CROWGRRL’S PERCH 08-21-05

CROWGRRL’S SPOTLIGHT:

Philadelphia’s A Life Once Lost is burning asphalt in support of their new album, Hunter (Ferret Music)http://www.ferretstyle.com; recently wrapping up tourdates with the Sounds of the Underground tour and now in Europe with Every Time I Die.

Their video for the song Vulture is probably familiar to Perch readers – it was directed by Darren Doane, and has a storyline behind it that includes car chases, helicopter chases, explosions, etc, making it a mini-adventure movie. In fact, on the cd version of the song, there’s a guest appearance from Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe.

A Life Once Lost are: vocalist Robert Meadows, guitarists Robert Carpenter and Douglas Sabolick, bassist Nick Frasca and drummer Justin Graves, a chemistry that effectively brings their own brand of Hardcore Metal to the masses. The Crowgrrl caught up with frontman Bob Meadows just as the SOTU tour was starting to wind down.

It’s doing good. It’s just very hot right now. We’re in Arizona, and it’s 115 degrees. It’s very uncomfortable; very, very hot!

No. It’s pretty much the same live show. We get tired because it’s so hot out but we’re staying hydrated – it’s a different kind of thing you have to learn to deal with. But it’s getting towards the end of the tour, so it’s getting easier and easier now.

It’s been pretty tame. We’re in a van, so we’re not really hanging out after the shows – it’s more us driving. But there was a crazy jam in Corpus Christi with Clutch and Opeth and tons of other guys. It was just awesome to see these guys playing together and getting down and having a good time.

Most of the time we’d be leaving at midnight and head straight to the next show early in the morning. It’s a lot of driving for us.

That’s the tour with Every Time I Die and Twelve Tribes. It’s actually our first trip to Europe. We have 9 U.K. dates; a show in Paris, a show in Belgium, and there will be shows in Germany. It’s all of us cramming into a very small bus and trying to have a very good time.

It’s really heavy! It’s heavy, it’s groovy, it’s pretty Rockin’.

It was Robert Carpenter, Douglas Sabolic, and Justin Graves that wrote most of the music. I did most of the lyrics. Nick Frasca was laying down brutal, brutal backup and backing vocals on this thing. It actually turned out very nice.

The music usually comes first then the lyrics usually follow. It’s easier to get the core element down.

Randy Blythe (from Lamb of God) made a guest appearance on there?

Yes he did. He was singing on the track Vulture.

We’re just good friends with Lamb of God. They’ve taken us out several times and I’ve booked them a few times in Philadelphia also. We all know those guys, and we just asked him, and he was cool with it.

We just did a video for the song Vulture, and that’s it so far. We don’t have any other plans. We’re just touring right now.

No. We finished recording, and then a week later we were on the road. It’s just been a lot of touring. We’re focusing on this record in hand instead of any record that’s coming.

Doug Spagenburg from High Roller Studios filmed a few shows. They’re actually putting out a DVD for Sounds of the Underground next year.

I like With Pitiless Blows. I enjoy playing that.

To all the fans out there that haven’t bought the cd already, they’d better buy one or I’ll be very upset!

* Now for the second interview of the Spotlight Double Feature – As I Lay Dying!

As I Lay Dying’s Shadows Are Security (Metal Blade Records) should find its way into every Metal fan’s cd player – it’s certainly in my heavy rotation stack! Profound, emotional lyrics throughout are delivered in both clear and growling vox styles, a great harmonic counterbalance, set against a backdrop of precision musicianship. The band has one of the opening slots in this year’s Ozzfest, the perfect way to spread the word about the brilliant new album!

As I Lay Dying are: frontman Tim Lambesis, guitarists Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa, bassist Clint Norris, and Jordan Mancino kicking the skins.

It’s pretty sweet! It’s pretty hot out, but other than that, the shows have been really good.

I really don’t know.

I think we’re in New York somewhere. There’s a roller coaster right next door; I think we’re in Upper New York somewhere.

No, I don’t think so. We’ve got a lot of fun going on at Ozzfest.

Thank you! It’s been awesome so far.

Not really. Nothing too crazy going on. A lot of hanging out, a lot of sunburned people.

We usually retreat to the air conditioning of our bus, or we’ll go and eat large amounts of food at catering. I don’t know – we’ve been pretty busy doing a lot of press, a lot of photos. Other than that, we’re watching a lot of the other bands – watching Maiden, and I caught a little bit of Sabbath the other day, which was pretty sweet.

Basically, I wrote the majority of the guitar riffs for the album. Tim and I collaborated together on the arrangement and the real structure of the songs. Tim wrote all the lyrics for the album. Nick wrote the solos and different guitar leads. But for the most part, it was Tim and I working together for the first time on this album.

The music. A lot of times we’ll base an entire song on what the drum rhythms are going to be from part to part; certain breaks; just overall structure of the songs – any element of arrangement that we could add to it. We focus on that primarily first.

Basically Illusions is an older song from probably about two and a half years ago. We decided that we would re-release it and kind-of make it where you have to go through all that noise to get to it. Originally we weren’t going to do it, then we decided, "Oh, why the heck not?!" The older version of the song was kind-of crappy, so we decided to re-record it. But you’ve gotta search for it.

No, no deep meaning.

I would say Meaning in Tragedy, the first song, and also The Truth of My Perception.

Yeah, the latter was melodic as well as strong! I love that song!

Meaning in Tragedy we actually wrote – we went into the studio and we were tracking drums the first day. Then we decided to try to write another song for the album. Within a three day period, we wrote Meaning In Tragedy. Jordan got all the drum parts down and it was kind-of a rush job, but we ended up putting that as the first song on the album. It’s one of my favorites!

I did them. I basically took the guitar melody from the beginning of the song and then transposed it onto piano, and gave it a little more of a darker feel for that part of the album.

It was filmed in Orange County, California. We showed up at about 4pm and we wrapped everything up 12 hours later at 4am. We started the actual rain – we first filmed the concept for about four hours. Then after that, it was non-stop just rain. It was freezing the whole time! It was night time, it was windy. It was at an abandoned airport hangar, so there was nothing really to block the wind and it was just freezing.

There is a dvd in the works, but it’s not necessarily a huge focus. We’re getting footage here and there. Probably next year Metal Blade will want to put something out.

Oh, man! I don’t really know. I guess check out the album. If they make it to Ozzfest, go watch Iron Maiden because for how old those guys are, they still put on one of the most amazing live shows ever!

They have Eddie! Eddie is awesome! I saw them a few years ago. They have a new album coming out next year. But they bring that Eddie prop out every night.

Yeah! Just seeing this huge thing coming out and being creepy. It’s just an awesome thing to see!

* That rumbling on the horizon isn’t an approaching storm, but the Thundering Rock Warrior Thor on tour! Confirmed dates (more will be added and updated – keep checking the THOR website) include:

(And don’t forget to check out the new Thor Against The World cd and An-THOR-logy dvd if you haven’t done so already.)

American Werewolf in Raleigh is indeed a lycanthropic romp, with an intro of lines snatched from American Werewolf in London itself! (You can picture the exact scene when you hear it.) The Preacher’s Daughter is red-hot spicy. Here To Stay is a lyrical descent into danger, with solid foundations and impressive fretwork. The guitar artistry also shines in Re-Animate Her, with both crunches and soaring leads.

Sinderella delivers a powerful punch. Not Alone is a mosaic of melancholy and anger. Dead End rushes toward one with suicidal speed. (This track seriously Rocks!) Misstery is heavy yet melodic.

The Crowgrrl loves the angry vox in Family Affair, a powerful track featuring blazing fretwork and kick-ass percussion. I’ll Bury You Alive is very catchy, with a haunting, wailing guitar outro.

* Blackest of the Black Tour (featuring headliner Danzig , who will be joined by Chimaira, Behemoth, Himsa, Mortiis, and The Agony Scene ) dates have been announced! Catch this Must-See show at:

* HELLFEST 2005 HAS BEEN CANCELLED! In their Official Statement, the Hellfest folks said:

"Due to circumstances beyond our control, Hellfest has been cancelled. After a full day in court in Burlington County, NJ, Hellfest was unable to meet unreasonable demands brought to Hellfest’s attention by the Sovereign Bank Arena on August 16, 2005 at 6:21 pm and to be met by August 17, 2005 at 7:00 am. Actions were taken, and Hellfest had an injunction filed by noon on August 17, 2005, but was overruled by the judge.

"We send our deepest apologies out to the fans and everyone who was involved with the event, and want you to be aware that legal action is being taken. For ticket refunds, please contact the Sovereign Bank Arena box office.

"More information to come.

"If you have problems or complaints with the Sovereign Bank Arena or with Mercer County Authority, Please contact the following:

Phillip S. Miller, Executive Director, Mercer County Improvement Authority, McDade Administration Building, 640 South Broad Street, Trenton, NJ, 08650. Phone: 609-278-8100. Fax: 609-695-1452. E-mail: PMiller@mercercounty.org. Web: www.mcia-nj.com

Fran Rodowicz, Sovereign Bank Arena. Phone: 609-656-3210. Fax: 609-656-3201. E-mail: frodowicz@sbarena.com.

Eric Cuthbertson. E-mail ecuthbertson@sbarena.com"

However, the first Hellfest Alternate Show was held on Aug. 19 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. The show featured Unearth , Chimaira, , God Forbid, Madball, Six Feet Under, Nora, The Banner, and If Hope Dies.

* Artwork for Cradle of Filth’s upcoming dvd, Peace Through Superior Firepower, is Awesome, and can be seen here: http://www.cradleoffilth.com/cof/dvd_cover.htm.

* Blazed’s frontman Jesse Blaze made a special appearance at the Wellington Green Mall in West Palm Beach, FL on August 19 to sign autographs and have photos taken with fans.

Jesse has also been hosting AOLMusic’s Top 11 Countdown lately at http://music.aol.com/top11/ .

Blazed is on MySpace now, too. Check them out at www.MySpace.com/BLAZED and www.MySpace.com/JesseBlaze/

* Mercenary will be supporting Nevermore (on tour to spread the word about their new album, This Godless Endeavor) in Europe in September and October! (Opening will be Dew-Scented)

"I think that Nevermore is Mercenary’s collective favorite band," said Mercenary’s singer/bassist Kral, "so to go on tour with this "godless" outfit at their peak is truly a dream come true. This is the tour we’ve been aiming at for years. On another note, I’m turning 33 in 2 hours – what better way to celebrate this?!"

* SPV has signed Tim "Ripper" Owens’ side project, Beyond Fear. Joining Owens is John Comprix on lead and rhythm guitar, Dwane Bihary also on rhythm guitar, bassist Dennis Hayes and drummer Eric Elkins. The band is preparing to head into the studio to record their debut, targeting a 2006 release date.

Owens began forming this band during breaks in the Iced Earth touring schedule. "This band means a lot to me, and I’m having the time of my life doing it," said Owens. "It’s fun when you finally get to do what you want. That being said, let’s get this machine called Beyond Fear out there for the world to hear and see.

"It feels great to sign with SPV. I have been with them for quite some time now with Iced Earth, so I know what they can do. It is always nice to have a label that makes you feel like family, and that’s what SPV does for you!"

* One of The Crowgrrl’s all-time favorite bands, Blue Oyster Cult, are touring! These guys always set whatever City they’re in On Flame With Rock & Roll! Always a killer show! Readers in the following areas, be sure to be there!

* Gothicfest, North America’s largest Gothic festival and expo, in conjunction with Sonicbids is offering aspiring bands the opportunity to win a slot on the festival’s main stage.

Interested artists will have to submit their Sonicbids Electronic Press Kit (EPK) via the Sonicbids website. The show’s promoters will listen to all submissions and choose the winner.

Anyone not already a Sonicbids member will have the opportunity to sign up for a Combo Package that includes a discounted 3-month Sonicbids membership.

Gothicfest is being held at the Odeum Expo Center in Villa Park, IL (just outside of Chicago) on September 17. The all-day event will showcase some of the best Gothic, dark symphonic, hardcore, and industrial bands on the planet.

* The Pixies reunion tour was caught on film, to be released as a DVD – The Pixies Sell Out – on September 20. Although 7 shows were filmed, the main part of the DVD features the July 3, 2004 show in Belfort, France.

There are 27 Pixies classics included, and bonus features such as performances in the US (including the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans last October), U.K., and Japan.

* The Crow fans, Listen Up! There is a petition drive underway to get Jamie Christopherson’s score for The Crow: Wicked Prayer to be released on cd! The Crowgrrl urges readers to go to the link: http://www.petitiononline.com/OCC/petition.html

The Crowgrrl thanks readers in advance for helping with this!

SCREENS (Large & Small):

* GOTHIC CASTING CALL! Hey, all Gothic families, listen up!

"Dear Families,

I've been chatting with the lovely Athena Schaffer regarding ABC TV's
search for unique goth families for our family show, "Wife Swap."  "Wife Swap"
can sound scary to anyone who hasn't seen it, so let me explain.  The
premise is simple:  two moms from two very different families get the opportunity
to swap places (but not bedrooms!  everyone has their own!) for a week to
experience a different lifestyle, culture, philosophy, family dynamic,
etc. - and to see what they can teach another family about their own! 

It's a really great way to break down stereotypes, explore new hobbies and
cultures, and really educate middle America about so-called
"unconventional" lifestyles.  We're looking for two-parent homes with children at least
five and older who are outgoing and up for an adventure.  The show would require
each mom to be away from work for five working days, so each participating
family is given generous financial compensation as a thank-you for that lost
time.

I hope that you will contact us - or pass our info on to any friends or colleagues
you know that might be interested in a television opportunity.  You
have a fascinating culture and we can't wait to learn more about it!  Feel free to contact
us with any questions or concerns!  We look forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Heather

Heather Teta
Casting Associate Producer
ABC Television
212-404-1428
Heather.Teta@rdfusa.com "

* Speaking of ABC TV, there’s some awesome news about the new Fall season – they’re bringing back Night Stalker! With Stuart Townsend (Lestat from Queen of the Damned) as Carl Kolchak! Oh, yeah. The Crowgrrl is SOOOO there!

Although the Crowgrrl loved the original series (which still airs occasionally on the Sci Fi Channel), this newer version looks like it might be darker, more serious, with just a bit more substance. Instead of just a journalist stumbling onto stories nobody will believe, in this one, Kolchak’s wife was killed under mysterious circumstances, and he’s the FBI’s prime suspect. He begins his Night Stalking style of investigation when he hears of a similar case to what happened to his own spouse, and starts digging into it.

It’ll air Thursdays at 9 pm EST. (8 pm Central).

* Coming soon from British horror movie producers, Robber Baron Productions, – Urbane starring Doug Bradley. Written and directed by Frazer Lee, Urbane will modernize and explore such night terrors as demonic Incubus and Succubus. This sure-to-be-horror-classic is described on the official website as "part vampire movie, part zombie movie, and wholly original." The Crowgrrl, for one, can’t wait!

* Hottopic.com has new The Crow merch, including a The Crow comforter, The Crow bookbag, and The Crow chain wallet. The Crowgrrl has already grabbed a comforter myself so far!

Speaking of The Crow merch, NECA is preparing to release a Must-Have – a Roof-Top Battle Set featuring Draven and Top Dollar! Check it out at http://www.necaonline.com/crownews8.html

PRINT:

* David "Avocado" Wolfe (author, foremost authority on raw food nutrition, and one of the Alts on the Sci Fi Channel’s Mad Mad House) has a special message to Perch readers. "Are you tired of eating food that’s sprayed with chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, larvacides; genetically modified ingredients, hormonally altered additives, preservatives, red dye #3, yellow dye #4, blue dye #5?"

* Chapter One of my own book, Under Her Black Wings (yes, the title is with Glenn Danzig’s permission - I never would have used that title otherwise) is available to all my readers in the "Print" section of this site.

The chapter list (the actual titles of the chapters may be renamed, but the subject matter’s the same) includes:

All chapters are in progress, and as I research and as people share their stories, they’re included in the appropriate chapter. These should be available soon (to Crowgrrl's Flock Members only) to watch the work in progress.
Sign up here!

* Gothic Beauty Issue #17 IS OUT! Be sure to grab a copy! Ad space is available for future Gothic Beauty issues. For specifics, go to www.gothicbeauty.com/ads and be sure to mention that Athena sent you.

Gothic Beauty Magazine has revamped its website, and it’s fantastic! Go to www.gothicbeauty.com and check it out. (Be sure to check the message boards there, too!)

* Visit the Crowgrrl's recommends page, The Crowgrrl’s current reading stack includes:

* The Perch is now Bi-Weekly instead of weekly – at least until the Crowgrrl learns how to do my own HTML. But never fear – each edition will be even MORE jam-packed with news, reviews, interviews!

* Hey, Readers, you’ve gotta check out a product called Body Balance by Lifeforce. My family takes Body Balance every day! It’s much better than a daily multi-vitamin, that’s for sure! And another "plus", if we feel down or over-tired, a little more Body Balance does the trick to pick us up.

It’s a liquid, ionic, phytonutrient dietary supplement made from whole foods, and it contains a mix of over 120 vitamins, minerals, and phytronutrients that your body needs on a daily basis to keep healthy.

Why am I telling you about this because an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. I felt I had to share this as one thing most of my readers may not know, in July of 2003, The Crowgrrl was diagnosed with breast cancer. This is something I don't want anyone to have to go through what I did. I’ve refused the "conventional" paths of chemo/radiation/surgery, and have taken a holistic naturopathy approach instead (which I’ll go into in more detail in future Perch editions, or readers can e-mail me). I’m supposed to stay on a specific holistic protocol for two years. Withing 14 months the tumor was supposed to shrunk to half of its original size. Much to our surprise as of December, 2003, the lump (tumor) is gone! I’m fine! I firmly believe the Body Balance helped accelerate the healing.

Another Lifeforce International product in the online store, The Crowgrrl and family regularly use is Colloidal Silver. Silver is a natural antibacterial element that can be used both topically and/or internally.

My son recently tried to take care of an in-grown toenail without telling anyone, which subsequently became infected. After a trip to the podiatrist and some toe surgery, our podiatrist told us to keep Neosporin on the toe until it healed. We didn’t – we used Colloidal Silver instead. When the podiatrist checked the healing process a couple weeks later, not only was the Colloidal Silver working, but the healing process was happening a bit faster than normal/expected!

* For those of my readers who experience annoying computer (pc/mac/linux) problems (or those of you techies who are annoyed at friends and relatives expecting you to be their personal tech-support 24/7), go to einnovations.juvio.com for around-the-clock help. I’ve personally done so, and my computer’s working like a dream since getting help from there.

* Anyone who hasn’t already done so, check out the Gallery section here on the Crowgrrl’s site. Prints and some originals are still available. So, buy ‘em already!