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

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?

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?

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.