Away Team

Let the madness begin!  After its wildly successful inaugural run, the highly anticipated Carnival of Madness Tour returns this summer!  Joining the Carnival will be Theory of a Deadman, Alter Bridge, Black Stone Cherry, Adelitas Way and Emphatic.

Sponsored by Monster Energy Drink, the Carnival of Madness Tour will tear through North America for 25+ dates set to launch August 13 in Twin Lakes, WI.

VIP ticket pre-sales for the first 15 events will be available for those belonging to Theory of a Deadman’s Deadfan Club beginning Tuesday, May 31, followed by those signed up for the Carnival of Madness mailing list at www.carnivalofmadness.com, beginning Wednesday, June 1.   VIP bundles with exclusive merchandise, content, and an enhanced Carnival experience will be available for purchase through Artist Arena.

The public on-sale for the first round of shows will be Friday, June 3.  All of the ticket on-sale info can be found at www.carnivalofmadness.com.  The “Carnival” ticket price acknowledges the current state of the economy offering an “affordable” ticket that will be in the $25 – $35 range.

Bill McGathy, the owner of the Carnival of Madness brand proclaims, “After the incredible energy generated in the inaugural event last year, the 2011 edition combines a fantastic Rock package with a ticket price that is actually affordable in these economically challenged times”.

“Theory of a Deadman is totally stoked to be doing the Carnival of Madness Tour this year,” says singer/guitarist Tyler Connolly. “It’s great to be joined by Alter Bridge, Black Stone Cherry, Adelitas Way and newcomers Emphatic – who all have songs rocking at radio and awesome live shows.  It’s gonna be a fuckin’ great show from beginning to end and definitely something you don’t wanna miss!  See you there!!!”

Continues Alter Bridge singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy:  “Alter Bridge is pleased to be taking part of the Carnival of Madness Tour later this summer with Theory Of A Deadman, Black Stone Cherry, Adelitas Way and Emphatic.  It will be great to be back in the U.S. playing on our home turf with these bands.  If you dig straight up, no frills Rock…then this tour is for you.  Hope to see everyone there!”

One of Vancouver’s greatest exports, Theory of a Deadman, is returning to give rock music a much needed reality check with their fourth studio release, THE TRUTH IS… The album is slated for release on July 12 via Roadrunner/604 Records and the first single, “Lowlife,” is already storming its way up the rock charts.  THE TRUTH IS…, the follow up to the band’s previous Platinum-selling SCARS AND SOUVENIRS, was produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, 3 Doors Down).  The band recently wrapped playing the inaugural Avalanche tour alongside Stone Sour, Skillet, Halestorm and Art of Dying, and will be playing select festivals before heading out on the Carnival of Madness Tour.  Theory of a Deadman is Tyler Connolly (vocals, guitar), David Brenner (guitar), Dean Back (bass) and Joey Dandeneau (drums).

Alter Bridge has been making their mark on the rock world for years through their three studio releases and non-stop touring.  The band is currently haunting the Top 20 of the Rock charts with their latest single, “Ghost of Days Gone By.” The single, the follow-up their #1 rock smash “Isolation,” is from their Alter Bridge Recordings via EMI Label Services release ABIII, which debuted at #17 on Billboard’s “Top 200 Albums” chart when it was released last November.  In preparation for the Carnival of Madness Tour, the band just wrapped up a successful headline run with Black Stone Cherry and Like a Storm.  Alter Bridge has also made successful national TV appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel Live in support of ABIII.  Alter Bridge is Myles Kennedy (vocals, guitar), Mark Tremonti (guitar, vocals), Brian Marshall (bass) and Scott Phillips (drums).

Kentucky’s Black Stone Cherry–vocalist Chris Robertson, guitarist Ben Wells, bassist Jon Lawhon and drummer John Fred Young–is a band adept at creating both timeless rock ‘n roll and new, innovative sounds.  The band have recently released their third album for Roadrunner Records, BETWEEN THE DEVIL & THE DEEP BLUE SEA, which is the summation of a year in the life of the band—every emotion, triumph, loss, romance and everything in between—it’s all here on this album.  The first single, “White Trash Millionaire,” is currently approaching sitting at #15 on the Active Rock charts and climbing.

Las Vegas-based rockers Adelitas Way will release their sophomore album, HOME SCHOOL VALEDICTORIAN, June 7 on Virgin Records.  The album, produced by Dave Bassett (Shinedown), showcases the band’s lyrical and musical growth.  The band has spent the past couple of years on the road and is excited to be part of this year’s Carnival.

Hard rock band Emphatic will release DAMAGE, their Atlantic Records debut, on July 12.  Led by vocalist Patrick Wilson and lead guitarist Justin McCain, Emphatic has spent years honing their edge on the road, headlining clubs and theaters along with supporting such like-minded artists as Stone Temple Pilots, Buckcherry, and Papa Roach.  DAMAGE, produced by Howard Benson (Daughtry, My Chemical Romance, Flyleaf), features the song “Bounce,” which is currently climbing the Active Rock charts.

The Carnival of Madness Tour made its inaugural launch in 2010 with Shinedown, Sevendust, Chevelle, Puddle Of Mudd and 10 Years, which proved to be one of the biggest Rock shows of the summer as a Top 50 tour.

For up-to-the minute news and information, please visit www.carnivalofmadness.com.

CARNIVAL OF MADNESS 2011 TOUR DATES

DATE                                      CITY                           VENUE
Saturday, August 13               Twin Lakes, IL             Shadow Hill Ranch
Friday, August 19                    Council Bluffs, IA        Harrah’s Casino
Saturday, August 20               Sedalia, MO                Missouri State Fairgrounds
Friday, August 26                    Louisville, KY              Kentucky State Fair/Cardinal Stadium
Saturday, August 27               Waterloo, IA                McElroy Auditorium (outdoors)
Sunday, August 28                 St. Paul, MN               Minnesota State Fair
Thursday, September 1          Allentown, PA             The Great Allentown Fair
Saturday, September 3          Hampton Beach, NH  Hampton Beach Casino
Wednesday, September 7      Baltimore, MD             Pier Six Concert Pavilion
Saturday, September 10        Atlantic City, NJ          House of Blues
Sunday, September 11           Huntington, WV           Harris Riverfront Park
Tuesday, September 13         Charlotte, NC              Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheater
Wednesday, September 14    Fayetteville, NC          Crown Coliseum
Friday, September 16             Tulsa, OK                    Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino
Saturday, September 17        Poplar Bluff, MS         Black River Coliseum

If you don’t see your area listed, not to worry more dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Of the many bands I’ve followed over the last two decades, only a handful have had a strong staying power in my musical library…one such band is Atlanta based powerhouse Sevendust.  When I first saw Sevendust, back on a cold winter night twelve years ago at the Webster Theater in Hartford, CT, I knew they were going somewhere.  Never did I dream that I would be seeing them grace the stage at Woodstock ’99, let alone have the chance to interview the backbone of the band, iconic drumming idol Morgan Rose.  While Woodstock was 1999′s biggest concert event… flash forward to 2010, the year in which I finally got to chat with rock’s biggest drummer on a stop of rock’s biggest tour… the Carnival of Madness.  Eight albums, one rockstar wife, and one Playmate of the Month wife later, there were many questions to be answered.  How does one get the answers to twelve years worth of questions into twelve minutes worth of conversation?  Sit back, crack open a cold one, and find out.

AWAY-TEAM:  Well Morgan, congratulations on the tour, and the album Cold Day Memory, which I think is destined to become a classic in the Sevendust catalog.

MORGAN ROSE:  I appreciate it man.

AWAY-TEAM:  I’m really impressed with it.  Now, with Cold Day Memory you kinda seem to have gotten back to the core Sevendust sound.  Do you attribute that to the chemistry of having a guy like Clint Lowery back in the fold?

MORGAN ROSE:  Oh yeah, 100 percent.  Ya know, we did three records without him, and we missed him.  You know that’s like bringing in that fifth element, ya know.  I mean, the sound of our band was always the heavy riffs, the melodic choruses, and the three different voices.  Really, to be honest, the last time we really had a decent amount of power on a record was Animosity, because we were dictated to during Seasons alot, so it still sounded like us, but we were told what to do.  So we had to kinda groove our direction that way, and we like that record, but Animosity was really the last time that all five of us had the power to be able to do exactly what we wanted, so this was the first time since then, and I think that it showed for sure.

MORGAN ROSE:  For sure.  Ya know, being a fan first and foremost, you can really see that you guys are clicking on all cylinders again.

MORGAN ROSE:  Yeah, definitely.  We’re excited.  We’re really happy to get him back, and get our little family back together, and get in the studio.  Because, you know, we did a lot of touring before we were able to get in there with him, so…it was nice to get back in the studio.

AWAY-TEAM:  Now, that album was actually released on your own label 7 Bros.  How did 7 Bros. come about?  Was it kinda the product of “We’ve been fucked over by TVT, we’ve been fucked over by Winedark, we KNOW we’re not gonna fuck ourselves over”? I mean, how did that come around?

MORGAN ROSE:  Uh… Yeah, it was kind of a partnership thing we did through Warner Music, ya know for the first time we were gonna get the real distribution through WEA.  We were gonna have the machine through Warner to borrow people to work for us, and help us out.  So, even though it’s our own label, and considered an indie, we’ve got the resources all around us, and you add our management In De Goot into the fold, all of a sudden… you’ve got a massive machine at radio with In De Goot; you know Bill McGathy has the been the godfather of radio for a very long time.  The combination put us in a position where we felt we had enough behind us to be able to pull this off on our own.

AWAY-TEAM:  You’re widely considered to be one of the best drummers of all-time…

MORGAN ROSE:  (laughs)

AWAY-TEAM:  truthfully, you see it everywhere, it is what it is, right?

MORGAN ROSE:  That’s crazy.  I’m totally flattered that people think that.

AWAY-TEAM:  The most amazing thing to me, is that it’s hard enough to play at the level that you do, but to sing at the same time?  That just blows my mind.  I mean guys like you, and Phil Collins always amazed me because he had such a great voice, but could play the shit out of the drums at the same time.  I’ve always wondered, how do you manage to keep your voice holding one note, and your hands and feet holding another?

MORGAN ROSE:  I don’t know.  I mean it all really started years ago… I’d be writing parts for other people to do and practice, I’d come up with these parts for other people to sing, and they’d be like “Well why don’t you just sing it?”  And I’m like “I don’t wanna be hindered with a microphone back here”, of course the stupid headset came into play, and that was like, that’ll be so you don’t have to move a mic around.  As embarassing as that thing might be, I was glad when Tommy Lee wore it, because it opened the door so I would feel a little less embarassed.  Ya know, it is what it is.  It was one of those things where I developed some ideas, doing something in a certain voice, and everyone just told me they wanted me to do it.  In one way, I wish I never would’ve brought it up, in another way it helped define our sound a bit having that extra voice.

AWAY-TEAM:  You say, in one way you wish you never did it.  Is it because it’s just kind of a burden as your trying to play?

MORGAN ROSE:  Uh… it’s not hard to do, I think it’s probably more that I’m just completely combustive back there.  Ya know I’d like to just lose my mind, and I do the best that I can, but ya know that things in my way and…I mean I’ve gotta do all kinds of prep work to make sure that thing doesn’t fly off.  So I use a mic that’s not really a state of the art microphone, just because it’s the only one that’ll stay on my head the way that I play.  So I’ve got a mic that’s not really the highest quality, just because I wanna make sure I can play the way that I want to play.  But at the same time, that voice lends itself to distortion, so if the mic breaks up a little bit it kinda adds to the sound live.

AWAY-TEAM:  Does having Clint back in the fold lift some of that vocal burden from you?

MORGAN ROSE:  Uh, yeah, ya know the harmony stuff was always left up to him.  When he was gone Vinny and John took over that area.  So it’s not so much of a change as far as how much I’m doing, but on this record, ya know Clint has quite a heavy voice of his own, so he took a little bit of the grunt, or some of that work from me, so I don’t have to worry about doing as much.  So yeah, it’s helped out in lightening the workload on me a little bit.

AWAY-TEAM:  You guys have been out touring and playing for a long time.  I remember the first time I saw you guys, back in ’98, at a little club called the Webster Theater in Hartford, you were there with Godsmack, Kid Rock, and I think One Minute Silence, and Second Coming.  You’ve come a long way from that thus far, in fact I even saw you guys play at Woodstock ’99.  So what’s been the absolute highlight of your career so far?

MORGAN ROSE:  I mean, ya know when we went over and played for the troops, that was a big highlight for us.  We played for some big crowds, and we played for some small ones, but overall to think that we’re just “five little rednecks from Georgia” that twelve years later, actually twelve years signed, but fifteen years later these kids that grew up playing a little bar in Atlanta called The Rec Room in front of fifty to a hundred people are now being invited to go and play for the men and women who protect our country, and to be personally invited to do that was just an honor.  Not a lot of people get to do things like that, so we felt very blessed, and it made us feel amazing inside.  We’ve had so many opportunities to do, ya know, Woodstock and some of the tours that we’ve done, they’ve been great, they’ve been highlights, but to do something like that.  It just sets itself apart.

AWAY-TEAM:  It’s good to see people giving back to those guys. 

MORGAN ROSE:  Oh Yeah!

AWAY-TEAM:   You mentioned Tommy Lee earlier, Tommy has a tremendous amount of respect for you.  You actually got to fill in for him a few times, how was that experience?  I mean it’s fucking Motley Crue, was it intimidating? Was it exciting?  How’d that all pan out?

MORGAN ROSE:  It was terrifying, because I got the call to do that just a few hours before I actually hit the stage.  I mean, I got the call and in two hours I was at the airport getting on a plane that I barely made, to Cincinnati, to get to the venue, and in another two hours I was on stage.  And I didn’t know how to play any of the songs, I mean it was nerve-wracking to say the least.  But he’s one of my best friends, and I love him dearly, and for him to call me and have me fill in for him in a pinch was definitely an honor.  And to be able to, I can put that in my memory bank, and in my book of accomplishments.  I mean Nikki Sixx actually put out a press release, that said “As of now Motley Crue’s a five man band”, and I was like “WOW” that was cool.

AWAY-TEAM:  You’ve had some dark times in the past few years.  You admittedly were not in it mentally, but you’ve pulled through and seem to have a renewed vigor.  You’ve just put out one of your best albums to date, where’s Morgan Rose at now? And what’s the plan after Sevendust?

MORGAN ROSE:  I’m in a great place right now.  I’ve got a great girlfriend that…I think that, short of doing this for a living and some of the damage that it does to you out here, ya know it is sort of a fantasy world, I mean everything that we do out here is so far from reality sometimes, that you get home and you gotta learn how to be a human being again.  And we spend so much time on the road, that sometimes your decision making on the people that you’re with can be a little clouded.  I’ve got two great kids, out of the people that I’ve made the decision to be with prior to my current girlfriend… and there was a lot of quick decisions that were made without really knowing each other well enough.  And then with those situations, I’ve lived and learned and we’re taking it at the right pace I think.  I’ve got a great girl, and I’ve got great kids, and I get along with both the exes just fine, so… I’m in a much better place now than I’ve been in, god ya know, maybe ever.

AWAY-TEAM:  That’s about all that you can ask for, to get along with the exes. (laughs)

MORGAN ROSE:  Yeah.  And as far as after Sevendust, I don’t know.  It occupies so much of your time, ya know Clint works endlessly on trying to create music for this band, or for somebody else or, that’s his outlet to be able to stay consistently working on music.  You know he’s gonna have a baby soon, and that’ll probably slow him down, and he knows it.  It’s something that I think about, but I’m still thinking that we got this thing on the track right now for a while to come, ya know, our bodies are not breaking down as quick as I thought they would.  Ya know, fifteen years of playing together, and thirteen years on the road, you’d figure that the bodies would break down quicker than they have, and “knock on wood” we’re doing pretty good.

AWAY-TEAM:  So, no plans on being a pro craps player? Because I hear you guys are getting a bit of practice.

MORGAN ROSE:  (laughs) Oh we’re doing… we play cee-lo back there.

AWAY-TEAM:  Lewis (Cosby of the band 10 years) was telling me that. (laughs)

MORGAN ROSE:  Oh yeah man.  That’s our little getaway.  I mean, after doing this for so long, it’s like you’ll find anything to spice up the situation, and that’s fun and you might walk away with a few bucks as well.

AWAY-TEAM:  You have a clothing company called Alien Freak Wear.  How did that get started?  And I understand a portion of the proceeds go to charity?

MORGAN ROSE:  Yeah.  And that thing totally got started, actually the brains behind the whole thing was my first wife (former Coal Chamber bassist Rayna Foss).  I was doing a signing one day, and I signed that little alien face, and I started signing that on all my autographs because people wanted me to do it, and it sort of became my logo.  She said you should put it on a t-shirt and sell it, and I was like “I don’t know who would buy it”.  She told me “You’d be surprised, you’ve got a pretty loyal group of people that follow your band and it wouldn’t be that tough, and we could do something for the kids, and for charity…”  I though it couldn’t hurt, and we’ll do it just to see what happens, and it did really well.  And then I went through a divorce, and we shut it down.  Then I got re-married (to former Playmate Teri Harrison), she said “You should do that again”, and I did it again, and I got a divorce, and I shut it down…and then ya know, it started up again, and it’s doing real well now.

AWAY-TEAM:  Is there any particular charity that goes to?  Or is it just kinda spread out?

MORGAN ROSE:  Uh, well we’ve changed it a few times.  Give a little bit out here, a little bit out there.  The Children’s Shelter of Atlanta, is one of the ones that we like dealing with alot.

AWAY-TEAM:  In a movie about your life, who plays you?

MORGAN ROSE:  Probably uh, Screech.  (laughs) No…

AWAY-TEAM:  (laughs)

MORGAN ROSE:  God, I don’t know.  Probably Screech!  (laughs)  That’s probably closer to how things have been going, I think I made out better, hopefully, than Screech, but early on I think I was probably Screech.

AWAY-TEAM:  Being the second band out on this tour, and coming out so early, as opposed to what you’re used to in being a headliner, how does that change your daily routine?  And is it a welcome change?

MORGAN ROSE:  Yeah, I mean it’s cool, it’s a short set.  We’re in and out, so we usually don’t stay up until four or five anymore, because when you finish a show at midnight it takes a while to wind down.  Here, we’re off by seven, and ready to go to bed by midnight.  So a little more rest, and we love all the guys out on the tour, so we have a good time with ‘em, so it’s really easy actually.

 AWAY-TEAM:  So with a short set like that, how do you choose a set list?  And aside from the new stuff, is there an old Sevendust staple that must be played every night?

MORGAN ROSE:  Uh, yeah, “Face to Face” gets played every night no matter what.  That’s the one song that never leaves.  But like “Black” is in and out, “Denial” is in and out, “Praise” is in there every night too.

AWAY-TEAM:  I think my all time favorite is “Wired”

MORGAN ROSE:  Yeah, we haven’t played that one in a while!

AWAY-TEAM:  I know!  So aside from the travel, and missing your family and girlfriend, what’s the hardest part of being on the road?

MORGAN ROSE:  Eating.  Eating the right stuff!

AWAY-TEAM:  I hear that. (laughs)   Ten words or less, describe the Carnival of Madness.

MORGAN ROSE:  A lot of dice, a lot of drinking, a lot of sleep!

AWAY-TEAM:  (laughs) Well hey Morgan, thanks for your time, it’s been an honor.

MORGAN ROSE:  Thank you, I really appreciate it.

AWAY-TEAM:  Hopefully we’ll talk again soon in the near future.

MORGAN ROSE:  Sounds good, man.  Talk to you soon.

You can catch Sevendust on this fall’s Hard Drive Live Tour with special guests 10 Years and Since October

For more info, including tour dates and to purchase music, visit http://www.sevendust.com/  For more info on Morgan Rose and Alien Freak Wear visit http://www.alienfreakwear.com/

Special thanks go to Morgan Rose for so graciously giving me his time, and Julie Lichtenstein at SKH Music and Amanda Cagan at ABC PR for making it all happen.

Band photos courtesy of Jeremy Adamo.  Individual photo courtesy of Marcy Royce.

Atlantic recording artists Shinedown formed in Jacksonville, FL in 2001.  Since then, they have released three albums full of countless hits, such as “Fly from the Inside”, “45″, ”Save Me”, and more recently “Devour”, “The Crow and the Butterfly”, and who could forget their brilliant cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s “Simple Man”.  All the while they have been touring their asses off, and playing in front of packed houses, and surprisingly enough none of them have included me.  I don’t know how it came to be that I never had the chance to get out and see these guys, but I can’t believe what great shows I’ve missed.  That being said, it should come as no surprise that when the opportunity arose to interview guitarist Zach Myers at a stop on this summer’s Carnival of Madness tour, I jumped at the chance.  Here’s how it all went down as Zach and I talked about everything from the tour, to Ozzy, to oil spills.

AWAY-TEAM:  First off, I’d like to congratulate you on the tour, and the success of the fifth single off “The Sound of Madness” , “The Crow and the Butterfly”.  I saw that it just hit number one on the Active Rock charts, and it’s poised to do the same on the Mainstream Rock chart.

ZACH MYERS:  Thanks.  That’s five number ones on this record, we’re so very blessed, and we’re really excited.  And now we just found out they’re gonna release one more single, so we’re gonna go for six.

AWAY-TEAM:  Can you tell me what that’s gonna be?

ZACH MYERS:  I think it’s gonna be “Breaking Inside”, but I’m not sure.  I can’t confirm that, but I think that’s what it is.

AWAY-TEAM:  So six singles AND you’re gonna knock Ozzy off the top spot.  That’s pretty cool.

ZACH MYERS:  Yeah.  We did already, actually, on Active Rock.  Sorry Ozzy.

AWAY-TEAM: (laughs)  Back to the tour, you guys have assembled a killer lineup, how did this all happen?

ZACH MYERS:  The idea came up…Brent (frontman Brent Smith) wanted to do a festival tour, our manager also wanted to do a festival tour, our manager manages all of these bands.  So it was pretty easy to put together, ya know what I mean, it was all in house.  It was cool man.  It was something that we asked all these bands, we picked the bands.  It was a fun idea, when we put it all together, and ya know the best thing about the summer is festivals.  And these are all bands that would be on a festival anyway, so we went to every single one of them and said “Why don’t we put on a festival.  Our own festival, and travel around”  The backstage vibe is way cooler like that.  Festivals are just like class reunions, you get together and see all your friends again, so why not have that for a couple months.  So it was a very easy idea to put together.  It was a no-brainer.

AWAY-TEAM:  You mentioned that you thought summer festivals were fun.  Is this something that you plan to do annually? 

ZACH MYERS:  It is gonna be an annual thing.  But it’s gonna be almost like when Limp Bizkit did the uh…

AWAY-TEAM: Family Values?

ZACH MYERS:  Yeah.  We’re not gonna be on it every year.  I know that we probably won’t be on it next year, but the following year we’ll probably do it. 

AWAY-TEAM:  So kinda “One on, one off”?

ZACH MYERS:   Yeah.  But it will be an annual thing.  The Carnival will be an annual event, but who headlines will be different from year to year.

AWAY-TEAM:  With Ozzfest kinda winding it’s way down, it seems like the perfect replacement.

ZACH MYERS:  Yeah, and you never know, maybe we could move it to like two or three stages.  We would all love that.

AWAY-TEAM:  That’d be great.  In ten words or less, what can a fan expect to see at the Carnival of Madness?

ZACH MYERS:  Madness.  It’s a carnival. (laughs) Um.  Loud. (pauses) Five of the greatest live shows you’ve ever seen.

AWAY-TEAM:  You guys had a Live DVD that was scrapped back in 2007.  Any chance we’ll get a Live DVD/Album from this tour?

ZACH MYERS:  I can tell you that we’re gonna record a couple shows.  DVD’s are so hard pressed now with labels, because they don’t really make any money off of them.  They put money into them but they really, no matter how many you sell of them, it’s not like the old days where when you sell a concert DVD, you can’t really sell a million copies of one.  Ya know what I mean? I couldn’t tell you the last person who did that in the last ten years, so.  We actually talked about doing it ourselves, and funding it ourselves.  This is way too cool of a show to not put out a DVD of some sort.  If there’s not a DVD, after this we’re doing an acoustic tour and we’re definitely gonna film alot of that, so…

AWAY-TEAM:  Now, five singles off “The Sound of Madness”, you said you’re ready to release a sixth, it’s been about three years when can we expect to see a new Shinedown studio album?

ZACH MYERS:  Umm. At the earliest, I would say at the end of 2011.  At the very earliest.  We’re gonna take October off, and go write in L.A.  We’ve been writing alot anyway, we wrote the Alice in Wonderland song (“Her Name is Alice”), we’ve written “Diamond Eyes” for The Expendables.  But yeah, we’re gonna go write in October, then we’re gonna go do this acoustic tour, and then I think we’re gonna wind it down in about mid-December.  Kinda take a break, take about a month or two off, and then start it all back over again.

AWAY-TEAM:  You guys recently joined the ever growing list of bands that are boycotting BP Petroleum…

ZACH MYERS:  I don’t know where this is coming from. 

AWAY-TEAM:  Not true?

ZACH MYERS:  No.  We’ve been asked that like five times.  I don’t know where… I disagree with it, I think it’s completely fucked.  We all live in the south, so ya know that’s our home…Do I get gas at BP when I’m home? No.

AWAY-TEAM:  So I guess the question still does apply.  If you had the podium at a BP board meeting, what would you say to them?

ZACH MYERS:  What can you say?  Who’s fault is it?  It’s really not their fault.  In all honesty, it’s not their fault when something like that happens.  It’s a natural disaster, they didn’t pop the cap off the thing.  But it is their fault for not fixing it sooner, or not having a plan in place.  They really, if they would’ve kept their mouths shut, then it would’ve been fine.  But this guy kept going on and saying things like “There’s more shrimp in Louisiana”.  This guy’s an idiot, ya know what I mean?  He’s put his foot in his mouth so many times.  When you’re the head of a company and you have to have security to escort you back to Europe so people don’t kill you, it’s because you’ve opened your mouth too much.  But no, as a band we can’t get involved in that.  It’s not our place, we’re not a political band.  The most political we’ve ever been is “Devour” and that’s just us talking about what WE saw when WE were in Iraq.  But other than that, we’re not a political band, it’s not our business.  Eric (bassist Eric Bass) and I are very political as people, but we don’t bring that into the band.  You don’t talk about politics, and you don’t talk about religion, that’s just something that you don’t do. 

AWAY-TEAM:  This is your work.  You don’t talk politics at work.

ZACH MYERS:  Yeah, and bands that use 45 minutes of their 2 hour set to talk about politics should be shot!  I’m sorry, it’s people that pay to hear you bitch? So what? No one cares!  U2 is one of my favorite bands of all time, and yeah Bono will slip things in here and there, but he doesn’t take half an hour.  And that’s the thing about it, it’s finding that line, ya know.  Some bands don’t do that.

AWAY-TEAM:  Well thanks, man.  I’m looking forward to the show tonight, and thanks for your time.  Have a good show.

ZACH MYERS:  Thank you very much.  We’ll do our best.  This is only our third show of the tour, so we’ll see how it goes.

AWAY-TEAM: Just warming up.

ZACH MYERS:  Just warming up, and my whole body hurts already. (laughs)

AWAY-TEAM:  Well, hey Zach thanks alot.  It’s been a pleasure.

ZACH MYERS:  Thanks.  I appreciate it.

For more Shinedown, including Tour Dates and to purchase their music visit http://www.shinedown.com/

Special thanks to Zach Myers for so graciously giving me his time, and to Julie Lichtenstein at SKH Music for making it all happen.

The inaugural outing of the Carnival Of Madness tour begins next month in Jacksonville, FL on July 16th but the festivities are already well underway.
All fans attending the Carnival Of Madness this summer are in for an experience like no other. Two major contests surrounding the event are underway:

PRS Six String Contest
Fans choose a song from one of the bands on this year’s Carnival Of Madness tour and record themselves showing off their best guitar or air guitar performance. Winners will receive tickets, VIP passes and a custom guitar presented ON STAGE and a personal guitar lesson from one of the acts. This contest is for every show on the tour! Details and how to enter can be found here.

Sony Bloggie Cam Sideshow
One lucky fan at each show will receive a Sony Bloggie Cam, two tickets to the show of their choice along with backstage access to shoot the bands hanging out with their new camera! Details on how to enter can be found here.

On top of all that, fans using their Smartphones to download the upcoming Carnival Of Madness app will be able to: play trivia games for prizes in real time including for backstage passes on site, purchase discounted merchandise that can be directly shipped to their homes, and so much more. More details to be announced shortly.
“All of the fans attending our shows this summer are not only going to get the best rock show out there; they’re going to have tons of chances to win cool stuff, signed items and meet the bands,” commented Shinedown lead singer Brent Smith. “This festival is going to be the most fan-friendly event happening this summer, period.”

As previously announced, COM headliner Shinedown will be bringing a who’s-who of rock bands along with them this summer: Chevelle, Puddle Of Mudd, Sevendust, and 10 Years for 26 dates across North America. The shows will kick off in Jacksonville, FL on July 16th and conclude in Billings, MT on August 25th.

The Carnival Of Madness tour is THE rock event this summer.

CARNIVAL OF MADNESS 2010 TOUR DATES
July 16 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Arena
July 17 Simpsonville, SC Heritage Park
July 18 Huntsville, AL Von Braun Amphitheatre
July 20 Orlando, FL UCF Arena
July 21 Estero, FL Germain Arena
July 23 Knoxville, TN Civic Coliseum
July 24 Charlotte, NC Verizon Amphitheater
July 25 Raleigh, NC Raleigh Amphitheater
July 26 Virginia Beach, VA Virgina Beach Amphitheatre
July 28 Columbia, MD (D.C.) Merriweather Pavilion
July 30 Philadelphia, PA Penn’s Landing
July 31 Wiscasset, ME Lincoln County Fairgrounds
August 1 Boston, MA Comcast Amphitheater
August 4 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
August 5 Holmdel, NJ PNC Amphitheatre
August 6 Canadaguiga, NY CBMS Performing Arts Center
August 7 Detroit, MI DTE Amphitheatre
August 9 Cleveland, OH Time Warner Amphitheatre
August 10 Pikeville, KY Eastern Kentucky Expo
August 11 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion
August 17 Memphis, TN Desoto Civic Center
August 18 Lafayette, LA Cajon Dome
August 20 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheater
August 22 Dallas, TX Nokia Theater
August 24 Casper, WY Casper Event Center
August 25 Billing, MT Metropark Center

For more information and tickets visit the CARNIVAL OF MADNESS website here.