Countdown to Shiprocked 2017: GET ON BOARD WITH ... Sevendust

Written by Robin Ervolina
The first time I walked on board a Shiprocked event was 2014. Honestly, I just wanted a girls' weekend, with all the silliness and bonding that comes with that particular territory. What I got was (in this order):

1. Scared when 5FdP sailed us off into the sunset
2. A headache from standing too close to the speakers
3. A hangover
4. An awakening
5. A changed life

But prior to all that, I walked on board Shiprocked. I went to the bar and grabbed a beer, and my cabinmate said, "That's Lajon, from Sevendust." My friend's three-year old daughter had a lullaby relationship with Sevendust, so I decided to say hi in the hopes I could send her a photo of him. LJ did me one better and let me video him saying hi to her.

It's not just me, of course. LJ is the nicest, most down to earth guy ever. Here he is, not even shaken by the fact that Shiprocked legend Jennifer Olivarez is standing RIGHT NEXT TO HIM!

That's what I always come back to when I think about the Shiprocked experience. The same can be said of Sevendust. The only thing I love better than catching their light is experiencing their music live.

Okay, my point: Sevendust is a friendly group of guys who are wicked talented (Grammy said so). This American metal band has been tearing it up since 1994, and have 11 albums to their credit, though I'm pretty partial to Time Travelers & Bonfires because Sevendust is amazing, but 7D acoustic is *cue brain exploding sound. I'm super excited not only that they're back on board this year, but that they're playing a pre-show on 1/15/17 at The Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale (the night before Shiprocked sets sail). While there are exclusive pre-parties, this one is open to the general public and sure to be full of fans. I'm pretty sure tickets are just about sold out, so if you're interested in seeing one of the best metal bands out there, you should grab yours now.

Countdown to Shiprocked 2017 Bonus Feature: Get On Board With ... the Fans! Meet Aaron Clements and Listen to His New Song "Purple Cow"

Photo Credit: Robin Ervolina
Written by Robin Ervolina
Shiprocked is a cruise. There are bands. If you've never cruised with us before, that's a fair assumption of what you get when you book the most rockin' vacation at sea. Talk to a veteran of the experience and they will tell you it's so much more than just who is headlining and where the boat docks. Shiprockers are bonded for the life of this party, and we stay in contact year round. We meet up at festivals, matching t-shirts like date mates, posing for group pics and organizing high jinx. We support each other when we're down, and we promote each other when we succeed. I met Aaron Clements in 2014, my first Shiprocked cruise. I met him again in 2015, my second Shiprocked cruise. In 2016 when we were introduced by a mutual friend, Aaron threw down and said, "This is the third time I've met you. I know you. I have pics of us hanging out!" It's never been said that I can't forget a face, even as pleasant as his is, but it's also never been said that I don't right my wrongs. I made at point of heading to the live band karaoke night to catch Aaron perform 'Killin in The Name," and let me tell you from that point, there was no forgetting Aaron.

Like all ship rockers do, we stayed in touch (maybe if we'd done that in the first or second place, I wouldn't have had egg on my face, but I digress). When I found out Aaron had snuck a recording in behind my back, I had to give it a place to shine, and I absolutely had to know more about his musical background and how exactly this song came about.
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Shockwave Magazine: Tell me how you got started in music. Were you always a singer?

Aaron: I have always had an affinity for music. In elementary school I took lessons on the violin and the piano, and I enjoyed classical composers like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and my personal favorite Chopin. My mom always liked the "bubble gum" music growing up, like the Monkees and the Beach Boys. I strayed away from that in my teenage years and leaned more toward loud, sometimes unintelligible, high energy music. Around the age of 14, shortly after moving to Indiana from Virginia where I grew up, I started playing bass guitar and drums. I bought used instruments from kids I had met at my new school. I admittedly wasn't very good at either one of them, but I wanted to learn. I came across a 6 string classical acoustic guitar with nylon strings at a garage sale and picked it up for probably $10-20?

We didn't have the luxury of Internet video tutorials and elaborate search engine machines back then, so I proceeded to go to my local big box retailer and bought a chord poster. I hung it on my wall in my bedroom and started tinkering around with the chords pictured on it. I started what I thought was singing around that time as well. Watching some old home videos I don't know that I would exactly call what I did back then "singing"...ha. More like belting out lyrics in a loud, often tone deaf fashion over whatever new chords I was working on that week. I wrote countless songs about girls I liked, and teenage-angst-filled ballad style pieces about moving away from where I grew up.

You were in a band when we met, again. Would you like to talk about that musical endeavor?

Unfortunately my aspirations to become a British rock phenom are on hold at the moment as Sash [bandmate and another of this writer's personal favorite Shiprockers] is going to law school and the rest of us are focusing on our respective careers in the meantime. That's not to say that the transatlantic team won't rise again, but for now we'll have to wait and see.

Let's talk about the single "Purple Cow." What was the inspiration at that time? It's a fun, funky tune. Is there a hidden meaning or are you just having fun?

In high school, my brother Derick and I joined up with a few local guys  to form a garage band in my mom's basement called "Sitting Litmus." We wrote and played silly songs about Chinese food and comic books. The members changed a few times over the years and the style evolved (and devolved) as well. One day, on a half day of school, we were playing some songs for some friends. My mom was always very welcoming to whatever kids we would have follow us home from school. She had a "snack drawer" in the kitchen always stocked full of goodies for us all. We'd grab snacks and head down to "the pit" which is what we called my mom's basement at the time.  Well on this particular day one of my friends, I can't remember who at this point, but I want to say it was either Karla or Erica? Anyway, one of them kept saying some nursery rhyme about a purple cow over and over again.  I asked her what it would take to get her to stop repeating it and she said we should make up a song about purple cows, so that's exactly what we did.  Someone in the room fortunately was writing it down as we went along and so the song was born...

Talk about your studio time with Scott and Leanor. How did you meet, come to record with them, and how did the three of you decide to lay down this track?

I met Scott and Leanor a long long time ago in a mystical Era known as "the 90's." It was a beautiful time full of fast, fun music that you couldn't help but move to. One such band was their 3rd wave ska band called Five Iron Frenzy which was still in its infancy back then.

At that time my brother and I would moonlight with some friends, Steve and Larry (a.k.a. Wenis & Skillet) on a tiny, tiny radio show called Reel to Real.  It aired on an AM station that broadcast out of the back of a pizza shop in Hampton, VA. On Saturday nights they would let us take over what was normally a contemporary Christian radio station during the week and let us play our fast, heavy, unorthodox music that none of their traditional listeners would ever dream of listening to. 

The first time I met the members of Five Iron was through that tiny radio show. We booked a pre-show interview with them at a show in the Hampton Roads area. I went to several more of their shows during that era and on occasion would hang out with Leanor and her cousin Micah Ortega who is one of the guitarists for Five Iron and an all around great guy. Sometimes he would teach me how to play random FIF riffs on guitar, which as a young fan of the band and budding musician I always greatly appreciated. Fast forward a decade or so and thanks to the evolution of technology, Leanor and I reconnected a few years back on social media. Through that same channel I learned that Leanor, Scott and Andy of Five Iron were starting a new band called The Fast Feeling with Matt from Eleventyseven. I reached out to Leanor about being a special guest contributor toward the new album and they were gracious enough to accept my offer.  

I flew out to Denver to meet up with them in the studio and record some supporting guitar and vocal tracks for their upcoming debut Fast Feeling album. In preparation talks with them I asked about the possibility of recording the "Purple Cow" track if there was time in the studio. This seemed fitting seeing how the band name, Sitting Litmus, was inspired by a Five Iron song and one of the lyrics in Purple Cow is a nod to a FIF lyric. They agreed and we started laying some tracks.  Leanor jumped in on background vocals and Scott threw in some of his special stylistic flair on the bass and lead guitar. He also was the mastermind behind the drums on the track. They really helped flesh out some great ideas and helped the track evolve into something even better than I could've imagined.

Any other musical endeavors in the works? What's next for you?

As to what's next for me and my musical endeavors that remains to be seen. I am looking at a few different possibilities and projects.  There is even the slight possibility that "Purple Cow" may make an appearance on stage for Shiprocked this year, but that is still unconfirmed at this point so we'll see.

Guys, if it does, how much Shiprocked love can we give one of our own than to know all the words before we set sail? Check out "Purple Cow" at Spotify now. If you want to show mad SR love, download it for 99 pennies at CDbaby. 

Art of Dying: Jonny Hetherington Interview

Written by Robin Ervolina
Normally this is where the intro goes, but if you've read any of my past interviews with Art of Dying frontman Jonny Hetherington, you already know there's no room for extra words. Grab a beer and make sure you've walked the dogs, because when Jonny and I talk about their PledgeMusic campaign, the new "Torn Down" video, and Shiprocked, we lose track of time.
Shockwave Magazine: I feel like at this point we're almost friends, Jonny, because I talk to you all the time. 
Jonny Hetherington: I know, it's great, right?
Anytime you guys have something going on, we're on board, and you always have something going on. You and I talked at the end of August/beginning of September, just before you released Nevermore, your very successful six-song EP that led into a very successful tour, which I believe is done now. Am I right?
Yeah, it was quite the little whirlwind releasing new music and touring new music all in a few months. It was great.
You didn't come near me, but I understand it was amazing.
Yeah, we had a blast. We want to go everywhere, of course, but this was 40 shows in seven weeks. So, it was a pretty mad pace and we tried to cover as much ground as we could.
Art of Dying headlined and you were with Children 18:3 and Letters from the Fire?
Yeah, we took those two bands and then we had local openers pretty much wherever we went. It was great. Cool blend of music, nice good people, good bands.
I have worn out Nevermore, so let's jump into this new project. You are crowd sourcing for the new project coming next year.
Yeah, we just launched -- well, actually it's halfway through right now -- our PledgeMusic Campaign, which is brand new to us. It's a crazy little progression from how the music business has changed and kind of evolved over the last decade. We've been on labels, and major labels, and we've been independent, obviously in the beginning, and we're back to being independent now. I think it's just an amazing time to have the fans that love the music and want to hear more music have the opportunity to help us make the music, but also be involved in new ways. So, through the PledgeMusic campaign we started a fantasy label, so there's a couple of label positions like A&R, and President, and things like that, where you can be really super involved in what we're doing, if you wanna be. And then, there's some gear and some memorabilia that we've never released before. If you've never done this PledgeMusic or crowd funding thing before, it's really simply just preordering the actual album, so that instead of waiting until it's done and buying it, you're buying it ahead of time so you can help us make it through the preorders. So we're doing some exciting stuff, like, we're actually releasing it on vinyl for the first time. We've had tons of fans wanting vinyl over the years, and this is one of the real advantages of being independent and making your own decisions, we're able to do that now.
 A lot of bands have turned to PledgeMusic and crowd sourcing, but what you're doing, I think, is a little bit more unique in terms of the fantasy label positions. You’re not just offering your memorabilia or the CD ahead of time. You're actually bringing your fan base in to be a part of the process.
Yeah, and there's multiple levels that you can get in on. One of them is really simple; it's just getting your name in the actual liner notes of the record, just to say that you were a contributor and you helped make this. That's one way you can do it. There's a Junior Label position, where basically you would become a fly on the wall with a major conversation between us and our managers, or us and our producer. It would be a conference call, and you'd be on it, and you'd kind of get to see how all that goes down. And then of course, you'd be on the record as a contributor, and we're going to make up some really cool commemorative gold records for the fantasy label staff. So, it's just kind of that whole thing where you can hang a gold record in your office and really get involved in helping us make a record. The President of the label will be actually flown out to the studio, and this is where you really will discover what it's like. You would be involved in the recording session. You would see the blood and tears session with us, and our producer, and the whole thing. We've thought of our fans, really thought of them. They've always been really supportive, and now that we're independent we almost really think of our fans as our label now because their support is what contributes to our ability to fund a record and fund a marketing of a record. It's kind of exciting. In many ways, it's the way it should be. The users, the listeners are the people that actually are contributing to the creation.
Have you ever run into a situation with songs where the song you thought everyone would like is overlooked, while the "one-off" or song you didn't expect to hit is the one people gravitate to? Is that kind of your thought process in going about this fantasy label and record position that you're offering to your fans?
It's funny when you look back on how you selected songs for records. It always seems obvious to the public, and that's one of the things you would learn if you got involved at this level. I'll go back to my notes for our Warner Brother's record Vices and Virtues, and "Die Trying" almost didn't make the record [laughs].
What?
Yeah.
Wow.
I go back into our notes and actually -- you know, we were a five-piece at that point -- and I have pages of notes where it's like everyone voted for their top 20 songs when we were about to go into the studio. And I remember seeing "Die Trying" on numerous peoples' lists in the band that were above the 12 songs. So it was kind of like, "Oh yeah, 'Die Trying' is my sixteenth favorite, but I really want these 14 ahead of that." And then, to go and make the record we recorded 14 songs in LA, so the 15th would have not made it on. So it's just really interesting.
I think "Paradise" off the new record is that song, where it was kind of never a front runner, and never a song that any of us were putting as our number one. Now that it's on the record our fans have been able to hear it and we've gotten a lot of feedback from some friends in the industry, and friends in other bands even, "Paradise" is poking its head out as a song that people think is really different than the others. It's kind of unique how these things come up over the years and it's actually really fun to look back. When you're involved in it, give it some time you know four or five years down the road, and think, "Wow, I can't believe we made that choice because that would have never happened," you know?
That song is synonymous with Art of Dying. If I asked your fans for their top five, you know that one would be in there. That's really interesting to think what that project would have been like without that tune. 
Absolutely.
You guys just released the video for "Torn Down."
Yeah, that song is the first single from Nevermore and that's the one that we actually closed our shows with on the 40-date tour. It's such an inspirational song. It captures that "Die Trying" energy or that "Get Through This" energy that we've always loved. It's another song for getting through and fighting through adversity. It's a really crazy emotional story that got that one started.
There's a girl in my neighborhood in Vancouver, her name was Amanda Todd. Unfortunately, she's no longer with us. She ended up committing suicide after being targeted online by a predator. She was just a 15-year old girl. The story hit my community really hard. So many people were just upset about the situation and, obviously, so many people felt this loss when the community lost Amanda. For us as a band with a message, you know, we see every day on our social networks, we just see the struggles out there that people are going through. It's hard, you know, it's difficult to be alive, at any age. If your 15, I get it how some things are just more difficult, but there's people struggling at every age and we see that. So for us as a band, it feels so amazing to be able to wave a flag and say, "Hey, you're not alone, and hopefully you can be stronger than you think you are and get through what you're going through." "Torn Down" is that song.It's so fun for us to play that live and to just see the faces and the fists come up, and people really letting loose for that one.
It is really important, and I think you guys have always remembered this, that you have that platform and you do use your voice. People forget that what happens online has real world consequences and it's really special when people like you, who are so fan-based, and so fan-friendly, and so genuine, take the time to put a message out that could save someone's life. I locked onto it because it did have that "Get Through This" vibe, right down to the video that was filmed on stage, back stage, behind the scenes, like "Get Through This."
Totally, yeah, it definitely has some of that energy and that's who we are. We never set out to write a song like that exactly, we just trust in our feelings and let songs come out in that way. A lot of the other songs even on Nevermore -- you know, I had a guy I've worked with in radio for years call me up and say, "Wow, this is a dark record." And I thought, "Wow, I never thought of it as a dark record." But then, it's nice to be reminded that the dark and the light, it's all part of it. We never set out to be a band that's just saying "There's a light at the end of the tunnel." I think what's almost more important to say sometimes is that we're in the darkness with you. Some days are hard and that's okay. It's not going to be easy all the time. That lyric in "Torn Down" is just so cool. "I'm sick of being torn down. I'm sick of getting back up" and you don't know if you can get back up anymore, but you hope that you can.
I'm glad that video is out there. Personally, I'm loving it. For those who didn't get to see you on this tour, it's great to get to see you interacting on stage, and having fun, great energy, it's just a treat. Any other videos coming from Nevermore, or are we moving forward into the new project?
We are just planning that out right now. I believe we're going to go with a new single from Nevermore in the New Year. Most likely, there will be a video along with that. It just really depends on how we roll in the New Year. We're also thinking about the new record through the campaign, so it's fun, but it's busy. It's interesting to be working our current record and then also writing the next one and looking forward to that. Again, the whole being independent and being at the helm of our own career, we can bounce around and be able to do things at a pace that we're comfortable with. We've always felt like we've been waiting for labels, and managers, and we've always felt like we finally get out on the road again, and then people after the show are like, "What took you three years to get this record out." It's like, man, you wouldn't believe how long it takes to sign a record deal and have this group of lawyers go back with this group of lawyers for nine months. It always takes two or three years to get back on your feet.
It's like holding your child hostage. 
It's crazy, right? And the time just goes by. You don't even notice it because you're making the record, writing the record, and it's just held up all the time. We're no longer in that position. We just went from releasing Rise Up to releasing Nevermore very quickly, independently, to now writing and starting to think about recording this brand new record that's funded through the PledgeMusic campaign. It's all within a 12-month period. So without all that industry-dragging-around-the-ankles kind of thing, we can really sprint around a lot more.
Going back to the Pledge campaign, I want people to know that anyone can be a part of this, from 10.00 dollars to advance pay for the download, all the way up to having you come and barbeque in their backyard and give an acoustic show for them. There's every level of fan interaction, but I think the label thing is an opportunity for someone interested in getting into the industry to see what happens behind the scenes. I also want to make sure people know there are only eight more opportunities to get your name in the liner notes. Any more of Cody's drumsticks? There are two sets left. One of my favorite things that you're doing is the Skype serenade, and there are only nine of them left, by the way. Tell them about the Skype.
One is a phone call from any band member. So if you want to talk to Cale, me, or Tavis or Cody, you can just request a phone call conversation. I think a lot of people are buying those as gifts. "Hey, this Christmas I got you a 20-minute chat with Jonny in your stocking, " [laughs] or whatever. We're also doing a serenade where we'll jump on Skype and sing to you, or you and your friends over Skype. It's just so fun, you know? It's really about a great experience for the people that want to be involved, but also knowing that the 100.00 bucks, or the 75.00, or whatever it is, is going into the recording of the records. It's a really fun way to be involved and say, "You know what? I did that. I helped make that."
This time next year when we talk, there's going to be this awesome list of names on the back of our vinyl record and our CD, and it's going to be all the people that contributed and helped make this happen. It's very grassroots and very cool. The bigger levels on there, the private acoustic show and backyard barbeque, we're really excited about that, obviously, because that's where we have the most fun in our lives. If the four of us were just to get together this summer, that's exactly what we would do, just throw a big barbecue and grab the acoustics and play until the sun came up. That's our vibe. We've already had a couple people that were talking about important weddings and celebrations coming up in their lives this year that they're thinking about getting the acoustic performance for. So obviously, there's no real blueprint set out for how that's going to work yet. It's just going to be a celebration of music and a private performance by us. And you know I love cooking, so I'm going to be definitely bringing a culinary aspect to it. So, if it's you and your friends and your family, then let's barbeque at the place. If it's a wedding and the catering is already taken care of then we'll just figure something out that makes sense for the event. It's could be a bucket list kind of thing, where if some of these songs that we've been playing for the last year have affected you, and if we were able to come and sing that at your wedding, or at your graduation, or whatever it is, that would be insane.
For people who don't know, these guys don't know a stranger. I know wherever you go you'll be the life of the party. I've been on a boat with you before, so I know this to be fact. 
[Laughs] We've got another round of Shiprocked coming up here in less than a month. That's crazy.
Oh, we know.
Yeah, Shiprocked is becoming our annual thing now. This is my fourth year in a row, and we're back as a band on the boat again this year, so it's going to be a crazy event that we can't wait to do. It's a super, super great community. We were really pleasantly surprised that -- you know, we have our group of fans that we call the Diehards, and we just know them quite well because of their interaction with us online. We weren't terribly surprised to see that many Diehards out on this tour; we were kind of expecting it. What we were surprised by was how many Shiprockers came out on this land-locked tour. It was absolutely amazing to see the gang at each show. We were just like, "Wow, a group of Shiprockers coming everywhere we go." It's such a great family.
And that's the thing too, and I think you already live by this, but you get back what you give, and you guys give so much in just personal interaction and just the friendliness, and the way that you interact with people, and then you're stuck on a boat with us. That's loyalty. You get back what you've given us. We're happy. We're all very excited to see you. Are you going to try out any new songs at either the Shiprocked pre-party or on the boat?
That's a great question. We live all over the place; there's a couple of us in Toronto, I'm over here in Vancouver, and Tavis bounces around between Vegas and the mountains, so we're all over the place. So, people always ask us when we rehearse and the answer is: we don't [laughs]. That's why it's so exciting for us when we get together. I think that's part of what makes an Art of Dying show bring a little extra fire. We haven't seen each other in a while so we're really excited to be there. So for Shiprocked, we will figure it out in the weeks coming up. We'll probably figure most of what we’re going to do in the cabin the day of the show.
You have a tendency to video tape that and share it on social media, so I hope that we get to be a part of that.
We'll put a camera up for sure.
What are you most looking forward to about being back on the boat this year?
Seeing the people is really the main thing for us. Those late night conversations, those crazy bump intos. It's really special for us because we get to see a lot of the other bands that we don't see during the year as well. So, I looking forward to connecting with a bunch of the musicians that I haven't seen in a while. I actually wrote a little bit on the boat last year and I want to continue that trend. Do some writing and collaborating with some other people. It's always a blast. And the shows, I think we're playing like four or five shows in like three days or something. We're doing the acoustic launch party in Miami the day before we sail, and then we're doing two Art of Dying shows. I'm not sure if there's going to be a beach stage again this year.
No, no there's not. 
There's no beach stage? Okay. Last time we were one of the first bands on the beach stage ever, and that was a thrill.
We miss the beach stage. I'm just saying, Alan [Shiprocked promoter], we miss the beach stage.
It was a lot of fun, right?
It really is. You did that acoustic of "Broken Wings," which is still in my top five favorite acoustic performances live, ever. 
Oh wow, cool.
If you get around to doing that again, I'm certainly not going to cry. Again. If I jump in, just put your hand up and security will take me to the brig. You guys are also judging the door decorating contest, you and Tavis. 
I believe I heard something about that.
It was announced that you and Tavis will be cruising the hallways and picking the winning door. So the Shiprockers that knew I was talking to you today want to know what you and Tavis will be looking for.
We are going to be looking for pizzazz, I think is the main thing. Originality. Most importantly, probably be looking for a lot of very nice Art of Dying pictures [laughs].
That's exactly what I was thinking.
No, no, you cannot kiss the asses of the judges, so no, we will actually frown upon any hearts around Tavis or myself. It will not get you any points.
Alright, okay guys, you heard it. There's nothing I can do about it. You can kiss the judge's ass, but it's not going to get you any favor. Just do it to be nice. 
That's right. Just think outside of the rectangle on this one.
Think outside the rectangle of the door. Alright. I can't wait to see you guys again. I'm so glad you guys are coming on board. I'm so glad you have a new project coming out because that gave me an excuse to set up an interview and talk with one of my favorite frontmen. It's always a pleasure. Let's push again this PledgeCampaign. His hat sold out. Jonny's scarf sold out. His pants are sold. He's literally almost naked. 
I don't even know what I'm going to wear.
You have one pair of shoes and one shirt left. I don't know what you're going to wear either. All he has left are a black shirt and some amazing white boots, that if I could stretch my feet into I would have already bought because, you know, the scarf and the hat sold before I could get them. But hey, somebody is going to wear them with lots of love, and joy, and pride. 
Or someone is making a voodoo doll of me and we're in big trouble.
That's -- no. You can track who is actually buying these, right? You know, just in case.
Maybe it's a Halloween costume.
Naw, that scarf was pretty sweet.
Actually, Alexa from Letters from the Fire has a pretty good Jonny Halloween costume going already. Check out somewhere on their Facebook, or our Facebook, she dressed up like me and she actually nailed it, and then she wore that for her show.
I just realized you and Alexa do have a similar hairstyle, don't you?
Totally.
You've let the mohawk lay to the side.
Yeah, the mohawk is down. The mohawk is growing. Alexa, she's a great girl. I absolutely loved hanging out with those guys, and if you haven't seen Letters, they're on the boat as well, on Shiprocked. They're just amazing. She's got such a great voice. We ended up doing a few acoustic songs together on the tour and one of them was your favorite cover.
No. And I missed it because you didn't come close enough. I'm going to have to cash in some frequent flyer miles if this keeps happening.
Totally. Well maybe we'll bring her up on the boat.
When you talk to her, tell her that if she wants to wear that outfit for one of the costume nights, we would not mind. 
I'll let her know.
I think that maybe we need to have a secret theme night. I'll talk to the rest of the Shockwavers and see if we can get a Jonny Hetherington costume night.
That would be the worst costume night ever.
Well, we're going to have to hunt down some red pants, honey, and I don't know if we have enough time for red jean-finding. You know we love you. Again, thank you so much for taking so much time with me today. Anything we missed?
You covered it, I think you got it. It's a great opportunity to be a part of our new record and we're excited about it. We've got a lot of good stuff at artofdyingmusic.com as well, where we have our own merch store and we're able to bring in whatever we want, so keep your eye on what's going on there.
Definitely. Alright my love, it has been wonderful talking to you, as always, and I will see you in just a few short weeks.
Yep, always a pleasure. See you, Hon.

Conspire: Parker Armstrong Interview Part III

Written by Robin Ervolina
A few weeks ago I was introduced to Conspire, an incredible band from Tampa, FL via their freshman LP The Scenic Route. Lead vocalist Parker Armstrong agreed to answer some questions for me via email, and invited me to his CD Release show. After the show we sat outside and chatted. You can check out that conversation here and here. I could have left well enough alone, but Parker surprised me today with the answers to those first questions emailed prior to his show. After reading them, there was no doubt in my mind they had to be read by as many people as possible. 

Shockwave Magazine: What musical experiences did you have prior to forming Conspire?
Parker Armstrong: Outside of learning some guitar at a young age and playing the clarinet, worse than Squidward, in middle school band, I don’t have too much experience musically. I had the pleasure of touring with This or the Apocalypse for a brief period, mainly just selling merchandise and a small guest spot each show. At that time, I already knew I wanted to start Conspire, just needed to learn more about my vocals and grow comfortable on stage. The opportunity allowed me to pick their vocalist’s brain as I received informal lessons along the way.
The songs on your upcoming release The Scenic Route are thought-provoking and humbling. I have, no kidding, had it on rotation for the last three hours. Where do you go for the inspiration for your lyrics? In that same vein, do you write lyrics first, music first, or work together to pound out a tune?
I don’t consider myself much of a writer, but when you’ve got a story to tell things flow pretty naturally. So, the theme itself was already in place from the start. A lot of credit goes to our producer, Ricky Armellino. He helped tremendously in the lyrical realm and was a key contributor to helping articulate many of my thoughts and ideals. I had a generous amount of material written going into the studio, but the structure of some of the tracks changed quite a bit while recording. I’d say I prefer writing lyrics after being given at least a skeleton of the song. Inspiration comes from challenging times in my life, more specifically the emotions I felt in the midst of turmoil.
At times, the metal-core message can get lost in the mosh-pit. But, spoken word is a powerful medium that pulls the audience in an entirely different way. How have audiences received you so far? Feel free to tell a story. I like stories.
I completely agree. Once the record was done I remember thinking, “How the hell is an audience going to react to this live?” There’s just so much diversity between tracks. I wasn’t exactly worried about how well we’d be received, but more so, just curious as to the how. Currently, we don’t have too many shows under our belt. But, I’m pleasantly surprised by the reaction thus far. Being a brand spankin’ new band; I don’t expect an audience to get too into songs that they aren’t familiar with. I also don’t see a need to put an expectation on an audience. Each listener is free to respond however the music resonates with them. My only hope is that we create an atmosphere that welcomes thought and encourages community. I suppose intimacy is key, and I really feel like we’ve been cultivating that vision more and more with each show as we grow comfortable in our environment. Some of these songs strike a chord with me emotionally when we perform them and I can’t help but let that take over, seeing a face or two in the audience that responds similarly is powerful.
Every song has a different mood or tone, but one unique sound that unites each song to the other, and a message that is unmistakably pro-enlightenment. First, what were your musical influences, since I hear so many styles (pop punk, metal-core, space rock, etc) in the mix. 
That’s a great question. Our guitarists, Kaleb and Ryan played the biggest role in writing the music. They feed off of each other so well. Kaleb seems to enjoy interweaving some heavy breakdowns with beautiful chords. And Ryan has a background in worship music that is evident in a lot of the ambient parts. It’s a cool combination for sure, and their personal influences range from Ascend The Hill, to Underoath. Personally, Hundredth, and La Dispute were heavy on my playlist heading into the studio.
Second: It’s clear you have a message to deliver. While you touch on many thematic expressions, is there one overlying philosophy you hope people who listen to The Scenic Route walk away with?
It’s simple. Love, is the answer. And with love comes listening. I believe many issues in our world can be resolved peacefully if we put forth the effort to better understand the perspective of those we differ with. Often times, that allows us to find faults in our own practices and for common ground to be discovered.
“Row” is one of the standouts for me on The Scenic Route. “I need you to row” is a powerful plea for us to get our collective acts together. It may in fact become my mantra. In regards to these lyrics:
And it's wrong to broadly classify others as enemies. No rationalization solves this and clinging to hatred only clouds it further. These are commonplace ideas and I thought you were too exceptional for them. 
Can you clarify whether that last line is a form of sarcasm, or if there is a reference point for it that I’m missing? Who is “you” in this line, and what do you mean by “too exceptional?”
You definitely caught on. I speak with far too much sarcasm in my everyday life; I had to sneak one line in at least. In this particular line “you” is referring to whoever does what’s easiest in life, at the expense of others. Exploitation for political/economic gain, having enemies, and breeding hatred seems instinctive to human nature. Anyone who acknowledges their conscience knows that this negativity will take a toll on you in some way. But, choosing to pursue righteousness and admitting our faults will ultimately lead us on a path of reconciliation.
Sticking with “Row,” you stated on Facebook that it was written during the election cycle as a response to the division you were seeing. Now that cycle is over and a president-elect has been named, anger appears to be heightened. What message from “Row” do you think is most important for people to hear?
The song finishes with the line: “Your defenses are ruining who you are.” If I had to choose one line to slap on a bumper sticker, that’s it right there. It’s clear the president-elect needs this realization in his life. But, so do we who oppose him. It’s too easy to compromise what we stand for due to a perceived threat. 
Okay, still sticking with “Row,” it was recorded with and produced by Ricky Armellino of This or the Apocalypse. What’s your relationship with Ricky? How did you meet and how did he come to produce and contribute to your project?
In 2013, I was living in California. At that time I had started to express interest in forming a band. I then began an online search for vocal coaches. That’s how I discovered Ricky. We set up our first lesson to be in person at a TOTA show. But, en route to Southern California their van broke down and they had to miss a number of shows. Bummed out about our lesson being cancelled, I sent him a message pitching the idea of some sort of an internship for production/audio engineering. Surprisingly, he was down. Soon after, I packed my bags and drove out to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I’m not quite sure how seriously he took me as he seemed to almost have forgotten about the arrangement. We got along great and I was quickly learning a ton about music. But over time, we both realized my main interest was vocals. Being on the road with his band I gained a bit of knowledge about warming up, vocal technique, and delivery. Near the end of the “internship” I asked Ricky if he’d do the honors of producing the debut Conspire album. Six months down the road, we drove up north and recorded The Scenic Route. Three of the dudes came down with the flu while we were in the studio. I don’t think the record could have been completed without the healing companionship of Ricky’s corgi, Starks.
There are a few veiled evangelical terms that I picked up in a couple songs. From “Captive Son:” “I was called to love your worst enemies,” and from “1971:” “I was made brand new but that image wasn't you. Would you really put someone down, if you had the choice? Would you really put, really put someone down there?” Is this a call to question our beliefs or is the content stemming from your own upbringing?
Definitely a call to question our beliefs. For a while, I blindly followed an institution who in my opinion abuses the name of God as they focus more on furthering a political agenda rather than putting into practice the faith they proclaim. The track “1971” stems from this. 43 years prior to recording would have been 1971, the year in which Liberty University was founded. As mentioned before, I met Ryan while attending the school, and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. But, when the administration defended Donald Trump and the words he preached at convocation to “get even with others,” I’d had enough. This year he spoke there again, on MLK Day. Disgusted by how disrespectful that invitation was, I’ll leave on a positive note:
“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, 
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. 
Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar, 
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. 
Through violence you may murder the hater, 
but you do not murder hate. 
In fact, violence merely increases hate. 
So it goes. 
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, 
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. 
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: 
only light can do that. 
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

If you missed Parts I or II of our coverage, click the links to read more about Conspire. 

Countdown to Shiprocked 2017: GET ON BOARD WITH ... The Official Pre-Party with Art of Dying and Stitched Up Heart

Written by Robin Ervolina
Shiprocked Alumni Art of Dying and Stitched Up Heart are as ready to get on the boat as we are. Join them on January 15th at The Wynwood Yard in Miami for the Official Pre-Party. Tickets available to cruisers only, and info can be found at Shiprocked.com. Miss it, and you'll miss the surprise performance ... which in Shiprocked world is a pretty big deal.

Sparrow Sleeps: Sparrow and Friends Start A Band!

Written by Robin Ervolina
‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring … because mom and dad were smart enough to play Sparrow and Friends Start a Band! at bedtime. Now ma in her kerchief and pa in his cap can sit down with some eggnog and breathe a sigh of relief, all thanks to Sparrow Sleeps, the brainchild of Casey Cole and Peter Lockhart.
Sparrow Sleeps made bedtime fun for tired parents and wound up kids by producing lullaby covers of punk/emo/pop punk songs. Their latest offering, Sparrow and Friends Start a Band! is geared towards kids ages 3-5 (aka the "I don't want to" age) and focuses on topics ranging from eating your veggies, counting to ten, and the most important work of a child, play.
But it's not just for kids, not even a little. I am grinning from ear to ear as Will Pugh from Cartel asks if he can sing a song about sports and playgrounds, and then launches into "I Want To Play." I'm, no kidding, a kid right now. When Nick Diener of The Swellers talks about "that funny space between" in "Shoe-Tying Machine" I'm dying. I wish Ace Ender's alphabet song could replace the one stuck in my brain. It's way cooler. God as my witness, "Sharing Is Cool" featuring Dan Lambton (Real Friends) and Joe Taylor (Knuckle Puck) is probably my current favorite song on my iTunes right now. Zech Pluister (Sleep On It) makes holding mom's hand cool for kids, while Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids) makes farting cool for everyone. "You Can't Just Eat Sugar" has Kailynn West (Tiny Stills) and Tony Thaxston (Motion City Soundtrack) trying valiantly to convince kids to eat their veggies.
Play "Air Guitar' with Yellowcard's Ryan Key and learn to count to "10" with Mike Herrera (MXPX): "You probably already know how to count to four because a ton of punk bands do that at the beginning of their songs." Brush your teeth before bed with Nick Thompson, and then tuck yourself into your pillow and "rest your weary head" with Copeland's Aaron Marsh. You can do all this RIGHT NOW if your get your copy of Sparrow and Friends Start a Band! This recommendation is my gift to you ... erm to your kids. Yeah, your kids. That's what I meant. Totally.

Beasto Blanco: Beasto Blanco

Written by Robin Ervolina
The first guitar strains ring out like an anthem singing, “Rock’s not dead. Rock’s not dead.” Not that the faithful ever doubted, but for the fallen, Beasto Blanco returns to lead you out of the wilderness. 
Beast Blanco is fronted by Alice Cooper bassist Chuck Garric and features some pretty wicked vocals by Alice's daughter, Calico. This rock and royalty outfit released their first CD Live Fast, Die Loud in 2013, to wide-spread critical acclaim and earned the endorsement of some Hollywood heavy-hitters like Johnny Depp and Nicko McBrain. The eagerly anticipated self-titled Beasto Blanco was produced by Ryan Greene (Alice Cooper/Lita Ford/Mr. Big), and features 11 seductive tracks that have been burning my earbuds up since it dropped on 11/26/16.
Remember when drums pulled in a hook before the heavy riffs threw down? Remember guitar solos that ripped the roof off the stadium? This is that rock and roll. It’s not your mother’s rock, and it’s not your daughter’s rock. This is your rock, the roots of the horns we throw, the neck that dives the head into a full-on bang. It smells of fingertips singed by lighters held high in the air and it sounds very much like your bible camp counselor pleading with you to burn your Black Sabbath album. It’s beautiful, dirty, and alive. Garric's gritty vocals rumble the soul like a low-rider and push the music deep into your gut. Late for an appointment? Blast “Blind Drive” and you’ll make it in no time. Hungry? Crank up “Feed My Frankenstein” and feast on the brilliant cover by none other than the god-daughter of shock rock herself. For dessert, slip into something sexy and try a little “Honey.” You can spin this CD anyway you want: shuffle it, rip it apart song by song, or listen to it from cover to cover. What you can't do is listen to it quietly, or just once. Resurrection or manifestation, Beasto Blanco is proof that rock and roll is alive and kicking. 

Icon For Hire: They Can't Kill Us

Written by Robin Ervolina
You were wrong all along, try to break me, make me strong - 'You Were Wrong'

Listen guys, you know I sneak one in on you now and again. Between the death growls and insane guitar solos, lurking in the shadows of my black soul is a tiny light pulsating to the “oonce oonce” beat of some forget-me-now tunes. This little light of mine dances with abandon to Icon for Hire’s You Can’t Kill Us.
The Nashville duo of vocalist Ariel Bloomer (Ariel) and guitarist Shawn Jump construct 13-tracks blending alt-rock and hip-hop electronica into something ironically delicious. Ariel delivers bold lyrics with forked-tongue-in-cheek fervor. The aptly titled “Pulse” lub-dubs a beat underneath some clever lines like “cross your heart and hope to dilute it down.” In "Happy Hurts" Icon for Hire delivers an honest conversation about the struggle to find peace with the monsters under your bed.  "My favorite parts of myself make the least sense. All the cracks in my skin let the light in," and "a little less victim, a little more victory" rival some of the best battle cries against self-pity. In This Moment fans take note: Ariel's delivery of "Under the Knife" and title track "You Can't Kills Us" channels Maria Brink so much, you can bet I'll track both their tour schedules, should those genres ever cross paths. (Are you listening, Rock Gods?)
You Can't Kill Us has a duality that appeals to me. I can play this in the background with ease, or I can turn off the lights and let the message in. Either way, Icon for Hire honored the highest-funded Kickstarter campaign of 2016 with a brilliant CD of catchy tunes, and a unique vocalist whose voice and message I'd love to emulate in 2017.

Conspire at Local 662 in St. Petersburg, Florida 11/25/16 + Parker Armstrong Interview Part II

Written by Robin Ervolina
Back in November, I had the pleasure of writing a review of Tampa, FL band Conspire's freshman LP The Scenic Route. I put my headphones on and set to my normal routine of multi-tasking. Before "1971" (the first song) was over, I had already closed my laptop, silenced the voice of responsibility, and closed my eyes. Lead vocalist Parker Armstrong's poetry tunneled through some serious deflecting I'd been doing for a hot minute (okay, fine, most of my life). You know that Batman meme where he slaps someone mid-sentence? That's Conspire and me. By the time I got through "Sustain," my review was written and I was actively looking up tour dates to hear Parker deliver one line live: "I'm here." By the time he hit me up on Facebook to invite me to the CD release party, I'd memorized half the songs on The Scenic Route. I booked a hotel and drove four hours up north to catch their 10:30pm set at Local 662 in St. Petersburg, FL.
Local 662 is a tiny venue, a rectangle really, with a pool table at one end and a stage at the other. It's the kind of small dive you wouldn't expect a diverse crowd to occupy, but I was neither the oldest (yeah) nor youngest (meh) in attendance. After listening to the fervent nature of Armstrong's delivery on CD, I expected him to explode onto the stage and blow out the red lamps illuminating the band (grrrr). To my surprise, he calmly walked up the steps, took the mic, and proceeded to deliver The Scenic Route, cover to cover, with the most humble, peaceful affect.
Armstrong's recitation is both inward and outward. He connects himself to every word before he delivers it to the audience. In turn, the audience connects with whatever outlet or exercising of demons suits them best. Some sat on the side and listened intently; others formed pits and released their emotions on each other. Make no mistake, this is emotive and thought-provoking music. There I was trying to take pictures while singing, "I need you to row" and growling "I won't say it again. I swear to God I won't say it again!" By the time Parker delivered the line I drove for, I had fallen into his community and received "I'm here" with tears in my eyes. It was only later, after speaking with Parker's dad, I realized how truly special that performance was. The diversity of the audience came from common ground. Parker's classmates and friends, going back to middle school, were in attendance, as were many of their parents, including Michael's, the friend "Sustain" was written for after his tragic death.
Parker was gracious enough to sit down with me after the show to give me some insight into his personal story, the songs on The Scenic Route, and the band's history and direction.
I really wanted to ask you about “Sustain.” As a reporter I’m interested, but as a fan, I’m genuinely fascinated by what you’re doing. The song “Sustain” — we talked about this before, that “I’m here” moment. I understand now that was written about your friend.
Right.
He died some years back?
Right.
And his parents were here tonight?
That was the last song we wrote on the album, actually, the last one I did lyrics to. He was always on my mind throughout the recording process, and I knew that at some point he was going inspire in some capacity, whether it be a lyric or the feeling of a song. We kind of wrote it on the spot, said this is going to tell this story, because he was a really good friend of all of ours. He was a drummer as well, and we used to jam with him. His name is Michael. He ended up passing away in a car accident in Tampa and it had dealt with controlled substances as well.
I happened to be overseas in Germany at the time, just on a short training deployment. I felt a lot of blame, just because with loss that’s easy to do, in human nature. What could I have done differently? Did I miss any signs? If I had been there would this not have been happening? All those doubts and questions and scenarios running through my head, that was tough to deal with. But over time that actually affected me really hard, like more so than I’d wanted to say at the time. I’m always very reserved. I feel like I don’t like bothering people, and I always keep my feelings in a shell. It wasn’t until recently this project has allowed me to share and be a little more open. But yeah, that took me down a bad path. I coped with it with just drinking pretty much every night for a couple years. I didn’t attribute it to that at the time, but I just didn’t seek help. I didn’t talk to anybody, and that’s what it was. And so, two years later the album was recorded, and then we had another two year gap before we started playing shows, and over that time I realized how low I had sunk. I’m singing these songs about people reconciling relationships and getting help, knowing they’re loved and what not, but I looked in the mirror and I didn’t see any of that. The album itself encouraged me to get my own life together. I’ve lost 100 pounds over the last year and kind of got my priorities straight, and opened back up relationships with people that I had neglected.
I actually went back up to the studio to change one of the lines in “Sustain.” While I was gone, another friend, his name was also Michael, passed away in a vehicle accident, and it was also related to substance abuse and drunk driving in this case. Not to bring down anyone’s life or legacy — that’s just the situation that had happened. A lot of his close friends and his ex-girlfriend are here tonight.
So I’m sure that was powerful to be able to perform it for them. Have they heard it live before?
I don’t even know if they’d heard the song before because they don’t typically listen to heavy music. But, we all hugged afterwards and everyone was crying. The “I’m here” lyric that was a favorite of yours is, I think, my personal favorite just because it was me understanding that I wasn’t present in a lot of peoples’ lives. Now to be able to say it with confidence a couple of years later, it definitely hits pretty deep. I’m glad that it resonates with you as well.
It does. A lot of your lyrics do. 
It’s doing its job. I hope you enjoyed it as much live as you anticipated.
I did, very much so. So, tour plans? Are those in the works?
Currently in the works. We played So What?! in Texas, and we’re hoping to go back for the spring edition. This is the ten-year anniversary, so that would be really cool to be a part of. Hopefully we can get a tour package in route to that, so February or March we’ll be back out there. Honestly, I’m open to any tour package. I think that’s the cool thing with our sound. You can toss us just about anywhere. Silent Planet is blowing up. I would love to go out with those dudes. They’re solid guys we’re close friends with. Like I said, we don’t sweat anything. After waiting a couple of years for the album, we’re just glad that the wheel is rolling and wherever it goes, it goes. As long as community is being practiced, the band is going to be around.
I see good things. I’m rarely wrong. It’s the prerogative of being a girl, so we’ll follow you. That’s my promise to you because what you do is really special. I appreciate you inviting me out and sitting down to talk to me.
For sure.

You can check out part one here and part three of my Conspire coverage tomorrow. In the meantime you can stream The Scenic Route in its entirely on YouTube courtesy of InVogue Records.
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Devilskin: Be Like The River

Written by Robin Ervolina
How about an instal-hell-yes? The first seconds of the intro track for Be Like The River paint a billboard as big as Texas, and the product it’s advertising is Devilskin.
Devilskin hails from New Zealand and is comprised of father/son Paul Martin (bass and backing vocals) and Nic Martin (drums), Nic's Aunt (and Paul's sister-in-law) Jennie Skulander (lead vocals), and Paul's "evil twin" Nail (guitar). Don't worry that you haven't heard of them. You will soon. When Halestorm is providing tour support for you, then Disturbed taps you to support them, you are just THIS close to being a household name in the U.S. too. Oh, did I mention they are a household name in New Zealand? Their debut album We Rise (2014) debuted at #1 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart, chilled there for four weeks, and eventually went Platinum.
Devilskin has a remarkably cohesive sound, with a lead vocalist who is not outdone by her band-mates, but enhanced and enhances. You get guitar solos, chugging rhythms, and layered vocals that are both clean and unclean (all Jennie's). Skulander sings soulfully while an underbelly of rock and symphonic instrumentation joins in tandem. Skulander's vocals are deep and rich, a contralto tapping into lyric and melody effortlessly. "Animal" is driving and earthy. "Closer" is the ultimate rock ballad, an act done often by many, but rarely executed so well. "House 13" is a personal favorite, a powerful and driving melody with intense lyrical delivery. Skulander scales the higher notes with sheer power and abandonment.
Devilskin is familiar but unique; it is comforting, yet calls you from your comfort zone. The safe place Devilskin has constructed will feel at home to any rock fan, and undoubtedly bring a few more into the fold. This is a don't miss for 2016. Pick up your copy now at Devilskin's Be Like The River or download instantly at iTunes.

Conspire: Interview with Parker Armstrong Part I

Written by Robin Ervolina
Conspire is a spoken-word metal band from Tampa, Fl that released its first CD The Scenic Route earlier this year. I was instantly taken with their message, and had the honor of sharing my thoughts on the CD, resulting in a great chat with lead vocalist Parker Armstrong. When he invited me to his CD release party, I had no reservations about making the four hour drive to watch him deliver this brilliant piece in person. After the show, Parker was kind enough to sit down and answer a LOT of questions his provocative content had raised. 
Shockwave Magazine: Everyone has been talking to me about you tonight: your dad, your friends, they’re all super proud of you. There was all this information coming at me at once, but I’m going to just jump in and hopefully it will sort itself out. I understand this is only your second Tampa show?
Parker Armstrong: We’ve toured a little bit, but with the lineup we have currently, this is our first Tampa show. Our first show was in July. It was at a skate park at Tampa called Transitions, but it just closed down. So, our first show ever was that venue’s last. That was pretty meaningful that we got to open that up, and nobody knew who we were. It was a lot of heavy, beat-down bands that are really sick. The reception was kind of odd because nobody knew our songs and we were performing with a spoken word kind of genre. It was cool though because even a lot of people I met from that show, I saw tonight. They came out for the second show. It was a lot bigger and better than expected.
You switched drummers during the show. Tell me about that. 
Scott was up there for nine of the ten songs. He joined up before we went on tour earlier last month. Our original drummer Ryan, he kills it. He’s awesome, did great in the studio. That was almost two years ago we recorded, so he’s been a part of the band for a long time, and it feels like a lot more than one show. He [Ryan] decided to focus on school and didn’t necessarily feel that touring is a part of his life currently for what he wants to obtain. Scott has a big-boy engineering job, and his job is just like, “Yeah, totally cool, go tour.” That was a real blessing. Him and Ryan Fabian, our guitarist— everybody has been longtime friends, but they knew for a long time they were supposed to be playing music together. Ryan Fabian plays a lot of worship type ambient music in the church primarily. Scott has drummed in church as well. Their biggest band inspirationally is August Burns Red, so they like to play heavy music, but also make ambient thought-provoking songs. It was a good transition; there’s no hard feelings with our other drummer. He’s still our close friend. We’re just thankful that Scott could hop on board. He learned the songs in all of five days, it was ridiculous. But, you know, we never doubted anything. There’s been a reoccurring theme of uncertainty, but we don’t really sweat anything; we just take it as it comes. 
Do you feel like you have the band put together that you want now? Do you feel like you guys are solid and ready to push forward?
Yeah, absolutely. Currently, we’re a four-piece as our bassist couldn’t go on the last tour, and he’s focusing on finishing school right now. So we’re moving forward as a four-piece. Ideally, I’d like to have the bass live just for the rock and roll aspect of it. I don’t like faking the funk by any means. It’s okay for the time being. Outside of that, I know that this is the core group. We shot a music video for “1971” and that got put out a little while ago. During the production the videographer almost, like, prophesied over the group. He was like “Yo, dude, just wanna let you know that you, Caleb, and Ryan Fabian, you guys are going to be like the main three that stick together. I think the drummer is going to leave, and I think that you guys are the three central parts to this to move forward.” Within a matter of months that played out. We’re here now and I’m pretty stoked on the current lineup. 
Your dad mentioned to me that one of the schools you attending was called Thousand Oaks. So let’s talk about your first single, “Thousand Oaks.”
So the album title, The Scenic Route, is pretty much just a journey throughout the post high-school years. I had originally gone to Liberty University in Virginia. Ryan Fabian went there as well. He was a year behind me.
Is that where you met?
Yeah, that’s where we met. He was worship major there in the music school. We went to the same high school but didn’t know each other. I was friends with his sister and she told me her brother was coming. I got in touch with him and kind of said, “If you need anybody to show you around campus, hit me up," and we ended up hanging out. At the time, there was no interest of making a band, but that came about later. We went to For Today’s show. We drove about three hours to Greensboro, North Carolina one night. This is the first show I’d been to since middle school that was a heavy show: For Today, Hundredth, Texas in July. That night I was like, “This is powerful. This is something that I want to get back into in some capacity, this scene.” 
I got sidetracked talking about Fabian there. I was going to Liberty University and was definitely in the religious right community, and looked to further traditional values and Western ideology and principles. Anything I’ve ever been a part of, I feel like I’ve been genuine about it for the most part. I don’t just put my toes in anything. I want to be sincere about anything I pursue. So, I would say I was a bit of an extremist. I lived in fear of people across the world that I had no understanding of, of them, their culture, or the fear that they live in. And I let that drive me. I have always been told I’ve been a nice person, and a people person, but there was an issue where I wasn’t viewing everyone as equals. That, over a matter of time, kind of convicted me. I ended up leaving Liberty University and that entire subculture. I had a little change of heart, and I tried to stick around, but now I was a bit too cynical about how I was dealing with the change. I wanted to go to a little more open-minded atmosphere to where I wasn’t too alienated for accepting change and wanting to grow as a person. 
So, I went to California and found a bible college there called Eternity. I just packed up my car and went out there and I ended up doing terrible in school. I really had no motivation academically. I was just kind of jaded by that point. Thousand Oaks was a little bit of a safe haven. My professor there for my first class, he said “I don’t know you. I think you have an interesting story that I’d love to hear.” Then without knowing anything about me, we went and shared a beer. It turned out he was writing a book on conscientious objection and pacifism within Christianity. I was able to share a bit of my story through that, and just being welcomed by a community, I really felt that I’d found the genuine place where I could prosper.
So, that's "Thousand Oaks." The Scenic Route starts with "1971," which speaks about Liberty, which I love still. I love all the time I spent at Liberty and all my friends there. It was just time for me to move on. So, I went to Thousand Oaks and then, from there it just progresses. 
I think I understand what you’re saying is, you can have faith and you can ask questions, but there are some places where questions aren’t accepted as a natural progression in faith. I think in your music you ask really tough questions. “Would you really put someone down? If you had the choice, would you really put, really put someone down there?”
Right.
And I think those are the things we fear asking. In that regard, you’re not telling me your faith was shaken; you just needed an atmosphere where you could explore and ask the tough questions. 
Absolutely. 
Personally, I don’t know that there’s a right answer to any of those questions, but at least we can always ask. That’s what I love about the honesty of your lyrics and why they connect with people who have faith. I feel like there are Christian bands, and there are Christians who are in bands. Where do you guys fall in that spectrum?
That’s a very fine line to tow because you’ve heard of bands that claim or market themselves almost — I’ll use the word market because that happens sometimes — market themselves as a Christian band. They might sell a whole ton of merch with things that appeal to that crowd. But, they themselves either might not be devoted to that faith in particular, or they, you know — you change over time so …
You should …
Right. I just don’t want to put us in a box, basically. 
I think that’s fair. I mean, what you feel, you think, and believe is always going to bleed into your music because it is honest. I think that it’s okay to say, “Look, I don’t really know where we are, and that’s where we are.”
Right, absolutely, like I said, our drummer and guitarist, Fabian and Scott, they’ve both played in the church setting and they currently do as well. Ryan has said at times that he definitely feels like he’s supposed to be doing this — somewhat of a calling he’s pursuing. I don’t necessarily call it worship. Like, I think you can worship in any capacity in life, so it just is what it is. I think that’s the coolest thing. Like tonight, there were so many people that have never been to a show like this or have even heard this type of music before, but I still — they still came up to me at the end of the show and told me that they felt, to my understanding, a little bit of what I feel when I am singing those songs. Faith in its practice is all about community. That’s the one thing I’m okay with being labeled as, as somebody that encourages community. Like we were talking about with growing, that comes about by asking questions, and just being open with one another. If we could encourage that kind of atmosphere, I’m okay sitting in that box. 
I love that. That’s a perfect.
Check back tomorrow for part II of this interview, as well as photos and commentary on The Scenic Route release party on 11/25/16 at Local 662 in St. Petersburg, FL. 

Steven Wilson at Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale, FL 11/20/16

Written by Robin Ervolina
If my dreams had a soundtrack, it would be imagined and composed by Steven Wilson. Given his history and immense musical education, I feel unqualified to critique his music except to say it's the stuff clouds and butterflies seek out to stay afloat. Wilson's music can pull things out of you, and whatever things are in my soul surfaced at The Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale, FL where Wilson ended a very brief 12-date U.S. tour.
After a stellar opening set by John Wesley, Wilson and his band commenced on a nearly 3-hour show, the first half of which was a cover-to-cover performance of Hand. Cannot. Erase.  Fan faces glowed in a sold-out crowd, eager and honored to hear commentary, glean new meaning behind lyrics through a visual arts display projected behind the band, and see Wilson interacting with his bandmates.  Layered vocals commingle with heavenly guitar work, percussion escorts a melody with increasing intensity until the music is loud and pounding in my ears, all while Wilson’s vocals sit in the background like my ego running laps around my id. While I can relate to the temptation to let Wilson's music carry you away, his lyrics deserve more than a passing comment. However, if I go there, I'll be quoting them for the rest of the piece. In three hours of genius jamming, Wilson's words paint worlds we are suspended in until the final song concludes.
I don't like to end any review on a negative note, but I'm compelled to offer a caveat for concert goers in my town. While it was not a mistake to catch this phenomenal artist live, this was not the location to do so. Culture Room as a venue can hold a lot of people, so they can sell a lot of tickets. However, the actual floor where you stand to watch the performer is 1/3 the size of the property. This creates a relatively uncomfortable, if not unsafe, venue for people to pack in and watch a 3-hour performance. It's altogether to Wilson's credit that we did, in fact, stand for three hours, and in spite of the overcrowding, walked away with no regrets.
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Epica: State Theater in St Petersburg, FL 11/28/16

Written by Robin Ervolina
The Dutch symphonic metal band Epica wound down their North American Principle Tour at State Theater in St Petersburg, FL on November 28, 2016. The crowd was a mix of very young (I stood next to a girl I'm pretty sure was still in single digits) and very seasoned (we can go ahead and put me in that category), and was as diverse as Epica's tour support.
Canadian metalcore band The Agonist opened the The North American Principle show (and the single-digit girl was whisked off the floor by her father). A few circle pits formed here and there, but it appeared people were more interested in singing every word and keeping their eyes glued to lead vocalist  Vicky Psarakis. This tiny vocal storm carries clean and shred vocals with bad-ass ferocity, and she's truly fascinating to watch.
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Russian pagan metal band Arkona took the stage next, bringing with them an arsenal of Russian folk instruments to compliment the death growls of tiny warrior "Masha "Scream" (Maria Arkhipova). This unique band draws inspiration from Russian folklore while the crowd draws inspiration from their intensity. Following in their wake was Italian death metal band Fleshgod Apocalypse. Operatic backing vocalist Veronica Bordacchini glides onto the stage, followed by the rest of the band, all in theatrical costumes and makeup. Far from gimmicky, this band is a masters class in trained musicians gone Wild. Bordacchini weaves soaring soprano tones around Tommasi Riccard's growl vocals. This is a stunning live production, and yes, I bought the hoodie.
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After a too-brief tour of Canada, Russia, and Italy, the Netherlands claimed the spotlight and Epica embarked on a 15-song journey, including one begged-for encore that reduced fans to puddles of adoration. The band displays great interaction with each other and their fans, and vocalist Simone Simmons leads them with grace and glory. Her voice is sincerely one of the purest ones I've ever had the pleasure of hearing live.
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Epica is back out on tour, but done in the U.S. for now. Follow them on their website and definitely catch them when they're near you. In fact, all the acts in this well-selected lineup are worth a listen/see live. This was easily one of my favorite tours of 2016.

Attila's Chaos Tour Winds Down at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, FL 11/17/16

Written and photographed by Robin Ervolina

Oh Attila ... no, let me start over.
Oh Robin, what the hell were you thinking when you decided, "Let's go into the Attila photo pit. It will be fun," she said, "a great privilege to capture their energy," she said. SHE can kiss my ass, repeatedly.
Maybe I should start from the beginning.
It's a Thursday night in Fort Lauderdale, Fl and The Chaos Tour featuring Attila, Chelsea Grin, Emmure, and Sylar role into town. What could go wrong? I strap on the camera and head out to get metalcore wasted.

Opening the show was Sylar who were just ... adorably down to melt faces. I don't know how else to put it. They were so metal, but so damned chill. There's a great vibe and energy from these guys. I also appreciated, wholeheartedly, the little (well, it wasn't little) practical joke that occurred toward the end of their set. It's NSFW so put on your big girl panties and make sure you're logged out of the office wifi.

It's a challenge at Revolution Live to keep a crowd hot due to the zero tolerance policy on crowd surfing, but Emmure picked up the torch and stoked the flames. It's not even halfway through the night and there is a lot of sweat and missing shirts in the circle pit.

After a brief break Chelsea Grin took the stage. I've heard about wildfires, and how the heat sucks the breath out of everything before the flame consumes you. That's what happened for me, my first time seeing Alex Koehler. There were a lot more missing shirts, but mostly from the girls on the rail this time. I can't judge; Koehler's voice is perfection and his stage presence is intoxicating.
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From a spark to a flame to a fire ... let's just burn the whole place down, Attila, shall we? Standing in the pit, shooting six feet up (seriously, Revolution Live, can we do something about that ridiculsouly high stage) I'm feeling the heat. The first song ends and my spirit animal Fronz stands front and center and says, "First rule at an Attila show: there are no rules. Where are my crowd surfers? I want to see every motherfucker IN.THE.AIR!" This is the "Oh shit" moment that I ignore. The smoke alarm is beeping and I think it's just a dead battery. I move to the side to catch a few crowd surfers in my view finder, and I think, "This could be good." It was with that powerful positivity that I found myself airborne briefly, then solidly on my ass in a pit slimy with spill-over beer from eager front rail attendees. Look, what I know is I was taking pictures, then I both felt AND heard by camera smashing against the stage just prior to feeling my head contact the iron railing behind me. It wasn't until I got home that it all made sense. Please don't mind the fact that I shot through it. It's what I do.
This guy ... this first brave crowd surfer ... this is the villain in our sidebar. Tag him. He owes me a shot. Take that any way you want.

Note Chris Linck in the background. Hindsight: If you're not going to watch where you're standing, watch what you're shooting.


Note the security guard ... and that guy

Thanks Bro.
Ground control to major ass. Kids, this is what it looks like when you keep your finger on the trigger while being pummeled.

The author of this article would like to take a moment to thank Fronz and Linck for running to the stage to make sure I was okay, and for pointing me out to the crowd, who actually rushed into the pit to help me up and OUT. I will forever be in debt to some seriously cool metal heads, and to these guys. 
At this point it's obviously time for me to get the hell to high ground. I make my way through the amoeba that is the pit, losing one of my photo buddies in the process when his camera strap became a leash for an overzealous mosher. (Chris the look on your face as you got sucked into the mob was like something out of a sci-fi movie).
I limped to the bar and bought myself a well-earned shot. Checked out my gear and it was thankfully intact and functional (thanks Nikon and Tamron). I admired everything in front of me and around me. As much as I loved shooting Attila, I didn't belong there with a camera. Attila is a time to let go, and their shows are for their fans who rose to meet them spiritually AND physically. It was peace and love and metal, Baby, just the way I like it. Just ... like, from the bar, you know, as a professional courtesy.
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OpEd: An Open Letter to Ivan Moody

By Robin Ervolina
Dear Ivan,
I remember the first time I heard Five Finger Death Punch. I was on five day music cruise, and you were the opening act. I frantically called my husband and said, “Oh God. What the hell did I do?”
I remember the first time I saw you. You stuck your tongue out at my friend. You were a short guy with a tall order, and I liked you at that moment. Away from the craziness of the live experience, I put your music on and let you blast my eardrums. I got it. I couldn’t wait to see you perform live. I did, many times after that. I literally almost got stomped to death in one of your pits. Worth it.
I remember the first time I met your dad. I had the privilege of standing next to him in the photo pit. I asked him, “What was Ivan Moody like as a kid?” He grinned a proud, dad grin and said, “Like he is now, only smaller.” He told me how times weren’t always great, but how much he loved you, and how you made him proud, and how happy he was to have a relationship with you.
I love your work and your message, and I have defended you to every person that gave you shit for bringing kids up on stage. I laud your accomplishments as an artist, and I brag about your dedication to our servicemen/women. I was and am, a fan of Five Finger Death Punch. I will never negate your talent, but please stop. Stop recording and performing. Stop hurting your band members and fans and FAMILY with your alcoholism. We love your music, but this shit has to stop because it's disrespectful to all the aforementioned. Mostly, this shit has to stop because it will kill you.
Today on Facebook a memorial meme to Scott Weiland appeared on my feed. I remember the last time I saw Scott Weiland. He was a mess, couldn't perform, could barely stand. He was also dead nine months later. I don’t want you to be a meme, Ivan Moody. You’ve always written your story and that’s your right. Just maybe stare at this for a moment before you consider the next chapter.

My friend Tiffany Bernier has the real message I want to leave you with, and I really want you to hear it in her own words. I hope you’ll take the time to read this, but mostly I hope you’ll take the time to DO this. This, really, is all that matters -- not the first time I heard you, saw you, or photographed you. What matters is will there be a next time?

We don't want a VH1 special in 20 years chronicling your downward spiral into death. Another wasted talent. Another wasted life. Another human that couldn't or didn't break the chains. Another family in pain wondering where THEY went wrong. Because trust me, that's a guilt that stays with those you leave behind.
It is my sincere hope that you, not as the vocalist of one of my favorite bands, not as a rockstar but as a fellow human being, finally take the hands reached out to you. Don't just go to rehab. Stay. Stay and use the resources NOT available to most addicts. Most addicts can't afford more than a couple days in an inpatient treatment center and that's even with insurance. This is a huge advantage you have. Please, avail yourself. Pay back the fans that made you tons of money by getting help and not leaving until you're better. No, you don't owe anyone anything. You owe it to yourself. Take care of you and your devoted fans will still be right here waiting. 

 *Ms. Ervolina contributed to this article in her personal capacity. The views expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the views of Shockwave Magazine.