Politics is Bullsh*t

Those who crave money and power above all else are a**holes, that has always been my opinion.  Working in the media for 28 years, I have never met a politician that I trusted any farther than I could throw him or her.  The false outrage over a politician who is caught in a lie is also bull; lying comes with the job of trying to please everyone, all the time... just to get into an office where they will disregard all they said during the campaign and focus on collecting money from various sources/groups and staying in office.

Being one of the most brutal election seasons I have witnessed, I worry about what my Facebook feed will look like two days after the election.  Hopefully, friends will realize how little a change in our President affects this country.  It doesn't.  The "talking head" at the top of our government is still a slave to big business interest groups and has his hands tied by Congress.  The Senate and the House of Representatives are the real problems. If you want governmental change, start with the Congress, and you will have to go no further.

Instead of telling me how bad the other guy is, how about promoting what your candidate can do for the country.  Be positive or keep quiet, hate gets us nowhere. The next time "your candidate" looks into the camera and says "I can do this or that"...remember their job is supposed to be about "We The People". 

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Is this really what these politicians want?  Or is it about money and power?

All that being said, do your own research and vote.  At least you will have a voice in the election and the right to bitch, or celebrate, after.  If you don't vote, you are also part of the problem. Apathy kills. This is no longer a two party system of Democrats and Republicans, more like the informed and the sheeple. Those who do their own research versus those who "drink the Kool-ade" and actually believe what a politician says to be truth. Which are you?

As my mother taught me, you should not speak of religion or politics in mixed company because those are the two subjects where most people cannot put aside their own beliefs long enough to have an intelligent conversation. All this intolerant, asinine political banter makes me ill and I am tired of wasting my time on it.  After this, I will go back to posting about rock bands, movies, games and books. I guess, to me, creativity and art matter.  Lies and corruption do not.

Speaking of creative, I love this:




Joss for president!
He does his own dishes, even after directing The Avengers!

(The Avengers has set or tied numerous box office records, including the biggest opening weekend in North America and the fastest film to gross $1 billion. The Avengers grossed $1.51 billion worldwide, and is the third highest-grossing film of all time. The film was released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on September 25, 2012. A sequel to be written and directed by Whedon is scheduled for release on May 1, 2015.)

Rock your day!  (-']

VANISHER: I love this band (video)

Welcome to my new feature, I love this band.  Each post will highlight a band or artist that may be flying (or has flown) under your musical radar. 

This first one is about a fairly new band from North Carolina called Vanisher

Needless to say, thanks to my career choice I hear tons of new music every week. When something rises above the average and begs to be listened to multiple times, I know I have found something special.  So it went with Vanisher "Unbound", after first listen came a second and third, etc...  it demanded my attention.

I cannot find much info about the band on their sites but it seems they changed their name a couple of years ago to what could be a reference to a semi-obscure comic book villain from X-men #2 in 1963.

As heavy as the band appears, they never lose sight of the melodic elements.  Songs take strange and intriguing directions, yet remain catchy and driven.  This is a 21st century hard rock sound with tight playing and hooky melodies.


Check out the debut track from their new album:


Reaction (from Unbound)






Here is something from their EP, a video they obviously had fun making.


Martyr To The Flames (from The Buried Alone EP)







And, just in time for Halloween, I found this Metallica cover:

Of Wolf And Man (Metallica cover)






If you are still not convinced to download their debut album, here is a sampler...

Album sampler

http://vanisher.bandcamp.com/

I believe in this band enough that they are getting played on both of my radio stations: http://RockfileRadio.com







Future posts will include artists both new and classic....just a little off the "beaten path".


Thanks for stopping by and sharing the love of music! (-']

Evil Dead: Can a remake be great? (video)

Remakes are everywhere, some are good, some are ok...most are terrible. Which brings us to a new remake that sounded like a really, really bad idea.  But...

I remember watching the original Evil Dead (1983) on VHS and being a little freaked out by it.  What Sam Raimi, his cast and crew created was a truly original horror film...especially for it's time.  The gore, the deadites...the tree scene!!

When Evil Dead 2 (1987) came along, it was basically a remake of the first with a bigger budget plus the addition of black comic elements.  And who can forget the brilliant, over-the-top, second portrayal of Ash by Bruce Campbell?

Army of Darkness (1992) was an actual sequel to Evil Dead 2, had a bigger budget but dropped most of the scariness to become an action/horror/comedy.  After its release, we heard rumors or another sequel or maybe even a remake of the first.


Fast-forward twenty years, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell are producing the remake and promise it is NOT a horror comedy.

“This is for the fans,” Campbell said. “We’re not some random cigar-chomping producer looking for a horror movie to remake. This is our baby.”

“The movie is not funny,” he explains. “The movie is old-fashioned, retro horror. There’s not a snappy line in the whole movie. The first movie wasn’t like that and this is a remake of the first movie. He’s matching the tone of the first movie which is not har-de-har-har.”

“It’s going to be a horror extravaganza,” he says. “Not in terms of size, but in terms of the intensity of the horror you will experience. This movie is going to blow the fricking doors off. It’s just five new actors and a nasty book they should have left alone."



As much as I thought a new Evil Dead would suck... this trailer seems to prove otherwise. It is NSFW and very gory...you have been warned.




I would love to hear your thoughts on the trailer.  Here's hoping Evil Dead rocks when it hits screens next April!!

For more, visit: http://www.deadites.net/


And this is my BOOMSTICK!

Just give me the truth

 
I have never been a particularly political person, but I vote. I do my own research and cast my vote, hoping for the best. Living outside the U.S. 2001-2005, I gained an whole new appreciation for our country and how others view us. (Especially during and after 9/11.)

Over the last decade, technology has given the public and the media a little too much "insight"...and things seem to be getting worse. Everyone has an opinion, but the "facts" those opinions are based on are very suspect. You certainly cannot trust the candidates to tell you the truth, they are too busy trying to make you like them and, as a result, get elected. And, since the news media now picks sides... where do you turn?

As I watch my Facebook news feed fill up each day with vile, nasty and more importantly, untrue statements made by my politically minded friends (on both sides), I look for sources of truth amid the crap...someone had to be checking the fact-checkers, right?

Well, I found this Pulitzer Prize winning site launched in 2007, who seems unbiased in their attempt to find the truth amongst the B.S.. And like a breath of fresh air, things become a bit clearer.

Visit http://www.politifact.com if you want to know what is real versus manufactured, no matter which side you support.



Off my soapbox and back to rockin'...

Kamelot - Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife) [Official Music Video]

Tampa's Kamelot return with a new album (featuring a new vocalist, Tommy Karevik) next week! So far, Silverthorn sounds quite tasty!

Here is the first track and video:



I will review the album as soon after it arrives as possible!

Cheers

Christian Älvestam: And now for something completely different (audio)

Being a fan of music, I enjoy all types and styles.  Well, most.  But, I really love it when an artist steps out of his or her comfort zone, in any genre.  The results are not always revolutionary or evolutionary... but sometimes these forays into other styles can be entertaining and even enlightening. This is a short blog about Swedish vocalist Christian Älvestam

Metal fans know the names Scar Symmetry and Solution .45. These technically amazing, hard driving progressive metal bands are two of my favorites for many reasons, not the least of which is the vocals.  From 2004-2008, Christian Älvestam did all the vocals in Scar Symmetry, easily switching from a melodic, clean singing voice with incredible range to death growls...and back. He co-founded Solution .45 while still in Scar Symmetry in 2007.  (and when he left Scar Symmetry they replaced him with two vocalists! talk about "big shoes to fill".)

Christian Älvestam is now trying something completely different. Not only is he showing off the fact that he can sing ANYTHING but that he also has very varied interests in music! I will post some of his metal work below, but first, check out what he is doing on his new solo EP Self 2.0:




Out today, you can pick it up here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/self-2.0-ep/id553728714

or here: http://www.amazon.com/Self-2-0/dp/B009QFV3BK/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1350660447&sr=8-7&keywords=Christian+%C3%84lvestam




Sometimes when you see blogs like this, they are sponsored or something.  I posted this, and everything else, because I am a fan... and I enjoying sharing the things I like in music, movies, games, etc.  Here's hoping you enjoy!




And now for some of his earlier work! Prepare yourself...

Solution .45


Check out the change :36 seconds in!



Scar Symmetry





Impressive, eh? I have no idea how he does both!


It's Friday #RockYourDay

Preparing for The Hobbit!

My inner geek is extremely excited about Peter Jackson returning to Middle-Earth in the upcoming Hobbit movies!



As the release of the first of three Hobbit movies looms, we are planning to re-watch the LOTR trilogy...this time, the extended versions in HD for the first time!


But, to make things just a little bit more interesting, I found this little game:

 

I will let you know how it goes. If you try it, feel free to post your results!

Cheers

Interview: Thomas Youngblood of Kamelot

Thomas Youngblood co-founded the Tampa, FL based Kamelot in 1991, but it wasn't until the 21st century before the band started to explode.  Set to release Silverthorn on October 30th in the U.S., I sat down with Thomas before their October 13th show at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale.

While the audio from the interview did not turn out, here is what I can tell you from the conversation:

-Silverthorn IS a concept album. Thomas refused to explain much more than it's the story of a family in the 19th century and strange things happen. "It's the story of a young girl who dies in the arms of her two twin brothers, taking the three siblings' big secret to her grave. The songs on Silverthorn talk about despair, a sense of guilt and the pursuit of truth. In this context, the silver thorn in the album title has a mysterious meaning, but it's up to the listener to unveil this secret." The "secret" opens up to the listener who picks up this luxurious package:

The limited edition version of Silverthorn comes in an Ecolbook with a bonus CD full of 60 minutes of music, a 44 page book and an exclusive poster. Thomas said about the art:

“Artist Stefan Heilemann captured the true essence of the story and the main character. The booklet and 44 page book is packed with amazing images!”

-Although the band has been around quite a while, they feel like they are "just getting started"!

-After they take a break in December, they will kick off a massive headlining tour in 2013.

-They are talking about recording a new DVD/Blu-ray but want to make sure it tops their 2006 live DVD, One Cold Winter's Night. (which is an amazing concert video by anyone's standards, you should seek it out!)

-Yes, the new guy rocks.  Thomas said the excitement Tommy Karevik brings was infectious to the whole band.  (After seeing him live, you will not be disappointed, he fits the band perfectly!)

Oct 13, 2012 Photo: Paul Blonde @ http://thoriumphoto.com/

Currently on a tour of Europe, expect more when Kamelot comes back around headlining the U.S. next year!



Thanks for visiting RockfileOnline.com  I have just re-started blogging and have a LOT more to come!!

Interview: Brian Vodinh of 10 Years (audio)

After five albums and a fair amount of success, Knoxville, TN's 10 Years decided to create their sixth studio effort, Minus The Machine, on their own... without record company involvement.  

 

I got to sit down with Brian Vodinh (who co-founded the band while still in high school!) before their smokin' show Oct 14th at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale.

 the un-edited interview:




 Look for 10 Years to join Chevelle on the road soon!

I have more interviews, pictures and audio goodies to post, stay tuned...

Gotta make room, everything must go! (audio)

If all goes well this weekend, I will have new interviews to upload to my Soundcloud account.  Since I am limited on space, some of the interviews there will have to be removed. (Hopefully to be archived on another website in the near future.)

Interviews include: Doug Bradley (actor), Shirley Manson (Garbage), Richard T. Jones (actor), Garret Dillahunt (actor), Mariusz Duda (Riverside), J.R. Richards (Dishwalla), Joey Eppard (3), Hannes Grossmann (Obscura), Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

If you would like to listen to any, but not right now, there is the option to download so you can listen when you wish. http://soundcloud.com/rockfile

New interviews will be posted next week.

where's the logic?

an excuse for another test post.  ha!

at least one more test is coming...

Kamelot LIVE (video)

Going to be checking out Kamelot tomorrow night! It has been a couple of years since my last show with these guys and I am looking forward to hearing how Tommy Karevik fits in the new lineup!



More test posts are coming...

Stay tuned...

Welcome to Rockfile Online 2.0

Pardon the upcoming test messages, I am playing around with a new version of my website to see what it can and cannot do. Thank you for indulging me.


For those that have not heard the story, Rockfile is my Phi Mu Alpha fraternity name from way back in the day...that stuck. Now, it is the basis for Rockfie Media, Rockfile Radio, etc. Thank you Andrew Bell and the brothers of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Zeta Gamma Chapter!

And now you know.  (-']

Stay tuned...