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vinegar . So just the fact that I showed the fuck up , shows you that it ’ s still there .” - PJ Farley
“ I ’ m making records . In a time when there is no record business shows you that there ’ s still piss and vinegar there .”
- PJ Farley
Steve is a great producer , and instrumentation wise , you know , he could suggest different instruments maybe , or different sounds , something that I wouldn ’ t think of . I just wanted to give myself a little freedom , and kind of release the reins a little bit . Trust the processs a little more .
With everything you have going on do you ever take a moment and think about some of the great moments in your career ?
PJ : That ’ s always there . It ’ s ingrained in me . All of those shows . Those that are the formidable years . Back then it was all full of piss and vinegar . There wasn ’ t a fire bigger than when we were out there doing . Trixter meant everything we were doing . There are many moments that bring me back to that time and place . There were times that we were less than happy playing the music .
Does the same fire and passion exist in the projects you are involved in now ?
PJ : It just comes out in different forms , I mean , the fact that I ’ m still doing it , and it ’ s just the fact that I ’ m making records , in a time when there is no record business , shows you that there ’ s still piss and vinegar . So just the fact that I showed the fuck up , shows you that it ’ s still there . No one ’ s getting rich from doing this shit . So , I mean , I think there ’ s your answer .
What was that moment like for you when Trixter separated from the label and you started getting involved with other projects ?
PJ : When Trixter went back into the shed , Steve and I kept writing and recording . We put together the band “ Throwing Rocks ” which turned into “ Soaked ” which turned into “ 40-Foot Ringo ” which turned into “ Stereo Fallout ”. Right around the “ Stereo Fallout ” time I joined Ra . That was my first step back into the touring and recording cycle . I went back onto a major label , got back on a bus and toured . We were on modern rock radio and doing large festivals . it just felt great being part of the wheel again . A couple of years later , we put Trixter back together . Then I got the call from Lita . Then , Ra got back together .
Trixter c . 1989
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Muench) who wanted to play heavy, noisy music and exploded onto the scene a few years back with their first EP, Episode 1 released April 2019, featuring the track, “Dead Stars”. This track quickly became a favorite of mine, and I feverishly awaited for what they would do next. Coming April 30th, 2021 Crate Digger brings you Episode 2. “2060” was a standout to me; and was promptly included in the countdown becoming a main- stay for several weeks now reaching as high as #2, and seriously challenging FeltSideOut’s reign. Do they have what it takes to break through in the coming weeks to reach top of poll supremacy, time will tell? Rid Them All you to ignore Spotify, or that you don’t need it. I mean, they are the name of the game right now, but if you can elicit more engagement your Spoti- fy numbers will improve in a far more substantial manner. Another thing to remember is that Spotify is lacking in a return path. When you get new followers the only way to get on their radar once you’ve dropped off is to release new music or post an upcoming live show. You have no real way to contact your audience to engage with them. You’d be better off to work to get people following you on social media outlets where you can interact on the daily. When you can get people following you on social media, if they like you, they will find your music and pump your numbers. If you want to spend money to expand your audience there are better ways. Run an ad campaign to get new social media followers, or even hire a PR company that has connections you don’t have and can get you into new ears and in from of new eyes that are looking for bands Viking Metal. Who doesn’t love that? With so many bands from the Nordic country paying homage to the mighty Odin, Rid Them All has adapted the raw power and energy simi- lar to the Viking God. This Oklahoma City Band is in the business of melting faces with their style of metal. Charlie Humbert and Brian Nail want it hard and heavy so you will come back for more. Well, the listener’s do just that. Final Decree Final Decree is bringing thrash back from yesteryear. Founded by Glenn Rogers/Guitarist (formerly of Pri- mal, Steel Vengeance, Hirax, Heretic and current mem- ber of Deliverance) and featuring Sammy DeJohn/Vo- cals (Ruthless), Cesar Ceregatti/Bass (Steel Vengeance, NoCoN) and Jorge Iacobellis/Drums (Primal, Hirax). Final Decree has recently released a new 7” single, in- cluding the tracks, “Dark Before the Dawn” and “Mir- ror Mirror”. A full length is in the works with a release date to be announced soon. Page 76 Rid Them All has shown consistency from week 1 of their addition to the show. Their powerful track, “Storm Hammer” has been an anchor of the show with the power and force it delivers!!! just like you. Yep, it can get spendy, but in the end you have something to show for your investment. Don’t pay playlists though, or anyone promis- ing you the wonders of being on playlists. Playlists that could be your foot in the door to something better are not going to charge you money to be on them, and technically that is pay for play which is expressly forbidden on Spotify anyway. In the end, you’re going to need to have a Spotify presence, but Spotify has its limitations. If you spend your money, spend it wisely. If you do you will end up will far more than just more Spotify plays and followers. A well rounded and strong PR strategy will get you not only more Spo- tify plays and followers, but a larger more engaged fan base that would likely turn into merch buyers; and in the end its merch buyers that pay the bills not Spotify royalties. So….Now What? Continued To close out, I’ll bring things back to music, which I more often than not do. My own father and I have very little common ground in terms of the world, its workings, and how we feel those things should go. The details of those leanings are not really important. But they are as such that we’ve disagreed often, sometimes devolv- ing into shouting at one another. Sometimes they’ve driven us into anger and even silence for a time from one side of it or another. But within the last couple years, we’ve sort of eased into this policy of “let’s agree to not discuss these things with any depth” and I think I can live with that. Some would call that a cop out, and they’re right. But I love my dad, and I don’t have a whole lot of time left with him. I’d rather not spend it arguing with him about rich people that really don’t care about either one of us in the end of things. So we talk about guitars and music. Even though we are generations apart on that, it’s still a language we understand. We listen to dif- ferent music, we play different music, but it’s still something we can come together on and enjoy our time together discussing. It’s one of my most favorite things about the guitar. There are millions of us that play, at all different levels, in countless forms and genres. And no matter if we play for ourselves or for fifty thousand people, it’s a language we all speak. It is common ground, and it always gives us something positive to talk about. So try to find common ground with people you disagree with. If you can’t, there is no crime in that. But we started this discussion talking about worry. Worry is the thief of joy. And I hope we can all have a little less worry soon. Wanna talk about it? Hit me up at [email protected]