January 10, 2015

Both bands.

LA.

Be there!

Time

We always need more of it. No matter what. It's also the one thing you absolutely cannot get back.

Use yours wisely.

October

My Giants are on and winning again, my Rangers are back, lessons are in session and my bands are busy!  Any wonder why I love this month?  :)

Cliff 'Em All returns to Loaded for another round of Lara Gladstone's "Tribute To The Gods" series.  Got some Halloween surprises for everyone, too.

I also just finished tracking drums for the next Cobra Venom recording.  What will it be?  An album?  An EP?  A split 7"?  8-track?  Not sure but we're still supporting "Warriors" now and we're playing in Hollywood on Oct. 20th.

Finally, my LACC drum classes start up again at the end of the month.  Beginner and intermediate classes are available.  The difference?  Intermediate is for drummers with at least 1-2 years experience that can already read music.  If that's not you, go with the beginner option.

See you soon, Los Angeles!

Germany and Wacken Open Air 2014

This has been a good year for lifelong dreams come true.  Although I wasn't happy about the final outcome, it was amazing to see my beloved New York Rangers compete against the Kings here in LA for the Stanley Cup.  Cobra Venom's vinyl record "Warriors" was released shortly after that.  Then we got to go on tour again and play in Denver, so I finally got to see and drive through the Rocky Mountains as well.  Then as July approached, the biggest, most fantastic trip I'd ever planned started to become real and not just fantasy.

My background is Irish-German and I've been to the Old Country a few times but never the Fatherland.  Two months ago the only German words I knew were "schnell" and "danke."  I found out that Germany is friendly to English speakers but still made sure to learn a few key phrases in case I needed them.  Luckily for me, I had friends guide me through Munich, Berlin, and finally, Wacken Open Air 2014.

I could write a book about the experience but this is a blog, so I'm gonna attempt to keep it simple.  Maybe I'll do some specific ones about each part of the trip later.  I definitely want to keep this experience alive in myself for a long time.  At least until the next trip cuz I absolutely want to go back!  I highly recommend all three places to visit.  For now, each part of the trip gets a paragraph.

We'll start at the beginning.  About a year ago, I was convinced to buy a ticket for Wacken by friends in LA.  These friends ended up not being able to make the trip but I found another friend that WAS going, so I changed my game plan.  I'm also fortunate enough to have great friends in Munich who connected me with their friends in Berlin, so now I had places to stay and a camping pass for the festival.  All I needed now were some plane tickets and a tent.  Done and done.

In addition to my passions for music, sports and Star Wars, I'm a big history buff with a very intense WWII obsession.  Being in Germany for the first time, there were a few things I had to see that I wasn't sure other people would be down for - and understandably so.  I made the trip to Dachau on my second day in Munich.  As Yoda once said, "That place...is strong...with the Dark Side Of The Force.  A domain of evil it is."  I'll leave it at that.  Read about it if you want to know more and brace yourself. Munich wasn't all gloom and doom, though.  I did get to see Frauenkirche, Neues Rathaus, Englischer Garten and its lovely Biergarten as well.  Even got to see some nightlife and had a blast at Netzer.  I forgot the name but there's this amazing indoor waterpark with slides, pools and jacuzzis that was a perfect end to that part of the trip.  

About 60 hours after landing in Munich I was back at the airport and on my way to Berlin.  Once I arrived at Tegel the vibe of Berlin was already very different from Munich.  It was bigger.  Busier.  Crowded.  Faster-paced.  It felt a lot like New York and I was not ready for it at first but after finally finding the place I was staying, Berlin felt very comfortable to me.  It was like being home.  Familiar.  Comfortable - aside from it being 85 or higher and there being no air conditioning anywhere.  I learned the U-Bahn and S-Bahn systems quickly with some help from a new friend who was extremely accommodating and before long, I had Berlin figured out.  It was mostly museums the first day or so.  My focus shifted from WWII to the Cold War as I went from the Topography Of Terror (base of operations for all things Third Reich) to Checkpoint Charlie, The DDR Museum, and sections of the Berlin Wall.  I'm old enough to remember when there were two Germanys but seeing what life was like on the other side of the Wall was truly eye-opening.  I was too young to really get it while it was happening.  Now I have a whole new set of reasons to be glad that I'm an American.  We're not perfect but we are quite fortunate compared to many other places.  After seeing the Reichstag, Tiergarten, the Brandenburg gate and many other standard sites, I was ready to see what actual Berliners did for fun.  I found out and a lot of the details are fuzzy right now but it was a truly excellent time.  

I spent most of my sixth day in Germany on a bus between Berlin and Wacken.  By far the most comfortable, air-conditioned bus I've ever been on.  I was really pleased with the environment - not so much with the driver who got lost in the German countryside and kinda scared the lot of us but the entire bus was metalheads bound for the festival, so we made the most of it and had fun along the way.  When I reached the camp site, my friend was waiting and I began what felt like the longest walk ever to our location.  Across jagged rocks (no paved parking lots in Wacken), up a hill, through hundreds of tents, cars and canopys, all blasting the gods rock n' roll, I lugged my massive camping backpack and personal effects to our spot less than a quarter mile from the food, real bathrooms and showers.  My buddy got us a great spot!  Now I just had to set up my tent for the first time ever.  Did I forget to mention that?  Yeah.  Never went camping EVER before this - now I'm committed for 3 days in a country where my knowledge of the language isn't the best.  I do love adventures! :)

I spent the extra $8 on a tarp in case it rained and BOY did it pay off!  That first night it drizzled, then it poured.  When I woke up in it, I was dry and so was the floor and all my stuff.  Back to sleep I went, relieved that the heat had broken.  Tents are pretty hot and the weather in Germany was still 85+ at this point, so it was a much needed break in the heatwave.  It also helped settle the ground a bit, though that didn't last long.

What do I mean by settle the ground?  Wacken takes place in a what must be a giant field the rest of the year.  There are cows everywhere.  Cows, grass, and dirt.  100,000 people show up for this festival and it got hot, so the dust was no joke.  You feel it on your skin, in your eyes, in your nose, and in your mouth.  I saw people sporting bandanas around their faces like paramilitary troops and it made total sense after my first two hours inside the concert grounds.  I ended up dropping 5 Euro on one for myself cuz it got so intense.  It was arguably the best investment for the trip.  Even with the thing on I was sneezing black the entire time and for at least a couple of days after the festival.  

The show itself was unbelievable - 7 stages rotating more performers than you'd ever get to see.  Beers, cocktails, wine, mead, pork chunks and sausages on stakes, veggie and vegan options for the non-carnivores, every t-shirt, patch, button and sticker for every band you could think of and a full-on Renaissance faire included as well.  That's right.  You could watch people make swords and armor - then buy it!  They had physical strength contests, crossbows as well as bows to shoot arrows, axes to throw, and both metal and leatherworkers selling their wares.  There were special shops set up just for music too - DVDs, Blu Rays, and CDs with lines out the door like it was 1998. Apparently Germany has a lot of downloading restrictions and also a vibrant culture of people that still want physical media.  It was really refreshing to see.  More proof that there's a crowd for everything if you're willing to look for it and meet them on their terms.  

The people were a great bunch as well.  I was at the festival for over three days and saw no fights.  No toughguy nonsense.  No one taking cheap shots and running off.  Heck, I saw no more than a dozen people take a leak in a place they weren't supposed to!  I'm not sure if the European culture just isn't as wild as the States or if they're all just much more experienced in handling this kind of environment.  I met people from Norway, Germany, France, Canada, Sweden, the U.K., the U.S. - I'm sure other places but it was great seeing how well everyone got along.  How much we all had in common with each other in terms of values, political ideology, education and careers.  And people were generous - sharing food and drink, offering advice about the shops and facilities.  Just having a great time.  I think a part of me is still there.  

Anyway, now I have to talk about the bands.  I think there were 60-something bands in total.  You can read reviews and check out clips of almost everything on YouTube but here are the acts that I enjoyed the most. 

Carcass - This is a band that I should've appreciated more in their heyday but I was still not used to the vocals of this style.  They're a progressive style of death metal with great grooves and riffs sewn into the sonic brutality.  Check out "Heartwork" and explore from there.  They have a massive live sound that takes what you hear on the albums to the next level and then some.

Motorhead - It's my understanding that Lemmy had to cut his previous Wacken set short due to health issues but this time he showed no sign of strain or aging AT ALL.  Really glad I caught this performance, especially the double-bass heavy "Overkill," which was the set closer.  They brought Doro up for a jam as well and out of all the sets, theirs was a true "rock show" in addition to having the heavy metal stripes.  They had guitar and drum solos in addition to all the crowd pleasers and deep catalog cuts.  

Slayer - I'm a BIG Dave Lombardo fan and was among the millions who were super bummed by Jeff Hanneman's passing, so I wasn't sure how to feel about Slayer when they were first announced.  Within two songs, I was really happy they were there.  Paul Bostaph came to play and Gary Holt knows whose shoes he's filling.  Slayer is by far one of the best acts in the genre and can STILL bring it after all this time.  I've seen this band a lot of times over the past 15 years and Tom Araya's scream for "Angel Of Death" never sounded better than it did at Wacken.  There will be much, MUCH arguing about whether or not this band should keep going after this tour cycle is done but if they can keep doing what they did during this set, I say let 'em play 'til they drop.  

King Diamond - This was my first time seeing him and I'm glad I bought my ticket to the Halloween show he's doing in LA this year.  Man.  Still has a killer voice and played many of the tunes I know him for (including "Welcome Home," "At The Graves," and "Tea") as well as some Mercyful Fate tunes.  His stage show is very theatrical as well with set changes, actors performing the song's lyrical content and a lot of cool lights, props and ramps.  It was a late enough set that I got really close to the stage for this one too without getting crushed, which also ruled.

Prong - Prong was one of the first underground metal bands I ever got into as a young music fan.  Now, I discovered them when they were on Sony but they were for sure NOT the frontrunner, major label, heavy metal band that was all over every medium the media in 1992 had to offer.  Still, they had their impact on the scene and plenty of people showed up to watch them crank out old favorites from "Cleansing" as well as newer cuts from "Ruining Lives."  I really dig that Tommy Victor is writing new tunes and still out there competing with bands that have MUCH more backing from their labels and the industry in general.  He's a very cool guy in person as well.  Total New Yorker!

Emperor - The blueprint for and the absolute best black metal band I've seen.  This is the 20th anniversary of "In The Nightside Eclipse" and they played the entire album, then a couple more songs.  Their politics are very extreme even for me, however their musicianship and showmanship is unquestionable.  If they make it to the States and you like black metal, don't miss them.

The Devin Townsend Project - I've listened to SYL and Devin's other solo stuff.  He's definitely an acquired taste.  However, he brought some much appreciated light-heartedness to the show and was actually hilarious with his stage banter.  He knew exactly which buttons to push and had a great time being up there.  I don't think I've ever seen him happy before this day and it's hard to imagine a happy vibe when his music is so sonically dense.  I heard the two songs I really wanted to hear ("Deadhead" and "Kingdom") and will definitely check out some of the newer things I haven't heard yet.

Kreator - The last band I saw and easily one of the tightest, best rehearsed, most confident bands on the bill.  I don't know their history well enough to say why they didn't reach the heights of some of their contemporaries but for sure, it's not the music that was lacking.  I explored several of their releases from the same era as Anthrax, Slayer, Testament, Exodus, etc and it definitely holds up.  In any event, this was another example of thrash excellence and I recommend all fans of the aforementioned bands to check out Kreator's record and their live show next time they come to your town.

Honorable Mentions - The vibe for Arch Enemy is a little different because Alissa White-Gluz is clearly from the other side of the pond but none of the fans will be disappointed in the band's music or performance - they're solid.  I really enjoyed Decapitated and most technical death metal gets exhausting for me after about 4 songs.  Megadeth was great as usual though their set was very similar to the one I saw them do on my birthday last year.  Amon Amarth demonstrated why they're the most successful band in that viking metal style - their live show is massive, committed, on ten, and in 4th gear from start to finish.  I actually missed a few bands I wanted to see but that's what regular tours are for, right?  Hopefully they'll all make it Stateside while I'm still amped about this experience.  

When Wacken finally ended, I definitely had my fill of community showers and bathrooms, my feet were screaming "GET BACK TO LA AND DRIVE EVERYWHERE ASAP!!!" and my liver was like "Dude, STOP!" but it was still tough to leave.  I managed to get to my stupidly early bus to Hamburg airport about 4 minutes before it left and I was the only guy in the airport terminal for awhile after that but all I could think about was "Wow. That's it. It's done."  It didn't seem real.  The trip went SO fast but was incredibly rich and overwhelming at the same time.  I wanted it to go on longer, totally realizing that I could keep going for weeks or months but eventually, the trip would end.  Just like the show ended.  Just like how songs and stories also end.  It was a LONG trip back to LA after that but by the time I actually arrived at LAX, I was actually glad to be back.  I looked forward to a long shower and real sleep in my own bed.  Most importantly, I looked forward to harnessing the intensity and great memories of this trip to start getting creative again and of course, to start planning the next trip! 

In conclusion, go to Germany.  Eat the food, drink the beer, try to speak the language and if you're a metalhead, make it your business to go to Wacken at least once.  It is definitely the holy land for us.  I hope everyone gets to go and has at least as much fun as I did or more, if that's even possible.

Cobra Venom West Coast Tour!

The snakes are on the road again! Cobra Venom's first trip of 2014 starts in Eugene and wraps up in North Hollywood. It begins at the end of March.

Friday 3.28.14 - Eugene, OR - http://goo.gl/907sRL
Saturday 3.29.14 - Portland, OR - http://goo.gl/shSE9t
Sunday 3.30.14 - Concord, CA - http://goo.gl/EF36IT
Monday 3.31.14 - North Hollywood, CA - http://goo.gl/spdTIA

Come thrash with us!

Cliff 'Em All plays full "Master Of Puppets" album - Feb 21st!

It will be a day long remembered.  The Tribute To The Gods show at Loaded organized by Lara Gladstone Presents will feature Doyle Rules, Glam Skanks, Electric Funeral, and of course, the mighty Cliff 'Em All playing some of rock's best back catalog.  We will be playing Master Of Puppets in its entirety and we'll have surprise after "Damage Inc." as well.  What's the surprise?  Come to the show and find out!

Drums For Adults & Teens at LACC - starting February 23rd!

My drum classes are starting up again at Los Angeles City College.  The beginner class is for anyone that can't read music (yet) and has very little to no drumming experience.  For drummers that can read music and have some experience already, I have the intermediate class. See you in February!

Cobra Venom at March Metal Mondays in NoHo!

If you need your metal fix at the beginning of the week, Lara Gladstone Presents has a regular show at Skinny's in North Hollywood on the last Monday of every month.  Both of my bands have played it and it's a killer deal.  For $5 you get five metal bands and it's a decent neighborhood for food and parking as well.  On March 31st, Cobra Venom is playing with an absolutely killer lineup of bands. Check out Brain Dead, Infinite Death, Night Demon and Savage Reign RIGHT NOW and do not miss this show!