"Holy shit!" I said to myself as the e-mail came back. The date was open. They'd put it on hold 'til we signed a contract. Hurray!! Our first show in Canada! We'd be playing in Montreal, a magical city that boasts a beautiful night life and metal fans who like clean vocals. It was an amazing feeling. I felt accomplished.
THANKS, CANADIAN GOVERNMENT. In a nutshell, they raised the cost of band members entering Canada, which means it costs$450 PER PERSON to play. I have a four piece band, so it's almost two thousand bucks to play a show that might make us a hundred bucks. Ahahahahahahanonononono. Thanks, Canada, for robbing our Canadian fans of the chance to see us near them. Thanks for sucking the life out of the local clubs who get American bands in there. From what I've heard, this is all part of some scheme to try and get Canada to promote more Canadian musicians.
Hey, I'm all for promoting locals. But don't forget that traveling musicians often help boost attendance to local performances! Playing with bands from Europe has helped us immensely. I can't imagine what it would be like if we couldn't have bands like Primal Fear or Doro come to the US, bands that are (despite their fame and history) considered "small" in our area. I doubt pop stars are gonna have a problem paying these fees, but smaller musicians? DIY bands trying to make it in a market that largely rejects them? This isn't gonna go well for us, and now it's likely we'll have to cancel our plans.
This weekend brings me back to a time before time; when I, once young and carefree, would go to conventions dressed as cartoon characters and sell DVDs to my fellow fans with whoever I was dating at the time. It was a good time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven't been to a convention since graduating, and I've missed the camaraderie that comes from being in a group full of my fellow fans, so this trip to Otakon will be fun. I'm going there specifically to pass around flyers and handbills for Metal Quest II, so here's hoping it winds up being successful! I had a hard time finding a venue since Baltimore venues currently SUCK TOTAL ASS when it comes to actually speaking to people. Oh well. The Sidebar is a cool place and I imagine we're going to pack it tight.
I'm pretty excited about this show, because I get to, once again, host one of my favorite bands; Dethlehem. These guys are everything I ever wanted in a D&D themed band, and much more. I hope I see people moshing in the Sidebar with their foam swords in full costume, because there's nothing sweeter then a floor full of weirdos like me. I'm trying to figure out what to do, costume-wise, because I don't want me and the guys to FAIL yet again and not have a band costume. I HATE THAT. IT'S WRONG. We should all have costumes, damn it! So I'll figure something out, and God willing, we'll all look ridiculous and it will be great.
It began innocently enough. We arrived in Trenton NJ with Bobbie, our friend and temporary merch-lady, in Josh's black Toyota soccer mom-SUV. We parked beside the venue, a small place called the Champion Sports Bar & Grill, which sat conveniently next to a liquor store. In all honesty, this was far from the worst place ever. In fact, after going inside to stash our gear, the place appeared to be downright charming. I love dive bars and this place had a great crowd and a great vibe. The bartender was friendly, the fans were cool, and the bands all seemed really eager to put on a good show. I felt great about the whole thing.
We went to check into our hotel and change, after which we came across our first street fight. From the safety of the mom-mobile, Josh and I watched as one lone white guy tried to take one three black guys who were clearly trying their best not to go to jail for manslaughter. This guy was pushing them, yelling at them, and generally making an ass of himself until what I assume to be his friend had to grab him by the shoulders and drag him away. Into the Pollo Campero, which made me even more sad I can't eat meat because POLLO CAMPERO.
This being my first time in New Jersey, I felt pretty amused, and we went to the Champion with high spirits. I asked the bartender to fill my mug with rail vodka and diet Coke, which he did with guso, promptly filling 2/3s of my mug with rail vodka before splashing some diet Coke on top. I took sips from this for the rest of the evening. I went back into the stage room to watch the band playing, a hardcore band called True Rumors. I'll admit that I am not a fan of hardcore bands, but I appreciate seeing a woman who can do it well. They didn't seem very happy when they weren't given any extra time on stage, and I felt bad for the sound guy (who actually did a really good job). I really need to start bringing sound guys candy or something.
When it was finally time to take the stage, I asked the same bartender to give us shots (3 Jack, 1 Ketel One, as is tradition). He did the shots with us and we took to the stage. The sound guy dimmed the lights for us (again, awesome job) and regardless of how small the room was, all the people there made it feel very big. We had a fantastic audience and played one of our best sets. We managed to sell a really good amount of merchandise, which believe me, I appreciate. I did what I like to call my "A" set, because this was a stand-alone show and I wasn't saving my voice for anything else. I love doing shows like that because it allows me to go as hard as I want.
Jenn and myself!
When we were finished, we stayed around to watch JENNCiTY, Jennifer Arroyo's new band. They had great energy and have the potential to become something really awesome. I was especially enamored with their bass player, who wore a Green Lantern belt and was one of the happiest dudes I've ever met. Jenn herself was a really enthusiastic frontwoman, and I was fairly jealous of her ability to play the audience. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them, and hopefully we'll play together again!
Of course, it wouldn't be a real trip to Jersey without us seeing at least one more street fight. As we were packing the mom-mobile, a really big heavy white dude suddenly burst from the door of Champion and fell down the stairs. With his pants down. Big white butt everywhere. Three black dudes followed him out, who I had spoken to earlier (security guys, very nice), and tried to convince this big drunk guy to leave. He responded by hurling the "n" word a couple of times and throwing some punches. They gave him a few curb stomps, decided that he wasn't worth going to jail for, and went back inside. The guys and I made a last tour of the bar to make sure we had all our gear, and said farewell to the venue. All in all, it was a triumphant night. We played our first New Jersey show, saw some fights, made some fans, and sold some merchandise.
Yes, of course I would do it again. This is the stuff that my dreams are made of!
I'm one of those silly people who thrives on reverse psychology. If you tell me I can't do something, I'll work hard to do it, just because I want to SHOVE IT IN YOUR STOOPID FACE.
Background story:
I was asked to do a guest vocal appearance during an upcoming show with a band who goes on after us. The band is certainly not our style (modern radio rock), but, when someone asks me to sing with them, I consider it a compliment. That they actually want to hear me do something for them because they think I can and they think it would be entertaining makes me happy! Why would I say no? So of course I said yes. I listened to the song and thought, "okay, not what I usually do, but still doable". I listened a few more times, got the lyrics, and began studying.
I forwarded the song to a friend of mine, who responded by saying that the song "isn't in your style", "is really high", and "I would say no".
...
Oh no you didn't. People, I am not one of those vocalists who is pinched into a tiny corner because of "style". You're talking about someone who learned to sing by mimicking. I didn't take voice lessons at a young age. Here are the steps I take when learning a song:
1. Get the song
2. Get the lyrics
3. Listen to the song
4. Sing along
5. Repeat steps 3-4 until it's perfect
That's how I roll. It can be any style. I've done this with motown, I've done this with metal, I've done this with Broadway, and I've done this with opera. The song I'm going to be guest-vocalizing on is radio rock. You think I can't do radio rock, you've got another thing coming. Am I gonna do it exactly like the other person did it? No, because I'm not a robot. Am I gonna do it well? You're damn right I am. It might be fueled by the fact that someone didn't believe in me, because as usual, I got somethin' to prove, and that something is that I AM ONE BAD ASS MOTHER $%&ER. That's right people, I am the Shaft of female fronted heavy metal. I come, I conquer, I tear #$&* up and leave the ladies (and gentlemen) begging for more. Bitches. Because if nobody's gonna back me up then I gotta be the one to do it. Because if there's one thing I know for certain, it's how to sing. It's the one thing I know I can do better than anything else, so please, do not test me. Do not try to tell me something is "too high" or, "not in my style" because bitch, I will make it my style. I will make it my ho. I will smack that song around until people say "daaaaaaayum".
Now. If you will excuse me, I'm gonna go listen to the song another ten thousand times.
I say this because as of right now, I'm a bit of a nervous mess. I've got a little bit more than a week until Metal Quest, and I'm stressed about a few things. I've made my lists and charts, but I'm always afraid something will slip past me! I've got a ton of things to do on the day of, like...
pass out flyers
pass out handbills
get beverages for bands
put together goodie bags for those who donated
make sure the programs get here on time (!!!!!)
make sure the bands go on, on time
actually PLAY THE SHOW
...alright, so that's not THAT much. Maybe I shouldn't be too stressed? The thing I'm really stressed about, to be honest with you, is attendance. I'm always worried that not enough people show up, and it is imperative that we have a decent crowd of people so that we can make enough at the door to cover the cost of having a venue. I'm not even trying to get paid, here. I just want to break even and make a few bucks to donate to the Hero Initiative.
But as it gets closer to the show, I get the inevitable "So I have some bad news..." from people who can't make the show. I can't tell you how heartbreaking that is, and scary. What if nobody shows? What if these bands have no crowd? I tried my best, but that's often not good enough. I've got to make sure this show is worthwhile, because I know what it's like to play a crappy show. Crappy shows suck. I do not want this to be a crappy show.
Please let this show be awesome so I can actually relax when it's done!
It seems I've come to a point where I have a bit more time and patience to do things. Like blogging! Maybe it's time for me to stop harassing my Facebook friends with a bazillion posts about things I care about (like how alcohol effects weight loss...) and simply blog them, instead. One big thing to read instead of a bunch of little things!
Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts.
Here's an update for you. I'm currently working in a lovely office building in DC that I really really love. Unfortunately, I don't really have anything to do during my lunch break besides eat and read. So, I go for walks, which sucks in a skirt in the heat, but I do it anyway. What I'd love is a friend nearby to go for walks with me or something, but meh. I guess it's not so bad being that weird girl walking down the street with a book in my face.
I just finished A Feast For Crows and I think it was my favorite book in the series, so far. I'm not a big fan of how Martin likes to stretch everything thin by adding a bazillion characters at once, and he even said that he kept it mostly to King's Landing during this book. I appreciated that. #1, Circe is one of my favorite characters (love to hate!) and #2, so is Brienne. And Arya. And Jaime. Okay, I pretty much love everyone except whats-his-face Barathion and his stupid red sorceress bitch. I'm pretty much done with their story and would like for them to die, soon. I don't know why, but I always feel tempted to skip the parts with them. Booooring. Give me what's going on with Sansa anyday. The Stark girls are so much more interesting to me then the other guys I keep having to read about. Like.. the Greyjoys. I'm done with them, too. Maybe I just don't like reading about men? I don't know. I do like reading about Sam, and Jon, and Dani bores me sometimes too. Hope I like the next book, since it's all I'll have until Martin gets off his ass (or back on it?) and finishes the next one!
In other news, I'm once again trying to lose the 10lbs that has been plaguing me for the past two years. It seems that every so often I think, "Oh, I'm okay.. I'm (insert number here) and I can lose that!" Well, nuts to that. I'm up to 130, which is where I was when I first moved out of my parents house. For the longest time, I was around 122 and that made me SO HAPPY. I can't believe how much 8lbs will do to my self esteem. I'm not working out as much as I was then, if only because I have to drive to my gym instead of just walk to it (there used to be one in my apartment complex), and I don't get home until maybe 7PM every night. That leaves me 3 hours to do whatever I gotta do before I go to bed, and sometimes I'm just so tired by 7PM all I want to do is eat and watch cartoons. At the very least, I'm able to crank out some reps with my kettle bells while I'm at home being lazy. I'm noticing some more strength in my legs, where doing 3 reps of 10 squats might have KILLED me, it's now a breeze. But the weight isn't coming off, and to that, I can only imagine it's because of my nightly martini. So, goodbye to vodka (for now...) because I need to burn this weight before I hit the road in August!
Speaking of hitting the road... yeah, we're doing more of that. I love travelling, and travelling with the band is even better than I expected. So, this August we'll be going to New York to play with Huntress and my buddy Joe in Brohammer. I'm ULTRA excited about that show, because not only do I get to see my college friend (who is now a big-time inking artist for DC, ooh la la!), but I get to go to NYC! I haven't been there since I went to see X Japan about a year ago.. where I ran into Joe, last time! It's destiny that we see eachother in the Big Apple, I know it.
The next out of town gig will be in West VA. I'm looking forward to that one too, if only because for some reason, we tend to have THE BEST TIME EVER when we play in WV. I don't know what's in the water, but their metal fans are f'ing great. Well, maybe it was the Four Loko we had last time, but MAN what a time we had in Bluefield (both times!). We met some great people and Josh won me a pink teddy bear from the crane game. He was drunk off his balls but he won that f'ing bear, whom we now call "Thunder Bear", and force to watch over Chris' drum kit. After those, we'll have some big gigs in September! One of them will be opening for Kamelot, followed by my brainchild, Metal Quest. Metal Quest went from an idea I had to bring nerd metal bands together, to an actual show, to a show with a purpose. Now we're trying to raise money for the Hero Initiative, a cause that all nerds should be aware of. The Hero Initiative is around to help donate money to comic book creators in need. Some of them are pretty old and are in need of care. Some of them have been injured due to the strenuous nature of looking at paper so close for so long. Well, these guys gave us our heroes, so I see no reason not to try and give them something back. Where would I be without comic books? Probably somewhere boring. We're taking donations to fund the show before it happens, so we can give more profits to the charity. If we can make our goal, we'll be able to actually be able to give money to the Hero Initiative without losing our asses! That's always a good thing. I'm really looking forward to this show. Costumes, raffles and everything!
All this, and we're currently recording our new album. I'm excited about this one, even more then the last one. I wrote a bunch of the lyrics on this one, and I'm especially proud of them. Thank goodness for such a good creative team to work with. I'm expecting a few raised eyebrows, but nothing to the extent of "Kill That Bitch", which took some flack for being:
Well, what can I say? I have a knack for these things. Making controversy, that is. I don't think this album will have quite so much, but it will have some different styles that may surprise you. My goal in this album was to make people hear everything my voice can do. So, if you know me, you know I do a lot of different things. This album will highlight NEARLY all of them, or at least the ones I haven't used as much in the past. We've got some guest vocalists I'll be singing with, too. We've already announced that Blaze Bayley is one of them, but the other one shall be revealed a bit later.
I think that's it, for now. Most likely, I'll come up with something else to talk about in a few hours... if so, I'll save it. Can't write too much, can I? Yes, I can...
I tried watching this show, because as a former overweight teen, I felt I could relate. What I got was an overly drama-fied show, starring the chick from Hairspray, David Hasslehoff's daughter, and the black chick from The Adventures of Hercules.
All good actors, given a terrible script. It seems that everyone at this camp has issues outside of the norm, which makes the show feel entirely too fake. The girls are obsessed with a parody of "Twilight", where they replace a ghost with the vampire ("Did you get to the part where they danced in the graveyard??"), and either I've grown waaay past this new generation of teens, or they're portraying teens as really really dumb lately. None of these characters seem at all smart or creative. The main character's biggest creative achievement was to use fat bodyparts to spell words on her wall, like a 5th grader's collage.
I hate it when shows have a good premise and fail. I would actually LOVE to see a show that addresses childhood/teenage obesity without making it out to be the entire reason for their existence. Why can't kids just be kids, while also being fat? This show might have been interesting if the characters had personalities outside of their given archetypes..
