force multiplied bares all with rockality

S a c ra m e n t o ’s L o c a l M u s i c R e v i e w tcnm issue 11 ● free

dino vidovich cast the clarity and sages

the pack is coming

FIND THE HOTTEST LOCAL SHOWS WITH THE TCNM FLYER GALLERY!

get ready for terra ferno’s comeback

the denver j band ep: a real good book

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Front Page: A Mile Till Dawn Other Photo Credits: Stefan Adcock, Tell The Wolves, Force Multiplied, The Scales, The Denver J Band Marketing / Advertising Director: Shawn Ernst Editor/Graphic Design: M Montez Contributors: Johnna Dean, Shawn Ernst, M Montez, Stefan Adcock, Tonya Whitworth

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A Mile Till Dawn

4 Threat Con Nation Magazine

M eet the future of hard edged rock. A Mile Till Dawn combines high energy, fast paced and driven music with highly affluent technical skill and knowledge. Judging from songs like Saviors, Surrender and Isolation, you would think this

five piece band is comprised of long-standing veterans of the rock genre that have invented a fresh spin on what we know and love, but the truth is even more surprising. Don’t underestimate the power behind their youthful appearance because you just might get blown away. Get ready for a new day of music with: A Mile Till Dawn.

AMTD Members:

Kate Robinette (Vocals), Colyn Bowman (Guitar), Daren Wheeler (Guitar), Gabe Cheng (Bass) and Shawn Council (Drums).

Threat Con Nation Magazine 5

What brought you guys together to form A Mile

Till Dawn?

Colyn: It started with the band program at Rock Inc. Zac Diebels started piecing us together.

Shawn: Basically a long time ago in a galaxy far away, I joined the Rock Inc. band program. About two weeks into it, Colyn and I became the original mem-bers of A Mile Till Dawn.

After maybe a year or two in the program, we had a couple of member changes which led us to Daren joining, which was fantastic, and a third guitarist that we had rotating bass between Colyn and Daren. When our third guitarist left the program, we needed a bassist because we had our instructor playing bass or our guitarists rotating out practicing within the band program. We ended up doing a benefit for Chi Cheng, the bassist for Deftones and Chi Cheng’s son, our bassist Gabe, came by a week after the benefit show because he was interested in what we were doing. Our instructor sat down with our group and thought we would mesh really well and It worked out. It was perfect.

We got the core of the band going at that point but we went through several singers and the band program ended, so we moved to this location, House Of Hits. Slowly, very slowly but surely, we tried to figure out where we were going and what we were doing. We fell through with a bunch of singers. Nothing was working out and Zac Diebels, who ran Rock Inc. got in contact with us to suggest a kick ass singer that was taking private lessons with him. She was really inter-ested in joining a rock band and she was our style and age range, so he tossed Katie’s name our way. He said she was phenomenal and he wanted us to get together with her. Gabe and I played with her twice over a summer and that was right in the period when the band was looking for a new singer. We both told her she should most definitely try out for the band.

Colyn: Kate came into practice with lyrics almost im-mediately and we started working right away. As soon as the pieces came together for the band, we just stared playing shows. We’ve been playing shows since then.

Why did you guys change your original name

from Surrender to A Mile Till Dawn?

Daren: Surrender was generic and boring.

Kate: It doesn’t catch attention.

Colyn: We picked the name, Surrender after a song title.

Daren: When we had that name, we had a different bass player and we didn’t have Katie.

Shawn: We were a very under-developed band when we were Surrender and we were in the process of taking off to play shows in the music scene, so we decided to change it.

Colyn: We were, Mosh Pit Massacre… Sacrifice the Night… Surrender…

Shawn: What people don’t know is when we were Surrender, that was the most recent band name we promoted ourselves as before A Mile Till Dawn but there were a handful of names before that.

Colyn: As soon as we picked up Katie and Gabe...

Daren: That was the final piece, the final set.

Colyn: Yeah, we were done, we wanted to play shows and we wanted to invent the band as a whole set.

Shawn: We kept the music the same but we kept pro-gressing and we put everything into the songs we were creating. We also wanted to be represented by a name we could really own and would catch attention. We did some brain storming and put a lot of thought into what would fit our persona and music.

In February, I watched you guys tear it up on stage at The Assembly. What do you do to pre-

pare for a performance like that one.

Kate: I listen to a lot of pump up music in the car. I listen to everything from really cheesy pop to crazy weird glam rock. I sing a lot and get way into my head about it sometimes, but as soon as I hit the stage, I’m good.

Shawn: I’m almost the polar opposite of that as far as timeline. I’m really calm, cool and collected. I try to underplay it and then it kicks in as I’m setting up my drums. Sometimes I’ll listen to pump up music. I eat a lot of junk food.

Daren: I just kind of sit around and hang out and just wait until we play.

Colyn: We don’t have quirks. If anything, I’d probably grab an energy drink and blast some music around the house before a show.

Shawn: We all just hang out.

Gabe: I gather my thoughts, sort of vacate them from my mind and I just relax.

continued

6 Threat Con Nation Magazine

Has the age factor created an obstacle for you

guys? If so, how have you overcome it?

Daren: Maybe with the image we have, people think we are just a kid’s band at first because we are all under 21.

Colyn: It’s good and bad though because people think we’re just kids and then when they hear us they think ‘Wow! And they’re just kids!’

Kate: Music is what I’ve wanted to do since I was re-ally young, like 5 years old. I’ve always wanted to be a musician and when I hear people say things like, You’re really awesome! You’re really good! I tell them thank you! But sometimes they throw in, ...for your age and It’s like, eh, because I want us to be thought of as really good no matter what age we are.

Shawn: There are a lot of positives associated with the age thing too though. We get to experience a lot of things that revolve around music and we get to learn from older musicians that are friends and men-tors to us. It’s so much fun to get involved in that kind of community, but at the same time, we’re also not looked at as complete equals at times.

Kate: I have to stress that there really are positives. There are people who are our friends in this commu-nity that joke around about us being kids but for the most part, they totally respect us as musicians and as friends. We have formed great relationships with bands like, Once An Empire, The Alex Vincent Band and tons of others.

Daren: We’ve never met a band older than us that has looked down on us.

Shawn: And some of them aren’t even musicians. We meet people who are into online radio, promoters and people who work at venues who have gone out of their way to support us.

Daren: Photographers too.

Shawn: Yeah, and we go to shows just to hang out with these awesome people, which runs us into the issue of not being able to attend 21 and over shows. We were just talking about having to miss the FallRise show because it’s an over 21 show.

Colyn: And all those people we have connected with are going to those shows.

Threat Con Nation Magazine 7

Kate: I feel band sometimes because we can’t go and represent our band and ourselves and how much we love and respect these people because it’s a 21 and over show but Daren and Colyn are almost 21.

Did any of you have a preconceived idea of how the scene was before stepping into the local mu-

sic community as a band?

Kate: I thought people were going to shun and ignore us because we were so young. I feel so lucky to know all these super cool people and how cool and respectful they have been.

Shawn: I remember as a kid, I listened to rock music like Godsmack and Volbeat growing up and I played drums at that time. I knew I wanted to play drums in a rock band and I knew the style I wanted to play. I had an idea of how rock stars are and what that life-style would be like but it’s nothing like that now. It’s nothing negative or positive but it’s not what I expected growing up. I didn’t go to local shows and I didn’t know about local music, so I didn’t have the typical personal experience to the scene like other musicians.

Who have been some of your mentors?

Shawn: I love everyone in the community that I have met. Everyone has been great people but the people that I feel are good friends are Distorted Nation Ra-dio’s Travis Presley, he is definitely my buddy.

My first drum instructor at Rock Inc. was by far one of my favorites. Her name was Jess, she was 5 foot nothing and weighed about 110 pounds but she could hit the drums harder than any dude on the drums I’ve ever met.

Gabe: It goes without saying my dad is a big inspira-tion for me. I have gone to a lot of his shows and when I was 12, I went on tour with him. Seeing him work like that was really inspiring for me and I knew I wanted to do that when I grew up. Also, Nathan from Some Fear None is exceptional. He has been really great with helping us out. I look forward to working with him again in the future.

Colyn: We have been helped by a lot of people. I personally have. Troy from So Called Tragedy, Scott from Apple Z, Zack, Josh, Matt and Nathan. There are so many musicians who have taken time out of their busy lives to help us in what we are doing.

Kate: I know Matt Franks was one to me, he was my first rock vocal coach and he was just the greatest at

it. He’s the coolest guy ever. It’s hard to name every-one.

What can we expect off of the EP you guys are

creating?

Shawn: Kickassness

Colyn: We have been playing our 10 or 12 songs for awhile now and some of the songs we have written lately still have a similar sound to the old stuff but we really want to texture and rebuild some of it and make something more amazing.

Kate: I think we want to focus on making it a little bit more adult sounding. We are shifting over to a clean slate and we want to write some really raw stuff that still has an A Mile Till Dawn feel to it but will hopefully sound more mature.

Shawn: I just want to write music that people will say, straight up, this is great music. We want their minds blown.

Colyn: Hands down, I want to keep surprising the people we have surprised already. That’s exactly what I want to do.

LINKS

www.amiletilldawn.com

facebook.com/AMileTillDawnOfficial

twitter.com/AMiletillDawn

reverbnation.com/AMileTillDawn

8 Threat Con Nation Magazine

I recently came to the realization that I

want something more, something that

would allow me the creative freedom

to express the other 95% of musical

artistry flowing through me.

To express who I am, I'm a guitarist

first and foremost but I love to sing, I

love to write, I love to drum, I love to

compose, engineer, produce, mix and

just be an all-around musical geek; as

well as a seeker for knowledge and

truth, growth and experience.

My new projects, Cast The Clarity

(Hard Rock / Experimental) and Sages

(Pop / Alternative / World) are both no

boundaries culminations of all musi-

cal, cultural, spiritual, and life circum-

stances that I've been acquainted

with in my journey so far; transmuted

into compositions that reflect a little

more substance, actuality, and artist-

ry, than what I've been involved with

previously.

At the same time, I am still a man in

my twenties that loves to party and

indulge in my human experience and

I can totally relate to music that

reflects being in that place. It's all

about balance, and Cast The Clarity

and Sages are reflections of my

balance between the material world

and the ethereal world and the jour-

ney we're all on together. One love!

“

-M Montez

I n early 2013, I attended a Threat Con Presents at

Old Ironsides featuring Sacramento’s extremely

popular rock/alt band, Track Fighter. The perfor-

mance absolutely lived up to what you would expect

from an acclaimed and respected band, but what real-

ly resonated with me was Track Fighter’s guitarist,

Dino Vidovich. There is something striking about the

way Dino performs, watching him play the guitar feels

almost voyeuristic, like witnessing someone com-

pletely enthralled with a secret experience. It was

then that I became an instant fan. I’m sure he finds

performing for people as thrilling as most musicians

would but the art of the performance seems to have

a more profound impact than simply entertaining a

crowd or showcasing his talent. The entertaining part

is just a happy side-effect of something bigger.

We met up with Dino on a hot Saturday afternoon in

August. The temperature had crept up to triple digits

but he was in good spirits and happy to trek us to a

shady spot along the banks of Folsom Lake. The con-

versation was as easy as talking to an old friend, of-

ten erupting into laughter or settling into moments of

quiet reflection. His calm confidence is infectious, his

laugh hearty and his deeply spiritual self tends to

bleed over into everything he puts his heart into. That

seems to be part of Dino’s charm, to intertwine light

and easy with an unassuming wisdom that leaves you

with interesting possibilities to consider. In other

words, he’s an old soul with a young heart.

With over a decade of making music in Track Fighter,

Dino has decided to pour some of his lesser known

creative endeavors and facets into two new projects.

Cast the Clarity and Sages are two very different mu-

sical styles with a similar thread that showcases the

diversity and immeasurable talent of an artist worth

getting to know.

Dino has shared the stage with a long list of artists

including big names like Deftones, Papa Roach, Fil-

ter, Story Of The Year, My Chemical Romance,

Dredge, Thrice, Fall Out Boy, Underoath, Oleander

and many more. His professional collaborations and

mentors are as equally impressive with big name pro-

ducers and song writers like Malcolm Springer

(Matchbox20, Collective Soul, Shinedown), Beau Hill

(Stevie Nicks, Dweezil Zappa, Chaka Kahn, Ratt),

Michael Rosen (Papa Roach, AFI, Santana, Joe Sa-

triani), Tomas Castanza (Writer at Walt Disney Corp.),

Michael Bayard (Sacramento Symphony, Paul Simon,

Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra) to name a

few.

To listen to music from

Cast the Clarity and Sages visit:

reverbnation.com/casttheclarity

reverbnation.com/sagesband

10 Threat Con Nation Magazine

It was a hot Friday night in downtown Sacramento,

and I had just finished enjoying the final night of the

Concerts in the Park series. Rather than head home,

like usual, I decided to wander on down to Old Iron-

sides, where a band called Tell the Wolves was play-

ing. I caught wind of this band through their lead sing-

er/guitarist, Leryan Burrey, who I had gotten to know

through many of his various projects over the years. I

had heard he was involved in a new band now, so I

decided to check it out.

Winding my way through the throng of people in the

bar, I made my way to the front of the crowd as Tell

the Wolves was setting up. When the lights finally

shifted onto them, they immediately kicked it into high

gear from the get go. Backed up by Ryan Griffith on

guitar, Zack Davis on bass, and Ian Moch on drums,

Burrey and the rest of his band rattled my ear drums

with a sound that was like you took Incubus, Circa

Survive, and Rage Against the Machine and threw

them in a blender. They had the energy, heavy bottom

end, and puncturing rhythm that you would want from

a rock band, which was highlighted with Burrey’s

soaring vocals, and a stage presence that showed

they were throwing their all into the show It was a total

package, and I left with a satisfying ringing in my ears.

Fast forward to August, and I am catching up with the

band again, in their practice space at the back of a

rather large warehouse, lovingly named “The Den”. It

is the perfect sized square room for any band of their

caliber to congregate, complete even with oscillating

colored lights everywhere, because why not? The

frame of the walls is still visible, but it is a solid frame

for a practice space nonetheless. It only serves to add

to the ambience of The Den as a whole, in the end.

I come in and kick back with the band as they are

moving equipment around and sipping on Stella Ar-

tois, and the conversation quickly shifts to music and

the band itself. Just by being in the room, there is an

energy that is palpable and contagious, and before I

know it, I am furiously writing as they are feeding me

details.

Tell the Wolves came about when Griffith and Moch,

who were former bandmates, reconnected in mid-to-

late 2013 and started jamming again. Over the course

Threat Con Nation Magazine 11

of time, they found Burrey through Craigslist, to which

Burrey adds, “I was looking for a band that was really

going somewhere.” With those three pieces firmly in

play, they set their sights on finding a bass player,

which is where Davis comes into play. According to

Moch, “Zack [Davis] clicked with everyone the best

and stayed...We knew Zack was it...We needed a

male model also, and he [Davis] was the best candi-

date (laughs)”.

With this diverse group of musicians coming together

from all different walks of life, the musical influences

from across the board have coalesced into something

that is uniquely their own. Burrey put it best when he

described it “Like a Venn diagram for our musical in-

fluences”. One man influence they have in common is

definitely Incubus, and its divided up from there. Like I

mentioned before, Rage Against The Machine is en-

joyed by Davis, while Circa Survive and Dredg are

heavily enjoyed by Griffith and Moch. Burrey rounds it

off with a heavy background in djent and progressive

rock (think of very cerebral bands like Tesseract, Ra-

diohead, and Animals as Leaders). Despite this wide

range, they have managed to come together and

make a full-bodied style of rock that is uniquely their

own.

Having such a bombastic dynamic under the hood,

Tell the Wolves is forging their own path through the

local scene in both an unconventional and conven-

tional way. The unconventional aspect is also a pretty

funny story. Their first show was actually at Sacra-

mento City College and, according to Davis, came

kinda outta nowhere. He says,

“My [music] professor was like,

‘you got a band?’ And I told

him, of course I have a band!

So we wound up doing a

soundcheck for the music

room...people were actually

coming from other classes to

see what was going on.” Since

then, they have gone on to

play shows at places like Har-

low’s and, like I mentioned be-

fore, Old Ironsides, helping

build their local base.

On the conventional side, they are employing a tactic

that many local bands do, and its actually pretty sim-

ple: going to shows. Burrey and Moch both mention

how they have become fans, and friends, with so

many other bands in the area, that they are really

starting to grow as a band. Griffith even casually re-

marked, “We [the band] are virgins...Our band is like

the room [The Den] right now. Once it’s done, it’s gon-

na be pretty sweet.” Burrey also goes on to add, “We

just wanna build on our other successes and go from

there.”

And build they have. They are currently working on

their first recording at One Eleven Recording Studios,

causing them to get excited for the future of both them

as a band, and the music scene in Sacramento as a

whole. Burrey remarks, “The scene is gonna be built

up and we really wanna stick with it...It’s gonna get

crazy and we want to be there when it happens”.

With an attitude like that, we can definitely expect to

see Tell the Wolves more and more as time goes on.

They have shows coming up on September 19th, at

Old Ironsides again, this time playing with local band

Humble Wolf, which could prove to be a bombastic

show unto itself, and on October 18th at The Den with

St. Solitaire. For more information, like Tell the

Wolves on Facebook, where they have snippets of

their live shows and more show info for your viewing

pleasure. Be sure to keep an eye on these guys, be-

cause they may show up where and when you least

expect it. facebook.com/tellthewolvesmusic

- Stefan Adcock

12 Threat Con Nation Magazine

F orce multiplication or Force Multiplied, refers to an attribute or a combination of attributes which makes a given force more effective than that same force would be without it. The

members of the Cameron Park, California band, Force Multiplied is exactly that, a force multiplied as each member combines each of their unique talents to create a multiple force.

After hearing about the internet based reality show, Rockality, I wasted no time in checking it out to see what the hype was all about. I must say I was im-pressed. Each episode offers a different insight to what musicians can or may go through in their daily lives on and off the stage. Most people that have not experienced life as a musician tend to think that bands just practice and play at local and out of town venues, but what most people don’t understand is musicians, like the members of Force Multiplied, need a business like mind to progress in their music career.

These musicians wanted to bare it all so you, the fans, could see what it is really like to be in an inde-pendent band when they’re not backed financially by investors or labels. Sit tight as I take you deeper into the lives of Force Multiplied and Rockality.

Force Multiplied was formed in 2011 by the way of Parker Mckee, who is currently the only original mem-ber in the band. Parker has a very unique talent that he adds as the front man to the band. Aside from his genius guitar riffs and his godlike abilities on the gui-tar, he has a wide range of vocal styles that I have never heard before. From one song to the next, he adds a different vocal style that not only captures your

attention but draws you in closer for a more extensive look inside his mind.

Tim savage, the bassist of the band has a name that suits him well, Savage. Aside from slapping the twink-ie filling out yo mouth he is slapping the bass. Tim offers a thunderous energetic style to Force Multi-plied. Just when you think basic bass riffs are coming, he delivers a monstrous shockwave to create a sound more astounding than Thor’s hammer.

Steven Martin, the drummer for Force Multiplied, is a force you do not want to reckon with. Aside from his daily nunchuck exercise routine and harnessing his chi, this man is a beast on the drums. Steven has this way of summoning everyone in the room to bring the building down to its core foundation. He has this killer instinct in his eyes when beating those drums that warns you this is his time and if you dare step in his world you better be on your game.

Force Multiplied brings 20 years of combined experi-ences to deliver a force even the gods themselves can’t control. In the first year, the band started gig-ging. They played 40+ shows, which would explain why they are now an opening act for nationals like Marilyn Manson, The Offspring, Black label Society, and many more. As these musicians bust their ass to make a name for themselves, it will not be too long before they become a household name.

Aside from their recording studio business and tour-ing, these motivated musicians have an internet based reality show called, Rockality. The show takes you behind the scenes and into the life of the band as they prepare for touring, practices, gigs and simply everything going on in their lives. There are currently

Threat Con Nation Magazine 13

Force Multiplied wanted to do something that would set them apart from other bands. After all, isn’t that what bands do anyway? I must say, Rockality was a brilliant idea. As you watch these episodes, keep in mind that they do not have a professional camera crew, it’s all them. They have researched and studied the art of filming to bring us all a more personal look

4 episodes for viewing at rockalitytv.com. Each epi-sode takes you inside of their daily routine and through the motions of being in a band. From the first episode titled Intro to the 4th episode About you, they deliver something that no other reality show delivers, non-scripted emotions. This reality show, folks, is as real as reality tv gets. Trust me, I have a ton of great things to say about Rockality, but it would be more rewarding for you to watch it yourself.

into their lives as musicians. What was the most im-pressive thing was the fact that not only are they a gigging band with a reality show, they also own their own recording studio business of which they offer a very affordable package. As you can tell these fellas are busy as hell and one would wonder how they would have time to do all this. It’s simple if you really think about it, they are determined and motivated to create something we can all enjoy of which is the pur-pose of any musician, to create and present some-thing for everyone to get into. So I ask that you take the time to watch Rockality because they offer some-thing for everyone.

rockalitytv.com

EP: A Real Good Book

What makes a real good book?

….A hero.

….A challenge to overcome.

….A revelation.

….A life lesson.

The Denver J Band's new EP: 'A Real Good

Book' has everything a real good book should

have. The underlying theme is empowerment, a

reminder of the gifts we are given and how to find

happiness in spite of the obstacles and challeng-

es we all face everyday. The truth is, happiness

can't be found in your bank account or in your

outward appearance. Happiness waits inside of

the little things. The song, 'One Day' is a good

representation of that message.

The EP is an upbeat mix of acoustic / folk / rock

with lyrics that serve up rich imagery of

happiness in simple everyday acts. Each song, a

testament to overcoming difficulties with love for

each other and ourselves.

In this real good book, each of us is a hero.

The band’s mantra, ‘Making music so that others

may love’ is the perfect description of ’A Real

Good Book’ and the effect it has on the listener.

You can listen to and download the EP or check

out The Denver J Band schedule of upcoming

performances on the following websites.

facebook.com/TheDenverJBand

thedenverjband.com

reverbnation.com/thedenverjband

The Denver J Band is an acoustic jam rock band,

founded in 2013 by Singer/Songwriter Denver

Saunders and Percussionist Matt Remenar, they

were joined by Bassist/Vocalist Grayson Roberts

and electric Guitarists DARE and John Marques.

Threat Con Nation Magazine 15

Hellen: I want to divorce my husband. We have

separated and gotten back together more times

than I can count. Each time we break up he says

things will be different and that he will change, but

he never does. I can’t keep doing this. Why do I

keep going back? Thanks.

Stick a Fork in Me – I’m Done Dear

SAFIMID: Divorce is hard. Change is hard. Get-

ting caught in a cycle of separating and reconcil-

ing is insane. Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the

same thing over and over again and expecting

different results”. People do not like change,

which is why it is so easy to return to an unhappy

or unsatisfying relationship. You may be misera-

ble in your relationship, but it’s a familiar kind of

misery. Studies show that it takes about three

months for a lifestyle change to become a perma-

nent part of a person’s behavior. It’s important to

have a clear emotional vision of how your life will

be changed for the better. Don’t sabotage your-

self by spending more time deciding on the pro-

cess of making the change rather than focusing

on the vision of how your life will improve once

that change happens. The key is to keep moving

forward. Remind yourself – daily, hourly, every

second of every minute if that is what it takes –

of the reasons you left in the first place. Have

those reasons changed?

Thanks for Asking! -Hellen

□ □ □ □

Hellen: My good friend is cheating on his girl-

friend - who is also a close friend of mine. Ordi-

narily I would stay out of it, but somehow this

just feels different. I figure she will find out even-

tually but I hate to see her treated so badly by

my buddy. Should I tell her? Should I let my bud-

dy know that I know?

JP

JP: The answer depends on what type of friend

you want to be. Do you want to be the silent,

complicit friend or the open and honest friend?

Someone may be hurt by your actions. Wouldn’t

you rather have it be for the right reason? Would

you want to know? I would. So would the majority

of people who were being betrayed by their part-

ner. However, it’s possible she already knows

and is either in denial or biding her time. Whether

you confront him or confide in her, your relation-

ship with each of them will be forever changed.

Thanks for Asking! -Hellen

Random Advice of the Month:

None of us are Mind Readers..

Ask me your questions about life, sex, love,

relationships, loss, work, recipe tips.. whatever. Got something scandalous,

embarrassing and/or illegal?

Send it to Hellen Back and remain anonymous.

askhellenback@yahoo.com Hellen Back Facebook

Hellen Back Twitter

16 Threat Con Nation Magazine

I remember some time ago, there was a band that really caught my attention. This band was playing shows all over town and they were gaining some de-

cent momentum when everything came to a halt and the band announced that they were no longer going to be doing shows.

I was a little disappointed, but little did I know that they would be back and they are about to create such a co-lossal return, all of Sacramento on September 6th that is in attendance at The Boardwalk will know exactly what I am talking about.

After I got word that Terra Ferno was getting back to-gether I had to see if it was true. I received a phone call that validated Terra Ferno is in fact back and they have a new line up.

Jeremy Friedlander is now their new front man. Jeremy is no stranger to the stage, he has been in various pro-jects in the past, the most recent was Ghost Element, a metal band from Auburn, California. While Jeremy can scream and bring that metal element to the band, he can also stay true to their original roots as well as stay true to his own by delivering that alternative/rock feeling. I have seen Jeremy perform in the past and I can tell you, this guy does not f@#% around when he is on stage. I am extremely pleased to see Jeremy with Terra Ferno as I feel he is a great addition.

Another new addition to the band is Joe Decelle, the rhythm/synth/lead guitarist. Joe is also no stranger to the stage. Joe was in his first band in the mid 90’s, Wacked, an industrial / Hard Rock band where he played rhythm/ lead guitar. Digital Trauma, a project

created by Joe with the help from an artist known as “The Industrial Complex” from New York was an all ex-perimental, industrial, and instrumental EP that was well received and played on various internet radio stations globally. Joe also owns the website, www.forestoflostsouls.com that includes haunted house sound effects he has created through the years of his experience as a guitarist and through experimenting. Joe has gone back to his roots since joining Terra Ferno and I must say, it is a perfect fit. What Joe offers the band is this powerful driven force that was not there be-fore, from his melodic, to the crunchy in your face riffs, Joe is definitely prepared to bring you the new Terra Ferno.

Adam Murray, the bass player for Terra Ferno is the man responsible for making the floor shake with his devastating bass riffs. Do not let Adams subtle look fool you because when it is time, he knows just exactly what to do when he lays the bass down on you and it feels as though the Richter Scales are about to explode. Adam has been with the band since January 2009 and I think his devotion and motivation shows through his pres-ence. In 2013, Adam was a coach for Stairway To Star-dom, a Music contest put together by Skips Music to recognize the talent within our youth. It will be awesome to see Adam on stage again as he slaps his bass and slaps all you with his bass.

Robby Robbins, that name alone will be extremely hard to forget, sounds like a celebrity name, “What is your name sir? I am Robby Robbins, the drummer for Terra Ferno and i will set your ass on fire!” I have had the hon-or of sitting next to this man as he plays the drums and

Threat Con Nation Magazine 17

SWAN SONG

She drags cherry stain across puckered lips, Orchestra sounding in Overture.

The stranger staring back through the mirror, Pale and beautiful like the moon.

She takes her leave down the darkened stairwell Straight on to center stage,

Crimson curtain shielding her from eager stares. Eyes closed and palms sweating she breathes in…

And out. In…

And out. In…

And as the curtain rises and amber light engulfs her She feels the battered wood beneath her feet

Vibrate with pregnant anticipation.

Her breath comes out in melodious soprano, Woodwinds painting her a sorrowful scene, Brass ripping at her heart with harmonies,

And strings tying her to the spot.

A tear forms in her painted eye As her ballad crescendos in climax,

And rolls down her cheek At percussion’s final beat.

The roar from the audience Falls on deaf ears

As the spotlight fades to black. She bids her old friend a watery

Farewell.

- Ashira Y Macy

█ Featured Poetry

man can he beat the hell out of that kit. Like every drum-mer, you do not touch their kit, i would say out of every band member there has to be something dark inside of a drummer, think about it. They get to beat the shit out of something for 20 to 45 minutes non stop. Is that really someone you want to mess with? Robby Robbins is definitely not the guy you want to mess with. He seems like a big teddy bear but holy damn have you seen him lay the smack down on his drums? He delivers such a moving force that the ground underneath tries to run from him. As each song ends you can see his facial ex-pressions and his whole demeanor changes, it’s almost like as if he were turning into the hulk.

Justin Time, why do all the guitarists have the cool names? This is a man folks that does not know how to quit, when his back is against the wall, he beats that wall with his axe (guitar). This is the man responsible for lighting the fire to create the inferno, also known as, Ter-ra Ferno. When you hear Justin play, you know exactly what he is feeling because you can hear it through his

guitar. He is one of the most emotional guitar players that I have met in this local music community. Justin knows how to emotionally get you, without leaving you in the corner rocking back and forth sucking on your thumb, he lifts you up and brings you to a whole new world,..HIS.

They’re back and it would be to cliché’ to say they are on fire, so I will say this, get ready for September 6th because The Boardwalk and all of it’s attendees will wake up the next morning trying to figure out what con-spired the night before. The answer will be, Terra Ferno b!tches.

reverbnation.com/terraferno1

18 Threat Con Nation Magazine

I've noticed a new approach in the booking pro-

cess of local music shows lately. It seems like

venues are happier whenever they get as many

bands as possible in one show. – Does this allow

local bands to fully express their talents as well

as the ability to share their music appropriately

with fans and audience members?

Perhaps, some people don't see any problems

with this. However, I've noticed this style of book-

ing becoming a trend. One that's gained some

significant momentum. As a fan of live music my-

self and a supporter of our local music scene; this

scares the hell outta me! – What happens if we

don't speak up about this? Could our scene suffer

long-term over this "Seven-Band/Stage-Cram”

booking mentality?...

Let's say that I pay ‘X’ amount of dollars to go see

a Show. The flyer lists 6 or 7 Bands who are on

the line-up. The music begins around 7p and is

planned last between 11p to 12am. This means

each Band will have a super-short set. Not sure

about you guys; but, No Way!...Only a "20-minute

quickie set" is Not enough time for me! It's defi-

nitely not enough time for a Band to represent

their true musical talents across to the audience.

– How will the Fans reach any kind of satisfac-

tion from this minimalist set-times?

Being around my husband for the last 16yrs or

so, I've learned that with gigs, also comes 'The

turn-Around Time'. This sometimes goes very

quickly and smoothly and other times they can be

a nightmare for musicians. – If band A has friends

and fans come-up front to the Stage giving up

“high-fives” and talking. If Band A is unsuccessful

with directing them off to the side-stage for some

after show talk. This directly effects turn-around

time. Band A can fall behind on time for packing-

up gear. Also, Band B will be behind on their set-

up. Time's a funny thing, it just keeps going and

going, and doesn't stop for anyone. – So, there's

your slippery-slope!

....Meanwhile, Band B, C, D, and E or F, will likely

need to play even shorter sets. It's why this book-

ing trend sucks, IMO. – Our local scene kicks

ass! And we want to go see our local bands play

a full sets..!!!

-That Metal Chick

Wait.. What? - How many Bands are playing tonight?

1 walking tall

2 tesla

3 daly redline

4 zeroclient

5 restrayned

6 some fear none

7 frank hannon

8 criminal rock

9 said the shotgun

100a mile till dawn

ROCK ALT

1 MICHAEL TIFFANY

2 once an empire

3 FATE UNDER FIRE

4 wolfgang vega

5 paul rocker solo

6 pilgrim

7 march into paris

8 riotmaker

9 dog party

100the differenz

1 in the silence

2 l I f e f o r m s

3 fallrise

4 plague widow

5 graveshadow

6 kill the precedent

7 the alpha complex

8 dead in seconds

9 odessaphile

100jack ketch

1 S.W.I.M.

2 twitch angry

3 teenage brain

4 get shot!

5 mdso

6 The auxillary

7 yankee brutal

8 the pikeys

9 rebel radio

100boats!

METAL PUNK

Data collected from www.reverbnation.com

*Standings as of 08/31/2014

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20 Threat Con Nation Magazine

N ew York city has been a long thriving home for

music for many years. It has been the home

of many genres such as blues, rock, jazz,

classical and art music. New York is also one of the

birthplaces of hip hop, latin freestyle, be-bop, disco,

new wave and punk rock. It’s also one of the birth-

places of Salsa music born from a fusion of Cuban,

Puerto Rican and Dominican influences that came

together in new York’s Latino neighborhoods in the

1960’s.

Music author, Richie Unterberger describes New

York’s music scene and the city itself as ‘Immense,

richly diverse, flashy, polyethnic, and engaged in a

never-ending race for artistic and cosmopolitan

supremacy.’ Aside from the city’s historic importance,

in the development of American music, there are

some that feel its status has declined in recent years

due to a combination of increased corporate control

over music media, an increase in the cost of living and

the rise of local music scenes whose success is facili-

tated by cheap communication provided by the

internet.

There is one band out of the Bronx that lives, eats,

sleeps and dreams of what they do. They create mu-

sic from an artistic standpoint and aside from the ever

changing music history in New York, The Scales plan

on being a part of that changing history.

The Scales, a punk rock band hailing from the Bronx

all the way in New York emerged in 2009 to make a

statement and they plan on doing that through creativ-

ity, skill, and the motivation that keeps them moving.

Their music is a sweet combination of classic rock,

funk, blues, hip hop, and a complete groove of punk

rock for all you mohawk, spiked jacket lovers. They

have figured out the missing formula to hypnotize so-

ciety with their diverse level of musical talents. “She

gets What She Wants” a track that offers a taste of

classical rock with a touch of funk and with the

smoothest transition I have heard in years, they throw

some punk in there to complete the hypnosis process.

The track, “The Plan” is a fine example as to what

these fellas can do, not only do you feel, but you can

also hear the diversity they offer.

There have been many bands or groups that have

tried to combine, rap, hip hop, funk, blues and punk

rock all into one song and they did not succeed, at

least in my opinion, but that is where the Scales

shine. They have created this said formula to properly

scientifically place these different genres together to

combine them as one formula to create a sound like

no other. They have literally created a musical mas-

terpiece.

You can catch them on facebook, reverb and their

website and the next time you take your private jet to

New York, catch them live.

Bio: The Bronx's finest killer punk band. This trio delivers a raw and visceral experience as they take you beneath the surface and into the murky depths of punk rock, all three accomplished musicians provide energy and life time experi-ence making for a new and exciting sound, so enjoy and get to know The Scales.

LINKS

reverbnation.com/thescales1

thescale1.wix.com/official-the-scales

█ TCNM OUT OF BOUNDS

What has been your involvement in the local

scene in the past few years?

For a while, I was involved in several projects locally and then I needed to focus on some family issues at home and narrowed that down a bit.

Other than guitar what other Instruments do you

play?

Other than guitar, I play bass, drums, piano and sing.

Tell me about some of your current projects?

I write and license music beds, occasionally I sit in with (ForNeveR vocalist) Adam Page’s project, Six-es&Sevens and do solo acoustic shows. Primarily I am focused on our new heavy rock group, ForNeveR.

You have a very impressive background, what is

next for you?

Advancing the agenda of ForNeveR. We have some interesting opportunities being weighed out. It’s a pret-ty exciting time for our new band. Other than that, just staying busy and open.

Do you have a background in music other than

being in a band?

Yes. I took lessons on guitar, piano and voice for years. I started out a music theory major in college then changed my study focus to Communication Stud-ies with emphasis on Audio/Video production. I have a

huge library of music business books and stay current on the state of the music “biz”.

What kind of mark do you want to leave for people

in the local music community?

What a great question. If I could be remembered, I would hope for two things. Consistently good music and affiliations and the willingness to help out any oth-er musicians with advice or whatever they need.

Describe what it is like when you are on stage and people are yelling and going crazy for your mu-

sic?

Creating music is my life. Sharing it and having peo-ple relate to it live is just mind blowing. When people come up and talk to me about it, I really open my mind and listen to how it moves and effects them.

Considering the experience and time spent in bands tell me the one thing you have learned is a

valuable piece of knowledge?

I’ve learned so much about music, business and life by being in bands. I’m learning more things every day. The most valuable thing I’ve come away with is to always take the high road. Consideration of the people you work with and those who follow your work. Do favors without expectation of “pay back”. The re-ward is already there.

reverbnation.com/forneverband

█ Q and A with

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80

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