For Immediate Release 2 IN THE CHEST CD Release Party. March 2nd 2019

Dust Bowl Metal Show Fest review by That Metal Station Nov. 2016

TMS Concert Reviews – Dust Bowl Metal Festival – Day One (Scottsdale, AZ) Posted on November 8, 2016 Author Walter Greggs
DUST BOWL METAL SHOW Home Page

 The Reverend Black Jack McBride DJ of the Dust Bowl Meal Show

                Recently, That Metal Station had the pleasure of attending the first annual Dust Bowl Metal Festival. Hosted at Pranksters Too in Scottsdale, the show was brought to life by local scene driven and multi-talented Rich Ornelas (a.k.a Rev. Black Jack McBride) and would mark many first experiences in my journey into the AZ music scene. First time attending a show at Pranksters Too, this is a fantastic venue and I look forward to many more shows here. First time attending one of The Reverends well organized shows, Rich Ornelas did a fantastic job putting this together; there was a crowd forming during sound check and stayed throughout the entirety of the night. Most importantly it would mark the first collaboration with That Metal Station’s newest family member, photo artist Trevor Ronde of Expand your Mind Photography. Trevor joins me in this interview style retrospective of the Dust Bowl Metal Festival Day One.

Joe, Forest and Jeff of Ashes Of The Dead 

Walter: Welcome to That Metal Station Trevor.

Trevor: Thanks a lot Walter for having me.

Walter: So we're here to talk about the awesome night that was Dust Bowl Metal Festival Day One. This was a first for both of us attending a show at Pranksters Too. You were there when I arrived already enjoying the atmosphere and feeling the place out. Tell me, what were your first impressions of the venue?

Trevor: I am pretty sure right when I opened up the doors to the actual venue part, I said out loud "Damn this place is huge!” It is just a very open venue with amazing lights and a really cool sound system.
I will definitely be hitting up a lot more shows there.

Walter: I agree Pranksters Too might very well become my new favorite in the Scottsdale area. The venue is very accommodating to the needs of the patron. My first thought was, "damn this place sounds great" very clean, and the atmosphere was just right for this sort of metal show.
Trevor: Absolutely and the employees were extremely nice and professional as well.

Walter: Service was top notch, plus the place had so much to offer in the way of entertainment. The separate hall allowed the people who were there for the show to enjoy the music without mingling with the patrons who weren't there for the show itself.

Kevin of Mersa 

Trevor: And those patrons also didn't have to be forced into paying for the show if they only wanted to drink. Definitely a cool place! Next time, I need to try their food because it smelled damn good!

Walter: I grabbed a few French fries from DJ Deff Jeff, they were legit. Pranksters Too has everything you need and some.
Let's get into the show though. I think we were both impressed with the venue, lighting was good on your end for photos, and sound was good on my end for observing the music.
The night opened with the latest line up of Ashes of the Dead, they are finally settling in to their new line up. How was the experience for you on your end?

Trevor: I think Ashes of the Dead has found the members that they have been looking for. All four of them really clicked on stage and all sounded great together. I really look forward to seeing them progress as a band and creating the music they were destined to make.

Walter: They did a wonderful job opening the show, a perfect mix of hard ass metal without blowing the crowds mind; they really set the stage for the night ahead.

Trevor: Oh definitely! They set the tone for the rest of the bands and got the crowd really pumped.

Reverend Black Jack McBride of 2 In The Chest 

Walter: Speaking of the crowd, what did you think of the early turnout? I felt there was a great showing before the festival even started.

Trevor: It was great to see people showing up before the show even starts. You don't get that very often these days. Those dudes definitely earned some new fans that night.

Walter: Absolutely! It would be insane for us to go through the line-up band for band. Tell me a little about some of your personal highlights of the night?

Trevor: 2 In the Chest will always be a highlight at any show that I attend. They are just a topnotch band from the music to the visuals they bring. Dead Swarm is another highlight for me. Those guys can shred!

Walter: This was another first for me, I love their music and I love the theatrics. With that being said, if I had to pick a favorite from the night it would be 2 in the chest for entertainment value alone.
Those guys are amazing live, and the music really drives you too bang your head.

Trevor: I am with you there. They bring the whole package to the stage. If you are not moving somehow during their set, you must not have a heartbeat. Haha.

Walter: And he (Rich Ornelas) includes his family in the set, it has a wholesome vibe. You can't help but smile watching his daughter dance on stage in full garb and even taking center stage introducing their next song at times.

Trevor: I loved that he has his daughter up there dancing and being a part of the show. It was adorable to watch for sure.
And damn straight I used the word adorable! Hahaha.

Jeremy of Dead Swarm 

Walter: Let's talk about Dead Swarm. They just recently went through a line-up change of their own, introducing Kyle Cockson to lead guitar and Javad Beg on drums. Both musicians learned the set within a month of the show. What did you think of their performance?

Trevor: That's crazy! I didn't realize that they learned the whole set in a month. Their performance did not show me that they had that little amount of time. They both kicked ass!! Kyle was rocking out like he owned that stage and Javad beat those drums like they hit on his girlfriend. I think with the addition of those two, Dead Swarm is going to destroy the Arizona metal scene.

Walter: Anybody that knows Javad knows he is a machine on the kit; I interrupted a conversation with Javad and the drummer from Season of Suffering one time when they were geeking out on their kit set-up. I asked about drum triggers and how they work, needless to say I was out of my league asking the question. I might as well been discussing quantum theory.
Out of all the bands that night, I would have to say Dead Swarm had the sexiest instruments.

Trevor: Hahaha I am drumming illiterate so I feel you on that.
I think we need a drum-off between Javad of Dead Swarm and Forest from Ashes of the Dead. Everybody watching wins in that one.
Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with you on the sexiest instruments. Hahaha Rick Fowler's bass is one bad ass looking machine!

Walter: I would like to see a collaboration drum album with guest artist featuring, Javad and Forest on drums. Nothing but local guest, it would be insane.

Trevor: That would be amazing!

Erik, John and Jeramey of Malicious Melodies   

Walter:  So let's be real. Were there any disappointing factors of the night?

Trevor: I would have loved to have seen even more people at the show. It was heavily promoted by everyone involved; I just think there were tons of shows going on that night.

Walter:  Yes I agree, the turnout was great but the venue was large. I think it's very difficult to plan a show here due to the fact; you have no idea what other big show might be added to the weekend.

Trevor: I completely agree! Other than that, I was very happy with how the show turned out. Everyone seemed to be having a hell of a time and it showed the unity that is within our metal scene.

Walter:  Well it was a great night of local Arizona metal my friend. The camaraderie was present, and if I had one compliant about the show, it would be missing some of the acts that night because we were all involved in some great conversations. The scene was alive that night, and everyone was in a very social mood.

Trevor: I couldn't have said it better myself! Haha.

Walter: Next Friday, Nov, 11th will be Day Two of the dust Bowl Metal fest, what do you think of the two day/two weekend format? Will you be there next weekend?

Trevor: I really like the idea. A lot of people are unable to do 2 days in a row for concerts and this way there is a better chance to bring in people for both nights. I am definitely going to try my best to make it out for round 2 next Friday!

Walter: Awesome man. Is there anything you'd like to add before we wrap it up?

Trevor: I just wanted to give a HUGE thanks to Rich from the Dust Bowl Metal Show for setting up an amazing night of music and for showing what it means to be a true supporter of the AZ metal scene.

Walter: Damn straight, Rich has been a driving force in the AZ metal scene for years. On top of being a really cool metal head, he is focused on promoting our local scene. A scene I have just had the pleasure of discovering over the past year now, I have to say thank you to the Rev. Black Jack McBride. You're an inspiration to all of us, from the fans to the bands. Thank you sir

Trevor: True that!!

Norm of Sick Black Automatic 

Walter: Trevor, It was a blast hanging out with you and working together for the first time last Friday. You took some amazing photos, and it was awesome. Where else can we find you on the internet?

Trevor: It was a lot of fun working with you Walter!! You can find me on my website parabolmindmedia.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ExpandYourMindPhoto and soon to have my Instagram fully running.

Walter: Awesome man, until next time my friend.

Trevor: Hell yes!! Thanks for having me today! I look forward to going to tons more shows with you in the future.

            The entire night was a combination of the best elements of what Arizona metal truly is; it was as organized as any large national touring festival would be, it had the elements of a house party regarding the social atmosphere, the bands were all professional, the venue was extremely accommodating, and there were zero issues. The scene was alive and it was all thanks to Rich Ornelas, thank you so much my metal brethren for the killer night. The lineup was crazy good, if your band wasn’t mentioned in this retrospective never fear, we want to promote your endeavor here at That Metal Station. Please feel free to hit me up on my Facebook page Walter’s Wall of Woe and drop me a line. Trevor and I will be attending shows across the Valley of the Sun weekly, we would be happy to make arrangements for interview, photo, and show review opportunities here in the land we love. Until next time metal heads, keep it brutal.

SPINNAKER LOUNGE In Modesto California Screwed over 3 Arizona Metal Bands.

MALICIOUS MELODIES  BRACE4IMPACT  2 IN THE CHEST

Bullhead City & Modesto California December 9^th and 10^th 2016

A few weeks ago all three bands got together and set up a little weekend mini tour. Malicious Melodies and Brace4Impact had a show planned after the bullhead city show in Modesto California a couple months ago. At this time 2 IN THE CHEST could not do the show because of a prior engagement in Tucson Arizona. We that show fell through and the drummer for Malicious Melodies could not make either show in Bullhead City or Modesto, so Velvet De blonko from 2 IN THE CHEST was asked if she could sit in for these two shows and of course if anyone knows her she stepped up because that’s what Arizona bands do, they stick together because we are one big family. So because of this situation and the fact that a band dropped off at the Modesto California show 2 IN THE CHEST was added to the bill in Modesto California. 

December 9^th 2016

After some conversation between Malicious Melodies and 2 IN THECHEST. We all decided to wagon train it to Bullhead City for the first show. When we arrived everything was looking good.    Malicious Melodies Fired up their set and hammered out an incredible performance giving Riviera Roadhouse Some killer Hard Rock n Roll. John AKA Charles Manson, Singer for Mal. Mel through the crowd in to an explosive frenzy and after only 4 rehearsals Velvet Pulled off an incredible performance. The sound was really good in that little bar with Erik Dennis and Jeremy carrying the awesome tones with guitars and bass. Making this performance one of the best I have ever seen. Little Sammy the Dust Bowl Metal Show Princes was part of this incredible performance as well holding the tempo high and tight with her little tambourine and singing with the band made for a great all-around performance for Mal. Mel. The bar staff was incredible to all of us. Sammy being only 8 and the bass player for 2 IN THE CHEST and his girlfriend only 18, they were very accommodating to us and that was a breath of fresh air. I was pumped to say the least I could not wait to get on stage. But it was not time for that. 

Now is the time for Brace4Impact to hit the stage with their aggressive style of hard core brutal metal. With their 8 string guitars the powerful low tones of the meal was to say the least very; very cool. And the new bass player holding down the even lower tones made for one killer set for these beasts of metal. The cool thing about this little mini tour is that all the bands used the same gear making it easier and faster for the transition this gave each band a longer set in turn giving the crowd total entertainment or the entire night.

Next up  2 IN THE CHEST that small town was not ready for this. As soon as the band started performing every camera in the house started recording and taking pictures. I don’t think they have ever seen a performance like this before in their little town. And that made for a very fun environment for 2 IN THE CHEST and of Course; Sammy AKA Mary Ela O Sullivan Stole the show with her bad self. 

Ok the night was done it was time to get to the hotels and try to get some sleep for the long drive to Modesto California.

Arriving and setting up the hotel rooms was the first thing we all did. We all met at the venue in just about the time for the show to begin. Brace4Impact showed up again with all the gear and we got with the promoter and got the underage people all set up with their red x on their hands and started loading in and setting up, as 2 IN THE CHEST  was the first band to perform this night. The promoter even had a BBQ grill out back grilling burgers and dogs for all the bands. it was looking to be a great night of music for our little mini tour. 

I Dropped Rachel and Sammy in the back and drove around front to unload the gear because with all the rain, it made it a huge lake out back and we could not load in from there. As I pulled around front to unload the guitars and stage gear the Bartender locked the back door Leaving Rachel and Sammy out back. Now the only way for them to get into the venue; was to walk all the way around this very long strip mall. So to complete this task they had to wade in knee deep water to do that, (Not very cool to say the least) Rachel Being Legally Blind and Sammy only 8 years old making it waist deep for her, 51 degrees outside and they were soaking wet Freezing, pretty much set the tone for the night with Rachel, She was furious. 

OK after calming Rachel down from that, we continue to set up the gear. Then I get a phone call from Erik From Mal. Mel saying the Bar tender will not let Sammy and Carter (Mary Ela & Scotty Six Gun) into the venue to perform. We all knew they would not be able to stay in there as that’s how things work. Bands with under age people have to wait outside until it’s time to perform then when it’s time to perform they do the set and then have to leave right away. We knew this was the case. But this bar tender would not even let them in at all.  

The thing is 2 IN THE CHEST would not have driven 12 hours to a show if they could not perform. After I talked to the Bar Tender, John from malicious Melodies talked to her and Tao from brace4impact talked to her the story was still the same, she was a total bitch and did not give two shits about anything or anyone but her selfless pride. 

When the rest of the band members from Malicious Melodies and Brace4Impact heard this, everyone was pissed. So the only answer to this was the same for all bands, we all stick together and if 2 IN  THE CHEST is not allowed to perform then we do not perform either. SPINNAKER LOUNGE  https://www.facebook.com/The-Spinnaker-Lounge-230901263772551/?fref=ts    SEND IN YOUR YELP REVIEW AS WELL screwed the wrong person over. They not only screwed 2 IN THE CHEST  they screwed Malicious Melodies & Brace4Impact. That’s three Arizona metal bands. 

Well after we loaded up all the gear and took off, we all met at the hotel and partied it up for the rest of the night and headed out on the 12 hour trek back home in the morning.

The DUST BOWL METAL SHOW is asking all you meat bags to go to their page and give them the worse rating you can and show that evil bitch that you do not screw Arizona bands.

DUST BOWL Metal Review October 14th 2016

DUST BOWL METAL SHOW

Metal Review 10/14/2016 

Reverend Black Jack McBride

Fighting the Phoenix from Canon City, Colorado 

Members:

Chris King | Lead Vocals

Zach Snyder | Guitar | Vocals

Kyle Snyder | Drums

Kyle Parker | Bass

Austin Parks | Guitar

Headed out for a night of metal tonight and holy son of a motherless Chicken!

I showed up kind of early, well it was early for me. Most know I have an extreme autistic child and it’s hard to pull away from the house in time to catch all the bands.

 Good news is the local EXISTENCE AD I have seen several times so I did not feel too bad about that. Crippled ninja was up next and let me tell you these guys have a really killer style of metal. It totally stands out from a great deal of the local bands. I have seen them several times and I enjoy them every time and that goes without saying. If you have not checked them out, they are definitely worth the ticket to get in for sure. I absolutely love these guys.

I am always interested in supporting the touring bands because in this day and age the music scene sucks the hairy berries, and makes it very hard to at minimum make enough to at least get to the next show. Most people do not understand this. Locals should always buy a CD or a shirt or donate some cash to then bands. They work really hard on tour. It’s not easy doing this, everything costs money,

and when you have 5 members, that means 5 mouths to feed at minimum twice a day. So that alone equates to 100.00 dollars then you have the gas and lodging because most don’t tour on a big bus where that’s available to them. So at minimum you have 2 rooms and as many as 3 because I don’t know too many grown men if they are not same sex savy, that are going to sleep in the same bed with each other. So this equates to 225.00 for one night. I can go on with numbers, but I think you get the idea. So when you are at a show, please! Buy their merchandise and help them get through their tour.

Now the first touring act was a band of course I have never heard of, “FIGHTING THE PHOENIX” I am going to say right off the bat these guys are national material point blank. FIGHTING THE PHOENIX brings to the table a standard that some of our local talent really needs to adhere to. There are no words that I can say in this review that will give these guys the true props they deserve. They hail from Canon City, Colorado. I talk about this all the time. When you get on stage to perform you either bring it or you don’t and these guys brought it and left it all on stage. They have an incredible stage performance. Although you know some of it is choreographed it does not look rehearsed at all, It looked completely natural. They all know where everyone was at all times and every member in that band was explosive with their movements and delivery of their parts to this amazing performance. Another thing I say all the time is, when I go to a show I go to SEE a performance not just hear it. “If I wanted to hear music I would pop in a CD” Steve Lee Xpansion Theory.

 

This is totally true; and I am sure everyone can relate to this. So many times I go to shows that the bands look like they don’t even want to be there. FIGHTING THE PHOENIX gets 2 full horns \m/ \m/ for their amazing performance. Check them out of Facebook at your earliest conveyance; it is worth your time.

The DUST BOWL METAL SHOW will be spinning their entire record in the air raid hour on Thursday October 20^th 2016 Show in most cases start at 6:00pm. Tune in at http://dustbowlmetalshow.com  Click the listen live tab.

Paralys From Rock Springs, WY  

David Siegel-Vocals

Jason Dreher-Guitars

Adam Fitzgerald-Drums

Mike Metz-Bass

Matt Cutting-Guitars

The last band of the evening was a killer band from. Wyoming These guys were fun as heck. I did some live feed for them that night. Very powerful band, full of infectious grooves, and one hell of a lead guitar player. At times his fingers were moving so fast I think time stopped lol. But seriously I would love to share the stage with any of the bands on the bill this night. Colorado and Rock Springs, WY should be proud of these guys. 
http://dustbowlmetalshow.com Click the listen live tab.
They came to Arizona and brought down the 

house. Great job guys. PARALYS gets 2 and ¾ horns. I know it’s kinda  dumb but they had no bass player. Godda have a bass player to get 2 full horns. But know this, you got 2 full horns even if you didn’t. killer show guys and thanks for the CD I will spin it in the air raid hour on Thursday October 27

Local Metal Review EMPIRE OF DEZIRE

DUST BOWL METAL SHOW

Local Metal Review: EMPIRE OF DEZIRE

By Reverend Black Jack McBride: Guitar Player Singer in 2 IN THE CHEST

09/02/2016

First off I ended up getting a late start tonight because I had so much to do Thursday night and Friday, that I did not even get to bed until about 2pm. then I had to get up take care of some things around the house and get to a show at Pranksters Too. Well I missed the first two bands and that was a real bummer, but I did get to check out your # 1 DUST BOWL METAL SHOW metal band of the month. “EMPIRE OF DEZIRE” and let me tell you what, I have seen these guys several times, and man oh man they have sure kicked up their game a few notches.

As soon as I rolled up in the parking lot I heard them playing and Tulins voice is something you cannot mistake. She brings to the metal scene a completely different element, an element that this scene really needs. We have so very many awesome bands in Arizona, and some of them just get up on stage and play music, don’t get me wrong; most of them have some kick ass music. But to me going to show is much, much more than just hearing music. I go to a show to not only hear the show but to see the show and I think that’s the feeling of many other patrons of the local music scene.

 Some don’t know this but not only am I in a local band DJ of this radio show graphic designer ECT. I am also a consultant. I talk to many bands about how to better their performance. And it’s usually done on a hush hush basis.

Making your live performance the best it can be, can be the difference between failing at a show or winning new fans and becoming successful in your endeavors as a live performer. Now in saying this live performance to me is one of the most important avenues to becoming someone favorite band. Having friends is awesome they come to your shows and even if you suck they blow smoke up your arse and say you kicked ass. What a band needs is to build a dedicated audience through their awesome performances on stage.

Today’s music is saturated with so, so very many bands. And some of them are incredibly good. But they are missing a key element to take them to the next level, and that element is their performance on stage.

Now getting back to the "EMPIRE OF DEZIRE" performance.

As I have said before I have seen these guys several times. Tonight something was different about these guys. They have become a powerhouse in this scene and it’s because they bring more to that stage then just music. They bring a live performance that you can not only hear and see; but you can feel it. I stood there watching their entire set mesmerized by each and every movement they made, each and every note that was played, and each and every vocal line that was sung. These guys have perfected there Brand exponentially. And I mean that from all that is within me as a person.

I go to so many shows, and see so many amazing bands, and there are those that just stand out for many different reasons. “EMPIRE OF DEZIRE” brings to the stage all; the elements needed to pull off an incredible performance. I really can’t say any more about these guys then I already have. This was a land mark performance from them. If you can get my attention, and keep me captivated the entire set; you have something going. You have something special. I am not an easy guy to mesmerize either. So “EMPIRE OF DEZIRE” gets 2 full metal horns. \m/(‘,’)\m/ YOU GUYS KILLED IT. Thank you for allowing me to attend your amazing performance.

Dust Bowl Metal Show Local review 08/12/2016

DUST BOWL METAL SHOW
HOME

Dust Bowl Metal Review 08/12/2016

Well I did not plan on going anywhere this weekend because I am tied up with shooting videos for my band and getting things done for the radio show as well as getting ready for

Dime Fest at Joes Grotto Saturday the 20^th It’s is a rare sighting for 2 IN THE CHEST because we usually stay underground during the summers because of the heat. Anyway I received a phone call from a very dear friend stating he had access to some tickets to a show that was being held at the Marquee Theater.  When I found out who, I became very excited, maybe a little too; excited to say the least. The band I am referring to is STRYPER. I haven't seen these guys perform sense 1989 and lemme tell you it was awesome.

But let’s step back a little bit. The entire show was amazing I missed the first band. I thought the show started at 8:00 pm, well apparently it did not. So I missed the first act. I did however make the second act and so on. The band that was loading on stage was an instrumental band. HANDS & FEET.

I am not too interested in instrumental bands because I am so used to listening to someone sing when I go to a show. 

But all that aside, these guys are very, very good. 
It is a three piece band and the bass player has a Jaco Pastorius vibe with his sound and I like that a lot. Very well versed on his playing style great stage presents and you can tell this guy has been playing for a while.

The guitar player and style of playing is in the vein of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. And to pull riffs off like these guys, you have to be very good and let me tell you this guy has some great finger work. The music was very catchy as well. The siinger has a charisma about him as well. You were just drawn to his charismatic vibe. 
The drummer well that guy is just cool. He was very prepared and very tight with his chops, as well as a great visual performance. HAND & FEET get 1 and 2/3 horns <\m/ \m> because I’m a jerk and really don’t care for bands without a singer. But as I said these guys rocked the house at the marquee for sure and yes I would go see them again. They are very entertaining. 

Next up was a band that donated to the dust bowl metal show and I haven't been able to see them yet, until this night. COLOR OF CHAOS Now these guys are a power house 80's style metal band with incredible stage presents too. 

You can tell these guys have played a few shows together and I mean a few shows. Very good band of musicians.

Although I am really not into that type of metal anymore, it still lays strong on my heart because it’s great music when metal music had singers. And in the words of Mr. Michael Sweet of Stryper, in the 80s there were some pretty guys. Lol he is right some of them looked better than the chicks did. 
 Well anyway the singer is a crazy man on stage taking control of the crowd like no one’s business. The bass player stands about 100 feet tall, naaa just kidding.  A tall guy for sure. He plays a Thunderbird bass, and in my book, that’s is awesome. Great sound on the bass. The guitar player was phenomenal to say the least. Very good chops and the music as I said, has an 80s flair to it, and it’s really cool. They look great on stage they performed very well and the crowd really loved them.  COLOR OF CHAOS  gets 1 and 2/3 <\m/\m> Metal Horns. Because they are just freaking entertaining bam! Period

The next band was one I came to check out. STRYPER what can you say about these guys? I seen these guys at a place called the Pride Pavilion way, way back in 1989-90 it was back when they were wearing their yellow and black outfits and to me that’s what really stuck out with these guys to me. Well besides the really good music that is. 

Michael has been around the block a few times I mean wow! And he is still rocking the stage with the likes of George Lynch, and many, many other bands. Just type his name into google click videos and you will see some of his work. This band if some of you don’t know, is an icon in the Christian community. 

They were, and still are the super metal band from back in the day. But the cool thing about these guys is they are still writing music together and still touring. OZ fox, really; do I need to say anymore, this guy is amazing with his guitar. Michael as well. Robert Sweet on the drums, this guy is a maniac. Some of you don’t know but he started out playing guitar, but he ended up on the drums I’m sure we are all glad he did. He is a mad beast back there on them skins. Oh and let’s not forget the cool bass player. Tim Gaines this guy just looks cool. He owns that bass and they are all great singers too. This show was darn near a full house at the marquee. When they started I immediately went into oh my gosh mode. I mean these guys were spot on. They have not lost it. In fact; they are just as pro as it gets. STRYPER  wow! Man the stage show was very good these guys know what they’re doing because they have been doing it for 30 plus years. The only thing that bothered me was the same thing that bothered me with kiss. When Kiss unmasked I became disinterested in them, because their concept was what I grew up loving. 

When STRYPER came out in regular stage attire you know, the cool black metal clothing I was kind of bummed. The good news is, they are coming back in about a month or so and they are going to do the entire record TO HELL WITH THE DEVIL and they will be doing it in their old black and yellow outfits. Now I don’t think anyone is going to stop me from going to this show, and that’s for sure. They get 4 dust devils because they were not wearing their killer clothes. Sad face.

On a side note I was a bit upset at one of the security guards. This guy must not know what kind of show he was doing security for because, he some kind of a God complex or something. Let's just say he had a very crappy attitude 1. And 2 when Michael Sweet was throwing out picks to the crowd, one landed just on the other side of the cattle wall. And this guy about 60 years old or so went just on the other side of this cattle wall to get the pick, and this security guard all but tackled him like a freakin NFL football player. This is an older gentleman, he merely wanted the pick Michael threw out. This is not the worst part. 


That mean son of gun went over picked up the guitar pick, mind you, I have been watching the whole thing. He picked up this guitar pick and I thought he was going to hand it to this older guy after all he just slammed the poor old dude. No that would be doing something nice, this guy threw the pick deeper into the crowd leaving the older gentleman standing there with a, what the heck just happened look on his face. 


STRYPER was performing so it was very hard to hear anyone talk in the building but I walked over to that security guy and just lipped...

“THAT WAS BAD MAN, THAT WAS JUST BAD WOW!”  And he gave me a screw you look and went back to being a jerk at side stage. (TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WORK THERE OR KNOW WHO WORKS THERE HE WAS THE GUY ON STAGE LEFT). Ya, a room full of Christians, like they are going to cause trouble. Whatever, this guy was just being a jerk. 


Let me elaborate just a bit. Back in 1992 my band ScapeGoat performed at a festival called Cornerstone Fest in Bushnell Illinois, and there were like 9 thousand Christians there. Do you know how many cops? ZERO  that’s right ZERO. This guy could have been courteous and walked over to the guy and asked him to step back and he would get the pick for him. But no he had to practically tackle him like a freakin football player and then not give the guy the pick after doing it. This guy really needs to take a chill pill. If a person it that type of position does not know how to read people then they should not be in that position. If he had the skill he would have seen what was going on and maybe, just maybe he would have been a little nicer to the older gentleman, because he would have understood why he was on that side of the cattle wall. He was not lunging at the players on stage. Anyone with half a grain could have seen that but no not this clueless guy. It was just down right pitiful.  

Anyway that’s the review for Friday august 12^th 2016

Reverend Black Jack McBride.   

Metal Review 07/29-30/2016

DUSTBOWL METAL SHOW

Local metal review for 07/29-31/2016

Friday July 29th

Some of you know I own a small business, and this comes with its advantages and disadvantages, that’s for sure. The advantages are I don’t have some goofy over rated want to be hovering over my shoulder watching my every move. Disadvantages are the companies that don’t like to pay for services rendered. Anyway my point here is, if I don’t get paid by these clowns I don’t have the money to get out and support the local scene by doing what the dust bowl metal show does.

Anyway we did get out on this weekend not as much as I wanted because of the lack of gas in the vehicle. Friday night I grabbed my dust bowl metal show princes and we headed out to Joe’s Grotto to pick up the tickets for DIME FEST that my band 2 IN THE CHEST has to sell. It is a 50/50 split I definitely don’t think this is fair at all. But it is what it is. Tickets only cost about 15 cents each to make if that. On bulk orders you save even more. Custom ones cost a bit more but again it is what it is.

So anyway Sammy and I arrived to be greeted at the door with Kim from 13^th FLOOR ENTERTAINMENT.

She lets us in right away. I did not know but this was an all ages event and little Sammy was stoked to be able to see some metal bands. We showed up a bit late for the locals but we did not even plan on staying anyway because as I mentioned, we went there to pick up tickets and that’s it.

So we get in and there is a band, from what I was told, was added to the tour at the last minute. They were a band called FINAL DRIVE 

never heard of them before. I believe they are from St. Louis Missouri. These guys were really tight they know their tunes. 

I was talking to the drummer after the show and he told me they have been off tour for a while and they are a bit rusty as this was their first show in a while. Well you definitely couldn’t tell because they were really good audibly and visually, they performed as a professional band big time. 

Sammy had to go to the bathroom so she was not getting into them as much as I was. They have some great music there is no doubt and the delivery of that music was fantastic. No to much in the way of original but very, very good none the less. These guys get \m/ \m 1 and 2/3 metal horns. Because they are freaking pro.

Next up was the headliner for this show. We were getting ready to head out but Kim said that I should really stay to see these guys. From the sister state of California ALL HAIL THE YETI

was the name of this band and I am glad we did. 

Sammy was blown away with these guys. She absolutely loved them. Both the guitar player and bass player sung backups and more. They both had great voices that added to this amazing line up of awesome musicians. 

People really need to get out to these events! A great deal of these bands from here in Arizona, and around the US are really very, very good. This band was top notch. Sammy could not stop moving her feet and banging her head. She really loved these guys. I have no choice but to give these guys the full 2 metal horns.  \m/ \m/ if the dust bowl metal show princes can’t stop moving her feet then that’s a double Horner.

Saturday July 30^th

This day was a bit of a disappointment until I made my way to the BAER’S DEN in Tempe Az. The first stop was Club Red there was supposed to be a huge free show well from what I was told a tour bus broke down, a guitar player in one of the bands lost part of his finger at his day job. Another band lost a drummer because he quit right before the tour started. And another was on tour and did a show in their home state. When they found out what happened to all the other bands they just stayed home.

So by the time I got there the first of 2 bands had already performed and the headliner was loading in. DREAMING AWAKE

a metal band with a black singer is always a good start, as you do not see too many in the scene.

This guy was good; he had great crowd appeal for sure. 

The bass player had a great set of pipes and was trading off vocals with the main singer. Not much on the stage presents department but he did alright.  It started off really good but something puzzled me… The drummer did not know the songs very well. This begs the question 1. They don’t practice enough or 2. He is a sit in drummer. In any case, when the songs did get going, because there was a few flub ups getting them started correctly, he nailed them very well. From what I heard this is a very good drummer and knows his kit for sure.

The guitar player and singer were the focal points in this line up until the bass player started singing then all eyes were on him. As I said he has a great set of pipes. The music was not really fresh it’s been done by 100s of other bands but the delivery of their music was good and the songs were catchy for sure. 

Other than the screw ups on the starts of the songs and maybe timing issues on the ends of them, this band has something really good going for them. I was entertained for sure. So DREAMING AWAKE gets 1 and 1/3 metal horns \m/ \ great job guys, I really want to see another show from you. If you are in the Tucson area and have not seen them yet, you need to make it a point to do that. They are very good.

Well off to the BAER’S DEN when I arrived at this event talk about a freakin warm welcome every band was right there to show the dust bowl metal show some full on metal love. Because of the first stop at club red I missed the first couple bands and that was a bummer. BUTTONFACE MEATCLEAVER AMPUTATION

was the ones I missed. I have seen BUTTONFACE a couple times, so I know they kick ass. I’m going to have to make it a point to get to MEATCLEAVER AMPUTATION soon.

The band that was loading on stage was one have seen before and they do not need an introduction but here it is anyway. DIRT OVER LIME

these guys have some killer music, very catchy and in your face pure freakin metal baby. They all have the stage presents needed to pull off a killer live show. I do want to mention that the venue is not a very big one, in fact it’s a freakin dive bar type. But damn if the sound wasn’t amazing all night thanks to the killer sound guy from CLUB RED PAUL BENSON also the Vocalist of UNHOLY MONARCH

it was hot humid night and because the bar was so small Adam the bass player was standing pretty much right next to where I was sitting. And when he started rolling that head of long ass hair in a windmill motion it was quite pleasant lol it was like an air conditioner was blowing full blast. Thanks Adam for the air. Lol the guitar player and drummer OMG these guys are incredible. When you can hear every note delivered the way it was meant to be delivered its pure awesomeness. The singer was a crazy man like always. Love that guy. Great job 

DIRT OVER LIME 2 metal horns for you guys on this show. \m/ \m/

Next up was a band I have never seen live I spin their music all the time on the Radio show so it was a breath of fresh air hearing some of the music that is spun on the show. DEAD SWARM 

these guys got the freakin hooks music is damn catchy. Lots of groove to it. Great snarling low end growls that are very powerful for sure. Was nothing but pleased to see and hear this amazing band. The presents was there as well but we had one drunk Indian there that was showing everyone some metal love. And he was in the way of the band half the time so I did not get to see much of the drummer but this kid gots the chops fo sho. A beast on the skins would be putting it lightly. Love this band. 

DEAD SWARM you get 2 full horns on this show. \m/ \m/

Next up was a band that I just seen a couple short weeks ago. AVARICE

these guys OMG they are one fun metal band. The music is spot on and the comical relief they deliver within their music is very entertaining. I really like these guys. Great stage presents and great delivery of the music. Again I have to commend the sound man. Everything was spot on. When they toss around the inflatable turd you can’t help but join in the festivities. They do this for the fart song. I really do love these guys. Fun fun fun. Well this closes out the evening and what a great time we had. The fans and bands were all phenomenal. Thank you all for your love and dedication the metal scene. AVARICE gets 2 full metal horns for this performance. \m/ \m/ 

DUST BOWL METAL SHOW Review 07/22/2016

DUST BOWL METAL SHOW

Local Metal Review for July 22^nd 2016

THE HALL AT PRANKSTERS TOO

After finding out this show was happening I gave Scott Rowe of ALL IN A ROWE PRODUCTIONS a shout and asked if I could attend the event and like always let me in without hesitation. Thank you Scott, for your dedication to the local Arizona music scene, you are a true local legend, with your ALICE COOPER TRIBUTE SHOW and the DUST BOWL METAL SHOW has nothing but love and respect for you.

Upon arriving at the show I was greeted at the door by Scott and I arrived a bit too late to see the first band perform. 6 GRIT sorry about that guys did my best. We will catch you on another one really soon.

The band that was loading in was one I have seen a couple times before it’s a band call MERSA.

They have a Metallica feel to their style or old school metal with a twist of 80s metal flare not too much though. They have some great original music. This is information gathered from the audience; the way it was described to me was,

“If they really want to do covers; That is all well and good, but if you do not nail the covers as they were originally done by the band that wrote them, or really close, then it’s probably a good idea not to do them.”

I think they had an off night at pranksters because nothing was going smooth at all on that stage. The bass sound according to a member of the crowd,

“The bass was obnoxiously loud, and the tone was annoying.”

KEVIN HUGHES was spot on like always showing pure professionalism. When you have to do as much as he does on that stage to pull off a great show, you can have nothing but love and respect for him. The second guitar player was very good; great leads, and great sound, but he looked bored as heck on stage, it was the same for the bass player. (Audience member)

“It looked as if they really did not want to be there. The drummer looked like he was having a hard time hearing other members of the band in his monitors. This may account for all the mess ups.”

“All in all I was not impressed by their performance on this show.” So; many things went wrong, and they did not look like they were having a good time up there at all. It was a complete struggle. We at the Dust bowl metal show love you guys and we hope the next one is better for you. This performance gets (\m ) 2/3 metal horn. Because Keven Hughes, was awesome on that stage.

Next up was ADDICT3D

a band I have never had the opportunity to see and I guess tonight was as good a night as any. OK they jumped on that stage like they owned the place, and took complete control over the crowd. With style and finesse, their set was an explosion of total badassery. The singer HECTOR CAMACHO had such charisma about him, that the crowd had no choice but to be totally captivated by it.  He is also a guitar player, and played it very well. Great sound and I don’t know what kind of guitar it was, but it looked very, very cool. Audience member said,

“Damn these guys got it going on they have some very catchy tunes.”

A band that keeps my eyes on them the whole show, gets 1  2/3 metal horns. ( \m/ \m ) a couple of the other members could work on their stage performance a little more.

Next up was STAREN BLACK

I have on so many occasions wanted to see their performance but something was always in the way of that. It was either my band was playing or I have another engagement to attend. It was always something. That night was the night, and what a night it was, frank is a really cool brother and I would have to say that the band was spot on. But, and yes there is a but. People are always drawn to the ones that are performing as well as playing on that stage. When I go to a show I want to not only hear great music I want to see a show. This quote came from an audience member.

“If I wanted to just hear music I would go to my car and pop in a CD. I want to see a show as well as hear it, and these guys are giving me the whole enchilada.”

There you have it folks. Practicing your music is job one, but practicing your stage performance is job two.

FRANK stage left, and BONES the vocalist as well as the drummer DAVE SCHAD were the focal point during this performance. Bones is a very good front man and the attention the crowd gave him on this night was amazing. Not to say the other members weren’t performing it’s just that the majority of the action was coming from these three members. Now what makes this performance absolutely amazing is that the drummers back was all messed up. He was limping around the venue with his back all crooked and you could tell he was in a great deal of pain. This man got on that stage killed it on the drums and not once did he stop playing. The drums were spot on with every song. The bass player ROD REASNER could stand there and do nothing and he would still be a bad ass. The second guitar player BRUCE MENCHEN has some crazy killer chops not too much on the stage action department but with 5 members on stage there really isn’t much room to go ballistic. Needless to say, these guys have an infectious sound very powerful and defined.

This band has played a few shows you can definitely tell. I go to many performances and see many, many bands. This band has their shite together. I was very entertained the entire set. STAREN BLACK Gets 1 2/3 metal horns (\m/ \m ) because they came that night to destroy that stage and destroy that stage they did.