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All Photography By: Dipan Cheema
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ROCKSTAR ENERGY MAYHEM FESTIVAL 2014By: Fridae Mattas
Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival 2014 finally arrived on a beautiful Friday, not too hot not too cold! Actually, it was a little crisp by the lake at the Molson Canadian Amphitheater for July 25th, I’m just so glad it didn’t rain! The only water flow noted other than a drunk girl lean peeing on the wall by the mainstage…Was when IceT decided to spray his water bottle everywhere. Instantly everyone with a camera in the media-pit covered their gear, myself included. Water dries but it still fucks up your equipment! Lately I have been covering only select events because my FridaeTV time is extremely scarce these days. I’m amazed that this editorial, photos included is being published so soon even with a technical issue. I guess that’s just how amazing my problem solving abilities have become over time. There was a slight delay getting to the venue but I reached just in time for the last Suicide Silence media tune. Was absolutely annoyed I missed “Veil Of Maya“, “Mushroomhead“, “Darkest Hour“, “Miss May I” and “Texas Hippie Coalition“. Another setback was losing my photographer before the festival even started. She was having technical difficulties with her phone and I couldn’t reach her. So, on my own it was! I had a fantastic time, met some new friends in addition to running into so many of my friends already at the festival. Between sets I had a few beers with as many as I could find. My head did not appreciate the festivities the next day, I had a crazy beerover because the shenanigans continued after the show. 
A few of the bands on the bill I have already seen and covered but hey who could say no to another Avenged Sevenfold or Trivium set? For me this was exciting, I love seeing how bands progress, some do amazingly with refining their talents and some hit roadblocks because not everyone has the same drive. Suicide Silence was rocking a tune “Cease To Exist” off of their new release “You Can’t Stop Me” the first record with new vocalist Hernan “Eddie” Hermida. The band is: Chris Garza – Rhythm Guitar, Mark Heylmun – Lead Guitar, Alex Lopez – Drums and Dan Kenny on the Bass. 
The fans were loving the energy, perfect amount of guitar and angry growling for surfage…Crowd surfing that is! The security guards probably wanted to shoot themselves in the face (They did, I asked). Being in the front lines constantly pulling flying bodies from the crowd, never looks like a fun job. One of the security guards told me that they don’t look forward to country music shows the most because people get so hammered they start fighting everyone, including their friends. I’ll take his word for it because I wouldn’t know, I have only been to maybe four country shows and they were at smaller venues. Once I was satisfied with my one song shots, I migrated to the bridge between the Sumerian stage where Body Count was setting up and the Coldcock Whiskey stage to observe the performance. The following song in the seven track set was “Fuck Everything” from the 2011 record “Black Crown”, this is the song everyone needs to play when they’re having a bad day. Its always fun to watch the fans fly around and headbang to the bands. As the set was coming to an end, I kept seeing this one little Larry crowd surf over and over. When he popped out of the pit again, I heard him shout to his friend “let’s go again!” but his friend declined so he rewinded and dove right back in the crowd for another glide across the ocean of people. 
Body Count Frontman O.G Ice Mutha Fuckin T was up next and the fans at that stage were getting restless chanting “Body Count! Body Count!”. In case you only thought of IceT as the cop on Law & Order SVU, he’s the grandfather of rap/rock! He started his thrash metal career as frontman and co-founder of Body Count back in 1990, IceT has also dropped solo rap albums like “O.G Original Gangster” and the pre-Body Count days “Rhyme Pays”. The rest of the band is co-founder/Lead Guitar – Ernie C, Ill Will on the skins, Vincent Price on Bass, Juan Of The Dead – Rhythm Guitar. I’m tripping out right now! I found out IceT has the same birthday I do, he also has the same beauty mark on his face in the exact same spot as mine. Now it makes sense why people were asking me if I was his daughter at the festival, I could very well play his kid! If I didn’t know better, I would absolutely think he was my dad, he’s only a year older than my mom. Maybe that’s why at first Coco was looking at me like I stole her money, I look like his long lost daughter ha ha. But now I completely understand IceT, his whole obsession with rock, he’s probably drawn to the sound of the guitar like I am, his confidence and he likes blondes! I love blondie boys, although I’ve dated brunettes and gingers there’s something about blondes I like more. Wow, he was my Dad in past life for sure, we are different beings.
As the band was finishing the gear setup, IceT’s gorgeous wife Coco popped out onto the stage with their two super cute bulldogs. I was more than happy to play with the dogs while fans took photos with Coco after the set. Never in my life did I think I would get the chance to cover or see Body Count live, never mind watching and listening to them cover a Slayer track (Disorder). The set started with old school tune “There Goes The Neighborhood” followed by “Bowels of The Devil” and before ending it off with the most controversial song in history “Cop Killer’, they dropped a newer tune “Talk Shit, Get Shot”. How ironic is it that IceT the man who created the track “Cop Killer” plays a cop on TV! I would love to check them out when they hit Toronto again, fantastic performance by the entire band, they brought it hard! 
The next band playing over at the Coldcock stage was Buffalo’s Cannibal Corpse, another veteran band I have never seen but more than glad to be checking out. Instantly I noticed the vocals weren’t very fluid in regards to diction, with Suicide Silence you could fully understand what he was singing but CC frontman George Fisher needs to clean it up a bit. Regardless, the band’s enthusiasm made up for it because they tore up that stage! I took as many shots possible so many photographers were in the pit, plus security and the continual flying bodies. I wasn’t about that life so I migrated to my little spot to watch the rest of their set. The band is: Alex Webster – Bass, Paul Mazurkiewicz – Drums, George Fisher – Vocals, Patrick O’Brien – Lead Guitar, Rob Barrett – Rhythm Guitar. I would check them out again if they reached Toronto and all metal fans should definitely give these guys a listen. 
Not only did I miss the six bands I wanted to see, didn’t catch any of the performances at the Victory stage either, had to keep reminding my ocd one person can only do so much. All of the side stages were wrapped by the time the mainstage was ready to be heated up by Trivium, who were breaking the ice. Surprisingly I have seen Trivium before, caught their set at Heavy T.O 2012 which was pretty good, this time around they were even more on point! They all looked like they were having fun, yes, a metal band was having fun! It was the trend of the evening for the mainstage bands, like everyone got laid and was in a fantastic mood. At first it was a little challenging to shoot the whole band because I couldn’t migrate freely, the pit was very crowded, seemed like there were more photographers than last year. Either way I still managed to get good shots, it just became increasingly difficult as the night progressed, by the time Korn hit the stage we could have created a photographer mosh pit. Obviously, some of the photographers were not supposed to be there but who am I to tell them to leave, that’s not my job. 
The set was very entertaining they even managed to get the crowd to participate, which is at times an extreme challenge with Toronto crowds. There were some pitch issues but his diction was perfect and at least Vox Matt Heafy wasn’t using a voice box like many others do. Corey Beaulieu rocked his axe all over the stage, utilizing it like every guitarist should. Paolo Gregoletto on Bass had some expression on his face this time, he wasn’t all stone faced. I even caught a smile but that shot was too blurry to use in the gallery. The beat was kept tight and steady by Mat Madiro but it was nothing too fancy. If you like metal music with meaning then you must check out Trivium, they threw down tunes like the opener “Black” the tune “Strife” and ended the set with “In Waves” one of my favorite Trivium tunes. 
Next on the bill was Asking Alexandria from England, they’ve been to Toronto before. I don’t remember seeing them but for some reason I have a feeling that I have. We will pretend like I haven’t because my memory does not recollect anything. The only clue is that Warped tour keeps popping into my head, so maybe that’s where I’ve seen them. Asking Alexandria is the brainchild of Lead Guitarist Ben Bruce, he first started the band with different members in Dubai before migrating back to England for a fresh start. The stage set up had these giant brightly lit A’s on each side of Drummer James Cassells, who immediately began smashing those cans once he got behind his kit. Asking Alexandria to me, was the easiest band to shoot that evening. 
Frontman and co-founder Danny Worsnop was ready to rock with shades and a wobble. I’m surprised he didn’t fall into the crowd. Either way, vocally and performance wise he killed it! Wandering all over the stage, with his bandmates in tow actively helping him entertain the crowd. The fans were eating out of Worsnop’s hands, he was the only frontman of the night to get right in there at almost crowd level. Look wise, he kind of reminded me of a young Chris Jericho of Fozzy and yes, the wrestler…Interviewed him a few years back (Click to watch).
Of all the bands I had seen up to this point in the day Worsnop had the best vocals and the band as a whole has impeccable chemistry on stage. So much talent for such a young bunch of Larries. I have seen bands ten years their senior who still haven’t figured out how to put on a show. Rhythm Guitarist Cameron Liddell was very laid back but he still had his skill and swagger, as did Bassist Sam Bettley. I guess there’s a reason these lads have been making waves on the scene, with their catchy melodic metalcore, I can see why. Go see these guys rock any stage it will be worth your time, I look forward to covering them again in the future.
At this festival everyone who had lawn seats got lucky like Daft Punk! They were all upgraded to the 300’s section, which made it a full house and looked pretty cool. Even though nobody was on the lawns there were way more people in attendance than last year for sure! The People who would have been on lawns were drinking away at Beerfest across the bridge at the CNE fairgrounds. I passed by for a minute to visit with friends after the show and was to cover the event the following day. But…Due to solving my technical issues I couldn’t make it, I was mucho sad because I had been looking forward to it all year! And, I wanted to see the Trews! 
Back to this festival, for the next band I couldn’t have been more excited than I was. On the outside I was the usual totally cool Fridae but inside I was teenying out hardcore! This band I could never see because I was like nine when they first emerged onto the scene. And, do you really thing my Sensei Father let me go to a rock concert? He didn’t even let me sleepover at my friends house next door! I only really got to know their music because my first high school boyfriend was obsessed with them. Randal was one of those “rebellious rich kids” who had a Korn patch and button on his backpack and probably still is a huge fan! Who knows, he may have been at the show. Always has been my ex boyfriends who have introduced me to rock music in my teen years. My Dad was into the old school classics like Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Queen, Genesis, The Police etc. And I love R&B, Soul, Rap. As for Korn, I have not had the opportunity to experience them live and to have the chance to watch and listen to some of my favorite tracks was incredible! Covering the band was the icing on the cake. As elated as I was for their set, one thing I was praying for was that Korn would be good live. So many bands and artists I’ve been a fan of that I have covered were horrendous live. 
The moment of truth was upon us, would they blow my mind or totally blow and turn me off the band completely? The answer is…They were mindblasting! I loved every minute of Korn’s set and they truly showed their veteran skills off! The first to hit the stage was drummer Ray Luzier, he sat down and counted the rest of the band straight into the “Molested” intro, before they rocked the first track of the set “Falling Away From Me”. That tune was followed by “Twist” one of my favorites from the record “Life Is Peachy”. I was trying my best to get the cleanest shots possible in this media pit frenzie. Some faces I recognized others I didn’t and definitely can’t keep up with all of these new media outlets. I don’t pay attention to the competitors but I know most of them have grabbed a few ideas and words from me. Frontman Jonathan Davis is in surprisingly decent shape for a man of his age, and sang well enough to retain me as a fan. There were times in the set I thought his mic stand was going to go flying when he really got into a song but I think it was shellacked on the stage or something because it stayed. From a critics perspective, a frontman with Davis’s experience should know how to build more of a connection with the audience, engage with the people a little more, they are there to see you, talk to them. At least Davis was visibly enjoying himself, throwing smiles at the fans here and there between songs. I remember seeing another favorite band and the singer was in a corner by himself the whole set, that was a huge disappointment. 
Guitars by Brian “Head” Welch and James “Munky” Schaffer were fantastic, dreads were flying everywhere! I love the sound of electric guitars, that is what drew me to rock music. There’s something about the resonance of an electric guitar played by a true Axemaster that my ears can’t get enough of. The more guitars the merrier, as long as they are played well because if there were three of me playing the electric guitar, everyone would cringe and start throwing things at us as they booed. On the other hand, when you have the Axemasters in Korn rocking their tunes in your face, who can complain? I certainly can’t, even as a critic because they brought it! Their dexterity was more than obvious and absolutely amazing to listen to and watch. I wish all of my friends were there because concerts are always way more fun with friends than alone. Bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu was flying around everywhere and then there were these random times where he just stood there taking in the crowd. Don’t know why he hasn’t been in a “Pirates of the Carribbean” film yet, he looks like he would blend right in as the perfect pirate. 
Hopefully I will one day get to see Korn rock out again, my favorite moment was when they played “Freak On A Leash” just before closing the set with “Blind”. “Freak On A Leash” is one of my all time favorite songs in history. If any of you rock and metal fans get the chance to see Korn live, take it and go, you will be glad you did! Mayhem fest is still on the road, check out the website here for the remaining tour dates. The day kept getting better of course, it was my day, Friday and good things always come to me on Fridays. There was still one band left to rock the stage, one of my favorite bands to date and the headliners of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Mayhem festival…Avenged Sevenfold!
Not too many bands out there that I can say I would watch more than once. However, Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Lincoln Park, Finger Eleven, and The Trews, to name a few are the ones I could watch perform over and over without getting bored. Their music and live sets are that good, especially after you see Finger Eleven guitarist Rick Jackett in action you will be spoiled, no other guitarist that I have experienced is at that level of phenomenal. Love seeing bands that I have previously covered develop more into their talents, Avenged Sevenfold is a primo example of hard work paying off. Last time I saw these guys they needed to work on various things. The minute I saw them fire up that stage and hearing Synyster Gates drop that riff I was more than pleased. Guitarists Zacky Vengence and Synyster Gates were comfortable as soon as they hit the stage, past sets they’ve come off as shy and sad. Clearly they were both having a good day because they were smiling all over the place, much different than the somber mope. The skill level in their Axe play has improved tremendously as has their audience interaction, although they still need some work in that area. Keep up the good work guys! Backup vocals were excellent, definitely enjoyed hearing and watching them play, especially with all of those guitar solo’s! Music to my ears couldn’t be a truer saying. 
Every time I cover A7X I look forward to seeing the stage set up and
how they’re going to use spectacular pyro! You can always count on A7X to deliver some awesome fire, they had random blasts from behind the drum kit lighting up across the stage. It was too cool, I love shooting bands with wicked fire! A pyro I am, my favorite film for the longest time as a kid was “Firestarter” starring Drew Barrymore. Bassist Johnny Christ was doing his thing, compared to his bandmates, I noticed he connected more with the audience. They all did exceptionally well putting on a show for the fans. Newbie drummer Arin Ilejay was stick handling like his life depended on it, if he was to save the world by drumming, I believe he could save us! M.Shadows on vox was not so great vocally the last time I saw them, this time was a completely different story! As soon as Sanders started in with the first tune “Shepherd of Fire” from the 2013 release “Hail To The King” he came in strong and kept that power for majority of the set. I even noticed some improvements with his range, especially on the softer tunes. As he gets more comfortable singing without growling, his range will continue to expand. Sing some R&B tunes when rehearsing by mimicking the vocals, it will give your vocal range a boost the more you practice. It doesn’t matter what genre you sing, having more of a vocal range enhances your ability. A few producers I’ve met with assumed because I have such a large vocal range my sound was going to be Mariahesq, filled with vocal gymnastics…I am not Christina Aguilera, I don’t need to show off my range. I sound like me and don’t over use runs, my flexible range helps me sing intricate songs and keeps my vocals in shape. 
The second tune of the set was another enjoyable sonata to my ears “Nightmare”, I love the riffs so haunting, it reminds me of “Nightmare on Elm Street” for some reason and not because the track is called “Nightmare”! The films could have used this song, it would have been perfect but these guys were in diapers when the original films were made. Right out of the gate it was an awesome performance, the crowd sang along to every song, definitely a good night for everyone. The last tune I was in the pit for was one of my favorites, it was the first Avenged Sevenfold tune I had ever heard; “Bat Country”. The newest single “This Means War” was the last before the encores “A Little Piece Of Heaven” and “Unholy Confessions” which closed the set with more pyro and a few explosions. If you have not seen or heard these guys yet, you should do yourself a huge favour and check them out as soon as possible. Absolutely would love to cover Avenged Sevenfold again and maybe do an interview. Funniest thing I heard all night was when a female fan kept yelling “Put your dick in my mouth! I want to put your dick in my mouth!” when M. Shadows was on one of the risers to my left. I was dying and couldn’t hold a steady shot until I got the laughs out of my system. Major shout out to all the behind the scenes people who made this festival run on schedule, without their experience and precision many things could have gone wrong. 
The crowd was a little sad that the show was over but some didn’t even make it through to the end…They were either dragged out by security or passed out in their seat. So funny were the people that wandered this years Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, there were a few Larries asking the popo’s to take pictures with them like they were being cuffed, it was so amusing to watch. The festival is still on tour, all of the bands are worth your time so go see them!! Check the photos below, I had the best time! Thank you to everyone who made this possible, I was fully entertained! See you next year! www.RockstarMayhemFest.com
COPYRIGHT © 2014 FRIDAE MATTAS. All Rights Reserved
ENTERTAINMENT ONE & BEGIN AGAIN GIVE CANADIAN MUSICIANS THEIR BIG BREAK
TORONTO – JUNE 17 2014 – Entertainment One (eOne) and Begin Again are on the search for Canada’s top undiscovered music talent! Just steps away from their Big Break, Canadian singers and bands can upload their original works to a new YouTube contest (www.youtube.com/beginagainmovie) to be entered for a chance to win a musical recording session at Metalworks Studios and a Digital Distribution opportunity from eOne Music, the #1 independent music distributor in North America, worth up to $10,000!
Contestants must rally their friends, fans and followers to vote for their original work to avoid elimination. Only the top four artists make it through to the final round. Canadian Recording Artist and Winner of Canadian Idol Eva Avila is joined by Eric Alper (Director of Media Relations at eOne Music and Host of ThatEricAlper’s Show on SiriusXM), Nathan Quinn (A&R and Label Acquisitions at eOne Music) and Kevin Dietz of Metalworks Studios in judging the four finalists and selecting the winning song.
“This inspiring film is set in NYC, and in a lot of ways, YouTube has the same huge caliber of undiscovered talent. Musicians can approach this like an open mic opportunity and do an original song to get heard by hundreds of thousands of music lovers,” explains Kai Exos, Creative Director at SPOKE and musician in his own right.
Begin Again is a soul-stirring comedy about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together. Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.
“eOne Music Canada’s mission is to discover Canada’s next big star and showcase their stunning talent to listeners here, and around the world,” says Eric Alper, Director of Media Relations for eOne Music Canada. “We’re thrilled to be part of the Begin Again YouTube contest, so get your best song ready!”
The campaign, developed by creative agency, SPOKE, lives on YouTube and is powered by a custom YouTube contesting engine. The launch is supported by a heavy Social Media buy on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter as well as in-store POS at HMV, that forms part of eOne’s broader wide-release Media campaign, which also includes broadcast, digital, social, print, radio and Out of Home.
eOne opens Begin Again in theatres across Canada on July 11.
All photography By: Dipan Cheema
COPYRIGHT © 2014 DIPAN CHEEMA FOR FRIDAE TV. All Rights Reserved
Dani Rosenoer is a classically trained pianist, vocalist and composer. Born in Russia and raised in Israel, Dani is now based in Toronto, Canada and plays keys for the Canadian rock band Three Days Grace as a touring member. He is also working on a new full-length album.
Basement Jams 2 was released on April 3, 2014. It is the second in the series of EP’s by indie artist Dani Rosenoer, collecting his collaborations and solo productions with fellow Toronto artists such as Canadian Idol semi-finalist Oliver Pigott, rappers Truezt & Boris Giller and the psy-metal act PsyCoPath.
The EP includes the 1 st single ‘Whoa Whoa Yeah’, which was filmed on location in Costa Rica. And track number seven is not your ordinary song its the soundtrack to the short film of trhe same moniker ‘A Horny Ghost Named Buster’ (Feat. Alexey Dolgansky on vocals).. The film has been submitted to film festivals all over the world.
You can find Dani’s Basement Jams 2 at any of the below links or stream it here!
All Photography By: Joanna Glezakos
COPYRIGHT © 2014 Joanna Glezakos for FridaeTV. All Rights Reserved
By: Fridae Mattas
Once again Marshall Mathers teams up with Miss Fenty Riri to throw down another “Monster” masterpiece. I vowed to not write another video news release because music channels out there have fallow video hosts who like to use my words on air. Main example is a little news piece back in the day on “Love The Way You Lie“, thanks to my loyal friend who informed me of this faux pas. If you’re going to plagiarize someones work at least change up the words, laughs! This is not a news release more like a song and video review…Did not go into too much detail regarding this track in the review of “MMLP2” for good reason! I had this up my sleeve for a minute now, today it can be published because the video has been released.
The song itself is in reference to Eminem’s multiple personalities and how he is still actively feeding the monster under his bed and vice versa. In the video directed by Rich Lee, Mathers plays a patient and Rihanna is the doctor. As Rihanna sings “I’m friends with the monster that’s under my bed / Get along with the voices inside of my head / You’re trying to save me, stop holdin’ your breath / And you think I’m crazy, yeah, you think I’m crazy.” Mather’s reflects on his past accomplishments and demons using flash backs of The Monster’s reign. It was clever to redo and incorporate those specific videos to tell the story of the song, which goes fittingly with the lyrics. People fail to convey the message in video form these days. “Cause I need an interventionist to intervene between me and this monster / And save me from myself and all this conflict”. One of the video clips embedded within was when Eminem had his moment with Elton John, my guess is to reiterate he is not a homophobe. “I’m just relaying what the voice in my head is saying / Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just friends with the…” People need to remember he is just utilizing his freedom of speech, does not mean he actually believes some of the things he says, it’s just art.
Rihanna’s vocals on this track are very well done, she knows how to use her voice to the best of her ability. Fenty is not the strongest vocalist but as an entertainer she has the charisma and determination, not to mention she is one hell of a performer. Mathers solidifies his top spot in the music industry with a sharp flow and passion filled feelings behind the lyrics. Even though you don’t want more fame, this is your job, now werk bitch! Haha! That is, if you still have something left to say. At the end of the video Eminem comes face to face with the Monster locked in the cage being watched by two teflon padded gunmen, we all know who the moster is even before you see him. Watch this epic video and see for yourself what I’m talking about! www.EMINEM.com
COPYRIGHT © 2013 FRIDAE MATTAS. All Rights Reserved
THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP IIReleased: Nov. 5th 2013
Label: Aftermath / Shady / Interscope
Written By: Fridae Mattas
Everyones favorite schizo rapper from Detroit has released his eighth studio album and people are telling me the other critics are praising the MMLP2. Have yet to read anyone else’s perception on the album, truth is I just don’t have the time and these days the only opinion that matters to me is my own ha ha. Totally forgot Mathers was even dropping his album this month. I was working on the Rob Zombie record review but decided to hold those thoughts and get these ones out as soon as possible. The instant I played the first track I noticed the pieces of the original MMLP being blended with this 2.0 version. I was surprised to see the reuse of the title but it is relevant to the theme of the record and why not? Lil Wayne has The Carter 1, 2, 3, 79, 357 and Jay-Z with his five hundred blueprints.
Did not think I would be reviewing another record by Eminem and his personalities, honestly thought he was going to take a permanap from the industry. The world is clearly happy he did not permanap, it hasn’t even been a full week since the release and it’s already making waves like a tsunami! Word on the industry tip is that the “MMLP2” will surpass Drake’s first week sales and debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 making it Eminem’s seventh number one when the chart is revealed Nov.13th. Everyone that hated on him in the past seems to have a closeted guilty pleasure affair with the music. Eminem’s haters remind me of the Canadian music industry who laughed at Drake until America started to love him…That’s when they instantly turned into yes people and his biggest fans. Personally don’t mind some of his songs but professionally speaking he is not the strongest “rapper”? Stylistically he is not at all comparable to the level of the Emcee’s I grew up listening to like N.W.A, Dr. Dre (Who served as executive producer for this record along with Rick Rubin.), Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Snoopy Dogg, Warren G, Naughty By Nature, KRS-One, 2Pac, Biggie, Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Queen Latifa, Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Jay-Z, Nas, Missy Elliot, Mos Def, DMX, WuTang, Ludacris, Fugees and of course Eminem. I would like to see any Emcee in today’s game battle Eminem, it would be fun to watch and hear, actually that should be a rap reality show where they get different Emcee’s to freestyle battle each other.
The Marshall Mathers LP 2 has various tones to it like his colourful personas, you have the old school throwback vibes and some candy tunes. In a few he spits like he’s the missing member of N.W.A. and then your classic “Asshole” Ft. Skylar Grey, produced by Alex Da Kid and fueled by the vibrance of that vengeful fire flow he had on the Marshall Mathers original record. Here is a true line: “But you can’t ignore the fact that I fought for the respect and battle for it.”. Tunes like “Bad Guy” have that laid back beat where it’s just chilling and then you hear Eminem emulating “Stan’s” little Brother Matthew plotting revenge on his idol. And you are sitting there wondering how that song was birthed in his brain and as always only Eminem, Marshall Mathers, Slim Shady knows this. He revisits the skeletons he had in his closet and a few new ones popped out. On the song “So Far” he throws in a few shit ticket old school lines revamped. In the hook he declares his love for the city that took him in. “Maybe that’s why I feel so strange. Got it all, but I still won’t change. Maybe that’s why I can’t leave Detroit, it’s the motivation that keeps me going. This is the inspiration I need, I can never turn my back on a city that made me.” It is astonishing to see how quickly Detroit is deteriorating, I’ve been there a few times this year visiting friends and meeting with so called “Producers”. Every time I’m there I notice there are more and more abandoned places to wander. Funniest part about a lot of people I met in Detroit is once you tell them you’re a singer and a Journalist everyone is either an industry expert or knows Eminem and Kid Rock personally…Ha Ha sure they do!
On my last Eminem review for “Recovery“, I added the only two photos I managed to save from the Anger Management tour in Toronto at the “Skydome” back in October 2000, one of the two is below. Earlier that same year Eminem dropped the original Marshall Mathers LP, I did not review that album because well I was not old enough to be a Music Journalist back then, laughs. In 2000, I was in high school (sometimes) and trying to be the new “Destiny’s Child” with my group “Girlz Ink”. Ah haha yes, true words and sadly it wasn’t the only group I was in…Don’t recall telling the world the full story behind those photos I took and that was a day I will never forget. Those shots and FridaeTV almost never happened…My “friend” and I managed to get to the front of the floor, stage right audience left near the middle of the barricade…Huge mistake, once Papa Roach hit the stage it was over, I was getting crushed into the barricade by everyone behind me, crowd surfers were flying couldn’t breath it was getting darker, all I could hear were echoes and felt myself drifting off.
The bitch who called herself a friend was just watching, she didn’t help or try to get help. At this point I could see colours and doubles as people were fading everything was going black. I was praying to God I would survive yet another fucked up adventure as my short teenage life was flashing before my eyes again. Just before it went completely dark I faintly heard someone asking me if I was okay, I couldn’t even speak and didn’t need to. He immediately started yelling at the crowd to move back, pulling mostly dudes off of me and was joined by the other security guards who did the same. They gave me water and kept my purse on the barricades inside and handed me my camera when I needed it. As I was regaining consciousness a few security guards were always nearby or hovering to keep me safe for the rest of Papa Roach and all of Eminem’s set, until I asked them to pull me out when it ended. Those security guards saved my life and am so thankful to them. When I could finally talk again a few minutes before Mathers and the whole D12 crew hit the stage I turned to my “friend” to tell her I almost passed out and died. She said “I know, I don’t care I’m here to see Eminem, you’re not important.” Fuck I wanted to drop kick the bitch and just as she finished rolling her eyes at me she was kicked in the head a few times in a row by crowd surfers and security did nothing to help her. Karma! Haven’t spoken to that bitch since, who needs enemies when there are “friends” like her. I saw two completely different sides of humanity that day and will always be petrified of extreme crowds.
Mathers continues to find a way to express himself with words, he knows what formulas to use if he wants radio hits but also proves on this record it’s not about that, it doesn’t sound like he’s trying to recreate MMLP more like recapitulate. In many songs on this record and past singles, Mathers states how unaware he was of how fame would be and still has a love hate relationship with it. All you can do is embrace situations as they come the best you can, use your talent to help all those fucked up kids and people who still need a rebel superhero, someone imperfect to be their perfect. It happens to too many entertainers #1: They either evolve into a better version of themselves like Eminem seems to be doing? #2: They end up like Amanda Bynes who cracked out like Lindsey Lohan with a little Courtney Love mucho crazy sprinkled in…Or #3: they end up getting killed or killing themselves by accident or on purpose.
No Eminem album is complete without a few fabulous features from repeats Rihanna on “The Monster” tune, Nate Reuss of Fun on “Headlights”, Skylar Grey on “Asshole” as mentioned above, Sarah Jaffe, Sia and a few more vocalists also make appearances. The only rapper to spit on this record other than Mathers is Kendrick Lamar on the eccentric tune titled “Love Game”. A very hickory blend of samples from “Game Of Love” By: Clint Ballard Jr. and “The Object Of My Affection”. This tune is a comical experience in typical Shady fashion and the style of Lamar’s verse was very fitting to the concept of the tune. I like Lamar’s flow overall, he just added a whole different dimension to his talent on this record, definitely stepping up his game. I can see why he is signed to Aftermath because he has that special quality to his flow.
Eminem is 41 in human years but only really a semi-adult who will never fully grow up because he didn’t have a normal childhood. I call that (MJS) Michael Jackson or (PPS) Peter Pan Syndrome… I feel so sorry for his girls and their future boyfriends, I know first hand how intimidating fathers can be with that area of stuff…You can’t be scary in those moments or they will shut you out. Just be what your parents were not. Be Dad, someone who they can talk to, trust and always rely on. If you show them everyday how much you love them, regardless of your shenanigans they will always love you. My Father raised my siblings and I, he wasn’t perfect but always had our backs until the day he died. Although track three “Rhyme or Reason” on this record is kind of funny with the way he starts on the beat, it’s pretty shitty that Mathers never had his Father in his life. Then again he wouldn’t be who he is today like all of us, if it weren’t for his past, the good and the bad. “(What’s your name?) Shady (Who’s your daddy?) I don’t give a fuck.” The beat for this track samples the 1968 hit song “Time Of The Season” written by: Rod Argent and performed by the Zombies. The music is also sampled by the fantastical Melanie Fiona on her 2008 hit “Give It To Me Right”. Some of my favorite lines of the cut are “Had a fire in my heart, and a dire desire to aspire, to DIE HARD. So, as long as I’m on the clock punching this time card, Hip hop ain’t dying on my watch.” we’ll see…
The continuation record is not as vulgar as the first, all of the songs are well done and he still tears people new ones. “Your ass backwards like motherfucking Bob and Silent Jay.” He still has that maniacal mind frame of an almost serial killer, which he most likely would fully be if he didn’t make it as an Emcee. The only tune that I wasn’t feeling too much is “Berzerk”, the beat is too sick with all of those old school samples but something about how he sounds on the hook made my ears cringe. That single is the only song where I heard severe nasal to the point of skipping. On the track “So Much Better” he talks about what a Hobag Hip Hop is, like a groupie not about an actual female just an analogy. I really liked the tunes “Legacy” and Beautiful Pain off of the deluxe version featuring Sia, it has an interesting little vibe to it. Marshall Mathers and all his voices would be a cool homie to have, you know he’d be loyal and always have your back but not so fun if you somehow ended up on the chopping pad with his silver bullet words aimed at you. Ta da! Surprise, Eminem actually didn’t say boo about Mariah this time around! Another surprise was the follow up to “Cleaning Out My Closet”, I’m glad Mathers has an apology of sorts for his Mom on this album. In “Headlights” Mathers seems to understand now, that yes his childhood was fucked up but his Mother tried. “Did I take it too far? Cleaning out my closet and all them other songs. But regardless I don’t hate you cause ma! You’re still beautiful to me, cause you’re my mom.” seems as though he has finally put those demons to rest. A reason I could relate to his music when I was younger was his Mother and mine share the same name and are equally as crazy…Actually, mine I think wins the Manic Biopolar award because at least his mother kind of stuck around. Some people say this record is his last and others say SSLP2 should or will follow. Who knows what he has planned for the future??
The main reason I even gave Eminem’s music a chance as a lickle youth was because he was a slick wordsmith. I did not like a few of his singles and actually wanted to backhand pimp slap him a few times for being so disrespectful. But, I didn’t take any of the super fucked up shit to heart because like millions of people I understand expression through artistic outlets. “Who the fuck wants a plain Eminem?“. He’s just getting issues off his chest people, it’s like 2000 all over again with attention seekers crying about how misogynistic or homophobic this and that lyrics is. Don’t you see it’s a game to him he’s a character, of course he wants to push buttons he says this himself but is he really homophobic or a Woman hater? No, he’s just a guy and they say and do stupid shit all the time and you all just keep ge
tting played. Back then and today I somewhat understand where the psycho bottled blonde was coming from, as did millions of others. It doesn’t matter how old Marshall and his “Evil Twin” get, people will still be able to relate to the “Rap God” because he is the poster child for ” The Almost American Dream” which is more common and there is a little Slim Shady in all of us. www.EMINEM.com Buy your copy of MMLP2 USA here and Canada here. I give Eminem’s MMLPII Reboot 4 music notes ♪♪♪♪♪ out of 5!
COPYRIGHT © 2013 FRIDAE MATTAS. All Rights Reserved
By: Fridae Mattas
This review was to be included with all of the other Canadian Music Week and Canadian Music Festival content but decided to split the editorials in half to give proper feature time to the artists that made the cut. After a few obstacles I am back to expressing my thoughts on these two bands.
Not too long ago I covered the headliners Hollywood Undead at a different venue but I have never seen Abandon All Ships live. They are one of those bands I always miss and the same thing almost happened again! Arrived at venue a few seconds to camera call, did not know if I missed it. Luckily for me the girl at the door was very helpful and the fabulous Live Nation escort came to get me, thank you for that! As we rushed into the pit I was scoping out the crowd, it was pretty packed already and Abandon All Ships was the second of three bands to grace the Phoenix stage that night. 
Abandon All Ships is a five piece Electronicore band from Toronto, they have been on the scene since 2006 and will be releasing a new record July 3rd. I’ve heard two of their tracks before “Take One Last Breath” and “Infamous” which I recognized as they played them in their set. Aita’s screaming was fantastic, I love hearing growls that you can mostly understand. When Angelo Aita is not screaming he could be a little more entertaining and personable with the crowd as could Bassist Martin Broda. His vocals were decent, he has a nice tone to his voice and there is potential but he needs to work on his breathing, enunciation. The one reason I don’t listen tot his band is I am not a fan of autotuned vocals. Guitarist Daniel Ciccotelli was the most entertaining of the band, they all could have used a little more energy but overall a respectable performance…I recommend checking them out if you want a pleasant fusion of music in your ears. 
Hollywood Undead were the headliners, the house lights were dimming , the fog started to emerge and once the beat dropped the crowd was fired up and ready for the band to blow them away! HU started in with the intro “Dust In The Wind” morphing into their set with hit single “Undead”. I was expecting the crowd to be a lot crazier than they were, it was like they were fighting the urge to crowd surf and mosh. A few were brave enough to fly around but in my opinion not enough people were surfing considering how many bodies were in the venue, I was a little dissapointed in Toronto. It was good to see more females this time around, all were enjoying themselves and some were having a little too much fun! One girl in particular was escorted by security a few times because she was too intoxicated, some people just don’t know their limit or how to handle their liquor. As much as I dislike shooting in mosh pits or with crowd surfers, I love to photograph them and look forward to these shows just to get shots of the amazing crowd. Not this time…Although they were very energetic it did not compare to the crowd when I first covered Hollywood Undead at the Sound Academy. It could be because the band always comes to Toronto in the middle of cold ass Canadian winter, when most of us are hibernating in our igloos (ha ha). As I migrated out of the pit and back into the crowd area it was pretty packed for a Wednesday night where more than 300 other bands were playing across the city for the 2013 Canadian Music Week festival. 
Once the band began to play, the first few songs were strong but soon enough I could hear there was something off, it sounded like they were having some technical issues with the equipment. Messier and a little strained but then again it was not their fault, the sound system clearly needs an overhaul. If you have the option to migrate around and shoot from different angles, always take it! The more options the bettter but there were a few newer photographers camping out at the same place for all three tunes. I love shooting the masks especially the ones that light up, I have mentioned this before in prior reviews so I will skip the details. I do wonder if they can see in those things? I did see that they were sweating bullets under those masks, I tried my best to avoid sweat drops on me or my lens. last time there was no pit and this venue usually doesn’t have one, I came prepared ready to shoot from anywhere in the venue.
On with the show! It was the same setlist as the last performance covered, the fans eagerly chanted and sang the words to each song before the beats dropped. Majority of them knew the track order off by heart. It’s always cool to watch all of this transpire after I am done photographing the band, you can feel the love the people have for their favorite musical act. The Larries of Hollywood Undead are stepping their game up every time I catch a set, Funny Man is not lurking in the shadows as much anymore however, I did see him standing in a corner taking it all in. His voice is full of bass when he flows, my ears like this sound! If keeps up the crowd visibility and confidence enhancement, he will actually embody his nickname on stage. “I didn’t expect him to sound like that, he doesn’t look like he can rap” said a girl to her friend in the crowd. How can you tell by looking at someone if they can rap or sing? Some people are seriously delayed.
The whole band had much more energy at the January show, but they had the charisma necessary to deliver what the fans were expecting, a great fucking performance. They just released a new record titled “Notes From The Underground”, working on that review. I like their style of Rap Rock crossbreeding especially the beats, these Eminemabee’s are growing on me. J3T and Charlie had the tightest flow with the most conviction followed by Funny Man and J-Dog. Danny sang his heart out as the crowd was singing along with him. There were moments he sounded a little tired but kept his energy up throughout the show. The Drummers had a nice solo which is always fantastic to watch because there are two of them, Da Kurlzz who floated the stage even more occasionally shaking out his curly fro hair. And, there was D-Rock who kept the beats on lock the entire set! I always try my best to get shots of every person on stage but sometimes it’s hard getting a clear shot of the drummer. And with this band it was more challenging because there are nintey five band members on the stage ha ha.
J-Dog was rocking the Axe and Keys throughout the set as was Charlie Scene and Danny. But, J-Dog took it to the next level and jammed out on the speaker with his guitar for a few minutes, the crowd loved that! J-Dog is the most improved this time, they need to do more stage antics and work on interacting with the audience. Bringing a few fans up on stage every show is a good start.
During the set in January Charlie Scene’s twin Larry was chosen to come on stage. This time, they invited two little boys both of whom looked under eleven (all ages show). The little Larries were dancing around trying to rap with the big boys, that was too cute. I love it when bands acknowledge their fans even when they have mascara tears, make them feel special and they will always come back for more. Hollywood Undead closed the set with “We Are” the first single from the new album. On that note, I suggest checking both bands live if you get the chance.
COPYRIGHT © 2013 FRIDAE MATTAS. All Rights Reserved
By: Fridae Mattas
It has been a few years since I first saw Hollywood Undead live at the Sound Academy, they have recently dropped a new record “Notes From The Underground” released January 8th 2013, a review for that album will be published in the near future. This was the first official show of 2013 for Fridae TV, I chose to cover this band once again last Wednesday January 23rd because the people love them! From the day I published the 2011 editorial HU has been searched every day and the review is still one of the top viewed on Fridae TV. What the people want, I try my best to give. It was a sold out show and the people were already hype and ready to see Hollywood Undead in action. Too funny it was, the scalpers were asking everyone if they had extra tickets for them to buy. One scalper was so mad that this woman wouldn’t give him her extra tickets, I was laughing as he bitched about it to some chick.
Once they let me in I wandered the venue to find a spot to shoot from, no pit for this one. The venue was the Virgin Mobile Mod Club which usually never has a pit. I brought different size lenses for that reason, there was no way I was going to shoot from the front of the crowd. The HU set in 2011 was insane, bodies were flying before they even hit the stage! This show was a little calmer but that didn’t stop the crowd from moshing and surfing, sometimes even a few of the band Larries dove in. As the crowd waited for the band, I was trying to find the perfect camera settings but that didn’t matter because majority of the lighting was red, I hate red lighting. Anyway, the crowd started to chant and the band eventually hit the stage kicking off the set with their hit tune “Undead” after an instrumental intro.
They mixed the tunes well in their eighteen track set with a variety 
of new and older material. The crowd was mostly males but I did see quite a few females and people of all ages, at the last show it was a much younger crowd. I loved the boys who were near me, so polite and helpful. They also rocked out hard and knew every word to majority of the tunes. It’s always fun seeing the fans reactions as they watch their favorite band live in the flesh. There were moments when the whole crowd started chanting the song that they were to play before they even played it! Yes, the venue was smaller but the band and the fans tore it up like they were at the ACC. Vocals by the whole band were pretty good considering this was the last show of the tour. I heard a few pitchy notes and some cracklies from Danny but that is understandable. He did throw it down with plenty of energy, truly engaging the crowd as every frontman should. All of the MC’s were on point but I wish a few would have a little more conviction. However, I must say, they all have improved vastly and I noticed they are looking healthier and have more stamina. 
George Ragan “Johnny 3 Tears/J3T” who I thought is the most improved wasn’t so out of breath, his flow is getting pretty slick and he interacted with the crowd a lot more. Charlie Scene – Jordon Terrel held it together by rocking that axe and rhyming! He does need to be a little tighter and give a little more attention to the fans even with the axe in hand. They had two fantastic drummers Daren Pfeifer who is always behind the kit while Matthew St. Claire “Da Kurlzz” floated around and rapped when he wasn’t drumming. I wish there was more visibility from Funny Man he was lingering in the background while the others took command of the stage, I noticed the same thing last time. He needs to gain more confidence and come out of his shell. They all have some phenomenal masks, the coolest ones being those that light up like J-Dog’s mask “Jorel Decker”. 
My favorite part of the set was when Danny pointed out a fan in the front who was decked out from head to toe like Charlie Scene and brought him up on stage to rap with the band. I’m sure it was the highlight of his life so far and for a little white boy he wasn’t half bad. Like all of the fans, he knew every word to the track. I love it when bands randomly do things for their fans because they are the most important part of the show and so many artists and bands forget that.
The newer tracks sound pretty solid but one track they played “Another Way Out” totally reminded me of a Backstreet Boys tune and I’m scratching my brain trying to figure out which one, my fourteen year old self would have known! The last track of the set before the encores was “Hear Me Now”, the crowd was so loud I wasn’t expecting those high decibels. I watched the set from every angle of the room and once I reached the back there was one man who stood out, he looked about fifty or so and was rocking out hardcore joining the teens and twenty somethings head banging to the beats! They closed the set with their first single off of their new album “We Are”, another crowd favorite. Hollywood Undead did it again, their fans love them and I’m sure people that went to the show not knowing who they were are now guaranteed fans. They finally stopped talking about their dicks every five minutes and now can be taken seriously as legit musical powerhouses in the making. Thanks to the fabulous folks at Live Nation for being so amazing! If you can and haven’t yet, I recommend you go see Hollywood Undead live and grab their latest record here.
COPYRIGHT © 2013 FRIDAE MATTAS. All Rights Reserved
