FEAR FACTORY - June 6th - Meet and Greet and Concert!!!

Fear Factory. The name alone commands a respect very few metal bands have. Having been one of the biggest driving forces of heavy metal during the 90's, and still keeping the flame strong during the better part of the last 10 years, the band went on "hiatus" in 2006.

This year, they came back in a BIG way.

Enlisting the help of Strapping Young Lad's rhythm section, the newly-reformed Fear Factory will be playing The Trocadero on June 6th with the help of Prong. This comes with the release of their new album "Mechanize".

Not only that, but FEAR FACTORY IS DOING A MEET-AND-GREET AT RELAPSE RECORDS AT 5PM AT DIGITAL FERRET!!!!

Yes, kiddies, you read that right; Fear Factory will be at Digital Ferret Records signing the new album, old ones, and anything else you can bring, even boobs! I plan on being there, snagging some photos, hanging out, and maybe even getting a slice of pizza (Guys, trust me, more people will come if you offer FREE PIZZA!!!).

So, there you go. Get your shit together and make sure you come out to this!!!!

FEAR FACTORY - Meet-and-Greet - 5PM:
Digital Ferret - 32 South 4th Street - Philadelphia, PA‎

FEAR FACTORY, Prong, Silent Civilian, and Thy Will Be Done - 6PM:
The Trocadero - 1003 Arch Street - Philadelphia, PA 19107

EDIT: Yeah, the poster says 7PM. That's because I'm stupid and made a mistake. DOORS AT 6PM, and show starts at 6:30PM. On the plus side, it may be for the better if you get there at 7PM...

Metal Radio in Philadelphia: BACK WITH A F@$KING VENGEANCE!!!!

Thank you, thank you!

Mark Skull Pirate Radio has only been back on the air for a month, but what a month its been!!! After only 30 days, MSPR has done the following:

Nearly 600 Streams Launched!
Gone from 18th to 5th Highest EXTREME METAL STATION!
Rocketed from 6278 to 1666(!) in Overall Rankings!!
AND AN ASTOUNDING 751 TOTAL LISTENING HOURS!!!

WORLD DOMINATION, THY NAME IS MARK SKULL PIRATE RADIO!

So make sure you listen to the station, vote for songs, and bang your head like there's no tomorrow, because Mark Skull Pirate Radio, Philadelphia's Best and ONLY Metal and Punk Radio station, is BACK WITH A VENGEANCE!!!!

Most importantly, thanks to all the AWESOME listeners of the station as well! Without you, there is no Mark Skull Pirate Radio! It may sound odd, but the truth of the matter is, this station exists for YOU. Having this station is to get great metal music to the masses, and introducing people to new bands and sounds they may otherwise not hear. How many radio stations are daring to mix Metallica's "One" with Devin Townsend's "Namtase"?

To listen to Mark Skull Pirate Radio, all you need is a computer, an iPhone, or a Windows Mobile device (Yep, we're on the go!)! So come on! Turn on the station and have one hell of a good time! We're always on, and we're always looking for more people to enjoy the melodies!

Look for more new music as the days and weeks come by, and as always, send in your requests (and donations!!)! We have a few events coming up, so please make sure you listen closely! :D

FINAL WARNING: Kreator and Voivod At The Troc! March 4th! 7PM!

CHECK OUT THE POSTER OF DEVIANTART!!!!!!

If you're into metal at all, then I doubt I need to explain why this show is awesome. About a year ago, Kreator came to town and played The Troc with Exodus opening for them. That show was nothing short of amazing! This one? Well, let's just say Kreator is going to make this show even better than last year!

Voivod is sub-headlining this show, and I honestly can't remember the last time they played Philly! They haven't done a tour in 6 years, even including after the release of Katorz about 4 years ago.

KREATOR will be playing The Trocadero March 4th, 2010 at 7PM! They'll be playing with Voivod, Nachtmystium, Evile, and Lazarus A.D.

Check out these videos of both Kreator and Voivod! It should be one hell of a show!!!!

KREATOR:





VOIVOD:

Philadelphia's First, and Only, Metal and Punk Radio Station is Back!

Mark Skull Pirate Radio returns after a long absence!

February 19th, 2010 - Philadelphia. After nearly 6 months of being gone, MARK SKULL PIRATE RADIO is back on the air!

Run by one-time mayoral candidate Larry West, Mark Skull Pirate Radio (MSPR) will celebrate its return with a 4-hour long live radio show at 7PM EST on February 19th, 2010, that will feature the latest and greatest in heavy metal and punk! BUT WAIT! You say that heavy metal isn't cool or hip? That punk is dead? That metal and punk were "something you used to do", maybe before you thought it got "stale"? WELL, WE'RE GONNA PROVE YOU WRONG!

Tune into the Mark Skull Show on MPSR at 7PM EST for the latest and greatest from bands such as Megadeth, Slayer, Devin Townsend, Overkill, Otep, Kreator, Ministry, NOFX, and more bands than you could shake stick at! No, really. If you tried to shake a stick at these bands, they'd beat the crap out of you.

So, I'm sending out this press release in the hopes that you'll post this on your blog, maybe even the entire thing. Why? You may think your readers don't listen to that music, but who knows, maybe they do, or maybe they'll listen to this show thinking it would be "ironic". In the end, they will be converted to the church of HEAVY METAL.

What's my proof? What's my story?

Mark Skull Pirate Radio was create in June of 2005 out of frustration that the Philadelphia music scene did not have ONE DECENT ROCK OR METAL STATION! Try loving the music, and not having anything or anyone to connect with! Being alone with your CD's, not really being able to get an idea what's out there! Yeah, there's MySpace and Pandora, but hell, it's not REAL RADIO! Well, MSPR changed that! Within a year, we were the #1 extreme metal station on Live365, and we seek to be there again!

A Mark Skull Live Show is full of tasteless jokes, cursing, rants, caffeine-fueled brutality, stories, and great music! It has been heard as far away as Belfast, Ireland, and beyond! It will kick your ass and make you want more! IT WILL INCRIMINATE ITS HOST SO HE CAN NEVER RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE AGAIN! HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!

.....I see I may have gone too far.

Just listen to the station.

http://www.morisecomics.com/markskullpirateradio
http://www.live365.com/stations/luvataciousskull

KREATOR - March 4th, The Troc - 7PM!

CHECK OUT THE POSTER OF DEVIANTART!!!!!!

If you're into metal at all, then I doubt I need to explain why this show is awesome. About a year ago, Kreator came to town and played The Troc with Exodus opening for them. That show was nothing short of amazing! This one? Well, let's just say Kreator is going to make this show even better than last year!

Voivod is sub-headlining this show, and I honestly can't remember the last time they played Philly! They haven't done a tour in 6 years, even including after the release of Katorz about 4 years ago.

KREATOR will be playing The Trocadero March 4th, 2010 at 7PM! They'll be playing with Voivod, Nachtmystium, Evile, and Lazarus A.D.

Check out these videos of both Kreator and Voivod! It should be one hell of a show!!!!

KREATOR:





VOIVOD:

DEVIN TOWNSEND and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME! 1/31/2010! THE TROC!

Check out the Devin Townsend poster here.
Check out the Between the Buried and Me poster here.

So, this one needs little help from me, but I'm still pleased to do so with a double-shot of posters!

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME will be playing in Philadelphia at The Troc on January 31st at 6PM. Not only that, but Canadian Music-Master DEVIN TOWNSEND will be opening the whole affair!

YOU CAN GET TICKETS HERE!!!!!

Now, personally, I'm not a big fan of the headliner, Between the Buried and Me. For me, this show is all about Devin Townsend. He is, without a doubt, one of my favorite musicians. He's start came via playing on Steve Vai's "Sex and Religion" album, after which he went on to start his own label and release albums from more styles than you could imagine! From alt-rock to ambient to the heaviest fucking metal ever, and all the way to punk and even progressive rock and metal, Devin's talent lies in being able to mix and match styles and, through it all, perfect them all.

My favorite albums written and performed by Devin Townsend?

"Ocean Machine: Biomech"
Punky Bruster - "Cooked on Phonics"
Devin Townsend - "Infinity"
Strapping Young Lad - "City"
Devin Townsend Band - "Accelerated Evolution"

I hope I see you there!!!!!

Arch Enemy, Exodus, and Arsis - THE RISE OF EVIL!

Arch Enemy, Exodus, AND Arsis are coming to Philadelphia on January 21st to The TLA! Tickets range between $16 and $20, and starts at 8PM!

Feel free to download this poster, make copies, and just spread the word about this show!

Get your tickets either at the box office or online.


--- Now, on that note, I want to take some time to do something I do almost as well as I draw and design: Complain about crap that's pissing me off!

My blog, Angry, Young, and Poor, has become a sort-of defacto newsource for major metal shows in Philly and Larry West Productions has done all we (well, I) can do to help in the effort of supporting metal in Philly. To that end, I am disappointed that a majority of blogs that devote time and effort to posting about shows and concerts RARELY post about metal, and only then to either do it ironically or to make fun of it. Granted, this is not a flat-out truth, nor is it true of every blog out there in Philly. That said, it is still frustrating seeing some annoying hipster band that acts as background music get more press than, say, a national long-standing group that comes around and actually challenges its listeners to think and be active.

To that end, I am going to encourage my local partners in Philly Concert Blogging to step up to the cause of promoting MORE acts in this city!

Now, some may scoff at certain blogs about this idea. To that end, I would like to point out that you simply never know who's really is into metal and willing to come out to a show. Its shocking going out around town and talking to people about concerts who are clean-cut and in suits, and hearing how annoyed they are that they missed seeing Municipal Waste come to town because no one told them!

My goal, as both an artist, musician, and just someone who fucking LOVES metal, has been, and will be, to make sure national acts and even LOCAL acts (Just contact me! I'm looking at you, Ray-Gradys!) get the word out and as much press and exposure as possible! But I can't do it alone. I've drawn, designed, printed, and handed out all the flyers you've seen posted all by myself, and its a lot for one guy to handle.

If you want more metal and punk acts to come to Philly and NOT Allentown or Atlantic City, then you MUST support toe metal scene HERE! THAT'S what its going to take, and THAT'S how we keep getting bigger and better shows!

Support the cause and stay true to your metal and punk roots!

THE ANVIL EXPERIENCE: Coming to Philadelphia January 17th!

-Check out the full-sized poster on DeviantArt.com

With four clicks on a drum, the song begins. As the first verse goes through your head, you know something epic and triumphant is coming. As the song slowly builds up to the chorus, the refrain comes in and the fists start pumping.

The song is "Metal on Metal", and the band is ANVIL.



Anvil took the world stage by storm last year with the documentary about their life and struggle of starting a metal band and never, ever, EVER refusing to cave in and surrender! "ANVIL: The Story of Anvil" has won awards, prizes, and the rightly-deserved fame and recognition they deserve. You can watch the trailer for yourself.


On January 17th, 2010, Anvil will come to The TLA here in Philadelphia.

What you see above isn't the official poster, but my art inspired by the story of this band, and my love of their music. Back in 2003, I bought the Metal Blade 20th Anniversary box set and there were two songs on there by a band called "Anvil". The songs always stuck out in my mind and in 2009 when I heard that Anvil was coming to town based on a movie about their lives, I had to go. Since then, the band has always held a place in my heart.

About a week ago I got a copy of "Metal on Metal" and thanks to that AND the fact that they were coming to town, I decided to do a tour poster for them! It was inspired by the feeling I get from them and their music, and the fact that, music aside, they've become something bigger than themselves: A symbol of the triumph of perseverance.

Carry on, ANVIL!