Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Backline

Another thing that I wanted to talk about was back-lines. I used a back-line the other night and I had to say it sucked. I don't mean to brag but my rig sounds so much better than any back-line. I would be doing myself and my band an injustice by ever playing through anything but my rig again. For instance, we have a live recording from Dingbatz this past Sunday and I cannot distribute it to anybody because the sound just doesn't live up to Slam One Down standards. The performance was great but it sounded weak. Lesson learned.

To Play Every show or not?

So we had some great shows this past week. I just wanted to tell everyone how they went. We were asked to play a show at the all famous Crocodile Rock in Allentown, PA. Some of the most famous heavy metal acts have played there and we played our first gig there. How we got it was kind of interesting, but it goes to show you that you have to play every show that you can get, "within reason". The "within reason" part is a very gray area, as Bobby and myself argue about all the time.
We were asked to play a show in Keyport, NJ at a VFW hall. Not too many people showed up but we met some really cool people, including our friends, Symbol of Sorrow. They really liked our sound and style and mentioned that they could get us shows in PA. Well two weeks ago they came through and said that they were headlining a show at Croc Rock and needed a band to fill the night. We packed the trailer and took our first road trip. Roach slept all the way there and on the way down, I dont think any of us said a word to each other until we started drinking backstage before the show. I guess that is because the 4 of us are all deep thinkers, or just selfish sons of bitches.
As you know in the scene you are ranked based on how many people you bring. And that night we brought a whopping zero people. How do you expect us to bring anyone 2 hours away with a one week notice. Anyway, We ripped shit on stage again. We played so well that we impressed the promoter and he gave a spot on the Atticus Metal Tour in March 21, 2010. We are so stoked to be sharing a stage with so many good bands and of course the all mighty UNEARTH. It was nice to know that our performance alone got us the gig. We ended the night at Wendy's
That bring's to the following week at the almighty Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ. We opened the show for the one and only Full Blown Chaos, Waking the Cadaver, Doomsday Prophecy, Severed, & Undivided. All those bands were amazing and there was definitely an amazing crowd there. The club was pretty much filled up. It was probably one of the biggest crowd's we played to yet. I will be honest, we didn't get the full crowd participation that we would like, but there was one noticeable thing. As a band we noticed that all eyes were on us. Nobody was doing anything but starring at us. It was great. We all felt like we won some new fans over. By the end of the night we were all fucking wasted. Roach and I actually ended up leading the mosh pit for the other bands. So we will see what comes out of that event. A big thank you for Black and Blue Productions for having us.
As for one of my previous comments. The big argument in the band lately has been should we play every show we get or do we be extremely strategic about when and where we play? Let us know what you think.

J.R.
Slam One Down

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

people who don't like music

im writing this because for the past two weeks ive been playing in little italy with this brass festival band that ive been playing with for 4 years now. we play for the restaurants down there to get people in the christmas spirit and for tips (if it wasn't for the money i wouldnt be out in 15 degree weather) in the past two weekends of doing this, ive noticed something about people. its something i always knew about certain people but this year it just really irked me for some reason and i feel i should talk about it. The fact that certain people in this world dont like music, period. they dont want to hear it and they're annoyed by a band playing in their vicinity. This idea culminated when a restaurant, who we're really good friends with, told us not to come in because one table, ONE table, of people didn't want to be disturbed. The rest of the patrons at this restaurant were denied a little entertainment because the minority won over. Now this idea can be analogized into other situations not pertaining to music, but for the sake of your time and patience, im only sticking with the music aspect.

This is where i put in my tagline: Really? Come on....

i mean seriously. you dont like music? i mean its one thing to not like music. maybe you never had the chance or opportunity to learn a musical instrument or appreciate music when you were a kid or maybe you had a bad experience with music as a child, but to rob everyone else in the restaurant of some entertainment simply because you dont want to hear it is selfish and stupid.

on top of that, your in little italy. the band that i was playing with has been playing in little italy for over 30 years, we do this EVERY YEAR. If your coming to little italy for dinner and you dont expect the band to come around, your a fucking moron. Besides its little italy, people go down there to have a good time and be loud. you want a quiet dinner, go to the upper east or west side. dont come down to little italy. There are a lot of people and groups we see who love the band and totally appreciate what we do and get into it and i respect those people because they know what they're gonna get in little italy and thats why they come there.

Ive also noticed that most people who are guilty of this non appreciation of music are people in my generation. People these days are so used to listening to cds or digital music that live music has been taken for granted. I have my ipod and i listen to itunes and pandora, etc, but i try to listen to live music as much as possible. There is something about live music that recorded music will never be able to duplicate. With the advent of DJs and turntables, more people are more inclined to hire one person who can play their favorite songs from a cd rather than pay a group of guys to play the same song right there live in their faces. I know people like to save money (especially in these times) but for me live music blows recorded music out of the water. Im getting married next year and im hoping to get more than one live band for the reception, the money is not a matter.

so what does this tell us about ourselves? The worlds getting smaller, our attention spans are getting shorter, our speakers are getting smaller and our appreciation for the finer things is almost completely gone. Will it change? i dont know. i hope it will, but as a realist and a cynic, i find it highly unlikely. i would weep for society on its journey down this hole of unappreciation and this lost of something that made humans worth looking into, but i have no tears for a species that devalues all of the stuff that make it worth living. that is all...

-roach

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Dimebag's Recipe with a touch of J.R.

Besides being one of the greatest heavy metal guitar players of all time, I happen to be an Italian. That also means I am an amazing cook. I am writing this on Sunday and I just finished making a homemade red sauce, which is totally superb. The sauce is now simmering with sausage and homemade meatballs. I have to admit the whole recipe is Mom's with my added touch. Kind of like my guitar playing is Dimebag's recipe with a touch of J.R.'s style. The rest of the guys in the band will be here shortly. I am drinking a bottle of Chianti right now. Eating some appetizers which consists of fresh Mozzarella, Roasted peppers, fresh Soppressatta and NY Italian Bread. When the rest of the band gets here we will eat like gentlemen or la famiglia. And then we will have band practice with a full stomach and nice wine and beer buzz, with a little THC twist. That is the Slam One Down family tradition. Welcome to our family. Open invite every Sunday to anyone who wants to hang out, eat, drink, and jam our favorite Heavy Metal tunes.

JR
Slam One Down

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Dimebag thoughts

It's pretty obvious that Dimebag was my favorite guitar player. I really miss that guy even though I never got to know him as a person. But I guess I didn't have to. He seemed like the kind of guy who told you who he was through his music and obviously on his crazy videos. He seemed like he has nothing to hide.
I have basically mimicked every aspect of his guitar playing. I have learned everyone one of his songs from beginning to end, every solo, every squeal. I remember being like 15 years old and watching all the home videos in my room and saying to myself..."That is going to be me one day." I made that promise to myself almost 15 years ago and I never stopped believing that I am going to do something like he did. THat is pretty amazing that a guy like Dimebag could do that to not only me but millions of 15 year olds to this day. I also remember wanting to be able to party like him. So when we were kids we would get beers and fucking rip shit up. I mean still to this day I throw bottles of beers in the middle of clubs and break them on the floor. I still smash shit, break shit and drink until I cannot see straight. I often say to myself, "What would Dime do at this moment?" Another great thing I learned from Dime was to shred on the guitar while being drunk. That took me years to master but it was well worth it.
My whole rhythm and lead style is based around Dimebag's influence. I would say 80% Dimebag, 10% all the other greats and 10% J.R. It's pretty cool to know that I have my own style and that you can recognize "JR's style". But it was Dime who gave me the drive to create it. As I continue on my musical path, my goal is to one day have Vinnie, Rex, & Phil hear my music and tell me that Dimebag would be proud. It's kind of my life's purpose at this point to make it happen.
Not to change subjects, but I am glad to see that they are doing an album for Dime. There are some cool cats on there. I think Metallica should man up and do something for him. But most importantly, the existing members of Pantera should start a festival, kind of like what Ozzy did with Ozzfest. They can even alter guitar players every year. At this point it would make sense to have Zack Wylde do it. Hopefully I could do it one day. It think it is absolutely ridiculous that those guys aren't jamming together. Get over it already. We only got one life on this planet, do the right thing. I often think to myself, how would the heavy metal world be different if he were still alive. I would guess that by now they would have settled their differences. They kept metal going in the right direction. I dont think that anyone is doing that right now. BUt you know for sure I have no problem taking that responsibility. I will raise the flag again for metal and show the world what its all about.
In closing, I felt the need to write this for a lot of different reasons. I didn't plan it out or anything I just typed my thoughts as they came to me. I really miss that dude even though he never really left me. He is in my heart everyday at least. His music has guided me through everything in my life and I cannot thank him enough for all the great things that he gave me. So it has now been five years, I remember when it happened. I was in Atlantic Çity that night partying away and I heard it while I was sleeping. As I digress...thank you Dimebag for everything you've given the world and hopefully some of us down here will make you proud.

J.R.
Slam One Down
or as Dime would say"Getcha Pull"

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Respect Amongst Bands

Just want to send out a reminder to the world about respect amongst fellow bands. We are the kind of band that brings a cooler of ice cold beers to every show and makes sure to offer every other band and their friends a cold one on the house. The reason that I bring this up is because we have played some shows lately and the bands that played before us actually left the event before a good portion of the show was even finished. They even took their friends home with them. As a band, we make sure to get everyone of our friends to the show right before the show starts and we don't leave until the last band has finished their set. We do it out of respect. We are always interested in hearing new music and meeting new people. It's the only way that we are going to make it to the next level. Besides you never know who you are going to meet at a show and where it can lead you to.
In fact, just the other night we played a Sunday show that we didn't think was going to turn out so good. Well it was one of our best interactions with fans that we have had thus far. Because we "STAYED" the whole night; we got new gigs and contacts out of it. The moral of the story is, if you want Heavy Metal to progress and keep extreme music going strong. Make sure everyone in your band brings a couple of friends to the show and make sure you stay for the whole event to finish. Do it out of respect.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Roach's thoughts on Slam One Down part 2

Hey its roach again. its been a while and its been a busy two weeks for me (work, my birthday was the 22nd, thanksgiving preparation etc.) It was an excellent birthday surprise party and i wanna thank everyone who came, including the other guys from slam one down. that fact is gonna factor into the last part of this blog so stay tuned...

alright lets continue.

when i left off, i told you about my first performance with the first band i played with. it was shit. nothing worked that night. we berated our "manager" after the show and we were all in low spirits. It would prove to be our first and last performance together. Through inner turmoil and not seeing eye to eye the band broke up. Most of the guys that were in that band i'm still friends with to this day and i love those guys, but we just didn't mesh well as a band.

for the next couple of months after that i continued to look for other bands. I joined an acoustic rock band that had a good singer, good bass player, and the music was excellent. We did a lot of shows together over that year i was with them and we recorded an EP. I really got to know those guys and even though the music wasn't the genre i wanted to get into, i still had fun playing with them. I got a lot of experience playing with those guys. The light style of the music helped me to relax behind the drum set, but I helped them rock out a little bit and make a show out of it.

While i was playing with them, i was still searching for bands to play with. I found a band that was looking for a drummer. It was Industrial Metal, something i was interested in and had experience playing in. They were already sort of established, indie label, getting ready to tour, all the good stuff. I thought this would be the opportunity i was looking for. I learned the songs forwards and backwards. The audition was in Long Island. I drove there, my brakes grinding into my rotors, running out of gas. i was gonna get there by hook or crook, dammit. I finally get to the place, meet the band, and we played together and i nailed it. Everything fit perfectly. They said they loved me and i loved the music and the vibe i was getting. they said they sort of had a problem with me being in another band, but i told them i was willing to quit that other band if it came down to it. I loved the other guys and the music, but acoustic rock is not my genre. I needed something more. They said they would be giving me a call in a couple of days.

So i waited and waited and informed the other band that i was possibly joining this other band that were getting ready to tour. They were cool with it. I waited two weeks before losing patience and contacting them. They replied saying they were going with another drummer who was a friend of theirs. I went back to the acoustic rock band and told them i didnt get into the band and they had already found a replacement drummer. I tried to leave my current girlfriend for a hotter girl and got dumped by both. I was left alone. no band, nobody to drum with.

needless to say, i was heartbroken.

i was left without a band to play with, something that i hadn't experienced since i started playing. Now Meanwhile, the bass player from my original band had a side project he was working on in those years and they seemed to be gaining momentum. After their drummer decided to leave to take care of his family, he called me up and asked me to sit in with them.

to be continued...

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Roach's thoughts on Slam One Down part 1...

hey this is Roach from Slam One Down. This ain't my first time wranglin this thing called a blog, but it is my first time writing about my thoughts on this band. this is part 1 in a 3 part series...here we go...

I joined this band about four or five months ago through, of all things, an email i got from a profile i made on a website that i had forgotten about for years. I haven't played drums for many years, but i've been playing music since i was 9. I started playing drums around 2001 and since then i've played with and auditioned for what seems like millions of bands. I've played some good shows, ive played a lot of bad shows. I auditioned for shit bands and never gave it another thought. I auditioned for really good bands and sounded like shit myself. Especially living in new york, I've had almost every experience a musician can think of.

getting an email from a band looking for a drummer is probably the most common thing i can think of. I've had bands come out of the woodwork, finding me through whatever link they could and contacting me to jam with them. I've also done my part and searched for bands that were looking for drummers and dropped them a line. Joining an already established band is like going out with a girl who already has a house and a job. you really have to show her something spectacular to get her to even notice you.

When i first started playing drums, i auditioned for bands right off the bat. any bands too...acoustic rock, folk rock, heavy metal, punk. you name it i was there jamming with them. my first choice is heavy metal so that was what i was focusing on. My drum teacher had shown me everything he knew, from polka beats to jazz to latin beats, but he was a broadway show guy and wasnt knowledgable about any metal at all. So i decided to learn it myself. Listening to any music, any band that i could, i listened to the drum parts and memorized all the beats, fills, etc.

The first band i was in was an industrial metal band (think rob zombie with a dance beat) i did pretty well in that band and it was a good and easy way for me to learn how to play in a rock band setting. We played our first show and it was utter shit. i won't lie to you folks, i was not happy about this show one bit. aside from the technical issues (amps going out, mics not working) we just werent together and sounded horrible. it was a learning experience and something that hung on my mind from then on. i needed a lot of work...

...to be continued

Monday, November 2, 2009

Halloween Weekend

I figured I give everybody a recap of this sick weekend. Friday couldn't have been more perfect. I picked up two kegs and got them on ice around 2:00PM. A couple of friends came by and we started drinking around 5ish. We basically started pre-partying for the show from 5-9 PM. We packed up all the equipment and then put on our Halloween costumes.
I obviously dressed up as Dimebag, Roach was Fred Flinstone, Scott went as a Viking, and Bobby's costume was the best. He was a mix between the devil from Legend the movie and basically Lucifer. The Makeup job was incredible thanks to Gio.
We arrived at the show at around 9:30 and were able to see some great bands that night. They were Grimus, Unstable Foundation, One Brick Down, Homicidal and we went on last. All the bands played excellent. There were about 100 people in the place that night and we brought exactly 50 of them. So for all of you promoters out there, we proved that we can bring people. We are proud of that.
We finally got on stage around 12:30-1:00 and I would say most of the people stayed. Some of the bands left before we went on but I have no hard feelings. I can tell by the crowd reaction that it was our best show yet. For all of you Pantera lovers out there we covered two of their songs.
After the show we spoke with the promoters and management of the bar and it seems like we just earned ourselves some really good shows and we should be opening for some big bands.
That brings us to the after hours party. About 30 of us came back to my house, and kept partying straight through Friday and into Sunday Morning. It was the perfect weekend. Thanks to all of you who came out and showed your support.

J.R.
Slam One Down

Monday, October 26, 2009

This past Saturday night we planned to have a typical band practice at Slam One Down Headquarters. After practice we planned on seeing our friends in Will Killmore and Egokill and show some support to the local metal scene. Two seconds before we ripped into the newest track, "Cut Me Down," our singer Bobby got the idea to play the show instead of go to it. So he picked up the phone and he asked our friends in Will Killmore if we could jam. They were all for it and instead of having a true band practice, we played at a local bar in Pearl River, NY.

It was totally cool because there was a good 75-100 metal heads there showing support to all of the bands. Beers were like $4, which is good for any NY bar and there were really hot chicks there, courtesy of Slam One Down.

However, there is nothing worse than playing in a club/bar and there isn't any sound system. There was like a microphone for vocals and that was it. Actually now that I think about it, playing in a shit hole with no sound system and getting your fellow metal heads to scream and dance along is what it is all about. That is what makes metal real. That is what makes metal heads so unique and wonderful. We will go anywhere just to hear newest and most extreme underground music. I bet guys like James Hetfield, Kerry King, Phil Anselmo, Vinnie Paul, etc. remember the days playing in those shit holes so vividly and probably would say that they miss those days. It is for us and was for them the days that the music was the most important thing. All the glam, money, hot chicks and success is always second to the real music. When we get all the glam, money, hot chicks and success, I will remember this past Saturday.

J.R.
Slam One Down

Thursday, October 15, 2009

We have to work harder

Really cool trip to see the underground metal scene in Vegas. All my fellow metal fans were totally cool. There were about 75-100 people that showed up. The bands that played were excellent as well, but we have to work harder!!!

As a band we consider ourselves part of the New York underground scene which truly incorporates NY and NJ. The reason I bring that up is because when I go to a heavy metal show either in NY or NJ and see a popular metal band like, Metallica, Lamb of God, Slayer, Megadeth, etc. there can be as many as 30,000 people showing up to the show and sometimes even two nights in a row. Now, most bands are not of that caliber, but in a city like NY, there is no reason why we cannot get at least 500-750 people to an underground event every time (at least on the weekends). Weeknights should have at least 300.

The point is that we have to work harder as heavy metal fans. We need to go to every underground show that we can. We have to prove to the local bars and nightclubs that when you book a metal act, that place is going to make money through attendance and/or the bar. Through Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter, we can communicate with each other instantly. We have to start picking up that ancient thing call the "phone" and making each other go to shows and supporting the local scene. If there are 4 bands a night playing and 4 members in each band; each band member should bring 5-10 people. Thats anywhere from 80-160 people right there. And promoters need to really go the extra mile and get people to come to shows.

I guess what my question is what can we do to grow the underground scene?

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Bobby's Lyrics

What's up everyone...this is J.R. from S1D and wanted to tell everyone to go to www.myspace.com/slamonedown and download Bobby's lyrics and read them. These are some of the best Heavy Metal lyrics I have heard in years. I want everyone to comment back and give some love for Bobby for keeping it real and being true to his soul and sharing it with the world. My personal favorites are Hell Doesn't Want Me, To Live Forever & What I've Done...What are yours?

Monday, September 21, 2009

Slam One Down's Biography

Slam One Down

Slam One Down was formed in June of 2009 when Bobby and J.R. decided to start a new Heavy Metal project based on a musical vision that incorporated every style of metal influenced by all the great bands that preceded them. As soon as they met Roach and Scott they new they had a unique sound and style. The focus was to create a hard-hitting extreme style of music that people can move and sing to. Period!

Bobby Brazen

Raised in Rockland County, an upstate suburb of New York, he started singing for his first band Mental Casket in the late 1990’s. Joined by three childhood friends playing drums, guitar, and bass, Mental Casket was unscripted, rough around the edges hardcore.

After a handful of local shows played, and almost three years together, he was confronted by his band mate’s desires to take their music down a different, more mainstream path.

Unwilling to exchange his old school and underground metal and hardcore values, Bobby decided it was his time to leave the band.

Less than a year after leaving Mental Casket, Bobby tried out for the Bronx based hardcore legends 4 In The Chamber. His guttural vocals and take-action attitude landed him the spot. With only a month to learn the lyrics to 4 In The Chamber’s already recorded full-length, he played his first show with the band at CBGB’s, opening up for Most Precious Blood.

During his almost six years with 4 In The Chamber, he’s lead the band to a plethora of headlining and supporting shows up and down the East Coast, Canada, and Puerto Rico. His vocals were featured on the New York Hardcore band Lockdown’s “Hard to the Core” track and he’s also formed a side project called Meatball Tanktop.

After a conversation with his band mates concerning 4 In The Chamber’s future it was mutually decided this was no longer the place for Bobby Brazen.

Following a short hiatus Bobby started playing in his current project, Slam One Down, and describes the sound of the band as having “an absolutely crushing attitude on top of a laid back party metal aspect that will fester inside everybody’s brain that hears it.”

This is something you need to be a part of.

Bobby Brazen

Support Those Who Support Others

www.myspace.com/bobbybrazen

J.R.

J.R. started playing guitar at 9 years old. He originally started playing guitar after his older brother Vinny introduced him to heavy metal. “I’ll never forget the first metal song that grabbed me. It was, “Orion” by Metallica. I remember listening to it with him in his car and being amazed at how heavy and powerful it was. It was then that I started my musical journey.”

J.R. went through every possible medium to learn how to play. For 16 years, J.R. worked extremely hard to improve his skills. He used ear training, books, tablature, and lessons from many different teachers. He even took music classes at the Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore. MD. But it wasn’t until he meant his mentor Ed Fuhrman that changed everything for him and took him to the professional level that he was seeking. Ed Fuhrman was the lead guitar player for the heavy metal band, “Hades.” It was Ed who helped him learn all aspects of music theory including classical, jazz, blues, rock and of course Heavy Metal.

J.R spent most of his young days in bands that never really went anywhere. J.R. spent most of his beginning years writing his own songs and developing his own style for writing songs, riffs, and leads. It was not until 2008 that he met with Jimmy, Terry, Shane, and Ed of Beyond Redemption, from Newburgh, NY. J.R. joined the band and spent about a year with them.. According to J.R. “I love those guys from Beyond Redemption. They taught me a lot about hardcore music and how to get the crowd moving. “ Unfortunately for Beyond Redemption, they had to split up.

After Beyond Redemption, J.R. joined 4 in the Chamber. 4 in the Chamber allowed J.R to get the live experience that he needed, and was fortunate enough to play all over NY, NJ & Puerto Rico. It was in 4 in the Chamber that he met with Bobby Brazen and the two of them shared the same musical vision. After a conversation with their band mates concerning 4 In The Chamber’s future it was mutually decided this was no longer the place for Bobby Brazen or J.R.

Slam One Down was created in June of 2009 with its members Bobby Brazen, J.R., Scotty, and Roach. The bands goal was to bring together all different types of metal and hardcore with party-like hell-raising attitude. The music speaks for itself.

J.R.

www.myspace.com/slamonedown

Roach

The man known as Roach McPoach has been playing music since he was 10. Starting out with the clarinet and eventually branching out into the conga drums and saxophone, he was already on his way to making a name for himself when at age 11 he performed at Carnegie hall. The next year he had the privilege of playing conga drums with the legendary Tito Puente during a performance at Lehman College in the Bronx. After being accepted into Fiorello H. Laguardia high school for performing arts, Roach performed many times at Alice Tully Hall and Lincoln Center and even performed for events such as the ABC fall release party and art auctions. During his high school years, he played in various orchestras and groups, taking time away from percussion to focus on his clarinet playing. He spent two years at Mannes prep college where he learned composition and played in the orchestra. He attended Queens College where he lived music. Music History, Music Theory, Composition, playing in the orchestra and even conducting were some of the classes he took. After transferring to Lehman College, Roach felt like he needed a change. He had done everything he possibly could with the clarinet and he felt the need to go back to something he loved but left a long time ago. The drum. After two years of lessons, Roach had learned enough to start picking up marching band jobs, playing military style snare and bass drum. After a year of marching in parades, Roach joined his first band, an industrial band. It was the first step toward something he wanted to do all his life. Through the next six years, Roach has laid a path of destruction, leaving no stick unbroken, leaving no drum unbeaten. Through a chance meeting on an Internet networking site, Roach crossed paths with Slam One Down. Just like serendipity, it seems it was destiny for Roach to meet this band at this time. With the chops of all his years playing, all the different bands he’s participated in, Roach has finally arrived into something that he truly enjoys. He currently plays with a brass band in the city and still does the military marches, but his first love will always be metal and Slam One Down is the band that gives him what he enjoys most.