#one of his incredible original ideas?? knuckles having a dad. he said that the sonic movie people copied him by giving knuckles a dad

[sonknuxadow]

honestly i dont even think its inherently unreasonable of penders to want legal ownership of his characters and stories. it feels like he gets a lot of hate just for that when the real problem is his behavior and certain things he tries to claim ownership of. and im not defending him it just feels like people hate him for the wrong reasons sometimes

[mobius-prime]

180. Sonic the Hedgehog #112

Welcome to a very special issue! Nearly every page is packed with really interesting and relevant information, dealing with the emotional issues of a few important characters, and also containing not one, not two, three, or four, but FIVE different character profiles! This is a really meaty one, so let's get busy!

Mistaken Identity Crisis!

Writer: Benny Lee Pencils: Art Mawhinney Colors: Josh & Aimee Ray

So we got a little bit of a hint about it last issue, but ever since his free will has been restored, General D'Coolette and Antoine have been spending a lot of time together, making up for lost time as father and son. They're strolling through Knothole one day when out of nowhere, a dimensional portal begins to crackle above their heads, and Sonic, recognizing the look of the portal, rushes over just in time to catch Zonic as he falls from it.

Aww, don't feel bad, Antoine! Weirdly enough, for most of this issue, the artists seem to have forgotten that Zonic is supposed to be affected by sideways gravity, and so when Sonic rushes him off to the hospital he's just lying down in an ordinary bed without any problems. It's honestly not too big of a deal, but it is weird, especially given that later issues that go further into the concept of the No Zone actually incorporate this idea of sideways gravity into the story in some quite fascinating and unique ways. Dr. Quack begins looking after the injured Zonic, but until he wakes up from his stupor, they'll be unable to find out who attacked him, so for now Sonic heads back out of the hospital to go talk to Antoine and his father once again. The general is clearly very impressed at Sonic's heroism and valor, but while Sonic is initially happy to receive the praise, he notices Antoine is looking troubled behind his father's back, and, realizing that he's feeling unappreciated, decides to help him out.

I mean, while I disagree that Antoine isn't a hero, it's incredibly sweet of Sonic to go out of his way to ensure that Antoine can look good in front of his father. I would actually say that Antoine is the definition of brave, as bravery isn't just feeling unafraid in the face of danger, it's actually being afraid, but stepping up anyway, which is exactly what Antoine always does when he's faced with something terrifying. Sonic strolls away after explaining his plan, and Antoine goes back to his father feeling confident and excited about whatever Sonic might be cooking up, but as soon as Sonic is out of earshot he's called back to the hospital to speak to Zonic, who is waking up.

So one of Sonic's "worst enemies" is hanging around here, huh? Meanwhile, Antoine is giddily describing a somewhat-embellished fight between him and Robotnik to his father when none other than, who else, Evil Sonic shows up to ruin their day! Antoine is certain that this is in fact Sonic Prime, merely dressed up and putting on a performance to give Antoine the chance to show off by beating him up in front of his dad, and thus immediately karate chops him on the head, knocking him out. Sonic and Zonic exit the hospital and come racing up, pleased and amused to see Evil Sonic already out cold, and Sonic knowingly congratulates an oblivious Antoine on his victory…

See, Antoine? You're a courageous hero after all!

All right, now before we dive into the backup story for this issue, we've got a lot of character info to cover! Our first character to look at is Sonic himself. Since he's what I used to get my measurement ratios, his height and weight are the same as those from the games. He's 100 cm or 3'3" tall, and weighs 35 kg or 77 lbs. We already know he's sixteen, though by now I'd imagine he's a little closer to seventeen as it's been a while since he celebrated his last birthday. But when is his birthday, exactly? Well, it's actually not the same as his birthday in the games - in the Archieverse, his birthday is on June 11. Now, remember how I said several issues ago to keep in mind the date of Robotnik's death during Endgame? That date was June 13… and Endgame took place over the course of three days. Which means that, yes, the mission where Sally supposedly died took place on Sonic's birthday.

This changes goddamn everything. Can you imagine? Sonic isn't so bigheaded that he would expect all operations against Robotnik to cease just to celebrate his own birthday, so of course he wouldn't be too fazed over having to infiltrate Robotropolis on his big day. He probably expected a successful mission and a happy return to Knothole, where he and his friends would have a little celebration of both the mission and his birthday. Instead, he was abandoned at the city, and returned on his own to Knothole to the news that his childhood best friend was dead and he was suspect numero uno. What was supposed to be a day of celebration turned into his worst goddamn nightmare. Two days later, of course, everything was resolved and Robotnik was dead, but still, what a horrible thing to deal with while it was all still going on! I will also note that this gives a little more perspective to the amount of time he and Tails were away from Mobotropolis while in search of Naugus. They returned (and Elias was brought back from the Floating Island) on his sixteenth birthday, meaning that in between defeating Robotnik and returning to Mobotropolis after defeating Naugus, an entire year had passed. The comics are finally starting to really solidify the timeline of events and pay more attention to the passing of time, and we can see it all coming together by the inclusion of these dates.

Apart from all of that, the rest of the page doesn't tell us much that we don't already know. It hasn't been mentioned in a long time, but yes, Sonic's middle name is still officially Maurice. His real first name is listed as being "unknown," but luckily, I have the power of internet research on my side! He never got a chance to include it before he stopped working on the comic, but Kenders originally intended to eventually reveal that Sonic's birth name was in fact Ogilvie, which is a real-world surname that is Scottish in origin. Apparently, he was named after one of his grandfathers, but quickly picked up the nickname Sonic due to his running everywhere as a small child, and eventually legally changed it to such, because no one wants to be stuck with the first name Ogilvie. I mean, come on! Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog? That's the worst name I've ever heard in my goddamn life! Actually no offense to Kenders on this one though, I'm not meaning to imply that I disagree with this idea on his part, as the entire point of it is obviously meant to be that Sonic was born with a horrendous name and was eager to change it to something better as soon as he grew old enough to choose for himself. With that context, it's downright hilarious.

But Sonic isn't our only character file to look at! Next up, we have Knuckles, who actually gets two whole pages to himself due to how much content there is within his own backstory. First, his measurements. He's 103 cm or 3'5" tall, which is a little bit shorter than his game counterpart, and he weighs 37.4 kg or 82.3 lbs. He's also sixteen, though with a birthday of September 8 he's a few months younger than Sonic, as we already know. His actual file, though it mostly again just covers info we have already received through past issues, gives us some more context for how his earliest years of life went. He was in fact taken out to the Floating Island for Guardian training at the age of only three years old, and his father essentially homeschooled him in basic things like math and science while also training him in his inherited duties. We also find out that in fact he was only ten years old when his father left for Haven through the wall of fire, which even given his accelerated development as a child is still quite young to be left with the impression that one has been abandoned by the only parent one has ever known. Over the five or so years before he met Sonic, Knuckles became quite sour and bitter in attitude, seeing as he knew nothing of why he was abandoned and why he was even here, and his only friend on the island was Catweazle, who as we know isn't exactly the kindest or most reliable of friends. Of course, once Sonic and Robotnik showed up, and he met the other members of the Chaotix, he began to lighten up more and enjoy life, as well as learn everything about his race's history and as his own personal destiny, but it's honestly quite sad just imagining this lonely, near-friendless ten year old Knuckles wandering the island, listlessly doing his duties because that's all he's ever known while believing himself to essentially be an orphan. Even in the games, Knuckles at the very least knows nothing of his own past, so there's nothing for him to feel sad about, no real sense of personal loss - he's just alone. I'd say it's worse for preboot Archie Knuckles, as he does have those memories of loving parents and a sense of purpose - he just doesn't have those things anymore. Again, he did eventually get back everything that could make him happy, but still, it's sad to think about.

Okay, onto the next one! This time we're looking at Miles "Tails" Prower. He's 80 cm or 2'7" tall, and weighs 30.6 kg or 67.3 lbs. His height is actually exactly the same as his game counterpart's, but he weighs significantly more - about 50% more, in fact. I'm going to attribute that to his older age, as in the games he's only eight, while in the comics he's currently eleven years old, with his birthday being on October 24. His original backstory explained that his father was roboticized the same day he was born, but we find out here too that at some point after Robotnik's coup, his mother mysteriously disappeared as well - not roboticized, mind you, as otherwise she and Tails would have reunited after the sword restored all the Robians' free will. For whatever reason, neither of his parents have shown up at all ever since their disappearances. Most of the rest of the info is, again, stuff we already know, but we actually run into a bit of a discrepancy with the reiteration that the Tails we've currently been following in the comics is actually a false duplicate, with the real Tails missing somewhere. The initial issue that revealed that he was a duplicate made it seem like he was replaced somehow when he was in transit with Athair from Knothole's public school to Knuckles' location, but this page claims that instead the switcheroo happened all the way back in freaking StH#56, which was the very first time he ever transformed into Turbo Tails. If this was true, then we wouldn't have seen the real Tails since very shortly after Robotnik was first defeated all the way back in Endgame! It would mean that the entire, nearly-year-long adventure with Sonic around the world in search of Naugus never happened with the real Tails, and that for all intents and purposes the real Tails would not even be aware of the renewed war against Eggman. This is definitely a mistake, as every other issue that acknowledges his replacement with the duplicate indicates that he was indeed replaced when Athair teleported him away, but it's still such a bizarre mistake to make given how much time has passed since the first Turbo Tails incident.

Okay, next up, we have Amy Rose! She's 92 cm tall or 3 feet exactly, and weighs 28.7 kg or 63.1 lbs, which is actually less than Tails despite being a good bit taller than him. As we know, she's a bit of a special case in terms of age - mentally she's ten years old, while the Ring of Acorns aged her physically to about the equivalent of a sixteen year old. Interestingly, her birthday is on July 5, which if you'll remember is also Sally's birthday! I kind of like that two characters share a birthday, honestly. Amy's page actually does give us quite a bit of background info on her that we've never heard before, unlike many of the others'. Apparently, she actually lived in Mercia her whole life, which is why she was merely Sonic's pen pal in StH#25 - she lived overseas. She was born to Mercian nobility, but her extremely rich parents became overwhelmed with sympathy after witnessing the plight of so many of those less fortunate during the two back-to-back wars, and decided to give up the entirety of their wealth to charity, officially making them the coolest rich people that have ever existed. However, unfortunately, soon afterward both of them were lost in the fighting against General D'Coolette and Robotnik's other agents in the area. She was taken in by Rob - who weirdly enough is described as her "father's brother" here despite every other source saying they're cousins - and once she had recovered somewhat from the loss, he sent her to live in Knothole with the hope that it would be safer for her there, apparently not being aware of the extremely close proximity the village had to the literal center of the war. From there, we basically know the rest, including her sudden age-up from wishing on the ring. Apparently she still has plans to marry Sonic someday, but unlike her game counterpart she keeps these intentions strictly hidden, understanding that Sonic isn't the mushy type and hoping to wait for the right chance to win his heart in the future. Man, it actually kind of seems like she understands exactly what I was talking about last issue about his lack of romantic attitude, huh?

Okay, last off we have a file for not a single character, but the entirety of the Brotherhood of Guardians! Unfortunately for this post, it really doesn't tell us anything new. We do get a look at a picture of every Guardian in their prime all lined up together, and a brief history of the formation of the organization, all the way from scientist Kayla-La's discovery of the incoming comet bearing down on their city, down to Knuckles today in the middle of his evolution into a living Chaos Emerald. Athair is included in the lineup, as even though he ultimately rejected his role as a Guardian, he still was part of the bloodline beginning with Edmund. Other than that, we really got nothing new from this, so it's time to finally end our journey through this issue's numerous profiles and move on to our backup story!

Forgiven

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: Art Mawhinney Colors: Josh D. Ray

So we haven't actually heard anything about Lupe and her pack for some time, but with every Robian's free will restored, she and her family are back to normal, albeit still roboticized. They've been staying in Knothole for the past few days, but now everyone is throwing them a going-away party as they plan to head back to their own homeland once more. Sonic goes into Uncle Chuck's lab to invite him to the party, but Chuck, seeming uncomfortable, uses the excuse that he's too busy to go right now. Sonic leaves, but a few minutes later returns… having brought the party with him. He seems pleased by his own genius, obviously not having noticed Chuck's mood, and while Chuck tries to smile for his nephew's benefit he's actually torn up inside at seeing everyone so happy.

Lupe notices his mood and follows him, claiming that she's noticed that he's been avoiding her and her entire family ever since they regained their free will. At first he attempts to deny it, but it becomes apparent that he's actually wracked with horrible guilt over it being he who roboticized them in the first place.

It's honestly so sad to see Chuck like this. He's a genuinely good person and a great character whose past decisions inadvertently led to some of the worst tragedies this world has seen, and he clearly blames himself for all of it, despite having no way of knowing how things would have turned out. He quietly says that all he truly wants is to be forgiven by those he's wronged… but while he and Lupe were talking, everyone else in the party has come out as well and overheard his last statement. Sally says to him that they can't do that unless he's willing to forgive himself first, and Lupe, determined to show him that no one blames him, announces that the celebration is no longer just about her family, but about honoring Chuck as well. He becomes overwhelmed with emotion and embraces her, thanking her profusely, as everyone cheers. Hopefully, this encounter will allow him to finally put some of that guilt to rest, poor guy. He's suffered enough.

[riffrelevant]

Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker, Senior Writer/Journalist ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Chief Editor

It was just this past year, 2018, that the Richmond, Virginia based THUNDERCHIEF landed on my musical radar thanks to my pal of many years, and all around great musician, Erik Larson (Backwoods Payback, Alabama Thunderpussy, Hail Hornet).

At the time, he had collaborated on a track with the wizard behind the THUNDERCHIEF curtain, Rik Surly, but we’ll delve into that a bit more later. An online friendship between Rik and I quickly developed, as often does in this modern age of cyber-realm communications and exchanges of information, culminating in our meeting in person at last year’s edition of The Maryland Doom Fest. Speaking of which, there is also more to come on that too shortly, concerning the upcoming 2019 event.

Anyway, Rik is indeed THE man behind the one-man, stand alone sonic crushing that is THUNDERCHIEF, and if you have not experienced that amalgamated bastardization of crusty sludge and industrial doom metal, you will before this article ends, rest assured. Yet, in the time I’ve gotten to know Rik, I have learned of his incredible musical past, including ties to some bands, and people, that utterly intrigues me. Plus, Rik is the living, breathing, type of aural underdog that I love, and love to champion… a true, dyed in the wool DIY’er.

So, without a lot more further elaborate expounding from me, let’s get down to the nitty gritty of why we are here: I was recently able to pick Rik’s brain about THUNDERCHIEF, his past, his present, his future, and much, much more and thus…

Riff Relevant Interviews: THUNDERCHIEF’s Rik Surly

RIK SURLY

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: Rik, a lot of folks are aware of your recent moves with Thunderchief of course but for the uninitiated, share with us a little of your musical background (bands, etc.)… what instruments do you play? Aren’t you originally a drummer?

RIK: Yes, I am a drummer that dabbles in strings. For this project, I am playing drums, bass, and guitar, plus creating my own noise/tape tracks.

I’ve been in bands since 1989, starting with a tech/death/thrash/trash band called Lycanthropy. After hilariously embarrassing myself, showing my young age by blowing an “audition” with a long-haired Neil Fallon, I then made a glorious move to Charlotte, where I joined The Furys with Bradzig from The Dixie Damned. I was doing road work too, and then I started The Irritations out of the remains of The Screamin’ Street Trash, who were being scouted by MCA Records. Of course this was when anything that looked or sounded “punk” was being signed. So we blew that real good.

Then I hitchhiked to Dallas with my dog and drums. I wrote articles for a few Texas ‘zines while looking for a band. I was at Jim Heath’s one day, saw 2 greasers smoking weed and beers across the street from Church Of Sub-Genius. We formed a gritty 3 piece rockabilly trio called Mean Mean Man & The Brass Knuckle Band. Tour, tour, tour – then I had the fortunate experience of having El Duce call me to book/play/drive/babysit his solo tour. When he went to jail, I joined The Spo-Its (notorious sexploitation noise outfit, like Crash Worship, but meaner; known to Jerry Springer as “Shock Rock”), then when he got out of jail, I did The Mentors’ 20th Anniversary Tour.

When that imploded, I hit Atlanta. The hot band in ’96-’98 was Dick Delicious & The Tasty Testicles, so I played with them, he (Dick D.) played with The Spo-Its, and we eventually got Kirk from Buzzoven and Robert Williams of Capt. Beefheart to join in.

Ok….now we go to Richmond, VA circa 2001 where I formed The Deviltones, we did that for about 5 years. This included Demonboy from Texas Terri & The Stiff Ones and Pustulus of GWAR (known as B.)

Being surrounded by Richmond musicians during this time was very inspiring, so many of us were on the edge of breaking thru to the masses.

The Deviltones had a few successes, but we fought constantly, but were still in somewhat of a demand. This is where I had the vision of THUNDERCHIEF – one man, a guitar, with a bunch of amps, drowning out the chaos that surrounded me. When the “big” expensive Deviltones record came out on 3 labels worldwide, we collapsed. We didn’t tour, the band member’s wives were the shittiest they could have been, and my only out was Thunderchief.

Then I diddled a bit live with Thunderchief and an I-pod, which, to me, was the anti-christ. Bobby from The Undead was really my inspiration for a 1-man band – he used to tour as The Undead with a mixtape of his backing tracks, and he would sing, just him and a tape. Very bad, but inspiring. I then spent 7 years as a hired gun/tour manager/tour accountant for several national acts. Then I did it…. I stopped all other ventures in 2013 to focus on Thunderchief, and here we are.

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: What was the catalyst that initially got you interested in music – as far as a particular band, album, or concert?

RIK: I have a pic of me when I was 3 years old, jamming to Elton John’s ”Saturday Night’s Alright” with big-ass headphones and my Mickey mouse guitar. Later, that guitar turned into a KISS guitar, and I was hooked. My sister took me to see KISS in ‘78, we saw the “real” Beach Boys, Stones, Rod Stewart. My sisters were at Cal Jam ’74, so I was always interested in what they were doing with music. I played their records so much, my dad got me a K-Mart record player. Then the next day, he came home with KISS “Rock ‘N Roll Over”. Everyday I would air guitar, or sing along with a brush in my hand, or both at the same time… music was, and has been, my life since I can remember. Hell, I still have those KISS records he bought me.

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: And yet another musician names KISS as their gateway band! Being the lone, sole member of Thunderchief, I assume this has its Pros & Cons. Care to elaborate on what any of either might be?

RIK:

Pros –

No band mates.

Can do anything I want. Literally.

No schedule conflicts/family issues

Rehearse everyday

Cons –

No band mates.

Booking/recording/touring is much harder

Promotion is difficult for 1 person

Songwriting becomes more lengthy

*People do not take solo acts seriously*

I don’t think anything can take the place of a “band”, but, if the people you work with are not on the same page, it wastes all of your damn years of creating music. I decided to take a chance with a solo project, and honestly, I’ve done as well solo, as I did with the baggage. I don’t want to sound like a dick, but really, I have true recollections man, and even recent tours have proven that sometimes when you get a band with 4-5 dudes with issues, you get eggroll.

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: What prompted you to pursue a project as its singular member like this?

RIK: Thunderchief started as a cartoon of amps and a little dude screaming. I realized that could be me, if only I knew how to play a guitar. I have skater hands, from breaking and dislocating shit when I was younger, so I could never really articulate my fingers to fret properly. I can beat the hell out of drums, Bonham-style, but can’t play power chords. So when the 3, 4, 5-man band thing was clearly not working for me, I had to keep on keeping on… many of those guys I played with just gave up music, but I couldn’t do that, I had to forge my way somehow. I can tour when I want, take my dog, fuck off in Nebraska for a while, whatever I want, instead of waiting for my bandmate’s wife to tell us we can’t go to Europe, ha ha!

The idea is of purity and as little effects as possible. Knowing that very band does not  “master” every song, I decided I didn’t care about being the absolute best – don’t get me wrong, I like it to be more than good, but no band is perfect. Some keep overdubbing and adding on tracks to make a record, like “Dopesmoker”, or some have 1 good song and 9 that you don’t want to listen to… Thunderchief is different in that aspect, if it’s not perfect, it’s perfect.

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: Admittedly, I’m not a very tech adept kind of guy… it’s all kind of Greek to me, ha! That said, break things down for us as to how Thunderchief works, in the aspect of you being it’s sole member/player?

What type of equipment or set up do you use, either in studio or live?

RIK: I use the same equipment and settings in the studio, on stage, or at rehearsal. Currently, I have a guitar stack and bass stack with a drive pedal by Sean Ryan Customs, and a huge PA to match. Drums thru the PA, guitar split to 2 amps, and some yelling, you got Thunderchief. I haven’t introduced any effects into the mix, the original idea was to be as straight forward as possible regarding tone. The drums have to be pushed thru the PA from an iPod, but they’re not programmed, they are human.

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: Speaking of human, how does a drummer like Erik Larson play with you on the road without actually playing with you live on the road? (Readers, ICYMI – Rik and current Backwoods Payback drummer Erik Larson collaborated on a crushing track earlier this year titled “Stone House”… it’s streaming below)

RIK: I box him up in the back so my dog can sit up front, nobody knows he’s actually there – we wrap his hair in a man-bun!

https://soundcloud.com/thunderchief-3/stone-house

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: LMAO!! Being based in Richmond, VA., a hotbed for great music over the years, what do you attribute to RVA’s having such a richly fertile, long running underground music scene? Care to name-drop any current bands from that scene that you like or think readers should check out?

RIK: I am not sure what it is about Richmond, maybe it’s the ancient Powhatan curse of perseverance. There has been so many great bands to surface from here, and it continues with bands like Book Of Wyrms, Desert Altar, Lair, and many more. The one thing I have noticed from living in Richmond twice within 20 years, is that the music is still here. There is a good support structure here, and everybody is quite genuine in their craft, it’s nice.

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: What is currently going on with Thunderchief… and what plans loom on the horizon? And of course, we must touch upon Thunderchief being part of The Maryland Doom Fest 2019’s roster of confirmed bands!

RIK: Man, I have some plans! Of course, being only 1 person hinders a lot of planning, and I rely on fans and friends to help make booking and touring work. Now, I’m writing new material for an album, like I’ve said many times before, haha… but I still have a few unreleased tracks. Booking for 2019 has been a very pleasant experience, I’ll be hitting the region a bit heavier than in the past, tours in the works, and some killer festival dates to be psyched about. And yes, plans do now include playing MDDF V.

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: And what are your expectations / hopes with this appearance at the famed Maryland Doom Fest? For the uninitiated, what can observers expect from a Thunderchief live show, be it on the road or at MDDF specifically?

RIK:  It’s an honor to be a part of the bad-ass MD Doom Fest. I will be on tour at that time, my goal is to play with some, if not most, of the MDDF bands in others cities. I hope to see every band I can by not talking so damn much, I expect it to sell out! I love Frederick, I guess I’ll have to pull out the big guns for that show. Fans will definitely be encouraged to wear earplugs, get stoned and forget the boundaries of the music… Thunderchief isn’t out to reinvent the wheel, or do noodly solos and add rad effects. The idea is to play with a very organic tone, with a little push, and no gimmicks, but I might throw in a surprise for the Fest. [You can find these upcoming Thunderchief live dates below! – Pat]

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: Knowing some of your background, I know you have been at this for several decades now… what keeps you so personally invested and still “at it” after all this time”? Care to share some sage advice, insight or warnings for anyone that may just be starting out?

RIK: Man this is all I know – I don’t have kids and all that normal stuff, I’m basically the same 13 year old practicing to [John] Bonham and Motley Crue, just doing it differently. My love for music and everything that comes with it hasn’t diminished yet, I doubt it will. All of my past colleagues have been done for a long time, except 1 ex-bandmate, who plays with a national act now. I don’t want to do anything else man, I just wanna rock out ’til dawn with a spliff and a cool one. Not much bothers me, but when I’m not playing shows, I always remember The Subhumans lyric – “How’s it going there? It’s Not going at all, We’ve got no more gigs”. Probably the most depressing part of it all for me. That, and post-tour blues.

I think I’m the one who should be asking for advice, insights and warnings! I’m not sure of what to say here, but I can help you with all of your problems, just send me $1 per problem, and consider it done!

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: Ha! You and I have talked privately about the hardships that (independent) musicians / bands / artists face in today’s current music scene… what are some of the biggest that you have encountered?

RIK: Well, the current “industry” changes don’t really allow for past methods to work for bands – for example, we give away our music for free even more so than we used to. We work hard, we have extremely high overhead, we do all of these things for art, to be given away on YouTube or whatever, which is fine, but in contrast, years ago, we were cool with people dubbing tapes of our music, but we were gaining so much more from that form of free distribution. That’s one major change I’ve seen that hasn’t really helped out artists.

One particular conversation you and I had was… what does a band do if they want to release a single with a B-side?

Why do we have to continue to write and release full length albums in order to be seen, reviewed or taken seriously? I think if there were an avenue for this, we would see bands releasing much more material. Not every band has the desire to release album after album, without EP’s and singles, right? Maybe I’m just old, but that’s how I still buy music I want. Sometimes 3-4 songs are plenty when I’m in my car, and every record/tape/CD in my collection is not a full length, you know?

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: Hypothetically, if there was one thing you could change or improve, what would it be and how might you go about it?

RIK: I guess I would like to see more booking agents. They do such a huge service for independent touring bands. If bands could spend more time writing and touring, rather than Facebooking and emailing all night, there would be more productivity in regards to the artist’s future.

You know, if a saucy agent would act as a “package promoter”, like, promote package tours for small indie bands (not just his/her friends’ bands), the venues would only need to find those one or two stellar local bands to play with the package they booked. Everyone’s headache goes away, the venue makes bar and food $$, and bands are playing to more people. But the flip-side is, some locals hold out for only “touring acts” – WTF? We are all touring acts!

I can honestly say, I don’t know how to suggest any changes, but what I’ve seen at a small handful of venues does not make sense for the establishment, or the artists. It’s reminiscent of the old days, like at the Electric Banana in Pittsburgh. If anyone reading this emails me with an Electric Banana story, I’ll send them free junk!

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: Uh-oh, a challenge! About your aforementioned background, I have a question that’s solely for my own curiosity: I recently read that at one point, you were a roadie for a band I love and want to know more about your experiences with – Nuclear Assault!

What period of time was that and if you don’t mind, care to share one of your more memorable recollections from then?

RIK: Oh man, the times! That was the ’92 Agnostic Front / Nuclear Assault tour. I was at a show one night, working for Polygram Records (age card shown) when Danny [Lilker] asked me to hold his bass. Next thing I knew, I was 20 dates deep, their new guitarist and I started the same day. As much fun as Nuclear Assault was, and everything they were up to, I was in awe of Agnostic Front. It was my first AF experience, and I was hooked. NA was great, definitely a “slam a beer and go” philosophy. Lots of beer, pot, and thrashing about. It felt like a summer camp hanging with those guys.

That was a great tour seeing both sides of hardcore and thrash. I did a lot of tech work for those years. I landed in Dallas in ‘95 and got the ultimate gig…catering for Motorhead/Belladonna club tour. I think there are more “experiences” on that tour than most others, besides Buzzoven, Cramps, Napalm Death, Rev. Horton Heat, Mentors, etc. were all after that. I was so young and in my own world, I don’t know if I appreciated what I was involved in, I took it for granted because that’s all I knew at the time.

So many stories… I remember one venue cancelled the show because Roger was walking around with his shirt off after soundcheck, saw his chest tattoo, and cancelled the show in the name of Catholicism!

AGNOSTIC FRONT Circa 1992

NUCLEAR ASSAULT Circa 1992

Another quickie… I remember Belladonna had a young female tour manager, she was very business, very tough, but a doll behind the curtains. She would make sure to go to as many people as possible and say “Belladonna prohibits any photos”. After hearing that for so long I asked if anyone had tried to take a picture to make her say that, she said “no” (inner laughter).

At that age, talking to Danny and Freddie (Madball) convinced me to back off of helping others be successful and focus on my own music. So I did, maybe not the best choice but I did!

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: Outside of music, what type of things (hobbies, extracurricular things, etc.) do you enjoy doing in your personal life?

RIK: I still travel to skate, I ride BMX less than a mile from my house, I’m a horticulturin’ fool, I grow hot chile varieties and pickling cucumbers, of course hanging with my best girl Sasha and trusty Roadhound Kraut. Music has always been sort of a hobby, but like a permanent hobby that you do everyday for too many hours. [Riff Relevant extends our condolences on the recent passing of KRAUT McMANUS – Rest In Power, Pup!]

RIFF RELEVANT [Pat]: I have a tradition of letting the interviewee have the final word so is there anything you would like to say, share, rant about or whatever, here’s your shot!

RIK: Last words…. don’t be an elitist, enjoy things for what they are instead of finding the “wrong” in everything not suited to you. And time goes by faster as you get older, don’t waste it… and thank you for allowing me to speak, and thank you for reading this far!

Wow, I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did! I want to thank THUNDERCHIEF‘s Rik Surly for submitting to the previous interrogation… and Erik Larson for bringing us together, ha!

Before closing, let me say, or suggest, that you listen to and support independent music and artists. You can catch THUNDERCHIEF at the following February appearances and The Maryland Doom Fest this June. RIOT Out!

Feb. 1 – Washington, DC @ The Pinch Feb.2 – Doom Hawg Day (presented by Maryland Doom Fest) – Frederick, MD @ Cafe 611 Feb. 7 – Raleigh, NC @ Slim’s Downtown Feb. 8 – Asheville, NC @ Sly Grog

June 20 – 23 The Maryland Doom Fest – Frederick, MD @ Cafe 611 / Guido’s Speakeasy [Info]

Riff Relevant Interviews: THUNDERCHIEF’s Rik Surly [Tour Dates + Maryland Doom Fest 2019] Article By: Pat 'Riot' Whitaker, Senior Writer/Journalist ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Chief Editor It was just this past year, 2018, that the Richmond, Virginia based…