Sounds Good!
VITAMIN X Interview
Your not going to believe this! There is actually a straight edge hardcore band based out of Amsterdam! Ok, it’s not really that shocking especially with all the hookers and stoned hippies stumbling around there all the time. Seeing that sort of thing every day would probably piss me off enough to make me want to clean my act up and start screaming in a band too.
Vitamin X has been around for a long long time now. They’ve actually played over 185 shows in the United States alone and have been over here 5 times. One of the few DIY European hardcore bands that have successfully toured here numerous times. Not only have they toured over here but they’ve rocked all over the world I mean almost EVERYWHERE. On top of all of that these guys have also managed to put out over 10 releases. Their most recent release was a full length recorded by none other than Steve Albini.
Wikapedia says they’ve been named one of the “best and most important hardcore bands going” but I’m pretty sure Marko updates that page himself so I wouldn’t take that too seriously. JOKES!
Here’s my interview with the wonderful guys in Vitamin X!
Tony: Ok fellas. Thanks for doing this.
Marc: Are you going to write this out?
Tony: I’m recording and then I’m going to write it out that’s why I’m not asking any long questions.
Marc: Haha!
Tony: Your last album has been out for around a year now right?
Both: Yeah.
Tony: Now that it’s been out for a bit are you happy with the outcome?
Marc: This album was different for us because it was recorded by Steve Albini.
Tony: Great. That was going to be my next question.
Marc: (laughs) Yeah it was great. We had John Baizley from Baroness do the art work for the cover and John Brannon from Negative Approach singing on some of it.
Marko: We also did a video with you in it.
Tony: Yeah whatever happened with that? It had Waste members, Negative Approach guys, Annihilation time people in it. Did it come out? I never saw it.
Marko: We’re still working on it. Hopefully it will come out within the next ten years. Haha. Were taking a lot of time and energy and money into making the video so hopefully it will look nice. But aside from the fancy visual things for the album I think it’s by far our best record musically and its doing pretty well sales wise considering…
Marc: …all of the downloading. If you look up our record on Google or something you’re going to find a hundred different ways to download the record. But considering that I think the album did do really well.
Marko: Since the records been out I haven’t really heard a bad reaction to it. Several reviewers named it as one of the best hardcore punk albums of 2008/2009.
Marc: We put Full Scale Assault out on Tank Crimes Records. It was weird because a lot of bigger labels contacted us about putting the record out. Jello Biafra called Marko one day about putting it out. Like out of the blue! It was funny because Marko picked up the phone and hears (In a high pitch Jello voice) “Ehhhh I’m Jello Biafra can I speak to Marko” and Marko thought it was me on the phone making a joke with him. He was all like “MARC CUT THE SHIT I KNOW IT’S YOU!” and then what did he say? (looks at Marko)
Marko: Well the story goes like this…
Marc: Oh no it’s going to be too long…
Marko: I’ll shorten it. Ok so Jello really called me and for like 5 minutes I was like fuck off who is this really? But then once he convinced me that it was him I was oh shit! Jello whats up? Haha! So then for like an hour straight I just asked him stupid questions like “what was it like at shows in 1983?” haha.
Marc: We even talked to Relapse about putting out the record.
Tony: But you guy’s decided to keep it real and put it out on Tank Crimes.
Marc: Haha. Yeah. The thing is it’s really hard to get a record deal that went with our terms. We really wanted to do a nice fold out record with the Baizley art and having Steve Albini record it…things like that.
Tony: Ok lets talk about working with Steve Albini. What was that like?
Marc: Oh it was great! He was a very nice guy.
Tony: Were you intimidated?
Marc: At first we were yeah. I mean, he recorded so many cool bands, Nirvana, Pixies, Iggy, High On Fire, etc..even the dudes from Led Zeppelin recorded with him. And on top of that he walks around in a blue plumbers outfit with the name of his studio printed on the back. This immediately separates him from the band and makes him look like a doctor or a nuclear scientist.
Marko: Well the thing is I had to sit next to him the whole time they were recording the music and at the beginning for like the first 3 hours I felt paralyzed haha! Normally I talk a lot of shit but when I was next to him I was just like (makes a scared face). So after a while of this out of nowhere he rips a fart. In my head I was like “ok this guys human” So then I fart back. That’s what got us talking. Haha. Steve’s a nice guy. He’s a funny guy and he’s professional at everything he does.
Tony: Even farting? Haha. Yeah I would think it would be pretty intimidating just because of reading stories and interviews of him being such an asshole. Personally I think he’s a genius but I’ve just heard from so many places that hes a dick.
Marko: Nooooo he’s such a good guy.
Marc: Maybe it’s because were a D.I.Y. band and he really appreciates that. Maybe we remind him of his early days. He was also really into our music so that helped.
Marko: He’s super professional but really funny.
Marc: Yeah he would tell us cool stories about things like Iggy calling him and saying that every one was telling him that his new record sucked. Steve just replied “dude I didn’t write the music” haha.
Tony: You cant polish a turd. Hahaha!
Marc: Yeah but he would tell us funny stories about Nirvana too. It was real cool to work with him.
Tony: How long was the recording?
Marc: 8 days.
Tony: So you flew from Amsterdam to Chicago and tracked and mixed in 8 days.
Marko: Yeah.
Tony: Where did you stay in Chicago?
Marko: We stayed at Steve’s place.
Tony: Did you play any gigs there?
Marc: After the recording we did a 2 week tour in the states.
(Marko takes a phone call)
Tony: So Marc you just had a baby girl?
Mark: Yeah, she’s called Katie, she’s beautiful. Ill show you some pictures. Shes really into Baroness and her first show was Annihilation Time when she was 4 months. She’s already playing guitar, haha.
Tony: Haha nice. Whats up with your side band that has guys from Annihilation time in it? It’s called Medusa right?
Marc: Yeah right now it’s called Medusa, it’s still in the works, I’m singing and playing guitar. I actually recorded some songs and Tank Crimes was already interested. But I first wanna finish the new VX record which will be out in October and then see what I will do with Medusa.
Tony: Black Sabbath kinda shit?
Marc: Yeah!
(Marko comes back)
Tony: Ok Marko, I want to ask you about this. I’m not sure if this is a touchy subject or anything and I don’t really know the details but I heard that when you were younger you escaped the war in Serbia?
Marko: Yeah I grew up in Belgrade. I had to go in the army in Sept 1993.
Tony: They make you go to the army right? It’s mandatory?
Marko: Yes, a lot of Americans don’t understand that if you grow up there its mandatory for you to join the Serbian army. I fled. I was a refugee. I didn’t go to a camp but I stayed in a lot of squats.
Tony: How old were you?
Marko: I was like 20. There was a time when all of the crisis started. That was around 1991 There was this great financial collapse. So the country closed all of the borders and you couldn’t get out. So I was completely freaking out. If I were to join the army I would have been sent directly to the front lines in Bosnia.
Tony: So you split and moved to Amsterdam.
Marko: Yeah I sold off my records and came here.
Tony: Fuck!
Marko: Yeah I’m still looking for half those records I lost.
I had all these Dutch hardcore records and thought they would be easy to find here and you have no idea how difficult it is to find some of those records.
Tony: The guy who drew the LARM cover was here hanging out tonight! Ok we talked about this a bit earlier and what is your take on the downloading thing? Do you care that people take your songs?
Marko: I don’t really care. As long as the kids are coming to shows and stage diving I’m fine.
(Everyone Laughs)
Tony: Do you download songs?
Marko: Ahhhhhh. Yeah but then I’ll buy the record if I like it. I collect lots of records. If I like a band I have to have the record. I like having the real thing.
Marc: We’ve always been big collectors of vinyl.
Marko: I think it’s a good thing that a lot of kids are going back to collecting vinyl.
Tony: Ok lets wrap this up. Are you guys planning on coming back to the states anytime soon?
Marc: Maybe sometime in the fall. Scotty is organizing a Tankcrimes festival so I think were going to book some stuff around that. You guys are also playing right?
Marko: Were definitely coming back. Not Maybe! Our tour will be from oct 8 til 17, 2010
Marc: By then we’ll also hopefully have a new record out that’s also recorded by Steve Albini.
Tony: Oh really?
Marko: Yeah we have a bunch of extra songs recorded from that session. Those songs were completely new so they didn’t have lyrics and we finished them later. It will be a mini album with around 10 songs, it includes some of our best stuff yet! Baizley is also doing the artwork again!
Tony: Ok Well thanks a ton guys for doing this interview! See you in the fall!
Tales From the Merch Table!
I always thought that selling merchandise for bands was a pretty fascinating job. Merch people get to see the tour life from a totally different perspective than everyone else. I always get a kick out of talking to them and hearing stories of dealing with crazy fans or just witnessing some of wackiness that comes with being in a loud drinking/musical environment every night.
I interviewed a few friends and got some pretty good stories. Check it out and please leave them a tip next time you see em behind a table!
Angie Cooper- Lamb of God, Avail, Against Me
What is the most commonly misunderstood thing about your job?
That is glamorous and we just get chill all day. It’s actually a ton of hard work both physically and mentally. Dealing with people in a retail setting is never easy…especailly when they are drunk metal dudes. Haha.
Craziest thing you’ve seen at the table? For a whole summer my booth was set up next to GWAR so I saw tons of fun/crazy shit that summer. I guess looking at a fake blood covered man thong all day was pretty entertaining. Also, a dude in England puked in my merch box once. I made him take all of the shirts to the bathroom and wash them and then give me $50. It was pretty crazy.
What’s the dumbest Question you’ve been asked?
Can I get that black shirt?
What’s the your favorite venue?
Twisters. R.I.P. Other than that, the NORVA. That shit is swanky! I also really love The Dome Theater in Niagra Falls, NY. The Dome was built in 1919 by German engineers and was originally a movie theater back in the early 1900′s. It is supposedly really haunted and the promoter took us on a tour of the basement. Apparently it was a speakeasy at one point and there were all of these crazy gambling rooms in the basement and weird bathrooms and stuff. Marilyn Monroe also performed there. Pretty sweet.
Worst experience dealing with a club.
In France, the promoter tried to dick us over on money. The language barrier combined with a bunch of angry dudes did not make for a good time. To this day, I have very negative feelings toward Paris.
Who was the most insane fan you’ve ever met?
There was this French Canadian guy in Montreal that would not leave me alone. He kept telling me he loved me and wanted to marry me. He stood outside of our bus yelling my name all night in the worst French accent. It was insane. Some of the band dudes had to go outside and run him off. What is it with me and French people? Haha.
Who was the funniest customer?
Hmmm, so many good ones from being on metal tours. There was this gigantic guy in New Mexico that was wearing the sweetest David Allan Coe shirt. I really wanted it so I offered to trade him for some of our merch. He was down and took off this XXXL sweat drenched shirt and gave it to me. He was huge and hilarious. I washed it but still haven’t done anything with it. Anyway, his banter was funny. Sorry, my memory sucks. I’m sure there are better stories. Haha.
What band would you love to work for?
Not a band, but I would love to work for Dolly Parton. I fucking love her and hear that country tours are pretty chill. Also, working for Avail was the best thing ever, I would do that again in a heartbeat…if only they would tour again!
Craziest tour story?
There are quite a few. I guess the craziest was in Scotland where two band dudes got into a very drunken fight on the street. One was wearing a kilt. We all just stood around awakwardly and let them fight it out. It was pretty intense and is all documented on DVD. I have mad respect for Lamb of God for keeping it honest. Also, Danzig wouldn’t let us use microwaves near him. That shit was pretty crazy. Part of my job was to go to book/comic stores with him…that was always very entertaining and very surreal.
Hunter Gibson- Darkest Hour
What is the most commonly misunderstood thing about your job?
Kids always think that I’m in the band and they want me to sign something. It’s like “dude did you just watch the band play or are you just here to buy merch?” Needless to say there are a shit load of kids out there that own a Darkest Hour shirt or CD with my signature on it and have had their picture taken with me.
What’s the your favorite venue?
The Triple Rock circa unlimited free booze. I have no idea why they changed that rule. HAHA!
But, for real that place kicks ass with or without the free booze.
Worst experience dealing with a club?
Some shit hole pool hall in Fort Walton Beach FL. I can’t think of the name of the place. We get to this place and there is not a sole around but the people that work there. So we start drinking all the free booze they gave us and then some. About 10 people come to the show that did not care about the band but just needed a beer and wanted to shoot pool. By the time the show started everyone is wasted, Ryan is naked and playing the snare with his dick, John is not really even singing, everyone else is just doing their best to trash the place. So, after the show we are trying to get paid and they say they are not going to pay us because only 10 people paid and that money went towards our bar tab and now they are going to call all their biker friends to come kick our ass if we don’t get the fuck out of town. Needless to say we got the fuck out of town with no money in hand.
Who was the funniest customer?
The dudes all got arrested in 2003 somewhere in Oklahoma for some dumb shit. This was the first tour in about 5 years that I had not done. So, they decided it would be a good idea to make these shirts with the outline of Oklahoma state on the front and “FUCK THE POLICE” on the back. The majority of these shirts I sold to 12-16 year old kids.They loved that shit.
What band would you love to work for?
Hanson, I bet those kids fucking party hard!
What’s your craziest tour story?
Richmond, California at the Burnt Ramen there where these thugs down the street from the club with a new uzi that needed to be broken in. They had a mannequin deer that ended up in millions of pieces and I watched the whole thing go down while the cops just drove by on the other side of the train tracks. Fucking sketchy!!!
Did you ever get in any good fights on the road?
4th of July 2001 in Omaha,Nebraska. We where on tour with Drowningman from Burlington,Vermont. We got an offer to stay at this kids house for the night, dude seemed a little sketchy but most people that are willing to let 14 dudes stay at their place are. We show up to this house and there are about 150 crust punks that are already wasted. There is a keg in the kitchen that someone had taken the tap too. A guy with a machete is hitting the keg trying to get the beer out and it flys out of his hand and the handle hit a girl in the head. She drops down and is bleeding all over the place. If the blade end had hit her I would have wathced this poor girl die right there. Maybe about an hour later we are outside and the same guy that was hitting the keg is kicking his frail dog. Ryan starts talking shit to the guy so he punchs Ryan. So, everyone in DH and Drowningman start to beat the fuck out of guy and his friend. Once Ryan gets up, he grabs a cinder block and drops it on the guys back while he is laying down. We are all just kicking the shit out of these 2 dudes for a good 15 minutes. John gets hit in the head by a huge pad lock that is on the end of a 2 foot long chain. We figure out that both dudes are not staying down because they are on PCP. Cops show up, hog tie both guys and take them away. We go to the hospital where John gets 10 to 15 staples put in his head and one of the dudes from Drowningman gets stitches too.
Katie Bergamo- Danzig, Aborted, 1349, Toxic Holocaust, Skeletonwitch, Exodus, Walls of Jericho, The Red Chord, Ion Dissonance, Winds of Plague and Emmure.
What is the most commonly misunderstood thing about your job?
That I must be dating or sleeping with one of the band members in order to be on tour. Even in 2010, it still seems incredibly hard for people to comprehend that a woman could hack it in such a male dominated industry.
Also, if there is a girl in the band I’m working for, I am mistaken for her at least 99.9% of the time…because, you know, all girls with hair and tattoos apparently look the same.
(Me doing merch for Walls of Jericho on The Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival – mistaken for Candace so many times daily I finally put this sign on myself)
Craziest thing you’ve seen at the table?
On the Atticus Metal tour 2009, I was doing merch for Emmure who was co-headlining the tour with Winds of Plague. We were at a club in El Paso, TX and Terror, the hardcore band from Los Angeles, was playing. It was like people there had never been to a show and didn’t know how to act. There was at least 6 fights during Terror’s set, one of which turned into an all-out 20 person brawl literally ON my merch table. One guy got beat by security with a Mag flashlight and by the time they were done with him, it looked like a murder scene. There was a pool of blood at least 2 feet long and an inch deep and kids kept walking through it and leaving bloody footprints all over the club. All of the stuff on my table was wrecked and there was at least 4 more fights that night during Emmure and Winds of Plague. Needless to say it was slightly nerve racking! El Paso is nuts!
What’s the dumbest Question you’ve been asked.
Customer: “Hey can I get that shirt?” *points aimlessly behind my head*
Me: “Which shirt?”
Customer: “The (insert band name here) one”
Me: “They are all (insert band name here) shirts, which one?”
Custome: “The black one”
Me: “Dude they’re ALL black”
This is pretty much how my life goes every night. The best part is, I number all my shirts so it’s like ordering at McDonald’s. All you have to do is say the number and the size and that’s it! If you really want to make a merch person’s night, be as specific as possible about the shirt you want and SAY WHAT SIZE YOU WEAR!
Who was the most insane fan you’ve ever met?
I can’t really pinpoint one, but working for acts like Danzig and Exodus, I have definitely come across some long-time die hard fans that love to sit at the merch table all night and punish me with questions about the bands (usually ones I don’t even know the answers to), in hopes that I’ll just give up and take them backstage to meet them. But it never works!
Who was the funniest customer
Most of the bands I work for have a really young fan base (think ages 15-25) so humor isn’t really their thing as much as it is awkwardness. But every now and then I’ll have a kid that’ll really make me laugh or a fat guy that will insist on putting on the band’s booty shorts and nothing else. Now there’s an image that will forever be burned into my brain.
What band would you love to work for?
Lamb of God is my all-time favorite band, so I’d definitely have to say they are on the top of that list.
Craziest tour story
Having toured for almost 4 years, it’s almost impossible to pin-point just one. I guess one of the craziest moments that sticks out to me is when I was working for a band that was having a lot of internal conflict coming from 2 members that drove everyone else crazy. Well, one night in Des Moines, IA it finally came to a head…and to blows…which resulted in us leaving those two members fired and on the side of an Iowa road that night.
Along with that, there’s other crazy stuff like one of our tour managers getting 5 blowjobs from 3 girls in the span of 6 hours, playing in a preschool, pretty much every day on tour with Toxic Holocaust was crazy (in a good way of course!), everyone getting matching “that’s what she said” tattoos from a hippie tattooing out of a utility closet in a VFW, a crazy lesbian tipping me $100 in hopes that I’d sleep with her, endless encounters with hobos, strippers and groupies (well, for the guys, that is) that all make for unforgettable nights and good laughs the next morning.
Moe Buffalini- Municipal Waste, Amebix
What is the most commonly misunderstood thing about your job?
I would think that buying merch is a pretty simply transaction but sometimes I don’t know why it’s not. There are a lot of commonly misunderstood things about the job such as I’m not someone’s girlfriend/wife/relative, the fact that I don’t keep tabs on every member of the bands whereabouts throughout the night, or that I actually am really working. There is one common misunderstanding though that I wish people would get and it’s that if you DEMAND something for free or for a cheaper price there is no fucking way I am giving it to you. I’m not an asshole that shit is just annoying.
Craziest thing you’ve seen at the table?
People coming up to me gushing blood, people puking, people having piercings ripped out, people trying to trade me things for free merch (my favorite being a cell phone), people fighting, underage kids making out and dry humping right in front of me. The list goes on and on. Everyday at the merch table there is a crazy new experience!
What’s the dumbest Question your been asked.
The dumbest question I have been asked wow that’s a hard one. I could go on and on but this one dude really sticks out in my mind with dumb questions. Here it goes “ Have you gotten to meet the band who’s shirts you sell? You drive yourself to get to each show, right? Do you have to pay to get into each show?”
What’s the your favorite venue?
There are a couple that I really like a lot but if I have to say just one my favorite venue would have to be the Triple Rock in Minneapolis, MN. It’s a really nice venue. They don’t charge a merch percentage which rules. The food they have there is amazing and you get a ton of it. Any show that I have ever been to there has been a great show. I think I really love that place too because they have an endless supply of whiskey and when I know I am going there I know after the show I am gonna be partying my ass off! I always have fucking awesome times there.
Worst experience dealing with a club.
One club instantly comes to mind. I hate this place and ever experience with them is the worst. Here is a summary of all the encounters I have had with them. The club people are total fucking dicks and are super condescending. When I would express things I needed them to do for me they treated me like I was an idiot. If you tell them things you need they don’t give it to you or even try to help. They charge a super high merch percentage. They count everything in and out at the end of every night no matter how late it is and how far you have to drive, they watch you like a hawk the whole time, and if you are late to getting to the show they will not let you put merch out. On top of everything the merch area is super small too. The last time I was there though I did have my redemption though! Fuck that place!
Who was the most insane fan you’ve ever met?
Hands down this gentleman who on his own regard decided that to show what a huge municipal waste fan he was by breaking a beer bottle over his head. The guy clubbed himself multiple times with the bottle and when it didn’t break broke it on the ground and stabbed himself in the head with the jagged edges until he was bleeding profusely. That dude wins.
Who was the funniest customer?
There was this one dude who would come up to me maybe ever 10 minutes or so and give me a complete run down of what he had done or seen. He would tell me things such as what he ate/drank, if he went to the bathroom, what songs a band played, people he had talked to, and how excited he was to see upcoming bands. Before he would go walk around he would say “I’ll report back.”
What band would you love to work for?
Gauze or Motorhead
Tony and Randy…a split interview!
RVA magazine planned to do a story about Richmond metal and wanted to interview Randy Blythe of Lamb of God and myself. I thought well we’re friends so why don’t you just have us interview each other? They went for it and the following is what took place.
Thanks RVA!
Interview conducted at City Dawgs
Photos by Steve Crandall
Cover photo by Dave Kennedy)
RANDY: And we are rolling, here. We are at City Dogs in Richmond, Virginia.
TONY: Glorious City Dogs!
RANDY: Glorious City Dogs.
TONY: All right, I’ll kick this one off.
RANDY: It’s-
TONY: Shut up ! Shut The Fuck Up!
What was your first introduction to the Richmond music scene?
RANDY: My first introduction to the Richmond music scene—I really owe my familiarity with Richmond musicians, Richmond bands, and the Richmond sound, to a guy named Scott Hudgens, who is now the guitar player in Hex Machine, and he’s also in Tulsa Drone. I moved here under the excuse I was going to go to college, you know, but really it was to go to shows, because I’d come up from the Tidewater area to see shows up here. I had a class my freshman year with Scott Hudgens, and we’d start talking about music, because I was this insane punk rock kid who thought I was the coolest dude ever—I wasn’t. He was like, “Well, my band’s playing,” his first band—well, I don’t know if it was his first band, but his band at the time—Brain Flower, and I went to go see them. If you weren’t on drugs when you went to the show, by the end of the show you felt like you were. They were just really intense. Kepone wrote a song about them.
TONY: Oh, wow.
RANDY: Called “Brain Flowers”, an instrumental. And Scott later went on to be in, most notably, in Sliang Laos.
TONY: Oh, shit.
RANDY: Which is one the most intense bands I’ve ever seen anywhere. And he was really, really nice to me, to a dumb, goofy kid with a mohawk who thought he was from England or something. I was a little shit. And he was really cool to me, and turned me on to some local stuff, and to this day he still gives me music if I pester him about it. Great dude.
TONY: That’s good, that’s real good. Shit, my first experience was an Action Patrol show.
RANDY: What was his name? The guy with glasses?
TONY: Nappy?
RANDY: Nappy, Nappy, yeah.
TONY: I just moved here you know from Florida, and one of my best friends, Matt Mills, fucking dragged me up. “Ah, we gotta go see this band, they’re amazing!” and they were.
BACKGROUND [There he is.]
TONY: Hey!
RANDY: Hi everybody, world-famous Ward, owner of Chop Suey. Come on over, we’re interviewing.
WARD: Let’s talk about Randy coming into Chop Suey Books all the time.
RANDY: Where’d my picture go?
WARD: We have it. It’s on ice right now.
TONY: On ice?
WARD: Waiting until it goes up so we can eBay it.
RANDY: You’ll be waiting a long time. Well, there we go, a little brief introduction by one of our local business owners. God bless Chop Suey.
TONY: So I went to see Action Patrol which totally blew me away. I said, “When’s Action Patrol playing again? What bands are they playing with? The Peetanks? What is this band?” I would go and investigate, try to find out what the hell was going on up here. This was when I lived in Colonial Heights, about thirty minutes south.
RANDY: Colonial Whites.
TONY: Shortly after that I went and saw Rancid and Avail play at the Flood Zone.
RANDY: I was at that show.
TONY: Yeah, and a band called Men’s Recovery Project opened up. Their set was about two minutes long. They just came up with bags over their heads, made a bunch of weird noises and walked off.
RANDY: Was John Skritza in that band?
TONY: Men’s Recovery Project? I’m not really sure. I knew that line up just changed so many times that it got confusing to keep track of.
RANDY: John was in Hose.Got.Cable. Did you ever see them?
TONY: No, I never saw them, that was before my time, but they were fucking awesome.
RANDY: Hose.Got.Cable was kind of how I got my job. I used to hop up on stage when they would play basement shows, and sing part of their song “Purple Head”. I would sing it in a death metal voice. That’s kind of how people started to know I could do that. So I owe it to them.
I have a question for you. Speaking of basement shows, Richmond has a pretty strong house show scene. It seems to go in waves for a while; I thought it was dead, then I found about different places that were still having it. Which makes me really stoked that the kids are still doing it. Anyway, I heard about a show you guys played in Jackson Ward in an abandoned house, and you guys ran power or something. Someone had told me about it but I didn’t go, and I’ve been kind of pissed about that. I heard it was really good. You want to talk about that?
TONY: That was actually wasn’t in Jackson Ward. It was a block away from here, and we played with this band called Toys That Kill from California at our friend’s house. Me and Ryan were eyeballing this burnt-down house the whole time we were there. We were like, “Fuck it, man, we’re going to break in there and fucking play in there.” The inside was just charred remains. We start playing and this guy brought dry ice, and he threw dry ice everywhere, like in a cooler. It was like a smoke machine, and all these kids packed into this sketchy-ass, burnt-down house and we started playing and we did our whole set. But towards the end kids were dancing and moving around, and shit would start falling from the ceilings. Some people were trying to stand on the stairs, and the stairs were falling apart. It was definitely sketchy.
RANDY: It’s like being in West Philly.
TONY: We ran extension cords from the house next door. It was definitely one of the most interesting shows I’ve ever played.
RANDY: That’s awesome. I’ve always wanted to obtain a generator and go down to Belle Island and have a show in that in that power station, you know, the pump house?
TONY: I’ve thought about that too. Yeah, that’s a great idea.
RANDY: Dude, Foresta and Bly Productions. We could do it, start pimping that shit.
TONY: These kids are doing shows now under the bridge.
RANDY: Really? The Lee Bridge?
TONY: A couple times a summer. I’m not sure if it’s the Lee Bridge, but a couple times a summer, they had shows down there, generator shows.
RANDY: Tell me about your punk band.
TONY: Oh ok. Well I guess it’s similar to what your doing with the Samhain guys. The band I sing for is based out of Florida so we write all of our songs through email and I fly down and practice between Waste tours. It’s really fun. We’ve only played like 6 gigs so far but the gigs have been pretty nuts. We’re called No Friends. No Idea put out an LP for us.
RANDY: No Idea? They put out a Cavity record right?
TONY: Yeah!
RANDY: Can I have a CD?
TONY: Of course. I’ll give you one when we go to the river tomorrow. Ok so next question time. Who would you least expect in this world to be a Lamb of God fan?
RANDY: Hmmmm. From what I understand Will Smith is a Lamb of God fan.
TONY: Ha! Really?
RANDY: Yeah. His wife Jada Pinkett has a metal band called Wicked Wysdom.
TONY: Yeah I heard them. They’re terrible.
RANDY: I never heard them so I’m not going to comment. Haha. Yeah so I guess the Mastadon guys played with them and met Will Smith and he told them he loves us. Also Max Wineberg from Conan Obrien and The E Street band is also Lamb of God Fan.
TONY: Oh man that reminds me. Do you remember the L.A. show that we played together and fucking Kenny G showed up?!?
RANDY: Oh yeah! Kenny G!
TONY: Yeah one of the weirdest sights ever. Kenny G and fucking Glenn Danzig chilling in the same dressing room together.
RANDY: So Mark and I found out that Kenny G was coming to that show and we were stoked. We were like “we gotta get a picture with Kenny G”. So I hunt down “the G” and I start talking to him. I asked him if he liked metal. He responed with “Do you like smooth Jazz?” and I’m like “No Kenny G I do not….not at all Kenny G…lets take this picture.”
I really tried to get a picture of Kenny G and Danzig sitting together but no luck. I don’t think Glen would have been too into it.
TONY: Haha.
RANDY: Awesome!
TONY: Yeah, it rules. Is it true you worked at Avalon? So did the guys from GWAR, if I’m correct. Is it possible you can get me a job there, so maybe I can get a Grammy nomination too?
RANDY: It is absolutely true that I worked at Avalon. The mighty mighty Mike Derks has done time there bartending. From time to time he’s been known to appear just for fun. I could probably get you a job at Avalon, but I don’t know if you want to work there.
TONY: I don’t really want to work or anything.
RANDY: Well I didn’t, either.
TONY: [laughs]
RANDY: I used to go in, hang out, cook and wash some dishes every now and then, but mostly I would drink.
TONY: How long did you work there?
RANDY: I worked at Avalon off and on for a couple years. The restaurant I worked at longest was Commercial Taphouse down the street on Robinson.
TONY: That place is awesome.
RANDY: Yeah, my distant cousin actually owns it. James Tally, who’s an OG punk rocker from back in the day.
TONY: Really?
RANDY: From way back in the day. He has a couple seven-inches, lived in New York, he was around during the late seventies, early eighties. It was one of the coolest jobs I’ve ever had because I would leave for awhile. I wasn’t even in a band, I was just going out to hop freights and shit. I’d leave and he’d say, “Just give me two weeks’ notice” and then I’d leave and come back and he’d work me in right away.
TONY: I love bosses like that.
RANDY: Great dude does a lot for the community, and he’s a musician himself. Avalon was really interesting. Mike Derks’s sister used to be the chef there. And lots of sort of seedy things went on there after hours, you know? Some of which I’m not at liberty to disclose. Let’s say I’ve left there when the sun was up several times. Whether or not that had anything to do with the Grammy nomination, I don’t know.
TONY: It’s good preparations. What is the whole Grammy thing like? Are you going to attend this year? Did you go the last time you were nominated?
RANDY: I did not go. My band likes to think, “Oh, you’re just making a big deal about it, throwing a boycott,” whatever, blah blah blah. I don’t make a big deal about it, I just prefer not to go. I don’t care about the Grammys because they’re not my peers. You know?
NUMBER 1: I hate Los Angeles. I cannot stand it. I mean, I have some good friends there you know, but I would kill myself if I lived there. Either that or become a really bad heroin junkie or something.
NUMBER 2: I can’t stand most of the people in the music industry; not most of the band people, but most of the business people.
NUMBER 3: I can’t stand famous people who think they’re better than other people. So the Grammys, basically, is a combination of all of that: Los Angeles, industry, and a huge amount of ego, all combined under one roof. If I were to go there, I would probably get wasted, get in a fight with someone from American Idol, or something stupid like that. But I don’t care. It’s not for me. The Grammys can suck it, I don’t care, and on a—
TONY: The Grammys can suck it.
RANDY: Yeah, they can fucking suck it. I don’t give a shit. On a lighter note, the last time we didn’t win, but everybody who’s nominated for a Grammy gets a little Tiffany’s medallion in a nice little bag. You get papers and all this shit. With my last Grammy medallion my lawyer, Todd Stone, great dude, —he’s a founder of a foundation called the Stone Circle of Friends. It’s for miotonic muscular dystrophy. Both his sons are afflicted with it, and it’s a progressive fatal nerve damaging disease, it’s relatively new. Some of the best research being done at UVA, and they’re close to a cure, so with my last Grammy medallion I did an eBay auction and a Lamb of God fan bought it for a little over three grand.
TONY: Wow, that’s amazing.
RANDY: It was up to two grand, and in the last ten seconds of the auction, he threw in another thousand on top. Really cool dude from California, he came out to a show and I hung out with him. So when I get this next Grammy medallion, whether I win or not, I’m going to auction it off for the same charity, and try to do a little bit more of a publicity kind of thing about it.
TONY: Press release!
RANDY: You can check out the foundation at stonecirleoffriends.com. So if anybody gives a shit about a hunk of metal from Tiffany’s about a Grammy award I don’t give a fuck about—
TONY: You’re doing something positive about it
RANDY: Yeah, man, fucking buy it and I’ll get you in on a guest list and chill with you. And you get to keep the damn thing.
TONY: All right, you’re next.
RANDY: I’ve always bragged relentlessly about the incredible talent pool in this town. What is it about this fucked up little hamlet we live in that produces so many talented musicians?
TONY: We kind of touched on this when we did the interview with [Dave] Brockie, I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it’s basically the only creative place between DC and Virginia Beach. All the people that are creative, and want to live for cheap, and not work a bullshit job, they move to Richmond. Most of the people I know that are in bands shit from the Beach or DC—
RANDY: Yeah. everybody’s from Northern Virginia or Tidewater.
TONY: See, you’re here from the Beach.
RANDY: I’m from Tidewater, yeah.
TONY: My theory is that the reason why so many creative people are here because DC sucks, and Virginia Beach sucks. People move here to create shit.
Check out the entire issue of RVA mag here…
http://rvamag.com/articles/full/7881/rva-1-spring-2010-richmond-va
also check out..
www.rvamag.com
http://www.lamb-of-god.com/
Mastodon Interview
I really wanted to interview this relatively unknown band to help them get some serious internet exposure with my blog powers. These guys have been tearing up the local house show circuit for many years and its time they got a break. You may have heard of them from their brutal 7″ they released on Reptilian records a few years back but believe it or not people these guys actually have a few full lengths out! I recently ran into them at one of their gigs in Amsterdam last month and got these folks to muster up the courage finally come out and do an interview.
Ladies and Gentleman meet Mastodon!
Interview with Brann Dailor and Brent Hinds
Tony: What other band names would you have used if the name Mastodon wasn’t already taken?
Brent: Mastodont.
Brann: Mastodon was already taken by a christian band in the 80’s and we used it anyways.
Tony: Did they try to sue you? Or did they just pray for you?
Brent: I met them in Houston. They were really nice.
Brann: That was a different band.
Brent: That was a different one?
Brann: That was that 2 piece noise band that was named Mastodon that exsited the same time as us. But there was also a christian metal band from the 80’s named Mastodon as well. We didn’t really have any option as far as another name goes. Maybe we would have called it Spooky Basement.
Tony: Spooky Basement?
Brann: Or Erie Dungeon
Brent: or Vandoor the Destroyer.
Brann: or Cardoor the Carnivor!
Tony: Alright guys.
Brann: or Bean Hammer!
Brent: Those are all good names
Tony: Have you ever completely blown your voice out? I do all the time and I like asking singers this.
Brent: Hell yeah. Every single night.
Tony: What’s the worst story?
Brent: Every single night.
Tony: Every single nights the worst story?
Brent: Yeah, I blow my voice out all the time because I’ve never sang before and ever since I started singing I’ve found that it’s way harder than screaming.
Tony: and you have to do both because you play older songs as well.
Brent: Yeah I definitely have trouble with that sometimes
Tony: Last time I hung out with you guys you said you were getting ready to go work on a movie score or soundtrack. Whats up with that?
Brann: (looks to Brent) I think we need to dig back into that the next time we have off in March. Everything keeps changing with that movie. I think the director has to answer to 50 different people and hes having trouble keeping everyone happy. So everything keeps changing with that movie.
Brent: I just gotta play slide guitar on one thing and I’m done as far as I’m concerned.
Brann: I think the director has more musical stuff that he wants us to do.
Tony: Who’s the director?
Brann: Jimmy Hayword.
Tony: What other things has he done?
Brann: He made Horton Hears a Who?
Tony: Really?
Brann: Yeah that’s the only things he’s directed but before that he was a Pixar wiz kid.
When he was younger he did a lot of animation. He did Toy Story, Finding Nemo and all those big Pixar movies that came out.
Tony: Is the movie going to be animated?
Brann: No. It’s LIVE ACTION!
Brent: LIVE ACTION!!
Brann: Josh Brolin, Megan Fox and John Malkovich are going to be in it.
Tony: Megan Fox! Do you get to meet her?
Brent: I banged her.
Tony: Sick!
Brann: I just had phone sex with her…I’m pretty sure it was her. It sounded just like her anyways. I mean she said it was her….
Tony: What’s the reason for releasing instrumental versions of your songs?
Brann: We got so much hate mail about the vocals. People really hated the vocals.
Tony: Haha Really?!?!
Brann: No.
Brent: I didn’t even know they released our music as instrumentals.
Brann: You did too.
Tony: They did it behind your back huh?
Brent: I guess it wouldn’t matter anyways.
Brann: He doesn’t care.
Tony: Haha! Ok so you guys scored what people would say was the dream gig of opening for Metallica. I remember running into you guys during that tour and asking what it was like. You explained it was a bit more difficult than you thought it was going to be…
Brann: No it was fun.
Brent: Yeah it was fun hanging out with them but most of their fans were only there to see Metallica you know what I mean?
Brann: Yeah I mean come on. How many shirts or records do you think your going to sell opening for Metallica? Everybody there wants to see Metallica. Their fans are only there to see one band. I mean there were people there that thought we were awesome but really you just do it for the lamanent and the stories you can tell walking around your town bragging to people like “yeah it was cool (sighs) opening for Metallica”
Tony: Hahaha!
Brent: I threw up on stage one time.
Brann: No but that tour was awesome. It was way long and prosperous.
Tony: So some of you guys were in Today is the Day right?
Brann: Yeah me and Bill were. I was in it for 10 minutes.
Tony: Is Steve Austin pissed that Mastodon is so much bigger than Today is the Day?
Brann: I don’t know.
Tony: You don’t talk to him? Was it a rough split or something?
Brann: It wasn’t exactly awesome you know. There wasn’t a big knock down drag out fight or anything.
Brent: He’s just a different type of guy than who these 2 dudes are.
Tony: Is he as crazy as people say he is?
Brann: I don’t think hes that much crazier than your average dude.
I was just kind of in the beginning of starting to tour and he had already been doing it for 10 years and he was in the middle of it. Getting shit money and still in the van in his 30’s.
I can see where that would drive somebody a bit insane after such a long time. I just feel like they were kind of on the outs around then anyways.
Brent: Temple of the Morning Star was awesome!
Brann: I mean as far as the popularity of the band is concerned I think they were more popular in the Am Rep days than when they got with Relapse.
Tony: Are you guys influenced by any Am Rep bands?
Brann: Yeah sure.
Tony: Unsane? Jesus Lizard?
Brann: Yeah we grew up with all that stuff. The Melvin’s all that. You know, I think it’s weird that a lot of people ignore that whole era.
Tony: It’ll come back though. The 90’s are coming back! I’ve been saying that for a while.
Brent: We’ve been saying “get with the 90’s”
Tony: What other stuff influences you guys that people would least expect? Are you into punk or hardcore? I think most people would expect you to be big Prog fans or something like that.
Brent: I was just listening to the Clash when I woke up.
Brann: We’re into anything. We’re musicians. So we get off on everything. There’s a gem in every genre! That’s really what it is.
Tony: I like that. Ok last question do you guys collect vinyl?
Brann: I love vinyl.
Brent: I collect so much vinyl that it’s stupid. It gets in the way on tour because I have all this sit in my bag and no idea where to put it all. I try to keep them in my check bag and it’s heavy as fuck. But I’m not going to do that on this tour. I did it last time and it sucked. It was a real huge pain in the ass.
Tony: What’s the most valuable record you own.
Brent: Frank Zappa “Hot Rats” picture disc.
Tony: That was the quickest response to an answer ever.
Brent: I paid 100 bucks for it.
Brann: I have the first pressing of Genesis “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” but I don’t know how much it’s worth.
Tony: But its worth a lot to you right? I have a lot of records like that too. Ok, well I’m done. Thanks a lot guys!
www.mastodonrocks.com
Check out Brann’s sick Randy Rhodes drum set!
Records That Never Saw The Light of Day (Part 1)
Being in bands for so long I’ve met a lot of people over the years that own their own record labels. On a few occasions the conversation has come up about a release their label had planned that never panned out. It happens all the time. Bands break up, people get sued, ideas get forgotten for whatever reason etc. I figured it would be pretty interesting to ask a bunch of these people the same question and hopefully get some interesting stories. So I sent this email out and got some pretty cool responses. I hope all you music nerds like me will get a kick out of this. Enjoy!
Tony Foresta
What is the most interesting release that your label had planned that never saw the light of day?
Chris Dodge- Slap a Ham Records
Slap A Ham had a compilation planned of all brutal bands doing TV theme songs. It was tentatively titled “Kill Your Television”. I had a picture of Bush Sr. puking on the Japanese prime minister, so I was going to have the cover of the comp be that pic on a TV screen. There were several bands who actually recorded for it…. 13 (“Fat Albert”), Lack Of Interest (“Bonanza”), and I even got a GG Allin track (“Partridge Family”). The GG track was pretty crappy though. He was in jail at the time, so he had a friend on the outside piece something together. It was basically the Partidge Family harpsichord intro, and then it launched into 5 minutes of noisy experimental sludge with GG talking over it about killing & raping. I think I may have gotten a Brutal Truth track as well. I had asked bands like Crossed Out, MITB, and Rupture to contribute, too. I forget who else was supposed to be on the comp. I do remember that MITB was planning on doing the “Good Times” theme. It was supposed to be an LP, but not that many bands actually recorded their tracks. So I planned on doing a 7″ by default, but the quality of the tracks that I did receive was pretty hit & miss. Half of them were experimental and didn’t represent what the bands really sounded like, and frankly, just weren’t very good. I seem to recall only the 13 & Lack Of Interest tracks were good, but it was hardly a “comp” with only two bands. Eventually the idea was scrapped. I feel bad for the bands who actually spent the time & effort to record, but if it had seen the light of day with the material I had, it would have been even more embarrassing if it had been released.
Jake Bannon- Deathwish Records
The Asps: A metallic band that F. Sean Martin, Nate Newton, and myself talked about doing. I think we started writing once, then just ended up watching “Apocalypse Now Redux” and “Band Of Brothers” for a weekend. I still want to write music with F. Sean, as he is amazing.
“Virgin”: A project between Converge and Cave In members, playing together as one band. Though the guys started recording songs together, the project never fully materialized. Since then a majority of the song ideas have been absorbed by both Converge and Cave In on various albums.
Gordon Conrad- Relapse Records
In the early 90s, Relapse then Relapse and Nuclear Blast America under one roof – was planning to put together a Doors tribute compilation of heavy death metal and grindcore bands covering/ mangling Doors tracks. Many of the tracks were scheduled to be reinterpreting the songs, and thus have significant changes in arrangements, possibly vocals, etc. The Doors representatives simply wouldnt approve the reinterpretations of the songs, stopping the project in its tracks, but not before some of the bands (Amorphis, etc) had recorded their versions. The world absolutely missed out on the brilliance of Anal Cunt covering Hello, I Love you and Pungent Stench doing Back Door Man.
Attached is a fax from ’92/’92 sent to Pyogenesis letting them know which bands had reserved which tracks.
Bryon Lippencott – Kiss Of Death Records
Somehow up to this point we have followed through with most of our strange ideas thus far but I really wanted to release a die-cut 7-inch that was a flesh colored hand with a middle finger sticking up… we also talked about shocker shaped vinyl, but this was the late nineties.
Digby Pearson- Earache Records
Earache’s done our share of crazy releases, ..but a funny thing I always wanted to try was a double-groove cut on a vinyl, where two songs are cut side by side. So when the needle is placed on the record, depending on which groove it hits, it plays one song or another. The cutting engineer would always talk me out of it, cos of the cost of wastage of the acetates if the grooves of each cut touched.He told me it might take 5-6 attempts to make perfect, so I never did it.
One thing I’m so HAPPY we never made is 5.1 surround sound DVD-Audio .In 2000 or so, labels seriously considered this the next big audio format, Metallica had one, Motorhead even had one out.We made advanced plans to try it on lots of old classic earache titles, but I got cold feet, luckily. Turns out the future was MP3 anyway, not SACD/DVD-A.
Andy Low – Robotic Empire
Robo 036 – Hassan I Sabbah – Discography CD never happened cause a well-known-mastering-engineer-who-I’d-prefer-to-remain-nameless ERASED the master ADAT that I sent him that had all of the band’s self-recorded material on it. So the only available versions remaining were on crappy home-dubbed cassette tapes they’d dumpster-dived or something, so basically all the non-studio recordings (3/4ths of the release) sounded like ass.
Var Thelin- No Idea Records
I wanted to press the PANTHRO UK UNITED 13 album as a 13″ record. I decided not to, as no distributor would be able to handle a record that did not fit into its 12″ shipping boxes, haha! That and the plant still has never actually made a 13″ record, despite claims of being able to do so… for the last 13 years? I did have a rad idea that went along with it to. Check it out: the FIRST PRESSING is a 13″. The outer inch on each side has one song NOT on the regular album. The RE-PRESS is a 12″, minus the two “outer” songs. Pretty cool, huh?
PANTHRO recently became active again, after a 10-year hiatus. Maybe we have another shot at this idiotic idea?
Justin Pearson- Three One G
there are a couple…
“beating off”…three one g community drum battle (a comp of sick drummers playing solo)
“granizo el nuevo amanecer” (a skrewdriver cover album performed acoustic and in spanish by salvador galloegos and jung sing)
Curtis Grimstead- Rorschach Records
Best Friends Day 7 Comp
Asked bands to do all covers about Friendship songs. Apeshit recorded the Fragglerock friendship song and EYC recorded the theme song from Friends
Also the Brainworms/The Catalyst and Pink Razors records were not suppose to come out on Rorschach originally but ended up coming out that way and are both the top selling releases on the label.
Part 2 coming soon!
Grill ‘Em All Interview
When my pal’s Matt and Ryan told me they were going to start a “Heavy Metal Gourmet Burger Truck” in L.A. I thought they were out of their mind. Next thing I knew a few months go by and they had it up and running. Not only is it up and running but buisness is doing very well. Apparently people from all walks of life require an occasional Carcass burger. Who knew? Next time your in the Los Angeles area hunt these guys down. Ryan and Matt are killer chefs and these burgers look and taste great. Heres an interview I did with the Grill ‘Em All dudes!!!
Tony: So where did the Grill ‘Em All idea come from?
Matt: Dude, it just came from grilling all the hot dogs, all the burgers and all the corn or whatever. We do things to extremes be it grilling, drinking or talking shit.
Ryan: Matt and I have talked for years about starting our own restaurant, but I tells ya, those things cost some money! When we moved to Los Angeles, our buddy from Cleveland used to throw a weekly barbeque. I took over the reign bringing in a gourmet spin on classic barbeque. Before I knew it I was grilling for friends parties all over LA. If you got me some beer, paid for the food, I was your personal chef for the day. And I’m not gonna lie, this is pretty much still true. Annnyways. I got a tattoo that says Grill ‘Em All, we saw the growing trend in food trucks, did our research, and decided this would be the best way to break into what the kids call “those truck things that serve food.”
Tony: What is your favorite burger on the menu?
Matt: The Molly Hatchet holds the key to my heart. Something about it reminds me of eating breakfast in a strangers house in Tennessee while his roommate geeks out on pills in his locked bedroom. I think it’s the sausage gravy. But I also love the Kreator just because it took a piece of my tongue from me when I bit down too hard on it. True story, Tony. You’ll find it weird the next time I tongue kiss you.
Tony: That’s gross. Now I’m Horny. What about you Ryan?
Ryan: That’s like choosing your favorite child, only I don’t have children, I got burgers, so I guess that’s kind of the same. The Kreator is my current special, its horseradish aioli, seared summer sausage, Swiss cheese, and a 3 apple kraut that I slow braise for over 2 hours. This thing is no joke, much like band!
Tony:Obviously you guys are familiar with your local music scene, do you play in bands? I know Ryan used to play in Killed In Action (which was a great hardcore band from Columbus, Ohio)
Ryan: Ahhh yes sir. Killed In Action was a blast! We had a great time sharing shows with the great Municipal Waste! Well, aside from the time we got the riot cops called on us on the last day of your guy’s tour, hahaha!
Tony: Oh man that night was a total disaster!
Ryan: Currently I am working on a sick death metal project called Necro Hammer (think Repulsion). I also want to take this time to encourage all metal bands to email us, send us shit and if, big IF, we like it, we will promote the hell out of it by playing on the truck! And who knows, if you rip hard enough, you might just get the exclusive honor of having a burger named after you!
Matt: I play the game of life and I am a very good winner. The best winner I know. But that doesn’t answer the question. I used to front Amps II Eleven and Southern Trespass. Amps ruled so hard. Total southern rock meets Detroit punk meets Motorhead. Ryan played in the band too and I think you once saw me fall off a table in Richmond onto a pile of chicken wings. One of my better moments.
Tony: What other projects do you have going on?
Matt: I have a twelve pack in the fridge and a book I am planning to read. I also go whale watching by myself sometimes. I have seen a Blue whale, Fin whale, Grey whale and Minke whale. Too sweet, I know.
Ryan: Yeah, actually Matt and I just tackled the better part of some 75 South brand whiskey, and there are still those beers he had previously mentioned. Honestly, we are both putting in anywhere from 12-18 hour shifts every day, so its really hard to find time to even think about doing anything else. I am super lucky to have a really supportive girlfriend who can handle our intense schedule.
Tony: Aren’t one of you guys a pro wrestler or something?
Matt: That’s Matt Wroth… I get mistaken for him a lot. I think it’s just because we have the same first name and all of the same birthmarks and natural good looks. But, personally, I have never met the dude but he came to the truck and signed a photo which was generous of him.
Tony: If you were to name a burger after a pro wrester who would it be and what ingredients would you use?
Ryan: I think you just blew Matts mind and gave him a boner at the same time.
Matt: Dude, Ryan, you know me too well. Tony will be picking my brains out of his hair for the next two weeks. For real though, I have to say that this is probably the most informed, smart and interesting question ever asked in an interview by someone with a name other than Roddy Piper or Mean Gene. I am very happy you asked this but it’s too hard to pin one superstar down for this project. We are in talks about having a Terry Funk burger. The Funk U. That would have to be a full on Texas BBQ burger. We would have to use beef from a really pissed off cow though because Terry is a crazy old man.
But one also has to take Abdullah the Butcher and the Von Erich family into account. And then there is the Necrobutcher which could serve both the wrestling and metal communities. Shit. My head is spinning… Pass.
Tony: What’s your best selling burger?
Ryan: I’m not going to b.s. you just because you happen to be the front man, but it is hands down the “Waste ‘Em All.” Either you guys rule so hard that people don’t care what’s on it, or the burger is just that good. But I swear to god I can’t get over how much of those things we sell! I’d like to think it’s a combination of both, cause both the band and the burger are super amazing!
Tony: That’s awesome. Just mail the checks to our P.O. box. No but seriously that’s amazing! Do you guys serve other things like hot dogs and shit?
Matt: We have home made tator tots called the H-100s which is a nod to one of my favorite humans, Tony Erba. We make each one by hand and it’s, like, a ten step process. Really these things are a labor of love except that I hate making them. I would rather spend my time sleeping but, you know, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Ryan: Seriously, the public does not know the insane amount of time and absolute pain we go through to make those tots. I have to stress: we make EVERY FUCKING TOT BY HAND!!!!! Making a mere 15 orders takes 4 hours, I am not joking! Think about that next time your crushing our food!
Tony: Wow that’s incredible…and naming it after the H-100’s! I love that band. One of Clevelands most under rated punk bands. Gimme Brown sugar in my eeeeeeyyyyyyeeee!
Ryan: Also, in the next week I am unveiling the King Diamond, which, surprisingly, is not a burger. It’s a sandwich on 6 grain wheat bread, garlic aioli, smoked turkey, Swiss cheese, frizzled onions, and a cranberry gastrique. Sometimes, as a late night special, we do really amazing hot wings we call “hawkwings”
Tony: This interview is getting me hungry. Operating out of Los Angeles have you served any famous people?
Matt: We are still waiting on Lemmy to walk up to the window. I would probably kiss him on the lips. But that’s just because I like him so much not because I love him. I’ve said too much.
Ryan: Beck saw our truck and lost his shit, that was super weird. He looks old now, he should have bought a burger because I would have said he was the most metal dude ever and everyone should buy his shit right now.
Tony: Do you have any funny customer stories?
Ryan: I guess it ties in with the celebrity thing. We catered a “Grays Anatomy” shoot last night and fed the cast and crew. Sandra Oh, who is the main character on the show got a Carcass burger (veggie burg w/ guac, pico de gallo, and frizzled onions) and thought it was so good that she came back and ordered a veggie Waste ‘Em All and just started screaming out “Carcass ‘Em All, Carcass ‘Em All!!!” That was random as hell!
Tony: I’m sure people get really confused looking at the menu.
Matt: Well we have bad hand writing.
Ryan: Hahaha, yeah, and on top of that, most of yer typical rippers don’t know what cranberry gastrique, truffle oil, and other menu items we have are. To all those out there, please don’t be scared, trust us, its fucking good, and when we tell you to get truffle oil on your frites, get it!
Tony: What are some of the locations you guys hit up?
Matt: It’s a truck so we can be wherever we want which rules pretty hard. We do lunch, dinner and late-night shifts which means the people we serve range from office workers to internet foodies to metal heads. Today we went to a fashion company for lunch, tomorrow we have another office lined up and then we are going to a youth soccer tournament on Saturday. Yeah, that’s not the most metal line up but we have tickets to see Steel Panther on Monday so say what you want.
Tony: Any last words?
Ryan: First off, thank you Tony for being a champ, total ripper, and good friend. Secondly, come to the truck and hang out! Not only does it look totally cool, but the food will blow your fucking mind in half. Also, anyone who brings a ramp and can launch over the truck on their bike gets free burgers. And, if they make it look cool, free fries for life!
Matt: Support independent food trucks and independent pro wrestling and independent pro wrestling stores. As the great band Stepsister once said ‘It’s a big bad world and it’s all mine.’ But it’s also yours so let’s respect it and eat its animals together.
Tony: Thanks guys!
Contact the Grill em all guys!
thedudes@grillemalltruck.com
Interview by Tony Foresta
Toxic Holocaust Interview
I’ve been trying really hard not to be the torch bearer for this record label hyped “thrash revival” thing. When people ask me in interviews what new thrash bands I like I usually try to dodge the answer like the plague. The truth is I don’t like a lot of the newer thrash bands. I mean I’m not saying I hate all of them, there’s some great ones. You can’t really deny that Ghoul isn’t a fucking great band. I also dig Early Man too. I’m just saying there is also a sea of shitty ones out there as well and I’m not trying to be responsible for all that noise. Anyways, all of that aside I would have to say that my favorite of the more recent bands playing this style would have to be Toxic Holocaust. I harassed the shit out of Joel (who’s the brains behind T.H.) to do this quick interview with me. He’s a great guy and one of my favorite people to drink with. Thanks Joel!
T) Tony Foresta
J) Joel Grind
T) Hey Joel can you tell us where the hell are you are right now?
J) Tony, thanks for the interview. I’m at home (finally) in Portland, Oregon. Last year was a looong one, so it’s good to be at home just relaxing and being lazy.
T) You just got back from Europe touring with Skeleton Witch and Goatwhore how was that run?
J) It was pretty intense, it was the first time we’ve been back to Germany since 2006, so it was long overdue. The shows were wild, lots of headbanging and obscure patches on vests.
T) Please tell us, how many times did Ben Falgoust try to grab your dick?
J) Believe it or not, Ben didnt try at all on the Euro tour. We toured with Soilent Green and I was like one dick grab away from having to go out and by a cup, but this time around it was mellow. Actually though, I just saw Goatwhore in Portland a couple of days ago and he got me good. He’s got those long arms, and sometimes you just can’t see it coming.
T) So your going to Japan with us (Municipal Waste). Looking forward to that?
J) I can’t fucking wait! That is gonna be some crazy shit. This is you’re first time going there with the Waste right?
T) Yeah I’ve never been. I’m really excited about it.
J) You better wear a diaper over there, cause you’re gonna lose your shit.
T) What Japanese punk and metal records are you looking to score while your over there?
J) Well, I’m looking for a lot, but I can’t afford any of it. G.I.S.M. – M.A.N. LP, Bastard – Wind of Pain LP, Ghoul (from Japan)- Carry Out Fucking EP, Venom – Welcome to Hell (Japanese Pressing) LP etc etc. Boy Records and Disc Heaven in Tokyo are always good to check out.
T) How many times has Toxic Holocaust been to Japan?
J) I have been twice before this. This time is gonna rage. Ive never played anywhere but Tokyo, so I’m looking forward to seeing some more of Japan.
T) Didn’t you have a band from Japan play as your back up band when you first toured there? Explain how that worked and why you did that?
J) Yeah, I had the band Abigail backing me up. I did that because at that point Toxic was still a solo project and in order for me to tour I had to get people to play my shit.
T) Overdose of Death has been out for a while now is there a new Lp in the works?
J) Yep, I’m hoping the new one will be out this year. I have a bunch of new street jammers. I’m pretty proud of the new stuff.
T) You have a split 7″ coming out with Inepsy on Tankcrimes can you hype us up about that?
J) I can’t wait for this to come out. We do two Inepsy songs (Conspiracy WWIII and Bombshell Rock) and they do two Toxic songs (Hell on Earth and Atomik Destruktor). I think Inpesy is just finishing up their guitar tracks and it’ll be out. Our side is finished already and just waiting on artwork.
T) Do you or have you ever rode BMX bikes?
J) I used to ride a little when I was an early teenager but I totally sucked. I could bunny hop and that’s it. I’m a piece of shit.
T) Haha awesome. What are your touring plans for this year? Besides Japan of course.
J) We have some shit unconfirmed yet, but it will prob be a lot of overseas stuff this year. I’m glad we are going to Japan together, it’s gonna be next level retardedness.
T) I cant wait! Thanks again for doing this interview!
Check out Toxic Holocaust here…
www.myspace.com/toxicholocaust
Buy their shit here…
www.relapse.com
Interview by Tony Foresta
Live pics courtesy of www.returntothepit.com
Band Photo by Dave Schiff
Cool ass photo below by Moe Buffalini
Gatorface Show Review
I was told I was going to The Social which is a pretty popular music venue in downtown Orlando. But the next thing I know, I’m stumbling down a sketchy “rape alley” scenario as I was looking for the entrance of the venue. Luckily, my friend Susan was there to protect me so I wasn’t too frightened. “This isn’t the entrance we used the last time I was here.” I thought. We made it to the door and we in fact were at the Social…the back of the Social. I’m not really sure whose idea it was, but someone that works at this fairly large club decided it would be a good idea that when there wasn’t big show that could fill the normal 500 capacity venue that they could simply throw up a huge curtain and build a small stage in the back bar area. I was honestly impressed by this idea and the whole atmosphere reminded me of one of my all time favorite music venues in Richmond, Virginia called, “Hole in the Wall”. So I decided to do the same thing I would do if I were at the Hole (no, not start a bar fight!) order a tall ass liquor drink. Mmmmmm.
The first band that played was called Grave Return. They are a fairly new band from the area consisting of “old guys from the scene” meaning that they are dudes that are probably my age that are still into punk rock. I heard that these guys were pretty good but I was pretty much blown away by their set. Total Adolescents style punk with really catchy songs. I’ve seen a lot of bands try to play this style and fail miserably but these guys had it down pat. Also, just to mix things up, they played a Christian Death cover! If you’re into The Adolescents and No Hope For the Kids you will really like this band. So good. I can’t wait to hear this new band recorded.
Next up was Cutman. These guys were not what I was expecting to hear when they started playing. Hailing from Gainesville, Florida this band was way heavier than the other bands on the bill. I can see these guys playing along side such great bands as Young Widows and Keelhaul. By saying that, I don’t mean they sound similar to them, but they do have the creative song structures and heaviness that would make them a great match.
I laughed as a couple drunk guys tried to “slam dance” while they were playing. Who the fuck moshes at an 21 and up show? You’re going to make me spill my 8 dollar mixed drink! I only dance at shows where there is a 16 year old kid in front of me that I can push down. Know what I’m saying?
Last but not least is Gatorface! I’ve seen this band 5 or 6 times now and they seem to be getting tighter and tighter each time. I think the fact that they just recently returned from the studio from recording a full length helped a lot. I don’t know what got into Richard, but I’ve never seen that guy hit the drums so hard in my life. Maybe he was trying to impress his girlfriend or something. Regardless, I was into it. I was later told that he messed up a couple songs due to the fact that he was hitting so hard. I couldn’t tell at all. I thought they played great. Regardless, I’d rather see a guy fuck a song up because he’s beating the shit out of the drums than a guy hit like a wussy and play everything perfect. The set consisted of a lot of new songs off their yet to be released full length (No Idea is putting it out) as well as stuff of the 10”. They played Flak Jacket too. That songs my Jam. If you like DI and the Ramones check out these guys if you don’t then you probably shouldn’t read my column any more.
Good show guys!
Photos courtesy of Tantrum Imagery
