A Huge 2013 For Eye Empire

Eye Empire has been put on the road touring and building their army of loyal followers. It's tough to find a band with so much passion raging inside of them for the art that they are creating. I got to sit down with lead singer Donald Carpenter before a show not too long ago and he explained the vision of Eye Empire. You can read that interview here at Rock Revolt Magazine:

http://rockrevoltmagazine.com/interview-eye-empire-donald-dc-carpenter/

Korn Go back To The Basics On New Album With Head

Korn are about to unleash a brand new studio album with returning family member Brian "Head" Welch back in the fold. I caught up with drummer Raly Luzier before their headlining gig at the 2013 Rock on the Range and talked to him about what it was like having Head back. You can read all about that interview with Rock Revolt Magazine at:

http://rockrevoltmagazine.com/Magazine/July2013/RockRevoltIssue5.html#p=1

Carolina Rebellion 2012 Halestorm Interview

Halestorm seem to have the midas touch right now. Their second studio album The Strange Case Of came out of the gate firing on all cylinders. It’s their highest debut so far in their career and biggest first week sales also and they just hit #1 with their single “Love Bites (So Do I)”. The album has been receiving praise from both fans and critics alike. They were on board to play the 2^nd annual Carolina Rebellion on May 5 in Rockingham, North Carolina. We caught up with Lzzy and the guys backstage after their set and got to talk for a few minutes.

Music Is My Drug Of Choice: Hey guys, thanks for giving us a few minutes back here. It’s almost as crazy back here as it is out there! What a crazy couple of weeks it’s been for you guys. Let’s talk a little bit about your new baby that you created. The Strange Case Of had a huge first week, you all must have been ecstatic?

Halestorm: We weren’t really sure what to expect. We had a great time making it and we’re so proud of it, so no matter what it does, it’s awesome in our minds. It’s our first time with a second record, so we didn’t know what would happen. To hear the finished product is awesome adnto be out here now and playing it for everyone is pretty awesome. We’re having a blast playing the new songs for everyone.

MIMDOC: I wanted to ask you if you have any say so in what time you play? It seems that you always play very early in the day. The same thing goes with this year’s Rock on the range. You play a very early set and a lot of people look at it and wonder why you’re not playing later in the day. Is there a method to the madness?

Halestorm: It really depends on the overall lineup and what else we may have going on that day. We just show up and play. If there is a method, nobody’s told me yet! (laughs)

MIMDOC: Your set list today was very heavy with songs from the new album. How hard is it to pick a set list on a show like this? Do you guys argue over what to play?

Halestorm: (laughs) We’ve got it down pretty good depending on the time slot and how much time’s available. We’ve been primarily a live band for what seems like forever. That’s where we live and that’s what we love to do, so we pick a set list and then we watch it. We see how things rise and fall with the crowd and then we tweak it along the way to make it better.

MIMDOC: Can I ask you about “Break In”? It is by far my favorite song on the album and like nothing you have done up to this point. It’s a beautiful and powerful song that seems very authentic in its delivery. Are you drawing from personal experience on this one?

(Lzzy): There are the select few people in my life  that I have let literally break into my heart and helped me be ok with just letting it all hang out whether it be on stage as a love song to the  fans or whether it be my guys. They literally told me to write whatever I feel on this record and not feel like I had to represent anything or one of them. When they tell me that, then of course, the flood gates open. Yeah, it’s a very personal song for me. It’s basically about the people very close to my life and it’s us against the world and thanks for letting me be me.

MIMDOC: It’s a beautiful song and I commend you for opening up and being so honest about yourself. It’s a very powerful song.

(Lzzy): Aw, thank you so much. I appreciate that a lot.

MIMDOC: I am being given the cue too wrap it up, so I guess we have time for one more question. “Private Parts” with James Michael on the deluxe edition; it’s another powerful song. How did that one come about?

Halestorm: Well, first off we love to write together. So, I ended up going to Nashville and I spent like five days with the guy and every time that we would try to get something done, he would be like why don’t we go out for a beer? We would go out and come back and get ready to work and then he would ask us if we were hungry. So, when it came to be the very last day, we were flying out the next day and we were like maybe we should try and finish this song. I had the concept for the song for a while and I wanted to write a song called “Private Parts”, but it could be a song that a mother could love. You know what I mean? So, he had this amazing idea to make it a duet and at the end of the day I told him dude, you have to do this on my record.  We racked our brains as to who we could get to sing it and we all just knew it had to be James. There you have it!

MIMDOC: Awesome! It’s another one of the stand out tracks on the album. Well, it looks like we are being motioned to wrap it up. You guys are in high demand back here, so I thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Congrats again on all the success that’s coming to you because it’s truly deserved. If you are reading this and you haven’t picked up Halestorm’s new album The Strange Case Of, what the heck are you waiting on? Go get it and crank it loud!

Carolina Rebellion 2012 Interview With Korn's Ray Luzier

Korn has been on the music scene for almost twenty years. There are a lot of bands who emerged with them in the early 90s who have fallen by the wayside. Korn’s popularity did falter a bit, but the last two years has seen resurgence in popularity. They second on the bill at this year’s Carolina Rebellion and we caught up to drummer Ray Luzier before their set.

Music Is My Drug Of Choice: Hey Ray, I appreciate you taking the time to sit down and talk with us on this crazy day. Let’s jump right into the questions because I know your set is coming up soon. The band seems to have caught its second wind in popularity in the last few years. I know you’ve only been in the band for five years, but you’ve probably noticed a difference in the crowds.

Korn:  It’s really cool to see a lot of younger kids showing up at the shows. Yeah, I’ve been with the guys for five years and the attendance has always been pretty decent but in the last couple of years we’ve seen different generations coming to the shows. I was talking to Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden about this and he was saying how many different generations were going to Iron maiden shows because they have been around for so long. It’s a great thing to see that and to have a diehard fan base and have them introduce their kids to us is a pretty cool thing.

MIMDOC: The band doesn’t seem to want to depend on its past to get them by and you seem to have reinvented yourselves with the new album Path of Totality. That took a lot of people by surprise because of it being dub step and yet, it ended up winning the revolver Golden God Award for Album of the Year. How did that whole thing come about?

Korn: Korn has always had elements of hip hop and rap so to me, this is just them taking it to the extreme. Jonathan’s been a big dub step fan of the last couple of years, so it didn’t surprise me when he told us we were going to head in that direction. I didn’t know we were going to be doing a full blown album. Initially, it was only going to be a five song EP. He met with Skrillex and we were blown away with the sound that they made. You can’t do that with a guitar and a keyboard. From there, it just kind of snowballed.

MIMDOC: So, what’s up for you guys after today’s show? Are you still going to be on the road supporting the new album?

Korn: We finish this part of the tour on the 11^th and then we have a couple of weeks off. In June, we’re doing a resurgence of US dates of markets we haven’t hit yet. Then, we start doing crazy places like India and Budapest and Tel Aviv. It gets really gnarly around there. It’s cool to have a fan base like that. It’s definitely a worldwide thing. My very first tour with them was 35 countries in 4 months! I just learned that Korn has never been to India, so that’s going to be nuts because so many people have been waiting a very long time to see us.

MIMDOC: Ray, I know we need to wrap this up so that you can hit the stage, but I just wanted to ask if it was too early for you guys to be looking ahead to the next album.

Korn: Oh no, we’re always writing. Jonathan is like a mad man sometimes. We finish playing and get off stage and as soon as he hits the bus, he starts writing. We have a few songs already worked out, but it’s too early to know what direction we will take. We have three that sound kind of between Korn 3 and Path of Totality. Right now, we’re not on any kind of time frame, so we will have to wait and see.

MIMDOC: Fair enough! Ray thanks again for taking time out of this crazy day to talk to us. I know you have to gear up for your set. We look forward to seeing you guys out on stage winning this massive crowd over.  

Over 30,000 Rock All Day Long At The 2012 Carolina Rebellion

The 2^nd annual Carolina Rebellion moved its stomping grounds to the Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina this year and the masses showed up to rock. It may have only been May the 5^th, but it felt like it was in the middle of July on the day of the show. Over 30,000 people showed up in the blistering heat and humidity and they were treated to a day of rock that they will long remember.

The gates opened at 9:00am and the people started rolling in by the carload to claim their spot in front of the three stages used. The smaller stage which was sponsored by Jagermeister showcased a lot of the newer bands on the bill including Ghosts of August who kicked off the day at 11:00am , New Medicine, Red, Redlight King and P.O.D., who are poised for a big comeback with a new album due out this summer.

The two bigger stages included the Carolina Stage and the Rebellion Stage, bet you would have never guessed that. These stages were sponsored by Monster Energy Drink. The crowds in front of stage went back further than the human eye could see. As the masses rocked out all day, they managed to stir up a small dust storm that slowly covered everyone who was there. Let’s not fail to mention the huge amount of crowd surfing that went on too. Those security guards definitely got a workout that day.

Weaving the Fate kicked off the bigger stages as they performed second on the bill, but it wasn’t until later when Halestorm took the stage that the crowd truly got fired up. Lzzy Hale and her boys kicked off their set with their #1 song “Love Bites (So Do I)”. Their set was heavy on new songs off of their new album The Strange Case Of. The only complaint being heard was that their set was too short.

I would have to say that Five Finger Death Punch got the award for lighting a fire underneath the crowd. The crowd erupted in a fury of energy when they hit the stage and lead singer Ivan Moody fed off of that energy. Their set saw the crowd surfing increase at least 100%. What an energetic and over the top set these guys put on.

Recently inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Slash brought his right hand man Myles Kennedy with him to perform. He performed some of his solo material, but the biggest crowd reactions and sing-along’s came when he broke out the Guns and Roses classics such as “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. Myles has such a powerful voice and sounded amazing. He had many asking “Axl who?” As the sun went down, Evanescence took to the stage. Amy Lee has been somewhat of a stranger to North Carolina since the band’s debut album came out in 2003. Amy sounded great and treated the fans to a hit filled set.

Korn took the stage as the air began to cool, but they turned up the heat on-stage and delivered one of the best sets of the day. The mixed new songs with older classics such as “Falling Away From Me” as well as their cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”. A surprise treat was when Brian “Head” Welch took the stage with the band for the first time in seven years and performed the classic track “Blind”.

The night ended with a stellar set from the band Shinedown. Brent Smith and the band took the stage and delivered in a big way to the crowd. “Sound of Madness”, “If You Only Knew” and “45” were just some songs from their hit heavy set. Newer songs from their latest album included the title track “Amaryllis”, “Unity” and the hit “Bully”. A powerful acoustic version was performed when Smith took center stage with guitarist Zach Myers. They closed with their smash “Second Chance”.

Several bands did meet and greets where the purchase of their CD was required to meet them. FYE had a tent set up to help out with this aspect of the day. Monster Energy Drink also had a tent set up and a few of the bands did a meet and greet where the band signed a promo 8x10 photo for the fans. It was a rare treat for many to get up close to some of the people that they adore and idolize.

Overall, it was a great show! The people who put the show together listened to the complaints from last year’s show and tried to remedy all of them. There was a lot more room for the fans to move around, there were plenty of water and plenty of food vendors. There was even a hint that it may move to a two day show next year, plus the Friday night campground show. This year’s show seems to be regarded as a success and the expansion to another day next year just seems inevitable.

Over 30,000 Rock At The 2012 Carolina Rebellion

The 2^nd annual Carolina Rebellion moved its stomping grounds to the Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina this year and the masses showed up to rock. It may have only been May the 5^th, but it felt like it was in the middle of July on the day of the show. Over 30,000 people showed up in the blistering heat and humidity and they were treated to a day of rock that they will long remember.

The gates opened at 9:00am and the people started rolling in by the carload to claim their spot in front of the three stages used. The smaller stage which was sponsored by Jagermeister showcased a lot of the newer bands on the bill including Ghosts of August who kicked off the day at 11:00am , New Medicine, Red, Redlight King and P.O.D., who are poised for a big comeback with a new album due out this summer.

The two bigger stages included the Carolina Stage and the Rebellion Stage, bet you would have never guessed that. These stages were sponsored by Monster Energy Drink. The crowds in front of stage went back further than the human eye could see. As the masses rocked out all day, they managed to stir up a small dust storm that slowly covered everyone who was there. Let’s not fail to mention the huge amount of crowd surfing that went on too. Those security guards definitely got a workout that day.

Weaving the Fate kicked off the bigger stages as they performed second on the bill, but it wasn’t until later when Halestorm took the stage that the crowd truly got fired up. Lzzy Hale and her boys kicked off their set with their #1 song “Love Bites (So Do I)”. Their set was heavy on new songs off of their new album The Strange Case Of. The only complaint being heard was that their set was too short.

I would have to say that Five Finger Death Punch got the award for lighting a fire underneath the crowd. The crowd erupted in a fury of energy when they hit the stage and lead singer Ivan Moody fed off of that energy. Their set saw the crowd surfing increase at least 100%. What an energetic and over the top set these guys put on.

Recently inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Slash brought his right hand man Myles Kennedy with him to perform. He performed some of his solo material, but the biggest crowd reactions and sing-along’s came when he broke out the Guns and Roses classics such as “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. Myles has such a powerful voice and sounded amazing. He had many asking “Axl who?” As the sun went down, Evanescence took to the stage. Amy Lee has been somewhat of a stranger to North Carolina since the band’s debut album came out in 2003. Amy sounded great and treated the fans to a hit filled set.

Korn took the stage as the air began to cool, but they turned up the heat on-stage and delivered one of the best sets of the day. The mixed new songs with older classics such as “Falling Away From Me” as well as their cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”. A surprise treat was when Brian “Head” Welch took the stage with the band for the first time in seven years and performed the classic track “Blind”.

The night ended with a stellar set from the band Shinedown. Brent Smith and the band took the stage and delivered in a big way to the crowd. “Sound of Madness”, “If You Only Knew” and “45” were just some songs from their hit heavy set. Newer songs from their latest album included the title track “Amaryllis”, “Unity” and the hit “Bully”. A powerful acoustic version was performed when Smith took center stage with guitarist Zach Myers. They closed with their smash “Second Chance”.

Several bands did meet and greets where the purchase of their CD was required to meet them. FYE had a tent set up to help out with this aspect of the day. Monster Energy Drink also had a tent set up and a few of the bands did a meet and greet where the band signed a promo 8x10 photo for the fans. It was a rare treat for many to get up close to some of the people that they adore and idolize.

Overall, it was a great show! The people who put the show together listened to the complaints from last year’s show and tried to remedy all of them. There was a lot more room for the fans to move around, there were plenty of water and plenty of food vendors. There was even a hint that it may move to a two day show next year, plus the Friday night campground show. This year’s show seems to be regarded as a success and the expansion to another day next year just seems inevitable.