Rewind: Metallica’s Memories Remain
“I thought everyone was as theatrical as KISS and then I saw Peter Frampton on TV and said, ‘Nope! I was wrong!'”
Review: Chris Gates ‘Welcome to Gatesville’
The simple joys of domestic sobriety fit Chris Gates like a trucker cap. A former punk-rocker and recovering blues-metal hellion (in the Big Boys and Junkyard, respectively), the Austin singer/songwriter/guitarist now resides in Gatesville where family, glory days and backyard barbecues are all the talk of the town. “Welcome to Gatesville,” the second album from the…
Yakking with … Colby ‘The Bastard Son’ Veil
By Metal Dave Colby Veil grew up in Rockwall, Texas but hauled ass to Los Angeles so he could start livin’ out his fantasy of sleepin’ late and smokin’ tea. Actually, Colby moved to L.A. so he could marinate in the birthplace of Guns N’Roses. Once there, he drank up the Hollywood nightlife, formed a band…
Pictured Life: Bret Michaels Calls Me Onstage For One Helluva Rockin’ Good Time
Bret said he would invite me onstage in San Antonio to experience the rock-n-roll thrill ride he enjoyed every night. “You’re a KISS fan, right?” he asked over the phone. Sure, I said. “We close the show every night with ‘Rock N Roll All Nite,’” he continued. “I’ll leave passes for you and call you up on stage.” Um, yeah. Whatever, dude!
Rewind: Rush Interview ‘Echoes’ From 1996
By Metal Dave The recent (and excellent) Rush documentary, “Beyond the Lighted Stage,” sent me digging through the archives to find my interview with Rush drummer/lyricist extraordinaire, Neil Peart. Calling from San Diego during the 1996 “Test for Echo” tour (tickets for the San Antonio gig ranged from $23.50-$37.50 plus convenience charge), the man who…
The Sword Gets Medieval on Your Ass!
By Metal Dave A grinding storm of heavy axes rolls forth from Austin, Texas this evening when sludge-metal thunderlords, The Sword, get medieval on your ass. Besides being Lars Ulrich’s favorite band (he’s asked The Sword to tour with Metallica three times now), The Sword celebrates tomorrow’s official release of its third album, “Warp Riders,”…
Yakking with … Stevie Rachelle of Tuff
By Metal Dave The going was rough for TUFF during Hollywood’s 1980’s hair-metal heyday. Admittedly obsessed with Motley Crue, the band did the whole big-hair/skintight/bandanna thing, but never gained the nationwide audience of second-tier peers like L.A. Guns, Faster Pussycat and Dangerous Toys. Best-known for the novelty song, “American Hair Band,” in which singer Stevie…
Pictured Life: Pat Smear in Hollywood
By Metal Dave This photo was taken behind the Viper Room on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip circa 1999. On the right is guitarist Pat Smear who, besides having one of the coolest names in rock, got his start with crash-and-burn punks, the Germs, before moving on to Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. On the left is…
Rewind: David Bowie Wows the Young Dudes
Obviously, it was a thrill for me to speak to such rock-n-roll royalty as David Bowie as he paired up with Nine Inch Nails for a tour that landed him in front of a new, younger audience.
Slayer Unleashes DVD Onslaught, Readies Monstrous 10-Album Box Set
Not content with just haunting the chapel, Slayer is coming to possess your TV. On August 17, the thrash-metal titans will reissue the out-of-print DVD titles “War at the Warfield” and “Still Reigning,” from 2003 and 2004, respectively. The pair will be joined by 1995’s “Live Intrusion,” which has been digitally remastered for this first-time-ever release.…
Yakking with … Jason McMaster
By Metal Dave Welcome to the first installment of a new semi-regular 2Fast2Die Q&A feature called “Yakking With …” What better way to debut than with singer Jason McMaster, whose storied careers with Watchtower, Dangerous Toys, Broken Teeth, Ignitor and others has rightfully made him a Texas metal legend (“Can I get a Slayer?”). Jason’s…
Pictured Life: Saxon’s Wheels of Steel lock up
By Metal Dave If every picture tells a story the one above is more humorous than most. It also makes a nice introduction to a random new 2Fast2Die feature I’ll call Pictured Life (thanks, Scorpions!). Pictured Life will let the photo do most of the talking with only minimal back story from me to set…