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SLAYER INTERVIEW WITH KERRY KING
  
BY: JAKE STUDENT
If you havent heard of Slayer you need to crawl out of your dark lonely shell. Slayer has been producing some of the heaviest albums to hit the shelves for years on end. Below is my 20 minute conversation with the guitarist Kerry King, who proved to be quite the intelligent individual
Jake: So back in 1989 you were condemned by many pissed-off mothers as being an evil which is influencing our kids to become an evil bunch of Satan-worshipers themselves. Well, its been well over ten years and most of those people who listened to you have grown up and held down job, responsible citizens if you will. Do you feel vindicated in a sense?
Kerry: Nah, I think people give too much thought to what our agenda is. We dont have an agenda, we just wanna come out and play killer songs and put on killer shows, stuff that if I was a fan Id be into myself. All these people that have too much time on their hands and concern themselves with other peoples affairs are just a waste of my time.
     Jake: For the record, do you worship Satan? Or do you simply respect Satans power?
Kerry: Actually, me and Jeff are both Atheist. Its just a good subject. I dont agree with organized religion so its easy for me to pick on. I could just look out the window and find holes in it every day. So I guess that kinda influences people that were satanic, but take my lyrics from Cult for example. That song is about how I feel like the biggest cult is religion, not one of these wacko cults, but the one right in front of your face.
Jake: Why do you think the medias attitude for what is and isnt acceptable has changed so much over the years?
Kerry: I think as time goes more people are desensitized about things that werent acceptable 10 years ago. Look at a prime time T.V. show now. Im not talking about cable Im talking about CBS or NBC. Theyre getting away with shit you never woulda saw ten years ago. I dont know what keeps pushing the envelope, I guess its just human nature wanting to be more grossed out or intrigued or whatever.
Jake: As an artist, what do you think about satellite radio taking over? Is the death of commercial radio soon approaching?
Kerry: I dont know. Every record I do an interview with Sirius and XM and they generally give me a receiver of some sort but I never turn it on. I think its cool that theres metal channels because if it was just radio over the airwaves youd never hear us. I think its good for a band like us and if youre only a metal fan you can go somewhere and hear stuff that youre into. I think some of its a little too abstract, from what I have heard of it, I mean no one would like some of these EVER! Ya know, ya wanna hear Slayer, ya wanna hear Megadeth, Inflames, Arch Enemy, you dont wanna hear undefinitive bands, its just a waste of air space.
Jake: Metal seems to be doing well lately. Theres a lot going on with a lot of quality bands coming out. What do you think has contributed to metals surge lately?
Kerry: I think theres a lot of cool new bands, people like us have stayed around and continued to put stuff out, so theres a link between what was and what is right now. About seven years ago when bands like Godsmack were getting popular I thought Thats cool, heavy rock is getting popular, but when people get sick of hearing these guys theyre gonna head down metal street. Its just one of those peak times for metal. Hopefully itll stay around for five or ten years
Jake: So lets go all the way back to the beginning, how did you guys come together and decided that you were gonna make this band a reality?
Kerry: We just made a band. Me and Jeff were 17, Dave was probably 16, Tom was like three years older than us. We were just kids getting together seeing if we could make something work. We started playing covers and then worked our way to originals and just kept expanding from there.
Jake: When did you start to realize that you might actually be able to play music for a living?
Kerry: Probably the first time we left Southern California. We didnt have friends anywhere yet so if someone came to see us anywhere we must be doing something right.
Jake: What was the hardest thing about pursuing music as a profession in the beginning?
Kerry: The sacrifice. If you really wanna make it you gotta be willing to make any sacrifice. You gotta pretty much give up everything to try to make it that one shot, cause youre only gonna get one shot.
Jake: What do you see for the future of metal?
Kerry: Its hard to say. Its thriving right now. If bands dont put out too many shitty records it should sustain itself fine.
Jake: Are there bands that you know that youd expect to blow up in the near future?
Kerry: Its hard to say blow up because one band might be gigantic in Europe and be second on the bill here in the states. Different territories are bigger for different bands. But I like In Flames, Arch Enemy and Chimera. As far as brand new bands, I just listened to a CD from a band called Demiricus that Im really into. They sound just like us.
Jake: So youve played shows all over the world on your tours, where do you like playing the most?
Kerry: I like playing Australia. Its a foreign place but I can still basically understand what everybodys telling me.
Jake: Where has the gnarliest mosh pit been so far?
Kerry: Thats hard to say. Philadelphia has always been kinda crazy. Chicagos also kinda crazy. A lot of the Canadian cities go off, metals peaking over there. Its giant.
Jake: If you could trade everything youve done with music for another profession would you?
Kerry: Hell No!
Jake: Are you looking forward to playing in the Bay Area coming up on The Unholy Alliance Tour?
Kerry: Yeah, thats another one thats always off the hook. Thats one of the first places we ever played outside of Southern California. Its kinda like our second home. I can always count on a crazy audience in San Francisco.
Jake: Are most of the songs that youre playing on this tour from one CD or more of a mix?
Kerry: Its definitely a mix. Theres a new one were playing, Cult. You can get it on Itunes or at Hot Topic or something like that.
Jake: Tell me a little bit about your new CD Christ Illusion coming out this August 8th.
Kerry: Its awesome (laughs). Everyone says that about their album. I liked God Hates Us All and I thought it was a great record, then we got the final mixes of this one and I thought this one was sonically better and is more complete. Probably because we had more time to work on it. Weve been working on it forever.  
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OZZFEST
BY: BUBBA
This years Ozzfest was not without its fair share of surprises. From Ozzys first ever second stage performance to the mystery main stage acts Dragonforce and Avenged Sevenfold, to the headlining act System Of A Down. Not to mention the hard core debauchery of the second stage and the freak show that is known as the Village of the Damned." I must admit that the show did seem a little anti-climactic without Ozzy Osborne, the Prince of Darkness himself, closing the show, but his wet and wild second stage performance more than made up for that. It was crazy to see Ozzy performing during the day and if you only had a lawn ticket, it gave you the chance to see Ozzy up close and personal. Only thing was that Ozzys water hoses soaked the first twenty rows, and the whole place turned into a mud pit. It felt like we watching Ozzy at Raging Waters. The main stage started up directly after Ozzys encore and by the time we got over there it almost felt like the show was already over. No offense to the other Main Stage bands, but its just not the same without Ozzy headlining. Dragonforces set was short and sweet and Avenged Sevenfold played a dead on cover of Panteras Walk. After that, Hatebreed's Lived For This. Disturbed thought that a Phil Collins cover would be the best way to get the crowd going. System Of A Down did their best to keep the crowds attention, but its kind of hard to go on after the Ozzman. I feel lucky just to have seen Ozzy play this time around because on a lot of the dates of the tour he is not playing at all. To me, its just not Ozzfest without Ozzy.
ALL THAT REMAINS INTERVIEW WITH PHIL 
BY:BUBBA
BUBBA: So, tell me a little bit about the sound of your new album.
Phil: Well, it comes out on July 11th, and its pretty much a continuation of what we did on our last record, except everything is turned up a notch. The only change is that we got a new bass player and a new drummer and it really shows. There is a lot of double bass and a lot of blast beats throughout the whole record. There is more clean singing and more of the death metal kind of cookie monster stuff. Its more of everything that All That Remains does. We really tried to push ourselves when we recorded. Were all really happy with it and cant wait for it to come out.
 Where did you find your new bass player and drummer?
We met our new drummer because he knows the dudes in Gwar really well, and hes played with a couple of the guys in Gwar in a side project. He was a really great drummer and he was just hanging out waiting around for Gwar to get off tour. So we met him, and got along, we offered him a job and now hes our full time drummer. As for the bass player Jeanie, Ive known Jeanie for like eight or nine years. Shes from Massachusetts, from our area, so weve all seen each other at shows and just kind of hang out in the local area. Shes really good friends with Matt from Shadows Fall, and thats actually probably how we met her was through Matt. I just so happened that our old bass played got the opportunity to go play with CKY, so we needed to get a bass player quickly. At first I wasnt sure if I wanted to have a girl in the band, but it was a no-brainer after she filled in for him at a couple of shows. She lays it down, shes really cool, and she looks great on stage.
 Is this your guys first time playing Ozzfest?
Yeah, its our first appearance at Ozzfest and we are one of the rotating slots. Weve only done five or six shows so far but theyve been really good.
 How would you compare Ozzfest to playing at the Sounds of the Underground tour?
Playing second stage of Ozzfest is very, very, very similar to playing the Sounds of the Underground. Both tours you go on stage relatively early. At Ozzfest we usually go on anywhere between 9am to noon, and on the Sounds of the Underground we usually went on around two in the afternoon.
 What has been your craziest Ozzfest moment?
Well, it's just starting, so there hasnt been anything too crazy. The most fun Ive had so far is when me and Buzz, the guitar player from Unearth, stole the key to the golf carts. The golf carts is where the fun lays. You sneak around and grab a golf cart and you just drive around and be a jackass, basically. Its like drunk driving but its okay.
 Whats your least favorite thing about playing Ozzfest?
You know if you would have asked me that two days ago, I would of said the Ozzfest stage crew that we were working with. It was really hard to get everything running smoothly for the first couple of days. We were having problems having enough time to play our entire set which is only twenty minutes anyway. We got everything worked out after our New Mexico show, so the only thing bad about playing Ozzfest now isnothing. Other than having to go on at nine oclock in the morning.
What show has had the wildest crowd so far?
New Mexico and Sacramento have really stood out to me so far.
What is your favorite Ozzy song?
Im a really big fan of Mama Im Coming Home and the late eighties, early nineties stuff that Ozzy did when he first got Zakk in the band. That's my favorite stuff because of Zakks style of playing. Nobody has that kind of vibrato sound or pinch harmonics.
What band would you like to see on Ozzfest next year?
Id like to see a band like Through the Eyes Of the Dead on there next year. Im so focused right now on All That Remains that I really dont have a lot of time to check out new music.
For more info on All That Remains, check out www.allthatremainsonline.com
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DISTURBED INTERVIEW
BY: DARIEN LOMELI
      Disturbed is set to embark on Ozzfest 2006, kicking off June 29th in Seattle, Washington. Their latest release entitled Ten Thousand Fists debuted at ..1 on Billboard. This new album is a 14-track mix of hard rock with an emphasis on world affairs, religion and personal relationships, which singer David Draiman delivers with his signature vocal style. I did an interview with lead guitarist Dan Donagan and talked about a variety of things from touring to Dimebag to his thoughts in general on the music scene. So sit back, grab some coffee and enjoy.
Date: Tuesday May 20th 8:00am. Phone interview.
DARIEN: So what are you up to right now, Dan?
DAN: We just drove up to Michigan for a like a day. A little getaway with the wife and daughter. Were leaving Friday to head out to L.A. to do a couple of full production rehearsals before Ozzfest starts.
DARIEN: Right on, getting all juiced up for Ozzfest. It starts pretty soon.
DAN: Yeah, it starts next week.
DARIEN: Well, first of all I was reading about your guitar series. The Maya Series guitar. Thats really sweet that you named it after your daughter. How did that come about?
DAN: Ive been working with the guys with Randall and Washburn for a while. Theyre part of the same company in the same building, under the same umbrella. So I had a good relationship with Randall throughout the years and they have been offering me to go over to Washburn guitars between album cycles when we had some down time. Their factory is about an hour from where I live, so it was really convenient for me to go there. I gave some input and spent some time with the guys coming up with the design for the guitar. Once we got that nailed down and the more time I had to play it, I got comfortable with it and was very flattered that they would make a signature model. Its been great. Theyve been treating me well the last couple of years with Randall. Its a great opportunity and Im happy with the outcome.
DARIEN: Thats awesome. A lot of bands have endorsements, I mean thats part of the game, but Ive never seen a series named after their child. I thought that was really sweet.
DAN: Thank you (laughs). Yeah one of the guys from Washburn mentioned the idea too. I kind of had it in the back of my mind. I know that BB King named a guitar Lucille after his wife. So I was thinking, you know its the closest thing to me, the most sentimental to me. Then I figured I should just name it after my daughter. I mean the opportunity doesnt come too often in life and I thought that I definitely would want something that important to me.
DARIEN: How old is Maya?
DAN: She is two.
DARIEN: It seems like Disturbed has achieved modest success with all your albums and especially with this album debuting at number ..1 on Billboard...thats pretty impressive. It just seems like since the beginning with The Sickness, you guys have taken off. I mean you guys havent really been around that long.
DAN: Yeah, we're just enjoying the ride. Weve worked our asses off and weve built up a dedicated following from hard touring and just maintaining those fans. Its something thats hard to do. I mean for most bands its a short lived career. I mean once you have those fans, its hard to keep a lot of those people interested in you over the years. If you become a fan in high school, by the time youre in college, people start changing their taste in music, like how people change their taste in clothes. To maintain that is a challenge for all bands to do and weve been fortunate. We have some really true fans that have been very patient with us as we take breaks in between to go in the studio and record this latest album. Its just gratifying to know that even the time in between they were all hungry and ready for it when it came out. Rushing to the stores to have us debut at ..1 is very overwhelming. Its surprising because not very many heavier bands have been able to achieve that.
DARIEN: Thats cool cause seeing metal or hard rock at number one or in the top ten is always nice to see, especially considering metal and hard rock have always struggled for recognition.
DAN: Its always been that way. A lot of the bands that we have been influenced by and idolized, they have all had their struggles early in their careers. Whether it is Black Sabbath or Metallica, you hear about stories of how much they had to jump hurdles and break down walls to get where theyre at. Its the same for us. Its been a continuous battle that you cant turn away from. Theres definitely a lot of hard rock and metal fans that are still out there and exist. It was nice to see that were going up against Bon Jovi and another Tupac album cause he seems to put one out every year. To come up on top of that is pretty satisfying. To know that there are a lot of hard rock fans out there.
DARIEN: What do you feel Dan contributes to Disturbeds success? It seems like people are grasping your sound. What do you think about that?
DAN: Well, I think that its real. The fans can see through stuff. Theres more depth to the band. I think lyrically, David writes about more intense issues, more relatable stuff. It's not just words, its not just blabbering, or filling in space. There are a lot of good musicians out there and good bands, but I think lyrically Davids a deeper person than that. Hes going to touch on political issues, religious issues, world issues, and relationship issues. I think he just brings that on in a different way than most bands do.
DARIEN: Its interesting because I remember blasting The Sickness in my car and my hip hop friends really dug it and they werent even into metal at all.
DAN: Its pretty good to know that we can somewhat convert other people who may not be into the harder music and appreciate what we are doing...we get that quite a bit. All different genres, ages and races. We get a lot of people who want to listen to this type of stuff. I think we have converted quite a bit. I can walk into a bar and even if theyre not playing heavy metal, I can appreciate what they are doing. I mean it's talent. If there is something good about it, its catchy, and has a good hook to it. Whether its jazz or blues, I normally dont run out and buy those types of albums, but I can appreciate their talent.
DARIEN: Ive converted a lot of my friends to metal and you guys seem to be the gateway for that. A lot of them werent really tripping off a lot of the stuff I listen to because I have a pretty wide range of music. I listen to hip hop, death metal and rock, whatever. Disturbed seems to have a crossover appeal and I feel that is why you guys have done so well.
DAN: Thats the plan. To try to convert as many people as possible and to keep building that fan base. The more they come, the more it gives us the opportunity to keep coming back.
DARIEN: This is your 4th Ozzfest, correct? It seems like you guys have had the most appearances year after year in Ozzfest.
DAN: Yes. I know Hatebreed is on it again this year. Theyve been on it quite a bit too. System of a Down, probably their third, possibly 4th. Were right up there and becoming a household band at Ozzfest. Weve developed a great relationship with Sharon and everybody that works for Ozzfest. Its been a great opportunity for us. Its one of the biggest hard rock festivals of the summer and be put up in front of massive crowds every year.
DARIEN: What are Ozzy and Sharon like? How do you get along with them?
DAN: I mean, they have been great with us. Ozzy basically comes to do his show, it's not like hes hanging out all day. We met him earlier when we did Ozzfest 2001. It was very overwhelming because the first show we did, we were supposed to be headlining the second stage that year. We had about 20,000 people show up to the second stage and a lot of people were getting hurt and they approached us that day and told us they wanted to move us to the main stage because it became an unsafe environment. A lot of those second stage areas didnt accommodate that kind of a crowd, so they moved us to the main stage the next day. That day, Ozzy was on the side of the stage watching our set. We felt like little kids. We were all looking at each other, cause you never see Ozzy watching the other bands on the side of the stage. Out of the 3 years weve done it in the past, Ive never seen him do it for anybody, so its pretty flattering to see him see what was going on with us. Sharon had always been very sweet and great with us. Shes a tough woman and she gets what she wants. She doesnt take shit from anybody.
DARIEN: Yeah, well look at where that attitude has gotten her. Look how far she has gotten. Its like she is a female in a male world. Does Sharon watch the show from the sidelines?
DAN: Shes been around. I mean she used to be around more in the past especially in Ozzfest 2000 and 2001. Jack and Kelly Osborne were younger then and they would hang out. Now that theyre older they dont come to the fest as much as they used to. They have other things in their lives that are priority for them. Sharon I think over the past couple of years, I havent seen her as much out there. Her involvement for every show has only been a few select shows.
DARIEN: Are you a fan of some of the bands on the bill? Which ones do you like?
DAN: Im not too familiar with a lot of the second stage bands. Reason being is because weve been in the studio recording and out on tour. I havent had the opportunity because we're out working doing our thing. Im curious to see some of these bands. The main stage bands, we like Hatebreed and have been friends with them since we started touring in 2000. Those guys are always fun to watch and really energetic. Of course Black Label Society, its always great to be around Zakk. Hes always a good time to be around and hes fucking hilarious. Im interested in seeing Lacuna Coil. Of course System of a Down. Weve only played one time with them in the past in LA. Weve been wanting to play with those guys for a long time. They always bring a lot of energy on stage and theyre just great musicians. It makes you want to step up your game when youre playing with a band like that. Atreyu sounds cool- Im curious about them.
DARIEN: Its funny because usually Im not even familiar with second stage acts just the main stage, but this year Im more familiar with the second stage. Im actually going to get to the show at 9am and catch all the bands this time.
DAN: All the other shows we have done in the past we spend some time at the second stage cause we're fans of music. We have had our success over the past few years, but I mean I still like going to see bands. Usually because we're on the road doing our thing, I dont get the opportunity to see other bands except for the ones that are touring with us. So when were at Ozzfest we get to see whats happening and its always cool. Weve done it in the past when Shadows Fall was on the tour or Motograter and some of the other bands that have done Ozzfest. Its cool to see the new talents out there.
DARIEN: Do you feel with Ten Thousand Fists you have taken more risks with your playing? How?
DAN: I mean we're always going to experiment. I wouldnt really necessarily refer to it as a risk. We get together and toss some ideas around and improvise and we try to be involved as musicians and songwriters. I dont want to keep duplicating stuff we have already done. We get together and push each other to perform harder and get the best out of each other. We influence each other and everybody is trying to step up their game and do whats appropriate within the song, but also encourage each other to push harder. So we have more material on this album. We recorded 19 songs and 14 got on the CD. We had a variety of stuff and we wanted to try different things. Some heavier stuff, some lighter stuff and widen the spectrum of things and to continue to grow. Whenever we approach song writing or go into the studio, were always going to try to add new elements and to keep things fresh sounding.    
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FULL BLOWN CHAOS INTERVIEW
BY: RAWKER RACHEL
Prior to Full Blown Chaos June 2nd performance at The Whisky in Hollywood, I had the pleasure to chat with the ever-loquacious FBC frontman, Ray Mazzola. Mazzola informed me of the 2 newest detestations on his Shady list, which include former bassists and spiders.
YMM: What happened with Ed?
Mazzola: We knew there was some shady business going on, and there were some tours that were falling through that people were getting us onlike a European tour with Agnostic Frontand supposively Ed turned it down because he couldnt make anything of it himself. If he didnt benefit off it, then he didnt want to do the tour. So he turned down the Agnostic Front tour, and was really negative about it, and decided to stay home because he was claiming a back injury. Turns out he was at home pocketing a lot of the bands money. He claimed to have invested a lot of him own money into the band, and then had to re-coup somehow. We didnt see it at all. A lot of our bill werent getting paid; we were in the hole close to $18,000, and we had nothing to show for it. There were no receipts and no legitimate claim on where the money went. And then he fell off the face of the earth and we havent talked to him in a while. We know where he is, we know his whereaboutswe know everything thats going on with him right now. We have people keeping tabs on him for us, so when we can turn it into a legal matter we will. Were just still trying to collect all of our data. And he knows it toohe knows he got caught. But were better off now. We got him out of the picture, were doing a lot better, and we now have The Lurker on bass who was our old guitar tech. We started him as a fill in and then just bumped him up into the band. He got the name The Lurker when we went on tour with Hatebreed and he just lurked around, and Hatebreed hated it so they called him The Lurker. His name is Mike but The Lurker just stuck with him. Mike just kind of creeps around, so e call him The Crimson Creeper, The Lurkerhe just walks around, looking around, all stoned and high out of his mind.
YMM: How long has he been in the band?
Mazzola: Hes been in the band since last June...so about a year. He started playing for us last April, and he was official in June. He fills the position better than Ed ever did; with writingEd never wrote any of the material, everything he wrote was pop-punk and we were like We cant play that, its not our style. Ed never made it to practices, he got fired from the record a bunch of times too by the studio engineer. He wouldnt stop talking, asking nonsense questions, and just bringing a bad vibe to the studio. So we sent him home and just brought him in to do his bass tracks, and we had to teach him songs while he was recording. He wasnt as well versed as he should have been.
YMM: Tell me about your black widow bite.
Mazzola: We were in Fort Lauderdale and everyone was hanging out at the show. We got one hotel room because hotel rooms are expensive and a lot of the times we just squeeze everyone into it. So I decided to hang out, got drunk out of my face, made it back to the hotel, all the beds were taken, so I curled into a corner on the floor wherever I could, and I woke up and my knee was doubled in size. And it was just killing me. I knew something had bit me. I was worried at first, thinking it could have been a brown recluse, or a fiddle spider or something like that that causes necrosisya know like something that just eats your flesh away. I kept an eye on it, and the bites look like Tic Tacs were pulled out of the holes. So we went to Orlando, played a show, and during the show I got these waves of dizziness and nausea. My knee looked like there was a big cantaloupe under the skin. It was horrible. My skins been peeling and flaking everywhere, and my shorts were super tight, my knee was really hot to the touch. I was miserable. Ive never felt that bad, ever. It was really bad for 3 days and I couldnt get to a hospital because we couldnt afford it, so I stuck it out. The next day when we were in Virginia, the following day we were going to play New York, so I figured I could just see my home doctor. Before the Virginia show, Gary from Exodus says, Let me look at your leg. So he takes a look and Im describing the symptoms to him and he says Sounds like you got bit by a black widow. He watches nature shows, I watch nature shows and I never even thought about that. When I finally saw my doctor, he drew blood and I told him what happened and it turns out it was a Southern Black Widow that bit me. A lot of people think California when they hear Black Widow, but theres 5 species of Black Widow all across the U.S. that range all the way up to New England. So, it was too late for me to do anti-venom, so they said to me, Youre a big guy, youll just have to deal with it. Its going to be anywhere from 2 months to 1 year of joint pain. I have to take recosamine and potassium just to keep from cramping. Its a painful bite and the venom doesnt leave your body because its almost like an oil base, and it just sits in your muscles. And you have to drink a lot of fluids to try and flush it out. Some days are better than others, but its caused me to get really bad vertigo. If its a really high stage, I cant go to the edge because Ill just fall over. So Im trying to find something to counter act that, especially for Ozzfest because some of the stages are 12 feet off the ground and I like to get into the crowd.
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ACACIA STRAIN INTERVIEW
BY: RAWKER RACHEL
After Acacia Strain vocalist Vincent Bennett is done working a Twiztid show at a club he works for, he sits down to tell YMM about the new album, The Dead Walk, and to give us a brief history on The Acacia Strain.
By Rawker Rachel
YMM: Who is The Acacia Strain?
Bennett: We are a bunch of dudes who love playing music. It started as a hobby and blossomed. As people, were down to Earth dudes who didnt expect to get the recognition we do, and as a band we want to have fun. We get on stage every night and encourage kids to have fun.
YMM: Where are you from?
Bennett: Western MassachusettsSpringfield-area Massachusetts to be more exact, although out bassist is from New Hampshire and our drummer is from Connecticut.
YMM: How did you meet?
Bennett: I knew 2 of the guitarists for a long time, and to make the long story really short, we all used to be in different bands and ended up forming our own after our original bands broke up.
YMM: How would you describe your music?
Bennett: Heavy. Theres also a lot of groove and bobbing your head to it. We get a lot of criticism for not being more metal, or technical, or hardcore enough. All were doing is just trying to be a heavy band. Heavy means, if a band is playing and you feel it rumbling in your pants, its heavy. Bass-y too; Crowbar is heavy. And down-tuned, groovy and makes people crap themselvesthats heavy.
YMM: What are your musical influences?
Bennett: I was brought up on radio-friendly shit, so I have a ton of influences. I love classic rock like Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, and The Allman Brothers band. When I was a teen I was introduced to hardcore, and my love for that evolved into metal, like Bloodlet, Meshuggah, and Cryptopsy. I like punk too, like Pennywise, NOFX, The Descendants. When I was a teen I liked Integritytheyre a big influence on me right now. I listen to a lot of deathmetal, like Developmenttheyre one of my favorite bands ever. I listen to it all; Im not a music snob. I dig anything with a lot of time and effort poured into it. I like a lot of hip-hop because I listen to heavy music all day, and in between bands while on the road, its just a nice change. Non-aggressive hip-hop like MF Doom and Sage FrancisI like their beats.
YMM: Tell me about your malevolence toward Ashlee Simpson.
Bennett: Im not into people who are famousnot because of talentbut for the mere fact theyre famous. Ashlee Simpson was built off her sisters fame. Im not a fan of Jessica Simpsonshes talented though, Ill give her thatbut Ashlee cant even sing. Shes a nobody. It set me off when she got her own TV show on MTV. Shes a non-talented, spoiled rotten brat, who's never known sadness and pain because everything has been handed to her. The same with Kelly Osbourne. I love Ozzy but hate Kelly.
YMM: How did you get signed?
Bennett: It was an accident I guess. We recorded 37/50 with another record label, told the guy from that label that we were going to shop the record around, and Scott Lee from Prosthetic Records called us after seeing our music video online. We had just done that video for fun; it wasnt even official. Scott offered us the best deal for us, and it just worked out.
YMM: What was your first tour?
Bennett: We did a few tours before getting signed. Id have to say that our first tour was one that we did that was 10 days long, although it seemed like a month or 6 weeks, and it covered from here to Georgia. We played with For Her I Can Be A Hero. Our first official tour was the Bury Your Dead CD release tour with Bury Your Dead and Scars Of Tomorrow. Bury Your Dead introduced us to the entire country, so I thank them a lot for that.
YMM: What is your ideal tour line-up to attend and to play?
Bennett: I want to see Metallica circa 1985 around their Master of Puppets era. That would be ideal for me. I would pay $100 just to see them play for 3 hours and itd be totally worth it. But theyre so old that they cant do anything now and their new music doesnt sound the same. As far as touring goes, I would love to tour with Meshuggah. And my 3 favorite bands to play a line-up with would be Between the Buried and Me, The Red Chord and A Life Once Lost.
YMM: Whats your biggest feat thus far in your musical career?
Bennett: To be able to say that weve played in front of kids that care. That we can tour the county, and at least 3 people will come to see us. This whole thing started as a hobby and we never expected it to get as big as it is, and the fact that we can play Boise, Idaho and kids will come through the door and buy merch and sing to every song...weve accomplished the greatest goal ever. People pay money to see my band. A lot of kids come up to me saying they had a really hard time growing up, and that our CD helped them out. Its incredible how something you did for fun can make people feel better when theyre going through shitty times.
YMM: Tell me about your most recent record. How does it compare amongst the previous?
Bennett: We did a lot of writing on the road. Its got its similarities and differences. Similar in the way that its heavy and we stuck to the same formula. Weve evolved from our last record by slightly steering away from breakdowns. Were trying to pick up a metal personaour songs are more metal from our previous record. Were really happy and excited about it. Weve been playing our new songs for a few years, but now theyre finally down and recorded. Ive been seeing a lot of flyers for The Dead Walk, stating something like heaviest record of the year, period. Its still us but more grown up.
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IT DIES TODAY
BY: RAWKER RACHEL
      As It Dies Today roamed across the country in their tour bus, I had the pleasure to speak with vocalist Nick Brooks about their upcoming summer jaunt on Sounds of the Underground, and their highly anticipated new record entitled Sirens.
By Rawker Rachel
What is Sounds of the Underground?
Brooks: Its a smaller scale Ozzfest. Its a more independent festival/tour about music, and the guys who set it up are awesome.
Are you participating in all of the Sounds of the Underground dates? If not, where do you join in?
Brooks: We are doing 2 shows since we already got booked on a different summer tour. We are playing the Arizona date and the San Diego Sounds of the Underground dates, then we are on Warped Tour for a few days before meeting up with Strhess Tour.
How do you feel about being on Sounds of the Underground this year?
Brooks: Im stoked! I get to see a lot of friends that are on it, so that should be really fun. Plus, Sounds of the Underground is a big festival, and playing the Arizona and San Diego date is awesome since Arizona and San Diego are always a lot of fun.
Its going to be super hot in Arizona though.
Brooks: Thats okay because Ill just go on someone elses tour bus and not leave. Ill use their air conditioning!
Why did you choose to be on Sounds of the Underground?
Brooks: We got an offer to do the whole tour, and somehow we ended up with playing only 2 dates before connecting with Strhess Tour. It just got booked that way.
What did you think about last years SOTU (band line-up, set-up of event, fan reaction, etc.)?
Brooks: I thought it was really good. I went to one of the shows before we set off for Ozzfest and I had a lot of fun watching the bands and seeing all of my friends that were on it. My favorite bands last year to watch were Every Time I Die and High On Fire. High On Fire didnt get a very big crowd response, but I loved them. Ive noticed that with festival crowds, kids love breakdowns, so if youre a band with a lot of breakdowns, kids will absolutely love you. But if youre not, then youre kind of fucked.
Who are you excited to see play this year?
Brooks: I always love watching In flames. Cannibal Corpse will be a cool one too, and As I Lay Dying.
What do you do to prepare for a set?
Brooks: I do a vocal warm up, drink a little bit, stretch and we have a few rituals. Our newest ritual before we go on is breaking insignificant things and totally trashing our dressing room. Sometime we do a Go Bills! like Buffalo Bill.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of playing a morning, afternoon or evening set?
Brooks: The morning sucks, period. Theres no advantage of playing in the morning because no ones awake and no ones ready to Get er done--so to speak--band and crowd-wise. Afternoon is when kids are amped and ready, but the only disadvantage is the heat. The best time to play is the evening, but the only disadvantage I can think of for the evening is that kids are starting to get tired.
Do you have any surprises for the kids during your set?
Brooks: No. I wish we had something like Gwar has, like blood cannons, but no surprises for the kids except for 2 new songs. One is called Reignite the Fires and the other is still untitled.
Other than Sounds of the Underground, what other summer projects do you have going on (new record, DVD, contests, etc.)?
Brooks: Were doing Strhess Tour and Warped Tour for a few weeks, and our new record was supposed to come out during this summer, but the date keeps getting pushed back, so its not coming out until the fall. Im guessing late September or early October. Our new record is called Sirens after the mythological sirens that used to call to the sailors. Because I accidentally wrote a thematic record about temptation, I thought sirens would be fitting.
Post-summer plans?
Brooks: Were trying to work out exactly whats going on in September. I know were going to have a tour, but everything seems to be getting pushed back. Were scheduled to go out with Silverstein, Aiden and He Is Legend.
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INTERVIEW WITH MARK GILMORE HOST OF LOCAL LICKS ON 98 ROCK IN SACRAMENTO
BY: MIKE LYON
Gimme the scoop on Local Licks the who, what, where, when, and why...
Local Licks started about 15 years ago after bands like Tesla started getting some major label recognition for the Sacramento scene. One of our veteran DJs (Laura Engle) and John Nelson, a local musician who worked in the Promotions department of 93 Rock (we changed the dial .. in 1998) talked our management into sparing 15 minutes of the Sunday night schedule to play a few local bands on the air. From there it grew to a half hour special, into the hour long show we have today.
I started working with the show in 2000 as an intern for Kylee Brooks. She had a passion for the local scene and the voice to make the record labels listen. She let me pick the music for the show, meet with the bands, and I was able to get a foothold into the local scene. I made a ton of friends who taught me what it was like to actually be a part of something cool.
Over the last 6 years I went from intern to show producer, to co-host, then to the Big Dog, host of the show. I took the experience of 5 different hosts and turned the show into what it is today.
I love music, all kinds of music. I love this job! It lets me live the life of a rock star without the actual talent to play an instrument. The local music scene in Sacramento has been very kind to let me in, party with them, and in turn I do what I can to help them achieve their dreams.
If I am in a local band how can I become involved in the show?
Its very easy to get music to me. All you have to do is send a CD, with a short bio, and contact information to:
KRXQ 98 Rock
c/o Local Licks
5345 Madison Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95841
It always helps if you pre-edit the songs with obscenities. We are a high profile radio station with the FCC always on our backs. Fuck those guys!!!
What inspires you to do this?
I think there is a ton of talent out there that goes unnoticed. I am always listening to the national acts on the radio and thinking to myself, Good God, there are 30 bands in this town that sound better than this! Why cant we get these bands signed also? I want to live out my dream as someone who was there before they were stars. I guess its my own little fantasy of being a celebrity of sorts. Even with the selfish side of it, I just love to be a part of something big, and I think there are a lot of big things about to happen in the Sacramento music scene. Plus, I have never had a job like this, a job that is actually fun to have. I think it would kill me if this all went away tomorrow. I would starve without the music!
Whats your favorite food?
You know I really never had a favorite food. Pizza is probably near the top of that list. I am addicted to Pepsi thoughand my gut shows it. Gotta watch that! My wife recently introduced me to sushi. I dont like all sushi, but I cant get enough of the Ahi tuna. I also like Buffalo wings, but only from this little place on Auburn Blvd. near American River College called Granites. Its a Mom and Pop deli-style place that makes the best wings. It makes my fingers numb to think about it!
How did you like the first Rock Wars show at The Powerhouse Pub?
I was really surprised at how much these bands LOVE to perform. I had never seen Antidote play before. I thought the retro Hair Metal thing was pretty cool. I love THEND and Save and Continue. Both bands have been big supporters of me and my show, and in turn they will always have my help with their careers. Plus, the fans that showed up to support their favorite bands were going crazy. Thats what I really love to see, competition or not.
Shoe size?
What is it you really want to know? Huh Huh! Lets just say I have really large feet. And I know how to use themfor walking and kicking and dancing. WOW, what a loaded question!
Now this is important for the special universe I am formingIf you could be any Star Wars character, who would it be and why?
I love Star Wars! I always thought that R2-D2 was cool, because he is the ultimate smart ass. But I really always wanted to be Boba Fett. For all of the non Star Wars fanatics out there, Boba Fett survived the Sarlaac Pitthermal detonator to the throat bitches.
Who do you like to thank and why?
First, I have to thank my wife and daughter for their understanding and patience for my late nights at work, or the clubs, and for my putting up with my obsession for the bands and their music. I dont have enough room to thank all of the bands personally for letting me into their world, but I would like to thank InRuin and Brand X Savior for being the first bands to really let me in and consider me a friend more than just the radio guy. I definitely need to thank my boss at 98 Rock for letting me keep this going for so long when there is no money in it (at all). And thank you to all of the fans who listen to the show. Without you there would be no need to do it. Love you all.
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THE ADDICTS SC
BY: JAKE STUDENT    
The following is my interview with Doug Berkhart from The Addicts Santa Cruz. The Addicts S.C. placed 4th overall in this years YMM Battle of The Bands, and also won the online competition on the YMM website. They were only a handful of votes away from third place, so since theres no real consolation prize for the battle, they get this interview
Jake: Lets start this off...who makes up the band, what you play, and why do you love music?
Doug: Doug Berkhart is rhythm guitar/vocalist, Mike Leemus is the lead guitarist/backup vocals, Josh Andrews is the drummer/backup vocals, and were currently trying out bassists right now.
Jake: And what do you love about making music?
Doug: I like the energy. We like when were playing in front of people and the crowd reciprocates. When we get done with the song and we hear that yell with the claps, man, thats what makes us want to give it up, definitely.
Jake: What brought you guys together to start making music?
Mike Lemos was in my old band Hangover, which was pretty popular in Santa Cruz. When Hangover broke up me and Mike stayed in good contact and when Mike started getting a lot better at guitar he just opened my eyes. I was like Whoa, this guy can play. So one night me, him and Josh were just tinkering around and we could tell we had something. Ever since then our work ethic got better and weve been turning fun little tunes into real songs, and that how we became a band.
Jake: What one artist (or band) has influenced you the most?
Doug: Elvis Presley influenced me the most. He was the first punk rocker. He had slick black hair, he had a leather jacket, he played music from the streets to people in the public, he did things on T.V. where they wouldnt show his hips cuz he was swingin' all crazy. For his day, he was punk rock.
Jake: Hows music doing in Santa Cruz, in your opinion?
Doug: You know its at a new high right now, with the help of Your Music Magazine and Good Times and a few other magazines around here. Theres a lot of local talent and a lot of bands that are just eye-openers. The Expendables, Ribsys Nickel and Ambivalence have all turned the corner and become popular. And theres some bands right behind them that are ready to pave the path too. Its good to see that local talent is getting paid and theyre bringin' heads almost as much as national acts to The Catalyst.
Jake: You guys played one hell of a show at Battle of the Bands Finals this year, in fact you were only 10-13 votes behind Nothing Left for 3rd place. What was your overall opinion of the show ?
Doug: We had a great time; everyone in our band was just floored. I think all the bands there were happy. Not every band gets to play at The Catalyst and the magazine (YMM) makes that available to us. So after playing there and having a packed crowed with the floor filled with people it was great. We even had people come up to us and say Wow, we dont know who you are but you guys were great and were gonna vote for you. Its a great way for local bands to get more fans.
Jake: What would you different next year to bring in a little more success?
Doug: Promote harder. The first round we promoted as hard as we could, but then the second round we kinda felt like we didnt wanna ask everyone to do the whole thing again. But you gotta keep the goal in mind, and the goal is to win the show. Were just glad to get there, and it felt like we did sway the popular vote from the crowd. Next year we would promote a lot harder. But every year with battles weve been bringin' in more and more votes. The very first year we brought in like 60 and this years finals we got like 140.
Jake: So tell me a little bit about Hangover clothing, how it started and what its all about.
Doug: Originally, Hangover was a band. The band broke up and people were still dying for the clothes...they wanted Hangover shirts and hats. So I just started Hangover Clothing and its been taking off in the mountains ever since. It actually sponsors the band along with Coast Graphics, Puropedo and SCM Clothing
Jake: What would be an ideal life for you guys; basically, what are your goals with the band?
Doug: The thing about us is that were not chasin' it down like all these other bands in Santa Cruz. We feel like this...Im stuck with my job at UPS, our guitarist is a father with a baby, our drummer right now is in the Carpenters Union and has to commute to his job. Were kinda like the local-yokels, we got mountain pride. A lot of bands are real scared to claim where they're from. Were from the hills and were proud of it.
Jake: So lets talk about the digitalizing movement music has been going through over the last couple of years. Do you guys fear your songs running rampant for free all across the internet, or do you think it can actually be a useful promoting tool?
Doug: I would think for any unsigned band, you would want your song being played by anyone, anywhere, as long as people are listening to your music, youre happy about it. Now I could see if youre a signed band and youre all about business like Metallica or some of these other bands that wanna get coin for every song they makewell yeah, they might worry about it. But for our band, well give our CDs away, we dont care, if you want to listen to our music we want you listening to our music.
Jake: So whats going down with a new album from you guys, when can we expect a new one?
Doug: Actually theres a couple of new things we got goin'. We got a myspace address at www.myspace.com/theaddicts. We have a new EP coming out in the next month or so and its called On The Wagon. Its gonna be about 8 tracks. Were also working on a compilation CD. Its gonna be featuring Ribsys Nickel, Ambivalence and some other bands like 3 Up Front and Whos Holding.
Jake: If you could live the life of any musician, who would you pick and why?
Doug: Thats a tough question...(thinks for a minute)...Probably Mick Jagger cuz hes so old and hes still rockin'.
Jake: Well thanks for your time Doug. Lets end this interview with the craziest moment youve experienced in the band.
Doug: Our first 3 shows the band could not stop getting in fights. Went to the Aptos Club, we got in a fight, at Henflings shit went crazy, and then at Club Caution we started a riot. I mean we got this energy and when things get moving a little too much, thats when fights let loose.
I also want to say that we know there are some bands out there that after playing the battles they think for some reason that they were treated unfairly, but this one of the hardest contest to keep fair. How can you help when power outages happen (happened both to Nothing Left and The Addict S.C.)? Theres just certain things that you guys just cant control. We think this is one of the best Battle of The Bands weve ever been in, and we would do this again anytime. For any band out there, getting in the battle can only help.
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THE FORMALDEBRIDES
  So lets start with some background info, who you are and your instrument of choice.
-I'm Lana Chaney and I play guitar, I enjoy long Swedish massages with Vaseline, short foreign balding men raking my leaves, (just the thought of it makes me HOT) and the holy baby Jesus.
-I'm Isabela Lugosi, and I'm a professional fuck up....my instrument of choice is the bag pipes, but I'm stuck playing the drums. My turn-ons include dirty old men, carnies, and the comic book guy from the Simpsons.
-I'm Claudia Rains and I play bass. I like macaroni and cheese. My turnoffs are long toenails, beef curtains and camel nut.
-Doris Karloff ~ vox ... She is currently MIA. We hear she may be in East Asia training to be a ninja.
So how do you think the music scene in Santa Cruz is doing right now?
Well, its really happenin' downtown when the breakdancers come out. Even
Pinky the umbrella guy gets his groove on. Frankly, we don't care too much.
We're big in Japan, so it doesn't affect us.
What would you like to see in the future for The Formadlbridse?
First of all it would be awesome if people could actually spell our name right!! It's FORMALDEBRIDES. Well we'll start by getting signed, touring, humping lots of groupies, getting addicted to smack, achieving world fame, being on "Cribs", becoming obscenely rich, then crashing and burning just in time for a come back tour. Oh yeah, then ending up on VH1's "where are they now".
So you guys are definitely on the darker side of music, what inspires you?
Puppies, rainbows, baby ducks, midgets, axe murderers, and Satan. But your mom inspires us more than anything in the whole world. She's awesome.
So what does the process of making a song entail for you, how do you go from idea to recording?
It all happens by accident. We really don't know how. It just does. If we stop to question it, it may stop happening....so stop asking about it. (of course the peyote and the booze helps.)
Do you think if you had your songs on the internet would it be harmful or beneficial for your band?
We do have them on there, and its been nothing but great for us. We have like, 3,400 friends on myspace! (LOL, LMFAO, OMG, ROTFL) Yeah,....we're that cool.
What influences would you say are your strongest?
Don Knotts is a huge influence to us. His work over the years is a tremendous source of artistic inspiration. Pee Wee Herman, Tootie from 'The Facts of Life&..39; and Tiny Tim are also directly responsible for our work.
The name Formaldebrides is pretty damn cool, how did you decide on it?
Isabela came up with it...its brilliant....end of story.
Ok, say someone gave you $10,000 to use for your band, what would you guys do?
We'd buy a crappy band bus, and use the left over money to go bowling (and to buy some Mac and Cheese for Claudia)....and strippers....we'd get strippers. I just wanna see lot's of strippers.
Whats your show plans for this summer?
Well, since Doris is still in Ninja Training, and she could be killed doing it....we're gonna spend the summer finding a new singer.
What one venue on the west coast do you want to play at the most?
oooooh.....The House of Blues in LA. Yes please, that would be nice.
Allright last question, do you or do you not support the legalization of marijuana in Santa Cruz?
Well, we've weighed the pros and cons....carefully considered each side, and we've decided that we really DON'T GIVE A SHIT. Hippie politics don't interest us....Except Lana, she's for it. But she can't help it, she's half hippie, after all she was born and raised in Santa Cruz!
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 YOUINSERIES
BY: RAWKER RACHEL
  1. Who is YouinSeries?
youinseries is: Logan, Kyle, Jacob, Cheyne, and Chris.
2. Where are you from?
Las Vegas, Nv.
3. How did you meet?
Through the music scene and church.
4. How would you describe your music?
Moody rock and roll.
5. What are your musical influences?
Denali, Radiohead, Muse, Kansas, Led Zepplin.
6. How did you get signed?
We played a show with Versus the Mirror that Dan (a&r at Equal Vision) was
in attendance and we starting negotiating months after.
7. What was your first tour?
A DIY full national tour. Booked ourselves with Race the Sun from Richmond,
Virginia.
8. What is your ideal tour line-up?
Thrice, Circa Survive, and Lovedrug.
9. What's your biggest accomplishment thus far in your musical career?
Releasing our cd. I think we are extremely blessed to be able to do such a
thing.
10. Tell me about your most recent record. How does it compare amongst the
previous?
Its our first record, though we have recorded many demos. It's more moody
and dark than our previous efforts. It's the most pure thing that the five
of us have been a part of.
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