Black Swan - Sophomore Excellence

By Mark Kadzielawa

 Black Swan is an exciting new band.  It features some established heavy hitters from the past, but the music is nothing but fresh and blooming with dynamics.  Robin McAuley, Reb Beach, Jeff Pilson, and Matt Starr make up Black Swan.  

The band released their sophomore album, Generation Mind, and it's definitely one of the best melodic hard rock records of the year!  Black Swan just gets better by each album, so there's certainly more great things to come.

Robin, what have you been up to over the last year?

Doing Great!  Recorded and released the second Black Swan record, Generation Mind.  The record went into charts, and is getting amazing reviews.

Before we dive into your professional career, let's go back a bit.  What first got you hooked on music?

I always wanted to be a drummer and saw Thin Lizzy when I was 12 years old.  I listened to Motown, and just loved the melodies and great memorable hook lines and lyrics.  I guess I just hoped that one day I might also be able to make music.

Who were some of your early influences?

Definitely the sound of Motown.  That was a huge influence on me.  Then I discovered Paul Rodgers and Free, and from there I was hooked on hard rock music.  I try to listen to a good cross section of music from Irish traditional to classical, Zeppelin, and so on.  I like whatever sounds good.  It is of course subjective but ultimately I love strong melodies and big choruses.

Let's talk about the new record, take me through the writing and recording of Black Swan's latest effort.

Jeff and Reb got together and began the writing process after which they'd send the music to me for the lyrics and melodies.  I would take my ideas to Jeff and after some pre-production we'd start recording.  Generation Mind was born out of the collaboration between Jeff, Reb, and myself.

Given the fact that most supergroups don't last long, what is it about Black Swan that allowed the group to stay together and release another stunning album? Shake the World was a great first record from Black Swan, and I don't think any of us like the supergroup reference attached to the line up.  We set out to write great music together.  Music that we enjoy playing and listening to.  On Generation Mind I think we achieved that cohesive band sound that is very Black Swan, and the production reflects it very much.  It's fresh sounding, high energy and fun.  We're not caught up in having to sound particular way because the label put us together.  this is who we are as a band. You're no stranger to writing with fantastic guitar players.  You work with Michael Schenker attests to that.  Tell me about you songwriting relationship with Reb Beach? One word...amazing!  Reb is such an incredibly talented guitarist.  Full of melody and technique, and on this record he really shines in a way that easily puts him up there with the best.  He influences my songwriting in so many ways. Black Swan's rhythm section of Jeff Pilson and Matt Starr is formidable.  What do they bring into the band? Well, you just have to listen to these two powerhouses together and you hear what is going down.  Jeff is an amazing bass player, producer, singer, and songwriter.  matt brings the thunder!  He listens to the song and plays just what is needed.  Together they are a very powerful rhythm section. The production on this record is crisp.  What more can you tell us regarding the production and engineering side of things? This is Jeff doing what Jeff Pilson does best.  He's an amazing producer and an engineer.  Jeff hears things so that you the listener can also hear it.  Alessandro Del Vecchio also does a masterful job mixing, just like he did on Shake The World.   What's next for you Robin? I'm doing a tour with Michael Schenker in Europe.  After that, I'm coming back home to Los Angeles, and begin working on my sophomore solo record.  Standing On The Edge was so well received that it's time to make another record.

Legions of Metal Festival - Reggies, Chicago, Illinois, May 13-14, 2022 (Words and images by Mark Kadzielawa)

 

Legions of Metal was an absolute blast!  Two days of festivities with some of the coolest bands, and the best music fans on the planet.  Needless to say, it was a very special experience.  One that many will remember for years to come, or until the next edition of Legions of Metal.

The festival was held at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois.  It was split between the two stages, at times moving very smoothly, at times hectic, but definitely awesome at all times!  There was a lot of effort from the promoters, organizers, roadies to make this work, and they did.  Were there glitches?  I’m sure, for the most part probably not even noticeable to a casual fan.  You would see one of the organizers, Bob Byrne, running around, trying to make sure every little detail happens.  Sometime you would see Bob looking fatigued and sweating, but he always had a big smile on his face, and you knew things were happening.  Big thanks to Bob Byrne and Shane Merrill for your great efforts and perseverance to make Legions of Metal a reality and a great experience for the fans.

There were many fans there locally, from other states, or even different countries.  Great to see the band members who were not performing but came to support their friends and many up-and-coming acts.  There was a great feel of the metal brotherhood throughout the festival.  Everyone was friendly and nice.  Metal fans are the best fans in the world.  I’ve seen a lot of support in just about every situation possible. 

There were a lot of bands, great bands playing this festival.  At times it was a tiny bit overwhelming, but never tiring.  Every corner of Reggies offered something cool and special.  Bands playing on the big stage, bands playing on the smaller stage, bands trying to sell their merchandise, vendors selling metal CD’s, albums, t-shirts, patches, you name it.  There was a lot of conversations between the bands and their fans.  Records were being autographed and pictures taken.  A heavy metal paradise if you please.

This writer was often stuck with a dilemma between conducting interviews, and seeing bands.  There was a lot to coordinate, and not everything happened according to the plan or time, but it was great.  Every little experience counted.  All the bands were great.  Special in their own way.  Some groups were missed for the above-mentioned reason.  One in particular everyone kept talking about was Beretta.  You want it all, but you can’t simply have it all. 

One other fact that totally stood out was how many bands had female singers, or female band members that played an instrument.  This was an absolutely awesome development.  All the girls rocked, and they rocked hard.  It is so cool to see that as a more common feature of the scene.  Sending great and positive vibes to all lady rockers who gave their all during the festival.  Much respect to you, and I hope you inspire other girls to one day stand on that stage.

The highlights of the first day definitely included Emissary, Slough Feg, and of course Nasty Savage.  Emissary has such complicated history that requires a documentary in order to properly understand it.  They are a veteran band that finally got their album out and is currently touring behind it.  They are having a great time making their presence known.  Their traditional approach is very powerful, and their live presentation is needs to be seen.  Great bunch of guys doing what they love best.  Watch out for Emissary.  Slough Feg just came at the audience with all their might.  Song after song their set was just getting better and more intense.  Guitarist/ vocalist, Mike Scalzi, was brimming with confidence every step of the way.  Slough Feg definitely won many fans over that night, and rightfully so.  

Many fans claim Nasty Savage, gave the best performance of the whole festival, and that certainly is a fact.  The band came on strong and did not let go until their very last note.  Musically, they were untouchable and well prepared to face any challenge.  The crowd instantly got into the Nasty Savage, and the energy exchange was unbelievable.  Nasty Ronnie is still the most charismatic frontman of the entire thrash metal genre.  He was in a great form this evening.  Nasty Ronnie commanded the crowd as if he was a Roman emperor, and they followed him religiously.  This was a high energy performance that included many visuals, and some very positive messages from the band.  The culmination point of the performance was a battle between Nasty Ronnie and the vintage TV set.  Ronnie of course came out victorious out of that battle.  This needs to be seen to be believed.  You can actually catch the entire Nasty Savage set on YouTube filmed by this writer.  This was a very high point of the first day of the festival.  Nasty Savage played all of their classic tracks that everyone knew and loved.  The band was unstoppable! (see the YouTube link below)

The second day of festivities opened with Midnight Dice, a great band out of Chicago lead by Mandy Martillo on vocals.  The quartet played a great set, and instantly gained a big crowd.  It was obvious many fans were there to see and support Midnight Dice.  They sounded powerful and hungry.  Ryghar brought some Texas metal to the hungry crowd.  Another powerful set with a great crowd response.  Throne of Iron was having a lot of fun on stage.  Mixing comedy with metal, this group of basement dwellers were just having a great time while delivering quality songs.  They have a very cool and easy-going attitude, and a little bit of fun is always a plus.  Tower was one of the big surprises of the day.  A very powerful set, and one amazing show.  Tower’s vocalist, Sarabeth Linden, was extremely charismatic and full of energy.  The band’s music attracted a sizeable crowd.  It was a wild and theatrical show.  Morgul Blade presented their own version of metal, and quickly picked up new fans.  A very heavy and intense approach was exactly what the fans needed at the moment.  Morgul Blade delivered the goods.  During their set, a couple of police officers appeared at the club.  As it turned out one of the officers on duty was a huge Morgul Blade fan, and he wanted to catch a glimpse of them, and pick up some merchandise.  Sanhedrin went down like a storm, giving another dose of female-fronted heavy metal.  Erica Stoltz was unstoppable!  She had a great presence and lead the band from one high to another.  

Medieval Steel was one of the most awaited acts on the bill.  Despite being the late addition to the fest, this band came on strong.  Singer Bobby Franklin is living his second musical youth.  Franklin is sounding perfectly fine, and he’s having a great time doing it.  There was a great connection between Bobby Franklin and guitarist, Jeff Miller.  The two of them have a great understanding on the stage as well as in the studio.  This will certainly translate into some great records and shows.  Outstanding effort from Medieval Steel!  One could only wish Medieval Steel played longer.  

Midas is a young band from Detroit, and their debut album just came out.  Their set was absolutely fantastic.  Midas was definitely a band on its way up.  You could feel it, see it, and smell it. They floored the crowd, and there will be great things coming out of this group. 

Brocas Helm was the returning legendary act from California.  It was great to see them again.  Brocas Helm showed everyone what the traditional metal is all about, only they did it their way.  They have a very specific style and they refined it throughout the last four decades.  While never making it to the big leagues, Brocas Helm’s place in the heavy metal history is assured.  There is no one like them.  Musically and visually they stand apart from everyone else, and this evening was no exception.  

Riot V closed the festival, and they closed it with a bang.  The band came on very strong, sticking to the songs everyone knew for years and loved.  They sounded like a well-oiled machine.  No sound was out of place here.  The execution was superb!  Vocalist, Todd Michael Hall, was absolutely phenomenal.  He was able to adjust his voice to every phase of Riot, and deliver the songs with feel and conviction.  At times, it looked like he didn’t put much effort into it.  The audience was ecstatic, this included many band members who already performed themselves.  The legendary songs from Riot won over everyone very quickly.  Even when trying to find something to complain about, one simply couldn’t. A perfect set from Riot V.

The audience left Legions of Metal festival feeling satisfied and filled with joy.  Everything the festival promised to deliver was delivered.  This event truly took he life of its own, and will for sure continue to entertain for years to come.  Once again, big thanks go to the organizers, the venue, and the staff.  Everybody was very professional and welcoming.  A monumental task accomplished perfectly.

Mark Kadzielawa

FESTIVAL IMAGES:

EMISSARY

SLOUGH FEG

NASTY SAVAGE

MIDNIGHT DICE

RYGHAR

THRONE OF IRON

TOWER

MORGUL BLADE

SANHEDRIN

MEDIEVAL STEEL

MIDAS

BROCAS HELM

RIOT V

VIDEO

Nasty Savage at Legions of Metal, Chicago 2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT1V85ZQR64

Mastodon, Opeth, Khemmis – Riviera, Chicago 4/28/22 (words and images by Mark Kadzielawa)

 This was a great night of heavy music at the Riviera in Chicago.  A sizeable audience came out to enjoy Khemmis, Opeth, and Mastodon.  All three bands were great and unique in their individual approach.  Needless to say, nobody went home disappointed.  It was a triumphant night.

Colorado’s Khemmis opened the festivities.  The came out very strong, and quickly got the audience going.  Their doom metal approach quickly won over fans, and the house was shaking with joy.  Khemmis played a very short but intense set.  Just as the band and the audience were warming up, it was time call it a day for the guys.  Khemmis showed a lot of potential musically.

Opeth is an interesting Swedish band.  They started as a pure death metal outfit, only to let their prog rock influence come to the front, and eventually alter the band’s music.  Nowadays Opeth navigates between both genres.  There is no doubt Opeth keeps things interesting, and always surprises its fan base.  Their latest album, In Cauda Venenum, was released in both English and Swedish, and it was the Swedish version that got the momentum going. 

Opeth opened their set with a new song, Hjartat Vet Vad Handedn Gor, sung completely in Swedish.  The band sounded great, and the audience instantly got into what they were offering.  Opeth continued to vow its audience with variety of tracks ranging from very soft and gentle to very heavy and brutal.  All of it delivered with great feel and conviction.  Vocalist/guitarist, Mikael Akerfeldt, was having a great time spreading his message, and playing the music he feels and loves. 

There was a significant number of Opeth fans in the audience, and many became Opth fans that very night.  Their set was very well balanced, and provided good overview as to what the band is all about.  The hardcore Opeth fans were awaiting many of the songs they band played, while newer fans definitely got the wind of something special happening in front of their eyes.  Opeth played long compositions with lots of twists and turns, no chance of any sort of compromise here.

Mastadon was the main attraction of the evening, and judging by the amount of the band’s t-shirts in the audience, most of the people came there to see them.  The band came on strong, and enjoyed a very intense reaction from the crowd.  Mastodon opened with Pain with An Anchor, and quickly followed with Crystal Skull, and Megalodon.  The band was very energetic, and definitely lived their music on stage. 

This energetic performance quickly spilled onto the crowd who graced the band with even more energy.  There was certainly joy among a very enthusiastic Mastodon Chicago crowd.  You could feel this band is loved and religiously followed by many.  They were having fun on stage; it was a good vibe all around.

Mastodon presented few new songs from their latest, Hushed and Grim, album.  The new tracks were clearly enjoyed by the crowd.  The group played few more classics before climaxing with Blood & Thunder.  It was a solid and very colorful set.  Mastodon had some great light effects throughout the show, adding a lot of feel to the songs.  It was very clever how they put all of this together, not overly complicated but very effective.  Add running into some old friends at the show to share the experience with, and you have what can be called a perfect evening.

Mark Kadzielawa

GALLERY:

MASTODON

OPETH

KHEMMIS