KISSed OFF

When Peter Criss left KISS Eric Carr joined (and brought a thundering drum sound!) and he got his own make-up, the Fox. Ace followed Peter and Vinnie Vincent was brought on board with his Ankh make-up.
On a side note ‘Creature of the Night’ is the most Heavy Metal album KISS ever released. It is solid from beginning to end, even the ballad kicks ass. ‘Lick it Up’ was another Heavy Metal album, but it was with ‘Animalize’ that they sadly started to drift into pop-metal territory.
Anyway…my point is new members got their own identities. Gene and Paul didn’t try to pass off the new members as something they weren’t.
Well the re-union happened, Ace and Peter were back and everyone was wearing the right make-up. Not long after that however; Gene pretty much forced those dudes out of the band again and they were replaced by Eric Singer (ex-KISS, Lita Ford, Alice Cooper) and Tommy Thayer (ex-Balck N’ Blue and some KISS cover band). And this is where the problems start…
Look, I think everyone knows Gene is an asshole, that’s a given. But, this takes it to a new level…They tried (and are still trying) to pass these imposters off as the personas of Ace and Peter. They don the beloved make-up of these original members of the band! Sacrilege! Bullshit!
My buddy Travis went to see scab KISS a few years ago and like many fans do he wore his KISS make-up to the show. My observation was “dude…You dressed up like Tommy Thayer for the show!” He wasn’t he stoked, but he wasn’t Ace and the guy on the stage wasn’t Ace.
Somewhere in the timeline of KISS related events I decided I would never pay to see them again.
And then …’The Tour’ is announced. MOTLEY CRUE and KISS on stage, one night. One helluva expensive ticket. Can I pay just to see MOTLEY CRUE? Too bad…See MOTLEY is my fucken’ jams yo! I am going…So I might as well stay for KISS, the songs are still there. It’s just actors going through the motions…Put my petty bullshit aside and enjoy the show…Right?
I listened to 128 MOTLEY CRUE songs yesterday. I am buying tickets today.
“Be strong and Shout at the Devil!”

Back From the Dead

OK...It's time to bring this motherfucker back from the dead! I'll be using this in conjunction with the ThrashHead website to promote my ideas and daily ramblings. ThrashHead is a magazine and not a blog, this is a blog and not a magazine. The two should be able to compliment each other...

Stay tuned and stay punk!

Just Say NO!

http://youtu.be/RSdnOKrq6Ko - Watch this video!!!!

Just say no to genetically modified foods. GMOs are not natural and not what nature intended. Bio Tech is Godzilla!!

The FDA is lying to you and they are lying to me. They are releasing toxins and disease and killing me and you in the name of profits whie they destroy the environment.

Stop Monsanto!!!!

Read this - http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/AboutGeneticallyModifiedFoods/index.cfm

Watch this video -

http://youtu.be/1O4ADl17FW0

Shut the computer off. Engage in life.

CLUSTERFUX is dead...Punk is not.

“Why did CLUSTERFUX break up?” A great question that has a difficult answer, but I’ve run through it so many times in my head I have a pretty good explanation now so let’s give it a try…15 years for any band is a pretty good run. Of course we had our fair share of lineup changes but really it was only 8 or 9 people over that period of time. With my brother, Justin, and I at the helm that’s really not that bad. We played a shit ton of killer shows during that time with many amazing bands, met a lot of awesome people and made many lifelong friends. There is nothing like being a thousand miles from home and having someone take you in like family because of a bond you share. A lot changed over the years. Trends and fads came and went we were still there. I’ve watched the entire “punk scene” in Denver turn itself over 3 or 4 times and we were still there. The longer we remained the easier it got to be to deal with the shit talkers, the naysayers and negative people in general. It just didn’t matter because they would most likely be gone in a year or two anyway, moved on to adulthood or absorbed into the hipster scene or some other gaping hole in society swallowed them up. With that said its great how people are still part of it in their mid and late 30’s into their 40’s now with families and kids of their own. But now we’ve moved on, we’re not “there” anymore, at least not as the unit CLUSTERFUX. Most of the goals I had set for myself and the band had been met. The only one that didn’t come to fruition was a European tour. The music we were creating over the last couple of years and right up to the end was in my opinion, and that of many others, our best stuff. The new album that is being released post breakup is by far the best thing we’ve done. The last shows were nothing short of amazing. Several times during both shows I was almost moved to tears and had to fight to keep from balling like a little kid who just dropped his ice-cream. The support was amazing and the stories people told about their experiences with the band and what CLUSTERFUX meant to them was incredibly rewarding and moving. The last show on March 12 at the Blast O Mat was nuts. The place was packed from front to back and side to side and everyone was involved, it was really one of the most exciting shows I have ever played in all 15 years. Afterwards I was asked by several people “that show was amazing, why would you break up?”. That my friends was why we did… Going out when we did the way we did left everyone on a high note. The band was in tip-top shape, having fun and the crowds were exploding with energy. We were able to end it and leave ourselves with very positive memories of the whole experience as well as give every some amazing memories to end their relationship with the band. Everyone got to have a great time, sing along, dance, laugh, and say good-bye together. The ending could not have been more positive. And now we will release the final LP and it will kick ass! In retrospect I am incredibly proud of what we did. To go from the little town of Carbondale Colorado sitting in our shed listening to the EXPLOITED to putting together our first punk bands and then finally moving to Denver and creating CLUSTERFUX 15 years ago was a pretty amazing trip. The band was and still is a big part of me. I keep asking myself if it was the right thing to do, if the timing was right. It was…To drag it out would have most likely resulted in inner band turmoil that would have perhaps prevented us from being able to throw a going away party for everyone. It could very well have ended on a very negative note. Although I am still emotionally out of sorts with the whole thing I know it was the right thing to do at the right time. So what to do now? Justin and Joseph play in DRIPFED and stay pretty busy with that. Dan is always in demand and plays in several bands around Denver. He’s a kick ass drummer and will find a killer gig in no time. Me? I’ve been enjoying the downtime, spending Friday nights with my family and not at rehearsal. I feel a lot less stress and more care free. But I cant sit still for long. I’ve been in bands for 24 years, it’s part of who I am. Justin and I also have the reunion of our old band FIA that broke up about 20 years ago to look forward to. That’ll only be two or three shows but will be a blast. Lately I have been playing a lot of bass and look forward to jamming with some like-minded folk in another band. I’ve learned a lot and look forward to pushing a new band hard and covering a lot of ground very quickly. No fucking around this time! It’s time to get down to business!

Extinction of Mankind Rules

I love this band! They are the perfect blend of punk and metal with the end result being the model to which all crust punk should be measured. Release after release they never fail to produce headbanging, fist-pumping, circle pitting punk rock that stokes me beyond my ability to articulate! I’ve never gotten to see EOM, maybe someday I will. Until then their records and CDs will forever spin in my home and blast from my iPod while I cruise in my truck and I will proudly sport my two EOM shirts as I parade amongst society. Extinction of Mankind rules!

Frank Frazetta

Frank Frazetta died today, he was 82. As a teen in the 80's his artwork certainly struck a chord with me as I listened to Heavy Metal, played Dungeons & Dragons, read the Conan novels and watched the movie over and over. He also animated the feature length movie 'Fire and Ice'. We used to rent that movie every weekend, listen to Iron Maiden and Ozzy, play D&D and geek out. His art often had a sense of mystery behind it that lured you in. You could spend hours just staring at the images and in your mind create your own stories and backgrounds for the mighty warriors and scantily clad heroines. The main characters were bold, scary, and powerful while the women in his paintings were also powerful and beautiful. Especially beautiful to teenage D&D dorks.

His artwork appeared on album covers and concert fliers too. I've used his artwork on punk rock fliers and my brother even has a Frazetta tattooed on his calf, the cover of 'Conan the Cimmerian'.

I'd have to say he was one of my favorite artists, if not my very favorite. His work seemed to have more life in it than another popular artist of the genre, Boris Vallejo. But art isnt to be compared I suppose.

If your not familiar with his stuff check it out. If you are then join me in celebrating his life and google some of his images to enjoy.

666 SABBATH 666

The first time I ever heard Black Sabbath I was about 12 years old. Brian Kimbrell was listening to them on the school bus. The tunes coming out of his SEARS boom box were the heaviest, most evil music I had ever heard. 'We Sold Our Soul for Rock N Roll' was in my possession only a few shorts weeks later. The gatefold of the evil vampire lady with the cross scared the shit out of me but I would stare at it for hours while I played the two LPs over and over. Each song being pounded into me.

To this day I still get chills when I listen to Black Sabbath. "What is this that stands before me..." \m/