Soap....on a Rope-a-Dope

Hello everybody,

I will begin today's blog on a weird note and this is mostly due to the fact that I am not a fan of public transit and had another distasteful ride home on the train. First thing is first(I guess that's why they call it first eh?), in my opinion there is no reason for anyone to smell... myself included. I take the Go Train and TTC everyday to and from work and nothing pisses me off more than stench, in most cases for me anyways. I'll be sitting in my seat waiting for the train to leave the station and for some stinky reason, whoever ends up sitting down next to me whether it be an old man or an attractive woman, usually has an odor of some sort. If it's not the "I totally forgot or don't wear deodorant"smell, then its the famous"I don't brush my teeth or slap tic-tacs in my mouth after eating garlicky foods" smell. It's annoying, if I ever smell please tell me people....please tell me. There's no excuse for that, soap and deodorant is cheap and so is chewing gum. These bad breath smells come in a variety of scents depending on the day. They come in a wonderful garlicky scent, and for those of you who prefer something a little more subtle, an "I just farted but I'll clench my ass cheeks so nobody will notice" scent. The good thing is that there's a scent for everyone's taste so it's always a surprise!
Let me tell you, as soon as that person sits down in front of me then my ass is up and off of the seat in hopes of getting another spot on the train but I don't hold my breath because 9 times out of 10, you will smell somethin'-a-brewin.'

Sorry for rambling on about this stinky business folks but enough is enough and I'm not even trying to be funny at this point, it's a sad tale of a society full of people who are too dumb to realize........that they stink!
So today you won't hear me talk about a gig or the on-goings of DR, this is Marco's time to let everyone know that they need to address their stale-foul-infested breath, and their body odors.

Do you know, I had a woman sitting in front of me who had the nerve to take off her leather high-heel shoes with no socks on after a days work?! Immediately the smell of provolone bitch slapped me in my face, I was losing focus of everything around me. Now, I want you to ask yourself, could it get any worse? This is me we are talking about, of course it can.
This dumb blonde has the balls to raise up her leg and place her cheese blocks on the arm rest in between me and the poor bastard next to me. I'm not even kidding you.....I felt a rage within me. I pictured myself grabbing her by the foot and dragging her ass out the back of the train along the track with the train moving at full-speed, from Toronto until the ends of the earth. I think she felt the bad vibes coming from the angry look on my face and covered up those decaying feet. I guess I just have to accept the fact that you have no control of others and their stinky ways.

Ok, I feel better now. Thanks everyone for letting me vent and you have my word that the next blog, will smell a whole lot better.

Until next time,
slap a Tic-Tac

Marco

1,2,3,4,5......6,7,8,9,10......11,12

What's up everyone?
Nice to be back at it this week and I thought I'd start with a quick recap of the show from Sept. 6.......OK......ready?.......here we go!!

    We hit the stage around 9:45 (which was about 15 min earlier than expected thanks to the 2 bands that pulled out at the last minute) and rumbled through a relatively heavy set along with our rendition of happy birthday. We played "Part 1 - Death's Embrace" of the 4 part theme we've been working on and it went off without a hitch so all-in-all it turned out to be a pretty good showing considering we hadn't  played live in about 6 months. I walked away from this show with a smile and actually looking forward to getting back out there on Oct. 4 (Did I mention we're playing on Oct. 4th?) at The Smiling Buddha with some pretty killer bands. So come on out and support the local music scene.
 
    So we've finished working on "Part 2 - War Path" and we'll see if we play it at the next show. Looks like we're half done this themed "whatever you want to call it" and so far I'm really digging where we are going with the songs. Every song so far has been tweaked once it is finished and it is a very cool feeling to go back and continue to make it "better"....ultimately we want to be in a position that we're proud of the songs and they are a true reflection of what we're trying to achieve with them. It makes no sense just leaving a song as is if it doesn't feel right or is lacking something. The guys have brought some amazing insight and ideas to the table and I'm trying to do the same with the lyrical and vocal content as well. It has been a very cool process and one that I hope we can share with you all sometime down the line.

For those of you in attendance at the last show you'll know but those that weren't here is our set-list from the Sept. 6th show at The Rockpile West

      -INTRO-
1. One 2 Many
2. Truth Be Told
3. Death’s Embrace
4. You Are Not Alone
5. Happy B-Day
6. Mentally Deranged (w/ Graham)
7. Horns To Hell
8. Hook, Line & Sinker

9.     Straight Jacket

Cheers and we'll see you again next time....coming up next on the D.R. station......A big dummy who talks about horses!

 
 

Bear Claw – Death Grip

Hello again,

As my last two blogs were boarder line novels I hope to keep this one short and sweet.

Show recap.
Our Show on Sept 6th went pretty well. Another band pulled out (2 in total) so we went ahead with only 4 bands that night. We made the best of it. I was pretty happy with our set and the crowd response was also to my liking. Our friends from My Hollow took the stage right after our set and did their usual kick ass performance. Each band had to extend their set a little longer to cover for the missing time slot. We added 2 more songs to our list that night. After being off for 6 months I was happy that we still had the stamina to play that long.

Fun stuff!
During My Hollow’s set Nelson and I were standing close to the stage watching the guys play. One bee swatting over enthused mosher got a little too close to Nelson at one point in My Hollows set. Nelson stepped back to give room for the mosh and also to inform everyone involved that he was not a willing participant. Again this over enthused mosher who for this story we will call “Corry” got in Nelson’s way again. Nelson stepped back once more. “Corry” stops to stare at Nelson as if disappointed that the Big Fellow was not interested in moshing. “Corry” then proceeds with what would end up being a mistake by pushing his friend into Nelson. After Nelly was done swatting away this guy’s friend, he then rushed up to “Corry” and used his patented “Bear Claw – Death Grip” maneuver and clamped down hard on “Corry’s” arm. You could almost hear the bone crack. After a stern talking to By Nelson, he than releases little “Corry” from the grip and continued to watch the Set. I guess I got caught up in the playing and totally blanked out on the whereabouts of Nelson. Next thing you know “Corry” is up against the wall with Nelson Hovering over him. Chairs are scattered everywhere. Before this kid catches the biggest beating of his life I casually walk over to supervise the scene. At this point My Hollow ends their song and after the applause was over all you can hear is Nelson screaming at this kid. LMAO! After we got all this sorted out, “Corry’s friends thought it best that Corry keeps his mouth shut and Nelson would spare him from further humiliation. Night continues without incident.

Lesson to be learned,
So kids, the lesson in all this is: when you see guys like us that just happen to be twice your size and are too old to be participating in Mosh Pits, use better judgment and not leave things to chance. Stay out of the way and we will do the same.

Next show,
Oct. 4th at Smiling Buddha, line up looks pretty solid. Come on down and have a good time.
Remember to stay out of Nelson’s way should you see him in the mosh pit. LOL

Cheers / Jeff

There ain't enough oats in these bags

Hello once again,

Ahhhh yes, I remember now, the butterflies in the belly now begin. The tearing down, the loading, the off-loading, the setting up again, the waiting in anticipation to go on stage, the playing and giving all the energy required to put on a show, the tearing down, the off-loading of the vehicles, the off-loading the gear into the studio again, then finally sitting on the sofa and looking back on one looooong night. So you wanna be a rockstar eh? Can you tell I love playing shows? Lol

Now on a more serious note, I'm pretty pumped to finally hit the stage once again as it's been long overdue. For those of you who don't know, Desolate Rage hits the stage once again at The Rockpile West on Saturday, September 6, at around 9:30pm. I gotta say I'm pretty pumped about this one! Although I will feel a few butterflies, it will be nice to be on stage as it's been about 6 months since we last played live. We'll play some stuff off of our latest album (Evolutions Mistake) and might have a few surprises along the way.....any birthday requests? We'll take em. Need a ride to get to the venue? Saddle up on Jorge's back and he'll be sure to gallop your ass home free of charge, compliments of DR and don't worry this one's on the house;)

We are working on a four-song theme in which we will perform the first of the four at the show, its a new concept which our 'Clydesdale' came up with so we will see how this four-part "mini-series" turns out. I can assure you we will make it as kick-ass as possible!

So for those of who can, bring your asses on down and listen to some heavy bands tear shit up, the band "MyHollow" will be headlining the show and will not dissapoint! Graham from My Hollow will be collaborating with "Mr. Clydesdale" on one of the songs so bring all yo' friends and get shit-faced!

And who knows, if he's up to it, Jorge might saddle up and drop of a few fans off to ensure a safe ride home.

For those of you who can make it out, enjoy the show.

Tizz nextime,

Marco‎

Calm Your Tits!

What's up everyone!!

Welcome back to our regularly scheduled program.....and all that bullshit!

So over the past couple of weeks two big dummies have been giving you all the low-down on the D.R. history so I thought that this week I would give you a little taste of what it's like being in our little group and some of the "wonderful" things that happen when playing live.

If you've been reading this blog since the beginning or have caught up you'll know that around our camp everyone is fair game for a verbal bashing. It's nothing new and there's never anything meant by it, we're like 4 brothers so someone is always getting lambasted with either a tongue lashing or the wonderful presence of Marco's ass in their face (just saying). Some people would find it weird or unusual that we're constantly making fun of each other but if you can't make fun of your friends (or family) then what's the point? It breaks the tension and kills any ego that one (the other 3 would say me) might have and keeps you level headed and grounded. Our rehearsal space is cozy and has all the requirements that a band could ever ask for such as a fridge for cold beverages, a T.V. to watch the hockey games, a stereo, dvd player, and a mess load of video games and systems - from Nintendo to a PS3 (sometimes you just need a little inspiration).  There are posters all over the walls and ceilings along with a "wall of boobies" (sometimes you just need a little inspiration) to keep things interesting. Kind of like (baked dick) a glorified garage band that got a reno done to their place. I liken it to a home away from home and throughout the years has definitely been that for us. Oh ya it has our gear there as well (sometimes you get inspired to write some music). It's not all sunshine and roses but we make it work and just like everything in life that's worth doing it takes some sacrifice and there are struggles along the way but the output for me is well worth the trouble. I mean imagine while you're playing that the guitar just disappears from your hands and you realize that it's about to hit the floor when you catch it...some would say "I'm outta here!!!".....but the show must go on and you keep playing as if nothing has happened and hope for the best. Fortunately for me the sound guy was helpful and ran out to the stage to fix the strap on my guitar so I could at least finish the song. You see shit happens all the time and it's how you role with the punches that either keeps you going or breaks you down to nothing. Another would be when the band is playing and at almost the same time both the rhythm guitar and bass cut and your left with 1 guitar and drums and some vocals...just hold it together until the end of the song and then fix whatever needs to be fixed and move on. There are countless number of things that we could talk about but in the end after all the bull that one really good show makes up for all the shitty ones when for 30 mins you really connect with the crowd and feel that energy come back to you! (Sorry, didn't mean to get all mushy there in the end)

So you see my friends (if you're still with me) while it's not all sunshine and rainbows it is a way of living and one that I love and I wouldn't change who I share it with for anything in the world. Those 3 that I "work" with (dumo, chico, and bu) are my family and I hope we continue to write music that is HEAVY AS FUCK.......HEAVY.......AS.......FUCK!

Until next week when the brill-o-padded one has something to write

Cheers,

J

Slow Your Role (Part Deux)

Salutations my metal head friends:

After reading Marco’s blog last week I found myself flashing way back to where it all began. It was nice to go down memory lane. I thought I would elaborate on some of Marco’s stories and expand on the whole history of Desolate Rage in the shortest possible way. So here it goes!

The Glue:

This refers to me. I am the one with ties to all the members of this group. We all met through me. First is Nelson our Guitarist. We go way back!! I met him in grade 3. we were 8 yrs old. Nelson was playing with some weird fan thingy he created from a motor and tin foil. I said “hey….what the hell is that” and we have been friends ever since.  I got my first bass at 12 yrs old. Nelson got his Guitar a year later. We jammed on our little shitty toaster amps. It was pretty cool. At this point we never played together in a band. Once I got to high school I joined up with my first band. As Marco stated we played together in music class and when my band was looking for a drummer, well it made sense to get Marco into the fold. We did that for about 2 yrs, by this time there was a serious shift in philosophies between myself, Marco and the rest of the group. Things went south fast. I quit and Marco was not too far behind. At this point Nelson was jamming here and there with a few other guys. Nothing too serious. I had written a song from top to bottom. I wanted to hear what it sounded like with a full band playing behind it. I recruited my good bud Nelson to play guitar on the track. Got another childhood buddy to drop vocals and finally I reached out to Marco (who was still playing for the previously mentioned first band) to do the drum tracks. We all clicked really well together. The song came out awesome. So of course we all kind off looked at each other and knew this was the way to go. This was the first time the 3 of us had played together.

While all this was going on, I was also playing in another band. It was a traditional Portuguese band. We would do 3 hr sets of 40 songs a night. The money was awesome !! so before you laugh at me, remember that!! The pay out was worth it. LOL of course like all bands, we had our own issues and what not. We were going through a transitional period. Our guitarist and keyboard players (brothers) had both left the band. So the remaining members begun auditioning for replacements. This is where I run into Jorge for the first time. Actually not the first time. I remembered him instantly as being a guy I use to see waiting for the trains at Bathurst station. He was always picking on some poor 9er kids. I wanted to punch him in the face. A fact that I mentioned to him at our first encounter at rehearsal, I can imagine what he was thinking? Ha-ha so long story short he joined the Portuguese band and we had a good long run doing that.

The Formation:

Now for the good stuff,

After many different singers things were looking bleak for Desolate Rage or Bleed at that time. We had a long-ish run with one singer but things went real sour. All b/c of a woman. He left us high and dry two days before a gig. It was too late to pull out. So we had to think of something fast. Jorge was playing guitar and singing in my other band. We had all hung out together and I thought why not ask him to fill in? we had most of the lyrics written down (Marco and I use to write the lyrics back in the day) so we practiced our nads off for two days. Jorge filled in on vocals and we did the show. I remember having to kick him on stage to queue him in when it was time to sing. LOL the show went well all things considered. It was determined that Jorge would be the fill in guy until we were able to find a replacement. Well that never happened. He never left. LOL

This caused a huge problem for the Portuguese band. For some reason it was ok for me to be in two bands for years with out ever having a conflict of interest, however it was now an issue for Jorge to do the same. Needless to say we were not able to keep that band together. Now it was only the 4 of us. We changed our name to Condemned and Jorge slowly begun to play guitar as well as sing for us. We have had the same line up since approx 2002. That makes 12 yrs together. Last year we thought it was a good idea to change the name and try a re brand. See the name “Condemned” showed up everywhere. There must have been 5 or 6 other bands with the same name world wide. We pre-date all of them but we were a little slow on the technology side. We never took claim to any of the social media outlets and it was impossible to find us on Google or anywhere else by the name “Condemned” the re brand of “Desolate Rage” was much more preemptive. We made damn sure that no one else had this name, and scooped up the .com domain and all other Media outlets. And here we are doing weekly blogs for you all.

Hope you enjoyed the history lesson?

Till next time.

Jeff

Slow Your Roll

Hello to all,

It's been a while since I posted a blog, just been trying to enjoy what little is left of the summer. Yes, another summer is passing us by and we're getting older (seeing the glass half empty I guess lol). At 34, I can honestly say I forget my age sometimes and I can't believe how the years pass so quickly, it seems like just yesterday I was in  grade 9-1st period drafting class where I met that long-haired kid next to the window who is now my bass player. Yup, I knew him as the dude who didn't say much but showed a me and a buddy of mine how hard his head was when a kid got mouthy with him so Jeff decided to smash his head into a sheet of wood to scare his ass, you can say that kid didn't bug him again. Jeff and I really got to know eachother in music class where he was on the bass guitar(of course) and they put me on drums (I sucked at the clarinet). He played in a band at the time and I'd always bug him about him looking for a drummer, we got so bored in music class so our teacher was cool enough let us both leave the class and go play our own music in the school auditorium, it was pretty cool. You could say that's where Jeff and I clicked so to speak, the rest is in the books. Oh, and I forgot to mention he is stubborn as fuck...…stubborn…..as……fuck!

Now there's Jorge......picking on the grade 9'ers  at Bathurst subway station after school pretty much sums up my first impression of him. Although it wasn't until years later would I end up playing alongside him, destiny I guess. I met Nelson through Jeff in grade 10, back in the DKR days. He was always calm and laid back and loved his music, little did I know fast forward almost 20 years and here we are looking at the same ugly mugs we looked at back in the days. It's been a fun ride and  I'm hoping the ride doesn't end for a while. 

There you go folks, some info you may or may not care about that you never knew, just a little glimpse in the history of DR.

Enjoy the rest of the summer, before you know it we'll be freezin' our ass off again in minus 30 degree weather, up to our asses in snow, where the only sunburn we'll feel is that of the windchill smacking us in the face. I like to be positive you know.

If you were tired of this hot summer I bet your thinking twice right about now:)

Until nextime,

Marco