A Crooked Eye through the Looking Glass

 

Album Review of Crooked Eye Tommy’s new album - Butterflies and Snakes

Produced by Tommy Marsh, Dan Grimm and Tammy Mosby – Plano Road Publishing ASCAP

Reviewed by Joseph Timmons: Xombiewoof Magazine

Click Image to left to get Album on CDBaby

Crooked Eye Tommy erupted on the Southern California Blues scene in 2013 and has been rockin ever since with the exuberance and zeal the California Coast is known for, a love of music and a love of life. Crooked Eye Tommy has the distinction of not only being Semi-Finalists in the 2014 International Blues Challenge of Memphis Tennessee, but also won the Santa Barbara Blues Society Band Challenge. A close knit group of seasoned performers, Crooked Eye Tommy are, as they see it, Tommy Marsh- Head Lion Tamer and Ocular Alignment Specialist Paddy Marsh- Guitar Vocals and BAD ASS NESS Jimmy Calire- HOLY TOLEDO on The HAMMOND ORGAN & SAX GLADE "Boom Boom" Rasmussen - Bass Guitar a GOGO Tony Cicero- Resident skin slapper and Drum Magician. As you can tell, they come from the old road of musical genius.

 

Learn how to get your music heard at ReverbNation.com

 

In regards to the album, Butterflies and Snakes has the sound of the coast, flowing tones and rhythms steeped in Blues / Funk combinations, Jazzy overtones, solid lyrics and reminds me of the stone grooves that were prevalent in the late 60’s / early 70’s Blues – Rock Explosion that fueled bands like Blind Faith, Marshall Tucker, Grateful Dead and others. These hometown heroes of Ventura California have a serious side, “Serious Fun” and they show it on this album and on stage, their live performances have been heavily touted in the music press as being the “First stop on the endless highway of fun”, and in my opinion, the industry could learn a thing or two of what real talent is when listening to Crooked Eye Tommy Butterflies and Snakes.

Butterflies and Snakes, a collection of all original blues tracks, written by Tommy Marsh and powered by an ensemble of master musicians, gets your heart racing and your feet moving, the songs range from somber to celebratory and each features several of the blues styles in each track, never dry or “done before” each is unique when compared to the other album tracks and every song could be a number one hit, but being a hit does not strike me as Crooked Eye Tommy’s goal, but to be, just be the best you could see in a close quarter, crowded smokey dance hall with dance card one hand and a bourbon in the other.

Tracks like Come on In, I Stole The Blues, Tide Pool, After the Burn, Mad and Disgusted and others on this album have brass that is to be admired and respected, as well as the feeling that these men have cut their teeth on the best and the worst that life had to offer, but bit back hard. In the words of Tommy Marsh, “Come on In, You’re always welcome here, Make yourself at Home” among the Butterflies and Snakes.

For More information go to http://crookedeyetommy.com and follow them on Facebook

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Thank you, Indie Label

An opinion article by Joseph Timmons, Xombiewoof Magazine

The Independent Music labels of America are breathing and thriving due to the need for real and honest love of Music.

I would like to start this article by saying that I do not think I am an expert on the music industry, in fat anyone that does think they know everything and have the “winning formula” most likely do not and should exit the room right now. Back when I was young, one of my fondest memories was going to the local record store on Fridays after I got my allowance, the record store was, for me, a place of wonder. I would take my few dollars and browse the 45s or if I was lucky that week, the LP sections and make that painful decision of what record I would bring home and what would have to wait till the following week.

There was a certain philosophy in my mind that the record I hose would be a step forward in my path to greatness, the bands I liked were for me a way to connect with those that thought like me, that said what I was thinking and more, a bond of music connecting me to something greater than myself. Listening to bands that inspired me to think and feel, lead me to becoming a drummer, the first time I heard Vanilla Fudge, Cream, King Crimson and others that spoke to me and me alone helped develop who I was and am. Frank Zappa and Tom Waits, The B52’s and Talking Heads… Legends in Wax.

Somewhere around the late 80’s and early 90’s the record industry failed us, the pursuit of glamorous money and the departure from substance to profit made the joy of music stale, the advance of technology made the music too easy to produce and the concept of digital music streaming, once thought of as a way to get music to the masses faster, became the place of illegal downloads and the loss of worth, so it seemed, music was becoming dull and tasteless.

For those of us that held music to a higher standard, it became a pain rather than a pleasure and the rule of the Boy Bands and Autotune was drowning out the call to worship, and the record Collector was without options.

Thank the gods of Vinyl that today we have the independent record producers today!

Due to the advance of technology and the industrial nature of man and the music lover, the indie label scene is thriving and more record labels are opening shop on the internet daily. Labels like Hidden Volume, Philthy Phonographic Records, Fat Elvis Records, Say-10 Records and more are bringing to the light of day artists that we would never hear of if the present record industry giants would still reign supreme. Internet sites such as Bandcamp give us ways to hear, sample and purchase albums from all over the world and hear music that means something to us on whatever level our mind is at, simply splendid really.

The limited runs of the smaller labels does have its downfall if you don’t buy a title the day it comes out you may “miss” an opportunity to hold a rarity in your collection, but many of the small labels have banded together to do distribution between them, so the spirit of mutual support and fair competition is holding to a philosophy of mutual and supportive existence, the labels are producing Zines and keeping with the early Rolling Stone theory of the power of music is the path to intelligence, the sharing of wisdom and the key to nirvana is in the vibe and the tone arm of the turntable is the wand of power. I know, I hold a very glamorous view of music and I wax poetic of the Record, but in life you have to have something to believe in.

Now, don’t get me wrong, making records in not an inexpensive prospect, and for as many labels succeed, many fail, there is still a place for CD’s, Digital copies of music, Music Streaming services and even the Cassette tape is on the way back into our hearts, Radio manufacturers are coming out with the boom box, ghetto blaster styles again and even some bands are doing 8-Tracks as the rare one off (Whaaaaaaaaaa?), but Vinyl, that is my medium of choice.

In the coming months, I will be doing several articles, stories interviews, and for those that like the sound of my voice, podcasts about the Indie Record Label Scene, interviews with artists, producers and managers as well as with label operators, with luck, possibly some video interviews as well.

My suggestion to you, get to the thrift store or get online, find a turntable, hell, get to the local box store and pick up a Crosley record player for less than 100 bucks and then get on Bandcamp, search out the unique sounds out there, or get on Facebook and search “Record Labels” you will find an infinite number of resources, come back and check out our blog again, or http://www.xombiewoof.com, we will have a list of Indie Labels you can choose from to make your moments magical again, as for me, I’m dusting off the shelves for some more albums that just showed up via UPS yesterday, good thing my wife does not mind my love for records, but I do need to build an extension on my home, the record room is getting a bit crowded.

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ACIDIC Creatures–A Musical Fountain of Youth

 

CD Album Review of Creatures by ACIDIC

Album Produced by John Ryan

Available at http://www.acidicband.com

Album Review by Joseph Timmons: Xombiewoof Magazine

I am not usually one to be overly judgmental of bands that have very young members with flashy art covers, I try not to be a “Music Snob”, but in honesty, 9 out of 10 times, the music is just not up to snuff, there may be great emotion, but the content is bland or the music is over sampled, the music scene is filling with so many wanna be bands with stars in their eyes and no talent in their bones.

When it comes to ACIDIC, I am SO WRONG it makes me want to revisit all the reviews I have ever written, and see where I became so jaded.

The album Creatures by ACIDIC is a fantastic romp through the energy of youth, something that can be forgotten and is only experienced by the young in body, spirit and mind. These are four very talented and exuberant young men that have some serious potential to make some big noise on the stage.

CREATURES is ACIDIC’s third collaboration with multi-platinum award-winning producer John Ryan of Chicago Kid Productions (Styx, Santana, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers), and the follow-up to previous albums, 2013’s “Copper Man” and 2011’s “Chronic Satisfaction".

ACIDIC are Mike Gossard, Matt Whitaker, Josh Bennett, Max Myrick, and they are already making some waves in the scene, playing literally all over the US and between the local halls and the multiple festivals, leaving behind many satisfied concert goers everywhere.

High powered and spunky rhythms, connected lyrics and music that flows like the perfect wave on a summer’s day, ACIDIC is on a feeding frenzy.

Top Songs in my pick are “Chicago”, “ROLL.X”, “Rad”, “Pop 2”, “Beautiful”, “My Town” and “Miles from Home”.

There is a very spirited anthem in this album, one that shines inside, like the warmth you feel on your face looking into the sun, with your toes in the sand feeling like you could live forever, or walking hand in hand with the one you love, yes, I know overly soppy and way too poetic…. Hell, you listen to Creatures and tell me I’m wrong, I seriously doubt you could.

Anyway, get the album Creatures, crank it up and find a spot for yourself in the eternal summer vacation that life can be!

Follow them on Facebook Here

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Electric Wake: Anthem of a Generation Living in an Angry World

 

Album Review: Electric Wake – New Album by Ronny Munroe

Album Review by Joseph Timmons: Xombiewoof Magazine

The name Ronny Munroe is not new to the Metal Music world, as front man for the infamous foundation group Metal Church, his skill and abilities are legendary. Recently, Metal Church released “Generation Nothing” with Ronny at the head of the Juggernaut; once again, his voice brought new life into the music world, which in my opinion has been awash in mediocrity and lack of vision.

Now, Ronny has come forth from the studio and has given to us his latest Solo Album Electric Wake, which is as far from a eulogy in verse as it could be. Electric Wake is raw power in lyric and verse, musically striking and has given a new standard to reach for many would be thrashers.

11 tracks of pure energy, dark visions and harmonic greatness, Electric Wake floods your ears with the talents and collaborations of guitar legend George Lynch, guitarist Dave Rude of Tesla, the metal worlds femme fatal Pamela Moore (Queensrÿche’s "Sister Mary"), Paul Kleff (ex Firewolfe), David Donigian, Sean Baker and Tony Rossi, making this an album of epic proportions. Ronny Munroe's Electric Wake delivers as promised.

Ronny Munroe's Electric Wake is offered as his best work to date, I would say this is more of a tempting taste, a sinister sample of what is to come! Produced by Bruce Bouillet and mixed by Jon Wyman, Electric Wake is the 4th solo album by Ronny Munroe, capturing all the magic of the classic metal genre as well as setting new marks, which others will try to copy, but will never duplicate.

 

Ronny Munroe–United

In a statement, Ronny has said "I wanted to create something that was totally new, but at the same time allow all my influences to shine through". Ronny further elaborated "I put two years into the writing process of this album, but when it came time to start recording, I threw everything out the window and just went with my gut and it worked out better than I could have imagined".

Ronny Munroe's Electric Wake is not only a soon to be keystone in any Metal Collection, but it is further proof that Rat Pak Records, which seemingly came from the shadows as a small independent label is actually the new vanguard of original and innovative Metal, with artists like Beasto Blanco, George Lynch, Lynch Mob, KXM, T&N, Pamela Moore, Jeff Labar and Many others, making their catalog of albums some of the most sought after and ingenious collaborations of artists that made the Metal World what it is today. If you want to hear what Rat Pak has to offer, simply visit their Soundcloud and hear for yourself what the future of Metal holds.

 

Listen to Ronny Munroe give tribute to Ronnie James Dio with his rendition of “Man on the Silver Mountain“ from his prior hit album "The Fire Within"

To get Electric Wake, go to www.ronnymunroe.com and order direct, and go to Rat Pak Records to get more info, updates, tour info and to hear other great artists. Follow Ronny Munroe on Facebook.

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They’ve come to Rock Your Face Off, KIX Proves their Metal, More Powerful than ever!

 

 

KIX – Rock Your Face Off to be released August 5^th, 2014 – Available by Pre-Order Here

Rock Your Face Off on Loud & Proud Records http://www.loudandproudrecords.com

Album Review and Commentary Interview with KIX Guitarist Brian Forsythe KIX:

Review and Interview : Joseph Timmons – Xombiewoof Magazine

 

In December 1977 a group that would be in the eyes and ears of hard rock fans worldwide appeared on the stages of Hagerstown, Maryland and then everywhere possible. Hitting the club circuit six nights a week for three straight years resulted in the band cultivating a huge local fan base and led to their first record contract. Releasing their self-titled debut in 1981 titled “KIX” this band would become in a whirlwind favorite filling every club and stadium without hesitation.

Many years and albums later, like all the bands of their day, they continued to build and grow, change and evolve, members leaving and returning, taking breaks and reuniting, but I am glad to say, the boys are back in town and they’ve come to, as they say Rock Your Face Off!

Platinum-selling Maryland hard rock icons KIX heed the audience's call on their long-awaited seventh full-length album and first for Loud & Proud Records. It has been almost 20 years since their last studio effort, 1995's Show Business, and the boys—Steve Whiteman [vocals], Brian "Damage" Forsythe [guitar], Ronnie "10/10" Younkins [guitar], Jimmy "Chocolate" Chalfant [drums] and Mark Schenker [bass]—return with a raucous, roaring and real display of rock 'n' roll.

KIX is Jimmy Chalfant, Ronnie Younkins, Brian Forsythe, Mark Schenker and Steve Whiteman; together this Hard Rockin’ Metal powerhouse has come up with what is anticipated as the largest release of the year, at present, KIX is touring the globe to support the album’s release this August 5^th, 2014 to a fan base that has never forgotten the band that spoke to their generation, and now to the next generation, and generations to come. With the support of Loud & Proud Records, KIX has gone into the studio and come out with blaring speed and driving power.

"In many ways, this is for the KIX diehards as much as it is for us," Brian explains. "When we started doing this again, tons of fans came out of the woodwork. They'd show up with their kids, and it was just incredible to see. We had to deliver for them."

Rock Your Face Off is an audio thrill ride, and from the album’s title track “Rock Your Face Off” to “Can’t Stop the Show”, “Rollin’ in Honey”,” All the Right Things”,” Inside Outside Inn”,” Rock & Roll Showdown” and the song that has become an internet and radio wide sensation “Love Me With Your Top Down”, KIX has come back to the global stage hard, fast and stronger than ever, it’s been 20 years since their last album and they have made up for lost time with a passion and a vengeance, time has had no effect on them, none what so ever!

As a drummer, any artist or group I listen to has to have a good backbeat; it makes all the difference between a good album and a great album. With Rock Your Face Off, the first thing I noticed is the timing is impeccable, the beat master Jimmy "Chocolate" Chalfant is unstoppable, his measure is matched equally by Mark Schenker on Bass, and it is with this steady and unwavering rhythm foundation that Ronnie "10/10" Younkins and Brian "Damage" Forsythe work their Guitar Voodoo, power chords blazing with leads and solos that excite the senses. Last but definitely not least it is the spine tingling vocals of Steve Whiteman that steals the show and hearts of the ladies, his talent is only matched by his wit and sense of humor, a trickster by trade. This album is not a return to the 80’s schmaltz or a comeback revival, theirs is an evolution, the next step in musical mastery and is one for the books, a band that beat all the odds then, and exceeds all expectations today.

In order to deliver, the band enlisted the talents of producer Taylor Rhodes [Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne] with whom they had last collaborated on 1991's Hot Wire. Also, for the first time in the group's history, each member contributed to the writing process, fostering an extremely creative and free environment in the studio. A new dawn commenced as they simultaneously harnessed their classic spirit. Meanwhile, Taylor helped preserve the band’s vision. Brian adds, "He knew the feel of the band and kept us on the path towards that direction. He understood our energy and what the listeners would expect. We also took everything to the next level together."

In addition to having the pleasure of listening to this album before the public is that I am going to interview one of the founding members of KIX, Brian Forsythe to get some inside information and the background on this masterpiece of metal.

Joe: Brian, It’s been a while since the last KIX album Show Business, not including the Live in Baltimore released in 2012. The songwriting on Rock Your Face Off is amazing, as a long time KIX fan, I know I was blown away when I heard you were going into the studio, and even more impressed now, after hearing Rock Your Face Off, I want to ask when did you as a group realize you had the right material for this album? Also, what was the writing chemistry, who did what and how did the team work the creative process?

Brian: “We had not planned to do an album until we released our live performance DVD, once we did that, we realized, WOW, we need to come up with a record. We threw all our ideas into one big pile and went from there, the material was all over the place, and was a long process to sort through and find the right material. This album was over a year in the making.”

Joe: KIX has the rep for being a hard working band, mastering all the elements of a song, their stage presence and creating an element of excitement in every crowd that sees a show, how has the fans response been when you performed the new material?

Brian: “Playing live has been an adventure, we play about one to two shows a week, we are all still in pretty good shape but we are definitely more devoted to the performance and brining quality to the stage. We play gigs with the feeling and energy our fans expects, and we look to making new fans just as devoted.”

Joe: I know you have been playing and touring for a while, but playing live and working the studio are two different worlds. How was it being back in the studio, was it a natural feeling, or did it take some time to get the magic flowing?

Brian: “Well, a lot has changed in the industry and with us as a group, I have been recording with Rhino Bucket and other bands, and we are familiar with the new technology. In the old days, we would go to a studio and then be in lock down until we were done, but now we did parts in our own studio prior the master mix. Once we went into the real studio it was easier, the chemistry was an interesting aspect, we all had a chance to contribute to the songwriting, and it was truly a group effort, making it a new experience for all of us.”

Joe: Well Brian, enough about the technical aspects of Rock Your Face Off, I am sure the readers want to know the behind the scene stuff, what’s some of the “Wild and Crazy” stories you can tell, at least one that’s legal in all 50 states? Feel free to change the names to protect the innocent...

Brian: “Wow, we’ve had some pretty crazy experiences on the Monsters of Rock Cruises, you have to remember, and it is like a giant floating hotel. You walk out into the area where the people are getting to the stage and there is no escape once the realized who you are, you can stop to say ”Hi” to one person because if you do, one moment everything is cool, the next moment; you swamped and can’t make it to the stage. Another time, we were at a concert for another band, were in the audience, and we just went to see a show and someone noticed us, within moments we were getting way too much attention; it got so bad security got involved”.

Joe: Brian, I want to thank you for the interview, what’s next for KIX, when can we expect to see some videos, any Television engagements, where can we see KIX Play?

Brian: “We will be making several show stops to promote the album, you can get all that information from our website http://www.kixband.com , as far as future plans, we are looking to do a major tour, still up in anything, …… within reason”.

Joe: Brian, do you have any Last Words for our readers?

Brian: “We appreciate all of our fans, they are super loyal and supportive, East Coast to West Coast, we had no idea that there would be so many people that still remembered us and would want to see us so badly, it is an inspiration and we love you. To our new fans, check out our web site http://www.kixband.com and get Rock Your Face Off, you will be just excited to hear it as we were to make it”.

I really enjoyed our brief, but exciting interview with Brian “Damage” Forsythe, Rock Your Face Off is truly a great album, if you have yet to hear “Love Me with Your Top Do”, here’s your chance to let KIX Rock Your Face Off!

Check out KIX on their official website http://www.kixband.com, Follow them on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. KIX will definitely Rock Your Face Off, get ready, they’re coming for you!

Also, Check out the other great artists in the Loud & Proud Arsenal – Visit http://www.loudandproudrecords.com.

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