FatBoy AUTHENTICS Presents: David Ellefson of MEGADETH: BASSTORY Tour
Saturday, July 27 @Citadel Music Hall – Indianapolis, Indiana
A Very Special ALL AGES EVENT!!
June 10, 2019 – FATBOY AUTHENTICS is very proud to present one of the ONLY All-Ages Events on David Ellefson’s BASSTORY Tour.
The shows will feature a Q&A/discussion, with co-author and partner Thom Hazaert, about Ellefson’s upcoming memoir MORE LIFE WITH DETH, in stores 7/16 via Jawbone Press, and a full live-band set including songs from the companion album SLEEPING GIANTS, in stores 7/19 via COMBAT RECORDS.
Opening acts:
FATBOY AUTHENTICS Will be unveiling the “Masters of the Bass” Series which David Ellefson will be the first to be featured! These cards will be available at FatBoy Authentics table while supply’s last.
2019 BASSTORY: More Life After Deth Tour
Satuday, 7/6 – Providence, RI –
Fete Music Hall
Sunday, 7/7 – Long Branch, NY –
Brighton Bar
Monday, 7/8 – N. Branford, CT –
Strangeland (Book Signing)
Wednesday, 7/10 – New Bedford, MA –
Vault Music Hall at Greasy Luck
Thursday, 7/11 – Waterbury, CT –
Shamrock Pub and Grill
Sunday, 7/14 – Long Island, NY –
Revolutions
Thursday, 7/18 – Pekin, IL –
Twisted Spoke Saloon
Friday, 7/19 – Lombard, IL –
Brauer Haus
Monday, 7/22 – Rockford, IL –
Whiskey’s Roadhouse
Saturday, 7/27 – Indianapolis, IN –
Citadel Music Hall
MORE LIFE WITH DETH
In the follow up to his 2013 memoir MY LIFE WITH DETH, Megadeth bassist, and co-founder, David Ellefson continues where he left off with MORE LIFE WITH DETH. Co-written with his business partner, Thom Hazaert, also a celebrated Music Industry figure, Radio Personality and Music Journalist, MLWD picks up after Ellefson’s mid-2000’s departure from Megadeth, through his triumphant return in 2010, giving you an inside look at the continued saga of one of the World’s biggest, and most enduring, Heavy Metal bands.
From the record-shattering BIG 4 shows, alongside Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, to releasing DYSTOPIA, their highest charting record in over 25 years, to the massive 2-year World tour supporting it, and winning a GRAMMY along the way. MEGADETH have managed to stay at the top of the Metal world for over 35 years and 30 million albums.
Through the words of Ellefson and Hazaert, and friends including, Alice Cooper, Brian “Head” Welch (Korn), Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones), Mark Tremonti, KK Downing (Judas Priest), Brian Slagel (Metal Blade Records), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys), Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth), Kiko Loureiro (Megadeth), Chris Adler (Lamb of God, Megadeth), Dan Donegan (Disturbed) and many more, More Life With Deth is an insightful and personal look at one of the most revered Rock musicians, and celebrated Heavy Metal entrepreneurs, of our time.
Tracklist:
2. One Sexy Scar
3. Plastic Ocean
4. Honey Club
5. RIP Mr Man
6. Boy Soldier
7. Southern Storm
8. Broken
9. Ultra Violent Light
10. Ultimate Fighter
The album was produced by David Bottrill (Tool, Stone Sour, Dream Theater) & Gez Walton (Earthtone9), mastered by Joao Carvalho & Bryan Lowe. Album artwork was designed by Andy Pilkington (Soil, Flotsam & Jetsam, Fury, Kissin’ Dynamite, Bloodstock Festival).
JOHNNY WORE BLACK is:
Jay Coen – Vocals
Simon Hutchby – Drums
Gez Walton – Guitars
David Ellefson – Bass
Cameron Daniel William Hill – Keyboards
Kate Shortt – Cello
Adam Sedgewick – Vocals
George Donahue – Vocals/Bass
Johnny Wore Black was formed in 2012 with a view to writing and creating the music deep in the heart of Jay, the founder of the project. Having written songs since his teens, there was plenty of past material, a selection of which needed exorcising before new works could develop. The first album was an exploration into older songs with a few new ones and ended up being split into two parts, released in March and November of 2014 entitled Walking Underwater Parts 1 & 2.
During the writing time, Jay also dialled into his film making heritage and created various music videos to accompany the Johnny Wore Black tunes. It took more than three years to finally release album number 3, Ultra Violent Light and the collaboration with talents David Ellefson, David Bottrill, Simon Hutchby & Gez Walton, served to create the latest instalment of the Johnny Wore Black saga.
Diversely, Jay is also known for his stunt career with screen credits including: Game Of Thrones, Ready Player One, Spectre, Hitman’s Bodyguard, Rogue One, Spiderman-Far From Home to name a few.
Since the birth of Johnny Wore Black there has been critical acclaim in publications including Music Week, Metal Hammer, Revolver and Classic Rock, BBC Radio play from Australia to the USA and into Europe and the UK numerous video airings on MTV’s Kerrang Channel and Scuzz.
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Dubbed “Basstory: An Intimate Evening of Riffs and Repartee with David Ellefson”, the show combines solo bass performance with David’s celebrated brand of storytelling, as he recounts intimate details of his struggles and triumphs in the name of Rock N’ Roll.
BASSTORY will also include special VIP meet and greets, exclusive merchandise, and more.
Says Ellefson,
“I have always done clinics, and a few years ago did an amazing spoken word tour in Australia to support my book My Life With ‘Deth, and have always welcomed the opportunity to be able to meet and connect with fans on a more intimate level. These important parts of my professional life converged to create BASSTORY. Not only will fans get to hear some of their favorite bass riffs, but the stories behind them. It’s not often I get to get into small, intimate Rock clubs, the way this all started, and I’m excited for fans to get to experience this show.”
DAVID ELLEFSON BASSTORY/EUROPE – PRESENTED BY METAL CASINO:
15 October : BIMM, Bristol, UK *
16 October : ACM, Guildford, UK *
17 October : Rockhal-Esch Sur, Alzette, LU
18 October : 013, Tilburg, NL
21 October : Le Relais des artistes-Les, Bioux, (Reservations via email valprod.management@gmail.com), CH
22 October : Riff Megastore, Warsaw, PL23 October : Private Club, Berlin, Germany *
*Private events. No public ticketing available.
More dates coming soon!
BASSTORY US DATES:
9/20 Portland, OR – Dante’s
9/21 Spokane Valley, WA – The Roadhouse
9/22 Fife, WA – Louie G’s
9/28 San Antonio, TX – Fitzgerald’s
9/29 Houston, TX – BFE Rock Club
10/3 Bradley, IL – The Looney Bin
10/4 Lombard, IL – Brauer House*
10/5 Sturtevant, WI – Route 20 Outhouse*
10/6 Ringle, WI – Q and Z Expo Center*
10/7 Mankato, MN – What’s Up Lounge*
*With Green Death and WRATH
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What is the cause of these dramatic questions? Well, the thing is this: Dave Mustaine and his hardy men jump on stage and launch into a furious version of one of the best thrash songs ever written, namely ‘Hangar 18’. The sound is near perfect, Ellefson’s bass and Verbeuren’s drums are like thunder, Mustaine and Louriero’s guitars rip through the air. What a f*cking ride!
But, hang on, what is this? MegaDave goes to the microphone to snarl the infamous “Welcome to our fortress tall”, which he clearly does, and…nothing beyond a mere whisper can be heard. “Right,” one thinks, “initial sound problems aren’t unusual – they’ll fix it.”
However, it’s not fixed! It remains impossible to hear what Mustaine sings throughout ‘Hangar 18’, which of course is a darn shame.
Here comes the worst part: ‘The Threat Is Real’ from the strong Dystopia album is as powerful as they go, but, alas, the vocals are still not audible! ‘Take No Prisoners’…same story! ‘She-Wolf’…you guessed it – same story!
Finally, with ‘Sweating Bullets’, you can all of a sudden hear Dave. This is a relief! Until you realise that this is merely due to the fact that there is no instrumentation over the vocals in the beginning. As soon as guitars and drums set in, the vocals are again diminished to a whispering indication.
The weird thing is that the response from the 6500 metal souls in Royal Arena is almost overwhelmingly positive and warm. The cheer between songs is massive, the applause resounding. Perhaps simply because the band plays their well-construed set with precision and power? I dunno.
Despite a very, very slight improvement of the volume level from here on, fact remains that ‘Tornado of Souls’, the title track off Dystopia, ‘Symphony of Destruction’, ”Peace Sells…’ (including guest appearance by Vic Rattlehead) and ‘Mechanix’ all suffer just as much as the first half of the set from the absence of Mustaine’s characteristic vocals. ‘Holy Wars…The Punishment is Due’ concludes this odd Megadeth experience on an instrumentally high note.
“You’ve been great, we’ve been Megadeth”, a humble Dave Mustaine exclaims when the band departs, and I’d like to add to that: “…and someone in the soundboot sucked big time”. What a shame!
Here’s a snippet of the opening gig, which could have been the perfect support for Priest, but sadly failed to be so:
Obviously, the sound guy has upped his ante (or was replaced entirely) during the 30-minute break. The vocals come across in an altogether different way when JUDAS PRIEST hit the stage, and nothing is left to coincidence.
No prisoners are taken from the very first second as ‘Firepower’, the title track from the latest album, blasts into Royal Arena. The Priest is razor sharp, and the Metal God himself is locked and loaded.
Although it is immensely sad that Glenn Tipton is suffering from Parkinsons, there is some consolation to be found in his tour replacement, Andy Sneap. There is much talk about Sneap as an acclaimed producer, but forget not that he recorded his first album as a guitarist at the tender age of 18, when he and Martin Walkyier pushed pagan thrash metallers Sabbat to critical acclaim durng the 80s. That was exactly 30 years ago in April. He’s no spring chick, this one!
Sneap’s presence is one that emanates focus, solidity and humility towards the task at hand and offers a contrast to Richie Faulkner’s performance, which, if anything, is a pastiche of KK Downing during the early eighties. Which is cool.
The word cool also describes Ian Hill. I picture an internal band conversation around 1980, where someone goes:
“Right, Ian, we think you should move across the stage at this point and put your foot on the monitor.”
Ian: “Huh, no.”
Someone: “What do you mean?”
Ian: “I’m not going anywhere.”
Someone: “What?”
Ian: “You heard me. I’ll stand right here, in the right-hand corner, play my bass, make my moves, play it solid, and that’s it, alright.”
And that’s what he does. Always. Forever. The man’s a rock.
Since I didn’t have a photographer with me and no decent camera in my press seat on the right flank of the stage, I recorded a few seconds of the Priest’s entrance. Thought you might appreciate that:
You probably get the sense that Halford means business like the rest of the band. He does. It’s amazing how those 68-year-old vocal chords can still vibrate and shatter ears to pieces. Again and again throughout the evening, I’m blown away by his vocal performance, which is no less impressive than when I first saw Judas Priest in 1991.
After ‘Firepower’ has set the stage, a relentless version of ‘Grinder’ takes over. What a mighty riff it is! Then ‘Sinner’ is next up and Halford impresses again. Just hear that scream at the end of this snippet:
‘The Ripper’ is presented in a fierce version tonight, accompanied by an effectful and rather brutal film backdrop. This is followed by new tune ‘Lightning Strike’, which is very effective and very much modern-day Priest. One of the revelations for me tonight is a song I haven’t listened to in a while, namely ‘Bloodstone’. My goodness, how could I forget what a precious song that is!
The next revelation comes right after that when a 40-year-old track is pulled out of the leather sleeves: ‘Saints in Hell’, no less. Again, stunning performance by Halford.
Everyone knows how controversial the Turbo album was when it came out, and how it divided fans. But, listen, what would a Judas Priest concert be today without ‘Turbo Lover’? Exactly! A poor one! Rock solid stuff!
With ‘Tyrant’, the Priest hurls us back to a better day once more. What strikes me is that this song so brilliantly displays exactly what made a band like Priest so special: the twin guitars. That’s it, right there – even if it’s not Downing and Tipton in front of us, it sounds right, and looks right.
‘Night Comes Down’ is probably THE epitome of the heavy metal ballad for me, although Priest made other contenders to that throne. Tonight it sounds absolutely wonderful, and it provides a perfect contrast to the hectic uptempo waltz of ‘Freewheel Burning’, which ensues. At this stage, a moshpit forms in front of stage!
Halford changes garments every now and then throughout the set, and also before appearing for ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin”. We certainly do. We have the customary appearence of the Metal God on his Harley, and we know that the roar of the engine signals ‘Hell Bent for Leather’. Hell, yeah!
Another thing you know if you’ve seen the Priest a few times since the beginning of the 90s is this: When the rest of the band leave the stage and Scott Travis remains behind his kit, the clock has struck ‘Painkiller’ time. My favourite Priest song? Possibly. Even Halford bangs his ol’ head to this one. It is SO metal. A bit shrill vocally on the Metal God’s behalf, but screw it, it’s fookin’ great nevertheless.
A short break before the encores and Judas Priest launch into the mid-tempo ballady tune ‘Rising from Ruins’ from Firepower. Very nice and approved.
As a pleasant surprise, Glenn Tipton now wanders unto stage and is hailed by the Copenhagen crowd. Sneap appropriately steps over in the opposite corner of Ian Hill’s corner and remains there for the triumvirate of ‘Metal Gods’, ‘Breaking the Law’ and the mega-hit ‘Living After Midnight’.
It is both sad and moving to see a great musician standing there behind sunglasses and cap, chewing gum, as he focuses 100% on churning out those riffs that he has played for decades. It isn’t easy for him, that much one can tell. It’s a grim decease, that’s for sure.
All the more touching to watch Tipton take a couple of steps back during ‘Metal Gods’ as if by drawn by a natural force to stand on a line with Sneap, Faulkner and Hill, moving in sync with them, as a unit of metal brothers. Strength in metal, my friends, strength metal – it’s more than just the music.
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Tracklist:
White Mountains
Baron
Setting Sun
Avarice
Falling From Apogee
Rapture
City Of Light
Hold Me (Set Me Free)
Hailing from Helsingborg, Sweden, Chronus is an exalted quartet formed in 2015 and led by the Baron. With their young and visionary spirits, they carry the metal torch further, leading the people towards territories yet to be explored.
Delivering a majestic performance filled with striking melodies and hard-hitting riffs, Chronus have been compared to the likes of Mastodon and ABBA. Vocalist/guitarist the Baron, dressed in white, embodies a voice reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne, complementing the work of his three black-clad associates.
October 31st, 2017 marked the official European release of Chronus’ self-titled debut album on Ellefson Music Productions/SPV.
After well-received performances at Sabaton Open Air and on their Scandinavian tour supporting Soilwork, Chronus playing more shows and writing what will become their second album.
In order to spread rapture upon the people, Chronus ceremoniously convert their audience in a relentless conquest to take on the world. Join their voyage to the City of Light!
Mario Duplantier – Gojira“Chronus blends old school heavy metal and modern rock in an intelligent and irresistible way!”
Björn “Speed” Strid – Soilwork“When I started Soilwork, I was 17 years old. We were pretty good musicians and songwriters from the get go, but not even close to Chronus. It’s been a long time since I was this impressed by such a young band, with members ranging from 20 to 24 years old, and such a unique expression of amazing musicality. This band is ready to go global and someone better sign them before I do.”
Richard Larsson – The Night Flight Orchestra, producer at HH-Studios
“Chronus is an incredibly young and competent band that delivers heavy rock on a very skillful level. Their songs contain great melodies, big choruses and nifty bridges with interesting soundscapes. I think Chronus will go far; they have all the right tools to succeed!”
Chronus is:
Sebastian “The Baron” Axelsson – rhythm guitar, lead vocals
Svante Furevi – lead guitar, backing vocals
Oliver Delander – bass, backing vocals
Jonatan Östling – drums
Tour dates 2018:
June 6 Malmö, Sweden – KB (w/MEGADETH)
July 13 Vilnius, Lithuania – Devilstone Festival
July 21 Helsingborg, Sweden – Helltown Festival
October 20 Stockholm, Sweden – Harry B James
