CROWGRRL’S PERCH 09-18-05

Please also scroll down to Other News to find out how to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.

CROWGRRL’S SPOTLIGHT:

Punk icons The Dictators have always been known as a powerful live band. Their new album, Viva Dictators, (Escapi Music) is proof-positive of that. The 15 tracks (and a bonus track captured during sound check) are loud, raw, unpretentious, and pure fun! The album was recorded at two NYC shows – at Maxwell’s and The Bowery Ballroom. The Dictators are: lead vocalist Handsome Dick Manitoba, vocalist/bassist Andy Shernoff, guitarists/vocalists Ross the Boss (ex-Manowar) and Scott "Top Ten" Kempner, and drummer/vocalist J.P. "Thunderbolt" Patterson. The Crowgrrl recently caught up with Ross the Boss to talk about the album and a lot of other exciting news.

Viva Dictators totally rocks!

Yeah, it does. But that’s our mission.

No. Listen, we’re a live band. The show we took it mostly from was Maxwell’s; one show. That was just a great night, I think. It was totally sold out (like all our shows are anyway). I think it was just a magical night. It was a couple years ago, so I can’t kind-of remember the show. But I know it was one of those nights that no matter what we did, it was spot-on, it was working. It was one of those nights that was absolutely brilliant.

Andy would know that. I don’t know the artist. He took care of all of that end.

Yeah, actually. When it came down to the cover, that was Andy and the artist. I didn’t have that much to do with that, except saying that I liked it.

Eventually, yeah. Sure! Absolutely! Did you ever see the Dictators live?

No, I haven’t yet. I mean, I know your music, but I’ve never actually caught a live show. I remember back when Sandy Pearlman was managing you guys.

Right! That was a while ago.

The band is like – there’s only one reason, if we’re going out to play. We’re going to do it right! There’s no reason why we’d go out – like some bands aren’t giving you full-out. We’re not into that. We think ripping the crowd off is not what the Dictators are about. Never was.

The redone Cars & Girls. We finally got a chance to avenge the rhythm track on the old song. I never liked the drumming on the first record. It was Stu Boy (King). Sandy talked us into having Stu Boy play. Not that I hate the record; it was a great record. It was a milestone punk rock record. But I think if we had a better drummer on it, it would have been a multi-platinum record artists.

We do. If we had him, it would have been amazing back in the day. Or if we would’ve had the drummer from Blue Oyster Cult play. That’s another one in my opinion who would have been incredible.

The new guys are nothing! Albert Bouchard! If Albert would have played on it, we would have been millionaires, I think.

We’ve recorded a dvd, but we have yet to start working on it. It’s definitely in the can.

No, it was recorded at CBGB’s later, like a year ago. It was a 5-camera shoot for a dvd.

It’s a matter of working on it.

Because it takes time and effort! I don’t know, it’s a matter of getting everybody ready to do it. It takes a lot of time. You have to go through so many camera shots, then you have to work on – I don’t want to bore you with the particulars of making a dvd. It just takes awhile.

Yeah. We got all that stuff done. It’s all in the can. Hopefully one day we’ll see the dvd out. The Dictators don’t do things on the spur of the moment; you might have gotten our drift. We’re not one of these bands that release – like my old band, Manowar, they’re up to their 5^th dvd. They’re constantly releasing dvd’s. But we’re not that kind of band. When it’s ready, it goes.

Yeah. We might do that with our Rarities cd, which is probably going to be the next thing we get out.

Something like that, but "Greatest Hits" is a very crazy title.

I don’t know. We’ll have to see how this one does.

Very good, so I’m told.

Yes! We did an instrumental cd. You can download it from i-tunes. It’s called Thunderbolt Patterson with Ross the Boss. It’s 13 instrumental tracks. We kind-of had a rebellion against singing, singers, and lyrics.

It’s really cool. J.P. wrote the music. Of course, he got me for all the burning, killer guitar on it. It’s ripping! J.P. plays harmonica, bass, guitar, drums, and keyboards. He’s very talented! It’s very impressive. It’s got a lot of really cool stuff on it – kind-of like Jeff Beck-ish kind of stuff, but not as progressive. It’s more Rock & Roll.

I mentioned Albert Bouchard – I play with him. I play with the Brain Surgeons. We were just in Baltimore at the Mojo Lounge. We started touring about 4 weeks ago, we did 20 shows in 24 days. I just got home from that.

They’re not mailing anything anymore – they’re just e-mailing. So if you want to know what’s going on, you should go to www.cellsum.com

Definitely! If I had known about the show, I would’ve been there.

Yeah, we did great! I wrote all these new songs with him – we have two records out and a third is coming out.

I’m busy! You’ve gotta be busy. But that’s about the long and short of it. I’m really proud of this cd. It’s awesome! It sounds great!

If you want to get in touch with Ross the Boss, you have to dial 1-800-KICKASS and you’ll get me. No. I’m just goofing.

I’d like to say Thank You for your support for all these years, and we hope you like the record. We might be seeing you in the future.

* Now for the second interview of the Spotlight Double Feature – Darren Shan!

Darren Shan is one of the Crowgrrl’s favorite authors! I’ve been hooked on his books ever since I first sank my fangs into the first book of his Cirque du Freak vampire series, Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare. The entire series is deliciously macabre and at a fast pace where the reader can’t wait to see what happens next.

Darren creates his own realistically believable world of Vampires, a new mythos that immediately draws the reader in. Now Darren has another series as well, the Demonata, which offers a new insight into a demonic world. The Crowgrrl recently caught up with Darren to talk about both of these phenomenal book series!

Great. I've gone for the past 6 years and I love it up there. I stay on for a few days after my events and go to lots of plays and comedy shows. The best show I saw this year was "Dirty Fan Male" -- real transcripts of letters written by fans to soft-porn models!!!!

No, I never write when I'm traveling. I try to do my touring in chunks, i.e. go to a few different countries within the space of a month. Then I write when I return home. It's a bit tricky, and I don't get to spend as much time writing as I'd like, but that's just part of being a successful writer in today's wide open world.

Usually 2 or 3 years. I don't like working to a deadline!!

I just thought a lot about the old myths and tried to think what life would really be like if you had to drink blood to survive and could live for hundreds of years.

Not really. For me, it's one big book which I simply released in installments. So, "Cirque Du Freak" is chapter one for me, "Vampire's Assistant" is chapter two, etc.

I wrote "Lord Loss" as a stand-alone novel, a 3 or 4 years ago. I set it aside for a couple of years, to focus on finishing my vampire series. During that time, I had ideas for other books about demons. Originally, the books weren't meant to link or form a series. But, as I wrote the other books, links began to fall into place and I saw that I could knit all the various plot-line together to create an overall series story-line.

They're two entirely different stories, and won't cross at all.

Well, because I only speak English, it's hard for me to know if anything's been changed in the translated editions!!!!    :-)    I think the actual plots are kept intact, and only certain words and phrases are changed, when they wouldn't make sense for foreign readers. e.g. in Japan they don't cross their fingers for luck, so my Japanese translator always has to use some other expression.

Nope. Writers normally have no input when a movie is made from their books. I'm happy to stand back and let the film people do as they like.

My publishers set up the tie-in with Jetix. It wasn't something I was involved in.

Fade starts things off with some great crunches. Follow You Down is melodic and moody. The hooks and percussion are infectious in Another Day. There are some interesting, futuristic FX in the intro to Keep You Waiting, which give way to razor-sharp fretwork and brutal crunches. Hollow is dark and heavy.

1:07 is a haunting instrumental with some nice echo effects, that segues seamlessly into Justify which keeps the haunted vibe going. Concrete Lies has blade-sharp edge of anger. Faceless has stomping crunches and dangerous vocals. The bone-crunching rage continues in One Step Behind. Falling Again is anthemic, with pulverizing percussion and impressive guitars & bass. On The Outside has a nebulous tribal feel. Time is just plain ominous! The Crowgrrl highly recommends this album!

* 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:

Now down to the meat of the album. The Crowgrrl already mentioned Enter The Machine. I can’t emphasize enough the awesome fretwork and percussion in this track. Taking Back My Soul is brutally rebellious! Nemesis is intense, with a great anthemic chant for the chorus; the ending has effects that sound like protesting groans of heavy machinery. Carry The Cross is darkly ominous.

I Am Legend/Out For Blood – ah, yes! The Crowgrrl’s favorite track! Vampiric vibes are evident both lyrically and musically – riffs on one almost sound as if they were ripped from Carpathian legends; the dark percussion-driven break on another track is another highlight. Skeleton Dance has a haunting intro, and musicianship that’s impossible to sit still while listening to. Hybrids of Steel has incredibly fantastic guitar artistry, and the listener can feel the power building throughout the song. Machtkampf is very aggressive with impressive percussion. Mechanic God Creation and Slaves of Yesterday just freaking ROCK!

* Cradle of Filth have written over 60 Percent of their new album. According to the band’s website, some of the songs include such intriguing titles as: I Am The Thorn, Lovesick for Mina, The Byronic Man, Cemetery and Sundown, and more! There will also be an instrumental opus – the first in the band’s 11-year career! The band plans to head into the studio on October 10. (The Crowgrrl can’t wait to hear it!)

Champing at the Bit indeed makes the listeners feel as if they’re caught in a rapid crossfire of a war zone – it’s seriously busting loose! It also features guest vocals by Glassjaw’s Daryl Palumbo. Gloom & How It Got That Way is more indignant and incensed than dark and gloomy like the title would’ve suggested, but that’s not a bad thing.

Guitared & Feathered (great title!) is bone-crunching with impressive fretwork and vox; there are a lot of twists in this one! L’Astronaut indeed blasts like a rocket, and has some interesting twists of its own, a mini-space-journey. Pretty Dirty delivers a hint of dischord with nice vocal harmonies and no-nonsense musicianship.

* My Ruin are back with a new line-up, new album, new tour! As for the new line-up, frontwoman Tairrie B. and guitarist/songwriter Mick Murphy are now joined by bassist Chris Lisee and drummer Jason Brunk. Their new album, The Brutal Language (Rovena Recordings) hits the streets on September 27. And, they’re hitting the road on September 23 with Part II of the Jagermeister Double Shot of Rock Tour with Bleed the Sky. Tour dates include:

* One thing New Orleans is known for is music, and bands were indeed affected, including: Crowbar, Soilent Green, Eyehategod, and Goatwhore, who all suffered substantial losses.

Manic Music has teamed with Philadelphia’s Trocadero Theater for benefits to help these musicians. Bands: call Paula Hogan at 610-828-8339 if you can perform for a benefit.

Equipment companies with new or b-stock items that can help with destroyed guitar cabinets, heads, cables, FX, strings, picks, skins, etc, contact PJH1029@aol.com.

* Blazed (featuring frontman Jesse Blaze) now have a Slam Board! Check it out at: http://p097.ezboard.com/bblazedrocks
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’s Everblack album will be re-released by Karmageddon Media in a new re-mastered edition! Release date will be in October or November. The Crowgrrl will keep readers posted.

"It’s being remastered by Ziggy, the same guy who mastered 11 Dreams, so the sound is bigger and better," said vocalist/bassist Kral.

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 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."

* 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!

* 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):

The plot twists and death traps had me on the edge of my seat for the whole movie. It was a pleasure to watch a thriller which kept you guessing right to the end whom the real killer was. All kinds of interesting twists and turns and intricate traps from what appeared to be harmless activities, one more extravagant than the last and never the same thing twice. It made me want to check the lamp before I turned the lights back on. In fact, Leave the lights on when you watch it.

It’s a Must Have for anyone that loves murder mysteries with action to boot. I won’t give away the ending but I was definitely surprised at who made it off the island alive.

* Readers, did any of you catch the series premier of CBS-TV’s new Threshold?! Intriguing!

* There’s some awesome news about the new ABC-TV 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).

* Also, the WB Network is airing a new series with a similar plot line, The Supernatural . The Crowgrrl caught the pilot – about the urban legend of the "Woman in White". Fascinating! So far, so good!

* Hottopic.com has new The Crow merch, including THE NEW ERIC DRAVEN & TOP DOLLAR ROOFTOP FIGHT SCENE FIGURES!!! How awesome is THAT?! Free Shipping At Hottopic.com!

There is also a The Crow comforter, The Crow bookbag, new The Crow t-shirts, The Crow wineglasses, and The Crow chain wallet. The Crowgrrl has already grabbed a comforter, wallet, and t-shirts myself!

PRINT:

The academic material that was laced through the plot was the book’s saving grace. It was fascinating enough to keep the pages turning. Otherwise, it was a bit dry – the series of letters and flashbacks made the plotline a bit disjointed and hard to follow. The ending was seriously anticlimactic and disappointing.

The history in The Historian make it perfect for anyone with a library heavy on Vampire material. But if you’re looking for a bit more action and substance, this doesn’t deliver.

* 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 #18 Will soon be 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!)

* The Crowgrrl’s current reading stack includes: "The Historian’ (a Vampire novel) by Elizabeth Kostova
"Mind of the Raven: Investigations & Adventures With Wolf-Birds" by Bernd Heinrich,
"How To Buy, Sell, & Profit on eBay" by Adam Ginsberg,
"Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard" by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart,
"Norwegian In 10 Minutes A Day’, "Norwegian Verbs & Essentials of Grammar" by Louis Janus,
and two workbooks for helping kids and teens with anger management:
How To Take the Grrrrr Out of Anger by Elizabeth Verdick and Marjorie Lisovskis
and A Volcano In My Tummy by Eliane Whitehouse and Warwick Pudney,
to be added to my son’s home-school curriculum.

OTHER NEWS:

* The Crowgrrl’s heart goes out to all the victims of Hurricane Katrina! The devastation in New Orleans and in Mississippi’s horrific! Please, Readers, help both the human AND animal victims there! So much help is needed, it’s mind-boggling. Make donations (money, food, clothing, supplies, time, whatever you can) to the Red Cross at:

https://www.redcross.org/ AND to the Humane Society of the United States at: http://www.hsus.org/ AND the Louisiana SPCA at: http://www.la-spca.org/

Also, check out FEMA’s tips to help at: http://www.fema.gov/rrr/help2.shtm

* One of The Crowgrrl’s friends was displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Those of you who have visited New Orleans may know of Bloody Mary Millan, a Voudoun Priestess who also has an occult shop, and guided tours of Haunted New Orleans. Maybe some of you who haven’t been there but have watched Haunted History type programming on The Travel Channel or The History Channel have seen her interviewed on there.

Bloody Mary is still doing Voodoo phone consultations and other Voudoun related services such as gris-gris bags or dolls via phone and e-mail as her city rebuilds. You can contact her at: BloodyMary@bloodymarystours.com

* 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!