MORE FALL USA EXTREME METAL TOURS

This also brings up the issue of non sexual attacks from a known sex offender on a sex offender registry here in New Paltz, NY.  http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/cgi/internet/nsor/fortecgi?serviceName=WebNSOR&templateName=detail.htm&requestingHandler=WebNSORDetailHandler&ID=460981298 Should sex offenders on a sex offender registry be allowed inyour community? This known sex offender hangs (wingnut, is he on his meds?) in a bar that we just happen to be boycotting (Snug's Harbor, New Paltz, NY), I don't KNOW this douche so be careful, safe and look out for each other as justice WILL be served. I will be updating this journal entry this up and coming week, as the previous journal entry has been updated to include the CARCASS re union dates ect.
I've had 58 e-mails and answered just a few in June, and July I've had 47 more, ALL supportive and favorable. Thanks very much for the support, and you will hear more from ITP in the fall, I promise.
DANNY COMMENTS: "Why are you so liberal? Just say it Spak, I know you want to.. The music industry sucks, and they need to stop signing garbage and crappy emo bands. Secondly, QOTSA vocalist would have been ecstatic had a woman thrown her bra onstage. I suppose he was quite disappointed when a (male) kid lost his sneakers on stage. QOTSA vocalist is a funny douche. Also, CRAPTOPSY's  new CD is awful I agree, review it and make me laugh."
ITP author: Agreed 100%. CRYPTOPSY's "The Unspoken King" was PAINful to listen to. A review in the fall, and positive news and reviews too.
FALL EXTREME METAL NORTH AMERICAN TOURS YA MIGHT WANT TO SEE, STAY BRUTAL:
SEPTEMBER:   *ICED EARTH ect.
*HATEBBREED, SOILENT GREEN, EMMURE, WAR OF AGES, CATALEPSY
*IMPALED, PHOBIA, MALIGNANCY, ILLOGIST, ect.
*CARCASS, NECROPHAGIST, SUFFOCATION, ABORTED, ROTTEN SOUND. *OBITUARY ect.  *AMORPHIS, VIRGIN BLACK, ect. *SIGH, ZIMMERS HOLE, UNEXPECT *TROUBLE, MINSK *ORIGIN, MISERY INDEX, FUCK THE FACTS
OCTOBER:  *OPETH, BARONESS, HIGH ON FIRE, NACHTMYTSIUM
*DYING FETUS, KATAKALYSM, ect. *GWAR, KINGDOM OF SORROW, TOXIC HOLOCAUST *SUNN 0))), SHOSHIN/GRIMMROBES
 *WATAIN,WITHERED, BOOK OF BLACK EARTH
*NEURAXIS, THE FACELESS,DECREPIT BIRTH, VEIL OF MAYA, ABIGAIL WILLLIAMS *CHILDREN OF BODOM, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME ect.
*DANZIG, DIMMU BORGIR, MOONSPELL, WINDS OF PLAGUE, SKELETONWITCH
*AMON AMARTH, ENISIFERUM, BELPHEGOR, THE ABSENCE
*TESTAMENT, SOILENT GREEN ect. *KAYO DOT,STEVE BRODSKY (EX CAVE IN), PELICAN
NOVEMBER: *A JOB FOR A COWBOY, HATE ETERNAL,ALL SHALL PERISH, ANIMOSITY, ect.
*DRAGONFORCE, TURISAS

WATAIN will team up with WITHERED and BOOK OF BLACK EARTH for a North American tour in October/November. Confirmed dates are as follows:
October 3 - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
October 4 - Montreal, QC @ Katacombes
October 7 - Boston, MA @ The Middle East
October 8 - New York, NY @ Knitting Factory
October 9 - Pittsburgh, PA @ 31st St Pub
October 10 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
October 11 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
October 12 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
October 13 - Denver, CO @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
October 14 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
October 15 - Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
October 16 - Portland, OR @ Rotture
October 17 - Oakland, CA @ The Metro
October 18 - Hollywood, CA @ Knitting Factory
October 19 - San Marcos, CA @ Jumping Turtle
October 20 - Tempe, AZ @ The Sets
October 21 - Farmington, NM @ Gator’s
October 23 - Dallas, TX @ Reno’s Chop Shop
October 24 - Victoria, TX @ Mario’s Ballroom
October 25 - Austin, TX @ Red 7
October 26 - New Orleans, LA @ Red Dragon
October 28 - Tampa, FL @ Brass Mug
October 29 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
October 31 - Springfield, VA@ Jaxx
November 1 - Allentown, PA @ Sterling Hotel
DANZIG,DIMMU BORGIR, MOONSPELL, SKELETONWITCH,WINDS OF PLAGUE  U.S. NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:
SIGH, ZIMMERS HOLE, UNEXPECT USA TOUR DATES FROM BLABBERMOUTH.NET:  SIGH on tour:
(w/ ZIMMERS HOLE and UNEXPECT)
09/06/08 Sat @ Jumping Turtle - San Marcos, Ca
09/07/08 Sun @ Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA
09/08/08 Mon @ Knitting Factory - Hollywood, CA
09/09/08 Tue @ TheClubhouse - Tempe, AZ
09/10/08Wed @ Gators - Farmington, NM
09/11/08 Thu @ Lola's - Ft Worth, TX
09/12/08 Fri @ White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
09/13/08 Sat @ Meridian - Houston, TX
09/14/08 Sun @ The Muse - Nashville, TN
09/15/08 Mon @ Jaxx - West Springfield, VA
09/16/08 Tue @ B.B. Kings Blues Club - New York City, NY
09/17/08 Wed @ FouFounes - Montreal, ON (*Unexpect not playing this show)
09/18/08 Thu@ Jubilee Centre - Sudbury, ON
09/19/08 Fri @ Wreck Room Toronto - ON
09/20/08 Sat @ Peabody's DownUnder - Cleveland, OH
09/21/08 Sun @ The Pearl Room - Mokena, IL
09/22/08 Mon @ 4th St Station - St Paul, MN
HATEBREED/SOILENT GREEN U.S. TOUR DATES FROM SMNNEWS.COM:
HATEBREED have lined up the following DVD release shows with SOILENT GREEN, EMMURE, WAR OF AGES, and CATALEPSY:
September 2 - Detroit, MI @ I-Rock
September 3 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
September 4 - State College, PA @ Lulu’s
September 5 - Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
September 7 - Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre
September 8 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
September 9 - Long Island, NY @ The Crazy Donkey
September 10 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
September 11 - Portland, ME @ The Asylum
September 12 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
September 13 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
September 14 - Lancaster, PA @ The Chameleaon
AMORPHIS, LEAVES EYES, SAMAEL,VIRGIN BLACK U.S. TOUR DATES: AMORPHIS, LEAVES’ EYES, and SAMAEL, VIRGIN BLACK USA tour dates:

September 27 - Charlotte, NC @ Tremont MusicHall
September 28 - West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
September 29 - New York, NY @ B.B. King Blues Club
September 30 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theater
October 1 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance Theater
October 2 - Worcester, MA@ The Palladium
October 3 - Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Electriques
October 4 - Toronto, ON @ Opera House
October 5 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
October 6 - Mokena, IL @ The Pearl Room
October 7 - St Paul, MN @ Station 4
October 9 - Spokane, WA @ Big Easy Concert House
October 10 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
October 11 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
October 12 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
October 13 - West Hollywood, Ca @ House of Blues
October 14 -Phoenix, AZ @ Brickhouse
October 16 - Ft Worth, TX @ Ridglea Theater
October 17 - San Antonio, TX @ Scout Bar
October 18 - Houston, TX @ Scout Bar
DEATH BY DECIBELS USA:
More dates have been released for this year’s “Death By Decibels” tour, which will feature KATAKLYSM, DYING FETUS, KEEP OF KALESSIN, and ELUVEITIE:
September 26 - Mokena, IL @ The Pearl Room
September 27 - Detroit, MI @ Harpo’s
September 28 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
September 29 - New York, NY @ Blender Theater at Gramercy
October 1 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
October 2 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
October 4 - Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero
October 7 - Houston, TX @ Meridian
October 8 - San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
October 9 - Dallas, TX @ Ridglea Theater
October 11 - San Diego, CA @ Soma
October 12 - Los Angeles, CA @ Key Club
ICED EARTH with support TBA 2008 fall North American TOUR DATES FROM ICED EARTH's MYSPACE:
September 21 – Harpos. Detroit, Michigan
September 22 – Phoenix Concert Theatre. Toronto, Ontario, Canada
September 23 –Le Medley. Montreal, Quebec, Canada
September 24 – Trocadero. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
September 25 – 9:30 Club. Washington, D.C.
September 26 – Amos’ Southbend. Charlotte, North Carolina
September 27 – Center Stage. ProgPower USA IX. Atlanta** (SOLD OUT)
September 28 – House of Blues. Lake Buena Vista, Florida
September 29 – The Orange Peel. Asheville, North Carolina
September 30 – House of Blues. Cleveland, Ohio
October14 – The Norva. Norfolk, Virginia
October 15 –The Palladium. Worchester, Massachusetts
October 16 – Nokia Theater. New York, New York
October 22 – Hawthrone Theater. Portland, Oregon
October 23 – Regency Center@ The Grand Ballroom. San Francisco, California
October 24 – The Avalon. Los Angeles, California
GWAR TOUR DATES  FROM SMNNEWS.COM:
More dates have been released for GWAR’s upcoming Fall tour with KINGDOM OF SORROW and TOXIC HOLOCAUST:
October 2 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
October 3 - Orlando, FL @ The Club at Firestone
October 4 - St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Landing
October 5 - Tallahassee, FL @ Floyd’s Music Store
October 6 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
October 8 - New York, NY @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza
October 9 - New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
October 10 - Buffalo, NY @ The Town Ballroom
October 11 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium w/ Mushroomhead
October 12 - Johnson City, NY @ Magic City Music Hall
October 13 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
October 14 - Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
October 16 - Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
October 17 - Winston-Salem, NC @ Millenium Center
October 18 - Norfolk, VA @ Norva Theatre
October 20 - Louisville, KY @ Club Oasis
October 21 - Memphis, TN @ New Daisy Theatre
October 22 - Urbana, IL @ The Canopy
October 23 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
October 24 - Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
October 25 - Detroit, MI @ Harpo’s
October 26 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
October 28 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
October 30 - Chicago, IL @ House ofBlues
October 31 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Eagles Club
November 1 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
November 2 - Cedar Rapids, IA @ Hawkeye Downs Speedway
November 3 - Fargo, ND @ The Venue
November 10 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
November 12 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox
November 14 -Portland, OR @ Roseland
November 29 - Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
December 18 - Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
SUNN 0))), SHOSHIN/GRIMMROBES USA TOUR DATES No guests, no vocalist, no keyboards on this SUNN 0))) tour:
SUNN 0))) Shoshin/GrimmRobes USA Tour 2008:

Oct. 10 - Safari Sam's - Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 12 - Berbati's Pan - Portland, OR
Oct. 15 - Knitting Factory - New York, NY
Oct. 16 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA 
 THE FACELESS’ ,ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, DECREPIT BIRTH, VEIL OF MAYA, and NEURAXIS:
October 20 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
October 27 - New York, NY @ Blender Theater at Gramercy
November 2 - West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx

Thanks-BBL-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-

OPETH, HIGH ON FIRE, BARONESS with NACHTMYTSIUM NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED

It's official. Swedish death/progressive metal heroes OPETH will hit the road in September on a headlining North American tour with HIGH ON FIRE, BARONESS and some dates with Chicago black metal heroes NACHTMYTSIUM. OPETH's latest release is entitled "Watershed" out on ROADRUNNER RECORDS.
NACHTMYSTIUM W' OPETH 9/16/08-10/4/08, BARONESS W'OPETH 10/06/08-10/26/08:

Sep. 16 - Buffalo, The Town Ballroom - NY Sep. 17 - Philadelphia, Trocadero - PA Sep. 18 - New York, Nokia Theatre - NY Sep. 19 - Worcester, The Palladium - MA Sep. 20 - Quebec City, Theatre Imperial - QC Sep. 21 - London, Centennial Hall - ON Sep. 23 - Cleveland, House of Blues - OH Sep. 24 - Chicago, House of Blues - IL Sep. 25 - Grand Rapids, The Orbit Room - MI Sep. 26 - Milwaukee, The Rave - WI Sep. 27 - St. Paul, Myth - MN Sep. 29 - Winnipeg, The Garrick Centre - MB Sep. 30 - Saskatoon, Odeon Events Centre – SK Oct. 01 - Edmonton, Edmonton Events Centre - AB Oct. 03 - Vancover, Commodore Ballroom - BC Oct. 04 - Seattle, Showbox@The Market - WA Oct. 06 - San Francisco, Regency Center @ The Grand Ballroom - CA Oct. 07 - Los Angeles, Wiltern Theatre - CA Oct. 08 - Las Vegas, House of Blues - NV Oct. 09 - Tempe, Marquee Theatre - AZ Oct. 10 - Albuquerque, Sunshine Theater - NM Oct. 11 - Denver, Ogden Theatre, CO Oct. 13 - St. Louis, The Pageant - MO Oct. 14 - Kansas City, The Beaumont Club - MO Oct. 15 - Dallas, House of Blues Dallas - TX Oct. 16 - Austin, The Monarch - TX Oct. 17 - Houston, Warehouse Live - TX Oct. 18 - New Orleans, House of Blues - LA Oct. 20 - Ft. Lauderdale, Revolution - FL Oct. 21 - Lake Buena Vista, House of Blues - FL Oct. 22 - Atlanta, Center Stage - GA Oct. 23 - Cincinnati, Bogart´s - OH Oct. 24 - Raleigh, Lincoln Theatre - NC Oct. 25 - Norfolk, The Norva - VA Oct. 26 - Baltimore, Rams Head Live! - MD

Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-

VARG VIKERNES (BURZUM) DENIED PAROLE

This was a big story last month, and as expected, BURZUM (Norwegian black metal project) mastermind VARG VIKERNES has been denied parole.
Former MAYHEM bassist, and BURZUM mastermind VARG VIKERNES was found guilty in the early 90's (when just a teen) of arson involving church burnings, and the murder of  MAYHEM guitarist Oystein Aarseth (a.k.a. Euronymous) for which VIKERNES is serving a 21 year prison sentence.
While many hail VARG VIKERNES as an influential figure in the second wave of black metal, his attempted escape from a weekend fur low in Norwegian prison (2003) did NOT help his cause for parole, nor did his unapologetic  National Socialist ramblings in interviews.
http://www.burzum.org/

FROM BURZUM: 
"Although Varg has been denied parole, he is allowed to leave the prison for a while to walk around Tromsø [Norway; where the prison is located] and visit his family: his mother, his wife, a one-year-old son and a fifteen-year-old daughter. Varg's wife is now pregnant and they both are waiting for an addition to the family. Varg owns a small farm in Telemark (Norway), where he is planning to move as soon as he leaves the prison."

"I'm ready for society — and I have been for many years," Vikernes told the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet in a brand new interview which was published today (July 6). "I have learned from my mistakes and become older. Now I just want to be together with my family. My mind has never been in prison; I think all the time about what I should do on the day that I am released."

Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l- 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

KNITTING FACTORY (LA, CALIFORNIA) CLOSING?

I'm a little confused here, I'm not sure which KNITTING FACTORY is closing, the New York or LA, California venue, most likely the LA venue.

 Looks like yet another music venue may close because of complaints from neighbors (noise complaints, fights. ect.) One thing I've noticed here in the Hudson Valley area of New York, and valid complaint at that, is perhaps with the smoking ban in NY state, smoking sections should be situated towards the BACK of music venues and bars. This way, drunk smokers can NOT rumble with pedestrians as it frees up the front of bars and venues for bouncers to check ID's, collect tickets, cover charges and sometimes for bands to load in and out of bars and small venues.


There fore the FRONT of bars and venues would be less congested with people, there for at least a few less complaints from neighbors and pedestrians. 31 signatures is NOT alot, but comes with the territory of live music venues, bars being situated to close to residential areas, there fore zoning laws.
Some bars and clubs can not have smoking sections in the back of said establishment because of municipal parking lots, property behind said establishment that they do not own, there fore no room.

Perhaps a solution to this dilemma is to have said smoking section elevated in the form of a terrace in the back of said bar/club/music venue. This would of course be up to the bar/club owners discretion and is not mandatory and perhaps isn't worth the investment because it isn't profitable, until complaints come in.


The details from a friend on MYSPACE: 
Don't let another venue be closeddown!: How you can save The Knitting Factory!!(re-post, re-post!!!)

As many of you are already aware, there is a hearing on Thursday, July 17 to determine the fate of Knitting Factory in its current location.













A complaint with 31 signatures was delivered to the city claiming Knitting Factory is a "nuisance" and brings down the tone of the neighborhood.














What that asserts in plain terms, is that the good people who go to Knitting Factory, like you and I, are a nuisance.













WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. Attend the public hearing: Thursday July 17th at 10am @ 200 N. Spring St, room 1020, Los Angeles, CA 90012-4801. Zoning Administration.













Attendees will have the opportunity to address the meeting if so desired.














2. Email a letter of support to Morgan Margolis. Knitting Factory will be collecting such letters of support for their legal department to present at the hearing.













Your letter of support should begin "To whom it may concern" and finish with your name, address and phone number.














Email letters of support to Morgan at:
morgan@knittingfactory.com

Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-

George Carlin RIP

I just heard the bad news. U.S. legendary comic GEORGE CARLIN has passed away at 71. George Carlin was perhaps one of the best comedians of the last 20 years. Carlin's hillarious comparison of baseball to football, and the legendary skit on the "Seven words you just can't say on television" (as a former college radio DJ I understand, lol,the name of the grind band ANAL CUNT was edited on air to AC, or even NOLA/USA black metal band GOATWHORE) S**t, C**t, ect. were hilarious, thought provoking and triggered a supreme court justice lawsuit in favor (arrgh) of the FCC. Of course, some of those rules of what and what not to say have been loosened between now and then.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/06/23/carlin.obit/index.html

Some people might have seen George Carlin on his last U.S. tour this past winter as he came through Kingston, NY at UPAC. Everyone was raving about his stand up comedic performance in Kingston, NY.
Very much like the hillariously, pognant and obscene Richard Pryor, big ups and hails to George Carlin.
I'm soo sad now, RIP George Carlin, love you man and hails.
BTW, CENSORSHIP IS UNAMERICAN.


Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal, \m/ -l-

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band extends US tour

"Look Bruce Springsteen's playing THREE nights at Giants Stadium"-A friend of mine.. You know Springsteen must have the fountain of youth, he doesn't look at day over 40 (at 58) and since the 80's he's in great physical condition.. Totally outside of the metal genre, and for classic rock this is as good as it gets... I just thought I would put in a good word for the "BOSS" Bruce Springsteen, although he doesn't need my help, because look Bruce is playing THREE nights at Giants Stadium in NJ, the home of the Super Bowl Champion NY/NJ GIANTS I may add... ( Thank you and Happy retirement Michael Strahan).. It's been over 20 years since I've last seen Springsteen and back then tickets were only $17.50. Bruce Springsteen does the hometown circuit quite a bit, and it's funny, I could never see myself (when I was booking bands) playing or booking in my hometown like that. If you count NYC as my hometown, well of course, but the Hudson Valley arrgh, hate it..I remember hearing that Clarence "the big man" Clemens (Springsteen's saxaphonist) used to wear a t-shirt back in the 80's stating "I have NO tickets".
I would think the idea would be to "get away" from your hometown and to be "Born to Run" instead of the multiple night, punching in a timeclock touring, which is everything rock and roll is supposed help you avoid.. Bruce Springsteen has been know to play oh, like 15 nights at the old Meadolands (New Jersey), 5 and 10 night stands at Giants Stadium (NJ), all shows, sold the fuck out, and people going apeshit over tickets, unprecedented in rock and roll history... For Springsteen fans, it's a different vibe when he plays in New Jeresy. When Bruce plays "Jersey Girl", any time he mentions "Jersey" or "Shore", people go nuts because it IS Bruce's home state too, and neither he, nor his fans have forgotten where he came from, and he still draws very well in the NY/NJ metro area.
I would loved to have seen Springsteen play solo, but I had my head up my ass those years.
To my parents worry back in the 80's, I've been known to wait on line for tickets in below freezing temperatures, or ring Ticketmasters phones off the hook for Springsteen tickets. I would have to say it was well worth it for a 4 hour, marathon dance show, full of passionate rock and roll and hillarious storytelling..
So I was at a local store the other day, and a local radio station was playing Bruce Springsteen's "Rosalita" as I was waiting in line busting out laughing hearing the lyrics to that song.. 20 years later, with a little experience, and knowledge in the music scene/industry, Springsteen's lyrics to "Rosalita" are ironically hilarious: "Tell him this is his last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance
Because a record company Rosie just gave me a big advance".

:Looks at fellow New Jersey band GOD FORBID'S commentary on the music industry/touring below:
Who in the FUCK is getting a big advance other than what's recoupable via the label through an artists "royalties". Not to mention how the music industry has changed in the 20 years since I've last seen Bruce Springsteen live. When a new CD dropped in '85, people would wait in line at the record store on it's first day release. Now, perhaps a month BEFORE a CD drops, on leaks, people download a CD before it's release. 
20 years later, so much has changed and I'm still uplifted by "Darkness on the Edge of Town". It's nice to know that 20 years later, Springsteen is doing very well,  record company advances and all, specifically on the touring circuit.
BTW, if you do catch Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band LIVE for the first time, realize that the sound of BRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE is NOT the sound of booing, but the sound of fans chanting his name: "BRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCE".
Keep in mind, that some of these shows are stadium gigs, and I hope Bruce sells the fuck out of GIANTS STADIUM (all three nights) and rocks yer socks off.
So get your tickets to see Bruce Springsteen now, you're in for one hell of a live show, and hopefully he'll play for 4 hours, running up and down a long stage as you'll be in for a treat. The last time I saw Springsteen at Giants Stadium I was 15 yearsold (1985). Great show. RIP Phantom.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S EXTENDED SUMMER 2008 TOUR:
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND have lined up the following Summer U.S. tour dates:
July 27 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Giants Stadium
July 28 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Giants Stadium
July 31 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Giants Stadium
August 2 - Foxboro, MA @ Gillette Stadium
August 15 - Jacksonville, FL @ Veterans Memorial Coliseum
August 16 - Charleston, SC @ Charleston Coliseum
August 18 - Richmond, VA @ Richmond Coliseum
August 19 - Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
August 21 - Nashville, TN @ Sommet Center
August 23 - St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
August 24 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
August 30 - Milwaukee, WI @ Harley Davidson 105th Anniversary Festival
Thanks-"Some day we'll look back on this, and it will all seem funny"-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal- \m/ -l-
  

The Art of Economic Touring: From DALLAS of God Forbid

 DALLAS from GOD FORBID offers touring advice,  point well taken from DALLAS of NJ's own GOD FORBID.
Here are a few articles on the web since last year on the impact of gas prices on touring acts here in the USA, same thing in Europe btw.

http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/2008/06/0622gasbands.html

http://blogs.chron.com/brokenrecord/2008/06/touring_cant_replace_cd_sales.html

This post on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. today speaks the truth, keep in mind: 10 to 20% to a booking agency, crew costs if any, a percentage of ticket sales split between the tour package and they would be lucky to get 20% of the venues alcohol profits as the venue gets (sometimes) 20% of merchandising.. As merchandise (buy some merch!)  is the usual profit margin for touring acts...Then then the costs of gas, toll, transportation maintenance,taking time off from work or vacation time for touring, money out of pocket for touring costs and any touring support from label may be recoupable. ect..FROM A POSTER on BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "Nice to hear some brutal honesty from someone who knows. So may Blabberkids think these bands are all rolling in money, but that just isn't the case.

I'd be rich if I had a nickel for every dope I've heard say, "There's a thousand people there, and tickets were $15 apiece, so I can't see what the problem is when you're making $15,000 a night!", when in reality, any band in such a setting would likely be getting about a thousand bucks tops, and paying their own costs out of that, leaving maybe a hundred bucks per member per night played. Of course, off nights cost even more."
LOL, that's a sold out night, at the very most, if promoters come thorugh with guarentess and rider agreements.

FROM DALLAS of GOD FORBID via his blog:

The Touring Problem
After doing the open letter to Light This City, which I don’t consider a true blog, I saw that <fontcolor="#0066cc">The Fresh Meat Tour that Metalsucks sponsored was canceled</fontcolor="#0066cc">. It didn’t surprise me at all considering the money problems we had on the latest tour we just finished. In my past blogs, I talked about how we went over budget on tours because of dumb mistakes. On this tour I can say we didn’t make any dumb mistakes. We were totally on budget but what put us over budget was the fact that gas went up about 50 cents a gallon in about a 5 week period. Diesel actually was close to 5 dollars a gallon towards the end of our tour.
One night on the road I was HAMMERED and we stopped at a rest stop to go get food after a night of drunken shenanigans. It was daylight and as I stepped out of the bus I looked at the price for diesel and I immediately became sober. It was like getting hit by a fucking car. This was two weeks ago and gas was cheaper then than it is now.
At that point, I realized that the touring world and the metal touring world specifically was in a very shaky position. I knew that God Forbid was not going to be able to tour. We’ll go on tours if we’re a little over budget these days because we generally do well enough on merch to balance out those sorts of things but with the oil market it’s just too much of a risk to go out there and piss in the wind. Now imagine going out as a band who doesn’t have the name to be able to go out and headline and must rely solely on support tours?
Fucking impossible.

The last three shows of the tour were solo. We played 3 DVD release shows in New Jersey, Rochester, NY and Portland, Maine. We moved from a bus to a van. The gas was cheaper because we were using unleaded fuel instead of diesel. As we filled up the tank every 3-4 hours the tally at the pump ranged anywhere from 103 dollars to 116 dollars. Going from New Jersey to Rochester cost us about 200 bucks. Going from Rochester to Portland cost us another 350. Luckily for us we had good guarantees and we sold a lot of merch but my concern isn’t for us, it’s for younger bands. I feel like Lars Ulrich compaining about Napster before it was too late when I talk about this gas problem.
Most support bands get anywhere from 100-500 bucks a night. With a 6 hour drive, the averagefor a tour, those bands getting 100 dollars might as well stay home. They are spending a hundred dollars a day between 5 people to stay on the road because the gas is more thantheir guarantee. Those bands getting 500 bucks a day are only making about 200 bucks a day after the drive. What about a hotel here and there? They won’t be able to afford it. Before this gas crisis we’d make 500 bucks a day in a van and be able to make some good money if you went by our frugal standards of living. Those days are now gone. I believe Light This City broke up because of this to a certain extent and I believe you’re going to see a lot of bands dropping off a lot of tours. Especially the Thrash and Burn and Summer Slaughter tours. Those tours have so many bands that some aren’t going to be able to compete. It’s like politics. Imagine what the presidential election looked like 8 months ago compared to now. It’s a 2 person election now but 8 months ago it was a 16 person race. Only so many can compete.
It’s Darwin with these conditions.
Now, how to fix this problem? I wish I had any kind of real answer. I don’t. I do have some ideas about making the circumstances better.
First, it’s up to the bands who are in a position to tour. It is YOUR decision to say yes and no to tours. I know how labels and agents will pressure you into doing shit you know you don’t want to do or just can’t do. If that’s the case tell them to FUCK OFF! Seriously! Agents and labels want you to do those things because they make money when you do what they want. 10% for the agent and record sales for the label. It’s not hard to figure out.
Second, if you do decide you want to tour make sure there aren’t more than 4 bands on a package. Hell, if you can get it down to three, do it with three. Why? When people come to a show they only have X amount of dollars. If they have to decide which bands they want to spend money on because there are 5 bands they like, somebody will lose. That’s not conducive to touring these days. Maybe it was back when we started but now it’s a not even a gamble. It’s a lose-lose situation.
Third, if you happen to go on tour with a band almost the same size as you don’t act like the burden is just yours. Instead of having your one van and working with your one crew, see if there is any way for you guys to split things down the middle between the two of you. This is actually a great way to go about it. Have one merch guy everyone pays. Have both bands ride in one van if you’re not hiring any crew to save money on gas. The smart way of doing business wins in these times.
Fourth, look into bio-diesel touring. On the last tour, Brian from Light This City gave us the run down on it and we’re seriously considering it. He let us know they make these new types of diesel conversion modules that cut your cost on gas from 5K a month to 250 bucks a month. I looked it up and sure enough the technology is out there AND it’s been around for a long time. You need a diesel van and 3000 bucks to convert to this standard.
Here’s a website for you to check out: http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com/
Fifth, look at this gas crisis as a positive instead of a negative. Touring is not the only way to getyour band exposed. Instead of spending the money on gas, spend your money on viral marketing, spend 100 bucks a month to service your myspace, facebook, etc. Fuck it, spend your money on making a video on your own. With the technology surrounding us and the mind it takes to make good music there is no reason why touring is the ONLY way to get your band bigger. To tell you the truth, I’m kind of happy about the gas prices for our band because FINALLY there is something giving us a reason to say NO to a tour. In the past, we haven’t had the will to say no.
Remember, live shows should come once in a while. Not every day. Have you ever gone to a show and seen everyone just apathetic about being there? The market is over-saturated and this might be a sign for bands like us to say, ‘you know what? Next time we play, we know you’ll be there because you don’t know when you might get a chance to see us again.”
That’s how it was back in the day and it seems like history could repeat itself — Under different circumstances of course! How can things be so advanced but it seems like we’re sent back in time?
No one will ever know!
HORNS! Here's a website for you to check out: goldenfuelsystems.com

Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal- \m/ -l-