Fat Hippy Records Battle of the Bands – at Downstairs – Aberdeen, UK

Fat Hippy Records started in October 2002, and have done over 60 releases since then and worked with literally hundreds of bands along the way.This year they decided to hold a competition with the winners getting a first prize worth more than £5000 including a few hundred hours in the recording studio, Manufacture, Pr, and distribution for 1000 of the finished EP or album.

There is also a possibility of a UK launch tour...
For this competition over 100 bands entered, that was narrowed down to around 50 we thought were worthy and then that had to be narrowed down to 32 for the first rounds in January.



So the Final came down to 4 bands
 
BLOODNUT – A metal/hard rock Hybrid who played there 30 minute set which down well with the crowd...

DEAR JOHN- a 3 piece band who utilise loops, abstract sounds and visuals...



RAY BOWER – A metal band with a lead singer who likes to wander into the crowd...



UTN - who it is said play songs that hark bark to the days of solid rock, they entered the stage with the lead singer in a coffin...

Each band only had 30 minutes to play as if there lives or in this case a record deal depended on it, and they all did, each with there own set of fans chanting there name, it was the hard task for the Captain Tom ( owner of Fat Hippy records) to pick a winner..
 
Quote from Tom After the dust had settled.

"It's been really hard having to let some quality bands go as we went through the QF's and SF's. We really would have been happy to sign all 8 of the Semi Finalists, which is why we decided to take 2 winners from the Final as the standard of bands was so high we really wanted them both.

Massive congratulations and a warm welcome to Fat Hippy for Ray Brower and Dear John - Band who both won record deals with us at last nights Fat Hippy Battle Of The Bands Final at Downstairs. Can't wait to get some of your mighty tunes released to the world! Wow! What a gig last night for the Final of the battle at Downstairs! Incredible turnout, massive thanks to everyone who came along and supported, you made it an amazing night that just goes to show how mighty the Aberdeen music scene is!

The bands all played exceptionally well and it was insanely difficult to pick a winner. Which is why we decided to have 2 winners and give record deals with Fat Hippy Records to both Ray Brower and Dear John. So mighty congratulations to both of them and welcome to the label. Pleasure to have you on board, looking forward to getting you into the studio at Captain Toms to demo some tracks.

In a very very very very close 2nd place to our 2 winners were UTN who won a very tidy £1000 merch deal with our lovely sponsors II Music. Congratulations to them and Bloodnut who came in an equally very very very close third place and picked up 3rd prize of a 19” crash cymbal from Masterwork Cymbals Scotland’s and 4th prize of a load of booze Downstairs. So everyone’s a winner!

Big thanks to everyone that watched online as well, we had more technical problems than should be allowed in one night ever but our kreopix stream team did a great job of bringing you all as much live coverage as possible. Hope you all enjoyed fine performances from our presenters Scott Ironside and Magenta Lust as much as we did.

We’ll releasing details of our plans with Ray Brower and Dear John as soon we’ve made them and getting the best bits of the live stream up on kpx.tv for you to watch back as soon as we can…  "

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

-Dod Morrison-
Big Wheel Overseas Reporter

 

 

 

 

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Musink 2014 – Gorilla Biscuits – Judge – H2O – Strife – and Soul Search – at The Orange County Fairgrounds – Costa Mesa, CA

The last day of Musink 2014 kicked off with smaller but dedicated fan base for Hardcore legends Gorilla Biscuits, Judge and H2O.

Before the performances of the third day of Musink are covered we at Big Wheel Magazine were lucky enough to meet and interview Sen Dog (Cypress Hill) who happened to be on the booth floor talking with his partner in Hound Squad (houndsquad.com), Luciano Aguilar (Air force Veteran Dog Handler).

BW: When did you get word that you would be doing the show?

SD: About a week ago Travis hit me up and asked me if I would like to do that song we did together a while back called “Not Today.” Then went to the rehearsal room with those guys for about 3 days and worked it out then got up there last night and jammed it and had a really good time.

BW: What do you have going on with Hound Squad?

SD: This is my new clothing line I’m promoting. My partner Luciano Aguilar, who I had worked with on different projects, approached me with the idea to get something going for that dude with his pit-bull.

BW: What do you think about the festival in general and what do you think about the performances?

SD: Well first of all, all the bands that played throughout this weekend have been incredible. I saw some really cool thing as well as some legendary musicians. As far as the whole festival in general I think it was a success. I think Musink does a great job at bringing both music and tattoo cultures together. I definitely got to give Travis a big shout out for that.

Soul Search opened up the musical performances for the final day of Musink 2014. Their set was well done and set the stage perfectly for Strife to follow.

Strife's lead singer Rick Rodney took the stage next by jumping into some aggressive guitar riffs and a bloody lip Rodney and his band immediately gave the kind of high impact performance Strife is famous for. Their entire performance was as energetic and pronounced as it was when it began.

H2O was the next band up of the night. Though they tour fairly regularly, they don't visit the west coast often. Hardcore Punk legends in their own right H2O opened up with “Nothing to Prove,” and the audience responded with the biggest circle pit of Musink 2014. About half way through their set Travis Barker stepped in to play drums for “One life, One Chance” and they finished their performance with “What Happened?”

Judge took the stage next. A band that has influenced countless of other bands to start playing, Judge proved once again that they are more than their mythology. Judges performance was hardcore musical chaos at its finest. Judge delivered a set that seemed to draw the entirety of the fairgrounds to their performance, and jumping onto and off stage in true Hardcore fashion.

The final band of Musink 2014 was Gorilla Biscuits. They have been together since the late 1980s and have not lost a step since the day they were formed. During their set Anthony Cicarelli (Lead Vocals) talked about how he and his band was responsible for changing the stage set up that featured an extended stage allowing for fans to jump off and crowd surf from. Gorilla Biscuits opened with “New Direction” and as the trumpets of that song sounded off those fans in attendance that had drifted to other parts of the venue made their way to the stage. Gorilla Biscuits followed “New Direction” with “Degradation” which they dedicated to the Descendents. Their entire set was played with the energy and vigor that I could contend with any band today.

Once Gorilla Biscuits set ended that crowd dispersed and brought an end to Musink 2014.

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

-Ryan R.-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

 

 

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Musink 2014 – Tech N9NE – Transplants – Rittz – at The Orange County Fairgrounds – Costa Mesa, CA

A completely different crowd and mindset from the straight edge fans that attended the first day of Musink 2014, and that crowd created a vibe that would set the stage for the day’s festivities.

The second day of Musink 2014 fans in attendance looked to have doubled in size from day one, and rightfully so because at the night later proved to all those in attendance: when Travis Barker puts on a show everyone shows up to the party.

Like at all conventions there are always more than a few non-profit organizations in attendance and Pinups for Pitbulls (PFPB) was one of them. An organization that was founded in 2005 as a way to educate people about the history, temperament, and plight of the pit bull-type dog; raising awareness to rally against Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) and Breed Discriminatory Laws (BDL). PFPB’s ultimate goal is to restore the image of the pit bull-type dog to its former reputation of America’s companion animal, war hero, and family member.  They accomplish this goal through many means; most notably by generating a calendar that features Pinup models and their Pit-bull’s. The profits from the sales of the calendar go directly to furthering the organizations aforementioned goal.

Rittz opened up day two of Musink’s musical festivities. Walking on to a dimly lit stage Rittz immediately performed “For Real” exclaiming “I’m going to start this show right.” Then performing his hit “F**k Swag” as the audience bounced to the bass as his performance went on. As his set ended Rittz thanked the audience for being at Musink with him and instructed everyone to stick around for the Transplants who were up next.

The Transplants only set show for 2014 was the second set of the evening. The audience, comprised of fans of all ages waited patiently for the transplants to take the stage. The concert room became progressively more packed as the night went on and by the time the Transplants was about to begin their performance the room was practically filled to capacity.

Travis barker could be seen stretching on the dimly sit stage; foreshadowing to the audience the highly energetic performance to soon follow. They opened up with “In a Warzone” and the rest of their performance to follow left nothing on the table as special guests that included Sen Dog (Cypress Hill), Matt Freeman (Operation Ivy, Rancid, Social Distortion, etc.) and Paul Wall all performed at various junctions of the Transplants awesome set.

Miss Musink, a beauty/ pin-up model contest that occurs during every Musink was decided shortly after Transplants set. Though four finalists were brought up to be voted on, the audience’s cheers for Erica granted her the title of Miss Musink.

Tech N9ne took the stage last to finish second day of Musink. Performing to a packed house tech n9ne brought the day to a fitting end. He catered to the audience's wishes and played a set list that included “Am I a Psycho,” and “He’s a Mental Giant.” 

In the middle of his set Tech N9ne noting the circle pit that began during “Am I a Psycho” he exclaimed to the audience “Circle pits aren't my motivation. Bras and panties are my motivation,” which appropriately lead to underwear being thrown onto the stage. Tech N9ne finished the night with a performance of “World Wide Choppers” then thanked everyone for attending.

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

-Ryan R.-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

 

 

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Musink 2014 – Descendents – The Vandals – Love Canal – at The Orange County Fairgrounds – Costa Mesa, CA

Musink was as much about the artist as it was about the musicians and tattoo artist. Venders and other artist set up booths at the event as well. Tyson, an artist that has been drawing pin-up art for the better part of 10 years

was at the event selling some of his amazing pin-up art work. Jason and Chris from Degenerate Clothing Company, a vender that develops clothing that uses some of its profits to fund local musicians and tattoo artist, were also at the event promoting their company.

Big Wheel Magazine got a chance to interview Nick Cetrangolo (Lead Vocals for Red Devil Squadron), who was at Musink to tattoo and check out Judge. Cetrangolo, a local well known Musician, Skateboarder and Tattoo Artist was able to offer his unique perspective when asked what his general opinion of Musink 2014, he had this to say “I got to hand it to Travis Barker for getting some awesome bands. Usually at events like this, I find that there are a lot of mediocre bands, and those bands just end up being background noise. So it’s nice to get to see awesome bands and tattoo at the same time.”

Love canal opened up day one of Musink’s festivities and with Mr. Kerry (Vocals) yelling “are you excited to be here? I am because it's my fucking birthday.” Their set consisted of a fast paced straight up hardcore song selection that ended with “Civilization” and an audience ready and pumped for the vandals to take the stage next.

Staying true to their style The Vandals immediately began playing “Anarchy Burger" as soon as they stepped on stage followed by a performance of “Cafe 405” right after that. Not to be daunted by stage sound issues that had plagued the beginning of their set, The Vandals performance was done with poise and a kind of funny composure that only a band as seasoned as The Vandals could pull off. They ended their set with “My Girlfriend’s Dead” then instructed the audience to stick around for the headlining act, the Descendents that would take the stage next.

The Descendents were the last band to perform for the night. Their performance was nothing short of remarkable. One event of note that occurred during their set was when a kid was brought up on stage to recite the bands pledge, and how everyone in the crowd was laughing when the kid recited “thou shall not partake in decaff.”

When the Descendents set ended and those who attended day one of the festival left the fairground what seemed to be on everyone’s minds was speculation on how day two of Musink 2014 would unfold.

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

-Ryan R.-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

 

 

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Street Dogs – Devils Brigade – The Interrupters – Jason Cruz and The Howl – at House of Blues – Anaheim, CA

If you weren't at House of Blues - Anaheim on Friday, you missed an awesome show. Kicking off the night was Jason Cruz and The Howl. A side project for Strung Out's front man, Jason Cruz and The Howl has a more Americana feel, with some Jerry Lee Lewis thrown in for flavor.

The small crowd that was gathered focused on the stage, and when they started playing "Blue Jesus", heads started to bounce along to the beat. I love Strung Out, but I think that Jason Cruz has found his musical and vocal niche with this new project.



Next up were The Interrupters, who are based out of Los Angeles. Fronted by Aimee Allen, aka Aimee Interrupter, and backed by the Bivona brothers (Kevin, Justin, and Jesse), this Ska-Punk band blew me away. By the time The Interrupters took the stage, the house was pretty packed.

Aimee is a charismatic singer, and the brothers are tight musicians. During their set, they dedicated  quite a few songs to the bands sharing the bill with them ("Power" was dedicated to Street Dogs). Towards the end, the father of the Bivona brothers came on stage to accompany the band with his trombone; the apple(s) didn't fall far from the tree, as Mr. Bivona rocked the hell out of his horn. (He proved to be the first surprise guest of the evening.)  



Started as a side project of Matt Freeman, Devil's Brigade was the third band of the evening. From start to finish, Devil's Brigade's set was high energy. The growling vocals of Matt kept the crowd entertained, and around the 5th song, the crowd started a (subdued) circle pit.

Before starting "Bridge of Gold", Matt brings out the 2nd surprise guest of the evening--Tim Armstrong. The crowd went ape-shit, and remained that way through the rest of the set. They closed with "Ride Harley Ride", dedicated to "the old people, from back in '94".

The excitement of the crowd was palpable, as we waited for Street Dogs to hit the stage. There was the requisite chanting of "Let's go Street Dogs!" before the curtain was up. As soon as Street Dogs started, the energy was non-stop. "Punk Rock and Roll", "Fighter", and a cover of Steve Earle's "Johnny Come Lately" were just a handful of songs they chose for the evening.

After wishing a "Happy St. Pats to everyone tonight", they started in on "Two Angry Kids". It was shortly after this that a mohawked kid (maybe 9 years old) crowd-surfed to the front, and Mike McColgan brought him on stage. The kid was up there for only a few seconds, before he took a running leap back into the crowd.

After that bit of excitement, McColgan dedicated "Up the Union" to, you guessed it, any union members. Following that, they brought out Jesse Wagner as another surprise guest, and introduced "Drink Tonight" as song for "all the alcoholics out there". They closed out the night with "Final Transmission", dedicated to Cpl. Jordan Stanton.

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

-Anni Thyme-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

 

 

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Show Preview: Musink 2014 – at Orange County Fairgrounds – Costa Mesa, CA – March 21, 22, and 23

March 21st-23rd Musink 2014 will kick off and usher in a revamped styling of the seven year old convention with non-other than Travis Barker taking the helm as presenter of the event. This year Musink looks poised to deliver a spectacular musical showcase that has been organized to accentuate the different musical styles of each band featured in the three day event. 

Once again set to occur at the Orange County Fairgrounds, this event has always prided itself on delivering a family friendly atmosphere and with the aid of the OC Fairgrounds staff anyone attending can expect nothing but great service from the facilities.

Day one will feature Punk bands that have all been around since the early 1980s: Love Canal, The Vandals and Descendents. Love Canal has been playing punk for over 30 years and has toured with both The Vandals and Descendents before. It can be expected for Love Canal to bring with them a straight up Punk style of play to open up Musink 2014.

The Vandals will be making a return appearance to Musink after their energetic performance at last year’s event. A band that has never taken themselves too seriousely The Vandals will no doubt keep day one’s musical festivities going at a pace that will leave those in attendance something to remember for years to come.

The Descendents have been around since the advent of Punk’s Hardcore movement and have since seen many different incarnations of the bands line up. A band with a rich history and a relatively recent popularity boost due in part to the recent pre-release screenings of “Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All.” A film that documents the rich history of both Descendents and All in the light hearted way.

Day two of Musink will be the first of its kind and feature Rap artists and play host to the crowning of Miss Musink 2014. The start of the musical festivities begins with Rittz a Rapper that grew up in Gwinnett County, Georgia and after a series of up and downs is currently signed to Tech N9ne's Strange Music label. Transplants will be taking the second position in the lineup for day two of Musink 2014. A band that is comprised of Tim Armstrong, Rob Aston, Travis Barker and Kevin Bivona, the Transplants have recently released “In a Warzone.” As of now the Transplants aren’t schedule to tour pass Musink making their appearance at the event not one to miss.

Though in the past the stylistic organization of the band line ups has occurred, this year will be the first that a Rap/Hip-Hop element will be introduced. Tech N9e will finish up day two of Musink 2014. A Rap artist that has always had a dedicated cult following of fans, Tech N9ne will no doubt perform with the dynamic energy he is famous for.

Day three of Musink will feature a Hardcore Punk/Post-Hardcore lineup of bands: Soul Search, Strife, H2O, Judge and Gorilla Biscuits. Soul Search will open up for the final day of Musink 2014. A Post-Hardcore band based out of Southern California, Soul Search is expected to showcase a solid performance to start day three of Musink. Strife will take the stage next. A Los Angeles based Hardcore band that originally formed in the mid-90s, Strife in its current incarnation has been busy at work with new material while still staying true to the style of music they are famous for. Following Strife’s performance H2O will take the stage.

A band that is widely regarded as a fore-father of all Post-Hardcore bands, H2O has been performing their style of New-York Hardcore since 1995. Look for H2O to keep the crowds energy going before Judge takes the stage.  Judge will take the stage following H2O, and knowing the history behind Judge it seems reasonable to assume they will bring with them the straight up Hardcore Punk style they have been playing since 1987. Gorilla Biscuits will be the last band to take the stage for Musink 2014.

A band that is credited as being one of the driving forces behind the straight-edge Punk movement in the 80s, Gorilla Biscuits will without a doubt bring the level of controlled chaos that they are famous for to Musink. And effectively bring the three day ingenious collaboration of tattoos, music and cars to an end.

For more info regarding Musink click HERE

“I’m really proud to be a part of an event like Musink. It encompasses everthing I love from tattoos to music and cars. Stoked to have so many great bands and tattoo artists involved” –Travis Barker

 

-Ryan R.-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

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