TICKETS & MEMORIES

Yesterday I went to visit my mom and in my old bedroom I found all these old concert tickets! Wowww; did they bring back a lot of memories! Like snapshots from a certain period, a certain album, things that happened before, during or after these concerts. Here are some things that I remember about these concerts:

Dweezil Zappa: That was a special evening! Dweezil was in Holland with his younger brother Achmed. I saw them play a month earlier on Dynamo Open Air. Before the gig I was fortunate to talk with both of them..I guess Achmed was still around 17 or 18 years old during that time. The thing that stands out in my mind is that they played a medley of around 120 songs in 45 minutes!! They played a small part of it on Dynamo, but in Tivoli they played the whole thing..amazing!! Everytime you recognized a song they switched to the next one..virtuoso, just like their father!

Faith No More/L7: I was totally into Faith No More at that time (and still am!!). They just released Angel Dust and this was the first gig in support of that album, just before they really hit it big! The grunge girls from L7 were supposed to support them that tour and just had a "hit" with Pretend we're Dead. So..when the lights went off we heard a male voice say: "Cheers..we are Napalm Death from Birmingham" and instead of grunge we got some grindcore hahaha.

Soundgarden: Right time..right place. They just released Badmotorfinger and were on the verge of their breakthrough. Outside the venue, tickets were on sale for about 200 guilders.

Candlemass/King Diamond: What else can a headbanger wish for?! I was fan of both bands, so that was an awesome evening! Candlemass was awesome with Messiah doomdancing, a lot of candles onstage. Speaking of the stage; imagine looking at a complete graveyard with a castle behind it! Spectacular show from the King, reaching all the high notes. What I remember most is that at the end of the gig he was lying in a coffin...and dissapeared completely!

Anthrax/Iron Maiden: Great double bill also..don't remember much from that evening, except that Maiden was supporting the not so great No Prayer For The Dying album..but maybe somebody can help me out here?

Heathen/Sacred Reich/Sepultura: The only thing I remember is the huge dissapointment when we arrived at Noorderligt that Sacred Reich cancelled the show due to Phil Rind being ill..damn!!

Acid Reign/Dark Angel/Nuclear Assault: What I remember: drummer Gene Hoglan of Dark Angel sitting on 2 chairs downstairs in the foyer and their great gig. Acid Reign being a crap band. And of course; Nuclear Assault playing a very bad show like they always do live!

Mind Over Four/M.O.D.: I found this ticket and thought: Holy cow!! Did I see this gig?! I most certainly did..and remember nothing of it hahaha.

Suicidal Tendencies/Anthrax: I remember this day quite well. There were a lot of Suicidal fans, dressed in these typical Venice-style pants and with bandanas and caps with Suicidal on it. Suicidal played for 45 minutes and after the gig..they all left! That's hardcore right there for ya! Anthrax was touring their State of Euphoria album and that was the last time they drew 5,000 people on their own.

Monsters of Rock 1991 (Black Crowes/Queensryche/Metallica/AC/DC): Yeah..this was a great day. It was the 2nd time we had the Monsters of Rock tour in Holland. Together with 35.000 headbangers at Goffert Park, Nijmegen. I didn't like the Black Crowes (years later I did) but we were there for Queensryche. They just released Empire and were at their peak at that time. Metallica were great also supporting the Black Album. The thing was: we didn't know what to make of that album..yet. We were hardcore Metallica fans and it felt a bit like betrayal. Great show though! I think we only saw half of AC/DC because we had to catch the train.

Aardschokdag 1989 (Wolfsbane/Leatherwolf/House of Lords/Vengeance/Flotsam & Jetsam/Queensryche): One of the greatest days of my life concerning concerts! Leatherwolf was awesome..watching in awe at their "three axe attack". Very proud of course at watching our very own Vengeance who had just released the awesome Arabia album. I remember singer Leon Goewie falling so hard on stage that he made a flipover. Flotsam & Jetsam were skullcrushing..supporting No Place for Disgrace and I remember I was headbanging for 50 minutes straight! The best was yet to come..Queensrche conquered Holland once again. We loved them! Playing Operation Mindcrime back to back (except for Suite Sister Mary) and a perfect sound it was a party I will never forget!

INTERVIEW 24-7 SPYZ

Talking about people who are important for the way we listen to rock music today (with an open mind and not afraid to mix different genres) there is a man to who we owe a lot of gratitude: Jimi Hazel of the 24-7 Spyz. It was he who, with other bands like Fishbone, Living Colour and of course Bad Brains, showed the world that black people could rock like hell, but also brought their own influences like funk, soul and jazz along with them. They paved the way for many other bands who were no longer afraid to show that they listened to and could play other stuff than heavy metal alone.

Their debut album Harder than You was released in 1989 and sold, together with follow up album Gumbo Millennium (1990), a reasonable amount. Fame was around the corner, because Eastwest Record (a division of Atlantic Records) showed interest and signed them for their major debut: Strength in Numbers. But where peers like Living Colour were on their way to stardom things went terribly wrong for the Spyz.

I contacted Jimi because I read with great pleasure that he reunited with the Strength in Numbers lineup for a European tour to celebrate this great album. He was very enthusiastic to cooperate and was very open about certains things that happened in the past.

With the EP This Is..24-7 Spyz u introduced a new line-up (except for Rick Skatore). Where did you find them?

Jeff (Brodnax/vocals) was introduced to Rick (Skatore/bass) and myself by friends that were in a Virginia band called Egypt. They thought he would be perfect for the band. Rick and I had him come to NYC and he was great! Joel (Maitoza/drums)came by ways of guitarist Spacey T (Sound Barrier, Fishbone), who was in a band with Joel called Gangland. I heard the demo tape and got Joel's number and he actually auditioned over the telephone! He totally killed it! Absolutely true story!

What did you have in mind with this album? Was there a concept behind it? Can you tell me something about the process?

 I wanted to write the album that would take us to the next level. We finally had the means, opportunity and time to do just that. Losing our original singer and drummer didn't matter to me because we'd gotten new guys who would come in and take the songs I'd written and enhance them with their talents. Jeff was the better singer that P. Fluid wasn't and I wrote songs that really brought that fact to light. Joel brought metal proficiency to the grooves and when he merged that with the soul of the songs, magic happened. There was no concept, just determination. I also didn't want to record the album at home in NYC. I wanted to be free to write without any distractions and Rick felt the same way. I asked Terry Date to work with us and he said yes. Because he lived in Seattle, we chose Little Mountain Sound in Vancouver to record at. We rented some condos, brought our road crew and all our gear and moved to Vancouver for a couple of months!

Why did you pick Terry Date as a producer?

I wanted to work with Terry Date because I knew he was the man for the job! Terry's sonic genius and mastery of his craft made him a perfect match. He also doesn't sing or play an instrument, which I loved! No intrusion on the songwriting vision! I also loved his work with Soundgarden and Pantera, both bands were friends of ours at the time. Terry was as mellow as us and a wonderful guy to work with. I co-produced and mixed the album with Terry and we worked together like peanut butter and jelly!

How did you get the major deal and how are u looking back on that now? Did it work or do u regret signing?

After the departure of our singer and drummer in 1990, our label began to lose faith and made it clear that maybe we should seek another home. We'd sold 250,000 copies of our debut album (Harder Than You) and 300,000+ copies of our second album (Gumbo Millennium), so all the major labels came gunning for us once it was known we were looking for a new label. At the time, there wasn't a better independent label out there than the one we were signed to and if we weren't gonna stay there, there wasn't anywhere else to be but at a major label. I do believe we should have been with a major label but just not the one we signed to. They misrepresented themselves with regards to the plans for Spyz. Sylvia Rhone had issues with herself and took them out on our band. I truly regret signing the deal because the true intention was to destroy the band.

How do you rate your position between the other crossover bands at the time?

I don't know. I'd leave that question for the fans to answer! I do know that Spyz influenced many, many, many of the bands that would come after us and with the release of three albums and one EP, raised the bar musically within the crossover movement.

Was there a friendship/competition between the Spyz and bands like Living Colour, Fishbone or Head's Up?


No! Absolutely not! We were friends with all of the bands! I think there is always an unsung level of competition between bands but Spyz has always set out to be the best band we could be no matter what! At the end of the day, it all comes down to what you do.

How do you look back now on Strength in Numbers?

I'm much better now, 20 years later, LOL! I was deeply affected by the way the album was treated by the record label, which was the exact opposite of the way the fans and the media treated it. I couldn't listen to it for many years without crying or wanting to kill somebody! I now look at it as a moment in time, a chapter in a book that will continue to be written. It's held in high regards by many people and has become a holy grail cult CD for many people as well. I'm honored. We're all honored!

Is the album still unavailable? On wiki it said there were only 18.000 albums printed and is therefore long out of print (I have one!)


No. A small label called Wounded Bird licensed the disc and combined the EP with the album for a 2 for 1 disc. I have the original disc and a copy of the vinyl as well (Thank you, Kike Gimeno!) so I would hold on to the copy you have, LOL!

How was it to play together with Living Colour recently?

It was absolutely great and it was the first time we'd played together! Time, politics and the weather kept us from playing together for almost 25 years, but that's over! We came together to support our brother, legendary guitarist Ronny Drayton and play a benefit concert for his son, Donovan, who is incarcerated unjustly as we speak. You can read about it here : http://4donovan.com/blog.html
In the wake of the benefit concert, I believe you'll see 24-7 Spyz and Living Colour doing some touring together in the future!

What is the current status of the Spyz? Is this tour only for the celebration or will there maybe be a new album?

Right now, we're gonna do some playing playing in Europe, have a great time, see all our friends and family that we haven't seen in ages and play it by ear! When we get back home, we'll figure things out. I hope to see many of our fans both old and new come out for the European dates!

If you have anything to add, please do Jimi!


I'll say this: The 24-7 Spyz family (Jimi Hazel, Rick Skatore, Tobias Ralph, Jeff Brodnax & Joel Maitoza) thanks each and everyone of you that have loved and supported the band over the 25 years! We are honored, grateful and humbled. We'll see you soon! HMS4L!

Tourdates 24-7 Spyz:

29.02.2012 NL Tilburg, 013 
02.03.2012 NL-Sittard, Fenix
03.03.2012 NL-Amsterdam, Paradiso
04.03.2012 DE-Bremen, MS Treue 
05.03.2012 DE-Hamburg, Hafenklang 
06.03.2012 DE-Berlin, SO36 
07.03.2012 DE-Marburg, KFZ 
08.03.2012 CH-St. Gallen, Grabenhalle 
09.03.2012 FR-Le Fayet, Le Repaire des Ours 
10.03.2012 FR-Paris, The Machine 
11.03.2012 GB-London, O2 Academy Islington 
Support:  Noiseaux

Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/24-7-Spyz/41607195879?sk=wall

MY FAVORITE ALBUM: RICARDO GODTSCHALK

Being a music freak I am very blessed to have a lot of friends who share my love of music. Besides going to concerts together, listening to music and talking about music it seemed a very nice (and logical) idea to give some of them some well deserved space here on this blog to give you their exclusive story about their favorite albums. So from now on there will be a guest blog here on Needle Dose every now and then, hope you enjoy it!

First up is Ricardo Godtschalk. I've known this fella for quite a long time now. He was part of a large group of headbangers from different towns who all shared one thing: the love of hardrock music. We all knew eachother, gathered on different locations, went to concerts, did tapetrading etc. Besides that Ricardo was a very talented guitar player, gathering local fame at the very young age of 15 with his band Diamond Evil. Unfortunately he stopped playing in bands at a very young age, but his love for rock music remained very strong. Went I mailed my friends with this request he was the first who replied saying that my question was a difficult one to tackle, but he had his story ready for publication in half an hour! This is his story about (one of) his favorite album(s): Clutching at Straws by Marillion.

There is one album that means a lot to me on a emotional level but is also an album I've known for a very long time: Marillion-Clutching at Straws. Clutching has a very special mood. I first heard it when I woke up on the morning of my 15th birthday after a night of heavy drinking. I got the album on cassette for my birthday (the cd was too expansive at the time) and everything changed when I put it in my cassette player. I can still feel the atmosphere when I think back to that morning. I played it 4 times in a row before I landed on earth again.

 What's great about it are the lyrics, but especially the melancholic mood of the album. The floating guitar parts of Steve Rothery in the distance and of course Fish with his storytelling kind of singing: timeless! later on I also bought it on cd, 24 bit remaster cd, picture disc, maxi picture single and picture single!

The first three songs are incredible; they pull you in directly and from there on it is one great trip. The song Sugar Mice probably has Rothery's greatest solo ever! There is no other band who is capable of setting a mood like that on an album. it's simply an album where everything comes together: the basslines, the subtle drumming, the guitar parts coming from that classic Roland amp and of course Fish who puts a lot of feelings in his lyrics.


 

Clutching at Straws reminds me of my youth, I can still taste the Jim Beam whisky and feel like I'm 16 years old again! In my living room there's still the Sugar Mice picture single hangin' above the tv and the Clutching picture disc above my couch..which says it all! These discs tell me more than a complete photo album.


*Clutching at Straws was released in 1987 and turned out to be the swansong of Fish. It was written during a period of inner conflict and in his lyrics, Fish already hints at the end of the band (The Last Straw)*

Interview Monty Colvin (Galactic Cowboys)

As I promised to y'all I did a follow up interview with Monty Colvin of the Galactic Cowboys. We spoke in 2009 and my timing was perfect because after an hiatus of 9 years they decided that same year to do some reunion shows. Unfortunately the reunion didn't bring them to Europe. So Needle Dose was curious how those shows went and more importantly, the current status of the band!

But first of all another question came into my mind. I was curious about their former producer/manager Sam Taylor. Taylor produced the first two albums of Galactic Cowboys, but he also had King's X and Atomic Opera under his wing. Some strange rumours were going on about the role of this man and the influence he had on the scene back then.

Who was Sam Taylor and how did he get involved with Galactic Cowboys?

I met Sam Taylor around 1988 when he had just started managing King's X. I was friends with those guys and Sam had helped to get them signed. I had heard he had worked for ZZ Top before that, but that's about all I knew. When I joined the Awful Truth, Sam started working with us too and produced our demos. After I decided to leave the Awful Truth, Sam told me if I got a new band together to give him a call and he'd consider managing. A couple months later, I had Galactic Cowboys up and running and he loved what we were doing. He ended up not only managing us, but producing our first 2 CD's, put us on the road with King's X and helped get us a huge contract with Geffen Records. At first things were great. Sam had some excellent ideas about song arrangement and studio production. But as time went on I felt more and more controlled and intimidated by him and things just got really uncomfortable. Everything stopped being fun. I can't begin to go into everything, but our relationship with Sam ended rather badly. He went on to produce some other bands, and we got new management and made 4 more cd's. In my opinion, Sam was a very talented man who helped us a lot. I will always be thankful to him for that. All that said, I also have a lot of regrets.

How did these reunion shows go, there were four I believe?

 The reunion shows went pretty well. I had a lot of fun playing with those guys again. We did 3 shows. Dallas, Austin and Houston, Texas.

How was it to play together again with your old bandmates?

It was great. We hadn't played together in 10 years, but things came together pretty quickly. We practiced for 3 days before the first gig. I honestly had totally forgotten how to play some of those songs, but it all went well by the time we got in front of people. I wish we could have had more time to get ready, but it was a fun time on stage.

What were your feelings/emotions after those shows were over?

Well, my feeling was that it was just a great experience. I think it healed a couple wounds for me. It was a chance to do it all again without any pressure, and to just enjoy it. I feel like I've changed a lot as a person since 1990, and it was good to just relax and enjoy playing.

How did you guys part ways this time?

At first it was good. I talked to a couple of the guys about doing more shows. But since then there has been no talk. From what I hear, Ben took the GC website down and no one has contacted me about doing anything else.

What is the current status of Galactic Cowboys? Any plans?

I'd have to say GC is pretty much dead at this point. There are no plans to do anything. I'd still be open to doing something again with those guys, but I'm not expecting it to happen. I gave that band all I had for 10 years. I have many regrets about it, but I've moved on. I've got good memories and some bad. But we got to do some cool things....made some good music...and I'm glad I got to do it. It's a shame that we couldn't just make another CD someday, but there's probably just too many personal issues preventing it. 

How's it going with your band Crunchy?

I'm hoping to start recording some new songs at some point. I've been busy with other things the past year. I do a podcast that is on my website and I've been having fun TALKING about music. However, I do have some new guys who play live shows with me and I'm excited to play more Crunchy shows. The vocals are killer, and they bring a whole new excitement to the stage.

What are you listening to these days?

My favorite album of 2011 was by Times Of Grace. I'm a huge Killswitch Engage fan, and it was right up my alley. I also like Of Mice And Men. Their cd, The Flood was amazing. I thought the new Megadeth cd was really good. Black Country Communion put out a great album, and Glenn Hughes sings like a freaking GOD on it. 

How's your art career going?

It's been alright. I sell paintings off my website. I do commissions once in awhile. People will want me to paint their kids portraits. And I'm doing a book cover for someone at the moment. I've also done some mural things the past few months, like painting logos on people's walls. I enjoy that kind of stuff. If anyone is interested, drop me an email.

Anything you like to add?

Be sure and check out my podcast. It's very entertaining, if I say so myself. I enjoy turning people on to new music, and possibly giving them a good laugh in the process. Feel free to email me and ask questions, give me your comments, or whatever. I'm a pretty nice, down-to-earth guy for the most part.

Website: http://www.montycolvin.net/

Interview Last Crack

There are bands who suddenly seem to disappear completely off the radar. They release an album that you cherish, you share it with your friends, you feel part of something special and then..total silence. Last Crack was one of those bands. After seeing the cover of their Burning Time I just knew that their music had to be something different. Their music was intense, spiritual, the guitar playing was incredibly unique and on top of that was their singer Buddo, who sang like a kind of alternative Bono, very passionate and with a sincere concern for mother earth and love. And I can honestly say that even today there isn´t a band who sound anything like them.

Last Crack was part of a very healthy alternative scene in the early 90´s. A period which seems a little bit forgotten in history, but which created a lot of unique bands. There were no boundaries and a lot of different genres were mixed. Their debut album was Sinister Funkhouse #17 (1989) and it was immediately evident that something was going on here. The album created some buzz, Aardschok magazine loved it, and in 1991 Last Crack released their magnum opus: Burning Time.

Burning Time gathered positive reviews from all over the world and seemed to mark the big breakthrough. But..nothing happened. Their was a long silence and then suddenly in 2002 there was a one off reunion show. In 2004 Last Crack was flown in to do a show in Amstelveen. A second life was in sight and new, very promising demos appeared on the internet. Awesome new tracks like Greta Grinder and Siren Song raised high expectations for a new album. But again, nothing happened. In 2009 I tried to get in touch with Last Crack´s very charismatic singer, Buddo. After some searching I found him and was delighted I found him and very happy to give me an interview.

Buddo,what are your memories looking back at the early 90's? In my opinion it was a very healthy period music wise. There were no boundaries and everything seemed possible with bands like Jane's Addiction, Mind Over Four, Rapscallion en King's X.

I just came out of my alternative punk phase. I listened to bands like Fear, Desecendents etc. When I auditioned for Last Crack I had this idea of mixing alternative rock with metal. I didn't like typical 80's metal like Poison or Warrant. I just moved to Austin when I auditioned and Austin had a very healthy underground scene with bands like Glass Eye or Zeitgeist.I wanted to use the intimacy and roots of those bands and combine it with the power of punk and metal. I loved Jane's Addiction from the first second I heard them and really thought they re-invented hardrock. Soundgarden was important and so was Mother Love Bone. When Last Crack first started touring the focus really was on the music. You didn't had internet like nowadays and I was still listening to tapes on my Sony walkman. It was really a healthy time where risks were taken. Most important for me though was the end of hairrock domination hahaha!

Did you guys realise at the time you were doing something unique?

Funny that you ask me this. Don Bakken (guitarist) used to say at the time that our music was unique. I didn't believe him at the time. I just thought we were a metal band because my perspective on the whole scene was different because of my hardcore/punk background. The other guys loved bands like Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and Van Halen. Paul Schluter (guitarist) was heavily into metal and always brought in the hardest music possible. I think what eventually came out of this formed Last Crack. Not until years later, and the band didn't exist anymore, I realised how special we were.

Don't you think that many people have forgotten how much beautiful music was being made in the early 90's and that this period got stuck between the hardrock from the 80's and the current musical era?

Yes..I do. The 80's was a time of excess, stadiumrock. After that, rap took over. And somewhere in between the alternative scene came up..but that was short lived. We have to give credits to bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam and Chris Cornell for not giving up between al those fake popmusic.

When I listen to Last Crack I hear a lot of love, spirituality and a deep concern for this planet coming out of your songs. Agree?

As far as my lyrics go; i always try to express my personal and private emotions. I always compare myself to a coal miner who digs deep to get the precious diamonds to the surface. A lot of my lyrics came out of meditation. I always saw the stage as an altar, a holy place.

Do you feel Last Crack got enough recognition over the years?

I think we would've gained a lot more if we stayed together. It's simply our own fault for not being able to keep this band together. But everyday I'm blown out of my chair from the messages I get from fans all over the world. We are very grateful that there are many people today who are listening to our music and remember us.

* I recently talked to guitarist Paul Schluter. Almost a whole new album was recorded in 2005 but is still in the vault. I was fortunate to hear 5 complete songs and I can already tell you that it would be a pity if they never see the light of day! I hope to publish a follow up interview with Paul here on Needle Dose as soon as possible*

Interview Galactic Cowboys

I think it was around 1991 I was reading a review in Aardschok magazine..a review that seemed impossible to me: it was about a new band from Houston, Galactic Cowboys. According to the review they were a mixture of old school Metallica and the harmonies of The Beatles and CSNY. I remember vividly trying to imagine how that would sound, but I couldn't figure it out. So the next weekend I went to Utrecht to my favorite record store White Noise (r.i.p.) and listened with open jaws to their debut album. It was a mindblowing experience and their next album Space In Your Face even took their unique sound to an extreme. Major label Geffen didn't know what to do with them, but Metal Blade became their new home and GC continued to release great albums. At The End of The Day was their magnum opus on which all these elements came to an ultimate high but unfortunately they released their last album, Let It Go, in 2000.

In 2009 I tracked down bassplayer/vocalist Monty Colvin. My timing was perfect because they were just talking about playing some local reunion shows. As a prequel to a new follow up interview this is what we talked about in July 2009.

Can you describe the scene in Houston back in the day? It seemed there was something in the water over there. You had all these great bands like Galactic Cowboys, King's X and Atomic Opera who all, strange enough, had a great love for The Beatles in common.

I was a huge Beatles-fan. I remember very well that my brother came home with the Sgt. Peppers album. Also; my parents played a lot of gospel music. So I was a fan of vocal harmonies from a very early age. Then I discovered trash metal in the 80's and I thought it was awesome to try to mix all those influences. King's X were already friends of ours by then and they also loved The Beatles. But I wanted GC take it more into a trash direction.

You signed with major label Geffen. How do you look back on that period?

We were very excited when we signed the deal. They promised to make us the biggest band on the planet. We were quite naive and believed in the whole picture. In the end, they did very little for us and eventually we got stuck between Guns 'n Roses and the whole grunge movement.

When Machine Fish (1996) came out Wally Farkas became the new guitar player. In my opinion your sound became a lot more poppier, don't you think?

The songs were already written when Wally joined the band. Because of the lack of success we had strong doubts about the musical direction. After Machine Fish we started experimenting with different styles and yes, we became more poppy. Our drummer/producer Alan Doss wanted us to sound more mainstream, like Stone Temple Pilots. Besides that I think we all grew tired of the fact that we were still considered as only a simple metal band.

How do you look back on that musical era, say early 90's? In my opinion there were no musical boundaries anymore.

As far as the 90's goes; I was sick of that whole Seatlle thing going on. It seemed that the general thought was that everything had to be depressive, everything was so serious. Of course; great music was released but rock 'n roll is supposed to be fun, you know? Nowadays I'm not sure what alternative means anymore..but there are a lot of great bands out there.

I always had the feeling you guys quit to soon. At The End Of The Day was a great and complete album that sounded like a fresh start to a future with lots of possibilities.

I've put 10 years of my life in that band. We released 6 albums and it brought us nowhere. Also; I had the feeling that we were still seen as King's X little brother. When Let It Go came out we weren't really a band anymore..We went our seperate ways and in fact Let It Go were 3 solo albums under the Galactic Cowboys flag.

What was the reason the band split up?

We were simply frustrated. Tours got canceled, we got zero promotion for our albums and for me personally it was the time to do other stuff. I already had a lot of songs for a solo record and my heart wasn't in GC anymore. Only singer/guitarist Ben Huggins wanted to continue, but Alan was already out of the band. That was the end of it.

What are your memories of Holland? You played on Dynamo Open Air 1995?

That was a great period! The stage was huge and the crowd gigantic. I remember it was raining very hard that day but it suddenly stopped when we started our gig. I also remember the Stuck Mojo gig because I was watching in the pouring rain. I would love to play there again.

What are all the ex-members doing nowadays?

Alan is a producer. Wally has a cd mailorder company and Ben is a soundman and has his own band Gristle. I have my own band Crunchy and released 3 albums. Also I have a live radio podcast named Monty's Rockcast. In that show I talk about music, popculture and it's the best podcast ever hahaha! It's a great show for everybody who loves great music and wants to have a laugh!


Discografie Galactic Cowboys:
* Galactic Cowboys (1991)
* Space In Your Face (1993)
* Machine Fish (1996)
* Feel the Rage ep (1996)
* The Horse That Bud Bought (1997)
* At The End Of The Day (1998)
* Let It Go (2000)



Websites:
www.myspace.com/montycolvin
http://www.galacticcowboys.com/


*Galactic Cowboys reunited in 2010 for 4 reunion shows in the Houston area. How these shows went, how they seperated afterwards and what the current situation is I hope to inform you soon in a little follow up interview with Monty*

Interview with Rebekah Gonzalez (Metal Assault Radio)

Her nickname on radio is Bestial Bekkah. If that doesn't give you an indication about what she does you should listen to Metal Assault Radio. Disturbing The Peace is the name of her own metalshow, based in the Seattle area. Of course, nothing is cooler than playing your favorite metal tunes live on air while headbanging in the studio..but what I find most amazing is her age. In her early twenties, Rebekah knows so much about metal that in fact I find it a bit threatening! I got to know her around 2009 and on and off kept in touch since then, sometimes swapping some short messages, especially about her love for Dutch deathmetal band Pestilence. And in this case: a real interview!

How did your love for metal start?

Well let’s see…I was around 11 years old, living with my father at the time. He had this console with many cd's and a stereo. The music selection was mainly Latino artists with the occasional rock choice until I came across a sealed CD and like any curious kid I wanted to unwrap it as soon as possible. This life changing compilation was Black Sabbath’s We Sold Our Soul For Rock ‘n’ Roll. I was not aware of what it was and had not been told about this band yet despite the fact that at the time I was already listening to a few bands like Rush, Def Leppard, etc. Even so, nothing had yet held the dark sound that Black Sabbath had to offer me. I popped that baby in not knowing that my life would be changed from that very first time I heard War Pigs. The next album to come into my possession was Judas Priest’s live album, Metal Works. This took me to a different spectrum of metal, thus making me realize I had a lot of discovering and hunting to do in the world of metal, a journey I am still on today.

How did you get involved with Metal Assault Radio?

Before Metal Assault Radio I had worked for another metal site as a DJ. After that ended I decided to take a break for awhile and focus on some other things. I was contacted by a few sites looking for DJs, M.A.R. being one of them. At the time I was not interested in doing live radio (I pre-recorded my shows on the old site) for several reasons, so I kind of stewed in the idea for awhile and/or declined the opportunities. A little later I posted on my Twitter account links to download a few of my old issues just to share with some past listeners, as well as new. The owner of M.A.R. saw the link, downloaded and listened to one, then contacted me again asking if I’d like to work with M.A.R. He offered to let me do a pre-recorded show if that would make me feel more comfortable to come on board, thus I accepted. That lasted about 1 or 2 issues until I decided I didn’t want to deal with it anymore and started doing live, whereas I still am today and loving it!

In what area is the show broadcasted?

If you have computer and internet access, you can enjoy M.A.R. at any hour of any day in any part of the world. ;) However, if you are interested in any particular DJ’s show and the hours of their show, all of our schedules are available at the website. If you tune in at a point when none of us are on the air then you can enjoy The Pit, our Auto DJ.

How many listeners are there approximately?There is an average of about 2,000 - 2,500 a day, reaching between 90 - 100 different  
countries. Naturally some days are better than others, and some hours of the day peak over others

Is the show dependent of sponsors?

Nope! Not dependent on them at all. The site does work with some great record labels etc.


What do you think of metal nowadays?

Ooh hard question to tackle well metal today is certainly not what I would like it to be, haha. I am very proud of the local scenes, especially where I am from, Seattle. I think local scenes seem to be where the majority of the talent is hidden nowadays. It is clear that thrash has had a major comeback and to be honest I’m not sure if it’s really a good thing or not. I am happy that it did because it’s nice to see some of the classic bands getting back out on the road again and touring. However I feel that the majority of the newer thrash bands have hopped on this wave while seeing it possible to excel. That does NOT go for all of them though. There are some that are incredibly impressive and talented. As far as other genres go...I can’t stand any type of “core” metal. It needs to have its own name and label and should not be associated with metal whatsoever. I am most certainly not talking about grindcore though, that shit slays!

What are your favorite bands?

I know that this is a hard question for almost anyone to answer, but as always I will try my best to mention the key bands that come to mind even while my mind is going a mile a minute! A few of the bands that hold great importance to me are Agalloch, Iron Maiden, Death, Windir, Rush, King Diamond/Mercyful Fate and Pink Floyd. Although there is a wide spectrum of music that I enjoy, I feel that this mini-list is a well rounded one. ;)

Are you a fulltime DJ? If not, what do you do besides the show?

I do not DJ fulltime, however that would be killer! I had worked for the same company outside of M.A.R. for about 3 and a half years. That part of my life has ended, and I am now on a new excursion in life. I was daytime jobless for a few months before I stumbled upon the opportunity, brought on by a friend, to work for the band Queensrÿche. I worked for them as a roadie over the summer and that was amazing.

What is the focus in your program?

There is not a constant main focus to my show. Some weeks I have a theme and some are more random. I am open to requests some weeks more than others depending on if I am trying to keep a theme or not. There have been times where I’ll focus on death metal for an hour, thrash metal the next and then black metal for the last. I like to focus on a certain region sometimes also, for example I’ve done 3 hour shows on strictly German metal ranging from bands like Running Wild to Necronomicon to Airwolf to Exumer to Masterplan.

How long does Metal Assault excist?

Metal Assault Radio was established in May of 2009. I feel honored to have started here so early and have been able to see the many great doors open for M.A.R. as well as growth and change.


What is your top 10 album list ever?

As hard as this is to do

Morbid Saint - Spectrum of Death
Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time
Atrophy - Socialized Hate
Death - Individual Thought Patterns
Windir - Sóknardalr
Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane
Agalloch - The Mantle
Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain
Agalloch - Pale Folklore
Terrorizer - World Downfall


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