The fourth installment of the Sea.Hear.Now Festival brought more than 30,000 fans of all ages to the picturesque waterfront in Asbury Park, New Jersey this past weekend, September 17 and 18. Produced by Tim Sweetwood of C3 Presents (Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza), along with iconic rock photographer Danny Clinch, his good pal Tim Donnnelly (a music journalist turned promoter) and HM Wollman (an industry veteran), the festival is a celebration of live music, art and surf culture.
Excited fans during Wet Leg’s set at the Park Stage | Photo by Michael Dinger
A Transparent Clinch pop-up gallery in Bradley Park featured pieces of art contributed by several of the artists performing over the weekend, as well as photographs snapped by local native and rock legend Bruce Springsteen. The weekend also included a professional team surf contest known as the “North Beach Rumble,” and despite the relatively calm ocean waters, still went on as planned. A portion of the proceeds is also donated to grassroots, non-profit environmental organizations and community charities such as the Surfrider Foundation, Operation Beachhead, Clean Ocean Action, Garden State Equality and Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County, to name only a few.
Beach crowd watching Boy George & Culture Club’s set at the Surf Stage | Photo by Michael Dinger
When the gates to the festival grounds in the seaside town known for its sandy shore and beachfront boardwalk lined with shops, arcades and cafes opened promptly each day at noon, patrons were treated to a lineup that included more than 25 artists performing across three stages, aptly named Park, Sand and Surf. The Surf (main) Stage hosted headliner Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac fame on Saturday and Green Day, the rock trio of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool, on Sunday. Festivalgoers with VIP and Platinum wristbands had premium access to designated corrals on the side of each stage, including an exclusive viewing area with elevated sightlines of the Surf Stage.
Lollipop jellyfish blowing in the ocean breeze | Photo by Michael Dinger
The spectrum of music genres performed over the weekend was wide-ranging, more than ample to satisfy the taste palette of all patrons in attendance. There was punk (the aforementioned Green Day and IDLES), bluegrass (Billy Strings), pop (Boy George & Culture Club, Peach Pit and Aly & AJ), folk (The Head and the Heart), reggae (Skip Marley), blues (Gary Clark Jr.), rap (Michael Franti & Spearhead), Indie (Annie DiRusso, The Backseat Lovers, Wet Leg and Courtney Barnett), and of course, rock (My Morning Jacket and Cage the Elephant). And if the more than ten hours of music on the beach or in the park was not enough, there were ticketed “Late Night” shows at two of Asbury Park’s most venerable bar venues, The Stone Pony and Wonder Bar, which of course all sold out.
Tim Donnnelly & Danny Clinch | Photo by Michael DingerBerkeley Oceanfront Hotel | Photo by Michael Dinger
“Dio: Dreamers Never Die,” a documentary about the life and career of heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio is getting one time showings at select theaters across the tri-state area on September 28 and October 2.
The movie about the late singer of Black Sabbath, Rainbow, his eponymous band Dio and more follows up the July release of his posthumous autobiography Rainbow in the Dark, co-written by British journalist Mick Wall and edited by the vocalist’s widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio.
Movie poster for “Dio: Dreamers Never Die”
This special showing series of “Dreamers Never Die” is far from Ronnie James Dio’s first connection to New York State. Having lived in Portsmouth, NH until age five, his family moved back to his parents’ hometown of Cortland, where Dio grew up, graduated from high school, and became a musician.
Information regarding tickets and more can be found on the “Dreamers Never Die” website. See below for all theaters in New York State as well as New Jersey and Connecticut where you can see “Dreamers Never Die.”
Alamo Drafthouse Manhattan 28 Liberty St NEW YORK
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn 445 Gold St. 4th Floor BROOKLYN
AMC Empire 25 234 W 42nd St NYC
AMC Clifton Commons 16 405 ROUTE 3 E CLIFTON, NJ
AMC Danbury 16 4 INTERNATIONAL DR DANBURY, CT
AMC Garden State 16 1 GARDEN STATE PLAZA (RT 4 & 17) PARAMUS, NJ
AMC Monmouth Mall 15 180 STATE ROUTE 35 EATONTOWN, NJ
Winding down their 14-date tour of North America, in support of their fourth album Crawler (Partisan Records) released in November 2021, avant-garde punk rockers IDLES from Bristol, England made a stop at the majestic Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, this past Thursday night, September 15. Unable to tour for their previous studio album (2020’s Ultra Mono) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, IDLES brought with them plenty of new material to offer its steadily growing legion of fans, present company included.
Joe Talbot of IDLES | Photo by Michael Dinger
Arriving more than an hour before the 7:00 pm doors on a chilly September late afternoon, a signal that autumn would soon be upon us, excited concertgoers were spotted congregating on nearby sidewalks, hastily exiting their Ubers beneath the grand marquee or frequenting the nearby bar that doubles as a tattoo parlor. As patrons filed past the security check point, many had a sheer expression of awe on their face as they witnessed the theater’s ornate, French Baroque style for the first time. The nearly 3,700 seat venue had been restored to its vintage condition and reopened to the public in January 2015, including the ornamental 50,000 square foot ceiling, along with the glazed and gilded walls paneled in American walnut.
Kings Theatre marquee | Photo by Michael DingerKings Theatre ceiling | Photo by Michael Dinger
Approximately 15 minutes before the night’s opening act would take the stage, IDLES fans continued to pack the lobby. Many of which checked out the merch table, grabbed a drink from the array of bars strategically placed on all levels or snapped a cell phone picture of the historic venue’s centerpiece, the console of a “Wonder Morton” pipe organ that was installed in the original Loew’s New York City movie theaters.
Kings Theatre pipe organ | Photo by Michael Dinger
An American hip hop group formed in Tempe, Arizona in 2013, Injury Reserve are rapper Ritchie With a T and producer Parker Corey. However, the current duo was once a trio, until the sudden death of friend and founding member Stepa J. Groggs on June 29, 2020, at only 32 years of age. Having already supported Black Midi on a tour of the West Coast earlier this year, Injury Reserve’s musical genre is best described as experimental, or abstract hip hop – think beat machines with endless cords.
Albeit for blinding flashes of strobe lights, Injury Reserve performed in near darkness, with their figures appearing in silhouette, or barely discernible at all. Notwithstanding, as the steadily increasing crowd took their seats or joined the general admission floor, they cheered and applauded loudly at every opportunity. Ritchie With a T and Corey would perform ten songs over the course of nearly 45-minutes, all taken from their second studio release By the Time I Get to Phoenix, self-released nearly one year ago. The only song not played from the album was the third track titled “SS San Francisco.”
Injury Reserve | Photo by Michael DingerInjury Reserve | Photo by Michael Dinger
After a 30-minute turnover of the stage by IDLES’ crew, the quintet comprised of Joe Talbot (vocals), Mark Bowen (guitar), Lee Kiernan (guitar), Adam Devonshire (bass) and Jon Beavis (drums) unassumingly appeared in the dark shadows a few ticks past 9:00 pm. With its cinematically suspenseful introduction and a perfect number for opening the show, the first of IDLES’s 18-song set was “Colossus,” from 2018’s Joy as an Act of Resistance, which would also find Kiernan tip toeing along the narrow barricade in front of the stage apron. With one foot perched up on his monitor, prior to launching into the evening’s second offering “Car Crash” (Crawler), about Talbot’s real-life experience in a near-fatal accident, he instructed the entire floor audience do split apart, forming a no man’s land down the middle. Then, on his command, each side came crashing back into one another (like a car crash) in a fevered, giant mosh pit like I have never seen before.
Lee Kiernan of IDLES | Photo by Michael DingerIDLES | Photo by Michael Dinger
For the remainder of their 90-minute set, sweaty, beer-covered bodies would often sway in unison as IDLES filled the entirety of Kings Theatre with a raw emotion that emanated from songs across their ever-growing discography, including the rallying cry of “Grounds” (Ultra Mono), the cathartic “Mother” (Brutalism, 2017), “The Beachland Ballroom” (Crawler) about the iconic Cleveland venue, the violent vigor of “Never Fight a Man With a Perm” (Joy as an Act of Resistance) and the grittiness of “Crawl!” (Crawler). Oftentimes, when Talbot was not prowling the stage in concentric circles or jogging in place, he could be seen engaging with his fans directly by looking straight into their eyes, as if he were singing to them only. I was also fortunate enough to catch his gaze on more than one occasion.
Lee Kiernan & Adam Devonshire of IDLES | Photo by Michael DingerMark Bowen of IDLES | Photo by Michael Dinger
There were too many highlights in the IDLES set to count, and all five members were in prime form. But the moment that seemed to electrify the fans the most was not when Kiernan stood atop the crowd’s shoulders hugging a pink cowboy hatted fan, but when Bowen climbed his own way into the crowd, microphone in hand, as he led the frenzied crowd through the bridge section of the anthemic “Danny Nedelko” (Joy as an Act of Resistance).
Despite being a self-described “angry band” from the U.K., IDLES have built a really loving community amongst their fans. People constantly look out for out for each other, and tonight’s show was no exception. The final concert of IDLES’ “Back To Normal Tour,” before trekking to New Zealand and Australia in late-October, will be at the Sea.Hear.Now festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey on September 18.
Injury Reserve Setlist: Outside > Superman That > Footwork in a Forest Fire > Ground Zero > Smoke Don’t Clear > Top Picks for You > Wild Wild West > Postpostpartum > Knees > Bye Storm
IDLES Setlist: Colossus > Car Crash > Mr. Motivator > Grounds > Mother > Divide and Conquer > The Beachland Ballroom > Never Fight a Man With a Perm > Crawl! > 1049 Gotho > The Wheel > Television > A Hymn > War > Wizz > I’m Scum > Danny Nedelko > Rottweiler
NY-based solo artist ALYXX released her newest single, titled “Serenity.” The emotional track reminds listeners it is okay to put mental health first and take time for yourself amidst the chaos of life.
Based out of Rockland County, ALYXX wrote the track in March of 2022 and recorded “Serenity” at her home studio and at Cinderella Man Studios with Zaki Ali. The song is haunting, starting slowly with piano and backing vocals before building with an impressive vocal style and rock instrumentals.
Drums from Ali and guitar from Brandon Hawkes contribute to the single’s intense sound. The accompanying music video showcases all three musicians performing the song alongside moody lighting and visuals.
“Serenity” is powerful not only in sound but also message, with ALYXX singing, “Let the weight of the world / Fall on someone else’s shoulders / Cause I’m tired of taking on the responses of others” as part of the track’s bridge. The melodic metal single is catchy, and the artist’s talent as a singer and songwriter shines.
It’s about putting yourself and your mental health first. Wanting to do something and being able to do something are two different things. Sometimes you have to say no, for your own well being. Life will always be hectic, but one must find the calmness within the chaos.
– ALYXX
Take a listen to ALYXX’s latest musical release and video below. “Serenity” is out now on all streaming platforms. To keep up with ALYXX, find her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
In a dream double-bill for heavy metal fans, Lamb Of God and Killswitch Engage joined forces for their tour opener on Friday, September 9 at the Ford Amphitheater in Brooklyn. With a chill in the air signaling that the fall season is nearly upon us, the initial throng of what would be nearly 5,000 guests excitedly began to file into the covered, open air venue fronting the Atlantic Ocean at the 5:00 pm doors call. The Spanish Colonial style venue, complete with nautical-themed motifs, is a New York City designated-landmark originally constructed in 1923 that was restored to its former glory in 2016.
Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God | Photo by Michael Dinger
Hailing from Richmond, Virginia and originally formed in 1994 as Burn the Priest, Lamb of God are at the forefront of the new thrash metal movement. Vocalist Randy Blythe and company will be releasing their ninth studio album Omens (Epic Records) on October 7. Described by Blythe as an “extremely pissed-off” record, it is a self-reflective piece of work regarding the fragile state of the world in which we currently reside. Omens was recorded at Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M Studios) in Los Angeles, California with their longtime collaborator since 2006, Josh Wilbur.
Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God | Photo by Michael Dinger
Although they are not touring in support of a recent release, the last being their eighth studio album Atonement in 2019, metalcore giants Killswitch Engage are the featured special guest on all 28 dates of the current tour. Formed in Westfield, Massachusetts in 1999, Killswitch Engage’s lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D’Antonio and drummer Justin Foley.
Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage | Photo by Michael Dinger
However, prior to Killswitch Engage taking the stage in a couple more hours, the first band to warm up the crowd would be Suicide Silence, formed in 2002. With a lineup of vocalist Hernan “Eddie” Hermida, dual guitarists Chris Garza and Mark Heylmun, bassist Dan Kenny and touring drummer Ernie Iniguez, the deathcore quintet established in Riverside, California performed a 7-song set showcasing varied speed changes, complex time signatures and plenty of death growls from Hermida. In early-2023, Suicide Silence will be releasing their seventh studio album, Remember… You Must Die.
Hernan Hermida of Suicide Silence | Photo by Michael Dinger
Hitting the stage promptly at 7:00 pm, Baroness followed with their own blistering, 6-song set. For the next 35-minites, these sludge metal heavy hitters from Savanna, Georgia would melt our collective minds with heavy distortion and frontman John Baizley’s harsh and abrasive vocals. Baizley is also an accomplished painter whose artwork has been incorporated into album art for Baroness, amongst many other bands. The rest of the quartet, formed in 2003, is rounded out by Nick Jost on bass, Sebastian Thomson on drums and Gina Gleason on lead guitar. Fans of Baroness will also be happy to learn that they are currently in the writing stages for their sixth studio offering.
John Baizley of Baroness | Photo by Michael Dinger
As the last remaining light of the day peaked through the openings in the venue’s massive canopy, and plenty of fans still lined up at the long merch table positioned at the top level of the amphitheater, Killswitch Engage appeared onstage shortly after 8:00 pm. Leach and his bandmates knocked it out the park on the first pitch, as they launched into “Strength of the Mind” with a ferocious intensity, an offering from their seventh studio album Incarnate (2016).
Band merchandise | Photo by Michael Dinger
Up until this point in the night, fans in attendance had been relatively subdued, but not for much longer. During 2006’s “This Is Absolution,” from their fourth studio album As Daylight Dies, Leach descended into the pit and engaged with several lucky fans in the front rows, sharing his microphone as he made his way along the rail, before climbing his way back up to the stage.
Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage and fan | Photo by Michael Dinger
The band continued to dig into the early part of their discography, giving us “Rose of Sharyn” from 2004’s The End of Heartache and “To the Sons of Man” from 2002’s Alive or Just Breathing. During the remainder of the eleven songs that followed, an endless stream of crowd surfers seemed to emerge from out of nowhere – each metal head riding the wave of outstretched arms of their brethren to the front rail – where they were safely collected into the waiting arms of a security team member.
Crowd surfer | Photo by Michael Dinger
The surprise of the night was a cover of Dio’s metal classic, “Holy Driver,” released by the metal legends in 1983 as the lead single from their debut album of the same name. Killswitch Engage had originally covered the song as part of compilation for Kerrang!, the British weekly magazine. The Killswitch Engage set would end after a little more than an hour, but not without a few offerings from their most recent studio work, 2019’s Atonement, including “Unleashed,” “The Crownless King” and “Know Your Enemy.” Killswitch Engage closed their hard-hitting set with “The Signal Fire,” the recorded version of which featured guest vocals from Howard Jones, the band’s lead vocalist from 2002 to 2012 when Leach had left the band.
Killswitch Engage set | Photo by Michael Dinger
During the much-needed 30-minute break when the stage was turned over by Lamb Of God’s roadie, most of the fans dripping in sweat hastily exited the General Admission floor as they slipped by one another on their way to the restroom, grabbed a quick bite to eat (hot dogs and Bavarian-style soft pretzels were the only two options that I saw) or bought one last cold beer from the concession areas strategically placed throughout.
As the time approached 9:30 pm, the atmosphere inside Ford Amphitheater was now intense with excitement as fan chatter calmed in anticipation for headliner Lamb of God to appear. Moments later, as the instrumental anthem and introduction to their 2020 self-titled new anthem “Memento Mori” was played over the house PA, bassist John Campbell, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler and drummer Art Cruz entered stage left. As they took up their instruments, Blythe appeared in his customary stage attire – black running sneakers, long, vintage-style cargo shorts and a Cinemetal t-shirt featuring a mashup logo with a nod to the iconic German film director Werner Herzog and heavy metal titan Danzig. Blythe is also the first performer I have ever noticed wearing knee pads and ankle support braces, and in short time, I would see why. The 51-year old Blythe hardly ever stands still. If he is not pacing furiously from one end of the stage to the other, he is either getting a running start for a giant leap off the top of the drum riser (set to a backdrop of pyrotechnics explosions) or can be spotted perched atop his own center stage riser, windmilling his long dreadlocks at a dizzying speed.
Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God | Photo by Michael Dinger
After breakneck executions of “Walk With Me in Hell” (Sacrament, 2006), “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For” (Ashes of the Wake, 2004) and “Resurrection Man” (Lamb of God, 2020), fans were finally treated to the first of two tracks they would hear tonight from Omens, the thunder-inducing “Nevermore.” Before the thrash metal veterans would tear into “Ruin” (As the Palaces Burn, 2003), “something a little bit older” that Blythe dedicated to “anyone who’s ever been to the club CB f***ing GB,” Blythe addressed the audience at length for the first time. “What the f**k is up motherfuckers? Holy s**t. Look at all you beautiful people gathered here in one of the coolest places, Coney f***ing Island. For those of you who do not know, or for those of you who smoked too much weed on the train on your way over here and cannot remember where you are anymore, we are Lamb Of God. We came to New York together today to do one thing and one thing only, completely f**k this place up. Are you ready? Welcome to the first night of “The Omens Tour.” We got a new record coming out October 7, pick it up if you want.”
It was near the middle portion of Lamb of God’s 80-minute set when not one, but two circle pits formed the number ‘8’ a mere few rows back from the stage. It was an incredible sight to behold firsthand, from the safe confines of the periphery of course, as frenzied tornadoes of souls twirled around and collided heavily into one another, and more than occasionally, falling hard to the ground. However, in keeping with the mosh pit code of etiquette, any fallen mosher was quickly pulled up to safety by the nearest person, before rejoining one of the flowing circles of bodies yet again.
Art Cruz of Lamb Of God | Photo by Michael Dinger
At the conclusion of the title track from Omens, the fans were more vigorous than ever, repeatedly chanting “Lamb Of God,” “Lamb Of God,” “Lamb Of God,”” Lamb Of God,” . . . Blythe, visibly thriving on the adoration, then said “It is always a f***ing pleasure to be back here, give yourself a big round of applause. Make some noise for the other bands that have played here for you this evening, goddamnit. First up, all the way from California, make some noise for Suicide Silence. And from down our way in Georgia, give it up for Baroness. And of course, make some noise for our brothers Killswitch Engage.”
John Campbell of Lamb Of God | Photo by Michael Dinger
The final five songs of Lamb Of God’s set would be their best, including “512” from VII: Sturm und Drang (2015), a song about Blythe’s self-proclaimed “extended European vacation that [he] took a while ago,” referring to his manslaughter court case that stemmed from a 2010 concert in Prague. “Ghost Walking” (Resolution, 2012) highlighted Cruz’s nuclear bomb drum slams and Campbell’s swift and velocious bass picking, while “Vigil” (As the Palaces Burn, 2003) featured intense groove metal shredding by guitarist Morton. The penultimate offering from Lamb Of God, “Laid to Rest” from 2004’s Ashes of the Wake, was the night’s highlight as the crowd went berserk during the chorus, “Smother another failure, lay this to rest. Console yourself, you’re better alone. Destroy yourself, see who gives a fuck. Absorb yourself, you’re better alone. Destroy yourself.”
Mark Morton of Lamb Of God | Photo by Michael Dinger
Blythe acknowledged the packed amphitheater one last time before the band burst into the fan favorite from 2006’s Sacrament. “Do you want one more f***ing song? Let me hear you! I think we can oblige. Before we do this, I need all you to do me a favor. As I said [earlier], tonight is the first night of the f***ing tour. You guys showed up and you showed out as New York City always f***ing does. I need every single mother***er in here to give themselves a big round of applause. Alright, I wanna see a f***ing big circle pit down there, set this mother***er off old school style. No one stands still! No one stands safe! This thing is called Redneck!”
“The Omens Tour” runs through October 20 and will conclude in Irving, Texas at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory.
Killswitch Engage Setlist: Strength of the Mind > This Is Absolution > Rose of Sharyn > To the Sons of Man > Unleashed > The Crownless King > Hate by Design > Know Your Enemy > My Curse > A Bid Farewell > This Fire > The End of Heartache > In Due Time > Holy Diver (Dio cover) > The Signal Fire
Lamb Of God Setlist: Memento Mori > Walk With Me in Hell > Now You’ve Got Something to Die For > Resurrection Man > Nevermore > Ruin > 11th Hour > Contractor > Omerta > Omens > 512 > Ghost Walking > Vigil > Laid to Rest > Redneck
Rammstein brought their long-anticipated U.S. Stadium Tour to MetLife Stadium on Tuesday, September 6th. This performance was initially scheduled for September 10, 2020 but had been postponed two years in a row due to COVID-19.
The evening was an absolute downpour as tens of thousands of fans filled into one of the largest NFL stadiums in the country. While not overly cold, it was definitely a wet experience that fortunately slowed down as it got closer to showtime.
One cannot talk about Rammstein without mentioning their stage presence. Over the years the band has had it fair share of controversy with the different “acts” they have performed on stage, and of course the sheer amount of fire and pyrotechnics they bring. This stadium show Rammstein has now magnifies anything they have previously done ten-fold. The stage itself cost over 6 million dollars and takes four days to assemble. With massive towers to accompany the stage that fill the inside of the stadium resemble fire coming off an oil rig, walking into the stadium to this was truly a sight to behold.
At approximately 8pm the lights went dark, and the crowd erupted in anticipation as a massive explosion on stage began Rammstein’s epic performance. Opening up the set with “Armee der Tristen” the band members make their way on stage from an elevator platform underneath that brought them up.
Rammstein performed a massive 21 song set that included a good mix of their new material as well as fan favorites. During the performance of “Puppe” a large baby carriage is brought onto the stage and burned while video shows a demonic baby doll spewing insects from its mouth. This is all capped off by confetti cannons shooting black confetti all over the crowd which really brought this scene to life.
For the acoustic performance of “Engel”, the band jumped into inflatable pontoon boats and surfed their way to a smaller stage in the middle of the crowd. Returning the main stage, the band went right back into their industrial-heavy “Auslander” which had the audience singing along.
The entire performance was nonstop fire, explosions and mayhem. The climax of all of this was during the band’s second encore performance of “Rammstein” in which Lindermann wears a pyro backpack that shoots out a barrage of fireballs around him while singing, as well as the stage erupting in flames, as well as the towers throughout the stadium.
This Rammstein show is one of their greatest live shows to date, with nonstop fire, explosions, fireworks and flamethrowers. There was even a cannon that came out which Lindermann mounted and sprayed the crowd in foam. It’s easy to make the comparison that you could be smack dab in the middle of Mordor while all of this is happening, and truly a show where words just can’t do it justice.
Setlist: Armee der Tristen > Zick Zack > Links 2-3-4 > Sehnsucht > Zeig dich > Mein Herz brennt > Puppe > Heirate mich >Zeit > Deutschland > Radio > Mein Teil > Du hast > Sonne> Engel > Auslander > Du riechst so gut > Pussy > Rammstein >Ich will > Adieu
Some music is misunderstood. In the fifties and sixties, older generations didn’t understand rock ‘n’ roll. And in the thirties, preachers had a problem with blues. But metal has seldom been understood throughout the generations. And the cool thing is that metal actually enjoys it. Defiance to the norm is on the underside of every nickel-wound string and dropped D.
Faced is a metal band, and they’re one to watch. With an album out in 2020, they came through the other side of ‘crazyville’ to lay down brutality in the studio. I sat down with Faced’s Jordan (Jordo) Simpson to talk turkey.
RRX: You released II Coming in September of 2020, which was a pretty crazy time. I won’t ask how hard it was to put it together during that time; old news. But it touches on a point. Metal is about insane shit, apocalypses, general doom and whatnot. Does it feel different singing about, well, dystopia, where we’re living in it?
JS: A lot of the material was written for a couple of years. On this record there is a range of topics from out of the mind and body experiences to straight up anger, loss of will and hope, smoking weed, the list goes on. So, the timing of it fit the period in all of our lives.
RRX: Faced has a really tight sound, not clean in the sense of like clean guitar, but clean as in maybe streamlined, well put together. And yet the sound is chaotic. And people who don’t listen to metal think it’s all chaos because their ears aren’t trained to it, but some metal is cleaner, tighter, than other metal. How do you control the chaos?
JS: That’s a good question. We have always been musicians that push the edge. Always trying to zero in on how to do things better. So, with drive and practice combined we just strive to be the best metal band we can be, and the result is that tight sound you hear. We just try to be ourselves and true to the art. We don’t follow trends or fads. We just pour ourselves out there.
RRX: I love that guitar sound. So maybe we talk shop for a second. Let’s talk pedals. First off, do you guys use them, or is it all in great amps? If you do use them, what do those pedal boards look like? And how do you manage pedal boards in a live show – punch them during the show, or set and forget? If no pedals, what stops you?
JS: Glad you like the tone!! I’ve worked many years to find my sound. Live and in the studio I use a Randall RM-100 head with a 4 x 12 loaded with Marshall Celestions speakers. In the studio I use a few pedals. For delay I use a DD-8 Delay pedal for leads. For wah, I use a Dunlop 525Q. I also use a stereo chorus from the 80’s made by Arion. Which is a diamond in the rough. But everyone loves the sound. For live I use a Headrush pedalboard thru my loop in my Randall. It sounds great and doesn’t kill my back.
RRX: I’ve listened to Faced from the studio and Faced live on one of the Booze Cruises. There’s a lot of similarities, and differences. I don’t think it’s even possible to recreate a live metal sound in the studio unless you record in a venue and let people mosh in the recording booth. Do you try things to bring the live sound into the studio?
JS: The studio is a different beast. We always try to capture the Faced sound. That’s what we aim for. We don’t want to sound like another band live or in the studio. So being true to ourselves is what comes through live and in the studio. Live we throw different things in there and take risks. We try to always outdo ourselves. If you came to a show to hear what’s exactly on the record what good is that. We always want it to be an experience. You never know what you will see or hear at a Faced show. Like to keep the fans on their toes.
RRX: Metal in the Capital Region is a tight group. Part of that is the music itself. Metal is a music that doesn’t mix well with other music. You wouldn’t see a metal band booked with a folk or a blues band. That said, metal does mix very well when it’s mashups with other genres, like rap, country, blues, folk…pretty much everything. Why is that?
JS: Well, I can only speak for our music. We have played with many genres under the sun. We love many types of music. We have shared the bill with many different acts playing many different genres. Hell, we even played a rave once! Our thing is as long as you have a dream and you’re doing everything possible to make that dream a reality we back you 100%. Musicians stick together.
RRX: Most music, or most musicians, have a theme. Just basic, there’s stuff we care about, so there’s stuff we sing about. If I think the CIA implants radios in peoples’ fillings, my albums might be me revealing that belief in 4/4 time. And that’s a stupid example but Faced probably has themes to its music. What is the Faced message?
JS: We have many messages through many songs. We tell stories about life through real experience. It’s real songs with twists and turns through the mind. We scream about things we have lived through and have seen. Pretty much it’s all left up to interpretation. We make the listeners think about what it all means to them in a lot of songs.
RRX: This is where you answer the question I didn’t ask. Comments? Shout-outs? Educate, enlighten, emote – the floor is yours.
JS: Come out to a show and party with us. We don’t bite…much! Check us out on every streaming platform there is. If you dig it, pass it to a friend.
We would love to give a few huge shout outs to our manager Bear without him some of the things we have done wouldn’t have been possible. We would also like to give a shout out to the social outcasts, the misunderstood and the bullied. We love you all and embrace every last one of you. A Faced show is where you are accepted for who you are. Come out and be part of it. Thanks for all the support!!
The 34th annual Byron Bay Bluesfest Festival’s initial lineup has been revealed. Featuring international artists for the first time since 2019’s pre-pandemic festival, the first lineup released features over 40 artists.
Set for April 6-10, Bluesfest will see some of the finest contemporary and legendary blues, roots, soul, rock, hip hop, r&b, world and americana artists take the stage. This will be the first original style Bluesfest since the world re-opened. Last year primarily featured Australian and New Zealand Artists. Among those making their way down under are Utica’s own and renowned blues guitarist, Joe Bonamassa, bluegrass music innovators Greensky Bluegrass and jam-band favorites, Southern Avenue.
Bluesfest 2022 daytime
What is Bluesfest All-About?
Bluesfest is held over five days at the Byron Events Farm each easter long weekend. Event facilities include seven performance stages, nine licensed bars and two undercover food courts. There are many independent food vendors, car parking for over 7,000 vehicles and camping for up to 6,500 people.
In the coming weeks, Bluesfest will release more of the line-up, along with artist performance dates so that both day-trippers and 3-day ticket holders can make an informed choice. There will also be further announcements on two special satellite events happening in Melbourne and Perth.
And more good news is that ticket prices, camping and VIP tickets remain the same as 2022’s prices. That’s despite the significant increase in cost of international flights and freight logistics, with artist fees also on the rise. Bluesfest will also invest in upgrading the VIP area in order to give its supporters the best experience possible. For the campers that seek a“class above” experience you can upgrade to the Rainbow Tipi accommodation this year.
Whilst there are still plenty of Aussie artists listed in this first and upcoming announcements it is wonderful to once again in 2023, after four long years be able to bring back some of the greatest Blues, Roots, Soul, Rock, Hip Hop, R&B, World and Americana artists (and so much more) back to our shores after so long. As well as, of course, the stars of tomorrow.
– Peter Noble, Festival Director
Tickets for Bluesfest are now available and can be purchased on their official website. While only the 5-day passes are on sale for now, Bluesfest also offers 3-day and single-day passes.
On August 24, the New York State Fair opened its gates up for the annual fair that runs through Labor Day. Many come from all over the state and even out of state to Syracuse for the food, the exhibits and rides, but plenty come to Central New York for State Fair music acts at Chevy Park and Chevy Court, including opening day act, Chevelle.
At the State Fair, there is plenty to do, see, and even eat, especially those deep fried Oreos but one event that attracts so many, is the free concerts that take place at Chevy Park. A while back, the fair had grandstands but eventually removed them in place of an open field with a few bleachers in front of the stage. On the opening day of the State Fair, the band to close out the night was a very well known rock band, Chevelle. They played for over an hour and played a wide variety of hits from many of their albums.
After the band’s performance, an opening day special, fireworks for the end of the night, which could be seen throughout the fairgrounds. There are still many other performances lined up, along with other events. The State Fair’s last day is on Labor Day, September 5th.
What’s the most eardrum pummeling cowbell moment in rock? Thanks to that famous Saturday Night Live sketch, you might think it’s Blue Oyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” But for my money, it’s the cowbell count-off pounded out by Corky Laing in the rock classic whose saucy lyrics he also penned: Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen.” The tale of how that song came to be and many more hilarious and harrowing anecdotes from his long and winding career are told in his eminently readable memoir, Letters to Sarah.
Corky Laing provides hilarious and harrowing anecdotes from his long and winding career
Co-written with longtime manager and partner Tuija Takala, Letters to Sarah is a rock autobiography with a difference. In addition to Corky’s exceptionally honest recollections of his highs and lows, there are excerpts from the dozens of letters that he wrote to his mom, Sarah, between 1963 and her death in 1998. These were a way for Corky to keep in touch with his family and try to make sense of his life, while he was away furiously touring and recording for years on end.
Raised with triplet brothers and a sister in Montreal, the sports-loving Laing would first become enamored with the drums when he saw the hyperbolic jazz great Gene Krupa, on TV. Laing would then forsake his and every Canadian’s first love, hockey, for music because, as he quips, “the drums don’t hit back!” His first public performance was an impromptu one backing the famous vocal group, The Ink Spots. In short order, he would be engaged in regular gigs and drum battles, just like his idol Krupa.
In 1965 at age 17, he and his band, B+3, would be in New York playing at the famed Peppermint Lounge. At another gig around that time in the Hamptons, he became acquainted with his guitar partner-to-be in Mountain, Leslie West, then playing in The Vagrants. Summer residencies in Nantucket over the next couple of years brought him into contact with a crew of writers who would inspire his interest in literature. Nantucket is where he would come up with the gem, “Mississippi Queen.” Forced to take a long drum-solo during a power outage at a gig and witnessed the seductive dancing of a friend’s Southern-bred girlfriend. Laing’s passion made him start singing what would become the opening lines of his most famous tune – “Mississippi Queen, you know what I mean?”
When he returned to Canada, he got to know luminaries like The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Cream and The Who since his band opened for them at venues like the Montreal Forum. By 1969, his band evolved to a more progressive sound and was renamed, Energy. During another opening slot, he got to know Miles Davis’ great drummer Tony Williams, someone who would later refer him to Jack Bruce that would put another milestone band on his resume.
Corky and Energy came into the orbit of Felix Pappalardi (the producer of Cream and bassist, founder and producer of Mountain) while playing at the World’s Fair, Expo ‘67 in Montreal. Felix was interested in producing the band and especially intrigued by Corky’s drumming and lyrical input. After Mountain’s debut at Woodstock, Pappalardi lured Laing away from Energy to join what was to become one of the hardest working (and partying) proto-metal bands.
As for “Mississippi Queen,” Laing says he copped the groove from Levon Helm’s playing on The Band’s “Up on Cripple Creek,” a man he would become very close to during many visits to Woodstock to record at Levon’s legendary farm studio. When Laing was trying to come up with a good Southern town to name check in the lyrics, a friend suggested “Vicksburg” and Corky awarded him 10% of the publishing for the two syllables. The first person to hear “The Queen” outside of the band was Jimi Hendrix, who was working in an adjacent room at The Record Plant at the time of its recording. Interestingly, Laing would go on to earn a Gold Record for his contributions to the Woodstock ‘69 soundtrack, not with Mountain (N.D. Smart was Mountain’s drummer at that gig), but for Ten Years After’s “I’m Going Home.” It seems Laing was enlisted to overdub drums while at the Record Plant with Mountain because the drum mics were not working during the live recording of that particular song during TYA’s Woodstock set.
The book has plenty of sex and drugs along with the rock-n-roll, something that, along with bad management, spelled the end to Mountain’s initial frenzied three-year run. After much promise, his next band, the super group West, Bruce & Laing, would also collapse after a brief two-album run, due largely to overindulgence. Laing also spends a good deal of time speaking of the brilliance and flaws of Pappalardi and his creative partnership with his wife, Gail Collins. Collins would contribute lyrics and album art to Mountain, but ultimately go on to shot and kill the bass player with a gun he bought her in the early 1980s.
Corky would next hook up with the likes of Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson, Lee Michaels and Todd Rundgren to make a couple of albums in the singer-songwriter vein, music that was “very Springsteen” in his words, with only the first earning a release. He would go on to be a part of the legendary Lone Star Café scene in New York City backing the hilarious Texas bad boy singer turned novelist Kinky Friedman, who contributed the introduction to Laing’s memoir. For a while, Corky would cut his hair and join a promising new wave band, “The Mix.” Through a chance encounter on the beach near his Connecticut home with jazz guitarist Larry Coryell, he would be introduced to Buddhism. This would go a long way towards vanishing his demons. Laing’s up and down life would settle for a time when he accepted a job in music publishing with Warner-Chappell Music. He would then move on to even more success, and a “six figure salary,” as Vice President of A&R for Polygram Canada during the MTV era, until a merger put him back in the playing business.
Laing would finally get to play Woodstock in 1994. This was at the smaller Woodstock Reunion Concert at the original concert site, versus the grander Michael Laing-produced affair in Saugerties. At this gig, the Mountain lineup was West and former Hendrix bassist Noel Redding. This book and this chapter of Laing’s life comes to close with the passing of his mother in 1998, when he is back making music with Redding and a new guitarist, the Spin Doctors’ Eric Schenkman.
As a musician, Laing was an indispensable ingredient in the success of Mountain, a band that paved the way for the metal we know today. He had a uniquely powerful style that drove the straight-ahead rock numbers like “Never in My Life” and “You Can’t Get Away.” It was one that matched the fuzz-leaden bass of Pappalardi and Leslie West’s searing blues run and thick power chording. He also had an unflagging stamina and an improviser’s heart. It was Corky’s pulse and dynamics which led the band through long extrapolations on classics like “Dreams of Milk & Honey,” from their album Flowers of Evil, and their unique version of “Stormy Monday,” captured on live album from the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival.
I saw Mountain several times during their early ‘70s glory days and my ribs are still quaking from Pappalardi’s sub-atomic bass and Laing’s double bass drum and cowbell combo. The last time I saw them was on August 11, 2001. It was at a free lunchtime concert in the plaza at World Trade Center so I couldn’t pass it up. My taste in music had certainly changed since the early ‘70s but, damn the hipsters and those who worship at the altar of Pitchfork, I still kind of loved Mountain. It was a beautiful day and band played energetically to a happy crowd of old and new fans. I even caught one of the drumsticks hurled by Laing into the crowd. Thirty days later, that stage would be the site of something very different – the smoldering wreckage from 9/11 terror attack.
