More than Jazz in New Orleans?

Down plays Mardi Gras at the New Orleans Civic Center

Since the city of New Orleans is synonymous with  Mardi Gras, The French Quarter, Bourbon Street, crawfish, and Jazz, it's hard to imagine the city being home to a rock scene.

Down, 'The Purple EP': Exclusive First Listen, Repost From Billboard.com

Down need no introduction. Hell, they rarely even need opening acts, when they decide to take the show on the road. With "The Purple EP" about ready to be unleashed upon the masses, Down is taking their creative output in a new direction. Instead of focusing on definitive albums, they plan on releasing blocks of music, an EP at a time. We cannot thank them enough as we only have three albums worth of material for a band that has been playing sporadically for over 17 years. Cannot wait for the new material!

Check out all things Down

Link to original article on Billboard.com

Down - the all star metal band featuring members of Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar and EyeHateGod

The only downside of Down, the members of the all-star metal band led by Phil Anselmo, have long complained, is arranging time for the group amidst their other commitments. But they think they've found a way to solve that. "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP," a sludgey, six-song set that drops on Sept. 18, is the first of four planned EPs the quintet hopes to release in relatively short order -- at least shorter than the five years since "Down III: Over the Under" came out. (Listen to an exclusive stream of the EP below.)

Listen: "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP"

"It's about getting people more music quicker," frontman Phil Anselmo ( Pantera, Superjoint Ritual, Arson Anthem, etc.) tells Billboard. "It's obviously easier to knock out six songs rather than 12 songs. Me personally, I hate doing full-length records 'cause it drains the f*** out of you. And (an EP) leaves ways less chance for songs that you'd consider filler songs to get through. I think it's the healthiest way for Down to continue to get music out on a reasonable schedule."

Guitarist Pepper Keenan (ex- Corrosion of Conformity) says he DOES still like to make what he calls "the giant records" (i.e. albums), but he likes both the efficiency of the EPs as well as the opportunity to change styles form one to the other. "It allows us to shift gears between EPs," Keenan explains. "With Down we have a couple of styles of songs, and it's sometimes heard to fit a particular song with an album, so we have to put it aside for who knows how long. Now we can we can create EPs that can shift progression and diameters as they progress. That's our idea -- in theory, at least."

Actually, Keenan says Down has "mapped out" where it hopes to take the other three. "We're not just shooting blindly," he says. While "The Purple EP" -- which marks the debut of Crowbar bassist Pat Bruders in place of Pantera alumnus Rex Brown -- is raw and immediate in a manner Anselmo and Keenan compare to Down's 1995 debut "NOLA" ("hamfisted is a term they both use) Keenan predicts "Down IV Part 2" will be more fleshed out like "Down III." The third, he says, will likely be "trippy, acousticy, mellow, cleaner, not bombastic, the kind of songs we've been talking about for years but can never place anywhere." And the fourth? "I'm assuming that one is just gonna be doom as f*** -- giant, bombastic, slow, bury-me-in-smoke type of things. Apocalyptic. We'll have fun with it."

Anselmo, however, prefers not to promise when the other EPs will surface. "We are the worst; we are liars of the first degree when it comes to telling the public or anybody else some set date or time for the next release!" he says with a laugh. "It always seems like five friggin' years go by, no matter what we say. But, once again, the reason we're doing the EPs is to get the product out quicker to our audience. That just means concentrating on a handful of songs instead of an entire record, and it works."

And, Anselmo adds, the other EPs might not continue the color scheme in their titles. "People are calling it 'The Purple EP,' but I had nothing to do with that," he says. "Left that totally up to..,the press, to the fans. I left it up to everybody else. Call it what the f*** you want, and we'll move on from there. I honestly don't care. I don't know what the next one's going to be called, if anything. The music speaks for itself."

Down kicks off an 11-date North American tour on Sept. 18 in Fort Worth, Texas. Anselmo says the group plans to play European festivals during the summer of 2013 and may book other tours during the interim.

Big Kahuna Atlanta and The Cafe Racer Village

"M1 PowerSports is calling all owners of Café Racers to join in a celebration of custom and historic motorcycles when the Café Racer Village is opened up as part of the Big Kahuna Atlanta, scheduled for the weekend of April 20 - 22, 2012 at Braselton, Ga.'s Road Atlanta. The Café Racer Village will be a special corral at the AMA Pro Road Racing event focused exclusively on showcasing the beautiful Café Racer machines and the builders that create them, featuring live music, local builders, vendors and a custom Café bike show.


"I've seen some of the Café Racers people are building in their garages these days and it just amazes me," said Cameron Gray, CEO of M1 PowerSports. "Everything from classic Nortons to Harley-Davidsons and Hondas; each machine is a work of art and for the most part, there are no two that are alike. We want to welcome them to the Big Kahuna family so we can all join in to celebrate their heritage and allow the owners to show off their bikes." 

Big Kahuna Ladies

Big Kahuna Ladies are always close by

In the 1950s, England's young and rebellious Rock and Roll counterculture youth were searching for a cheap way to get around, and began modifying motorcycles to make them lighter and faster, mimicking the style of contemporary Grand Prix road racers. Nicknamed Café Racers for the reckless racing from one café to the next that the bikes were typically used for, the popularity of these machines has grown tremendously in recent years, especially in America. Owners of Café Racers are invited to join in on the celebration by riding or trailering their machines to the event and parking them on display for fans to adore.


"The Café bikes and owners are such a fun and funky group," said Bryan Fuller of Fuller Hot Rods, Atlanta, Ga. "I'll be bringing my Café bikes out to the Big Kahuna Atlanta for sure; what better place than Road Atlanta to see the hottest trend in motorcycles up close and personal!"


Tickets for the Big Kahuna Atlanta begin at just $20 and fans of all ages will appreciate the timeless nature of the beautiful machines on display in the Café Racer Village at Road Atlanta. Get ready for the Atlanta's biggest entertainment experience in years and grab your tickets now at the M1 PowerSports Big Kahuna Atlanta event page, located at www.m1powersports.com/big-kahuna-atlanta/.


For tickets and information about the Big Kahuna Miami, scheduled for September 21 - 23, 2012 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., visit www.m1powersports.com/big-kahuna-miami/.


For tickets and information about the Big Kahuna New Orleans, scheduled for October 5 - 7, 2012 as the first professional motorsports event at NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, La., visit www.m1powersports.com/big-kahuna-new-orleans/.


For more information on Café Racer bikes, go to www.caferacertv.com/."

Cafe Racer Village At Big Kahuna Atlanta

Corrosion Of Conformity Releases New Self Titled Album Through Candlelight Records

Not sure if yall have been sleeping under a rock or maybe just worn out by being obliterated with the amount of albums being released, but damn if we aren't stoked for the new Corrosion of Conformity self titled release. As a fan of the band since the early 90's I missed out on their early hardcore albums, but have gone back and listened to their entire catalog numerous times over. Seeing them as a three piece, is a different beast, but does not feel as if they lose any steam. If anything, it has made them more feral and ready to claw their way back to the top with or without Pepper Keenan back in the band. 

Below is a great interview with Reed Mullin about the band, their history and where they are heading.The new album is coming out on the amazingly great label Candlelight Records and looking forward to picking up one of their cd bundles.

New self titled Corrosion of Conformity album being released by Candlelight Records

Link to article on Metalholic Magazine

Corrosion of Conformity‘s eighth studio album is self-titled, which is perhaps a metaphor for the band coming full circle three decades after its formation. Founders Reed Mullin (drums), Mike Dean (bass, vocals) and Woody Weatherman have been on a lifetime journey of friendship and music. Over the years each member has stepped away for a bit, but all have come home. The band’s newest release, which hits digital outlets and stores today on Candlelight Records, marks both a return to the band’s early days as a trio, and another example how much each has grown together and apart. The whole of C.O.C. is much stronger than the sum of its parts. There exists a dynamic, a synergy between these three men which allows them to bridge into any musical sub-genre and still retain the essence of their signature sound.

While many Corrosion of Conformity fans are sad that the band’s fourth member, Pepper Keenan is too busy with Down at the moment to partake in this joyous reunion, one listen to the new record should salve that wound. In fact, it feels more appropriate that the band made this album as a trio just as it began. For had Pepper been available, this three decade sonic celebration might simply have become a moment of nostalgia rather than a stepping stone for another decade of C.O.C.

The night before the album’s release I spent some time talking to Mullin about the band’s history, the new album, his hope for a special show with both Pepper and former vocalist Karl Agell, his list of best drummers, and the five albums that changed his life. We also spoke of conspiracy theories and men dancing naked with owls, how the band came to record this album at Dave Grohl’s new Studio 606, and what’s going on with his Righteous Fool project. Tune in for 30 minutes of C.O.C. and Roll with Reed Mullin.

Raleigh, North Carolina's favorite sons, Corrosion of Conformity

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