Yngwie Malmsteen Parody

I'm a fan of Yngwie's playing and music but this shit is very funny...

RE: S.R.V. Number 1 Replica Guitar Raffle package @ SRV Ride

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: S.R.V. Ride & Concert
Date: Jun 22, 2007 5:14 AM




Please welcome our new sponsor Tim Davis, replicator of Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Number 1" guitar.

http://www.srvnumber1.com


Tim Davis making 25 of these replicas for sale, and donating one Number 1 replica guitar to the SRV Ride & Concert to be raffled at the event!

Raffle Tickets $5.00 each, need not be present to win.
Raffle Tickets on sale at the event website

Raffle details at bottom of page.




"It's exactly like that old beat up thing I gave to Stevie - you can write down that I said it's just like Stevie's, and I don't care who asks because I said it, and if I said it, it's true!" - Ray Hennig on the "Three Years Ago Tomorrow, Hall Of Fame Guitar Artwork.







Tim Davis is creating only 25 of these amazing replica guitars for sale, please visit his website (www.srvnumber1.com) for more info about the package he is offering.






http://www.srvnumber1.com






Also included with this prize will be a duplicated custom guitar strap made by professional leathersmith & musician, Christian Brooks. Christian made Stevie's guitar strap as seen here...



Each year Christian donates a guitar strap, among other items, to the charity so please add our proud supporter Christian Brooks to your friends. www.myspace.com/snookie2000






And...


A replica SRV hat made by Texas Hatters (the same people that made Stevie's hats)






***From TexasHatters.com
This is Stevie Ray Vaughan's classic black "bolero" hat. Just about every hat we made him was this style, sometimes a different color or colors, but the same basic style. The crown is 4 inches creased and the brim is 4 inches with a 9 ligne gros grain ribbon binding. The band that comes with it is the black satin pugaree. ********!!!THE BLACK SATIN BANDS ARE IN!!!******** Other bands like the ones he wore are available for and additional charge.





Texas Hatters
911 S. Commerce St
Lockhart, Texas 78644
512-398-4287
800-421-HATS

www.TexasHatters.com






Last but not least, the winner will also receive an autographed copy of Cutter Brandenburg's 600-page autobiography of his life with Stevie Ray and many other artists.





For more info visit www.mrceecutter.com and add him as your friend at myspace.com/mrceecutter




Cutter Brandenburg's comments about Tim Davis' Number 1 replica


Yall I feel that every so often different people approach me with different ideas and concepts. Some good, some bad, some have been tried before and some should never have been tried.


Tim Davis is a young artist, creator, carpenter and devoted fan of Stevie is in the process of reproducing Stevie's beloved Number 1, his 1st wife with as much detail and love and passion as I have seen. Now, I’m not here to knock anyone or any company that in the past has taken their turn at this project. I can only say:


1. I have held and strung and cleaned Stevie's Number 1 countless times.


2. I have held and seen close up the replica of Stevie's Number 1 that was recently done in the last few years by Fender. She just was missin somethin. It wasn't measurements or scale. Painting cannot replace years of wear. Passion and love of the replica just was not built into those guitars, in my most humble opinion only.


3. I have held, seen and felt the love and passion that Tim Davis has put into his replication of Stevie's beloved Number 1 / 1st Wife. It is very eerie. It feels right and looks right and more important, it is not painted to achieve the look, it is worn down by a master carpenter to come as close as one EVER will to the real deal.


With all that being said may I say one mo thang. Tim Davis is such a real and sincere man that I know Stevie himself would say Wow! Somethin about this feels so right in every way. I hope all that would like to own such an article of beautiful love, take advantage of this ASAP. There will only be 25 and to those lucky few, they will feel somthin very special in their hands.


I have been called many things and said some pretty outlandish thangs in my day. I feel with this it speaks really for it self. Nuff said I’m thinkin.


Love,
Cee / Cutter
www.mrceecutter.com
www.myspace.com/mrceecutter




Check it out now on
www.SRVnumber1.com
Do not wait, Do not be late.






Raffle Tickets on sale at the event website: www.srvrideandconcert.org





RAFFLE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2007 Stevie Ray Vaughan #1 Guitar Replica Raffle "Package" Ticket. $5.00 each. No limit to number of tickets purchased. Odds of winning depend on the number of tickets sold. Drawing will take place at the 13th Annual Stevie Ray Vaughan Remembrance Ride and Concert on October 7, 2007 at The Palladium Ballroom 1135 South Lamar Dallas, TX 75215. Need not be present to win. Cash value of replica guitar is $15,000. The "Package" includes (but is not limited to):
1. Replica Guitar Strap by Christian Brooks
2. Replica Hat by Texas Hatters
3. "You Can't Stop A Comet" by Cutter Brandenburg
If winner is not present at the drawing, he/she will be contacted by phone and/or email. Winner has 30 (thirty) days to claim prize. Winner is responsible for shipment of the guitar, and all shipping costs associated. Replica guitar is created and donated by Tim Davis, www.srvnumber1.com
Volunteers, sponsors, vendors, staff and family of the above associated with S.R.V. Remembrance Ride, Inc are not eligible to win.




S.R.V. Remembrance Ride, Inc. is 501 (c) (3) non-profit company

All event proceeds benefit the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Record Industry's Decline

Record sales are tanking, and there's no hope in sight: How it all went wrong

Brian Hiatt and Evan SerpickPosted Jun 19, 2007 2:29 PM

Page 1 2 3
This is the first part of a two-part series on the decline of the record industry. Today we're including Brian Hiatt and Evan Serpick's report on where the music business went wrong, from the current issue of Rolling Stone, as well as an interactive graphic illustrating the industry's slide. Tomorrow, check back with RollingStone.com for interviews with industry leaders on the future of the music business.

Sales figures courtesy of Nielsen SoundScan

For the music industry, it was a rare bit of good news: Linkin Park's new album sold 623,000 copies in its first week this May -- the strongest debut of the year. But it wasn't nearly enough. That same month, the band's record company, Warner Music Group, announced that it would lay off 400 people, and its stock price lingered at fifty-eight percent of its peak from last June.

Overall CD sales have plummeted sixteen percent for the year so far -- and that's after seven years of near-constant erosion. In the face of widespread piracy, consumers' growing preference for low-profit-margin digital singles over albums, and other woes, the record business has plunged into a historic decline.

The major labels are struggling to reinvent their business models, even as some wonder whether it's too late. "The record business is over," says music attorney Peter Paterno, who represents Metallica and Dr. Dre. "The labels have wonderful assets -- they just can't make any money off them." One senior music-industry source who requested anonymity went further: "Here we have a business that's dying. There won't be any major labels pretty soon."

In 2000, U.S. consumers bought 785.1 million albums; last year, they bought 588.2 million (a figure that includes both CDs and downloaded albums), according to Nielsen SoundScan. In 2000, the ten top-selling albums in the U.S. sold a combined 60 million copies; in 2006, the top ten sold just 25 million. Digital sales are growing -- fans bought 582 million digital singles last year, up sixty-five percent from 2005, and purchased $600 million worth of ringtones -- but the new revenue sources aren't making up for the shortfall.


More than 5,000 record-company employees have been laid off since 2000. The number of major labels dropped from five to four when Sony Music Entertainment and BMG Entertainment merged in 2004 -- and two of the remaining companies, EMI and Warner, have flirted with their own merger for years.

About 2,700 record stores have closed across the country since 2003, according to the research group Almighty Institute of Music Retail. Last year the eighty-nine-store Tower Records chain, which represented 2.5 percent of overall retail sales, went out of business, and Musicland, which operated more than 800 stores under the Sam Goody brand, among others, filed for bankruptcy. Around sixty-five percent of all music sales now take place in big-box stores such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy, which carry fewer titles than specialty stores and put less effort behind promoting new artists.

Just a few years ago, many industry executives thought their problems could be solved by bigger hits. "There wasn't anything a good hit couldn't fix for these guys," says a source who worked closely with top executives earlier this decade. "They felt like things were bad and getting worse, but I'm not sure they had the bandwidth to figure out how to fix it. Now, very few of those people are still heads of the companies."

More record executives now seem to understand that their problems are structural: The Internet appears to be the most consequential technological shift for the business of selling music since the 1920s, when phonograph records replaced sheet music as the industry's profit center. "We have to collectively understand that times have changed," says Lyor Cohen, CEO of Warner Music Group USA. In June, Warner announced a deal with the Web site Lala.com that will allow consumers to stream much of its catalog for free, in hopes that they will then pay for downloads. It's the latest of recent major-label moves that would have been unthinkable a few years back:

* In May, one of the four majors, EMI, began allowing the iTunes Music Store to sell its catalog without the copy protection that labels have insisted upon for years.

* When YouTube started showing music videos without permission, all four of the labels made licensing deals instead of suing for copyright violations.

* To the dismay of some artists and managers, labels are insisting on deals for many artists in which the companies get a portion of touring, merchandising, product sponsorships and other non-recorded-music sources of income.

So who killed the record industry as we knew it? "The record companies have created this situation themselves," says Simon Wright, CEO of Virgin Entertainment Group, which operates Virgin Megastores. While there are factors outside of the labels' control -- from the rise of the Internet to the popularity of video games and DVDs -- many in the industry see the last seven years as a series of botched opportunities. And among the biggest, they say, was the labels' failure to address online piracy at the beginning by making peace with the first file-sharing service, Napster. "They left billions and billions of dollars on the table by suing Napster -- that was the moment that the labels killed themselves," says Jeff Kwatinetz, CEO of management company the Firm. "The record business had an unbelievable opportunity there. They were all using the same service. It was as if everybody was listening to the same radio station. Then Napster shut down, and all those 30 or 40 million people went to other [file-sharing services]."

It all could have been different: Seven years ago, the music industry's top executives gathered for secret talks with Napster CEO Hank Barry. At a July 15th, 2000, meeting, the execs -- including the CEO of Universal's parent company, Edgar Bronfman Jr.; Sony Corp. head Nobuyuki Idei; and Bertelsmann chief Thomas Middelhof -- sat in a hotel in Sun Valley, Idaho, with Barry and told him that they wanted to strike licensing deals with Napster. "Mr. Idei started the meeting," recalls Barry, now a director in the law firm Howard Rice. "He was talking about how Napster was something the customers wanted."

The idea was to let Napster's 38 million users keep downloading for a monthly subscription fee -- roughly $10 -- with revenues split between the service and the labels. But ultimately, despite a public offer of $1 billion from Napster, the companies never reached a settlement. "The record companies needed to jump off a cliff, and they couldn't bring themselves to jump," says Hilary Rosen, who was then CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America. "A lot of people say, 'The labels were dinosaurs and idiots, and what was the matter with them?' But they had retailers telling them, 'You better not sell anything online cheaper than in a store,' and they had artists saying, 'Don't screw up my Wal-Mart sales.' " Adds Jim Guerinot, who manages Nine Inch Nails and Gwen Stefani, "Innovation meant cannibalizing their core business."


Even worse, the record companies waited almost two years after Napster's July 2nd, 2001, shutdown before licensing a user-friendly legal alternative to unauthorized file-sharing services: Apple's iTunes Music Store, which launched in the spring of 2003. Before that, labels started their own subscription services: PressPlay, which initially offered only Sony, Universal and EMI music, and MusicNet, which had only EMI, Warner and BMG music. The services failed. They were expensive, allowed little or no CD burning and didn't work with many MP3 players then on the market.

Rosen and others see that 2001-03 period as disastrous for the business. "That's when we lost the users," Rosen says. "Peer-to-peer took hold. That's when we went from music having real value in people's minds to music having no economic value, just emotional value."

In the fall of 2003, the RIAA filed its first copyright-infringement lawsuits against file sharers. They've since sued more than 20,000 music fans. The RIAA maintains that the lawsuits are meant to spread the word that unauthorized downloading can have consequences. "It isn't being done on a punitive basis," says RIAA CEO Mitch Bainwol. But file-sharing isn't going away -- there was a 4.4 percent increase in the number of peer-to-peer users in 2006, with about a billion tracks downloaded illegally per month, according to research group BigChampagne.

Despite the industry's woes, people are listening to at least as much music as ever. Consumers have bought more than 100 million iPods since their November 2001 introduction, and the touring business is thriving, earning a record $437 million last year. And according to research organization NPD Group, listenership to recorded music -- whether from CDs, downloads, video games, satellite radio, terrestrial radio, online streams or other sources -- has increased since 2002. The problem the business faces is how to turn that interest into money. "How is it that the people that make the product of music are going bankrupt, while the use of the product is skyrocketing?" asks the Firm's Kwatinetz. "The model is wrong."

Kwatinetz sees other, leaner kinds of companies -- from management firms like his own, which now doubles as a record label, to outsiders such as Starbucks -- stepping in. Paul McCartney recently abandoned his longtime relationship with EMI Records to sign with Starbucks' fledgling Hear Music. Video-game giant Electronic Arts also started a label, exploiting the promotional value of its games, and the newly revived CBS Records will sell music featured in CBS TV shows.

Licensing music to video games, movies, TV shows and online subscription services is becoming an increasing source of revenue."We expect to be a brand licensing organization," says Cohen of Warner, which in May started a new division, Den of Thieves, devoted to producing TV shows and other video content from its music properties. And the record companies are looking to increase their takes in the booming music publishing business, which collects songwriting royalties from radio play and other sources. The performance-rights organization ASCAP reported a record $785 million in revenue in 2006, a five percent increase from 2005. Revenues are up "across the board," according to Martin Bandier, CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which controls the Beatles' publishing. "Music publishing will become a more important part of the business," he says. "If I worked for a record company, I'd be pulling my hair out. The recorded-music business is in total confusion, looking for a way out."

Nearly every corner of the record industry is feeling the pain. "A great American sector has been damaged enormously," says the RIAA's Bainwol, who blames piracy, "from songwriters to backup musicians to people who work at labels. The number of bands signed to labels has been compromised in a pretty severe fashion, roughly a third."

Times are hard for record-company employees. "People feel threatened," says Rosen. "Their friends are getting laid off left and right." Adam Shore, general manager of the then-Atlantic Records-affiliated Vice Records, told Rolling Stone in January that his colleagues are having an "existential crisis." "We have great records, but we're less sure than ever that people are going to buy them," he says. "There's a sense around here of losing faith."

Additional reporting by Steve Knopper and Nicole Frehsée

The new book, THE VAN HALEN SAGA available in August

Better finish the books on your summer reading list by the end of August. That’s when Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga (Wiley Publishing) hits bookstore shelves. Written by noted metal journalist and radio host Ian Christe, the book recounts the life and times of the L.A. group that rose to hard rock dominance in the late Seventies.

The book begins with an account of Van Halen’s explosive arrival on the California hard rock scene in 1978, revealing the powers of lead singer David Lee Roth, wunderkind guitarist Eddie Van Halen, good-natured bassist Michael Anthony and complex drummer Alex Van Halen. The story follows the band’s development and success, through Sammy Hagar’s replacement of Roth in 1985, and his own replacement by former-Extreme singer Gary Cherone in the late Nineties.

Along the way, appearances are made by prominent supporting players, including Eddie Van Halen’s wife Valerie Bertinelli, musical collaborator Michael Jackson and business partner Gene Simmons of Kiss.

In addition to the band’s history, the book recounts the discord between Eddie and his frontmen, his drinking, his relationship with Bertinelli, and the secrets behind his guitars.

Christe is the author of Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging Story of Heavy Metal and host of the popular Bloody Roots program on Sirius satellite radio’s Hard Attack station.

Everybody Wants Some will be released August 31. The 320-page hardcover book includes a 16-page color photo insert and will sell in the U.S. for $25.95. To pre-order, visit wiley.com or amazon.com.

EVH @ 5150: SECRETS OF THE NEW FENDER FRANKENSTEIN

Here's something to lick your chops with... Talk 'bout TRUE greatness!!

SRV thieves still at large - POLICE NEED YOUR HELP

SRV thieves still at large - POLICE NEED YOUR HELP

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------

Date: Jun 19, 2007 11:09 AM




PLEASE REPOST


Since we posted the news links about the people that stole Stevie's equipment from Jimmie Vaughan's storage many people have read the story as "the thieves have been cought" - This is not the case.


James Matthew "Matt" Malone was arrested in April at a hotel for methamphetamine, posted bond and was released from jail. Austin police later figured out James Matthew Malone stole the items from Jimmie Vaughan's storage unit.


The thieves are still at large, the Austin police need your help in finding them.

Arrest warrants have been issued, but they are still at large and you should not approach them. If you have information regarding their location, please call 911 or the Austin Police Department at 512-974-6855. The men are James Matthew "Matt" Malone, and Michael Shane Winders.



James Matthew "Matt" Malone


Michael Shane Winders



The following report is from KVUE.com

http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/061807kvuevaughantheft-cb.16185b86.html


Men wanted in Stevie Ray Vaughan memorabilia thefts

06:42 PM CDT on Monday, June 18, 2007

KVUE News staff reports

More than $125,000 worth of Austin-legend Stevie Ray Vaughan memorabilia has been seized in connection with two storage unit thefts in Central Austin earlier this year.

According to the arrest affidavit, police cracked the case when they arrested a 29-year-old man for possessing methamphetamine at a North Austin hotel in April. While searching James Matthew Malone's room, they found several items that had once belonged to Vaughan, including guitar picks, a bolo tie with the initials "SRV," unused concert tickets, backstage passes and a guitar.

Austin police detectives pieced the clues together and say that Malone stole the items and others from a U-Haul storage unit on East 46th Street that belonged to Vaughan's brother, musician Jimmie Vaughan. The storage unit was burglarized in February, as well as late April or early May. What's more, police say Malone had rented a storage unit in the same building as Jimmy Vaughan's unit.

Investigators say Malone then tried to sell the items. Court documents show he had approached a Stevie Ray Museum in Dallas. They say he also sold several items, including a snake skin guitar strap, to a concerned citizen who called police, and tried to place up to $70,000 worth of memorabilia for consignment through the Heritage Auction House in Dallas.

Malone was charged with theft, a second degree felony. His bond was set at $132,000. A second man accused of helping Malone sell the items -- Michael Shane Winders, 38 -- has also been charged with theft.

All of the found items were seized, but detectives say more is missing, including six guitars worth several hundred thousand dollars.

Stevie Ray Vaughan's fan club president is concerned over which guitars are still missing.

"When I heard that there was a probability that Jimmie's warehouse had been broken into and some of Stevie's things had been stolen, including guitars, I was really surprised and dismayed that somebody would do that," said Craig Hopkins, fan club president. "Of course, depending on which ones they are, they could be worth anywhere from $10,000 to $1 million."

Jimmie Vaughan's manager, Cory Moore, told KVUE Stevie Ray Vaughan's most famous guitar, Number One, was not among the property stolen. He said much of the items taken belonged to Jimmie, and he appreciates the community's support in this investigation.

Police are asking for the public's help to find Winders and Malone. They say they could be anywhere in the U.S.

"We ask the public to call the Austin Police Department or call 9-1-1 if they're seen or if they know where they're at -- another city another state, so we can get them apprehended," said Lt. John Colunga, Austin Police Department.

If you have any information, call CrimeStoppers at 472-TIPS.

How 'bout cuttin heads?

While everybody body was learning how to play Van Halen's "Eruption" or Malmsteen's "Black Star". I was busy on learning Steve Vai's "Head Cutting Duel" and trying to grasp the idea on how to play all over the guitar neck recklessly without a single bad note. And I don't mean playing note per note. Anybody with enough time and practice can learn a whole solo/song note per note. The magic mojo is realizing and visualizing in your mind on how and what it took to create. That's the Holy Grail or palette I was seeking and still adding colors to this very day. In short I wanted to learn how Steve Vai did it, that way I would do it my way with my own stamp on it...

I remember reading that Steve Vai did write out some parts and the rest was just improvised. Don't really know or care... All I know that it was a very important master piece of music right after I saw the movie. Thanks to my Dad and Mom for putting up with me those years of 1986-87. I was driving them nuts from then on and begging for an electric guitar and amp. My Classical guitar and studies were shelved and on the back burner and they weren't too happy about that. Never mind the loudness of an amped electric guitar at full volume and me jumping from furniture to furniture doing arm swings and sticking out my tongue like Gene Simmons... lol ~JCM

Paco De Lucia... Flamenco at its best.

This is another one of my passion that I wish I could play a tenth of what Paco does. Back in the mid eighties I was on my way to become a Classical/Flamenco guitar player during my early years of learning guitar. But thanks to the 1986 movie "Crossroads" and Steve Vai. It changed my direction and practices right after that.

I'm in that classical guitar kick right now. I am planing, in the distant future, on recording a classical guitar music CD. But I just have to put closer on pending and anticipating CD releases first.

Enjoy Paco... No distortion!! No pick!! and he still shreds with the best and this is an old flick recorded in the early seventies-maybe late sixties... Dunno really. ~JCM

An interview with Ian Moore... Class in session!

Huge influence on me... Kinda like Dylan was to Hendrix.

Ian Moore's music and performance is always honest and pure. Buy any of his CDs or best yet buy'em ALL!! Ian is one of the rare and few artist has gone against the grain of trend or what ever might seem cool. A true artist will only paint and remain to his heart, mind and soul. Ian was the turning point and direction in me wanting to front and sing back in 1992. If there was no Ian Moore there probably be no JCM or The Killing Floor. I'd be playing in a cover band doing the same old Tool, 3-Doors Down or whatever hit music you hear on the radio.

And yes I've played in cover bands and in one time in front over ten thousand people at a 2003-2004, New Year's Eve event. It was great in all doing the autograph thing and throwing guitar picks after the show performance... But it was not me or my thing. I'm greatful and humble for the experience. If I was asked to do it again I probably would. Only because I know it would be a one shot thing and I wouldn't need to commit away from my passion The Killing Floor. So there I have experienced BOTH. ~JCM

The end of final mix...

The actual pre-master on DVD that was not able to fit a CD.

About 10:30am, June 1, 2007. when Miguel and I met with Peter Carey and did some last finishing touches on the new Killing Floor CD. It was very refreshing and interesting to hear a project that's about a 15 months old and yet it still has that magical sound that didn't sound dated, old and worn out. I was very careful not to change too much. It very tempting to change this track and re-over do this and over- dub that and loose that magic of the original.

It was a bit complicated to re-open old files with its plug-ins that were recored with each songs and not to mention each individuals tracks. Had we wait more time we might have lost the ability to do the changes that we did. Technology always moving forward and that sometimes can present a challenge.

Jack joint us around 12:00 and I was pacing like a father expecting his new born and this of course, was very humoring for Miguel and Jack... Yeah It was kinda funny I guese...

Listening to each track song and after a year, does come with its advantages. I knew what need to be raised up and down in volume and with that reconfirmation smile of my brothers, we struck gold. In the end the whole session took about four hours and we walk out of Rhythm Room Studios with two identical Pre-Master Discs in hand... One for Miguel and for me. The next step is to take to the mastering specialists at Terra Nova Digital Audio in Austin, Texas. Their waiting list is about three to five weeks. I'll find out Monday and book the earlies available date. Till then here some of the slight changes we did.

1. Live: one backing vocal track was brought slightly from the mix.
2. What I Dream To Do: one backing vocal was brought slightly from the mix.
3. Savvy: A slight extended original feedback solo in mid section, backing vocals were brought up a bit, and last ending solo was brought down a bit.
4. Day By Day: No changes were done.
5. Mary Jayne: One backing track harmony vocal was brought up a bit from the mix.
6. Devils' Alley: No Changes...
7. It's Not Me: Sitars were brought up in volume a bit and there's a piano line added to the verses only.
8. There's a Hole In My Heart: Different rhythm track backing the first solo.
9. Streets: Rhythm guitars were brought back a bit.
10. Manic Depression: No Changes
11. Earth Blues: No Changes

~JCM

After a year the new title of CD...

(Picture Taken By Kelly Fields)

Well tomorrrow Miguel, Jack and I will be heading at the Rhythm Room studios to finalized a final mix before the mastering of the CD. It's amazing after a year how things can change and have a totally different outlook and perspective on what was to be the original idea and theme. "La Danza Macabra" which means the dance of death will be the new title of CD.


Original front cover art work and theme is almost 100% finished. The first 1000 CDs will have the complete 11 songs. There after we might have to omit "Earth Blues and "Manic Depression". Will see and will try to keep'em. There will be slight differences on some songs from what you hear on MySpace. But more details soon on where it will be sold first. ~JCM

JCM's Ver.1 Guitar Picks.

I finally had some printed custom guitar picks made for me... There are the green Delrin material .33" (.84mm) medium gauge. Which is what I've been using for the past 10 years. They don't slip out of my fingers when I sweat and don't ware and break very easy either and plus they have a great tone. There are not as thick as the purples Delrin, which is what I used to use. Here a scan pic of the guitar picks which have a double print.

THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO.

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST
Subject: Emergency
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND
Subject: Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk). Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!"

THIRD
Subject: Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.
And Finally...

FIFTH Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now. This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends.

From David Emery,
Your Guide to Urban Legends and Folklore.

THE KILLING FLOOR LIVE @ Tiffany's - May 25, 2007

My Venture Into The Classical Guitar...

My Classical Acoustic/Electric Guitar - Takamine EC128

The three on going chord progression you hear on "...And Vampires Made Made Love" was recorded with this guitar. It's gotta be those nylon strings.

Not many people know this but during my early years of playing guitar I studied classical music. Way before the shred/rock and now blues thing, it's been about a good twenty years. Every now and then I'll play a few classical pieces that I manage keep with me and memorized. Classical music has always remained with me and it's a very soothing feeling to play "Greensleeves" or "Minuet" which is not a common number for me to play or practice when I pickup a guitar.

But the hardest for me was to re-learn to read music were it made musically sense and it took me every bit of a week. I'm still nowhere near to considered myself a sight reader. I still stumble and pull my hair on almost every classical number I try to play. I won't ever be a Andres Segovia, or a Flamenco master, Paco De Lucia and I'm not trying to be either. But I love the disciplined it brings, which is a total opposite of what I usually do. So with that being said, meet the other side of my playing that I really enjoy venturing into.

I play easy compositions. Some with allot of confidence and some without...lol Either way it's all good and classical guitar players out there... Try not to be too hard on me... I'm still a novice classical guitarist that will never claim to be a virtuoso and plus the blues still rules majority of my heart. ~JCM

Here are some simple compositions that I can read/play and enjoy.

"Greensleeves" (Anonymous 16th Century)
"Minute" J.S. Bach - (1685 - 1750)
"Andante II" Ferdinando Sor - (1778 - 1839)
"Minute" G.P. Telemann - (1681 - 1767)
"Rondo" Jean Phillippe Rameau - (1683 - 1764)
"Allegretto II" Ferdinando Sor - (1778 - 1839)
"Adagio in E Minor" Dionisio Aguado (1789 - 1849)
"Waltz" Ferdinand Carulli (1770 - 1841)
"Andantino" Matteo Carassi (1732 - 1853)

My two Washburn D10CEQSB acoustic guitars and my farewells...

My two Washburn Acoustics D10CE... They way to tell them apart from photos. Look at the background cloths and notice there are different. Pictures were taken at a different times. About six months or more time span.

The very first one I owned

(Beautiful Mahogany backs is what makes these model popular)

(At the bottom one is my number two)

(Well You can tell them apart. Number 2 had a couple of nick/scares at the back of the neck)

I had two identical D10s Washburn... One I sold last year and my last one this past week. I was a little sad about it... I wrote "What I Dream To Do" and "Day By Day" on those guitars... Monday before I packed my last one to ship away. I played for about thirty minutes and I had to stop before I changed my mind and claim to reject sale... I had'em for about four years and I never recorded with them or than home demos. Farewell to them I know they went to a good home. the pictures were used for the actual sale.

A Face Lift was given...

We re-vamped all of our MySpace sites and as you can see this one too... It was time for a makeover. Click on the links at your right and see... Thanks for checking us out and supporting The Killing Floor... Please let us know who you are. Enjoy! ~JCM

Don't let your legacy be forgotten.

The quest for ones own emancipation should never settle then on ones own realized limits. Your mind, heart and soul becomes one in harmony and it justifies and purifies your will of being. A gift you should give yourself and that no one can break it , take it or steal it. The journey on staying true to your heart, open to your mind and be kind to your soul can sometimes take a life time to learn and in some cases its never realized. Can you image the crime in that. Don't let your legacy be forgotten... ~JCM

Tiffany Billard's Show!!

D-Day's Revenge speaks with JCM of The Killing Floor

D-Day's Revenge speaks with JCM of The Killing Floor
Roberta keeps things roling with our next interview. We step away from heavy metal to more of a blues rock with The Killing Floor. JCM does a great job answering Roberta's questions, so sit back and enjoy the read.

Roberta: How Did you all come together as a band? Were you friends first?

JCM: I played with a couple of blues band with female fronted singers back in 98' before I started to do my own thing. It's been a tough road finding the right people to lock in with the same goals and vision. You wanna weed out the attitudes, backstabbers, and flakes wanna be's and I can say this now… This version of The Killing Floor is the right chemistry, talent and attitude. My brothers from other mothers: Jack, Miguel, Darren and Larry there are my best friends, musicians and human beings… They would give their shirts off their backs and not shove a knife into you while do so. It all about true colors and I'll just leave it at that.

Roberta: At what age did yu play your first Instrument?

JCM: I started playing guitar at the age of thirteen and back then I didn't even know what a tuned guitar was…lol So I just plucked a way for two years and a buddy of mine showed me how to tune a guitar and some bar chords… Everything got easier and made sense really fast after that…lol

BTW- My starting instrument was the drums.

Roberta: Descibe your music Style the Best you Can!!!

JCM: I and or we, don't setup ourselves for any formula or trend and we are not here to re-invent the wheel either. But I don't want to be recantation of what's already been done and though we are what we eat and drink… You'll hear our influences that will definitely show, but not as a rip off or a re-creation. I just let things flow and let the music take its shape. "Mary Jayne" was written in two hours where as "Its Not Me" took me ten years….
Our style??... hhmmm

Otis Taylor describes his music as trance blues… I like that and will use it too... Experimental, jam, blues/rock band with an attitude sounds like a good musical style title…

Roberta: Who are your Biggest Influences in music?

JCM: Way, way- too many to list but my top five for right now and it changes too… Jimi Hendrix, Ian Moore, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Paco De Lucia and Audioslave.

Roberta: Are there any shows scheduled for your band ? and will they be Local or Statewide?

JCM: Big transitions have happen in both my personal life and the band… Our focus right now is the release and promotion of The Killing Floor CD. We will venture out side San Antonio, that's for sure, and out of state gigs will be more baby steps… We have so many friends in bands and fans that would love for us to play in there town and that's one of our biggest goals to make realize. Spread the gospel and share the vision and feel of our music to you and for you… So it's definitely in the works.

Roberta: Who,s the Songwriter in your band?

JCM: That would be me… but Miguel and Darren are no slackers… They will bring many great ideas and styles so the next CD will definitely bring and breathe another dimension. Our formula and standards is to be true to our hearts and we are fans of our music as well. You have to be… So we have NO fillers songs. Every note counts and every lyric has a meaning. We mold and create with our hearts, mind and soul. So in essences the music is honest and a success to us and for us. It has to rip and it has to groove before we presented to a live audience. No process cheese labeled, flavor of the month and packaged crap here that dominates the corporate mainstream music of TV and radio today. And yes even our cover tunes go through the same treatment. So we are absolutely NOT a cover band or a jukebox… Every sound we squeeze out of a cover tune will be in the vain of The Killing Floor.

Roberta: If you could choose any 3 bands to go on a massive tour with? Who would they be???

JCM: hhmmm… Eric Clapton, ZZ Top, Los Lonely Boys, Ian Moore… Though I think our music is a little heavier but not as heavy as Audioslave. Definitely Audioslave would be in my favorite list too… There I gave you five… I'm not very good with directions…lol

Roberta: Are their any plans for a CD coming out soon? or any other Projects that you are working on?

JCM: The CD has been done and recorded since Spring of 2006 but there might be a few more tweaks from what you hear on MySpace or our podOmatic podcast. The new CD release date is March 15 ,2007. I do want to apologize to everyone anticipating last years release date. I didn't foresee the rocky roads ahead that then reared its ugly head at the last minute and almost broke the sprit of the band. But this is now and everything is for a reason and I really see this as a blessing more than anything else. Thanks to the new fire in the band Darren and Miguel, and plus the band looks way better too… Also want to mention… Peter Carey has been a total sweetheart from the start. He co-produced, engineered it and did all the piano parts and the whole project was recorded at his studio The Rhythm Room Studios. He's been patient and very understanding on this whole 2006 Killing Floor saga.

Roberta: Where was the first place, that you performed at?

JCM: At the infamous Tacoland in San Antonio. It shape and formed lots of great bands and it had this irresistible vibe that could not or ever be touched or matched. The owner Ram was killed a couple of years ago and Tacoland died with him that very dreadful night. Its had an impact on the San Antonio music scene and something was lost but Tacoland will not be forgotten. I've seen and heard of other so-called happening San Antonio venues opening and then closing and then being gone. But Tacoland and its legacy is stilled being talked about today and still being felt because it was real life honestly that starred at you in the face when you performed there. Good or bad it took some set of balls to play there.

I was given a chance to play Tacoland many times after performing at a Mars Music birthday party staff event back in 2001 if I remember the right year… Herbfest Oct. 2001 was the name of the event. Some of the very best musical talents in town were there that night to witness my greenest and fumbleness for the first time as a front man...lol Yeah no pressure here at all. Nahh… It was great; I've been hooked ever since.

Roberta: How Long have yu all been Together as a Band?

JCM: The Killing Floor… about six years… with different band name and members. But I've been the visionary one from the very start since May 2001. I have to express that not all of the past members of The Killing Floor have been bad. Matt Wicks played bass for The Killing Floor for about five to six months along with Jacob on the drums… These guys were great people that lend their time and their high talents during a time of need. You guys will always be in my heart and I will never forget.

Roberta: On the Whole, Do you feel there is too much attention paid to the Lyrics? rather than concentrating on the music! Which is where, its really at!

JCM: There's not much attention being paid on learning how to play an instrument period. We are in a lazy period of video gaming and computers doing all the work… Guitar Heroes video game is a joke to me… Meat against the wire and the wood with a high volume cranked amp will receive better attention trust me. The satisfaction of learning songs and making your own and then jamming with a band… You just can't explain it, or show it... You have to experience and feel it… Yeah bring a Playstation II plastic guitar Heroes game to a guitar jam session and let us see what happens…lol

Here's food for thought: Learning to play a real instrument does take some time but it does the heart, mind and soul good…

On a lighter note: Almost everything that's music related is relied on computers to fix, compose, copy and paste… Technology has come along way and it's great and it's very much needed… But human imperfections are also good for that human touch and feel. You don't want to sound too perfect like a machine or computer.

I quit listening to mainstream radio and don't even mention MTV… That was given up years ago…

I do remember being harassed about the music I listen to in my teens… But music from the seventies and heavy metal back then in the likes of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Motley Crue, Van Halen, Accept, and AC/DC had there own sound and style. These bands didn't follow trends or tried to sound like each other either… They created there own thing and in many different shapes, forms and colors… But somewhere in the late eighties till even now you are dammed listening to what the music industry thinks you should be listening too and everything sounds the same to me. Well not everything I will make a few exceptions. Maybe that's the way it's always been but now that I'm older I'm just noticing…

That's why CD record sales are low and other forms of radio now exist. Like satellite, internet radio and I love listening to college radio stations… They bring out talent you'll almost never hear on the radio. Public access local music shows are also a blessing and are very welcome and needed. I heard Tom Rigney on a KSYM, a college radio station in San Antonio. He has incredible melodies and arrangements… I just love his music and he's also shreds on the violin. God bless all the people that promote indie and unsigned talent and yes even MySpace… There's hope for all of us listeners and us the artists.

Roberta: Where do you see yourself in Five years?

JCM: Most definitely doing the same thing… Once the fun factor is gone then it's time to hang up the gloves and move on to other things. It's about creating and exploring music to the fullest without the pressure of trends, or what other people say you should do. Five years ago we consider ourselves a blues band… Now I'm not so sure, but if it feels good and moves you, then it really shouldn't matter what style it is presented in. I remember playing gigs and sharing the bill with younger kid bands and they would come up to us and complements us and then referred to us as being old school… Kinda funny when I still see huge sellers of re-issue/remastered, and reunions, CDs of Queen, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Rush, CCR, Black Sabbath and I can go on and on. Ten to fifteen albums later and some are still recording and touring arenas after thirty- forty years… Their music will be timeless and will stand through the sands of time. That's my schooling and the long haul is what I'm about and so is the band. I'm not changing my musical roots, clothes or the color of my guitars and my hair to sell my soul to the temptation of trend.

Roberta: Do you have any Groupies?

JCM: Groupies??….lol

I'm not going there… next question please…lol

To our future groupies, bands, fans, friends, family and or just the curious… The Killing Floor would like to thank each and every one of you for your support and showing the love. I've met so many great people from all over the US and the world through MySpace and some from our home too. We will try our best to bring you the music live to your home town and if not taped. But know that's our performances is always spontaneous and entertaining and never the same. We love what we do so yes… It's a labor of love.

Especially want to thank Roberta and D-Day's Revenge for the interview and support. ~JCM and The Killing Floor

D-Day's Revenge's awesome website. Also check'em out for there interviews, album reviews, metal news, columns, viewpoints, message boards that will introduce you to some up and coming bands.
Just click on the links below.

D-Day's Revenge Website: www.ddays-revenge.com

D-Day's Revenge MySpace: www.myspace.com/ddays_revenge

Roberta: www.myspace.com/zena2005