Desolate Rage Will Never Forget

 

 

Desolate Rage will never forget and neither should you!

Hey guys and gals,

This previous week on November 11th was Remembrance Day here in Canada or Veterans Day in the States and a few other names in other parts of the world. The meaning is pretty much the same. Remembering all those who died in the First World War and every other war since should be on everyone’s mind. I am quite the History buff and have been fascinated with this period in time covering 1900 to 1950 and how the world changed for good during those decades. We still deal with some of that ideology today and defiantly feel the after affects of all that happened. So again the least we can all do on days like these are take the time to reflect on all the lives lost for us to have the freedom to do as we please today. I could go on for days about this subject but on to other things.

We have another gig this coming Friday at The Smiling Buddha’s Club located in the West end of Toronto. We are headlining this show going on real late approx 12:20 AM

There will be a whole variety of bands playing this show covering a few Genres. It will also be our last show of the year unless something real big or juicy comes up? We like to take December off to spend time with our families and to just work on some stuff that we never have time for such as pictures, videos and writing. Jorge has even introduced the notion of doing a Pod cast in the coming months. That should be really interesting. The four of us with a Mic and open forum to talk about anything we want might not be such a great idea. I can see the lawsuits now. LOL

Anyways, you all have a nice weekend.

Talk soon

Jeff

Blast From The Past

Good day everyone,

It been 12 years since Desolate Rage had the opportunity to play with DWA, but that all changed this past Friday and it really was a blast from the past. Way back when we were called 'Bleed' was it a regular occurrence to share the stage with DWA, these are a bunch of guys who played similar styles to us and it sure was nice to have another band to run with. Like I said to the guys from DWA 'let's not make it the last time we play together', now it's up to them to figure where they will go from here.

Friday's show was full of a few surprises. For starters, the first band showed up late and this forced the following bands including DR to cut a few songs off of our set and only played four songs. The Velvet turns into a nightclub at 11:00pm and all the bands must be off of the stage by that time so I do understand the shortening of sets, what I didn't understand is why the bands who are on time to have to pay the price for bands who are late, but I guess that's another story all together. There was absolutely no time in between bands to set up, I played with three less cymbals for this reason and my drums felt really uncomfortable without having time to set them up accordingly but we made do with the the little time we had. The monitors to the right of me sounded ripped up to the point where whenever Jeff hit a chord on his bass, it was pure farting coming from the speaker. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention there was no room to set up our equipment which was also annoying, but these are things you come across when playing shows and trying to ignore the negatives really is the best thing to do or your night will really suck.

On a positive note, we made the best of it while on stage and had a lot of fun with the little time we had. And it was nice to hear DWA play once again and they didn't do a bad job either, they have a spot reserved on any bill should they decide to keep on truckin' but time will tell. So for those of you who made it out to the show, I hope you enjoyed it and for those of you who didn't.......well now you have a reason to come see us rip shit up at The Smiling Buddha on November 21, 2014.

Till next time,

Marco

Surrounded By Giants

“We represent the lollipop guild, the lollipop…..the fuck!!?  Lol

    So before we begin let me set the record straight on something (since our bass player decided to mention my height). Yes I’m shorter than everyone else in the band and most of my friends but that’s not because I’m “short” it’s because I’m surrounded by a bunch of giants. Truth be told I’m probably average height (around 5ft 9’) but my bandmates have all decided to be closer to or taller than the 6 foot range which of course makes me look like a little person especially in between them. The good thing is that they know it’s raining before I do and that gives me time to hide under a coffee table or in a tree and bake some cookies so I don’t get wet…. ;)

    Now onto the good stuff (and no not the Keebler elf cookies)…..this Friday we’re playing once again and as written in other blogs we will be hitting the stage with our friends in D.W.A. (Driving With Alzheimers….no no no, Designated Waiting Area……that’s not it either, I’ve got it  Down With Acronyms). Not going to lie I’m pretty excited about this show since it’s been 12 years since we shared the stage with them so come on out on Friday to the Velvet Underground, we hit the stage at around 10p.m. and D.W.A (Driven With Aggression) is on around 9:15 as well as some other really good bands Desolation, Bingeninja, and Aquila! While you’re at it have a beer and listen to some killer metal. We might even hand out a few free shirts like our last show and maybe even a CD or some stickers. I’m sure Marco will have a good follow up in his blog next week and he’ll give you the low down on how things went if you can’t make it out or he’ll talk about stinky people or Jeff or maybe even our dry-waller with his dollar store horn…lol
Till next time
Cheers,
J   

A Rhode Island What?

Hello again,

Just to clarify last week’s blog from our dearest dumb-ass drummer Marco who referred to me as a “Long Bearded Rhode Island Jeff” This goes back to our unhealthy fascination with poultry which dates back to our album “Nemesis” in which we use a clip from the movie Devil’s Rejects, the scene where some of the cast go out to buy chickens for a feast. It’s a pretty funny ass clip and we tied it somehow to our song “Parallel Life” where the ending riff sounded at least to us like a chicken clucking? We laughed and thought it would be awesome to use that clip with that song. So we did, ever since we have been hearing chickens clucking everywhere in our songs. I know it’s fucked up right? So there you have the explanation as best as I could explain it as to why I was referred to as a chicken. Still sounds dumb to me even after I read this back to myself, but there you have it.

Halloween Bitches!

My favorite time of year is fast approaching. Even as a grown ass man I still love this season. I just finished decorating my place and it looks pretty good. This year I have dusted off my “Satan Clause” costume which I will be wearing for my annual Halloween Bash. The whole band will be there and few of our close friends. I hope to post some pics of the night on our various media outlets. Well more like give them to Jorge to have posted since that little leprechaun holds on to our web site passwords like it’s a pot of gold or something? LOL look forward to seeing what the rest of DR looks like come Halloween. My predictions are: Jorge dressed as one of the Lollipop Kids? Marco dressed as Giant Cock with hairy balls and last but not least Nelson dressed as a Dry-Waller because he is too damn cheap to buy a real costume J

Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Jeff

Desolate Rage

Long-bearded...Rhode Island Red

 

Hello to all,

I hope you are all well. It has been a pretty busy week to say the least, other than the usual going to work, commuting (we all know my thoughts on that subject) and spending time with the family. About a week ago, DR and Co. had the opportunity to see a pretty kick-ass show down at The Sound Academy. We were up in the VIP section thanks to some hook-ups through Jorge, and got a birds-eye view of the concert. The outdoor patio that with a view of Toronto was also a nice touch :) Other than the odd stage light pointing at our faces (man it was blinding) the view and sound was killer! We actually got to sit down for once and anyone who's ever been to a metal concert knows that is a rare occurrence indeed. We arrived just in time to grab a beer and hear Sabaton hit the stage. I have never heard of this band before and I must say it was a different experience and in my opinion Sabaton is more of a folk metal, an up-beat much Europeanized sound is the best way for me to put it. Although it isn't my flavour, I thought they were very good for they're genre. Individually the talent was apparent as every now and again you'd hear some crazy fast guitar solos. Cool double-bass drum beats and some power beats could also be heard which not too many metal drummers use nowadays (Tommy Lee style).

Then there is Amon Amarth......how can I describe them? Watching and hearing them live is like listening to them on your headphones! Amon Amarth do not sacrifice showmanship for sound by any means as they did not miss a single note or beat, and that my friends, is how you really see a band's playing abilities in my opinion. I had missed the opportunity on two occasions to see them live, but I'll be damned if I was going to miss them a third time!

I will go as far to say that they are probably the tightest metal band I have seen live, they barely took any breaks in between songs and it was ninety minutes of straight-forward, pure metal! That's just how we likes it!Now I could go into more detail on Amon Amarth's performance but I think you get the picture. It was cool to be there with my band mates of course, I mean what good is music if you don't have friends to share it with? Sure, Jorge needed a booster seat just to see the show, but that's just how it is sometimes, accommodation is key to a good venue.

It was also the first time in twelve years I got to see a live metal show with Jeff, he's a bit of a stubborn prick and doesn't like 'crowds' but even he wasn't going to pass up the chance to see Amon Amarth live! If he even attempted to ditch this show I would have squeezed his bearded ass in a chicken crate next to a Rhode Island Red, the only way he'd escape would be to peck his ass free.

It was a great way to kick-start the long weekend and damn it I'm glad I didn't miss Amon Amarth.....again!

After seeing show like that I was in the mood to drive down to our studio and play a set, as a matter of fact I'm looking forward to hitting the stage again soon.

Until next time,

Marco

You Wanna What?

Fuckers, fuckers, fuckers......do I have your attention now? LOL

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiver with family and/or friends and now that everyone is stuffed to the brim with poultry and mashed potatoes it's time to get back to business.....what business is that? (You may ask) The business of getting ready for our next show....of course!

This one for us (I tend to think) has a little more meaning  as we get to share the stage once again with our friends from D.W.A. Driven With Aggression and let me tell you it's been a long time coming (12 years to be exact). The last show we played with them was Aug. 18/02 (I only know this because of the a picture that they posted on the FB page - see below) and believe it or not I wasn’t even officially in this band yet as the guys (Jeff, Nelson & Marco) were still working things out about whether or not to continue playing or find a new singer…..I was only meant to be a fill in for the next person.

 

So how is it possible that one band keeps going while another stops for almost 12 years? I wish I had an answer but in the end it doesn't really matter since they've decided to get back on the "horse" and ride again and we're thrilled to be a part of it. Funny it's the D.R. blog but I spending most of this one talking about D.W.A. (fuck you guys and write your own blog for fuck-sakes.....love you)!

So what's new at the "Desolate" camp? Well other than playing a little more consistently and working on the "Acts of Judgment" we're hoping to have some new pictures and things out soon and happy to close off the year strong and looking to keep that momentum going in the New Year. For now though we're just really focused on finishing off the year with the two shows we've got booked and trying to finish up Part 3 of our four-parter. Next week the big dummy will continue to write about horses, ripple, and blowing loads on things to keep you all interested so until next time............

Stay Metal and Stay Strong!!!

J

 

Claustrophobia, Was Nice Knowing Ya

 

Does the term “packed like a can of sardines” mean anything to you?

Well that is what it felt like this past Saturday at the Smiling Buddha, where we played a show in the clubs basement which best resembles those creepy dim lighting torture chambers you might have seen in your favourite B-Movie horror flick.  No Joke, our rehearsal space is larger for fuck sakes. There was no stage, no sound system other than a mixing board and two monitors and zero space for gear and equipment.  Once again a band pulled out due to a member breaking a leg. This is becoming an epidemic in the Metal scene. 3 consecutive shows we have played where a band has pulled out due to the same circumstance. Keep the stage diving to a minimal people! Anyways back to my little chamber of horrors story. Did I mention the ceiling was approx 1 foot above our head? No? Well I just did. We are all pretty tall with the exception of the little bastard we call a singer (Hi Jorge) but still, no ceiling should be that low.

We basically played the show unplugged only using our amps and the monitor for vocals. The club was packed, which was not hard to do given the size. Nelson had his foot pedal board facing the door way of the club. Without the benefit of a stage he was subjected to random people stepping on it during the set. His guitar was unplugged at least 6 times during the show and for the cherry on top broke his string during the last 15 seconds of the last song. Ever the showman, he grabbed the string and used it as a mock bow n’ arrow much to the delight of the crowd. Now aside from the space and lack of facilities this was as unique a show as we have ever played. The crowd was rowdy and gave off a lot of energy. The intimacy level was off the charts. We could literally make eye contact and smell the breath of the people standing right in front of us. LOL. During our “free merch” part of the show Marco half-assed launched a T-shirt which made it all the way to the end of the room hitting a dude square in the face. Nice way to get a free shirt. Ha-Ha

There was no room to store gear so when the show was over we had to quickly exit the club and dismantle our gear on the side walk. Fun times! It was a show that we won’t soon forget. Just when we thought we had played every shit hole in town!

All in all it was a fun night. Looking forward to our next gig on Nov 7^th at The Velvet Underground (downtown Toronto) with some relics of a lost age. Our good buddies in “Driven with Aggression” are making their return to the stage after 12 yrs of being disbanded. We look forward to that night and wish them the best on their return to the Metal scene.

Till then,

Stay the fuck away from sardine cans if you happen to be claustrophobic.
Cheers
Jeff - DR