2005 05 MAY RAG - RAG Magazine

AD - CULTURE ROOM

PUBLISHER
Sean McCloskey -
sean.mccloskey@ragmagazine.com
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Crystal Clark -
crystal.clark@ragmagazine.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Monica Cady -
monica.cady@ragmagazine.com
SENIOR EDITOR
Marc Suriol -
marc.suriol@ragmagazine.com
COPY EDITORS
Jeff Noller
Natalia Real
CONTRIBUTORS
Monica Cady - monica.cady@ragmagazine.com
Crystal Clark - crystal.clark@ragmagazine.com
Tom Craig - tom.craig@ragmagazine.com
Paul Evans - paul.evans@ragmagazine.com
Todd McFliker - todd.mcfliker@ragmagazine.com
Jeff Noller - jeff.noller@ragmagazine.com
Jason Valhuerdi - jason.valhuerdi@ragmagazine.com
Tanya van Kampen - tanya.vankampen@ragmagazine.com
Joseph Vilane - joseph.vilane@ragmagazine.com
RAG Magazine, Inc.
8930 State Road 84
# 322
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
33324
954-234-2888
954-727-1797 fax
CONTENTS
12.
ARCH ENEMY
14.
AS I LAY DYING
20.
KINGS OF LEON
26.
LIVE
32.
HOT HOT HEAT
36.
DREAM THEATER
TER
38.
SWITCHFOOT
42.
LOLL
OLLAP
APAL
ALOOZ
OOZA
SEPTEMBER 2005 - #65
C
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RAG MAGAZINE, INC.is published monthly in Davie,
Florida. All contents are copyright 2005 and may not
be reproduced without written permission of the
publisher. Opinions expressed herein do not
necessarily reflect those of the editors, publishers,
advertisers or distributers. RAG reserves the right to
edit or reject advertising which may result in legal
action or is in poor taste. Liability for typographical
error is limited to reprinting that part which is in error.
44.
TRIVIUM
46.
RODNEY TAYL
YLOR
48.
DYSLEXIC POSTCARDS
49.
TAPROOT
MONTHLY
FEATURES
08..CONCERT DATES
12..CD REVIEWS
23..PHOTO PASS
50..FILM
54..CLASSIFIEDS

SEPT. . 200
1
Grits & Gravy – The Downtowner Saloon
2
Papa Roach , 311, Unwritten Law – Sound Advice Amph.
Montag, Chicken For Chico, Soulicide – Zaracca’s
The Pernice Brothers Show – The Social (Will’s Pub
Tickets Honored)
The Remnants, Friendly Fire, Knickers Down-
Gumwrappers
3
Saul Williams – Culture Room
Papa Roach, Nonpoint – Hard Rock Live (Orlando)
As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage - House Of Blues
Dby-Gumwrappers
Rahim- I/O
Surreal, Colsiver, Where Is Monday?, Unstitched, The
Better Gimp, Pilot Rai, Skunk Ape, Djyn,
Sol 3, Hunger Thump, Tripwyre, The People Upstairs,
Mindspin -Rays Downtown Blues
Sheba The Mississippi Queen -The Downtowner Saloon
Unwanted Thoughts, Tempest, Built by Design, Breaking
Tides, Ject-Scene
4
Ozzfest - Sound Advice Amph
Montag, Skunkape, Jack Jones – Legends
Against Me -The Social
Jared Cole, The Tokeable Object Project, Alex Bach,
Sorrow, Crazy Fingers, Side Project, Keegan, Green
Poet Experiment, Cat Shell, Balance, Renda, Meg
Myers, No Ka Oi - Rays Downtown Blues
The Regulators -The Downtowner Saloon
6
Twiztid- Culture Room
Alo (Animal Liberation Orchestra), Jack Johnson, Matt
Costa - Mizner Park Amph
Waking Ashland With Jamisonparker And Jettie-The Social
8
Grits & Gravy – The Downtowner Saloon
9
Dave Matthews Tribute Band – The Social
Joe Wheeler (Jimi Hendrix Tribute), The Bikes, Jack
Jones - Gumwrappers
Saxon Shore, The Mission Veo –Dada
10
Foo Fighters , Weezer – Office Depot Center
Against All Authority, The Obscene – House Of Blues
(Orlando)
Osiris Rising, Chapters Unfold - Gumwrappers
Bittercups – I/O
Sheba The Mississippi Queen -The Downtowner Saloon
Mindtrip, Madd Agents, Indium, Mission Veo, Leading the
Hereos-Scene
12
Hunger-Thump-South Shores Bar & Grill
13
Coldplay , Rilo Kiley - Sound Advice Amph.
Alex Kash -Beach Place
14
Meat Loaf – Seminole Hard Rock
Perpetual Groove – House Of Blues (Orlando)
15
Less Than Jake – Revolution
Blacksheep – House Of Blues (Orlando)
Four Tet-The Social
Grits & Gravy – The Downtowner Saloon
16
Paul McCartney -American Airlines Arena
Improv All Stars – Hard Rock Live (Orlando)
Less Than Jake – House Of Blues (Orlando)
Phantom Limb, Far From Gone, Ill Struck- Gumwrappers
Handgun Romance, Sense of Being, Indorphine, Simplekill,
Adonai-Scene
17
Marc Anthony, Alejandro Fernandez, Chayanne – American
Airlines Arena
Perpetual Groove -Culture Room
The Mary Tyler Whores, Rocket To Russia (Ramones Tribute),
Two Story Double Wide - Gumwrappers
Prefuse 73- I/O
Nicolle Yarling Trio -The Downtowner Saloon
Deconbrio, Human Factors Lab, Formula Redux, Blood &
Batteries-Scene
18
Marc Anthony, Alejandro Fernandez, Chayanne – American
Airlines Arena
Perpetual Groove - Culture Room
Obituary, Napalm Death, Dead To Fall – Revolution
The Juliana Theory With Lovedrug, Days Away And The
Goodwill-The Social
19
Marc Anthony, Alejandro Fernandez, Chayanne – American
Airlines Arena
Tim Mcgraw – Seminole Hard Rock (Rescheduled Event)
20
Hidden In Plain View With Spitafield, Halifax And A Change Of
Pace-The Social
21
Yerba Buena-The Social
Alex Kash- Cocowalk
22
Pennywise, A Wilhelm Scream - C
Brian Jonestown Massacre- The S
Grits & Gravy – The Downtowner
23
Mindless Self Indulgence , Reta
Revolution
Keller Williams, Raul Midon - Ca
Pennywise, A Wilhem Screen – H
Frequency Below, Mindspin, After
Equinox, Hellwitch, Sickroom, Out
7 Blue Skys, Sky lab, Dr. Gonzos B
Quixotik -Scene
24
Dr. John – Carefree Theater
International Extreme Music Fest
Mindless Self Indulgence – House
Third Degree Monotony, Spork, N
Albert Castiglia- The Downtowne
Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers-T
25
Prefuse 73-The Social
The Horrorpops, Roger Miret &
Respectable Street
26
Horrorpops With Roger Miret & Th
The Social
28
Green Lemon - Culture Room
Alice Cooper – Hard Rock Live (O
Decemberists, Sons And Daughter
The Toasters, The Planet Smash
Know How.-The Social
Alex Kash- Cocowalk
29
The Toasters, Planet Smashe
Supervillains - Culture Room
Loggins & Messina – Seminole H
Magnolia Electric Co. With Alasda
30
Montag, Skunkape, Jack Jones –
John Mayer Trio, Ivy Queen, Char
(Orlando)
Psycho Daisies, Mr. Entertainmen
Knickers Down - Gumwrappers

5
lub Cinema
ocial
Saloon
rd- O- Bot, Suicide City -
refree Theater
ouse Of Blues (Orlando)
Forever – Gumwrappers
er Darkness - The Haven
azooka Circus, Second Sin,
ival -Culture Room
Of Blues (Orlando)
mb Ones - Gumwrappers
r Saloon
e Maxwell Room
The Disasters. Left Alonee
Disasters And Left Alonerlando)
s – House Of Blues
ers, Supervillains And The
rs, The Know How, The
ard Rock
ir Roberts-The Social
Sofa Kings
lie Sexton – House Of Blues
t And The Pooky Smackers.
TWIZTID
9/5 - CULTURE ROOM
LESS THAN JAKE
9/15 - CULTURE ROOM
DR. JOHN
9/24 - CAREFREE THEATER
ALLIGATOR ALLEY
5501 NE 2nd Ave, Miami 305-757-1807
AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA
601 Biscayne Blvd, Miami 786-777-1000
BAYFRONT PARK AMPH
301 N. Biscayne Blve, Miami
BROADWAY BILLIARDS
17813 Biscayne Blvd. Aventura 305-935-6600
CHEERS
941 East Cypress Road. Ft. Lauderdale 954-771-6337
CHURCHILLS
5501 NW 2 Ave, Miami 305-757-1807
CLUB M
2037 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 954-925-8396
CULTURE ROOM
3045 N. Federal Highway, Hollywood 954-564-1074
DADA
52 N. Swinton Ave, Delray Beach 561-330-3232
HARD ROCK LIVE (ORLANDO)
6050 Universal Blvd., Orlando 407-351-5483
HOUSE OF BLUES
1490 E. Buena Vista Dr.,Lake Buena Vista 407-934-
BLUE
JACKIE GLEASON
1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach 305-673-7300
JAMES L. KNIGHT CTR
400 SE 2nd Ave, Miami 305.372.4634
MIZNER PARK AMPH.
433 Plaza Real Boca Raton
O’ SHEAS IRISH PUB
531 Clematis St. WPB
POMPANO BEACH AMPH.
1806 NE 6th Street Pompano 954-946-2402
POORHOUSE
110 SW 3 Ave, Ft. Lauderdale 954-522-5145
RESPECTABLE STREET
518 Clematis St., WPB 561-832-9999
REVOLUTION
100 SW 3rd Ave. Ft. Lauderdale 954-766-8477
SOUND ADVICE AMPH.
601-7 Sansbury’s Way, WPB 561-795-8883
SURF CAFE
395 NE Spanish River Blvd. 561-392-1965
THE PAWN SHOP LOUNGE
1222 NE 2nd Ave, Miami 305-373-3511
THE SOCIAL
54 N. Orange Ave, Orlando 407-246-1419
TWILIGHT
1507 East 7th Ave., Tampa 813-247-4225
UNDERGROUND SKATEZONE
8125 Lake Worth Road, Lake Worth 561-963-5900
UM CONVOCATION CTR
1245 Walsh Ave Coral Gables 305-284-8686
WALLFLOWER GALLERY
10 NE 3rd St., Miami 305-579-0069
WILLS PUB
1815 N. Mills Ave Orlando 407-898-5070

Arch Enemy
Dommsday Machine
Century Media
Presented fearlessly, like a Broadway
play from start to finish. Arch Enemy’s
sixth full length album Doomsday Machine
displays their superior blend of
brutality and melody once again for
their ever growing fan base. Angela
Gossow’s growl is varied more this time around. At times it’s a
banshee scream, sometimes it’s a lower, pure death metal-type
growl, represented in the middle of the song “I Am Legend/Out
For Blood.” Gossow obviously put a tremendous amount of
thought into how she approached the vocals this time around,
with precise timing encircling the driving guitar sound.
The guitar onslaught is interestingly unpredictable with Doomsday
Machine, the band has evolved and clearly show they can
still make great music while reinventing themselves. Michael and
Christopher Amott have really outdone themselves; the rhythms
are really tight and grooving. There are plenty of tempo changes
and key changes to keep things fresh. There’s the million-milean-hour
guitar technique, like “Nemesis,” but also riffs that can
change the mood in a more melodic sense such as “Skeleton
Dance” and “Mechanic God Creation.”
What is important is that Doomsday Machine really shows the
maturation and progress of one of the best metal bands out right
now. For a band that has been around for a handful of years
they can surely hold their own and have shown no of signs
slowing down. Doomsday Machine is a record worth listening
to in search for motivation and blinding guitar solos that fit consistently
with the voice of a raging female. -Joseph Vilane
Watch Them Die
Bastard Son
Century Media
These Oakland-based purveyors of
the extreme rose from the ashes of
some of the most influential bands to
ever come out of the underground.
Their latest offering Bastard Son is raw
metal unleashed. The energetic display
at their live show truly captivates listeners because of the
bands unique sense of timing and rhythmic patterns. Lead vocalist
Pat Vigil volatile performance is interesting to watch. His
movements are in perfect timing with the rhythms of guitar, bass
and percussion.
Since their formation in early 2000, this maniacal quintet has
been blurring the lines between grind-core, metal, punk, crust
and thrash. Due to their energetic and sometimes violent live
shows, the band quickly developed a loyal fanbase and was
headlining Bay Area venues by their fourth show as a result.
Their title track has a combination of bombastic guitars, prolific
cymbal attacks, and a driving bass tone that permits a new
found source of energy within. The music quickly grabs your
attention. Vigil’s vocal display is reminiscent of a raging distorted
instrument on the blink of self exploration.
“Throne of Lies,” “Battle Lust,” and “Born to Suffer” unleash a
powerful masterful sound deep from the depths of hell. Vigil is
the demon spawn caught in the middle of the band’s extreme
whirlwind of destruction. Their unapologetic reflection latches
on to your sub-consciousness, helping you forget about the
mere void that may center throughout your existence. The music
is mesmerizing, capable of motivating your fears to help you
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cope with what cannot be easily comprehended. Bastard Son
is the shot of adrenaline in the metal scene. -Joseph Vilane
Leaves Eyes
Vinland Saga
Napalm [Spv]
The album cover is an eye opener, an
image of a beautiful woman with porcelain
doll skin uncovering the secrets
of mankind to the naked eye. With the
music of Leaves Eyes, at first listen
you’ll find your spirits elevated in hopes
that you’ve come across another
project reminiscent of Evanescence. But this band is not just
following another trend. Their music is very original where ex-
Theatre of Tragedy front-woman Liv Kristine’s vocals holds
weight on her own.
Vinland Saga begins with a solemn interlude that is the title track.
The music carries your thoughts to a new dimension; vocals
slowly enter as the orchestra builds inner strength. “Farewell
Proud Men” shows how female-fronted hard rock/metal should
be done, sharing company with the likes of Evanescence and
Lacuna Coil, but with more than a splash of originality. In the
never-changing circle of industrial bands led by female vocalists,
here comes a band that represents integrity through their
refined craft of intelligent and spiritualized music, a mesmerizing
classic has been created.
No stranger to success, Leaves’ Eyes return with their second
anticipated album. With the added muscle of metal, the sounds
are meticulously layered with the voice of Kristine. “Solemn Sea”
begins with Kristine’s swooning vocals, presented like an evangelist
in front of a choir taking the stage for the first time.
There’s a clear representation of Kristine’s abilities to treat
her voice as an instrument of justice. Also the track “Leaves’
Eyes” reads like a midnight prayer, promising that orbits will
keep her safe and secure her in a moment of indecision.
Centered around the planets, knowing that the stars have
lined up for the very first time, every moment on Vinland
Saga is clearly perpetual. -Joseph Vilane
Limp Bizkit
The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1)
Flip/Geffen Records
Limp Bizkit is back with their fifth album
The Unquestionable Truth (Part I)
which is a surprisingly good effort.
After reaching their plateau with
Chocolate Starfish, the Bizkit Empire
started to crumble when guitarist Wes
Borland left the band. He was not only the most creative member
of the band but their guiding force. But now Borland returns
to the fold, so it seemed that all was not lost. Could his return
revitalize the band? The answer is, quite simply, yes.
The Unquestionable Truth, Part I, is a strong comeback for the
band. One thing that their last record Results May Vary lacked
was good riffs. The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) contains
some of their finest, most catchy collection of songs to date. It’s
mostly fast and furious, the music speaks of propaganda, yet the
record closes so eloquently with “The Surrender,” a ballad showcasing
Fred Durst’s vocal abilities yet again. Compared to Limp
Bizkit’s previous endeavors, their new album leans more towards
rock more than anything with impulsive boisterous guitar riffs led
by the reinstated Wes Borland and pulsating percussion effect.
This album steers away from the hip hop beats that Durst has

favored throughout his career. Borland’s uncompromising riffage
helps lead Durst into a new direction of musical discovery.
The Unquestionable (Truth Part 1) is a mature release from
Limp Bizkit, less sarcasm and more abrasive ingenuity. “The
Truth” is by far the heaviest track on this record, the chorus
proclaims: “Imagine accepting the truth!” Durst has accepted the
truth, a new found form of energy accumulated through a new
sense of musical discovery. But just like Bizkit’s previous records,
it does have i’s weak moments with “The Key,” an infuriated
anthem unlocking the frustrations of a person torn at the gates
of success and abandonment. The jokes have been made, the
faulted past decisions of the band have been analyzed. But
with new found strength and the emergence of Borland,
Limp Bizkit may be well on their way to reaching a much
broader audience. -Joseph Vilane
As I Lay Dying
Shadows Are Security
Metal Blade Records
As I Lay Dying have expanded so much
since their previous release Frail Words
Collapse, that they have decided to
change their direction to appeal to a much
broader demographic. With their latest
offering Shadows Are Security, the band’s sound is more progressive
and poppy. Although this record may take a few listens
to get used to it, the music is sincere and reveals a sense
that they have evolved as songwriters.
There’s a sense of wonderment in the sound as well as of timing
revealed so to speak of endless motivational tactics. The source
is clearly profound, the lyricism of Tim Lambesis is enough to
make your mind meander, yet his presentation value is a bit
lacking. Lambesis’ vocal approach has been scaled down to a
basic growl whereas he sounded like a machine on Frail Words
Collapse. “The Darkest Nights” would have to be the bands
shining moment. The impeccable timing of the rhythm section
is undeniable; the drums are insane with the vocals at almost
perfect pitch.
More highlight tracks include “Meaning in Tragedy,” “Confined,”
and “Through Struggle.” As I lay Dying may appeal to the masses
after your third or fourth listen, but there are certain elements
that are clearly missing. There’s an advantage as well as a
disadvantage. The advantage of course is that everything feels
much tighter on the album from the guitar work to the drumming.
The disadvantage of course is that the density of the songs on
Frail Words Collapse is no longer there. -Joseph Vilane
INDIE
RELEASE
Atomic Tangerine
Bitch for Society
ARS
It’s a convention for perpetual ripoffs
on Atomic Tangerine’s Bitch for
Society. If any local band sounds
as vanilla in sound it’s this one. They
can’t write anything that comes off
as original. It’s what Confucius would call a disaster piece
from start to finish.
Whether they come as a second-rate Nickleback, a fourthrate
Incubus, or a pathetic attempt at Corrosion of Conformity,
the band cannot keep it interesting for a second on the record.
Tracks like “Closed Mind,” “Gravity,” and “The Chase” are of
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utter embarrassment, formulaic and sluggish that even the
most commercial and standard radio stations wouldn’t touch
with a ten-foot pole.
Bitch for Society, on top of the ridiculous title, doesn’t thrill,
excite, or turn on. It merely gives you the increasingly urge
as the album progresses to bashing your head against the
wall to unconsciousness. “Prison” goes to the low of even
ripping off riffs from Creed, where as “Ounce of Faith” copies
“Free” from earlier on the record as well as from Incubus’
“Wish You Were Here.”
To put it simply, Bitch for Society is a generic code of nameless,
tuneless modern rock that leaves absolutely nothing to the
imagination. – Jeff Noller
Greg Summerlin
The Young Meteors
Superphonic Records
It’s clear to anyone who has ever
heard Greg Summerlin that he’s
quirky and unique. With his second
release, The Young Meteors, the
Alabama native produces a vibrant,
poppy and frustratingly repetitive
sound not heard on his first album.
Released under Summerlin’s label, Superphonic Records,
Meteors reads like a young boy’s naïveté into adolescence.
Take for instance “A Snowboard Odyssey” where Summerlin
pays homage to snowboarding, while the title track pays a
tribute to, well, meteors. With his playful lyrics, it’s often hard
to take him too seriously.
Each track has a definitive perkiness to it, all the while holding
a reminiscent mark to early Beatles. Summerlin’s mellow voice
echoes through the upbeat tunes and straightforward guitar
making it hard to sometimes differentiate the tracks apart.
Summerlin’s true talent is best evident in “Mighty Shield,” a
soft, guitar-driven track beautifully expressing friendship.
The riffs, similar to those from his early years as a guitarist in
the Quinsonics, are toned and effervescent. The animated
“Rolling Like a Stone” once again emphasizes his cheerful
attributes, while “I Would Fight,” which is reminiscent to the
Cure, expresses a deeper, somber feeling of hostility.
Overall, The Young Meteors fails to make it memorable to the
listener. The album mainly creates a perky outlook on life
that’s meant to be heard only if you’re feeling as happy as he
is. -Maricarmen Hudders
Darkane
Layer of Lies
Nuclear Blast
Sweden’s death metal act, Darkane,
deliver on another solid album in
2005’s Layers of Lies. Considering
that the band was put on hold for
two years due to a number of
variables from solo projects to physical injury to outright
exhaustion, it’s amazing that the band sound rejuvenated.
Layer of Lies is a sophisticated record of death metal that’s
immediately intriguing, from the album’s symphonic opener

“Amnesia of the Wildoerian Apocalypse” to the fantastic closer
“The Creation Insane.” The riffing in particular stands out on the
tracks from most of their contemporaries that focus more on
crunch. Granted there isn’t anything trailblazing to show for the
genre, but that’s not really the point. Tracks like “Secondary
Effect” and “Organic Canvas” are meat-and-potatoes type of
metal that delivers, despite not being that free-form in style.
Vocalist Andreas Sydow howls away to the band’s
orchestrated arrangements that are strong and precise.
However, it can lose momentum toward the second half of the
album. The instrumentals tend to become a little tiring if you’re
just a casual listener, but that’s an afterthought. Layer of Lies
is another great piece of work by Darkane. – Jeff Noller
Spill Canvas
One Fell Swoop
111 Records
Indie music is synonymous with
vagueness. Lyrics giving only subtle hints
at specific emotions but with cutesy
celestial metaphors are more often than
not labeled genius.
That is the sheer justification in calling the Spill Canvas a different kind
of indie band. The hooks on their newest release, One Fell Swoop,
are deliciously bubbly, but never become much more creative or
interesting than anything Taking Back Sunday’s been playing. It is
their use of charmingly uncomplicated lyrics—lost since the age of
Bob Dylan’s coherency—that set them apart.
In fact, many of the Spill Canvas’s longtime fans, in the style of older
Dashboard Confessional fans, have tagged them traitors as a result
of their venture from acoustic emo-ballads to the “big band” sound of
outlet-induced indie-rock…and quite rightly. Excluding the opening
track, “Lust a Prima Vista,” practically every song on the CD would
sound infinitely more personal if included in an MTV Unplugged set.
And perhaps that wouldn’t be such a tragedy if Spill Canvas’ main
charm wasn’t that they are, indeed, so personal: from the moody
vocals of Nick Thomas, the driving force behind the Spill Canvas, to
the straightforward—if elementary—lyrics he sews throughout the
album.
One Fell Swoop opens with a slow, melodic crescendo building
toward an affecting rhythm and lyrics alluding to the album’s title. “In
one fell swoop/it became clear to me/that I despise you.”
From the start, we are blessed with raw emotion—no cardiac
symbolism or star references—and, as mentioned earlier, it is perhaps
the only song in which the distorted electric guitar is optimal. The
lyrics remain heartily simple. It is unfortunate, however, that the
musical climax of the CD has been deployed within the first 30 seconds.
-Josh Kleinberg
Stellastarr
Harmonies For The Haunted
RCA
The Killers singer Brandon Flowers
recently criticized fellow ‘80s
revivalists the Bravery as phony,
claiming that “the only reason
they’re a band is because we’re a
band.” The same cannot be said for Stellastarr. While all
three are part of a crop of hip, new bands with a penchant
for the days when the Cure and Joy Division ruled, Stellastarr
possess a style and originality seldom heard amongst their
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peers. Their critically acclaimed 2003 debut was a
memorable mix of delay-drenched guitars, elaborate rhythm
patterns, and refreshingly unique vocals, with enough
passion to suggest that this was who they were, not who
they longed to be. Two years later, they’re back with a new
album, and a chance to position themselves right at the
head of the pack. But that is easier said than done.
The aptly titled Harmonies for the Haunted suggests
something of a dichotomy – the merging of both the beautiful
and the gloomy. Less immediate than its predecessor, it is
a slightly darker journey, with the pop hooks buried between
more expansive layers of that familiar guitar tone. Recalling
everyone from the Jesus and Mary Chain to U2, Stellastarr
have clearly opted for a bigger sound, turning the distortion
down and the reverb up. This brings mixed results. On
songs like “Damn This Foolish Heart,” lead singer Shawn
Christensen sounds as potent as ever, and bassist Amanda
Tannen’s soothing backup vocals provide the perfect
contrast. Still, there is an urgency missing, and perhaps
what made their first album such a refreshing listen.
It is as if Stellastarr are still searching for their identity,
struggling to find a balance between the band they were,
the band they are becoming, and the band others want
them to be. “We’re lost in time,” howls Christensen on the
record’s opening track, as if to acknowledge their as-yetundetermined
place in the musical pantheon. He reiterates
this on “The Diver,” candidly stating, “They say you’re a
product, with nothing to sell, you can fool your fans but you
can’t fool yourself.” Who can blame him? It must be hard
watching a band like the Bravery sell more records than
you, just because the camera takes to them a little better.
That being said, this is not the record that will make the
band stars. Much like the Killers’ Hot Fuss, there is an
evident dip in quality around track five. Then again, that
hasn’t stopped the Killers from becoming one of the world’s
biggest bands. There is enough here to warrant a few
good listens, and hopefully, just enough to keep the fire
burning until try number three. Here’s hoping they find
what they’re looking for.-Craig Mandell
Throwdown
Vendetta
Truskill
Straight-edge hardcore can be a love
or hate thing. You can’t really be a
fair-weather fan. Vendetta, the latest
release by Throwdown, won’t turn
on anyone new outside of the genre,
but that doesn’t matter too much. The metalcore band has
another solid album after 2003’s Haymaker.
There’s no glorious attempt to try to do quote-on-quote
experimental stuff or force anything that sounds out of place.
It’s pure angst-ridden hardcore with intelligent lyrics about
dignity, self-respect, and camaraderie that doesn’t sound at
all that preachy as a lot of bands in that genre can be. However,
most fans are going to be into the music, not analyzing the
lyrics so this can be ignored.
The album is all about going head-first into the mosh pit, pure
and simple. None of the band’s fans will find this album
disappointing or fail to come through. This fact is all that
matters to Throwdown. – Jeff Noller

Suit of Lights
Suit of Lights
Indie Release
It’s not often—and practically inconceivable—that
a band will draw comparisons to The Beatles,
Thrice, Muse and They Might Be Giants...and all
within fifty or so minutes of music.
It’s also not often that a graphic designer who’s been writing music since
elementary school assembles such a diverse cast as The Rosenbergs’
Evan Silverman, Thursday guitarist, Steve Pedulla, and Streetlight Manifesto/
Catch 22 trumpeter, James Egan to facilitate his emotive-pop aspirations.
Suit Of Lights, a pseudonym for New Jersey singer/songwriter/musicextraordinaire,
Joe Darone’s musical brainchild, is an ensemble of indie
near-celebrities, all with an aptitude for profound instrumentals. Their selftitled
debut is part cathartic indie-pop, part very good acid trip, traipsing
from genre to genre with the slightest of ease.
Darone’s songwriting is sincere and mature, but never takes itself too
seriously. The duality is most manifested in “Goodbye Silk City,” an homage
to Joe’s father, which combines an airy counterpoint (comprised mostly of
brass) with wistful lyrics. Just three minutes later, the audience is presented
with an experiment vaguely reminiscent of a toned down Mars Volta in
“Who Stands Beneath A Dream.”
It is unlikely that Suit Of Lights will ever experience the success of some of
its members’ other groups, as they seem confused regarding their style.
Castanets, trumpet, trombone and some horror-film soundfonts all make
their way into a song or two on the album. Truthfully, It’s most refreshing
to hear a group of musicians that doesn’t pigeonhole itself by writing ten
near-identical songs, and even the greatest musical elitists will find something
to love on this album. However, it seems unlikely that there will be more
than one thing for anyone unless genres can be sacrificed for creativity.
Maybe in a perfect world…-Josh Kleinberg
The Proclaimers
Restless Soul - Advance Copy
Vital Records
Though at times long-winded and repetitive, Restless
Soul, the new album by Scottish duo The Proclaimers, is
a solid mix of catchy, pop rock.
Beginning with “When love Struck You Down,” it’s easy to like these foreign
twin brothers. The song’s upbeat tempo and guitar tone encapsulates the
band’s finer points, while the actual lyrics, though they may read lamely (“What
became of old love/Love that you gave the shove”), exemplify the pop love
song. Reading the lyrics may spoil the song, but just listening to them sounds
like good music.
The vocals are also an impressive trait of the Proclaimers’ music. Though both
sing, it’s sometimes difficult to determine who’s who, since both sound relatively
similar. However, that’s not such a bad thing. Both have strong, on key voices
that harmonize with the music amazingly well, especially evident on the album’s
faster songs, like “Everyday I Try,” “D.I.Y.” and “One More Down.” Hearing the
brothers sing together, or just hearing one of them belt away song lines over
drum rolls and acoustic guitar chords sounds like something awesome, and it’s
not just because of the heavy Scottish accents.
However, there are several songs that just don’t cut it. The slower ones
especially are boring and redundant. It’s as if the band didn’t realize that what
they do best is what they do fast. Songs like “That’s Better Now” and “He Just
Can’t” sound like they could be good if they were faster, as that tempo would
allow for more interesting instrumental fills and less focus on the sub par lyrics.
Instead we have slow songs that can only be assumed were meant to be
meaningful but instead sound shallow and empty.
The album in itself is also a bit too long for its own good. 14 tacks is really too
much to ask, especially for a pop album with many songs sounding strikingly
similar to the one before. “One More Down,” however, the album’s closing
track, is something to be heard, as it again demonstrates the powerful singing
and catchy melodies the band is great for.
What really matters when it comes to this band is that they can deliver. The
fact that they don’t always may be a bit disappointing, but, overall, it doesn’t
take away from this above average album. – Jacob Nelson
Koufax
Hard Times Are in Fashion
Doghouse
Remember that smashing emo ensemble, the Get-Up
Kids? (And are you moping about their demise?) Well,
here is some news, both good and bad: Koufax is
Get-Up Kids founders Robert and Ryan Pope’s next of
kin — and Koufax’s music is (almost) completely different. Overall, if you were
not aware of this band’s relation to the Get-Up Kids you’d have no idea.
The songs in Hard Times Are in Fashion, Koufax’s third full-length album, tend
to have pessimistic titles (“Why Bother At All,” “Five Years of Madness,” “A
Sad Man’s Face,” “Trouble Will Find You”), singer Robert Suchan’s voice is
whiny and the lyrics involve him exhibiting a vexing tendency to complain but
not work toward reaching a solution. Opener“Why Bother At All,” for instance,
begs “Someone just give us hope. / Rescue us… / This is the age of no
feeling.” On the plus side, the chorus, if irritatingly whiny, is catchy, the song is
neatly produced and each instrument emerges distinct from the others. In
unimpressive “Isabelle,” Suchan pompously asserts amid prominent keyboards,
“Oh Isabelle / You weren’t meant for the city…You must miss sincerity.”
Undeniably emo “Back and Forth” exhales choppy guitars and a sporadically
squealing Suchan, who is only at his best when singing à la Julian Casablancas,
thereby avoiding the high pitches of his unnerving voice.
Moreover, the tracks on this album aren’t extraordinarily different from each
other, particularly regarding their tone. The only songs worth mentioning as
distinctive are lackadaisical “Get Us Sober,” a song with simple drum beats
and vastly varying rhythms. “Blind Faith,” which stands out as almost dirgelike,
the most palpably mellow and melancholy track. I’d be shocked if this band’s
next release were to sparkle with buoyant gaudiness — or even display an
ability to view things objectively rather than from behind a dismal shroud of
gray.
Listening to Hard Times Are in Fashion is no euphoric experience but a
brutal and poppy assault on your ears. Get it as aural torture for someone
you hate. - Natalia Real.
A Life Once Lost
Hunter
Ferret Music
A Life Once Lost tends to sound like a protégé of
American Death Metal stalwarts Lamb of God on
their latest release Hunter. Besides the fact that
band’s frontman Randy Blythe has back-up vocals
on the track “Vulture,” A Life Once Lost do make a pretty genuine album, but it’s
hard to say that what they’ve done hasn’t been repeated before.
Robert Meadows’ vocals tend to be a bit overblown, coming off as a banshee
version of Blythe. The result can at various times disrupt the momentum of the
album. The guitar work is fierce followed by intimidating basslines and
bombarding drumbeats that change pace fast and suddenly.
“Needleman” has great innovative guitar licks by Robert Carpenter whereas
James Graves’ drumming keeps things frantic. The title track has an eerie
slow groove fronted by a great guitar lick, which unfortunately gets muffled
by Meadows’ vocals that reveals a repeating pattern throughout the record.
The musicianship is executed well, but the vocalwork leaves more to be
desired, stifling the momentum.
Hunter despite some of the flaws is a good record that has potential to be
something better. – Jeff Noller

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Kings of Leon/Secret Machines/The Helio Sequence
August 16, 2005
Revolution
The bill read like an indie-rock kid’s wet dream: ultra-hip southern-garage boys
Kings of Leon, pre-empted by the spacey and spectacular Secret Machines, and
some cool band no one had really heard
of. Could it get any better? With the sun
still blazing and the venue nowhere near
capacity, The Helio Sequence took the
stage. Making the most of this chance,
they immediately proved their worth with
a sound that can best be described as
what you’d get if you locked Stereolab in a
room with Bob Dylan and a whole lot of
amphetamines. Were we not so distracted
by the heat and the hype, we just might’ve
found a new band to get crazy about.
Soon after, as the place filled in and the
sun began to set, the stage lit up. Three
massive light fixtures glared straight out
at the crowd, a bold yet fitting
accompaniment to the immense sonic force
that is The Secret Machines. They
unleashed their dreamy soundscapes with
sheer power, alternating poppier tunes
such as “Nowhere Again” with epic
meanderings like “Pharoah’s Daughter.”
Kings of Leon
This was space rock taken to the next level,
with heavy drums, fuzzy keys, swirling
guitars, and indie-riffic vocals coming together in perfect harmony under the neon
lights. Though a little self indulgent at times, the Machines were uncompromising
in their approach, playing with the
rare confidence of a band who
know they’re on to something. It
was a blinding performance,
literally.
Once the roadies had cleared the
mess of effects pedals, the
sounds of an angelic choir filled
our ears, and the shaggy-haired
Kings of Leon emerged. Was this
entrance some sort of brash
statement, or a sarcastic poke at
the media’s declaration of the
group as some sort of rock and
roll saviors? Frankly, it didn’t
matter. The Kings of Leon gave
us exactly what we wanted, an
electrifying set of their Strokesmeets-swamp
boogie swagger,
with the presence of a band who
had been at this far longer than a
few years.
From the opening chords of
“Molly’s Chambers” to the rousing
climax of “Trani,” which saw
singer Caleb Followill
passionately throw down his mic
stand before walking offstage, The Secret Machines
we devoured every minute.
Rather than play the traditional “waiting game,” however, Caleb kept it real. “It’s
too hot to just wait over there, so thank you guys for having us back,” he muttered,
as the band quickly returned for a stunning two-song encore. Looks like they’ve
managed to stay humble after all. – Craig Mandell • Photos: Sean McCloskey
SEPTEMBER 2005 • RAG MAGAZINE • 20
Mushroomhead
August 12, 2005
Culture Room
Last year, Mushroomhead tore off the roof of the Culture
Room with a devastating set that caused one bystander
to have a seizure literally. This year, there were none,
but Mushroomhead one-up-ed itself that had everyone
going berserk. Having toured all over, the eight-piece
metal monsters stormed back to South Florida on one
Friday night to decimate whatever was left of the
legendary venue after their previous visit.
The openers, Nocturne and Crossbreed, both delivered
strong sets with first headliner Dope really revving the
crowd up their blend of proto-rap metal. Mushroomhead
then took position as the lights dimmed to eerie blue. Covocalist
Jeffrey Nothing took his position in the middle of
the rear in front of the drum riser, overlooking the crowd
like a conquering demonic lord. The band then tore into
the opener “Kill Tomorrow” from their latest release XIII
that had the crowd roaring into frenzy.
During the set co-vocalist Waylon paced from one side
of the front stage to the other spitting out his screaming
rhymes to the crowd, frequently standing on top of the
amplifiers looking down upon them. Co-guitarist Bronson
and bassist P Benis followed the same fashion, occasionally
shaking hands and slapping five to the people up front as
they played. Co-keyboardist Switch also did the same to
fewer occurrences, but when he did, carried a spotlight
with him that he shined upon the enraptured audience.
The band was on fire from start to finish, particular going
through vicious versions of “Bwomp,” “Sun Doesn’t Rise,”
and “The Dream Is Over.” Nothing’s limited movement on
stage can cause the most eruption with his vocal chimein’s
and background melodies as Waylon throttled across
the stage. You could say that they are the perfect
contrast that works to maximum results. The crowd
favorite, a cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry” followed
by the assault of “Xeroxed” sounded as sweet as ever
as it did over a year ago.
With the closing “Eternal,” Mushroomhead showed why
they are one of the best live metal acts out there right
now. They love playing to the audience. Every member
makes every one of them out there feel that they count,
knowing that the band wouldn’t be there without them.
Most of the people up front, shook hands, slapped five, and
punched fists with literally every single one of them. It didn’t
matter that was no encore, Mushroomhead did what they
came to do what three hurricanes last year couldn’t, bring
the roof down again on the Culture Room. – Jeff Noller

Death Becomes You
July 29, 2005
Gum Wrappers
Annihilating, bombastic, explosive, and horrifying to the point where
standing close to the stage means you know what you’re getting into,
horror rockers, Death Becomes You tore the roof off of Gum
Wrappers at “The Devil’s Rejects” release party. The band rips into
songs with the hunger of a vampire that hasn’t tasted human blood
in millennia.
The band (drummer Christopher Lee, vocalist John Janos, guitarist
Gory, and bassist Nicodemous) are an explosive blend of gothic,
punk, and glam with lots of New York attitude. It’s Alice Cooper
meets the New York Dolls meets Christian Death meets the Ramones.
From the opening cover of the Damned’s “New Rose,” Death
Becomes You plays with such ferocity and terrifying precision that
as much as you try to keep your distance, you only come closer.
From there, the band just picks up the pace with “Planet Graveyard,”
“Blood Drive,” and
“Scratch the
World” among
other bloodthirsty
songs that sink
their teeth into
you.
Lee himself is a
devastating
drummer, playing
with an intensity
and originality that
is unmatched.
Always changing
up the drum beats, he adds tremendous power to the songs that are
already lethal by Gory’s savage guitar playing and Nicodemous’
bass playing that slices and dices you. Vocalist Janos leads the
charge pacing like a wolf eyeing his prey across the stage with a
green spotlight aimed at the audience.
The highlight has to be “Bats in Your Belfry” that sees the band at
the peak of their domination riffing and bashing away to the point of
no detractors remaining. It’s a testament to a genre that seems to be
highly underrepresented here in South Florida, and there is indeed
an audience. Amidst the scenes/cliques whatever you want to call
them here in the tri-county area, it’s great to see one band that isn’t
afraid to sink their teeth into the trendy one-dimensional culture that
exists. –Jeff Noller

System of a Down
August 17, 2005
Office Depot Center
In a word. Electrifying. System of a Down delivered an
explosive performance with their latest stop at the Office Depot
Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Touring behind their first proper
album since 2001’s Toxicity (not including the brilliant odds and
sods collection Steal This Album), the band had the entire
crowd on their feet from song to song. On the floor, SOAD’s
disciples moshed in such fashion that was reminiscent of a
sea during a Category 5 hurricane.
The band, consisting of vocalist Serj Tankian, guitarist Daron
Malakian, bassist Shavo Odajian, and drummer John Dolmayan,
all dressed quite casually black sportscoats, dark shirts and
pants played with tenacity throughout the two hour set. In a
way, you would
hope to consider
this part one as the
band released the
first of two albums
in May with the
second, Hypnotize,
scheduled for
release in
November; and
hopefully, will be
back to play again.
In the meantime, the
audience soaked up
every moment by the
hard rockers.
From the band’s
gentle opener
“Soldier Song,” also
the first song on
Mesmerize, the
anticipation was
great before SOAD
exploded with
“B.Y.O.B.” that caused the capacity audience to go into frenzy,
screaming back the lyrics. “Revenga” followed thereafter before
the band went back to older material with “Deer Dance,”
“Needles,” and “Know.” The crowd ate everything the band gave
to them, despite not saying much in between songs with the
exception of Malakian’s remark about America being full of red
people and blue people to make purple.
SOAD played a lot of material from the latest release that included
“Violent Pornography” and “Sad Statue” that the audience was
obviously familiar with due to the response, especially when
Malakian did a little cap Pella singing the first lines “My cock is
much bigger than yours” before launching into “Cigaro.” The
latest single “Question” was striking going from subtle to crunch
throughout with Malakian’s screeches following the end of
certain verses following Tankian’s soaring vocals. The album’s
schizophrenic feel was a pleaser whether it’s the melodic and
melancholy “Lost in Hollywood” or the full throttle of “This Cocaine
Makes Me Feel Like I’m on This Song.”
Odajian and Dolmavan concocted tight and precise backbeat
and rhythms behind the guitarwork of Malakian and vocalwork
of Tankian, especially on such stalwart tracks as “Chop Suey,”
“Mr. Jack,” and “Chic ‘N’ Stu.” The band’s final part of the set
was definitely memorable as they ripped into firey versions
of “Suite Pee,” “Aerials,” “Toxicity,” “Science,” and
“Sugar.” On that night, System of a Down delivered, and
left the crowd hoping that they would be back. – Jeff
Noller • Photo: Sean McCloskey
Yellowman
August 11, 2005
Culture Room
Reggae music took a commercial blow with the death of Bob Marley in 1981.
Within a few years, Yellowman rose to the spotlight in Jamaica as a local DJ
through self-effacing yet clever word play. Born in 1959 as Winston Foster,
Yellowman’s rare albino complexion earned the lyricist his famous stage
name. In support of this year’s This is Crucial Reggae release, the middleaged
pop star and his unique sound took the stage in Fort Lauderdale’s
Culture Room on August 11. Yellowman has been stimulating audiences for
decades with an electrifying onstage spirit.
Yellowman’s reggae lyrics in the early ‘80s were crass, him being an infamous
gay-basher. In 1982, the Jamaican teamed with another DJ and was the first to
release an album recorded live on a sound system as opposed to a stage show.
The cut, Yellowman and Fathead Live at Aces, captured Yellowman’s famous
excitement in the crossover from a new DJ style, dancehall, into the studio.
By the ‘90s, Yellowman, now known as the “Godfather of Dancehall,” became
an internationally-acclaimed celebrity, getting signed with CBS Records and
leading a worldwide tour. Releasing countless albums and laughing at his own
appearance on the reggae singles chart, the Jamaican star has been touring
continuously throughout the U.S. and UK ever since. Yellowman grew wealthy,
selling more reggae albums than any other artist besides Marley.
The reggae singer’s recent bouts with throat and skin cancer have resulted
in a more mellow approach
to his live shows.
Yellowman now promotes
the industry’s oldfashioned
ideas of peace
and love, as opposed to
rapping about his own life.
Not only has he recorded
new pop songs about God,
social justice and
humanistic behavior, but
Yellowman also preaches
pacifistic ideas onstage.
It was mostly surfers
between the ages of 25
and 40 who packed the
Culture Room for
Yellowman’s performance.
The band had no set list;
each musician follows the
improvisations of the
keyboard player, Simon.
Songs performed include
“Oowie Baby,” “A Message
to Rosie,” “Be My Guest” and
“One Yellowman.” The
singer dedicated the sweet melody “Blueberry Hill” to ladies experiencing
relationship trouble with their husbands or boyfriends. Highlights for the audience
were chanting “Irie, jump, jump” and “Nobody moves, nobody get hurt.”
Draped in shorts, a bandana and red tank top, Yellowman neither looked nor
sounded like a gent in his late 40s. With a Jamaican accent, he claimed to love
Fort Lauderdale. He has as much vivacity now as he had when performing
25 years ago in his homeland. The man did not stand still for one minute as he
continuously ran from one side of the stage to the other. Despite his illness,
he appeared and sounded as fit as ever, during his 80 minutes of flurry.
Yellowman finished August at Red Rocks and New Mexico before his tour
wrapped up on September 3. It will not be long before another album is cut
and a global trek will once again be under way. This Jamaican is at home
onstage, right where he belongs. - Todd McFliker

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Story: Monica Cady
Live Photos: Sean McCloskey

There is nothing rock’n’roll about Steve
Bays. With his sweetie-pie innocent
face, wild red Orphan Annie curls and
approachable honest smile – there is simply
nothing controversial about this dude. He
doesn’t look anything like Brandon Flowers, Sam
Endicott or Conor Oberst. He looks more like
Napoleon Dynamite’s distant cousin or the geeky
guy in high school whose chemistry homework
you copied – rather than the frontman of a
happening band, who’s getting video-play on
VH1 Hits. Onstage, 27-year-old Bays rips it up
like a mini-Mick Jagger with style, selfassurance
and even sex appeal. The sounds
that he and his fellow Canadian Hot Hot Heat
bandmates lay on the crowd borderline
addiction like a pack of Marlboro Reds. But HHH
deliver the pleasure without the guilt.
The band’s 2005 LP Elevator (Sire) has been
bouncing aglow in the ears of listeners of both
mainstream and college radio stations. It’s the
follow-up to the widely-acclaimed 2004 Sub Pop
release Make Up The Breakdown. Elevator’s
first single and video, “Middle of Nowhere,” has
become a favorite on the many MTV-related
markets. Bays stars as the cover-boy and focus
of the video. He is seen roaming abandoned
streets and belting out an emotional chorus as
the camera zooms in for lots of close-up shoots
of his face. His character is something different
from the loud, rambunctious mental-case of a
rocker that he was in Make Up’s “Bandages”
video. In “Middle of Nowhere,” Bays is
sensitive, almost desperate to the point of tears.
Though poles apart, these singles carry
trademark HHH beats and style – witty,
danceable and electrically frantic.
Though Bays admits to feeling like an endless channel for creative forces at the
moment, the new songs’ hooks and choruses rarely attack his mind as one cohesive
unit. “I’d say like a quarter of the time I’ll write lyrics [at the same time as the
melody]. Like with ‘Goodnight, Goodnight,’ (Elevator) those were the first lyrics
that popped into my head. Most of ‘Running out of Time’ I wrote in half an hour.
It’s like ‘Goodnight, Goodnight’ and ‘Running out of Time’ were like stream-ofconsciousness
for the choruses and partly through the verses. ‘You Owe Me An
IOU’ – I just had that lyrical hook in my head for about a year and wanted to use it.”
Stream-of-consciousness seems to be a main form of communication for Bays.
He manages to veer our conversation into random, interesting territories as we
stroll out of the Target checkout line and into the parking lot. He repeatedly refers
to his ideas as abstract and admits to getting off-subject. His open sincerity and
rambling dialogue could be a PR director’s nightmare. But Bays has a talent for
coming back around to his initial point, and somehow wrapping up his entire spill.
This tour is the first time HHH have written songs while on the road. Bays explains
that the last tour was not the most conducive atmosphere for fresh ideas. The
members knew that former guitarist Dante DeCaro was leaving the band, and
writing new material was put on hold. Now, things couldn’t be further from that
If you can’t get those damn HHH jingles, er
songs, out of your head, don’t worry. Neither
can Bays. Before their Culture Room gig, I stroll
to Target with Bays and drummer Paul Hawley,
so the two can take care of some dental hygiene
errands. Bays needs dental floss. Hawley
needs a toothbrush. (Turns out they are really
into dental care.) As Bays selects some floss
(the 78-cent kind, nothing fancy), he tells me
that he was up until 8 a.m. because one of their
works-in-progress for the forth-coming album
was stuck in his mind. This sleeplessness is a
tell-tell sign that this tune will be on the next
record.
“The songs that make it to the record are the
ones that keep me up at night,” he explains.
The band often rehearse new songs during
sound check, giving the tunes different spins
to find out what works best. “We have tried
[the song] in so many different ways. We’ve
tried it first as like a really slow song, and then
as a more upbeat, powerful song. That’s the
thing. You can present songs in so many
different ways. You can present them
acoustically, or you can present them as giant
arena rock, you know, an epic song – or you
can present it as a pop ditty. Either way, it’s
still the same few chords and the same melody.
It’s just that kind of addictive hook that is like
the linchpin.”

mentality. The band are experiencing a rush of ideas and enthusiasm for new
songs. “[On the last tour] we were going through all these weird emotional
issues. But since we found Luke [Paquin], we are writing constantly, which is
so cool,” he says, in a soft whisper so Hawley doesn’t hear.
Evolving their sound is an important goal when coming up with fresh material.
Bays knows that HHH are an it item and have trendy tunes for their fans, but
to progress, the band has to experiment while keeping their famously catchy
vibes. He describes how making a record is a juggling act of pleasing fans,
being true to yourself and taking artistic risks.
“[The responsibilities involved] are not really the side of music that I would
probably choose to talk about, but there definitely is a dark side to being in a
band, which is at the end of the day, you are still entertaining. People are
paying money to come and see you and be entertained. So you need to
address the fact that there is competition, and there is pressure. People kind
of feel like they own you a little bit. So if you do something that they don’t
approve of, they feel like you slapped them in the face kind of thing, which is
kind of a weird concept. But at the same time, we also have theories, which
are if you’re not doing what you believe in and what you’re passionate about,
then you’re cheating, you’re lying and it’s dishonest and people will see through
it. You can’t do that, even though I know people have ideas about what they
think they want. I don’t think anyone knows what they want.
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“The main thing with bands – why they start to suck – is that they get bored,
but there is still pressure for them to write. Then they just go through the
motions, and they just use the old hat tricks that they used on the last record.
But if you’re in that position, you should just quit, I think,” he says.
HHH are nowhere near the burnout stage of calling it quits. In Bays’ mind they
are just getting started. “I think you should always be functionally insecure to
keep motivated and to keep pushing yourself,” he says. “I think if I just quit the
band and moved to a desert island, I wouldn’t feel like we had achieved
everything. I kind of feel like we are just starting out.”
Bays has some big ideas for their future and describes the constant struggle
of always wanting to do more, bigger, better. “The new [material we are
writing] is like bigger in scale, like emotionally. It’s kind of anthemic. I kind of
feel like it’s a bit, one part Ziggy Stardust (the “Five Years” style), one part
Queen, one part early U2 – but it still sounds like us at the same time. We’re
trying to do stuff that we’ve never done before and trying really hard to find
out what we like and don’t like about the past two records.
“Once you finish a record you are really fulfilled, but then right away, almost
at the same time you realize what you could’ve done, what you should’ve
done. It’s like any craft really; you’re just always trying to find new ways of
staying excited. Well, the one thing that will always stay the same is that it
has to be really catchy. It needs to almost be addictive, which is kind of an
abstract concept.
“I mean, to be honest, there was this kind of pressure [when making the
previous albums]. There was all this talk, ‘Oh, Hot Hot Heat’s new wave,
retro, dance-punk’ all these labels. On the one hand, I felt like we were going
to be shooting ourselves in the foot if we didn’t follow through on that. But on
the other hand, I wanted to put something out that would surprise people, piss
some people off and have other people go, ‘I love this.’”

Right now Bays is obviously in a profound world inside his mind,
showing an unexpected side of himself. He is thoughtful, softspoken,
contemplative and charmingly timid. While onstage, he
is clearly another kind of creature – one with a spunky strut,
boundless coolness and attractive self-importance. But as we
stroll along the crosswalk outside Target, teenagers and college
kids are smiling and staring and asking to shake Bays’ hand.
This is a definite reminder that he is a well-known artist, and not
my former chem. lab partner.
It’s not just me. Bays also describes himself as having two sides
– onstage and off-stage personas. “I’m definitely pretty mellow
[in person],” he says, doodling with his hair. “I’m not that great at
PR and stuff like that. I don’t necessarily feel that comfortable in
front of a camera. But onstage, it’s just a completely different
thing. I think I’m a completely different person. I don’t know why.
I think it’s just easier to put on a good show if you just know that
you are a different person onstage, and you just have an invisible
mask on, and you can say and do things that you wouldn’t
normally do and you don’t have to think about it. I think if you
think too much, you can close doors. But off-stage I definitely
think too much. And usually with songwriting, it’s usually the
moments when I just turn my brain off and it just happens.”
Even the most reserved artist at some point has to be willing to
expose parts of themselves to be a larger success. We make
our way back to the HHH tour bus, and chat in the back lounge.
It’s quite. Bays gets even more focused and thoughtful. He
recalls the first time he realized that his inner-self was becoming
available for people to not only experience, but to also critique.
“The first time was when we finished mixing Make Up The
Breakdown in Seattle and we marched it over to the Sub Pop
office and played it for them. I remember feeling so naked. I
was just like, ‘Oh! Turn the vocals down. Turn the vocals down.’
I was just so embarrassed,” he says grinning. “I remember when
I heard the Strokes second album. The vocals were so quiet,
and I remember thinking, ‘Turn them up. Turn them up.’ But at the
same time, I was kind of picturing him [Julian Casablancas] being
in the same position and feeling so naked because that’s the
hardest part – being able to hear yourself really clearly.
“When we first started I used to put all these effects on the
vocals and I used to hide behind abstract lyrics. But once I grew
comfortable with doing Make Up The Breakdown, I realized that
I kind of liked that nakedness. The more you expose yourself
and more naked you are – it almost doesn’t matter what your
insecurities are. It’s almost like it doesn’t matter if you’re ugly or
what you’re saying isn’t pretty. People just want to know
everything.”
Bays’ distinctly unrock look has become undeniably stylish and
works in his favor, making him one of the hottest lead-singerkeyboardists
on the music circuit. He laughs at the notion. “I
was totally opposed to it at first because I thought keyboard
was really uncool, which I definitely think it’s still not synonymous
with cool, but it’s getting cooler,” he says with a lighthearted
chuckle.
Funny as it may be – he’s right, which triggers some questions.
So what if Bays doesn’t have an indie shag, white belt and darkrimmed
specs? And who cares if he buys Patsy Cline and Johnny
Cash records rather than the latest scenester hits?
“I think there is something to be said for being different – but not
just for the sake of being different,” he says, twirling his locks.
“If you can justify being bizarre or different, then it’s pretty cool.”
Bays justifies his geeky-cool self just fine to me. He is more
than abstract ideas, red curls and keyboards. He’s the nerd
who transforms into the hunk. The reminder that people are not
always as they appear. The promise that the face of rock will
never be static.

Dream Theater
Story: Joseph Vilane • Photos: Michael Bush
Most dreams are in the form of stories, made up partly of
memories; they are interrupted stories, however, with
frequent shifts of scene. The broad characterization of music
includes a great variety of dream experiences; sounds
capable of expressing important wishes, fears, concerns
and worries of the dreamer; so undoubtedly, the study and
analysis of dreams can often be a useful procedure. In
regards, the rock band Dream Theater have followed an
interesting pattern unlocking various portals into the
subconscious mind, where playing an instrument is to both
receive and transmit something beyond all of this.
The music of Dream Theater (James Labrie on vocals, John
Myung on bass, John Petrucci on guitar and vocals, Mike
Portnoy on drums and Jordan Rudess on keyboards)
reveals different aspects of your world, and once this
state of mind reaches the stage, it represents a new world
of possibilities, bringing your destination to the forefront. “I
think that what you’re doing is you’re just immediately
attracted to trying to create a music that you feel is a real
part of you,” asserts Labrie. “It’s something that you want
to sincerely express. I think that’s how it begins. And then
as time goes on, you are much more focused and you’re
much more capable of directing and crafting those ideas
into something that is very concise, very well-directed and
very well-expressed.”
Since 1994, Dream Theater have
followed an uncanny pattern in
album excellence. The music is
eclectic, albums such as Awake
and Falling into Infinity deliver
songs with a precise touch and
a fiery attack, seamlessly
shifting through various rock
influences almost within a single
phrase. Like their previous
releases, their latest endeavor,
Octavarium, incorporates a lot
of different fields musically.
Octavarium is of an overview
of what Dream Theater
represents in the present tense
as the band gets back to their
roots. The record touches on
everything in an extremely well
balanced way, which makes for
a very exciting and dynamic
album.
music and where you’re going with it, I think that to a certain degree it dictates
which sonic elements are a little bit more predominant than others,” says
Labrie. “Just because of the orchestrations, the arrangements and just the
overall direction, you’re hearing a lot more keyboard influences. Octavarium
strikes a great balance between the guitar and the keyboards so it really
allows the music to breathe and really have a much more broad sphere.”
Dream Theater have always shown themselves to be masters of their craft
by working wonders with their instrumentation. Placing much emphasis on
their abilities, Dream Theater recognizes that every instrument creates a
sense of balance and strength that many musicians today cannot possess.
Labrie elaborates on his work ethic: “I think once you’ve been in a band, the
longer you’ve been in it and being that you’ve gone through the growing
pains, the egos have somewhat subsided — that’s where you realize what’s
more important and that’s that the band puts out the best music they can.
Then it just kind of naturally goes in a direction; where everybody immediately
or with little communication is able to succeed in creating a piece of music
that is well balanced throughout with every instrument having its say, but in
a very orchestrated and contracted sense.”
Octavarium opens with leanness and enthusiasm, music that continues to
move forward without compromising its classic sound or progressive metal
appeal. Juxtaposing various ideas, obsessively remodeling arrangements,
its preconceived ideas presented to the forefront. The band is given the
opportunity to embellish their sound and then transform it into a flowed tune.
“The next thing you know, you’re recording everything,’” says Labrie, “so
that even though you’re in a jam format it doesn’t matter because throughout
Octavarium, Dream Theater’s
ninth studio album, is definitely
a change in direction from Train
of Thought, a guitar-heavy
album. Dream Theater’s new
release is an atmospheric
composition focusing more on
symphonic keyboard textures
than on meaty guitar riffs.
“Depending on the nature of the

that you can really touch on things that you can review later and take
that little piece and go with it.”
Bassist Myung propels their latest album’s opener, “The Root of All
Evil,” with a weight equal to that of Portnoy’s forceful but finessed
drumming. Guitarist John Petrucci’s masterful riffs seem once more to
widen the realm of possibilities reachable on the instrument.
Keyboardist Jordan Rudess lends subtle and deft touches, helping
further solidify the outfit’s equally strong footing in the world of heavy
and progressive rock. Dream Theater is venturing into a new world
of heavy riffs and experimentation, having definitely tried some
different things out with this newest effort.
“You know you’re always consciously aware of what’s going on
around you musically,” says Labrie. “I think with Dream Theater it just
comes down to us wanting to continue what we do and however
that comes out with any particular or any given album, that’s where
our hearts are at, that’s what we feel best represents what we want
to do musically at that particular point and time.” It’s that’s simple, but
make no mistake — Dream Theater is extremely aware of what’s
going on around them, and which bands they find to be extremely
interesting or very musical and have a lot of respect for.
“With me personally, I’m into a band called Dredge, I’m into a band
called hours Ours, I’m into Coldplay and Muse,” says Labrie. “I mean
those are just some of the bands; I’m also into Keane and these are
bands that are really kind of showing a very lighter atmospheric,
more controlled evocative emotional presentation musically. Even a
band like Keane you have keyboards, bass, drums and maybe rhythm
guitar in the background as a coloring, as a pallet of colors but not
necessarily a main force or instrument out front like you would have
with Dream Theater. And this is really interesting and then you have a
very strong and very powerful melody that’s really carrying it, and
that right now I find extremely interesting. It’s a really cool area where
music is going today.”
The instrumentation is there to serve the song, and the musicianship is
more than interesting. There is also some of the best balance between
heaviness and melody that has ever been on display in the band’s music.
“To a certain degree it’s quite obvious and to another degree it’s a matter
of experimenting,” he says. “Intertwining and interacting between the two instruments is
what really kind of brings it to a point or position that we all feel is definitely in a balanced
sense. Both are complimenting each other where things are being done to have a purpose
behind it with a great sense of accomplishment.”
Labrie’s vocals are much smoother and more restrained on Octavarium. The album ends with two
epics: “Sacrificed Sons,” a belated tribute to 9/11, and the title track “Octavarium.” Labrie reveals
their musical process for “Sacrificed Sons”: “When it comes to vocal melodies itself, I, John Petrucci
and Mike Portnoy write it. So the three of us were sitting there and I was presenting the melody for
‘Sacrificed Sons,’ and they’re presenting some of their ideas for that song melodically I just said to
them, ‘This is definitely a song that I want to write a lyric to,’ because I could just feel where it was
going musically. I felt a real affinity with it, a real attachment.”
With the feelings and the thoughts that “Sacrificed Sons” conjured in Labrie, he felt himself
going towards something very poignant. With the 9/11 tragedy still heavy on his mind, he
began to craft a song like never before. He was right in New York City when tragedy struck;
he wanted to get behind it and to tell a story as to why it had to come to this. “I was trying
to get behind the reasons that these things happen, talking about religious formats, conformed
religions and just how dangerous they can be and just how misinterpreted they can be read
into. Then through this it causes a lot of disconnection, disharmonious situations where
mankind becomes a little more jaded, a little bit more mistrusting and unfortunately misdirected
by a few people’s influence.”
Throughout our discussion, Labrie’s easy-going, quietly in-command manner suggests he’s
come further than ever in defining a creative identity for himself beyond the gaudy parade
of passing trends. With Dream Theater, he has been given the chance to work with likeminded
musicians. Dream Theater is a shining badge of his identity at this point in his life,
James reminded me of the importance in crafting music, and he’s very much content to make
the music his heart tells him to make.
www.dreamtheater.com

Story: Monica Cady
In the mid-‘90s when four San-Diego rockers named their band Switchfoot,
they probably didn’t realize that their love of surfing would be referenced
almost as much as their inspiring, prolific sounds. Media everywhere
have featured these beach boys riding waves and talking about surfing
techniques, and how these things relate to their music. Putting another
spin on their tale was the fact that the father of the band’s frontmen,
Jonathan and Tim Foreman, is a minister. And yet another eyebrow-raiser:
both of the sun-kissed twenty something Foreman brothers are married with
children. It’s not exactly the typical story of young-musicians-make-it-big.
Switchfoot (which refers to a surfing style of putting the opposite foot
forward, from what feels natural) pulled their own kind of switchfoot on
the music industry – taking on the scene in a way that isn’t usually seen
within their genre of rock-punk-pop. In 2004, they began crossing barriers
– from an indie and Christian rock world to the wide-open universe of
Billboard Hits, when their Columbia release The Beautiful Letdown scored
mainstream air with singles “Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move.”
This month, the band releases their fifth album, Nothing Is Sound (Sony),
which was written almost entirely while the band was on tour. The guys
say they rehearsed the songs in their
dressing room before gigs, and then gave
the works a test drive during live
performances to get audience reactions.
Just as previous albums have, Nothing Is
Sound dives into heady thoughts of
spirituality, politics and the meaning of life.
lessons. The band gave a performance on the beach, and even surfed
with the kids.
Bassist Tim Foreman, 27, took some time to speak with RAG Magazine
about Switchfoot’s new record, life in South Africa, the myth of happiness,
how being in a band can induce a warped perception of reality – and why
nothing is sound.
You guys said you feel like everything you’ve done has led up to
this album. What about this record makes you most proud?
I think in many ways, as a band, you are only as good as your last album
because that is what really defines who you are right now. It’s the last
thing that you put out. I think that is definitely true of this album. I think it
really captures where we are as a band. When I listen to the album some
of the songs remind me of different places that we’ve been over the last
few years because it was written on the road, and recorded on the road,
for the most part. So it was great because we could work on a song
backstage in the dressing room, and then walk right on stage and try it out
in front of a real audience. Some of the songs remind me of South Africa, for
instance. “The Shadow Proves the Sunshine” will always remind me of South
Africa. And it’s great ya know, it’s kind of like a scrapbook of an album.
Though the record was conceived in
various places around the world, it gives
the impression of being written in a
young philosopher’s bedroom or on the
beach Jim-Morrison-style – meaning it’s
not some kind of on-the-road-again
compilation about how tough it is touring
and being on a bus. In fact, there are still
tons of references to the environment:
ocean, shadows and stars. The songs
surge with a strong awareness of life
and death – in a way that appeals to
Christians and non-Christians alike.
Yeah, God is mentioned, but it’s not all
good and happy. Many of the songs
discuss dark concepts, but there is
always an underlying theme of hope.
In addition to all their musical greatness –
these guys love kids, and do just about
anything they can in the form of benefits
and fundraisers to help those in need.
Just this past spring, the band hosted its
first Switchfoot Bro-Am surfing contest
to raise money for Care House, a San
Diego organization serving homeless
children. Bro-Am gave homeless kids a
fun day at the beach, providing free
shoes and clothes, surf lessons and INT
foam boards, Taylor guitars and guitar

I would never have thought that this was recorded on the road. It doesn’t
give me an on-the-road vibe. It seems like something that was written by
some kids relaxing, contemplating life – not a band in a full-force work
schedule on the road. How were you able to get such reflective ideas in
there about looking at the stars, the ocean, just observing nature?
Yeah, I think it’s definitely a record that doesn’t just relate to people who live on the road.
It’s definitely universal themes of searching. I think a lot of our songs are about longing
for something better than what we’re dealt at the moment. It’s just that struggle of
where things are, and where we wish they were – as a society, as an individual. And
also that longing for home comes through in a lot of the songs – you know you
mentioned the ocean – and it’s basically songs that are written at three o’clock in the
morning trying to figure out life – that endless dialogue that I don’t think ever ends. And
I don’t think we want it to end. You know, where you’re sitting up late with a buddy
talking about the meaning of life and how that applies to you.
Yeah, what is it about late-night creativity?
There’s something disarming about the night. All day long there are these distractions.
There are different forces pulling for your attention. At night it’s easier to tune those out.
You are so perceptive of things happening in the world. What keeps you
focused and positive? What makes you want to sort of “Save the world”
when there are so many problems today?
Well, let me clarify that we never set out to save the world, maybe to be a catalyst for
change in our own lives and maybe that trickles out beyond just ourselves. But when
I look inside me there is definitely a desire to see change and I think that that’s a healthy
thing. We’re not overly idealistic about five guys in a rock band changing the world, but
we do know that there’s a lot of kids listening to what we have to say. We’ve been a
band for a long time. This is our fifth record. And over the course of the last nine years,
we’ve met a lot of amazing people that have let us sleep on their floors, couches or
given us a tank of gas, helped fix our van when it broke down on the side of the road
– things like that. And we want to be giving back in the same way that a lot of our
heroes in the past have given back to us.
I guess sometimes the smallest gestures can reaffirm your confidence
and hope in mankind or society.
Absolutely. Some people have said that our albums are dark, and I think in a way, they
are. But in order for hope to be real it needs to be set against the backdrop of all these
painful issues that we deal with. Hope isn’t real if it’s not deeper than the wounds that
we go through in life. That’s always the context in which we are writing. Sure there’s
hope, but it’s set in the reality of pain and loss and all these other challenges.
Tell me more about “The Shadow Proves the Sunshine” and the South
Africa connection to that song.
Yeah that was a song that we wrote and recorded partially while we were in South
Africa. We were all just – I guess floored would be an understatement – by our time in
South Africa. We spent a lot of time with kids over there. By our modern standards
these kids have nothing. But yet in so many ways they have so much more than we will
ever have, or ever understand over here in our Western society. You know the few
hours that [I would] spend with a kid [in South Africa], they would give me more than I
could ever give them – just the purity of their smile and resilience of their hope.
It was definitely an eye-opening, learning experience for us. And that song, “The
Shadow Proves the Sunshine” was written in that context. Here they are, growing up
in the shadow of AIDS and extreme poverty. Most of the girls, by the time they are 12
or 14, have been raped and their parents have died. They’ve dealt with things that are
the stuff of nightmares for us. That’s just their reality. Yet in that environment, they have
this hope that is so pure and shinning and resilient. And that was the context for the
song – that the shadow, the darkness, the pain proves the existence of a light shining
brighter than all of that.
How long were you guys there?
We were there two-and-a-half weeks. We were mostly just visiting. We played
acoustically twice with this African children’s choir. The goal of those shows was to
raise money for them to come over to the U.S. They just were in the States about three
months ago traveling around, raising awareness and funds to send kids in their village
to school.
We actually had the opportunity of recording with them while we were over there. We
made a CD and all the proceeds are going towards their scholastic benefits in their
village. It only costs about $300 to put one of these kids through school for an entire
year. So this CD has been great because it’s them selling what they’re good at. It’s not
Switchfoot are asking meaning-of-life questions that never
seem to get answered. They want more than a targetmarket-minded
nation. They want to get us thinking about
global, personal and political issues. Yeah, they’ve been
doing some thinking about you, me and themselves. Maybe
we aren’t doing so well with the planet. Maybe we need
to care a little more about others. Maybe we should slow
down and look at the stars and the ocean a little more.
In the band’s first single, “Stars,” singer-songwriter Jon
Foreman wails about how these twinkles in the sky
remind him of who he is.
I’ve been thinking about everyone,
Everyone,
You look so lonely
But when I look at the stars
When I look at the stars
When I look at the stars,
I see someone else
When I look at the stars
The stars,
I feel like myself
IN STORES NOW!
If it sounds a little too wish-upon-a-star, well, that’s not the
idea they are offering here. It’s more proactive than that. In
this song, Foreman is not a Disney-World-type optimist. On
several tracks he refers to himself as “the chance of rain,”
“the problem,” “the one to blame,” “the crisis” and “the bitter
end.” So not to worry, he’s not getting all preachy and
pointing fingers. He’s just concerned about everyone.
If it seems like there is more about themes here than
music, well, that’s not fair either. There are definite deep
ideas. But even people who have no idea what the hell
Foreman is saying can get this. Switchfoot have a flair
for cramming these heavy thoughts into songs that smash
and crash in an adrenaline rock wave. These surfers
are able to translate the rush of riding swells into audio
form. That’s the best way to imagine these 12 tracks. It’s a
“Dare You to Move” free-fall from start to finish. What the
lyrics say, the melodies alone say just as well. You can
almost feel the sun baking on your face in “The Shadow
Proves the Sunshine.” The song was written while the
band was in South Africa working with kids, which explains
why the chorus is an inquiry to God about suffering.
“The Blues” is the soul-squeezing ballad that Coldplay
wishes they had written. “Is there any honest song to
sing besides these blues?” Foreman gently asks. We
don’t know. And neither does he. But Switchfoot have
done it again. They made us totally rock out while dwelling
on our troubles. But we don’t feel like shit afterwards.
We actually feel a sense of hope. How do they do it?
We probably will never know. – Monica Cady

charity. It’s simply they’re really talented musicians and [people] want to buy it and that
benefits them. It’s been great. It’s actually available on www.lowercasepeople.com. It’s the
new Web site that we’re starting. It’s an online magazine for music, the arts and international
social justice. You can go to that Web site and buy their music.
You and your brother are married, and have kids right?
Yeah. Within the band there are four kids. It’s really fun.
Do they get to come with you when you’re touring?
When we’re flying around from city to city, it’s a little hard to bring the kids. But when we’re
on a bus just rolling from city to city, it’s really great to have the kids out. It keeps everything
into perspective. It’s really hard to get in a bad mood when you look down and there’s a
smiling face right below you.
You have said that being on tour can be very isolating – even though you are
performing for thousands of people every night.
It’s a very manic reality because the music is what we are so passionate about and when we
get onstage, we’re having the time of our lives. It’s me and my four best friends up there
playing songs that we love. Three or four thousand people singing along to those songs is a
great feeling. It almost feels like family in a way, to have this connection via music with so
many people at one time. Then you walk off the stage and you’re in a city where you don’t
know anybody, and you are kind of left to face yourself in the darkness. It’s definitely a manic
reality. It just isn’t reality. And I think it’s kind of healthy to realize that it’s this warped
perception of life, to live that way. I think the healthiest thing we can do is to laugh about it and
enjoy the music, but not take ourselves too seriously.
It must be strange when so many people feel like they know you personally and
you have no idea who they are?
Yeah, it’s strange. There’s almost this instinct to go into protection mode about things regarding
family – just trying to preserve a piece of home that’s just for me and not for everyone else to
know. At the same time, we’ve met a lot of amazing people and we still try to hang out with
people after the show to some extent. It’s becoming harder and harder to do that, but that’s
still something that we believe in.
Some of my favorite moments have been hanging out with kids after shows who are telling
me what a certain song means to them. Because for me growing up, music got me through
a lot of hard times. Music was huge for me growing up. I listen to [U2’s] Joshua Tree, and it
takes me back to when I was seven or eight years old, and I specifically remember what I
was doing at that age. And so, for us to be that for someone else, is great.
What is something that you hear most from fans?
I think our music is the kind of music that connects with people on a lot of different levels. I think
that people come to the show with different expectations. You’ve got your MTV crowd that
thinks that your music is really fun or whatever. Then you’ve got your college-age kid who is
sort of going through the ringer of life and just trying to sort it all out. You know “Dare You to
Move” or one of those types of songs really hits home with them. I think that’s one of the great
things about music is that everyone can get it on a different level, and who’s to say who’s right?
The new record hits political and spiritual topics. What was your primary goal
with this album?
The goal is honesty. If music isn’t honest, then
what is it really? That’s always been the goal for
us, that no matter what type of album we’re
making, if it’s honest, then that’s going to be
something that I’m proud of. And all of my favorite
records growing up have been that type –
whether it was Bob Dylan or Bob Marley – it’s the
songs that are written from a deeper place,
wrestling with life on all levels.
As a sculptor, Michelangelo had the
mentality that he was simply releasing
existing forms from the stone. Would you
describe songwriting like that? Do you have
any idea how or when the songs come to
you?
Jon’s the songwriting machine. And I’ve heard
him describe the songs in that way. Some of the
songs just seem like they’ve always existed and
you’re just like an archeologist digging them up.
That has never been my experience with writing
songs, but I believe it coming from [Jon] because
he’s just so prolific and sometimes it’s hard to
keep up with how many songs he’s writing. He’ll
get in a phase where he’s writing two or three
songs a day. That’s his favorite thing to do.
Do you ever wonder why you’ve been given
this opportunity?
I wonder all the time. Coming from San Diego, we
all grew up in the indie rock scene where the goal
was never to make it big. And the moment you do,
you lose your credibility. It’s a funny scene to
come from. But a lot of our heroes are from back
home, Rob Crowe and Pinback and No Knife and
Rocket From The Crypt. There’s just a lot of great
San Diego bands that most people are not
familiar with outside of San Diego. You would
never hear me say that we are more deserving
than they are, ya know? These are heroes of
ours growing up, so I don’t think it’s something
that we can take credit for.
We feel very fortunate to have people listening
to our songs, but you can’t take yourself too
seriously. We take the music really seriously,
but the moment you believe the press – good
or bad – is the moment you get into trouble.
The other side of that, [the band members and
I] were talking about the other day. It’s that
[our lives are] an odd reality by most people’s
standards. You’d think that our life is very
blissful to have all these people coming to our
shows. But it just reaffirms more than ever
some of the themes that are talked about in the
songs – that this isn’t happiness. Yeah it’s
great to have people coming to the shows and
buying the records, but it hasn’t made me any
happier. And that’s a good reality to come to
grips with – that I need to be searching for
happiness beyond simply success or all these
other myths of happiness.
It’s kind of like the idea that it has to come
from within yourself?
Yeah, and it needs to come from even beyond
me. It’s the beautiful letdown that whatever
you try to hold onto and say, “This is
happiness,” is the moment it slips through
your fingers.

THE RETURN OF LOLLAPALOOZA
Story and Photos by: Tanya van Kampen
It’s a well-understood fact of life that one of the key elements to survival is adaptation. Perry Farrell knows
this all to well. And on July 23 rd and 24 th , he laid to rest any rumors or talk of Lollapalooza’s end.
With Lollapalooza’s inception 14 years ago, Farrell wanted to showcase the best independent and
underground music there was to offer. It was his way of celebrating music while creating a bill for alternative
artists that would allow them to reach the public in a massive way. He had indeed accomplished just that.
In the past few years though, the festival has struggled to draw in the numbers even close to what it was
used to seeing in its earlier days. Whether it was a decline in the economy of ticket sales as a whole, or a
separation in city market interest, it became apparent that the public was growingly less interested with the
festival’s alternative billing – regardless of its artists’ label status.
And so with an uncertain future ahead, Farrell decided to switch up the game plan and, after a two-year
hiatus, 2005 flourished into Lollapalooza’s own little renaissance year with the tour re-birthing into a
destination festival. At a press conference held just before the event kicked off, Farrell was delighted with
Chicago and expressed his appreciation to the city for hosting the festival in Grant Park, Chicago’s proud
center jewel. “It was like asking a beautiful women out. She took her time, but eventually she said ‘yes’.
liz phair
billy idol
With over 60 bands in two days, approximately 33,000 people from around the country flocked to Grant Park
for each of the two days. Even a record high temperature of 105 degrees on the second day couldn’t keep
the crowd away. The variety and atmosphere that the festival provided was reminiscent of Lollapalooza’s
music culture in its heyday – a true music loving community.
The diverse mix of artists included acts such as Weezer, Liz Phair, Dashboard Confessional, Primus,
Cake, Pixies, Widespread Panic, The Bravery, Dinosaur Jr., Billy Idol, Saul Williams, The Killers, and many,
many more. Even children were taken into consideration with a Kidzapalooza stage since many of the
festival’s followers have grown up with children of their own now.
With a goal to bring a magical, musical weekend to the city of Chicago, Lollapalooza did quite well in
succeeding. And while there is still some unpredictability in the air as to where the festival will go from here,
it appears that there is a promising light on Lollapalooza’s future and survival seems hopeful.
g love

dashboard confessional
red walls
dead 60s
VHS or BETA
the killers
the bravery

In subject of ancient times,
the word Trivium brings to
mind the seven liberal arts
in education. Beyond
grammar and logic, there’s
music. Music can be a mesmerizing
force capable of conjuring various
emotions to one single soul without
words. Assigned no definite number,
Trivium’s intention is to merely stay
true to their roots — the powerful
evolution of the hardcore thrash metal
scene, that is. Many fans of the old
school thrash metal scene desperately
crave something beyond what the masses have presented to the
industry for the past several years. Bringing forth a new found learning
system, hard rockers Trivium are out to prove that all the hype getting
told and read in various magazines is true and that they are more than
willing to make a strong impact in the heavy metal scene with their new
album Ascendancy.
The chemistry between this Northern Floridian foursome (Matthew K.
Heafy (MKH) on guitars and lead vocals, Travis L. Smith on drums,
Corey K. Beaulieu on guitars and vocals, and Paolo Gregoletto on bass
and vocals) is strongly reflected in their songs. “Pull Harder on the
Strings of Your Martyr” has a powerful percussion introduction, in
which Smith’s double bass drumming provides the definition of precision;
the foundation is presented in a way that most drummers can only
dream of. Heafy alternates between a deep scream to a gruff, semimelodic
James Hetfield Metallica-esque sound. His ear for melody is
incredible, especially in the chorus from “Like Light to Flies.” This
hardcore theme will resurface in your mind as the guitar onslaught
encapsulates you. Their latest offering, Ascendancy, gives a glimpse
Story: Joseph Vilane
comprise Trivium.
counterparts. Trivium will
take the stage in September
at Ozzfest taking this project
one step closer to super
stardom. Throughout my
discussion with drummer
and founding member Travis
Smith, we talked about how
the band would prepare for
such an event. Smith
elaborates on his primary
influences, the bands routines
before entering the stage and
the aggressive sounds that
Rag: First off, I would like to gain some insight into the project
that is Trivium; tell me how this band came about.
Travis Smith: Basically, we started with a battle of the bands contest
that our high school was putting on; they did it annually, and I really
wanted to put a metal band together to do this because I’d never
seen a metal band perform at it before this. I just really wanted to put
together a really good metal band to do it. We wanted to make this
very serious. We’re really passionate about doing it; we went through
a different lineup change throughout the years and here we are today
doing Ozzfest with the same line up we’ve had going on ... for about two
years now. It’s awesome, it’s definitely a dream come true.
Rag: What I really like is the return of the guitar solo, although
most labels want to remain radio friendly; you guys have
stuck to your roots.
Smith: It was basically to keep it old school. All of our influences are
from the past, the ‘80s thrash metal bands like Metallica, Megadeth,
Slayer and so on. We wanted to keep it
really in that game of music because that’s
what had really influenced us as
musicians, ourselves and as our band. So
guitar solos were something that we
always liked and we always wanted in
our music, just because for us it just adds
so much to a song. It gives it so much
more emotion when you come into a solo
part, so it’s something that we’ve always
done and it’s something that we’re always
proud of doing.
into a new genre of heavy metal possibilities, with signature timing and
brilliant guitar solos. Ascendancy is just the beginning for these Floridabased
rockers.
With new and exciting heights already reached very early in their
career, Trivium have long awaited the chance to take their blend of
hard and heavy tunes to the forefront and reach a much larger
demographic. Their tour begins in the U.S., influenced by the likes of
Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera and In Flames; then they’re off to the UK
in a continuous process to inflict an emotional reaction from their
Rag: How does the new album,
Ascendancy, differentiate from your
previous projects?
Smith: This new album was pretty much a
natural stepping stone for us in as
maturing as people in vision. So it was
basically a step up from Ember to Inferno;
it was just a total natural progression. We
just really wrote what we wanted to write
for this album, we didn’t force anything to
come out of us. We’re more experienced
songwriters. Before that we had a demo
that we did ourselves and we had Ember
to Inferno; it’s just a natural step up from the things we’ve done in
the past.
Rag: It’s interesting how vocalist Mathew K. Heafy can go
from a rough aggressive style and then build to a melodic
form in mere seconds.
Smith: You know what, he did that naturally, we didn’t expect to
have vocals that would be more melodic. We were really into the
hard hitting stuff like Pantera and the real scratchy just brutal vocals.
SEPTEMBER 2005 • RAG MAGAZINE • 44

So it’s something that we
never really planned, it
just came out that way, it
just happened the way it
happened.
Rag: Tell me about
your part, your
influences and how
you approach this
band.
Smith: My influences are
Metallica, Pantera, Mike
Portnoy in Dream Theater
— those are my real
influences, I really look
up to those guys. If we’re
gonna speak about
songwriting, the guys
will come up with some
riffs, and we’ll basically
just jam it out. I’ll jam
through the songs over
and over again, and what I really do when we first start jamming
through a song is that basically it’s kind of like painting a picture in a
way. I basically just lay down a rough draft of what I want to do and
after going through the song many times, I start adding in little bits in
pieces here and there. It’s kind of panting a picture when you put
down the base and you start putting the picture together.
Rag: Let’s talk about the portrait you guys have painted for
your audience, your most recent reaction to your shows!
Smith: It’s really overwhelming. It’s a good reaction that we get,
people are really into it and they’re really liking what we’re doing. It
just comes from being road warriors and staying on the road for so
long. I mean, we’ve been touring for this album for almost a year and
a half now and the album has only been out five months. We really
like touring a lot and we wanted to get out and start early to just get
on the road and start doing it. And it has really paid off because a lot
of people have gotten exposed to what we’re trying to do before
the album actually came out. So once the album comes out, if people
are really learning the songs, if they know what we’re all about and
know what to expect from us, it just kind of gives it that much more
energy at a show because people are familiar with us.
Rag: “Dying In Your Arms” — this song surely stands out
from the rest; what’s its significance?
Smith: That song was written way before we went into the studio,
it was kind of like a little experiment we wanted to try: something
with a little less hard vocals and a little more singing going along
with it. And a lot of people think, “Oh, wow, these guys are trying to
write a radio hit,” and that’s not the case whatsoever. That song
was written at least five months before we ever even thought
about hitting the studio; that song has been around for a while. We
don’t actually play that song live yet because we’re still waiting,
were still out there rounding up fans, so we’ve got that song in our
back pocket so we want to pull it out when we can.
huge guitar solo section, and just us kind of going back to our roots
even more to the eighties thrash area where it was about more of
the musicianship and showing off good playing. So that’s kind of
what that song represents, especially for me.
Rag: Who do you look forward to playing with?
Smith: Coming up recently after we finish Ozzfest, we’re gonna be
going over to the UK. We’re gonna be doing a headlining tour over
there and then right after that we hit Europe with Arch Enemy, so
that’s gonna be an amazing time. We’re fans of them and they’re on
Ozzfest too, so we get to see ‘em here and there as well, so it’s
gonna be a really great time. It’s just gonna be a good opportunity for
us to get in front of even more new people that we might not have
the chance to get in front of (otherwise).
Rag: How do you guys prepare for a show like Ozzfest?
Smith: it’s really not too hard; it’s a big show but we’re very
comfortable on stage and were just comfortable doing it. We all
have our own routines that we do before we hit the stage to get
ready for the show, but it’s nothing that’s uncomfortable for us —
it’s very natural for us to get up there and do what we do. The way
I feel about this band is that all four of us are all just committed to
music. This has been our passion for a very long time, even before
we really knew what we were gonna be doing and even before we
really had know each other as friends and band mates. As far as my
rituals, mine consist of half an hour of stretching, and then I practice
and play before I go out on stage. It’s like we don’t really ever see
each other before we hit the stage and then we meet up and hit the
stage together because we just all have our routines that we go into
when it’s getting close to show time. So we start it about an hour
before we hit the stage.
Rag: What’s your earliest memory, as far as childhood goes,
that helped you realize that music was something you
wanted to do professionally?
Smith: It’s gotta be when I was five years old and on weekends my
dad would go out and do yard work and all that kind of stuff, and
he’d open the windows to the house and he’d be blasting Lynard
Skynard, or Tom Petty or The Eagles, all that kind of stuff that he’s
into which I’m into now because of him. And so I can remember it
being the weekend and him doing that and I would bring out all my
mom’s pots and pans and I would hang up the lids with rubber bands
along the table. I would set this humongous pots-and-pans drum set
and I would play along with wooden spoons to music. So I think that
right there, it was one of the things where I was meant to be like
that. I see photos of Matt (Heafy) when he was two or three years
old, just a little baby holding a guitar, so it’s little things like that that
help us realize that we were meant to do this.
Check out www.trivium.org for more information.
Rag: So it’s like your secret weapon almost?
Smith: Exactly! It’s just something that we didn’t really think of anything
of; it’s just another song that we had written. It’s actually going over
very well with our fans, there are fans that don’t like it, there are
those that love it! We’re gonna pull it out when the time is right.
Rag: From your perspective, which song off the new record
do you feel best represents the band’s character?
Smith: I’d say there’s two: “Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr”
and “A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation.” The reason I pick two is
because “Pull Harder” is more of a brutal song for us, it’s straight up,
pure heaviness just beat the shit out of each other kind of song. And
then going back, “Gunshot” is more of musicianship song, with a

RODNEY TAYL
YLOR
Story: Tanya van Kampen
It’s Monday night and a distinctive buzz fills the room at Chicago’s
Insight Studios. For tattoo artist Rodney Taylor, it’s a sound he’s grown
quite accustomed to. Friend, co-worker and owner Bob Jones shuffles
around his new shop, fixing up last-minute odds and ends and playfully
taunting Taylor at any chance he can get. “Rodney! How about some
help… do I have to do everything around here?” Taylor laughs and
shakes his head, “Yeah okay, I’ll be right there. Let me just finish this
tattoo.”
As I sit back in my chair, I admire the work Taylor is doing and the ease
with which he does it. My arm is quite sore, yet I can’t help but beam
with excitement. This will be the fourth tattoo Taylor has done for me.
His talent for utilizing color and creating custom pieces, in addition to
his passion for tattooing, has earned him yet another faithful client.
Having apprenticed under well-renowned twin brothers James and
Tim Kern, popular for their incredibly detailed custom pieces and intense
color work, Taylor was immediately immersed in a culture made up of
fine tattoo artistry. As a newcomer from Charlotte, North Carolina, such
an experience had to be quite intimidating. But Taylor eagerly rose to
the challenge, hungry to succeed in Chicago’s competitive tattooing
scene. “It was frustrating ‘cause to apprentice you really have to
irritate your way in the door. When I started my apprenticeship, they
(the Kern brothers) made me realize that I wasn’t this amazing, gifted
artist, but they were still willing to work with me, and I wanted to make
good on that. I just thought
tattooing was awesome.
Tim now works out of Last
Rites, a studio in New York.
I heard they’re supposed to
be doing a reality show with
MTV. That’s cool, I guess.”
Taylor’s introduction to
tattoos started at the
impressionable age of eight
and is proof that fate works
in both subtle and
mysterious ways. In
Taylor’s case, fate took
shape in the form of two
biker rogues. After meeting
Taylor’s mother through the
drug counseling she did at
the local church, two male
bikers had convinced
Taylor’s parents to provide them with room and board in exchange for
painting their house. “They were trying to get out of this biker gang, and
these guys had tons of tattoos. While they were living with us, I’d
always hang out with them and they were really nice to me. But they
would teach me all about guns and talk about tattoo shops. I was in the
fourth grade at the time and I ended up drawing my own flash artwork.
My mom still has the piece of paper from school when I got sent home
‘cause I wouldn’t stop drawing on kids in the bathroom.” Taylor pauses
and laughs as if listening to his own story for the first time himself.
“That was the seed planted that long ago.”
spiritual thing. I had been here one time before, but I didn’t know
anybody. It was just an internal feeling. I knew I had to move here
because of the opportunities that were awaiting me.”
Five years later, Taylor can say he was right about his hunch to go to
Chicago. Having befriended Jones while working with him at a popular
nearby studio, Taylor jumped at the opportunity to assist him in opening
up a brand new shop with a definite focus on custom art, cleanliness
and customer service. As a result, Insight Studios is a one-of-a kind
tattoo shop.
“We’re definitely trying to maintain more of a gallery feel. Instead of
flash all over the walls we have paintings done by our artists. Of
course we have flash available to any of our customers who want to
see it, we just don’t want to have a cheesy tattoo studio atmosphere.”
They even have a laser machine and an on-site technician assist in
tattoo cover-up art and tattoo removal. And as it turns out, clients both
new and old were just as excited as Jones, Taylor and the rest of the
staff when
doors to the
shop finally
opened last
June. “The
response so far
has been
amazing. I’m
really proud to
be a part of
this.” Taylor
takes long
glance around
the studio with a
look of content in
his eyes.
By means of
having such a
strong and
promising start,
Taylor is marked
for success as an up-and-coming artist, building a clientele list of the
national variety primarily from referrals and comeback customers.
Whether it’s his polite Southern mannerisms or the personal attention
he grants each and every customer, clients appreciate the respect he
gives them. These are traits especially genuine in a field that’s saturated
with egos and “rock star” attitudes. “It’s really flattering to have someone
come in from out of town, or just come back at all. It’s awesome. I mean,
for an artist it should be, you know. We’re drawing tattoos, not saving
lives,” Taylor smiles modestly.
For more info visit www.insightstudiosonline.com
Taylor had a continued interest in drawing throughout his adolescence,
as well as developing a powerful affection for skateboarding. Later on
he declined a scholarship to an art school where his art teacher had
sent in an application on his behalf. Finally, after trying his hands at
massage therapy and then joining a band, Taylor’s intuition kicked in. “I
just kept thinking about how I needed to move to Chicago — like a weird
46 • WWW.RAGMAGAZINE.COM • SEPTEMBER 2005

DYSLEXIC POSTCARDS
For lack of a better term, Josh Xmas is the heart and soul of Dyslexic Postcards.
Having survived every cliché that rock ‘n’ roll can offer from drug addiction to fights to
bad relationships to band member egos, Xmas is on a second lease of life. He
resurrected the band that he founded in 1995 two years ago with a new line-up that
includes his brother Adam on rhythm guitar, bassist Randall McMillan, and drummer
Joel Suarez.
Recently, Dyslexic Postcards were on the reality TV series, Miami Ink, recorded 12
songs in New York for an upcoming album/EP slated for release this fall, and plan to
take their electric stage act on the road. But what could you expect from a band
whose frontman was influenced by the likes of Motley Crue, The Cult, AC/DC, The Sex
Pistols, and Jane’s Addiction amongst other bands. For Xmas, there isn’t much of a
difference with influence with bands that say they owe a lot to Motley Crue as they do
to The Flaming Lips.
Story & Photos: Jeff Noller
“As a songwriter, I just think those are the two major scenes, hard rock and glam, that
opened my eyes up to possibly doing it for the rest of my life,” says Xmas. “And just
getting older hearing that whole alternative thing just broke open and the other bands
that went that natural course. But bands like Jane’s Addiction and Nine Inch Nails that
are more alternative yet still have that element of a big show. Some of the glam was
stripped down but it was still a show.
“I like to take the energy from both of the styles of music and put it into one. In my line,
it’s not that much of departure from the each other. If you say glam and alternative that
is a broad stroke, but the bands that influenced me are the same ones that influenced
each other. I mean bands like Jane’s Addiction and the Pixies were influenced by Kiss
and Aerosmith, it just wasn’t popular to say those were your influences. It was easier
to say the Stooges or Velvet Underground.”
In the early stages of their career, the band had a sound that was more noise rock in
the vein of Sonic Youth, something that hasn’t changed too much to Xmas with a
couple of exceptions.
“It’s a little more structured and free form. Before it was… a lot of the songs we had
with the intro and outro were improvised. You might have a three-minute long intro,
which had a lot to do with drugs so it didn’t really matter. We just went off. Now it’s just
more to the point. There’s still a lot of noise in the songs like Sonic Youth and early
Mercury Rev, it’s still very psychedelic.
Xmas started Dyslexic Postcards at a time when punk bands like Green Day and
Offspring and Rancid were being signed to major labels, and the scene in Miami was
very much the same. What he wanted he says was to break away from what was
going on, while still having the vitality of such bands like Guns
‘N’ Roses and early Motley Crue.
“When I first started out, I was just a frontman for a lot of punk
bands, and when I formed Dyslexic Postcards, I had only
been playing guitar for a couple of years. I was just developing
my songwriting style, and all these influences were coming
together. I just wanted to play shows, and brought a lot of
theatrics, which wasn’t happening at all in the scene except
for Marilyn Manson –which was more shock rock, mine was
more psychedelic.”
In some ways, it’s amazing that Xmas is back at all; having dissolved
the band in 1998 due to inner-band strife and the plethora of
drugs in the air that only caused the songwriter to plummet further
into addiction and self-destruction.
“I had all the songs, and of course I wanted to bring [the band]
back, but I always felt that the guys in the original line-up wouldn’t
make it, wouldn’t go the distance because there were a lot of
strong personalities. A lot of people were developing their style,
and there were a lot of songwriters in that band doing their own
thing.
“When I had to stop it, I had always the romantic idea that I would
get the rhythm section back. I felt like the little bit of time we had,
the shows that we played at Cheers or on the Beach, we had a
name that people knew. I have a bunch of new songs, but I have
songs that I played back then that I wasn’t going to let die.
Indeed, most of the songs on the upcoming record stem from
Xmas’ experiences in the past ten years. Xmas doesn’t see it as
anything fancy as simply how it was. A chronicle of how he lost
almost everything that was sacred to him.
“A lot of it takes place in the last ten years with drugs and alcohol,
jail, rehab, and also just finding a spiritual connection through all
that and getting it together. And during that time not giving up, even
when the first version of Dyslexic Postcards broke up, it doesn’t
matter because I was fighting for my life with addiction. Whether
it was in the back of my mind or right in front of me, I knew I had to
get over this, and get back to what I’ve wanted to do since I was
nine years-old whatever I saw on MTV or heard on the radio. I
needed to get back to that because I was wasting my life away.
Basically, the subject matter has to do with a lot of struggle, and
finally trying to find something that makes you put everything
away. For me that has always been music.”

taproot
Story: Jeff Noller
A lot has changed in the three years since Taproot released their
sophomore debut Welcome. The nu-metal movement lost a major
amount of steam, indie bands like The Killers and Franz Ferdinand
became the next big thing, and crunk has become a new word in the
English vernacular.
But for the Ann Arbor hard rockers, Taproot took some deep breaths,
took their time, collaborated with former Smashing Pumpkins frontman
Billy Corgan, and released their most musically diversified album in
Blue-Sky Research. Time and the desire to write something that went
further than the introspective last album is a fact that doesn’t go unnoticed
to drummer Jarrod Montague as he’s gearing up for the release.
“We never really planned on being one of those bands who took so
long in-between to make records. We toured for a year behind
Welcome, and our last show was around September 2003. Literally
on November 1 st , we drove out to LA to start writing the next record.
“We had actually written out some ideas by the time we had gotten out
there, while we were at home for a couple of months. But we didn’t
take any time off that wasn’t work related. We went to the studio and
started writing songs, and every time we’d write a new batch of
songs, they would always come off as stuff that we’d written before.
They’d always be one or two kind of stand-out songs, so we kept on
writing. Fortunately, we had every kind of support from our
management to keep going. We basically wrote for about a year,
roughly 80 songs here and there, four different times. We obviously
wanted to make an important record. The third record is really the one
that decides whether you can make a living out of this or it’s your last
one. We knew it was really important, and had a lot of pressure on us
as well as on ourselves to deliver on this one. Out of 80 songs, we
choose 13 or so to put on the record, which we’re really proud of.”
A lot of the band’s inspiration came especially when Corgan took a
hand in the sessions, collaborating with them on such tracks such as
“Lost in the Woods,” “Violent Seas,” and “Promise.”
“His name came up when we were talking about people that we wanted
to collaborate with, and our A&R guy from the record company helped
to get him as we heard Billy was working with Breaking Benjamin. We
knew we were in the same spectrum. We were thrilled and we told
him what we wanted to do, and by that point we had been writing for
4-5 months. We just didn’t feel we were pushing ourselves as hard as
we could and we had fallen into a pattern. We wanted to break the
way we were doing things, and he was all up for it.”
Corgan had made it clear to the band that if he didn’t like what they
were doing, and he would see right through it because he would know
that it wasn’t coming from the heart. Something that Montague says
intimidated them at first, along with him being a musical genius.
“Fortunately, he liked what we were doing, and gave us some good
suggestions with things to try so that song is progressing to the listener.
Try to some different things that would make the first chorus separate
from the second. He works really fast, and a lot of things that I learned
from him, I will be able to apply to my music forever.”
From Montague’s account, Corgan sat back at first and listened to a lot
of what Taproot was doing with progressions and melodies, taking in
what they were doing before adding some input. Corgan suggested
that they play things a different way, asked Montague to play a drum
beat in an alternative rhythm to what he was doing, picking up a guitar
and playing some chords, and give the band some ways to play the
songs that would sound fresh and better.
“‘Lost in the woods,’ we worked with him Monday through Friday on,
and I remember him calling us on a Friday, saying ‘I got up at 6 or 7am
and was thinking about you guys, so I wrote this song and want you to
really digest it and make it your own. It took us a while for us to work
with it to make it a Taproot song. We totally changed the music and
structure of it, re-wrote ninety percent of the lyrics, and you wouldn’t
even know that it was a song that Billy wrote.”
The album is a continual progression from the thrash-punk elements of
their first album to the more meditative elements of the second album to
what they have done on their new album with Corgan.
“I see a lot of experimental elements on this record; we’re trying to cover
a lot of basis on what we can do. This time around we wanted to write
some really good songs and not be as produced in sound. The last record,
we incorporated strings and other elements; and this one we really wanted
to write a good fucking rock record and I think we achieved that.”
SEPTEMBER 2005 • RAG MAGAZINE • 49

FILM
DEUCE BIGALOW: EUROPEAN GIGOLO
ROB SCHNEIDER, EDDIE GRIFFIN
DIRECTED BY MIKE BIGELOW
In Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, Rob Schneider is out working
the streets, this time across the pond in Europe. Deuce is wrongfully
accused of murder and flees to Amsterdam. Once again, Bigalow
becomes a Man-Ho, this time to find the prostidude-killer within the
Red Light District.
It is up to Deuce to solve the case and clear his good friend’s name.
Deuce’s ex-pimp, played by Eddie Griffin, may not be gay, but catches
the blame as the dangerous “Homosexual He-Bitch Killer” of Europe’s
gigolos. The film’s producer, Adam Sandler, makes his cameo as a
Man-Ho, as does SNL’s Norm McDonald, who cracks on his own
career. The sweetest contribution to European Gigolo is Eva, Deuce’s
new heartthrob and a perfect Dutchwoman, despite her obsessivecompulsive
disorder.
The Deuce Bigalow sequel is only slightly different from the 1999
comedy. The original film’s Beavis & Butthead humor remains; and
Deuce helps a number of his lady-callers yet never even gets to sleep
with them—the European gigolo is Mr. Nice Guy and a friend to these
lonely women. There are a few humorous moments, but European
Gigolo’s jokes are overshadowed by the flat-out dimwitted lines.
The movie’s one-liners include “Sherlock Ho,” “Assapopolus” and
the “Golden Boner” adult-film awards. Deuce will never smoke marijuana,
but unknowingly swallows dozens of space-cakes in a Dutch coffee shop.
There’s a woman from Chernobyl with male genitalia on her face in place of a
nose; the displaced organ grows erect and sneezes jism on folks in a restaurant.
Later, the cock-nosed lady’s head is thrown into the neck of a woman with a blow
hole. There are endless cracks on lower-extremity gas, midget tossing,
hunchbacks and the size of Oriental guys’ genitalia. While the film has its moments,
European Gigolo is no Still Smokin. - Todd McFliker
LAST DAYS
MICHAEL PITT, LUKAS HAAS
DIRECTED BY GUS VAN SANT
Last Days…OK, let’s make this clear from the
beginning: you are either going to “love it” or “hate
it.” Trust me, there is no in-between. Last Days
systematically follows the life of a strung-out
musician (shocking, I know) as he bottoms out,
and subsequently, takes his own life. The film’s
journey requires its audience to watch “Blake”
stumble around
the compound
for a couple
days, barely
interacting with
anything or
anyone -even
when people are
talking directly to
him.
Even though the
“powers-at-be”
behind Last
Days claim that,
the characters
are “in part,
fictional,” the film
essentially
follows the
“assumed” final
days of Kurt
Cobain, the
former lead singer of Nirvana. And good grief, it’s
immediately apparent that Director Gus Van Sant
was ecstatic over casting Cobain look-alike
Michael Pitt as his wounded lead, Blake. Yes, Pitt -
wandering around aimlessly- looks and feels just
like Kurt – as does the eerie Pacific Northwest
setting (read: Seattle) also melds right into place.
Van Sant begs for authenticity points when Kim
Gordon of Sonic Youth fame –another infamous
Seattle musician plucked from obscurity, joins Pitt’s
Blake on screen.
Overall, this is Cobain’s story -a guy at the end of
his rope. And Last Days only succeeds on two
fronts –and neither has anything to do with quality
or entertainment. First, the film’s release fits nicely
as the closure to the unofficial Gus Van Sant arthouse
trilogy of Gerry and Elephant (or at least I
hope so); and secondly, Van Sant’s clean,
minimalistic feel does wonders for the much-hyped
allure of getting the chance to revisit the end of the
grunge era. Nevertheless, it’s the haunting “Kurt
Cobain” images and Gus Van Sant’s name that
will likely draw interest to this film, and that’s too
bad, because anyone running to the theater to seek
out an Oscar-laden Good Will Hunting experience
-or even an insight to the eventual demise of Kurt
Cobain- will be severely disappointed. - Paul Evans

STAY HOME!
KEEP AN EYE OUT...
GO SEE!
THE THING ABOUT MY FOLKS
Paul Reiser, Peter Falk, Olympia
Dukakis & Elizabeth Perkins
IN THEATERS SEPT. 23rd
“The Thing About My Folks,” starring Peter Falk
and Paul Reiser, is a semi- autographical film that
Reiser wrote specifically for Falk, his all-time favorite
actor. A sudden family crisis throws a befuddled
writer and his “loose cannon” dad together for an
unexpected road trip. Family secrets are uncovered
and in a few surprising days, the two men learn more
about each other — and have more fun — than
either imagined possible. Directed by Raymond De
Felitta (Sundance Audience Award winner “Two
Family House”), “The Thing About My Folks” is a
story of fathers and sons, husbands and wives, and
two men learning to love the women who love them.
Coming to Theaters in September
9/2
The Constant Gardener
Transporter 2
9/9
The Man
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Last Days
9/16
Just Like Heaven
Proof
8/12 - DEUCE BIGALOW: EUROPEAN GIGOLO
9/23
Corpse Bride
Flightplan
The Thing About My Folks

DVD
A Lot Like Love
Starring: Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet
Directed by: Nigel Cole
The DVD features audio commentary from Director Nigel
Cole and Producers Armyan Bernstein and Kevin Messick
as well as a music video performed by Aqualung. You’ll
also find a blooper reel, never-before-seen footage, and
Spanish & French audio tracks and subtitles.
Life as We Know It – The Complete Series (TV)
Starring: DB Sweeney, Kelly Osbourne, Sean Faris, Dylan Baker
The DVD Features all 14 episodes from the 2004-2005
season, including two complete never-before-seen
episodes. The 3-disc collection is also chock-full of deleted
scenes, outtakes, a producer’s photo gallery, and various
audio commentaries with assorted cast members and crew.
UPCOMING
SEPTEMBER 6th
Crash
Lost: Season 1
SNL: Best of Dan Aykroyd
SEPTEMBER 13th
Empire Falls
Fever Pitch
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy
Palindromes
Sin City
Starring: Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro,
Alexis Bledel, Michael Clarke Duncan, Carla Gugino, Josh
Hartnett, Jaime King, Michael Madsen, Brittany Murphy,
Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Elijah Wood
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller
The DVD Features one of four random slip-sleeve covers, a
behind-the-scene featurette, Spanish subtitles, and a French
audio track.
Pretty Woman 15 th Anniversary Edition
Starring: Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Jason Alexander,
Hector Elizondo, Laura San Giacomo
Directed by: Garry Marshall
The DVD Features all-new commentary from Director Garry
Marshall, “LA: The Pretty Woman Tour,” “Live From the Wrap
Party,” blooper reel, deleted scenes, a cast reunion
interview, a 1990 featurette, a Natalie Cole music video,
Spanish and French subtitles, and a French audio track.
My Left Foot
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker
Directed by: Jim Sheridan
The DVD Features an Inspiration Journey: The Making of My
Left Foot, a still Gallery, The Real Christy Brown, remastered
picture and sound, critical reviews, Spanish and French
subtitles, and a French audio track.
SEPTEMBER 20th
Desperate Housewives:
Season 1
The Longest Yard
Mindhunters
SEPTEMBER 27th
Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power
Lords of Dogtown
Robots

9/05

MUSICIANS WANTED
Strong lead vocalist/guitarist or lead vocalist/keyboards needed
for working band. Play classic rock-present. We have present
and future gigs booked now. Only lead vocalists with
experience, dependability, own equipment and transportation,
contact us @ mocove1@aol.com
Sweet Thing, an original rock trio is looking for a great
drummer who can sing a little too. We have gigs & cool songs
with hooks, energy and dynamics. We have a 24 hour rehearsal
space off I-95 and Blue Heron with AC, a great PA, a stage and
couches, where you can leave your drums. We are serious,
very professional and competent; you should be also. Think
the Misfits with musicianship or the Beatles with big brass
balls! Call Kevin 561-801-2213 patchesprescott@yahoo.com
Females encouraged.
Multi-illioniare
- Kickass Music
- Cool Swag
- “Fuck the System”
Professional guitarist wanted! Age 22-42. Immediate work
with a well known corporate band, playing large mix of music.
Must have great rock sound and chops. No jazzers. This project
includes corporate work as well as a live club band. Reliability
and transportation a must. Call David at 954-673-3897
Electro-pop band, Northern Mars, seeks additional keyboard
player and / or programmer. Northern Mars has been likened
to Depeche Mode and Berlin by the music press. To hear
audio samples of their debut CD, please visit
www.northernmars.com. Pete 754-264-2674. 18-35 YOA please.
Tired of bands that all sound the same? Me too. Guitarist,
harp-blower and vocalist seeks to form dynamic blues-rockcountry
band with stable, mature musicians who can’t quit
their day jobs, but want to jam, have fun, put together a killer
set list, and eventually play out on a regular basis, also possibly
compose and record. The idea is to have an eclectic list of
musical styles that can appeal to a wide audience range. No
smoke, drugs, egos, or baggage, please. Contact 561-451-
2822 or bluesdoc@aol.com.
Lead singer / Frontman still being sought by rock and alternative working
band in the WPB area. Must be dedicated, talented and desire to have
fun while pleasing the crowd. We know you’re out there!!! No wannabe’s
please. Contact JR at 561-635-6470 or 561-689-2625
Are you a professional Pop/Rock Musician or Producer looking to
collaborate? I am an earthy, female singer/songwriter in Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida whose influences are Sheryl Crow, No Doubt & Jewel. I am in
pre- production with my second album. If you think we might be a
musical match please email your MP3 clips or a link to your website to
ninaelisablack@yahoo.com. If you have specific questions, give me a
call at 954-260-3888 To listen to a few clips http://www.insidethe
musicbusiness.com/ninablack
WPB – Guitarist and bassist looking for drummer and/or keyboardist
for a part-time project doing just originals. Not doing it for money – this
for our own consumption. Style is pop / rock / R&B / Funk. Also an open
door for your ideas. Have a place to rehearse – once or twice a week.
Call Jeff 561-752-0356
Drummer needed for local award winning country / rockabilly band.
Must be complete pro, play old and new covers, originals. We have
gigs, and rehearsal. 561-722-9569 M.J.
Female singer/songwriter/performer looking for all band members,
drummer, guitarist, bassist, violinist, brass. Jazz, jazz/pop, r and b,
contemporary music, original comps. Need collaboration help! I am
putting a demo together to send to record labels. Can e-mail me at
rachalsolomon@yahoo.com. Include name and instrument type and
number.

Singer and guitarist seek bassist and keyboardist to create originals.
Fast, slow, heavy, light music. Varied influences: Rush, Tool, NOFX,
Morrissey, U2, etc. If interested call Steve 954-733-9458
Female vocalist wanted for alternative / electronica hybrid band. Record
label connections, recording studio, just need YOU. Need good voice and
original image. Influences: Prodigy, Gwen Stefani, Crystal Method, Bjork,
Black Eyes Peas, Evanescence. rick@galactopus.com 561-376-5673
Are there any singers available male or female with similar old school
influences: Zepplin, Who, Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart, Heart, Van
Halen, Beatles, Aerosmith? Instrumental ability helpful. Also seeking
bassist. 954-938-9847
Established Beatles tribute band looking for a John Lennon look-alike /soundalike
- must play and sing authentic parts- contact Jim at 954-474-7860
Female Singer/Guitarist, Experienced, Energetic, Vibrant, Lots of Stage
Presence, possibly keyboards, for Alternative Rock Band to do originals
& covers like System/Down, Godsmack, Bush, Green Day & many
originals songs professionally recorded. Michael (561)667-4700 or
Email to TheProjectCenter@yahoo.com
BinaryStar Music recording artist Rayko/KRB looking for Drummer &
Bassist in the So. FL area, for live shows in FL. Check out
www.binarystarmusic.com and hit us up!
Accomplished R&B vocalist and keyboardist sought for funky mixed
bag group gigging in WPB area venues. 754-244-9395
MUSICIANS AVAIL
AILABLE
ABLE
Guitarist w/ vocals to join or build a band with decent element
of groove. Eclectic mix of covers (BB to Zombies) maybe some
originals and/or jazz lite. Have warehouse space and PA.
Hollywood. I am probably older than you but couldn’t care less
about your age. I have played for a living but not any more, so
no beginners please. 954-850-6808 or b_and_w@bellsouth.net
Experienced guitarist / vocalist (lead or backup) looking to join
originals / covers band. I have a booking agent that can provide
weekly gigs all over South Florida. Call Frank 954-924-3035
Lead guitarist moving to wpb soon, seeking a variety band. I
have gigs. Styles are top 40, blues, r&b, island, lt jazz, slide/
dobro. Marko 727-823-4221
In search of metal band. I am a guitarist looking for a 4 piece metal band
with a rhythm guitarist, bass, drummer. My influences are Slayer, Pantera,
Megadeth, Steve Vai, Malmsteen and Cryptopsy. 305-331-5034
Blues harp and blues vocalist available. Lots of club experience. Rob
561-702-3647
Experienced lead guitarist w/ vocals available for working gigs and
band. Country rock, rock, blues, country, folk. Fully equipped – can
travel. Last minute gigs ok. Chris 561-968-3224
Professional drummer / instructor with 20 plus years experience
available for a working band. Will play all types of music. Dedicated
team player with great chops. Pros only. Bryan 954-346-7667
Experienced Drummer, looking for an established working band. Styles:
Rock, Alternative, Funk, and R&B. Pro equipment, easy to work with,
and reliable. No original acts and Pros only please. Rob: 561-358-4706
Bass player: R&B and Blues. Working or near working band. No
startups David 954-962-6757
Guitarist looking for band or musicians into Rock, Jazz, Blues, or original
project. I also play mandolin and sing harmony. Frank 561-305-3385

Versatile Guitarist early 40s seeking part-time “fun” classic rock cover
band project. Occasional local gigs, some vocals, ok. Pro gear, openminded
and dedicated. Prefer Ft. Lauderdale area family friendly, likeminded
and committed musicians with good playing ability. No drugs,
egos, beginners. Bill 954-423-3298
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
Pacific Drums (Drum workshop) black satin. 16x22,
14x12,12x9,10x8,5x14. Rims mount. New heads, all original. Birch
shells. No hardware, no cymbals. $850 OBO 305-829-1553
1 – 5 piece Yamaha Studio kit – black 10”, 12”, 14”, 14”, 20” w/ tons of
extras included. Dave Wek videos & cymbal cases – brand new $600
OBO. 1 – Roland EM-303 keyboard w/ power supply & stand. $200
OBO. Rutel RA & RB 5000s – 1000 watt stereo amp & pre-amp. $500
pair. 561-702-4604
Bass gear for sale: Modulus quantum 5, EMG pickups / preamp, $1500/
obo, Yamaha Patitucci 6, excellent, $1650/obo, Yamaha trb6 $850/obo.
Eden VT-40 $500/obo. Other gear available 561-841-1706
Fender 2-12” speaker cabinet for guitar. Vintage 1960s-1070s model,
40” tall with huge sound. Selling cheap for only $150 with speakers.
Good condition. Palm Beach Gardens. 561-626-3377
RECORDING STUDIOS
Huge tricked out rehearsal studio available for hourly, daily
rates or possible monthly partnership! Privately owned, A/C,
awesome relaxed atmosphere. Ft Laud right off I-95 and
commercial… Call Christian 954-610-3719
LESSONS
Nina Black, singer songwriter vocal coach is looking for new
students. Utilizing Jeffery Allen’s “Secrets of Singing” and/or
Rodger Love “Sing Like the Stars” material. My focus is for you
to know/understand your own voice so that you will be able to
trust yourself as you sing to your full potential. If you’re interested
please call 954-260-3888. Lessons are $50 per hour. The first
lesson is free if you feel you did not get anything from the lesson.
Drum Lessons at your home. Jazz, R&B, Rock, Latin. More than just a drum
lesson! All levels welcome. World class information. Bob 954-916-9309
ARTIST MANAGEMENT
16 years in business with major relations with the ten top rated record
companies. We represent National acts and up and coming talent. Now
accepting promo packets for possible signing and management.
Location in LA, NYC, and FLA. 772-215-6879.
GUITAR AR REPAIR
Acclaimed Luthier, Larry Lashbrook is back in town! Mr.
Lashbrook is renowned in all phases of Luthiery; he is
particularly adept in setting up your guitar to play the way you
never dreamed possible. If you are unfamiliar with Mr.
Lashbrook’s work, you may ask to see some of the guitars he
has made over the last 40+ years & to read what numerous
other noted musicians have written about him. Call Larry in
Ft. Lauderdale at 954-551-1946 – SEE OUR AD ON THE BACK COVER!
Custom String Instrument repairs. Offering the finest in repairs,
restorations and custom crafted instruments, acoustic and
electric, since 1988. No job too big or small. Fretwork, refinish,
etc. Pickup and delivery. “D” Guitars Miami - 305-682-3689
SOUND SYSTEM AVAIL
AILABLE
ABLE
Soundman with PA and On Location Multitrack Recording
Services available for gigs in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
All Professional equipment with expert mixes of both live
sound and recordings. Very reasonable rates. Book early!
Turn your next performance into a demo or release CD! Call
David 954-873-3722 Electricspirit@aol.com
BAND MERCH.
Any Nuclearskull T-shirt ($12) ppd us. Nuclearskull logo cap ($12).
Pissing off right wing peckerheads nationwide – priceless!!! Log on to
nuclearskull.com, blogspot.com/nuclearskull
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
One of my clients has invented the ultimate electric guitar! If
interested in this investment opportunity, contact me, Ann
Page at Golden Mean Productions. 954-923-3645