Post #370
Here is another audio file I recently rediscovered, and never shared before on this blog. Granted, the transcript of this interview was posted back in 2013 and you can still read that post here. However, I do want to provide the audio form of the interview, and will hope to include audio files promptly after any future interviews I may conduct. Thank you for your patience!
My interview with Tony Asta- lead guitarist from Battlecross:
Showing posts with label Orion Fest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orion Fest. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
2013 Interview from Orion Music and More: Cauldron's Ian Chains and Myles Deck
Post #369
After several years I uncovered the audio files from 2 interviews I did at Metallica's Orion Music and More in Detroit 2013. I realize this is an opportunity to put these discussions online where they belong. I apologize for not including the audio back in my initial reviews of that music festival. The conversations were transcribed in those old posts, but there is much to be enjoyed by hearing the audio itself. Hopefully this is an oversight I will not make again in the future!
My interview with Ian Chains and Myles Deck from Cauldron:
After several years I uncovered the audio files from 2 interviews I did at Metallica's Orion Music and More in Detroit 2013. I realize this is an opportunity to put these discussions online where they belong. I apologize for not including the audio back in my initial reviews of that music festival. The conversations were transcribed in those old posts, but there is much to be enjoyed by hearing the audio itself. Hopefully this is an oversight I will not make again in the future!
My interview with Ian Chains and Myles Deck from Cauldron:
Monday, June 24, 2013
ORION Music + More: In Conclusion...
Post #256
I would like to take a minute to reflect one last time on the incomparable experience that was Metallica's Orion Music + More. As much as I have tried to capture and interpret every aspect of the 2-day music and lifestyle festival, I was still limited to only the events I chose to see. With five stages featuring live music, and artists often performing simultaneously, it was simply impossible to experience it all. I have given you my most thorough reviews of those acts I was able to see, but there were many more excellent musicians and bands that I missed, so I thought I would take a minute here to acknowledge every performer from this year's Orion Fest so that you can explore all their music on your own. Most of the live performances from Orion Fest should be available for download through the Orion Music + More website, or each band's individual websites shortly.
You can also read my reviews of: Day 1, Battlecross, dehaan (Metallica's Kill 'Em All set), Red Hot Chili Peppers, Day 2, Cauldron, Metallica, as well as my interviews with Battlecross and Cauldron.
I would like to take a minute to reflect one last time on the incomparable experience that was Metallica's Orion Music + More. As much as I have tried to capture and interpret every aspect of the 2-day music and lifestyle festival, I was still limited to only the events I chose to see. With five stages featuring live music, and artists often performing simultaneously, it was simply impossible to experience it all. I have given you my most thorough reviews of those acts I was able to see, but there were many more excellent musicians and bands that I missed, so I thought I would take a minute here to acknowledge every performer from this year's Orion Fest so that you can explore all their music on your own. Most of the live performances from Orion Fest should be available for download through the Orion Music + More website, or each band's individual websites shortly.
You can also read my reviews of: Day 1, Battlecross, dehaan (Metallica's Kill 'Em All set), Red Hot Chili Peppers, Day 2, Cauldron, Metallica, as well as my interviews with Battlecross and Cauldron.
Click here for the complete line-up for Orion Music + More, 2013.
Here are more of the photos I took from the entire weekend:
Thank you to all the bands, the sponsors, the organizers, the city of Detroit, and, of course, Metallica!
See you next year!
In the meantime, Happy Headbanging!
Here are more of the photos I took from the entire weekend:
Thank you to all the bands, the sponsors, the organizers, the city of Detroit, and, of course, Metallica!
See you next year!
In the meantime, Happy Headbanging!
Saturday, June 22, 2013
ORION Music + More: HappyHeadbanger's interview with Couldron.
Post #255
In the late afternoon on June 9th at Orion Music + More I had another excellent opportunity to interview 2 of the members of Cauldron, a real stripped-down, pure and classic sounding metal band out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I was excited to find out a little more about these guys who are making metal music the good old-fashioned way that it used to be. I spoke with guitarist Ian Chains and drummer Myles Deck. Here's how the interview went...
HappyHeadbanger: Joel Beverley here. I write Heavy Metal 107: Home of the Happy Headbanger. It can be found at www.happyheadbanger.com. I'm speaking today with two guys from Cauldron. You want to introduce yourselves?
Ian Chains: Yeah. I'm Ian. I play guitar.
Myles Deck: And I'm Myles. I play the drums.
IC: And that's it. Just the two of us.
MD: I sing, sometimes.
HH: Yeah, backing vocals on both you guys I saw in your set this morning. So, just in a few words tell me what it means to have been picked, you know I assume Metallica picked you guys to be here at Orion Fest, to be part of the line up. And what does it mean to you to play this show.
IC: Well, Just the fact that Metallica knows who we are is enough for me. I think that's pretty cool.
MD: My 15-year-old self is giving me a pat on the back right now.
HH: Yeah!
MD: I'm pretty proud of myself as a 30-year-old as well, but that's kinda when I discovered Metallica.
HH : Okay.
IC: My 65-year-old self is blowing a load in his pants... I don't know. You can take that out.
HH: Okay. I'll copy to your....
IC: Nah, keep that in. Nah it was alright.
HH: You can approve it at the end. Anyway, what other bands here on the bill are you interested in seeing, interested in meeting? Catching up with or catching their music?
MD: I was really psyched to see FLAG. And we caught them. We got here just as they were playing.
HH: OK, cool.
MD: And I met Keith Morris. He seemed... polite.
HH: Yeah.
MD: For the most part.
IC: We're gonna check out DEATH.
HH: Yeah.
IC: We heard 'em sound check. Sounded pretty awesome.
MD: I wanted to see The Dirtbombs, but they were playing the same time we were, so...
HH: Yeah, schedules like that can't be helped.
IC: And there's this... some band called 'Metallica' too, so.
HH: Oh, yeah. Everybody...
IC: Probably, we might check them out.
HH: They might be a pretty popular set.
MD: Pretty underrated band, from what I hear.
HH: Alright, you played in your set today you played 'All or Nothing' is one of the songs of yours that I really like. I Particularly love your music video for it. It's got a lot of humor in it. You kinda like portray all the cliches of heavy metal and everything, and I couldn't help but wonder, is any of that from the video autobiographical?
IC: It is, but those weren't our real jobs, but that's how we feel about life in general, I guess. So, it is based on loathing going back to work after tour, and just hating our bosses.
HH: Yeah.
MD: Yeah it seems like you can't have a job that you like and also be in a band and tour heavily, because if they... you know, you have a job that you like, then you're expected to commit to it. And then the only jobs that are available to you are shitty jobs that you don't care about, that you don't mind quitting when you go on tour.
HH: Yeah.
MD: But they kinda tear at you.
HH: Any accidents with gas cans in your garages? Like at the end of the video?
IC: Nah, we stopped doing that since we died in the video.
HH: (Laughs) Okay, okay, awesome. So, researching your guys' music a little bit, and the internet directs me to 'The New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal', and I just have to ask, when you started out Cauldron, was that your intent, or did the label kinda come after you guys were doing what you did?
IC: No, when we started, that term was unheard of. That term started getting tossed around by magazines like Terrorizer and Metal Hammer around 2009.
HH: Uh-huh.
IC: And that is not a fan-created term, or a band-created term. That is a press-created term to sell magazines, and we don't care about it at all. It's a joke, really.
HH: Okay.
IC: We were playing...
HH: It's like the 'New Wave' of everything. The 'New Wave of This' the 'New Wave of That'.
IC: We were playing this exact kind of music before that term came around, and so were other bands like Enforcer, who are also labeled with that. But, you know, that was never the intent, and that's... When there's you know, a handful of bands doing the same style, kind of, then you're doomed to be labeled something. But we don't endorse that.
HH: Okay. How about you guys personally. What were your influences, when you were young, to start learning to play music, to have a passion to perform music, to be in a band?
MD: Well I don't know, it'd probably damage my credibility, but I don't know. I guess like for heavy metal, the first band I heard was pretty classic. I think pretty traditional for a lot of people was Black Sabbath.
HH: Yeah Sabbath.
MD: I heard it when I was 11, and I played 'Iron Man' on tape. And I was like, "Uhhh this is heavy!"
HH: Yeah.
MD: "I wanna play this."
HH: Cool.
IC: Well, my story's a bit different. I wanted to play guitar after watching Back to the Future.
MD: (laughs)
IC: Seeing Marty McFly ripping a solo behind his head, and tapping. And then I got really into Huey Lewis and The News, because they were like, prominently featured in that movie.
HH: Yeah!
IC: And that's what really got me into thinking guitar was cool. And the first Huey Lewis and The News album, the guy's got a double-neck guitar, and he's making some stupid face. I just made my parents buy it for me. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. And I still like that album.
MD: Okay, well I just had like a recent, like a recent memory come to me.
HH: Go ahead...
MD: And uh, it was 'Money for Nothing' by Dire Straits. How in the beginning there's this huge drum solo. 'Do-do-do-do Da-du-du-du-duu-kish!' You got Sting in the background going,...
All Three: (singing in high pitched falsettos) "I want my MTV..."
HH: Yeah!
MD: And there's just like this big build-up of 'A-du-du-du-d-d-d-du-du-du-du-Kish!' 'A-du-du-du-d-d-d-du-du-du-du-Kish!' And then I like, remember my parents had that cassette, and we listened to it in the car a lot. And all of a sudden it was like, when you couldn't take any more, the guitar lick comes in, 'Wrrr, nah-nah-naar, naar nana narrrr...' and that's when I knew I had to be in a band.
HH: Oh, cool cool stuff.
IC: I actually had that cassette-single, with that song on both sides.
HH: (laughs) Cool.
IC: And it came for free with a cassette player that I bought. It was like a promo-pack. So I listened to that song over and over again.
MD: So you got your music for nothing and your tapes for free!
IC: Yeah.
HH: Yeah. Wow, those were the days. How about a first concert you guys ever saw, as fans. Who did you see?
MD: As music fans? Or just like the first concert ever?
HH: Uh, either one.
IC: Mine's pretty... I don't know. I'm kinda surprised, but my first concert I saw, I was 14, and it was Sonic Youth.
MD: Really?
HH: Cool.
IC: Yeah, I was really into Nirvana and Mudhoney and Sonic Youth, and that was the first concert I saw. And I thought they were amazing.
HH: Okay.
MD: First show I ever saw, I was 12. I saw this punk band from Vancouver called DBS.
HH: Oh, cool.
MD: And they had this song called 'Snow Ball'. It was on much music, or what. It was cool. It was a lot of energy, like probably 200 kids in this small-ass club and moshing. And I got trampled. It was amazing.
HH: Okay. So, I'm just going to admit that I discovered you guys recently. I had heard of your first album a couple years back, but I haven't really checked it out until recently, though. And like, your style of music and all the 'sound-alikes' that social media and all the internet stuff leads me to, it's like you guys have lead me to a new gold-mine of this classic, real pure style of metal. Who would you recommend to me as other bands to check out with high priority. Either new or old, like classic obscure stuff and newer guys.
IC: There's a lot of really good new bands. I would recommend checking out Vulture from Richmond, VA.
MD: Midnight, from Cleveland.
IC: One of my favorite bands right now, and they're really new, and they really only have like 4 or 5 songs demoed, but Witch Hazel, from England.
HH: Okay.
IC: They're up-and-coming, but they're songs are amazing. It's like Thin Lizzy meets...
MD: You don't know. You've never heard before. ... Meets Mega Man.
IC: ...some pagan ritual in the woods. Yeah, it's really good. Enforcer from Sweeden. Those guys rule. You know, that's it. There's three good bands there.
HH: Okay. You want to talk a little bit about your latest album, the Tomorrow's Lost, and what your approach was for recording that, and how you wrote the music for it.
IC: Well, the approach for recording it was the same as the album before, Burning Fortune. Same studio, same producer. Everything. We're just trying to improve upon, you know, building upon our sound, you know. Really simple, recorded live off the floor. Guitars doubled. That's it. And that's what we're all about. Keeping it really simple.
HH: Simple and pure.
IC: Yeah.
HH: Pure metal.
IC: Just trying to sound real and organic. We're not into clickity-klack bass drums, and you know, shitty processed guitar sounds. We're into real, real sounds.
HH: Okay.
IC: And the songs... I don't know. We actually didn't have a drummer when we wrote these. It was me and Jason. Jason on drums and me on guitar for writing the album. So that's kinda how it came about.
HH: Okay, cool. And the last question- just what's on your near-horizon? What's coming up for Cauldron? Any plans? Any...
MD: We have some shows on the east coast of the States. So, we're playing Baltimore, we're playing Raleigh, North Carolina.
HH: Alright.
MD: ...Richmond, Virginia. Wilmington, North Caroliona. We're also playing in Providence, Rhode Island at the end of July. Just like some shows like that. We're looking into going to South America in the fall.
HH: Yeah?
IC: October, yeah.
MD: Seeing how that comes together. Just we want to make sure we don't get ripped off, too hard.
HH: Yeah, yeah, I bet...
IC: ...Or stabbed in the face...
HH: I know South America's a lot of metal-heads if you can coordinate it, yeah.
MD: Yeah, well, I personally get messages from people occasionally. Asking me, pleading with me, begging me or also like...
HH: Blackmailing you? (laughs)
MD: Well, not like blackmail, but like stuttering death-threats...
IC: Come play...
MD: Or like, just something in broken English. Saying, 'Come, play Brazil'. 'Come, play Columbia.'
IC: 'Come, play Brazil. You play my back yard. I feed you.'
MD: (laughs)
IC: Okay. Well, let's book some $10,000 flights down to South America to play in some guy's backyard, and he'll make us some corn dogs, some pogos.
HH: Well, for now you're playing in James Hetfield's backyard, his barbecue here at Orion Fest. I want to thank you guys for having this interview with me. It's been fun, and keep playing that pure metal, you guys. You rock!
MD: You bet.
IC: Thanks, Joel
MD: Thanks, Joel
HH: Thank you!
In the late afternoon on June 9th at Orion Music + More I had another excellent opportunity to interview 2 of the members of Cauldron, a real stripped-down, pure and classic sounding metal band out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I was excited to find out a little more about these guys who are making metal music the good old-fashioned way that it used to be. I spoke with guitarist Ian Chains and drummer Myles Deck. Here's how the interview went...
IAN CHAINS
MYLES DECK
HappyHeadbanger: Joel Beverley here. I write Heavy Metal 107: Home of the Happy Headbanger. It can be found at www.happyheadbanger.com. I'm speaking today with two guys from Cauldron. You want to introduce yourselves?
Ian Chains: Yeah. I'm Ian. I play guitar.
Myles Deck: And I'm Myles. I play the drums.
IC: And that's it. Just the two of us.
MD: I sing, sometimes.
HH: Yeah, backing vocals on both you guys I saw in your set this morning. So, just in a few words tell me what it means to have been picked, you know I assume Metallica picked you guys to be here at Orion Fest, to be part of the line up. And what does it mean to you to play this show.
IC: Well, Just the fact that Metallica knows who we are is enough for me. I think that's pretty cool.
MD: My 15-year-old self is giving me a pat on the back right now.
HH: Yeah!
MD: I'm pretty proud of myself as a 30-year-old as well, but that's kinda when I discovered Metallica.
HH : Okay.
IC: My 65-year-old self is blowing a load in his pants... I don't know. You can take that out.
HH: Okay. I'll copy to your....
IC: Nah, keep that in. Nah it was alright.
HH: You can approve it at the end. Anyway, what other bands here on the bill are you interested in seeing, interested in meeting? Catching up with or catching their music?
MD: I was really psyched to see FLAG. And we caught them. We got here just as they were playing.
HH: OK, cool.
MD: And I met Keith Morris. He seemed... polite.
HH: Yeah.
MD: For the most part.
IC: We're gonna check out DEATH.
HH: Yeah.
IC: We heard 'em sound check. Sounded pretty awesome.
MD: I wanted to see The Dirtbombs, but they were playing the same time we were, so...
HH: Yeah, schedules like that can't be helped.
IC: And there's this... some band called 'Metallica' too, so.
HH: Oh, yeah. Everybody...
IC: Probably, we might check them out.
HH: They might be a pretty popular set.
MD: Pretty underrated band, from what I hear.
HH: Alright, you played in your set today you played 'All or Nothing' is one of the songs of yours that I really like. I Particularly love your music video for it. It's got a lot of humor in it. You kinda like portray all the cliches of heavy metal and everything, and I couldn't help but wonder, is any of that from the video autobiographical?
IC: It is, but those weren't our real jobs, but that's how we feel about life in general, I guess. So, it is based on loathing going back to work after tour, and just hating our bosses.
HH: Yeah.
MD: Yeah it seems like you can't have a job that you like and also be in a band and tour heavily, because if they... you know, you have a job that you like, then you're expected to commit to it. And then the only jobs that are available to you are shitty jobs that you don't care about, that you don't mind quitting when you go on tour.
HH: Yeah.
MD: But they kinda tear at you.
HH: Any accidents with gas cans in your garages? Like at the end of the video?
IC: Nah, we stopped doing that since we died in the video.
HH: (Laughs) Okay, okay, awesome. So, researching your guys' music a little bit, and the internet directs me to 'The New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal', and I just have to ask, when you started out Cauldron, was that your intent, or did the label kinda come after you guys were doing what you did?
IC: No, when we started, that term was unheard of. That term started getting tossed around by magazines like Terrorizer and Metal Hammer around 2009.
HH: Uh-huh.
IC: And that is not a fan-created term, or a band-created term. That is a press-created term to sell magazines, and we don't care about it at all. It's a joke, really.
HH: Okay.
IC: We were playing...
HH: It's like the 'New Wave' of everything. The 'New Wave of This' the 'New Wave of That'.
IC: We were playing this exact kind of music before that term came around, and so were other bands like Enforcer, who are also labeled with that. But, you know, that was never the intent, and that's... When there's you know, a handful of bands doing the same style, kind of, then you're doomed to be labeled something. But we don't endorse that.
HH: Okay. How about you guys personally. What were your influences, when you were young, to start learning to play music, to have a passion to perform music, to be in a band?
MD: Well I don't know, it'd probably damage my credibility, but I don't know. I guess like for heavy metal, the first band I heard was pretty classic. I think pretty traditional for a lot of people was Black Sabbath.
HH: Yeah Sabbath.
MD: I heard it when I was 11, and I played 'Iron Man' on tape. And I was like, "Uhhh this is heavy!"
HH: Yeah.
MD: "I wanna play this."
HH: Cool.
IC: Well, my story's a bit different. I wanted to play guitar after watching Back to the Future.
MD: (laughs)
IC: Seeing Marty McFly ripping a solo behind his head, and tapping. And then I got really into Huey Lewis and The News, because they were like, prominently featured in that movie.
HH: Yeah!
IC: And that's what really got me into thinking guitar was cool. And the first Huey Lewis and The News album, the guy's got a double-neck guitar, and he's making some stupid face. I just made my parents buy it for me. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. And I still like that album.
MD: Okay, well I just had like a recent, like a recent memory come to me.
HH: Go ahead...
MD: And uh, it was 'Money for Nothing' by Dire Straits. How in the beginning there's this huge drum solo. 'Do-do-do-do Da-du-du-du-duu-kish!' You got Sting in the background going,...
All Three: (singing in high pitched falsettos) "I want my MTV..."
HH: Yeah!
MD: And there's just like this big build-up of 'A-du-du-du-d-d-d-du-du-du-du-Kish!' 'A-du-du-du-d-d-d-du-du-du-du-Kish!' And then I like, remember my parents had that cassette, and we listened to it in the car a lot. And all of a sudden it was like, when you couldn't take any more, the guitar lick comes in, 'Wrrr, nah-nah-naar, naar nana narrrr...' and that's when I knew I had to be in a band.
HH: Oh, cool cool stuff.
IC: I actually had that cassette-single, with that song on both sides.
HH: (laughs) Cool.
IC: And it came for free with a cassette player that I bought. It was like a promo-pack. So I listened to that song over and over again.
MD: So you got your music for nothing and your tapes for free!
IC: Yeah.
HH: Yeah. Wow, those were the days. How about a first concert you guys ever saw, as fans. Who did you see?
MD: As music fans? Or just like the first concert ever?
HH: Uh, either one.
IC: Mine's pretty... I don't know. I'm kinda surprised, but my first concert I saw, I was 14, and it was Sonic Youth.
MD: Really?
HH: Cool.
IC: Yeah, I was really into Nirvana and Mudhoney and Sonic Youth, and that was the first concert I saw. And I thought they were amazing.
HH: Okay.
MD: First show I ever saw, I was 12. I saw this punk band from Vancouver called DBS.
HH: Oh, cool.
MD: And they had this song called 'Snow Ball'. It was on much music, or what. It was cool. It was a lot of energy, like probably 200 kids in this small-ass club and moshing. And I got trampled. It was amazing.
HH: Okay. So, I'm just going to admit that I discovered you guys recently. I had heard of your first album a couple years back, but I haven't really checked it out until recently, though. And like, your style of music and all the 'sound-alikes' that social media and all the internet stuff leads me to, it's like you guys have lead me to a new gold-mine of this classic, real pure style of metal. Who would you recommend to me as other bands to check out with high priority. Either new or old, like classic obscure stuff and newer guys.
IC: There's a lot of really good new bands. I would recommend checking out Vulture from Richmond, VA.
MD: Midnight, from Cleveland.
IC: One of my favorite bands right now, and they're really new, and they really only have like 4 or 5 songs demoed, but Witch Hazel, from England.
HH: Okay.
IC: They're up-and-coming, but they're songs are amazing. It's like Thin Lizzy meets...
MD: You don't know. You've never heard before. ... Meets Mega Man.
IC: ...some pagan ritual in the woods. Yeah, it's really good. Enforcer from Sweeden. Those guys rule. You know, that's it. There's three good bands there.
HH: Okay. You want to talk a little bit about your latest album, the Tomorrow's Lost, and what your approach was for recording that, and how you wrote the music for it.
IC: Well, the approach for recording it was the same as the album before, Burning Fortune. Same studio, same producer. Everything. We're just trying to improve upon, you know, building upon our sound, you know. Really simple, recorded live off the floor. Guitars doubled. That's it. And that's what we're all about. Keeping it really simple.
HH: Simple and pure.
IC: Yeah.
HH: Pure metal.
IC: Just trying to sound real and organic. We're not into clickity-klack bass drums, and you know, shitty processed guitar sounds. We're into real, real sounds.
HH: Okay.
IC: And the songs... I don't know. We actually didn't have a drummer when we wrote these. It was me and Jason. Jason on drums and me on guitar for writing the album. So that's kinda how it came about.
HH: Okay, cool. And the last question- just what's on your near-horizon? What's coming up for Cauldron? Any plans? Any...
MD: We have some shows on the east coast of the States. So, we're playing Baltimore, we're playing Raleigh, North Carolina.
HH: Alright.
MD: ...Richmond, Virginia. Wilmington, North Caroliona. We're also playing in Providence, Rhode Island at the end of July. Just like some shows like that. We're looking into going to South America in the fall.
HH: Yeah?
IC: October, yeah.
MD: Seeing how that comes together. Just we want to make sure we don't get ripped off, too hard.
HH: Yeah, yeah, I bet...
IC: ...Or stabbed in the face...
HH: I know South America's a lot of metal-heads if you can coordinate it, yeah.
MD: Yeah, well, I personally get messages from people occasionally. Asking me, pleading with me, begging me or also like...
HH: Blackmailing you? (laughs)
MD: Well, not like blackmail, but like stuttering death-threats...
IC: Come play...
MD: Or like, just something in broken English. Saying, 'Come, play Brazil'. 'Come, play Columbia.'
IC: 'Come, play Brazil. You play my back yard. I feed you.'
MD: (laughs)
IC: Okay. Well, let's book some $10,000 flights down to South America to play in some guy's backyard, and he'll make us some corn dogs, some pogos.
HH: Well, for now you're playing in James Hetfield's backyard, his barbecue here at Orion Fest. I want to thank you guys for having this interview with me. It's been fun, and keep playing that pure metal, you guys. You rock!
MD: You bet.
IC: Thanks, Joel
MD: Thanks, Joel
HH: Thank you!
Friday, June 21, 2013
ORION Music + More: HappyHeadbanger's Interview with Tony Asta from BATTLECROSS
Post #254
HappyHeadbanger: Joel Beverley for HappyHeadbanger.com. Heavy Metal 107 at www.happyheadbanger.com, actually, and I'm speaking with...
Tony Asta: What's up! This is Tony from Battlecross.
HH: Awesome. Sweet. Tell me a little bit about each of your band mates. What are they like? What’s it like being in the band with those guys?
HH: Yeah, particularly when you’re still on the underground, on the local scene, I know that happens a lot.
HH: Okay. With this being Orion Fest, I imagine it’s gotta be one of the biggest shows you’ve ever played.
HH: Oh, sweet. Okay now, I’ve been reading up and you guys have already been featured on a number of pretty big tours, and coming up this summer you’ve got Mayhem Fest coming up, right?
HH: Sweet, I'm looking forward to it myself. So, you guys are the 'Hometown heroes'. You're from the Detroit area, or Detroit itself. I imagine you've been playing... you told me the other day, since '05, like local bars and stuff in the Detroit area, I assume.
TA: Yeah.
HH: Coming back to you, personally a little bit. Who do you cite as major inspirations for when you were first learning to play guitar. When you first had a love for music so much you wanted to pursue it.
TA: Um, it was a combination of a lot of stuff. Honestly just where I grew up, and my friends, and my dad's really into classic rock. So that kinda like started it, you know? Like, just being influenced, just being a victim of circumstance of where I grew up. But as far as like musicians, I definitely say Metallica, dude, is like the one band that really kicked it off. I had a best-friend who played guitar before I did, and he used to always play Metallica songs, like old-school stuff. And I heard it I was like, "Dude, that's sweet!" And then he played the CD and I'm like, "Dude, I'm in love with this band!" And then he showed me how to play it, and I ended up getting a guitar.
On June 8th, the first day of Orion Music and More, I had an exciting opportunity to sit down and have a one-on-one interview with Tony Asta, the guitarist for the up-and-coming thrash band Battlecross from Detroit, Michigan. Here's what he had to say:
Tony Asta: What's up! This is Tony from Battlecross.
HH: Okay Tony, so tell me just in a few words what does it mean for
Battlecross to be selected for the list of bands here at Orion Music +
More.
TA: It’s amazing, it’s surreal, it’s a great feeling
to know we’re a part of something in our hometown, and we’re very
excited to play. This is going to kick ass. All weekend we’re going to be
hanging out, and I can’t wait to see Metallica, so.
HH: Awesome. All right. Now Metallica, legendary, one of the
first thrash bands, been around 30 years.
TA: Yeah!
HH: Obviously everyone is looking forward to them. Who else
on the bill are you personally excited to have a chance to see, or to meet, or
catch their music?
TA: I really want to check out INFECTIOUS GROOVES. I
really want to check out ALL SHALL PERISH. Those are the first two that come to
mind, definitely, so.
HH: Awesome. Sweet. Tell me a little bit about each of your band mates. What are they like? What’s it like being in the band with those guys?
TA: Well it’s
awesome. First I gotta bring up my best friend Hiran Deraniyagala, the other guitar
player. I’ve known him since I was like 4 or 5 years old. We grew up across the
street from each other. He’s, you know, my brother from another mother, man. I
love him to death. And anyway we’ve been jammin’ together since like ’97. He’s
kinda like the smart, responsible one in the band. And I try my best to be. He’s
always got our backs, you know?
And, up next I’d say Don Slater, he’s our bassist, cool dude.
We actually stole him from another band a few years back, and since the moment
I saw him play I just knew I had to have him in Battlecross*. Somehow along the
way we finagled it. He’s a great dude I love him to death too, obviously.
HH: Okay, okay.
TA: Gumby, our singer, we stole him from another band too
(laughs). He’s kind of another same case: where we saw him on stage. He used to
play in a band called I Decay, from Flint, MI, and we used to share the same
management with him, and we saw them play. We were like, "Dude, this guy captivates me!
We gotta have him in out band!” And like 2 yrs later it just happened, things
lined up, and we got him in, so...
HH: Yeah, particularly when you’re still on the underground, on the local scene, I know that happens a lot.
TA: Yeah.
HH: I followed a band from St. Louis when they played in
’09 and then when they broke up, 3 of the members formed new bands.
TA: Right!
HH: So, it’s like, it’s a
lot to follow.
TA: Yeah. It’s very true. Funny thing about that is me and
Hiran have always played guitar in Battlecross, the whole time. So, I mean, we like
never really dabbled in too much other things, that weren't really taken
seriously anyway, so.
HH: So you were the ‘seed crystal' so to say, the 2 of you
together.
TA: Yep, absolutely.
HH: As a band, do you guys have any like, pre-show
rituals, or traditions that you do to get pumped up for a show or anything?
TA: Um, I mean, we’re ‘self-motivators’, let’s put it that
way. (laughs) I mean sometimes we like, listen to music, but most of the time
we just like to make sure we’re well prepared, and we walk on stage with no
issues. We take care of most of our own stuff, but we like to warm-up a lot
before we play. And just pump ourselves up, you know, amongst our crew.
HH: Okay. With this being Orion Fest, I imagine it’s gotta be one of the biggest shows you’ve ever played.
TA: Yeah Totally!
HH: Is your prep going to be any more intense, or more
serious for this one? Or are you just going to do your thing?
TA: Actually we’ve been rehearsing straight for about a week
with Kevin Tally who’s filling in on drums, for now, yeah.
HH: Alright.
TA: He’s great, dude. Who knows? We might try to kinda snag
him too. We’ll see.
HH: Okay, so..
TA: So, he’s awesome. And Anyway we’ve been jamming for about a week, getting everything
together, and today we got here really early, and everything’s already ready, so
all we gotta do now is just warm up and play and I can’t wait.
HH: Oh, sweet. Okay now, I’ve been reading up and you guys have already been featured on a number of pretty big tours, and coming up this summer you’ve got Mayhem Fest coming up, right?
TA: YES! MAYHEM!!
HH: With Rob Zombie as a headliner, Five Finger Death
Punch, tons of other bands.
TA: Yeah, man.
HH: That's gotta be a big lift, a big high to land a gig like that, too. How does that compare with this Orion Fest thing. ...Not to compare the two against each other, but...
TA: You know... I don't know. They're both amazing. I would never, I guess, expect to be, at this point, so I guess... It's not really early in our career, but it's early on in terms of how long we've been touring. We've only been touring for about a year and a half-to-two years. So, considering that, this is amazing. To be on Mayhem, you know, only within 2 years of touring is great! 'Cause I mean there are bands that have been pounding that pavement for years and years and years, you know? It's just crazy to really have the opportunity to really hop on to do something really awesome.
HH: It comes your way, take advantage of it, right?
TA: Absolutely, yeah!
HH: Alright. So, your new album is coming out next month in July. It's called War Of Will.
TA: Yes.
HH: And I was reading on your website which is battlecrossmetal.com, right?
TA: Yes.
HH: OK, reading on your website that you took the attitude of 'Deliver or be Delivered'.
TA: Yes!
HH: So... elaborate a bit on that.
TA: Well, that was more in... that was more to describe the atmosphere of being in the studio. We went to Audiohammer Studios in Florida, and worked with producers Eyal Levi and Mark Lewis and also with Jason Seucoff. And, they just had this way about them that was definitely 'Deliver or be delivered' because it's like you step up to the plate 'cause you know they work with professionals and you just gotta be your best. And if you flub, guess what? Now, you're... you gotta catch up, you know what I mean?
TA: You know... I don't know. They're both amazing. I would never, I guess, expect to be, at this point, so I guess... It's not really early in our career, but it's early on in terms of how long we've been touring. We've only been touring for about a year and a half-to-two years. So, considering that, this is amazing. To be on Mayhem, you know, only within 2 years of touring is great! 'Cause I mean there are bands that have been pounding that pavement for years and years and years, you know? It's just crazy to really have the opportunity to really hop on to do something really awesome.
HH: It comes your way, take advantage of it, right?
TA: Absolutely, yeah!
HH: Alright. So, your new album is coming out next month in July. It's called War Of Will.
TA: Yes.
HH: And I was reading on your website which is battlecrossmetal.com, right?
TA: Yes.
HH: OK, reading on your website that you took the attitude of 'Deliver or be Delivered'.
TA: Yes!
HH: So... elaborate a bit on that.
TA: Well, that was more in... that was more to describe the atmosphere of being in the studio. We went to Audiohammer Studios in Florida, and worked with producers Eyal Levi and Mark Lewis and also with Jason Seucoff. And, they just had this way about them that was definitely 'Deliver or be delivered' because it's like you step up to the plate 'cause you know they work with professionals and you just gotta be your best. And if you flub, guess what? Now, you're... you gotta catch up, you know what I mean?
HH: Yeah.
TA: So, it's like a really kinda just walking into this world where it's just a really new professional experience which is kinda the best way I can describe it because our other experiences have been a lot more just kinda like finagley? You know, just kinda we'll just kind of make it work. As long as we prepare we'll just, you know, whatever. This time around it was just like you know, we gotta go in there, we gotta be the best. And if we're not then, you know...So that's kinda what it was mean to be like.
TA: So, it's like a really kinda just walking into this world where it's just a really new professional experience which is kinda the best way I can describe it because our other experiences have been a lot more just kinda like finagley? You know, just kinda we'll just kind of make it work. As long as we prepare we'll just, you know, whatever. This time around it was just like you know, we gotta go in there, we gotta be the best. And if we're not then, you know...So that's kinda what it was mean to be like.
HH: A real, real top-notch kind of recording experience.
TA: Yeah, exactly. Those guys are great. I gotta really hand it to them. The album turned out fantastic. I can't wait for everybody to hear the rest of it, so.
TA: Yeah, exactly. Those guys are great. I gotta really hand it to them. The album turned out fantastic. I can't wait for everybody to hear the rest of it, so.
HH: Sweet, I'm looking forward to it myself. So, you guys are the 'Hometown heroes'. You're from the Detroit area, or Detroit itself. I imagine you've been playing... you told me the other day, since '05, like local bars and stuff in the Detroit area, I assume.
TA: Yeah.
HH: Are there other local underground bands, independent metal bands you'd recommend, that are still you know, struggling on the scene?
TA: Yeah.
TA: Yeah.
HH: Trying to get to where you guys have made it?
TA: I gotta give, definitely give a shout-out to the guys in Wulfhook. They're amazing. They're like if Dio was singing with like Priest and Maiden... Yeah, on crack! It's like, amazing. They're great, check out Wulfhook... It's kinda a funny spelling but also Nothing for Now. Also check out Imminent Sonic Destruction.
TA: I gotta give, definitely give a shout-out to the guys in Wulfhook. They're amazing. They're like if Dio was singing with like Priest and Maiden... Yeah, on crack! It's like, amazing. They're great, check out Wulfhook... It's kinda a funny spelling but also Nothing for Now. Also check out Imminent Sonic Destruction.
HH: Okay!
TA: Great bands, yeah for sure... Nurse Ratched...
TA: Great bands, yeah for sure... Nurse Ratched...
HH: I definitely will.
TA: Yeah, for sure.
TA: Yeah, for sure.
HH: Coming back to you, personally a little bit. Who do you cite as major inspirations for when you were first learning to play guitar. When you first had a love for music so much you wanted to pursue it.
TA: Um, it was a combination of a lot of stuff. Honestly just where I grew up, and my friends, and my dad's really into classic rock. So that kinda like started it, you know? Like, just being influenced, just being a victim of circumstance of where I grew up. But as far as like musicians, I definitely say Metallica, dude, is like the one band that really kicked it off. I had a best-friend who played guitar before I did, and he used to always play Metallica songs, like old-school stuff. And I heard it I was like, "Dude, that's sweet!" And then he played the CD and I'm like, "Dude, I'm in love with this band!" And then he showed me how to play it, and I ended up getting a guitar.
HH: Yeah, when you learn to play your first Metallica, it's like, "Wow! I did that!"
TA: Yeah yeah yeah! And it's GENIUS, man! I mean those guys were so young when they wrote that stuff, you know what I mean?
TA: Yeah yeah yeah! And it's GENIUS, man! I mean those guys were so young when they wrote that stuff, you know what I mean?
HH: It's amazing. They're such legends. Just anything... Now Battlecross is really, on the national scene kinda a new band. So like, any of my readers who may not know anything about you guys, in your own words what do you describe your music as. Like, genre or direction, stuff like that.
TA: I would say, I'd like to just keep it to 'we're metal'.
TA: I would say, I'd like to just keep it to 'we're metal'.
HH: Yeah.
TA: But, we're definitely really thrashy. So, thrash metal with a lot of elements of like death and power metal kind of stuff. There's a little bit of 'groove' in there. I really don't know how to describe ourselves just because I want to let other people to judge.
TA: But, we're definitely really thrashy. So, thrash metal with a lot of elements of like death and power metal kind of stuff. There's a little bit of 'groove' in there. I really don't know how to describe ourselves just because I want to let other people to judge.
HH: To decide for themselves.
TA: Yeah. You know, whatever they want to stick us in, go for it. We have a lot of different influences. So I'm sure you could pick and whatever, whatever. This song sounds like this and this part sounds like that. So there's a nice mix.
TA: Yeah. You know, whatever they want to stick us in, go for it. We have a lot of different influences. So I'm sure you could pick and whatever, whatever. This song sounds like this and this part sounds like that. So there's a nice mix.
HH: Ok, cool. And do you forsee if down the road if your sound may evolve in a certain direction? If you might do a little more of this or that? Or do you just like what you're doing right now?
TA: I think that we'll evolve in a way that I can't imagine. So I don't want to even speculate just because I want to let it happen.
TA: I think that we'll evolve in a way that I can't imagine. So I don't want to even speculate just because I want to let it happen.
HH: Okay, "Live in the moment". I definitely dig that. Okay, just a couple last questions to wrap it up. Do you have an all-time favorite band? Like a rock band, heavy metal band, or any other kind of band?
TA: It's going to be pretty obvious. Yeah, Metallica. Metallica and Pantera, yeah.
HH: Metallica and Pantera. Yeah, Okay.
TA: Yeah, for sure.
HH: Yeah man, I still miss Dimebag Darrell.
TA: Absolutely dude.
HH: It still seems like it just happened yesterday, losing him, but what a hero of metal that people have come to recognizing him.
TA: Absolutely, and when everything kinda went down, dude that was probably the most shocking day of my, you know of my... Well, I think I was like 16, no I was 20, and anyway, when that happened. But it also was an influence because it was, I just remember it so clearly, like "Holy shit, dude, this is fucked up."
HH: Yeah at that point you just take metal music so much more seriously.
TA: Yeah. And it's just like, "Who the fuck is gonna step up and play some shit. Some good 'ole shit that just, you know... It doesn't have to be the next fad. It doesn't have to be anything. It's just good-ole fuckin' metal." That's a really huge influence for us.
HH: Yeah, lead-guitar solos kinda almost disappeared there in the late '90s except for him.
TA: Totally dude.
HH: At least mainstream-wise.
TA: Yeah man, rest in peace, Dimebag!
HH: Yeah, Dimebag Darrell FOREVER!
HH: Do you have a favorite movie?
TA: Aliens.
HH: You like the Aliens movie?
TA: Aliens, the second one is the bomb-diggity
HH: Sweet, Okay. Sci-fi movies. How about a favorite book?
TA: Not really.
HH: Not much of a reader?
TA: Well I used to be but not so much anymore. I got scared out of that shit. I mean I'll read a line in a newspaper and shit like that.
HH: Okay, then. Cool. Well, Tony Asta from Battlecross, thanks for having a few minutes with, may name's Joel Beverley. I write Happhyheadbanger.com. It's called Heavy Metal 107 but the url is Happyheadbanger.com, so.
TA: Thanks, Joel!
HH: Thanks a lot!
TA: I appreciate it, brother. Yeah, man. Kick ass!
TA: It's going to be pretty obvious. Yeah, Metallica. Metallica and Pantera, yeah.
HH: Metallica and Pantera. Yeah, Okay.
TA: Yeah, for sure.
HH: Yeah man, I still miss Dimebag Darrell.
TA: Absolutely dude.
HH: It still seems like it just happened yesterday, losing him, but what a hero of metal that people have come to recognizing him.
TA: Absolutely, and when everything kinda went down, dude that was probably the most shocking day of my, you know of my... Well, I think I was like 16, no I was 20, and anyway, when that happened. But it also was an influence because it was, I just remember it so clearly, like "Holy shit, dude, this is fucked up."
HH: Yeah at that point you just take metal music so much more seriously.
TA: Yeah. And it's just like, "Who the fuck is gonna step up and play some shit. Some good 'ole shit that just, you know... It doesn't have to be the next fad. It doesn't have to be anything. It's just good-ole fuckin' metal." That's a really huge influence for us.
HH: Yeah, lead-guitar solos kinda almost disappeared there in the late '90s except for him.
TA: Totally dude.
HH: At least mainstream-wise.
TA: Yeah man, rest in peace, Dimebag!
HH: Yeah, Dimebag Darrell FOREVER!
HH: Do you have a favorite movie?
TA: Aliens.
HH: You like the Aliens movie?
TA: Aliens, the second one is the bomb-diggity
HH: Sweet, Okay. Sci-fi movies. How about a favorite book?
TA: Not really.
HH: Not much of a reader?
TA: Well I used to be but not so much anymore. I got scared out of that shit. I mean I'll read a line in a newspaper and shit like that.
HH: Okay, then. Cool. Well, Tony Asta from Battlecross, thanks for having a few minutes with, may name's Joel Beverley. I write Happhyheadbanger.com. It's called Heavy Metal 107 but the url is Happyheadbanger.com, so.
TA: Thanks, Joel!
HH: Thanks a lot!
TA: I appreciate it, brother. Yeah, man. Kick ass!
ORION Music + More: Day 2, Part 3: METALLICA!!!
Post #253
As the sun began to set on the evening of June 9th, 2013, Orion Music + More was set to come to a thrilling conclusion. Metallica, the visionaries of this festival, were about to perform their highly anticipated headlining set. The crowd had congregated around the Orion Stage for what was sure to be one of the best performances in Metallica's history.
A video began to play upon the large video screens to either side of the stage, showing scenes from the film The Good The Bad and The Ugly, while the song 'The Ecstasy of Gold', Metallica's classic intro music, played. Once the film intro finished playing, there was a fade-in guitar riff that steadily rose in volume. I recognized it as the beginning of 'Blackened' from the ...And Justice for All album. Guitars, drums, and bass erupted simultaneously with the opening riff of this up-tempo thrasher. Singer/guitarist James Hetfield, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist Rob Trujillo, and drummer Lars Ulrich were highlighted by spotlights as the fading sun brought dusk over Orion Fest. The first couple measures of the song passed quickly, then James screamed out, "Blackened is the end! Winter it will send! Throwing all you see into obscurity..." Mass chaos had possessed the crowd, as people everywhere were jumping up and down, or moshing, or simply cheering with their fists pumping to the sky. Others were singing along to the words they knew by heart.
Behind the stage the massive video screens projected close-up shots of the band members- an essential element of this concert as the field was packed with tens of thousands of Metallica fans. Without the screens the people furthest from the stage couldn't have seen the stage. Three separate screens; two on either side of the stage and a huge one behind that spanned the entire width of the stage allowed everyone to see close-up shots of their favorite heavy metal band as they played their classic riffs or sang their favorite lines.
As the first song came to an end, I wondered briefly if Metallica were going to perform the complete 1988 album ...And Justice For All in honor of its 25th anniversary. However, they instead jumped into 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' from the Ride the Lightning album almost without a pause, driving the crowd further into a frenzy. This song was a true classic thrash song and even more people knew the words. If you could stop yourself from singing along, you could hear the din of thousands of voices joining in to recite the lyrics along with Hetfield.
Their third song of the evening was another sample from their early days, but a little more obscure- 'Disposable Heroes' from the Master of Puppets album. This was a seriously fast heavy thrasher about the plight of the enlisted soldier on the front lines of war. Tragic battlefield scenes are described in each verse and the choruses are a command to the song's tragic hero, "You will do what I say, when I say! Back to the FRONT!"
After 'Disposable Heroes,' a 9-minute long song, the band finally paused and Hetfield addressed the crowd for the first time. "Phew! That was a long song!" he said as he shook his hands to keep them loose. He then asked the crowd how they had been enjoying Orion Fest so far- raucous cheers came as the response. "We finally get to play!" Hetfield exclaimed. He mentioned that 'dehaan' played yesterday, and commented, "Funny, they kinda looked a lot like us. Sounded a lot like us, too." Then he gave the crowd a knowing grin. His words and grin alluded to their surprise appearance under a fake name the day before. After mentioning how they had been enjoying several great bands themselves for the last 2 days. He said he hoped we had enjoyed this 'giant backyard barbecue'- a phrase he had mentioned a few times previously during the fest.
Over the course of the concert Metallica mixed things up by playing songs from almost every one of their albums. They played songs like 'Carpe Diem Baby' from the album Reload, which they had not played live for several years, and 'I Disappear' from the soundtrack for Mission: Impossible 2. Other fan favorites like 'Master of Pupperts' and 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)' were also played, providing a thorough balance to the set list. Metallica were giving the crowd a little bit of everything, catering to fans of every era of their 30-year history.
One of my favorite parts of the show was when they played 'Orion', the instrumental track for the Master of Puppets album that was primarily written by the late Cliff Burton. There is a highlight bass solo in the middle of the song and Trujillo did a perfect rendition of it. Few bands can keep a crowd entertained for over 8 minutes with an instrumental song, but Metallica have written some of the best instrumentals in heavy metal, and the crowd enjoyed every minute of it. It was a fitting touch that they played the song for which they had named this festival after. At the end, Hetfield said, "God bless Clifford Lee Burton."
Another memorable song they played was 'The Day that Never Comes' from their most recent album, Death Magnetic. This song really shows the strength of Metallica's songwriting prowess. It starts off with a melodic clean guitar riff, then Hammett's lead guitar comes into the mix, creating Metallica's dynamic 2-guitar sound. During the first half of the song, Hetfield sings in his clean and melodic voice. Gradually, though, the song transitions in tempo and amplitude until it reaches a full-speed thrash! The last couple minutes of the song are where Hammett really shines, ripping one killer guitar solo after another before the song comes to a sudden stop.
When they played 'One' from ...And Justice for All, the stage went dark, with only subtle back lighting at the start. Sound effects from a battlefield played as the intro, accompanied by real fireworks launched from above the stage. When Hetfield's guitar began to play the sad and somber melody, red laser lights projected and circled over the crowd. The lyrics of this song depict a nightmarish predicament of a soldier who survives a landmine explosion but loses his sight, speech, hearing, and all four of his limbs. The degree of the soldier's despair becomes apparent as Hetfield sings, "Hold my breath as I wish for death. Oh, please God, wake me..." The darkened stage lighting persisted throughout the song while the laser light effects mirrored the mood of the song, intensifying along with the music at the end when it came to an ultimate headbanger's thrash-fest.
Closer to the end of the show Metallica slowed things up a little when they played 'Nothing Else Matters', one of their biggest hits from their self-titled album, often referred to as the 'Black Album'. The crowd responded with one of the biggest cheers of the evening and proceeded to sing along as well. This was probably the softest song they played on this night, but the crowd loved every minute of it. In typical Metallica fashion, they did make it a little heavy at the end and Hammett provided another classic and intense guitar solo.
As the final guitar notes faded out at the end of 'Nothing Else Matters,' the camera zoomed in on Hetfield's guitar. When the camera spanned to his picking hand, he held his guitar pick up for all to see the Orion Fest logo and date written upon it. The crowd cheered loudly, feeling the significance of this piece of music history they had been a part of. Then Hetfield began playing the most recognized guitar riff ever... 'Enter Sandman'! I don't think the crowd had screamed louder all weekend. Metallica delivered 'Enter Sandman' in all its heavy glory, while the crowd again sang along and pumped their fists in the air. When this song concluded, Metallica took a couple bows and headed off backstage. The crowd grew restless and began chanting for an encore.
The chanting crowd was rewarded when Metallica returned to the stage and surprised everybody by kicking off the encore with Bob Seger's 'Turn the Page'. This song was a big hit for Metallica in the late '90s from their Garage Inc. album. It is a slow but heavy song that tells the tiring details of life on the road in a rock band. Metallica played it very true to the original, but a bit heavier. Next came their thrashing classic 'Creeping Death' from Ride the Lightning. 'Creeping Death' was famously inspired by the 1956 film The Ten Commandments. The scene from the film where the plague that kills the first-born children creeps like a mist along the ground is embodied in the crowd participation segment of the song, where the crowd chants "Die!" over and over while Hetfield sings, "Die by my hand, I creep across the land, killing first-born men..."
After this song Hetfield spoke to the crowd again, asking again how they liked Orion, how they liked it being in Detroit, and if they wanted them to keep the fest in Detroit next year. Huge cheers in support of the festival resounded. Hetfield then teased the crowd a bit by putting on his guitar (to loud cheers) then taking it off (to loud boos) before finally settling to play one more song for the enormous crowd. Their last song of the night was 'Seek and Destroy' from their first album Kill 'Em All. A couple lucky kids were brought on stage to hit the cymbal on Lars's drum kit to kick-off the song. Then Hetfield, Hammett, and Trujillo thrashed on with the riff of this classic Metallica song. It is a mid-tempo thrasher that is enjoyed by Metallica fans new or old.
At the end, the band gave the crowd a final farewell, tossed their numerous drumsticks and guitar picks into the audience and wished us all a safe trip home. It was an amazing experience, and truly was like the biggest backyard barbecue I'd ever been to, filled with awesome music and incredible performances and experiences. Much thanks to the city of Detroit for hosting and planning the festival, sincere gratitude to C3 and Fresh Clean Media for organizing the festival and media coverage, and enormous props, thanks and sincere gratitude to Metallica for providing the inspiration for this truly awesome festival. Happy Headbanging to all!
METALLICA Headlines Orion Music + More!
June 9th, 2013
A video began to play upon the large video screens to either side of the stage, showing scenes from the film The Good The Bad and The Ugly, while the song 'The Ecstasy of Gold', Metallica's classic intro music, played. Once the film intro finished playing, there was a fade-in guitar riff that steadily rose in volume. I recognized it as the beginning of 'Blackened' from the ...And Justice for All album. Guitars, drums, and bass erupted simultaneously with the opening riff of this up-tempo thrasher. Singer/guitarist James Hetfield, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist Rob Trujillo, and drummer Lars Ulrich were highlighted by spotlights as the fading sun brought dusk over Orion Fest. The first couple measures of the song passed quickly, then James screamed out, "Blackened is the end! Winter it will send! Throwing all you see into obscurity..." Mass chaos had possessed the crowd, as people everywhere were jumping up and down, or moshing, or simply cheering with their fists pumping to the sky. Others were singing along to the words they knew by heart.
Behind the stage the massive video screens projected close-up shots of the band members- an essential element of this concert as the field was packed with tens of thousands of Metallica fans. Without the screens the people furthest from the stage couldn't have seen the stage. Three separate screens; two on either side of the stage and a huge one behind that spanned the entire width of the stage allowed everyone to see close-up shots of their favorite heavy metal band as they played their classic riffs or sang their favorite lines.
(Photo by Cambria Harkey)
Their third song of the evening was another sample from their early days, but a little more obscure- 'Disposable Heroes' from the Master of Puppets album. This was a seriously fast heavy thrasher about the plight of the enlisted soldier on the front lines of war. Tragic battlefield scenes are described in each verse and the choruses are a command to the song's tragic hero, "You will do what I say, when I say! Back to the FRONT!"
(Photo by Cambria Harkey)
Over the course of the concert Metallica mixed things up by playing songs from almost every one of their albums. They played songs like 'Carpe Diem Baby' from the album Reload, which they had not played live for several years, and 'I Disappear' from the soundtrack for Mission: Impossible 2. Other fan favorites like 'Master of Pupperts' and 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)' were also played, providing a thorough balance to the set list. Metallica were giving the crowd a little bit of everything, catering to fans of every era of their 30-year history.
One of my favorite parts of the show was when they played 'Orion', the instrumental track for the Master of Puppets album that was primarily written by the late Cliff Burton. There is a highlight bass solo in the middle of the song and Trujillo did a perfect rendition of it. Few bands can keep a crowd entertained for over 8 minutes with an instrumental song, but Metallica have written some of the best instrumentals in heavy metal, and the crowd enjoyed every minute of it. It was a fitting touch that they played the song for which they had named this festival after. At the end, Hetfield said, "God bless Clifford Lee Burton."
(Photo by Cambria Harkey)
When they played 'One' from ...And Justice for All, the stage went dark, with only subtle back lighting at the start. Sound effects from a battlefield played as the intro, accompanied by real fireworks launched from above the stage. When Hetfield's guitar began to play the sad and somber melody, red laser lights projected and circled over the crowd. The lyrics of this song depict a nightmarish predicament of a soldier who survives a landmine explosion but loses his sight, speech, hearing, and all four of his limbs. The degree of the soldier's despair becomes apparent as Hetfield sings, "Hold my breath as I wish for death. Oh, please God, wake me..." The darkened stage lighting persisted throughout the song while the laser light effects mirrored the mood of the song, intensifying along with the music at the end when it came to an ultimate headbanger's thrash-fest.
(Photo by Cambria Harkey)
As the final guitar notes faded out at the end of 'Nothing Else Matters,' the camera zoomed in on Hetfield's guitar. When the camera spanned to his picking hand, he held his guitar pick up for all to see the Orion Fest logo and date written upon it. The crowd cheered loudly, feeling the significance of this piece of music history they had been a part of. Then Hetfield began playing the most recognized guitar riff ever... 'Enter Sandman'! I don't think the crowd had screamed louder all weekend. Metallica delivered 'Enter Sandman' in all its heavy glory, while the crowd again sang along and pumped their fists in the air. When this song concluded, Metallica took a couple bows and headed off backstage. The crowd grew restless and began chanting for an encore.
(Photo by Cambria Harkey)
After this song Hetfield spoke to the crowd again, asking again how they liked Orion, how they liked it being in Detroit, and if they wanted them to keep the fest in Detroit next year. Huge cheers in support of the festival resounded. Hetfield then teased the crowd a bit by putting on his guitar (to loud cheers) then taking it off (to loud boos) before finally settling to play one more song for the enormous crowd. Their last song of the night was 'Seek and Destroy' from their first album Kill 'Em All. A couple lucky kids were brought on stage to hit the cymbal on Lars's drum kit to kick-off the song. Then Hetfield, Hammett, and Trujillo thrashed on with the riff of this classic Metallica song. It is a mid-tempo thrasher that is enjoyed by Metallica fans new or old.
At the end, the band gave the crowd a final farewell, tossed their numerous drumsticks and guitar picks into the audience and wished us all a safe trip home. It was an amazing experience, and truly was like the biggest backyard barbecue I'd ever been to, filled with awesome music and incredible performances and experiences. Much thanks to the city of Detroit for hosting and planning the festival, sincere gratitude to C3 and Fresh Clean Media for organizing the festival and media coverage, and enormous props, thanks and sincere gratitude to Metallica for providing the inspiration for this truly awesome festival. Happy Headbanging to all!
(Photo by Cambria Harkey)
Metallica's set list from June 9th at Orion Fest:
Blackened
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Disposable Heroes
Harvester of Sorrow
The Day that Never Comes
Carpe Diem Baby
I Disappear
Sad but True
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Orion
One
Master of Puppets
Battery
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
-------
Turn the Page (Bob Seger cover)
Creeping Death
Seek and Destroy
(Photos courtesy of Orion Music + More)
Thursday, June 20, 2013
ORION Music + More: Day 2, Part 2: CAULDRON!
Post #252
(Performed on June 9th, 2013)
Orion Music + More featured a wide variety of rock and metal music but Cauldron, the first band I saw on day two, were unique among them all. I had seen a couple punk rock bands, a couple death metal bands, and, of course, 'dehaan', but Cauldron played such a pure form of classic heavy metal that they defied any further categorization. I had read up about them since I knew that I would be attending Orion Fest, and after seeing a couple of their music videos, they jumped to the top of my 'Must See' list.
Cauldron was formed by singer/bassist Jason Decay and guitarist Ian Chains after Decay's previous band Goat Horn disbanded in 2006. Drummer Myles Deck joined Cauldron right before they recorded their latest album, Tomorrow's Lost. The style of heavy metal Cauldron plays is very heavily influenced by the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal era of the late 1970's and early 1980's. They utilize a stripped down approach to recording their music: straight forward electric guitar, heavy bass, and a hard and heavy drum beat. If you are a fan of the early works of bands like Iron Maiden, Raven, Judas Priest and Venom, then you need to check out Cauldron as well.
They started their show with 'Frozen In Fire' from their 2011 album Burning Fortune. Defined by a heavy, chugging bass line, mid-tempo power chords, and a great guitar solo, this song got the crowd headbanging off the bat. Decay and Chains had a classic heavy metal stage presence, often standing next to each other at the front of the stage to do some synchronized headbanging. At each appropriate moment one or the other would take center stage for a spotlighted guitar solo or bass riff.
For the next several songs, they focused on selections from their new album Tomorrow's Lost. Among these was 'Nitebreaker', a fast and heavy 5-minute masterpiece of speed-driven classic metal. Decay's vocals carried the melody of this song, with a few well placed screams for good measure. 'Nitebreaker' has a killer guitar riff that really got the crowd's adrenaline pumped. Next they played 'Summoned to Succumb', a slower but heavier tune. Drummer Deck provided the solid backbone of this song- a relentless heavy beat that had the crowd raising their devil-horned fists high. Chains added a memorable guitar solo to make 'Summoned to Succumb' one of their most enjoyable live performances.
Near the end of their set, they played a cover of Venom's 'Die Hard', a true gem from metal's early days. This got more people on the fringe of the crowd involved and plenty of headbanging followed. They closed their set with 'All or Nothing,' perhaps their best known song. The lyrics focus on seeking the best things in life and not settling for less. It was also a very fast tune with rapid-fire drumming and furious fretwork on guitar. The crowd enjoyed it to the end with a renewed energy.
Every aspect of Cauldron's show, from the music to their appearance and stagecraft, reminded me of the kind of classic metal I grew to love in the first place. Classic heavy metal has become a bit obscure over the years, as new bands seem to follow current trends or try to branch and blend genres and sub genres. Cauldron seems to represent the bones of what these newer styles have grown out of. If you were to put all of heavy metal into a pot and boil away all the excessive effects until only one style remained, what you'd have left would be Cauldron. They proved with their live performance what all heavy metal fans know deep down inside- pure metal will never die!
(Performed on June 9th, 2013)
Orion Music + More featured a wide variety of rock and metal music but Cauldron, the first band I saw on day two, were unique among them all. I had seen a couple punk rock bands, a couple death metal bands, and, of course, 'dehaan', but Cauldron played such a pure form of classic heavy metal that they defied any further categorization. I had read up about them since I knew that I would be attending Orion Fest, and after seeing a couple of their music videos, they jumped to the top of my 'Must See' list.
Cauldron was formed by singer/bassist Jason Decay and guitarist Ian Chains after Decay's previous band Goat Horn disbanded in 2006. Drummer Myles Deck joined Cauldron right before they recorded their latest album, Tomorrow's Lost. The style of heavy metal Cauldron plays is very heavily influenced by the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal era of the late 1970's and early 1980's. They utilize a stripped down approach to recording their music: straight forward electric guitar, heavy bass, and a hard and heavy drum beat. If you are a fan of the early works of bands like Iron Maiden, Raven, Judas Priest and Venom, then you need to check out Cauldron as well.
They started their show with 'Frozen In Fire' from their 2011 album Burning Fortune. Defined by a heavy, chugging bass line, mid-tempo power chords, and a great guitar solo, this song got the crowd headbanging off the bat. Decay and Chains had a classic heavy metal stage presence, often standing next to each other at the front of the stage to do some synchronized headbanging. At each appropriate moment one or the other would take center stage for a spotlighted guitar solo or bass riff.
For the next several songs, they focused on selections from their new album Tomorrow's Lost. Among these was 'Nitebreaker', a fast and heavy 5-minute masterpiece of speed-driven classic metal. Decay's vocals carried the melody of this song, with a few well placed screams for good measure. 'Nitebreaker' has a killer guitar riff that really got the crowd's adrenaline pumped. Next they played 'Summoned to Succumb', a slower but heavier tune. Drummer Deck provided the solid backbone of this song- a relentless heavy beat that had the crowd raising their devil-horned fists high. Chains added a memorable guitar solo to make 'Summoned to Succumb' one of their most enjoyable live performances.Near the end of their set, they played a cover of Venom's 'Die Hard', a true gem from metal's early days. This got more people on the fringe of the crowd involved and plenty of headbanging followed. They closed their set with 'All or Nothing,' perhaps their best known song. The lyrics focus on seeking the best things in life and not settling for less. It was also a very fast tune with rapid-fire drumming and furious fretwork on guitar. The crowd enjoyed it to the end with a renewed energy.
Every aspect of Cauldron's show, from the music to their appearance and stagecraft, reminded me of the kind of classic metal I grew to love in the first place. Classic heavy metal has become a bit obscure over the years, as new bands seem to follow current trends or try to branch and blend genres and sub genres. Cauldron seems to represent the bones of what these newer styles have grown out of. If you were to put all of heavy metal into a pot and boil away all the excessive effects until only one style remained, what you'd have left would be Cauldron. They proved with their live performance what all heavy metal fans know deep down inside- pure metal will never die!
CAULDRON'S Set List from June 9th, 2013:
Frozen In Fire
End Of Time
Nitebreaker
Summoned to Succumb
Rapid City
Burning Fortune
Miss You to Death
Die Hard (Venom cover)
All or Nothing
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
ORION Music + More 2013: Day 2- Detroit, MI: Sunday, June 9th, Part 1
Post #251
The first day of Orion Music + More was perhaps the best day-long concert I had ever attended, and now the second day was upon me. I wondered if this day would somehow manage to top the previous day's events. There were several bands on this day's schedule I planned to see, but most promising of all was of course Metallica, headlining this final day of the fest with a 2 hour set. There was so much else to do at Orion Fest beyond just the music that I thought I would arrive early and look at some of the exhibits that had eluded me on day 1.
First and foremost was the Metallica Museum, a spectacular career-spanning collection of the band's own instruments, stage equipment and mementos from past tours. Immediately inside the museum to the right was one of Metallica frontman James Hetfield's guitars. It was a classic guitar that I remember seeing in many early Metallica videos like 'One' or 'Enter Sandman'. Other guitars belonging to guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Rob Trujillo were also on display. You could see that these instruments had a lot of miles of touring behind them; some had several nicks and scratches or hand-drawn graffiti on them. There were vintage tour posters, drum kits, and old back-stage passes. It was stuff that die-hard Metallica fans would 'oooh' and 'aaah' over- and they were! The one display you couldn't miss was of the late Cliff Burton's bass guitar. It was propped up in the center of the room- the place of honor. It seemed to radiate an aura of light. Everyone who gazed upon it did so with the utmost respect. One of the last things you saw before exiting the museum was the head of the Lady Justice statue used as a stage prop during the Damaged Justice Tour. It had signs of wear and tear from its numerous collapses as part of Metallica's famed 'Apocalyptic Stage' designs. I had seen one of Metallica's concert home-videos from that tour, and now I got to see that exact stage prop in real life. I felt like I had come full-circle as a Metallica fan.
Following my tour of the museum, I headed over to the vintage and custom cars show on display in and around the next tent over. At the entrance to this tent was the Motorbreath Art Gallery, which featured a few cool atr pieces by 'Papa Het' himself. There were eye catching models, from vintage to modern to futuristic all over the place. I even got to sit in one of the custom dragster cars, mere minutes after Hetfield himself had sat in it. Hetfield had even signed the stainless steel interior next to the driver's seat.
Just beyond the car show was the 'Globe of Death'- a spherical stunt-motorcycle cage. I managed to catch one of their performances and was blown away by the dexterity of these cyclists. At first it was just one motorcycle that raced around and around the inside of the small cage, defying gravity as it raced around the inside, parallel to the ground. Next they added a second motorcycle, and they raced around the inside simultaneously. Finally they repeated the 2-motorcycle stunt, with an assistant standing in the middle of them both!
As 2 o'clock approached, I headed over to the Damage Inc. Stage where the first band on my itinerary, Cauldron, were about to go on. Cauldron are from Toronto, Canada, and play a very classic style of heavy metal that is strongly influenced by the early 'New Wave Of British Heavy Metal' era. They took the stage and gave the crowd a great show. Their guitarist Ian Chains was ripping some awesome guitar solos and the crowd really got into it. Singer/bassist Jason Decay and drummer Myles Deck held a tight and heavy rhythm section throughout the set. They played several of my favorite songs, like 'End of Time' and 'Nitebreaker', and closed with their popular number 'All or Nothing'. They have quickly become a new favorite band of mine, and I'll give a more detailed review on their performance in another blog post very soon.
As soon as Cauldron finished, I hurried over to the Orion Stage to hear the last couple of songs by All Shall Perish, a death-metal band with strong thrash influences. Their music was very loud and intense. The crowd was moshing everywhere. I especially enjoyed their guitar soloing as it reminded me of some old-school thrash metal. Vocalist Eddie Hermida took a moment at the end of their set to express their gratitude toward Metallica for including them in the festival. Thankfulness and gratitude was a common theme throughout the festival; it seemed every band wanted to acknowledge Metallica for pulling Orion Music + More together, and rightly so- it was easily the most memorable music fest I had ever been to, and was getting better by the hour!
At this point I decided to check out the Sanitarium Stage where electronic dance music was featured. I am glad I did! It was such an all-encompassing experience. 12th Planet was DJ-ing, and the crowd under the tent was dancing like it was a night club. A smoke machine provided the medium to allow the intricate light show to pulse along with the beat of the music. The bass tones were powerful and heavy and enticed your body to move with the rhythm. Some people were even dancing with hula hoops. It was such a departure from much of the other music featured at Orion Fest, but somehow it still fit. The people were certainly enjoying it!
Later on, it was time for me to head back to the other side of the field, to see Vista Chino at the Frantic Stage. Vista Chino are a stoner-rock, or desert-rock, band. Their sound bears a strong similarity to the band Kyuss, of which 3 of the 4 musicians were former members. They played a heavy, mid-tempo style of hard rock or heavy metal. A good-sized crowd had gathered under the tent and were pumping their fists in the air.
Once Vista Chino played their last song I quickly migrated over to the Fuel Stage to catch the second half of the Japandroids set. This band is a duo consisting of a drummer and guitarist who share the vocals. Though there were only the two of them, they packed enough energy for a full band. I had heard some of their music before but it did not compare with how they sounded live. This band was tearing it up! Though they are considered 'indie rock' or 'garage rock', some fans still thought they were intense enough to mosh to and so started mosh-pit in a section of the crowd.
After Japandroids wrapped up their show, I walked a short distance to the next closest stage- the Damage Inc. Stage. Here I discovered Fu Manchu, another stoner-rock band. Though some elements of their music reminded me of Vista Chino, they were also noticeably faster. I stayed for the end of their set and heard some great songs. They did a cover of Blue Oyster Cult's 'Godzilla' that was remarkably true to the original. Their closing number was called 'King of the Road'- a good strong rhythm, heavy groove, and a tempo that built up in intensity toward the end.
I headed back over to the main Orion Stage and caught the end of the Deftones' set. Vocalist Chino Moreno had a commanding stage presence, and kept the crowd active throughout the show. Their guitar riffs were heavy and energizing, never really letting up at any point of their show. The rhythms had a thrumming quality that invited widespread headbanging. It was an overall top notch metal performance, and the last act on this stage before Metallica. Before they finished, Moreno gave his own humble thanks to Metallica for choosing them as part of this festival. It was another moment of good character that had truly come to encapsulate the attitude of Orion Fest. Now there was merely an hour left until Metallica would take the stage themselves...
Everybody at this festival had been anticipating Metallica's 2 hour set for the entire weekend. True, there were a fair amount of people who managed to see them on the previous day when they appeared under the pseudonym 'dehaan', but now was their moment of glory, and everyone came crowding together as the last acts of all the other stages played their last songs.
The crowd packed in tighter and tighter together, and before long Metallica's intro started to play. For several years Metallica have traditionally started their concerts by playing Ennio Morricone's 'The Ecstasy of Gold' from the spaghetti western film The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The excitement among the audience was electric and the music only enhanced this emotion.
Then, finally, Metallica took the stage and began to play! They wasted no time hitting us all with some heavy stuff. 'Blackened' was their opening song- a progressive, heavy thrasher from their album ...And Justice for All. Their set list was amazing and diverse; they played a good mix of obscure deep tracks along with several crowd-pleasing favorites. All in all, it was truly a performance for the ages: a concert deserving of an in-depth review that I will be posting soon. Keep checking back for my next post about Metallica's Orion Music + More!
The first day of Orion Music + More was perhaps the best day-long concert I had ever attended, and now the second day was upon me. I wondered if this day would somehow manage to top the previous day's events. There were several bands on this day's schedule I planned to see, but most promising of all was of course Metallica, headlining this final day of the fest with a 2 hour set. There was so much else to do at Orion Fest beyond just the music that I thought I would arrive early and look at some of the exhibits that had eluded me on day 1.
First and foremost was the Metallica Museum, a spectacular career-spanning collection of the band's own instruments, stage equipment and mementos from past tours. Immediately inside the museum to the right was one of Metallica frontman James Hetfield's guitars. It was a classic guitar that I remember seeing in many early Metallica videos like 'One' or 'Enter Sandman'. Other guitars belonging to guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Rob Trujillo were also on display. You could see that these instruments had a lot of miles of touring behind them; some had several nicks and scratches or hand-drawn graffiti on them. There were vintage tour posters, drum kits, and old back-stage passes. It was stuff that die-hard Metallica fans would 'oooh' and 'aaah' over- and they were! The one display you couldn't miss was of the late Cliff Burton's bass guitar. It was propped up in the center of the room- the place of honor. It seemed to radiate an aura of light. Everyone who gazed upon it did so with the utmost respect. One of the last things you saw before exiting the museum was the head of the Lady Justice statue used as a stage prop during the Damaged Justice Tour. It had signs of wear and tear from its numerous collapses as part of Metallica's famed 'Apocalyptic Stage' designs. I had seen one of Metallica's concert home-videos from that tour, and now I got to see that exact stage prop in real life. I felt like I had come full-circle as a Metallica fan.
Following my tour of the museum, I headed over to the vintage and custom cars show on display in and around the next tent over. At the entrance to this tent was the Motorbreath Art Gallery, which featured a few cool atr pieces by 'Papa Het' himself. There were eye catching models, from vintage to modern to futuristic all over the place. I even got to sit in one of the custom dragster cars, mere minutes after Hetfield himself had sat in it. Hetfield had even signed the stainless steel interior next to the driver's seat.
Just beyond the car show was the 'Globe of Death'- a spherical stunt-motorcycle cage. I managed to catch one of their performances and was blown away by the dexterity of these cyclists. At first it was just one motorcycle that raced around and around the inside of the small cage, defying gravity as it raced around the inside, parallel to the ground. Next they added a second motorcycle, and they raced around the inside simultaneously. Finally they repeated the 2-motorcycle stunt, with an assistant standing in the middle of them both!
As 2 o'clock approached, I headed over to the Damage Inc. Stage where the first band on my itinerary, Cauldron, were about to go on. Cauldron are from Toronto, Canada, and play a very classic style of heavy metal that is strongly influenced by the early 'New Wave Of British Heavy Metal' era. They took the stage and gave the crowd a great show. Their guitarist Ian Chains was ripping some awesome guitar solos and the crowd really got into it. Singer/bassist Jason Decay and drummer Myles Deck held a tight and heavy rhythm section throughout the set. They played several of my favorite songs, like 'End of Time' and 'Nitebreaker', and closed with their popular number 'All or Nothing'. They have quickly become a new favorite band of mine, and I'll give a more detailed review on their performance in another blog post very soon.
As soon as Cauldron finished, I hurried over to the Orion Stage to hear the last couple of songs by All Shall Perish, a death-metal band with strong thrash influences. Their music was very loud and intense. The crowd was moshing everywhere. I especially enjoyed their guitar soloing as it reminded me of some old-school thrash metal. Vocalist Eddie Hermida took a moment at the end of their set to express their gratitude toward Metallica for including them in the festival. Thankfulness and gratitude was a common theme throughout the festival; it seemed every band wanted to acknowledge Metallica for pulling Orion Music + More together, and rightly so- it was easily the most memorable music fest I had ever been to, and was getting better by the hour!
At this point I decided to check out the Sanitarium Stage where electronic dance music was featured. I am glad I did! It was such an all-encompassing experience. 12th Planet was DJ-ing, and the crowd under the tent was dancing like it was a night club. A smoke machine provided the medium to allow the intricate light show to pulse along with the beat of the music. The bass tones were powerful and heavy and enticed your body to move with the rhythm. Some people were even dancing with hula hoops. It was such a departure from much of the other music featured at Orion Fest, but somehow it still fit. The people were certainly enjoying it!
Later on, it was time for me to head back to the other side of the field, to see Vista Chino at the Frantic Stage. Vista Chino are a stoner-rock, or desert-rock, band. Their sound bears a strong similarity to the band Kyuss, of which 3 of the 4 musicians were former members. They played a heavy, mid-tempo style of hard rock or heavy metal. A good-sized crowd had gathered under the tent and were pumping their fists in the air.
Once Vista Chino played their last song I quickly migrated over to the Fuel Stage to catch the second half of the Japandroids set. This band is a duo consisting of a drummer and guitarist who share the vocals. Though there were only the two of them, they packed enough energy for a full band. I had heard some of their music before but it did not compare with how they sounded live. This band was tearing it up! Though they are considered 'indie rock' or 'garage rock', some fans still thought they were intense enough to mosh to and so started mosh-pit in a section of the crowd.
After Japandroids wrapped up their show, I walked a short distance to the next closest stage- the Damage Inc. Stage. Here I discovered Fu Manchu, another stoner-rock band. Though some elements of their music reminded me of Vista Chino, they were also noticeably faster. I stayed for the end of their set and heard some great songs. They did a cover of Blue Oyster Cult's 'Godzilla' that was remarkably true to the original. Their closing number was called 'King of the Road'- a good strong rhythm, heavy groove, and a tempo that built up in intensity toward the end.
I headed back over to the main Orion Stage and caught the end of the Deftones' set. Vocalist Chino Moreno had a commanding stage presence, and kept the crowd active throughout the show. Their guitar riffs were heavy and energizing, never really letting up at any point of their show. The rhythms had a thrumming quality that invited widespread headbanging. It was an overall top notch metal performance, and the last act on this stage before Metallica. Before they finished, Moreno gave his own humble thanks to Metallica for choosing them as part of this festival. It was another moment of good character that had truly come to encapsulate the attitude of Orion Fest. Now there was merely an hour left until Metallica would take the stage themselves...
Everybody at this festival had been anticipating Metallica's 2 hour set for the entire weekend. True, there were a fair amount of people who managed to see them on the previous day when they appeared under the pseudonym 'dehaan', but now was their moment of glory, and everyone came crowding together as the last acts of all the other stages played their last songs.
The crowd packed in tighter and tighter together, and before long Metallica's intro started to play. For several years Metallica have traditionally started their concerts by playing Ennio Morricone's 'The Ecstasy of Gold' from the spaghetti western film The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The excitement among the audience was electric and the music only enhanced this emotion.
Then, finally, Metallica took the stage and began to play! They wasted no time hitting us all with some heavy stuff. 'Blackened' was their opening song- a progressive, heavy thrasher from their album ...And Justice for All. Their set list was amazing and diverse; they played a good mix of obscure deep tracks along with several crowd-pleasing favorites. All in all, it was truly a performance for the ages: a concert deserving of an in-depth review that I will be posting soon. Keep checking back for my next post about Metallica's Orion Music + More!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
ORION Music + More: Day 1, Part 4- The Red Hot Chili Peppers!!!
Post #249
First on stage was drummer Chad Smith. He got behind the drum kit and
started a simple rock beat to which the crowd responded with more
cheers. Then came guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, followed soon after by bassist Flea.
The cheers rose in volume a little more: as far as bassists go, few are
more instantly recognizable in rock music than Flea. Tonight his short,
curly hair was dyed a light shade of purple. These two joined Chad in an
improvised jam session. A minute later, singer Anthony Keidis took the
stage and the crowd went wild.
The band continued the open jam session for a few more measures
before slipping into the melody for 'Monarchy of Roses' from their latest album I'm With You, and the show was off and
rolling. They performed this song so tightly it could have been playing off
the CD except the energy behind it was ten-fold. The crowd, likewise,
was feeding off that energy and giving it back to the band. In the break
before the next song, the band messed around with another improvised
jam, capturing a slightly different mood, before again slipping into
another well known hit of theirs, 'Dani California', from the Stadium Arcadium double-length album. Again, they were so in sync and feeding off of the crowd that I knew we were in for an awesome show.
For the next several songs they focused on playing some of their biggest hits from their last few albums, going back as early as Californication, as well as playing a couple more of their brand new songs. A few of these were some of their more mellow songs, like 'Scar Tissue' and 'Snow ((Hey Oh))'. Even though they were packed pretty tightly together the crowd still managed to find the room to sway and dance to the Chili Peppers' funky grooves. The band also kept up the trend of inserting little mini-jam sessions between most of the songs. It was a clever way to keep the fans involved in the show and simultaneously on their toes about what song was coming next.
Before much longer the tones of Flea's bass guitar suddenly got heavier as he switched to his slapping technique. Then Klinghoffer's guitar came in with the heaviest riff of the night. They were playing their cover of Stevie Wonder's 'Higher Ground', one of the heavier songs in their repertoire. This snapped the crowd out of their mellow mood and got them jumping up and down again. Next the band slowed it right back down again with 'Hard to Concentrate'. In contrast to 'Higher Ground', this is one of the softest songs ever written by the Chili Peppers, with lyrics written by Keidis for his wife, creating a gentle love song. By far, though, my favorite song from the evening was 'Californication'. The minor-key tone of this song along with the clean guitar melodies and inventive lyrics about the excessive lifestyles of Hollywood culture mixed with social commentary make it a one-of-a-kind modern masterpiece of rock music.
Sometime around the midpoint of the concert, Flea came up to the mic and began reading a poem. It was The Tyger by William Blake, and Flea took a moment to advocate reading, poetry and literacy. It was a great message to be heard from one of the world's most prominent rock bands. The crowd reflected silently for a moment on the words of the poem before the band went on with the show.
At one point during the show, Keidis paused between songs to point out and praise the sign language interpreter. There had been a signer on stage with various bands throughout the festival, signing to translate the lyrics of the songs, and just jamming air-guitar, drums or bass during instrumental parts of the music. It was a nice touch at a music festival that was heavily focused on diversity. Keidis looked over to the signer, asked, "Are you the signer? That was a very beautiful rendition. Thank you very much."
(Photo by Cambria Harkey)
After the would-be closing number 'By The Way,' the band left the stage and it seemed the show was over. After a couple minutes, however, the crowd started to get restless.
They were hoping for an encore, and cheers and chants started going
around, growing in intensity as time wore on. Just when the intensity was on the verge of getting out of hand, the band members returned to the stage one by one. The most unique re-entrance had to go the Flea, hands-down, for he walked onto the stage doing a hand-stand!
Just as they did at the start of the show, they kicked the encore off with an improvised mini-jam that quickly morphed into 'Around the World' from the Californication album. Next they gave us another softer mellow number with 'Soul to Squeeze'. Then for the big send-off they closed with the funky hard-rocking 'Give It Away' form Blood Sugar Sex Magik.
It's easy to say that everyone had a thoroughly good time. Once the band left the stage and the house lights came on, the crowd headed to the exits with smiles on their faces in spite of the exhaustion they may have felt. All of this great music to absorb and still another full day to look forward to!
Red Hot Chili Peppers-Live!
(Performed on June 8th, 2013)
As the afternoon drew late on the first day of Orion Fest, the crowd grew thick around the Orion Stage. The Fest's first headliner, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, were about to
take the stage. It was going to be interesting seeing them play at this fest created by Metallica, for the Chili Pepper are more
identified as an alternative rock band, rather than a metal band.
However, it seemed to be part of the point Metallica meant to get
across, that Orion Fest was more about good music of all genres, rather than just heavy
metal music. If my impression from previous acts of day 1 were any indication,
the people were getting it, and enjoying every style of music as much as
the next; so it was no surprise to me when they took the stage to a
raucous applause a few minutes later.(Performed on June 8th, 2013)
(Photo by Cambria Harkey)
(Photo by Jack Edinger)
For the next several songs they focused on playing some of their biggest hits from their last few albums, going back as early as Californication, as well as playing a couple more of their brand new songs. A few of these were some of their more mellow songs, like 'Scar Tissue' and 'Snow ((Hey Oh))'. Even though they were packed pretty tightly together the crowd still managed to find the room to sway and dance to the Chili Peppers' funky grooves. The band also kept up the trend of inserting little mini-jam sessions between most of the songs. It was a clever way to keep the fans involved in the show and simultaneously on their toes about what song was coming next.
(Photo by Jack Edinger)
(Photo by Cambria Harkey)
At one point during the show, Keidis paused between songs to point out and praise the sign language interpreter. There had been a signer on stage with various bands throughout the festival, signing to translate the lyrics of the songs, and just jamming air-guitar, drums or bass during instrumental parts of the music. It was a nice touch at a music festival that was heavily focused on diversity. Keidis looked over to the signer, asked, "Are you the signer? That was a very beautiful rendition. Thank you very much."
(Photo by Cambria Harkey)
After the would-be closing number 'By The Way,' the band left the stage and it seemed the show was over. After a couple minutes, however, the crowd started to get restless.
They were hoping for an encore, and cheers and chants started going
around, growing in intensity as time wore on. Just when the intensity was on the verge of getting out of hand, the band members returned to the stage one by one. The most unique re-entrance had to go the Flea, hands-down, for he walked onto the stage doing a hand-stand!
Just as they did at the start of the show, they kicked the encore off with an improvised mini-jam that quickly morphed into 'Around the World' from the Californication album. Next they gave us another softer mellow number with 'Soul to Squeeze'. Then for the big send-off they closed with the funky hard-rocking 'Give It Away' form Blood Sugar Sex Magik.It's easy to say that everyone had a thoroughly good time. Once the band left the stage and the house lights came on, the crowd headed to the exits with smiles on their faces in spite of the exhaustion they may have felt. All of this great music to absorb and still another full day to look forward to!
(Photo by Cambria Harkey)
The Red Hot Chili Peppers' set list was:
Monarchy of Roses
Monarchy of Roses
Dani California
Scar Tissue
Can't Stop
Look Around
Snow ((Hey Oh))
Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
Higher Ground
Hard to Concentrate
Me and My Friends
Under the Bridge
Suck My Kiss
Ethiopia
Californication
By the Way
---------
Around the World
Soul to Squeeze
Monday, June 17, 2013
ORION Music + More: Day 1, Part 3: DEHAAN, er, um... METAL UP YOUR ASS!
Post # 248
(Performed on June 8th, 2013)
(Performed on June 8th, 2013)
For all of the lucky Orion Fest-goers that happened to attend
the first day of the fest and happened to have arrived by about 4:45pm and
happened to have been curious about this band with the weird name ‘dehaan’, or
happened to be wandering past one of the smallest stages at the fest off in
the back corner of the huge field, there was a very special surprise awaiting
them. The surprise was the fact that 'dehaan' was no more than a pseudonym that
Metallica had made up for themselves. In essence, this allowed them to perform a
small, practically unannounced, set.
"DEHAAN METAL UP YOUR ASS"
(Photo by Dave Mead)
Having pretty much snuck themselves into their own festival, Metallica used this opportunity to deliver on a much speculated album-anniversary
for their most die hard fans: the 30 year anniversary of their debut, Kill ‘Em All!! It's original intended title was 'Metal Up Your
Ass', however Metallica's early record label discourage that title,
convincing them to change it. Metallica brought the phrase back for this performance, using
it as the backdrop for their set. Kill 'Em All has become a legendary debut album in the folklore of heavy metal history. This album set the stage for the entire thrash movement of the early-to-mid 80's. That era of music has been continuously held in the highest regard by heavy metal purists, and is essential inspiration for almost any extreme-style metal band emerging today. On this day, after 30 long years, those who had been waiting with baited breath to hear Kill 'Em All performed live finally got the reward they had been waiting for.
Opening with the song 'Hit The Lights', Metallica laid into this classic album with all their metallic
mastery and genuinely focused on delivering each track note-for-note. James Hetfield even
sounded like his old self: many old-school fans have come to complain about Hetfield singing the older Metallica songs 'too nicely' rather than emphasizing the rough scratchy screams and growls he had been know for in the days before the 'Black Album'. This was not the case on this day! Hetfield was in fine form, delivering an angry and aggressive vocal performance unlike any in recent years. I believe they made this performance as authentic as possible on purpose. Their most faithful of fans certainly deserved no less.
(Photo by Dave Mead)
This performance of Kill 'Em All, in it's entirety, is one for the ages. Though original bassist Cliff Burton, who died in a bus accident while on tour in 1986, could not be here to perform it, I'm sure his spirit was made proud by the band's performance. Current bassist Robert Trujillo played his bass guitar with as much gusto as ever. Even when it came time to play Cliff's epic trademark bass solo, 'Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)', the crowd got behind Trujillo, cheered him on, and inspired him to an iconic performance. The band chimed in, right on cue, to finish the song, and seamlessly transitioned to 'Whiplash' without missing a beat.
My adrenaline was flowing fast at this point. The metal was amped up to the max, fans had their devil-horned fists held high and the throngs of people were jumping, thrashing, or moshing relentlessly. I knew the obscure tracks that were coming next; 'Phantom Lord' and 'No Remorse'. These songs may not be as popular, but they still represent the classic Metallica sound. 'Phantom Lord' was one of their first songs to feature a breakdown segment that utilized clean guitar melodies to contrast with their heavy thrash sound. 'No Remorse' is simply a timeless, mid-tempo thrash riff. It chugs along like a metal machine, and is very conducive for moshing or fist-pumping. 'Seek and Destroy' has been a concert set-list staple for Metallica for years, so there was no surprise there. It is also a classic metal riff, played primarily at mid tempo, but it does speed up for a bit right in the middle. Then, as the concluding number, they pulled out the ultimate speed-thrasher 'Metal Militia'. The crowd simply went insane all over again, moshing like frenzied madmen.
(Photo by Dave Mead)
My adrenaline was flowing fast at this point. The metal was amped up to the max, fans had their devil-horned fists held high and the throngs of people were jumping, thrashing, or moshing relentlessly. I knew the obscure tracks that were coming next; 'Phantom Lord' and 'No Remorse'. These songs may not be as popular, but they still represent the classic Metallica sound. 'Phantom Lord' was one of their first songs to feature a breakdown segment that utilized clean guitar melodies to contrast with their heavy thrash sound. 'No Remorse' is simply a timeless, mid-tempo thrash riff. It chugs along like a metal machine, and is very conducive for moshing or fist-pumping. 'Seek and Destroy' has been a concert set-list staple for Metallica for years, so there was no surprise there. It is also a classic metal riff, played primarily at mid tempo, but it does speed up for a bit right in the middle. Then, as the concluding number, they pulled out the ultimate speed-thrasher 'Metal Militia'. The crowd simply went insane all over again, moshing like frenzied madmen.
(Photo by Dave Mead)
Then, finally... it was done. Metallica had given us a thoroughly thrashing performance of Kill 'Em All! Respect paid to one of thrash metal's best debut albums, Metallica thanked the crowd, encouraged them to take in all the other bands performing throughout the weekend, and said they would do the same. They also said to watch out for more surprises. In some ways, it was hard to believe that Orion Fest was still just getting started!
Set List: KILL 'EM ALL 30th Anniversary
Hit The Lights
The Four Horsemen
Motorbreath
Jump In The Fire
Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)
Whiplash
Phantom Lord
No Remorse
Seek And Destroy
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