When Jose Rivera (singer/cowbell master) and Jeffrey Martinez (guitarist) first met, they immediately felt a magnetic musical force between them. After a few jam sessions, they felt the necessity of starting a fresh sounding Heavy Music band. Combining elements of Thrash Metal, Hardcore and even Latino music, Desolate possess a unique sound that has helped them survive the decline of the music industry in the last 10 years.
Apart from their unique flavor of music, they are a great crushing live band. This key element has helped them to stay relevant within the New York City Heavy Music scene, especially when a lot of real good bands have surfaced in the tri-state area. The main reason why they have persevered for 10 years is because when they started out, the scene was somewhat diluted. Therefore, their mission became to keep the underground music scene alive and well.
10 years ago they debuted at the legendary New York City club CBGB’s, which was the mecca of Hardcore and Punk. Thankfully once CBGB’s closed, The Trash Bar in Brooklyn quickly adopted the CB’s vibe and ever since then they've been keeping the scene going strong. On May 7, 2011, Desolate will make history as they celebrate their 10 year anniversary at The Dark Arts Music Festivus.
The event will take place on Saturday May 7 at The Trash Bar in Brooklyn. Joining Desolate will be Long Islands’ Misery, The Resurrection Sorrow, Olom and Left In Ruins. Additionally, we will have some tremendous artists that will be performing live while the bands are jamming. Their will also be artists displaying some badass artwork throughout the bar. Oh and get this, Alissa Shimansky from Brutal Bitches Productions will be hosting and Horns Up Rocks founder Jo Schüftan will be cranking the best Heavy Music in between bands. These two maniacs combined, are a recipe for an amazing night! So bring your cowbell and come celebrate the legacy of Desolate! \m/
Have you ever wondered what a Heavy Music show would be without a good amount of cold refreshing beer? It would be like eating a burger without cheese! While we as Metaleros tend to disagree and argue about different bands, we all agree that beer is the international drink of choice for the headbangers of the world.
Today is National Beer Day, yes a day devoted to our favorite drink! Whither you are cheap beer drinker and love the taste of Coors Light, Bud Light and PBR. Or you only consume high quality beer because you believe in catching a quality buzz. We can all agree that beer is a key element of the music scene we all love! So how did this awesome Metallic beverage arrive to the United States?
As we all know, Milwaukee (beer capital of the world) is synonymous to beer here in the United States and is were the first brewery (The Milwaukee Brewery) was established in the 1850's. But who brought beer into the United States? The Germans of course. When the Germans arrived to Milwaukee in the 1850's, they brought with them the knowledge of how to brew the best beer in the world (whoever argues that German beer is not the best, doesn't know much about beer). Did you know that Milwaukee was once the home to four of the world's largest breweries (Schlitz, Blatz, Pabst, and Miller)?
So how did National Beer Day get established?
In 1933 during the prohibition era, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act on March 23rd. The law was enacted on April 7th. This law gave the green light for the legal brewing and sale of beer in the United States as long as it was < 3.2% (4% ABV). It is said that numerous amount of people waited in line overnight on April 6th outside Milwaukee breweries just so they could legally buy beer for the first time in over 13 years. And this is why April 7th (today) is National Beer Day and April 6th is called New Beers Eve.
Here is a rundown of which Metal icons have made beer popular within the Heavy Music world:
- Pantera: The Kings Of Metal would often bring cups of beer on stage and throw them to the hungry crowd. They also required for anyone working with them to be an avid drinker, because in Pantera once the show was over, it was party time!
- Metallica (or Alcohollica): They are not only the biggest Heavy Metal band in history, but they used to also be the drunkest band of them all. As we all know James Hetfield took an extended break in 2001 to go through a rehabilitation process.
- Slayer: The most evil band in Heavy Metal supports beer, almost as much as they support religion (yeah right). Guitarist Jeff Hanneman had a guitar built for him with the Heineken logo with a twist involved: the guitar reads Hanneman (instead of Heineken), Anti Christ - Premium Quality.
- Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society): The mountain man of Metal was an avid Beck's drinker and would often have a case or two with him, which he would consume while doing press. He had to cut-down after having his doctors found blood clots in his body.
The list goes and on, but you get the picture. So Heavy National Beer Day and remember to never drink and drive, drinking is fun but don't be stupid! \m/
Do you like hard hitting Heavy Metal? The only music that makes your hair stand when you blast it on your car or on your stereo. If you can handle some punishing Metal, then listen up! This Sunday April 10, New York City will be painted in black for the biggest No Mercy Metal Showcase to date. The event will take place at the Highline Ballroom and the lineup of underground Heavy Music bands is quiet stellar.
Here are all the details you need for this Metallic event:
- Lineup: Code 6, Death Becomes Her, Resolution 15, We Fall As Heroes, Until Ashes, Fall Of The Albatross, Ikillya and Diverse. (Also featuring DJ Tim No 37!)
Former Manowar drummer Scott Columbus died yesterday, he was 54 years old. The cause of death has not been disclosed. The news of his death was confirmed by his girlfriend Nancy, who posted the following message:
"For all you to know, this is Scott Columbus's girlfriend of over 3 1/3 years... and I cannot get the words out, but he died today... Please send your thoughts and prayers. I can't believe he is gone. He was the absolute love of my life."
Scott was known for hitting the drums extremely hard, to the point that after years of having to replace standard kits too often, he started playing a kit made of stainless steel that he called the "Drums of Doom".
Here are some facts about Scott Columbus:
- Scott was discovered by a female fan, who saw him beating aluminum in a local foundry.
- He was part of Manowar from 1983 to 1990. Scott was forced to leave the band and at the time the band said that he left when his son got very sick (this was later denied by Columbus). He then was replaced by Kenny Earl Edwards (nicknamed Rhino) for "The Triumph of Steel" album. He returned for the "Louder Than Hell" album and stayed with the band until Summer of 2008.
- Manowar never made an official statement about Columbus's departure, but in an interview with Classic Rock Magazine, Scott broke the silence: "I'd say it was about April 2008. When Mr. DeMaio (Joey DeMaio, Manowar bassist/main man) and myself agreed to disagree on a few points of interest. That leads us up to today. You know what? I had a long and wonderful career with Manowar; I have no regrets, it's just life moves on."
- Regarding his departure in the early 90's Scott said: "It was the very end of 1989 leading into 1990. I was officially gone in 1990, the first time. I can just tell you and the world that my son was never sick. So you can deduce from that what you may. However, that's what I'll tell you (concerning the official statement)."
We want to send our deepest condolences to Scott's family, friends, fans, and the Manowar guys. Here is the band's OFFICIAL statement:
Scott Columbus, Rest In Peace Tuesday - April 05, 2011
"It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our brother Scott Columbus.
Scott Columbus was a rare talent and equally a rare individual.
He was a father, a friend and a brother of metal.
All of the great moments we spent together in the studio, in our homes and on the road are burnished in our hearts and memories forever.
These words are spoken with heavy hearts but we have the comfort of knowing that he is in a good place and at peace.
He will never be forgotten."
Your family and brothers, Joey, Eric, Karl, Donnie
Summer is getting somewhat close, and we all know what that means. Live music, cold beers, girls with bikini tops, and plenty of headbanging! This years Mayhem Fest promises to be the Heavy Metal and Hard Rock event of the Summer, in case you've been living under a rock here is the lineup:
MAIN STAGE: - Disturbed - Godsmack - Megadeth - Machine Head - In Flames - Trivium - Dethklok (Appearing in San Bernardino CA on July 9th) - Testament (Appearing in San Bernardino CA on July 9th & in Mountain View CA on July 10th) - Hatebreed (Appearing in Chicago IL on August 5th, in Detroit MI on August 6th, & in Indianapolis IN on August 7th)
EXTREME STAGE: - Suicide Silence - All Shall Perish - Straight Line Stitch
JAGERMEISTER STAGE: - Unearth - Kingdom Of Sorrow - Red Fang
This summers insanity begins on July 9th at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, CA and will conclude on August 14th at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, FL. The official 72-hour ticket pre-sale time period, begins this Friday, April 8th at 10am in all time zones, and the General Public sale begins on April 15th. Here is the OFFICIAL Press release:
"The festival will be running a “Get Off Your Ass” promotion which will run for the first 72 hours of the pre-sale period, ending on Monday, April 11th at 10am. This “Get Off Your Ass” promotion will knock $5 off of any ticket price for any show date, including pit, reserved and lawn tickets! Highlights of the 72-hour “Get Off Your Ass” ticket pre-sale offer include a specially priced 3D commemorative ticket which doubles as a “jump the line” pass, early entrance to your local show, access to a limited edition ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL pre-sale t-shirt offer, and a specially priced subscription offer from Revolver Magazine. This is a limited time offer, while supplies last and limited to six tickets per person. Note that the 72-hour “Get Off Your Ass” offer does not apply to Boise, ID, Montreal, QC and Oklahoma City, OK. Oklahoma City, OK will not be offering the $5 discount, but pre-sale tickets will be available on Friday, April 8th at the regular rate.
Fans have the opportunity to pre-register for the official pre-sale at this link. Pre-registering will put fans at the front of the line at the time of pre-sale. Boise, ID and Montreal, QC dates are not eligible for this pre-registration offer.
This year, the ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL is offering two special VIP packages at this link. ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL VIP packages not only provide seats close to the stage, but fans also get early entry inside the venue, access to the Rockstar Lounge, an exclusive ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL skate deck, limited edition tour poster, laminate, custom guitar picks and more.
Brand new official merchandise is available right now at this location!
The 4th annual ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL will also feature ROCKSTAR METAL MULISHA JUMP TEAM, the World’s Greatest Freestyle Motocross team. ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL attendees can enjoy a plethora of festival activities, including perusing vendors, attending autograph signing sessions and a slew of other interactive activities that enhance the concert experience. It's a 10 hour trip to heavy nirvana."
Here are a few quotes from the guys who organized this EPIC tour together: “Metal is ALIVE and WELL in 2011,” states tour producer John Reese. “Each year the tour gets bigger and better and 2011 is no exception. This group of artists this year are going to apply a big, bad, metal shellacking for the fans across the USA and Canada.”
“ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL 2011 is a true mix of molten veterans and smoldering up-and-comers, who are bringing their A games and giving the fans nothing less of an amazing day,” adds tour producer Kevin Lyman.
ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL TOUR DATES:
7/9 - San Manuel Amphitheater - San Bernardino, CA (Los Angeles, CA) 7/10 - Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA (San Francisco, CA) 7/12 - White River Amphitheatre - Auburn, WA (Seattle, WA) 7/13 - Idaho Center Amphitheater - Nampa, ID (Boise, ID) 7/15 – Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion - Phoenix, AZ 7/16 - Hard Rock Casino Presents: The Pavilion - Albuquerque, NM 7/17 - Comfort Dental Amphitheater - Englewood, CO (Denver, CO) 7/19 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - Maryland Heights, MO (St. Louis, MO) 7/20 - Riverbend Music Center - Cincinnati, OH 7/22 - Comcast Center - Mansfield, MA (Boston, MA) 7/23 - Parc Jean-Drapeau - (Heavy MTL) - Montreal, QC 7/24 - Comcast Theatre - Hartford, CT 7/27 - PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ 7/29 - First Niagara Pavilion - Burgettstown, PA (Pittsburgh, PA) 7/30 - Jiffy Lube Live - Bristow, VA (Washington DC) 7/31 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ 8/2 – Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach - Virginia Beach, VA 8/3 - Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek - Raleigh, NC 8/5 - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre - Tinley Park, IL (Chicago IL) 8/6 - DTE Energy Music Theatre - Clarkston, MI (Detroit, MI) 8/7 - Verizon Wireless Music Center - Noblesville, IN (Indianapolis, IN) 8/9 - Zoo Amphitheatre - Oklahoma City, OK 8/10 – Gexa Energy Pavilion - Dallas, TX 8/12 - Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood - Atlanta, GA 8/13 - 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre - Tampa, FL 8/14 - Cruzan Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, FL
Many bands have tried imitating GWAR, and have all failed miserably. Not necessarily because of lack of talent, but because the masters of gore are untouchable. What makes them untouchable? Well, not only are they are one of the hardest working bands in the music world, but they are constantly reinventing themselves by stepping their game up and not losing focus of their status as a cult band . If you take a look at their 25+ year career, their music has evolved constantly and as a result the music industry has labeled them as Thrash Metal, Comedy Rock, Crossover Thrash, Hardcore Punk and Shock Rock. To us they are simply GWAR! No labels, no gimmicks, just original energetic Heavy Music with lots of humor and controversy.
In the past 6 months we’ve had the chance to get to know their master Oderus Urungus, and even though he is from Antartica, we’ve managed to get to somewhat understand his chaotic personality. One thing that is always evident is that GWAR is his Metallic pride and joy. Its always a trip experiencing the members of GWAR getting into character and how in a matter of seconds they can turn any venue upside down with their monstrous strength and powerful music.
So what is the fuel that feeds fire to Oderus and the rest of the band? Apart from their awareness about politics and pop culture, which are often portrayed during their live sets. They also feed from the adrenalized GWAR aficionado’s who know that when they go to one of the band’s shows, they must be ready to get sonically annihilated and drenched with fake blood. Some may call it a chemical warfare, but the Gwar fans call it a blood bath in a bloody pit of horror! An outsider might think that these kids wearing white t-shirts (so they can get drenched by GWAR) are crazy, but the reality is that next to Oderus and the GWAR clan, nobody is crazy.
At their recent show at the Starland Ballroom in Sayerville (or Slayerville) New Jersey, we had the chance to interview Oderus Urungus right before the band went on stage. Here is this EXCLUSIVE chaotic interview, which also features plenty of live footage and a fan interview! So put on your white t-shirt and enter GWAR’s Bloody Pit Of Horror!
WARNING: Due to the graphic nature of this program, viewer discretion is advised.
Special thanks to Oderus, Jon Freeman, Rene Encarnacion & all the GWAR aficionados!
When Jose Rivera (singer/cowbell master) and Jeffrey Martinez (guitarist) first met, they immediately felt a magnetic musical force between them. After a few jam sessions, they felt the necessity of starting a fresh sounding Heavy Music band. Combining elements of Thrash Metal, Hardcore and even Latino music, Desolate possess a unique sound that has helped them survive the decline of the music industry in the last 10 years.
