Jane’s Addiction

In 1985, the Los Angeles music scene was mostly hair metal bands trying to make it to super stardom. But a little known underground scene was being born with original bands playing new alternative music. One of those bands was Jane’s Addiction. Today, over 25 years later, Jane’s is still pumping out great music with an L.A. vibe. With their new album The Great Escape Artist finally out, and tons of 2012 tour dates booked, I spoke with Jane’s Addiction’s drummer, Stephen Perkins, about the new CD and tour and other good stuff.

Maximum Ink: Hi Stephen, my name is EJ, I’m with Maximum Ink Music Magazine and Maxinkradio, how are you doing today?
Stephen Perkins: I feel great man, it’s been a really good day,  I’ve got a 2 year old son, so I’ve spent the whole day with him, and now I’m on my way to rehearsal with the boys.

MI: What is the meaning behind the title The Great Escape Artist?
SP: It’s a personal thing like everybody, it really, with all the bullshit, no matter what year you look at, 2012 or 1812 there is always bullshit in the way of enjoying yourself. And what are we here for, I think we are here for art and sex. Let Jane’s Addiction be your art and sex, escape with us. Get away from everything else you’re fucking dealing with, put on this record, just like when we used to put on Sgt Peppers record, or I used to put on Physical Graffiti, which I still do and just get away from it all, let the music take you. Don’t let it do it 30 seconds at a time, go away for a half hour.

Poc

With her debut apptly titled Rise Above the mexican rocker Poc proves to the world that she can do just that. As a teen when her budding career as a professinal ballet dancer was cut short by an accident she focused in on the music that she had loved from the young age of 5.Her singing and songwriting skills showcased around Mexico City led to her opening for the iconic rock band Guns N Roses and to being discovered by their guitarist, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal. Thal was so impressed with her unique talent and drive that he brought her to the U.S. to record the album. Finding herself far from home for the first time in her life the talented songstress set out to show the world what she is made of.

Dealing with a language barrier, acts of nature, Ron’s rehabilitation from an accident of his own, and even threats of murder and extortion the pair proved with enough determination, grit, and pure talent a truly solid rock album is inevitable. Joined by Guns N’ Roses drummer Frank Ferrer, the album is influened heavily by rock legends such as Janis Joplin, Aerosmith, and Led Zepplin. Featuring a mix of tracks heavily in Spanish as well as in English this debut has a global appeal that is hard to deny. The first single off the album, Rock N Roll Baby gave fans a chance to participate in the recording by submitting their own backing vocals via Skype.

Maximum Ink: What were you like as a child growing up? How do you think your earliest days have influenced you to be who you are now?
Poc: Well, I have always been walking trouble, I think the most difficult age for my mom to control me was between 15 to 18. I was completely out of control, I like taking things to the limit, and I never give up which can be something good or something really bad. I think the person who really made who I am today is certainly my mom, she taught me everything and she has been there for me everytime I needed her, in good and bad times.

Time to Kill

They say that punk is dead. They say that thrash metal was born and died in the 70’s and 80’s. They say if anyone wants to be successful that they need to pick a genre and stick to it. They also say that you absolutely cannot mix and mash punk, thrash and metal all together and make a sound worth living together. Clearly, the band Time to Kill never got the memo. And clearly, “they” don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. Time to Kill is a devil’s concoction mixed up to prove that if you love music, you can create something unique and something that stands out from the crowd for all the right reasons. As guitarist Keith Monville put it, “It’s a mix drink with one shot of punk, one shot of metal then top the glass off with some thrash.”

Maximum Ink’s Aaron Manogue spoke with Monville about Time to Kill’s history, some pretty funny “Spinal Tap” moments, and their huge upcoming show with Motorhead, Megadeath, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil. Time to Kill is Keith Monville on guitar, Shannon Hicks on bass, Jon Munro on vocals and Steven Heath on drums.

Maximum Ink: Give me a little history on Time to Kill. When did you start, how many records released, where did you all meet, etc.?
Keith Monville: Time to Kill started in a basement, with some long time friends, at the end of 2006 after I took some time off from the band scene. Next thing we knew it was 2007, we had a full band, playing shows, released a demo, signed by Turkey Vulture Records and released a CD. Then we toured the Midwest for 2008 in support of the “Insanity” CD, including many shows with national bands. 2009, I had to replace the lead singer and bass player and we toured the Midwest and released a demo. Then we spent 2010 refining the line up and writing new music. In, 2011 got the new line up set and started writing new music and here we are with a new demo CD for 2012 and writing and recording for a full length CD to be released this summer.

Lacuna Coil

Italy is known around the world as the origin for some of the finest art ever created. It was the center of art during the Roman Republic and Empire as well as during the Renaissance. With such an incredibly rich history in fine art and some of the most recognizable works of art including the Mona Lisa, one wouldn’t immediately assume that one of today’s best rock bands is also from Italy; Milan to be exact. The band is Lacuna Coil and their music is their masterpiece and Dark Adrenaline is their latest work of art. Maximum Ink’s Aaron Manogue had a chance to chat with vocalist Andrea Ferro about the new record, their first single “Trip the Darkness” and the passing of their close friend and singer of Type O Negative, Peter Steele.

Maximum Ink: Your latest album Dark Adrenaline has been postponed a few times. How has the album changed over the time that it’s had to mature before its release?
Andrea Ferro: It’s been terrible. The album has been ready and it was meant to come out in October. Then the record label asked us if we could postpone until January because they weren’t ready or set up for the release. So we agreed with them because we didn’t want the album to come out without full support from the label so it was just a very simple logistic problem that we had to agree with. It made no sense to put out an album without the full support so we just had to wait and now finally the days coming close.

Dark New Day

Since 1994, his music has pierced the impervious veil of hard rock and created a sound all its own that’s as recognizable as zebra at a horse farm. If you are a fan of rock n’ roll or even simply a fan of musicianship, you can’t help but admire the body of work he’s put together over his long career. His musical portfolio is so diverse that you would think there’s no way the same person created it. From the soul searching lyrics and soft guitar riffs of Hello Demons Meet Skeletons, to the undeniable ass kicking each Sevendust record brings, Clint Lowery has been part of it all. Clint’s incredible talent coupled with other amazing musicians such as Will Hunt (Evanescence), his brother Corey Lowery (Eye Empire), Brett Hestla (Virgos Merlot) and Troy McLawhorn (Evanescence) has created yet another monster, with Dark New Day’s release of New Tradition. Maximum Ink’s Aaron Manogue talked with Clint about the new record, his upcoming project with Morgan Rose titled Call Me No One and what it’s like to work with his brother Corey again.

Maximum Ink: Talk to me about the new record.
Clint Lowery: Oh man, it was great. This is a lot of B-Side stuff and stuff that we worked on at the end of the first Dark New Day cycle, for Twelve Year Silence. These are songs that we were actually writing years ago so we haven’t been back in the studio recording in years. This is kind of just something we wanted to release to the fans that we thought were pretty legitimate songs. We just remastered them and tweaked them up a bit in the studio.

Carbellion

Sometimes I don’t think people realize how lucky we are to live in the state of Wisconsin. Sure we have some of the worst winter weather in the world, but we also have the Packers, the Badgers, tons of recreational sports, and probably some of the nicest people in the world that live in our great state. But there’s also a diamond in the rough that Wisconsin is also known for, that not many people hear about or ever talk about. That diamond is our local music. I’ve heard music from all over the world, and everything from the worst to the best and it never fails to amaze me that time and time again, local bands from Wisconsin are some of the most musically sound and talented bands in the world.

This was no different when I came across a band out of Sheboygan called Carbellion. Founded in late 2004, this band has enjoyed increasing popularity and exposure in the rock scene ever since. And all it takes is one listen to their music to know why. They aren’t one of those commercial bands with the backing of millions of dollars and a major record label. Simply, they just know how to play real, 110% American rock n’ roll. To sit here and try and describe their music to you or compare it to another band just wouldn’t be right. Their music is coined “American heavy rock,” but there are elements of funk and groove laced throughout each song. One song you’ll be sitting there just jamming and grooving along and the next, you’ll be banging your head. Their music is very eclectic but always hangs onto that Carbellion sound.