Multimedia freelance journalist. Lead Music Writer & Assistant Editor for Technorati. National Music History Examiner. Certified Google Creator Academy Alumni 2013. Join me on YouTube Interviews From The Edge or G+
Slash announces first US tour dates in support of up-coming album Apocalyptic Love and plans for an extensive Fall tour.
2012 is shaping up to be an amazing year for Grammy Award winning guitarist Slash. He closed out 2011 riding high on the success of his landmark, self-titled debut album which managed to take the Billboard top spot for Rock Album, Hard Rock Album and Independent Album as well as the #3 spot in the Top 200. He also joined Ozzy Osbourne on the Scream tour Read the Technorati Scream Tour Review.
On April 14th Slash will be joined by the other original members of Guns N Roses for a live performance during their induction into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. With several successful projects under his belt, including Velvet Revolver, Slash's Snakepit and his widely acclaimed debut release, Slash recently released the album cover art for his forth-coming follow-up release, Apocalyptic Love.
Apocalyptic Love, which will feature Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, is set to hit the streets on May 22, 2012. The band will be hitting the tour circuit as well as several major music festivals in support of the album.
#poison Poison Rocks! @bretmichaels Love this video! I think about 1,700 of those views are me. What can I say? This is the reason God made tight blue jeans.
Alter Bridge - Live concert photo video - Alter Bridge, Seether and Avenged Sevenfold on one stage - an absolutely epic concert experience! Visithttp://alterbridge.com for tour dates and latest album AB III
All You Need is Now Purchase album & tickets: http://duranduran.com Duran Duran - Play the bass John - Live
"And they know the band well... well enough to start screaming "Play the f*cking bass John!" before Simon was ready, forcing him to raise an eyebrow at their cheekiness and hold the mic out over their heads before joining in. The "Play the f*cking bass John!" chant is now available as a ringtone, by the way. I love that." Continue reading Concert Review: Duran Duran - All You Need is Now tour - National Music History Examiner
Best Concerts 2011 All You Need is Now World Tour Dates: April 14, 2011 FOX THEATRE Pomona, CA Duran Duran at the Fox Theatre in Pomona, CA on April 14, 2011
April 16, 2011 THE FILLMORE THEATRE San Francisco, CA This is a will call only show
April 17, 2011 COACHELLA MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL Indio, CA Duran Duran will performing at Coachella in Indio, CA on Sunday, April 17th
April 20, 2011 OGDEN THEATRE Denver, CO Duran Duran at the Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO
April 22, 2011 EPIC Minneapolis, MN Duran Duran at Epic Minneapolis, in Minneapolis, MN on April 22nd
April 23, 2011 HOUSE OF BLUES CHICAGO Chicago, IL Duran Duran at the House of Blues, Chicago, IL
April 25, 2011 PHOENIX CONCERT THEATRE Toronto, Canada Duran Duran at the Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ONT, Canada on April 25, 20
April 26, 2011 LE NATIONAL Montreal, QBC Duran Duran on April 26th in Montreal, Canada at Le National
April 27, 2011 ROYALE THEATRE Boston, MA Duran Duran at the Royale Theatre on April 27th in Boston, MA
April 30, 2011 ALTOS DE CHAVON La Romana, Dominican Republic Duran Duran at Altos de Chavon in La Romana, Dominican Republic on April 30th
May 18, 2011 NEWCASTLE METRO RADIO ARENA Duran Duran at the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, UK.
May 19, 2011 GLASGOW SECC Duran Duran at Glasgow SECC, UK.
May 21, 2011 BIRMINGHAM LG ARENA Duran Duran at Birmingham LG Arena, UK.
May 22, 2011 NOTTINGHAM CAPITAL FM ARENA Duran Duran at the Nottingham Capital FM Arena, UK.
May 23, 2011 LIVERPOOL ECHO ARENA Duran Duran at the Liverpool Echo Arena, UK.
May 26, 2011 ELECTRONIC BEATS - ADMIRALSPALAST Berlin, Germany Duran Duran will be performing at Admiralspalest, Berlin as part of the Electron
May 28, 2011 THE LONDON 02 ARENA Duran Duran at the London O2 Arena, UK.
May 30, 2011 THE BRIGHTON CENTRE Duran Duran at the Brighton Centre, UK.
May 31, 2011 BOURNEMOUTH INTERNATIONAL CENTRE Duran Duran at the Bournemouth International Centre, UK.
June 01, 2011 CARDIFF INTERNATIONAL ARENA Duran Duran at the Cardiff International Arena, UK.
June 03, 2011 MANCHESTER MEN ARENA Duran Duran at the Manchester MEN Arena, UK.
June 04, 2011 SHEFFIELD MOTORPOINT ARENA Duran Duran will be performing at the the Sheffield Motorpoint Arena, UK
June 10, 2011 LE GRAND THEATRE Paris, France Duran Duran at Le Grand Rex Theater, Paris, France
June 11, 2011 ADO KYOCERA STADION Den Haag, The Netherlands Duran Duran on June 11h at Kyocera Stadion, Holland
June 12, 2011 FOREST NATIONAL Brussels, Belgium Duran Duran on June 12th at the Forest National in Brussels
June 14, 2011 TIVOLI GARDENS Copenhagen, Denmark Duran Duran at the Tivoli Gardens, June 14th, 2011, Copenhagen, Denmark
June 15, 2011 LISEBERGSHALLEN Gothenburg, Sweden Duran Duran at LISEBERGSHALLEN in Gothenburg, Sweden on June 15th, 2011
June 16, 2011 CIRKUS Stockholm, Sweden Duran Duran at Cirkus in Stockholm, Sweden on June 16, 2011
June 18, 2011 KAISANIEMI PARK Helsinki, Finland Duran Duran at the Kaisa Fest - Kaisaniemi Park in Helsinki, Finland on June 18,
June 21, 2011 MOSCOW MEGASPORT Moscow, Russia Duran Duran on June 21, 2011 at the Moscow Megasport in Moscow, Russia
June 23, 2011 THE NEW ARENA St. Petersburg, Russia Duran Duran at The New Arena in St Petersburg, Russia on June 23, 2011
July 14, 2011 O2 ARENA Dublin, Ireland Duran Duran on July 14th at the O2 Arena in Dublin, Ireland
July 16, 2011 THE ROUNDHOUSE/ITUNES FESTIVAL London, England Duran Duran will be performing as part of the iTunes Music Festival, which runs
July 20, 2011 GASOMOTER Vienna, Austria Duran Duran at Gasometer in Vienna, Austria on July 20, 2011
August 06, 2011 DAS FESTIVAL Schaffhausen, Switzerland Duran Duran at the DAS Festival in Schaffhausen, Switzerland on August 6, 2011
August 20, 2011 V FESTIVAL Staffordshire, UK-Weston Park Duran Duran at the V Festival, Aug 20, Staffordshire-Weston Park
August 21, 2011 V FESTIVAL Chelmsford, UK-Hylands Park Duran Duran at the V Festival at Hylands Park, Chelmsford, UK
"That's what I want to bring to the music we write, something that speaks my truth, because I think that when I sing about my truth... it's not only mine, but so many other people's truths. When I sing about what's going on in my life, in my heart, in my soul, I find that--when I expose myself the most and tear down my walls the most--that's when I connect with people the most."
"We just express ourselves, wholly and truly. That's our strength... showing our weaknesses." ~~Jacoby Shaddix (Lead Vocalist, Papa Roach.)
As Papa Roach gears up for the release of their latest album, Time For Annihilation..On the Record, and On The Road, on August 31st, and the first single from that album, "Kick in the Teeth," blasts its way up the charts, I had the opportunity to talk with the band's lead singer, Jacoby Shaddix.
Just the name, Jacoby Shaddix, is enough to strike fear into the hearts of most journalists, Papa Roach wasn't invited to join the Anger Management tour for nothing, you know? He's well-known, actually quite notorious, for being a difficult interview-- mainly due to his explosive strings of expletives, and his lack of tolerance for pop music fluff writers. Jacoby has knocked more than one veteran interviewer into early retirement. I'd fancy him a heavy metal Batman, saving Gotham from the grips of banal, journalistic feculence.
Jacoby Shaddix Interview - Papa Roach - Interviews From The Edge
Journalists who have barely escaped his excoriation tend to warn others not to take a trip into the Bat Cave with him. But what I found in talking to Jacoby Shaddix is a person who immediately won my respect with his candor and his humor--a gallows humor, very much like my own. Jacoby is an extremely intelligent guy with little patience for BS and a commitment to being true to himself, his band, and to his fans; a man who is over the hype and just wants to tell his own story, in his own way--and that's what gave my conversation with him its charm, expletives and all.
Papa Roach's latest video release, "Kick in the Teeth," from the soon to be released album, Time For Annihilation.. On the Record, and On The Road.
Music Review: Papa Roach Time for Annihilation Time For Annihilation is a declaration of perseverance. It's volatile and confrontational, brutally honest and fiercely gutsy. From start to finish this is an album that makes a powerful statement. The intense force that is Papa Roach, combined with the production talents of David Bendeth, gives the album additional punch. And there is something to be said for the shift to Eleven Seven Music; a swaggering, bravado that screams of being unchained, a sense of self regained. Read my full editorial album review on Examiner.
I've long admired Jacoby's bad attitude towards crap journalists. After four attempts to give me a good phone connection and opening up, baring his inner thoughts with me the way he did, I can only say that I'm honored, truly. And that he gave me such a long interview time, along with time for off-the-record personal talk in between interview questions, touched me deeply. Our private conversation actually took up more time than our interview, and for that I'm grateful--and very much looking forward to speaking with him face to face when he hits Atlanta with Papa Roach in the coming weeks.
For now, you can listen to a bit of Papa Roach's latest single, "Kick in the Teeth" and also Jacoby, himself, talking about the cause, and what fans can do, personally, to support WhyHunger. He called me from Poland where Papa Roach was performing at "Polish Woodstock," another charity event for children, and during our interview he explained that event as well. We talked about the past and future plans for Papa Roach. And he also left special messages for you, his fans, both veteran Papa Roach fans and for the band's new fans also.
Jacoby is very open about himself and his feelings, sometimes to the detriment of his own reputation, but as you'll hear in our interview, he is always going to be honest. Always. Take it or leave it, this a man who will not compromise his integrity to get on anyone's good side.
I'll be speaking with him again when the new album, Time For Annihilation, is released, but for now our conversation revolved around the band's, and his own, personal commitment to the cause WhyHunger. As he explained in our interview, his family had been homeless when he was little and now, in light of Papa Roach's success, he feels a strong sense of obligation to help other families in need.
We talked only briefly about the band's new album Time For Annihilation because we had agreed to save the more in-depth song writing and production discussion for the album's release. We did however discuss Papa Roach's past hits like "Scars" and "Last Resort." We talked about the band's up-coming tour schedule and agreed to do a live interview when they hit Atlanta upon their return home from Europe later this month.
There was a moment during our interview when I was telling him how the song "Scars" affected me personally and you can hear him just say "Wow" in the background. A poignant moment for me to express my appreciation to someone who helped to bring about an epiphanous turning point in my life, an opportunity that rarely comes along in a life time, and one that should be seized whenever possible. His response let me know that he understood the depth of that effect, and I think, judging by our off-record talk, that it means a lot to him to hear that from a fan.
Jacoby Shaddix is a man who will never get tired of hearing his fans talk about their connection with him, with his music. They are the reason he continues to lay his soul bare--an open, heady feast for blood-thirsty media vampires; a modern day Prometheus, bound to the rocks for handing his flame over to mere mortals. A man for whom the words raw, vulnerable, powerful and misunderstood are all equally significant, and accurate, as descriptors.
When I said to him that "Last Resort" was huge, just a monster, was it difficult to get out from under the shadow of a hit like that, he responded "I think for us that "Scars" was the song that helped us get out of that shadow, you know? And kick open a whole new door for us. And now we've had, since then, number one songs on the radio, which has been fucking, a blessing. Yeah, but for a while it was like... that was the monster, you know? We were like FUCK dude! But then you look at it and you go, you know what? Fuck! We got a classic rock song. I mean, we have a song that's a classic. It'll be around forever."
When the band started their sound check Jacoby ducked into a dressing room saying, "FUCK! I can't do a Fucking interview for the life of me right now. Fuck!" Then he said to me, "I just told them to keep it down--I thought I'd never say that. heheh"
But, even with his colorful language, he kept his humor. I had a hard time believing that this was the same guy that people fear to interview and, like him, I couldn't believe he actually said the words "Keep it down" either. I have a feeling that may never happen again. Jacoby is definitely a rocker committed to louder. Harder. Stronger. And Papa Roach's latest album, Time For Annihilation.. On the Record, and On The Road, is truly a reflection of that commitment. It promises to be one of Papa Roach's most powerful albums to date; a reconciliation of the past and present, Time For Annihilation brings Papa Roach, finally, full circle.
Here's a bit of my discussion with Jacoby Shaddix about WhyHunger and Polish Woodstock. You can listen to the full conversation in the audio clip as well.
Jacoby Shaddix Interview Papa Roach - WhyHunger - Interviews From The Edge
The new album is special in a couple of ways, right? The one that's coming out in August. It's got live performances, it's also got new cuts, and it's also supporting a very special cause, WhyHunger, can you tell me a little bit about the cause? What kind of activities they're involved in?
WhyHunger is an organization that we've been working for for the last year. Raising money to put food on the tables of different homeless shelters across the United States. Started working with a group called Loaves and Fishes back in Sacramento, going down there, serving lunch, working on the food line, myself... me. And, you know, just getting involved in that and going "How do we do this on a national level? How do we do this every day? Instead of just trying to raise money once, and then, okay cool, we're going to do a food can drive and that's it."
So we got in touch with Why, and they're nation wide, and obviously world wide. And for us it's just an opportunity to raise money and raise awareness for the homeless folks out there. We know a lot of people are going through a lot of struggle and strife out there right now, at this time in the world, especially with the economy... with the way that it is. And, you know, homeless shelters overflowing and families just trying to make ends meet, and you know, feed their kids.
We feel that it's a good opportunity for us, as a rock and roll band, to give back to our communities directly. And 33 cents? That'll put a meal on the table. So, when I found that out I was like, man... when you go raise a thousand dollars that's almost three thousand meals, right there, on tables directly. And for us to become involved in that--I think it's just a good way, you know? Because I think, coming up, and being where I'm at, and being able to provide for my family and do that. I think it's, you know--especially where I come from, you know--the first year of my families life, of my life, my family was homeless. So, to come from not having anything, to coming to where I'm at now, it's like... I feel like... obliged and responsible to do this. And be part of this.
I talked to Youtube Video Interview with Stephen Christian Stephen Christian from Anberlin. He supports Faceless International. And the one thing that I learned from him, and one of the reasons why I try to talk to people directly, is because most of the time you just get a website... it's like okay, well, go to the website and you can find out what you can do to help but, a lot of times, what people want to know is specifically what kind of help does the organization need? Now, what he told me with Faceless, they need donations, they need prayers, but more than that they need bodies.
Oh yeah, well like I said earlier. Primarily, we encourage our fans, cause kids ask me, "what can I do if I don't have money"' I'm like, well, go to your local homeless shelter and just clean up. Work on the food line. And volunteer your time there and if you have money to donate, then donate it to Why.
The reason we got involved with Why is they're reputable and the money actually goes to where they say it's gonna go. It doesn't get lost in the lining in someone's pocket. And so yes... money definitely is the key factor to it because, like I said, 33 cents puts a meal on the table of a homeless shelter. You go into these places and they're serving 1,500 meals a day.
It just goes to show you what these places are like... they gotta cut off the line and go "Okay. Cool. That's all the food we got." You know? So, there are people that are going hungry. So, the more money, the merrier, because that just puts more food on the table. And, like I said, this isn't an organization where some CEO guy's getting his pocket lined.
Last year you guys auctioned off V.I.P passes at each show, right? To raise money. And you got to meet those folks, right?
Yep.
Did a lot of those people have stories too? Because I would imagine they were probably purchasing those tickets for more than they would have if they had gotten them straight off the website.
Oh yeah. We've gotten like, anywhere from $500 to $1,500 for the V.IP. packages, and some of them are just huge Papa Roach fans and they see the cause that it's going to and they're like, "We have no problem paying this much money to come see the show." Because they know that the money is going towards a good cause. And so... some of the people have interesting stories and some people just got shit piles of money to waste on rock and roll tickets. Heheh You know what I'm saying?
So, as we said, it's kind of like using some our status to help raise the money. Cause if I was just some Joe on the street going "Hey, give me money so I can give it to the homeless people, they might look at me like I'm some kind of jackass. I don't know. That's kind of sad.
Well, it is a very good use for your international platform, that's for sure. And I'm sure that there are a lot of families out there right now that appreciate it, because the economy is so bad. You'd be surprised how much people appreciate it when people go out of their way for them.
Yeah.
I wanna go over just a couple of questions, okay? About the band, and the music. You guys are on tour right now. Where are you calling from?
I'm actually in Poland. We're doing Polish Woodstock and it's another... it's actually a charity event. It's the biggest festival in Europe. 500,000 people. All the proceeds go to the children's group here in Poland, and the kids that are in need, like in the first months of their lives. Kids that need surgeries and such like that. Or hospital care. All of the money from this goes to that. And so, we're doing that show here today.
Then we're headed off to the rest of our European tour. And we're getting ready to release a new album August 31st and so we're really excited about that. We're just gearing up, playing some of the new material and the new material's going over really well.
So, there's a general level of excitement around PaPa Roach and what we're doing right now. It feels good.
It's apparent when we step on the stage, people are really receptive to what we have to offer as a rock and roll band. And I think that just seeing the smiles on people's faces, in the front row singing along, going crazy, is all worth it.
Photos, Music and Video courtesy of Papa Roach and Eleven Seven Music.
 
Currently Reading: An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd.
Look for the review soon on my blogcritics writer profile page.
Backstage With Winds of Plague and In This Moment at Mayhem Festival 2010, Atlanta GA
"It's quite chaotic, hence the name, Mayhem. It's three stages and they start at like two o'clock and there are motorcycles flying through the air and lots of people running around. People moshing in the brutal humidity." Ray Luzier - Korn (Headliner Mayhem Festival 2010 - Interviews from the Edge)
Mayhem Fest is an all day event, with thirteen bands scheduled on three different stages. From 1:50 until 6:20 PM nine bands rotated between the Silver Star Stage and the Jagermeister Stage and at 6:30 PM all activity moved to the Main Stage.
My interview schedule was with Korn first, since they were headlining. A pre-concert-craziness interview that we did a few days in advance of the show because we planned to cover the production and song writing on their latest album release, Korn III: Remember Who You Are; a long interview that needed a quiet space for focus.
I followed up that interview on-site at Mayhem Fest with two more bands, Winds of Plague and In this Moment; live interviews held backstage, and very loud.
The first band I interviewed on-site was Winds of Plague. I went to watch them perform beforehand. Winds of Plague is easily one of the greatest, deathcore, fest bands around for audience participation; when lead singer Johnny "Plague" Cooke called the metal fans to the pit, the ground actually shook in answer to his call That call to arms echoed throughout Lakewood Amphitheater. In reaction the venue sent additional crowd control staff, strong guys in bright yellow shirts, flying across the blacktop and through the crowds to join the mob on the field of battle.
The crowd control event staff moved in, lining the stage as Cooke began whipping the crowd into a frenzy. But they weren't there to protect the band, they were there to catch surfers. The crowd had gone crazy and the stage was on blacktop. Moshers, divers and surfers as far as the eye could see. Motorcycles flying through the air in an absolutely hardcore, thrash, death-metal, aerial ballet.
I watched those crowd control guys catch surfers with, literally, no more than an inch between their skulls and the parking lot pavement. I'm positive they saved many a life that day. I watched them snatch people out of a mid-air dive and flip them right side up before pushing them back out into the crowd for another go at it. I was so awed that my mouth hung open and my camera hovered right in front of my face. I never snapped a single shot. That's a lesson I'll keep in mind for my coming coverage of American Carnage in October. Get the shot, don't stand there looking stupid.
I talked to Dave Lombardo from Slayer not long ago for an up-coming interview. I asked who his favorite band was to tour with or who he had the most fun touring with. "Marilyn Manson and Bullet For My Valentine. When we did the recent Mayhem Fest, it was 2009. We had a great time! It was fantastic!" I thought it created an odd musical picture at the time, but it was the most enthused I had ever heard him, so I knew he meant it. I can fully appreciate his enthusiasm now, having experienced it for myself.
After checking out as many of the nine bands rotating between those two stages as was physically possible, my cell phone rang and Mayhem Tour's organizer called me to meet her so we could go over my interview schedule. Fighting my way through the crowd surges I headed across the venue to the press area for interviews. I had accepted interview invitations from Winds of Plague (basically for the same reason that I can't resist scary movies) and In This Moment, because I was one of the many who had become addicted to their cover of Blondie's "Call Me" on youtube. Also, they were the only metal band at Mayhem Fest featuring a female lead singer.
Korn was meeting and greeting fans next to us as we settled in to talk, the sound of the ongoing concerts made for interesting interview audio. You can listen to that audio if you dare, but keep in mind that, even far from the shows and the crowd, Mayhem was under way. Five Finger Death Punch was inciting the crowd to furious levels as we talked, but what you hear is nothing compared to what followed as headliners Rob Zombie, and then Korn, took the Main Stage that night. It went from Mayhem to Insanity--even after the crowd got a thorough drenching from a sudden thunderstorm during Lamb of God's Main Stage pre-headliner set.
A special thanks definitely goes out to whomever approved my photo passes and then ticketed me on the lawn for the on-coming monsoon. Because nothing says "Hey. I'm a hardcore, death metal fan." like ruined camera equipment. But the downpour still didn't dampen the spirit of Atlanta's hardcore fans; an impromptu mosh pit opened on the lawn as Lamb of God drowned out the storm with a thunderous roar of their own.
But even the rain stops for Rob Zombie and Korn; a nearly Biblical, metal moment as the clouds parted for them to take the stage. Rob Zombie hit the stage with the kind of veteran, heavy performance it takes to follow a band like Lamb of God. Guitarist John 5 finally gave the crowd what they had been screaming for throughout their performance; sending another perfectly good guitar to an early grave.
As the sun began to descend over Mayhem, Korn lit up the night with a brilliant light show and a dazzling display of pyrotechnics. They wrapped up the show, bringing everyone to their feet with a mix of hardcore fan favorites like "Freak on a Leash" and "Falling Away From Me".
Korn's latest video release "Oildale (Leave Me Alone)" From Korn III: Remember Who You Are
A sincere thanks goes out to Mayhem Tour's Laura Jean, who called my cell phone several times during the show to make sure I had everything I needed for my interviews. But for her diligence at taking care of press, the lack of coordination by the venue staff would have made this fest a nightmare.
Mayhem Fest Band Schedule Lakewood Amphitheater Atlanta, GA 8-1-10
Silver Star Stage In This Moment 1:50-2:20 Norma Jean 2:40-3:10 Winds of Plague 3:40-4:10 3 Inches of Blood 4:40-5:10 Atreyu 5:45-6:20
Jagermeister Stage Mobile Death Camp 2:20-2:40 Shadows Fall 3:10-3:40 Chimaira 4:10-4:40 Hatebreed 5:10-5:45
Main Stage Five Finger Death Punch 6:30-7:05 Lamb of God 7:25-8:05 Rob Zombie 8:30-9:30 KORN 9:55-10:55
When I was young it was a well known fact that I shared a birthday with 'The King'. I heard it all the time. You were born on Elvis Presley's birthday. This little fact was common knowledge in the small midwest town where I was raised. Complete strangers would bring up the fact that Elvis and I were born on the same day. It was a very significant date to this town where 'cow tipping' was actually a weekend event for the local teenagers. (I know you think I jest, but it's true. Even my own uncles were known to get drunk and go tip cows.) It was a shock to me after we moved to the east coast that not everyone knew Elvis' birthday. I actually had to tell people this little jewel when the subject of my birthday came up, usually with some response like 'Really, I had no idea when he was born'. Not to mention 'You can really tip a cow?' Oh yes, you most certainly can really tip a cow. Just need to be extremely careful - my uncles once, in a state of extreme drunkeness, tried to tip a bull - with very bad results I'm afraid.
In 1976 my father was a DJ at the local radio station that was sponsoring what would be Elvis Presley's last tour in Ohio. My father got me two tickets for the show. He said that it would only be right to give me his 'promotional seats' since this is the man who shared my birth date. I chose one of my aunts to go with me. She, who had never tipped a cow in her life, was 18 and thrilled to be the one I chose. I had 5 uncles and 2 aunts who were all trying desperately, with different creative tactics, to convince, cajole and bribe me into taking them. It finally came down to my aunt throwing herself dramatically across my bed, pulling out her hair and saying that if she didn't get to see Elvis in concert then life would not be worth living. I melted under the pressure of her suicidal proposals; the many ways she might employ to do herself in. Most to do with committing Hari Kari with a myriad of blunt kitchen objects or possibly throwing herself from a moving vehicle. The females of my family have always had a flair for the dramatic and this was one of the greatest performances to date. She still re-enacts it from time to time during family get togethers as my uncles scowl at how she cheated them out of their chance to see The King perform live.
So that is how I came to be sitting in the 8th row, front and center at my first concert watching The King perform - as women hurled underwear and bras over my head at the stage. At one point a pair of panties landed right on my head. I picked them off with two fingers, they were the size of a small house, and handed them to my aunt, who, with a shrug, finished their trip to the stage. 'God, I hope he doesn't think those are mine' she giggled as she cast them over her head right at the floor in front of him.
It was a remarkable night for me. I have often been asked since then if it was 'Skinny Elvis' I saw or 'Fat Elvis'? It was, unfortunately, Fat Elvis. Not the Elvis that my aunt had been expecting when she swore herself to death by lethal spooning; she just sat, jaw dropped as Fat Elvis took to the stage and kept pinching my arm saying, 'What the hell happened to him?' I could only respond 'I don't know, but he sure does sweat a lot.'
Still - I got to see Elvis perform live and it was an incredible experience. He died less than a year later at Graceland on August 16, 1977.
Here he is in better days, singing one of my favorite Elvis songs. My God. He was beautiful.
Happy Musical Monday to you all. And here's to first concerts. The ones we never forget.
As Papa Roach gears up for the release of their latest album, 
Those words were spoken to me by Ray Luzier from Korn just ahead of my arrival at Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival in Atlanta. But even his words couldn't prepare me for what I was about to encounter. Motorcycles flying through the air? Yes. Stunt bikes doing aerials, pits filled with moshers and crowd surfers. Even a heat index over one hundred couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the hardcore metal fans at Mayhem Fest Atlanta on August 1st, 2010. It made me proud of my hometown.
I watched those crowd control guys catch surfers with, literally, no more than an inch between their skulls and the parking lot pavement. I'm positive they saved many a life that day. I watched them snatch people out of a mid-air dive and flip them right side up before pushing them back out into the crowd for another go at it. I was so awed that my mouth hung open and my camera hovered right in front of my face. I never snapped a single shot. That's a lesson I'll keep in mind for my coming coverage of American Carnage in October. Get the shot, don't stand there looking stupid. 
