Maryland rock band VEER is releasing their own version of “Pet Sematary” by The Ramones, and it will drop Wednesday, October 30th, just in time for Halloween. It’s really well done and I know fans of VEER will be pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. The song will no doubt be added to lots of Halloween playlists, including mine.
VEER is from Annapolis, Maryland and was formed in 2016. The members include: Ronald Malfi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar); Jon Malfi (drums); Ryan Fowler (lead guitar, backing vocals); and Christian Mathis (bass guitar). The band members all grew up together and had played in different bands with each other over the years. At some point they went their separate ways to pursue other projects, but eventually they “VEERed” back together to form this project. Hence, the band name VEER. This is Jon’s version of the story of the beginning of VEER, and he admits the other band members might have slightly different stories, but for the most part this is accurate.
“Pet Sematary” was originally written and recorded by punk rock band The Ramones for inclusion in the 1989 Stephen King movie adaptation of his novel of the same name. Why did VEER decide to do their own version of “Pet Sematary”? In 2019 they did a big Halloween show for the release of their EP Shut Up And Breathe. They decided to add a cover song to their set, and they wanted it to be Halloween-themed. As most people know, Ronald is a well-known author, and they are big fans of horror movies and Stephen King, so “Pet Sematary” seemed perfect.
It wasn’t until this year that they decided to actually record their own remake of “Pet Sematary”. Every time they would play the song live, fans would ask them if they were planning on releasing it, and now it’s happening!
Since this is, believe it or not, my first time writing about a remake of a song, I wanted to find out how a band puts something like this together. Jon shares that the process for working on a remake is pretty much the same they use when writing their own original music. Everyone comes in with ideas of how they feel certain parts should be, and they piece it all together until it flows the way they want it to. Because VEER is made up of four equal parts, when you hear the final version, you know that each band member put their touch on it before it was released to the world.
The VEER version of “Pet Sematary” was produced by Steve Wright, and is licensed by Warner Music. I really enjoyed this version of the song. It pays tribute to the original, but with a modern, hard rock, “VEER twist”. It’s not really punk rock, which I believe is fine, because VEER is not a punk band and it wouldn’t make sense to try to do the song that way. One of the things I really like about VEER’s version of this song is that it’s more fast-paced than the original. I know fans will really enjoy this remake!
VEER is a band that is well-known for unique and fun merchandise. They take pride in coming up with new items that help get the VEER brand out there. In honor of the release of VEER’s rendition of “Pet Sematary”, the band has released a pre-order link for a limited-edition vinyl of the song, along with a bunch of additional merchandise. For $30, you get the single on vinyl, a CD version, an 8-inch zombie hand sticker, a signed 6×6 flat, and the band’s official trading card (#5 in the series). The package can be pre-ordered on the band’s website at veerband.net/store. The merch pre-order ends October 31st, so make sure to act now!
As Ron Malfi says, “Unlike the Stephen King story itself, once these packages are gone, they WON’T be coming back from the dead.”
Speaking of unique band merch, VEER released their very own VEER BEER back in the summer, collaborating with Mitch Hull from Rapture Brewing of Oklahoma. Mitch is a big fan of Ronald’s writing, and became a fan of the band as well, and approached them with the idea for the beer. Mitch is awesome and produces great beer, and they hope to work with him again on a future project. As beer lovers, my boyfriend and I ordered VEER BEER to be delivered to our home, and we really enjoyed this Astronaut Amber Lager! The 32-ounce crowler comes with a signed 6×10 beer label, a special guitar pick, and a sticker. You can still order the beer by emailing rapturebrewing@gmail.com and telling them you want some VEER BEER!
VEER has one more remake they’ll be dropping before the end of 2024, and they think a lot of people will be surprised about that one. They are working on new original music for their next album, also. As always, they are brainstorming new merch ideas, and there will be new show announcements coming. Recently, it was announced that VEER would be performing at the Rock On The Hill Music Festival Saturday, June 7th, 2025 in Hanover, Pennsylvania. They have been at this festival in the past, and are a fan favorite. I’m hoping to be there to see them myself!
Baltimore hard rock band CARBONSTONE has been through some changes this year, but something that has not changed is that this band produces excellent songs and videos. The music of CARBONSTONE is a combination of catchy guitar riffs and passionate vocals that transport listeners into the depths of their souls. The new single, “Echoes”, which was released October 26th, 2024, is the latest in the musical stories this band creates. The music video for the song is one of the best I’ve seen from CARBONSTONE, and I think the song is possibly my new favorite by this hard-working group of musicians.
CARBONSTONE members include: Corey James – vocals and guitars; Josh Provencio – guitars; Eric Dee – bass ; Ted Hile – drums; Steve Junkins – guitars; and, of course, the fan favorite, “Frankie Carbonstone” – the Nightmare Hype Bear. In a recent interview CARBONSTONE did with Kirk and Marianne of radio station 98 Rock Baltimore, Corey told the story of the band’s name. Originally he had come up with the name “Carved In Stone”. But when he told some friends at a party, they thought he was saying “Carbonstone”. Corey actually thought that was badass, so he ran with it.
“Echoes” was written totally by Corey, with producer Tony Correlli of Deep End Studio adding electronic elements. Tony is someone that Corey works with on almost all of CARBONSTONE’S music. He is extremely talented, and he and Corey work very well together as a team. Tony is a former member of the band, so he naturally gets what Corey is thinking and helps bring to life an amazing final product.
The beginning of “Echoes” starts out with a haunting melody, which leads into a chunky guitar riff. It’s one of those songs that makes you bop your head the whole time because the beat is so catchy. Corey’s singing has some harder vocals mixed in throughout the track. His emotions are definitely on display in “Echoes”, and force listeners to ponder their own inner demons and figure out how to battle them.
Like all of CARBONSTONE’s songs, Corey writes from the darkest parts of himself, which is relatable to the listeners because they know they’re not alone in things they are dealing with in their own lives. Regarding “Echoes”, he shares that the song “is about heavily reflecting and looking back at fucked up, tragic events in life – which I call ‘Echoes’ – that ultimately shape us into who we are. Failed dreams, goals, and aspirations, relationships gone bad, substance abuse, and so on. The hook of the song in the chorus is basically about just giving in and submitting to everything, since it’s the only alternative to facing oneself alone.” Corey admits that it’s all from a crazy dark place. In my humble opinion, “Echoes” is the best CARBONSTONE song I’ve heard since I stated following the band in early 2021. It’s definitely getting added to many of my playlists and shared on all of my socials and with my friends in DMs.
The video was filmed and edited by Pink Elefants Media, and the setting was a historic cemetery. I think it’s ironic how dark and creepy it is despite being shot during the day. Corey says they would have loved to do it at night, but it just didn’t work out. The video is perfect nevertheless.
Corey came up with the initial concept for the location based on some of the lyrics, notably “Bury me underground, I’ll lie with you”. That line literally screamed “cemetery” to him. He wanted to use ghosts to help convey the dark imagery and build off that. Corey’s wife, Chrystal James, who is the lead singer of ANOXIA and also created the art for the single, came up with the idea of the red phantom necromancer character, which she portrays. Corey says he died his hair red for the video so it would coincide and complement her red attire. He says he was thinking of the movie “The Sixth Sense”. Of course Frankie Carbonstone plays a prominent role in the video, adding to the creepy factor.
I found it ironic that Corey, who usually wears mostly black, is wearing all white in the music video, and I asked him about that. He told me that since ghosts were the main theme for the video, it seemed right for him to kind of join them as one by wearing white. The main idea was to have him be represented as a ghost walking amongst the dead.
It seems to me that Corey is always working on ideas for new music. It’s like he constantly has a song or parts of a song in his head, and when he has an inspiration he jumps right in so he doesn’t miss the opportunity. Corey says as soon as he writes a cool riff, he’ll record it on his phone, or if crazy lyrics come to mind he’ll type them up in his notes so he doesn’t lose them. Modern technology is a great thing for musicians, because, as Corey does, you can literally demo music on a phone.
Something very cool that happened for CARBONSTONE the last couple of months was being one of the featured artists of Bring Your Own Band (“BYOB”) on radio station 98 Rock Baltimore. The band did an interview at the studio with hosts Kirk and Marianne, as well as performed some of their hits in the studio. It was all filmed and is available online. I’ll include some video clips below. The radio station played CARBONSTONE songs weekly, including the premiere of “Echoes” at the end of September.
I asked Corey about getting hooked up with 98 Rock, and he said they were absolutely honored to be selected, and having them do the premiere of “Echoes” made it even cooler. They have been friends with the 98 Rock team for many years, and the band would perform at radio station events “back in the day” when Stash and Matt Davis were with the station. Corey says those were great times!
Back in May, CARBONSTONE joined forces with Extreme Management Group and Senior Artist Manager Damien Mitchell. Earlier this year, the band was nominated for the Best Heavy Metal Band at the 2024 Maryland Music Awards.
To continue the awesome 2024 that CARBONSTONE has been having, Corey recently announced that in November he will be heading to the West Coast to track vocals for a song with one of his musical idols. Then, he shared that the band was offered two separate deals by two different record labels. Can life be any better for CARBONSTONE right now? I’d say probably not.
There will be a full-length album coming from CARBONSTONE in 2025 called The Absence Of Self. Corey says this is shaping up to be what he believes is some of the best material he’s ever written. He also shares that there will be some “pretty killer guests” appearing on the album.
You can catch CARBONSTONE live with Silvertung, The OddEven, and Absent Habits at Cult Classic Brewing Company in Stevensville, Maryland Saturday, January 25th, 2025. That is the only future show that has been announced as of now, but there will for sure be more exciting things to come.
I have had the pleasure of seeing CARBONSTONE perform several times, and I must say that if you have the opportunity to see them, do not miss it. They bring the energy and fire to the stage and the audience responds and rocks out with the band. Chrystal will come out and sing several songs with Corey, which is always magical and the fans love it. Frankie is on stage with the band the whole time, sometimes just jamming to the music and other times filming on his phone to share live on Facebook. Corey and Chrystal are two of the kindest and most caring people I know. They take the time to talk to their fans, take selfies with them, and genuinely enjoy themselves at shows. They are easy to talk to and make their fans feel like family. I truly believe they look forward to seeing us as much as we do to seeing them. I’m proud to be a part of the CARBONSTONE and ANOXIA family!
Gulf Coast metal band SevVven recently reached a milestone, releasing a full-length album called Don’t Panic. This band, which is a part of Ms. Pepper Gomez’s Wake Up! Music Rocks record label as well as booking and management agency Full Circle Entertainment, has worked very hard on the album and is so proud of how it turned out. It’s a collection of 13 songs that showcase the clean and hard vocals along with the mix of heavy yet melodic music this band is known for.
Before getting into my review of the album, I’d like to share some background on the band. SevVven’s members include: Josh Valdivieso (lead vocals); Ant Jones (guitar); Jessie Hoda (guitar); Chris “Katt” Lee (drums); and Jody Linnell (bass). The band literally started out on the internet in 2020. At the time, Josh was living in Kansas City, Missouri and Ant was in Lafayette, Louisiana. They connected on a website called BandLab, where Josh recorded vocals over a song that Ant posted. Eventually, Josh moved down South so they could be closer to one another and really “do the band thing”.
Ant JonesJosh Valdivieso
Jessie Hoda joined in spring of 2022, getting connected through the band’s former drummer. Ironically, it was Jessie who found the current SevVven drummer, Katt Lee, who joined in July 2022. They knew each other through Katt’s former band, and when that broke up, Katt was a perfect fit to fill SevVven’s drummer vacancy. Finally, rounding out the awesome lineup is bassist Jody Linnell, who joined in November 2023. Jody is the founding member and guitarist of another popular Louisiana metal band, Transient. Not only is Jody a great friend to the members of SevVven, but he’s also a very talented musician, which made him a fantastic addition.
Jessie Hoda
Katt Lee
Jody Linnell
Both Ant and Josh were kind enough to answer questions I had about SevVven and Don’t Panic. One thing I was interested in knowing was the story behind the band name, SevVven. Ant told me the band had three founding members originally: Joey C on drums, Josh on vocals, and Ant on instrumentals. Each “V” represented each member of the band in the beginning. Unfortunately, life got in the way for Joey, and he had to bow out of the band, but they kept the spelling the same.
The process of creating SevVven’s music is a collaborative effort that the whole band is involved in. Ant writes the instrumentation and sends it to the rest of the band to give their input and add whatever they want to the tracks. Jessie Hoda adds what Ant called some “spice” here and there. Katt Lee also contributes to the drum parts. Josh writes the lyrics. Jessie and Josh sometimes come up with melodies together, or Josh records a scratch vocal and sends it to the band’s group chat. Ant said that, considering the locations of the band members are now spread apart from Louisiana to Texas, creating music together is really a “neat” process.
The majority of the lyrics for SevVven’s songs are written by Josh, with Jessie and producer Myles Clayborne also contributing. Josh records lyrics over the music that gets sent to the group and asks for everyone’s input. He and Jessie work on the melodies and lyrics together, or Josh comes up with it on his own. Ant used “Awakened” as an example. He said when Josh sent the band his rough take on that song, Ant was blown away by the melody of the vocals. He said it was perfect and fit together so well with the song. They actually pushed the release of that song ahead of other tracks they were working on for the album because it’s so great.
The legendary Ted Jensen of Sterling Sound was the Mastering Engineer for the song “Don’t Panic”, while Myles Clayborne of Vigilante Productions did the mixing for that song as well as all the mixing and mastering for the rest of the tracks on the Don’t Panic album. Jessie Hoda “kicked it up a notch”, as Ant said, adding his touches to the final tracks. They gave Myles a lot of “free rein” so he could add elements to the tracks that he thought would work, and Ant said he did a fantastic job.
The making of the album was a total team effort by the entire band. They all contributed to every aspect of the project, both musically and beyond. This also includes their entire team, Myles and Ted, Wake Up! Music Rocks, and Full Circle Entertainment. Ant shared that it’s so nice to finally have the finished product completed so they can start scheduling shows around it and get ready to do some runs in 2025. From what the band started out as, just him and Josh connecting on the internet, to what it has evolved into now, including the talented lineup as well as the maturation of their music, it is incredible and rewarding.
I asked Josh about his process for writing song lyrics. He told me Ant creates the title from what he feels when he’s writing the music. Josh listens to the track with the title in mind and starts writing. There’s been a rare case where he changed the title but most of the time he kept the title Ant gave the song. Josh told me he writes about past events he’s lived through. His lyrics are based on a lot of sadness and struggles, but projected in a way that listeners who are going through the same things can understand and know they’re not alone. Josh says he is a huge advocate for mental health and he wants everyone to believe there is a light at the end of whatever tunnel they’re in.
There are so many great songs on the Don’t Panic album it was hard to choose which ones to highlight for this article. I asked Josh for insight on the ones I decided to include.
“Don’t Panic” Josh says he watched the docuseries “Chernobyl” on Max and he absolutely loved it. The craziness people endured from that event was so ridiculous to the point that he felt compelled to write a song about it. He wrote and recorded lyrics for the song, but then Myles Clayborne reworked it to the point that Josh had to rewrite everything, and Josh believes it turned out much better than the first version.
“Do Not Resuscitate” Josh said he doesn’t think anyone would guess the story behind this song. He had a bird named Blue who was very precious, and Josh loved him very much. After owning him for a short period of time he had to put Blue down due to an accident, and it was really depressing. Josh is a huge lover of all kinds of animals and Blue’s passing made him very sad A few days after he passed away, Josh wrote the lyrics for “Do Not Resuscitate” with Blue in mind. Josh acknowledged that, much like all of SevVven’s songs, this one can mean different things to listeners, which is why he loves writing music – everyone can get their own interpretation from the songs that will hopefully help them with whatever they’re going through.
“Sea Of Regrets” This song is about being a prisoner in your own mind and always having self-doubt. Josh admitted he struggled a lot in his twenties with negative self-talk and depression, and he knows others have suffered or are suffering from this as well. This song is a way for him to let everyone know that they are not alone and that there is someone out there who understands their struggles.
“Where Do I Go” Josh wrote this song about feeling lost and hopeless about where you’re at in your life. He himself has felt lost at times throughout his life, but he never gave up. He knows it can feel impossible when you’re going through it, but he said he’s living proof that it WILL get better and you shouldn’t ever give up.
“Enter The Unknown” Josh shared that he went through a divorce back in 2021 after being with his ex-wife since 2007. Being alone after being with someone for that long can be scary and daunting. The title is based on just that – trying to move on to the next chapter of life and but not actually knowing what the next step should be.
“Mother” Josh said that as soon as he listened to the instrumentals for this track, he knew exactly where he wanted to take it. That doesn’t happen too often, but when it does it’s truly magical for him because the emotions he feels in his soul get recorded exactly the way he wants them to. This song is specifically about his mother, Brenda, and how he watched her go through many struggles while she raised her children. He is extremely close to his mom and is very grateful for everything she’s done for him, so this song was a way to say thank you. Having Brenda in the music video was a very beautiful experience for both of them, and Josh could not have been happier with how it came out.
“Wasteland” This is a song about knowing what’s best for yourself and not becoming a victim of someone who will try to bring you down. It’s easy to be blinded by someone due to love or friendship, but you need to make sure to always trust your gut.
“Addicted” This song is about being stuck in a rut and not being able to get out of it. Negative self-talk, depression, and self-doubt all contribute to being stuck to the point that you become addicted to the pain and the “woe is me” mentality.
Ant admitted to me that completing the album was definitely a difficult process. He said he’s a very impatient person, and it felt like finishing the album took FOREVER. But in reality, it only took about a year. Between the band members’ schedules and Myles’ commitments to his own bands and producing, it was hard at times to get together to work on things and get them done. They stuck with it despite the obstacles, though, and hearing the finished product now, it makes Ant so proud of what the band as a whole as well as individually has accomplished. Completing this album is an item on his “bucket list” that he is so glad to have checked it off.
Also, the band was just added to the lineup of The Sound 228Winter Storm festival Saturday, November 16th, at The Juke Joint in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. They will be part of an awesome lineup which also includes Post Profit, Messer, New Dilemma, and THEM GUYS.
“Don’t Panic” Full Album Track Listing Don’t Panic Awakened Do Not Resuscitate Cannibals Sea Of Regrets Cold Where Do I Go Enter The Unknown Mother Paint The Sky Shed Your Skin Wasteland Addicted
What do you get when very talented musicians and vocalists who were previously in separate bands combine to form a new one? You get magic. That’s the word that I chose to describe the new metalcore band KVRMA. Based on the three songs they have released so far, this band is off to a spectacular start and they have a very bright future ahead.
KVRMA originated in Central Pennsylvania, but the band members are spread out over Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The members include: Jackson Gurecki (vocals); A.J. Lopez (guitar), Michael Nelson (vocals and guitar); Tyler Travis (bass); and Kyle Wilkinson (drums).
Being involved with the music industry for the last several years, I’ve witnessed bands start and end. I’ve witnessed good and bad things happen with bands. But no matter what, the music must go on. Sometimes, change can be positive and lead to something incredible. The members of KVRMA were in previous projects and have come together to form a band that, in my opinion, could make a big impact not only regionally, but also nationally.
The basic history of KVRMA is that A.J. had left his previous band and had a song he had written. He was planning on reaching out to Jack about it, but, ironically, Jack hit him up first. A.J. and Tyler knew Jack and Mike from their previous bands playing shows together. They even admit that they all had secretly wanted to create and play music together because they were so impressed with each other’s talent. Kyle came into the mix because he knew one of Jack’s former bandmates. It pays to have friends in the industry, and when you find out your friends have similar styles and interests, why not join forces and make amazing music together?
Lyrics of KVRMA songs are written by Jack. The music is a collaborative effort. Often it will start with a guitar riff of A.J.’s that snowballs into a full song. All members of the band contribute in the song creation process. There is no gatekeeping. Producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland of Atrium Audio have played a big role in helping to get KVRMA off the ground. They’ve been involved in all three of the band’s first songs and there is no doubt it’s been a great collaboration.
Before I highlight KVRMA’s newest song, “The Dream You Made”, I want to talk a little about the band’s first two singles. Their debut release, “Silence”, was a fantastic start for KVRMA. It includes Jack’s stellar vocal range and Mike’s emphatic screams, and the complex interweaving of the guitars and bass combine perfectly with the thunderous drums. The second single, “Eye Of The Angel”, starts out a little softer, but the intensity picks up in the chorus. This song incorporates electronic elements along with the masterful guitars, bass, and drums, and there are hard vocals in the bridge.
The third and most recent single, “The Dream You Made”, opens with a haunting intro that leads to a heavy guitar riff, then transitions into rap-style vocals by Jack. He and Mike both sing and do hard vocals on this song. “The Dream You Made” showcases so many different aspects of this talented band. I can’t wait to hear future releases from KVRMA! Their expertise and creativity will no doubt lead to more awesome songs. They’ve definitely become one of my favorite bands! I find myself listening to their music often in my car or at the gym.
I asked Jack about “The Dream You Made”, and he shared with me that it’s an anthem for victims of gaslighting. There is a line in the song that is especially meaningful: “You seem so ordinary yet you’ve burdened everybody except yourself.”
This is based on a personal experience of Jack’s when an abusive partner said something along those lines to him regarding his autism. The band is very proud that they were able to take this destructive experience and turn it into something that they hope will validate many people who hear the song.
The music video for “The Dream You Made” was produced by Jon Sambrick. Jack told me it was meant to be a fusion of two different ideas that he and A.J. had, but due to time constraints, neither one fully came to fruition. Jack said Jon was “a beast” editing what they were able to film, and the band was really happy with the final product he put together. The video is dark, which fits the theme of the song. Both the song and video have elements of retro wave and analog horror. The band members are already thinking of how they can use the original concept they had for the video for a future project.
I watched an interview KVRMA did on The Sound 228 podcast. You can tell how happy these guys are to have connected with each other to form this band. They are enjoying being together and being able to work as a cohesive unit to create awesome music and videos. It’s almost as if fate brought them together, and I know there are many fans who are happy it did!
KVRMA will be sharing the stage with New Years Day and LYLVC Sunday, November 3rd at Lovedrafts Brewing Co. in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Most of the band members have performed at this popular venue in the past, and they appreciate Nick Meyers from 717 Entertainment including them in the lineup. The band is also working on booking other future gigs. They are hoping to play a lot of shows in 2025 while also continuing to create great music.
If you want to know how you can support KVRMA as they are just getting started on their journey, it’s easy. Follow them on their socials and keep streaming their music and videos and share with friends and family. The band also hopes to see everyone at a future show! KVRMA can be found on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Brenden Starr, a talented singer and songwriter from Hanover, Pennsylvania, recently dropped a new EP called Reimagined. It includes some different versions of songs he’s previously released, as well as some new tracks. Brenden’s latest work is a progression in his sound. His tremendous signature vocals are still there, but the vibe of the music is heavier. Brenden’s style is unique, and because it doesn’t fit into just one genre, it appeals to fans of all different types of music.
Working with producer Hayden Calhoun of Darkside Audio seems to be a perfect fit for Brenden. He calls Hayden his “go-to guy” and says they work great together in the studio. Brenden makes all of the decisions about his songs and writes all lyrics, and comes up with a lot of the melodies, including guitars and drums. He passes his ideas along to Hayden, who does all of the instrumentation in his studio and also does the mixing and mastering. In addition to Brenden and Hayden, Tyler McClane played acoustic guitar on the song “Gravity (Acoustic)”.
One of the most important tracks on the Reimagined EP is “Get Out”. It is a song that shares a very powerful message, and the music video that Brenden and his team put together is perfect. Brenden wrote “Get Out” in honor of his friend, Todd Lippy. In 2023, Todd was going through recovery, had a good job, and was getting his life back on track. Brenden found out the morning of his big show at the York State Fair that Todd had passed away. Todd was supposed to be at that show to see him. He was always very supportive of Brenden’s music. Brenden says he’s glad he got to know Todd before he passed away. When he talks about Todd and his passing, you cans see how emotional it makes him. He channeled those emotions into creating a remarkable song and music video. Brenden definitely paid tribute to Todd with “Get Out”.
The video for “Get Out” was Brenden’s concept, incorporating darkness and fire. The theme is that of a person trapped, not being able to break the chains of whatever addiction is holding that person captive. The fire represents being burned alive as one of the worst ways to go out. Brenden’s message is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Instead of your life being taken away by addiction, things can be fixed and you can heal. You just have to break the chains and “get out” of the darkness. The video was directed by Robert McCoy. He also did Brenden’s video for “Top Of The World”. They have a great chemistry and are always on the same page when it comes to video concepts. Also appearing with Brenden in the video are guitarist Corey Burnard, bassist Dan Krol, and drummer Chris Badolato.
I think the original version of “Gravity”, which was released in 2023, is one of Brenden’s best songs in his catalog. There’s a great music video for that song, too, which you should definitely check out. The acoustic version on the Reimagined EP is beautiful. This is another song with a very deep message, focusing on the topic of domestic violence. Brenden’s singing is soulful and emotional, and are wonderfully complemented by Tyler McClane on acoustic guitar.
I really like Brenden’s new version of “Dreams”, which was on his 2023 Hopeless Romantic album. This rendition is heavier, and I think Brenden’s vocals are stronger and more powerful. The remixed version of “Top Of The World”, another song from the 2023 album, has a pop and EDM/industrial vibe, with a lot of electronic elements and funky beats. It is absolutely something different for Brenden, and I think it’s fun.
“The Freshmen” by The Verve Pipe is a song near and dear to Brenden’s heart. It makes him think of a girl he liked in middle school, and he actually had hoped it would be his high school senior class’s song, but unfortunately they went in a different direction. Brenden did an incredible job with his version of “The Freshmen”, which is actually one of my favorite songs also. I think it’s a timeless classic. Brenden puts his own twist on it and does great justice to this awesome song.
Something amazing about Brenden’s cover of “The Freshmen” is that Brian Vander Ark, the lead singer of The Verve Pipe, really likes it! The story about this is super cool. Brenden got to know the lead singer of Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, Jimi Haha, when the band played at Brenden’s Rock On The Hill festival. They talked about Creed’s Summer of ’99 Cruise which also included Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, The Verve Pipe, 3 Doors Down, Tantric, and Fuel, among others. Brenden told Jimi about his cover of “The Freshmen”, and Jimi told him to send him the final version because he is friends with Brian. A few days after sending the completed track, Brenden got a text from Jimi, which was actually a message from Brian to Brenden. Brian said the song was fantastic and that Brenden should tag him and The Verve Pipe in any promo of the song. That might be one of my favorite things about the music industry — bands, singers, and musicians making connections through music. You never know who you’re going to interact with who might help you in the future. That’s why it is so important to remain humble and support other artists. You might later have the opportunity to help someone else.
With the newer music that he’s putting out now, Brenden is doing his own creative thing musically. There’s definitely a heavier element, but it’s mixed with his big pop vocals, which Brenden says will never change. It will just be grittier and edgier. Though he’s heading in a somewhat different direction, he’ll stay true to his roots, with some ballads and some “fun” songs mixed in with heavier rock. He wants to keep mixing things up.
I believe this will be what keeps people coming back to Brenden’s music. Of course, his vocals are tremendous, but the music itself is so varied and you never know what you’ll get. Working with Hayden Calhoun creating music has proven to be an amazing combination. Brenden also has talented musicians in his interchangeable band, including guitarists Tyler McClane and Corey Burnard, drummers Jeremy Robertson and Chris Badolato, and bassists Tim Risser and Dan Krol. No matter who is playing with him at any given show, you know you’ll be witnessing a great performance. I’ve had the opportunity to see Brenden live a few times, and I believe his stage show keeps getting stronger. If you have the opportunity to see one of his energetic performances, don’t miss it!
Brenden has a couple shows coming up that have been announced already, and he’s working on more for the rest of this year and also 2025 already. The next two upcoming shows include: Saturday, September 21st: With Emarosa at Artie’s Bar And Grill in Frenchtown, NJ Saturday, September 28th: Battle Of The Bands By Gettysburg Bike Week at The Barn Resort in Gettysburg, PA. There will be six bands competing for a spot in the Gettysburg Bike Week 2025 lineup.
Stay tuned to Brenden Starr’s socials for more show announcements! You can follow Brenden on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
When I saw that Chance Rhodenizer, the bassist and backing vocalist of one of my favorite bands, Etched In Embers, was starting a new solo music project, I was intrigued right away. I knew it would be good, because Chance and I pretty much have similar taste in music. I’m a big metalcore fan, and exploring Chance’s personal Spotify playlist I’ve seen he tends to enjoy heavier music, too. I was so excited for him to release his first song, “The Devil Came For Me”, August 17th. I was not disappointed! I asked Chance if I could write about his project and the new song for my blog. He agreed, and I sent him some questions to answer about it. What he sent back to me was truly amazing. It’s a story that needs to be told and can possibly help a lot of people because it’s so relatable and so important. More to come later about the deeper meaning behind Chance’s music.
First, I want to share how Chance got involved in music. He gave me the backstory. His entrance into the music world was different than most people. For as long as he can remember, Chance has played guitar. He also watched his dad, Russ Rhodenizer, the front man of Etched In Embers, sit around on the couch jamming on his acoustic while writing songs, attended his band practices, and even worked the door at some of his shows. Chance credits his dad’s influence as one of the reasons why he has such great taste in music.
Russ actually bought Chance his first drum set in his early teenage years, and Chance believes that, if he hadn’t joined the military, that would have been his primary instrument. Instead, he joined the Marines and served our country for four years. (From myself and all the other grateful Americans who read this piece – THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, CHANCE!)
While he was stationed in California, Russ shipped Chance his acoustic guitar, so he jammed on that a lot. He also had a super cheap electric drum kit, but he didn’t really touch that. It was all just a fun hobby at the time, but a couple years after Chance got out of the military in 2018 he finally went to a couple of Russ’s Etched In Embers gigs as a fan. This really “ignited” him (pun intended) to buy a guitar and start writing his own material, which was under a little Soundcloud project called Constant Resolve.
Chance started learning how to scream and do some basic songwriting. He believes he progressed as a musician a lot in a few short months, though he admits that what he recorded sucked. The growth was important, however, because he was able to show his dad what he was doing musically, which he believes ultimately is what led him to being in Etched In Embers. A good friend of his and EIE guitarist Tyler Kenyon’s, Doug, had mentioned to Tyler that since the band was without a bass player and looking they should ask Chance. Chance thinks Doug must have been following the videos he would post. So Chance tried out for EIE, learning the songs by ear for the most part, and the rest, as they say, is history! His first real show after joining the band in June of 2021 other than a local one they did was The Sound 228 Dirty Thirty Fest in 2021. They followed that up by opening for Drowning Pool.
Etched In Embers has been Chance’s only band up until now, and has been his only experience playing live music, so some people would say he was thrown into something pretty serious for his first gig. He’s had to learn a lot in a short amount of time, not just about growing as a musician but about all the things that come with being in a band and being a serious professional both on and off stage. He admits he’s still a little green at it, but he does believe he’s come a long way. Chance says he’s always looking for ways to grow, and he knows he still has a lot of room to do so. He’s hard on himself, and being somewhat new to it all adds to the pressure he puts on himself, but he thinks it’s for the best because he’s always striving to get better. He says he’s always thrived when he’s been thrown into the fire in any job, and Etched In Embers has been no exception. Chance is really proud of how far Etched In Embers has come as a band since he joined it. He says they’ve taken it much further than he ever thought they would, and he is loving it.
Though Etched In Embers is his primary focus, Chance decided that this was a good time to branch out a little and start his own music project, which he has called In Sight Of Mind. There is a story to this name. Chance says he had been pondering names for a while, ever since he decided to pursue a solo project. He knew he wanted it to represent what his songs would be about, which was a deeper look into what’s going on inside his own head. In Sight Of Mind is fitting, because Chance’s songs give listeners real insight into the darker parts of his mind and his mental struggles.
Chance was originally a guitar player, but started playing bass when he joined Etched In Embers. He also loves to play drums, and has always felt that if he had enough time and space in his home for a drum set he would be a good drummer.
How did “The Devil Came For Me” become the first song released by In Sight Of Mind? Well, Chance had the lyrics already written for the most part. He had a lot going on at the time and sitting down to write the instrumental parts was tough. But getting his lyrics and his story out there was more important to him than anything, so he turned to his friend Myles Clayborne of Vigilante Productions for help. Myles is not only a producer, but he writes killer instrumental tracks, and Chance knew he could trust him with this. Chance sent him some raw vocals and screams and a melody and gave him an idea of what sound influences he wanted to incorporate, and Myles knocked it out of the park.
“The Devil Came For Me” started with a really long concept Chance wrote on his iPhone Notes, which is where he writes all of his lyrics. It actually started out as a rap called “I Met The Devil”, which was inspired by Chance listening to the DAMN. album by Kendrick Lamar. It was basically centered around Chance telling a story about a fictional conversation he had with the Devil across the table. He was telling Chance about all the things he would be dealing with the rest of his life and about the darker side of himself, and trying to convince him of things that didn’t represent him at all. Chance was really digging what he had written, but he realized he had to turn his rap lyrics into a metal track. After sending Myles the raw vocals and getting the instrumentals back from him, Chance finished writing the lyrics. He actually ended up changing the chorus idea he had, and also wrote the second verse. Finally, he went to Myles’ studio to track vocals.
Chance shared even more about the background of this song with me, and gave me the green light to include it in this review. He hopes that his story will help other people who deal with mental health issues. He admits that “The Devil Came For Me” is about his dark experience with mental illness, and that every day he still fights what inspired him to write this song. Until his early 20s, Chance had never really dealt with mental illness outside of “normal” depression and anxiety. He honestly thought he was immune to it. He was just busy being a teenager.
At 17 years old, Chance joined the Marines. Eventually, depression and anxiety would creep into his life as he got older. A severe form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) became obvious after his time in the military. Chance does believe that being in the military could have been a factor in this core issue worsening. He admits that when he was a kid he would do “weird” things that could be related to OCD, but it had intensified.
Eventually, because of general anxiety and depression, some caused by the OCD and some caused by life itself, his therapist thought perhaps a low dose of anti-depression medication might help. Chance wasn’t really fond of the idea of medicating for that kind of stuff, so at first he fought it, but eventually he decided to try it. For about a week he experienced some weird side effects, but he honestly did feel better — until he absolutely DID NOT.
According to his psychiatrist, Chance had a pretty bad reaction in which his OCD got much worse than he had ever dealt with before, but instead of the weird and silly things and being annoyed all the time, he had terrible, intrusive thoughts he couldn’t handle. He didn’t even know this was a symptom of OCD until it happened to him. He couldn’t control the terrible things that kept popping into his head no matter what he tried. It literally felt like the Devil was in his head telling him things, making him think things, things he would never, ever do and things that could never represent who he was as a person.
Most people, in fact it has been proven that pretty much everyone, has intrusive thoughts, but some people can just throw them aside as fast as they have them. On this medication, however, Chance obsessed over them and worried that they may actually represent something real about him even thought they really didn’t at all. The more you stress and obsess over trying to understand the intrusive thoughts or try to prove to yourself that they aren’t real the more aggressive they get. It’s a vicious cycle.
This whole situation tore Chance down really badly. He didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything. He would have crying fits, anxiety attacks, and he just basically struggled to live for quite a long while. He admits he felt suicidal, but those thoughts were just a small part of the intrusive thoughts he was dealing with. He stopped the medication and was honest with his therapist and his wife, friends, and family about the thoughts he had been having and what he had been dealing with. Eventually, he got to the point that he could finally breathe and manage them. Through therapy he has realized how deeply rooted his OCD is and just how severe it is for him, and how it has affected every part of his life. Chance also admits that he is a hypochondriac. His whole family will tell anyone that, so he also stresses about this and general health pretty badly. But he now has the tools to fight it.
Before I continue, I need to include that Chance wanted to emphasize something very important – he does not knock medicating for depression or anxiety. He just truly feels that it’s not for everyone, and the road to finding the right medication can be very long and hard. He is aware that it has helped many people he knows personally, but it can also have negative effects. It’s really about the right path to the right medication for each person individually, and he encourages people to do research and get a better understanding of it. For him personally, he hated what it did to his head and he still deals with it, but he knows that doesn’t mean there isn’t something out there that might help his OCD in the future. At this current time, however, he’s going to stay off the medication until he feels it’s the right time to try it again – if he ever does.
So what did Chance do as one of the ways to cope with this dark situation? He wrote a song about it. “The Devil Came For Me” is truly about what it felt like during this whole experience. It felt like the Devil had come after him and was in his head, speaking the worst possible things to him. It made Chance feel evil. He didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. His thoughts were not his own. The lyrics of “The Devil Came For Me” are pretty clear on just how bad it was for him at the time.
The chorus lyrics reflect the darkness:
“These thoughts are not my own And these pains I can’t let grow What’s in my head it can’t be known I’m trapped from below I met the Devil and he said You’ll never know what’s real ‘til you’re dying You’ll never know what’s real ‘til you’re dying”
There is also a point in the second verse when he talks about the effect of the medication:
“I look back at my life and before this I had issues but never would I know that I was better with the cards that I was dealt Instead of trusting their artificial help I asked for help through the medication But opened doors to my own damnation”
Finally, at the end, is the declaration of determination that he’s going to overcome this and won’t let the Devil win, with Chance repeating the line “I won’t be taken”.
Along with the deep meaning behind “The Devil Came For Me”, it’s also a killer metalcore track! The music, especially the guitars and bass, are masterful. I must say, however, what really got me was Chance’s vocals. His screams are emphatic. Honestly, though, the thing that I’m most impressed with is his singing. I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing Chance sing much as a member of Etched In Embers, so I was actually shocked when I heard his voice on this song. I look forward to hearing more clean vocals from Chance on his future releases!
Since this is only the beginning for In Sight Of Mind, the future possibilities for this project are exciting. Chance says he has a lot of song ideas floating around in his head, in the notes on his phone, and on his computer. He says there is one he’s working on currently that is nearly finished, and, just like the first one, the writing of the song happened very fast. He truly believes that the songs that are easiest to write are usually some of the best. Chance says there may be a surprise guest vocalist on this next song.
Ultimately, Chance’s hope for In Sight Of Mind is growth. He wants to use this project to get a weight off his shoulders by telling his story, but also to grow as a musician, song writer, or even an audio engineer with each song he writes. Because of this, he is taking on writing most of the instrumentals for the next song because he knows he is capable of it and this will be another area for him to grow in. For Chance, this is a journey and he wants to learn as much as he can along the way. In a nutshell, In Sight Of Mind is about Chance sharing what’s in his head and growing as a musician. He promises we will be hearing more in the near future!
Sometimes, when things aren’t going exactly as planned, you have to think outside of the box and make a change. A big change. A fresh start. That is exactly what Blake Suarez has done with his new music project, Verging On Hopeless. He surprised fans of his most recent band, Awaken The Giant, changing the name of the band’s fan group to The Hopeless Nation and dropping a new song, “So Long & Goodbye”, August 14th. Blake gave me some insight about this new project and where he hopes it will go.
But first, a little background on Blake. He has been involved with music since he was a teenager and his parents bought him his first guitar. He had friends who played, and that inspired him to get into music. He has been writing and performing since he was 15 years old. Blake has been in several bands over the years. Recently, he was in Kingdom Collapse from 2018 to 2020, and also did some backing and hard vocals during live performances.
Blake and Tab Cocchia formed Awaken The Giant in 2017. The band gained a lor of loyal followers, and had the opportunity to play some cool shows, including the 979 CPR Rocks CPR Fest in Biloxi, Mississippi in April 2022, The Sound 228 Rockin’ The Sound Pre-Party in Biloxi in March 2023, and Rock On The Hill in Hanover, Pennsylvania in May 2023.
For various reasons, it was time for a change, and that’s what Blake is doing. His new project, Verging On Hopeless, or VoH, is showcasing a different style of music and also Blake as the lead singer. Blake came up with the band name a while ago, after being consistently let down by people, being tired of depending on other people and things never working out. It’s based on that hopeless feeling like you have nothing.
Blake’s primary instruments are guitar and bass, but he also dabbles in drums and keyboards. When he creates a song, he starts with either a guitar riff or lyrics. The chorus usually comes first, then he builds the rest of the song around that. After that, he takes the song to the studio and adds all the additional layers, instruments, etc.
Blake wrote “So Long & Goodbye” with his friend Charlie Kaminsky. Blake did a demo of the song in his home studio, then took it to Vigilante Studios to track all the music. Myles Clayborne engineered, mixed and mastered the track.
“So Long & Goodbye” is a fun song musically, but also incorporates a deeper meaning with the lyrics. It’s based on failed relationships and broken promises. Blake says he likes his songs to be high energy, but also relatable based on personal experiences. When I first heard the song I got immediately hooked on the upbeat tempo and the electronic elements, along with the masterful guitar riffs that Blake is known for. Hearing Blake singing lead was a pleasant surprise, and I do think he’s got something there! I would say “So Long & Goodbye” falls into the pop-punk category. The song is definitely a bop! There is also a great lyric video for the song, which I’m including below.
What’s to come for Verging On Hopeless? Well, Blake definitely thinks this is something that could end up being a full band project. There will be more music to come, and he’d like to eventually play shows and go on tour. The possibilities are endless for this talented musician and I’m excited to see what the future holds!
ADDENDUM: The official music video for “So Long & Goodbye” dropped on YouTube October 18th, 2024. The video was shot and edited independently by Blake Suarez. It includes bassist Mike Yorks and drummer Dustin Lanier. Blake is working on new music for Verging On Hopeless, and no doubt fans are excited for what’s to come!
Don’t you just love it when you listen to a band or a song for the first time and you’re hooked instantly? This is what happened when I first heard the music of Idol Kings. I was blown away! I’ll expand more on how their music makes me feel later. But first, a little background.
How did I find Idol Kings? Well, actually, I’m pretty sure THEY found ME! I noticed they were suddenly “following” me on Facebook. I was intrigued and figured I’d check them out. I’m so glad I did! I discovered one of the best mixes of rap and metalcore that I’ve heard. I knew right away that this band has something special, and I wanted to support them. When the band reached out to me and asked me to listen to their new album, B.I.N.G.E. (which stands for “Because I Never Get Enough”), and write something about it for my blog, I jumped at the chance. I was honored, actually.
Who are Idol Kings? Well, they’re a project formed by Rob Ellis, a Michigan rapper, and Dale Roberts, a metalcore vocalist from Wales in the UK. Rob and Dale met through social media. The band’s manager, TK, saw a reaction video on YouTube of Dale’s song “Vulnerable”, and they liked what they heard. The band reached out to Dale and asked him about joining Idol Kings. They sent him a couple demos, and he pretty much jumped right in. The band had a really good feeling that he’d be a perfect fit, and that’s exactly what happened.
Rob had formed a previous band called I Am Trouble. When that ended, he tried to launch a new version of it a few times, but nothing seemed to work. He went the solo route for a while, working on his own music. Then he started to really miss being on stage and working with others to create music. He came up with the idea of Idol Kings as a way to re-brand his sound and start something new. Prior to hooking up with Idol Kings, Dale had been in other bands in the UK, and also released “Vulnerable” as a solo artist.
The music of Idol Kings begins with finding a beat first, or using one they had created already. Rob and Dale each write their own lyrics. Usually one will write something, then pass it on to the other. Most of their songs are written, recorded, mixed, and mastered all on the same day they come up with the idea for the song. The plan is to bring in a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer so they can create their music together in the same room.
The B.I.N.G.E. album was produced by Goodjohn Productions, 52Blu Productions, NERW Productions, and Dale Roberts. Christian O’neal is featured on “Dreamstate”, and also helped Dale with writing for the album. He is the vocalist in a band called Chemical Youth, and is a friend of Dale’s. They have worked together on music in the past. Alfonso Civile, the vocalist of Heartsick, is featured on “The Party” and also co-wrote the track. Rob and Dale both agree that he brought something really cool to the track that tied it all together.
B.I.N.G.E. is a fantastic album! The theme of the album centers around addiction and how it leads to anxiety and depression. It’s about the dark side of partying. So many people glorify drinking and drugs and going on a binge. Idol Kings wanted to tell the real story about it. The album title, B.I.N.G.E., stands for “Because I Never Get Enough”, which is fitting because of course addicts can never get enough of whatever they are addicted to. Rob and Dale share that they have both had their own addictions, and they wanted to tell their story to possibly help others who are dealing with their own demons and show them they are not alone in their fight. As Rob and Dale share, this album is really about them wearing their own hearts, addictions, and struggles on their sleeves. They hope listeners will take away their own meaning from the songs that will encourage them to overcome their own problems.
One of the best things about this album is the variety of the songs. No two tracks are the same. Some start out with the melodic, often dark, hip-hop style, while others dive right into the heavy metalcore style. The rhythm and flow of Rob’s rap verses are stellar. He is an amazing story-teller. Dale’s hard and clean vocals are equally tremendous. His singing evokes emotions in me that are hard to describe. It’s simply breathtaking. These two talented men have combined to make excellent music. It’s almost as if they’ve been doing this together for years. Honestly, I can easily go down the rabbit hole of this band’s music and listen to the whole album start to finish. In fact, I’ve done it many times while working on this review, and I will continue to do so!
This is the part where I would like to highlight some of the individual songs on the album. Now these are just my thoughts on the songs. Dale and Rob want their listeners to form their own interpretations and get their own meaning from Idol Kings music. I asked them if they had anything to add to what I came up with, and they did not, so I’m running with this.
The title track, “B.I.N.G.E.”, is about someone who has lost all hope and wishes the pain and suffering would end, even if dying is the only way out.
“(Make It Out) Alive” is about the realization that addiction is only feeding the cycle of depression.
“Dreamstate” is a slower track, and is about being stuck in a state of being numb to the pain, suffering, and depression.
“What’s Left Of Me” is about realizing that the demons have so much control that you’ve lost the person you used to be and all that remains is a shell of yourself.
“Going Under” is about the feeling of being trapped under the weight of addiction, depression, and other troubles and not being able to come to the surface. It’s a never-ending cycle.
“Running (Out Of Time)” is about trying to run away and hide from our demons.
The BONUS TRACK, which is only available on YouTube, is “Ghost”. This is a song about regret and guilt, and remembering someone who was lost and things that were never said.
In September, Dale Roberts will be coming to the United States to meet Rob Ellis and the rest of the Idol Kings crew for the first time, shoot a music video, and do some live shows with the band. This is sure to be an amazing time and one that the band and their fans will never forget! The list of shows includes:
Friday 9/13: The 9th Annual Crystal Lake Blood Bath at Trixie’s Bar in Hamtramck, Michigan Saturday 9/21: Aaron Fultz’s Brutal Birthday Bash at Diesel in New Baltimore, Michigan Saturday 10/5: Carnevil Metal Fest at Witches of New Salem Haunt in Dorr, Michigan
Will we let Dale leave? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe we’ll adopt him and make him stay here in the States. Rob and I are already plotting. Stay tuned!
You can find Idol Kings on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and the band’s website. Make sure to check out their brand new song, “In My Head”, which drops August 17th.
B.I.N.G.E. Track Listing: B.I.N.G.E. (Make It Out) Alive Dreamstate (feat. Christina O’neal) The Party (feat. Alfonso Civile) Missed Call (skit) Breaking Point What’s Left Of Me Trapped In The Dark (skit) Going Under Running (Out Of Time)
I was really excited when Nick Gorrie, the guitarist of a Crooked Ways, reached out to me about writing a review of his band’s recent album, No Design. I knew of Crooked Ways already, as they are from my hometown, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and I had seen them live a couple years ago. When Nick asked me about doing the review, I had some personal things I was dealing with, so I got a little behind on my writing. I’m really glad the band still wanted me to do this. Crooked Ways did a great job on their third full-length album. I listened to it in its entirety while working on this piece, and I found it be very interesting and exciting. Nick was kind enough to share with me some great information about the band, their music, and the album.
First, I’d like to share some background on Crooked Ways. The band includes: Zack Esposito (vocals); Pat Dietrich (bass); Steve Glesias (drums); and Nick Gorrie (guitar). Zack and Nick started out doing acoustic performances. They became friends in high school and had performed on the school news, and went to the same college where they did a bunch of acoustic shows both on campus and in the greater Lehigh Valley area. They met their bassist, Pat, in college and became friends, and later asked him to join their band. They went through several drummers before finding Steve about five years ago. He was a perfect fit, and has become one of their best friends now. They don’t even know if the band would exist if they hadn’t found Steve.
When I asked Nick about the band name Crooked Ways, he admitted that it was hard to come up with at first. He shared the story of how the band got its name. Nick has scoliosis (a twisted spine) and got a tattoo of a windy road sign on his back as a tongue-in-cheek reference to his “crooked back”. When Zack saw a picture of the tattoo, he immediately said “Dude, that’s the band logo right there!” So, Nick changed the street sign logo to a lightning bolt, and the band name Crooked Ways is based off that.
Much of the credit for the No Design album goes to the band’s “go-to guy”, Justin Mitchell at King Studios. The band writes 100 percent of their songs, just the four of them. Then they go into the studio ready to record everything. Justin really brings the sound they have in mind to life. He does it all, from engineering to producing, mixing and mastering, etc. They basically consider Justin an honorary fifth band member. The band has done all of their records with him.
For this third album, however, Nick personally wanted to add a twist and branch out a little and experience new studios. He actually recorded the guitars for one of the songs at Soundmine Recording Studio in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, with Dan Malsch. Then he had the amazing opportunity of a lifetime to record a few songs at Abbey Road Studios in London. Being a massive Beatles fan, that was a surreal experience for Nick. He recorded there with Paul Pritchard, who’s worked with artists such as Elton John and Paul McCartney. It is one of Nick’s favorite memories, and makes this record extra special to him.
Anyone who has read my reviews knows I like to ask bands about how their music is created. I think it gives great insight into a band’s identity and is interesting for fans who want to dive deeper into the background of the music. Nick was happy to share with me the story of the songwriting process for Crooked Ways, because of all the different things about being in a band, he said this is his favorite thing to talk about. He shared with me that he’s always taking notes on lots of ideas in a Google Doc – types of beats, instrumental ideas, and song concepts. He also scribbles down every random time one of the band members says something like, “I would love to have a song that does this thing or that thing.” Nick says his bandmates may not always notice it, but he always writes down what they say they like and are into.
Eventually, Nick will start with a song idea he’s written down and put together a drum track for it. He likes to begin with knowing the concept of the song before he does anything, and he says he’s most inspired by rhythm and beats, which is why he starts with those two components. From there, he will demo out the guitars, then send everything to the rest of the band for their feedback.
This is the songwriting process for Crooked Ways 80-to-90 percent of the time. There are usually a couple songs on a record that one of the band members has a very specific idea for, and Nick will put together demo drums and drum tracks based on their notes. They demo everything out that way, and then it’s usually either Nick or Zack who write melodies and lyrics. Pat will contribute lyrics and melodies for one song on an album, too. There are some songs that become special to certain band members. When they demo the vocals, that gives them a pretty good idea of everything that will be in the song when they take it to the studio. Sometimes they will play the song live in practice first, but not always.
I want to share some of my thoughts on the music style of Crooked Ways. Simply put . . . I think it’s awesome. They have a unique sound that is appealing to listeners of all different hard rock sub-genres, such as alternative metal and pop punk. Zack’s passionate vocals bring out the emotion in every song he sings. Pat and Steve are in perfect harmony on bass and drums, and Nick is a very skilled guitarist, which is showcased in the guitar solos on many of the band’s tracks.
Nick shared with me that the name of the latest Crooked Ways album, No Design, is quite literal. There is really no set direction or theme for the album. Nick had a ton of song ideas saved, and, as he says jokingly, just kind of “musically vomited” them out into demos with whatever he was having fun with at the time. He believes he wrote all of the rhythms for five of the songs within a span of two weeks. He didn’t want to over-think things – instead, he wanted to work with whatever he enjoyed that came to mind. Luckily, the rest of the band liked them, too. The whole band embraced how the demos were all over the place and how the songs showcased a bunch of different sides to Crooked Ways. No Design is a hard rock record that showcases a variety of different sub-genres. It’s the kind of interesting album that really keeps listeners on their toes because you never know what you’ll hear next. Nick shared with me that this is something he loves about music – when bands incorporate different sounds and styles in their music.
I would like to highlight some of the individual songs on the album.
“Lightning In A Body” is a fun, energetic song. It was the first track written for the album, and they wanted a fun vibe. Nick says he likes “feel-good” music, and this song is definitely that. The lyrics are about the nervousness or anxiousness you feel before doing something, then basically saying “fuck it”, putting your head down, and going full steam ahead into whatever it may be. Anything worth doing is hard and might make you nervous, but you just need to do it. Those experiences can often lead to something positive or special – like catching lightning in a bottle, so to speak. The song title is a play on that phrase, while also describing the physical feeling of those moments.
To me, “Izzit” is about not caring what other people think and living life the way you want to, especially since usually the people who want to criticize and judge and tell you what to do are no better than you, and sometimes they’re worse. Nick said I nailed it! He added that he’s big on song titles, and when he writes he likes to come up with titles that haven’t been used before or aren’t super common. In this case, he wanted to create a word or phrase that was unusual and would make people wonder what it meant, because that’s the point of the song – don’t judge a book by it’s cover, and give everything a chance.
When I started researching the meaning behind the number “151” online, I came up with this . . . “151 is an angel number (a numeric code sent by your guardian angels) that means personal growth and positive change are on the horizon for you.” Nick told me the story behind this song, and it definitely relates to what I found in my research.
“My grandfather, who also was a musician, passed away about 20 years ago. He was a truck driver for the Preston Trucking company, and they were called ‘The 151 Line’. My mom (his daughter) had told me they were taught growing up that if they needed help to dial the 151 number. It became her lucky number, and she always said that any time she saw it after he died she knew he was with her to help.” Nick says he was his grandfather’s favorite grandson, and when his mother told him the story years ago, he started seeing the number everywhere. He said it undoubtedly shows up whenever he needs it to. It’s always been a positive sign and lucky number for him, and now it’s just his thing. He even has it tattooed on him, and it’s all over his gear, in his email address, etc. What a great story for a great song!
“Foreverly” is a very personal song for Nick and has a different meaning than I interpreted it. It gave me vibes of a “feel-good love song”. Though I was a little off, Nick said he can definitely see how it could be interpreted that way. I’m going to leave it up to interpretation for other listeners, out of respect for Nick and his family. He did share with me that it’s a perfect example of his writing style. He says that in addition to rock, he’s also a big pop guy, so he wanted to incorporate that while also keeping it rock. It’s definitely outside of the norm for Crooked Ways, but it’s a brilliant song.
“A Moment To Borrow” and “Timepiece” kind of go hand-in-hand. “A Moment To Borrow” was the brainchild of Crooked Ways drummer Steve, and singer Zack wrote the lyrics. It’s interesting because this song and the last track on the album, “Timepiece”, are kind of like “Yin And Yang”, in a sense. They are both related to the concept of time. “A Moment To Borrow” takes more of a darker look at time and how much we have left on this planet. It could be interpreted as being about the fear of dying. “Timepiece”, meanwhile, is kind of like the optimistic side of it and realizing how much time we have left and appreciating and enjoying everything we have. Nick talks about “portals” or a magic sort of “timepiece” that can take you back to the nostalgic parts of childhood – like visiting with old friends, being in a neighborhood you grew up in, etc. When we slow down and take a look at everything we have, life becomes a lot easier and more enjoyable.
I would also like to say a few things about the music video for “A Moment To Borrow”. It is a very poignant video and gets you thinking about your life and the fact that nothing is guaranteed. The main character is Zack, and he is walking through a house that evokes memories of a childhood home. At one point he picks up an hourglass that is on a mantel, then out of the corner of his eye he sees a figure with a black hood that would remind you of a Grim Reaper type of character, and he runs from this figure. At the end of the video, it is revealed that this character is actually Zack himself, which is interesting because it gives you the idea that, though we can’t actually control when we die, we can control our own destiny prior to dying. The full band is also featured in the video, performing the song. Credits for the video include: Director: Steven Glesias Cinematographer:Ted Colegrove Assistant Camera:Alex Jacobson Editor:Eric DiCarlo (SquareUp Studios)
What is Crooked Ways up to since the album dropped? Well, Nick says the writing process never stops. There is always new material in the works. But a focus of the band currently is taking their music on the road more. They’re trying to expand the markets they play in and reach more places. One of the reasons they put their hearts and souls into creating their music is so they can perform it live for people. They would love to play some bigger festivals and possibly put together a regional tour. These are all ideas they’re working on.
A recent highlight for Crooked Ways was being featured on Lehigh Valley local TV station WFMZ Channel 69 News as part of their “Music Monday” segment July 29th. The band was interviewed by anchors Bo Koltnow and Sara Madonna, and performed three songs. They were declared the loudest band ever to perform on the station’s Music Monday, and they’re proud of that designation because it literally “woke people up”. The link to their segment as well as some photos are below.
Interview with WFMZ Channel 69 news anchors Bo Koltnow and Sara MadonnaCrooked Ways with WFMZ Channel 69 News anchors Sara Madonna and Bo Koltnow
The band followed this up by opening for Lehighton-based hard rock band Another Day Dawns at The Wooden Match in Bethlehem Sunday, August 11th during Musikfest. The popularity of Another Day Dawns is on the rise, as they’ve recently been on national tours and performed at big music festivals and have been on SiriusXM Octane. This is great company for Crooked Ways to be in, and opening for a band like this could definitely help them gain more recognition, which they deserve anyway due to their awesome music and live show. I was fortunate to be at the Wooden Match August 11th! Crooked Ways put on a fun, high-energy performance which I really enjoyed. I’m sharing some amateur photos I took as well as a picture after the performance of the band with the crowd behind them.
Singer Zack EspositoBassist Pat DietrichDrummer Steve GlesiasGuitarist Nick Gorrie
Crooked Ways is not only a great band, but they are humble and have a great spirit, which makes them even more likeable. I’m excited to hear future new music from them, and I also look forward to seeing them live as much as I can! You can follow Crooked Ways on Facebook, Instagram, LinkTree, YouTube, and the band’s website.
No Design Track Listing (Funcion: Intro) Lightning In A Body Izzit 151 Sparks & Rust A Moment To Borrow Foreverly RAT Locomotive Dirty White Boot Floodgates Timepiece
If someone asked me to describe Ashes Fall, I would say passion, love of music, and desire to create music that resonates with their listeners are some key things that define this modern rock/alternative metal band based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founding member and guitarist Cole Nations was very kind and sent me a huge amount of background on the band for this writeup, but he was also gracious enough to let me do a video interview with him so I could learn even more. We had an amazing late-night two-hour conversation about music, his bandmates, and just life in general and how music has helped us both through so much in our lives.
Other than Cole’s deep love of music and enthusiasm while talking about his current bandmates and the projects they’re working on and shows they’re booking, something else that struck me about him was his knowledge. When we did our video call, he would pick up his guitar while he was explaning a part of a song and play some of it for me. Listening to him talk about music was a very enjoyable expperience. I can’t wait to do it again!
Cole is the only original member of Ashes Fall, and the rest of the lineup has changed completely over the last five or six years. The other bandmates include: Alex Holbrook (drums/vocals); Ronny David (vocals); Daniel Sivley (bass); and Dustin Price (rhythm guitar). The stories of how Cole found the rest of the band members are interesting and I’d like to share them before diving more into the music.
Drummer and vocalist Alex Holbrook Cole met Alex near the end of 2018 when Alex was working at a Food City and Cole tried to sell him tickets to some of the band’s shows. Early in 2019, when Cole was rebuilding the band’s lineup and came to the store, Alex remembered Cole had tried to sell him tickets and asked if he needed a drummer. Cole brought him in and threw the entire Ashes Fall catalog of 14 songs at him, and not only did Alex crush the audition, he even had variants for some parts which impressed Cole. Alex was a huge part of rebuilding the band and has been an essential part of the new era of Ashes Fall.
Vocalist Ronny David After finding a new drummer, the band put out adds looking for singers to audition. They had just played a huge Sevendust show a few months prior to that in Atlanta, which was the 20-year anniversary show for the Home album. They had singers from all different states audition, possibly as many as a couple hundred. About a year and a half ago, they met Ronny David, who is from New Hampshire. They brought him in to audition and they were completely blown away. He found out they had played with Sevendust, which was a big selling point for him joining the band.
Rhythm guitarist Dustin Price and bassist Daniel Sivley This part of the story began about six months ago, when a friend of Cole’s wanted him to come jam with his Christian band. Cole agreed to do so, but only if there was a rhythm guitarist to play with, too. As a lead guitarist this was important to him so he could focus on his melodies and accenting. His friend told him that his brother Dustin would be playing rhythm, which was great because Cole and Dustin were “scene kids” as teenagers and used to hang out together. When Cole found out he’d be playing with Dustin he was excited and agreed to jam with them. When he was heading into the first session he could hear them from outside, and the rhythm and bass sounded so good that Cole kept thinking that he wished he had these guys in his band. Dustin was the first to join Ashes Fall, initially as the bassist, but he really wanted to play rhythm guitar, which was his passion, so they needed a bassist. Daniel was the bassist in the same Christian band that Dustin was in. Cole reached out to Daniel to thank him for letting him jam with him and express how much he enjoyed it, and that they were glad to have Dustin playing rhythm guitar with them but they needed a bassist. When Daniel found that out, he offered to come jam with them. Thus, Dustin and Daniel became the two last missing pieces of the puzzle that is Ashes Fall. Cole says they have been amazing additions to the band.
Recently, big news was announced that Ashes Fall would be joining forces with “The Southern Flame” Ms. Dawn McIntyre and Massive Media MS. She will be working closely with the band, providing management, booking, and promotional support. Massive Media, based in Biloxi, Mississippi, is a dynamic artist booking, management, PR, and advertising company. About this partnership, Dawn says, “These dudes are extremely talented and dedicated! We are so blessed to be able to work with them!” Cole says, “This new era of Ashes Fall is just getting started, and we are thankful to have such amazing people as part of the team!”
Now, about the new single “Shine Through”, which came out July 27th. This is a song Alex and Cole wrote the music for back in 2020 after a frustrating recording session for another song. They wanted to do something fresh to rejuvenate their creative flow, so Alex created a beat with no music in mind, and the first thing Cole played on guitar was the chorus that is part of the final version. They actually wrote and recorded that part in 10 minutes, but didn’t touch it again for about a year and a half. After some time, they came back to it and continued working on it. When they brought in Dustin and Daniel, they helped contribute to changing some of the rhythm arrangements. This was the first song Ronny wrote lyrics for after joining the band. Typically, Cole and Ronny write the majority of lyrics, with Alex contributing also, but they mostly let Ronny have free reign on this one. The lyrics for the breakdown were written by Ronny and Cole, though. Over time, it became the song we all get to hear now, and they really liked how it turned out.
“Shine Through” was mixed by Joseph McQueen, who has worked with the likes of Bad Wolves, As I Lay Dying, From Ashes To New, and Light The Torch. Cole shares that Joseph is one of the best in the business with a killer discography, and was amazing to work with. Joseph set the band up with Ted Jensen, one of the best mastering engineers in the world, who really helped to deliver on the final version of this song. Ted has worked with many artists who have influenced the members of Ashes Fall, including Metallica, AC/DC, Slipknot, and Stone Temple Pilots, among others. Cole says it’s kind of surreal to work with such amazing professionals who work so hard to help them achieve a great product for the band and their fans.
The meaning behind “Shine Through” is powerful. It’s about mental health and persevering. As a band, Ashes Fall wants to help give people hope and inspiration. As Cole shares, “We just want to touch lives and make a difference, to uplift and inspire people and be a light that pulls them out of that dark place. That’s the whole message of our band. We are very big advocates of suicide prevention and mental health awareness. It is very important to us and a subject near and dear to our hearts.”
When I first heard “Shine Through”, I was immediately hooked by the piano at the beginning. Something inside of me told me that the whole song was going to be great. And I was right! It goes right into incredible guitar melodies and powerful drums, and Ronny’s voice is strong and soulful. I love the tempo changes in the song! It is a very interesting and unique track. I can listen to it over and over because each time I feel like I’ll discover something new about it that I didn’t notice before.
Will there be more new music coming for Ashes Fall? Absolutely! “Shine Through” is just the first single off an upcoming full-length album that Ashes Fall is working on. They have a good amount of songs they have been writing, which has made it really hard for them to choose what order to release them in. The next release will be “Pull The Trigger”, which is about taking chances and chasing after your dreams despite fear and worry about failure. Cole says this song is one of the band’s favorites. Another upcoming song, “So Far Away”, is very personal to Cole. It is about losing a loved one, particularly to suicide. The inspiration for the song came from Cole’s experience of how hard it was for him and his family after his brother committed suicide in 2013. Cole has thought for some time that one day he could put his feelings about this into words and write a song about it in the hopes that it would help others and maybe save a life or save a family from going through the same thing. The lyrics for “So Far Away” were collectively written by Cole, Ronny, and Alex. Finally, another song the band is working on is called “Exposed”, which Cole says is catchy and also has a powerful message. I am really looking forward to hearing what they’re working on!
Ashes Fall has several upcoming live performances that they have announced:
There will be a lot more exciting announcements to come, so stay tuned to Ashes Fall on their social media for the latest news! You can follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and the band’s website.
A band I recommend everyone checks out is Xskull8. The band is from “a little chicken-shaped country” called Slovenia, which is south of Austria and northeast of Italy. Band members include Rok Zurga (vocals, guitars); Janez Janezic (guitar, backing vocals); Nejc Godec – (bass); and Klemen Krajnc (drums).
The story of Xskull8 started in the summer of 2015 when Rok had an idea of a simple basic rock and roll song. He presented it to the guitarist of his previous metal band and their roadie, who was also a drummer. The next day, they got to his garage and recorded that song with very basic equipment and in poor conditions . . . but it worked. People seemed to like it, and it even got some airplay on a local radio station.
The band didn’t even officially have a name back then. Just a few guys, recording a song. So, they found a bass player, and a band called Captain Morgan’s Revenge was born. They got some great gigs and had some real fun, but in time, changes had to be made, including with the lineup. The funny thing is, both Klemen and Johnny only had two weeks and two rehearsals to prepare before the next show. But they got through it and the whole band got better because of it.
In 2018, the band released an album, and in 2020 they got signed by their first label. The first on their to-do list was a name change. Thus, on February 29th, 2020, they said goodbye to Captain Morgan’s Revenge, and on March 1st introduced Xskull8. The band got back to songwriting, back to the studio, and got signed by Curtain Call Records. They are always in the process of writing and recording, and always searching for opportunities to get their music out to the listeners.
The whole band contributes to the songwriting process. Most of the instrumental parts come from Johnny. Each of the members will do his parts and gives his ideas to it, but the original ideas are mostly Johnny’s. He’s the guitar and songwriting guru in the band. When it comes to lyrics, Rok writes most of them. Sometimes he gets some parts from Johnny, but he always tries to arrange and change it to make it his while still trying to tell his story. The band also works very closely with their producer, Matej Pecaver, who is with them on every song from the first demo to the mastering.
Xskull8’s latest single, “Shadows In My Mind”, tells a story of a day that is just awful and doesn’t get any better. However, eventually you wake up and realize that it’s all in your head. We all have inner demons – we just have to accept that and try to rise above them.
Musically, the song is very intricate. The guitar riffs combine with the bass and drums to create a heavy-hitting tune. There is a stellar guitar solo in the middle of the song. The verses incorporate a combination of rap and hard vocals, while Rok’s raw vocals in the chorus bring out the emotion of the song.
The video for the song was made by the band and their crew. Rok recorded most parts, Andraž (their light technician) recorded Klemen playing the drums, and Klemen edited the whole thing. They didn’t want to over-produce the video, but instead, give a little one-to-one feel to it and make it more intimate.
Xskull8 has some new songs they are working on and are hitting the studio this month to work on them, as well as a couple more in the works. They always want to have new music to present to their fans. They would love to hit the United States on a tour soon!
Friday, March 31st, 2023 should have been a fun night of headbanging and rocking out to some awesome bands for Andy Rivas. However, that all changed about an hour into the show he was at. He was attending a show including Morbid Angel, Revocation and Skeletal Remains, and Crypta at the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, Illinois – about 14 miles outside the city of Rockford. The venue calls itself “a premier music and event theatre”. There were about 260 people in the building that night.
Crypta had just finished their set when everything got crazy, Devastating storms came through the area, and the building’s roof and front awning came crashing down. People were trapped under the rubble. Concert-goers tried to help each other escape. Sadly, one person died. 20 ambulances were dispatched to transport 28 people to local hospitals. Five had severe injuries, 18 had moderated injuries, and five had minor injuries. Andy would be one of those with severe injuries. I’ll explain more later.
Andy told me what it was like when the roof was starting to collapse. He said there was dust falling, and when he looked up he saw the concrete cracking. There was a noise like a train passing by Andy turned around and tried to run, but it was too late. He was under the debris, and it was so heavy he couldn’t move. It was dark. He could feel people running on top and hear voices. He tried to yell for help but his mouth was full of dust. Not being able to do anything was frustrating.
Other concert-goers risked their lives to dig Andy out and save him. He remembers seeing light and feeling air. One guy grabbed Andy’s right hand and the others were lifting a big piece of concrete. That piece broke and fell on top of him again. Finally, they pulled him out and other people started caring for him. He couldn’t walk, and the pain came. A paramedic tagged him, and he remembers riding in the ambulance and a mask being put on him. After that he didn’t wake up until Wednesday. He was in so much pain and was told that he had been in an induced coma. He spent one month in OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois, and was transferred to OSF Saint Paul Medical Center in Mendota, Illinois, where he was for another month.
Andy was in ICU for about two weeks. He had two surgeries and had a wound vac for two months. He says it was “the worst pain ever”. His hips were broken and dislocated, he had an open wound on his buttocks, and his leg, feet, toes were broken. He couldn’t walk, so he had to learn to move around with a walker to the wheelchair, but the wound vac made it even more difficult. Once that was out it made things a little easier. He had to learn how to walk again. He continues to use a cane, but has made great progress. He did physical therapy for several months and continues to work on his own.
How has Andy managed to find his courage and strength through all of this? Music and his music family have been huge influences. He jokes that music is his favorite thing in the world other than tacos. Some of his biggest supporters have been the band Nonpoint and the 361 Degrees Nonpoint fan group. He says they’ve been there from the start and have continued to be there. Nonpoint guitarist Rasheed Thomas was at the hospital when Andy was in a coma. He left Andy a note and the rest of the band checked on him. Ironically, Andy remembers that when he was in the coma he had a dream in which he heard Rasheed talking.
Others who supported Andy included Skye Sweetnam from Sumo Cyco, Blake Suarez from Awaken The Giant, Matt James and Matt “Catt” Curtis from Blacktop Mojo, Jody Linnell from Transient, and Kyle Hawken from Black Satellite. He also got encouragement and motivation from three guys on a podcast called The Itch – Aaron, KC, and Dan. Andy says he was basically in bed for two months, and pretty much all he did was listen to music and podcasts.
Andy has made many friends since he got injured, including the people that took care of him in the hospital. He’s still in contact with them. Other new friends include the aforementioned guys from The Itch podcast. At a Nonpoint show in Chicago back in December, members of the 361 Degrees group came from Wisconsin just to see him. He also was supported by fans of Sevendust. Andy’s friend Ollie Besinger took care of his cats and his house when he was away, and has also been very supportive of the art that Andy is creating. The art is something that not only is helping Andy make some money, but it is also helping him cope with PTSD. The support of all of his friends has been so important to Andy, because his family is in Mexico.
Andy says that his metal and rock family and the music itself have saved him and kept him going. The music community took care of him and continue to do so. He is grateful to the people who dug him out of the rubble. He would like to meet the band Crypta someday, because they were the main reason he was at the show at the Apollo Theatre.
Even though it’s hard for Andy to think about the events of March 31st, 2023, and he wishes he didn’t need the cane, he also knows he is lucky to be alive and that he is here for a reason. He is a warrior, a hero, and a true inspiration to many.
Rasheed from Nonpoint and Andy with one of Andy’s art creations
Below I am sharing a link to Andy’s art Instagram page and also a Spotify playlist he created in honor of his music family who have been so supportive. I’m also including the Nonpoint video for “A Million Watts” which Andy was in.
Here is the link to Andy’s art Instagram page and some photos of his creations below:
One of the best things about writing for The Sound 228 Magazine and Annie’s Awesome Rock Blog is discovering bands I’ve never heard of before. When I first got the assignment for the magazine to write about the band Waterfront, I admit they were one of those bands. But I jumped right in and drowned in this band’s wonderful music. Yes – the pun is intended.
Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Waterfront includes: Dan Sequeira (singer); Benjaman Forseth (drums); Ryan Ross (guitar); Devin Taylor (lead guitar); and Tanner Cyr (bass). The band was formed in 2019 with Dan and Ryan along with two other original memers. Tanner and Devin came on board during the pandemic, and Ben joined in 2023 during the making of the band’s recently-released EP, Sleep In The Cold. Waterfront is a part of the Affiant Records lineup.
Waterfront had two other previous EPs prior to the new one. New Heights and Fever Dream were created over the course of 2020 to 2022. The band collaborated on those projects with Vancouver-based producers Garrett Ward and Dan Botch. The Sleep In The Cold EP was produced, mixed, and engineered by Quinn Cyrankiewicz and mastered by Mike Kalajian.
The song-creation process for Waterfront starts with focusing on basics such as the quality of melodies and chords, before building up around a strong core and delivering their collective Waterfront touch. Most ideas begin with Dan, but some also come from Tanner or Devin. Sometimes Tanner will fill in and “punch up” lyrics as they are finishing up a studio track.
I figured in order to properly describe Waterfront’s musical style, I’d go back and listen to their previous releases. I really enjoyed listening to their catalog. Their older music has more of a pop-punk vibe. The tracks on the new EP Sleep In The Cold definitely show a progression to a more intense hard rock sound. The band collaborated with Canadian metalcore band Gutter King on the third track, “I Wanna Run”. Fittingly, that song is the only one on the EP that includes some hard vocals. “Keeping You Alive”, the second track on the EP, and “The Catalyst”, the fourth track, both have stellar guitar solos.
When I first listened to the Sleep In The Cold EP while preparing to write this article, I was hooked immediately. This band’s music is so catchy. There’s an amazing energy in their songs that makes you want to keep listening on repeat. The dueling guitars combine in perfect harmony with the bass and drums to form a unique sound. Dan’s vocals are stunning with an incredible range.
The songs on Sleep In The Cold sare so relatable. They incorporate themes of uncertainty in a relationship, self-doubt, heartbreak and hurt when a relationship ends, and, in the final track “Atmosphere”, the hope that you can move on with your life after the pain ends. It’s almost as if the EP is a progression through the troubled relationship – the doubts, the anger, the sadness, and, finally, the triumph of moving on.
I wanted to go into a little more detail on the songs for this review. These are just my interpretations, but Tanner was kind enough to offer some insight.
“Ordinary Love” is about doubt and uncertainty about the future of a relationship. It’s also about admitting that the relationship is flawed – it’s become something “ordinary” when it should really be extraordinary.
I interpreted “Keeping You Alive” as being about a person who’s always the one helping someone else when they’re in trouble, but it’s not reciprocated, so they have to move on from that. Tanner adds, “We looked at it as being about a one-sided relationship of any kind – romantic or even friendship – in which the other person takes and takes and as a support system you give and give, but nothing changes. We kind of equate it to a vampire, always draining a willing victim time and time again to stay alive.”
Regarding “I Wanna Run”, I got out of it a theme of standing up against someone who is abusive in a relationship. This can be any kind of abuse – mental, emotional, physical. I was pretty spot on. Tanner says it is “about standing your ground and standing up for yourself” in whatever situation you’re in – whether it be a relationship or even getting bullied.
“The Catalyst” is about realizing how toxic someone really is and that you deserve better.
The current single off Sleep In The Cold is “Atmosphere”. I see this song as being about the hope of moving on after the pain ends and finding something better. There is a great video for “Atmosphere”. The video was made to reflect the EP art, which was created by Cameron Burns. In the video, the band is playing the song in a dark room with a shadowy, smoky ambience. There are parts incorporated throughout that were filmed in a local city forest park called Fish Creek Park. Dan is wearing a helmet, which is symbolic of the “astronaut” character from the EP art, but it also represents a vague state anyone can see themselves in.
“Atmosphere” has been added to two Apple Music editorial playlists and two Spotify playlists, while “Ordinary Love” is on two Pandora playlists and one Apple Music playlist. These playlists are a big deal because it means the band’s music gets more exposure, listeners, and spins, and is getting recognized by people who have connections in the music industry.
Waterfront has a show Thursday, April 18th with Cawston, Folded Hand, and King Fabbs at Modern Love YYC in Calgary.
Anyone who knows me well is probably aware that I’m writing for The Sound 228 Magazine. The Sound is an awesome online radio station that plays a lot of new music by bands that are newer, unsigned, and trying to make it in the music industry. The radio station and my friends and colleagues who work with the station have been instrumental in introducing me to new bands I’ve never heard of. One of those bands is Etched In Embers.
I’ve been following Etched In Embers for almost three years now. It has been a pleasure watching this awesome band evolve and grow. Etched In Embers released their first full-length album, Obsolete, December 15th, 2023. Even though I recently wrote about the band for The Sound 228 Magazine, I wanted to also do a piece for my blog and get into a little more detail on some of the songs.
Etched In Embers, a rock band from Lake Of The Ozarks, Missouri, includes Russ Rhodenizer (lead vocals/guitar); Tyler Kenyon (lead guitar/backing vocals); and Chance Rhodenizer (bass/backing vocals). Drummer Christian Boles recently left the band after being a part of it since 2021. He played a crucial role in the making of the Obsolete album as well as the band’s live performances, and his contributions to Etched In Embers are appreciated. The band recently announced that Josh Newlon would be taking over behind the kit.
Russ Rhodenizer
Early contributions on the Obsolete album came from Kevin W. Gates of REACH Audio recording and engineering a few tracks; Chris Dawson of Aphotic Studios recording, mixing, and mastering the bulk of the other tracks; and Kile Odell at Sienna Studios recording, mixing, and producing four of the songs. All of the songs were mastered by Mike Kalajian at Rogue Planet Mastering.
When I first heard the full album, I was pleasantly surprised to hear so many “older” Etched In Embers songs on it, as well as new bangers the band has been releasing over the last several years and brand new tunes we did not hear prior to the album being released. The band chose the songs for the album that would best highlight the evolution of their sound. All of the songs on the album are the original versions. The band is very proud of how this album turned out. They feel that, from start to finish, it’s a strong compilation of their music. I agree with this. It’s tremendous.
Chance Rhodenizer
Since I started listening to Etched In Embers a few years ago, I’ve definitely heard an evolution in their sound. It’s a perfect combination of modern with a hint of classic rock mixed in. No two songs are alike. Russ’s vocals are so strong and emphatic, they really bring out the emotion in every song. They combine with the hard vocals added by Chance, who is also a skilled bassist. Tyler is one of the best guitarists I’ve ever heard. His guitar solos are spectacular!
Russ and Tyler wrote a lot of the earlier Etched In Embers music. As time went on, the rest of the band started contributing. The band also gets help from co-writers and producers, which, ultimately, leads to a great finished product.
I wanted to break down some of the individual tracks on Obsolete because the themes are so varied. Russ shared some of his thoughts on the songs, also.
Tyler Kenyon
“Blind Reality” is a song about letting go of “demons” and moving on from a painful situation. Russ expanded on this. He said it’s about the fight against addiction, bad relationships and inner demons, and learning to move on.
“Drown” is about taking a stand against those who are in power and creating our own change that we want to see in our world.
Russ shared his thoughts on the song “Someone Else”. He said, “This song is actually about realizing you have put yourself in a bad situation in life, and understanding you are to blame for your own trapping, then coming to the understanding that the pain to rebuild is worth it.”
“Failure Admission” is a song about admitting that you have imperfections and accepting that failure is a part of life. Having the tools to admit and move on is a sign of growth.
Russ Rhodenizer and Chance Rhodenizer
My own interpretation of “From Ashes” is different from what the song was originally written about. To me, it is a song in honor of a loved one who has passed away. I did, however, have a feeling there was more to it, and that is the case. Here is what Russ said: “This song mostly came from the standpoint of a relationship song, from the angle of a one-sided effort to not give up, and continuing the attempt to rebuild what was broken. As things go down in flames, from the ashes would rise either a more damaged relationship, or one that is stronger than ever. As I finished the lyrics to this song, though, it did grow into a meaning of loss as well, and that has definitely taken hold when I perform it since I lost my mother back in 2021.” My own mother passed away in 2013 and, recently, one of my best friends, Melissa, passed away very unexpectedly. This song really does hit home on so many levels.
‘Bring Me Back” is a song about our own mortality. Russ shared, “I always feel that the day I die I will wish I had given more to this world. I’m sure we all have those thoughts.”
“Happy Song”, ironically, is a song about being anything but happy. It’s really about being miserable in a relationship that is going downhill. It has definitely become a fan favorite. It’s a song about surviving Hell within a relationship, and yearning for the times of happiness that preceded its downfall.
Finally, I wanted to talk about the opening and title track on the album, “Obsolete”. It is beautiful and mesmerizing. It was written and performed by Tyler Kenyon on the piano when they decided on the album title. Russ calls Tyler “a multi-instrument talented dude!”
Tyler Kenyon and Chance Rhodenizer
I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the awesome music video for “Happy Song”. It was done by the masterful director Juan Ibanez. He has done almost all of the Etched In Embers music videos. The video has a “Jerry Springer” type of concept. Russ said the band came up with the idea for the video quickly. They were fortunate to have Jessie Budahl help them out in the “trashy girlfriend” role. She has been in videos for bands such as Atreyu and P.O.D., which were also done by Juan Ibanez. Russ said doing the video was “insanely fun!” It sure looks like it when you watch the final product. It is brilliant and hilarious and extremely entertaining.
What’s coming up for Etched In Embers? The band is having preliminary discussions about a possible EP release in late 2024 as a follow-up to the Obsolete album.
Upcoming shows include an acoustic set at the Inked Nation Tattoo Convention in Oklahoma City Saturday, February 24th; a show with RA Wednesday, February 28th at The Regency Live in Springfield, Missouri; and a show on St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday, March 17th, at Lefty’s Live Music in Des Moines, Iowa with Shim playing Sick Puppies along with The Impulsive and Alyeska. The band will be performing at some festivals this year and will be booking some individual shows, and is hoping to possibly put some kind of tour together.
Maryland hard rock band CARBONSTONE just released a new banger called “White Noise” February 17th, and fans are already loving it. It is a dark, emotional song, with a music video that fits the theme perfectly. It is the band’s first single since April 21st, 2023, but it was worth the wait.
The whole band was involved in the making of the song and the video – Corey James (lead singer/guitar); Neely Johns (guitar); Eric Dee (bass); Josh Provencio (synthesizers/keyboards); and Jeremy Robertson (drums). Producer Tony Correlli of Deep End Studio contributed on the synth elements during the recording process. Not to be forgotten is “Frankie Carbonstone”, the band’s vampire hype bear who has become either a fan favorite or worst nightmare, depending on who you talk to. There is no doubt that Frankie adds a very unique element to not only the band’s videos, but also live performances when he is on stage and will often go live on Facebook from his vantage point.
The music and lyrics of “White Noise” were all written by Corey. He wrote the song in increments over several months. As stated before, Tony Correlli contributed the synthesizer elements and production and Jeremy Robertson laid down the drum tracks. “White Noise” was recorded in Tony’s brand-new studio, which he actually moved into in the middle of the recording process for the song. Interesting fact: Corey actually helped wire the studio! The song is a little different than recent CARBONSTONE tracks. It has a faster pace with the rapid-fire drums, and really incorporates the industrial metal sound with the guitar riffs and the synthesizers. As always, Corey’s vocals are exceptional and emotional, and take you down into the depths of the song’s darkness.
Tj Darpino of Darpino Media filmed the video at Kim’s Krypt Haunted Mill in Spring Grove, PA. Josh Matthew of Resolution Media edited the video. The video was shot during a major January snow storm in frigid temperatures, but the band made the best of it and the end product turned out better than they maybe even expected it to. Corey says, “Kim of Kim’s Krypt was amazing for allowing us to do this. On video scout day she gave us a full tour so that we could pick out each and every room for the video.” Corey admits the days leading up to the shoot were very stressful, especially with the forecast calling for a major winter storm. He was truly worried they would have to cancel and reschedule, which could have taken months. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Corey says they had a blast the day of filming. They had so much going against them, but they came together as a team and pulled it off. “No pain, no gain!” Corey says jokingly.
“White Noise” has a dark theme – which seems to be prevalent in a lot of CARBONSTONE songs. Corey says he doesn’t really set out to write about any specific theme. He just writes and lets the music and his thoughts take him wherever they may lead. He wants listeners to take their own meaning from a song that resonates with them. When I listen to CARBONSTONE songs, I feel like Corey writes from deep within his heart and soul. It’s like he understands that we all have our struggles in life, and he makes us feel like we’re not alone.
That being said, I’ll give my thoughts on “White Noise”. I interpret it as being about being trapped in a toxic relationship with someone who is selfish and wants to drag you down and leave you there.
As the lyrics say:
“Suffocating close to breaking You left me buried alive”
“You never saved me from myself Now I’ve become this empty shell”
I guess, ultimately, it’s up to you to get yourself out of this dark place you’re in to get out of this situation.
Corey says, “We as humans all have those moments in life where everything can feel so heavy and hopeless. Regardless if another person is the cause of it or just living life itself, it’s important for our own self-growth to continue clawing through all of the bullshit and madness.”
As for the video, the setting was perfect to reflect the haunting theme of the song. Corey’s wife, Chrystal James, the frontwoman of ANOXIA, makes a cameo appearance, along with “Frankie Carbonstone”. The very beginning of the video depicts an old-fashioned hearse with “UR NEXT” on the Maryland license plate. Most of the video depicts the band in a cylindrical space, which is supposed to be like a sewer drainage pipe. It was a perfect representation of the dark place we can all fall into and get lost in. It looks like filming in this space was challenging, which, ironically, could also relate to the challenge we face when trying to pull ourselves out of whatever dark situation we’re in.
Now that the first song of 2024 is out, CARBONSTONE isn’t about to slow down anytime soon. Corey says he actually recently finished writing a “really wicked” song that needs to be recorded immediately, so they’ll be jumping back into the studio in March. There are also some cool shows booked. One of those will be Thursday, April 18th, at Lovedrafts Brewing Company in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg, with Priest, Vampires Everywhere, Vision Video and Natalie Ness. Make sure to follow CARBONSTONE so you don’t miss the excitement to come!
Since this is my own blog, I would like to add a personal note. I just want to say how much I admire Corey and Chrystal James. They are two of the most genuine people I know. They truly care about their fans and treat them like family. I am really grateful to be part of the CARBONSTONE and ANOXIA circle.
There is currently a CARBONSTONE Spotify streaming challenge going on until March 17th. The song that gets the most streams will determine what color Corey has to have his hair dyed. The songs are: “White Noise” – Rainbow “Damaged Like You” – Purple “Scream” – Orange “Gangsta’s Paradise” (cover) – Blue I’m definitely down with the rainbow hair — hopefully with glitter. I hope Corey doesn’t kill me for this!
In all seriousness, though — please make sure to follow CARBONSTONE on Spotify and check out the whole catalog of awesome music! You can find CARBONSTONE on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and the band’s website.
Annie's Awesome Rock Blog 