‘We Are X’: Soulful Documentary of Japanese Heavy Metal Band

The band X Japan in the 1980s, as seen in the documentary "We Are X." Photo: Drafthouse Films

As a kid, Yoshiki always wondered if he were from somewhere else — like Mars.

A misfit child scarred by his father’s suicide, Yoshiki, trained in classical music, grew up to become a David Bowie-like man who fell to Earth. He revolutionized heavy metal music in Japan and, still going at 50, is trying to break into the American consciousness.

Stephen Kijak’s documentary “We Are X” is a broad but surprisingly personal portrait of Yoshiki and his band, X Japan, which formed in 1982, broke up in 1997 and re-formed in 2007. The band began a push into the U.S. market about five years ago, and interviews include American friends and fans such as Kiss front man Gene Simmons and Marilyn Manson.

10 Questions with Ryan Clackner and Lucy Cochran of Stump Tail Dolly, from First Order Historians

Read original post on First Order Historians

Ryan Clackner and Lucy Cochran (sometimes separately, sometimes together) have toured, performed or recorded with Bob Wayne, Fifth on the Floor, Shooter Jennings, JD Wilkes, The Legendary Shack Shakers, Sarah Gayle Meech, Red Simpson, Travis Harris and many others. They’ve opened for Social Distortion, Tiger Army, Hank III, George Thorogood, Unknown Hinson, Roger Clyne, JJ Grey, Scott Biram and more. Ryan has appeared in multiple music videos, including “Hush Hush” by The Pistol Annies. The purpose of Stump Tail Dolly is to mess your head up with an off-center mix of metal and country with other influences snuck in for good measure. We are thrilled to have Ryan Clackner and Lucy Cochran of Stump Tail Dolly as our guest today in 10 questions.

The Art of Moving Tattoos!

Have you ever imagined what an animated tattoo would look like? What if the black ink carved into your skin could suddenly materialize into a moving image? Well, say hello to Ink Mapping, Video Mapping on Tattoos. 

The Politics of Punk Tracks Populist Protest Music Far and Wide

DOA at Warehouse Live, 2014

In The Politics of Punk: Protests and Revolts From the Streets (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers), Houston Press writer David Ensminger probes the conscience of punk by documenting its ongoing activism and outreach. Creating a people’s history of the movement's social, cultural, aesthetic and political life, the book features interviews with members of Dead Kennedys, Dead Boys, MDC, Really Red, Scream, Minutemen, TSOL, the Avengers and many more. In doing so, Ensminger highlights punk's community involvement and its broad, long support for political action groups, gays and lesbians, the homeless, the disabled, environmental issues, health research and other causes. Reprinted with permission of the publisher, the following excerpt is from the chapter "Undead Legacies."

WhammyPhone is a Bendable Smartphone that Makes Music when Bent

Flexible phones aren’t exactly a new concept as they have been seen in demonstration and prototype form several times. The last flexible smartphone that Slash Gear talked about was from Lenovo and the flexible phones it showed off were cool. Over at Queen’s University’s Human Media Lab some of the researchers have developed a device called the WhammyPhone. It’s being called the world’s first musical instrument for a flexible smartphone.

Downloadable Flyers For Nashville Show Featuring Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump

What would Halloween be without a good mask. Be on the lookout around Nashville, TN for these flyers posted up by Stump Tail Dolly For their show with The Goddamn Gallows, Hillbilly Casino and Gallows Bound on 10.29 at the Exit / In. Click on images to download full size jpg file.

Hillary Clinton show flyer cut out Halloween mask

Donald Trump show flyer cut out Halloween mask

Mark Di Giuseppe's Stranierofono

Since 1986, Mark Di Giuseppe-"The Legendary Straniero", has been thrilling audiences around the world with his unusual inventions and music. Born in Chicago and now based in Italy, Mark has travelled to many countries and borrowed from many cultures. His musical styles range from Jazz to Rock to Classical to Folk to Reggae to Punk. He sings in English, Italian, Neapolitan, Spanish, Japanese, Swedish, Russian, Portuguese and Rom (Gypsy). In the show Mark sometimes not only changes musical styles, but his physical appearance thanks to a large selection of comical masks, wigs and props

In this video, he is performing "Dancing With the Bride" on his legendary invention.

Drywall Art Sculpture

This video features Bernie Mitchell from www.drywallnation.com

Bernie is an artist who takes a very unique approach towards his work using only drywall compounds to create wonderful works of art.

The Trailer for L7: Pretend We’re Dead Brings the Punk Rock

Even among the grunge-punk bands of the late ’80s/early ’90s, there was something foot-stompingly primal about L7. The band’s music was fuzzed-out, four-on-the-floor rock that didn’t earn the sobriquet “heavy” so much as prove why the term should be applied to music in the first place. People didn’t go to L7 shows for Rush-style technical wizardry; fans were there for the raw three-chord churn of distorted mayhem. And, as the trailer for a new documentary, L7: Pretend We’re Dead, reminds us, it kicked ass.

Buzzoven, Set To Release Violent Hits CD on November 4th

Buzzoven, Set To Release Violent Hits CD on November 4th

Buzzoven are releasing their latest collection of Violent Hits on cd and digital format November 4th. This album is a collection of their tracks, that is repackaged and featuring art from Christopher Parry / Sinister Illustration.