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Mogul Review April 19th 2025
The Heart of our Live Rock Scene is beating fast and strong., especially this past Easter weekend!. At
The Blooze Bar , we had five excellent bands, free food and a fun Easter egg hunt. The show was well attended by good friends and a remarkable number of new faces brought by an amazing amount of support, dedication and promotion by all involved. Every band played to a hearty audience of enthusiastic listeners. Many came early and
stayed late, even to the end. Everyone had a good time. News of an awesome show at
Creepsville Carnival came to us first from
Lyn Denise and Adam, who came and circulated a retirement card for Chris Lewis.
The Reverend
Jack McBride of
2 IN THE CHEST had a great birthday celebration at Creepsville with bands including Sectas and Dawn Of The Rising. We wish him a belated happy birthday, and he knows many more of us would have joined him if possible. And considering this is a weekend of families getting together, going out of town, police roadblocks and holiday cooking, I'm delighted we all had a good turnout. My Remarks in review, in order of appearance:
Killing Sunday - I had never seen or heard them like this. They write songs riding the crest between Punk, Metal and Blues and delivered them with majestic authority. You immediately recognize they are masters at their craft. 100%. Frank Bell Sr. is accomplished and it's easy to see how he has thousands of followers. They're all pro, with a decade of history and experience in crowd pleasing. We were off to a great start! I highly recommend them!
Ankh-Alien -
Emily Rachel Calvis joined me after over a month at her new residence downstate and performed well-rehearsed with her signature vocals. It's the paradigm I love without reservation: opera-style melodies over classical themes, uniquely Emily originals, and Evanescence songs re-structured and full of the only thing that band ever lacked: Guitar as complex as the music Amy Lee wrote. This was played to a crowd largely unknown to us. Many don't know that we have a tribute band under construction,
Ankh-Essence , mainly designed to satisfy our live performance urges while we write. We are currently engaged on 4 new originals as well as a musically original presentation of Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe. I'm psyched, and I'm honored and grateful that she's in my musical world.
Magnum Axxe I can't even tell you all their names, but they're like best friends, and they put on a show with untold power.
Horace Miller is a weapon of mass distortion who I rank very high on the scale, one of the best in the region. I said before, though, all the guys in M.A. are that good. We just hadn't experienced them. My eyes were opened at Gordon Circle's birthday, where I had the great privilege of playing in support of Magnum Axxe and Dawn Of The Rising. And my face was melted. And after last night, it's clear this is no ordinary band. I'm going to make it a point to have you hear them.
On July 26th 2025, Magnum Axxe,
Dawn Of The Rising Ankh-Alien and the return of
17 Seconds to Fail at the the debut of my concept album, War Of The Worlds. That, of course, will be at The Blooze Bar.
Circus of Mayhem Few bands have made the leaps these guys have in such a short time. The way bands become successful, more often than not, are through punctuated leaps. You don't necessarily see yourself making progress, but you wake up and you are the local support for an amazing national act. Let me say this: They deserve that and worked hard, very hard, to make it happen. I watched the whole thing go down. I heard the excitement in their voices on cell phones. I was there when Dano and
Rick Marteney were blown away by just making it to the qualifying round. But they saw themselves as being that band. We see many bands who think they've worked hard enough, have good enough music, and have a sense they'll be successful. But through all the competition, they had the prize in mind and never detoured. And a lesser band would have canceled their appearance at Saturday's show, which was booked long before their great achievements. But these guys have class, in addition to their awesome songs and individual proficiency. And it's not the high point of their careers. This is a new band, full of veteran players. They came off a show in front of many thousands of people, and then came and played the Blooze, Arizona's CBGB's, without skipping a beat. More about that shortly. Thank you Circus Of Mayhem for setting the example of what great and successful bands do to get ahead. I hope the rest of us pay attention, because there's no limit of how many bands can be successful. Nor how many who can fail. It's an honor that you've brought to all of us here. I'll add that C.O.M., like some of the other bands who either occupy a higher rung on the ladder of success or get a peek at it, are as reasonable as can be with taking care of the other bands, getting their opinions, and making the show one for all the other bands as well. They all watched the other bands, came early and were the last to leave. They have a Las Vegas show in May , and will be writing and recording after that.
IZZY EDIBLE One of the better-known bands whom I have rarely had the benefit of watching. Not at all like you'd guess. They are a progressive blues style and exciting to watch and listen to. The best players, Swiss-watch precision stops and breaks, fast and slow rock with more chords than I even know, and it comes out like a Steely Dan shredfest with the discipline of a military color guard. Unfortunately, their bassist
Chris Lewis , a 35 year full-time member of our music scene is retiring, and it will take time to replace. We got him a card, signed by most of the bar and circulated by Lyn Denise in her quick sojourn between shows. And Jen got him a cake. I personally know being an artist takes more out of your life than anyone knows or suspects. Relationships can get trashed and only the wise know finding peace and love is a bigger rush than a stage can ever give. I'm grateful I got to hear his show. I don't And Chris truly appreciated the sentiment.
Matthew Ramirez An especially gifted painter, and one of the finest artists and souls ever to cross my path. We've known each other for years, and he sat next to the door creating his contemporary American Impressionist art as people filed in and out over hours. He's part of "The Night Gallery", a gathering of horror genre artists that will be part of a huge event at The Blooze Bar on October 19th. If you are lured by the notion of dark metal & immortality, you may want to attend.
Donn Morinville - The
Immortalized Productions emcee, has been a part of our shows for close to a year. He researches the bands, gives audiences a short bio, and brings every drop of energy possible from an audience. He also is working with myself and others on a show this fall. I credit him with much more than the announcements. He's the Phil Rizzuto of emcees.
Paige Mills - Audio engineer for 300 plus shows on that PA. The only full-time female sound person in the valley, has undergone training by the best we have in the music scene, in addition to formal education in acoustic physics and training in sound engineering. Every band sounded like an album. It always does with her.
Here's to an audience that made all of this worthwhile. Enthusiastic is far too dilute a term to describe them. We had a steady occupancy of 60 to 80 all night, but we weren't charging a cover so it's only an estimate.Some of the great supporters of the scene were there, EF James and melanie,
Stephen Bradford Adrienne Fiori
Eddie Wixson Hector Camacho (
Addict3d ),
Richard Brockway ,
Shaunna Gaddis ,
Melee Bee & Lee, Matt Ramirez the artist & fMelanie,
Mina Thomas,
David Evans from Sierra Vista, and many more I'll remember. The number of attendees was much higher than expected, since I received 20+ messages from friends apologizing for not being able to come in advance. I suspect part of it was that all the bands shared all my posts, which including groups, amounted to about 1000 posts. I did more promotion for this by far than any previous show. The faces none of us recognized were probably the people who came across the promo, looking for something unique, maybe even an Easter theme. What was very special is they received all the bands really energetically. Not because they were friends, but because they enjoyed it. Little things like the egg hunt could have made an already great night into an epic one. Jennifer hid 55 plastic eggs all around the bar. 53 were filled we with candy. On had $10 and one had movie passes and a giant egg Easter basket. The awesome Circus Of Mayhem roadie who won, donated his prize to somebody. He also carried my Amp into the club himself. Another lure may have been the sloppy Joe's Jen made, which have often been requested often by those attending our shows. We put it out so people don't have to leave to eat. I don't eat meat, but everyone said it was great.
Carly Wilson - I put the smiling angel of Rock at the end because her last statement to me as I left was We LOVE your shows ( referring to both Jennifer and I)! They're always fun. Every time!" Her role is as big as the liquor license to The Blooze. And she and Paige mounted the autographed 10th anniversary Fender guitar in it's display case on the back wall of the stage. And that is what you'll see when you come to The Blooze Bar at all future shows.
Jennifer Wharton and I have done hundreds of shows together as The
Local Music & Art Co-op , a page where you can peruse our past and future events. Thank you for supporting Live Local Rock. The next show is May 17th,
FACEMELTER JAM XI . I would encourage you to attend
Adam Spleen Kadrmas shows from Immortalized productions every weekend there. They too are musicians helping musicians at the grass roots level. I wouldn't be able to do my shows without his help. Thank you everyone.
Bryon Mogul
bryonism@gmail.com
The MOGUL Review
April 28th 03, 2023
The Benefit For Larri
King I've been grateful
before, and quite a bit lately. But I'm not often surprised. The outpouring of
support at the benefit for Larri King Friday renewed my faith in Human Nature
and the Arizona music scene. It was a spectacular display of Fine art. A
potpourri of folk, metal, rock, comedy and roller skating all done very well
and all for a humane cause.
The bands, Kelly Rich & Zipp, Jen , my
girlfriend of 19 years, Jennifer Wharton and the staff of The Blooze Bar and the hundreds who
came, donated or watched, gave a little or a lot to help someone in their
community. After 2+ years of not even having a face to face community, I
wondered if the drive to help may have eroded. But the vibe all night was so
obviously positive it was suspicious, lol. And ecstatic.
Here were the
performances in order of appearance.
● Gordon Circle -The secret weapon
for crossing genre borders. The day crowd dig Southern Rock, yet he had all the
attention of both them and the super-diverse event audience. I was honored to
play Apache Junction with him.
● IZZY EDIBLE this was my first
time hearing them and it was EXTREMELY awesome. Like Best-in-Class awesome.
You'll hear more from them.
● 17 Seconds to Fail (with Brian Hadley)
This band is a potent combination of expert musicianship and passionate
commitment. One of the best Renditions of House of the Rising Sun I've ever
heard, ever. And they brought a mob of enthusiastic, generous followers. Great
performance by the band and their special guest Brian.
● Flying Half Full they were the first
to volunteer, drove up from Tucson with the band for the second time in a week,
and played like it was a palatial theater. They have a great following here in
the Valley, and are super-supportive of Phoenix and upstate bands down there.
● Guardians (From the Tohono
O'Odham nation). These guys are the real thing! 30 minutes of menacing
beast-mode power. Flawless sweeps in all clefs, troll-summoning cadence. They
define Metal as I want to hear it. And they're totally cool dudes and heroes to
our community. Thank you for caring about Larri, and leading our concert for
her.
● Keeley Wolf This Canadian
Comedienne (see what I did there?) plays weekly on comedy and rock stages, here
and in Tucson. It was an exciting and fun addition to the night!
● Zipp Wiggins My Friend &
Facemelter Alumnus shredder gave an arena-class performance of original songs.
Zipp has a signature style and tone, and creates melodic
Championship solos.
● Lo$ergang These Tucson metal-rappers
are troopers and on the cutting edge of the fastest-growing genre in modern
rock. They came early, were the last to leave, and brought friends. And, they
support visiting Phoenix bands all the time.
● Derezzed From Time - Tucson's flagship
rap & metal export closed the night with a triumphant set of wildly-complex
grooves that captured everybody's attention.
● Lost Dutchman - band was there the whole
night supporting the other bands while their drummer recovers from a motorcycle
accident injury. We wish him godspeed.
No less of an awesome
performance by the sound engineer Adam made this a truly successful event. We
wish the best for his band's upcoming tour and the speedy return of his expertise.
Thank you John Roland , your heart and
skill are both at the top of the scales. Angela Black thank you for the
skating pizza exhibition and roller ballet! And thank you Kelley, for watching
Larri and getting her the changes necessary for her proper care.
Thanks to those
performing at other shows, and the others who stopped by, just to donate. It
was great to see James Beauchamp Eddie Wixson ,Adam Spleen Kadrmas Shan Gilbreath , Amen Torso , Alan R Harden and the professor. I
could only begin to list the many kind and generous people who came out. I am
overjoyed.
Larri appeared on our
metal scene over 3 years ago as a "cheerleader for bands", posting
live videos, sharing posts, hanging out. In short time, she was able to put a
show lineup together better than the entrenched "professional" promo
groups, for less money and better, grass roots-powered attendance. If you are a
artist in Arizona, certainly in Phoenix in Tucson, this is something you don't
see very often. Everyone wants to know what worked, how we can get more of that
and have more bands play more places. She treats bands like royalty, and looks
to help bands where the precious time she wagers on this passion serves to
advance a greater cause. What Larri has so far accomplished is exceptional. The
humble effort we hosted is to help out with a few bills, let her know we
appreciate what she did, and boost her spirits. May the great things she has
done serve as a footnote to all the great things she has yet to do.
__________________________________________________________________________________
The MOGUL Review
March 03, 2023
Desert Fest 2023
"I'm sad that the weather kept people in their RV or campers, and tents, instead of in front of the stage, as my goal was to showcase this rich diversity of talent from all over the state to the crowd. The people attending can't be blamed - It was horribly windy with no place to escape to. All of the musicians killed it , and when it got out of control with the wind, my hats off (literally) to Dawn Of The Rising and The Crown Syndicate for their outstanding performances. in the face of storm winds whose speed exceeded that of a tropical storm. Special thanks to Jennifer Wharton , for her livestream and logistic efforts. Sunday ( Day 2) wouldn't have happened without her assistance." Tom Rodriguez Sr.
( Director- Outlaw Entertainment)
SATURDAY
THE CROWN SYNDICATE DAWN OF THE RISING
SUNDAY
Desert Fest 2023 was and is more than a local music event. It's an historic tribute to the combined music scenes of Arizona, all of whom worked in cooperation with each other, sharing gigs, gear, and information that will keep the spirit of Desert Fest alive forever. For me, it is the official start of a Unified Arizona Music Community, whose impact and bursting talent can no longer be overlooked by the music industry.
Several hundred attended, and on day two, hundreds still came throughout the day and night, which ended with the mighty Theocide leading a Mosh Pit around a blazing fire as a solid wall of fans screamed and howled. Song after song was delivered like a sledgehammer splitting a boulder. They ARE the future of metal, and the audience proved it with their numbers and enthusiasm. Perhaps the most original and best-attended sets of all were Derezzed From Time and Hannibal Havoc. Both drew a huge crowd that doubled by the time Theocide played.
My deepest thanks to Ankh-Alien (Dan, Phil & George) for coming on short notice to kick off Sunday, and leaving their PA and gear up for all of Sunday's bands. We all were given the chance to cancel honorably, and Sunday wasn't a certainty until the weather broke in the early afternoon.
Curfew brought a new level of energy to the show, and played a powerful set of straight-up Metal and Hard Rock with Laura Sadie Bette's incomparable voice and Alan's searing, melodic shred. When they were done, I took the stage again for an extra long set of my symphonic neo-classical originals. I played until I saw Kalamity's drum set arrive. Then the Arizona Metal Drive just exploded. As the skies cleared and not long after darkened, people came in droves, hugging the makeshift stage set up in the post itself, originally an alternative to keep the bands dry inside.
Another note. The bands could have complained about late starts, inclement weather, emergency PA, etc., but there was none of it. Every member of each band was grateful to play for the sake of playing, showed gratitude and passion for this cooperative effort. And left knowing they made real friends and a network of connections that I already see yielding fruit. My special thanks to Tom, Mike Roe from Gauntlet, George G Harlan & Roxy Harlow and the generously helpful staff and VIPs from the post. The whole vibe was suspiciously positive, in spite of the heavy hand of nature. And that's probably why it went off so well. To be sure, some bands and vendors, and probably some attendees, were less fortunate due to travel advisory weather conditions, unforseeable illness or just bad luck. My praise extends to them as well, some of whom made it but were unable to perform due to no fault of their own. Everybody involved is a hero to me.
In conclusion, some asked why it wasn't held later in the year. The ability of all these agencies and forces to launch this enterprise in the first place was miraculous. When the option to act or wait is tabled in this business, the latter is rarely successful. This will be repeated soon, as VFW Post 10254 is excited to be a part of our crusade to bring Live Local Music into the national spotlight, and will excitedly host more of these game-changing events. That's from the Commander of the post. And know this, any national or industry driven promoter would have cancelled without regret. But Outlaw Entertainment, Gauntlet and the bands and fans of our unified community had the cojones to make it happen in spite of the adversity. Don't f*** with Arizona Metal!
Below are links to the livestreams of many of the bands, and I'll add more as they come in. The videos on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube have already been viewed over 5,000 times. That's a great way to kick off 2023. I'm honored to have been a part of it. Thank you all
DAWN OF THE RISING
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The
MOGUL Review
January
20, 2023
BATTLE
OF THE BANDS FINALLY
Thank you for
coming out in force Friday night at the Rock’n Free - Live Battle Of The Bands
at The Blooze Bar . It was the final battle
of a war that spanned dozens of events and months of competition between
new Valley bands.. And even a
sensationalist like myself could never have
expected the level of professionalism, the refined quality of the music,
or the excitement this epic campaign and
the impact it has on our community. It was a packed house all night, with 1,000
views on the unedited live video feed to Facebook not including replays!
The Exxes
won. And they deserved it. Most unique
songs, most musical variety within a set, surgical precision by the members on
their instruments. Most experienced, and a seductive songstress who is expert at reading an audience and
winning them over. And they had to make the judges and crowd retain that impact
through 2 more bands to win. Genre was
hard-rock/punk . But not one original sounded like someone else's song. And
every song within their set nailed it and sounded different. This is the only
time I have sworn to that regarding a band.
This does not
mean they won for everyone. Nor, does it mean they're a better band. But in the
US of A they won for the collective judges, and that settles it. I will be focusing
on The Exxes over the next few months and spotlighting their sorcerous
influences, so more people who love live music flock to them. And I'm saving a
place for them on an upcoming show, and crossing my fingers, hoping they are
too big or busy to take it when it comes. Remember this wasn't one show they
won. They outlasted dozens of competitors in over a year of events and reigned
supreme.
Second place
means a lot. Avarist was hard to beat. Actually, two or three points out of 210
separated the top two. This is a band with a vocalist who can command legions
to his cause. He has the body and brain of an athlete and professor, and the
wisdom of the Led Zeppelin hermit. And unlike most bands, their crowd exhibited
Extreme Contact;
Fans and
listeners literally climbed on the vocalist when he left the stage. For
musicianship, they were in their own class. Flawless, intricate fills from
every member were enough to assert their majesty. Air tight stops and
bullet-like breaks punctuated their anthem songs. That I expected, I've heard
their guitarist Jason before, and one minute in front of the bassist and you
knew they had something impossibly perfect.
Judges were not allowed to rate them on cover songs (the jury is advised
to disregard that comment sort of thing). But when you hear the Lady Gaga Metal
Mayhem Melodic Massacre, and you will, you'll see why I wished I had composed
it. “Genius”.
Headhunt AZ came
in third place, which really means third out of 70 or how many ever bands have
participated in this menagerie. These guys were dark, thrashing death-metal to some and yet they took the
audience by force by sneaking in melody and authoritative shred between the
growls. Jake even growled melodically. And his guitar sound was superb. They
are kids. Not one of them is old enough to legally make the mistake of starting
to drink and one can't drive yet. And they were as tight as the seasoned
veterans in their genre. Unequalled precision, in my book what is the most
difficult style of music to play well. For you non-head bangers, know this: You
don't get the music because it is too advanced. And these ballsy kids can bury
most of what I've heard here or in Tucson, and you'll hear about it says the
Maestro.
I’m excited
they're on the Desert Fest 2023 bill with myself and others. Congratulations to
them on seizing an audience who probably wouldn't have come for them alone.
Metal is in capable hands with this new generation. Horns up!
A set by
Reckless Youth the Band preceded the contest. I've watched as they overcame
countless obstacles and have played with them on several bills. Last night was
graduation day. A killer set of excellent songs with fantastic (as in both
unbelievable and great) vocal and guitar work. A tribute to Marty Maher who has
painstakingly directed them into the real world of music, where they've earned
their keep. I have a high bar for what they do, and I am not easily persuaded
by the presence of gear that costs as much as a car or parents that force feed
Charvels down their kid's throats. And I don't know where these guys got their
gear, but/ Ankh-Alien they deserve it.
And they use it as well as anyone I know.
Top shelf
performance, gentlemen!
As I nudged my
way through the shoulder to shoulder crowd I ran into a bunch of souls who helped
keep our music scene alive for decades. THE REVEREND Black Jack McBride (2 IN THE CHEST), Rachel Val Kyrie Ornelas (
Rejected Monsters ), Philip Hernandez (
Choke Chain / Ankh-Alien), all of 17 Seconds to Fail , and many more got by as
my focus stayed with the bands. And many good friends who share my enthusiasm
and crusade for live local rock came as well.
Now for the
architects of this once-lost cause. Penny Freeman , Travis Kolasinski and
Trevor Freeman, and their door person. Nobody would ever go to the lengths they
do to make a show work. We have very few promoters here, and none who are
seeking unestablished talent and original music. That's what makes them great.
And never have I seen the attention to the shows in such detail. Some of it is
genius, some is trial and error, but the last word is they've invested crazy
amounts of time and at a financial loss to see their dream realized. And you're
not going to be able to host the battle of the bands for 2 years or so without
pissing people off. And they stood fast and I saw the results of this last
night. They have strained out a collection of fanatical lovers of local music
and local rock, presented arena-class bands in a city with five venues (exaggerated)
for the price of a donut and a coffee. Rock’n Free Live is the standard for
excellence in my book. And I have no reason to suck up to them. Thank you from
all of us who value the scene over our own success. Literally hundreds of bands
have advanced because of their work.
The judges. I've
sat on 3 panels and know them personally. Jeremy Kniffin ( TORSO ) and Del
Zachary Green ( Burn'd Bridges ) are
representative of all the values I hold
sacred with regard to music. And the best at what they do. Del in
particular has been with The Battle since the start, and Jeremy believes in our
scene, however new he is to it. Both they and I will tell it like it is, and even when it may sadden it to say so. I
aspire to those character qualities as well, and have played everything from
country to death metal professionally.
My last word is
there are no better bands and the winner always is, or should be, the fan. I
don't really think anyone has a favorite band. They have favorite music,
favorite songs and favorite people. And the business is super competitive because
there are so little awards to give out to so many people who try and sacrifice.
My spirit soars after last night. And you can judge the winner by watching the
livestream of the competitors in replay. I'm serious when I say we captured the
top artists of our collective music scene last night. And as always, if you
disagree with me it's because you are wrong.
Much love to all of you who came, shared, watched or wish you had. ❤
