Last night was a rainy one in San Francisco but inside the Regency Ballroom you found a crowd of even more soaked fans. These fans were drenched in sweat as they had spent the night moshing, crowd surfing and just releasing every ounce of energy. Asking Alexandria was just as fierce on the stage, reciprocating with their own adrenaline filled set that left everyone Breathless! What a fantastic night. As you know, Asking Alexandria are one of our favorite bands and when they perform live, it is as you have been shocked by a defibrillator. You receive the right amount of electric dose of energy to bring you back to life.
The 14 song setlist included songs from all their albums and the crowd went wild for each and every song, whether they were singing along to Moving On, fist pounding to Not The American Average, or intensely moshing to The Prophecy or To The Stage. What I love about this band, is that each and every one of them has insurmountable stage presence that combined delivers a spectacular set.
Check out the photos from our Rockin Ryan of their set:
If the Moving On Tour is coming to a venue remotely near you, do yourself a favor and get to a show! The Tour features headliners Asking Alexandria with special guests Bless the Fall, Chelsea Grin, Upon a Burning Body and the Family Ruin. Check the dates below:
TUE 12/02 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO MOVED TO EL CORAZON
THU 12/04 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room
FRI 12/05 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room
SAT 12/06 – Saskatoon, SK @ O’Briens
SUN 12/07 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick
WED 12/10 – Quebec City, QC @ Imperial
THU 12/11 – Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
FRI 12/12 – Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
SAT 12/13 – London, ON @ London Music Hall
SUN 12/14 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
TUE 12/16 – Watertown, NY @ Exhibition Hall
WED 12/17 – Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
FRI 12/19 – Norfold, VA @ The Norva
SAT 12/20 – Wilmington, NC @ Ziggy’s
There are also only two more weeks remaining until the release of The Asking Alexandria LIVE Concert DVD, LIVE FROM BRIXTON AND BEYOND DVD. The 2 disc Live Concert DVD is set to release on December 15th through Sumerian Records. Just in time for you to pick it up for Christmas and make sure to get one for everyone on your list! “At long last, we are FINALLY releasing our first ever DVD,” says guitarist BEN BRUCE. “We have been promising this DVD for a long time now, but trust me when I say it was worth the wait. There is so much unseen footage on this release including our sold-out show at Brixton in London, our reckless Halloween concert in Hollywood, intimate behind the scenes footage, the ‘Through Sin and Self Destruction’ short film and every music video we have ever recorded. It’s been a long time in the making but we hope you enjoy every second of this. Thank you all so much for your love and support over the years and welcome to the family.”
Make sure to also check their social media sites for updates on tour dates.
I know what will be on my Christmas List this year! The Asking Alexandria LIVE Concert DVD! Asking Alexandria have announced that they will be releasing LIVE FROM BRIXTON AND BEYOND DVD. The 2 disc Live Concert DVD is set to release on December 15th through Sumerian Records. Just in time for you to pick it up for Christmas and make sure to get one for everyone on your list! “At long last, we are FINALLY releasing our first ever DVD,” says guitarist BEN BRUCE. “We have been promising this DVD for a long time now, but trust me when I say it was worth the wait. There is so much unseen footage on this release including our sold-out show at Brixton in London, our reckless Halloween concert in Hollywood, intimate behind the scenes footage, the ‘Through Sin and Self Destruction’ short film and every music video we have ever recorded. It’s been a long time in the making but we hope you enjoy every second of this. Thank you all so much for your love and support over the years and welcome to the family.”
Check out the awesome tracklistings:
Disc 1 Live From Brixton
Welcome
Closure
A Lesson Never Learned
Breathless
Not the American Average
A Prophecy
If You Can’t Ride Two Horses at Once…You Should Get Out of the Circus
Dedication
Someone, Somewhere
Another Bottle Down
Reckless & Relentless
To the Stage
Dear Insanity
Run Free
Morte et Dabo
Alerion
The Final Episode (Let’s Change the Channel)
+ Backstage and behind the scenes of the sold-out Brixton O2 Academy concert
Disc 2 The Wiltern “Reckless Halloween” show
Welcome
Closure
A Lesson Never Learned
Not the American Average
I Was Once, Possibly, Maybe, Perhaps A Cowboy King
Morte et Dabo
Alerion
The Final Episode (Let’s Change the Channel) +Music Videos +Through Sin + Self-Destruction Short Film tracklisting:
Not The American Average
Breathless
The Death of Me
Killing You
Moving On
If You Can’t Ride Two Horses At Once…Then You Should Get Out Of The Circus
Run Free
Closure
A Prophecy
The Final Episode (Let’s Change The Channel)
I can’t wait for this DVD! It really has me excited to see them again as they are just about to set out on their Moving On Tourr which is set to start in less than two weeks in Arizona. We are so excited to see them make their return to the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on November 30th! The Tour features headliners Asking Alexandria with special guests Bless the Fall, Chelsea Grin, Upon a Burning Body and the Family Ruin
Check the dates below and make sure to not miss this tour:
FRI 11/28 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater
SUN 11/30 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency
MON 12/01 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theater
TUE 12/02 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO
THU 12/04 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room
FRI 12/05 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room
SAT 12/06 – Saskatoon, SK @ O’Briens
SUN 12/07 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick
WED 12/10 – Quebec City, QC @ Imperial
THU 12/11 – Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
FRI 12/12 – Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
SAT 12/13 – London, ON @ London Music Hall
SUN 12/14 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
TUE 12/16 – Watertown, NY @ Exhibition Hall
WED 12/17 – Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
FRI 12/19 – Norfold, VA @ The Norva
SAT 12/20 – Wilmington, NC @ Ziggy’s
The tour is named after their most recent single, Moving On. The song definitely highlights the versatility of the band as it brings out a stadium style rock ballad to life. It is definitely one of my favorites. Check out the video here:
Asking Alexandria have been out on their UK/European tour and we are excited for their return this month. Earlier this year, they made a stop at The Senator Theater in Chico for the Break Down the Walls Tour. They were awesome and full of non stop energy. You can check out our full coverage here: Asking Alexandria Chico show.
I will leave you with also the slideshow of bad ass photos from Rockin Ryan of their Chico:
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Make sure to also check their social media sites for updates on tour dates.
Asking Alexandria have had great success with their latest album, From Death To Destiny. Their latest single, Moving On is currently at the No. 15 spot on Rock Radio charts and will soon be creeping into the top ten. You can catch them out on their Moving On Tour which is set to start in just a couple weeks in Arizona. We are so excited to see them make their return to the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on November 30th! The Tour features headliners Asking Alexandria with special guests Bless the Fall, Chelsea Grin, Upon a Burning Body and the Family Ruin. Check the dates below and make sure to not miss this tour:
FRI 11/28 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater
SUN 11/30 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency
MON 12/01 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theater
TUE 12/02 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO
THU 12/04 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room
FRI 12/05 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room
SAT 12/06 – Saskatoon, SK @ O’Briens
SUN 12/07 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick
WED 12/10 – Quebec City, QC @ Imperial
THU 12/11 – Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
FRI 12/12 – Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
SAT 12/13 – London, ON @ London Music Hall
SUN 12/14 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
TUE 12/16 – Watertown, NY @ Exhibition Hall
WED 12/17 – Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
FRI 12/19 – Norfold, VA @ The Norva
SAT 12/20 – Wilmington, NC @ Ziggy’s
The tour is named after their most recent single, Moving On. The song definitely highlights the versatility of the band as it brings out a stadium style rock ballad to life. It is definitely one of my favorites. Check out the video here:
Asking Alexandria have been out on their UK/European tour and we are excited for their return this month. Earlier this year, they made a stop at The Senator Theater in Chico for the Break Down the Walls Tour. They were awesome and full of non stop energy. You can check out our full coverage here: Asking Alexandria Chico show.
I will leave you with also the slideshow of bad ass photos from Rockin Ryan of their Chico set and stay tuned for more news on Asking Alexandria.
We Are Harlot made their live debut this summer at Rock on the Range and followed up with another kick ass set at Rocklahoma. Did you know that they even set a record for attendance at a band’s first show? Yup, these guys are making history and deservedly so. After playing a show in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel with The Pretty Reckless, it was finally our turn to check out We are Harlot live at Aftershock Festival 2014. Thousands of fans were there as their Harlot cherry was popped with an unforgettable killer set by We Are Harlot.
This is a band with years in the making and they have created such a buzz over the past year as everyone is anticipation of their debut album. Earlier this summer, they released their first single, DENIAL and the Harlot frenzy began. The downloads topped over 100,000 downloads in probably the first week, everyone was talking about, it hit the radio and you knew, that nothing could stop the We Are Harlot world domination of rock n roll.
Everybody has been waiting for an update from We Are Harlot and our Rockin Ryan had the chance to get some new details from guitarist Jeff George.
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Ryan: You guys KICKED ASS in Sacramento, blazed through 107 temp and took over Aftershock. How was the show for you guys?
Jeff:Hey Ryan, Thanks so much man! Ya it was ultra hot that day – I believe it was 109 when we walked out onto the stage. The show was an interesting one to say the least..
As you know the night before I really messed up my knee.. and of course the heat index made it difficult for everyone from the crew to the stage hands right on down to the fans themselves. I mean at least the band and our gear were covered.. but there was just no getting away from the sun out in that crowd. I really have to give it up to the 20,000 die hard rockers that stuck it out in the sun. It was strange seeing like 50 rows of fans and then a gigantic football field box of people or a gigantic mosh pit with no one in it lined up around the entire field as they were hanging in the tree lines to get some shade haha. But the rock goes on always.. and hey.. rock n roll is supposed to be dirty and sweaty anyways right? But all in all we had a blast as always!
Ryan:Jeff, we can’t believe that you were injured with a blown knee during your set because you never showed it. You rocked that stage. How is it going with your recovery of your knee and will you ever tell us how did this happen?
Jeff:Ohh man.. thanks again. Alright.. well this is pretty wild. The night before the show.. around 11pm sat night.. Danny Worsnop and Myself were getting ready in the hotel room to go out and have a few drinks.. and as you know.. we don’t really like to party all that much.. but we decided fuck it.. It’s Aftershock weekend.. We just did 8 hours straight of press.. why not. We had some Def Leppard jamming and I turned to head out of the bathroom into the main room, and I heard a sound like a gunshot go off… and then down I went.
I knew something wasn’t right.. as I could feel the pain and my knee cap kept slipping out of place.. but as always Danny served up a couple quick shots and next thing you know were down at the bar. Well.. come about 3am .. and it was a far different story.. it had ballooned up to 3 times the size of my other knee and was crazy painful.. so I started icing it with my tech Allen and then my manager Rick Sales came down and said I needed to go to the venue hospital asap. So.. no sleep at all Sat night before the show on Sunday either.
When I arrived at the hospital at the venue the doctor basically wrapped it and said that I needed to go see a knee specialist as soon as possible. That’s when I knew I was in trouble. Now this is literally an hour before showtime. But.. what do you do?? Rock doesn’t stop for anything.. and the funny part about it is as soon as we hit the stage.. It was showtime. There wasn’t time to think about my knee.. I owe it to the fans that paid hard earned money.. to get the best show possible. And you can’t let your bandmates down ever. So adrenalin took over and it was on.. funny cause you hear about kids lifting cars to save their trapped parents that are under the wheels or something.. adrenalin is no joke.. that stuff is full real haha.
So next day I go straight to the knee specialist and then into immediate surgery. I thought I had sprained it bad or something similar.. NOPE.. Tore my meniscus.. Tore my ACL.. and Tore my MCL.. Unbelievable. See.. Def Leppard is no joke either!
But .. My surgeon Dr. Neil Ghodadra.. is an absolute badass! I walked out of the surgery on my own two feet.. have been kicking Physical Therapy’s ass everyday for 2 hours, and I walked 5 miles today! I’m in week 5 out of 20 of recovery already and will be back in fighting form in no time! I owe that dude everything.. he really saved my knee!
Ryan: Do you have any updates on the album that you would like to share?
Jeff: I have one small one…. THE RECORD IS 100% DONE AND OFFICIALLY IN THE HANDS OF ROADRUNNER/ATLANTIC RECORDS!!!
And guess what else….? It’s a fucking god damn MONSTER of an album. I’m super proud of it and the performances by Danny, Bruno and Brian. As you know this was like the 3rd time we have recorded this damn thing.. and each time you record it, it gets harder and harder to keep the enthusiasm and excitement that you had on the original demo’s. But we went through a ton of shit to get this band all sorted, and finally have a home on the best record label on the planet Roadrunner/Atlantic records, The best management team on the planet RSE, and to have that record finally off our backs. And it’s only a little time now till everyone on the planet gets it as well.. lord knows they deserve it as they have waited for so long just like we have. Hey… good lyric!
Trust me.. we are already writing and thinking for the 3rd album as I type this!!! You got to hear a tiny 20 sec clip today as well Ryan… what did you think?
Ryan:I heard the clip and was blown away. I need to tell all the fans, YES, IT IS WORTH THE WAIT! Incredible guitar shredding, powerful vocals and everybody better hold on tight… We Are Harlot are taking them on a sweet Rock n Roll ride! The fans at Aftershock were treated to your badass song, One more night. Could you tell us the inspiration behind that song?
Jeff:This is a great question and actually has a pretty cool answer. This song was actually a last second song that we needed to have done in 8 hours total for the first time we recorded the album. Myself, Danny and Bruno were all living in the Le Montrose hotel and we did the song top to bottom in that hotel room in 8 hours. Danny couldn’t get out the door fast enough as he was literally getting dressed and singing the last lines of the song at the same time so he could get out the door and go drink at the Rainbow haha.
Trust me. we have pictures of ALL of this stuff that will be coming out very soon as well. But like many other songs that were done super fast.. Paranoid by Sabbath, Rock n Roll all night by Kiss.. ect ect. Sometimes those are the one’s that just work. It’s a straight ahead rock song.. but it has some qualities to it that can only come from this band. One of those is the feel of the heavy parts.. With Bruno being Brazillian.. the way he felt those parts was amazing.. cause I would have never felt them like that.. and those are my favorite parts of that song.. just that feel alone. I cannot wait to play that track on it’s home turf inRio~! And Danny.. he sounds Like Lemmy meets Ozzy on it.. and only he can do that shit. It’s just a really cool song that thankfully resonants with everyone else. When we play it live.. immediately the pits and the crowd surfing erupts.. thats the answer right there.
We have been playing it last each night.. but it was originally intended to start off the show.. the main line in the song is “Lets start the show”. Who knows.. maybe it will start off the album itself …. See ya soon brother.. and thanks again to all our amazing fans out there.. we love you!
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With the news of the album completion, I hope now everyone is ready for the new music and ready to catch We Are Harlot as they tour next year. Here are photos from our Rockin Ryan of their set:
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In case you missed it, check out our interview with the band at Aftershock:
So stay tuned and be a little more patient for new music from We Are Harlot. I can promise you, it will all be worth it! If you don’t already have it, pick up their new single or should I say, your favorite song, DENIAL here on iTunes.
In case you missed our We Are Harlot coverage, check out our previous posts:
Today Asking Alexandria announced dates for their Moving On Tour. We are so excited to see them make their return to the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on November 30th! The Tour features headliners Asking Alexandria with special guests Bless the Fall, Chelsea Grin, Upon a Burning Body and the Family Ruin. Check the dates below and make sure to not miss this tour:
FRI 11/28 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater
SUN 11/30 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency
MON 12/01 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theater
TUE 12/02 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO
THU 12/04 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room
FRI 12/05 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room
SAT 12/06 – Saskatoon, SK @ O’Briens
SUN 12/07 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick
WED 12/10 – Quebec City, QC @ Imperial
THU 12/11 – Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
FRI 12/12 – Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
SAT 12/13 – London, ON @ London Music Hall
SUN 12/14 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
TUE 12/16 – Watertown, NY @ Exhibition Hall
WED 12/17 – Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
FRI 12/19 – Norfold, VA @ The Norva
SAT 12/20 – Wilmington, NC @ Ziggy’s
VIP Presale is available on 9/23 at 10 AM and general public goes on sale 9/26 at 10 AM. The tour is named after their most recent single, Moving On. The song definitely highlights the versatility of the band as it brings out a stadium style rock ballad to life. It is definitely one of my favorites. Check out the video here:
Asking Alexandria will be on their UK/European tour in October and we will anticipate their return in November. Earlier this year, they made a stop at The Senator Theater in Chico for the Break Down the Walls Tour. They were awesome and full of non stop energy. You can check out our full coverage here: Asking Alexandria Chico show.
If you were hoping for more of their heavy music, check out this tribute video that Rockin Ryan made from footage of their past shows he covered::
I will leave you with also the slideshow of bad ass photos from Rockin Ryan of their Chico set and stay tuned for more news on Asking Alexandria.
We Are Harlot made their live debut this summer at Rock on the Range and followed up with another kick ass set at Rocklahoma. They then arrived in Las Vegas for an amazing night performing at the Hard Rock Hotel with The Pretty Reckless. We have been waiting our turn to check out We are Harlot live and this past weekend, our Harlot cherry was popped at the Aftershock Festival. Aftershock was filled with a variety of awesome bands and we can’t wait to bring you all of our coverage, but first let’s start with our top highlight, We Are Harlot.
This is a band with years in the making and they have created such a buzz over the past year as everyone is anticipation of their debut album. Earlier this summer, they released their first single, DENIAL and the Harlot frenzy began. The downloads topped over 100,000 downloads in probably the first week, everyone was talking about, it hit the radio and you knew, that nothing could stop the We Are Harlot world domination of rock n roll.
We had the chance to chat with the band on Saturday at Aftershock and are pleased to bring you that interview here:
Their set was on Sunday and the temperature hit 109 degrees and nothing was going to stop these guys. Guitarist Jeff George had injured his leg the night before, and you wouldn’t have known it from him kicking ass on the stage, rocking out bad ass riffs on his custom ESP guitars. Danny on vocals, I might say, is right where he belongs with his killer powerful rock vocals. He definitely has rock and roll running through his soul because it suits him perfectly. Brian was kicking out some mean backing vocals as he would criss cross the stage as he made magical bass lines from his Fender. Bruno was spot on with his drumming and it sounded clean and crisp. There was even a huge mosh pit for their last song that could rival those from a typical Asking Alexandria show. The energy was non stop as these four guys are true rock n rollers who prove that Rock is not Dead! We Are Harlot will insure that Rock is alive and thriving! Check out some of Rockin Ryan’s photos from their set:
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So stay tuned and be a little more patient for new music from We Are Harlot. I can promise you, it will all be worth it! If you don’t already have it, pick up their new single or should I say, your favorite song, DENIAL here on iTunes.
In case you missed our We Are Harlot coverage, check out our previous posts:
Today Asking Alexandria released a music video for their song, Moving On. The song definitely highlights the versatility of the band as it brings out a stadium style rock ballad to life. It is definitely one of my favorites. Check out the video here:
Asking Alexandria have been busy touring and were on the Rockstar Mayhem Festival. They will continue to be busy as they will be touring in Europe for most of the fall. We are looking forward to new music and hope they announce another US tour. Earlier this year, they made a stop at The Senator Theater in Chico for the Break Down the Walls Tour. They were awesome and full of non stop energy. You can check out our full coverage here: Asking Alexandria Chico show.
If you were hoping for more of their heavy music, check out this tribute video that Rockin Ryan made from footage of their past shows he covered::
I will leave you with also the slideshow of bad ass photos from Rockin Ryan of their Chico set and stay tuned for more news on Asking Alexandria.
We Are Harlot have made their debut last month on Rock on the Range and followed up with another kick ass set at Rocklahoma. They then arrived in Las Vegas for an amazing night performing at the Hard Rock Hotel with The Pretty Reckless. Everyone has been enjoying their new single, DENIAL which is off of their album that is set for a September release.
The new single is now available on iTunes so head on over and pick your new favorite song! Here is the link for iTunes.
Everybody is loving this new song and we can’t wait for more new music by We Are Harlot.
In case you missed our We Are Harlot coverage, check out our previous posts:
Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news. We will be catching We Are Harlot as they perform at this year’s Monster Energy Aftershock Festival in September. We hope you come and join us as We Are Harlot tear up the stage and bring the life back into Rock n Roll.
We Are Harlot just finished their second performance ever and it was in front of thousands of screaming fans at Rocklahoma. Not bad for their second show right? This is a band 3 years in the making and they have definitely created quite a stir as everyone anxiously awaits their new music. We Are Harlot just released their first single, Denial and has had everyone talking. If you don’t have it yet, make sure you head over to their website: weareharlot.com and get your FREE DOWNLOAD. It is the perfect summer song for you to crank up loud. Anyway, in the past we have featured Jeff George several times, he was our Day 1 of 12 Days of Guitarists and we have featured our Interview with Jeff George here, Interview with Brian Weaver, bassist and now it is time to get to know the man behind the drums, Bruno Agra.
We are pleased to bring you our interview with Bruno Agra here:
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Music Junkie Press: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us here at Music Junkie Press. Congratulations on your We Are Harlot shows at Rock on the Range and Rocklahoma, we heard they were both great sets! Now you are off to perform in Vegas, can you tell us about that upcoming show and what fans might expect?
Thank you so much. Yes they were both INSANE gigs, super fun, our audience had a blast and so did we. We decided to start small ha ha! We played in front of 35,000 at ROTR and 40,000 at Rocklahoma. It’s like when Mick Taylor joined the Stones and his first gig was at Hyde Park for 60,000 people. Not really but…, yeah we definitely went through the grinder.
When your band has been building up this huge hype and everyone in the industry’s been talking about you for 3 years is one thing; the other is to live up to that hype; and on top of that you have 35,000 kids screaming,
first gig….
I mean, it was really really intense but we all handled it pretty well imo. We are lucky to work with the best people on the planet. I can say first hand that Harlot is a family, not just the band but everyone involved. And we are so thankful that every single person that works with us were there to see our first show at ROTR. It was a life changing event, very powerful. We decided to go onstage and salute all the fans for being there before we started playing. Like a big “Thank You”. It was a cathartic, purifying moment. HUGE. As soon as we kicked with Denial it was ON!!!
Now we’ll play for the 700 fans that are coming to see us and Pretty Reckless in Vegas and it’s going to be as wild as it gets. And we got a BIG surprise for the fans for this gig.
Music Junkie Press: That sounds absolutely amazing! With doing back to back festivals in the past couple weeks, that is a lot of road traveled, what were some of your highlights?
I mean it was ABSOLUTELY insane. If I wrote the highlights here there would be 2 ways to go: 1st) everyone would think we are lying; or 2nd) our lawyer would get a ton of extra work. “The Dirt” or “Walk This Way”, it’s all in there. We are not reinventing the wheel.
Music Junkie Press: Well we don’t want to spill any secrets out so we will continue on. How old were you when you started playing drums? Have drums always been what you wanted to play or do you play any other instruments?
When I was 5 years old I wanted to be a professional dancer. I loved to dance, and rhythm has always been my thing, specially coming from Brazil. Brazil, particularly RIO, where I am from, is the land of rhythm and PARTY, hands down. That’s where Carnival’s at, do I have to say anything else? So, I was very fortunate to be raised in such culturally rich environment where you can see so much; absorb so much. So drums was really an extension of my personality. I used to get thrown out of classes everyday at school for drumming with my pens. My pens, not my penis ha! I was a really good student cause I had A grades, but terrible at the same time. I used to raise hell at school, I had so much energy that the teachers wanted my parents to drug me, like take me to a specialist. I mean I am ADD to the MAX. So, cutting the story short, after I asked my mom for a drumset, and tried every single blackmail strategy a kid can pull off she gave me an acoustic guitar. I was kinda disappointed at first, but I learned to play very very quick, then I moved on to electric guitar. Some kids in my neighborhood were into rock too, so I just found a drummer and a bass player and we started playing right away – Ramones, Maiden, Metallica. That’s when I thought: “Holy F* man, that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life”. But then I started playing my drummer’s drumkit and I was better than him ha ha I had never had any lessons or anything but I mean, I could straight up play. Whatever song I had playing in my head I could immediately translate to the drumkit. So I said: “F* it! I’m gonna sell my guitar and amp and buy a drumkit”. My parents didn’t even know, I got someone to take me to this real dodgy place in Rio where they were selling this drumset for 100 bucks, including cymbals. That’s all I had, so it worked. From there I was officially a “drummer” even though I play guitar to this day. I graduated school when I was 16 and went straight to Computer Engineering school. It was fun for a moment – tons of hot chicks, drinking, drugs, all the good stuff, but it wasn’t my thing. Not to mention that I was already touring with my band, so I missed 70% of the classes. So I ended up dropping out of Computer Engineering and locked myself in my room for 6 months straight and learned how to read music and play piano by myself. I went completely nuts, I went vegan too for that period of time. I studied every composer I could find, Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Brahms, Wagner, Sibelius, Debussy, Shostakovich, Villa-Lobos, etc…I went deep into classical music and in 6 months I got a scholarship at the best Classical Composition School in Rio and my teacher was (is, he is still alive) one of the greatest Brazilian Composers ever. This guy taught composition everywhere in the world, won the most important prizes, I mean, a total badass. So I studied classical music for 5 years straight and got my Bachelor degree in Composition. So yeah, my main instruments are Drums, Guitar and Piano.
Music Junkie Press: That is so great that you started young and how you were self taught We often receive many letters from young musicians who play drums and have switched over to bass or guitar because of complaints about their loud drumming. What advice would you give to young musicians who are stuck in that position and want to continue with their passion for drumming?
My advise: “NEVER GIVE A F* about anyone or anything. Be a selfish bastard and do what you love and be happy.” I had to go to court 3 times because of neighbors when I was underage, I got into a fistfight with one of my old neighbors once because he wouldn’t let me play. Hey if you are reading this – never give up playing drums for anything. Don’t feel sorry if everyone else wants to have a boring life. Play as loud as possible. Be happy.
Music Junkie Press: That is the best advise ever! What is your gear rundown ? kit, sticks, pedals, etc?
I play Tama Dums and Hardware – they’ve supported me from day one so I couldn’t be happier. It’s such an honor to be part of the Tama family. At the moment I’m playing a Superstar Hyperdrive, cause I love the deep bass drum 20″ x 22″ (+ 7″ x 12″ rack and 14″ x 16″ floor) + SLP 14″x6.5″ Black Brass snare. It’s a very edgy kit, great for live. Very snappy.
When we recorded the first 5 songs I tracked everything with a Starclassic Bubinga Birch. I played a 18″x24″ BD, 10″ x 13″ rack and 14″x14″; 14″x16″ and 16″ x 18″ floors.
We are going to finish the record soon – the other 8, 9 songs we haven’t tracked yet – and I’m planning on playing the same kit – the Starclassic Bubinga Birch. It’s just got that monster sound, that round attack and very warm rich resonance. Tune it right and you are in heaven. I love it.
I play 3A Vic Firth sticks and Remo Drumheads. And Tama Iron Cobra pedals/hardware.
Music Junkie Press: Who were some of the most influential musicians for you growing up?
Being quarter English (My mum is half English) I grew up listening to The Who, The Beatles, Stones, and tons of brazilian music like Tom Jobim, Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil, etc. If you ask me that’s as good as it gets. My favorite drummers are Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and John Bonham. I mean I could list you so many musicians/bands/composers I am influenced by I would have to write for a whole year…so let’s leave it at that.
Music Junkie Press: Can you tell us what was your first concert you went to?
My first concert was Megadeth – Countdown To Extinction tour. I was just a kid, I could NOT believe what I was seeing. Those guys looked like GODS onstage and they were playing the craziest music I’d ever heard right in front of me. What a line-up too, Mustaine, Menza, Ellefson and Friedman. Friedman – holy s* that guy can play. The choice of notes, it’s just mind blowing.
Music Junkie Press: If we could peak into your Ipod, what artist or song might we be most surprised at finding in there?
My iPod constantly changes. Every week I add new artists and bands that I’ve never heard, underground electronic, indie, pop, you name it. Some highlights over the past weeks: I love the new Foster The People record, it’s incredible. Really blew me away, cause I didn’t see it coming at all. The new Young The Giant is a great record too, very versatile and very musical. There’s a new band I just found not long ago called Walking Papers, they are BADASS. Love their album. I mean, there’s so much talent and good music out there. Besides Rock n’ Roll, I love old school funk, disco, motown, soul…Jackson 5, Prince, Sly and The Family Stone, Tim Maia, Kool And The Gang. Music that makes you wanna put a hawaiian shirt on and grab a Margarita.
Music Junkie Press: It is great to see the versatility in your love of music. I wish more would would follow that lead. When you are not making music or travelling, what are some of your favorite things to do?
I love to go to Starbucks or Coffee Bean – sit down, have a coffee and creep.
Music Junkie Press: After Vegas, what is in store for We Are Harlot, summer tour?
Well during summer we’ll probably be in the studio finishing our record to be honest. There will be a promo tour for the album and a big fall tour. The album comes out in the first week of September. That’s what’s in the pocket for now. There are much more details to it but I can’t say anything ha ha.., sorry I’m the bad guy. You guys will know very soon. Hang in there Harlot Army! We love you and we won’t let you down.
Music Junkie Press: We will be ready! If you could put together your dream lineup, what three bands would you like We Are Harlot to play with?
The Big Four. Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Foo Fighters and We Are Harlot. Quick and Easy.
Music Junkie Press: That would the tour of the century! What are three things that you can tell us about you that you think people don’t already know?
1) I’m a total art geek. I love art in general – painters, plastic artists, indie movies, shorts, anything that gives me inspiration to go beyond the “wake up, take a shit, brush your teeth” kinda thing. You know, all the weird stuff that all that weird people like, I’m one of them.
2) I’ve composed some classical pieces, Symphony, String Quartets, Duos, Trios, Sonatas, Experimental Tape Music, Soundtracks for shorts, plays, etc. I mean it’s a little collection of pieces that have never been played, well, some of them. I’ve never really pursued the classical music world as my main thing, but I’m sure I will at some point when I’m old and senile. I’ll have a huge room with a piano made of Brazilian Bamboo and the temperature in the room will be 103 degrees constantly, 98% humidity. I’ll be eating pollen all day getting all crazy. And of course I’ll have 3 jaguars prowling around. And just noisy weird music blasting constantly. The mail guy will hate me, ha!
3) I love leopard print stuff and cats. My cats are the best: Monkey and Bowie. Monkey is a Maine Coon and Bowie is a “whatever”, calico with maine coon, I don’t know; she just looks crazy. I post pictures of them all the time on Instagram. They are the cutest.
Music Junkie Press: Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?
Yes, I want to sincerely thank everyone out there that supported us throughout this crazy journey. You guys don’t know how much we’ve been through to put this together and I can say that every message, tweet, or like you guys send us we check every single one of them and it means the world to us. The Harlot Army is growing fast and you guys are kicking so much ass it’s not even funny. You guys make us wake up every morning and give our very best; we give all we’ve got, every second. We love our fans and we’ll never let them down. Hang tight, the Harlot Train just started rolling…
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The new single Denial is now available at www.weareharlot.com. It is a free download with an email sign up. YES, it was worth the wait, Rock n Roll vocals, precision drumming, rousing bass, smoking guitars and sweet ass solo! These four guys have done a great job, congratulations guys! And Harlot Domination has begun! Check out the song here:
Hope you head out to Las Vegas, NV for their show on May 28th at Vinyl in the Hard Rock Hotel. They will be performing with The Pretty Reckless! Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on the latest We Are Harlot news. I will leave you with our interview with 3/4 of We Are Harlot at NAMM 2014.
We Are Harlot most recently made their debut at Rock on The Range this past Sunday and are set to perform at Rocklahoma this upcoming Saturday due to Trivium cancelling as per doctor’s orders. We Are Harlot just released their first single, Denial last week and has had everyone talking. Just this morning on my drive to take Brandon to school, as soon as we got in the car, Denial was playing on Octane. Of course Brandon was screaming out, “LOOK It is We Are Harlot!”… Ahhh the joy of having a rock n roll family. Anyway, in the past we have featured Jeff George several times, he was our Day 1 of 12 Days of Guitarists and we have featured our Interview with Jeff George here. Now it is time we get to know bassist, Brian Weaver.
We are pleased to bring you our interview with Brian Weaver here:
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Music Junkie Press: Thank you Brian for talking with us here at Music Junkie Press! We heard you debuted at the Rock on the Range this past weekend, how was that for you, to finally make your We Are Harlot debut?
Brian: It was incredible! As I’m sure you know by now, Harlot has been 3 years in the making with tons of ups and downs just to get to this point of playing live for the first time. We wanted to really make a statement when people saw us for the first time and do it in the biggest way possible. And what better way to do that than at the biggest rock show in America than Rock On The Range! People were saying to us, ‘How about you guys do a couple warm up shows beforehand?’, and we said fuck that! This is how we want be introduced to the world. And it couldn’t have gone any better. The crowd was insane and our entire team was there watching side stage. Some had tears in their eyes. It was pretty special
Music Junkie Press: Next up is Rocklahoma, how did that come about?
Brian:We were literally just about to check out of our hotel in Columbus to start heading back to LA when we got a call asking if we wanted to do Rocklahoma on the way back. What happened was Trivium had to drop off the show for medical reasons and they needed a band to take the slot. Everyone there had heard the buzz about our show at ROTR and called to ask if we wanted to play. We said fuck yea! Let’s do it.
Music Junkie Press: We had the opportunity to catch you perform with your Silvertide bandmate Nick Perri at NAMM. You guys were awesome. NAMM is definitely the Disneyland for musicians! Can you tell us about your rig rundown?
Brian: Thanks! At NAMM this year year I was playing a Custom Perri Ink bass that Nick was debuting that he builds by hand and every instrument he makes is totally custom. Really great instruments. But generally I play Fender P basses and Jazz Basses. Ampeg Classic heads and 8×10 cabinets. And GHS strings. As far as pedals I keep it pretty simple. Sometimes I’ll use a Sans Amp to get a little extra grit and Electro Harmonix Bass Big Muff if I want straight up distortion. I like the Bass Big Muff because you don’t lose any of the bottom end like you would on a classic Big Muff
Music Junkie Press:How old were you when you first starting playing bass?
Brian:12. But I started out on guitar when I was 8 and then started playing some drums, then I graduated to bass.
Music Junkie Press: Can you remember what is the first song you learned in its entirety?
Brian: I honestly can’t remember the first song on bass but I feel like it was probably something by The Beatles or maybe even Zeppelin or Green Day. On guitar I think it was something silly that’s in those Mel Bay books because, you know, I was 8 haha. But the first rock song I learned was I think Losing My Religion by R.E.M
Music Junkie Press: What were some of the most influential bands for you when growing up?
Brian: Zeppelin, The Beatles, ACDC, The Police, Pink Floyd. I also was really into a lot of Motown and R&B stuff. James Jamerson is my favorite bass player and he played on all that Motown stuff. In high school I had that book “Standing In The Shadows Of Motown” and I would practice sight reading his bass lines while playing along to the recordings
Music Junkie Press: If I could peak into your Ipod, what artist or song might I be most surprised at finding in there?
Brian: Probably a lot of old school jazz stuff or Rick Astley HA!
Music Junkie Press: How about your work with Silvertide, we know that you have upcoming shows planned later in the year, will there be another Silvertide album in the works?
Brian:We’ve been talking recently about scheduling and when we can set up some shows. All of us are very busy with different things right now. For me personally, Harlot is about to get very busy with touring and the album dropping this year so we just need to figure what works best for all of us. But my guess is maybe some time in the fall. As far as an album, last year we did record 5 songs for an EP and they are done. And we do plan on releasing them. But like anything else in this business, things take time and there’s a bunch of hoops to jump through. But we are in talks about scheduling a release.
Music Junkie Press: Here at Music Junkie Press, we are strong believers at how music can help, heal, inspire and so much more, can you share a story with our audience about a time when music most helped you?
Brian:I think it helps me everyday. If there’s anything fucked up going on or stress, when I’m playing or working on music it gets all that off my mind
Music Junkie Press:What advice can you give to young musicians who are struggling to maintain their musical identity in today’s industry where they might be encouraged to make their music fit a specific genre or the trending style of today? This is especially prevalent with young rock and roll artists who are often dissuaded about playing rock and going into a metal core, subgenre, etc.?
Brian: I think the best bands and artists are the ones that don’t sound like anyone else. And that’s what everyone should strive to do. What’s the point of doing something or sounding like everyone else into a specific genre. Do what you want to do and be passionate, but also strive to be unique
Music Junkie Press: If We Are Harlot was to become a comic book, what would everyone’s super hero name be and their super powers be?
Brian: Well I for sure gotta go with our Emoji alter egos.
Danny- The Dragon- Fly and spit fire.
Jeff- The Wolf- A howl that makes your head explode.
Bruno- The Cat- Claws like Wolverine that can cut through anything and everyone
Me- The Snake- spit venom like battery acid and squeeze you to death with my bare hands
Those sound more like villains, but what the hell! Villains are cool
Music Junkie Press: Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?
Brian: Yes, check out our first single ‘Denial’ at www.weareharlot.com where you can also sign up to get a free download. And tell your local radio stations to play it! And thanks to all the fans that have waited this long. You all rock!
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So if you are going to Rocklahoma, make sure to catch them on the Hard Rock Stage on Saturday night at 8:30 pm. Last week, We Are Harlot released their much anticipated new single, Denial. This was not only their first single, but gave their fans a true taste of what to expect from the upcoming We Are Harlot album. We Are Harlot is a band three years in the making and they must be quite proud of themselves to see their vision finally come to fruition.
The new single Denial is now available at www.weareharlot.com. It is a free download with an email sign up. YES, it was worth the wait, Rock n Roll vocals, precision drumming, rousing bass, smoking guitars and sweet ass solo! These four guys have done a great job, congratulations guys! And Harlot Domination has begun! Check out the song here:
Come join Music Junkie Press as we head to Las Vegas, NV for their show on May 28th at Vinyl in the Hard Rock Hotel. They will be performing with The Pretty Reckless! Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on the latest We Are Harlot news. I will leave you with our interview with 3/4 of We Are Harlot at NAMM 2014.
Music Junkie Press 