Author: Chris Besaw

Kissing Candice at Syracuse’s Rock Garage

Kissing Candice brought their bloody, gory horror themed show to Syracuse’s newest DIY venue, The Rock Garage on December 18^th. Syracuse area locals, The Entropic Principle, Welcome the Ancients, and IMPULSE helped get the crowd warmed up.

The lights go dark, smoke rolls onto the stage, the crowd’s excitement builds as the intro cues up; then the band explodes onto the stage tearing right into “Unloaded” off of their newest album “Blind Until we Burn.” They didn’t waste any time before ripping into “Successful test” and their latest single “Put em’ up.” The band played a very powerful and supercharged set consisting of a mix of songs from their EP “Conjured” and newest release “Blind Until We Burn” including highlights “Tusk” and “Nilbog” to which they pay homage to one of the “best” worst movies of all time Claudio Fragasso’s Troll 2!

Even though it was cold outside, Kissing Candice had no trouble keeping fans excited and engaged throughout their 50 minute set. After taking a short break, the band came out a played a two song encore ending the blood and smoke filled set with a song that that is not often played “Rampage.” The band thanked everyone and invited the crowd to hang out with them at their merch table before they were on their way back to Long Island.

It is certain that with their mix of metal, hardcore and industrial and let’s not forget some very catchy heavy and hook – laden songs, Kissing Candice puts on one hell of a blood and gore soaked show!

December 29, 2015
Robert Trujillo Premiers “JACO” for RSD Black Friday 2015 in Syracuse

Many people associate the madness that is Black Friday with people waiting in extremely long lines, sometimes even camping out, to get the hottest items of the year at the best bargain prices. Typically the main events happen at malls and big box stores and end up being the centerpiece of the 5 o’clock news. I, however, associate Black Friday with an event that is a quintessential experience for devotees of vinyl record collecting: Record Store Day.

Syracuse is fortunate enough to be the home of Soundgarden, an amazing independent record store. Soundgarden is one of the hosts of Black Friday Record Store Day, a day that boasts rare and unique music releases primarily on vinyl, but other formats are included in the celebration as well. One of the special releases this year was a documentary film that highlights the life and death of Jazz musician Jaco Pastorius. The film was directed by Paul Merchand and Stephen Kikak and was co-produced by Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo and John Battsek of Passion Pictures.

Robert Trujillo has been on the road promoting the release of the film and made a stop at Soundgarden on Black Friday Record Store Day. Trujillo signed copies of the film, took photos and chatted with a long line of fans. Anyone who purchased a copy of the film at Soundgarden received a wristband for the meet and greet. The purchase also included tickets to a premier screening of JACO and a question and answer session with Robert Trujillo at the Palace Theater that evening.

The event at the Palace Theater was packed with fans. It kicked off with a very heartwarming introduction by Frank Malfitano Executive Director of Syracuse’s Jazz fest of over 30 years. Michael Massurin Executive Director of Syracuse International Film festival and Soundgarden owner Bryan Burkert were also in attendance. Robert Trujillo provided a brief history of how the idea for the documentary was conceived, including the process and some of the highs and lows during production.

The film explores the life of Jaco Pastorious from his childhood through his rise to fame as the world’s greatest bass player to his tragic and early death in 1987. The film also explores the sad reality for many people who suffer from mental health issues. During the time that Jaco was alive the reality was that the issues were mainly ignored and written off and there was no effective treatment in place for mental health disorders.
After the film ended, Robert spent some time with fans answering questions about Jaco, his journey making the film, what happened to his famous “bass of doom” and one exuberant fan managed to sneak in the question many Syracuse fans have been wondering “when is Metallica, coming back to Syracuse?” to which Robert smiled and stated, “Well, let us finish working on the new record and I will see if I can get all of us here.”
It was great to see so many musicians and music fans of all genres come out to this event. It truly shows how supportive the Syracuse music scene is of all music types! I hope to see more events like this take place here in the near future.

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December 6, 2015
Sublime With Rome Brings the Heat to F Shed

On a chilly November evening in Syracuse, the boys from Long Beach California, Sublime with Rome, brought the heat and their unique blend of reggae and ska punk to the F-Shed at the Regional Market! Despite the cooler temperatures outside, it didn’t deter legions of loyal fans from coming out in shorts and tank tops or some very enthusiastic folks from playing hacky sack outside in between band sets. That laid back, “chill” aura set the tone for the evening.

The show got under way with openers Santa Cruz, California natives, The Expendables, who helped get the crowd jumping with their blend of homegrown reggae/ska and surf rock. These guys delivered a very energetic and positive performance. After their 30 minute set they left the crowd excited for the headliner.

The lights go down and you can sense the excitement in the air. The soft hum of the amps turning on and the band plugging in their instruments can barely be heard above the buzz of the crowd. The stage slowly starts to illuminate and poised at the mic is a dark silhouette of Rome Ramirez; the band busts out with the classic “Get Ready” as if it’s a premonition of what they have in store for the exuberant and ecstatic crowd at the F-Shed. They didn’t waste any time before cranking out crowd favorites such as “Date Rape” and “Wrong Way”, not to mention a really upbeat and ska version of the Grateful Dead’s “Scarlet Begonias.” Rome and company played a very intense set consisting of a mix of classic Sublime songs and some crowd pleasers off their new album “Sirens.” You could feel the overabundance of positive energy between both the band and the crowd.

The show was a party from the beginning right up to the end when the crowd went wild as the band played their most famous hit “Santeria.”

Prior to the show I had the opportunity to chat with Rome Ramirez. Rome was very laid back and fun to chat with. We talked about the album “Sirens,” what inspires him and his favorite aspects of touring. Hope you enjoy the interview!

November 27, 2015
John 5 Talks About His Favorite Horror Movies and Touring

The darkness ascends quietly like a phantom upon the southern NY town of Binghamton, the dead leaves are falling, and there is a slight spine tingling chill in the air. It’s October! Is there a better way to usher in in the Halloween season than with the man who makes all your heavy metal horror dreams come true? Yes folks, that’s right Rob Zombie’s nightmarish heavy metal and mayhem show made a stop at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena (formerly Broome County Arena) last week.

Fans of all ages were lined up at the venue getting into the spirit of the season. Some were dressed as ghouls and other grotesque creatures; there was even a very impressive Captain Spaulding walking amongst the concert goers! If you’re a fan of Rob Zombie, I hope you know who Captain Spaulding is.

The show opened with Rob Zombie’s drummer DJ Ginger Fish donned in a creepy skull mask showing off his DJ skills. DJ Ginger Fish spun some high energy mixes that included Rammstein, Pantera and even a mix of 50s Doo Wop. Even though he was struggling to keep his mask on the entire time, he still spun a very intense set that the crowd was into.

The lights go out, the smoke begins to roll out onto the stage that is adorned with classic Universal horror movie monster backdrops; 1000s of fans are chanting ZOMBIE! One by one the band quietly creeps onto the stage; John 5 looks terrifying in an LED lit gas mask that I can best describe as a robotic human fly; bassist Piggy D is sporting his Dracula look; Ginger Fish looks ready to dominate the drums; Rob Zombie slinks to center stage, his face hidden beneath a pile of hat and hair. The crowd erupts in a massive mosh pit with bodies flying in the air as Zombie and crew tore into their hit “More Human Than Human.”

Without hesitating they ripped right into “Superbeast” and “Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Kroovy).” The band delivered a super high energy set and even played a few covers including “Am I Evil” by Diamondhead and in the words of Rob Zombie, “Since we’re in NY, f@ck it let’s do it,” the band caught concert goers by surprise by unleashing a killer version of the Ramones’ anthem “Blitzkrieg Bop.”
The band took their bows, said thanks and left fans crazed and excited from their explosive performance! Overall, Rob Zombie and crew never disappoints!

Also prior to the show I had the honor and privilege to sit down and talk with guitarist extraordinaire John 5. John 5 was very welcoming, funny and sincere. We chatted about what inspires him as a musician, touring and his favorite horror movies. Check out the interview and enjoy!

October 15, 2015
L7 Sells Out Brooklyn’s Warsaw

In the ’90s the punk/grunge music explosion was primarily dominated by male fronted bands. However, there were a few female bands who defied the norm and managed to take the scene by storm. One group of women who managed to gain worldwide recognition was the Los Angeles punk quartet, L7.

Originally formed by Donita Sparks and Suzy Gardner in 1985, the band has had a remarkable career. They have had numerous hits such as the smash breakthrough songs “Pretend That We’re Dead” and “Andres.”

Flash forward to 2015, I’m standing in line at the famed Brooklyn punk concert hall and Polish National Home, the Warsaw, the show is SOLD OUT and L7 is playing! The last time I saw L7 was over 20 years ago and I feel the same excitement as I wait for the show to start as I did back then.

With a packed house, I could feel the momentum building as the fans waited for L7 to hit the stage, and then it happens, smoke rolls out , the amp hum is heard, guitars are plugged in and BAM! Donita, Suzy, Jennifer and Demetra hit the stage wasting no time ripping right into “Deathwish” from their album Smell The Magic. Without a pause, they lit right into the mega hit “Andres.” During the song, bassist Jennifer Precious Finch miss-stepped and fell off the stage. To prove that she is still in top form, Jennifer kept right on playing, never missed a beat and jokingly quipped when the song was over, “eh, who needs notes? Notes are overrated.”

The ladies belted out a massive 18 song set with most of the songs from their most well-known albums, Smell the Magic, Bricks are Heavy, and Hungry for Stink. They ended the evening with their fan favorite song that always gets the crowd pumped, “Fast and Frightening.” L7 thanked the crowd, said goodnight and left the stage, leaving behind a drove of wild fans chanting and begging for more. Twenty years later, L7 has proven that they are without a doubt one of the most powerful female punk rock bands of all!

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September 17, 2015
This is the Moment that We Lived for: GhostxShip Farewell Show

In the midst of the hot August sun, there were a number of events happening in Syracuse. The New York State Fair was well into its fourth day and Hank Williams, Jr. was performing at the Grandstand. Just a few miles from the Fairgrounds at the St. Clare Annex, Syracuse’s own GhostxShip was getting ready to perform their final show. The band announced this past spring that they would be parting ways to pursue other projects. However, they promised their die-hard fans that they would have one hell of a memorable finale show.

GhostxShip’s, Keith Allen, Sean Mott, Chris Smith, Kyle Howe and Matt Travers kept their promise by pulling together a day-long celebration of music that included 13 bands, pool toys, dodge balls, air guitars and more hardcore riffs than you could shake a fist at.

Some of the day’s highlights included the band Caverns, kicking off the day’s festivities with a very intense set of music that included an awesome cover of “Caboose” by Snapcase. If you haven’t heard their version, check it out on YouTube. If you missed the performance by Brick by Brick from Albany, NY, then I feel sorry for you. They delivered an astounding set of powerful, blow you away hardcore songs. The band As This Body I Exist, was also celebrating their final performance together. They definitely went out kicking and screaming and leaving the audience wanting more. I would be remiss not to mention one of the fan favorites, the madcap marauders from Syracuse, NY, 40 Dead Men. They delighted the audience with their ultra-violent, “droogy style” performance.

A single light shines on the stage; the crowd is getting anxious as one by one the members of GhostxShip take the stage. Lead singer, Keith Allen, pauses for just a moment to express his gratitude to the fans who came out to their farewell performance, the feedback rings through the amps and the band explodes into “Burden to Bear” off their final album Cold Water Army.

The party begins: The fans erupt into a whirlwind of bodies everywhere, inflatable pool toys fly in the air, air guitars are blazing and watch out for the dodge balls. It’s all good fun. The fans make sure they take care of each other even in the midst of the chaos.

GhostxShip takes a moment between each song to express their undying thanks to the fans for all of their support. They also take the time to thank each other. It is a very emotional and intense set. The band acknowledged two ‘super fans’ who traveled all over to support the band and were there for them since they started in 2009. They honored them by inviting them on stage to help sing their favorites song, “Cold Truth.”

The set culminated with all of the fans piling on stage to help wish the band members well and close the evening in style with everyone singing along to the “Here and Now.” The evening ended with a barrage of bear hugs and well wishes. This true sense of camaraderie is why I love Syracuse Hardcore! The feeling can best be summed up by “These are the Moments That We Live For.”

Thank you GhostxShip for a phenomenal show and for giving us “moments to live for.”

R.I.P. GhostxShip 2009-2015

September 6, 2015
GhostxShip Farewell Show – One Last Chance to Party

Syracuse hardcore band GhostxShip have officially announced their farewell show at the St. Clare Annex in Syracuse on Sunday August 30. GhostxShip started out in 2009 and has cultivated a massive local and national fan base. They have been dubbed as the torch bearers of the Syracuse straight edge Hardcore scene by local predecessors.

Some notable career highlights include: playing the Heart fest in 2013 and 2014, the iMatter Fest in 2014 and 2015, South EastBeast in 2015, the notable New England Metal & Hardcore Fest in 2015 and playing with Metalcore legends such as Earth Crisis, Shai Hulud, Bane and Stick to Your Guns to name a few.

Photo by Taylor Rambo

“These are the moments that we live for”

Even though this is a farewell show, GhostxShip has no intentions of “fading away” completely. The band issued the following statement earlier this summer after they announced they would be ending GhostxShip to pursue other projects, “Here’s the thing… We have NO intentions of just playing a few shows and fading away. No, that’s not how we do things. We are going to be playing weekends and festivals all summer. We will uphold as many obligations as possible and we will try to get to as many places as we can. This will all culminate in August 2015 at our farewell show.”

Those who are not familiar with the craziness that occurs at GhostxShip shows, be prepared for crazy folks in costumes, balloons, pillow fights, an assortment of pool toys, the infamous “mosh cam” and more unusual surprises. If you haven’t been to one of their shows…remember this is your last chance! The band assures all in attendance that this will be their biggest party ever, even more epic than the show they played with Stick To Your Guns last year. In fact, they say it will be a party like that times ten! So, epic is an understatement. Everyone come on out and help sink the craziest ship in Syracuse! Don’t miss GhostxShip’s farewell show. You have been warned.

The Details:
Date: August 30
Where: St. Clare Annex 810 N. Salina St Syracuse, NY
Doors at Noon -$10 All Ages

August 22, 2015
Slipknot’s Summer’s Last Stand Tour at Darien Lake

On Wednesday July 29 nothing could prepare the town of Corfu for what was about to be unleashed. Slipknots “Summers Last Stand” tour made a stop at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center and they brought some of their friends.

First up was the Gothic American metal band Motionless in White. The Scranton, PA natives opened up the evening with “Break the Cycle” off of their new album Reincarnate. They continued through a high energy set treating fans to a variety of tracks such as “Abigail,” “Unstoppable” and the title track “Reincarnate.”

Next up, veteran Welsh metal titans, Bullet For My Valentine. Currently on tour in support of their new album Venom, they took the stage opening with “No Way Out.” For fans of metal acts like Metallica and Iron Maiden, this is the band to see – especially the essential track “Your Betrayal.”

They continued to keep the crowd pumped up and excited ending their set with “Tears Don’t Fall” and the mega favorite “Waking The Demon.” I can honestly say that for a band I have not paid much attention to before, after catching their performance, they are on my radar. I am looking forward to listen to more of their music and seeing them live again.

From the deep dark recesses of Richmond, Virginia something wicked and powerful creeped onto the stage; they call themselves Lamb of God! From the moment the band took the stage, they started the frenzy with their hit “Walk with Me in Hell.” Front man Randy Blythe took a moment to honor our country’s fallen military heroes before ripping into their classic “Now You Got Something To Die For,” which criticizes our governments ill gains through war. Lamb of God is currently on tour in support of their newest release VII: Sturm und Drang. They treated fans to “Still Echos” and “512.” This is one band that does NOT disappoint their fans. I have seen them more times than I can count and they are truly a testament to the profession. They ended their set on a heavy note with two of my personal favorites: “Laid to Rest” and “Redneck.” Then, the sweat soaked musicians took their bows and said, “until next time.”

The stage goes dark, you can hear fans chanting, growing restless, getting louder and louder as each moment passes. Faintly at first, then a little louder a voice from the PA system is saying “With my face against the floor, I can’t see who knocked me out, out of the way.” Oh yeah… it’s Slipknot’s killer intro! The curtain drops, the stage explodes and Slipknot, in full force, starts right in with what feels like a punch to the gut also known as “Sarcastrophe!” The band is in top form. They don’t take a break from the heavy bass laden assault ripping right into “The Heretic Anthem” and “Psychosocial.” Front man Corey Taylor only pauses for a second to ask the masses if they want to “hear a new song with an old school feel to it?” The crowd roared with approval as the band keyed up “AOV” off their new album, The Gray Chapter. It felt like the entire crowd sang along to the hit “Before I Forget” off the band’s Vol.3 the Subliminal Versus. I have been going to Slipknot shows since their early days and they are consistently high energy and always discover unique ways to engage the audience in the madness.

During their performance of their mega hit from their debut album Spit It Out percussionist Shawn Crahan (aka Clown) snuck into the audience undetected and emerged by the soundboard where he dumped one of the garbage cans on himself and terrorized fans. While clown was busy making a mess, Corey Taylor encouraged the crowd to get down and when the song crescendos to jump up and sing along. The band took a brief break before storming back on stage and finishing out the evening of metal and mayhem with “People=Shit” and “Surfacing”. Although the tour is titled “Summers Last Stand,” Slipknot proves once again that this is not heavy metal’s last stand and that it is here to stay!

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August 14, 2015
Grace Potter Proves She’s “Got The Medicine That Everybody Wants” In Canandaigua

After the very first verse of the very first song, there is no doubt that Grace Potter is the real deal. I have seen some female fronted bands where the incredibly pretty woman is scantily clad, she barely sings, she strums the same open note on her guitar over and over again and struts around the stage much to the delight of the men in the audience.

Take that pathetic image and reverse it completely and you have Grace Potter. Potter is beautiful in a tasteful, sultry way, when she opens up her lungs, it’s similar to a pipe organ filling a church with flawlessly designed acoustics, she absolutely rocks her Gibson Flying V guitar and she dances in her heels or barefoot in a delightful free spirited way that evokes the crowd to join her. Did I mention she has the best rock n roll howl in the business?

I enjoyed every minute of the two hour set that Potter and her current back-up band performed Sunday night at the Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (CMAC). Potter took the stage to a roar of applause despite a rather light crowd. The amazing thing about Potter is the amount of time she spends singing with no break. She ripped right through a sixteen song set list with little reprieve. When she wasn’t singing her heart out, she was wailing on her guitar, hammering away on the piano, shaking her tambourine or shaking her booty. She was working hard up on the stage but managed to make it look effortless.

Potter and company played a variety of genres of music from what sounded like modern country, a bit of blues, love ballads and good old rock and roll. I am convinced that with Potter’s range and vocal ability that she can pull off just about anything. She showcased her vocals in “Timekeeper,” “Stars” and “Delirious” a cut off of her upcoming release Midnight. My favorite song of the evening was “Loneliest Soul” off The Lion The Beast The Beat. With its unusual riffs and almost whiney beats combined with Potters melancholy, symphonic voice, it created almost a spiritual effect. It gave me goosebumps.

Other highlights of the evening included fast paced “Medicine” “Hot Summer Night” and a moving version of “Nothing But the Water.” Grace Potter is known for throwing in a hodge podge of cover songs in her live performances. She has run the gamut from Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy,” to Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.” The crowd at CMAC was graced with Potter’s version of The Rolling Stone’s “Gimme Shelter” that was sure to make Mick Jagger proud. Potter ended the evening with fan favorite “Paris (Ooh La La).”

I don’t often make recommendations when it comes to music, but if you have not listened to Grace Potter, please take a moment to go check out some of her live stuff. There’s plenty on YouTube. I was blown away by everything about her. Also, don’t forget she has her new solo album titled Midnight being released at midnight on August 14, 2015.

August 4, 2015
Interview: Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein

From the deep dark recesses of the little sleepy town of Lodi, NJ, something hulking and monstrous emerged, and it’s called Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein!

Starting his musical rampage as the most notorious axe-man for the horror punk legends the Misfits in 1980, Doyle’s reign of terror has spanned the last 35 years with recently unleashing upon the masses his newest project simply titled Doyle. The “Abominator” tour made a brief stop at Syracuse’s famed Lost Horizon on Friday May 1, 2015.

I was fortunate enough to get a brief interview with the monster himself. Despite his hulking and terrifying appearance, Doyle is actually a really down to earth and fun guy to chat with. We spoke briefly about the “Abominator” tour, hot sauce, his favorite Ramone and the follow-up to “Abominator”.

May 7, 2015