Artist Spotlight - Antiseen

In 1983, in the Charlotte NC area, two young men formed what would become one of the leading punk rock bands with the influences in the style of the Ramones and the Stooges. Over their 30+ year history, they have had numerous members and have a catologue of over 100 EPs, LPs, CDs and DVDs. They have performed all over the world, many times over. Including Antiseen, they have been associated with acts such as GG Allin, Hank Williams III, Hellstomper and Thomas O'Keefe. Their current lineup includes vocalist Jeff Clayton, guitarist Mad Brother Ward, bassist Sir Barry Hannibal and drummer The Gooch.

Their original sound was heavily influenced by late night horror movies, Alice Cooper and professional wrestling. Kenny still remembers hanging out with Jeff in the early days of Antiseen when Jeff also owned Repo Records in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood of Charlotte. They have always remained true to their lyrics, ideal and most of all their fans.





If you have never been to an Antiseen show, it is definately something that you need to go see live. Their lyrics, stage presence and show antics are so far above other acts, that you can only get the full appreciation by their live shows. My first introduction to them was only about 3 years ago, when they performed at Tremont Music Hall, here in Charlotte, for their 30th anniversary show. I didn't know very much about them, didn't know what to expect and was totally amazed. Things that shocked me, but I soon realized it some of what they are known for, were things such as angry lyrics, setting a washboard on fire, and then Jeff used his barbed wire wrapped microphone stand to cut his forehead open. 

At this point, I could see why this band has survived and thrived over the years. Nothing can compare to the rush and thrill of being at a live show, the music blaring, heavy drum beats and the overall energy.

http://localmusicplay.com/main/7295/ Antiseen "Warhero"

http://localmusicplay.com/main/130/ Antiseen Official Playlist

http://www.antiseen.com/index.html
twitter @ANTiSEEN_NC
facebook @ANTiSEEN

If you haven't heard of them, or checked them out, please do. They are the essence of a local music band. This is what we are striving to promote, bring attention to and support for their dedication to their individual style of music. This is why we do what we do. This is why we love music.

Support your local music scene, venues and bands!!!

Beth

http://localmusicplay.com/index.php
twitter @localmusicplay
facebook @localmusicplay

Save and Support your Local Music Scene!!!!

As many of you know or have recently heard, alot of our local music venues are being forced to close here in the Charlotte NC area. This may be due to rezoning, lack of upkeep or its just got too expensive to run these clubs. It is very important to help keep venues like these open so that local bands can thrive, instead of making it more difficult for local bands to be heard. A couple that have closed or will be closing are Amos' Southend, Tremont and The Milestone. Please support your local music venues because we don't want to see the music have no where to perform and just be snuffed out!

The Milestone
The Milestone, is a legend in the Charlotte NC music venue scene. It opened back in 1969, way before alot of us were even born. They have always supported the local bands, whether they be heavy metal, punk, alternative or just good old rock. Acts (alot of them before they were famous) such as the GoGos, REM, Black Flag, Nirvana, One-Eyed Doll, Antiseen and many others have graced the doors and played shows at this bar.
Now due to Charlotte be an ever growing/developing city, The Milestone requires many renovations, and alot of things have to be brought up to code. This is no small task. The current owners wish to partner with developers, buy the land and renovate the building, without losing what has made The Milestone famous. No, it won't be some ritzy, glittery place, they want to preserve as much as they can, including saving panels, that hold many iconic signatures, band stickers and the like. They want it to be just like the original Milestone, just improved.
In having said all of this, it will be very expensive to update and renovate The Milestone. They have set up a gofundme page, with a goal of $150,000 to able to save this bar https://www.gofundme.com/savethemilestone Hopefully they will be successful and be able to save this piece of Charlotte's rock and roll history. There is still hope to save this club. If you can help, please do.
Follow them:
http://twentyfiveminutestogo.com/milestonesite/
Twitter @THEGHETTOFORTRESS
Facebook @THEMILESTONE

Amos' Southend
In 1990, Amos' opened its doors at a Park Road location. In 2000, it moved to its current location in Charlotte's southend. They have hosted many national acts from Flo Rida, Jennifer Nettles, John Legend, James Brown as well as local acts such as Antiseen http://localmusicplay.com/main/7295/  TiME http://localmusicplay.com/main/22/ and The Reason You Stayed  http://localmusicplay.com/main/329/. 
Due to the rapid expansion and development of the SouthEnd as well as the LYNX line, they are being forced to close their doors. This is another venue that has been around, supported acts from all genres and it really suck that the decision to close has been made and their last show is scheduled for 3/4/17. 
http://www.amossouthend.com/
Twitter @AmosSouthend
Facebook @amossouthend

Tremont Music Hall
This once great venue, has already fallen, with their closing show on December 19, 2015.  Tremont opened in 1995 and had 2 stages for bands to perform on. Once again, due to rapid expansion, rezoning and development opportunities, they were forced to close their doors. This article from Charlotte Magazine sums it up very well.
"AFTER HE STRIKES his guest vocalist with a chair, after he sets his washboard on fire and smashes it to pieces, and after he slams an axe into the stage floor, Jeff Clayton stands with his back to the audience. His outstretched, fully tattooed arms are visible through a haze of thick smoke that envelops the stage. He pauses. He gazes at the backdrop behind the drums, where his band’s name, Antiseen, hangs for the last time. http://localmusicplay.com/main/130/
Antiseen has played many memorable shows at Tremont Music Hall, including the band’s 20th, 25th, and 30th anniversary concerts. So when Clayton learned the old venue would be closing, he asked owner John Hayes if his band could be the last to play." http://www.charlottemagazine.com/Charlotte-Magazine/April-2016/Tremont-Music-Hall-The-Last-Dirty-Rock-Club/
I'm not even sure what to say after this, except we will miss Tremont and try to help save other venues.

Thank you for following me through this somewhat sad musical journey. Also be sure to download our app!

https://localmusicplay.appsme.com

Beth

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Artist Spotlight - Karen Stever

About a year ago, Kenny introduced me to a great artist/storyteller/musician, Karen Stever. I have listened to her music and realized that her music comes from deep down in her soul. Her music is her outlet for so much introspection into her life. Her 2 albums are absolutely wonderful. She has worked with her co-producer Frank Gryner, who has worked with Rob Zombie and Tommy Lee. Her 2 albums are Playground Isolator which covers the topic of depression and Idiot Savant which is a rock/orchestral concept record about a nine-year-old Savant from the 1930s.


http://localmusicplay.com/main/7075/
"Funeral Mute"
"While working on her album Playground Isolator she hit a place where she began to have fun with words again on the song "Funeral Mute". Its not to say she wasn't creative during that record, its just that creativity was normally spawned from severe hurt and fuelled by a need to get some things off of her chest. She was deeply depressed and coming off of bad cycle in her world. "Funeral Mute" was a place where she could shut things out and have some sarcastic fun with her pain. As it turns out, she was not alone in her agony. There were thousands like her who were drowning in depression. They were misery loving company, but they helped each other survive"

http://localmusicplay.com/main/645/
"Juggernaut"
This is one of my favorite songs of hers. Crank it up loud when you listen to it. "Her hope with her album Idiot Savant is to inspire others to Thrive. She picked a character who she thinks most of us can relate to which was a 9 year old boy named Ian. Ian has talent with no outlet. Ian's childhood was robbed. Ian has a special connection with animals, Ian sees things that others don't. Ian is a Savant in an ignorant world where they view him as an idiot. He has good mentors and bad teachers. She set it in the 1930s because she loves that era but believes it set some very bad patterns that are still present today. This makes the title of the record actually timely, not archaic or politically correct"

The 12 songs on Idiot Savant represent moments from the chapters of the book she is also writing by the same name. It chronicles this pattern of childhood innocence trying its damnedest to get back to the spirit of play again. Her hope is not to have some trendy viral event, but a solid life-changing experience where we reunite with who we really are and get back to the things we are passionate about.


http://localmusicplay.com/main/7035/
Playlist from Idiot Savant 
This playlist has a couple of the songs from the album, but also has some interviews with Karen Stever so you can kind of get to know her. It is very interesting to be able to hear her speak and to be able to get a glimpse of her creativity that comes from way down deep in her soul. In her bio, she says "She absolutely cannot accept that living in Hell was the original intention for us".

Follow her:
http://www.karenstever.com/
twitter @KARENSTEVER
facebook @KarenStever




Thanks for following me on this musical journey! We will see what comes next. Don't forget to download our app at  https://localmusicplay.appsme.com

Beth

http://localmusicplay.com/

twitter @localmusicplay
facebook @localmusicplay

 

 

 

Collaboration - Lzzy Hale / Amy Lee

 


 In today's world of rock, it can sometimes be hard to make your mark on the industry. To leave a lasting impression, musically, that maybe our grandkids will be talking about one day. If you follow my blog, you can probably guess that I am a huge fan of female fronted heavy rock groups. The strong female leads, that are not scared to step outside of the lines, do music the way they conceptualize it in their heads and can be mentors for the younger generations coming up.
 http://localmusicplay.com/main/7246/

Amy Lee (of Evanesence) and Lzzy Hale (of Halestorm) are 2 of the most powerful and celebrated women of the rock world today. It would be very hard to find someone who would not agree that these ladies have talent for days. They inspire so many young women to follow their dreams and not be put into a little box.  They have somewhat similar upbringings. They were surrounded by music and started playing piano at an early age. Lzzy later went after perfecting her voice and guitar whereas Amy went after perfecting her voice and songwriting abilities. They had fronted very popular bands, Lzzy with Halestorm and Amy with Evanesence.

Its a very good and magical thing when 2 artists can come together, have an appreciation for what the other brings to the table, to be able to set egos to the side and be able to collaborate on music. Whether its writing, instrumentals or vocals the outcome of such collaboration is something to be appreciated. Lzzy and Amy did a version of "Break In" with Lzzy on piano and vocal, and Amy on vocals as well. This version is nothing short of amazing. Their vocals mirror each other very well. Everyone should take a minute to listen and appreciate what these ladies have done.
http://localmusicplay.com/main/7246/

On Tuesday Nov 15 at The Filmore in Charlotte, if you already have tickets, you can catch Amy with Evanesence at this soldout performance.

Follow Lzzy:

twitter @LZZYHALE @Halestorm
facebook @OFFICIALLZZYHALE

Follow Amy:
twitter @AmyLeeEV @evanesence

Thanks for following me on this magical musical journey.
Beth

http://localmusicplay.com/
twitter @localmusicplay
facebook @localmusicplay

Show Review - Wednesday 13, One-Eyed Doll, Gabriel and the Apocalypse, Amnesis

On Sat Oct 8, we attended a show featuring Wednesday 13, One-Eyed Doll, Gabriel and the Apocalypse and Amnesis. Once again, the bands did not disappoint and their was a very large crowd to support them. Ground Zero in Spartanburg, has become one of the places to be for shows. All of the bands were very accessible and willing to meet and great with the fans. The sound system and the lights were excellent. We loved being able to hang out with some of the band members, and be able to talk to them like real people, even though they are true rock stars. Some are well known and some are on their way up. I highlighted Wednesday 13 and One-Eyed Doll from their show on 10-5-16, so here I will cover the 2 bands that opened for them on 10-8-16. We have all the bands featured and videos of them up on the website http://localmusicplay.com

Amnesis 

These guys were new to us. We got to experience their set full of heavy metal and crowd interaction. They are a local band out of Asheville, NC. The bass player  even came down into the crowd with the fans, went up to the bar and even went outside to get everyone to come inside, all the while still jamming with the band. Their sounds are real tight and the vocals are very heavy. It was great to discover another new band. Check them out!
http://localmusicplay.com/main/7243/
http://localmusicplay.com/main/7242/
Twitter @AmnesisUSA
Facebook @AmnesisNC

Gabriel and the Apocalypse
 These guys brought the house down. It was great to discover their music. They have just joined Wednesday 13 and One-Eyed Doll for the remainder of this tour. Band members include : Lindy Gabriel: Vocals, Jake LaCore: Guitar, Zach Williams: Drums, JACE: Bass, Joey Conelly: Guitar Figgles McGee: Keys/Samples. Their heavy, tight and overall great music was wonderful to see live. Jace (on bass) and Joey (on guitar) stole the show with their crazy antics and unbelievable stage presence. They drew the crowd into their world during their set. They are a great new band out of Minnesota and deserve to be recognized for their sometimes crazy heave metal. I can't wait to see where their musical journey takes them. Check out their new album, "The Ghost Parade" that was just released on 10-7-16. 
http://localmusicplay.com/main/7241/ 
This is their single "Beauty Under Glass" off of their new album 
http://localmusicplay.com/main/7240/
http://localmusicplay.com/main/7239/

http://gabrielandtheapocalypse.com/
Twitter @GATA_band @Jace
Facebook @Gabrielandtheapocalypse

Thanks for following me on this musical journey!
Beth

http://localmusicplay.com
Twitter @localmusicplay
Facebook @localmusicplay
 

Show Review - One-Eyed Doll, Wednesday 13 and Fractured Fairytales

As most of  you heard, yesterday was Kenny and my 5th anniversary. We decided to celebrate it by going out to see One-Eyed Doll since they were here in Charlotte.Doll has not performed in Charlotte since 2009, so we were definately ready to see them in our home town. They are one of our favorite bands. The show was incredible and the acts fit together very well and fed off of each others energy. We have seen them 4 times since April. Let me just say that all 3 bands, Wednesday 13, One-Eyed Doll and Fractured Fairytales kicked ass and made a wonderful anniversary even better for us, We love music and support local artists as much as we can.


 One-Eyed Doll
We have already seen them several times this year and they never disappoint. As always, Kimberly's ability to play the guitar, change things up at the drop of a hat and her guitar riffs are amazing. Junior's skills on the drums are exceptional and you would think that the band is made up of more than 2 people. They are very theatrical in their performances. Kimberly is a very strong creative force behind the band. She is a great storyteller and writes some amazing lyrics. She has a very creative spirit and does have numerous outlets to express herself. Junior can bang  the hell out of the drums, while also being aware of where Kimberly is on the stage at all times. They communicate with each other without words.  He also plays guitar, which alot of people are not aware of. He is the business mind and does their producing and also help new bands trying to make it. Their show never disappoints. They are also very gracious in dealing with their fans. They spend as much time as they can to make sure that they can meet and great everyone who came out.
http://localmusicplay.com/main/7072/
http://localmusicplay.com/main/340/

http://www.oneeyeddoll.com/
twitter @OneEyedDoll
facebook @oneeyeddollfans

Wednesday 13
These guys rock. I had never seen them live, and had not heard alot of their music. However, after loading some of their music on http://localmusicplay.com/ I have become a huge fan. These guys are very heavy, loud, tight and own the stage from the minute they walk onto it. The energy that they exude is very contagious. They thrive on the crowd response and interaction.Their music is very creative and sometimes controversial. However, the maintain a large fan following which is well deserved,
http://localmusicplay.com/main/629/

 https://officialwednesday13.com/
twitter @officialwed13
facebook @officialwednesday13


Fractured Fairytales
These guys are a local band from here in Fayetville, NC. It was a pleasant surprise to be able to see these guys live. Despite a couple of the sound engineering issues, the guys still made incredible music. They have invested 10+ years to developing their signature sound. This sound is a dark, industrial, metal sound that is heavy and the crowd joins in and thrives on it.a I Dark Industrial Metal band reigning the eastern part of the heir sound incorporates elements of Industrial rock, death metal and black metal often themed with dismal and apocalyptic ideologies.
http://localmusicplay.com/main/7231/
http://localmusicplay.com/main/7230/

fracturedfairytalesband.com/
twitter@fftracker
facebook @fracturedfairytales

Thanks for following me through this musical journey. Rock On!!

Beth

Follow us:
http://localmusicplay.com/
twitter @localmusicplay
facebook @localmusicplay

What do you guys want to hear about? How do we decide?

Sometimes, the toughest thing about doing a blog, is the desire to keep the topics discussed current and relevant. http://localmusicplay.com/ It can be tough to be creative on demand. What do you guys want us to discuss? What do you want us to take a look at and listen to? What suggestions do you have for the website or app? https://localmusicplay.appsme.com ( By the way, we worked really hard to get you guys a really good, easy to use app. Please take the time to download the app at your earliest convenience.)  How do we decide on what the subject will be for any given day.
I would like to take a minute to thank you for all the support and views that we have for our blog. It's the first one we have done and still amazes me that people actually are interested in what we have to say. We have so much faith and confidence in our local bands, that we want to be able to support them in every way possible, and we hope that you feel the same.

 
Here are some of our sources of inspiration or where we get our ideas from:
1) We have just loaded and started updating our calendar on http://shows.localmusicplay.com/week.php This calendar is to showcase and bring attention to shows that may be happening in your area. It is still a work in progress and everyday I am loading more shows in with their locations. If you want me to add any dates into the calendar, just let me know. Eventually, you as the artist, will be able to have your own page and calendars to update as you book shows. This helps us to decide what shows we are able to attend, how far we want to drive to see it and sets us up to blog about show reviews and/or artist spotlights.
2) Occasionally, one of my friends will bring a new band to our attention or ask us to look at something. Sometimes, word of mouth is the best advertising. ie; A photographer friend on facebook recently brought a band to my attention that has done a cover of Aerosmith's "Dream On". Blacktop Mojo really has a tight sound and grasp on their music. This version just blew me away.
http://localmusicplay.com/main/7225/
3) Twitter, actually, is a good source, as well. We can check to see what is trending and helps us keep up with album/single releases that are coming up. It really helps us to be able to keep up with some of the record companies and what they have in the works that you guys may be interested in.
4) Lastly, it may just be an issue that is near and dear to us, that the music industry reaches out and supports. An earlier post talked about Criss Angel and Dee Snider and their massive support to raise donations for Pediatric Cancer Research. http://localmusicplay.com/main/7165/

Thanks for following this musical journey! Let me know what you wanna hear about. I can't wait to hear from you guys!! Rock on!!

Beth

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twitter @localmusicplay
facebook @localmusicplay