Breaking Bands LLC: Renowned Industry Veterans Join Forces in New Management Venture

 

Introducing Breaking Bands LLC: Renowned Industry Veterans Join Forces in New Management Venture

Uniting the Expertise of Adrenaline PR CEO Maria Ferrero, MegaForce Records and Crazed Management Founders Jon and Marsha Zazula, and TESTAMENT Vocalist Chuck Billy

Breaking Bands LLC may be a new name on the management block, but is made up of renowned industry veterans— making the experience anything but new. 

Founded by the powerhouse team of Adrenaline PR CEO Maria Ferrero, former MegaForce Records and Crazed Management owners Jon and Marsha Zazula, and Testament vocalist and co-manager Chuck Billy— these individuals have joined forces to merge their experience and bring some new, unknown bands to the forefront, as well as develop and guide the continuing careers of some of today’s most well-established artists. Combined, Chuck, Maria, Jon, and Marsha bring decades of experience to the table, from their individual beginnings at the very introduction of the heavy metal genre in the 1980’s.

Breaking Bands LLC is currently representing legendary Bay Area thrash metal band Exodus, as well as Texas heavy metal newcomers Shattered Sun and California alt pop artist Forrest Day. Breaking Bands LLC is presently accepting new submissions for prospective management clients.

To truly understand the prowess of Breaking Bad LLC, one needs to know the eminent status of the parties involved.

Chuck Billy is best known as the accomplished lead singer of legendary Billboard-charting thrash metal band Testament, one of the five original thrash metal bands to exist in the world. Testament has sold millions of albums worldwide, and boast a total of eleven studio albums, four live albums, five compilation albums, and six singles altogether. Their most recent album, Dark Roots of Earth, reached number 12 on the Billboard Top 200 charts. In 2010, Chuck Billy was recognized in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian exhibit “Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture”, which was on display through January 2, 2011.

“After being friends and doing business for almost 30 years, we all decided that it was time to create a team that has lived and breathed the music business with all its ups and downs, adds Chuck Billy. “I feel that with all the knowledge that we've gained, it would be nice to work with bands and help improve and guide them in the right direction to a long and successful career. I feel this is a natural progression in my life along with focusing on my band Testament for 28+ years.”

Maria Ferrero began at MegaForce Records and Crazed Management in 1982 as the label’s first publicist and A&R representative, eventually working at labels TVT, E-magine Entertainment, and Metropolis Records, before founding her own successful boutique PR, branding, and marketing firm, Adrenaline PR. Maria Ferrero and her publicity team have represented an array of projects such as the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, Motörhead, Anthrax, Lamb of God, Five Finger Death Punch, Testament, Dethklok, Hank3, KMFDM, Tech N9ne, Machine Head, ETID, Miss May I, Louder Than Hell (book), Repo The Genetic Opera (film) and many more.

“Making a difference on the projects we are working is what it’s all about for me, personally. I would not want to take on this business venture with anyone else. I trust my partners. We’re proven,” states Maria Ferrero.

Jon and Marsha Zazula founded MegaForce Records in 1982, first signing Metallica, and then going on to sign Anthrax, Testament, Overkill and more of the era’s biggest and best bands. They also founded Crazed Management in 1982 and managed Anthrax for the first 11 years of their career, Metallica for two years, Ministry, and TAD, among others.

“Between all of us, there is over 100 years of experience and 30 years of mutual trust and respect,” states Jon Zazula. “It is a great feeling for Marsha and I to work alongside with Chuck and Maria. It feels like the dream team.”

Stay tuned for more great things coming from Breaking Bands LLC soon! To learn more about Breaking Bands LLC, visit www.breakingbandsllc.com.

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Metal Church Returns To WVOX's Metal Mayhem In New York!

US metal titans Metal Church will be the very special guest of WVOX Metal Mayhem host Matthew O'Shaughnessy on Tuesday night, March 3rd at 9:45pm Eastern heard worldwide at http://www.wvox.com/ and locally at 1460 AM.

Metal Church came roaring out of the west coast thriving metal scene in the 1980's and always marched to the beat of their own innovative powerful sound, never following trends or fashions to their great credit. The band will talk with O'Shaughnessy about their latest tour itinerary, upcoming New York area shows and latest album and tenth studio album, Generation Nothing.

"The sheer magnitude and force of the mighty Metal Church's music has always been a primary staple of WVOX's metal playlist going back to the early 1980's and today. It's another headbanging honor to welcome the band back to Metal Mayhem." comments Matthew O'Shaughnessy.

Read our Magazine’s Review of Metal Church’s Album Generation Nothing, Voted as one of the TOP TEN Breakout Albums of the Year in Xombiewoof Magazine’s 2013 Year in Review

Summon the Congregation – with their newest album - Generation Nothing, Metal Church Commands the Masses!

“To say that Metal Church is one of the best of American Heavy Metal is an understatement, they are among Metal’s “Founding Fathers” in Metal and have not dulled with age, in fact they have excelled in their skills, the musical composition is sublime and the Vocals on Generation Nothing are hard, edgy, driven and rich in lyrical context.”

Joseph Timmons- Review Editor : Xombiewoof Magazine

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NEVERWONDER In Top 100 for 2013

Selected “Top 100 Hot Artist For 2013” (Music Connection Magazine)

In 2013 Los Angeles modern rock band NEVERWONDER garnered high praise from critics the world over for their latest album, "Really Let It Out” and performed at some of Southern California's most respected venues, including the Rose Bowl (where they opened for hit makers Far East Movement) and a Main Stage show at the House Of Blues in Hollywood. They were also a "Top 25 Artist" (ROCKWIRED MAGAZINE), and secured worldwide distribution via I-Tunes as well Amazon, I-Heart Radio and Spotify.

“NEVERWONDER has taken hard rock and mixed it with R&B and soul, creating an EP that has it all.  Vocalist Alima Soul is a powerhouse and is supported by great musicians on the album including the Ramos Brothers, Vincent and Andres (on bass and drums). ‘Really Let It Out’ is done with excellence, and is a taste of what this band is capable of.”

Joseph Timmons/XOMBIEWOOF MAGAZINE

Watch for NEVERWONDER on the upcoming Rock N Roll Marathon Tour in 2014

www.neverwonder.com https://www.facebook.com/NEVERWONDER

http://myspace.com/neverwonder/

 

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Hot Cup Records Releases Wide Eyed NYC-Based Danny Fox Trio's Second Groundbreaking Album

Hot Cup Records Releases Wide Eyed NYC-Based Danny Fox Trio's Second Groundbreaking Album To Be Released April 8, 2014 May 9 NYC CD Release Concert at Subculture April 30 - May 18 in Detroit, South Bend, Chicago, Milwaukee, Lorain, Huntingdon, Rochester

"Changing the sound and expectation of a jazz piano trio." - John Schaefer, WNYC's New Sounds
"A pianist of diverse accomplishment." - Nate Chinen, The New York Times

"The group certainly doesn't operate like a typical jazz piano trioŠFox's original compositions are episodic, rigorously arranged, and generally eschew the usual song forms employed in mainstream jazz."  - Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader

Hot Cup Records announces the April 8, 2014 release of Wide Eyed, the sophomore album by the NYC-based Danny Fox Trio. Since their critically acclaimed 2011 debut, The One Constant (Songlines), the group has continued to push the boundaries of the classic piano trio format. Wide Eyed ups the ante in the band's quest to create uniquely personal, genre-defying original music.  Falling somewhere between jazz and chamber music, the album's eleven pieces are replete with sonic surprises: quirky rhythms, jaunty yet catchy melodies, haunting harmonies, and out-of-the-box arrangements that showcase the capabilities of each member of the group, all while maintaining tuneful melodies.

Formed in 2008, the Danny Fox Trio, featuring pianist Danny Fox, bassist Chris van Voorst van Beest, and drummer Max Goldman, is a true working band.  Whether holed up in a Queens basement rehearsing or touring around the country crammed into a sedan, the trio has spent countless hours developing a rapport that's immediately palpable in their music. This chemistry not only contributes to the precision of their performances, but allows each member to feel confident enough to take musical risks. This contrast between cohesive, cogent ensemble execution and the excitement of spontaneous improvisation adds an energy that is sorely lacking in much of today's music, regardless of genre.

Though rooted in jazz, the three versatile musicians are also active in chamber music, bluegrass, afrobeat, electro, and New Orleans funk, thereby giving the band a sound that is all-encompassing yet strikingly individual.  Drawing on influences as varied as Ellington, Bartok, The Meters, and Bernard Herrmann, the music can switch gears at any moment yet remains cohesive thanks to strong motivic development and rigorous arrangements that challenge the traditional roles of the piano trio instruments. Having committed these intricate and challenging compositions to memory and performed them scores of times, the influence and esthetic of rock bands is readily appreciated.

The trio explores a wide range of novel techniques to eschew standard forms and roles. The piano, typically both the lead melodic and harmonic voice, rarely performs these two roles simultaneously.  Instead, Fox opts for textures that feature the abilities of his band mates and explore the more extreme ranges of the piano.  In addition to fulfilling the traditional role as rhythmic anchor, bassist Chris van Voorst van Beest provides melodies, counterpoint, and coloristic arco effects adeptly. Drummer Max Goldman employs traditional drumbeats effectively, but often opts for a more orchestral approach, mimicking symphonic playing.  The compositions themselves feature extensive melodic and motivic development, sometimes hovering around a theme that is only a few notes long, and sometimes building phrases over time to great emotional heights.

The eleven pieces on Wide Eyed navigate through a vast array of grooves, harmonies, time signatures, tempo shifts, free improvisations, and dynamics while always remaining grounded in the thematic material, giving the music a seamlessness and cohesion such that it is both challenging and highly listenable.

The album opens with the insistent bass groove of Sterling, which the trio unfolds in unexpected ways: from the slippery, danceable odd meter rhythm of the opening melody to the introspective rubato bass melody and jagged drum punctuations that follow.  The song exemplifies the motivic style of composition as the opening six-note theme is modified through new harmonies, tempi, and instrumentation to spin out sections of varied moods.  This theme is sometimes front and center and other times lurking, as when the left hand of the piano plays a fast version of it under dense minor chords. Bonkers, written by Fox while going mad from practicing music for a circus, is a meeting of Prokofiev-like melody, African rhythm, and free improvisation. All Tolled, an epic piece spun out of a pencil accidentally tapping a rhythm on a desk, shows the trio's range from ferocious bombast to tender lullaby and spotlights the group's creative use of their instruments, as in the introduction where the piano plays on the extreme high and low registers as a background for the bass melody.

Throughout, Goldman displays his well-rounded approach to the drum kit, sometimes laying down specific beats and other times mimicking orchestral percussion.  The bluegrass-inspired Drone shows the trio's playful side and the influence of Fox's second instrument: banjo.  The subdued title track Wide Eyed opens with a moody cinematic simmer before piano/bass counterpoint explores rich harmonic dissonances. Confederates is a sinister march with ecstatic jolts, followed by Short Al in Brooklyn, a deceivingly tricky rhythmic proposition disguised as a light-hearted swinger, written for a famous NYC sports talk radio caller. Patriot Daze and Punches show Fox's heavy classical influence, using both hands to equal effect, and the trio's adept use of dynamics. Funhouse Memory filters funk through a funhouse mirror with off-kilter rhythms and spooky chords.  The wildly-phrased canon seems to come out of nowhere but derives simply from the first theme stated in the piece.  The album closes with the chamber-like Tumble Quiet, written against the backdrop of a faint clothes dryer in a quiet house, which floats from ethereal chords toward thumping tribal grooves before reaching a plaintive calm.  The bass moves seamlessly between contrapuntal melodies and earthy bassline ostinatos.

Wide Eyed is about inhabiting a state of wonder and surprise about the world around us.  It's about searching for possibility and embracing new ideas all while taking inspiration from what you've already taken in.

Check out Funhouse Memory from the CD here https://soundcloud.com/bk-music-pr/funhouse-memory-danny-fox-trio

Watch their video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya5q8O5bhrk&feature=youtu.be

CD Release Tour:

o Wed. April 30 - Cliff Bell's, Detroit, MI

o Thurs. May 1 - Merriman's Playhouse, South Bend, IN

o Fri. May 2 - Constellation, Chicago, IL

o Sat. May 3 - Jazz Estate, Milwaukee, WI

o Sun. May 4, House Concert - Music on a Mission, Lorain, OH

o Wed. May 7th -Boxer's, Huntingdon, PA

o Fri. May 9- Subculture, NYC

o Sun. May 18th- Bop Shop, Rochester, NY

 

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The Alnico II Pro Slash–By Seymour Duncan

Slash has been powering his sound with Seymour Duncan pickups for a long time, and his signature Alnico II Pro Slash model is one of the pickups we find folks talking about the most on our social media networks. So what makes this pickup so unique? Well it was developed to make Slash's other Les Pauls sound like his famed 1986 recording axe (which used our Alnico II Pro pickups but was not chambered). Like the standard APH-1 Alnico II Pro, Slash's model uses an Alnico 2 magnet, but the coils are wound with just enough boosted output to push a stock Les Paul toward the sweet sustain and rude crunch of that legendary recording guitar. And the pickup comes with some of the same appointments found on the Seymour Duncan pickups in the original guitar, including single-conductor cable, long-legged bottom plate and wooden spacer. Check out a video of it in action below.   Video Spotlight: Alnico II Pro Slash: Clear classic and hard rock tones. The power and drive of the Alternative 8 and the clear, singing voice of the Cool Rails. The aggression of the Nazgûl and the clarity-under-gain of the Pegasus. The Place For Bass If you're looking to inject some new life into your bass, or to return a modified one to vintage spec, we have plenty of pickups for you, including active Blackouts, models for Music Man®, Rickenbacker®, Jazz Bass®, P-Bass® and many more which you can read about in this blog post, plus our Antiquity (50s-inspired) and Antiquity II (60s-inspired) lines of replacement pickups which replicate vintage designs. And if you're after something more specialized the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop offers plenty of bass pickups, built to your needs. Gibson Custom Billy F. Gibbons Les Paul Goldtop Gibson and Billy Gibbons have just unveiled the new Gibson Custom Billy F. Gibbons Les Paul Goldtop, featuring Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbuckers. 150 will be carefully hand-aged, with 50 played and hand-signed by Billy himself. A further 150 will feature Gibson's VOS (Vintage Original Spec) treatment. The pinstripe design was created by Billy himself and recreated by well-known hotrod-pinstripe artist Rick Harris and a Gibson artist that Rick has personally trained. And this guitar has an additional twist: there are individual volume controls for each pickup, a master tone control governing both, and…that's it! There's no pickup selector switch. Billy requested this so you can dial in the perfect tonal blend on the fly. You can find out more abut this guitar here.   What's New On The Seymour’s Blog? Over on the blog we've been looking at the Black Winter neck model (which is more versatile than its metal-centric name might suggest).   We've checked out an extra-customised version of a Custom Shop pickup called the IM1, and we've offered tips on pickups for guitars with unusual wood combinations (notice how many players are discovering the combination of a premium Basswood body with a maple top lately?). We've also taken a moment to look at the Shop Floor Custom options - variations on standard models which you can request through your dealer, such as different colors and magnets. We've also weighed up the pros and cons of big strings vs small strings, considered the mysteries of the scalloped fretboard, and had a chuckle at misheard song lyrics.   By the way, if you're just getting into pickup-changing or you'd like to take your skills further, check our our Guitar Wiring Diploma Course, which will give you a nice solid grounding (pardon the pun) on everything from the simplest circuit imaginable (a pickup and a jack) to some pretty advanced stuff like how hum cancelling works and what you can do with a Super Switch.

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