Nine Inch Nails (NIN) announced a co-headlining tour with Soundgarden and Death Grips as the supporting act. The tour will cover the U.S. and Canada leg of the world tour in support of Hesitation Marks, their latest album.
The tour will start July 19th in Las Vegas, NV and will move throughout most of North America until August 25th, where it will conclude in California. The band, led by Trent Reznor, will be making an appearance in New York at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre August 1st, as well as surrounding dates in Camden, NJ and Holmdel, NJ.
The band will consist of Pino Palladino on bass, Alesandro Cortini on guitar and synth, Ilan Rubin on drums, and Robin Finck on guitar. Pre-sale tickets will be available Monday (today) beginning at 12 PM using the password ‘MYWAVE’. Tickets for the Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden tour will go on sale to the public Friday, March 21. More information can be found at nin.com.
It is rare to find a music fan who devotes their time to only one type of music. When speaking with the musicians that you read about on our websites, you will find a huge diversity of bands that had influenced their love for music.
And, that is the basis behind our most recent change.
Upstate Live is excited to announce its merger with Upstate Metal. Each has focused on the same mission – to promote live music and the local talent here in the Empire State.
Through the years, we have come to recognize the best way to follow through with this mission statement of ours would be to combine our efforts. Music fanatics appreciate a wide spectrum of sound that carries them through different genres. As these tastes mature and musicians continue to push the envelope on the characteristics that define their given category, it has become difficult to discern where one genre ends and another one begins.
In the coming weeks, regular readers of may notice a few new names. With the merger, we welcome within the talented writers and photographers that helped earn success for Upstate Metal. This talented group of writers, photographers and editors will only enhance our ability to spread great music across the state to bring you the coverage you have already come to expect from us.
In addition, you should expect to see a new look to our website very soon. It is not all about aesthetics. We promise this will help all of our readers to navigate clearly by region, genre, and news category.
“We just wanted to play metal in the boys’ club,” said Leather Leone, of Chastain, in the new book by Jill Hughes Kirtland, Not Just Tits in a Corset: Celebrating Women in Metal. “We were metal. And the music represented us. I remember early on at shows when I saw females in the audience I’d try to bring them in so they’d get it. I don’t want to f*ck him. I want to be him.”
Kirtland, a music journalist and band manager, reports the stories of several women rockers, in their own voices, through a series of intimate interviews and photographs. The names who collaborated with Kirtland involve some of the most prominent and influential women in the metal industry – Lita Ford, Ann Boleyn, Doro Pesch, Betsy Bitch, Leather Leone, Anneke Van Giersbergen, Elize Ryd, Sharon Den Adel, Alissa White-Gluz, Angela Gossow, Maria Brink, Floor Jansen, Tarja Turunen, Cristina Scabbia, Charlotte Wessels, Roxy Petrucci, Linda Mcdonald, Lzzy Hale, and Simone Simons.
The book promises to provide insight from the women who helped blaze a trail, and continue to destroy stereotypes. (Photo Credit: Freeman Promotions)
The book, which Kirtland self-published, details the unique history, challenges and triumphs women have encountered throughout their careers in metal music, while also celebrating the compelling global community these women have created amongst each other and the fans. It’s not just musicians featured, but the women behind the scenes also tell their stories, all of them offering inspiration and support to the up-and-comers.
“Ten years ago I heard [from women], “Since I saw you in a metal band, I thought ‘okay, I can do this as well,’” recounted solo artist, and former member of The Gathering, Anneke van Giersbergen. “Sometimes we need a little bit of an example.”
Doro Pesch wrote the foreword to the book. Pesch, who is often referred to as “Metal Queen”, earned respect after a career that ha spanned nearly 25 years uninterupted. She is credited with being the first woman to front a band at the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington, in England. German born, she earned her stripes and Europe and briefly tasted success in the United States before grunge pushed her back to the European front. Today, she continues to tour with her band.
The book, with a pretty cool book cover design by the way, is now available as a hardcover or softcover printed book or e-book on the author’s website and will be available through other online retailers soon.
A book launch party open to the public (all ages) will take place on Thursday, April 3rd (6:30pm) at Roxy & Duke’s Roadhouse in Dunellen, New Jersey. Female-fronted metal bands MINDMAZE, A SOUND OF THUNDER, and FLAMES OF FURY will be performing that night with other special guests.
Kyle Borman (left) and Ben Bruce [guitarist, Asking Alexandria] of KBB RECORDS (Photo Credit: KBB Records)
Ben Bruce’s current job title is that of guitarist for Asking Alexandria. But, that’s not his only job title.
This week Bruce. and Asking Alexandria co-manager Kyle Borman, announce, not only the launch of their new record label, but also their first act – SCARE DON’T FEAR (SDF).
“After years of planning, touring, writing and learning, and after ups and downs, arguments and agreements, I have grown to not only love the music industry, but understand it and respect it,” said Bruce. “KBB Records is a label run by artists, for artists. With my love and passion for music along with my knowledge and understanding of the music industry it’s our goal to work alongside incredible artists of all genres and to create and release amazing music for the world to fall in love with.”
Bruce’s other responsibilities involve touring with Asking Alexandria with axe in hand. The group has captured a huge following since their 2012 release of Reckless and Relentless, which debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Top 200. They currently boast more than four million followers on their Facebook page. The UK band is scheduled to hit our area with stops in New York City (Best Buy Theater – Mar. 21), Sayreville, NJ (Starland Ballroom – Mar. 22), Philadelphia, PA (Electric Factory, Mar. 23), Worcester, MA (The Palladium – Mar. 25), Rochester, NY (The Armory – Mar. 26), Albany, NY (Upstate Concert Hall – Mar. 27) and Pittsburgh, PA (Club Zoo – March 28).
“KBB started as a small recording studio that Ben and I started together a few years ago with the intentions of providing traveling bands a means to record high end, professional records and demos while out on the road,” said Borman. “Together, Ben and myself have managed to turn what started out as a small, mobile recording studio, into an artist friendly record label with a team of staff with the experience and passion that can rival even the largest record labels around the world. KBB Records is dedicated to developing talented and passionate artists of all genres and helping them share their music with the world and accomplishing their dreams.”
The first band signed to the new label is SCARE DON’T FEAR, a Providence, RI-based fusion of hip-hop and metal.
“Everyone in SCARE DON’T FEAR is extremely proud to be a part of KBB RECORDS. SDF are huge fans of ASKING ALEXANDRIA, so when Ben and Kyle approached us about teaming up, we were stoked. We have been working at this goal for over five years and it’s a very rewarding feeling to not only get signed, but to get signed to a label that has such an amazing team behind it. All of us are looking forward to building towards the future with KBB RECORDS.”
CLICK HERE to watch a studio update from SCARE DON’T FEAR.
SCARE DON’T FEAR (L-R): Chris Jungles (vocals), Larry Ohh (drums/beats), Frankie Screamz (vocals), Joe Auger (guitar) & Ryan Grandmaison (bass/vocals) (Photo Credit:KBB Records)
It had been a feel good story that was first reported on our site in December. The band, consisting of college-aged musicians of whom working towards, or recently earning their respective degrees, had garnered much attention to itself. Last summer, they organized a successful concert, including several bands local to Long Island, with the intent to collect food to the region still suffering from 2012’s Hurricane Sandy.
Since then, the band has appeared in numerous periodicals and began landing gigs within New York City, including Webster Hall (which, was later canceled). When we spoke to them in December, they were tentatively making plans to tour throughout Upstate New York.
And, that’s about when things started to unravel.
When they were together Echo Hill consisted of (from left to right) Dylan Coates, Keith Miller, Monique Teichert and Alex Laudani. (Photo Credit: Echo Hill)
Just weeks following our feature article, the band announced lead singer, Monique Teichert had left the band. At the time, the cited that Teichert and her band mates did not share the same level of commitment, but a more acrimonious relationship was alluded on the band’s Facebook a short time later.
Echo Hill quickly sought after what would be their third lead singer in three years. However, just short of two months after Teichert’s departure, Laudani reluctantly put the band “to death.”
In a text message, Laudani said he is in the early stages of starting a new project.
“I’ll be back with a vengeance.”
As for Teichert, she too expressed that she has not quit on music. In a personal message through Facebook, she stated, “I’m not quitting on music. I’ll keep you posted on my new project.”
A “farewell” package has been prepared on Echo Hill’s official website, making several of their singles available to the public at no charge.
It might only be a short drive separating Buffalo from its northern neighbor Toronto, but that has proven to be a great enough divide for Protest the Hero. The Canadian metal act’s last visit was back in 2009, but thankfully that all changed with the kickoff to their 2014 North American tour happening right in the Queen City.
The night started out as any night in Buffalo would during our long winter stretch: discouragingly cold. And just as that’s an expectation, so too is the community’s passion for music. Without disappointment, The Waiting Room was packed with metal enthusiasts who were eager to see the eclectic mix of bands. Opening the night were up-and-comers Intervals and Night Verses. Both bands are relatively new to the scene and have only been around for a few years now, but neither disappointed.
The Safety Fire was the third band on and, at this point, the crowd was dialed in and beginning to get into the show. The band started their set with an audio clip of the Chemical Plant Zone in Sonic 2 which drew a resounding response from the crowd. As the clip finished, they dove right into their first song “Red Hatchet” off of their most recent release Mouth of Swords. The song had an underlying similarity in tone to the Sonic intro which made for a seamless transition into their set. The UK-based band has only been across the pond a few times to tour, with their first actually being in support of Protest the Hero back in 2012. With their understandably low exposure to U.S. audiences, the five-piece squeezed everything out of their set and really left everything out on the stage. Their guitarists Derya ‘Dez’ Nagle and Joaquin Ardiles employ custom, Telecaster-esque Wirebird guitars which gives their harmonized runs a sharp and unique tone. The third song “Huge Hammers” got the biggest crowd response and is one of the band’s most popular songs. With hands raised, the crowd echoed the beat and created a unified feeling with the music. As their set wrapped up, the band put their remaining energy into the last song, running circles around the stage on the anthemic “Glass Crush.”
Up next was Battlecross whose raw, thrash metal sound gave the crowd even more reason to move. Their modern take on a classic metal genre was energized by the thunderous double bass attack of Shannon Lucas who’s their temporary drummer on this tour. Lucas has played with the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder and All That Remains to name a few and is their current fill-in while they look to permanently fill the void left by the departure of longtime drummer Michael Keger last year. You wouldn’t have known the difference though as the band literally didn’t miss a beat all night.
Battlecross guitarist Tony Asta (left) and bassist Don Slater (right)
Battlecross ripped through their set, focusing on their new album War of Will for the majority of the content for show. Their speed an aggression was balanced out by runs of beautiful melody via guitarists Tony Asta and Hiran Deraniyagala. Calling Detroit home, the band fully embodies the Motor City’s drive and blue-collar mentality. With their set coming to a close, the band pulled from their 2011 release Pursuit of Honor in “Kaleb” and “Push Pull Destroy.” The throwback sent the crowd into a frenzy and lead singer Kyle “Gumby” Gunther only antagonized them more with his in-your-face attitude. These guys will be back in Buffalo in May in support of Killswitch Engage, so don’t miss another chance to catch their incredible live show.
The long-awaited return of Protest the Hero was finally over as the buzz in the crowd began to build for the imminent start to their show. Although it had been five years and two album releases since their last visit, the crowd was more than willing to forgive and forget as that was all about to change. The band took to the stage to a loud and warm welcoming. Since their last visit, the band lost longtime drummer Moe Carlson who has now been permanently replaced by the still unrecognized Mike Ieradi. Also new to the group was temporary bassist, Cameron McLellan. Arif Mirabdolbaghi is still with the band, but was forced to skip the tour due to scheduling issues with another endeavor.
Protest the Hero guitarist Luke Hoskin
The band kicked off their set with “Hair-Trigger” from 2011’s Scurrilous. The crowd was already amped up for this performance, but the song’s bridge was an early highlight in the show with a heavy push to get closer to the band. Protest the Hero seemed to be in mid-tour form with a rhythmically-tight execution of their difficult, math metal sound. The soaring melodies of Tim Millar and Luke Hoskin were met throughout the night by Rody’s equally expansive vocals.
The band took on the new album in a few instances, but none more effectively than the combination of “Clarity” and “A Life Embossed,” played back to back early on in the set. It was admittedly the band’s first performance of “Clarity” which went off without a hitch. The energy throughout the set continuously built as they progressed and touched upon each of their four releases. As expected, the band displayed their impeccable proficiency on their instruments on each and every song, rarely taking the instrumental easy road.
The wait was worth it in the end as the crowd appreciated the opportunity to catch one of metal’s most talented groups. All and all, the show was a great kickoff to the tour and I would highly recommend catching them towards the tail end when they make a stop in Rochester on April 4th.
Protest the Hero Set List:
Hair-Trigger, Underbite, Sequoia Throne, Clarity, A Life Embossed, Bury the Hatchet, Mist, Sex Tapes, The Dissentience, Blindfolds Aside, Bloodmeat, C’est la Vie
Editor’s Note: Photo Credit Thomas Sgori/UpstateMetal Staff
Anthrax guitarist and founder Scott Ian stopped at Syracuse’s Lost Horizon for his “Speaking Words” tour and delivered an insightful, intimate, and amusing show in front about 100 people.
Ian, who is in the tail end of the “Speaking Words” Tour, is also in the middle of working on Anthrax’s 11th studio album (slated for a later 2014 release), and said to be wrapping up his autobiography that’s due out next year.
There was speculation whether or not Joey Belladonna was going to make an appearance, he did not.
Doors opened at 7, the show actually started about 8:10, It was a small-scale production show. It was just Scott Ian with a projection screen that showed some amusing comic slides, that show cased his stories in amusing manner. Of course as expected, a few drunk and obnoxious people in the crowd, Ian gracefully told them to, “shut the fuck up” more than once.
Ian opens his set by throwing the crowd off by reading from Red Hot Chilli Pepper‘s frontman, Anthony Keidis’ autobiography. Then as expected he chatted about his upbringing, to starting the band, to getting signed by Def Jam Records. Then he shifted gears and spoke about how he first met Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, sharing all the goods of his relationship with Lemmy, and the times he thought he could keep up drinking with him. The crowd could not stop laughing. Ian is a great story-teller. The comic slides just made it more amusing. Then after what was about 45 minutes of sharing crazy Lemmy Stories, the crowd was blessed to hear some funny party and prank stories that Ian shared with the late and great Dimebag Darrell.
Towards the end of the show Ian did a Q & A session with the crowd. (Yes, I got my question in about Damnocracy from the VH1 show “Supergroup”) This ultimately led to what may be the craziest incident of any concert.
A man, bald and sporting a goatee, emerged from the crowd and accused Ian of being his biological father. It was apparent that Ian recognized the man, who claimed to be 30-years-old, as before the mystery man spoke Ian immediately yelled, “Dude, I am not your father.”
The man continued to tell the story shared to him by his mother that she allegedly had relations with Ian in New York City more than 30 years ago.
“Dude, your mom’s a fucking liar,” said Ian. “Sorry, man.”
The man was escorted out by security, apparently crying and Ian swiftly deflected the situation from being a further distraction to the show. It was, however, definitely the highlight of the show, or in that case the highlight of the entire “Speaking Words” Tour. The show almost felt like a metal version of an episode of Maury. Talk about something that people don’t normally see every day.
(I did speak to Ian after the show, and he said he had no doubt in his mind that the story behind the man’s claims was fake.)
Once the theatrics concluded, the Q & A session resumed. There were some questions apparently inspired by alcohol and foolishness, but there were some great questions from the crowd including too. One man asked Ian about the times he spent with the late, and great, Ronnie James Dio (who was also receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the SAMMY’s).
The show finally ended around 10:30. Ian did do a VIP meet and greet after the show, doing autographs, and sharing more stories. I chatted with Ian about the Yankees and cool Anthrax experiences, also there is the possibility of doing another Spoken Word Tour that will include Fozzy Frontman/WWE Superstar Chris Jericho. They did a tour together in Australia last year and it was very successful.
Overall, it was great show for anyone that is into Anthrax, or Heavy Metal in general. And, of course, Scott Ian tells great stories that will guarantee you a nice chuckle and some stories to tell all your friends and family. Hopefully he brings the Speaking Words show back to Syracuse, as well as a full-blown Anthrax show as well.
For more Metal News, Concert Reviews, and more keep visiting Upstate Metal and be sure to follow me on twitter @SaintGOfficial and feel free to share your thoughts with me.
By early 1994, the alternative music scene out of Seattle was at its peak, and Soundgarden certainly had a hand in stoking that fire with the 1991 release of Badmotorfinger. So, once they released their fourth, full-length album with Superunknown on March 8, 1994, it debuted No. 1 on the Billboard chart.
The following year, the music industry showered the band with accolades – garnering a Grammy for Best Metal Performance (“Spoonman) and Best Hard Rock Performance (“Black Hole Sun”), and earning an MTV “Spaceman” award for Best Metal/Hard Rock music video (“Black Hole Sun”). Twenty years later, the album has sold more than nine-million copies across the globe, and is still considered by many music fans as the band’s finest accomplishment.
The album was recorded at Seattle’s Bad Animals Studio and produced by Michael Beinhorn. Beinhorn had earned relative success by producing hit records for Red Hot Chilli Peppers (Mother’s Milk – 1989) and Soul Asylum (Grave Dancers Union – 1992). At the urging a friend, Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam, the band also brought on Brendan O’Brien to mix. Today, O’Brien is popularly associated with producing many of Pearl Jam’s albums. However, at this time, he had only just finished his first with Pearl Jam, with Vs.
Every song is a masterpiece. (4th of July is my favorite.) Shame on you if don’t have this album. Any metal fan or anyone who just appreciates music in general should own this album. However, should you be looking to buy, you will soon be presented with a few more options when “Superunknown” is re-released June 5th.
The re-release promises two different versions from which to choose.
The Deluxe Edition is a 2-CD package featuring the remastered album along with disc two consisting of demos, rehearsals, B-sides and more.
The Super Deluxe Edition is a 5-CD package featuring the remastered album, additional demos, rehearsals and B-sides and the fifth disc is the album mixed in Blu-ray Audio 5.1 Surround Sound. The Super Deluxe Edition is incredibly packaged in a hardbound book with a lenticular cover, liner notes by David Fricke and newly reimagined album artwork designed by Josh Graham. It also features never-before-seen band photography by Kevin Westerberg. A 2-LP gatefold of the original 16 vinyl tracks remastered on 200-gram vinyl in a gatefold jacket will also be made available.
For more Metal News, Concerts, and more keep visiting Upstate Metal and be sure to follow me on twitter @SaintGOfficial and feel free to share your thoughts with me.
Although the debate over whether or not God exists has raged for centuries, watching Animals As Leaders’ guitarist Tosin Abasi can make audiences believe the Big Man is walking amongst them.
Boombox
The boys headlined a show that promised an assortment of different types of music for concert revelers at Upstate Concert Hall on March 1st. Mixed genre shows are a foreign concept. They’re not yet popular in America with few big ticket shows giving credence to metal, jazz, and electronic dance at one event. This idea, however, is regular in European festivals.
Abasi, Javier Reyes (guitar) and Matt Garska (drums) could be considered among the best musicians in the world. Their headlining slot saw some of their easily recognizable stamps, such as “Tempting Time,” “Point to Point,” and “CAFO.” Their unwavering ability to stay true to their original sound – which has evolved with every release – is remarkable. By the time Weightless came out, Navene Koperweis (the Faceless, Navene K) had jumped on drums and gave the second effort more depth of field than the first album.
But for this album – and tour – Animals as Leaders are utilizing the talents of Matt Garska, whose ability to command each obscure song might leave the most hardened music enthusiasts wide – mouthed. While Garska mastered every older song, the band also played three newer songs, “Tooth and Claw,” “Lippincott,” and “Cascade,” which showcased both Reyes and Garska more than before.
Animals as Leaders experimentation from the start of the set to the end easily impressed both hard fans and those who had never heard the band play before. In hearing the newer songs especially, it was clear that the band will not grow tired.
After their set, the band took time to speak with fans about their instruments — they play eight strings and sometimes use oddly – shaped guitars that look they have just been cut from a tree — their style, as they don’t have a bass player, musical sense, and other matters, including Abasi’s obscure fashion sense.
However, Animals as Leaders were not the only defining force on this show. After the Burial, Navene K, and Chon supported the bill and got the attention they deserved as well.
Take for example Chon, who are essentially a (mostly instrumental) jazz quartet on crack. Although the audience was comprised of a few devoted fans, but it seemed that most people hadn’t heard them before that night. Many people might theorize that instrumental music, such as Scale the Summit, is hard to relate to because it has no actual message for listeners to be devoted to. By the end of the set, Chon was given the legendary “One More Song!” chant (they were not allowed because of set constraint).
Although Chon may just be getting their foot in the door, their use of clean guitar tones, jazz and fusion, and downright strange melodies will take them places. Although they might not be “metal” by classic terms, they have our stamp of approval – not to mention the hundreds they impressed at Upstate Concert Hall.
Chon’s music was not the most obscure. The night took a strange turn as soon as former Animals as Leaders drummer Navene K took the stage. His slot comprised of his current electronic project, in which he is the only member.
Although the audience kept an open mind to the electronic beats, one could tell that the mosh pit – type crowd did not really know how to respond to the beats and sounds. Navene K played on a strange drum set, but with the melodies he had written, one could easily tell that he is certainly a positive force for the metal community. He thanked the crowd for keeping an open mind by the end of the set. “I didn’t expect to be taking this on tour,” he said.
Inclusive with the light show, sound, and everything else, the presence of After the Burial was larger than life. The band was received in a profound enthusiasm. It was a typical metal show: circle pit, mosh, wall of death, and crowd surfing. They came out as silhouettes, stood as giants, and played each song with the incredible fierceness.
The band played some of their famous numbers, including a behind – the – back guitar performance of “Berzerker” by Justin Lowe. Additionally, they played songs off of their latest record, Wolves Within. Rarely faltering, drummer Dan Carle provided a prominent beat to every note the band played.
After the Burial’s defining moments were those in which the audience was commanded by their presence on stage. Although it may have seemed dangerous at times, they earned fans new and hardened the loyalties of their followers. Each band brought something different to the table to create a one of a kind experience. Although this type of show is not common, promoters certainly made the right choice in placing these four bands together.
After a successful tour around with world in support with tenth full length album “Worship Music,” Anthrax guitarist and founder Scott Ian is taking the road with his “Speaking Words” tour to share his crazy metal stories.
Ian will be on stage Wednesday, March 5th at the B.B. King Blues Club and Grill in New York City and follows with a show at the Lost Horizon in Syracuse Thursday, March 6th.
Expect everything from being raised Jewish in Queens, to starting a metal band; from crazy tour stories, to meeting Lemmy and partying with Dimebag. This is a spoken word show that can’t be missed.
Ian will also be taking questions, of which I have a few myself, such as, will Joey Belladonna show up?
Tickets are available for $15 on Ticket Fly or $20 at the door. VIP Pass $50 on www.scottian.com.
The tour will start July 19th in Las Vegas, NV and will move throughout most of North America until August 25th, where it will conclude in California. The band, led by Trent Reznor, will be making an appearance in New York at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre August 1st, as well as surrounding dates in Camden, NJ and Holmdel, NJ.
![Kyle Borman (left) and Ben Bruce [guitarist, Asking Alexandria] of KBB RECORDS (Photo Credit: KBB Records)](https://dev.nysmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/KBB_Records.jpg)
