We get down with Jonathan Newby to chat about his one man/jam Experimental Blues Rock project JC Autobody. We get into Horror, the Indiana Scene, JC Autobody’s newest release “Witches” and more.
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Category Archives: Music
Moon Tooth & Co. Take Over Lucky 13’s on Friday the 13
It was no ordinary Friday the 13th in Brooklyn, NY as Lucky 13 Saloon warded off evil with a Jason Voorhees marathon in the front and a party with some sentient beings in the back.
The evening started off like any other, two beers at the office. When it seemed like the time, I hopped on the train and went down to Sackett Street – the current location of the metal bar. It used to be on 13th street in the same Park Slope region, but they moved to a bigger, livelier and more saloon type place next to a gas station earlier this year. The trek wasn’t as easy as it should’ve been, but it was my own damned fault. The call of the wild had me take a wrong turn at Albuquerque (a stop too soon) so I had a good 25-30 minute hike before I got to the bar which was just what I needed to break in my new shoes.
A quick chat with Moon Tooth’s guitarist Nick Lee and a few minutes later I was in and thirsty as ever. It wasn’t too long into my beer before I realized the end of Friday the 13th Part V was on. Unfortunately, New Line Cinema didn’t have the decency to quit there (even though this was billed in the title as “The Final Friday,” it wasn’t) and made sequels galore. Some were slightly better, most were worse – and those were yet to come.
I ordered another beer.
Shortly after Moon Tooth arrived and after a few phone calls and interviews Lee and I were meeting for the first time. I ordered the man a brew and we chatted for a bit before he went in to get ready.
I didn’t get around to seeing the first two bands as shortly after the first one started my phone rang. Kevin, a friend I had originally planned to meet at Lucky’s was down the street at The Sackett with two of his buddies. It would’ve been nice to catch the full show since the first band (either Beast Modulus or In the Presence of Wolves) had a great sound.
Down at The Sackett I was introduced to Kevin’s associates Richard and Henry. Two beers, a shot and an empanada later they proceeded to tell one of the best Mardi Gras stories this side of the Verrazano. I was starting to feel woozy so I grabbed a burger from Bonnie’s Grill and ran back to Lucky’s to catch the rest of the show as time was growing short before the Tooth would hit the stage. Inside I ordered another cold one and caught the last couple of songs from Valence, but not before some blonde gave me a glow stick (why she had an abundance of them I’ll never know).
This most if not all progressive metal band was incredible. Their playing was tight and the sound had Dream Theater elements but was not oversaturated with John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy worship – which is a very good thing. Valence was not a clone of any kind as they had the right balance of influences and originality sprinkled in. Their lead guitarist did not only play keyboards as well, but was using an Agile – one of the cheapest and most underrated guitar brands around. You can get really quality stuff from them without breaking the bank at the custom shop.
As Valence ended I complimented them on their musicanship and gave the lead guitarist a Bonesaw card. We chatted briefly about doing a podcast so there’s a possibility on the horizon.
Dead Empires took the stage and it was interesting to say the least. There were some progressive elements but there was more of an industrial feel to their sound. They were almost like a fusion of early Nine Inch Nails and Ministry with some Prog/Death Metal thrown in. One interesting factor is that the bass player was one of the driving forces of their sound as his rig was massive. Dead Empires also brought with them a big show/rave vibe with their custom lighting. When their set was up, I did some more schmoozing and shameless plugs with them so we’ll see where that goes as well.
Up next were the big guns, Moon Tooth.
While very friendly and down to earth in person, these guys are professionally trained killers on stage. Not only do Moon Tooth have the energy of a young Bad Brains, but they can keep the audience in the palm of their hands from start to finish. Singer John Carbone is a maniac that never stays in the same place twice. The man is possessed when it’s go time and on this particular day, he probably was. Carbone was throwing himself on and off the stage like a rag doll, tying audience members in tape and at one point playing drums while on the shoulders of actual drummer Ray Marte – who didn’t skip a beat all night as bassist Vincent Romanelli laid back and stayed in the pocket like a boss.
Lee on the other hand, is another animal altogether. Like Carbone, he’s a ball of energy. Unlike Carbone, he tends to stay on the stage – but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t use every quadrant of it. Lee seamlessly plays guitar (this night he was using a Reverend Sensei) while jumping off cabinets, kicking whatever inanimate object is the closest and trying to get on top of the club itself.
Moon Tooth is not just another band from Long Island, Moon Tooth is performance art.
The Tooth played what seemed like a good hour filled with catchy tunes from their Freaks EP as well as a bunch of new tracks from their debut album set to be released early next year with a celebratory show at fellow metal bar Saint Vitus in February. Some highlights were Freak’s “Ebb/Flow,” a new song called “Bats in the Attic” and a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic Depression” that hadn’t been seen since Carnivore’s version on 1987’s “Retaliation.”
As the night came to a close we said our goodbyes, I picked up a shirt from Carbone and that was that. At around 3:30 A.M., I crawled into bed after a train ride I’m not sure how I had gone on there was one thought that still lingers.
“That was a fucking show.”
Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Ozzy Era Black Sabbath Halloween Tribute Show Haunts Brian’s Backyard BBQ
A party went on this Halloween at Montgomery, NY restaurant Brian’s Backyard BBQ. This (free) party included a costume contest, an outside haunted house and three tribute bands covering Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden classics.
Normally I don’t go out of my way to see cover bands but a free show with tributes to three of metal’s greats only five minutes away was something I just couldn’t pass up.
After a party with co-workers I picked up an older metalhead, my buddy Jay and his friend. After a short car ride consisting of jokes about Danzig making a Christmas album we got to the venue for some great music.
British Steel
First up was the Priest cover band British Steel. My friend Branden and I went close to the stage when it was their time to get on. We were joined by several people including a drunken old woman.
After the band started their set with one of Priests newer songs “Dragonaut,” they then went into classics such as “Nightcrawler,” “Painkiller,” “Breaking the Law” and “Metal Gods.”
What impressed me the most was when they played “Free Wheel Burning.” I’ve seen Priest twice and they didn’t play it either time.
While not as good as Priest (obviously), the band did a good job playing the songs and was able to get the crowd going.
Never Say Die
Next up were Never Say Die – an Ozzy era Black Sabbath tribute.
Though the band was called “Never Say Die,” they didn’t play any songs from that album (thankfully). Instead, they opted for a mix of deep cuts and hits.
I was glad I got to hear some of my Ozzy era favorites such as “Wicked World,” “Snowblind,” “N.I.B” and “Children of the Grave.” The crowd was pleased with “War Pigs” and “Paranoid” (yet no “Iron Man”).
The crowd was a little more drunk than at this point, with drunk old ladies grabbing Branden (not making this up).
The band sounded great and I was glad that the singer didn’t fully try to copy Ozzy. Since I’ll be seeing the real Sabbath in February, lets see which band has the better set list.
Sanctuary
The final band of the night was the Iron Maiden tribute Sanctuary.
They played “Caught Somewhere in Time,” “Flash of the Blade” and “Flight of Icarus” before the band took a break for the costume contest.
While I felt the hot girl dressed as a dragon ninja was the best, somehow an old lady dressed as a banana won. After the contest Sanctuary went back to playing.
They played many more greats such as “Powerslave,” the new single “Speed of Light,” “Phantom of the Opera” and “Wrathchild.”
Sanctuary did such an awesome job covering Maiden’s songs to the point where if you were blindfolded you’d think it was the real deal. The singer would even talk to the audience in a British accent and acted like Bruce Dickinson on stage.
It was starting to get late and I had work the next day so I didn’t stay for the whole thing. I did however, stay long enough for my favorite Maiden song “Hallowed Be Thy” name which sounded epic.
Trailer Feedback: 007 – Spectre
In just a few short hours we get what may very well be Daniel Craig’s James Bond swansong.
At first glance, Spectre seems like your average 007 flick. Everyone’s favorite British spy has to save the world from a deranged lunatic (Christoph Waltz), get the girl (Monica Bellucci) and grab a few swigs of the old reliable (shaken, not stirred).
But that would be too easy.
Walt’z character Oberhauser is not just a simple villain, but the head of the evil organization the film’s title bears. Throw in Hinx (former WWE champion and Guardians of the Galaxy’s Drax Dave Bautista), and you’ve got one of the most intimidating henchmen Bond has ever faced. This time around, Bond will not just be on her majesty’s secret service – he’s going to be taking down an entire entity with him.
While it may not be as good as its predecessor Skyfall, Spectre still looks like a contender to be another great Bond film. If this is in fact the final Craig Bond film, let’s hope he goes out with a bang Ian Fleming would approve of.
Bonesaw Podcast – Episode 22: Superjoint’s Jimmy Bower
We got the chance to sit down with Jimmy Bower from Superjoint, Down and Eyehategod during the New York City date of Danzig’s “Blackest of the Black” tour and had a ball!
Bower talks about Superjoint’s reformation and plans, the joys of fatherhood, which guitar company he’d like to be endorsed by and a whole lot more in this awesome podcast.
Exinfernum: The Band From Hell
New Jersey has never been a stranger to metal.
Classic bands such as Danzig, Overkill, Ripping Corpse, Whiplash and Symphony X have all come from there. The state still has its fair share of greats today including newcomers Exinfernum. In this interview, members James and Vinny talk about the band as well as some other fun topics.
How would you describe your band’s sound?
Vinny: The way I see it, we take inspiration from different forms of dark music. This includes black metal, darker death metal bands and old goth music – it all inspires us. The only term I think can describe our band is dark metal.
James: Essentially we just play really dark metal music and some of it verges on death or black metal. Metal-Archives.com even calls us blackened death metal. The sub-genre of metal we play isn’t as important to us as it would be for other bands. Really, we are just looking to make some dark, heavy music
Why did you choose the name Exinfernum and what does it mean?
Vinny: The name means “from Hell” in Latin. I was sitting in the dark one day, writing riffs and the name just hit me out of nowhere. It seemed to be a perfect fit for the music I was writing. It was also one of the few cool sounding names that wasn’t really taken.
I understand you used to be the old-school death metal band Gorematory. What made you decide to change to this new style and was it hard at first?
Vinny: Originally, Gorematory split up in November 2011 after opening for Entombed. We tried to bring the band back a few times but it didn’t work out. We decided to change the bands style. Since we went in such a new direction, the name (Gorematory) didn’t fit anymore. Our lyrics went from being gore and horror themed to more dark and spiritual. Due to these changes we put Gorematory to bed and Exinfernum was born.
James: We had alot of bad luck with the band. We started to feel the name Gorematory was cursed. This was around late 2014. We decided we were going to start 2015 with a clean slate. I also felt our style grew a little.
Vinny: To this day I am still a very big horror fan, but I needed to write about more things that are personal to me. At that point I started getting more into the left hand path.I started reading a lot more books and looking into different things. What I wanted to do was say these things but in a form of music. I guess you can say it’s something that feels more natural and personal to us. It’s more real then what Gorematory was.
Any new releases on the horizon? If so can you tell us about them.
Vinny: For the rest of this year we will continue to promote our album “The Gutting of God.” In the middle of next year we are going to start working on our second full length.
James: We have some rough song ideas (maybe around four). Cereberus, our drummer is also working on a few. Some might not make it to the next album but whenever we feel like writing we write stuff. Nothing we wrote is really concrete at the moment.
How do you feel about the state of black metal today? Do you feel the original idea of black metal is gone or do you think it just took other forms?
Vinny: I personally feel metal needs to evolve to survive, this includes black metal. As much as I like the classic bands such as Darkthrone, Carpathian Forest, Gorgoroth and Dissection; in order for the music to continue it needs to evolve. Don’t get me wrong, I love bands that are throwbacks to the old style but it still needs to evolve.
James: My opinion is a little similar to his. I feel black metal fans today take themselves and the music way too fucking seriously. I think a lot of black metal bands get too into the ideology and the image and forget it’s fucking music.
Vinny: To me, ideology and music go hand in hand.
Bonesaw Podcast: Episode 21: Mick Mayer from Sonic Pulse
Our guest at this time is Mick Mayer from Adventure Metal band (who’s last release bears the same title) Sonic Pulse. Mick and Chris shoot the breeze on touring, music, comic books and more – including Sonic Pulse’s upcoming album “Vs. The Internet” and why they band covers the “Adventure Time” theme song.
Cannibal Corpse and Cattle Decapitation at The Chance Theater – 10/16/2015
Cannibal Corpse and Cattle Decapitation are two bands I always make the effort to see when they come around. When a show was announced featuring both bands at a venue near me, I had no excuse not to go.
I went to pick up my buddy Jay (aka Keyboards) and we were off. After a ride that consisted of getting stuck in traffic and blasting Vomitory and early Samael, we arrived at “The Chance Theater” in Poughkeepsie, NY and bought our tickets from Will of Necroptic Engorgement. Many friends were at the show (including people I had no idea liked death metal) and Jason Keyser from Origin.
Necroptic Engorgement
First up were local favorites Necroptic Engorgment. I’ve seen these guys open for many bands including Macabre, Dying Fetus, the previous time seeing Cannibal Corpse as well as previous times seeing Cattle Decapitation. They’re always fun and this time was no exception. They played greats such as “Born in the Morgue” and “Blow Torch Castration” as well as a new song called “Sandpaper Masturbation” (which is now one of my new favorites).
Soreption
Out of the four bands, this was the only one I hadn’t seen before. I had never heard of this band before this tour was announced, but Jay’s friend Ralph told us they were “brutally good.”
Soreption is a Swedish technical death metal band. They were really heavy and had an awesome performance. Most modern tech-death bands tend to be forgettable song writers but this band was an exception as their songs tended to have more variety and didn’t sound too similar at all.
Cattle Decapitation
I had seen these death-grind legends at the buildings upper venue “The Loft” two months ago with tech-death greats Beyond Creation. I was worried of their set here not being as good as that one since they weren’t headlining. The band ended up topping that set due to better sound. As always, their set was very energetic mostly due to Travis Ryan’s incredible stage presence.
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse were the band that got me into death metal. Though I’ve explored the genre since then and found many hidden gems (such as Timeghoul), Cannibal is still a band I love.
What I noticed was their set was mostly later songs (except for “Stripped, Raped and Strangled”). I didn’t mind this as I enjoy all eras of the band, but there’s always the purists that only want the old material. Towards the end of the set they included more Chris Barnes era songs such as “I Cum Blood,” Skull Full of Maggots” and of course, “Hammer Smashed Face.”
The crowd was wild, the band had tons of energy with George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher twirling every chance he got as well as singing in a Broadway-esque voice between songs (not making this up). After the show, Jay and I got pics with his friends Ralph and Candy and we headed home after yet another kick-ass Cannibal Corpse show. This is my third time seeing both Corpse and Cattle but I know it wont be my last.
Band of the Week: Frank Zappa
Arguably one of music’s most unique personalities, Frank Zappa was an extremely talented soul who’s bizarre vision and insane work ethic still impacts people to this day.
Born December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, MD, Zappa was the eldest of four children. His father Francis was a chemist and mathematician who worked at a chemical plant relatively close to the home. This led not only to exposure to mustard gas and gas masks being stored in the home, but Zappa developing a fear and fascination of germs – a subject that would constantly appear in his lyrics (among other strange things). Zappa was also sick throughout most of his childhood.
Zappa was also very much pushed towards religion at an early age by his parents, another topic that Zappa would satirize in his musical career very often (for example, “Heavenly Bank Account”). Zappa was not a fan of any religion because he felt it promotes ignorance and anti-intellectualism.
It was during his High School years that Zappa would start to express interest in music. First playing drums before eventually learning guitar and a myriad of other instruments over the course of his life. By his senior year, Zappa would start composing and arranging avant-garde pieces for his school orchestra. He would attend college in 1959 but left after one semester and held a disdain for the public and higher education system to a degree where he would take his own children out of school at age 15 and refused to pay for college.
The 1960’s would be interesting years for Zappa as he would not only marry both of his wives (the brief Kathryn J. “Kay” Sherman and lifelong Adelaide Gail Sloatman), but also begin his music career writing and producing before fully launching it with The Mothers of Invention and their 1966 debut “Freak Out!” before disbanding The Mothers of Invention for the first time.
They would reunite the following year with Zappa dropping “of Invention” from their name.
The 70’s would bring Zappa more into his own as he dabbled in filmmaking with “200 Motels” and released several solo LP’s such as 1970’s “Weasels Ripped My Flesh,” 1974’s “Apostrophe” (which included the single “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow”) and all three parts of “Joe’s Garage” – Zappa’s 1979 rock opera about an adolescent man that forms a rock band, gives all his money to religion, has sexual relations with machines and is driven to insanity when he wakes up from a coma to discover a world where the government has banned all music.
It should be noted that Zappa was notorious for never drinking or taking drugs.
Zappa would continue to raise eyebrows with his strange and humorous lyrics coupled with complex song arrangements in the 80’s and would discover a young guitarist by the name of Steve Vai. During this decade Zappa would reach the peak of his popularity, releasing some of his most famous works such as the “Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar” trilogy, “You Are What You Is” and the first three of his series of live albums “You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore.”
This is just scratching the surface of how much music the man released over his 30 year career.
Zappa would release music into the 90’s, creating classical arrangements of his works as well as composing new pieces with the German chamber ensemble, Ensemble Modern. They would perform his works at the 1992 Frankfurt Festival (Zappa was one of four composers whose works were chosen. The other three were John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Alexander Knaifel). Other performances were scheduled in Los Angeles, but Zappa was only able to appear at two due to health issues. On December 4, 1993, Zappa died of prostate cancer – a condition he was diagnosed with in 1990. He was 52 years old. In 1995, Zappa was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 1997 he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award.
Zappa is survived by his four children Moon, Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva, who are all employed within the music and entertainment industries. Dweezil is also an accomplished musician and honors his fathers legacy by playing his songs in concerts known as “Zappa Plays Zappa.”
Throughout his career, Zappa released over 60 albums. The amount of music Zappa recorded is unknown as albums continue to to be released to this day, the last being “Dance Me This” which was released on June 12. He is consistently ranked in Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest” lists.
Bonesaw Podcast: Episode 20 – The Unravelling’s Steve Moore
In a long-overdue return host Chris Butera sits down with The Unravelling’s Steve Moore to talk about his music, Moore’s battle with Cancer, and The Unravelling’s new album “Tear a Hole in the Collective Vision” (available at theunravelling.bandcamp.com).
The Bonesaw 