dissolve.  We always knew it was unavoidable that the band would end prematurely, but we always hoped that at least some elements of our music would stick around.  What has happened since then has totally surpassed any of our hopes or expectations.  It's unbelievable and we are extremely humbled by it.

What do you make of the scenes that have been clearly influenced by Frost, such as the black metal and death metal scenes? I don't care for the black metal scene, that has nothing to do with Celtic Frost.  We took a clear stance from the very first day against black metal and we really don't understand what black metal bands say when they claim they were influenced by us.  We feel that is very absurd.  We feel you have some responsibility when you are a musician and you release lyrics and stuff to an audience that is largely in their puberty and that is why already on Morbid Tales we took a strict stance against Satanism and everything.  So, this is really none of our concern and we don't associate with that.  The other bands that are claiming to be influenced by us…at times it is interesting and at times it's frustrating.  Some of those bands simply copy us and that's not really an influence.  Celtic Frost was all about innovation and trying new things and, to me, a band is satisfying when they do the same thing, when they try to explore new things.

Do you feel like the Celtic Frost story is still unfinished? At first, I felt so, but by now, I think it had to end like this.  On the other hand, we are all very close friends, we see each other as often as possible and because of that, we of course often talk about playing music together.  By now, within a year or two, it seems that it might actually happen, that we are going to do something else.  So perhaps, the last chapter hasn't been written yet, or perhaps there are several chapters - nobody knows right now.  I'm pretty undecided right now.  I think we could still do something, but it has to be modern and it has to be contemporary, otherwise we won't do it.

It seems like every release has been so radically different from the previous ones that, if you made a new album that wasn't innovative and different, it wouldn't be Celtic Frost. It would destroy the reputation of the band and we don't want to do that.  You're totally right, though.  The new album would have to be like Frost, it would have to be dark and heavy, but it would have to be radically different at the same time.

What are your immediate plans for Apollyon Sun? Well, we finished the full-length album three weeks ago, and now we're determining what label it's going to be on.  The release date is set for February or March of next year.  It's a very dark album.  It's a very modern album, but also dark and as experimental at times as Celtic Frost, so I'm very excited about it.  So that is the immediate plan - to get this album out on the market and to tour on the strength of it.

How does the album compare with the earlier EP? It is more integrated.  It's more of a true unit between modern instruments and traditional heavy instruments.  Even though we use drum loops and bass loops, we also use live drums and live bass, and we don't sample all the guitars, we have live guitars.  All of that makes it much much warmer than the material on the EP or just regular industrial material.  It is just a much more integrated mixture and this really the way we want to go.  We want to have a certain warmth and groove in our music.  We don't want to be somebody who presses a button and has a cool computer playing.

Did you produce the album? We produced it with Roli Mosimann and did a number of remixes with other people, like John Fryer, and we did some of our own remixes, just to explore different avenues.  But most of the material is produced by Roli Mosimann again, who did Vanity/Nemesis for Frost.

Cool, he's an awesome producer. Yeah, I like him very much, too.  He's a close friend, too, even though it's not always that easy to work with him. (laughs)  But I guess the same goes for us. (laughs)

www.celticfrost.com

[sweetdreamsjeff]

Knowing Not Knowing

"Early in the spring of 1997, singer and songwriter Jeff Buckley headed down to Memphis to begin pre-production on what would have been his second full-length album. A few weeks after Buckley arrived, his bandmates flew in from New York to join him. He was in high spirits: the songwriting was going well, and he was reunited with his group. The same night his band arrived Buckley went out for a late-night stroll to a Memphis harbor and waded into the river. He had always admired Led Zeppelin, and was singing "Whole Lotta Love" when a boat passed in front of him. He lost his footing, perhaps dragged into the water by the boat's wake, and was never seen alive again. He was thirty years old, two years older than his father, the folksinger Tim Buckley, had been when he died of a drug overdose.   "I first met Jeff Buckley and saw him perform about two years before he passed away. It was near midnight and Buckley was sitting int he back office of a Tower Records store in lower Manhattan. Buckley had become a scion of the Lower East Side antifolk scene, and was preparing for an in-store performance in support of his album GRACE.   "But first he needed to do something: he insisted on listening to a crackly old recording of "The Man That Got Away" by Judy Garland, in the pretext that he wanted the store manager, who had given the CD to Buckley, to understand how magnificent a gift it was. Buckley needed to demonstrate the album's beauty. He had also picked up gratis CD reissues of vintage Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone records, and two albums by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who had a major influence on Buckley's singing. While Buckley could occasionally summon the same kind of ecstatic vocal power that was Khan's trademark, his singing had more in common with Garland's delicate, vulnerable warble.   "Buckley was an unglamorous star. That night he was wearing a wretched pair of weathered combat boots- the sort you occasionally see homeless men selling- a frumpy gray cardigan sweater, and jeans that hadn't been washed in a long time. Ditto his hair. In an oddly white-trash bit of accessorizing, Buckley's wallet was attached to his belt by a chain, in the style favored by motorcyle gangs. Three days of beard growth rounded out his anti-coif, but his sex appeal remained intact: a nervous girl approached to ask if, as she suspected, he was a Scorpio. Another pressed a poem she had written for him into his hand. He folded it carefully and put it in his pocket, as though he would cherish it forever. Maybe he did.   Buckley was at an odd moment in his career when he died. Having moved to New York several years before from California, where he was raised by his mother, he crawled his way up through the ranks of teh insular lower Manhattan music scene. He had beome a mini-star in that highly circumsribed mircrocosm, perched on the cusp of national and international success. That night at Tower records the line between Lower East Side local hero and international stardom seemed pretty thin. On one hand, his debut album sold several hundred thousand copies (although more in Europe than America), and there was a trhrong of photographers and autograph-seekers pressing around him. ON the other hand, he wasn't above hauling his own gear onstage, more or less indistinguishable from the half dozen stringy-haired sound men and roadies who were putting together the sound system in the first place.   "Buckley had no video in heavy rotation on MTV, largely because he insisted that people judge the music on the way it sounded before supplying them with an accompanying image. For the same reason, he refused to even suggest a single to radio deejays. 'What I'd love,' Buckley said, 'is if a deejay had a lineup of songs, and he'd just use one of my songs as part of a really nice evening. But that's the way I would deejay, not the way they do it. They usually have playlists.'   "For a guy with folksinging in his blood, Buckley had assembled an arsenal of prog-rock guitar effects you'd expect at an Emerson, Lake, and Palmer show and had set his amp at cat-spaying volume. (In fact, he had been raised on Led Zeppelin and Kiss.) Several dozen more stringy-haired people with assorted rings in their lips and noses (his fans) materialized. AS he stepped onto the makeshift stage, a grumpy security guard began clearing some fans from a stairway, but Buckley interjected: 'Wait! Those are my friends! Can they stay there? I give them special permission.' What started as dispensation for four friends ended up being extended to anybody who wanted to stay.   "The set began with a ghostly wail from Buckley, and a mildly Middle Eastern guitar line. He sang with a vibrato that quivered like the tongue of a snake. It was so atmospheric that you hardly realized his bandmates were rocking their tits off. That was the tension: Buckley ululating in sensual falsetto, the band churning out mid-seventies Led Zep knockoffs. He seemed a strangely ethereal cherub in the midsst of all that visceral thrash.   "After the show, Buckley signed autographs, taking several minutes with the thirty or so fans who lined up for an audience with the tousle-haired singer. Rather than just scribbling an autograph, he wrote a personal note to each person. Everything he did seemed to place poetry before commerce, but I couldn't help wondering if it was all an elaborate ruse, a crafty stance aimed at those disenchanted with the slickness of pop posturing. Didn't Buckley, after all, want to make a lot of money and sell records?   "'If it happens it'd be great,' he said later that night, over omelettes and wine at an all-night eatery, 'but we just play to express. I want to live my life playing music, so that we can be immersed in it. In order to learn how deep it goes, you have to be in it.'   "As to why he took so much time with each of the fans who asked for an autograph, Buckley articulated his basic anti-rock-star stance: 'The way I experience a performance is that there's an exchange going on. It's not just my ego being fed. It's thoughts and feelings. Raw expression has it's own knowledge and wisdom." He trailed off, as though humbled by the mere thought of his audience wanting to hear him play, or asking him for an autograph. 'I've been in their position before and all I wanted was to show my appreciation to the performaer. So I feel like it's kind of generous of them to even be asking me for an autograph.'   "'It's true that there's also the people who want a piece of you,' he conceded. 'But it's pretty hard to keep feeling protective all the time, because there's really nothign to protect yourself against. Sometimes people shout at me on the street, and they feel they know me through my music. But that doesn't substitute for a real personal relationship. I don't feel like people know me, I just htink we share a love for music in common, and for some reason they key into the way I play. I feel appretiative when people come up to me, and I feel good when we connect. Usually, it serves as a nice comedown after a performance. Any other conduct would bust the groove, because I'm buzzing when I get offstage, and I'm consciously protecting that connection because that's what got me through the performance in the first place. It's an invocation and worship fo this certain feeling, this direct line into your heart, and somehow music does that more powerfully than anything else. It's like ! a total, immediate elixir.'   "By all appearances Buckley conformed to the stereotype of the poetic artist: largely lacking the practical, thick-skinned psychic barrier that separates most of us from the harsh realities of life. With a rabbit-like nervous disposition and a hypersensitive vulnerability that bordered on the tragicomic, he looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment. His face was contorted and slightly tortured-looking during most of the interview, though I got the impression it wasn't so much the experience of being interviewed that was torturing him but the pain of grappling with his own thoughts and the world around him.   "Relationships were at the heart of Buckley's world. Although he was marketed as a solo artist, the attitude he had toward his listeners mirrored the relationshiop he formed with his three-piece backing band. 'Playing with a band is all about accepting a bond, accepting everything the way it is. It takes a lot of patience and a lot of taking chances with each other. It wakes seeing each other in weak and strong lights, and accepting both, and utilizing the high and low points of your relationship.'   "It wasn't only interpersonal relationships that Buckley held sacred-- he was aware of making his music in relation to all the sounds around him. The environment was Buckley's co-composer: to his ears, no melody or rhythm was separate from the sounds going on in the background. 'It's not like music begins or ends. All hinds of sounds are working into each other. Sometimes I'll just stop on the street because there's a sequence of sirens going on; it's like a melody I'll never hear again. In performance, things can be meaningful or frivolous, but either way the musical experience is totally spontaneous, and new life comes out of it, meaning if you're open to hearing the way music interacts with ambient sound, performance never feels like a rote experience. It's pretty special sometimes, the way a song affects a room, the way you're in complete rhythm with the song. When you're emotionally overcome, and there's no filter between what you say and what you mean, your language beco! mes gutteral, simple, emotional, and full of pictures and clarity. Were you to transcribe it, it might not make sense, but music is a totally different language."   "'People talk all day in a practical way, but real language that penetrates and affects people and carries wisdom is something different. Mayve it's the middle of the afternoon and you see a child's moon up in the sky, and youfeel like it's such a simple, pure, wonderful thing to look at. It just hits you in a certain way, and you point it out to a stranger, and he looks at you like you're weird and walks away. To speak that way, to point out a child's moon to a stranger, is original language, it's the way you originate yourself. And the cool thing is, if you catch people in the right moment, it's totally clear. Without knowing why, it's simply clear. That sort of connection is very empirical. It comes from the part of you that just understands immediately. All these types of things are gold, and yet they are dishonored or not paid attention to because that kind of tender communication is so alien in our culture, *except* in performance. There's a wall up between people all day long ,but performance transcends that convention. If pop music were really seen as a fine art or if fine art were popular, I don't know what the hell would happen-- this wouldn't bee the same country, because if the masses of people began to respect and really open to fine art, it woudl bring about a huge shift in consciousness.   "'Music is so many things. It's not just the performer. it's the audience and the architecture of the song, and each builds off the other. Music is a setting for poignancy, anger, destruction, total disaster, total wrongness, and then- like a little speck of gold in the middle of it- excitement, but excitement in a way that matters. Excitement that is not just aesthetically pleasing but shoots some sort of understanding into you.'   "Buckley's songs were composed with made-up chords, bright harmonic clusters that seem too obvious not to have been written before, yet they rarely feel formulaic. There's a lot of open strumming, suggesting that the songs were written largely for the sheer physical pleasure of playing them. He and his band modified the arrangements during each performance, playing with an elasticity and openness typical of Buckley's personality. 'Hearing a song is like meeting somebody. A song is something that took time to grow and once it's there, it's on its own. Every time you perform it, it's different. It has its own structure, and you ahve to flow thorugh it, and it has to come through you.'   "Buckley's entire career reflected on his outsider's approach to the music business. When he arrived in New York, rahter than recordings a demo or finding an agent, he simpley began to perform for free. He palyed at a small cafe on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and before long, crowds were lined up out the door. As a result, representatives of record companies sought out Buckley, rahter than the other way around. 'There is a distinct separation of sensibility between art as commerce and art as a way of life. If you buy into one too heavily it eats up the other. If instead of having songs happen as your life happens, you're getting a song together because you need a cetain number of songs on a release to be sold, the juice is cuked out immediately. That approach kills it.'   "Still, it took a strong belief in one's art to sit in a small cafe and trust that the world's record companies would come calling. buckley palyed down his seemingly effortless approach to career as though it were common-sense. 'I just wanted to learn cetain things. I wanted to just explore, like a kid with crayons. It took a while for me to get a record contract, but it also took a trememdous amount of time for me to feel comfortable playing, and that's all I was concerned with. And I'm still concerned with that, mainly.   "'I don't think about my responsibility as a musician in terms of any kind of religious significance. I don't have any allegiance to an organized religion; I have an alligience to the gifts that I find for myslef in those religions. They seem to be saying the same thing, they just have different mythologies and expressions, but the dogma of religions and the way they're misusued is all too much of a trap. I'd rather be nondenominational, except for music. I prefer to learn everything through music. If you want divinity, the music in every human being and their lvoe for music is pretty much it. It's the big indication of their spirituality and their ability to love and make love, or feel pain or joy, and really manifest it, really be real. But I don't believe in a big guy with a beard on a throne, telling us that we're bad; I certainly don't believe in original sin. I belive in the opposite of that: you have an Eden immediately form the time you are born, but as you are conditioned by your caretakers and your suroundings, you may lose that original thing. Your task is to get back to it, so you can claim responsibility for your own perfection.'   "buckley considered the development of awareness to be the main goal of his life. 'I think of it as trying to get more aligned with the feeling of purity in music, however it sounds. I think music is prayer. Sometimes poeple make up prayers and they don't even know it. They jsuit make up a song that has rhyme and meter, and once it's made it can carry on a life of its own. It can have a lot of juice to it and a lot of meaning: there's no end to the different individual flavors that people can bring to the musical form.   'In order to make the music actual, you have to enable it to be. And that takes facing some ting sinsude you that constrict you, your own impurity and mistakes and blockages. As yo uopen up yourself, the music opens up different directions that lead you in yet other directions.'   "Asking most pop musicians if they're satisfied with records sales is liek asking moleds about the aging process: they say they don't care, but it's hard to believe. For commercial recording artists, sales are the only objective indicator of whether they're doing things right- that fans are sincerely motivated to walk into records stores by the tens or by the millions, pull out their wallets, and pay for the music. But with his quiet, unaffected boice nearly a whisper, Buckley steadfastly maintained tha the really didn't want to sell a million records- and it was strangely believable. When he talked aobut multiplatinum-selling bands who felt "disappointed" by a mere five million copies sold, the disgust he felt for commercialism was palpabale. 'The only valuable thing about selling records, the only thing that matters, is that people connect and that you keep on growing. You do many choices based on how many poeple you reach, meaning, now that I have a relationship with strangers worldwide, I have to try not to let it become too much of a factor and just accept it. The limited success we've had in the past is definately a factor, it's just there. It jsut is. The whole thing is such a crapshoot, you can't really control what your appeal is going to be. My music ain't gonna make it into the malls, but it doesn't matter. I don't really care to make it into the malls.   "'Whether I sell a lot of records or not isn't up to me. You can sell alot of records, but that's just a number sold- that's not understood, or loved, or cherished.   "'Take someone like Michael Jackson. Early on he sacrificed himself to his need to be loved by all. His talent and his power were so great that he got what he wanted but he also got a direct, negative result, which is that he's not able to grown into an adult human being. And that's why his music sounds sort of empty and wierd.   "'Being the kind of person I am, fame is really overwhelming. First of all, just being faced with the questions that everybody faces: Do I matter? Should I go on? Why am I here? Is this really that improtant? All that low self-esteem shit. Your'e constantly trying to make sure that your sense of self-worth doesn't depend on the writings or opinions of other people. You have to wean yourself off acclaim as the object of your work, by learning to depend on your own judgment and knowing what it is that you enjoy. Youhave to realize what the difference is between being adored and being loved and understood. Big difference.   "'I don't really have super-pointed answers to the big questions. I'm just in the middle of a mystery myself. I'm not even that developed at having a real psycho-religeous epistemology about what I feel. All I can tell you is that I feel. It's just the same old fitht to constantly be aware. It's an ongoing thing. It'll never be a static perfect thing or a static mediocre thing, it just has it's rise and fall.'" The following chapter has been transcribed from Shambhala Publishers' _Inside the Music: Conversations with Contemporary Musicians about Spirtuality, Creativity and Consciousness_, by Dimitri Ehrlich; ISBN #1-57062-273-6

[avenger-hawk]

Tagged by: @someone-who-is-there, @shisuicune and @eeliiii

Thanks to all of you ✨🐰🐙🐟🐣🐦🐬✨

(veeeery long post under the cut)

@someone-who-is-there‘s questions:

1. Name three people you admire. 

Margherita Hack, an astrophysicist, animal rights supporter, political activist and self-proclaimed atheist (but when she talked about space you could see how spiritual she was). 

Samantha Cristoforetti, astronaut, the first Italian woman who went to space, he first person who brewed a coffee in space, also the first person who cosplayed in space (she’s a Trekkie, she brought her Star Trek uniform with her)

Giordano Bruno, philosopher and cosmological theorist who hypothesized many planets, star systems and universes (a sort of multiverse as it’s called today), in the Renaissance, when they still believed that everything rotated around the Earth, who believed in reincarnation and pantheism and who was burnt alive for heresy in Rome.

2. Using one word, how would you describe your friends?

Noisy. Sometimes I forget why we’re friends, even~

3. What is the sound you love the most?

Birds chirping, it makes me happy.

4. What fictional character do you wish you could meet?

Uh I’m not sure, I could go for an obvious Naruto universe character but wouldn’t it be too obvious? Also which one would I choose? There are too many..from the Uchiha clan and outside, like Team Taka. So I’ll choose Data from Star Trek Next Generation, an inspiring positive universe and a very human android.

5. What’s the worst thing you did as a kid?

I’ll choose a worst-funny thing. When I was baptised I was a little older than other kids (my mom wanted to wait but she was pressured and eventually she accepted) and I never had sweets because my mom was attentive to healthy food. But I was restless during the ceremony and it was a collective baptism with random kids, in this huge ancient church with catacombs, so some random lady gave me a candy to make me shut up. I went on a sugar high and when the priest took me in his arms and put my head on the baptism water tank (how is it even called haha) I freaked out and thrashed and yelled at him to put me down saying things like “let me go I’ll kick your ass”...something that my parents didn’t teach me, but kids are sponges so how knows where I learned that from~

6. What’s the toughest decision you made this year? 

Shave my head on new year’s day, to get rid of the hair pulling impulse with a shock treatment and let hair regrow properly. Stress comes in many ways, and when you bottle it up eventually stuff will happen. Currently they’re super short except for a couple of bangs in the front. The toughest thing was to say it, not to do it, as it was regarded as an irrational decision while to me it was completely rational, although hard. I suspect the hardest part will arrive in summer, when I won’t be able to wear beanies and hats or a wig. And uh, I’m mentioning this in detail for the first time, so it’s kind of important I guess.

7. What makes you nostalgic? 

I’m not very nostalgic of the past, I’m more nostalgic of things that haven’t happened yet, and probably never will.

8. What superpower would you most like to have? 

Mind reading/manipulating, including animals so I could communicate with them. Basically the sharingan, plus animals.

9. What do you want new people you meet to think about you? 

Uh I don’t really care but sure I don’t want them to think I’m stupid or incompetent.

10. What’s the moment you left childhood behind?

Sometimes I feel like I haven’t left it yet, sometimes I feel like I never was one, as I always overthought things.

@shisuicune​‘s questions:

1. Your favorite childhood memory?

I’m not sure if I have one favourite. But when I think about my childhood what first comes to mind is me playing in the garden with tiny toys, making up their adventures in my head, the grass and flowers as a forest. Also I have a memory of me playing in the garden of some cool elegant house, knowing that inside there is a party. I remember the garden very well and the other kid vaguely. But my parents said they never took me to such place so~

2. How do you take your coffee/tea?

I don’t like tea and I take my coffee dark and bitter as hell~

3. Favorite books?

The Little Prince (A. De Saint Exupéry), Fictions (J.L. Borges)

4. Which fictional character(s) do you see as a role model, or has influenced you significantly in your life? :3

I tend to admire characters who think independently, have strong feelings that run deep, have visionary ideas and aren’t afraid to to whataver it takes towards their goal.

5. If you could change the ending of any work of fiction, which would it be and how would you change it?

Naruto of course. This is what I’d do more or less~

6. If a genie granted you 3 wishes, what would they be?

To have their powers myself so technically I’d have unlimited wishes~

(oh and world peace and no more animals killed)

7. Do you have any pets? If so, what are their name(s)?

I have 2 dogs called Toffee and Paolino, 1 cat called Mordicchio (like Futurama’s Nibbler), 1 occasionally visiting cat called Matisse (I didn’t name him, I prefer Van Gogh haha), aaand I set up a table in my garden for birds to come by and eat, I consider them my pets as well since they call me if I’m late in giving them food. 

8. If you could live (or regularly visit) any place in the world, where would it be?

So many places, Japan, Northern Europe (uh watching Vikings kinda made me dream of those places), Prague again, the UK and not just London, also New Zealand and Australia. 

9. Your favorite movie(s)?

Dark City, Cloud Atlas, Interstellar, Moon..there is definitely a pattern that has to do with (un)reality.

10. If someone were to write a biography about you someday, what should it be titled?

“Reality isn’t real”...or, something taken from an AFI song.

@eeliiii ‘s questions:

1. What are your hobbies?

Reading, writing fanfictions (also an original story-not a fanfic), making sugarpaste figurines, taking walks and watching birds. Oh and thinking about..everything. Just 20 minutes ago I tried to direct a fly towards the open window but it was stuck on the glass and wouldn’t realize that the real open part was close to where it was, and I thought it was a metaphor for reality. Luckily the fly found its way, in case anyone’s wondering.

2. Going to repeat but I’m curious~ Who are your favourite fictional characters?

Sasuke, Itachi, Madara, Shisui, Karin and Team Taka from Naruto, Renji and Byakuya from Bleach, Sesshomaru from Inuyasha, Light Yagami from Death Note, Takagi from Bakuman, Arya Stark from Game Of Thrones, Kara Thrace from Battlestar Galactica.

3. How do you think we’ve come upon to existing in this world?

Well I do believe in evolution but I also agree with those theories saying that human evolution was “boosted” by an alien civilization's contribution. Also, these “aliens” might be the creatures that ancient humans considered deities and mythological characters. 

4. You have a week to live– what are you going to do?

Say goodbye to who matters, probably say sorry to those I owe it, and spend the remaining time enjoying the weather, my pets, trees and flowers, birds and the night sky to which I’m sure I’ll return. 

5. What songs do you sing/hum~?

Anything that pops in my head. If it’s a metal song I just hum the melodic parts tho. Speaking of which, I was humming Roman Sky by Avenged Sevenfold. Which is about Giordano Bruno, so that’s why I had that song in mind.

6. What type of weather do you like most?

All except for excessive heat. I live in a sunny place and I enjoy that, and I also enjoy a gray day with a light rain.

7. What are your favourite colours?

Dark ones, like blue, green, grey.

8. If you get to pick what sort of world to live in– What’s your ideal kind of world would be?

Star Trek TNG world: a future where the Earth is no longer plagued by world hunger, poverty and wars, where the first encounter with an alien race put everything -different races, orientations, beliefs, cultures- into perspective and humanity united under one peaceful flag. No longer driven by materialism and violence, no longer in need to work for enriching themselves or corrupted companies, humans’ use their intellectual abilities to improve themselves through arts and science and knowledge. They build spaceships that allow them to explore the universe, devices that replicate food and objects they need and allow them to communicate with people from other planets, hologram decks where they can create AUs and scenarios from the past, wear costumes and live adventures from books or anything they want.

9. Favourite Artist?

Escher! I love Escher. Also Italian Futurism, Surrealism, and Pre-raphaelites (except for D.G. Rossetti).

10. What are your sinful pleasures?

Writing and reading fanfiction, especially darkfics, especially rare pairings darkfics~

My questions:

1 What was your favourite childhood game?

2 What character would be easier for you to cosplay, as for physical resemblance? 

3 What’s your favourite moment in Naruto?

4 What’s your favourite ice cream flavour?

5 Other than naruto what’s your favourite anime/manga?

6 What’s the most expensive thing you ever bought?

7 What’s your pet name, if you have/had one, or how would you call it if you had one?

8 How would you decorate your house/room with no budget (or logic) limits?

9 What’s the weirdest thing you told someone during an argument?

10 What’s the thing you dislike most in fanfics?

I tag:

@admiral-izusasu, @wynillustrates, @renamon15, @tsukiko-hibiki, @eeliiii, @lusciousitachi, @komiya-kun, @kakashitachi, @loonelybird, @verrottweil, @diaboluslapis, @rockabelle and whomever wants to do this~

[biofunmy]

Rebel Girls – The New York Times

And a few boys, too. When riot grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill played their first New York show in 22 years, these are the fans who showed up — one as early as noon and two who hadn’t told their parents. Hi mom and dad!

Photographs by Nina Westervelt

Produced by Anya Strzemien

Interviews by Sharon Attia

June 7, 2019

If the end of this decade is memorialized as a time when women got really angry, and then even angrier, the music of Bikini Kill could provide the soundtrack.

The feminist punk band — credited with helping to launch the riot grrrl movement of the 1990s and writing its anthem, “Rebel Girl” — hadn’t played since the band broke up in 1997. But they reunited this spring for two shows in Los Angeles and four in New York. Next week will bring two more in London.

A lot had happened in those 22 years. And yet, the sound of thrashing instruments and women screaming seems more relevant than ever. As the critic Evelyn McDonnell put it: “The return of Bikini Kill feels less like a blast from the past and more like a superhero’s intervention.”

Here are a few of the fans — many of them surprisingly young, from places as far-flung as Minneapolis, Montreal and Florida — who attended the first New York gig on May 31 at Brooklyn Steel. They had all come in search of a good time (actual moshing and crowd-surfing included) and to witness a history-making moment.

These interviews have been edited and condensed, and profanity has been removed (sorry, not very punk of us). A few follow-up questions were asked later over email or DM.

Kayla Brooke, 27

Montreal

How early did you get here?

Noon.

You’re basically third in line.

Yeah. The other couple was here before us and they’re such angels. It’s very community feeling.

Would you consider yourself a riot grrrl?

Yes, but a modern riot grrrl, so a little bit more intersectional, if you will. That’s something that’s huge for me in my feminism: intersectionality. Because if we’re not talking about all those things then what are we doing? If our spaces are just for white women, then we’re not really creating safe spaces.

Bria Bisono, 21, and Xavier Medina, 19

Florida

Did you fly or drive to New York?

Xavier: We flew. We bought the tickets at the end of January. I was like, “It’ll be cool, I’ll come with you. I know they’re cool.”

Bria: We didn’t even ask our parents. We just booked it.

Alison Mop, 19

New York, N.Y.

How did you get into Bikini Kill?

Probably from YouTube, to be honest.

And what’s the name of your band?

How long have you liked Bikini Kill?

I’ve liked them for a while actually. I was a teenage punk girl, so they were always a big influence for me. I never actually thought that I would see them live, so this is an opportunity I couldn’t miss.

What about their music do you love?

I’ve always loved punk rock because it was a really inclusive movement, and as a handicapped person I was always welcome and felt safe in that spot. And when I found out there was a feminist movement within the punk movement, I was attracted to it. And I found this band and was like, this woman is my hero. Kathleen Hanna is great.

Molly Schnick, 40, and Nic Offer, 46

New York, N.Y.

Is this your first Bikini Kill concert?

Molly: No.

Finally! When did you see them last?

My former band played shows with them in 1994.

What was your former band?

We were called the Tourettes.

Olivia Linnen, 18

Bronx, N.Y.

and Leila Roberts, 18

New York, N.Y.

How long have you been into Bikini Kill?

Leila: Probably since I was 8 or something. My parents grew up listening to punk and stuff, so I grew up listening to it as well. And then I put her on to it when we became friends in high school. And then I started showing her stuff when she was 16. So this is her first punk show.

Did you grow up going to punk shows with your parents?

Yeah, for sure, totally.

Are they here?

No, they’re not.

Heather Hildreth (a.k.a. “Siouxsie Cupcakes”), 34 and Naomi Parnes (a.k.a. “Siren Sixxkiller”), 28

Denver, Colo.

How long have you two been friends?

Naomi: Our best friend title became official sometime in 2016 after we performed our “Wayne’s World” burlesque act for the first time, but that’s an entirely different tangent. One of us was like, hey, I’ve been calling you my best friend lately, that cool with you? And the other of us was like, yeah I’ve been doing the same, should we send out an announcement or something?

Do you consider yourselves riot grrrls?

I can’t officially speak for both of us — our telepathy isn’t quite that honed yet — but I have a feeling I know that Heather would say the same as me, which is unequivocally yasss, I consider myself a riot grrrl. It’s been a label I’ve been inspired by for many years.

Your mohawks* are cool. What’s the story behind them?

Thank you! I definitely enjoy having a mohawk, even though it’s the most high-maintenance hairstyle I’ve ever attempted to maintain. I’m Cherokee and Jewish, so my hair genetics are strong and mighty — even with half of it shaved off on the sides, there’s still just so much of it to control.

*pictured at the top of the article

Daniel Abbott, 34, and Jen Varani, 37

Raleigh, N.C.

What does riot grrrl mean to you?

Daniel: I knew that it wasn’t specifically for me as a male, but as a queer boy they were singing to things that I was experiencing. I was experiencing bad dudes, I was experiencing people critiquing my appearance, and so it still resonated with me.

Morgan Mitchell, 23

Cincinnati, OH

Is that a Daria tattoo on your leg?

Yeah, it says, “You’re standing on my neck.”

And what’s the other one?

This is like a Joan Jett/Siouxsie Sioux punk girl.

And what’s she holding?

It’s a switchblade, and it says “Rebel Girl.” So, a Bikini Kill reference.

Tiffani Argentina (a.k.a. “Gemini Blitz”), 29 and Torrie Ogilvie (a.k.a “Torrie Rose”), 31

Brooklyn, N.Y.

What is it about riot grrrl that you like?

Tiffani: Female solidarity.

Torrie: It’s really especially impactful at this time in our country’s history.

What’s your favorite Bikini Kill song?

Tiffani: I would have to say “Rebel Girl.” It’s an anthem! It’s just like, “We’re girls and we want to be cute and we want to have fun but also don’t mess with us.” That’s the kind of spirit that I like to embody on a daily basis.

Chloe Smith, 18, and Anna Murphy, 16

Red Hook, N.Y.

So, given your age, this is obviously your first Bikini Kill concert. How’d you get into them?

Chloe: In ninth grade, because I was watching “Portlandia” and then I became obsessed with Carrie Brownstein and I was like, all right Sleater-Kinney kind of goes, so then I like dove too hard into “Rebel Girl” kind of stuff. I did a presentation on it.

Angelica Moreno, 27, and Bobby Bosak, 32

West Palm Beach, FL

How long have you been into Bikini Kill?

Angelica: Since high school, so I was probably like 14 when I got introduced to them.

Bobby: When I started getting into punk music, about 17 or 18 or something like that.

Cool. What is it about their music that you like?

Angelica: I don’t know. It’s just like the message that they portray and like hell yeah, women. I just love everything about it.

Bobby: What she said.

Danielle Cusack, 22

Minneapolis, MN

Why do you think this reunion is important?

I think it’s important because there’s generations of people here. At the L.A. show there was a little girl on the shoulders of her father watching Bikini Kill. It was so heartwarming and amazing to see that this tradition is being continued. And I think it’s always important for people to see women on stage who are angry. Because we’re constantly told that we have to contain our anger or we have to be sad.

What are you angry about?

Everything. For real.

Sahred From Source link Fashion and Style

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2wNP2Ew via IFTTT

[maryseward666]

CHTHONIC Frontman And Taiwanese Politician FREDDY LIM Tries To Keep Metal And Politics Separate

RARE BLACK METAL COLLECTIBLES

Australia's Heavy TV recently conducted an interview with frontman Freddy Lim of Taiwanese metallers CHTHONIC, who also is a part of Taiwan's parliament. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On CHTHONIC's origins: Freddy: "In the beginning, the band CHTHONIC was formed in 1996. Back at that time, I was in my second term at a university. I was very into death metal and black metal. Black metal was quite new in 1996, so I got quite a lot of influences from the Scandinavian bands. I started to think. I had played in many bands when I was in high school, but I didn't really make my decision on what kind of genre I wanted to play. I played in some bands doing covers of GUNS N' ROSES and some bands covered some thrash metal bands. When I started to listen to all these extreme metal bands from Europe, from Scandinavian countries, then I started to think, 'Wow, I really like that kind of music. I like all those symphonic black metal bands.' Then, I feel I have this kind of emotion with me as well in Taiwan. I want to express my anger or sadness in Taiwan. There is a rich history and mythology in Taiwan, Taiwanese aboriginal tribes as well. I have the same kind of inspirations and feelings. That's when I made the decision to play this kind of music. Over ten years, we improved our styles and more into Taiwanese styles to mix with Taiwanese things, but at the same time, there has been so many different movements happening in Taiwan as well. Along with the progress of the bands, improving the music, but on the other hand, we have been participating with different movements, which means that there are two things happening at the same time. One is how should I write my own metal? The other thing is what is a better society? How can I get involved in the society to make things better? Things going on at the same time, so, I think the band was getting bigger, but at the same time, the more I got involved in public affairs. But, actually, I separate these two things. I make these two things separate. I didn't really write music based on political messages and I didn't try to play my music in the political [sphere] either. Metal is not that kind of music. [Laughs] The crowds cannot understand what's going on. If I'm a rapper, maybe I can do that. If I play folk music, maybe we can do that. In metal, come on. The elders and so many scholars and activists, nowadays, there are more and more people into metal now, but back in the '90s, nobody understood why we played metal in these campaigns, in these activities. So, I try to manage these two things separately. Metal, when I write music, I just concentrate on how to write good metal music and don't think in political [terms]." On the therapeutic element of metal music: Freddy: "I think sometimes the people, or the people who don't listen to metal, they just misunderstand what we are doing. They thought that the metalheads are crazy, but actually, I think metal is a style of music that can express your emotions and make you more calm in ordinary days. It makes you mentally healthier. Of course, we like to bang our heads, we like to mosh, it's like a sport. It's a release for our emotions, but on the other hand, there are so many strong messages in all of these metal bands, all kinds of messages. Some messages, maybe there are some wrong messages as well, but the people, I know so many metalheads that love to research information about those messages. I know so many metalheads who know more about Scandinavian culture, history because they love all of those Scandinavian black metal bands. So many metalheads want to learn more about those messages, like myself. I can't really analyze why I became so political, but I know when I was in high school, I tried to think and learn more about the lyrics of MEGADETH and ANTHRAX and all those thrash metal bands and tried to debate with myself what they are talking about. What are those messages about? So, that's something those people who are not metalheads may not understand or acknowledge." On being tagged as the "BLACK SABBATH of Asia": Freddy: "[Laughs] I like Ozzy [Osbourne], I like BLACK SABBATH. But, the general [details] between us are quite different." CHTHONIC's most recent release was last year's "Souls Of The Revolution" EP. The title track featured a guest appearance by LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe. The track was described as the "theme song" of CHTHONIC's Taiwanese action-comedy "Tshiong", which received a Taiwanese premiere last December. The movie, which stars Blythe, was directed by Wen-Tang Cheng, who has previously produced a number of documentary, short and feature films. On January 16, 2016, Lim was elected as a member of the Taiwanese parliament, making him the first metal star to become a parliamentarian. The new political party that he co-founded, the New Power Party (NPP), won five seats and became the third largest party in Taiwan's national legislature. Now he is vice president of the Taiwan-USA Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association and chairman of Taiwan Parliament for Tibet.

[Read More ...]

MY BLOG: http://www.rockoutwithyourcockout.com/

from Rock Out With Your Cock Out http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/chthonic-frontman-and-taiwanese-politician-freddy-lim-tries-to-keep-metal-and-politics-separate/ via IFTTT

[mako-khan-blog]

Day 4 BLUESFEST 2015

Bluesfest 2015 Day 4

Bluesfest 2015

If Saturday night at Bluesfest 2015 was the night of one word descriptions, Day Four goes down in history by being the day of four words – Oh My F*%king Goddess!!!

Where else in Australia can you see the following live acts all at the same festival, all on the same night?

Here’s a quick roll call;

Diesel, Watussi, Nikki Hill, Blue King Brown, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Angelique Kidjo, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals and Mavis Staples.

Truly!!!

We woke up the afternoon of Day 4 a little later than expected as Nanna Naps sometimes fool you when you don’t set the alarm. This set the scene for the rest of the evening as it was more a matter of just going with the flow (and really, what else does one do at Bluesfest?). With this in mind, the night laid out an eclectic and mesmerizing smorgasboard of musical taste sensations to once again graze on and that nourished and sustained the very core of us all. If only there were seconds available. Yum!!!

So here goes Day 4 in no particular order.

By chance, I had to head back to the car to grab some jackets and on the way out heard this amazing vocalist as I walked passed The Delta Stage. I kept on going to the carpark, and when I returned and stopped for a moment , I realized it was Diesel, up there on the stage all by his gorgeous self. Everyone’s favourite American-born, Australian music legend did it all one man band style last night, with just his guitar/s, harmonica, drum machine and of course that honey coated husky voice of his. Swoon…

After bursting onto the Australian live scene in 1986 as ‘Johnny Diesel & The Injectors’ and a subsequent solo career from 1991, Diesel (Mark Lizotte) still continues to bring it everytime, and the crowd was loving the trip down memory lane. I caught Johnny Diesel and The Injectors at The Arts Factory/Piggery, Byron Bay back in my early highschool days, so I, along with everyone else at The Delta Stage, was reliving times past when he broke out “Soul Revival”. With a career spanning more than 25 years, over 35 singles, 13 albums, 6 ARIA awards and record sales edging 1 million, Diesel is a journeyman of music. With blues music in his DNA, Diesel has blended styles to come up with a unique sound, punctuated with his distinct guitar playing and soulful vocals. Amongst all the spectacular international acts on hand at this years Bluesfest, it was also refreshing to be able to catch one of the last true pub circuit live Aussie acts. Wow!!!

Nikki Hill hit The Delta Stage just as I was chowing on down into a big juicy chicken burger next door at the Burger Yard. Often coined the new queen of soul, Nikki hails from North Carolina, and was influenced mostly by Little Richard. Nikki comes by her Deep South soul honestly. This blues shouter and growler is a bona-fide rock’n’roll diva that has audiences wrapped around her finger. As I was grooving in the Burger Yard, I thought to myself, imagine if Bluesfest secured Tina Turner one year. It must have been the burger, mixed with Nikki’s rock chick sweet soul style that made me wonder. We listened to Nikki’s cd on the way to Bluesfest on day 4 so it was great to be able to catch her live.

I fully love me some Watussi, the more live the more better too. I met these guys somewhere back in 2005 at Koori Radio 93.7fm Marrickville when they were just starting out on their musical journey, so I have a special spot for them on my insides! These Sydney based Afro-Latin-rockers, led by Colombian born compadre Oscar Jimenez, with their unmistakable distorted riffs and funked-up percussive rhythms brought to Bluesfest 2015 a dance extravaganza with new exotic South American rhythms to celebrate the band’s 10 year anniversary. The last few years have seen the group support performances with acts such as Santana, Earth Wind & Fire, Seun Kuti, Manu Chao. These brothers need to be booked for Mardi Gras and have their own float!!!

Mavis Staples shared on stage, "We must all work towards peace, because without peace and equality society cannot move on and become better,". This really set the scene for her live set. It made me think about all the acts at Bluesfest, and that while many of the younger generation of groups sprout peace, unity, freedom etc, profusely, sometimes even stopping their set to explain the virtues of the struggle, other acts such as the legendary Mavis Staples was there in the frontline and embeds her music with the very essence of what the youth Bluesfest acts very rarely encounter. Grammy Award winner MAVIS STAPLES was voted as one of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, and Rolling Stone listed her as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. MAVIS STAPLES is the real deal. In her 67-year career – from her ground-breaking family gospel group – THE STAPLES SINGERS ‘I'll Take You There’, ‘Respect Yourself’, ‘If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)’ and on her own, MAVIS STAPLES is responsible for blazing a Rhythm & Blues trail, while never relinquishing her Gospel roots and it is now that her star is shining brightest. Mavis Staples has publicly stated that Bluesfest is her favourite festival of all time. The crowd went wild (in a very self respectful way) when this inspirational 75 year old Aunty belted out the her song ‘Respect Yourself’. The lady don’t lie!!

It would not be a real Bluesfest experience without the next act, BKB, another band with a strong social message who started their career jamming in the streets of Byron Bay over a decade ago. Lead singer Natalie Pa'apa'a offered a clear message for her audience.

"Our music is dedicated to the Aboriginal people of this country and of all nations, because they know what is like to be alienated by a system that does not work for us, that needs to be changed," she said.

The message '‪#‎sosblackaustralia' was projected into the stage's background during their show a number of times, referring to the campaign against the possible closing of remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia.

"Australia is the only country in the world that did not sign a treaty with its Aboriginal people after colonization," said Pa'apa'a.

BKB also invited Yirrmal Marika up onstage to perform Yothu Yindi’s Djapana and Treaty, which made the crowd go absolutely wild. For a local (my Grandfather was born at Tyagarah, where Bluesfest is held), Aboriginal South Sea Islander like myself, it always blows my mind when Aboriginal culture is embraced by the masses with such Respect and Love. Awesome!!!

I have been blessed to see ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO, Grammy Award winner, tireless campaigner for women’s health and education in Africa, a UNICEF Peace Ambassador and also, with a 20 year discography, 12 albums and thousands of concerts around the world, a gifted performer and prolific songwriter, many many times (in South Africa, Sydney, Melbourne and at Bluesfest 2 or 3 times). This woman never fails to impress me live, and as always gets the mob up and dancing. Her no nonsense style of interacting with the punters whilst on stage is very old school, and her pride as an African woman is undeniable. Last night at The Crossroads Stage, Anjelique had the tent packed and up dancing all the way through her act. Even the lantern paraders couldn’t help but come in and proceed up and down the aisles. Such is the magnetism of this amazing woman.

Rodrigo y Gabriela, the internationally acclaimed Mexican acoustic rock guitar duo who have won the hearts of many Australians music fans (including all of us at Bluesfest) are returning with their unique instrumental blend of Rumba Flamenca including elements of Rock, Metal, Jazz and World music. Rodrigo y Gabriela will also be bringing their latest release and first studio album in five years with them; 9 Dead Alive.

Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero have been playing together for more than fifteen years. First as young Thrash Metal fans in their native Mexico City, then as innocents abroad and street musicians in Dublin, Ireland at the turn of the millennium, and finally as the globe-straddling, film-scoring, record-breaking artists they are today including career sales in excess of 1.5 million albums, and sold out tours worldwide including headlining at London's Wembley Arena, just two weeks before they played Bluesfest 2015.

Rodrigo y Gabriela are known for their exhilarating live shows, the extraordinary interplay between Sanchez’s fiery lead lines and Quintero’s phenomenal rhythmic battery, creates a sound which is truly universal. It was liberating to be able to experience music without lyrics, and it was so cool to see the capacity filled Mojo Stage audience getting right behind this dynamic duo. Their appeal is boundless, their scope limitless, and the music timeless, we were all wowed by Rodrigo y Gabriela at Bluesfest. Footstomping galore was going down at this pefomance, in and out of the mud. Big Fun Indeed!!!

The much anticipated reunion of BEN HARPER & THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS at Bluesfest on Easter Sunday (April 5) went down into history as one of the major events on the 2015 Festival calendar. It was the bands ONLY performance in Australia. When brother Ben hit the stage, there were still people coming into the greater Mojo compound. An artist such as Ben Harper and his music needs to be heard as far and as wide as possible.

Another amazeballs evening of great music, vibes and company.

After a beautiful night under The Moon and experiencing great live music, beautiful hearted people and awesome food, as I walking out of the festival site proper I turned and said to my mate, “wouldn’t it be good if the world was like this all the time”, then quickly shifted focus and added, “in fact I take that back, ‘cos if the world was like this all the time, we wouldn’t appreciate it’.

Oh, and did I mention that Stunning Moon...

ONE LOVE

[happymetalgirl]

Thoughts on Havok’s Conformicide

“It’s 1984!” David Sanchez shouts on the ripping track “Ingsoc”, in reference to the turmoil and omnipresent surveillance of the dystopia of the famous George Orwell novel of the same name, and musically it damn sure sounds like it is 1984 again.

I was introduced to Havok in high school by a friend of mine who had a similar love for classic era thrash metal. He showed me their first album, Burn, and I’d be lying if I said I was immediately hooked or even if I said that I now see that album as something much greater than what I first saw it as. As far as thrash is concerned, Havok did not come tremendously strong out of the gate and they’ve sat pretty low on my personal thrash totem pole. I’ve kept tabs on them simply for the sake of already knowing them and wanting to see if they ever put out something glorious, and over the years they’ve been steadily improving their songwriting abilities and solidifying their sonic identity. Having followed them, though not intensively, for 8 years or so now, Conformicide feels like a protagonist winning their climactic battle with the enemy against all odds and basking in the glory.

I’ve been talking a lot about thrash metal kind of taking the beginning of this year by force with veterans like Kreator and Overkill coming back with significant and solid (somewhat for Overkill) releases and newcomers like Power Trip and Iron Reagan keeping the flame of thrash alive with vibrant and classic-sounding thrash albums whose updated productions are the only truly modern-feeling aspect to be found on them. I was quite satisfied by the product of Power Trip’s most recent album, which came out two weeks earlier and thought they had raised the bar for classic thrash revivalists this year with their spot-on tribute to the straightforward assault of thrash legends like Metallica and even Venom.

If Power Trip’s new album was an excellent and respectful offering of worship to the golden age of thrash, then Havok’s Conformicide has put its listeners in an auditory time machine and taken them back to the glory of that golden age. I was not even a thought in 1984, so I don’t know all about making thrash metal mixtapes with actual tapes, but I imagine that if Havok was hypothetically there too, a lot of songs from Conformicide would be on a lot of those mixtapes. While Havok clearly owe much of their sound to Megadeth, Anthrax, Sodom, Sepultura, Death (etc. etc.), and while they didn’t exactly get such a firm grip on those groups’ writhing energy in their first couple of albums, Havok seems to have found that elusive jugular vein and drawn plenty of the blood of thrash mightiness to both embody and elaborate upon with immediacy like a guitar rookie who now plays their teacher’s licks back to them with both precision and their own new spin. Conformicide is album that has Havok actually sounding like a student strong and vicious enough to go head to head with its masters.

I feel like I’m really laying the flattery on pretty heavily for Havok, and much of that I think is due to having seen how much they’ve grown in the 8 years since their debut album and the excitement of seeing them blossom after weathering some difficult seasons. And blossom they certainly have, without a shred of doubt in my mind, so I have no qualms with showering them with praise for making what is now my favorite thrash album of the year so far.

I do want to go over a few of the musical details that I thought really made Conformicide such a stellar effort. Off the bat, David Sanchez seems to have improved his control over his large vocal repertoire; he doesn’t sound so frantic or at the mercy of chance when it comes to the high shrieks or clean singing, his comfortability with which he has significantly improved. Megadeth is, without a doubt, Havok’s greatest influence and the many Mustaine-isms that pop up during Conformicide’s 58 minutes (snarly spoken-word-ish vocal delivery, dual guitar virtuoso soloing, controversially politically charged lyricism) are handled professionally and rival Dave himself. Speaking of tastefully done vocals, the cheesy gang vocals that seem to represent early thrash (kind of like on Meshuggah’s Contradictions Collapse) on a lot of songs from earlier Havok albums, only show up occasionally on Conformicide and make a positive impact on songs like “Masterplan” (“War! Famine! Death! Disease!”). Instrumentally, the band sounds more practiced than ever and their speedy, heavily Megadeth-inspired drum-work and guitar shredding are at their best (not that technicality was that much of a problem for them early on).

The greatest improvement the band has made, however, is in their songwriting; each song on here sounds intentional, inspired, and uniquely crafted from the other nine surrounding it, which I could not really ever say about any of Havok’s previous albums. I feel like here is where I would naturally go through what were my favorite songs on the album and which ones didn’t shine as much as others and why, but there really isn’t a weak moment on here and I’ve only given the album five listens now, which, with this impeccable selection, has not been enough for me to determine what I would call my favorite parts, which says enough about an album with such consistent quality to warrant the blanket statement of “it’s all good.” And damn it sure is!

I think the only criticism that can be made of this album, which I’m sure a few intentionally snobby critics will be happy to point out, is that it is rife with thrash typicality in many places, but damn does Conformicide really make you love them, and I don’t think that equates to it being boring or unimaginative; in fact, making a fresh auditory dish with seemingly stale ingredients is an impressive and often unaccomplished feat. The way the band has gone about playing the unyielding thrash they do with all the corrupt-government lyrics and high-tempo-but-not-death-metal-tempo everything makes it clear that they are not looking to reinvent the thrash wheel or have any significant kind of critic-pleasing motives as far as being praised for “changing the thrash game” or some shit like that. And that’s what makes the album at its core so great. It’s just Havok thrashing for no reason other than just to thrash because that’s what thrash at its heart has always been about to such a great degree, and they happen to do it spectacularly on Conformicide. I love this album, and it’s rewarding to hear such a fantastic album from a band who I’ve been following, even though not that closely, since just after I started listening to metal so it is with great enthusiasm that I recommend Havok and the pinnacle of their efforts in the form of Conformicide.

[doomedandstoned]

The Strange, Fantastic World Of Devil's Witches

~Interview by Mari Knox~

We will shock our readers when they read that behind the name Devil's Witches there is just one guy. So James, introduce us to your project, tell us who are you and where your music come from.

Thank you for having me. I'm not really big on talking about myself, not because I want to create some false of sense of mystique but because I want to create a very specific experience. When someone like Hendrix says, "Are you experienced?" he's talking about seeing things with an open mind. He talks about transcending the ego and getting lost in your trip, whatever form that may take. I feel like by focusing on the artist, you can destroy the immersion of the art, unless, of course, they become the art themselves, like David Bowie did during his Ziggy era. So my reluctance to talk about myself is more about this world I've created through the story of the album and the points in time I've referenced. I feel I'll get in the way of the immersion I want to create in the listener. I'd rather just slip into the background and let the music speak.

Your debut, 'Velvet Magic' (2017), is a concept album and your songs seem to find inspiration in the works of Jess Franco, Jean Rollin, and Russ Meyer, not to mention gorgeous and charming actresses like Tura Satana and Soledad Miranda. What more can you share about the fascinating story you're telling here?

The story of the album centres on a mysterious female who is fully in touch with her feminine magic. If anyone has read ‘The Satanic Witch’ by Anton LaVey, they will know what I'm talking about. I don't regard myself as a Satanist, but this aspect of the left hand path is of great interest, as is Crowley. This godlike female is affronted by the horrors of humanity, specifically the tragedy of Vietnam. Her goal is to use her magic to quite literally save the earth through sex. Sex, to me, represents life, not perversion or shame. She finds this male soldier who was part of some of the worst atrocities in Nam, including the My Lai massacre, and decides to redeem him to save everyone. The album follows his story as he comes back to the US and right up until the two of them connect in astral coitus. It's really quite a beautiful statement when you drop all baggage connected to attitudes towards sex. I enjoy playing with juxtaposition and you will find it all over the album and visuals. Polarity is a very powerful thing.

I am a very visual person. The music that resonates with me the most are ones that create pictures in my head or have videos or art that inspire me. I've lost count of the times the visual side of certain music has compromised my enjoyment of the songs. It works the other way too. I've had songs that may have been seen as mediocre, not necessarily bad, but I respond to them because of the pictures they create in my head. Obviously, the music is the main priority, but I see the visuals as quite high, maybe even bordering on equal. Interestingly, movie director Jess Franco, who is a big influence, was mostly concerned with pictures. He didn't even write full scripts sometimes and just shot with his instinct having other people overdub later on. Often times, he had no involvement in that process, as he was off capturing new images.

"Psyche, Fuzz, Doom, and 1960s Worship" -- these are the keywords you use to describe Devil's Witches. What are your biggest musical influences?

Hendrix is everything. He's the only musician I've ever heard who can hit a wrong note and it's still the greatest note you've ever heard. Second to that is Frank Zappa. His early output with the Mothers Of Invention in the '60s is my favourite. Zappa could take pop sounds and turn them into prog rock. He was a musical genius in the truest sense. Other influences are The Doors, Jefferson Aeroplane, and Grateful Dead. The heavy side of my music is inspired by Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard. What resonates with me most about heaviness is the physicality of actually feeling the music through the speakers, even at low volumes. The heaviest song on the album is none of the singles, and it's very dark.

It not easy to create such an impressive and variegated wall of sound like this all by yourself. Sometimes it feels like there are four people playing together. How do you fashion this sound? And, since this is a solo project, how did you record all of the parts?

Russ Meyer was one of the greatest auteurs the movie business every saw. He financed, scripted, shot, directed, and edited most of his pictures. Looking up to someone like that is very motivating when faced with great ideas and a lack of resources. This kind of inspiration is what helped me -- having great role models with cast iron work ethics. I recorded the album just like most bands would, but obviously I had to do certain tracks at a time. The key is to always try to stay in the place where music feels magical and not to get bogged down by the mechanics of it.

At the moment, I know that 'Velvet Magic' will have a tape release via the Chilean label Golden Dawn Recordings. How did you get in contact with them? Would you like to release the album in other formats, as well?

They actually contacted me, in all honesty. Due to my love of the cinematic, I had previously played with the idea of having my name before ‘Devil’s Witches’ like old movie posters for example ‘Russ Meyer’s 'Supervixens.’ I decided against this for the reasons expressed earlier, but I forgot I'd uploaded some art with my name on it in this fashion. It became easy for anyone who enjoyed the output to find me. So Golden Dawn contacted me and expressed interest in releasing the album on cassette and that was even before they heard all the songs. Vincente Zamorano of Golden Dawn is a great guy who has believed in this music from the moment he heard it. I just recently sent him the whole album and he was very happy with it. Regarding other formats, I've also signed with another label who wants to put the album on vinyl. This label is enjoying the album greatly, as well, which is very promising. Stay tuned for the reveal of that. I'd love CD, but no one has contacted me. Maybe that format is dead. Also, it will be available digitally.

You really care for the band's graphics, from the art posted on social media to the music videos. Do you personally take care of that aspect or is someone else helping you with this?

Everything is done by me apart, from the logo. That was designed and drawn by a very talented Spanish artist by the name of Raúl Fuentes. He draws exclusively in black and white and has the most macabre underground style. His usual output is death and thrash logos and zine covers, but I asked him to capture the '60s in his style. The logo is very typical of the era, even labels like RidingEasy records have adopted this look and it was this familiarity I wanted Raúl to bring into the design. Combining that element with his underground horror qualities, Raúl takes the logo from '60s pop culture symbol into a darker place. This comparing of worlds is central to what Devil's Witches is about. Check Raúl out at Mörtuus Art .

The overabundance of female in the imagery obviously ties directly in with the music exploring feminine magic. I grew up exclusively around woman. My grandmother practically raised me and the only kids in my area to play with were girls. Even now, I live with five women, although two of them are cats. My admiration and respect for every facet of femininity is the cornerstone of Devil's Witches. I have deep religious feelings towards the divinity of the feminine, but maybe those conversations are for future articles.

Trevor William Church, the frontman of Beastmaker, supported you a lot during the creation of 'Velvet Magic.' How was this collaboration born?

Just like everyone else, Beastmaker caught me by surprise. I saw them at a Blood Ceremony show and was sucked into their Mario Bava soaked world. Trevor seemed like the kind of guy I could get along with, but I'm a shy person so I never worked up the courage to chat with him. When I got home, I added him on Facebook and just through commenting on each other posts, we become familiar enough to regard each other as sort of long distance friends. When he heard "Voodoo Woman," he messaged and complimented me on the song, the riffs, melodies, but he said the mix was not where it needed to be. He gave me invaluable pointers and has been my go to guy these past months while for navigating the album mix and certain other music business details.

Any chance that we will get to see your project on stage or is this something you're not interested in making happen, at the moment?

I have thought a lot about what a Devil's Witches show would look like and it's not exactly a record label or promoter's dream. It doesn't involve a band simply playing the songs to tour an album. It would be a kind of performance art. It wouldn't even be like theatrical rock. Going back to my cinematic influences, you might begin to imagine what I'm getting at. I wouldn't even necessarily be present on the stage. The problem is that it needs to be very specific. One wrong move and it's a bit of a laughing stock. So I'm not sure you're going to see it touring the world anytime soon.

It's quite clear that you prefer bands from the '60s and '70s, so if you were to suggest a recently released album or a contemporary band, which one would you choose?

There's definitely one artist I would love to praise right here, but I’m going to keep that one for me. Let me just say she has managed to create her own universe in her music through imagery and performance. Her own life has become a work of art, too, and she's a million miles away from fuzzy doom. But those images I talked about earlier are very strong here and inspire me in very tangible ways. Maybe one day we'll get to collaborate.

Before we say goodbye to the Doomed & Stoned readers, I've got on last question to ask. What should we expect from you in the future?

I have already begun writing album two and the story follows directly on from Velvet Magic. I'm just as excited creating this as the first, so it may not be too long, but the future right now for everybody is Velvet Magic. Thank you for offering me a platform to connect with listeners and bring this experience to a wider audience.

Follow The Band.

Get The Music.

[biofunmy]

Rebel Girls – The New York Times

And a few boys, too. When riot grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill played their first New York show in 22 years, these are the fans who showed up — one as early as noon and two who hadn’t told their parents. Hi mom and dad!

Photographs by Nina Westervelt

Produced by Anya Strzemien

Interviews by Sharon Attia

June 7, 2019

If the end of this decade is memorialized as a time when women got really angry, and then even angrier, the music of Bikini Kill could provide the soundtrack.

The feminist punk band — credited with helping to launch the riot grrrl movement of the 1990s and writing its anthem, “Rebel Girl” — hadn’t played since the band broke up in 1997. But they reunited this spring for two shows in Los Angeles and four in New York. Next week will bring two more in London.

A lot had happened in those 22 years. And yet, the sound of thrashing instruments and women screaming seems more relevant than ever. As the critic Evelyn McDonnell put it: “The return of Bikini Kill feels less like a blast from the past and more like a superhero’s intervention.”

Here are a few of the fans — many of them surprisingly young, from places as far-flung as Minneapolis, Montreal and Florida — who attended the first New York gig on May 31 at Brooklyn Steel. They had all come in search of a good time (actual moshing and crowd-surfing included) and to witness a history-making moment.

These interviews have been edited and condensed, and profanity has been removed (sorry, not very punk of us). A few follow-up questions were asked later over email or DM.

Kayla Brooke, 27

Montreal

How early did you get here?

Noon.

You’re basically third in line.

Yeah. The other couple was here before us and they’re such angels. It’s very community feeling.

Would you consider yourself a riot grrrl?

Yes, but a modern riot grrrl, so a little bit more intersectional, if you will. That’s something that’s huge for me in my feminism: intersectionality. Because if we’re not talking about all those things then what are we doing? If our spaces are just for white women, then we’re not really creating safe spaces.

Bria Bisono, 21, and Xavier Medina, 19

Florida

Did you fly or drive to New York?

Xavier: We flew. We bought the tickets at the end of January. I was like, “It’ll be cool, I’ll come with you. I know they’re cool.”

Bria: We didn’t even ask our parents. We just booked it.

Alison Mop, 19

New York, N.Y.

How did you get into Bikini Kill?

Probably from YouTube, to be honest.

And what’s the name of your band?

How long have you liked Bikini Kill?

I’ve liked them for a while actually. I was a teenage punk girl, so they were always a big influence for me. I never actually thought that I would see them live, so this is an opportunity I couldn’t miss.

What about their music do you love?

I’ve always loved punk rock because it was a really inclusive movement, and as a handicapped person I was always welcome and felt safe in that spot. And when I found out there was a feminist movement within the punk movement, I was attracted to it. And I found this band and was like, this woman is my hero. Kathleen Hanna is great.

Molly Schnick, 40, and Nic Offer, 46

New York, N.Y.

Is this your first Bikini Kill concert?

Molly: No.

Finally! When did you see them last?

My former band played shows with them in 1994.

What was your former band?

We were called the Tourettes.

Olivia Linnen, 18

Bronx, N.Y.

and Leila Roberts, 18

New York, N.Y.

How long have you been into Bikini Kill?

Leila: Probably since I was 8 or something. My parents grew up listening to punk and stuff, so I grew up listening to it as well. And then I put her on to it when we became friends in high school. And then I started showing her stuff when she was 16. So this is her first punk show.

Did you grow up going to punk shows with your parents?

Yeah, for sure, totally.

Are they here?

No, they’re not.

Heather Hildreth (a.k.a. “Siouxsie Cupcakes”), 34 and Naomi Parnes (a.k.a. “Siren Sixxkiller”), 28

Denver, Colo.

How long have you two been friends?

Naomi: Our best friend title became official sometime in 2016 after we performed our “Wayne’s World” burlesque act for the first time, but that’s an entirely different tangent. One of us was like, hey, I’ve been calling you my best friend lately, that cool with you? And the other of us was like, yeah I’ve been doing the same, should we send out an announcement or something?

Do you consider yourselves riot grrrls?

I can’t officially speak for both of us — our telepathy isn’t quite that honed yet — but I have a feeling I know that Heather would say the same as me, which is unequivocally yasss, I consider myself a riot grrrl. It’s been a label I’ve been inspired by for many years.

Your mohawks* are cool. What’s the story behind them?

Thank you! I definitely enjoy having a mohawk, even though it’s the most high-maintenance hairstyle I’ve ever attempted to maintain. I’m Cherokee and Jewish, so my hair genetics are strong and mighty — even with half of it shaved off on the sides, there’s still just so much of it to control.

*pictured at the top of the article

Daniel Abbott, 34, and Jen Varani, 37

Raleigh, N.C.

What does riot grrrl mean to you?

Daniel: I knew that it wasn’t specifically for me as a male, but as a queer boy they were singing to things that I was experiencing. I was experiencing bad dudes, I was experiencing people critiquing my appearance, and so it still resonated with me.

Morgan Mitchell, 23

Cincinnati, OH

Is that a Daria tattoo on your leg?

Yeah, it says, “You’re standing on my neck.”

And what’s the other one?

This is like a Joan Jett/Siouxsie Sioux punk girl.

And what’s she holding?

It’s a switchblade, and it says “Rebel Girl.” So, a Bikini Kill reference.

Tiffani Argentina (a.k.a. “Gemini Blitz”), 29 and Torrie Ogilvie (a.k.a “Torrie Rose”), 31

Brooklyn, N.Y.

What is it about riot grrrl that you like?

Tiffani: Female solidarity.

Torrie: It’s really especially impactful at this time in our country’s history.

What’s your favorite Bikini Kill song?

Tiffani: I would have to say “Rebel Girl.” It’s an anthem! It’s just like, “We’re girls and we want to be cute and we want to have fun but also don’t mess with us.” That’s the kind of spirit that I like to embody on a daily basis.

Chloe Smith, 18, and Anna Murphy, 16

Red Hook, N.Y.

So, given your age, this is obviously your first Bikini Kill concert. How’d you get into them?

Chloe: In ninth grade, because I was watching “Portlandia” and then I became obsessed with Carrie Brownstein and I was like, all right Sleater-Kinney kind of goes, so then I like dove too hard into “Rebel Girl” kind of stuff. I did a presentation on it.

Angelica Moreno, 27, and Bobby Bosak, 32

West Palm Beach, FL

How long have you been into Bikini Kill?

Angelica: Since high school, so I was probably like 14 when I got introduced to them.

Bobby: When I started getting into punk music, about 17 or 18 or something like that.

Cool. What is it about their music that you like?

Angelica: I don’t know. It’s just like the message that they portray and like hell yeah, women. I just love everything about it.

Bobby: What she said.

Danielle Cusack, 22

Minneapolis, MN

Why do you think this reunion is important?

I think it’s important because there’s generations of people here. At the L.A. show there was a little girl on the shoulders of her father watching Bikini Kill. It was so heartwarming and amazing to see that this tradition is being continued. And I think it’s always important for people to see women on stage who are angry. Because we’re constantly told that we have to contain our anger or we have to be sad.

What are you angry about?

Everything. For real.

Sahred From Source link Fashion and Style

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2K6Igm2 via IFTTT