queen of the stone age

On the phone in a New York City hotel room, Homme said he didn't know what he wanted to say when he started the record. For the first two months the band was in the studio, the members didn't tell the record label.

"The best thing is to have the chance to fail," Homme said, without worrying about anybody else listening.

"We took the opportunity to try falling and crawling on our hands and knees and looked for something cool to play," he said.

The result was the realization that his generation was "trippy" and "Era Vulgaris" is an album injected with 11 infectious songs that sound more '70s-influenced than the band's previous work.

"It's like the happy flu," he joked. "Or the happy Ebola virus."

He said making the album in the trial-and-error manner required constant assessment.

"But we made it through the rain, as Barry Manilow said," Homme quipped.

Lyrics are always hardest for him when writing, he said, but he was fortunate to have a particularly fruitful weekend while making the album.

"The rock god smiled down on me from Fresno," he said.

Fresno? What about Bakersfield?

He said the rock god could be there too, because it's another place nobody would look for the divine spirit.

The band, known for collaborating with a mix of artists from Billy Gibbons, of ZZ Top, to former Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, teamed up with Julian Casablancas, lead singer of The Strokes, for the single "Sick Sick Sick," as well as Trent Reznor for the title track that didn't make the album.

He said the band has certain criteria needs for collaborations. First, they have to have respect for the person as an artist and a writer, and second, "people would find it strange."

Homme said that the fans range from finding it totally bizarre to being angry about it.

"They are the best fans around. They don't want us to jeopardize (the band)," he said.

So far, he hasn't heard much of what the fans think about the new material. Recently on tour in Europe, he said fans were "really stoked," but quickly pointed out that anyone who wasn't into the new stuff probably wouldn't stick around to talk about it.

"I want people to like the music. I want our kids to like it. I don't like to let people down," he said.

In the meantime, Homme has been going back to the Coachella Valley plenty to visit his parents with his 1-year-old daughter in tow.

"Tell Riverside I said, 'Hey! What's up?' They're on the way to my people," Homme said.

He had a message for his "people" of the Coachella Valley, too.

"Then tell them, 'Hey! Call me!' " he said brightly. "Or no."

motorhead

�HISTORY

If there is one musician who has succeeded in transporting the zeitgeist of the founder days of rock �n� roll to the year 2004, it�s got to be Mot�rhead�s frontman, Lemmy. He lives his philosophy uncompromisingly, his whisky-soaked skin featuring the unambiguous tattoo that sums up his life like no other motto: �Born to lose � live to win�.

In 1975, after being kicked out of Hawkwind - for �taking the wrong drugs�, according to Lemmy! - Lemmy founded Bastard, the forerunner of the band that was soon to be renamed Mot�rhead.�

�Technically, the first Mot�rhead line-up was as bad as can be,� Lemmy admits these days. �With Phil Taylor and Fast Eddie Clarke, it would have been impossible to play the tracks that we deliver just like that today.� Musically and commercially, Mot�rhead had some tough years ahead of them and only survived because Lemmy refused to surrender his ideas and his role as undisputed Mot�rhead boss. But in the early Eighties, the musicians � and, subsequently, the albums began to improve, and the band landed their first classic with the title track of the Ace Of Spades album in 1980, followed by another milestone release in rock history: No Sleep Till Hammersmith, a thunderous album that presented the band in their element � live on stage. In autumn 1982, guitarist Eddie Clarke left and was replaced by ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson, but following the release of �Another Perfect Day� one year later, Robertson quit and was replaced by Phil Campbell and Michael Burston, a.k.a. W�rzel.

The early Nineties saw the Mot�rhead flagship go into a serious spin: the band had signed their first major deal and, at the request of their new record company, tried to move from their familiar unbridled power rock towards more radio compatible material. Their 1991 release March �r Die (featuring Guns�n�Roses guitarist Slash and Ozzy Osbourne as guests) was a complete flop with the press.

This was when drummer Mikkey Dee joined. Lemmy emigrated to Los Angeles and had to face the displeasure of his fellow countrymen. �Lemmy Goes to Hollywood�, the British press chided, but Lemmy couldn�t have cared less. �I don�t give a damn what people say,� he raged. �Why should I stay in England? I lived there for almost 44 years and what was the result? I almost starved as a musician. I hadn�t been in the States two years before we got our first Grammy nomination.�

In the mid-Nineties, guitarist W�rzel left the group once the recordings for the Sacrifice album had been completed. The remaining band members - Lemmy, drummer Mikkey Dee and guitarist Phil Campbell - didn�t waste any time mourning W�rzel�s departure, returning to business as usual to the delight of their fans and continuing as a trio. �Phil wanted to make the most of this opportunity and play everything by himself, so Mikkey and I said okay, he can have his chance on tour. It was great, everything worked out really well.� The press agreed and attested the threesome that they had revitalised the band�s classic three-man tradition.

Their boundless energy is ever-present to this day, and after a succession of increasingly successful album releases in recent years such as We Are Motorhead and Hammered, Mot�rhead stepped on the gas once again to deliver last year�s astonishingly brilliant Inferno album, an album that found itself firmly planted in many publications� and critic�s end-of-year top twentys. Their 25^th Anniversary show at Brixton brought tears to grown men�s eyes as they saw the band�s once-familiar live showpiece The Bomber emerge from the roof and a host of guests perform with the band�and their 2005 THIRTIETH Anniversary show at Hammersmith is guaranteed to be even MORE spectacular!

wolf

Former Statue Records recording artist Robert A. Wolf is an award winning keyboardist/composer who has written, produced, and performed every instrument on his albums. Sanctuary is an album project concieved and recorded while Robert was in L.A. in 1993, doing other instrumental film projects there. following up the same format as 'Sanctuary', Robert's new album 'Paradox' released(1999). It contains new music written and performed in 1994-1998. all of which is instrumental, and has been compared to Jan Hammer, Vangelis, and Danny Elfman. however nobody can really pinpiont what Robert's style actually is, it has a sound & style all it's own.

History---

Born in Southern Illinois in 1961, robert always used to make funny sounds out of used radio parts until he purchased his first synthesizer in 1975.(yes it was a Korg) attended Wabash Valley College in illinois in 1979-81 where he was a dj on WVJC radio. played with local bands and attended Belmont Music school in Nashville, and Full Sail recording workshop in Orlando. playing keyboards in rock bands thru the 1980's robert won a local radio station songwriting contest 2 years in a row, the first win as a solo act. toured with the Evansville in based band “Moonrocker” in 1984 in the midwest and Florida sharing the bill with such acts as “The Grass Roots” and “Head East”. in 1986 joined Evansville based band “Side Effex” and played many midwest clubs. Most notably Side Effex played the old Funky's downtown Evansville frequently in the mid 1980's.

Robert moved to L.A. in 1987 and joined L.A. based band “Tremor” and played most every club in hollywood. going solo in the early 1990's and experimenting with progressive instrumentals and film scoring Robert first worked in front of the cameras and can be seen in the films, Another you, Ricochet, and Wayne's World.

In 1993 Robert got behind the scenes and wrote the score for his first film 'The Tell Tale Heart', for A.I.A. Productions of Los Angeles.the score later won second place at the world fest film awards in 1993. Robert took the instrumentals he was toying with and put together his first album 'Sanctuary' which sold over 2000 copies in Asia in 1994. Robert moved operations back to Indiana to produce many more progressive instrumentals including 'Paradox' the 1999 release with 10 great new progressive instrumentals. Robert also had a radio show on WJPS- fm Evansville from 1997-2001.

See the trailer -- The Last Man Trailer

Currently Robert works out of his Evansville home studio in which in 2007 he wrote the score for the post apocalyptic motion picture 'Mary Shelley's The Last Man'. in 2008 he will be working again with Tucson based A.I.A. Productions on the score for the horror film 'The Domain'. Meanwhile Robert is working on another instrumental album 'Krakatoa' and also writing the score for the A.I.A. short film Just Another Box

sepultura

Every now and then and interview comes along that you just can't decline. For me that interview was with Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser. As a long-time Sepultura fan I was looking forward to talking to Andreas on the phone about many different issues surrounding the band. Unfortunately due to time commitments on both our parts we had to conduct this interview via email. Andreas has been keeping very busy over the last year working on the latest Sepultura album 'Dante XXI', Andreas also found the time to record some tunes for longtime friend Dino Cazares' band Asesino and even made an appearance on the Roadrunner United album which was a huge success around the world. Since the release of Sepultura's latest album 'Dante XXI' the band have been on an up and down roller coaster, receiving praise by critics around the world, Sepultura hit the road in support of the album but unfortunately drummer Igor Cavalera announced to fans that he wasn't going to do the European tour as he wanted to spend more time with family. Only 24 hours after I conducted this interview with Andreas, Igor announced that he was leaving Sepultura so I never got a chance to ask Andreas his thoughts on Igor's decision, but I did talk with Andreas about touring Australia, the latest killer Sepultura album 'Dante XXI', Working on the Roadrunner United project, his work with Asesino and much more. Time to get back to our 'Roots' with the one and only Andreas Kisser

First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time out to answer the following questions for all of our readers. As a long-time Sepultura fan I am over the moon to have the opportunity to ask you the following questions mate.

Hi Cameron, no problems

The latest album 'Dante XXI' is everything I have come to love and expect with Sepultura, congratulations on a fantastic job. Looking back at the album now a couple of months on are there anything's you would have changed?

Not at all, I'm very happy with the final result and live the songs are working great.

I was really impressed with this album, I believe it showcases some of the best work you guys have done in years, did you guys approach this album in a different way to some of the albums you have done in the past?

No, I mean all the albums are different, but with this one, it was totally influenced by the book from Dante. It was something different for us, it felt more like doing a soundtrack for a movie.

For years you guys have been putting out fantastic albums from 'Beneath The Remains' to 'Arise' and of course the latest 'Dante XXI'. How do you constantly come up with new fresh sounding material without falling into the trap a lot of other bands do by repeating themselves?

By looking forward, not backwards. We are always trying something new, and the most important thing is that we love what we do.

What equipment did you use on the album?

On Dante I used Fender strat guitars with double humbucking and floyd rose tremolo bar. Mesa boogie amps, many different pedals, cold beer [Laughs].

Andreas, in a few words, tell us the first thing that comes to mind when I mention the following tracks from 'Dante XXI'

Repeating the Horror Stupidity of the human being, not learning with our errors
Crown and Mitter End of purgatory, still fast but with a feeling of relief
Buried Words It's a great song to play live, simple and direct.
Dark Wood of Error Fast and evil, it's the beginning of hell…

Let's talk about your most recent video 'Convicted in Life' there was some amazing make-up effects used in the video which I really enjoyed. Take us through a day on the set of a Sepultura video shoot?

It was only a day to shoot for the band and the rest was done by computers in post production.

For those who haven't seen the video, tell us the story behind it?

It deals with the first part of the trilogy and shows the worst of hell. We wanted to show the shit we make here on earth and to be more responsible on our acts, think a little more about the consequences of what we do…respect!

During the eighties I can remember seeing so many different hard rock and metal videos on our televisions but these days they are few and far between, Being in a rock/metal band these days do you feel it is still important to spend so much money making film clips that don't get anywhere near the airplay they deserve?

It's always important to express your art it doesn't matter where and how, if you do something good it will survive.

Andres I'd like to talk about life on the road; What's the most ridiculous thing you have ever asked for on a tour rider?

We have never asked for anything stupid, we only ask for the things we really need.

You guys recently completed a very successful European tour, how did the fans react to the new songs?

It was a great tour, one of the best the fans really reacted very well on the new songs.

The first time I got to witness Sepultura live was back in 1994 on the Chaos A.D. tour, a show I still regard as one of the greatest I have seen to date. You guys have done many tours over the years. Is there one tour that stands out above the rest for you?

We did so many tours and shows it's hard to choose one, but that tour it was very good.

You have played Australia on a number of occasions, what memories do you have from your visits here?

I love Australia, it's a beautiful country with great people, we always had great gigs in Australia. Too bad it's so far but we have great friends there…

It's been a few years since your last visit, are there any plans in the works for an Australian tour?

Hopefully by the end of the year we will be back there.

With a catalogue that spans over twenty years, how do you come up with the perfect set-list, you are always going to have fans that will want to hear early songs & the occasional obscure tracks and every band at least two or three new songs are thrown into a set. How do you juggle the set to make everyone happy including yourselves?

We play what we like, it depends on the tour, and it really depends on how long we get to play our set. We have to take many things into consideration when we work on the set.

Do you do anything specific to warm up and prepare for a show?

I drink cold beer and the rest comes later [Laughs].

You have performed with many talented artists over the years. Has these experiences helped to develop the techniques that you are using today?

Of course! I love to play with different musicians from different styles, it's a great school.

Over the years you have shared the stage with so many fantastic bands such as Sacred Reich, Pantera and most recently In Flames just to name a few. Who have you enjoyed touring with the most & can you share a funny story from the tour?

They were all great, we learn a lot playing with them, but the best for me was the tour we did with Ozzy Osbourne in 92 with the reunion of Black Sabbath at the end of the tour.

Being a huge soccer fan no doubt you will be glued to the TV over the next few weeks watching the world cup, Australia are to take on Brazil, any predictions?

Well the game already happened and to be honest I expected a lot more from Brazil, but we won, and that's the important thing. I think Australia still have a great chance to qualify, they are playing great so far.

Andreas, being in one of the most influential metal bands of our time, who were you surprised to learn was a fan of the band?

Dave Grohl from Nirvana / Foo Fighters, back in 92 he was using a hat with our tribal "S", we were very happy to see that.

What's the craziest rumour you had ever heard about yourself and or the band?

That I was dead once, that was terrible news for my family, but everything was fine after a phone call.

Being a member of such a successful band I would imagine you get asked some pretty weird questions from time to time. What's the strangest question you have ever been asked?

Oh I don't remember, there have been a few.

Over the last twelve months or so there has been a lot of speculation that Max would be returning to Sepultura and or there would be some kind of reunion tour planned. Can you set the record straight for us! Have there been any talks/meetings taking place where this has been discussed?

Well, I don't talk with Max. I haven't spoken with Max since he left the band back in 96. No reunion right now.

Did it ever cross your mind that when you joined Sepultura way back when that all these years later you guys would still be going and influencing kids all over the world?

No, not at all, I always had my dreams and we've conquered so much more than I ever imagined.

If you woke up and decided to stop playing music tomorrow, what would you be doing?

I'll Be Dead!

I believe you are doing some work with Dino Cazares' band Asesino? How did you become involved with this project and what can you tell us about your involvement?

I have known Dino for a long time and we met up again last year on the Roadrunner party. Dino invited me to be a part of the new Asesino album and so I went to Los Angeles to record some solos and extra guitars noises, it was great, really brutal and heavy.

I would like to ask you about the Roadrunner United project. Working with so many iconic musicians must have been a blast.

Yes it was fantastic, it was a lot of work and I saw some people that I hadn't seen for a long time, it was a blast. Besides the amount of musician's participating everything went smooth.

Can you see yourself working on something like that again in the future and maybe taking it a step further doing a full scale tour?

Yes, no doubt! It was a great heavy metal circus, hopefully they put something like that together.

The Roadrunner album is a great example of some of the amazing talent the metal industry has produced, showcasing both old and new artists. In your honest opinion what do you think about the direction that hard rock & heavy metal music has taken over the last few years?

This style of music can be mixed with so many different styles and that's why is still here!

After all these years in the business and tremendous success what goals have you set for yourself these days?

I have a solo album that I'm working right now and hopefully it will be ready to release next year. It's a very different music to what I do in Sepultura and it will be a new challenge in my career.

No doubt you guys have a mountain of unreleased tracks covers and demos, are there any plans in the works to release a box set anytime soon?

Oh I don't know! We've had two different labels in our history and that's kind of difficult to deal with, but let's see what happens in the future.

I am a huge fan of many of the songs you guys have covered over the years, 'Symptom Of The Universe' to my personal favorite 'Orgasmatron'. Is there a song you have always wanted to cover but just haven't gotten around to doing?

There are many bands that I love, and so many songs I never tried to do versions of. We have done a lot of covers already, from hardcore to metal to reggae, anything is possible.

Of all the albums you have played on in the past, which is your favourite to listen to, is it even possible to narrow it down to just one?

No, all of them are very important to me as a player and as a person.

I know that some of you guys are into very different styles of music to what you play listening to U2, Johnny Cash & The Highwaymen among others. Tell us something about the other guys in the band that we may not know!

We like everything, music is music to us.

Which record/song would define Andres Kisser to a complete stranger?

I think Roots is the album I did a lot of different stuff, from heavy sounds and riffs to acoustic experiences as solo and with the Brazilian Indian tribe.

There has been so many highlights in your career, what would you say have been your greatest achievements to date?

To still be here talking about Sepultura, alive and well.

Mate, what advice would you give to up and coming rock/metal bands?

Play what you like and fuck the rest, play it loud!

Andreas thank you so much again for your time today, there is so much more I would love to speak to you about but I know you guys are very busy. Hopefully we will see you back in Australia very soon. Do you have any last words for our readers?

Thank you all, I wish we could talk on the phone because to write the answers is a pain [laughs]. Hopefully we will be in Australia soon Thanks for everything.

© Cameron Edney Aug 2006
Not to be re-printed in any form with written permission.

Grab your copy of Sepultura's latest album 'Dante XXI' where all killer metal albums are sold.

The Peddlars

'The Peddlars', based in Somerset, England keep to the original arrangements, drawing on their own varied experience and styles, faithfully recreating the music of the British clubs in the 60's.

The Peddlars are:

Barry Ireland (vocals) - Barry has been singing in bands since touring Germany in the 60's and has wanted to play this music since spending time with the original band in the early 70's.

James Windsor (drums) - James was brought into the group to lower the average age! He has played various styles including jazz, big band and pub rock. James enjoys the challenge that Peddlers music offers a drummer.

Mike Froom (organ) - Mike hauled his first Hammond around the West Country with Barry in the 70's and has now convinced the band to move to a B3! This provides a sound essential to the roots of the music.

Bob Collett (bass) - Coming fresh to The Peddlars Bob, having played in various ventures such as punk, avant garde,at festivals and around his home town of Oxford took to it like a fish to beer.

With a broadly based mix of tastes and styles, The Peddlars bring
a music that appeals to all ages at all levels.

For more information or bookings contact Mike Froom on 01460 65751
or Bob Collett on 01460 221593

Click here to find some low bitrate sound clips of the Peddlars in action!

The Peddlar's (trubute) band, have a gig at The Green Dragon, Combe st. Nicholas, nr. Chard Somerset, on Fri 6th. Jan 06.

aerosmith

1964
- Steven Tyler forms his first "serious" band, Thee Strangeurs, in Sunapee NH. Tyler would later change the band's name to Chain Reaction, writing songs with their keyboard player, Don Solomon (with whom he co-wrote "Woman of the World"). The band also covers Beatles, Stones, Animals and Yardbirds

12/23/2001 Barry Shapiro left a message in the guestbook here at Rock This Way, correcting some wrong info previously posted here:
Though Tyler was originally A drummer, he did NOT play drums for either the Strangeurs or the Chain Reaction, unlike reported elsewhere. How did he know this? Barry was the drummer for both "Thee Strangeurs" and the "Chain Reaction" from 1965 through 1967 when the group disbanded shortly after he left the group. Their recording of 'WHEN I NEEDED YOU' is the original recording and it is on the box set "PANDORA'S BOX".... Shapiro is playing the drums on that recording. Though the group changed personnel over the three years, the core (Steve, Don Solomon (keyboards), Peter Stahl (lead guitar and/or bass) and himself (drums)) maintained.

Once Barry Shapiro joined the group in 1965 their first performance was opening for the BYRDS at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York.

1966
- At the age of 18, Steven Tyler enters the studio for the first time with his band Chain Reaction. They record two singles:

"The Sun / When I Needed You" (Date) and
"You Should Have Been Here Yesterday / Ever Lovin' Man" (Verve)

- Meanwhile, Perry and Hamilton form a combo, "Pipe Dream" in Sunapee, NH which by 1969 had become the blues-based, free-form "Jam Band"

1967-68
- March - Chain Reaction opens 4 shows for the Yardbirds One Yardbirds set, at New York's Anderson Theater, is recorded and released as the controversial "Live Yardbirds"

- October - NYC - Tyler, still with Chain Reaction, guests in the studio on backup vocals with The Left Banke, who had a hit with "Walk Away Rene"

"He was hungry and a good singer, so I put him on there"

- Tom Finn - Bass Player, The Left Banke

1969
- Chain Reaction play occasional high profile gigs, opening for The Beach Boys (Iona College,) and the last lineup of Yardbirds with Jimmy Page (Staples High School in Connecticut)

- Chain Reaction and the Jam Band both play gigs at Sunapee, NH's "The Barn". Tyler witnesses the Jam Band playing Fleetwood Mac's "Rattlesnake Shake"

- "They did this song so well that I knew if I could get together with these guys, we could pull the same feeling off with some songs I wrote, so I got together with them...I loved Joe's style". He always played out of tune and real sloppy and I just loved it."

- Steven Tyler interview Circus Magazine 6/75

- Aerosmith's most vital and (often) most overlooked element was synthesized in this union. The Jam Band's wild, unadulterated improv-ability was successfully merged with Chain Reaction's tight, disciplined control to produce the furious but steady blast we know as Aerosmith

---

1970
- Aerosmith is well received at their first public appearance, playing at Nipmuc Regional High School in Mendon, MA in the late fall

- The newly named Aerosmith play gigs outside of Boston University's Student Union building recognizing that getting close to their fans is the key to success. Sharing an apartment at 1325 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, the band defines itself in the best possible conditions for a young rock n' roll band to do so

"There were six of us in the group, some of us were living in the kitchen, eating brown rice and Cambell's soup. Those days, you know, when a quart of beer was heaven. It was hard times and it was really good. During lunch we would set up all our equipment outside of BU, in the main square and just started wailing. That's basically how we got billed. We never got much publicity in the magazines and newspapers."

- Steven Tyler interview Circus Magazine 6/75

1971
- Guitarist Ray Tabano leaves the band to return years later as a member of the crew, then Director of Marketing during which time he launched the first Aerosmith fan club and worked on developing their merchandise

- Tabano is replaced by Brad Whitford who cut his eye-teeth in rock n' roll at age 16, playing with Teapot Dome, Earth, Inc. and Cymbals of Resistance

- At this point the band is earning about $300 a night and dodging eviction notices and stealing food from supermarkets to survive. Still an unsigned local band, they compete for local press with others like J. Geils and The Modern Lovers

- The band's formative years are not without that most needed element in any successful rock band's history - sheer luck. They had worked damn hard and the payoff was on it's way

- John O'Toole lets Aerosmith practice free of charge in the Fenway Theater. He takes a liking to the band and brings in his friend Frank Connoly, the first person of some commercial significance to have more than a passing hunch about the bands potential -

"Frank was the first guy who knew, he was the one who said we were on to something"

- Brad Whitford

1972
- Steven Tallarico changes his name to Steven Tyler

- Summer - Aerosmith lands a $125,000 deal with Columbia, following a show an New York's Max's Kansas City, when Clive Davis saw them play. The song "No Suprize" chronicals this event

- The band enters Intermedia Sound studios to record Aerosmith their classic self titled debut LP, produced by Adrian Barber. The album was recorded and mixed in just 2 weeks

1973
- January - The first album, Aerosmith, is released on Columbia Records.

- The band begins touring in support of the first album, opening for the likes of Mott the Hoople, The Kinks, Hawkwind and Mahavishnu Orchestra

- The first LP sells faster than any other album in Boston at the time and gets an outstanding review from Creem Magazine, while going largely unnoticed by other mainstream media

- June - "Dream On" / "Somebody" released as a single. "Dream On" gets #1 song of the year at 2 popular Boston radio stations (WVBF - Framingham, and WBCN - Boston)

1974
- March - The band finish recording Get Your Wings at the Record Plant in New York and release the first single, - Same Old Song And Dance / "Pandora's Box" is released

- Circus Magazine gives Get Your Wings the first mention as one of the year's "Ace Albums"

- Circus Magazine runs an article on Aerosmith

- April - Letter to the Editors of Circus Magazine -

"Let's have more on a fantastic group called Aerosmith. They are very well-known in Boston and New York. Their hit single "Dream On" is the number one song of the year on two popular FM stations. They were also recently on tour with Mott the Hoople, and they put on an incredible show! Lead singer Steven Tyler really knows how to please the audience, and I hope in coming issues I'll hear more about them.

-Ann Marie Foley, Waltham, MA

- September - "Train Kept a Rollin' / "Spaced" (a leftover from their days performing as Chain Reaction) is released as a single

total chaos

17 YEARS OF CHAOS LP/CD
(PRISON122-1/2)
Release Date: 18.08.2006 (GER) / 21.08.2005 (EU)

Almost 17 years ago (Sept.-Oct. 1989) in Pomona Valley, CA was the birth of TOTAL CHAOS . Created out of the desperate need to save a dying genre of punk rock- during a time that the market was saturated with a more commercial “new style”. Along the side of a dedicated few other bands who believed in the dying genre and all that it represented- to them it was not only music- but a forum- to convey important political and social views. One of those allies was Jay Lee from “Resist and Exist” who with “Total Chaos” started organizations such as-UVP(United Valley Punks), OCP(Orange County Peace Punks) and AGC (Alternative Gathering Collective)- holding social events like- “Food Not Bombs”- giving support to the “Big Mountain Indian Reservation” and helping to open the “Los Angeles Anarchist Center”. The idea of social responsibility to both bands was a significant thing- from
organizing peace punk picnics- to protesting against the Gulf War- their music had meaning and stood for something.

In 1991 TOTAL CHAOS recorded their first demo- which led to their first 7 inch in July of 92’
“Nightmares”. In March of 93’ they put out their first full length album “Were the Punks”- to promote the record they did shows around California- during that time word of the album reached Mexico City- leading to an offer to do a full Mexico tour with a band called the “Yaps”. With mostly sold out
shows-the tour was deemed a success. Between sold out shows in the U.S. and Mexico- interest hit lead guitarist of “Bad Religion” and the owner of the biggest punk label in the world “Epitaph Records” Bret Gurewitz. Leading to the signing of the band in Sept. 93’, a quote from Rob Chaos regarding the signing to the label, “I felt signing to the label was a huge opportunity to save my genre- to allow the style to reach the masses and help those that were like me to be heard.” By Jan. of 94’ TOTAL CHAOS was in the studio recording “Pledge of Defiance” still to this day being the hardest most political controversial album ever put out by “Epitaph” Records- to date.TOTAL CHAOS did 2 full U.S. tours- one of them being with the “Mighty Mighty Bosstones” with riots in some cities and states- clearly showing the impact of the message and the power of the response by the fans. Returning from tour- the band went back into the studio- now with a new lead guitar player-Shawn Smash- leading to a masterful collaboration- ending with the creation of “Patriotic Shock”. They hit the road in June of 95’ with the legendary “Battalion of Saints” in many shows- because of TOTAL CHAOS’s- strong anti- racist material and social political message- made the tour not easy- with national racists organizations showing up at every show, many death threats, even the album being banned in Japan- regardless of all the opposition, they did not falter and the message was still being expressed.

In the summer of that year the band does their first European tour- which was bigger than anyone expected- with sold out gigs all across Europe- ending up at the legendary “Chaos Days” in Hanover, Germany. Not schedule to play (the police would not allow it) but lucky because of a folk rock
festival (The Harvest Festival) that was playing in a local park- where swarms of punks met to later attend the “Chaos Days”- discovered the bands arrival and literally threaten the promoter- with violence and destruction of property if the band was not allowed to play (amazing fans)- so they played- with one of the band members (Shawn Smash) a half blooded German-fluent in the language- spoke to his fellow country men- stating “Lets Riot” as the intro to the legendary song “Riot City”- unfortunately
the riot cops showed up right after the song and the literal “Chaos Days” begun (the show made national headline news throughout the world). Shortly after returning to the states “Gearbox” left the band- being replaced with “Suzy Home Wrecker”- the band decided and after 3 hardcore albums they would choose a more classical style of 70’s punk rock- leading to the creation of “Anthems form the Alleyway”. Again to promote- the band headed out for a full U.S. and European tour- shows were completely sold out. By 97’ the contract with Epitaph was up and negotiation for resigning due,- while recording new demos for the new album- the owner of Epitaph- Bret Gruewitz disappeared for 6 months and reappeared in drug rehab. Leaving the band in limbo and with a new president of the label Andy - which who the band did not see eye to eye with- lead them to leaving the label in late 98’- with a legacy of selling more than 200,000 records- unmatched by any in their genre, to date. In early 99’ they agreed to put out 2 limited edition albums (In God We Kill and The Early Years) with “Cleopatra” Records and hit the road for promotion with “Blanks 77”. After the tour was completed in 2000- they did their first Japanese tour and right after went into the studio to record “Punk Invasion” produced by multi-platinum producer Jim Faraci.

TOTAL CHAOS put out the album on their own formerly named label “Reject Records”- the
band hit the road for several tours in Europe and the U.S., later to be invited to play the “Warped Tour” in 2002. After the “Warped” tour- the original drummer “Gearbox” returned to the band. By the beginning of 2003 Rob Chaos started to do promotions and bookings for other bands such as “The
Lower Class Brats” “Funeral Dress” “Blanks 77”, “Mike Blanks and the Stads” and many more. In Fall 2003 Rob Chaos went into partnership with Ezzat Soliman owner of the “Showcase Theatre” and Showcase Productions”- birthing a new label “SOS Records”. Because of his strong street credibility- Rob Chaos has been able to procure legendary bands for the label such as The
Exploited and Conflict- a quote from Wattie of Exploited after returning to the states after 12 years to do a full U.S. with TOTAL CHAOS, “the only reasoning why I came back was because of Rob Chaos”- a huge compliment from a man and a band that Rob grew up listening to and respects highly. In Nov. of 2003 TOTAL CHAOS went back into the studio with a new bassist- Charlie former guitarist of political hardcore band “Lifes Halt” - during a crucial time in the United States history- and this is clearly reflected in the bands music- there are strong battle cries all over the album which emerge
so intensely- it is not matched by any. The album is entitled “Freedom Kills” – again with strong promotion- TOTAL CHAOS has just completed sold out shows with the most legendary bands of all the punk rock genres- from the Adicts to Exploited ( nationally televised riots in Canada- due to
border rejection of both bands) to Conflict- setting them apart and displaying their caliber and quality. In this new era the message is stronger than ever before- there is a sense of urgency coming from the band- regarding social and political reform- it oozes from their music and is undeniable to any that listen. After 15 years TOTAL CHAOS has grown as a band and has seen many come and go- but they have always kept their original ideals of what their genre of music is all about- which hasn’t been proven to be easy- during a time of mirages and deceit. Regardless of what you believe, whether you are pop punk, street punk, hardcore, straight edge, political punk, goth punk, skate punk, crust punk, metal punk, straight punk rock (the list goes on and on)- TOTAL CHAOS’s style of music can unify them all- bringing them back to one scene and that is PUNK ROCK!!!!

LINE UP:

Rob Chaos - Vox
Gearbox - Drums
Shawn Smash - Lead Guitar
Foffle - Guitar/Bass
DeDe - Bass