Cliff 'Em All - Friday 12/7/12 - West LA

My "LA Tour" continues to West LA on Friday, December 7th at The Joint on Pico and Robertson with Cliff 'Em All.  We're joining forces with Metalachi and Life After Mary for this special show for a very special birthday girl, Ms. Ondrea Faillace!  Ondrea is a true music fan, a rabid supporter of the LA music scene and a great contributor to the success of many musicians through her NPO, The Starving Musicians Program.  The Joint is her place and because of her, it's one of the best places to play in Los Angeles.  If you haven't been to The Joint yet and ESPECIALLY if you haven't seen Cliff 'Em All in some time (or ever), you need to get to this gig.  We also have some new (old) Metallica songs that we'll be playing live for the first time, so come watch us rule or fail on an epic scale! 

And don't forget to wish Ondrea a Happy Birthday, too. :)  RSVP here!

Quantum Theory (aka, the movie I'm working on)...

For those of you who don't know, I'm composing the music for the 8 Sided Films full-length feature film called Quantum Theory.  It's an independent sci-fi/heist movie about a pair of sassy female scientists who invent reality-bending quantum technology that gets stolen by a defense contractor, then  these brilliant women try to steal it back, facing off against a calculating opponent with almost unlimited resources (played by Gregory Itzin, known for his roles in 24, The Mentalist and Firefly).

This is my second collaboration with writer/director Tennyson Stead, who I worked with previously on  The Starmind Record.  You can find a sampler of the tracks that I did for that series as well as one of Quantum Theory's trailer themes on my Soundcloud page.  Composing is a lot like drumming, so it's an excellent fit for me.  The music you create in both roles is critical to completing the artistic work (whether it's a story or a song), but it is crucial to be an ensemble player first.  I've been doing a lot of homework since getting this gig and there's A LOT more to do, but I'm very excited to be on board!

While I'm developing the music for Quantum Theory, Tennyson will be introducing the two main characters of the film (and their antics) to the world in a web series called Sass X Acceleration.  I could tell you more about it, but I think that job is more suited to the man himself and the stars of the show:

Sass X Acceleration will give people the chance to meet and engage Chelsea and Roe of Quantum Theory directly with topics of scientific significance prior to their appearance on the silver screen.  How many times will you get to ask a main character in a movie a question and then get to watch them fight about the answer with their best friend?  Tennyson and 8 Sided Films love audience participation and since there are only a few days left to get involved with Sass X Acceleration, definitely check it out ASAP!  

Cobra Venom - Sunday 12/2/12 - Downtown LA

The first gig of my December 2012 "LA Tour" is happening this Sunday night in Downtown LA with Cobra Venom.  Only $5, so put aside $1 a day starting now and you'll be all set for Sunday! Killer metal bands all night including our friends Enthraller and the Judas Priest tribute band, Diamonds & Rust. More details on the facebook event page and on this flyer.  

My LA "Tour": December 2012

This is always a strange time of year for music.  Everyone's priorities shift to work and family, travel planning, holiday parties, what seems like a HUGE number of winter birthdays and of course, shopping.  This makes the show situation tricky for bands, promoters and music fans.  The scene inevitably slows down and almost completely stops between now and February....

BUT NOT THIS YEAR! :)

Between December 1st and December 17th, Cobra Venom is playing in downtown LA, Hollywood and Orange County.  In the same time frame, Cliff 'Em All is playing in Long Beach and West LA.  No matter where you live in LA, I will be playing metal somewhere near you in the very near future so if you get tired of all the holiday hoopla, come on out and thrash with us! :)

More details coming soon....

Quote Of The Week 11/17/12

"Used to be there was a lot of damn fool things a dumb bastard could do to be great, but the machines fixed that."

-Kurt Vonnegut Jr., "Player Piano"

Random Rant #3: A More Perfect Union

This is my political rant, so if you're tired of politics, stop here.

For those who are still reading, I'm so glad that the election is over.  Obama this, Romney that, Democrats this, Republicans that, left-wing independent candidates this, right-wing independent candidates that, etc.  Facebook and twitter became warzones and I'm sure more than a few friendships, relationships and family functions were ruined over this election.  The media continues to feed this fire as they always have and I'm at a point now where I wonder how much any of it can be trusted (especially considering the stories that are getting the most coverage NOW).

I've had a discussions with colleagues, friends and family about all the issues and I can say with total certainty that I am close with at least one person on each side of the fence for each and every political issue. Regardless of how they view each issue, they all have one thing in common.

I love them.

That's right. It doesn't matter to me that I don't agree with their opinion on ____________ or that they voted for _____________.  They're great people with great intentions and great potential.  They just don't always see things from my perspective but more often than not, they hear me out.  They don't agree with me all the time, but they listen.

I love them for it.  I love them all.  I respect their right to agree or disagree with me, and I see the good in them regardless of how much I may love or hate their political ideals.

What's more, I see that all of these people with all these varying backgrounds, lifestyles and opinions have so much more in common with each other than against each other.  They also have INFINITELY more in common with each other than they have with any politician.  There's so much potential for good, for progress, for the bright future that everyone dreams about and that our leaders are constantly selling to us.  Almost everyone wants the exact same things.  They just have different plans for how we should get there.

We keep hearing about our "divided America" in the media.  The biggest issue of all is a lack of willingness to listen, understand, accept, compromise and move forward together.  Too many people (especially at the top), want it their way or no way and sadly, our system is one of extremes, not a give and take.  THIS is why we're so divided.  THIS is why our nation feels like we have less and less control over it.  THIS is why so many people are angry, disillusioned, and in some cases, even crazy.  We're a smart, savvy, determined generation of Americans with a lot to offer, so let's be an example to our leaders, our communities and especially our children.

Please give each other a chance.  We're fortunate to live in a country that allows us to disagree with each other AND openly criticize our leaders in public, online and everywhere we go.  For over 236 years, people have given their lives to give us this opportunity.  Let's not waste it with more bickering.  Let's move forward TOGETHER!

I'm Dan Hegarty and I approve this message.

Cobra Venom in OC next Friday Nov. 9th!

Cobra Venom will be joining some friends behind the Orange Curtain for a killer show at the Doll Hut next Friday, November 9th. More info on the facebook event page. We'll have all our records plus the new shirts at the gig so come say hi, drink, listen to music and buy our stuff. It's awesome, I promise! :)