It was great to hit the stage again; it's been over a year since we've done a show and it was very exciting for me to be under the lights. Here’s a recap of the weekend:
I arrived in New Port Ritchie, Florida on Friday afternoon; I had stopped in Clearwater (which is about 30 km south) to pick up Alberto Campuzano who is Warmachine’s bassist. The guys in Warmachine really helped us big time by lending Alberto out to us since the bassist we hired to do the show bailed out on us three weeks before the show.
We had a rehearsal space booked for us but we realized too late that it was approximately an hour away from our hotel and that it would not work out for us time wise to go out there. So, after exhausting all other options, we were left with only one; to do an unplugged rehearsal in our hotel room. Since all of us had rehearsed together (with the exception of Alberto) before we went down to the festival, we really had to get one in with Alberto in order to make sure that we were ready. We had no amps or anything that would allow us to hear each other. The only thing we could do, was plug Alberto’s bass into the television set and that way we could at least hear him play. Bill and I strummed our guitars as loud as we could and Jerry used his knees as the snare and he banged his feet on a guitar case for the kicks. It was definitely a unique rehearsal and it went surprisingly well; we actually had a lot of fun. I was very pleasantly surprised at Alberto’s professionalism; considering the fact that he had only a couple of weeks to learn 13 songs, he did an absolutely wonderful job, more importantly, he is a truly special person and it was an absolute pleasure to play with him and hang out with him throughout the weekend.
After rehearsal, we were ready for some food and drinks! I drove Alberto back down to Clearwater so that he and the Warmachine guys could go see a friend of theirs band play. I met up with Bill and Brent (our tour manager/bus driver/babysitter/roadie/and every other job we can think of for him to do) and we set off in search of that crappy restaurant that serves wings and has wastes of flesh as waitresses. After driving around for a half hour, we didn’t find it and decided to stop by some Italian joint that was in sight. Casey Grillo from Kamelot met us there and then we all headed down to the venue to check out the bands playing that night.
A couple of hours later and who knows how many drinks, Casey went home and the rest of us went back to the hotel so that we can get some rest for Saturday. That, of course did not happen, and we spent the next few hours, “remodeling” the hotel room and the parking lot. Brent somehow managed to stop the hotel manager from calling the cops; which is a good thing because we didn’t have enough alcohol left to share with them or enough cash to shoo them off.
Woke up Saturday morning just in time for the “Eat and Greet” buffet that Lance set up from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I actually felt pretty decent but I could not say the same for Bill; he was still drunk from the night before. Slowly but surely the buffet room filled up with most of the band members playing the fest and some friends, family, and fans. I met up with a group of family and friends that drove up from South Florida, which is about 450 km away, for the show. Btw, that super hot woman that hung out with me that day and that was at the show is my wife’s sister, Susan; don’t get any ideas, I have always been and will always be faithful to my wife Carynne!
Following the buffet, I went back to my room to try to rest up a bit since we were playing at around 11:00 p.m. that night. Brent and I had a brief meeting to go over everything that he needed to take care of and then I tried unsuccessfully to unwind for a couple of hours. Before I knew it, the evening had come and it was time to gather the troops for dinner. Once again, we set off toward that aforementioned restaurant; this time, unfortunately, we did find it. As usual, the food sucked and the service was even worse. The one thing you can usually count on when you go to this restaurant is the good-looking waitresses; well, this particular one had nothing but dogs. We headed to the venue following dinner and got there in time to see Warmachine absolutely rock the house big time. Those guys are very awesome and it was a pure pleasure to watch them pound out their killer tunes. As their set came to end, it was time for us to prepare for our set since there was only one band left before us.
At about 11:00 p.m., we hit the stage and opened the set with the opening and title track of our upcoming new cd, Ashes And Madness. Next up was another new tune, The Lost And Forsaken. We then played a couple of songs from our first cd, From The Depths of Time: The Fear, and Black Masquerade. Following a short guitar solo from Bill Hudson, we played two more new songs; Into The Other Side, and Beyond The Hallowed Gates. It was then that we brought out our good friends Wade Black (vocalist for Crimson Glory and Disasterpeace) and Pete Blakk (guitarist for Disasterpeace and formerly of King Diamond) for the Dio classic, The Last In Line. We then returned to our debut cd for Single Blade Of Vengeance and Time And Space Part I: City of Peace which we connected directly to Time And Space Part II: Unlock The Mystery from our new cd. At that point, we had time only for one more song, so we invited our good friend Zak Stevens (vocalist for Circle II Circle and formerly of Savatage) to join us for Savatage’s classic, The Hall Of The Mountain King. For me, this was a dream come true since I used to live in Florida and would go to see Savatage play in Tampa a couple of times a year. Being able to play one of my all time favourite songs with Zach was very nearly overwhelming for me; I was very excited and nervous at the same time. This was an experience that I will treasure always.
Well that about covers everything; it was a very fun weekend and all of us had a blast. I’d like to thank Lance and his partners for making this happen. I also want to send a HUGE thanks to Bill Hudson, Jerry Babcock, and Alberto Campuzano; you guys worked your butts off and it showed in your outstanding performances. Thanks also to my best friends Rick and Irene, who flew in from Arizona along with their daughter Monica for the show. A big thanks goes out to Brent Erwin for everything; too many things you did to mention! And of course, a GIGANTIC thank you to all of the fans that were there; you guys and gals were awesome and I look forward to seeing you all again!!
p.s. I’d like to add a little disclaimer here for all of our younger fans: I DO NOT condone drinking or any other mind altering substances; I hope you do not get the wrong impression that drinking is cool and that that’s what musicians do. Every once in a while, it’s okay to let loose a bit and have some fun; as long as you do it responsibly and make sure that you NEVER, EVER, drive while under the influence.
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I arrived in New Port Ritchie, Florida on Friday afternoon; I had stopped in Clearwater (which is about 30 km south) to pick up Alberto Campuzano who is Warmachine’s bassist. The guys in Warmachine really helped us big time by lending Alberto out to us since the bassist we hired to do the show bailed out on us three weeks before the show.
We had a rehearsal space booked for us but we realized too late that it was approximately an hour away from our hotel and that it would not work out for us time wise to go out there. So, after exhausting all other options, we were left with only one; to do an unplugged rehearsal in our hotel room. Since all of us had rehearsed together (with the exception of Alberto) before we went down to the festival, we really had to get one in with Alberto in order to make sure that we were ready. We had no amps or anything that would allow us to hear each other. The only thing we could do, was plug Alberto’s bass into the television set and that way we could at least hear him play. Bill and I strummed our guitars as loud as we could and Jerry used his knees as the snare and he banged his feet on a guitar case for the kicks. It was definitely a unique rehearsal and it went surprisingly well; we actually had a lot of fun. I was very pleasantly surprised at Alberto’s professionalism; considering the fact that he had only a couple of weeks to learn 13 songs, he did an absolutely wonderful job, more importantly, he is a truly special person and it was an absolute pleasure to play with him and hang out with him throughout the weekend.
After rehearsal, we were ready for some food and drinks! I drove Alberto back down to Clearwater so that he and the Warmachine guys could go see a friend of theirs band play. I met up with Bill and Brent (our tour manager/bus driver/babysitter/roadie/and every other job we can think of for him to do) and we set off in search of that crappy restaurant that serves wings and has wastes of flesh as waitresses. After driving around for a half hour, we didn’t find it and decided to stop by some Italian joint that was in sight. Casey Grillo from Kamelot met us there and then we all headed down to the venue to check out the bands playing that night.
A couple of hours later and who knows how many drinks, Casey went home and the rest of us went back to the hotel so that we can get some rest for Saturday. That, of course did not happen, and we spent the next few hours, “remodeling” the hotel room and the parking lot. Brent somehow managed to stop the hotel manager from calling the cops; which is a good thing because we didn’t have enough alcohol left to share with them or enough cash to shoo them off.
Woke up Saturday morning just in time for the “Eat and Greet” buffet that Lance set up from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I actually felt pretty decent but I could not say the same for Bill; he was still drunk from the night before. Slowly but surely the buffet room filled up with most of the band members playing the fest and some friends, family, and fans. I met up with a group of family and friends that drove up from South Florida, which is about 450 km away, for the show. Btw, that super hot woman that hung out with me that day and that was at the show is my wife’s sister, Susan; don’t get any ideas, I have always been and will always be faithful to my wife Carynne!
Following the buffet, I went back to my room to try to rest up a bit since we were playing at around 11:00 p.m. that night. Brent and I had a brief meeting to go over everything that he needed to take care of and then I tried unsuccessfully to unwind for a couple of hours. Before I knew it, the evening had come and it was time to gather the troops for dinner. Once again, we set off toward that aforementioned restaurant; this time, unfortunately, we did find it. As usual, the food sucked and the service was even worse. The one thing you can usually count on when you go to this restaurant is the good-looking waitresses; well, this particular one had nothing but dogs. We headed to the venue following dinner and got there in time to see Warmachine absolutely rock the house big time. Those guys are very awesome and it was a pure pleasure to watch them pound out their killer tunes. As their set came to end, it was time for us to prepare for our set since there was only one band left before us.
At about 11:00 p.m., we hit the stage and opened the set with the opening and title track of our upcoming new cd, Ashes And Madness. Next up was another new tune, The Lost And Forsaken. We then played a couple of songs from our first cd, From The Depths of Time: The Fear, and Black Masquerade. Following a short guitar solo from Bill Hudson, we played two more new songs; Into The Other Side, and Beyond The Hallowed Gates. It was then that we brought out our good friends Wade Black (vocalist for Crimson Glory and Disasterpeace) and Pete Blakk (guitarist for Disasterpeace and formerly of King Diamond) for the Dio classic, The Last In Line. We then returned to our debut cd for Single Blade Of Vengeance and Time And Space Part I: City of Peace which we connected directly to Time And Space Part II: Unlock The Mystery from our new cd. At that point, we had time only for one more song, so we invited our good friend Zak Stevens (vocalist for Circle II Circle and formerly of Savatage) to join us for Savatage’s classic, The Hall Of The Mountain King. For me, this was a dream come true since I used to live in Florida and would go to see Savatage play in Tampa a couple of times a year. Being able to play one of my all time favourite songs with Zach was very nearly overwhelming for me; I was very excited and nervous at the same time. This was an experience that I will treasure always.
Well that about covers everything; it was a very fun weekend and all of us had a blast. I’d like to thank Lance and his partners for making this happen. I also want to send a HUGE thanks to Bill Hudson, Jerry Babcock, and Alberto Campuzano; you guys worked your butts off and it showed in your outstanding performances. Thanks also to my best friends Rick and Irene, who flew in from Arizona along with their daughter Monica for the show. A big thanks goes out to Brent Erwin for everything; too many things you did to mention! And of course, a GIGANTIC thank you to all of the fans that were there; you guys and gals were awesome and I look forward to seeing you all again!!
p.s. I’d like to add a little disclaimer here for all of our younger fans: I DO NOT condone drinking or any other mind altering substances; I hope you do not get the wrong impression that drinking is cool and that that’s what musicians do. Every once in a while, it’s okay to let loose a bit and have some fun; as long as you do it responsibly and make sure that you NEVER, EVER, drive while under the influence.
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