Recovery & Feedback

[Foretich]

Hey! For the record i'm only 35...:Smug: I think for my next show i'm going to wear only chainmail, inject my face with botox and leave the needles in (totally metal), play a 47 string bass made of leather, all while doing flips on a trampoline with a headset mic like Kip Winger for background vocals

bahahaha. you totally do not look 35. i thought you were 12 like me. hahaha.

you'll be like a sadistic hair metal manowar w/ a trampoline.

 

[ParsonsMatt]

Hey! For the record i'm only 35...:Smug: I think for my next show i'm going to wear only chainmail, inject my face with botox and leave the needles in (totally metal), play a 47 string bass made of leather, all while doing flips on a trampoline with a headset mic like Kip Winger for background vocals

Holy Shit. I need a headset mic. Then I can bring the br00talz vo-killz and headbang at the same time!!

 

[Foretich]

The performance we gave was WAY below what I'd consider an acceptable show.

Dude i thought you guys freaking rocked it out. you are very talented. i cant even talk and play ACDC chords lol and you're over there shreddin it out while screaming. It was badass.

We should jam sometime, Me, you, and Alex Parra.

 

[Hal9000]

Hey! For the record i'm only 35...:Smug: I think for my next show i'm going to wear only chainmail, inject my face with botox and leave the needles in (totally metal), play a 47 string bass made of leather, all while doing flips on a trampoline with a headset mic like Kip Winger for background vocals

Now that I have to see!

 

[Metal_Camden]

ahhhh to bad we missed it. hopefully next year we can play lol

 

[TribunalRecords]

Hey! For the record i'm only 35...:Smug: I think for my next show i'm going to wear only chainmail, inject my face with botox and leave the needles in (totally metal), play a 47 string bass made of leather, all while doing flips on a trampoline with a headset mic like Kip Winger for background vocals

didn't Joey DeMaio of MANOWAR already beat you to that? hahaha.

 

[geoffws6]

Hey guys....Geoff from VOR here. AKA. Rikki Rockett. Glad everyone had a good time Saturday. It was a pleasure to play with ALD, HW, TTD and Aska. I cant describe how fulfilling it is to play the drums with the guys in VOR. A privilege, for sure. HW and their new singer almost blew the remaining hairs off of my head. Bad ass show, guys! ALD was super-tight, I must say. Second time I've seen them and as great a band as they are, they are just as nice of guys as well. I just wish I could play a left hand ride like their drummer....but it is not to be. Unfortunately I missed out of TTD and Aska........I had to retreat to the house for diaper-duty on my 8 week old-future-metal-drummer-son! Yes I am that old and still RAWK! I did catch Aska's sound check and was impressed. With a little polishing, they might do something!

Thanks a bunch to everyone!

Geoff

P.S. By the way....I don't own a bracelet!uke:

 

[Mr. Zane of HW]

Hey guys....Geoff from VOR here. AKA. Rikki Rockett. Glad everyone had a good time Saturday. It was a pleasure to play with ALD, HW, TTD and Aska. I cant describe how fulfilling it is to play the drums with the guys in VOR. A privilege, for sure. HW and their new singer almost blew the remaining hairs off of my head. Bad ass show, guys! ALD was super-tight, I must say. Second time I've seen them and as great a band as they are, they are just as nice of guys as well. I just wish I could play a left hand ride like their drummer....but it is not to be. Unfortunately I missed out of TTD and Aska........I had to retreat to the house for diaper-duty on my 8 week old-future-metal-drummer-son! Yes I am that old and still RAWK! I did catch Aska's sound check and was impressed. With a little polishing, they might do something!

Thanks a bunch to everyone!

Geoff

P.S. By the way....I don't own a bracelet!uke:

Right there with ya bro! I have two daughters and another baby in the make.As long as you have the support of your family, then your set!

 

[Pellaz]

Weird, looks like several posts have gone missing.

Overall, a great two-day time...thanks to Hoyt for staging and hopefully not losing too much of his ass on it.

-- Alas, Tyranny: I didn't know that was their first time on stage...with that in mind, I think they have a lot of promise. Imperfect, but understandably so.

-- Oblivion Myth: really good and with an amazing frontman.

-- Eternal Hour: a good performance for any band, but an especially good performance considering the age of the band (except that bassist )

-- Zephaniah: I was only able to catch two of their songs before making a mad dash downtown to cover WREKage, but I liked what I heard and I like them even more hearing them on CD. Kudos to them for hanging out for both days, too!


-- V.O.R.: one of my bigger surprises of the weekend...very practiced and tight for a band that hasn't been playing out too much.

-- A Lower Deep: seen 'em before, they are always consistently good. I felt bad that the crowd didn't give them too much love; while not breaking any new ground, they're good at what they do.

-- Halcyon Way: stepping it up a notch with new lead singer Steve Braun, who had stage presence in spades. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Sean S., as we've shared a lot of laughs together, but Steve might be just the missing ingredient to bring HW to the next level and maybe beyond.

-- Twisted Tower Dire: good show. I'd seen them before at Dragon*Con for a couple of songs so I knew they could deliver and they did. Not breaking much new ground here either but certainly a workmanlike and well-received set.

-- Aska: I didn't know much about these guys going in, and frankly their style isn't really one of my top interests in metal, but I really enjoyed their set and picked up their CD afterwards. Very professional, seemingly flawless and highly entertaining.

It was also very cool to meet a lot of people there for the first time: Alex and Cameron from Arktide (and friend); Nick and Rob, our WREKage ticket giveaway winners; Matt "that famous guy from Killwhitneydead" Rudzninski ; SavaFreak; several of the bands including Zephaniah, and all the 'regulars.' Good times, good times!

 

[James]

My Objective Review (okay, I admit it: I am a card-carrying Pathfinder Promotions nutswinger...deal with it ):

Night One:

I really enjoyed ALAS,TYRANNY; I thought they had some killer riffs, and both guitar players were excellent. For a first gig, they definitely represented the material very well, and I look forward to hearing more from them.

I’ve seen OBLIVION MYTH several times, and each time the reviews are better than the last; their performance at Pathfinder Metalfest resulted in the most favorable commentary from the peanut gallery that I've heard to-date. Now that they’ve found the singer they’ve been looking for, they really seem to be gaining some momentum whenever they play down in our neck of the woods.

ETERNAL HOUR was solid, as always; any time there is an opportunity to see Nathan and Alex play, count me in! The singer did a great job, as well…it’s still hard for me to believe that the guy was under the weather, because he killed it! Great job by VORob filling in on the fat strings.

You know how after a concert some people say “I may as well have stayed home and listened to the CD”? Well, I can guaran-damn-tee you they were never talking about ZEPHANIAH, because those dudes understand the meaning of the word “show”. I can’t think of very many bands out there who couldn’t learn a thing or two from watching them perform…this was a VERY entertaining set, which more than made up for RAVAGE not being able to make it to the gig.


Night Two:

I would like to take this opportunity to suggest that VOR open every show going forward, period. As usual, their mid- to up-tempo rockers seemed to satisfy the prog and the power metal fans alike. The guitar, keys, and vocals were excellent, as always, but I found myself really noticing the drums...that guy is a monster! Nice job by the old dude from ETERNAL HOUR on the four-banger, as well.

A LOWER DEEP continued their reign as what I believe to be the most consistent band on our fair circuit; these guys have their shit DOWN. They seemed to have mixed the set list up a little more than usual, which was great; it almost felt like my first time seeing them. Billy sounded excellent, as always, and the rest of the band was extremely tight. The sound guy Saturday night seemed to have his shit together, because I could hear everything crystal clear (or maybe it was just the result of some musical Jedi mind trick they tried to pull on me by having Troy and Tim switch sides on stage ).

HALCYON WAY: been there, done that, and bought the t-shirts (all seven of 'em)...and the panties! Seriously, these guys and ASKA were my most anticipated sets of the weekend, and they were well worth the wait. Having been a fan of the band since ProgPower V (I think) when they harassed me all weekend until I finally bought their three-song demo disc so they would leave me the hell alone, I was anxious to see what new singer Steve Braun would bring to the table. I've always enjoyed every aspect of their music, not the least of which was Sean's vocals, so I guess you could say my eagerness was somewhat tempered by a nervous anticipation. After finally seeing Steve perform with the band, I can safely say he NAILED it! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of hearing him make these songs his own. Furthermore, their decision to cover "STAND UP AND SHOUT" was pure genius on so many levels ...well done, guys!

ASKA:These dudes are, without a doubt, the real-deal; their reputation preceded them (thanks to the glowing reviews in advance from HALCYON WAY), and they did not disappoint! Seeing ASKA reminded me of the one thing that struck me most the first time I saw SAXON: there really is no substitute for experience. Their performance was, to my ears, simply flawless...a perfect example of having high expectations and still being blown away. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and made the performance that much more entertaining. I would certainly welcome any opportunity to see these guys again!




As always, thank you Hoyt (and Karen, and Patrick, and Keith, et al) for all you do to bring these shows to the fans. Whether it's local bands such as ALAS, TYRANNY that I'm seeing for the first time, or out-of-state acts such as ASKA and ZEPHANIA that I may not have been able to see otherwise, I always know I can count on an evening (or two!) of QUALITY metal.


I'd also like to take this opportunity once again to thank Datis for kicking in all the extra promo discs in the VIP bag. It's good to know that there's someone else like Hoyt out there in another region of the country working just as hard to bring this music to the masses; it was great meeting you!

 

[TribunalRecords]

Hey guys....Geoff from VOR here. AKA. Rikki Rockett. Glad everyone had a good time Saturday. It was a pleasure to play with ALD, HW, TTD and Aska. I cant describe how fulfilling it is to play the drums with the guys in VOR. A privilege, for sure. HW and their new singer almost blew the remaining hairs off of my head. Bad ass show, guys! ALD was super-tight, I must say. Second time I've seen them and as great a band as they are, they are just as nice of guys as well. I just wish I could play a left hand ride like their drummer....but it is not to be. Unfortunately I missed out of TTD and Aska........I had to retreat to the house for diaper-duty on my 8 week old-future-metal-drummer-son! Yes I am that old and still RAWK! I did catch Aska's sound check and was impressed. With a little polishing, they might do something!

Thanks a bunch to everyone!

Geoff

P.S. By the way....I don't own a bracelet!uke:

ever since seeing the drummer of LIVING COLOUR playing open handed i have tried to master it, but it's just not for me. hahaha. wait, or maybe i just suck at drumming! haha.

 

[halcyonwayband@aol.com]

Hey all, I wanted to say thanks - can probably speak for the rest of the guys in HW here too - from the bottom of our hearts for the support. This was an important show to us - not only did we have to show everyone that we have no plans of slowing down or giving up ground due to our recent singer change, but we had to break Steve in at a high profile event - no softball first gig for you bro, haha - but we also had to do it with not having taken the stage at The Local in over a year, and with only 3 shows in Atlanta in the last year as well. So we all had a lot riding on it, and we thank you for the warm welcome you gave Steve in his first time in battle with us. We couldn't be happier with the way the show went, and with you guys' reaction to us, it was more than we could have expected.

So, to Hoyt, Karen, Patrick, Keith & Datis for putting this thing together and having us be part of it - THANK YOU. We can't wait for the next one.

To the fans who came out and made the next one possible, even in this crappy economy when every dollar counts - THANK YOU. We'll see you soon.

And to the bands on the bill and everyone in the bands - and we know no one made money off this thing - THANK YOU. We look forward to throwing down with all you guys again ASAP! VOR on the 21st at Sweetwater, Eternal Hour on 12/12 at Planet X. Dudes in Zephaniah - hit up Big Mike, we wanna come to Indiana. To our bros in Aska, ok we've done 3 fests together now.....let's get out on tour together now! Anyone else....you know how to get us, we're ready to play anytime, anywhere.

And.....just gotta say it.....JUST WAIT until you see what is in store for you from HW in 2010. This is only the beginning.....

 

[Exploding Ned]

Weird, looks like several posts have gone missing.

That's because Hoyt doesn't allow any negative comments on the event. This post will probably be deleted quickly too. His choice I guess, whatever... no big buzz.... although he did say "Please post your thoughts about the fest here". Possibly he meant "Please post your thoughts about the fest here, only if they are positive." Who knows, not really a big deal anyway.

Wish I had been there. Planned to attend but was under the weather, sorry I missed it. So, what was the attendance anyway?

 

[PatrickHoyt]

That's because Hoyt doesn't allow any negative comments on the event. This post will probably be deleted quickly too. His choice I guess, whatever... no big buzz.... although he did say "Please post your thoughts about the fest here". Possibly he meant "Please post your thoughts about the fest here, only if they are positive." Who knows, not really a big deal anyway.

Wish I had been there. Planned to attend but was under the weather, sorry I missed it. So, what was the attendance anyway?

haven't been keeping up with this much so I haven't seen what has been deleted, but I assure you if any bullshit is to be started from something someone has posted there is a reason it has been deleted. We don't put up with it here, and if you're gonna be snarky about anything go to a different forum to do that. I wish you had been there too, you missed a great show - as did a lot of folks.


edit

there is an appropriate way to be constructive and there is an assholish way of being downright rude and disrespectful - if you choose the latter then get the hell out of our forums.

 

[Rider of Theli]

That's because Hoyt doesn't allow any negative comments on the event. This post will probably be deleted quickly too. His choice I guess, whatever... no big buzz.... although he did say "Please post your thoughts about the fest here". Possibly he meant "Please post your thoughts about the fest here, only if they are positive." Who knows, not really a big deal anyway.

Wish I had been there. Planned to attend but was under the weather, sorry I missed it. So, what was the attendance anyway?

so you didn't make it to the fest but you're going to come swaggering in here making accusations and assumptions? Good job.

I never said no one could make negative comments about the event I produced this past weekend. But there's a difference between posting constructive criticism and being downright rude about it. Besides, it takes away from the meaning of this thread if 3 or 4 people dominate the thread with 'he said, she said' attitudes.


to answer your question, we had about 100 paying fans on Friday and about 150 on Saturday. A fair turnout, but about 2/3 what I was truly hoping for. There were about 40-50 people I didn't see all weekend who promised to make it, but never bought an advance ticket. So it figures they wouldn't show at all. And before you assume anything - only about 5 of those were ProgPower regulars. There is a metal audience outside of ProgPower.

 

[Datis]

I hear what Hoyt says loud and clear mainly due to our experience with Warriors Of Metal Fest II this past June.

I can understand some folks who promise to be there to support this band or that band but are from several states away and have to think up an excuse for traveling long distances to be at whatever Fest. Frankly, we wouldn't have traveled 22 hours down to San Antonio from Amelia, Ohio just to see some bands I liked. I have ALL of Seven Witches albums and also have both Jack Frost solo albums and even the SPEEED album he put out which seems to be a rarity but ultimately, I was more than willing to pass it up, why? I had already lost out on seeing bands that I LOVE and listen to ALL THE TIME like BRAINSTORM, FIREWIND, THUNDERSTONE, and any number of ProgPower bands who have played the US just once and Atlanta is only 8 hours away from us. I know I can't drive that long and flying is cost prohibative, so that means my wife, who doesn't even like my kind of Metal would have to do the driving and I can't ask her to do that voluntarily.

So I could pass up Seven Witches and Aska (which at that time I had never seen Live anyway, only had the 9 tongues album from them on an opportunistic buy) although as a DJ a Metal Internet radio station, I promised to help Lance promote his Fest and I did that quite willingly and it was my and indeed all of our pleasures to do it to help him out. But the real reason was that Lance had done me a favor and confirmed our Celtic Power Metal band Lunarium for his Fest which in my mind was a pretty cool break for my tiny Indie Metal label (Farvahar Records) and our band who had only played their first major fastival at Heathen Crusade III in Minneapolis last November. That's why my wife drove all the way the hell down to San Antonio for two days. It was mainly to support our band Lunarium who was the 2nd band of the day on Nightmare's Saturday show! And for those who know us, it'll be too trite to mention the circumstances of our band actually not making it 4 hours out of Ohio before turning back and going home and calling us on Thursday night that they are NOT coming to San Antonio at all! Now I had to also go and appologize to Lance!

But by God, I went and enjoyed the Fest, had Lance autograph every damn album cover I had in which he sang and same thing with Jack Frost. And we met George Call of Aska and the rest is history. Now, will we go to a show that has Aska playing and is within 8 hours? You bet! And since I booked Zephaniah to Pathfinder and as Hoyt said, the first day was "My Fault" D), we also went to support Zephaniah. Hell I had them crash at our house so they don't have to pay hotel fees on their way down there (that was also an experience having those guys at my house, let me tell you!). But I love those guys and so does my wife, even if she doesn't even LIKE Speed Metal; she likes Zephaniah. And that's why we went all the way to Kansas City, MO to support them at the Kansas City Power Metal Fest II in mid-August. An 11 hour drive for us each way.

But for Nightmare MetalFest II, I was afforded the chance to see my cousin and his family in Corpus Christi, whom we had not seen since our wedding reception 5 years ago and I also got to see my best friend's family in Kansas whom I had not seen in 8 years when we went to the Kansas City area. So I managed to squeeze in some sort of a reunion on each trip which made the journey worth it even more. On our trip to Marietta (and I have no family there), I had to deliver the Pathfinder MetalFest compilation CDs I had just made for Hoyt to the Fest and we were both looking forward to see him finally. There supposed to be others from our station who had "Promised" to be there too which were nowhere to be found, but I suppose they had a legitimate excuse, I'm not one to judge.

But just imagine having put down the crew for another Internet Metal station on your promo cards to pass out and giving them some recognition for helping out with a decently run MetalFest (Mark Gromen's words) and they don't even show up from 1.5 hours away!!!! It's one thing to be just a fan and promise to come and not show up but it's entirely another when you've been given a Sponsor's position (especially one that promotes Metal every freakin day) and not show up to the Fest. What are we to think?

If you've seen me, you KNOW I don't look Metal! I have no tatoos, I don't have long hair and in fact I probably have as much grey as Mark Gromen (well, maybe not since he has more of his head covered than this baldy !), I wear slacks not jeans, and I look even older than Rob (VOR). But with me the love for Metal burns within. I do all I can to promote underground Metal through my radio show or the Fest compilations I put together and that is how I roll. But for God's sake if I tell someone I'm gonna be at their Fest, I'm gonna do my damnedest to be there because for those of us who put their ass on the line to build or promote the Metal scene, a little appreciation goes a long long way. So even if you can't stay for the whole Fest and need to leave for whatever reason, at least you came and supported the bands by putting up the horns just once and maybe even headbanged a little. Ultimately, we want to show the bands that THEY are appreciated even if we are not. We sure as hell are not doing this for profit. I dare anybody who thinks these are profitable ventures to put on their own Metal Fest and see how they fare. 40 more people through the door may have actually made a difference for Hoyt and I'm saddened to hear that there were that many but maybe now that the word gets around about what a great show they missed, they'll think twice about missing the next one.

Farvahar Records and Warriors Of Metal Fest Crew take our collective hats off to Hoyt for a great 1st Annual Pathfinder Metal Fest. I thought he did great for the 4 months he had to work with and we look forward to more great shows from him in the future and you can bet your bottom dollar, WE WILL BE THERE TO HELP HIM IN WHATEVER WAY WE CAN!

Keep It Metal.

Datis
DJ Metal Daddy (www.xtrememetalradio.com)
Farvahar Records
All Hallows Eve Metal Fest III Crew
Official Sponsor of Warriors Of Metal Fest III

 

[Datis]

I'd also like to take this opportunity once again to thank Datis for kicking in all the extra promo discs in the VIP bag. It's good to know that there's someone else like Hoyt out there in another region of the country working just as hard to bring this music to the masses; it was great meeting you!

It was my pleasure to meet you too James. I hope you enjoyed the comp CDs and I further hope you become a card carrying member of the Annual Warriors Of Metal Festivals. It will be an honor to have you around for our Fest and I know you're gonna enjoy yourself as we're bringing back both ZEPHANIAH and ASKA for our next year's Fest, and that is just 2 bands. We will be helping our Swedish band GALLOWS END (www.myspace.com/gallowsend) for a 2-3 week tour in the US before Warriors Of Metal Fest III on June 25th & 26th, 2010. So you'll have a unique opprtunity to perhaps see them in action twice as YOU KNOW I will have them pass through The Local with Hoyt at the helm of a show down there. Hopefully the fans of Halcyon Way can welcome them and have a good time with their music as well. Between Hoyt and Big Mike (have you bought the HW Cap yet ?), I know they can make things happen. They both Rule !

Keep yourself posted at www.myspace.com/womfest for news that will be forthcoming as Ryan Carroll (WOMFEST III Organizer, 494 Productions) and myself keep the fans updated as the Fest line-up becomes finalized. And don't be surprised to see some familiar names pop up. This was Hoyt's wish and I have a feeling from Ryan's reactions to some of the bands (he has the final say and he too is very picky) that Hoyt just might get his wish!

We will see you, Hoyt and whomever can make it to WOMFEST III next summer in Ohio and look forward to catch up with you then.

Keep It Metal.

Datis
DJ Metal Daddy
Farvahar Records
All Hallows Eve Metal Fest III Crew
Official Sponsor of Warriors Of Metal Fest III
_____________________________________
Sponsor of ASKA for WOMFEST II

 

[ALowerDeep]

Well since my defense of all things Pathfinder is gone (and I don't mind abit if it got rid of all the rest too ;-) on behalf of ALD I'd like to thank Hoyt for all he has done for us and the scene, and more so for being a great friend. Keith, Patrick, Karen you guys are like family to us and we love you. To James, Kathy, Sean, Pam, our brothers in HW it's been a great ride the last couple of years getting to know you all and becoming great friends, you all also are our family. So everyone stay tuned alot upcoming up from the Deep end in the days ahead and we'd remain honored for our 'family' to be with us through it.

Thanks so much as well to all that supported the first Pathfinder Fest, we had blast meeting so many cool people. The bands were all top notch and truly professional and we'd be honored to share a stage with any of them any time.

 

[zephaniah]

Together, Datis and Hoyt are an unstoppable force of metal kindness and enthusiasm! We owe very much of our success to the hard work and continuing support we get from Datis and Lea (Farvahar Records). Without them, we would still be stuck playing lame shows in Fort Wayne with the local hardcore band of the week, rather than traveling across many states to join forces with other amazing bands and promoters! You don't often find people like this, driven by a genuine love for music and not the desire to make an easy dollar; so, take a minute to thank them for all of the support!

Also, contact Datis for some fantastic hand-crafted soaps!

 

[Datis]

Ha ha ha, thanks guys for plugging my soap business. Hope you liked the Dinasaur soaps I made for you and are using them still! Justin Zych and Tyson Miller autographed guitar pick soaps shall be forthcoming as part of the Zephaniah merch soon; maybe even at All Hallows Eve Metal Fest III in Chillicothe, OH this Saturday.

Zephaniah has NEVER let us (Ryan Carroll and I) down and discovering them and bringing them to Ohio for more and more shows with Lunarium or whomever else has been nothing but a pleasure for us. These guys deserve a bigger stage and I intend to give it to them. Like Hoyt said, whoever missed Zephaniah's set last Friday, really missed out because even I saw something new, and I've seen these guys perform since the Spring of 2008!

Keep it Fast & Furious guys. We love you......and I know choice thoughts are swirling in Justin's head right now, lmao!

Datis
DJ Metal Daddy
Farvahar Records
All Hallows Eve Metal Fest III Crew
Official Sponsor of Warriors Of Metal Fest III
_____________________________________
Sponsor of ASKA for WOMFEST II (2009)