Watch the video here:

http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=361139

As promised, here is part two of my interview with Ludicra / Impaled bassist, Ross Sewage. In Part 2, Sewage fills us in on the upcoming Impaled tours and what else the mighty Oakland “Death Metaleers” have in store for 2010.

It’s not uncommon for musicians to have several projects going at once these days. You have a few Impaled shows intermingled with Ludicra’s, how do you manage your time between both bands?

Ross: I manage my time poorly. I’m utterly broke, have a huge amount of credit debt, a wonderful girlfriend who I piss of regularly, and all my clothes are at least three years old. My sneakers have holes. This is not a life, it’s a challenge. When everything is in full swing, I would be having four to five practices a week, sometimes more. That’s while trying to work… trying I say because I took up an awesome telecommute job that fizzled so now I constantly try to peddle my wares to the highest, nay, any fucking bidder I can find.

Also, I have a calendar on my computer. I have it set up so everyone in every band I am in can potentially subscribe to it as it broadcasts online. That helps. Finally, all the bands I am in full time blessedly all tune the same now. So bass to bass, it’s Ross Sewage in yer face.

Impaled are in Central America this week supporting Nile – obviously Impaled must have an awesome following down there. How did this show come about for you guys?

Ross: We had quite the fiesta down there last time. It was a grande old time. That was tres and a half years ago, so hopefully the kids still remember us. Our last record, “The Last Gasp,” was released in Mexico by Embrace My Funeral Records in Mexico, so that should be some ayuda as well. The promoter wrote us awhile ago and said, “What would it take to get you back to Mexico?” Our response was “Plane tickets.” So it was a pretty easy deal hacer.

We’ll be doing just two of our three shows with Nile. It should be fun, as we haven’t seen those guys since we toured with them in 2000. We’ll be sure to remind them that we still get too drunk to play well.

I see that Impaled are going to grind Maryland to pieces at Deathfest as well. Will there be any west-coast shows on the plate for 2010?

Ross: We’re excited to be joining among the legions of sweaty, black-shirted masses for another wild MDF. This year has California well represented, with all the excitement Autopsy is generating. I haven’t seen them since 1992, so I’m quite pumped for the show. We don’t have anything planned for the West Coast right now.

Will there be any new Impaled tunes out anytime soon?

Ross: Nope.

Lastly, who would win in a bass-off (or should I say, “filth-off”?): Yourself or (Municipal Waste bassist) Land Phil?

Ross: Well, Mr. Phil plays with a pick, and I play with my fingers. That isn’t to say I’m a better bassist, because he’s clearly better than me. But I don’t have to hold a pick, so I can pocket a .22 and shoot the mfer dead.

Bass-off advantage: Sewage.

From the band’s myspace page:

Hello all.

Some of you may already know that we’ve been down in L.A. recording drums for our new record. Many of you have been wondering how we were doing that without being signed. Well, we have been working on this deal for some time while we were preparing to hit the studio!

All of the stars lined up perfectly and we finished the writing process the same week we inked our new deal with Nuclear Blast! Now there can be official studio reports so anyone who give a sh1t can keep up with what’s going on. We will start those up for you right away.

Here is the official statement from the band and Nuclear Blast as printed this morning on www.Blabbermouth.net …Now it’s time to get back to work!

Craig Locicero

So are you saying you hate Coalesce or like them?!?

If you’re a bit fuzzy about what Metalcore means, here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia:

Other notable metalcore bands include Haste the Day, Parkway Drive, Bring Me the Horizon, Darkest Hour, Caliban, Bleeding Through, August Burns Red, Bullet for My Valentine, It Dies Today, The Devil Wears Prada, Unearth, and The Autumn Offering.

As far as Ludicra and Impaled bassist Ross Sewage is concerned – shit is going down this year! In a good way – of course. A veteran of the Bay Area metal scene, Sewage pulls double-duty bass jobs in at least two separate Bay Area metal bands, both of which are playing monsterous metal festivals in 2010. The highly-anticipated new album from Ludicra called The Tenant came out this week (order the new album here) and the band is preparing to head out for the Scion Rock Fest later next week. On the other side, Impaled are getting ready to depart on a Central American tour in support of Nile before they gear-up for the 2010 Maryland Deathfest.

I had a chance to exchange a few letters with The Boss over the past weeks and decided to break up the interview into two parts. In part 1, Mr. Sewage lays out the status (in true well-written and comedic metal-viking fashion) with Ludicra’s upcoming shows and talks a little bit about what fans can expect from their new album. In part two, he fills us in on the upcoming Impaled tours and what else the mighty Oakland “Death Metaleers” have in store for 2010.

I’m a little flustered at the moment trying to keep track of the news coming out of the Ludicra camp as of late. So, rather than me trying to explain to everyone out there, perhaps you can fill us in on the “decancelation” tour and what happened exactly?

Ross: I think you can then consider yourself well in the flustered camp, as we all in Ludicra are quite the flustered ones. The news goes thusly:

Ludicra gets big break as second choice for direct support of the Mayhem tour, Ludicra makes big plans for first full 30 day tour, dates get released, Mayhem cancels for no conceivable reason anyone can understand. What else would you expect from a band called Mayhem, deliberate action and order? No, my friend, these Norwegian pioneers of black metal are abiters of chaos! They worship the Old Ones in a fourth dimensional temple filled with a piercing din that will drive you MAD! Blessed be that they should cancel just a week after the dates were released, as opposed to canceling a week before the tour started. As the Deconsecration tour is canceled, so shall the Decancelation tour rise from its ashes. We are salvaging the time we already had dedicated to perform our craft and heading out to the wild blue yonder on our own. We will find friends on the way, such as Krallice and Tombs, and maybe if we’re lucky, we will also find ourselves.

Ludicra are playing the Scion Rock Fest this month with all kinds of bands, including several from the Bay Area. Is this the first major festival of this sort for you guys? How did this gig come about for you?

Ross: This is the biggest festival we have ever been a part of. The only other comparable events might have been Stoner Hands of Doom 5 and LadyFest some number I can’t remember. Our band of miscreants hath not yet traveled enough to wear out the soles of our moccasins. We can only imagine that the screaming and moshing hordes that will be in attendance to watch Cannibal Corpse should also enjoy our melodramatic musings on an urban life in decay.

Toyota’s Scion lifestyle division contacted us and we responded. And lo did we decide to stick our accelerator to the floor and make our way with all due haste and never buckle or brake on the way! Forward to conquer and car cons!

The new Ludicra album, “The Tenant” came out this week. A lot of people are looking forward to this album, especially since it’s been almost 4 years since Fex Urbin Lex Orbus came out. What can fans expect from this album?

Ross: Listeners can expect a natural development of our black metal and prog rock tinged style, with likely our best production to date. We are not developing a radically different approach, like switching from Picasso’s blue period to cubism, but there is progression as we are battered down by life’s little failures again and again and again. The raging torment is there, coupled with the sweet sounding calm in the eye of the hurricane. This is a fuller album than the last, but still we have eschewed some of the trappings of our sophomore effort for another recording that focuses on only our quintet and not on a bevy of guests and production tricks.

What you hear in your ear speakers will truly reflect the caterwauling cacophony and pathological empathizing you can enjoy at any of our in-your-fucking-face performances.

You guys have pretty much pushed your way up to the front of the underground metal scene in the Bay Area over the past decade. What do you think about the scene back from when you first started compared to now?

Ross: The scene has ups and downs so far as general productivity, but I will always love the Bay Area for pushing boundaries just as our forebears who came searching for a golden dream did when they risked fortune, life, and their yellow teeth for a chance at riches. The riches never came, but the hookers, drugs, and wallowing filth did.

Such as it is for music here, where people dare to dream big despite being crushed year after year. The vibrancy of our local creations is usually caught past the fact, past the point of terminus, and a bludgeoningly cruel outside world stares inwards, and says “Yeah, I totally had the demo… too bad they broke up, but I was into it way back.”

Long live death.

Click here to read Part 2…

Okay, so it’s not exactly Meshuggah, but take the heavitude of 7-string guitars, use some polyrhythmic beats and add the vocal tracks of the Spice Girls’ song, Wannabe, and you get the idea. Yes, there have been quite a few Meshuggah-inspired remixes, but none of them ever recorded with original material. Bravo Max, Bravo.

Get the full Maxperience at maxkaron.com

Through a series of interviews with players from both major and indie labels, Behind The Suit And Tie will also showcase the truth of how the music industry is being affected by the downward spiral of hard CD sales and new up-and-coming artists must learn to adjust to the changing times with today’s major transition. According to a press release. ‘Behind The Suit And Tie’ will spend more time with the people behind the labels rather than the more musician-focused approach of most music documentaries to address piracy, corruption, manipulation issues and the future of a record label.

This is interesting because everyone by now has heard how illegal online music distribution is hurting the music industry, but there is another fact that is rarely talked about, and it’s a point brought-up in the trailer below: not only is music incredibly easy to get for free, but there are more record labels and more independently-produced musicians competing for your dollar than there ever have been before. Which poses an interesting question: “What does the future look like for the Metal recording industry?”

This article poses another interesting idea – what are you actually paying for when you buy a CD? Are you buying a physical thing, like a microwave, that comes with a warranty and is yours to do whatever you want with? Or are you simply “owning” a right to play music through whatever medium you purchase? I see it as the latter, but the person in this article sees it as neither. The author gets bent out of shape because it’s illegal to distribute the music for free and consequently, says you should be able to return your CD if it gets scratched. In my opinion, the damned CD only costs $15. You’ve had the CD for 10 years, it’s called “wear and tear” jack-ass. Would you go to your local computer store and try and return your scratched-up Windows 95 disc? No? That’s what I thought.

This is a perfect example: people want free music, but music costs money to make, so how do you get around that obstacle? Some bands sue, while other bands simply give away their music with the hopes that people eventually will buy. Both potentially cost a lot of money. Programs like Itunes and Zune Pass seem to offer a pretty good compromise; you can get music quick and cheap while still getting at least most of the money to the musicians and those that worked to make the record. But it’s not a perfect system because there are still bands out there that opt-out of these programs (Metallica songs, for example, are not available through Zune Pass, but you can purchase a digital copy of the album).

Interestingly, more and more consumers are buying the old vinyl records, more so than they are CDs (as affirmed by our informal poll). This makes perfect sense really – true music fans appreciate the nostalgia and warm tones that you get from a vinyl record, and those that aren’t buying records are getting their music in digital format (free or otherwise).

I don’t know what the most fair remedy is. Obviously if you distribute music on a CD or as an mp3 it’s going to get copied and distributed illegally, but that shouldn’t prevent you from selling CDs. The problem (or solution, for some) is that the internet, like it has done in so many other situations, has allowed small-time musicians to distribute their music to a huge audience. Some folks love the internet, some hate it. As for myself, I love being able to get music instantly, but I also want the people who made that music to get paid so that it continues to exist.

I’ll end with this final perspective: the metal industry, like many other industries, is simply hyper-saturated. There is too much supply for the demand (granted there is still a lot of demand!). It’s damned near impossible to keep up with. How do you think all of these metal blogs survive? Someone’s gotta keep track of what’s going on!

For more information, visit www.behindthesuitandtie.com.

I listened to a few of their tunes(?) on their myspace page, and it’s obvious that there is supposed to be a comedy element to their get-up – kind of like Tenacious D meets Cannibal Corpse. Check out the song(?) Collect Call From Satan, or Shredding in the Key of Satan – you’ll see what I mean.

Photo from their myspace page.

Veteran Bay Area thrash / progressive metal band, Imagika are scheduled to release their next album in May of this year. Their next album is titled, “Portrait of a Hanged Man”, two songs from which have already been posted on their myspace page. The songs are familiar-sounding according to Imagika standards, but the band seems to have taken a heavier approach, reflected in some of the guitar riffs and Norman Skinner’s vocals – which are almost “Chuck Billy” heavy at times.  Of course, the low growls are accompanied by falsetto and high screams – which is kind of a rarity these days for metal bands. There aren’t too many vocalists out there going “higher”, so it’s cool that they’re keeping the tradition alive.

They recently completed their line-up with the addition of a second guitarist and will be playing at The Venuez in Santa Clara at the end of the month.

Photos from Megadeth myspace page (no credits listed).

It’s been about 5 years since I first met Megadeth guitar player Chris Broderick. Newly transplanted to Los Angeles from Colorado, he was just a man with his guitar and a hope in his pocket, educating whoever he could in the art of shred. Well, at least teaching aspiring guitar players like myself whatever we could absorb.

At the time, Broderick was tearing it up in the legendary power metal band, Jag Panzer. Anyone who listened to Jag at the time knew how much of a beast Broderick was on the 7-string (and in real-life), and when a friend played Casting the Stones for me one day, I knew that this was someone that I had to learn from. That album is still one of my all-time favorite metal albums.

I think most people know the story by now, how Nevermore needed a tour replacement for Steve Smyth, which eventually led to Dave Mustaine discovering him and ultimately “approving” of Broderick after watching his YouTube videos. There appears to be no limit for the newly-appointed lead axe-man.

I talked with Chris this weekend about the upcoming Megadeth tour, guitar playing and music. He told me about a few things that help to make him be a better player and gave some advice on how you can be in a band like Megadeth.

First off, congratulations on the Grammy nomination. That’s awesome!

Thanks! Yeah it was awesome. Even to get the nomination was awesome.

I’m curious, did they tell you guys exactly what “Best Metal Performance” meant? I would’ve assumed that there would’ve been a “Best Metal Album” category.

Yeah, I guess it’s the best “live performance of a song”. I didn’t really understand the category that well, but it was between us, Judas Priest, Ministry, Slayer and Lamb of God.

They had some good nominations.

Right. I think it’s good that they even have a category for metal, at this point. I hope that eventually there will be even more categories, it just all depends on the popularity of the genre though.

It seems like just yesterday that the news came out about you joining Megadeth, but it’s been over two years now! How has the ride been so far?

It’s been great! It’s an iconic band that has a very “guitaristic” sound to it and what better role could you get if you’re a guitarist?

Absolutely. I think most people would agree with you there. The set-list for this Rust In Peace tour is killer. It looks like 19 songs – is that your longest set-list to date?

Well, I don’t know if it’s our “longest” set-list, that’s for sure. It’s somewhere around 19 songs – we’ll play Rust In Peace, play through all of that, and end it with some really popular songs.

I saw Dave Mustaine post an update on his myspace saying that he’s in the studio working on some stuff. Are you guys already working on a new album?

No, not a new album yet, but we do have a new song that will be coming out.

Coming out on this tour?

It won’t be for this tour, but unfortunately I can’t say what it’s for.

Ahhh okay. It’s top-secret.

It’s top-super-secret! I’ve got agents at your place right now keeping an eye on you. If I accidentally tell you, they’re going to take you out!

(Chris with High on Fire at Gigantour and a bottle of, what appears to be, hot sauce?)

You guys have a lot of awesome tours this year. Obviously, later this year you’re going to make history at the Big 4 tour. I have to ask, since you’re in one of the most legendary Thrash bands of all-time, and fans up here are ravenous when it comes to Metallica, Testament and Exodus [myself included] – what’s your take on the thrash scene these days?

You know, I don’t feel like I’ve really got a good beat on it. It seems like it’s doing well because it’s got a bit of a resurgence, especially from the younger population. But I don’t know if it’s a passing phase or if it’s because there are so many iconic bands that came from thrash and the Bay Area and all of that. I really don’t know where it’s going or where it will be.

Yeah. Well it’s a pretty good bet that you guys will be around no matter what happens.

Yeah, ha. It does seem to have a momentum all on its own. It’s not absolutely contingent upon us constantly making sure that people know who we are and where we are and what we’re up to. It kind of takes on a life on its own, which is great.

I’ve heard you do some new stuff on guitar on Endgame that I haven’t heard you play before, per se. Like those whammy bends with the big dive-bar harmonics that Dimebag used to do [listen to the track, "Endgame"]. Do you find yourself experimenting more on guitar these days, or are you melding your style into a more traditional Megadeth sound?

Some of the sounds that you’ve heard are quite odd for somebody to bring up because some of the tremolo-bar work that I did was really more my own, although definitely influenced by Dimebag and Jason Becker and all of the old Shrapnel [records] shredders like that. But my main premise going into Endgame was to try and emulate and really kind of fit into that Megadeth sound as much as possible. That’s how I was trying to alter my playing – much more pentatonics and flat-five blues that I associate with Megadeth solos.

You list Marty Friedman on your website as someone that has influenced your playing, which is cool because you’ve done a great job of capturing Marty’s solos as they were originally played. What is it about his style in particular that influenced you?

Well, I would say that what it really came from was from listening to Jason Becker and then his playing in Dragon’s Fist is really great. When you listen to Marty, he has such a unique sound. The generalized term for it is that “mid-eastern” or “eastern” sound, and as soon as you hear one of his solos you say, “Oh, that’s Marty!” That’s one of the best things that any player or soloist can have is their own sound and their own style, and that’s one thing that really influenced me.

Let’s talk music for a bit, well – “other” music.

Your “Betcha Can’t Play This” video on YouTube has something like 2 and half million views. Did you have any idea that video would be so popular?

No! Ha! The funny thing is, I don’t think Guitar World did either because they didn’t actually use that one. I filmed three videos for them and they didn’t want to use it because it was on a 7-string. I’m sure they wish they had used it now.

And now it’s like their most popular riff.

Ha! Yeah, it was great. It was awesome to see that people actually like that, but it’s not easy to play.

Do you get a lot of students asking you how to play that piece?

Yeah. I’ve had a few post their own versions of it too, which is really good.

Where are you teaching music these days? Do you still teach at Musician’s Institute and also at home?

I’m still listed on the faculty at M.I. but I haven’t been able to teach there with all of the touring, there just isn’t enough time to be home for a whole semester. I’ll go back and do some master classes and open counseling every once in awhile. For the most-part, when I do have some down-time I teach privately.

Do you see a trend or particular skill that gives guitar players an edge? For instance, I’ve heard some guitar players say that Jazz modes are the future. Or is that question completely off the wall?

I don’t think there’s anything in particular that I would say gives you an edge over anyone else. The more and more I play, the more I say that you should develop your own sound and style and develop as an individual. You’re making a statement with your instrument. I think the best thing you can do is enjoy what you’re doing because you’ll learn better and you’ll learn more and you’ll be happy doing it. Instead of having an attitude like, “Oh, I have to have an edge!” Really that’s what you should do – just have a good time.

What kind of stuff keeps you on your toes these days or makes you work to be a better musician?

Just hearing more, to tell you the truth. When I listen to things I pick-up more detail now than I used to, and I think that’ll be the same case in a few years from now. I’ll think, “I never heard how that vibrato was produced at that particular moment” or “I never heard how that picking style produced that sound against the string”, and then I’ll want to emulate that close-up. The more you hear and the more detail you pick-up, not only with your own playing but with other players, then the better you become at making that kind of sound and making that playing happen.

The simple answer to that is, “becoming a better listener.”

Ah, yes. That’s what my wife would say too.

You have a pretty incredible musical work ethic. Growing up, I can still remember one time when I was in high school – my father took away my CD collection because, among other things, one of my Megadeth CD’s had a song called “99 Ways to Die”.

I’m going to have to give him a call.

Ha! Did you ever have any moments like that growing up?

I have so many older siblings that by the time it came around to me, they just knew that kids were going to do what they were going to do. I’m the second to the youngest of eight. I don’t even think they knew who I was, like if I was a friend of my brothers or what. There were so many of us around.

I always find it amazing to watch metal singers play guitar at the same time. Even watching Mustaine play Hangar 18 still trips me out. Does this come naturally for you? Or do you ever ask him, “How long did it take you to learn that?”

Through watching him work with the music and the lyrics at the same time, you pretty much get an idea for what it takes. Back in the day, this was a long time ago now, when I was in a band called Industrial Eden I was the singer / guitar player and I can tell you first hand – it’s definitely not easy. In my mind it’s a little bit of a compromise because you can’t have 100% of your focus in two areas at once. But it is pretty amazing when you see someone do it well, and Dave does.

Lastly, what is the most valuable thing you’ve acquired over the years that has helped you out today? Is there something you can point to and say, “Kids, I would not be in Megadeth today if it weren’t for…my degree, my experience, my practice routine, my weight training regiment…?

You know, I see it as a combination of all those things. Dave definitely appreciates a few of those different aspects. He loves the fact that I have a classical guitar performance degree, and he loves the fact that I work-out and try and stay healthy. Part of the reason that he recognized me in the first place was those YouTube video clips for “Betcha Can’t Play This”, that was a big factor for helping me get the gig. All of those things coincided together into one big ball of luck, I would tell you, in a way. You can put all the effort in the world into what you’re doing, but some circumstances have to come together for you to be able to be recognized. So there’s a good amount of luck and I appreciate the fact that I was able to come into it.

So you’re saying, “Be well-rounded, and get out there and make yourself known”?

Exactly. That’s the best thing you can do.

For more about Chris, including information on taking lessons, see the official Chris Broderick web site.

Megadeth is on tour throughout March with Testament and Exodus. Check out the Megadeth web page for all the latest info.

Here they are, in alphabetical order, 7 new Tech-Death bands that you should check out:

Alighieri
Unsigned
Hometown: Tracy
Style: Heavy Melodic Death Metal.
Notable: Has shared the stage with a ton of metal bands.
http://www.myspace.com/alighierimetal

Anatropous
Unsigned
Hometown: Modesto
Style: Mix of Old-School Grindcore and Progressive Death Metal.
Notable: Drummer featured in SickDrummer magazine.
http://www.myspace.com/anatropous

Demyth
Unsigned
Hometown: “The Valley”
Style: Modern Death Metal with Flavors of Hardcore.
Notable: Look for them to be playing a big Death Metal show in March. Seeking a 4th member.
http://www.myspace.com/demythmetal

Fallujah
Unsigned
Hometown: Bay Area
Style: Progressive Death Metal.
Notable: Always seem to be on tour. New E.P. sounds tight.
http://www.myspace.com/fallujahbayarea

Rise of Caligula
Signed to 187
Hometown: “California”
Style: Black Metal meets Noisy Progressive Grindcore.
Notable: Already have two albums recorded.
http://www.myspace.com/riseofcaligula

The Antioch Synopsis
Unsigned
Hometown: Sacramento
Style: Progressive Spastic Death Metal
Notable: Shared the stage with The Faceless, Decrepit Birth and many others in the genre.
http://www.myspace.com/theantiochsynopsis

Wrath of Vesuvius
Signed to Abal Records
Hometown: Sacramento?
Style: Progressive Melodic Death Core.
Notable: Set to release a full-length CD this year.
http://www.myspace.com/thewrathofvesuvius

This is just a portion of the new bands that I’m sure are out there – but hopefully this helps!

-DS

These kids may sound way better than we ever did, but at least I’m old enough to buy beer!

59 Euros for tickets and camping. What is that – like three thousand dollars or something? I’m just assuming…