What does the title mean?

It is the title of the first album- SONG ...written by 2 Jewish artists , who were deported to concentration camps , but managed to escape the Hitler-Regime & found refuge in the USA !!!! The song "Irgendwo auf der Welt "exists also in an english version on this albummmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

The outfit you’re wearing on the cover invokes images of the ‘30’s or ‘40s. Is that indicative of the music we can expect to hear on the album?

EXACTLY !!!

You’ve always been outspoken on a variety of topics from UFO’s to Animal Rights to Amnesty International. Do any of these themes appear in the lyrics on the new album?

It is the songs of our ancestors , "summertime" 4 example was sung by black nannies, black slaves ... to the white babies they were nursing!  It is the songs of the people who invented the SWING & the BLUES !! The album contains German & American  treasures from that era...

Do the lyrics come first? Does the music come first? What is the songwriting process like for you?

THIS IS A HOMMAGE to OUR ANCESTORS !! ALL WRITTEN BY THEM !!

What’s your personal favorite song on the new album?

TWO : Irgendwo auf der Welt & Summertime....but actually : I love all of them equally !

Any video plans for any songs?

I have no plans , ONLY LOVE !! I'll perform @ this years  VIENNA-LIFE-BALL on the 20tiest of may - 2gether with Sharon Stone - JIPPI !!!

You have some European shows coming up in July?

Yes , Ma’am ! With The Capital Dance Orchestra !

www.capital-dance.de

Only three U.S. shows on the books?

Yes , Ma’am !! But the USA -Shows are with MY ROCKBAND , we are the NINAHAGENBAND !

What exactly is the Estrojam Woman’s Music Festival?

It's a Womans Music Festival !! and i guess ...estro ( is a female thing , isn’t it ).... and jam is a jam .... a collaboration of many musicians who might also jam 2gether !

What is your current live show like?

Always different. Never the same .

Does your live set list contain mostly songs from your new album, or your other albums?

Which live set ? Shiva Nights ? Capital Dance Orchestra ? Leipzig Bigband ? NinaHagenBand ?

Any long-form DVD plans?

SHURE !!

 * Tell us a little about your "Mother of Punk" Clothing Line. Do you design these items?

Yes , I do ... 2gether with my great friend , Sascha Lutzi !!

We have funkipunki ideas ! And some of them ...have already been materialized ...this fashionlabel is still a baby ...work in progressssssssssssssss- www.motherofpunk.com  

You mentioned that you have a TV show. Can you give us details? When and where is it on? What’s it like?

It will be amazzzzzzzing , but when  and where and who will show it , we do not know yet ! An American TV-STATION 4 shure !! But .....I do not want to talk about unlaid eggs ....we shall surprize you ! One thing is 4 shure : I have found great American producers for my own TV-SHOW !

You also mentioned your friend Vicki Monroe who’s putting out her first book soon?

She did ... but  in German ! Reichel-Verlag. She can communicate directly with our ancestors! Which can be of great great help to people ...who have lost a loved one  and who have difficulties to believe the fact , that life goes on ...even after we lay our physical vehicle down to die ...Zur amerikanischen WEB-Site von Vicki Monroe

Om namah Shivay !

Is there anything that I didn’t ask that you want to tell Perch readers about?

FACT IS : FUTURE IS NOW !! WE HAVE TO GET BUSY & WORK : NOW !!

and my son Otis  will go 2 school - NOW !! I better pack him a lunchpackage, he can't eat this interview !! On the 17th of may my daughter Cosma Shiva  will celebrate her 25th BEARTHDAY !! JIPPIE!!!!!!!!! Cosma is a very popular actress in Germany , she & I , we co-star in 2 amazing movies : "7 dwarfs - men alone in the forest " was the first part ... and the second one :" 7 dwarfs - the forest is NOT enough ! " will come out this autumn in German cinemas ! Part One exists also in English !! We showed the English version @ TRIBECA-FILMFEST last may !! I hope , that part 2 will also have an English version !!

I am also a film-maker: I made a documentary about my great teacher Babaji & His message to humantity - from the Himalayas ... it will come out on DVD soon ! I believe , that my friends from www.babaji.net  still have some videos of it !! ....

My musicians & I  ...we are also working on our  new ROCK-ALBUM , we R gonna ROCK UUUUUUU again !! We will collaborate with amazing Joint-Venturers 4 this project !

AND: we are producing an entire BLUES-CHARITY-ALBUM for the local musician-scene of NEW ORLEANS !! I celebrated my 51st earth-birthday there  this last march 2006 .... I fell in LOVE with New Orleans , I consider myself a New Orleanser Berliner !!

1LOVE !

Nina

www.ninahagen.com

http://womanscollective.beeplog.de

http://ninahagen.beeplog.de

http://openletter.beeplog.com

Any stories behind the cover art?

Dan did the entire layout for Self Help. He’s a super talented dude. He also handles all of our merch designs. We wanted an overall unifying theme behind the vibe to the to the album so naturally we wanted to keep using the same idea for all of our merch and designs on the actual album. Keeping a dark vibe that actually makes you want to glance through the layout and relate it to the music. Instead of the overdone science girl dead or some random bloodsplatter.

Didn’t Dan design the t-shirts?

Dan has done all the new merch designs. So, yes, the majority of the merch you can buy at a show has been designed by Dan, aside from some very limited designs we have not sold out of yet.

Why did it take 4 years between Self Help and your previous release?

Sexually the vibe wasn’t right and everyone wanted to pursue other goals in life. Only to miss playing in Spitfire and enjoying the writing process and the huge masses of fans that have begged us to continue. (I don’t even have to tell you that’s a joke because I’m sure for not even a second you believe that.)

  What’s your personal favorite song on Self Help?

My personal favorite is either Leap of Faith or Kings of the Food Chain. In my opinion they embody what Spitfire wants to play – Aggressive Pissed-Off Music.

How is the tour with Underoath, Poison the Well, and As Cities Burn going?

We actually don’t leave for that until next Wed., so I’ll just make up a fake scenario and say that Matt finally lost his virginity on tour or friend Jake totally got attacked by a puma whilst eating a ham sandwich at a truck stop diner (the same on Matt lost the Biv V at). Dan’s roadside collection of artistic porn has grown, to say the least. And Jon, Chris, and I are moving to Japan to play Triple A baseball.

Is scheduling for recording/rehearshing/touring challenging because of Scottie and Dan’s other work with Norma Jean and Scarlet, respectively?

Negatory. Dan is no longer in Scarlet, so he is all ours. Scottie on the other hand tours a lot sexually. So we carry on without him. He will more than likely play a very limited number of shows with us, but in the meantime we function as just a 5-piece.

What is your live show like?

In our eyes, we try and get as completely destroyed as we can because nowhere in life can you totally freak out and get pissed, sweat profusely, and scream at the top of your lungs and not get arrested or sent to an institution.

Does your live set contain mostly songs from your new album, or your other albums?

Right now our set for this tour will be all new songs except for one, just for that stray random person who might have heard the Dead Next Door.

What are your plans for after the tour?

Doing long weekends, playing cornerstone trying to get out to Cali, and writing for another album. We are taking things as the come to us.

Which song was filmed as a video from Self Help, and when is it coming out?

A song entitled Life And Limb. It just got accepted by MTV2’s Headbanger’s Ball and Much Music from Canada will be playing it also. Hopefully in the next coupla weeks it will air. I know we are so stoked on that idea.

Any Long-form DVD plans?

We are taking a camera with us on tour and we are going to do a DIY kind of DVD just to document us being total jerks and our live set so hopefully in the future we can release it.

On your website, you say, "Thanks Not Dead Guy" about an incident in North Carolina. Would you like to elaborate? And do you know what movie was being filmed?

We were playing as show at The Soapbox in Wilmington, NC (hands down one of the coolest cities ever). And as we pass by this alley in front of the club, we look down it and see all these people crowded around what looked like a body under a sheet. I mean, there was police tape and official looking people standing around the body. So we just assumed the cameras were for the local news.

So we get out of the van and walk over to get a better view, and we just stand there for a sec and check out the scene until we kind-of realize that it’s not cool to be so infatuation with someone’s demise. I mean, I was totally on the phone calling my girlfriend, freaking out about this dead dude when someone said it was for a movie. I was relieved because Y haven’t seen a dead body yet and I don’t want to. And no, we have no clue what show it was for.

Is there anything that I didn’t ask that you want to talk about?

D&D. Or better yet, AD&D.

I love the sound of both instruments and just absolutely couldn’t resist!

How do those instruments enhance your music?

I think that they really bring a wonderful dynamic to the music. I love the tonality of both instruments and the feeling that they add to songs. I also find it very visually interesting to watch both instruments being played, so I’m looking forward to bringing that element into the live shows.

You’re volunteering at the Auscwhitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Oscwiecim, Poland?! What exactly will you be doing there?

One of the biggest contributions made by the volunteers in this program is gaining knowledge about the Holocaust, being on the grounds of Auschwitz, seeing the places where the events took place and speaking with survivors. As we’re coming to a point in history where there will soon be no more Holocaust survivors, it is especially important for members of younger generations to hear their stories, make those stories a very real part of their lives and share that knowledge with others so what happened is never forgotten. The volunteers will help out in various ways at the memorial and museum, such working on the overall upkeep of the grounds. In addition to the volunteer work I’ll be doing while in Germany and Poland, I will be taking a class on the subject of the Holocaust at the University of Bielefeld.

How did you get involved with Amizade?

My boyfriend’s brother works for the organization and has organized and participated in countless volunteer trips all over the world. I’ve been really inspired by and interested in what he does and have wanted to work with Amizade for quite a while now. I’m so happy to finally have the opportunity to.

Will you be doing any live shows in Poland or even elsewhere in Europe before coming home?

I’ve just confirmed the details of what my schedule will be like while I’m there so I now am in a position to book shows. Much of my time will be dedicated to the volunteer work and the class, but there will most certainly be some nights that will be open for performing! Since I just confirmed my schedule, I’m in the beginning stages of looking into places to perform, so if anyone reading this interview has recommendations about venues in and around Berlin, where I’ll be staying for a good portion of my visit, please do feel free to contact me. Actually if there are any venues anywhere inside or outside of the US that you think I should know about, please feel free to contact me about them!

Did you pick some of the artists opening for you at the World Cafe show?

My voice teacher, Rosemary Ostrowski and I organized the event together. She selected all of the performers for the show. It’s a really wonderfully eclectic mix of artists, ranging form those who have been performing professionally for decades to students of Rosemary’s who are just beginning their careers. Rosemary is a professional opera singer and she will be performing at the benefit show. There is a wonderful avant-garde theatre company based in Philadelphia by the name of "Pig Iron Theatre Company" and one it’s co-founders and performers, Dito Van Reigersberg, will also be performing! 

Are you filming the event?

That is yet to be confirmed, we shall see!

This also serves as the release party for your "Nicki Jaine Live" cd?

Yes! I’m very much looking forward to releasing the live album. The album includes original songs and pieces from the 1930s and 1940s. One of my favorite songs featured on the album is "Ich Bin Von Kopf Bis Fuss Auf Liebe Einglestellt" (Falling in Love Again) which was performed by Marlene Deitrich in the film "The Blue Angel".

I noticed "A Pigeon Named Crow" is included among your six original songs on the album (coolness!); how did you chose the four ‘Thirties and ‘Forties era covers you included?

I selected those songs because I just really love them. The songs were performed by Lotte Lenya, Marlene Dietrich and the Andrews Sisters and are really wonderful and timeless.

Were any of the songs on the live album filmed for a possible video?

The songs on the album were not filmed for a video, but I will be making video footage of live shows available on my website this coming fall.

Any long-form DVD plans?

I’d certainly love to work on such a project in the relatively near future, but it just hasn’t made it to the top of the "to-do" list quite yet. My main focus right now is definitely the live show.

You’ve been compared to Marlene Dietrich. Was she an influence?

When I first started performing, people would consistently approach me after shows and tell me that there was something so Marlene-Deitrich-like about my voice and performance style. At the time I was unfamiliar with her, but as I heard the comparison more and more frequently I absolutely had to know who she was. After seeing her films and hearing her music, I absolutely loved her. I have definitely been inspired by Marlene Dietrich ever since.

What’s going on with your side project, Revue Noir, with Black Tape For A Blue Girl’s  Sam?

We’ve both been pretty busy lately! We’ll figure out what’s next when I return from Germany and Poland.

 What’s next after your trip to Poland?

Rosemary and I have plans for more cabaret shows in the works, one of which will be at one of my favorite venues, Odette’s, in New Hope PA!

Is there anything that I didn’t ask that you want to tell Perch readers?

I’d love to encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about Amizade to visit their website, www.amizade.org . The work that the organization does is really remarkable and inspiring.

Jonne. In the past he has been responsible for pretty much everything including the lyrics, but on Tales Along This Road he finally got some help on that department also. Juho, our accordion player, got two of his songs on the album. All of the Finnish lyrics were written by a guest writer, Mr. Virva Holtiton, and even I did some English lyrics. So there’s at least some of that pressure now off from Jonne’s shoulders.

Hittavainen was also supposed to get some of the compositions on the album, but he seems to live in a different space-time-continuum and couldn’t finish anything in time. Maybe on the next one….

Are the songs updated actual folk songs, inspired by folk songs, or a combination of your own compositions and other songs?

Everything is our own material. On the previous albums Korpiklaani has used some traditional tunes, but that has always been clearly mentioned in the booklets.

To be honest, we actually used one small snippet of an old traditional Finnish tune on this one as well. We had been joking for some time about a theme song of an old Finnish cooking show, "Patakakkonen". I don’t even know if that’s the real title of that song, if it even has one, but at least the Canadian whistler Roger Whittaker  has recorded it as "The Finnish Whistler".

Anyway, the album was almost finished with just one flute solo missing from Under The Sun. Hittavainen was in the studio with Jonne, who had to leave. Hitta asked Jonne, "What kind of solo should I play?" Jonne replied, "I’ve no idea. Maybe something like Patakakkonen?" When Jonne returned, there indeed was a flute solo which was partially taken from that very tune. This, of course, is mentioned on the booklet, too.

What is the songwriting process like for you guys?

Jonne’s songwriting has usually been quite simple. He picks up his guitar and starts playing. Sometimes he creates the melody or riff that is good enough, so he records it and possibly later develops a full song around it. The lyrics have previously always come last.

However, this time with the guest writer, it was different. Jonne asked Virva to provide some lyrics and only after he had written them, Jonne started to write the music for the lyrics. Judging by those songs, I think that approach worked quite well, too!

What exactly is "humppa"?

Humppa is a type of Finnish music. When normal Rock music has four beats to a bar, humppa has two. Humppa is quite common as the dance music in Finland. I believe the music is quite old but the name humppa came much later. In the 1950’s, a Finnish radio journalist went to Germany for Oktoberfest and there was a brass band or bands who played very similar music, and when he asked from the locals how do they call that music, they just said, "Humpa, humpa, tattaraa!"

What is a "jouhikko"? And do you use any other instruments that might be considered unusual in the Metal genre?

Jouhikko is an ancient Finnish three-stringed instrument that is played with a bow. I believe it is related to another ancient Finnish string instrument, "kantele".

Apart from the traditional Rock instruments, we use thirteen different instruments on the new album, and all of them are quite unusual in the Metal genre. They include at least jouhikko, kantele, electric and acoustic violin, accordion, mouth harp, Estonian bagpipe torupill, different tin pipes and probably some more.

Are some of the songs written in Sami because that’s where the seeds of the songs originated?

The roots of Korpiklaani are in the mid-90’s acoustic folk duo Jonne was in. They played traditional music of the Sami people and sang in the Sami language, naturally. That developed later to Shaman, which was still singing in Sami.

Korpiklaani does not use the Sami language anymore. The first Korpiklaani album was originally going to be the third Shaman album, so actually Shaman was already going to drop that language.

Any stories behind the cover art?

Well, we have been using the old Shaman logo for years now and this time we decided that it’s time for him to get some flesh around his bones. So that’s just the same guy again on the cover!

What’s your personal favorite song on Tales Along This Road?

That is a really hard question, since there are many songs that could be my favorite. On the demo stage my favorite was probably Kirki, and it still is one of my favorites, but the finalized versions on many songs just turned out so well that it’s really hard to pick just one.

Some of my favorites are at least Midsummer Night, Kirki, Rise, Tuli Kokko, and Vakirauta.

I know you have some festivals booked, but do you have any other tour plans?

Yes, we have. However, I am not sure if we can talk about them publicly yet.

What is your live show like?

The high point of our show is when the bass player takes off his long sleeve shirt and reveals his upper body and the audience gives a mild applause then leaves. Not really.

Usually there’s quite a lot of headbanging, dancing, and jumping. You just can’t stand still at our concerts. The main point of our show is having fun. When both the audience and the band are smiling, we’ve succeeded.

Does your live set list contain mostly songs from Tales Along This Road or your other albums?

At the last concerts we had about 15 songs in the set, and I believe 5 of them were from the new album, so there’s still quite a lot for those old fans as well. Even though the band is not that big or old yet, we already seem t have some songs that probably can never drop from the set even if we wanted to. We have our own Paranoid or Smoke On The Water.

Any video plans for any songs from Tales Along This Road?

As far as I know, there will be three videos. This is again something that I think I am not allowed to talk about yet.

Any long-form DVD plans?

Yes. We don’t know yet when it’s going to come out, but we’ve been filming and recording quite a lot of our concerts since last August. We’ve also filmed a lot of stuff from the studio, bus, and backstage, so if the DVD ever comes out, there will be some of that included as well.

Why did the band change its name from Shaman?

During the recordings of the third Shaman album, the band got word that ex-members of Angra had formed a band called Shaman. Although we were older, they were already in the beginning more well known, so we were forced to change our name. The first Korpiklaani album is therefore in fact the third Shaman album.

You sometimes work closely with Finntroll?

Not anymore. Jonne was with them as a guest musician for two years. He did background vocals, yoiking, and played acoustic guitar on Jaktens Tid album and at all the concerts during those two years.

Is there anything that I didn’t ask that you want to tell Perch readers?

Yes. We are very proud of our new album Tales Along This Road. Go buy it and surprise yourself with real good time music!

I caught up with Liv by phone on July 4th – Independence Day here, Germany in the Soccer World Cup on her end. Exciting day, lots to talk about. So much so that it all wouldn’t fit in the Gothic Beauty story (although that’s the most in-depth stuff). So, here’s some of the other things we talked about.

Liv: It’s early in the morning there?

Yeah, it’s 11:30 in the morning here. It’s a holiday so normally, I’d still be asleep.

Oh, no. Really? Sorry.

It’s 4th of July here. Although according to your albums, this should be the United States of Vinland instead of the United States of America!

That’s right! Here it’s actually half past 5 in the afternoon. I have another 4 interviews, then I’m going home. The World Cup Soccer, it’s Germany playing Italy tonight. So, there are a lot of things happening tonight.

Yeah, so are you going to the game?

No, I’m not. It’s so difficult to get tickets. But I will visit a game on Saturday, which is a little final. We managed to get tickets – I don’t know how! I’m really excited about it, although I’m not really a person who sits down and watches every soccer game, but the World Championship is something different, something special.

Definitely. A lot to be proud of.

Definitely.

So overall how does your songwriting process work? Do the lyrics come first? Does the concept come first? Does the music come first? How does it work for you?

Normally it goes hand in hand. It’s like I start making up my mind about the concept, but everybody is involved in some way in the process. As some of the writing process goes on, I see or feel what I’m going to write about. The music itself gives me impressions and inspirations for the lyrics and the concept in detail. But before we start writing, of course, I make up my mind about: should we go back in history? Should we write about a scientific theme? Or something completely – should we leave out the concept and just make music with no link between the lyrics and a concept?

I do make up my mind about the written side of everything. Then it works hand in hand with the composing process.

The video for the song Legend Land – what show was that filmed at?

Most of the takes were done in South America. We did a tour in South America at the beginning of this year. We just recorded as much as we could, and put together the best things, so here we are.

We’ve got so much recorded material that I’m sure we’re going to release a DVD sometime in the future.

Are you going to be doing a conceptual type video that shows the storyline?

That would be nice, yeah. We did a video for Elegy, the single we did off of The Vinland Saga which shows a Viking ship and Nature and the contrast between the harsh ocean and the beautiful West Coast of Norway. You see the rowing men on the Viking ship, and a beautiful woman waiting on the shores of Norway for her husband to return from America.

We did, in fact, do a story video for Elegy. But, of course, to make a video like that takes a lot of time and costs a lot of money. I don’t know if we’ll get the chance to do it again very soon. But if I had the chance, I would like to do another video like this. I think the concept is very important for the music, yeah.

Are you going to include the Elegy video on the DVD they were working on?

Yeah, why not?! It’s a very good idea; we should do it, I think.

That would be great! Can you tell us about the cover of Legend Land?

It was a German designer, Kara,  the same one who did the cover for The Vinland Saga. What you see on the cover is actually a picture taken in the area from where I grew up in Norway – the West Coast of Norway. So it’s very authentic. For me it’s like being at home.

You’re going to be touring the U.S. later this year with Blind Guardian?

That’s right! It’s going to be in October and November. Five weeks. We really look forward to touring the U.S. and Canada again.

We toured the U.S. and Canada last year, but we had some bad experiences. We had a car accident, and some shows were cancelled. We weren’t in control of everything and we felt pretty much lost in the total chaos.

This time we’ll be well-prepared with Blind Guardian. We even have a very nice tour bus. Everybody feels more secure. Security, of course, is very important when you have your family with you. So, this time we’ll be in better hands and we’re really looking forward to it.

What will your live show be like for that tour?

I’ll definitely be wearing my red dress! We’ll do shows like we do at festivals here in Europe. We’ve done 20 festivals here in Europe. I think we’ll probably follow that set list for that tour. Of course, that depends on how much over-weight we’re allowed to bring with us. That’s always a major consideration when we go on tour – how much we can bring with us.

Understandable. Some of the live dates I saw listed on your website were acoustic sets?

That was actually what we did a couple weeks ago. Me and our two guitarists went on an acoustic tour through Germany. We played in music halls, in markets, in churches just to grab this intimate atmosphere. It’s great to play a big music hall that you can’t really meet and greet the audience because there’s always at least a couple of meters or a barrier between you. But when you do a small acoustic tour, you get to greet the people directly, and I think that’s very important to show that we’re grateful for fans’ support.

The rest of your band is also in a band called Atrocity?

Well, Atrocity is only the guys of Leaves’ Eyes. I am only the guest singer of Atrocity. I’m not a member of Atrocity.

OK. But do you add any of those songs to your live set?

No. If we play as Leaves’ Eyes, it is only Leaves’ Eyes. We keep Atrocity and Leaves’ Eyes miles apart from each other. We change the stage out, we change our clothes, the music is completely different. If there is a wish or request for Atrocity and Leaves’ Eyes to play together the same night, we’ll do that, but it’s not something we do always.

We really prefer to play just with one band because playing with both bands is really tough to play two and a half hours in two different parts.

Right, but with two bands you can show two completely different sides of your musical personalities.

Absolutely! That’s right. And if we travel that far like going to the ‘States or Australia or Asia, it makes sense to play with both bands because once then once more. Some of us have families and kids, and we also have a studio to run. So, we can’t really be on the road that much.

Understandable. You have your own studio?

Yes, we do. It’s called Mastersound Entertainment.  It’s about 400 square meters. Other bands come and record here, and we do our own recording. We actually have 2 studios. There is an apartment here so bands can stay here and be comfortable. There are a lot of things.

It’s great to have your own studio because if you have an idea you can come straight in and just record whatever you’d like.

How did the duet with Dani Filth  come about for Nymphetamine?

It’s a bit funny because Roadrunner US  had sent me an e-mail about it, asking if I would join Cradle on the track Nymphetamine. I thought it was a joke, so I deleted it. But luckily Roadrunner US called a couple of days later and asked me if I would like to do it. I was really happy. They sent me the track and I loved it!

I knew exactly what Dani Filth had in his mind. I called him and talked everything over with him. I recorded my vocals here in our studio, and two weeks later we met in London to shoot the video. I must say the guys of Cradle were so nice. They were like gentlemen. We had a great time together. I really hope I will get the chance to do another duet with Cradle I would like to do that.

That was exactly the right thing to do. The ideas of Dani and my own ideas, it came together. It was the right thing to do.

Yeah, it was awesome! There’s a magickal quality to that song!

Thank you so much! And it was, of course, an honor. It was great to be nominated for a Grammy  for that song. That was amazing!

Personally I think you should’ve won that Grammy!

Thank you! But we have some time. I mean, Motorhead  won it, and they’re getting a little bit old, and they’ve worked so long for it, and worked so hard. So I think it was fair enough. I have more time. It’s a goal!

Guitarist Mike Amott said, "We are ecstatic about returning to the U.S. for yet another cool tour after two months of European festivals this summer. It’s an honor for us to be part of Gigantour this year, and to share the stage with Metal legends, Megadeth! We are also looking forward to hanging out with our Swedish friends in Opeth and making lots of new friends along the way. This will most likely be the last time the U.S. fans will see us on tour for the Doomsday Machine album, and we are more than ready to deliver a full-on Metal assault, Arch Enemy style. Let the ‘Symphony of Destruction’ begin!

Tour dates include:
Sept. 07, 2006 – San Diego, CA; TBA
Sept. 08, 2006 – Oakland, CA; Oakland Coliseum
Sept. 09, 2006 – San Luis Obispo, CA; Pozo Saloon Amphitheatre
Sept. 10, 2006 – San Bernardino, CA; Hyundai Pavilion
Sept. 12, 2006 – Las Vegas, NV; TBA
Sept. 13, 2006 – Phoenix, AZ; Dodge Theatre
Sept. 15, 2006 – Salt Lake City, UT; USANA
Sept. 16, 2006 – Denver, CO; Coors Amphitheatre
Sept. 17, 2006 – Albuquerque, NM; Journal Pavilion
Sept. 21, 2006 – Milwaukee, WI; Eagles Ballroom
Sept. 22, 2006 – Chicago, IL; Congress Theatre
Sept. 23, 2006 – Columbus, OH; Nationwide Arena
Sept. 24, 2006 – Detroit, MI; DTE Energy Amphitheatre
Sept. 25, 2006 – Toronto, ON; Molson Amphitheatre
Sept. 27, 2006 – Montreal, QUE; Bell Centre
Sept. 28, 2006 – Nassau, NY; Nassau Coliseum
Oct. 06, 2006 – Tampa, FL; St. Pete Times Forum
Oct. 07, 2006 – Orlando, FL; Hard Rock Live
Oct. 08, 2006 – Sunrise, FL; Bank Atlantic Forum
More dates TBA soon.

We get sample doses of 32 different artists on this two-disc set. Instead of overloading Perch readers with every minute detail (it’s much more fun to discover some of these on your own), here are some highlights. The Rosedales bare their souls in a murder confession in Nightgown. Nuke and the Living Dead have almost a Green Day vibe with great vox harmonies in I’m Your Monster. I LOVE the bass and vox in This Hungry Suffering by The Horrifics! The Abomination attempt to raise the dead with The Parchment. Day Of The Sick’s Skinwalker is my favorite track on Disc 1 – it has a definitive Satyricon vibe.

I LOVE Heart of Stone by Left For Dead – awesome vocals and fretwork! Calabrese have a nice vintage Horror Movie feel, complete with a clip that sounds like dialogue from Vincent Price! Ghouls Against Boys deliver a sugar rush and Trance-beats with Frankenberry Deth. The Spectremen’s Howling is excellent – it’s like revisiting Glenn Danzig-era Misfits! Mental Hygiene’s Hell’s Hospital is definitely a visit with a psychotic nurse. The Others’ Salem revisits the infamous Salem Witch Trials.

Tour dates include:
Oct. 26, 2006 – San Francisco, CA; The Pound
Oct. 27, 2006 – San Francisco, CA; The Pound
Oct. 28, 2006 – Santa Ana, CA; Galaxy Theatre
Oct. 29, 2006 – Los Angeles, CA; Key Club
Nov. 01, 2006 – Houston, TX; Warehouse Live
Nov. 02, 2006 – New Orleans, LA; House of Blues
Nov. 03, 2006 – St. Petersburg, FL; The State Theatre
Nov. 04, 2006 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Culture Room
Nov. 06, 2006 – Fayetteville, NC; Jeeter’s Pub
Nov. 07, 2006 – West Springfield, VA; Jaxx
Nov. 08, 2006 – New York, NY; B.B. King’s Blues Club
Nov. 10, 2006 – Sayreville, NJ; Starland Ballroom
Nov. 11, 2006 – Atlantic City, NJ; House of Blues
Nov. 12, 2006 – Hartford, CT; Webster Theatre
Nov. 13, 2006 – Montreal, QUE; Medley
Nov. 14, 2006 – Toronto, ONT; The Opera House
Nov. 16, 2006 – Cohoes, NY; Saratoga Winners
Nov. 17, 2006 – Worcester, MA; The Palladium
Nov. 18, 2006 – Poughkeepsie, NY; The Chance
Nov. 19, 2006 – Cleveland,OH; Peabody’s
Nov. 22, 2006 – South Bend, IN; Club Fever
Nov. 24, 2006 – Detroit, MI; Harpo’s
Nov. 25, 2006 – Chicago, IL; Metro/Smart Bar
Nov. 26, 2006 – Saginaw, MI; Shooters
Nov. 27, 2006 – Sauget, IL; Pop’s
Nov. 28, 2006 – Columbia Hts., MN; Star Central
Nov. 29, 2006 – Winnipeg, MB; Ramada Conference Center
Dec. 01, 2006 – Edmonton, AB; Starlite Room
Dec. 02, 2006 – Edmonton, AB; Warehouse
Dec. 05, 2006 – Seattle, WA; Studio Seven
Dec. 06, 2006 – Portland, OR; Roseland Theater
Dec. 08, 2006 – Englewood, CO; Gothic Theater
Dec. 09, 2006 – Albuquerque, NM; Sunshine Theater

Fortunately, there are those of us who never allowed grunge to be shoved down our throats, and since the internet provided a hotbed of underground music and freedom for non-mainstream ideas, Tragic Romance’s music was kept alive.

Taking the hint, frontman Billy Brooke got the band back together, compiled studio demos from over the years resulting in the new album Midnight In The Garden of Good And Evil, and now labels are sitting up and taking much-deserved interest.

Overall production has a bit of an echo-type quality, giving a feel of being in a cave like the one in the movie Lost Boys – giving the album figurative as well as literal feeling of "Underground". This especially works with one of the best songs on the album, Vampire Blues.

25 Days is full of atmosphere, starting with the solemn bells leading into the song. Musically, The Garden of Good and Evil is catchy and a bit reminiscent of Motley Crue, with graveyard lyrics such as "one last chance to say goodbye" and "I will meet you in the peaceful garden." The bass is absolutely awesome in The Road, which talks about "leading the mind astray".

Sacred Cow has a militaristic vibe. Seasons evokes influences like Warrant or Slaughter while lyrically pondering dreams. Love is extremely catchy, with lines like, "seems like the whole world’s lost its mind".

Fire & Brimstone invites the listener to "follow me unto the end" like a new wannabe messiah, musically starts bluesy and builds in strength. The addictive Denied is a little reminiscent of Poison, and includes some impressive fretwork. Awakening Slowly in November also has a Blues flavor while talking about subject matter like "fought through the night with the Devil and the lord, and includes a children’s bedime prayer. Too religious for my taste lyrically, but musically had some great melodies.

In addition to completing the new album, Thor filmed three videos to help promote it. The Release the Beast video is featured on the CD and was directed by Benn McGuire and produced by Knock ‘Em Down Productions and Jon Mikl Thor for Chompa-VMS Ltd. The videos completed for Devastation of Musculation and Lords of Steel will debut during an upcoming Smog Veil podcast.

Thor will kick off a North American tour on June 30th. Confirmed dates so far (keep in mind, they may be subject to change) include:

June 30, 2006 – Kelowna, BC; Musico
July 01, 2006 – Edmonton, AB; New City Compound
July 02, 2006 – Calgary, AB; Broken City
July 03, 2006 – Omaha, NE; Shea Riley’s
July 08, 2006 – Nashville, TN; Basement (Grimey’s In-store)
July 09, 2006 – Chapel Hill, NC; Local 506
July 11, 2006 – Orlando, FL; Duke’s
July 12, 2006 – Coral Springs, FL; Sam Ash Concert Stage
July 13, 2006 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Paladium
Aug. 18, 2006 – Seattle, WA; Sunset Tavern
Aug. 19, 2006 – Portland, OR; Dante’s
Aug. 20, 2006 – Arcata, CA; Alibi
Aug. 21, 2006 – San Francisco, CA; Galaxies

A professional clown answers one of these ads, but the butcher’s daughter falls in love with him, and goes through absurd lengths to try to save him - including hiring an underground group of commandos who are actually vegetarians – to try to rescue the clown’s life.

There are all kinds of sub-plots and other hilarious features going on as well. Some of the most notable are: one resident thinks she’s hearing voices telling her to commit suicide. She attempts to do so in elaborate schemes, only to be thwarted, no matter how sure-fire the preparations are. Or, when the butcher’s having sex with his mistress on a creaky bedframe, all the other noises in the building coincide with that, from painting/repairs, to violin practice, etc.

Delicatessen was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet  and stars Dominique Pinon  as the clown Louison, Jean-Claude Dreyfus  as the butcher Clapet, and Marie-Laure Dougnac as the butcher’s daughter Julie.

The movie’s in French, with English or Spanish subtitles available. But extremely funny no matter how you view it. Delicious!

There are plots and subplots and lots of surprises for those unfamiliar with the actual story (and even for some who are!) Basically, the Beast is under control of the Church, the killings a way to keep people in fear and in the Church’s control. They’re also kept in too much fear to join in some of the political unrest rearing its head elsewhere in France at the time.

However, there is another Secret Society working behind the scenes and revealed later in the movie who are trying to expose this very plot between the Church and Aristocracy, and trying to spark the seeds of the Revolution.

This is not a movie for the timid – even the opening scene is very gruesome! Very graphic throughout!

The US release of the DVD can be played in French with English subtitles (which is how I saw this the first time in the theater, so it’s my favorite viewing option), in English, or with Spanish subtitles. There are special features like the theatrical trailer, deleted scenes, production notes, and bios for the cast and filmmakers.

Now, although it has never been determined what exactly the Beast was (nor does the movie answer that question, other than an animal of some sort from Africa), theories range from an actual case of lycanthropy to a lion to hyena, but all fall just a little short of solving the mystery. Personally, my theory based on the woodcuttings and drawings from the time, it looks very similar to a Tasmanian Tiger, thought to be extinct although one or two sightings have been reported. Now, there was indeed travel to Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, etc. by explorers of that historic era; and the Tasmanian Tiger was not thought of as extinct until the early 1900’s. Perhaps???

Mostly, the meat of the book deals with instructions on making charm bags in four categories: Love & Happiness, Well Being & Comfort, Protection, and Prosperity. Each of these sections is divided into four sub-categories: spells from the spice rack, plats you may not know are herbs, herbal trees, and Herbal Witchery: From Garden to Cauldron.

For example, there is a simple charm with a spell bag using ginger, a silver coin, and an oak leaf (along with a chant) to bring abundance and prosperity. Or using basil from your spice rack to patch up a lover’s spat. The chants included are a bit too on the "Wicca Lite" side for my personal tastes, but making them friendly for just about anyone, regardless of experience, to use.

The fact that warnings about handling certain herbs & plants is a nice touch, along with the National Poison Control hotline number.

Theory is: Momma won’t abandon them, contrary to popular folklore. She’ll hear their voices and go to them. Which she did, and marched them right back into the pool after it closed Friday night. Saturday we did it again. Saturday night, only six ducklings sans momma were back in the pool.

So, someone at the pool company’s office with NO animal rescue training scooped 4 of them out with a net (which could’ve resulted in broken legs or wings) and took them to a pond nowhere close. They don’t have a fighting chance of being reunited with their family. (Luckily, 2 got away. I found one and put it back in the creek, the other got there on its own.). I raised Holy Hell!

I told the pool company that NO ONE should touch the ducks or any other wildlife without a trained rescuer at least supervising! I raised so much Hell that the pool company adopted that policy for all the pools they manage. (I’m still livid about the 4, though!).

But Momma and the remaining 8 still came into the pool overnight after it closed for a few nights but left for the creek before the humans get there. (Smart birds!)  Lifeguards had to do a little extra cleaning, but otherwise everyone was happy. The past couple nights they stayed in the creek, I hope they’ve permanently relocated there.

Copyright © 2006 Athena Schaffer All Rights Reserved.



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