MCQUEEN

Sounding off with Leah Duors (vocals)

XSBS: If you had your own reality show, what would it be called and why?

LD: ‘Bloodbath’ obviously not a family show!!!

XSBS: What one material possession could you not do without and why?

LD: I dunno, I’ve been thinking about this question and I can pretty much live without everything I own… I’d be bored fucking shitless which would lead to trouble, but I can do without material things…

XSBS: What’s your secret guilty pleasure?

LD: I’m addicted to 24. I’ve seen every single season on DVD.

XSBS: Your most embarrassing moment on stage?

Leah: One time I was onstage and I went to address the audience and I honestly had no clue where in the UK we were. It was a real “where the fuck am I?” moment and it was embarrassing because I wasn’t even that drunk!!!

XSBS: The most frequently played song on your mp3? (Name and artist)
LD: At the moment??? Serj Tankian ‘The Unthinking Majority’

XSBS: When is a fan a stalker?

Leah: When they dry hump your leg like a wild terrier!!!

XSBS: If you had to go a round in the ring with one of your band mates who would you choose and why?

LD: My band mates are among the few people on this planet that I have absolutely no inclination to smack up the mouth. I’d like to see Cat (de Casanove) fight our tour manager King Caeser Hylands… I reckon she’d kick his arse!!! Ha, ha!!!

XSBS: Any new tour, CD, or band info for 2008?

LD: No… Now we’ve done our first album, we’re taking twenty years off, we’ll be back for a reunion tour when I can afford botox ha, ha!!! Just kidding… We’ve got fuckloads coming up… We’re working on the new album, we’re always, always, always touring somewhere in the world so keep an eye out on www.myspace.com/mcqueen for up to date info.

http://www.mcqueenmusic.com/

Listen:
(For a limited time this track can be downloaded for free at: www.myspace.com/mcqueen)

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ART OF DYING

Sounding off with Jonny Hetherington (vocals)

XSBS: If you had your own reality show, what would it be called and why?

JH: “Keeping it Together” - I think everyday in the life of Art of Dying, and Thorny Bleeder Records is a reality show in itself. There are so many obstacles and so many personalities involved in running a label and being in a band… It’s a traveling gong show! I love every minute of it… Of course, if there was a camera following us around most of the footage would have to be saved for the “Too much for TV” DVD version.

XSBS: What one material possession could you not do without and why?

JH: It’s a toss up between my guitar and my Mac. I feel completely lost without both.

XSBS: What’s your secret guilty pleasure?

JH: Kenny Rogers has always held a secret spot in my heart. Plus the man makes a mean bird… it’s the wood that makes it good!

XSBS: Your most embarrassing moment on stage?

JH: Ahhh… there’s so many. One time I puked on stage in Seattle in between lyrics… I bailed ass over tea kettle over a monitor in Edmonton at the starlite room… Did an entire set with my fly opened at Jet in Edmonton… hmmm what’s with Edmonton? I’m going to have to remember that for next time. I’ll have to do the entire show in the Grizzly Suit (is that what it’s called??) to avoid any mishaps.

XSBS: The most frequently played song on your ipod? (Name and artist)

Cannonball - Damien Rice

JH: When is a fan a stalker?

I’ve never been stalked… maybe we’re not stalk-worthy?

XSBS: If you had to go a round in the ring with one of your band mates who would you choose and why?

JH: Definitely Greg, when he punches it looks like a little girl trying to throw a baseball (this is not a generalization… only information gathered from actual experiences). Watching Greg throw punches is gut wrenchingly funny. In fact, one time we pulled over in Idaho for a piss, and all threw rocks with our left hands for at least an hour. Very similar experience!

XSBS: Any new tour, CD, or band info for 2008?
JHL We’re playing CMW in Toronto in March and touring back to Vancouver that month. Dates will be listed soon… Be on the lookout for a new acoustic EP from Art of Dying as well.

http://www.artofdyingmusic.com
Listen:

December 2, 2007
Trocadero Theatre
Philadelphia, PA

BY: Steve Trager

As we know it so far, the genre of Metal remains one of the most profound types of music that has never undergone any drastic change within it’s boundaries to which it still satisfies fans time and time again.

It is quite hard to keep up with emerging bands from Sweden soil these days and earlier this month I had the opportunity to catch Amon Amarth along with Seattle’s Himsa and the newest talent from Sweden Sonic Syndicate who has never been to the US until now. Even without Poland’s Decapitated on the bill, it still was one tremendous mosh pit during each set. I like the ideal of getting the opportunity of discovering new bands through shows. I hadn’t known much about Sonic Syndicate other then they are a six piece outfit with great melodies and superior guitar work. I enjoyed their short set composed of songs from their recently released CD entitled “Only In Human”.

Next up we had Seattle’s own Himsa, man how harder can this band drive on stage? Opening their set with thrash like madness, Himsa defends the words “brutality”. I wasn’t familiar with any of their stuff other then seeing them way back in 2005 with a few other bands. Sometimes you see one band you see several thousands over a period of time and you mind gets lost in a split moment while your at a concert. As the mosh pit seemingly grew more intense I watched the front man of Himsa jump into the crowd, you want to talk about fan to band participation, that leaves it to a while new direction while a show is at it’s peak performance.

Finally, the band everyone piled into the Trocadero in the first place to watch perform, Amon Amarth, who hold their own signature sound with a spectrum of insight through their timeless music. It seemed to be like Dejavu’ for these guys who performed along with Children of Bodom.

Looking around the trocadero, I couldn’t help not noticing countless fans in Amon Amarth gear head to toe, raising their fits in the air rampantly chanting lyrics to every song on the set list of the entire evening. I enjoyed watching what I call synchronized headbanging, three guys keeping in tune musically and the front man lashing it out in between the lyrics.

The Entire Set List of Amon Amarth:

Valhall Awaits Me
With Oden On Our Side
Death In Fire
Versus The World
Asator
Sound Of Eight Hooves
Hermods Ride To Hell
Cry Of The Black Birds
Fate Of Norns
1000 Years Of Oppression
Down The Slopes Of Death
Bleed For Ancient Gods
Runes To My Memory

Encore:

Victorious March
Last With Pagan Blood
Pursuit Of Vikings

The one thing I always liked about being at the Trocadero is that the set changes are quick and usually everything runs very smoothly. I have to say one thing about Amon Amarth is that their recent performance in Philadelphia in 2007 went off without any problems. Each and every band on the bill sounded great including the local band who was added since Poland’s decapitated suffered a major loss while on tour in Moscow.

View Steve’s photos >

London After Midnight (LAM) was formed in the 1990s by Sean Brennan. Unlike most music projects, LAM has retained and nurtured the political and socially aware element of the later punk scene that virtually vanished from the music scene in the early 90s, and has developed as a deep, passionate and political dark rock music entity. Live members have varied but include Sean Brennan, Randy Mathias, Joe S and Tamlyn. LAM has gained a large and loyal following all over the world, from the USA, Europe, Latin America (where LAM has toured extensively), and beyond, to Russia, Japan, China and elsewhere (appearing in major press and securing distribution deals with record labels).
London After Midnight has headlined and co-headlined concerts and major festivals with bands like The Cure, Green Day, HIM (HIM often cites LAM as a favorite artist), and countless other major artists. LAM has performed to crowds of over 30,000 people as headliner or co-headliner on major music festivals around the world.

Still, London After Midnight maintains a strong underground and independent “personality” despite being a top seller (charting in the top 10 European DAC charts with each of 3 CDs released) and a major draw at music festivals year after year.

http://www.londonaftermidnight.com
Listen: Nothing’s Sacred

In a world ruled increasingly by superstition and intolerance, Bad Religion’s rousing wall-of-sound punk seems about as necessary now as ever before. It is the impassioned sound of reason, anthems of a bittersweet idealism and a guarded hope set to propulsive guitars and charging drumbeats. And while most groups with even half the artistic output have long ago morphed into stylistic self parody, Bad Religion is currently surging forward with a renewed creative intensity. Their fourteenth album, entitled New Maps of Hell, is both a nod to the band’s defiant past and an undeniable step forward in the evolution of a genre they helped to define. While many of the new songs are as brutally fast and unflinchingly heartfelt as anything the band has done before, the record is also filled with unexpected sounds, inventive rhythms and lush pop choruses.

Dommin - an infatuation with melody, the palpable taint of loss, and an enduring faith in the power of dark romance. The band is fronted by a voice from the past declaring its yearning for the future. Singer/songwriter and guitarist Kristofer Dommin is backed by Billy James on bass, Konstantine on keyboards and Stephen on drums. The band formed in 2000.

Kristofer stands out as a singer reminiscent of Elvis and Jim Morrison with a deep tone and an unearthly quality. His singing bleeds of passion and the wisdom that comes only with experience. The songs are dark and melodic yet simple and catchy.

This goth ‘n’ roll band clearly has the potential to tap into the deep side of music yet remain totally accessible to the masses. It won’t be long until the entire music world is domminated by Dommin.

Listen: My Heart Your Hands

Visit: http://www.dommin.com/