this one

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Excessive Hater 101 - where you too can learn the valuable Anti-Eddy art of: harassing and threatening people online from the safety of your home, maliciously giving people false information to get them to hate someone that you hate and reacting like a "mental" jackass about something someone wrote when your name/band name was never even mentioned (not even once) in the article. It's okay, though. I've had haters before, and I'll probably have a lot more before it's over. Just be sure to check out my "Truth Proposal" at the end of my rant below.

Drama, drama, drama. I love our music scene, and put forth much effort and time into making it grow back to what it once was. But lately it seems like this scene has gotten ridiculous as hell, with haters and mindless quasi-sheep/human hybrid followers of haters. Social media wars. Grudges. Internet battles! Strategic and brutal Facebook posting! Let's get ready to rumbbbbbbllllllllleee!

Why do people hate so much now? How did our scene come to this? I'm not talking about one individual either; lately I've seen much hate on Facebook with nothing to do with me. Longtime friends (in cover bands) publicly destroying each other. It saddens me that there is so much negativity, non unity, and petty quarrels in our once great music scene.

There is one incident that I do want to address.

I just endured a whole day of watching mindless sheep-people follow and listen and react to some guy who "assumes" I was writing about him in my column. This schizo got all bent out of shape because he thinks I was talking about him and his bad vocals, so he proceeded to go on a tirade against me on Facebook. Insults, threats, false accusations. Some really rude comments. For all my friends and family to see. It's true that I don't care for his vocals and have said so several years back. But, who gives a shit what I like? Everyone has their own tastes. I'm a frikkin' critic! Get over it.

Seriously, there are many Louisville vocalists who sing in an non-melodic, growly fashion who fit that description, so for dawg to assume he is the top topic and special, is a bit, um, nutty and arrogant. The funniest part of this whole ridiculous argument is that "never once" was anyone's band name or even an individual's name mentioned, nor have I talked to even one person about who it is. Isn't that a bit crazy to publicly lash out at someone in this fashion, because you simply "assume" it is you they are talking about?

So, yeah, I deal with this hater nonsense about once or twice a year at least. When your name is out there like mine is, haters are gonna hate no matter what you do. I do find it terribly amusing that these incredibly brave souls who don't even really know me, only seem to have Internet courage.

I will now tell you, my loyal readers, why I maybe have gotten a little carried away with my comments about some of Louisville's bands in the past and then maybe you will see why I write some of this stuff. This has been bubbling up for years. People who truly know me know that when I write something like that, you can bet your ass there is a very valid reason, and I will share it with you. And no, I am not apologizing! I stand by my words 100%.

Imagine if, as a music writer/promoter, you extended a hand of friendship to someone or a group for years and years, went out of your way to list their bands shows, reviewed their music with mostly positive remarks, featured many of them in LMN, and - last but not least - respected the level of musicianship in their bands and really looked forward to booking/playing shows with such rockin' bands … only to be dissed completely in every way, for absolutely no reason at all.

Had I done something to incur this treatment I would understand, but I haven't done a thing to deserve this from these holier-than-thou people, besides try to help as much as I can.

I can see where this would anger some bands.

It's true that I do not hide it if I don't like certain aspects of a band's music or a band's attitudes. The guitar tones, bad vocals, a shitty sounding bass rig, doody drums, horrible attitudes, greed, arrogance. All they do is take. They tend to always forget the people who helped them get to where they are. So I tell the truth. Such is the job of a critic. You will always manage to piss someone off, regardless.

Let's get something straight. I'm not here to sugar-coat a goddamn thing. I've been a Louisville music newspaper critic since 2001 or longer and I've been actively playing music in this scene since 1994 or 1995. Countless shows. I have been proven right every time I've gotten into it with situations like this. I have morals and pride in being honest. I have earned the right to voice my opinion and I will continue to do so, despite how butt-hurt you might get if you don't like what you read. I usually do so in a respectful way though. As respectful as can be when you are saying something isn't so good.

But- I can only be pushed so far before I push back.

I'm not the instigator here, I am the kid who fights back after being disrespected one too many times. The kid who knocks the bully on his ass.

Some of these bands have been extremely petty, purposely avoiding all of my events/shows/show offers like I was a leper, even after I had helped them many times in the past. Pretty much blackballing anything to do with me or my bands. It's some petty ass douchy BS. My band members are damn good guys/musicians and don't deserve to be blackballed just because a few people personally don't like me. It's not fair to them.

Heck, I couldn't even get some of these bands to put aside their petty hatreds for 45 minutes to play a benefit for poor kids for the Kosair kids for Christmas. No bullshit.

For the record, I tried to work things out/make peace by inviting said bands, but to no avail. . .

So I ask you, good people. How would you react to being purposely dissed and maliciously blackballed for years by those you have gone out of your way to help/work with and tried to be friends with over and over?? Would you keep taking the bullshit treatment, or would you let them have it?

Well, I've reached my boiling point on many of these bands/people/attitudes. I'm done trying. Some people you just can't reach.

SO TO YOU, the guy who assumes: I have nothing against you. In fact I think you are a frikkin' great guitarist and highly respect your playing ability and achievements. I have always said your playing is badass. And your band's musicians are awesome as well. No complaints there at all.

But mister, your unwarranted accusations/public comments are despicable. To lash out that way over "assumptions," on a public forum where my friends and family can see is pretty low/shitty. You have accused me falsely of ripping off bands and keeping all/living off the money the bands make at my showcases, when everybody and their mother hears the vast amount of radio spots we buy for the shows each month. You have insulted me, saying my 'fro is fake. You have molested my dog whilst I was out running errands. Just kidding on that last one!

Well, I'm fully prepared to expose your tirade of accusations as lies, so I propose we make a little wager to see who is truthful and who is the dishonest one here.

I hereby bet my $6000 handmade Bernie Rico USA flying V against your vehicle's pink slip - against your accusations.

I say let the people know the truth. Trust me dude, I don't want any more drama, nor did I even want to post this, but I cannot let someone maliciously slander my fourteen-year showcase that has given hundreds of bands the opportunity to share their music. I want everyone to know the truth.

We can get a neutral team to visit Clear Channel Radio's accounting department, and Phoenix Hill Tavern's manager/owner to see if I keep all the money from my showcases. The PHT checks, and checks from the show sponsors are made out to Clear Channel Radio. It's an easy and somewhat fast way to verify everything. If it's proved I keep all the money, and live off of the band's earnings, as you have accused me, then you have a new $6000 guitar! If you are proved a spiteful liar, then I get your car and you are branded "A Liar. " Deal? It seems to me that someone who is willing to go ten miles out of his way to convince anyone who will listen, that I'm a ripoff/con man, would be more than willing to prove it.

Here is your golden opportunity to show the whole city how much of a rip-off I really am, if you can.

Hell, I'll even subject myself to a visit to a hair salon to validate the existence of my rightful heir, er … hair.

So either "put your money where your mouth is" or shut that lying hole under your nose. "

Those who want to check for themselves to be sure, can contact Dwight Witten, Kathy Persinger, or Charlie Steel at Clear Channel Radio. Ask them how much Eddy Metal spends a month on advertising the bands. Hell, feel free to ask them any questions regarding my ongoing PHT account. I've nothing to hide. Call 479-2222.

I shall be vindicated when even your most loyal nut-huggers will have to admit they follow a liar.

Chances are, they won't care if you're proven a liar. But that's okay by me. For I have no use for dumbasses who follow liars like mindless sheep without first finding out the facts. I've got bigger fish to fry, my own shows to play, and a whole slew of down-to-earth, humble and good people who know that a man who donates so much of his time/effort (without financial compensation!) into the original music scene, getting bands exposure, booking bands, helping benefits, featuring bands in LMN, being a board member of MERF (a foundation to help musicians in need when bad things happen), and for also raising over $50,000 in toys (with the help of Louisville's unselfish rock bands! Thanks, guys! Rock For Kosair baby!!) to poor children at Kosair Charities for Christmas every year - can't be too bad.

So the next time you go off slandering someone, you might want to look at the facts before exploding. Just sayin.

Peace.

P. S, thanks for the extra website hits!!

The Metal Grapevine

Derby Eve Party Anyone?

I've had some legendary parties at my crib, and I think it's about time for another party soon! It's Derby eve/weekend, so what are you gonna do? A couple of great rocker options are Rob Zombie, of course, live at the Iroquois Ampitheater, but they are sold out, so if you didn't get your tickets, you are phucked. That is where I will be. Taking pics of Mr Zombie and Company. But if you have no tickets. you can go to Trixie's Derby night to see Flaw and the aging porn start Ron Jeremy (yay), or go to Phoenix Hill to see Jackyl w/ Bobaflex. I usually go to PHT Derby Eve (which is always fun and crowded), but Jackyl's performance last year was atrocious, so I think I'll pass this year. Thank god Bobaflex is on the bill. Bobaflex is gonna soooo destroy Jackyl, musically. Derby eve at Diamond Pub should be fun for those of you rockers who dig the rap-rock genre!! Bone Thugs N' Harmony, Elephant Room and a bunch of other DJs/rappers are performing. So there you go, hopefully this gives you a few options to look into. Be careful if you drive. Or better yet, get a fargin designated driver!

Volbeat/Trivium Review

(Pictures by Walter Cornett of Three Point Shots Photography & a few by Eddy Metal!!) I needed to get out to see this show bad. I was craving some new music to review/look into/discover and this was just what the doctor ordered, literally. I almost did not go because I wasn't feeling so great, but I toughed it out for the sake of you readers and a press request that I had made months earlier. I got the approval to review Volbeat/Trivium at the last minute, so I had to hurry up and get my stuff together fast. I love the Palace, and I love getting to see tons of friends every time I go there. And The Palace has always treated us here at LMN very well. So thanks to those guys! It's my favorite Louisville venue to see a show at, by far.

First up was Trivium, a young melodic metalcore band from Orlando, Florida that I first saw many many years ago at the old Jillian's. I met them and they were one of the coolest bands I've met. Real nice young guys. Well, those younguns have come a long way since then. Now they are crushing and shredding beyond belief. I have one of their newer albums and it slams! Their talents have really matured and the guitar playing and songwriting have come a long way. The music is more complex and layered. Their sound was tight, heavy and sounded really good through the house PA. Vocalist Matt Heafy sounded a bit dry, considering the music he was playing. Some deeper vocal effect would have gone well with that style of music, but he didn't use much effects on his voice. The guy sings and shreds (on lead too) on guitar at the same time, so I'm still impressed. But I think he should get another guitarist so he can focus more on vocals. I wasn't very impressed with the singing aspect of their show. The music, however, was pummeling, but still melodic and catchy. Lead guitarist Corey Boulieu is a beast on guitar. I love his creative lead solos (during the vocals) that accompany the rhythm guitar. Very melodic and heavy all at once. Never let it said that music has to be non melodic to be considered heavy. His solo is "In Waves" is sick. I really like his Middle Eastern/trippy feeling riffage that he does some of the time in his soloing. The guy has some serious chops, mucho feeling in his playing, and his amp tone was nice and chunky with the perfect amount of effect. No complaints on the drumming or bass playing. Bassist Paolo Gregoletto's bass tone was crushing. Meaty and punchy. All were right on the money. I heard no meaningful mistakes. I don't know their song titles or music, so I'm not able to tell you which songs they played. Luckily Mark Doss, my friend and a fan of Trivium, was there to help me out by telling me what songs they played! Thanks Mark. According to Mark, the band played their popular tunes: "Brave The Storm," "Strife," "Through Blood And Dirt And Bone," "And Like Light To The Fires," "Dying In Your Arms," "Down From The Sky," and "In Waves. "

The intricate and super-fast, muted picking that Trivium does is impressive. It's crisp and tight as phuck.

Modern sounding and yet still very much metal. Nu metal? I dunno about that. As a guitarist myself, I heard some old-school influences here and there quite frequently in this music. Some serious Iron Maiden influences too, especially in "Dying In Your Arms. " Almost like a young American version of Maiden without Dickinson. And I love Iron Maiden, so I enjoyed watching these guys kick some butt. But there seemed something missing in the overall performance. It was definitely in the vocals. Maybe not enough actual singing? Maybe the vocals were too dry? Maybe it was dude's voice in general. With music that good and melodic, I was maybe expecting more old-school type vocals? I think that is what it was. Their music almost demands more of an old-school vocal sound. Regardless of the slightly subpar vocals, Trivium's sound was awesome, and I enjoyed hearing this young band once again! Hail, Trivium!

Volbeat was up next. What can you say about a band from Denmark who came outta nowhere and has kicked some serious butt in so short a time? Not to mention the guy who discovered them, Scott Frasier, is a Louisville native. Well, it makes for an interesting story of success. Vocalist/guitarist Michael Poulson is a genius and quite a performer as he rips it up on his Custom Gibson SGs. The man has created something different and profited hugely off of it. The style of music he has come up with is rock, thrash, punk, metal, rockabilly, alternative, all thrown in with a healthy dash or two of Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, all mixed into one big-ass crockpot of musical jams. It's Metallica meets Elvis, meets Johnny Cash, meets Brooklyn hardcore band Life Of Agony, meets the Swedish Chef. I have noticed that Michael Poulson's vocal style closely resembles that of Nineties hardcore band Life Of Agony's singer Keth Caputo, now known as Miss Mina Caputo. I don't know if dude was snipped or what, but he is now a she. Poulson really sounds like Caputo! Especially on the LOA song "Through And Through. " Is this the vocal influence Poulson adapted his style from? Damn I'm good!

Guitarist Rob Caggiano, freshly recruited from metal legends Anthrax, seems to fit the bill perfectly. Dude is a wicked guitarist, but it was kind of weird seeing him play much easier riffs with Volbeat than what he was used to in Anthrax. Some of the Volbeat guitar rhythms were very easy to play, I thought. but Rob's leadwork wasn't so easy at all. It is the one instrument that really soars in this band, other than Poulson's powerful vocals. I have to admit, Michael Poulson's vocals were awesome. The guy sounded better live than on his recordings, and as a music critic, one does not find that very often. He projects his voice in a way that is majestic and uplifting. And he does all of this while playing guitar at the same time. And strangely, he doesn't lose power in his vocals by concentrating on guitar riffs. He balances concentration between both chores very well in my opinion. As good as Chris Cornell does!

While I'm not a big Volbeat fan, I do admire what they have accomplished, and I like a few of their songs. Bassist Anders Kjolholm was all over the place and I couldn't even get a picture out of the guy because he was non-stop. He had killer bass tone, too. I liked the way the guitarist/bassist did the backup vocals as well. Sounded great! Drummer Jon Larsen was quite good, as you would expect him to be.

The stage show was pretty basic, nothing fancy, just good music and some decent lighting. No gimmicks or monsters running around on stage. The band sounded great. Very tight as a unit. And the vocals soared this night for Volbeat. The crowd seemed to eat it up, every song! The band kicked offf with "Doc Holliday," "Radio Girl," "Lola Montez," "Heaven Nor Hell," "Fallen," "Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood," "Maybellene/hofteholder" (complete with acoustic guitar intro), "Still Counting. "

The last few songs were "Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza," "The Hangmans Body Count" (probably my favorite. I hummed that riff half the night after we left!) and "The Human Instrument/Warriors Call". The crowd went nuts over every song. Volbeat could have pooted on the mic and the crowd would have yelled "Yeeeeaaaahhhh!" Ha! Speaking of pooting.

The night was marred by some person in front of me and my date who was crop dusting the most horrendous farts known to mankind. Worse than Egg McMuffin farts. And no, the smeller was not the feller! Ha. My nosehairs shriveled, and I almost melted as if Pepe LePew walked by! Unfortunately we never indentified the anonymous farter (lucky for them). I think this was Karma for what happened at Flaw (Read Flaw Review Below) a few nights earlier. Ha.

Earlier in the night I saw Volbeat manager and longtime friend Scott Frazier in the crowd with his children. He came up to me and we chatted for a few, and I congratulated him on his success these last 5 years or so. It was so cool seeing Scott up there with his very excited kids, who later on, got to go onstage with Volbeat for a song or two. Scott looked real happy to be there at Louisville Palace with his band headlining. He was smiling from ear to ear and was very friendly. Some people talk shit about Scott (fargin bitch ass haters), but he's always been cool to me. He was very down to earth and humble despite the success he's had recently. It's awesome that a fellow Louisvillian has done so good on the world stage. Congrats bro!

Anyways, it was a great show of new music! The band played a good long set to an enthused crowd of rockers that had the Louisville Palace filled to about 90% capacity., I'm thinking. Some douche recently said I don't cover enough new music, so this one is for you a-hole!

Don't Forget Peeps, I'm on the MERF Board now, and we help Musicians in need!

Don't Forget My Fellow Musicians; I am now a board member for MERF. "Musicians Emergency Resource Foundation. " If you rockers have an accident and need help really bad, we may be able to help. The MERF peeps are really good people, so yeah, you rockers do have someone on your side. Visit our site ands see what MERF is all about! We help musicians from all walks of life, from Folk music to Death Metal! I'm here to make sure my metal brethren are taken care of too. MERF!!!! http://www. merfbenefit. org/

Rob Zombie to rock Iroquois Amphitheater on Derby Eve, SOLD OUT

I told you mofo's to get your tickets early! But noooooo. Lol.

It's way cool. The king of horror rock, Rob Zombie will be playing an outdoor concert right here in Louisville! This is a rarity indeed. We seldom get any good outdoor shows anymore, and now we get to rock out with some heavy metal on Derby Eve, Friday, May 2? That's just too damn cool if you ask me. Iroquois Amphitheater was always a cool venue, but they never seemed to have metal shows much, which always bummed me out. But now we get one on one of the coolest days of the year! Yes, this show should be off the frikkin' hook! Rob Zombie always puts on a great show, and it has me wondering how he will adapt to the smaller venue, especially when he has such a huge stageshow with all the props and fire and evil artwork. It should be very interesting. Props to AC Entertainment and Production Simple for making this very cool event a reality! Doors at 6 p. m. Show is at 8 p. m.

P. S This is "the" nasty rock n' roll Derby event of 2014. It shall be sicketh. See you there:)

Alice In Chains Beeyatch~!!!

Seattle rockers Alice In Chains are heading this way in the month of May, first at The Horsehoe Casino Pavilion in Cincinatti, then at Elizabeth Indiana at Horseshoe Casino on May 22. I saw AIC a few years back at Louisville Palace and was very impressed with their new singer, William DuVall. He is no Layne Staley, as he isn't anywhere near as dark and foreboding as the classic and legendary Staley, but DuVall does have a heck of a voice and is a darn good replacement. It just seemed he was way too happy of a frontman to be in Alice In Chains. Alice In Chains is a dark expression of music. But if anyone were to replace Staley, it should be DuVall. I wouldn't mind seeing them again as it was very much worth it. So you AIC fans should get your tickets asap because these shows will probably sell out. I'm gonna try to get tickets to cover/review this one!

Interview with Uncle Kracker guitarist and Louisville Native Kevin McCreery

I took a few minutes to chat with Louisville guitarist extraordinaire Kevin McCreery after his tour of Japan with Uncle Kracker. Dude has always impressed me with his emotional style and the way he conveys himself through his playing. He is definitely one of Louisville's top dawgs on the six string! Let's check out what the farg is up with ole Kev and how he got to where he is today.

Eddy: Tell us a little bit about how you came to play guitar for Uncle Kracker?

KM:: This is the short version, it's quite a story. I had just, days before, stopped teaching at Mom's Music after three years. I loved teaching, Max and the whole crew there were awesome to me. I was just getting a little burned out. I needed to take a break.

I was out on a bit of a run with Hugo (Tantric), doing some acoustic shows. I was at dinner in Jackson, Tennessee with the club owners and other band members and I got a call from Mike Adkins, Kracker's rhythm player. I'd known Mike for some years in Detroit. When Ugly did shows there, we always had Mike's band Flophouse on the bill. So when the position came open I got a call. I was being considered but not at the forefront of the list because I no longer lived in Detroit, or Michigan, for that matter.

So, I came home called up Eric Whorton to borrow some gear because I had dismantled all my electric guitar touring stuff. No pedal board, no combo amp and I wanted to take a Tele. So Eric graciously loaned me some gear for a few months! So, long story short, I had given up hope on even getting an audition and then ended up getting another call about a week later, saying "Can you be in Detroit tomorrow"? I had to finish playing a local gig and then my buddy BP drove me to Detroit at 2 a.m. They had a room set up for me, so I slept a few hours, then learned the songs and three hours later, did my audition. So miraculously, I get the gig, and the next day I'm on a tour of NFL football stadiums opening for Kenny Chesney. And yes, Eric got his gear back eventually.

Eddy: What were some of your coolest shows in other countries? And tell us what is it like to be able to see the world doing something you love?

KM: I'm very lucky. I know so many great players/singers/songwriters that have never gotten a chance to tour and live the dream, so to speak. I've gotten to do this with three different bands. I'm going on 15 years of this. It's crazy. Even playing locally for those few years with Big Rock Show, Full Contact Karaoke, etc., I never stopped touring, I was always flying or driving somewhere with Hugo doing the Tantric acoustic thing. Going to Japan and South Korea to play for our military are def my favorite things I've ever done professionally. It's very humbling going to the military bases, meeting the men and women who selflessly defend our freedom, face to face. They are so appreciative of us coming and playing and I always tell them. . "Look, I just play guitar, you defend the free world. What YOU do is important. I'm a lucky SOB. " I love my life and hope I get to do this forever. I never ever take it for granted.

Eddy: What kind of gear are you using these days bro?

KM: I've been blessed by having some awesome people come across my path that really worked with me to get great gear. I'm using FUCHS amps. The Train II combo is my fav amp ever and is probably the most versatile amp I've ever played. It sings and it roars. I also have a Fuchs Full House 50 that I A/B for different tones. Most of my pedals are Dunlop/MXR.

And guitars ... here we go: Jacob Harper just recently made me a custom "White Falcon-ish" hollow body that just kills. I mean. Wow. That guitar has so much tone and character that it's just silly. I also have a couple more Harpers that are Tele style, I still take out one Strat of the three that I own. I have a nice G&L Asat, a Fender Antiqua Tele, PRS Gold Top Custom 22 and a Taylor 814 CE Acoustic. JH Audio, JH 16 In ear monitors, those are just fabulous.

The newest piece of gear being added to the arsenal is being built right now. My buddy Pete at Heritage Guitars in Kalamazoo Michigan – yes, THE old Gibson plant - is building me what they call an H157. To you and me, it's A Les Paul Custom, it'll be white w/gold hardware like Randy Rhoads. I've always wanted one. I'm thinking for the summer tour taking out the Harper White Falcon-ish, The white Strat and the white H157 so all of the guitars will be white with gold hardware. Sounds fun!!!

Eddy: Tell us a good "on the road" story! Something wild that screams Rock N' Roll.

KM: Oh man, certain things can't be told. It's more to protect someone else's identity than my own. When I was younger, it was crazier. Nowadays everyone is fairly tame. I mean there is some partying going on, for sure. A lot of yelling, screaming and hugging. The craziest "rock star" thing was last year when we had then shows in one day. Milwaukee with Kid Rock and Atlanta with Sheryl Crow. After playing w/ Sheryl, we jump in a car, race to a small airport to fly a private jet to Milwaukee from Atlanta, jumped off the plane, get in a limo and show up in time to throw on a guitar, Jump onstage and open for Bob. After it was all done, I was like. Did that just happen??

Eddy: So what does summer 2014 hold for you Kevin?

KM: Hopefully, releasing the AvantgardeDog record!! It's going on three-and-a-half years now. It IS being mixed, it IS real! As a matter of fact, seven songs are finished and when the next seven are done, we go to mastering and then I'll throw a couple up online. So Chip Adams and I are getting pretty excited about that. Then we have to play live!

As far as touring with Uncle Kracker, right now it's just mostly fly dates sprinkled around for a couple of weeks, a month here and there. We just came back from that week in Japan, playing for our troops in Okinawa, and as I write this, I'm on a two-week bus tour that goes to Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Mississippi.

This summer is the "Under The Sun" Tour. It starts late June and goes until end of August. The line-up is Uncle Kracker, Sugar Ray, Blues Traveller and Smashmouth. Probably gonna be pretty fun. Last year was a blast w/ Kid Rock and ZZ Top. Just to be in the presence of Billy Gibbons everyday gave me goosebumps. It looks to be another busy year thank God. Work is good!

Eddy: Thanks so much for your time bro. I wish you well rocking out this summer representing The Ville! Any words of wisdom to up and coming musicians looking to make it in music?

KM: Don't do it! Haha no really. . . Practice. Be the best musician you can be. Learn to sing. Not everyone can be the lead singer, but if you can sing harmony, it'll work in your favor. Be persistent but don't be an A-hole. Love the art of music, write your own songs. Yes, they are gonna suck at first but the more you write, the more you learn about writing. Network as much as you can. It's a long road, if you get discouraged easily, you won't make it. I'm not gonna lie to you, It's tough out there. You sacrifice close relationships, family and friends most of the time. Be careful what you wish for! And thank you, Eddy! Good times!

Here is some Uncle Kracker LIVE at Klipsch Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana.

Randy Napier's Bandaid For Cancer Benefit Concert

Randy Napier is one tough old bird. He has went through hell having cancer and is an all around really great human being. The guy is a true inspiration, for courage and refusing to go down without a serious fight! Randy kicked death's ass!

Randy said to death in a very John Wayne-esqe way "Get the fuck out of here, Death!" I like Randy and his family very much. I wish more people were like him in this world. Randy has put together a cancer benefit concert on Sunday, May 18, at the Hillview Government Center at 283 Crestwood Lane in Hillview (it starts at 4 p. m.). All to raise money for cancer victims and their families! There will be live music, food, silent auctions and the bands that will be playing are Short Bus, The Dallas Moore Band, Talk Of Spring, Jenny Carr and Twang Town, and last but not least, The Big Rock Show! Those Big Rock Show guys have BIG hearts apparently, because they are always doing benefits to help people. How cool is that? Total props to those guys for being good human beings just like Randy! In this day and age, that's not an easy find anymore. This show is BYOB, so save some cash and bring your own stash! Many poor souls have suffered from cancer. I myself lost both of my grandparents to cancer (fuck cancer), and they were really great people. So please support Randy's cancer benefit and the people it will help. Thank you!

LMN Musician Of The Month

There is no denying the talent of vocalist Chris Volz of the Louisville rock band Flaw. So I thought he would be a great feature for our Derby edition of LMN. Be sure to check out his feature here on LMN online! Here is also some footage of "My Letter" from Gobblestock 2013. Enjoy!

Flaw, Signal The Revolution, Centerfold, Year Of The Gun and newcomers Hello Agony "LIVE" Review

Wow. I'm impressed with the bands' performances on this bill, and I'm proud to say that these are 100% Louisville bands. Some of the top dawgz in town as far as original music goes. Some might say these bands have sold out, that we aren't heavy, that we are commercial posers. The haters can say whatever they want, but the fact is these bands have some serious talent going for them. I had been wanting to jam with Flaw again, as its been several years since last we jammed. I finally got my chance on Friday, April 18 at Diamond Pub. The Flaw/Signal kick off tour show. First band up was Hello Agony, a five-piece that sounded pretty darn good for a new band. A lot of the times new bands blow!

The band is comprised of Billy Burton/vocals, Rick Mcintyre/lead guitar, Geroge Kirby/rhythm guitar, Jason Orafferty/bass and Mark Caswell/drums. The music was semi-commercial, but still heavy in parts. Formed in 2013, Hello Agony's music ranges from melodic to heavy to progressive to slow and groovy. It's pretty diverse and interesting, and there is actual singing by local cover band refugee and original music scene rocker Billy Burton. Dude was always a good singer in whatever band he was in. Billy drives me insane sometimes, so that I want to choke the mofo, but somehow I can't stay mad at the guy. He's like a little brother who always gets into trouble. I was liking the guitarwork of Hello Agony. Subtle yet rockin' when needed! Some pretty clean guitar parts too. Nice heavy grooves kick in at times. I was impressed with Mark Caswell's drumming too. Those guys seemed like good dudes as well. No shitty arrogant attitudes that a lot of bands have these days. Hello Agony should do well.

Next up was my band Year Of The Gun. We've been around for about five years I think, and have played some pretty good shows. I'll not go into much on my own band and give the haters more to yak about. So I'll just say I thought we kicked ass and were pretty darn tight. Our new song "Head In The Sand" got a great response. We had a blast!

Next was Centerfold, a different type of Louisville band. A refreshing change of pace from the cookie-monster clones occupying a lot of the clubs about town. This semi-new band is rock, country and hard rock; shades of metal pop up now an then, as well. Hardly any bands in town incorporate country into hard rock in our scene. While I'm not a huge New Country fan, I do love old classic country and the mere idea of mixing said elements into one rockin' sound … is cool. I really enjoy guitarist Rich Brown's riffs. I like how he uses effects to maximize his riffs. It sounds great. And Bobby Naeltz's leads just rip. Both guitarists rock and you can easily tell they are pros. Superb tone. Vocalist John Hager mixes things up nicely, vocally. He works a crowd well, too. I think these guys would do well in Nashville. They played a good set and wrapped it up with a cover by Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff," accompanied by Flaw guitarist Jay Daunt. Centerfold has a pretty decent following.

Signal The Revolution came on and kicked some butt as usual. It was good to see Zach back in the band. It really is better that way. Guitarist Chris Marple was on fire this night. All the guys sounded great. I guess this is why they are one of the top bands in town. Props guys! Great set!

About this time a rumbling started in my innards, probably from the quesadilla I had at Diamond Pub restaurant out front (they've got killer food)! Pretty soon, I was about to explode. I had to fart bad. Not being an asshole, I casually and coolly walked away a bit until I located a section of the room where no one was at. Oh, my god, was that fart aching to be free! Seeing no one in sight or anywhere near behind me I let her rip. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Relief. Oh shit. One of the guys from one of the other bands saw me and came up to say great job with our set and came running up, right into the affected area. And it was really really bad. I'm talking green fog, rotgut, egg fart bad!

I almost shoved out both hands to yell "NOOOOOOOOOO" to my fellow musician but it was too late. The fart was breached. I felt pretty bad for the poor blighter.

The moral of my story is; never trust the presumed safe location of a fart. Winds change, people migrate, shit happens. Don't worry people, Karma got me back in full at the Volbeat show. Whoever was in front of us at Volbeat was a crop-dusting fool. Omg.

Flaw time! What can you say about Flaw? Love them/hate them, they do what they do and whatever you think ain't gonna stop them one bit. I noticed a lot of haters picking on those guys. I had to sell tickets for my opening band and several times when I asked people to buy Flaw tickets from me, I heard "Fuck Flaw, those guys are fucking assholes!" More frikkin' hating. Me? Personally I like Flaw and always have. Those guys never did anything to me. Their music is good and Volz has a killer melodic voice. I've opened up for them several times and have always had a blast. Hell, I appreciate them giving us a chance to have our music heard by more people. People who normally wouldn't have heard our music! True, there have been some unsavory aspects and some crazy shit from the bands after-hours activities that we could have done without (especially when they were younger), but life goes on and people grow up. They have definitely calmed down a bit.

The original lineup is back in full force and they seem ready to take on the world once again.

The Diamond Pub show was a kick-off point for a few gigs up north with Signal The Revolution. Later, I saw some pics of the those shows and it looked like there were great crowds. It must feel good to be gone/broke up for years and finally come back to a waiting big crowd of fans. And loyal fans they do have! Flaw sounded good this night, and if there was one complaint, it would be the guitars sounded a little bit muddy or over-distorted or something. Notes were hard to distinguish for some reason. Usually its not that way. Vocalist Chris Volz always sounds good and, in my opinion, is one of the more gifted Louisville singers to have actually done something on the big stage! Great lyrics. Diverse vocal style mixed with power and range. Ryan Jhurs is a bass demon and a heck of a backup singer! One of the nicest guys in the band, too. I'm surprised he hasn't formed his own band as vocalist. Orange-haired guitarist Jay Daunt was all over the place. This is one dude who has calmed down a lot in life, thank god. He used to do some messed-up shit back in the day. Now it's all about business, family and making the music to Jay. Congrats, bro! Guitarist Lance Arny now has dreads to his feet. That's some long-ass hair. Dude was always a damn good guitarist and still is. No complaints there. Drummer Chris Ballinger is the epitome of modern drumming technique. It seems he has taken care of former issues he has had with substance abuse, thank god! I hate seeing good friends ruin their lives by doing stupid ass bullshit. The guys rocked out with old hits like "Payback," "Reliance," "Only The Strong," "Whole," "Medicate," "My Letter" and a few new ones called "Rise Above" and "Connected. "

Like a cat, this band has nine lives, eight of which have already kicked the bucket. So I hope these guys stay on the straight path so they can make a great comeback and represent the 'Ville like I know they can. Everyone in life has issues, but if you can overcome them, kick their ass and go on to be what you dream of becoming, THEN you have truly won the battle. Flaw still has a great chance of doing that.

I wish those guys the best of luck.

Thanks to Diamond Pub and Jared. The sound system and sound guys were great, and I really appreciated the help with the stagehands who helped us carry our gear. Trust me, packing several hundred pounds of amps truly sucks.

Here is a LIVE video of Centerfold.

Southern Kentucky's Luther, in the Studio

Cult rock southern Kentucky doom metal legends Luther are back in full force and are right now in David Barrick's Studio in Glasgow, Kentucky. I've known these guys since 1995 or 1996, and we've played some killer shows together over the years. I've always enjoyed their music very much. Luther has soul, heaviness and something that a lot of bands don't have anymore: originality. They rock. Bigtime. And these dudes have character!! Drummer Richard Bybee is a trip. The bassist Andrew Smith made me a wooden skull with a chainsaw way back in '96 that I still have to this day. Good guys that I can't wait to jam with again on Friday, June 6 at PHT. I took a few minutes to chat with guitarist Jason Willliams about the new record.

Eddy: Tell us about this new LUTHER record, and about where you will record it. You guys have worked with David Barrick before long ago. He's good! I used to play the shit out of my Luther cassettes!

Jason Williams : Yeah, I've played the shit out of those tapes, too! Barrick just knows how to record Luther. Some of the songs are old songs that never got recorded back in the day when Tommy was with them. There are songs that was recorded with Chris Cassetta that never got released. Then there is one brand new one called "All Things Creepy." There are bunch of brand new songs in the process of being written but then there are a lot of old ones that never got released that just flat out rock!

Eddy: How long has it been since Luther has recorded anything?

JW: The last time we were in the studio was in 2004 at Canyon, but it never got mixed. It turned out pretty good but David Barrick is just more tuned into the Luther sound, being from Glasgow, I guess.

Eddy: Has the Luther of today changed much from the Luther of the mid Nineties? What are some of your favorite new Luther songs? And why?

JW: Not really, aside from me being the guitar player. Richard Bybee (Drummer) writes the majority of the music while Stephen Cleveland writes all the lyrics. They just let me loose if the song calls for a solo. The arrangements pretty much get laid out during rehearsals, depending on what feels right to us. What are my favorite new songs?! "For A Dime," "Bushman," "Frowns" are songs that are old songs to the rest of the band but new to me and we haven't played them live yet and I can't wait to. "Wartime" is another one that has this end section that is unapologetically Sabbath and I love it! There's some old ZZ Top elements in there, too! There's another one called "Hole In My Head" that we kinda thought of as a back-burner song that turned out awesome! Stephen wrote the last verse over and it just took us all by surprise on how cool it came out. They got finish some vocals and then start to mixing it next Monday.

Eddy: What does the future hold in store for Luther? Any good summer plans or showcases? I can totally see you guys on a tour opening for Down or C. O. C. or somebody southern and swampy like that!

JW: The future is impossible to predict but if all goes well, we will release these 11 songs, play some shows, hopefully make enough money to record more songs because there is never a shortage of songs and they are all really strong and should be heard. Hopefully, we'll get the opportunity to open for some cool acts. We got to open for Dave Brockie back in 2003. It be good to play shows like that but the shows we've been playing on our own have been a lot of fun, too. So as long as we're all having a good time it doesn't matter who we play with. We get to play longer when it's our show and that's good because there are a lot of songs and everyone's favorites are different.

Eddy: You don't get to play Louisville as much, but when you do, you kill it! Anything you guys want to say to the loyal Luther fans waiting to see you on June 6 at Phoenix Hill Tavern? And thanks for your time Jason, you are one of the good guys in the scene!

JW: Yeah come on down! Take a drink! Be somebody! Hopefully, we might have the new disc ready by then! If not you'll just have to hear it live first! Let's do this! While we still can!

Join The Dead Review

Wow! This Indianapolis band is badass. I've known the drummer Jason Carr for at least 16 years His old band Dent (which was amazing) and my band 13^th Level used to trade shows quite successfully. Some great times! Well, Jason has a new band called Join The Dead and they are seriously awesome. They have been playing out here in Kentucky (I went to see them at Tim Hellewicked's show, thanks, Tim!) and wish to be a part of the scene here as well. I don't see that being a problem, because these dudes wail. It's the MF'ing twilight zone really, because Join The Dead really, really remind me of Louisville rock band Signal The Revolution in many ways! And that is a good thing, because STR is one of Louisville's top original rock bands. They are similar because both are heavy and melodic and modern, and both use complex and very cool guitar layering to full effect. The guitar riffs in both bands are emotional and catchy as phuck. And both bands even look similar! The singers could be brothers! JTD's bassist looks like STR's guitarist! It's bizarre. JTD is a bit heavier though. STR's guitar is more technical, but JTD's singer is a little better than STR. It evens out.

Join The Dead's singer Sahar Montalvo is a damn good singer who can sing and lay down some sick ass screams when needed. He has the low screams and the high, singing notes. He has a bit more range than most singers in town. Guitarists Steve Boyles and James Sweeney are wicked. No complaints about anything there. Tones were sweet. Riffs were tight. Melody and unity in their playing was off the hook. Many Louisville bands should learn, and see how it is done, by these two guys right here. Bassist Casey McDermott had a thunderous bass tone that is as good as it can get basswise. And the guy can play well! These guys have damn good gear and a huge sound. What can you say about my old friend Jason Carr? Dude is a groovin' beast on drums and always has been. I was telling my date "I really wanna jam with Jason! His playin with my heavy downtuned riffs would be killing." Jason has this tendency to come up with perfect drum parts for any given riff thrown his way.

Showmanship and playing-wise, dude has it. The whole band has it. From heavy metal riffage to slower ballady melodic metalcore nu-metal sounds, JTD cover a nice spectrum of the metal genre. You can see JTD at Third Street Dive on May 30 and May 31 at Busters in Lexington. In the meantime, check out some live footage of Join The Dead.

Louie the Local Guy's New Music Showcase

Local celebrity Louie the Local Guy has a new rock showcase at Wick's Pizza in the Highlands. Original bands and covers! Louie has been working hard to get you bands shows, so you better show the love back and come out to these shows of his! Wick's has some really good pizza, too, so you get to kill two birds with one stone, if you ask me: live jams and killer grub! Every Friday and Saturday at Wick's, be there! I listed a bunch of shows for you peeps below, check it out.

Rockstar Mayhem Festival 2014

The 2014 lineup is Korn, Avenged Sevenfold, Asking Alexandria, Trivium, Cannibal Corpse, Suicide Silence, Miss May I, Mushroomhead, Emmure, Texas Hippie Coalition, Veil Of Maya, Upon A Burning Body, Darkest Hour, Body Count (Featuring Ice T), Ill Nino, Wretched, Sister Sin, King 810, Erimha and Islander. Our chance to see this blistering show is July 19 in Noblesville Indiana at the Klipsch Music Center, which is an awesome place to see big shows at! Get your tickets now!

(Eddy: picks of bands I would stop and actually watch play whilst avoiding drunken, sweaty, fat guys on the verge of falling/passing out/yakking all over on you! Bands I would personally like to see on this bill are Trivium, Sister Sin (the brunette chick is smokin' hot and has a great metal voice), Suicide Silence, Texas Hippie Coalition (maybe they'll burn with the fans???), Bodycount w/ Ice T (I loved that album. Metal and rap that I actually liked!!!) and last but not least Ill Nino (they rock).

Cannastock2014, a Kentucky Herb and Music Lover ' s Dream

Cannastock is a free admission, three-day, cannabis awareness music festival that will be held in Woodstock, Kentucky (near Somerset Kentucky) on August 1, 2 and 3. There will be live music for three days! Free onsite camping available. There will be a parking fee to compensate the venue location. My band Krosjoint played last year and we had a blast. There were hippies, rockers, hipsters, smokers, tokers, midnight pokers - that show had it all! I'm excited for us to be playing this year as well. Krosjoint fit well with the crowd/event theme. The festival features all kinds of music from original metal bands, rap, to DJs, to country, to folk music, to rock cover bands, and whatever else you can probably think of. Last year's event gained a lot of notoriety around these parts and I am expecting this year to be even more memorable. It's too bad they couldn't secure the same farm location as last year (it was very cool), but I'm sure Cannastock founder Arthur Van Winkle won't let us peeps down. I will be sure to fill you in when I hear more news!

Befuddled Fest (Quiet Riot, Days Of The New, Bulletboys, Faster Pussycat, Tantric, Days Of The New and more) is Coming

We have a doosy of a show coming up at The Rustic Frog in New Albany Indiana right across the bridge on August 29, 30, and 31. It's a festival featuring such bands as Days Of The New, Tantric, Bullet Boys, Quiet Riot, Faster Pussycat, Psychostick and a whole slew of local original bands like Dirty Cheese and The Hoodie Thieves, Nova Red, Popkiss Chainsaw, Year Of The Gun, The Mad Taxpayers, Stone The Crow, Vintage Voodoo and a lot more when things get fully confirmed. As well as fine music, they will have an assortment of activities/entertainers like a volleyball tournament, magicians, firebreathers, clowns, illusionists, dancers, hula girls, contortionists and a wide selection of food booths (I hear these places have and all manner of festival stuff. This promises to be a fun weekend. I'll fill you in when I have more info. )

Signal the Revolution News: Zach is Back

Guitarist Zach Bandy has returned to the Revolution fold once more after a lengthy absence. Zach has straightened out his issues and is apparently ready to rock once again. I like Signal The Revolution much more with Bandy in tow, as the guitar duo of Chris Marple and Bandy makes for an interesting and melodic endeavor. It sounds great with both of those shredders doing different shit all the time. Zach writes some damn good riffs, too, which is very important. Catchy memorable riffs are all important. Vocalist/guitarist Josh Carter did a great job being the second guitarist for a short while, but Chris and Zach working together is when STR is at its finest. That and it frees up Josh Carter to concentrate on vocals more. Not that he needed to or anything. He did a great job doing both at the same time. Not an easy chore! Also, the band's new demo should be ready within a few weeks at most! It should sound amazing with Jordan Haynes recording them. Dude is damn good at what he does. Check out their new demo review in June issue of LMN!

Death Metal News: Assisting Sorrow to Release Double Vinyl on new Label later this year

Lost Forty Recordings, a new label run by the owners of the HammerHeart Brewing Company, will be releasing all of the Assisting Sorrow material (demos, CD releases) on double vinyl later this year. It will also include one new unreleased song and an acoustic version the song "Soul Raper" as well as a cover of Morbid Angel's "Day Of Suffering." All remastered. You can contact Assisting Sorrow at https://www. facebook. com/assistingsorrow for more information. Check out Louisville death metal veterans Assisting Sorrow LIVE!

Billy Youngblood Live Concert Review

I'm checking out a LIVE concert by artist Billy Youngblood and his band, a cool and rockin' guy that promoter Terry Harper turned me on to last year. Billy lives in northern Indiana and plays original rock. Dude is ridiculous on guitar and has forgotten more than most guitarists here know. The show was recorded at Pierre's in Fort Wayne Indiana on March 7, 2014. The song "Jungle Beast" is a tune that reminds me of The Charlie Daniels Band or something, because they have some bluesy riffage and violin playing that gets down pretty funky. Awesome playing all around. These blues riffs are pretty sick. This music also reminds me of Stevie Ray Vaughn. It's almost as if Billy has come from the crossroads where he made his deal with the devil. Nobody around here is really doing this kind of music. "No Romeo" is a funky dealio with better vocals from Billy. The background crowd seems to like what Billy is doing pretty damn good. I really like the violin work on this performance. It adds a certain flair that you rarely find these days. "In My Blood" is a ballad with much feeling. The vocals weren't as good as other songs on this recording. I think maybe the vocals were too dry for my tastes. Billy does open up more on vocals as he warms up for the later songs. "Fading Away" features Billy singing a bit higher notes and he sounds better on vocals than the last song. It almost reminds me of hippy songs on the movie “Easy Rider.” I'm not used to reviewing such different and diverse music, so I'm a bit befuddled on how to review this great and different music.

"Too Much Pain to Cry" is badass. You can tell right off that this is quality stuff. So far this is my favorite song by Billy. It has a rock sound but also has a down-home country redneck vibe that probably isn't too frequent in northern Indiana. Billy's vocals shine on this one! Sounds like the guitar might have went a bit out of tune towards the end of the song, though. But the way Billy pounds that axe, its no wonder! Billy kicks into a smokin' lead to finish it up. I like the songwriting on this tune.

"Mystic Prophecy" starts out with an Alice In Chainsy- Arabic grunge-ish riff that I like a lot. Now this is right up my alley. Accompanied by higher pitched vocals that mix well, this tune has an, um, mystic and trippy feel to it. It's an eerie muted Middle Eastern guitar riff that is very cool. It's a short song, but it has character and feeling. It's one of those songs that you fire up a doobie to and sit back, relax and rock out! All the musicians on this album are good. They would have to be to keep up with the Billster! Total props to bassist and backup vocalist Kevin Wade Stolte, Drummer Aaron "Babydude" Manfredonia and Jess Jernigan on the violin and Passionstrings (What the heck is Passionstrings?). Awesome whatever it is! The violin really brings out the music and takes it to new places. Billy Youngblood is an artist who doesn't get caught up in trends and fads and musical bullshit. He is real. A damn good guy and a damn good musician. He is classic rock, blues, funk, hard rock and maybe even a lil bit country, all rolled into one groovin' cat. This guy has his stuff together, has played show extensively up north, and is quite the musician. This shit rocks! But don't take my word for it, check out Billy and co yourself!

The "Lady Killerz" R Coming: Insane Female rock/metal vocalists converge for one female fronted rock showcase on Friday May 9 at PHT

I've got one twizted concert coming up on Friday, May 9 at Phoenix Hill Tavern. It's female singers night, all night long! Metal, rock, anti-industrial, thrash, whatever, you'll hear some crazy shit I'm sure. The regional lineup of Lady Killers is Corprit Convict, Spontaneous Internal Combustion, Empyrean Asunder, Caducus and Last Question. The show starts at 9 p.m. and is free before 9. Only $5 after 9 p.m.

One of my favorite bands is Italy's Lacuna Coil, and Cristina Scabbia, their vocalist is my dream wife! I would thou runst my penis thru a cheese shredder for one night of forbidden passion with Mrs Scabbia. Don't tell her husband! Check out some Italian Goth Metal! Is she smokin' or what?

New Band Alert: Gravemouth Demo Review

I'm checking out a new band called Gravemouth. Wow! This jams! I know I rag on cookie-monster vocals a lot but the truth is, I like a lot of it if done in a tasteful way. These brutal vocals by Troy Grismer are pretty darn good! I'm digging the guitarwork/creativity of Eric Sparks and Cristyn Edlin. Nice! The song is called "Warm Suicider." Troy Edlin's drums are killing. Such power, such attitude! This is some no-nonsense, all-out metal. Fun stuff. I bet these guys have a blast playing this stuff live. There are fast muted parts, a few laid-back jazzy chords for good measure and some pure chaos in parts. It makes for a good listen. Props to Cristyn Edlin for a decent home recording. The guitars could have had a tiny bit heavier tone, though, I'm thinking, but mostly, it sounds good. "Warned" is a thrashy song with some cool riffs! Very creative guitar writing in these songs. Sweet double bass drumming. It's hardcore thrashy eerie music. "Dog Food" builds up after a slow intro with some news narration, drumming and chugging guitars. It builds up to impact on a death-metalish riff that turns into a slower groovin', yet fast guitar part, then back to insane speed.

Norweigan death metal's speed meets heavy hardcore meets punk meets slayer meets someone sawing a chunk of sheetmetal. It's good fun for the whole family - The Charles Manson family. Gravemouth is pretty cool. I'm digging this band and look forward to hearing them live soon. This is one rockin' new metal band and a killer addition to our metal scene. Great job guys n' gals!!!

I got a funny story about the guitarist Eric Sparks. I was at Eric's workplace, getting some auto work done, and I was talking to Eric up front as he was working behind the counter. Nice guy and funny. Anyways, someone called about their car, and Eric had to tell them they had a blown engine gasket, which, to anyone who knows, is horrible news! He said "Ma'am, not to sound like the grim reaper, but your headgasket is blown, and I'm required to tell you what we found, so it's up to you what you want done with this issue." Yet dawg was cool as ice as he let the bad news go in an almost soothing, relaxing and happy sort of way. I was stunned, and was like "Daaaamn dude, that news WAS the f'ing grim reaper! But that was a smooth as shit the way to break such hideous news! Well done!"

I almost wanted Eric to call me and say that my engine was fucked.

We both broke out laughing aloud at which Eric replied "Man, I gotta tell people stuff like that all day, so I try to let it go as easily as possible! I've learned to use subtle tones of speech. "

Eric almost made it pleasant to get such news!

Send me your bands live Video, and maybe I'll post the MF (if it's not too fargin' hideous)

Yup, you read it right! This here MF will officially post your band video on our Louisville Music News website if I like it, and you aren't a complete a-hole. Have a bunch of idiots you don't know watching you fuck up playing the wrong chord or part, or singing hideously off key! Wouldn't that be just too cool of me? You can thank me later, tater! But in the meantime, make sure the shit is somewhat audible (not just fuzz). I'll only post halfway decent sound quality. So don't make my boss bitch at me! Try to keep things professional, like my pro narration skills!

Kentucky Ugly, The Review! And The Small Town Metal Invasion

Sittin' here checking out a three-piece band called Kentucky Ugly from Danville, Kentucky. Never heard them before, but I have heard the name several times. They call themselves homegrown, heavy/Southern doom metal, and I can relate to having this type of music because I'm in a Southernish, doom metal band myself! "Let It Go" has a Sabbath-sounding guitar riff that brings Down or C. O. C to memory. Decent leads by guitarist/vocalist Derek Wilson. Drummer Shawn Smolinsky has that slow, powerful, Sabbath, Bill Ward style down pat, while bassist Jamie Wilcher lays down the Geezer-esque bass lines masterfully. I dig this band. How can you dislike a band with such a love for the metal masters? "Burning Suns" vocals remind me of Gene Simmons vocals when he's evil and cool. Nice change-up on the vocals dude! Sweet. The breakdown in this song is sick. Perfect. Some serious grooving commences after the breakdown. Very impressive songwriting on this tune! Wow. Now a sick lead that screams whiskey and good smoke. This song is heavier than Sabbath. Now its venturing into the Cathedral era of doom. I love Cathedral, too, by the way. This song is my favorite! I wish I would have booked them on my June 6 "Southern Disaster" show at PHT with Luther, Krosjoint and Popkiss Chainsaw. "Stoned and Bruised" is rocking instantly. This one has a Black Label Society vibe to it. There's some nice pinch harmonics in this guitar work, just like with Zakk. There is something about slower Sabbath-like metal that just makes me happy. The blues aspect. The Groove. The nasty Southern feel invading rock and heavy metal territory. The song ends with a thunderous, chugging beat from hell. It yells Kentucky! Kentucky Ugly is a band I hafta do a show with! Nice bruising metal tones and a good recording make this demo work for me. The drums sound pretty awesome and different. And I'm very impressed with Mr Wilson's gritty, raspy, soulful cool vocals, and the fact that he plays at the same time. I'll tell you what, some of these smaller towns are putting out some damn good music! I'm loving it. Luther from Glasgow, Creature Of Exile from Danville, Bury The Wicked from Lawrenceburg, Granshaw from Bowling Green, Zeroking from Huntington, WV, Succumb To Demise from Nicholasville, Kentucky, Heavens Gate Gospel Revival from all around central Kentucky, and now I hear about Kentucky Ugly from Danville. And ya know what? 99% of the guys in these bands are cool as shit. No fucking egos or douchy attitudes like some of these Louisville bands have. Just good guys that only care about playing their music and getting it out there to as many people as they can. I salute you.

I'm lovin' some Kentucky Ugly peeps! Check out the song "Stoned And Bruised" Live.

Motley Crue "The Final Tour" w/ Alice Cooper on October 14

It looks like the infamous coke-snorting, heroin doing, groupie-banging, legendary rock band Motley Crue will finally put out to pasture. All I can say is, it's about time. And no, I am not a hater! I love MC! But when performances slip and your singer sounds like total doody and doesn't sing half of the lyrics, it's time to re-evaluate your future. Nikki and Tommy are good to go, but poor old Mick with his spinal disease just can't do this much longer. And MC is Mick Mars! So it wouldn't be the same. And Vince just plain doesn't have it anymore live. Some songs sound decent, I admit, but on the old classics that are hard to sing for anyone, he suffers, er, the audience suffers. Dude sounds like a dying cat with pneumonia. But like I said, that shit is hard to sing! Trying singing the verses on key in "Shout At The Devil" and see how well you do! So with all due respect to The Crue. I agree with this decision to retire the band. I've seen some seriously badass MC shows in the past too. Almost every album tour all the way back to MC at Cardinal Stadium in '84 with Ozzy. Classic.

So if you wanna see the guys one last time, now is your chance to see one of rock's raunchiest, nastiest, sleeziest and rockin' metal bands ever! Get your tickets to this show on October 14 at The KFC Yum! Center.

BTW, Alice Cooper is opening! I saw Alice two years ago opening for Iron Maiden in Indy and he was awesome! Alice still has the heart and the ability to kick some butt.

Upcoming Shows

Al's Sidecar (603 N. Linstone St in Lexington Kentucky)

Saturday, May 17 - Mass Driver, Atomic Thrillride, The Footsteps and Rust N' Bones.

The Bards Town (1801 Bardstown Rd)

Friday, June 6 - "Rock For Momma Benefit" All proceeds to go to Hospice, Bands featured are; Rust N' Bones, Clowncar, Matt Jaggers, The Tunesmiths, Robbie Stephens, Ban She, Huh Robots and Lost In London. All ages. Raffle/doorprizes! 7 p. m. $5.

Billiards Club

Friday, June 6 - Soundtrip.

Busters (In Lexington)

Saturday, May 31 - Join The Dead, Coalescent and The Middle Fork. . 7 p. m.

The Cure Lounge (Lexington Kentucky)

Friday, May 23 - Attack Of The Pacifists, Johnny Sands, The Brother Wolves and Rust N' Bones. 8 p. m.

Diamond Pub (on Baxter)

Friday, May 2 - Derby Hot 100 Party w/ Bone Thugs N' Harmony w/ Elephant Room, Craze, Willy Joy, DJ Behrang, DJ Eclectrxx, Zebras In Public and more.

Thursday, May 8 - Powerman5000 w/ 9electric, Six 2 Six, Ninth Flight, Hello Agony. 7 :30 p. m. $15 -$30

Tuesday, May 13 - Kyng, Kill Devil Hill, Crobot, Sons Of Medusa, Caducus, Mild Trauma. 7:30 p. m. $15

Thursday, May 22 - Primal Fear w/ Stagecoach Inferno,18xray and Kingslayer. 8 p. m. $20-$50

Saturday, May 24 - Ohlm, Underwater, They Call Me Bronco and The Revenants. 8 p. m. $5

Sunday, May 25 - Animals As Leaders w/ Littledidweknow, Conquering Dystophia and Chon. 7:30 p. m. $18

Tuesday, June 3 - Threat Signal w/ Hatchet and TBA. 7:30 p. m. $10

Tuesday, June 17 - Eyehategod w/ Ringworm, Enabler and Devil And The Darkness. 7:30 p. m. $18 - $30

The Dungeon (Danville Kentucky)

Saturday, June 14 - Bury The Wicked, Creature Of Exile, Succumb To Demise, Regurgitated Flesh and Norfallen. 7:30 p. m.

Grapevine Lounge and Sports Bar (Scottsburg Indiana)

Friday, June 21 - Popkiss Chainsaw, Krosjoint and Rust N' Bones. 8 p. m.

Haymarket Whiskey Bar

Wednesday, May 7 - Gigan, Littledidweknow, Eschatos, Demise Of The King, Alagamate. 6 p. m.

Friday, May 9 - Johari (EP Release and comeback show!) w/ They Came Bearing Arms, Brought By Giants, Demise Of The King and ARI. 6 p. m.

Hillview Government Center (283 Crestwood Lane in Hillview)

Sunday, May 18 - Randy Napier's Bandaid For Cancer Benefit, featuring The Big Rock Show, Talk Of Spring, Short Bus, The Dallas Moore Band, Jenny Carr and Twang Town. Starts at 4 p. m. Be there!

Old Depot

Saturday, May 31 - Soundtrip.

Phoenix Hill Tavern

Friday, May 2 - "Derby Eve" Jackyl w/ Bobaflex. 8 p. m.

Saturday, May 3 – v; Derby Night featuring The Velcro Pygmies, and Unleashed will be opening the show that night from 8 p. m. till 11 p. m. Be early to see some amazing youngsters rock out!

Friday, May 9 - Corprit Convict, Spontanious Internal Combustion, Empyrean Asunder, Caducus and Last Question. 9 p. m. Free before 9 p. m. Only $5 after 9.

Friday, June 6 - "Southern Disaster" featuring Kentucky cult legends Luther, Krosjoint, Johari, Hello Agony, Popkiss Chainsaw. 9 p. m. Free before 9 p. m. too! Only $5 after 9 p. m.

R' Place Pub

Saturday, May 24 - Soundtrip.

Third Street Dive

Friday, May 30 - Join The Dead (Indy), Roundheels (St Louis) and TBA. 9 p. m.

Saturday, May 31 - Sons Of Medusa, The Jereactors and River City Sinners.

Trixie's

Saturday, May 3 - Ron Jeremy's Dirty Derby gala, featuring Flaw and A. T Kemp. 8 p. m.

The Vernon Club

Wednesday, May 14 - Upon A Burning Body, Beyond The Shore, Bury The Wicked, Stay Fubar, Left In Despaire. 7:30 p. m. $12

Friday, May 23 - Emarosa. 7:30 p. m. $10

Saturday, May 24 - Artifex Perio w/ Uh Huh baby Yeah, Ole Girl and Sidelined. 8 p. m. Admission is one penny!!!

Saturday, June 7 - For The Fallen Dreams, Obey The Brave, I The Breather, Reflections, Sylar and The Pale Sky. 7 p. m. $15

Thursday, June 26 - Granshaw, The Dirty Raggae Punx (featuring members of Green Jello!!), Clockwork 1:01 and TBA. 8 p. m.

Wicks Pizza (in Highlands)

Friday, May 2 - Despite The Fallen, Creature Of Exile, Beyonduplication.

Saturday, May 3 - Sons Of Medusa, Untold Relik, Last Question.

Friday, May 9 - Bury The Wicked, Driving Beast Daisy, Deven Roberts Project.

Saturday, May 10 - Kentucky Ugly, Digg and TBA.

Friday, May 16 - Hello Agony, Untold Relik, Mainstreet.

Saturday, May 17 - Sons Of Medusa, The Jereactors, Last Question and The New Shitbirds.

Friday, May 23 - Prognosis, Empyrean Asunder, Creature Of Exile.

Saturday, May 24 - Lethean, Heiress To An Empire, Luie Brangers.

Friday, May 30 - Gorgy, Fall Of Dusk, Mangled Atrocity, Fornicus.

Saturday, May 31 - Lame, Middle Class Mischief.

Friday, June 21 - Make A Wish Foundation Benefit – all proceeds go to Ohio, Indiana & Ky Make A Wish Foundation! Featuring Vice Tricks, Empyrean Asunder, Heans Gate Gospel Revival, Despite The Fallen, IIattatime, Caducus & Untold Relik. 6 P.M.

Saturday, June 28 - Zeroking (West Virginia) and TBA. 8 p. m.