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“This Is Gonna Hurt”, the new video from SIXX: A.M. which is the band consisting of Nikki Sixx (also of MÖTLEY CRÜE), DJ Ashba (also of GUNS N’ ROSES) and James Michahas been released. The song is the title track of the group’s sophomore album, “This Is Gonna Hurt”, which sold 30,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on May 3, the 11-track CD is a companion piece to Sixx‘s “This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx” book, a follow-up to his New York Times bestseller, “The Heroin Diaries”.
Century: “Oak God” by Decibel Magazine
If you had told me fifteen years ago I’d be in Seattle writing about a song featuring Kevin Martin from Candlebox I would’ve punched you right in your goddamn time-traveling face.
But thanks to Pennsylvania’s Century, this is now a reality on the track “Oak God” from their new album Red Giant. While Prog-metalcore isn’t exactly what I would expect to hear Martin crooning on in 2011, the band clearly has a love affair with 90s metal and who here doesn’t know all the lyrics to “Mother’s Dream“? (Really? I’m the only one?)
Along with Century’s two vocalists, Martin helps make this massive sounding avalanche of metal shreds and rock destruction that much more impressive, multi-faceted and just fucking cool. It’s almost enough to forgive him for the majority of Lucy.
Red Giant will be released by Prosthetic Records on August 30th.
We don’t care how many records, CDs, T-shirts or sweat pants a band has sold in its career, it hasn’t officially “made it,” in our estimation, until it gets a beer named after it (or one of its songs). That is winning, no matter how you measure it. Even a little ol’ noise/math band from Montgomery, Alabama—that would be El Chupa Cobras—can attain such greatness, though they may never sell out the Enormo Dome.
On July 29, Tampa’s Cigar City Brewing released Black Whole, a “Multi-Dimensional Ale” in honor of El Chupa Cobras (and named after one of their newest songs, available here). That was the day that ECC—guitarist/vocalist Kenny Johnson, guitarist Steve Rowe, bassist Vonda McLeod and drummer Chad Baker—attained rock immortality. Naturally, we needed more details, so we dialed up Johnson on the typing communicator thingy.
How did it feel to be immortalized in a beer?
KENNY JOHNSON: It was really cool. I’ve known [brewer] Wayne [Wambles] at Cigar City for 20 years. We talk beer and music regularly, but I never expected to have those conversations bottled. We were totally flattered when he approached us with this. A rad honor indeed.
Will Cigar City send you off with a few cases of it when you tour?
JOHNSON: I wish! Unfortunately, no, because it’s a limited release brew. Only 144 cases were made for distribution in Alabama and Florida. We are working on a new recording now, so I’m sure the beer will be long gone by the time we can tour the album.
Did the band have any input on what style of beer it would be?
JOHNSON: Wayne had the recipe planned out when he called me a few months back asking which band he could honor with the brew. Midway through our conversation he said, “Why not you guys?” He thought it would be a perfect tribute to some of the things independent beer makers and musicians have in common—creativity, passion, drive, etc. Wayne and I played in a few bands together in the early-’90s and he felt the brew bridged our parallel paths. His in brewing, and mine in music.
What aspects of the beer do you think accurately reflect the El Chupa Cobras experience/sound?
JOHNSON: It’s a big complex and experimental beer that has a bold initial impact, but also has lots of subtle things going on in the background. The beer’s label says it “takes many twists and turns similar to our daily lives,” which I think is representative of the band. It is also surprisingly easy to drink for a high gravity beer (8%), making it a bit dangerous. Even though it wasn’t initially/specifically designed for us it really does reflect what it is I think we do was a band.
Any Montgomery or Alabama craft beers that Decibel readers should know about?
JOHNSON: Yes! Good People Brewing Company in Birmingham is fantastic. They’ve started canning their IPA, which I highly recommend. Back 40 Beer Co. in Gadsden is excellent too. Their Naked Pig Pale Ale is so good it’s trouble. Alabama also has Straight to Ale in Huntsville, which I haven’t tried, but have heard good things about. Free the Hops is also a great resource for what is happening in Alabama brewing.
I first learned of The Chumps at the dog park across from the basketball court where the opening sequence to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was shot — an appropriate setting, it turns out, considering how closely the band’s driving noise rock mirrors the churn, play, and occasional snarl of a large pack of pooches sorting out their alphas. A little Jesus Lizard, a little Unsane, a pinch of Fugazi, The Chumps swagger rock is cross-pollinated by a menacing gamete. It’s got a pretty bite, I’m saying. Anyhow, the record is out now on FORGE, and the press kit tells me the lyrics are rife with “brainwashing Scientologists, unholy raptures, brutal pimps, cheap prostitutes, blood eating rats, and bastard cops.” At this point the band had already graciously agreed to let Decibel premiere a track, but I thought to myself, Hey, why don’t we give the kids something to do other than passively masturbate while the sounds ejaculate from their ‘puters? Let’s provide them some reading material! You know, as a public service! (Obligatory Bill Hicks link.) Paul Chump was down for it and now while checking out “Shivist” readers can ponder the singer’s explication of his record company’s distillation of the overarching themes on The Chumps debut album. Enjoy!
The Chumps: “Shivist” by Decibel Magazine
Scientology
My experience inside the Church of Scientology was that of a spy. I mastered Drills such as 0-A, 0-B, and 1-C, in order to gain a better understanding of the cult. In one of these drills I sat, showing no emotion, facing another person who was saying only random numbers in such a way that it sounded as if they were telling a story. These activities went on for hours, every day for weeks on end. My course administrator was a wonderful black jazz musician in his early 50′s who had allowed himself to be completely brainwashed by Hubbard’s bullshit garbage and that really pissed me off. His name was Julius. I tried to save him but I could not. That experience left me with a web of toxic spiritual mumbo jumbo and one of my crown achievements on the record.
Blood Eating Rats
The rat, unlike the hog cannot devour an entire human corpse. Though the rat’s strong rodent teeth chew through flesh and organs with ease and it’s appitite for human blood is quite impressive, it simply lacks the physiological means to digest bone. However, since the upkeep of such a large animal as a hog is so difficult in a small New York City apartment, and rats are abundant and thrive in the metropolitan environment, it is recommended that rats be widely used in the case of discretely removing as much of the deceased from the murderers sanctum as possible. The bones may then be bagged up with household garbage and placed on a curb no less than five diagonal blocks away.
Unholy Raptures
How I long for these coming days. Many of my fantasies involve the absence of light. In one, as I close my eyes, the Sun dies and gravity no longer exists. The marvelous horror of the dead floating out and across into complete and infinite oblivion is a vision that warms my heart. Knowing that in the end, existence itself may be completely meaningless.
Bastard Cops
Police exist to serve and protect and often they do. But make no mistake. One night a police officer may be texting while driving, crash into your grandfather’s car, killing him, and cover it up by saying your loved one ran a stop sign. One night after you have had a few too many drinks they may offer to escort you home only to rape you when you get there. Or on a lighter note, after breaking up with one, he may show up on your doorstep one night, pull out his gun and shoot himself in his fat pig face.
After the jump, check out some stellar line-dancing to another Chumps tune.