E-Magazine
INTERVIEW WITH PAUL GILBERT
Paul Gilbert, is worldwide recognized as a brilliant guitarist whether he plays in a band or as a solo artist. Paul Gilbert became known for his work with Racer X and after joining Mr. Big along with soulful singer Eric Martin, Billy Sheehan on bass and Pat Torpey on drums, he went on to a non-stop success even after Mr. Big breaks up. Gilbert worked on a number of solo projects such as King of Clubs, Flying Dog, Beehive Live, Alligator Farm and the latest one Get Out of My Yard in 2006. Paul Gilbert has toured all over the globe and has joined John Petrucci and Joe Satriani on the G3 2007 U.S Tour. Gilbert has a new record coming out in 2008 and will be a special guest of the Joe Satriani UK Tour.QUESTION: You became a successful guitarist and have toured a lot to present most of your solo projects. What was the best show you had? Is there any funny story you can tell while touring?
ANSWER: The best show was with G3 at the House of Blues in South Carolina. My band and I played really well. Nothing crazy, just our best musical performance. Funny stories? At the end of the G3 tour, my band I and dressed in Scottish kilts and went onstage while John Petrucci was playing “Glasgow Kiss”. We did sort of a Scottish dance along to his music and it worked quite well!
QUESTION: On several occasions you have said that you grew up listening to bands with singers and that all of your guitar heroes were in bands with singers. Why did you release an instrumental album like Get Out Of My Yard? What was the bottom that inspired you to record such a great instrumental album?
ANSWER: Well, I am a guitarist and I have a lot more ability on the guitar than with my singing voice, so I thought I should try doing a guitar album as a creative challenge to myself. It turned out really well, so I just made another one.
QUESTION: Looking back to the Mr. Big years, the studio albums along with all of the shows you guys did together …How do you feel about the fact of not playing with them anymore? What did really happen in there that make you go into a solo career? Is there anything fans can do to help Mr. Big rock again?
ANSWER: I’m proud of my 8 years in Mr. Big. We made some cool music together. But I’ve done so many solo records and Racer X records since then that I don’t think of Mr. Big much these days. Sometimes I still play some Mr. Big songs in my live show. On the last tour I played Green Tinted Sixties Mind, Addicted to that Rush, and Nothing But Love.
QUESTION: You have a great audience in Japan. Why do you think the music industry in Japan is still interested in selling and promoting rock/instrumental CDs?
ANSWER: The music fans in Japan have been very supportive of my music, and I’m very thankful for that. I don’t know why certain music to more or less popular in different parts of the world. I’m much more interested in making music and playing guitar than worrying about cultural marketing theories. I just play where there is an audience.
QUESTION: When talking about musical influences you have always cited Rush, The Beatles, Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen and The Ramones among others. Do you think your music sounds really influenced by them? Can you describe your style and what makes it completely yours?
ANSWER: Those are all big influences. Also, Todd Rundgren, Pat Travers, Robin Trower, KISS, Aerosmith, Randy Rhoads, Black Sabbath, Def Leppard, The Wildhearts, The Sex Pistols, Enuff Z’Nuff, UFO, Gary Moore, Loudness, Accept, Burt Bacharach, k.d. lang, Cheap Trick, Dio, The Donnas, Ted Nugent, my uncle Jimi Kidd, AC/DC, The Partridge Family, J.S. Bach, and Saxon.
I have never had “style” as a goal. I just wanted to play guitar really well. I wanted to have enough control over the instrument where I could insert “style” in any amount that I wanted. I don’t want “style” to control me!
QUESTION: You have a new record coming out in 2008. Tell us about its contents, recording sessions, production, release date, etc.
ANSWER: I just finished it and it’s killer! It will be released in Japan in January, and the rest of the world soon after. My touring band played on it. Mike Szuter on bass. Jeff Bowders on drums, my wife Emi on keyboards, and I played lots of guitar. It’s all instrumental like “Get Out of My Yard”, but better! I’ll announce the title on my website in the coming weeks.
QUESTION: There were a number of G3 Tours and you have recently joined one this year with John Petrucci and Joe Satriani. Now, there are about eight shows confirmed in the United Kingdom to support Joe Satriani. Why do you think you will be Satriani’s special guest and what are the songs you will be playing? Are you going to play some with Joe Satriani?
ANSWER: G3 was great! I really enjoyed that tour, and I’m looking forward to play with Joe next year. Since it’s just the two bands, we can both have a longer set and play more songs. I haven’t planned setlist yet, but it will be all my best songs.
QUESTION: Is there anything else you would like to say to your fans?
ANSWER: Play an Ibanez guitar. They are the best!
Thank you Paul Gilbert for the interview! We wish you the best of luck with the new CD and the upcoming Satriani Tour!
12/23/2007 09:01 AM
The Police In Argentina
The British band The Police performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 1st/2nd as part of the 2007 World Tour. After a 21 years break the original members of the band Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers reunited again to please fans with a number of songs that are still remembered all over the world: Message in a Bottle, Roxanne, Synchronicity, Can’t Stand Loosing You, Walking on the Moon and Every Breath You Take, among many others. The Police had visited Argentina in 1987 at Luna Park stadium. Twenty years later they gave two incredible shows at River Plate stadium for over 50,000 fans.
12/03/2007 08:58 AM
QUIET RIOT: R.I.P KEVIN DUBROW
Quiet Riot singer Kevin DuBrow was found dead at his Las Vegas home on Sunday, November 25. The cause of death of the 52-year-old is still unknown. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances.
Drummer Frankie Banali wrote on his website, I can't even find words to say. Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend, Kevin DuBrow.
The band's biggest hit was Cum on Feel the Noize, a cover of the Slade song which they are said to have grudgingly recorded in just one take.
Kevin Dubrow recorded his first solo album in 2004, while Quiet Riot's most recent studio album was released in 2006.
R.I.P Kevin Dubrow
11/27/2007 12:31 PM
INTERVIEW WITH ERIC MARTIN
Eric Martin is best known as the former Mr. Big singer. However, Martin started his singing career at a very early age in San Francisco. He played in a rock band called Kid Courage and opened the two first acts in North America for AC/DC. He played for Stark Raving Mad and also for 415, a signed band to Elektra/Asylum records. They recorded Sucker for a pretty face, the band changed the 415 name to Eric Martin Band. The band breaks up in 1985 after a year touring with ZZ-Top . Eric continued writing songs and released two solo projects Eric Martin and I’m only fooling myself. By 1988-89 Eric Martin along with Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey formed the treasured band Mr. Big. These four guys released six studio albums, a number of incredible hit singles and six top-selling live CDs. The band breaks up and Eric goes on with a number of successful solo releases and touring worldwide to the present days.
QUESTION: Hi Eric! It has been reported that you are going to rock Italy soon. How do you prepare for that and what are the cities you will be performing in?
ANSWER: I have been on the road since March of this year playing all over the world. I feel stronger than I ever have before. I have been kickin’ out the jams in the USA, Australia, South America (twice), Norway (twice) and India. That in itself has been a huge preparation for just about anywhere. Touring in Italy as cliché as it sounds will be a dream come true for me. My wife Denise, our two sons Jake & Dylan, my mother-in-law Grace and her sister Cookie will be joining me on this new adventure. We are going to places like Rome, Como, Pisa, Cozensa etc. I have toured in Italy before with Mr. Big and also lived in Vicenza for 3 years when I was in my pre-teens; it’s going to be such a treat playing tour guide to my Italian American familia; I’m gonna have to get a couple of maps and a tour guide hat!
QUESTION: You have been in India this year performing for the first time at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. How was that show arranged? Tell us about that experience: the show, the people, etc... And, by the way is there any elephant story? ( Laughs )
ANSWER: Unfortunately there were no elephants to take me around! I was invited by the King of Tripura to play in Shillong, India. He has been a long time fan of rock music from the 80’s and 90’s and of my music as well, so he contacted a friend in the music promotion business and basically threw a party for 23,000 rock fans. It was amazing!! It was the biggest concert that I have ever done on my own. The people that I met were so gracious and incredibly intellectual. I felt like I needed to go back to school and hit a few more classes to keep up. The fans were awesome and totally into the whole rock experience. I played a lot of Mr. Big songs and some EMB and TMG as well. The crowd loves the golden oldies...lol. Hey, whatever the audience wants right? I even played the Richie Kotzen tune “Shine.” I did that one for me.
QUESTION: Looking back to the first steps of your singing career where opening acts for AC/DC with Bon Scott took place. Many years have passed since then. How do you feel now? Have you ever thought you would become the famous rock star you are?
ANSWER: Hmmm not famous really. I just wanted to be popular enough to be able to make records and support my family. I know that sounds like the perfect movie script answer but the whole famous thing didn’t even dawn on me. I always thought if I were famous I would only be for a short time and then it would be over and I would have to go back and drive an ice cream truck again to make a living. Well it’s true I was famous for a minute or two and I did get lucky in the sense that I could keep my singing job and visit places that most people dream about. So, I guess everything worked out. Life has definitely been good so far.
QUESTION: You released a number of albums after Mr. Big broke up, I’m goin’ Sane in 2002, Pure and Destroy the Monsters in 2004. You are singing for the Japanese guitar star Tak Matsumoto and now touring all over the planet. Are you busy man? ( Laughs )
ANSWER: Thank God…I mean my wife for booking these tours and God for keeping me safe. I’ve got airplane ass and my throat is sore when I get home but man I’m blessed and loving that I’m busy. I have been writing for a long time for a new solo album but ever since my children came into the world (3 years ago) I have had a bad case of writers block. Those boys of mine zapped the creativity right out of my skull (yikes!!!) but their so darn cute. I haven’t been on the road this extensively since Mr. you know who? But I feel stronger than I have for years.
QUESTION: Everybody keeps asking about Mr. Big and comments on how successful those years were. How does that makes you feel? Why don’t you guys go back together? Is there any special thing the fans can do for the band to rock again?
ANSWER: Good question! Actually it’s a great question because it’s not always geared towards me to bring the guys back. I have said repeatedly in the press and for anybody who still cares about MR. Big that I would love to get back together with those guys (Richie or Paul or both for that matter). So that great question should land in the laps of Billy Sheehan and the rest of the B.I.G’s. The special thing could probably be a worldwide partition. It worked before. I remember this time that the city of Sendai (who was getting overlooked on tours that we played in Japan) submitted a partition to have us play and it was signed by everyone including the mayor of the city. Subsequently Sendai became our favourite place to play.
QUESTION: Your voice has been described as very much soulful. Do you agree with it? What is the main key that inspires you to sing the way you do?
ANSWER: I am soulful, I sing and write from the heart and I truly believe that what I do is from the lord. Now I unfortunately don’t go to church all the time but I definitely know where my gift comes from. I’m moved by vocalists like Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam Cooke, Paul Rogers, Rod Stewart, and a host of other soulful greats. The singers that inspire me now are Gavin Degraw, John Mayer, Peter Cox (Go west), John Legend, John Farnham and Jimmy Barnes.
QUESTION: If you weren’t a rock star, how would you picture yourself?
ANSWER: An elementary music school teacher.
QUESTION: Have you ever thought in doing an ‘S3’? I mean, the best guitarists in the world such as Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, etc…use to go on a worldwide ‘G3’ Tour. How about joining a best three singers tour?
ANSWER: What a cool idea!! Let’s make this happen! Count me in. Wait a minute…..do I have to sing a solo or do spoken word? Let’s talk. (Laughs)
QUESTION: How is a day in the life of Eric Martin when not touring?
ANSWER: Writing songs with my partner Andre Pessis but for the most part. Potty training, unpacking and packing for tours, constant cleaning of my music room slash boys Thomas the train room, a once in a while late night video game, many trips to visit relatives and those exciting Thursday night trash nights.
QUESTION: Is there anything else you would like to add? Also, tell us about your upcoming studio album.
ANSWER: I have a lot of music upstairs in the brain vault but having the time to actually record it has been a hard task BUT I’m shooting for January, February and March to finish this bad boy. I need your help! Write me on my forum at ericmartin.com and give me a push will you?
Sure, we will!
11/26/2007 04:03 AM
Personal Fest 2007
The Personal Fest 2007 features former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell on December 8th in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Personal Fest 2007 will count with up to 20 bands performing on different stages. More details coming soon! Feel free to visit www.personalfest.com.ar11/21/2007 10:36 AM
New Interview coming soon!
Former Mr. Big singer Eric Martin has been interviewed by Journalist/Author Adriana Rubio. Interview will be posted on Monday, November 26th, 2007. A Must Read! Thank you Eric!11/21/2007 09:23 AM
NEWS...!
Sebastian Bach releases Angel DownOriginal singer for Skid Row has a solo CD in stores November 20th, 2007. Three songs feature singer Axl Rose: Back in the Saddle, Love is a Bitchslap and Stuck Inside. Angel Down is released by Merovingian Music Ltd. (MRV) and Bach's Get Off My Bach Productions. Worldwide distribution through Caroline/EMI Music Group.
For more information visit www.sebastianbach.com
Metallica: Rock Band Video Game includes Enter Sandman
The Rock Band Video Game hits retail shelves for Xbox 360 video game & entertainment system from Microsoft and Play Station 3 computer entertainment system.
Fans can purchase 3-song packs from Metallica, The Police and Queens of The Stone Age.
For more information visit www.metallica.com
Pearl Jam Vs Ames Bros: 13 Years of Tour Posters
The book includes over 200 poster art images from renowned artists Ames Bros and Brad Klausen. A chronology of Pearl Jam's celebrated concert posters spanning 1995 to 2007. For more information visit www.pearljam.com
11/20/2007 09:55 AM
INTERVIEW WITH CRAIG GOLDY
E-Magazine dedicated to the memory of Layne Staley & Kurt Cobain
ARTS Publications dedicates the Get Born Again E-Magazine to Layne Staley & Kurt Cobain with the purpose of providing you a variety of subjects related to music, CD reviews, interviews with rock stars & movie celebrities along with articles of general interest and MORE...!CRAIG GOLDY
Craig Goldy was born on November 6th, 1961 and is the guitarist for the band DIO. He first came in to public acknowledgment while in the band Giuffria. He also was a part of an early version of the band Rough Cutt. It is known that Ronnie James Dio produced and co-wrote songs for Rough Cutt as well. Craig Goldy was featured in the Ronnie James Dio Stars project for the Hear’n Aid to raise money for famine relief in Africa along with other guitarist such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden among many other great ones of the 80s heavy metal scene. Craig Goldy suffered a hand injury while touring with DIO through Russia so he had to momentarily leave the group in 2005. Goldy was replaced by former DIO guitarist Doug Aldrich to complete the tour. He then returned back to the fold. Craig is now involved in a number of successful projects such as Hydrogen and Destiny Bridge.
QUESTION: How old were you when you started playing guitar and what was the primarily inspiration for you to do it?
ANSWER: I was 13 when I first started playing guitar. Deep Purple was the reason and even more so Ritchie Blackmore. I loved R&B, Blues, Rock, Jazz and Classical music and as I listened to the radio I would constantly change back and forth to all the different stations that played those styles. I couldn't stand to listen to a whole song from any of those styles before I needed to hear something from another one of those types of music. Then the album "Burn" from Deep Purple came out with a mixture of all those styles together and I was hooked from that day forward.
QUESTION: Have you ever imagined about succeeding in your musical career the way you actually did? Looking back, how do you see the early days of Giuffria and Rough Cutt compared to the years of joining DIO?
ANSWER: I always imagined....but never thought I'd be in a band with my favorite singer....Ronnie James Dio.
Giuffria was great because it was my first time playing in arenas and meeting the guys in Deep Purple. Rough Cutt was my first experience in a professional situation but the best was that Ronnie was our Producer and we had quite a few great moments in the recording studio together that forged our reason to be in a band together.
QUESTION: There are a lot of new unsigned musicians looking for a record deal. You have started a program to help unknown musicians get records deals called “Destiny Bridge”. When that started and what’s the project about?
ANSWER: It started way back when I first got a record deal. I decided then that if I ever made it I would help other people like myself who had no music industry contacts and still would try to head for the top. Because the music industry is so competitive....there are very few bits of information that could be helpful that is never even shared. Once someone gets a bit of useful information they huddle around it like squirrels with a few nuts for the winter. If anything is shared it automatically creates competition with the one that the information was shared with.....so...nothing gets shared. I decided to change all that.
The program starts with a book that gives 20 years of information about the music industry....this would be the equivalent as if each unknown musician operated at the top level of the music industry for that length of time...prior to their first attempt of success.
There is a chapter in the book about the 12 qualities that make a hit song and hit band a hit. There are 12 qualities that every band that has sold millions of records for 10-20 consistently each year surviving all new sounds, styles and new times.
There are also a couple of chapters on how to become unique and develop your own style. Then once the unknown musician incorporates this information correctly into their next demo...they submit it to me. I give it to high profile people in the music industry that have the power to get them a record deal. We have producers who have worked with Ozzy, received Grammy’s and Managers who manage Kiss and other big names....record company executives at Warner Bros, Epic, Sony as well as big Independent labels....all who will listen and try to help get the artist signed. It truly is an opportunity of a life time.
QUESTION: We all are very sad for what it happened to Hard Rock Radio DJ Tawn Mastrey. It is a shame that a liver never arrived on time to save her life. You have written a song about the subject along with Robbie Razor Robfogel of METAL KNIGHTS, called MIRACLE IN DISGUISE right?
ANSWER: Yes and I am quite proud of how that song turned out. In fact Robbie and I specifically used my program to begin with in order to write that song. Robbie is a perfect example of an unsigned artist that is willing to learn and when they get a hold of the proper information they begin to flourish on their own. Where he was and where he is now with his songwriting is astounding.
QUESTION: How much did Tawn Mastrey mean to you and what would you say to people about organ donations?
ANSWER: Tawn was a friend of mine. She was a good soul! She did not deserve to die like that...and all the frivolous BS in the world that is spewed out to get us to buy new and improved laundry detergent, microwavable deserts, cell phones that you can do everything but talk on and know how to operate, mini-malls and everything else that is supposed to better our lives have taken up awareness of the things that actually matter.....like saving lives. Every person who is not an organ donor can be rest assured that at least 6 people will needlessly die when they do. I've been an organ donor my whole life but I did not know the true impact it has on this planet until I met Robbie.
QUESTION: You have been recording music for a new project called “Hydrogen”. Tell us about the release date and everything that involves it?
ANSWER: That project has been put on hold for a little while. I'm not sure what is going to happen with that band. But I do know that I will try to help them get to the next level that they so richly deserve.
QUESTION: Is there anything else you would like to say about a any other up coming projects?
ANSWER: I am writing and recording with ex-Rainbow vocalist Doogie White and his solo project is going to be quite interesting to say the very least!
Thank you,
Craig
11/12/2007 05:12 PM
INTERVIEW WITH ROBBIE RAZOR ROBFOGEL
E-Magazine dedicated to the memory of Layne Staley & Kurt Cobain
ARTS Publications dedicates the Get Born Again E-Magazine to Layne Staley & Kurt Cobain with the purpose of providing you a variety of subjects related to music, CD reviews, interviews with rock stars & movie celebrities along with articles of general interest and MORE...!ROBBIE RAZOR ROBFOGEL
METAL KNIGHTS
Robbie Razor Robfogel is the Founder-President of Ocean Visual FX, a 3D animation and visual effects company based in Huntington Beach, California.
Robbie Razor Robfogel is a liver recipient and helped Hard Rock Radio DJ Tawn Mastrey during her chronic liver illness. Robbie Razor Robfogel organized benefit concerts to raise funds for Tawn’s medical needs and treatments. Although our beloved Tawn Mastrey passed away on October 2nd, 2007, Robbie continues working on the organ donation cause. He is the singer of the band METAL KNIGHTS and together with Craig Goldy of DIO wrote a song called Miracle in Disguise which is related to the nightmare of being in need of an organ donor. To contact Robbie you can visit him at http://www.myspace.com/rockdawg1 and/or www.metalknightsmusic.com
QUESTION: Robbie, you have a great background into the entertainment industry. Can you tell us how everything started and how easy or difficult the whole thing was over the years?
ANSWER: Well, it was not easy by any means! It all started in High School where I excelled at speech. It was my speech teacher that suggested I go into broadcasting, so after 2 years in Jr. College, I transfered to the University of Alaska at Anchorage...I had been singing in a band in LA called BATTLEAXXE along side bands like RATT, POISON and MOTLEY CRUE, all of them got signed to deals, and we didn't...there were several factors why, one being we couldn't keep a decent bass player! Funny that I would end up working now with one of the most famous in the world. But, when my musical career did not pan out, I decided to move to Alaska and study broadcast journalism. My first job that I landed was at a CBS News affiliate KNUU, in Las Vegas, better known as K-NEWS. It was my first on-air gig and I was literally thrown to the wolves as an anchor. I expected to get a reporter job, but seems the News Director had different plans! I later then decided to leave news and pursue my true love, music. After stumbling thru several different music styles, including a dreaded stay at a Country Western Station, I landed at KCLB 93.7fm, "THE ROCK" in Palm Springs and it was there that I felt I was finally at home. It was also there that I met Tawn Mastrey.
QUESTION: You have worked for The Chandler Group on the mega hit “Batman & Robin”. What was exactly the job you did on and how did you feel while working for such a big names?
ANSWER: In about 1993 when I met Tawn, Metal was starting to decline do to the grunge movement. Tawn helped me get some great interviews, but the market was changing and it got to a point that I was not playing the music that I loved anymore, I was playing Grunge. Then the final blow for me in radio was when the beloved KNAC went Spanish, that was where I was heading to work at KNAC and then bang, it was like Metal radio died. I just couldn't take it so I left radio and pursued work in TV and Movies. I started by buying a Macintosh computer and this was at the time Quicktime was the size of a postage stamp. I made the jump at the right time! When I saw that I could create, edit and do all these great things on this computer, I dove right in and taught myself as much as I could. I was using something called a MEDIA 100 that was the competitor to the now famous AVID editing system. There was a very new and different video game coming out that was really a movie that you played in called VOYUER II. It starred Dennis Weaver and Jennifer O'Neil. When the production company, who had a MEDIA 100 called the makers of the system and asked who local in LA knew the system, I got the job. Then, before you knew it, The Chandler Group called and asked if I would do some on set pre vis compositing. I do remember that my now Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger was really nice, he gave me a cigar!
QUESTION: During your job as an anchor for CBS NEWS, do you remember what were the best and worst news you reported?
ANSWER: I remember a couple of events that happened in particular, one time, I was left at the anchor desk on air and no one else was there at the station and a report of a plane needing to make an emergency landing at McCarron Int'l Airport in Las Vegas came in, so the CBS Network news desk called and wanted me to do a national report, and I had literally just started at the station, talk about being scared! The other story that I remember was walking into a shooting scene that had just taken place and walking into get an interview, I mean it had just happened and I was driving by and had my tape recorder so I wanted to get the scoop, and I remember one of the cops telling me, "You're standing in the middle of evidence!" and I looked down and there were bullets everywhere, needless to say, I tip toed out of there and reported the story via phone back to the station.
QUESTION: Among the people working with you at Ocean Visual FX, there is one in particular that rock fans would love to know more about. He is Rudy Sarzo, a famous bassist who played for great bands such as Whitesnake, Ozzy and DIO among others. What were the factors that encouraged you to make him join your company? Tell us about the working relationship you have with him and what is precisely the job position Rudy has at Ocean Visual FX?
ANSWER: Rudy and I met just weeks after I had a liver transplant. I had my wife take me to something called SIGGRAPH which is a convention for the visual fx community. While there, and I had to go in a wheelchair due to just having surgery, my wife and I went to have lunch in the convention center. I was sitting there and Rudy Sarzo goes walking by carrying his lunch tray! I thought I was hallucinating because I couldn't figure why he would be at this event. Then he walked back the other way and I knew it was him, before I knew it he was standing next to me asking if he could sit in the chair next to me. I looked up at him with my mouth open and said. "Holy shit! Rudy Sarzo! What are you doing here?.....Yes, please sit down!" He laughed and we started talking while having lunch. I had been a huge Rudy Sarzo fan since the first time I saw him play, and I remember seeing him with Ozzy too when Randy Rhodes was alive on the Blizzard of Oz tour and him changing my outlook on Bass players. I mean, having had bad luck in BATTLEAXXE with Bass players, seeing Rudy was refreshing, he played his instrument with such passion and enthusiasm. He was a different kind of animal on stage that I had never seen before. He immediately became a musical hero of mine. At our lunch the day we met, Rudy was so nice and understanding, I mean here was this guy that looked like he just got out of a concentration camp, that being me, and Rudy wasn't phased in the least. We talked and I found out that he too was an avid visual fx animator and was into 3D modeling, compositing, everything that I did and do for a living. We hit it off great and he gave me his card with his home phone number and email and cell phone and told me that he was leaving the next day for a tour with DIO to Russia. He told me that when he got back he would like to keep in touch and get together. About a month went by or so, and Rudy called me, I think it was from London telling me he was coming back and we needed to get together and could he come down to my new studio that I had just built. After a few months of talking and building a friendship I asked him if when he was not on the road with Ronnie James Dio if he would like to work together on some projects, and he agreed. I do not consider Rudy a worker, he is my partner, period. Then he called a few days later with a great idea for a new animated sit com that we are now in negotiations on, we have been developing it for about 2 years now and I really cannot say anymore on that right now, but Rudy and I have become more that friends and co workers, we have become family.
QUESTION: You have received a liver transplant in 2005. For how long you were ill and when did your doctors tell you that you needed a liver transplant? What was your reaction to such a diagnose and how much hard for you was to go through it while waiting for a liver?
ANSWER: Well, when I left radio in 1994 I was fine, I thought. In 1995 I went in for a routine physical and was told that I had Hepatitis C and that it was chronic. Chronic Hep C means only one thing, you either get a liver transplant or you die. I had apparently contracted it either through a blood transfusion before the blood supply was tested for it, or could have been one of my 3 tattoos. Whatever it was I wanted to get better! So, I talked with my father who was a Korean War polio victim and knew the medical field really well. He suggested that I go straight to UCLA here in Los Angeles and ask for the best in Hepatology. So that is what I did, and I luckily got Dr. Leonard Goldstein who kept me going with new medications for years until about 2002 when I started to decline health wise. 2003 I was in and out of the hospital like 8 or 9 times. I was dying. I had a beautiful wife who is from Cali Colombia by the name of Luz Mary and my daughter Valerie. It was getting hard to walk, eat, sleep, do anything. I was shutting down. 2004 I actually was rushed to the hospital where I had blood exploding out of me and my wife was told that was it, I was gone. She demanded that they resuscitate me, they did and I went into about a 3 week coma. When I awoke, I had seen some things that to this day shape my life and belief. I feel like I have seen the other side, and when I was there, I was told it was not my time and then I woke up. This was so powerful that I just wrote a song with Craig Goldy of DIO about it. Then I was sent home after I got a little better and in one day I was transfered to UCLA where I was next on the list and all I can remember is waking up and hearing a Doctor calling my name and telling me that I was going to be transplanted in two hours. I just looked up at the sky and said "THANK YOU".
QUESTION: Tawn Mastrey was an adoring friend of yours. How much did her illness affect you? What did you do when you got the news that she needed a liver transplant?
ANSWER: Well it was Rudy that called me to tell me the news. Cara, Tawn's loving sister had sent out an email announcing the news that Tawn was in need of a transplant. So Rudy called me, he knew that I was working with an organ donor awareness organization called ALEX BANDS DONATE LIFE ROCKS, and he knew since I had been though this hell, and that I knew Tawn from my days in radio that maybe I could help. METAL KNIGHTS had recorded a few songs that we wanted to donate the proceeds too DONATE LIFE ROCKS and Rudy had been gracious enough to play bass on one of them, so he got me in contact with Cara. From there I called Dr. Goldstein and told him about Tawn and that she was a friend and that she had NO insurance, but we were planning on doing concerts with big names like Slash and Rudy and other major rockers to raise the money and he agreed to see her. So Tawn and Cara flew out here to LA to see Dr. Goldstein. At that time I didn't even recognize Tawn she was so ill but she still had this drive in her to live and that smile. I organized a benefit concert for her called a TRIBUTE FOR TAWN that brought together 3 of the LA area's best tribute bands, METAL KNIGHTS, MASTERS OF REALITY and LIGHTS OUT. We raised thousands that night, and Craig Goldy and Simon Wright came to jam with us, Rudy was on tour with Blue Oyster Cult that day so he couldn't make it, but ALL of DIO, Including Ronnie signed a new BASS that we auctioned off to help with the funds for Tawn. Tony Montana from Great White and Terry Ilious from XYZ came too to jam, it was a great show for a great cause and it was a sell out, and Tawn was able to afford the medicines that she so desperately needed to keep healthy while waiting for her transplant. Diana Deville of KNAC.COM came to host the show. The problem was that Tawn was so sick, she didn't go out and get help when she first knew she had Hep C, and that in the end is why we lost her. She was number 1 on the list, the next organ that came in and matched would have been hers. But she went from bad to worse in the matter of about a week and a half and then she was too sick to operate on. Cara called me to tell me, I knew what was coming. That night while rehearsing with METAL KNIGHTS my cell phone rang and it was Remy Maxwell one of Tawn's Rock Jock friends and who used to be on KNAC. He delivered the news to me that Tawn had died moments ago, and we both just lost it on the phone and started crying. Remy was really close to Tawn, those two followed each other to every market they every worked in. I went inside the studio and told the band and we all just stood there with tears in our eyes, had a moment of silence and then decided to Rock a new song that I had written with Craig Goldy about organ donation, up to that point it was sounding like shit, but after Tawn passed away, we played it and it was perfect, we all felt she was there with us in the studio and that is why it sounded so good. She will be missed, but you know what? I feel that she will awaken this giant need in the Hard Rock and Metal community to get people tested for Hep C and to become an organ donor. She was not just a ROCK GODDESS, she was a ROCK ANGEL, and she is one now I know. I will miss her dearly. One of the coolest things was at the HEAVEN and HELL show here in Orange County the week Tawn passed away, Ronnie James Dio and the band dedicated their last encore song NEON KNIGHTS to the memory of TAWN MASTREY. The place exploded and every person stood up and cheered for minutes! It was so great to see that this sold out audience still remembered our beloved "LEATHER NUN" and they all loved her. Ronnie James Dio is one of the classiest guys there is period.
QUESTION: Craig Goldy of DIO together with you wrote the “Miracle in Disguise” song. Tell us more about it?
ANSWER: It is a song about the fight I went through while being so sick and waiting for a transplant, and through the gift of life of an organ donor, getting better, making a comeback musically and back to work. The chorus I wrote says it all, "I'M ALIVE, I SURVIVED, IT'S A MIRACLE IN DISGUISE" Craig is really an angel here on earth! The guy is so great. I and he think we were separated at birth! Our thoughts are the same, we share the same views on life and God, and music. He is a blast to write with, he has brought so much out of me in such a short time. I am very proud to have him as a friend and writing partner, for someone who was dead once, to now be alive and have Rudy Sarzo as a business partner and friend and Craig Goldy as a friend and song-writing partner, it is a real dream come true.
QUESTION: You are the singer of METAL KNIGHTS and have been locked up into a recording studio these past months. How many songs you have recorded? Release date? Upcoming shows?
ANSWER: We have recorded 5 songs and are working on 3 more. One of them I am working on with Craig and it is called DEATH DEFIER. A very heavy song with some killer riffs, I cannot wait to get it done. I love the recording process. I am learning to produce too, something that seems to come natural to me, I think because of my work with Video and film. We just finished playing at Universal Studios HARD ROCK CAFE for ALEX BANDS DONATE LIFE ROCKS and if I do say so myself, we kicked some major ass! It was a great gig for a great cause. Right now, the bands focus is on writing the rest of the new originals. Craig is working with us through his DESTINY BRIDGE program where he takes unsigned acts and works with them to get them signed, management, agents, lawyers. It is a really great program and METAL KNIGHTS are thrilled to be working with him in it. Other bands that have gone through DESTINY BRIDGE are BENEDICTUM and HYDROGEN. He has a pretty good track record, so we know we are in the best hands with Craig. As for release dates, some of out cover stuff will be available on www.metalknightsmusic.com soon. Our original stuff probably after the first of the year.
I would like to mention the other KNIGHTS, KURT KOPPEL on drums, HENRY CHAVARRIA JR. on Lead Guitars, STEVE CASTRO on Lead Guitars, WES MAHAN on Bass and MARK MUNIZ has been helping us out with keyboards which is a new addition to our line up.
Also, our cover of (DON'T FEAR) THE REAPER for the CROSSED movie Soundtrack is doing real well online and you can get it and the whole movie soundtrack for free by going to www.phibble.com
Thank you Robbie for this interview!
Thank you Adriana for taking an interest in METAL KNIGHTS and for dedicating this to the memory of Tawn!
11/12/2007 06:40 AM
RADIOHEAD
E-Magazine dedicated to the memory of Layne Staley & Kurt Cobain
ARTS Publications dedicates the Get Born Again E-Magazine to Layne Staley & Kurt Cobain with the purpose of providing you a variety of subjects related to music, CD reviews, interviews with rock stars & movie celebrities along with articles of general interest and MORE...!In Rainbows
CD Review by Ryan Frank
Songs like “15 Step” and “Bodysnatchers” put such immediately positive energy into the listener that it is hard to keep still. In Rainbows is diverse enough to include songs to slow the spirit, such as “Nude”—a true means of leveling out.
A love for music, peace, energy, and curiosity are all you need to sink into an album so complete. Each song, meant to focus on the complexity of emotion, still provides a clean and minimalist attitude. I don’t suggest stopping the album halfway through; lest you find yourself in emotional withdraw.
These songs were put together for a reason. All have been performed, but never released and it has been a worthwhile wait. A boxed set of In Rainbows, including eight songs not released on the download (a whole ‘nother experience), is set for release in December. This set will be very hard to resist.
In Rainbows is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was first released on October 10, 2007 as a digital download for which users may choose how much to pay and is scheduled to be released on or before December 3, 2007 as a "discbox" with a second CD, two vinyl records, artwork and lyric booklets. In Rainbows will most likely be released as a standard CD in January 2008.
In Rainbows received widespread critical acclaim upon its release, earning a rating of 89 out of 100 on Metacritic. The Guardian's review was especially glowing, stating "it may represent the strongest collection of songs Radiohead have assembled for a decade." The Province's review was also appreciative, claiming that In Rainbows "is Radiohead's most rapturous, touching, and human record since OK Computer." Several reviewers attributed the album's quality to the band's performance in the studio, claiming that the band sounded like they were enjoying themselves. The Hartford Courant called the songs "a skillful mix of instruments and electronic sounds, incorporating elements of all the things Radiohead has done before without sounding exactly like any of them." Many reviewers also commended the album on not being overshadowed by its marketing hype.
However, Dusted Magazine's review was particularly negative, stating "[the songs] mostly seem like the byproduct of jams" and that "jamming doesn't play to [the band's] strengths, which are Yorke's voice and their twisting chord progressions and melodies. Those things are both present on In Rainbows, but they're undercooked..." Tyler Fisher of Sputnikmusic.com also commented that the album lacked a standout track and a climax.
The album artwork for In Rainbows was designed by Stanley Donwood. For the album, Donwood experimented with a photographic etching technique, putting prints into baths with random results. Donwood had originally planned on doing an exploration on suburban life, but quickly realized it didn't fit the album's sound, "It's a sensual record and I wanted to do something more organic." During the recording of the album, Donwood regularly put up images in the studio and on the studio computer, letting the band interact directly and comment on them. Donwood also posted images daily on the band's website, though none of the images were used in the final album artwork. Donwood, describing the album cover, said "it's very colorful - I've finally embraced color! It's a rainbow but it is very toxic, it's more like the sort of one you'd see in a puddle." Just before the digital download release of the album, the band decided not to use the cover. The "discbox" release of the album includes a lyric booklet which contains additional artwork by Donwood.
11/12/2007 05:10 AM
INTERVIEW WITH THE GRAMS...!
E-Magazine dedicated to the memory of Layne Staley & Kurt Cobain
ARTS Publications dedicates the Get Born Again E-Magazine to Layne Staley & Kurt Cobain with the purpose of providing you a variety of subjects related to music, CD reviews, interviews with rock stars & movie celebrities along with articles of general interest and MORE...!
QUESTION: What was the main motivation to join a band and how old were you when the call of becoming a singer knocked on your door?
All the best and take care.
Tone.
11/04/2007 09:55 AM
E-Magazine dedicated to the memory of Layne Staley & Kurt Cobain
ARTS Publications dedicates this E-Magazine to Layne Staley & Kurt Cobain with the purpose of providing you a variety of subjects related to music, CD reviews, interviews with rock stars & movie celebrities along with articles of general interest and MORE...!Layne Staley's soul will remain alive among us while his music, his thoughts, his life and artistic legacy still symbolize a one and only musical piece of art able to break the medieval chains and be born again.
ARTS Publications also remembers our beloved Rock Radio DJ Tawn Mastrey
Veteran Rock Radio DJ Tawn Mastrey died of liver failure due to Hepatitis C October 2, 2007, at the Organ Transplant Center, University of Minnesota while waiting for a liver from a deceived donor to come to her. Tawn inspired musicians and had a very good ear as to what she liked, other people also liked. Bands such as Metallica, Alice Cooper, Megadeath, Guns & Roses, Ronnie Montrose and Sammy Hagar, Scorpions, ACDC, ...the list goes on into literally the 100's, not to forget the early 70's when she began broadcasting and choosing music to play on the turn table, Journey, Starship, The Police, even Devo and The Knack were some of the bands she was a part of promoting through repetition of air play and interviews.
Tawn Mastrey's friend Angela Albee dedicates a poem to her memory
a tribute to Tawn Mastrey
by Angela Albee
Dark rooms shined bright
any time you entered
a smile so sweet and true
an inspiration to those with dreams
A caring touch, a warm embrace
always helping, a heart of gold
a saucy voice, one of a kind
a true friend, hard to find
Your voice in the heavens
echoes in my ears as i write
telling me all will be alright
no more pain, no more pain
Tears fell from dark skies
the moment your breath faded
goddess of rock spread your wings
an angel watches over us today
rocking hard in the light
Angela Albee is a poetry writer with a great background in this field. Among her published titles we recommend the following books: "In The Dark" and "Wedding Bells, Tortured Souls".
"In The Dark" is a collection of dark poems. Twisted dark demons, fearful imagery and demented visions fill the pages of this illustrated book of poetry.
"Wedding Bells, Tortured Souls" takes you inside the mind of newlywed, Amber, whose horrific visions of brutal murders torment her dreams, eating away at her every thought. When the visions start to appear during her waking hours, she confides in her friend, Natalie. Natalie, coincidentally, has been trying to solve the torturous murder of a highschool classmate's murder. As the visions grow more intense and violent, Amber soon discovers a terrible secret and only in death is the truth revealed.
Purchase a signed copy of Angela Albee Poetry Books at: www.myspace.com/darkangela13
10/22/2007 02:04 PM
