Category: Metal/Hard Rock/Punk

Of Mice and Men Band Members Respond to the Departure of Carlile

News had spread that frontman for Of Mice and Men, Austin Carlile, has stepped down from the band that he helped start up in Orange County, California back in 2009 due to his ongoing battle with Marfan syndrome. Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue in the body, making Carlile vulnerable to illness at a moments notice. Carlile stated that the disease, is now making it hard for him to scream, and could suffer permanent damage.

Carlile stated that he will continue to write music as he heals and rests in Costa Rica, where he now resides, and that the band would not seek a replacement, and continue as a quartet.

Hours after Carlile explained in a lengthy post on social media to fans about the reasons of his departure from Of Mice & Men, his bandmates, released this statement on social media:

Dear Of Mice & Men Fans,
It’s with heavy hearts that we announce Austin’s departure from the band for reasons pertaining to his health. As many of you are aware, Austin suffers from a rare connective tissue disorder called Marfan syndrome & has been struggling with the physical demands of touring since the band began.

After his most recent series of surgeries at Stanford University Hospital, following the cancellation of our European headlining tour, his team of doctors informed him of the damage that performing, & more specifically his aggressive vocals, have been causing his body. They warned that if he were to continue on doing so, it would cause permanent & irrevocable damage to his spine & nervous system.

Following the advice from his team of specialists, Austin decided it best that he step away from the band & change his lifestyle to better his health. Though we’re heartbroken that he can no longer continue, his health has always been of utmost importance to us & we support him now in this decision & are proud of his perseverance over the years.

We’ve had an amazing & unforgettable past few years making music & touring the world together & the 4 of us look forward to sharing the next chapter of the band’s story with you. All previously announced shows will proceed as planned & we thank you for your continued love & support. We couldn’t do this without all of you! See you real soon.

-Aaron, Alan, Phil & Valentino

Carlile’s full Twitter statement can be read below. He touches all the grateful experiences he has had throughout his career, to the reason why he must step away from singing, and what the future holds.

December 31, 2016
Rare Layne Staley Recordings Up for Auction

Blabbermouth reports that the rare recordings that surfaced earlier this year of now deceased Alice In Chains front man Layne Staley, have been put up for auction on ebay by Ron Holt. The auction ends Friday Dec. 30 around 6 p.m. ET The recordings are from a project titled 40 Years Of Hate, that Staley and Holt, who is a Seattle-based musician and songwriter, worked on before Staley’s AIC days.

The post has a $5000 price tag with a current bid, as of this writing of $1,025. There is a reserve bid on the item as well, which has not been met, and most likely close to the $5000 dollar price tag.

This auction is for the recordings only, and not the publishing rights to the unfinished tracks. Holt will take separate offers for publishing rights. There are six tracks in all, although earlier reports this past May by Blabbermouth have said that there were eight unreleased recordings found and were being restored and mixed by Seattle-based audio designer Jesse Holt. With the name connection, could those be the tracks in question, or separate recordings? One of the rumored songs “Things You Do,” is not listed as part of the track listing. Holt never made it clear who his source is for the Staley tracks, or if they would see the light of day.

Alternate mixes of two of the tracks “Party People,” and “I Don’t Care,” have surfaced on YouTube. Also the track, “It’s Coming After,” was released by the band Second Coming, which featured former AIC members James Bergstrom and Johnny Bacolas.

The item description posted on ebay is as follows:

Up for sale is a rare one of a kind item. This is a 1 inch 16 track studio master from 1988 featuring Layne Staley of Alice in Chains. Prior to Alice n Chains, Layne Staley worked with Seattle musician and songwriter Ron Holt on a project they called ’40 Years of Hate’. The band featured former AIC member James Bergstrom, up and coming Seattle drumming talent Davis Martin, Ron Holt, Layne and Jerry Cantrell. The music was a mix of industrial, rock and funk rock. The songs were never fully recorded and exist here in an unfinished state. Jerry Cantrell was slated to play guitar on this session but never did. Jerry played on the 4 track demos of these songs. So the tracks that were recorded were: bass guitar, synthesizers and drum machine programming – Ron Holt, drums – James Bergstrom, percussion – Davis Martin, back up vocals by the group and then a track of time code on track 8.
There are 6 songs with Layne’s singing.

Party People
It’s Coming After (Released on Second Coming’s L.O.V.Evil CD)
Throw Me Down
Tell Me How To Love You
Dance It Up
I Don’t Care

The songs were digitized years ago. Alternate mixes of these songs were leaked onto YouTube. The songs I Don’t Care and Party People can be found there. The song It’s Coming After was released by Seattle band Second Coming featuring Jesse Holt, former AIC members James Bergstrom and Johnny Bacolas.

This is an extremely rare item. The tape was baked once and digitized. The digitized tracks exist and can be made part of the sale. But publishing rights are not a part of this sale. Are NOT. This auction is for the physical tape and box only. Offers on the songs themselves will be considered.

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Thank you for your curiosity and love for Layne.

December 29, 2016
Interview with Within Shadows: Canadian Metal Band Launches Debut Album and Music Video

Within Shadows released their debut album Mind = Enemy on December 21. In conjunction with the release, they premiered the music video for “Get Up,” the first track on the album. And if that weren’t enough excitement for one week, the band also announced a show on January 14th at Lucky’s Roudhouse in Windsor, Ontario.

This metal band from Ontario, Canada features Sean Farias (vocals/guitar), Jordan Heffernan (drums), Brad Tiessen (guitar), and Jacob Bailey (bass). NYS Music spoke with frontman Sean Farias about their ambitious 15-track album, the passion they poured into the making of the video, and their plans for 2017 and beyond.

Paula Cummings: Your album is called Mind=Enemy. How did you choose the title?

Sean Farias: We chose the title Mind=Enemy because it relates to the song themes that we portray lyrically. The majority of our songs relate to inner battles, struggles that we’ve had and about conquering those. This also helps bring a positive outlook to the listener and help them with the same problems.

PC: Tell me about the tracks on the album.

SF: The album is going to consist of 15 tracks, four of them being remakes of older Within Shadows tunes and 11 brand new songs. The songs will range from different metal genres like hardcore, easycore, djent, heavy metal and more. We have a new instrumental track called “Captive” where we try to recreate the concept of our EP song “Regrets” and have guitar solos through the whole song. “Demons” is a remake from an EP released a year ago. We have a song called “Djust Kill Me Now,” which was written during one the darkest times in my life. It is a collaboration with Derek Petricka of Discord Curse and Lucas Mann of Rings of Saturn. We also wanted to showcase that we like to play different genres by including a pop punk song called “On My Mind.” There are many more tracks to this album, and I promise there are many bumpin’ riffs to mosh to.

PC: Which bands inspire you?

SF: Our band is greatly influenced by other bands, such as Slipknot, Lamb of God, Beartooth, Tool, Billy Talent, Rings of Saturn and more. We are influenced by their musicianship and writing styles which we infuse into our own. Also we have seen the majority of these bands perform live, which in its own powerful way leaves us with extreme levels of motivation and the urge to write our own music.

PC: What was it like to record your first music video together?

SF: It was incredible! We had the honor of working with Ryan Brough of Zeebrah Media. He is a great guy, easy to work with, and made what was envisioned in our mind come to life. We are just as excited as our fan base to see the finished product. We wanted our first video to be the perfect representation of what we will be like live to anyone who would want to come see us. So it is literally us going buck wild in front of a camera playing our song “Get Up!” We had so much fun shooting this video. Jumping around for three hours was certainly tiring, but we brought the crazy throughout the whole shoot. Jacob Bailey even bled all over his bass from going so full out!

PC: Jordan got to break out his new drum kit for the video, right?

SF: Oh yes! He was most certainly excited about that. We all were. This new kit is magical!!!

PC: You guys also help local charities.

SF: That is one of our passions. We love to help out those in our community, and also contribute to local charities. When we raise enough money or make enough sales on our music and merchandise, we love to give a chunk of that to charity. For our EP Release the Disease, we ended up donating $500 to our local food bank, because of all the support our fan base gave us. We hope one day we can grow our band to a bigger level where we can help impact more people in a positive way and more on a global scale.

PC: 2016 has been an eventful year for Within Shadows. What are your band goals for 2017?

SF: Shows. Lots and lots of shows. Trying to get our band more exposure. Sending our new songs out to record labels and work with many people in the industry and other musicians. Also we want to record a lot more music videos for our tracks.

Pre-orders for CD’s are being taken at their website. Digital downloads and streaming are available through Bandcamp, iTunes, and Google Play.

Photos by Ryan Brough of Zeebrah Media

December 22, 2016
The Second String at The Waiting Room

On a night where Buffalo got its first real snowfall of the season, The Waiting Room performance venue was plenty heated by its main stage. An up and coming pop-punk band, The Second String, celebrated the release of their EP, Six Ways to Sunday, with a show that served more as a celebration for themselves and a sign of things to come.

The Second String, made up of lead singer Tom Frisicaro, guitarists Roger Pleasant and Ryan Gelder, bassist Marc Del Priore and drummer Robby Marshall, make very traditional pop-punk – a weird statement to make, taking into account how long the genre has been around and how it’s been relegated from most. Their songs are short, sweet and to the point, each one lasting between 2 to 3 minutes. The lyrics were typical.

The fast nature of their music allowed for plenty of erratic movement on the stage, including some panels that occasionally lit up when one of the members stepped on them. Frisicaro sings very much like the singers of bands like Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World and Bowling for Soup. He has the same “trying to sound clean nasally” whine those bands have and if he was trying to directly emulate them, he was doing a good job.

After performing 5 original songs, including material from the just-released EP, Frisicaro played an initially acoustic All-Time Low cover, with the first two verses and chorus by himself before the rest of the band joined to finish out the song. The following song was a Paramore cover where a girl, Maddie Radwan, sang in place of Frisicaro, to the enjoyment of her friends in attendance.

At various points in the night, Frisicaro made constant mention of the band’s merch table along with sharing that his girlfriend was expecting. He also announced that the band was taking a break from performing live to focus on recording more material for a full-length album. Hopefully, with that bit of time on their side, The Second String can create something to get us excited about.

December 13, 2016
Debt to Nature EP Release Show at Mohawk Place

On Saturday, December 3, the Mohawk Place in downtown Buffalo hosted an EP release show for an up-and-coming local, modern post-hardcore band called Debt to Nature. And much like the city they come from, you can instantly tell the amount of work put into their songs to make them work.

Debt to Nature, on the outset, seems like any other modern post-hardcore rock band. Their releases, such as their first EP From the Start, back this theory up, with angsty lyrics and guitar riffs not out of place from a Pac Sun store or a Warped Tour stage.

But to me, at least, what set this apart was the presentation. You can hear loud, fast music in any number of establishments and get the point. But hearing it live is something different. Singer Michael O’Connor may look like a lumberjack, but delivers the lyrics with alternating power and levity that it’s amazing he can still speak at the end of the set. Bassist Josh O’Connor was confident enough in his abilities that he would engage in reverse fretting, attempt to balance his bass in one hand, and walk out into the crowd to his friends. Not to mention the hard work guitarist Brian Macijewski and drummer Nate White had to put in to keep the whole act moving at a furious pace.

The real ace up the sleeve for this band is how easily they establish control over the crowd. I assume the crowd present goes to these kind of post-hardcore shows all the time, given the amount of head banging, people moshing by themselves, and hand gestures, but even one as uninitiated as myself could get sucked into the methods after a few songs. During the few solo guitar breaks, the audience started clapping over their heads on their own, with the singer encouraging more once it got going.

Some of the most fun moments of the night involved just how much control the band had over the crowd. Members of one of the opening acts, The Otherme, were invited onstage to sing The Darkness’ song “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.” The audience tried to sing the famous falsetto chorus line, to various results. While the band’s music may not be for everyone, this was one particular moment the entire crowd was getting into.

Another moment didn’t involve anything the band played, but during a song break, either the lead singer or someone in the crowd shouted out “somebody” like the first word from Smash Mouth’s “All-Star,” and the entire crowd managed to sing the first verse all the way up to chorus. At that point, the singer demanded they stop as they played more.

Either I don’t get out to see enough shows like this or this was a special occasion, because the crowd actually demanded an encore successfully. Debt to Nature were happy to oblige, feeling like they conquered the evening. Probably on their way to conquer more as well.

December 8, 2016
Phil Finger Death Punch, a Possible Glimpse Into The Future

All That Remains frontman Phil Labonte has come up from the “Righteous Side Of Hell,” to help save the boys in Five Finger Death Punch from being on the “Wrong Side Of Heaven,” due to the band’s erratic troubled frontman Ivan Moody, to save the rest of the band’s co-headlining tour with Shinedown, a tour that also features Sixx: A.M., and As Lions.

Labonte, who is good friends with Moody, stepped up and filled in on Dec. 1 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA, doing a tremendous job in the process. Joining Labonte in helping save the tour for FFDP and their fans were Sixx: A.M. frontman James Michael and As Lions singer Austin Dickinson (son of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson), lending their vocals during FFDP’s set. Phil will continue the vocal duties for Five Finger Death Punch for the remainder of the tour. There has been speculation that this could be an audition for Labonte to replace Moody for an extended period of time or even permanently.

Moody stated on Nov. 29 to Syracuse, NY fans inside the Oncenter, that they would see the real Ivan Moody tonight. He went on and said that with all the social media outlets out there, that his life is exposed, and can’t seem to get away from people fabricating stories about him.

One of those “fabricated” stories came days earlier in Worcester, MA, when Moody stated to the crowd that his mother was passing away as he was onstage, and cut the concert short. Bassist Chris Kael was left with the mop up duties, apologizing to the crowd for the early departure. In an odd twist, Moody’s sister stated that their mother was not ailing nor anyone else in their family, for that matter. This prompted Moody’s statement at the band’s Newark, NJ show that the mother he was referring to was his “House Mother” from rehab.

During the same show, Moody, who has revealed his thoughts about Kanye West in the past, compared himself to the hip hop star, stating that he now “Get’s it” when it comes to the “mental breakdown” that West is has currently been hospitalized for, after West went on various verbal tirades during his live shows and cutting concerts short. Two days later, Ivan Moody is on the shelf due to illness and off the rest of the tour.

Moody had his famous Memphis meltdown back in May of 2015, where he apparently angered drummer Jeremy Spencer with a comment he made over the mic about Spencer’s book, prompting Spencer and the rest of the band to leave Moody by himself on stage. Days later, the band stated that there was nothing wrong with Moody, or the band, and blamed poor sound equipment as the reason why they had cut their set short.

It has been no secret, as reported previously by NYS Music, that the band is being sued by their record label, Prospect Park. Some of the reasons stated in the lawsuit include that the band doesn’t care for Moody’s well-being and that they are trying to cash in before Moody has a complete meltdown, or even worse, dies. With his past and recent actions, Prospect Park could be onto something when it comes to Moody’s well-being.

Fans, music insiders and music executives believe that, without Moody, there is no FFDP, and with all his recent seemingly “I’m untouchable” behavior over the past couple of years, Moody must feel the same. Moody’s recent behaviors suggest a desperate need for an extended break from touring, the music industry, and the limelight.

Eventually, the band will have to draw the line with Moody’s recent actions and do what’s best for FFDP moving forward. Whether they move on with Labonte or someone else, or force Moody to take a break.

With all that being said, Labonte has the goods to deliver the songs in FFDP fashion on stage, but does he has the raw charismatic edgy appeal that Moody possess, and that fans crave and love about Moody?

When it come’s to what’s next in the Ivan Moody/FFDP saga”All That Remains” is, wait and see.

https://youtu.be/OdOqi03fbds

Remaining Five Finger Death Punch/Shinedown Tour Dates:

12-08 – Amway Arena – Orlando, FL
12-09 – Amalie Arena – Tampa, FL
12-10 – Infinite Energy Center – Duluth, GA

December 8, 2016
THE PORTAL Opens at the Minetta Lane Theatre

Off-Broadway “modern Shamanic journey,” THE PORTAL, opened this weekend to a spiritually minded audience at The Minetta Lane Theatre. Before stepping foot inside the half-filled preview, I was informed that this groundbreaking concept incorporated elements of a live concert, choreographed dance performance, and movie all in one. THE PORTAL soundtrack is now available and I feel that the show flows even better by pre-listening to the mythological themes presented in the lyrics and compositions by Tierro Lee and Luke Comer with Charles Newman and David Sisko.

Frontman Billy Lewis Jr., most recently credited on Fox’s “Glee,” appears on stage and sonically narrates the dreamlike adventure of Dante, through inspirational and symbolic landscapes, Alex Grey-influenced imagery and psychedelic desserts that I assume were once visited by Jim Morrison. The audience is introduced to the voyage with songs like “Eclipse” and “Greeting,” sung by Lewis as the film, starring Dante (Christopher Soren Kelly), is projected on the large screen behind him. The eclectic mix of tribal and electronic beats, modern dance music and monstrous rock riffs are brought to life by percussionist Gilly Gonzalez and guitarist Paul Casanova who also appear on and off stage from scene to scene.

Dante’s inner-demons appear to be haunting him in the film as actors portraying the same characters can be found roaming the theatre floor to terrorize and intrigue the audience.Fans of electronic giants like EOTO, The Disco Biscuits, and Beats Antique will appreciate the deep and transformational grooves during songs like “Trance,” “Synth” and “Space Weaver” while Jessica Aronoff and Nicole Spencer interpretively dance their way on and off the stage in between songs and themes. While there is not much live acting of any kind, there is a ritualistic Burning Man-influenced dance routine in nearly every song bringing the art forms together in a very unique fashion.

The only way to truly understand THE PORTAL is to expect the unexpected and dive right in. Creative Director, Luke Comer, has developed a new way to present a rock opera story off-Broadway. As an audience member, each person can relate to many of the human experiences presented on screen and on stage while still enjoying live music, dance and film. Tickets can be purchased for Wednesday-Friday performances at 8PM and for Saturday performances at 5PM and 9PM.

https://soundcloud.com/theportalnyc

December 6, 2016
“Green Jello Suxx Live: The Movie” Lives Down to Expectations

Once upon a time, there was a band who retold the story of The Three Pigs set to metal music, and the claymation video spent five weeks at the top of MTV’s Headbangers Ball. Fast-forward a couple of decades and you will still find Green Jello suxx and is up to their juvenile antics.

Green Jello is a punk/metal band founded in the Buffalo area by Bill Manspeaker who combined his love of comics, cereal and puppets with his lack of musical talent in an effort to create the worst band ever. Since its inception in 1981, the band has been notorious for its crude humor, riots and lawsuits from the likes of Kraft Foods, the Kellogg Company and Metallica. When Joey Ramone was asked about the worst opening act, he named Green Jello.

The feature-length documentary Green Jello Suxx Live is a rip-roaring rumpus through a mini tour. It also contains historic footage and interviews. Created by band member Rob Gabriele on a menial budget of $5,000 raised from a Kickstarter campaign, the movie has the same DIY aesthetic as everything else the band has produced thus far.

The documentary starts with a live performance of the iconic rendition of “Three Little Pigs.” Chaos reigned as a gaggle of band members wearing enormous homemade puppet costumes played with more gusto than talent. Frontman Bill Manspeaker stopped the show to talk to a drunken fan in the front row. And it’s all downhill from there.

Between clips of live performances, viewers learn about the history of the band – Manspeaker’s first puppet costume at age five, the band’s riot at a rival high school, the performance on The Gong Show and the gig with The Ramones. Manspeaker also talks about how he ditched the model of a touring band and instead franchised band members in various locations across the US and Canada.

Nestled in the midst of all the interviews and clips of performances are small interludes. A tutorial demonstrates how to make a puppet head like the ones used by the band. Lloyd Kaufman, co-founder of the independent production company Troma Entertainment, delivers a few colorful commentaries about the band and the music video industry.

Manspeaker’s family plays a prominent role in the movie. Green Jello went on hiatus when Manspeaker became a father. Encouragement from his son Damien led to the revival. Damien has been touring with his dad, playing the banjo. Manspeaker’s wife and toddler have also come along on tour. For them, Green Jello is not just a band, it’s a lifestyle.

And on a couple of nights per year, fans-turned-members from various franchises get in on the action, donning ridiculous costumes and wailing on instruments at deafening volumes to people intoxicated on lime gelatin shots. For 120 minutes, viewers of the film get a sense of what it is like to be at a live show. It’s loud and vulgar and full of drunken fools partying with reckless abandon. In short, it suxx.

“Green Jello Suxx Live: The Movie” is available on DVD and limited edition VHS. A soundtrack will be available at a later date. Green Jello continues to tour and a list of upcoming shows can be found on the band’s website.

November 30, 2016
Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown Rock Blue Cross Arena

Nothing goes better with the holidays than a kick-ass rock show. Just days before families gathered to have Thanksgiving dinner, rock fans in Rochester, had the opportunity to go see one of the best concerts Blue Cross Arena has had in quite some time. On Tuesday, Nov. 22nd, Rochester welcomed Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown alongside support acts Sixx:A.M., and As Lions. The entire night consisted of great music alongside magnificent production.

The night started early just after 6 PM with opening band As Lions. While the area was still filling in, As Lions had the task of getting this crowd ready for a long night of headbanging. The audience may have not been familiar with the band, but that’s probably due to the fact that the group just came together in 2015. As Lions is lead by vocalist Austin Dickinson. If the last name rings a bell, it’s because you’re thinking of Dickinson’s father Bruce, lead singer of Iron Maiden. The rest of the band is made up of members of Dickinson’s past metalcore group, Rise to Remain, which disbanded with the creation of As Lions.

The 5-piece band played like they were playing in front of a sold out arena. The band has that radio-rock sound that could be found scanning the car radio. The band looked very comfortable on stage which isn’t common for an opening band. Their confidence should help carry them forward and land them tour gigs for many years to come. For anyone looking for a fresh new band, check out As Lions. Their debut album drops on January 20.

The next band of the evening was Sixx:A.M., which features Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe. Joining Sixx in Sixx:A.M. is vocalist James Michael, guitarist DJ Ashba and drummer Dustin Steinke. Sixx’s band has been around since 2007, with the release of The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, but has always saw the back burner due to Sixx’s commitment with Crüe and Ashba’s work with Guns N’ Roses. Now that everyone is completely focused on Sixx:A.M. the band has their foot pressed against the gas pedal. Just this year, the band has released a double album which features Prayers for the Damned, Vol. 1 and Prayers for the Blessed, Vol. 2. The second of the two albums was released just days before Rochester’s show at Blue Cross Arena.

Now with five albums of material, the band has plenty to pick from for a setlist. The set opened with “This Is Gonna Hurt,” which was the title track of their second album. The second song they played was “Rise,” which has been all over the radio since its single release. The rest of the set consisted of songs mainly from Prayers for the Damned, Vol. 1. It’s remarkable to see how much fun this band has on stage. The joy and happiness radiates from the band into the audience unlike any other band. Fans sing along with every song and have smiles on their faces from ear to ear.

The set ended with “Life Is Beautiful,” which was off of the debut album The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack. Everyone in the audience surely knew this song and loved it. Sixx:A.M. surely had no troubles opening for Five Finger Death Punch. The heavy metal fans of Rochester welcomed Sixx and his band with open arms. The only thing that could have made the show better would have been a longer setlist. Hopefully once this tour wraps up, fans will have the chance to see a headlining tour around the country.

Next up for the evening was hard-rock veterans, Shinedown. Opening for Five Finger Death Punch, it was a mystery to see how they would do with the crowd. Questions were answered with the opening track of “Adrenaline.” Coming out strong with one of their heaviest songs from their album Amaryllis, Shinedown was prepared to blow the roof off of the arena. The statement was solidified with the next two songs, “Fly From the Inside” and “Diamond Eyes.” The crowd was going nuts and the band was loving it.

Singer, Brent Smith, had Blue Cross Arena at his fingertips and could get the crowd to do anything. On top of that, the production that Shinedown had with them was ridiculous. The last few tours Shinedown has brought out the pyro, but nothing like this tour. Comparing Shinedown’s stage show to the legendary KISS, who just played at Blue Cross Arena just a few months ago, it was night and day. Shinedown did not leave anything at home this tour. The band did slow things down a bit with songs like “How Did You Love” and “State of My Head,” which are off of the bands latest album Threat to Survival.

The crowd got to be up close and personal with singer Smith while he went out into the crowd to sing from the back of the floor. That wasn’t the only time Brent went out there. During their last song, “Sound of Madness,” Smith ended up at the soundboard platform, surrounded by fireworks. As the song ended, Smith ran back to the stage to say thank you and goodnight to the crowd in Rochester. This was certainly a performance that won’t be forgotten by anyone that was there.

Things cooled down after Shinedown left the stage and got the crowd ready for the night’s headliner, Five Finger Death Punch. The band came out with their popular opening track, “Lift Me Up.” This is another band that has a ton of material now to make a setlist from, so it’s always exciting to see what the band will do each tour. The night was pretty balanced with tracks from American Capitalist, Got Your Six, The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Vol. 1+2 and The Way of the Fist. The crowd interaction with Ivan Moody is always fantastic. At the beginning of the show, Moody was inviting fans to watch on stage, signing autographs and waving hello to whoever he could. While Moody was saying hello through his microphone, bassist Chris Kael and guitarists Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook were throwing guitar picks at whoever they could.

Five Finger Death Punch is by far one of the most fan friendly bands out there. Halfway through their show, a fan was spotted with a sign that asked about playing guitar with them on stage for the song “Under and Over It.” Even though it wasn’t the song they were about to play, Moody invited the kid on stage. Hook gave the fan his guitar and Moody told him to play the intro to the song. The fan, Bathory and drummer Jeremy Spencer did a quick instrumental jam of the song and the kid nailed it. He was walking around stage like an absolute boss and got an arena full of cheers.

The band also slowed things down like Shinedown, with a few acoustic songs like “Wrong Side of Heaven” and “Remember Everything.” The night ended with “Under and Over It” and the encore anthem “The Bleeding.” This was once again another stellar show from Five Finger Death Punch, who seem to never take a break from the road and recording. Speaking of recording, at the show, Moody announced to the crowd that their new album was completed. Not to be confused with last year’s Got Your Six, Five Finger Death Punch is ready to drop another album. For fans, this means to be on the lookout for new singles, an album release date and more tour dates!

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November 28, 2016
Trans-Siberian Orchestra at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

With the penchant for stage theatrics, laser beams, pyrotechnics, huge LCD screens, risers and rock opera music and story telling, Trans-Siberian Orchestra mesmerized fans, young and old alike, in Wilkes-Barre, PA this past Black Friday during the first of two sold out shows at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. TSO put on an enchanting and powerful Christmas performance as I caught them at their first of the two “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve” shows at 3 p.m. in the Mohegan Sun Arena.

The famous rock opera is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary and continues to grow each year with its performance, stage show, and more importantly, its fans who continue to return year after year bringing new generations of followers along for the yearly magical experience. The audience cheered in anticipation as the intro began with storyteller Bryan Hicks orating his tale describing “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve.” 10-piece chorus accompanied his narration as images flashed across the five massive LCD screens showing clips from the 1999 television movie of the same name along with famous historical figures, the solar system and enchanting yet uplifting messages. The multi-colored light and laser show kicked off the intro in true rock opera Christmas fashion.

The audience was treated to Christmas favorites such as “O Come All Ye Faithful/O Holy Night,” “This Christmas Day,” and “Christmas Canon Rock” as the spectacular production continued in sync with the music as the enormous five panel screens displayed the choreographed images. The laser spectacular, “digital” snowflakes, three platform risers along with a rising catwalk, and let’s not forget the explosive and stunning pyrotechnics that erupted from the entire arena from front to back all added to the excitment. Legendary conceptual composer, producer, lyricist and songwriter Paul O’Neill continues to make his grand vision of the TSO production a masterpiece for all that experience it from the intro to its dramatic conclusion. This ever-evolving group continues to weave, like tapestry, its lyrics, songwriting, music, storytelling and production into a timeless magical and enchanting journey filled with wonder and amazement.

With super guitarists Chris Caffery and Joel Hoekstra flanking each side of the stage along with violinist Roddy Chong, bassist David Z, Mee Eun Kim on keys and drummer Jeff Plate on his throne, the audience not only experienced the amazing visuals of a TSO show, but an astonishing and stunning musical experience as well. At the beginning of the performance, Caffery, Chong and Hoekstra stood on separate risers that lifted them a good twenty feet above the crowd as they traded chops and riffed along in sync to the classic TSO hits keeping the rock show experience alive with their stage presence, dynamics and moves. TSO showcases different vocalists throughout the program lending to their unique rock/opera sound which included a special performance by Kayla Reeves and Paul O’Neill himself following the first set of traditional Christmas favorites.

TSO opened with the intro, “Who Am I” then went right into “March of the Kings,” “The Lost Christmas Eve,” which featured Hoekstra on masterful acoustic guitar, followed by “O Come All Ye Faithful/ O Holy Night.” Also on the set for the show were “Good King Joy,” “Christmas Dreams,” and the mega popular hit which included the performers high above the audience on a catwalk playing “Christmas Eve (Sarejevo 12/24)” as fire and laser beams erupted from both the front and the back of the arena.

TSO kicked it up a notch during their second, more rock and roll infused set, as they performed songs from their albums Night Castle, Beethoven’s Last Night, and Letters From The Labryinth going all the way back to the Savatage sounding days of yore. They did however slow things down a bit when the played “Music Box Blues,” “Find Our Way Home” and the cool number featuring O’Neill and Reeves, “Not The Same.” The super group/orchestra capped off the show as they crushed a rocking Beethoven’s “Requiem (The Fifth),” and a reprise of “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24).” Fireworks and more pyrotechnics ended the show leaving a powerful impression as both Caffery and Chong made their way through the aisles of fans. Included, was the recent addition of the pyramid at the rear of the crowd which opened up and shot flames high into the arena at the end of the set.

The TSO experience now in its 20th year has grown in leaps and bounds since 1996. Having started out as a small production with a few cargo vans and some rock stars from previous bands such as Savatage with Jon Olivia, Al Pitrelli and Paul O’Neill at the helm, now boasts over 10 million concert ticket sales and over 10 million album sales.They are well known for their extensive charity work. At the beginning of the first performance, it was announced that over $13,000 from ticket sales would go directly to Candy’s Place – A Center for Cancer Wellness in Forty Fort, PA.

TSO has both an East and West coast group with dozens of performers and have grown from hauling the show in a few vans to literally over a dozen semi tractor trailer rigs and multiple tour buses. This was my first TSO experience and was literally blown away with the size of the production, the amazing talent of the performers and musicians, the theatrics and show. It was like no other I had seen. A TSO show is a very family friendly experience with a very gracious and generous attitude that always gives 110% in every aspect of their show as if it were their first.

As I recently heard from Al Pitrelli on social media he states “I’ve been playing with some of these people for thirty years now, the chemistry is amazing when this band gets together we get to the first rehearsal well, its like playing the first show, but we’ll do it 30 or 40 times so when we do blow up the building for the first time, it seems like the hundredth show. Everybody in that audience, it’s their first show, whether its our 10th, 100th, 2000th, it doesn’t matter, everybody in that audience deserves the perfect first show.” TSO continue both their east and west coast tours through out the remainder of the year at times playing two shows a day.

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November 28, 2016