CD Review: Default

Call them by any other name, but Default is definitely a group that has staying power. Comes and Goes is their fourth album from this Canadian band. Though this album dropped back in October ‘10, their songs hit the US charts gathering new fans and surprising old fans with amazing new sounds.

With singles such as “Supposed To Be” have had fans new and old alike making them a more permanent household name here in the states. Doesn’t hurt that this band was discovered by Nickelback’s singer Chad Kroeger. Some call Default post grunge, some refer to them as more alternative, hearing songs like “Turn it On” definitely has this old rock style that also popular group Halestorm is bringing back to forefront of today’s modern rock, Default proves they have the quality and ability to create great music.

Vocalist Dallas Singer has an incredible voice that carries and holds through the strong rifts, hard chords, key changes and tons of instrumentals in the entire album. “Comes and Goes” begins hard and fast, sliding into smooth rhythmic ballads such as “Little to Late” and ends just like it began. “Show Me,” reminded me a little of that old flair Goo Goo Dolls are so famous for. This orchestral rich song carries the instrumentals and vocals and deepens the melody, heightening your journey through the song.

Their album cover song surprised me. It carried a notable dissonance not found in any of their other songs on the album. Eerily beautiful and rich in the melodies and vocals, “Comes and Goes,” was quite enjoyable and just proved that Default is capable of more then just hard rock tunes.

Towards the end of the album “Fascination” definitely caught my ear. It was hard and rough textured. Real solid rifts and beats that picked up and carried the album to the end from the lighter tunes and ballads in the middle of the album.

Overall, Default “Comes and Goes” plays well, easy to listen to, hits those hard beats that keep your head nodding and definitely worthy of some airtime. You can catch them at their website at www.defaultonline.com and keep up with whats new on their facebook or tweet.


Written by: Morris Goodwin of STILLCODA

Music as a Weapon Review: Korn, Disturbed, Sevendust, In This Moment

In an era where music becomes less and less original and live shows cost just as much as your cell phone bill, we get reminded there’s light in the darkness. While local radio stations play the same “hit” songs over and over again, a tour has been drawing the blood of its bands and of its fans. This tour draws attention by being real with its bands compel us to live free for a few hours. The Music as a Weapon Tour has hit across the US and has made its mark once again in Mankato MN. With known bands like Korn, Disturbed, Sevendust and In This Moment, it’s no wonder it’s grown rave reviews all across the board. A line of people, tickets in hand, band t-shirts galore and it’s only a matter of time before people feel alive again. It’s a night to remember.

Amongst the thralls of people, this is the first time for most to see In This Moment live. What they don’t know but are desperately hoping for is a show they won’t forget. In the middle of the stage, an epic mic-stand is set. Boulders of metal, skulls, antlers and heads of dolls entice the audience to pay attention. Lead singer Maria walks out and means business. Grabbing our attention, she sings acoustic until a dramatic moment of completion when the rest of the band arrives. Throughout the entire set, the energy and charisma of the band is contagious. Crowd surfers begin to pile out, fist pumps in the air and the night has officially begun. This is definitely a band worth being on this tour but also to get the venue in the right mind to have an awesome night.

Next up is definitely a local favorite almost everywhere, Sevendust. All you have to do is look at the set banner and not only does the energy rise but so does the temperature. It’s been awhile since Sevendust has graced the Minnesota area, so those who have waited patiently are about to get their much needed Sevendust dose. From the first, middle to last song, the boys put on a performance that will be remembered for years to come. The crowd involvement is something astonishing as every single person from the floor to the back bleachers are one. The bands gift for putting on a great show is little comparison to what was seen tonight. Sevendust always has a home here.

As the set changes, lights dance across the stage, fog rises and out comes Disturbed. The crowds energy and determination to keep this night alive forever, gives the band just what they need: power. A show stopping performance keeps the standard of the night going. Playing hits from the very first album to the very latest one, every song can be heard as everyone in the place sings along. Welcome back to MN Disturbed.

The real show stoppers have finally approached the stage. The signature stand is revealed and all hell breaks loose. Korn has officially marked its presence on us once again. Electrifying as always, the guys of Korn bring the night to its highest high and brand the knowledge that real music is still here. The thrumming of the bass, beats from the drums, rifts from the guitar and the passion from the vocals always makes its mark for those who love Korn. We’ve grown accustomed to expecting the very best from this band and we’re never disappointed. Maybe that’s why they’re one of the original names out there that always puts music back where it’s suppose to be.

This Music as a Weapon tour has graced it’s presence on us once again and it’s a proven fact that it will be wanted here every year. The bands fit perfectly into what this tour is all about, using music as a weapon for life and believing in something more than you. We’re reminded that we’re all important but also that there’s a world out there that is beckoning us to listen. Until another tour, we shall live in the memories of this night.

Be sure to check out all of the bands sites for news, tours and of course music!

Korn:

www.korntv.com/

www.myspace.com/korn

www.facebook.com/korn

Disturbed:

www.disturbed1.com/

www.facebook.com/Disturbed

www.myspace.com/disturbed

Sevendust:

www.sevendust.com

twitter.com/SEVENDUST

www.myspace.com/sevendust

www.facebook.com/Sevendust

In This Moment:

www.facebook.com/officialinthismoment

www.myspace.com/inthismomen

www.inthismoment.com

To see more MAAWT photos,
go to

www.stillcodaphotography.com

HELLYEAH Interview

It’s another cold day in Minneapolis, but as I walk along Hennipen Avenue I notice that music from First Ave is bringing the heat. Tour buses line the streets, lines of people stand in the cold and I get greeted by none other than Chad Gray himself of HELLYEAH. Even though the chill outside, there’s a warmth and acceptance from the guys that most people don’t realize is there with this band. Not only do the members of this band have incredible music histories of their own, they’ve created a family with their fans within HELLYEAH. A new venture was made and the music scene exploded once again with real music, real people and real drive. HELLYEAH has brought back what it means to live and not give a damn about the impossibilities of life.

STILLCODA: 2007 WAS THE DEBUT ALBUM AND “LET THE STAMPEDE BEGIN” IS THE LATEST ALBUM OUT. HOW HAVE YOU GUYS GROWN AS A BAND AND AS INDIVIDUALS BETWEEN THE TWO ALBUMS?

CHAD: I think that when we started HELLYEAH, we didn’t really know each other. I mean, I knew Greg and we had talked for a long time but out of that not enough you know? Nobody had played in a two guitar player band so that was kind of weird at first. When we got together, we didn’t know what we were doing in that sense. We didn’t have the name of HELLYEAH yet, so we didn’t have that HELLYEAH fire yet. With the first record, we looked back and loved it. We toured for awhile and got to know one another which really helped the process. After that, we went back to our other commitments; me with Mudvayne and what not. We came back for the second record and we had already been dubbed “Hellyeah” so we had that kind of HELLYEAH mindset. We knew what we were, better understood what we were, what we were about since the first record. We had something to build off of; the relationships, the name and it went from there to the second record. It’s never easy but everything just kind of flowed together. Like I said, we had a better understanding of who we were so we just took off down that road. This band has been so awesome. I was nervous to go on tour in the first place because I’ve only ever done Mudvayne. So it was like for me to go from that to HELLYEAH which has a completely different vibe was really liberating for me. Mudvayne had toured back to back to back, wrote and recorded the same way and when we knew a break from all of that was coming up, I needed to do something different to keep things fresh ya know? Mudvayne will always be there but as an artist, you need to push yourself in different directions to keep yourself alive. I’m constantly working, I’m never not working. I believe that you can sleep when you’re dead so why not take advantage of everything you can while you can. I’ve been fortunate enough, lucky enough and talented enough to do these things so why not make the best of what’s around you. This band has the opportunity enough to go in several different directions in the future, whether it’s more country western, southern rock, blues, or more hard rock, which ever, there’s always that possibility.

STILLCODA: WHAT DID YOU WANT TO SEE LYRICALLY AND INSTRUMENTALLY HAPPEN WITH THE SECOND ALBUM?

CHAD: I think that lyrically wise, I worked really hard, took it very personally. I write with my life on my sleeve. I write very personal to the point where people are like they can’t believe I’d be sharing that with people. One thing that I’ve always done is look at the song as a whole. I write a lot of the songs in a way that says what things are about. If it’s some fucking heavy rift, I’m not gonna write lyrics that won’t match that feeling ya know? I’ll write on the heavy side of things to fit that. It’s gotta fit that vibe for it to work right. Lyrically and musically, that’s how we’ve approached things. I believe that HELLYEAH is built on that honesty. We don’t question what’s going to come out of it; we don’t sit and say “let’s sound like this.” We sit down and ask each other “what do ya got?” One of the guys will be like, “I’ve got this rift…” Then we kick it out there, start putting beats to it and it evolves from there. We write songs very fast from that honesty. We do the songs but we don’t over think them. I’m not saying we don’t hit snags, but if we do we work through the problem. We work in a way to make the transition work. We approach it song as what it is and let it flow into what it needs to be. There isn’t a premeditated thought or idea about what we’re gonna do, we just go with it. We might have some ideas on what we want to do and write it down. If I come up with a catch, I’ll write it down in my book for later. Like a title or something like that. A cool phrase or words that I find I like how they play off of one another.

STILLCODA: WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT MAKING THIS ALBUM?

CHAD: It was how the whole process happened and what came out of it. We are who we are. We drink, we party, we fucking barbeque, we hang out; we’re friends. The first record, we recorded at Dime’s place then this time around, Vinnie kind of converted his house into a make-shift studio. We recorded in this room that has like 40 foot ceilings that makes for great drum sounds. We hooked up cords and videos to some rooms so we could watch each other record. The essence of this record was pretty much just us being ourselves, living our lives ya know? We’d barbeque, party, hang out, all of it. We didn’t go into this looking at it as a job, we said fuck it. We’re going to do this the only way we know how and go with it. We take ourselves very seriously but not too seriously. When we’re composing music, it’s just like you see, it’s like that all the time. We’re very down to earth people. We don’t walk around with high heads saying we’re better than this person or that person; that we’re the band and you’re the fan; we say fuck that shit. Everybody has a job to do. Without the truckers, how do you get your shit from one place to the next? Without a carpenter, you don’t have a house. Without a metal worker, you don’t have a car. Everybody’s job makes the world go round, some peoples jobs are just more glamorized than others and I think that’s where we kind of understand each other. It keeps us on equal planes with everyone. I think it’s important to appreciate what everyone does.

STILLCODA: WE SAW YOU THIS SUMMER ON THE UPROAR TOUR AND SAW THE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF PEOPLE THAT SHOWED UP TO THOSE SHOWS. BETWEEN THE SMALLER VENUES AND LARGER ONES, WHICH DO YOU PREFER MORE TO PLAY?

CHAD: It is what it is, places like this (First Ave) are fucking awesome as everything’s more intimate. We can see the last person in the building. I think that gives us a stronger connection but you have to appreciate the larger venues too as there’s more people. Personally, I like the more intimate settings. It makes me feel closer to the people that make us who we are vs Joe Smith that’s way out in the fucking nosebleeds.

STILLCODA: WHEN YOU’RE OUT ON THE ROAD PLAYING WITH ALL THESE DIFFERENT BANDS, WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU SEE THAT GRAB YOUR ATTENTION?

CHAD: The list goes on and on (both laugh). Pretty much everyone that we play with, you find something special that you like. I’ve dubbed myself the “Ultimate Negative One” (both laugh) so I’m always looking for the positive things around. There are tons of things you see that makes bands great. There are different genres and things that make them stand out. I think it also comes from what we are too. I was fortunate enough from a young age to have a younger mother. She had me when she was pretty young so she wasn’t done being a teenager but we had a really close relationship. I grew up with Sabbath, Zepplin and the list goes on and on and on. It started with music at a very young age. I think for Vinnie too, the southern rock; Greg, the early 80’s bands, etc. A lot of the bands Vinnie listened too, I listened too as well. Van Halen, Kiss, Black Sabbath, I kind of come from those roots and along the road from there.

STILLCODA: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU TAKE AWAY FROM WHAT THE FANS?

CHAD: Like I said, I wear my life on my sleeve so there are people that connect with that. There are people out there that had a turbulent childhood like I did, people will come up to me and share their stories. I know where they’re at. The positive to that is that I’m talking to them, they didn’t commit suicide or are in prison. They’re standing in front of me and that’s enough. The other side to that is like young fathers and stuff that come up to me and say that they really heard the song. That it really affected them and they don’t want to be that guy. It may have helped shape them into being a different person listening to that song. We’re a product of our environment for the most part. If people are raised in an abusive environment, become abusive parents. I think those are the most positive things when people change and tell you that your song helped that change. The other side to all of this is that when it’s warm, unlike today (both laugh), we throw barbeques all the time. We invite everyone from people working backstage to the people hanging out. We front the bill for that shit. Sometimes Uproar would give us money to do it, other times we’d front the bill for it ourselves. To us it’s all about community. The other bands, the people working, the fans, radio winners etc really appreciate the memories that can come from everyone being together. It’s not like we hire people to do the cooking, Vinnie and I will be behind the grills cooking shit up for everyone ya know? (laughs). Everyone in the band is prepping and cooking, it takes all night to look around and watch people eat, drink and have a good time is what it’s all about. We get a lot of thanks for that, for being who we are.

STILLCODA: WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST AND LEAST ABOUT BEING ON TOUR?

CHAD: People look at the buses and think it’s all shiny and amazing while there are 9 dudes who don’t get any privacy in it (both laugh). You get just your bunk and that’s it. You can take advantage of your bunk though. I’ve put up my PS3 in there so when I want to get away, I can go there and chill by myself. The power of technology is amazing! (both laugh); the whole Netflix thing, IPhone and all of it. That’s probably the one thing I really do hate is the lack of privacy. Plus the constant grind of being on tour, my voice getting screamed out, being in a lot of pain from that ya know? I miss my wife, my dogs. The things I love: the feedback, the reaction from people. It’s all I know anymore. I’ve done a lot of shit in my life but this is one thing I feel that I’m really good at. I enjoy touring, always have. It’s like comparing it to being on heroin, not that I ever have but the idea that when you’re on it you can’t think of anything but being off of it but when you’re not on it, you think of nothing but being on it ya know? It’s this weird mix of love and hate in a way at times. It’s like sitting and waiting for 23 hours and 15 minutes to go live ya know? I’m living right now but to actually feel alive is to be onstage for those 45 minutes. There’s a difference between living and being alive.

STILLCODA: THERE IS DEFINETLY A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIVING AND BEING ALIVE AND THIS BAND PERSONIFIES THAT DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT TO SPEAK WITH US TODAY! WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT’S COMING UP FOR HELLYEAH!

CHAD: Thank you! There’s a lot coming up so keep your eyes open for it! See you on the road!

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT HELLYEAHS PAGES AND UPCOMING NEWS!

Check out HELLYEAH's new video for "Better Man"

http://www.metalinjection.net/tv/view/6398/hellyeah-better-man-video

WEBSITE:

www.hellyeahband.com/

MYSPACE:

www.myspace.com/hellyeah

FACEBOOK:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/hellyeahband

To see more HELLYEAH photos, go to

www.stillcodaphotography.com

Linkin Park: 1000 Suns Tour 2011

It was only 2 years ago that Linkin Park was in Minnesota at the Excel Center in St Paul, and almost to the date of that second year: they have arrived again. The crowd is rumored to have been over 11,000 which isn't bad considering how cold it is here right now. The line is already down the block and packed inside the arena. People have been waiting to get in for quite some time and they're willing to wait a little longer for a band that causes screams where ever it goes. Upon entrance, the stage and all it's lighting is symbolic to the bands latest album : Thousand Suns. Triangular in shape, it gives optimum crowd coverage even if the stage is a little smaller than we first expected.

After the first 2 bands play their sets, LP is set forth to put forth another amazing show. Always impressive are the lighting effects this band chooses to display when playing any show. Flat screens flip around and reveal one very large monitor screen in the shape of a triangle. This showcases the band in various places from cameramen stationed in the pit. The crowd gets a first hand look at what it would feel like to be in the pit if they're in the seats. From LP classic songs to the newest in that line, the crowd gets them all. All in all, LP is always welcome in MN and we can't wait until they're here once again.

Be sure to follow Linkin Park's new tour and catch them in a town near you!
www.linkinpark.com


To see more photography coverage from this and many more shows, go to www.stillcodaphotography.com

Photoshoot collection

Secrets Reposed Photoshoot

After months of getting things set up, I was able to get this shoot under my belt. It's an idea that's been rolling around my head for quite a while so it was time to get it put into photos. I had two amazing models, makeup/hair stylist plus my 2 assistants. I couldn't have asked for a better crew! The whole idea for this shoot was to combine a little gothic intentions with some victorian dress. Needless to say, they are familiar to each other but just on very small measures. I wanted the intensity of the gothic but the subtle touch of feminism . I decided to make the photos more grainy/dirty once editing came about. It lent that final touch of grunge I love so much.

Our location was in a church in Uptown Minneapolis. This building used to be someones home then later became the church. It was beautiful inside! From the wanes coating, furniture, light fixtures, to pretty much every detail in the space, we were able to shoot in tons of different places. Here are some phone pics:
After hair/makeup got done, Rin and Seamus were ready to shoot! After shooting the duo together, we did the solo portraits. I had a little surprise for them and brought out the fog machine for some special effects. We wanted that "chilling" factor to add more character to the finished photo. We had some problems getting it to correctly work on the stairs but it worked perfect once we got in front of the fireplace. After a hard days work, we got some fantastic photos taken! I was very proud of everyone's hard work and took the boys out for dinner to celebrate. Until the next collection, this will hold us over for a little bit ;)

So here are some shots from the day including some behind the scene shots.

After the collection was shot, I got my makeup/hair stylist in on her own little shoot. Chelsea has been a muse of mine for the last year, so it's always a blast working with her. Here's a taste of her portraits!

To see the total Secrets Reposed Collection and more photos taken that day, go to www.stillcodaphotography.com!!

Upcoming shows!

Friday, January 28 2011!

Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns: World Tour 2011
@ Xcel Energy Cente, St Paul MN

Be sure to get your tickets before then! It's going to be a hellva' great show!!!
www.ticketmaster.com

RED: Nothing and Everything Tour coming your way!

Alright Peeps! It's that time of year again where our boys in RED are back in town on another amazing tour!!!! They have two shows in MN within two days: Friday Dec 3 at Roberts in Mounds View MN and Saturday Dec 4th at New Life Worship Center in Rochester Mn. Head over to http://www.redmusiconline.com/ to catch up on the latest album info and see what the boys are up to. Its going to be another breath taking album!