Recordshoppers Anonymous #14

Hey, they promised some sun and heat for next week... Looking at the weather forecast for next week the temperature will just barely reach over 0 and THAT is not spring weather. I need some sun and heat now! Sure, it was sunny today but still a few degrees below 0.
My cold has been bugging me since I got back from Dallas, waking up in the mornings with a soar throat and now when that finally has given up an endelss flood of snot harasses me. Very annoying, I don't want to be ill. Or really, if I could get ill for real, then it might go away at least.

Going home Friday I met up with Peter in Hässleholm, he'd been to the postoffice to collect the new Void Moon shirts. They turne out really nice. They're also uploaded in the Void Moon web-shop if someone wants to spend their money!!! Or a mail can also be sent to contact@void-moon.com We still have some CD's for sale as well. Peter talked a little about bundling the Shirt with the CD in some way but we'll see how that turns out. The shirts are €10, the CD's €12 plus postage...

Then Saturday we started off with a Void Moon rehearsal in the Void Mansion Rehearseroom/Studio. The aim was to play a little and start go through some new material. The session turned out really nice and the rehearseroom is great! Still need some small fixes to numb the sound a bit since the walls are concrete but it still is better than any rehearseroom I've ever had. Also, it's great to know that noone touches my stuff. Even if you share with bands you trust there's always something borrowed and not put back. Still need to have the Peavey fixed though, it didn't survive Dock's Rock's this spring... Perhaps when the travel allowance arrives I can hand it in for repair. Meanwhile the Valvestate Combo works but the sound is always better with a Amp Head and Speaker Cabinet.

My Transplanted Marshall (check out Tommy Folkesson, website only in Swedish though it seems like) sounds AWESOME though. I was a bit hesitant at first since it was a lot of Money to spend to get it fixed. But what good is a non-working Marshall doing in the rehearseroom? 4-channel Mark V it is now!

Then, when arriving from USA, I had a package waiting for me with some really nice music in it. Sure, it was nice to come back to Peter, the Cat and the Void Mansion but not the Swedish winter. But at least this package made everything a little brighter.

I think this was my second order from Underground Power. A quite small dealer but the service is awesome. Fast and smooth transactions and very reasonable prices, even for postage to Sweden. So apart from the vinyls I got Briar Rose, Icarus Witch and Gothing Knights. All of them really good but I think Icarus Witch has lost a bit of their uniqueness with the change of singer. It still sounds very good of course but it isn't anything really special anymore.

 

Of course, a few packages from other places had arrived as well so I sure have a lot of new things to listen to now.

But it didn't stop there, Peter picked up the package in the beginning of last week so I had a pile of records waiting for me at the kitchen table when I got home. Manilla Road, Helloween, Screamer, Persian Risk, Tyranex, Savage and Sentinel Beast. The Quartz CD was for Peter and the Attic CD... Well, still mine but I'm actually disappointed with it.  

In the same package the Blind Guardian box "A Travellers Guide to Space and Time" was stuffed in between the vinyls. Massive piece of work I must say. 15 CD's, Art Print, massive booklet and a guitar pick. Perhaps not all that necessary since I have most of it already but there are some really cool demos and such included as well. And it will look great together with the rest on the shelf.



 

So this weekend it has been a bit of war over the stereo! Peter is still in his Styx period but also has he been reading the Dee Snider biography so it has been a lot of Twisted Sister, Desperado, Widowmaker and such as well. And then me trying to get one of the new ones on in between the Dee Snider and Styx stuff! So it sure has been a weekend in the sign of music. Both playing, writing and listening a whole lot to new and old stuff. And all this to go with a few beers and great company, it really is awesome. Saturday was also Peter's birthday so after the rehearsal it all turned into a party. Or, some birthday dinner with Chicken Fajitas and Salsa from Hell. Habanero's are VERY spicy!!! But it tasted ok anyway and it was a very nice evening. Just unfortunate the weekend ended way to fast (as always).

 

Cheers

E

 

NP: GILLAN - Magic

Axe to Grind

Sure, it is a nice today. The sun even manages to show itself on occasion but of course, that mean it is freezing outside. They promised though it should be up until +10 C next week. I just hope this is true. My hair can't take this... Oh, well, I can't stand my hair this time of the year since it get so damn static, I get electric shocks as soon as I touch anything, especially the cat. Poor guy!

But spring is coming and there are a lot of things to look forward to. The Festivals of course but also a lot of good records, have Saxon, Circle II Circle, Attacker, Persian Risk, Savage, Air Raid, Screamer, Witchgrave coming in during the next few weeks. And the list seem endless from time to time.

One I especially look forward to though is this one;

Vicious Rumors "Electric Punishment" is released through SPV at the end of April. That will be really cool.
In the same link there were an extensive list of tourdates as well so I guess I need to start planning.

Then of course, this tour is also very tempting;

Savatage's "Edge of Thorns" is an amazing album and Zak Stevens is a fantastic singer so this would be awesome to see. On the other hand, I really want them to play a lot of Circle II Circle material too so I really hope this will be an extensive show.
Then of course, both Nightmare and Eternal Flight are really cool so the line-up is a killer for sure.

Looking at the list of dates, both tours seem to hit Budapest on May 20 which if course is a little annoying, 2 days in a row and that would have been a given trip! So I really hope these days are not 100% confirmed yet and it could work out with a weekend in Hungary at the end of May. I've never been there, not Peter either so it would be cool to go there for a long weekend and combine that with some cool gigs also.

This weekend we've planned a songwriting session with Void Moon. There are a lot of new ideas and it will be really cool to hang out in the Void Mansion Rehearseroom/Studio and just jam on new ideas and riffs!
Also, we will pick up the brand new Void Moon T-shirts today! They looked very cool when the design was checked at least so I think these ones will turn out great! Stay tuned, I suppose there will be pictures posted during the weekend. 

And then of course, it's Peter's birthday also so we'll have an after rehearsal birthday party/dinner. So now I get another chance to arrange a candlelight supper with the fine China! *s* Naah, I think we settled on Chicken/Veg Fajitas actually... Convenient and easy to make and a lot can be prepared in advance.

Cheers
E

NP: VICIOUS RUMORS - Razorback Killers

 

 
 

Where's the sun?

I'm so sick and tired of winter now!! So sick of the dark and cold and not being able to walk properly without slipping. I want to be able to enjoy a walk outside without spending aeons getting dressed to not freeze. It was so nice last Friday when I was off work and could be out during the day, even if it was just +1C outside it felt like spring at least for a little while. And I'm looking forward to the BBQ season so much. Not only because of all cool spices I bought in USA, more in general to be able to be outside and prepare the food. 

But when I was Grocery Shopping last Friday (have put it as a habit to plan the food for the whole weekend and some to go as lunchboxes the week after and shop everything in one go) I overheard a communication when picking out vegetables for the food. 
One lady around 60 asks one of the store clerks (of course in the really Lazy Höör accent) "Are these the cocktail peppers?" while the clerk replies "No those are Habanero Fruits". I guess it would have been rather amusing watching the lady and her family eat that night if she hadn't gotten a reply on her question... 

But in these dark times I start to think about the upcoming Festival season... Of course, I'm not going to Up The Hammers this year, looking at the bill I would have loved to be there. Would have been really nice to see Raven, Widow, Damien Thorne, Hürlement and a few more. And of course to enjoy some nice Greek food and wine.

But Keep It True is approaching rather fast as well so I guess I need to start boosting for that one too! Also, what's really cool is that Dimitris and Maria from Metal Kaoz will join in this year, will be great to hang out.
As always the line up is killer and this year is really strong as well, Warlord, Medieval Steel, Jack Starr's Burning Starr, Legend, High Spirits I'm really looking forward too, and Steel Prophet of course, perhaps them the most. But I must say all bands on the bill are really good.

 

A few weeks into the summer it is time for Copenhell. Of course, they have a lot of Modern bands which isn't all that much for me. But King Diamond, Amon Amarth, Accept & Testament will make the visit worth while. Also, I'm actually looking forward to see In Flames again, it was ages ago since I last saw them. And even if I prefer their older records they've always been a good liveact.  

And then the Horror!!! Metal Magic clashes with Iron Maiden in Stockholm. Very tough choice. We have tickets for Maiden, both for Stockholm and Malmö. And we are playing Metal Magic with Void Moon so of course we have to be there at least that day... But there are so many cool bands on this Festival, like Hobbs Angel Of Death, Martyr, The Black, Nocturnal, Mortuary Drape, Black Oath... Awesome line-up and I think this strikes harder than Maiden in Stockholm. This since we can see them in Malmö anyway. 

And then Headbangers Open Air. I'm still waiting for the line-up on the Aftershow and I really hope I'll make it to the Warm-up this year as well. Last year we arrived a bit too late and couldn't really fit it into our schedule. But these events are so nice, it really is a party, everyone's hanging out outside Lauchbar drinking beer and talking before, after and inbetween the bands. Of course it's absolutely amazing to see bands in such a small place as this is too.  

The Festival is, just as KIT, amazing as always. Overkill, Metal Church, Vicious Rumors, Blood Feast, Demon, Stormwitch, Sleepy Hollow, Praying Mantis... Ah, it will be a tough one again. The only thing now that could beat this is if they add Sanctuary and get Mike Howe to sing a few tunes with Metal Church... (not that it's needed since the line-up is killer as it is). And I can't wait to hang out in the garden, drink the nice German beer and just enjoy life!

Then I really need to fit Swordbrothers into my schedule! Me and Berg visited the Festival a few years back and I've said I should go back each year since then but it never really fitted into my schedule. But this also is a very nice Festival, small and cozy and the line-up is killer (again) this year. I'm really happy to see that Morgana Lefay is back. Bollnäs Metal Trend it is then since Tad Morose played last year. JW, Shadowkeep, Lord Volture, Holy Martyr and Rebellion will be great to see as well.

 

But it still is winter and KIT, which is the first in line is still 2 months away, which means I have to live with the winter for about the same time (as everyone else in Sweden of course). Those few days of sun in Dallas sure made me long for warmer days like crazy.

Now it's all just work a few weeks, hopefully we will be able to confirm release-dates for the Cult Of The Fox album soon as well as the Vinyl release of the Void Moon album. That would be something really nice to look forward to.

At least I'll have a package from TPL waiting for me when I come home to the Void Mansion on Friday. And for now, lets say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to guitar icon and Godfather of Heavy Metal TONY IOMMI!!!

Cheers

E

NP: IOMMI - Fused

 

Buffalo Burger or Long Horn T-bone?

Sometimes it's crazy how different things can be away from home. USA shouldn't be that far off from Sweden I think but hell yeah, it is. Sure, this trip wasn't about amusement to that big extent but one have to eat no matter what.
I was really happy that I could upgrade my ticket going out, from Economy to Business. If not, I would have been in trouble for real. I didn't have time to prepare all material for all sessions to come during the week, for example a 100 page training material that was completely messed up when I opened it on my computer with Windows 7. For most airlines, there are NOT more seat space on a big Airbus flying over the Atlantic than the normal flights between Gothenburg and Stockholm. So instead of enjoying free Champagne and movies I spent 4 hours adjusing documents for work. Really glamorous!!! But at least I was ready for what I was supposed to do during the week when I arrived in Dallas.

Fortunately Sunday was an extra day to try to adjust to the US timezone. I arrived in the middle of the night Saturday, local time and completely passed out as soon as I got into my hotel rool (add 7 hours for Swedish time, and no, I didn't sleep on the planes at all).
Sunday turned out to be a very nice day, +20 and sunny. So me and Tobias (my colleague) met up before lunch and headed out for some adventure. First stop Southfork Ranch.

 

Neither me nor Tobias are Dallas (TV series) fans but still, something to see that is a part of history. We got there and the parking lot was completely packed with cars. In a big hall in one corner it sounded like an event going on. We thought it could be an information session about Southfork so we headed that way. Just before we entered a huge policeman walked up to us asking "Are you guys going to church?"

 

I think that mass would have been very interesting to attend even if I'm not the least religious. It sounded like they had a blast, lots of Hallelujas and even a band playing. I'm not sure how well received we would have been though. Lets put it this way, if we'd gone in, we'd been standing out (or perhaps glowing) among the rest of the crowd.
It still was a fun visit to Southfork even if it looks a lot more spectacular on TV than in realaty. A nice Ranch it is but I expected it to be bigger.

 

Anyway, we got our lecture and a few anecdotes before we could take a stroll around the farm. A few horses and of course the Long Horns were outside. I think the cows were the most fun for that whole visit.

I also took the opportunity to buy a real cowboy hat at the Southfork Ranch. I doubt I'll ever use it but it is a nice hat and it will at least look good in my bookshelf!

 

 

Then we headed to Down Town Dallas. We were recommended to go to the Kennedy 6:th floor Museum. On the way there we passed another church with a huge neon sign outside with the text "give satan an inch and he will be a ruler", there was no chance to stop and go back for a picture... Hysteric statement I think, but a lot of fun.

DT Dallas was really empty. Or in general there were very few people out all around the clock, a lot of cars but there were hardly any people to be seen outside just walking around. So it felt quite strange to stroll around in Dallas. 

 

We skipped the Kennedy museum. We just walked passed the building and got a lecture from some guy selling DVD's with the new researches about the assassination. A really interesting story, that's for sure but those 10 minutes felt enough and we settled with looking at the building (red brick building pictured behind the blue-feeted horse) then continue the walk around town in search of something to eat.

 

Buffalo Burger was on the menu and of course we had to try that! Really nice I must say, tasted a little different compared to regular beef burger. Even if it was the lunch menu the portion was huge, and as always the drinks was even bigger. A bucket of Cola with a free refill is absolutely standard.

On the other side if the street from the restaurant it was a shop looking like a place to buy souveniers from Texas. Correct but also, they had a huge selection of boots. And with the dollar exchange rate these days it was too tempting to leave them all there in the shop.

 

It was hard just picking one pair. In the end these were my choice. A bit showy but not too flaring. I really would have liked to keep them on straight away but they need soles before I can use them... So that needs to be fixed. Anyway, I got myself an awesome pair of boots to a really nice price. At least half compared to Sweden.

After the Burger and some Shopping we headed back to the Hotel to get ready to go out and watch Superbowl. Nope, I'm not interested at all but since it was happening while we were there, and Tobias wanted to see it we headed out to find a suitable bar to watch it. And I don't mind watching people watching sports and have a few beers with that.
Unfortunately the Jetlag got the better of us and around halftime both me and Tobias almost fell asleep in the bar. But I must say I actually enjoyed it, it got interesting after a while. Of course, Tobias had to explain everything happening in the game for me, else I wouldn't have been able to follow but still, it got interesting.

Then the rest of the week was all about work! Long and hard days but still very rewarding so all hard work prior to the WS was well worth it, even the hours spent on the plane preparing the presentations. It will be an interesting project. And hopefully this wasn't the last trip over there... These few days was only an appetizer, at least when it comes to the food. Even if we skipped the place the locals said to be "thee" place we got some really nice steaks and chunks of meat. They sure know how to cook meat in the US.

 

We also found some time to go shopping after work. My main focus (Since I already had the hat and the boots) was to get ready for BBQ season. Last time I visited Dallas I bought Hickory Spice since I love that smoky flavour. I didn't find the one I really wanted but there were a huge selection and I got a bunch of different stuff! BBQ is going to be awesome this summer.



 

 

Marinades, chili sauces, BBQ Glace, Rubs... I guess the hard part will be to find some suitable and affordable meat here in Sweden though. But I suppose anything goes, chicken, pork...

 

It's just a shame there's still weeks and weeks before it will be nice enough to have a real BBQ party here in the Void Mansion! (so, since I've boosted up already I guess there will be snow here until midsummer now)

 



 

Then there were an endless selection of sauces and chili-mixes building on the jokes about chili that it will move the stomach. Fun to some extent and the Ass Blaster was the first I saw. Peter's suggestion was to serve this one for next weekend when it's his birthday... If he wants it I'll fix it! :O)

 

And what is more American than Spray Cheese and Beef Jerky?

 

I've never really realized how good Beef Jerky tastes. Of course there's an endless selection of that as well but the two different I tried was very different from each other but still really nice both of them. So next mission is to figure out how this is prepared and I'll start making my own!!!

 

 

Me and Peter joked a bit before I left that I shold buy a hat for the cat as well. Didn't find one and he sure as hell didn't like the ones I got. He just looked really pissed and his fangs (he's a vampire cat) started to hang out, when they do he'll bite!

So even if it was a job trip to USA we had some time to hang out and look around also. That's always nice because it feels a bit disappointing to travel for hours and hours and only see the Office on location. And of course, this trip as well as mine and Peter's USA vacation a few years ago really just fed the urge to explore USA. There are so many things to see and everything is extremely huge. Really fascinating I think! Wonder when I will find the time to do it though!

Cheers
E

NP: SIN STARLETT - Throat Attack

Studs and Black Leather

This damn jetlag! It took me most of the week to adjust to the Dallas time and not wake up at 5 am and then pass out (no, no beer since it was a work trip) at 9pm. The good thing though was of course, up before the sun made it possible to go to the Hotel Gym for a workout and catch up on the mails instead of doing that after the workday.  The gym really should be visited more frequently, need to see to that!

But now, I got back home Saturday afternoon and had a decent nights sleep (not that strange since I couldn't sleep on the plane home. I actually managed to upgrade to business class out the outward journey and could enjoy a 3 course meal, free champagne and truffles and so on. Didn't have that possibility on the way home so I squeezed up in standard economy. I didn't expect to stay awake but movie after movie passed (can really recommend Asterix & Obelix, hysteric) and I kept watching. Then, when I was getting tired it was breakfast time, Lufthansa really outdid themselves this time. A spongy omelet and boiled green cabbage, it smelled like fart in the whole plane. 

Anyway, I felt ok Sunday but then, trying to sleep the night to Monday... Got 30 minutes of sleep (but ok, getting up to catch the train at 5am was actually Dallas bedtime, 10pm). Was NOT fun to work and I'm still struggling to get back to normality.
Then, that it was +20 and sunny in Dallas almost the whole week and wet, snowy and cold doesn't really cheer me up! But ok, a week extra sun is something really nice and I'm glad I got it because that alone gained a lot of energy. Still longing for spring though.

I realized the other day that I took pictures of shoes in a window. I've seen these ones at a few stores and I like them. But what's not to like? Black motorcycle boots with studs on them (of course, not as cool as the cowboy boots I got in Dallas of course...). They had a similar selection in another store also but they looked kind of cheap so these ones should be preferable, of course they costs more than the double as well.
But actually, there are some really cool clothes available now, a lot of black studded things and I saw today, a lot of camouflaged pants, shirts and jackets in the store. Perhaps there will be something suitable for me this spring as well because I can't stand the pink, flowery blouses people apparently wear these days... 

 

So perhaps it is time to launch a blog about fashion now??? :O) Apparently it is possible to make a lot of money sharing today's outfit and what coffee that went down for breakfast! Seems to be a lucrative business as well. But I doubt anyone is particularly interested in which band-shirt and what pair of jeans I put on on a selected day! And for coffee, as long as it is stronger and tastes less swimming pool than it did in USA I'm happy!

Then, hopefully I'll have a big package of records waiting for me when I get home tomorrow! I'm actually off Friday since it has been a lot of long days in the office lately. TPL was supposed to send me some in the beginning of the week. The package should include Savage, Quartz, Persian Risk, Blind Guardian, Screamer and a little more. Should be nice! So, just one more day to go now then my long weekend starts, yeey!

Cheers
E

NP: OVERKILL - I Hear Black