Threat Con Nation Magazine

NOV 2013 - Issue 2

Cover: Adam Dead In Seconds

ARTIST SPOTLIGHTARTIST SPOTLIGHT

JASON

SPYRES

of Malcom Bliss

DOES LOCAL MUSIC REALLY MATTER?

2 Threat Con Nation Magazine

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interviews and narrative sections may have

opinions and suggestions that are not en-

dorsed by Threat Con Nation.

Front Page Photo: Adam, Dead In Seconds. Other image Credits: Jason Spyres Photography

No More Solace Marketing / Advertising Director: Shawn Ernst

Editor: M Montez Contributing Writers: Johnna Dean, Shawn Ernst, M Montez

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INSIDE

04-07 BAND SPOTLIGHT: DEAD IN SECONDS

DOES LOCAL MUSIC REALLY MATTER? 08-09

10-14 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: JASON SPYRES

NO MORE SOLACE: SOVEREIGN ENDING 15

16 NOTES FROM THAT METAL CHICK

LOVE BITES: MUSIC WE LOVE 17

18-19 EVENTS

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T he talent and performance in-tensity of Sacramento’s local Thrash/Hardcore music com-

munity is like no other genre in Sac-ramento and the bands that choose to make this kind of music are defi-nitely an entirely different breed of animal. An animal with very sharp teeth.

If you go to a local show, you will find fiercely dedicated fans and bands that consider the scene more like a brotherhood (and sisterhood), but in a city with so many hardcore/thrash/brutal bands and a limited supply of venues that cater to these faster harder genres, how do these bands make their mark?

We decided to hit up Sacramento’s Dead In Seconds to get their take on the local music scene and to find out the secret to their successes in a genre that is often overlooked by lo-cal media.

Dead In Seconds is a Thrash/Hardcore/Metal band founded in 2012 by members Erik (guitar/back vocals), Adam (bass, back vocals), Swampy D (guitar), Donny (drums), and Brian (Lead Vocals).

They fall in the Thrash/Hardcore genre, but their music has a unique sound comprised of the various mu-sic influences each member brings.

BAND SPOTLIGHT:

DEAD IN SECONDS

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Q. What do you guys think are some of the challenges bands face in the local music community and what would you like to change?

Eric: People would always go to a local show. It wasn’t like, “Oh, it’s THAT band, we don’t want to go.” It just seems like the music scene has become more segregat-ed.

Adam: I would change the whole pay to play bull. I don’t think that you should have to buy x amount of tickets or have to sell x amount of tickets to play a show. That’s why we as a band try to play a lot of shows that don’t require pre-sale tick-ets.

The Colony is one of my favorite places to play. I’ve played there probably more than these guys and it’s just a cool place. Everybody has a good time.

Brian: To be honest with you, I have more fun playing little bar shows than I do play-ing the bigger venues. You can kick it and you get more of a chance to interact with your fans.

Adam: From what I see, I think the under-ground vibe is slowly coming back like what I remember as a kid. I remember hardcore bands like Hoods play in Sacra-mento at little venues even though they were big, they played smaller venues. Everybody was hav-ing a great time for dirt cheap and there was no worry about selling 100 tickets. It was just go to a show and have fun.

Donnie: People need to take notice of bands. There’s a lot of talent in Sacramento and a lot of bands don’t get the re-spect they deserve.

Q. Is there advice you guys

can give to an up and coming band that’s new to the scene?

Swampy D: Speak to your crowd. Talk to your fans.

Eric: Make the crowd part of what’s going on with the band. Not only talk, but make the fans a part of it and get them involved with your songs.

Brian: I’d say footwork, man. It’s getting them to feel like they’re part of something. There’s not just five guys in the band or four, but you make them feel like they’re part of something important and that’s when they rock your shirts and put in word of mouth.

Q. What is the best thing about per-forming on stage?

Adam: I try to personally just go as insane as I can, whether it involves throwing up or if I’m dressing up. A couple shows, I wore a gas mask and almost threw up in that. I feel like I owe it to the band and fans who just go nuts because you don’t see bands putting on performances like you used to and to me that’s something I want.

Eric: I love the crowd. The crowd re-sponse . The feedback I get from it. The

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high I get from the chants, the cheers and the ap-plause you get from the crowd when they hear a song– Especially when we played OTEP and the crowd was giving us that positive response.

Brian: There’s been a couple shows where the crowd was just screaming so loud that we couldn’t even hear the next song. We stopped playing gui-tar for a second because we couldn’t hear it and that’s pretty epic. When you see mosh pits slowly form and the whole floor clears open. It’s those moments that make all the arguing and hard work worth it.

Swampy D: The practice we do, we hate each oth-er at times, but I love it. I love what we do when everything goes smoothly and everything goes good. We talk mad shit to each other all day, but when all the energy and music comes together, we have these orgasmic moments like nothing else.

Q. What do you want your fans to get out of your music?

Adam: I just want to give people the quality music they deserve. We put in that hard work, but really, it’s the fans that pay the money to come see us. I want to make sure that they have something that they can take home and enjoy. I don’t want them to think that they wasted something.

Brian: As a person that writes the vocals or lyrics, I want people to open their minds. I like lyrics that have meaning. I like when people can relate and be on the same level. I like it when people can identify with our music.

Eric: His lyric style is completely different that what we were all used to. He was writing a different type of music before Dead In Seconds so that has a huge influence on his metal style. We do a little old school. We don’t do a lot of blast beats in our songs. With that and his lyric style, I think we stand out a little bit.

BAND SPOTLIGHT: DEAD IN SECONDS Cont.

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Q. Would you say that there’s a certain formula for a successful band?

Swampy D: The drive to want it. Anything that stands out.

Brian: I think it’s standing out a little bit and hard work. You have to be a little different than everyone else. If you follow everyone else, you’re just another band.

Adam: All five of us have the same goals. That’s what makes the difference to me. Being in a place where every member has the same drive to get to where they want to be. With-out that, you’re just not gonna go anywhere.

Q. If there is a message you would like to relay to your fans, what would that message be?

Adam: Don’t kill yourselves and enjoy our shows.

Brian: I’d say kill yourselves and enjoy our shows.

Adam: If you’re in the pit, punch somebody in the face, but remember, it’s for fun and not because you don’t like them.

Q. So what you’re saying is I can bring my grandmother in there?

Donnie: Tell her to bring her tambourine and Brian can do a dance off with her.

“I want people to open their minds. I like lyrics that have meaning. I like when people can relate and be on the same

level. I like it when people can identify with our music.”

YOUTUBE

REVERBNATION

FACEBOOK

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G one are the days of the big label package deals. There are fewer talent scouts waiting to hear

the next big thing. The A&R that are out there are turning towards social media cues and a band’s ability to self promote inde-pendently. Self-promotion is more important now than ever.

This may seem like bad news, but I promise you that it’s not as bad as it sounds. It just means that the power balance has shift-ed from major labels to the musi-cians. Musicians have found ways to be successful without signing away their rights.

It began back in the late 1990s, when digital media started to be-come popular. People stopped buying that brand new cd from the music stores and malls.

Consequently, the major record companies lost a substantial amount of money on cd sales be-cause people now had the choice of hand picking songs, or down-loading pirated music files (not cool).

What’s the big deal about local music? If they’re good enough, we will

eventually hear them when they get signed, right?

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There are a few major labels in business today and they often in-vest in independent labels be-cause the independent industry has become a more lucrative business than investing in a handful of bands to mold from scratch.

The shift in how people buy (and pirate) music has changed the music industry. More independent labels that provide booking and distribution have popped up, but ultimately, bands have learned to manage, promote, merchandise and sell themselves to the public. Connecting with the music com-munity and making the fans feel part of the band’s success be-came key. Social media and tour-ing became the outlet to growing their fan base to a national level.

When a band is ‘unsigned’, it is not an indication that they lack talent or experience. Taking on the many new roles involved in the business of a band has given them control and creative free-dom. They are out there making music that matters and many mu-sicians prefer that freedom over handing the work over to some-one else.

Today, the success of our music community depends on us, the listeners. Show attendance, mer-chandise and music sales more often managed directly by the bands are the fuel that keeps them performing for the love of music and for you.

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JASON SPYRES

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:

Self portrait by Jason Spyres

If you are familiar with the Sacramento hard rock band, Mal-com Bliss, then you’ve probably had the opportunity to see some of the “Bunny Man” photography among other notable

images on Malcom Bliss show flyers. Jason Spyres, the singer, ac-tor, graphic artist, photographer, and Malcom Bliss frontman, has many facets and interests. We wanted to learn more about his art, attempt to uncover the mystery behind the “Bunny Man” of Malcom Bliss and the story behind the band’s name.

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Who is Malcom Bliss?

Malcom Bliss is the four piece hard rock/metal outfit that I am a part of and I sing in that outfit.

How did you guys come up with that name? Is it an alter-ego? Is the masked “Bunny Man” Malcom Bliss?

Malcom Bliss is definitely not my al-ter-ego. It didn’t start out as an alter-ego, but I think over time, it became this thing on it’s own. There’s two stories there. There’s the band story and the bunny story and how the bunny got incorporated into the band is two totally different things that be-came one.

The Band Story

I had first moved back to Woodland back in 1996 and I was in a couple of bands, but we kind of just goofed around. We played a few shows here and there, but mostly it was just who-

ever was around. I was going through a divorce at the time so my weekends were filled with who was around and in town. We would go down to the basement with a 4 track and record music.

We did that for awhile until everyone moved away or went to school and I missed what I was doing in those bands. I started reading the classi-fied ads for musicians and I started looking for something I could get in-to. There was this ad and it was real-ly vague, but it was about a metal band looking for a singer, so I an-swered it.

I woke up sick on the day of the au-dition. I was sweating bullets and freezing cold and just feeling horri-ble. I decided to put some of the stuff I’d done on a tape and bring it down to them because I didn’t want to not show up. I didn’t want to miss out on this. I was going to roll down there with my tape and just drop it off.

CLICK TO LISTEN

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Jason Spyres Cont.

I was going to tell them, “Hey, here’s my stuff. Listen to it and if you like it, call me back, but today just isn’t the day for me because I feel really sick.”

There was a line of people audition-ing. There were dudes with their own PAs and I’m just showing up with this cassette tape. I walk in and give them the tape. Matt Dobbs, the bass player at the time, grabs the tape, sets it down and says, “Cool, so you wanna sing something?”

I get up there and I’m sweating and pale. Eric starts the opening rift to the song “Rash” so I just start flowing with it and start ad-libbing. We roll with that for awhile, but I’m shaking as I’m singing because I’m sick. These guys are thinking that I’m so intense because I’m shaking and sweating, but I’m so sick, that I’m about to keel over.

The audition fared well for me. They called me back that night and I even-tually became part of the band. We started writing songs and it really started coming together.

I told my Grandma about the band and she was really excited. She’s su-per cool like that and a huge inspira-tion for me. She thought it was great and asked me what the name of the band was. That was when I realized, I didn’t know the name of the band. I’ve been jamming with these guys for almost two months and I don’t know the name of the band.

At the next practice, I took the oppor-

tunity to ask them what the name of the band was and the room went qui-et. Everything just stopped. Crickets came out and I’m wondering if I said something wrong. Everybody is look-ing at each other and discussing whether or not to tell me.

They had a little powwow and decid-ed to tell me. It was ridiculous. The name was Cock Diesel and in my mind, I’m thinking, I hope they mean chicken because I have to tell my Grandma the name of the band is Cock Diesel.

I went home that night thinking, I don’t know if I can stay in this band. I started putting myself in these situa-tions where people would ask me the name of the band and I’m thinking, I don’t want to give that answer. I’m not going wear that shirt. I don’t want to sell that name. I didn't want to be rude, but I was just not into that name.

We kept jamming and I finally had a sit down with them. I told them that I really like what we are doing, but I’m just not into the name. I had to put my foot down and it’s hard to get me to put my foot down for anything. I’m pretty laid back.

They were open to changing it and we started brainstorming names. Er-ic was in a band when he was 15 called Malcolm Bliss and they played maybe two gigs. In St. Louis, where Eric and his brother grew up, there was this run down mental institution called Malcolm Bliss and it was

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named after a doctor. This place be-came where you would go after school to drink and do graffiti and it was also the subject of local lore about being a haunted place.

Before Eric told me the whole story about the mental hospital, I was al-ready liking the name. It’s got a good cadence to it. What I really liked about the name wasn’t the hospital thing, but with a name like that, you couldn’t pigeon hole us. It didn’t put us in any particular genre. It gave us an open door to experiment. We can do whatever we want with this name. I liked that it was vague and not in-dicative to anything. It gave us some freedom in a sense.

We all agreed to use the name, Mal-colm Bliss, but before we used it, we checked it out online and found out a band in Pennsylvania was named Malcolm Bliss. To be safe and to be sure that we came up in internet searches, we took an L out of Mal-colm, making it Malcom Bliss.

The Bunny Story

Malcom Bliss started to become it’s own thing before we ever defined it. We put it out there and it developed on it’s own, but in terms of the bunny and how that became Malcom Bliss, that was really a whim. My brother bought a camera and he wanted to go out and shoot some photos, so I grabbed a bunch of random stuff and I had one of those old school plastic bunny masks. I grabbed a blazer and

a red tie and we headed over to our Grandpa’s place. I stood in the sec-ond floor of the barn and my brother took pictures of me in the suit and bunny mask. I decided to use it for a flyer and it just went from there. I thought a guy in a suit and bunny mask holding a really big gun would be cool, so we did that. That image became one of our stickers. He’s just a great character.

In terms of our artwork, the “Bunny Man” kind of became our alter-ego or mascot and it just kind of stuck. I do

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think that after it became that image for our band, it had a part in influenc-ing us, but I feel like the music influences the art first. I feel like the music takes it in that direction. Our music and our lyrics have that vague, subjec-tive feeling to it. Malcom Bliss realized early on that we were able to exist in the genre we were in and yet still be thought of as different. The “Bunny Man” kind of fit to that. He’s in a mask, you don’t know what’s behind the mask. It could be anything. It could be innocent or completely malicious. It was like a marriage of all these things. It just worked for what we were do-ing musically. There’s like a story to fill in and the story is open ended like a choose your own adventure book; Musically speaking.

On Photography

It was that outing with my brother and when we did those first shots that really inspired me to get into pho-tography, but I’ve always been that kind of hobby photography guy. What I like about photography is it ‘s like an adventure. I like the prospect of putting to-gether a photo shoot and going out and having some fun and creating interesting images. I really enjoy it and there’s always something new to learn. There’s al-ways another point to as-pire to and there’s always things to be inspired by. I find that photography is a really accessible way for me to express those things. I know it’s something I will do for the rest of my life.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Jason Spyres Cont.

Click Here for Jason’s PortfolioClick Here for Jason’s Portfolio

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S an Francisco’ s, No More Solace has a little something for every kind of Metal fan. Their new CD, 'Sovereign Ending', incorporates a variety of metal genres into

one massively innovative sound that is composed by undeni-able talent.

Each song is an excellent arrangement of a varying influences, from fast and

explosive, thick and heavy, to melodic. The guitar riffs are incredible in their own right, ranging from skillful

ear ripping madness to in-tricate melodies that are

surprisingly refreshing. The vocals carry the tone of

each song with an aggres-sive grit and punch that

cinches it all together.

No More Solace: ‘Sovereign Ending’

nomoresolace.com

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w ithout warning, I'm lifted up above everyone and begin to float, quite awkwardly at

first, towards the front of the stage. Several minutes pass when the mo-mentum shifts, and I fall onto the au-dience. I become quickly and easily ab-sorbed by a packed portion of the crowd. I find myself thinking: "This is how I die? Under the feet of all these

people, whose heads I'm kicking in with my combat boots...Wait. -And, the first song isn't over!" What I experience, however, isn't death? I watch complete strangers hold back the crowd so I have a little space. A few of them dusting me off, while others pull me up to my feet, and even more are encouraging me to keep thrashing along with them in this intense excitement we share. For the rest of the show, I continue to be a part of this community. Not once does it smell like a bed of roses, or become completely pain-free. How-ever, anger never seems to be the theme, nor does it develop the stench of violence. There is blood on my shirt once the show reaches a conclusion. It isn't mine. But, I understand that person's experience. It is one with profound importance...it is, after all, for Our Metal Community. -Johnna Dean

Notes From THAT METAL CHICK

“There is blood on my shirt once the show reaches

conclusion. It isn't mine. But, I understand that person's experience. It is one with profound importance..”

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White Minorities

Genre: Hardcore/Ghetto Metal

Some of the best music videos of Sacramento.

reverbnation.com/whiteminorities

Zen Arcadia

Genre: Alternative

A big fun bag of alternative, pop and heavy rock.

reverbnation.com/zenarcadia

Amour

Genre: Indie Rock

Incredibly beautiful music that must be heard.

reverbnation.com/amourband

Love Bites

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—————————————————————————————————————————————NOV/DEC 2013

SEND YOUR FLYERS TO: THREATCONRADIO@GMAIL.COM

19 Threat Con Nation Magazine

—————————————————————————————————————————————NOV/DEC 2013

SEND YOUR FLYERS TO: THREATCONRADIO@GMAIL.COM

I have been in bands since I could talk my parents into letting us make noise in the Garage and while through the years, I have gone from armchair recording engineer to house party solo act; I al-ways seem to return to the group dynamic. This dynamic is that which gives many of us the most pleasure; to create songs and harmony with a group of like-minded players, creating a brotherhood (and sisterhood) with our music. Our greatest hope- to share our love with as many people as we possibly can, worldwide!

This is the same drive and passion I find when I speak to Shawn Ernst, publisher and promoter, radio DJ, entrepreneur, and creator of Threat Con Radio and Threat Con Nation Magazine. His drive to bring the local music scene of his hometown back to the glory he remembers as a young kid tool-ing the Great Clubs of Early 90’s Sacramento, California is infectious and it shows in every page of his new Local magazine.

The first issue, with cover artists, Skin of saints, lets everyone who flips the virtual pages know that Shawn is a guy who wants to not only give respect and attention to better known Sacramento Artists, but also to showcase the possibly lesser known or upcoming acts– Giving them an equal chance to represent our Great Music scene as much as the local heavy hitters. Now, that said, I am indeed biased in regard to the first issue.

As lead vocalist and one half of the dual guitar attack that is Skin of Saints, I was honored and excited to have been on the cover of the premier issue of TCNM. Throughout the multipage article, we hoped readers would get a better sense of who SoS are and what we are trying to accomplish. In addition, the embedded video and photos are an amazing testament to the power of the technology at a new media publisher’s fingertips.

Gina Salatino. What more can anyone say? The bassist from one of Sacramento’s fastest rising hard rock bands, Some Fear None, makes for a great interview. In addition to being an accom-plished musician, songwriter, and role model for female musicians the world over, she is also an ac-tive member of the Sacramento local business community. A definite coup for our local scene! It is articles like these that make the prospects for TCNM seem brighter and brighter as bands continue to flood Shawn’s inbox with requests for interviews and spotlights!

That Metal Chick. Again, I am biased. Mainly because I married her in 2000! But, let me assure all of you, none of what she writes is fictitious. She is an amazing woman, full of the metal spirit we guys want in our Girls! Her insights from a fan’s perspective are what keep me honest as a musi-cian, and keep me dodging her punches as a husband! She brings a unique point of view, from a woman’s perspective in the boy’s club of Rock/Metal- unvarnished, unapologetic, and unabashed. I hope she will keep you as entertained as she has myself for nearly 20 years!

In the final analysis, I feel that every town with a music scene needs people like Shawn and Michele, helping all of us Spread the Threat, so to speak, lending a much needed voice to our mu-sic, our upcoming shows, our passions and interests. The community at large may still be unaware at the recent leaps and bounds the local music scene has made in the past 3 years, and TCNM will help fill the information void that exists in our local news market. Our own magazine; complete with information on upcoming shows, album and video reviews, fan input, artist interviews and editorials, all related to music. Sacramento music.

My hope is all of us will stand up and help Threat Con Nation Magazine, like we have all helped each other, and make this new venture by Shawn and Michele a fantastic success. It is a magazine worth reading, about a music scene worth checking out!

THANK YOU, ALLEN! A LETTER FROM SKIN OF SAINTS FRONTMAN, ALLEN DEAN