Nick Oliveri Will Be On Hiatus

Sad to hear news on Nick Oliveri as we are huge Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age fans. If you haven't heard ol' Nick was busted by the Los Angeles SWAT team last month and found with methamphetamines, loaded rifle and causing a ruckus with domestic issues. Too bad they didn't send in our illustrious locals from Lizard Lick Towing to gain control of the situation instead of the SWAT team and speak to him on terms he might best understand. That surely could have been made for TV.

Link from Metalinsider

"Just when we thought bassists couldn’t get any crazier, former Queens Of The Stone Age/Kyuss bassist Nick Oliveri proved us wrong. Last month, the bassist found himself in an intense standoff with a S.W.A.T. team at his L.A. house after cops were called to the scene for a “domestic disturbance.” And now he could find himself in jail for a long time.

According to TMZ, Oliveri was officially charged this past weekend with two counts of possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, 2 counts of possession of a controlled substance, and one misdemeanor count of resisting. At the moment, the bassist could serve up to 15 years in prison if convicted. And seeing that police found a fully-loaded rifle, cocaine and methamphetamines in his house the night of the incident (not to mention his supposed history with domestic violence), it’s safe to say his chances of getting acquitted aren’t looking so hot. Oliveri is due in court next month.

It’s currently unclear as to how this will affect his current role in Kyuss Lives! Though they’ve said that it’s only temporary, the group played a few European dates with bassist Scott Reeder (who first replaced Oliveri in 1992). Whether Reeder will continue to play with the band on their upcoming U.S. tour is uncertain. However, it’s a pretty sure thing that Oliveri will not be on tour with Kyuss Lives! this Fall."

Ancient Armor - Quality Metalwork

Ancient Armor is a direct link to the past. The engraving, the linework and overall shape of the pieces point to the technology being used and the craftsmanship required to complete each piece. If you were a blacksmith at that time pounding out swords for 8 to 12 hours a day, it would give you an incredible grip. Rule of thumb, when the time machine is fully functional don't arm wrestle a blacksmith, same as nowadays with plumbers and electricians. But for journalistic purposes, looking back at "vintage" metal work and finding the harmony in the pieces being created is what we are diggin' into for our winter full of sheet metal fabrication.

Understanding armor shape and design puts you into the mentality of the Dynasties which created them. The warriors wore these items to instill fear into their opponents while also protecting them from deadly blows from the enemy. Types of armor varied from wood, leather, ceramic to metal based upon the need and technology of that particular empire. The advanced metal work of the Northern Europe is what we really enjoy as that directly ties into the craftsmanship we are looking at for future projects. 

Sometimes its all about getting back to basics on huge projects such as our 1951 Chevy 3/4 ton shop truck build. We need to go back to the well and look for ideas instead of just replacing parts. The truck will be a show piece for us and will sure as hell not be a rat rod. Not that doing those rides isn't cool but it has been done to death and then dug up and killed some more. To be honest after a "doctor" called our cafe race bike a rat rod bike, we knew the term has hit its limit in pop culture and cannot justify having a primered truck and calling it a day.

Some power metal from Sabaton to match the armor, pure Scandinavian battle metal!

ANTiSEEN Playing Hickory, NC - August 26th

Antiseen is about to invade Hickory, NC hide your barbed wire and booze...

Southbound Turnaround Coming To Your Local Honky Tonk

Ya may not have heard yet about the fellas in Southbound Turnaround but great things will be happening. With numerous shows coming up this fall around the Carolinas and opening for quite a few larger acts, we can guarantee you will know of them soon. The sound is definitely country but has a plethora of other influences along with three singers. Add in a dash of honky tonk country, a smidgeon of Elvis infused Mellencamp and the energy of a new band looking to make its mark and that might be just a hint of what's to come outta these Asheville, NC rabble rousers. They will be with us at Muddy Roots cookin' bbq, slingin' back beers and jammin' with a shitload of friends at our booth. Stop on by and say hello to one of your new favorite bands in Southbound Turnaround.

Thomas Edison Invented the Phonograph Today In 1877 Forever Changing Pop Culture

Thank you Thomas Edison for inventing the phonograph in 1877 and forever changing pop culture. Folks, pull out some vinyl, maybe even buy a few albums from us and rock the hell out. The reason that vinyl still exists is due to the incredible sound that other formats cannot even come close to. That warm and damp sound that comes from a needle ridin' through those deep grooves in the vinyl is pure magic.

Shop for some of our vinyl with Antiseen and Flat Tires

More info on the first phonographs at the Library of Congress

"The phonograph was developed as a result of Thomas Edison's work on two other inventions, the telegraph and the telephone. In 1877, Edison was working on a machine that would transcribe telegraphic messages through indentations on paper tape, which could later be sent over the telegraph repeatedly. This development led Edison to speculate that a telephone message could also be recorded in a similar fashion. He experimented with a diaphragm which had an embossing point and was held against rapidly-moving paraffin paper. The speaking vibrations made indentations in the paper. Edison later changed the paper to a metal cylinder with tin foil wrapped around it. The machine had two diaphragm-and-needle units, one for recording, and one for playback. When one would speak into a mouthpiece, the sound vibrations would be indented onto the cylinder by the recording needle in a vertical (or hill and dale) groove pattern. Edison gave a sketch of the machine to his mechanic, John Kruesi, to build, which Kruesi supposedly did within 30 hours. Edison immediately tested the machine by speaking the nursery rhyme into the mouthpiece, "Mary had a little lamb." To his amazement, the machine played his words back to him.

Although it was later stated that the date for this event was on August 12, 1877, some historians believe that it probably happened several months later, since Edison did not file for a patent until December 24, 1877. Also, the diary of one of Edison's aides, Charles Batchelor, seems to confirm that the phonograph was not constructed until December 4, and finished two days later. The patent on the phonograph was issued on February 19, 1878. The invention was highly original. The only other recorded evidence of such an invention was in a paper by French scientist Charles Cros, written on April 18, 1877. There were some differences, however, between the two men's ideas, and Cros's work remained only a theory, since he did not produce a working model of it.

Edison took his new invention to the offices of Scientific American in New York City and showed it to staff there. As the December 22, 1877, issue reported, "Mr. Thomas A. Edison recently came into this office, placed a little machine on our desk, turned a crank, and the machine inquired as to our health, asked how we liked the phonograph, informed us that it was very well, and bid us a cordial good night." Interest was great, and the invention was reported in several New York newspapers, and later in other American newspapers and magazines. 

The Edison Speaking Phonograph Company was established on January 24, 1878, to exploit the new machine by exhibiting it. Edison received $10,000 for the manufacturing and sales rights and 20% of the profits. As a novelty, the machine was an instant success, but was difficult to operate except by experts, and the tin foil would last for only a few playing." 

Jeremy Mayer - Typewriter Sculptor

So the first question you should ask yourself is this, do I know what a carriage return is? If so, proceed forward with a certain degree of understanding how a traditional typewriter works. For those of us born pre-internet a word processor unit of some sorts was how papers were written up in school and before that, well lets just say the machines were a bit more mechanical.

Jeremy Mayer has taken the eloquence of those long since forgotten machines and transformed them from sci-fi story enablers into a true rebirth of function. The machines he creates are all built from old typewriters and nothing else. Seeing the intricacies of his work you can see his thought process unravel. Now imagine if he were to design pieces for a bike or car, now that would be damn cool.

What I find the most amazing and ultimately satisfying is the use of what some consider to be an antique and a shelf piece. With this type of re-imagination of mechanical parts, it gives us great hope for our 1951 Chevy 3600 restoration. Oh how the sheet metal is calling for us to bend, hammer and weld...

Dive into the world of Jeremy Mayer

World War 2 Photos in Color

Found an amazing batch of photos during the period of World War 2 as America was in full war effort to help our folks going to battle in the Pacific and Europe. These are held in the Library of Congress and luckily the Atlantic posted them as part eight of a twenty part retrospective on the war to end all wars. If yall happen to ever roll through New Orleans, do yourself a favor and go down to the World War 2 museum, very enlightening and they still have a few ww2 vets who come in to volunteer.

Link over to the Atlantic for the full post

"In 1942, soon after the United States entered World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order creating the Office of War Information (OWI). The new agency was tasked with releasing war news, promoting patriotic activities, and providing news outlets with audio, film, and photos of the government's war efforts. Between 1939 and 1944, the OWI and the Farm Security Administration made thousands of photographs, approximately 1,600 of them in color. OWI photographers Alfred Palmer and Howard Hollem produced some exceptional Kodachrome transparencies in the early war years depicting military preparedness, factory operations, and women in the work force. While most of the scenes were posed, the subjects were the real thing -- soldiers and workers preparing for a long fight. Gathered here are some of these color images from Palmer and Hollem, complete with original captions from 1942. Also, be sure to see archival movies in our new Video Channel. All of the FSA/OWI photos are available from the Library of Congress."