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

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

Posers and Hipsters Beware, It's Coming Back!

I am proud to say that MARK SKULL PIRATE RADIO is coming back Saturday!

Philadelphia's first, best, and ONLY metal and punk internet-only radio station is already up and running, but a full-blown roll-out begins Friday, and the Mark Skull Show, the infamous live show, will be on Saturday Night at 7PM!!!!

SO START LISTENING!!!!!!!

Mark Skull Pirate Radio: Coming Back!

I'm working on the full 100% relaunch of my radio station, Mark Skull Pirate Radio.

Look for more info soon!

10-Track Mind- 10 Tracks at Random on my Radio Station

OK, I'm directly ripping of The Clog's "Ten Track Mind" right now, but it's mainly to get me to promote my radio station.. and do something interesting.

In case you haven't listened to it yet, Mark Skull Pirate Radio is my heavy metal and punk radio station, and a great thing to listen to at work, home, office, whatever! Check it out!

• 1. Gojia - To Mars ("From Mars to Sirius") - Really mellow track that acts more as an intro to it's companion "To Sirius". Gojia is a French metal band that has always, to me, been a bit more of what would happen if hippies made kick-ass metal. Really Earth-conscious and spiritually connected band, but without getting so preachy that you hate it.
  
• 2. Dethklok - Go Forth and Die ("The Dethalbum") - Brendan Small kicks ass. He's a great guitarist, albeit in the same vein as Malmsteen (really flashy). But when joined with such great artists like Gene Hologan, he soars! This track kicks a lot of ass, with a nice haunting chorus (Go... forth and die! Go forth and die!) and sweet solos.
  
  
• 3. Marilyn Manson - Rock is Dead ("Mechanical Animals") - When this track first came out in 1998, I was more pissed that he was saying "Rock is DEAD!" than anything else. "How can you say what you do is dead? Isn't that an oxymoron?!" Eh, I was 13. Pounding guitars and drum into a militaristic beat to an otherwise upbeat melody and really insightful lyrics, another Manson Classic!
  
  
• 4. BulletBoys - When Pigs Fly ("Za-Za") - THE most under-rated band of the glam era, the BulletBoys burst onto the scene in 1988 with their self-titled effort and in 1993, after 2 albums of non-stop hard rock and glam, they released "Za-Za", a record that successfully combined their old style with the growing alternative rock movement resulting in an otherwise great album. "When Pigs Fly" is one of my favorites because of just how damn hard it rocks!
  
  
• 5. MD. 45 - Hell's Motel ("The Craving" [Original]) - I also have the remastered, but to degrees prefer the original. "Hell's Motel" by this Dave Mustaine side-project from 1995, kicks off an album that features FEAR singer Lee Ving delivering vocals over Dave's incredibly tight blues-tinged hard rock riffs. The metal undertones are there, adding a nice level of density to the affair.
  
  
• 6. Metallica - Frayed Ends of Sanity ("..And Justice for All") - One of my favorite "hidden riffs" is in this song. I had this album for years and one night I was in my mom's car while she was in the store and I was listening to a cassette of the album I had bought not too long ago (nostalgia at age 19, who knew!) and out of nowhere, I heard Krik do this little riff I never heard before... it's right after the first main solo, after the galloping 16's riff... Kirk just goes into this insanely sweet note-heavy solo! Never heard it before, and when I did, it became one of my favorites.
  
  
• 7. Rob Zombie - Meet the Creeper ("Hellbilly Delux") - I got this album in 2000 and it basically triggered this change in how I saw music. It was one of the first albums I ever bought that combined metal with horror, and it was really cool. "Meet the Creeper" is just a very haunting and creeps along like your watching a zombie flick!
  
  
• 8. Marilyn Manson - Irresponsible Hate Anthem ("Antichrist Superstar) - We hate love/ we love hate! What better way to introduce America to the superstar-turned-antichrist (Or was it the other way around) in 1996? The track is heavy, industrial, and is a call to arms to those who wish to rebel against the Radical Right, the Christian Conservatives hell-bent on destroying America!
  
  
• 9. The Casualties - Without Warning ("Under Attack") - Great hardcore punk track! Hearing the bellowing chant "Without Warning" at end is a highlight and a great exclamation point to a track about the realities of life and war.
  
  
• 10. Iron Maiden - Different World ("A Matter of Life and Death") - Man, this.. this song just rocks! Maiden continuing their more progressive metal leanings from the previous two albums while keeping it fairly simple and raw... this track just has a great flow to it. The only thing that annoys me is how Bruce's voice cracks here and there, but then again, it happens when your singing your ass off for over 30 years, right?

Well, that's 10 tracks. Have a good day and look for more posts!

Changes Are Coming...

Sometimes things in life go from good to bad, bad to worst, and terrible to great.

Right now, I'm basically in the middle of a lot of things, both good and bad, and through it all I still plan on going on with Larry West Productions, my freelance business. There are going to be a few changes to how the website and MySpace look, as well as the stores and a few other things as well.

Few updates I can mention:

• The RULES Sneakers are now in limbo due to a problem with typography. Zazzle.com will not allow products to have reversed type, which actually was part of the design for the sneaker. It's going to take a while to use their own type tool and basically re-do the designs there, so right now, it's not looking good.
  
  
• I'm still working on skateboard designs and plan on launching the store before the end of the month, if not sooner.
  
  
• I have a few pieces waiting to be inked and I still have a few more to create and still new ideas popping in my mind at any given time. Keep your eyes on this and my site for changes.
  
  
• Mark Skull Pirate Radio, my Internet-Only Metal and Punk station, is regaining ground it lost last month when it was turned off and is now nearly at the same level it was before the shut-down. If you haven't listened to it already, do it! DO IT NOW!

That's it! Stay metal, watch this space, and have a good one!

INCREDIBLY BUSY!

Frankly, this is what you should do during your downtime when you freelance; Stay as busy as possible!

I'm still doing a 9-5 job, but the freelance work has come to the traditional lull. It's fine since I've actually got a million and one things I want to get done. Promotions for just about EVERYTHING I do or have will be getting started, if not done, over the weekend. This includes Mark Skull Pirate Radio, the kick-ass shop on Cafepress and the one on Zazzle, as well as me busting my ass with a brand-new, top secret (for now!!) project that I can't wait to unveil! It may mean a, dare I say it, redesign of an old thing I did?

That said, hold on tight and watch this space! Things are about to go into super overdrive!