Wednesday, April 16, 2014

The New Viewpoint

If anybody has still been holding out on going to the New Viewpoint located on 82nd and Lombard let me just start this off by saying you're lucky. Nothing personal against the owner Paul Hoosen, a biker and former Super Market owner. I actually like the guy and would really like to see him succeed but unfortunately after one night of my band playing the venue I can already see that it has all the ingredients for failure and disaster. On our way into the venue we had everyone glaring at us wondering what the hell we were doing there, since the employees all look like hardcore gang bangers and the whores they pimp.  That is of course aside from the owner Paul, the only one that looks like he has any legitimate street cred from his days riding. I couldn't help but display a maniacal smile each time one of these wanna be thugs tried to stare me down. However the ridiculous employees aside, all the girls looked like flat chested preteens, and the DJ had no clue what he was doing as he put the same CD on repeat throughout the night. If this wasn't bad enough they didn't even have a liquor licenses and the food that they did have was atrocious. 

As we were setting up our equipment we had to do some inventive cord and power strip wrangling since they only had two power outlets each 30ft from the stage. This isn't even taking into consideration that we had to find a PA at the last minute because the PA that there homeboy of a manager and inept twit of a sound guy said would be more than enough, couldn't even be plugged into by more than a laptop or MP3 player. Nothing a real musician or DJ would even take a second glance at. Not to mention that even if we were able to plug in to their board we would have had to run 100 ft instrument cables to reach it. Of course after hearing that the only acts they have had in the venue aside from the poor excuse for strippers was rap and hip hop acts. Not surprising considering it takes little to no talent to be a rapper or hip hop artist in today's music industry since all you need is a mic and a MP3 player or Laptop. To make the night more amusing the strippers decided they would now refuse to dance to rock music and made an open protest by not even dancing to the crap rap CD that was being played. They just sat on stage and pouted while the so called Booker of these dancers taught them some moves. I don't know what I found more amusing, whether it was strippers forming enough of a thought process to have an opinion and make a stand or that they were being taken seriously and not fired on the spot. I'm sorry honey but you don't matter, there are a million more sluts willing to walk through the door, strip off all their clothes and take your place. Oh,  not to mention the other girls will dance to Rock! No, you had to whine and drive away paying customers that witnessed your underage ass pouting on stage like some drugged up whore in a sex slave display.

 As I walked up to the door to find out why people weren't showing up I found that not only were people walking away because there was nothing going on inside with the strippers, lack of alcohol, and crap food, but homeboy manager decided to jack the entry fee to more than double what we had agreed on. When i questioned him about this he simply said that he needed to make his money which almost earned a bitch slap right there. I simply pointed out the deficiencies in his business and how he couldn't expect people to pay something for nothing. He just laughed and continued to try and look hard  for someone that probably got prison raped many times in his life. Luckily a few friends did make it through so we weren't playing to an empty house. We didn't have to suffer through the food that we did order because we also had pizza delivered, and we brought our own alcohol and partied in the back. Thank you to Thistle Stalk  for partying and playing with us. No matter the size of the crowd we will always put on one hell of a show.

I'll end this with a little advice to owner Paul Hoosen. FIRE your loser employees because they are only using you for a job, the status of knowing the owner of a strip club, and the money they are undoubtedly stealing from under your nose. They will only drag you and your business down before moving on to the next kindhearted gullible sap. Then hire a crew that knows what they are doing, get a liquor license, and a real PA. You told me about the Super Market you sold and the 2 million you put into buying the business just so you could retire, have some fun and see some tits. Exactly what every hard working man has the right to do with his retirement, but it will quickly become a nightmare if you don't make a change. Good luck and I hope you heed the advice so you succeed.  

Friday, April 11, 2014

Cry Havok


Over the last few months I have had the pleasure of sharing the stage with a magnificent act called Cry Havok. Every time they take the stage they bring a unique blend of talent and charisma rarely found in today's music scene. Lead Singer Halston Sevigny has a star quality that lights up the stage on a nightly basis and keeps the crowd captivated through the ebbs and tides of the bands musical performances that borderline on genius. Each member adds an aspect that flows perfectly into the next without robbing the other of the coveted limelite. Halston is joined on stage by Wayne White on guitar, with his partner in crime Brian Kennedy also on Guitar; Jared Venti on Bass, and Drummer Antonio Mata. With seamlessly flowing guitar solos and astounding vocals including the high pitched screams taking you to the days of 80's hair metal, this band has what it takes to go as far as they want in the music industry. Find them on Twitter or Facebook to keep up with the band and find out more about their upcoming show dates so you don't a single performance. This group will soon be selling out arenas and amazing fans across the world, so go check them out before you're just another face in the crowd.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Erik Anarky

First off I have to start this by making an apology because like many people that have been approached by Erik Anarchy, I have avoided doing shows with him because I just assumed he was like most of the musicians out their with over inflated opinions of themselves without the skill to back it up. His performances are spastic, loud and obnoxious, which considering he labels his music Punk/Metal/Rock it goes right in line with that mix of genres. However too many times watching him onstage leaves the listener asking WTF! I never took the time to learn more about Erik.  If I had I would have learned that Erik is Autistic, and even with that struggle he takes on the music industry with a tenacity and determination that most of us can only dream of having. His music may still leaving me saying WTF at times but I can say that I have a new found respect for him. I hope that he keeps pursuing his dreams in this dog eat dog industry and doesn't let the ever changing tides of this business discourage him because he truly is an inspiration. Go check him out because it is definitely an entertaining experience, but bring some ear plugs because it can get pretty loud.

Chronological Injustice

When you think of teen bands the image that usually comes to mind is loud obnoxious nonsense that assaults the senses and leaves you wondering why you paid the price of admission to witness the performance in the first place. Aside from those obligated by parental devotion to encourage their child's creativity. However in the case of a band like Chronological Injustice that is not the way things are at all. The talent that these young men possess is way beyond their years and leaves a Veteran performer like myself wondering where devoted musicians like them were at when I was in High School. With youth on their side they have taken the NW music scene by storm and continue to wow audiences with there outrageous stage shows and musical passion. Members include Gunnar Dugrey, Gage Dean, Bobby Rosson and Nathan Nielson. For samples of their extraordinary musical ability you can check them out at Reverbnation or Facebook. For booking info or interview just send an email to their manager Darrel Richardson at darrelrichardson60@yahoo.com. You will definitely want to keep an eye on this band in the future and get in on the ground floor of their progress. Go to a show or book them now before they're off touring the world and signed to a Major recording label because it is surely in their future.



Infamous Unknown

Infamous Unknown, an American Rock & Roll band from Corvallis, OR is definitely high on the list of bands to checkout if you ever get a chance to go to one of their shows. Their members include Vocalist and Rhythm Guitar player Carter Briscoe who brings a whimsical and captivating presence to the stage. He shares the spotlight with Lead Singer and Song Writer Paula McManus who frequently holds the audience awe struck with her unique and amazing vocal talent reminiscent of a young Stevie Knicks. Backing them is an extremely talented assortment of musicians including Joe Hunter on Lead Guitar, Bass player Jason Bruce, and Drummer Mike Rivera. They joke that they all met in a bar one night and came to a musical epiphany except for singer Paula who they say they met over a to-go-box of shame. One can only assume the bout of food poisoning this image makes the reader imagine hoping that the original 5th member was not lost that fateful night to a bout of terminal salmonella poisoning leaving a sudden opening for Paula to slide into. Whatever the case may be  we are all lucky this group was able to come together to put on the shows that they do. Please make sure to check them out in the very near future and I can promise you will not be disappointed. Follow the link to like them on Facebook and stay up to date on all their upcoming shows.    


Tuesday, April 8, 2014

The State Of Live Music

I've been giving it a lot of thought lately and I am actually giving serious consideration to leaving the live music scene. It's no longer what it used to be. Ever since the advent of the torrent movement, the music industry has been on a serious decline. Metallica's Lars Ulrich only saw the tip of the iceberg and that alone sent him on a nuclear meltdown of epic proportions. As torrents progressively became more and more popular  the music industry began to severely panic. In an attempt to compete with the inevitable migration into the next generation of music they decided to flood pathways of the web with a cluster fuck of no talent hacks claiming to be the next big thing. As a result we have all had to suffer through hoards of pathetic followers that listen to mass media as far as what real music is and needs to be, while they bombard our ear drums with the auditory ass rape they perform on stage and record for our listening displeasure. Being in the music industry I have met some pretty great musicians. However I have had to endure some of the worst excuses for talent to grace the stages of this world since the formation of the art. Although am not out out to shatter anyone's dreams so I of course won't name names although I am sure you know who you are. If you don't I truly hope someone that loves you down the road takes your chosen instrument away from you and beats you with it, burns it in front of you, or gives it to someone with actual talent so we can bring closure to this horrific debacle finally. That being said I can say I have seen the tides of change coming and although I am considering leaving the stage I will never leave the music industry. I will just approach it from a different angle like a tactician taking on a particularly difficult force.  I will flank it from many different angles until I force it to see the talent I have been fervently waving in front of it's face for so many years that has only been appreciated on the small scale. As fulfilling as the praise from the fans are I will always want more...success not praise. I promise I'm not quite that narcissistic, yet. I will be reaching out on the internet to whomever would like to collaborate with me on my 400 or more songs that I have written. A list that keeps growing everyday because the muse that has me by the ear must have taken a fat line of coke back in the day because she hasn't shut up since, and I don't want her to. While I wait for the inevitable day I will be recognized I will just continue to comment on the great and not so great acts of this generation because I can no longer keep my mouth shut. If I do I am liable to snap one night and strangle some random band with their instrument cables in an attempt to save the audience from their onslaught of pathetic, mind numbing, less than eloquent representation of the shit they call music.