Black Market Activities

the_Network Announces US Tour with Australia's Robotosaurus

2009-08-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

the_Network reveals plans to tour the eastern half of the US this fall with Australia’s Robotosaurus. Starting in Texas and ending in the_Network’s home state of New Hampshire, the tour includes shows with such bands as Strung Out, Rise And Fall, and Fight Amp.

No strangers to the road, the_Network has toured Australia, the UK, Puerto Rico, and the US, all within the past year.

the_Network’s second full length album, Bishop Kent Manning, is due out September 15 on Black Market Activities. Produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge, Trap Them), Bishop Kent Manning is a concept album that follows the epic story of a corrupt televangelist’s decline.

Oct 2 Austin, TX @ Red 7 (w/ Strung Out)

Oct 3 Houston, TX @ Moto Warehouse (w/ Dissent)

Oct 4 New Orleans, LA @ Dragon's Den (w/ Thou)

Oct 5 Birmingham, AL @ a storage unit

Oct 6 Charleston, SC @ Weekends Pub (w/ Nations)

Oct 7 Raleigh, NC @ The Brewery (w/ Rise and Fall, Bracewar)

Oct 8 Richmond, VA @ Nara Sushi (w/ Fight Amp, The Catalyst)

Oct 9 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie (w/ Fight Amp, Rosetta)

Oct 10 Binghamton, NY @ The Downtown Quarterback (w/ Dance-A-Tron)

Oct 11 Brooklyn, NY @ The Charleston (w/ Mabus)

Oct 12 New York, NY @ Lit Lounge

Oct 16 Providence, RI @ The Sweatshop (w/ Krang)

Oct 17 Burlington, VT @ 242 Main St (w/ Ghosting)

Oct 18 Dover, NH @ The Brickhouse

www.myspace.com/thenetworkmetal

www.thenetworkmusic.com

www.myspace.com/blackmarketactivities

www.blackmarketactivities.com

This Destroy Destroy Destroy fan is so tr00

2009-08-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

Destroyx3 Guitarist Jeremiah Scott with Battle Slut tattooed homeboy Bobby!

Video of the Week: GAZA at Dudefest 2009

2009-08-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

(Video credit: Joe Hammond)

Black Market Activities Reveals the_Network Album Details, Unveils New Track

2009-07-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

Black Market Activities proudly reveals its next release: Bishop Kent Manning, the staggering second album by the_Network, out September 15 on BMA.

Produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge, Trap Them) at Godcity Studio and mastered by Nick Zampiello (Torche, Unsane) at New Alliance, Bishop Kent Manning is a concept album that follows the epic story of a corrupt televangelist’s decline. Opening with the desperate cry, “I just got caught blood-redhanded selling absolution for a lion's share,” the album tells its tale through ten tracks that veer seamlessly from jagged aggro chaos to haunting melody and back again. Inspired by the likes of Coalesce and Botch, Bishop Kent Manning is an album of anthems -- both complex and simplistic, atonal and melodic, it’s all from the gut and it’s all punk rock.

To celebrate the upcoming release of Bishop Kent Manning, Black Market Activities unveils “You Fucking Fakes,” a song that embodies the spirit of the new album and gives a taste of how far the_Network has evolved. Stream “You Fucking Fakes,” here:

http://www.myspace.com/thenetworkmetal

And read an exclusive excerpt from the short story written by the_Network guitarist Kevin Howley to accompany the album, here:

http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=320937

Bishop Kent Manning’s full tracklisting is as follows:

1) From Holy Water To Holy Wars

2) Following And Failing

3) Your Own Personal Time Bomb

4) Service With A Smile

5) Telethons For The Rich

6) Paranoid Deserter

7) Easter Just Stopped Showing Up

8) Corpse Paint

9) You Fucking Fakes

10) Kent Manning

Look for the_Network on tour in the US throughout the fall in support of Bishop Kent Manning. Renowned as champions of the “do-it-yourself, eat-shit mentality,” the_Network has already toured Australia, England, Scotland, and Puerto Rico, all within the past year.

http://www.thenetworkmusic.com

http://www.myspace.com/thenetworkmetal

Video of the Week: Abominable Iron Sloth - "Hats Made of Veal and that New Car Scent"

2009-07-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

(Video Cred: Directed by - Scott Cramer, Produced by - Three Hench Men / ILine Entertainment)

Artist Entry: Lye By Mistake hotshot Maxx Tempo gives us an LBM summertime update

2009-07-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

(Photo credit: Jake Didion)

Summer time is here and in full effect in muggy old St. Charles Missouri, the birthplace of the Louis and Clark Expedition and Big League Chew. The weather here is to die for. Seriously, I’ll be surprised if I don’t get sucked bone dry by all the god damn mosquitoes. I can’t even jerk off at Naomi’s place without getting bit by one.
I know most of you out there are thinking “I wonder what those crazy guys from Lye By Mistake have been up to?” Well if you must know, the crew has just wrapped up production of their second full length Compact Disk entitled, "Fea Jur." In the meantime the crew has been up to the old routine of life at home between tours.
When Ben Whailin isn’t gigging with Lye By Mistake he’s rocking out with famed cover band, The Money Shot. Ben also teaches a legion of young squirts the way of the guitar in an almost religious fashion. If he’s not playing or teaching he’ll just pose in front of the mirror practicing guitar moves with his iconic Music Man strapped on only inches away from chipping a tooth. Ben Whailin also loves to paint in his spare time using his guitar as a paint brush--come to think of it, I can‘t say I‘ve ever seen him with out his beloved guitar strapped on.
Underneath Whailin’s wings is Murl Philpot, a young, talented, and hip guitarist with a dream to get filthy stinkin' rich with this band. Murl gigs around town with a group of gentile gentlemen that call themselves The Gorge, be on the lookout for these guys. I’m telling you right here and now, in a few years they’re going to be the next Color Me Badd.
Then there’s Jonnie Pokket. At it again schlepping the meat, not at your local grocer though. He’s been working with the Production Company 101 dicks getting ready to launch an instructional Bass Tapping/Finger Banging technique DVD due out just in time for the holidays.
As for me, well I’m teaming up with Jonnie and we are preparing an exciting new line of double-sided dildos called the "Tag Team Duo," which will be molded true to our "forms" with a combined length of 9 inches! I’ve also been working on my tan, and I just enlisted in a Tae Kwon Do class to get me in shape to play the new material Live.
We played a show last week for a loyal crowd full of Lye by fans, by no mistake. The new material has been completely obliterating faces, where the old material would leave faces melted like a grilled cheese sandwich this new shit is leaving nothing behind--not even a fart particle can survive. We are unleashing a wave of sound that not even Helen Keller could withstand. If you think you are man enough to harkin' such an album, you’d best prepare yourself for audible annihilation. "Fea Jur" drops in record stores in Fall ‘09.

Love,

Maxx Tempo

Video of the Week: Engineer live in NYC @ Death by Audio

2009-07-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

Engineer is currently on the road with Tides. Use this video to pre-game accordingly.

BMA RANDOM BLASTS - 7-9-09

2009-07-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

Destroy Destroy Destroy guitarist Jeremiah Scott will be interviewed live on 91.7 WMWM Salem State University radio tomorrow at 5 p.m. EST. http://www.myspace.com/destroydestroydestroy

Members of Nashville, Tenn.’s Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza are featured along side members of Misery Index and Seven Year Existence in this week’s “Video of the Week” on the Black Market Activities blog. http://blackmarketactivities.blogspot.com, http://www.myspace.com/tonydanzatapdanceextravaganza

Lords vocalist/guitarist Chris Owens and Coliseum drummer Chris Maggio are joining forces for a side project. More information to come as it develops. http://www.myspace.com/lordsoflouisville

Romans guitarist Justin Gonyea recently started running a studio/venue called “The Long Mustache.” http://www.myspace.com/romansnoise, http://www.myspace.com/thelongmoustache

Whoever thought Koalas and Leprechauns could be paired up? The_Network guitarist Kevin Howley has a second Australian tour diary entry on the Deciblog: http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=314618, http://www.myspace.com/thenetworkmetal

Paria, the_Network and Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza are now on Facebook. In order for the bands to make a Facebook URL, they need over 1000 friends and are asking for your help in reaching that goal! http://www.facebook.com/pages/PARIA/15117509542, http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/the_Network/104224565951?ref=ts, http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/The-Tony-Danza-Tapdance-Extravaganza/69393437752?ref=ts

Paria and Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza are also on Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/pariamusic

http://www.twitter.com/ttdte

Follow team BMA on Twitter!

http://www.twitter.com/sheenabma

http://www.twitter.com/michellebma

Video of the Week: Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza guest apperance!

2009-07-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza vocalist Jessie Freeland and guitarist Layne Meylain join members of Misery Index and Seven Year Existence at The Phoenix in Champaign, Ill.

(Video credit: Amanda Wright).

the_Network's Kevin Howley now on the Deciblog!

2009-07-03T12:08:00.001-07:00

Check out the second entry Kev did for the Deciblog:

http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=314618

Our little Digi is movin' on up!

Video of the Week: Romans and the 'Vantastic Voyage'

2009-06-29T18:51:00.001-07:00

Romans - The Vantastic Voyage

BMA Weekly Grind - 6-23-09

2009-06-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

It’s not a sausage fest, it’s Dudefest!

Three days worth of smelly dudes embracing their punk roots—and Slip N Slides—storms into Indianapolis from July 17-19. Non-crust folks may only be able to tolerate a solitary day of such a pungency of the senses, which is where our suggestion for watching GAZA and Lords on Saturday of the fest comes in. Salt Lake City’s resident conscientious objectors are back again this year, after leaving last year’s Dudefest salivating at the gills. The last remaining rebels of the South follow later Saturday evening to kick what’s left of the concert goers’ corpses in the ribs. Other bands scheduled to join the stage with both GAZA and Lords Dudefest weekend are Torche, Russian Circles, Harvey Milk, Furnace and more.

For a complete listing of bands, venue and ticket information, visit the Dudefest MySpace page:

http://www.myspace.com/dudefestindiana

Paria run to the Dakotas and back!

Maybe not physically, but the band’s tour dates are as follows:

6/25 - The Sydney - Omaha, Nebraska

6/26 - Knickerbockers w/The Recession - Lincoln, Nebraska

7/11 - The Beat w/High Hopes - Minneapolis, Minnesota

7/17 - Nights of Columbus (w/Old Ironside) - Sioux Falls, South Dakota

7/18 - The Red Raven (w/Battlefields & Old Ironside) - Fargo, North Dakota

An excerpt of Paria bassist Dustin Treinen describing the band’s wacky relationship with Psyopus in a recent interview with Thrash Magazine:

“We were in the middle of a song and a girl walked out holding a big sign that said something like “Psyopus owns you pussies!” The next thing I knew, my band was being pelted with flour and glitter wrapped in paper towels. We were caught completely off guard because as far as we knew, Psyopus was 5 hours away from us….”

The full interview can be read here:

http://www.thrashmag.com/interviews/content.aspx?id=4598

http://www.myspace.com/paria

Engineer kicking ass and taking names with Tides!

The most up-to-date July tour dates and venues scheduled for Engineer thus far:

7/12 - TBA - Rochester, NY

7/13 - The Vineyard - Kent, OH

7/14 - The Metalfrat - Ann Arbor, MI

7/15 - The Tower Room - Antioch, IL

7/16 - The 1511 w/ Comadre & Surroundings - Indianapolis, IN

7/17 - TBA - Evansville, IN

7/18 - The Hideaway - Johnson City, TN

7/19 - SK Net - Charlotte, NC

7/20 - Nara Sushi - Richmond, VA

7/21 - The Velvet Lounge - Washington DC

7/22 - The Hexagon - Baltimore, MD

7/23 - Kung Fu Necktie w/ Fight Amp - Philadelphia, PA

7/24 - The Cherry St Station – Wallingford, CT

7/25 - Easy Axxess - Pawtucket, RI

7/26 - Anchors Up! - Haverhill, MA

7/27 - The Long Mustache - Burlington, VT

7/28 - Recess w/ Fuck the Facts - Syracuse, NY

http://www.myspace.com/engineercooldude

A plethora of BMA releases comin’ at cha, real soon!

9/15 – Lye By Mistake – “Fea Jur”

9/15 – The_Network – “The Bishop Kent Manning”

10/13 – Sweet Cobra – TBA

10/27 – The Abominable Iron Sloth – “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Heaviness”

Follow us on Twitter, Blogspot and troll our Web sites for the latest BMA rhetoric:

http://blackmarketactivities.blogspot.com

http://www.blackmarketactivities.com

http://www.myspace.com/blackmarketactivities

http://www.twitter.com/sheenabma

http://www.twitter.com/michellebma

New Lords interview with HardTimes.ca!

2009-06-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

Lords' Chris Owens isn't shy, folks. Who else would compare today's mainstream hardcore to '80s hair metal?

Lords Interview HARDTIMES.CA

Shaun Luu Horror Fest: Tales from the pants party

2009-06-19T08:12:00.001-07:00

To complete a week of recapping on Shaun Luu Horror Fest in Syracuse, NY is a final blog entry from the BMA family's resident mystery human, followed by the second live video of the_Network.

Day one: Friday, June 12 – Boston, MA

Ripped pants, spaghetti sandwiches, delicious treats and booze.

All three pretty much sum up the days leading up to Shaun Luu Horror Fest in Syracuse, NY.

After exhausting all of my electronics on the non-stop, five hour plane ride on Friday, departing from San Diego, CA, and arriving in Boston, MA, I was ready to check out the portion of the nation yet-to-be discovered by yours truly—but apparently by most other humans.

For a first timer in Boston, I could go on for days about the things I saw. But chances are many of the people reading this have already been there and are thinking, “relax Cali, I’ve already run like 20 miles around what you just saw.”

I was a sheltered kid, OK? Traveling was a rarity in my household.

I’ll save you all some eye-rolling, and stick to the highlights:

· Vegan food in the North End, joined by post ingestion grub crawling across the plate where my vegan slider once sat.

· Chocolate covered cannoli from Mike’s Bakery. Two of these suckers proved to be too many—my first fail in pastry eating.

· Boston Common sidewalk dweller proudly exclaiming his awareness of what resided beneath our pastry box—“I know what yah gaa-aht!”

· An Irish bar playing techno and a bartender who really wanted to prove he knew his Guinness.

· Map fail in Boston, no “You Are Here” dots to be found on ANY of the city maps.

· My guide stepping in a murky, dog-shit textured puddle of dirt that adhered to his shoe for the next three days.

Day 2: Saturday, June 13 – New Hampshire

It’s 11 a.m. and time for the_Network to hit up the jam spot before heading to a show in Portsmouth, NH.

All I’ve been told about Portsmouth for the past hour was that it’s a city by the ocean and it’s awesome—too bad the show ended up really being in another city adjacent to Portsmouth, so all my dreams of grandeur went down the shitter.

Greenland, NH wasn’t anything spectacular, nor was the show the_Network played. What was supposed to be a fest ended up being more like a grab-and-go liquor store—go in, do your stuff and get out—and your choices for a beverage were watered down beer, or one lone bottle of whiskey.

I’ll leave the Greenland gig at that—what follows next is much tastier.

Pre day three: Sandwiches and six hours of open road

Massive French rolls covered in assorted grilled meats, spiced up condiments and layers of melted cheese was the best idea for a fitting meal to try and forget the fact that we had a six hour drive before us to Syracuse, NY.

Restlessness prevented some of us from sleeping, others knocked out in meat-induced food comas, but upon reaching Keith from Architect’s house, everyone slept like they were trying to kick Swine Flu.

Day three: Shaun Luu Horror Fest – Syracuse, NY

Two pound sandwiches were a great idea, yesterday.

Breakfast at Mom’s Diner in Syracuse had to be the best choice of the day—so far, anyway.

Curry and Mediterranean spiced eggs were the highlight of the meal, and Recess Coffee and Roastery provided its glorious conclusion (shameless plug for Ed Gein).

Properly caffeinated, I watched the_Network wake up the half-glazed over audience, with distorted bliss running through my ears and Mikey Bones assaulting random members of the crowd.

Engineer followed shortly after, playing to a mostly full room of eyes gleaming with excitement for the band of brothers. No matter how hard I try to describe how fucking great Engineer was, no description will do justice to the post-show exciting masses, who were evidently amazed given the rampant amount of prideful name droppings and “fucking rad”’s being uttered upon their departure to fresh air.

Architect reminded me why I just traveled nearly 3,000 miles. My mind was literally blown and dripping down the side of my skull post set—they definitely need more than a Swiffer to clean that shit up. I was told they deliver every fucking time, but at this particular show, they were near God-like—though I bet the band would be disgusted to share a comparison with God.

Ed Gein. Do I really need to say anything? Seriously. So many people have hyped up how fucking stellar this band is live. How it’s been years since they’ve shared a stage. The more I heard, the more stoked I became. I didn’t doubt for a second that Ed Gein wouldn’t live up the hype. I was so fucking right. If everyone else’s mind wasn’t lying in a pool of chunky mucus on the floor, I would not have doubted it. The crowd knew what they had just witnessed was magnificent, chanting “Ed Gein” and “play more songs,” to which the band responded, “We don’t have any more songs!”

If you missed out on the fest, no worries. All of the afore mentioned BMA bands are writing for coming albums—the_Network’s “The Bishop Kent Manning” is out in September—so you’ll get your chance to make a mess of the floor soon.

-Sheena

the_Network live at Shaun Luu Horror Fest, part one

2009-06-17T22:07:00.001-07:00

Part one of two videos filmed of the_Network at Shaun Luu Horror Fest:

Have you hugged your mom today? Ed Gein's Aaron Jenkins reminds us of the importance of friends and family in the wake of Shaun Luu Horror Fest!

2009-06-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'm not a religious person. I don't believe in god or the devil. I don't believe in the afterlife in the traditional sense. But I do believe that there is a lot about this world, this life, that we don't understand. That we will never understand. Until we pass on and find out first hand. And I can not shake the feeling that Shaun was with us last night. I'm man enough say that I'm tearing up as I'm typing this and I cried like a little baby many times yesterday. I've generally held up pretty well during the fest over the past two years, but something about yesterday was just unreal. I miss Shaun. I miss his weird, uncomfortable sense of humor. I miss his full body head banging. I miss seeing him at practically every show no matter what style of music it was. I miss his enthusiasm and his intensity. I think he would have had an absolute blast yesterday. And I want to thank each and every one of you for being there. And I want to say this to all of you....none of us knows how long we have on this earth. It could be years. It could be days. It could be less. Tell your friends how much they mean to you every time you see them. Tell your family you love them. It's easy through out our day-to-day lives to forget how important our friendships are. It's easy to take things for granted. It's easy to not see how absolutely precious and wonderful each day is. Please don't forget.

Our community is amazing. When we all come together there is nothing that can't be done. We all may have our differences of opinion. Our feuds. Our misjudgments and our grudges. But when it all comes down, when we take a minute out of our day to really think about what we have here in this city it is amazing. At the movies alone we raised over $3197 for the benefit fund AFTER most expenses were covered (we still have to cover return shipping for the film prints and we won't know how much that comes out to until Wednesday when Jeff gets them shipped. So that total will change a little. I'll keep everyone informed). We haven't had a chance to go through the money from yesterday yet but the final head count for the bands was 311 people! And from what I've been told a lot of people were paying extra to get in.

The bands from out of town were floored by how amazing the people in Syracuse are. They were very glad to be a part of yesterday. And many many thanks to the fucking awesome bands we have right here in this town. Every last one of you is top fucking notch. Ed Gein has played with a lot of bands in a lot of cities and I can tell you we have some of the best bands out there right in our home town. Thank you all for doing what you do.

DESTROY DESTROY DESTROY EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE FOR "THE WRETCHED FOREST" ON MYSPACE METAL TODAY!!

2009-05-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release

May 26, 2009

DESTROY DESTROY DESTROY EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE FOR "THE WRETCHED FOREST" ON MYSPACE METAL TODAY!!

Nashville natives Destroy, Destroy, Destroy will exclusively premiere its new music video for "The Wretched Forest" this Tuesday on MySpace Metal.

Check the video out in all its glory!

The video for "The Wretched Forest" transcends historical time periods, taking us back to when quests for the Holy Grail and slaying dragons were more than mere legend spoken by elders. "The Wretched Forest" is directed by Steve Stemac, with post production by Ryan Kendrick of Digital Bohemia.

"The Wretched Forest," from Dx3's recent Black Market Activities release "Battle Sluts," is in itself a perilous quest to revive the artistic premise on which creative music videos once began, with its 8 mm style film and fantasy-based story line.

Prepare to immerse yourself in a legend of honor, integrity and heroic valor by checking out songs from the band's release "Battle Sluts" on its MySpace page:

Or on the Black Market Activities MySpace page:

Check out more work from Ryan of Digital Bohemia:

Goin' down under: the_Network invades Australia, pt. 1

2009-05-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

(note: Kev Digi is not pictured in the Australian Outback, but the wilderness in Reno, NV)

(Photo credit: Metal Jeff)

April 20, 2009

Coinciding with Hitler’s birthday and the anniversary of the Columbine massacre, Pete and I are sitting in the LAX Airport waiting to board our flight to Australia. In order to save money on “Entertainment Visas,” and to avoid all the other injustices traveling bands usually endure, the whole band decided to take separate flights to the other side of the Earth. It was just by coincidence that Pete and I got the same flight to Australia. Shane and Bones are sharing a flight, but poor Vic is cruising solo the whole way.

It should be made clear that the_Network will be playing this Australian tour with Shane “the main brain” Frisby on bass and Vic “the prick” on drums. So later in the diary, perhaps, when I say something like “Shane and I built the London Bridge with the help of some ‘Sheila’ with daddy issues,” or “Shane, Vic, and I drank a keg of Foster’s while watching some Australian fuck tapes with some Aborigines and their semi-tamed Kangaroo family,” there won’t be any confusion. Traveling is expensive; and traveling across the entire world is very expensive, so our full time scumbag partners in crime, Tim and Bennett, couldn’t make it. Shane’s experienced the embarrassment of touring with us before so he’s prepared, and Vic seems just sleazy enough to not even bat an eyelash when Pete drags a girl into a bathroom, a girl drags Mikey Bones into a bathroom, and Shane and I have our hands deep in each other’s pockets in a bathroom.

Back to the issue at hand, I’ve just been assigned a window seat with my own little entertainment system installed into the headrest in front of me so my grundle’s tingling with excitement (and a few milligrams of Xanax) at the thought of maybe watching “Mall Cop” or “Confessions of a Shopaholic.” I’m writing my local congressman to ensure that The Dark Knight, Rambo, or any Rocco Siffredi films are the only legal entertainment one should experience when remaining stationary for more than four hours. We can all make a difference.

Oh, quick effeminate celebrity sighting to report. Like I said, we’re in the Los Angeles airport, and you can’t whip out your cock anywhere in L.A. without offending some B list celebrity or obscure television actor. In the airport, I saw an actress from the HBO serious “Big Love” rushing out of the restroom (after hopefully just eating cocaine). If you’re an HBO slut like myself and are familiar with the show Big Love, you’ll know the woman who almost became Bill Paxton’s fourth wife. That was her. I find that show a bit unrealistic because I’m positive that Bill Paxton doesn’t have three wives; he surely has about eight or nine. I didn’t get a chance to speak to the actress but did get a picture of the bathroom she most likely just sprayed with a digested lunch and shame.

The Boeing 747 we’ve just boarded has a second floor where Pete and I assumed we’d be able to enjoy a few cocktails while wearing airline bequeathed tuxedos and James Bond shoe phones for graciously fitting in with the movers and shakers of the world. I haven’t gotten laid in embarrassingly too long and my imagination got the best of me. I thought I’d join the mile high club with the type of beauty you see in postcards from Paris. I was supposed to furiously lift her silk skirt just high enough to get the job done and then charm her into a puddle of ooze throughout the rest of the flight; maybe call her again someday and get married. I’d tell her I just need a few years to build my empire and to save the world and she would stoically wait for me. Damn my imagination! And damn the rules of the 747. Instead of discussing geopolitics waiting for a dry martini upstairs during the flight, Pete and I learned that the upstairs remains reserved for the true blue bloods and high, high end prostitutes. Even at 30,000 feet, the separation of classes is a necessity. I mean, American Airlines can’t have some mother of three wearing a Mickey Mouse sweat shirt ordering a Bud Light on the second floor! It’s bad enough that we lowlifes have to walk past the first class pricks with their mimosas and too much leg room when boarding to the back of the plane where there are only one and a half bathrooms that are constantly occupied by body odor. I endure all this without a cigarette by the way. I hope all you holier than thou non-smokers board a flight with Stephen Hawking behind the wheel.

Oh! I’ve just been handed a menu. Is a menu really necessary on a flight? How many pages does it take to say “cold” shit or “hot” shit? I have to admit that I enjoy airline food. The meal is just another thing to keep my mind off the Parisian model I’m supposed to be fucking like an animal in the upstairs bathroom. An airline meal is like a Hungry Man served as filet mignon minus the delicious brownie and delicious food. “Sigh.” So I’ve got a window seat, an empty seat next to me, an airline menu, and, Parisian model or not, I’m going to invite myself to join the mile high club soon enough.

Another layover: Pete and I are on our final flight from Brisbane to Adelaide, Australia and I have just met one of the most inspirational people I’ve ever known. She’s an older woman named Peta. She’s on her way to Adelaide to visit her daughter and grandchildren. I started a conversation with her immediately upon taking my seat. (I believe I may have a fraction of woman’s intuition.) She has sugar sweet, wise eyes. A real hippy might say she’s beaming with an almost radioactive aura. She seems like the type of mother orphans see in their dreams. She’s also facing death. Really, she told me she’s actively living out her “Bucket List.” I didn’t delve into what’s ailing her, and her optimism wouldn’t even let me tell her how sorry I feel for her. It’s obvious she’s past that and is too tough for anyone’s pity. She may be the bravest person I’ll ever meet (If I don’t die young, I picture myself wilting, feeble, dying like a needy little nothing). Peta said she used to waste time worrying about the future and has now told herself to not look beyond two days ahead. You’d never guess that she’s sick, tired, or troubled in the slightest. I’m sitting next to a living saint. She gave me all her contact info and told me to immediately get in touch with her if anything goes wrong. This is where my brain starts up the strings section, soft music reverberates through my skull and bones, and the crane shot of me staring out the plane’s window pans back; farther and farther until my life and I become as obscure as the squares of land pock marking the world beneath us. As jagged, grotesque, and stupid life can be, it’s always worth living.

My wildest, sexiest, and basically impossible dreams didn’t come true on that flight, but something real and much more important did. That’s how life is I guess.

Engineer to hit the road with Tides in July

2009-05-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

Much of the tour is still in the midst of being booked. If you'd like to book any of the following dates, contact the band on the Engineer MySpace:

7/11 Rochester, NY @ tba
7/12 Morgantown, WV @ tba
7/13 Kent, OH @ tba
7/14 Ann Arbor, MI @ tba
7/15 Chicago, IL @ tba
7/16 Indiana @ tba
7/17 Kentucky @ tba
7/18 Tennessee @ tba
7/19 Charlotte, North Carolina @ tba
7/20 Richmond, VA @ tba
7/21 Washington, DC @ The Velvet Lounge
7/22 Baltimore, MD @ tba
7/23 New Jersey @ tba
7/24 Conneticut @ tba
7/25 Providence, RI @ tba
7/26 Boston, MA @ tba

Shaun Luu Fest: nearly a BMA showcase

2009-05-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

Architect, Ed Gein, Engineer, the_Network will all play Shaun Luu Horror Festival on Sunday, June 14 at the Westcott Theatre in Syracuse, NY.

Paria on the Metal Injection Livecast tonight!

2009-05-15T13:37:00.001-07:00

Paria will appear on the Metal Injection Livecast tonight. Tune in at 10 p.m. EST.

GAZA cancels May tour

2009-05-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

Here's what the band has to say, via MySpace:

"Sorry to all the folks that have helped us or wanted to see us in a couple weeks. We just couldn't get this tour put together well enough and the outlook wasn't looking great. We're going to tag a week onto another tour this year, though, so look out for that.

HOWEVER, we're still going to play Dudefest this July and will be booking for that. Stay tuned, y'alls.

Sorry midwest Gazateers, but we'll be by in two months!"

LA Murderfest set times posted for The Abominable Iron Sloth

2009-05-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

The Abominable Iron Sloth plays mainstage on Sunday, May 10 of LA Murderfest at 4:35-4:55 p.m.

Tony Danza Canadian tour dates announced

2009-05-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza will tour Canada in May for the "Making the Canadian Bacon Tour." Joining them will be The Number Twelve Looks Like You and Stray from the Path.

Confirmed dates/venues:

5.21 - Windsor, ON - Chubby Pickle
5.22 - St. Catharines, ON - L3 w/ Starring Janet Leigh
5.23 - Toronto, ON - Kathedral w/ Starring Janet Leigh
5.24 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks
5.25 - Montreal, QC - The Underground
5.26 - Quebec City, QC - L'Anti
5.27 - Essex Junction, VT - Champlain Valley Expo
5.28 - Oshawa, ON - EP Taylors
5.30 - Guelph, ON - Shadow
5.31 - Hamilton, ON - Casbah

LORDS invades the Great White North in June!

2009-04-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Lords is set to tour Canada in June and will be joined by Barn Burner, Titan and Vilipend.

6/10 – Hamilton, ON @ Casbah (all ages)
6/11 – Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dees (19+ bar show)
6/12 – Ottawa, ON @ Cafe Dekeuf (19+ Bar show)
6/13 – Montreal, QC @ Katacombes (18+ bar show)
6/14 – Sudbury, ON @ Adanac Shack (Dry all ages show)
6/15 – TBA
6/16 – London, ON @ Call The Office (all ages)
6/17 – St. Catharines, ON @ 73 (Dry all ages show)
6/18 – Kingston, ON @ Bar None (19+ bar show)
6/19 – Guelph, ON @ Shadow (all ages)
6/20 – Mississauga, ON @ City Center / Coliseum Stage
(outdoor festival / dry show)
6/21 – Windsor, ON @ Coach and Horse (19+ bar show)

GAZA podcast now available, featuring new music from the highly anticipated upcoming release

2009-04-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

Tune in, folks:

http://circus.libsyn.com/

Paria live video footage from its CD release show

2009-04-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

Video Credit: Kyle Beneke of High Five Productions

BMA News Update: this week in BMA news

2009-04-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

Basically, there isn't much to tell.

The only update that needs to be made at this point is that Dance Club Massacre's tour dates have changed, so please disregard the tour dates listed for them in the previous post and check the band's MySpace page for those recently added.

If you hadn't already heard, you probably don't care, want or have a Twitter account. But several of the BMA family are now on there. Follow us into hell:

http://www.twitter.com/theredchord
http://www.twitter.com/sheenabma
http://www.twitter.com/michellebma
http://www.twitter.com/pariamusic
http://www.twitter.com/downsidesahead
http://www.twitter.com/hattmynek
http://www.twitter.com/jonotin
http://www.twitter.com/ttdte

Other than that, the_Network is on tour in Australia, dates can be found on the band's MySpace page. Also, Destroy, Destroy, Destroy will play a few shows in Tennessee with new vocalist Chris Bazor. Paria will play this Thursday with Ladyfinger and has a few other local shows booked.

That's all for now, folks.

-BMA staff

GAZA streaming new tunes from the forthcoming album live on the air tonight

2009-04-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Gaza will play songs from the upcoming release live on the air tonight at 8 p.m. (MDT). If you live in the Salt Lake area, you can tune in at 90.9 FM. Otherwise, go to this link for streaming enjoyment:

http://streamctl.krcl.org/krcl-high.m3u

ARCHITECT stage and time at New England Metal Fest

2009-04-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

Architect will play Friday, April 17 on the 2nd stage at 2:10 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Go check 'em out and destroy someone!!

Gaza tour leading up to Midwest Fuckfest

2009-04-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here's what we know thus far, check the Gaza MySpace for updates:

4.18 - Greywhale CD (all ages show) - Ogden, Utah
4.19 - Baxter’s Coffee w/ Collapse and Braveyoung - SLC, Utah
4.22 - Club Vegas (21+) w/ EARLY GRAVES, THE SECRET - SLC, Utah
5.13 - The Crown Underground w/ Clinging to the Trees - Cheyenne, Wyoming
5.14 - TBA - Omaha/Lincoln, Nebraska
5.15 - TBA - Des Moines area, Iowa
5.16 - Midwest Fuckfest! w/ ROTTEN SOUND, CROWPATH, etc - Aurora, Illinois
5.17 - TBA - South Bend or Ft. Wayne, Indiana
5.18 - Pending - Pella, Iowa
5.19 - TBA - Denver area, Colorado
5.29 -May-hem Fest @ New Song Underground - SLC, Utah

BMA News Update: Keepin' it short and sweet

2009-04-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly a month since the last BMA news update, so now's as good a time as any to update what little news we have to share.

Paria has a sweet review/blurb on Billboard.com about its newest release, "The Barnacle Cordious."

The Abominable Iron Sloth, as announced today on the band's MySpace, will soon begin recording its BMA debut in Kentucky with Chris Owens (Lords). Though a release date is not yet solidified, end of summer is our general projection.

Guy recently did an interview with Hardtimes.ca when on tour in Montreal, Quebec. In the interview he discusses BMA and shares his thoughts on the music industry.

Here's all the tour dates that we can account for within the BMA family:

Architect

4.18 - The Lost Horizon w/Napalm Death - Syracuse, NY
4.21 - The Static Age - Romeo, MI
4.22 - TBA - Detroit/Flint, MI
4.23 - TBA - Chicago, IL
4.24 - TBA - Des Moines / Iowa City, IA
4.25 - The Triple Rock w/ DISEMBODIED and COALESCE - Minneapolis, MN
4.26 - Public Space One - Iowa City, IA
4.27 - Studio 8 at the Murphy Building - Indianapolis, IN
4.28 - TBA - Indiana
4.29 - The Warehouse - Columbus, OH
4.30 - TBA - Ohio
5.1 - Yesterdays Draught House - Wheeling, WV
5.2 - The RoundHouse - Pittsburgh, PA

Cancer Bats

4.22 - Engine Rooms Brighton, UK
4.23 - Spring and Airbrake Belfast, UK
4.24 - Academy 2 Dublin, Ireland
4.25 - Fred Zeppelins Cork, Ireland
4.26 - Arts Centre Colchester, UK
4.27 - O2 Academy Oxford, UK
4.28 - Barfly Cardiff, UK
4.29 - ABC 2 Glasgow, UK
4.30 - The Cockpit Leeds, UK
5.1 - Sugarmill Stoke, UK
5.2 - Rock City Nottingham, UK
5.3 - Academy 3 Manchester, UK
5.4 - O2 Academy 2 Birmingham, UK
5.5 - O2 Academy 2 Bristol, UK
5.6 - Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth, UK
5.7 - Underworld London, UK
5.11 - The Capitol Perth
5.12 - Heaven Adelaide
5.14 - Billboard Afternoon all ages Melbourne
5.15 - Billboard Evening 18 plus Melbourne
5.16 - UNSW ROUNDHOUSE SYDNEY
5.17 - The Tivoli Brisbane
5.19 - Transmission Room Auckland

Dance Club Massacre

5.1 Pop vs Hardcore Round 3 @ The Unity Lodge Kenosha, WI
5.23 O’Malley’s Bar and Grill (All Ages) Alsip, IL

TOUR w/ KNIGHTS OF THE ABYSS
6.20 - Johnny's Coffee House - Metamora, IL
6.21 - Doug's Rock House - Aurora, IL
6.22 - Gamer's Paradise - Flint, MI
6.23 - Centre Stage - Toledo, OH
6.24 - Blue Violet Cafe - Rochester, PA
6.25 - The Refuge - Fredericksburg, VA
6.26 - Southside 220 - Boones Mill, VA
6.27 - The Brewery - Raleigh, NC
6.28 - Weekend's Pub - Goose Creek, SC
6.29 - Island Oasis - Winter Park, FL
6.30 - The Dugout - Miami, FL
7.1 - The Garage South - Fort Myers, FL
7.2 - Olympia Performance Arts - Palmetto, FL
7.3 - Gallery 13 - Columbus, GA
7.4 - The High Ground - Metairie, LA
7.5 - Java Junction - Houston, TX
7.6 - The White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
7.7 - Molly's - Arlington, TX
7.8 - The Hanger - Wichita Falls, TX
7.9 - The War Legion - Amarillo, TX
7.10 - The Anchor - Albuquerque, NM
7.11 - Clubhouse Venue - Tempe, AZ
7.12 - Cobalt Cafe - Canoga Park, CA
7.13 - Sanger Community Center - Sanger, CA
7.14 - The Venue - Los Gatos, CA
7.15 - Legends Nightclub - Klamath Falls, OR
7.16 - Satyricon - Portland, OR
7.17 - Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
7.18 - The Empyrean - Spokane, WA
7.19 - Glenwood Square - Yakima, WA

Destroy, Destroy, Destroy

4.23 - 527 Main with TBD Murfreesboro, TN
4.24 - TBD (maybe the Hideaway with The Showdown) Johnson City, TN
4.25 - Club Fathom - Chattanooga, TN

Engineer

6.14 - The Westcott Theatre - Syracuse, NY

the_Network

4.23 - Adelaide Uni bar w/ Robotosaurus Adelaide, South Australia
4.24 - Arthouse w/ Robotosaurus Melbourne, Victoria
4.25 - Pony w/ Robotosaurus Melbourne, Victoria
4.26 - Catfood Press w/ Robotosaurus Melbourne, Victoria
4.28 - Dirty Shirlows w/ Robotosaurus Sydney, New South Wales
4.29 - Hermanns Bar w/ Robotosaurus Sydney, New South Wales
5.1 - Rosies live w/ Robotosaurus Brisbane, Queensland
5.2 - Ahimsa House w/ Robotosaurus Brisbane, Queensland

Sweet Cobra and Russian Circles to tour in April!

2009-03-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

4/22 - Mix Tape Cafe - Grand Rapids, MI
4/23 - Radio Radio - Indianapolis, IL
4/24 - Magic Stick - Detroit, MI
4/25 - The Grog Shop - Cleveland Heights, OH
4/26 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
4/27 - Maxwell’s - Hoboken, NJ
4/28 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA
4/29 - Smiling Moose - Pittsburg, PA
4/30 - Skull Alley - Louisville, KY

PARIA PREMIERE VIDEO “THE BARNACLE CORDIOUS” TODAY! ONLY ON METALINJECTION.NET!

2009-03-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

Today marks the premiere of Paria’s newest video “The Barnacle Cordious” exclusively on MetalInjection.net.

“The Barnacle Cordious” is directed by Paria’s long time friend and videograher, Kyle Benecke, of the High Five Media Group. “The Barnacle Cordious” enhanced cd will feature a copy of the band’s first video. In addition, Kyle, who is the former vocalist of System Failure and Nodes of Ravier, lent his talents to several tracks on the record.

“The Barnacle Cordious” will be available in store March 17th. Pre-order the record now from the Black Market Activities webstore.

Don’t forget you can check out more music from “The Barnacle Cordious” on Paria's MySpace and the Black Market Activities MySpace.

The Fatasses of Metal Social Club: Cattle Decapitation, Psyopus and the 'mini' bar

2009-03-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

Covering all of the major food groups is important, but the minor ones shouldn’t be pissed to the wind because they’re unfairly categorized by the FDA as a “minority” food group. It’s just fucking food racism.

While it seemed nearly impossible to top the disturbing display of competitive eating at D.Z. Akins, we will overcome – we will persevere. Because pickles and sandwiches are shits and giggles when compared to gorging on the purest forms of sugar, and still avoiding keeling over into an agonizing sugary seizure.

Nothing says Valentine’s Day quite like going to see Cattle Decapitation and Psyopus in the “barrio” of San Marcos, otherwise known as slums that surround one of the few legit North County venues, The Jumping Turtle.

But the only “I love you’s” on display weren’t from our devotion to spit baths paired with great groin-demolishing music, but rather the pre-gamed feast of gummy bears, washed down with chocolate liquor shots. Only Kindergartners dream of such indulgences – minus the “liquor shots,” we’re trying to keep it PC here, people.

Cracking open one of Michelle’s several enormous cases of Gummy Bears that she received for V-Day was like busting open a piñata at a non-Mexican friend’s birthday party – you know there’s a delicious reward waiting to be unleashed, so you ignore that fact that something isn’t right about the situation.

Three packets later, Michelle forgot we needed something to wash the multi-colored woodland creatures down.

Opening the liquor cabinet – or box in this case – revealed an alocholic’s taster’s choice of fine liquors. Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Grand Mariner, Cointreau, at this moment, I broke “edge.”

Two-or-three shots later, we headed out to The Jumping Turtle, arriving just in time to park ourselves by the heater. You may be thinking, “what the fuck is so amazing about standing next to a heater?” Well, given that I’ve got more dye in my hair than Wavy Gravy’s t-shirt collection, it’s a pretty dangerous feat to stand next to a flame-spitting heater.

Still danger was somewhat expected at this place, especially after Michelle, some of the Cattle significant others and I had to dodge just about every whirl-wind, preschooler’s shoving match coming our way. Or maybe it was the crazy heckler, who was told where to shove it, and later waited outside for a knife fight – good job remembering dude that it’s 2009, not 1955, put your switchblade away and all hair grease purchases are discontinued.

Sheena Hamilton is publicity assistant for BMA and a cynic who doesn't discriminate against minority food groups.

The Fat Asses of Metal Social Club: The Graf Orlock installment

2009-03-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

It’s not too often that you hear from the staff at BMA. I decided it was time to write a blog entry because I labor under the illusion that you give enough of a shit about me actually read this.

So Sheena and I - the only other two people who actually work for BMA - decided to form a social club: The Fat Asses of Metal Social Club. For those of you unfamiliar with social clubs, it’s kind of like the Buena Vista Social Club, except we aren’t a large group of middle-aged men who gather to make sweet jazz music. We are two (yes, only two) twenty-something broads who get together to eat like lumberjacks before wandering into the B.O. and stale beer stench of a club or bar to get punched in the gut by sweaty 19-year-old dudes.

The first and quite impromptu meeting of the Fat Asses of Metal took place at an establishment that sits in the shadow of my house and right next to an audio book rental store (yes!): D.Z. Atkins. This palace of pastries and pastrami features all the best of what Jew food has to offer and Sheena and I were ready to indulge like we hadn’t eaten in weeks. Our first mission was to empty the crock of dill pickles that sits on the table. Less than 10 minutes later, mission fucking accomplished. A heaping mound of tuna salad, a mountain of fries, a mile-high pastrami sandwich and enough challah bread to feed a Sudanese family for a month, Sheena and I were onto bigger an better things (the bakery). We loaded up a box with $20 worth of enough chocolate and sugar to give us both diabetes.

Not wanting to make anyone jealous of our gastronomical potential, we headed back to the house to polish off this box of treats. The fistfight that ensued over the last chocolate covered macaroon was hardly the end of this night. We still had a show to attend. So, we rolled ourselves out to the car and advanced into the rain and the dark to the night’s event: a Graf Orlock house show in Escondido.

Now, as we waddled out the door, my roommate (always playing the mom) warned us of the presence of “party gangs”, groups of hooligans who travel to house parties only to start fights and fuck up unsuspecting and highly intoxicated partygoers. If only she understood where Sheena and I were headed, she would have known the worst thing that could have happened to us was that we were would be subjected to the minuscule anatomy of boys making a tiny bump in the crotch of their three sizes too small jeans, and maybe, getting a stinky armpit to the face.

We arrive and our lowest of expectations were met. No more than three-dozen people, including the performing bands, cram into a two-car garage in the middle of Esco’s oldest and trashiest suburban piece of heaven. With the hum of amps and the drone of a movie sample, the garage door closes. Immediately, the few kids there launch into a mechanical response so predictable it can hardly be seen as subversive anymore. You know what I’m talking about. Moshing, dancing, aerobics, whatever. As predictable as the pushing and shoving was the 17-year-old elitist heckling, the verbatim mouthing of the movie samples, the girls with straw hair and shitty haircuts, the tight pants and the shouting of inside jokes among the friends of the crowd.

Remaining on the outskirts of the shoving match, I try my best to stand still, arms crossed to prevent the occasional elbow, foot and butt from pushing into my gut and causing me to vomit $30 worth of cookies and pastrami onto the unsuspecting victim in front of me. I look over to see Sheena standing victoriously on top of an errant coffee table that had attempted to amputate her at the shins. By the end of the show I was overcome with nostalgia. I hadn’t been to a house show in probably nearly ten years. These were the kinds of shows that I miss the most.

Despite the pushing and shouting, the stupid drunk girl’s feeble (and failed) attempt to participate the conversations of four college educated metal nerds, and overwhelming sleepiness that hit us promptly at 11pm, Graf Orlock proved that even playing in mom and dad’s garage, they are still the best cinema gore has to offer.

Michelle Ferraro is the Head of Publicity for BMA and can't deny a stacked pastrami on rye with a chocolate macaroon on the side.

BMA News Update: Summer releases and regurgitation

2009-03-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

There hasn't been a BMA News Update in a good minute, though a lot of news blurbs were posted in the past several weeks. Here's the lowdown of what's been posted, and hasn't, to keep you up-to-date on what's happenin' right now with the BMA family.

Despite the fact the_Network's April tour dates are already up in an earlier post, here's a listing of the confirmed dates and venues for the tour. the_Network will be joined by Aussie natives Robotosaurus.

The_Network (U.S) and Robotosaurus (A.U) Australian 2009 Tour
4/23 Adelaide, South Australia @ Adelaide Uni
4/24 Melbourne, Victoria @ Arthouse w/ The Abandonment
4/25 Melbourne, Victoria @ Pony
4/26 Melbourne, Victoria @ Catfood Press
4/28 Sydney, New South Wales @ Dirty Shirlows
4/29 Sydney, New South Wales @ Hermanns
5/1 Brisbane, Queensland @ Rosie’s live w/ a secret death
5/2 Brisbane, Queensland @ Ahimsa House w/ a secret death

Expect to see new releases from both the_Network and Utah's best oppressed secret, GAZA, out this summer.

The lone member of the BMA family playing New England Metal and Hardcore Festival is Syracuse, NY's Architect. The band will play Friday, April 17. Check the band's MySpace for more info - set time, stage, etc.

Scheduled to play the second day of LA Murderfest is Nor Cal natives The Abominable Iron Sloth. LA Murderfest is May 9 and 10 at the Knitting Factory.

The rumors are true. GAZA will be playing this year's Dudefest in Indianapolis. No specific dates have been announced, nor has the final lineup been released for the fest.

Artist Entry: Gaza guitarist Mike Mason ain't no Ricky Bobby

2009-03-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

Im going to change the substance of these blogs and write about something better known to me.

For my entire life thus far, I have been involved with drag racing. It has been from the later years in the '90s since my father and grandpa moved into the "Nostalgia" top fuel dragster class. Yes, to my knowledge, this could be the most appreciated hereditary fortune that has been passed down - next to our patrimonial chance of heart disease.

With this blog, I'm going to relate the "Nostalgia" top fuel dragster, to the contemporary top fuel dragsters. For those who read this and have no idea what I am talking about, top fuel is the quickest and fastest class of the "sport."

These dragsters run on a fuel called Nitromethane, which is a cousin to the more familiar Nitroglycerin. The stoichiometric (chemically exact) air/fuel ratio of nitromethane is 1.7/1, which means with certain atmospheric conditions, Nitro needs 1.7 cubic inches of air to burn 1 cubic inch of fuel. Most unleaded gases are close to 14.6/1. Since Nitromethane already has an oxygen content in it, it can make a lot more power, due to the small portion of air that can be contained with each fire of a cylinder.

From what I have seen, the average person does not have an idea of how much money these cars require to run. To give you somewhat of an idea - to average out things - you're looking in the promised land of $1,000/second to run one.

The only reason they call them "Nostalgia" top fuel dragsters, is that the driver sits behind the engine. This is how they came to be in the late '50s and early '60s. Of course, there is nothing on these cars that are "nostalgic" in any sense of the word today.

There is still a huge difference between the two classes. I'll list a few: Lets start with the rear tires. On the "Nostalgia" top fuel cars, they are limited to a 12-inch rear tire. The contemporary top fuel cars have an 18-inch tire. The rear-end gear ratio is, at its lowest ratio of 3.90/1. Modern day is at 3.20/1. As far as the engines: The modern day are all in some way, a 500" c.i.d.

The NTF class has a variety of ways and set ups you can have. Whether its a donavan, a hemi, a small or a big block chevy. Now I believe the max C.I.D. you can have in the NTF is 450", but the weight of your car is determined by the cubic inch of your engine. Fuel pumps have become an issue in the NTF class the last couple years, but I'll perhaps talk about that another time.

They can now have a fuel pump that flows 22 gpm (gallons per minute) at 4500 rmp, (9,000 engine rpm). The modern day can have whatever will work. The fundamental idea is that the more fuel you can make the engine burn, the quicker and faster you will go.

Most of the modern day top fuel cars have double inlet pumps that can pump up to 106 g.p.m. To get and idea of how much fuel they are burning, think of two 55 gallon barrel's being burnt in one minute. Nitro is on average around $25/gallon right now. 11-14 gallons a run can already start to add up the costs.

The Clutch on the NTF is a centrifigal three-disc clutch. How aggressive you want the clutch to be is related to how much weight you put on it. The more weight, the faster/harder the clutch arms will open up (in theory). The modern day clutch set ups are usually a five/six disc clutch. everything is run on an air timed system, so you can specifically operate when and where you want the clutch to lock up. This is controlled by your right foot. Once you step on the throttle, it is activated. On modern day top fuel cars, this also controls the fuel, and the magnetos (spark).

Nothing on NTF's can be controlled by air except for the parachutes. Superchargers are also a difference. The NTF's are limited to a 6-71 blower. Where as the modern day are a 14-71, a decent amount bigger. Over the years they have gone from a cast casing/rotors ($1,900/6-71) to a cast casing/billet rotor ($2,800/6-71), to an even better cast casing/billet rotor ($5,000/6-71) To now a billet casing and a billet rotored blower (some PSI models are $20,000).

These are just some of the differences, and perhaps I'll continue with another writing about some of the issues these classes are having. But for a "Nostalgia" top fuel car to go in the 5.60's in a 1/4 mile well into the 250 mph range is at the least ubsurd. For the modern day dragsters to go 4.40's and over 330 mph is beyond me.

You need to see one of these in real life. T.V. does no justice. In Baskerfield, Calif, March 6-8, the March Meet is going on. So go to it if you're near that area. It will not disappoint you.

Mike/Gaza

Exclusive Paria track from March 17 release, 'The Barnacle Cordious,' on the BMA MySpace

2009-02-28T14:32:00.001-08:00

It's safe to say we're fucking excited about the new Paria album.

"The Barnacle Cordious" will be released on March 17, but until then, we've posted an exclusive track from the album, titled "Be," for your listening pleasure.

Cancer Bats to appear on 'The Daily Habit' on Fuel TV on March 4!

2009-02-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

The Cancer Bats to appear on The Daily Habit on Fuel TV on Wednesday, March 4th!

The Cancer Bats were recently filmed performing "Deathsmarch" & "Hail Destroyer" from their latest album, "Hail Destroyer," on FUEL TV’s The Daily Habit. You can catch this performance on the show on Wednesday, March 4th at 9pm ET/6pm PT.

"The Daily Habit" is FUEL TV’s first original daily series, telecast weeknights at 9:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. PT) while re-airing later in the evening at 12:00 a.m. ET (9:00 p.m. PT), and the following weekday at 2:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. PT) and 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT). “The Daily Habit” encompasses the world of the action sports enthusiast, mixing the best in pop culture with today’s top action sports personalities, cutting-edge music, product reviews, and comedy.

About FUEL TV
FUEL TV is an action sports lifestyle network for skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX, freestyle-motocross, and wakeboarding. A unit of Fox Cable Networks, FUEL TV was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in over 26-million U.S. homes. To subscribe to FUEL TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit http://www.fuel.tv/.

Don’t miss your chance to see the Cancer Bats play both of those songs live on the "Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour" w/ Thursday.

CANCER BATS
"Rockstar Energy Drink Taste Of Chaos Tour"
w/ Thursday, Bring Me The Horizon, Four Year Strong, Pierce The Veil
02/19 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
02/20 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
02/21 Salt Lake City, UT In the Venue
02/22 Denver, CO Fillmore
02/23 Omaha, NE Sokol Underground not part of tour w/ Bring Me The Horizon, Pierce The Veil, Four Year Strong
02/24 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
02/25 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
02/26 Rochester, NY Armory
02/27 Worcester, MA Palladium
02/28 Hartford, CT Webster Theatre
03/01 Portland, ME The Station not part of tour w/ Bring Me The Horizon, Pierce The Veil
03/02 Providence, RI Lupo's
03/03 Albany, NY Northern Lights
03/04 New York City, NY Nokia
03/05 Sayreville, NJ Starland
03/06 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
03/07 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live
03/08 Columbus, OH Newport
03/09 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre
03/10 Detroit, MI Fillmore
03/11 St. Louis, MO Pageant
03/12 Chicago, IL Aragon
03/13 Minneapolis, MN Myth
03/14 Kansas City, MO Beaumont Club
03/15 Louisville, KY Expo 5
03/17 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution
03/18 Orlando, FL Hard Rock
03/19 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
03/21 Houston, TX Verizon
03/22 San Antonio, TX Sunset Station
03/23 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom
03/24 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom not part of tour w/ Bring Me The Horizon, Pierce The Veil, Four Year Strong
03/26 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
03/27 Portland, OR Roseland
03/28 Seattle, WA Showbox
03/29 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
03/30 Vancouver, BC Commodore
04/01 Calgary, AB MacEwan Hall
04/03 Edmonton, AB Event Centre
04/04 Saskatoon, SK Odeon
04/05 Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings
04/08 Toronto, ON Kool Haus
04/09 Montreal, QC Metropolis

http://www.myspace.com/cancerbats
http://www.fuel.tv/TheDailyHabit

Video of the Week: Paria's Dustin Treinen gives the bass a little tappity tap

2009-02-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

Check out an exclusive track from Paria's March 17 release, "The Barnacle Cordious," on the band's MySpace page.

Dance Club Massacre to tour with The Agonist in March

2009-02-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

Dance Club Massacre (Black Market Activities)
The Agonist (Century Media Records)
March 13 - Aurora, IL @ Doug's Rockhouse w/ Through The Fire
March 14 - Romeo, MI @ Static Age w/ Through The Fire
March 15 - Flint, MI @ Gamers Paradise
March 16 - Rochester, NY @ The Jukebox
March 17 - Buffalo, NY @ Venue TBA
March 18 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Octane w/ Through The Fire
March 19 - Clark, NJ @ Clark KOC w/ Through The Fire
March 20 - Beckley, WV @ Soldiers Memorial Theatre w/ Through The Fire
March 21 - Owensboro, KY @ The Armory

News Update: Cancer Bats nominated for a Juno Award; the_Network Australian dates confirmed and more

2009-02-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

January came and gone as fast as a Las Vegas hooker with a gynecological appointment.

But now that spring is on the horizon, there's only exciting things to come.

-BMA staff.

Cancer Bats is nominated for "New Group of the Year" for the 2009 Juno Awards, held by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). The Juno Awards are basically Canada's form of the Grammys.

the_Network guitarist Pete Marr did an interview with the tattooed pinup Web site God's Girls. The band has also confirmed the dates for its Australian tour with Robotosaurus:

4/23 - Adelaide UniBar - Adelaide, SA
4/24 - Arthouse - Melbourne, VIC
4/25 - Pony - Melbourne, VIC
4/26 - Catfood Press - Melbourne, VIC
4/29 - Hermann's Bar - Sydney, NSW
5/01 - Rosies Live - Brisbane, QLD

Artist Entry: Lords vocalist Chris Owens dreams of SS shit soldiers

2009-01-30T08:44:00.000-08:00

Does Shitler have a mustache?

I had another pipe dream the other night.

I have a lot of great movie ideas that I talk about a lot. Most recently it was a movie about killer shit, the working title I have right now is, "Foul Movement: Rise of the Turd Reich."

I'm still working out all the details, but the general idea is that you have Shitler leading an army of living excrement, and the U.S. government brings Jesus out of the cryogenic deep freeze they've been keeping him in (since the end of WWII, when the Nazis had figured out how to summon the Christ back to a human form) to battle Shitler.

At first Jesus is all pussy, weak, and doesn't have any of his magic powers, so he goes to the North Pole to train with Santa Claus (who plays a cross between Yoda, and Q from James Bond).

Santa has his elves construct a bunch of special weapons for Jesus that all revolve around the stigmata holes in his hands (including a crucifix jetpack), and gives them to Jesus for a birthday present on Christmas morning, so that he can go battle Shitler.

Oh yeah -- there's got to be a scene where killer shit comes out of a dudes ass and bites his dick off.

Artist Entry: Lords' Chris Owens gives 'wet dream' a new meaning

2009-01-29T08:24:00.000-08:00

The Dream, pt. I

I had a dream the other night, in the dream I was on a very crowded beach -- full of frat spring break types -- the beach was supposed to be in Columbus, Ohio.

Anyway, I walk around this large rock formation that's protruding out into the ocean, and when I get to the other side there is this big cove, with a small island in the middle of it and this narrow rock walkway leading out to it.

I know that for some reason I have to go to the small island, but then a bunch of the spring breakers run out on the walk way and it crumbles in to the ocean. They all scramble back to the beach while we're all standing on the shore looking out at the island, when some naked fat lady comes up to me and says, "What? It's just water!"

She then jumps in the water and starts swimming. So I jump in and swim out towards the Island, I get pretty close to it when all of a sudden I bump into the dead body of a white guy in mechanics clothes floating just below the surface. The dead guy looks up at me and grabs my arm, pulling me under the water. He mouths something to me, I cant hear what he's saying but the words flash in my brain, in faded black letters ( in the Iron Maiden font) on red background it says, "One day you will be asked to serve your rap community."

Then I wake up.

Weird, huh?

The Abominable Iron Sloth cancels final leg of U.S. tour

2009-01-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

The remainder of dates on The Abominable Iron Sloth tour are canceled. Vocalist Justin Godfrey issued his regrets about having to cancel the tour:

"We're sorry about having to cancel the rest of our tour, but we need to head home for now to regain our strength -- and I need to kick whatever death-like illness I've come down with. We'll definitely be back at some point, hopefully soon. To those of you who came out and the bands we've played with, we had a fucking blast."

Photo of the Day: Architect live shots

2009-01-27T09:40:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: T Douglass Photography

Video of the Week: Dance Club Massacre vocalist Nick Seger gets rilled up about 'Penetration'

2009-01-26T11:16:00.001-08:00

DCM Guitarist Mitch Hein explains..

Since touring in the winter sucks, we've been in hibernation for the past month and half or so. What have we been up to you might ask? You will find the answer in this short film entitled "Without Penetration."

It's brought to you by Ball and Cane Moving Film Pictures and it features Dance Club Massacre's very own, Nick Seger.

"Without Penetration" is a very serious film, and it touches on some very important issues that we feel need to be addressed.

-Mitch/DCM

"Without Penetration" can be viewed here.

News Update: Paria announces album release date; TDTDE tour with The Faceless; and more

2009-01-23T08:43:00.000-08:00

Don't worry.

This week's BMA news update won't include anything on new President Barack Obama, so you can continue reading without fear of us continuing the mainstream media's redundant coverage plaguing every freaking news cast.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we'll make this update short and sweet.

-BMA Staff

Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza hits the road for the "Patrons of Destruction" tour, from the press release:

TONY DANZA TAPDANCE EXTRAVAGANZA HITS THE ROAD WITH THE FACELESS, ARSIS AND MISERY INDEX!!

Bottle of whiskey in one hand, sawed-off shotgun in the other, Tennessee’s Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza is locked, loaded and ready to invade your town.
TDTDE hits the road for a brief set of South Western dates, joining The Faceless, Arsis and Misery Index:

2/21-Fayetteville, NC @ Jester's Pub
2/22-Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11
2/23-Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
2/24-Nashville, TN @ The Muse
2/25-St. Louis, MO @ Pop's
2/26-Little Rock, AR @ The Village
2/27-Dallas, TX @ The Max
2/28-Houston, TX @ Java Jazz
3/01-Austin, TX @ Emo's
3/02-Corpus Christi, TX @ House of Rock
3/03-Abilene, TX @ The Key
3/04-El Paso, TX @ Chic’s
3/06-Lancaster, CA @ The Crossing

Check out the TDTDE MySpace for rockin’ tunes.

Exclusive tracks from TDTDE and other members of the Black Market Activities family now on the BMA Myspace.

The official release date for Paria's completed album, "The Barnacle Cordious," is March 17. The release will feature some guest vocal spots from ex-System Failure/Nodes Of Ranvier frontman Kyle Beneke, who also recently helmed the video shoot for the albums title track. A video for the song should available next month. Nevertheless, a demo of a new track entitled "Circus" can currently be found an the Paria MySpace page.

the_Network isn't done exploring the world - just call 'em the modern day Christopher Columbuses. Australia is the next destination for the New Hampshire scummers for late April into early May with Robotosaurus.

Artist Entry: Abominable Iron Sloth's Justin Godfrey has a serious case of Asian kryptonite

2009-01-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

One time I fell in love with a girl as I watched her snort lines of stuff off the floor of my van.

In all fairness I did think it was just cocaine.

She was homeless and with a dude and it was 3 a.m. in London and she was ASIAN.

You know, like that Orbit chewing gum girl -- and she liked to dance!

And God knows I have a weakness for ASIAN.

I brought her to America and we ate mushrooms, got married in a drive thru in Las Vegas. The vows came easy, and for a low fee.

My best man was a Jew from a cookie-cutter, death metal band from Las Vegas. He sounds like a pig squealing and I thought it was funny until I realized he was serious about it. I even got his brother to dress up and be my new wife's special wedding girl.

I heard that my girlfriend was really upset when she found out I'd gotten married to someone other than her. My girlfriend was really rad, and way too good to be with a tard like me, so we talked and fucked one last time – but I felt terrible and tried to make it go away. I told myself my new wife was everything I wanted. She was foreign and ASIAN and she said she was all done with the coke, speed and the ecstasy. It was time to changeeeeeee.

Of course that meant I had to get a job, then get a second job to pay for the house, the car and the Comcast because SOMEONE had to pay for her to watch cable and chat online. I would ask her to help me with bills like she promised. For a long time I didn't care because she would make food and clean and I could fuck her mouth.

But I was dying.

Things would change

I tried to work harder

More hours, new job, less fun.

I begged her to find any sort of work and I would do whatever it took to help.

Things had to change and I was fucking dying.

But she would smile, and I would fuck her mouth, and I knew this was meant to be.

Then a year went by and I couldn't find more work.

I lost the house, the credit cards.. and the and the and the… wave of anxiety

that I had outrun. I had stayed one step ahead of it and convinced myself that it was never there.

Finally, the weight was bearing down, pressing my face into the floor of the car

The rear view mirror had not been lying after all.

Finally the wife was going to LA to finally get her green card and things would be on the right track.

Finally we could get started for serious.

I stopped drinking everyday and started talking an array of prescribed cures for my condition. I was ready for round two and drove to LA to see her.

After it became obvious that she was dumping me by text message, I started to lose it.

The LSD and the breathing walls didn't help.

I knew that I was free in so many ways. I laughed into the mirror for hours, so much so that I can no longer take the mirrors seriously.

It only became good after I realized she had been working and partying and fucking the dude who wore the dress.

She was ASIAN and I was married to her.

And it was all I ever wanted.

the_Network in Puerto Rico; dates and venues announced

2009-01-19T18:39:00.001-08:00

For the pinche gringos: March 6 - SOS Burger, Catano, Puerto Rico
March 7 - Taller Ce, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.

Artist Entry: the_Network guitarist Kev has a non-acid induced flash back

2009-01-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Digi likes to work backwards, what can we say. Here's the Kev's intro to the_Network's U.K. tour.

Nov. 14, 2008: Leaving for the U.K.

They’re now calling “priority passengers” to board our flight to Halifax where we’ll track down the minimal amount of equipment the fine folks at Air Canada allowed us to bring. Due to ridiculous charges and weight restrictions, we had to greatly reduce the amount of items we planned on bringing. Like a colony of fire ants, we sweated and shook while shifting equipment, clothing, and other bull shit into various bags and boxes, surely horrifying all in sight. We finally had all of our bags checked in right before the Air Canada employees’ forehead veins popped.

The flight was to stop in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where we’d reclaim our guitars, one amp, and our other belongings. Then, in a rationale world, we’d sanely glide all of our belongings from one mechanized highway to another before the great trip across the Atlantic. Instead, a “rationale” world became a breeding ground for snooty, face fucked men and women with homicides for haircuts. As one female extra from the "Toxic Avengers" movie informed me that my Marshall amp didn’t make it to this grandmother’s pussy of an airport. A Canadian pedophile informed Bennett that he wasn’t allowed in Canada, hence, couldn’t fly from Canada to anywhere -- especially London. Apparently, missing a court date in America, five or six years ago, is tantamount to collecting down syndrome semen for months, mixing the semen with Canada Dry ginger ale, freezing it popsicle-knife style, and violently penetrating the Canadian prime ministers pimply ass with it. After pleading and basically staring completely dumbfounded at the first-world idiocy these Canadians were blithering on about, Bennett had to fly home to Boston and the rest of us were on our way to London.

I’m sitting next to a nice guy from London named Soloman. He looks like someone who just flew to Nova Scotia to rape, torture, and murder a teenage runaway. I offered him some Tylenol PM’s, but he said that he’s already so full of meds that he thinks he’s been shrunken down and is in a tiny vessel exploring the innards of an Asian man. At first, I was thinking of asking him to switch seats with Bones but now I know that Soloman and I will become great friends. Years from now, we’ll send each other letters from mental hospitals reminiscing about the time we gave each other handjobs on an airplane.

“Bennett! Fuck my life! Come back to us!”

News Update: Destroy, Destroy, Destroy is calling all 'Battle Sluts;' Animosity featured in Slap Skateboard Magazine and more

2009-01-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

Happy new beer -- er year! It's 2009 and there's only great things to come from the BMA family this year. Expect new releases from Destroy, Destroy, Destroy, Paria, the_Network and Gaza. We should have specific release dates for you to take note of in your daily planners soon. Supporting tours will also be announced as soon as we get the good word.

-BMA staff

Destroy, Destroy, Destroy unleashed "Battle Sluts" Jan. 6. Check out exclusive tracks from "Battle Sluts" on the BMA MySpace page as well as D3's MySpace page.

Slap Skateboard Magazine recently interviewed Animosity, picking vocalist Leo Miller's brain about burritos, San Francisco creepers and other similar pressing questions.

After "exploring" the UK in November, the_Network plans to expand its reach to Puerto Rico on March 6 and 7. The specific locations will be posted soon.

Calling all opinionated, elitist jerkoffs! Sick of reading album reviews that you disagree with so much you often find yourself trolling Web zines to pick random fights with other internet lurkers? Put that angst to work and send us your own reviews of our latest releases. It's easy. A paragraph or two in the body of an e-mail with a rating from one, being lower than pond scum, to 10, being absolutely the best album ever created in the history of extreme music is all that's needed. And don't forget to include your name and city of residence, so that we may give you credit for your literary genious. Shoot all extremely critical and/or brown-nosing reviews to sheena@blackmarketactivities.com.

Cancer Bats and 'Rockstar Taste of Chaos' VIP contest

2008-12-23T21:18:00.000-08:00

Want some free RTOC tickets, swag and a chance to meet the Cancer Bats? Enter the 'Rockstar Taste of Chaos' VIP contest!

Further details:

GRAND PRIZE

2 tickets to the RTOC show of the winner’s choice
2 Thursday VIP meet and greet passes for the RTOC show of their choice
2 after show Meet and greet passes for the RTOC show of their choice
1 year subscription to the Thursday fan club Digital copy of “Resuscitation of a Deadman”
1 Cancer Bats T–shirt
1 autographed copy of the Cancer Bats’ album “Hail Destroyer.”
Cancer Bats — Custom Skate Deck
$100 Gift Certificate to WWW.DiNGLIFE.COM
Any five cases of Rockstar Energy Drink of your choice.
Rockstar Energy Drink sweater, hat, and a shirt
1 year subscription to AP Magazine and AP merch (1 Hoodie and 1 T-shirt)

4 RUNNER UPS

2 Thursday after show Meet and greet passes for the RTOC show of their choice Digital copy of “Resuscitation of a Deadman”
2 Cancer Bats after show Meet and greet passes for the RTOC show
1 autographed copy of the Cancer Bats’ album “Hail Destroyer.”
Rockstar Energy Drink sweater, hat, and a shirt

And listen to Cancer Bats.

The Abominable Iron Sloth tour dates for early 2009

2008-12-22T14:35:00.000-08:00

Jan 3 2009 The Excommunicate House - Vancouver, Washington
Jan 5 2009 Burt’s Tiki Lounge - SLC, Utah
Jan 6 2009 Three Kings Tavern - Denver, Colorado w/ GAZA
Jan 7 2009 The Avenue - Wichita, Kansas
Jan 8 2009 Rubber Gloves - Dallas, Texas
Jan 9 2009 Red 7 - Austin, Texas
Jan 10 2009 Little Joe’s Bar - Shreveport, Louisiana
Jan 11 2009 Insomkneeacks - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Jan 12 2009 The Saturn Bar - New Orleans, Louisiana
Jan 13 2009 The Bombshelter - Jackson, Mississippi
Jan 15 2009 Cave 9 - Birmingham, Alabama
Jan 17 2009 Swayze’s - Atlanta, Georgia
Jan 18 2009 The Wherehouse - Winston Salem, North Carolina
Jan 19 2009 Nara’s Sushi - Richmond, Virginia
Jan 20 2009 The Velvet Lounge! Inauguration day! - Wash DC
Jan 21 2009 The Khyber - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 22 2009 The Charleston - NY, New York w/ the_Network
Jan 23 2009 MARS - Providence, Rhode Island w/ the_Network
Jan 24 2009 ABC No Rio - Manhattan, New York
Jan 25 2009 Westcott Community Center - Syracuse, New York w/ ARCHITECT
Jan 26 2009 Mr. Roboto Project - Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania
Jan 27 2009 The Factory - Rochester, Michigan
Jan 28 2009 The Dayton Dirt Collective Space - Dayton, Ohio
Jan 29 2009 Skull Alley - Louisville, Kentucky
Jan 30 2009 the Anchor - Nashville, Tennessee
Jan 31 2009 LEMP arts center - St. Louis, Missouri
Feb 1 2009 Mojos - Columbia, Missouri
Feb 2 2009 The Foundation - Kansas City, Missouri
Feb 3 2009 The Nerdcore house - Omaha, Nebraska
Feb 4 2009 Blastomat - Denver, Colorado

Artist Entry: the_Network guitarist Kevin Howley and the nightmare of Heathrow Airport

2008-12-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

..a short story from a puke-laden sheet of lined paper

Nov. 25th, 2008: Heathrow Airport, London

Alright, I’ve found out what fresh hell really is. Are you ready? You put a diagnosed insomniac in Heathrow Airport at 1:30 a.m. with no medication and make damn sure that his plane doesn’t leave until 3:30 p.m. the next afternoon. Its emergency-room white in here and the people lying about look sicker than any I’ve seen at a hospital.

I’ve been you. I’ve judged people here. What I want you to know is that on your next trip to the airport, you might see someone curled up next to a plastic potted plant with luggage fashioned into some terrible sleeping apparatus, and you might judge that person. You’ll probably think, “Wow, nobody gives a fuck about that guy,” or ask yourself, “What type of true fuck up do you have to be to be trying to sleep like that in public?”

Well, you know what? On your second trip to the airport, you might be that fuck up looking for that bit of shade a potted plant provides. You might find yourself thinking, “Should I sleep on the rock hard ground, the rock hard benches, or on top of all my belongings?”
You might hear one of your fellow international middle-class refugees barking a foreign language into a phone and understand every word. You might know that that Haitian guy lying on his "Member’s Only" jacket is saying, “Yea! I’m in the airport at 2:00 a.m. and it fucking sucks!”
You know why you might know all of this? Because I know all of this right now.

I’ve played about 14 shows in the last 10 days throughout the U.K., showered about three times, drank an ocean of alcohol, and now I’m trying to sleep on my band’s dirty laundry and equipment wondering if the creep with one carry-on is going to steal my awful Nikes.

This is where the busy come to die.

As their heart fails next to a Krispy Kreme, the other people look up at monitors for flight times, check their watches, or yell at their kids. The hopeful walk around as if a king-sized mattress and feathery pillow lay clean and inviting right around the next departure gate. Some people come prepared with sleeping mats, bags, or blankets, but people like you and me, we don’t expect to be in this situation.

The creep near me, I don’t think he’s eyeing my shoes. I think he’s hoping I’ll fall asleep so he can mess around with my smelly body. There are couples jerking asleep in each other’s arms. As the woman instinctively reaches to scratch her nose, her boyfriend pulls her closer. The scene is so damn sweet that I hope my plane goes down.

Some days, you just look at the people around you and realize that you’re just another mutated lifer out on a weekend pass. Some other days, you see some Asian guy’s ass as he fumbles for a cup of tap water, with his hat protecting his eyes from the scorching lights of Heathrow’s innards. Some days, you don’t have a towel to throw in.

My bed’s shuffling around while I write. I’m going to put my shoes on, go brush my teeth, and maybe visit the airport’s nearby “Prayer Room” and hope for sleep. I’ll let you know when the Air Canada gates open -- or an airport bar. I need to put this journal in my bag and finish the bed building process. That’s right -- I’m going to try to sleep on what you’re reading.

CANCER BATS on ROCKSTAR ENERGY's 'Taste of Chaos' tour!

2008-12-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

From the official press release:

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK TASTE OF CHAOS continues to stake its claim as the preeminent winter rock package tour. Always an explosive, in-your-face affair, ROCKSTAR TASTE OF CHAOS features today’s biggest and on-the-verge of stardom hard rock bands. Blaring, boisterous and brutal, this year’s tour will be no different. Heralded by Florida’s Backstage Pass as “delivering some of the best known acts in the rock 'n roll world," past RTOC performers have included a who’s who of this decade’s most popular rock bands including My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Rise Against, Deftones, Killswitch Engage, 30 Seconds to Mars, The Used and over three hundred more.

Tour co-founder Kevin Lyman, always with his ear to the street and his hand on the scene’s pulse, chose this year’s cutting edge lineup after watching many of these same bands explode on the 2008 Van’s Warped Tour. By taking fan feedback to heart and personally handpicking artists that he feels will be breaking out in ’09, the lineup includes headliner THURSDAY, as well as BRING ME THE HORIZON, FOUR YEAR STRONG, PIERCE THE VEIL (all of whom will rotate their spot on the bill throughout the tour), and CANCER BATS. In addition, one local Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands winner will open the show at each stop.

“After listening to what fans had to say during Warped Tour and watching many of these bands with thousands of fans watching them perform,” Lyman explains, “these are the bands rock fans want to see. And I believe they’re all on the brink of breakout success.”

Last year, the Asbury Park Press praised Lyman for his forward looking approach to the tour, writing: "No wonder the Rockstar Taste of Chaos is known as the 'Winter Warped Tour.' Much like the highly successful summer rock jaunt, Rockstar Taste of Chaos is affordable and offers a wide range of bands. Lyman, who assembles the Warped Tour lineup, goes out of his way to put together a package of punk, hard rock and true alternative acts for the bill."

This year, fans can expect a low ticket price (between $20-25 per ticket) as well as the return of the fun-filled concourse offering a bevy of fascinating distractions in between sets guaranteeing that the pandemonium will begin as soon as fans enter the venue.

Tour co-founders, John Reese, Lyman and Darryl Eaton state: "We are very excited about the great bands and concourse activities planned for the 2009 North American Tour. ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK has been a great partner helping us bring fans a great package and a big show at a very fan-friendly entrance price. We’re really proud that the RTOC has become an important event on music fans’ calendars in the long, cold winter in the U.S. and Canada."

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK Marketing Director Mike Kelso states, “Live music is very important to ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK and for the past four years the worldwide success of ROCKSTAR TASTE OF CHAOS has been instrumental in the success of our brand.”

With nearly 300 worldwide dates over the past fours years, playing in over 20 countries including the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Japan, France, Mexico, New Zealand and Italy among others, ROCKSTAR TASTE OF CHAOS, the only worldwide lifestyle festival tour, is back with another onslaught of winter dates in the U.S. and Canada.
The ROCKSTAR TASTE OF CHAOS pre-sale begins Friday, December 12th, at 10AM in each market. Please go to www.rockstartasteofchaos.com for all on sale information, ticketing links, and concert dates.

News Update: New video of the_Network on tour in the UK

2008-11-28T21:02:00.001-08:00

Due to the holiday, there isn't much news to report. But until next week, we have a tasty snack for y'all.

Here's a video shot during the_Network's UK run:

Dance Club Massacre and Architect on tour now!

2008-11-18T09:03:00.000-08:00

DANCE CLUB MASSACRE “Circle of Death”
Through of hale of intoxication and deranged Willy Wonka style weirdness, Chicago's Dance Club Massacre have returned with a vicious sophomore record, Circle of Death, bridging the unusual gap between the worlds' of The Devil Wears Prada and Dimmu Borgir. The band attacks from all sides melding their brand of noisy, screamo-grind with symphonic black metal orchestration. This unlikely stylistic pairing showcases the group's maturing into a sound that is distinctly their own. “CIRCLE OF DEATH” in stores November 11, 2008!!
Dance Club Massacre will be hitting the road this month with Dr. Acula!
11/12 Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen CD Release show!!
11/17 St Louis, MO The Creepy Crawl
Tour with Dr. Acula
11/18 Lawrence, KS The Bottle Neck
11/19 Tulsa, OK The Pink Eye
11/20 Arlington, TX Molly’s
11/21 San Antonio, TX Rock Bottom Bar
11/22 McAllen, TX The Incubator
11/23 Corpus Christi, TX The Compound
11/24 Baton Rouge, LA The Darkroom
11/25 Panama City, FL Beamers
11/26 Ocala, FL The Capital
11/29 Wilmington, NC Lucky’s
11/30 Greensboro, NC Club Rain
12/01 Danville, VA Plan B
12/02 Fredericksburg, VA The Refuge
12/03 Yonkers, NY The Haunt
12/04 Pittsburgh, PA Blue Violet Cafe
12/05 Southgate, MI The Modern Exchange
12/06 Mokena, IL Soundlab

New music from Circle of Death online now at http://www.myspace.com/danceclubmassacre and http://www.myspace.com/blackmarketactivities

ARCHITECT “Ghost of the Saltwater Machines”
Just when you thought Architect couldn't get any heavier, angrier or more politically agitated, the Great Northern Trendkill has returned with the most over-the-top release of 2008, Ghost of the Saltwater Machines. Architect's latest effort hits at a vital time. In the wake of a historical election, Ghost of the Saltwater Machines is even more relevant. The songs are politically fueled with lyrical topics including attacks on current administration and figureheads of the free world (Camelot), Middle America being bled dry from government and big business (Death & Taxes) as well as free speech and civil liberties (Traitor). When the abrasive songs rip your eardrums, you listen. And when the vocalist bellows their apocalyptic message, you believe it. With the music scene so destabilized and the fact that Architect is basically the anti-trend, chances are GOTSWM won't see the band rising to super stardom. But as they have always done, there will be touring, trash talk and destructive live shows to accompany this beefy, bone crushing album and those brave enough to listen are in for one of the heaviest records of the decade. “GHOST OF THE SALTWATER MACHINES” in stores November 25, 2008!!

Check out Architect on tour this fall with Rose Funeral!
11/14 Portland, ME The Asylum with The Red Chord and Overcast
11/15 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance with The Red Chord and Overcast
11/25 Syracuse, NY The Westcott Cinema CD Release Party
11/28 Buffalo, NY Club DiabloTour with Rose Funeral
11/29 Pittsburgh, PA The Roboto Project
11/30 Wheeling, WV Yesterdays Draught House
12/01 Columbus, OH Bernies
12/02 Louisville, KY Bulldog Cafe
12/03 Nashville, TN The Muse
12/04 Selma, AL The Loud House
12/05 Panama City, FL Beamers
12/06 Tampa, FL Transitions Art Gallery
12/07 Orlando, FL The Dungeon
12/08 Augusta, GA Sector 7G
12/12 Fredericksburg, VA The Refuge
12/15 New York, NY Lit Lounge

New music from "Ghost of the Saltwater Machines" online now at http://www.myspace.com/architectkills and http://www.myspace.com/blackmarketactivities

For more information or to request a promo, please contact:
Michelle Ferraro, Head of Publicity, michelle@blackmarketactivities.com
Sheena Hamilton, Publicity Assistant, sheena@blackmarketactivities.com

BMA News Update: Cancer Bats to tour with In Flames in the UK; Animosity on 'The Price is Right;' Khann update and more

2008-11-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

We're tryin' to keep stuff simple in a complex world.

So we'll keep this introduction simple and get to this week's news brief.

-BMA Staff

CANCER BATS will embark on a crusade with In Flames in the UK, here's the official press release:

Canada’s very own riff masters, Cancer Bats, are proud to announce that they will be trekking across the UK with the mighty In Flames in April. The band spent July and August in the US with Bullet for My Valentine and Bleeding Through and plans for more US tours are currently in the works. Check back to http://www.blogger.com/www.myspace.com/cancerbats often to get updates!

The video for "Lucifer’s Rocking Chair" from the band’s latest album, Hail Destroyer, is up now on http://www.blogger.com/myspace.com/metal..

CANCER BATS
Tour w/ In Flames
04/15 Norwich, UK Waterfront
04/16 Colchester, UK Arts
04/17 Brighton, UK Concorde 2
04/21 Newcastle, UK Academy 2
04/22 Dundee, UK Fat Sams
04/23 Belfast, UK Mandella Hall
04/24 Dublin, IE Academy
04/25 Cork, UK Pavillion
04/27 Exeter, UK Lemon Grove
04/28 Cardiff, UK University Solus
04/29 Cambridge, UK Junction
04/30 Sheffield, UK Corporation
05/01 Liverpool, UK Academy 2

“Full of youthful energy and great chops, their second full-length never sounds forced, and the first two tracks alone kick more ass than most bands’ entire discographies.” Revolver - 4/5 stars

“Hail Destroyer takes everything that made the first [disc] great and amplifies it.” - BW & BK

KKKKK – Kerrang!

“Currently the best punk rock band in the world…” – NME (UK)

“Hail Destroyer is the new background music for every rad party in the world. If it’s not, then I don't want to go to that party. Get this record…..be somebody, baby.” TheSaltyPirate.com

Animosity had its very own TV appearance on CBS' "The Price is Right." Watch the band cheer on Carlos Garcia of fellow California band Antagonist -- not to mention the ironic prize Garcia is offered to win (think band essentials).

Architect will kick off the release of its new album, "Ghost of the Saltwater Machines," with a free show on Nov. 25 at 7:30 pm at the Westcott Cinema in Syracuse, NY. The band will be shooting live footage for a video at this show, so come out ready to rage at full potential. Rouges and Merrimac are set to open the show. Check out the exclusively released songs from the release on the BMA and Architect MySpace pages -- you won't be disappointed.

Khann is currently in post-production for two music videos soon to be released. The band also is planning a plethora of upcoming tours, including possible West Coast, European and Canadian runs. A US tour for early 2009 is in the works and will be announced soon. Check out Khann's MySpace page for pleasurable listening.

Destroy Destroy Destroy is shooting a video for "The Wretched Forest" from the band's upcoming Jan. 6 release, "Battle Sluts." The album artwork and song "Born of Thunder" are posted on the band's Myspace.

The Black Market Activities indie merch store has some updated swag. You'll be making all your friends jealous with your purchase, no doubt!

Artist Entry: the_Network guitarist Kevin tips his hat to the 'Evil Empire'

2008-11-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

When you combine the radio-time a pizza delivery driver gets with the sociality of the Unabomber, you get a man who has not only heard the dreadful phrase, “Battleground State,” hundreds of times over the past few weeks, but someone who’s head exploded last night. Of course history was made and it feels as if America has been given back to its citizens, but I’m here to talk about something that I haven’t heard discussed enough in the mainstream media about yesterday’s election; the utterly justifiable liberal backlash towards the obsolete, unfair, ultra-conservative, right-wing mania America’s been swirling in during the past eight years. I think people like Karl Rove and Sean Hannity are just as responsible for Barack Obama’s win last night as the entire Obama campaign.. Let’s all thank Bill O’Reilly and the rest of Fox News for getting what appears to be every Democrat in America elected into positions in Washington.
Forget about the fact that Barack Obama is the best candidate for the presidency, that he’s probably the most intelligent president we’ll ever see, that he’s far more in touch with the average voter than anybody in positions of U.S. power, forget that he’s not in the pockets of any CEO’s, and that he unites people instead of polarizing them. You can forget that Barack Obama will restore the world’s faith in America, will use the U.S. military responsibly, will remove greed from U.S. policy making, and will take the steak knife away from the middle class’ jugular vein. Forget that Barack Obama has the potential to make America the country it really should be. Forget all that. What we really need to do is thank the overwhelming stupidity of George W. Bush and all of his supporters. If not for their blatant trampling of the constitution and stunning misuse of power, Americans may not have realized just how far down the toilet Republicans were shoving this country. With Republicans at the helm and their inane message shouted across the nation by people at Fox News and other various foolish, reactionary, talk radio show hosts posing as journalists, Americans morphed into a population of politically-aware, open-minded, and (boo-yah!) thinking people. I mean, Bush didn’t screw up to the degree that only political junkies and media geeks could understand; he screwed up in everyone’s faces. Everyone in America is either at war or knows somebody at war. Everyone was affected by the awful handling of Hurricane Katrina or knows someone who was. Everybody is losing their jobs or knows someone who is. Nobody can afford to get sick or everybody knows somebody who can’t. And nobody could afford to fill up their gas tank without suppressing painful vomit. So in between counting less and less money, the American people made every powerful Republicans’ nightmares come true; they started thinking.

While John McCain said the fundamentals of the U.S. economy are strong a few days before the fundamentals of the U.S. economy shit their pants, Americans were wondering why they couldn’t afford to buy a beer at the bar. Then they started wondering why, if they could afford to buy a beer at the bar, they couldn’t afford gas to get to the bar. While Sarah Palin donned designer dresses to say that she was an average Jane and that Barack Obama was a socialist, Americans were going bankrupt because their kid got sick. While Fox News and right-wing talk radio nitwits were whining that, “Waaaaahhhhhh…1% of the population already pays 36% of the taxes,” the American people learned that 1% of the population already has 90% of the wealth!

This time, the attack ads and lies didn’t work. This time, we Americans knew exactly what we needed and how to get it. This time, we were just too smart.

So thank you, Fox News!

Thank you, George W. Bush!

Thanks, Cheney!

Heck of a job, Brownie!

Let’s send a sincere “thank you” to all the Republicans in power. Without their help, we may have actually voted for them.

Fifty years from now, their incompetence will have continued to raise our intelligence and when we look back, we might ask, “Was George W. Bush the one that lied about getting a blowjob?” and someone will answer, “No, he was the one that lied about everything else.”

Oh, and to everyone who voted for McCain, don’t worry. Your consolation prize will be a better country.

BMA News Update: New videos from Cancer Bats, Dance Club Massacre; Animosity riff-roaring contest; and much more

2008-11-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

You're probably sick of the news by now, with all the incessant ramblings of TV news anchors about the election. Seriously. There hasn't been so much talk of one man since OJ Simpson and the white Bronco "incident." At least there's some humor in all of this (note the CNN hologram, Anderson Cooper must have been trippin').

Anyway, and more importantly, there is some new and not-yet-repetitive ramblings we need to share with you folks.

- BMA Staff

Black Market Activities now has an official fan mailing list. By joining the list, BMA addicts -- and even those who wont admit to their addiction via the Bradley Effect -- can get first hand news, updates, tour dates, etc., sent directly to their inbox. To join the BMA fan mailing list, shoot an e-mail over to: michelle@blackmarketactivities.com, with "BMA fan mailing list" as the subject. There's no telling the other possible future benefits from being a member of this list, so git on it!

Romans, From a Second Story Window, Paria, and Animosity sounded off on Barack Obama becoming the 44th president of the United States on MTV2's "Headbanger's Blog." Check out the entries from the BMA family here.

CANCER BATS' video for "Lucifer’s Rocking Chair" is now premiering exclusively on MySpace Metal! Head over to MySpace Metal to check out the exclusive premier of CANCER BATS new video for the track "Lucifer’s Rocking Chair" off their latest release "Hail Destroyer."

Dance Club Massacre posted a video for the song "Shenanigans" from 11/11 release, "Circle of Death." The video is a culmination of live footage and studio clips. The video can be viewed here.

Animosity is hosting a "riff contest." Contestants interested in entering the contest must accurately sing three consecutive Animosity riffs. Prizes include free merchandise and concert tickets. Animosity vocalist Leo Miller: "It's a pretty ridiculous notion that animosity fans wouldn't be able to sing any three consecutive riffs, but it's way harder than it seems. Good luck to anyone who enters." More information about the contest can be found on the band's MySpace page, as well as on YouTube.

BMA News Update: Animosity rages with the Russkies; Cancer Bats make the top 10 on Rock Sound and more

2008-10-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

It's almost November 4th, which means absolutely nothing to us at BMA -- other than we're edging toward to two exceptional releases (Dance Club Massacre, Architect).

We're not here to tell you to vote or die, but you best read or, uh, well you probably won't die -- still we're not responsible for any unfortunate "accidents."

Animosity recently played Russia, here's a few words from vocalist Leo Miller on that:
"...the experience has been overwhelmingly awesome. The shows have been totally out of control and we have been treated so well. We just finished up the "Hell on Earth" tour through Europe, which was a great time, but not really an Animosity style party. It feels great to be playing smaller clubs with real metal fans losing their minds. Assuming the reds don't sequester and disappear us at the border, we will be heading into the upcoming JFAC tour with full force and will probably work up some older songs for the set list from 'Empires.' Party 'till you're dead!"

Cancer Bats were voted #8 on the Rock Sound list for the "Albums of 2008." Congrats dudes!

Lords' release "Fuck all Y'all Motherfuckers" has a review in Metal Edge. Here's a tidbit from the review:
"Lords is a punk rock band at heart. Let’s start there. And though they don’t necessarily play punk songs—in fact, they play dirty heavy metal tunes full of sudden time and tempo changes—there’s a definite punk rock sensibility to their music....."

Artist Entry: the_Network guitarist Pete Marr reflects on some shitty past jobs

2008-10-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

An ode to the joys of bad employment

We’ve all had them.

If you have anything to do with trying to tour, not being forever in debt and/or staying off people’s shit list, then you know what I’m talking about. People always ask, "how do you tour, how do you make money, how do you do it?" Well, kids I’ll tell ya -- you get a shitty-ass job!

Now I know everyone’s got there own shitty-ass job stories. I’ve heard a many in my day, but here’s a few of mine.

The first job I ever had was at a camp in the town that I lived in. It was some day camp where parents would drop of their kids while they went to their jobs in the summer and school (the babysitter) was out. I figured it would be an easy gig. One of my good friends at the time that was working there was the son of “the boss man." Only she was no man, she was a 90 pound completely, over sun tanned, 2 packs a day, yellow-teethed barrel of over stressed hormones. If you’ve seen kingpin and remember Roy’s landlord, then you know exactly what we were dealing with. I’d get as drunk as could the nights before work and show up early, hung over, pissed off and not wanting to do much but hang out. My usual business was making crafts with kids, then hang out with the kids that picked their nose and played in the dirt (stick with what you know I guess). That was the fun stuff.

The shitty part came in the form of the knowledge that my friends Mom (the boss lady landlord) was fucking one of the other dudes that worked there, who was right around the same age as us.

Now I know I live in NH, and maybe this doesn’t seem like it should be out of the ordinary, but it most certainly was. The kid she was fucking actually lived across the street from my friend and his Mom. We would go over hang out, have his Mom buy us beers, and then just be weirded out by this dude being there, obviously fucking his Mom. I guess looking back on it she was a real mess at the time, her husband left her just out of the blue and never told anyone where he was till like five years later.
Basically shit hit the fan towards the end of the summer camp session that year, and all the kids' parents were pissed when they found out about all the shenanigans that were happening around their young, impressionable children. I reapplied the following year only to find out they canned the whole staff due to all this. So another shitty-ass job was in my future.

Kev (the other guitarist) told myself and another good friend that a local amusement park was hiring some people on for the summer. We go to this orientation that was a fucking joke and all got assigned jobs via the mail. Back then people actually used mail (good God I am fucking old). Kev and our other friend got assigned as game attendants. Sweet job, just sit around and wait for people to come by throw a few balls and either give them a prize or don’t. I however get assigned park duty. No idea what that means till I get there.

I show up, have my Mom drop me off at the park. Punch in, get a shirt then handed a radio. I think to myself what the fuck is this, a radio. Well I must be important, they say if this thing rings or beeps and someone says 520, code for cleanup then I have to go respond. I nod and agree and I’m off. We’re told that myself and the other park duty employee have to work in sections of the park. I take the right, he takes the left side. I think, hell yeah, this is way easier t
hen games that Kev and the other guy had. All I had to do was walk around the park pick up trash with a duster and pan and that’s it. Kinda embarrassing, but whatever I was young and it was easy money. So I thought.

After about 20 minutes of doing this, I was bored out of my fucking mind. There's are only so many cigarette buts you can pick up before your brain goes numb. So I’m like, fuck this, I’ll meet up with the other kid on the other side of the park doing the same shit as me and at the very least we can bitch about it to each other till we can go home. I walk over, see the kid, say something like, "wow this sucks huh?" He looks at me real wild eyed, doesn’t say anything for almost a minute, then mumbles something I couldn’t understand. I soon realize the kid is mentally challenged. I’m not one to boost about any type of ego, but I was working the same job of a mentally challenged kid -- fuck, I’m doing a job of a retard. (side note: I have nothing against mentally challenged retards at all, in fact I look at this photo at least a few times a week to remind myself that happiness is actually achievable to a lucky few).

So I head back to my side of the park and the phone I have starts beeping, and a voice comes over saying 520 over at the roller coaster. I ignore the call then it comes back again and then again getting angrier at each call until I respond, saying I’ll be right there. Mind you at this point I have no idea what 520 stands for other then cleanup, I’m not even sure why they’re using code. All I know is I don’t want to do shit.

I get over there and see a huge crowd gathered around near the roller coaster. They see me coming in my park shirt and start howling and making the sounds you would if you saw a bad accident, although some people were smiling like they were about to egg me or something. I get closer and find out what a 520 is…Puke!. Some asshole rode the rollercoaster couldn’t stomach the French fries, hamburgers, and whatever shit food he pumped his stomach up with before he decided to heave it all over the ground for some innocent clump like myself to pick up.

Fucking asshole.

I throw some cat litter looking stuff on it all the while getting hazed by the on lookers and walk away. I called my Mom about half way into my first shift and said I quit, come pick me up I’m done. I didn’t tell any of those fuckers I just walked out and left. Fuck that place! Kev actually ended up getting fired and our other friend quit after his second day. Yes-20-indeed, fuck that place and whoever puked up nasty park food residual that was left over for the next chump.

Next job was at a convenient store, drank beer in the bathroom while working all the time, stole beer and supplied a few parties with it. Did a bunch of pills and drank a shit ton showed up to work after not sleeping and got fired for apparently “Not answering customers questions when asked." I guess some lady was asking me about the muffins we had and I was just staring at her not saying a word till finally she left. Don’t remember any of that, but that’s what I was told when I got fired. Shit job number 3.

and so on and so on.

Get in a shitty band, get a shitty ass job and ruin your shitty ass fuck life!

Pete
t_N.

BMA News Update: Animosity and Architect to tour, Danza visits the great white north and more

2008-10-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today's news blog begins with a friendly, in your face, reminder:
11/11 - Dance Club Massacre "Circle of Death" (pre-orders available now at the Black Market Activities Indie Merch store.)
11/25 - Architect "Ghost of the Saltwater Machines"

Just sayin' folks.
And onto the news:

The European conquest is coming to a close for Animosity, but those hella-sick dudes will be setting their sights on the U.S. with Job for a Cowboy (Metal Blade), Hate Eternal (Metal Blade) and All Shall Perish (Nuclear Blast) in toe. Check the dates below:

11/13 POMONA CA @ Glasshouse Music Hall
11/14 BAKERSFIELD CA @ The Dome
11/15 SACRAMENTO CA @ The Boardwalk
11/16 PORTLAND OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
11/17 SEATTLE WA @ El Corazon
11/18 BOISE ID @ The Venue
11/20 COLORADO SPRINGS CO @ The Black Sheep
11/21 LAWRENCE KS @ Bottleneck
11/22 IOWA CITY IA @ The Picador
11/23 ST. PAUL MN @ Station 4
11/25 DETROIT MI @ Magic Stick
11/26 PITTSBURGH PA @ Strummers
11/27 LONDON ON @ The Embassy Hotel
11/28 BURLINGTON VT @ Higher Ground
11/29 PORTLAND ME @ The Station
11/30 PROVIDENCE RI @ The Living Room
12/1 FARMINGDALE NY @ The Crazy Donkey
12/2 SAYERVILLE NJ @ Starland Ballroom
12/3 BALTIMORE MD @ Otto Bar
12/4 RICHMOND VA @ Canal Club (Downstairs)
12/5 WILMINGTON NC @ Soapbox Laundro-Lounge
12/6 ATLANTA GA @ The Masquerade
12/7 Knoxville, TN @ Valarium
12/9 LITTLE ROCK AR @ The Village
12/10 TULSA OK @ The Marquee
12/11 DALLAS TX @ The Door
12/12 MCALLEN TX @ Cine El Rey Theatre
12/13 AUSTIN TX @ Red 7
12/14 ODESSA TX @ Dos Amigos
12/15 FARMINGTON NM @ Gators
12/16 TUCSON AZ @ Rialto Theatre

Our big, flannel-loving brother to the North will be paid a visit from Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza following some brief North Eastern U.S. dates. Joining Danza on the "Ripped Across Canada" tour will be A Life Once Lost (Ferret) and Arsonists Get All the Girls (Century Media).

11/04 - Manchester, CT @ American Legion
11/05 - Albany, NY @ Valentines
11/06 - St. Catherine, ON @ L3
11/07 - Windsor, ON @ Chubby Pickle
11/08 - London, ON @ The Embassy
11/09 - Toronto, ON @ Reverb
11/10 – Kingston, ON @ Time To Laugh
11/11 – Ottawa, ON @ Bayou
11/13 – Montreal, QC @ Underworld
11/14 – Trois-Rivieres, QC @ Rock Cafe Le Stage
11/15 – Quebec City, QC @ L' Anti
11/16 - Burlington, VT @ Annex
11/17 - Maplewood, NJ @ Garden State Music Factory
11/18 - Reading, PA @ The Silo

Artist Entry: The Abominable Iron Sloth's Justin Godfrey shares some lyrics

2008-10-02T07:50:00.001-07:00

"In the Event of the Inevitable"

Dear future,
sorry about that shit we left
religious wars
forests burned
atomic death

In the event of the inevitable
I pray you find this song
The protons rained
throughout your veins
the past must rightly own

Dear son, dear daughter
stay away from girls on speed
and boys on weed
in search of death
and fleeting things

In the event of the inevitable
I pray you find this song
Those foolish things
inside your brain
I tell you don't belong

BMA News Update: holy megaton of tours, Batman! Plus other news from the BMA family

2008-09-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

So we've been absent. Shit happens.
But still, the BMA News Update you are about to read will pretty much make up for the month hiatus.
I mean, hell, we could have gone and pulled a "Chinese Democracy."
Now, to the news:

Dance Club Massacre has released the song "Hoosh Hoosh" from the upcoming Nov. 11 release, "Circle of Death." Check out the song on the DCM MySpace page.
The band has also canceled its October tour, due to scheduling conflicts.

Romans are being featured in the September issue of Metal Edge Magazine, pick one up!

Louisville band Lords will make its BMA debut on Oct. 14 with "Fuck All Y'all Motherfuckers."

November is election time -- no other month would be more fitting for an Architect release. The band will unleash a few post-election lullabies via "Ghost of the Saltwater Machines" on Nov. 25 . A little from Architect vocalist Keith on the meaning of the album:

"War, famine, greed, depletion of natural resources, etc. As well as all the interpersonal trappings we have -- such as losing touch with our humanity and getting lost in a world of material possessions. Our species is just getting dumber and lazier, not to mention we follow archaic religions and irrelevant laws. We as people are sort of just saltwater machines and the ghost of our negative existence will surely be coming back to haunt us."

Architect has a rough version of the song "Death and Taxes" from the upcoming release posted on the band's MySpace. Fall tour dates will be announced shortly.

A plethora of bands from team BMA are touring, or scheduled to tour shortly, check it.

Lords is hittin' the road, behold:

10/4 - LOUISVILLE, KY @ Cahoots
10/11 - DALLAS, TX @ The Lounge
10/12 - AUSTIN, TX @ Red 7
10/13 - EL PASO, TX @ The Perclator
10/14 - TUSCON, AZ @ The Living Room
10/15 - PHOENIX, AZ @ Modified Arts

Khann will tour with Wetnurse beginning early October:
10/5 - WILMINGTON, NC @ Soapbox
10/6 - CHARLOTTE, NC @ The Milestone w/ Skeletonwitch,
10/7 - ATLANTA, GA @ The Drunken Unicorn
10/8 - ORLANDO, FL @ Black Box Collective
10/9 - MIAMI, FL @ Churchill's w/ Light Yourself on Fire
10/10 - TAMPA, FL @ Transitions Gallery w/ Light Yourself on Fire
10/11 - TALLAHASSEE, FL @ St Mike's w/ Light Yourself on Fire
10/14 - NASHVILLE, TN @ The Five Spot
10/16 - INDIANAPOLIS, IN @ The 1511
10/17 - CHICAGO, IL @ Beat Kitchen w/ Plague Bringer
10/18 - DAYTON, OH @ Dayton Dirt Collective
10/19 - PITTSBURGH, PA @ Smiling Moose w/ Complete Failure
10/21 - KINGSTON, NY @ The Basement
10/22 - BURLINGTON, VT @ Wasted City w/ Romans
10/23 - PORTLAND, ME @ Geno's
10/24 - WORCESTER, MA @ Forbes Street
10/26 - DOYLESTOWN, PA @ Moose Lodge w/ No People
11/2 - BROOKLYN, NY @ Europa w/ Harvey Milk

Animosity is currently on the "Hell on Earth" tour in Europe with The Red Chord, Walls of Jericho, Evergreen Terrace, Cataract and Stick To Your Guns until mid October. Following in November, Animosity will venture out on a U.S. tour with Job for a Cowboy, Hate Eternal, All Shall Perish and Anotations of an Autopsy, dates are as follows:

11/13 POMONA, CA @ Glasshouse Music Hall
11/14 BAKERSFIELD, CA @ The Dome
11/15 SACRAMENTO, CA @ The Boardwalk
11/16 PORTLAND, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
11/17 SEATTLE, WA @ El Corazon
11/18 BOISE, ID @ The Venue
11/20 COLORADO SPRINGS, CO @ The Black Sheep
11/21 LAWRENCE, KS @ Bottleneck
11/22 IOWA CITY, IA @ The Picador
11/23 ST. PAUL, MN @ Station 4
11/25 DETROIT, MI @ Magic Stick
11/26 PITTSBURGH, PA @ Strummers
11/27 LONDON, ON @ The Embassy Hotel
11/28 BURLINGTON, VT @ Higher Ground
11/29 PORTLAND, ME @ The Station
11/30 PROVIDENCE, RI @ The Living Room
12/1 FARMINGDALE, NY @ The Crazy Donkey
12/2 SAYERVILLE, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
12/3 BALTIMORE, MD @ Otto Bar
12/4 RICHMOND, VA @ Canal Club (Downstairs)
12/5 WILMINGTON, NC @ Soapbox Laundro-Lounge
12/6 ATLANTA, GA @ The Masquerade
12/7 KNOXVILLE, TN @ Valarium
12/9 LITTLE ROCK, AR @ The Village
12/10 TULSA, OK @ The Marquee
12/11 DALLAS TX @ The Door
12/12 MCALLEN, TX @ Cine El Rey Theatre
12/13 AUSTIN, TX @ Red 7
12/14 ODESSA, TX @ Dos Amigos
12/15 FARMINGTON, NM @ Gators
12/16 TUCSON, AZ @ Rialto Theatre

Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza is currently on the "Agents of Chaos" tour. Here's the remaining dates:
9/24 - JOHNSON CITY, TN @ The Hideaway
9/25 - DANVILLE, VA @ Plan B
9/26 - CHARLESTON, SC @ The Oasis
9/27 - AUGUSTA, GA @ Sector 7G
9/28 - MONTGOMERY, AL @ Off the Wagon
9/29 - METAIRIE, LA @ The High Ground
9/30 - LITTLE ROCK, AR @ Vino's
10/1 - AMARILLO, TX @ The War Legion Underground
10/3 - SIOUX FALLS, SD @ Nutty's North
10/4 - FARGO, ND @ Red Raven
10/5 - BUFFALO, MN @ The Vault
10/7 - TINLEY PARK, IL @ Mojoe's
10/8 - FORT WAYNE, IN @ Sunset Hall
10/9 - ROCHESTER, NY @ The Penny Arcade
10/10 - UTICA, NY @ Skate-a-Rama
10/11 - POUGHKEEPSIE, NY @ The Platinum Lounge
10/12 - HOLYOKE, MA @ Water Front Tavern
10/13 - JOHNSON CITY, NY @ Magic City Music Hall
10/14 - LEMOYNE, PA @ Champion Ship
10/15 - WILKES-BARRE, PA @ Cafe Metropolis
10/17 - PHILADELPHIA, PA @ The Warehouse
10/18 - RICHMOND, VA @ Canal Club

Behold...the Arctopus will join Genghis Tron for a set of dates on the other side of the pond:
11/17 BRIGHTON @ Coalition
11/18 DUBLIN @ Whelans
11/19 BELFAST @ Limelight
11/20 BIRMINGHAM @Asylum (w/ the_Network)
11/21 THROWBRIDGE @ Snooker Club (w/ the_Network)
11/22 LONDON @ Underworld (w/ the_Network)
11/23 SHEFFIELD @ Corporation
11/24 BRISTOL @ Croft

The_Network will also be making its mark in the UK in November other than the stops with Genghis Tron and Behold...the Arctopus, confirmed dates below:

11/15 - LONDON @ Clothing Stop (3 p.m. start) w/ Throats
11/15 - ALDERSHOT @ The West End Centre
11/16 - YORK @ The Junction
11/17 - MANCHESTER @ Cafe Sake
11/18 - GLASGOW @ Captains Rest
11/19 - LEEDS @ Royal Park Cellars
11/20 - BIRMINGHAM @ Asylum w/ Genghis Tron, Behold...the Arctopus
11/20 - NOTTINGHAM @ Rock City (Late show)
11/21 - TROWBRIDGE @ Snooker Club w/ Genghis Tron, Behold...the Arctopus
11/22 - LONDON @ Underworld w/ Genghis Tron, Behold...the Arctopus
11/23 - LONDON @ Windmill Brixton
11/24 - BRIGHTON @ The Engine Room
11/25 - NEWPORT @ Le Pub

Stay tuned for more kids, this is just a warm up.

-BMA Staff