{"id":18426,"date":"2019-05-07T10:01:02","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T14:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=18426"},"modified":"2019-05-07T10:01:10","modified_gmt":"2019-05-07T14:01:10","slug":"on-stage-metal-for-everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=18426","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Metal for everyone"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, <\/span>Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ice Nine Kills<\/p><\/div>\n

There are concerts every night of the week just about 365 nights every year. When winter weather departs from the northern states around this time every year, the weeknight concert schedule becomes almost as heavy as the weekend night schedule.<\/span><\/p>\n

This week, there are numerous midweek concerts in the area featuring interesting acts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fans of metal music have to be smiling with concerts on Tuesday and Wednesday evening featuring Ice Nine Kills, New Years Day, Falling In Reverse, From Ashes To New, Psycroptic, Cannabis Corpse, Gorod and Micawber.<\/span><\/p>\n

Music will be hitting heavy at Theatre of the Living Arts (334 South Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1011, http:\/\/www.lnphilly.com<\/a>) on May 7 when the venue on South Street hosts a show featuring Ice Nine Kills, New Years Day, Falling In Reverse, and From Ashes To New.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ice Nine Kills is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts that is signed to Fearless Records. Best known for its horror-inspired lyrics, Ice Nine Kills formed in its earliest incarnation in 2002 by high school friends Spencer Charnas and Jeremy Schwartz. <\/span><\/p>\n

The group\u2019s music style has been described as metalcore, heavy metal, melodic hardcore, post-hardcore, symphonic metal, and, most fittingly, horror metal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ice Nine Kills has released three EPs \u2013 \u201cThe Burning,\u201d \u201c2 Song Acoustic\u201d and \u201cThe Predator\u201d \u2013 and five full-length studio albums \u2013 \u201cLast Chance to Make Amends,\u201d \u201cSafe Is Just a Shadow,\u201d \u201cThe Predator Becomes the Prey,\u201d \u201cEvery Trick in the Book,\u201d and \u201cThe Silver Scream.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band took its name from the fictional substance ice-nine from the science fiction novel \u201cCat\u2019s Cradle\u201d by Kurt Vonnegut.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Silver Scream\u201d was released on October 5, 2018 on Fearless Records.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still touring \u2018The Silver Scream\u2019,\u201d said Charnas, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Silver Spring, Maryland.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe album was recorded over a period of several months in 2018. The songs had been building up for a while. We recorded the album in L.A.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

All the tracks are inspired by horror films. Some of the films that inspired songs were \u201cA Nightmare on Elm Street,\u201d \u201cEdward Scissorhands,\u201d \u201cFriday the 13th,\u201d \u201cThe Crow,\u201d \u201cThe Shining,\u201d \u201cHalloween,\u201d and \u201cThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew from the outset that the album was going to be based on horror movies,\u201d said Charnas. \u201cHorror moves are something I\u2019ve been interested since I was a little kid.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHorror movies provide an escape for people from their mundane lives. There aren\u2019t a lot of modern horror films that are on my radar. I prefer classic horror films.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of horror films that I\u2019ve watched 20 times or more like \u2018Halloween,\u2019 \u2018Friday the 13th,\u2019 and \u2018Silent Night, Deadly Night.\u2019 The songs on \u2018The Silver Scream\u2019 are based on characters from these songs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The number of songs on the album should come as no surprise to anyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are 13 songs, and each is based on a different movie,\u201d said Charnas. \u201cI had them on in the background when I was writing the songs. \u2018Halloween\u2019 started it all with all the 80s slasher films in its wake.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Just over two years ago, Ice Nine Kills played the same venue with a themed show \u2013 a horror-themed show that gave fans\u00a0a unique opportunity to experience prom like never before.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThe Hell In The Hallways Tour\u201d played off the band\u2019s cinematic video for its song\u00a0\u201cHell in the Hallways,\u201d which created a fresh, new spin on the 1976 cult classic film\u00a0\u201cCarrie,\u201d based on Stephen King\u2019s 1974 novel of the same name. Fans were encouraged to wear their most elegant prom attire to the show and there was a prom king and queen crowned each night.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe always get fans coming to our shows dressed in horror outfits\u201d said Charnas. \u201cWe also see adults bringing their kids dressed in horror outfits.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to our music shows, we try to do a lot of horror conventions. There are quite a lot of them and many fans of horror travel across the country to attend them. They\u2019re very die-hard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hardcore horror music and die-hard metal music fans \u2013 that has been the formula for success for Ice Nine Kills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Ice Nine Kills \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/wGns433H8nA<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

New Years Day<\/p><\/div>\n

New Years Day is touring in support of its new full-length album \u201cUnbreakable,\u201d which was released on April 26 via RED Music.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first single, \u201cShut Up,\u201d climbing into the Active Rock Radio Top25 immediately after its release. The song also been featured on Spotify\u2019s \u201cRock Hard,\u201d \u201cHeavy Queens,\u201d \u201cNew Metal Tracks,\u201d \u201cNew Noise,\u201d and \u201cFierce Femmes\u201d playlists, along with Apple Music\u2019s \u201cBreaking Hard Rock,\u201d \u201cRock Scene,\u201d \u201cBrand New Music,\u201d and \u201cFresh Hard Rock\u201d playlists.<\/span><\/p>\n

New Years Day \u2013 Ash Costello \u2013 Vocals; Nikki Misery \u2013 Guitar; Frankie Sil \u2013 Bass; Austin Ingerman \u2013 Guitar — is currently on the road with\u00a0Falling In Reverse\u00a0as support on the band\u2019s U.S. tour.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe songs on \u2018Unbreakable\u2019 are a little over a year old,\u201d said Costello, during a phone interview last week from a New Jersey tour stop.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe started writing every chance we got \u2013 whenever we weren\u2019t on the road and had the opportunity to get in the studio. Everything is written in the studio.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Formed in Orange County, California by\u00a0Ashley Costello in 2005,\u00a0New Years Day\u00a0shook the scene with its\u00a0Century Media\u00a0debut,\u00a0\u201cVictim to Villain,\u201d in 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

After building a reputation strictly through promotion on the social networking website MySpace, the band released its debut self-titled EP in 2006 and its first full-length album \u201cMy Dear\u201d in 2007. Six years later, \u201cVictim to Villain\u201d was finally released, shortly followed by \u201cMalevolence\u201d in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

In January 2018, the band released the EP \u201cDiary of a Creep,\u201d featuring its own song \u201cDisgust Me,\u201d a cover of No Doubt\u2019s \u201cDon’t Speak,\u201d a cover of New Order\u2019s \u201cBizarre Love Triangle,\u201d and covers of songs by Pantera, Linkin Park, and Garbage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith \u2018Unbreakable,\u2019 right away I wanted to do pop metal or metal pop,\u201d said Costello. \u201cI just wanted New Years Day to grow. I didn\u2019t want to put out the same thing over and over again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t put too much thought into a theme. I wrote what I wanted to say in the moment. The general vibe \u2013 I\u2019d gone through a lot and come out the other side. I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. It was personal experiences \u2013 whatever I was going through. The title \u2013 \u2018Unbreakable\u2019 \u2013 hit me like a ton of bricks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The album was an expression of transformation.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Costello, \u201cIf I had to look at my life like a timeline of colors, when I wrote our last album, \u2018Malevolence,\u2019 it was pitch, charcoal black. But in the last couple years, the band cut off toxic people, built a new business team, and we\u2019re stronger than we\u2019ve ever been.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, when we went to make \u2018Unbreakable,\u2019 I wanted the process to be fun, to reflect our renewed vibe and energy. We set out to write the poppiest metal album, or the most metal pop album.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

New Years Day didn\u2019t change into the Partridge Family dressed in black, but it did show a new side. \u201cUnbreakable\u201d features 12 intense, boundary-melding songs that may touch on metal or goth but are ultimately undeniable modern rock and roll tunes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe cut the album in Southern California,\u201d said Costello. \u201cWe started in January 2018 and did it over the span of a year. All the songs were fresh, and no song is really the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy influences are goth, Marilyn Manson and Kiss. This album, I just wanted to make music I like. I wanted to show my influences and, at the same time, do more melodic songs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn our shows right now, we\u2019re playing two new songs \u2013 \u2018Shut Up\u2019 and \u2018Come for Me.\u2019 That\u2019s enough for now. We\u2019ll do songs from all our albums because I know when I go to see my favorite band, I don\u2019t want to hear all new songs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for New Years Day \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/F7BjFq6VAbY<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Theatre of the Living Arts featuring Ice Nine Kills, New Years Day, Falling In Reverse, and From Ashes To New, will start at<\/span><\/p>\n

Tickets for the all-ages show are $45.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Psycroptic<\/p><\/div>\n

On May 7, Psycroptic will top the bill at The Voltage Lounge (421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, 215- 964-9602, www.voltagelounge.com<\/a>) along with co-headliner Cannabis Corpse.<\/span><\/p>\n

Australia is a land all its own \u2013 a country that is geographically huge with a lot of towns and cities located in remote places. Tasmania is one of those remote places \u2013 an island state located off the southeast corner of the mainland. Hobart is Tasmania\u2019s capital most populous city with a population of just over 200,00 people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Psycroptic is a death metal band formed in Hobart in 1999. The band was founded by brothers Dave Haley<\/a> on drums and Joe Haley on guitar. The group\u2019s lead vocalist, Jason Peppiatt, joined in 2004. The band\u2019s newest member is bassist Todd Stern, who joined in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

As of February 2019, the band has released seven studio albums \u2013 \u201cThe Isle of Disenchantment\u201d (2001), \u201cThe Scepter of the Ancients\u201d (2003), \u201cSymbols of Failure\u201d (2006), \u201cOb(Servant)\u201d (2008), \u201cThe Inherited Repression\u201d (2012), \u201cPsycroptic\u201d\u00a0(2015), and \u201cAs The Kingdom Drowns\u201d (2018).
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Psycroptic is currently touring the states in support of — \u201cAs The Kingdom Drowns.\u201d The tour is providing Stern with the opportunity to play shows near his home turf.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the American in the group,\u201d said Stern, during a recent phone interview from a tour stop in Portland, Oregon. \u201cI was born in New Jersey.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPsycroptic was touring the states in 2015. They needed a bass player, so they figured they\u2019d get a guy from the U.S. They asked my friend who was the bass player in the band Revocation. He couldn\u2019t do it and recommended me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI did that tour and then we did a tour of Europe in 2016. We continued to tour together, and I\u2019ve been in the band ever since. \u2018As The Kingdom Drowns\u2019 is the first recording I\u2019m on. I was in the band when the record started to be written back in mid-2017. We recorded it at the end of 2017 and into 2018. By March, we were filming videos in Tasmania.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Many Americans have no idea what or where Tasmania is, but they are familiar with the term \u201cTasmanian Devil.\u201d The Tasmanian Devil, commonly referred to as Taz, is an animated cartoon character featured in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the Australian members of Psycroptic, Tasmanian Devils are very real.<\/span><\/p>\n

Long known as the \u201cTasmanian Devils,\u201d they recently became the first band in the world to adopt their own Tasmanian Devil in an attempt to help preserve the critically endangered carnivorous marsupial. They gave their new mascot the name \u201cPsycro.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith Psycroptic, the main songwriter is Joe,\u201d said Stern. \u201cJoe records the band. It\u2019s just a home studio, but Joe is an audio genius. Jason does the lyrics. Joe and Jason work on the song structure together. Then, they tell me what they want me to play. I was home in New Jersey. They\u2019d send me the tracks and I\u2019d put in my parts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs The Kingdom Drowns\u201d was produced by Joe Haley and mixed and mastered by Will Putney. Released in late 2018, the new album\u00a0immediately entered the Billboard charts at #17 for Top New Artist Albums and #25 for Current Music Albums followed by swift addition to multiple year end lists for Best Albums.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the album dropped, we did a headline tour of Australia,\u201d said Stern. \u201cWe did a large headline tour in Europe earlier this year and now we\u2019re in the middle of a big U.S. We\u2019ll also be playing a lot of festivals in Europe later this year. Half the set is the band\u2019s music from the ;last 20 years and half is material from the new album.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Psycroptic — https:\/\/youtu.be\/9kBACkguBR0<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Cannabis Corpse<\/p><\/div>\n

Cannabis<\/span> Corpse is a marijuana-themed death metal band that formed in 2006 in Richmond, Virginia. Since then, Cannabis Corpse has released three albums and one EP.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band features members of Municipal Waste, GWAR, and Antietam 1862. The band\u2019s name originates from a parody of the name for veteran death metal band Cannibal Corpse.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band delivers a deadly dose of brutal death metal with its most recent LP \u201cLeft Hand Pass\u201d \u2013 an album which also features guitarist Ray Suhy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the influence of the genre legends who preceded them, the trio give rise to unrelenting piece of crushing, weed-themed death replete with their signature, THC-fueled, horror fiction lyrics.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the Cannabis Corpse songs are fully original, the group\u2019s album and song titles are parodies of many other death metal bands\u2019 album and song titles \u2013 for example, \u201cTube of the Resinated\u201d from Cannibal Corpse\u2019s \u201cTomb of the Mutilated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Philip \u201cLandphil\u201d Hall and his brother Josh \u201cHallHammer\u201d Hall along with Andy \u201cWeedgrinder\u201d Horn recorded a demo which eventually became \u201cBlunted at Birth\u201d and the band signed with Richmond, Virginia-based Forcefield Records.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI formed the band in 2006 with my brother,\u201d said Philip Hall, during a phone interview last week. \u201cWe\u2019re twin brothers and we spend a lot of time together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When asked which twin was older, Hall offered an unusual explanation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point, I\u2019m not really sure,\u201d said Hall. \u201cIt was a c-section so it was whichever one the doctor grabbed first.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Seniority never mattered much to the hard-rocking twins.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a lot of the same experiences and we liked a lot of the same bands,\u201d said Hall. \u201cWe enjoy playing together and we were looking for some good technical death metal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were making some death metal we liked, and it snowballed from there. It was well-received, so we decided to put a live band together. At first, all the guys were from Richmond. But band members have come and gone. In 10 years, we\u2019ve really improved a lot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLeft Hand Pass,\u201d which was released by Seasons of Mist, received a lot of positive reviews in the metal community.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were working on the album for two years,\u201d said Hall. \u201cJosh and I self-produce all our music. We do all the tracking and editing ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the tracks are ones I\u2019ve written. Then, my brother and I record them and send them to Ray. We still live in Richmond while Ray lives in Red Bank, New Jersey.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn our live show, we play a mix of everything. We just try to make our set as brutal as possible \u2013 brutal, old-school dark metal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There is good news for fans waiting for new music from Cannabis Corpse.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a new album that\u2019s getting mastered right now,\u201d said Hall. \u201cWe\u2019ve always self-produced our albums and it\u2019s the same with this one. We have our own studio here in Richmond. It\u2019s a good setup with ProTools and mics.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving our own studio lets us take our time when recording. We\u2019re still with Seasons of Mist and they\u2019ll be releasing it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe album sounds more raw \u2013 like old Cannabis Corpse. It\u2019s getting mixed by Jarrett Pritchard, who has worked with Goatwhore. \u2018Left Hand Pass\u2019 got a little progressive. The new album is more old-school \u2013 like the 90s.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Cannabis Corpse \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/kpIQ8uiGWZg<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Psycroptic and Cannabis Corpse show at The Voltage Lounge, which also features Gorod and Micawber, will start at 6 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $20.<\/span><\/p>\n

More metal will be on tap later in the week at the Voltage Lounge with Eyehategod, Negative Approch and Sheer Terror slated for May 10.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Elvana<\/p><\/div>\n

If you want to go to a show and hear something different than heavy metal music, you can hear something really different at the Foundry at Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, www.thefillmorephilly.com<\/a>) \u2013 a concert by Elvana.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you parse the band\u2019s name, it looks like it might be a blend of Elvis and Nirvana. Guess what \u2013 that\u2019s exactly what the band is about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nope, it’s not a joke!<\/span><\/p>\n

From the bowels of Disgraceland, rock-and-roll icons are raised from the dead. Rock and roll meets grunge as Elvis fronts Nirvana, giving the band the front man it\u2019s been missing since 1994. Elvana tears through Nirvana\u2019s catalogue and blends in grunged-up sections of Elvis\u2019 finest moments. The result is a mega mash-up of overdrive and old-school rockabilly.<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent years, there have been new tribute acts not content to be just tribute acts \u2013 bands such as Mac Sabbath, a Black Sabbath tribute band featuring a Ronald McDonald impersonator, and Tragedy, an all-metal Bee Gees tribute band.<\/span><\/p>\n

Elvana, a quartet of Brits from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the band features Elvis Cobain, Danny Cobain, Rob Novoselic and Bobby Grohl.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been doing it for about five years,\u201d said Elvis Cobain, during a phone interview Friday from a tour stop in New York. \u201cIt happened accidentally.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d been in bands and had been touring without much success. So, we all had day jobs. Danny, our guitarist, said he wanted to start a tribute act. Danny said he wanted to do Nirvana songs \u2013 but we didn\u2019t look like Nirvana. So, I said \u2013 I\u2019ll do Elvis Presley.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe did a show for our mates and they liked it. We did another show and got a good response. It spiraled from there. It started as a joke and now it\u2019s a job. We got signed to play Glastonbury Fair and now we\u2019re dipping our toe in your country. We came over to play America for the first time just about this time last year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Some die-hard Elvis fans and Nirvana fans view Elvana\u2019s act as sacrilegious but most music fans — including those of both Elvis and Nirvana — have liked what Elvana has been doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey key to what we do is play Nirvana,\u201d said Elvis Cobain. \u201cPeople love the music of Nirvana but there is a certain amount of sadness with losing Kurt Cobain. We bring the fun \u2013 and drop Elvis into the mix. People have a good time and forget about mourning Kurt Cobain. Some people make judgment that Kurt Cobain would be turning in his grave \u2013 but they\u2019re wrong. As soon as people see us perform, they get it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The musicians from the northeast part of England make fans come alive with their celebration of Cobain\u2019s times songs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe crowd is an integral part of our show,\u201d said Elvis Cobain. We sing with the crowd. It\u2019s a party. We introduce some Elvis into the mix. Everyone knows the Elvis songs we do \u2013 \u2018Love Me Tender,\u2019 \u2018All Shook Up,\u2019 \u2018Can\u2019t Help Falling in Love With You.\u2019 We draw Nirvana fans from the 90s, Elvis fans who are curious and younger fans who are just getting into Nirvana.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If a city (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) can be known for a sports team nicknamed \u201cThe Magpies\u201d (English Premier League football squad Newcastle United), why can\u2019t it also be known for a Nirvana\/Elvis tribute act called Elvana.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Elvana \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/Z5vLcQUCtpQ<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at The Foundry, which has Purple to the Core as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $14.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another act with something different to offer is playing Philly this week.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Your Heart Breaks<\/p><\/div>\n

On May 8, Your Heart Breaks, coincidentally another band from Washington State, is part of a show at PhilaMOCA (531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, 267-519-9651,www.philamoca.org<\/a>) featuring four queer-rock acts. The other bands are Nana Grizol, Loamlands and Teenage Halloween.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your Heart Breaks is an indie rock band from the Pacific Northwest, led by queer\/transgender artist and musician Clyde Petersen (guitar and vocals). The group was formed in western Washington just prior to the turn of the century. Though the lineup varies from show to show, current contributors include Karl Blau (Guitar\/Drums\/Vocals), Lori Goldston (Cello) (Nirvana, Black Cat Orchestra), Kimya Dawson (Vocals) (Juno), Kyle Field (Guitar\/Vocals) (Little Wings), Dylan Carlson (Guitar)(Earth) and Adrienne Davies (Percussion)(Earth) and a wealth of amazing Northwest musicians who drop in from time to time.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Your Heart Breaks recently spent the last two years touring the world, from North America to Japan and Europe, performing a live score to Clyde Petersen\u2019s stop-motion animated feature film, \u201cTorrey Pines.\u201d The band has released nine albums, a film score and several split albums with Rae Spoon, Karl Blau and Madeline Adams. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the 20th year I\u2019ve had this band,\u201d said Petersen, during a phone interview Friday afternoon from her home in Seattle. \u201cI started it in Bellingham in 1998 when I was going to college at Western Washington University. I was studying film production and stop motion animation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Your Heart Breaks is touring in support of its new album \u201cDrone Butch Blues,\u201d which came out on April 26 via SofaBurn Records.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDrone Butch Blues\u201d is a queer concept album based on the writings of historic and contemporary GLBTQI authors. With a focus on stories surrounding the queer community, \u201cDrone Butch Blues\u201d touches on topics of secret and forbidden love, sex with strangers, the lives of hustlers, the impact of AIDS on homosexuals, historic events and rebellion all interwoven with Petersen\u2019s personal narrative.<\/span><\/p>\n

Striving to examine the contemporary gap between generations of queers and their elders, Petersen turns to written materials to find buried remnants of gay culture and creative vibrant humans, lost to the plague of AIDS.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been queer most of my life,\u201d said Petersen. \u201cThe new record mainly about the history of the GLBTQI community before AIDS. I\u2019m interested in history and there is a large gap there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI read about 30 books. There is a reading list that comes with the record. I interviewed a lot of people around Seattle who have survived that era. My research has been going on for about six years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have a friend \u2013 a fashion designer named Mark Mitchell \u2013 who is an older gay man and survivor. He said \u2013 you\u2019ll never know what it was like to go out dancing in the dark. I got the impression that community was a big word then \u2013 not so much today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mark Mitchell is an artist who speaks to social issues through textiles. His contributions to Seattle\u2019s cultural community bridge a number of disciplines, including art, music, theater, fashion, activism, and education. He is the subject of the award-winning short film \u201cBurial,\u201d and presented a performance and exhibition of the same title at the Frye Art Museum in 2013. Mark was recently artist-in-residence at The New Foundation Seattle where he continued to develop his new group of sculptures concerning racism and mass incarceration called \u201cBurial 2 .\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDrone Butch Blues\u201d\u00a0lives somewhere between a memorial service and a queer anthem, trying to encapsulate or understand such a historic loss of a vibrant generation of artists, while celebrating intimate moments shared in queer communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI cut the album at The Unknown in Anacortes, Washington,\u201d said Petersen. \u201cIt was produced by Karl Blau and engineered by Nicholas Wilbur. We did it in one day. Karl, who has produced all our records, recently moved to Philadelphia.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Similar to North Indian Hindustani classical music with its tamboura, the base of Petersen\u2019s album is drone. Each track contains its own unique drone element and is then layered with folk instruments. You won\u2019t find any drum sets on\u00a0\u201cDrone Butch Blues.\u201d Instead you will discover rhythm in the textures of the strings and pianos.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m interested in drone music,\u201d said Petersen. \u201cThere is a band in the Northwest called Earth. I\u2019ve toured with them and that got me interested in drone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Earth, a musical group based in Olympia, Washington, formed in 1989. Led by guitarist Dylan Carlson, Earth’s music is nearly all instrumental. Earth is recognized as a pioneer of drone metal, with the band’s \u201cEarth 2\u201d being regarded as a milestone of the genre.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just finished a band tour and now this tour will be solo,\u201d said Petersen. \u201cI\u2019m touring with a bunch of films I made. Each song has a film.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Your Heart Breaks — https:\/\/youtu.be\/ii9QbzqcaHk<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at PhilaMOCA, which features Your Heart Breaks, Nana Grizol, Loamlands and Teenage Halloween, will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times There are concerts every night of the week just about 365 nights every year. When winter weather departs from the northern states around this time every year, the weeknight concert schedule becomes almost as heavy as the weekend night schedule. This week, there are numerous midweek concerts in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4357],"tags":[6335,7952,3162,4810,3803,7951,7953],"class_list":["post-18426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-cannabis-corpse","tag-elvana","tag-featured","tag-ice-nine-kills","tag-new-years-day","tag-psycroptic","tag-your-heart-breaks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18426"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18427,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18426\/revisions\/18427"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}