Sad sad day to hear about Erik Kish of Fear City Choppers and Hi Fi and the Roadburners losing his life in a motorcycle accident in Chicago. I first heard of them through Victory Records in the early 90's with their contemporary bands such as Warzone, Earth Crisis, Strife and many more. One of the bands we used to played with were an oi street punk ethos and our drummer in our hardcore band was of the same mindset. They quickly learned of Hi Fi and the Roadburners and we were all quickly hooked on the songs as they were so damn good and ultimately fun to listen to compared to our normal sounds which was heavily influence by Killing Time, Pantera, Integrity, Agnostic Front and Sick Of It All.
One night Hi Fi was actually playing a few hours away so we all decided to roll and check them out as they were playing with a few openers and funny enough one of them was Anti Flag. Needless to say, they blew us away and we ended up chatting with them for hours after the show and I was forever hooked on them. Next time I got to see them was in North Beach in San Francisco and once again they were on the bill with hardcore bands. Erik, when I chatted with him that time was just as cool as he was when I met him at a tiny club in Maryland.
Hearing sad news such as this about him getting in a bad wreck is a loss for us in the music community as well as the bike community. We wish his family the best and do yourself a favor, dig into the life of Erik Kish, he was a talented individual and some of his music is forever burned in my mind. Sit back, pop a cold one and this goes out to all the folks putting heart, soul and integrity into what they enjoy.
RIP Erik or better yet, raise some more hell and team up with Dio, Dimebag and others for a show on the other side.
GLK wishes our rock n roll sister, Annie Venom, the best of luck on her move back to Chicago. We will miss you Annie, and we know you will have great success in art school!
The Green Lady Killers are happy to announce new bassist, Ivy Rose! Ivy Rose grew
up in greater Los Angeles, and her past musical projects include The Ramonas and Juju
Bones. Ivy Rose rocks a Fender Jazz Bass through a Fender Bassman 300 Pro full stack
to deliver some serious low end! You may also know Ivy Rose as Wonder Girl from
superhero band, Adam West the Bat. When she's not rocking out, Ivy Rose spends her
time wrangling tarantulas, boa constrictors and magical unicorns.
In less than two months Hellbound Glory is about to release an amazing batch of songs further embedding their boot print into the country music landscape. Rarely does a band create such a buzz without having the chops to back up the hype. The fellas in Hellbound Glory have it in spades and damn proud to have been working with them for the last five years.
Here is one of the new finalized and mastered tracks entitled "You Better Hope You Die Young". Also, here is another image from the photo shoot that was the idea we all put together to represent the over arching idea of Damaged Goods.
Current men's magazines are all about looking good, wearing sharp clothing and being clean as a whistle and that just lacks character in our minds. Whatever happened to men that wrestled bears over their recently shot elk as the bear tried to get a free dinner? Or what happened to those adventures in which you came back with a beard as you were gone so long? We are huge fans of old magazines and pulp novels and often reread the stories as they are right out of a Mickey Spillane universe in which women were Dames and a finger point to the chest meant fists would come into action if need be. This compared to worrying about the other party calling in a lawyer to settle a dispute, as we personally have seen happen a few times unfortunately with wussies that want to sue over a few scratches and busted egos. Check out some of these great covers of old men's magazines and go out and make adventure happen instead of relying on life to just happen.
If you are in the South East, do yourself a favor and get out to the Barber Vintage Festival, here is a full post from the fellas over at Dime City Cycles on the event along with what is going down.
What a wonderful time it is for motorcycling! Cafe Racer TV Season 2 is mid-way through and keeping all us glue to the TV when we’re not wrenching or riding, The Ace Cafe just celebrated it’s 10th anniversary of being re-opened and Triumph Motorcycles is in-tune with the current vintage/retro movement more so than ever!
Here are Dime City we’re busy cranking out parts and orders as well as bikes and trophies! That’s right, trophies and stands for the upcoming Cafe Racer TV Bike Show taking place at Barbers 7th Annual Vintage Festival. If you haven’t already heard it’s going to be the biggest and best vintage motorcycle event yet.
We’ve pulled together a handful of the awesome and talented builders from Cafe Racer TV like Loaded Gun Customs, Brian Fuller and Alain Bernard from Santiago Choppers to name a few along with the crew from DOTHETON.com as well as, Ace Cafe North America to put on a “Cafe Racer Paddock” at the top of the hill in the far western corner of the track. It’s the makings for a truly rememberable event!
Here’s a quick glimps of the schedule so far:
Friday:
9AM – Area opens, tents are manned
10AM – 10:15AM – Address to the crowd by Mark McKee
12:30AM – 2:30PM – Lunch Ride
2:30 – 4:00pm Pitch Your Build CRTV
2:30PM – 3:30PM – Book signing by Mark Wilsmore and Mick Duckworth
5PM – Shutdown
Saturday:
9:00 – Area opens, tents are manned, bike show entries accepted
9:00 – 4:00 CRTV Photo Ops w/Bikes and Pin-up models
9:00 – 4:00 Pitch Your Build CRTV
9:00 – 9:45 – Hogslayer Presentation
10:00 – 10:15 – Address to the crowd by Mark McKee
11:00 – 11:30 – Rockabilly Band The Cigar Store Indians
2:00 – 2:30 – Rockabilly Band The Cigar Store Indians
2:30 – 3:30- Book signing by Mark Wilsmore and Mick Duckworth
4:00 – Bike show trophies announced
4:30 – 5:00 – Rockabilly Band The Cigar Store Indians
4:30 – 5:30- Book signing by Mark Wilsmore and Mick Duckworth
5:15 – 5:45 CRTV Builder Roundtable
5PM – 6PM – Shutdown & Ace VIP Session
Sunday:
9:00 – Area opens, tents are manned, Morning Ride (9AM – 10AM)
9:00 – 4:00 CRTV Photo Ops w/Bikes and Pin-up models
9:00 – 4:00 Make Your Pitch to CRTV
9:00 – 9:45 – Hogslayer Presentation
10:00 – 10:15 – Address to the crowd by Mark McKee
11:00 – 11:30 – Rockabilly Band The Cigar Store Indians
2:00 – 2:30 – Rockabilly Band The Cigar Store Indians
2:30 – 3:30 – Book signing by Mark Wilsmore and Mick Duckworth
3:30 – 4:00 – (Tent) Rockabilly Band The Cigar Store Indians
4:00 – Shutdown and head out
As you can see, there’s a full schedule and plenty to enjoy in addition to the already fantastic elements that make up the Barber Vintage Festival. We’ve got several BIG sponsors who’ve stepped up to donate some quality items for the winners of the different bike show classes. Guys like Bell Helmets, Dennis Kirk, Lossa Engineering and Loaded Gun Customs just to name a few. To break it down, we’ve got over $1,500.00 in giveaways so far and the event is still a few weeks away!
That said, be sure to register your bike ASAP by emailing jason@dimecitycycles.com as we will NOT be able to take bikes the weekend of the event.
Here’s a quick snapshot from the shop of the plaque stands we’re building for the TV series bikes which will be on display in the paddock for you to get your grubby little wrenching turning hands on as well as their builders so you can finally ask “How’d you do that? As well as a spy shot of the 1972 CB350 Twin we’ve been building to compete in the AHRMA Production Race Class. With any luck, it’l be completed in time and ready for the track that same weekend!
If you have any inclination on what it takes to undertake land speed racing, you know that its a game of physics mixed with weather and a dash of endurance. Circle track racing is just folks turning left and having to maintain steady speeds while fighting off the competition, relying heavily on lane position and mechanical endurance. Land speed racing is about the driver and the vehicle meeting in the middle to pilot through that magical radar line off in the distance at the fastest speed possible. Within those thousands of feet everything has to work to perfection or to your mechanical advantage, per sey if you have a tail wind or the cool morning air to help the motors run tip top. Have a look at Roland Sands going all out to reach 200 mph at our local Maxton Mile. After his last pass it is quite evident what level that components need to be at to be able to handle the stress of those speeds. We know that he will push that Victory to the coveted elite 200mph record as his determination is written all over his face.
Found this amazing write up over at Revolver Magazine with Lars Ulrich of Metallica speaking on Cliff Burton. What an amazing talent that left this world way too soon. For all of us that grew up listening to Metallica in the 80's and being one of our first metal bands, Cliff we forever will remember your memory...
Today marks the 25th anniversary of Metallica bassist Cliff Burton’s
death. In remembrance of him, the band’s drummer Lars Ulrich (pictured
left) gave a personal and emotional account of him in Revolver’s January/February “Fallen Heroes” issue (available here).
He had so many great stories about Burton, we couldn’t fit them in the
magazine. So, in reverence, here is everything Ulrich had to say about
Burton.
REVOLVER What do you remember about the first time you saw him? LARS ULRICH
I had just never really seen anything quite like it. It was just unique
and so original. And there was just this incredible stage presence and
this uniqueness to the whole vibe. I had just never seen anything like
it. It was new, it was different. And obviously you could tell there was
an incredible ability, and there was a stage presence, and all this
type of stuff wrapped up in this incredible type of personality. And I
think we were a little intimidated by him in the beginning because he
was just so unique.
But then as we got to know him a little bit, and I sort of started courting him to try and jump ship [from his band Trauma],
then I started realizing he was a pretty chill dude. But he was also
pretty firm on the fact that L.A. was not for him. ’Cause me and James
were trying to get him to come down to L.A., and he just wasn’t into
that. He was really rooted up here [near San Francisco], he
really was a kind of a Northern California…almost a hillbilly like. I
mean, there’s a lot of different vibes up here, and there’s definitely a
kind of unique vibe in Castro Valley and Hayward and stuff. And he was a
real, really rooted where it came from. And he was probably, certainly
speaking for myself, I was much more of a gypsy. When we traveled and
stuff like that, he was the first guy to want to go home. And he was the
one who was probably at the strongest of roots of all of us. He had
family and kind of a history. Me and James were more loners.
He seems like he was laidback.
He didn’t hurt people. He didn’t cross the line, but he was certainly
always up for being part of stirring some shit up. But more like a
rascal point of view then someone who was out to hurt people. So it was
more fun and games. He would fake fight or whatever, throw some kind of
fake punches, but he would never throw any real punches. I don’t think I
ever saw Cliff in a fight. I don’t think I ever saw Cliff get into
heated exchanges or anything. I mean, he was a pretty chill guy. And it
never got nasty or unpleasant.
What are your fondest memories of him?
My fondest memories of Cliff are his total disregard for convention and
his total disregard for playing things out the way you expected them.
He was up to challenge the normalcy, to challenge the status quo, to
just fuck with things musically, attitude-wise—the way he dressed, the
way he carried himself, his sense of humor, his relationship with the
music that inspired him, the music that he played. It was always very
unconventional, and it was very unusual. You could certainly argue that
me and James [Hetfield] at that time were more kind of the
squarer guys, ’cause we were more like, “Motörhead, Iron Maiden!” Heavy
metal T-shirts, and long hair and bang our heads into the wall. Cliff
was just so fast in his palette of things that he was into and things
that were inspiring him and the things that he was doing. So it was
definitely his music, and his attitude, and his approach towards life
that really inspired me and James to broaden our horizons, broaden
Metallica’s horizons musically. So when I think of Cliff, that’s what I
think…that’s just kind of variety and unpredictability, you know
What are some of the bands he turned you on to?
First of all, he was classically trained and really knew his way around
classical music. He actually studied classical music at college. So he’s
sitting there talking about Johann Sebastian Bach, talking about some
of these kind of cool classical things. And I had heard some of these
words thrown around when Richie Blackmore was talking about his
influences, but it was not something I had ever been exposed to.
Then
he was also really…you know, this whole Southern thing. I mean,
obviously I was aware of Skynyrd and had an appreciation for some of
their heavier moments. But he was so immersed in Skynyrd and .38 Special
and ZZ Top and the Allman Brothers and all of these things that kind of
came in the wake of that Black Oak Arkansas. And the Outlaws and all
that stuff, there was a whole kind of thing there.
He was also
really into a lot of kind of progressive stuff like Yes, and Peter
Gabriel, and a lot of f prog rock. And he was a hardcore Rush fanatic.
Certainly I had an appreciation of Rush, but not to the level that he
did. So there was a whole kind of array of things.
When I met
Cliff in ’81, I had been through a lot of different musical experiences
myself. But at that time, the things that were inspiring me to play
music and so on were…I can’t say that Lynyrd Skynyrd was a particularly
big inspiration for me to start playing drums. It was much more narrow.
Iron Maiden and Deep Purple and Judas Priest and Diamond Head and Angel
Witch, and the stories been told a thousand times. And the New Wave of
British Heavy Metal stuff, and Cliff was just so wide in his scope. I
played him Diamond Head. He liked some of their stuff, he liked some of
Iron Maiden’s energy. He liked Witchfinder General, some of that stuff.
But he also, he was a little more selective in what he liked, where me
and James were more sort of like, Dude, the New Wave of British Heavy
Metal, it rocks! Where some of it you can argue 20, 30 years later was
not as good some of the other stuff. There were hit and misses in there.
But
Cliff was sort of into Peter Gabriel, the Police. Some of the stuff, I
mean, it wasn’t the enemy because I was aware of the fact that there was
musical integrity there. But I can’t tell you I knew much about what
the Police were doing other then five songs I’d heard on the radio. But
all of the sudden, in between the Diamond Head tapes and the Iron Maiden
tapes being played on the tour buses and in the shitty vans, the
fuckin’ Police album Zenyattà Mondatta would come on. Or what was that Yes album? 90125
or whatever. Some of that stuff would come on. It would just be nice.
He loved to play some early ZZ Top. I just didn’t really know my way around Tres Hombres or the rest of those albums until Cliff started pounding them in our direction.
What do you think of him when you look back at it all now?
He was really cool. It was, obviously other than losing a brother, it
would’ve been the more… I would’ve been interested to see what else he
could’ve contributed, because it felt like we were just getting started.
We just started playing “Orion” again on the last run, in the last two
weeks [when Metallica were preparing for the Big Four concert in April].
So playing “Orion,” I think we played it like three times in the last
two weeks. You sit there and all of a sudden go, Fuck! What a, just,
incredible piece of music. And just so unique. And it would’ve been
interesting to see what else would’ve been in that vast well of stuff
that he could’ve shared with the rest of us. That will forever be the
curiosity element. But I’m so glad that I got a chance to play with him
for a couple, three years. And got a chance to know him, and got a
chance to drink with him, and all the shenanigans that probably
shouldn’t be printed in a nice, family publication like Revolver. But it definitely was a pretty nutty time, and at the time we certainly embraced what life was offering
us. And accelerated it to a “mach 10,” as James used to say on stage.
The folks down under at Fuel Magazine have just wrapped up Issue 8. Read below for more info and on how to order the latest and greatest from those folks.
Issue 08 is now here and on sale through our
online store. It will be on newsagents shelves in Australia next Friday, 7th October. If you don't want to buy online, and you can't wait until it's in the shops, we'll be at the Chopped Rod & Custom Show this weekend.
Issue 08 'Americana' is dedicated largely to our
first Fuel Magazine trip to the States earlier this
year. We got behind of the wheel of the Hotchkis Challenger, visted Viva Las Vegas, as well as some cool loactions around LA.
On top of the great things we saw and experienced, we have contributions from some fantastic Amerian photographers throughout the issue. Marc Gewertz sent in photos of his brother Coby's awesome Church Magazine van, Peter Vincent takes us on a visual journey to the Bonneville salt flats, and we have some amazing pin up and fashion
photography from contemporary photographers Shane McCauly and Vara Pappas.
Top this all off
with a Max Grundy feature!
The issue is now bigger than before, with a higher page count, and an increase in thickness of about 20%. It really is packed with great stuff.
To see for yourself, check it out online and it'll be in the post out to you quicker than you can say Americana.
To say that we are excited just might be a huge understatement when it comes to finally releasing Jay Berndt's new album "Sings Waylon For Jessica". This whole project started as a christmas gift a few years back and from there spiraled into a much larger endeavor as we kept tellin' Jay that he should release it for the masses.
Being the perfectionist and amazing talent that Jay Berndt is, he went in and revamped all the songs to make them linger in playlists for many years to come. This batch of songs is one of those that will stick to your head like wet hair on a hot and humid summer day and then instantly cool ya off like the first ice cold beer of the day.
Do yourself a favor and check out these songs, we know that Waylon would have been proud. Order the Album now
From Jay on the recording of the album:
"My two previous bands, the Revival Preachers and the Brimstone
Assembly always played Waylon songs. I just love his voice and his
delivery; he just sounds so honest and sincere. Plus that beat! That
four on the floor stomp... Nobody else in country music could do it like
Waylon & The Waylors. And really no one has done it better. So
whenever we played one of his songs live, my wife Jessica would always
ask “Was that Waylon?” and I would remark that we should record some of
his songs. Well, I never got around to recording any of them when those
bands were in existence. So I decided that I would pick some of her
favorite Waylon songs, play all the instruments myself and give her the
CD as a Christmas gift. So I began the project in September 2008 and
could only record when she was at work on weekends or very early in the
morning during the week. I remember cutting the harmony vocals for “You
Can Have Her” at 5:00 am and wondering how the hell I didn’t wake her
up! I brought in my good buddy Damien Puerini to play all the amazing
guitar leads and bring the whole thing together. I was putting finishing
touches and mixing it as late as 11:00pm on Christmas eve, just trying
to get it all done. None the less, Jessica loved it. She smiles every
time she hears those harmonies on “You Can Have Her” and that means the
world to me. I think it’s one of the best gifts I had given her.
Now it’s our gift to you. I hope you enjoy it."
Track Listing
1. Lonesome On’Ry & Mean
2. Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line
3. Black Rose
4. Cedartown, GA
5. The Door Is Always Open
6. Ramblin’ Man
7. Loving Her Was Easier
8. Ain’t No God In Mexico
9. The Taker
10. Rainy Day Woman
11. Freedom To Stay
12. You Can Have Her
Check out these great photos posted up by Tim Bradham over at the one and only TBCWorks, best damn Hot Rod shop in the eastern Carolina's. Ronnie Hymes is currently still on tour with Lucky Tubb so get out and see him on the last two shows of the tour. Once off the road, Ronnie will be hittin' the studio in earnest to begin working on the new album. Really stoked to hear what he has cooking.
The fine folks over in Venice, CA are having a killer rally and party on October 22nd, damn why couldn't it have been the weekend of Oct. 9th as we will be in town. Here is some quick info on what they consider "Vintage"
Q: What do you consider “Vintage?” A: So technically speaking, it’s 20 yrs. or older. However we consider vintage to be anything pre ’78. It was around this time that bikes of most brands started to take on a more modern look. As well, it was the last year Honda released a bike with a kick-start. Having said that, we’re not snobs so don’t worry about it...unless it’s Wednesday.
Q: Do I have to be a member to join the rides? A: Nope. Hop on your vintage bike and come ride with us!
Q: How do I join? A: The VVMC is a not an organization, it’s a club. Even more, a small, tight group of like minded (and a bit crazy) friends. Therefore, there are no dues or membership fees. If you’re serious about joining the clan, here’s the simple law:
1. You MUST ride a vintage (pre ’78) bike. 2. Plan on riding with us and being active in the group for at least a year. Showing up on occasion doesn’t cut it. 1. You can’t be a major tool.
Muddy Roots 2011 definitely lived up to it's name and a damn amazing time was had by all. Do yourself a favor and start making plans for this event in 2012. The folks putting it on worked their asses off and made everyone feel welcome. This type of dedication is a rarity and only by supporting such a great event and helping it to grow will such a great festival continue to exist.
Do yourself a favor and get over to Saving Country Music or read the full article right here. Triggerman did a fantastic writeup on social media and about using your own website, facebook, twitter, etc correctly. Unless you are completely unplugged from the grid and or don't really have any interests in social media, we are all on some form of website linking us to others for communication. If you are in a band, get yourselves set up correctly to be able to communicate effectively. Magazines are being phased out along with their indepth coverage compared to how quickly a website can give you a live feed of updates. Make the future yours and put efforts into communications that will let you to be found for the right reasons. If fans cannot find your band, don't blame the club, record label or promoters for not doing their job. It starts with the bands first and foremost.
What seems to be at the top of everyone’s mind on this 21st day of September, 2011 is the recent reconfiguration of the Facebook interface. I can tell it’s top of mind, because people’s bitch rants about the change is what occupies every one of the top 20 slots in my Facebook news stream, and from what I understand, what you see at the top of your news stream is based mainly on popularity.
Many folks are opining this is the demise of Facebook, and are fleeing to Google+. The fact is Facebook is already in rapid decline, and was even before Google+ was launched in full force. After years of record growth, including adding at least 20 million users per month over the previous year, Facebook actually lost users in May 2011, almost 6 million users, with another 1.5 million lost in Canada (read the full report). This recent reconfiguration may help escalate the Facebook decline, but it is not the cause, it was a reaction to the fear that Facebook was dying already. Even if Facebook can make it through this redesign, there is a good chance it is still doomed.
The decline of Facebook has little to do with the interface, and more to do with the drama that Facebook was scientifically engineered to create and disseminate. That was Google+’s gamble, and their ace-in-the-hole with their idea of ‘circles’ that keep information within certain groups of contacts. If Google+ wins out over Facebook eventually, these ‘circles’ will be the reason.
But both interfaces are rating what you see based on popularity, the same exact system in Nashville, New York, and LA that keeps the robust musical talent in independent circles down, while the established, mainstream acts stay afloat despite talent shortfalls. The simple fact is, since the decline of the original MySpace, the ability for artists and fans to interact and share information has been devolving. Facebook was never a viable alternative to the artist tools MySpace offered, the most important of which was the MySpace bulletin board, which was a real-time way to post and share information, that did not use some obscure formula based on popularity that chose who saw what. If you posting something, all of your friends saw it.
Twitter is the only major social networking tool available for artists and fans that does not run your information through a third-party judgement filter that decides who gets to see what, and when. It simply aggregates in a timeline bits of information from people you choose to follow, without hiding or prioritizing anything. Its character restriction limits its functionality for certain things, but at the same time, also increases its potency for others.
Listen to me, and listen good. There is nothing more important, and no bigger challenge in music right now that the ability for artists and their fans to communicate. This takes effort on everybody’s part. Lessons must be learned from the death of MySpace on how to navigate the destruction of a social network without losing the network itself. Below are some suggestions of how handle the very real possibility of the death of Facebook. Most are for bands, because they drive the boat, but fans can can help themselves and the bands by understanding how they disseminate information, and making sure they put themselves in the right channels to receive it.
Bands – Get Your Own Website
Don’t just jump to Google+ and call it good, and don’t rely on the whims of the pliable American public to afford you a viable vehicle for getting information out about your music. Every band needs a website. Even a business card website with basic information is better than nothing, but there is no better investment a band can make than a fully functional website that offers information about the band, music samples, videos, and most importantly, a blog or news feature, show calendar, and an email signup list.
Right now the biggest issue facing touring bands is the dissemination of tour dates. I cannot put into words how dumbfounded I am that there are dozens of bands out on tour right now, with no place to find their dates, mainly because many social networks make it difficult to impossible to post them.
And when you have a big announcement to make, (i.e. a new album, or an upcoming tour) don’t post that announcement on Facebook or Google+, post it on your website, and then link to it from all your social networking properties, and then send an email to your signup list. Putting original info out on social networks puts an extra layer between your information and search engines, while links on social network sites that lead to a centralized place actually help the search engines find it. Think of your website as the mother brain, with all the other sites as satellite properties.
Also understand that certain social network platforms are better for certain information than others. Work to understand what works best for you, and your followers. For example, it is probably best to post a big tour announcement through your website. But each night of the tour, announce where you will be through Twitter. Google+ might be better for personal quips or stories from the road, and pictures and video. And understand the more you post through any format in a 24 hour period, the less potency each post has. If you post something on Facebook or Google+, and then post something else an hour later, there a good chance most folks won’t see your first post at all in their news feed, that is unless the first post is more popular, then they won’t see the second. Twitter is the only format that you can be assured all your posts are accessible, but if you tweet 20 times a day, it is less likely each post will get read than if you post only 2.
And to the fans: Do your part by signing up for your favorite band’s email lists, at shows and online. We all want to stay in touch, and we all want to get information as easily as possible. We can do that through a social network’s news stream, or we can also do that through our email Inbox, which doesn’t change at the whims of some hoodie and sandals-wearing billionaire running a social engineering experiment, and your email is a place you already visit daily anyway.
Don’t Give Up on Any Social Network Too Early
We may be able to get a firm grasp on what the social networking landscape is right now, but it can change in a matter of days, Facebook just proved that. Anybody who tells you they know where social networking is going is full of it; nobody does. Who knows, Google+ could tank, and Facebook could recover. Twitter could lose it’s compass, and MySpace, now owned by Justin Timberlake, could make a big comeback. Jumping from one social network site to another is foolish. Be in as many places as you can. Spread your information out like a bad rash, and don’t give up on any social network until it is absolutely hopeless.
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Specific to savingcountrymusic.com:
We have created many tools here for artists and fans to help keep everyone connected in the post-MySpace era. The more we all utilize these tools, the better they will work. We have an active and updated Calendar that covers all the appearances by core SCM bands. The SCM News Feed in the top right corner of every page is updated 24 hours a day, in real time to try to keep everyone connected on news. For especially big news and a weekly newsletter, you can make sure your on the SCM email list, and don’t forget the message board, where you can take control and post whatever you think folks need to see, and then link to it through social networks.
We got a huge batch of photos from Josh over at Wrench Works from his Sturgis trip this year, back in August. Will be posting them in several batches are there are way too many for just one sitting. After seeing these roads its quite easy to understand why the multitudes descend on South Dakota for our version of Mecca. Beer, bikes and debauchery are just a side note when it comes to the grandeur that is this region of the country. Get out there and ride the great highways and backroads. To hell with excuses, take the time, tune the bikes and report back on your findings. This blog is just one of many that can be a forum to any and all that want to contribute. Send us an email and we would be glad to post your runs, bikes and travels.
We might be a bit late to the Ryan Bingham party after seeing and hearing his tunes as part of the great country movie Crazy Heart, starring the Dude. What the hell does that matter though. Ryan Bingham is one dude with an amazing voice and playing ability, just have a look at this clip from this week at Austin City Limits.
If you have been sleeping under a log like a dirty hippie or caveman, we totally understand why you have not heard about ANTiSEEN's cover of Black Eyed Susie with the one and only Joe Buck Yourself. If you are still missing out, we have a few copies left of this legendary 7". Get it while you still can...
For fans of public radio, go over to NPR and listen to a solid review of Hank 3's lastest batch of albums. They are on point and shed more light on the variety of sounds between the four albums released. We have always dug his sound due to his refusal to be pigeon holed just to play one type of music. Whether it be the hellbilly punk infused metal that was brought out through Assjack, the Discharge worshipping sounds of Superjoint Ritual or his real country tunes in which he wails like his grandfather Hank Williams. Hank 3 continues to live through music on his own terms.
Hank Williams III, also known as Hank 3, is the son of Hank Williams Jr., as well as the grandson of Hank Williams,
considered to be one of the greatest country music performers of all
time. Hank 3 got his start in music playing punk and metal, then went on
to form bands with members of Pantera and The Jesus Lizard. Hank 3 made
country albums, too, but had little use for mainstream Nashville's
restrictive culture.
He's always cast off the
expectations connected with his iconic bloodline, challenging the music
industry, the press and even his fans. In concert, Williams will often
go from a set of straight-up country to "hell-billy" to punk rock and
metal, with only the most broad-minded audience members sticking it out
for the whole show. And he's just released three albums — spread out
over four CDs — on which he pushes boundaries farther than he ever has
before.
"Trooper's Holler," from Ghost to a Ghost, is a perfect example of Williams' originality, as his dog Trooper's vocals are featured here. Ghost to a Ghost is, for the most part, unambiguously country, with some requisite dirty words and a small shot of klezmer. The second CD, Gutter Town, plays more like the soundtrack to a horror film: a demented Cajun campfire on the outskirts of a creepy, deserted village.
Hank 3 has used ambient sounds and bleeps and blips on recordings in the past. But it's the third CD, Cattle Callin',
on which he truly innovates. In his never-ending, genre-bending quest,
Williams creates what he calls "cattle-core," setting the rapid-fire
calls of cattle auctioneers to super-speed-metal double kick drum,
guitar shreddery and diabolical vocal squall.
As if that isn't enough, there's a fourth disc, titled Hank 3's Attention Deficit Domination.
This is Williams' foray into doom rock. It's a bottom-heavy slow dirge
that shows off what got Williams into music in the first place: his
considerable bass and drum playing.
With his
instrumental skill, his vocal ability and his pedigree, Hank 3 could
have easily coasted into a mainstream country-music career, but no.
Legend has it that Minnie Pearl, who was close to the Williams family,
told Hank 3, "Lord, honey, you're a ghost," because he so closely
resembles his grandfather. But as much as country music runs through
Hank 3's veins, so does rebellion. Remember that his grandpa was thrown
out of the Grand Ole Opry. Most of the music on Williams' four CDs bears
little resemblance to Hank Sr., but his reckless spirit is in there.
Life is all about who ya know and having friends far and wide makes perusing the internet fun on many an occasion seeing what folks have been up to. Just happened to click some links from youtube updates, low and behold, Slap Pal and old friend Joe Brook popped up on a Juxtapoz page. Haven't seen Joe in a few years, but he was always one of those individuals that was genuine and a true pleasure to be around. Hope to run into ya sometime again soon hombre, always dug the photos...
