Music unites us, it moves us, it binds us. Music is magic. Music festivals have been a way for people to forget the stress of the world around them, to let go, to throw down and just relax for centuries. As far back as the 6th century music festivals have been a part of our […]
Growing up as theater geeks and D&D nerds, stage shows and melodrama really spoke to many of us in high school. It wasn’t so much about getting attention, as much as it was about the creating emotional reactions; tears, laughter, joy, disgust, and eventually anger and rage. Theater showed taught us that self-expression could elicit […]
Once upon a time, in a world far, far away there was no such thing as heavy metal. The world was populated with clean cut singers in fancy sweater vest, happily singing about birds and boppers and how you “shake my nerves and rattle my brains”. There was peace in the world, or at least, […]
Metal had always had this kind of raw masculinity, almost pushing machismo. Even through the heads full of long, luscious hair, the pure power of the male ego rang through the harsh, dark words and long dramatic guitar solos. In 1973 the American response to the British burst onto the music scene. These guys made […]
One cannot simply talk about metal and NOT talk about Metallica. The 80’s had just begun Danish drummer Lars Ulrich was searching for his American Dream in LA. Lars put an advertisement in the local paper and as fate would have it, the devil answered. James Hetfield showed up at the door and in that […]
Black Sabbath burst onto the scene in 1969 with a new idea about what music was and what it should sound like. That was the year that heavy metal was born. 10 long years Ozzy and the band had a great run, releasing amazing albums like Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. In ’78 Ozzy left […]
As the era of Hair Bands and Glam Rock came to a close; baby boomers took a back seat making way for a new generation. Generation X. Also known as “Gen X’ers”, these kids had spent their childhood on the side of milk cartons, being latch key kids or just kind of feeling as if […]
To the untrained eye (or ear in this case) all heavy metal music sounds the same. It is generally a group of 4 guys, 2 guitars, 1 drum kit, and a singer. Each of which are making some kind of wailing or screaming sound with their voices or guitars. The discerning metal fan knows better. […]
A dark and ominous cloud had settled upon the music industry in the late 1970’s. The rain sang of devils, demons and monsters. It was loud, and hard and fast. It had no time for fashion, or even interest in clothing. It was dirty. It was unkempt and it began to manifest itself into the […]
History is cyclical. All historians can show you how history repeats itself. Trends come and go, and eventually they come back again. The exact same thing can be said for heavy metal music in the year 2000. The Shock and Glam Rockers of the 80’s had given way to the angst filled, disgruntled Grunge Rock […]