Friday, May 14, 2010

BREAKING NEWS: CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED confirm their 1st TOUR ever!



It was announced today on Sirius XM's Liquid Metal that CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED will be touring the United States for the first time ever! CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED features Richard Christy (formerly from Death and Iced Earth) from the "Howard Stern show" and Tim "Ripper" Owens, singer of Yngwie Malmsteen and Beyond Fear (formerly of Judas Priest and Iced Earth). Joining them on tour will be comedian extraordinaire Don Jamieson from "That Metal Show"

Here are the details:

CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED Tour w/ Don Jamieson

07/01 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
07/02 Detroit, MI Harpo's
07/03 Montreal, QC Les Foufounes Electrique
07/04 Toronto, ON Opera House
07/06 Cleveland, OH Peabody's Down Under
07/07 Pittsburgh, PA Diesel
07/08 New York, NY Gramercy Theater
07/09 West Chester, PA The Note
07/10 Worcester, MA Palladium w/ Dream Theater

RELATED LINKS:
CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED official site
Official site of Richard Christy
Official site of Tim "Ripper" Owens

Thursday, May 13, 2010

NEW YORK HARD CORE!


When I think about what brought me to New York, the first thing that comes to my mind is New York Hard Core. Growing up in Colombia in the mid 90's, back when Pablo Escobar and crew controlled the country through acts of violence. I experienced lots of hardship by watching my own country, become the country of fear. I was around 15 years old when I first heard downset, I know downset are from LA but once I was hooked on the Hard Core movement, I started to listen to New York Hard Core through bands like Sick Of It All, Madball, Agnostic Front, Biohazard, Vision of Disorder and a whole bunch of other bands (mostly through mix tapes).

The Hard Core movement soon became an outlet to a lot of us in Colombia, to the point that a lot of Hard Core bands started to emerge in Colombia. One of those bands was Raiz, who are considered one of the top Hard Core bands to ever come from Colombia. Once Hard Core became part of my life I realized that it was not just a genre of music, it was a family unit! I would go to a show and I would always run into the same crew. And even though we didn't know each other personally, we would always talk about Hard Core, the violent times in Colombia, and share a drink or two or three.

In 1997 I came to visit New York City for the first time and one of the first places I visited was the New York Hard Core mecca: CBGB's. As soon as I stepped inside the bar, the old smell of beer, the darkness of the place and the punk rock vibe had me hooked on the New York Hard Core culture. From that moment on I knew I had to live in New York City one day.

In 1999 I went to the Dynamo Open Air festival in Eindhoven, Holland. The three day weekend was packed with killer acts such as Metallica, Fear Factory, Biohazard, Madball and a bunch of other bands. On the last day of the festival at the main stage, the mighty Biohazard became the first New York Hard Core band I ever saw on live. This same day was the first time that I experienced a full blown circle pit. Then is when I knew that Hard Core was going to be part of my life forever.


Fast forward to 2004, when after driving for 6 hours from upstate New York, I finally arrived in New York Hard Core City. Soon after, I started going to Hard Core shows and realized that it was a very eclectic musical style. I also realized that the same fraternity I experienced in Colombia at Hard Core shows, also existed in New York and it was even stronger. By then Hard Core had become a worldwide musical form and bands like Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front, Madball and Biohazard were playing shows all over the world.

Today, when I tell people that I like Hard Core, they look at me funny or try to convince me that Hard Core is dead. All I got to say is that if Hard Core is really dead, then why are all the top New York Hard Core bands still around? Agnostic Front are still crushing, Sick Of It All just released one of the best records of their career, Cro Mags are still going strong, Madball is working on a new record and playing shows constantly and the same goes with Biohazard and a ton of other legendary bands.

I think it often happens that once a person switches from one musical style to another, they try to undermine the previous style they liked and those who keep it real by sticking to their guns and not falling victims of musical trends. All this is fine with me and I respect it, but it clearly means that they don't understand what Hard Core really is. I personally did not start listening to Hard Core so I could become part of a crew, or to act tough. Hard Core became an outlet of aggression and suffering that has played a huge role in my life.

And yes I like Metal, Hard Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative Music and various other musical styles. I consider myself an open minded person that listens to a particular musical style because it moves me and not because it is the hot trend to follow. I am way too old for that bullshit! When I started this whole movement called Horns Up Rocks one of my goals was to teach all the narrow minded music fans, that there are plenty of other musical styles that are worth considering and respecting. I also decided to give Hard Core the respect it deserves. Tomorrow, when I am covering the Black N Blue Bowl (Super Bowl of Hard Core) it will all make sense to me. I predict a packed house, with Hard Core fans from all over the country with the same goal in mind: pay homage to all the bands that will be performing and have the time of our lives. Just remember that HARD CORE STILL LIVES!



I had the honor of interviewing both Freddy Madball and Cousin Joe, right by East Village Radio after their weekly "Black N Blue Takeover" radio show and we talked about Hard Core and the upcoming "Black N Blue" Bowl.
You can check it out right here!


RELATED LINKS:
Black N Blue Productions
New York Hard Core Tattoo

HERE IS THE NEW YORK HARD CORE DOCUMENTARY! Courtesy of Velebit Productions.














Accrassicauda LIVE from Club Europa in Brooklyn



On Wednesday May 5, 2010. I had the chance to catch Accrassicauda from Iraq. This band is by far the finest export that the Heavy Music scene has seen in years. Here are some videos of what went down that Metallic night. We will be adding an inclusive interview with their front man Faisar and a lot more. Stay tuned!

This is Accrassicauda doing their song "Massacre"!


This is Accrassicauda doing their song "Poison Tree"!


This is Accrassicauda doing their song "The Unholy Lie"!


RELATED LINKS:
Accrassicauda on MySpace

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Pictures from ACCRASSICAUDA's show at Club Europa - May 5, 2010


On Wednesday May 5, 2010. I had the chance to catch Accrassicauda from Iraq. This band is by far the finest export that the Heavy Music scene has seen in years. Here are some images of what went down that Metallic night. We will be adding live videos, an inclusive interview with their front man Faisar and a lot more. Stay tuned!











RELATED LINKS:
Accrassicauda on MySpace

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

From Bliss to Devastation - Exclusive Interview and NEW songs!


From Bliss to Devastation is one of the most promising bands from the current batch of artists coming out from the New York area. Not only are they really cool guys but they are focusing on diversifying their music, without compromising their identity. We had a chance to interview the entire band backstage at The Gramercy/Blender Theater. Here are the results of that great chat! Enjoy!





RELATED LINKS:
FBTD on MySpace

Monday, May 10, 2010

THE NEW YORK CITY TATTOO CONVENTION 2010!



We will be at the "New York City Tattoo Convention" covering the event! See you there!

Here are the details:

The 13th Annual New York City Tattoo Convention

May 14th, 15th and 16th, 2010

Friday 14: 4pm to Midnight
Saturday 15: Noon to Midnight
Sunday 16: Noon to 8pm

IN THE WORLD FAMOUS
ROSELAND BALLROOM

Located in the heart of
New York City’s Times Square at
239 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019

Artist & Vendor List:

Aaron Bell, Washington

Alex Nardini, Italy

Assassin Tattoo, Taiwan

Avalon Tattoo, San Diego

Bad Bones Tattoo, Portugal

Belzel Books, Philadelphia

Big Daddys Tattoo, California

Bill Salmon, California

Blood, Ink, Tattoo, France

Body Graphics Tattoo, Philadelphia

Bruce Bart, New York

Bugs, California

Bullseye Tattoo, New York City

Calypso Tattoo, Belgium

Chris O’Donnell, New York City

Corts Royal Ink, New York

Dare Devil Tattoo, New York City

DaVinci Tattoo, New York

Diamond Club, California

Dragon Fly, New York City

Eternal Ink, Michigan

Exotic Lenses, Georgia

Father Panik Industries, New York

Flyrite Tattoo, New York City

Freakatorium, New York City

H2Ocean, Florida

Hannya Tattoo, Belgium

Henning Jorgensen, New York

Hold Fast, New York City

Hong Mei Zhang, China

Horisei, Japan

Horiyoshi III Clothing, California

House Of Pain Tattoo, Sweden

Independent Tattoo, Delaware

Island Tattoo, New York City

Jack Jiang, Florida

Jack Rudy, California

Juan Puente, New York

Kari Barba Tattoo, California

Kate Hellenbrand, New York

Keibunsha Tattoo, Japan

Lark Tattoo, New York

Last Rites, New York

Living In Skin, Texas

Lone Wolf Tattoo, New York

Lotus Tattoo, Long Island, NY

Lucky Girl, California

Mad Science Tattoo, Holland

Mario Barth, New Jersey

Max MacAndrews, Scotland

Megan Hoogland, Minnesota

Mean Street Tattoo, New York City

Mike Bellamy, New York

Mike Rubendall, New York

Mom’s Tattoo, California

Mr. Scary Tattoo, Colorado

Nico – All Style, Germany

No Dice Clothing, California

New York Adorned, New York City

Outer Limits Tattoo, California

Pat’s Tats, New York

Patty Kelly, California

Paul Booth, New York City

Polaco Tattoo, Brazil

Pure Body Arts, New York City

Raquel’s Temporary Tattoos, New Jersey

Red Rocket Tattoo, New York City

Rising Dragon Tattoo, New York City

Rock-A-Billy, Florida

Sacred Tattoo, New York City

Satan’s Sideshow, Baltimore

Screamin’ Ink, New Jersey

Shotsie’s Tattoo, New Jersey

Sourpuss Clothing, New Jersey

Spirit Of Art Tattoo, Germany

Steve Leather, New York City

Sunset Strip Tattoo, California

Tabu Tattoo, North Carolina

Taiwan Tattoo, Taiwan

Tattoo Culture, New York City

Tattoo Evolution, Washington

Tattoo Goo, New Jersey

Tattoo Johnny, Georgia

Tattoo Mania, California

Tattoo Nation, Austria

Tattooed Kingpin, Pennsylvania

Tattooville, New Jersey

That Scary Place, Colorado

Think Tank Tattoo, Colorado

Toilet Ink, New York City

Tom Tattoo, Italy

Totem Tattoo, Pennsylvania

Transformatorium, New York City

Triple-X Tattoo, Austria

Twisted Sol Tattoo, Colorado

UC Studios, Virginia

Unimax Supply, New York

Village Comix, New York City

Vincent Castiglia, New York City

Vintage Tattoo, California

Visionary Tattoo, New York

Way Cool Tattoo, Canada

Wicked Tattoo, Spain

Zoe Thorne, Germany

Zop Tattoo, Italy

RELATED LIINKS:
NYC Tattoo Convention
NYC Tattoo Convention on MySpace

By: JoSchuftan

BREAKING NEWS: Joey Belladona is BACK with ANTHRAX!


Legendary vocalist Joey Belladona is back with Anthrax, which is the band that broke him into the musical stratosphere. After Anthrax lost Dan Nelson with a completed record at hand, speculations started flowing through the internet about who would become Anthrax's lead singer. All the Anthrax fans immediately started rooting for Belladona. As we all know, previous singer John Bush never managed to impress the fans as much as Belladona did and will do again with his return to Anthrax.


The first Anthrax show with Belladona back on vocals, will be for the "Big Four" series of concerts in Europe for the Sonisphere Festival series. This year the festival features: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. This will be a tour that will go down in history and Belladona's return will make the festival that much more amazing!

Related links:
Anthrax Official Site
Anthrax on MySpace
Anthrax on Twitter